Loss of the Chosen One

by Sonic the Saiyan

Sacrificing himself in what appears to be a failed attempt to save the one he loved, Ash is rescued by an unlikely source, and made to continue living his life to service the beings of the world. Staying in solitude at his pain and guilt of failure, he leaves everyone and everything he knew behind, but what happens when fate brings him back to where they all are? Advanceshipping

3. As Time Goes On

Mount Quena

A breeze swept through the top of the mountain as the storm protecting the sanctuary rage on around them. Standing atop the edge of the cliff at the top of the mountain, a young man in dark clothes stood overlooking the forest below.

He let out a deep sigh. "Only ten more days…" he spoke to no one in particular.

He was dressed in a dark suit, not unlike those of the Aura Guardians of yore, but simpler, and black. A thin cape stretch down his back, and turned into a hood, covering his face. A pair of gloves adorned with white gems sat upon his hands, and a black cap was donned upon his head, pulled down over his eyes.

Feeling for the familiar object setting in his pocket, Ash took out his piece of the special ribbon that he would always keep, a reminder of better times…

Light footsteps pattered up behind him. Feeling a bumping on his leg, Ash looked down to see a small blue and black humanoid Pokemon trying to get his attention.

Ash kneeled down to the Pokemon's level. "I'm fine, Riolu, just thinking. It's almost that time of year again."

"Riiiii…" Riolu whined.

Ash chuckled. "You are really in tuned with my emotions, huh? Only you know exactly how I'm feeling."

Sitting down next to the Pokemon, Ash started thinking. "You know, I know that people call Riolu empathetic Pokemon, but you seem to almost know me better than I know myself. Mew told me that you were descended from the Lucario that worked with Sir Aaron. If that's true, then it's no wonder you're so good at sensing me out."

"Riolu Ri" Riolu said, slightly abashed.

Looking up at the sky, Ash let out a breath. "Riolu, you've been my partner for over a year now, but I feel like you've been there for me for a long time, much longer than that." Sitting back up, his expression turned dark. "But even longer still is how long it's been since the incident." Looking down, he continued. "It's been almost 3 years, now. Just a few more days, and 3 whole years since I came here."

Riolu frowned as it sensed Ash's darkening mood. "Lu?" it asked.

Ash reached up and wiped his eyes clear of the moisture gathering there. "Nothing, I don't need to burden you with it."

Looking over the edge, he let his mind wander. He was only waiting for Mewtwo to show back up, and then he could talk to him. Reaching down to his belt, he pulled out two black Pokeballs with red and yellow stripes running across them.

Looking down at the Empathy Pokemon beside him, Ash held up the Luxury Ball. "Only the finest for you guys. Are you ready for a trip, Riolu?" Ash asked.

Riolu bowed to Ash in a polite fashion, with its hand across its chest. "Rio" it answered.

Ash nodded. "Alright. Riolu, return" he said. A beam of red light shot out of the Pokemon and enshrouded Riolu. Minimizing the ball, Ash walked over to the center of the valley. "Pidgeot!" he shouted out.

Hearing flapping wings above him, Ash looked up and saw a large, majestic bird descending upon him. Landing beside him in a regal pose, Pidgeot appeared dignified and important.

Ash sighed. "You know, you don't have to make every landing so extravagant" he said.

"Caaaw" Pidgeot cried, spreading its wings wide.

Facepalming, Ash shook his head. "Pidgeot, return."

Recalling Pidgeot into the comfortable Pokeball, Ash pocketed it too, then looked around. "When is Mewtwo going to be here? It should have been here by now."

"I don't have to run on your schedule" the voice of Mewtwo rang out. Teleporting down in front of Ash, Mewtwo appeared. "What is it?"

"I feel like going to stay elsewhere for a while" Ash said simply. "I wanted to see if you could Teleport me over to Rota."

"Rota? The domain of my feeble copy?" Mewtwo scoffed. "Why would you want to be around that pink furball?"

"First off, no matter how much you pretend to hate Mew, you know that you need it" Ash said. "You were made from Mew, you're linked to it. And second, I can't always be around a sociopathic, locked off Pokemon all the time. Sometimes, I need to be with someone that can actually experience emotion."

"And why exactly is-" Mewtwo began to say.

"Listen, Mewtwo" Ash said shortly. "It's either Mew, or Hoopa. Maybe I'll tell Hoopa that you issued another challenge this time. If you won't Teleport me, I can always have Pidgeot fly me there."

Mewtwo scowled, remembering the last time he was in combat with the Djinn Pokemon.

"I still remember what you said when you first brought me here, how Dark-Types weren't a problem for you" Ash continued. "I'm sure that would get Hoopa in a fighting mood. Maybe it will even invite a Darkrai and Yveltal to make the fight more interesting."

"FINE!" Mewtwo shouted. "Just tell me when you are ready to go."

"Anytime" Ash said hotly.

Mewtwo raised its hand, glowing with a psychic energy. "Oh, I just remembered" he said. "Why is it, that at this time every year, you ask to go to one of the other Legendary Pokemon, one that can, as you say, 'connect emotionally' with you."

"Why should I share that with you?" Ash responded. "It's my personal business."

"You realize that I could find out myself if I wanted to" Mewtwo said.

"Maybe you used to be able to" Ash said. Holding his palm up, Ash sent up a small wave of blue energy. "My mind may have been an open book before, but I learned how to close it a while back."

"Hmmph" Mewtwo huffed, waving his hand. In a flash of green light, Ash vanished from the spot. "Don't be in a hurry to come back" he roared.

Viridian City

"Rhyyyy…"

"Rhydon is unable to battle, Sceptile is the winner" the referee shouted. "The victor of this battle is May Maple of Petalburg City."

"Great job, Sceptile" May congratulated. "Here, take a nice long rest."

A young man in a blue jacket walked up to May. "You know, not many trainers have ever beaten this gym since I took up residence, and never has a trainer I've met been that powerful." Holding out his hand, he revealed a green feather-shaped badge. "Here, as proof of your victory against me, the Earth Badge."

May nodded, accepting the small emblem. "Thank you, Gym Leader Blue" she said graciously.

"Hey, no problem" Blue said offhandedly. "You may be the very last challenger that I have in a long time, so I'm glad that you were such a worthy opponent."

"Last challenger?" May asked.

"Yeah, you've heard of the upcoming competition, right?" Blue asked.

"Oh, yeah, that one" May said without energy.

"Who knows, maybe I'll see you there" Blue said "Have a good day, you hear?"

"Yeah, thanks" May said, turning around and walking out the door.

As she stepped outside, she heard slow clapping waiting for her. Rounding the corner of the building, she saw a familiar green-haired coordinator standing there. "Who would've thought, the day that a coordinator went trainer."

May glared at him. "What do you want, Drew?"

Pikachu came running out of the building behind her, stopping as it came onto the scene. "I just wanted to see what you're doing, running through gym battles instead of making the rounds in contests, that's all. Seems like a real waste, if you ask me."

"You know nothing of why I'm doing this, so who are you to judge?" May responded hotly.

"You're using another trainer's Pokemon to go for a goal that isn't even yours" Drew said nonchalantly. "Seems kind of insane to me."

"For your information," May began scathingly, "I'm doing this for an old friend who never got a chance to reach his dream. I'm making sure that it comes through, for him and his Pokemon."

"You mean that Ketchum kid? Please, he never stood a chance at it, so why are you taking up the entire burden of a worthless trainer?" Drew asked.

"ASH WAS NOT-!" May began to scream, but she was beat to the punch.

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu cried, sending a massive Thunderbolt attack at Drew.

"AAAAAGH" Drew screamed. An electrical explosion occurred, and the coordinator was sent sailing into the distance, screaming.

"Pika!" Pikachu growled angrily at the soaring figure. Turning back around, Pikachu noticed that May had turned away. "Pikachu Pi?" it asked.

"Oh!" May's voice quickly came. She quickly raised her hands up and rubbed her eyes vigorously. She turned around to face the small Electric Mouse Pokemon. "Sorry Pikachu, I'm fine. It was just, really hard for me to hear him say that."

Pikachu nodded, ears drooping. "Kaaaaa…"

Looking up at the sky, May sighed sadly. "It's almost that time of year again, Pikachu, and it couldn't have come at a worse time."

"Kachu?" Pikachu asked.

"It's nothing" May said. "Come on, let's get back to the Pokemon Center. I'm sure that the others are waiting for us."

"Pi" Pikachu said, scampering up alongside May.

As the two walked back through Viridian City, May was very quiet. "How could he say all those things? I'm trying to make sure that the person who taught me everything can at least have his dream fulfilled by his Pokemon" she thought.

Clenching the new badge she had won in her hand, she felt her emotions rising. "I thought that once I got all of the badges so that we could all enter the Indigo Conference, I would feel better. But no, that's going on hold too, and I can't help but feel even more alone than ever."

Suddenly, she felt herself slam into another person. "Wah!" she cried, tumbling down onto the ground. She quickly stood up and brushed her back off. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going and-"

"Well, I dare say I don't believe who it is" the man she knocked down said. The man was rather wide, and dressed in a simple blue suit. He spoke with a cool and calm accent. "I haven't heard that voice in forever."

"How do you know me?" May asked cautiously.

The man grunted and got to his feet. Turning around, May noticed his curly brown hair and dark glasses. "Oh, it's you!"

"In the flesh" Scott said. "I didn't think that I'd find you around here, but I'm not complaining."

"What are you doing in Viridian?" May asked. "Scouting out more Battle Frontier worthy trainers?"

"Nah, the Frontier has picked up quite the momentum since Ash won it all" Scott said. Noticing May's pained expression, he quickly looked abashed. "Sorry, I heard all about it. I should've thought before I spoke."

"No, it's ok" May said, her voice slightly brittle. "As you were saying?"

"Oh, right. Well, nowadays, just about anyone knows about the Battle Frontier, so there's no real need to introduce people to it anymore. Of course, not many have even beaten their first Frontier Brain, but that's the way it goes" Scott said. "No, I was here spreading the word about a different kind of challenge. I'm working with a group of others to host a massive tournament, the biggest the world's ever seen."

Looking glum, May nodded. "Yeah, I've heard about it. It's so important that all Pokemon League based facilities are closing down until it's over."

Scott looked surprised. "Well, I wasn't aware you've been keeping up with the Trainer's side of the world so much."

May looked down. "Well, I'm trying to become a Pokemon Master myself now. I'm taking care of Ash's Pokemon, and they've been wanting this for as long as they can remember. Also, I really want to honor Ash's memory with this."

Scott nodded. "Well, if you're doing this to fulfill his dreams, then why are you so down about the tournament?"

"Because it's closing down everything, even the Pokemon League, for at least a couple months while everything is going down" May said. "That means that I will have to wait even longer to move forward."

Scott raised his eyebrows. "How hard have you been keeping up with the news about this old thing, May?"

"Not very" she replied.

Scott let out a small chuckle. "Young lady, what you view as a detour may actually be a shortcut."

May studied Scott's face. "What exactly do you mean?"

Scott sat down on a bench. "I've been working on this thing from the beginning, so I know every detail about this thing, inside and out. Trainers from every region are flocking to compete in this contest, even the far off regions most people in these parts haven't even heard of. It's all going down in a faraway region, in a place where the Pokemon and Trainers are stronger than near anyone else. In a place called Vesryn, at the tip of a landmark called the Vesryn Spear,-"

(A/N: Giving credit, TheSuzerain's work on Zeta and Omicron. I know this is the second story I've used it in, but it's cool enough that I wanted it to play a huge role in the story)

"-there is a large island. Most people who live near it know nothing of it, since the town they live in is so far up and out of the way, they can't see it. The island is usually used as a Trainer Resort, where top notch trainers gather to share stories, relax, and of course, battle. We managed to secure permission to host it there. There are living accommodations and battle facilities large enough to host something on this scale there, so it just fit the bill perfectly."

"I don't understand why telling me where this tournament is is going to cheer me up" May said shortly.

"Hold your Horseas, I promise you, you'll cherish that information in a moment here" Scott said. "Anyways, the way it works, is that any Trainer who has at least made it to the Victory Tournament in a league competition, or is registered in the Hall of Fame can enter. Also, all of those in Pokemon League and Hall of Fame employment, all the way from Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains, to even the Elite 4 and Champions, are obligated to participate. Even if a trainer hasn't been in the Hall of Fame or a league competition, they can still enter if they used to hold a position like that, if they want to." Scott flashed a smile. "Like your friend from Pewter City, for example."

"Anyways, this tournament is very prestigious. Not only will it be aired live globally, but the rewards are staggering. Anyone who makes it into the top 256 will earn themselves an entry in the Hall of Fame. Keep in mind, while that seems like a large margin, we will have several thousand trainers entering. Anyone making is into the top 32 will receive, let's just say, a small fortune, enough to live in luxury and retire before you hit your thirties. A quarterfinalist get's a special stamp on their Trainer card, which will allow you to get special discounts anywhere you go for the rest of your life. Really makes life easy on you, you know?"

"That's nice and all, Scott, but I think that it's better I train up and get ready for the Pokemon League when it comes back" May said. "A couple months of training would really help us-"

"Hang on, I wasn't quite done yet" Scott said. "Ranking prizes are everything to drawing in contestants, and you haven't heard the prize for #1 yet."

"Alright, go on" May said.

"I will" Scott nodded. "Semifinalists and above will receive one of the greatest gifts a trainer could ask for. A set of three Master Balls for each of them. The Devon Corp. and Silph Co. really had to work overtime to make sure of this, and each one of them cost a fortune to make. The runner-up will get their choice of just about anything they want, from becoming a Pokemon League Champion to setting up their own Battle Frontier style challenge. However, the number one trainer won't need any of that. We have some guys out and about looking for a special Pokemon to give as the grand prize. We don't assume that we will have any luck finding a Legendary Pokemon like a Latios, let alone catching it, but beyond a special Pokemon, the winning trainer will receive, none other than the one title that they all strive to achieve."

May grew wide eyed. "You don't mean..?"

Scott smiled. "Yup, the winner of the whole shebang becomes an official, Pokemon Master. Beyond all the previous prizes they get to hold the most sought-after title to ever exist."

May stared in shock as she realized just what this meant. "No way, just like that, you could become a Pokemon Master?"

"Well, it isn't going to be easy" Scott said. "Not only will you have to contend with other Trainers, some of world renowned skill, but as I said before, individuals such as Champions will be participating in the competition. I pity the trainers who are matched up with the likes of Cynthia or Wallace."

May began to fill up with a sense of excitement and joy, but then it faded. "Only, I can't enter…"

Scott's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Why not?"

May sighed. "I got so excited, I almost forgot. I'm not listed in the Hall of Fame, nor have I even participated in a League match, let alone advanced to the Victory Tournament. I'm not Gym Leader, Elite 4 member, Frontier Brain, or any of that. I'm just not qualified."

Scott laughed. "What's so funny?" May asked angrily, frowning.

"You see, this is the advantage of knowing people in high places" Scott chuckled. "Tell you what. I've seen you battle, I know the Pokemon you will be battling with, and I know why and who you're battling for. I'll make an exception and add you to the roster, that is if you are up for it."

"Yes, yes, I'll take it!" May said energetically. "I'll do it without hesitating!"

"You already have" Scott laughed. "Only thing you have to do is be ready fast. Vesryn isn't any train ride away. You could Fly there on a Pokemon, but the Pokemon that live there are very powerful, so I would recommend taking a plane. The Pokemon will respect a man-made craft like that, but love to challenge themselves against other Pokemon."

"Right!" May nodded confidently. "I'll start making the preparations right away!"

Scott chuckled. "And I hope you don't disappoint. Of course, I don't think you will. A Coordinator's moves in a Trainer's field. That will surely spice things up a bit."

Scott got out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it. "Here's the info on the whole thing. The time it starts, where the next planes leaving for there are, and some other bits of information you may find useful. Share it with your friends, too. Maybe Brock will need a break from his Doctor training."

May nodded. "Right. Thank you so much, Scott!"

"No problem. I'll see you there" Scott said, standing up. Holding out his hand, he smiled. "And in case I don't get a chance to talk to you there, I wish you the best of luck."

Clasping his hand, May smiled in a fiery way. "Thanks."

Nodding, Scott turned back to where May had just walked from, while May continued on towards the Pokemon Center. Looking at the note Scott left her, she began studying it. "Let's see, starts in three days? Wow, not much time. Best flight would probably be from the Goldenrod Airfield, okay, just got to catch a Magnet Train over also. Friends and family are welcome to come and watch. Maybe my friends will come, but I'm sure as hell not inviting him" she thought viciously.

Rounding the corner, the Pokemon Center came into view. Standing out front, Dawn, Max, and Gary were all in deep conversation with one another. As she came into view, Dawn was the first one to notice May. She stood up and waved her over, the others noticing her as she did this.

May approached and tried to put a smile on her face. Her euphoria from learning about the tournament was a bit faded, and wasn't able to block out the bad memories of the time. "Hey guys!"

"Hey May" Max got up, running over. "How did the Gym Battle go?"

"Are you kidding?" Gary asked sarcastically, walking over. "My little cousin never stood a chance against her."

"Um, your 'little cousin' is about ten years older than you" Dawn pointed out.

"Which makes it all the more embarrassing for him" Gary shrugged. Turning to May, he spoke again. "You did win, right? I'd hate to have to eat my own words."

Smiling, May held out her hand and revealed the Earth Badge sitting in it. "It only took Blaziken and Sceptile" she said.

"Great job, May!" Dawn cheered, hugging her friend.

"I bet I could've done it too" Max said.

May rolled her eyes. "Please, you just started a year ago."

"Yeah, and I already competed in the Ever Grande Conference and made it to the top 16" Max said. "That's as good as Ash-" Max stopped himself too late.

May bit her lip, and Dawn looked down at the ground. Even Gary looked a little depressed. "May, I'm sor-"

"Never mind it, Max" May said, staying strong. "The Ash we knew wouldn't want us to grieve for him forever. He would want to be remembered, not pined for, that was his way."

Gary nodded. "Couldn't have put it better myself. I knew him since we were just kids living together in Pallet Town. I'll tell you, he may have been hot headed, and he could have a temper, but he never wanted anyone to feel badly just because of him."

Dawn stood up and pecked Gary on the cheek. "That was sweet, Gary."

Gary blushed lightly. "Yeah, thank you."

Dawn chuckled. "Come on, it's been three months, when are you going to be comfortable?"

Gary just blushed harder at this. Max, on the other hand, laughed. "Wow, never seen anyone leave him so speechless."

May smiled sadly as she looked at the two of them. "Well, guys, how about we head back in? I'm a bit tired."

Dawn nodded. "Sounds good."

The four walked through the front door to the Pokemon Center. As they entered, Nurse Joy walked up to them. "Hello, Miss Maple. I have someone who wants to have a phone call with you."

"Yeah, where from?" May asked.

"From the Petalburg Gym" Nurse Joy responded.

May's expression turned into almost a vicious snarl. "Thanks, but I don't talk to anyone there."

Nurse Joy looked frightened by the look May had. "Very well, would you like to leave a message?"

"Was is a man?" she asked. When Joy nodded, May said "Okay, tell him to leave me alone or go jump in a lake."

Joy nodded nervously and ran off. Max gave his sister a reproachful look. "May, I'm mad at Dad too, but isn't that a bit harsh?"

"Harsher than attacking a boy, after giving his life to save his daughter, in his final moments?" May asked forcibly. "I'm never forgiving that man."

Max looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't force this issue. Instead, he noticed the slip of paper in May's hand. "What's that for?" he asked.

Looking down at it, she sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you guys in the room."

The Valley of Rota

Ash touched down on a firm patch of dirt. Looking up, he could see the Tree of Beginning looming above him. "I'm here" he mumbled.

Ash pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it in the air. "Come on out, Riolu."

In a flash of light, the small Pokemon materialized in front of him. Taking in a deep breath, Riolu sighed contentedly. "Riiiiii…"

Ash smiled. "Come on, we have a bit of a hike going up in front of us, so we'd better get moving."

Riolu nodded and stepped forward. However, as soon as it's foot touched the ground, Riolu stopped and looked around. Its ears went up, as if it were sensing for something.

Ash went on the defensive. He knew that Riolu must feel something, otherwise he wouldn't be acting this way. Ash felt nothing when he reached out with his aura, but he didn't need to for long. He felt a tremor run through the ground beneath him, gradually growing stronger.

Ash looked for the source until it had moved almost right under his feet. Looking at the ground, something burst forth from underground and landed right in front of them.

Ash's guard went down as he saw who was in front of him. "Regirock, it's just me" he said calmly.

Studying Regirock, it didn't look like it was looking for a fight, but he knew something was wrong.

"Rererereregigiregirock" it beeped out, flailing its club-like arms.

Ash frowned. "I don't know what's happening, Regirock, can you show me what's going on?"

Regirock appeared to bow, which Ash interpreted as a nod. Stomping away at speeds Ash wouldn't have thought possible of the bulky Pokemon, Ash sprinted off to keep up with it. Trampling through the trees, the group came to a stop in the shrubbery on the side of the road that led from Cameron Palace to the Tree of Beginning.

Looking out at the road, Ash saw nothing, besides the tracks of some Pokemon. "What exactly am I-?" he began to ask, when he heard Riolu bark behind him. Turning around, he saw that Riolu was standing by a small, almost crystalline bulb.

"A Time Flower, great thinking Riolu" Ash praised. He turned to Regirock. "Something happened here earlier, I'm guessing?"

"Rororegirock" Regirock beeped, bowing/nodding again.

"Alright" Ash said. He kneeled down and brought his hand forward, approaching the Time Flower. As it drew near, the bulb opened up and an orb of light rose from it. Ash backed away and stood up as the three of them were enveloped in a hologram.

Looking around at the earlier version of the road, Ash didn't see anything drastically different. That's when he heard the sounds.

Stepping out onto the road, Ash saw a pair of what looked like hunters coming up the path. As they drew near, he could hear their voices.

"-Haven't seen a single Pokemon yet" the first hunter said. "If we want the reward for bringing in the prize Pokemon, then why don't we go to a more populated area?"

"Moron, it's quality, not quantity that will score that check" hunter 2 said. "I hear tales about rare and powerful Pokemon living up in this area. Our patience will be rewarded if we just keep at it."

Some bushes rustled on their right. The two quickly turned to look at the disturbance, but all that came out were a pair of Rattata.

The first hunter roared with laughter. "Yup, that's rewarding our patience all right!"

With disgust, the second reached for a Pokeball on his belt. "Houndoom, clear out the small fry!" he shouted, releasing the Hellhound Pokemon.

Houndoom landed on the path in front of the Rattata, spooking them. "Foul Play, Houndoom!" the hunter snarled.

Houndoom glowed with purple energy, before darting forward and tackling the Rattata far into the trees. "Tataaaaaaaaaaaa" they squealed.

Ash clenched his fists. "Evil bastards" he muttered viciously.

"There, maybe that will convince all the little garbage Pokemon to stay out of our way" he said angrily.

Hearing a strange noise behind him, Ash turned around to see who else had arrived at the scene. A noise that could only be described as, sparkly, was heard as a small, pink cat-like Pokemon soared into view.

"Mew?" Ash asked.

Mew didn't respond, or even appear to notice him. Narrowing his eyes, Ash realized that this was Mew from the image that was being shown to him right now.

For such a clam Pokemon, Mew was exerting a lot of rage. It almost had an aura of red as it clenched its hands together. Mew began to glow, and morph. Its tail grew thicker, its body much longer, its head elongated, and limbs extended.

Mew finished its transformation into a Zoroark and leapt out onto the path in front of the hunters. "Raaaaaaaaa!" it shrieked.

The two stumbled. The first hunter smirked. "Here we are. That there's a Zoroark, they're rare, them."

The second hunter nodded and pulled out a Pokeball. "Right, let's go Galvantula!"

The Elespider Pokemon came out next to Houndoom. "Galvannnnnn…" Galvantula hissed.

"Hooooooounnnnn" Houndoom growled.

Mew snarled at the two Pokemon, then darted forward. Nearly disappearing in the blinding light, Mew struck each Pokemon near-simultaneously.

The Houndoom-hunter stumbled. "Wow, that was one fast Quick Attack, the fastest I've ever seen!"

"Fools" Ash muttered, referring to both the hunters and Mew. Mew was getting cocky and using moves that a Zoroark couldn't know. It was lucky that they only thought of its Extremespeed as a Quick Attack.

"Galvantula, use Spider Web!" the hunter commanded.

"And Houndoom, keep that Zoroark on its toes with Flamethrower" the other did.

Galvantula began spraying the ground and the trees with cobwebs while Houndoom rapid-fired Flamethrowers towards Mew, who dodged them with ease, but then began moving more carefully due to the cobwebs in the vicinity.

As Galvantula sprayed the last web, it turned back to the battle. Mew put its hands together and gathered a ball of energy, then swung it at the Houndoom. Focus Blast struck hard, sending the Houndoom flying into a tree and sticking on the webs there.

"Galvantula, use Thunderbolt" it was told.

Galvantula rubbed its feelers together and shot a bolt of lightning towards Mew. Sparks began travelling down Mew's arm.

"Mew, no" Ash muttered.

Thrusting its hand forward, Mew unleashed its own Thunderbolt to counter Galvantula's. Mew's quickly overwhelmed Galvantula's Thunderbolt and pushed it back, knocking it out cold.

Both hunters blinks. "Did, did you see that?"

The Houndoom hunter nodded. "That is one extremely powerful Zoroark. Our Pokemon are top notch, and all it took was two attacks from that thing."

"And not just that" the Galvantula hunter smirked. "It knows some pretty uncommon moves also."

"Hmm?" hunter 1 asked, eyebrows raised. Then it dawned on him. "Riiiiiiight, a Zoroark can't normally use a Thunderbolt like that. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Mew, get out of there" Ash said.

However, rather than leave, Mew approached the hunters, claws glowing for a Shadow Claw. Ash saw the hunters reach in their pockets…

Mew darted forward, ready to attack, but at that very second, the two hunters both tossed something at it. The first object hit Mew in the chest, extending into glowing blue wires that wrapped around it and shocked it. "Raaaaaaaa!" Mew shrieked in pain.

The second object landed on the ground underneath Mew's feet. It burrowed, and in seconds, metal bars were popping out of the ground, surrounding Mew and connecting at the top, forming a cage, with Mew trapped inside.

The shocking wires stopped and fell off Mew, and at that point, Mew realized at it had been trapped. Glaring at the hunters, Mew took a deep breath, and opened wide, but nothing came out.

The hunters roared with laughter. "Give up, fella, that's Pokeball technology there. Once inside, all your abilities and moves are negated until you're released. That means that you're coming with us, whether you like it or not."

The two of them each grabbed the bars on the cage and began to pull. Mew lashed out at them, but as it drew near the bars, an invisible force sparked and knocked Mew back. "Feisty one, isn't it?" the hunter asked. "Yeah, he'll make a great reward for the Vesryn Global Cup."

The cage was dragged until it was out of sight, and moments after, Ash heard the distinct sound of the ignition of a vehicle. As he heard it driving away, the light around him faded, leaving him back in the present, and in shock.

Ash clenched his fists. "I can't believe that those swine caught Mew!" he bellowed. Turning to Regirock, he asked "Do you have any idea of where they went?"

Regirock looked down in shame. "Rockrockregirereregirock" it beeped.

Ash growled and turned back to the road. Stepping out into the middle of it, Ash realized that markings of the battle were still there, but too faded to notice if you didn't know what had happened. Which meant that it had been some time since that battle took place. A few days? A week?

A sense of fear gripped Ash's heart. Looking up at the landmass above him, he realized, with cold certainty, that it was in danger. "The Tree depends on Mew" Ash said. "I don't know if just being separated or captured severes the link, or if it takes time to set in, or whatever, but all of the Pokemon in the Tree are in danger if we don't get Mew back."

Ash crossed his arms and thought. "But how am I going to do this. I don't even know where to begin, or where to find them. They said something about a Vesryn Global Cup, whatever that it." Thinking hard, Ash groaned as the answer came to him. "Well, I guess I have no choice. I'll have to actually ask for help on this one. No, he'll probably make me beg and plea. Well, actually, he will have a reason to help me of his own accord. Yeah, okay."

Ash felt back where he had come from. "Mewtwo, MEWTWO?" he called telepathically.

"Look who came crawling back" the voice drawled. "What do you need? First you insult me, close yourself off from me, and now you contact me in less than an hour of your leaving?"

"If you would shut up for a moment," Ash said, "I would have told you about the bad news here."

"What, if one of your partners get injured, it's not my fault."

"Imbecile" Ash thought, not sending that one. "No, this affects you too. Your counterpart, Mew, was captured."

Ash sensed a feeling of shock come through, and seconds later, Mewtwo was standing in front of him. "You're serious, someone captured him?"

"Well, looks like you do care about your so-called 'inferior clone' after all" Ash said.

Mewtwo frowned. "Just because I don't want to disappear doesn't mean that I care about that pink rat."

"I know, you've already told me how your life force is linked to Mew's" Ash said. "But still, I would think that you would care about a little more than just your own hide here. Don't you know that the Tree of Beginning also depends on Mew? If Mew gets hurt, many Pokemon could easily be injured, or worse. Haven't you spent your entire life since New Island trying to help Pokemon, not just the clones you made?"

Mewtwo stared coldly at Ash. "You obviously don't know me very well, then."

"Or I know you better than you know yourself" Ash countered.

Snarling, Mewtwo turned. "How do you even know that Mew was captured?"

Ash pointed at the Time Flower on the ground. "This told me, showed me everything."

Mewtwo looked at the flower. "Show me as well then, so I can understand things better."

Alright, here goes" Ash said, approaching the Time Flower once more.

Viridian Pokemon Center

"So let me get this straight" Gary said.

The four of them were sitting down in their room at the Pokemon Center, after what had happened earlier. As they chatted, May brought up the topic of what she had learned from Scott.

"There's a massive tournament going down, globally renowned, and you want to enter it for the chance to become a Pokemon Master for Ash?" Gary asked.

"Yeah, you just summed it up" May said.

Dawn looked at her friend. "May, I know that you want to do this for Ash, but do you really think that you'll be at the top of your game at this time of year."

"Of course" May almost yelled, scaring her friend. "Sorry, you know me at this time. Yeah, it's a hard time for this to be going on, but it's not like there's anything else I could be doing. I might as well take a shot at this since nothing else will be going on while it is. The way I see it, even if I fail, it will be a great warmup for the Indigo Conference."

Max looked at his sister in awe. "Well, May, if you're entering, then I'm entering too."

Dawn smiled. "And I bet it will be a good experience for you and your Pokemon also."

Max nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I bet Grovyle will be so psyched for this, I can't wait."

"Well, you guys won't have to wait long" May said. "According to what Scott told me, the things goes off in three days."

"Wow, three days? Isn't that a bit soon?" Dawn asked.

"No problem" Gary said, looking at the sheet of paper that May had had. "According to this, there's a nice flight there from Goldenrod City in Johto. I can drive us to Saffron in my convertible and we can catch the Magnet Train over."

"You still have that old thing?" Dawn asked. "I remember Ash told me you were using it since day one of your journey."

"Well, it was mainly to show off back then" Gary said. "But I can finally put it to use for the first time in a while. Researchers don't usually use convertibles for expeditions."

Max took the paper from Gary. "Ok, but where is this place we're going to, anyways? Vesryn Global Cup? I've never heard of this Vesryn."

"Oh, I have" Gary said. "It's pretty far East of Kanto. The place is dangerous, but a researcher's dream. I've heard tales of mutated Pokemon that have changed their appearance and type to survive in bad conditions, and of moves and abilities never seen in any other region. Not to mention, it's home to some of the most powerful Pokemon and Trainers that the world knows."

"Sounds like an intense place" Dawn laughed nervously.

"Yeah, but like I said, any researcher from an outside region would kill to be able to work out there" Gary said. "Of course, many of them don't have strong enough Pokemon to protect them out there, but Gramps was there for a little while in his early years, and he's told me all sorts of things about it."

"It sounds cool too, I wonder how much we'll get to see while we're there" Max said.

"So Gary, how early will we have to leave to get there in time?" May asked.

"Oh, not too long" Gary said. "While most travelers take pathways across regions, most of them actually have pretty long stretches of highways. None going directly to Saffron, but we can at least not have to drive through Mt. Moon to get there. If we leave before noon tomorrow, we should be in Johto early enough to avoid any problems."

"Cool" Dawn said. "Does that mean that we have time to go out to dinner tonight before we have to turn in? You know, to celebrate May's victory at the gym?"

"Sure, why not?" Gary said.

May's stomach rumbled loudly at the thought of food. "Alright, I'm in" she said. "Let's not forget to call our friends to invite them, also. Who knows, some of them may want to cheer us on, some might want to compete also."

"Right, I'll go make some calls now before we leave" Max said, running out the door.

Getting up, Gary said "Us too." He and Dawn walked out into the hall.

"I'll be right there guys" May said. As the door shut, she went and flopped down on the bed. "Ash, all I can hope is that you're watching me up there. I'm doing this for you. You gave your life for me that day, and I'm not going to leave that debt unpaid. I miss you more than anything" her voice now cracking. Taking a deep breath, she let the rest out. "I love you, you were my first, and only love, and I feel like my life is empty without you here. But you wouldn't want me to waste the live you gave me, so I'm not going to."

"May, you coming?" Dawn's voice came from down the hall.

"Yeah" May said, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat and responded much more clearly. "Yeah, I'm coming."

The Valley of Rota

"So, Mew got cocky and got caught?" Mewtwo huffed.

"That pretty much sums it up" Ash agreed.

"So what do you propose we do about it?" Mewtwo asked.

Ash shrugged. "I was hoping you might have an idea. They mentioned a tournament, a Versyn Global Cup. Do you have any idea what that might be?"

If Mewtwo could go pale, it just did. "Please tell me that you were choking on something and didn't mean to say Vesryn."

"What's wrong with that place?" Ash asked.

Mewtwo groaned. "It's only the strongest land in the world. I was there once when I was flying around the world. I met a Staraptor up in the sky there. That lowly Staraptor nearly knocked me out of the sky with its Brave Bird attack. Beyond that, a trainer from Vesryn once came to New Island while I still lived there. He challenged me, and defeated me with just three of his Pokemon. Sure, I've gotten stronger since then, but the place is no laughing matter."

"So, a tournament is being held in a dangerous local like that? I can only think that Mew must have been captured for a prize" Ash reasoned.

"It was shocking when I realized that there were trainers out there with even the lesser of Legendary Pokemon, like Heatran or Darkrai" Mewtwo muttered. "But a trainer controlling a force like Mew would be unthinkable."

Ash thought hard. "Not many people know about me, only a scarce few who have seen me when I was dealing with Pokemon disasters. But if I was caught stealing the prize Pokemon for a tournament, everyone would probably think that i was no better than a criminal organization like Team Rocket."

"That would severely limit your power of a force of balance and the effectiveness of my hideout if you were being tracked" Mewtwo agreed. "So what do you suppose we do?"

Ash looked at the sky. Sighing, he said "The only idea that comes to mind would be having to enter the tournament ourselves, and trying to win Mew. That might be the best course of action here."

Mewtwo stared at Ash. "You can't be serious? In a location like Vesryn, you could be destroyed by any trainer."

"I don't think that this will be just natives" Ash said. "It was called a Global Cup, which makes me think that other regions will be participating as well. Besides, if a battle begins to look bad, I have a secret weapon I can use."

"You do?" Mewtwo asked incredulously. Noticing Ash's hard look at him, Mewtwo got the point. "Right, you do…"

"Besides, my Pokemon are tougher than average" Ash said. "Our lifestyle makes it so that they need to be stronger than normal, remember?"

"I agree, they are strong from the standpoint of species average, but are they enough?" Mewtwo asked.

"I'm sure" Ash responded.

Mewtwo nodded. "I don't doubt your abilities, Chosen One, but neither do I doubt the Vesryn Trainers. I'll help, if only to save Mew and myself. I can be humble when I need to be."

"Then where were you the last several times?" Ash asked. "Kidding" he quickly said, seeing the death glare that Mewtwo was giving him.

Huffing Mewtwo looked at Ash softer. "How do you presume we prepare for this?"

Ash closed his eyes and thought. "I'm going to need all of my partners for this. Rotom will probably have to change my Pokedex info so that it doesn't ring any alarm bells. Just my name, should be fine. How about… Aaron Satoshi? That sounds good."

"Aaron Satoshi?" Mewtwo asked.

"Sir Aaron was also an aura guardian, so it makes sense" Ash said. "And my mom once told me that 'satoshi' means 'ash' in another language. I'm just trying to go for something easy to remember so that I don't slip up."

"Alright then, there's some logic to that" Mewtwo conceded. "I can gather some Sitrus Berries from around Mt. Quena so that we can sustain your Pidgeot on our flight. My Teleport doesn't go that far."

Ash sighed. "Also, we're going to be around a lot of people. I think that we may need some company besides my Pokemon to blend in. Do you think that you could go check with my sister, and ask her if she wanted to accompany us?"

Mewtwo looked at Ash. "I still don't see how 'your sister' is a good alias for her. You two look nothing alike. I would think that 'your partner' would be more believable."

Ash's gaze hardened. "No, I won't use that. Not ever for anyone will I use that."

Mewtwo raised its hands. "Alright, sorry I struck a nerve there. What else?"

Ash thought a bit more. "I would fetch your gauntlets and stones, just in case we need an extra boost."

Mewtwo nodded. "Good idea, I usually don't like using those stones of a crutch, but in a case like this, I'll make an exception. Should I grab the one set aside for Pidgeot as well?"

"Yeah, sounds good" Ash said.

Mewtwo nodded. "Also, if you needed more powerful allies, perhaps the golems that are stationed here could be of some service."

Ash shook his head. "No, they need to guard the Tree, especially with Mew gone. I can do this with just the Pokemon I have."

"If you say so" Mewtwo said. In a flash, the three of them were back on Mt. Quena. "I would prepare and gather your partners. Stock up on supplies too. It will probably take about a straight 24 hours to fly from here to there, so you need to sustain at least yourself and Pidgeot on the flight."

Ash nodded. "Right. I'll take care of gathering my Pokemon, and you go grab my sister if she wants to come. We should probably leave soon, today would be best. Pidgeot will need to rest along the way."

Mewtwo gave Ash a nod of respect, then vanished. Ash walked down into the field and started grabbing his Pokemon. Riolu and Pidgeot stood behind him, and he went to gather the rest. Lapras was resting in the river, Primeape was sparring with his Volcarona, and Butterfree was playing with Kirlia. Rotom was darting around, playing pranks on everyone, and Ash made sure to get it to behave.

Once they were all gathered, Ash explained the situation. "Ok, guys, listen up. Our friend Mew has been captured, and in order to get it back, we need to compete in a tournament. For some of you guys, these will be your first official battles. I'll take care of you" he said, looking at Rotom, Volcarona, and Kirlia. "For you other guys, you know the drill. I'm going to recall you guys for now, since we've got to get going, and I'll let you out when we get there, alright?"

Ash's veterans cheered. It was hard to read Rotom's personality, as it always appeared excited, but he returned with no fight. Kirlia looked nervous, but Butterfree soothed it. Volcarona seemed to be pumped for a real fight, and also dived right back into its ball.

Ash had just recalled the last one when Mewtwo returned with a young girl by his side. She had brown eyes and auburn hair, shaping in an almost wing-like shape.

Ash walked over to join them. As he approached, the young girl tackled him with a hug. Ash laughed. "Yeah, it's been a while, it's good to see you too."

The girl smiled and looked up at Ash, not saying anything.

Ash stood back. "Has Mewtwo explained what we're doing here?" She nodded her head. "Ok. I'm think that you should stay like this to avoid attracting attention, at least in public. While we Fly there, I think you should ride on Pidgeot with me too, so that there's less chance of you being spotted." She nodded again, showing that she agreed.

Mewtwo held a bag in his hands, filled with Sitrus Berries. He also was wearing a two sided arm band, inlaid with 2 marblelike stones, one on each side. He tossed a few more stones at Ash, which he caught. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out an anklet. Turning to Pidgeot, he fitted it around his leg and pushed a stone in.

"Alright, Pidgeot, this should help you get across the ocean much faster, ok?" Ash said.

"Pidgooooo" Pidgeot cried.

"Alright" Ash said. "We're almost set to go, then. I'm just going to gather a few supplies, then we can head out, ok?"

Pidgeot bobbed its head, then flew off towards the stream for a drink.

Turning back to Mewtwo, Ash gave him a serious look. "Tell me, any other good ideas for what to prepare?"

"Not one, I think we've done everything possible, unless you want the clones to come with us to battle."

"No, I'll use the Pokemon I know best" Ash said. "Besides, even if I wanted to, I don't have enough Pokeballs for all of them."

"Fair point" Mewtwo said. "I'll help gather supplies so that we can leave. I worry for the safety of the Pokemon in the Tree, so we need to get Mew back, safe and sound, as soon as possible."

"Agreed" Ash said. "Come on, let's gather some food and water so we can do just that."

(Next Day) Goldenrod Airfield

"What did I tell you, we're here right on time. The flight leaves in half an hour, and we're standing right outside of the plane" Gary said.

The four had arrived at the Goldenrod Airfield, as Gary had said it, with time to spare. The Magnet Train had been an easy ride heading over to Johto, and now that they were there, all they had to do was wait to board.

May looked at the sky. "So, you guys know who's coming? Are they going to be here?"

"Nah, no one was in the area" Gary said. "They'll be coming, just not on this flight. Brock's coming, Misty, as a Gym Leader, has to come too. Cilan will actually be catering there, and we all know why Iris will be there. I also heard that some of Ash's old friends will be there, like Ritchie, Harrison, Morrison, Paul, Trip, and even that dude Ash lost to in the Sinnoh Conference. This isn't going to be an easy bout for any of us, myself included."

"Wait, you're entering too?" Dawn asked.

"I figured that it'd be neat" Gary said. "I qualify from my position in the Silver Conference, and it's been a while, so I figured, what the heck?"

"So May, which Pokemon are you bringing, at least for the preliminaries?" Max asked.

"Let's see here" May said, looking at her belt. "I left Pikachu at the ranch, at least for now. He wanted to give some of the others a shot. I'm keeping Blaziken and Wartortle on me, and I'm also bringing Infernape, Sceptile, Swellow, and Oshawott."

"Wow, you chose nearly all starter Pokemon, besides Swellow" Gary commented. "You sure that's a good idea? Trainers there will be packing serious heat."

"Hey, no need to worry, Gary" Dawn said. "May's an awesome trainer and coordinator, she can win with just about any Pokemon."

"Whenever you say that, that's when I worry the most" Gary said jokingly, earning a shove from Dawn.

May turned away from the scene and reached into her pocket, pulling out the Terracotta Ribbon. Holding it in her hand, the pain of losing Ash felt fresh, yet it made her remember all the times they had together, as if he was right there next to her.

"You know, May, you aren't the only one that keeps a remembrance of him" Gary said behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he sneaked up on her like that. "Ash told me about your guys' split medal when we met up in Sinnoh. I have something like that myself." Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like the bottom half of a minimized Pokeball. "When we were young, me and Ash had a huge fight over this old thing. Then we kept it as a token of friendship. Now, it's my reminder of Ash, how even when you were as bad as you could be to him, he would always win you over in the end with his personality. And I don't want to forget that person, ever."

May's heart filled with emotion hearing Gary's words. "I, I never knew that you two were that close as kids. I just thought that you were Ash's annoying rival."

"Hey, I'm not annoying" Gary complained.

"Depends on the time of day" Dawn chuckled.

"Aw, come on, that's not very-" Gary was cut off but a kiss from Dawn.

Dawn pulled back. "You're not always annoying, you know, but I love you no matter what the time."

Gary was blushing profusely, sincerely speechless. May laughed. "You know, sooner or later he'll be comfortable enough that you won't be able to quiet him so easily, so cherish it while it lasts."

Dawn blushed at this too. "Yeah, I will."

"ATTENTION PASSENGERS, PLEASE BOARD THE PLANE NOW! WE WILL BE DEPARTING SOON!"

"I guess that's our cue" May said, grabbing her bags. "Are you guys ready to go somewhere new?"

"You bet we are" Max pumped his arm. "I can't wait to see this place."

Gary was finally able to speak again. "Gramps told me that it's beautiful there. I guess that I'll only have to take his word for it for another few hours."

Dawn grabbed her suitcase. "I'm not going to be participating myself, but you can bet that I'll be cheering each of you on myself."

"Speaking of which, if May has to battle Gary, who are you going to be rooting for?" Max asked.

"Oh, I, um, uh, that's, ah, oh" Dawn stuttered, earning a grin from Max.

"Quit being annoying" May told her brother.

"I don't know, May, you're asking an awful lot of him" Dawn said.

"Hey!" Max protested.

"Hey, sorry to cut in here guys, but if we hand out here much longer, that plane's going to take off without us" Gary said.

"Oh yeah, we don't want that to happen" Dawn yelped, scampering up the plank into the plane.

Max strained his arms pulling at his suitcases. May sighed and walked over, picking up one of them for him. "I swear, I'm not sure how you survived your Hoenn journey alone."

"Shut it, Sis" Max grunted.

The two loaded up on the plane and took seats next to Dawn and Gary. They settled their bags under their seats and buckled in. They just got settled when the doors closed.

Max looked out the window. "Any minute now, guys, and we'll be someplace completely new. This must be how it felt whenever Ash discovered a new region."

May smiled sadly. "Yeah, I remember when he discovered Sinnoh from the postcard Gary sent him. He was down from a losing streak, but he also had a spark of excitement in his eyes the moment he heard about Sinnoh."

The plane shook and began moving. Dawn looked around the cabin. "Do you think that all of these passengers are here for the tournament?"

"Could be, or it could be trainers beginning a new journey" Gary said. "We aren't flying directly to the resort, guys, we'll have to switch once we land in this place called Fianga City. Then we can fly to the Spearpoint Resort from there."

"Wow, Gary, you've really did some research on this place, huh?" Dawn asked.

"Nah, just looked at our tickets and a map online" Gary said. "I looked into the place a bit though. This Fianga City is supposedly the most technologically advanced city in the region. I hope we have some time to explore before our connecting flight. They have a state of the art research center called the Pokehadron Collider that I wouldn't mind checking out."

They picked up speed racing down the runway. "What kind of research do they do there?" Max asked.

"Just about every kind" Gary said. "Evolution, Mega Evolution, Legendary Pokemon, Types, Myths, just about everything."

"Wow, now I want to check it out too" Max said excitedly.

Dawn got out a small pamphlet. "You know, I wish that Kanto had many airports, or at least a flight to this place" she said. "We literally went to Johto just to fly back across Kanto."

"Yeah, this flight does go pretty much straight East, but when you need a last minute flight, there's not much else you can do" Gary said.

"Yeah, that's a good point" Dawn said. She looked out the window and nearly shrieked. "Oh my Arceus, guys, look at that!"

"What is it?" Gary asked, looking around Dawn. His breath caught. "Oh wow…"

"Hmm?" Max asked, looking out his own window, behind the two. He gasped. "May, look down there, you'll never guess what we're passing over."

"What?" May asked. She was the last one to look out the window, and she perhaps recognized it better than anyone there.

"It's, it's the Tree of Beginning" she gasped.

"Hey, I've heard of that place" Gary said. "I almost thought it was a myth."

"What's the Tree of Beginning though?" Dawn asked.

"Well, it's an ancient place in a valley called Rota" Gary explained. "It's one of the few 'kingdoms' left in the world today, ruled by a queen. The Tree was a sight of an ancient, legendary war. There was a tale around it about an Aura Guardian who sacrificed himself to stop it all, by offering all of his power to a Mew."

"Wow, that sounds like an awesome story" Dawn breathed. "I really want to hear the full version sometime."

"It's not just a story" May muttered. "Me, Max, Brock, and Ash all went there one time."

Dawn looked back at the two. "Wow, really? Is is just as pretty up close?"

"Even prettier" May said. "But that's not all." Lowering her voice, she waved them closer. "We met Mew also."

Gary's eyes bugged. "That's incredible. Mew is the most elusive of all Pokemon. Do you mind telling us how you met it?"

"What?" May asked. "Well, I guess it would be okay. The story ends sadly though."

Max nodded with a depressed look in his eyes. "Yeah, but the adventure was still cool. I just wish that it didn't come to an end like that."

"Come on, you've tempted us so much, you have to share now" Dawn begged.

May chuckled. "Alright, but keep this between us, ok?"

"Right" Gary said.

"Sure" Dawn responded.

May nodded. "Well, it all started with a visit to the Cameron Palace in the Valley of Rota…"

Aaaaaand since you guys don't want me to recap the entire plot of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, that's where I'll end it, heh heh. I must say, I'm quite surprised. Even Joined Worlds wasn't his popular in the first 2 chapters as this one is. I guess Pokemon really is the most popular type of story, huh? Anyways, speaking of Joined Worlds, I'm going to begin alternating again. I've put all my effort into this story for a while to give it a head start, but that's unfair to all the people following it. But don't worry, I'll be back soon enough, so in the meantime, here are a few question that I would love to hear you guys speculate about.

-How did Ash get Volcarona and Kirlia?

-How big is this contest going to be?

-What's going to happen to Mew?

-What will the interaction between Ash and Mewtwo be like as time goes on?

And the one that is probably got most of you curious right now, unless I overdid the description:

-Who is 'Ash's Sister?'

That will be all for now. I don't usually post speculation questions, but I figured that since already so many people are following it, it might be fun to be a bit interactive. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all soon. Cya!