Darque and Lumiera were standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus that would take them to the Lilycove contest Hall.

Lumiera had taken Darque to the Contest Hall a few times before. Darque's favourite Coordinator was May Maple, while Lumiera was a big fan of Drew Hayden.

But today, they were going there for Darque's Pokemon. Since most kids in the region couldn't go to Littleroot town to get a Pokemon from Professor Birch, each major City had a place where the League provided young trainers with Pokemon, and in Lilycove this place was the Contest Hall. Darque was really excited, as Lumiera was holding her hand.

Lumiera turned towards Darque looking her in the eyes.

"Hey, Darque, I wanted to ask...Would it be ok with you if I travelled with you?"

Darque at first didn't understand what Lumiera was asking.

"Huh?..."

"Well, you see, I'm really worried about you travelling on your own, and , and I would feel really lonely if you wouldn't be around...I know that you weren't expecting this, but ... well, I'll always be around to cook food for you! And you could count on me in case you have some problems with Pokemon training! And it's really better to travel around with a companion. As your sister, it's my duty to protect you from dangerous stuff that could happen."

When Darque realized what Lumiera was saying, she was filled with joy as she embraced her sister in a happy hug.

"Yay! We'll be travelling together! This is so awesome! Thanks, Lumiera! I really appreciate it."

"Yeah...It sure is." Lumiera said as she smiled and hugged Darque in response. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about her sister travelling all alone.

When the bus came, they boarded it and sat at the back seat which was like a bench, Lumiera sat at the window, and Darque sat next to her.

They were going to ride for about an hour until they got to the Contest Hall bus stop.

The bus was almost empty, except for them there were only a few people in the bus.

Suddenly at one of the stops a very moody-looking melancholic teenage boy entered the bus. He also sat at the back bench seat next to Darque.

He was wearing a red cap, blue jeans and a blue T-shirt. A silent Pikachu was towering on his shoulder with an defensive expression.

He had brown eyes full of regret and sorrow and Z-shaped marks under his eyes, also he had raven-black hair.

He was looking frustrated, depressive, and he looked like he was filled with angst. He obviously didn't want to talk to anyone as his face was expressing discontent about his life.

Darque was curious.

"Hi, Mister!" She said in a friendly tone.

Lumiera didn't pay attention to the unfriendly passenger. But she did think that this guy was vaguely familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

The boy blankly stared at Darque.

"Hi." He said, clearly showing that he was not in a mood for a conversation.

"Um, um, why are you so grumpy?" Darque asked him.

"It doesn't matter."

"Um, um, how old are you?"

"16."

"Um, um, what's your name?"

"I am A-...

I mean, my name is ... Satoshi Ashura." He said. He was obviously not expecting this question.

"But, but don't be so grumpy! Today is a great day! I'm getting my first Pokemon-"

"Hey Darque, please don't bother this person. It's rude to intrude, y'know." Lumiera said as she was slightly embarrassed by Darque's overly social behaviour.

"Sorry about that. It's just that she's really happy today and-" Lumiera started apologizing to Satoshi.

"No, it's ok." Satoshi sighed. "Well, I might as well tell you my story, I mean, if you wanna listen..."

"Yes! Yes!" Darque was begging. Satoshi began his sorrowful story.

"The thing is, I was betrayed by those who were really close to me. All of my friends and my Pokemon except for Pikachu, even my mother, they all betrayed me. It is something that not a single person deserves to experience in their life...Betrayal."

Silence suspended in the air.

"At first, all I wanted was revenge. I just wanted to go train at a snowy mountain peak until I could become strong enough to crush the traitors. But soon I realized that that would not bring back the friendship that was forever lost. So, I decided to try myself as a Coordinator. That's why I'm in Lilycove City. I'm going to participate in the Contests. Because I have forever lost my passion for battle. I feel like I could never become the Pokemon Master that I once dreamed to become. Nothing more that I'd like to share, no offense." Satoshi said.

"So your going to the Contest Hall too?" Darque asked.

"... Yes." Satoshi said.

"My favourite Coordinator is May Maple from Petalburg City!" Darque said.

Satoshi was suddenly irritated when he heard this name. His breath sharpened, his body stiffened and his face was filled with anger.

"Traitorous piece of sh*t." He whispered quietly as his knuckles tensed up.

"What?" The sisters didn't get it.

"Never mind, just slipped my tongue." Satoshi said, regaining his serious composure.

Suddenly Lumiera realized something. She accusatively pointed her index finger towards the boy.

"Hey! I recognize you! You're that guy who almost won in the Kalos League a couple of months ago! I saw you on TV! You're totally not Sodoshi or whatever! You're Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Ash gave Lumiera a blank stare.

"Yeah, whatever." He said in a disinterested tone.

Ash Ketchum stood up from the seat and moved to the front seat row, deliberately demonstrating that he would not talk with them anymore. His Pikachu growled at the girls.

"Sheesh, what a drama queen that guy is. Darque, that's what's called being bit by a dead Beedrill." Lumiera said.

"But, but he was betrayed! He's a victim of the circumstances!" Darque replied.

"Nah, he's just an insecure angsty teen that really needs a girlfriend. He is kinda hot though, if only he wasn't so dramatic." Lumiera giggled as she observed Ash.

Thanks to all of the readers for making it this far! I was always fascinated by Dark / (Betrayed) Ash as a fresh take on an otherwise stale character (seriously, he's been like travelling for 20 years and he's still an idiot in the anime, especially in Sun/Moon.) In the next chapter I'm gonna introduce a requested character so feel free to contribute to the story!

Responses to the reviews.

St Elmo's Fire : (sighs) You never learn, don't you, Elmo? People are sick of your "reviews". Do you even bother reading the story itself? It's you again, you and your copypasta "reviews". If you don't enjoy reading fanfiction, why even bother reviewing. You probably live a sad life if this is your hobby, like you've been doing this for, like, 5 years? Ffs get a life.

lstwill56: Yeah you tell him, man

KingPyle: It seems that Elmo didn't even read the story before reviewing.

GaoGod: Oh look it's one of Elmo's sockpuppets.