After nearly 10 months, I have finally returned from the dead. Now, I realize I say this far too often, but I'm really sorry for the unexpected hiatus. School had been my top priority and I never really had much time to getting any writing done. I'm glad to say that I did wind up with the grades I wanted, and am now on summer break!

I'll try to squeeze in as many chapters as I can, so expect some more good content coming up! Thank you to everyone who waited so patiently for this next chapter. Enjoy, R&R, all that good stuff! Your thoughts are always greatly appreciated!

"Italicized words in quotes" = Pokespeech or Telepathy

'Single quotations' = Thoughts

Last Time:

Back over with the competitors, the light from Ash's chariot had eventually died down, and in place of Ditto, another Corsola was present.

"Hey! Why do you have to transform into Corsola!" Misty pouted, not too pleased that he had chosen her own Pokemon to mimic.

"I'm not sure. Why not?" Ash laughed. "Good luck, Misty."

The orange haired girl sighed, a bit annoyed, but began making minor final adjustments to the Pokemon harness and chariot, as did everyone else.

Once the competitors were all ready and in position, the announcer gave the go.

Chapter 6

Things grew hot and heavy as the race continued. Each of the competitors did their absolute best to pass one another and make it to the front, while also keeping others from passing them as well. It was most certainly difficult to predict who would be the victor of this race. Everything seemed far too close to make any definite judgements.

Taking the lead in first place was none other than last year's champion herself, Misty, with Ash trailing right behind her, not too far off himself. Peering over her shoulder, Misty was surprised to see her old friend doing so well. Ash immediately shot a competitive smirk back at her, causing her to chuckle a bit. Despite his competitive nature, Misty knew she couldn't lose. After all, water Pokemon and races were her speciality!

Ash, on the other hand, did his best in trying to pass his friend, but he could tell his lack of training for these kinds of things were putting him at a clear disadvantage. His Ditto, transformed as Misty's Corsola tried its hardest as well, pushing its own body beyond the limit, but struggled to reach first place.

Just then, Misty had passed the starting line once again, followed by Ash, and then the other competitors one by one. There were only two more laps now. As things were drawing a close, the audience grew anxious at witnessing the event. Some had placed bets, predicting who the winner would be, while others had their own personal competitor they were rooting for.

A bit afar, Lorenzo, Bianca, as well as Pikachu watched the race intently. They were a bit torn with who to root for, as both Ash and Misty were both such great friends. Both Bianca and Lorenzo were a tad surprised seeing Misty being the champion. They figured they'd end up seeing her around town from last year, but it seems like they had unfortunately missed the opportunity. They hadn't taken the time to stay and watch a race since Ash's return.

In the end, the group did hope the best for both of their friends. Latias, too, watched the race from above, having the advantage of flying around the track to get a better look at the race.

After several minutes, the competitors had passed the starting point once again. Misty was still going strong in first place, with Ash slacking a few inches behind her.

'Misty sure has improved her own abilities as well,' Ash thought to himself. 'Judging with how things are going now, I can't win. There doesn't seem to be an easy way around her.'

Now onto their last lap, each participant zoomed through the rather shallow water beneath them with such speed and skill. Ash and Ditto began to show some signs of weariness, causing them to drag behind a bit. Misty continued to maintain her speed, giving this final lap her best effort.

"Come on, Ditto. We've got this! Just a little bit more!" Ash called out to his Pokemon. His Pokemon complied, swimming a little bit harder in response to his Master's encouragement. Just as someone was about to pass him from behind, Ash's chariot was propelled and seemingly pushed with twice as much speed as they had currently performed. The Guardian went a bit wide eyed at this sudden occurrence from a seemingly unknown force.

Everyone was beyond shocked at the boy's sudden comeback. In their perspective, it seemed like a miracle. It was almost as if he was destined to win this.

"Amazing! And just when things were looking unfavorable upon our competitor, Ash Ketchum, he seems to be taking the lead!" The announcer called out, evoking a roar of cheers from the audience.

Misty gasped, as she watched none other than Ash himself pass her, and make his way to the front. 'How was he able to pull this off all of a sudden like this?!' Misty questioned herself, flabbergasted.

Ash had a clear idea of what was responsible for this sudden assistance, but he couldn't think about that now. He had a race to finish. A little less than a mile remained of the course, and things were drawing a close. Many witnessing the event shouted out final encouragements to the racers, as they edged closer and closer to the finish line.

"Corsola, just a little bit more, we're almost there!" Misty yelled out in her last efforts to motivate her Pokemon. "We can't let him win that easily!"

Everyone in the race pushed so hard, but it was now more clear to everyone that this race was now solely between Ash and Misty. Everyone else trailed a little ways behind the two teenagers, having at least a few feet of a gap between them.

Ash gritted his teeth, as he neared the finish line. An experience like this was nearly as exciting as Pokemon battles. The amount of intensity and how quick and unexpected events could occur thrilled him. His adrenaline went wild and he really enjoyed it.

Just then, one by one, each of the racers began to pass the line.

"Wow! It seems as if we now have our winner!" The announcer spoke through his microphone, as the first chariot crossed the line, followed by the others. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town has claimed first place and will be named this year's Tour De Altomare Champion! For this year's runner up, we have Misty from Cerulean City! I want to say a final fantastic job to the other contestants, as this has to be one of the closest races yet!"

Each of the contestants exited their respective chariots, and called back their water Pokemon, making sure to thank them for all of their hard efforts. Presented to Ash by the announcer was none other than his prize for winning. It was a beautiful, transparent medal depicting the legendary Pokemon Latias and Latios. Ash accepted it with appreciation, placing the straps over his hat and head, allowing the pendant to hang freely over his chest. Misty watched a bit from a distance, letting out a small sigh as her title was taken away from her.

"Great job, Ditto! I appreciate all of your hard work out there," Ash directly thanked his Pokemon, as he pulled out his Pokeball to withdraw his companion. As he was about to walk over and retrieve the rest of his party members, he was stopped by a nonchalant voice.

"That was quite a race back there," Misty simply stated, making her way towards Ash.

Ash grinned in response, walking over towards his old friend himself, bringing her in for a prolonged hug. Misty accepted his embrace and tightened her arms around his body.

"It's been way too long, Ash Ketchum. How long has it even been? Four, five, six years?" Misty thought out loud, as the two separated from one another.

"I'd say closer to six years...," Ash replied thoughtfully. "Hey, I was just about to get the rest of my Pokemon. We can catch up sometime later," The boy stated. He knew Misty probably had a lot of questions and comments for him regarding his long time away.

Misty seemed to have no protests with Ash's suggestion, as long as she would get some answers. As he suspected, she was inwardly filled with bursts of curiosity and surprise at finally being able to see her old friend again. And here at Altomare of all places she could have imagined. "Yeah, ok. I was just about to do the same. I'll come with you then," She declared, walking alongside the Guardian.

The duo brushed their way pasts the crowd of citizens, who most immediately recognized them as being the first and second place winners of the race. After hearing several congratulations and compliments towards the both of them, they finally made their way over to the dedicated bins, which held each of the contestant's remaining Pokemon.

Ash reached in, claiming his companions, while Misty followed suite.

'I'm a bit surprised nothing had happened to them. Maybe I was just overthinking things,' Ash thought to himself, as he clipped the five Pokeballs to his belt. He had a slightly disturbed gut feeling, but decided to brush it off. Everything seemed to be normal for now anyways.

Ash and Misty then both made their way to reunite with Bianca, Lorenzo, and Pikachu.

The two continued walking down the cobblestone path, and could gradually see their friends come into clear view. Bianca, Lorenzo, as well as Pikachu waved over to them, assuring they would get their attention.

"Hey, you two. Great job out there! That was an amazing race to watch," Bianca remarked, proud that both of her friends were able to perform so well.

Lorenzo nodded in response. "I'll say. I never knew you were that good of a racer, Ash. That was quite something out there."

"Yeah! Great job, guys!" Pikachu exclaimed excitedly, which was only clearly understood by his trainer.

"Thanks," Ash laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He knew his victory wasn't completely earned by him. The Guardian figured his final burst of redemption was due to a certain culprit. A certain legendary that is.

"And same to you too, Misty. Great job out there," Lorenzo finally added as he brought Misty in for a brief hug.

"Thanks, Lorenzo. It's been a while since I've actually been able to see you guys," The water Pokemon trainer responded, as she separated from the embrace. Her and Bianca also greeted one another with a brief hug.

"Yeah, we were surprised to find out you were the champion from last year. We figured we would've at least seen you if you'd shown up," Bianca remarked.

"I know, I'm sorry. Things were getting busy over at the Gym, so I didn't have much time to stay in Altomare. Not to mention that my primary focus was to win the race," The orange hair girl explained apologetically. She felt bad that she forgot to at least stop by and say hello.

"Pika chu!" Pikachu greeted, looking up at the girl with a genuine smile. Of course, he too hadn't seen one of Ash's longtime friends in ages.

Misty giggled, kneeling over to pet Pikachu who gazed up at her. "And of course, I haven't forgotten about you, Pikachu."

Pikachu cooed in delight at the pleasurable sensation, as Misty's delicate fingers ran softly across the top of his head.

"Oh yeah, is Latias still around? Doesn't she normally hang around you guys?" Misty asked, inquisitively, glancing around aimlessly.

"Yep," Bianca replied. "She wanted to see the race, so she left to watch in her Pokemon form. She'll probably show up eventually."

"Hey, Misty," Lorenzo cut in. "How about you drop by at our place? Ash is also with us for the time being, and we wouldn't mind having the extra company," The older man kindly offered.

"Wow, that's very nice of you. I'll take you up on that offer then, if you don't mind," Misty answered with a smile. She too, like Ash, found the idea of staying with friends rather than alone at the Pokemon Center much more appealing. Besides, it gave her an opportunity to catch up with her old friends, especially Ash.

"Sounds great! Let's head over there right now. We can meet up with Latias back at home too," Bianca announced to the group, but quiet enough so strangers didn't catch onto that last part. She was still rather strict when it came to her friend's safety.

Everyone wholeheartedly agreed with her, and made their way back to the household.

"Alright, everyone. Feel free to settle down and make yourselves at home," Lorenzo generously announced, as he held the front door open for the group.

Everyone obliged, welcoming themselves into the small, but cozy home. As Lorenzo went to shut the door behind him, another figure representing an identical look a like of Bianca walked over.

"Oh, look who decided to show up! Come on in, Latias," Lorenzo quickly greeted, opening the door a bit wider to let the Legendary in.

"Latias!" A feminine voice called from inside the house.

The Eon Pokemon peered over, noticing it was none other than one of her friends from way back.

"Hello, Misty!" Latias warmly greeted. She was also quite fond of Misty, since she too had helped save her city along with Ash and the others. Although she was arguably one of the more "aggressive" friends she knew, Latias understood it was all in her character, and she was deep down an extremely caring and responsible person.

The two gals exchanged a hug, everyone watching and smiling at yet another reunion between two good friends.

"So, anyone up for some snacks? We still have some of the leftovers we made from our picnic earlier," Bianca proposed to the group, all who currently stood in the entryway.

There couldn't have been any other better time for Ash's stomach to lightly growl at the slight mention of food, especially meals as delicious as the ones he'd experienced so far in Altomare. Now traveling on his own, he truly missed the luxury of enjoying home cooked meals or the freshly made food prepared by Brock.

"I guess I could definitely go for some food right about now," Ash laughed.

"Oh Ash," Misty comedically sighed. "Still the same food crazed, passionate, naive boy we know today."

Everyone laughed along with the Gym leader with the exception of Ash, who crossed his arms with a pout, clearly unamused by all the playful teasing he had been receiving.

"So...tell me, Ash. What exactly have you been up to these past few years? Do you know how much everyone's missed you?" Misty inquired, finally being able to interrogate the poor sixteen year old.

Everyone was now seated at the table, enjoying cups of tea as well as the various snacks and appetizers set about in front of them.

Ash exhaled a small breath of air. This was already his second time repeating himself. First to Bianca and Lorenzo, and now to Misty.

"Well to answer your question, I've kinda been all over the place, training and what not. It's a bit of a long story with all of the things that's happened," Ash truthfully admitted.

"Alright then. I'm listening, so explain," Misty leaned back comfortably in her chair, sipping her tea. Everyone else prepared themselves to pay attention as Ash rehashed his entire story.

He began to ramble on and on about his reasonings for his halted journeys and hard training, his gradual forget to regularly contact his friends, as well as filling her in on his experience as an Aura Guardian, and his new gained abilities. He took her from start to finish about all that's gone on, even letting her in on details of him being an Aura Guardian. He really felt comfortable enough to let someone as close as Misty know of everything there was to know in his personal life.

Misty was honestly beyond surprised, as she listened carefully to each and every detail Ash had to share. Not only was it shock factor at the one-eighty in the raven haired boy's character, but mostly in him deciding to become an Aura Guardian. Moreover, someone like him making the decision to completely drop his journeys to pursue and improve his and his Pokemon's skills. It really seemed as if his dedication skyrocketed and he finally decided to take things on a more serious level.

In Ash's perspective, his friend surprisingly seemed to be understanding. Even more so than what he expected her to be. He lightly pat Pikachu who slept on his trainer's lap quietly.

"I see. You really have been keeping busy. For all we knew, you could have been dead somewhere and disappeared completely," Misty half-jokingly commented.

"I'm sure that wouldn't be the case, Misty," Latias giggled, assuring the girl's dramatic assumptions.

"I know, Latias. But really, Ash. I don't think it be such a bad idea if you came back home and visited everyone. We've all missed you so much, you have no idea."

Ash seemed to be in deep thought. The whole idea seemed bittersweet to him. On one hand, it sounded rather nice to have a big reunion and see where the rest of his friends were at and how they've been doing. But then again, he wasn't certain, maybe even nervous of how any of his friends would react and take his lengthy disappearance. It was kind of selfish of him to cut off all ties with his friends and family. "Yeah, I know. We'll see," He simply responded, swallowing some berries off of a kabob.

"By the way Ash," Latias began. "Good job on winning the race. Was my help helpful at the end?" The legendary finally brought up, capturing Misty's attention, as well as the rest of the group. They evidently seemed to be awaiting an explanation.

Ash inwardly sighed, and began to carefully explain. "You see, Misty. My final comeback as you saw was all thanks to Latias," He admitted. "So to be honest, my win really shouldn't be considered legitimate."

Misty seemed to understand, and felt satisfied with the response. Frankly, she wasn't even bothered at all. She was in fact, glad, even a bit surprised at how Ash was able to maturely admit defeat, when he most likely just as easily could have kept his mouth shut, or made up some excuse.

The orange haired girl nodded in response to the boy's confession, her expression soon forming into a smile. "I get it, Ash. No hard feelings."

"You know, Latias. You really shouldn't be helping others in a competition like that," Bianca brought up in a disappointed motherlike fashion. "Even if they're your friends, it's still against the rules."

Latias seemed to feel bad at this point. Obviously she didn't mean anything bad by it. She just wanted to help out. The legendary was quickly reassured as Ash thanked her.

"It's ok, Latias. I really do appreciate it. It's the thought that counts," Ash smiled, getting up from his seat, careful not to wake Pikachu, and walked over to Misty.

Misty glanced up at the taller boy, and was slightly startled to see the medal from the race now being placed over her own head.

"Here, I think this should belong to you. I didn't even prepare for the race, and besides I would feel guilty having an award I didn't earn. Truth be told, you clearly would've won fair and square."

Misty placed her hand over the medal, looking down and observing it, before finally looking back up and displaying a warm smile. "Thanks, Ash," She said, grateful for the sweet gesture.

Ash smiled back. He knew it was the right thing to do.

'If only it would be this easy to return back to Kanto.'

It's a wrap!

I'm so glad I finally managed to pull through and finish up this chapter. It was fun to begin writing again, but I'll admit, I've gotten rather rusty and forgot some of what had occurred in the previous chapters. I'm still getting back in the swing of things, but I did my best. Hopefully everything is still looking good.

Anyways, thank you so much again for sticking around and reading up to this point.

Until then, I'll see you all next time!