Well, it's out, finally. Enjoy! More ages: May is fifteen (about a year younger than Ash and Serena), and Max is thirteen (which means he's old enough to have a Pokémon; the age limit is still ten, like in the anime).

Ash did not like where this was going.

The wannabe Pokémon Master glared at Dravven, who still hadn't given anyone a proper reason as to why they were going to Hoenn and meeting up with May Maple. In fact, Dravven hadn't said much at all since their departure from Pallet Town. The Aura Guardian just sat at the helm of the yacht that he had stolen (he had claimed that it was his, but letters on the side that spelled out "Golden Oak" said otherwise), whistling a strange tune and looking very pleased with himself.

Brock just didn't trust the guy. Dravven seemed like one of those sarcastic, cocky-type people you'd see on TV. Brock swore that, as soon as the Aura Guardian started performing rituals to ward off evil spirits, he was going overboard.

Serena, on the other hand, liked Dravven. To her, he was one of those mysterious people with a dark past, and she found that mildly attractive. However, the Draconid was too old for her, and she was still in love with Ash, and so that was that.

And Pikachu? Pikachu just wanted to shock the living crap out of him.

"So, are you going to explain why we're going to Hoenn to meet up with May and go to the Tree of Beginnings?" Ash asked.

"Nah, I think it would be better if the other explained it," Dravven replied, sipping from a bottle of cider that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. "Plus, I don't want to have to relay the story to May as well. Better if we're all there."

"Who's 'the other?'" Serena asked.

"Friend of mine." He gestured to Ash, Pikachu and Brock. "You've met before."

Ash rolled his eyes. "When are you going to stop speaking in cryptic messages?"

"When the Distortion World freezes over. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep. It's been a long day." And with that, Dravven closed his eyes, and blocked out any other questions that Ash, Serena, or Brock threw at him.

Serena tugged on Ash's arm. "We should go below decks and see if there's anything fun to do on here. After all, we might as well enjoy ourselves before we go save the world."

Ash grinned. "Okay, sure!" Serena started heading downstairs, and Ash was about to follow, but he was stopped by Brock. The Pokémon Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, when are you going to make your move?"

"I have a plan. I'll ask her soon, don't worry. Now, I'm going to go have some fun for a bit. Feel free to join us if you want!"

As Ash headed down the stairs, Brock smirked, then called softly (making sure that Serena couldn't hear), "No canoodling!"

Ash turned and pouted. "Mild canoodling?"


Prior to what he had told everyone else, Dravven wasn't sleeping.

Having reached the end of his Aura Guardian training, Dravven had discovered the power of multicommunication, allowing him to contact his fellow Guardians from any point in time and space, without affecting either of the dimensional infrastructures. He glanced around at the assembled Guardians, most of whom retained their dream-state (a state in which their dream-forms were as statues without sight or other senses) due to not being called directly. Two, however, stared at their comrade in worry.

The area didn't exist, technically. It was created by Arceus as a meeting hall of sorts, so that the Aura Guardians could relay plans to each other without revealing them to the general public during a time of great disturbance. A circular table occupied most of the area, with chairs of all different shapes and sizes surrounding the circumference. Two chairs were currently unoccupied, due to their owners preferring a standing position in their current situation. Dravven cleared his throat.

"Lord Maple, Lord Yvonne, how are you two?"

"Is the Ketchum boy okay? Has he reached him yet?" Lord Maple asked.

"Nah, I'm doing my job correctly. You don't have to worry."

"It's the fact that you're doing the job that worries me," Lord Yvonne replied through gritted teeth.

"C'mon, guys!" Dravven said, reclining in his chair, one leg crossed over the other. "When have I ever screwed up?"

The two Guardians frowned at Dravven. The latter sighed.

"If you two are going to be like this, what's the point of me even updating you on his status? He's fine, and he'll stay that way."

"Whatever you say," Lord Yvonne sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you need anything, let us know."

"Yeah, pick me up some frozen burritos for when I get back."

"Arceus, why."


It was a hot and humid day in Petalburg City, Hoenn. Wingull and Taillow soared through the air without a care in the world, or resided underneath trees in order to escape the searing heat that the sun was radiating. Other Pokémon, including Zigzagoon and Poochyena, followed suit, or waded through the cool pond that cut through town alongside Wooper and Magikarp. All in all, the weather was beautiful.

A perfect day to reunite with some childhood friends.

May Maple stared into the mirror, attempting to tie her red bandanna over her damp hair. She had just finished showering and was now dressing; she wore no makeup, and didn't plan on applying any. She was well known in multiple regions for being naturally pretty.

May looked down at the counter as her phone buzzed. Another new text from Drew. She had rejected his advances on multiple occasions, but he still refused to give up. Sighing and quickly typing a response, May exited the bathroom and headed downstairs.

The smell of pancakes and bacon quickly invaded May's senses, causing her stomach to growl. She entered the kitchen to find her mother, Caroline, finishing preparing breakfast. Caroline glanced over as May entered and smiled. "Hey, honey, any plans today?"

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna hang out here," May replied, taking a plate out of the cupboard and loading it with food. "I might be leaving again sometime soon, though. I've heard about these 'Pokémon Showcases' in Kalos, and I might want to give them a try. They sound like a lot of fun."

"Okay, just make sure to give your father or I a bit of warning before you head out."

"Will do."

May exited the kitchen and headed towards the living room. Placing her plate on the glass coffee table and plopping down on one of the couches, May grabbed a remote and flipped on the television. Before she could change the channel, a news report caught her eye. May set the remote down and frowned.

"-to find the lab of the well-known Pokémon Professor, Samuel Oak, completely vacant," the reporter was saying. "Three suspects and a Pikachu were seen leaving the lab just moments before Oak was reported missing. If anyone hears word from Ash Ketchum, Brock Harrison, or Serena Yvonne, it is advised that they contact the International Police immediately. Now to our weather report with Simon Castform, tell us how it is."

"May, honey, I'll be upstairs if you need me!" May gave a slight nod; however, she had stopped listening to anything and everything after hearing Ash's name mentioned. She hadn't seen the trainer since she was twelve, back when he was competing in the Sinnoh League. Back then, she had had a crush on him, but she was sure it had dissolved by now.

She was dead wrong.

The doorbell rang, startling May out of her thought process. The Pokémon Coordinator got to her feet, adjusted her bandanna, and walked to the door. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves from the revelation that Ash was a possible criminal, then opened the door…

And fell in love all over again.

"Hey, May," Ash said nervously. "Long time no see?"

An expression of rage quickly spread across May's face. She launched herself at Ash, pummeling him multiple times while Ash did everything he could to protect himself. "YOU DISAPPEAR FOR THREE YEARS, NEVER TRYING TO CONTACT ME AT ALL, AND NOW YOU SHOW UP WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW-"

"What am I, a Trubbish?" Brock said, frowning.

"AND NOW, I TURN ON THE TV, ONLY TO FIND THAT THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE HAVE LABELED YOU AS A CRIMINAL! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"Let's calm down here," one of the new arrivals sighed, pulling May off of Ash. "Also, criminals?"

May turned to the man, who looked to be in his early twenties and wore a costume not unlike Sir Aaron the Aura Guardian, angrily. "And who the hell are you?"

"Doesn't matter," he replied, striding into the house uninvited and sitting on the couch. He grabbed a piece of bacon, then continued, "So, you want an explanation or not?"

May sighed, then took a step back. "Might as well come in, if your friend is so eager." She blinked as Ash (with Pikachu) walked in, smiled at Brock, and frowned at the honey-blonde. May sat in an armchair to the right of the couch, which was now occupied by the new arrivals. "So, you mind telling me what's going on?" She stared at Ash.

"Basically, I'm being hunted by an evil organization known as 'Team Shade.' Their leader is this ninja guy from Kalos known as Kagetomo, and he plans on uniting all of the villainous team leaders or something like that. Dravven here," he gestured to the Aura Guardian-looking guy, "says that we need your help."

"That we do," Dravven said, standing up. "We should probably get going. If the police are after us-"

"By the way, why is that?" the honey-blonde interrupted.

May scowled at her. She had picked the spot next to Ash, and there was less than an inch in between the two. May forced herself a polite smile. "Who are you?"

"I'm Serena. I traveled with Ash through Kalos, and I've known him since we were kids. I'm a Pokémon Performer."

May's expression softened a little. "Not much of an interest in battling? I'm a Coordinator."

"You guys can talk later," Dravven interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Now, are you going to explain why the world thinks we're criminals?"

"You guys heard that Professor Oak is missing, right?"

There were scattered "yes's," "yeahs," and head nods throughout the room.

May sighed. "Well, apparently you four were the last people seen exiting his lab. They think you might have something to do with his disappearance." She glanced around at the people in the room, all of whom were staring at her like she was a shiny Pokémon. "Well?"

"You know us, May," Brock said. "Well, half of us, anyways. Why would we kidnap the Professor?"

"It probably has something to do with Team Shade," Dravven murmured. "We have to get out of here."

"Shouldn't we find a way to clear our names first?" Serena asked.

"No," Dravven said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "If Kagetomo is planning what I think he's planning, then there could be more at play than I previously thought. Right now, our primary objective is to get to the Tree of Beginnings. After that, we need to find and capture as many Legendary Pokémon as possible."

"Wait, Legendary Pokémon?" May asked. "You mean, like, Groudon and Kyogre and them?"

Dravven nodded. "Since we're in Hoenn, we might as well start with trying to catch them."

"Catch them?" Ash asked, disbelief evident on his face. "And how do you expect us to do that?"

"It seems that your goal of becoming a Pokémon Master is more important than ever, Ash," Dravven replied. "While our task might be easier with a couple of Master Balls, we seem to be short on those."

An awkward silence spread throughout the room. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and scuttled over to May, curling up in her lap. After a bit, Brock clapped his hands.

"Well, let's get to it, shall we?"


"Gogoat, return."

The Mount Pokémon disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light. Ramos cracked a smile at the thirteen-year-old boy and his Kirlia. He nodded to the referee, who approached the two with a shiny, miniscule object in the shape of a gold and green leaf. "Max Maple, through your hard work and dedication, you have earned this Plant Badge."

The boy adjusted his glasses and took the badge, smiling back at the Gym Leader. "Thanks for teaching us."

"My dear boy, I taught you nothing you already knew!"

Max frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We all have the power to do great things inside of us. It takes a strong bond, like the ones you are forging with your Pokémon, to unlock that power."

Max cracked a grin. "Good to know. I'll keep that in mind while I train for the next few gyms."

"Oh, yes," Ramos said. "You should challenge the Lumiose Gym next. I hear the leader, Clemont, recently finished traveling Kalos, and even helped stop Team Flare from using their 'Ultimate Weapon.' He'd be happy to battle you."

Max nodded. "Thanks for the recommendation." He turned to Kirlia. "Next stop, Lumiose City."

Things are going to pick up in the next few chapters. I'll try to get those out as soon as possible, as well as Chapter Two of Origins, but, once again, I'm very busy. Thanks for reading, and please review!