Yes, I'm back, sorry for the long wait here. A couple things have been keeping me waiting. I've had a few new things in my life (mostly new games) that have been distracting me, but I've also been having a bit of writer's block writing this chapter. You know how you need filler content going through the chapters to make it more of a real story over an outline? Yeah, that stuff doesn't come to me easily. Also, since I'm trying to keep the length of these chapters up, then that takes a bit more time.

But enough excuses. Now that I have that out of the way...


Spearpoint Air Field


"Ah, so good to see you all in person again!"

"Hey Gramps, same" Gary said.

"It's great to see you too, Professor" May said.

"Yeah" Dawn and Max said.

Professor Oak stepped down the ramp off the plane, down towards the ground. Gary grabbed his suitcase as he drew near and let him off.

There some scuffling noises inside the plane, and some surprised voices. The person inside the doorway stumbled aside, and two blurry figures darted out, one yellow, one blue. Pikachu and Glaceon hit the ground running, tackling May.

"Ah!" May let out a surprised sound as the two Pokemon fell on her. Glaceon stood by her, licking her cheek, while Pikachu nuzzled her. "Hey guys, ah, yes, I'm glad to see you guys too, of course!"

"Chaaaa" Pikachu squealed happily.

"Ooooon" Glaceon cooed.

"Those two have been excited ever since I told them that we were coming to meet you" Professor Oak chuckled. "They almost wouldn't let them on the flight, because they were so energetic."

"Guys, I told you to behave yourselves when I'm not around" May said to the two.

Pikachu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and Glaceon hung her head. May chuckled. "It's okay, you two, I understand" she said. "I can understand being excited."

Both of their heads came back up and they smiled. Professor Oak grinned as well. "Glad to see such a happy reunion. You know, it's been so long since I've been here. So many good memories. I wonder if some of my Pokemon remember it here."

"You caught Pokemon here, Gramps?" Gary asked.

"No, no, I meant I wonder if they remember our travels here" Oak clarified. "Dragonite was still a Dragonair then, you know. He has been with me since times out of mind."

"That's really cool, to think that you've had your own partners for that long" Max said.

"I think I remember Dragonite" May said. "You used him at Yung's Mansion, right, against that Mirage-Mewtwo?"

"That's right" Oak nodded. "The first time he got to battle in a long time as well. But enough about me and my Pokemon. How is the tournament going for you kids?"

"Sis and Gary made it to round two…" Max said. "But I'm out."

"Oh, you were beaten?" Oak asked, surprised.

Max nodded. "Yeah, I was matched up against one heck of a trainer" he said. "He made it seem almost effortless."

"Yeah, who's ever heard of a Butterfree beating up a Gardevoir?" Dawn muttered.

"Hey!" Max protested. "That was no ordinary Butterfree. And he didn't even need to talk to his Pokemon. You know how much that can throw someone off of their game."

"That is true" May said. "Ash, he didn't stand much of a chance against Anabel the first time, because she didn't need to talk either."

"Another telepathic trainer?" Oak asked. "Is he a Psychic?"

May looked down. "We don't know" she said.

"Oh well, no matter" Oak said. "So tell me, where do I go to get setup with a place to stay around here?"

"We got houses from Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center" Max chipped in. "But we were competitors, so we got ours for free."

"I see" Professor Oak said. "Perhaps I could find a spare room at the Pokemon Center, or if it comes down to it, I could probably rent a house for a few days."

"You don't have to do that, Gramps" Gary said. "I have enough cash on me to afford a room for you."

"That's very kind, Gary, but I won't have my grandson having to buy me housing" Oak chuckled. "You're supposed to wait a few more years to do that anyways."

Gary chuckled. Smiling, Oak continued. "Besides, being considered the world's leading authority on Pokemon means that you won't find me broke. I have more than enough for a bed and some food."

"Oh, alright" Gary said.

Oak turned to the others. "So, how has your stay on the island been so far? I've visited Vesryn before, but never been here. What's it like?"

"It's really awesome" Dawn said. "There's so much here. They've got forests and mountains and lakes and tons of shopping areas. It's hard to believe that it's just one island."

"Many islands can be extraordinary" Oak conceded. "I remember that one of the islands in the Decolore Islands is over one hundred miles across. That's the distance from the Indigo Plateau to Pallet Town, believe it or not."

"That's one big island!" Max said.

"Yes, it is" Oak nodded. "The world is a lot bigger than many make it out to be. The 6 main regions that everyone knows of, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, they are only a small part of our planet. There are dozens of other regions out there, such as Vesryn here. Of course, we don't always get a chance to visit them. Many are locked by terrible seas or turbulent skies. But they are out there, make no mistake."

"...Wow, I've never felt so small…" Dawn said.

"Oh, sorry about that" Oak said. "I can get a bit carried away with my facts, can't I?"

"It's okay Gramps, that's why we love ya'" Gary chuckled.

Professor Oak laughed. "Thank you for that. Now then, shall we go?"

"Yeah" Gary said. "Come on, I'll drive us."

Dawn glared at Gary. "You didn't seriously ship your convertible here, did you?"

"What, no!" Gary protested. "I rented a kart to get us around today, that's all!"

"Hmm, ok" Dawn said.

Gary stepped forward and waved them after him. "Come on, right this way" he said. He grabbed Oak's suitcase and dragged it behind him. "What are you guys waiting for?"

"Coming" May said. She stood up, and Pikachu hopped up on her shoulder. Glaceon stood up right beside her. "Let's go, guys" she said to the two.

"Pika" Pikachu said.

"Glace" Glaceon nodded.


Forest


"It's gone…" Ash sighed.

He collapsed, falling back against a tree. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes at any moment. "My last connection to May, it's gone…"

Riolu looked worriedly at his trainer. "Olu?" he asked.

"Just, nothing…" Ash muttered. "It's fine, it doesn't have to do with you. Why don't you go on and play with the others?"

"Lu…" Riolu said.

"I'll be, okay" Ash said, struggling a bit to look optimistic. "Go on, don't worry about me."

"Rio, Riolu Rio" Riolu said, nodding, before he turned to walk away.

Ash sighed and closed his eyes. "Why, how could it have fallen out?" he asked silently. He opened his eyes and looked at the sky. "If you chose me to be here, then why are you putting me through all this? My last connection with the person I loved, gone."

"WHY?" Ash angrily yelled out loud. His Pokemon started and looked at him, but he ignored them. "I've heard this whole thing before" he thought. "The suffering of one for the good of many. But haven't I endured enough suffering? You're an emotional god, you can understand..."

He let out another deep breath. "Of course, you probably can't even hear me. You probably aren't even in this dimension right now. You just dumped everything on me and went on vacation, is that it?"

Ash shook his head. A pounding pain began to thump through his veins, and a spark of blue leapt from his hands. "I really need those gloves…" he muttered. Standing up, he shook it off. "I need to get something done, or I might just lose it."

He looked at his Pokemon. "Guys, I'm going to head out for a while. Behave, alright?"

A chorus of cries answered him. Nodding, Ash turned and walked out of the clearing. It was a natural maze, with hundreds of trees ahead of him. However, he used his sense of Aura to draw him towards a large group of lives, a ways away. He could use the same sense to locate his Pokemon and find his way back.

Within a few minutes, the trees had began to thin out, and he heard the bustling of people once more. He stepped out of the woods, at the top of a small hill, and the resort sprawled out below. Jumping from the shadows, Ash skidded down the hill, hopping out from behind a building and merging with the crowd.

As he walked, he closed his eyes. He could sense the people around him, so he knew he wasn't going to bump into anyone. His sense widened, searching over the whole island, until he found who he was looking for.

"Mewtwo" Ash said telepathically. "How is the search going?"

"...Well" Mewtwo's voice came back through, with a delay. "I can sense Mew nearby."

"Great job" Ash said. "Let's make sure to find him this time. I'd prefer not to take my day off to search the entire island."

"I should locate the furball soon" Mewtwo assured. "I only hope that it is worth it. If we can't bust him out, and he has nothing to tell us, then I will be sorely disappointed."

"You and me both" Ash said. "Allow me to come help. I can sense Mew more clearly than you can, and we'll get the searching done twice as fast."

"And how do you plan to join me?" Mewtwo asked.

"You can Teleport, can't you?" Ash asked. "Or are your powers taxed from your positively grueling search?"

Suddenly, Ash saw nothing but black. When he regained vision, he found himself in what appeared to be a tunnel of some kind. A faint purple light glowed behind him, and he turned around, spotting Mewtwo behind him. A ball of glowing Psychic energy filled his hand, almost as glaring in the darkness as the look Mewtwo was giving him.

"You know, sometimes I think that you've cracked the code to making me do what you want" he growled. "That's a very dangerous game that you're playing. I may just change it up, and you could find yourself in a bad place."

"Good to see you too" Ash said, exasperated. "So, dungeon diving?"

"From what I've picked up, these tunnels are mainly for easy passage around the island for the maintenance and staff" Mewtwo explained. "They also have generators and storage down here. I picked up on Mew's aura somewhere down here, but these tunnels are really looping me around."

"You aren't able to move fast enough to cover ground?" Ash asked.

"There are cameras everywhere, I have to move slow enough to both spot them and avoid them" Mewtwo said. "After all, the whole point of this mission was to remain anonymous, wasn't it?"

"True enough" Ash conceded. Holding his hand out, he focused, until a small ball of energy filled his hands, glowing sky blue. "I suppose that you've been using Psychic to scramble the cameras when they look at you?"

"Your light should be fine" Mewtwo said. "I took a look at the feed when the guards fell asleep. It scrambles whenever the energy appears on camera."

"Alright" Ash said. He turned to the passage behind him. "I can sense Mew's aura in this direction. It might be a good way to start."

"Then I will take the other way" Mewtwo said.

Ash stumbled. "Hey!" he said.

"I don't mean that like I feel as if you are wrong" Mewtwo assured him. "However, the best way to find Mew with speed is to split up. If we go together, then we will only cover as much ground as one of us would alone."

"Oh, right" Ash said. "Alright, let's stay out of sight."

Mewtwo nodded. "Good luck. Tell me if you find Mew."

"Ok" Ash said simply, turning around and walking down the hall.

He rounded the corner, and Mewtwo passed out of sight. He was still in pain, but since he had to focus his mind on locating any possible threats, it distracted him from it. The walls of the corridor were lit dull blue by the ball of aura in his hand. A glare came high off of the wall, off of the polished body of the security camera, but as he drew near, the camera began to spark, as if it were short-circuiting. "Good thing Mewtwo was right" he said. "Tech hates real power, not the fake stuff they run off of."

There were scores of people above him, he could feel it. So many auras, people were excited, people were calm, people were angry, people were sad, he could feel all of it. Nothing specific, but a whirlwind of senses, blurred together. He could feel it up there, just not each individual source.

Coming around another bend, he felt another source, dead ahead. A sense of urgency swept through him. Noticing a dull pipeline running across the ceiling, he extinguished his light and sprung up, grabbing it. Bringing his knees up, he clenched onto the pipe, holding his cape in between his legs and hoping that it didn't fall down.

A dull rumbling sound came from down the hall, and a cart came wheeling around the corner. Lights were lit up on the front, and someone was riding it down. Covered cargo was on top, but no Pokemon, definitely not Mew.

The cart passed underneath him, but Ash waiting until it was completely out of sight before dropping back down. "Thank goodness for dark clothes" he thought. "I'm never going to retire these, they are useful."

Looking around carefully, Ash extended his hand again, and reignited his aura. A faint pain twinged in his arm with the expenditure, but he shrugged it off. "Why do I keep forgetting to ask Mewtwo to grab those gloves for me. After we find Mew, that'll be the first thing I say him."

Ash felt another source approach, but it turned away almost as soon as it began to draw near. Whoever it was must've turned down another hall.

He could feel Mew's aura getting stronger. He was nearby, but, like a maze, there was no path that led towards him. He let out a disappointed sigh. "I wish Lucario had been able to train me. He was able to look ahead for miles with his aura sense" he muttered. "The sort of thing that would be coming way in handy right about now."

Continuing down the hall with his Aura Sphere held high, Ash kept on guard. He felt like a real spy, sneaking around in the dark, but then again, spies were high tech masters of espionage, not medieval-tactic trainers using magic. An ancient spy in a modern world.

Shaking off his almost poetical, yet completely nonsensical thoughts, he got back to the task at hand and began to move faster. "I can't wait to show up Mewtwo if I find Mew first" he thought.

Through the thoughts of one-upping Mewtwo, thought, he felt a deep, empty void behind his almost cheerful thoughts. He may have pushed it to the back of his mind, but the fact remained. His most treasured possession, the ribbon he had held onto ever since the end of his Battle Frontier conquest, and up to this very day, was now lost. And all he could think of it, was that he had lost his very last connection to May, forever. Nothing attached to her remained.

Suddenly, a pain flared, as he walked straight into the wall. He felt a deep cracking sensation, followed by agony and heat, and he knew that he had broken his nose. "Stupid, effing…" Ash swore, a bit louder that he meant to. He felt a steady drip run down his face, and he also knew that he had a good flow of blood going. "That's what I get for not paying attention" he muttered. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the bag that he had been carrying his Sitrus Berries in. All the berries had been left at his campground, but he knew that even small burlap bags could have their uses. He cupped it up under his nose, catching the flow of blood before it slipped off of his face. "Probably shouldn't leave them any DNA, or evidence that anyone was here period" he thought.

Pushing himself away from the wall that had cracked his nose like an egg, Ash turned to face down the hall. As soon as he took a few steps down, he knew he was in for one heck of a time. It was and immediate corner left, that either went straight ahead, or curved back to the left. And considering Mew's aura was somewhere to his right…

"You volunteered to help, Ketchum…" he muttered to himself. "Get moving."


Area 2


"So Gary, May, how exactly does this tournament run?" Oak asked.

"It's pretty simple" May said. "All the contestants get notified when and where their next match is the night before it happens. They don't start until at least 10 each morning."

"The groups are also divided" Gary said. "To prevent the arena's from being flooded, and probably to milk some extra cash out of those staying here, but you didn't here that come out of my mouth. Each round is spaced over two days. We were all today, and another group will be going tomorrow. Then we move to round 2, where we either get sorted into the first or second days."

"Oh, and do you know who you will be fighting in advance?" Oak asked.

"They don't send that info" Gary said. "They don't want to make it like a League where you can look up data on your opponent before the match, so you can get a leg up on them. Sure, if you know who you're facing because you bump into them and share stories, learning you two have a match at the exact same time and place, then yeah, but what are the odds of that happening?"

"One in a million" Oak agreed. "I heard that you fought against a powerful trainer, earlier, too. And May, I heard you defeated Morty in the preliminaries yesterday. He's no pushover, you know, you should feel proud."

"A powerful trainer, that's it?" Dawn asked. "Give him more credit, Professor, he defeated Palmer! He's one of the strongest trainers in all of Sinnoh outside of the Elite 4."

"I understand full well, Dawn" Oak said. "Remember, I was there in the Twinleaf Festival. I witnessed him first hand. That's why I am quite impressed."

"Aw, thanks Gramps" Gary said.

"No problem, my boy" Oak said. He then turned to Dawn. "So, Dawn, where exactly are you taking us? You said that you had somewhere you wanted us to go?"

"Yeah" Dawn nodded. "Apparently, there's this really amazing restaurant in the area, and I figured that it would be as good of a place as any to grab some lunch."

"You know, food actually sounds pretty good right now" May admitted. "What's the name of this place?"

"'Excellence'" Dawn replied. Noting the look that they all had on their faces, she chuckled. "Yeah, I know. They're a humble place, huh? But from what I hear, they live up to their name. However, they don't allow Pokemon inside, that's why we had to drop Pikachu and Glaceon off."

'I could eat" Gary said. "Let's get moving."

"That sounds wonderful" Oak agreed.

Dawn chuckled. "Glad to hear that it's unanimous. We should show up in just a couple of minutes here."

The group walked alongside the ocean, hearing the waves lap against the shore, and feeling the sun beating down on their heads. Dawn looked over as they strolled along, and touched May's shoulder. "Hey May, look."

"What?" May asked. Turning her head, she saw that they were walking past Clampearl's Treasure Trove. "Oh, it's there…"

"Are you feeling anything this time?" Dawn asked her friend.

May shook her head. "No, I could barely feel anything when we came here last night. Whatever it was, it's completely gone now."

"What are you two talking about?" Oak piped up.

"When we came by here last night, May felt something weird" Dawn said. "Something that she was magnetized to."

"It was almost like my entire life depended on whatever was in that spot" May muttered. "But there was nothing there. We looked into it, but came up empty, too."

"Sort of like a sinkhole?" Oak asked. "Are you sure that it wasn't a Psychic-Type playing a prank on you?"

May shook her head. "There was a Psychic type there earlier, but it wasn't Psychic. Whatever it was didn't grab me, it compelled me towards it."

"Hmm…" Oak said thoughtfully. "That is quite peculiar. I've never heard of such a phenomenon."

"I didn't figure that you would" May said. "We stayed up all night looking into it, and came up empty."

"Well I am sorry, my dear, I wish I could have been more helpful" Oak apologized.

"It's no problem, Professor" May said. "I kind of doubt that it's anything that can be proven anyways. Maybe I just stumbled."

Dawn looked at her friend. "You know you don't believe that. You told me that you felt that force, whatever it was."

May looked away. "Who knows, maybe I imagined it. Maybe, I just, wanted a reason…"

"Reason?" Dawn asked. Then it occurred to her. "May, you weren't thinking that-"

"Can you blame me?" May asked, cutting her off. "You know very well what's going on right now. I keep feeling, almost feeling his presence."

The group shared hesitant looks. Gary was the one to step forward. "May, I can understand how you feel. But, you're just hurting yourself by thinking this way, you know that."

Dawn looked at her friend. "I, I know that it can't be easy to hear, but we're trying to save you a lot of pain, May."

Max and Oak didn't know what to say, they felt out of place in the situation. The tension Dawn and Gary themselves had to push through alone was palpable.

May remained silent, hiding her gaze underneath her hair. Silence, so intense that you could feel it, hung in the air around them. Finally, after what felt like an eternity. May's voice was heard again. "I, I know…" she said quietly. "I know, but my mind, it just won't give up. It's always going back to think of anything else that could have happened. I didn't see, it, happen myself, so, it just…"

Dawn placed her hand on her friend's shoulder consolingly. "I can understand where you're coming from, May. But we want to make sure, that you don't hurt yourself by letting yourself fully believe it."

May let out a defeated sigh. "And I hope you'll understand if I can't fully forget it either…"

Dawn looked at her friend, and opened her mouth to say something, but thought differently about it, and closed it. Looking away, she noticed something. "Well guys, we're here" she said.

They all looked up, and indeed, just ahead of them, there was a building, with the words "Excellence" fancily drawn onto the billboard-sized sign on top. "Yeah, you were right, pretty humble place" Max chuckled.

Gary strode ahead of them and reached the restaurant first. Grabbing the handle, he held the door open for their gang, bringing them in. Dawn flashed him a smile. "Thanks Gary" she said sweetly.

Gary chuckled. "No problem, glad to be able to help out."

As they stepped inside, it was as if they had stepped into the night. The entire place was dimly lit with shaded windows, allowing for a appealing atmosphere. The place was quite jam-packed with people. "Popular place they have here" Oak commented. "Did you think to call ahead to make sure we had a reservation?"

"Ah!" Dawn exclaimed. "I totally spaced on it!"

Everyone sighed. "That's what happens when you get ahead of yourself" Max muttered.

"What'd you say?" Dawn asked.

"What, it's the truth" Max shrugged. "You're always getting too far ahead of yourself to see clea-YEOW!"

Max hopped up and down on one foot, while Dawn retracted her own. "Watch it" she growled.

"Geez, are you sure that beanie isn't cutting off blood flow to your brain?" Max sniffed. "You're being pretty violently prone as well."

"Why I oughta-" Dawn growled again, before Oak stepped up.

"Now you two, calm down" he said sternly. "Dawn, don't get mad at Max for pointing out your fault. Max, no need to push the issue so hard. The two of you should act your age, got it?"

Max and Dawn pulled away from each other, standing stiffly. "Yes Sir" they said simultaneously.

Oak smiled. "Now then, let's move past that, and come back to the present. I suggest we ask to see how long it would take to get a seat here. Worst case scenario, we wait until later to come back and eat. We can always find somewhere else to grab a bite for now."

Dawn took a deep breath. "Right, yeah." She walked up to the podium and rang the bell. "Hello, is anyone here?"

. . . . .

There was no answer from anyone, no one came at the ring. Frowning, Dawn rang again. "Hello, anyone?"

"Hold on, we're pretty busy right now" a voice rang out from the back.

A figure rushed out from the kitchen and grabbed the podium to stop himself in place, breathing hard. "Hello, welcome to Excellence" he huffed out. "I'm sorry, but we're really full right-" He stopped talking and started looking around at the group. "Huh, Dawn, Professor Oak?"

Dawn's eyes grew wide. "Cilan, is that you?"

A young man, dressed in a simple chef's coat, with green hair and eyes stood before them. He nodded. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here."

Dawn laughed, and Oak smiled. The rest of them looked around in confusion. "So, who is this?" Max asked.

Cilan stumbled and chuckled nervously. "Sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Cilan, and I'm a Pokemon Connoisseur from Unova. Me and Dawn met there."

"And I met him when he was travelling through Decolore, on the same island where I met Rotom" Oak said.

Dawn looked back at the others. "Cilan was one of Ash's friends travelling with him in Unova" she told them.

Cilan looked at May, Max, and Gary. "Oh, so all of you knew Ash?" he asked.

May looked up. "Yeah, I'm May, and I was with him through Hoenn, Max too" she said, gesturing to her brother.

Gary shrugged. "Yeah, and I was Ash's childhood friend and rival for a while, Gary" he said.

Cilan smiled. "Well, it's so great to meet some of you in person. He told me so many tales about all of you, so it's good to put some faces to them."

"I never really got a chance to hear about you" May apologized. "It's nice to meet you."

Cilan nodded. "It's good to meet you too. I can understand why you haven't heard of me, considering what happened."

May didn't respond. Feeling the tension, Cilan cleared his throat. "So, what brings you guys here?" he asked.

"Well, we were coming here to grab a bite to eat, but since this place was so full, we just thought that we'd set a date here and come back later" Dawn said.

Cilan chuckled. "Nonsense, I can get you guys a seat in here right away."

"Huh?" Gary asked.

"But, we wouldn't want to kick anybody out of their seats" Dawn said.

"No problem, you guys will have your own seats" Cilan said, picking up some menus. "As long as you don't mind having one other person join you."

"You?" Max asked.

"No, it's way too busy in here for me to take a lunch break right now" Cilan laughed nervously. "But we've got another friend waiting for you guys. Follow me!"

"Speaking of which, how are you working here?" Dawn asked. "Did you move to Vesryn or something?"

"Nah, but it's a great side job for me to take while I'm staying here" Cilan said. "I'm competing, of course. Me and my brothers have to defend the honor of the Striaton City Gym, after all."

"That reminds me, how are those two doing?" May asked.

"Me and Chili made it into the first round, but Cress got knocked out in the preliminaries" Cilan explained. "Chili and myself are going up tomorrow for our first round matches, and Cress is going to be cheering us on."

"Wow, glad to hear that two of you made it" Dawn said.

"Am I missing something?" Max asked. "You come from a Gym with 3 Leaders?"

"That's right" Cilan nodded. "Our challengers choose which one of us they wish to battle, depending on their type preferences. We each use our own special Pokemon. Chili uses Simisear, Cress uses Simipour, and I use Simisage."

"Oh, Pansage evolved?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, and a while back too" he said, coming to a stop near the wall. A curtain was stretched across a doorway in front of them. "Here is our private room. There's someone already in there but I have a feeling that she wouldn't mind having you guys in there with her."

Pulling the curtain open, he ushered them in. As the curtain closed behind them, they heard a clattering sound and flailing limbs. "Cilan, I told you to keep everyone out of here!" a peeved voice came out of the corner.

Cilan dropped the menus as he flinched from the intensity of the voice. "I don't think that you'll mind who I have here with us" he said.

A large head of purple hair came up from around the pillar separating the two corner seats in the private room. "Huh?" she asked. Coming into view, a young girl, dark skinned, and with a huge bush of purple hair. "Dawn, is that you?"

"Iris?" Dawn asked.

Standing in the corner of the room, the young girl was indeed Iris. "Hey, it's good to see you" she said cheerfully, walking forward. She turned to Cilan. "How come you didn't tell me that Dawn was here?" she asked.

Cilan raised his hands. "You didn't really give me a chance" he pointed out.

"Oh yeah, good point" Iris said. "It's great to see you again, Dawn."

"It's good to see you too" Dawn said. "And I'd better introduce you to my friends also. Iris, meet May, Max, and Gary."

"I have to get back to it…" Cilan muttered, leaving and shutting the curtain behind him.

"Oh, I've heard of you all!" Iris said. "Yeah, Ash told me and Cilan about you all! Gary, you're training to be a professor, and May, you're a really high-tier coordinator, right?"

"Well, I don't know about high-tier…" May said bashfully.

"Oh, quit being so down on yourself" Dawn chuckled. "You're really great. And you've been getting extremely strong too."

"And I've also been at it a lot longer than you, yet you beat me in the Wallace Cup" May shrugged.

"Still don't know how that happened" Dawn admitted.

"So, what are you training to be, Iris?" Gary asked.

"I'm actually on the road to be a Dragon Master" Iris said. "Dragons have had a ton of influence on my life, so I guess it was inevitable."

"Oh, what Dragons do you have?" Max asked.

"I have three so far" Iris said. "Dragons take a lot of time to raise, so you can't try to raise a ton of them at once. I have an Axew, Dragonite, Kingdra, and Gabite right now, but they aren't my only partners. Emolga and Excadrill are valuable friends to me as well."

Gary let out a low whistle. "Dang, that's quite a team you've got there, you know?"

Iris shrugged. "I wasn't going for them for just power and coverage options. They've all been supporting me for a long time now. Kingdra has only been with me for about a year, but Axew and Excadrill have been with me since the beginning."

"Isn't Axew a bit weak for a species standard though?" Max asked, shifting his glasses. "Wouldn't it be a much more powerful Pokemon if you evolved it into a Fraxure, or a Haxorus?"

Iris shook her head. "Axew is extremely powerful, without evolving" she said. "In fact, he hasn't lost a battle in over a year now, and he's fought some seriously tough opponents."

"Like who?" Max asked.

"Well, it actually single-handedly fought off two Haxorus at once" Iris said with a superior tone. "And another time, it took on someone's Mega-Evolved Salamence, even if it had been weakened slightly."

Max's jaw dropped, and Gary let out a low whistle. "Those are some serious matches for a little Axew to face."

Dawn struck a thinking pose. "Axew must have learned some powerful new moves then. Last time we met, it could only use Scratch, Dragon Rage, and barely use Giga Impact."

"Several new moves, in fact" Iris said. "And some serious power raising as well."

Cilan's head came poking back through the curtain. "Hey guys, I can take your order right now if you want."

"What?" May asked. "Oh, we haven't really looked yet."

"Yeah, we've been catching up with Iris" Dawn said.

"Well I can't blame you for wanting to learn some more about her" Cilan chuckled.

"Cilan!" Iris shouted reproachfully.

"What?" Gary asked. "What's so wrong with wanting to know more about one of Ash's pals?"

"That's not what he meant" Iris growled, giving Cilan a bone-chilling stare.

Sweat began beading on Cilan's forehead. "I'll be back to take your guys' orders" he said hurriedly before leaving again.

Dawn looked at Iris with a confused look. "What was all of that about?" she asked.

Iris raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You honestly don't know?" she wondered.

"Is something wrong here?" Max asked.

Strangely, Iris chuckled lightly. "You know, it's actually kind of a welcome relief to hear that."

"Don't you hate it when people speak so cryptically?" Gary muttered to Dawn.

"I heard that" Iris fumed. "Come on, if you were in my position, you take all the cryptic opportunities for yourself that you can. I have almost no privacy nowadays."

"Why's that?" Dawn asked. She gasped. "You aren't on the run or anything, are you?"

Iris shook her head, then looked around. "Promise not to do anything to invade my privacy, in any way, if I tell you?"

"YES!" Max shouted. Everyone stared at him, forcing him to look straight down out of embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm just sick of all the riddles."

"Tell me about it" Iris said. "Let me tell you, at first, it seemed great, but as time went on, well, I see why Diantha is always stressed and busy. Being a Champion is no walk in the park."


Tunnels


"Why are there so many damn humans down here?" Mewtwo muttered after having to cloak himself for the fifth time. The man walked out of sight around the corner, and Mewtwo dropped his cloaking field. "This is a maintenance tunnel, not a track field…"

Mewtwo let another psychic orb float in his hand, illuminating his surroundings. "Now, where is puffball?" he wondered. "He is near, that much I am sure of." Closing his eyes, he focused, and got a much stronger signal on his right. Turning, he noted a hallway with three doors along it, and one at the very end. "I will assume for now that he is down this way."

Mewtwo floated down the corridor, keeping alert in case of any approaching beings, but he felt none, besides the one he was tracking. Peering in the various doors, he noted storage compartments, generators, and computers, but only once he reached to final room did he see something of interest.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue, and the lock jiggled. Scrunching his eyes with focus, the door swung open, revealing the insides.

Scattered around the room, there was a lot. Master Balls, stacks of money, but none of that was of any importance. The center of the room was what he was focused on.

A large metal cage was laid in the center, and a sleeping form within, glowing purple from the light Mewtwo was emitting. A large red and black Pokemon was slumbering within.

"Wake up, you Snorlax" Mewtwo mentally shouted into the head of the Pokemon.

Immediately, the Pokemon jumped to its feet, snarling. It whipped around, but when it saw Mewtwo, its face went passive. "So, you've found me" the voice came through.

Mewtwo nodded curtly. "Yes, we've been searching for you since we arrived here, isn't that obvious?"

"Don't take that superior tone with me, Mewtwo" Mew growled. "Let me guess, you either came here under your own steam, scared for your own skin more than anything, or you let a 'lowly human' talk and trick you into coming. Yes, I talked to Ash" he said, noting the look in Mewtwo's eyes. "So, if you're here, could break the bars or something and get me out?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "No can do, Mew" he said. "If we were to break you out now, we would be considered thieves. It would be much harder for either me or the Chosen One to undergo our duties as guardians if we were the target of a manhunt."

"...Hate to say it, but that's a good point" Mew admitted. "Do you think that he can win the tournament to set me free?"

"He has a good chance" Mewtwo said. "His partners are loyal, and the harsh conditions of his life have solidified the power of them. Also, he has me as backup in case he finds himself in a particularly difficult battle."

"You would battle for him?" Mew asked.

"If it means saving our shared life-force and the thousands of lives within your tree, then yes" Mewtwo said. "Besides, he may need it. He has met a Trainer here who utilizes many of our brethren of Legendary Pokemon. He is known to have a Darkrai and Latios at the very least, to the Chosen One."

"A Darkrai, huh?" Mew wondered. "Be careful, you remember what happened that time you travelled to New Moon Island."

"No need to remind me" Mewtwo snarled. "Besides, we have an ace up our sleeves. We brought the stones and gauntlet that will allow me access to my more powerful forms, should they be required."

"I see that you've been planning this out quite strategically" Mew noted. "However, one thing bothers me."

"And what would that be?" Mewtwo asked.

"If you have been thinking this out so much, then why come find me at all, if you can't take me back?" Mew asked.

"Ah, yes" Mewtwo said. "We were wondering if you could have any information to share with us. Being the prize of the tournament, surely you've overheard some of their plans."

Mew narrowed its eyes. "You know, I thought that you might have known, coming down here."

"Known of what?" Mewtwo asked.

Mew looked around anxiously. "Let's just say, there are a few people who don't just see me as a Zoroark right now."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. "There are those who recognize you as a Mew. That is impossible."

"Nothings impossible when dealing with crooks" Mew muttered.

"Great, an organization noticed you" Mewtwo muttered. "Which one. Is it native to this region."

Mew shot Mewtwo a look. "I would think that you would know just who would recognize a Pokemon from Kanto."

Mewtwo's eyes now widened. "Don't tell me that that Team Rocket is here?"

Mew nodded. "I can only assume that they have had surveillance on me. They must have seen me in the trees before I transformed into a Zoroark."

"Not good news" Mewtwo muttered. "Do they plan to steal you, or perhaps fake their way into the tournament?"

"I would assume the former" Mew said. "There has been an unnaturally high amount of people down in these halls as of late. I can only assume that many of them are Rockets, scouting the area."

"We can't have them catch you" Mewtwo noted. "They may try to clone you again, and we don't know if they could keep another Mewtwo under control or not."

"You can't very well protect the cage until the whole thing is over either" Mew noted. "As you can see, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place here."

"Not entirely" Mewtwo said. "Could you bust out of the cage on your own?"

"No such luck" Mew said. "Whatever this cage is made of, utilizes the same technology as their Pokeballs. My attacks have no effect coming from the inside. I've tried everything, from Heat Wave to Hydro Pump to try and distort the bars, to Explosion to knock this thing out. That was painful…"

"Allow me to try something" Mewtwo said. Walking around, behind the cage, Mewtwo stuck his hand out, and let loose a small Ice Beam. When it struck the bars, frost formed on top. "Interesting, it would appear that moves work on the outside though."

"How will that help, if you can't smuggle me out of here?" Mew asked.

"How about we give you a failsafe, in case any Rockets come looking for you" Mewtwo said. Stretching his arm out, a long blade of energy popped out. A quick flash with his Psycho Cut, and two of the bars fell out. Catching them, Mewtwo propped them back into place, so that the cage looked undisturbed. "Here, this should allow you to bust out if anyone tries to take the cage. I assume that you are smart enough to be able to fight off some Pokemon and not let technology catch you again?"

"No need to fret about me" Mew said.

Mewtwo dashed back over in front of the cage. "Anything besides Team Rocket that we should be informed of?"

Mew shook his head. "Just make sure you win. If something happens to me, well, you know what happens."

Mewtwo chuckled. "Someone has a high opinion of themselves."

"It comes from not being a clone" Mew shot back.

Mewtwo's laugh abruptly stopped, and a harsh glare overtook his face. "Shall I seal back up those bars and allow the Rockets to take you?"

"But you wouldn't, because if I go, you go, and you know that" Mew said smugly.

Mewtwo fumed. "I'm starting to loathe both you and the Chosen One, now" he snarled. Mewtwo turned and opened the door.

"Mewtwo…" Mew said.

Mewtwo turned back around before he closed the door. "What is it?" he asked.

Mew looked him straight in the eyes. "Thank you."


Excellence (1 Hour Later)


"I still can't believe that you're the Champion" Max said.

"I didn't even know that was your goal!" Dawn exclaimed. "What happened to being a Dragon Master?"

"The League Challenge can be a big step for a Dragon Master also" Iris said. "I mean, look at Lance. He's a League Champion, and a Dragon Master."

"Wow…" Gary said. "Color me impressed. What are you, fifteen?"

"Sixteen" Iris said.

"That is still incredibly young, even just for an Elite, much less a Champion" Oak commented. "I hope that you realize the magnitude of your accomplishment."

"Yeah, I do…" Iris muttered. "Sadly, so does 90% of the rest of the world. I have hardly gotten a break to even sleep every day. People mob me, asking for autographs, tips, my secret, and of course-"

"Challenges?" May asked.

"Oh Arceus, I have about a hundred challengers a day" Iris sighed. "It was a godsend when Cilan was able to get me a private room here so that I could just take a break. I'm just glad he isn't treating me any differently now that I am what I am."

"Is it really that bad, reaching your dreams?" May asked.

Iris looked at May. "You're training to be a Top Coordinator, right? The League may be a bit bigger than Contests, but yeah, if you win a Grand Festival, you'd better be prepared for the publicity. It's enough to run anyone into the ground."

May's eyes widened. "That bad, huh."

Iris nodded. "No jokes here, I wouldn't dare joke about this. It's not funny from any angle."

"Geez, it doesn't sound like it either" Dawn said.

May pushed away her soup, not feeling to good all of a sudden. "Wow, even when you finally achieve what you've been wanting to, it doesn't get any easier" she realized. She reached into her pocket, and felt for that comforting sensation of the ribbon in her hand. "Does that mean, that it won't get any better, once I do this for Ash?" she thought.

"Are you alright, May?" Iris asked.

"Huh?" May asked. She realized that her eyes stung a bit, she had been ready to cry. Blinking hard, she put on a false smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Dawn looked at her Poketch. "Hey guys, it's getting pretty late here. It's almost 5, Pikachu and Glaceon have been alone for a long time. I think that we should be getting back now."

"What, it's already 5?" Iris asked. "Shoot, Axew will be getting lonely too. I guess it's time for all of us to go."

"Yeah, we'd better hurry" Gary said. "Arcanine can carry a few of us, but not all of us."

"Hey, don't worry about it" Iris said. "I can have Dragonite fly us there."

"Geez, I can only imagine how powerful your Dragonite is" Max said. "I don't want to sound like just another one of those guys, but it would be really awesome if you could battle me sometime, Iris."

"Hey, that's no problem" Iris chuckled. "It only gets on my nerves when it's hundreds of strangers per day asking me. I'll be happy to have a match with a friend."

"Really?" Max asked. "Awesome!"

Iris looked towards the curtain. "I wish we could say goodbye to Cilan, but considering how packed the restaurant is, I doubt that he'd even hear us."

"Yeah, that's true enough" May said. "So what, do you slip out of the back to avoid attention?"

"Actually, yeah" Iris laughed. "There's an exit in the corner here. Would you all care to join me?"

"Why not?" Dawn asked.

Smiling Iris jumped up and bolted for the back, pulling out a Pokeball as she ran. The others were right behind her, walking out the door as it flew open. Once they were out back, Iris threw the Pokeball high into the air. "Dragonite, come on out!" she said.

The ball burst open, and a stream of light hit the ground like a bolt of lightning, condensing and materializing, into a towering shape. The light faded, and an orange figure took form. "RAA!" Dragonite cried out in a gruff voice.

Max flinched and backed up. "Why does your Dragonite look, really angry?" he asked.

"Oh, he's just trying to act like a tough guy" Iris said. "He's always scowling, but deep down, he's a sweetheart."

"Gah!" Dragonite huffed, turning away.

Dawn chuckled. "Good to see that you haven't changed a bit, Dragonite."

Gay pulled out his Pokeball. "I'm sure Dragonite is strong, but he's not quite big enough to carry the six of us. I'll take care of some of the burden. Arcanine, let's go!"

Gary's ball popped open in his hands, and the Legendary Pokemon materialized on the ground beside Dragonite. "Arroo!" Arcanine cried.

"Ra" Dragonite growled, looking down at Arcanine.

"Caroo!" Arcanine barked back.

"Behave you two" Gary and Iris said simultaneously.

Gary looked back. "So, who wants to go on Arcanine with me?" he asked. "I think he can take two of us."

"Aro" Arcanine barked at Gary.

"Oh, sorry, three of us" Gary corrected himself. Arcanine grinned, although it came off more like baring his teeth.

"I'm not too good with heights" Dawn said.

"And I'm not sure this old back could handle being whipped around through the sky" Oak chuckled.

"Sweet! Sis, that means that we get to ride on Dragonite" Max said.

"What?" May asked.

"Don't worry, it's not as easy to fall off as it looks" Iris said. "Besides, Dragonite can have you home in a minute, much less if I have him use Extremespeed."

"Arcanine can have us there in ten seconds if we use that also" Gary countered.

"Want to have a little race then?" Iris asked. "Loser pays the winner 500 Poke?"

"You are SO on" Gary said, hopping onto Arcanine's back. "Come on you two" he waved at Oak and Dawn.

Dawn and Oak also climbed onto Arcanine's back, behind Gary. Iris turned to Dragonite. "Want to show him how it's done?"

"Grah!" Dragonite cried out, energetic now.

Iris turned and smirked at Gary. "Dragonite's all fired up now. I hope that you're ready to pay!"

Dawn leaned towards Iris. "I wouldn't underestimate Gary's Arcanine if I were you. You haven't seen this thing in action yet."

"And you probably don't remember what Dragonite was capable of when you last saw it" Iris said confidently. "We've only improved since then, in every way."

Dragonite kneeled down, and Iris ran up and jumped on his back. She waved at May and Max. "You guys coming, or what?" she asked.

Without hesitating, both of them stepped forward and clambered on, right behind Iris. "We're ready when you are" May said.

"Let's do this!" Max said excitedly.

Iris looked over to Gary. "Count of three?"

Gary nodded. "One…"

"Two…" Iris said, gripping Dragonite tightly.

"Three!" Both of them shouted simultaneously. "Extremespeed!"

In an instant, reality became a blur for all six of them. May, Max, and Iris became glued to Dragonite's back, while Gary, Dawn, and Oak felt as if their faces were being peeled off by the blitzing speed they were moving at.

"Going up!" Iris shouted as Dragonite soared skyward. They began to slow down as they passed above the cloud layer, the sun beating down on them with no barrier. "Going down!" Iris shouted as Dragonite dived, moving at, if possible, even higher speeds that they had before. Dragonite touched down just in front of their house, barely two seconds before Arcanine came whirling into view, screeching to a halt before them.

"Darn…" Gary muttered as he hopped off. "Shouldn't of raced against someone who can go as the Murkrow flies, should've thought that out."

"Still, you did agree to it" Iris said smugly, hopping down. "Come on, cough it up."

"Oh, alright" Gary said, pulling a few bills out of his pocket and walking over. "Here you go, 500 Poke, just like I promised."

"Thank you" Iris said. "Yeah, I was a bit curious about why you took it too. Yeah, your Arcanine is fast, but it can't cut over all the houses and hills like Dragonite can."

"Grao!" Dragonite growled triumphantly.

"Coo…" Arcanine growled, with his head hung.

"Hey, Arcanine, you did your absolute best" Gary consoled his Pokemon. "You're getting really fast, even she saw that."

May and Max stumbled off of Dragonite. "That, was the scariest, the scariest ten seconds of my life" May mumbled as the ground spun beneath her.

"Awesome, yet at the same time, so not awesome" Max agreed as he buckled to his hands and knees.

Dawn and Oak hopped down from Arcanine, a bit wobbly, but otherwise fine. "We may have had it easier than you guys" Dawn admitted. "At least we didn't get jetlag."

"Ugh, you're telling me" May moaned as she too collapsed on the ground.

"Heh heh, sorry about that guys" Iris said. "Dragonite's speed takes some getting used to."

"You can get used to that?" Max asked, shocked.

Everyone busted up laughed, except Max and May, who were too dizzy to join in. Oak chuckled at the two. "Well, I think that it is about time that I leave you kids alone. After all, I need to schedule myself a room at the Center anyways."

"Hey, no problem Gramps" Gary said. "Why don't you just stay here with us?"

"I would hate to impose" Oak dismissed. "Besides, with four people, you can't have any bed space. I couldn't sleep on a couch, and I would hate to boot you from one of your beds to make you sleep on one."

"Well if you're going to be so adamant about it…" Gary shrugged. "Go ahead and take Arcanine, he can carry you to the Pokemon Center."

"No need to worry about that either" Oak chuckled. "I'm very grateful for you worrying about me, but there is no need for you to take care of me here. My Dragonite would be more than happy to get some exercise and carry me there."

"Oh, you have a Dragonite as well, Professor?" Iris asked.

Oak nodded. "Yes, he is one of my oldest partners."

"And a really faithful one too" May said. "I remember when he wouldn't give up shielding you from that Mirage Mewtwo."

"Yes, me and him go way back" Oak said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a minimized ball. "It was very good to see you all again. Tell me whenever any of you have a match scheduled, and I will do my best to make it."

"I'd better be heading back too, before someone notices me" Iris said sheepishly. "If you guys want to come see me, I'm staying in house 729. Just, don't let that become public knowledge."

"We would never" Dawn assured. "And hey, good luck in your next match."

"Thanks Dawn" Iris said. She turned around. "And you two…" she said to May and Gary. "Good luck to you as well."

"Thanks, Iris" Gary said. "And if we get matched up, just know, I'm not going easy on you, you hear?"

"I hate anyone who goes easy on me because they know me" Iris said. "Do just what you said, and we'll be fine."

"I won't hold back either" May said.

Iris nodded. "Alright guys, take care. Let's go, Dragonite!"

"Groh!" Dragonite growled as Iris hopped on.

"Let's fly!" she said.

"Grooooo!" Dragonite cried, spreading his wings wide, and rocketing into the air. Within seconds, a hole had been pierced, straight through the clouds, and the large orange shape vanished within.

"Well then, she sure knows how to make a dramatic exit, eh?" Oak asked. "I suppose that it is time for my own leave as well." He clicked the minimized ball in his hand and enlarged it. "Dragonite, my friend, come on out."

The two halves separated, and the beam of light struck the ground, releasing Dragonite. "Groh!" Dragonite yawned, looking down at them.

Oak smiled. "Dragonite, would you be up for a flight?"

"Rah" Dragonite nodded, kneeling down near Professor Oak.

Oak turned around and smiled at the group. "I will see you all soon, alright?"

"Alright Professor, take care" Dawn said.

"Hey, have a good night, Gramps" Gary waved.

"It was great seeing you again, Professor" Max said.

"It was good seeing you too, Max" Oak said. "And May, please, take care, alright?"

May nodded. "Yes, Professor, I will" she assured him.

Smiling back at them, Oak turned around and climbed onto Dragonite's back. "Dragonite, let's head south" he said.

"Groh!" Dragonite cried. Spreading his wings, he took off into the air, soaring into the distance, towards the beach.

Dawn looked at her friends. "Well guys, let's head in. I'm sure Pikachu and Glaceon must be ready for some company."

"Yeah, I'm sure too" May said. "Come on, let's give them some."

Gary dug into his pocket and pulled out a key. Walking forward, he inserted it into the door, and threw it open. "Let's go. I'm ready to sit down for the night."

They all walked into the house. May began looking around. "Where did they go off to?" she wondered.

"Maybe they're hanging out upstairs" Max suggested.

"That's probably it" May realized. "You guys get settled down here, I'll go grab those two and be right back."

"Alright, Sis" Max said, walking out into the living room and grabbing the remote.

May stepped up the stairs, bracing herself on the railing, still feeling slightly dizzy from the speedy Dragonite ride, until she reached the top of the stairs. Stepping down the hall, she peered into each doorway. Coming to the end of her hall, and her room, she looked inside, and sure enough, there the two of them were.

Smiling, May opened the door quietly. The two were curled up together on the bed, asleep, Pikachu on his side, Glaceon lying down and nuzzling up against the sleeping mouse. "Those two are so cute when they're asleep" she thought.

She tiptoed into the room, careful not to disturb the sleeping duo. Slipping her bag off, she set it down on the desk, and then walked over to the bed. "Hey guys, let's wake up" she said softly, placing her hand gently on Glaceon.

Glaceon and Pikachu slowly cracked their eyes open, looking up at May blearily. "Chaaaaaaaa…" Pikachu yawned.

"Eeeeeoooo..." Glaceon let out her own yawn.

May smiled. "Hi there, you two, did you have a good nap?" she asked.

Pikachu and Glaceon both stood up and smiled up at May. Smiling back, May reached down and patted both of them on their heads. "Glad to hear it" she said. "You know, everyone's back. Why don't you head downstairs and say hi?"

"Pike/Glace" the two said together, hopping down off of the bed. They began walking out the door, before Pikachu stopped in his tracks. "Bika?" Pikachu asked, sniffing the air.

"Glace?" Glaceon asked.

Pikachu kept sniffing the air. "Pika? Pikachu Pi?"

"Hey guys" a voice came from a little ways down the hall. Glaceon turned and saw Dawn coming. Pikachu, however, wasn't distracted, and turned back towards the room.

Inside the bedroom, May dug into her pocket and pulled the small object she was so attached to out. Smiling sadly down at the half of the Terracotta Ribbon, she let out a sigh. "Ash never wanted anyone to feel bad over him" she remembered Gary said. "That's right, I can't torture myself over him, it's not what he would have wanted."

Sitting down on the bed, she looked at the small piece in her hand. "You know, I almost lost this thing earlier" she said. "I don't even know how distraught I'd be if I had. I'd better keep it safe."

Standing up, May took a step forward and kneeled down next to her bedside table, where she stored her ribbon. "You, aren't going to get away from me again. This time, I'm keeping track of you" she said. She pulled the drawer open and dropped the piece in. Just as she closed the drawer up, she froze.

Her eyes grew wide. "What?" she asked. Slowly, she looked back at the drawer. Her hand still on the handle, she slowly pulled it open again. As the contents within came into view, a loud shriek came out of her room.

The door flew open, and Dawn, Pikachu, and Glaceon bolted in. "May, what happened?!" Dawn exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"D-D-D-Dawn?" May asked. "L-l-look…"

Dawn looked frightened now. "What happened May?" she asked as she walked over.

Shaking, May lifted her hand and pointed into the drawer. "L-look" she stuttered.

Dawn stood beside May and peered into the drawer. For a second, she just stared puzzled. Then, she realized, and her eyes grew wide. "May, how did you…"

May grabbed Dawn by the shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes. "Dawn, my ribbon, was here, all day. Max pointed out the other ribbon when we left Tracey and Misty's house."

"But, but that would mean, that the other half, the one that you found out there-" Dawn gasped.

"Pika Bi!" Pikachu cried, scrambling up onto the drawer and looking in, sniffing deeply again. Reaching in, Pikachu grabbed the half of the ribbon that had just been put in there, and sniffed again.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed.

May gasped. "Ash's scent is on it?" she asked.

"Pikapi, Pika Pikachupi" Pikachu cried, nodding.

Dawn gasped. "May, if Ash's scent is still on that piece…"

May took a deep breath. "I promised, I promised not to give myself false hope, Dawn. But, this, this isn't false anymore."

Dawn looked at her friend. "May, if this really is Ash's half, and the scent is still fresh enough for Pikachu to smell, that means…"

"Ash…" May said. "He, he's really, he's really here!"


Muahahahahahaha! Cliffhanger! Yeah, I know, I'm evil. It took me this long to update, and I leave you with THIS. But don't you dare tell me that you didn't enjoy the buildup. Anyways, again, sorry for taking so long to update. I've had some other stuff, and I have trouble with filler content, and actually, since I did two consecutive chapters for my other story, I was in the mode for that one, which made this all the more difficult.

But enough of that. Throughout the entire tournament so far, May has been fighting down her hope of Ash being alive, and just as it seems that she'll be able to bury the hatchet, once and for all, well, you saw what happened. And yes, Iris being Champion is based off of the games. But come on, you didn't see this coming when the young, tardy, female Dragon Master missing Champion was mentioned but at the Champion's Lunch? Anyways. I'll try to push out one more update before my summer ends, but I can't guarantee it. I hope I got you all to squeal like little girls when you saw this update go through your inbox (joking) and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are my bread and butter, so please, drop one in, and again, don't be afraid to contact me directly to ask me something. Other than that, I suppose that I will see you all next time. Have a good night (I stayed up late (3 AM) to push this through, hope you had a good time with it) and you will hear from me again soon enough. Peace!