Hey everyone, Yeah it's me, I know it's been awhile since I uploaded but I've been extremely busy on other things especially school, but of course I never intended on stopping this story, on the contrary I still plan on continuing because as I said before, I have a lot planned for this story, so yeah, stick around if you want to know what comes of this.

(Ash/Dawn)

"Ash…..it's really you…" she remained on the ground, staring up with building tears at the raven haired boy who was stunned by her reaction.

"Dawn….what are you doing here"? He extended his hand down at her, but it was slapped away by the now angered bluenette.

She got up by herself, taking a step back as she tearfully glared at him, "H-how c-could you…just come back here and not saying anything to any of us, do you know how worried we all were….how worried I was"?

He shoved his hand into his pocket, preferring to not look into Dawn's eyes as he turned his head aside, "I had no intention to let anybody know I was here, I came to only compete in the tournament, I'm sorry for making you waste years on worrying about me, but I'm here, so now you can move on".

A liar he thought to himself, although he really did come to compete in the tournament, deep down he did have some hope or slight intention on seeing the blue haired coordinator again, even if it was just for a couple of seconds.

"I….I can't move on…..it's not that easy….." he had looked back at Dawn who was staring down at the ground, he quickly took notice of the tear that had fallen to the ground.

"Dawn…." it was clear that she was crying, but for what reason, he didn't think this encounter would trigger such a thing from her.

"You jerk"! She pushed him back, revealing the red from her teary eyes, she pounded his chest with her fists only to trigger Ash to forcefully grip both of her wrists, stopping her from her mini rampage.

"...Listen to me-"

She shook her head, refusing to let him speak any further, "How can you just act like nothing has happened! You've been gone for over 8 years! Not once did you bother to come back or send any type of letter or message"!

He pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around the coordinator who was quickly shut down, the warmth from his tight hug had completely thrown her off, she tried squirming away but he refused to let go, "I'm sorry…..I know that's not enough for how I left you and Max…..but it's all I know what to say….."

Her tears had soaked into his clothes, but he didn't mind, he knew that he had done a terrible thing to both Dawn and Max who were the only ones who believed in his dreams, the only ones who didn't turn there back on him.

"...I'm sorry Dawn".

(Stadium Field)

"There you have it! The pairings for the first round! Let's have our first challengers on the field, Misty and Iris versus Trinity and Morrison!"

"That's us". Misty and Iris nodded simultaneously, they looked up at the dark ceiling, suddenly a bright light began to appear as the arena's ground doors began opening up, allowing them to rise up as they stood on top of a moving podium.

They looked opposite and noticed their opponents were also rising up from the ground, the duo looked at them cheekily, Iris, feeling a bit confused looked over at the redhead who returned the look.

"What a coincidence that what we both wanted truly became a reality". the long haired brunette smiled teasingly at the redhead who kept her composure.

(Back in the Trainers Hall)

He walked back into the hall, stopping as he saw Gary who was waiting for him, "Of all the hundreds of candidates…..and I ended up stuck with you". he groaned in frustration.

Paul rolled his eyes, "I'm not happy about it either, but there's no way I'm letting you mess this all up for me, If you don't have the power to fight alongside me in our match then step aside and let me handle it, otherwise, stay out of my way". Their eyes sparked upon contact, sizzling and crackling intensely.

"Let's talk strategy….." Leaf's eyes looked down on Molly as she tensed up, feeling the millions of cold chills running up and down her body, she avoided her crystal blue eyes away from Leaf's emerald colored ones.

"O-ok…" she nodded, following behind the brunette who led her out of the arena. She smirked under her hat, feeling the dozen of stares from all the other trainers, especially Gary's and Ash's.

"Trinity and Morrison…..heh". Ash and Dawn had walked back into the hall after a while of him trying to get her to calm down and stop her crying.

"You know them"? She asked, he nodded, staring up at the screen where it flashed onto Misty, showing her expression as she gave a confident grin.

"The whirl cup…..It's the only time I lost to Misty, and where she lost to Trinity…and Morrison, I fought him in the Ever grande conference, though I won…...it feels like fate had planned this". he closed his eyes, grinning devilishly as he crossed his arms.

"I don't get it". Dawn scratched her head.

He could hear Red's words ringing through his head *If you are fighting for the title of master, it would only make sense for fate to bring you the people who you must defeat, the people you once lost to, and the ones who will want redemption against you, in order to get what you want, you must go through them and test out your strength one final time…*

He opened his eyes this time, shifting his head over to the left as he found an old face staring at him intensely, Tobias, a smirk grew on Ash's lips as he turned to the right, this time to find Gary and Paul looking at him the same way.

"Is it just me…..or is everyone staring at us?" The bluenette looked around, finding that some of the trainers were glaring at the raven haired boy.

*A lot of familiar faces are here…...old rivals…..old friends….no matter what, they won't keep me away from my title*

"Really? I don't see it". he shrugged, turning his attention back to the screen.

"Dawn…..what the hell are you doing with him"? Hissed Gary, watching the two carefully as Paul smirked.

(Misty/ Iris VS. Trinity/Morrison)

"How have you been?" Trinity shot them a smile as she pulled out a Net ball.

"Never been better, I take it that you have some new water pokemon"? Misty narrowed her eyes onto her opponents pokeball.

"Of course, Let me show you, Gastrodon let's go!" she flung the pokeball out onto the field.

"Let's do this! Steelix come out!" Morrison threw his pokeball along, allowing both the bursting lights from within to shape their pokemon out.

Misty bit down on her lip again, *A west sea gastrodon…..*

Both girls stared up at their opponents pokemon, flinching from their fierce cries and menacing glares, "I got this….." Iris muttered, chucking her ball up into the air, "Haxorus I need you!"

Misty followed along, looking down at her pokeball as she smirked at it, "Gyarados! It's time!" The crowd had gotten more riled up as Misty and Irises pokemon let out their battle cries, screeching and glaring at their rivals.

"It seems we have a battle between two water types!" Wallace announced, shooting his arms out as a lake appeared from the center of the field.

Both Gyarados and Gastrodon jumped in, "Quick! Wrap gastrodon!" Misty ordered, pointing to the pink colored creature.

"Steelix! Use Iron tail on Haxorus!" Morrison ordered, shooting a fist towards Haxorus who stood still as it awaited orders. Steelix's tail had begun to glow white, it shot towards the dragon pokemon who turned back to the purple haired girl.

Iris crossed her arms, "Grab it!" It swiftly caught the iron types tail, shocking Morrison, "What?!"

"Throw it!" she ordered through it's roars, It had picked up the steel serpent by it's tail as it swung it around, throwing it against the floor as it dragged through.

"Water pulse Gastrodon!" A light blue orb of energy appeared in front of Gastrodon's third eye, it fired it straight into Gyarados who was still coiled around it, letting the orb combust into an explosion of water which sent it flying back.

"Misty…." Iris leaned close to the redhead who nodded as her ally whispered into her ear. A devious look appeared in their eyes.

"Alright! Haxorus use sunny day!" It's eyes began glowing orange, two giants orbs appeared on it's hands, allowing it to shoot them up into the air as they exploded, brightening the sky even more and the temperature.

"W-what…" Trinity and Morrison squinted, barely able to keep their eyes open.

"Gyarados! Flamethrower straight at Steelix!" Misty shot her finger at the steel type who was also blinded by the bright light.

A small flame appeared in the center of the water serpents mouth, it increased and got larger until it fired at Steelix who took the hit directly, screeching as it was covered in a pit of flames.

"Steelix! No!" the spiky haired boy screamed as he saw his Steelix fall to the ground, nearly in crisps.

"Quick! Use your toxic Gastrodon!" Trinity commanded, shielding her eyes from the bright sun as Gastrodon quickly shot out a jet of purple liquid from it's mouth and straight at Gyarados who was pierced against the wall, dripping in the purple liquid which had shocked it. Purple jolts had begun running all over it's body.

"Oohh! And steelix is out for the count! as well as Misty's Gyarados who is poisoned badly!" Misty gasped, glaring back at Trinity who held a smug look on her face.

"Show em your dragon pulse Haxorus!" Iris shouted, narrowing her eyes at Trinity who snapped her fingers.

"Dive!" It dodged the turquoise energy ball that the dragon type shot from it's mouth and dove into the water, allowing the attack to splash into the lake and send it rising up as it exploded.

Trinity shot her hand to the sky, "Rain dance let's go!"

The bright sun had quickly been blocked by dark clouds, a heavy shower of rain came pouring down on the arena, "Now use Acid Armor!" Gastrodons figure had slowly disappeared beneath the droplets of water.

"Figure's she would do this!" Misty clicked her tongue, sharply watching out for Gastrodon.

"What happened?! Where did it go"! Shouted Iris, also looking around for the water type.

"Acid Armor allows it to blend it's body with water, there's no telling where Gastrodon could be now that it could roam freely and swiftly on the arena". She tried keeping herself calm while Trinity remained with that same cheeky grin.

Iris had grown impatient, "Well I'm not going to be a sitting duck! Haxorus use-".

Trinity had interrupted her with a laugh, "Gastrodon use Ice beam!"

The sea slug was nowhere to be seen, but both girls were able to see the blue ray of energy heading straight for them, "Dodge it!" shouted Misty, having her Gyarados avoid the attack only for Haxorus to be left wide open.

The crowd was left amazed as ice beam struck through the droplet of water's, freezing them instantly as it zig zagged all across Haxorus, hitting it repeatedly as if light had hit through a prism stone.

"NO"! Shouted Iris, being blown back from the explosion her pokemon got trapped in.

"Iris!" Misty rushed over to her partner, helping her up only for both girls to find the dragon lying unresponsive on the ground.

"And Haxorus is unable to battle! It seems neither side is playing around!" Morrison held out his next pokemon along with Iris, both of them throwing them in the air at the same time.

"Arcanine! Let's go"!

"Excadrill! I need you"!

"Gyara-"! It was shocked once more with the effects of toxic, Misty clenched her fists, knowing well that her pokemon was slowly going down.

"Let's shake things up a bit! Earthquake Gyarados!" Gyarados had slammed its tail down on the ground, causing a massive stir to occur, she carefully watched the arena to find Gastrodons body slowly resurfacing from the water.

Iris pointed to the water slug, "Drill run!"

Excadrill had locked itself into position, drilling it's way towards Gastrodons body only for Morrison to give his own orders, "Arcanine use Extreme speed"!

The redhead was quick to also interject, "Stop Arcanine with Aqua tail!"

"Arca-" before it tackled Excadrill, Gyarados had used it's water based tail to block the fire type, sending it flying back against the wall.

"Gastro"! It was hit straight on, being dragged across the floor and into the wall against Arcanine by the ground types sharp claws.

"Gyara-"! it was shocked with another dose of the poison.

"Gastrodon is unable to battle"! Trinity glared at Iris and Misty, calling back her pokemon only to bring out her next.

"Vaporeon! You're up"! Misty's eyes brightened upon seeing the beautiful water eeveelution.

"It's gorgeous"! She cried.

"I know"! Gloated Trinity, basking in Misty's admiration for her pokemon.

"Cut it out Misty! We're still in a match"! Growled Iris, swiping her hand forward, "Use dig"!

"Exca"! It drilled into the ground, leaving it's opponent to guess where it would spring up from.

"Vaporeon! Use hydro pump straight into that hole"!

"Stop it"! Shouted Misty, having Gyarados charge straight for the water type.

"Not on my watch! Thunder fang Arcanine!" it was too quick to detect, before she knew it her Gyarados was tackled to the ground by the fire type who bit on to it's body, releasing a powerful surge of electricity.

"Now Excadrill"! Iris shouted, smirking when Vaporeon shot a powerful cannon of water into the hole right when Excadrill sprouted from beneath Arcanine, quickly dodging aside to allow the fire pokemon to be hit directly by Hydro Pump.

"WHAT! NO"! Screamed Morrsion, fearfully shocked to see his arcanine lying unconscious on the ground.

"Two pokemon down in a row! Both sides are not messing around"! The crowd got more riled up.

Iris chuckled to herself, "Hmph, if you think you're going to make it to the next round then you're out of your damn mind".

"Gyarados…" It dropped to the ground, instantly covered in sparks.

"Gyarados is unable to battle"!

"Tch...no matter". he clicked his tongue, recalling his Arcanine and bringing out his last pokeball.

"Metagross! You're next"!

"Hey Trinity, you're not the only one who's caught new pokemon!"

She threw her pokeball into the air, "Let's go Swanna"!

Her opponent was entranced by the flying water type now soaring above in the sky, "It's beautiful! I've always wanted one!"

"Let's see you try to take her down"! Both of them shot their hands forward, giving orders to their pokemon to attack.

(Cynthia)

"I can't believe they're here…." she sighed, leaning forward against the door of her villa, thinking back to just moments prior of her encounter with several familiar faces.

"I had to make sure that Ash was protected". Her body quickly spun upon hearing that voice, a voice she hadn't heard in years and that had given her such a nostalgic feeling.

"Red". she muttered, eyes widened and mouth parted with a stunned expression.

He was standing at the end of the hallway, slowly approaching her only to reveal that Riley had been accompanying him from behind.

"Riley". She seemed also stunned to see him.

He gave her a soft tip from his hat, "It's been a while Cynthia".

Her expression was quick to change in a defensive mode, "What are you doing here"?

Red's eyes followed all around the walls, gazing at the luxurious interior of her vacation home, "We just came to check up on the tournament and then be on our way, being here is an easy opportunity for our enemies to take us out unfortunately".

She folded her arms, shifting her weight onto one leg as she scoffed, "And yet, you have the nerve to not even question the current fate of Kanto since you abandoned the region and your duties as champion".

Riley could feel the heavy tension growing from Cynthia's stare, however Red seemed unaffected, "Believe me, It was never my intention to abandon Kanto or the league, but I had to, for the safety of everyone's futures, but I had full confidence that you and the other leaders would find a replacement, after all, your judgement and words never once let me down, you're a smart woman".

Her chest had begun beating, a feeling she found disturbing yet unforgettable to memories of her time with him, she quickly looked away, hoping to disguise the pink tint on her cheeks, "You fool, that's still no excuse to abandon millions of people who looked up to you, even worse…...I'm a fool too for thinking you were somebody you were clearly not, now get out of my house".

"Very well". He had begun walking, having Riley surpass him as he slowly paused just inches away from the blonde, leaning in close to her ear.

"Ash could make you happier than I ever could…... but I also won't allow him to be distracted from the duties bestowed upon him, you know very well how important he is, so if romantic feelings start clouding and interfering with him, I won't hesitate to remind you the consequences of your actions".

She remained still, a cold gazing now shifting to the side to stare him down, "Don't threaten me, I know perfectly well what has to be done, now get out before I remind you why I am Sinnoh's champion".

"No need…...who could forget power such as that". The door had closed shortly after, she remained in silence, gripping her fists tightly in anger.

"Red…..what were you really here for".

(Back inside the Trainers Hall)

Dawn had finally released a sigh after holding her breath during Misty and Iris's match, "The winners, and advancing to the next round! Misty and Iris"!

"Yes!" they had high fived, waving excitingly to the crowd who cheered over them.

Ash narrowed his eyes over to the screen where he saw both girls standing in the arena with their pokemon by their sides, *So Misty has not only a swanna but also a Milotic….it only reminds me that I should keep a close eye on everyone here, they may seem the same, but there teams could be completely different from the last time I met them*

"That Dragonite and Milotic are scary". Muttered Leaf, looking down only to form a grin, "It'll be fun crushing them".

"Phew! One step closer to that title"! Exclaimed Misty while stretching her arms out.

"Congratulations you two"! Shouted Max, running over with the rest of the gang following behind.

Misty spotted Dawn, holding her arm up while shouting for her, "Hey! Dawn"!

Both her and Ash spun around, leaving the group a bit startled by Ash's presence, she had pressured him into coming over, something he heavily went against only to still be brought along by Dawn.

"I don't think this is a good idea". He sighed, putting all his weight down so Dawn could have trouble dragging him over.

"P-please"! She groaned, struggling to pull him along.

"Ash!" Dawn had quickly let where he then spun around only to be tackled to the ground, a pair of soft warm lips lying over his in a sweet kiss.

"W-what the-" everyone was left dumbfounded, but yet also embarrassed by the passionate sight.

"Ahem!" Dawn coughed, visibly red in jealousy and mostly curiosity in who this mysterious girl was.

She had finally decided to part ways, still sitting over Ash's body as she calmly looked back at the group, a clueless expression on her.

"Oh? Am I interrupting something"?

"No…...not at all". Answered the bluenette through gritting teeth.

"Do you know this girl"? Asked Misty, looking over to Brock or Cilan, both of whom shook there heads.

Ash sat up, seeming a bit surprised while attempting to remove the long haired blonde from his lap, but she instead decided to wrap her arms around his neck, "Serena"?

"Professor Sycamore received an anonymous call from somebody telling him that you were competing in this tournament and when he told me, I packed up and took the earliest flight available here, and…" she looked away, shyly blushing.

"And"? He quirked an eyebrow, finding everybody else leaning in to hear what she had to say next.

"...I decided to surprise you by bringing along some presents". He wasn't sure whether her giggle was something of good meaning or bad.

"Presents"? He asked, standing up to find that she was not ready to let go of him.

Serena nodded, giggling once more as she placed a finger over her lips, "I had some friends help too".

He looked up ahead, finding a few familiar faces running at his direction, all of them waving with wide smiles, "Ash"!

His eyes widened, there were too many familiar faces coming his way, Clemont, Bonnie, Sawyer, Alain, Mairin, and then Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno. They had all quickly swarmed over the raven haired boy, hoping to immediately catch up and greet him.

"W-who are they"? Mumbled Iris, looking at the rest of her friends who shrugged, having absolutely no idea who these people were.

"You've certainly grown!" blushed Shauna, admiring Ash's mature build.

A faint smile appeared on Ash's face upon seeing his friends, remembering the good times he had in Kalos, he felt a tug on his shirt and found himself staring at a smiling bonnie who was no longer the small girl he once traveled with.

She had grown too just like everyone else, just about the same age as Max with her hair grown out a bit more to be a loose hanging braid, she of course grew taller in height, as did Serena and Shauna whom he greatly took notice had also blossomed from the last time he had seen them.

"It's been such a long time Ash! I can't believe how much you've changed"! Chuckled Clemont.

"Same to you". Answered the raven haired boy, also noticing Clemont's growth and slight change in appearance.

"Ash…" he turned over to see Alain who he shook hands with, sparking a challenge gaze with him only for the two to share a laugh.

"...It's been a while, no doubt you've gotten stronger, I could sense it just through that stare".

Ash chuckled, "I can say the same for you, did you ever end up finding a mega stone for Charizard"?

His eyes wandered down to Alain's cuff where he revealed the rainbow glowing stone, "You know it".

"He also helped me find one for my Ampharos"! Mairin held her necklace up to show the stone in her possession.

"You two seem closer than ever". Grinned Ash, amused by both of their sheepish faces.

"U-um-". Dawn muttered, not knowing where to began, Ash edged over to the Kalos natives.

"These are my friends from Kalos". Both groups had immediately interacted with one another, introducing themselves.

"I'm-". The bluenette had held her hand out towards Serena who quickly grabbed it.

"Dawn! Of course I know who you are, you were a well known coordinator, after leaving Hoenn and going to Sinnoh, your name was practically mentioned everywhere, It's nice to finally meet you, I had no idea Ash was friends with someone so amazing"! Her comments and praise had overwhelmed the bluenette who scratched the back of her neck wearily.

"I'm Serena by the way". She smiled back, still holding onto Ash.

He eventually gave up, rather instead now choosing to introduce the blonde, "Serena is the Kalos Queen, the best performer in the entire region, she and I, along with Bonnie and Clemont, traveled across Kalos together".

"Wow…Kalos queen…..." whispered Dawn, feeling a bit thrown off by Serena's title.

Max had stood still, being awestruck by Bonnie who approached him, "Hi! My name's Bonnie"!

"I-i'm M-max….." he stood still, shifting his eyes down to Bonnie's hand which she extended out to him.

She looked at him weirdly, finding his hesitation a bit odd, "This is the part where you shake my hand".

"R-right…." nothing, he just stood still.

Max was pushed away by his sister who intervened, grabbing the young blonde's hand as she shook it with a smile of her own, "Hi! I'm May! Max's older sister it's nice to meet you!"

A cheeky smile appeared on May's lips as she looked at a blushing Max, obviously aware that he had immediately developed a liking for the blonde girl.

"WOW"! Tierno had quickly spun over towards Misty, getting on his knee as he snatched the redhead's hand, hearts obviously visible in his eyes.

"U-uh…." she was at a stage of shock from his reaction.

"I thought there would only be one girl for me and that would be Serena but you're just as beautiful!"

"...t-thank you"? She giggled wearily.

"What a coincidence that we would all be gym leaders, right"? Chuckled Clemont pushing his glasses up.

"It's a satisfying sweet taste indeed"! Laughed Cilan, leaving the blonde gym leader confused by his saying.

"Just go with it". Brock mumbled.

"The Hoenn princess!" exclaimed Serena, shaking hands with May who shook her head.

"P-please, That's what they used to call me a long time ago". She was overwhelmed by Serena's hyped attitude.

"Are you kidding me? You'll always remain Hoenn's princess, I've seen all of your performances and each one only gets better"!

"Hm…..you look like a decent competitor". Mumbled Iris, tapping Alain's Mega stone with curiosity.

"He's more than that". Mairin puffed her cheeks out in frustration to Iris's taunting nature.

"Hm…." Sawyer and Max met face to face, observing each other's appearance and the resemblances they had.

It was a small feeling of content Ash had inside from seeing all of his old friends interacting with new ones, and watching them all getting along, all except one who seemed rather sad.

"Dawn". He walked over to her.

"It seems you never stopped traveling and meeting new people…...that's good". Smiled Dawn, preferring to face the ground.

Ash looked at her, a solemn expression on his face as he was about to put his hand over the bluenette's head until Serena snatched him and dragged him off.

"You still haven't seen the best part"! She cooed, having everyone else follow along, a saddened bluenette slightly left behind.

*That's good Ash…..you continued meeting new people…...so why am I so sad*?

"W-what". He asked with some hesitation.

She had let out a huge whistle, waiting a few seconds before growing a wide smile, knowing full well what was coming there way.

His eyes had widened, "It….It can't be…"

"It is"! Giggled Serena, jumping in excitement as both pokemon had appeared before him.

"Greninja"!

"Goodra"!

He had ran over to the two, staring at them in silence, they did the same before tackling him down to the ground in a tearful moment, "I can't believe it…..it really is…." he shared a small chuckle, not caring about their overwhelming amount of weight being put on him.

Shauna rolled her eyes, "There's no way you couldn't compete in this tournament without those two".

Ash had looked at them from the ground, trying to contain both Greninja and Goodra who were still in hype, "H-how did you guys find them"?

Serena coughed, pointing straight at Bonnie who had her hands out, revealing a very familiar figure, "Squishy helped me out! Once I got my trainer card I came back for him, and not long after I was led to Greninja".

Clemont had pulled out a small tracking device, "Yup, and Goodra had moved territories but with my trusty Draco tracking device, we managed to find him as well, and they were both excited to be able to see you again".

"The power of science never fails". Grinned Ash, getting up as he noticed the others staring, rather curious about these two pokemon whom they've never seen.

"These were two of my pokemon back when I traveled Kalos, but I had let them go to protect the region".

"WOW". they had quickly bombarded over the two pokemon.

"What an amazing water type". squealed Misty, admiring Greninja's cool appearance.

"A Dragon! I want one like this as well"! Followed Iris, going back and forth on Goodra, inspecting its slimy body and heavy figure, it was like love at first sight for her.

"This sure brings back memories". Sighed the raven haired boy, overjoyed inside from being reunited with both pokemon.

"Also…..". Serena had grabbed Ash's right hand, placing a black and red wrist brace over it.

He looked down at it, immediately knowing what it was, a shiny key stone was in the center of it, "...Professor Sycamore left me in charge of delivering this to you, he said he had strict orders to make sure it was given to you at this exact time".

"It's about time". Alain spoke out, eager to see just how strong Ash had gotten.

"A key stone, heh". All heads turned to Gary who had walked up to them, being drawn over by Ash's keystone.

"Gary"? He looked over at Serena who seemed a bit stunned by his presence.

"Have we met"? Asked the brunette, quirking his eyebrow over to Serena.

"We met the same time when I met Ash, the three of us hung out and played during my stay in Kanto".

He traced back to his childhood memories, coming to realize she was right, he remembered clearly of a little girl whom Ash had introduced him to, a smile came into play, "Huh…..what do you know, I thought I'd never see you again".

She nodded, "Same here, but it felt like fate planned for me to meet Ash when he came to Kalos".

Gary laughed, "So you're his girlfriend? Heh, figures, you didn't really hide your crush on him back when we were kids, Ashy boy was just oblivious".

"Don't call me that". Hissed the raven haired boy, locking glares with Gary who had grabbed Dawn's waist, something quickly noticed by Ash.

"Hey Ash". Alain was looking at Greninja and then down at his key stone.

"I think you and I are long overdue for a rematch, what do you say"?

They all leaned in to hear the raven haired boy's answer, Greninja hissed, showing its urge to fight alongside Ash again.

"Let's do it".

"YES"! Shouted Sawyer, hyped along with Trevor and Tierno who were also looking forward to this moment.

"I have chills all over my body just remembering their match from years ago". Cringed Shauna, feeling the heavy tension coming from both trainers.

"Let's take it outside"! Shouted Serena, leading the way with Ash in hand, having the rest of the group follow along, even several other trainers who were curious about the ruckus had decided to come along.

(Ash VS. Alain)

This is a one on one battle between Ash from Kanto and Alain from Kalos, Trainers are your pokemon ready"!? Called out Brock, holding his arm up.

Greninja and Charizard were standing on opposite ends of the field, the first time in years that they found themselves on the field against one another again.

"This is gonna be a battle for the history books". Smirked Clemont, pushing his glasses up as he too felt the anxiety of this match.

"Is Alain that good"? Asked Misty, sparking Mairin to laugh as if the redhead had said a joke.

"Don't you know?" she giggled along with Serena and Shauna.

"What"? Asked Misty, slightly irritated.

"Alain is an Elite four member for the Kalos league now, he took over for the former Elite Malva after she retired".

Alain's smirk grew more intimidating, something Ash showed that he was unfazed by, *So he's an Elite four member, time sure does fly by, he may be a powerful opponent, but I've had my share of training as well*

"Whoa…..I didn't expect that". Muttered May, feeling intimidated by Alain automatically.

"I always knew Ashy boy would have other rivals other than me…...but none can compare to the original, no matter if he's an Elite four member". Dawn had heard everything that Gary said, feeling his grip on her waist tightening as he laid his eyes on Alain.

Leaf had made her way to the front of the crowd that had formed around the field where both trainers were having their battle, a cheeky smirk formed on her lips when she made eye contact with Gary who quickly avoided it.

"C'mon Ash"! Shouted Serena, pumping her fist into the air with Shauna as they started a montage of cheers.

"Looks like you have some cheerleaders on your side now". Chuckled Alain.

Ash shook his head, stifling a laugh as he thought back to his travels in Sinnoh and how Dawn cheered for him, "I always had them". He shifted his attention over to the bluenette who blushed, being caught by Gary who narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"Alright! Let the battle begin!" announced Brock, bringing his arm down.

"Don't hold back on me"! Shouted Alain, holding his arm out as a bright light emitting from his and Charizard's stones connected, engulfing the fire type completely.

"W-what is this"? Gawked Iris, being one of many entranced by the beautiful but blinding sight.

"I've heard of it…...but had yet to see for myself". Muttered Max, shocked from the scene.

"It's mega evolution". Grinned Bonnie.

Greninja looked back at Ash, waiting for its trainer's orders, "What do you think buddy, Do you still got it in ya"?

"Greninja"! It hissed, being trapped within a swirling water vortex, synchronizing roars with the raven haired trainer who held his gripped fists up.

"AGH"! Several spectators were frightened by the large water vortex, being startled when it exploded and revealed the water type's second form.

"W-what just happened"! Shouted Dawn, stunned with the rest as they hadn't a clue of Ash's and his pokemon's ability.

"I…..I don't know". Answered Gary, trying his best to not sound baffled, yet what he had seen left him with a million questions to be answered about his old time rival.

"It's good to see Ash Greninja again". Chuckled Clemont, having Serena and the rest nod along as they agreed with him.

Alain had shot his hand forward, "Blast burn"!

"Dodge it"! Shouted Ash, gripping his hand into a fist as both pokemon quickly took action.

Mega charizards body had become engulfed in light blue flames, it had punched the ground, sending a wave of energy into the earth, having it move rapidly underneath Greninja who managed to disappear and avoid as it erupted upwards into an explosion of orange and red flames.

Mairin had a look of uncertainty, "Alain usually doesn't start off with such powerful moves like that…...he must really feel threatened by Ash already".

"I would too". Cringed Cilan, feeling the overwhelming energy coming from both pokemon.

"Not bad, Let's go Charizard! Dragon claw"! It charged straight for Greninja, extending it's claws out which began glowing a bright green color.

"Block it with Night slash"! Two black energy based kunai blades formed into the water types hands, extending out drastically to counter the fire type's claws.

Both pokemon roared as there attacks clashed, releasing a wave of powerful energy to blow back heavily on Ash and Alain who stood their ground firmly.

"They're locked in combat"! Shrieked Shauna, suspense building within her and the crowd as both pokemon refused to back down.

"Thunder punch"! Shouted Alain, striking his fist forward along with Charizard who pushed Greninja back, throwing it's spark engulfed fist towards the water pokemon.

"Water Shuriken"! A water shaped shuriken formed in it's hand, being used right on time to block Charizard's thunder attack which created an explosion to cloud the field.

"Dragon pulse"! Smirked Alain, catching a glimpse of Greninja's whereabouts.

"Look out"! Shouted Ash, being too late as his pokemon was tackled off the ground by Charizard who was coated by a dragon shaped essence increasing it's power.

"Ngh….." he clutched his stomach, pinching one eye shut as he began feeling the pain that his pokemon endured from his opponent's attack.

"What's wrong with Ash"?! Dawn exclaimed, being calmed by Serena.

"Heh". Alain was thrown off by his opponent's cheeky smirk.

"Water pledge"! Greninja clapped its hands together, summoning two pillars of water to erupt from the ground, rising higher towards the sky where they began trailing behind the fire type who attempted in avoiding them only to be ambushed by both geysers who struck it down.

"No! Charizard"! He gripped both hands tightly, sensing a bit of panic within himself.

"Fire blast"! It released a blue flamed kanji symbol towards Greninja who sliced through it with it's water shurikens.

"He cut right through"?! Gaped Alain, shaking his head as he shot another fist forward.

"Thunder punch"! It's attack was quickly blocked by Greninja's shuriken again, however this time the fire type decided to use it's other hand to also attack, getting a clear shot of Greninja by it's stomach, another painful feeling received by Ash who gripped his abdomen tighter, groaning quietly to himself.

Alain sighed, running a hand through his hair reluctantly, "Even though I've had my share of fights as an Elite, none have compared to the trouble you're giving me and Charizard, I almost forgot this feeling of panic since the Kalos league, It also makes me not want to end this fight….but I will".

"BLAST BURN"! Greninja was thrown across the ground, being sent another wave of energy from beneath the ground, ready to erupt in just seconds.

Ash stifled a laugh, "It's nice to know that even I can make an Elite quiver within, especially if they were one of my toughest opponents yet, nevertheless, you're going down just like every other competitor here".

He had put one hand in his pocket and held the other out towards his Greninja, leaving Alain slightly chilled by his cold grin, "Hydro Shuriken".

It dodged the pillars of flames shooting out from the ground, holding it's palm up where a water shuriken appeared, growing ten times larger in size and began spinning rapidly, it was outlined in a dark blue aura and sent cutting through the air, forming a water vortex in the center hole.

"CHAR-"! It was struck directly, being trapped within the attack as blades of water sliced all over it.

"Charizard no"! His eyes followed as his pokemon dropped from the sky and onto the ground unresponsive, he rushed to it's side, checking to see how much damage it had received.

"Alain"! Mairin ran over, urging to check on both of them.

"Charizard is unable to battle! The winner of this match, Ash"! He was surrounded by cheers and applause from the large crowd that came to see.

There was silence from Misty and the others, Max had released the air he was holding in the entire match, still in disbelief of what he had just seen, "He took on and defeated an Elite four member's pokemon…"

"Ash…." Dawn sighed in relief, happy inside to see him win.

He had walked over to Alain who recalled Charizard back into its ball, holding his hand down at the Elite who grabbed it, shooting a tiny smile and nod of approval towards Ash, "You've definitely gotten stronger, so much that I think you're even ready to take on any of the champions if you wanted, but…...all throughout our match, I could sense the hunger you had for winning, the determination, the fire in your eyes to show me everything you had, no one gives me a battle full with suspense and adrenaline except you, however…...something also felt different…...what was it"?

Ash's head turned back to the group who had looked back silently, "I've made every second up to now count in my training, no one is going to stand in between me and this title, there are a lot of people out there who I need to prove myself to, they lost faith in me years ago….they doubted my skills and abilities…...they called me a fool for striving to be the best of the best…...I was just another dreamer to them…..what you felt was the real me, the real me who had finally stopped hiding and who wants to show the world what he's capable of".

Silence came between both males, they locked gazes before Alain chuckled, patting Ash's back, "No doubt….this new Ash is somebody everyone in this tournament should look out for, to be called a fool and just another dreamer is cruel, everyone has a right to a dream a goal, regardless if it's easy or not to achieve, it depends on how much that person really wants it, those who doubted you failed to see how much of a true fighter you really are, you're a trainer with a bright future ahead of themselves, one that I'm also looking forward to seeing, so whenever you're ready Ash, I'll be waiting for another rematch".

Dawn flinched, looking down at her waist which was practically being pinched by Gary who tightened his grip on it, She groaned from the pain, "O-ow G-gary….." he had seemed to snap out of what seemed like his thoughts, looking over at the bluenette and her agonizing expression.

"S-sorry". He quickly released her, looking away to avoid letting her see his expression.

Serena glomped onto Ash who was approached by Clemont and Bonnie and the others, meanwhile Misty and Iris exchanged solemn expressions, staring at the group and Ash as May shook her head, "Maybe Alain is right…...look at Ash now…...he's completely different, he's not the kid we taunted for having such big dreams anymore, he's a trainer climbing there final steps into master trainer history…...maybe this time….he'll actually do it".

Misty hugged her body tightly, hating the feeling of guilt she had inside, "May's right…...we were the fools for being so cruel to him".

An alarm had sounded off, grabbing everyone's attention to the giant screen by the side of the building, "What a match that was! Now why don't we see who's next on the field"?! Everyone's attention had gone over to the screen where pictures were being randomly shuffled until four popped up.

"And here we have it! The next battle will be between teams 2 and 5"! Ash narrowed his eyes when he saw who would be going up next, Gary and Paul, against Trip and Cameron.

"Looks like it's my turn, this should be fun". He gave a kiss to the bluenette, smirking over at Ash who returned a cold gaze instead, hating the look on his rival's face.

He had joined Paul, both trainers now making there way to the referee who was calling out for the teams, "Don't get in my way". Growled the purple haired male.

"Likewise". Responded Gary, looking over at his and Paul's opponents, a boy who looked like he could be related to Paul and a very hyped boy who had his Lucario by his side.

"Whoa…...now this is a match I HAVE to see". Grinned Iris, anxious to see a bloodbath as she knew how dangerous the four trainers were.

Everyone took notice of Ash's sudden quiet nature, he took in a deep breath, focusing his attention onto the screen where the four trainers appeared on the field, "Four of my biggest rivals competing at once….the outcome is unpredictable".

"Today's matches have been nothing short of thrilling, can the next match of the evening keep the crowd riling?! On team 2 we have a surprising duo! Paul and Gary! While on Team five we have Cameron and Trip! All these trainers are recognizable figures who dominated in the leagues, but who will come out rising from this battle"?!

Trip had pulled out a pokeball, "So tell me, is it true? That fool is back"?

"Ash? Ash is back"?! Cameron looked back between Trip and Paul's locked glares.

"It's true…." laughed Gary, holding his pokeball out.

"...Ashy boy is back".

He glared at Gary's image on the screen, feeling a bit angered yet also intrigued about the battle between his former rivals.

All four pokeballs were sent up into the air, "GO"!

The stadium was filled with different roars intercepting one another, the referee had brought the flag down, "Let the match begin"!

(On the other side of the stadium)

Trinity walked out of the building, staring down at her pokeball with dismay, "Guess that's it…...what do I do now"?

Three figures had descended down in front of her, startling the water trainer who backed away, "Why don't you hand over your pokemon? I'm sure they'll be better off in our hands".

"Who are you"! She growled defensively.

They laughed, leaving the trainer startled by their intimidating aura, "We're Team rocket's top executives, now why don't you do as we say kid and no harm will come your way".

"Beat it"! She shouted, calling out her Gyarados for battle.

"You don't know what you just got yourself into". One of them had thrown there pokeball forward, calling out an Arbok.

"Your water types will please the boss greatly, maybe even Madame boss too". The other figure had thrown a pokeball into the air as well, calling out a cacturne.

A persian had stepped forward, cackling deviously and leaving Trinity baffled by its ability to talk, "I've been craving me some sushi".

Fear had grown on her face when they laughed even more maliciously, "Prepare for trouble".

"And make it double".

Alright, sorry I haven't updated in a long time and I was hoping to make this chapter longer but I'm still busy with studying for finals and a couple of other things but I wanted to get this up just to let you all know that i haven't forgotten about this story and I will still be uploading. So yeah, if you enjoyed it then review and let me know what you think will happen in future chapters,what do you think about the story and who are these Rocket Executives? It's pretty obvious but if you have no clue then…..yeah. Until next time.

Ps. Ash's friends from Kalos didn't betray him, only the people mentioned in the first chapter excluding of course Dawn and Max, just in case you're all wondering and getting a few questions from this chapter.