Hello readers, this is my very first story. I hope you enjoy it, please leave any comments you have whether it be praise, criticism or ideas, I would love to hear from you.

Massive thank you to the following people who took the time to review/ PM the last chapter.

Alright guys a massive apology is owed to you all, this chapter has been delayed for far too long. At first it was because I couldn't decide what should happen next, there's been 3 or 4 options to choose from so making that choice was tough then I had to rewrite this as the first draft was crap, just utter crap. I then got some news which really hit me hard and I really haven't had the desire to write until about 3 days ago. I'm back now so hopefully I can get back to chapters on a more regular basis…. hopefully….

Right well with that out of the way we'll get onto the long-awaited chapter.

I don't know if this is necessary, but I've seen other people do it so - Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Oblivious to the plight Mewtwo and the clones were about to be in, Ash and Espeon happily ate their meals while Ash answered several questions his daughter had about his mother and anything else she could think of. Jessie then returned curios to see the newly evolved Pokémon and wasn't surprised to see Ash tightly hugging Espeon. She placed the desserts she'd brought with her on the table and sat next to Ash, stroking Espeon's back.

"Well aren't you a pretty little Espeon."

Espeon blushed and buried her face in Ash's shirt as she was still embarrassed at being praised like that, the action made Ash and Jessie chuckle at the young Pokémon. A ring of the front desk bell drew Jessie's attention and she reluctantly left Ash and Espeon alone again. Jessie walked to the front and was surprised to see the Mayor stood their waiting with a briefcase in his hand. They had never had the Mayor come here before, so Jessie had to wonder whether he was here to dine or if he had other plans.

"Ah hello Mayor, it's a pleasure to be your host for today. We have some excellent private booths for you to dine in."

"That's a kind offer madam but I'm here to see Archangel, I was informed he had arrived here not too long ago. It's a matter or importance to Alto Mare."

Jessie wasn't surprised to hear that the mayor wasn't here to eat, and she was tempted to outright refuse the mayor's request knowing that Ash and Espeon would prefer to have some more time to themselves. After giving it a bit of thought though Jessie knew that Ash would never refuse a meeting that was important to the city as she knew just how much Alto Mare meant to Ash. She looked the mayor in the eye and decided she'd let Ash decide whether he'd see the Mayor or not.

"I'll go ask Archangel what he wants, it's not my decision to make."

"Of course, I'll wait here."

With a small bow Jessie left the mayor at the front desk, he watched as she went back to the private area at the back of the restaurant and hoped that Archangel would agree to meet with him. While he hated to bother the man, who had already done so much for Alto Mare he knew that Archangel was the only man who could help with the current predicament. He tightened his grip on the briefcase he was carrying hoping that Archangel would be willing to help.

After a couple of minutes Jessie returned to the front desk and smiled at the Mayor, while she was a little annoyed at the man for interrupting Ash and Espeon's alone time she had to keep up appearances and play the gracious host.

"He's agreed to meet you, please follow me."

The Mayor nodded and followed Jessie through the restaurant and into the booth that Archangel and Espeon were waiting in. Once inside he was not that surprised to see that the Espeon with Archangel was looking rather annoyed at him, it was well known how close Archeia and Archangel were to their Pokémon, so they didn't really like being disturbed. He bowed his head to the Espeon as a way of apology which she quickly returned obviously having the same mannerisms as her trainer. He then turned his attention to Archangel and offered his hand to the Guardian who quickly shook it.

"Hello, Archangel, I apologise for interrupting you but there is something I must discuss with you."

"Very well Mayor, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Archangel."

The Mayor gratefully took a seat and placed the large briefcase on the table, sighing as he relaxed in the plush seating the private booths provided. Ash had to admit he was curious about the briefcase the Mayor had with him as it was clearly important to this meeting they were about to have.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about?" Ash asked.

"Well Archangel I know that the influx of wild Pokémon in Alto Mare is related to you and I am grateful for that. Tourism and trade has boomed, and Alto Mare has become one of the most desired locations in Johto to visit because people can see a huge docile swarm of Pokémon that they would never normal see up close. However, there are some problems with this, first of all the Pokémon are quite cramped in which can't be good for them and the increase in tourism isn't being taken advantage of since the city is simply too small for so many people."

"Well you are right about the Pokémon being cramped, usually Pokémon would leave and find a more suitable location, but they seem happy and determined to stay here. Is there anything we can do?"

"There is indeed Archangel." The Mayor replied.

The Mayor then opened his briefcase and took out a plethora of designs that he handed to Archangel, he watched as the Guardian and his Espeon looked over the designs with the former pointing to some bits and nodding obviously pleased with what he was seeing.

"I have had an architect draw up those plans for an expansion of Alto Mare, as of now there are two plans. The first uses a metal framework as a base and will build up an almost perfect extension to the city that will appear as if it's always been part of the island. The second uses a system similar to Pacifildog Town using wooden bridges and platforms. Sadly, we can only afford the latter which is why I came to you. I hate to ask this Archangel since you have already done a lot for this city, but I need your help to raise the funds we would need to afford the far more advanced plans."

Ash was surprised to hear this, he had assumed the city would have had quite a full treasury considering all of the increase in trade and tourism over the past few months. Then again as the Mayor said they hadn't really been able to take advantage of this due to the size of the city and judging by these plans the designs were very advanced and thus expensive. He then had to question why the Mayor would come to him, yes Ash had saved some money from his days as a trainer but there was no way that he would be able to fund this expansion, even though he would have loved to be able to.

"How exactly can I help you Mayor?"

The Mayor sighed, he knew that Archangel would help which only made him feel guiltier about doing this, he'd desperately tried to raise funds any other way but sadly the money they had made hadn't been enough. It hadn't even come close to affording the expansion which was why he was forced to come to Archangel.

"Well Archangel, ever since you saved the museum and the people from those thieves there have been offers to battle you. They have offered sums of money for the chance to battle you, but I have refused every offer until now, this time I have told them that I would ask for your opinion. The battle would take place inside the Indigo Plateau and would thus be in front of a large audience and broadcast on television. They're prepared to give us all of the money made from the event, everything from ticket sales to the merchandise sold. The choice is yours Archangel, please don't feel like you have to do this."

As soon as the Mayor stopped talking Ash went into deep thought about this, considering every possibility and outcome. He looked up at the Mayor and could see the guilt in his eyes over asking this. Ash had a lot of respect for the Mayor prior to this meeting and had even more now, it was clear that he hadn't wanted to this and was even giving him the choice of refusing. Despite the worries he had over doing this Ash would do almost anything to help the city he loves thrive.

"Alright Mayor I'll do it, just tell me who I'm battling."

A mixture of guilt and relief appeared on the Mayor's face, while he was overjoyed that Alto Mare would now be able to afford the top of the line expansion that the island desperately needed, he was guilty that he had almost forced Archangel into doing this. He reached across the table and shook the young mans hand again hoping he could see how grateful he was for his help.

"Thank you, Archangel, the city is once again in your debt. Your opponent for the battle will be Agatha."

"She's a member of the Elite 4, why would she want to battle me?"

"I believe she is looking to retire and is hunting for a suitable replacement."

Ash merely nodded, and the Mayor took that as his cue to leave the pair and allow them to be alone again, he gathered up the plans for Alto Mare, then stood up and left the booth giving Ash and Espeon their privacy back. Ash turned his gaze to the nearby television which was showing highlights of the Unova League and sighed as he thought about the risk he'd be taking by competing in this special event. While part of him didn't want to take the chance of being identified, as unlikely as it was, he knew that Alto Mare and its inhabitants both human and Pokémon needed this expansion and he would do whatever it takes to help the place and people he love.

After staying in the restaurant, a little longer Ash could see that it was getting increasingly busy, so he decided it was time for them to leave. He and Espeon finished off the remainder of their meals in a few mouthful and then quickly got up to leave but before they left Ash placed some money on the table to pay for his and Espeon's meal. Ash then picked up his daughter and walked out the restaurant saying a quick goodbye to his friends. As he left the restaurant he faintly heard Jessie yelling at him for paying but he simply smiled at her and waved as he walked away from the restaurant.

'Where are we going now daddy?'

"Well it's been a few days since I checked on the Beedrill queen and her swarm and I just want to make sure they're okay."

Espeon nodded and moved out of Ash's arms and laid across his shoulder nuzzling his face making him laugh as her soft fur tickled his face. She noticed the park where the queen of the Beedrill resided and was excited to see them again even though at first, she had been afraid of the intimidating Pokémon especially since there were so many of them. However, after getting to know them it was obvious that they meant no harm as long as you meant no harm to them. Ash and Espeon walked into the park and were immediately approached by the queen who extended a stinger to Ash which he quickly shook.

'Welcome back.'

"Thank you, how are you and the swarm doing?" Ash asked.

'We are enjoying living here, the humans are here daily to see us, and we enjoy spending time with them. The young ones are especially enjoying the attention, here they can have a peaceful life and not have to worry about being ripped away from their families.'

"I'm glad to hear that."

Ash looked around the park and was happy to see so many Pokémon living here peacefully alongside humans however Ash could see a problem that had been gradually growing since the Pokémon from Viridian Forest had come to Alto Mare. That problem was that there were now too many Pokémon and not enough space for them, that much was clear mostly due to all the Weedle and Caterpie hatching from their eggs. He knew as he looked around at all the Pokémon here that he had made the right decision earlier when he had accepted the battle against Agatha.

Ash suddenly spotted a child staying with his mother and looking a little afraid of the Pokémon here, it didn't surprise him to see this as some of these Pokémon especially the Beedrill were always painted as dangerous when they really weren't. Despite the frightened look in the child's eyes it was obvious that he did want to play with the Pokémon, so Ash knew that he had to help the boy.

He walked over to the mother and son and after giving the mother a smile and a small nod he knelt down in front of the boy. The fear on the boys' face had now turned into shyness which didn't surprise Ash at all, he knew he'd become somewhat of an idle since he helped in saving the museum and the people inside, so the boys reaction was to be expected.

"Hello Mr Archangel. I'm Michael." He said after a little encouragement from his mother.

"Hello, Michael, why aren't you playing with the Pokémon like the other children?"

Ash watched as Michael's head dropped and he stared at the ground obviously feeling a little embarrassed now by his question which made him feel guilt for asking the way he did. The boys mother noticed the Guardian's expression and tried to intervene in case he got the wrong impression.

"I'm sorry Archangel, he's a little nervous around Pokémon."

"They're kinda scary." Michael mumbled.

"Well Pokémon can be scary, but these ones aren't. They're our friends and trust me they'd never hurt you. Watch this, Beedrill can you come over here please?"

The queen knew that Ash was talking to her and quickly flew over to him cocking her head in confusion as she saw the child flinch and back away from her a little. After a moments thought it became both that the child was clearly afraid of Beedrill or maybe just Pokémon in general and that Ash was trying to help this child get over this fear. Determined to help this child if she could Beedrill perched herself on Ash's arm allowing him to stroke her. Ash and the queen saw the child's eyes widened in shock and he slowly took a step forward to get a closer look at her.

"See she doesn't want to hurt anyone, go ahead and give her head a stroke. Just make sure you don't touch her stingers."

Michael reached out tentatively gently placed his small hand on top of the queens' head and stroked it as Archangel had told him to and was surprised to find that her skin was quite smooth. He'd expected it to be prickly or at least rough and not nice to touch but it wasn't. As he slowly started to grow in confidence Michael took a step forward, so he was right next to the Beedrill, making sure to avoid her stingers. Ash turned his gaze from Michael to the boys' mother and saw that she was clearly overwhelmed with what she was seeing as she had tears in her eyes and had started to record what was happening.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ash asked.

Michael looked between the Beedrill, his mother and Archangel a few times and then with a deep breath he nodded bringing a smile to both Ash and his mothers face.

"Okay hold out your hands then."

Still feeling a little nervous Michael slowly held out his hands as requested, after a few seconds the queen flew off of Ash's arm and landed in the boys' hands. She could feel the boys hands shaking a little, so she leaned forward a little and patted him on the shoulder with one of her stingers hoping it would calm him. The trembling of his hands quickly faded after that and Michael brought her closer to his face, so he could get a good look at her.

"You should feel honoured Michael, you're holding the queen of the entire swarm."

"Really?"

A big grin formed on the young boys' face and Ash smiled as he watched the kid now looking so comfortable with Pokémon, he was happy to see that Michael had gotten over his slight fear of Pokémon. He turned around and to his surprise there were a handful of children standing there all looking up at him and judging by the looks on their faces they weren't going until they'd gotten their time with Archangel like Michael had. Ash chuckled as he knew that he was going to be stuck there for a while and knelt down in front of a little girl while some of the inhabitants of the park gathered around to assist Ash.

A/N

I hope this chapter was worth the wait, I promise you won't be waiting this long again.