Hopefully you all are enjoying your St. Patrick's Day. I've been listening to Irsh Folk songs since about noon today and have truely enjoyed it. All I need now is some cornbeef, and I will be in total bliss.

Originally, this was two chapters. I can't remember why I put the two together, but I think it works. There are a few things that will happen here not only with Ash but also with Giovanni. More of his search for Mewtwo will be seen. I do realize at the end of the first movie that the castle on the island was destroyed/appeared to never have been there in the first place, but I needed something to give Giovanni information.

This is also the chapter where Ash's hobby comes into play. It will be something small but will mean a lot to who he makes it for. Also, an old friend returns. I realize that there are not many left Pokémon-wise and seeing that no one has any idea where Gliscor is (haven't made up my mind yet about his whereabouts), that leaves about three left.

Almost forgot, anyone want to guess who Brock's girlfriend is? I won't say anything to confirm or deny your guesses, but will merely comment and ask for an explanation.

Reviews appreciated, especially with last chapter's battle. One is coming up in two chapters, and any critiques will help a lot in the editing of that part of the chapter.

Ch11 discoveries

He is almost here.

The man looked out over the mountain pass below and saw two people and their Pokémon walking towards it. Lucario stepped up behind him and asked why they still could not fully reveal themselves to the boy.

The time is still not right. He can beat Lance without our help. I am sure of that. Once he does, we will, I promise.

You have been saying that for the past three months now.

I know. Don't worry. Your training is almost complete, and you will understand soon why we are to wait another nine months.

xxx

Ash could sense someone was probing his mind again and did his best to close it. It was almost a week since they left Dawn's house, and they decided that it was for the best to take care of the note as soon as possible.

When they reached a ledge overlooking Oreburgh City, Misty left Ash and Pikachu to carry out what was asked of him in the note. She found a spot above where they were and sent out Togetic to fly around and search for any suspicious looking people. She had a hard time keeping Azurill quiet but managed to by promising a treat when they got to the next Pokémon Center.

Ash sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. He began focusing his aura and allowed it to connect with everyone around him. By now, he was able to sense the presence of people and Pokémon that are hidden within a few miles. As much as he tried, he could not stop himself from looking into the homes of the people down below. There were a few Pokemon in the area, but he could not tell what they were and none seemed to want to come and say hi. How long am I supposed to do this? What if the Pokémon doesn't come?

Just as that thought entered his head, he heard a noise coming from behind him. Ash did not stir, sensing its presence, but called to it through his aura. Come and sit with us. I won't harm you.

The creature moved closer to him and sat down. Ash opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer. It was a Riolu, a rather small one at that, possibly a newborn. He gave him a smile. "Who are you looking for little one?"

The Riolu said nothing but looked down at the city below. "Do you know where your parents are?" He shook his head. "Do you want to go find them?" He shook his head again. "Have you tried?" He nodded. "I take it you are alone in this world aren't you?" He let out a sigh and hung his head sorrowfully. Ash felt sorry for the little guy, and then he remembered the note. Is this what it meant by "I know what you are looking for?"

Riolu heard this thought and looked up at Ash with a quizzical look. "You don't have to worry about that. If you are all by yourself, why don't you come and join me. I probably won't be good company, just ask any of the people I travel with, but it's better than not having anyone to be with. I also have quite a few Pokémon that you can become friends with. It's all up to you, though."

Riolu stared at him for a moment, pondering what he just said. He looked over to Pikachu, who gave him a smile and nodded as if telling him every word was true. Riolu looked back up at Ash and gave him a smile. "Does that mean you will join us?" Riolu nodded.

"Great. If you don't mind, I would like to catch you, but I already have six Pokémon with me. If you want, I can carry you until I can switch out my Pokémon. You probably don't understand any of this right now, but you will once you are older."

Riolu did look confused, but agreed to whatever he said. Ash picked him up and started walking to meet with Misty. "There is someone I would like you to meet before we go."

xxx

Now do you see why we must wait even longer?

Yes, but wouldn't the Pikachu have worked as his partner? There have been others who have had partners that were not one of my kind.

You are right about the last point, but you still don't understand yet. He is the Chosen One after all. One partner is not enough to fulfill his destiny.

The two then hopped onto a Dragonite and flew off to find another place to train.

xxx

Team Rocket had been searching for months at each of the last known sightings of the Pokémon, Mewtwo. Giovanni was growing impatient when he discovered an island that had been left abandoned. The entire island was essentially a castle and had an outdoor Battle Arena. He ordered his men to search the facility and when they reported back, found an amazing discovery. An entire lab dedicated to cloning was on the lower floors of the island. This must be where it did its own experiments. I wonder if it succeeded.

He went to visit the location himself and found that much of the Arena had been destroyed. The machines that performed the cloning where damaged well beyond repair. He found the database for the experiments and found just how many it had managed to complete. Despite all the information it held, it did not have any DNA of the original subjects to replicate. It appears that it did quite well. Now if only I could find it.

"Sir, sorry to disturb you but one of your operatives has found an unusual Pokémon."

Giovanni did not turn around but recognized the grunt's presence by asking, "How so?"

"The operative would not say. She did ask to show it to you personally."

"Bring her in." The grunt bowed and left the room. He came back moments later with Domino. She had a small Pokémon in her arms. It did not move because it was heavily sedated.

"Sir, I bring you agent Domino and the Pokémon in question."

Giovanni turned around and noticed that the Pokémon was a Nidoqueen, but this one was about the size of a Rattata. "Where did you find this?"

"In the mountains of Johto, sir, it was the only one I could find."

Giovanni looked back at the database and found a file on Nidoqueen. This is not the same one, but it must be connected somehow. "Tell everyone to download all the files on this computer and to head back to headquarters. I need some time to plan our next move."

Both Rockets bowed and left the room. Giovanni smiled. Soon, I will have you.

xxx

Misty waited for Ash to arrive at the base of the mountain. When Riolu, even though she had no idea that is what it was, walked up to Ash and sat down next to him, she decided that there was no chance of anyone harming him. They had already planned to meet there if that was the case.

Ash finally made it down with Riolu still in his arms. Misty finally got a good look at him and could not control herself. "It's so adorable. How could I have ever doubt a note that would lead to such a cute Pokémon?"

"Quiet, Mist. You're scaring Riolu." Sure enough, Riolu had buried his face in Ash's jacket. "It's okay. She just wanted to say hi. This is who I wanted you to meet. This is Misty."

Riolu removed his face from his jacket and stared up at Misty. "I'm sorry if I scared you." It was Misty's turn to hide her face, for her it was more in shame than fear. Riolu looked into Ash's face. He gave him a nod and put him down on the ground. Riolu ran up to Misty and started to hug her leg.

"Thank you, Riolu. Now Ash, why didn't you catch it?"

"I wanted to spend a lot more time with him seeing as he is probably a newborn. It just doesn't feel right leaving him with the Professor when he feels so attached to me."

"Kinda like Bayleef is?" Misty gave him a wicked smile.

"You could say that, but somehow this connection is deeper than what I have with most of my Pokémon." Pikachu gave him a look. "Don't worry little buddy. You're not most of my Pokémon." Pikachu seemed a little happier when he said this.

"Anyway, we need to head back to the Pokémon Center so I can exchange Pokémon. I was hoping to bring some of my less intimidating ones with me for this stretch of the journey."

"Who would those be? You have a knack of catching some of the more intimidating Pokémon."

"Well, there is Butterfree, Lapras, and Bulbasaur. I don't think Riolu would mind hanging out with them."

"Well, I guess you're right. Meeting Bulbasaur would be good for him to." Together they set off to the Pokémon Center.

Once there, Nurse Joy notified Ash that he had a caller while he was away. "I wonder who that could be."

When Nurse Joy directed him to the video phone, he got a wonderful surprise.

"Hey, Squirtle, how are ya?"

Squirtle was beaming at the sight of Ash and wouldn't stop staring at him until Officer Jenny forcibly pulled him away from the phone. "Hello Ash. Professor Oak said I would find you here."

"How are you Jenny? It's been a long time since I last called for Squirtle."

"Yes it has, and that is why I called you today."

"Is he alright? He looked fine before you pulled him away."

"He couldn't be better. Well, actually, that's not true. Lately he has been a little sad. A few months ago, the other Squirtle in the Squirtle Squad had voted for him to step down as the leader. They still let him stay on the team seeing as he is still one of the best firefighters around, but he really hasn't been the same since then."

"He must be feeling terrible." Misty joined the conversation. Squirtle was Ash's first Water Pokémon he caught and was the one Misty personally liked the best out of all of his Water Pokémon.

"You have no idea. I asked him a few days ago what was wrong, and he pointed to a picture I have on my desk of the day he rejoined the team. You were in it, and I asked if he wanted to see you again. He nodded, but I could still tell he wouldn't be too pleased if it was going to be like the last visit. I then gave him the option of staying with the Squirtle Squad or rejoining you permanently."

"What did he say? I don't want to be the reason he quits."

"I wouldn't worry too much about you being the reason. There are other factors that have caused him to consider quitting. He chose to rejoin you and as of tomorrow is no long a member of the Squirtle Squad."

"Wow. Squirtle, are you sure about this?"

Squirtle gave him a nod. Ash could tell that he wanted to see the rest of the team again.

"Alright, you can join us again." With that, Squirtle started crying. "It's okay, Squirtle. You will be back with the rest of us soon."

"I will send him over as soon as I can."

"Thank you Jenny. Goodbye." Jenny hung up.

Ash called up Professor Oak and told him what was going on. Once the Pokémon he asked for arrived, Officer Jenny called again to tell him Squirtle was on his way. Once he arrived through the Poké Ball Transport System, Ash took out another Poké Ball and asked Riolu to go inside. "You will only be inside for a minute. I just need to make you an official member of the team." Riolu still had no idea what was going on but pushed the small button on the Poké Ball anyway once Pikachu assured it was safe, although he was never one to believe that himself. Once the capture was complete, Ash released Riolu and carried him his arms again. Everyone went outside to a nearby lake so that Lapras could spend time in the water instead of dry land. Misty even released her Pokémon, Clamperl, Staryu, Lapras, Psyduck, Togetic, and Azurill, to meet Squirtle. Ash then released Butterfree, Bulbasaur, and Lapras.

"There are two reasons why I brought you all here. First, I would like you to meet Riolu. He is the latest member of our team. I want you to be nice. He is just a newborn and gets scared pretty easily." Ash placed him on the ground and told him that it was okay to walk over to meet them. Riolu hesitated at first but ran over once Pikachu convinced him that it was okay. After getting acquainted with everyone, Ash pulled Bulbasaur aside and told him to watch over him when the time comes for him to send him to Professor Oak. Bulbasaur nodded but gave him a look that asked why only five of them were present.

"Thanks for reminding me, Bulbasaur. And now for the second reason, you should all remember him. He left some time ago to rejoin his old team but now has sort of retired and decided to rejoin us. Come on out." With a flick of the wrist, Ash threw his last Poké Ball and out came Squirtle. Bulbasaur and Pikachu were the first to run up and greet him. They were so happy to see one of their best friends again. Eventually the rest of the team got reacquainted and was introduced to some of Misty's new Pokémon. Eventually it was Riolu's turn for an introduction.

"I want you to be nice Squirtle. Riolu is still a baby." Once he heard that, it was time for funny faces, at least Squirtle thought they were funny. Squirtle started making a face that caused Riolu to hide behind Pikachu. Bulbasaur saw this and used his Vine Whip to stop Squirtle. Riolu started to laugh when he saw the playful beating Squirtle was getting, so Bulbasaur continued.

"Okay, enough you two, time to have some fun before lunch." Everyone cheered and stared to play in the shallow end of the lake. Psyduck, of course, stayed as close to Misty as possible.

"You are a Water Pokémon. You should love the water." Psyduck just looked up at her and held his head. "Ugh, when will you evolve? What are you doing Ash?"

Ash had taken out one of his blocks of wood from his backpack and was carving something out of it with a knife and various other tools. "It's for Riolu. The last one I saw had a doll shaped like it, and I thought it would be a nice welcome gift."

"You have never done that with any of you other Pokémon before."

"I know. It's hard to explain, but I really do feel a connection with him. It's stronger than most of the connections I have with my other Pokémon."

"Maybe it's an aura thing. Maybe it's telling you that this is your partner for your aura training." She was thinking back to the conversation they had after they left Dawn's house. He was trying to explain to the best of his abilities what aura was and who the Aura Guardians where.

"You think so? Maybe you're right. That might explain the note as well actually."

"How so?"

"The last two letters written are A and G. Maybe whoever wrote it is an Aura Guardian and wanted me to find my partner. I wonder how Pikachu will react to that."

"I think he will be fine if you tell him when you are absolutely sure that is the case. But we still don't know what the other two letters stand for."

"It said that we will find out how I got the letter eventually, so maybe we should just wait until the time comes."

"I guess you're right. I'll start getting lunch ready. You go ahead and work on your carving." Misty gave him a kiss on the cheek and started preparing a place to sit and eat.

"Thanks Mist." Ash went to work on the little carving for Riolu. It took a few days to complete, and he managed to make it look as much as Riolu as he could. The tools he had did not allow him to create much detail in the final work, but he thought Riolu would not mind. It was the reason behind it that would make it special.

Ash gave Riolu the doll. "It's a gift from me to you as a welcome to our team." Riolu took it from him and began to inspect it. After a while, he began to cuddle with it. Pikachu gave Ash a look that said he wanted to know what was going on. "I will tell you when he goes down to sleep tonight." Pikachu was not pleased with the answer and restrained himself from shocking Ash in front of Riolu. He climbed onto Ash's shoulder and looked down at the little one in his trainer's arms. Surely, Ash would never replace him, but Pikachu also sensed that this was a special Pokémon who needed Ash just as much as Ash needed him.

Ash and Misty stopped at a Pokémon Center to call Brock about their plans. They were getting ready to head to Snowpoint City to try and find wild Piplup.

"Hello." Brock appeared on the screen looking a little worn down.

"Hey, Brock, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine Ash. Exams are finishing up this week and I have spent most of my free time studying. What's up with you guys?"

"Not much. We were thinking about heading up towards Snowpoint City, and it might take us a while to get there. If you are still thinking about joining us next week, we should meet up there."

"That sounds great. Do you mind if I bring someone along with me?"

"Are you talking about that girl you told me about a few months back?"

"Who else would I be talking about? I was just thinking it would be great for her to visit another region and experience the different Pokémon there. Plus, it might help you think of ideas about how to ask Misty out."

"Do you still think I would follow any of your advice? Besides, I don't think she would like it either if I told her you're the one giving me relationship advice."

"I know what you mean." Brock started massaging his ear, remembering all the times she had pulled him away from all the pretty girls they had met. "Anyway, I am sure you will like her. Actually, I know you will. You have met before."

"Who is it?"

"I want it to be a surprise. Tell Misty I said hi and will meet up with all of you later. Bye Ash." Ash still couldn't believe what came out of his friend's mouth. We've met so many people, and he has hit on just about every single girl we've met. Well, except for the younger ones, Misty, May, and Dawn, but they are like sisters to him.

Misty came out of their room and tried to bring Ash back to reality when she saw him staring at the blank videophone screen with a glazed look in his eyes. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go." Ash said shaking himself back to reality.

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking and finding a place to set up camp for the night. While everyone was eating, Ash told Misty about his phone call with Brock.

"I was almost tempted to tell him about us when he mentioned giving me relationship advice. I didn't, don't worry. It's just hard keeping such a big secret from one our best friends."

"I know, but who is the girl he was talking about? I mean not very many of the girls he hit on actually liked him."

"Yeah, there are so few that did, I can't even remember any of their names." Ash and Misty laughed. They had finished eating and were watching all of the Pokémon playing with Riolu. "Riolu really seems to like being with us," Ash said as Misty moved over to sit next to him under the tree he was leaning against.

"He also really likes that doll you made. I haven't seen him put it down since you gave it to him."

"I am just curious to see how he will react once he meets the rest of the team. I am sure they will like him, but Riolu seems intimidated by larger Pokémon. Look at how he interacts with Lapras, and he's not intimidating at all."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Ash. Give Riolu time. He is the youngest Pokémon you have."

"I know. Patience will be key in training him. Maybe tomorrow I will introduce him to battling. Of course he won't be battling. I just want him to see what they're like."

"That's probably a good idea, seeing as that is your main source of income and way of living. Just don't get carried away. Like you said, Riolu scares very easily."

"Don't worry about it. It will just be like the sparing matches we did while we were traveling before." He wrapped his arm around Misty who had moved in closer as the temperature was dropping. All the Pokémon were tiring out and started to move closer to Ash and Misty to get ready for bed.

Ash pulled out a few blankets for the Pokémon and placed them near to where their sleeping bags would be. Pikachu, being the sharp Pokémon he is, made sure everyone was asleep before going over to question his trainer about Riolu.

"You ready for what I am going to tell you?" Pikachu nodded. "Well, it's kinda like this. You know the connection the two of us have between us. We can tell what the other is thinking without having to say a word. With Riolu, it is almost like that, but we can actually see what is in each other's minds through aura. While I can connect with just about anyone, with Riolu, it's like we share the same mind at all times. That's the only way I can describe it, and don't worry. You will never be replaced. You will always be by my side no matter what happens."

Pikachu smiled. He always knew Ash would never leave him, but hearing him say it made it that much more real. He also knew that Ash didn't fully understand what was going on between him and Riolu, so he was happy to be there for his friend when he needed someone to talk to. The two got into Ash's sleeping bag and drifted off into a blissful sleep.