Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter. Many thanks to all for your support with your reviews, favourites, follows, and messages.

Hope you guys like this chapter. Enjoy

*I just can't thank enough all the people who have been so positive about my story with their reviews and messages. I am glad that I have been able to keep up with your expectations (I hope that I have). I will do my best to be at least at par of what you guys expect of me. Because without you people, this story would not have proceeded this far. Also, thank you all a lot for being supportive of the previous chapter.*

Chapter 20

Next morning the group was having breakfast in the cafeteria when the announcement for the Quarter-finals came on screen.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment has come which we all have been waiting for. The best eight Pokemon trainers in the world have found their way into the Quarter-finals of this prestigious tournament. We have had some intense battles in the Round of 16 and we finally have with us the victors. So far, we have had some great upsets in the round-robin as well as the knockout rounds of the tournament but at the end of the day, it is our top eight seeds who have all qualified for the Quarter-finals. This round marks the beginning of full six-on-six battles. Without further ado, we present on your screens the live draw of the Quarter-finals of the Masters' Victory Tournament. The randomiser will choose the names of the eight trainers.

The first match is going to be between the Sinnoh Elite-Four & former Champion Cynthia and the Kalos Elite-Four & former Champion Diantha. The second match will take place between the former Kalos Queen Aria and the current Kalos Queen & Top Co-ordinator Serena. The third match will feature the Kanto & Johto Elite-Four & former Champion Lance and the Unova Elite-Four & former Champion Alder. So, that means in the final match of the day, the Hoenn Elite-Four & former Champion Steven will go up against the top seed, the champion of the six regions, Ash Ketchum. All the matches will take place in the central arena. Get geared up everyone as we are going to witness four grand battles tomorrow. On behalf of the Pokemon League and the Masters' Victory Tournament, Reporter Alexa wishes all the trainers their very best."

"Well, only four of us are going to remain in the tournament by the end of tomorrow," said Aria smiling at others.

"Yes, let's give it all we have got and make them battles to remember," replied Ash and others nodded in approval.

"Since today is a rest day, what do you guys want to do?" Cynthia asked.

"We can just hang out or if any of you have some other work or training to do, you can. Ash, me and our Pokemon are taking a rest today," Serena replied.

"I want to go up to Mt. Silver, anyone wants to join?" Steven asked.

"I will tag along. Maybe let my Pokemon enjoy nature." Diantha replied.

"I think it is a brilliant idea. I will take up that offer too." Lance said.

"Then why don't we all head to Mt. Silver then. You guys can meet all our Pokemon there." Ash said.

"All your Pokemon are in Mt. Silver? Why aren't they inside their Pokeball? Who is looking after them?" Bonnie asked many questions surprised.

"Yes, they are in Mt. Silver. We found that place a few years back. Our Pokemon have stayed in the wild with us for the last seven years, so, they prefer it that way. As for who is looking after them, it is a surprise." Serena replied smiling.

"Well, we should all get going then," Clemont said.

"You guys carry on. I am having some rest here. Scott wants to see me too. So, you go without me." Alder said.

"Alright let's go then," Ash said.

"Mom, do you want to come with us too?" Serena asked Grace.

"Why not; there is no point in just sitting around. I want to see all your Pokemon. I am sure they will be happy to see me again." Grace replied.

The group finished their breakfast and went to Mt. Silver. Ash and Serena led them to the spot where their Pokemon were training among themselves. The Pokemon saw their trainers and stopped whatever they were doing. Some of them took a defensive stance as they saw many new faces. Ash asked them all to calm down and introduced their new friends to them. Many of the old Pokemon recognised the former Champions, though some of his relatively new ones were still on guard. Grace was surrounded by many of Ash's and Serena's Pokemon as they saw her.

"So, Ash who is looking after all your Pokemon?" Bonnie asked.

"Alright, he is right around here but I must warn you all that my friend here is very sceptical about people and does not trust human beings. Try not to make the situation overwhelming for him, okay!" Ash said as everyone nodded wanting to see who this mystery person was.

"You can show yourself, my friend. I assure you no one is going to cause any harm to you. Everyone is trustworthy." Ash said looking towards the entrance of the cave where their Pokemon stayed.

After a few moments, the bipedal Pokemon came out slowly floating in the air.

"Mewtwo!" gasped Cynthia as everyone was shocked.

"M…Mewtwo is your Pokemon?" Diantha said still surprised and in awe of the legendary Pokemon.

"No, Mewtwo is not my Pokemon. He is simply my friend and likes to be around us. He has been with us since we began our journey as Red and Yellow."

"Is he the same Mewtwo that was rumoured to have escaped from one of the secret Team Rocket lab facilities?" Asked Lance

"Yes, he is the same Mewtwo. I actually met him way back during my first year as a trainer when I was journeying through the Kanto region for the first time. Our initial meeting was not that good but we kind of became friends when I was travelling through the Johto region the next year. Team Rocket was trying to capture it again and me & my Pokemon sort of prevented him from getting caught. We met after a long time again when Serena and I started our journey seven years back and he has been with us as our guardian ever since."

"Wow, I never thought I would get a chance to meet Mewtwo!" exclaimed Steven.

"Well, he does not reveal himself to people. Serena and I are probably the only human beings that Mewtwo trusts completely. He would not have shown himself to you without me assuring him first, except Grace as he has already met her." Mewtwo had now gone away from the group to tend to the Pokemon.

"He is so awesome." Aria was still flabbergasted.

"That he is. Even I was really amazed when I first saw him. It took him more than a week to accept the fact that I meant him no harm, even though Ash kept convincing him." Serena said smiling.

"So how did you meet Mewtwo again?"

"It happened around three months after the incident at Pallet Town…."

Flashback

"Thanks a lot, Scott. I admit I was a little hesitant to ask you for your help but I didn't have anyone else to turn to. Serena and I will forever be grateful to you and Mr Goodshow. I don't know if we can ever repay you for this help but we will not let you down, that I can promise."

"I know you won't and no need to say thanks. It is the least I could do for the only trainer who managed to get past the Kanto battle frontier. I am really sorry for what happened but never let that bring you down. Instead, use it as your motivation. You are one of the best young trainers I have seen Ash and you have a lot of years ahead of you. I am sure you will achieve your dreams one day."

"Thank you for trusting me, Scott. I will keep in touch with you. And convey my thanks to Mr Goodshow. I think we better get going now."

"Take care of yourselves, both of you and we will meet soon. Goodbye Ash and you too Serena or should I say Red and Yellow."

"Goodbye Scott."

Time Skip: 1 week

Red and Yellow were travelling through the Johto region. Red wanted to visit Clarity Lake to revive some of his injured Pokemon and help them regain their energy. They were near Mount Quena when it started raining. The weather was promising to get harsh as the sun started to go down. Somehow, they had crossed the Purity Canyon with the help of Charizard and Staraptor but then the rain started getting heavier. Red recalled both the Pokemon to their Pokeballs to give them some rest. Red, Yellow, Pikachu and Meowth kept walking in search of a cave where they could at least spend the night and wait for the weather to calm down. Soon Meowth spotted a cave at a distance and the group started running towards it for shelter. As they were nearing the cave, suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a large tree nearby that was almost uprooted as it began falling on Red. Before he could think of getting out of the way, the tree had fallen almost over him as he reflexively closed his eyes putting his hand over his head as to protect himself.

"Ash! No!" Yellow shouted his real name in her frightened state. After a few moments, he realised that the tree had not fallen upon him and opened his eyes to see what had happened. The tree was floating in the air and above it was the Pokemon he never thought he would meet again, Mewtwo. Mewtwo threw the tree onto the side.

"Red are you alright?" Yellow asked him, now a bit composed but still afraid what would have happened had Mewtwo not come to Red's rescue. They had decided to call each other with their new names so that they don't slip up in front of people.

"I am alright, Yellow. Don't worry." Red told her and then turned towards Mewtwo, "Mewtwo! You are still here! Thank you so much for saving my life. I hope you remember me."

"I can never forget you, Ash Ketchum. You have taught me so much about human beings. I hoped to meet you again someday. You have already saved my life once. I am glad I could repay you the favour. The weather is getting worse. Hold on to me and I will take you to a safe place." Mewtwo said. Red, Yellow and Meowth held on to Mewtwo as Pikachu climbed onto Red's shoulder and they teleported to Clarity lake inside Mount Quena.

Inside Mount Quena

"So, you are still looking after the Pokemon here?" Ash asked after introducing Serena to Mewtwo. Ash and Serena let out their Pokemon for them to enjoy the revitalising effects of the lake.

"Here and several other places around the region. There are a lot of places where wild Pokemon live. I try my best to look after them and help them whenever they need it. So, what are you doing back here?" Mewtwo asked curiously.

"We were training nearby and some of my Pokemon got severely injured when we came up across some Team Rocket goons. So, we came here so that they could recover." Ash replied.

"Why not go to a Pokemon centre or doctor?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well, the thing is we are kind of hiding from the world at the moment," Serena replied this time.

"It is a long story. You see…." Ash started telling Mewtwo about the events of the past few months beginning from his mother's death. He told about the betrayal of his 'friends' and Professor Oak aiding them to flee from Pallet town; Meowth's confession; asking Riolu to become his Pokemon and help him in his aura training; reuniting with some of his Pokemon whom he had released, travelled with or were with other trainers including Pidgeot, Squirtle, Primeape and Haunter, so far; and changing their identities to Red and Yellow with the help of Scott and Mr Goodshow. Serena was sitting beside Ash holding his hands in support as he went through the story.

By the end of Ash's tale, Mewtwo was feeling anger inside him. Ash was so far the only person he trusted. He could not believe at the injustice; a person with such a pure heart had to go through such pain. He had begun to understand the feelings of Pokemon and people and it was all because of Ash. He could feel the pain, grief, anger, hatred as well as the motivation inside him.

"I will help you, Ash. You have helped me understand the purpose of my life, the bond between people and Pokemon and that, not all human beings in the world are evil. It is because of you I have left the path of destruction and started helping Pokemon. Now, it is my turn to help you and your Pokemon train to get stronger and show the world your true potential."

To say Ash was shocked would be an understatement. After digesting the fact that Mewtwo had offered him to help him and his Pokemon train, Ash said, "Thank you Mewtwo for trusting me enough to help me. But I don't remember you following the path of destruction ever."

"That is because I did not want you or anyone to remember that but I think you have the rights to know that." Having said that Mewtwo snapped his fingers as Ash and his old Pokemon all got a wave of memories inside their head. Suddenly, Ash could recall all the events that took place in New Island during his first year of journey.

"Wow. You wiped everybody's memories of that day but I understand why you did it then. I will take up your offer, Mewtwo. Thank you so much. I am sure with your help we will surely get stronger. But I have a question, what about the Pokemon here? Who will take care of them?"

Mewtwo looked around at the wild Pokemon who roared and nodded. "They can take care of themselves. There are some strong Pokemon to protect the weaker ones from danger. But I have a condition, I do not wish to appear in front of people."

"Sure, no problems. Either way, I was not going to ask you to be my Pokemon or battle with me against others. I want your help to train and become stronger and win with my Pokemon. I don't want people to think that I am dependent on the most powerful Pokemon to win my battles. I am going to become a Pokemon Master with the help of my friends." Ash replied.

"Just as I had expected from you Ash. You are the most honourable person I have encountered. I will be proud to call you my friend." Mewtwo replied and offered his hand. Ash looked at him and shook his hand smiling. He was now friends with Mewtwo.

Flashback ends

I know Mewtwo is one of the characters in this story that many people wanted to know more about. I have tried my best to make the flashback as realistic as possible (as per my story). I believe most of you have but for those who haven't watched the special "Mewtwo Returns", I would recommend to watch it as it is the sequel to the first Pokemon movie - "Mewtwo Strikes Back". If you can't due to some reason, then maybe you can read its plot so as to get some idea why I chose this particular place for Ash and Mewtwo to meet again. Along with that, I have given a glimpse of the beginning of the identity of Red and Yellow.

From the next chapter, the battles will start again. It will be the Quarter-finals. I am going to write full battles for Serena and Ash but not the other two matches. Moreover, because of the positive reviews, I have decided to include at least one more lemon scene in this story but you will have to wait for a few chapters for that to happen.

Thank you once again for your reviews and messages.

Stay tuned! Hope you like the story so far!

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