Throwing out the disclaimer: I do not pokemon in any way or form. Liz is my O.C. and belongs to me, while Alec belongs to DireNightFury. I also do not own the song and the lyrics that I use today. Now, let's summarize what has happened up to this point and get this chapter rolling!

Liz and Serena have come to Kanto with their closest friends and rivals to compete in the first-ever Ash Memorial Tournament, in honor of our hero, Ash. However, during the tournament, Arceus visited Serena. It revealed not only an evil plot and a vicious attack during the semi-finals developing by none other than Team Rocket, whom her husband, Carl, is a part of, but that there is a way that she can revive Ash after his untimely death during the Kalos Crisis. But to do that, she needs to collect three orbs representing his kindness, loyalty, and bravery. Meanwhile, Liz, who was curious about Serena's change in behavior, thanks to a faithful meeting with the mythical pokemon Shaymin, found out about her secret and is helping her out by collecting three items that Ash collected during his time as a trainer while meeting with three pokemon whom Ash has made a special connection with. Despite their best attempts of keeping this a secret, they've revealed this to Alec, Serena's long lost brother, and Paul, one of Ash's most formidable rivals, who promised not to tell anyone and offered their assistance in any way possible. With the third round approaching, Liz is in a tight spot as she is paired with a formidable foe: Tobias.

I bit my lip and kept a firm glare on the picture of Tobias as Empoleon bashed its wings together, letting out determined grunts as it did so. Alec said to Serena, "Is it just me, sis, or does Liz look...angered towards him"? Serena noticed this as she whispered, "I don't know. she's usually not like this, and it seems like she's not the only one," as she pointed towards Empoleon. Aveon nuzzled my cheek as it chirped, asking, [Are you ok?] I took a deep breath as I faced Empoleon, saying, 'This is it, bud. The match you've been looking forward to. Ready to show him how much stronger you've gotten without him"? Empoleon nodded, shouting [Yes! I will regain my honor from the man and pokemon who stole it from me! I'll be the one who sends him flying this time!] While Serena could not understand what it was saying, Alec and Ethan did, as Alec was surprised to hear Empoleon say honor. It reminded him of Samurai, who was his faithful and very strong Samurott. He smiled slightly as he excused himself to make a quick pokemon exchange while Serena decided to go to our room. As she walked through the hallways, she ran into her best friend Katie, who smiled, saying, "Well, look who's feeling better. It seems like the last couple of days have helped you feel better." Serena smiled and hugged Katie, saying, "You don't know the half of it, and sorry that you lost your battle, Katie. You and Alakazam did a great job, especially when it mega evolved."

Katie shook her head, saying, 'It was nothing, and it's all good. Besides, not only did this provide some good training, but it was enjoyable to do. Besides, I'm more of a performer than a battler, but this was a good experience. I came up with ideas for a bunch of new routines we can do after the tournament." Serena then forced a small smile as she muttered silently, "That is if there's still a world to perform for." When Katie asked if Serena said something, Seena quickly recovered by saying, "what? Oh, nothing." Katie then raised an eyebrow before saying in concern, "You've been acting strange since the tournament started. First, you had that blow-up with Liz. Then, you seem to distance yourself from May, Dawn, Misty, Zoey, even me. Plus, you seem to be a lot more nervous and secretive these days. Is there something going on with Carl that I should know about? Or is there something else you're not telling me"? Serena bit her tongue and remained silent, looking down at the ground. It hurt her the most that she kept this secret from her friends, especially her best friend. She didn't know what to do or how to respond until a faint voice said You bet your sweet bottom dollar it's something else. Both girls looked around, wondering where the voice came from, as Katie prepared a power sphere, just in case, while Serena said, "who's there"? When the voice replied Down here, ladies, they both looked down and almost jumped in surprise.

It was Shaymin, who decided to stretch its legs after remaining cooped up in my backpack pocket. Katie picked him up while saying, "Hi there. Who or what are you"? Shaymin did a miniature bow while saying The name's Shaymin. How you doing? But enough about me. Your friend here's going through some tough times if you know what I mean. Serena became nervous as she quickly shouted, "Nothing is going on at all! I'm fine, really." Shaymin shot her a "really?" look as he said Kid, the sooner you tell her, the better. Besides, who are you hurting most by keeping this a secret? She and the other girls could be useful in stopping Team Rocket. Shaymin covered his mouth with its paw as Katie asked, "What about Team Rocket? Serena, what's going on"? Serena sighed as she went up to her best friend and quickly told her everything that was going on. Katie listened and was surprised to find out that Carl was working with Team Rocket this whole time, but what broke her heart was seeing Serena almost close to crying when she told her about not wanting to put her friends in any more danger, which was why she was hesitant to tell.

Katie put Shaymin on her shoulder and hugged Serena tightly, saying, "Serena, listen to me. You never have to be afraid of telling us this. We all miss Ash, and something like this, we can help you with. I get you don't want to get our hopes up, but what's it worth if we don't give you a hand either? We're your friends, and no matter what happens, we'll be there by your side to help." Serena smiled as she said happily, "You're really a great best friend, Katie." Shaymin broke them up, saying, Ok, ladies, while I enjoy this incredibly sappy moment, we should leave before someone accidentally overhears us. Besides, don't you want to meet up with your girlfriends and have a jamming session or something? His comment made them both break into laughter as Katie says, "Well, he's not exactly wrong." Serena nodded as the two started to head over to May's room, where most of the girls were chatting with one another, but before she entered the room, she quickly sent Liz a message through hr guidebook.

Outside on the battlefield, as the sun was beginning to set, I was doing some training with Empoleon, and Alec and Paul were helping me out with Flame (Alec's) and Magmortar (Paul's). Their firepower together equaled the strength of Entei's, which was great practice. Magmortar and Flame both shot a powerful flamethrower as Empoleon intercepted it with a hydro pump, creating mist on the battlefield. In the smoke, Empoleon jumped and dived towards them with drill peck, landing a clean hit on both. Paul then shouted, 'Magmortar, use grass knot," as alec added, "Flame, use focus punch"! As Magmortar sent a vine knot towards Empoleon, Flame came flying in, readying a potent focus punch. I responded with, "Cut the grass knot up with steel wing. Then, meet the focus punch with a brick break"! Empoleon sliced through grass knot with steel wing before jumping high and intercepting the focus punch with an equally powerful brick break. As both pokemon returned to their respective sides, Empoleon was panting heavily, getting exhausted. Seeing the exhausted looks on Magmortar and Flame, I raised my hand, saying, "Alright! That's enough practice for tonight! Empoleon, you did great." It then rose its wing up at me, chirping [No, I want to continue. I can't let one inch up from my usual battling skills.]

I can sense that Empoleon wanted to continue, but I was worried that he'd be too exhausted for tomorrow's battle if we continued. Alec could sense how I felt as he said, "Let's stop. Flame seems to be getting pretty tired," as Paul added, "Yeah. Plus, Magmortar needs to rest up for our match tomorrow." As both trainers returned their fire types, I thanked them for their efforts as Empoleon then seemed to shout something at them, much to my confusion. Alec responded by saying, "Looks like Emnpoleon really wants to keep going." Paul commented, "It's definitely a tough opponent, I can respect that. If it wants to keep training, I'll stay and help it out some more." I was about to protest, but then, I saw how determined Empoleon looked, and I knew that who was I to stop a pokemon training with this much determination? So, I sighed and said, "Ok, we can keep going, but only for a few more minutes." Empoleon smiled as Aveon then hopped down from my shoulder and walked next to Empoleon, wanting to join our training. It said [I want to train too!] I smiled as I asked Paul, "You mind if we make this a double battle"? He chuckled, responding with, "Why not? It makes training all the sweeter. Now, Ursaring and Weavile, standby for battle"! His powerful Ursaring and Weavile appeared from their pokeballs, ready to battle.

Alec decided to act as a referee as we were both ready to battle. While this was more like a pre-match than our possible encounter in the tournament, it was still a battle worth taking seriously. Unbeknownst to me, Hapu saw us battling as she watched silently, with Mudsdale by her side. After a long and grueling 15 minutes, our teams were on the ground, panting really hard and close to passing out. Alec decided to call off our match. I picked up my pokemon and praised them for a great job while Paul praised his pokemon while returning them to their respective pokeballs. He came up to me, saying, "Great match. I think Empoleon's set for tomorrow's match with Tobias." I nodded in agreement, saying, "After a good night's sleep and a big breakfast in the morning, he should be all set for him. Look out, Tobias, because we're going to beat you and head to the quarter-finals." Alec then came up to me, adding, "I'd be careful because you're under a lot more pressure than you realize with this match." I was confused as I asked, "What do you mean by that"?

Paul took over, saying, "Well, in the Sinnoh League not too long ago, Ash made it to the semi-finals, but he faced Tobias as his opponent, and while he was able to beat his Darkrai with his Sceptile and Latios with his Pikachu, he was still able to decimate his team despite his best efforts. Many people are saying that your battling style is similar to Ash, leaving them to predict that he'll beat you the same way he beat Ash back then." I looked at Empoleon, who was by my side, and Aveon, who fell asleep on my shoulder, before saying, "But they forgot one thing. I'm not Ash or anything like him. I'm Liz, and I battle my own way. I'll use my own techniques and strategies and beat Tobias. I owe it not only to Ash but to Empoleon and everyone who's ever supported me. We'll win together. Right, guys"? Empoleon cried in agreement as Aveon chirped a sleepy yes.

Alec and Paul started to head back into the hotel to rest as I was ready to head that way too when Hapu came up to me, saying, "You seem to be set for tomorrow, Liz." I turned and saw her coming towards me as I smiled and said, "Yep, but I won't lose. What about you? Are you ready for your match tomorrow? Hapu nodded, saying, "While Lillie is a close acquaintance, I will not go easy on her. This will be, in a way, my grand trial for her to see how much she's grown as a trainer." I glumly replied, "At least you have an easy opponent." Hapu could tell that something was up as she asked, "Alright, what's wrong? It may have been some time, but I can recognize when something's up, just like when you stayed on Poni Island. Care to share"? I then asked Hapu, "Hapu, why does everyone say I'm like Ash? It's not that I don't mind being compared to him, but the thing is, they say I'm just like him, but I'm not. at least, I don't think I am." Hapu thought for a minute before saying, "While I may not have met this Ash that everyone keeps talking about, I can tell you this. He sounds like a caring trainer who loved pokemon with all his heart. That trait's more than enough for anyone to compare him to you because you both love pokemon and care for other people with all your heart. While it may sometimes seem like a bad thing, it's actually a great thing. never lose that ability."

Hearing that, I smiled as Hapu then smirked, saying, "Of course, I still plan to win this tournament, so don't think you'll be getting off so easily." I chuckled and replied, "You always seem to be thinking about battling, Hapu. Doesn't it ever get tiring"? She shook her head, answering with, "Nope. I never stop thinking about my next battle as an island kahuna. And Poni Radishes. I sure hope Nurse Joy is taking care of them while I'm gone." I laughed again before turning to my guidebook, receiving Serena's message. I then got up, saying, "Well, I'm going to meet up with my sister. She and a bunch of my friends are having a sleepover. Care to join us"? Hapu shook her head, saying, "Thank you, but I, unfortunately, must decline. Good luck in your match tomorrow," as she went to head inside. I then grabbed a Pokeball out of my pocket as I then faced Empoleon, saying, "I know you don't like being in your Pokeball, but I think that just for tonight, it'd be a good idea to rest in here, especially in case Tobias tries anything sneaky to mess with us." Empoleon looked at the Pokeball, then back at me while nodding as it smiled. Then, just before I called it back into its Pokeball for the first time since I caught it, it hugged me carefully. I hugged it back as I could tell what Empoleon was trying to say: thank you for everything I've done for it since our first meeting in Unova. Once it separated from me, I called it back into its ball as Empoleon disappeared in a beam of red light.

Before I could head inside, something seemed to whoosh past me as I turned to look. Then, Aveon opened its eyes and saw something as I turned to look again. In front of me was Jirachi, Victini, and Hoopa, who floated towards me, saying, "Liz-kan! It's great to see you again, Hoopa! Listen to this fun riddle to find your next item to bring back Ash-kan"! I chuckled as Victini first said, "This pokemon is similar to Darkrai, but also another pokemon in familiar, and it's the pre-evolved form of one of your sister's pokemon." Jirachi added, "This pokemon can really trick you with its ability and get you caught up in something that isn't real." Hoopa then said, "Good luck, Liz-kan," as the three mythical pokemon disappeared. I thought for a minute before saying, "A pokemon similar to Darkrai, but similar to another? Caught up in something that is not real? Hmmm...this is a tough one." Aveon then chirped, saying [Well, what's something that seems real, but is not real? A picture? Video, Simulation? Illusion? Hologram"? Something caught my attention as I said, "Wait! What did you say, Aveon"? The flying type eeveelution said [Hologram] as I replied, "No, before that"! It answered [Illusion] as I snapped my fingers, saying, "That's it! A pokemon that's similar to Darkrai and similar to another pokemon in a familiar way. Pre-evolved form, trick us with an illusion! It's Zorua! We're looking for a Zorua! Come on, Aveon," as I used my wings and took to the skies, heading towards the forest.

Once I arrived in the forest, I landed on the ground and began to trek slowly, looking for a Zorua. Aveon hopped down and helped look in the bushes. Then, what got my attention was what sounded like struggling and injured shouts. We went to look and were horrified at what we found. Many Team Rocket grunts were standing by an airship while holding a sobbing Zorua who was struggling in his grip. On the ground in front of him was a dead Zoroark, who looked like it was shot. The Zorua kept saying No! Meema! Get up! Save me! The grunt kept laughing, saying in a mocking tone, "Your "Meema" isn't going to save you now"! I had enough as Aveon, and I came out of the bushes while I shouted, "Hey! Leave the Zorua alone"! The grunts saw me and prepared to release their pokemon, but the boss grunt stopped them, saying, "Halt, gentlemen! This is the Kalos Champion! I'll deal with her! Everyone, inside the ship, and wait until I get on so we can leave." They all followed his orders and got on the ship as the boss grunt tossed a Pokeball with his free hand, releasing a Machamp. He cackled while saying, "If you want this Zorua, you'll have to pry it from my bare hands! Machamp, grab her with submission"! Machamp started to come towards me as I shouted, "Oh no, you don't! Aveon, use air slash"!

Aveon fired off a potent air slash that sends Machamp stumbling back in shock. It got right back up as its trainer said, "Don't get fooled! Use stone edge and end that thing flying"! Machamp punched the ground and released a powerful stone edge as Aveon easily dodged it with its winged ears helping it glide across the sky. I then shouted, "see shadow ball on the ground repeatedly"! Aveon kept firing shadow ball after shadow ball, hitting the ground and causing dust clouds to form on the field. Using this opportunity, I snuck into the dust cloud, and in the blink of an eye, I grabbed Zorua from the grunt and started heading back to my side. When he noticed what had occurred, he got so angry, he grabbed what looked like a shotgun and aimed it for Zorua. Noticing what he was about to do, I covered Zorua with one of my wings as the bullet ripped through, hitting my left wing instead of the dark type. I let out a loud shout in pain as a trainer not too far away heard my cries of pain.

I held my hurt wing and winced in pain as the Zorua asked me Are you ok, ma'am? I nodded, despite the pain I felt, and said, "I'll be fine. No one tries to shoot a pokemon and gets away with it." I then turned my attention to the grunt as she readied his shotgun towards me, saying, "Naughty people who mess with our business pay the ultimate price." Aveon then fired another shadow ball that met with the next bullet, making it explode. Then, it fired off a potent air slash, knocking Machamp out and making the grunt fall and drop his gun. As he returned his pokemon, Aveon fired off one more shadow ball and destroyed his shotgun with an explosion. I came towards him with a glare, asking, "Want more"? He grimaced and got up, saying, "You win, this time. But next time, you won't be so lucky, Champion"! He boarded the airship as it took off and flew away at supersonic speed.

Once they were gone, I turned my attention to my left wing, which was still hurting and bleeding badly. I took out a first-aid kit and began to wrap the wound up in a bandage, hoping it would stop the bleeding. Aveon chirped its concern, asking [Are you ok? That wound looks bad]. I smiled, saying, I'll be ok. Zorua is ok, and that's what really matters." however, what caught our attention was the Zorua, who walked over towards the dead Zoroark and nuzzled it softly, saying Meema, I'm sorry I could not save you. If only those mean men didn't shoot you or even attack us, to begin with! I went up to the little Zorua, saying, "Hey, I'm sorry about your mother. I know what it's like losing someone you love in a tragic accident, so you're not alone." It shook off the tears that were streaming off its face as it turned to me, saying No, crying won't help. I must stay strong. That's what Meema would want me to do. Human, thank you for saving me. I smiled and responded with, "You're welcome," as Aveon chirped in agreement. The Zorua then seemed to remember something as it went and pulled something out of a bush and brought it towards me. It looked like a trophy, but a small one, and it read Orange Island Champion. I picked it up as the Zorua said It's for you. It's one of the things an old friend of mine had, and now, I pass it onto you. I smiled and placed it in my bag while thanking the Zorua.

I got up and was ready to head back when the Zorua came up to me, saying Wait! Do you mind...if I stay with you? Just for a little while...until I can figure out what I want to do next. I smiled, replying, 'You can stay with me as long as you like." It had a happy grin as it ran into my arms while I hugged it, with Aveon joining into the group hug as well. With Aveon back on my right shoulder and Zorua now on my left shoulder, I started to head back to the hotel when I ran into one of Ash's friends and oldest rival, Gary. He came up to me, saying, "Hey, Liz! Is everything ok? I heard someone scream and came to see if something was wrong." He then noticed a Zorua on my left shoulder and my left wing bandaged. I slightly winced in pain as I said, "Some Team Rocket grunt shot me while I was rescuing this little fellow, but I'm good, though I think I'll have to let Nurse Joy look at it before I turn in for the night." Gary then asked me, "What were you doing out here, anyway? Doing some last-minute training? That's something Ash would do...if he were still around, that is." I felt bad for Gary considering he was Ash's first real rival and childhood friend. Deciding to comfort him, I place a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Gary, I know how much you miss Ash...but feeling sad about it won't change anything. If I know him, he's probably looking down on us and wants us to strive at being the best person we can be and not let something like this drag us down."

Gary smiled as he said, "You're right, Liz. Thanks. Want me to walk with you back to the hotel"? I shook my head, saying, "No thanks. I'm going to hang around here for a bit, but if you see Serena, tell her I'm going to be a bit late." He nodded in understanding and started to head back, leaving me alone with Aveon, Zorua, and my own thoughts. Between my match with Tobias tomorrow, all this pressure with people comparing me with Ash, helping Serena with her mission, all this Team rocket drama, it's tearing my mind apart. However, the starry night sky, the soft breeze, and the trees' light rustling were very calming. As I slowly walked through the forest, I began to hum myself a small tune as Zorua heard, asking me, What are you doing? I answered with, 'Just humming an old tune my mother used to sing me when I was little. Sometimes, when I miss her, doing something that reminds me of her helps, like singing an old song or doing her favorite things. She loved to go on long, moonlit walks and let nature tingle her senses. There's this song she used to sing whenever she was out walking. Do you mind if I sing it to you guys"? Aveon and Zorua both nodded yes as I began humming the melody again while strumming my guitar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hallelujah (Tori Kelly version)

Liz: I heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do ya? Well, it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift—The baffled king composing hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

You say I took the name in vain; I don't even know then name. But if I did, well really, what's it to ya? There's a blazing light in every word. It doesn't matter what you heard. The holy or the broken hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

I did my best, but it wasn't much. I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch. I've told the truth; I didn't come to fool ya. And even though it all went wrong, I'll stand before the lord of song with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu-. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu-, hallelujah.

Zorua and Aveon clapped their paws in appreciation as I placed my guitar back into its case. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes caught my attention as we prepared for what was about to come out. What did appear was someone I was not expecting at all. A familiar Delphox with Serena's similar appearance was wearing what looked like a magenta shirt, a brown skirt, black hiking boots on her feet, and a red Enchantlet on her right wrist. She had a beige backpack on and a smile on her face. While Zorua and Aveon were stunned, I was surprised as I could only utter in shock, "Ember? Is that you"?

Boom! We have witnessed the return of Ember from my original Kalos adventure story. If you did not already know, in my story, Ember was Serena's Braixen originally. Still, after stumbling upon the Enchanted Forest and finding out that she was from there, she gained a human/hybrid look that resembled Serena. She possessed the ability to have the same emotions as Serena did. Since then, she's been living in the Enchanted Forest with Elsa and has been working as a protector, which I will soon touch on in my other story: Adventures In The Enchanted Forest. So far, things are growing pretty intense. What will become of this? Find out soon, but till then, stay safe, and keep reading!