Welcome back everybody!

This is another idea for a story that I had. A second project, I guess you could say alongside "About Time You Got Here". My job is pretty boring, so I'll just sit at work and brainstorm ideas for what to write next. I've got oodles of these things. Just have to pick which ones to do, and see if I can execute them.

Anyway, I don't own Pokemon or the song in the title. Good song though. Would recommend listening to it. While this fic does have the song "Jericho Rose" as its title, it doesn't have "as much" to do with the plot of the story line as my other story "Somewhere Only We Know". That story was inspired by an entire song. This story was inspired by a few lines in a song.

Let's begin!

It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.

Henry Rollins

"Stop! Give me back the real Ash! Because you sure aren't him!"

With those final words, Serena ran off, struggling to hold back tears as she left behind a dazed Ash Ketchum.

Ash, who was just on the receiving end of three well-thrown snowballs, could only lay on his back and stare at the cloud-filled sky as he contemplated what it was his friend had just told him.

He lost his match against his rival Sawyer, and then lost his match against the gym leader of Snowbelle City, Wulfric. Two losses in a row, this late in his training career? Especially one against someone who, up until not too long ago, relied on a notebook to do nearly everything in his life? To say the least, Ash was ashamed. He wasn't depressed very often, but something about those two losses he was dealt stung him especially hard. In his uncharacteristic sadness, he decided to go off and be by himself in the nearby Winding Woods. Apparently, Serena thought it fit to come after him, and needless to say, it didn't go well.

"Real Ash? Whoa…" He found his voice and said to himself. The clouds danced above him in the chilly breeze and the reality of what Serena had meant hit him like an Iron Tail strike.

"Aw man!" He let out a loud groan, sending a small flock of fletchlings scattering away in a nearby tree. He almost physically felt the fire in his heart reignite as he jumped up and stretched his arms.

"I've had enough of this! I'm overthinking." He said, a smile slowly forming on his face. "It's making my head hurt, so I've got to get myself in gear!" The raven-haired trainer, his inner fire nearly back to full-strength, stretched his legs. With a confidence that he knew was characteristically his, he squinted his eyes at the snow fields ahead of him.

"If there is something I don't understand, all I have to do is get moving. I'll figure it out on the way!" He bent over to pick up his old red hat as he pumped his legs forward and began to run at a brisk pace, determined to get back to this "Old Ash" that Serena had referenced. His lips curled into a great grin, the largest he'd had since before his match with Wulfric, as the cool snowy air bit into his exposed skin, his run taking him further and further into the woods.

Pokémon of all kinds watched the human boy curiously as he ran past their trees and hidey-holes, only giving them a passing glance and wave as he continued his trek deep into the forest.

"Thanks…Serena…" He said to the air between breaths. Running at such a high altitude through deep snow was unsurprisingly tiring, even to a fit young trainer. "I see what you mean now…" His resolve strengthened further and like he was reaching within his soul, searching for his lost self, he pumped his legs further and further until he was drawing from energy deep inside. Memories of his journey so far played in his head like a movie, from sleeping in and getting Pikachu as his partner, who eventually would become his best friend, all the way up until his match with Wulfric, with his Kalosian friends cheering him on even when the odds were against him. He really was a lucky guy to have such goods friends. Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. All of them were there for him when he needed them most, and he would make it up to them when he got back.

He was nearly sprinting at this point, and threw his arms up into the air. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is back, Kalos!"

But fate had other plans. The Ketchum boy didn't notice he was running directly towards a large hill. Without a care in the world, Ash took one final step forward before losing his footing on the loose snow. His momentum from running was too much and he failed to catch himself in time, and he tumbled over until he began to roll down the hill.

Luckily the hill was covered in deep snow that cushioned Ash's fall as he rolled down. But, what he didn't see was the rocky outcrop that was at the bottom of the hill. In his haste to try and stop his fall, Ash kicked his legs and arms out in a vain attempt to stabilize his body. This unintentionally set his course off from landing softly on a sleeping wild Snorlax, and instead directed him towards the rocks.

Ash saw what he was heading towards too late, and yelled in fear of what was coming. He was rolling too fast and could not stop himself, and he rolled over a small cliff, landing headfirst directly on top of the rocks below.

Crack

Ash felt his head hit one of the rocks and his vision immediately exploded in a blur of colors mixed with an eerie blackness. His body was numb from a mixture of the cold and the pain of the fall as he landed on his back, and he found he was unable to move. The same friendly clouds from earlier were flying peacefully over him in the blue sky, but they were quickly fading from his view.

Unable to keep his eyes open as the blackness covered his vision, the last things that crossed his dazed mind before blacking out completely were images of his apology to Greninja before he left for the woods, and of Serena's tearful upset face right before she left him.

I'm sorry guys…

Then the blackness claimed him.

"Ninja!" The Frog Ninja Pokemon's eyes shot open as a feeling of dread began to well up inside of him.

A part of his body and mind that he associated with his trainer, Ash, disappeared in a split-second, leaving only an empty numbness remaining.

While he wasn't always in his Ash-Greninja form, as Bonnie had recently decided it would be called, he still felt his trainer's presence within him constantly. When he entered his bonding form with Ash, the feeling amplified to where he could "feel" Ash giving him orders, and he knew his trainer could see things through his eyes as well. Ever since they first performed this bond phenomenon, Greninja felt Ash's constant presence within him. But now he felt nothing.

He didn't quite understand it, but all he knew was that a few moments ago, he could feel Ash's presence, and then in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Vanished.

Something had happened.

He had been sitting on top of a tree not far into the Winding Woods near the Pokémon Center, brooding over his recent defeats, and up until a few moments ago, wanted to be left alone. Now he knew his trainer was in trouble, and he jumped up with a grunt and sped back towards the Pokémon Center.

He had to tell somebody that Ash was in danger.

The Ninja Pokémon's agile legs took him from tree to tree at a blinding speed as he pulled energy from within himself that he didn't even know he had. Ash usually always got himself out of trouble, and when he didn't, he had his friends and Pokémon to help him. Except this time, Greninja knew that Ash was alone and had nobody to help him. And he might not have known what had happened to his trainer, but he was determined to do his absolute best to help him out however he could.

Quicker than even he thought he could get there, he bounded towards the clearing the Pokémon Center occupied in the woods, just as his trainer's friend, Serena, was emerging into the clearing as well. He could sense that she was unhappy, but did not know why. He figured it had something to do with his trainer. But, he knew Ash harbored special feelings for the girl that even the trainer himself didn't recognize, so Greninja targeted her in his eyes and bounded towards her.

Serena stomped into the clearing, still fuming from her argument with Ash, when Greninja leapt in front of her. He landed a few feet in front of her, panting wildly, and grabbed onto her pink-sleeved arm.

"Gren! Ninja, Greninja!" He said quickly, lightly tugging on Serena's arm in the direction of the woods that she came from.

Serena recognized what her friend's pokémon was trying to do and turned her head the opposite direction with an angry hum. "You want me to go back to Ash, don't you Greninja?" Greninja nodded hastily, and she wagged her finger at him. "Well, Ash has made it very clear to me that he doesn't want anyone near him right now! So I won't be going back any time soon!" She sniffled then, as if trying to suppress emotions she didn't want to acknowledge in front of her friend's pokémon before tearing her arm away and angrily walking back towards the nearby building.

Greninja wasn't backing down though and jumped in front of her again, this time attracting the attention of Clemont, Bonnie, Pikachu, and the rest of Ash's pokemon. "Greninja! Ninja Gren Grenin!" He stuck his arms out, blocking Serena's path and pointing back towards the woods.

This time, Serena looked deeply into Greninja's eyes and saw the pure panic and desperation within them. His terrified stare melted her angry heart, and she suddenly caught on to what he was trying to convey to her. Serena softened her expression and involuntarily reached for the blue ribbon underneath her winter jacket, looking back at the woods she emerged from just a few moments ago. "…Ash?" She whispered, worry replacing the anger in her voice.

"Serena, what's wrong with Greninja?" Clemont asked as he and Bonnie ran up to their friend. The other pokémon joined them, with Pikachu taking point and jumping on Serena's shoulder.

She turned her gaze back towards her friends, fresh tears building up in her eyes. "I think something is wrong with Ash…"

"Something is wrong with Ash!?" Clemont repeated, prompting everyone around them to gasp. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I just got back from seeing him, and…" She paused, collecting her emotions before she continued. "He wasn't acting like himself. He was negative and yelled at me. So, I threw a snowball at him and told him to snap out of it. I left him out there to be alone, but now Greninja is acting strange. He looks really scared. I've never seen him act this way, and something tells me that it has something to do with Ash…"

As if to reiterate the point, Greninja jumped in place and pointed back out towards the forest. Unable to contain himself any longer, he jumped up in the trees and signaled for everyone to follow Serena with a wave of his hands.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu quietly said with a nod, clearly understanding the Pokespeak and body language Greninja was trying to convey. He tugged on Serena's hood and pointed into the woods as well.

"I think they want you to show us where you saw Ash, Serena!" Bonnie said with a cry as she too ran just into the woods.

"Wait!" Came a familiar voice from the Pokémon Center just behind them right as they were about to sprint off. It was Nurse Joy. "There's a storm coming! You guys can't go into the woods!"

Clemont bowed quickly. "Thanks Nurse Joy, but we must go out there! Our friend may be in trouble and we have to save him!"

The nurse hummed in worry, clenching her dress to prevent it from flying up in the increasing wind. "Well, if you must go out, be careful please! Don't go too far, and make sure you can find a way back!"

"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Everyone yelled as they ran out into the forest, Serena leading the way. She decided to release Braixen to help with the search and Clemont did the same for Luxray. Pikachu quickly filled them in as they ran into the forest, eager to find their friend before the storm got worse.

With every passing minute the wind got stronger and stronger and the snowfall grew heavier and heavier. Soon, the gang of pokémon and friends were unable to see more than a few meters in front of them thanks to the storm, but still, they trudged on. Their worry for their friend trumped all worry about storms. Clemont huddled close with Bonnie, trying to keep her away from the elements as much as he could, while Serena and Pikachu were leading the pack. Greninja bounded through the trees, desperation apparent in how he hastily jumped from branch to branch. Only he could feel the emptiness from the lack of Ash's presence within his mind, and the longer it went on, the worse his worrying got. Noivern and Talonflame patrolled the skies in vain, keeping their eyes out for any signs of blue clothing or a red hat, but it was too difficult to see anything because of the worsening storm. Hawlucha was on the ground, cuddled up with Bonnie, all of them calling out Ash's name, hoping he could hear them.

After an unknown amount of time, they came to a clearing with a log sitting in the middle of it. Any evidence of anyone being there was gone, which only served to increase Serena's anxiety as she pointed out at the empty log.

"This is where I found him, but he's gone! And the storm has filled in the tracks!"

"Oh no, what will we do now!?" Bonnie yelled, clutching Clemont and Hawlucha tightly. Noivern landed then and used his great wingspan to shield the young girl from the wind, and Pikachu ran off into the woods to try and find his best friend by himself for a few moments. Nobody bothered to stop him, only looking on with concern as the yellow mouse disappeared into the storm. They knew that even though they all worried for their raven-haired friend, nobody was as close to him as Pikachu was.

"It's okay Bonnie!" Clemont yelled over the howling wind. "Ash wouldn't give up on us, so we won't give up on him!"

Serena clutched her ribbon tightly, frantically looking around as the worry within her was threatening to overflow. She couldn't help but feel at fault for Ash's disappearance. If only she had been more patient, or hadn't gotten angry at him so easily. She knew he was struggling with his defeats, and yet she snapped at him anyway? What kind of friend was she?

Blinking tears away, she shook her head.

"No. Now isn't the time to worry." She told herself, but the feeling inside her heart did not subside. She looked up at Greninja, who was trying in vain to see further high up in the trees. He had the same issue as the flying pokemon though, and soon gave up on that endeavor. Jumping down to the ground, he turned his gaze towards Serena. His eyes were filled with so many emotions that in the few moments she held his stare, she struggled to comprehend them all.

Greninja was right about to hop off once again when an explosion sounded off not too far in the distance. Without another thought, he bounded off in that direction, leaving everyone else behind in the dust.

"That came from the path Pikachu went on!" Clemont said before everyone ran off in that direction. A few moments later, there was another explosion, and the group thought they heard the familiar closing statement of Team Rocket as they flew over them into the sky, disappearing with a twinkle in the clouds.

"Must have been Team Rocket…" Bonnie commented with a shrug as they saw Greninja and Pikachu standing at the bottom of a small hill. They were talking animatedly and both nodded when the group appeared right next to them. Pikachu jumped into Serena's arms, worry etched on his face.

"Pikapi…" He said sadly, taking his place on Serena's shoulder with a sigh.

"Oh Ash…where are you?" The honey-blonde said as the snow pelted her face, all of them looking in different directions for where their friend could have gone.

The group searched for a bit longer, but the storm became too much to handle. Squishy, sensing a Zygarde cell nearby, emerged from its warm pouch in Bonnie's jacket, and jumped onto the ground. Luckily, it led them to a cave, even though the Zygarde cell disappeared. The group decided to rest for the evening, acknowledging that there was no way they were going to find Ash in the storm without getting themselves hurt in the process. They put their pokémon back in their pokeballs, save for Greninja and Braixen, who both refused to return. Braixen lit a fire to warm everyone while Greninja took a position kneeling at the entrance of the cave. Pikachu tried talking to him a few times, but he didn't answer, choosing instead to stare out into the storm with worry written all over his face.

"I'm worried for Greninja…" Bonnie quietly commented as she watched the flames dance in front of her. "He seems so scared for Ash, which makes me worry about how Ash is doing too."

Clemont put her arm around his sister, rubbing her other shoulder affectionately. "I know Bonnie, but if there's one thing that Ash has always done, it's the impossible. I'm sure he's out there somewhere, safe from this storm."

"I hope you're right, big brother. I don't want anything to happen to him."

Serena stared longingly at the flames in front of her, picturing Ash within the dancing orange and yellow embers. She hadn't spoken in a bit, and while she hadn't acknowledged it out loud, she blamed herself for their current predicament. She glanced at Braixen, who was trying and failing to get Greninja to talk to her. She knew her best friend had feelings for Ash's Greninja, and suspected that the Ninja Pokémon felt the same for her, but neither of them had made any moves yet. It reminded Serena of how she felt about Ash.

But now Ash was missing, and Greninja was refusing to speak. Braixen eventually gave up trying and took a seat next to her trainer with a depressed look. She huffed sadly, and Serena placed her hand out on her pokémon's arm. Even though inside she was a storm of guilt, regret, and sadness, she still wanted to be there for her pokémon. She gave a supportive smile and gestured towards Greninja with her head.

"Don't worry, Braixen." She whispered. "He's just scared for Ash. Once we find him, he'll be okay too, alright?"

Those words were partially for herself too, but Braixen didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't acknowledge it. She nodded and gave Serena's hand a squeeze. An unspoken conversation was had between them as they looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Braixen saw Serena's love for Ash and fear that something had happened to him, while Serena saw the care for Greninja that her pokémon had. They both nodded, understanding each other just as best friends should, before turning their attention back to the dancing flames.

The group rested lightly throughout the night, a good sleep escaping them all because of worry for their friend. They would search for hours the next day and had no luck finding Ash. Eventually, after a long day of searching, they had to return to the Pokémon Center emptyhanded, and with heavy hearts. None felt worse than Serena, as she continued to blame herself for what had happened. Pikachu refused to eat and secluded himself on the window's edge, staring at the woods and hoping to see his best friend emerge from the trees. Greninja never stopped his search for Ash. He merely escorted everyone back to the Pokémon Center before bouncing off and searching on his own once again. Nobody tried to stop him.

One day passed and Ash did not turn up.

Two days passed and Ash did not turn up.

The group was becoming weary and very worried. They told Nurse Joy as soon as they got back from their search, and an official search notice was placed for Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Citizens of Snowbelle City, including Wulfric himself, joined in the search of the surrounding area for Ash. The only thing that was found was a familiar bloodied red hat at the base of a hill, but no other evidence turned up. Serena broke down when she saw Ash's hat, and Clemont shielded Bonnie's eyes. Pikachu took the hat and carried it with him for days, never letting it out of arm's reach from his perch on the windowsill watching the Winding Woods.

A week passed and Ash did not turn up.

Ten days passed and Ash did not turn up.

Nurse joy had to inform the group that the chances were likely that Ash wouldn't be coming back, and that they should prepare themselves for that. Serena cried. Bonnie stopped eating as well, choosing instead to seclude herself in her room. Clemont busied himself with his inventions as a distraction. He tried to make a "Find-Ash" machine, but it only exploded violently as soon as he turned it on. He did not try again.

Two weeks passed, and the group decided to leave. With a heavy heart, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie wrote a note and gave it to Nurse Joy in case Ash came back. It read:

Dear Ash,

We don't know what happened to you, but we only hope that you're safe. If you have received this, that means that you are indeed alive and well, and that we have gone back to Lumiose City. We request you meet us there as soon as you're able as we are really worried and want to see you.

Love,

Your friends, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena

P.S. This is Serena. I'm really sorry for yelling at you. Please forgive me. I have something really important to tell you when I see you next. I'll be in Lumiose City staying with Clemont and Bonnie for a while until you come back. I will never give up on waiting for you.

Love,

Serena

Greninja refused to come back with everyone. Instead, he disappeared in the night the day before everyone had agreed to leave. The only one who saw him go was Braixen, and she refused to talk about his departure. Apparently, she was sworn to secrecy by him right as he was leaving, and refused to tell even Serena what she had discussed with the Ninja Pokémon. Serena did not pry, as she found she had little energy to do anything other than the basic necessities like eat, shower, and sleep. She respected Braixen's privacy, and simply gave her saddened pokémon a hug that they both knew they needed.

Ash's remaining pokémon were inconsolable, with Noivern taking it the hardest by far. He refused to speak for days, and it was only with Hawlucha's prodding that they even got him to come by everyone. Clemont agreed to take care of them until Ash came back, which they reluctantly accepted. It wasn't that they didn't like Clemont, it was more of the fact that he wasn't Ash. None had given up hope that they would see Ash again, but that didn't stop them from worrying about their friend and trainer. Pikachu was absolutely heartbroken, and he refused to speak to anyone but Serena. It was decided that he would be in her care, as it was obvious that he was most comfortable around her.

After they had packed up all their belongings, the group exited the Pokémon Center and began their trek back to central Kalos. They all took one final saddened look back at the Winding Woods, before turning back towards the direction of Lumiose City, their hearts heavy with sorrow. What they did not know was that Ash was alive and recovering high up in the snowy mountains, safe from the elements…

Two weeks earlier

Wild Pokémon all watched with baited breath as they simply stared at what was before them. A young human male was lying down, unconscious after hitting his head hard against a rocky outcrop at the bottom of a hill. He was not moving, and they began to become worried for his health. They did not have much experience with humans, but that didn't mean they couldn't worry for the health of others. A lone Sentret hopped up close to Ash and poked him in the face. He did not respond, and it shifted his head slightly. A pool of blood was beginning to form at the base of his skull, and the Sentret jumped back in fear. It called out to its friends and told them about the blood coming from the boy's head, and all of them recoiled in shock.

Knowing that the boy was in danger and that they didn't have long to get him help, they called wildly for a fletchling to come down from high up in the trees. One did hear them and listened, flying down gracefully, landing on Ash's chest. It pecked at his chest, expecting a response, but when none came, it tilted its head in confusion. Looking up for a moment, it too noticed the growing pool of blood around the boy's head, and it jumped back a few hops in fear. The Sentret hastily exclaimed in Pokespeak that something needed to be done, and Fletchling nodded.

With a newfound determination, it flew high up into the sky towards a nearby human it had saw in the woods earlier. He was the boy's only chance for survival, and it had to let him know what had happened. After a few minutes of flying, the bird pokemon found the man it was looking for, and landed on his shoulder.

Used to such contact with fletchlings, the man did not act surprised at the bird landing on his shoulder, but was surprised when it started chirping crazily into his ear.

"What?" The man said with some irritation in his voice. "You want me to see something? Well, show me then, and stop yelling in my ear!"

The bird wasted no time in flying in the direction of the snowy hill, and a few minutes later, the man saw what Fletchling was trying to warn him about. Running towards the boy and noticing with a gasp the size of the blood pool beneath his head, he quickly ripped his backpack off his shoulders and removed his homemade medical supplies from it.

He removed the boy's bloodied hat and cast it aside, turning his head gently to get a look at the wound, the man paled at the sight of a vicious gash on the back of the boy's skull. Biting his lip, he took a bottle of his water and poured it over the wound, attempting to clean it out as best as he could. He then retrieved his needle and thread and careful began stitching the wound to the best of his ability. He was no doctor, but at this point, anything would help. Satisfied with his work, he then grabbed the longest bandage he could find and began wrapping it around the boy's head.

The boy made no movement to any of this, and the man put his hand on his chest to make sure his heart was even beating. Luckily, it was, and the mystery man picked up Ash with a grunt and loaded him onto his back.

"Come on, kid. I can't have you dying out here…."

The man grunted with exertion and began his ascent up the mountain just as the storm was blowing in….

"Uhh…" The raven-haired boy groaned, slowly putting his hand on his sore head. He did not dare open his eyes, afraid of how much it would hurt if he did. The only thing he knew was the warmth from an unknown source in front of him, and the pain in his head. The pain was terrible, too, and for some reason, he did not know why.

"Hey you," Came a gruff unfamiliar voice not far from his lying down form. Hesitantly, he did open his eyes, and when his vision cleared, he saw an older man wearing a heavy coat in front of him. "You're finally awake." The man said, clearly amused with himself, judging by the small smile on his face.

The boy attempted to study the man in front of him, but when he tried to focus his vision, the pain in his head worsened. Closing his eyes tightly to try and alleviate the pain, and failing to do so, the boy slowly put his hand on his sore skull. He felt a strange bandage covering most of his head, and a list of questions began to form in his mind.

"…Why does my head hurt so much…?" He slowly slurred out, afraid that talking too loudly would aggravate the pain even more.

"The wild pokémon were hysterical in trying to tell me what happened, but I can only guess that you fell down a hill and had a nasty run in with some rocks."

The boy groaned again as he attempted to roll over, but stopped halfway due to the pain worsening in his head. "Wild pokémon? What?"

"Yeah, pokémon that live in the wild. Where have you been that you don't know about those?"

He chose to open his eyes again, deciding to risk the pain in order to find out where he was. It appeared he was in a cave of some sort, and the man who was speaking to him seemed to live in the cave, judging by the fire in front of him and the bed a few feet away. There were a few other trinkets scattered around but he had no idea what they were for.

"I…don't know…" Was the boy's weak reply.

The man's green gaze hardened and he stroked his gray beard in thought. "Huh. Well, it seems you're having a bit of trouble remembering. Must be that nasty head injury of yours."

"I feel really sore. How long have I been lying here?"

The man shrugged. "Two days, give or take. This is the first time you've awoken though. I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to wake up at all."

"Two days…?" The boy repeated as she sat up slightly, attempting to ignore the growing pain in his head.

"You really don't remember how you got that injury, do you?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really…"

"Well," the man cleared his throat awkwardly. "My name's Frank. I've lived up here for over 30 years, I think. Kind of lost track of time a long time ago." He sent a pointed look at the boy, something unfamiliar flashing in his eyes. "What's your name?"

The boy opened his mouth to reply, until he realized that nothing came forward in his head. He thought for a few seconds and as nothing continued to come up, he sent a confused look at Frank, who eagerly awaited an answer.

"My name? I…don't remember my name…"

"Oh, but Twilly, the amnesia plot line has been done before." Well, yes. I just decided to write my own version of it. I saw that there aren't too many "Ash forgot things" stories out there and I was gonna hop on that opportunity while I could. Plus its in the XY universe, which is the one that's special to me. Anyway, hope it starts out well. I'll make sure to update this as well as my other story in due time.

Don't worry about the negative tone of the story. This is just the prologue. It gets better :)

Thanks for the read, and have a good day!

Twilly