Our heroes are continuing on with their journey towards the Kalos League. They are close to it and will reach it soon.

"Once we get through this small town, we'll be in Lumiose City." Rukia said. "We'll be reaching the Kalos League soon, Ichigo."

"I'm so excited for you." Orihime said. "Are you ready for the big event?"

"You better believe I am. A little longer and we'll be there." Ichigo said as he could hardly wait. As they walked through a small town, they saw a green tornado shoot up into the sky. They were all rather curious as to what it was.

Each and next chapter, the ultimate goal

Ready for battle, brave and bold

I know we're gonna make it

We will find a way

Oh-oh

We've come so far

We fought so hard to get where we are

Oh-oh

We belong together

It's always you and me

Pokemon

(Ichigo's voice): A Path Towards the Future

All of them were curious as to what that tornado they saw was. They all went to where it came from. When they got there, they were surprised to what they saw. They saw it was Silvia with her Serperior, but there was one more with her. They were all shocked about who it was, especially Rukia.

"Byakuya?!" Rukia said.

"As you can see, my Serperior is elegant and powerful. I give Serperior a healthy diet to keep it in top form." Silvia said.

"A wise choice, I say. Your Serperior's coat is in good condition as well." Byakuya said.

"Byakuya!" Rukia called and got their attention.

"I almost can't believe it! You're really here in Kalos!" Ichigo said.

"Ichigo? Rukia? I must admit that I'm rather surprised to see the both of you myself." Byakuya said.

"Hi, Silvia. It's great to see you again." Orihime said.

"Hey, Orihime." Silvia said.

"What's going on here? What are you doing with Byakuya?" Orihime said.

"I was working with my Serperior when he came around." Silvia said. "He started giving me some tips and advice to help me out. How do you all know him?"

"This man is Byakuya. He's my brother." Rukia said.

"He is?! I wasn't aware of that!" Silvia said.

"Not only is he Rukia's brother, but he's also a gym leader from Unova." Orihime said. "In fact, he's one of the toughest gym leaders there is. He even gave Ichigo a rough time."

"What are you doing in Kalos in the first place, Byakuya?" Rukia asked.

"It was all Jushiro's idea. He thought I could use a little vacation before..." Byakuya said, but didn't really finish that sentence.

"Before what? Is everything okay?" Rukia asked.

"It's fine." Byakuya said. "What I didn't expect was that I was going to run into all of you again. Ichigo, are you keeping up with your training?"

"Yeah. In fact, we were on our way to the Kalos League when we ran into you guys." Ichigo said.

"What about you, Rukia?" Byakuya asked.

"I'm... I'm doing the best that I can." Rukia said.

"Your brother is pretty amazing, Rukia." Silvia said. "He seems so classy and elegant. His advice is helping me out that I'll be ready for the next Talent Star. What about you, Orihime? What's the next step for you?"

"Next step?" Orihime questioned. That had her think about the offer Nicholas gave her. She still needs to think about that.

"When Byakuya started helping me, I thought he was a fellow performer. I didn't think he was a gym leader and..." Silvia tried to explain what was going on, but had to stop when they all heard Ichigo's stomach.

"Sorry, but do you think we can continue this talk over lunch?" Ichigo said. They all shared a laugh, but lunch did sound like it would be a good idea.

...

A Restaurant

All of them hit a nice restaurant and got some lunch. While they were enjoying their meal, they continued on with their conversation.

"So, you're training for when Pokemon Talent Star comes around again, Silvia?" Rukia asked.

"Yes. After seeing Orihime win Ultimate Talent Star, I could see I have a long way to go." Silvia said. "I must be ready for the next time it happens. What about you, Orihime? What are you up to?"

"Right now I'm just going with Ichigo to the Kalos League for when he wins." Orihime said.

"Silvia does bring up a good question, Orihime." Chad said.

"He's right. It was your goal to win Ultimate Talent Star. Now that you have, you should probably think about what's next." Rukia said, but Orihime had no idea on what she was really going to do.

"It's only common you wouldn't have an answer." Byakuya said. "Most don't know what they're going to do until after they reached their goals. Still, it's natural for humans to grow and prosper. The answers to come for what we want out of life will come soon. Ichigo here is planning to win the Kalos League. Do you plan on challenging the Elite Four and the champion if you do manage to win?"

"The Elite four and Kisuke?" Ichigo questioned.

"That's right. Winning the Kalos League means you're eligible to challenge them." Rukia said. "Of course, let's try not to get ahead of ourselves. You still need to win the Kalos League first."

"That's what I was planning on doing." Ichigo said. He has his eyes set on winning the Kalos League, but it has Orihime thinking on what she's going to do now. Silvia could see that she was a little undecisive. Orihime excused herself for a moment for the restroom, but she was still thinking on what to do as she stared herself in the mirror.

"Orihime..." Silvia said as she came in.

"What is it, Silvia?" Orihime asked.

"I just wanted to know if you were okay." Silvia said. "You seem undecisive about what you're going to do next. Have you really not thought about it?"

"Well... It's a little more complicated." Orihime said. "The truth is that I was offered to be Nicholas' protégé after Ultimate Talent Star."

"Nicholas?! Are you serious?! That would be a huge opportunity! A grand chance! Why didn't you take it?!" Silvia said.

"I told him that I wanted to be there for Ichigo in the Kalos League." Orihime said. "He did say that I could contact him and still take the offer when it's over. Even if it is over, I'm still not sure if that's what I want. It would mean I have to quit travelling with Ichigo and the others." Silvia could see Orihime is struggling with a decision. Silvia admired Orihime for all her accomplishments and that's why she doesn't like seeing her like this.

"Orihime, I think I'm going to challenge Ichigo to a battle." Silvia said.

"What?! Why would you do that?" Orihime said.

"I believe you're a great trainer and that you should keep moving forward, but it sounds like you don't know what to do because of Ichigo." Silvia said. "I'm going to battle him in hopes that you can see what the right choice is. I get that Ichigo means a lot to you, but you have to do what is best for you. This battle can be a choice between traveling with Ichigo or advancing your dream." Silvia made up her mind and walked out of the restroom to challenge Ichigo. Orihime wasn't sure if she liked this. Meanwhile, the others were finishing up their meal.

"Byakuya, is there something going on?" Rukia asked. "Earlier it seemed like there was something you wanted to say, but you stopped yourself from doing anything."

"It's nothing." Byakuya said as he didn't want to really talk about it. Rukia was curious, but she didn't push for it.

"Excuse me, Ichigo." Silvia said as she came back to the table. "I have something to ask you."

"Sure." Ichigo said.

...

A Battlefield

Silvia asked for the battle and Ichigo went along with it. They all moved to a battlefield and positioned themselves for a battle.

"I'm not sure why you want to battle, but I'll gladly take you on." Ichigo said.

"Thank you. Here's the pokemon I'm using!" Silvia said as she tossed out her choice and it ended up being Serperior.

"Serperior!"

"Serperior... I think I know just the pokemon that can keep up with that pokemon." Ichigo said as he reached for his choice. "Umbreon, let's go!"

"Umbreon!"

"Let's begin this battle. Serperior, Dragon Tail!" Silvia said.

"Umbreon, Protect!" Ichigo said. Serperior slithered at Umbreon and tried to smash its tail against Umbreon, but Umbreon formed a barrier and was able to block the attack. "Now use Shadow Ball!" Umbreon shot the dark orb and blasted Serperior right in the head with it. "Now use Swift!"

"I don't think so! Leaf Blade!" Silvia said. Serperior moved faster than Umbreon and slashed its tail against Umbreon and knocked Umbreon down. "Now use Dragon Tail again!"

"Umbreon, Protect!" Ichigo said. A repeat happened as Serperior's attack was blocked. "Now use Psychic! Push Serperior back!" Umbreon used psychic powers and was able to push Serperior back while dealing some damage. "Now use Swift."

"Serperior, Leaf Tornado!" Silvia said. Both pokemon used their attacks, but Umbreon's stars were blown away. Serperior's attack hit Umbreon and blew Umbreon around. "Now use Dragon Tail!" Serperior swung its tail on Umbreon and smashed against Umbreon. Umbreon appears to have taken some damage, but is not giving up. Orihime didn't really like how this battle was going.

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball!" Ichigo said. Umbreon launched another dark orb. It hit, but Serperior was still standing.

"Sorry, Ichigo, but this battle is just about over. Serperior, Leaf Blade!" Silvia said. Serperior went in for the final attack.

"Umbreon, jump!" Ichigo said. Umbreon jumped up and avoided the attack. "Shadow Ball!" Umbreon fired another orb at point-blank and blast Serperior with it. Serperior took a lot of damage and was knocked out.

"This battle is over." Byakuya said.

"I guess that's it." Silvia said as she accepted defeat and brought Serperior back.

"Thanks, Umbreon." Ichigo said as he returned Umbreon as well. "Thanks for the battle, Silvia. It was a good one." Orihime thought the same as well for it helped her out.

"Silvia..." Orihime said as she walked over to her. "I want to thank you. It was a good battle and it's helped me make a decision. I'm still going with Ichigo to the Kalos League. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I do know I don't want to miss the kinds of battles Ichigo will have." Not what Silvia expected, but she respected Orihime's decision.

"The path of a trainer is a long one." Byakuya said. "We don't know what's ahead of us, but we find what we're looking for eventually. The future is wide open with many possibilities and many outcomes. With that, I take my leave." He said as he turned away.

"You're leaving?" Rukia asked.

"There are things I must take care of in Unova." Byakuya said. "Ichigo, I wish you well in the Kalos League." Ichigo appreciated that Byakuya supports him. With his leave, they won't forget what's they learend here.

The future isn't written in stone. The future is filled with much we don't know, but part of the fun in adventures is learning what happens when we get there. Even though our heroes don't know what's ahead of them, they continue on with their journey and will see when they get there.

To Be Continued...

Pokemon Question: Okay, trainers. The answer to the last question was...Kingdra! Kindra's scales were used in gifts for royalties. Here's the next question. What pokemon attacks with ultrasonic waves emitted by a red jewel on its head?