It was a lovely Saturday evening in Pallet Town. The quiet little town and all its people were turning in for a good night's sleep as they usually did. One couple however was still up even as the sun went away. One specific house in the sleepy little town still had a bit of activity going on. In the living room, a young man and his beloved girlfriend were up late watching a movie together with their partner Pokemon sleeping together on the rug below. The 21-year-old young lady was laying across the sofa with her head nestled into his lap. He meanwhile was stroking her brunette hair absentmindedly as they both continued their movie. They had been a couple for several years at this point, and they loved each other dearly. The 23-year-old young man even planned on tying the knot with her someday soon. However, a sudden flash of light out the back door catches the corner of the woman's eye.

"Huh?" she wondered as she sat up.

"What's up May?" her boyfriend wondered.

"Did you see that Ash?" she asked.

"See what?" Ash echoed her confusion. May got up from the couch and walked over to the back door of the house, and Ash swiftly followed her, rousing both Pokemon from the floor in the process.

"Pika…?" the little yellow Pokemon yawned.

"Gla…" the blue Pokemon echoed his sleepiness.

"I thought I saw a flash of light in the backyard." May explained.

"Really?" he peered out the window, but it had become so late that he couldn't see anything but the dark of night. "I don't see anything, but I'll go check it out anyway just in case."

"Well, then I'll come with you." She declared.

"Okay, but please just stay behind me." He agreed. May nodded in agreement. "Pikachu get ready."

"Right." Pikachu nodded as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"You too Glaceon." May told her partner.

"Ready." Glaceon replied. Cautiously, Ash opened the back door and headed into the backyard. Upon turning on the patio lights, he saw a large white and golden Pokemon standing in his own backyard. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared in shock.

"Arceus...?" he finally managed to ask.

"It's good to see you again Ash." Arceus nodded politely as his telepathic mind reached out to Ash's.

"It's great to see you too. But…why are you here? Is something the matter...?" the trainer asked curiously.

"I wish I could say it was simply a relaxation visit, but that's not the case. I require your assistance once again. It's a very grave matter." Arceus replied.

"How grave is this situation…?" Ash gulped slightly.

"One that if not resolved, will completely eradicate the world you know as home." Arceus answered solemnly.

"Whoa…" Ash gasped.

"I know you have experience with time travel. And I know you always work for the good of all people and Pokemon. That's why I come to you now. Someone in the past is trying to rip apart the very fabric of time and space, and I need you to find the responsible party and stop their plot before it destroys the entire future." Arceus explained.

"Wow, Arceus…well if that's the case then, of course, I will!" Ash nodded with his classic determination. "How far back are you taking me?"

"Nearly 300 years. Back to when people first began to truly settle the region you call Sinnoh." The Alpha Pokemon answered.

"Well, all of my Pokémon and I will stop whoever is doing this and save the future." Ash promised.

"I appreciate that Ash, but you must bring only one of your partners. The world you are going to will be one where most still fear Pokémon. Any more than one will arouse everyone to suspicion." Arceus corrected him.

"Oh...I guess that makes sense. Well, if I'm only allowed to bring only one Pokémon with me then I already know who I'm bringing along." He smiled as he looked at his Pikachu on his shoulder. "What do you say, buddy?"

"You bet! We're in this together!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Very good." Arceus continued. "You must do your best to blend into the world. If you raise the suspicions of these people it will make it near impossible for you to find out who is responsible for this event."

"Will do Arceus. You can count on us."

"Wait a minute!" May suddenly piped up, drawing both Ash and Arceus's attention to her for the first time in several minutes. "What did you just agree to?!"

"Oh!" Ash gasped as he realized that May had not been allowed to hear Arceus's telepathic voice. "Arceus has asked for my help. Someone in the past is on the verge of destroying the future and they have to be stopped. So I'm going to go do it."

"What?!" May screamed as she shifted her gaze to Arceus. "You're seriously sending Ash and Pikachu to the past by themselves?!" Sighing to himself, Arceus then connected her mind to the two of theirs so they could talk as well.

"If I remember correctly you are…Ash's mate yes?" he confirmed.

"You can say that sure." May nodded, earning a small blush from Ash at the classification.

"I do apologize but the mission is of a very delicate nature. I can't afford to send too many people into the past without risking the timeline." Arceus informed her.

"I get that. But if you're sending my boyfriend to Arceus-knows-where into a potentially dangerous environment, you'd better be sending me with him." She argued.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot risk sending more people." he insisted.

"And I won't accept being left behind." She fired back. Arceus looked at Ash in the hopes that he'd talk to May, but the raven-haired trainer simply shrugged his shoulders.

"You can't stop her Arceus. She's as stubborn as me." He remarked. Sighing to himself, Arceus mulled over the decision for a moment and then turned his attention back to May.

"...Very well. But all the same rules must apply." He finally conceded.

"No worries. I'll only bring my Glaceon with me." She nodded.

"Once you two have arrived there I cannot contact you. With the current crisis ongoing, it's too risky to reveal myself. Even to you." Arceus continued the explanation.

"Understood." Ash nodded.

"Then are you both ready?"

"I'm always ready." He said as he gave a thumbs up and took May's hand in his own.

"Me too." May added. Arceus nodded and began to glow with a soft golden light. Both Ash and May shielded their eyes with their arms so as not to go blind. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves traveling through an interdimensional portal.

"Whoa...!" Ash gasped. May took a deep breath and held Ash's hand a bit tighter.

"We're really...going back in time..." she remarked. "I haven't done this in a long time..."

"Wait when have you time traveled?" Ash asked, looking at her curiously.

"I never told you guys that story?" she wondered aloud.

"About your time traveling? No. When did this happen?"

"I'll tell you the story once this mission is don-" the portal suddenly started to shake violently, cutting her off.

"What the?!" Ash gasped.

"Can you two hear me?!" Arceus's voice suddenly reentered their minds. "The distortions are affecting my power! I'm losing the containment of the portal!" As they heard his explanation, both trainers began to feel the portal's disturbance grow worse. As it began to break apart, May suddenly felt the pressure begin to pull her in the opposite direction from Ash, loosening the grip they had on the other's hand.

"Ack! Ash!" she cried out.

"May hang on!" he yelled back, trying to tighten his grip on her. Glaceon pressed her body to May's legs, attempting to push her back towards Ash. The stress on everyone continued to grow greater however and the pull on both of them continued.

"I-I'm slipping...!" May whimpered.

"Hold on just a little longer...!" Ash called out to her. She held onto his hand as tightly as she could, but the stress of the distortions became too great and their hands were ripped apart. May and Glaceon screamed as they disappeared into the portal without Ash and Pikachu.

"No May!" Ash yelled out in a panic.

"Glaceon!" Pikachu echoed Ash's fear. The portal around them finally broke apart completely, plunging them into darkness. Ash grit his teeth and grabbed a hold of Pikachu, not wanting to get separated from him as well somehow. Everything seemed still for a few moments, then both Ash and Pikachu suddenly began to feel a wind rushing passed them and a light below comes into view, looking to be some kind of exit from the portal. Bracing for whatever was going to happen next, Ash's body passed through the hole and he suddenly found himself falling through the sky. The realization that he was falling towards an ocean below made him begin to scream.

"We're gonna crash!" Pikachu panicked as he clung to Ash tightly. Holding Pikachu as tightly as he could, Ash's body crashed into the water below, which knocked them both unconscious.

A few hours later, the pair washed up on a beach in a small bay. The sun of the late afternoon was drying them quickly but was doing little to rouse them back to the waking world. However, a voice suddenly piped up nearby.

"Osha? Wott wott!" the voice called out to them. Apparently, it was just what Ash needed to hear because he softly groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh...?" As his sight returned to him, he found himself looking at a little blue and white otter-like Pokemon who was staring back down at him.

"Osha?"

"An Oshawott...?" Ash wondered as another Pokemon, this one a blue and yellow mouse-like Pokemon, walked over and stood next to Oshawott.

"Cynda?" the newcomer asked.

"And a Cyndaquil…?" he wondered again as he sat up, still rubbing his head as Pikachu started to wake up as well. Before he could wonder why they were there, a third one, a peach and green owl-like Pokemon, landed next to the other two and looked up at him.

"Row?" he chirped.

"A Rowlet too?"

"Oh my! Are you alright young man?!" another new voice shouted out. Ash followed the voice and found himself looking at an older man with a darker complexion and a purple hat running towards them.

"Oh uh…y-yeah...yeah we're fine…" he replied.

"I should hope so! I just watched you two fall out of the sky!" the man commented. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Oh…well I guess I'm just glad we landed in the water then." Ash gave a halfhearted chuckle.

"How on earth did you fall from such a height?" the man wondered.

"Uh..." Ash stalled as he remembered Arceus's instructions to not tell anyone about the mission. "I have no idea honestly..."

"Osha! Oshawott!" Oshawott called them, pointing over towards the top of a large mountain, one Ash was quick to recognize as Mount Coronet.

"Yes, I think you're right Oshawott. It did look like they fell through the rift." The man agreed with the little Pokemon.

"A rift?" Ash wondered, noticing a rift in reality was hovering just above the mountain's peak. "When did that get there?"

"It's been that way for several months. No one can explain it and everyone around here is too scared to try and examine it. But can you honestly blame them?" the man explained.

"Well I suppose not...it is certainly mysterious…" Ash agreed.

"Well, if you don't remember how you got here, do you at least remember who you are?" the man asked.

"I'm Ash and this here is my buddy Pikachu." Ash answered, as Pikachu finally regained enough strength to take back his perch on Ash's shoulder.

"Nice to meet you, Ash. My name is Laventon. Professor Laventon." The man replied.

"Do you…happen to know where I am?" Ash asked.

"Ah, you've washed up on the shores of Prelude Beach here in the Hisui region." The Professor informed him.

"Hisui huh?" Ash said. "Must be the old name of Sinnoh…"

"Wow…" Pikachu commented. Laventon looked at the two of them curiously, then eventually smiled.

"Fascinating. You already have a Pokémon as a partner? You seem very fond of these creatures." he said with visible respect on his face.

"I sure do."

"Then perhaps you could help me with a very special project." Laventon said with an eager grin. Pikachu seemed to be ignoring the Professor however as he looked around the beach for the girls and, when he saw no trace of them, nudged Ash to draw his attention.

"Do you see them anywhere...?" he whispered.

"No, I haven't…" Ash whispered back. Pikachu frowned and drooped his ears, Ash understanding just how worried he was. Because he felt just as worried.

"Is something wrong?" Laventon asked, noticing both of them had gone quiet.

"Actually Professor...I actually do remember going through a portal with someone else and her Pokemon...but we got separated in it before we landed here..." he carefully explained.

"You were traveling with someone?"

"Yeah." Ash nodded. "Have you seen anyone else around here lately? A girl my age, has brown hair, blue eyes, wearing "strange" clothes like mine, and has a female Glaceon with her?"

"I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone around here matching that description. And it looked like you fell from the rift on your own." Laventon replied.

"I see…Guess that means she fell somewhere else..." Ash sighed.

"Well if that's the case, perhaps she's found her way to Jubilife Village. That's where most people in these parts like to go to be safe from the wild Pokémon." The Professor suggested.

"Jubilife Village huh...?" Ash wondered, recognizing the name.

"Yeah. It's just up the road from this beach. We could be there by nightfall." Laventon nodded.

"Okay then. Let's check there." Ash agreed.

"Come on then." Professor Laventon smiled. He then helped Ash back onto his feet, but just as he started walking back towards the village, the three Pokémon at his feet all ran off in different directions. "Ack! Wait now where are you three going?!"

"Oh boy..." Ash sweatdropped.

"What is going on with those three...?" Laventon sighed. "If anything happens to Oshawott Akari will kill me..."

"Wait Oshawott belongs to someone?" Ash wondered.

"Yes, he's the partner assistant, Akari. She's a part of my team who's helping out with that project I mentioned to you." The Professor explained as he watched the three Pokemon scamper about up the path. "If only I was as good as she is at throwing pokéballs..."

"You guys have pokéballs?" Ash questioned him with a hint of surprise.

"You've heard of our invention?"

"Oh uh no!" Ash quickly tried to cover his slip. "Haven't heard about it till you said it ha ha!"

"Well then…" Professor Laventon started as he took a few out of his pocket and showed them to Ash. "They're these little capsules I invented. They have the power to contain Pokémon inside so people can carry them around much easier. But they require such aim to throw and I just don't have the skill."

"Well then let me give it a try." Ash offered.

"Well, it's certainly worth a shot." Laventon agreed as he handed his supply of pokéballs to Ash. The trainers took the ancient pokéballs and then ran after the three runaway Pokemon. The first one he came across was Rowlet, who was flapping his wings near a tree. Ash carefully moved in close, took aim, and threw a pokéball at him.

"Ro?" Rowlet wondered as he turned his head around only to get hit in the head, and sent inside.

"So Déjà vu…I hope Rowlet and everyone else is ok back home..." Ash thought to himself as the ball shook. After a moment, a firework shot out of the top of the capsule, signaling a catch. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and ran over to the ball, hitting it over to Ash with his tail. Ash caught it, placed it on his belt, and then ran to Cyndaquil, who he spotted nearby playing among some pebbles. Ash again crept in close and then quickly threw a pokéball at him.

"Cynda?" Cyndaquil got hit and sucked inside. Waiting another moment, a firework went off just like before.

"Alright!" Ash cheered as Pikachu brought the ball over to him.

"Amazing!" Professor Laventon exclaimed. With one more to go, Ash ran over to Oshawott, who was playing in a small pond.

"Can't catch this one if he belongs to someone." Ash muttered to himself before turning to Pikachu. "Pikachu, he's in the pond, can you do a Thunderbolt so I can grab him?"

"On it." Pikachu nodded. He slowly crept closer to Oshawott and subtly stuck his tail into the water. Before Oshawott knew what was happening, Pikachu let loose a Thunderbolt and shocked Oshawott. The little Pokemon cried out in pain and fainted quickly. Ash ran over and picked up the fainted Pokemon.

"Sorry about that Oshawott…" Ash sweatdropped.

"Incredible!" Laventon exclaimed as he ran over. "You caught all three of them! And with such speed to boot."

"It was nothing really." Ash waved him off as he handed the two pokéballs to the Professor.

"You know your skills would be perfect for this project I've been working on." He commented.

"You mentioned that earlier. What is this project?" Ash asked.

"You see, I want to observe and compile data about all the Pokemon of this land so that we can understand them better." Laventon explained.

"Oh wow. What would you call something like that then?" Ash feigned his confusion.

"I don't have an official name picked out yet. I do like the name Pokedex though." Professor Laventon commented.

"Well, I think Pokédex has a nice ring to it." Ash smiled.

"So would you be interested in helping me out with such a project?" he asked hopefully.

"I need to find whoever is plotting against Arceus…and I have to find out what happened to May… but maybe helping out with this will give me a chance to look around and solve all this…"Ash thought to himself. "I'll think on it."

"Thank you, Ash. For now, let's head to the village." Laventon nodded.

"Alright then." With that, the two of them continued up the path towards the village.

After a short walk, Professor Laventon and Ash arrived at a large wooden wall with guards posted out front.

"Whoa..." Ash gasped. Professor Laventon greeted the guards and then walked through the gate.

"Come along young man." Ash nodded and followed him into the settlement, while still carrying Oshawott with Pikachu sitting on his head. "Welcome to Jubilife Village, my boy."

"Wow. This is a really nice settlement you guys got here." Ash smiled softly.

"Thank you. We're quite proud of it." He replied. "Do you know anyone around here? Someplace to stay?"

"I don't..." Ash suddenly realized.

"I see...well in that case I may have a solution for you."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Professor Laventon nodded as he pointed toward a large building at the back of the settlement. "See that large building at the end of the street?"

"The big one with the Magikarp on it?" Ash wondered.

"Right. That's the Galaxy Team Headquarters."

"The Galaxy Team?" Ash wondered, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the similarity of the name to another Team he once knew.

"I'll have to have a talk with the Captain, but it's possible they'll let you stay in one of their barracks." Laventon offered.

"Oh, that would be great. Thank you, Professor." Ash smiled.

"Go ahead and wait at that restaurant there on the corner while I talk with her. It's called the Wallflower." He added,

"No problem." Ash replied. As Professor Laventon headed inside the large building, Ash headed towards the restaurant. However before he could get there, he heard a frantic voice nearby.

"Oshawott?! Oshawott where are you?!" a feminine voice called out.

"Huh?" Ash wondered as he turned around towards the voice. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a young lady with dark blue hair looking around the streets franticly.

"Oh man...where did he get to...?" the woman wondered aloud.

"Dawn?!" Ash gasped to himself. However, he was quick to remember where and when he was. "Wait. I'm in ancient Sinnoh…is it possible she could she be Dawn's ancestor?" It was then that the woman noticed him and Oshawott in his arms and ran over.

"Oh you found my Oshawott?!" she gasped as she took the Water Type into her arms. The transfer between them roused Oshawott and he looked up, recognizing his trainer.

"Osha!" he cheered.

"Oshawott are you ok?" she wondered.

"Wott osha!" he nodded, allowing her to sigh in relief.

"That's good." She smiled before she looked at Ash. "Thank you so mu- hey wait. I don't recognize you. Did you just arrive in the village?"

"Uh yeah. I arrived here on the beach a little while ago." Ash answered.

"Well, thank you so much for keeping my Oshawott out of trouble." She replied.

"It's no problem." He smiled.

"My name is Akari." She smiled back at him. "And you are?"

"I'm Ash."

"Nice to meet you, Ash." She answered before looking at his clothes. "Though it's pretty clear you're not from around here…"

"Yeah, no kidding. I actually came through the rift." Ash explained before he could stop himself. Akari's eyes widen in shock as Ash immediately realized what he'd just done.

"You came out of the rift…? H-How is that possible...?" she wondered.

"Uh…beats me." He replied as he frantically tried to change the subject. "Actually uh…I'm looking for a friend of mine that I got separated from...any chance you've seen anyone here in the village that is wearing unusual clothes like me…?"

"Well, there's no one like you around here that I've seen. I certainly know that much." She replied.

"Just great...they must have landed somewhere else in the region..." Ash sighed to himself, failing to notice Akari looking him up and down, and smiling with a hint of excitement.

"Well...as much as I like your look we should think about getting you into something a bit more suited for the environment here. Wild Pokemon could slice up those clothes without breaking a sweat." She commented with a hint of mischievousness in her eye.

"Wait really?" he wondered, but before either one could continue their conversation, Professor Laventon returned and smiled at the sight of them together.

"Ah, Ash. Glad to see you've already met Akari." He commented.

"Oh hi there Professor." Ash said.

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Captain has agreed to give you your own barracks for the night. The bad news is if you want to continue using them during your stay, she insists on you becoming a member of the Galaxy Team." He explained.

"Sounds like her." Akari commented.

"Osha." Oshawott agreed.

"Good. You must be Ash." A new voice suddenly interrupted the conversation. Ash turned around and his eyes widened as he saw who was walking up to the group. He saw an older woman with short light blue hair and piercing grey eyes that were all too familiar. Ash managed to stifle a scream but still moved quickly away from the woman. Akari and Professor Laventon noticed his change in behavior and watched with confusion.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Laventon asked. Again remembering where and when he was, Ash quickly regained most of his composure.

"S-Sorry about that...guess the Captain kinda reminded me of someone who I...had a bad experience with…" he tried to explain as little as possible.

"I see…well Ash this is Captain Cyllene, Leader of the Survey Corps branch of the Galaxy Team." Laventon introduced the two of them.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain." Ash greeted her, now having reclaimed his wits.

"You as well Ash. I understand from the Professor that you have quite the skills when it comes to capturing Pokémon." She commented.

"I guess so." He brushed it off.

"We could use skills like that in the Survey Corps branch of the Galaxy Team. If you are willing to aid us in the completion of the Professor's project, I will arrange housing and food for you during your stay here." She explained their terms.

"Guess it beats sleeping in the streets." Ash thought to himself. "I'll do what I can to help."

"Then I'll arrange for an entrance test to be conducted in the morning. Professor Laventon and Akari will administer it." The Captain replied.

"Sounds great." He replied with a small smile.

"I believe you'll be comfortable in Barrack number 1. Report to my office in the morning for your exam." She finished as she handed him a bag of supplies and then walked off. Ash looked at the pack curiously, unsure of quite how to put it on.

"Here, it goes like this." Akari offered as she took it from him and wrapped it around his waist. She secured the ropes with ease, then purposely brushed her hand against his waist, causing Ash to blush a little at the close contact. She pulled away and smiled at him before he could ask her about the touch. "There."

"Looks like a perfect fit." Laventon nodded in agreement.

"Although, if you're going to do an entrance exam you can't possibly go in those clothes. You'll get killed. We need to get you a whole new outfit." Akari remarked.

"That's a great idea Akari." The Professor agreed.

"But who would I go to for new clothes?" Ash questioned them. Seemingly excited by the question, Akari grabbed his arm with a big smile on her face.

"I'll take you to the clothing shop." She offered.

"Thank you, Akari." Ash said politely.

"And once you two are done there, come back here and we'll have dinner at the Wallflower." Laventon added.

"Thanks, Professor!" she replied before running off with Ash in her grasp.

"Whoa!" Ash stumbled after her. Akari was smiling and blushing a little to herself as they walked to the shop together. To anyone who happened to glance at her as they went by, it was clear just how smitten she was. Of course to Ash, it wasn't really all that clear.

"Here we can get you something protective and fashionable." She grinned.

"Wow. There are a lot of options." He realized. Akari looked him up and down for a moment as if evaluating him and his clothes.

"Judging by your look..." her voice trailed off as she dashed off to one corner of the shop and grabbed an outfit. "you should wear this one." Ash took the outfit and looked at it. It was bulkier and more form-fitting than what he was used to, but he knew that to help him fit in he'd have to. Though, going shopping without May made him feel a bit bad. She always knew how to find him something that he liked, but was still "stylish" as she put it. Whatever that meant. He could only hope she'd approve of the new outfit once he found her. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by Akari's voice. "Go ahead and give it a try."

"Okay then." He said. He retreated into a changing room and put the outfit on before walking back out to her. Akari smiled as she looked over his body with a long and lingering gaze.

"Nice...very nice..." she remarked.

"You really think so?" he questioned her.

"No doubt about it..." she grinned.

"Well, thanks then." He smiled back, seeming to completely miss the hints she was throwing out.

"You're quite welcome Ash..." she said with a blush, which Pikachu took notice of. "Well then, shall we go to dinner?"

"Sure thing." He nodded as they headed out together.

A few hours later, after a potato mochi dinner was completed, Ash and Akari were following Professor Laventon to the rows of Galaxy Team barracks near headquarters. They walked until they found one with the number 1 written on a sign over the door.

"Ah, here we are. This one is yours, Ash." Laventon announced.

"Thanks, Professor." Ash replied as he walked up to the barrack door.

"I'm in the one right next door if you need anything..." Akari hinted at him. Once again, however, the clue went right over Ash's head.

"Thanks, Akari."

"Sleep well you two." Laventon said before he headed off to his own barracks.

"Goodnight Ash...I'll see you in the morning." She whispered.

"See you in the morning Akari." He replied. Akari smiled and blushed a little as she headed into her barracks with Oshawott. Ash walks into his own with Pikachu. The barracks were simple, but comfortable and seemed to contain everything he'd need during his stay. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and onto the bed, stretching out his limbs before shaking out his fur.

"Wow...this place is...weird..." he commented to Ash, who sat down beside him on the bed.

"I know what you mean...I know this is Sinnoh's ancient past...but I didn't expect so many people to look so similar to the ones I know…" he agreed.

"Not to mention the girls are still missing…" Pikachu added as he drooped his ears a little at the thought of Glaceon out in the wild and in danger.

"I know…I wish I could use my Rotom Phone to try and call May..." Ash sighed as he pulled his phone out from the pile of his normal clothes. However, as he did, he was quick to notice that his phone didn't look the same as the last time he saw it. "Huh?"

"What?" Pikachu asked. Ash showed Pikachu his phone, which instead of its normal red color, was now white and had a symbol of Arceus's ring on the back.

"Check out my phone...it looks kinda like Arceus..." he said curiously.

"Kinda does." Pikachu agreed.

"Arceus must've done this to my phone when he was sending us back in time. But why? Did he do it to May's phone as well?" Ash puzzled to himself.

"If he did maybe we could call them." The Electric Mouse said with a bit of hope. Ash nodded and dialed May's number from memory. He held the phone to his ear and waited while holding his breath, but no answer came through. "Darn…"

"I guess we have to find them on our own..." Ash sighed.

"I'm just worried…I mean if something's happened to them out there..." Pikachu's voice trailed off as he shuddered to think of the disasters that could've happened.

"Don't worry Pikachu. We'll find them in no time and then we'll finish this mission for Arceus." Ash assured him.

"I hope you're right…" Pikachu agreed as he curled up on one of the pillows. Ash laid his head down on the other pillow and pulled the blanket up over himself and Pikachu. The Electric Type closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep fairly quickly. Ash however took a moment to look out his window and up at the stars twinkling above.

"Goodnight May…I hope you're ok wherever you are…"

To be Continued...