Welcome back. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I got caught up with another story. I also understand that I ended the last chapter with a lot of unanswered questions and I apologise for that. Nevertheless, I'm hoping this chapter will answer some of those questions.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and I hope it was worth the wait.


Professor Gidyea made his way to the Kanto Embassy. Security was much higher than it usually was. Professor Gidyea predicted this was done so Oak could have more protection. He was forced to empty his pockets and was required to surrender all electronic devises. He would get them back at the end of the meeting. He was led to a meeting room where he was told the other professors were waiting.

Upon entering he found a lot of stern looking professors sitting at a large table. Among them were Professor Oak of the Kanto Region, Professor Elm of the Johto Region, Professor Birch of the Hoenn Region, Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh Region, Professor Juniper of the Unova Region and Professor Sycamore of the Kalos Region. In addition to this, Professors from Regions Ash had yet to travel through were also present. Wanting to make this competition as big as he could, Professor Gidyea had also invited Professor Kukui of the Alola Region and Professor Sonia Magnolia of the Galar Region, who had taken over from her grandmother. Top Trainers and Coordinators from their regions had also been invited to participate.

Professor Gidyea sat down in the only vacant seat.

"You wanted to see me?" asked Professor Gidyea.

"Spare with the pleasantries Gidyea, you know why we called you here," stated Professor Oak.

"I have a few ideas, but please enlighten me," stated Professor Gidyea.

"We know you've been hiding Ash Ketchum in this region ever since he was accused of misconduct in the league," stated Professor Rowan.

"And what if I have? This is my region and who I decide to give asylum to is my business," said Professor Gidyea.

"Were you aware of the accusations made against Ash when he first arrived?" asked Professor Birch.

"Yeah. Believe it or not we do get worldwide news on this side of the pond," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Then why were you willing to give him asylum when he first arrived in this region?" asked Professor Elm.

"Simple, when he first arrived, I tested his pokémon and the results made me believe he didn't drug them," answered Professor Gidyea.

Professor Gidyea decided to neglect mentioning that some of Ash's pokémon were drugged upon arriving in the region, because he didn't have the evidence required to accuse Professor Oak.

"You're saying you saw no evidence of drugging?" asked Professor Juniper.

"None that was done by Ash," answered Professor Gidyea choosing his words carefully.

"Impossible," interjected Professor Oak. "I tested all of Ash's Pokémon before he returned home from the Kalos league and all of them showed signs of drugging."

"What can I say? It must've left their systems by the time they got here. Probably takes a long time to travel when most of the world's hunting you," stated Professor Gidyea.

"And just like that you granted him asylum and allowed him to catch and train pokémon from your region?" asked Professor Birch.

"It wasn't that simple. There were some who were sceptical, so we only granted Ash asylum on the condition he allow us to conduct random drug tests on his pokémon. He always complied when asked and I always tested the pokémon he left in my care. Every test came back negative," stated Professor Gidyea.

The Professors couldn't believe what they were hearing. Had Ash been innocent this entire time?

"Impossible," declared Professor Oak.

"Excuse me?" asked Professor Gidyea.

"I don't know how Ash convinced you of his innocence, but I tested his Pokémon when the drugs were fresh in their systems. I know for a fact he's guilty and the fact that you're protecting him is a crime against both pokémon and humanity," stated Professor Oak.

"Like I said, I saw no evidence of wrongdoing," repeated Professor Gidyea.

"Then you're lying and are a disgrace to the science of Pokémon Research," declared Professor Oak.

"You have some nerve coming to my region and accusing me of being dishonest in my research of pokémon," retorted Professor Gidyea.

Professor Oak decided to ignore this statement and get back on topic.

"Hand over Ash Ketchum. This is your final warning," threatened Professor Oak.

"And if I don't?" asked Professor Gidyea with a raised eyebrow.

"Then I'll declare war on your entire region," threatened Professor Oak.

"Wait, what?" asked Professor Elm who thought that was insane.

"I've read about this region's pokémon. I know how tough they are, but do you really think you can win against eight regions each of which have a far greater number of trainers?" asked Professor Oak.

Professor Gidyea was about to retort when Professor Rowan spoke up.

"Professor Oak have you gone completely mad?"

"We're not going to war with this region," stated Professor Elm.

"What?" asked Oak in disbelief.

"While we believe Ash should be punished for his crimes, we're not going to risk countless innocent lives just because Professor Gidyea refuses to hand him over," stated Professor Juniper. "I may think he was wrong to give Ash asylum, but it was his decision to make, and I don't think it warrants starting a war."

"Also, don't you think that's going a little too far to simply bring a cheater to justice?" asked Professor Birch.

"How dare you! All of you have dedicated your lives to the study and preservation of pokémon and you'll just let an abuser get off without consequences? We need to bring Ash to justice by any means necessary," declared Professor Oak.

"Look, we agree Ash should be punished, but to declare war on a region is taking things to far," stated Professor Sycamore, speaking up for the first time.

"And there will be consequences to his actions," stated Professor Juniper. "While Ash is free to compete in this region, he's prohibited from competing in others."

"Not only that, but we've all agreed to arrest him should he step foot in our regions," said Professor Rowan.

"I know that's not ideal but given the situation it's the best we can hope for," said Professor Elm.

"Not only that, but by being restricted to a single region, the best Ash can hope for is becoming champion of the Stralia Region. He'll never be able to accomplish his true goal of becoming a Pokémon Master," interjected Professor Sycamore, hoping this would calm them down.

"So, you're saying that if I declare war on the Stralia Region, none of you will assist?" asked Professor Oak.

Every Professor shook their heads. Oak's face went red with anger.

"Fine, I'll just invade myself. Every trainer in the Kanto Region will follow me without question and they won't rest until Ash is brought to justice," declared Professor Oak, before directing his attention to Professor Gidyea. "Your pokémon might be strong, but your region is young, you have only a small number of Pokémon Trainers and they don't have nearly as much experience as the ones from Kanto. Our experience and numbers will crush your brute strength. Furthermore, no other region will come to your aide, you might as well surrender."

Professor Gidyea folded his arms.

"You're right, we don't have the experience or numbers you do, but you can't be certain that no other region will come to our aid if you invade," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Oh really? While all the other Professors have abandoned me in my quest to bring Ash to justice, none of them will come to your aid while you're protecting a pokémon abuser," declared Professor Oak.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Professor Gidyea.

"Of course, I'm sure. I have influence across every region, your influence stops at the boarders of this region. I'll even ask the question," stated Professor Oak. "If I was to invade the Stralia Region would any of you come to their aid?"

Professor Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper and Sycamore remained still, but Professor Kukui and Magnolia who had been silent the whole meeting each raised an arm confirming they would. Professor Sycamore was about to raise his own arm when Professor Gidyea shook his head quietly while everyone's attention was diverted. While Professor Sycamore was a good ally to have, Professor Gidyea felt it was better he keep his alliance secret as only a few people in his region supported Ash. Professor Sycamore lowered his arm before anyone could see.

"What? Are you honestly telling me you'll defend this man's region even though he's protecting a Pokémon Abuser?" asked Oak angrily.

"What if we don't believe the accusations against him?" asked Professor Kukui.

"Furthermore, you should've taken a closer look at this region's history before threatening it with violence," stated Professor Magnolia.

"What are you talking about?" asked Oak.

"Many families of the Stralia Region including my own immigrated from Galar. They were allies with us long before Ash fled to this region," stated Professor Gidyea. "And they remain our allies to this day."

"In fact, we've known about Ash's location for years," interjected Professor Magnolia.

"Why would you want to remain allied to a region that protects an abuser of pokémon?" demanded Professor Oak.

"Because like Professor Gidyea we also tested Ash's Pokémon and the results indicated he was innocent," answered Professor Magnolia.

"Your tests would've proved nothing. You've only been a professor for the last few years. Ash's pokémon would've been clean by the time you tested them," stated Professor Oak.

"I didn't say I was the one who tested them," stated Professor Magnolia.

"It was her grandma. The previous Professor Magnolia," interjected Professor Gidyea.

"How was she able to test them? Even if they are your allies surely you wouldn't have told anyone about Ash's location when he wanted to remain hidden," stated Professor Oak.

"I didn't have to. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is one of the few regions in the world where you have no influence. The previous Professor Magnolia figured this out and visited this region under the guise of wanting to study more Stralian Pokemon. I didn't see this as unusual as she was an occasional lecturer at the university I attended while I was doing my PHD. She quickly confronted me of hiding Ash in this Region. I tried to deny it, but she had the proof she needed to show she was right. She said she'd keep this a secret on the condition she be allowed to test Ash's pokémon. Ash consented and she came to the same conclusion I did. That Ash didn't drug his pokémon!" explained Professor Gidyea. "From here we discussed what we should do if you threatened violence against this region. She promised me I had the Galar Region's full support in the event you tried to harm us."

"An agreement I continued when I was appointed resident professor of the Galar Region," stated Professor Magnolia.

It was clear to Professor Oak that the alliance between Stralia and Galar was set in stone.

"What about you?" asked Professor Oak turning to Professor Kukui. "What possessed you to side with this disgraceful region over Kanto?"

"Let's just say I wasn't the only one who had a say in the decision," answered Professor Kukui.

Professor Kukui got up from his seat and walked to the door. He opened it revealing another Professor that looked a lot like Professor Oak.

"Hello Samson," Professor Oak scowled.

"Samuel," he replied entering the room.

"So, I see you've decided to betray your own flesh and blood," growled Professor Oak.

"Who's that guy?" whispered Professor Juniper to Professor Roman.

"That's Professor Samson Oak. He's Professor Samuel Oak's cousin. He studies pokémon in the Alolan Region," answered Professor Rowan.

"Do I even want to know why my own cousin has decided to betray me?" asked Professor Oak.

"That's a funny story actually," interjected Professor Gidyea.

Seven Years Ago.

Professor Gidyea was on a video call to Professor Kukui and Samson Oak discussing a potential research project.

"So you're sure it's ok for me to have an Alolan Raichu so I can see how the different environments have affected their evolution?" asked Professor Gidyea.

"You're giving us a Stralian Raichu in exchange. Seems like more than a fair trade to me," answered Professor Kukui.

"Besides, this might allow us to discover more regional variants by exposing them to different environments," interjected Samson.

"I guess, but for now I'll be keepen a close eye on the Raichu you're giving me because the last thing this region needs is another pest epidemic," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Yes, we've read about how introduced species have damaged your region's ecosystem. We respect your desire to keep the Raichu in captivity," said Professor Kukui.

"Believe me we have the same plan with the Stailian Raichu," said Samson.

"So should we do the trade?" asked Professor Gidyea.

"I don't see why not," said Professor Kukui.

Professor Gidyea put a pokéball into a machine to transfer the Stralian Raichu. Before he could complete the transfer, the door to his office burst open.

"Professor, you're not going to believe this. Dawn's Eevee evolved after being poisoned by a Copperfang and …" Gary trailed off when he saw Professor Gidyea start signing for him to be quiet.

"What's going on?" asked Professor Kukui.

"Nothing," lied Professor Gidyea.

Samson wasn't fooled. It had been a while, but he recognised the voice of his cousin's grandson.

"Gary?" he asked.

"No, that's just me intern… Barry," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Really?" asked Samson. "Gary come here right now, or I'll tell your grandfather to search the Stralia Region for Ash Ketchum."

Gary knew he wasn't going to win this argument. He stood in front of Gidyea's computer.

"Now, why did you side with Ash over your own grandfather?" asked Samson.

Present.

"To cut a long story short he eventually asked to see my tests on Ash's Pokémon. While he didn't question me judgement, he nevertheless wanted to make his own assessment. So, he travelled to this region, did his own tests, which generated the same results as mine did, convincing him that Ash was innocent!" explained Professor Gidyea.

"After that I helped form the alliance agreement between the Stralia and Alola Region," stated Samson.

"Which I also agreed to," interjected Professor Kukui.

"Understand though, both alliances will only remain if the Kanto Region moves against Stralia," stated Professor Gidyea. "If we were to move against Kanto, where'd receive no support."

"But I promise you. If you make a single attack against this region, the entire Galar Region will come to its aid," declared Professor Magnolia.

"The same is true for the Alola Region," declared Professor Kukui.

Professor Oak turned to the remaining professors.

"And none of you will assist me if I declare war on this region?"

The professors shook their heads.

"We're not going to risk innocent lives to bring one cheater to justice," said Professor Birch.

"Surely there's a better way we can deal with this," said Professor Elm.

Professor Gidyea thought he'd heard enough.

"Well, if that's all you wanted to talk about, I think we're done here."

Professor Gidyea got up and headed for the door.

"Hold on. Might I remind you that while in this embassy you are on Kantonian soil. You will leave when I say you can," threatened Professor Oak.

"Are you really going to hold a professor prisoner in his own region?" Professor Gidyea turned and crossed his arms.

"That could be seen as an attack against the region," threatened Professor Magnolia.

Professor Oak knew that preventing Professor Gidyea from leaving was the worst choice he could make.

"Fine," surrendered Professor Oak.

"Hold on," interjected Professor Juniper. "While we've agreed to not wage war on the Stralia Region we're still not happy that you're letting a cheater compete."

"Accused cheater. The accusations were never proven," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Regardless, we still feel that Ash shouldn't be allowed to compete," stated Professor Rowan.

Professor Gidyea sat back down.

"What if we could reach an agreement?"

"What did you have in mind?" asked Professor Sycamore.

Professor Gidyea pointed at, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper and Sycamore.

"What if one of you did another test on Ash's pokémon? That way we can have an unbiased test."

"That won't prove his innocence," stated Professor Birch. "Any evidence from seven years ago would have disappeared!"

"True, it won't clear his name from seven years ago, but it will prove that in this instance he's playing by the rules. If he is, I see no reason why he can't compete," stated Professor Gidyea. "That's the best deal I can offer, because one way or another, Ash Ketchum will be competing."

The remaining Professors looked at each other.

"Can we have a moment to discuss this?" asked Professor Elm.

"Of course, it's an important decision, but don't take too long because the competition begins in a few days," said Professor Gidyea.

"We'll try and have an answer by the end of the day," stated Professor Rowan.

"Thank you," Professor Gidyea left knowing this was not a conversation he could be a part of.

Professor Kukui and Professor Magnolia followed suit as this decision didn't include them.

As Professor Gidyea walked back to his lab, he feared he'd made a mistake. It occurred to him that one of the other professors could be in league with Professor Oak. If they were, Professor Gidyea could've created more issues for Ash.

"I can see the meeting went well," said a voice.

Professor Gidyea jumped and saw Sabrina was behind him.

"You really know how to make an entrance," he said.

Sabrina ignored that statement and scanned Professor Gidyea's mind.

"I'm just glad you've prevented Professor Oak from declaring war on this region," stated Sabrina.

"Well, it's not a smart idea to declare war with no support against a region that has a lot of support," said Professor Gidyea.

"Indeed," Sabrina scanned his mind. "I can also see you have some doubts about the other professors. You don't have to worry, none of them are in league with Professor Oak, they all merely believe Ash is guilty. You can trust them to be honest with what they find."

"You know you might want to let people ask the question instead of just reading their mind," stated Professor Gidyea.

"Sorry, force of habit," stated Sabrina.

"That's alright. Anyway, I'd better get going before someone sees us," said Professor Gidyea.

"What will you do now?" asked Sabrina.

"I'm going to see Ash and see if he's ok with one of the other professors testing his pokémon," stated Professor Gidyea.

"I don't see why he has any reason not to. It'll only help prove he's an honest trainer," stated Sabrina. "Tell him what I told you, that should convince him they can be trusted to provide honest results."

"I guess but considering everything that's happened I won't blame him if he's a little resistance," stated Professor Gidyea.

Professor Gidyea took off believing things were going to become increasingly difficult over the next few days.


Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think, all feedback is greatly appreciated. I'm also going to try and update this story a little more often, as I've decided to put the other story on Hiatus.

Credit for having Alola and Galar as allies to the Stralia Region goes to magdenfan311 who pitched the idea to me. I actually hinted at this in a previous chapter where I showed Professor Gidyea interacting with Pokémon from both regions. They also suggested using Samson Oak as an additional ally for Ash. I hope this suggestion was properly executed.

Before I go, I'd like to announce that I'm open to potential battles/contests you want to see over the course of the story. Some are set in stone, but I'm having a little trouble on deciding who should battle who. Please PM or review if you have any ideas.