Canalave Library

Canalave City, Sinnoh

Regular World

"Cynthia!" Dawn, Goh, and Chloe called as they ran out the Gate toward the Sinnoh champion who was surprised to see them.

"Are you all alright?" Cynthia asked as she glanced at the trio and their Pokémon. In the corner of her eye, she saw that the Gate was disappearing, but she failed to see the Team Rocket Trio sneak out of it from behind.

"I'm fine! We defeated Team Rocket, and it was so amazing to see Dialga and Palkia up close!" Goh exclaimed with his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Professor Cerise would love to hear about this adventure! Right, Ash?"

Hearing no response from his companion, Goh hastily looked around and repeated, "Ash?" Dawn and Chloe began looking as well when they heard Goh repeat his question, but there was no sign of their friend and his Pokémon.

"Aerodactyl!" Goh yelled with worry plastered all over his face. "Do you see Ash at all!? Where could he be!?"

"Aero!" Aerodactyl roared as he examined his surroundings, but he soon shook his head. He didn't see the raven-haired trainer or his Pikachu.

"Hmm," Cynthia gravely spoke while viewing the three children in front of her. "I didn't see Ash as well when you all left the Gate. I think he might still in there."

"What!?" Dawn cried out concernedly. "But Dialga and Palkia transported us out of the Gate with their powers! How could he still be in there?"

"Pip! Piplup!" Piplup feverishly exclaimed, nodding his head. He was worried about his friend Pikachu.

"Unless…," Chloe started to say, causing everyone to look at the girl. "Dialga and Palkia sent Ash somewhere else instead of our world."

"Eevee?" Eevee inquired, curious at her trainer's implication.

"But… but… why would they do that!?" Goh questioned frantically with his hands in the air. "What do they want Ash for!? This makes no sense at all!" Ash was one of Goh's few friends, and he always looked up to how Ash cared about his Pokémon and his battling skills. Losing Ash was a big blow to the black-haired trainer.

"Maybe it's because they need Ash's help," Dawn stated after calming down from the disappearance of her friend.

"That's ridiculous! Goh immediately retorted. "He's just a kid like us! He can't help two Legendary Pokémon! He's not some sort of hero in a story!"

"To be fair," Chloe mused out loud while thinking about the recent events. "We are technically heroes for saving Dialga and Palkia even though we are regular children."

"Alright! Fine," Goh shot back with his arms crossed. "But that was a one-time thing only. It doesn't really count! He doesn't have experience with saving the world or anything like that!"

Dawn coughed at Goh's words, remembering about her time in Sinnoh. "Actually, he does," she began to spoke, taking notice of the shock on Goh's face. "When we were traveling in Sinnoh, he helped rescue Diagla and Palkia from an evil organization called Team Galactic. I also heard stories from another friend that traveled with us that Ash helped stopped two other criminal teams called Team Magma and Team Aqua in Hoenn."

"What!?" Goh screamed at Dawn's words. "Why didn't he tell me about all of this?"

"It does make sense," Cynthia added, thoughtfully recalling her time with the boy "He did play an important role in stopping Team Rocket when they tried to take control of the Unova region."

"Ugh!" Goh bellowed as he anxiously scratched his hair. "Ash, what kind of adventures did you had!? Why did you never tell me about them!?"

"But what should we do?" Chloe asked, stopping Goh from tearing his hair out in frustration. "Does this mean we do nothing?"

Cynthia shook her head with a serious expression on her face. "No. We need to do something," she said. "As far as I know, Ash always had help in situations like this, and I'm not sure why he is the only one chosen by Dialga and Palkia. Regardless of this, we should find a way to reach him and assist him if necessary."

"Okay," Goh spoke steadily with a nod. "But there's one problem. The Gate's already closed. If he really is in another world, how can we find and meet him?"

Silence was the answer to Goh's question, and everyone shifted around uncomfortably as they tried to think of a way to reach their friend. A while passed, and they started to lose hope until Dawn remembered something important. "I got it!" she shouted out eagerly with anticipation. "When I first described the Gates to Ash, he asked me if it was … uh… what was it… a wormhole! It seems that he knows about something similar to the gates!"

"You're right! I remember now! He said, 'Ultra Wormhole!'" Goh exclaimed in response. The excitement from Dawn was starting to become contagious as it spread to the other trainers and Pokémon.

"Eevee!" Eevee yelled as she did a somersault to celebrate the occasion.

"Grook! Grookey!" the Chimp Pokémon happily added while waving his stick in the air.

Cynthia became engrossed when she heard the two words. "Ultra Wormhole," she repeated sternly, "I've heard that term before. When I was in the Alola region for a short while, I got the chance to learn about the region's history, and there were Ultra Wormholes mentioned in the native's stories."

"Of course!" Goh chuckled, gently slapping himself on the forehead. He had just thought of something important. Judging from the expressions from the others, he guessed that they didn't know what he was thinking, which made him pleased since he hadn't contributed much to the conversation till now. With a smug expression on his face, he proudly proclaimed, "Ash is the champion of the Alola region, and he also went to the Pokémon school That means we can ask the professor and his classmates! They must know all about these Ultra Wormholes!"

"Champion!?" Cynthia and Dawn both exclaimed at the same time. While Cynthia was mildly shocked at the fact, Dawn was really surprised to hear that her former companion was a champion of an entire region!

"School?" Chloe asked instead a second later. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't picture Ash in a school setting. It seemed out of place for the raven-haired trainer to attend a school.

"Yup! Ash won the region's first Pokémon league and became a champion! He even had fans who wanted to take pictures with him!" Goh announced, happy that he knew something about Ash that the others didn't.

"That's so cool!" Dawn responded eagerly. She was happy that her friend had finally won a league. He had improved so much from their time together in Sinnoh. However, she was slightly disappointed in herself that she hadn't won a Grand Festival yet. "Ash is one step closer to his dream! I need to catch up," she reassured herself.

On the other hand, Cynthia wasn't too stunned at the revelation. She knew that Ash was a talented trainer and that it would only be a matter of time before he won a league. But she never expected Ash to be this powerful this fast. "I guess I'll have to be careful of you, Ash. I might lose against you," she pondered with a smile, looking forward to their inevitable battle in the World Coronation Series.

"So, does this mean we all go to the Alola region and find out about Ultra Wormholes?" Chloe spoke, interrupting both Dawn's and Cynthia's thoughts. "Do we have to go now? The sun's setting, and as much as I am worried about Ash, I have school to attend."

"Eev," Eevee yawned. She was tired after a long day. After all, it took a lot of energy to defeat Alternate World Team Rocket and restore order in Sinnoh.

"Chloe is right," Cynthia answered firmly, gazing at the three trainers and their Pokémon. "The Alola region seems to be our best choice, but today is not the day to go now. I suggest that you all head home and rest. After a good night's sleep, I highly recommend you all go to the Aloa region as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I shall research any possible alternatives in case these Ultra Wormholes turn out to be a dead end. Even though I am deeply concerned about him, we cannot be reckless in our decisions since chasing false leads and making bad decisions would waste more time. For now, Ash must depend on himself for whatever troubles he must face."

The trio nodded as they considered Cynthia's wise words. After recalling their fellow Pokémon except for Grookey, Eevee, and Piplup, they began to depart with Cynthia leaving first.

"Goodbye!" the three children yelled, waving farewell to the Sinnoh Champion.

"Alright," Goh spoke as he looked at Dawn. "Chloe and I will head back to the Cerise Laboratory in Kanto. Tomorrow, the both of us will try to come up with a plan to save Ash."

Before the duo could leave and wish Dawn good luck, she suddenly blurted, "Wait! Can I join both of you?"

"Huh?" Chloe inquired, confused about her friend's outburst. "Why?"

"It was my idea to ask Ash and both of you to help me with Piplup," Dawn explained while looking at her Pokémon. "In a way, I am responsible for Ash's disappearance."

"Pip!" Piplup uttered and nodded, agreeing with his trainer.

"But what about Pokémon Contests?" Chloe continued to ask, remembering that contests were Dawn's goals. "Don't you have to continue collecting ribbons?"

"I can collect ribbons later. Right now, I need to help Ash, and the best way to do that would be help the two of you! I also think it's best if we stick together before Ash returns," Dawn hastily answered. Chloe seemed to understand her predicament, but Goh appeared to be unsure with Dawn's request. Hoping to persuade the boy, Dawn added, "Besides, while we wait for Cynthia, you'll going to need help with your research. If Ash can do it, I'm pretty sure I can. I can also tell you stories about Ash's past journeys, especially all the bad things that happened to him!" She said the last statement with a mischievous wink.

"Hmm," Goh considered out loud. "I would like to learn more about Ash, and the professor would be happy that we could continue doing research without him. Who knows? Maybe we'll find something in our research that'll help him! I'm okay with this idea, and I think we have a spare guest room in the lab for you to sleep!"

"Alright!" Dawn said as she lifted her right arm high in the air. "It's settled then! I'm going to Kanto!"

"Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed as he too raised his right fin in the air.

With that decision made, Dawn and Chloe started to talk about girl stuff on the way back to Kanto. Meanwhile, Goh couldn't help but wonder about Ash: "Wherever you are Ash, I hope you're okay."

As the trio left the library behind, another trio was still at the library, and they too were making their own plans.

"I guess the twerp and his Pikachu aren't in our world anymore," James dejectedly exclaimed. "What are we going to do now?"

"I'll tell you what we'll do!" Jessie answered, raising her fist in the air. "We'll follow twerp 2.0 and the twerpettes and wait for them to do all the dirty work of rescuing the twerp! Once they reunite, we snatch Pikachu and escape!"

Meowth nodded at the woman's words. "Not only that, but we can also try to steal the Pokémon from the other twerps when an opportunity arises! We won't have to worry about Pikachu's Thunderbolt!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet added, coming out of his Pokéball. He was glad that there would be no more blasting off from Pikachu for the time being.


Ship to Iron Island

Western Sinnoh

Team Rainbow Rocket World

"A…a…a…achoo!" Ash sneezed, causing Pikachu to jump up in surprise.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed when he realized that the sudden noise came from his trainer.

Ash laughed at his Pokémon and apologized. The duo was currently residing in a room on the ship that had just boarded. The ship was heading toward the Iron Island, and they were hoping to rest and lay low before making their next move.

"I wonder what we'll encounter on the island," Ash mused while laying on a bed. "Probably not much. We could stay in the Pokémon Center on the city port for a while. I just hope that our visit won't be as crazy as last time."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed, remembering how they met Team Galactic on Iron Island and fought against them.

"Anyway, let's go to sleep, buddy," Ash quietly spoke before yawning and turning off the lights. "Tomorrow is going to be better than today." He and Pikachu soon fell asleep and were snoring.

Little did he knew that he was completely wrong, and the peace they enjoyed on the ship was going to be very short-lived.


Plasma Frigate

Above Opelucid City, Unova

Team Rainbow Rocket World

"S…S…Sir, pl… please take a look at this," a young yellow-haired boy with glasses nervously stuttered as he handed his report toward his superior. He admired his superior's knowledge, but he was honestly terrified of the experiments his director had conducted in the past.

The scientist readjusted his glasses and chuckled while looking at the report, "I must say! I'm quite shocked how quickly we found the boy. Usually, tracking Resistance members takes a while. This one isn't even trying to hide!"

"Indeed, sir!" the boy hastily responded. "I also found it strange how careless he was. Buying a ticket to Iron Island with his name in the same city where he has been spotted isn't exactly a good move. I can't help but think that we're dealing with a trap."

"Ha!" the man laughed, wiping away tears. "Do not fret, young one. I am the great Colress, one of the most successful scientists in the entire world! I doubt a child could outsmart me. We are merely dealing with a foolish rebellious adolescent. I shall send word to our headquarters in Sinnoh about the boy. They should dispatch someone to take this Ash away. Now, carry on with the other errands I have for you and the rest of Unit Porygon."

The boy furiously nodded and was about to quietly leave, but a question from Colress stopped him in his tracks. "You're new, aren't you?" the mad scientist inquired unexpectedly. "What's your name again?"

"C..C..Clemont, sir!" Clemont replied, silently gulping to himself. He didn't approve of Team Rainbow Rocket's actions, and it pained him to create devices for them, but he didn't have much of a choice. He wasn't strong enough to resist them, especially when they threatened to hurt his younger sister. As a result, he tried his best not to stand out too much.

"Well, Clemont, this report looks very organized and efficient. Anyway, continue working with your peers," Colress responded, signaling Clemont to leave the room. The inventor boy was happy to oblige and swiftly left to rejoin his teammates who were waiting for him.


The next day…


Galactic Veilstone Building

Veilstone City, Sinnoh

Team Rainbow Rocket World

Today was the day the Red Mandibuzz had being waiting for. It was the day their operation would take place, and the group was once again going through the preparations for it. In just a few hours, they would leave headquarters and be transported to Iron Island.

"Let's go over the process again," Hau suggested, but unenthusiastic sighs were the only answer he received from his other teammates. Everything was tired, but Hau kept to insisting that they review the plan daily to ensure their success.

Trip scoffed, "Do we really have to? Nothing is going to disrupt our plans. I would like to see the citizens on Iron Island try to stand up against us. They wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Well, Gary lost against a trainer that's probably a citizen," Georgia pointed out, causing Gary to glare at her maliciously.

"Excuse my words," Trip apologized with a smirk on his face. "What I want to say is that they wouldn't stand a chance against all of us except for Gary over there!"

Hearing this snide comment, Gary immediately stood up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table. "That doesn't count! He's part of the Resistance! He knows my name!" Gary angrily retorted.

"Here we go," Chloe sighed as she got up. She was tired, and she didn't want to endure another one of their arguments. Before she could leave, Commander Mars walked in, causing her to hesitate for a second. One look at the commander's stark expression made her walk back to her seat and sit down. Even Gary and Trip stopped arguing and turned toward their boss, waiting for any instruction.

"It has come to my attention that we have managed to locate the Ash that fought with Gary in Canalave City and that the trainer is heading toward Iron Island as we speak," Mars calmly stated.

"Then, what are we waiting for!?" Gary interrupted with impatience. "Let's go and stop him now!" But a glare from Mars prompted him to shut his mouth before something bad happened to him.

The commander clearly her throat and continued, "I have given you this piece of news to simply inform all of you. Another team has been dispatched to take care of the boy. I want you all to focus on the mission."

"What if the team fails?" Gary questioned intently. "Does thing mean I can deal with him?"

"They won't," Mars instantly replied, shutting down any intentions the brown-haired boy had. "These four are an elite team. Typically, we don't send elites to go after a simple capture mission, but they were nearby and wanted something to do. I suspect that the Meowth on the team who displayed interest toward Pikachu played a role in their decision."

"Wait a minute," Georgia announced with a curious tone. "You aren't talking about the elites with the talking Meowth, are you?"

"Indeed, I am," the commander patiently replied. "The nature of their operation doesn't concern you, but you should know one thing. Their plan involves capturing the trainer and his Pikachu on the island. They believe stopping and searching the ship on sea would give him a chance to escape to the water. Catching him by surprise would be better, so do not worry if you hear commotion on the island during your operation. With this out of the way, I expect all of you to meet me in the hanger in precisely two hours. Do not be late, and more importantly, do not fail."


Cerise Research Laboratory

Vermilion City, Kanto

Regular World

"I'm fine, mom!" Dawn wined as she held up her new pink Rotom Phone to her ear. "I have a place to eat and sleep! Yes, mom. Kanto is a very nice place. Anyway, I have to go! I'll see you when I go back to Sinnoh."

"Your mom sounds very worried about you," Chloe spoke after Dawn ended the call. The trainer with the Eevee remembered that Dawn's mother was a Top Coordinator and that it was a video of her that led to Chloe's encounter with Dawn.

"She's mostly concerned that I would get into some sort of big trouble, but no need to worry!" Dawn proclaimed, beaming with happiness "We'll be fine!"

"Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed as well.

Professor Cerise chuckled at the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon as he entered the dining room. When he heard news of Ash's disappearance, he was naturally upset and hoped the boy was alright. Having Dawn as a temporary assistant was nice, but it didn't make up for the fact that the raven-haired trainer could be in a lot of danger.

"What brings you here this early, professor?" Goh asked before taking a bite of his bread. He was still having breakfast, while Dawn was already finished eating and Chloe was preparing to leave for school.

"Well, you see. I have a mission for you two," Cerise explained, waving goodbye to his daughter and her Eevee as she left the room. "I know you wish to make a plan for your trip to the Alola region but rest assured that I have arranged all the necessary transportation."

"Indeed!" Ren announced as he walked in to grab a cup of coffee. "The professor has already bought three plane tickets to the Alola region for tomorrow's flight! He has also downloaded the map of the region into your Rotom phones, including Chloe's. You should be able to find what you need with it. If all else fails, you can try asking the local people for directions!"

"That won't be necessary!" Goh answered confidently. "Ash and I went to Alola before, and I met the people that he stayed with. I'm sure they will be able to help us!"

"I guess our plan for now is to visit them and see where it goes," Dawn stated before remembering why the professor was here. "Professor, what's the mission?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Cerise cheerfully responded with a grin. "Both of you will be investigating the bird Pokémon in Viridian Forest, particularly Spearow and Fearow."

"Alright!" Goh yelled with enthusiasm. "This is the perfect opportunity for me to catch all the bird Pokémon in Kanto! The only ones I haven't caught yet are Fearow and Pidgeot!"

Grookey leaped onto his trainer's shoulder and added, "Grookey!"

"I'll try my best!" Dawn nervously chuckled. She hoped the mission would distract her from worrying about Ash and that the trip to Alola tomorrow would reveal a way to save her best friend.


Author's Note: This chapter doesn't have much action in it, but it is setting up all the important conflicts and scenes in the following chapters. Cynthia won't appear for a while as she searches for other ways to reach Ash, but she'll want updates from Dawn, Chloe, and Goh on their progress with Ultra Wormholes.

Great start so far, Will you also update " The Next Journey" ?

Unfortunately, I do not plan to update "The Next Journey" since Pokémon: Journeys appears to be doing better than before. I might do a rewrite after Journeys ends and try to fix any major issues it had in the start.