Just to clarify, here are the differences in the text so there is no confusion as to what is happening.
Normal: 3rd person perspective
"...": Character talking
"...": Pokemon talking
Italics only: Flashback
"...": Flashback and dialogue.
6 Years Later, Galar.
In the middle of the Galar countryside lies a cozy, luxurious home. It may seem like a quaint abode at first, but its features were for certain superior to all else in the area. Inside happened to be a sweet brunette cooking a meal with her Pokemon. "Hey Mimey, the meal is ready. Could you please take it out of the oven while I open the door?"
"Yes, Miss Ketchum!"
Yes, this was Delia Ketchum, a mother living a quiet, peaceful life just as she did back in Pallet Town before that fateful day. But now, thanks to Professor Oak's lies, she, Ash, and Sun were forced to go into hiding, go under an alias, and start over. She was now called Delilah Kent in the public, but the three still call each other by their original names when in private. It was going to be a busy day for her, as her sons were now coming home for a while from their recent travels throughout the region. She was sitting in the living room cleaning the area up when she heard the door knock. She proceeded to open it and found her two children standing there.
"Hello, boys!" she squealed with excitement as she hugged and kissed them. It was the first time she had seen them in months.
" Hey, mom! Cut it out!" Ash jokingly said, trying to break free from his ever so caring mom's grip. His look has changed as well. He wore a red shirt underneath a white coat, blue dress pants and all-black shoes. To mask his look, he wore a white hoodie, had a mask on, and wore aviator sunglasses whenever he is out in public. He too had to change his name and was now Alexander Kent.
"Hey, mom. How have you been?" Sun said. In the past few years, he has decided to officially join the Ketchum family, and he was adopted. He also updated his appearance. He wore a bandana and shades to hide his identity and changed his outfit to one that is virtually the same as it is in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon with a few differences. His shirt is long-sleeved, his pants are bigger, and he instead wears a baseball cap, with the same colors as it is in USUM. Once again, he changed his name to Elias Miller Kent.
"I have never felt better," Delia said with glee. "I am so glad to see you two. Especially you, Pikachu."
"Mom! Good to see you, too!" The electric mouse squeaked as it jumped up into the sweet, aging lady's comforting arms.
"So how have you guys? Are you two finished with your journey throughout the region?"
"We are fine mom," Sun stated. "And yeah, we are finished with our journey for the time being. We even got some new Pokemon, as well. Come outside, let us show you them all."
The three went outdoors into the endless, grassy plains of the Galarian countryside and Sun and Ash reached into their belt and released five Pokemon each. They were: A Galarian Obstagoon, a Sirfetch'd, a Xatu, a Shedinja, and a Gengar for Ash, and a Morgrem, a Spiritomb, a Galarian Wheezing, a Ditto, and a Gardevoir for Sun.
"Hey guys, meet our mother, Delia!" Ash shouted.
"Hello everyone," Delia said serenely. "It is nice to meet you all."
"Nice to meet you, too!" All the Pokemon shouted, before being brought back into their Pokeballs.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something, Ash and Sun. I have news for you."
"What is it?" Sun asked.
"There is going to be a master's tournament held right here in Galar in a few days. Thanks to a fix in diplomatic relations with the other regions, it is going to invite Gym Leaders, Elite 4 members, Champions, and the best trainers, coordinators, and performers from around the world. Whoever wins will be able to battle the Champion of any region for the chance to take their spot, and you two are invited.
"This could be the perfect opportunity to redeem ourselves and show those that wronged us what for."
"All right, let's do this!" Ash eagerly yelled. "Come on, Pikachu!"
"All right."
"Yeah!"
In the opposite perspective, a lot of things have happened to the traitors during the past six years as well. Misty became a renowned Gym Leader in the Kanto region. Brock moved to Alola and married Olivia. Tracey continues his work at Professor Oak's lab alongside Gary. May became the queen of Hoenn while her brother won a few Pokemon league tournaments. Dawn and Iris have retained her position as the Queen of Sinnoh and Champion of Unova, respectively. Cilan is still Gym Leader and also became one of the finest cooks in the world. Serena became Kalos Queen while Clemont is dating Korrina and still serves as Gym Leader alongside Bonnie. Gladion also held his spot as Champion while Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles became Gym Leaders. Lastly, Hau, Lillie, Selene, and Olivia became Elite 4 members.
They all got invited to the tournament in Galar. They were all excited to partake in such a legendary event and thought it would boost their careers to international levels of fame. They were right, but for most of them, it would be completely the opposite of what they expected.
Galar International Airport, Noon
"Wow," Lillie said, in awe at all of the buildings that can be seen in the distance. "This place is amazing!"
"I wish I brought a coat," Misty exclaimed, shivering. "This place is so cold."
"I'm used to it." Moon decreed. "I usually dealt with cold weather while I lived in Kanto."
"Not to mention the bad weather here," Brock admitted. "Right, honey?"
"I have to agree," Olivia said. "It seems as though the rain never ends here."
"Quit complaining guys," Gary said. "We have a tournament to get to."
"Ah, Gary," Professor Oak thought in his head. "He still acts like a child, even after all these years."
"For Arceus' sake, does he ever shut up?" Tracey thought in his head, as had a negative opinion on Gary, seeing him as nothing short of an ego-filled chatterbox.
"I cannot wait to see all the Pokemon here," May said, squealing with excitement.
"Slow down, love," Drew calmly said. "We can't be late for the tournament."
"This could finally be my chance to show the world that I am the greatest trainer alive!" Max said in a narcissistic tone.
"Oh come on, Max" Dawn said. "Sure, you may be an excellent trainer, but that doesn't mean you are invincible."
"Max, you should listen to Dawn," Cilan Suggested. "You should not be too cocky, for it may cost you."
"At least it was not your metaphors," Iris sighed.
"I heard this place has regional variants of some Pokemon in the other regions." Trip declared. "Maybe we should catch some of them, you know."
"Wow, the architecture here is amazing," Clemont said. "It is shocking that a region can look so well with elements of both the modern era and eras of the past."
"This place is so cool," Bonnie shouted. "Right Dedenne?"
"Dedenne!"
"I'll admit, this is rather charming," Serena said.
"Yeah, I agree with her," Hau said. "But this place will never be as charming as you, Lillie."
"Thanks, sweetie," Lillie replies before kissing her boyfriend square on the lips.
"I wish my family was here to see this," Lana uttered.
"I heard this region is known for its legendary curries," Mallow declared. "I want to learn how to make them as they could easily make my family's restaurant greater than it ever has."
"This place is better than I thought" Sophocles mumbled.
"It could be better." Kiawe simply said.
"Ok," Gladion stated. the tournament is being held here in Motostoke City in the Gym. Let's get going."
They traveled for a while in Motostoke City, checking out all that the location offered before setting foot into the gym, ready for battle.
At the Same Time
Ash and Sun were entering the city's gym. "Ok, let's get ready for this tournament," Ash shouted.
"I agree with you, man," Sun stated before noticing people he knew all too well. "Wait a minute. Is that-"
"Holy shit. The traitors have arrived. We shouldn't do anything, though. We can't raise suspicion to any of them."
"You're right. Let's just ignore them." The heroes continued with their travel before getting into the V.I.P. room, reserved for only the Gym Leaders and the Champion of the region. Why? They became good friends with all of them, and now they were ready to reveal to them their true identities.
"Hey, Leon," Sun stated. "Can we ask you to do something?"
"Yeah, Elias." The champion calmly said. "What do you guys want?"
"Can you please send Gym Leader Sabrine Natsume of Saffron City here. We want her because we need her to prove something to you guys."
"What do you two want to reveal?"
"We'll tell you after she gets here," Ash exclaimed.
"Alright."
Leon got up and walked into the Kanto V.I.P. section of the stadium. "Um, Miss Natsume?"
"Yes?" Sabrina said.
"Would you please follow me? I need you for a friend of mine who needs something only you could provide."
"OK."
When Sabrina entered the V.I.P room, she was greeted by two men, one of them with a Pikachu on his shoulder, which reminded her of a certain fellow.
"Hello, Miss Natsume." One of the men stated maturely. My name is Alexander Kent, and this is my brother, Elias Miller. We have called for you as your psychic powers may be needed."
"Of course. What do you need?
"Do you remember the day Professor Samuel Oak declared Ash Ketchum as a criminal for Pokemon abuse, as well as Elio Mizuki and Delia Ketchum were branded as criminals?"
"Yes, of course, I have."
"What if we were to tell you that he lied?"
"Well, I don't know what to say. On one hand, I've known Ash personally and based on my experiences with him, I feel like he couldn't have done it. But on the other hand, I believe Oak would never do something that low. What makes you say something like that?"
"Well, you should believe us, for we saw everything unfold." The two men got rid of their masks and shocked everyone in the room. It was Ash and Elio, the wanted men, alive and breathing. How?
"Ash? Is that you?" Sabrina stammered.
"Yeah, it is. And we want to tell you what happened. Sabrina, once we finish speaking, please use your powers to show that we aren't lying."
"Got it."
Ash and Sun proceeded to tell everything that happened during that day and Sabrina checked into their memories to know if they are lying. The results shocked virtually everyone. They weren't lying.
"How dare they!?" Bea roared, nearly breaking a table in the process.
"I'm so sorry for everything that happened." Nessa calmly said.
"They will pay for this," Leon said.
And just when everyone thought it couldn't get crazier, there was a scream at the doors, which was left open, and the person that made it was none other than one of the traitors, Serena Yvonne.
"Ash?!" Serena yelled as she saw her old friend right in front of her.
"Serena?!" Ash stammered, questioning how they found this location. But before he can say anything else, she launched herself into his arms and started to cry.
"What the heck is going on?" Sun thought in his head. "Why is one of those traitors here, let alone crying in Ash's arms?"
"Serena?" Ash said. "Why are you here?"
Serena cried for a full minute before responding. "I wanted to tell Allistar something, and it was that I was forced to betray you."
This made everyone's mouth instantly go agape. One of the criminals was forced to turn on him? Why?
"What happened?"
"Well, on the day before the betrayal, I was at home with my mom when I heard the door open. I looked and saw a few of your so-called friends holding firearms, aiming right at me and my mom's head. We immediately freaked out and I quietly asked why were they here. They said they couldn't afford anyone of your companions to side with you as it could jeopardize everything for them, so they threatened to kill us unless I helped them. Fearing for our lives, we agreed. Since then, I have always loathed their names and swore to get revenge on them, as well as avenge you. And just a few hours ago, I saw Allistar and learned that he was good friends with the Champion, so I asked him for help on a "certain issue" I dealt with in the past. That was the betrayal. When I saw the Champion and Sabrina leave, I decided to follow them to find Allistar. And here you are, alive and breathing alongside your friend. I'm sorry for saying all those things. I promise I'll make it up."
Sabrina checked Serena's mind to see if she was lying, and then said: "She is being honest."
This gave everybody feelings of sadness and sorrow towards Serena for all the pain she went through, but also hatred and disgust towards the traitors for doing such a vile act. Ash was the first to speak up after this revelation.
"Hey, I forgive you, Serena."
"You do?"
"Yeah. In all honesty, you were the person I loved the most out of all the girls that traveled with me, and I never found someone like you for years. So what I am saying is, I want to start all over. Serena Yvonne, do you want to be my friend again?"
Serena took a second to respond. "Yes!" she quietly said before hugging him, and she was happy for the first time in years.
"It's good to have you back," Ash said before he began to cry. He eventually stopped and spoke again. "Serena, a lot has changed over the years, you know. But thankfully, some things remain the same. Say hello to Pikachu."
"Hi, Pikachu! Good to see you!"
"Pika-Pika!" it said as it jumped into her arms and embraced an old friend.
"Oh. Who's this?" Serena asked.
"Alola, Ms. Yvonne." the person asked. "I am Elio Mizuki, but please, call me Sun."
"Nice to meet you, too. Wait a second, aren't you the person that beat Ash in the Alola League, as well as the guy that stood by Ash during that day? Now that I think about it, isn't your sister one of the traitors, as well?"
"To answer all of your questions, yes. I beat Ash, stayed by his side, and my sister turned on me."
"I'm so sorry for all the trouble that you had to go through."
"Hey, I forgive you."
Ash decided to speak up. "Serena, I hate to bother you, but the ceremony is about to start. You should get going so nobody thinks something is up. The last thing any of us needs is for you to get into deep trouble."
"All right. I'll see you later, Ash."
That's all, folks! The unknown figure has been revealed and fixed her relations with Ash. I know, I know, the whole "Blackmailed" cliche has been done before, but this time, I took a different approach to it, and instead have her be the main pairing with Ash. Secondly, I know Spiritomb isn't in Galar, so I decided that Sun caught him in a special way, which will be revealed in a future chapter. Stay tuned, as the journey continues!
Edit: I made some slight changes today as I felt the story had a few issues as I read it over. A couple of reviews criticized how I made the Ash pairing feel forced and that it happened too quickly. I realized my mistake, so I got rid of any references to it. Serena will still date Ash though, albeit over time as the story progresses as to make it feel natural. As a side note, the poll finished yesterday and Nessa won. Prepare to see it in the future.