And that's about everything. Hope I didn't leave anything important out.

I was spechless as my jaw dropped in front of Shaymin. He told me everything: Serena's meeting with Arceus, the promise to revive Ash, how Carl was a part of Team Rocket and together was working on a world threatening scheme, everything! I soon shook my head to knock some sense back into me, saying quietly,"No wonder why Serena was acting weird...but I still don't understand it why Arceus is making her keep it a secret? If there really is a way to bring him back, shouldn't her friends and family be able to help her"? Shaymin shrugged and said It's Madame Arceus's plan and if she wants the Destined Mate to be quiet about it, she'll be quiet about it.

I then ask confusingly,"Hold up. Isn't Arceus going to be mad if she finds out you told me about this"? Shaymin just gave me a weird look and says No need to worry kid. First off, I'm a mythical pokemon too kid, so Arceus shouldn't be too mad if she finds out. Second, she won't because now you gots to keep this secret. No one can know about this information or our meeting, except for your sister, but only when the time is right. I'll know because Arceus forgot to mention one thing about the plan to revive Ash. I was curious as I asked,"What's that"? Shaymin smirked and said The instructions her gang will bestow the Destined Mate is only half the plan. Meanwhile, you and I and a bunch of "recruits" I rounded up are going to complete the other half. Then, when it's time, both you and your sister will combine your work together and that Chosen One Ketchum Hero will be walking once more.

I was stunned as I thought this carefully. All of Ash's pokemon, the ones with Serena, the ones with me, even the pokemon currently with our friends, they still miss Ash with all their hearts. This could be a chance to reunite them with him once again. I got up, holding Shaymin, and said,"Ok, I'll do it. You can hide out in my backpack for the time being." Shaymin climbed up onto my shoulder and said,"Thanks Liz. Mewtwo was right: You really are like a female version of him, minus them wings of course. Now, let's go outside so you can meet my "recruits." We quietly headed outside as night was beginning to overrun the orange sunset sky. Shaymin led me to a secluded forest area near the stadium as he gave a shrill whistle. One by one, 7 other pokemon other pokemon appeared behind him as I was speechless yet again.

They were Mew ( the Mew Ash met in Kanto when he started his journey ), Celebi ( from Ash's Johto time travel adventure ), Jirachi ( when Ash and his Hoenn companions rescued it ), Darkrai ( not Tobias's, but the one that helped settle the conflict between Dialga and Palkia ), Victini ( the one Ash met during the Unova Tournament ), Hoopa ( from our "fun" and crazy trip to Dahara City, which is another story for later ), and to my surprise, Marshadow ( I met it on Poni Island, but it usually loves to be alone ). They all stood orderly as Shaymin was up in the front, saying,"We are what I like to call the Mythical Mob, and we will be aiding you."

He then turned to face them, only to realize one of them was missing as he sighed, saying,"Ok, where'd she go"? I could say,"Where'd who go," as a rustle in the bushes got my attention. Mew floated to the bush and said Come on out, this is the nice human we told you about. You don't have to be nervous. Slowly, a really cute pokemon I've never seen before came out and I was in awe. Easily, I could tell it was an evolution of Eevee from its facial features, but how it looked was a surprise. It had a round body, a bit like a Flareon's, but was light blue. On its head and chest it had snow white curly fur that resembled clouds, even its tail looked like a cloud. Then, its unique ears got my attention because they were also wings, a little like on a Dragonair, but in a different shape and more silvery color.

I softly said,"Hi there. What's your name"? It looked at Mew, getting a nod as its answer as it said quietly [ I'm Aveon ]. I smiled, saying,"Aveon, what a beautiful name. Nice to meet you. I must admit, you're so cute and unlike anything I've ever seen before." Shaymin then said Of course it's new to you because this is a new evolution of Eevee. She evolved after winning a battle while holding a swift feather. She's all yours kid. Consider this a gift from us for lending your assistance on this mission. Once Ash is brought back, Team Rocket will be no more. I smiled, saying,"Thank you Shaymin. I promise to do everything I can to help."

He climbed back up onto my shoulders as Aveon walked to my side as the green mythical pokemon faced the others and said,"Ok guys, rest up because tomorrow, it's going to be insane and you don't want to get spotted by people, so, we break for now and meet up in two days. Got it," as the other mythical pokemon nodded and separated, going to hide out in different places. Shaymin slipped into my backpack as I knelt down to Aveon, holding a pokeball in my hand. Aveon whimpered slightly, saying [ I don't like being in those things! They're scary! ]

I reassured her, saying,"It's ok. You don't have to stay in here once I catch you. You can be outside with me, by my side. Is that ok"? Aveon liked that idea as she nodded, saying [ It sounds good to me ]. I tapped her gently with the pokeball, it shaking three times before locking, signifying the capture. I then called Aveon back out as she smiled, wagging her cute tail. I looked up, saying,"It's getting late and Shaymin is right, we do need our rest. Let's go," as we started to head back to our room inside the stadium. As I entered the hallway again, I ran into Alec, saying,"There you are. Mom was beginning to worry a little since you were taking so long. Where were you anyways"? Ethan snarkily replied [ Probably just looking to find other people she knows ]. I gave a mini glare to Ethan and scratched the back of my head, saying,"Just...doing a little last minute training. Oh Alec, I want you to meet my new friend," as I picked up Aveon, who was a little nervous around him.

I say,"Aveon, this is my adopted brother Alec and by his side is his Umbreon Ethan. Alec, Ethan, meet Aveon, she's a little shy but excited to meet you." Aveon smiled a hello as Alec says,"Wow, she's adorable. You said her name was Aveon right? I wonder if it's an evolution of Eevee." I nodded, saying,"You're spot on with that. Aveon is the flying type evolution. I saw her evolve after winning a battle while holding what was a swift feather." Ethan was surprised, saying [ So she's a quick battler. Pretty cool and a match up with speed will now be a lot more interesting ]. Aveon let out a giggle, becoming a little more confident. Liz then says,"So Alec, you and Ethan wanna race me and Aveon back to our room? Loser got to buy the winner all the grilled cheese and pickle sandwiches you can eat." Alec gave me a weird look before saying,"Grilled cheese and pickles? Add a side of chilli fries and we got a deal," as Ethan added [ Make it two and I'm in ]. I tipped my hat as Aveon jumped and was ready to race as I said,"You're on"!!!

We all ran with all our might, having the time of our lives as I was really happy to now have a brother in the family. All I could hope for now was that Serena and I could make up after our little scuffle. I will say this: she is a genius slapper. The next morning, the stadium was full of thousands of fans cheering and applauding with all of their might. Thousands of trainers stood on the battlefield, awaiting to start things off with a bang. An announcer was in the speakers booth, saying,"Welcome everyone to the Ash Memorial tournament!! Today, we have many of our talented trainers out here to battle with the same heart and soul that our hometown hero Ash Ketchum had during his journeys around the world! We have popular trainers such as Paul from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh Region"!! Paul smiled at the crowd as he got a huge round of applause.

The announcer added,"All the way from Hoenn, we got Tyson and his partner Meowth"!! Tyson and his Meowth nodded as they too got a huge round of applause. The announcer added,"From Alola, we have Poni Island Kahuna Hapu"!! Hapu waved at the crowd and got a standing ovation. The announcer added,"And from Snowbelle City all the way from the Kalos Region, both of them are tied for the title of strongest trainer, it's Alec Kirkland and Kalos Champion / Pokemon Master Liz Yvonne"!! Both Alec and I waved at the crowd as we got a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Aveon smiled at me as I stroked the back of her head. I then noticed Serena as she looked at me, but turned away in anger. I frowned slightly, seeing that Serena was still mad at me.

The announcer then said,"Ok!!! Here are the rules! The first two rounds are three vs three single elimination matches. Then, the battles leading up to the quarterfinals will be four vs four. Then, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be six on six battles, sure to be a heck of a time! Finally, once our two finalists have been chosen, we will ring the final bell with a huge 10 on 10 pokemon showdown!!!! With that, let the Ash Memorial tournament begin"!!! A flock of Pidgeys were released as they flew in formation. The huge screen turned on, displaying all of our pictures and began to shuffle them. There are 350 trainers in total here, man they really sold it out and made this worth it. Once the match ups were set, everyone got to see their opponents for round 1. Dawn was facing Sawyer, Alain was battling Nanu, Gary was facing Paul, Bea was battling against Morrison, Serena was facing Carl, and I could see the tension between the two of them when they saw their pictures next to each other. Katie was battling Max, Alec was battling against Calem, Brock was battling Brandon the Pyramid King, May and Drew were facing off, Cilan was battling Cameron, Kiawe was facing Gladion, Lana was battling Korrina, Lillie was facing Harrison, Bianca was battling Nando, Conway was going to battle Clemont, Bonnie was facing Mark, and I was facing Virgil.

Aveon looked at me, asking [ Who is that guy ]? I looked at Aveon, saying,"Virgil is a member of the pokemon rescue squad in Unova and he has a whole team full of almost every evolution of Eevee. He will definitely be a complex opponent for sure." My battle was the first one, Alec's was right after mine, Serena and Carl's was the fifthth battle, Katie's was right after, and the rest of our friends followed right after, in order of course, Katie's battle. Once everything was in order, it was now time for the tournament to begin. The battlefield for my match up was grass, which will be useful for the both of us. Virgil and I stood on opposite sides of the field as the referee came out, shouting,"The battle between Liz and Virgil will now begin. Each side will use three pokemon and the battle will be over when all three pokemon on either side is unable to battle. Now, trainers, bring out your first pokemon"!!

Virgil smiled, saying,"Alright!! Flareon, deploy"!! He called out his Flareon as it got into a battle position. I pulled out my pokeball and shouted,"Samurott, it's time to battle," as the final evolution of Oshawott appeared, letting out a battle cry. With both sides ready, it was time for the battle to begin. I was quick to react, saying,"Samurott, use aqua jet," as the samurai pokemon launched forward with the move. Virgil was quick to respond, saying,"Alright! Use double team," as Flareon used the move, making copies of itself. Samurott moved in a zigzag pattern, eliminating the copies and striking the real one with brute force. Flareon staggered to its feet, wincing in pain.

Virgil was shocked, but impressed, saying,"What a well-trained Samurott. Flareon, let's stay on the offense with thunder fang," as the fire type eeveelution charged in with the electric type move. I smiled, saying,"We'll take that! Samurott, use sacred sword"!! Samurott pulled out its shells, connecting them together to create a sword and swung it at Flareon, overpowering it and knocking it out. Flareon was called unable to battle as Samurott was announced the winner, the water type roaring in victory. As Virgil return his pokemon, he called out his next choice, saying,"Glaceon, deploy," as his Glaceon appeared to battle.

I called back Samurott and readied my next choice, saying,"Gliscor, it's time to battle," as Ash's Gliscor appeared on the battlefield, wearing a black belt around its head. It did practice punches in the air, trying to jab the atmosphere. He then noticed his opponent and prepared to battle. Virgil then called the first shot, saying,"Use icy wind," as Glaceon launched the move. Gliscor took to the skies and dodged it in time. As Gliscor dove down, I shout,"Gliscor, use sky uppercut," as Gliscor landed in front of Glaceon and launched a glowing uppercut that hits Glaceon square on the chin. The ice type eeveelution recoiled in pain, stunned by how quick its opponent was. Gliscor wasn't done yet as I say,"Use stone edge," as the ground / flying type launched stone pillars and sent Glaceon flying, unable to battle.

Gliscor was announced the winner as he flew and tackled me, putting me in a hug. Aveon jumped off when this happened and watched in both concern and confusion. I petted Gliscor on the head while saying,"Ok Ok I got it! I got it"! Virgil returned his pokemon as he got his final choice out, saying,"Leafeon, deploy," as his Leafeon appeared for battle. I called back Gliscor as I looked at Aveon and said,"You wanna give it a shot"? Aveon nodded, saying [ I'm willing to give battling a try ]! Aveon ran to the battlefield and crouched down, ready to battle. I quickly pulled out my back up pokedex since Rotom Dex was charging back in the room. When I saw the moves it knew, I was surprised, but happy nonetheless.

Virgil smiled, saying,"Leafeon, use leaf blade," as Leafeon charged in with the move. I shouted,"Aveon, dodge it," as she used her ears and took to the skies, which surprised the audience and the announcer as he said,"Oh my!! What a quick dodge! This pokemon is something else! Will Aveon be able to beat Leafeon and help bring Liz to the next round"? I then say,"Let's give this a try. Aveon, use air slash," as Aveon's ears glowed, sending some air waves towards the grass type. Leafeon jumped and dodged the move, but was unprepared for a "Use gust," as Aveon sent a huge gust of wind at Leafeon, making her crash into the wall. Leafeon struggled to her feet, and once she was able to stand tall, Leafeon fell and collapsed, no longer able to battle.

The referee saw and said,"Leafeon is unable to continue. Aveon is the winner and the match goes to Liz"!! The audience cheered wildly as the announcer says,"I don't believe it! In a stellar clean sweep, Liz Yvonne defeats Unova League Champion Virgil and moves on to round two"!! I shouted,"Aveon, we did it," as she hopped into my arms, nuzzling my cheek. I laughed and smiled in happiness as Aveon purred in affection. We met Virgil at the center of the field and shook hands before exiting the field. I went to heal my pokemon before heading to the bleachers, looking for my friends. I was lucky to find a seat by Bea and Korrina as they congratulated me for the win. Aveon hopped into Korrina's lap as the Shalour City gym leader petted her while saying,"Liz, that was awesome! You made beating Virgil look so easy and Aveon was really great in the battle as well"!! Aveon shared a shy smile and chirped in happiness.

Bea then said,"You were at the top of your game like usual. It's no surprise that many are saying you're the trainer to beat, other than that Alec kid, that Carl guy who's married to your sister, and that weird guy who's named after some science thing, I think his name is Proton or something"? Hearing the name Proton, I felt like my heart stopped. Shaymin told me that Proton was one of the strongest executives of Team Rocket!! My look of shock did not go unnoticed as Korrina asked me,"Are you ok"? I recovered quickly, saying,"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine. Just worried about how Serena is going to do in the tournament is all."

Meanwhile, we were watching Alec's match as he was still using the first pokemon he brought out, Ethan, and Calem was on his last pokemon: Chesnaught, after losing his Meowstic and Mega Absol. Calem commanded Chesnaught to use pin missile as Umbreon dodged it and landed a critical hit with night shade. Then, Alec shouted,"Ethan, use psychic"! Ethan smirked, saying [ Game set and match ] as he got a psychic hold on Chesnaught, sending him crashing to the ground, rendering it unable to battle. Alec was announced the winner as he and Ethan high pawed one another after a successful victory. I shouted,"Yeah Alec!! That's my brother!! I know him"!! Bea and Korrina shot me looks of confusion as I sat back down, saying,"I'll explain later." The next two matches flew like clockwork and once Alec joined us, we were set to watch Serena's match against Carl.

I bit my tongue and whispered,"Serena, don't let your guard down. You can do it." Aveon sat on my lap as Ethan sat on Alec's lap and chatted a little bit with Aveon. Meanwhile, the match that went on could be best described as a bloodbath. Literally!!! For one thing, Carl only used his Meditite and completely destroyed Serena's team. Pangoro, Pelipper, and even Sylveon fell from the brutal attacks that Meditite dished out. Serena could barely react or command, all she could do was watch her pokemon fall badly and faint. The worst part about it was that each pokemon suffered a harsh, brutal injury. Pangoro's jaw was broken due to a hard hit from drain punch, shattering its teeth and making the huge panda bleed from his mouth. Pelipper lost feeling from its right wing and got a nasty bruise on his pouch. Sylveon was the worst case, having bloody cuts and bruises all over her cute fairy body, her feelers were twisted badly, and her front paws were broken.

Although Carl apologized to Serena for going too hard on her, Serena didn't hear him. She held Sylveon close to her as she brought her team to Nurse Joy. As Carl was booed off the field, I could only quietly mutter," If you and I are alone, I will make you sorry you messed with me and my family you heartless shell of a man." I asked Alec to watch my seat as Aveon hopped onto my shoulder and we went to find Serena. I looked around, trying to see where she was. She wasn't in the reception room waiting for Nurse Joy to bring her pokemon out. I was beginning to worry that I'd never find her until Aveon picked up what sounded like crying. Aveon lept from my shoulder and began to run down the hallway with me following her. She soon stopped at what was a secluded dead end hallway as we tiptoed and found Serena curled up in a corner at the end of the hallway crying her heart out.

We quietly walked up to her as I placed a comforting on her arm, saying,"Serena? Are you ok"? She lifted her head up and saw me, saying in a monotone voice,"Hey sis," while looking down in shame. I didn't know what to do until Shaymin came out my bag and nodded at me before going back inside. I sat down next to her, placed my bag next to me, and allowed Aveon on my lap as I said,"I know your pokemon will recover Serena. That battle should not have ended that way. Listen, I know you're probably still mad at me, but I think it's best that we talk." Serena still remained silent, but moved her eyes to look at me.

I took a deep breath and say,"Look, I'm just going to come out and say it: Sis, I know about Arceus." That got her to widen her eyes and gasp, turning her head to look at me. I continued with,"I know the truth about Carl and I know about the plan to revive Ash. I know you've been told to keep it a secret. Before you ask, I learned about this from an inside source, but let me ask you something. If you knew something bad was up with Carl, why didn't you say anything to anyone? And more importantly, why didn't you tell me? You know that you can tell me anything right"? Serena still remained quiet, but nodded in agreement. I then said,"Look, I remember when we traveled together, whenever I was upset or had something on my mind, you'd take the time to talk to me, have us really discuss what was on my mind. Now, it's my turn to sit and talk to you. So, tell me what's on your mind."

Serena took a deep breath and said,"I wanted so badly to tell you and our family and friends. I wanted to go straight to Team Rocket headquarters and beat the living daylight out of their leader and especially Carl. However, I feared that if I did, not only would I fail Arceus and put everyone in immediate danger, but I worried that I won't be able to have another chance like this of reviving Ash. He's more than just a special person Liz. He's my first love, always have been, always will be. I just didn't want to risk your safety or anyone else's because of this." Aveon chirped its concerns as Serena petted her, surreal about how soft Aveon was and how caring she was towards her. I adjusted Serena's hat as I say,"Sis, you know that I love you and that I care for you, but you never have to worry about me. If there's anything involving danger, I'll be fine fending myself. I'm the one that has to worry about your safety. You're one of the first people I've been able to grow close with since I first befriended you."

Serena then asked me,"How do you do it? You seem to make life so easy, and you always seem to care for others rather than yourself. Haven't you ever thought about yourself for once"? I then said,"When my family died, I was by myself, only accompanied by my pokemon, and I was so heartbroken, I worried about letting other people in because I didn't want to lose them too. So, in a way, I secluded myself from making friends, with the exception of a couple of rivals. Then, things changed for me when I traveled in Sinnoh. You remember when you first met Zoey at that performer's ball"? Aveon looked at me, chirping [ Is this Zoey person a nice person ]? I nodded and petted Aveon as I continued with,"That day, I was met with a familiar feeling from when we first met. Zoey was the first person I was able to befriend after my time in mental seclusion. When we met, we found out that we have a lot in common."

An 11 year old version of myself was walking in Snowpoint City, excited to challenge Candice. I was so excited, I didn't see where I was going and accidentally bumped into someone. We collided and fell into the snow as I stood up, saying,"Sorry about that. I didn't see where I was going." I offered a hand to help who I bumped into up as the girl accepted it while I pulled, helping her up on her feet. She thanked me as I recognized her, saying,"You're that girl with the Glameow who won the contest in Arrowroot Town last week, am I right"? She nodded, saying,"Yeah. I'm Zoey. Who are you"? I said,"I'm Liz, I'm currently aiming for my seventh gym badge since I recently won my fifth ribbon in back in Hearthome City, so I decided to come here and challenge Candice.Snowpoint City is really nice, kinda reminds me of home a little bit." Zoey smiled, saying,"You live in a snow covered town as well"? I nodded, saying,"Snowbelle City in the Kalos Region. There's just something about a city covered in snow that makes you feel at home." Zoey added,"I know, right? The peaceful environment, the beautiful scenery, the crisp cool breeze in the morning. You know what they say," as we said in unison,"When there's snow, there's snow place like home." We both paused and looked at each other, breaking into laughter. For a while, we talked to one another, chatted about our goals, partners, even life growing up.Then, Zoey asked me,"Say, you're a really cool person. You wanna be friends"? Hearing that, I didn't know how to react or even respond at first. Should I let her become my friend? What if something happens to her and she disappears from my life as well? Zoey seemed to catch how I was feeling as she asked,"Something on your mind? It helps sometimes to talk with someone about how you're feeling." I told her everything: my family's death, how I felt, how it was hard for me to make friends, with a couple of exceptions, etc. As luck would have it, Zoey knew just how I felt as she says,"I understand. Losing someone close to you and then fearing it might happen to others, I know how you feel. You're not in this alone." For once since learning about the accident, I felt my heart open, allowing me to welcome others into my life.

"That day, I made my first true friend and with that, it allowed me to open up more, becoming best friends with my rivals, even making new friends. If I hadn't met Zoey, I don't think I would've become more open to other people, and I certainly wouldn't have met you Serena. Whenever I saw you two hanging out, it made me extremely grateful to know the people I hold close to me and that I've come so far as a person, especially getting to see how I've grown from that experience. So you see, you never have to worry about me, even if I'm in the tightest situation you could think of. I'll find a way to get back to you because I care for you. You're more to me than just my sister and more than just my best friend, you're someone special I keep close to heart. Together, we'll find a way to bring back Ash and stop Team Rocket and reunite the two of you, the real world's couple once again. I'll stick by your side through thick and thin, always."

Serena smiled and hugged me close while saying,"Oh Liz, I'm so happy to have you in my life. You mean so much to me, more than I can say. I'm so sorry, I should've told you straight from the start. I know Ash meant a lot to you as much as he did to me, and I know you'll do anything to help. I'm glad you're with me on this mission." Once we separated, Aveon hopped back onto my shoulder as Serena and I started to head back to the bleachers to watch the rest of the round 1 matches. I don't know how we'll bring Ash back, but I do know that we'll do it together.