Welcome back. Sorry again for the wait, I haven't been forcing myself to write much lately and the days just get away from me. Anyway, I'm back with another chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.

Ash Ketchum returned to his gym. He was unsurprised that he had no waiting challengers. While he regularly had challengers, he had a feeling that anyone who aimed to compete in the League had already qualified by challenging his gym. Nevertheless, Ash would wait for a while.

Ash heard tiny footsteps running towards him then Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

"Hey buddy did you miss me?" asked Ash.

"Pika," confirmed Pikachu.

"Sorry I couldn't take you with me, I needed you to watch the gym while I was away," stated Ash.

Pikachu didn't seem hurt by this, if anything he seemed proud to be the gym's defender.

Sail City had one of the highest rates of crime in the region, so whenever Ash went away, he needed someone he trusted to guard the place and there was no one he trusted more than his Pikachu.

"Any trouble while I was away?" asked Ash.

"Pikachu," he said shaking his head.

"Well criminals have been put off ever since you attacked that first guy who tried to break in," laughed Ash.

There had been an attempted break in only a few months after Ash had become leader of the Sail City gym. Pikachu had sent the criminal to the hospital and there'd barley been an attempted break in since.

"Well, buddy it's nearly time," said Ash.

"Pi," said Pikachu determined to show his strength on the battlefield.

They waited for a few hours just in case there were any last-minute challengers. When no one came they decided to head to the stadium where the League would take place. It was within walking distance of Ash's gym and he was eager to take a look at the place where he'd hopefully enact his seven yearlong revenge.

Sail City Sports Stadium was predominantly used for more traditional sporting events, but everyone felt it was the ideal place to hold the first annual Pokémon League and so had been modified for the occasion. Ash gazed at the stadium, smiling. He not only believed this would be the place where he would clear his name, but would also grant him the greatest Pokémon Battles of his life. Whether he won or lost, Ash was glad he'd be able to show the world what he was made of.

"Well Pikachu, tomorrow will be the beginning of the end," stated Ash.

"Pika," exclaimed Pikachu eagerly.

"Wouldn't it be better to do the right thing and confess your guilt?" asked a voice.

Ash turned to see Serena. It saddened him that she hadn't stood by him like Clemont and Bonnie had, but Serena had made her decision and now he was going to prove her wrong

"I am doing the right thing. I won't be admitting to non-existent guilt, I'll be proving my innocence," claimed Ash.

"Ash be reasonable. You know you can't win! Why are you even trying?" Serena chided him.

"Because I won't know unless I try," Ash had no idea why he was even trying to reason with her.

Serena rolled her eyes.

"Ash why can't you just tell the truth? Why can't you just admit that you only got to where you are by cheating?"

"I've never cheated in my life and quite frankly I'm appalled that you think I did. Especially after I was accused of abusing my pokémon with illegal substances. Quite frankly, I thought you knew me better than that."

"I thought I did too," stated Serena. "It hurt me to hear what you truly were. You want the truth, Ash? I probably looked up to you more than anyone in the world. And to hear that not only were you a cheater, but an abuser of pokémon broke my heart and made me question all my motivations. Do you why I asked to join you on your Kalos journey?"

Ash crossed his arms and sighed.

"Why?"

"Because I had feelings for you. I'd had them ever since we met at Professor Oak's Pokémon Camp. And over our journey my feelings towards you progressed to the point of loving you," cried Serena.

Ash had no idea Serena had felt that way about him. Though it did explain some of the odder traits she'd displayed while they had travelled together.

"How do you think I felt when it was revealed that the person I loved was a complete fraud?" cried Serena.

Ash merely sighed.

"You didn't love me," he stated.

"What? How can you say that?"

"Because if you did you would've given me the benefit of the doubt and supported me while I tried to prove my innocence," responded Ash.

"How could I give you the benefit of the doubt? The proof you were guilty was undeniable," stated Serena.

"Really? Tell me something Serena, what exactly did you see that made you believe it was ok to destroy our entire friendship? Was one word from Professor Oak all the evidence you needed to believe I was guilty?" asked Ash.

"Of course, it wasn't," stated Serena. "Professor Oak explained to me that all your pokémon tested positive for drugging. After you fled, he showed us the results."

"Tests can be inaccurate," challenged Ash.

"I highly doubt that someone as accomplished and respected as Professor Oak would make that many mistakes," claimed Serena.

Ash wondered if he should even try explaining to Serena that she'd been lied to.

"I was also told stories about your Gym Battles from early in your journey. How you barley won a single Gym Battle in the entire Kanto Region, before doing reasonably well in the Kanto Pokémon League. That alone would raise a few eyebrows," claimed Serena.

"That was when I was a beginner, I don't think anyone should be expected to be an exceptional trainer during the first year of their journey," argued Ash. "What about all the Gym Battles you saw me fight in the Kalos Region? I won all those legitimately. How do you explain that?"

"Because you kept cheating after you lost in the Kanto League," claimed Serena.

"Is that what Professor Oak told you?" queried Ash.

"Yes, and after he showed me the results of the tests it all made sense," answered Serena.

"Wouldn't it make more sense that I simply improved over time?" Ash reasoned.

"Normally it would, but not in this instance," stated Serena. "Your success in the Kanto League led you to realise that the only way you would have any success was through cheating."

"You really don't know me at all," scoffed Ash. "If you did, you would've sided with me seven years ago. I'm competing in this tournament and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Serena couldn't understand why Ash couldn't do the right thing and tell the 'truth'.

"I can't believe I ever looked up to you," she said.

"You'll think differently once the league is over. I'll show the whole world that I'm innocent and Oak is lying," claimed Ash. "When that happens don't even think about asking for forgiveness because I won't be giving it. Also, don't hold out hope that I'll ever have feelings for you, because my eyes are already on someone else."

Serena turned her back.

"You won't win. Cheaters like you get what they deserve," spat Serena.

Serena walked away, passing an approaching Dawn whom she didn't even acknowledge.

"Friendly chat?" asked Dawn sarcastically.

"Nope," answered Ash.

"Don't worry, I just had one with Kenny trying to tell me to do the 'right' thing and turn on you," Dawn stopped in front of Ash.

"Well Serena was telling me to do the 'right' thing and confess, but as always they won't even let me tell my side of the story," sighed Ash.

"Something tells me they won't see the error of their ways until we expose Professor Oak as a liar," said Dawn.

"Agreed," Ash turned to look back at the stadium.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" asked Dawn. "I went by your gym, but they said you'd gone to the stadium."

"I just wanted to have a look at the place where we'll hopefully clear my name," stated Ash. "We've waited a long time for this and I'm eager to put our plan into action."

"So am I. I'm going to blow them all away at the Grand Festival," stated Dawn.

"No disrespect but shouldn't you have stayed with your Mum to keep her safe?" asked Ash.

"We agreed she's safe if she stays in the hotel," answered Dawn. "I don't think anyone will attack her out of fear of being disqualified."

"Not only that, but something also tells me Professor Oak won't do anything drastic now he knows he won't get any support from the other Professors," stated Ash.

"Still though, something tells me we're going to have to stay alert. Especially if we're going to succeed," warned Dawn.

"Trust me, I won't be able to relax until this whole ordeal is over. That's why I'm hoping I can at least get some enjoyment from the battles in the League," Ash sighed.

"I'm hoping the same about the Grand Festival," stated Dawn. "Anyway, I actually wanted to talk to you."

Ash looked at her, "What about?"

"I want to be honest with you Ash and have no regrets," said Dawn softly.

"Ok," he questioned.

"I must confess, that my reasons for siding with you seven years ago weren't purely because I didn't believe the accusations made against you. I didn't want to believe them, I couldn't," confessed Dawn. "I held out hope that you were innocent. I thought back to the time we spent travelling together in the Sinnoh Region. You helped me become the Coordinator I am today and became the best friend I ever had."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, you also helped me grow as a trainer by teaching me to think more creatively in Pokémon Battles. Helping you was the least I could do," admitted Ash.

"Still, I felt I owed you the benefit of the doubt. At least that's what I told myself when you were accused. But even if I didn't feel like I owed you, I feel I still would've sided with you because, because…" Dawn struggled.

"Because why?" asked Ash curiously.

"Because I love you Ash. I have ever since we parted ways in the Sinnoh Region," confessed Dawn. "I know that's probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I wanted to make sure I had no regrets."

They were silent for a few seconds.

"Actually, I'm glad you told me," whispered Ash.

"You are? You don't think I sided with you for the wrong reason?" asked Dawn.

"Some might think that, but it allowed you to give me what many others couldn't. You gave me the benefit of the doubt," stated Ash. "You know it's funny. Serena told me she'd had feelings for me when we were younger. She even believes she loved me at one point. But I know that's not true, because if she had she would've stood by me like you had. That's how I know the love you feel for me is real."

"How do you feel about me?" asked Dawn hesitantly.

Ash blushed, "Well um… I'll be honest I didn't think about it much. Especially in my younger years. I might have had some feelings for Misty when I was younger, but that disappeared the moment she turned against me. Then I remembered how you were one of the few who stood by me the day I was accused. On that day I knew you were a true friend. One that I could trust, one that would stand by me till the end. From there I saw you in a completely different light, one that I never thought possible."

Dawn hopes were getting dangerously high.

"After Serena confessed how she used to feel about me, I thought back to our journey through the Kalos Region. There could've been something between us, but that all went down the drain when she sided with Professor Oak. I also told her that she should give up any hope on the two of us being together, because my eyes are on someone else," he looked Dawn in the eye. "My eyes are on you."

Dawn shed a tear of happiness.

Without hesitation they embraced then kissed. This made Dawn and Ash less fearful about the outcome of the competition, because no matter what happened they knew they would have a happy life in the desolate land of the Stralia Region.

Thanks for reading. Like I said in the last chapter, I feel like I've been neglecting the romance of this story and I wanted to explore it a little more before starting the Pokémon League. Speaking of the Pokémon League, I mentioned in the last chapter that I was going to show the beginning of it in this chapter. That was my original intention, but I was advised to end the chapter here and leave the beginning of the League for the next chapter. I hope I made the right decision. Please let me know what you think, all feedback is greatly appreciated.