He had walked a day. One full day simply walking. Though knowing the way back, Ash had found his legs lagging in matters of time. He had finally come to a stop, he and his team stopping to eat, followed by a moment like one before, though it heavier this time, somehow.

Charizard stretched his repaired wings, giving a few experimental beats. The up-draft was enough to make Ash hold down his hat. He smiled, dimly, as around them the entire team was present. "Guess this is goodbye again." Charizard nodded, a soft growl emerging from him. "You keep strong, alright? And take care of Ash, if he's named after me he's gonna be something special." The dragon-like Pokémon roared. Ash smiled just a bit wider, though it did not reach his eyes. "Goodbye, Charizard."

Charizard smiled, and his too failed to reach his eyes before they closed. He took a heavy breath, letting silence fall for just a moment.

He opened his mouth. "YAHHH!"Ash didn't have time to duck, through he probably wouldn't have bothered. Anyone who'd have thought Ash would be a little more cautious around Pokémon attacks now clearly didn't know him too well. He let out a puff of smoke, grinning.

At his feet Pikachu shook his head. "Pi?" He noticed Charizard had turned to face him. "KAAAA!"

The same could be said for Pikachu. Soon he too was breathing out smoke, and a grinning Charizard quickly got to work.

One by one, each Pokémon received a personal "goodbye", to various reactions. Snorlax didn't seem to notice he'd been fired upon, Feraligatr twirled in place and bowed, Sceptile patted down his arms, before quickly moving to restrain an angry Scrafty.

Charizard's wings were beating again, his feet departed from the ground and he was soon in the air. He let off one more stream of fire into the sky. He could hear the various cries of farewell coming from below, and met them with one final roar before he flew, off into the skies, onwards to home.

Ash smile finally reached his eyes, though sadness was with it. They'd reached the top of the world together, it didn't feel right for a team member to leave, but he knew things had changed. Charizard had responsibilities, as did he, but their lives would always remain intertwined.

Always.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later Ash passed the outskirts of Ecruteak City. The sun was still high in the air, and Ash had no intention of stopping anytime soon. He'd always been used to spending long amounts of time walking, and recent years had trained him to withstand far longer without stopping. He kept walking. In the distance, he could hear voices, an argument of some kind, an argument about-"My Pikachu's strong enough already!"

Pikahchu's ear twitched. "Pika pi kachu pi?" Don't we know that voice?

Ash stopped, listening closely. "Yeah, we do."

He turned, striding towards the source of whatever the commotion he could hear was. He came across four figures, two children, and two considerably older children. The two older children, likely twins by the looks of them, stood full of arrogant pride behind there Raichu's, who were glaring down at a resolute Pikachu, who was just in front of-"Michael?"

Michael turned, freezing for a second when he realized who'd called him, likely as confused as Ash was as why the two of them were this far from their respective homes. Ash approached, smiling just slightly as the two Raichu owners seemed slightly intimidated at his appearance. Clearly walking around in a cloak had some other uses besides anonymity. The Raichus on the other hand were not very impressed, smirking at Pikachu, who shot a venomous glare right back. Lucky for them, it was just a glare. Ash soon reached the boy, Pikachu jumping down to join Michael's on the ground.

"What are you doing here, Michael?"

"I'm on vacation. Visiting family." A loud 'ahem' was heard from someone close by. "Oh, and my friend." He signalled his friend. "This is Andrea."

Andrea, by the look of her, was Michael's age, short blond hair and green eyes. At her feet, briefly, was a Growlithe, who made its way from her. The Growlithe approached Ash, sniffing curiously at his cloak. Ash leaned down, petting the curious canine. "Good boy." Growlithe growled. "Sorry, girl! Good girl!" He scratched Growlithe behind the ear, earning a more contented growl.

Andrea approached, looking at Ash with a curious gaze."Michael, who's you friend?"

Michael smiled. "It's him." He pointed at Ash, turning on his friend with accusation in his eyes."Told you I wasn't lying!"

'Him' was a statement that registered quickly. "No way! I don't believe it! There's no way you-" She gasped as Ash slightly adjusted his hood.

"Told you." Michael put his hands behind his head, grinning. "I'm just that awesome."

Andrea smiled, walking up to Michael, her smile grew wider, and a little too friendly, her hand slowly moving to-"OW!"

Michael grasped the top of his head, grumbling something no one else couldn't make out.

Ash chuckled, that brought back memories... He turned to the two older kids, who both were clearly already trainers. "And these two?"

Michael glared. "They're jerks! They keep saying the only way my Pikachu's gonna get strong is by evolving!"

Under his cloak Ash found himself with a nasty grin. "Really? Interesting theory you got there, boys."

If the two were intimidated by Ash anymore they didn't show it. "Who are you?"

"Right now I'm your worst nightmare. Hey, Pikachu, you up for a fight?"

"Pika!"

Ash smiled. "Let's put your theory to the test, our Pikachus against your Raichus. Two on two."

One of the boys sneered at Pikachu. "I bet that Pikachu's never ever won a match." Ash actually laughed at that. "What's so funny!?"

"Oh, nothing." He turned to Michael. "Micahel, you up for this?"

Michael grinned. "Yeah! No way we can lose, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

The younger Pikachu walked up to his elder, smiling up at him briefly. He looked across to his two opponents, both of which were looking down upon him with a foreboding glare.

A paw found his shoulder. "Pika Chuu." Don't worry. Pika nodded, his cheeks sparking. The two took places across from eachother, and their opponents, as they in turn did the same. All four trainers shared the exact same thought.

This was gonna be so easy.

Andrea brought down her hand. "Begin!"

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

Both Raichu's were set alight with their own power, and both set it free.

Pikachu blinked, Pika took a step back, unsure of what to-

"Pika kaa." Don't move.

Pikachu raised his paw, his body sparking. The two bolts moved through the air, striking Pikachu with all their force.

Pikachu just smiled.

Ash smirked. "Boys, our battle has actually started you know."

Pikachu lowered his paw, body crackling with remnants of the bolts. "Pikachu pika chu chu ka pi." Gonna take more than that to beat me.

"Raichu, Brick Break!"

One of the Raichu's leapt forth, a paw shrouded in white, pulling back before-POW

Pikachu''s face was struck. The mouse Pokémon blinked, turning his cheek against the blow, moving the offending limb with it. Raichu backed away a step, his expressing saying all. What the hell?! "Raiiiiiii-" He clenched another fist, face flared in anger. "CHU!"

Pikachu looked down, blinking slowly, even with a fist in his gut. This, this was nothing, compared to a certain other punch he could recall, one he could still feel rattling his bones. He looked back up, glaring. "Kapi." Weak.

He raised a paw, backhanding his foe, sending him sailing across the ground. He smiled, this was a bit too much fun.

A bit. He'd get over it.

Ash smiled. "Okay you two, say you're sorry, and you can walk away now."

"No way!"

Ash raised his arms in an exaggerated hug. "Well, I tried." Michael laughed.

The Raichu got back to his feet, shaking his head. Both his and his comrades cheeks flared. Across from them, two Pikachu's took a step forward, one more timidly so than the other. The silent deceleration had been made, the real battle started right now. Heh, "real battle", what an overstatement. Still, there was something strange about this. It had been a while since he'd so willingly play fought, and yet...

His hand was still. No shaking, no sense of restlessness, no stress, no anything. Had his battle with Quentin satisfied him? At least for now? Had his desires been satiated? How long would it be before it came back? Before the thirst, the hunger came back? How long before his last dose of pure life faded from his veins?

He closed his hand. That time would come when it came. When it did, he'd do what he hadn't done with his problems in some time.

He'd take it head on.

Speaking of head on...

"Raichu, Body Slam! Take on the big one!"

"Raichu, Body Slam too, aim for the small one!"

Both Raichu's rushed forward on all fours, jumping up, limbs extended. "Pikachu, stop 'em!" Pikachu leapt up, grabbing his out of the air, twisting both of them in midiar before-

"RAIIIIII-!"
"CHU!"

Both Raichu hit the ground in a dazed heap. Micahel smiled. "We got this. Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" He rushed forward, his tail shrouded in white as it began to change, yellow turning into grey, turning into-

A shade between yellow and grey. Ash could easily make out the brown at the base of his tail. "Incomplete."

With an incomplete Iron Tail, Pika reached a target, the Raichu that had its comrade slammed into him. "KA!" Raichu was already seeing stars, and they were shook. He blinked, as a blurry, offending object-POW! He growled.

"Raichu, Hyper Beam!"

Raichu opened his maw "Raiii", his target becoming clearer-it was the little one! Well he was gonna pay. "CHUUU!"

Both Raichu's found their vision blinded almost instantly, and themselves forced to cover themselves against the backlash of the blast. They snickered, no way anything got up after that. No way that-

Something was standing. Something quite a bit bigger than the beam was intended for. Not for the first time, the Raichu's found themselves confused.

What the hell was that thing?

Whatever it was, looked upon them with a glare. "Pi kaka chu ka." All bark no bite. He looked back at his partner, noting his incomplete Iron Tail. "Pi chu pika chu." I got an idea.

"Pi? Kaa!" Pikachu piked up his partner, flipping him upside down, holding him by the midsection, much like a-"Pi chu pi ka pika!" I got me a sword! He turned his attention to the Raichu pair. "Chu ka!" En Garde!

With a mighty swing, both Raichu's found themselves knocked from their feet. Pikachu grinned, as did his weapon. With weapon in paw, Pikachu walked forward, as his enemies found way back to their feet. At their master's commands, the Raichu's rushed forward. One threw a punch, missing weapon and wielder, the "blade" crashing down on his skull, sending him down. Pikachu batted away another Iron Tail, thrusting his blade to jab his foe, knocking him to the ground too. The first Raichu rose up again, Pikachu spinning on his feet, bringing his sword around to hit with a hard-SLAP

Even though the blow made Raichu hit the ground..."Pi?" Huh?

Pikachu looked up, finding that all traces of grey had faded from his blade.

"Pika." Sorry.

Pikachu smiled. "Ka chuka." No worries.

With that he put his partner on the ground, two infuriated Raichu's getting back to their feet, glaring at the pika pair. The pair only grinned back. With a roar and at command, the Raichu's paws became shrouded in lightning. They rushed forth.

Ash smiled. "Evade, Pikachu."

Michael followed suit. "Pikachu, use Agility! Keep away from them!"

Pikachu flowed around the punch aimed at him, leaping away. Pika rushed away, an angry Raichu in pursuit, swinging at the target that would evade his fist at just the last second. Ash smiled. In a way, it was old times, only in a way. Pikachu remained still, most of the time, save for the very brief instances he'd move to evade a blow, grinning.

"KA!" Pika jumped, a Thunderpunch indenting the ground where he'd been only half a second ago. He landed, taking rapid breaths as Raichu pulled his limb from the ground. Raichu's trainer smiled.

"Raichu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pi?" Pikachu saw the other Raichu's body flare, and him hit all fours. "KA!" He grabbed the offending limb, throwing the owner over his shoulder and rushing away.

Pika took a breath, rushing around this much was exhausting. His foe rushed forward-so fast! Pikachu forced his body to move, Raichu seeming to approach in fast motion. Getting close and closer-he suddenly stopped, and his head was slammed into the ground. "Pi ka chu!"I got you! Pika found himself in the paws of his ally, quickly leaping through the air. Pikachu landed, and the pair once more took positions from foes who were again having to pick themselves up. The Raichu's frustrations were matched only by that of their trainers.

"Damnit! Pikachu shouldn't be this strong!"

"It's only the big one! The little one can't fight at all!"

Ash scowled. Just for that, Michael's Pikachu was delivering the final blow. The question was how. He thought back to the last time he ran into Michael, and that Electo Ball..."If only he could move faster." If only Michael's Pikachu had-"Wait, maybe he can!" "Pikachu! You got a step in you?"

Pikachu's sparks crackled, briefly. Like everyone else on Ash's team, Pikachu wasn't at a hundred percent of his power. Their gambles at the end of their battle with Quentin came with costs. Pikachu's power reserves wouldn't be capable of full capacity for some time.

In this match, that wasn't a problem. "Pi!" One!

Ash grinned. "Michael! Get an Electro Ball ready!"

Michael nodded. "You heard him, Pikachu! Make the biggest one you can!"

"Pika!" At the tip of his tail, a ball of Electricity formed, an orb of sparkling power, a little bigger than the surface on which it was born. Both Raichu's rushed forth, finding swift introduction to Pikachu's paws, which slammed them both face-first into the ground. Pikachu leapt back, having a good idea where Ash was going with this.

"Alright you two, listen up! Pikachu! Pick up Michael's Pikachu, and when I tell you, make a step." He turned to his partner. "Michael, remember what I told you last time."

Pikachu turned to his younger ally, holding out his paws as the smaller pika jumped into them. "Ka pi chu pika." When I give the word.

Michael watched as his Pikachu was raised atop his partner's shoulders, the Electro Ball balancing on his tail. "Oh!" He grinned. "Pikachu! Use that extra speed! Throw it then!"

Both Pikachu's grinned. This was gonna be awesome. The Raichu pair extracted themselves from the ground. "Use Thunder!" The Raichu's bodies and furies violently flared, shrouding them in gold. Pikachu grasped his charge tighter, knowing what was about to-

"NOW!"

"KA!"

They vanished, just for an instant. The Raichu pair barely had time to process, before what came next. They reappeared, and the ball shot off like a cannonball sized bullet.

BOOM!

All sound was drowned out as the attack found a mark, blasting both Pikachu's with a fierce wind, the younger of the pair only remaining in place by the strength of the older. Their trainers too felt the backlash, the younger shielding himself from the wind. All eyes watched as the cloud of dust parted. A small crater had formed, still smoking from the blast, and within it lay two smoking figures, face down in the dirt.

Ash and Pikachu grinned. They were so trying that one out next year.

Andrea raised her arm. "Both Raichus are unable to continue! The battle goes to Pikachu and Pikachu!"

Pika pumped his fist to the sky, as Pikachu raised him, both cheering loudly.

With a pair of red lights, both Raichu's were returned to their balls, their trainers enraged as they extracted other balls from their belts.

"We're not done yet!"

"You're both going down!"

Ash snarled. "You sure you wanna finish this?" He grabbed his cloak, casting off the hood.

The twins froze.

"Oh nuts!"

"Oh crap!"

Ash grinned at them. "RUN!"

They were gone in seconds.

Ash chuckled. "Wimps." Michael walked up to Ash, Pika in his arms, as Pikachu took place on Ash's shoulder. "Nice job, you too. You'll be in the big leagues yet."

Michael grinned. "You bet. We're gonna get super strong and take you on! Quentin Gelden won't mean a thing next to us!"

Ash let the minor slight against his predecessor go. "Heard about that, huh?"

Michael nodded, and frowned. "My dad doesn't believe it though. Says Quentin was way too good."

"Oh he was. Quentin was the best, but I didn't fight alone."

Michael looked confused, almost stricken. "You had help? You fought two on one?"

Ash smiled, and shook his head. "When you fight for someone else, their strength boosts yours, and I fought for a bunch of people." Ash's thoughts briefly turned to the items in his bag, and someone back home. Home, it was time to go back. "Speaking of, I gotta head back home. Duties call, and all that. Nice seeing you again, Michael." He turned to-"Nice meeting you too, Andrea."

Andrea nodded and smiled, while Michael-"Yeah! You too, Grandmaster Ketchum!""

Ash smiled, looking at Michael, his attention, and mind transfixed on him briefly.

Something was missing...

The boy had that drive in him, he had a Pikachu, but if he was truly gazing back in time, why was something missing? Why was something so important completely absent? The spark in his onyx eyes was right, and the untidy mess that was his auburn hair held that order only Ash could see, that untamed nature, likely not helped by-

He smiled. He'd found what the boy had been missing. "Michael, close your eyes a sec."

Confused, Michael obliged, and closed his eyes tight. Like a child, like any other child his age about to receive a present the tension was obvious to any who would have been looking.

He felt something upon his head, in the same instant lightly touching him before he felt it sneak further down and grasp his head. He felt a sudden weight pass from him. Yet he still felt that grip...he opened his eyes.

Michael lightly touched an area just above and in front of his forehead, before gasping and looking up.

Ash wasn't wearing a hat anymore. The Grandmaster smiled. "I'll see you at the end of the road." Once more, he saw a long lost image staring back at him, of a young boy, innocent, hopeful, and with a heart so clear. "Good luck, Michael."

With that Ash turned, placing on his hood and walked. He got perhaps a dozen steps before a voice called out to him.

"I-! I'll get strong! I promise! We'll both get strong!"

Ash turned back, smiling. He didn't doubt those words for an instant. "We'll meet again. And when we do be ready, because that's when we battle." He reached for the hood of his cloak. "Goodbye, Michael." He placed it over his head once more.

With that he kept walking. He got more than a dozen steps this time, but something else was causing a distraction.

Pikachu was tugging him. "Pika pi chu." Take a look.

He turned around, watching the pair.

Pikachu smiled. "Pika chu pi kachupi?" Remind you of anybody?

Ash turned his head, confused. "Should they?" Pikachu just pointed, and they both watched.

Michael and Andrea still walked, not noticing Ash was watching as Michael, a spring in his step, held his Pikachu. The humans were conversing about something, though it was lost to Ash's ears.

Andrea suddenly turned on Michael, visibly enraged.

"He's supposed to be a pet?! And you let him battle!? You idiot!"

Ash's shoulders started shaking. Pikachu looked to his friend, his face still hidden under his hood. He shook harder, brief noises escaping from Ash, escaping louder before-He threw his head back.

Pikachu smiled.

Ash was laughing. He laughed for a full minute before he could finally stop, and watch the pair go beyond where he could easily track them.

Ash watched him go, watched him, and the revelation left in his wake, of the little boy that Ash was so reminded of. The little boy that was long since gone. Ash would never be him again. Yet that didn't have to mean he and that boy had to be all that different...but different they would be.

"Goodbye...Ash."

He turned once more, and as a sudden breeze passed him by he could almost hear him. In his mind's eye, he could see that boy staring him down once more, fading away.

Goodbye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He walked for hours, his feet neither tired, nor willing to stop. Above him clouds had once again gathered, dying the sky grey.

He finally stopped. He gazed up, staring up into the grey skies.

"Michael." He closed his eyes. "He's so like what I used to be."

So many years, so many times, so many in which he was there...

In which he was better.

At the edge of Pewter, he and Brock ran from an irate Misty. The pair shared a grin, somehow knowing what was to come. That what was to come, were many days like this.

A storm, raging around them, Misty on the ground. He took her by the hand, by the rest of her with no thought of himself as he too them to the cave, holding her close to him.

He and May looked at one another, a silent conversation ending in a nod. With an order, a Leaf Blade cuts a ribbon in half. Words held no purpose in this moment.

Under a calm, night sky, comforting Max. Sharing his experience, his understanding, and even his pain with his young friend.

He was cheering loudly, his every thought and will on Dawn's victory.

He opened his eyes, his yesterdays fading into today.

"Can I really be like that again?"

As he looked down under the grey sky, even his mind was silent to answer. Not even-"Hm?"

Light.

The clouds above started to part. The heavens opened to him, and his eyes to them. The sun illuminated him, and the field around him. Had only anyone else been around to see, they could have claimed that the heavens had opened up to him.

The skies had parted for a messenger.

Ash's mouth slowly fell open, as high above him a sight so familiar, yet so rare passed by. Shrouded in gold and wings like a rainbow. He'd never seen it so close, so within his reach. Its eyes turned upon him, and for a moment, for the first time...

They saw eye-to-eye.

Words were not spoken, but such things would have served only to distil the clarity of the moment. The moment ended as their gazes parted ways, and the bird sailed higher into the sky. Ash watched, until the bird passed into the distance. Where he would go was as now as it was way back when, a mystery, yet that part did not matter.

Ash smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

End of Chapter

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I didn't intend to use Michael again, but given who he's meant to represent (if you haven't figured it out by now then I'm a shittier write than even I thought), I felt it was a good idea to have a second run-in.

For any who are awaiting Quenitn's one-shot; I am still in the process of refining it. I've only really fleshed out the notes so far, and putting the details I want to into the one-shot is a bit more work than I guessed it'd be.

Warning in advance, it's gonna be long.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Omake

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Charizard smiled to himself. Home. It'd been so long since he'd even seen it. He wondered briefly if this was what like Ash had felt, when he'd returned to his own home. Perhaps, perhaps not. This was not where Charizard had been hatched, so perhaps it was different from Ash. Still, like Ash himself, he had finally come back, after a very long series of battles. It would be nice, to finally get some real rest. Yet, a life without any fighting, if even for only a short time...it would very strange. He gazed over the valley, spotting the countless Charizard which inhabited it, though his destination was a bit more specific. He gazed at the only house in the valley, where two distinct shapes were standing.

He roared. The two looked up, one greeting him with great flare, literally. Charizard dived through the blaze cast by his son, swooping down to earth and snatching him up. The child laughed as they moved through the air, shooting fire at random intervals before slowly making it down to the ground. Charla approached, nuzzling her mate before Ash whined. Charizard chuckled to himself, ever the little attention seeker.

"Welcome home, Charizard." Charizard gave a respectful nod to his, his surrogate trainer. Though Liza preferred a hands-off method of training, she knew more about his species than they likely knew about themselves, and had passed to him a lesson or two. Ash would always be his true trainer, but if there was a secondary, Liza would be it. "Tough battle?"

Charizard nodded. Though to the untrained eye he was back to full strength, Liza could tell he was not yet fully healed. The subtle droop in his wingspan, the every so sluggish movements, the weakening of his tail's fire. He might as well have been wearing a sign saying "weakened". Were the Charizard of the valley not such a prideful bunch, he'd worry about another taking advantage of his condition. Fortunately, no Charizards here were that mean-

A roar echoes across the valley, its source in a geyser of flame.

Scratch that.

With thundering steps, Charizard reached the edge of the cliff, finding far below an infuriating sight. A number of Charizard were on the ground, clearly having been the receiving end of the Charizard that was currently beating his chest. Around him a number were growling loudly, though none were foolish enough to charge.

Liza approached, looking over the situation. "Sorry Charizard, but he's been a pain for a while now. I think he guessed you weren't coming back." Charizard growled, she looked up, knowing where this was going. "Don't beat him too badly, okay?" The ground seemed to shake as Charizard stomped off. "Like he'd listen to me..." She sighed. She wondered if she should take little Ash inside, quickly dismissing the idea when she found him cheering from the edge of the cliff. Ash was going to make a very dangerous Charizard one day. Like father like son...

Charizard snarled as he made his way down the hill, this brought back some very unpleasant memories, most of them involving getting beaten. Clearly this brat had forgotten how things worked around here. There was a code of honor among the Charizard here, one they never shared (though Liza knew it anyway) and right now this ass was wiping his own with it. With a blaze Charizard announced himself to the upstart.

The gathering of Charizard's looked to the new entry, most of them backing away, smiling. This was gonna be good.

He may not have been at full power, but he had enough to deal with this. He stared down his foe with a glare that only that monster of an Aerodactyl could have ignored. With some satisfaction, he saw fear in his enemy's eyes. Charizard grinned.

It was time to put this upstart in his place.