Ash stood on the cliff, gazing out across the ocean. On one side was Pikachu, his first ever Pokémon that had returned to his team after years of absence. On his other, Espeon, her presence the comfort it had always been in those years apart. Whenever he needed to think, he always came to the same spot. Looking out to the sea, he couldn't see any land, giving him a feeling of isolation that he relished. Yet if he turned around, he could see the fallen tree that he had destroyed in reaction to his mother arriving. A memory of when his isolation had ended. Over the years since he knew that he had mellowed. He was still distant to those he didn't know but his friends, however few, saw a much more open Ash. The way he had greeted Mellanie when she had arrived earlier, he knew he would never have done years ago. It hadn't diminished the aura of power he portrayed to the world. In public he was as fearsome as ever, if not more so. Ash chuckled slightly at the memory of his last appearance at the World League. The battle had been short, his opponent barely even landing a hit on Charizard.

Mellanie's reaction had been what he expected. She had stared at him, before turning away to hide the tears that sprung from her eyes. Delia had come out of the house and stared at Ash. She knew what the problem was, but that hadn't made it any easier. Mellanie had been taken inside, her Pokémon clustering around her for comfort. The accusing look Delia had thrown her son hadn't helped his mood. So he had turned away to get some time alone. Time for him to think.

There was a noise behind him. Ash turned to see his mother walking slowly towards him. It would be fair to say that Delia Ketchum looked older than most forty-six year olds, but it wasn't because she had aged badly in the last few years. It was the years before that which had taken their toll, the fear for her lost son. It was never discussed between them, but Ash felt guilty. Delia stopped next to him, and he turned to continue gazing out over the ocean.

"You could have handled that better." Delia said, breaking the silence.

Ash said nothing.

"She sees you as her father. She never told us why her parents don't care for her, but they don't. In her eyes, you're her father Ash. You need to help protect her."

Ash sighed. "I never expected to become a father. I'm not surprised I'm useless at it."

Delia smacked his arm. "Ash Ketchum, you should know better than that."

Ash chuckled, a warm sound echoing off the ocean. "I guess I deserved that."

"Yes you did." Delia said. "Since you've already decided that I won't get any actual grandchildren, you can at least take care of the adopted ones properly."

"I never said that you wouldn't get…" Ash trailed off under the gaze of his mother. "I suppose you've probably given up any chance of me having any children?"

"Ash, I've given up any chance of you ever getting a girlfriend." Delia said, a smile reaching her face. "I guess I'll never get to tell the story of how you went to collect Pikachu in your pyjamas."

Ash blushed slightly, before looking at the grin on his mother's face. "The worst part is that I think you actually would do that."

"It's what mothers are for." Delia said. "Embarrassing their children. Now, enough about you. What are you going to do about Mellanie? She loved Samuel Oak."

"I don't know." Ash said. "How are you managing? You loved the Professor as much, if not more."

"I'm older" Delia said simply. "And I've gone through much worse."

Ash winced. His mother hadn't meant to sound cruel, but he knew what she meant. Losing her only child would be far worse for her than losing her friend, no matter how close she was to him. After a long moment he turned to face his mother.

"You're better at this kind of thing than me." Ash said. "What do you suggest with Mellanie?"

Delia sighed. "I don't know either…" She trailed off, before her voice came back stronger. "You couldn't find him?" Ash shook his head. "What happened Ash? You said you'd keep an eye on him. How could he vanish?"

"I don't know." Ash answered truthfully. "I have friends all over the world who watch parts of the regions for me. These Pokémon are more prevalent inside the four regions, but there are still some outside. And those near the edge kept an eye on him when he came near to them. But five weeks ago he vanished."

"And it's taken you this long to find out?"

"No." Ash sighed. "Well yes, but not because of the reason you think. Those Pokémon cannot spend too long away from their parts of the world, but they can leave for a short while. The message took a while to make it to a Pokémon I'm in regular contact with. That's why it took so long. And when I went looking, there was no trace."

Delia shook her head. "Did he know you were tracking him?"

"I never told him, but that doesn't mean much with the Professor. I'm sure he knew."

"And now we have a problem." It wasn't a question from Delia, but Ash nodded anyway. "It all comes back to Mellanie."

Ash looked down for a moment. "Pikachu, go to her. Help her." Pikachu nodded and shot off. Ash turned back to his mother. "She's strong. She'll survive. But I'll keep her with me throughout this. If she needs me, I'll be there."

Delia looked into her sons eyes and saw the concern he felt for his young tutee there. "That's all I ask Ash. Protect her."

Ash stepped back into the house, to see Mellanie curled up in the corner of a sofa, Pikachu perched next to her. Despite the fact that he had known her for nearly six years, and tried to treat her like the young woman she had grown into, Ash sometimes found it hard. Somebody her size just felt like they needed protecting. He knew she played off it when battling, a ploy that he enjoyed watching. Delia had sent him back to try to fix things with his first ever tutee, but he didn't know what to say. He knew he had failed her, had failed his mother and failed Professor Oak. For nearly eight years, failure had haunted him until he had banished the memories of his defeat against Tobias with a victory that established himself as the best trainer in history. Now, five years later he had failed once again. And this time he couldn't run away from the consequences.

"Mellanie?" He asked softly. The girl looked up, the streaks on her face making it obvious that she had been crying, but the tears looked to have dried. She took a deep breath to compose herself as Ash moved across the room to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry." He started. "I didn't want to ruin your evening, not when you should be celebrating. But I felt you needed to know."

Mellanie looked at him, before turning her head away again.

"I wish I could tell you I know what happened." Ash continued. "But when you first started training with me, I promised you honesty."

Mellanie turned to Ash, and when her eyes met him there was a steel to her gaze.

"You also said you would keep an eye on him."

Ash sighed. "I know. And I have, as much as possible."

"So what happened to him?" Mellanie asked.

"I don't know." Ash said honestly. "Our friends watch him, whenever he comes near. But a few weeks ago he vanished. There is no evidence of where he might be, no clues we can follow. We spent the last few days chasing every lead we could, but without any luck."

Mellanie blinked. "Espeon and Alakazam couldn't find anything?"

Ash shook his head. "And neither could Mewtwo."

The surprise registered on the teenager's face before she could stop it. "Mewtwo came with you? I haven't seen him in…"

"Years." Ash finished. "But yes, he found us out there. He said something about a disturbance that he had come to investigate, but couldn't tell me anything else."

Mellanie turned back towards the corner of the sofa. "You really did look out for him, didn't you…"

It wasn't a question, but Ash nodded anyway. He then stood up, causing Mellanie to twist back towards him once more.

"I won't ask you for anything tonight" he said. "Tonight is your night, you made history today. But at some point, I would welcome your input on this."

"Mine?" Mellanie asked, the confusion clear in her voice. "But surely I'd have nothing to add…"

"You are an extremely capable trainer." Ash said. "And another opinion would be of use. You don't think the same way I do, and you can come at the problem from another angle."

"But…" Mellanie said, her voice trailing off.

"No buts Mellanie." Ash said, a smile playing at his lips. "Do not put yourself down. As my first ever student, I had high expectations of you, and thus far you have met them."

Mellanie stared at Ash, willing him to say the thing that she had longed to hear for so long. The thing her parents had never told her. That Ash had hinted at, but never quite said properly.

"I am proud of you Mellanie." Ash said. "Do not think that I am not."

And with that he turned and strode out of the room, heading back outside his house, leaving Mellanie curled up on the sofa with Pikachu cuddling her. And despite the news that she had heard that night, there was a huge smile plastered across her face.

The following morning Mellanie came out of her room to find Delia cooking breakfast. However, as she looked around, there was an emptiness around the house, as if something was missing. Mellanie had been around for long enough to know what it meant. Despite there being a group of Ash's Pokémon outside, eating their own food, she knew that their trainer would not be there.

"Where did he go?" She asked Delia.

"I'm afraid I don't know dear" the elderly woman answered. "He left late last night after you had gone to bed. I think he only wanted to come back to congratulate you and to tell you."

"Did he leave a message at all?" Mellanie asked.

Delia nodded. "He said he had one more thing he wanted to chase up. You were to think about what he said last night and he'll talk to you when he gets back."

Mellanie nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts elsewhere. She was thinking of alternatives as to how she could help Ash find Professor Oak, determined to have a plan when he got back.

There was a thud on the door of the Pokémon laboratory. Gary Oak heard it and groaned; he was really hoping to spend some time working today, but people kept coming in to distract him.

"Misty?" He shouted, before realising that she wasn't there. She'd left that morning in order to go do some final training before a tournament. Gary groaned again as he heard another loud thud. He strode through his lab to see who was trying to get in. He swung the door open to look into the eyes of his girlfriend, Misty Waterflower.

"Hey Red." Gary said, uncertainly. "I thought you were going away training today?"

Misty grinned as she stepped in, kissing her boyfriend on his cheek. Gary saw another person behind her, who he also recognized. Samuel Fernandez.

"I was going to head off because I wanted to find some place where I could find trainers who could challenge me." Misty said. "But then I saw Sam, and he said he was coming to spend a couple of days in Pallet Town. I figured he'd be pretty decent opposition. I mean, he won the Kanto League last time it was on, so he has to be half-decent."

"So I told Misty we should come back, and I'd beat her here." Sam said with a wide grin on his face.

Gary laughed. "I bet she took that well."

Misty glared at the two of them as they burst out laughing once more.

"Well…" Sam said. "I'm still alive, so I think she took it well."

"Very funny." Misty muttered as she glared at the two of them. "Anyway Gary, are you complaining at having me back already?"

Gary blushed slightly. "Not at all."

"Really?" Misty said, stepping forwards slightly, somewhere between menacing and seductive. "Because I could have sworn I heard you shouting for me when we knocked… Are you getting too dependent on me Professor Oak?"

Gary blushed slightly. "Well… you know… it's been…"

"It's been what, exactly?" Misty asked, taking another step forwards.

Gary gulped. "I missed you?" He said hopefully.

Misty took another step forwards. "Nope." She said, a playful smile now on her lips. "You don't get off that easily. Are you becoming dependent on me Gary?"

"I err… I don't think so?" Gary said, backing up against a table behind him.

"Really?" Misty said, still advancing until there were only a few feet between them. "Then why were you calling for me to get the door? Had you forgotten I was gone?"

Gary looked around desperately for an escape, but Sam was nowhere in sight. As Misty stopped in front of him, he tried once more.

"I love you?"

Misty grinned. "I know." She leaned in and kissed him, letting him draw her in closer. After a few moments she broke away, looking back into the lab.

"Where did Sam go?"

Gary shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe he didn't want to see what you were going to do to me?"

"What, kill you?"

Gary laughed. "You wouldn't kill me Red. You'd miss me."

Misty laughed, before kissing her boyfriend again, and turning away and heading deeper into the lab.

"Are you two finished?" a voice came. Gary turned to see Sam appear in a different doorway.

"Yep. Where did you go?"

"Away from watching." Sam retorted. "Seriously, do you think I want to see that?"

Gary smiled, before gesturing after Misty. "Fair enough. Didn't you say you were looking for a battle with Misty?"

Sam grinned. "She doesn't stand a chance. It'll be good practice though."

Gary looked at Sam, surprised by the casual arrogance in the young trainer. Although Sam was a good trainer, it had still been a surprise when he had won the Kanto League 18 months ago, it being one of his first tournaments since the Johto League. Gary had gone to watch him, but had been surprised when Mellanie hadn't appeared. According to Sam she had been training, but her failure to appear had still surprised many of the 'Old Gang' as they often referred to themselves. But then her own record in the Johto League was stunning. Gary often felt that the two of them had far surpassed him, especially after he had begun to focus on his research. But for him to dismiss Misty who was an excellent trainer in her own right was surprising.

"I guess you'll see." Gary settled for. "Anyway, I need to get back to work so I'll leave the two of you to it."

As Sam turned to leave, something crossed Gary's mind for a moment. "Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked, half turning back towards Gary.

"Misty said you were already coming to Pallet Town." Gary said. "Why?"

Sam smiled. "I thought I'd come early for the contest final, and since you would almost certainly be going it would give me a chance to see you for a bit."

"Ah." Gary said. "Yeah, we're going. Brock will be arriving soon as well and we'll all travel together. You want to come with us?"

Sam grinned. "Thought you'd never ask. Now, I have to go thrash Misty."

Gary watched him leave, a smile on his face. He always enjoyed seeing Sam; the young trainer was always refreshing and very confident. In sharp contrast to Mellanie, who was always somewhat withdrawn, Sam would always have an opinion, and would usually give it. Watching him flourish into a tournament winner had been highly enjoyable. Gary turned into his lab, then stopped. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate with the two of them outside battling, he headed out after them, cursing Sam and Misty for bringing their battle here. He'd go and watch it, and then get some work done.

Ash stood in the clearing, Alakazam and Espeon by his side. He had deliberately travelled with only a few of his Pokémon, bringing just Espeon and his scouts. Ninetales was sniffing around while Beautifly was hidden somewhere in the trees above their heads. Ash turned back to Alakazam.

"Distract him. I need time here."

Alakazam nodded, before crossing his spoons and vanishing. Ash turned to Espeon.

"When he arrives, we will see if anything has changed. I am still struggling to believe that he didn't know anything, his power and influence stems from him knowing everything."

Espeon flicked her tail. "He's not omniscient."

"I know." Ash said. "But he must know something."

"Not necessarily." Espeon said. "But I do find it unusual that he wouldn't know anything."

Ash turned to Ninetales. "Anything?"

She shook her head, almost embarrassed.

"No scents or anything at all?" Espeon asked. Again, Ninetales shook her head. "How can that be?" Espeon asked. "Has it been too long?"

"No." Ash said, gesturing to Ninetales to continue. "Ninetales can pick a scent out from miles away, and if it was here, she'd have found it. Especially since we're being left alone. There is nothing here she shouldn't recognize to overpower her. But you know this Espeon."

Espeon flicked her tail in frustration. "I know. But I can't believe that we can't find anything. Nobody just vanishes."

"I did." Ash said.

"You hardly count." Espeon retorted. "You weren't being searched for like we've been searching."

"And Agent did." Ash said, as if his Pokémon hadn't said anything. Espeon fell silent, not sure what else to say. The entire team still felt the shame of that failure five years ago. Five years ago, when a terrorist evaded their scrutiny and committed the worst atrocity in memory, destroying a stadium and killing nearly three thousand people. He was the only person to ever avoid the scouts on Ash's team. Until now.

"We never found out how he did it." Espeon said. "And he was able to erase trails just like this one has been."

"Agent is dead." Ash said sharply. "I watched him die."

"I know. But surely if there is a way that he could do it, then so could somebody else?"

"They could. But without knowing how Agent could have evaded us, speculation is irrelevant."

"Could he have done it solely with his psychic ability?"

Ash sighed. "Espeon, we have been through this. It may have been, but I faced him in a straight battle, as did Alakazam. There was more to it than just psychic strength. I'm sure he had some kind of help."

"Then is that why we are here?"

Ash nodded. "He must know something. Whatever happened could not have happened without him knowing. And if he won't tell us then…"

Espeon suddenly looked at Ash. Ash nodded and stopped talking. His Pokémon rushed back to his side as Alakazam reappeared. A quick glance told Ash that he had mere moments, and he nodded at Alakazam. The Psychic-Type crossed his spoons and the entire team vanished. As they did, something small and dark streaked across the clearing, before settling on a tree to look around. A few moments later the thing leapt into the air and raced off, at a staggering speed. No sign of the team's presence in the clearing remained.

"That was a good battle Misty." Sam said, shaking her hand. "You nearly had me at one point."

Misty shook her head ruefully. "If it hadn't been for your Electabuzz I think I'd have won."

Sam grinned. "That is your biggest weakness; you only have Water-Types. If you think I wouldn't exploit that as much as possible you don't know me. Still, I hadn't planned to use him, you forced me to. You are a powerful trainer."

Before Misty could say anything else, they heard clapping from the side of the field. Gary was stood there, with Brock next to him. Misty turned with a wide smile on her face.

"Brock! When did you get here?"

"Just in time to watch you lose" the Pokémon Doctor said. "Although what did you expect going up against a League Champion?"

Misty glared at her friend. "In a six on six I could have beaten him! Three on three got me because of the Electabuzz!"

"I know, I know." Brock said, making a calming motion with his hands. "That was an excellent battle though. Try not to be too disappointed, you shouldn't have too many problems with the tournament."

"You said it's the Viridian Tournament?" Sam asked. Misty nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I know it. Based off those who I know who are entering, if you battle like you can, you could win."

"Thanks." Misty said nodding.

"How do you know who's entering?" Gary asked in surprise. "No offence Sam, but you're still only fifteen, and as far as I'm aware, you're not involved in the tournament at all."

Sam smiled mysteriously. "I'm not allowed any secrets?"

The others shared a glance. It had been a while since they saw Sam and they had all noticed the change in him. He was far more confident and assured of himself, almost bordering on arrogance. It was surprising from a fifteen year old.

"So." Brock said, trying to change the subject. "When are we heading off to Vermilion City for the contest?"

"Since we're all here, we can head off tomorrow." Gary said.

"Who are you supporting?" Sam asked.

Brock grinned. "For me, I'll be happy for her if Dawn wins, but I'd prefer May. The idea of Dawn beating her rival will make her unbearable for a while."

Gary nodded. "She can be as bad as Max sometimes."

"Will Max be there?" Misty asked. "Or is he still over in Johto?"

Gary nodded at Sam. "Your girlfriend beat him in the final, so he'll probably have run away here to escape."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sam shouted instantly, blushing bright red.

The adults laughed. "Sure Sam." Misty said. "We'll believe you."

"How many in a row is that anyway?" Brock asked, trying to help the teenager out. "Wasn't that her third?"

"Yeah, it was." Sam said, turning to face the Doctor. "I went across to watch, but it was pretty easy for her."

"Even against Max?" Brock asked in surprise, before Misty could say anything. "He's pretty good."

"He's not good enough though by the sounds of it." Gary offered. "She won with Totodile and another Pokémon still standing."

"She has won three in a row." Sam said. "She's brilliant."

The adults all shared a knowing smile, but said nothing. They had all expected Sam and Mellanie to get together sooner or later, but had agreed not to push it.

"Is she coming across? For the contest?" Gary asked. "I haven't seen her for a while."

"I don't think so." Sam said. "I haven't spoken to her for a while, but she'll probably be recovering."

"Fair enough." The researcher said. "Anyway, while I would love to be able to spend all day talking, I do have work to do. I assume you can entertain yourselves for the rest of the day?"

The rest of the gang all nodded and Gary walked away, heading back inside to continue working.

Early the following morning they all climbed into Gary's car, to drive to Viridian City. From there they caught a train to Vermilion, arriving in the afternoon before the contest final started. Once they arrived, Brock and Gary headed to the front desk of the contest hall to collect tickets. As they queued, Gary turned to Brock.

"I have something to ask you." The researcher said with uncharacteristic nervousness.

"Go on." Brock prompted when nothing else was forthcoming.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while." Gary said. "Ever since last year."

"Last year?" Brock asked when Gary broke off again.

"Yeah, last June."

"Wait, last June? Wasn't that…"

"Yeah." Gary said quietly. "That."

"You serious?" Brock asked. Gary just nodded. Brock whistled softly. "So what do you need to ask?"

"Should I do it?"

"Definitely."

"And… if she says yes… will you?"

"Wait, you're asking me to..?" The surprise was evident in Brocks voice.

"Yes."

"Wow. Well I'd be honoured. I just hope she says yes. She'd be stupid not to."

"Thank you". Gary said, turning back to the queue. The next few minutes passed somewhat awkwardly as neither man really knew what to say. They collected their tickets and returned to the others, entering the contest hall and finding their seats in one of the boxes reserved for friends of the contestants. Drew greeted them there, before turning towards the stage as a man strode towards the centre holding a microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today we have two of the world's greatest Coordinators going head to head. On one side, we have the most successful coordinator still on the circuit. Please put your hands together for Dawn Berlitz!"

As the crowd cheered, Dawn stepped onto the stage, waving. She was dressed in what had become known as her trademark at major events; pink skirt, black top, blue hair held back by a hat. She seemed to almost bounce to the centre of the stage, while the crowd cheered her name. The voice of the announcer rang out again.

"Against her, Dawn's greatest rival since she returned to contests nearly five years ago, it is the Princess of Hoenn, May Shu!"

Applause and cheers rang out once more, as May stepped onto the stage, waving to the crowd as well.

"Each coordinator will perform an appeal using three of their Pokémon, before a series of exhibition battles take place" the announcer continued. "As this is a warm-up for this seasons Kanto Contest Circuit, the ribbon awarded to the winner will not count towards the number required for a coordinator to enter the Grand Festival. This is an exhibition match only."

Ash Ketchum stepped into the contest hall quietly. He had not intended to come; he was estranged from all of the people that he was here to see. However, his failure to locate Samuel Oak meant that he knew he had to see if Gary knew anything. While it would have been possible to visit Pallet Town, he had found it difficult on the few times that he had been there since he had taken his title six years previously. Given that May and Dawn were going head to head, Ash suspected that the majority of his old friends would be there as well. Being able to observe Gary from a distance was much easier. Despite all the time that had passed, Ash was still determined not to ever reveal his true name to his friends. To them, Ash Ketchum died a long time ago.

Ash reached a spot at the back of an executive box reserved for the Pokémon League, a spot from where he would remain shrouded in darkness. He had half expected to see Lance in attendance, but the Champion of Kanto was not there. Less surprisingly, neither was Lieutenant Surge, with the Vermilion Gym Leader not having an interest in contests. In fact, the box was completely empty, something which suited Ash stayed in the shadows at the back and quietly released Espeon at his feet. The Sun Pokémon purred as she arched her back, happy to be out of her Pokéball once more. She helped Ash to look around the hall, to locate Gary in a different box. His gaze fell upon the Kanto researcher, spotting Sam, Misty and Brock there as well. Ash sighed. Another two people he knew could never know Ash Ketchum was alive.

"Does he know?" Ash murmured, watching his old friends talk and laugh as they waited for the first appeal.

"I don't think so." Espeon said. "He seems unaware that his grandfather is missing."

"That was rhetorical Espeon." Ash said to his Pokémon. "But I agree. There is something off about him, but I don't think it is relevant"

Ash turned to leave, before he realized that Espeon wasn't following him. He turned back to see the Sun Pokémon still watching the stage.

"Espeon?" Ash questioned. She turned her gaze onto him.

"Stay. You know you want to."

Ash shook his head. "Espeon, you know that part of my life is over."

"They were once your friends." Espeon said. "Whether they still are, you should still stay and watch."

Ash just stared in shock. "Did Mum put you up to this?"

Espeon considered this for a moment. "She didn't tell me to. But she didn't tell me not to either."

Ash just shook his head. "You're really going to do this? Why?"

"Because you should stop running away from your past. Even if you don't talk to them, they are near the top in their fields. As Pokémon Master, you cannot ignore them forever."

Ash glared at his Pokémon, but he could not fault her logic. He was here, so why not? He chose a seat, and sat down, waiting for the contest to start.

A/N

So, I have managed to avoid a hiatus thus far… (Anybody that was here last time knows that is actually an achievement!). A few more things from me:

Yes, Ash's friends will be featuring, similarly to last time. They are all influential in the world, be it as league champions, gym leaders, researchers, top coordinators etc so I can't really just cut them out. And this is a story which includes Ash, so it would be weird to exclude them.

A few people have spoken about Sam and Mellanie; they will be featuring again, along with one other OC who is yet to appear. I do apologize for including three but this is twelve years into the future after Sinnoh, and it is easier to create somebody than to try to adapt yet another canon character. The third one will appear relatively soon, and will feature somewhat heavily for parts of this one.

A couple of people have asked do Ash's friends know who he is? No. In fact, just assume nothing major has happened since The Lost Master. Anything that has, you will find out in due course, but it was a quiet period for them.

Finally, people have asked about whether Ash will find love this time around. Well, he is a bit more open so I wouldn't rule it out…

Hope you enjoyed the second chapter and I shall see you all again soon(ish)

Iama2p