Cynthia Shirona strode into the press conference room at Indigo Plateau, her face utterly expressionless. It had been three days since the fighting amongst Pokémon had died down without any visible reason and the press had been clamouring for somebody official to explain what had happened. There had also been increasing rumours that Ash Ketchum had escaped prison. Some newspapers were reporting that Ash had been released to deal with the problem, others that he had escaped so that he could deal with it. Still more had speculated that Ash had escaped and tried to increase the upheaval, before being stopped by Cynthia and the other regional leaders. Cynthia had found that story on the amusing side as she had no idea quite how she could be expected to stop Ash from doing anything.

Cynthia took her place in front of the microphones, the symbol of the Pokémon League behind her and took a deep breath as she unfurled the speeches that she had with her. She always felt the momentous nature of her words in this room. The room where the Pokémon Master would traditionally address the media and through them his people. Cynthia didn't expect it to be lost on anybody that it was her who stood in that place now, not Champion.

"Good morning." Cynthia started as she toyed with the paper on the stand in front of her. "And thank you all for coming. I hope that I can help to clear up some of the confusion that has reigned rampant over the last few days and weeks."

Cynthia looked down at the two speeches that she had brought and came to a decision. She smoothly folded one up, sliding it to one side as she started to read the other, her voice easily carrying around the room to the waiting cameras and reporters.

"Three days ago the instability that caused the outbreak in infighting between Pokémon came to an end. The Pokémon League has conducted an extensive inquiry and found that Ash Ketchum had, through his actions as Pokémon Master, riled up a large number of extremely powerful Pokémon. Each of these Pokémon led groups of other wild Pokémon and started to clash. These fights came to an end after agents from the Pokémon League conducted a dangerous mission to approach the Pokémon and make peace with them. I can assure you that it was not just over the last few days that this has been happening as we have been aware of the instabilities for some time. It did however come to a head when Ash Ketchum was arrested, causing those Pokémon who had benefitted from his actions to fight those who had suffered under his reign."

A hand shot up from a reporter and Cynthia gestured to it. "Yes?"

"Can you clarify a rumour for us?" the reporter asked. "It is rumoured that Ash Ketchum is no longer in custody, but was never formally released. Is this true?"

Cynthia nodded. "It is. Ash Ketchum, assisted by his Pokémon, escaped from custody and is now on the loose. We have notified police forces across the four regions but we do not expect to find him quickly."

"Is this to be considered an admission of guilt?" the reporter pressed. "Mr Ketchum was due to stand trial in the next few days."

"His trial was actually due to start yesterday." Cynthia said. "And unfortunately, yes. The Pokémon League and the police are treating this flight as an admission of guilt."

"So who will be Pokémon Master?" another reporter asked.

"I was getting to that." Cynthia said with a smile. "Patience."

She glanced back at her speech and skipped the next part which had been covered by the questions. As she found the spot where she ended the discussion about Ash escaping, she started reading once again.

"As the instability has calmed and the four regions are in a position where we need to reunite behind somebody or something, we have decided to come up with an unusual solution. It is two months until the World League, at the end of which we will have a Pokémon Master chosen by the usual method. Constitutionally the role reverts to me in the interim but I do not wish to take it because it has merely fallen to me. If I am to be Pokémon Master I want it to be on merit, nothing else. To that end, I am delighted to announce that Steven Stone and Lance Waturu have agreed to share the burden until the World League. I will then enter the World League and if I am triumphant, I will take the title once more."

There was a silence for a moment before the applause started. Soon almost every reporter was applauding. Cynthia let it run for a minute before holding up her hands for quiet.

"This decision has been done to ensure that no region will be left behind. The instability of recent times, coupled with the less than public leadership of Ash Ketchum has meant that there is now conflict between the regions. We hope that this joint leadership can undo this mistrust and instability and return us to four united regions, working together and living together in peace and prosperity."

"Why is Sam Fernandez not joining in the union?" a reporter called out. "He is the only regional leader left out."

"Mr Fernandez was offered the chance to join." Cynthia said. "But he felt with his inexperience he needed to spend time preparing his own region and settling. With Lance having been leader of Kanto for so long, Kanto's interests will be well represented."

A few more reporter's hands shot up but Cynthia shook her head. "Thank you all very much for coming, but I unfortunately need to be returning to work. We have a lot of work ahead of us but in a few months we will be back as a stable government once more."

Cynthia left the stage to loud applause, exiting the room and heading up to her old office in the building. As she walked in she found Lance and Steven waiting for her.

"Good speech." Steven said.

Cynthia smiled. "Thank you. It needed to be done."

"It did." Lance grunted. "But you could have still gone for the alternative that we prepared."

"It was Cynthia's call." Steven argued. "You and I both know that the ideal outcome now is that at the end of the World League, Cynthia is Pokémon Master. Now that Champion can't be, she is the best choice."

"Still." Lance said. "We could have let him have something. We have taken everything away from Ash."

Cynthia fixed Lance with a steely glare. "We agreed on this." She said snappily. "We agreed that for the good of the regions, Ash had to be labelled as a criminal."

"It wasn't for the good of the regions though, was it?" Lance said quietly. "You and I both know why Sam refused to join us in leading, and it wasn't because he is inexperienced."

Cynthia met the Dragon Master's gaze and then sighed. "I know Lance. He wouldn't work with us because we betrayed his mentor. What else could we do though?"

When Lance didn't answer, Steven took the chance to step in.

"Nothing." He said. "We all know that for Champion to have any chance of coming back, Cynthia would be ruined. We agreed that while we didn't condone what Cynthia did, we would support her."

"I know." Lance sighed. "I just wish there was a way to avoid all this. Not least, the most popular trainer in my region is going to be furious."

"The Queen of Johto." Cynthia sighed. "Do we know her reaction?"

Lance nodded. "Sam is bringing her to meet us later this week."

Cynthia groaned. "I'm going to have to find a way to persuade her that we had no choice."

"I doubt we will be able to." Steven said. "She has made her position pretty clear."

"Sam will do what he can." Lance said. "He understands better than her that after everything that has happened we need clear leadership. A struggle would cause chaos."

"What can she do?" Cynthia asked. "What is our biggest danger from her?"

Steven shrugged. "In truth, very little, but if we could get her support it would end the chaos right now. I suppose that she could challenge Lance for his title or attempt to win the World League herself, but otherwise we are safe."

"She won't beat me." Lance promised. "I've lost one title and have no intention of losing another. If I demanded a rematch, I would beat Sam now. We are training far harder than before."

"And if she wants to win the World League she will have to go through me." Cynthia said. "She is good but with all this riding on it, I will beat her if I have to."

"Yet." Steven warned. "She is young and trained by Champion. One day she will almost certainly be good enough."

Lance chuckled. "How long can she hold a grudge?"

"Against me?" Cynthia asked. "I suspect a very long time." She let out a long yawn. "Either way, until we speak to her there isn't a lot that we can do about it."

Brock turned the television off and looked across the room at Gary and Misty. "Ash is a fugitive. I never thought that would ever happen."

Misty didn't say anything, merely rising and striding out of the room, deeper into the Cerulean Gym. After they watched her go, Brock looked across to Gary.

"Is she alright?"

Gary sighed. "She never got to meet him again Brock."

"You mean Ash?"

"Yeah. You did. Dawn did. Max and May did. But he never came to see her. And now he is on the run, he surely won't come here."

Brock nodded in agreement. "I know. I can't help but think he would if he knew how much it would mean to her."

Gary cocked his head. "You don't think he would know how important it would be to Misty?"

"That's not what I meant." Brock said. "Just… He would if he could."

Gary shrugged as he rose from his chair. "Yeah, maybe. But either way, this is tearing her up. She just got one of her closest friends back but before she even gets a chance to meet him properly, he's gone again." He turned and strode after his fiancé into the depths of Cerulean Gym, leaving Brock looking thoughtfully after him.

A few minutes later Brock let himself out of the front of the gym, heading out into Cerulean City. It was a pleasant afternoon for him and he shrugged off his jacket, carrying it in his arms instead of wearing it. A few blocks away from the gym he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. Dialling a number, he held the phone to his ear.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently out of service."

Brock didn't react as he pulled the phone back down from his ear, dialling another number. The phone went to his ear again.

"The number you are trying to call is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone."

Undeterred, Brock punched a third number into the keypad, before raising the phone to his ear a third time.

"Hello?" came the voice down the line.

"Max?" Brock asked. "It's Brock."

"What's up?" the youngest Maple asked.

"I need to get into contact with Mellanie." Brock said quietly. "Her phone is out of range and Sam's is currently busy. I…" Brock broke off his words as he saw somebody he recognized heading across the street a short distance down.

"Hello? Brock?" Max asked.

"Sorry Max, this just became pointless." Brock said, speaking quickly as he followed the figure. "I've just seen Sam."

"You're kidding right?" Max asked in surprise.

Brock chuckled. "Nope, he is walking down the street just in front of me. People don't seem to recognize him yet. Anyway, I've got to go."

Brock hung up and sped up, hurrying down the street after Sam. As he came up behind the Kanto Leader, he grabbed him by the arm.

"Sam?" Brock asked.

"Look, I… Oh hi Brock." Sam said, tilting his hat slightly so that Brock could see more of his face. "I thought you were somebody else trying to get an interview or something."

"Nope." Brock said, before gesturing to the hat. "Nice touch. Borrowed from Champion?"

Sam grinned. "Yep. It worked for him and I figured he wouldn't mind me borrowing the idea. What can I do for you?"

"It's a matter for somewhere more private." Brock said. "Why are you in Cerulean?"

Sam shrugged. "Guess. I've just become the leader of a region. What should I be doing?"

There was a moment of confusion for Brock before he realised. "Your Elite Four."

"Correct." Sam said. "I'm here to persuade Misty to come and join me at Indigo Plateau."

Brock didn't answer for a moment and Sam turned slightly.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but I would like to get to the gym before anybody recognizes me. I've had enough of being mobbed by crowds for a lifetime."

Brock chuckled. "Sorry. I'm just heading there myself. Perhaps I can have a quick moment to talk to you before you talk to Misty?"

"Of course." Sam said. "I'm intrigued to know what you want to talk about."

Brock laughed nervously as he followed Sam back towards the gym. As they walked in companionable silence, it gave him a chance to have a good look at Sam. The young trainer was more confident than Brock could ever remember seeing him, something that gave him an aura of competence. If Sam stood up in a room and started talking, Brock would wager that people would listen to him.

After a few minutes walking, they reached the doors to the Cerulean Gym. Brock pushed them open and led the way in, nodding politely to the receptionist. She nodded back before realising who Brock had brought with him.

"Is that…"

"Yes." Brock said.

"Are we in trouble?" the woman asked. "I thought we had one of the best gyms in Kanto."

"You do." Sam said soothingly. "And it is good to see you take pride in that. While I am here on official business, it has nothing to do with the Cerulean City Gym."

Sam turned back to Brock who led him deeper into the gym, bypassing the public areas and heading into the residence at the back. As they reached a living room, Sam took a seat.

"Alright Brock, I'm on tenterhooks. What can I do for you?"

"It is about Ash." Brock said, slightly nervously. This new, competent Sam was unnerving. "More importantly, I need to find a way to talk to him."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible." Sam said. "Ash is now to be considered a fugitive."

"You don't believe that he is guilty any more than I do." Brock said.

Sam grinned. "You do still know me well. You are correct, I do not believe Ash to be guilty of anything more than doing his best." Sam's grin faded as he leaned forwards to continue talking. "Yet my original response still stands. Ash is out of contact range and I do not expect to see him return."

"Mellanie would know though." Brock said. "Can you ask her?"

"You can ask her yourself surely?" Sam answered evasively.

"Her phone is out of range." Brock said.

Sam didn't react to that news, merely gazing at Brock. "Why do you need to speak to him anyway?"

"Misty." Brock said quietly. "She wants to see him. No, she needs to see him."

"Why?"

"Imagine if Mellanie vanished for ten years." Brock said. "And when she came back, you saw her once before she vanished again. How would you feel?"

Sam took a moment to think about it carefully, before nodding slowly. "Very well. I am seeing Mellanie in a couple of days. I will do what I can. But I cannot guarantee that Ash will contact anybody, including her."

"Thank you." Brock said with relief. "This will mean a lot to Misty."

"Then maybe I should mention it when I ask her to join my Elite Four." Sam said with a laugh. "It might make her say yes."

The look on Brocks face revealed what he thought of that plan and Sam quickly made a quietening noise. "Don't worry, I wouldn't actually do that."

Sam rose from his seat and nodded to Brock. "Hopefully I'll see you again soon Brock. However, for now, duty calls."

And with that, Sam strode out of the room, leaving Brock sitting quietly.

Ash stood on the cliff on the edge of Mystery Island, gazing out over the water. Behind him, Espeon and Pikachu sat in silence, neither wanting to be the first to talk. Ash had arrived back on the island that morning but not gone to his house yet. He knew that Mellanie would still be there and didn't want to have to explain what was going to happen. How he would be leaving.

There was a rustling behind him, causing Ash to swivel on the spot. He watched as a figure came through the trees and froze.

"Ash?"

Ash nodded to his mother as she took a hesitating step towards him. He stepped forwards and drew her into a hug, before supporting her as he led her back to the edge of the island. She was still frailer than he had ever seen her as she continued to lean on his arm for support.

"You shouldn't have come out here." Ash said quietly.

"Pikachu wanted me to." Delia answered instantly. "He was quite agitated, but didn't seem to want Mellanie to come."

"Is she still here?"

"Yes. She is due to go to Indigo Plateau tomorrow to meet the regional leaders."

"Then I will come to the house after that." Ash said quietly. "I will meet her afterwards."

"Why not before?" Delia asked. "Why are you all the way out here instead of coming home?"

Ash turned his head slightly to regard his mother. "You know why."

"I know what the media are saying. I want to know the truth."

Ash sighed, looking back out across the water, away from Kanto and out to sea. He took a deep breath before answering.

"Let me guess, they are saying that I am on the run. That I escaped from prison."

"Yes." Delia said simply.

Ash let out a quiet, humourless laugh. "Technically they are right." He said. "I did escape from prison. But you know I am innocent."

"Yes." Delia said. "So why are you not returning to defend yourself?"

"Because the witnesses that can exonerate me are dead." Ash said bluntly. "The testimony from Sonia and Cleffa… It is damning. It may be an outright fabrication but without them to refute it, contesting it in court would be extremely difficult. And they are both dead. Cleffa killed herself and I couldn't save Sonia."

Delia didn't say anything, instead turning to put her arms around her son as his tirade went on bitterly.

"I am meant to be the Pokémon Master. I am meant to be the most powerful man in the world. I've faced down legends and beaten them. Yet I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop Cleffa from killing her. And I will lose everything."

"You could go back and fight?" Delia said quietly.

"No." Ash said instantly. "I would be arrested on the spot. I am sure that Cynthia is cementing her hold on her power. And she knows I won't forgive this. She would do everything she could to prevent me from being able to return."

"So what instead?" Delia asked. "What do you do now?"

"I will leave." Ash said. "Go back into the wilds. I spent seven years there, it is not a burden."

"What about me?" Delia whispered.

Ash looked down into his mother's face. "You can't come with me." He said. "The places I went… it was not suitable for…" Ash broke off as he realised what he was about to say.

"For a woman as old and frail as I am?" Delia asked.

"Yes."

"Ash, I am not letting you go again. Not alone."

"I can't take you."

A long silence lay between them as Ash continued to gaze out over the ocean. He could feel his mother's eyes burning into the side of his head but was trying to ignore them. Eventually he gave way and turned to meet her unyielding stare.

"There is one way." Ash said quietly. "But I didn't want to do it."

"What is it?" Delia asked.

Ash gestured to the island underneath them. "We can take Mystery Island with us. I wouldn't want to keep returning to somewhere so close to Indigo Plateau, but we could move it."

Delia looked at Ash like he had just suggested they relocate to outer space. "You can do that?"

"We can." Ash said. "It isn't easy and takes a huge amount of effort but we can do it. We will move it back to where it used to be before we moved it here. Then you can stay there. You wouldn't be able to come back to Kanto or any other region though."

"And what will you do?" Delia asked. "If you're leaving me on the island?"

"I will spend time there as well." Ash said soothingly. "But I cannot be cooped up in once place. You know that."

Delia nodded. "So why didn't you want to do this?"

"I wanted to be able to leave the island here. I wanted it to be the one place that Mellanie can always come. But if you need it, she will understand. I suspected I would have to move it anyway, now that the police know it is my home."

Ash fell silent and turned away, looking back out over the ocean. A moment later Delia turned to do the same. She sighed. "What a mess."

"I know." Ash said. "And when she is back from Indigo Plateau I will explain it to Mellanie. But until then, I will remain somewhere she cannot see me."

Mellanie climbed out of the car in front of the administration building at Indigo Plateau. She had picked the car up from just outside Mystery Island as usual, but this time she had dawdled. She feared that the island wouldn't still be there when she came back. As she stepped away, she heard a voice calling her name. Turning towards the source of the sound she saw Sam waiting for her.

Mellanie took a few steps forwards before Sam threw his arms around her, pulling her close. After a moment he stepped away.

"They are waiting for us." He said.

"I'm sure." Mellanie said frostily, sweeping past Sam and into the building. He watched her stride away with a shocked expression on his face. In all the years he had known Mellanie he had never thought that she could act so cold to him. He knew that she had a hidden steel

"Mel?" He called after her. She stopped and turned to face him.

"What?" she asked.

"Come with me. They can wait a few minutes longer."

Mellanie considered it for a moment before nodding. She followed Sam into the elevator. He pressed a button and the lift climbed the floors, coming to a stop a few moments later. Sam led Mellanie out and into a corridor. Towards the end he turned right before a left. He opened a door a short way down the new corridor and gestured for Mellanie to come inside.

"What are you doing dragging me here?" Mellanie asked as soon as the door shut behind them.

Sam crossed the room and sat behind the desk, before gesturing to the chair in front of it. "I thought you might like to see my new office."

Mellanie looked at him with a face of incredulity. "You took me to show me your office?"

Sam flashed his characteristic grin. "It is pretty decent. And has one useful feature. Absolutely nobody can hear what we say in here."

Mellanie looked slightly less bemused as it sank in. "And you think that Cynthia would be…"

"Trying to find out what you're going to say in this meeting? No." Sam said, finishing the sentence for Mellanie. "She will know what you want to say. Cynthia believes that after the World League she will be Pokémon Master by herself, and she is probably right. You need to remember that when you talk to her."

"So you want me to try to placate her?" Mellanie retorted, almost spitting at Sam in her frustration.

"No." Sam said with admirable calmness. "I want to avoid this anger. You need to go in with a cool head."

Mellanie opened her mouth before Sam's words sunk in, but managed to close it again before any words could escape. She considered what her friend had said before nodding slowly. "Fine. I'll stay calm. But I will also make Cynthia regret this."

Sam smiled. "You wouldn't be Mel if you didn't. Let's go."

A few minutes later, Sam opened the door to the Pokémon Master's office. Mellanie followed him in, looking around. There hadn't been significant changes, but Cynthia's hand was clear in the few changes in decoration. A few pictures of her childhood hometown dotted the walls. There were a few personal ornaments on the desk, but otherwise few changes. Despite this, Mellanie's eyes narrowed as she saw the changes. Even from the way that Cynthia, Lance and Steven were sat, it was clear that Cynthia was the Pokémon Master in waiting.

"Mellanie, thank you for coming." Cynthia started. "It is good of you to come in."

"When you are summoned by the council of three, it is hard to say no." Mellanie said snidely. Sam ably hid a snicker under a cough while Lance and Steven shared a knowing look.

"Council of three?" Cynthia asked.

"It is what some people are calling this arrangement you've got." Mellanie explained condescendingly as she looked around at the chairs in front of the desk without taking one. "I thought you would know about it."

"Unfortunately not." Cynthia said. "As I am sure you understand, we are overworked at the moment, having to still run three regions as well as the roles of the Pokémon Master."

"I'm sure." Mellanie said, finally taking a seat in front of Cynthia. She looked up at the older woman without saying anything else, despite Cynthia's expectant expression. As the seconds turned into more than a minute, Sam shifted slightly uncomfortably in his seat, unnerved by the clash of wills going on next to him. Cynthia continued to gaze down at Mellanie with an expectant look while Mellanie met it with a polite smile across her features. Eventually Cynthia coughed slightly and looked away.

"Well, as we say, we are extremely busy so want to keep this short." Cynthia said, her cheeks slightly flushed. Mellanie continuing to smile politely across the table at her was beginning to fluster her. "We want to discuss what your stance will be to the world over the coming days, months and years."

"My stance?" Mellanie asked.

"With respect to the former Pokémon Master." Cynthia said. "You are widely acknowledged as his most fervent supporter."

"Am I?" Mellanie asked.

"Yes." Cynthia said. "As his first tutee, you are somebody who is very closely linked to him."

"Thank you." Mellanie said with a smile.

Cynthia took a deep breath. "And we would like to know whether you intend to continue proclaiming his innocence."

Mellanie leaned forwards slightly, her pale green eyes narrowing. "You mean if I intend to keep answering questions about him truthfully?"

Cynthia sighed. "If that is your interpretation…"

"My interpretation?" Mellanie scoffed. "It is the truth. You know it, I know it, they know it." Mellanie accompanied the final words with a gesture at Lance and Steven. "I am here because you want to know if I intend to keep saying the truth, regardless of the repercussions for you."

"Do you?" Cynthia asked softly.

"I will always speak the truth." Mellanie said. "And the truth is that Ash is innocent. The truth is that the evidence was corrupted. The truth is that Cynthia Shirona, pride of Sinnoh is too much of a coward to admit it."

Cynthia took several breaths to calm her as she fought to maintain her composure in the face of the insults. "I am sorry that you think of it…"

"No you're not." Mellanie snapped. "If you were sorry you would have changed it. You could have. At that speech you made, you could have admitted the contaminated evidence. You could have said that the case had fallen apart."

"I was…"

"No." Mellanie barked, hitting her stride. "You chose to let Ash take the fall for you, instead of doing the right thing. You decided that you were worth more than him."

In silence Cynthia pulled out a sheet of paper and pushed it across the desk. Mellanie snatched it up and started reading it.

"A thorough investigation into the activities of Mr Ketchum has been carried out, including taking in Mr Ketchum for voluntary questioning. While some evidence was found to potentially suggest serious foul-play by Mr Ketchum, it has since been proven to be falsified. There is no evidence supporting any of the accusations against Mr Ketchum, which has resulted in him being released from custody in Hoenn."

Mellanie looked up, confusion on her face.

"What is this?"

"It is the part the speech that I did not say." Cynthia said. "We wrote it, but after a discussion between the three of us" she gestured at Lance and Steven "we decided that it was better if it was kept secret."

Mellanie looked around at the three regional leaders facing her, but before she could speak, Sam got in first.

"You didn't tell me that." He said quietly.

"You decided not to work with us, choosing instead to come to grips with your region." Steven said. "We had to make decisions, do what we felt was best."

"Best for Cynthia?" Mellanie asked testily.

"No." Steven said, leaning forwards. "That is what I want you to understand Mellanie. I did not do this for Cynthia. I did it because it is best for the regions."

"But Ash…"

"Mellanie, it is time to grow up." Steven said firmly. "Ash was a brilliant leader. And while I don't condone what Cynthia did, she was not herself when she forced him out. But now that she has, he cannot return without huge upheaval."

"It is right…" Mellanie started, but Steven raised his voice over her.

"When you are leading a nation, it is not always about what is right or wrong." Steven said. "It is about what is best for the nation. And stability is better than upheaval."

Mellaine rose from her chair, shaking.

"I learned from Ash." She said, her voice surprisingly level despite the obvious emotion running through her. "I learned from the true Pokémon Master. And I will not rest until I can clear his name."

Cynthia also rose from her seat, her composure clearly back as she stared down Mellanie.

"You will have to become Pokémon Master to do that." Cynthia growled. "And against me, you have no chance."

Mellanie looked up into Cynthia's eyes. "Not yet. But I will not rest until I can."

Mellanie turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Lance looked around, a wry smile on his face.

"Well that went better than I expected."

Ash turned away from the edge of the cliff, looking back towards his house. A smile played at his lips as he sensed Mellanie return to the island. His mother had gone back to the house in the afternoon, after extracting a promise from her son that he would come back the following day after Mellanie returned. He had camped out on the edge of Mystery Island, before resuming his watch over the ocean. As he had watched the sun rise watched the sun start to set over the ocean he had sensed Mellanie leave. Now that she was returning he knew he would have to leave soon, but didn't want to be home when Mellanie got back. Ash suspected what her meeting was about and what the outcome would be. Mellanie was far too loyal to him for her own good.

Ash started walking back. He moved slowly, savouring each step as he moved through the terrain that had been his home for years. Even before he had come back to civilization, he had lived here. Although he and his Pokémon had moved the island when he came back, the island itself hadn't changed. He wasn't looking forwards to moving it back though. It was not an easy thing to accomplish.

All too soon Ash found himself at his front door. A car was parked there, clearly the one that Mellanie had used to come back from Indigo Plateau. He ignored it as he opened the door and strode into his house. He swept through the hallway, entering the living room at the end. Mellanie was curled up on a sofa, Totodile by her side. They both leapt up as he came into the room.

"You're back." Mellanie said before flushing. "I mean, of course you are. You are here."

Ash smiled slightly. "I am. How was Indigo?"

"Awful." Mellanie snapped, her anger rising to the surface once again. "They are throwing you under the bus. Using you to cover their mistakes."

Ash listened patiently as Mellanie told him the full story of the workings of the regional leaders, interspersed with her thoughts on their cowardice. As she talked Ash sank into a chair, giving off the air of a man who had nothing better to do than to listen all day. Eventually as Mellanie came to the end of her rant, Ash leaned forwards, regaling her with a piercing look.

"Thank you for your anger on my behalf." Ash said calmly. "But I understand why they did what they did."

"Are you joking?" Mellanie half-shouted. "They betrayed you!"

"Indeed." Ash said drily. "And it is good to see that my judgement of you was correct."

"What do you mean?" Mellanie asked, distracted.

"I always knew that there was more to you than the quiet person who never wanted attention on them." Ash said with a smile. "But we digress. They did what they think was best."

"And you think they were right?" Mellanie asked.

"You will never hear me say that." Ash said, his voice taking on a hard tone. "Throughout my time as Pokémon Master I always tried to do the right thing, no matter the cost. Other people are often not like that."

There was a long silence between them before Mellanie, shifting awkwardly broke it.

"What happened?" she asked. "Why didn't you come back sooner?"

Ash sighed. "I made a mistake."

Mellanie stared at him open-mouthed, as if he had just admitted to having been delayed because he was visiting the moon.

"I misunderstood what drove Cleffa and Sonia." Ash explained. "Cleffa was more fanatical than I ever thought. I had always assumed we were fighting because I was taking her power. It was far worse than that."

"Where is she?" Mellanie asked. "If you had her then you could…"

"Both Sonia and Cleffa are dead." Ash said heavily. "And with them, my chances of forcing a quick return are gone as well."

"You will come back." Mellanie said.

"I feel that your faith is misplaced this time." Ash said. "There is no way that I will be able to enter the World League again, and if I attempt to challenge Cynthia she will have me arrested."

"Then train me." Mellanie said. "I will work harder than ever, and with your help I will be able to beat Cynthia. If not this year then next year. And once I am Pokémon Master I will be able to help you."

"I wish that were possible." Ash said. "Unfortunately, it is not."

"Why?" Mellanie asked. "We have the island, they can't reach us here."

"But they will try." Ash said. "The police know that I live here now and they will assume that I have retreated to here. The island cannot stay. I cannot stay."

Mellanie looked up at the man who had been like a father to her for the past six years. "What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding.

"We moved the island here, shortly before I entered the World League originally." Ash said, his voice unwavering as he fought his emotions back down. "Now that it is compromised, we will return it to where it used to be."

"Then we can train there." Mellanie said decisively. "Even better for being somewhere remote."

"I'm afraid not." Ash said. "You cannot come with me Mellanie."

"Why not?" Mellanie demanded, her anger rising once again.

"You have a life here." Ash said softly. "I cannot pull you away from that."

"I don't care!" Mellanie shouted. "I need you Ash!"

"No, you don't." Ash started, but Mellanie cut straight across him.

"You can't turn your back on me now." Mellanie raged. "I am still your student…"

"But you shouldn't be."

Mellanie was stopped in her tracks as Ash spoke, his calm, soft voice cutting straight through her anger. When she looked at him he was looking at her with a mixture of sadness and pride.

"You are past the point of where you need me to teach you." Ash said. "The way you handled Sonia revealing my name, the way you have stayed on top of everything. You truly were ready to be a partner to me. I am only sorry that I cannot stay here while you continue to grow and impress me."

Mellanie tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come out as a tear ran down her face.

"I know before you met me your life was difficult." Ash said gently. "And I'm sorry that I cannot continue to be here for you. But in all the time that I am gone, know that I am more proud of you than I can put into words."

Mellanie tried to speak again, but once again the words wouldn't come out. Eventually she gave up and hurled herself across the room towards Ash who rose smoothly as she threw her arms around him, the emotion overwhelming her. But even without words, she knew that Ash understood what she was trying to say.

Eventually Mellanie pulled herself away from Ash and looked up into his eyes.

"What will you do?" she asked.

"I will visit each of my old friends." Ash said. "And I will meet Sam. I will say goodbye to each of them, and then come back. Then I will head back out into the wilds."

"And just live out there?"

Ash shook his head. "I know a great deal about Sonia. I know that she has lied to me. She wanted nothing else but to bring me down. But she was played by Cleffa and died before she could give me the full story. I will investigate her past and find out exactly what caused her to hate me so much. It should keep me going for some time."

"Will you ever come back?"

"I will be closer than I used to be." Ash said. "But I am afraid that regular visits are unlikely. This will be goodbye Mellanie."

A/N

Well this is on time. Which is frankly a miracle. It shouldn't be, but it is. Just a couple of things from me.

Firstly, this story is very close to its end. It should be two more chapters. I'll aim to have it finished in July.

Secondly, as some people have guessed, this series does not end at the end of this story. Aside from The Missing Years which needs working on, there is a plan for a third and final part to the story. All I'll say on it now is that it will fill in many of the gaps across the two stories thus far and hopefully bring the whole series to a nice conclusion.

Thirdly, there is a lot of hate for Cynthia. While I sympathise with a lot of it, Steven here has explained why she is doing what she is doing. She, like many others in this story, has been a pawn of something more powerful than her. Much of what she has done has not been her fault. But by all means, still hate on her. Don't let me tell you what you can and can't do!

Think that is the lot for now. Until next time.

Iama2p