Hello, people of all ages, genders, and political parties.

First of all, sorry I haven't updated in so long. This chapter was a ***** to write. I have four other versions of the exact same chapter on my computer, and I am satisfied with none of them. Finally I just decided to publish the best one. Hope you enjoy it.

Ash sat down with a sigh. It was tiring to dance for so long. It had only been half and hour since he'd battled, but him and Giselle had been dancing since. He wasn't sure how Giselle could dance for so long without even having an inkling of sweat.

He looked to see his pokemon too absorbed talking to all the other pokemon to come over to him. He smiled. His pokemon hadn't the opportunity to relax in a while with his insane training schedule. It was nice for them to be able to interact with other pokemon.

He looked around when he heard a chair being pulled back. He was surprised to see Giselle pulling the chair back. She saw his surprise and asked, "Am I not allowed to relax or something?" She sat in the chair with a sigh.

Ash chuckled and pointed out, "I though you weren't tired at all."

Giselle just claimed, "I just can't look tired. It would be bad for my image, but that doesn't mean I'm not tired."

Ash leaned back with a grin as he commented, "So, I guess I should feel honored that I get to see beyond the act."

Giselle frowned and looked away as she quickly said, "You are suppose to be my boyfriend right now. For now, I'll make sure it seems like it."

Ash shrugged and looked around the ballroom. Many people were still gathering, and many also were settling down to talk at the table. He finally asked, "So are all the gatherings like this? It seems like it would get boring after a while."

Giselle shrugged and waved a waiter over. She took a drink and sipped at it as she answered, "Usually. You grow to enjoy it after a while, but mainly the reason for these parties is over there." She lifted her fist and pointed with her thumb over her shoulder without looking. Ash leaned to the side to see the adults all talking. Giselle continued as she sipped her drink, "The adults are the reason these parties happen. The kids usually just get dragged along. While the kids 'play' the adults talk business. I don't listen too often, but I'd say that half the business deals in the world are finished at one of these parties."

Ash raised his eyebrows and joked, "Hopefully they don't drink too much. Multimillion dollar deals probably shouldn't involve large amounts of alcohol." Giselle giggled at his joke.

Suddenly Mr. Kalien stood up, and gained immediate attention. He started to announce, "Unfortunately, several planes that were heading to the party were delayed due to bad weather. However, I am happy to say, they have landed and the rest of the guests are here." Right on cue, the great doors of the ballroom opened, allowing a small crowd of guests to enter.

Ash looked over. It looked like thirty or so people had arrived. Immediately the adults joined the other adults, and the kids started to approach the dance floor.

Ash quickly asked, "I forgot that your dad said there would be a delay with some of the guests."

Giselle nodded and claimed, "He told me beforehand. There was just a storm which delayed their flights. Most of these kids are coming from Sinnoh and Kanto."

Ash grimaced as a thought suddenly occurred to him. He lowered his head and asked Giselle, "Giselle, would it be a problem at all if people here found out I'm a trainer?"

Giselle looked at him with raised eyebrows as she answered, "Not really. Most people have probably guessed that you are from your earlier performance. Why?"

Ash gave a small smile as he claimed, "I just remembered some rumors that I've been hearing. This isn't exactly the place I'd want to test it."

Giselle looked confused, but several girls walked over before she could question everything. One of the girls squeaked and exclaimed, "Giselle, it's so good to see you."

Giselle stood with a smile and replied, "Sarah, Valerie. It's so good to see you." Giselle then proceeded to pull each of them into a hug as she continued, "I haven't seen you guys in months. How have you been?"

The second girl said with a shrug, "The usual. Not to mention our private plane had to land in an airport for like two hours. It looks like we missed half the party."

Giselle pulled back as she claimed, "It has been mostly the same. Some dancing and battles. Whatever."

The two girls smirked and stated, "You always say that. Some people have been telling us that this new guy beat Richard in a battle, and, even more shocking, that you are dating this guy."

Ash now said as he sipped his drink, "It's rude to talk about a person right in front of them, you know." The girls looked at him in shock. They clearly hadn't noticed him sitting there. Ash found it very amusing. He raised a hand and said in a joking voice, "Yo."

The girls jumped when he spoke. The shock only lasted a second before one of the girls said, "Oh, we didn't see you there. Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Sarah, and this is Valerie."

Ash nodded as he looked at them. Sarah was a blond dressed in a white dress. Valerie was a brunette in a black dress. Both were rather pretty, and the usual nice looking friends.

The two sat down, and immediately Sarah leaned forward to look at Ash's face. Ash leaned back awkwardly, and immediately classified Sarah as the nosy type of person. Sarah asked slowly, "Have I seen you before?"

Valerie nodded and added, "Yeah, you seem familiar. What is your name?"

Ash scratched his head awkwardly as he stuttered, "Uhhh…I'm Ash."

Sarah frowned and started talking to herself, "Ash…Ash…That sounds even more familiar. What's your last name?"

Ash hesitated, but Giselle cut in, "Ketchum. His name is Ash Ketchum. Why?"

The two girls' faces blanked for a second. Sarah said slowly, "Ash Ketchum…" Her face suddenly lit up with excitement and she screamed, "No way. It is you. You are the Ash Ketchum. I can't believe it."

Her screaming attracted a lot more attention. Heads turned to watch the conversation. Giselle ignored the attention and asked in a confused tone, "What is wrong with you? What do you mean 'the Ash Ketchum?'"

Sarah seemed so excited as she said, "Don't tell me you don't know. Just a week or so ago there was this giant event in Sinnoh. Something the Elite Four arranged. Our strongest gym leader Volkner against a kid from Kanto, a Mr. Ash Ketchum. It's become a huge hit in Sinnoh."

Valerie quickly added, "And Kanto too. He's practically become an idol in Kanto."

Sarah now pointed at Ash and exclaimed, "This is that guy. He's the one that became the first person to defeat Volkner. Although…" She gave him an elevator look before commenting, "He seems to have gotten a makeover or something. I can't believe I didn't recognize him."

Giselle asked with raised eyebrows, "Really." She turned to look at Ash before claiming, "He never told me that."

Ash shrugged before explaining, "I didn't really think it was important. Johto is nice because no one recognizes me. I mainly just forgot about it. It was a gym battle. I've had plenty of them. This one was just broadcast. Does it really matter that I battled and defeated Volkner?"

Sarah immediately said bluntly, "Yes, it does matter."

Ash shook head before trying to reason, "Why does it matter? There are hundreds of trainers that would do the exact same thing if they got the opportunity. The single difference is that I got the chance. I was the one that battled Volkner. There are far better trainers out there, and I'm just doing my best to surpass them."

"Very well said, young man," a booming voice spoke. Ash looked behind him to see a short man walking up. The man was wearing khaki shorts, a large red coat, and a purple hat backwards on his head. The man had a large beard and his gray hair went to his waist. He was a man Ash hadn't seen since Hoenn, Charles Goodshow, the president of the pokemon league.

Ash stood up quickly and exclaimed, "Mr. Goodshow."

Ash wasn't the only one who spoke, he heard Giselle exclaim at the same time, "Uncle."

Ash looked at her in shock as he asked, "Uncle?"

Giselle nodded and stated, "He was my mother's older brother."

Ash looked back at Mr. Goodshow in shock. Ash remembered the picture of Giselle's mother from the picture. He tried to picture the two as siblings, but couldn't imagine it.

Apparently some of his disbelief showed on his face. Mr. Goodshow struck a pose and joked, "Can't you see the resemblance?" When he saw the comical expressions on his audience's faces, he stopped the pose and informed them, "Yeah, I get that response a lot." He now joked, "I was always the good looking child."

Everyone fell down anime style. Giselle stood up and begged, "Please be serious, uncle."

Mr. Goodshow shrugged and stated, "Okay." Mr. Goodshow smiled as he looked at Giselle. He opened his arms to signal a hug as he exclaimed, "It's good to see you, Giselle."

Giselle went into the hug as she replied, "Nice to see you too, uncle."

Mr. Goodshow pulled away as he commented, "You have grown so much. Practically fully grown already." He now leaned forward as he asked, "And is that stubborn father of yours still refusing to allow you to go on a journey. If you want I can talk to him. I can't sit by as my beautiful niece is being treated unfairly."

"Will you please refrain from talking of such things to Giselle, Charles," a stern voice said from behind Mr. Goodshow. Mr. Goodshow turned to see Giselle's father right behind him. You could tell there was a bit of tension between the two. The business and no nonsense Mr. Kalien, and the joking and pokemon loving Charles Goodshow.

Mr. Goodshow shrugged and stated, "You know that I support Giselle's hope in becoming a trainer."

Mr. Kalien nodded as he replied tensely, "And you know that I am hesitant on letting Giselle do such a thing, and I would appreciate if you stopped encouraging such a hobby."

Mr. Goodshow frowned angrily as he stated, "Pokemon is far more than a hobby to many people, Edward."

Mr. Kalien seemed annoyed at the use of his first name, but still ordered, "Regardless, I request that you refrain from bringing up the subject during this party." Mr. Kalien then turned and walked away.

Giselle sighed before asking, "Is it possible for you and my father to not argue whenever you two are in the same room?"

Mr. Goodshow turned and said seriously, "We are just of different opinions, and I can't ever fully forgive him for doing that to my sister."

Giselle quickly ordered, "Not here, uncle."

Mr. Goodshow nodded, and instantly the tension disappeared as he dropped the serious expression. He put on his characteristic smile before exclaiming, "Enough with that for now. A party is a time for fun."

The conversation descended into pointless small talk for several minutes. Ash found his attention waning, but suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to look at Mr. Goodshow as he asked, "Yes?"

Mr. Goodshow nodded towards an empty corner. It was a clear message. Can I talk to you in private? Ash nodded and stood with Mr. Goodshow. Luckily the girls were immersed in some conversation on dresses that Ash hadn't a chance of following, so they didn't get stopped.

Ash sat down in one of the chairs before asking, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Mr. Goodshow quickly explained, "Well, I have a small problem. I really didn't know what to do, and meeting you here seems like fate. You can help me."

Ash nodded and asked, "Sure, what is it you need help with?"

Mr. Goodshow leaned forward with a smile as he claimed, "I need you to be the representative of Kanto during the Grand Festival award ceremony."

"Huh."

Mr. Goodshow nodded as he continued, "Johto is known for its elite pokemon contests. Only the best coordinators succeed here. On the other hand, Johto's Silver Conference doesn't really match up to the other regions. Most of the regions have their contests and league around the same level, but Johto unfortunately has a far better contest scene. So, Johto tends to make a big deal of the Grand Festival here. One of these events is the award ceremony. Basically they bring in an elite trainer of each region to help distribute the awards."

Ash now said blankly, "And you want me to represent Kanto during this award ceremony."

Mr. Goodshow nodded and said, "Yes. We had Agatha arranged to come. But unfortunately she fell ill and won't be able to come. We were having trouble finding a suitable replacement, but now you have shown up." Mr. Goodshow stopped talking when he saw Ash's face. Ash was dumbfounded.

Ash finally said slowly, "Are you…insane?" Ash now started speaking fast and furiously, "I'm not able to represent Kanto. I'm just a regular trainer. Can't you get one of the other Elite Four members to do it?"

Mr. Goodshow shook head and explained, "No, we cannot. The four Elite Four members of Kanto are Agatha, Bruno, Lorelei, and Lance. Bruno and Lance are both also on the Johto Elite Four, so they are ineligible to represent Kanto. Agatha is sick, and Lorelei is a close friend of Agatha and wishes to take care of her right now."

Ash quickly questioned, "Come on, there has to be someone bigger than I am who is able to do it."

Mr. Goodshow looked at Ash before claiming, "I think you haven't quite realized how popular you are right now, Ash. You probably left Sinnoh quickly, and only stayed in Pallet Town afterwards right. Since then, you have been in Johto, where no one saw the video. Besides the Elite Four, believe it or not, you are probably the best option right now."

Ash quickly replied, "Come on. Represent Kanto. There's no way I can do that. I think you'll have to find someone else."

Mr. Goodshow frowned before saying strongly, "We don't want to find someone else. Come on, Ash. You deserve this. You've worked hard. You are the perfect person for this. You are an up and coming trainer that still has the sense in his head to believe he's not perfect. Don't throw away any opportunities to come your way. You'll regret it if you do."

Ash sighed and put his face in his hands. Finally he said, "I don't feel like you even plan on giving me a choice."

Mr. Goodshow smiled before commenting, "I doubt I did either."

Ash sighed again before answering, "Fine. What do I need to do?"

Mr. Goodshow shrugged and said, "Not really anything till the awards ceremony. The other representatives are…"

"Cynthia for Sinnoh, and Karen for Johto," Ash answered with confidence. His brain had just made the connection on why two such high elites were at or coming to a Grand Festival.

Mr. Goodshow seemed surprised but nodded before stating, "Yes, and we also have Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four arriving in a few days."

Ash nodded before asking, "So anything else I need to know?"

Mr. Goodshow shook his head and said, "Nothing."

Ash narrowed his eyes at the pokemon league president. Finally he said slowly, "Why do I get the feeling that you are lying to me?"

Mr. Goodshow shrugged in an exagerrated manner as before saying, "I have no idea what you are referring too." He now looked at his wrist before claiming, "Now that the problem is solved, I have some things I need to get done." Mr. Goodshow immediately stood up and walked away quickly.

"He was so lying to me."

Ash sighed before standing up. He turned and started walking back to the table with Giselle. As he approached, Ash saw Sarah tap Giselle on the shoulder and inform her as she nodded her head towards Ash, "Now we should stop being third wheels, and give you two some alone time."

Giselle peaked at Ash, but immediately looked away in a cool act. Ash sat down opposite her, and grabbed another drink. The atmosphere quickly turned awkward as neither knew how to start another conversation. As he sipped his drink, she asked, "Did you have a nice chat with uncle?"

Ash shrugged and announced, "It was fine. Mr. Goodshow is always interesting to talk to." He sipped again before asking awkwardly, "Are you two close?"

Giselle nodded with a smile as she explained, "Sort of. As you saw, him and my father don't get along, but he makes it a priority to come every month or so to visit. He's a good guy."

Ash nodded and said, "Yeah, and that's what family does."

Giselle nodded with a smile, but Ash sensed a slight bit of sadness from her. Giselle quickly shook it off though and asked, "I haven't heard much about you. Apparently you are pretty famous in some of the regions. Is there anything else I should know. What about your family?"

Ash stiffened slightly as he retorted without thought, "We are pretending to date. That doesn't mean we need to know anything about the other."

Giselle blinked in shock. She didn't know how to react to that. Ash never really snapped at anything. She finally said weakly, "Sorry."

Ash sipped his drink as he thought. He had thought he had gotten over all the issues he had with his family history, but apparently he was wrong. He turned to her and quickly said, "Don't be. It's just a little bit of a touchy subject." He paused for a moment before telling her, "My father died when I was seven."

Giselle quickly said, "I'm sorry. I really didn't know."

Ash shrugged before claiming, "Don't worry. I've already accepted his death. He wasn't the best father in the first place."

Giselle seemed confused, and asked, "Then why were you so defensive earlier?"

Ash hesitated before finally informing her, "It is a very touchy subject for my mother, and it has just rubbed off on me."

Giselle nodded as she thought she understood. She said, "It must have been very hard for your mother to lose her husband."

"It isn't quite like that."

Giselle blinked in confusion again. Finally she exclaimed, "Okay, I am completely confused. What are you talking about?"

Ash sighed, but knew he couldn't not tell her everything now. He finally started to explain, "My father…my mother and him weren't ever on good terms."

Giselle said slowly, "But they were married. How could they not be on good terms?"

Ash frowned as he continued, "I guess that you could say my father was like a lot of kids here. He grew up in a rich family. I'll skip the details, but he was the oldest son of a very influential family. He was spoiled, arrogant, and also possibly the most brilliant person anyone would ever meet. He lived a very privileged life."

"However his life took a big jump when he was nineteen. I haven't ever heard the whole story, but my father was walking around Saffron City in Kanto. The one thing I know is that his world was thrown upside down that day. He fell in love. He happened to pass by a beauty contest. He fell in love at first sight with the winner of the contest. A certain Delia Marie Ketchum, a seventeen year old who dreamed of becoming a model and pokemon trainer."

Giselle now asked tentatively, "And they fell in love?"

Ash shook his head as he stated, "No, they never fell in love. My mother disliked, even possibly despised my father." Ash watched shock cross Giselle face as he continued, "My mother had just finished being a pokemon assistant for Professor Oak, and dreamed of going on a journey as she modeled. When my father made his first move, she made it clear she had no interest whatsoever. She found my father as a spoiled child. He had never faced any hardship. Despite being older, she viewed him as a child. He was arrogant, cocky, and every other thing she found undesirable. He was soundly rejected without second thought."

Giselle now asked again, "So how did they ever get married?"

Ash paused as revulsion rose in him as he announced, "You must realize this in the back of your mind. A rich child from a powerful family will get everything they want. Regardless of whether it is an object or a person. They will get it." Giselle finally realized, and Ash saw the plain horror cross her face. Ash continued, "My mother's family wasn't wealthy. They struggled to survive. Needless to say, when it came down to it, my mother didn't have an option. They got married barely six months after he first saw her, and nine months later, I was born."

"How could a person do that? It's almost like an arranged marriage…" Giselle exclaimed, but stopped at the end. Ash saw horror cross her face again as she made a connection with her own family.

Ash shrugged before explaining, "You may think that my father was a horrible man from this story, but he actually wasn't. He just didn't see things normally. He really did love my mother. He moved to Pallet Town because my mother knew Professor Oak. He did everything he could to please her, but he just wasn't able to imagine not having something he wanted. He just was never able to grasp the idea."

"My mother was never happy, but she eventually grew content in her life. She had a son, and even if she didn't love her husband, she grew to accept her life. However when I was four, my father was diagnosed with a hereditary disease. I forgot the name, but basically his muscles started to degenerate. There was treatments, but no cure. Eventually he was restricted to the house, and he was permanently sent to the hospital. When I was seven, he died."

Ash sighed before continuing, "When my father died, his family took several actions. They hired lawyers and the works. When my father died, they wanted to make sure their possessions were safe. My mother just wanted to forget the whole thing. She immediately settled for a deal. The family gave her enough money to have a decent life in Pallet Town, and in return, she never asks for anything else. Since then, I lived in Pallet Town with her. When I was ten, I went on my journey. I've always kept myself from talking about my father. My mother basically goes berserk whenever I brought him up as a child. Eventually, I stopped bringing it up."

Giselle asked, "So you haven't told any of your other friends?"

Ash shook his head before replying, "Sometimes I talked to Brock about it, but I never told him the whole story. He basically got the picture though."

Giselle thought for a second. Finally she started, "My father and mother were…"

Ash stopped her by clamping his hand over her mouth. He announced, "I don't need to hear it. I especially don't need to force you to say it."

Giselle pulled away before protesting, "But you told me about your family."

Ash shrugged before claiming, "I've come to terms with my family history. You have not."

Giselle quickly snapped, "Who are you to say that?"

Ash smiled at her and ordered, "Then tell me differently. Say that you are fine with your family. Say you are okay with the fact that your mother got forced into an arranged marriage. Say that you aren't sad that she never loved your father. Say that you aren't always crying inside because she died."

Giselle seemed shocked, but couldn't say anything. She finally managed to speak, "How did you know all that?"

Ash stood up and claimed, "My father wasn't able to teach me much. One thing I remember perfectly is that anyone, and I mean anyone, can be read like a book if you look hard enough." Ash walked closer and looked at Giselle's face. She was breaking down. He could almost see the shield she always had up to protect her come crashing down. Ash gently pushed a strand of hair out of her face before saying softly, "It's okay. Some wounds take time to heal. To attempt to fight through them can just cause more damage. There will always be people there to support you if you need it. So don't push yourself."

Giselle looked at him before asking quietly, "Would you be there?"

Ash blinked for a moment before saying, "If you wanted me to be."

"I do."

Ash nodded at the blushing face of Giselle. Ash pulled back and started to walk away. When he sensed Giselle holding up a hand, Ash turned around and claimed, "I'm gonna go and support you. I'm going to talk to your father."

Ash walked across the room to where the adults were talking. He found Mr. Kalien talking to an aged woman. Ash waited several feet away till they noticed him. Mr. Kalien nodded to him, and said, "Mr. Ketchum."

Ash nodded back. He looked at the woman. She was looking at him intensely. Ash finally nodded at her as he said, "Madam Volton."

Ash's very own grandmother nodded impassively and said, "Mr. Ketchum."

Ash turned back to Mr. Kalien and asked, "Is it possible that I could talk to you in private, Mr. Kalien?"

Mr. Kalien nodded and turned to the woman as he said, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'll talk to you later."

Mr. Kalien started leading Ash through the ballroom. Finally they walked through a set of doors to end up in an empty room. Mr. Kalien sat down on one of the available chairs, and turned to Ash as he said, "Take a seat if you wish."

Ash shrugged and claimed, "I think I'll stand."

Mr. Kalien nodded before asking, "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Ash paused for a moment before saying, "I'm asking for you to let Giselle travel with me in Hoenn after the Grand Festival."

Mr. Kalien raised his eyebrows before commenting, "That isn't what you were suppose to do here."

Ash nodded before continuing, "Yes, you wanted me to make Giselle fall in love so that when I disappeared you might be able to transfer her affections to someone else."

Mr. Kalien quickly broke in, "Not surprised you found out. Yet even if you ask, why should I let Giselle travel with you? It will be much better if I stick with my plan."

Ash paused before finally saying, "Because of something you said when we had that first conversation. You said that Giselle was the most important person in the world to you. Now you must decide. Do you want her to be happy? Do you want Giselle to be able to follow her dreams and grow into a well rounded person? Or do you want to force her into the same situation your wife was in? An arranged marriage? A loveless yet financially profitable relationship?"

Mr. Kalien stood up angrily and pointed his finger at Ash before saying intensely, "You hear this. I loved my wife."

Ash looked at him before questioning, "I don't deny it, but were you really satisfied? Are you saying you never wished you could have given her the love of her life? You never regretted that she never got happiness?" Ash now stepped back as he held his arms to the side as he stated, "Now you must decide. Do you want Giselle to end up the same way?"

Ash watched as Mr. Kalien sat back down. Mr. Kalien leaned his head back, and finally said, "You did your job." Ash frowned, but continued to listen, "It seems you inherited your father's gift. That man was my mentor. He was a man that, simply by being there, was able to find the answer. I had hoped you had also inherited the gift. It seems you have." Mr. Kalien looked at Ash before saying, "Giselle can travel with you as long as she agrees."

Ash raised his eyebrows before asking, "It seems my earlier thoughts were wrong."

Mr. Kalien shook his head before explaining, "No, they were right. I just had a second smaller objective. Find out how to give Giselle happiness. I couldn't think of anyone better than you to figure it out. Thank you."

Ash nodded before turning around and walking away to tell Giselle the good news. It seems that this complicated night had finally finished…with his victory.

The next day

Ash and Giselle walked into the pokemon center the next morning. After being given a room for a night, the two had been given a limo ride to the pokemon center.

Ash looked around the lobby, but was interrupted when a rush of people smashed into the duo. Ash finally pulled away and looked at the group. May quickly burst out, "Where have you two been all night?"

Ash held up a hand and ordered seriously, "Don't ask." The group grinned awkwardly at his words. Ash turned to May and Solidad before asking, "How did you two do yesterday?"

Solidad quickly informed him, "Both me and May are in the top four. May knocked out Harley yesterday."

Ash nodded and exclaimed, "Nice job you two."

May stepped forward and told him in a panic, "One problem though. I'm matched up with Drew. We are going to battle to go to the finals."

Hello once again.

I sort of had to exaggerate that Ash was really popular following the Volkner gym battle. I sort of feel dumb now that the anime made the battle so quick and pointless. I needed it for the story though.

Ash is part of the awards ceremony. Ooooh.

You found out some about my version of Ash's family. Please don't point out if I made a major flaw or something from a tiny irrelevant detail from a movie or something.

May vs. Drew next chapter.

Next I'll do my first chapter for Tournament of Dominance. By the way, I have to thank The Fanfiction Writer for his advertisement. Thanks dude.

Also I want to ask a question. Working Hoenn with Skill. I actually discontinued it briefly, but i forgot to put up the announcement. Whoops. Anyways, so i wasn't even thinking of writing it for the past severasl months. However, i've received a lot of messages lately asking for me to update it. Do you want me to continue it at the expense of fewer updates for each story? Review your answer.

As always thanks for reading.