Normal POV

Ash, Adam, and Jason walked through Pallet Town, passing the lab. It was late in the afternoon when they had finally gotten into town.

"I'll go and get my mom and dad and we'll head over to your house to meet you." Jason said.

"Wait a few minutes before you head over. I want Dawn to see me before anyone else does." Ash said.

Jason nodded his head and ran over to the door, looking over his shoulder and waiting until Ash and Adam were out of sight before opening it.

As the two got closer to their house, Ash was becoming more and more excited with every step he took. At long last, he was finally back in his hometown and so close to seeing his family and friends again.

As Adam opened the door, Ash walked in and hid behind the wall.

"Call your mom." he said.

Adam smiled and nodded his head as he closed the door. "Mom? Mom, I'm home!" Adam called.

Footsteps were heard and Dawn appeared. "Adam! You're home!" she cried, walking closer.

Ash stepped out from behind the wall and got behind Dawn. He placed his hands over her eyes, making her stand still.

"Surprise! Guess who?" he said into her ear.

Dawn couldn't believe her ears as she gasped at the sound of his voice. Once Ash removed his hands, she turned around. Her eyes were wide and tears were visible.

"A-Ash!" she cried, hugging her husband.

Ash held her against him tightly, running his fingers through her hair. He knew that Dawn liked it when he did that. She looked at him with many tears trailing down her cheeks.

"I missed you so much." she said softly.

Ash rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping the tears away. "I missed you, too. I thought of you, Adam, my Pokemon, and everyone else while I was away." he said.

He leaned down and kissed her soft lips. Once they parted, Dawn rested her head against Ash's chest, listening to his heartbeat. It felt so good to be together again.

"You're back... Please tell me that this isn't a dream." she said, looking at him as more tears fell from her eyes.

"It's not a dream. I'm home now." he said, kissing her forehead.

"We're all together again. Our family is together again." Adam said. He was so happy that he had reunited his family. His parents smiled at him and he walked over, joining the hug.

"That we are." Ash agreed.

Dawn smiled happily, glad that both of her boys were back. The lonely and lost feeling that she had felt for so long was fading away and so was the ache of missing the man that she loved.

"Oh! Piplup! Buneary! Come and see who's home!" Dawn called.

The two Pokemon appeared and saw Ash and Adam, along with two Pikachus.

"Bun!"

"Pip! Piplup!"

The two Pokemon ran at Ash happily, greeting him and then running over to Pikachu and started talking to him.

"Who's the other Pikachu?" Dawn asked as she wiped away her tears.

"That was my Pichu, he's recently evolved." Adam said.

"You're so much like your father, Adam. It's unbelievable." she said, smiling at her son.

The door suddenly opened and Jason walked in with Gary and Leaf following behind him.

"Why did you-" Gary started and then stopped, seeing Ash.

"Ash!" Leaf cried, her eyes widening.

"...Ashy Boy, welcome back. I'm glad you're home." Gary said.

"I'm glad to be back." he said, walking over to his two oldest and closest friends.

Ash and Gary gave each other a quick hug. Then Leaf hugged Ash tightly as she let out a few tears.

"Don't ever do that again, Ash. We really missed you." she said, shaking her head and wiping at her eyes.

Ash smiled at her and pulled away.

"What?" Ash asked, seeing that Gary was looking at him.

"It's just unbelievable. Eight months missing and now you're back."

"What? You believed that I was dead?"

"No, but a lot of other people did, though."

"So I've heard. The Elite Four told me about what people were saying about me and about the tournament to decide a new Pokemon Master."

"It's good to have you back though, Ash."

The door opened again and Delia and Johanna walked inside.

Delia gasped as she caught sight of Ash. "You're...You're back." she said shakily.

"Mom..." Ash said quietly.

She started walking to him and Ash met her, both hugging one another.

"My boy is back. Thank Arceus. I missed you so much, Ash." she said, crying.

Ash closed his eyes. "I missed you too, mom." he said softly.

She held him for a little longer than necessary, but she wanted to make sure that he was actually there. Home, safe and sound. She kissed his forehead and released him, smiling and wiping at her face.

Johanna approached him and gave him a hug. "Welcome home, Ash. I'm so glad that you're home." she said.

"Thank you, Johanna. What are you doing here in Pallet Town, let alone in Kanto?" he questioned, pulling away.

"I came to help Dawn after your disappearance. She needed some support and comfort." she replied.

"Thank you for doing that."

"Not a problem, Ash. I'd do anything for my little girl."

They made their way into the living room, finally moving from the hall. Dawn looked around and noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Michelle?" she asked.

"She's gone home to get Misty. I wanted Misty to know that I was back as well and I wanted her to see me in person. So Michelle's bringing her here to see me." Ash answered.

"Ash, where were you all this time?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, where?"

At once, the question was being repeated and asked by everyone.

"I'll answer that when Misty and Michelle get here. I want Misty to hear everything, too. Plus, I won't have to tell the whole story twice." Ash said to everyone.

He looked out of the window. "I'm going to go visit my Pokemon at the lab." Ash said, standing up.

"Okay, I'll start fixing supper. I'll make your favorites." Dawn said.

"We'll help you, Dawn." said Delia and Johanna.

Ash nodded his head with a smile on his face. It had been a long time since he had tasted Dawn's cooking and a long time since he'd had a decent meal. He said a small goodbye and walked to the door, Pikachu leaping onto his shoulder.

"Chu..." Pikachu said, nuzzling into Ash's cheek as they walked to the lab, glad that his trainer was finally back with his family.

Ash rubbed Pikachu's head and stopped in the field behind the lab. He removed his Pokeballs, which contained the Pokemon that he had with him when he was captured.

"Come on out!" he cried, tossing the Pokeballs into the air.

The Pokemon appeared, stretching and letting out their names. They hadn't been let out since that fateful day. Looking up, they saw Ash and cried their names happily as they charged at him.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all. You all did great and I thank you for trying to protect me." he said.

Pikachu jumped into the air and released a Thunderbolt into the sky, letting all of Ash's Pokemon out in the field know that he had finally returned. The ground started to shake and his Pokemon came running in from every angle, all saying their names happily and staring at Ash.

"Donphan, Torterra, Blastoise, Tauros, Swellow, everyone! I missed you all!" he said.

Meganium made her way to him and rubbed against him, happy to see him again.

"Meg! Meg! Meganium!"

"I missed you too, Meganium." Ash said, rubbing her head.

He stayed in the field for a long time, just being with his Pokemon friends again. He had missed them all and was glad to be back with them.

The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the curtains and onto Ash's and Dawn's faces. They had spent their first night together in a long time. It was the first night that they hadn't slept alone in over eight months.

Ash opened his eyes and looked at Dawn with a small smile. He kissed her forehead and she stirred. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. She sighed softly and put her hands on top of Ash's hands, which were around her waist.

"I woke up so many mornings alone in bed while you were away. I missed you being with me. I missed waking up in the morning with you beside me. I missed your warmth, especially when you held me and comforted me if I had a nightmare...I was so sad and lonely."

Ash placed a soft kiss to her lips and looked at her lovingly. "I know...I missed being with you, too." he said quietly.

After getting up and dressed and fixing her hair, Dawn stood in front of the stove, cooking breakfast. Their first meal as a complete family once again. Ash walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans, a plain black t-shirt that was under a red hoodie (the same style of hoodie that he had worn in Hoenn), and black and white sneakers. He had also added his Sinnoh hat. It felt good to be back in his own clothes again.

Ash set the table while Dawn cooked, since Adam hadn't come out of his room yet. Right as Dawn placed the last Oran Berry pancake onto the plate, Adam walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," he greeted. It felt so good to be home again with both of his parents.

"Morning, sweetie." Dawn said, kissing his head.

"Morning, Adam." Ash said, ruffling his hair.

The three sat at the table and started eating. As they ate, Adam couldn't help but think that this is how it would have been if his dad wasn't captured when he started his journey. They would be sitting at the table, eating and talking about what he was thinking of doing on his journey. He couldn't help but feel both happy and sad thinking about what could have been if his dad had not been missing at the time. Pushing the thought away, he continued to eat his breakfast, just glad that his family was together once more.

They had just finished and Ash and Dawn were washing the dishes when there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Adam said, hopping up.

He walked to the front door and opened it and was surprised to see Michelle and Misty. He was shocked that they had gotten to Pallet Town in only one day.

"Michelle said that I had to come here as soon as possible, saying that someone wanted to see me. She wouldn't tell me anything else. Is everything okay?" Misty said.

"Yeah, come inside. Wait here and I'll be right back." he said, stepping aside and letting them enter.

Adam walked back into the kitchen and keeping his voice quiet, he told his parents who was at the door. Ash followed Adam out of the kitchen and Dawn walked out shortly after the two.

Michelle looked up and saw Ash. She looked at her mom and motioned in front of them. Misty turned her head and saw Ash. She stared at him in shock. A part of her was not believing that it was really him and the other part was fighting the urge to run and hug him at that moment. Then he smiled at her and that's when she knew that he was really there.

Even though Ash was married and Misty had been briefly married once in the past, a part of her still loved him and would always love him. He held a place in her heart no matter what. Ash was Misty's first love, even if their relationship only went as far as friendship and nothing more.

She walked over to Ash and hugged him. "Welcome back..." she said softly as she smiled with joy.

Dawn stared at Misty. Dawn knew that Misty cared for Ash and she knew about her feelings for him, but the two women were on good terms with each other. Dawn knew that Misty wouldn't try to break their family up like Kenny would and Misty knew that Ash was faithful to Dawn and that he loved Dawn over her. Misty wasn't going to risk an irreplaceable friendship with Ash over trying to get him to feel the same way that she did. She cared about Ash enough to respect his decisions and put his happiness before her own.

"It's so great that you're back." Misty said as she released him and wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek.

She still couldn't believe that he was here, she was just so happy that he was back. Looking at Dawn and Adam, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Dawn was smiling and looked like her old self once more and Adam looked so happy to be with his dad again. Misty knew how close the three of them were.

"Well, how about we all go to the lab?" Ash asked. "I bet that there's a lot you want to know about me and where I've been."

The three kids and their parents were all in the field behind the lab, sitting on the grass. Adam, Jason, and Michelle tossed their Pokeballs so that their parents could see the Pokemon that they had caught while on their journey.

Adam's team consisted of Pikachu, Venusaur, Charmeleon, Pidgeot, Wartortle, Machoke, and Haunter. Jason's team consisted of Charizard, Fearow, Golduck, Tangela, Graveler, and Haunter. Michelle's team consisted of Jolteon, Poliwhirl, Arcanine, Togetic, and Gastly.

"Go and play, have some fun." they said to their Pokemon. The Pokemon ran off in different directions.

"Michelle, Eevee wasn't there. Was Jolteon the Pokemon that Eevee evolved into?" Misty asked, since she had given Eevee to Michelle at the start of her journey.

"Yes, I gave Eevee the choice to pick which Eeveelution to evolve into. She chose Jolteon." Michelle explained.

Ash looked around and noticed that his Charizard was very friendly to Charmeleon. "Adam, why is Charizard acting so friendly? He doesn't usually take to the other Pokemon." Ash asked.

"Charmeleon is one of Charizard's children. Back when he was a Charmander, when I left the lab on the day I began my journey, he followed me, wanting to come along."

Ash nodded his head. He was glad that one of his most trusted Pokemon's offspring had gone with his son.

"So Michelle, how did you end up traveling with them?" Ash asked.

"I started traveling with them after they battled my mom for their badges. My tenth birthday had just passed and my mom was planning on letting me start my journey. I wasn't expecting anything to happen because I thought that I would be traveling alone, but I'm so glad that I met them both." Michelle said.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting anyone else to join us, either. But having Michelle around isn't too bad." Jason said with a smirk, teasing her.

"It was actually Misty's suggestion that she should travel with us." Adam added.

Adam then decided to mention some of the events that had occurred on their journey. "We met your Butterfree, dad." he said.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. Trainers were gathering to let their Butterfrees go and find a partner, as well as see some past ones that had come back. Your Butterfree was one of them. Butterfree mistook me for you and was pretty sad when he realized that it wasn't you. But then he recognized Pikachu and he told Butterfree who I was."

"I had to make a tough decision that day. I chose to let my Butterfree go and we made a friend with the other Butterfree's trainer." Jason said.

"You had a Butterfree?"

"Yeah, but I wanted Butterfree to have a chance at love and to be happy, just like you did."

"Oh, remember the hidden village you told me about? The place where you found Bulbasaur? We went there, I was able to remember where it was and find it again. We met Melanie." Adam said.

"Did you hit any traps along the way?"

"We didn't, but Jason did." Michelle said, pointing to herself and Adam.

"Yeah...stupid rope." he muttered.

The adults laughed.

"I also discovered that I have Aura. I can't really use it, though." Adam said.

"You have Aura?" Dawn asked.

"When did you find this out?" Ash asked.

"When we were at the Fuchsia Gym. Janine had thrown ninja stars at us as a test of speed and...well, a shield was formed in front of us from my Aura." he explained. "I can't explain how it happened, my mind just went blank and my body seemed to take over and act on its own."

"Hmm...well, it seems like my Aura ability was passed down to you." Ash said.

"That gym was the craziest gym that we've ever gone to." Michelle said.

"And the most dangerous." Jason added.

Adam and Michelle nodded in agreement.

"I won against Harrison in a tie at the Cinnabar Gym." Adam said.

"A tie? You mean all of the Pokemon fainted?"

"No, I asked to battle his Blaziken only. I was able to get my badge, but it was a tie."

"You battled Harrison's Blaziken? At least you won your badge and it ended in a tie. I lost the first time that I battled him."

Adam nodded his head.

"Did you have to dress as a girl to challenge Erika?" Ash asked.

Misty laughed, remembering when Ash had dressed as a girl just to challenge Erika.

"No, I didn't have to dress as a girl."

"Lucky..."

Dawn laughed at Ash's pouting.

"How's Sabrina? Is she still creepy?" he asked.

"No, she's still herself. We were a little scared of her at first when we met her." Adam said.

"She knew our names before we said anything." Michelle said. "She used her Psychic powers to read our minds."

"But she told us her part of the story about how you changed her back to normal that you mentioned a few times to us." Jason added.

Ash couldn't believe everything that they had accomplished. His own son had challenged Harrison's Blaziken, a Pokemon that he wasn't able to beat. All three of them had gained the final badge or ribbon that they needed to enter the final step into reaching their goals. They had come a long way, from what Ash could see.

"Oh yeah, look at what I got from Erika." Michelle said, digging in her bag and pulling out her bottle of perfume.

Misty's eyes widened in shock. "Wow. Michelle, you've never worn perfume before. I want you to know that I'm proud of you. You've matured so much on your journey. In your contests, you aren't the tomboy that you were when you left, you're acting more your age now and you're growing up and maturing."

Michelle smiled and looked at the perfume bottle. "I hadn't even realized that I had changed so much. But now that you mention it, I can see it. Before I left home, I would never wear a dress, perfume, or even think of wearing heels. But now I don't mind any of that, I'm actually starting to enjoy it. My personality was changing all this time and I didn't even know it!"

The kids had said everything that they could think of, so Adam decided to ask about what had happened to Ash. "What happened to you, dad?" Adam asked.

"Well, that day I went into the forest, deep into the forest like I always do to train. I was training for a little while when I heard leaves crunching, twigs breaking, and I sensed something that wasn't good. My Pokemon stopped training and we waited for whatever it was to come out and show itself." Ash explained.

"Before I knew it, an ambush was happening. Four Pokemon Hunters working for Team Rocket and around one hundred grunts and their Pokemon emerged from the trees, the air, every angle. My six Pokemon fought for as long as they could, trying to beat them, but there were just too many and my Pokemon became too exhausted to battle. I didn't have anywhere to run and I was tied up and taken away. Pikachu was left on the ground, hurt, and I thought that he wasn't going to make it.

"Every day that went by, I couldn't help but worry about him. I almost believed that he was dead. I barely had anything to eat while I was in Team Rocket's prison, most of the time I was starving. They only gave me enough to keep me alive. Not one day went by that I didn't think of my Pokemon and my family and friends. They were the only thing that was keeping me going day after day."

"There was blood at the crime scene, though. Whose blood was that?" Dawn asked.

Ash closed his eyes, remembering what had happened. "Some of the grunts were killed by the Pokemon Hunters. They were killed because they were cowards for trying to flee when their Pokemon were beaten by my Pokemon. Those Pokemon Hunters were the most brutal people I've ever seen. They were so ruthless, Hunter J was nothing compared to them."

All of the adults, minus Leaf, were shocked. They had each run into Team Rocket at least once on their journeys and they couldn't believe what had been revealed. The Team Rocket they knew didn't exist anymore and it was replaced by an organization that was far more evil and far more dangerous.

"Why did they capture you? What did they want you for?" Leaf asked.

"They wanted me to activate the Temple of Legends. The Temple of Legends was where a person with a special Aura could summon the Legendary Pokemon thousands of years ago. The person was known as the Chosen One, that's why they captured me. They knew that I was the one who could activate the temple and summon every Legendary Pokemon for them to capture and use to take over Kanto." Ash explained. "I did activate the temple and they almost succeeded, but they were stopped."

"It's like Shamouti Island all over. You won then and you won now." Misty said. She couldn't believe that Team Rocket had almost succeeded in taking over Kanto, none of them could.

"So how were you rescued?" asked Gary.

"That thanks goes to Adam, Jason, and Michelle. The Elite Four came to visit me while I was still in the hospital, recovering. They told me that Adam told Koga in Fuchsia City that he believed Team Rocket had done something to me and that they were looking for the Temple of Legends. The Elite Four started looking for any information that they could find and eventually found the location of the temple, but at the same time that Team Rocket did.

"By the time they reached the temple, I had almost activated it. Everything was becoming a mess. The Elite Four, minus Lance, and the Hunters and the boss were trapped under fallen rocks in the underground temple. I knew that I had to stop the chaos and I used my Aura to close the portal that had formed. Once I drained all of the Aura from the portal, I was left with this strange mark on my hand. Apparently, it means that I can control the Legendary Pokemon.

"Team Rocket was so close to succeeding and I didn't want to do any of what I did, but I had to. It was dangerous, but I had to keep everyone safe."

"Well, you went through a lot, Ash."

"Reckless as ever."

They all knew that no matter what the danger was, Ash wouldn't do anything unless he had to. He would always put everyone else before himself.

"Have you met any friends on your journey, Adam? Made any rivals?"

"We've met quite a few. Trevor and Nikki, Blair, and Amber."

"All are coordinators except for Trevor, he's a trainer." Michelle said.

"What are they like?"

"Trevor and Nikki are brother and sister. Twins, to be exact. They're the same age as us. Nikki's really kind and hyper and Trevor is the complete opposite." Michelle said.

"Trevor has changed, though. He used to act how Paul did...well, how you explained Paul had acted. He's no longer mean to us, he's nice now and considers us his friends." Adam added. "When we met Trevor and Nikki, Trevor really did remind me of Paul. He acted like Paul did with his Pokemon and towards his sister."

"He's a tough opponent for both of us, too. He didn't exactly make Adam feel confident, since he kept talking bad about him." Jason said.

"Anyway, Blair was the other Butterfree's trainer that I mentioned. She's nice and acts like a tomboy. She's four years older than us."

"Amber is nice, but a little strange. When we met her, she seemed to be hiding something. Her Aura was strange. She's our age." Adam said.

"Nikki, Blair, and Amber are all tough rivals to have, too. Nikki informs me of every contest and the others do too, but it's mainly Nikki. They were all able to beat me at least once in a contest and all won their final ribbons before me. I think Blair would have to be the toughest since she watched me perform with Gastly at one contest and figured out my strategy. So when I battled her in the next contest, she knew what I was planning." Michelle explained.

Their parents were glad that they had made friends and had some tough rivals.

"Oh, speaking of Paul, we ran into him." Adam said.

"You did?" Ash asked.

"Yes. We stumbled upon him training and I knew who he was. He made me mad and I challenged him to a battle and I lost badly. I didn't knock any of his Pokemon out. He called me weak and pathetic, saying that I was just like you." Adam said.

"He told us that he was going to enter the tournament to become the new Pokemon Master. He seemed so sure that he was going to win and when we asked why, he released a Pokemon. He caught Latias from Altomare. He said that he had heard of the stories and went there hunting Latias and Latios, but only found Latias. Latias has felt miserable ever since she was captured."

"A Legendary Pokemon shouldn't be captured against their will. They're meant to be free." Jason said.

Ash was shocked. Latias had befriended him when he was in Altomare. Why would Paul capture Latias just so that he could defeat him?

"You're right, Jason. Unlike wild Pokemon, they aren't meant to be captured against their will. They should be free to do as they wish, not have to battle for a trainer unless they choose to come with a trainer or fight by the trainer's side. It seems like Paul's the same as he has always been. He never did change." Ash said.

Ash was also shocked that they had run into a boy that had acted like Paul. At least Trevor was able to change his ways.

"So why did Trevor change?"

"You'll understand once we explain. We ran into Team Rocket a lot of times on our journey. The first time was in Mt. Moon." Adam said.

"We were just walking and heard talking. We went to investigate and found Team Rocket grunts, they were looking for Moon Stones to collect. We were going to take them on, but they ran. We chased after them and they lead us to the higher-ranking grunts." Jason explained.

"We weren't going to back down. We wanted information, we knew that they had to know something about your disappearance, I couldn't shake the feeling that they had something to do with it. So we battled for a little while, until something happened." Adam added.

"Their Pokemon had gotten in front and were going to attack us head-on. Our Pokemon couldn't protect us. We thought we were done for, but when we opened our eyes, a Flamethrower had protected us and blocked their attacks."

"Someone saved us that day. We also told Officer Jenny about the attack and Team Rocket, but she didn't believe Team Rocket could be back. We then told Misty and she believed us."

Their parents were quiet.

"That's not even close to the end. The next attack was at the hidden village. That's when we found out that Team Rocket may have had something to do with your disappearance. They told us you were dead, though." Adam said.

"Then there was the S.S. Ketchum attack..." Jason trailed.

"What?" Ash asked. He didn't know about this.

"I had lost a contest and Adam bought tickets for us to go on the S.S. Ketchum cruise ship as a gift to cheer me up." Michelle explained.

"During the night, the ship was attacked and destroyed. Everyone died except for us. Team Rocket was behind the attack, but they didn't know we were on the ship or they wouldn't have attacked. You see, they wanted us captured. They were going to use us as hostages to persuade Ash to cooperate with their plans." Jason said.

"Then we met the four Pokemon Hunters, each one of them. We were attacked by them, but always managed to escape, but not without paying for it." Adam said softly.

"We met Hunter Oliver first. We had stumbled upon their vehicles and challenged them to a battle, trying to stop their plans. We beat the first set of grunts, but more came. We ran, knowing we couldn't take them all on." Adam explained.

"We ran, and while running, I tripped. Eevee was turned to stone and I was frozen in fear. He shot me and turned me to stone." Michelle said.

"I tried to run back before she was turned to stone, but Jason was thinking clearly. I wasn't. He stopped me from going back so I wouldn't get us all caught. We ran and ran until we finally got somewhere safe." Adam said.

"Adam was able to come up with a plan for us to get onto the ship. We stole one of their vehicles and drove it onto the ship and then searched for Michelle." Jason said.

"Hunter Oliver wanted me to answer his questions. He had his Raichu use Thunder on Eevee when I wouldn't answer him. He wanted me to answer his questions and each time I didn't, he was going to attack Eevee. He said that if Eevee died, then he would start attacking me. He then changed his mind and decided to let me feel what Eevee felt. He lowered the lever and my body was no longer stone, but I couldn't even move if I wanted to. He had his Raichu use Thunder on me before turning me back to stone. He then questioned me. He wanted to know anything that we knew. When he left, I was terrified and I didn't want to see him again. He scared me so much." said Michelle.

This was the first time that Adam and Jason had heard about how she actually felt when she was there. She had only told them what he had done to her.

"We eventually found Michelle, but we became trapped in the room where she was being kept. This is also where we found Machoke and Graveler, they were two Pokemon that he had captured. We were trapped and didn't have any way to escape. There was only a window." Jason said.

"I was able to think of a plan. I had Pikachu break the window. We jumped out and had Pidgey and Spearow use Gust and Whirlwind to keep us from falling too fast, but it wasn't enough. They then evolved in the sky and with their new power, we landed safely on the ground." Adam finished.

"The next Pokemon Hunter we ran into was Mya. She was able to capture me and Jason, but not Michelle. I pushed Michelle off of a cliff that had a rushing river below it. I got hit by the shot meant for Michelle." Adam said.

Jason couldn't say anything that had happened, because he was stone the whole time.

"Once I woke up on the side of the river downstream, I knew what Adam had done. He had saved me from getting captured. I had to find them, but I didn't know where they were. Togetic, though, knew where and with her help, I was able to find the ship. I ran and hid under a slow-moving vehicle and was able to get onto the ship without being noticed. I walked around and found the room where they were being kept, it had two grunts outside guarding the door." Michelle said.

Adam closed his eyes. He wondered how the adults were going to react once they learned what Mya did to him. "Mya came into the room where we were. She...she had her Froslass freeze my hands and feet to the wall. I thought she wanted information, but she said that the torture was for her own fun. I wanted to know why the boss wanted us captured, but she said that she didn't know. I asked her what Team Rocket did to my dad, and she said that I was smart for figuring out that they had something to do with his disappearance. She said that you were killed. Then she froze my whole body besides my head and left me to freeze."

"By the time I made it into the room, Adam was barely conscious and his lips were blue and he was pale. Jason and Pikachu were stone. I had Growlithe melt the ice and I got Jason and Pikachu out." said Michelle.

"I was afraid that Adam was dead since he was barely breathing and it took him a while to answer me when I spoke. We were pulling Adam up when Mya walked in and blocked the door. We couldn't escape. Then a man and his Kadabra fell from the vent above and saved us, teleporting us out of the ship and back to the ground. We were able to get Adam warmed up and save him."

The parents were stunned and just decided to remain quiet, knowing that this story wasn't over yet. It was going to be a while. A small silence passed over the three. They were about to tell the worst story of all the Hunters.

"And this is how Trevor changed." Adam said. "We left Neon Town and were in the forest. Trevor and Nikki had caught up to us and Nikki suggested that we travel together for a little while. We didn't know that we were being watched and followed. We walked out into a clearing and we got surrounded. Grunts were everywhere with Pokemon out and ready to attack, but their eyes were glowing red. They were being mind-controlled. Pokemon Hunter Michael stepped out and Trevor, he changed completely."

"Trevor had lost his best friend to Michael in the past, his parents told us this when we went to their house in Neon Town." Michelle said.

"Pikachu was able to get us an opening and we took it. We ran from Team Rocket and found a cave and hid...but Nikki wasn't with us. She had fallen behind because she was a slow runner. Michael had captured her." said Adam. "We were able to stop Trevor from doing anything stupid. We then came up with a plan and while Jason and Michelle made a distraction, Trevor and myself got onto the ship and searched for Nikki.

"We found Nikki, but...she was scarred for life. Mentally and emotionally scarred. Michael had violated her. When we got her back to the cave, Trevor tried to leave to stop Michael for good because of what he did to his friend and sister. We stopped him, but then he broke down. He had lost his best friend, not being able to protect her, and he couldn't protect his own sister. He couldn't handle it. That's when he changed his ways."

"Then we met Darien." said Michelle.

"He killed his Crobats when they failed to capture us. We were in the air over water when this attack happened." Jason said.

"We landed on a nearby deserted island and Darien followed. He attacked us and he had the chance to capture us, but he didn't. He left us alone."

"We then met Antonio on the day we left for Viridian City again. He revealed that he had saved us in Mt. Moon, in the ship attack, and from Mya. He told us that Team Rocket's plans were almost complete. He said that their base was hidden west of Viridian City and that's where we were heading." Adam said.

"He told us the history of Team Rocket. He told us that Giovanni had escaped, along with some grunts, when dad and the Elite Four attacked their base all those years ago, forcing them to disband. He hired a Pokemon Hunter to make sure that Team Rocket would never be defeated again. The Hunter was promised that he would rule alongside Giovanni, but then Giovanni found out about the Temple of Legends.

"The Hunter turned against Giovanni and killed him. He made himself the new leader and made Team Rocket bigger and stronger and more brutal. Anyone who opposed him was killed. He told us that James, Jessie, and Meowth were killed, since they were weak. The weak members were killed, too.

"Antonio told us that he was the son of Giovanni. We found out that he fell in love and had a daughter after Team Rocket disbanded. He wanted to leave his father and his evil ways, but he couldn't because his family was threatened. Once his father was killed, he became the main target and his wife was killed after he fled. He was too late to save her but he found his daughter. She was taken to live with her grandmother and he never came back.

"Once we reached the base, he told us of a plan. He was able to destroy the base, but we had gotten captured trying to save dad. Antonio told us that if we ever found his daughter, we'd tell her that he loves her and misses her. Her name was Amber. We think that it's our friend that we met, but we aren't sure.

"Darien took us to the Temple of Legends. The boss nearly killed Michelle with his Scyther as a threat that Ash had to activate the temple. After the final battle, all of the Pokemon Hunters were captured, except Michael who wasn't there at the time. He and the boss are still out there somewhere."

The children looked at their parents. "We're sorry for putting ourselves in danger. We've had close calls, but we always saved each other." Jason said.

"We can trust each other with our lives. But we're sorry." Michelle said.

"We're sorry that we put ourselves in so much danger. But I wanted to find dad. I wanted to make my family and friends happy again. It was my secret goal ever since I left Pallet Town on my journey. I was going to find him and bring him home." Adam said.

"Why would you even challenge all these people by yourselves? You all could have died." said Leaf.

"But this does show how strong your friendship is. Just don't do a lot of reckless things." said Misty.

"At least you're all safe." added Dawn.

Adam looked at his mom. "Mom, are you an only child?" he asked.

She looked at him, confused. "Yes, Adam. You know that." she said.

"When we were at the Temple of Legends, the boss - who's name is Jacob - said that he was a Berlitz. He said that Darien was his son, your twin brother. You two look so much alike, but Darien's eyes are red." Adam said.

"Darien also revealed it to us earlier. He said that Adam reminded him of his daughter and that's why he let us go the first time that we met him. He has a daughter named Brittany." Michelle said.

As the children spoke, Johanna looked shocked and horrified. The man that she once loved was this evil? He didn't care about her at all? He was just using her? Her son was alive and she had a granddaughter?

"What happened to Darien and Brittany?"

"They're being held in custody."

"A brother?" Dawn said, shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked at her mom and saw her mom's shocked face and she knew that it was true. She did have a brother and her father...

"Mom, is this true?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

Johanna looked at her. "It is...it's all true." she said.

Dawn couldn't believe it. "Why...why did you hide this from me my whole life? When I was younger, I asked where dad was and you said that he died, mom! Why did you lie and keep that I had a brother from me?"

Johanna remained quiet.

"Were they so horrible...that you had to keep it from me?"

"No...your father left one night when you were babies and took your brother with him. I was heartbroken. I didn't want you to grow up worrying and wondering where they were and if they were alive, because I didn't know. I didn't want you to have that kind of burden to live with."

After a minute, Dawn decided to make a confession, too. "Ash, I have to come clean. I need to tell you something." Dawn said. She had to tell him what had happened while he was missing. Everything that had happened with Kenny.

"It was still early on while you were missing. I got a call...from Kenny. He called saying that you were dead and that Adam needed a father and I deserved better. He didn't think Adam should grow up without a father. He told me that he still loved me and wanted me to give him another chance. He said that we could be a family together."

"He did what?!" Ash cried, angered.

Dawn placed her hand over his. "I told him that I would never love him. I said that I was Dawn Ketchum and that you were still out there somewhere. I couldn't love anyone but you, because my heart belongs to you and you alone." Dawn said.

Ash nodded his head, starting to calm down, but he couldn't believe that Kenny would try to do that to Dawn. How dare he?! "I'm gonna kill that son of a Houndour for what he's done the next time that I see him." Ash said angrily.

Later that night...

"Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum, has returned. The tournament that was to be held to determine a new Pokemon Master has been canceled. The Pokemon League will hold a press conference with Ash to reveal why he vanished later."

Paul glared at his TV. He threw the remote after he turned the TV off. He scoffed.

"The pathetic excuse for Pokemon Master has returned. Oh, I'll still find a way to become Pokemon Master. That, I promise you, Ash!" he declared.

Kenny sighed and turned the TV off. Any chance that he had to get Dawn back was gone now. He looked at the TV. How could Ash be back now after eight months?

His sadness then turned to anger. After using Ash's disappearance to get another chance at winning Dawn back, he realized that it was all for nothing!

"Well, if I can't have her, then neither can Ash!" he cried.

Author's Note: Sorry for such a long wait. But as you can see, this is our longest chapter yet!

So Ash is now reunited with his friends, family, and Pokemon. They also learn about what happened to him and to Team Rocket. But not everyone is happy that Ash has returned. Paul and Kenny are angry and are determined to get back at Ash!

The Pokemon League and Grand Festival are coming soon. How will Adam, Jason, and Michelle fare in their competitions? What lengths will Paul and Kenny go to to get what they want?

Find out as the story continues!