This took me longer than I thought, but here it is. I originally planned to cut it earlier, then I decided that wanted to finally get to the good parts. So, here you are. This chapter also introduces two new characters, who will play bigger roles later on. Also, someone pointed out in a review that Pikachu is male, and I know. But I wanted to portray her as a female, else I feel like Pikachu becomes a copy of Ash. So, read and enjoy (and if you liked it, leave a review)!

PS: The ~ signifies Reshiram's singsongy voice.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

"This is goodbye I suppose," Ash said, Brock standing next to him. They would together take the fastest available ferry back to Kanto while May took a regular one, considering it was only a few hours of travel with one to Petalburg City. Ash always disliked saying goodbye to friends, even if this time it wasn't really a goodbye. "Well, a short goodbye. We'll see you in Vermillion, alright?"

"Sure we will!" May replied happily, looking at her watch. Her ferry would leave only a few minutes after their's, so she still had time before she needed to board her ferry back to Petalburg. This would be the first time for her where she would be going somewhere as a regular person, and not as a coordinator. Like Ash she had travelled and competed nonstop over the years. She had to admit that Ash had been a rather extreme case compared to her, or anyone she knew who competed in one of the regions. "I'm really excited for Alto Mare!"

"We all are. Alright, we'll see you later today hopefully," With those words, Ash and Brock turned around, Brock saying his goodbyes to May as well. This was the first time he would ever travel with a ferry that fast. What would normally take over a day would be reduced to less than two hours. "Well, it's just us two again, and Pikachu. It's always us, isn't it?"

This ferry had no rooms they could stay in compared to the boat they travelled on last time. It clearly wasn't mean to be stayed for more than a few hours at best. They were though multiple resting rooms instead, with a tv, a table and a minibar that could be occupied by anybody at their own leisure. "That's one of the few constants in your trainer career besides Pikachu. It's been always us, except for your trip through Unova," Walking up to the front of the ship, Brock leaned over the railing, the ship slowly starting to move. It wouldn't take long for them to reach Vermillion, and from there they would fly on Pidgeot to get back home. "I just remembered that no one's at the gym currently, besides Forrest, so I'm simply going to pack everything I need, Then we can directly go to Pallet Town and save quite a bit of time."

Making sure no one was around to hear them before he spoke, Ash quickly touched the pokeball hanging around his neck. "I wish I could release Reshiram, but she would attract so much attention that it would be nearly impossible to release her before we to Pallet Town," Touching the pokeball again, Ash couldn't stop himself from grinning as he was able to hear Reshiram's singsong voice. "I know you want to get out of your pokeball. I also know what would happen if anyone besides me, Pikachu and the others or Brock would see you outside of your pokeball. And you know that too."

Chuckling at the conversation between Ash and Reshiram, Brock thought back to the few times he had interacted with the dragoness. He had met her the first time back in Pallet Town, the day he and Ash went to Hoenn. It was an unique experience to say the least. Reshiram smothered her trainer with affection, asking him if everything was alright, what he had done throughout the day, when she would see him again and so on. He would probably describe her as a sort of motherly figure for Ash, and even though Ash could talk with Reshiram through the pokeball it still wasn't the same thing. Her 'voice' was also a joy to listen to, being rather singsongy and heaven to one's ears. "Hey, what do you say about occupying one of these nice rooms and plunder the minibar there?"

"That's not a terrible idea you know," Taking Brock's suggestion to heart, they walked back inside, trying to find a free room. Finding one, Ash opened the door, sitting down on the couch, a window to their right. Opening the minibar, they found multiple multiple cans of Coca Cola and beer and some bottles of sparkling water. Trying to decide what to pick, Brock beat him to it and took a bottle of sparkling water. He was above 18, which meant he could drink beer, but it was something he didn't do that often. He avoided alcohol for the most part, sometimes indulging himself in drinking some. Taking a can of coca cola, Ash leant back and opened his can in sync with Brock opening his bottle. "I wonder how happy mom will be to hear that I'm back home and not even an hour after I return I leave again. At least it's not an adventure this time, so she doesn't need to worry as much."

"She's your mother, so she was every right to worry," Brock responded, staring out at the ocean and watching the large amount of water-type Pokemon. Being Ash's senior by five years, he had always been the caretaker of sorts. Only when they were on the Orange Islands and Ash went to Unova he didn't fulfill that role. "I'll explain to her that you got me, as usual throughout the years we've known each other."

'You got me as well, little one~' Reshiram's singsong voice could be heard in their minds, telepathy being her only way of communication when inside the pokeball. It was also her choice outside, else neither of them would understand anything she said.

Leaning forward, Ash managed to grab the tv-remote and turn on the tv. To their surprise there was an interview going on, with Steven Stone of all people. "Mr. Stone, what did you think about this year's conference?"

"I've seen many conferences, but this was one of the better ones we have had in a while. I was especially impressed with this year's runner-up, Ash Ketchum." Steven replied calmly, seemingly being used to interviews. He had never been praised in such a manner, by anyone. It certainly wouldn't hurt him in any sort of way.

"That's all from us for today. Thank you very much Mr. Stone for taking time for this interview. Have a pleasant continued day." With that the screen changed back to their regular studio. Lowering the volume, Ash put the remote back on the small table which the tv and leant back on the couch.

"Brock, I've been thinking," Ash spoke up, Pikachu's ear perking up at her trainer's words. After barely losing, only a day ago, Ash had put a lot of thought into what he wanted to do with career. Travelling around the world was great and all, but it wasn't something he wanted to do forever. "Do you think I'm ready to take on the Elite Four, back at home?"

Blinking a few times, Brock had to think about what to say this time. "You're ready, that's for sure. Just will you be able to keep it up against five in a row if being the Champion is your final goal?" It was a good question that had to be asked. Brock didn't doubt Ash's ability to take down any of the Elite Four, or even keep Lance on his toes, but to take down all five in a row, with only a single day in between each battle? That was a difficult task. He knew though that Ash would challenge them without going through the Silver Conference first, something only the most skilled trainers could do. It required a multitude of achievements to prove consistently that you were on the highest level. Ash didn't lack that by any means. "I feel like you're ready, but it's something I can't judge, something only you can do."

"You're right, I'm ready. I will challenge the Elite Four after we return from Altomare and take a shot at the title of Champion," Being the Champion of a region was one of the biggest honors you could get, and the most Champions stayed as Champions for years because they were that good. "Now I just need to start planning on what team I want to bring, considering that it'll be locked and not changeable throughout the entire challenge."

Not saying anything, Pikachu spoke, frantically waving her arms, pointing at herself. It didn't take Ash to tell him what Pikachu said to understand her. Brock knew that Ash would never go anywhere without her by his side. "Tell me, you got that Mega Bracelet from Steven, so why not put it to use? You have more than enough Pokemon who are capable of harnessing the power of Mega Evolution."

"You're right, and Steven even gave me a stone to go along with the bracelet. But without a Pokemon who can use the stone's power it's rather worthless," Putting his hand in his pocket, Ash pulled out the stone he had been given by Steven. Looking at it, he handed it to Brock who looked at it carefully. "It's a Latiasite, so I'm sure you can guess who could use it."

The stone was worth nothing if Latias wouldn't be willing to use it, and Ash would never capture her unless she really wanted to go with him. "Well, I'm sure Steven would know that too, but he still gave it to you. There has to be a reason why you still got it," Brock knew that the Hoenn Champion wouldn't simply give away a valuable stone like the Latiasite if he didn't know that it would be put to good use. That was a question for another day, and they had many days left to solve it. "We'll find a solution eventually, alright Ash?"

"Yeah, we will. So what do we do now? We still got more than an hour to spend before we reach Vermillion," Ash said, tapping his fingers on the armrest. He touched his pokeballs and scratched Pikachu behind her ear, until he put his hands behind his head. He felt the urge to battle. The likeliness to find a battlefield on the ship were very low though. "Hey Brock. Do you think there's somewhere we could battle?"

Brock had also played with idea of having a battle, something he hadn't done that much while they were travelling. He and Ash battled a few times for fun so he didn't lose his edge. Having only seen the ship shortly from the outside, he couldn't be 100 % sure, and it looked to small to host any sort form of battlefield. "Probably not. The ship's too small to house a battlefield, and the travel time isn't particularly long either, so there's no need for it. Gotta wait until we hit land before we can have our battle," Brock responded, glancing at the tv to see if they were bringing anything interesting. That wasn't case, so they needed to figure out something to do in order to pass the remaining time. "Now that I think about it, how about we have breakfast? We didn't eat anything back in Slateport, and there's to be some sort of cafeteria on this ship. And knowing you, your stomach would welcome a good breakfast, wouldn't it?"

Grinning at Brock's words, Ash stoop up with Pikachu in his arms, placing her on his shoulder and emptying his can. "You know me too well my friend. Let's go then," Taking their bags, they exited the room and closed the door behind while trying to find out where they needed to go to reach their destination. Walking up a set of stairs to reach the main deck, they stopped. "Do you remember reading the signs which told you where the cafeteria is?"

"What would you do without me?" Brock asked, Ash clearly not amused at his statement. In the end it was the truth though, and Ash couldn't argue with Brock on that point. Looking to his left and to his right, he had to think about which direction they should go. Deciding that going to the left was the right choice, Brock started walking along the hallway they were in. "If I remember correctly, this is the way we should be going to get to the cafeteria, and satisfy your stomach."

"Very funny, Brock," Ash responded dryly, the sarcasm very clear in his voice. After a few minutes, the smell of breakfast started reaching their noses, and urged them onwards. For suck a small ship, the cafeteria was comparatively big. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

'Little one~, do you think you could get something for me as well?' Reshiram asked from inside her pokeball, only Ash and Brock able to hear her. Reshiram was the only one of his Pokemon to take any sort of liking to human food, except Pikachu's addiction to ketchup. No one else, besides those two, had taken a liking to non Pokemon stuff. With Pikachu it was simple though, giving her a bottle of ketchup worked out nearly every single time. With Reshiram it was a completely different story. 'You know how much I like human food, so can't you get me some?'

"I'll try my best, alright? Ash responded, speaking a bit lower now that there were people around them. Taking a plate, they lined up in order to start filling their plates. There wasn't as much variety as there had been back in their hotel in Evergrande, but still enough to satisfy most people's needs. Deciding that he didn't need that much, Ash kept his choices rather simple, only going with two slices with jam on them and a glass of orange juice. Brock's plate didn't look any different, except he had butter and ham on his slices of toast and went with grapefruit juice instead of orange juice like he did. "What do you think she would like? I'm not sure if she would appreciate toast like we do. Whatever, I'll simply take a handful of it and a glass of strawberry jam as well. Hopefully she won't complain about my choices for her."

"I'm the wrong person to ask that about. None of the Pokemon I have worked with like human food, so I can't help you," Brock said, plate in one hand and the glass in the other hand. "Maybe you should ask her why she likes our food so much, and what makes it better compared to regular Pokemon food."

Sitting down at one of the many empty tables, Ash started shoveling down his breakfast, drinking from his glass sometimes to help him get everything down. Pikachu was nibbling away at a blueberry muffin she had managed to grab, Brock instead eating at a much slower pace than his two companions. "It's going to be great to be back home, isn't it? Even though it's only for a short time, it's still great to be back home."

"It is. I love travelling the world, experiencing and seeing new thing, but coming home is always an experience of its own," Brock replied to Ash's words, only halfway done while Ash and Pikachu were already finished. "How do you plan on carrying around the food with you?"

"I should still have a small plastic bag where I can put everything in," Ash hoped that he had at least one left, else he would need to look for one on the ship. Resting his hands on his stomach, Ash waited patiently for Brock to finish, where as Pikachu had already rolled over and looked rather done for. "What do we do now? We still got too much time to spend before we reach Vermillion."

"How about we simply find a pair of chairs and enjoy this great summer morning?" Brock asked, finishing his breakfast and standing up. Taking Pikachu in one arm, Ash took the slices of toast and the jar of jam in his other arm as Brock took his bag and they tried to make their way back to the deck in order to find some chairs. It didn't take them long to reach the deck, and find some chairs they could use, as many of them were already occupied. Pulling two closer to the railing, Brock laid down and put his bag next to the chair, and Ash's next to the other chair. "This is life."

Putting down Pikachu on the floor, and the slices and jar too, Ash picked up his bag, looking for a small plastic bag to use. Finding one, Ash put the slices and the jar into it, and dropped it back into his bag. Sitting down, and lifting Pikachu up into his lap, Ash couldn't agree more. "This is life."

"Let's hope there's more to do on the next ship," Brock spoke up ,even though simply enjoying the sun wasn't bad per se, there were more interesting ways to spend time on a ship. Stretching a little, Brock looked around, watching the different kinds of people move around. Before he could warn Ash though, a girl already crashed into him. "Ash, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ash muffled voice came out from under the girl, who quickly stood up and dusted herself off. Spotting Ash, the girl didn't hesitate to hold out her for Ash to take. Looking to be younger than Ash, about 15 or 16 if Brock would guess, it was clear that she was a trainer. She had a red bag hanging across her shoulder and six pokeballs were sitting on her belt. The League symbol on her cap spoke for it as well. "Are you alright?"

Helping Ash up, the girl blinked a few times in surprise. Most people wouldn't ask if whoever ran into them was alright. "Yeah, thanks. I'm sorry I ran into you!" Bowing slightly, she backed off a little to get a better look of Ash. Tilting her head, the girl looked like she was thinking about something "Hey, I know you!"

"You do?" Ash wondered, baffled at the small fact. It wasn't like Ash was a world famous trainer, even if he had taken part in his fair share of leagues. Making sure Pikachu was alright, Ash returned his attention to the girl. "That's the first time I've gotten any sort of recognition. So, what's your name? My name's Ash Ketchum by the way."

"I'm Hilda!" The girl, now Hilda, responded happily, shaking Ash's hand. She reminded Brock heavily of Ash a few years ago, looking like she was ready to take on the world. Which Ash still did. Taking out her phone, Hilda opened it. As she looked at her phone, her eyes grew big at whatever she saw. "Would you know where the gym is here?"

Nodding, Ash pointed behind Hilda. "If you take that street and then take the second right, you should have no problem finding the gym. You shouldn't be able to miss it," Ash explained, Hilda nodding as listened to the information she was given. She already had six pokeballs on her belt, so she was at least somewhat experienced by the looks of it. "The gym doesn't close until this evening, which means there's no need to hurry. How many badges have you gotten so far?"

"This will be my first badge once I get it. I got here a bit late after the Vertress Conference, and I want to have my eight badges rather sooner than later so I have enough time to train for the conference," Hilda told them, now smiling at them. Her pose was a clear sign of confidence, and the amount of pokeballs should have been a giveaway too. "I battled a few trainers on the ship from Unova, but could you maybe tell me something about the gym?"

Laughing loudly, Hilda carried a baffled expression. Turning to Brock, who only shook his head, Hilda turned back to Ash. "Lt. Surge is one of the more interesting gym leaders I've met, I suppose. You'll see what I mean when you meet him. I guess a good start is that he's an electric type user, and very strong and experienced one at that. He's good," Ash informed, there being no way Brock was disagreeing. In Kanto, only Sabrina, Gary and Blaine could match him. Gary would have an easier time if he wasn't split between bing a professor and a gym leader. "Lt. Surge also likes to have his goal be to beat whoever he faces into a pulp. But, seeing how you have already taken on the Vertress Conference you should have no problem here. How high did you place in the Vertress Conference?"

"I finished in the top 4," Hilda replied, a proud grin on her lips. "Thanks for the information, but I getter go now. I plan on getting to Saffron as soon as possible. Thanks for the help!"

Before either of them could say anything she was already gone. "She reminds me of you a few back you know," Brock spoke up, Ash chuckled next to him. He could remember a time where he had been like that too. But with time came maturity for him, and growth as a trainer. "She reminded me way too much of you when we were travelling back then."

"Well, I was different back then. So, are you ready to fly?" Ash took one of his pokeballs from his belt and enlarged it. Walking where there were less people, Ash threw the pokeball in the air, releasing the Pokemon inside. Being released from the pokeball, Pidgeot let out a soft cry as she stretched her wings and looked at her trainer. Knowing what he wanted Pidgeot lowered herself so her trainer and Brock could get on her. "Let's go, Pidgeot! To Pewter City!"

Unable to say anything, Brock had to hold tight onto Ash to make sure he didn't fall to his death as Pidgeot quickly ascended higher and higher. It wasn't often that he was flying on a Pokemon, preferring to have his feet on solid ground. Before long though, Pewter City came into sight, Ash giving Pidgeot a slight pat so she would know that she had to descend in order to land. "I don't remember her being this fast!" Brock shouted, Pidgeot slowing down enough so their voices could be heard over the wind. Landing a bit outside Pewter City, Ash recalled Pidgeot for the moment as they started heading for the city. "Thankfully we will only have to fly two more times, from there we only need to take a ship to reach our destination."

"Well, I enjoyed the ride. Everyone has their own preferences I guess," Ash said, stretching a little as well as they walked towards Pewter City. In Brock's case, no one except Forrest would be home, someone having to take care of the gym while the rest of the family went on their own vacation. "Is there any need for us to stay here any longer than necessary?"

Shaking his head, Brock knew that their wasn't much to be said between him and Forrest. Soon they could see they gym, still looking the same as it had done when Ash had first gotten to Pewter City. "Forrest will have to tell the rest of my family about my change of plans. He'll be happy that he gets to have the gym for himself for another week or so though," When he had been younger his mother had sometimes taken of all his siblings with her, while he had to take care of the gym alone. It was more work than usual, and could get somewhat only, but for shorter periods of time it was nothing to fret about. "He should be happy about the short visit though he will get. I still have to figure what I need to bring along and how much I would need for a longer stay in Alto Mare. It's a longer stay, right?"

"I planned on making it a longer stay, a few days at least. I'm not sure if a week would be too long. We'll get to that eventually. I wonder if Gary is back home, or if he's out there somewhere doing some research. Still haven't figured out so he stays in form as a trainer and gets all of his research done," Ash spoke, walking in behind Brock into the Pewter City gym. He had only been here twice, and that was during his first visit and during the Battle Frontier and the incident with Team Rocket. "Hey Forrest, are you here?!"

A few mumbled calls could heard, and soon Forrest appeared from deeper inside the gym. It took a while before Forrest actually registered who was standing in the gym. Running up to them, Forrest seemed to be happy to see them again. "I've been waiting for you after seeing the end of the Conference! Sorry for your loss though, Ash. I thought you had it and the trophy in the bag," Finally standing in front of them, having to walk across the entire gym to reach them, Forrest took their bags and lead them to the actual house where they lived. It was a rather spacious house, directly connected to gym through a single door. "So, what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to make a quick stop and pack some things. We're going on another trip," Brock answered, already inside his room, removing the old things out of his bag and putting in new clothes. Everything else he needed was already in the bag, his pokeballs were secure on his belt. "Which means you got the gym for yourself for another week."

"Where are you going?" Forrest asked interested, standing next to Ash as he waited for his older brother to finish packing his bag. They didn't need to wait long for Brock to appear out of his room, his newly packed bag over his shoulder. "You're not going to go to another region, or are you? You've been everywhere, so I don't see why you would."

"You're right,. We planned on going to Alto Mare," Ash told Forrest, who gaped at the information. Most people knew about Alto Mare. Walking back into the gym, Ash gave Forrest a strong handshake, while Brock hugged his younger brother. "We'll be back by the end of next week, alright? Make sure to keep everything running in Brock's absence!"

And with that they back outside of the Pewter City gym. "Can't we walk to Pallet Town?" Brock wondered, Ash only grinning at the words from his friend. Sure they could walk, but flying would most likely save them a few hours. Having some fun with Brock was also one of the reasons he wanted to fly. "It's not that long of a walk, only a few hours there."

Not listening to Brock's pleading, Ash released Pidgeot once again and climbed onto her back, Brock hesitantly doing the same. "To Pallet Town, Pidgeot," Ash spoke softly to his Pokemon, the bird slowly starting to ascend, but far slower this time. With Pallet Town being so close, there was no need to go at a high speed, and they could take it slow. Only a few minutes later the Oak Laboratory could be seen rising over Pallet Town, and Ash pushed his foot lightly into Pidgeot's side, signaling her to descend. Soon, Ash's house could be seen below them, Pidgeot carefully approaching it before she landed right in front of it. Petting Pidgeot a little, Ash recalled her and knocked on the door. "It's great to be back home."

From inside the house, steps could be heard as whoever was inside was hurrying down the stairs to open the door. "Ash!" His mother happily exclaimed, pulling her son into a bear hug, Brock watching everything unfold amusedly. It had been around a year since she had last seen him, so she had no plans of letting him go anytime soon. Ash tried to loosen his mother's grip on him, but her arms didn't dodge. "I'm so happy you're back!"

"Mom, can't breath," Ash managed to get out, his mother immediately letting go of him. Now that he could breath normally again, Ash, this time, initiated the hug, having no plans on suffocating his mother though. As he was hugging his mother, a delicious smell reached his nose. One he knew far too well. Looking over his mother's shoulder, Ash caught a glance of the table, everything already prepared to eat. "Did you cook for us, mom?"

A wry smile graced her lips at his words. "What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't when my son would be back home?" His mother asked, letting them inside the house as she closed the door behind them. Walking back into the kitchen to continue her cooking, Ash and Brock took off their shoes and put their bags on the ground. Entering the dining room, the first thing both of them noticed was that there were four plates. We rarely had guests over, and I didn't expect it to be the Professor, Gary or Tracey. "We're having an old friend of mine over!"

An old friend of his mom? She had never told him of any of her friends. "I never thought trying to reach someone could be this infuriating," Standing before them was an older version of Ash, having sharper features coming with the older age, wearing a red and white jacket with a black shirt and jeans, a red and white cap and a Pikachu sitting on his right shoulder. "If I had known you would return to Pallet Town I wouldn't have needed to follow you all the way from Evergrande back here. And I'm still not sure how you managed to elude me on the ship to Vermillion. Thankfully it became obvious that you would return here."

Ash had never thought there was a possibility of having someone who looked nearly like a copy of you. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you," Ash said, Pikachu jumping down from his shoulder and carefully approaching the other Pikachu. "Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"He's the former Champion!" His mother's voice could be heard from the kitchen. The former Champion only shook his head, wearing a weak smile. Appearing out of the kitchen, Ash's mother was carrying multiple bows with different types of food, placing them on the table and gesturing for them to sit. As usual the food looked delicious, something that was common every time his mother cooked. "I've known him since I was a child, and watched him depart on his journey. I was surprised to see him standing on my doorstep only an hour before you came back. Tell him why you're here, Red."

"Red?" That was a name every trainer in the world knew. Possibly the most famed trainer of all time, and still considered the strongest trainer in existence. He was known to have been the Kanto Champion before Lance took the position and supposedly the one to have taken down the old iteration of Team Rocket, until Giovanni rebuilt it into what it was now. "You're the Red? The Red who is only known as a legend among trainers?"

"A legend? Boy, I'm not more of a trainer than you are. The rumors about my strength are not believable, even if I like to think I'm still able to beat Lance," Red replied, Ash staring at him with big eyes. Even Brock's eyes had opened in surprise at the fact that they in the presence of a legend. "You though deserve more credit than you get. After all, you're a hero on a far bigger scale than I am. I've rarely left Kanto or Johto, while you have been all over the world. You have also met more Legendaries than I could ever dream of. And, without you I'm not sure anyone of us would be standing here."

Scratching his head in embarrassment at the praise, Ash couldn't help but smile. "Well, maybe. How did you know who I am though?" It wasn't like everyone knew who he was, unless you actively tried to find out. He had probably enough connections to find out if he wanted to. "And how did you know of me saving the world?"

"Champions aren't only trainers but also safe keepers, I suppose you can call them, of their region. I have heard more praise than I can remember from Lance, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia and Alder about you. And, being Arceus' Chosen One counts for a lot as well," Red explained. His encounters with Mewtwo had been interesting to say the least, hearing from the antisocial Pokemon of his encounters with the Chosen One. "I watched you during the conference together with Steven. You absolutely ran through the competition. Then you lost against a Latias when you should have won without any major problems. I won't ask you why, but what I am interested in is what are you going to do with your career."

"Once I'm done with my vacation I plan on challenging Lance for the title of Champion," Ash replied to Red's question, a look of surprise appearing on Red's face. He was set on beating the Elite Four and Lance to become the Kanto and Johto Champion. Then there was also the question of what he should do with the Mega Bracelet and the Latiasite. That was something he could solve while he was in Alto Mare. "Maybe taking you on is something I should consider doing if I manage to beat Lance."

Red couldn't help but laugh at Ash's words. "Don't get ahead of yourself. There's a reason why people refer to me as a legend. Enough talking, let's eat! Your mother didn't prepare a feast for us just for it to go to waste."

"Alto Mare you say? I've never been there, but from what I have heard from you it's a place worth to visit," Red said, standing outside the Ketchum house as Ash and Brock were about to leave for Vermillion to catch a ship to Alto Mare. Already having said her goodbyes, and making sure to keep it short, his mother was already standing back at the door, watching them talk. "Whatever you plan on accomplishing there, good luck. And once you get back and should you become the Champion, I'll be waiting for a challenge from you."

"You will get one if I make it. It was nice meeting you though, so I hope we see each other again," Ash replied, Pikachu sitting on the ground next to him, looking up at her trainer. Crouching, Ash held out his arm for Pikachu to climb on, taking her usual spot on his shoulder. "Pikachu here will make sure I make it though. And she wants to take on your Pikachu. I'll be back, and see all of you soon. And you don't need to worry about me mom, I got three caretakers with me!"

With that, the two friends once again left Pallet Town, walking back north in the direction of Viridian City. Walking for a few minutes in silence, they soon branched away from the main road and into the forest, until they reached a rather big clearing. Grabbing the pokeball around his neck, Ash removed it from the chain holding it, staring at the pokeball. "Do you want me to leave for this?" Brock asked, Ash only shaking his head as an answer. Reshiram never had anything against him, actually liking his cooking quite a bit, but with Ash around all of her attention would be on him. Reshiram was probably the only Pokemon besides Pikachu to have formed a ridiculous close bond with Ash, through a different connection than between Pikachu and Ash though. Where as Pikachu and Ash's bond had grown over the years, the bond between Ash and Reshiram had been there from the start, mostly because of their connection to each other. "I'll just give you two some space, alright?"

Enlarging the ball, Ash gave it one last look before he threw it in the air. Materializing in the air, a loud thud echoed across the across the clearing as Reshiram hit the ground. Holding the ball in his hand again, Ash approached the big dragon until he stood right in front of her. 'Little one~, is everything alright?' Of course that would be the first thing she would ask, carefully nuzzling Ash's face, showing her affection for him. Petting her snout, Ash smiled at Reshiram as she kept nuzzling him. Ash still couldn't fully comprehend his connection to Reshiram, only knowing that they were connected since he was born. They were connected far beyond a physical level. 'Did you bring what I asked of you~?

Putting down his bag, Ash opened it and looked until he found what he wanted. Showing her the slices of toast and the jar with jam,Ash sat down and put his bag on his lap, the slices atop of it. Opening the jar, Ash carefully poured jam over one of the slices and held it out for Reshiram to eat. "I would never forget something like that," Waiting for Reshiram to lean down, Ash felt a tug on his hoodie, having decided to change from his Sinnoh clothes he had decided to wear during his second Hoenn trip back to the clothes he had gotten for his Unova journey. Pikachu was looking at him with big eyes, her message coming across very clear. "Do you want a slice too? Here, I'll make you one."

"Pikapi, pichu pika," Pikachu said, still looking at her trainer with big eyes. It had started out with her not getting along with Reshiram, at all. Eventually they had both accepted that they were rather affectionate with Ash and wanted his attention. "Pi, kachu."

"You know I would never neglect you, Pikachu. Here's a slice of toast with jam for you too," Ash said, handing Pikachu a slice. Laying down, Ash put his bag next to him and watched as Brock sat down next to him. Glancing at his watch, Ash tried to guess how long they would need to get from Vermillion to Alto Mare and arrive at a reasonable time. He would prefer to not get there too late. "Hey Brock, do you have any idea which ship we would need to take to get to Alto Mare before it's night?

"Well, it's early afternoon, so we should probably not stay too long here. And I'm sure May would prefer to not wait longer than necessary for us," Brock responded, standing up again. Getting to Vermillion would be no problem with Pidgeot, considering how fast she could fly if she wanted. "I'm ready to leave, but I'm not sure your 'mother' would like to return just yet."

'I'm not his mother!' Reshiram exclaimed angrily, her attitude changing the moment Ash gave her some attention again. Nudging the pokeball in his hand, Reshiram accepted the fact she would have to return. She had never been in Alto Mare, but from what she had heard the garden should be big enough for her to stay, and no one would find her there. Seeing that her hero wasn't getting the message, Reshiram tried again. 'You can return me if you want to go now.'

"If you're okay with it, let's go. Come on out, Pidgeot!" Enlarging Pidgeot's pokeball, Ash released his flying-type, returning Reshiram at the same time. Giving her another pat, Ash climbed on her, waiting for Brock to do the same. This time it didn't take particularly long for Brock to join him, seemingly having accepted his fate. "To Vermillion!"

'You should be more careful, little one~!' Reshiram shouted, Ash ignoring her completely as Pidgeot took off. Reshiram knew how exhilarating flying could be, which didn't mean you should be reckless. She had tried to explain that to her trainer and hero, but he never listened to her when tried to explain it to him. She could feel his excitement through their bond, an excitement she was all to familiar with. 'Can't you slow down?'

"Why should I do that?! We're already there!" Ash replied, pointing at Vermillion appearing below them. Signaling Pidgeot to descend, the bird soon slowed down as she landed on the empty square. It looked like everyone was eating, leaving the city rather quiet. Recalling Pidgeot for the third time that day, Ash stretched again before something caught his attention at the corner of his sight. "Isn't that May over there? Hey May, over here!"

Having arrived over an hour ago, May had already spent her time well by getting something to eat before they would board the ship. Just she had expected Ash and Brock to arrive earlier, which lead to her having to explore the city in order to keep boredom away from her. Running over to meet her friends, May stopped, putting her hands on her hips as she tried to glare at them and look angry. She had all the reasons to be angry at them. "What took you so long? I got here over an hour ago and you were nowhere to be seen!" Sighing in defeat, May stopped glaring at them. Opening her bag, May pulled out the three tickets she had bought while waiting for them, making sure they would arrive at a decent time. "Whatever. I got us our tickets while I waited for you to get here. We're scheduled to arrive in Alto Mare at around eight in the evening. That will give us some time to explore and to find a place to stay."

"Is that our ship?" Brock asked, pointing at one the many ships docked in Vermillion City. It was of a similar build to the ship that took them from Slateport to Vermillion, being bigger and made for longer trips. It looked big enough to house a battlefield, compared to the last one. Which meant they had a way of getting time to pass. Reading the ship name on the ticket, Brock spotted the name on the ship as well. "It is. Come, let's board it."

"I hope you guys are ready too battle a lot. Because I am," Ash said, walking ahead as they headed for the ship that would take them to their destination. "Alto Mare, here we come!"

Following their friend, and the one who had always been their leader in a way, onto the ship, they marveled at how modern it looked. Where as the ship Ash and Brock had taken had been great, this one was full of luxury, and modern to boot. Flashing their tickets, the guards gave them a nod, allowing them to pass. "Did he say something about battling?" Trying to keep up with Ash, May soon saw a sign reading battlefield. "That's where he got the idea from. I'm up for a battle or two. What about you, Brock?"

"I'm not a battler anymore May. Keeping in form doesn't hurt though," Having stopped for only a few seconds, Brock blinked as he noticed that Ash had gone missing. Couldn't leave his friend out of sight for more than a second. Thankfully figuring out where he went wasn't hard, the battlefield being easy enough to find. Now knowing where Ash went, Brock and May could walk leisurely to the battlefield. "I'm sure he wants to let off some steam after the conference after Evergrande. Let's hope no one's there. I pity if Ash finds anyone."

A big sign hang above the doorway, a double door leading to the battlefield. Opening the doors, Brock and May found Ash sitting on one side of the battlefield. "Looks like he didn't find someone to challenge. Who of us should be his punching bag? You or me?"

"I'll start, but you will also take him on, alright?" Brock suggested, May only smiling. "I hope I won't regret doing this. Last time he hadn't to let off any steam. I will regret this."

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the city of Alto Mare. Please keep your distance from the ramp until we have docked. We hope to see you again and wish you a pleasant evening in Alto Mare." The announcement was blared through the speaker system through the speaker, everyone standing at the ramp, waiting for their chance to leave the ship. Soon, the ramp was down and people were streaming down the ramp and into Alto Mare. The city was lit up by the different lights decorating the city, giving it a unique feeling.

"How I have missed this city." Ash spoke, Pikachu shitting on his shoulder as she took in everything she could. Walking up the stairs, they were now on one of the main streets it seemed like. Just standing there and taking in everything was enough for them, being completely different from the bigger cities on the mainland of Johto and the other regions.

"Now we need to find a place to stay. Does anyone of you where the Pokemon Center is?" May wondered, looking at her two friends for an answer. Brock nodded, but Ash had seemingly spaced out and wasn't responding to her question. "Earth to Ash, are you there?"

"Why would we need to go to the Pokemon Center? I know of much a better place," Ash said, Brock perking up at the words. How could he have not thought about that? Now the only question was where they needed to go to find their temporary home for their stay in the city. It had been too long since they had been here, and he wasn't even sure if they ever were at Bianca's place. "Hey Pikachu, do you think you could find Bianca's home?"

"Pikachu, kachu pi!" With that Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder and dashed off into the city, forcing the three friends to run after her to not not lose her. Making sure that they could keep up with her, Pikachu kept running through the city, trying to remember where exactly Bianca lived. She still knew the garden was in the center of the city, and somewhat remembered that there had been mentions of where Bianca and Lorenzo lived. Soon she reached the inner parts of the city, the garden only being a few corners away. Which meant their temporary residence wasn't far away. It didn't take her long for her to find it.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash called to his started, catching her in his arms and giving her a tight hug. Seeing that they were standing in front of a door, Ash hoped that Pikachu had lead them to the right place. Walking up a small set of stairs, Ash knocked on the door, taking a step backwards to make sure the door didn't hit him. He could hear the movement inside, believing hearing Lorenzo speak and hearing someone move towards the door. Ash couldn't stop himself from smiling as it opened, recognizing who stood in the doorway. "Bianca!"

"Brock? Ash?" Bianca asked, not believing what she was seeing. She and Latias had talked about Ash returning multiple times, never thinking it actually was a possibility though. It had over nine years since last time they been here. Clearing her thoughts, Bianca quickly stepped aside to let them inside, noticing someone she didn't recognize. Calling for her grandfather, Bianca waited for him to appear. "Look who's here, grandfather!"

"What brings you here?" Lorenzo questioned, a smile on his face as he approached them, shaking their hands. He was as surprised as his granddaughter to see them again, in his house of all places. Gesturing for them to follow him into the kitchen, he sat down as Bianca got three plates and some forks and knives for them. Dinner had been a bit with Bianca spending her day with Latias again. "Come, sit down. We were just about to eat, and there's more than enough for all of us."

Sitting down, they all watched as Bianca brought over two bowls full of food, a wonderful looking stew and potatoes. "We're very grateful for your hospitality. We thought if we're here we could ask if we could stay here for our vacation instead of in a Pokemon Center," Brock spoke, filling his plate with potatoes and stew. The smell was delicious. Waiting for everyone to fill their plates before continued to speak, Brock looked at Bianca. "I'm sure someone will be happy if we stay here."

"Of course, you're more than welcome to stay with us. Isn't that so, grandfather?" Bianca said to her grandfather, smiling the entire time. Latias would be overjoyed to hear about Ash's return. Maybe she could even surprise her tomorrow. "Come, let's eat and then I'll show you where you can stay."

I actually managed to make this longer than the first chapter, and only because I added more after they boarded the ferry. Red and Hilda will have more appearances as the story progresses. I also didn't want to write any battles yet, saving those for later too. Next chapter, finally, will be the start of the Altoshipping parts. There will be an actual conflict as well. Still looking for a beta reader. Leave a review if you liked this chapter, and I'll see you next time!