"It is time to awaken, My Vanguard." Blaster Blade said. Aichi slowly opened his eyes, he was in Professor Sycamore's Laboratory on a hospital bed.
He sat up on his bed. He looked out the window to see the clear blue sky and green fields of the laboratory. "The nightmare is over." He said to himself. He reached for his forehead and found there was a bandage wrapped around it. There were also some more bandages wrapped around his arms, legs and chest from the vines that restrained him.
He remembered when Lysandre and the giant rock was destroyed, and when Ash returned all of his powers back to him.
"Aichi's disappearing, Blaster Blade. Can you transfer all his powers back now?" Ash asked. Blaster Blade nodded and disappeared. That was when the blue flames of Psyqualia returned back into Aichi's body. Aichi cried in pain, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena held him down so he wouldn't hurt himself thrusting around. Ash seemed to have lost a lot of strength as Aichi's powers left him, he was so weak that he stumbled backwards into Alain's arms.
"Come on, Aichi. You can bare the pain." They said. The necklace chain disappeared and the stone merged together inside Aichi's body. That was when Aichi's cries was the most intense, sweat was dropping from his forehead.
"Come on, Aichi...!" Ash shouted as his side of the transfer was done. His form changed back to normal.
When the process was done, Aichi fell unconscious.
Aichi stood up from the bed, the wounds under the bandages began to sting a little, but it was nothing too much to handle. He looked like how he originally looks before receiving Cray's power.
Aichi began to walk around looking for people. Then he noticed that there wasn't anything around his neck and looked around more frantically. "Blaster Blade, what happened to the pendent?" Aichi asked, a little panicked.
"My Vanguard, I merged it inside you so that no one will be able use it other than yourself and because I never want you to be that reckless ever again." Blaster Blade answered.
"I wasn't being reckless, Blaster Blade. I was just making decisions and taking action on the spot." Aichi answered as he calmed down. "I wonder where everyone is though." He continued looking around.
"Professor Sycamore?!" Aichi called. "Garchomp?! Charizard?! Mew?! Azelf?!"
Aichi walked outside the laboratory and found that everyone was working on repairs to the city. "They could be at Prism Tower, doing repairs." Aichi thought. He suddenly bumped into a boy. He quickly caught the boy before he could fall on the ground.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. Are you alright?" Aichi asked. The boy looked up and his face suddenly morphed into a wide smile.
"You're…! You're Aichi Sendou! The most outstanding trainer from the Kalos League broadcast!" The boy cheered. People looked at the boy and Aichi.
"That's me. I'm sorry but I need to get to somewhere quickly. Again, I'm really sorry for bumping into you. Bye." Aichi said waving while walking away.
"Hey! Let's have a battle some time! I would really love to battle you!" The boy shouted happily.
"Sure, maybe some other time." Aichi turned his head and waved before turning back around to continue on his way.
Aichi soon reached Prism Tower and walked inside. As he thought Ash, Serena, Bonnie and all his Pokemon were there. "Hey guys." Aichi greeted.
They turned to him, Mew and Azelf flew to him and hugged him.
"Mew~!
"Azelf~!"
"You were worried about me? I should be the one worried. You two are always by my side, I thought something happened to the both of you." Aichi replied with a laugh.
"Hey Aichi, sorry that was our fault. Azelf and Mew were so nervous for you, they kept waiting for you to wake up without doing anything. I thought maybe they could take their minds off of worrying." Meyer apologized.
"It's fine, I hope they didn't cause and trouble for you. They can be a handful sometimes." Aichi answered. Azelf and Mew both puffed their cheeks in a playful anger.
"Don't worry, they haven't caused any trouble at all. Quite the opposite actually, they helped move the scraps using Psychic." Meyer answered. He was fixing the circuits and Manectric and Pikachu were helping provide electricity.
Aichi looked around. "Where is Clemont?" He asked.
"Well, the thing is that…" Ash said sadly. Aichi was able to read what happened just from seeing everyone's emotion.
"So Clembot was destroyed?" Aichi asked sadly. "It must be hard to lose something so precious to him." Everyone looked away worried for Clemont.
Then Aichi's face lightened up. "I think Clemont would be just fine. He isn't the kind of person that will let this get to him. He just need some time." He paused. "Is there anything I can do to help with anything?"
"Actually we are just about done." Meyer answered getting up from his spot. "Thank you Pikachu, Manectric."
"Pikachu~!"
"Manectric~!"
"You shouldn't be moving around too much anyways, Aichi. You need to focus on recovering." Serena pointed out.
"I'm just fine. There is nothing to be worried about, it's just a scratch." Aichi answered with a smile. He heard something and looked up, he saw that a piece of roof was unstable and was about to fall on Manectric and Pikachu.
"Watch out!" Aichi shouted. He quickly ran to Pikachu and Manectric and shielded them from the roof piece.
"Aichi!" Mew and Azelf lifted the roof piece off of Aichi, Manectric and Pikachu with Psychic and surrounded him worriedly.
"I'm all good. Are you two alright?" Aichi asked. Pikachu and Manectric nodded.
"Are you alright, Aichi?" Ash asked.
"I'm just fine. If the entire roof fell we would be in trouble." Aichi answered.
"Looks like there is another thing to repair just when we finished something." Meyer commented. Aichi stood up on his feet, Mew and Azelf sat on his shoulders. Manectric jumped into his arms and all his other Pokemon went to his side.
"All of you have been working so hard. I think all of you should take a rest." Aichi suggested. Clemont walked into the room. They gathered together around Clemont.
"Hey, Clemont. How's… Clembot?" Ash asked passively.
"I was able to fix the physical structure, but I'm afraid all the data is lost." Clemont answered.
"Aww… That's too bad." Bonnie said.
"I'm sorry, Clemont. Maybe if I had told all of you the truth, Clembot wouldn't have been destroyed." Aichi apologized.
"There is no reason to be thinking about the past now. I don't think blaming yourself will bring Clembot back to us." Clemont responded.
"Right, then we will think of the future then." Aichi agreed with a smile.
Then a boy walked into the battlefield. "Hello! Excuse me!" The boy said. "I came to challenge the Lumiose Gym."
He looked around and gasped. "It's you! You're-you're Ash! Kalos League finals was the most amazing battle ever!" He shouted.
"You saw it, huh?" Ash responded.
"You were so cool, I got so into it! That is why I want to battle in the Kalos League too!" The boy cheered.
Aichi recognized the boy as he looked over Meyer's shoulder. "Oh, you're the boy I bumped into earlier." Aichi pointed out stepping forward.
"No way! You were coming here too?!" The boy exclaimed.
"I wasn't expecting you to be challenging the Lumiose Gym. If I knew you were, we could've walked here together." Aichi answered.
"A battle then? My name is Clemont and I am the Lumiose Gym leader." Clemont said.
The boy looked around. "Ummm…" He said.
"Are you looking for someone?" Ash asked.
"No, I'm just wondering… Where's Clembot?" The boy asked.
Clemont explained what happened to Clembot. It was news to Aichi too, since he was unconscious for the vast majority of the fight against Team Flare.
"So Clembot risked everything to disable and destroy the machine..." Aichi said.
The boy seemed to be very upset. "Okay, I see. A while back, I challenged the Lumiose Gym, but Clembot beat me badly. I was so upset! I knew I wanted to battle Clembot again and win that badge! So I've been training really hard ever since!" The boy explained with enthusiasm.
"I understand how you feel! Trainers and Pokemon should work hard together cause they just gotta win!" Ash agreed.
"So what are you going to do?" Bonnie asked.
"Clembot can battle you now, but it's back to its default memories so it won't remember anything from before. Sorry." Clemont answered.
"I don't care. I wanna battle Clembot!" The boy responded. "Can I please?"
"I understand. But the problem is, the battlefield isn't ready yet. So I'm hoping you can come back tomorrow." Clemont answered looking to the side to see the piece of roof on the ground. "In the meantime, I can give Clembot some final tweaks."
"Great!" The boy cheered. They went outside of the Lumiose Tower to say farewell to the boy. "Thank you so much!"
"See you tomorrow!" Clemont said.
"Hey Ash! Professor Sycamore just called. He told me to tell you that Alain is coming back today." Meyer informed from inside.
"Awesome!" Ash cheered. Everyone was excited to see him again, Aichi just stood there with a weak smile trying to match everyone's excitement. Earlier, he returned all his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, so the only ones that noticed were Mew and Azelf.
"Hey, Ash." Aichi said.
"What's up, Aichi?" Ash answered.
"Is something wrong?" Serena added.
"I'll catch up with all of you later. I want to do something first." Aichi answered. There was a moment of silence for a few seconds.
"Alright! Go for it, we'll meet you at Professor Sycamore's Laboratory." Ash responded.
"Do what you have to do and meet us there." Clemont added.
"Thank you." Aichi answered. They left to their separate directions.
"Azelf~?"
"Mew~?"
"I'm just going to look for some boats or flights that will take me to Sinnoh. I'm going to fulfill my promise to Azelf." Aichi answered. He reached the transportation hub in Lumiose City. He saw Professor Sycamore and Alain standing outside on the sidewalk, ready to get in a car.
"Aichi, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to be here." Professor Sycamore said.
"Hello, Professor Sycamore. Thank you for taking care of me. I'm feeling a lot better now." Aichi responded.
Alain wanted to talk, but he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. Aichi looked down onto his bracelet and saw that it was empty. "Your Key Stone…" Aichi muttered while looking at the empty bracelet.
Alain held it. "It wasn't right if I kept it. I gave it to the authorities, I also gave my Charizard's Mega Stone too. I just didn't feel like I deserved to have one that was given to me. I think I should find my own so that I can truly make it mine." He explained.
Aichi smiled and nodded. "I see, you've made up your mind then. I'm glad." He answered.
"Listen… Aichi." Alain said.
"What is it?" Aichi asked.
"It's just… Thank you for trying to guide me to the right path. I know I didn't listen to a word you were saying, even so... I'm really grateful." Alain answered.
"There is nothing you should feel guilty for, Alain. You made it on the right side in the end right?" Aichi responded. Alain was pretty tense. "I shouldn't be keeping you two here. Ash is waiting for you at the Laboratory."
"Alright, safe travels then." Professor Sycamore replied. They both got into the car and left.
When Alain and Professor Sycamore got back, they were surprised by a party that Ash, Maron, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made.
"Hello, Alain. We organized a party for your return." Maron greeted happily.
"Isn't this great?" Professor Sycamore asked. Alain smiled happily. They sat at the table, there was a seat open at the end of the table.
"I think Aichi should be here soon. We should wait for him." Bonnie said.
"We just met up with Aichi, he was at the transportation hub." Professor Sycamore informed. The four stood up from their seats in surprise.
"Aichi was there?!"Ash exclaimed.
"He isn't planning on leaving without saying goodbye, is he?" Bonnie asked sadly.
"He did seem like he had something in mind." Clemont pointed out.
"He wouldn't leave without telling us." Serena denied.
"Let's go look for him just in case." Ash said. They all ran to the door. They opened the doors and Aichi was startled to the door suddenly bursting open.
Aichi saw everyone's worried faces. "Hey guys, what's wrong?" He asked.
"You made us so worried! What were you doing at the transportation hub?!" They asked together.
"I'll tell you when we are sitting at the table. We shouldn't keep Alain, Maron and Professor Sycamore from eating." Aichi responded. They all sat down and began to eat. Aichi released all of his Pokemon so that they can enjoy the food too.
"I was looking for any boats or planes to get me to Sinnoh. I looked around and I found that there wasn't anything that could take me directly to Sinnoh." Aichi explained.
"That's right. Sinnoh is on the other side of the globe from Kalos. To get there you would need to take a boat or plane to one region then another one to another." Professor Sycamore said.
"Which region are you thinking of stopping by?" Clemont asked.
"I was thinking of Kanto, since I remembered that Ash was from there, but the thing is that there isn't anything going from Kanto to Sinnoh on that day that would fit into that time slot." Aichi answered.
"That's not a problem! You can stay at my house with my mom for the night, and then go to Sinnoh. I'm sure my mom would love to meet you before you go back to your own world." Ash suggested.
"Oh, right. Aichi is from a different world. I forgot about that." Alain said.
Aichi nodded. "Once I leave, your memories of me will leave along with me." He replied.
"What are the rest of you planning on doing after this? If you don't mind me asking." Professor Sycamore asked.
"I planning on going back to Kanto to start over again." Ash answered.
"Start over?" Alain asked.
"I want to start a new adventure. It is going to be a new all over again with just me and Pikachu." Ash answered.
"That sounds like something you would do." Professor Sycamore answered.
"It is good to start over again. Everyone needs a reset once in their lives, whether it is because of mistakes or just to have that fresh feeling." Aichi said.
"Aren't you planning on reopening the Lumiose City Gym soon?" Professor Sycamore asked.
"Yea! And the gym already has it's first challenger right?" Bonnie said. Clemont agreed with a nod.
"Chespin~..." Everyone looked down to see Chespin stuffed.
"Chespin! Why did you eat so much?!" Clemont cried. Everyone laughed.
Soon the party was over and Alain was meeting with his Pokemon friends again. Aichi and Ash walked out to see Alain happy to see his old friends.
"You have really strong bonds with them." Aichi said.
"It's been awhile since you've seen them, they must've missed you." Ash added.
"Yea." Alain responded as he held Garchomp's claw.
"So what about you? What are your plans?" Ash asked.
"I'm not really sure. I helped Lysandre and because of me, I almost destroyed the world." Alain answered.
"I wouldn't blame you for everything that happened, Alain. I also take part of the blame too, if you really think about it. Like if I had beaten you in that decisive battle and also… If I stopped them from getting so far with their plan the first time we met or even if I've saved Zygarde when I had the chance…" Aichi said.
"But I was the one who collected all of that Mega Evolution energy…" Alain responded. "I caused a lot of trouble to people and Pokemon and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to make up for it. I've made too many mistakes to count."
"I don't know about that, but all I know is that; battling you was a blast. I got so pumped up and excited about the finals and I'm sure my Pokemon and Aichi's felt the same way." Ash said.
"That's right. Even though there was a lot on the line, I felt like I was enjoying myself in a strange way." Aichi agreed.
"Thank you, Ash. Aichi." Alain responded. Suddenly, they heard a blast and Pikachu's cries.
"What was that?!" Ash exclaimed. They ran out to see Team Rocket with their hot air balloon, flying away with Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
"Release Pikachu now!" Aichi demanded.
An arm moved towards Aichi. "Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain ordered. Alain's Charizard destroyed the arm before it can reach Aichi.
"Thank you, Alain." Aichi thanked.
"We don't have many arms, twerp!" Jessie shouted.
"Aichi, you should stand back and let us handle it. You're still injured." Clemont suggested.
"But I can't leave you guys." Aichi responded.
"It's Team Rocket, we'll be just fine on our own." Clemont assured. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Hey, twerps! We are are still here and we can hear you!" Jessie shouted.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you guys." Aichi answered.
Professor Sycamore opened the door. "Come in, I'll change your bandages." He saw that there was some blood starting to show. Aichi followed inside to the infirmary, he sat on the bed he was sleeping on before.
"Thank you, Professor Sycamore." Aichi thanked as Sycamore undid the bandage around Aichi's arm. There were a deep thorn mark drenched in his forearms and legs where the pointy end of the branch sank into his skin.
"Aichi, you should take care of yourself better. In your own world as well." Professor Sycamore said.
"I know." Aichi answered.
"I hope there is someone that cares for you like me and Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie." Professor Sycamore said.
"There is. I have a lot of friends in my own world that keeps telling me not to push myself too hard." Aichi answered.
"That is good then, you should keep their advice in mind." Professor Sycamore said, he turned and reached out for a spray bottle. "As much as you want your friends to not get involved, remember that you are just one man and you need help from others."
"I'll remember that." Aichi responded.
"This may sting." Professor Sycamore warned. Aichi nodded. He sprayed the contents inside the bottle onto the wound making Aichi winced.
"Professor, I want you to keep all my Pokemon, Mega Stones and Key Stone safe with you." Aichi requested.
"Are you sure? If you ever come back you won't have them with you." Professor Sycamore warned.
"They won't have any memories of me too. But it wouldn't make much sense if they just stayed in their Pokeballs with me. You see, after I go back this time, I'm not planning on coming back ever again." Aichi answered.
"I understand, but did you discuss with with your Pokemon first?" Professor Sycamore asked.
"No, not yet. But it doesn't matter much anyways. I've learned my lesson traveling through worlds, two too many times. I brought all my Pokemon out of their normal lives, then to suddenly keep them with me, for an eternity without being able to run around and live freely. It just doesn't feel right." Aichi explained.
"Maybe you should release them back into the wild." Professor Sycamore suggested.
"I'm worried that they would get into trouble. I mean after being with them for so long…" Aichi responded.
"You'll miss them… You say that you will never come back again, but you aren't prepared to let go of them yet." Professor Sycamore guessed.
Professor Sycamore began to remove the bandage around his head. Professor Sycamore felt around Aichi's head to check if there was anything wrong and also looked for anything out of normal. "Looks like the bruise that was here, healed already. You'll be just fine, Aichi." Professor Sycamore informed.
"Thank you, Professor Sycamore." Aichi thanked as he stood up from the bed. Ash and the others walked into the infirmary.
"Is Pikachu alright?" Aichi asked.
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder from behind. "Pikachu~"
"That's a relief." Aichi said with a gasp of relief.
"We're just about to go to Clemont and Bonnie's house to eat dinner." Ash informed.
"Professor Sycamore just finished treating me, so I'm ready to go." Aichi responded. "Thank you again, Professor Sycamore."
"Take care, everyone." Professor Sycamore said as they walked out the front door.
They began walking to Clemont and Bonnie's house. "Aichi, how are your injuries?" Serena asked.
"Professor Sycamore said that I'll be just fine." Aichi answered enthusiastically. Everyone was worried. Aichi stopped walking and fell behind. Everyone else turned back.
"Guys, I want to tell you that I'm really happy I was able to go on this journey with you. I'm probably not going to come back after I return back to my own world. Since I came to this world, I was able to have all of these amazing experiences that I otherwise would've never experience." Aichi explained. He brushed Mew who was in his arms taking a nap.
"So thank you, all of you, but the time to go on our different paths is almost here." Aichi added. "With the power, I've obtained. I promise you, I will never let anything threaten your world this much ever again. I vow that I will watch and protect the seals of the evil in my world."
Everyone can tell that Aichi was dead serious about what he was saying. "You know, we may not remember you. But if you ever need help, you can always ask any of us." Ash assured.
Aichi smiled. "You guys will be the first ones I'll ask if I ever have to come back here again." He responded.
"Is that a promise?" Bonnie asked. She held held her pinky finger out.
Aichi nodded. "Yes, a promise then." He answered. He completely the pinky swear and Serena, Clemont and Ash joined.
"Come on, let's hurry already. We need to prepare dinner." Serena said. They walked together to Clemont and Bonnie's house.
That night, Aichi was going to use his Psyqualia to contact everyone. He was going to sleep in his sleeping bag inside the living room. He closed his eyes and began to use his Psyqualia.
"Hey guys, I have some good news." Aichi said.
It took them a little while to answer him, making Aichi a little worried. "Guys, are you there?" Aichi asked worried. Then he heard Ren's yawn and was relieved.
"Aichi, do you know how late in the night it is? Or is it morning already?! I don't even know!" Ren whined playfully.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." Aichi answered.
"It's been a while, Sendou." Leon greeted.
"Leon, did I wake you up too?" Aichi asked.
"Not at all, I was just having a card fight with someone that wasn't quite aware of the existence of Psyqualia." Leon answered.
"You said something about good news, Aichi. If you aren't going to tell anyone, then I'm going back to sleep." Ren said already sounding like he was half asleep.
"Oh, right. I wanted to tell you guys that I'll be coming back soon. I just finished everything on this side and for you guys I would be back really soon." Aichi informed.
"Sendou, I felt something a little while ago. It felt like the wind suddenly shifted." Leon said.
"Oh, that. That can wait to be explained. Let's just say, I had to transfer all my powers to someone else, I'll tell you the details when I come back, but I'm safe, trust me." Aichi explained.
"Looks like you've been as busy as ever." Kai said.
"Kai, how's Europe?" Aichi asked.
"It is like a normal day in Japan. There really isn't any difference." Kai answered.
"Kai's so mean!" Ren cried. "Aichi wanted to know how you were doing and you answer with that...?" He muttered.
"It really isn't anything to get worked up about, Ren." Aichi responded.
"That's not fair! You're always siding with Kai…!" Ren cried even more.
"I would appreciate it if all of you can finish this conversation. Right now, I'm in the middle of my project." Chris informed.
"Oh, sorry Chris. I didn't mean to bother you." Aichi apologized.
"Chris shouldn't you be sleeping like a normal little boy?" Ren asked.
"Don't say that to Chris, Ren…" Aichi said passively.
"Again, I would appreciate it if you end this conversation." Chris repeated impatiently.
"We will. Bye everyone, I'll see you guys soon." Aichi said.
"Bye, Aichi."
Aichi crawled into his sleeping bag and soon drifted to sleep.
The next day, everyone woke up and walked down the stairs. They saw that Aichi was still asleep, he looked like he was really tired.
"Should we wake him up?" Bonnie asked.
"He looks really tired, he's probably still exhausted from what happened." Serena said.
"We'll just go to the gym for the scheduled match and come back to go to Professor Sycamore's Laboratory afterwards." Clemont suggested.
"Aichi has been working so hard since coming back, I think he deserves to get some more rest." Ash said.
"Then it's decided."
Later that day, everyone went to Professor Sycamore's Laboratory as Professor Sycamore's request.
"I'm happy that all of you can make it. You're all here to receive your awards." Professor Sycamore informed.
"Awards?"
"Oh right! The award ceremony was cut short because of everything that happened with Team Flare." Ash remembered.
"Hey! I got an idea. Since we all fought Team Flare, we should all get awards!" Bonnie suggested.
"That is a great idea, Bonnie." Professor Sycamore praised. Sophie and Cosette both walked in with medals. He first awarded Ash, Alain, Serena, Bonnie and Clemont before moving on to Aichi.
"Professor Sycamore, I really don't deserve this." Aichi said. "I didn't do anything to aid with the fight against Team Flare."
"This is for your achievement to have reached the semifinals of the Kalos League and your valiant efforts to protect Zygarde from falling into Team Flare's hands. It doesn't matter if you didn't do anything in the end, all that matters is that you guided everyone to the right path." Professor Sycamore explained.
"You deserve it, Aichi. For helping me and everyone else." Alain said.
Aichi smiled. He bowed for Professor Sycamore who placed the medal around his neck. "Thank you, I'm honoured." He thanked before lifting his head. He looked at the medal and smiled as he looked at it.
"Oh, right. Alain, what are you going to do from now on?" Ash asked.
"I don't know." Alain answered.
"Actually, Alain. I want you to be my assistant again." Professor Sycamore requested.
"Really?" Alain asked.
"That's great Alain!" Maron cheered.
"Thank you, Professor Sycamore. I'll do my best." Alain thanked.
They took a photo together. Aichi stood at the front smiling, standing with Alain and Ash.
The next day, Lumiose City looked like it was returning back to normal. Aichi was getting his injuries retreated and was late to meet up with Serena, Clemont, Ash and Bonnie at the Central Circle for the Showcase.
Aichi ran through town to get to the location Serena told him. On the way, he ran into Serena's mother. Aichi stopped running. "Oh, you're Serena's mother." He said.
"Hello, are you a friend if Serena's?" Grace asked.
"I forgot, she doesn't remember me." Aichi thought. "Yes, I am one of the friends that Serena travels with." He answered with a smile.
"It is nice to meet you. Actually, I'm looking for Serena right now. Do you know where she is?" She asked.
"Oh, she is performing on a Showcase at the Central Circle. I can take you there now, if you'd like." Aichi answered.
"Thank you!" Grace thanked happily. She saw the band aids on Aichi's arms as they were walking. "Did you get injured from what happened here?"
Aichi looked at the band aid. "Just a little. I am just about healed right now, so I'm fine." He answered. Soon they reached the site of the showcase. Serena and Shauna has already started their performance. Grace watched impressed at what Serena learned on her journey.
"Serena is really amazing. She likes to make people happy and she does a great job doing just that." Aichi commented. Mew appeared on Aichi's shoulder and Azelf followed.
"Hey, where have you two been?" Aichi asked. Mew and Azelf giggled and watched with Aichi. When the finale was about to come, they flew up from Aichi's shoulder and made a combination of Psybeam making purple waves shootout of the center of impact.
"Pretty!"
"Mew and Azelf did that! So cool!"
Everyone was really happy. Grace, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and Aichi walked to the stage to meet with Serena. "That was an amazing performance, Serena." Aichi commented.
"Yea! Serena you were great!" Ash agreed.
"It was so pretty!" Bonnie cheered.
"Thank you everyone." Serena said. She didn't seem to notice her mom in the small crowd behind Aichi.
"Serena, that was an amazing performance." Grace praised.
"Mom! Why are you here?" Serena asked.
"I wanted to see how you were doing." Grace answered. They all returned to Clemont and Bonnie's home. Together Ash, Clemont, Serena and Bonnie began preparing dinner.
"Is there anything I can do to help you guys with?" Aichi asked standing by the entrance to the kitchen. Grace also watched in amazement after seeing how much experience Serena gained from travelling.
"You should work on recovering Aichi. Your wounds will reopen if you don't take it easy." Serena answered.
"I understand, but I want to help somehow." Aichi responded.
"You can keep Chespin busy while we finishing making dinner." Clemont suggested.
Aichi sighed and picked up Chespin. Mew and Azelf laughed together watching at how upset Aichi was after hearing his job was to look after Chespin.
That night, Serena spent the night in a hotel with her mom.
Aichi was sitting in the living room and released all of his Pokemon. He smiled at all of them. "I was really happy to meet all of you and thank you for joining me on this journey. But it is almost time to say our goodbyes." He said.
All of his Pokemon, Mew and Azelf cuddled around him. "I wanted to ask you guys... I really want to know... What are all of you planning on doing once I leave? I don't want to keep you locked inside your Pokeballs because I'm not planning on coming back after returning." He explained.
"Glaceon~"
"Gardevoir~"
"Shiftry~"
"Manectric~"
"Azumarill~"
"You guys can't stay inside your Pokeballs. You have a life to live." Aichi said.
"He is right, we must live our own lives, just as he would. Also, he will be worried if we remain inside our Pokeballs." Charizard said.
"Charizard's right. All of you deserve to be freed. Thank you for being with me this entire time, but we will need to separate to our own paths soon." Aichi agreed. All his Pokemon began crying. Aichi smiled and hugged then. "It's okay. Even if we are worlds away, we will be connected." Aichi petted all of them, Bonnie, Clemont, Serena and Ash were looking from the staircase without Aichi knowing.
The next day, Serena was at the Pokemon Center talking to Palermo to tell her her decision. What she didn't know was that Aichi was listening.
"Serena finally decided a new path to follow. That's good." Aichi thought smiling. "She's really grown just like everyone else." Aichi left the Pokemon Center without telling Serena anything.
"I think I'm ready to return back. Everyone's found their own path."
That day, they said their goodbyes to Grace. She was going back to Vaniville Town.
"Guys…" Aichi said. Everyone turned to him worried.
Then Aichi smiled. "I think I'm ready to leave your world. I was worried about everyone's future, I think that made me weary of my future. But after seeing you guys like this, I know… I'm ready." He explained. "I'll go to Sinnoh to return Azelf back to its lake, and I will return to my world. I have so many new responsibilities, an entire planet filled with life that I need to protect. To be honest, it's a little overwhelming." Aichi seemed happy telling them.
"I'm sure you of all people would be able to handle it." Clemont assured.
"Oh! I'm also going to release all of my Pokemon, they aren't really sure what they want to do once I leave though." Aichi announced. "I'm sure they will know soon."
"That's great. Hey, how about we go on one last adventure together before we separate?" Ash suggested.
"What are you planning?" Serena asked.
"I need to return Goodra to its homeland. Let's go there together." Ash answered.
"That sounds great. Our last adventure." Clemont commented.
"Let's make a lot of last memories." Aichi agreed. Bonnie looked down before nodding in agreement.
"Let's go then!" Ash declared. They all cheered.
They adventure together to Goodra's homeland, it took them half a day. They dropped Goodra with Kennen before saying their goodbyes and leaving to go back to Lumiose for their departure the next day.
Mew and Azelf went on a small errand to deliver the Key Stone Aichi was awarded in the Kalos League to the Nurse Joy that had his fake Key Stone that Takuto conjured up. He realized that once he left the Key Stone would disappear.
Along the way back, Aichi and Ash felt something abnormal. "Did you feel that Ash?" Aichi asked.
"I did, but what is it?" Ash answered.
"It feels like those vines from before." Aichi speculated.
"But Squishy destroyed them!" Bonnie exclaimed.
Aichi heard something in the distance. "There is something coming." He informed looking at the direction the noise was coming from. Soon, a truck emerged from the forest.
"Who's in there?!" Ash shouted. Xerosic emerged from inside the tanker.
"It's Xerosic! Team Flare's scientist. But I defeated him…" Clemont said.
"True, I was defeat in our last meeting, but I've returned and now I'm the leader of the new Team Flare. Team Neo Flare!" Xerosic declared.
"A very unique name." Bonnie laughed.
"You won't be laughing for long!" Xerosic shouted. Aichi was lifted off his feet and brought to a glass tube beside him by a Psychic used by Malamar.
"Aichi!"
The Psychic was released and Aichi began banging on the glass. The top of the glass was covered preventing him from releasing any of his Pokemon while inside the thin tube that can only fit one person.
"Let him go! Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"Malamar, Psycho Cut." Xerosic responded to protect himself. "I'm not only here for him." Malamar began picking up Clemont with Psychic.
"Clemont!"
Xerosic, Clemont and Aichi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Why would you want me?!" Clemont asked. He was being held using Psychic. He turned to Aichi to see that he was still and focusing, Clemont thought that Aichi was probably trying to contact everyone.
"I'm going to make you the first super powered human with my mind controlling machine. I will have you invent and build all kinds of machines for me." Xerosic answered.
Clemont looked to the side to see Aichi sigh and shake his head meaning that he couldn't contact anyone. Xerosic turned to Aichi. "You can't use your strange powers in there, that glass blocks brainwaves. After I'm done with your friend, I will have him invent a machine to extract all of your power and you'll be free to go." Xerosic explained.
"You won't be able to control Clemont. He is too smart and strong to be controlled by you." Aichi responded confidently, he saw Clemont attaching a machine on his glasses while Xerosic's attention was on him.
"We'll see about that. I will use my machine to control him right in front of your eyes." Xerosic declared. "Let's begin." He turned on his machine and a red beam shot at Clemont. He cried in pain, but Aichi knew that the device that Clemont put on would prevent the mind control from taking effect.
"Clemont, are you okay?" Aichi asked acting nervous.
Xerosic smiled as Clemont lifted his head. "I will invent any machine master Xerosic asks of me." He said in a zombie like tone.
Aichi began banging on the glass. "Clemont! Wake up!" He shouted. While hitting the glass, his wounds began to reopen a little causing him to bleed again, it began to sting, but Aichi wanted to help Clemont.
"Don't hurt yourself." Xerosic said smiling. The radar blinked and a dot appeared. "Looks like a cell is found. Watch him and make sure he doesn't escape." He ordered Clemont.
"Yes, Master Xerosic." Clemont answered. Xerosic and Malamar left the vehicle.
Aichi took a breath and looked at his arms. Small patches of his wound reopened. Clemont looked around to check for any security cameras. He saw that there were none. "Are you okay Aichi? Don't worry, there are no cameras." Clemont asked walking closer to him.
"Yea, I'm alright. As long as I can help you with your act." Aichi answered with a smile. "The problem is that I can't communicate with anyone, so we just need to count on Ash to find and save us this time."
"I'm sure Ash will find us and save us." Clemont said.
Aichi felt an aura. "Looks like they found us earlier than I expected. I sense Greninja and Ash out there." He informed. "I think you need to get back to position. Xerosic is returning."
Clemont walked back to his original position before Xerosic returned with Malamar holding a Zygarde cell with its Psychic. Malamar dropped the cell with the other one in the container behind Clemont. Xerosic ran to the wheel and began quickly driving away. If Aichi wasn't in the glass tube, he would've tumbled over from the sudden acceleration.
They flew up in the skies using the rockets at the back. When Xerosic was satisfied with the distance, he put it on autopilot and walked back inside the room Aichi and Clemont were. "Greninja is still close. He must've got on it quick enough. I need to stall until they arrive." Aichi thought.
"What are you planning on doing with those cells?" Aichi asked. "So you captured two cells, there is nothing you can do with them."
"I will extract the energy from these cells." Xerosic answered.
"And what will you do with that energy? Without Lysandre, you don't seem to have a clear goal and you lack a strong decisive leader." Aichi responded.
"Silence!" Xerosic exclaimed.
"Your knowledge can be used for good, you shouldn't be using this knowledge for evil." Aichi said.
"Aichi, you will understand soon enough. Thanks to Master Xerosic, leader of Team Neo Flare, I've been enlightened and you will be soon too." Clemont responded.
"That has such a nice ring!" Xerosic grinned happy with Clemont's comment.
"Clemont…" Aichi muttered. He felt the presence of Ash, Serena, Bonnie and Greninja close by coming closer.
"It seems like some unwanted guests have arrived." Xerosic said looking at the security camera that appeared. They soon reached Clemont and Aichi's room. They were greeted with a laugh from Xerosic.
"Welcome to the unveiling of the enhanced human." Xerosic said.
"Ash, we have a problem." Aichi informed.
"What did you do?" Ash asked.
"Give me back my brother and Squishy's friends right now!" Bonnie demanded.
"Your brother is currently being mind controlled and has become Team Neo Flare's first enhanced human." Xerosic informed.
"Yes, Xerosic sir." Clemont responded.
"Clemont!"
"Unit one, your first job is to capture them all." Xerosic ordered.
"Right, as you wish." Clemont responded. He began to walk zombie like to Ash and the others. Aichi was trying really hard to keep his straight face.
"Clemont…!"
"There is no way Clemont can be that weak!" Ash exclaimed, "he'd never give in to your mind control!"
"Ha ha ha. Thank you for having faith in me, Ash!" Clemont responded.
"What?!" Xerosic exclaimed.
"You know that I'm an inventor. The world is now, thanks to science! Clemontic gear on! After what happened before, I invented this multi electromagnetic wave blocker! I call it, 'Jamming Unit 1'!" Clemont explained picking the device off his glasses.
"While you were talking to Aichi, I took the time to put this on my glasses." Clemont revealed. They began a small battle. After the exchange, Xerosic was arrested. Greninja said his goodbyes, after accepting the offer to help Zygarde exterminate the red vines. And together, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Serena and Aichi hurried to Lumiose City.
~The Next Day~
They woke up early. They had a call with Professor Oak and Ash's mom. Pikachu was hogging the screen.
"Pikachu, we can't see if you stand in front of the camera like that." Professor Sycamore said. Pikachu jumped out of the way showing Aichi, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Ash.
"How are you doing, all of you?" Ash's mom asked.
"We're great. I hope you don't mind if Aichi stays with us for a day. His flight to Sinnoh is tomorrow night." Ash said.
"Hello, my name is Aichi. I've been travelling with Ash for a while." Aichi introduced himself.
"It is nice to meet you, Aichi. Stay as long as you want." Ash's mom replied.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Aichi answered.
"If you would allow me to, I would love to take a look at all of your Pokemon. I heard that they're amazing." Professor Oak asked.
"Okay, I'm sure they would be happy to meet you and all of Ash's other Pokemon." Aichi agreed.
"Mom, there are so many things I want to tell you about." Ash said.
"We can't wait to hear everything." Professor Oak said.
"Ash, just promise me you'll be careful. And the rest of you, please visit Pallet Town very soon! I'll make you a tasty meal." Ash's mom added.
"Alright! Let's get packed. We can't forget anything." Ash said.
Later that day, after saying farewell to Alain, Maron and Professor Sycamore they went to the airport.
"Montias airlines, flight 174 will be finished boarding soon. Ticket holders that haven't boarded yet, please proceed to the gate immediately." The announcer informed.
"I guess, it's time for me to go. Ash, Clemont, Bonnie, Aichi. You've all given me so much." Serena said.
"I guess this is goodbye then, Serena. I was really happy to have met and traveled with you." Aichi responded. He held out his hand for a handshake.
"Thank you, Aichi! You've guided me through my journey. I can't thank you enough." Serena said. She took Aichi's hand and shook it before pulling him in and giving him a hug. Aichi was surprised, but he used one hand to hug her back. They released their hug.
"I hope you find all you need in Hoenn. I wish you the best." Aichi said.
Serena took a step back before turning to Ash. "Ash, thank you. I'm glad that I came with you. You're the kind of person I want to be. Next time we meet, you're going to like the person I've grown into." Serena said.
"Awesome!" Ash answered happily.
"See you!" Serena said, she turned to go down the escalator before she turned back. "Hey, Ash there is just one last thing!"
Ash looked confused. Serena suddenly ran up the escalator and gave Ash a kiss. The escalator broke the kiss, everyone was blushing after seeing that. "Thank you!" Serena shouted.
They paused in shock before shouting 'goodbye'. They watched as Serena's plane flew away. Clemont and Ash decided to have a battle before Aichi and Ash's flight. But they soon said their goodbyes too.
"It was great meeting both of you. This is where our paths separate." Aichi said. Dedenne was in tears and jumped on Aichi. Azelf and Mew were on his flying around him. "I hope all of you continue to be successful. I will do the same."
"Stay well in your world, Aichi." Clemont said.
"Have fun!" Bonnie cheered.
"Thank you." Aichi answered happily. He lifted Dedenne before handing her to Bonnie.
"Montias airlines, flight 192 will be finished boarding soon. Ticket holders that haven't boarded yet, please proceed to the gate immediately."
"This is goodbye then." Ash said. He and Aichi hurried to the gate to board the plane. They sat beside each other on the plane. Azelf and Mew sat on Aichi's lap taking a nap.
"My mom cooks really good food. You'll be really impressed." Ash said.
"I can't wait. I hope she doesn't work too hard because I'm staying." Aichi replied.
"She is happy to cook for any visitor." Ash answered.
"That is really nice. I wish you can eat my mom's cooking. It's really good." Aichi responded.
"Maybe some other time." Ash said. "Aichi, even though you say you aren't going to come back, I believe we'll meet again."
Aichi nodded. "I hope so." He responded. There was a moment of silence. "I need to go to the restroom, do you think you can watch these two while I go?"
"Sure." Ash answered. Aichi gently placed them on his chair before walking to the restroom at the back of the plane. A young trainer around the age of Ash approached him as Aichi left.
"Wow! Is that an Azelf and Mew?" The boy asked.
"Yea, they are." Ash answered.
"That's so cool!" The boy cheered. He picked Mew up gently and analyzed it. "I saw them in the Kalos League opening ceremonies and I was dying to see them in real life."
Aichi soon returned from the restroom. He saw the boy carrying Mew. "Hello, it looks like Mew is comfortable in your arms." Aichi commented happily after seeing Mew in the boy's arms.
"You're Aichi!" The boy exclaimed, he attracted attention of the other passengers, but the other passengers didn't seem mad.
"Yes, I am. Are you going to Kanto to train?" Aichi asked.
"I am! I want more experience from other regions. I wasn't able to collect all my gym badges on time, so I wasn't able to participate in the Kalos League." The boy answered.
"That's too bad. I hope you can participate in the Kanto League." Ash responded.
"We will be arriving to Kanto momentarily. Please sit in your seats and put on your seat belts."
"I better go. Bye." The boy said. He handed Aichi Mew and left to his seat. They soon landed and Ash and Aichi got off the plane. Once they got there, they were greeted by a familiar someone.
"Hey, Ash!" Aichi and Ash turned to the direction of the voice, Aichi never met the boy the was standing there, but Ash knew him. The boy had a Pikachu on his shoulder just like Ash's.
"Ritchie! What are you doing here?" Ash asked. As he walked to him for a fist bump. Ritchie's Pikachu and Ash's Pikachu exchanged sparks as a greeting.
Aichi walked over to Ritchie. "I see you made a new friend. Hello, my name is Ritchie and this is Sparky." He greeted.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Aichi." Azelf and Mew went out of invisibility and flew around Pikachu and Sparky. "Looks like they've made a new friend."
Ritchie turned to Sparky, Pikachu, Azelf and Mew. "Wow! Is that a Azelf and Mew?" Ritchie exclaimed. He petted Mew. "I never seem them before."
"Isn't Aichi amazing? He made friends with both of them and they came with us on our journey." Ash praised.
"It was nothing." Aichi responded.
"Anyways, I'm about to visit Professor Oak. Are you heading back home, Ash?" Ritchie asked.
"We are heading to Pallet Town right now. Aichi is staying at my house for today and tomorrow he is going to catch his flight to Sinnoh." Ash answered. They began walking to Pallet Town.
"You're going to Sinnoh?" Ritchie asked.
"Yea. I need to return Azelf back to its home." Aichi answered.
"That is cool. One day, I hope I'll meet a legendary Pokemon and become friends with it too." Ritchie commented.
"You made friends with Lugia, when we met up in Hoenn." Ash pointed out.
"You made friends with a Lugia? That sounds really cool." Aichi added.
"I haven't seen Silver since. I hope one day I will be able to see Silver again." Ritchie said.
"I assume you named the Lugia, Silver." Aichi guessed.
"Silver was a baby Lugia, it must've grown up big and strong by now." Ritchie confirmed.
Aichi turned to Mew and Azelf. "Do you want a unique name or do you like your names?" Aichi asked. Azelf and Mew shook their heads frantically. "I can't be that terrible of thinking of names."
"Wait! Is that the guy in Kalos that can speak to Pokemon?" Ritchie asked.
"The guy…" Aichi muttered.
"He can talk to Pokemon, there was never any Pokemon that hated him." Ash answered. They soon reached the crossroad of Pallet Town and Pewter City. They turned to the side of Pallet Town.
Aichi turned to the side of Pewter City and saw Brock, but since Aichi only seem Brock once and didn't really speak to him, Aichi didn't recognize him. When Aichi turned back to the Pewter City path, Brock disappeared.
"That person disappeared…" Aichi thought. It was late night, so he guessed that he was just seeing things. Although he didn't see the person, he felt a presence close by. He heard rustling from the forest, but ignored it.
They soon reached Professor Sycamore's Lab. "I'm going to stay here. You should go on ahead." Ritchie said.
"Right. It was nice meeting you." Aichi said. They left to Ash's house.
"Ash, there was someone back there." Aichi informed.
"I'm sure it was nothing." Ash assured.
"If you say so." Aichi responded.
They soon reached Ash's house. Ash took a breath before opening the door. "I'm home!"
When they walked in, the lights were on. "Mom?" Ash asked. They walked inside to the kitchen and saw Ash's mom sitting at the table.
"Hey mom. I'm back and this is Aichi." Ash greeted.
Aichi waved. "Sorry for the intrusion."
"Welcome back, Ash. I'm happy to have you here, Aichi. My name is Delia, Ash's mother." She responded with a smile. Suddenly confetti appeared. Brock and Misty came out of hiding. Brock looked like he ran through a forest and that hinted Aichi.
"Brock! Misty! I didn't know you were here." Ash exclaimed.
"Oh, you were the person that was running through the forest from Pewter City to Pallet Town." Aichi pointed out.
"You saw that?!" Brock exclaimed.
"I felt someone's presence." Aichi responded.
"It is really hard to surprise, Aichi." Ash said with a giggle.
"How about we begin to eat? It must've been a long flight to get here." Delia suggested.
"It wasn't as long as you think, mom. I still have the energy to battle!" Ash responded.
"Mew! Azelf! You should eat with us." Aichi called. Azelf and Mew soon came out of camouflage and joined everyone who ate.
"Ash, I heard that you were runner up for the Kalos League." Delia said.
"Yea, I was. Isn't that cool?!" Ash responded excited.
"Ash is a really strong trainer. He saved Kalos and the world." Aichi added.
"Aichi, that was because of you." Ash replied.
"You weren't half bad either, Aichi. You took almost all of your opponent's Pokemon in the semifinals with four Pokemon." Brock commented.
"Everyone release your Pokemon. They must eat too." Delia ordered. Everyone released their Pokemon from their Pokeballs. They all got along with each other. Aichi looked around the house after eating and saw Ash's achievements on a shelf above the fireplace.
"Pretty amazing right?" Delia asked.
Aichi turned to see her at the entrance to the living room. "Ash really is amazing. He has so much experience." Aichi added.
"What are you planning on doing after going to Sinnoh?" Delia asked.
"I'm going back home after returning Azelf back to its home." Aichi answered. His Pokemon ran into the room. "Hey, what's up?"
"Glaceon~"
"Charizard~"
"Azumarill~"
"Oh, you heard about Professor Oak and you want to stay here? That's great. Do you all want to stay?" Aichi asked.
They nodded. "Okay, if that is your choice. As long as all of you are happy here." Aichi responded. He gave all of them a hug.
Delia smiled watching Aichi, she slowly moved back into the kitchen where Mr. Mime was.
The next day, Aichi visited Professor Oak's laboratory.
"So you are that outstanding trainer I've been hearing about." Professor Oak commented.
"My flight is in a few hours, but can I ask you to take care of all my Pokemon? They decided to stay here at your laboratory after hearing about it." Aichi asked happily.
"I wouldn't mind that. I'll take care of them." Professor Oak answered.
"Thank you." Aichi thanked. He took out all of his Pokemon and released them from his Pokeballs.
"Actually, Aichi. Can I ask you something first?" Ash asked.
"What is it?" Aichi asked.
"One last battle." Ash responded.
"Okay."
~After the battle~
"It was nice to be in a journey with all of you. This is where we part ways." Aichi pet them happily. Then he got up and walked out the door waving at his Pokemon as he left.
"Are you ready to go, Aichi?" Ash asked.
"Yea. All ready." Aichi answered. Together they went to the airport.
"I guess this is it then." Aichi said. "I will miss you, Ash."
"I will too. Good luck in your world, Aichi." Ash said.
Aichi nodded. They locked their arms together and they parted ways.
"Bye Aichi!"
"Bye."
Aichi turned to Azelf and Mew. "Let's get you back home."
At Lake Valor, Aichi returned Azelf back to its lake. "There were a lot of goodbyes today and yesterday. It is time for ours too." Aichi said.
Azelf nodded then flew to Aichi in tears hugging him. Aichi pet its head. Mew soon joined. Soon above the lake, Dialga and Palkia gathered in a spirit form.
"I guess that is my queue then." Aichi said releasing their embrace. "Bye, the both of you."
He raised his hand and light appeared and shot to the center between Dialga and Palkia. Both Dialga and Palkia created the portal. Aichi floated up to the portal and returned to his world. The portal closed.
The true ending… "And to our ways"
Hey guys, this is the official end of the main story of XY&Vanguard. Sadly, I haven't been finishing or even getting close to finishing another big story after this. But, Aichi's birthday is coming up in June and I have an idea for a short special to advance his side of the story.
Hopefully, I will get to finishing other stories, but we'll see what happens in the future.
This was suppose to be an April Fools special and I tried to fool all of you with the last chapter, but it didn't seem to have work. Just so you all know, I update my profile with possible new stories and my progress.
I hope you enjoyed the story and thanks for supporting me the whole way through. I hope this was a worthy sequel, this story means a lot to me, since it was the very first story I started and posted. Let's celebrate with Aichi's return to Cardfight! Vanguard (Episode 26) today! ^^