Ash stood, stretching at the end of his run. He gestured Sceptile forward and the Forest Pokémon smirked.

"Alright, I've got you this time Sceptile".

Sceptile just shook his head, before his fist flashed forwards. Ash slipped to the side, the punch just missing him before he landed two quick jabs to Sceptile's chest. Sceptile swung a leg at Ash's head which Ash ducked under. The momentum caused Sceptile to turn slightly and Ash unleashed another trio of jabs against the Pokémons back. Sceptile growled and leaped away, Ash darting after him.

As Sceptile landed, he spun and brought his arms together into a cross-jab that sent Ash stumbling. Sceptile followed up the momentum with a punch to the stomach that caused Ash to double over and then a knee up into Ash's face. Ash turned his face slightly to protect his nose but the force still catapulted him up into the air. He hit the ground with a grunt, landing on his back as Sceptile advanced.

Ash bared his teeth into a grin before preparing. As Sceptile got into range he rolled his body onto his upper back then onto his hands. Sceptile paused slightly as Ash launched himself forward feet first. He crashed into Sceptile's chest causing the Pokémon to stumble backwards again. Now it was Ash's turn to advance, his fists flashing out as Sceptile looked to fend him off with a tight defence. Ash carefully maneuvered his Pokémon towards a tree, preventing him from retreating further. Sceptile felt his tail touch it first and tried to counter-attack with a leg sweep. Ash read it and hurdled, slamming both fists down against the top of Sceptile's head. A moment later a full roundhouse kick caught a dazed Sceptile in the chest and slammed him against the tree.

Ash halted, a grin on his face that rapidly slid off as Sceptile stepped forward.

"Uh, wait Sceptile…" was all he got out before his Pokémon attacked. Ash was instantly on the defensive, but Sceptile's blood was up and he felt his stance being unpicked by the ferocity and pace of the onslaught. He focused on trying to keep it under control, maintaining his form but one particularly solid blow caused him to stumble and Sceptile pounced. Another leg-sweep and two closed fists to Ash's chest caused him to slam down onto the ground, Sceptile over him with a fist pulled back.

Ash let out a groan and signaled his concession.

"Alright, you win Sceptile," he said. "That's what I get for pushing you."

Sceptile stepped back and bowed to his trainer. Ash slowly climbed to his feet with a snort.

"Yeah, yeah now you show respect. Where was the respect a moment ago..."

Sceptile turned away, moving across the clearing to meet Snorlax who had been watching the bout with a smirk on his face. Watching Ash spar was something that his Pokémon enjoyed doing. They cared deeply for their trainer and it was one of the few times that he looked genuinely happy.

Sceptile beckoned Snorlax forward and a moment later, the two were fighting, Snorlax's bulk in sharp contrast to Sceptile's agility. Ash smiled fondly at his two Pokémon before turning away.

He walked away, feeling around his ribs. Sceptile hadn't broken any but it wasn't by luck. Sceptile knew how hard a hit Ash could take, and would hit at almost exactly that level of strength. Sceptile took great delight in his control.

Ash settled his back against a tree and watched his Pokémon. Sceptile and Snorlax continued to spar. Sceptile's fists were flashes of colour as he tried to find a weakness in Snorlax's defence. Snorlax for his part fought defensively, taking blows safely and using it to counter-attack. As Ash watched, Snorlax let a Leaf Blade deflect against his side, retaliating with a ferocious Ice Punch that sent Sceptile skidding back. The Forrest Pokémon dropped to a crouch, his blades anchoring him before he charged forwards.

Ash filed away what he'd seen to go over with his team that evening, and turned his attention to Charizard, Lairon, and Bayleaf. They were working on focused power and accuracy, Meganium hurling rocks into the sky for Charizard and Lairon to snipe. Lairon's accuracy was excellent, but Charizard often compensated by putting more power into his shots. The blunt tool was effective but lacked the finesse that Ash wanted. He filed that away as well, knowing better than to interrupt.

Ash then turned to his final Pokémon. Espeon was practicing her psychic abilities, moving more than a dozen sticks and small rocks in the air above her. Her concentration was absolute, and occasionally Bayleaf threw an extra rock at her, which got incorporated into the practice. Suddenly on a shout from Bayleaf, Espeon flung the entire collection into the sky and Charizard and Lairon switched their focus to shoot them down. Ash nodded in approval; the speed of adjustment and series of rapid attacks was impressive.

This was what his life was now, nearly six months after they arrived in Viridian Forest. They had managed through a relatively mild winter without too much effort. Ash had continued to train his Pokémon throughout, often working with them, as he had since he had left home. He'd spar with them when he got the chance to help him stay fit. He still insisted on an intense fitness regime, although his Pokémon were outstripping him. The only thing that he could match them on was endurance; Ash himself could run for hours, and only Espeon could match him. That didn't make a difference in battles though. No fight would last for that long, and in short bursts, Ash had no chance.

His Pokémon had gotten increasingly strong. Doing nothing but train had taken them up several levels, although Ash still couldn't beat Pidgeot. He had last tried three weeks ago, but his old Pokémon had strengthened significantly since he had left Ash's team. Pidgeot had beaten Ash's entire team, although had been clearly struggling by the time that Lairon finally gave in. Rather than get disheartened, Ash used it as inspiration. Pidgeot had once been as strong as those in his team. Now he was orders of magnitude stronger, ruling a huge area. If Pidgeot could do it, so could Ash. It was all he had left.

"Hello?"

Ash spun as the voice cut through the clearing. His Pokémon stopped training instantly, turning to look at a teenage girl entering the clearing where they trained.

"Hello?" she asked again, looking around before her eyes settled on Ash. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind me dropping in. I just saw a hut and followed the noise."

Ash didn't say anything, just looked at her, studying. She was clearly a traveler, her rugged clothes alone gave it away. She didn't have much with her, only backpack slung over her shoulder. At a glance, she looked of a similar age to him. His eyes moved down, taking in her clothes; a light jacket over a close-fitting top and a skirt over leggings. His eyes settled on her waist where six Pokéballs sat on a belt.

"Are you a trainer?" she asked, moving into the clearing and approaching Ash. "What are you doing out here?"

"Training." Ash said quietly, his voice distant.

"Me too!" the girl said. She came to a stop in front of him, coming up to be a head shorter than Ash, and stuck out her hand. "My name is Ophelia, but everybody just calls me Lia."

Ash eyed her hand for a long moment before reaching out and shaking it. "Ash."

"Good to meet you," Lia said. "And I'm sorry for interrupting. It's just been days since I saw anybody else. It's really remote out here."

"That's why I'm here," Ash said.

"And now I'm spoiling it," Lia said flushing slightly. "I am sorry. I'll go."

Ash looked over her shoulder and saw his Pokémon gazing at him. Over the months he had gotten far better at reading their expressions, and they were clear. He should not let her go. He sighed internally before speaking.

"No, stay. If you'd like."

"Are you sure?" Lia asked. "If you're anything like me, you're out here to train for a reason, not to be sociable."

"I'm sure," Ash said quietly. "It's been a long time since I saw another human too." He paused for a moment before adding. "Sorry if that makes me come across as distant."

"Oh not at all," Lia said. "And I don't blame you. I left Viridian three weeks ago, and I think I've seen like ten people in that time. And the last one was more than a week ago. We really are remote."

Ash's face was deadpan. "It's been longer than that for me."

He left it hanging and Lia sensibly chose not to press, instead looking around at his Pokémon.

"So is this your team?"

Ash nodded.

"They all look so strong! I'm assuming you stay in that hut I saw?"

"Yes."

"It looks great. Did you find it out here?"

"No, we built it."

Lia glanced back at him, a look of surprise on her face.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How long did that take you?"

Ash took a moment to consider. When they had first arrived, they had built a simple round shelter like they'd had in their previous home. Whilst it was effective, he hated it. It reminded him of everything he had lost. So instead they started to try to build something more akin to human architecture. What they'd settled on was a structure that looked like a human-built hut on the outside, complete with doors, but was just a single room on the inside. Although it was simple, it had taken several attempts to make it stable. The first few attempts had poor foundations and collapsed, but they had learned.

"A few days" he eventually settled with. "The bits around it, the fire pit and such, took a bit longer."

Lia nodded slowly. "Your team is good at building then?"

"We've had some practice."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been out here?"

"A while."

"Like a month?"

Ash shrugged. "What's the date?"

"24th August."

Ash blinked. He'd left home in September. It had been nearly a year. He'd stopped counting the days since his Pokémon had left. He refocused to see that Lia still looking at him.

"I've been out here for months."

"Since Summer?"

"I think I left Viridian in February."

"Wow."

The two of them let the word hang for a long moment before Lia spoke again.

"If you've been training all that time, do you want to test it?"

Ash's eyes instantly focused on her, showing an energy that had thus far been missing. "A battle?"

"Sure. Just a one v one?"

"Why not." Ash turned to look at his team, all of whom had perked up at the prospect of a fight. "Snorlax, this one's yours."

Snorlax grinned, strolling forward and standing in the clearing. The rest of the team retreated to the fringe to watch as Ash moved to one end. Lia looked at him before heading to the other end, and pulling a Pokéball out, and holding it into the air.

"A Snorlax? Then I'll use Fearow."

Ash's head jerked to look at her as her Pokémon appeared. "Don't use that," he warned. "The Guardian here won't like it."

"The Guardian?" Lia asked. "Don't be silly. Just because a Flying-Type gives me an advantage over a Snorlax."

"I'm being serious," Ash said. "The Guardian rules this whole area."

"So am I. If you can't face a Fearow, that's on you."

Ash shrugged. "Fine. Your risk. We've got enough medicine to patch her up at the end."

Fearow looked around slightly nervously before focusing in on Snorlax.

"Fearow, into the sky".

Fearow soared instantly, Snorlax watching carefully.

"Ice Beam," Ash said. Snorlax fired a pale beam up, but Fearow dodged easily.

"You'll need to do better than that," Lia said. "Fearow, Aerial Ace then retreat."

Fearow accelerated towards Snorlax who twisted, taking a glancing blow on his side. He swung for Fearow but the Beak Pokémon climbed out of reach again. Ash watched carefully, not giving an order as Fearow swung around.

"Again."

Snorlax deflected the hit into another glancing blow, but once again Fearow retreated too fast for a counterstrike.

"Rapid strike," Lia called, looking to build on the success of her tactic.

Ash glanced at her as Fearow accelerated in for a third time, Snorlax deflecting it easily. This time Fearow accelerated away and shot straight back in, trying to catch Snorlax unprepared. The Sleeping Pokémon deflected the second strike as well, before glancing back at Ash as Fearow came around for a third hit.

"Ice Punch."

Snorlax nodded, allowing Fearow a more solid hit, before landing a vicious counter-attack. Fearow squawked in pain, flapping her wings to try to escape.

"Now Ice Beam."

"Agility."

Fearow glanced down to see a second beam shooting into the sky, and rolled, diving out of the way. Lia grinned as Fearow accelerated back into the sky, faster than before.

"You know you should be careful," she called. "A sped-up Fearow is far too fast for any Snorlax."

Ash didn't say anything, watching the sky carefully. He knew that normally Lia would be right, but he wanted to see how his training was paying off. Snorlax was no slouch and his speed, whilst far below that of Sceptile, had still improved drastically. He watched wordlessly as Snorlax fired a third Ice Beam into the sky.

"Fearow, Agility, Steel Wing then Hyper Beam."

Fearow dodged the beam again with ease, before flashing down even faster than when she had used Aerial Ace. And for the first time in the fight, Ash smiled.

"Catch."

Snorlax swiveled slightly, taking the hit on his side before his hand flashed out and caught Fearow. Fearow squawked in shock, wings flapping as she tried to gain height, but Snorlax held on tight. Ash looked over at Lia who was staring, stunned.

"Snorlax isn't any normal Pokémon," Ash said. "None of mine are. Don't underestimate us." He turned back to the fight. "Throw, and use Ice Beam again."

Snorlax threw Fearow into the air, but before she could adapt, an icy beam smashed into the Beak Pokémon. Fearow fell towards the ground, crashing into it. It kicked up some dirt and dust after which Fearow emerged, a furious expression on her feathered face.

"Fearow, into the air, quickly!" Lia shouted as Snorlax charged forward. Fearow dodged the slam attack but was visibly shaken as she stabilized in the sky. Lia looked at Snorlax again with a new respect in her eye.

"Don't let it catch you again Fearow, it hits hard".

Fearow let out a loud caw in acknowledgement before arcing around.

"Use Agility into Drill Peck!"

Fearow shot forward and Snorlax didn't even bother trying to catch it. Having assessed Fearow's speed, Snorlax simply fired another Ice Beam that Fearow flew straight into. It was followed up with a Hyper Beam that sent Fearow crashing back down to earth. Fearow skidded across the ground, slamming into a tree which shook from the impact. As the dust cleared, Lia looked at a very knocked-out Fearow lying slumped against the tree.

"Err..."

"Good fight."

"Not really," Lia said, crossing to kneel by her Pokémon. "You just crushed me."

Before Ash could answer, a loud squawk rang out. He looked up to see Pidgeot descending, flanked by two small flocks of Flying-Types. Lia looked up and gasped, leaping away from Fearow with a Pokéball in each hand.

"Don't," Ash warned, moving forward. "This is Pidgeot. Allow me to introduce the Guardian."

"The Guardian..."

"Yes, he's real. And he's not the biggest fan of Fearow. Although I think he waited until that fight was over before appearing. Is that right?"

Pidgeot nodded, letting out another loud squawk. Ash turned to Lia.

"Look, Fearow should get some treatment after that. And now that Pidgeot has seen her, he'll let her stay. But once we've treated her, you should keep her in her Pokéball. Follow me."

Ash turned and strode away, his team following. Pidgeot who had nodded at Ash's words climbed back into the sky, leaving a thoroughly shaken Lia to recall her Fearow and follow Ash.

"So you've really been out here by yourself for months?" Lia asked.

Ash nodded. They were sat just outside his hut, his Pokémon having wandered around the clearing it had been built in, giving the humans some space. He'd used some of the medicines that he collected with Bayleef to treat Fearow's injuries, before letting Lia recall her Pokémon. That had taken them into the late afternoon, and after a long silence where Bayleef had spent the entire time glaring at Ash, he'd finally asked Lia if she wanted to camp with them that night. She'd enthusiastically accepted, and he'd turned his attention towards food for the two of them. For her part, Lia had made herself at home; her shoes, socks, and jacket were off, set neatly beside her sleeping bag inside the hut. She'd gotten changed into slightly loose sweatpants and was now sitting cross-legged, her back against the wall whilst Ash worked to prepare food from wooden boxes he'd left dotted around the fire pit.

"Why are you all the way out here then?"

Ash shrugged. "I needed somewhere to train. We're safe here."

"Safe?"

"Yeah."

Ash didn't expand, and Lia glanced down at her belt where she saw her Pokéballs.

"I get what you mean. I really rely on my Pokémon to keep me safe. It's the only way I could travel – I'm young and female. It's too dangerous otherwise. And traveling is about meeting people. Without them, I definitely wouldn't just introduce myself to strangers, but I can." She grinned at him. "I wouldn't agree to camp with strangers either."

Ash looked over at her but didn't say anything.

"Not to say that you're weird or anything," Lia rushed to say. "You just can't be too safe you know?"

"Not that danger," Ash said quietly.

"Oh. Well, what danger then?"

"You met Pidgeot," Ash said. "There are others like him. Here, he protects us."

"He's stronger than you?"

"Yes."

"But you're so much stronger than me," Lia said, her voice slightly despondent. "I came out here to get stronger, but you've shown me how much further I have to go."

Ash put down the mushrooms he was about to drop into a pan. "I know what you mean," he muttered.

"I just feel that there are so many trainers stronger than me," Lia continued, giving no sign she'd heard Ash. "I'm nearly 16, I've been training since I was ten, and yet I always feel like I'm miles behind." She looked down at the ground. "It's just disheartening. I enter all these small competitions and start well but then I always get beaten when we get to the later rounds. So I thought I'd come out here and get stronger, only to get thrashed all over again."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ash kneeling in front of her. His eyes had an intensity that she had only seen in them once before that day – when they were battling each other. As Lia looked into them she felt her breath catch in her throat. Whilst one of Ash's eyes was normal the other was completely black. She felt herself drawn to the empty void before focusing back on the normal eye as Ash spoke.

"I understand," he said softly. "And I felt the same. But I'm getting stronger, and I'm sure you will too."

Lia met his gaze for a long moment. Ash coughed slightly before turning away and returning to cooking.

"Thank you," Lia said into the quiet that built between them. "And thank you for letting me stay here. I get that you're out here to have your own space, and I'm intruding. You seem to want privacy and I really appreciate you giving that up for me, even if it's just one night."

Ash nodded, focused on the food.

"And I will train," Lia promised.

Ash turned to look at her, his mismatched eyes boring into hers.

"Good luck."

Lia took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

"Your eye... what happened?"

Ash didn't answer, instead turning back to the food in silence. Lia shifted awkwardly as the silence grew, before eventually giving in.

"Sorry if I shouldn't have asked" she offered tentatively.

Ash just grunted, focused on his cooking. The silence drew on for another long minute until a vine snaked through the air and smacked Ash on the back of his head.

"Oww," Ash said turning to glare at Bayleef who met his gaze. "Fine" he muttered to his Pokémon before turning back to Lia. "It happened when a lot of my Pokémon left me because we were training too hard for them. That hurt, and it had an impact. You wonder why we're out here training? I couldn't go home."

Ash turned back to his food, leaving Lia to process the longest single statement that the previously quiet Pallet native had said. As he began to tip food onto wooden plates and handed one to her, she took it with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry."

Ash shrugged. "It's okay. We're happy here."

"Will you ever go back?"

"I can't."

"You'll run away forever?"

"Never thought of it as running away."

"What is it then?"

Ash picked up his own plate and sat next to Lia, his back against his hut.

"I always wanted to be the Pokémon Master. So I was running for that dream."

Lia took a mouthful of food, humming in pleasure as she tasted it. The quality was reasonable, but the ingredients were clearly very fresh. Having lived off dried food for a week, anything not processed was a step up for her.

"So which is it?"

Ash shrugged. "Dunno."

"It could be both," Lia offered. "They don't have to be exclusive?"

"Maybe."

"Although," Lia continued. "I doubt you'll find the answer hiding out here."

Ash turned to look at her, his baleful gaze meeting hers again. Lia took the hint and looked down, letting it drop.

The following morning Lia woke up to an empty hut. Ash and his Pokémon were off training. She collected her gear. As she exited the door, she heard running and looked up to see Ash barefoot, arriving at a run, wearing just a pair of shorts. Around him all six Pokémon kept pace. She blinked in surprise; watching a Snorlax run was not an everyday occurrence.

"I can see how Snorlax could thrash Fearow".

Ash stopped, breathing heavily, sweat glistening on his chest.

"I said we train."

Lia laughed. "That's one word for it."

Ash looked up at her gaze which was drawn to his shirtless body, and ignored it. He knew that the training had given him a muscular build that many would envy, but didn't need people staring at him.

"You leaving?" he asked instead.

"Yeah, I need to get moving again. Thank you again for letting me stay here last night, for talking to me, and for the battle. Good luck with everything Ash."

Ash smiled, for the first time since the battle.

"You're welcome. Feel free to drop back in."

Lia paused to look at him. "Maybe I will," She said. "I won't be out here for a while, but I'll come back in a year. I promise to give you a better fight."

"It's a deal."

That evening Ash hummed to himself as he cooked dinner for all of them, a change that was not unnoticed by his Pokémon. The evening was the time they had to themselves, not filled with training, and they rarely congregated for it. This time, however, Espeon made an exception.

"He's different today," she said to the group.

"I've never seen him like this," Lairon agreed. "Is he okay?"

Bayleef nodded a sad note in her voice. "You're seeing Ash at his best; happy. He thrives on human contact."

"But he's been happy with us," Espeon argued.

"He has," Bayleef conceded. "But that was the first time he's spoken to somebody who can speak back. Remember, he can't understand us."

"Does that matter?"

"To us? No. To humans? Yes."

"But why?" Lairon asked. "Before I joined you I'd go weeks without speaking to anybody."

"Because we are not human," Charizard said, joining the conversation with a low rumble. "And I've known Ash longer than any of you. Humans need to socialise, Ash more than most."

"So why did he come out here with us?" Lairon challenged. "Humans are selfish, they wouldn't do something that could hurt them."

Charizard looked down on the smaller Pokémon. "Ash is not any human. He would do anything for others, be they human or Pokémon. Did you not think it weird that he welcomed somebody he'd just met to stay with us?"

"Well... Yes." Espeon admitted.

"That's Ash." Bayleef offered. "Not many humans would do that. He does it unthinkingly. Or he used to"

"Used to?" Espeon asked.

"Bayleef had to prompt him", Sceptile said sadly. "That was never the case before. He's not what he once was."

"He still loves us," Bayleef argued.

"But he has changed."

Espeon nodded slowly. "Sceptile explained this months ago, but I assumed we were enough. He seemed so happy. He loves us."

"And we love him," Bayleef said simply. "But there are things we can never give him. A one-sided conversation is no conversation at all. We need to move back towards humans. He needs to see more of them."

Charizard growled his agreement as Ash looked up, food in bowls.

"Guys, you're not plotting are you?"

Bayleef shook her head, accepting a bowl that Ash had put down in front of her.

"Good," Ash said with a grin. "because if Lia taught us anything, it's that we aren't the only ones who could do what we're trying to do. We will need to up our efforts. Train even harder."

Espeon meowed as she accepted her own bowl with Psychic, moving it a little further away.

"Don't worry Espeon, nobody will steal it," Ash called. She looked at him, as the realization dawned. Every day Ash would be constantly talking, speaking to them. He'd make jokes and laugh at them himself. Espeon loved it, it was a sign of how much her trainer cared. Her previous trainer hadn't ever spoken to her except to give orders or tell her off.

Now though, she felt sick. The only time he hadn't been talking constantly was when he was with the woman yesterday. The constant noise was him coping with the isolation. Bayleef was right, they needed to go back. But Espeon didn't want to. Her life was the best it had ever been. As she ate, she felt tears beginning to form. She didn't want to hurt her trainer, but to do what he needed would hurt her. She was in an impossible position. As the emotions welled inside her, she felt her Psychic begin to drift out. She paused in her eating to try to control it, but her emotions were too strong.

Suddenly she felt an intense wave of affection and pleasure. She looked up in shock, to see Ash petting Bayleef who had nearly finished eating her food. Ash was talking to her quietly, and Bayleef was nuzzling him as he did so. Without realising how Espeon had connected to Bayleef's mind.

As Ash moved away, Espeon studied Bayleef and thought about what she had done accidentally. And a path through her dilemma started to form. If she could connect to other Pokémon, the only thing stopping her from connecting to her trainer was her. Espeon returned to her food with gusto and a new sense of determination. Ash had made her happier than she'd ever been. She would repay the favour.

A/N

Hi All,

It's been a while! Suffice it to say since I last posted on any of my stories, a few things have changed in the world. I can only apologise for the extremely lengthy hiatus – life has gotten in the way of writing and I lost my drive somewhere along the way. I hope everyone has endured the world attempting to end several times over the past few years. Hopefully, it'll be back on a more even keel…

I do intend to finish Redemption, although I'm not going to commit to any kind of update schedule. I'll update when I can. This first chapter back into Missing Years is about me getting back into the swing of things. Picking up what is about 500,000 words (Across the Lost Master trilogy) is something that I need to work back up to as a writer. I definitely feel rusty, so my apologies if the first chapter back doesn't meet your expectations!

On that chapter, the battle here is deliberately short; Ophelia is meant to be a reasonable trainer, but after nearly a year of training, Ash can wipe the floor with her. I did consider making it more in-depth, but given the purpose is to show Ash struggling to interact with humans, it does what it needs to. It's pretty obvious what comes next, but given the scarcity of Pokémon that can speak to humans, I wanted to do something to emphasise why Espeon broke through that barrier.

Until next time. I have no idea when – but I'm fairly confident it'll be sooner than in five and a half years…

Iama2p