Chapter 2

Pallet Town. Two weeks later.

Ash groaned as he saw the sunlight pierce his window. It woke him up from his sleep before he slowly got out of bed.

"Mm. What time is it?" Ash mumbled as he slowly woke up after shaking his head and pointing to the clock as it turned to eight in the morning.

"It's eight? Huh, not bad." Ash said as he got up and headed to the bathroom before he groaned at waking up so early in the morning. Ash looked at his reflection as he then looked at his new clothes.

(Ash's new attire was his original hat, but he now wears a jacket that resembles the one his main counterpart wore in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, complete with dark gray pants with yellow pockets, a white shirt with a Poké Ball print, and white, yellow and blue shoes. Ash wore the same blue fingerless gloves. It's his attire from the movie Secrets of the Jungle.)

Issei told him that if he wanted to show he was a more mature trainer, then he needed a new set of clothes for his new journey, especially since his new team would be much stronger than they were before.

Which also meant changes to his team.

"Who would've thought that after two weeks, my team is much stronger now?" Ash said to himself as he then walked out of the bathroom with his new clothes on his body before seeing a blue blur lightly tackle him.

"Luxio!"

"Hey, Luxio!" Ash said as he kneeled and patted the Lightning cat's back before the Luxio purred as it then rubbed its head against Ash's left leg. Luxio had been one of Ash's newest Pokémon after Ash traded his other twenty-nine Tauros with trainers from other regions. Apparently, many of the trainers were amazed by the Tauros's strength and wanted one, so Issei and Professor Oak saw to it that the trades were fair and that the Pokémon were well taken care of.

Many trainers merely wanted a powerhouse and were willing to trade any ransom Pokémon from their party for one of the Bull Pokémon. Still, Ash said he wanted Pokémon who were different from Kanto and wanted to learn more about them, which led to a trainer in Sinnoh trading a Luxio for one of his Tauros.

Ash was amazed by Luxio's power and how Luxio was once an abandoned Luxio after his trainer didn't wish to keep him after he lost so many battles. Ash then decided to help Luxio become stronger but also to show him the love that he had desired for so long, which made Issei proud of his little brother.

Surprisingly, the two bonded much better than Ash did with Pikachu at the beginning. Though, to be fair, Ash was an inexperienced trainer at the time. However, after training with Issei on how to become a stronger trainer, Ash made changes to his team, as did his Pokémon.

His Pokémon were amazed that Issei trained alongside his Pokémon and even fought them to help him stay in shape. He was tough enough even to take a Close Combat from Machamp.

Ash couldn't believe it even after seeing it since he knew how strong Pokémon were until Issei said he was perfectly fine. Issei helped Ash learn how to train his Pokémon by pushing them past their limits, like how Charizard was given rigorous training in the Charizard Valley.

'Your team has so much potential to become stronger, but the problem is that you need to push them harder to become stronger. If you want to have a strong team, then you going to have to learn how to be tough but firm at the same time.'

Those were the words that Issei drilled into Ash, and his Pokémon since the Pallet Town trainer could see that his Charizard, Squirtle, Phanphy, and a few of his other Pokémon were much stronger than they looked, but Ash wanted to help them as best he could. However, the problem is that Ash never knew how which is why the Charizard Valley was the best for Charizard since it helped him become much stronger than he was before.

Ash and Luxio eventually went downstairs to see Delia cooking alongside Mr. Mime while Issei was at the table with a pout on his face.

"Oh, come on! Is it so wrong I wanted to make breakfast? It's Ash's first day going on his new journey, so I wanted to send him off with a nice meal!" Issei shouted as he then waved at Ash, who was stifling his laughter that was threatening to come out of his mouth until Luxio laughed for him, which released Ash's laughter as well.

"I take it mom banned you from the kitchen temporarily?" Ash asked as Issei groaned at the question but nodded.

"You try to give her the morning off, and you get wrapped up by Mr. Mime, who acts more like a human than a Pokémon," Issei grumbled as Delia giggled as Issei broke out of the wrappings and cracked his neck.

"Well, you know how Mr. Mime can be. He thought you were trying to take his job." Delia said as she set out breakfast with Mr. Mime coming from behind and setting the food down on the table before the Ketchum family enjoyed themselves with a hearty breakfast until Issei broke the air and looked at his little brother.

"So you heading to Hoenn today?" Issei asked Ash as the younger Ketchum nodded before Issei smirked at his little brother, stuffing his face with amusement as Ash nearly choked on a pancake.

"Careful Ash. The food isn't going to run away." Issei said as he handed some water to his brother, who thanked him before guzzling down his drink.

"T-Thanks," Ash said as Luxio snickered at his trainer's side before the two boys finished their meals and helped with the dishes. Afterward, the two of them headed to Professor Oaks' lab to get Ash's Pokémon to start his new journey, with Luxio walking beside them.

"So you got your team figured out for Hoenn?"

"You bet. Luxio will be with me as well as Phanphy since it will be good for her to get some more experience. Your training really helped my Pokémon become a lot stronger and helped me understand what I lacked in my skills as a trainer." Ash said as Issei patted his back.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. I get it that you wanted to be kind to your Pokémon, and I respect that, but if you truly desire to become a Pokémon Master, then you need to understand that sometimes you need to be tough with your Pokémon. They do have emotions, but there are other times I've seen Pokémon that don't desire battle and become stronger. However, when I saw your team, I could tell that most had the same look in their eyes as Charizard. The will to become stronger, and I do apologize about my...words about your Pikachu and Bulbasaur, but it was obvious they were too stubborn and prideful."

Issei said as Ash nodded while thinking back to his training with Issei and his Pokémon. Issei had been prepared with his team, pushing Ash's Pokémon to become stronger, including himself, but unfortunately, not all of Ash's team enjoyed the training, mostly Ash's Bulbasaur and Pikachu.

Bulbasaur didn't desire to evolve and battle since it preferred to be a protector of the Pokémon at Professor Oaks' lab. In contrast, Pikachu preferred not to train with Issei's Pokémon due to the small mouse Pokémon refusing to listen to Issei's opinions about becoming stronger since while Pikachu is fast, there are Pokémon even faster than Pikachu that would destroy him.

After Pikachu and Bulbasaur refused to do any more training, Ash then trained with some of the new Pokémon he gained from his trades with Tauros. Luxio was just one of them, and the other Pokémon he gained were a Turtwig, Tyrunt, and a special Aron.

Issei was impressed by the Pokémon and told Ash how to use them to help his team grow stronger. Primeape and Pidgeot rejoined the team as well, especially since Noctowl was given a lot better training, with Pidgeot helping him better fight instead of just relying on its psychic moves.

Ash was glad to have his old Pokémon back as he was then given the chance to have up to ten Pokémon on his team to not only give him a chance to train his Pokémon but also catch some new ones.

Eventually, the two brothers made it to the professor's lab, and the professor was glad to see them both.

"Ah, Issei and Ash. It's good to see you both here. Ash, your Pokémon are waiting for you, and I would like to talk to you for a moment, Issei?" Oak asked as Issei nodded before Ash left the two alone until Issei was sure they were alone.

"Okay, what's up, Professor Oak? You got that look in your eyes when I told you about Team Plasma back in Unova when that crazy scientist Colress worked with Ghetis and that woman Lusamine to cause the wormholes opening up in Alola." Issei asked as Oak sighed before bringing Issei to his office and handing a file to him.

"It's about a professor in Paldea who goes by the name Professor Turo. He kept talking about trying to finish his Time Machine that would allow him to bring Pokémon from the future. I remember you telling me about your experience in the past of the Sinnoh when you were chasing after Cyrus." Oak said as Issei recalled his time in the past when Sinnoh was going after Cyrus when Colress and Ghetis worked together with Lusamine and the wormholes almost the world.

"Yeah. That was the only time I really had the desire to kill someone ever since I came to this world. Cyrus was an idiot, thinking he could become a god. Ghetis was an insane fool, thinking he was a God, and manipulated N to be his puppet. Worst of all was when I broke a promise to Lusamine's daughter when I couldn't save her." Issei said as he clenched his left fist. He recalled holding the blond-haired scientist in his arms when she took a hit for him.

Oak knew about Issei being from another world and being far more powerful than he looked, but knowing that he had to kill a person if he really meant it,

"I would never hold it against you. You did what you had to do in order to save the world. If you hadn't done so, then the world would've been in disarray and chaos. I understand that Lusamine is doing better in the hospital?"

Oak asked as Issei sighed before replying.

"Yes. Physically, Lusamine is fine, but her mental state is another story. The problem is that due to her being barely alone when crossing from another world back to ours, the energy messed with Lusamine's head. Lillie understands as well as her brother, but they're worried she will never wake up." Issei then looked at the Time Machine in the file and asked.

"Why ask me about that and this Time Machine?"

"Because Area Zero is locked off, and there have been strange things happening in Paldea."

"Define strange?" Issei asked as Oak then proceeded to show him a picture that reminded Issei of a Hydreigon, but this one was more robotic.

"Is this from a movie, Professor Oak? This Pokemon is some knockoff from a sci-fi?" Issei asked as Oak chuckled in response to the question.

"No, No. I understand your concern, but this is actually a copy of Hydreigon, but it fights as a Pokémon. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I have a feeling that if that is indeed a Pokémon from the future, then the Time Machine may still be operating. I've spoken with the Pokémon Champion, and she wants you to be in contact should there be any more of these futuristic Pokémon."

"She doesn't want me to come? I figured this is what you wanted to tell me." Issei said as Oak shook his head and replied.

"Not exactly. Lusamine knew about you helping deal with Team Galactic and Plasma and wished to speak to you but couldn't since she was busy with the Pokémon League as well as the school. She also knew about your interest in going through Kanto to take on the league. What I really called you here for was because one of Ash's trades was actually interested in meeting you. When it saw you training with Ash, it wanted to join in since it was definitely going to join you until I stopped it."

Oak explained as he then led Issei to the back, where he saw the Pokémon that were clashing with each other Pokémon in the back. The Pokémon seemed to be a humanoid weasel Pokémon. It has a dark grey humanoid body. Sneasler has three sharp toes on each foot connected to purple fur. The three brown claws are long, with three red lines and a brown spot on each arm. It has a yellow diamond on the chest and head. The shoulders have three dark grey spikes on the shoulder. It has sharp red eyes. The face is colored dark purple and has one right dark grey ear, while the left ear is a long red feather that extends down to the back. The neck has a small scarf of sorts around it as the Pokémon looked at Issei and seemed to bow to him.

However, Issei froze when he saw the X mark on top of the gem on its forehead.

"Alpha? Is that you?" Issei asked as the Pokémon known as Alpha smiled and nodded toward Issei before standing back up.

"You know this Pokémon?" Oak asked as Issei nodded in response.

"He was one of the Pokémon that I met in the past of Sinnoh. He was a stubborn but determined Sneasler who was different from others. Unlike Weaville, Sneasler is a loners who prefer to stay in the icy areas; however, this Sneasler is different since he is much smarter and a more skilled hunter who seems to tell that Cyrus and Ghetis are enemies along with Colress. The only one he trusted was me since Alpha didn't trust N either and could tell he was a puppet."

Issei explained as he also recalled the green-haired peaceful protester who wanted to free Pokémon from 'enslavement.' While Issei could understand why N had his distrust of humans, he also knew that not all humans are bad people.

Alpha then approached Issei and held up its Pokeball, which seemed to be a bit worn out, but Issei could tell that it was one that he had made since it had a picture of a crimson dragon head.

"Heh. You still kept the one I caught you in all this time?" Issei asked as Alpha smiled and nodded before handing him the Pokeball that Issei took before holding it out for him.

"Care to work together again, Alpha?" Issei asked as the Sneasler smiled and nodded before tapping the ball and entering it.

"You continue to surprise me more and more," Oak said as Issei smirked at the comment before looking at Oak.

"Tell the champion of Paldea to keep me updated if there's any more information about that robot dragon. I should be able to deal with Kanto easily and help out should they ask for me to come over to assist them." Issei said as he then stopped before looking back at Oak once again and asked.

"About Colress, do you think he's involved somehow? I know you and him were friends, but what he's done to try to unlock a Pokémon's full power and how far he's willing to go..." Issei said that he knew that Oak and Colress were friends until Colress was removed as a Pokémon Professor due to his research showing zero respect for Pokémon; the league shut him down and removed his license.

Oak was looking at an old picture on the wall with a younger version of the Professor and Colress before Oak sighed and replied to Issei.

"I know Colress wasn't a bad person like the organizations were, but I also know he was going too far into his research. I remember him when he was a kind man who only had an ambitious dream, but I had a feeling that as time went on, he would bend the law to get the results he wanted, which was probably why Team Plasma sought him out." Oak said as he then patted Issei's back before speaking.

"You knew that Colress was a good man, which is why you didn't kill him," Oak said as Issei nodded before the two headed towards the yard where Ash was speaking to his team.

"Listen up! These past two weeks have been really helpful and tough, but that training has only helped us become stronger. Now we're heading to Hoenn, and this time, we'll not only win the Hoenn League but also beat the champion!" Ash said as the Pokémon cheered before Ash pulled out a list.

"The Pokémon I'm taking with me are Phanphy, Heracross, Luxio, Tyrunt, Larion, Charizard, Wartotle, Turtwig, Pidgeot, and finally, Muk," Ash said as his Pokémon were excited. Ash looked at Pikachu and saw that the mouse looked away. He then hurried away with Bulbasaur going after him.

Ash looked away as he collected his team before walking back towards Issei and Oak, who seemed to be waiting for Ash until Issei looked at Ash's expression before patting his brother's shoulder.

"Let me talk to Pikachu," Issei said as Ash nodded before Issei hugged his brother and patted his back.

"Stay safe, little brother, and if you need anything, please let me know, and I'll be there to make sure you don't get killed," Issei said as Ash nodded before the trainer left the lab and headed toward the exit of Pallet Town. In contrast, Issei headed into the forest area and reached a lake before sitting next to the Pokémon.

"Hey," Issei said as Pikachu looked at Issei and looked away from him before Issei sighed and looked at the lake.

"Must suck not going with Ash and knowing you are a stubborn one. You didn't want to admit that you were weak because you began to see the others getting stronger. Must've burned you up seeing Ash's team getting stronger while you were in the dust, especially after you failed to help Ash in both Johto and Kanto." Issei said as Pikachu glared at Issei, but the trainer ignored the mouse as Pikachu then spoke to him.

Initiate PokeTranslator

"And what would you know?! Ash trained hard in both leagues and still lost, but that wasn't my fault! It was those jerks Team Rocket in Kanto since they always stalked Ash to try and get me for some reason." Pikachu yelled as Issei was silent for a moment before replying to the Small Mouse Pokemon.

"I know, and I do not blame you for your performance. That idiot referee called out Squirtle was defeated just because the turtle was knocked out by Sleep Powder, which forced Ash to use you and Charizard." Issei was relieved as Pikachu was shocked before smirking at the mouse and nodding.

"And yes, I can understand you. If you've been to as many places as I have, you tend to pick up a few things, and one of the most important ones I picked up was understanding Pokémon." Issei said before he looked at Pikachu and patted his head.

"However, you need to understand something, Pikachu. While you may be fast now, there are many Pokémon who are far more experienced and capable of taking you down before you can even attack them. Your moves and abilities are meager at best since your species are good for gym battles. Still, compared to the other Electric types of other regions, I'm afraid that you are inferior to them since they are much stronger than you, so if you do want to get stronger to help Ash in the league, then you need to become stronger which means evolving to learn moves that will be able to help you get stronger, or you can just be distant and act like Ash abandoned you."

Issei said as he got up and walked away from Pikachu, who was silent the whole time until Bulbasaur walked up to Pikachu and offered a pat on the Pokémon's back before the small dinosaur-like Pokémon just let the Small Mouse know that a friend was there for the Pokémon.

Issei then walked towards the end of the town before looking into the forest and smirking as he put his fingers to his lips before letting out a loud whistle for only a few seconds, until the sound of a bird soaring in the air and landing on Issei's right arm he just held out as the large bird then nuzzled its large beak against Issei's head.

"Heh. Nice to see you, Huntress." Issei said as he patted the bird's head, causing the large bird to chirp in delight until Issei smiled as he recalled the large bird being the same Fearow that Ash threw a stone on his first day as a trainer.

Issei had taken a walk during his time in Pallet Town, and when he entered the forest, he was attacked by a large bird. Still, Issei didn't seem fazed as he avoided all of the bird attacks until the bird stopped and spoke to him about who he was before Issei chatted with the Fearow and admired her ferocity and training when Issei decided to catch her and help her become a true Huntress, after knowledge that the Fearow was a girl.

Issei then smiled at the bird before speaking to the Fearow.

"We're alone so that you can turn into your new form," Issei said as Fearow nodded before the Fearow became a harpy woman that had red hair mixed with some brown while her arms were replaced with wings and claws while her feet were talons until her new human form was covered with shorts and a bra.

"My apologies, master, but I wanted to make sure we were alone before I became my human self and that Lord Mewtwo blessed me," Huntress said as she walked towards Issei and bowed to him.

"Indeed. I was surprised to see that, especially since Mewtwo seemed intrigued about giving the Pokémon a humanoid form despite him not trusting humans after what Giovanni did to him." Issei said as he recalled meeting Mewtwo when he met the legendary Pokémon when Genesect was purposely created to be a special Pokémon to combine technology and Pokémon.

Huntress was a Pokémon that Mewtwo sought out after sensing her rage and frustrations towards Ash Ketchum and helped her release her rage against Ash to convert it into a training regiment that pushed Fearow past her limits until she went back to Pallet Town and ruled the forest with her flock of Spearow.

"So what do you require of me, Issei-sama?" Huntress asked as Issei replied to her.

"I need to speak to Mewtwo if he's available. It's about Colress and a device in a new region."

"Does this have to do with Team Plasma or Galactic?"

"No. However, I can only be sure once I speak to Mewtwo. Can you get me in touch with him?"

"No need for that Issei. I am already here." A voice said as Issei then turned to see Mewtwo himself as Huntress left the two alone before the legendary Pokémon spoke to him.

"I heard your thoughts. You need to see Colress about this Time Machine, correct?" Mewtwo asked as Issei nodded before the Pokémon sighed as he continued. "I've made a mistake not taking him in when we saved Genesect, and I don't plan on that man running around doing who knows what. However, I will allow you to ask him your questions."

"Thank you, Mewtwo. Can we do it at a later date?

"Of course. I look forward to the next time we spar again. It's not the same facing another Pokémon when you are a God in the form of a human."

"Heh. Stay safe, Mewtwo. And give my regards to your sister." Issei said as Mewtwo smiled. He then teleported out of the area. Huntress smiled as she then bowed and turned back to normal before Issei held up her Pokeball.

"Let's get this journey started," Issei said as he then returned Huntress to her Pokeball and placed the ball on the Boosted Gear gem before it went inside it. It was a special storage unit where Issei placed his other Pokémon since he didn't exactly trust his extra Pokémon with the other professors, plus it was an excellent way for him to swap his teams out.

"Time to head to Pewter City Gym," Issei said as his body glowed red before he vanished from sight.

The Red Dragon Emperor has begun his journey, and now, let's check on the younger brother.

With Ash Ketchum.

Ash was on a boat and enjoying the breeze as he was looking forward to his new adventures, unaware that a special someone from his past adventures was coming along for the ride.

Someone said they were shocked as they took off their sunglasses and saw the person who had saved their life a year ago.

"Ash?" They said as their eyes glowed with a purple aura until a Gengar appeared next to them and snickered at its partner before the trainer held Gengar's mouth shut and glared at him.

"Don't you even think of telling Ash I'm here? I want to see his reaction." The trainer said as Gengar shivered in fear but nodded as he knew not to make his trainer mad before seeing Ash and smirking at his old partner.

[Good to see you again, Ash. I can't wait to see his reaction. Hehehe.] Gengar snickered as he then vanished into the darkness while his trainer sighed and relaxed in the shade as the journey was going to begin soon.

However, Ash will still have to deal with a few annoyances of the past.

"So this is the boy that Jessie and James kept trying to steal his Pikachu? He doesn't seem that special, looking at his past victories. However, it seems he's encountered many different Pokémon in Kanto and Johto. Let's see how many new Pokémon he'll see this time." A blonde-haired woman said as she kept her eyes on her target, recalling the words of her boss.

"I still can't believe that Giovanni's kid is the same kid that the Idiot Trio has been trying to deal with for two years. Still, I'm loyal to Giovanni and will do what he asks, which means if he wants me to keep his kid safe, then so be it. After all, Giovanni is the one who saved my life all those years ago, and I'll be damned if anyone tries to defy him." Domino said as she then made preparations to keep an eye on him and watch him from the shadows.

The two brothers' journey will indeed be filled with memories that they won't forget for a long time.

And complete.

Apologies for the long delay, but life and work have been busy, and after the holidays, I've been enjoying time with my family. I'm so happy for New Year, and enjoy what's to come. Ta-Ta!~