Hello Nuggies! Here it is! The awaited sequel to 'A Different Start' is here! As usual with my fics this is a SLASH fic, and there will be more slash in this fic than its predecessor. I hope y'all are ready! This one is gonna be a long one! I hope y'all are as excited to be here as I am!

Main Pairing: AshxPaul (Comashipping)

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the Pokémon Franchise. It belongs to its rightful owner(s) and I make no profit writing this. This is just for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Warning(s): None

Enjoy!

About a week had passed since Riley had started to help heal his core. It was very slow work and long meditation sessions, but slowly the cracks in his core started to close. There were still quite a lot, but with Riley's Aura stitching the cracks closed and healing them, his own Aura finally started to accumulate and get stronger, even if it were at a much slower rate than they had wanted it to be. Even though it was taking a bit of time there was progress to be shown, the small gold orb had grown a bit and was now the size of a golf ball. Riley had told him that it was peculiar that his Aura had changed colors, but from what he knew, with his own limited knowledge it didn't change much, however it may be a bit stronger than before. Ash mentally prepared himself for his stronger Aura. Hopefully it didn't change too drastically.

But with his luck, it would be the opposite.

Today however, when Ash woke up, it was to Riley and his Lucario gone, leaving only a simple note on the table explaining that they were exploring the islands to see if there were any spots that could help heal Ash's core fully, and that they had taken Ash's Lucario for some training. The teen was a bit miffed that Riley didn't ask Ash first if he could take Lucario, but was grateful all the same for the extra training for the half-albino and a break from all the long meditation sessions.

Ash took his new free time to spoil Paul a bit, who had been a champ during his healing process. He made breakfast in bed for his boyfriend, gave him a morning blowjob, and took his boyfriend on a much wanted and needed date. When Riley wasn't back that night or the next morning Ash set out to do some much needed training with his partners. He had Gardevoir lifting things for as long as she could at different weights while Krookodile trained along the water to help build his resistance to water. Persian sparred against Ninetales while Rockruff worked on Rock Throw, a move the small pup had been wanting to learn. Pikachu, the most senior member of the pack besides himself who had effectively started said pack, helped train Jangmo-o by running beside the small dragon and herding him away from the others and taking hits from stray objects so Jangmo-o wouldn't get hurt.

Ash had them keep up with the training, with breaks and switching them so everyone had sparred with one another, for a few hours until he called it for the day. He took a few notes on who needed to improve where and what he wanted to add next. They could work on what they needed to when Ash switched them out within the next few days. He wanted Snom in the next group, he wanted her Evolved and had been sad when he hadn't been able to help her with it before he left for Alola. Slither Wing, unfortunately, would have to stay at the Pastures as he didn't want to accidentally break the NDA he had signed, but he would be sure to get the fire moth something extra special as an apology.

Other than the training Ash finally took up the students' offers to hang out. He visited Wela Volcano Park with the group and saw many pokémon and even a few that the others had to tell him about. The most surprising one was seeing the Geodudes and Gravelers racing around the park since they looked different to the ones he knew and it was Sophocles that told him that they were Rock and Electric types. He was absolutely fascinated at the one Golem they saw since it didn't seem like it could roll like it's Kantonian brethren.

They next went to Kiawe family's ranch, Paniola Ranch where Ash met Kiawe's family. The first thing he noticed was how much Kiawe looked like his father, Rango while his little sister, Mimo looked much more like their mother, Sima. His parents were very friendly towards him and even invited him to the light lunch they were preparing. Ash learned that they sold Moomoo milk and raised Tauros for the Alola Transit Company as Ride Pokémon, but also learned that they were thinking about spreading out to breeding pokémon for other Ranches on the Islands. Ash learned much more than he really wanted to about the anatomy of a Miltank, but laughed off the apology from Kiawe when they left the Ranch.

From there they took a ferry to another island where Mallow took them to her family's restaurant and was given one of the best malasadas he ever had. Even Pikachu enjoyed it very much. He learned that it was just Mallow, her father Abe, and her older brother Ulu that ran the restaurant, but at the time Ulu was gone traveling the world to become the best chef. Her older brother would send recipes to Mallow that he really enjoyed and Mallow and her father would try to malsada-fy them. There was a Surf and Turf Malasada that came from a Kalos dish, a curry Kantonian one, and even dessert ones that came from Unova. Ash wanted to try each one, but he didn't have the stomach for all of it. In the end he walked away with two tightly wrapped temperature controlled boxes that held smaller sampler malasadas for him and Paul to try.

The last thing they did, to wind down the day, was go fishing with Lana. Well, Lana did the fishing while the others just sat about chilling and generally just had fun. After a while Lana proposed that they go to a different spot and spoke about how in the warmer waters between Akala and Ula'ula had a migration of pokémon that were coming into the last cycle of breeding. Ash perked up when he heard that and asked if she knew if it were a specific group of pokémon.

"Yeah! There's Milotic, Kingdra, Wailord, Tentacruel, Dewgong, and quite a few more, but there's a few others that prefer to stay in the cooler waters between Melemele and Poni," Lana said while nodding her head in a matter of fact gesture, "Usually you can't fish in the ocean during breeding times, but there's been an uptick in the Tentacruel and Dewgong lines so the Wardens said it's okay this year as long as we toss back any others!"

"Maybe my Kingdra is there!" Ash said, feeling quite excited about the prospect, "Can we go?"

"Yes!" Lana exclaimed and hopped up to gather her things while the others watched her in amusement. It didn't take long for Lana to get her things and for them to set off. The ferry they took didn't take long either, they would have Mantine surfed, or ridden on the Sharpedo, but the water types had been 'land locked' so to speak for the breeding season and therefore unable to ride.

Lana led them to the beach which had a really long pier that stretched into the deeper parts of the ocean for deep water fishing. On the way to the beach Lana explained that they would all have to check in with the Warden at the beach and register what pokémon they had on hand and do it again when they leave just to make sure they weren't hoarding away anything they weren't supposed to be. The Warden that checked them in was very kind and understanding when Ash told him about Kingdra and even showed proof of ownership of said Kingdra along with his work ID.

"Well, if your Kingdra is ready to come back, you're more than welcome to take him of course," the Warden said with a slight nod and made a note of it on the clipboard he had, "all I'd like to do when you head back here is take a picture for proof that you indeed took him."

"Of course! Thank you," Ash said once the Warden handed his bag back. Checking the others in didn't take long, even with Lana explaining that she was there to fish and perhaps capture a Tentacool or Seel. Once they were all set the six teens made their way down the long pier. The waves were a bit high, the sounds of them crashing would have been soothing if it weren't for all of the Wingull and Pelipper calling out. Their screeching a bit too much on the ears.

As they got to the end of the pier Ash could see that there were a few other people there. There were a couple of fishermen, a couple with their kids, and a teen about their age with their little sister. Ash felt a bit self conscious about all of the noise they made and fell a bit quiet, but noticed that the others on the pier didn't very much care about all the noise they were making and were just in their own little worlds. Ash watched as Lana set up her rod and dug through her bag for some bait as well as getting a couple of pokéballs ready just in case. Her Popplio blew a few bubbles and clapped for a couple of the kids on the pier making them laugh and clap for more.

Ash turned from the amusing sight to look out into the water. It was so blue and vast and Ash could just imagine sailing, but getting lost in the wide open waters. The flashing of lightning and the roars of Gyarados echoed in his ears for just a moment, but it quickly faded away as he saw a Milotic jump into the air followed by a Dewgong before the two landed back into the water. The water splash caught the ears of the others on the pier and to the left of Ash he could hear Lana letting out a surprised but happy noise. Pikachu let out a few chittering noises from his shoulder before hopping onto the wood railing of the pier to look out into the water like Ash was.

Ash wondered if he could use the meager amount of Aura he had to signal to Kingdra that he was there, but it wasn't needed as he saw a wave forming from where the Milotic had jumped and Kingdra popped out. It was just his head, but Ash knew it was his Kingdra from the scar that trailed down from the middle of his cheek and down his neck where it disappeared under the water. The bit of his crown that had broken off from the League battle looked like it had started to grow once more.

Ash put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle since Kingdra didn't see him. From his peripheral he could see Pikachus' ear flick from the piercing noise, but his eyes were on Kingdra. He knew the instant he caught Kingdras' attention as his crowned head whipped around and the seahorse let out a sound that was similar to a Rapidashs' whinny. His large form shot through the water like a large boat leaving waves crashing behind him. Just before the pier Ash watched as Kingdra shot up into the air, water trailing behind him, over their heads and came to a stop a few inches off the wood of the pier. Ashs' smile widened as he saw Kingdra turning around revealing a rather tale tell sign that he was indeed carrying an egg.

"Kingdra!" Ash exclaimed, laughter bubbling out as he ran over to the large water type. His laughter turned softer when Kingdra nuzzled his head, knocking his hat off. Pikachu, who had jumped onto his shoulder before he ran to Kingdra, let out a happy noise and raised his paw towards Kingdra in greeting. The large seahorse nosed the small paw before turning back to Ash.

"Miss you," Ash said softly, "So has the rest of the pack. Are you ready to come back?"

His smile widened when he got a simple nod back.

"I found a few places for you to go to," was the first thing Riley said as soon as he walked into the door of the house. Two days had passed since Kingdra came back to the pack and regaled them, with Gardevoir translating for him to Ash, with his tales in the ocean. The large seahorse was a talk of the waters with his size, regality, and his scar. He apparently had several females interested in him, but there was only one that caught his eye. A large female Milotic with 'scales as beautiful and blue as his own' and 'enough sass to match him.' By the end of their coupling Milotic was looking over seven eggs and Kingdra was quite pleased with himself.

His partner let him choose which egg to take and ended up choosing the oddest egg out of the bunch to raise and give to his trainer when the time was right. Unfortunately that meant Kingdra was out of commission while he held his young fry, but that didn't bother Ash. He was just glad that Kingdra was back, healthy, happy, and had been successful.

"Where?" Ash asked, startled by his appearance, as he put his fork down. He had almost finished eating when his Mentor walked in with two Lucario and the little Riolu in tow. The small pup let out a bark as his Lucario walked over to greet him with a soft chuff. His fur was ruffled and a bit dirty, but otherwise seems fine if not a bit tired. In fact all four of them were ruffled and dirty like they had been trekking through the Alolan Jungle.

"There are four spots, one on each Island," Riley said as he grabbed a glass for some water before grabbing some food and water for the pokémon he brought, "Each one the home of the Legendaries that call Alola home. Their dens are filled with pure Aura making them a perfect place to meditate to heal your core. I spent the last few days gaining permission from each Kahuna to take you to do so. The stipulations are, you can only take one pokémon into each den, I would recommend Lucario, you may not capture their deities, do your best not to destroy their homes as they will most likely ask for a battle either before or after you meditate although that may not happen with any of them, and you may not disclose the locations of said dens. Each Kahuna will guide us to the dens so we don't get lost."

Ash looked at Riley, eyes wide as the man rambled. That was the most he ever heard coming from Riley. The teen nodded and asked when they would leave only to be told that it would be a day or two until then since he needed some rest from his own little travels through the Islands. He offered to make the man some food, but was thanked and turned down and instead Riley went upstairs to presumably his room to rest leaving him with the three Aura Pokémon. He made sure the other two Aura Pokémon were good to go before taking just his Lucario upstairs to bathe him, he had offered the same to the other two, but they had declined.

But Ash wasn't one to give up on something like basic hygiene for any pokémon so by the end of the day Ash had finally worn down Riley's Lucario and Riolu and gave them, some much needed, baths.

Ash heaved for breath as he wiped his forehead of sweat. He shouldn't be this out of shape for not doing anything for a few weeks, but here he was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. The jungle they were in was hot and had many inclines to go up on, and thankfully he wasn't the only one heaving for breath or sweating. Hala, the Kahuna of Melemele, was a rather portly man and Ash was kind of surprised that the man was able to get so far, but then again he really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He was sure the man did plenty of exercise during the day. Riley, not wearing his usual getup, was also bugged down with sweat and a flushed face from the exertion.

"Is it like this for every den?" Ash asked as the three stopped for a breather and a much needed drink of water.

"No, just Koko's," Hala said with a shake of his head, the sweat making the gray hair unmoveable.

"What can you tell me about Tapu Koko?" Ash asked, fanning himself with one of his hands.

"He can be curious of people, but fickle when it comes to helping others. Treat him with respect and at an arms length, unless he lets you get closer. He's quick to temper when he sees a threat, and is always on the defensive," Hala said as he nodded his head, "His Den lay within the Ruins of Conflict. We would have usually gone through the front entrance, but the bridge going across the ravine is being worked on and isn't safe to walk on."

"So we're going through a back entrance?" Ash asked as he made mental notes about Tapu Koko from what Hala had told him.

"Correct!" Hala joyfully said, "I do have to tell you two to not speak of this entrance. It's a closely guarded secret to each Kahuna."

Ash nodded in acceptance, it wasn't like he was just going to go around spouting off that he knew where the back entrance to something that had a front entrance. Once they had caught their breath and had enough water the three continued on their journey through the thicket. It took about another hour before they made it to the back entrance, it was completely covered in vines showing how unused it was. Hala stepped forward and pressed against the stone of the entrance making a piece of it slide into a previously unknown crevice. The sound of stone grinding was loud, but with how thick the trees and undergrowth were Ash wouldn't be surprised if the sound was contained in just this one area instead of it being heard for miles with how loud it was. The entrance, with little coaxing, revealed itself.

"This is where you leave us and continue on," Hala said with a slight nod to his head and a gruff tone to his voice as if he hated the fact he had to let a stranger into such a sacred place.

"Remember, show respect, meditate, battle if Tapu Koko wants to, try to not destroy the Den," Riley said with a bit of urgency, "You'll know when to stop meditating so don't worry about that. Your Lucario will also help you know when to stop."

"Okay, I'll be back then," Ash said with his own nod and turned towards the entrance. He took a deep breath and took that first step. The tunnel he had entered was dark, but it wasn't a bad walk. It was definitely cooler in the tunnel than being outside. He kept walking even as the entrance behind him closed once he was quite a bit ways inside making the entire tunnel pitch black. Ash reached out with a hand and touched the rough stone of the wall to use as a guide through the dark.

It seemed like he was walking for a long time before he got even a hint of light. Ash hurried his walking towards the light and soon enough he ended up in a large cavern with lit torches along the wall and a large ornate gate leading further. Taking a look around Ash spotted some writing on the wall and walked over to read it.

"To those who've entered this sacred place know that you are now in the Ruins of Conflict. A place where life is to be tested. Take heed traveler for the Guardian of the Ruins watches."

Ash took another deep breath as he turned from the writing to keep looking around only to stop after turning fully. Behind him, appearing as he read the writing, stood a rather peculiar creature. It was bigger than he was, on par with Paul, and had the largest mohawk he had ever seen on any sentient being. Assuming that this creature was this Tapu Koko, Ash bowed at the waist in respect like he had been told to be. He was unsure if he were to stay silent or speak, but speak, he did.

"I'm sorry for intruding in your den, Tapu Koko," Ash said, raising from his bow, "I was given permission from Kahuna Hala to come here as I seek a place to heal. May I?"

Ash watched Tapu Koko as it tilted its head to and fro as if it were contemplating what to do with him. Ash noticed that it seemed like Tapu Koko had a hard time keeping still as it bounced from one foot to the other the entire time they were staring at each other. It took the Tapu a moment before it moved away, giving Ash permission to do what he needed to do. Ash walked a bit forward until he was in the center of the room and settled down on the ground. He reached towards his belt and grabbed Lucario's ball and as he did so, he spoke telling the Tapu what he was doing and why as to not cross some kind of unspoken boundary and welcome a battle, in which he would have battled if he needed to.

The half albino let out a chuff once released before settling down on the ground beside Ash and gave the Tapu his own sign of respect. Ash licked his lips before closing his eyes and fell quickly into meditation not even feeling the warm paw being placed on his back. He fell quickly to his core where there was a larger amount of Aura gathered there than there had been before. The Aura of the Den felt chaotic, electrifying like its Guardian, when he connected with it. It made him feel energized and like he wanted to run, but he did his best to not give into that feeling and instead do what he was there to do.

Ash coaxed the Aura to the outside of his Core like Riley had shown him and cupped his hands over one of the cracks. He felt warmth encasing his hands and soon enough that crack had been filled and he was moving onto the next one. One crack after another was filled and healed with the slight bit of coaxing Ash had to do until about a fourth of what he had left had been healed. He felt a tug on his Aura and he supposed that was what Riley meant when he said that he would know when to stop. Slowly he pulled away from the connection he had with the Den's Aura until they were two beings once more. He blinked open his eyes feeling a whole lot better than he had before he stepped into the Den and sitting in front of him was Tapu Koko, kneeling and staring at him.

"Thank you for letting me heal in your Den," Ash spoke gently, his voice cracking a bit from not being used in a bit, and forced himself to not look at his watch for the time. He didn't know how long he had been in meditation and hoped it hadn't been too long. He had three other places to stop at after all.

He waited a moment, just staring back at the Tapu for any indication that it wanted a battle or not, before moving to stand up with Lucario following him a beat after him. Ash was unsure of what to do now since the Tapu didn't indicate, or tell, him anything and he didn't know if just walking away would seem disrespectful. So with slight hesitancy Ash started to walk away and it was only after a quick look behind him did he see that the cavern was empty once more as Tapu Koko had vanished.

Ash took a deep breath as he started the trek back down the tunnel to reach the entrance. Thankfully it was open when he reached it and was able to step out of the cool tunnel into the blazing heat once more. After telling Hala and Riley that he was successful and giving Hala many thanks for letting him do this the three were on their way out of the jungle and back to civilization where Riley and Ash would take a ferry to the other islands to visit their Dens.

Kahuna Olivia was louder than Hala had been and asked many questions, most Riley had answered for him. Ash felt bad seeing as his Mentor wasn't the most sociable of people, but he was glad to not have to field any overly curious questions from the woman. The Den for Tapu Lele was easier to get to and took just as quickly to get in and meditate. He was surprised that Lele didn't want to battle either, but perhaps it was because he was there for healing that the Tapu didn't want to fight. The Aura in the Den danced and sang of life, which made sense as the similar writing on the wall in her Den said that this was the place that life began.

Soon enough the two were on their way to the next Island. On the ferry Ash told Riley about his theory about why the Tapu so far hadn't wanted to fight with him, which was a sound theory seeing as Tapu Bulu didn't fight him either. But then again Kahuna Nanu, who they met up with on the last island, did say that Bulu was a bit lazy and didn't like to cause unnecessary violence. The Aura in Bulu's den fluctuated, but grew stronger as time went on just like the writing on the wall indicated, as this was the place where life grew and life wasn't always growing in a straight line.

The last Den Ash had to visit was Tapu Fini's on Poni Island. The sun had already started to set, but Ash was determined to get this done. The Island Kahuna, Hapu, was a hard worker if her Mudsdale showed anything about their work ethic with her well maintained musculature from carting things around. The Den was simple to get to thankfully, and soon enough Ash was inside kneeling on the ground like he had done three previous times. The Aura in the Den was filled with feelings of hope and somber, as this place was where life ends, if the writing on the wall was true. Healing the rest of his Core took longer here than anywhere else as Ash was hesitant on asking the Den's Aura for help, but his own Aura was excited for it.

In the end he let his Aura do what it wanted and soon enough he was staring at a fully healed core, stronger than ever.

His theory of the Tapu's not wanting to fight him since he was in the process of healing seemed to be coming true as he left Fini's Den still without battling a Tapu. He could tell though that two of the Tapu's he had visited had really wanted to battle him, so perhaps one day he'll come back to give them that battle. For now, he just wanted to get back to Paul and his partners and tell them the good news that his core was fully healed and refilling at an astonishing rate. He preened a bit when Riley ruffled his hair and congratulated him on the healed core before the two began their trek back.

Ash looked around feeling more joyful and content than he had in quite a long time. The earth seemed to sing and the wind even more playful. Everything felt so alive.

"Since your core has now been healed fully I will need to take my leave when we get back to the house," Riley whispered to him as the ferry took off from the pier to take them back to Melemele.

"Where will you go?" Ash asked as he fiddled with the hem of his shorts. He had enjoyed the time he had with his Mentor and was sad to see him leave again.

"I'm going to go see Aster," Riley replied, eyeing one of the workers as she walked past, "Take a short trip to that cave you told me about a while ago."

"Tell him I said hello?" the smaller teen asked with a small smile on his lips.

"Of course," Riley said, giving Ash a small smile of his own, "I'll message you with an update about him."

"Thank you," Ash replied, "For everything."

"It was no problem, Ash."

Ash let out a sigh as he watched Riley leave with his ever faithful Lucario at his side. He had offered to drive Riley to wherever he was going, but the man turned him down and instead told him to rest and spend time with Paul. Ash didn't protest too much after that, after all he loved spending time with his boyfriend. Ash closed the door and let out a sigh before turning to walk further into the house where he could smell Paul cooking. He took a moment to make a mental note to cook dinner for Paul soon since he had been doing all of the cooking lately. When he entered the kitchen he noticed the spread Paul had made for them.

"Looks really good," Ash said to praise Paul, "Can't wait to dig in."

"Go right ahead," Paul said, "It's mostly finger food anyway and all I need to do is pull the rest of the chicken out of the oil."

"I'll wait for you," Ash said with a shake of his head, "Do you want me to put on a movie?"

"Sure, how about Detective Pikachu?" Paul suggested making Ash smile and hold back a giggle. That movie was Paul's current favorite and they've already watched it a few times since they've been on the Islands. Once the movie was playing Ash set out to start getting their pokémon fed with Jangmo-o trailing behind him wherever he went and with Pikachu sitting on a bar stool watching him. He knew that his starter still wasn't happy that he had to be left behind, but Ash had to do what he needed to do. Even if that meant he had to reluctantly leave a partner behind.

Soon enough the two were sitting at the table, movie playing in the background, and enjoying the meal Paul made. Once they finished Ash insisted on doing the cleaning up and told Paul to get comfy on the couch where he would soon join for cuddles. He did his best to quickly wash up, scrub the surfaces, and make sure everyone had water before joining Paul on the couch for some much needed, and wanted, cuddles.

The two spoke softly about odds and ends and things in between while half heartedly paying attention to the movie. They even went into a second movie before something interrupted them. They had moved to lay down and Ash was none the wiser to the growing shadow in the corner, but Paul was well on alert. He felt the arm around his waist tighten and felt Paul tense up behind him making him turn his head to look at Paul in concern. Ash saw Paul staring at the corner of the room and saw the shadow steadily growing larger, but he wasn't concerned. It was a familiar event.

Ash sat up and told the alerted pokémon to stand down that it was just a friend as Marshadow stepped out of the shadow. The small fighter let out an excited hum before dashing over to Ash, who gave Marshadow a wide smile.

"Hey little guy, it's been a while!" Ash exclaimed and let Marshadow take his hand. His smile softened as Marshadow rubbed his cheek against Ash's hand with a soft hum.

"Paul, this is Marshadow," Ash said softly to introduce his boyfriend to the creature, "He's Darkrai's little helper. He usually only comes by when there's something wrong."Ash turned to Marshadow when he heard a sad hum and felt a slight tugging on his hand. He figured something was going on when he first saw the shadow, but he felt a sense of guilt for leaving Paul once again when he had just gotten some time to spend with him.

"I better see what's going on," Ash said softly and turned to Paul with a small sad smile on his face, "It shouldn't take me too long. I'll be back before you head to bed."

"Okay," Paul sighed out his answer, but his Aura didn't give Ash any sense that he was angry or annoyed by him having to leave. It didn't stop him from feeling guilty though. After telling Marshadow to wait a moment he went to gather some supplies he thought he might need, seeing as Marshadow usually only came to him when they needed help with Corruption. Once he shouldered his bag Pikachu jumped into his shoulder and held onto him tightly as if to say that Ash wasn't going to leave him behind again.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Ash said to Paul and gave him a soft kiss in apology, "promise." He heard Paul murmur something back and smile as he felt a small burst of what felt like love coming from Paul. The two hadn't said those three words to each other, but Ash felt like he could. He almost blurted it out when Marshadow took his hand, but he wanted the first time to feel more special than him saying it as he left.

He kept his eyes on Paul as Marshadow's shadows encased them and teleported them away. When he could see again he saw that they were outside this time, the sun was shining revealing the horrible scene beneath its rays. The ground looked like it was charcoal black, the grass was shriveled up like it had been burned, and the trees that surrounded the area had none of their leaves while once tall and proud flowers were wilted. Ash could see some of the pinky-red coloration of the flowers poking through the thick sludge that seemed to be covering just about every inch of the darkened space.

It reeked of Corruption.

Floating in front of the tainted area was Darkrai and in his arms lay a small figure. It was small and white with thick grass green fur along its back. On each side of its head held pinky-red flowers like the ones in the field. Ash slowly approached the two as he didn't want to scare the pokémon being held by Darkrai.

"Ash," the deep voice of Darkrai greeted Ash and he was glad to see that the dark creature was still healthy.

"Dakrai," Ash greeted back with a tilt to his head, "What's going on? It reeks of Corruption here."

"Shaymin here had come home from foraging to find her home like this," Darkrai said gesturing to the darkened earth, "These flowers are important to Shaymin and others of her kind. It is what helps them transform to migrate and helps to keep them healthy. A Shaymin without its Gracidea is a slow death."

"Please, help me." Shaymin pleaded as she looked at him from Darkrai's arms. Her green eyes wide in fright and filled with tears that pierced Ashs' heart.

"I'll do my best."

It's been a while since I did an update on what pokémon Ash has and their special characteristics for y'all so here it is-

Pikachu (Male) (Scar on his eyes)

Lucario (Male) (Half Albino)

Zoroark (Male)

Jangmo-o (Male) (Black Eyed Leucistic)

Noivern (Male) (Genetically Blue/Adaptive Evolution)

Luxray (Female) (Marie Antoinette Syndrome)

Gardevoir (Female) (Shiny)

Charizard (Male) (Albino)

Leafeon (Female) (Genetically Orange thanks to orange Leafstone)

Persian (Female) (Melanistic)

Aegislash (Female) (Shiny)

Slither Wing (N/A) (Tri-Type/Twin)

Kingdra (Male) (Large Scar starting from cheek down his chest)

Nidoking (Male) (Large puncture scar in the middle of his chest)

Krookodile (Male)

Snom (Female) (Twin)

Rockruff (Male)

Tyrantrum (Male)

Ninetales (Female) (Alolan Variant)

Mewtwo (N/A)

Mewtwo X (N/A Female Pronouns)

Mewtwo Y (N/A Male Pronouns)