Hello again readers. I THINK I went faster this time, not that it was any easier to get it out. Not much to say about this chapter since it's merely a continuation of the previous one. Before we begin though, I want to give a HUGE shoutout to my friend and fellow Pokeshipper Skylight Sparkle, who graciously granted my request for help when I felt I needed it most.

If you haven't checked out her AU Pokeshipping series, then I question what you're waiting for. She's quickly become one of the elites on , and I've begun taking cues from her as the way she writes aura is admirable in every sense of the word. So if you begin seeing some similarities here and there in how we write how aura works, know that I learned it from Sky and she deserves every ounce of credit.

So once again, thank you Sky for helping me out with this chapter and making it so much better than it would've been without your help. And to you my dear readers, go to her profile and start reading her series "The Road You Choose", I guarantee you will not regret it. With all that said, on with the show!

I own nothing except the story.
_

Misty's POV

…This...can't...be...happening...

Normal POV

For Ash, Misty and Brock, the sight of the Salon Maiden of Kanto's Battle Frontier came as an extreme shock. All three of them were dealing with very different emotional states as they tried to process what they were seeing. "Anabel...no way..." the black-haired trainer gaped.

Although Ash had originally mistaken Anabel for a boy during their first meeting a year ago, there was no chance of anyone making the same error now. The lilac-eyed girl had grown her hair out a bit, and changed her hairstyle so instead of having a small ponytail in the back and a pointed tip at the top, it fell simply to her shoulders in waves, her bangs however were still cut in the familiar style they'd always known. Her body's curves had become ever-so-slightly more defined, and the outfit she always wore flattered them nicely, just enough so that there would be no more mistaking the Salon Maiden for a male. "It's nice to see you again Ash."

Palmer put down his microphone and looked down at his fellow Tower Tycoon. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Anabel smiled and nodded at Palmer. "Ash came to challenge me at my Battle Tower several months ago." She looked over to Ash, "I was able to defeat him the first time he challenged me, but the second time he was able to find a way to negate my psychic link with my Espeon." Her smile became a little wider. "It was really something."

"Heh...yeah." Ash rubbed the back of his neck.

Meanwhile, back on the sidelines, Brock was quickly trying to do some damage control. "Misty, I know what you're thinking, but remember, Ash isn't interested. I told you about her crush on him and the results of that crush. He was totally oblivious," he whispered in her ear.

"I..." With teeth gritted, Misty clenched and unclenched her fists several times before finally taking a deep and slow breath and forcing herself to calm down. Finally she managed a neutral expression and kept her fists unclenched as her arms hung limply at her sides. "I'm ok," she sighed. "I just need to get used to the fact that Ash has a tendency to worm his way into the hearts of a lot of girls." She chuckled a bit, "Which is understandable, he has the gentlest and sincerest heart of any man I've ever met."

"There ya go Misty, there's no reason to be mad." Dawn patted the taller girl's shoulder. "After all, you know Ash loves you. Even if Anabel does still like him, it's not gonna matter in the end, the same thing happened already with Angie."

"I guess you have a point," Misty consented. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

As for Ash, he was having his own internal struggle, but his was caused by something he was hoping not to find out about. Thanks to his aura, he could sense Anabel's feelings towards him still going strong, and that made the black-haired trainer uncomfortable. "I better be careful, Anabel might catch my thoughts." When Ash didn't sense a change in Anabel's aura, he breathed an internal sigh of relief that Anabel was apparently keeping her gift to herself. "So are we gonna battle or what?!"

"Sounds good to me!" Palmer raised his microphone back to his mouth, "Alright, this battle will be a two-on-two double battle! Anabel and myself will be facing off against Ash and a partner of his own choosing!" Palmer gave a toothy smirk to the young trainer, "So Ash, who will it be?"

"OOH! Pick me Ash! We'll wipe the floor with my dad and that other girl!" Barry shouted as he jumped up and down with his hands in the air, drawing sweat-drops from everyone else.

Without hesitation, Ash looked over his shoulder and made his choice. "Misty."

"WHAT?!" Barry face-faulted, which got everyone else to laugh at him now, "This is SO NOT FAIR!"

Misty wordlessly walked onto the field and stood next to Ash on his right side, standing tall as she glared determinedly at their opponents. "I hope you two are ready for the battle of your lives," she said as she reached for a Pokéball. "When Ash and I are teamed up in battle, there's no one who can stand in our way."

Ash watched her as she made her comments, and he could sense in her aura that she was upset by the appearance of Anabel. Deciding he needed to do something about that, Ash turned to his opponents and nodded an affirmative. "She's right ya know, we're not just an awesome team because we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we both know how the other battles, and we can play off each other's strengths and weaknesses." He directed his attention directly to Anabel. "You can sense feelings Anabel, you know I'm not bluffing." Ash grabbed his own Pokéball. "I hope you're ready."

Anabel's smile turned sad, she had heard through the Kanto grapevine that Misty had left her Gym Leader post to travel with Ash again, but it had never truly sunk in until now. Along with the feelings of determination coming from the couple facing her and Palmer, she could sense a distinct sense of jealousy coming from Misty, and what seemed to be remorse from Ash. "That's just like you to not want to hurt me Ash...don't you worry, even though I know you can't sense this, I'm ready for whatever you've got for me."

Ash smirked a bit as he sensed the lift in her aura, "Bring it on Anabel."

Anabel had only mere seconds to be stunned by Ash's declaration and sudden emotional change, "Perhaps I thought too soon."

"Is anybody else weirded out by this?" Kenny asked, "What's with all the quiet staring and glaring?"

"I think I know what's happening," Brock gasped in realization.

"What is it Brock?" Dawn asked.

The breeder didn't get to answer, as Palmer had officially gotten tired of being patient, "Alright! Time to get this battle started!" The Sinnoh Tower Tycoon reached for a Pokéball and tossed it out like a baseball pitcher, "Rhyperior, go!" With a flash of white light, boulders suddenly burst out of the ground surrounding the huge Pokémon that roared upon release.

"Whoa...that Pokémon's huge." Ash gulped in shock.

"Wow there it is!" Barry exclaimed in excitement, "Dad's Rhyperior!"

"That thing is gigantic! I wouldn't wanna meet that Pokémon in a dark alley!" Daisy exclaimed.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan the new Pokémon. "Rhyperior, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rhydon. Rhyperior can concentrate strength in its body and expand, causing the stone in its hand to launch," the Pokédex chirped.

Palmer chuckled as he listened to Ash's Pokédex finish its explanation, and he crossed his arms smugly over his chest as he closed his eyes and smirked, "Never have I met a match for my Rhyperior as Battle Tower challengers fall in defeat." Palmer opened his eyes and snickered at the two trainers, "Now you shall experience its strength!"

"A rock/ground-type?" Misty scoffed. "You're playing right into my hands Palmer."

"Is that so?" Palmer grinned. "Well in that case, perhaps it's time my partner for this battle made her own Pokémon known!"

Anabel smiled and nodded as she reached for her own Pokéball, "I hope you're ready for a rematch Ash! Go, my friend!" With a flash of white light, the Salon Maiden's chosen Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball, and was revealed to be none other than Anabel's Espeon.

"So that's an Espeon." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex.

"Espeon, the Sun Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. It uses the fine hairs that cover its body to sense air currents and predict an opponent's movement," the Pokédex chirped.

"I'm sure you're well aware of what my Espeon is capable of," Anabel said with a confident gleam in her eye.

"I sure do." Ash glanced over at Misty, "Be careful Mist, Espeon knows Zap Cannon, and it's actually pretty accurate with it. It's also a lot faster than you'd think. Pikachu and I had a heck of a time beating it the last time."

"Is that a fact?" Misty smirked, "I'm not worried, as a Gym Leader I had to make myself acquainted with all the others Leaders and Brains in Kanto. I know what Anabel's made of, and I know what her Espeon is made of too."

"Really now?" Anabel smirked right back. "Then by all means, let us begin."

"Why is there so much tension in the air? They're not saying anything terrible to each other and yet it feels like the air around here is too thick to breathe!" Leona said with her hand clenched over her chest.

Brock crossed his arms and frowned. "It's a long story. When Ash, me, May and Max met up with Anabel in the Kanto Battle Frontier, it was obvious after a little while that Anabel had a huge crush on Ash. Misty may claim that she's alright, but it's clear to me that she's still bothered by the knowledge that Anabel is a potential rival for Ash's affections." Brock frowned deeper. "On top of that all that, I'm willing to bet that Ash's aura and Anabel's empathic abilities are crossing paths somehow. They can sense what the other is feeling, and maybe even what the other is thinking."

"So what? You're saying that Ash and Anabel are gonna be using their abilities to try and counter each other in battle?" Kenny asked.

"I'm sure he'll try, and so will Anabel...but what I'm worried about is their emotional states," Brock explained. "Ash has probably sensed by now that Anabel either did or does have feelings for him. It's one thing for someone to tell him that she did, but now he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt, and Ash is probably trying to think of a way that he can handle this situation without hurting Anabel's feelings while still making sure he doesn't hurt Misty's in the process."

"That sounds...really complicated," Candice groaned.

"And more than a little sad if you ask me," Dawn sighed. "I guess there are some downsides to having aura."

Back on the battlefield, Misty had rethought her choice and reached for a different Pokéball, and she smirked as she tossed it onto the battlefield, "Let's show 'em what we're made of! Misty calls Vaporeon!" With a flash of light, Misty's own evolution of Eevee emerged from her ball and stretched upon release. "Alright Vaporeon, you ready for this?!" Vaporeon looked back at her trainer and nodded before glaring at Espeon determinedly.

"I can sense the deep connection you have with your Vaporeon, Misty." Anabel smiled, "I commend you on building that friendship."

"Oh..." Misty blinked, "Um...thanks." She shook her head, "But that's not gonna stop me from wiping the floor with you two!"

Palmer snickered and directed his attention to Ash, "And you Ash? Who will your choice be?!"

Ash gritted his teeth as he shuffled through his Pokéballs. "Ok...Rhyperior's a rock-type and a ground-type, and both types weigh a lot! That's gotta mean speed would be important to beat it..." Ash was about to go for Buizel's Pokéball when he stopped short, "But...so far all the other Gym Leaders I've challenged have been able to take on challengers who know about their weak points...Palmer's gotta have a strategy to handle quick opponents." Ash's eyes shifted ever-so-slightly towards Anabel. "Not to mention Anabel's Espeon and its Zap Cannon would make quick work of Buizel since Espeon is really fast too..."

"You're unsure of yourself."

Ash was taken out of his thoughts by the sudden comment by the lilac-haired Frontier Brain, who was smirking at him with a hand on her hips. Ash smirked back, "Just thinking it through, I've learned that just jumping in headfirst leads to a lot of trouble." Finally making his choice, Ash grabbed a Pokéball and enlarged it, "So instead of going with a water-type, I'm gonna mix things up a little! Grotle, I choose you!" Grotle emerged from his Pokéball and stomped the ground with purpose, but the two opposing Pokémon were unfazed by the show of determination.

"I would've thought Buizel would've been Ash's first choice." Dawn tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah, I mean, with all due respect to Ash's Grotle, there's no way it can beat that monster in a brawn versus brawn battle," Daisy added as she scratched her head.

Barry scoffed. "Ash is clearly underestimating Dad's Rhyperior," he said with an annoyed frown and his arms crossed. "I wouldn't have dared to assume my Pokémon could out-muscle it."

Candice just smirked. "Don't assume you know what Ash's strategy is gang." Her comment gained everyone's attention. "Keep in mind that Ash is facing two opponents, not one. Ash may not have chosen Grotle because he thought Grotle was stronger than Rhyperior, maybe he chose Grotle so he could go up against Anabel's Espeon while Misty handled Barry's dad and his Rhyperior."

Brock smiled. "You know, you're right Candice!" He turned back to the battlefield. "Vaporeon is a much better matchup overall than Grotle is because of their differing styles of battling, and Grotle can keep Vaporeon covered with his resistance to electric-type attacks, which Espeon could use to take out Vaporeon pretty quick if Misty got caught off-guard."

"Splendid analysis you two!" Prof. Oak exclaimed. "I must say, those young people make an excellent team." He chuckled warmly.

Sayer then walked up to the side of the battlefield to act as the referee for the battle. "The two-on-two battle between Tower Tycoons Palmer and Anabel versus the challengers Ash and Misty will now begin!" He shouted over the crowd, "Neither side will be allowed to exchange Pokémon, first move goes to the challenger!"

"Misty, let me take the first shot, I'm gonna see just how strong Palmer's Rhyperior is."

The redhead nodded, "Got it, I'll cover you."

Sayer raised his hand in the air and gave the signal for things to get started, "Battle begin!"

"Now Grotle, Energy Ball, let's go!" The large turtle opened his mouth and formed a green ball of sparking energy, and launched it at the Drill Pokémon who took the hit and was quickly enveloped by the smoke of the detonated attack.

"And it's a direct hit by Grotle!" Johanna announced.

"Yes!" Ash pumped a fist in excitement, but his grin quickly disappeared when the smoke cleared and revealed nothing but a smirking Rhyperior who seemed to take no damage from the super-effective move. "What the?"

Misty turned her head slightly to the left to look at her stunned boyfriend, "Guess that answers that, huh Ash?"

"I know that Rhyperior is really strong, but it's still a ground and rock-type Pokémon!" Dawn exclaimed. "Grotle's grass-type move should have done something! I don't get it!"

Barry grinned and put his hands on his hips. "Then listen up," he said smugly. "Rhyperior's Solid Rock ability. It limits the damage caused by any attack it's weak against."

"So that means even Misty's gonna have trouble doing damage to Rhyperior since water-type moves are also super-effective against it!" Kenny said in awe. "That Rhyperior of Palmer's is no pushover, that's for sure."

"Ash, that's quite an 'Energy Ball' Grotle's got there, which shows me you've clearly raised your Pokémon well," Palmer said with his eyes closed and his arms crossed nonchalantly.

"Oh of course," Anabel spoke up, "any Pokémon of Ash's is guaranteed to be raised well, that's just the type of trainer he is."

"Indeed." Palmer nodded towards his fellow Tower Tycoon, "That said, to Rhyperior, Grotle's attack was little more than a cool breeze." He grinned. "Now then, you've had your chance, now it's our turn! Alright, let's really get things moving with Rock Polish!"

As Rhyperior smashed its fists together and started glowing red, Anabel made her own move, in her own way. "Espeon, use Quick Attack on Vaporeon!"

The Sun Pokémon suddenly surged ahead, and before Misty could even react, Vaporeon had been tackled to the ground just as Rhyperior had stopped glowing. "Huh?!"

"Not again." Ash growled in frustration. "Alright Grotle, Razor Leaf on Espeon now! Help Vaporeon!" The Grove Pokémon reared back and then jerked his body forward, sending a storm of leaves flying at the psychic-type assaulting Misty's Pokémon. Unfortunately for them, Rhyperior suddenly appeared out of nowhere, taking the hit as if it was nothing and blocking Grotle's path to Espeon. "H-How'd Rhyperior move so fast?"

The group on the sidelines gasped in shock, all except for Barry who still just looked incredibly proud and smug. "Told ya, don't underestimate Dad's Rhyperior, 'kay?"

"Since Rock Polish greatly increases a Pokémon's speed, things aren't looking so good for Grotle and Vaporeon right now!" Brock exclaimed. "Misty's gonna have to find a way to counter Espeon on her own since Rhyperior won't let Grotle help Vaporeon!"

"This battle's only just getting started! Vaporeon, Shadow Ball!"

"Dodge it!" Espeon immediately backed off just as Vaporeon launched her attack, and the ghostly orb flew over the Sun Pokémon who casually watched it go by before turning back to face its opponent. "Now use Zap Cannon!" From the gem on Espeon's head came a crackling ball of electricity, and the water-type dodged it purely out of instinct.

"Yes! We've got them on the ropes! Sandstorm, go!"

"Espeon, back away!"

With Palmer's order of Sandstorm made, Espeon gracefully leaped over to stand next to Rhyperior at Anabel's psychic command, and the Drill Pokémon swung its arm and caused a swirling vortex of sand to appear and surround both Grotle and Vaporeon.

"Hang in there Grotle!"

"Hold on Vaporeon!"

Palmer snickered as he called out his next attack. "Rock Wrecker, go!" Rhyperior put its palms close together, and small chunks of rock shot out from both its palms, forming into a gigantic boulder between its hands that it threw into the sandstorm, and it was rewarded by the pained groans of both trapped Pokémon. "Care to take a shot Anabel?"

Anabel nodded, "Zap Cannon!" Espeon launched its own attack, and more groans were heard as the electric-type move made contact, just before Rhyperior followed up with another Sandstorm, strengthening the raging winds surrounding the two Pokémon.

"Things aren't looking good," Leona gulped.

"With Rhyperior and Espeon pounding away with attacks, Grotle and Vaporeon don't have any time to counter!" Tracey exclaimed. "If they're gonna have any hope of pulling this battle out of the fire, someone's gonna have to make a move, and quick!"

"There's gotta be something we can do..." Ash said to himself as he watched helplessly. Suddenly, his eyes widened as an idea came to him.

"An experienced user can read minds, sense feelings, you saw me create a forcefield with aura, and of course you can use aura to speak using only your mind, provided that the connection with the person or Pokémon you're doing it with is strong enough...and that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"That's it...I know how to beat them," he whispered to himself as Riley's words came back to him. "Misty...Misty!"

Meanwhile on the other end of the field, Anabel was sensing something strange happening with Ash. "What is he doing?" She thought to herself. "It's almost like his feelings and thoughts are being amplified and shrouded to me all at the same time!"

"Come on Misty, Riley said that if we have a strong enough connection we'd be able to speak with our minds, and there's no one I share a stronger connection with than you!" Ash summoned all the strength he could and channeled it into his aura, and a very faint blue glow suddenly surrounded his clenched fists. "MISTY!"

Suddenly, the redhead's eyes widened, and she looked over at Ash in shock. "Did you just-"

"It worked!" Ash smiled through the effort he was exerting, "Misty, listen up! The only way we're gonna be able to beat these two is if we beat Anabel at her own game! I'm gonna try and make sure we keep this connection, so that way we can plan things out without announcing it ahead of time to them!"

Anabel sensed the sudden surge of pride coming from Misty, but the fact that she could no longer sense exactly what was going through Ash's heart despite the intensified feeling was leaving the Salon Maiden with a major headache. "This is so strange, nothing like this has ever happened to me before!" She shook her head violently and attempted to block out whatever was happening with Ash, choosing instead to focus solely on Espeon. "Espeon, I know you can sense something strange happening with Ash, I can too. Let's focus on each other and maybe we'll be able to block out that strange feeling!"

"Anabel, are you alright?" Palmer asked with a concerned expression.

Anabel smiled and held her head for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I'm alright now. Let's finish this battle!"

But then suddenly, a bright glow came from within the Sandstorm, confusing both Tower Tycoons, "What's going on in there?!" Palmer exclaimed.

Ash gritted his teeth as sweat began beading up on his forehead. He had managed to send a faint aura message to Grotle to activate Synthesis, and the Grove Pokémon had picked up on the order and followed through, healing himself through the opening at the top of the swirling storm. "This is...starting to get a little tough!"

"Ash, don't overexert yourself!" Misty said aloud in concern. "I don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday!"

"I'm ok," Ash panted. "You heard my plan?" The redhead nodded an affirmative. "Good, then let's do it!"

"Alright Vaporeon, jump up and break up that Sandstorm with Blizzard!" Once the command was given, Vaporeon leaped over Grotle's head and unleashed a furious ice-type move that not only broke apart the Sandstorm, but the remains of the attack struck both Rhyperior and Espeon, who had been caught off-guard by the move. "Nice work Vaporeon, now Aqua Ring!"

"It would appear that they've switched into recovery mode, but how in the world did they manage to give orders to their Pokémon without actually ordering them?" Palmer wondered in awe.

"I have a hunch that it has something to do with that strange feeling I was receiving from Ash." Anabel had managed to block out the uncomfortable phenomenon with some help from her Espeon, but as she took a good, hard look at Ash's form, she spotted the faint glow surrounding his fists. "What in the world is that?"

"I think Anabel just figured out that something's going on, Mist."

"Can she do anything about it?"

Ash did his best to keep a straight face, but the effort he was putting forth to keep up the mental communication with Misty was starting to take its toll. "I don't think so...but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep this up, we've gotta find a way to give ourselves an edge!" Ash suddenly sensed a lift in the redhead's aura. "You have an idea?"

Misty grinned. "Anabel's not the only one who can give orders without actually saying them!" she said aloud. The redhead whistled loudly, and that prompted Vaporeon to look over her shoulder just as the Aqua Ring wore off. Misty then waved her arms in a pattern, and the water-type grinned knowingly before turning back to her opponent and charging ahead with a Quick Attack.

"W-What?!" Anabel exclaimed in shock when Vaporeon charged after Misty's odd movements. "Quickly Espeon, dodge that!" Espeon prepared to leap over the charging Vaporeon, but just as it left the ground, Vaporeon did as well with a Water Pulse charged and ready to fire, "Huh?!" Vaporeon fired, and Espeon squealed in pain as it was knocked back from the point-blank strike. "But how?"

"Misty's using her hand signals to give non-verbal orders again!" Dawn exclaimed.

"With Misty's hand signals thrown into the equation, Anabel can't just focus on catching Ash and Misty off-guard, since she can't know what's coming before it happens anymore!" The breeder chuckled. "I'd say this battle just got a bit more interesting."

"Ash, Vaporeon and I will take care of Espeon, see if you and Grotle can put a dent in Rhyperior's defenses!"

"You got it Mist!" As Misty gave another shrill whistle, spurring Vaporeon into action once more, Ash gave his own command, "Ok Grotle, use Razor Leaf on Rhyperior, let's go!" Grotle reared back and fired, but again Rhyperior just moved out of the way and let the attack fly by. "Guess Rock Polish hasn't worn off yet."

"You and Misty are full of surprises Ash, but make no mistake, no amount of hocus-pocus will be enough to win you this battle! Megahorn!" Charging ahead at a much greater speed than usual, Rhyperior's horn glowed white with power as it prepared to smash into the large turtle with the super-effective move.

"Oh man, that thing's moving really fast!" Kenny gulped.

Barry just snickered. "Let's see Ash get outta this."

"Guess we'll have to get in their face!" Ash focused on his aura once more in hopes of catching Rhyperior off-guard with an unannounced move. "Grotle...Energy Ball, did you hear? ENERGY BALL!" Grotle apparently got the message as he formed the attack in his mouth. "Keep bringing Rhyperior close..." By now beads of sweat had begun dripping down Ash's face from the exertion, and exhaustion was starting to set in. "Gotta...focus..." The black-haired trainer wiped his brow and sighed with fatigue, but that split-second of hesitation would prove to be costly, as suddenly Rhyperior's Megahorn made contact with Grotle's Energy Ball. "Oh no, our timing got totally off!"

Vaporeon and Espeon, who had previously been trading blows with each other, stopped in mid-attack to see what was suddenly causing a blinding light to shine all across the area. "Ash, what happened?!" Misty exclaimed.

"I-I dunno, I-I took a second to catch my breath and...then this!" Ash and everyone else in the area shielded their eyes as the light became too bright for them to look at directly. Rhyperior backed off as the Energy Ball began to grow even larger, and the residual effects of its Megahorn unintentionally pushed the Energy Ball back into Grotle's mouth, who unwittingly swallowed it from being so stunned. "Grotle no!"

Almost immediately after swallowing it however, a burst of green energy shot up into the sky from the two bushes on Grotle's back, and after the initial blast, it continued to emanate energy as a bright green glow shined all across the battlefield. "Hey folks, what's happening out there?!" Barry asked in shock.

"And what's with that light?" Leona added.

"I...have no idea." Brock turned to the only man who might've had some clue. "Prof. Oak?"

But the world-renowned scientist looked just as stunned as everyone else. "Your guess is as good as mine everyone, never in all my years have I witnessed anything quite like this!"

"What's going on...?" Ash whispered to himself in awe. "Suddenly I feel a ton of energy coming right from Grotle..."

"Amazing!" Johanna suddenly announced. "It seems that Grotle has somehow absorbed the power of the Energy Ball after it exploded in his mouth!"

"Could that really be it Professor?" Tracey asked.

Prof. Oak scratched his chin in thought. "It's an excellent theory to say the least," the scientist conceded. "Whatever has happened doesn't seem to have caused Grotle any harm, in fact I daresay that Grotle appears to now be stronger than ever! This is incredibly fascinating!"

Dawn hummed with interest. "Awesome," she said with a wide smile, "and interesting too."

Barry gave her a weird look, "Did you say 'interesting'?"

"She sure did." Kenny grinned knowingly. "And I know exactly what she's thinking, if that really didn't hurt Grotle in any way, then that glow could be useful in future contests. It's worth testing out with our Pokémon."

Finally the energy stopped floating into the air, but the bushes on Grotle's back were now glowing brighter than ever and seemed to be sparking with power as if they were both Energy Balls themselves. "Hey, it was unexpected, but I'll take what I can get!" Ash exclaimed with a laugh.

"I'll tell you, I've been a Frontier Brain for a while, I know guts when I see them and you've got 'em Ash!" Palmer pointed directly at Grotle, "Rock Wrecker!" No longer stunned by what was happening, Rhyperior formed another huge boulder and prepared to launch it.

"I don't think so! Vaporeon, Water Pulse, full blast!" As Vaporeon rushed forward to attack the ground/rock-type, Misty turned to face her boyfriend. "Let's switch dance-partners for a sec, use that energy boost Grotle's got and take care of Espeon!"

Ash grinned. "You got it Mist! Alright Grotle, use Razor Leaf!" With a loud battle-cry, Grotle reared back and fired leaves from the bushes on his back, and they flew towards Espeon at speeds that neither it nor Anabel were even remotely prepared for, and the attack hit with more power than any normal Razor Leaf ever could. "Yeah! We're really rollin' now!"

"My friend, are you alright?" Anabel asked. Espeon bared its teeth as it tried to mentally block out the pain, but it was clear that the Sun Pokémon was beginning to run low on energy. "You and Misty really do make an excellent team Ash, and I don't know how you've managed to keep me from sensing your feelings, but I do know that I've got my own surprise up my sleeve!" Anabel closed her eyes and focused, "Use Morning Sun, quickly!" Espeon began to glow white with energy, and then moments later yellow rays of light shined outward from the Sun Pokémon's body.

"Whoa, what's that?" Dawn asked.

"That move's called Morning Sun! It works similarly to Synthesis as it heals the user by absorbing energy from the sun, and it can be strengthened or weakened depending on the weather or what time of day it is!" Brock explained.

"That's a new one," Ash growled.

On the other side of the battlefield, Vaporeon had just dodged Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker and launched a powerful Water Pulse that actually managed to hurt the Drill Pokémon, who was still hunched over after using its attack. "Need some help Ash?!" Misty shouted.

"Let's double-team Anabel. Wait for me to make my move, then have Vaporeon attack! I've got a plan!"

"Got it! Now shut down this aura stuff before you pass out or something!"

Ash grinned in spite of his exhaustion and shook his head in amusement at Misty's blunt command. "Alright Grotle, let's use Bite on Espeon!"

As Grotle lumbered forward, Espeon expertly leaped over the turtle's head and landed behind him, but then it was struck down by a Shadow Ball that Misty had wordlessly ordered through yet another hand signal. "Ok Vaporeon, now follow up with Quick Attack!" the water-trainer ordered out loud.

Vaporeon surged forward to attack, but Espeon quickly recovered and jumped into the air, blinding Vaporeon as she was forced to stare into the sun to try and get a glimpse of the psychic-type's silhouette. When it came back down again, it did so with a double-somersault that culminated into a brutal Iron Tail that sent the Bubble Jet Pokémon flying through the air before landing and sliding across the dirt on her side. "Now Espeon, use Psychic!"

By this time, Rhyperior had recovered from using Rock Wrecker, and was ready to get back into the fight. "Excellent Rhyperior! Alright, use Rock Wrecker now!"

"Grotle, use Rock Climb!" Grotle roared yet another battle-cry as the claws on his feet glowed white and grew longer, then the Grove Pokémon reared back and slammed his front legs into the ground, causing a huge mountain to appear in the middle of the battlefield where the now surprised Rhyperior and Espeon had previously been standing.

"Quick Vaporeon, jump on Grotle's back!"

Vaporeon got back on her feet and jumped onto the Grove Pokémon's back, and then Grotle began climbing up the side of the mountain using Rock Climb. Rhyperior had somehow managed to keep the Rock Wrecker intact, and it took aim and threw the huge boulder just as Espeon launched a Zap Cannon. Luckily, Grotle managed to dodge both attacks as they exploded behind him, and he slammed into Rhyperior and sent it tumbling backwards just after Vaporeon leaped off and launched a Shadow Ball at the Sun Pokémon, who took the hit and squealed in pain from the effects of the super-effective move.

"Let's finish this!" Spurred on by Ash's encouragement, Grotle pressed his attack and slammed into Rhyperior once more, and this time the Drill Pokémon grabbed onto the grass-type's head and back, only to be pushed backwards by its determined and supercharged opponent.

"I'm through with these mind-games!" Misty shouted, "Vaporeon, trap Espeon in a Blizzard!" the Bubble Jet Pokémon summoned her most powerful snowstorm yet, and the result was Espeon being completely blinded visually as the snow pounded against its extra sensitive fur.

The lack of sight caused Espeon to panic, and the psychic backlash caused Anabel to wince. "It's happening again. Espeon, you've got to calm down!" But it was already too late, Misty had already given a shrill whistle with a sort of melody to it, and moments later a Shadow Ball smacked into Espeon's face along with the remains of the Blizzard, bringing forth a horrified gasp from the Salon Maiden's mouth. "Espeon!"

"This battle is over! Vaporeon, one more time! Shadow Ball!"

"I will not let it end this way! Espeon, Zap Cannon now!" It took a moment for Espeon to register the verbal command, but once it did, it launched the electric-type attack and it collided with Vaporeon's ghost-type attack, causing an explosion that blocked the two Eevee evolutions completely from view.

"What an explosion! But which Pokémon has emerged victorious?!" Johanna exclaimed through her microphone.

Meanwhile - empowered by the boost given by swallowing the Energy Ball - Grotle had pushed Rhyperior all the way to the edge of the mountain, and was just about to push it off and end the battle then and there. The Drill Pokémon refused to give up and slammed its tail into the ground, creating a divot where it landed and using its tail as an anchor to keep from losing anymore ground.

"You got this Grotle! Rhyperior's Solid Rock is no match for you now! Take it down!" Ash shouted over the crowd which had suddenly started to cheer even louder.

Palmer watched as his most powerful Pokémon struggled to hold back the grass-type's strength, silently awed by the sheer determination both he and his trainer were exhibiting. "No one's ever battled Rhyperior this hard before!" he said to himself before chuckling in satisfaction. "Good thing I remembered to show up! Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!"

"Grotle! Energy Ball!"

Both Pokémon charged up their most powerful attacks for the whole match. Rhyperior had formed an extra large boulder this time while Grotle's Energy Ball was nearly double the size it would normally be thanks to the boost the previous Energy Ball had granted him.

"DO IT!" both trainers shouted.

Rhyperior lifted the boulder up over its head and was about to slam it into Grotle's back just as Grotle was about to launch his own attack, but almost at the instant both attacks were used, a sleek figure appeared out of nowhere with a ball of energy in front of its face, and it added its own attack right in-between the two others, causing a massive explosion which demolished the mountain that Rock Climb had formed and covered the whole battlefield.

Everyone shielded their eyes when the light from the explosion flashed, and when it died down, the crowd and the battling trainers waited with baited breath to find out if the battle would continue, or if someone had emerged victorious.

"That was incredible, but who won?!" Dawn exclaimed.

"And was it Vaporeon or Espeon who jumped in to help at the last second?!" Kenny added.

When the dust finally cleared, there were four Pokémon revealed, and only two were still standing. They were clearly exhausted, but they were smiling from their victory nonetheless. "Both Rhyperior and Espeon are unable to battle! Which means Grotle and Vaporeon get the win! Victory goes to the challenging team of Ash and Misty!"

The crowd roared in approval as the couple celebrated on their side of the field, their Pokémon hurrying over to join them. "We did it Misty! We beat 'em!" Ash laughed as he hoisted Misty in his arms.

The redhead squealed with joy before Ash put her back down, and they shared one last victory hug before kneeling down to give their attention to their respective Pokémon. "Hey, was there ever any doubt?" Misty winked playfully.

"They did it! I can't believe it!" Daisy jumped up and down with joy, using Tracey's shoulders to give herself a boost. In her excitement she failed to notice the artist's obvious discomfort with every bounce. "Can you believe it babe?!"

"I can't believe it Daisy." Tracey grabbed her hands to get her to stop, and chuckled when the ecstatic smile never left her face as she continued to cheer. "Yep, she's definitely into it," he said to himself.

"I can't believe they actually beat my dad!" Barry shouted in anger as he stomped his feet. "I'm gonna fine you both so hard for embarrassing my family like this!"

"Oh chill out," Candice scoffed playfully. "You know you can't argue they both battled with some major kiai. They earned that victory!" Candice giggled a bit when Barry stopped his ranting thanks to her comment, but he was still obviously put out as he slumped and crossed his arms with rage. "Eh, close enough."

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were being congratulated by their defeated opponents, both of whom were smiling at them in a graceful acceptance of their defeat. "Ash, Misty, that battle was a lot of fun," the Sinnoh Tower Tycoon said. "No one has ever managed to beat my Rhyperior, and here you two managed to defeat me and my fellow Tower Tycoon. You both have certainly earned this victory."

"Indeed you have." Anabel nodded. "I won't lie, you certainly caught us off-guard with all your unique techniques, especially that Energy Ball boost."

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Well Anabel, to be totally honest...we were more surprised than you," he said as he scratched the back of his head.

Anabel then turned her attention to Misty, who once again had a rather neutral expression on her face. "And Misty, I was thoroughly impressed with how you battled, your hand signals and whistles kept me guessing the entire time." The Salon Maiden held out her hand for Misty to shake, and after she looked at it for a moment, the redhead finally relinquished a smile and accepted the friendly gesture.

"Ash," Palmer said, "and Misty...you've shown me your skills and done what no other challenger has ever been able to accomplish." Palmer held out the trophy and presented it to the black-haired trainer. "Congratulations on winning the Battle Challenge. I'm happy to present you with this."

"Whoa, Palmer, thanks!" Ash took the trophy and immediately a gleam appeared in his eye. "Mist, care to join me?"

Misty relinquished a sighing laugh and shook her head in amusement. "Sure, why not?" The redhead took hold of the trophy while Ash held the other side.

The couple raised the trophy in the air and did a celebratory pose in victory. "Alright! We just won...the gold trophy!"

"Pi pika chu!"

"Gro tle!"

"Va va po!"

At that moment, Johanna decided to take back control of the event. "Palmer, Anabel, Ash, and Misty," she said with a cute wink, "thank you so much for an exciting battle." The former top coordinator smiled widely. "And now, it's time for a celebration, so I wanna see some dancing and singing!"

The crowd cheered and began heading off to the center of Twinleaf Town, where several booths for food and games had been moved to for the end of the Twinleaf Festival. By this time, the sun had gone down and the area was being lit up by several paper lamps that had been hung by streamers all over the area. In the center of the town was a tall platform where the DJ had set up shop, and was currently playing music that could be heard all throughout the Festival grounds via speakers that picked up on the wireless signals.

The group had let out some of their Pokémon to join the fun. Pikachu and Buneary had gone off with Piplup and Vaporeon to get some more Octillery snacks since the group had eaten all of the ones Palmer gave them during the Battle Challenge. Prinplup and Empoleon were chatting it up over by the "Hit the Camerupt" game, with Leona's Swinub standing in-between them listening to them exchange stories of battles they'd had. Politoed was once again trying to get Croagunk's attention (to no avail) as the poison/fighting-type stared at his own reflection in a puddle, and Tracey's Marill was having a happy reunion with Misty's Azurill. As for Riolu, he had decided to make an appearance and hang on Ash's shoulder where Pikachu normally sat, clearly in awe over how the decorations looked at night.

"Wow! Mom, Noelle and the others really did a good job with the decorating!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, this place looks great!" Brock replied. "I know you were originally embarrassed by the idea of your mom running the Festival, but I think she's done a great job."

"For sure!" Kenny said. "In fact, I think this is the best Twinleaf Festival we've ever had! Maybe we should get your mom to run the show every year!"

Dawn laughed nervously, "Let's take it one year at a time."

The group laughed at that, but their attention was soon grabbed by Anabel who had shyly approached them from behind, her faithful Espeon by her side. "Um, Ash, Misty...would it be ok if I talked to you two for a moment?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment before turning to their friends who were quietly watching the exchange take place. "We'll be right back guys, go ahead and start having some fun." Ash led the two girls over to a more quiet spot, and he frowned when he sensed the dimness of her aura. "So what's up Anabel? Everything ok?"

Anabel took a deep breath and sighed before looking them both in the eyes. "I just wanted to apologize to you Misty, I could sense that you were upset over the fact that I once had feelings for Ash."

The water-trainer could easily sense the Salon Maiden's sincerity even without any special powers, and she gave the younger girl a small, reassuring smile as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't apologize Anabel. If anything, I should be apologizing for letting my jealousy get the best of me again." She shook her head out of disappointment in herself. "Truth be told, this whole jealousy thing is getting old. From now on I'm gonna do my very best to keep that from happening ever again. You don't deserve to have me mad at you, especially since you didn't even do anything."

Anabel smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you Misty." She held out her hand again, "Friends?"

This time the redhead didn't hesitate to shake her fellow Kanto dweller's hand. "Friends."

"I sure am glad that you both mean what you're saying, all the negative aura flying around was making me sick to my stomach," Ash sighed in relief.

Anabel looked at him curiously, "Aura? Is that what was blocking me from sensing your feelings during our battle?" She smirked at him mischievously, "And giving me and Espeon a monster headache in the process?"

"Yeah." Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "We recently found out that my aura powers are actually an effective counter for psychic energy. I guess when I activated them during the battle, I also stopped you from sensing my feelings."

"Kinda strange when you think about it," Misty spoke up. "Ash can do all this stuff with his aura." She turned to Anabel. "But you use psychic powers to sense feelings and communicate with your mind...so what exactly is the difference between the two?"

"Well when I think of psychics, I think of Sabrina, and there's a big difference between her powers and my aura," Ash replied thoughtfully. "I know that aura is basically life energy, and every living thing has aura. Riley taught us that." He gestured towards Riolu a moment. "But aren't psychic powers more about mind over matter?"

Anabel shrugged, "Maybe...I'm not really all that powerful then."

Ash tilted his head a bit, "Whaddya mean?"

"Well you said it yourself, Sabrina is extremely powerful, and I've heard stories about the horrible things she used to do with her powers before that Haunter she always talks about now came and saved her." Anabel sighed. "I'm not saying I'd necessarily want to have the power to do those things, but if all I can do is sense feelings and communicate mentally with my Pokémon, am I really that special?"

"You're special!"

The Salon Maiden blinked and looked over at Riolu, who was looking at her with sympathetic eyes and a glowing paw stretched out towards her. "I thought I sensed something unique about your Riolu." She looked over to Ash again, "Telepathy?"

"Yeah...long story."

"She's special Daddy!" Riolu failed to notice Anabel choking down an amused snort at the term he had used to refer to Ash. "Can't you feel it? She's got power too! It's like the power from yesterday, but it's hiding!"

"Hiding?" Anabel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Riolu nodded excitedly. "My power was hiding until Mr. Riley and Daddy Lucario helped me find it! Now I'm getting bigger and stronger all the time!"

"Is that so?" Anabel hummed. "So you're saying my power is hiding too?"

"There's an easy way to check." Ash took a step forward before turning his head to look at Misty, "I need to grab her hands to do this."

The redhead shrugged dismissively, "And?"

Ash smirked, "Just checking." He received a bop on the head from the water-trainer's fist for that comment, but he felt no actual pain as Misty hadn't intended to hurt him. Then he sent a piercing look into Anabel's eyes, and the Salon Maiden reeled back a bit at the intensity of his gaze, "Take my hands." She hesitated a bit, but she did give in to Ash's request. Once he had them, the black-haired trainer closed his eyes and summoned his aura, and he immediately realized what Riolu meant. "Riolu's right...you've got a lot of power in you, but you just haven't accessed it yet." he slowly powered down and then released her hands, sighing with fatigue before continuing. "You're more powerful than you think you are, you just don't know it."

At this startling revelation, Anabel looked down at her hands in stunned silence. She had never truly known much about her powers, and now she'd learned that she actually had a lot more potential than she ever could have imagined. She then looked down at Espeon, who was looking back at her, and then she slowly raised her head back up and looked at Ash, Riolu and Misty before speaking up again. "What should I do?" she said almost in a whisper.

"Well..." Misty said after a moment of awkward silence, "you could do what I told Ash to do about his aura...you could find someone who could help you learn how to access and control that power." Misty smiled a bit, "Maybe Sabrina could help you, I doubt she'd mind having some company, and you might be able to help her open up a little bit more."

"Maybe..." she looked over at Ash. "I really have more power that I don't know about?"

Ash smiled reassuringly, "Lemme tell ya what Riley told us." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. "There's a great amount of psychic energy inside you, more than you've already been able to access. If you learned to access and control it, your connection with your Pokémon will be that much stronger." The boy grinned cheekily. "And if you learned telekinesis, you'd never need help to reach things on the top shelf again."

The Frontier Brain gasped in mock outrage and smacked Ash's hand away, futilely fighting off the grin that was appearing on her face as Ash, Misty and Riolu laughed at her expense. "Thank you Ash, and you too Misty." She reached over and rubbed the top of Riolu's head, "And thank you too Riolu."

"You're welcome!" the Emanation Pokémon exclaimed.

"Oh," Misty suddenly said sympathetically, "sorry that your quest for love didn't exactly work out. Brandon the Pyramid King told us how you left the Battle Tower."

Anabel slowly shook her head with a bewildered expression on her face, "I...didn't leave the Battle Tower to look for Ash..." the Salon Maiden said slowly. "I left the Battle Tower to explore other Battle Frontiers and see what I could learn from Brains in other regions. That's how I met Palmer. I don't know anything about a 'quest for love' or anything like that."

"Huh?" Ash and Misty looked at each other in shock.

Anabel looked down at Espeon again before looking back up, "Did Brandon specifically mention me?"

"Come to think of it...no." Ash took off his hat and scratched his head with the brim of his hat. "But if it wasn't you he was talking about...then who was it?" Before they could speculate any further, Riolu sniffed the air and squealed in excitement before letting go of Ash's shoulder and running off. "Hey Riolu! Come back here!"

"I think he smelled the fresh Octillery snacks," the redhead giggled. "He definitely takes after you."

"Ha," Ash said dryly with narrowed eyes. "Well, we better go after him." He turned and smiled at Anabel, "Care to join us?"

The lilac-haired girl smiled back, "I'd be glad to."

The trio walked back over to their other friends, and sure enough, Riolu was already there with Dawn, Brock, Tracey, Daisy, Kenny, and Leona, pigging out on the fresh Octillery snacks that the Pokémon had brought over. "Hey Ash, do you even feed this little guy? He's eating like he hasn't had a scrap of food in weeks!" Tracey laughed.

"He takes after me apparently." Ash rolled his eyes and shot an accusing glare at his girlfriend, who just grinned innocently at the obvious jab. "Save some for everyone else Riolu."

"Sorry!" Riolu gulped down what he'd been chewing and grinned sheepishly. "These are just really good!"

"I must say I'm impressed Ash," Anabel commented as the black-haired trainer scooped Riolu up into his arms. "The strength of the bond you share with that Riolu is absolutely incredible. Is that because of your aura too?"

"It has something to do with it." Ash laughed as Riolu held out a piece of his unfinished Octillery snack for Ash to take a bite of it. "You go ahead and finish it off, I'll get my own in a second."

"That was very nice of you though Riolu." Misty took him from Ash and held him in her own arms. "He gets his manners from me y'know."

"Of course he does," Ash drawled. "He also gets his temper from you too."

Misty narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, "If you value your life, you'll take that back."

Ash could sense that Misty was dead serious on her threat. With a nervous gulp, he put his hands up and took a couple steps backwards, "Point made, sorry."

Misty nodded with satisfaction and nuzzled the Emanation Pokémon's face, "I have two beautiful baby Pokémon to take care of now, since Ash only wants to handle the training parts." She shifted Riolu into one arm so she could use her other arm to hold Azurill, "He only wants to be the fun parent while I'm stuck being the mean ol' mama Ursaring."

"Hey! That's not true! I can be a mean parent!" Ash blinked when he realized what he said and facepalmed with a sigh, "That came out really wrong."

The group laughed at the trainer's expense, and then Barry and Candice walked over holding their own box of Octillery snacks. "There you guys are!" the blond trainer exclaimed before standing next to Ash with a smug grin. "So Ash, whaddya think about my dad? Isn't he just the coolest guy?"

Ash rolled his eyes and smiled in exasperation, "He sure is Barry, real cool."

Barry then turned back to Candice who was rolling her own eyes, except her face showed more amusement than anything else, "Ya see, he raises his Pokémon with respect, which is why they're so strong, and why he never loses or will lose a battle or a challenge ever." he took a harsh bite out of an Octillery snack to punctuate his statement.

Everyone gave him an odd look at that. "Um...Barry," Anabel said, "You are aware that your father and I lost today's battle, right?"

Barry swallowed his snack, "Pfft, gimme a break." He waved his snack around dismissively. "Today wasn't a real challenge. He was having to battle two Pokémon at the same time. Now try to take him on one-on-one, then we'll talk."

"Sounds like another lame excuse if you ask me," Misty commented.

Barry narrowed his eyes at the water-trainer and scowled, "I didn't ask you."

"I agree with Misty." Kenny grinned mischievously.

Barry's attention immediately shifted, "I didn't ask you either!"

"Oh relax." Candice grabbed Barry's shoulder and dragged him into a sitting position on the ground next to her. "You know..." the ice-type Gym Leader frowned, "talking about treating Pokémon with respect takes me back to when you guys came to Snowpoint City and we ran into that total jerk, Paul." Barry suddenly started choking on his second Octillery snack, and Candice started hitting his back with a concerned expression on her face. "Are you alright?!"

Barry smacked his chest with his fist and turned his head to look at Candice nervously, "So you think Paul's a jerk huh?" h

He laughed anxiously, "Ya don't say?"

"Misty, don't." Brock gained a firm grip on the redhead's shoulder, as she seemed ready to explain to Candice exactly why Barry had reacted the way he had to her comments. "Not your place."

Misty crossed her arms with frustration, but obeyed Brock's stern command nevertheless. "Fine."

"O...k..." Candice shook her head to regain her train of thought, "It's just so obvious that Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon the way that he should, and yet somehow he still manages to have a team of really strong Pokémon."

"Did Paul win his challenge with you?" Brock asked.

Candice crossed her arms. "Hmmph...he did," she grumped. "But I'll have you know that Abomasnow and I made it reeeeal tough for him! It came down to the wire, and his stupid Magmortar managed to get off a lucky shot against Abomasnow that ended it. The creep must've evolved it right after it got its butt handed to it on a silver platter by Brandon. I was soooo close too!"

"What happened after that?" Dawn asked.

Candice shrugged, "Nothing. I politely congratulated him, gave him his badge, and he walked out without a word." Her frown grew deeper, "I was honestly hoping he'd try to mock me like he did to Maylene, that way I could teach him a lesson he'd never forget!"

"Uh yeah! I'm...totally with you Candice! Heh heh..." Barry weakly raised a fist in the air, which prompted the ice-type trainer to eyeball him suspiciously. Luckily for him, he was saved when a song started playing over the speakers and his attention was immediately diverted once more. "HEY! What's up?!" he shouted as he got back to his feet. "It's an annual tradition that I'm supposed to sing the last song with all of them too!" Barry swallowed the rest of his Octillery snacks and rushed over to the DJ booth, "HOLD ON! HOLD ON!"

"There's never a dull moment with him." Brock chuckled.

"I guess that's another reason why I like him so much," Candice added with a smile. "It's impossible to be bored with him around."

"It's also impossible to get a moment's peace." Kenny smirked.

Candice just shrugged, "Sacrifices have to be made."

The group chuckled at that, then Dawn suddenly spoke up, "Oh yeah! Ash, that reminds me! While I was watching your battle, I thought of something that might be a whole new awesome way of showing off your Pokémon in a contest!"

"New way of showing off?" Ash asked.

The coordinator girl nodded, "My style's always changing, never boring! Just wait until my next contest!"

Just then Palmer walked up to them, "Hey kids!" The Sinnoh Tower Tycoon chuckled as he looked over to the DJ booth where Barry now had a microphone in hand and was singing at the top of his lungs while everyone danced around the platform. "Ah Barry, he can be a handful." He grinned at Candice, "You sure you can handle him Candice?"

Candice smirked at her boyfriend's father, "I've got enough kiai in me to handle whatever Barry can dish out! Don't you worry about that!"

Palmer laughed at that response before turning his attention back to Ash. "So Ash, how many gym badges do you have now?"

"Seven," he responded proudly. "Just one more to go!"

"Hmm," Palmer scratched his chin, "well if what I've been hearing is true, the only Gym you haven't visited yet is the one in Sunyshore City, that's the easternmost city in the Sinnoh Region."

"Wait," Candice raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What are you thinking Palmer?"

"Oh nothing," he replied with a dismissive shrug. "I just figured that Ash's battling skills would give a real shock to Sunyshore's Gym Leader."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked.

Candice shook her head and sighed, "It's a long story. Just trust me on this, it's not just the battle itself you're gonna need a lot of kiai to get through."

"That's cryptic," Brock stated.

"You'll see what I mean when you get there." Candice shook her head, "But enough about that! I didn't come all the way out here just to make myself depressed! We're here to have fun, and that's what I'm gonna do!" Candice rushed over to the platform and joined the dancing party, and Barry stopped singing in mid-song for a moment to acknowledge Candice's joining and encouraged everyone else to join in before starting up again.

The others shrugged and followed Candice's lead, and they danced the night away as the Twinleaf Festival came to a fitting end.

The next morning, everybody packed up and was getting ready to say their goodbyes. "So where are you going now Leona?" Dawn asked her girl best friend.

"Prof. Oak offered me a ride back to the hotspring hotel before they drove to the airport in Canalave City, so I'm gonna be heading home and taking a nice hot soak." Leona grinned, "How about you Dee Dee?"

Dawn scowled for a moment, "I'll ignore that." She quickly went back to her perky self. "We're gonna be on our way to Lilypad Town for the next contest. We took a detour when we found out Mom was in charge of the Festival this year, but now it's time to get back on track!"

"Sounds like a plan." Leona leaned in close and whispered in the coordinator's ear, "And hey, remember what we talked about...about Kenny I mean."

Dawn smiled softly and nodded, and hugged her best friend before she entered the car that everyone would be riding in. "I'll talk to you soon Leona!"

Meanwhile, the others were saying goodbye to all the people who would now be flying back to Kanto. "So did you enjoy your little vacation big sis?" Misty asked.

"Well I wouldn't call it a vacation since you worked me so hard while we were here." Misty made a face at her sister's snide remark. "But I enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for the invite." To Misty's shock, it was actually Daisy who initiated the sisterly embrace this time, and the two separated after a moment with smiles on their faces. "I'll call you when I get back to Cerulean."

"You better!"

"Don't worry Misty, I'll remind her," Tracey said.

"Oh sure, but who's gonna remind you?" Daisy shot back playfully.

They all laughed at that, and they began laughing even harder when Ash was suddenly hugged from behind by his mother. "It was so good to see you again Ash!"

Ash turned around and wrapped his arms around Delia, "It was good to see you again too Mom."

"Likewise my boy, I'm thoroughly impressed with how much you've improved over the years," Prof. Oak said as he walked up with all his luggage.

"Thanks Professor, that means a lot coming from you." Then Anabel walked up, and Ash gave her an encouraging smile. "We'll see ya Anabel, and if you ever need any help, don't hesitate to give us a call."

"I won't." Anabel smiled shyly, "Thank you for everything Ash." She turned to Misty, "And you as well Misty, I'm glad that we're friends."

"That we are." Misty nodded affirmatively. "Good luck with your training with Sabrina, I'll have Daisy call ahead for you and let her know you wanna go over there."

"I'd appreciate that." Anabel stepped into the car. "Farewell my friends, until we meet again!"

Now that everyone was in the car, the engine started and the windows rolled down, and everyone waved goodbye as the car rolled off into the distance. "Well, it's been a great time, but now we gotta hit the road again," Ash sighed.

"It was great having you all here." Johanna walked up and hugged her daughter, who snuggled her chin into her mother's shoulder as she returned the embrace. "It was so good to be able to see you again dear."

"It was good to see you too Mom." Dawn pulled back a bit, "I'll call you when we get to the next town."

"Thank you." Johanna kissed Dawn's forehead and stepped back, "Ash, Misty, Brock, please take care of Dawn for me."

"Don't you worry Miss Johanna, she's in good hands," Brock said assuringly.

And so the group turned to leave, waving goodbye to Johanna as they looked over their shoulders. Once they were a good distance away, they looked forward again, and Dawn gave a despondent sigh. "You know, I can't help but wonder what happened to Kenny, he wasn't here to say goodbye."

"Maybe he already left to get a head start," Ash suggested.

"Dawn! Wait up!"

The teens turned around and saw Kenny running up to them, waving to try and get their attention. Once he reached them, he hunched over and started gasping for breath, one hand gripped tightly on his backpack. "Kenny, what's the matter? Where were you?" Dawn asked.

Kenny chuckled sheepishly, "To be honest, I overslept." The group laughed a bit at that. "And uh...I was actually wondering if uh...well..."

"What is it?" Dawn asked encouragingly.

The male coordinator's cheeks flushed a bit, "Would you...all of you that is...would you be willing to...let me tagalong for a while? I mean, since we're headed to the same place that is!"

They all looked at each other with smiles on their faces, then Dawn reached out and grabbed her male best friend's hand. "Welcome to the group Kenny."

The brown-haired boy's eyes lit-up, "Really? Ya mean it?!"

"Of course we mean it!" Ash chuckled.

"There's always room for one more," Brock added.

With that said, Kenny stepped in line with the rest of his friends, and they once again started walking down the road. But then another loud voice was heard, and they turned to find Barry and Candice chasing them down. "And here's the rest of the gang," Misty snickered.

Barry screeched to a halt in front of them, actually avoiding knocking Ash and Dawn over for once, and pointed a thumb at himself with a smug grin, "My dad just informed me that you guys are heading for the Sunyshore Gym, but I'm gonna beat ya! And I'll even make it there with time to spare even after dropping my lady off at home in Snowpoint City."

"We could go together," Ash suggested.

But by the time Ash had finished his sentence, Barry had already run off with Candice following close behind. "We'll see you guys soon! And good luck with your battle Ash!" Candice called out.

"I think that's everyone..." Misty said, "NOW we can get going."

And so with old friendships and relationships rekindled and new ones growing stronger in their hearts, the group finally resumed their journey to Lilypad Town, with Dawn's best friend Kenny in tow. With new strategies in mind and yet another new travelling partner joining them for the ride, there's no telling what will happen next on the road to Sinnoh.
_

A/N: So you may have noticed, the quotations around the attacks are gone. That was one of the biggest things Sky advised me on. I'd already had the idea in mind, but it took Sky pointing out how distracting it was to read for me to finally stop being so stubborn and remove them from the writing process. Future chapters will follow this style, and previous chapters will eventually be edited to remove the quotations.

No big Anabel blowout. Sorry to everyone who was expecting it. Jealous Misty is getting old, so we got a brief appearance, and then she got over it. Ash's aura is getting stronger the more he uses it, and Kenny's joining the group now! Lots of stuff on the way, so stay tuned. Thanks again Sky! And readers, read and review BOTH our stuff!