Lance sighed. Finding Ash had not been easy, surprisingly enough. He'd reached out to all his contacts in the Alola, Johto, and Kalos regions, including interpol, local police, gym leaders, news reporters, and even elite four members. He had believed that if Ash were to reappear, it would be in one of the aforementioned regions. There were a couple false positives, of course. And oh how the news reporters had been buzzing when they heard who he was looking for. Aside from the current world champion, Cynthia, there were few names that evoked more of a sense of mystery than that of Ash Ketchum. After he had vanished, someone pieced together and leaked his story, from the moment he had met his partner, Pikachu, to when he entered the World Coronation. Tales of countless legendary pokemon encounters, gym battles across every continent, defeating numerous evil teams hell bent on shaping the world in their own image, saving the Galar region from the second coming of the Darkest Day. The list of accomplishments went on and on. Ash Ketchum's fame soared to astounding hights, especially since a number of attention seeking gym leaders couldn't keep their mouths shut when asked about the young man. And then there was the matter of his mouther's death. As a member of the G men, Lance had been called upon to personally investigate the incident. It was a solumn scene at the Ketchum household when he arrived on dragonback. Police cars were everywhere. The entire house had been taped off; no one was allowed in or out without the explicit permission of the ranking investigator on scene, Looker. Lance couldn't recall ever seeing Looker quite so shaken before or since. Apparently Ash had helped in a few of his investigations and he had become rather fond of the boy. Lance scoffed. Who didn't? Ash is… was, an amazing friend, trainer, and overall person. He rushed in to assist me that time at the Lake of Rage without question. Lance grimaced. He remembered the state of the house, the blood trail leading up stairs, and the note tacked to Delia Ketchum's door. DO NOT INTERFERE AGAIN. It had been a warning, grisly and cruel. Lance remembered the sight of Ash outside, being consoled by Misty Waterflower, Gym leader and past travel companion, and rumored to have been more than friends. He had never seen less than a smile on the optimistic boy's face. Then, everything had gone red for Lance. Red walls, red floor, red vision. He had swept away from the scene, boiling in anger. Ash Ketchum had assisted countless people in his journeys, and now he had payed the ultimate price for what Lance should have done long ago. For the next three weeks, Lance had taken a leave of absence, traveling to Johto first, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh, then every other region save Galar and Alola. He came crashing down upon the remnants of Team Rocket, Galactic, and all the other nuisances that could have committed this heinous act. He had spent three weeks alongside the G men in a righteous crusade of furry, arresting every illegal team member he could find. Eventually, there were none left to face his wrath. And so he returned to Pallet Town, seeking to find Ash and apologize for allowing harm to befall his mother in such a way. But by the time he had returned, the boy had vanished along with all his pokemon. Even those he had left in Alola had vanished into thin air. The only thing left behind was a red hat, supposedly the same hat Ash had worn throughout the Kanto region at the start of his long, long journey.

Now five years later, Lance was seeking out Ash once again. He had heard a rumor that a man fitting the description of the Wayward Champion had been spotted in Cerulean, and was going to investigate the rumor personally, when he had been summoned by the Clan Elder to Blackthorn City. It had been almost a decade since he had last been summoned, so he knew something big was up. To make matters worse, apparently the Draconids had sent a representative to the meeting, at the Elder's insistence. Nothing about this congregation made any sense. Why would Grandfather request that the Draconids send someone? Our clans have rarely seen eye to eye on anything. And why has he summoned me to this meeting? Lance set his jaw. He knew he'd fins out soon. His dragonite was descending through the clouds, yet the air around them was growing colder. That could only mean one thing. They would be landing in his hometown soon.

Soon they landed on the jagged earth bellow, just behind the gym and near the small pond leading into the Dragon's Den. Lance had just climbed down from Dragonite's back when he heard the footsteps. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up, Lance." said the newcomer. She was dressed in a form fitting, blue dress, with matching boots and gloves. Her long blue hair partially framed her face, but most fluttered behind her, as did her red cape. Her light blue eyes seamed to pierce Lance's soul. Behind her stood another Dragonite. "It's good to see you as well, Clair." Lance replied, rolling his eyes at his cousin's antics. The two of them had always been close ever since they were kids, but lately he hadn't had much time to visit. In fact, the last time he had seen her was shortly after Ash had vanished. "Any idea why Grandfather has summoned us?" Clair inquired as the two began walking towards the entrance to the den. "None. I wasn't aware that you had been summoned." Lance replied curtly. Clair rolled her eyes. "Then I suppose we should find out." she said as the two entered the cave.