Sorry! I know I haven't been active in a loooonnng time, but life has thrown a few curve balls my way recently. Hopefully things will settle down in the coming weeks. That said, I can't explicitly promise anything, so here's a little something to hold you over till then.

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The sun was just beginning to fall below the horizon as Ash and his friends walked into Celadon City. Misty and Serena had been deep in conversation the entire way there, leaving Ash and Brock to talk. Not that Ash minded. It had barely been three weeks since he and his pokemon had left their island home, and he had barely had a chance to have a one on one with his best (male) friend.

"So what's the plan for the gym?" Brock asked him as they walked into the city. "I'm going to lead with Infernape, or maybe Hawlucha." Ash replied, looking around. "Both have the advantage, and their speed make them ideal leads."

Brock nodded as they passed a small, familiar casino. Ash narrowed his eyes at it in distaste, a bitter memory springing to the forefront of his mind. "That makes sense, all things considered. Still, there are many dual grass/ poison types. If Erika is smart she'll lead with one."

Ash had to agree. "I hadn't thought of that if I'm being honest. I might have to lead with Gengar, then."

"And Serena?" Brock asked. Ash stopped in his tracks as his thoughts did the same, caught completely off guard. Ash noted with some relief that Misty and Serena had continued walking, creating a good bit of space between them.

"Wha- what do you mean?" Ash asked as he started walking again, ignoring the pointed looks Brock was giving him. He was suddenly far less interested in talking to him.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, rolling his head to the side in curiosity from his spot on Ash's shoulder.

"Exactly what I said! You've barely spoken to her since the incident! And she needs you now more than ever." Brock protested. Grabbing Ash's other shoulder and tugging, causing Ash to turn around and face him.

"I won't claim to know what happened to you these last five years but you need to face this, Ash. She needs you right now." Brock said, pointing at Serena with a head movement.

Ash sighed, all the tension in his body leaving him in an instant. "I know." he said quietly. "I know, I just…"
Ash turned around, shrugging Brock's hand off his shoulder and continuing their walk. Misty and Serena were already far ahead of them, talking to a lady sitting outside at a restaurant table with an umbrella.

"If I had been more aware of what was happening she wouldn't have had to go through all of that. I should have been smarter; I should have protected her!" he said, getting louder and more animated as they walked up to the girls, still a good twenty yards away. Then he came to a complete stop, forcing Brock and Pikachu, who was scampering between them on the ground, to stop as well.

"Shes here because of me. What happened to her was because of me. I don't want anyone else getting hurt… because of me." Ash mumbled so quietly that Brock had to strain just to hear him.

"Pika…" Pikachu said quietly, his ears dropping in concern for his partner.

Brock didn't say anything, at least at first. He understood that Ash was beating himself up for what had happened, but he also understood that the more rational part of his friend knew that it wasn't his fault. It's why he had been avoiding apologizing. In apologizing he risked having to face the fact that it wasn't entirely his fault. Right now Ash was stewing in his guilt because he felt like he deserved it.

"Ash, you can't-" Brosk began, but was interrupted by commotion. The three of them looked ahead where Misty was getting in the lady's face, her hands on her hips as Serena tried (and failed) to hold her back. Ash groaned.

Ash and Brock raced over to their friends, covering the last ten or so yards in a mater of seconds. Ash noticed as they ran that the lady, who was dressed in a sleeveless white blouse and jeans, had long magenta hair, and was wearing a pair of brown sunglasses that hid her eyes. For some reason that he couldn't really get a feel for, she made Ash uncomfortable.

"-ank you very much!" Misty exclaimed, scowling, as they ran up to the scene she was causing. Serena shot Ash and Brock an exasperated, pained look, to which Ash replied with a reassuring smile. The honey blonde blushed, looking away in embarrassment.

"Misty! What in the Distortion World is going on?" Brock exclaimed, putting himself between his friend and the purple haired stranger. Misty huffed, shifting he weight to one hip and placing her hands on her hips, the short ponytail on the side of her hair swaying as she did so. "This lady just rudely butted into our conversation! And then she has the gall to call me a shallow self obsessed pervert!" the fiery carrot top exclaimed loudly, drawing attention from people nearby.

Ash's eyebrows came together in confusion. "Just what kind of conversation where you two having?" Brock asked, beating Ash to it.

"I, uh… that is- nothing!" Misty stammered, her face turning a brilliant shade of red, as she turned away from her questioning friends.

The stranger cackled gleefully at her expression, causing Ash to scowl. He turned to face her and found her doubled over, hugging her stomach. " Miss, while I am sorry for my friend's behavior, I'm going to have to ask you to stop laughing at her, please."

The lady straightened out, and, reaching into her pocket, began by saying "Sure, sure. Just one question. Is this you?"

The lady then pulled a picture of Ash taken during his fight with Gladion in the Alolan semifinals.

Ash and his friends gapped, and Pikachu leaped forward, hackles raised with sparks flying through his fur.

"Oh, don't be so defensive, twerps." The lady said, standing up and removing her glasses. Brock and Misty gasped, while Ash froze in disbelief.

"I was hired to find you, nothing more." Jessie said.