Yes, if it wasn't obvious already, I despise betrayal stories. So this is me kind of 'bashing' that stupid trope

Early one morning, Ash suddenly woke up with a start. His eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily. His body was also sweating, even though the weather outside had grown colder and snow had begun to set in. The sudden motion woke up Serena and May, who were sandwiching him. The honey blonde-haired girl spoke up, her voice laced with concern, "Ash? Are you okay?"

He panted for a few seconds longer before getting his bearings, "I'm fine. Just some bad dreams. It's nothing to worry yourselves about."

May softly spoke, "Do you want to talk about it? Please don't bottle up your emotions. We're always willing to listen."

After a minute of silence, he replied, "We'll wait for the rest to wake up. I really don't want to repeat myself multiple times."

About an hour later, everyone was gathered around the table for breakfast. Brock noticed Ash's dour mood, "Ash? You ok, bud?"

As all eyes turned to him, he sighed, "Just a nightmare last night. Felt too darn real. It started out relatively similar to real life, where I lost the Alola League. Except, you guys took the loss a lot worse than I did. From there, all of you were urging me to give up this dream of being a Pokémon Master. And-"

Serena interrupted him with a stern look, "Ash, let me stop you there… I'm saying this with utmost respect, and I'm sorry about the language I'm about to use. But that is the biggest load of Tauros crap I've ever hear. I know I speak for all of us when I say that there is no way on Arceus' given earth where WE would ever betray you or force you to give up your dream. You have helped a lot of us achieve our dreams or have the determination to work towards it. "

Brock nodded firmly, "Ash, you are my best friend. Telling you to give up your dream of being a Pokémon Master, sounds wildly out of character for any of us."

Bonnie chipped in and snarked, "Yeah, this nightmare of yours sounds like a trashy fanfiction that some of my school friends would write as an essay."

Then Serena reached over and clasped his hand, "Ash? You were the one who inspired half of us to find our dream. Winning and losing is part of life."

Misty shifted next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Listen. When Brock and I first met you, you were just a rookie. Like I told you the other day, Top 16 in your first league is very impressive. And that is despite a disobedient Charizard. And hey, at least you managed to beat Gary."

Finally, Cilan sat down in front of him, "Ash, I've been thinking. Maybe this nightmare you had, is just your own insecurities? A lot of us think that being the runner-up in two back-to-back leagues, is very impressive. You didn't think so. I mean, since you're still kicking yourself over it, it probably means that this nightmare was born out of your own insecurities. But that's just my guess. There's nothing wrong with that, Ash."

James then shared an uncomfortable look with Jessie and Meowth. He hesitantly raised a hand, "While we're on that subject of the Indigo League, Jessie, Meowth and I need to apologise. It was technically our fault that he lost the league-"

That was the last thing he said, when an enraged Misty leaped up from her seat and pounded the three of them on the head with her mallet. She screeched, "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS YOU THREE IDIOTS! HE COULD HAVE MADE IT PAST THE TOP 16 IF YOUR TEPIGHEADEDNESS HAD NOT SCREWED HIM OVER!"

She was quickly restrained by Chloe and Risa, but everyone was glaring at the former Rocket trio. Pikachu even growled and began sparking, ready to shock them. However, Ash raised a hand, "Guys! Stop! In a way, I have to thank you."

Dawn looked at him in surprise, "Ash?"

He continued, "Sure, I'm mad that that stunt forced me to use Charizard. But then on the other hand, it showed me that I needed the kick up the butt and try and fix things with Charizard and earn his respect. Lets be honest, in most of my Gym battles, I coasted by on pure luck or random shenanigans. I think I only ever had three proper gym battles, and that was against Lt. Surge, Koga and Blaine."

With that out of the way, they went on to finish breakfast, wrapped themselves up in warm sweaters and headed to the lab. Inside, they saw Professor Cerise waiting for them, with his hands behind his back. He said, "Hey gang! So I have a bit of bad news. As you can see, it's snowing outside. As a result, I'm operating this section of the lab with just myself, Chryssa and Ren, while the rest of the lab is going under maintenance. We've discovered a few leaks here and there and I've already hired a contractor. Of course, our research isn't stopping, So I'll be splitting you all into different groups and sending you to different locations. Ash, Iris, I understand that you two want to challenge the gyms there in Unova, and Cilan is getting a headstart. You're free to do that. Goh, I want you to head to Unova as well, with two others. You're needed on the outskirts of Castelia City. The rest of you, I'll tell you your assignments later."

A few days later, everyone was packed and ready. Cilan was leaving early, so that he could go back and prepare for Ash and Iris. Meanwhile, Goh, Horace and Chloe would head to the outskirts of Castelia City. May, Max, Bonnie and Clemont were off to Johto, Dawn, Misty and Risa were going to the Orange Islands. The rest were either elsewhere or staying behind.

As they walked towards Striaton City, Ash threw back his arms and stretched, "Hey Iris, this does bring back memories, doesn't it?"

She grinned back, "Sure does! The only difference was that you're not much of a kid anymore."

"Hey!", he playfully shoved her. "You do realised that we're more or less the same age, right?"

Iris teased, "Could've fooled me when we first met!"

His smile melted, "Yeah… Yeah, you're right… I was an idiot. Heck! I still get nightmares of that match with Elesa. What the hell was I thinking!? That was a rookie move!"

Iris sidled up and wrapped a comforting arm around him, "Hey… sorry for bringing up bad memories. It happens to the best of us. You just got caught up with the fact that Palpitoad was a strong Pokémon and threw all your chips behind him. Could have happened to anyone."

She changed the subject, "So, what's your plan for the Striaton Gym? The last time, you challenged all three of them. You going to do the same again?"

He shook his head, "Nah… I was thinking about getting a rematch with Cress. He was the only one I didn't beat. As much as I want Pikachu to get his revenge, I'm going with Snivy this time. She's been working hard and I'm sure that she's close to evolving. What about you?"

She replied, "I'm thinking of facing Cilan, and I'll be relying on Axew."

On cue, Axew popped out from her wild bushy purple hair and waved cheerily. About an hour later, they finally stumbled upon the Striaton Gym. Just before Ash was about to step in, Iris teased, "Ready to make an impression like last time?"

He smirked and poked her in the ribs, earning a small squeal. Ash mock grumbled, "Jeez! Let it go already!"

They entered the restaurant, which acted as a front for the gym. Cilan greeted them and got them seated. After a short meal, the lights dimmed, and all the patrons in the restaurant began to cheer. The green-haired young man walked to one end of the hall, while all the tables and chairs were moved to one side. Cilan's brothers, Chili and Cress also joined him.

A microphone was tossed from the side, and Cilan deftly caught it. With his back to everyone, he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! This afternoon, we are delighted to treat you to a two for one special! You will witness two battles for the price of one meal!"

He spun around on his heels, "Alright then, Ash! Today I shall grant you a shot at redemption!"

Cilan tossed the microphone to Chili, "So you're back! So you'll receive a welcome as pleasant and hot as the noon day sun!"

Finally, Cress concluded, "Well… I hope you will be as cool as ice for this matchup, like a refreshing glass of water."

In unison, they announced, "Now, its show time!"

Soon enough, a false wall opened up to reveal the gym. Ash and Iris hurried inside, along with the cheering patrons. Meanwhile, Cilan, Chili and Cress walked at a more sedate pace. Cilan folded his arms, "So, Ash and Iris? Who among you is battling first?"

Iris glanced at Ash, "How about you go first. I want to get my strategy right."

Ash acknowledged and Cilan also nodded, "So Ash, how about it? Do you want to face the three of us like last time?"

He shook his head, "Sorry Cilan. This time, I want to face just Cress. He was the only one who I didn't beat last time, so I've got unfinished business. Though, I'm not battling for a badge this time. This is purely because I wanted to redeem myself in most of the gym battles here."

Cress bowed gracefully, "I look forward to our battle."

Cilan turned to Iris, "What about you, Iris?"

She pointed at him, "I want to face off against you! Sorry Chili"

The green-haired boy was amenable to that, while the redhead waved off the apology.

Cress and Ash stood on opposite ends of the battlefield. The blue-haired triplet fished out his Pokeball, "Time to make a splash! Simipour!"

Ash grinned and sent out Snivy, who took up a battle stance. Cress was gracious enough to allow Ash the first move. Immediately, he ordered Snivy to use Leaf Blade. The Grass Snake Pokémon proceeded to dart across the field with her tail glowing green. Cress ordered his Pokémon to dodge, which it dutifully did. Simipour retaliated with Fury Swipes, before following it up with Water Gun.

Ash didn't let up and struck with Vine Whip, which hit its target. Simipour then tried to bamboozle Snivy with Double Team, but Snivy got rid of the clones with Vine Whip again. Simipour then fired a Water Pulse, which hit its target. Snivy got blasted back a few feet before shaking it off. Simipour followed up with another Water Pulse, but then Ash decided to bring out his big guns.

He yelled, "Snivy! Redirect it back with Magical Leaf!"

That definitely caught Iris and Cilan off guard. As far as they were aware, Snivy's move set consisted of Vine Whip, Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm and the infamous Attract. Clearly, Ash and Snivy had updated her move set. The next surprise was when Ash ordered a Mega Drain, and sapped Simipour's stamina.

Iris wondered aloud, "Huh… What happened to Attract? That was supposed to be Snivy's signature move."

Ash overheard her and called out, "Honestly, I felt like Attract was a bit of an unfair tactic. Also, there is a 66% chance of it failing because my opponent could either be a female Pokémon or genderless. Snivy wasn't too happy about it, and it took me a month to convince her."

The battle raged on, until Ash finally called out another Magical Leaf, and knocked out Simipour. The referee raised his hand, "This battle between Challenger Ash and Gyn Leader Cress is over! Challenger Ash wins!"

Ash and Pikachu punched the air in celebration, and an exhausted Snivy saluted. A moment later, Snivy was enveloped in a bright blue glow, forcing everyone to turn away. When they turned back, Snivy was replaced by a Servine. An excited Ash raised his Rotom Phone, "Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon, and the evolved form of Snivy. Servine whips its opponents with its vines and dodges their attacks by hiding in the shadows of thick foliage."

He also checked Servine's moves. As it turned out, Leaf Blade was replaced by Slam and Mega Drain was upgraded to Giga Drain. He hugged Servine, who hugged him back with her vines. An hour later, it was Iris' turn because the battlefield needed maintenance.

After sometime, Ash and a grinning Iris left the Gym, with the latter winning a Trio Badge. However, there was a new addition alongside her, Fraxure. At some point during the battle with Cilan, Axew had evolved into Fraxure. The dark-skinned girl was practically skipping, "OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! I can't believe he evolved!"

Ash grinned, "I know, right! It was about time he evolved!"

Just then, Cilan's voice sounded behind them, "Hey guys! Wait up!"

The couple stopped and allowed their green-haired friend to catch up. He reached them and panted, "Whew! So I have some news for you guys. Kind of forgot to mention it in the heat of our battles. My brothers and I have been thinking of stepping down as Gym Leaders. We're finding it difficult to maintain our relationships with Misty's sisters, and our Gym duties and being Connoisseurs. So Cress has been in talks with Morana, you remember her, right? By next month, she will take over as Gym Leader, and my brothers are planning to move to Cerulean City."

Ash pat his friend's back, "Jeez! That's a pretty big decision!"

Cilan snorted, "Yeah, tell me about it! While Cress spoke to Morana, Chili went and spoke to the other Gym Leaders and Champion Alder. They were actually pretty supportive about it."

They wandered around the city for a while, then Iris spoke, "Should we call Goh? Maybe we can join them or pick them up and head back to Kanto."

Ash dialled his Rotom Phone, and it was Horace who picked up. He told them that they were done with their business and were just on their way to Striaton to pick them up. Horace said, "Oh yeah, I managed to catch a Darmanitan and Goh caught a Golurk. We were participating in a Raid battle and we were up against that same Golurk."

Ash grinned, "Nice! Tell Goh I said congratulations! On our end, I managed to beat the Striaton Gym, and Iris also beat it and got her first badge!"

"Awesome! We'll be reaching the train station in half an hour. Meet us there and we can swap stories later."