The camera panned back to show Zane in his studio, Whitney sat opposite him. They were both watching a screen showing Pikachu's final attack on Totodile. As the scene ended, Zane swung around to look at Whitney with a grin on his face.

"A bit bigger than we expected today?"

"No kidding," Whitney said with a laugh. "This was Champion, now known as Ash Ketchum showcasing his power in a way he rarely did when he was Pokémon Master himself. Mellanie was just outclassed by the Pokémon she was facing and by the skill of the trainer she was battling."

"Usually when a Pokémon Master loses, they relinquish their title," Zane said thoughtfully. "Do you think Mellanie will do that?"

"I doubt it," Whitney admitted. "A few years ago, she might have, but the Queen of Johto has developed a harsher side. She won't want to walk away from a title she has just earned."

"We shall see how well she can maintain her position in the coming weeks," Zane said. "But on to the battle. The second half was some of the most destructive battling we have seen since Ketchum left."

"You're not wrong there." Whitney agreed. "One of the hallmarks of his battling style as Pokémon Master was that Ketchum would let his opponent think they were gaining a foothold only to show that they had played into his trap all along. Both Scizor and Spoink were taken out in that style."

"With the traps, how does he set them?" Zane asked. "As a former battler yourself, were you ever able to create these types of tactics?"

"Personally no," Whitney admitted. "But I was never at his level. Ketchum knows how his opponents think and he makes the most of that knowledge. Mellanie was unprepared for that level of strategy. The defeat of Spoink, in particular, was a move we've seen him use before."

Zane nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed. Ketchum would often use gravity to give his attacks greater power. But the beating of Scizor was possibly even more impressive?"

"I think he had that planned from the moment Scizor appeared," Whitney said. "To let Scizor build his speed, before goading Mellanie into using Pursuit was a risky strategy, but highly effective."

"Could any other trainers feasibly copy that?"

"I doubt it. To stop, turn on a dime and attack like Pikachu did is something I've never seen at any level of battling." Whitney gushed, her praise flowing now. "There are only a handful of Pokémon that could do it, and even fewer who had Pikachu's control. If you watch the replay closely, his second Iron Tail hit the exact same spot as the first."

"This is the first time we've seen Pikachu fight," Zane said. "But we do know that it was Ketchum's first Pokémon. Would you say it is his strongest?"

"Without seeing his whole team, I couldn't say," Whitney said. "But Pikachu certainly seemed to be a step up from the Pokémon that Ketchum had before his exile. If they have all gotten stronger then I fear for the next person he faces. His Charizard was bad enough three years ago."

Zane laughed. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to face it. Now, we'll bring you more analysis shortly but it would appear that Ash Ketchum has run into some reporters. Let's see if he is as secretive as he used to be."

Ash strode out of the trainers' exit from the stadium and stopped. In front of him was a full arrange of reporters, all desperate for him to give them a word. Ash considered pushing through them like he had years earlier, the last time he defeated a Pokémon Master, but eventually decided against it.

"Mr Ketchum?" one of the reporters asked politely. Ash looked at him, his head tilted questioningly. "May we ask you some questions?"

Ash nodded, the shadow his hat put over his face covering the smile that was spreading across. Even after years away, his reputation still preceded him.

"This was your first battle since your name was cleared, at the direction of the Pokémon Master, and it was against her. Why was she your first opponent?"

Ash considered it for a moment. "I hadn't necessarily planned to come back and fight Mellanie, but it was the way it turned out I suppose."

"It was a crushing victory." Ash turned his gaze onto the next reporter asking a question. "Do you feel that you should become Pokémon Master, having unequivocally proven that you are still the strongest around?"

"Not necessarily," Ash said. "The Pokémon Master needs the faith of the world and without knowing that I have that, I would never consider a return."

"But if you did?"

"I'll not be drawn into hypotheticals." Ash countered. "One more question and we'll end."

"What do you plan to do next?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Ash said. "I have some things that need to be done, but otherwise I'm mostly a free man."

Ash strode away, leaving the reporters scribbling furiously and speaking into microphones for back to television studios.

Mellanie slammed the door into her office, her strength making the frame shudder. She threw herself into the chair behind her desk and the tears flowed. She had managed to hold them in through handing her Pokémon over to Nurse Joy but once she reached her office she let her full rage show. She looked up as she heard a small knock at the door.

"Not now." Mellanie snapped, but the door swung open anyway. Mellanie glared through the entryway as Sam Fernandez appeared in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mellanie snapped, rising from her chair and rubbing to hide the tears. "I thought you'd be off with Ash."

"I'm sorry," Sam said softly. "That was excessive from him."

"I brought him home!" Mellanie screamed as Sam shut the door. "I did everything for him! And that is how he repays it?!"

"But what has it cost you?" Sam asked. "Ash would never have wanted you to separate yourself like he did. If you hadn't, he wouldn't have gone after you like that."

Sam froze as an expression of unrestrained rage flashed across Mellanie's face. He took a step back towards the door as Mellanie scrabbled for something on her desk, her shaking hands struggling to grasp anything.

"You knew…" Mellanie said, her voice barely above a whisper as the realization struck home. "When you came to see me, you knew. You knew that he was back."

"I…" Sam stammered, utterly lost for words.

"You knew that the man I cared for most was back." Mellanie hissed, the venom in her voice causing Sam to take another backwards step towards the door. "You knew that he was going to challenge me. And you didn't say anything."

"I… No, I didn't." Sam forced out.

"You didn't what?" Mellanie snapped, the words coming from between gritted teeth. "You didn't know he was back? You didn't know he was coming after me?"

"I didn't say anything," Sam said.

"Why. Not."

"I didn't know how," Sam admitted.

"Well here's an idea," Mellanie said, sarcasm dripping from every word as her rage was replaced by a cold fury. "How about "Mellanie, Ash is back. He's planning on challenging you. Be careful."

"You wouldn't listen."

"So, it is my fault?"

"I… No!" Sam burst out. "I came here because I thought he went too far!"

"You could have stopped him!" Mellanie shouted, tears streaming down her face now, with her making no effort to hide them. "You could have warned me! You claim you wanted to be friends again and then you did this?!"

"Would you have listened?" Sam asked, fighting to keep his own composure. "You threw me out!"

Mellanie's voice went dangerously calm. "So this is my fault."

"That's not…"

"It's okay Sam," Mellanie said. "I completely understand. It is always my fault. Nothing can ever be because of you."

"I didn't say that…"

"No, but you meant it." Mellanie said, turning her back on Sam. "And with even Ash abandoning me, I am truly alone. I suggest you leave."

"And if I don't want to?" Sam asked desperately. "If I want to be here for you?"

Mellanie laughed, a bitter sound before she turned and faced Sam. He took another step back, his back pressed against the door as he saw the expression on her face. A dismissive sneer, worse than any anger made Sam's heart plummet. Mellanie rounded her desk and stopped just in front of Sam, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"I've just suffered the worst defeat in my career. Possibly the worst defeat any Pokémon Master has ever suffered. But my ex, the one who's barely spoken to me in years wants to be here for me. My mentor, the man who treated me like I was his daughter, who loved me when my own parents didn't, just destroyed my team, but you want to be here for me. You've let me down time after time over the years, but now it's all fine because you want to be here for me."

Mellanie snatched her hand away before looking straight into Sam's eyes with a look that chilled his blood.

"I would rather rip out my own lungs with a rusty spoon. Get out."

Gary was tapping at his phone screen furiously, but it stubbornly refused to show any signal.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked as they walked down the stairs out of the stadium and emerged into the sunlight outside.

"I want to check on Gramps," Gary said grumpily. "But my phone doesn't have any signal."

"Sorry about that."

Gary's head snapped so fast he felt his neck groan in protest. Standing to one side of the exit was Ash, his hat gone from his head and a cloak over his battling outfit.

"You… What?" Gary asked.

"And what on earth are you wearing?" Dawn piped up as she stepped out after May. "Seriously, I wouldn't be seen dead in that."

Ash chuckled. "You see, when you spend years as the Pokémon Master, you develop an image. People expect to see that image. Ironically, I am less recognizable when I'm not wearing a hat and I cover up my clothes. Now I just look like a weird person."

"You're not wrong there." Dawn snickered. "You look awful."

Ash shrugged. "It won't last forever. But for now, it means that I can move around mostly unrecognized which is the first for a long time." Ash turned back to Gary. "And Pikachu's final attack disrupted phone signal around the stadium. The only reason why a lot of the TV crews are still working is because they are wired into the stadium. Landlines still work but signal is patchy at the moment."

"That attack was incredible!" Max burst out. "How did Pikachu get that strong?"

The Pokémon in question popped his head out from under the cloak and climbed onto Ash's shoulder, a smug grin on his face.

"He's put in the work when we were away," Ash said simply. "Before we left he could fight Charizard to a stand-still, although they promised not to do that again after they nearly levelled the island."

"Wait, what?" Max asked as Pikachu had the grace to look slightly sheepish.

"They battled full-out once," Ash said. "Charizard won, but barely. Neither of them could train for well over a week after it. Espeon and Alakazam were pushed to contain the explosions. Great battle though."

"I wish I'd seen it," Max said wistfully. "Watching two of your Pokémon go flat out would be incredible."

"Pikachu wasn't far off his most powerful attacks today," Ash admitted. "That net on Totodile isn't the most efficient use of power but it looks incredible, and it is a good challenge of his control.

There was a murmur of agreement around the group as Ash turned to Gary.

"And I needed him to use it. We need to talk."

"Can it wait?" Gary asked. "I want to check on Gramps."

"It is about him," Ash said. "Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Gary nodded, and Ash reached to his belt, grabbing a Pokéball. Espeon appeared and immediately put up an invisible wall around the two of them.

"Nobody can hear us," Ash said quietly. "Or even see us."

"What is this about?" Gary asked.

"I went to see him last night," Ash said, his voice soft. "And something had changed. He had decided he didn't want any further medical treatment."

"But… Those machines were the only things keeping him alive." Gary protested. "Why would he just refuse them?"

"Which is what I said. But he had decided that he didn't want to fight to stay alive in pain for however long he had left. He wanted to leave his life the way he had lived it. On his terms."

Gary felt his eyes begin to water. "Is he…"

"I stayed with him all night," Ash said, pity and sorrow in his voice. "He didn't want anybody else there. He had said his goodbyes. He wanted everybody to be able to move on with their lives."

Gary opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Ash stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around the researcher as Gary broke down, sobs wracking his body.

"I'm so sorry," Ash said as Gary clutched at him.

After a long minute, Gary pulled away from Ash, furiously wiping at his eyes.

"You should have sent for me," Gary said, his tears turning to anger. "No matter what he said, I should have been there."

"I agree," Ash said, silencing Gary before he could get into his stride of anger. "But I felt that ignoring the last requests of a man I respected as much as your grandfather was wrong. He made his choice and I respected it."

Gary started to talk, but Ash spoke over him.

"Espeon can bring the wall around us down if you like. Or Alakazam can take you straight to the hospital. Your grandfather will still be there."

"I… I should explain to Misty," Gary said brokenly.

"That is your choice," Ash said. "I can explain and send her along shortly if you would prefer."

"Yes," Gary said, his voice choking as the tears flowed once again. "Yes, please."

Ash nodded and turned to Espeon. "Call Alakazam. Take Gary and then bring the wall down."

Espeon flicked her tail and a moment later Gary vanished. The air around Ash flickered and the group turned back to see him.

"Finally." Misty said impatiently, before stopping in her tracks. "Where's Gary?"

"He's gone to the hospital," Ash said heavily. "I'm afraid I've got something I need to explain to you."

Ash sat quietly outside his house, meditating. He had come home after he had explained what had happened to Professor Oak to Misty who had insisted on being sent to Viridian City to see Gary. Ash had decided to give them the space they wanted to say their final goodbyes to Professor Oak. Death was never a good time for anybody and Ash wanted to avoid any confrontations.

He felt rather than heard movement in front of him and he opened his eyes to see Espeon and Alakazam approaching. Ash rose slowly, stretching as he headed towards his two Pokémon.

"Report."

"Mellanie took a break and then returned to her fighting," Espeon said. "If anything she was even more aggressive. Two Pokémon have been placed into the hospital after facing her."

Ash sighed. "It is as I feared. Have you found Sam?"

"He went to see Mellanie after the fight." Espeon translated from Alakazam. "Beautifly followed him. It didn't go well."

"Where is he now?"

"At his home."

Ash nodded slowly. "We will have to go and see him at some point."

"Now?"

"No. There is work to do before then." Ash turned to Alakazam. "Well done at keeping track of everybody. However, you have a new task. I need to know what Mellanie is doing about Cynthia and the Officer Jenny that caused me to be exiled. Please find out for me."

Alakazam nodded, before crossing his spoons. He vanished, leaving Ash alone with Espeon.

"Where are the others?" Espeon asked, falling into step next to her trainer as he started to walk.

"They are off training," Ash said. "Focusing attacks off the island."

"We will have to stop doing that if we move back."

"When," Ash said quietly.

"That's changed."

"It has had to. We need to be closer to events. Alakazam cannot keep being our only link back to the regions."

"He can handle it."

Ash smiled. "I know he can. But I don't want him to have to. It isn't fair on him."

"I understand."

The two walked in a companionable silence for a short distance before Espeon spoke again.

"I… Am not used to death." She admitted. "And since I joined your team, I have gotten used to not losing anything. Or anyone."

Ash didn't say anything, instead letting his Pokémon speak her mind.

"Even when Charizard left, I knew that we could visit him. And on occasion we have. The loss of the Professor… It is permanent."

Ash stopped walking and turned to face his Pokémon, a sad expression on his face.

"I grew to care for him over the years," Espeon said. "And I know you did."

"What do you want to know?" Ash asked gently.

"How are you so okay with it?" Espeon asked. "I just want to mourn him, yet you keep going. How?"

Ash reached down and stroked Espeon's fur, causing her to purr slightly. "I will grieve for him when I can," Ash said quietly. "And I will miss him. But life goes on."

"But how does it?"

"Mortality is something that affects everybody eventually," Ash said quietly. "When people you know start to die, you naturally start to consider your own mortality. The trick is to accept it as part of life and live your life to the fullest."

"I think I understand," Espeon said slowly. "But the Professor is the first person you were close to that died. Why are you not affected?"

"Because I saw him die fulfilled," Ash answered. "He died peacefully, happy that he had lived a long and successful life."

"What did you talk about?" Espeon asked.

"Nothing that would help you," Ash said. "It was mostly about plans for the future."

"Nothing to help you get over his death?"

"No. I knew I wouldn't need anything."

"But how?" Espeon's voice conveyed a sense of desperation.

"I'm afraid each person has to come to it in their own way," Ash said gently. "All I can say to help you is that he had no regrets. Samuel Oak felt it was his time and, so he passed away happy. Not many get to go so peacefully."

Ash looked into his Pokémon's eyes with an understanding in his eyes. "If you need time to come to terms with it, I can take some of your duties." Ash offered. "I would understand.,

"No," Espeon said instantly. "I am the guardian of the island, nothing can compromise it."

"There you go then," Ash said, reaching out and hugging his Pokémon. "Your life goes on. Whilst we can mourn those who have passed away, we cannot let their passing prevent us from living lives as fulfilling as theirs."

There was a flicker of understanding in Espeon's eyes and she nudged her trainer lovingly. As Ash rose to continue his walk, her mind reached out one final time.

"Thank you, Ash," Espeon said. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

Ash chuckled. "I suspect you would survive about as well as I would."

Espeon looked up at him with a confused look and Ash smiled down at her. "I rely on you just as much as you rely on me Espeon. When all my friends and family fell away, you stood by me when you barely knew me. I need you as much as you need me."

"You have Pikachu," Espeon said as they continued into the trees. "You would be fine."

"I love Pikachu," Ash said. "As I love all of my Pokémon. But only five of you stood by me through everything. That is a bond that will never break. No matter what happens Espeon, you will always have me."

Misty stood at the entranceway to the hospital room, feeling utterly wretched. Inside, her husband was kneeling over his grandfather, tears streaming down his face as he clutched the old man's hand. He hadn't moved for the five minutes that she had stood and watched him. She knew she needed to move inside, to try to comfort Gary but her legs wouldn't move. She had never felt so powerless in her life.

"Go."

Misty turned slightly as she heard the soft voice at her shoulder. Delia Ketchum was stood there, leaning heavily on a walking stick, her own face stained with the tears that she had clearly cried over the death of her oldest friend.

"How?" Misty asked, feeling her own eyes welling up and blinking furiously to try to stop the tears flowing.

"You don't have to do anything dear," Delia said. "You only have to be there for him."

Misty tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Delia pushed her gently, forcing her into the room. Misty stumbled, and her hand knocked against the door handle, the ring on her finger letting out a metallic clang as she regained her balance. Gary looked up at the noise and saw Misty stood there, looking at him.

"Red."

"Gary," Misty said, moving towards him and kneeling down, arms going around her husband. "I'm so sorry."

Gary felt more tears flow and he turned to Misty who held him close, letting him cry into her shirt. "I should have been here for him," Gary said, his voice muffled.

Misty couldn't think of anything to say, so resorted to just holding Gary close, letting him let his emotion out. He kept talking, mumbling words into Misty until eventually the tears began to dry and he pulled away. Misty looked into her husband's and saw the hurt there, the raw emotion.

"He didn't want anybody there," Gary said weakly. "Didn't he know that we'd want to be there?"

Before Misty could answer, another voice spoke, soft and calm.

"Samuel Oak was one of the strongest and most intelligent men I knew."

Gary looked over Misty's shoulder to find Ash stood there, flanked by Alakazam and Espeon, already talking again.

"I wanted to be able to bring you to him," Ash said sadly. "I asked him. But he had said his goodbyes. He didn't want your last memories of him alive to be watching him suffer, to watch him struggle through the pain. He wanted you to remember him as stronger and more vibrant."

"Did he die peacefully?" Gary asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes," Ash said. "He was ready. He knew it was his time and he departed, fulfilled and complete. Very few get to go that way."

"What do I do now? Gary asked, still clinging to Misty's arm for support.

"Mourn him," Ash said softly. "But not like this. Mourn the fact that a great man has died, but also remember that he did and that he loved you. Remember all the good memories, cherish them and never forget. Show him the respect that he deserves in death."

Gary rose to his feet and turned to look down at his grandfather.

"Is that what he wanted?" Gary asked, not turning around.

"It would be more than he would ever ask for," Ash said quietly. "And the least that we could ever do for him."

Ash sat quietly on a sofa inside his house, Espeon curled up next to him. His Pokémon were outside resting, some of them still eating after they had endured longer training sessions.

"Gary seemed to calm down after you spoke to him." Espeon started cautiously. She felt Ash tense slightly next to her but not say anything. "I thought you wanted to give him space and then you went to help him. Which was it?"

"I didn't want him to descend into a pit of despair after he lost his grandfather," Ash said. "I didn't want him to suffer. I've already caused too much of that in his life. I've already caused too much of that today."

"Mellanie." It wasn't a question, but Ash nodded slowly regardless. "You think you made a mistake?"

"No," Ash said. "But we did hurt her today."

"Will she learn from it?"

Ash sighed. "I doubt it. She has been alone for too long, driven by anger. Today's victory over her will only spur her to become even angrier."

"You still blame yourself." Again, it wasn't a question, but Ash took it as such.

"I do. If we'd been there for her, she would not have gone down this path."

"We couldn't be there forever."

"But we could have managed better." Ash moved a hand, silencing Espeon as she prepared to argue further. "Yes, I am aware that she was hardly helpless when we left."

"She was older than you were when you met me."

Ash chuckled. "And I have been to my dark place. You know that; you stood with me through that. But Mellanie has gone to hers."

"What will you do now?"

Espeon automatically translated as she heard Pikachu talk, approaching the two of them.

"We will protect those that she will lash out at," Ash said. "Mellanie has stored up a lot of anger and she showed that today. There are those who do not deserve it being directed at them, but it will be.

"But how will you help her?" Pikachu pressed. "Because I don't want to have to beat her again like I did today. I like Mellanie."

"Unfortunately, the Mellanie that you liked would never have ordered an investigation into Officer Jenny," Ash said calmly. "And I strongly suspect that we will be seeing an investigation of Cynthia's involvement in the whole affair as well."

"She is punishing those who forced us into, exile," Espeon said. "Why?"

"Because she thinks that is what you wanted her to do," Pikachu argued. "You never told her that you didn't want that."

"In a sense, you are right Pikachu," Ash said soothingly. "I never told her that I didn't want that. But I did teach her to be more understanding of others than she is being. Her strength is great, we saw that today. But she has missed out on the other aspect of our lessons; how to use that strength for the right reasons."

"She thought she was righting a huge wrong." Pikachu countered. "Surely you can say that that might have been a 'right reason'?"

Ash chuckled. "I thought you would see it this way." He looked down at Espeon who was still curled up against him. "Do you believe the same?"

"I believe that you disagree with her actions," Espeon said diplomatically, causing Ash to laugh.

"If I had wanted a legal challenge to my exile, I would have done it myself," Ash said. "Why do you think that I did not?"

"You wanted to investigate Cleffa and Sonia," Espeon said instantly.

"I could have done that by staying as Pokémon Master," Ash answered, just as quickly. He looked over at Pikachu. "Any ideas?"

Pikachu shook his head.

"We left because whilst a challenge would ultimately have been successful, it would have caused significant discord," Ash said. "It would have been morally wrong to put myself above the millions of people who could suffer. Sinnoh was a region ready to split away, loyal behind Cynthia as it was. Kanto and Johto were liable to riot if they had found out then that I had been incorrectly exiled. Mellanie will bring these divisions back, dividing a world that should remain united."

There was silence in the room as Pikachu and Espeon processed Ash's words.

"So you didn't want to come back?" Pikachu asked.

"I am very happy to be back," Ash said. "And if Mellanie had gone about becoming Pokémon Master without travelling down a dark path of revenge, I would be proud of her. But she is motivated by revenge."

"But aside from you, she is the strongest trainer around," Espeon argued. "Surely it is her right to be Pokémon Master and do what she wants?"

Ash smiled, before reaching out and scratching Espeon behind the ears.

"In a way you are right. And some might argue that it is unfair of me to be holding her accountable when under usual circumstances, nobody would be doing so." Ash sighed. "But I had such high hopes for Mellanie, I believed that she could be like us without making any of the mistakes we did. And yes, I do hold her to a very high standard, but part of her strength came from how we taught her, and we taught her more than just how to win battles. We taught her how to be a better person, how to use her strength to make a difference in the world. How to treat others with respect, no matter what they did to you."

"But you gave Cynthia a warning before we left," Espeon said. "And you told Mellanie that you would. She is just going on that."

"Devil's advocate, Espeon?" Ash asked. Espeon twisted her neck to meet his eyes, her expression challenging him. "I also warned Mellanie about hating Cynthia for merely doing what she thought was best. Do not forget that Cynthia was able to prevent any civil unrest across the four regions by taking the title. She did the best she could."

"So you don't blame her?" Espeon questioned.

"I do and I don't," Ash said with a grin. "She shouldn't have tried to usurp me, and she could have done the right thing and acknowledged her mistake instead of hiding it. But she was in a very difficult position and she did the best she could."

"So what will Mellanie do to her?" Pikachu asked.

"Investigation followed by impeachment I suspect," Ash said bluntly. "This new Mellanie is not the forgiving type. She always had a steel within her but now she swings it around like a sword. She is acting on anger, driven by emotion instead of on the rationality that we taught her. I only hope Cynthia knows what is coming her way."

A/N

Just a quick one to thank those who pointed out the slight error in the last chapter. It has now been fixed, but it had slipped past me. That's what I get for changing the chapter just before I release it I guess!

Iama2p