Sam rose from his seat in the Indigo Stadium, shaking his head slightly. Mellanie had just destroyed three opponents in quick succession. Challengers had been coming relentlessly as they tried to beat the Pokémon Master but over the last week, Mellanie had dispatched each of them with ease. She regularly rotated her Pokémon, swapping one of them out after two or three victories, meaning that very few challengers were able to knock out a single one, even of her weaker reserve Pokémon. She faced the odd difficult challenger but it was obvious to everybody that they were in a minority. Yet something was bothering Sam and he couldn't put his finger on it. He had seen Mellanie beat countless opponents over the years but this felt different.

Having seen enough Sam turned and headed back to his office. The last few years had been tough on him, finding his feet as Kanto leader. Lance had helped him where he could, but also had to look after Johto. The result was that Sam was left having to work it out as he went. After one or two major gaffes early in his reign, he had learned quickly. The media had been surprisingly forgiving, something that was assisted by his almost flawless track record over the two and a half years after the second scandal.

He closed the door to his office and sat down behind his desk. In the time he had been watching the battles somebody had added several large folders. With a groan, he opened the first one. His mood fell even further as he saw what it was.

"Financial requests." Sam groaned out loud as he put the folder back down. "Great."

"Well, I always found that you had to stay on top of these things." A voice cheerful answered him, causing Sam to jolt upright. "Although I do admit that I usually just approved things when they reached to me. Cynthia did help in that regard."

Sam looked up to see Ash stood in front of him, twirling a hat in his hands as he looked down at the folder on the desk.

"How long have you been there?" Sam demanded, the shock making his voice harsher.

Ash laughed. "Not too long. I came in after you if it helps."

"And you just stood there?"

"Well, you were engrossed in financial statements," Ash said, still grinning broadly. "Although I wouldn't approve that one from Sabrina. Saffron probably doesn't need another bridge. I never understood her love of building those."

Sam snapped the folder shut with a growl, rising from his chair to glare at his former mentor.

"You've been gone for three years…" Sam started, but Ash cut him off.

"Yes, but you did see me at the wedding," Ash said. "How did you expect me to come back and say hello?"

"Come back…" Sam repeated his anger vanishing. "You're here to stay?"

Ash nodded. "The police report is due back tomorrow. I should thank Mellanie for that, I'm not sure that I've ever seen a government department move so quickly. When my name is cleared there is nothing to keep me away."

Sam held his hand out as a grin spread across his features. "Then allow me to welcome you back to Kanto."

Ash chuckled as he shook hands. "Thank you. It would appear that you have truly grown into this position of yours."

Sam shrugged. "You taught me a lot. Lance added to that before I took his title. The rest I worked out."

"I've only heard good things," Ash assured him as he took a seat on a chair in front of Sam's desk. "Although there is one thing I want to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Sam asked, eyes not leaving Ash's face as the older man leaned forwards.

"I think we need to talk about Mellanie. What is going on there?"

"Ah," Sam said, face falling. "This could take a while."

Gary walked into the hospital ward, expecting to see only his grandfather. For the first time in a long time, however, the old man was awake, sitting up and talking. Gary smiled as he saw who Oak was chatting to. Delia Ketchum was listening attentively as she held a cup of water close for when her friend next needed a drink.

"Gary!" Oak said, his voice sounding stronger than it had in a long time. "It is good to see you. Take a seat."

Gary grabbed a chair from across the ward and placed it on the other side of the bed to where Delia was sat.

"You look… well." Gary offered.

Oak laughed, a sound that rapidly turned into a coughing fit. As he recovered he peered at his grandson with intelligent eyes. For all the effects that time and age had had on his body, Oak's intellect was as sharp as ever.

"Don't sugar coat it." Oak wheezed. "I'm dying."

Delia sniffed and Gary glared at his grandfather. "There is a difference between being realistic and being morbid you know."

"Don't be so cheeky," Oak said before spluttering into another cough.

Gary sat down in the chair he had placed and Oak looked at him before glancing back at Delia. Something clicked in his mind and he leaned forwards.

"He's back?"

The looks on the faces of both Delia and Gary made Oak start laughing for a moment but he spluttered into another series of hacking coughs.

"How did you know?" asked a stupefied Gary.

"I know you," Oak said as the coughs subsided. "You and Delia both look different. Ash must be planning to stay."

"He will be," Delia spoke for the first time since Gary came in. "He hasn't said for certain but I don't think he'll leave again."

"Mellanie has ordered the police to reinvestigate him," Gary said. "They'll return a report shortly."

"And he'll be cleared," Oak said, his voice slightly questioning.

"Yes," Delia said. "He is innocent."

Oak smiled. "I never doubted it for a second."

"I can get him to come and visit you if you like?" Gary offered. "He came to see us and promised to remain in better contact."

"He knows where I am," Oak said through another series of coughs. "He'll come when he is ready."

"So where to begin." Sam mused. After Ash had come to his office, the former Pokémon Master had slipped into Indigo Stadium to watch Mellanie destroy another two of opponents. Sam had told him that he didn't have the time for a full story during the day but Ash could stay at his home that evening and hear the story then. Ash had agreed and left to go watch Mellanie battle. When he had come back something had seemed slightly off but Sam was struggling to place it. Instead of pushing it, Sam waited, knowing he could ask in private when he got Ash back to his house.

Watching his former mentor follow him into his house had been the moment that Sam realised that Ash was back to stay. It had finally sunken in. And then to see Ash sat in one of the chairs in the living room made it even more certain. Sam's first and best mentor was here to stay.

"I'd suggest starting with when Mellanie forgot what I taught her," Ash said, leaning forwards slightly as he faced across the room towards the Kanto Champion.

Despite three years of practice politicking, Sam still couldn't hide his surprise.

"What you taught her?"

"Yes," Ash said, slightly sadly. "Much of what we had covered in lessons back before I left, Mellanie seems to have forgotten."

Sam waited for Ash to elaborate but instead found himself subjected to a scrutinising look before Ash leaned back into his chair.

"I don't think you have made the same mistakes." Ash eventually said.

"Sorry, what mistakes?" Sam asked, trying to hide his frustration at only being able to repeat what Ash said to him.

"Mellanie has fallen into an all too common trap," Ash said. "Specifically, she has forgotten context in her fights. Trainers have come to test themselves against her and she is destroying them, without giving them anything to learn from it. I first saw her ruthlessness against Cynthia which is understandable. Cynthia was the Pokémon Master and they don't fall easily. But I watched her use Ampharos to defeat a Wartortle. There was minimal point; the Wartortle was relatively weak. Any of her Pokémon could have beaten it easily. But Mellanie absolutely destroyed it. She isn't taking into account the strength of her opponents, she is only seeing them as something to be obliterated. It is only a matter of time before she seriously injures an opponent."

Sam opened his mouth to protest, then stopped as he really thought about it. He shut it again, thinking hard.

"I… Err… Well…"

Ash sat and waited as Sam stuttered his way back into coherent speech, his face impassive.

"But that is what you did!" Sam eventually burst out. "When you went through this month, you destroyed every opponent. All through your career, you thrashed everybody you faced. Only one trainer ever knocked out one of your team, and he used legendary Pokémon to do it!"

Ash smiled tightly. "And yet I never humiliated anybody. And only one Pokémon was ever hospitalised after facing me, which was his trainers' fault."

Sam's froze. He knew what Ash was getting at. Mellanie wasn't giving her opponents any recourse, she was simply thrashing them as if they weren't worthy of her attention. As if putting on a spectacle was beneath her.

"So, when did this start to change?" Ash asked into the silence.

"I… I'm not really sure," Sam admitted. "I'm not as close to her as I once was."

"I thought as much. Why not?"

"I dunno," Sam said. "We were just growing apart I guess. Once I became Kanto Champion she stayed with me for a bit, but then she left to train. She returned to win Johto and then vanished again. Aside from the Silver Conference, I barely saw her for those eighteen months. I guess we both just changed too much."

Ash shifted slightly and Sam flinched. It was subtle but Sam had gotten very good at reading people in the last three years. And he still knew Ash very well, his old mentor clearly not having changed much in the last three years.

"You didn't see her for that long?" Ash asked the calmness in his voice in contrast to his more menacing body language.

"I…" Sam faltered once again. "I never meant for us to fall apart."

"And yet?"

Sam quailed under one of the most intense gazes he had ever felt scrutinised by. He found himself withdrawing into his chair but there was nowhere to hide.

"What happened?" Ash asked softly. "Why did she leave to train? She could have done that with you."

"I… We messed up," Sam said, his voice barely above a whisper but he knew that Ash would hear him.

"What did you do?"

"I asked her out," Sam admitted, giving in to the intensity of the look coming his way. "And it went terribly. We went on a couple of dates but they weren't great. And then the media got hold of it."

"Go on," Ash said, his voice still infuriatingly calm as he drew the story out.

"We argued badly after that," Sam said, his voice gaining in confidence. "Mellanie didn't want to have the media focus on our relationship, but with me as Kanto Champion that was impossible. We kept arguing and she stormed out."

Sam winced as he mentally relived the worst argument he had ever had with his oldest friend.

"Why do you want the whole world to know that we JUST started dating?" Mellanie shouted.

"I don't!" Sam protested. "I just wish you weren't so against people knowing about it."

"Is it wrong to want my private life to be private?" Mellanie snapped.

"No," Sam said, anger clouding his judgement as the words came straight out of his mouth before he could stop them. "But maybe you think I'm not good enough for you?"

Mellanie's voice was dangerously low when she next spoke.

"So you think I'm that stuck-up?"

"Well maybe if you weren't so embarrassed to be seen with me, this wouldn't be such an issue!" Sam growled.

"Ouch," Ash said after Sam had recounted the story. "She would not have taken that well."

"Those were the last words I said to her for nearly six months," Sam admitted. "She stormed out and wouldn't answer any calls or messages. I didn't see her again until the Johto League the following year."

Ash nodded slowly, thinking quickly.

"And now? Do you still talk?"

"Not much I guess," Sam admitted. "We are civil, but that's it. I haven't actually spoken to her directly in months."

"So I guess you don't know that much about why she has changed then."

It wasn't a question but Sam nodded his agreement anyway.

"Does she have any friends?" Ash asked.

Sam shook his head sadly. "I was the last one. She's never had many friends, it has always just been me. And then you."

"And we both abandoned her." Ash murmured.

"You didn't." Sam objected. "You were driven away."

"And yet when she needed me, I wasn't there," Ash said, half to himself. He rose from his chair and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked in surprise.

"I came here to see you and find out what I could about Mellanie," Ash said from the door. "Both tasks have been completed."

"But I want to know what you've been up to!" Sam protested. "Did you ever find out about Sonia? You weren't at the wedding long enough to ask properly. What did you learn about her?"

Ash sighed. "It is a long story, and I don't want to tell it twice. I'm going to bring everybody together in Pallet Town and tell it there."

"Even Mellanie?" Sam asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.

"No," Ash said. "Mellanie doesn't know I'm back. And you can't tell her."

"Why not?"

Ash sighed again. "I could easily come back and tell Mellanie what she is doing wrong. I could correct her but it would not be beneficial to her. She needs to see where she has gone wrong. She needs to face up to it herself."

"Will you battle her?" Sam asked.

Ash turned back from the door as he took his first step outside. "Astute as ever Sam. Yes, I will probably have to do so. She needs to be reminded of what made me so strong. It wasn't just the power of my Pokémon. There was so much more to it than that. I will have to deliver a message in one of the few ways that she will still understand."

Sam opened his mouth to speak again but he was addressing open air. Ash had gone.

Mellanie glared at the phone on her desk as it rang. She stuffed some papers inside a folder on her desk and reached for it.

"Yes?" She half-snapped down the line, cringing when she heard the receptionist start to speak.

"Chief of Police from Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh and Hoenn here for you Ma'am."

"Thank you," Mellanie said, forcing her voice to be much calmer. "Send them up to my office."

A short time later there was a knock on the door as Mellanie finished tidying her desk to make it more presentable.

"Enter." She called as she tried to look composed in her chair. The door opened and the four Officer Jenny's came in.

"Thank you for coming in," Mellanie said, rising from her chair to shake their hands. She gestured to their seats which they took. "I have a question though."

"You want to know how to refer to us?" Jenny from Kanto asked with a slight smile on her face.

"Yes. This must have come up before, where you are all together?"

"Normally we take the name of our regions." Johto Jenny said. "If we're all together, I'm just called Johto."

Mellanie nodded slowly as she took her seat. "Very well. Now, I believe you have a report for me?"

Hoenn Jenny rose slowly, holding out a folder. "That is correct."

Mellanie took the folder and opened it, skimming the first page. She flicked through a few more before turning her attention back to the assembled police chiefs.

"A brief report in your own words please."

The four Jenny's shared a quick look before Sinnoh Jenny started to speak.

"Upon your instruction, we set up an inter-regional task force to review the evidence documented towards the former Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum. All evidence was already on record, enabling us a quick response. This was further aided by the fact that it rapidly became clear that there was no concrete evidence whatsoever to support the allegations made towards Ash Ketchum three years ago. As a result, we are withdrawing the warrant for his arrest and will be making a formal apology for any damage caused to his reputation. The warrant will be formally withdrawn at 1800 hours today."

Jenny stopped talking but Mellanie continued to look at her for several moments. Jenny started to twitch under the gaze but resolutely refused to talk any more. Eventually, Mellanie turned her attention onto the group as a whole.

"Thank you for your speed in this," Mellanie said. "However, the lack of evidence requires us to revisit a further issue."

Hoenn Jenny felt the gaze of the youthful Pokémon Master focus on her, but her aunt from Kanto tried to come to her defence.

"Is that strictly necessary Ma'am?"

Mellanie turned to the Johto Jenny, the oldest of the four in front of her. "What do you think?"

"It was a long time ago." Johto Jenny answered. "And without a complaint from Mr Ketchum, it would be an unnecessary lawsuit."

"But you agree that your colleague broke the law?" Mellanie pressed.

Johto Jenny sighed. "Technically yes. To bring a frivolous prosecution against a public figure carries a significant penalty. Depending on the judgement, she could be liable to barring from public service, issued a large fine or even in extreme cases sentenced to prison time."

"And having had a chance to review the evidence, do you feel that there was any basis for the prosecution to be brought against Ash Ketchum?"

"No," Jenny said heavily. "It was the epitome of a frivolous prosecution."

"I'll resign." Hoenn Jenny blurted out.

All four people turned to look at her. "Sorry?" Mellanie asked.

"I'll resign." Hoenn Jenny repeated. "I have known for some time that the prosecution brought against Mr Ketchum had turned out to be frivolous. Failure to admit this is a dereliction of duty. I will resign from my position with immediate effect."

Mellanie tapped her fingers on her desk as she thought quickly. "Thank you for admitting that, but your resignation is insufficient." She turned back to Johto Jenny. "Please pass this case onto the Internal Affairs Department."

"You have no authority to demand that." Kanto Jenny objected. "She has apologised, and given up her career, let her go. Let it go."

Mellanie's eyes flashed dangerously and her voice was laced with anger. "Her actions caused a good man to be forced from a position of public service. Ash Ketchum put the world above his own welfare and through her illegal actions" Mellanie stressed the phrase. "Jenny has forced him into exile for three years."

Mellanie turned to Johto Jenny who was watching her with a sorrowful expression on her face.

"Do you agree that this is a case for Internal Affairs?" Mellanie demanded.

"Whilst I disagree that it needs to be followed through, I do agree that it is a case," Jenny admitted softly. "You may not have jurisdiction over the force, but in this case, we have a legal obligation to pass the case over, if the aggrieved party requests it."

"Well since Ash cannot request it himself, consider such a request made," Mellanie said forcefully.

"Very well. I will have the case passed over." Johto Jenny said before easing herself out of her chair. "Is there anything else Ma'am?"

"No," Mellanie said. "Thank you for coming."

Misty turned as she heard her name being called. She gestured for her Pokémon to stop attacking as she turned to see Sam Fernandez striding around the pool towards the end she was stood at.

"Gyarados looks good," Sam said with a grin. "Typhlosion had best watch out."

Misty laughed. "Come on, you and I both know that Typhlosion is still the strongest. Although having a fearsome Pokémon defending the end of your Elite Four can't be a bad thing surely?"

"Indeed," Sam said drily, a more serious expression on his face. "You've only let three trainers past since I took my title. I barely have to fight these days."

Misty shrugged. "You recruited me. You should have known that I would take it seriously."

Sam held her gaze for a moment before he started laughing again. "Trust me, I did. I just remember when I first took the title, a paper in Johto ran an article about how the changes to the Elite Four would mean this was the easiest region to tackle. Not sure they'd still agree."

Misty laughed again. "We are probably the toughest. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I've been told that there is a meeting we should go to."

Misty turned her full attention on her boss. "A meeting? An official one? Why do you need me?"

"Not an official one," Sam said. "We've been requested to meet in Pallet Town this evening."

"Pallet… Ash?" Misty asked, her voice dropping in volume as she realised. "Why this evening?"

"The warrant for his arrest will be withdrawn tonight," Sam said quietly. "Jenny, the chief of police called me after she had an unpleasant meeting with Mellanie."

Misty gazed at Sam, eyes wide. "Unpleasant meeting?"

"Let's just say our new Pokémon Master is being particularly vindictive about the treatment of her mentor."

Misty nodded slowly in understanding. "So tonight?"

"Tonight," Sam confirmed. "We'll drive down."

"You mean I'll drive down," Misty said teasingly. "You still can't drive."

"Do you want to come or not?" Sam asked the grin back on his face.

"Of course I'll drive," Misty said, her voice taking on a sycophantic tone. "It would be my pleasure to drive one as renowned as yourself, O' Great Kanto Champion."

Sam roared with laughter as he turned and headed away, throwing a goodbye over his shoulder. Misty turned back to her Pokémon who had watched the exchange impassively.

"Time to train. We have somebody new to impress."

There was quiet in the living room of the Pallet Town laboratory. Brock had left food out for all of them sat waiting, but nobody had eaten much. There was too much anticipation, too much eagerness to hear the story that they had been promised. When Sam and Misty had arrived, the last two, Sam had confirmed that Ash would explain what he had been up to in the last three years. Now all they were missing was Ash himself. Ash who was now able to move through the regions at will. Ash who had just had the police apologise to him on live television. Ash who was once again a free man.

"Where is he?" Misty asked impatiently for the fourth time, glaring at Sam who shrugged, holding his arms out.

"I'm afraid I don't have a permanent link to his head," Sam said. "I don't know."

Gary leapt up as the sound of the doorbell rang through the laboratory. He hurried to the front and flung the door open to see Delia stood there, Ash next to her. Ash without his hat on, not hiding his identity. As Gary stared at them, Ash chuckled slightly.

"You didn't think I was going to come."

It wasn't a question but Gary tried to protest. Ash just brushed past him, leaving the researcher trailing him through the house. As he reached the room where the rest of his old friends were waiting for him, Ash took a deep breath before stopping and turning back to his mother who had followed him.

"Do you still think we should do it back home?"

Delia nodded. "If you want them back in your life for good, you have to let them in properly."

Ash nodded. "Alakazam should be able to bring everybody over the distance."

Gary who had stopped alongside them tried to interject.

"Bring us where?"

Ash didn't answer, merely gesturing for Gary to go through the door ahead of him. Gary thought about protesting, but a look from Ash quieted him. As Gary entered the room and took a seat, Ash followed.

"Hi, guys." He started.

The room was silent as they all stared at him, causing him to chuckle sheepishly.

"You know, I thought this would get less awkward with time."

"You came."

Ash's eyes snapped to Misty. "You doubted that I would?"

"No!" May protested, but Misty's challenging gaze told the truth. She had managed to convince herself that Ash would have remained elusive and found an excuse not to show up.

"I don't lie Misty." Ash said softly. "And so since I promised Sam that I would fill in the full story to everybody, here I am."

"But you're late," Misty said, her voice slightly softer but the fierceness still in her eyes.

"I was seeing somebody else," Ash said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "As soon as the warrant was lifted I went to see Professor Oak."

Silence spread through the room once again as Ash's words were processed. Eventually, Gary was the next to speak.

"You went to see Gramps?"

"Yes," Ash said softly. "I needed to see him again. And I am so sorry Gary."

There was another slightly awkward silence as Misty reached for her husband's hand, squeezing it softly. Oak's illness had caused Gary a great deal of stress. Ash cleared his throat after a moment and suddenly all attention was back on him.

"And yes, I am here to fill in the past three years. Since I was last here as a free man, a lot has happened." Ash hesitated for a moment, before sighing slightly. "In fact, since a lot of you knew me all those years ago, a lot has happened."

"Sonia?" Sam asked quietly.

Ash nodded. "Yes. And more."

Ash glanced around the room to see all of his former friends watching him eagerly, awaiting his story with bated breath.

"But I won't tell it here," Ash said with a slight smirk. "While we haven't moved it back yet, I would like to bring you all to my home."

"Your home?" Gary said in surprise. "But Mystery Island hasn't been seen for years!"

"We moved it after we went into exile," Ash said. "But I assure you, it is still standing. And I'm impressed that you remember that is where I live. May I take you there?"

A quick glance around the room told Ash that he had nobody in disagreement and he calmly held out a Pokéball. Espeon appeared in front of him.

"Tell Alakazam to bring us all," Ash said. Espeon nodded and a moment later, everybody in the room vanished in a small flicker of light.

Mellanie stood at the window of her office, looking out across Indigo Plateau. In her hand, she held a crunched up piece of paper, but the top part was clear, showing a news headline.

'Former Pokémon Master Vindicated.'

"I did it." Mellanie whispered to the window. "I beat her. I cleared your name. Now please come home, Ash. I need you."

There was a knock on the door and Mellanie turned to see Cynthia Shirona entering. Cynthia glanced around the room before looking at her successor.

"You asked me to come in?" Cynthia asked politely.

"Yes," Mellanie said as she stood behind her chair. "I wanted to ask what you what your stance will be to the world over the next coming days, months and years."

Cynthia continued to stand behind a chair on her own side of the room.

"You know, those are the exact same words that I once asked you in this very room."

"And I gave you the courtesy of an honest answer," Mellanie said, looking the older woman in the eye across the desk. "Will you do the same?"

Cynthia rested her hands on the chair in front of her, irked that Mellanie hadn't invited her to sit. "You told me that you would oppose me as vigorously as possible."

"I told you that I would promote the truth." Mellanie countered, before glancing at her computer to see a news item flash up. "Had you been honest back then, we wouldn't be here."

"No." Cynthia agreed. "Ash would still be Pokémon Master."

Mellanie's expression softened slightly. "Please, take a seat, Cynthia."

Cynthia moved around the chair she had been resting her hands on and sat, never taking her eyes off Mellanie as she took her own seat.

"You admit that you could never have defeated Ash?"

Cynthia fought not to laugh. "Nobody could beat him. He was the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time."

"Is." Mellanie corrected. "He has been in exile before. He will come back."

Cynthia inclined her head, waiting. It had not been a total surprise when Mellanie had summoned her, but she was cautious about what the meeting could be moving towards.

"Ash warned you that there would be a reckoning," Mellanie said softly. "And this is it. You have to face the facts of what you have done."

Cynthia didn't react, her eyes never leaving Mellanie's. "A reckoning?"

"After you took your title, Ash visited you," Mellanie said, leaning forwards. "He told you that he couldn't trust you. That you crossed too many lines."

"You know of that meeting?" Cynthia asked, eyebrow raised.

"I do." Mellanie said. "He told me about it."

"You've seen him?"

"He told me years ago." Mellanie said smoothly. "And now that I am able to bring him home, your reckoning is here."

"Which is why you wanted to know my stance." Cynthia finished. "Your political nous has improved significantly."

"Thank you." Mellanie said tartly. "Now?"

"I intend to return to Sinnoh shortly." Cynthia said quietly. " Whatever path your reign takes, I suspect I won't wish to be near the centre of it."

"Very well." Mellanie said. "I have taken legal advice as to what to do with regards to you. There are grounds for impeachment."

Cynthia took a deep breath to keep her composure. "Impeachment?"

"Yes." Mellanie said, her voice triumphant. "As Pokémon Master, it would have been difficult to bring a charge against you, even if it was brought against the Sinnoh Champion, but now that you've lost your rank… Well, I'm sure you can work the rest out."

Cynthia gritted her teeth as she glared at her successor. "You couldn't leave me with my region?"

"No." Mellanie snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You betrayed somebody who trusted you. You brought false charges against a Pokémon Master, and admitted it on national television not long after you usurped his position. Return to Sinnoh Cynthia, and warn Lucian. When you are impeached he will take your position."

Cynthia rose from her chair before slamming her fist down on the desk between them. Mellanie jerked backwards in surprise as Cynthia let her anger dominate her.

"No." Cynthia barked. "I was once fired by one Pokémon Master, it won't happen again. I will fight this."

"I'm sure you will," Mellanie said as she recovered from her surprise at the outburst. "But you and I both know that you haven't got much of a case."

Cynthia turned and stormed for the door. As she reached it, she turned and glared at Mellanie.

"You claim that I usurped him. You are no better. You will never be even close to the quality of man that Ash Ketchum was."

And with that, Cynthia slammed the door behind her before Mellanie could give voice to her own anger.

Gary looked around as they reappeared outside a large house. They were stood on a grassy lawn, surrounded by what looked like a large forest. Waiting for them, in front of the back of the house was a line of Pokémon, Ash at their centre with Delia next to him. As the group focused on Ash he smiled and gestured to his Pokémon.

"Welcome to our home, Mystery Island. I'm sure you recognize some of these, but a quick introduction." Ash said. "My main battlers, Aggron, Snorlax, Sceptile, Onix, Altaria, Machamp and Sharpedo." As he said each Pokémon's name, they stepped forwards slightly. "My scouts, Alakazam, Ninetales and Beautifly. You've then got Rapidash who battles less but is the quickest Pokémon I've ever seen. Next up is Meganium, the main carer for my Pokémon. she can help Pokémon recover from injury. Then there is Espeon, the team's leader and most powerful member. She is also the main guardian of the island. And finally, I'm sure you all remember Pikachu."

The small electric Pokémon waved enthusiastically before bounding forwards to leap into Misty's arms. The red-head caught him instinctively before tentatively scratching him behind the ears to draw a happy "chaa" from him.

"Where is Charizard?" Sam asked as he scanned the Pokémon.

"That is a long story." Ash said slightly sadly.

He raised his voice as he spoke to the group as a whole once again.

"Please, come inside. If you want to leave your Pokémon out here, mine will be doing some light training. Yours are welcome to observe or take part."

Within a few minutes, everybody had found chairs inside the living room that overlooked the lawn. Outside, Espeon was marshalling the Pokémon into a basic training routine that was taking up a far larger space than normal, owing to the greatly increased numbers. Ash strode back in from the kitchen, food following him and placing itself on the table before he repositioned a chair to face the whole group.

"So," Ash said. "The last three years of my life. Let us start with Charizard."

A/N

So as you might have guessed, the next chapter will be dedicated to the last few years. Ash will explain to everybody what has happened to him and fill in the gaps from the end of World Divided. It is well overdue but also something that I've really been looking forward to writing. Anyway, as always feel free to shout your thoughts and feelings with respect to this chapter.

A couple of points from reviews:

The guest who asked about legendary Pokémon: The fact that in this universe they have rather important things to be doing means that they are not just going to pop up for no reason.

Silver5: Tracey fell out of the main group of friends as his relationship grew with Daisy. He might still feature, but he is in no way a major character anymore.

Until next time,

Iama2p