Hello everyone! this is MidnightFenrir speaking, and since you guys enjoyed A Tale of Two Souls very much, I decided to give Rayshipping another go! Be warned, however, that while it could be considered a... divergence, let's say, of my previous story, it might not be in the same tone.

As for those who asked for me to transform A Tale of Two Souls into a full multi-chapter story, I'm still weighting the choices on this.

But enough about that! Let's get on with the story, shall we? I present to you "Wheel of Fate".

Just a little warning first: since this is an AU, I made a few changes that you will (obviously) see.

Enjoy.

The Wheel of Fate is turning

First Revolution: Part One

This was it.

The hardest battle since his time at the Kanto Battle Frontier was upon him. This was going to be as tough as his battle against Brandon, if not tougher.

In a matter of hours, he was going to face against Tobias.

Those were the thoughts going through the head of one Ash Ketchum as he sat outside of the Pokemon Center near the stadium of the Lilly of the Valley island, Pikachu perched on his shoulder as always.

But could he win? Tobias had only revealed a single member of his team so far, even if that member was a legendary, and the rest of his pokemon remained unknown. For the first time since the start of his journey in Sinnoh, Ash doubted his ability to win.

Of course, he had lost some his battles, but he knew as well as anyone that those were battles he COULD have won. However, he didn't know if he even had a chance against Tobias.

But he couldn't back down. Especially not now. This was the farthest he had ever come. He was in the semi-finals of the conference and winning it was within his reach, for Arceus's sake!

This was why he was going to pour everything he had learned in his eight years since he had become a pokemon trainer. His journeys through Kanto, the Orange Archipelago, Johto, Hoenn, his latest one in Sinnoh along with his trip to the Battle Frontier and the many events surrounding those had taught him a lot. And he intended to use it all in the incoming battle.

Ash closed his eyes, remembering his adventures fondly. Among them, several stood out in his mind, like when he saw Ho-Oh at the start of his journey, his encounters with Mew and Mewtwo, the whole Chosen One tale in the Orange Archipelago and many more.

All of those events and many more were forever graved into his memory. They had forged him, molded him into both the person and the trainer he was today.

This battle was the final step, the last challenge he had to overcome in order to prove he had what it takes to become a Pokemon Master.

The only question was: how was he going to win?

"I see that you're still here, after all."

The familiar voice making his eyes snap open, Ash turned to face Paul, who was approaching him.

"Paul." he greeted, not really knowing what to say to his rival.

The lavender haired trainer sat down beside him and, for a good minute, they stayed silent, looking at the horizon.

"Are you afraid about tomorrow?" Paul suddenly asked.

Neither he or Ash looked at each other as the latter answered. "Afraid? No, that's not it. Anxious is more like it. It will be a tough battle, probably even harder than when I faced Brandon." he narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, I don't know if I can win this."

Paul snorted. "This, coming from you? Who are you and what have you done with Ash?"

Ash looked at his rival/friend with a look of disbelief. Had Paul just... joked? "...I might ask the same thing about you." the raven haired trainer replied, turning his gaze back to the scenery.

Once more, silence filled the conversation for a moment.

"I won't lie, Ash. I do not think you can win against Tobias. Your pokemons are good, I'll give you that, but his is a legendary. And we don't even know if that's only the tip of the iceberg or not. You won't stand a chance against him." Paul said.

Ash grit his teeth. "So I'm supposed to give up, just like that? Stop now when my dream is finally withing my grasp?"

The lavender haired trainer shook his head. "You won't stand a chance... that is if you choose to battle with the same team you used against me."

Ash turned to his rival/friend, eying him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Paul sighed. "I'm saying you should rotate your team." he replied, looking at Ash straight in the eyes. "I've done some research on you, Ash, I've also watched videos of your battles. And I was surprised, to say the least. You have several pokemons that are litteral powerhouses. Where is that Charizard of yours that fought against legendaries -and WON-? Where is that insanely fast Sceptile you used in Hoenn? Do you see what I mean? Your only hope to win is to use nothing, NOTHING but the best pokemons you captured during all your journeys." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I know you wish to win the conference with the ones you captured here, and I commend you for it, but you will only loose in the next battle if you choose to do that."

His explanation finished, Paul stood up. "If you truly want to win, then you must come at Tobias with every single resource at your disposal, not just what you have on hand." and with that, the lavender haired trainer walked away.

Ash stared at the retreating form of his fellow trainer until it disappeared inside the Center before his eyes fell on Pikachu, who was looking at him from his seat on Ash's lap.

"'Rotate my team', huh?" the raven-haired young man muttered.

What Paul had said was true. While he wanted to win the conference with his Sinnoh team out of respect for his pokemon, he knew that this would not be enough to win against Tobias. But could he really do that to his friends and partners? Wouldn't doing this betraying their trust?

"What do you think, buddy?" Ash asked his faithful companion, whose ears twitched at the question.

The electric mouse seemed to mull it over for a few seconds before he looked up at his trainer. "Pika, pikapi. Pika kachu, pipikachu kapi chu pika." "It's your call, partner. But I think you should ask the team what they think themselves."

Ash closed his eyes as he nodded. "You're right." he said as took the five pokeballs off his belt. "Come on out everyone!"

In a flash of light, his team appeared in front him. Staraptor, Buizel, Gabite, Infernape and Torterra looked around, curious as to why their trainer had called them.

Said trainer took a deep breath as he wondered how exactly he was going to tell them the news. "Guys, I've got something to say to you all." Ash said and his pokemon instantly shifted their focus on him. By the tone of his voice and body language, they knew that this was a serious matter. "As you know, today we managed to win our way into the semi-finals. And for that, I'm proud of all of you." The pokemons cheered at the praise before he raised a hand to silence them. "However, our next opponent is on a whole other level than anything we've faced before. So far, he only used a single pokemon to destroy his opponents and that was the legendary Darkraï." his friends gasped in astonishment.

How could they not? The fact that the guy had bought a legendary of all pokemons to the competition was in itself mind-blowing.

Seeing his team look between themselves in hesitation, Ash continued. "I think you can see the situation just as I do. As we are now, I'm afraid our chance of winning are slim... at best." his friends looked down and he shook his head rapidly. "That's not to say we're weak, don't get me wrong. But even as strong as we are now, it won't be enough." they nodded, albeit reluctantly. "As it is, I'm only seeing one way for us to do this." they leaned in expectantly and Ash swallowed with some difficulty. "I... would have to rotate some of you for others of my pokemons." he said quietly.

The words were met with silence and he took it as a sign to continue. "I know. I promised that we would win this together, that we'd reach the top, but Tobias is an unexpected dark horse we are NOT ready for. To win against him, to even HOPE to win, I'm going to need my best partners."

His explanation finished, Ash looked at his pokemons, who seemed to be deep in thought. He took a deep breath and sighed as he stood up. "I'll you guys decided. But whatever you choose, know that I'm proud of you, of US, and what we've done together." he said as he turned around and, as his friends started to talk between themselves, walked to a nearby tree before sitting against it and gazing at the sky.

It was a clear night, without a single cloud and he could see the stars clearly.

Idly, he wondered at how Tobias had gotten his hands on Darkraï. It was only a couple of weeks since he and his friends has left Allamos town, and he was pretty sure Alissa would have called them if Darkraï had suddenly been captured by a trainer. That, and the huge difference in power between the two (one could go toe on toe with Dialga and Palkia, for Arceus's sake!), ruled out the possibility of Tobias's pokemon being that same Darkraï. Having met most of the legendaries of each region he had went through, Ash knew by now that they weren't limited to a single member of their species. The baby Lugia and its mother that he had saved in Johto only a few months after having met the true Guardian of the Seas was proof enough of that.

Ash supposed that even though there were several legendaries of the same species in the world, only those seated with Arceus in the Hall of Origin were the "True" Legends that kept order in the world.

Going by this, Tobias's Darkraï was one of the "false" legendary pokemons that roamed the world, which also explained why no one had suffered from nightmares in the past few days. However, that didn't change the fact that a legendary, false or not, wasn't powerful.

Which made Ash think back to his actual problem of finding a way to defeat said legendary.

Maybe he could ask Mewtwo?

…

Yeah, right. Like that would work.

Even though the Genetic Pokemon trusted him, the raven-haired trainer doubted he would accept to fight for him in a stadium full of all kinds of humans.

Sighing, the young man lowered his head in defeat.

"You seem troubled, Ash. It is quite unusual to see you in such a state."

Jumping slightly at the familiar, yet unexpected, voice, Ash craned his neck to look at its owner. Standing beside him, leaning slightly against the tree, Cynthia Shirona was looking down at him with a soft smile on her face.

Ash blinked a few times. What was she doing here?

"Oh, Cynthia. Sorry, I... er... didn't see you there." he replied, not really knowing what to say.

The Sinnoh Champion's smile widened slightly. "You need not apologize, Ash. I could see you were in deep thoughts and didn't want to interrupt until you you were finished. I assume you were thinking about your match tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I know that even though my pokemons and I are a strong team, Tobias would simply wipe the floor with us. If I want to win, I'm going to need more than just the bonds between us and my strategies. I'll need some serious firepower to back it up." he answered, scratching the back of his head nervously. "So, even though I don't really like it, my only option would be to switch for some of my other more powerful and experienced pokemons." gesturing to his team, he continued. "However, I will not do so if my friends do not agree with it. I explained the situation to them and it's their decision to make. But whatever they choose, I'll go with it, even if it would lead me to loose tomorrow. Because they are my friends and partners."

For a few seconds, Cynthia stayed silent and Ash wondered if, as a Champion, she found his reasoning to be the one of a naive fool. Then,

"You are truly a magnificent Pokemon Trainer, Ash." he heard her say softly.

Raising an eyebrow, the young man turned to the woman five years his senior... and was stunned by what he saw.

Not leaning against the tree anymore, her smile still gracing her features, Cynthia was tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear as she looked at the starry sky. The soft breeze made her coat and hair float gently behind her as the glow of the moon illuminated her figure.

It was breathtaking; and Ash could do nothing but stare at the beautiful -no, more than that- gorgeous sight before him. It stirred something within his heart. Something unfamiliar, yet pleasant. A strange feeling that made him warm, somehow, in the fresh air of the night.

After several seconds of silence, Ash managed to find his voice to ask her, "What do you mean?"

The Champion's smile disappeared as she turned her gaze back to him and closed her eyes slowly. "In my years, both as a trainer and as a Champion, I've seen many kinds of trainers, each belonging to different kinds of people. I've seen some treating their pokemons as if their were simple tools. Others treating them as pets, even going as far as abusing them. It might be hard to believe, but trainers who care about their pokemons, who think of them as partners and friends, are growing fewer with each passing year." she said before opening her eyes and looking straight into his. "But you, Ash, are different. You have a special bond with each of your pokemons unlike any other person I've ever seen. Something that goes beyond the bonds between friends, partners or even family. You are someone who dedicates his entire being to pokemons. You live for them and would die for them. You, Ash Ketchum, love pokemons more than anyone I know in this world."

To say that Ash was taken aback by this speech would be an understatement. No one had ever complimented him in such a way, not even his mother. Even if what Cynthia had said made sense (and was true, he admitted), it still felt as if a one-ton heavy hammer had just clubbed his head (and his heart along the way).

By the time he had come out of his stupor, he knew that his face must have held the same shade of red than Pikachu's cheeks.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he struggled to find a reply. "Um... thanks. That's... er... very kind of you." he muttered, looking anywhere but Cynthia's face.

And there it was again: that weird (but a good weird, mind you) feeling.

What in Arceus's name was wrong on with him?

Ash stole another glance at the blonde, trying to fight down his blush. Even though she wasn't the first Champion he had ties of friendship with, he was still a bit at odds on how to act around her.

It wasn't that she was different from Lance or Steven, far from it, or because she was a woman. So what (still) was it that STILL made her different in his eyes? Was it because of that feeling she stirred within him?

Yes, that was surely it. But what was that feeling to begin with?

It was her voice that broke him from his musings once more. "I'll be blunt, Ash: not much people expect you to win tomorrow. But that doesn't mean that they don't WANT you to, don't misunderstand that." The raven-haired trainer nodded, acknowledging the truth of her words. "You've become the crowd favorite of this conference for a good reason. They wish for you to win. To show to Tobias, and to them, that legendary pokemons aren't invincible as they seem to be." Pausing, she turned to him. "The question is: will you?"

"Of course." he found himself blurting out. "Going against the odds has never stopped me before, and I do not intend to back down now. Never have I entered a battle with 'I cannot win' in mind. I know there are a lot of people cheering for me, having expectations of me, and I do not intend to let them down."

Cynthia smiled once more. "That's what I wanted to hear. Never forget this resolve that you possess, Ash. Everything that you've learned since the start of your journey, your love for pokemons, your skill, your will to fight. Take it all and use it into your battle tomorrow to grasp victory. And even if you loose, then use this defeat to learn from your mistakes and improve. That; is what it means to be a pokemon trainer."

Ash stayed silent for a moment as he gave the Sinnoh Champion an impressed look. "As expected of a Champion. That was quite the pep talk." he chuckled.

To his surprise, and pleasure (where in the Reverse World did that come from, he wondered), Cynthia turned her head away from him with an embarrassed look. "H-hey! I was simply s-speaking what I thought! It's not like I did it on p-purpose!" she defended herself as Ash simply stared at her, astonished.

How in Arceus's name had he managed to reduce the Sinnoh Champion, one of the most strong-willed women he knew, to a sputtering mess with a simple tease?! And was that a blush he saw on her face?!

Utterly confused and slightly panicking, Ash did the only think he knew to do in such situations: apologize. "Ah! Sorry, sorry! I just- I didn't mean to-!" he stuttered, raising his hands as his face colored.

The two squirmed awkwardly, trying to find a way to defuse the situation, until their eyes caught each other's. For a few seconds, they stayed silent before starting to snicker, eventually laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

And, Ash had to admit it, it felt good to laugh. The tension that he had accumulated in the past hours seemed to disappear from his shoulders as he and Cynthia's laughter filled the silence of the night.

Besides, he decided, he liked her laugh.

…

Where had THAT come from?!

Sure, it was a clear and beautiful sound that suited her just right but-

Ash instantly cut that line of thought before it could get any further, for the sake of his mental well-being.

After their laughter had subsided, he gave the blonde Champion a grateful smile. "Thank you, Cynthia. I needed that."

The older woman smiled softly as she shrugged. "What are friends for?" she retorted.

Ash raised an amused eyebrow. "You forget I'm traveling with Brock. Also, my first companion followed me all the way through Kanto because she wanted me to pay back her bike that Pikachu thrashed."

Cynthia hid a giggle behind her hand as she replied. "True."

Ash smiled. "But you're right. Through my journeys, my friends have always supported me or helped me. Especially Brock, as weird as it sounds, who became a sort of perverted older brother to me." he said.

The blonde shook her head, remembering the antics of the Pewter native, before she tilted her head at him with a curious look. "What about your other companions?" she asked.

The raven-haired hummed as he looked at the sky, thinking back at the different people who had accompanied him on his travels. "Well, Brock has kind of always been with me. It was only for a short time that Tracey took his place before he became professor Oak's new assistant. He was similar to Brock, in a way, but he didn't give me the kind of older sibling feeling that Brock did. Besides, he prefers studying pokemon where Brock prefers to raise them. While Tracey is clearly cut to be a researcher, Brock prefers the path of a Breeder and pokemon doctor." There, Ash paused.

"When Brock, Misty and I separated after the Silver conference in Johto, and I went to Hoenn, I met May. She had just started her journey and, despite her father being a gym leader, knew next to nothing about battles or training pokemons in general. I sort of took both her and her brother, Max, under my wing. I guess you could say they were my students. I taught them everything I know about pokemons, be it training, battling or caring. Since then, May has pretty much found her path, that of a coordinator. As for Max, he says he wants to be like me -for now anyway- but I think he'll follow a path similar to Garry's."

Cynthia blinked. "'Garry'? As in Garry Oak, Professor Oak's grandson?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. He and I grew up together in Pallet and started our journey the same day." he chuckled. "He was kind of a jerk back then. But we both matured over the years and while I still walk the path to mastery, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather to become a researcher. And a good one at that, if what the newspaper say is true."

The blonde nodded. "It's true that his name is started to appear more and more often during the past year. Some call him a genius, others the one who will lead pokemon research for the next half-century." she paused, then shook her head before looking at him again. "And what about Dawn?"

Ash turned his gaze skyward, thinking about his blue-haired friend. "Dawn... I guess she's like the little sister I never had." Looking at Cynthia, he laughed at her expression of surprise and curiosity. "At first, it was just like May: I was a mentor to her about pokemons, contests and traveling. After that it slowly evolved. I think she may have held romantic feelings for me at some point, but it quickly morphed into a sibling love." He paused as his lips stirred into a content smile. "If there is one thing I can say with absolute certainty though, it's that those people are like family to me. And I would do anything for them."

A comfortable silence fell upon the two as they gazed at the stars before Cynthia spoke softly.

"Ash... tell me, have you ever been in love?"

The young man froze at those words and then felt his heartbeat speed up as he answered. "I... might have held a crush or two at some point... but it passed quickly enough that I didn't ask myself what it was that I was feeling. So... no, I guess I've never been in love before." After a few seconds, he managed to ask, "Why is that?"

The Champion closed her eyes before shaking her head. "Nothing. Just a random thought that went through my head." she replied before looking at him and then behind him. "It seems your pokemons have decided on their answer."

Indeed, when Ash turned around, he found his team looking at him with determined eyes... though he wondered why some of them, and Pikachu in particular, seemed to looks at him in amusement

Bracing himself, Ash looked at his pokemons, and tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "So, guys, you have decided?"

The all nodded and Pikachu stepped forward before giving his partner a big smile that told Ash everything he needed to know and his face lit up with a smile of his own. "So that's how it's going to be, huh? Thanks, everyone. It means a lot to me that you are willing to do this. I won't disappoint you, that's a promise." he said as he embraced his pokemons one by one and they gave one last cheer before he returned them to their pokeballs, minus Pikachu who climbed to his usual spot of Ash's shoulder.

"Well then, you know what to do, right?" Cynthia said.

Ash turned back to her, still smiling. "Yeah, I do. Thanks, Cynthia."

The Champion smiled. "I'm glad." she replied before she looked down with a pensive look on her face. "Ash, can you do me a favor?"

The raven-haired trainer raised an eyebrow for a second before nodding. "Of course. Anything." he answered.

The blonde smiled once more. "Can you close your eyes for a bit?"

Ash blinked at the odd request, but complied with a nod before closing his eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened and Ash was tempted to ask why she had asked him this.

Then, he felt something moist and soft touch his forehead as Cynthia's lips deposited a gentle kiss on it.

Ash's eyes snapped open as the Champion drew back and he gawked at her, cheeks burning.

Seeing the silent question in his gaze, Cynthia chuckled softly, controlling her own blush. "A good luck charm." she said before turning her back to him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ash. Do not forget what was said tonight." and with those parting words, she left, leaving a dumbfounded Ash and a snickering Pikachu.

For what seemed like hours, Ash just stared open mouthed in the direction Cynthia had left before he brought a hand to the spot she had kissed. It was warm and slightly wet.

The sound of Pikachu falling from his shoulder in laughter broke him out of his spacing.

"That's right, laugh at me, will you..." he muttered as he glared slightly at his partner, only succeeding in increasing the electric mouse's laughter.

And that's it for the first part of the first revolution of this wheel of fate! Tell me what you think about it!

This is MidnightFenrir, author of "Wheel of Fate", signing out.