I'm sad to say this is the last chapter, but I still hope you can enjoy it.

You take a chance, you roll the dice
You risk it all, it's just a part of life
You hold on tight to what you know
You can't hold back, you got to let it go
Every little step that you embrace
One road ends, another begins and takes you to a better place

This was it. She'd made it this far in the league, a single match standing in her way of victory. If she won this, it was on to the Elite Four. And after the week she'd had, she couldn't be more thankful that she was almost done.

As she waited on her own platform, Charlie glued her eyes to the other side, anticipating who might enter from the other side. When she had checked the board earlier that day, she had been shocked when she discovered who her opponent was. The face that had started back at her had been none other than the same boy she had run into earlier in the week. And even then, as she stared at the picture with shock, her mind seemed to play tricks on her as she swore it was her dad she was staring at. She would only find out later from Misty and Brock, in more shocking news, that the boy she was about to battle had been a friend of her dad's. His name was Ritchie, and when he had faced her dad in the Pokemon League many years ago, he had come out victorious. While she knew her dad wasn't unbeatable, it was still intimidating to face someone who had beaten him.

When Ritchie appeared at the other end of the field, she felt a twinge of pain in her heart. She knew that this wasn't her dad, but her brain wanted to believe that this really was her dad disguised as someone else. That what she had seen as a kid was just something her mind had made up; that he hadn't actually died. He had survived and went into hiding, leaving the letters for her. And now, at the Pokemon League, he would reveal himself to her. It was crazy she knew, but she wanted so badly to believe it.

As Ritchie and her made eye contact, he smiled at her for a brief second. Just like everyone else in the world, he knew exactly who she was, but Charlie had a feeling that this information held more meaning to him than the rest of the world. If he had been a friend of her dad's, then facing off against her was probably the closest Ritchie would get to a battle against her dad. It was as if, without saying anything, they both knew there was this fine print that said this was the reunion match against her dad Ritchie had been looking forward to. If Charlie beat him then it would be like she won for her dad.

Despite the announcer's protocol, Charlie needed no introduction. Thanks to the reporters and paparazzi that had been investigating her all week, the whole world knew who she was. In the last week, her whole identity seemed to change with mere discovery of important facts. When she had entered the league, she was Charlie West, daughter of Daniel and Christina West-A.K.A Jessie and James.

After her first match, though, she had become Charlotte Ketchum, daughter of Ash Ketchum, a promising trainer who had mysteriously gone missing ten years ago. In an attempt to hide the letters her dad had created, when her dad's friends were asked if they knew about her, they would say they found out from Gary who had made an accidental discovery because he lives in the same town as her. Next, an even bigger shock rocket the world when everyone found out that her dad was no longer alive. When asked as to how he had passed away, she had followed her parents' request and told the world the same lie Jessie and James had told for years.

Two days later, through sources nobody could figure out, the seemingly endless debate over who her biological mother was finally came to an end. Before then numerous people had speculated that it was one of her dad's friends, providing their own evidence to back up their claim. Of course, none of them had been right, but that didn't stop people from bothering May, Dawn and Misty, and even Iris every day. When people found out that her mom was Ruby, things seemed to only get worse. After that her identity had changed once again. She was Charlotte Elizabeth Ketchum, daughter of Ash Ketchum and Ruby Hamilton, the newest member of the Elite Four. With this change in identity, Charlie knew then and there that things could never be the same. She'd never have the normal life she had before without people prying into her private life, and the world's expectations from her only spiked.

To the best of her ability, she tried to ignore the reporters and focus on her training, but it was especially difficult with everyone wanting information from her. On top of that, she had to constantly pretend to be someone she wasn't. Or rather, pretend to have a relationship with someone she didn't. Instead, she put up a front for the world that she had a normal mother-daughter relationship with Ruby. To the world it appeared as if her mom had always been there and that she never left a three-year old Charlie to be raised by her dad. As much as she hated acting like her mom and her had this relationship she felt she only shared with Christina, she could never reveal to the world the truth. She knew her mom regretted her decision every day, wishing she had returned. The world finding out would only crush her mom, something Charlie saw as hurting the situation she was in.

Now, she only had Ritchie and the Elite Four standing in her way. After that she could finally go home and travel somewhere else. If she was traveling, she could avoid the media a lot easier-at least until the next tournament she entered. Staying here with everything that been going on was taking its toll on her each day. Although she ignored them to the best of her ability, if it hadn't been for her dad's friends-Misty in particular, who seemed to enjoy yelling at the reporters-the reporters might have never backed off as much as they had. She knew that for many of them it was their job to pester her about her life and try to get her to reveal deep, dark secrets. Still, she didn't understand why they couldn't just leave her alone. She was already worn out from training and the stress the whole ordeal was putting on her. Answering the paparazzi's questions and running away from them only became another obstacle she had to overcome if she wanted any rest.

For what felt like the hundredth time, the reff listed of the rules of the battle. If she won this match, she'd be thrilled beyond belief, but if she lost, she promised herself she wouldn't cry about it. She'd gotten this far in her first league, something that was pretty good for a new trainer. If she lost here, that didn't mean she was a failure. She could only improve from here on out.

OOOO

"Gloom is no longer able to battle. The victory goes to the red trainer!" the announcer's voice boomed over the loud speakers.

From the stands, Grayson watched as his friend recalled her battered Pokemon from the field. Although he couldn't see her well, it was hard to miss the pain that was evident on her face. He watched as she walked over to where the other trainer was standing. After congratulating the winning trainer on his victory, Charlie shook hands with him and then headed out of the stadium. Just before she hit the tunnel into the waiting room, Grayson saw her pick up speed.

As Charlie quickly walked out of the stadium, she used all her strength to block the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Pushing herself to go faster, Charlie brushed past the people in the streets, not caring if she was being rude. She didn't know why, but every fiber of her body was telling her to get out of there. To go somewhere safe where nobody could find her; where the reporters couldn't track her down and bother her with questions she didn't know the answers to. She wasn't even upset about losing, but she wanted to go somewhere and scream. She just wanted the stress of the entire week to go away. She wanted her life back.

Upon reaching a lake buried within the forest, she finally let loose the tears that she had been holding back. What she didn't expect, though, was for them to fall at the rate they did. Within seconds, her whole body was shaking as she stood there and sobbed. Her heart rate sped up to the speed of a Rapidash, and her body suddenly began to feel clammy and overheated. Her breath was coming out in short spurts, causing her head to start pounding as she began to feel light headed. Next, her legs felt heavy as her vision began to go in and out, the scenery in front of her beginning to sway back and forth. Before she knew it, she was falling to the ground. The last thing she felt before she blacked out was the sudden pain as her head hit a nearby rock.

OOOO

When Charlie opened her eyes, she was met with bright lights and a minor pounding in her head. She was pretty sure she was moving her arms and legs, but she was still slightly drowsy from just waking up. After letting her eyes focus on something other that the bright lights above her, they finally started to adjust to her surroundings, and things started to become much clearer. Taking in her surroundings, she quickly picked up on the fact she was no longer in the woods. Shooting up, she frantically began to look around, trying to figure out where she had ended up.

Where am I? she wondered as her eyes darted around the room, taking in the various objects around her. "Pikachu?"

Although she didn't hear any response from the little Pokemon, her body had calmed down enough to alert her to the odd sensation coming from her right hand. In a periodic motion, her fingers experienced a warm breeze that seemed to be following a particular rhythm. When she wiggled her fingers, one of them grazed against an unknown object. Glancing over, Charlie narrowed her eyes in confusion when she identified the source of the warm breeze. On the edge of the bed next to her Grayson was napping, his breath hitting Charlie's fingers as he breathed in and out.

As much as she didn't want to wake him up, she really wanted to know what had happened. And since he was the only person around to ask that to, she was left with no choice but to wake him up. Resting her hands on his shoulder, Charlie gently shook him until she felt him start to wake up.

Lifting up his head, Grayson rubbed the remnants of sleep out of his eyes as he let out a big yawn. Stretching his arms to try and relieve the pain in his body from sleeping in a funny position, he let his eyes adjust to his surroundings. When they had finally adjusted to the area around him, he found himself starting directly at Charlie.

"You're awake!" he beamed back at her. Any sign of concern that had vanished from his face. With a teasing grin he added, "It's about time you woke up, Sleepy Head. I was worried I'd have to get Pikachu to zap you awake."

As he expected, Charlie's blank expression morphed into one of annoyance. "Pikachu would never listen to you," she argued, despite the fact that Pikachu had grown pretty fond of Grayson. "Plus, he would never do something like that to me."

"Whatever," Grayson shrugged. "I'm just glad you're finally awake. You had us all worried."

"What happened?" Charlie asked, tilting her head in confusion. "The last thing I remember is being at the river."

"You passed out from exhaustion and hit your head on rock," Grayson explained, reciting the words he had heard the doctor repeat to the friends and family who had inquired about Charlie's condition. "You suffered a minor concussion and you got a small cut on your head that the doctor sewed up. Other than that, you've been asleep for a while now."

Sure enough, just like Grayson had told her, when Charlie rested her head against her forehead, she felt the fabric of the bandage that had been wrapped around her head. Since the cut was covered, she couldn't see how bad she had cut herself or what kind of scar it might leave. Sighing at the thought of yet another scar on her body, she let her hand fall back to her lap.

"I didn't think I was that worn out," she admitted. While the stress of the whole ordeal about the world finding out about her had taken its toll on her, she never thought it was as bad as it must have been. Yeah, she had felt slightly fatigued at times, and she often missed meals because she was training, but she thought she could handle it. She'd experienced times like this before, and she'd gotten through them. Apparently, though, unlike those other times, this was more serious than she thought. "But when I went to the river and I started crying, I lost complete control. The tears and the shaking wouldn't stop."

"Were you upset about losing?" Grayson asked in the most sincere way he could. He didn't want Charlie to think he thought she was weak for crying about losing. "Because it's not the end of the world, you know? There'll be other tournaments."

To his surprise, she let out a small giggle. "I know that," she replied. "Don't get me wrong, I was bummed about losing, but I'm not devastated." Grayson couldn't help but feel relieved and concerned about her statement. He was glad to know losing hadn't caused her to be upset, but that meant there was something more. And Grayson had a pretty good idea of what it might be-or at least what it might revolve around. "But my dad…I…" She paused a second to gather her words. "I just wish he would have been there to see me. That's all."

"I think everyone does."

"I always knew in the back of my mind that he wasn't going to magically appear once I finished the scavenger hunt. And that guy, Ritchie, looked just like my dad, so naturally, I started thinking that maybe this was actually my dad in disguise. But when I lost, I think it finally hit me. After the match, I was waiting for him to reveal himself as my dad, but it never happened. When I reached the river, that's when I finally understood and it finally hit me. My mind had been playing tricks on me the whole time. My dad was never there. People weren't talking about him because he was around; it was because he was gone. I had truly reached the end. There's nothing else waiting for me."

Grayson let his shoulders fall as he frowned back at Charlie. While he may have known what was bothering her, he had no idea how to help her. He was failing at the one thing he had always prided himself in being able to do. Although he hadn't lost a family member like she had, he had been through similar situations before. When he was in these situations, there was always one thing that seemed to help him get through them: hope. Hope for change; hope for something better; something to look forward to. So, while he may have not been able to help her the way he had hoped, he could try to give her some hope.

"That's not true. There are tons of things waiting for you, Charlie. You just have to find them. Maybe, one day, you'll even find that one thing that'll be able to fix things." He watched as she turned her head so she was looking at him again. "Besides, once you get out of this stupid hospital and back to your old self, you still have tons of regions you have to travel through. There'll be tons of things to look forward to! And with how prone you are to crazy stuff happening to you, it's guaranteed to be an exciting adventure."

"You don't say," Charlie replied rather sarcastically, a bead of sweat formed on the side of her face. Leave it to Grayson to view the crazy things that happened to her, as an adventure deemed exciting. In fact, exciting is the last word she would use to describe her journey. If anything, her genetics were to blame for the "excitement" in her journey.

Understanding Charlie's sarcasm, Grayson couldn't help but laugh. "Heh…so maybe not that kind of exciting…" Pausing, he waited for a reaction from Charlie before continuing on. "Anyways, no matter the journey, you won't have to worry about being alone because you'll always be stuck with me!"

Grayson saw Charlie crack a smile, her words causing his cheeks to redden in embarrassment. "Now that sounds exciting. Lucky me."

OOOO

"So after refusing to talk to me, you decide to apologize by kidnapping me and taking me to who knows where?"

"You'll thank me," Gary replied, confidence in his voice. "Just stop freaking out."

"I'm not freaking out," she argued. "I'm just confused by your intentions."

Rolling his eyes, Gary continued on as he led a blindfolded Ruby through the dirt roads of the forest. After Charlie had been discharged from the hospital, as she had done several times with Ash, Ms. Ketchum had thrown a huge party for Charlie. A party that was currently going on at Ms. Ketchum's home, and that Gary had pulled Ruby away from. As he led her through the forest that surrounded Pallet Town, he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her hand in his. It was soft against his slightly calloused hand.

When he reached their intended destination, he stopped a few feet from a giant oak tree. "We're here," he announced as he let go of her hand. Stepping behind her, he gently untied the blindfold and pulled it off. "You can look now."

When Ruby opened her eyes, her breath caught in her throat. Spotting the familiar oak tree, her eyes traveled up the trunk and to the aged tree house that sat within its branches. Stepping a few feet, Ruby paused once again to stare, as if what she saw was just an illusion. It'd been years since she'd seen this place, but within it's aged walls, it held some of her most treasured memories. Many of which involved a certain raven-haired trainer.

Brushing past Ruby, Gary walked over to the foot of the tree and grabbed the planks of the ladders attached to the tree. Pushing off the ground, he started climbing up the tree. After getting half way up, he paused to turn around and glance down at Ruby.

"You coming?" he asked her.

"Huh?" she replied, oblivious to the fact he had even said anything. "Oh yeah!"

Running over to the foot of the tree, she followed Gary up the ladder and through the entrance of the tree house. Resting her hands on the floor of the tree house, she slowly pushed herself up and into the tree house. As she got her first glimpse of the inside, she found herself losing her voice one again. Everything about the tree house looked exactly like she remembered it. It was as if they had stopped whatever they were doing and just left everything as it had been.

"What do you think?" Gary asked as her surveyed the interior of the tree house. "Nothing's changed, huh? Well, except for us that is."

Ruby just nodded her head. She couldn't stop staring at everything in the tree house, trying to take it all in. On one of the walls, there were three pictures nailed to the wall, signs of age and wear evident in their faded colors. As she walked over to get a better glimpse at the pictures, she found herself giggling at the ridiculous looking kids within the pictures.

"When was the last time we were even here anyway?" Gary asked.

"The night before we all left on our journeys," Ruby informed him. "We sat up here and stuffed our faces with junk food until our parents made us all go home."

"Oh yeah."

Turning back to Gary, Ruby found herself laughing. "Ash was so stressed out about which Pokemon he would pick. I think he told us he had finally decided which one at least fifty times."

"Ha ha. I remember that," Gary laughed. "Gramps said when he came to the lab that day, he wanted Squirtle. Too bad I got to him first."

"You would," Ruby replied, rolling her eyes. "Nonetheless, I think he ended up being pretty happy with Pikachu. I swear those two would do anything for each other. Heck, Ash used to even put Pikachu in charge of watching Charlotte while he was cleaning the house. I told him multiple times to just put Charlotte in her crib when he was cleaning, but he'd just tell me that that she hated being cooped up in her crib. He could just feel it."

"As much as I hate to admit this, he was probably right," Gary told her. "Her parents are both very restless people who hate being cooped up in once place for too long."

Ruby could only nod in agreement. "I suppose you're right," she sighed. "Regardless, it was still dangerous! Plus, it wasn't like we didn't have one of those play things he could sit her in. He just never used it."

Gary just laughed. "Charlie's already told me some stories, but I'm curious about your opinion…" Giving him a look of confusion, Ruby waited for Gary to continue speaking. "What was it like raising a kid with Ash?"

As much as Gary disliked talking about Ruby and Ash's relationship, he couldn't keep his curiosity from getting the better of him. Ruby and Ash had known each other since they were kids, so they knew each everything about each other. But going from being friends with him to being forced to raise a child with him, would naturally come with some interesting stories. And since he couldn't ask Ash, Ruby was his best bet.

"Um, it was…" Ruby's face shifted as she racked her brain for the right word to describe this unique experience, "…interesting." Confident that this was the word she wanted to use, Ruby proceeded. "He always had good intentions, and he always tried to do what he thought was best for Charlotte, but it was hard to deny that he was clueless about raising kids. Plus, he was trying to raise a girl, which I imagine was hard for him."

"Naturally."

"If I ever had to go out of town for a contest, I would say lots of prayers that they would be in one piece when I came back. Other than that, things were as normal as we could make them. Sometimes we argued over different things, such as how to raise Charlotte, but for the most part things weren't bad. It was really rocky with everyone having to adjust to the new life. The best part of it, though, was getting to talk to Ash," Ruby reported, a small smile on her face. "He told me all about the adventures he had and all the friends he had met along the way. He was still the Ash I remember as a kid, but a part of him had changed since we last met."

"Did you know he never told anyone about Charlie?" Gary asked.

Ruby nodded. "It became a rather sensitive topic with him. After he told me he had left his friends in the middle of the night, I tried to get him to call them and explain what happened-or at least tell Ms. Ketchum-but he never would. I debated telling Ms. Ketchum myself, but I was afraid if I said something, he would get mad and leave. Charlotte had grown attached to Ash, so I couldn't risk that," Ruby explained. "There was one time, though, where I thought one of his friends would find out. The Indigo Plateau was holding a gym leader conference, and the gym leader wanted Ash to go with him since Ash had been helping him take care of the gym. I told Ash that he should go, but for some reason he refused to go and told the gym leader that he was busy. I realize now that the reason he didn't go was because he knew Misty and Brock would probably be there."

"They weren't the only people wondering where he was," Gary told her. "No offense, but wouldn't people in Viridian have noticed that Ash was the same guy who magically disappeared from that tournament? How did he get by without anyone noticing?"

"He went around telling everyone his name was Adam Hamilton and died his hair brown. It was a little extreme if you ask me… Anyways, after the hype of his disappearance died down, he started telling a few select people that his real name was Ash, but he still used Hamilton as his last name. According to Charlotte, though, after I left he opened the training school as Adam Hamilton, but her friend's parents-such as Ms. Stewart, Grayson's mom-knew who he actually was."

"I always wondered how nobody noticed him," Gary commented. "He just hid himself really well."

"Mmhmm," Ruby nodded. "Well, while it's great to be back here and traveling down memory lane, I have to ask. Why did you bring me here?"

Having been distracted by the conversation him and Ruby were having, he had almost forgotten the purpose of bringing her up in here in the first place.

"To give you this," Gary responded as he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I figured, what better place to read it then the place you two shared everything together?"

As she took the envelope, her face paled as she recognized the handwriting on the front. She just never expected to receive one. Back in January, due to the excitement of everything that had happened, Ms. Ketchum had forgotten to give Ruby her envelope from Ash. Instead, knowing he would probably see her before she did, Ms. Ketchum had given it to Gary. Ever since then, he had been waiting for a good time to give it to her.

"What do you mean?" she finally managed to ask.

"We both know you guys used this place more than I ever did. This was the Ash and Ruby tree house-I just came and visited occasionally."

Ruby couldn't deny what Gary had said. She had spent more time in this tree house with Ash than she ever had with Ash and Gary. This was the place they would always meet when she would call Ash needing to talk about her latest problem. They'd meet here and he would sit and listen while she talked and talked. When she wasn't sharing her problems and exchanging secrets with Ash, they would just hung out there.

"If you want, I'll wait below until you're done reading," Gary offered.

Instead of answering him, Ruby sat herself in a corner of the room and just started at the envelope. Taking this as a cue she probably wanted to be by alone for a bit, Gary climbed down the ladder where he would wait until she was done reading the letter.

There was no doubt in Ruby's mind that the letter was for her. It still scared her, though. Unlike everyone else, Ruby had known where Ash was all these years. He didn't have to explain to her why he had left or whom Charlotte was. She already knew all that. Whatever he had to say to her would likely revolve around what she had done; how she had left them when they needed her. With that in mind, she could only imagine all the things he would have wanted to say to her but never could. She'd never known how he felt about it all, but she was pretty confident that this letter would tell her everything she wanted to know. There was only one way to find out. Cracking open the envelope with her thumb, Ruby pulled back the flap and pulled out the letter.

Ruby,

As I write this letter, I can only imagine where you are in the world right now and where and when you might finally read this. So much has happened since you left, and I wish more than anything that you were here right now. Unlike in the letters I wrote to my friends and family, I don't have to explain to you where I was or who Charlie was. Instead, I owe you an explanation for something else-an apology for what happened between us. I know you probably blamed yourself, but as I look back on the events that happened, I realize now that I was the one who is to blame. I messed things up when they were just fine.

I remember telling you the very first day that things were going to be okay, but there were times when I found myself wondering if this was even going to work out. By the end of that first year, though, I was confident that things were going to work. We worked well together, and we had a daughter who was happy. That's why I thought the next best thing was to become a real family. While I told you that I was doing this because I felt it was the right thing to do for us, I realize now that wasn't the actual reason. As a kid, I always dreamed about having a real family with a mom and a dad who were happily married. I didn't want Charlie to grow up wishing for this, so I figured the only way to prevent that from happening was for us to get married. In a twist of events, you said no, and the next thing I knew you were walking out the door forever.

The days following your departure were hell, and I blamed myself everyday for the reason you left. I got too obsessed with my own childhood dreams and hurt you in the process. I remember you telling me that you knew I didn't love you. So you know, I did love you, Ruby, but it was a different kind of love. It just wasn't the kind you wanted. I tried to act like a couple with you because I thought that, eventually, I would fall in love with you. That didn't happen, though. You saw right through me, and, like always, you could sense what was going to happen before I did. I understand why you left, and that night you offered to give me my life back and to change things before they got complicated. Unlike me, you were thinking only of Charlie and what was best for her. I only made it harder for you and fought you because letting you and Charlie leave would be giving up on my dream of a real family. And because of my decisions, both you and Charlie suffered.

I wish Charlie hadn't had to live the life I had as a kid, but because of my actions she had to. I felt like a failure as a parent. Her mom was gone because her dad had screwed up, things were falling apart, and I couldn't stop them-you weren't there to help me. Everyday I hoped that you would change your mind and come back. If you had come back, I would have welcomed you back, no questions asked. What's even worse was that I knew where you were but I never called you. Right now, I regret that more than anything. Instead, I told Charlie that you were on a journey and that one day, you would come back. I hope that one day, you two will meet again so you can see just how amazing of a person she has become. I can never give you back the time with her that I took from you, but regardless of the time that has gone by, I know she still loves you Ruby. She never forgot you.

As for us, maybe we will be fortunate enough to meet again. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us the way you wanted. I toyed with your emotions, hoping that I could eventually convince myself of something that wasn't true. No matter what happened between us, though, you will always be my first friend and the one who gave me the greatest thing ever: Charlie. Because you faced your fears and told me about her, I got to spend time with my daughter that I'll cherish forever. Unfortunately, my time is up, and it's your turn. The past can hold you down, but please don't let it. Time heals all wounds. If you haven't found her already, go. You didn't lose her, Ruby. More importantly, enjoy your life and find that person who can make you happy; the one who will truly love you the way you deserve to be loved. You'll be okay, Rubes. I promise. But if you ever find yourself needing your childhood buddy, I'll always be there to help you out.

Love, Ash

Closing the letter, Ruby couldn't help but smile through her tears. He didn't hate her for what had happened. She hadn't ruined their friendship because of her actions. And as she sat there, the one thing she had been waiting for occurred. That giant weight she had carried around on her shoulders had finally been lifted. In a sense she was free. Free from the guilt she had felt all those years. Free from the worry that she had ruined everything she had with Ash. Just like when they were kids, Ruby was sitting in the tree house as Ash helped her out. And just like always, she'd take what he said to heart.

Just as she was about to climb down the ladder, Ruby stopped to take some time to observe Gary without him knowing. Sitting on the edge of the tree house, she rested her head in her hands and just watched him. He had changed since they were kids, gaining both maturity and, dare she say it, compassion. He wasn't so unapproachable, nor was he known as a bully. Instead, he had done nothing but help her and give her advice when she asked for it. She would be lying if she said that she didn't feel something towards him. There was no denying he was pretty handsome with his blue eyes and brown hair. She knew it wasn't quite love, though, but it was something between that and friendship. It was the kind of feeling where she wouldn't mind living with Gary, and where she felt that she would always be safe with him. Plus, it was obvious he cared about Charlotte, and she knew Charlotte got along well with Gary. In addition, a part of her was pretty sure that Gary felt this way towards her. That he had just been waiting, or maybe, without realizing it, she had said something that stopped him from saying anything.

She knew she wouldn't know any of this unless she asked him, so she decided then and there she would ask him about it tonight when he drove her back to the Indigo Plateau. And if things worked out, maybe she could be happy after all. She'd could finally get that one thing she craved so badly from Ash: real love.

OOOO

Meanwhile, back at the party, Charlie was busy stuffing her face with all the yummy food Brock, Cilan and her grandmother had cooked for everyone, while Pikachu sat near her, keeping a watchful eye on her. After her incident at the Indigo League, he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. They had all her favorites-including a pyramid of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches-and the buffet table seemed to magically refill itself before anyone noticed it was empty. If she was thrown this kind of party for how well she had done in her first league, she could only imagine what it might be like when she actually won.

"So where are you headed next?" May asked. She was seated across from Charlie, and just as Charlie had first met her in Celadon, a stack of empty bowls that had once contained noodles surrounded her. "You should come to Hoenn! You could come to Petalburg and meet my parents. They'd love to meet you and I'd love to show you around."

"You can go to Hoenn some other time," Dawn piped in, scooting her chair closer. "Sinnoh is really beautiful this time of year. We have this special festival that only happens every five years." Knowing her relationship with May was close enough that she could poke fun at the coordinator, she made sure to add, "I wouldn't want you to miss it because you were busy wasting your time in Hoenn."

"Just ignore them and go to Johto," Max interjected, rolling his eyes as his sister and her friend.

"Max! She doesn't know anybody in Johto," May yelled at her younger brother. "If she comes to Hoenn or Sinnoh, she at least knows somebody in case anything happens. Plus, if she wants to be a Top Coordinator, she should start in Hoenn or Sinnoh." Turning back to Charlie, May said, "If you come to Hoenn, I can give you advice for your contest battles."

"Charlie doesn't want to be a coordinator, May," Max told his sister in that know-it-all voice of his. "A great trainer like her could become a Pokemon Master. She needs to go to Johto so she can catch more Pokemon and beat the league there. And when she comes to Hoenn, she won't be looking for contest advice. She'll want advice from me on how to win the Hoenn League."

Top Coordinator? Pokemon Master? Charlie sighed in defeat. It was starting. The one thing she had hoped wouldn't happen was occurring in front of her eyes. Her dad's friends were jumping to conclusions, assuming she wanted to be just like her parents. Without even asking her about what she wanted to do, they were arguing with each other over if she wanted to be a Pokemon Master like her dad or a Top Coordinator like her mom. Next, the world be involved, guessing which one she would become.

Just then, Brock walked up with Misty at his side. "Guys, leave her alone," Brock yelled at the group in his fatherly voice. For a second Charlie thought Brock would be her saving grace until he said, "With her love of Pokemon, she'll want to become a Pokemon Breeder like her Uncle Brock."

Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Misty crossed her arms across her chest. "On the contrary, Brock, she'd be a much better Gym Leader."

"Actually, I think Charlie would make a lovely Connoisseur," Cilan countered. "Right, Charlie?"

Before she could answer, May and Dawn cut her off.

"What? No way!" Dawn and May yelled. "Coordinators are much better!"

"Breeder!"

"Pokemon Master!"

"Gym Leader!"

"Connoisseur!"

Charlie just let her head fall onto the table as it became clear this debate no longer required her own opinion. So much for a nice, enjoyable meal. There was no way this argument would ever come to an end. She had a feeling, too, that once she finally decided what she wanted to pursue, they would still try to talk her into something else. Attributing it to the fact none of them had kids of their own to raise, they all wanted to be the ones who could claim victory when Charlie decided to follow in their footsteps-or some variation of it. So long as she ended up coming to them for advice on how to achieve her ideal career, they would be happy. Until then, they would argue with each other over why she had no interest in pursuing the other's choice of career. Maybe she should just shock them all and tell them she was actually planning on joining Team Rocket. Then they would probably think she hit her head on the rock a little too hard.

"So where are we going next?" she heard Grayson whisper from beside her.

As Charlie thought about how to answer Grayson's question, she suddenly remembered an item she had placed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she set the music box on the table and flipped it open. For your next journey. The words that Christina and Daniel had said as they handed her the music box, bounced around in her brain. She knew there was a hidden meaning behind why they had given her the music box for her next journey, but that was something she knew she was going to have to figure out for herself. Maybe it was hidden in the song that the box played. As a kid, Charlie had grown all too familiar with the tune due to the fact that she had always set it near her pillow and listened to it over and over until she fell asleep. And thanks to her dad, she knew the legend that went along with it. Still, she couldn't help but feel that there was something more to it than just a song and a legend.

"The Orange Islands," Charlie replied. "I know it may sound crazy, but there's something waiting for me. I can just feel it."

Maybe, just like the envelopes, this music box was connected to somebody she was supposed to seek out. Maybe, the scavenger hunt wasn't over. Like she had told Grayson, she had this feeling that there were still people out there for her to find-maybe even new information about her dad that they would give her. Only this time, she wasn't using envelopes and nicknames to find them. She would be using items such as the music box sitting in front of her.

"It takes a lot to convince me that what you've said is crazy," Grayson teased her. "But if there's something telling you to head the Orange Islands, who am I to tell you no?"

Despite what Grayson had said, he knew that even if he did try to tell Charlie no, in the end, she would go with or without him.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, sure." Even though they had decided where they were headed next, Grayson could tell just by looking at Charlie's face that there was something more she wanted to say. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Charlie told him. "I was just thinking about what you said to me. How you said maybe one day I could find something that would fix everything. It sounded like a neat idea at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I have to wonder if something like that is even possible. Could I really change the past?"

"I honestly don't know. I was just saying it to make you feel better," Grayson admitted. Seeing Charlie's face fall a bit, he felt bad about what he had said. "That doesn't mean it's impossible, though. At least, I don't think so. If you ask me, your whole life has been based around change. Who's to say you can't change the past, too?"

Taking a second, Charlie thought about what Grayson had said. Throughout her life, she had been plagued with events that changed her life in major ways. Her life had changed when her dad had entered it, when her mom had left it, and when her dad had left as well. Then Christina and Daniel had brought about change when they took over taking care of her. And in a little over a year, her life had drastically changed once again.

It was weird for her to think that the group of people still arguing over her choice of career might have never been here. That she could have lived her whole life-or at least a large portion of it-not knowing who they were. But they were standing here because the questions she had wondered about for years had finally been answered. She knew what her dad had sacrificed to be a part of her life, and she knew the truth behind why her mom had left and what she had really been doing. She discovered the true identity behind her parents and learned things about her dad that he had always kept hidden from her. She'd changed the lives of her dad's friends, giving them someone they could joke about her dad with, spoil with food and gifts, and something new to sketch-and even a second chance to redeem themselves from past actions. After that, she no longer felt the need to hide her identity and she revealed to the world that she was Ash Ketchum's daughter. She knew things would continue to change-hopefully not as earth shattering as they had been before-but those would come with time.

"Look, Charlie. I don't care where we go, so long as there's new Pokemon to see and catch," Grayson told her.

"You sound like my dad," Charlie giggled.

Grayson couldn't help but smile at Charlie's comment. She had just compared him to the most important person in her life, a person he was more than honored to remind her of.

"Well, you know what they say," Grayson replied, a sly grin on his face as he playfully nudged Charlie. "You gotta' Ketch'em all."

Charlie just shook her head, trying to hide the small smile that was forming on her face. Between her dad's friends debates about what she would become and Grayson's lame jokes, one of them was going to drive her crazy. Maybe a little change wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. But whatever that change was, she would be ready for it and she would have her allies to help her face it. And while she faced the change she knew would be waiting for her on her new journey, she promised herself she would find a way to change what had happened. If there was one thing she had always believed, it was that as long as there was hope she would continue fighting. So with the music box in her hand, she made a vow to her dad:

I swear to you I'll keep searching until I find a way to bring you back, Dad. You'll get to achieve your dream. I promise.

The End

Thank you to everyone who has ever read this story or reviewed. While i know in no way is this the greatest story ever, I truly can't thank you enough for your support while writing this.