Chapter 27:

Back in the Pokémon Center, Ash waited for his Pokémon to be finished their checkup. While he waited, he thought back to his trip to Kalos, his battle against Lysandre alongside Leaf and her friends, as well as his later Mega Evolution battle against Leaf. When he had heard about Kalos from Alexa, he had been excited about the prospect of coming to the Kalos Region and discovering new Pokémon, befriending and capturing them and participating in the Kalos League. He soon took out his Pokédex and went through it to learn more about the Pokémon of Kalos. He went to study up on the new Fairy-type Pokémon. According to the Pokédex, Fairy-types were immune to Dragon-type attacks and Fairy-type attacks were also super effective against Dragon-type Pokémon. He then checked to see how many Fairy-type Pokémon there were and what Pokémon were Fairy-type. He was not surprised to see that Eevee could evolve into the Fairy-type Sylveon, but he was surprised when he saw that Gardevoir also had the Fairy-typing. Ash gave a chuckle as he thought back to Iris, his traveling companion in the Unova Region, who was now training in the Johto Region of Japan. She had a phobia of Ice-type Pokémon because of the Ice-type's strength over Dragon-types. He could only imagine how terrified she would initially be of Fairy-type Pokémon.

He then sighed as he continued to think about what his plans in the Kalos Region would be. A part of him felt as if it would be foolish to leave the region since he had just gotten here. Still, there was something holding him back. That was when he heard the chime come from the main desk, indicating that his Pokémon were fully healed. Looking back, he saw Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff exit the back room, the nurse carrying the tray of Ash's Poké Balls, with Pikachu sitting on top of it. He quickly headed over to the desk.

"Your Pokémon are all fully rested and healthy," she said, setting the tray down on the desk as Ash arrived at the desk.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder. Ash then took each of his Poké Balls and clipped them to his belt.

"If anything else happens to your Pokémon, don't hesitate to come back to see us," Nurse Joy added.

Ash nodded, saying, "Thanks. I will." With that, he turned around and exited the Pokémon Center.

When he got outside, he turned to his right and followed South Boulevard all the way to the north, just walking. The walk was not all that exciting, for there was nothing save for some office buildings and some cafés on the path. Everything exciting must have either been on the other side of town, or in the center of the city. Still, there was a Galette Stand in the northwest part of the city that had freshly baked galettes. When he caught sight of the stand, his stomach began to grumble, which caused him to give a bashful smile.

"With everything that's happened recently, I'd forgotten that I haven't had breakfast yet," Ash noted, giving an embarrassed smile.

"Pi-ka," Pikachu answered, suppressing a chuckle of his own.

Ash then went up to the stand and bought six galletes in all: one for himself as well as one for each of his Pokémon, as well as six bottles of water. Letting his Pokémon out of their Poké Balls, he then gave each of them a Lumiose Galette and a bottle of water. Once they were finished, they each returned to their Poké Balls of their own accord, with Pikachu jumping back up on Ash's shoulder, with Ash continuing on his walk.

As he continued his walk, a smile crossed his face. That galette was just what he needed. While walking, he began to consider his plans for the future once more. While he could not deny his initial excitement about coming to Kalos, now, he could not help but feel himself wondering if he really wanted to compete in the League here. He had felt a sense of accomplishment when he had helped Leaf deal with Lysandre, his cronies, and those thieves, but he had a feeling that she could have done that without his help. Also, he could not help but wonder why when he was around her that he felt as if he should not really be in Kalos. He thought back to his previous adventures in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova and this feeling had never come over him before. More importantly, he had not begun to feel that way since waking up from the dream on the flight to Kalos. He soon found an outdoor café with several empty tables and benches and he decided to sit on one the benches and think some more, Pikachu hopping off his shoulder and sitting beside him.

His mind soon drifted back towards that dream, which for a moment, became much clearer. It was clear that the dream, if that's all it was, was not a pleasant one at the end. He felt as if he failed and his failure had resulted in a great calamity. More than that, though, was the fact that he had lost his friends in the dream, possibly due to his own mistakes. He was not about to let something like that happen to anyone he cared for again. Still, that was no reason to not go on his journey in Kalos, for he could not shake the feeling that everything that had happened in that dream was undone not by him leaving, but by what he, Leaf, and the others had done to Lysandre in that café. He had a feeling that the threat was over, or least delayed, and that his role in dealing with that threat was done. So the question was why. Why did he feel different from before? Why did he miss home so much?

Pikachu was looking at Ash and noticed that his mind had been drifting for a while and said, "Pika-pika?"

Pikachu's question jarred Ash and he looked down at his best friend and smiled. "Don't worry, buddy, it's nothin'." Ash could not tell whether his answer was truthful or not. Pikachu, did not seem to believe it was.

"Pi-kachu?" Pikachu challenged.

Ash then slumped into the bench and sighed again. "I don't really know," he eventually answered. "It's like I have a feeling that I shouldn't be here. But I have no idea why? The dream I had was already undone by us, Leaf, and her friends pounding that guy and his cronies in the red-roofed café. More importantly, I was lookin' forward to comin' here ever since Alexa told us about Kalos. Heck, I've even got an upgraded Pokédex, a Mega Ring with Key Stone, and a Mega Stone on my first day here. I've never heard of Mega Evolution before so I should really want to explore this region and challenge the Kalos League as well as learn more about Mega Evolution. And yet, somethin's holding me back. I feel like doing so at this time would be a mistake. And more importantly, I miss home," Ash added quietly.

"Pi-pi-ka?" Pikachu queried, surprised by Ash's admission.

"Yeah, I know," Ash answered, chuckling. "Normally, I can't wait to get away from home and go out on an adventure, which thinking on it now, is strange. But now, it's the complete opposite. I can't wait to get back home and I have no idea why this change has occurred so suddenly." He then sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe I'm over-thinking this."

"Pika," Pikachu answered.

Ash could only smile at his best friend. But still, his mind was drifting off to what he should do once again. He still had no idea if he should challenge the Kalos League or if he should head back home. He was about to rise when he heard the sound of instrumental rock music sounding from a clear screen, which quickly flashed the Pokémon Champions League symbol.

"It's the World Pokémon League Championship Battle!" came an excited voice from what was obviously an advertisement of some sort. "The greatest Pokémon Trainers in the world, and possibly history, will all participate in the battle to end all battles! Champion Trainers including Leaf, Ethan, Brendan, Lucas, Hilda, Lance, and Cynthia; all shall battle for the crown of the World Pokémon League Champion and become the absolute best in all the world! See the best battlers and battles in the history of the Pokémon League in Kiloude City at the Battle Maison in the Kalos Region starting on June eighth! Don't miss it for the world!"

Ash could only smile as he saw the advertisement for the World Pokémon League Championship. He recognized Leaf, Ethan, Lance, and Cynthia's names, having battled Ethan while in Sinnoh and having just battled Leaf a couple hours ago, along with having met both Lance and Cynthia on his previous quests. He had always wanted to battle in the Champions League but this ad had merely reinforced that desire within him. He then looked at the fine print in the ad, which he noted stated that a participant had to win his home League in order to challenge the Champions League. The cinched it for him. He wanted to challenge the Kanto League once more. Kalos could wait.

He then turned towards Pikachu and told him, "Buddy, I've decided. I'm gonna head back home and challenge the Kanto League once more. We never won that League and most of my badges there were 'pity' badges anyway. I wanna beat the Gym Leaders fair and square this time. And I know I can. I'll then challenge the Indigo League and win it for sure. Then, I'll challenge the Elite Four and then head off to challenge the Champions League. And after that, I'll challenge Leaf and beat her," he declared, his voice becoming more confident as he continued to speak. Yes, this was his dream. More importantly, he began to feel as if this was his destiny.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered in encouragement and confidence as he pumped his fist in support of his best friend. With that, Ash then rose, Pikachu jumping back on Ash's shoulder, and he departed the bench, heading towards the east so he could get to the Lumiose Airport and get back to Kanto, hopefully in time for his birthday, for he still wanted to visit home before re-challenging the Kanto League.

He hailed a Lumi Cab taxi, raising his hand and he waited for a few seconds for a car to arrive. After those few seconds, a car pulled up next to him and the passenger side door opened, revealing a driver in his late thirties to early forties. "Where to?" he asked.

"The Lumiose Airport," Ash answered as he hopped into the car. The door then closed and the cab drove him to the Lumiose Airport.

When the cab arrived at the Lumiose Airport, Ash looked out the window excitedly. He wondered just why he was so excited to head home since he had never been this excited to head home before, especially after just arriving from home in order to go on an adventure. Still, he felt as if this was the path he was meant to tread.

When the car pulled up to the entry gate, the car stopped and the driver looked back at Ash. "That'll be four thousand Poké Dollars," he said casually.

Ash nodded and got out the fare. "Thanks," he told the driver as he paid him the fare, giving the driver a tip as well. He did not know if it was customary to do that in Kalos but he felt that it was better to err on the side of safety. With that, Ash then went into the airport terminal.

Inside the terminal, Ash went up to a screen that listed the airlines and scanned the airlines for any that had flights to the Kanto Region of Japan. He would have preferred a supersonic flight, but he would make do with a sub-sonic flight if needed. Besides, supersonic flights were noticeably more expensive than standard flights. When he found an airline that traveled all the way to the Kanto Region of Japan, he rushed over to the terminal desk. When he arrived, he was surprised to find no line. When he and Pikachu arrived, they were greeted by a young woman with brown hair and green eyes sitting behind the desk.

"Hello, welcome to Fire Red Airlines. How may I help you?"

"Hi, I want a ticket for the earliest available flight that leaves for the Kanto Region of," Ash answered.

"Well, you're in luck. We have a flight leaving in about half an hour with a couple seats left. It's in first class, though, and will be at full price. You'll also have to hurry and go through the Full Security Scan if you wish to make it in time." The full security scan was where several Psychic-type Pokémon scanned a person that was going to board an airplane, along with any Pokémon that may have been going with the flier. It was not often chosen since the scans performed by the Pokémon were deep scans. All of a flier's personal information could be revealed during a scan and it was seen by many as a breach of privacy. Nothing about the person was kept secret during such a scan. Still, it did allow one to quickly go through security, for if there were a threat, it would instantly be detected by the Psychic-type Pokémon.

"How much?" Ash asked, indicating that money would not be too much of a problem for this.

"Seventy-five hundred Poké Dollars for a one-way trip."

"Great, I'll take the one-way trip," Ash answered, interrupting the service woman. He then paid for the ticket and took it. Once he had received the ticket, he made his way over to the security checkpoint so he could be scanned.

When he approached the security checkpoint, he found that that it was monitored by two armed security officers and two Alakazams. He approached them, opening his mind and doing nothing to hide his intentions from them. When he approached one of the officers held out his hand and asked, "Do you want the pat down, to go through the scanner, or do you want the Full Security Scan?"

"I'll take the Full Security Scan," Ash answered.

The officers' eyes went wide in surprise. Almost no one went through the Full Security Scan because of how invasive it was. The officers then nodded and looked back, indicating that the full array of Psychic-type Pokémon should come and scan him. After a few seconds, out came a Hypno, a Gardevoir, and two Espeons. Ash and Pikachu cleared their minds and Ash let out his other Pokémon as the security detail began their scans. The scans lasted less than a second, each of them then turning towards the security officers, the hand of each one hovering over their side arm, and nodding, indicating that Ash and the rest of his Pokémon team was clean and that he was safe.

"Okay, sir, you may pass," the officers said, giving Ash a security pass.

"Thanks," Ash answered as he returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, save for Pikachu, and headed down the corridor.

He ran down the corridor towards his plane, hoping to make the final boarding call before the gate closed. He checked his watch and found that he was cutting it close as the gate came into view. He waved his ticket as he rushed towards the boarding gate. As he approached the gate, he saw two additional security officers standing by the gate. Next to them was an Alakazam. When he reached them, he stopped, presenting his ticket and his security pass, showing that he had gotten through security cleanly. He also allowed the Alakazam to scan him to assure them that he had gone through security and had no hostile intentions. Once Alakazam had finished its scan, it turned to the security officers and nodded.

"Okay, everything checks out, sir," they told him. "You may board."

"Thanks," Ash answered as he rushed past the officers and went through the gate mere seconds before it closed.

He made his way through the gate and boarded the plane, looking down at his ticket to see where his seat was. He quickly made his way up to first class and managed to find his seat. When he found his seat, he was surprised to find that he was sitting next to none other than Leaf, who had the window seat, reading a datapad.

"Wow, fancy meetin' you here," he said jovially as he looked down at the girl.

Leaf merely smiled. "So we meet again, Ash Ketchum. Which seat would you prefer?"

"My ticket says I have the aisle seat," Ash answered.

"But is that the seat you want?" Leaf asked.

"It's fine," Ash answered.

Leaf then nodded and got back to reading her datapad.

Placing his bags in the compartment above, Ash then took his seat next to Leaf. There, he relaxed as the captain spoke over the speaker, saying, "This is your captain speaking. We are beginning takeoff. Please make sure that your seatbelts are fastened and that your trays are in their upright and locked position."

He then fastened his seatbelt and made certain that his tray was locked in its upright position. Once that was done, he sat back in his seat and relaxed as best he could, hoping to get some sleep during the long trip to Kanto.

Meanwhile, back in Lumiose City, Lysandre was leaving the police station as he managed to make bond, along with his lawyer and a couple of Admins from his organization. He walked out confidently, for he knew that, despite the evidence against him and the testimony of the Steels, that they were answering an ad for the GS Ball from Lysandre Labs, itself, there was reasonable doubt as to his culpability in the crimes committed by his organization. His lawyer had said as much as well. There was no way that they would get the charges to stick due to the fact that the Malamar that was found with him was one of three Malamars that had been known to use mind control to control their victims for their own ends, even having them commit horrific crimes, including murder. It would be easy to pin everything on the Malamar Trio, especially since they were now dead.

Lysandre rode in his car back to Lysandre Labs, where once he arrived, he departed his car and nonchalantly strode into the orange roofed café. Inside, he was met by Malva and Xerosic. As soon s he had entered, one of the workers at the counter went up to the window and turned the sign around to indicate the café was now closed. In addition, he also locked the door and closed the shades, giving the impression that no one was inside.

Once everything was closed, he looked over at Xerosic and Malva and grimaced. "To think that months of work and planning has been undone in mere minutes," he lamented. "It was almost as if they knew about our plans and goals."

"I'm not so certain about that, sir," Xerosic interjected. "The girl and her friends seemed more interested in the fleeing Malamar than us. Chances were that they were alerted to the Malamar Trio's attack on them and they didn't notice us until the Celebi was mentioned by the Steels."

"I'm with Xerosic," Malva echoed. "They did not seem all that interested in us at all. The Malamar was what they were after, and likely because the Malamar Trio that was being trained decided to go after them."

"The question is why the Malamars would go after a girl, a bounty hunter, an ape, and a monkey," Xerosic wondered. "What threat could they have been to them, or the team?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Malva retorted. "They killed the Malamars and stopped our plans before they ever got off the ground."

"None of that matters right now," Lysandre interjected. "The police know that we were trying to take a Celebi. Given the events that occurred in Crown City in the Sinnoh Region, chances are that they knew that we were trying to get access to Celebi's powers so we could see the future. They are already investigating the lab and will likely find out about our other less savory projects as well."

"Sir, if I may say, though, we may have an out for them, too," Xerosic volunteered.

"I know," Lysandre answered, nodding. "That's the only good thing about that surviving Malamar coming to us. It provided us the cover we need to get out of this and since it's now dead, along with the other members of the Trio, we can simply say that we're free and will no longer be any trouble."

"But there's no way we can risk continuing the plans and creation of Team Flare at the moment," Malva stated in a concerned tone. "We're going to be under a microscope for a very long time."

Lysandre stroked his beard. "Perhaps, there is something we can do," he said thoughtfully.

"What would that be, sir?" Malva asked.

"Perhaps, we can try to help the world the normal way without having to destroy it," came the Team Flare Boss's answer. "It will likely fail and Team Flare will be necessary for our goals to be achieved, but it will put us back into Kalos's good graces. And when their focus is away from us, we will create Team Flare for real, and find a way to create a beautiful world. Until then, we stay out of sight." He then turned to Malva. "Malva, you will have to go back to the Elite Four. You will keep me apprised of the situation regarding them and keep their eyes away from Lysandre Labs and Team Flare, once we revive the team." Next he turned to Xerosic. "Xerosic, you are going to be the lab's chief scientist. In addition, I need to know how many more Malamars you have."

"None, Lysandre," Xerosic answered. "All I have is an Inkay, and he is not really much of a battler as of yet. He seems more interested in making friends than fighting. He's not a Team Flare caliber Pokémon. I could train him to be a battler, but he won't have the mind controlling abilities that the Malamar Trio had. They were a once in a lifetime find."

"We'll have to make do with that, then," Lysandre answered. "Team Flare will rise, and one day, we will create our beautiful world. Until that day, we must wait, observe, and prepare."

The other two nodded in agreement. Once the discussion had concluded, Lysandre and Xerosic headed back into the lab to begin their work again while Malva left the lab so she could go back to the Elite Four to keep tabs on them and the Champion, Diantha.

Over in Vaniville Town, in the Sky Trainer Academy, Serena sat in her dorm room, reading up on study materials while the television played in the background. She had a lot of catching up to do due to the time she had taken off while under the influence of the Malamar Cult, which had mysteriously vanished early in the morning, which was what had prompted her to come back to the academy in the first place. So far, though, her classes had gone well and she found that she was not nearly as far behind as she had feared. While there was still a lot of work for her to get caught up, if she worked hard, she would know everything she needed in time for exams.

After finishing a section of her textbook on the tactics of aerial battles when facing Ground/Rock-type Pokémon, she looked up at the television screen and saw the familiar face of the reporter Alexa on the screen. She appeared to be giving a breaking story, so she turned up the volume as she watched.

"This is Alexa, reporting from the Lysandre Café in Magenta Plaza in Lumiose City," the reporter began. The mention of the Lysandre Café caused Serena to scowl in disgust for reasons that she did not understand. She shook it off as the report continued. "Information is still sketchy at the moment but what is known is that a battle that began on a back street in an abandoned building in the northern part of the city ended here at the Lysandre Café earlier in the morning. Heroic Pokémon Trainers Leaf and Ash Ketchum," Serena's ears perked up at the name of Ash Ketchum, "along with two sentient simians named Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, as well as a bounty hunter named Captain Falcon came here and stopped the transfer of a Mythical Pokémon, Celebi, from two thieves to the hands of Lysandre, who is suspected of having been under the control of three Malamars, two of who died in battle against Leaf and her friends at the building in the north, with the third falling while inside Lysandre Labs."

The mention of the three Malamars also perked her interest, but she also had a feeling that, while the Malamars were, indeed, evil, that they were not controlling Lysandre at all. She then continued to listen to Alexa. "Witnesses reported, with some recordings from bystanders, showing, that the heroic group followed the surviving Malamar to the lab and pursued it inside, where security cameras show the battles between Leaf and Malva of the Elite Four," the news then showed the recordings of Leaf battling, and badly beating, Malva, "as well as Ash dealing with Lysandre," the television showing Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard battling Lysandre and dealing with him easily.

Serena's eyes flashed as she caught sight of Ash, her memory instantly going back to the first time they had met at Professor Oak's Summer Camp. She smiled as she saw him beat Lysandre, free Celebi, who teleported away from the scene, and then the rest of the group take out the remaining Malamar. Alexa then continued, "It has recently been confirmed that the three Malamars that died were the same Malamars believed to be responsible for a string of thefts and even some attempted murders in Lumiose City as well as in some of the surroundings cities and towns. Many residents are already saying that they will sleep better at night now that the Malamars' threat has been eliminated."

Serena then turned off the television and smiled, her mind drifting back to memories of Ash. He was nice and had helped her after she had injured her knee after being startled by a Poliwag. She then thought back to the image of another girl, who had been less than pleased that Ash had been late to the meeting, though she had lightened up a bit when she saw that Ash had helped her. Serena figured that from the way the girl had talked to Ash, that they were related in some way.

She then proceeded to leave the dorm room to go down to the cafeteria to get some dinner. As she did so, she overheard some other students talking with one another about the events of the day. "Man, did you hear about that battle in Professor Sycamore's Pokémon Lab earlier today?" a boy a year ahead of Serena asked an underclassman.

"Yeah," the underclassman answered. "I've even seen a recording of it. I had no idea Mega Evolutions could be so powerful. That Ash kid came closer than anyone to beating Leaf."

"Yeah, but we all know that if the battle ended on the fainting, that Leaf's Venusaur would have likely pulled it off," the upperclassman said.

"Maybe," the underclassman admitted. "But you never know. Neither Pokémon fainted when the battle ended, so who knows what would have happened if Charizard fired off another Fire Blast or launched a Wing Attack on Venusaur after they both returned to normal?"

"You got a point there," the upperclassman admitted. The two then laughed and continued on their way, talking about other things.

As for Serena, she merely smiled. So Ash, you gave Leaf a run, she thought. One day, Ash, I will become a Champion and when I do, I will go to Kanto and challenge you to a battle. She grinned as she found her dream to be taking shape. She would continue to study here, as well as train in Rhyhorn Racing at home during the summer. Then, after graduating from the Sky Trainer Academy, she would go on her own Pokémon journey, become the Kalos League Champion, and then challenge Ash. As she continued down the hall, she resolved to herself to study hard so that her dreams would become reality, and that she could fulfill her destiny.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Serena, Ash, Leaf, or the other Chosen Heroes, a man, John, was sitting at a desk inside a room inside the luxurious Hotel Richissime. He was clad in a black bodysuit with a flak jacket and helmet sitting on a chair next to him. On the desk was a computer that had multiple images on it, each showing different scenes in real time. He watched as Lysandre went to work inside Lysandre Labs but did not show any reaction. The threat that Lysandre had posed was neutralized, for a time. He knew that Serena and her friends would eventually have to deal with him, but that was as it had been, and how it would be. And now that the Malamar Cult had been destroyed and Celebi safely evacuated from Kalos, Lysandre would not be able to identify Serena and her friends as a threat until it was too late and they had already started on their Pokémon journey. And by that time, it would already be too late since without Celebi or the Malamar Cult, there would be no way for him to change the past.

He then focused his gaze on Serena, who was studying at the Sky Trainer Academy. He smiled once again. Indeed, this was who Serena really was. She was a Pokémon Trainer and would one day be the Kalos Champion, not an idol. He even chuckled as he saw her watch an idol performance with some friends and have to actively prevent herself from cringing at the so-called cute performance of the idols on the screen. He could tell in her heart that she was a warrior. She would fight so that others could live in freedom and safety. And he knew that she would be a formidable Trainer.

The last image he focused his attention on was Ash and Leaf headed towards the Kanto Region of Japan. He had watched the news reports of Ash, Leaf, the Kongs, and Captain Falcon defeating Lysandre and the Malamar Cult. His plan could not have gone better if he had scripted it as a movie or novel, himself. He had watched the Mega Evolution battle with satisfaction, especially as he saw Ash handle Mega Charizard Y, despite the fact that his moveset would have been more suited for Mega Charizard X. He was pleased that Ash recognized this and would teach Charizard some Special moves. It appeared as if the time reset did more for Ash than just give him a second chance at life. It also seemed to be helping him recover more of his true self. He may even begin regaining some of his memories. John smiled warmly as he watched Ash rest, and his, still unbeknownst to him, twin sister stare at him and smile warmly.

"Now, all is right with the world," he sighed.

"It most certainly is," came a dark voice from behind.

John could feel a gust of wind and hear the sounds reminiscent of a distant storm. He scowled and turned around, seeing none other than Ganondorf standing behind him. The Gerudo King then approached, grinning evilly.

"What are you doing here, Ganondorf?" John asked coldly.

"Making sure you don't forget why you're here," the Gerudo King answered, looking at the screen. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm making my final checks to ensure that everything is going as it should," John answered in a cold tone, indicating that the Gerudo King should not pry.

Ganondorf took a look at the scenes and saw the images of Lysandre working, Serena studying, and Ash and Leaf traveling back to Kanto. "Can't seem to help but notice that you're tracking your kids," the Gerudo King noted, focusing on the scene of Ash and Leaf. He then looked over at John and gave a dark grin. "I can't help but wonder if you still have some attachments left in this world."

"Don't worry, Ganondorf, I have none," John answered darkly. "My loyalty is to Master Hand, and Master Hand alone. And I don't see why you're worried about this, considering my actions in saving the Earth are why you currently have the Triforce of Power in your hand."

"Heh, that's true," the Gerudo King admitted, showing him the back of his hand. Immediately at triple triangle appeared on his hand, with the bottom two triangles being empty, only outlines showing, but the upper triangle was filled in, glowing a bright gold. "And most fortuitous it was that you were able to touch it. Still, I can't help but wonder why it was that the Triforce could not grant your wish, but still split apart after a while, and why I have it now, despite the events that led up to your wish having been undone."

"A similar event happened for you in the past, did it not?" John replied, speaking of Ganondorf getting the Triforce of Power just before he was to be executed for attempting to gain hold of the Triforce and take over the Kingdom of Hyrule, after the Hero of Time had returned from an alternate future where Ganondorf had managed to acquire the Triforce and warn the King of Hyrule in time to stop his plans.

"Why yes, it did," Ganondorf answered. He then continued to stare at the screen, particularly at the scene of Ash and Leaf, and grinned, which caused John to scowl. "Are you sure you don't have any attachments left in this world?"

"None," John assured him darkly, lying through is teeth in the process.

It did not matter to Ganondorf. He then turned around and stepped back through the portal. As he did so, he looked back at John and called, "Master Hand wishes for you to report back to him as soon as possible and give your report."

"Tell him I'm coming," John answered.

With that, Ganondorf stepped through the portal and disappeared, the portal not vanishing just yet. John then gathered his belongings and turned off the computer, making sure to close out all programs so that Ganondorf would not suspect that he did still have attachments on Earth. Once everything was ready, he then stepped through the portal to Smash World. The moment he stepped through the portal, the portal vanished, leaving no evidence of John, or Ganondorf's, previous presence on Earth.

Back in the air, Ash awoke during the flight. Looking out the window, he could tell that it was night, so the flight still had a ways to go before it landed in Japan. Before going back to sleep, he looked to his right and saw Pikachu resting beside him, the electric rodent breathing softly. He looked to be quite relaxed. Ash smiled. He then turned to see Leaf sleeping in the seat next to him as well, the soft sounds of the Jazz music that she played over her headphones still active. A part of him wanted to turn off the music so she could rest more soundly, but he felt that if he did so, he would actually be disturbing her, instead. He did not know why he felt that way, but he could feel a connection to her, one that was anything but romantic. He stared at her and smiled.

That was when Leaf opened her eyes and turned to Ash, causing him to quickly turn away. She smiled as she caught that last vestiges of motion from his turn. Then, it was her turn to stare at the boy as she smiled. "So, what are your plans once you get home?" she asked.

"I'm gonna rechallenge the Kanto League and win it," Ash proclaimed confidently.

Leaf took one look at him and grinned in return, nodding in affirmation. "Yeah, I can tell," she stated. "You're different from before. Train hard and you'll win, without a doubt," she declared.

"Yeah," Ash affirmed. With that, the two got back to resting until the plane reached Kanto. All the while, the duo had not noticed that their exchange had awakened Pikachu, who quietly watched the short conversation between the two pre-teens. As he watched, he could not help but notice that there was more than a passing resemblance between Ash and Leaf. Even their smells were not all that dissimilar. He thought nothing more of it and then went back to sleep for the rest of the flight.

The duo awakened to the sound of a ding sounded over the cabin's speaker, the duo slowly opening their eyes. They looked around as they then heard the pilot's voice come in over the speaker. "This is your captain speaking. We are fifteen minutes away from the Pallet Airport. There may be some turbulence as we make our descent so please fasten your safety belts and enjoy the rest of the flight."

Ash and Leaf followed the captain's prompts and clicked their seatbelts in place. They then went to think about the meeting in Kalos, the events there, their gaining of Mega Rings, Key Stones, as well as Mega Stones for their Pokémon and grinned. It had been a productive trip for the both of them, even though they had gone to Kalos for very different reasons.

It did not take too much longer for the plane to begin its approach to the airport. The plane began its descent and both Ash and Leaf looked out the window, eagerly awaiting touch down so that they could disembark and be on their way. Ash wanted to get home as quickly as possible, for he saw the rising sun, ushering in his birthday. While it was his birthday, he could not help but feel that the happiest person would be his mother when he went home.

Soon, the plane began to descend and the airport came into view. After a bit, the group felt the cabin shudder ever so slightly as the plane touched down on the runway. After a while, the plane eventually slowed and came to a stop.

"We have arrived at the Pallet Airport in the Kanto Region of Japan," the captain's voice sounded over the loudspeaker. "You may begin disembarking to the port side exits. We thank you for choosing Fire Red Airlines and hope you have enjoyed your flight. We hope you will fly us again."

Ash and Leaf then rose and reached up to the overhead baggage compartment and opened it. Reaching in, they grabbed their backpacks, each of them taking out their Poké Balls inside, clipping them to their belts, with Pikachu jumping up onto Ash's shoulder. As one, they then slung the bags over their shoulders and then proceeded to follow the closest line to disembark from the plane.

Getting through the lines and security was tedious but they were still able to leave earlier than almost everyone else since all they had brought were their carry on bags and, thus, were able to skip the baggage claim. Once they had gotten through security, they made their way over to a central rest area for the airport. Once they did so, they glanced at each other once more and smiled.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways for a time," Leaf stated.

"I guess," Ash answered hesitantly, not wanting Leaf to leave just yet.

"Just remember what you have learned during your past adventures and build a team of six strong Pokémon with some backups as well," Leaf told him. "Do that and you should be able to win the Kanto League, if not the World Pokémon League Championship. You have the necessary tools at your disposal already. All you have to do now is use them properly."

"I will," Ash assured her.

Then, the two parted ways, Ash heading towards the airport's exit while Leaf seemed to head towards another terminal. Ash did not know if she was staying in Kanto or if she was heading out on another flight, and he was not worried about that right now. All he wanted to do was get home to his mother so he could celebrate his birthday and prepare for his next journey, which probably wouldn't begin for another week or two. He wanted to stay home and catch up with his mother before heading out again. He also made note to make sure that he constantly stayed in contact with her during his next journey since he had not been so good about that on his two previous journeys.

After exiting the airport, he proceeded to take out his map, since it had been quite a while since he had come to this airport. When he did so, he was quickly able to get his bearings and then put the map away, turning towards the west. Once he was ready, he proceeded to run off into the distance, away from the airport and towards his house. He wanted to give his mother the best surprise of her life.

He followed the road until it came to a hill that overlooked Pallet Town proper. Pallet Town was a small town, with only a few notable structures, though it was also home to Professor Samuel Oak and his laboratory where he studied Pokémon and where Trainers would keep any excess Pokémon for training and research. Ash did not stop to take in the scenery. Instead, he spied his home off in the distance and went to make a dash for it.

It did not take long for Ash to reach his house. As he approached his house, he slowed down a bit only to catch his breath. As he did so, Pikachu jumped down off of his shoulder and walked side by side with Ash as he went up to his front porch. There, sitting on a glider, was a package directly addressed to Ash, himself. Looking at it quizzically, surprised that someone would be sending him something at his home address when his trip home had been spur of the moment, he picked it up and examined it. Pikachu also came and examined it. The note on the box read, Happy Birthday Ash.

"Pikapi, pi-ka-chu?" Pikachu asked, wondering what it was.

"I don't know," Ash answered. "But it looks like a birthday present."

He then opened the package and inside, he found several CD cases, each with a CD-like disc inside. Each of the cases was labeled as well, the most noticeable labels being TM 13, TM 22, TM 26, TM 32, TM 35, TM 38, TM 52, TM 53, and TM 71. They were also labeled with the respective moves that the Technical Machines all taught. Ash could only chuckle. TMs were not in common use anymore, especially since Move Tutors were not too hard to find at the moment and many Trainers liked teaching Pokémon moves on their own. In older days, though, they had been very common and even today, did still find some use. Thinking back to his Mega Evolution battle with Leaf, he figured that he had the perfect use for some of those TMs. In fact, he began to wonder if it was, indeed, Leaf who had sent him those TMs. As it was now, though, he simply put the TMs in his backpack and proceeded to check to see if the door was open. Gripping the knob, he turned and found it to be unlocked. He then pushed the door open and went on in, Pikachu following him.

When he got inside, he saw that the living room was clean, too clean. Also, despite it being midday, the house seemed a little dark, almost as if someone were planning a…

"Surprise!" he then heard the voice of his mother and two other familiar voices cry as a small banner appeared above the doorway leading to the kitchen that said Happy 12th Birthday Ash.

Staring at them, he saw his mother, her eyes wide with joy, along with two of his best friends and previous traveling companions, May and Dawn. May was wearing a new outfit, a red tank top over a black sleeveless undershirt with a white skirt over dark blue bike shorts. Dawn, on the other hand, was wearing her usual outfit, a sleeveless black mini dress with an incredibly short black and pink miniskirt along with long pink boots. Standing next to Dawn was a small blue penguin-like Pokémon called Piplup.

"Happy birthday!" the trio cried exuberantly. May and Dawn then approached Ash with mischievous smiles and began to sing a jazzy rendition of "Happy Birthday" to him, dancing and clapping to the song as they sang. Ash merely stared at them blankly in surprise before he smiled almost reflexively. Despite the performance being impromptu, and the two having no real experience in music, and no aspirations for entering the music industry, they showed definite talent. Delia merely watched and smiled, having to suppress a chuckle as she noticed Ash's blank stare. When they finished their song, they both sided up next to the boy and cried exuberantly, "Happy birthday, Ash!"

"Uh, wow, thanks," he stammered, still smiling at the performance, keenly aware of the closeness of the two beautiful girls that had just sung Happy Birthday for him. Pikachu laughed as Ash tried, and failed, to form a coherent sentence. Ash was speechless and felt nothing but joy at the sight of his mother and friends. This was everything he needed. "How'd you know I was coming? My decision to come back home was spur of the moment."

"We actually came trying to catch you before you headed off to Kalos," May answered. "Looks like we actually got here in the nick of time to throw a surprise party for you, instead."

"But how did you know I was coming back?" Ash asked again.

"Right when we got here, your mom received a phone call saying that you had decided to come back from Kalos but that you wanted it to be a surprise," Dawn answered.

"Who called?" Ash asked.

"A man with a muffled voice, like a voice coming from a Federation Marine," Delia answered. While she did not say it, she could not help but think that she had recognized the voice of the man who had called. "Anyway, the cake should be done not too long from now. I'll go fix something for dinner. I know it's early, but if you'd like to stay around, I can whip something up for all of you." That last bit was directed more towards May and Dawn, since she knew Ash would be staying for a while

"Thanks Mrs. Ketchum," May and Dawn answered.

All the while, Pikachu and Piplup had quickly spotted one another and when they did, they immediately greeted each other.

"Piplup!" Piplup cried.

"Pi-Kachu!" Pikachu answered as he greeted Piplup. Turning to Dawn, he then added, "Pi Pikaka!" Dawn gave Pikachu a nod, but quickly went back to her discussion with Ash.

As the group was talking, Ash wanted his other Pokémon to take part in the celebration. He grabbed his Poké Balls and tossed them into air, calling "Okay everyone, come on out!"

The Poké Balls then opened and out came Charizard, who was still wearing his Mega Stone, Froakie, Fletchling, and Hawlucha. The three newcomers each looked around, not recognizing Ash's house, though Charizard was quite familiar with it, having been with Ash for quite some time. Ash then went to introduce the new Pokémon to May and Dawn. "This is May and Dawn," he told them, pointing out each girl. "They're two of my best friends."

Both May and Dawn then took out their Pokédexes and tried to look them up, but could not find any information on them. Eventually, May asked, "Are they from Kalos?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. This is Froakie, the Water Starter of the Kalos Region, then Fletchling, and Hawlucha," the boy pointing out each Pokémon as he introduced them.

"Hi," the girls said to the Pokémon. The Pokémon then said hello to the two girls in return.

"So, May, Dawn, how long are you two staying?"

"We'll be here in Pallet Town for a while," Dawn answered. "We came here to visit, but we're not doing anything too special at the moment. I just won the Sinnoh Grand Festival, barely beating out Zoey. I wouldn't have won if I didn't knock out her Pokémon, though," she added.

"Well, battles are an important part of Contests," Ash told her, smiling, thrilled that Dawn was fulfilling her dreams. "And you May?" he asked, turning to May.

"I won the Hoenn Grand Festival not too long ago, too," May answered. "In fact, I'm thinking about going on a Badge collecting journey pretty soon."

"Me too," Dawn added.

Delia soon came out, her smile at seeing her son not vanishing at all. "So Ash, how was Kalos?" she asked.

"It was fine," Ash answered.

"Okay," Delia began. "But may I ask why you came home so quickly? Did Kalos have a Pokémon League?" While Delia was delighted to see her son so soon after his departure, a part was worried that something was wrong. Ash had never come home early from a region before, and she could not help but notice the necklace and stone that Charizard was wearing. He must have gotten something while in Kalos. She also noticed Ash's own Mega Ring, though she did not know what it was.

Ash was surprised by his mother's line of questioning. He had expected her to simply be delighted with his visit. "I'm fine Mom," Ash answered. "And yes, there was a League there."

"So what made you come back to Kanto?" he heard Dawn ask.

Ash stopped and thought about the question for a moment. He could read between the lines and he knew that they knew that it was not like him to come home from a region without challenging the League. After thinking about the question, he gave his answer. "I guess it's because I have unfinished business in Kanto. I never won the Indigo League and I've been challenging all of these other Leagues without ever finishing the Indigo League and winning that. That, and I also met Leaf, who is the current Kanto League Champion."

"You met Leaf?" both May and Dawn blurted in unison. "She's world famous!"

"She's said to be the best Pokémon Trainer in the world," May added. "It's said that she beat a Trainer of Legendary Pokémon named Tobias six to zero."

Ash thought back to his own battle against a Legendary Trainer with the same name. If the Trainer that Leaf had beaten was the same one, then she was impressive, indeed. He could not help but have the feeling that he had experienced her power firsthand, though it may have just been in a dream. He, May, and Dawn then got back to talking, the girls letting out their own Pokémon to mingle with Ash's. He then continued to talk to the two beautiful girls as they wanted to hear all about his adventure in Kalos, as well as his adventure in the Decalore Islands on his way back to Kanto from Unova, with May being interested in his Unova trip as well. As they got to talking, all Ash could think was that things were finally as they should be. He was home.

Meanwhile, watching from the top of the hill overlooking Professor Oak's lab, as well as Ash's house, Leaf stood with her six Pokémon friends as Ash had gotten the package and gone inside. She had not seen May and Dawn enter the house, though her twin bond with Ash informed her that he was now talking with his two friends and enjoying their company. She also knew that they were staying for an early dinner and birthday cake. She had almost giggled when she had sensed Ash's reaction to their singing of "Happy Birthday". Nodding in satisfaction, she proceeded to make her way down from the hill and continued on her own journey.