Hey everybody, I really don't know what to say on my part. I could tell you all the excuses in the world as to why it took me so long to come back but I realize there is none. I hope that you will someday forgive me for not updating for such a long time but until then there is only one thing I can do. Here is the new chapter of Lost Friendships I hope you enjoy it.

Ash had picked up Lucario's aura signature a few minutes ago and begun following it to where Lucario would be. He walked through the forest until he could see a clearing coming up. Ash walked out of the tree line and saw Lucario standing in the middle of a wrecked field. He took one look around the destroyed clearing and begun to walk over to his friend.

"I thought you would be waiting for me back at camp" Ash stated as he approached Lucario.

Lucario turned his head to look at Ash and then turned it back.

"Apologies master, I had a lot on my mind and I needed to be alone" Lucario responded.

"No need to apologize my friend, I understand" Ash said.

Lucario looked down at the ground deep in thought, remembering every second from the previous night. Ash saw this and walked over next to his friend placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What has you so troubled?" Ash asked even though he already knew the answer.

Lucario let out a sigh and begun looking around the clearing before he responded.

"For years you've taken care of me, taken care of all of us. Everything we needed you did your best to give us and never asked for anything in return. One day you came to me and asked me for a favor. I made a promise to you that day, a promise that I was unable to keep last night. I failed you master, after everything you've done for me I was unable to keep the promise I made."

Ash looked at Lucario and felt guilt inside himself for putting his friend in this situation.

"Lucario you are wrong, you did not fail me you could never fail me" Ash stated.

Lucario looked at Ash confused but continued listening.

"What happened last night was my fault. I was unable to control myself and as a result I hurt you. But you did not fail me, in the end you brought me back, you kept your promise and I am eternally grateful for that. Even if you had been unable to bring me back I know you would have tried until your last breath. In the end that is much more that is much more than I can ask for."

"In the past I was able to stop this but last night I felt like it was just luck. What if next time I don't have such luck" Lucario stated.

Ash looked at Lucario with concern and replied.

"Unfortunately it is true, every time this happens it seems that I grow stronger, and the last thing I would ever want to happen is that if I ever lost control again only one of us would come out standing. Therefore I think its finally time Lucario, I think you're finally ready."

Lucario looked at Ash with surprise etched on his face before he retorted.

"Master I cant I'm not ready to go back yet."

"You've come a long way since that day my friend. I am proud of you and all you've accomplished, but like me there is one thing holding back your full potential. Its time to confront your past and I am confident you will succeed, and ill be with you every step of the way" Ash declared.

Lucario looked pensive about the idea of going back to where it had all started for him. For a few seconds he stood there pondering what his master had proposed. After thinking about it he looked at ash and asked.

"Very well, When do we leave?"

Ash smiled and simply responded.

"Right after our next match."

Elsewhere

"Max you did great out there, your Sceptile had improved tremendously" sated Brock.

"He's right Max I cant believe how fast he has become" continued Misty.

"There's no doubt you'll do great in this tournament Max, as long as you don't get cocky" teased May and Dawn.

"Thanks you guys but lets remember that I still have one more preliminary match left an that there are a lot of powerful trainers still left" he responded.

As he said this they passed one of the stadiums with a giant screen replaying a battle with a trainer using an Eevee and the other using a Kricketune. The match then skipped to a Heracross rapidly punching a Golem and then enduring a self destruct attack and finally it skipped to a Frosslass pummeling a Gengar with an enormous sheer cold attack.

The group of five looked intently at the screen wondering whose pokemon those were. Immediately the question was answered when the screen showed the image of a trainer they knew quite well. Red Satoshi stood there thanking his Frosslass for a job well done and then was seen walking out of the arena.

Max sighed and continued walking. His friends and sister noticed and quickly caught up with him. They knew what had changed his mood so quickly and were trying to find a way to cheer him up. But Max was not the only one whose mood changed after seeing the video.

"I cant believe everyone is worshiping that guy. Its getting on my nerves, if everyone really knew what he was really like they would immediately hate him" May said frustrated.

"May don't start this again please, we know you hate him you dint have to keep reminding us" reproached Misty.

"Come on you cant tell me you don't hate that jerk as well. He's disrespected us since the moment we got here. He even managed to turn Cynthia against us and you still like that guy" May scolded.

"May I never said I liked him, I'm just not akin to wallowing over it" Misty replied.

"May just let it go there's nothing we can do about it lets go get something to eat" Max stated still a little glum.

"You alright Max?" Dawn asked.

"Yea just thinking" he responded.

Cynthia approached the clearing atop her Garchomp and saw all of Ash's pokemon around the clearing but did not spot Ash. Garchomp slowly descended into the clearing and gently landed. Cynthia jumped off Garchomp and thanked her for the ride. Cynthia's Garchomp nodded and headed off to finds Ash's Garchomp. Cynthia looked around the clearing for Ash but did not see him. She then saw Raichu and Faith tending to Eevee and approached them.

"Hello Raichu, hello Faith how are you?" she asked.

Eevee quickly looked up and saw Cynthia, without hesitation she ran towards her and jumped into her arms.

"I'm glad to see you too Eevee" Cynthia said as Eevee snuggled up to her.

"Hello mistress how are you?" Faith asked.

"I am fine but I was wondering where Ash is."

"Our master went into the forest looking for Luca, hopefully they'll be back soon." Faith replied.

"Oh, is Luca okay.?" Cynthia asked.

"He tell me he is fine but I can feel that he is worried about our master, about every one of us. But what truly worries me is that I don't believe he is worried about himself" explained Faith.

"Faith I know I haven't known you or Lucario or many of you here for a long time. Even ash is still somewhat of a mystery for me. I thought I knew him when we were both younger but these past six years have truly changed him, I cant imagine what it was like" Cynthia begun but Faith interrupted.

"I was not there all six years with him but ever since we met I feel like there is no one else I can trust better than him, and from what I know about the rest of our family they feel the same way. There were tough times, bad times and some horrible ones but we came out of them with him at our side. Sure you were not physically there for him and he always said we were his driving force, but we all know that had it not been for his memory of you he would not have endure it" Faith explained.

Cynthia's eyes were watering but she continued her explanation from earlier.

"He is a great man and he cares for everyone just like Lucario does, so you see together they are truly unstoppable. Luca would not let anything happen to Ash just like ash would not let anything happen to Lucario" Cynthia finished.

"I understand that they wish to protect all of us but I cannot help worrying" Faith responded.

Cynthia looked at Faith with a smile and jokingly said.

"That's understandable, it is our job to worry about them but also to keep them within their limits."

Faith gave Cynthia a small smile and said.

"If not us who else."

They both laughed and continued walking until they saw Ash and Lucario come into the clearing and headed towards them.

"Until then I want you to clear your head and relax" Ash said to Lucario.

Lucario nodded and noticed Faith and Cynthia heading towards them.

"Excuse me master, I will tell Faith about our plans" stated Lucario.

"Of course, go ahead I will see you later" responded Ash.

Lucario walked over to Faith and Cynthia and bowed his head as he said.

"Hello mistress I hope you are well after last night."

Cynthia put a hand on Lucario's shoulder and replied.

"I am doing fine Luca, thank you for asking. I assume you want to talk with Faith, if you need anything I will be with Ash."

Lucario bowed his head one more time and walked off with Faith next to him.

As Cynthia approached Ash she noticed that he and Raichu were talking and as she got closer she heard him say to Raichu.

"After the next match."

Cynthia decided to ask him about it later and as she approached him she smiled and put Eevee down before she wrapped Ash in a bone crushing hug and whispered.

"You had me really worried."

Ash looked down at her and saw the worry in her eyes. He then motioned for Raichu to go check on the other pokemon. Raichu got Eevee and took her along with him explaining what was going on.

"Cynthia come with me" Ash simply said as he lead Cynthia to the edge of the pond in the clearing.

The water was still and one's reflection could easily be seen in the pond. Both Cynthia and Ash stood by the edge looking at each others reflections. After a few moments Ash looked up and begun.

"Every day I wake up and look at my reflection in the water, and everyday I ask myself the same question. Is there any part of the old me still in there? I may see a glimmer of it sometimes and other times nothing but then I realize that even if there is, it could never again be the same. As a child I thought of the world as an innocent place where justice and good were the dominant powers. But throughout all this time I have seen the worlds true reflection…. And it opened my eyes. There is no question on whether or not I have changed and maybe not for the better. But this way I can help the world become more like I used to see it as a child."

As Ash finished a single tear fell from his eyes and onto the still water of the pond causing small ripples to form.

Cynthia looked at the man she loved with sad eyes. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how Ash had lost so much and even then put others ahead of himself. Cynthia wrapped her arms around his midsection and rested her head on his chest before replying.

"Don't you see it Ash, there's more of the old you in there than you think. Even now that you've lost so much you seek to help others before yourself. It is one of the major reasons I fell in love with you."

Ash heard truth in her words and slightly smiled, maybe he still had a bit of his old self inside.

"What would I do without you Cynthia? For the last six years you were my major driving force. Had it not been for the memory of you who knows where I would be now" Ash stated.

"Well which do you prefer, the memory or the real thing?" Cynthia asked teasing but with lust in her eyes.

Ash smirked and jokingly answered.

"Hmm, let me think about it."

Cynthia pushed him off and with a smile said.

"You jerk, I'm going to get you."

She then quickly closed in again before she was abruptly stopped just a few inches from Ash. He looked at Cynthia and smiled while he said.

"Now come on. I was joking, besides you wouldn't hurt me would you?"

"Put down the barrier and we'll see what happens" she replied.

Ash thought about it until Cynthia spoke up.

"I wont hurt you, I love you remember."

"Okay ill put it down just back up a bit" Ash demanded.

Cynthia took a few steps back and waited. Ash gave her one last look before lowering the barrier. Cynthia looked at him and asked.

"Did you do it?"

Ash simply nodded and watched as Cynthia slowly walked over to him. Just before she got to him her face lit up with a devilish smile and ran full speed towards him.

"You lied!" was Ash could scream before he and Cynthia fell into the pond.

1 Hour later

Cynthia and Ash were sitting on a small island in the middle of the pond while they looked up at the sky.

"Ash can I ask you something?" asked Cynthia.

"Yeah of course" he answered.

"When you came back from the forest you were saying something to Raichu about after your next match" Cynthia stated.

"Ah yes, do you want to know what I was talking about" Ash responded.

"I'm just worried, I don't want you to leave again" Cynthia said.

"Cynthia look at me, don't worry I would never leave you again" Ash stated as he pushed a strand of her away from her eyes.

Cynthia smiled and sunk deeper into the embrace they were in.

"As for where I'm going after my next match well I don't think I should tell you, I think I should show you" Ash continued.

"Really? So where are we going?" she asked.

"Patience, ill tell you everything you need to know after the match but for now come on, we have to get you back to your hotel, its getting dark" Ash replied.

"But I want to stay here" Cynthia whined.

Ash got up and offered Cynthia a hand.

"Ash aren't you going to call one of your pokemon to swim us to shore?" Cynthia asked.

Ash turned and looked at her straight in the eyes and held out his hand before asking.

"Do you trust me?"

Cynthia took his hand and was amazed at what happened next. With Ash holding her hand they were walking mere inches above the water. Ash had formed a large bridge like barrier from the island to the edge of the pond. After a minute of walking they made it to shore and Ash dissolved the barrier.

"See were fine" he reassured her.

"Its amazing what you can do with your aura" she complimented.

"Practice makes perfect" he simply answered.

"Ash I was wondering if you could teach me?" she asked shyly.

Surprised, Ash turned to Cynthia and asked.

"You want to learn to control your aura?"

"Yes, you see yesterday Lucario told me everyone had the capability but not the dedication to do so. You've mastered the control of aura, so who better to teach me" she replied.

Ash's face turned serious and he begun.

"I have not mastered the control over my aura, if I had I wouldn't have lost control last night. Cynthia controlling your aura takes enormous dedication and sometimes risks. Becoming an aura guardian means protecting anyone and everyone no matter what. Cynthia this is a tremendous responsibility are you sure its what you want."

Cynthia thought hard about what Ash had just said, and after a few seconds she responded.

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Very well then we will begin a week from now."

Ash and Cynthia walked over to where Ash usually sleeps and laid down. A few minutes later Cynthia was snuggled up to Ash while he slept soundly with his arm wrapped around her.

Hey everyone once again I would like to say I'm sorry for making you wait but I'm hard at work on the next chapter and it will be out soon. Now to address a few questions reviewers have asked me.

"How will the story end?"

- Come on guys I think you know better than to ask that. Some of you wont like the ending and some of you will. But I never said that once this story ends that its really over. Maybe I have plans for sequels, you'll just have to wait and see.

"Can you bring so and so into the story"

- While I do appreciate requests and suggestions, this story has a set path its running in. should I find a way to bring in the character you asked me to then they will be in the story. While some kind of story away from the main plot is needed I want to keep this focused as much as I can on what Ash is doing and what is going on in his life.

"Will Ash's friends find out that he is Red."

- Definitely they will and I know by now every way to reveal that Ash was really this new trainer that came out of nowhere has been played out. My way to reveal him will contain some of those elements but I'm trying to make it unique in my own way. So instead of all of the sudden Red's name turns out to be Ash and his friends going. "Whaaaaaaaat :o" I want to make it a little bit more refined.

Once again I'm sorry for taking this long to come back to this. If youre still reading I thank you immensely. Leave any question and requests you may have and please review.