This is the second huge edit run through of the fanfiction. Trying to fix some major/minor plot holes as well as some grammar/spelling errors. I am unsure as to whether or not I'll have time to continue this fanfic, but I'll try my best.

If anyone is interested in helping me as an editor/reviser it would be greatly appreciated! Message me if you're interested!

As always the people that first helped me will be listed here:

Special Thanks to all first Reviewers and OC submitters!

linkkirby8692

Pokedexter

Swagnilla-Ice-1985

Lightningblade49

Uranium235

Night of StarClan

darkwings5096

ShinObi87

Tbroome535

Ash the Aura Guardian

Herobrine

Alpha B. A. 7

JLgods01

siraaron

fearofvengeance

Trinity Fenton-Phantom

SailorSea

Jake

Nauran

Hawk2012

Aura Master

ampplaca1

HP-DG-SB

Bglizard

redlox2

Mewtwo MLG

Alpha009

CH 1

"It's been awhile hasn't it buddy?" A raven-hair colored man asked, smiling slightly at the nostalgic sight before him, while scratching the chin of his mouse partner sitting on his shoulder. It's been six years since trainer Ash Ketchum has last set foot in his hometown, yet everything still seemed look the same. The familiar sight of his house, the peaceful sound of Pidgeys chirping, and last but not least, the familiar slow, calm spin of Oak's laboratory windmill.

"Pi," The yellow mouse perched on his shoulder nodded in agreement as he too admired the peaceful scene before him. The two started to walk slowly towards the lab before them, taking in all the sights and smells that brought them literally back to home.

"You think they'll accept us back?" He breathed heavily, when the pair finally arrived at Oak's laboratory doorstep.

"Pi pikachu chu," Pikachu responded with smirking face.

"I sure hope so Pi," Ash chuckled and adjusted his hat backwards.

"Now do I look like when I was ten?" He asked only to the giggles of Pikachu as he walked up to the door.

"Ding dong!" Ash rang the doorbell and stepped back a bit as he heard movement coming from inside.

"I'll be with you in just a moment," An older male voice said inside, and soon after the door opened.

"Hi Professor Oak," Ash simply said raising his hand, his familiar cap still backwards on his head.

"Who are you?" Professor Oak asked, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up. His eyes then opened wide when they took notice of Ash's trademark hat and he exclaimed unbelievably: A-Ash? Are you really Ash!?"

"Well last time I checked my name was Ash," He answered sarcastically earning a facepalm from Pikachu. Ash never knew when to use sarcasm. "So yes I am back."

Oak stood there as if paralyzed, then came up and hugged the sixteen year old and patted Pikachu on his head.

"I'm so glad you're back Ash! Everyone was so worried when you ran away after the Lily of the Valley Conference!" Ash flinched when he heard the last two words. His loss in the competition at top 4 was the trigger on why he had left for six years in the first place. His dream was to be the best Pokemon Master, not the third best or the second. Every tournament, he had always lost besides the Orange League and Battle Frontier. Indigo League? Top 16. Johto League? Top 8. Hoenn League? Top 8. And I am still too weak, Ash thought to himself.

"Ash? You there?" Oak asked questionably, seeing that the boy was deep in thought.

"Huh? Oh yeah I was just thinking.."

"Now where have you been these past years without anyone finding you? We searched everywhere!" Oak asked incredulously as Ash took a seat near his research desk. After Ketchum disappeared, his friends and mother spent countless days over every four regions, along with half the police force, without any luck. They eventually gave up with sorrow and began their own lives again, though never losing hope that their friend would come back.

"I've been training in Mount Coronet," He answered simply to the shock of the professor.

"For so long? How did you manage in such conditions?"

"I stopped by at the market once in awhile, plus I found a good training spot." Ash explained with a small smirk.

"Training spot?"

"It's a great training spot, right on top of the mountain."
"Excuse me for so many questions but, wouldn't it be cold being so high up? Surely must have been tough training."

"Not really it was quite warm actually for trees to grow there," Ash said with a shrug earning a shocked look from Oak.

"Trees? That's not possible! My boy, Mount Coronet is the highest mountain peak in the whole world! No plants can grow at such a high altitude and trees are just-"

"Impossible," Ash finished then turned to Professor Oak with a smug look. "I'm sorry professor but I'm afraid that it's a secret."

Oak ruffled his aging hair confused, deciding to not question further and switch to a new topic.

"So what made you return?"

"To win the Sinnoh League. I've heard that it was coming up," Ash simply replied while Pikachu fist pumped with a prideful look on its face. "But I came here specifically to drop off some Pokemon."

"Certainly, since carrying more than six pokemon is against the rules," Oak stretched the last word, knowing that Ash had all of his Pokemon with him. The raven-haired boy merely rolled his eyes while he handed over all of his Pokeballs to the surprised old man. He then placed them on a transmitter which would teleport them to storage.

"Why Ash, all these Pokemon are all the ones you have registered so far!" The professor exclaimed incredulously. "Are you planning to take on the Sinnoh League with just Pikachu? Have you caught more Pokemon?"

The teenager grinned widely in response to the old professor's question.

"I've got five other friends willing to help." Ketchum suddenly stood up from his chair while Pikachu immediately jumped onto his shoulder. Both were still admiring the lab nostalgically, the place where he and Ash first met several years ago which brought back many moving memories.

"Well Professor, I'll be seeing you at the League I hope."
"You're going already? Why we have to catch up Ash, it's been six years." asked the old man while raising an eyebrow. The old Ash had never kept a tight schedule before.

"Sorry Professor, I would love to but I need to get my buddies together and ready for the League, since its starting in a few days." He picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder and walked to the door with a raised hand.

"Nice seeing you Professor."

"Hold on Ash your friends and family-" Oak stopped and sighed as the door closed. He wondered whether to tell Mrs. Ketchum and his friends that Ash was back when his eyes made contact with a small piece paper. There was something scribbled on it: P.S. Don't tell my mom or friends that I'm back until the tournament. I don't want to be harassed before my first match.

Oak smiled a little surprised. Didn't Ash like attention?

Ash jumped off his Charizard, a bit tired after the long ride. The shiny Pokemon was the first creature he encountered while climbing the mountain surprisingly. Charizard had been abandoned by her mother as a Charmander due to her color and Ash had nursed it back to health. Ash decided to use her instead of his first Charizard, to make her even stronger and build up her self confidence. He entered the secret cave that he couldn't make known to Professor Oak, because it was the home of a very rare Pokemon and his new friend, Mew. Mew had constructed a mirage that made the mountain seem like it had a top, though it was actually a huge crater, home of many Pokemon. The trainer had luckily stumbled accidentally in the illusion portal, reaquainted with Mew, and started his new life of Pokemon training in the makeshift utopia.

"We have less than three days before the competition to get into top shape! And we will show the world how strong our training has made us become! Everyone ready for their training?"

Lucario, a strong looking blue and black jackal, nodded calmly, resting his shoulders on a tree. Tyranitar, a heavily armored and intimidating beast, roared as an answer. Vaporeon, an aquatic creature plaid with fins and scales, licked her paw and purred loudly. Charizard snorted and stamped on the ground flapping her black colored wings. A new figure began to come into the view, clearly very delighted to see her owner and friend.

"Mew mew!" It cried as it tackled Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey there Mew, I can tell you missed us, but could you kindly get off?" Ash managed to croak out, being that Mew was hugging his neck very tightly. Mew reluctantly let go and sat down on Ash's other shoulder. Ash couldn't help but smile at her cuteness, then began to relay his plans for his team.
"Today we will work on defense. Lucario, Tyranitar, work on your defense with each other. Try not to get too carried away. Charizard work on your type defense with Vaporeon using Blitz Shield. Pikachu help Vaporeon and Charizard endure their electric weakness. I will be working with Mew on learning new moves. Everyone got that?"
There were murmurs and nods.

"Good. Let's begin."

Day before the Tournament

"Pokedex please," Nurse Joy asked, who took Ash's Pokedex and scanned it on her computer. His license and information was soon displayed on the screen.

"Ash Ketchum, may I see your Pokeballs you will be using for this tournament?"

The raven-haired boy handed her five Pokeballs and motioned that he will also be using Pikachu.

"Oh and nurse? I'd like to be called Ryan instead, that's what my friends all call me."

Pikachu giggled slightly at his name improvising. Ash had wanted to keep his identity a secret until the finals.

"Okay, I'll just scan those into the computer and change your name... and you're all set!" The nurse handed the Pokeballs back to the trainer, and routinely motioned for the next person in line to come up. Her face however showed the shock and surprise after seeing the trainer's roster.

"Well Pikachu, at least she didn't say anything about not being able to use Mew," Ash said, who was still unsure whether the rules would allow such a powerful Pokemon to be used.

"Pi pika chu chu," Pikachu pointed out.

"That's true, Tobias used a Darkrai and a Latios," Ash grimaced while he remembered his devastating defeat from the two legendaries, who had wiped out his entire team with just two Pokemon. Tobias had also even defeated Cynthia, the former Sinnoh champion, and has been defending his title for five years. Ash was determined to take his title. The boy began to walk towards the huge hotel exclusively reserved for trainers participating in the conference. He froze and felt a strange sensation in his heart when he saw two of his old friends walking by. He looked away quickly, hoping that they didn't notice him. He couldn't help but overhear the conversation though.

"I'm going to win this thing!" A short black-haired boy with glasses said.

"Stupid Max, just because you got eight badges doesn't guarantee you'll win," A pretty brunette scolded sighing at her brother's confidence.

"Hey you suck at battling so stop scolding me," Max sneered at May who turned red with anger and punched his head.

"I do not, I can beat you any day plus remember, my Blaziken tied with Ash's Sceptile before!" A silence fell between the two siblings; a wave of sadness fell crashing over their faces.

"Ash.. I hope he's alright.." May said quietly, looking up at the sky at nowhere in particular.

"That's because you had a type advantage, yet you still tied," Max smirked while ruining the mood. He then ran away quickly, chased by an out-to-kill May. Ash and Pikachu suppressed their laughter and continued walking, glad to see that they got over it quickly.

So Max is entering too? Should be interesting to see how much he's grown. Ash thought as he opened the door the grand hotel, awed by the chandeliers glistening from the ceiling and the professionally dressed staff who offered if they could take his bag which he refused. After getting his room key, the pair rode an elevator up to the 11th floor. The room, all in all, was amazing. There was a huge queen-sized bed surrounded by two flat screen TVs, and a jacuzzi in the main bathroom. There was even a small kitchen with a refrigerator. The television could be used for watching other trainer's matches during the tournament when Ash did not have a match.

I could collect some data on other trainers, Ash thought, but quickly threw the idea out; he had faith that his Pokemon could win under any circumstances. After all, that's what he'll have to do when facing Tobias.

Who knows how powerful his Pokemon is now, thought Ash while gritting his teeth, setting his bag down and taking out his Pokeballs. Pikachu leaped down and curled up on the comfy bed, wanting to take a short nap before the opening ceremony. Ash smiled, and let Lucario, Vaporeon and Mew out of their Pokeballs. Tyranitar and Charizard were too big to fit inside the room. Mew playfully flew around Ash and landed on his head, then got bored and curled up next to Pikachu for a rest. Vaporeon leapt onto a leather chair near the window and yawned, flapping its tail slightly before falling asleep. Even Lucario could not resist the peaceful afternoon atmosphere and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. Ash flopped down lazily next to Mew and Pikachu, and drifted peacefully to sleep.

The Next Day

Ash woke up groggily in the morning, and carefully jumped off the bed, making sure not to wake up the two sleeping happily on his left. He could tell by the morning sun that he missed the opening ceremony, though it was not important in his book. Today was the important day, the day where he would make his debut as a true Pokemon Master. Vaporeon woke up with a yawn and gave her master a curious look. Ash smiled and stroked Vaporeon's scales who responded with a purr.

"I'll be only using you today, don't let me down." He returned the blue-scaled creature back into her Pokeball and took another two as backup. Ash set his bag near Lucario, who had slept on the couch.

Are you going master? Ash heard Lucario's voice in his mind.

Yes, Lucario, I'll be back soon, Ash thought back. Lucario nodded and replied that he would make sure that Pikachu and Mew would be up to watch his match. Ash lightly chuckled at the thought and put his cap on. He then walked out into the fresh morning sun and took a peek at his schedule. His elimination match was at Arena 3, a block away from the hotel. Ash's eyes traveled down a bit and was surprised to see that his opponent, out of five hundred twelve people competition, was Max.

"Well Max, I'm sorry that I'm going to eliminate you so early," Ash murmured with a slight smile, while arriving at the arena. He only saw less than a hundred people in the stands including May, who was more interested in the arrival of the new guy than her brother, who was bragging about how he was going to take Ash down in less than ten minutes.

"Trainers take your positions!" The referee ordered, as Max and Ash stepped to their respective sides.

"This is a battle between Max Maple from Petalburg Town and Ryan Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
Ash flinched; he had forgotten that the referees mentioned trainers' hometowns too. May and Max gave him a surprised look that made Ash turn away. They relaxed slightly when they noticed the absence of Pikachu, thinking that "Ryan" was just a distant relative.

"Three Pokemon each, no substitutions. Ready? Battle Begin!"

"Go Vaporeon," Ash said, while throwing the Pokeball. The blue-scaled dog like creature quickly appeared, eager to battle.

"Ha, your rush will be the end of you," Max yelled, enlarging a Pokeball from his belt and throwing it. Out came a tall green lizard with grass blades, ready to take down its opponent.

"Sceptile," The creature said, while flashing its blades and chewing on the branch in its mouth.

"Sceptile, take Vaporeon down with a strong Leaf Blade!" Max ordered. Sceptile's blades glowed green as he advanced towards his opponent at a quick speed.

"Acid Armor." Ash calmly ordered. Sceptile's blade struck, but had only slightly damaged the water Pokemon, who seemed to be enjoying the battle.

"Your rush will be the end of you," Ash mocked, to the great anger of his opponent and slight laughter from May.

"Sceptile, use Sunny Day then Solarbeam!" Sceptile's pores on the back began to glow yellow, preparing to brighten the sun.

"Stop it with an Ice Beam."

A neat stream of ice quickly impaled the unfortunate victim before it could react, and the lizard laid still.

"What? No way!" Max cried in disbelief. The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves about the noticeably strong Vaporeon. She purred loudly in response proudly. May stared in shock at the level of difference between the two. The mysterious trainer had just taken down Max's strongest Pokemon in a single blow!

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Blue Corner please send out your next Pokemon!"

"Grr.. you won't get away with that one.. Go Mightyena!"

A fierce looking wolf appeared on the grass battlefield, barking loudly at its opponent, who seemed to not notice its presence.

"Vaporeon, let's end this quickly. Sheer Cold." Ash ordered while yawning a bit. The Eevee evolution launched a wave of freezing air and ice across the arena, sending shivers through the audience.

"Dodge it Mightyena!" Max cried helplessly. The dog tried to jump quickly out of the way, but fell short.

"Mightyena is unable to battle! Please send out your last Pokemon!"

Max stared out in pure defeat. He then looked glumly at the judge and gave up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to win.

"The Blue Corner has forfeited. The victory goes to Ryan Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

There were a few cheers and whistles from the audience, who were excited to see such a strong trainer so early. Ash walked up to Max and shook his hand.

"Your Sceptile was very strong to be able to make Vaporeon flinch," He remarked, to the delight of Max.

"Thanks but your Vaporeon is stronger. What do you feed it? Is it a girl or a boy? What-"
A brunette came up from behind the unsuspecting boy and clamped his mouth shut.

"Hold on Max, you're bothering him," May scolded, and blushed slightly at the sight of Ash, whose face had become more handsome and different from five years ago.

"No no no it's alright, I know he has a lot to ask," Ash answered modestly. May slowly released his grip of the pale Max to Ash's silent relief.

"Is Vaporeon your main Pokemon?" Max asked after getting free.

"No she is actually one of weaker Pokemon on my roster," Ash responded with a smug look, to the shock of the two siblings.

"How, what, really?" May asked in disbelief. "Who is your strongest Pokemon then?"
"You'll see, now if you'll excuse me, I have to somewhere to go," Ash half lied, he was really hoping that they wouldn't suspect that he was Ash. He walked awkwardly to the exit, taking long quick strides. Both of the Pokemon trainers stared stunned at the path where Ash had left, unable to imagine that the powerful Vaporeon they had just witnessed was weak in the eyes of the mysterious trainer.

"Pi pikachu pi," Pikachu remarked as Ash returned to his hotel room. The yellow mouse had just been watching Ash's match on the television with Mew. The pink feline Pokemon however, looked like she had fallen asleep while watching.

Well done Ash, Lucario commended, with a rare smile on his face.

"Thanks Pikachu and Lucario," Ash smiled , "It was quite nice to see how much Max has grown these past few years."

Mew stirred cutely and softly cooed as if she was in a sweet dream. Ash put a small cover over the pink feline while Pikachu was busy switching the channel to his favorite cartoons. Lucario went over to the balcony to meditate.

Well, Ash thought while slumping lazily on a chair, I'm back.

A squinty eyed man eyed the Pokemon League schedule and locations carefully, looking to see the name Max Maple on the list.

"Come on Brock, let's go! Gary's match is just in a few minutes!" An orange-haired woman with a small ponytail yelled, motioning him to hurry up.

"Yeah I'll be right there Misty!"

The breeder had been journeying with Gary and Misty on his way to the Pokemon League in hopes of seeing new faces again. Gary was competing just for a break from his professor studies, and Misty had come to cheer him on. Brock had been scanning the schedule for the second day matches for Max Maple, hoping to meet up with him and an old friend, May. However it was strange that he couldn't find Max anywhere on the schedule.

Could it be that he was eliminated this early? Brock asked to himself incredulously, who expected the Pokemon whiz to at least make it to the second round. However, his thoughts quickly drifted away when Misty was no longer in sight, already entering Arena 5.

"Hey Misty wait up!" He yelled while trying to catch up, and ended up tripping over a rock instead, falling head first.

"This is just not one of my days," he groaned. Suddenly a stranger rushed passed him, muttering something about never sleeping late again. Brock scratched his head and wondered why the stranger felt so familiar. The breeder, however, just shrugged it off.

It's probably due to my near concussion.

Gary smiled at the challenger that appeared; he didn't seem like a tough opponent. While his opponent before him was likely just a Pokemon Trainer, Gary on the other hand is studying to be a Pokemon Professor like his grandfather. The boy had begun to understand his Pokemon's abilities and use them to their fullest, making him a worthy Pokemon trainer as well. He gave a small wave to Misty and Brock who had just settled in the front row while giving the judge a ready sign.

"This is a battle between Gary Oak from Pallet Town and Ryan Ketchum from Pallet Town!" The judge shouted, raising a flag.

"Begin!"

Gary examined his opponent closely, finding some facial resemblance to the old Ash, and began to ponder in his head whether Ash had a brother or a cousin.

But Pallet Town is so small, and I'm sure Ash and Delia were the only Ketchums in our town, He thought, very confused.

"Can we get started?" Ash shouted in a hurry, a bit nervous at the blank stares that Gary, Misty and Brock were giving them. He knew that his fake first name wasn't going to help him much any longer.

"Okay sorry about that... Go Electivire!" A huge yellow humanoid creature appeared on the battlefield, static flaring through its fur.

"Electivire huh, Go Charizard!"

The black colored beast appeared majestically in the field to the awe of the spectators.

"Why would he choose a flying type to an electric type?" Misty asked, a bit surprised at the stranger's choice.

"He's probably got a few tricks up his sleeves," Brock replied excitedly, knowing how rare a shiny Pokemon was and to see them in actual battle.

Gary stood back in disbelief at the towering creature before him, whom was almost twice as big as his Electivire.

"Bad choice Ryan, Electivire is the best at taking down flying-types. Thunderbolt go!" Gary ordered while regaining his cool. The yellow beast quickly charged up an electric ball and fired it at the black lizard.

"Take it Charizard with Blitz Shield."

The crowd stared in disbelief as they watch the electric attack bounce off harmlessly the makeshift fire shield.

"What no way!" Gary said shocked at how one of his best Pokemon got his attack deflected without much effort. "What the hell was that?"

"That's a powerful Charizard," Brock commented, excited for the outcome of the battle. Misty nodded a bit, still couldn't help feeling the familiarity of the stranger.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded, which the black creature responded with a powerful blue flamethrower at Electivire.

"Dodge it Electivire!" Gary shouted, which Electivire did to Gary's relief, though just barely.

"You got a speedy Electivire," Ash commented, grinning a bit. The match was going to be an interesting one.

"Thanks but that's not all my Electivire has. Thunderpunch!"

Electivire rushed at Charizard with a fist full of electricity and a determination to hit its opponent.

"Fly up."

With a swift flap of her dark wings, the lizard sprung up quickly into the air, leaving a confused Electivire behind.

"Now Earthquake," Ash was responded with a huge tremor magnified by gravity, causing massive damage to Gary's Electivire. By the time the dust settled, only one Pokemon stood.

"Electivire is unable to battle! The winner is Charizard! Will Gary Oak please send in another Pokemon?"

The judge shouted to the cheers of the audience. Gary slightly cursed under his breath, knowing that he shouldn't have misjudged the stranger's power.

"Gary's Electivire got knocked out in one shot!" Misty whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah," Brock answered marveling at the strength of the Ash, "That Earthquake was really strong, especially to an Electric-type like Electivire. Ryan was really clever to combine Fly and Earthquake together."

"Blastoise you're up!" Gary yelled throwing out the Pokeball. A turtle like creature with cannons on its back appeared on the field, saying its name.

"Blastoise vs. Charizard Begin!"

"Blastoise give that oversized beast a drizzle with Water Gun!" Gary ordered. A stream of water quickly shot out of Blastoise's cannon, aimed directly at Charizard.

"Take it."

The water bounced off from the black dragon lizard's claws, grimacing only slightly.

"That's impossible!" Ash's opponent murmured, wondering how strong the Charizard actually was.

"Vaporeon's Water Guns are much stronger than that weak stream," Ash answered smirking, to the great anger of Blastoise and a slight shiver from Charizard.

"Show it your Hydro Pump!" Gary shouted suddenly, hoping to catch the black colored beast off guard. A more powerful jet stream was fired again at the female lizard.

"Dodge it and counter with Thunderpunch!"

Charizard sidestepped quickly out of the way, and flew towards Blastoise at an intense speed. However she was intercepted with another well-aimed Hydro Pump, hitting her torso dead on.

"Charizard!" Ash cried a bit worried, but became relieved when he heard the Thunderpunch met its target. Both Pokemon still stood, though looking equally as tired.

"They're matched equally," Misty commented, amazed especially at Blastoise's powerful water attacks.

"Not really, only the type difference makes it seem like they're equal," Brock responded knowledgeably. Misty rolled her eyes. Leave it to Brock to explain everything she gets wrong. Two figures suddenly entered sheepishly into Misty and Brock's view, waving hi as the two approached where they were sitting.

"Hey Max and May! When was Max's second match, I couldn't find you anywhere on the schedule," Brock motioned them to sit down at the many empty seats besides them.

"I got beaten by Ryan in the first match. Man was he strong! He's my new idol," Max answered proudly with a grin, though was smacked by May.

"Yeah he liked him so much he forgot where Ryan's second match was located and we took forever to find it."

"Really? How did that happen.." Misty asked sweatdropping, being that the schedules were posted everywhere.

"Can I tell the story later? I wanna watch the match!" Max replied, not wanting to tell the story at all. The pair of siblings settled in, while Brock filled them in on the battle's current situation. By now the two combatants have been battling it with everything they've got, neither one giving up.

"Charizard, full power Blast Burn!" Ash shouted. In one reckless move he planned to end it once and for all.

"You too Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Gary ordered, countering the strongest fire attack with the strongest water attack. Both attacks collided equally, resulting in a big explosion which knocked both competitors and their trainers down while leaving the audience coughing and sneezing. Once the smoke cleared, both Pokemon laid still .

"Good job Charizard on your first real battle," Ash murmured quietly as he returned her. The young lizard had always wanted to compete ever since Ash had mentioned the idea when she was a Charmander. Today she had finally proven her power by defeating two strong advantage type Pokemon.

"Both Pokemon are down! Will the trainers send out their next Pokemon?"

The group along with the audience stared in awe at the strength of the attacks they had just witnessed. All of them couldn't wait to see the next match up.

"That Charizard was pretty well trained to beat my Blastoise," Gary said, commending Ash on taking down his strongest Pokemon. He reached towards his belt for another Pokeball, throwing it out.

"Have fun with this one, Go Umbreon!"

The Eevee evolution appeared majestically on the field, the rings on its fur glowing bright yellow.

"A dark type.. Go Lucario!"

The humanoid fighting-steel dual type nodded towards his trainer as he appeared, aura glowing from its paw.

"About time you chose an advantage type," Gary said to Ash's smile, "But my Umbreon has a few tricks up its sleeve too."

"He has a Lucario! Awesome! His roster is just so awesome!" Max gushed, beaming.

"Lucario vs. Umbreon. Begin!"

"Umbreon Hypnosis!"

The dark creature's eyes glowed blue and stared at Lucario.

"Close your eyes and let the aura surround you," Ash commanded softly.

Yes master, Lucario replied in Ash's mind. The two had been linked through the aura ever since Ash had met him as a small Riolu, and have been best friends ever since.

Now Aura Sphere, Ash ordered in his mind, and was answered by a painful cry from Umbreon. Gary looked very confused; Ryan had not given a single command to the Lucario, yet he was attacking on his own.

"Could it be that they're communicating in Aura?" Brock asked.

"Doesn't Ash use Aura too?" May said, remembering the incident at the Tree of Beginning several years back. Ash had tried to help a Lucario save his city again by sacrificing his Aura energy, but instead the Lucario sacrificed his.

"Must run in the Ketchum family," Misty half joked, though with no idea what Aura meant exactly.

"That's just too awesome!" Max shouted, getting some annoyed glances from other spectators. May gave Max a look that he knew all too well and he decided to remain silent for the rest of the match.

"Umbreon is unable to battle! Victory goes to Ryan Ketchum and his Lucario!" The judge announced; the Aura Pokemon had barely even used its full power in taking down its opponent, adding on that Gary had no idea what to expect. Gary walked up to Ash and shook his hand, grinning.

"I've never had that much of a tough match since I faced Ash in the Johto League," He remarked to a slightly uncomfortable Ash.

"Haha me neither, now if you'll just excuse me," He said, noticing his old group of friends heading his way, "I've got something to take care of."

Ash quickly hurried away to the dismay of Max.

"What's with him?" Gary asked while his eyes followed Ash's disappearing figure, "I was just about to ask him if he knew where Ash was."

"I don't think Ash is coming back.." May said quietly, and the group fell silent for a bit.

"Well his last name was Ketchum, maybe he was a distant cousin that Ash never spoke about?" Brock asked.

"Something doesn't add up, they both seem to be about the same age, same facial structure, same color hair, and Ash told me that his mom was the only family he knows," Gary deduced suspiciously, getting some knowing glances of where he was getting at.

"So.. you think that Ryan could be Ash?" Misty asked a little doubtful, though it would explain why the stranger felt so familiar.

"Well there's only one way we can find out," Gary said while walking to the path where Ash had took, "I'm going to go ask Nurse Joy for his Pokedex record."

"You think she'll just give it to you? That's usually secret information," May questioned, "Only Pokemon Professors can access the data."

"Ah you forget May, I'm a professor too," Gary winked at the group and a slightly embarrassed May, waving goodbye, then exited.

"Ash.. Hopefully it is him.." Brock said, wanting to meet his old buddy again.

"If it is him why would he try to hide his identity?" Misty asked. It wasn't like the Ash she knew to hide away his true self.

"I don't think Ryan is Ash; none of Ash's old Pokemon were used in Ryan's matches," Max added, a bit disappointed if his new idol turned out to be Ash, his old idol.

"If it is Ash he's got a lot of explaining to do," May said with slight laughter, though was not followed. Another silence fell through the group, numerous thoughts going through each heads at once. Deciding to switch the topic May then added, "By the way have you seen Dawn at all Brock or Misty?"

"Dawn? I haven't seen her for years!" Brock answered, shaking his head.

"Why May?" Misty wondered. She herself didn't know Dawn too well.

"Well," May responded with a slight blush, "She said she wanted to meet me here to learn a few things about Pokemon coordinating from one of the best Pokemon coordinators."

"Like she can learn anything from you," Max muttered very quietly.

"Why don't you ask Gary, I'm sure he has all the records of people staying here at the hotel for the League," Misty responded a bit sarcastically.

"Alright thanks!" May smiled and waved dragging Max with her, "See you guys later!"

"Well, I never expected to meet all of my old friends in one place again," Brock said to Misty after the pair was gone. After a few seconds of no response he turned over to see Misty deep in thought.

"Misty?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I never did either," She said putting up one of her famous fake smiles. Brock ignored it however, not wanting to intrude on her thoughts. Misty looked up to the sky at nowhere in particular.

Ash hurry back soon, we all miss you.

Long brunette hair cascaded down Leaf's shoulder, sighing in frustration as she tried to brush the frizzles caused by last night's bad sleep. Today was the third day of the Pokemon Tournament, and there were only 128 people remaining, including herself. The main reason why she had entered the competition was to go along with Dawn Berlitz, her new friend that she had met while journeying in Sinnoh. They both had wanted to meet the famed Pokemon coordinator from the Hoenn Region, though Leaf respected May more for her battling skills than her coordinating skills. She had heard that she rivaled Ash's skill in Pokemon battling, making her even more excited to meet her. Ash Ketchum had been her childhood friend since kindergarten, though she left on a Pokemon journey earlier than him because she was one year older. But more specifically, he was her childhood sweetheart. As soon as she put down the brush her thoughts were interrupted by Dawn's voice on the other side of the bathroom door,

"Leaf come on already, you have a match really soon!"

"Hold on Dawn!" She replied back, picking up the brush again. "The bed was not friendly at all to my hair last night.."

"Still tossing and turning about Ash huh?" Dawn teased, to the great embarrassment of the brunette. Dawn had known of her crush ever since she told her accidentally a few days after they met, when Dawn asked her whether she knew Ash of not. The bluenette was a bit surprised, but had come to accept it and tease Leaf ever since. They were both disappointed, shocked and worried after hearing that he had disappeared six years ago. Though Dawn has gotten over it a bit, Leaf hasn't at all.

"Alright I'll give you ten minutes, I've got to wake up Barry," She groaned and Leaf giggled a bit, hearing the hotel door open and close. Barry was Dawn's 'boyfriend', even though her mother and Barry's parents basically set them up. They had been childhood friends since forever, but Dawn had begun to become annoyed at his arrogance and pride. She had only accepted to appease her mother, who had always wanted Dawn to have a boyfriend so she didn't have to worry so much. However, Dawn now looks for any single moment to be without Barry. Her real crush was of course, Ash Ketchum.

But Leaf likes him, and I'd rather keep Leaf a friend, Dawn sighed as she knocked on Barry's door. The blonde haired boy was also competing in the tournament, and had managed to get into the third round.

"Coming," She heard a voice croak from the inside, knowing that he had overslept, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, me and Leaf are going in ten minutes and we are not waiting for you!" She replied and grimaced as she heard crashes and loud noises coming from inside.

"I'm alright!" Barry reassured Dawn who had already left for her room. Barry's clumsiness was one of his least attractive traits to the coordinator.

If only I had Ash, she sighed than suddenly started ruffling her hair. Ugh what I am thinking my best friend likes him too and she deserves him more than I do!

"I'm donee," Leaf's voice ringed, and the bathroom door opened. Leaf looked at Dawn's disheveled hair and stared in shock.

"Mew Dawn, what happened to your hair?"

"Ah it's a bueno day!" Ash commented, stretching his arms as he woke up. Pikachu looked at him weirdly.

"What? It's Spanish? I'd thought I switched it up a little."

Pikachu gave him a look that seems to say "after six years I'd thought you mature a little bit". Mew giggled while Ash ignored Pikachu, selecting his Pokemon for his next match. Mew suddenly flew in front of him, pointing to herself. Ash smiled than responded,

"I know you want to compete but I'm only using you for the final okay? I want it to be a surprise since you're so special."

The pink feline legendary giggled at the compliment and sat back down on Ash's hat transforming into a Pikachu.

"You want to come with me today?" Mew nodded in its Pikachu form.

"Sigh, but I don't want anyone to figure that I'm Ash.."

"Pikachu pi pi," Ash's Pikachu responded, rolling its eyes.

"Yeah, you're right Pikachu; I'm just scared to meet everyone again. Then again the sooner they found out the better," Ash turned around, running choices through his heads. He then turned back around with a bright smile on his face, and let Pikachu and Mew onto his shoulders.

"Alright then, today I'll head out not as Ryan but as Ash Ketchum!" Ash stated, to the cheers of Pikachu and Mew. He then heard a knock on the door and gulped at the words:

"Hey Ash? It's Gary. I want to talk."

"So you're telling me the reason you've been gone for six years was because you had been training in a secret place?" Gary asked in disbelief after Ash had told him the complicated but truthful story.

"Yeah pretty much," Ash scratched his head sheepishly, "Sorry to make you guys worry so much."

"Man Ash, your mother and your friends were so worried, myself included, how could you do such a thing and not tell us?" Gary questioned shaking his head. There were some things that were alright to keep secret but not as big of a situation as Ash's.

"Actually Mom already knew, she just kept it secret for me," Ash responded calmly to Gary's dumbfounded look. He suspected that anyways since Delia had still been herself even after Ash disappeared. The two Pikachus giggled, remembering Ash's embarrassed face every time his mom told him to change his underwear when he called her every day.

"Well, when are you going to tell everyone else?"

The raven-haired trainer pondered for a bit, then sighed.

"The sooner the better I guess," He answered to Gary's smile. He then stood up and head towards the door.

"Well it was nice seeing you again Ashy boy, I'll be rooting for you during your matches," Gary looked at Ash for a moment, and then decided that it was better if Ash told the truth himself, to Ash's groan.

"I'll give you a few days to tell them," Gary said mischievously, "But after that I'm going to tell Misty and the group that you lied throughout the whole competition because you didn't want to meet them. I can't wait to see Misty's face."

Ash gulped and hurried Gary to the exit, saying that he'll tell them as soon as possible. Once outside of Ash's room Gary suddenly questioned,

"Wait Ash, who are you facing in your next match?"

"Barry," Ash responded, remembering the blonde boy only vaguely from his travels.

"What? You mean the runner up from last year who nearly beat Tobias? I'm telling you Ash, that battle's going to be hard, don't think you're the only one taking intensive training these past years," Gary warned, again surprised at the way Ash had been paired up with another strong trainer.

I bet someone is rigging this competition to test Ash, He thought, being that he himself was the third seed.

"Yeah yeah whatever Gary I'll just be using my secret weapon early," Ash replied, smirking. Gary raised an eyebrow and decided not to ask.

"Well I'll be waiting for that secret weapon, good luck Ash," He said, walking away to the end of the hallway, relieved that his friend and Pikachu were okay.

"He took that surprisingly well," Ash said, finally relieved that his secret was let out. He then turned around and sat down at the computer situated at the corner of the room. Typing Barry's name into the registration forums, Ash quickly scanned his roster.

Empoleon

Staraptor

Roserade

Heracross

Skarmory

Hitmonlee

It's all the Pokemon he used six years ago! Ash thought, slightly nervous. Barry's Pokemon were going to be hard to defeat, adding to the fact that his father was Palmer, one of the Frontier Brains, who might have helped him train his Pokemon too.

"Well Mew, it looks like I might have to use you sooner," Ash smiled at the pink feline that transformed back into its normal form, overjoyed at the news. Pikachu gave Ash a strange look, asking if he was going to use him or not. Ash smiled at his best friend's anxiousness to battle, and gave him a pat, reassuring him that he will be using his best few Pokemon for the match.

"He Dawn, you just watch, I'll win this for you my love!" Barry bragged making a heart sign towards the bluenette sitting in the spectator seats. Leaf giggled slightly as Dawn facepalmed, turning away, not wanting to be associated with blonde embarrassment. The arena was quite crowded, mainly because Barry was the League runner up, though not all. A mysterious, strong trainer was also in the match, and had seem to gain a lot of popularity as well. A few cheers erupted as Ash entered the stadium right on time, to the eagerness of his opponent.

"Well the trainers take their places?" The judge asked, seeing that the two trainers are present. Leaf and Dawn both stared at the newcomer, unable to shake off the strange familiarity they both felt.

"This is a battle between Barry Stinson from Twinleaf Town and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! 3vs3 one sub allowed!"

Shocks erupted on the faces of both Barry and the two girls.

"A-Ash?" They all stuttered, unable to believe that the boy was still alive. Leaf had continued hope however, and was super relieved to see that her eternal crush was unharmed.

"Sigh, I guess Gary told Nurse Joy to switch my name back.." Ash murmured sheepishly, then turned to return the stares from his three old acquaintances and friends. "Sorry that I hid it."

"Ash!" Leaf shouted overjoyed, unable to contain her bliss, and tried to leap over the bars, but was restrained by Dawn.

"I know you're excited Leaf, but they still have a match,"

Leaf sighed in disappointment while sitting back down.

"Begin!"

"Nice to see you again Ash," Barry said with a genuine smile, "But sorry that you're welcome back gift will be your elimination!"

"Huh, I'd like to see you try," Ash retorted, throwing out a Pokeball.

"Go Tyranitar!"

The massive dual rock and dark type roared loudly as he came out, making Barry step back a little, overwhelmed by the towering and menacing creature.

"You've got a strong looking Tyranitar," Barry commented, "But Empoleon can take it!"

He threw out a Pokeball and a large, majestic penguin came out, ready for action.

"Empoleon give that rock type a drizzle with Bubblebeam!" Barry ordered. Empoleon began to fire fast streams of bubbles at its opponent, who, without even Ash's command, sidestepped it easily.

"Good job Tyranitar. Now Earthquake!" Ash ordered, but was interrupted by Barry.

"Quick jump into the air!"

Empoleon jumped and evaded the attack just barely, to Ash's grin. Looks like there was another challenge.

"Tyranitar, Dragon Dance," Ash ordered. Tyranitar covered himself in a purple aura, increasing his stats.

"Empoleon, show it your Hydro Pump!" A huge stream of water was spat towards the armored Pokemon, who evaded it with ease again.

"Another Dragon Dance."
"Ash is just playing around with Barry," Dawn commented, smiling slightly at Barry's frustration. Leaf however, was not paying attention to the battle but at Ash particularly, taking in his changed, handsome facial features.

"Grr.. Empoleon since we can't hit it from long range go in close and hit it with a Drill Peck!"

The bird flew towards its opponent, with its beak bracing for impact. Dawn groaned at Barry's careless mistake of flinging a flying attack against a rock type. The attack, as expected, bounced right off Tyranitar, who snorted at the weak impact.

"Now Ty, Rock Smash Empoleon down and hit it with an Earthquake,"

The beast quickly responded with a powerful hit to Empoleon, causing it to crash into the ground, creating a deep crater. The penguin was then hit by a powerful tremor and rocks collided to the unfortunate pokemon .

"Empoleon is unable to battle! May the red corner please send out his next Pokemon?"
Gary mumbled something about fining Ash for defeating one of his strongest Pokemon so easily as he threw his next Pokeball.

"Roserade take him down!"
The flower Pokemon posed as it appeared on the battlefield, but stepped back a little in fright at the sight of its opponent, who was glaring menacingly.

"Roserade, Grass Knot!"

Vines began to creep towards Tyranitar, who again dodged it with ease to Barry's bursts of anger.

"Roserade return!"

The spectators turned in slight surprise to look at the blonde boy at his sudden return, who just smirked.

"Go Hitmonlee!"
"Finally he makes a good choice," Ash murmured, being that a fighting type would do a lot of damage against a rock-dark type.

"Hitmonlee, give that Tyranitar a taste of your Mach Punch!" Barry ordered and watched excitedly as his Pokemon flew at Ash's Tyranitar at a jet like speed.

"Counter with Protect," Ash ordered, and the attack bounced off harmlessly against the green shield. Barry was about to explode with frustration, ordering Hitmonlee to launch a series of Mach Punches.

"Finish it with a concentrated Hyper Beam."

A smaller than average stream of a hyper beam was fired from Tyranitar's mouth and hit Hitmonlee square on.

"Hitmonlee!" Barry cried helplessly as his Pokemon fell on the ground, fainted.

Cheers erupted from the audience at the strength of Ash's Tyranitar, who just smiled at the attention.

"Nice job Tyranitar, you finally perfected it," Ash commended. He had worked with the rock type to fire more compact Hyper Beams, which would take less energy to fire but have more power than a normal beam.

"Ash's Pokemon are so strong now!" Dawn awed, to Leaf's nod. The blunette turned to face her brunette friend, and smiled slightly.

"Still staring at Ash huh?"
"What? No no no I was looking at Tyranitar!" Leaf stuttered, blushing slightly at Dawn's accusation. Dawn rolled her eyes at Leaf's obvious lie. She was so easy to read.

"Well the red corner please send out his next Pokemon?"

Barry sighed and looked at his tired Pokemon, and finally forfeited, knowing that whatever Pokemon he chose would lose.

"And that's it folks! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will be moving on to the next elimination match!"

Leaf, once hearing that the match had ended, scurried hurriedly past the spectators onto the field, literally almost pounced on Ash.

"Ash! I missed you so much!" She cried happily, hugging onto an embarrassed raven-haired boy. The brunette had not seen Ash for more than seven years, and was so glad her childhood friend was back. Dawn ran up near the two, very jealous inside but hid it from her smile.

"Um who are you again?" Ash nervously asked, scratching his head in confusion. He had recognized Dawn and waved hi, glad to see an old friend, but did not recognize the pretty brunette in front of him.

"Ash? You don't recognize me anymore?" Leaf asked in disbelief, releasing her grip on Ash.

"Well it has been seven years since you guys last saw each other.." Dawn said rolling her eyes at Leaf. Leaf blushed then looked Ash straight in the eyes and smiled.

"I'm Leaf Green, your childhood friend."

"Leaf? You're really Leaf?" Ash asked, now it was his to be in disbelief.

"The one and only," She responded a little red at Ash's comment.

"Everyone get out of the way or else I'll fine you all two hundred bucks!" Barry interrupted, pushing through the exiting spectators to where the trio was. Ash, however, ignored the blonde trainer and went up to hug Leaf tightly, to Dawn's great jealousy.

"I missed you Leaf," Ash whispered, still overwhelmed at the fact that he would find his childhood friend that he hasn't been in contact with ever since she started her Pokemon journey. She had just disappeared when he had awaken from his coma.

"I missed you too.. where have you been Ash.." Leaf sighed, letting herself fall into Ash's strong grip.

"Where have you been..."

Their hug was immediately interrupted by Barry, who began to ask Ash all sorts of questions about his training techniques.

"It looks like you've got a new fan now Ash," Dawn said a bit sarcastically. The whole group laughed except for Barry, who fumed that he was not a fan, just someone trying to get information.

At an unknown base

"Sir, it seems like Ash Ketchum defeated the second seed of the Pokemon Tournament by unheard of margins," An informant reported to a mysterious man with an eerie aura.

"Ah, perfect, he's truly a talented trainer," The man responded smiling slightly to show his fake teeth. "So perfect in fact, that I want you to help collect information on him so I can meet him privately. But not until after the Pokemon Tournament, I want to watch the finals."

"Yes sir. It will be done."

"There we are," A orange haired man said as he plopped some papers onto the table. Sitting near the table was a long blonde haired woman and another dark haired man. On the table was Ash Ketchum's profile, recently updated by the Professors across the regions.

"So this is trainer that took down two of my legendaries?" Tobias murmured while fingering through the profile, scanning the competitions he won. Lance and Cynthia peered over, impressed that the boy had won not only the Orange League, but the Battle Frontier as well.

"Well, Tobias looks like you've got a strong challenger ahead of you," Lance smirked slightly. Tobias smiled back, interested in the fact that there was finally a strong trainer worthy of facing him. Cynthia relaxed in her chair, yawning. Ever since Tobias had beaten her and taken her title, she had retired as a Pokemon trainer and now is one of the Pokemon League officials, working together with Lance, former Kanto champion, to make the Leagues run as smooth as possible.

"Interesting.. He has an unknown pokemon in his roster," Tobias said, staring at the "unknown" word covering a picture of one Ash's six Pokemon.

"Probably the boy has caught a legendary and hasn't used it yet," Cynthia said, who was very impressed at Ash's accomplishments. She remembered him well from the travels and adventures they had together six years ago, and was deeply saddened when she heard that the trainer had disappeared. The blonde woman then turned to look at Lance.
"It seems like that's why you have been putting him against the strongest trainers, trying to bring out that legendary right?"

"Right on Cynthia," He laughed sheepishly, "I was very curious. Ash was one of my few favorite rookie trainers back then."

"Well his battles tells me he's a one of a kind professional rookie, that may be perhaps why you like him so much." Tobias said sarcastically to the chuckles of the two around him.
"You're right partially, Ash had that determination and cleverness not usually shown in that of a normal Pokemon trainer, heck I thought he was going to beat every Pokemon League," Lance exclaimed.

"He's a trainer to be well looked into," Cynthia agreed as she stared out through the window out on Arena 1, where the finals would be held.

"I can't wait for the final match between Tobias and him, the unknown Pokemon will certainly prove to be one of a kind."

"And that's what I have been doing for six years," Ash finished, finally done with telling his story after he had disappeared to the trio of Leaf, Dawn and Barry who stared in awe at Ash. Of course, he had to make up some parts to cover up the fact that he had a Mew, or else the news would leak out.

"Wow Ash.. you've done some serious training," Dawn said, still awed by the fact that Mount Coronet had more life in it than she expected. Barry slurped his smoothie, very stunned by Ash's miraculous find. Leaf sighed, her crush seemed to have a much exciting life of a Pokemon trainer then she does. There was a silence for a moment.

"Well first of all Ash.." Dawn started, then suddenly went up and smacked Ash square on the cheek.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" Ash shouted, causing some people in the diner to look over at him for his use of language.

"For leaving us without telling," Dawn answered with a huff, but then gave Ash a hug pressing certain body parts against him. The trainer's face turned completely red, but did not notice Leaf's angry glance from the corner.

"But I'm glad you're back."

I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you guys. I was really selfish back then, just aiming to be the top trainer, making friends my second priority..." Ash murmured to Dawn, who hugged him even tighter.

"So uh Ash, who are you facing for your next match?" Barry interrupted, a bit annoyed that his girlfriend was getting a little bit too close with the raven-haired boy.

"I have no idea as a matter of fact," Ash responded while taking a look at his schedule. There was a blank where his match-up partner was.

"Well, are you doing any training today?" Barry asked, hoping that Ash might teach him some tricks.

"Well it is noon, I was going to go back and meet up with Gary and the rest, they still don't know that I'm back," Ash responded, to the blank stares of the trio.

"So you mean Gary, Brock, Misty, May and Max still don't know you're here?" Dawn asked, a little happy that she would be one of the first to see Ash return.

"Yep, well Gary already knows, just not the rest," Ash answered.

"Well why didn't you tell them?" Leaf asked, a little confused.

"I..." Ash trailed off, staring to the side. Pikachu spoiled the silence with his ketchup bottle, spraying it in Ash's smoothie accidentally. He glanced apologetically at his trainer, though Ash did not notice at all. Mew giggled and that was when the trio realized that Ash had two Pikachus instead of one.

"Hey Ash, who's the second Pikachu," Dawn asked, scratching the head of Mew, just noticing that Ash had two PIkachus.

"Oh I found her.. in the place I was training," Ash said, making up a quick, believable excuse.

"Looks like you've got a real passion for Pikachus," Barry said, writing it down on his pad as something to be noted.

"Are you writing everything about Ash that you find interesting?" Dawn asked rolling her eyes, even though she knew the answer. Barry ignored the question, finishing up his bullet point.

"Ash?"

A voice belonging to Gary asked.

"Hey Gary," Dawn and Leaf greeted the young Pokemon professor. Barry waved hi, and marked down *Gary* on the table marked Love Rival?.

"Ash, Dawn, Leaf and Barry, I didn't expect I'd see you guys all here," Gary said, looking surprised. He was carrying his tray of food from the counter, obviously saying that he was eating at the same diner.

"Hi Gary," Ash responded, calmly making room for his old time rival.

"Nah Ash, I got a seat over there, where you're coming as well," He pointed at a large table at the corner of the room, where May, Max, Misty and Brock all sat.

"Huh?" Ash questioned, then remembered that the group still didn't know he was here.

"Do I have to now?"

"Why not now Ash?" Gary asked smirking, dragging Ash by the collar to his table while Leaf and Dawn watched in horror at the boy's groans of pain.

"Gary, who's that?" Max asked as he noticed the two come over.

"Isn't that Ryan?" May looked straight at Ash, trying to match his face. "Hi Ryan!"

"Hey.. May," Ash responded nervously.

"Wait a second.. I'm pretty sure May has never told you her name," Misty commented suspiciously.

"Yeah that's right!" Brock asked, looking just as suspicious as Misty.

"That's because, this right here, is Ash Ketchum." Gary responded with a grin while Ash looked up at them, waving hi. There was silence for a moment while everyone began to register what Gary had just said.

"He's WHO?"

"Wow, that's a really interesting place you found Ash, to think that there was a forest inside a mountain as huge as that!" Brock commented to the nods of the group. After they had found out that he was back, Leaf, Dawn and Barry moved over to join them to meet up with old friends. Once the nine had settled down and had their share of welcoming the raven haired boy back, Ash had told them his story.

"Yes, but you still didn't have to go that far," May scolded while Max nodded.

"Your Pokemon have sure grown strong though."

Suddenly, a man a lab coat walked over to their table in a hurry.

"Grandpa!" Gary exclaimed as the group looked over at the man in shock.

"Hey Professor Oak," Came several voices in unison.

"Gary, Ash, everyone; I've got important news," The old man said with a pant, taking some time to sit down at an empty spot next to Max.

"What's wrong Professor?" Dawn asked.

"It seems that the finals will be held tomorrow," He said, to the surprise of the entire group.

"What?" Everyone cried, completely overwhelmed. First they learned that their best friend that has not been back for six years was here in the Sinnoh League, and now they learned that the finals are already being held, which would mean that everyone that had joined forfeited.

"It seems that Ash's victories caused people to lose their hopes," Oak said, chuckling slightly while everyone looked shocked and sort of glad in a way.

"Well Ash, its your time to shine," Leaf said giggling, while the rest of the group nodded smiling, adding their contribution of encouraging words.

"Good luck Ash!"

"Kick Tobia's butt!"

"Have fun out there!"
"Can't wait to see the secret Pokemon!"
"Can I get a cheer for the new Pokemon champion?"

"CHEERS!"

The group clanged their cups together, and laughed heartedly, for it was six years since they had all sat together like this, and everyone was overjoyed to have an old friend back feeling that they would have Ash back forever.

This however as they will learn soon enough, will not come to be true.

Thanks for reading or rereading! As always tell me what you think with those reviews!