A New Journey
Chapter 12- New Beginnings

A few days after the events at Giant Chasm, Gary was finally able to visit Hugh at the hospital. Gary apologized to his friend for not visiting sooner, since a lot had happened since Team Plasma's attack at the Contest. Hugh was shocked when Gary told him the whole story.

"Wow, all that happened since I was brought here?" Hugh asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

Gary nodded to him. "Yeah. It was horrible seeing Ghetsis kill that girl, Hilda, without being able to help her, but in the end, it was her spirit who saved us. After she dealt with her assassin and the mad scientist working for him, Hilda asked N to take her body back to her home in Nuvema Town. The funeral was yesterday. N disappeared right after the service was over when one of Hilda's friends, Cheren, blamed him for her death. I don't think that was N's only reason for leaving, though; I know how it feels to lose someone dear to you right before your eyes. He probably wanted to get away to escape the memories of what happened. Can't say that I blame him," Gary said as he remembered Ash's last moments at the Sinjoh Ruins.

His thoughts were interrupted when a little girl entered the room, whom Gary recognized as Hugh's little sister. Then, he remembered that her Liepard was still with him. Gary smiled as he gave his Poké Ball to the little girl. She looked confused until the Poké Ball suddenly opened, revealing Emerald. Hugh's little sister smiled brightly as she hugged her long lost Pokémon, and both she and Hugh thanked him for bringing their Pokémon back safely. Gary smiled, feeling good for making a little girl happy. Gary mentioned that in two days he would be returning to Kanto since his business in Unova was finished, and he'd actually come to say goodbye to Hugh before his departure. He turned to exit the room, but Hugh stopped him to finally ask the question that had been bothering him ever since Gary's arrival.

"Hey, Gary, did that bracelet help you find what you were looking for?"

Gary turned around and smiled.

"Yes, it did... and it did so much more."

With that, Gary left the hospital and headed to Nimbasa's Pokémon Center.

XXX

At the Pokémon Center, Blue was floored by Green's unexpected declaration that he'd decided to join May on her Contest circuit. The Mienshao explained to Blue that he really liked May's Shiny Mienshao and that he also admired how Coordinators made their Pokémon's attacks look so beautiful and attractive, something that Green really enjoyed and wanted to take part in.

"How about you, Blue? Have you decided to go with that human, Gary Oak?"

"I dunno," he answered sincerely. "I feel like I should go with him, but…"

He felt he should go with him, but what would his master, Cobalion, say if he found out that he'd chosen to become partners with a human? Especially when it was thanks to some particularly cruel humans that he'd been separated from his mother and become orphaned at such a young age? However, the more Blue thought about it, the more he found himself thinking about the strange connection he shared with Gary and all the unfamiliar memories he still held of the human.

"You should go with him," Green said, smiling. "My mother once told me that some bonds are so strong, they can transcend a lifetime. You may have just met the guy in this life, but perhaps, you both already met once before in a past life."

Blue looked at Green with wonder. For some reason, those words sounded somewhat familiar to him. Then, he smiled. Green was right; he may have just met Gary, but he felt like he'd known him much longer. His thoughts were broken as he saw a familiar trio approach them, and when he pointed them out to his friend, Green turned around to find Shiny Mienshao with Blaziken and May. He waved to them as he hugged Blue, thanking him for being his friend and having chosen him to be his partner on this epic adventure. Blue couldn't help but smile back. He would miss the crazy Mienshao. Green rushed to the small group as May welcomed him to her team, and she quickly took out a Poké Ball and used it to capture the other Mienshao, making Green officially hers before they departed from the Pokémon Center.

Blue smiled as he wished his friend luck. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to his right to find Gary had arrived. Gary smiled and asked Blue if he wanted to go with him. Blue returned the smile as he kneeled before Gary.

"I accept you as my partner, Gary Oak."

Gary continued to smile as he took an empty Poké Ball from his belt and quickly caught Blue inside of it. The Poké Ball shook only briefly before the red light in the middle of it finally blinked off, signaling a successful capture. Gary took the Poké Ball and held it close to his heart with tears sliding down his face.

"Welcome back… Ash…"

XXX

Elsewhere, N was on a ship, headed to Kalos. He could have gone to Kalos faster with Reshiram, but he wanted some time to himself, away from everything that reminded him of Unova, Team Plasma, and his father. He wanted to cleanse his soul of the sins his father had committed. N could feel the oceanic breeze on his face as he looked at the blue sky.

"Hilda, I will never forget you," he whispered as he saw an image of Hilda and Samurott in the sky.

XXX

A few days had passed, and now, Gary was standing on top of a hill overlooking his hometown. He smiled as he felt the wind caress his face, carrying with it the familiar scent of the fields that were unique to Pallet Town. He took Blue's Poké Ball and called him out. When Blue emerged from his Poké Ball and Pallet Town came into his view, for some unknown reason, a nostalgic feeling seeped into his heart, causing tears to roll down his cheeks.

"Blue, are you alright?" Gary asked, concerned.

Blue looked surprised as he stared down at his paws, realizing that his tears were slowly dripping down onto them. He didn't know why he was crying, but he could tell that they were tears of joy.

"Sorry, but somehow, this place feels like… like home…" Blue said, as he tried to wipe the tears from his face.

Gary smiled and told Blue it was alright to cry. Then, he mentioned that there was one more place he wanted to visit before they went home. Blue was confused; what else was there in town that Gary wanted to visit? He got his answer when Pallet Memorial Cemetery came into view. Blue felt the Aura of this place, and he was surprised to feel not only the Aura of the dead, but the Aura of the living, as well. Gary smiled when an elderly man in priest robes came into view.

"Ah, Gary, welcome back," the elder said, smiling at Gary. "I though you were still in Unova."

"I just got back," Gary said, smiling back at the priest. "I figured I should come home early, especially since today is the anniversary of his death."

"Oh, I see. So, today is the day. You may not find Meganium, since she is taking care of her eggs, and Infernape is busy helping us clean the shrine and light the candles. However, you should still be able to find Pikachu in the usual place."

Gary nodded as he thanked the priest and continued on his way. Blue was confused, so Gary explained that Infernape, Bayleaf, and Pikachu had been Ash's most loyal Pokémon, and they'd decided to stay at the graveyard to remain near their Trainer and watch over him in his eternal slumber. At first, the priests had been against the idea of Pokémon living in the cemetery, but after seeing how loyal the Pokémon trio was, they allowed them to stay at the graveyard. With time, their presence helped make the graveyard a more beautiful place, especially after Bayleaf evolved into her final form, Meganium, the year before. With her abilities, she could make flowers for every tombstone, though obviously, she made sure Ash's were the prettiest.

"We're here," Gary said as he kneeled in front of Ash's grave and petted Pikachu, who was sleeping.

Pikachu blinked, disoriented for a moment, until he looked at Gary, smiled, and jumped into his arm. Gary hugged him briefly and received a lick on the cheek in return.

Hey, Pikachu. How are you doing, buddy?" Gary asked as he maneuvered Pikachu around in his arm so that he could scratch behind the electric mouse's ears.

"(Doing great!)" Pikachu replied. Then, Pikachu blinked in confusion as he saw the Lucario at Gary's side. "(Who's that?)"

Gary introduced Blue to Pikachu, causing both to stare into each other's eyes in a way that Gary would almost describe as awkward for several minutes before Blue finally broke the silence and told Pikachu it was a pleasure to meet him and that he felt honored to meet a Pokémon as loyal as him, since Blue admired people and Pokémon with a strong sense of loyalty to their partners. Pikachu blushed in embarrassment, causing Gary to smile as he asked Pikachu if he would mind taking Blue to meet Infernape and Meganium. Pikachu nodded and jumped from Gary's arm, motioning for Blue to follow him and meet his friends. Gary smiled, feeling happy that he'd gotten Blue to meet Pikachu.

"That was a very good thing you did, my dear."

Gary yelped and quickly spun around, startled to find the very same old miko he'd met with Hugh in Pinwheel Forest smiling at him.

"Ahh! It's you!" he yelled, pointing his finger at the miko accusingly.

"It's rude to point at people and yell in their ears like that, you know?"

Gary sweatdropped. Where had that old lady come from? He hadn't felt her presence a second ago... and had she followed him all the way from Unova to Kanto? Why? He asked the old lady why she was there, and she replied by flashing him a creepy smile and answering that she was there because she wanted to stop by and visit an old friend. Gary blinked, confused, as she placed flowers that Gary recognized as Gracideas- flowers of gratitude- on Ash's grave.

"I knew Ash long before either of you two were even born. He saved my life and restored my friendship I had with a very special human. After that, I decided to always watch over him; even though he has since been reincarnated into a new form, I shall continue to watch over him for all eternity."

"Who are you?" Gary looked confused. "You're a Pokémon, aren't you?"

The old lady gave him a wicked smile and chuckled, which sent shivers down Gary's spine. Even her laughter was creepy. Gary had a feeling that he'd be having all sorts of nightmares about her later that night.

"My apologies, dear; in my old age, I've grown fond of playing games with people. It staves off the boredom of living such a long life, you see. Now, young Gary Oak, what do you say to playing one last game with me? If you can correctly guess my name the next time we meet, I will give you a reward. Here is a clue: I can be everything and every type. "

"W-What?" Gary asked, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?""

"That's up to you to figure out," she replied in a playful sing-song tone before suddenly disappearing right before Gary's eyes.

Gary stood there, confused and feeling like an idiot. He didn't understand what that old lady meant when she said she'd known Ash since before he was born. Nobody could know someone before she or he was born, unless they had somehow mastered time travel, but the only time Ash had mentioned using time travel himself on his journey was…

Gary's eyes widened in pure shock.

"HOLY SHIT!"

His sudden outburst could be heard by everyone else in the graveyard, including Blue, Pikachu, Meganium, and Infernape, who all exchanged confused glances, wondering just what Gary was shouting over.

Three Years Later...

Lumiose City was the largest city in the Kalos region and also one of the most beautiful cities in the Pokémon world. Its main attraction was Prism Tower, located in Centrico Plaza at the heart of Lumiose City. Everything was peaceful in this city...

"Oh, my gosh, I'm late! I'm so late!"

...Except on this particular day, a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes was rushing around like a mad woman, while the passersby she ran by in her haste only looked on in confusion. She was rushing at high speed to Professor Sycamore's lab.

At the lab, Professor Sycamore was humming happily as he read over the reports he'd just received from his newest apprentice. He smiled as he realized how much the young researcher-in-training had learned over the past three years. There was no doubt in Sycamore's mind that his apprentice would be a great Pokémon Professor someday. The professor was startled when the doors to his lab were brutally thrown open to reveal a ten-year-old girl who looked completely disheveled, almost doubled over as her arms held open the doors and she panted for air.

"I'm here... to receive... my Pokémoooon..." With that, the girl fainted.

"My goodness!" shouted the professor, rushing to the girl.

After she recovered and drank plenty of water, the girl revealed to the professor that her name was Bonnie and she was there to get her Trainer's License and her starter Pokémon. Sycamore commented that they'd been expecting her in the morning, but she hadn't arrived until the middle of the afternoon. The girl started to whine.

"It's all because of those stupid ghost Pokémon!" she complained. "I was on my way here when those three stupid Ghost-types stole my pocket watch. I spent hours chasing them all over the whole city until an old miko lady came to my rescue and made them return my pocket watch."

Prof. Sycamore blinked, finding Bonnie's story to be strangely familiar. Where had he heard this story before? Then, Bonnie grabbed the professor's collar, yanking him down to her level and pleading with him desperately.

"Please, professor, tell me: are there any Pokémon left?"

Prof. Sycamore sweatdropped, avoiding eye contact with the girl as he muttered that all the starters had already been taken. The girl released the professor's collar, causing him to lose his balance and collapse backwards onto his coffee table. When he recovered and stood up, he was surprised to find Bonnie huddled in a corner with a gloomy aura around her, muttering about how cruel the world was to her. The professor sweatdropped as he felt pity for the girl, but he couldn't think of anything he could do to help her.

"If there aren't any normal starters left, we just need to give her a different one," a new voice called out.

Bonnie blinked as she saw Gary Oak, now nineteen-years-old, enter the room. He'd matured quite a bit over the past few years, having gotten taller and letting his hair grow out again so that it was as long as it had been when he started his own Pokémon journey nine years earlier. He was wearing a green t-shirt with jeans and boots and he was also sporting a lab coat similar to Professor Sycamore's. After the events of Unova, Prof. Sycamore had invited him to be his apprentice in his lab, studying the evolution of Pokémon and the bond between Pokémon and their Trainers- a cross between the studies of Gary's former mentor in Sinnoh, Professor Rowan, and the lifetime of research Gary's grandfather, Samuel, was still performing back in Pallet Town, respectively.

Gary kneeled in the front of Bonnie, smiling as he patted her on the head.

"Let me tell you a little story. My best friend, Ash Ketchum, woke up very late on the day he was supposed to get his starter Pokémon from my grandfather. I was a jerk to him back then; I'd always known he would want to choose Squirtle, so I took Squirtle for myself. The other two kids starting their journeys that day got Bulbasaur and Charmander, leaving nothing for Ash to choose. Ash was stubborn, though, so he begged my grandfather to give him a Pokémon, no matter what it was. He did, and Pikachu became Ash's starter. They didn't get along well at first, but after Ash saved Pikachu from a flock of angry Spearow, it created a deep bond between them- so deep, in fact, that after Ash's death, Pikachu vowed to remain by his tombstone for the rest of his life." Then, Gary took a Poké Ball from his belt and held it out to Bonnie. "This may not be a Pichu or a Pikachu, but I think he will be a great partner to you."

Gary opened the Poké Ball, and from its red light emerged a small and cute Dedenne. Bonnie couldn't stop herself from breaking out into a huge smile as she hugged Dedenne. Dedenne returned the smile as he nuzzled against his new Trainer, accidentally shocking her. Gary smiled as he got up, saying the bond had already formed. Prof. Sycamore had his doubts, but he could see Dedenne really liked the blond girl.

"How about you start with two partners at once?"

Everyone turned their heads to find a young, ebony-haired man with a lab coat and beautiful red eyes watching them from the doorway.

"Blue? What are you doing here?" Prof. Sycamore asked.

Bonnie looked confused until Blue moved away and revealed a small Riolu to her.

"Sapphire!" Bonnie shouted happily as the Riolu smiled and ran to the young Trainer, hugging Bonnie happily.

Blue explained to Gary and Sycamore that the Riolu, Sapphire, always visited the city's orphanage to play with the children living there, but she had a special connection with Bonnie and had implored to be Bonnie's partner when she found out the girl would be coming to the lab for her starter that day. Prof. Sycamore understood the situation and allowed Bonnie to keep both Sapphire and Dedenne, and Gary had the honor of giving the girl her Kalos Pokédex. Bonnie thanked them as she waved goodbye and left with Dedenne and Sapphire trailing behind her excitedly.

As soon as the group was out of the lab, Gary looked at Blue with curious eyes.

"Blue, are you sure it was wise to let your kid go with her? Bonnie is an inexpedient Trainer."

Blue smirked as he removed his illusion, revealing his true form. He said Sapphire had formed a special connection with Bonnie when the girl was brought to the orphanage. Bonnie had entered a deep depression when her brother, Clemont, died in an explosion when one of his inventions backfired on him a year earlier. Since Blue's daughter could feel the emotions of people through their Aura, she dedicated herself to making Bonnie happier again.

"When I heard my daughter talk about Bonnie, I knew she was destined to be her partner. Even if you hadn't allowed Bonnie to take her, I don't think Sapphire would have chosen to stay here and let that Dedenne have her all to himself."

Gary chuckled. He knew Blue was right, since he had heard cases of Pokémon taking interest in certain people and stalking them until the person decided to be their Trainer. Gary chanced a look out the window to see if he could spot the new Trainer and her Pokémon and was surprised to see the same old miko from before on the other side of the street drinking some tea at one of the city's many outdoor cafés.

"Blue, help the professor with his research on Mega Evolutions for me for a moment. I'm going to take a little coffee break."

Blue looked confused but said nothing, nodding and returning to the lab. Gary walked outside and crossed the street, sitting at the same table as the old miko.

"You've kept busy since the last time we saw each other," the miko commented to Gary.

"Yeah. It's been a while. I heard your ghost Pokémon are messing with people's stuff again."

She growled and muttered something about sending them to the inverted world to meet Giratina if they kept messing with people's spiritual things before quickly changing the subject.

"So, did you guess who I am?"

Gary smirked.

"It took me a moment to figure it out, but I think I know who you really are," Gary said, looking directly at the miko. "You're Arceus, aren't you?"

The miko gave a wicked smile and said he was right, that she was actually Arceus, the great creator of the Pokémon world. Gary told Arceus that his biggest clue was not when he said he could become any Pokémon type, but when he said he'd known Ash since before he was born. Gary explained that Ash had told him about the events that transpired at Michina Town in Sinnoh and how he and his friends had to travel through time to fix the mistakes of the past and save their future. Then, Gary asked Arceus why he'd chosen to disguise himself as an old lady. Arceus smirked.

"I can disguise myself as humans from many different races, sizes, ages, and genders, but the old miko disguise is my favorite because no one would ever suspect it as being Arceus."

"That's true; that form is too creepy for anyone to think it would belong to the creator of our world," muttered Gary as he sweatdropped. "Anyways, I seem to recall you mentioning that you would give me a reward if I guessed your true identity correctly."

"So I did," Arceus said. "You see, I have a deep connection with Ash. I'll admit, I wanted him to be my spirit guardian, but the problem was that many other legendaries wanted him, as well. Since none of us could come to an agreement, I decided it would be better for us and for Ash if he were simply reincarnated, effectively ending our dispute over him; however, I have continued to keep watch over him, ever since he hatched as a little Riolu. I actually didn't know which Pokémon he should be reborn as until I overheard your chat with him the night before his demise."

Gary became serious as he asked Arceus if he'd known that Ash was going to die that day. Arceus nodded, telling him he'd known but he couldn't interfere because even he couldn't change the course of destiny. Every living creature's entire destiny was written out the moment they were born, and Ash was destined to die that day.

"I must admit, Gary Oak, that I didn't expect you to be by his side in his final moments. Because of this, you created a connection with him that almost tore you apart in your sorrow, and in my pity for you, I made sure that the course of Ash's new life would allow you to find each other and become reunited someday. Now, before I reveal my reward to you, can you answer a question that has been bothering me for a while? Why didn't you tell Blue that he was Ash's reincarnation when you had the opportunity to tell him?"

Gary became quiet, thinking over his answer before he finally explained why, even though he knew Blue was Ash and saw a lot of Ash in Blue, even a little bit of his personality, why he never told him the truth. The answer was simple: Ash is Ash, and Blue is Blue. They may share the same soul, but they were two entirely different beings, having lived two completely different lives with their own unique experiences. Ash was dead, but his spirit lived on in Blue, whether the Lucario realized it or not. He didn't want the knowledge that he was actually the reincarnation of Gary's best friend to change Blue and become a burden to him, and that was why he'd decided to keep this to himself.

Arceus smiled as he got up, preparing to leave. He was satisfied with the answer.

"You've made a wise decision, Gary Oak. Now, I shall reveal my reward for guessing who I am: you will not lose Blue as you lost Ash. The both of you will live together and die together; when the time comes for you to depart from this world, I will come for both of you, together."

Gary smirked, commenting that he hoped the next time they met would not be any time soon. Arceus smirked in return, telling him it all depended on whether or not Bonnie could stop the great flower of destruction. With that, Arceus left.

Gary was not worried about Arceus's riddles as he walked back to the Pokémon lab, stopping to greet Blue and Prof. Sycamore as he got back to work on his research. All that mattered was that he was alive now, and he had Blue with him. Even if they died, their bond would always be strong- strong enough to transcend several lifetimes. No matter how many times they were reincarnated, they would always be reunited and start on a new journey, together.

THE END

I hope you guys liked the ending of the story. I wanna thank everyone who read and reviewed my story, and I want to thank the Pokémon Company for making the X and Y games, or else I might not have finished the story with the ideas of Mega Evolution and Xerneas.

Now, I want to know your list of what you liked most in this story, such as:

Favorite sad scene
Favorite characters
Favorite funny moments
Favorite surprises

Once again, I want to thank Flock o' Seagulls for beta-editing this. Thank you! I would not have made it this far without your help! =)