Sorry this took so long. This chapter will have a lot to do with Ash and Serena's trial, as well as what happened to Hawlucha after the Battle of Aquacorde.

And like I said in the last chapter, this is going to be a bit shocking (but in an awesome kind of way.)

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! Of course I don't!

Ash POV

Ash is still staring at Hawlucha in shock as he remarks, "I thought that Hawlucha was dead."

"Me too," replied Serena.

Ash looked at Alakazam and asked, "How is he here? We couldn't find him after the battle."

It may surprise you to know this, but Hawlucha is actually my protege. Ignoring to even further shocked faces of Ash and Serena, Alakazam declared, let the trial of these trainers begin. Persecutor! We shall first hear what you have to say to us against these trainers! The crowds cheer as the Serperior slithers forward. Since you do not understand our way of speech, I shall translate for you, Alakazam told Ash and Serena.

The Serperior (whose Restless symbol is etched onto his cheek) raises his head and starts to say, with Alakazam translating, Humans have done nothing for us! They have mistreated us, hunted us, used us as food, made us their slaves, and more horrifying, made us fight their battles! No matter what their Pokemon say, they are just like any other human, which is why they should die for their sins against their Pokemon, us, the Restless, and this world! This is why they should die! This is why they should be excecuted! To pay for their sins with their blood!

The Restless are sent into estatic cheers, although Ash and Serena can see that Hawlucha is rolling his eyes. Hawlucha is smarter than the rest of the Restless, Alakazam told them, plus, that Serperior gives the same speech whenever he is the percecutor.

"What are they chanting?" asks Serena, noticing that some of the Restless were chanting something.

Before Alakazam could answer, Ash says, "Death. They're chanting, 'Death! Death! Death!'. Not a very inspiring thing to say."

They seem to like it. What I am surprised with, says Alakazam, looking at Ash with a curious look, is that you can understand them.

"It's a gift," replies Ash, "I don't know what they exactly say, but I do have a pretty good idea what they do say."

Well, in this case, you are right, said Alakazam. Turning to the Restless, he holdsup a spoon, which gives off a bright flash. Instanstly, the Restless quiet down as Alakazam anounces, Defender! Give your case!

Hawlucha steps forward and looks up towards Ash and Serena, then he gives a shout, "Lucha! Haw-lu!"

Ash instantly gets what Hawlucha is saying, as well as Greninja, who give off a sort of pleased grin. Alakazam, rather confused, says, He says that he wants you to do your bond? May I ask what that means?

"That I'm going to have to jump. Don't bother catching me." And with that, Ash leaps off the ledge and Greninja springs upwards from the circle of Pokemon with a little bit of aid from Sylveon and Delphox. His Water-Cloak surrounds him and travels upwards until it is underneath Ash's feet. The Water-Cloak dissapates into the large Water Shurikan on Greninja's-now Ash-Greninja's-back as Greninja catches Ash and they both land on the ground, where Ash-Greninja severs Ash's bonds. All of the Restless, including Alakazam, look at Ash and Ash-Greninja in several degrees of shock, amazement, and what-the-heck-just-happened looks.

Serena gets a sort of confused look on her face as Delphox looks up at her, then she nods and jumps off the edge as well as a funnel of flames surounds the Fox Pokemon, causing the rest of their Pokemon to back up in shock. A pale blue aura surrounds Serena, which slows her down until she touches the ground, then the aura moves to her bonds, which loosen and remove themselves from Serena's wrists. Delphox's stick appears from the fire as the flames start to dissapate, moving to surround Delphox's stick, which is tossed up into the air and then caught by Delphox.

Delphox's fur was now more the tone of Serena's honey-blond hair, with the tufts of red fur in Delphox's ears now a more pinkish color. The red fur on Delphox's legs were a brighter red than before, and Delphox's eyes shone with an fire of their own. Her stick was now covered in flames, which made it resemble a staff. Ash looks at Delphox for a few seconds, then turns to Serena and asks her, "When were you able to do that?"

"I'm really not sure," she replies, "Delphox just wanted to do it."

The Restless are even further in shock from this shown change, so much that the persecuting Serperior falls to the ground in a dead faint. Then, Hawlucha then gives his defense of Ash and Serena.

Alakazam translates in a shocked tone of voice, I met Ash when he was journeying in the Kalos Region. When we met, he showed me what he could help me to do, such as perfecting my Flying Press, which at the time took too long to excecute. Seeing this, I decided to go with him on his journey. And that's the thing! Hardly any of Ash's Pokemon were caught because we were just caught! We elected to go with him! And all the things that we've done because of that! The Kalos Crisis, and countless other world destroying crisis's were averted because of the bonds that we shared with Ash! We were never in bondage! Ash did not force us to fight in Aquacorde, Hawlucha continued, It was our choice! We all made the choice to fight against Team Rocket! We all made the choice to stand beside Ash! We all made the choice to go with him!We all made the choice to fight alongside him! Ash is no regular human, and he should not be treated as one! And that is why Ash and Serena Ketchum should not be excecuted! If Team Rocket is rising again-which is the reason why I believe they came to find us-then we will need trainers that are like them!

Scilence reigns over the valley for a long while, then, Alakazam, now very shocked, points to three Pokemon up in the front and says, Go to those Pokemon to cast your vote; one guilty, one innocent, and the last pending. This court is now ajourned. And with that, Greninja and Delphox revert back to their normal forms, and Ash and Serena are taken back to their cave to wait out the vote, this time, without their bonds.

(())

(Two days later)

"Here comes Alakazam," remarks Ash as he looks out the cave entrance. Alakazam passes the Machamp guards, saying something to them, in which they look shocked, and then they let Alakazam pass. When he enters the cave, he opens up the telepathic link and says to them, I'm very surprised at what happened. There are sufficient votes to proclaim you two as, well...innocent. So for the time being, you will not be excecuted.

However, he continues, we are still reeling from what has happened. You aren't completely out of the clear yet. Over the course of the next few weeks, there will be debates in the Restless to decide the future vote to solidify whether or not you are guilty. So for now, you are safe. Ash and Serena give a relieved sigh.

I was surprised about what happened, commented Alakazam, leaning against the wall.

"About what? The bonding or the vote?" asked Serena.

Both actually. replied Alakazam, I had heard rumors of you, Ash, being able to bond with your Greninja, but I could never believe them.

"I think the most shocking thing was that Serena could bond with Delphox," Ash replied while looking over at his wife, who gave a modest shrug, "How come you were surprised with the vote?"

Because that has never happened before, replied Alakazam, We have never voted to stay a trainers excecution before. I must have trained my protegee too well, he added wryly.

Ash admits shyly, "I did actually help him how to perfect his Flying Press. And plus people say that Pokemon sometimes reflect their trainers thoughts and feelings. Hawlucha could've picked up a thing or two from me."

Speaking of Hawlucha, said Alakazam, He wishes to see you. And here he is.

The said-Wrestling Pokemon strides into the cave then. Ash is a little bit pleased to see that Hawlucha is not sporting the scratched out Pokeball symbol that was on the rest of the Restless. Casting a quick glance at Alakazam for a second, he then makes a flying leap straight at Ash, hugging him tightly around the neck. Ash happily returns it with silent tears trickling down his face as he whispers, "I thought you were dead!"

Hawlucha steps back and says something which sounds an awful lot like a, pshaw, I'm too tough to kill! You know that! "You're right," Ash replies, "I do."

Then, Hawlucha walks over to Serena and happily hugs her too while she says, "It's good to see you alive, Hawlucha. We all missed you."

"But...how did you survive?" asked Ash, "We all thought that you died."

Hawlucha's look turns a little bit regretful, and then he starts talking, with Alakazam translating for him, ablut what had happened to him during Aquacorde...

Hawlucha had a very violent duel against a Team Rocket Pokemon at Aquacorde. Then he was blasted by an attack, and he blacked out. When he woke up, he was in a forest glade by a campfire with the Alakazam tending him.

Hawlucha didn't know whether or not Ash and the rest of his Pokemon had survived, so he went with the Alakazam and, grudgingly, helped to found the Restless. He knew that there were a few trainers who abused their Pokemon, like Team Rocket, which was the only reason why he helped found the Restless, but he knew that not all trainers were bad, like Alakazam said. Among the Restless, Hawlucha became a counterbalance, saying that not all humans were bad, and that it would be a bad idea to wage war on them.

Hawlucha had lived among the Restless for a long time. He hadn't been present when Ash and Serena had been first brought in, but he had seen Greninja and the rest of the Pokemon that were traveling with Ash and Serena, but they didn't recognize him until the trial, in which he knew that he had to defend Ash.

"So," said Ash, "that's what happened to you. We all thought that you were dead."

"Haw-lu. Lucha?" asked Hawlucha, clearly asking for forgiveness. Ash smiled at him and drew him into another hug, saying, "I forgive you. But, can you forgive me for giving up on you?"

Hawlucha looked at Ash and then nodded. Alakazam looked on for a few more moments, then he said, Come, Hawlucha. Let us leave them for the time being. Hawlucha nodded and with a few more hugs, he and Alakazam took their leave.

"That certainly was unexpected," said Serena as she laid against the cave wall. "Yeah, it was," replied Ash, "but I think that with Hawlucha here, we may have a pretty good chance of surviving, and with Hawlucha, we might be able to ask the Restless if they can help with Team Rocket."

"Let's hope so," said Serena

(())

Up in the mountains surrounding the valley where the Restless were, the Siren looks out over the valley, watching the Pokemon with her Primarina by her side. "This was certainly unexpected," she said, her Primarina nodding in agreement.

"Then again," she continued, "this much Pokemon would be very useful to the cause of Team Rocket, wouldn't you say?" she said to her partner. The Primarina nodded as the Siren pulled out her communicator.

"Sir? This is the Siren, reporting in," she says into it.

Dagan's voice answers her. :Ah, the Siren. How is your mission with tacking down that second group of escaped Pokemon? Did you find them?:

"Even better, sir," she replies, "I found the Restless, as well as Ash and Serena Ketchum. The second group of enhanced Pokemon led me right to them. And now that I'm looking at them, I'm thinking maybe we could pull them over to our side. They are filling up this entire valley. There's so many of them; a virtual army."

:Well then,: says Dagan, :give us your position and we shall join you. In the meantime, try to figure out a way to turn them all to our side.

"I'll send in Primarina," she says into the communicator, "she could turn the heart of a Legendary Pokemon if she wanted to." Then, hanging up the communicator, she nods to her Primarina, who starts her trek into the valley. Things were going to start heating up.

That is the end of chapter five. I hope you enjoy it! We'll be getting back to Thorn and Dawn in a short time.

In the meantime, like I said in the last chapter, I need OC's that can bond with Pokemon! They have to at least walk on two feet, like a Lucario, Feraligator, Gardevoir, Greninja, Hawlucha, ect. for the bonding Pokemon. Please hurry! The last chapter may be coming soon!