Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon nor any of its characters.

Shadows

Mount Silver. One of the most perilous regions to exist in the Pokemon world. While Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region had the highest peak, it's fatality rate didn't even stand close to that of Mount Silver. The terribly steep slopes and frequent avalanches that the mountain range boasts are dangerous enough to dissuade all but the hardiest of adventurers…and that was only near the bottom. If one was brave (and lucky) enough to reach the halfway point, one would instantly observe that the environment changes notably. The snows fell heavier, the weather drops to below freezing, and the fierce winds blew so hard that it was sheer torture not to wear a full ski mask or other face protection. And then there were the Pokemon, amongst the most high-leveled wild Pokemon in the world. Mount Silver was their playground, their home. Each species that populated the mountain had over the ages adapted and learned to best survive and even thrive in these harsh conditions. While the Pokemon had a relatively symbiotic relationship with one another (though they did have their occasional feuds), they were notoriously hostile to outsiders. Half the injuries that adventurers in Mount Silver sustained were from encounters with wild Pokemon. The message was clear: if the mountain didn't defeat you, its inhabitants surely would.

But say an extremely experienced trainer somehow managed to get past all that the mountain threw at him. Then their greatest challenge awaited them. At the peak of the mountain stood a shadowy figure in a faded red cap, worn boots, jeans, and blue jacket, looking out over his dominion entirely unfazed by the weather. A Pikachu sat perched on his shoulder, a faithful companion that likewise was completely unbothered by the freezing cold. This was Ash Ketchum, eighteen years old and the greatest Pokemon Master that the world had ever seen. At the age of fourteen, he had gained the title of Champion of the Indigo Plateau, defeating the Elite Four and becoming the strongest trainer in the Kanto and Johto regions. For a while, he enjoyed the fame and attention that the world reaped on him, the youngest Champion ever coronated. But he was an adventurer at heart and he soon grew restless, itching to explore the vast world and to escape the scrutiny of the media and paparazzi. Few battles gave him much challenge and he soon surrendered his post back to Lance and left on another journey.

For two years, he travelled the world, discovering new Pokemon he had never encountered before, revisiting places he never had a chance to explore properly on his journeys, and caught up with his old friends, whom he had not seen much of due to the demands of being Champion. And it was nearing the end of the second year that he found himself in a conversation with Professor Oak, who suggested that he explore Mount Silver, the last unconquered region in the world. Feeling the flame and excitement of a new challenge, Ash packed up his bags, said his goodbyes, and left for Silver Town. After a long climb and many close calls, he found himself on the peak of Mount Silver and in a split-second decision, decided to make himself a temporary home in a nearby cave.

The next few months were tough. Battling hostile weather conditions, extremely thin air due to the elevation, and the extremely dangerous wild Pokemon, Ash and his companions slowly adjusted to their environment. Each passing day saw them less exhausted, more confident, and more hardened to Mount Silver. Ash's caring and friendly nature slowly grew on the wild Pokemon and they become less hostile towards the raven-haired teenager, some even becoming their good friends. Gradually, Ash became a regular fixture of life on the mountain. To the wild Pokemon, he was now one of their own and while they would always be naturally suspicious of humans in general, Ash became the exception to that rule and so they lived in relative harmony. After adapting to their new home, Ash had set about on a rigorous training regimen, taking full advantage of the mountain. When a single misstep could mean the difference between life and death, one's senses becomes fully attuned to every single aspect of their surroundings, and so Ash's Pokemon adapted and grew too.

"Thanks for stopping by Ash. Be safe and hope to see you soon!" Nurse Joy said with her signature bright smile.

Ash smiled and, with a final wave, left the Pokemon Center at the base of Mt. Silver. He called out his Charizard and began his ascent back to the peak. He stopped by the Center once every month or so to restock on supplies and to catch up with news. It was his only link to the outside world. Aside from messages to his mother and Professor Oak letting them know he was okay, he had had no contact with the outside world for over two years now. He had only seen two other human beings in that time, the Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center and one other trainer, a girl named Lyra would had scaled all the way to the peak and challenged him to a battle. Adventurers on Mount Silver weren't too rare and one of the things that Ash did to keep himself occupied was to keep an eye out for any potential casualties or people in trouble. He tried to keep his presence anonymous, never revealing himself if he had to. His Charizard was more than willing to help and give lifts to people who had had enough. People who made it to the halfway point were far and few between but not totally nonexistent. But he couldn't help but look shocked when he had heard the patter of feet and the sounds of someone making their way up the final path to the peak.

The girl's name was Lyra from New Bark Town, a few years younger than him and who he learned was the new champion of the Indigo Plateau. She had a look of surprise when she saw him that was quickly replaced with a fire that reminded Ash of himself when he was her age. Their ensuing battle was fierce. Lyra certainly deserved her title of Champion but in the end, Ash got to showcase just how much the mountain had changed his team as his Pikachu tore its way through her entire team. To her credit, Lyra didn't look too disappointed and she ended up staying with him for the night before she left the next day. Ash had not had a prolonged conversation with another human being in over two years and it was from Lyra that he learned much of the outside world: big news, small news, gossip, and anything in between. She was friendly and hyper and never seemed to run out of things to tell him and they had quickly become good friends. It was from Lyra that he learned that people were talking about a spirit that lived on Mount Silver, a shadowy being that safeguarded the mountain and protected the people. Ash hadn't laughed so hard in a long time and while he did find the whole thing amusing, he was pleased to learn that the fatality rates had gone down drastically the two years he had lived here. It was this rumor that had compelled the Johto trainer to explore the mountain and she had been shocked to learn his true identity. It was from Lyra that he learned that the rest of world had thought he had disappeared and all but his mother and Professor Oak knew of his whereabouts. And while she had promised to keep both his presence and identity a secret, Lyra had gently brought up the subject of him going home and letting his friends know he was okay. He had sat staring out into the night long after she was sound asleep in her sleeping bag, thinking of his old friends.

Perhaps he should listen to her advice, as he pondered the conversation that they had.

"I think your friends would be really worried about you," Lyra had said, "I know I would." Ash was silent, but that struck a chord somewhere within him.

"Perhaps you're right," Ash said softly as he thought of all his friends, lingering on one.

Lyra seemed to sense this for she gave a sly smile and said teasingly, "Anyone special in particular?"

Ash chuckled and stuck his tongue out at her. "You are NOT going to get anything out of me. This time, I swear."

Lyra grinned, "Oh come on, no one you're seeing?"

"Oh yeah. She comes up every Wednesday and we take lovely walks through this beautiful mountain weather," Ash said sarcastically, "It's any girl's dream."

She merely rolled her eyes at him and punched him in the arm.

"Anyways," Ash continued as they became serious again, "I don't know if she or any of my other friends even know I'm still alive anymore. They've probably moved on."

"They haven't. I'm sure of it," Lyra said in a gentle tone. "You are a wonderful person Ash. An annoying, stubborn brat maybe but nothing short of awesome." She laughed and ducked as Ash threw some dirt at her. "But really Ash, I think they would be overjoyed if they knew you were here. Truly. Especially this girl."

Ash just raised his eyebrows at her skeptically.

"I'm being serious. I am 110% sure of that an- oh stop looking like that," Lyra huffed as Ash chuckled and held up his hands in peace.

"Alright, alright."

"Think about it. It wouldn't hurt to let them know you're ok. I'm sure she'll be very happy."

Ash just rolled his eyes, "Somehow, I doubt that."

Lyra grinned and laid down in her sleeping bag, "Well, if I turn out to be right, you owe me another battle. I got my butt kicked today."

The next morning, as she waved goodbye on the back of his Charizard who was taking her back to the base camp, Ash felt a pang of homesickness that had seldom come up before. He had never been lonely up here. He had his loyal companions with him after all. But it wouldn't be the last time that he pondered the idea of heading back down.

A few months later, Ash was doing a patrol of the northern end of the mountain when he saw his Charizard flying towards him. His faithful friend landed in front of him and gestured down the cliff they were standing on. That meant that someone had passed the halfway point. Ash nodded his understanding and after asking his friend to keep an eye out for the traveler, he began to make his way back to his cave. Idly wondering if it could be another challenger, Ash thought back on the past month's events. Since Lyra had left, he had been receiving more challengers than usual. While he instinctively knew that Lyra would never have broken her promise of secrecy, he also knew from past experience that a Champion's movements never goes completely unnoticed. Lyra's intentions of exploring the rumors of Mt. Silver and her resulting secrecy would have been more than enough to spur more eager trainers to attempt the climb.

But none had made it far save for a few. Lance had been the first after Lyra to find him. They were old friends and Lance was overjoyed to find him alive. While he too promised secrecy, Lance persuaded Ash to allow him to tell the other Champions and Elite Four members in case there was an emergency that required his assistance. Ash had agreed and the next few months saw Cynthia and then Diantha making their way up to the peak. They both requested battles, but they both vastly underestimated him. They had retained their posts as Champions for a long time, accustomed to being the top trainers in their regions. They went into the battles confident of their own abilities but were shocked when Ash swept all six of their Pokemon with only one of his own.

And now there was a fifth challenger to have made it past the halfway point. Ash made his way up to back to his usual perch at the peak to wait. Truth to be told, he found himself looking forward to the prospect of meeting another trainer. The influx of visitors that he had received over the past months awoke a pang of longing for home that seemed to pop up more often than before. He glanced back down the narrow path before turning back around again. Charizard would look after the traveler he knew. But he would only do so if he or she was in mortal danger. The climb itself was also a challenge, Ash smiled as he remembered that was what Grant had meant all those years ago when they had battled. But he doubted that Mt. Silver was what Grant had in mind.

He heard someone making his way up the final path, boots scrunching in the snow. He heard the deep breaths that that person was taking, finally relieved to have made it to the top despite the odds. The noises grew louder until they stopped altogether and Ash knew without turning around that he had a new challenger. As usual, Pikachu was on his shoulder and again, as usual, Pikachu turned around first to gauge their potential new opponent. But what wasn't usual was for Pikachu to give a startled cry that then turned to joy. And it also wasn't usual for Pikachu to leap off his shoulder towards the newcomer. Ash turned around and saw Pikachu jump into the newcomer's outstretched arms, rubbing his cheeks against the person's hooded face. Ash looked on and wondered who this person could be. Pikachu had not done so with Lance nor any of the other Champions even though they were well acquainted. The figure then reached up to lower his hood and Ash found himself staring in shock at not a boy as he had previously thought but a girl. A girl with honey-blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes that were tearing up, and the most radiant and joyful smile on her face. Before he knew it, Ash was tackled in a bone-crushing hug. Still in a dazed state of shock, Ash gradually began to return the hug, his surprise quickly replaced with happiness, more happiness than he had felt in a long, long time.

"Serena," he whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

They sat huddled in Ash's cave, alight from the blaze of their small fire. Night had descended upon them and outside, a blizzard raged on.

Ash looked over at his companion, her voice soft as she stared at him with a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

"We were all so worried about you Ash," Serena whispered. "No one we asked knew how you just disappeared and Professor Oak would only tell us you were safe."

She looked at the flames of their campfire, eyes entranced with the embers as she continued, "We wondered for a long time. If you were safe, then why disappear. And if you were in danger, then why wouldn't Professor Oak let us try to help you."

Serena directed her gaze back on Ash, "Some of us tried to look for you, but no one seemed to have seen any sign. It was like you just vanished into thin air. But then a month ago, rumors started swirling around. Everyone was talking about Mt. Silver, how it seemed to have acquired a new spirit that guarded the mountain. No one seemed to know anything for certain, only that the Champion Lyra had attempted the climb and refused to share anything of what she learned. It was only then did I have an inkling of what it was." She smiled a bit then as she thought of the moment. "It took me a while to track down Lyra and get her to tell me, but she finally did when I told her why I had to find you…" She trailed off and her cheeks reddened slightly as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

Ash looked on, silent and thoughtful. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea to stay on Mt. Silver. It provided him with much needed solitude and a place to train. But the past few months had changed something in him. Perhaps it was the lack of human connection. Perhaps it was Lyra, who had unintentionally opened the floodgates for more trainers to attempt to reach the top. Ash smiled slightly he thought back to her first visit. If he really thought about it, it was that meeting with Lyra that had made him miss the rest of the world, to start thinking about heading down.

Or perhaps it was just a longing that had been building up ever since he had first reached the peak. Whatever it was, it hadn't stopped the sense of guilt that had slowly grew within him as he thought of his friends. It had been irresponsible of him to disappear, however much he felt was necessary at the time. They had stuck with him through so many adventures and were loyal to a fault. And suddenly, Ash felt a tiny flame of determination flicker within him. He would make this right again. He would rebuild all the bridges he had burned and there was no time like the present as he turned his gaze back on Serena, who was quietly staring into the fire.

"Serena…"

He broke off and cleared his voice. Serena looked up at him, a mixture of sadness, resignation, and…was that a touch of longing?

Ash took a deep breath and met her eyes with his own. "Serena…I'm sorry for all the worry I caused. I know that sounds really lame and stupid, but…I really do mean it. It was irresponsible of me and I was a terrible friend to all of you guys. You always stuck with me through thick and thin and you deserved much better than that."

He looked out to the mouth of the cave, the wind fiercely blowing as the storm raged on. "I know you want to know why I just left all of a sudden." He stood and walked to the entrance, his thoughts far, far away. "But the truth is, I really can't explain it. The moment I got here, I felt something about this mountain that just called to me. Maybe it was the prospect of solitude. Maybe I just needed to get away from the media and all that scrutiny. Or maybe I just couldn't resist the notion of a brand new challenge. Something for me to reach for again."

Serena listened intently as her friend talked, his voice sounding so distant and yet so serious too, which was so different from how Ash usually was.

"It was exciting," Ash continued with a sad smile, "to be able to work hard for something new. This mountain has taught me so much, I don't even know where to begin. And all this time here with my Pokemon, I just felt so…free." He whispered out the last word and closed his eyes, reminiscing of the hardship he had faced in his early days.

"But then something changed," Ash reopened his eyes and walked back over to sit next to Serena. "I started to think about home again. There were nights when I couldn't sleep because I would think of the things that I had left behind. You have every right to be angry with me Serena. In a way, I was selfish and I hurt all of you just so I could pursue my own dreams." Ash looked down at his hands, shame filling him.

Serena's expression slowly softened and she felt a prickle of tears sting her eyes. "Oh Ash…" She reached out and grabbed one of his hands.

"I could never be angry with you," she said softly and then gave a sheepish smile as Ash raised one eyebrow. "Ok, well maybe I was a bit. But it was only because I was just so worried about you. You disappeared without a sign and I thought perhaps we had done something wrong or that you just didn't care about us anymore. About me…"

"No, of course not Serena," Ash said gently, wrapping his hands around hers, "I was being stupid. There wasn't go a single day when I didn't think about you guys, how you were and what you were up to." He looked about out at the storm, "As I said, I learned a lot up here. And all that time alone made me realize just how much everything else in the world meant to me. My mom, my Pokemon, my friends..." He turned his eyes back to stare into Serena's, "and especially you."

Serena felt something flutter in her stomach as she looked at him with wide eyes and a hopeful expression on her face. "Do you…do you really mean that Ash?"

More sure now than he had been of anything in his life, Ash could only nod before he was tackled in another hug, her face buried in his chest as she clutched him tightly. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Ash realized, as he breathed in the sweet smell of her hair, just how happy he felt whenever Serena was with him. Not just that day, but all the time they had travelled together. He hadn't noticed then, but thinking back, those were some of the happiest times of his life. And if he was being honest to himself, he felt like he knew the reason why. Had known for years although it had only been now that he had fully realized it.

"Serena, you're one of my closest friends. I'm sorry if it took so long for me to just realize it, but you are really important to me. I…" Ash broke off as Serena raised her head up and he looked into her eyes. Oh, he could just do that forever. "I love you Serena," he continued softly, "I think I have for a long time now."

Serena stared at him, eyes wide with shock and disbelief and for a split second, Ash began to wonder if he should have said that or not. "R-r-really?"

"I…yeah. I do. I'm sorry if…" and he never got to finish that sentence before tears began to fall from Serena's eyes and a look of pure happiness lit up her face. "I…Serena?"

And before he could say anything else, Serena slowly brought her face up to his and gently pressed her lips against his. It was nothing but pure bliss. For those few moments, Ash forgot everything that he was about to say as he kissed her, savoring her soft lips as she wrapped his arms around his neck. They slowly broke apart and Serena could only giggle at Ash's stunned expression. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I've been waiting forever for you to say that."

Later than night, as Ash and Serena snuggled together under the blankets talking idly, Serena suddenly sat up and reached over to her backpack.

"Oh, I completely forgot." She rummaged around in her bag before she pulled out a small folded note that she handed to Ash. "Lyra said to give you this if I ever found you."

Ash unfolded the note and read the small, messy handwriting before he began to laugh.

If you're reading this, you owe me a battle. -Lyra