Author's Note:

A new story? Whaaaaat? Yes, I got a bit excited and started writing this early. Now, I'm going to finish GCTO before I put up another chapter of this, but it's nice to get an idea of what everyone thinks before getting deeper into it. And, I think I've given you a lot to look over, here. A bloody long chapter, right? Over 10 000 words.

Alright, to start off here. This is a different universe from GCTO, Bonnie fic and even the anime right from the beginning. Ash has always travelled alone, he's done things a bit differently. I've done my best to keep his character the same, but without his companions having influenced him, he's a tad different. Same with the others who star in the story. Not sure what else to say, as I don't want to spoil what's planned, but just remember, things are different, but I do my best to explain it and more will be explained later. Now, let's get to it, and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: What Next?

Ash could feel his lungs losing air. He could see the black spots appearing at the edges of his vision. The ringing in his ears became the dominant sound he heard, replacing the screams of the crowd around him. He hated this feeling. It had come to mean something that Ash always fought so hard to avoid. Failure.

It wasn't that he hadn't failed before. He'd messed up on things and taken steps back on his way to accomplishing his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. It's just that this feeling, the one of cold, terrifying suffocation, had become the feeling of failing at something he'd worked so hard to master. It was the feeling of his connection with one of his most powerful Pokemon being severed just when it was at its peak.

It wasn't that Ash and Greninja were failing at sustaining their connection anymore, though. No, they had actually learned to control that power back in Snowbelle City, while coming to terms their defeat at the hands of Snowbelle City's gym leader, Wulfric. They had truly learned to sync their emotions in a moment of desperation, as they saved a Spewpa, as it plummeted towards the ground after falling from a breaking tree branch.

Their connection wasn't the problem here, despite the fact that Ash could feel it breaking. No, it was just that they were falling. Falling together, but falling all the same. It hurt, and not just physically, but emotionally. They'd come so far, only to have the dream end here. Their opponents were better. There always seemed to he someone who managed to be better, and here was another who proved as much.

Ash finally felt the connection completely break and fell to the ground. He managed to stay conscious, but it definitely took some willpower. The temptation to close his eyes and let the exhaustion take over was almost too much. Ash refused to let that happen, though. He was done with letting this connection overpower him. He could handle it when it was in action, and he could handle it when it was severed.

"Pika-pi!" came the concerned cry of the yellow mouse Pokemon standing next to Ash, as the referee in the middle of the battlefield declared Greninja unfit to battle, and the opposing trainer's Pokemon, Charizard, the winner, along with the declaration of their Kalos League victory. Pikachu, Ash's first and most loyal Pokemon, jumped up and placed his paws on Ash's arm, looking up at his trainer in fear, clearly worried the raven-haired trainer was about to pass out.

Ash looked down at Pikachu and saw the wide, shining eyes. His black-tipped, yellow ears were perked up straight, his zigzag tail as well. The brown stripes on his back seemed to shake as he panted, both from exhaustion, as he had also battled earlier, and fear. Ash managed to force a smile and reached out a hand, trying to hide how it shook from the disappointment he felt. He placed it on Pikachu's head, and gently rubbed the soft, yellow fur under his fingers. "It's alright, buddy. We'll...we'll get 'em next time, right?"

Pikachu looked doubtful, eyes still wide and concerned, although he at least seemed to understand Ash wasn't going to pass out. The electric mouse Pokemon turned his head towards the battlefield and Ash followed his gaze. Greninja was now on his side, lying on the ground, his blue arms stretched out, the webbed hands clenched into fists. His legs bent, as they had buckled when he had fallen. The pink of his tongue scarf contrasted with the blue fins on his head, which was slowly starting to raise up as did his best to get into a sitting position.

"Come on," Ash whispered to Pikachu, turning back to the electric mouse, "let's go make sure Greninja is alright. I bet he's pretty wiped out."

Ash turned his head back to look towards Greninja, and saw the frog-ninja Pokemon now looking back towards him, now in a sitting position, eyes downcast in clear disappointment. With a deep breath, Ash tensed up his body, and then pushed himself up off of the ground. He immediately realized he stood up a little bit too quickly, and his legs shook, while stars danced in front of his eyes. He felt Pikachu's little paws holding onto his leg. It probably wouldn't have done much if he was to actually fall, but the support and concern from Ash's loyal partner somehow gave him the strength to stay upright and move forward.

Greninja was only about twenty feet away, but the walk towards him was as exhausting as a trek up a mountain. Ash took it one step at a time, though, just putting one foot in front of the other and he and Pikachu slowly made their way through the charred and ripped up grass. Really, Ash felt like the worst part of his pain, was seeing how crushed with disappointment Greninja was. As Ash and Pikachu approached the frog-ninja Pokemon, he couldn't even look up to make eye contact with his trainer. It was as though he felt like it was his fault, and that he'd let Ash down.

Finally, Ash and Pikachu reached the gloomy looking Pokemon, and the often energetic trainer quickly dropped to his knees, both from his exhaustion, and so that he could look Greninja in the eyes. For a moment, Ash, Pikachu, and Greninja sat there on the beaten up battlefield, allowing the exhaustion and the disappointment to briefly keep them from making eye contact. They stared at the ground, and Ash knew they were all thinking of how close they had come, yet how far they still had to go because of this loss.

After a few more moments of letting these dark thoughts run through their minds, Ash steeled himself, took a deep breath, and looked up. "Greninja," he said quietly, not even knowing if his voice could be heard above the still cheering crowd. There was no reply from the stubborn water type, and Ash tried again, but this time putting more force into his ?voice. "Greninja, look at me, please."

For a moment, there was again no response, and Ash was preparing to try again. Then, slowly, Greninja's head tilted up, and his sad, disappointed eyes met Ash's. "Gren..." he croaked quietly, and then his eyes lowered again, although he kept his head raised.

"I know it's disappointing, Greninja," Ash told the sulking Pokemon in front of him, "but we can handle it. We just need to find a way to move on. We need to use this as a way to make us stronger." He could tell his words weren't getting through. He couldn't blame Greninja, though. Ash tried to hide it for his Pokemon's sake, but really, he felt the same way. After all this work, all the years of travelling and training, he thought he was finally going to actually win a league. It wasn't his ten-year-old fantasy anymore. It had seemed like he had a real shot at doing it. Now, it looked like he had to start over again. As much as he loved adventure, travelling new places, meeting new people, meeting new Pokemon, he was just feeling like it was getting a bit repetitive. He wanted a new challenge. A new adventure.

"Hey Ash," a low, serious sounding voice said from behind Greninja, distracting Ash from his thoughts. He looked up to see a dark-haired trainer with a light blue scarf and black jacket. Next to him was an orange lizard-like Pokemon with large, leathery wings, two tips like horns on its head, and a long tail with a flame at its tip. It was the duo that had defeated Ash.

"Hi Alain," Ash greeted, putting on a fake smile. He glanced at Greninja, who actually looked a little embarrassed, perhaps thinking it wasn't the best look to be sulking while the opponents who had defeated them appeared to be acting as good sports. Ash gave him a reassuring smile and reached out a hand to help him up. It took a moment, as Ash strained against both Greninja's weight and his own exhaustion, but he managed to get the frog-ninja Pokemon to his feet. Ash kept one of Greninja's arms over his shoulder to keep him upright, already feeling the frog-ninja Pokemon stumble a bit.

"Are you two alright?" Alain asked, eyeing the struggling Ash and Greninja with a mixture of concern and confusion.

Ash didn't really know the answer to that, and glanced awkwardly at Pikachu before looking back at Alain and nodding. He then glanced to the Pokemon next to Alain and smiled in acknowledgement of it. "Your Charizard is really powerful," he said, his eyes drifting down to the collar around its neck, and the little, clear stone in the casing in the middle of it.

"Thanks." Alain smiled, looking at his Charizard fondly, before moving his eyes towards Pikachu and then Greninja. "You've got some great Pokemon, yourself, Ash. I've never seen someone who seems to be so close to their Pokemon." Ash swallowed nervously at that, feeling the question coming before it was asked. "What is it that Greninja does? Is that mega evolution?"

Ash sighed, letting just a little bit of exasperation show. This question had becomev tiresome, and Ash never had an answer to give to those who asked it. He'd been hoping to talk to Professor Sycamore, the Kalos region's top Pokemon researcher, but hadn't had a chance to speak to the Pokemon professor with how busy he'd been with the league and the training. Alain couldn't understand Ash's frustration about the subject, though, so Ash did his best to answer with his limited information. "We don't really know what it is. It seems to have similar power to mega evolution, but there's something different about it. We don't use mega evolution stones or anything. It just seems to be when we feel the same emotions. Then, it's kind of like we merge. I can see and feel a lot of what Greninja does."

Alain looked away in thought for a few moments, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to be thinking about any possible explanations. Eventually, he just shook his head and turned back to Ash with a shrug of his shoulders. "I can't think of anything I've ever seen or heard of that could explain it." A smile then stretched across his face, and he looked at Ash with amusement. "Whatever it is, it's definitely strong. Maybe when you discover more information about it, you can find something to make it stronger. After that, maybe we'll have to see about a rematch." He held out a hand and looked Ash in the eyes. "Deal?"

Ash often never hesitated when someone asked him for a future rematch, but this time, something held him back. Maybe it was just about Alain talking about Ash needing to find out more about his bond with Greninja. He'd thought he'd discovered most of that on his own, at least in terms of the limits of its power. Sure, they could train more, and still work at improving their strength and bond, but Alain would do the same. He didn't know if anything he found out about the bond either by himself, or with any Pokemon researchers, could really improve the power it held. Maybe it was just the realization that he'd come so far, only to find himself still so far behind, that left him in doubt. He'd accomplished such a unique feat in seemingly mastering his connection with Greninja, but there was still an unknown amount of work to do, with Greninja, with all of his other Pokemon, and most of all, himself.

Ash's could sense his mind drifting off into the darkness of doubt again, and quickly tried to shake himself out of it. He looked at Alain, who stared back with not only surprise in his eyes, but a hint of irritation. Ash felt guilty immediately, and reached out his hand and shook Alain's, while giving a fake smile. "Of course, Alain," he said quickly, glad to see the irritation leaving the other trainer's eyes, "I'd definitely like a rematch. I think Greninja would as well." He took a quick glance to his right, happy to see some of Greninja's characteristic determination returning to his eyes.

"Ninja," the frog-ninja Pokemon said, echoing Ash's confident reply. Ash smiled, but as he started to turn his gaze back to Alain, he noticed Greninja's eyes begin to lose the light of determination again. This conversation clearly was of little interest to him at this point. Greninja needed rest and some time to come to terms with their defeat.

Alain seemed to have caught on to Greninja's feelings on the conversation, because he looked at Ash one more time and gave a short nod. "I'll see you around, Ash. Good luck with whatever is next for you. I'm guessing you'll challenge another league?"

Ash shrugged, glancing at Pikachu, who seemed just as interested in the answer. That would have been the easy thing to decide on, of course. He'd challenged leagues and various other battle quests after his other league losses. He wasn't quite sure what to do after this one, though. There was a part of him that still longed for that kind of adventure, where he would travel to a new region and meet new people and Pokemon, but there was also a part of him that wanted something new. A different kind of test and a different kind of path where he might still be able to get closer to accomplishing his dream. "I'm not sure, yet, Alain. I guess I'll go back to Pallet Town with these guys, and then I'll see from there."

Alain nodded in acceptance of that answer, almost as though he somewhat expected it. He seemed to understand that Ash was handling this loss differently, despite having never met him before. Perhaps it was noticeable that Ash was frustrated and seemed to be unfamiliar with what his emotions for this loss were. "Sounds like a good plan. Whatever you do, I hope it helps you with your dream."

"Thanks," Ash answered, smiling in acceptance of Alain's well wishes. "You too. I'll see you around, I guess." He was starting to feel a little awkward now, not knowing how to leave this conversation. The crowd had quieted a bit, and the arena announcer was explaining plans for Alain's victory ceremony, so they were kind of standing while everyone watched them.

Alain made it easier for him, though, reaching into the pocket of his black jacket and pulling out a pokeball. "Thanks, Charizard," he said quietly, turning to his Pokemon and holding up the pokeball, "you deserve a rest." He raised the pokeball higher, and it clicked open. A light enveloped Charizard's body, and he glowed a moment, before becoming a collection of red energy. The energy quickly started rushing towards the open pokeball, which then shut tight, as the light filled it.

As Alain turned and walked away, Ash watched him for a few moments, wondering how he had both been so close to to winning this league, yet so far away from beating Alain. Greninja had put up a great fight against Charizard, sure, but how close were they, really? Maybe their connection wasn't as powerful as they had thought. Greninja may have defeated Wulfric's Mega Abomasnow, but it wasn't like all mega evolved Pokemon were unbeatable. Pikachu had defeated a Mega Lucario without having any kind of special form. That Charizard had been one of the stronger examples, though, and Ash always wanted to be able to beat the best. He hadn't been able to do that on this occasion, despite thinking he was so close. He still had so much to learn. He just wished he knew where to start.

"Serena, what are you looking at?" The honey-blonde trainer jumped at the sound of her name being called. Her eyes broke away from the raven-haired trainer down below, with the red cap and the blue jacket. He had been in the middle of recalling his Greninja, and his Pikachu was hopping up onto his shoulder. The whole scene might not have interested most people, but to Serena, she could see the love this boy had for his Pokemon, and how gentle he was with them. She felt so bad that he had lost. She had been rooting for him the whole match. She'd had an odd feeling the whole time, as though it was wrong to cheer against him. It had just kind of felt like he was an old friend who needed support.

Serena took a deep breath and then looked at the girl who had called her name. Shauna, the energetic green-eyed brunette, with her pink shirt and extra short blue shorts. They'd become best friends since meeting at a summer camp hosted by Professor Sycamore a few months back. It had been Shauna who had informed Serena of the Kalos Queen showcases, and the quest aspiring Pokemon performers went on to collect Princess Keys, in order to participate in a Masterclass showcase, where they had the opportunity to perform against the reigning Kalos Queen, Aria. It had been a dream, which Shauna had herself, and had inspired Serena to chases as well. Both had done so well, that they managed to make it to the Masterclass showcase, and competed all the way to the semifinals, where Serena managed to take the win, before falling in the title match to Aria.

The friendship Serena had with Shauna went far beyond that of winning and losing to each other, though. In fact, Shauna had defeated Serena in her very first showcase, and had helped her to recover her confidence, so that she would continue moving forward and try again. And she did just that, bouncing back and winning in her very next showcase. If it hadn't been for Shauna, Serena would likely have been quite lonely on her journey, in terms of having someone that she could talk to, as she of course had her Pokemon for company as well. They didn't always travel together, but Shauna was always available for a chat, and they met up whenever possible.

Shauna had also introduced Serena to her other friends, Tierno and Trevor, who had both been at the summer camp a few months back. Tierno was a stocky guy, with short black hair and often wore a black shirt with a Vanillish on it. He loved dancing, and used it as his main battle strategy, in order to get in sync with his Pokemon and confuse his opponents. It had been quite effective for him, until he'd gone up against a trainer named Sawyer in the quarterfinals and was defeated by a Mega Sceptile. He'd actually cheered against that boy, Ash, in the semifinals. He'd mentioned that he'd rather he lost to the eventual Kalos League winner. Serena had been bugged by that, though, and had continued to secretly cheer for Ash.

Trevor, was a much more laid back guy. He had long orange hair that seemed to wrap all around his head. He was a great deal smaller than Tierno, and in Serena's opinion, quite a bit more tolerable. He was a huge fan of photography, and once he'd been eliminated in the first round of the Kalos League, he'd taken to photographing the whole league. Serena had actually gotten the feeling that he was happier doing that, than if he had managed to move on in the league. Although, he'd never really had a chance, as he'd gone up against the eventual winner in Alain in the first round.

Serena and Shauna had decided to attend the league in order to watch Tierno and Trevor, who had both been quite proud in making it there. It had definitely been a rough start, with Trevor losing in the first match of the whole tournament, but at least Tierno had managed to entertain and even confuse his way to the quarterfinals with his dancing routine. He'd even done a respectable job there, before falling to Sawyer's much stronger Sceptile.

Once Tierno had been eliminated, the group had decided it was worth their while to watch the rest of the tournament. Part of the reason was due to Tierno and Trevor being interested in watching the trainers that had defeated them, and seeing how far they could go. The other part, which Serena wasn't going to admit, although she was sure Shauna had noticed, was that she had wanted to watch Ash. Before she had realized that Tierno and Trevor were interested in staying, she had suggested the idea to the group, informing them that it would be, "interesting to see how trainers like Ash Ketchum performed." Tierno and Trevor were pretty dense, but Serena had noticed Shauna's eyes twinkling in amusement from that statement.

It had all been quite an enjoyable experience, really. Serena had never been that interested in battling, only really doing it when necessary, and sometimes as a way to train her Pokemon. However, after watching Trevor's first battle, and seeing two mega evolved Charizards battling, despite the one completely overpowering the other, Serena had been quickly hooked. With the next battle involving Ash, it had only become even more intriguing. She had instantly felt a connection with him, despite not knowing him and not talking to him. She had hoped she could get introduced to him at some point, but she didn't have the courage to ask Tierno or Trevor. Besides, she had a suspicion that the two would have been jealous and not too interested introducing Ash to her.

"Are you coming?" Shauna called again. Serena shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts on the past and her thoughts of Ash from further distracting her. She was already worried about Shauna teasing her later on, so she didn't need to provide more ammunition for the rival performer. Serena took one last glance at the field and saw Ash disappearing into the tunnel where trainers emerged from before their battles, and then then turned back towards Shauna and followed.

When Serena caught up to Shauna, she looked around, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Where did Trevor and Tierno go?" she asked, wondering if she'd gotten her and Shauna separated from their male friends due to her distraction.

"They said they'd meet us later. I don't know, something about meeting that Ash guy," Shauna muttered, glancing around as though she was looking for something. Her voice was oddly quiet. "I think they're interested in that special Greninja form or something."

Serena bit her lip and glanced down, feeling a bit frustrated. "It would've been nice if they invited us along," she mumbled, unable to keep her frustration to herself. She quickly clapped her hands to her mouth in surprise and embarrassment. If Shauna didn't know before, she knew now.

"I knew it!" Shauna yelled excitedly. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" She was stopped walking and turned to Serena and started doing a childish, taunting dance, pointing and giggling. "You've been obsessed with that Ash guy. You watched every one of his battles, and you asked Tierno and Trevor about him like a hundred times...each!"

Serena felt the heat rise to her cheeks and looked around awkwardly as people stared at the two girls, clearly wondering what was wrong with Shauna. Serena at least felt a little comfort in knowing that these people didn't know what this was all about. She finally got enough courage to look Shauna in the eyes, and immediately regretted it, as her so called friend burst out laughing again. Eventually, she stopped, and Serena was finally able to speak and defend herself. "I'm not obsessed with anyone. I just think he's interesting, that's all. I feel like I know him from somewhere."

Shauna rolled her eyes, clearly thinking Serena was just coming up with some kind of poor excuse on the spot. "I've seen you since the first day of the league, Serena. You watched Tierno's and Trevor's battles with interest, sure, but you were practically off of your seat when you watched Ash's. And you feel like you 'know' him? Gimme a break!"

"He just seems familiar, alright?" Serena snapped back, feeling kind of irritated. She was embarrassed enough without being teased, and how would Shauna know what she was feeling? It might have sounded weird, even to Serena, but she still had the strange feeling like she knew Ash from somewhere.

Shauna just smiled and giggled a little at Serena's frustration. "Relax, Serena, I think I know why you think you've seen him before." When Serena gave her a quizzical look, Shauna raised her eyebrows and held out her hand, as though she was about to prove a point. "Could I see your tablet for a second?"

"My tablet?" Serena asked, having no idea where this could be going. Shauna just nodded and kept her hand out, smirking a bit at Serena's confusion. The honey-blonde eventually just shrugged and then reached into her pocket and pulled out the pink, rectangular device, which opened up into two sides. She handed it to Shauna, who immediately started clicking away, obviously in search of something.

"I'm sure this is what you've been thinking of," she mumbled, eyes narrowed as she tapped her finger on the device in her hand. Her eyes then lit up and she looked up at Serena and smiled. "There it is!" Shauna squeaked happily, handing the tablet back to Serena.

Serena narrowed her eyes, suspicious of whatever it was that Shauna was trying to do. It could have just been that she wanted to tease Serena further and had looked up something about girls being obsessed with boys. She decided to just go along with it, though, and took the tablet that was being handed to her. "This had better not be a stupid joke," she warned Shauna, her nostrils flaring as she gave her friend a dark look.

Shauna giggled once more in response, and then pointed at the tablet. "Just read it, alright? You'll realize what this is about in a second."

With one last exasperated shake of her head, Serena held up the tablet, and moved her gaze to what was on the screen. She immediately felt frustration with Shauna flare up again, as she saw a picture of Ash, standing in front of Prism Tower, his Pikachu on his shoulder. He looked pretty tired in the picture, but there was clear relief in his eyes. Suddenly, Serena realized this wasn't some kind of joke from Shauna. No, it was a news story from nearly a year ago. It had been a pretty big deal as it was going on. Serena quickly started reading it, despite knowing most of the story already.

Lumiose City was put on high alert yesterday evening, as a nasty plot by a group of Pokemon thieves, went awry and set notable Pokemon researcher, Professor Sycamore's Garcharmp on a tirade across the city. A botched attempt to steal Garchomp, lead to it losing control of its senses, turning it violent and leading to various attacks throughout the city.

The Garchomp rampage eventually resulted in an attack on Lumiose City's Prism Tower. For a few minutes, it remained their, as it attacked from the high vantage point. News crews and police were held at bay, as the powerful attacks continuously forced them back.

Luckily for Lumiose City, though, a brave young trainer, Ash Ketchum, refused to let fear get the better of him. He managed to get onto Prism Tower and quickly started to make his way to the top, accompanied only by his Pikachu and a Froakie from Professor Sycamore's lab.

Once at the top, Ketchum was quick to act. With the help of Pikachu and Froakie, Ash ensured Garchomp was prevented from both harming himself and others down below. The brave trainer was then able to remove the device that had been disturbing Garchomp, thus ending the rampage of the powerful dragon type.

However, disaster nearly strike again, only a few moments later. With the damage on top of Prism Tower from Garchomp's attacks, part of the structure at the top gave way. The ground underneath Ash's Pikachu plummeted to the ground, and the electric mouse slipped and began to follow.

Ash proved his bravery once again, leaping from the top of Prism Tower without hesitation in order to save his Pokemon. The two sped towards the ground with a terrified crowd watching below. Ash caught up to his Pikachu and held it close, both not knowing if they were going to make it. Then, out of nowhere, a flash of red light came, and Ash and Pikachu were plucked from the air, before they were carried safely to the ground. It was later to be revealed as the Blaziken of the mysterious Blaziken Mask.

The story continued from there, with various quotes and a few more details about how it had started. Serena wasn't too interested in that, given that she'd already seen some of the coverage before. Not to mention, she was aware of Shauna watching her, and she didn't want to seen like she was still fawning over Ash. Not that she'd been doing that earlier, of course.

Serena tried to remember what she'd thought of that incident at the time. She remembered it, sure, but her memory was a bit fuzzy, as she'd been tired out that day with her mother's Rhyhorn racing drills. She'd watched the news of the Garchomp rampage and Ash's heroic leap, but really, the footage hadn't been the best and there had been no names at the time. When it had been revealed the next day that it was a boy named Ash, Serena had already moved her interest back to other things. The league had really been where she'd first noticed him and felt like she recognized him.

She quickly shut the tablet and tucked it away, before looking back at Shauna wit the best uninterested facial expression she could make. "I remember that," she said honestly, "but I never even knew it was Ash at the time. I only really figured out that was him when I saw him here."

Shauna laughed and gave Serena a doubtful look, although there was a bit of sympathy in her eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Serena, but I don't think you know Ash from anywhere. You just have a crush, that's all."

Serena's eyes widened and her lips pursed together. "I don't have a crush!" she shouted quickly, getting looks from people passing by. She quickly realized that a reaction like that was only going to make Shauna believe her less. It didn't help that her cheeks were burning with a blush, although she hoped she could excuse that with the embarrassment of shouting.

"Crush on who?" a voice asked from behind Serena. "Me?"

Serena turned her head, and took a deep breath, feeling even more frustration. Tierno and Trevor were walking up to her and Shauna, clearly not having gone to meet Ash. She turned back to Shauna and narrowed her eyes. "You're pretty sneaky, aren't you?"

Shauna just shrugged and waved to Tierno and Trevor. "Ready to go, guys?" she asked sweetly, smirking at Serens before turning away and starting to walk, not bothering to wait for an answer.

Serena glanced once at the confused Tierno and Trevor and then quickly followed after Shauna. She couldn't really be mad at her teasing friend. It wasn't like Shauna wanted to hurt her feelings, but instead reveal them. Not that her suspicions had been true. Serena didn't even know Ash. She was just a little interested in him.

"Don't worry, I won't bug you in front of them," Shauna whispered when Serena caught up to her. "They'd get jealous, anyways, even if it's not true. Especially Tierno."

Serena shook her head in exasperation. She liked Tierno and Trevor, but it was true that they occasionally exhibited interest in being more than friends. She did her best to show she preferred not changing their relationship, but they never seemed to get it. Particularly Tierno. "Whatever," she mumbled to Shauna. "It's not like it's true, anyways. I just thought I knew Ash from somewhere."

Shauna shrugged and actually looked serious for a moment as she thought about it. "Well it's a shame, but you probably don't know him. I mean, you're from Kalos and he's from Kanto. There's no way you could've met him, right. Unless Pallet Town and Vaniville Town have somehow all of a sudden become neighbouring towns."

"Yeah..." Serena said quietly, feeling disappointment and embarrassment begin to dampen her spirits. Something about the idea and possibility of knowing that boy had been so exciting. "It is a shame," she admitted, not caring anymore about hiding the fact she did have interest in knowing Ash.

"Maybe you'll see him again someday," Shauna said hopefully. "You don't know what he's got planned next."

"I don't know that for myself, either," Serena answered back, wondering just what her future held. She assumed she would just go back to collecting Princess Keys for the next Masterclass. Or, there was whatever that Palermo woman had been talking about. Some kind of special opportunity for hopeful performers. Whatever it was, Serena doubted some boy she'd never spoken to would be involved.

"Wasn't that an awesome battle, big brother?" the short, little blonde girl, Bonnie, in front of Clemont exclaimed, the little, orange hamster-like Pokemon on her head chattering away excitedly.

The science-crazed Lumiose City gym leader brushed his fingers through his blond hair and then adjusted his glasses. "It was quite remarkable, I agree. Both of those trainers were really deserving of being there."

"That didn't make much difference for that guy, Ash," Bonnie muttered, turning her head back to the street ahead, keeping ahead of Clemont, who, as he often did, trailed behind. "He gets nothing for getting that far, so it doesn't really matter if he deserved to be there."

Clemont sighed in exasperation. Sometimes his little sister could be quite smart, given her age, but at other times she didn't understand more meaningful things. "Well, Bonnie, I think it should mean something if you know you deserved your spot in a high quality competition like that. It would be like me finishing second place in a science competition or something like that."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, clearly not impressed. Clemont had the feeling she was ignoring his words, only because he had compared it to something like science. She did often enjoy his inventions, despite them usually blowing up, but when he talked about it for too long, Clemont knew his sister could sometimes get quite bored. He understood it, although he did try to keep her enlightened about things, as he hoped it could help her when she one day be a Pokemon trainer like as she dreamed of doing.

"So why is it that we're going to the gym?" Bonnie asked, clearly deciding to move the conversation along. "I thought we were going to stay and watch the closing ceremonies for the league."

Clemont glanced back at the stadium that they had left a few minutes ago. It was now a few blocks away, although still in sight. There were quite a few people hanging around the front, and many were still going in and out. Personally, he didn't have too much interest in going back to that, whether the task he had set his mind on after the final battle was on his list of things to do or not. He wasn't really much for big crowds. Besides, they'd seen the best part of the league, and the only exciting part about the closing ceremonies was seeing the Kalos Champion, Diantha and the trophy presentation. He'd rather put it on TV for Bonnie later on and get to doing busy with the work he had planned.

"Sorry, Bonnie, but I'd prefer not to if you don't mind," Clemont said in answer to his sister. "There's just something I would really like to work on at the gym. Is that alright with you?" He felt bad, because he knew Bonnie was always excited about seeing Diantha, as many aspiring Pokemon trainers often were.

Bonnie actually didn't seem to mind, though, as she just shrugged and nodded. "I'll just watch on TV then," she said, turning her head back forward. "What is it that you want to work on? You seemed to be really excited about it at the stadium."

Clemont smiled, glad to inform his sister of his plans. Whenever she, or anyone for that matter, asked about his inventions or any scientific work he was doing, he was more than happy to discuss it. "Well, I'm very interested in that trainer, Ash Ketchum. There was something about him that was very unique. It wasn't just the special form that his Greninja took on, but really his whole battle style and the way he carried himself. I'd really like to know more about him."

"Um..." Bonnie started, sounding quite confused. She turned her head and gave her brother a puzzled look. "I don't get it. If you wanted to know more about him, why not stay at the stadium and see if you can find him to talk to him?"

"I doubt I'm the only one interested in doing that, although I would have loved the opportunity to do so," Clemont admitted, glancing back towards the stadium again, giving it a longing look. "Besides, talking to him now probably isn't the best time to do so. Like you said, he's probably not feeling too great at the moment."

"I thought you said it's a great achievement to come in second place and that he should be proud of that accomplishment," Bonnie muttered, sounding unimpressed. Clemont couldn't tell if she was mocking the idea of being proud of coming in second, or just Clemont slightly contradicting himself.

Clemont nodded, acknowledging what he had said, and still believing those words to be true. "I still think anyone should be proud of proving themselves good enough to be in that position. I believe Ash will see that soon enough. Regardless, that's not what we're talking about, is it?"

"Yeah, whatever," Bonnie muttered, waving her hand as though dismissing a possible lecture that Clemont was about to go on with. "Anyways, what is it at the gym that you think can help you learn more about him?"

"Well, I'd like to check the records and see if Ash challenged our gym. If he did, then I'll be able to analyze the data, and even the footage, of the battle, using Clembot," Clemont explained, words coming fast as he excitedly talked of his plans. "It's obviously a shame that I wasn't able to battle Ash myself, but hopefully I can find out some useful information about him using Clembot. It would be fascinating to figure out that battle style more."

Bonnie shrugged again, still apparently unimpressed. "I don't think he really had a style, Clemont. He just seemed to battle. He kind of just did things in the moment." She giggled a little, apparently amused by some thought she had just had. "He kind of battled the complete opposite way you do. Maybe that's why he was so good."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clemont asked, voice a little higher than usual as he whined. "I'm a gym leader, so obviously I'm not that bad of a trainer, despite what you say sometimes."

"Relax, big brother, I know you're not a bad trainer," Bonnie said quickly, sounding exasperated, obviously frustrated by Clemont not being able to take the slight joke. "I'm just saying that you plan everything out, but that guy Ash was a fast thinker. In the semifinals he made things really hard for that guy Sawyer, who was a bit like you."

Clemont nodded, understanding what Bonnie was saying. He supposed he already had a decent amount of information on Ash Ketchum just based on what he, and Bonnie, had observed in the Kalos League. However, he felt there was still more there that he could analyze. Sure, it probably wasn't something that he could spot right away, and it would take some time, but if he had battle data from Clembot, he could at least find a little bit more information. At least he hoped.

They walked the rest of the way to Prism Tower in silence, the noise of the crowds at and around the stadium becoming quieter and quieter as they walked. It was a little strange as they neared Prism Tower and the streets became less busy and fewer people and cars went by. Often, this area was the busiest part of Lumiose City, as Prism Tower was both the gym, and a tourist attraction. Clemont and Bonnie were quite used to seeing people gathered around it, but today, there were very few. With the league going on, it had been like this for about a couple of weeks, and without the gym running, even fewer people were around than ever. It was a little depressing to see, actually.

When they finally reached the gym, Bonnie ran ahead excitedly. As much as she enjoyed the big stadium at the league, Clemont could tell his sister still always enjoyed going to their gym. He glanced up at towards the top of Prism Tower as he approached. He remembered the night that Professor Sycamore's Garchomp had been rampaging around the city and how he'd finally been stopped at the top of this tower. Clemont and Bonnie had been at home while that was going on, worriedly waiting for their dad and watching the incident on the news. They'd obviously both been amazed by Ash Ketchum's bravery that night, but he'd been sort of just a name after that. When Clemont had seen Ash at the league, though, his interest had ignited, and he knew he was going to have to figure out more.

Within a few minutes, Clemont and Bonnie had taken an elevator to the top of the tower, where Clemont did a lot of his work on various inventions. It was a small room, with a window that looked out across the city. A desk with a computer and stacks of notes and blueprints was on one side. Clembot was on the other side, with many other inventions that were in progress. With the gym not running and his dad not needing much help around the house lately with Clemont and Bonnie back at home, Clemont had decided to shut down Clembot for a bit, so that he could do some upgrades. He still planned to do that, but obviously today he'd be doing something different.

Clemont quickly went over to his immobile robot, and rummaged around for the correct wires and then began plugging them in. He had Bonnie help as well, bringing over some of the Clembot notes and blueprints, along with the various plugs for the computer that needed to go with Clembot. After a few minutes of fidgeting with all that, Clemont turned Clembot around, so that its back was facing him, and then he grabbed a screwdriver and began to remove the metal casing which covered the the "soul" of Clembot's hardware. When he'd removed that, Clemont plugged one last plug from the computer in, and then clicked a few buttons, before going over to sit at the computer.

"Now," he began to explain to Bonnie, not knowing if she was actually interested, but assuming her helping him was evidence that she was, "I've started to load the data from Clembot's gym battles. I've set it to only load battles which he lost, so that should narrow it down quite a bit."

"Do you really think Clembot is that good?" Bonnie asked, giving Clemont a doubtful look. "He's just a robot after all."

"I know that," Clemont answered patiently, "but remember, he's pretty advanced and functions so that he can learn not only from me, but the challengers he's battled. He's constantly improving, just as any trainer would."

Bonnie just shrugged, which Clemont took as a sign that he could continue his search for the battle data from Ash. It didn't take too long, and eventually, Clemont found a record of a battle against a challenger who had earned the Voltage Badge in a three on three battle against Clembot. He could tell that is was against Ash, because he could see that the Pokemon used, were Pikachu, Hawlucha and Goodra, which were all Pokemon that had been used by Ash in the Kalos League, and it likely wasn't a coincidence.

"Now, let's see if we can get some footage," Clemont whispered, noticing Bonnie becoming a little more interested as she leaned forward. "It's too bad he didn't use Greninja, but at least that's not all I'm interested in."

As soon as he started playing the footage, Clemont was entranced, and he could tell Bonnie was as well. The battle was pretty close, as clearly Ash hadn't been at the level he was for the Kalos League when he was challenging the Lumiose gym. However, he still proved himself to be a fantastic battler, and he was as unpredictable as ever. He was able to identify weak points in Clembot's strategy in seconds. He was able to use both his Pikachu's speed, and his Goodra's strong endurance equally well, proving that he knew how to use different strategies no matter which Pokemon he had.

And Clemont knew he was only scratching at the surface of Ash's abilities and techniques. He knew that if he studied this battle closely and examined what Clembot's thought processes had been during the battle, he'd be able to far better understand the unconventional style Ash fought with. It would help him become a better gym leader. It would help him see battling from an unscientific point of view. He always jumped on opportunities to learn, and this seemed like one that was necessary for him to improve himself.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Dawn yelled, forcing herself to keep her eyes away from the clock and scoreboard, knowing time was running out and the points were close. She couldn't distract herself now. She and Piplup were too close. With her Quilava down, and her opponent's Poliwhirl out of commission as well, it was down to Piplup and the opposing Golduck. Each were exhausted, but both were desperate to get their respective trainers to the finals of the Indigo Plateau Grand Festival Championships.

"Golduck, Confusion! Use that Whirlpool against Piplup!" came the counter of the opposing trainer. A blonde-haired girl with bright green eyes. She was a fierce competitor, often going for power over fancy contest moves. In this case, though, it was both. As the large pool of water began to swirl around the little blue penguin Pokemon's beak, the blue duck Pokemon held up its clawed, webbed hands and then its eyes glowed blue. A blue light covered Piplup's swirling water attack, and then crashed down on top of him. He thrashed around wildly, overcome by his own attack, and then finally the water shot up into the air, quickly evaporating.

Piplup was quick to rise, though, looking determined to keep fighting. Dawn smiled at his determination, also not ready to give up. "Alright, Piplup, let's keep this going. Use-"

Suddenly a buzzing sound rang out through the contest hall, and Dawn's eyes widened and her gaze shot towards the scoreboard. The pictures of both her and her opponent had vanished, their scores gone as well. Dawn's heart started racing, and she glanced quickly at Piplup, seeing that he was nervously looking up on to the scoreboard as well. Dawn shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath, and then looked back up, praying to Arceus that they'd managed to win this.

Then, the scores were revealed, and Dawn could see the little black circles with the small, yellow bars that filled them up like pie slices. Hers was about one eight full, which wasn't bad for a long, heated double battle in a contest at this level. She looked to the left of her picture to her opponent's score. Immediately, her stomach dropped, and her eyes went down.

Dawn could barely listen as Lilian, the contest announcer for the Kanto region contests, began the announcement. "And the winner is..." she called out, for dramatic effect. There was no drama, though. Dawn didn't need to listen to the announcement. She could already see her opponent dancing around in triumph. She even had the nerve to give Dawn a smug smirk, before turning to the crowd and waving as though she'd already won the whole thing.

"Pip-piplup!" came the sad cry from Dawn's loyal little penguin Pokemon. She looked down and saw him running up to her. He was probably just as upset as Dawn, but somehow, he put on a brave face, just for her.

"Come on, Piplup," Dawn whispered, wiping her stinging eyes. "We...we should get you to the Pokemon Centre." She ignored Piplup's wide, concerned eyes and pulled out his pokeball. "Sorry, Piplup," she said quietly, before clicking it open and recalling her water type inside.

As Dawn left the stage, she heard a few people in the crowd calling out to her and congratulating her on her performance. She appreciated it, obviously, but she really didn't want anyone's sympathy. She felt bad enough about the loss without having other people feel bad for her. As she walked through the empty hall towards the changing room, her eyes slowly began to sting more and more. Eventually, they welled up, and tears dripped down her face.

Dawn had been an aspiring Top Coordinator for years now, since starting her journey in her native Sinnoh region. It had been her dream ever since she could remember, as her mother had been a Top Coordinator when she was younger. The pictures of her mother's Pokemon performing beautiful moves, and winning battles in stunning fashion had inspired Dawn to do whatever she could to achieve the same feat.

It had started out fairly well for Dawn, too. Sure, she'd had some difficulty in a few of her early contests, but she'd managed to learn and work with her Pokemon, so that eventually she started to win contests regularly. Eventually, she had managed to make it to the Grand Festival in the Sinnoh region. She had done incredibly well there, especially considering that it was her first time competing in a Grand Festival, let alone her career as a coordinator still being quite young at the time. She'd made it all the way to the finals, before losing to her friend, Zoey in a very close match.

The loss in the Sinnoh Grand Festival had been disappointing, of course, but Dawn had accepted it. She knew that it was a great accomplishment to have made it so far on her first try, and that her future could only be brighter after that. If she could make it so far after only a short time as a coordinator, it was a sure bet that she'd be able to win in the next Grand Festival she competed in. So, she had set off for the Johto region not long after her loss, and competed there.

Unfortunately, Johto didn't go quite as Dawn had expected. She'd started well, of course, winning her way through the qualifying contests in order to attain the five necessary ribbons. However, she fell early on in the Grand Festival, not even managing to make it past the Performance Stage. It had been a crushing blow, and Dawn had barely been able to recover, only motivated by her mother to try again.

Things did get better as Dawn competed in the Kanto region. Once again, she gathered her five ribbons successfully. She lost a couple of contests, but she had made it to the final round in each, and had only lost to coordinators she'd known would be tough competition. When she'd made it to the Grand Festival, though, she was very confident in her abilities, and was sure it was her best shot at winning, even more so than against Zoey in Sinnoh.

And then this had happened. A loss in the semifinals was a better result than she'd had in Johto, but something about it stung far worse. To think that she'd recovered her form from Sinnoh and that she'd managed to come to the Indigo Grand Festival with her abilities at their peak, and then to lose like this...it was devastating. All that confidence only managed to hurt more in the end. Dawn knew it wasn't right to sulk like this, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to just sit in a dark room and cry until everything disappeared. She'd been so sure she would win, and then she'd lost. And she didn't just lose, she lost to someone who didn't even respect contests, or her opponents. It was embarrassing and it wasn't fair.

"Hey! Hey, Dawn!" Dawn had just reached the door to the changing room when she heard her name called. Not only had she heard her name called, though. She'd heard it from a familiar voice. She quickly wiped her eyes, hoping to hide her tears, and then turned towards the direction of the voice. She was right. She couldn't help but smile as she looked upon the familiar face of the orange and spiky haired girl, Zoey. One of Dawn's best friends.

"Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed, as her old friend and rival approached. "What are you doing here?" she asked, not having expected to see her, as Zoey spent most of her time in Sinnoh.

"I came to see you, of course!" Zoey said, as though Dawn had asked the stupidest question in the world, which she supposed it actually was kind of a dumb question. She had mentioned the contest to Zoey, and the latter had expressed interest in seeing Dawn perform again. "I'm sorry you lost. But hey, you did really well. You'll get there eventually."

"Am I going to tell myself that every time I lose?" Dawn asked, unable to hide her frustration. "It's getting a bit tiresome."

Zoey gave Dawn a sympathetic look, which wasn't normally her reaction if Dawn sulked. She was usually pretty tough on Dawn. "I know how you feel, Dawn. It sucks to lose, especially when you're at that point where you think you deserve to win."

"I don't just think I deserve it," Dawn said quickly, feeling tears well up in her eyes again. "I know I do. I made it to the finals in my first Grand Festival. I should have been able to do at least that in one of my other two. But no, I've failed twice. In Johto it was even worse."

It was in that moment that tough Zoey returned, and her eyes narrowed and she looked at Dawn seriously. "Don't be a crybaby about it, Dawn. You know you're a good coordinator. You just need to keep trying. You're improving whether you think you are or not. Each region is a new challenge, so just because you did well, or if you did poorly in the last one, it doesn't mean anything for the next one. You might come in last place in Kanto, and then get first place in Johto. It's all about the work you put in and also a little bit of luck. Sulking isn't going to change anything. You just have to work for it."

Dawn understood what Zoey was saying, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling a little angry. It was easy for Zoey to talk. She'd already managed to win a Grand Festival. Maybe she wasn't the right person to help Dawn out of her funk. "What do you want me to do then? This is three losses I've had now. It's tough to keep going when I keep losing and it doesn't seem like I'm getting any better."

"That's something you need to figure out for yourself, Dawn," Zoey said quietly, sighing as though deciding she was too tired to argue. "If you want to take a break, there's nothing wrong with that. You don't need to move on to another string of contests right away. Take it easy for awhile if that's what gets your mind clear."

Dawn considered this for a moment. She'd never thought about taking a break from contests like that before. She'd had a mini break while she'd been travelling Sinnoh, but this was different. Zoey was talking about delaying an entirely new adventure to a new region. It was an odd thought, but maybe it was something she could consider. She could always use the time to practice, and maybe it would help clear her head. "What do you think I could do if I was to take a break?" she asked, curious to know what Zoey would suggest.

Zoey smiled, clearly glad to see Dawn showing interest in her suggestion. "Well, it's always good to spend time with your Pokemon. I'd suggest doing something with them. Find something to do where you can learn something about them."

Dawn was always interested in spending time with her Pokemon. She obviously spent a lot of time with them on her travels, but she understood what Zoey was saying. It was worthwhile to do something with her Pokemon that didn't involve contests and training. Maybe just have some fun and go on a vacation. Or even like Zoey had said, find something to do where she could learn more about her Pokemon. As much as she loved her Pokemon, she would be the first to admit she didn't know enough about them as she should. "Thanks, Zoey," she finally said, smiling at her old friend. An idea was coming to her. She was in Kanto already, so she might as well do it. She was a fan of this person's work already. "I think I know what the first thing I'll do is."

Zoey nodded and then gave Dawn a quizzical look. "What are you going to do?"

"I think I'll go to Pallet Town. I've always like Professor Oak's poetry and obviously he knows a lot about Pokemon. Maybe he can help me with some things." The idea sounded better to her as she said it aloud, and she was already looking forward to it. She'd probably be able to see a lot of different Pokemon there as well, since Professor Oak was one of the best Pokemon researchers in the world.

"That sounds like a great idea, Dawn," Zoey said, smiling. "You'll probably be able to learn a lot there." She took a glance up the hall, and Dawn followed her gaze. There seemed to be some foot traffic filling the halls, so things were about to get busy. "I'll meet you later, alright? You'd better get changed."

"Alright," Dawn said with a wave, turning and starting to open the door to the changing room. "Thanks, Zoey."

As she made her way into the changing room, Dawn tried to think of what she could do with her future. She was glad she had a plan on what to do next. It would definitely be interesting to visit Professor Oak and find out what he knew about Pokemon, but there was clearly a lot more she had to do than that. Contests were still a priority to her. She still thought that there was something she was lacking and that she needed to learn. If she was going to be a Top Coordinator, she needed to push herself. A break was fine, but she needed to find a new challenge that still allowed her to focus on contests. She just didn't know what that could be, yet.

Author's Note:

Wow, that was a long one, right? You're probably wondering about a few things. First, depressed Ash. I know it's a bit off, but it's necessary for the story and remember, he's slightly different. Also, Alain, I kind of just put him in the dream killer role. He probably won't show up again, so his back story is kind of irrelevant here, as is the Team Flare stuff.

Next, Serena's interest in Ash. This one was tough, as I wanted to make it so she travelled without him being the reason, but still remembered the Garchomp thing, because who would miss that? So, since I'm making these characters about 18, it's been a crazy long time since that summer camp in Pallet Town, so her and Ash's memory will be fuzzy. Of course, it might not stay fuzzy.

And Clemont's interest in Ash, well I wanna make it so he's pushing himself to be a better gym leader. Inventions and science is still his main goal, but being an improved gym leader is going to be a large focus for him in this story, so learning from Ash will be part of that.

Finally, Dawn getting a starring role. Well, not much to say. Perhaps a bit of trolling for certain people (you know who you are). But also, she's a great character, and I wanted a fourth non-Kalos crew member to have a role. Having a coordinator was kind of important, so I just chose her over May.

Anyways, hopefully that clears up some stuff. I know that I probably forgot stuff, so please ask any questions necessary. I want to make this a GREAT story. I'm happy with what I've done with GCTO and what I've got planned to finish it, but I want this story to be REALLY good. REALLY REALLY good. So be harsh in your criticism for now. I can take it. Together we can make this story the legacy of AmourshippingCanon.