"...WHAT?!" nearly everyone shouted in shock as they stared at Paul, eyes wide. He, Ash, Pikachu, Sylveon, Delphox, Pancham, Lillie, Snowy, and, surprisingly, Kevin, Maria, and Leaf all laughed at their faces.

"Nice one, cousin!" she exclaimed as she held her hand up in the air. Paul smirked as he gave Leaf a high five.

"Thanks, cuz. That was pretty darn funny if I do say so myself." he stated with a snicker aimed at the still stunned group. Leaf couldn't help but giggle a little bit as she turned back to them, waiting for the initial shock to die down.

"So, Paul, let me get this straight. You're..." Clemont couldn't finish his sentence, but somebody else could.

"SERENA'S BROTHER?! Shoot, why didn't she tell us any of that before?" Bonnie asked, clearly irritated as she looked over at Ash.

"Maybe because bringing up Paul would bring back bad memories of their father and the Rhyhorn racing practices she's had to endure in her childhood. A journey could be a potential getaway from personal problems, after all. I would know, since I've had problems at home before I started my journey. And they mostly involved Dad leaving us...and missing Serena, even though I had somehow forgotten about her at some point." he admitted as a tear fell down his cheek.

"You weren't the only one who was negatively affected by Dad's departure. But hey, at least I had Leafy back then. Though, there was still that problem of our moms feuding with each other. And that is somewhat affecting my relationship with my girlfriend. Ash had it worse, though. He had lost Dad, and then Serena. He used to go to that spot where they met all the time and cry because he wanted her back by his side. Leaf would always hear him, since she lived close to it, and try to calm him down. Though, I'm surprised she didn't tell him where Serena lived." Kevin stated as he looked curiously at Leaf. Soon, all eyes were on her, who was sweating profusely.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I couldn't tell him where my cousin lived. I wanted to, but due to Mom's feud with Delia, she called Aunt Grace and told her to keep Serena away from Ash. And then before our tenth birthdays, she had a Hypno hypnotize him and made him forget about her...Oops." Leaf covered her mouth, but it was too late. Everyone except for Kevin, who was seething upon remembering what caused the Hypno incident, was staring at her, shell-shocked over the latest revelation.

"No...Why, Aunt Yellow?! Why in the blue hell would she do that to them?!" Paul shouted in an enraged tone.

"...THAT WITCH! Trying to keep the perfect couple apart because of a dumb feud?! Why, I'll show her the Land's Wrath!" Bonnie shouted, clearly pissed off. Squishy instantly nodded at those words, shaking in fury. Almost everyone, even Nurse Joy, flinched.

"Geez, Bonnie, calm down..." Clemont said, clearly exasperated. But he, too, was very angry. Though, nobody could compare to how Ash was feeling. His blue aura was flaring up even wilder than before. Pikachu's cheeks were sparking more electricity than ever. And Ash's other Pokemon popped out of his Pokeballs, looking equally furious. Greninja, especially, looked like he was about to put someone through a world of hurt. Thankfully, Delphox, Sylveon, and Milotic were there to calm him, Pikachu, and Sceptile, respectively, down to an extent. Though, they, along with Pancham and Altaria, also looked very pissed off.

"Leaf, give me Yellow's number. It's about time somebody talks some sense into her." Ash said in a calm, yet firm, tone. Leaf was quick to oblige, knowing the seriousness of the situation and how feeble it would be to resist him when he's in this state. Soon, Ash was on his tablet, dialing in the number and waiting for the call to connect. A few seconds later, the screen revealed a video of a smiling woman. She had long yellow blonde hair in a ponytail with a layered fringe at the front and dark greenish yellow eyes and was wearing a straw sun hat, a long sleeved black shirt under a yellow tunic dress that is edged with green, blue tights, and purple ankle boots.

"Hell-oh, shit." Yellow muttered to herself in fear as soon as she saw a very mad Ash with a blue glow in his eyes and blue aura all around him. Her smile instantly turned into a frightened look as her eyes widened.

Before Yellow could hang up, Ash shouted in a commanding tone, "Don't you dare hang up on me, Yellow! You and I have a lot to talk about." She instantly froze up.

"A-A-Ash, h-h-how d-d-did y-y-you g-g-get m-m-my n-n-number?" Yellow stuttered out as her whole body shook. Ash simply smirked.

"Easy. I just had to ask Leaf." he replied calmly. Yellow's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You stay away from my daughter, you hear me, Ketchum?!" she shouted in a threatening voice. Ash's smirk went up higher.

"Oh, trust me, Yellow, you're worrying over the wrong Ketchum when it comes to Leaf." he stated as he looked over at Kevin, who was nodding in approval with a small smile on his face. Ash then stared back down at Yellow with an angry expression.

"Speaking of Ketchum, you need to settle your differences with Mom. And soon. Three decades of pent up rage isn't helping anyone out. Geez, no wonder Green left you! He loved you, and yet you pushed him away because you were still jealous over Mom and Dad being together. Leaf misses her dad, you know? I mean, heck, Kevin and I miss our father too!" he added, slowly but surely losing his cool. Now it was Yellow's turn to smirk.

"Tell me, Ash, what do you know about love?" she asked confidently. At that question, Ash finally snapped.

"What do I know about love?! That's really rich coming from the bitch who told her sister to keep the love of my life away from me AND used a fucking Hypno to make me forget about her before I turned ten! You've got some nerve to be asking about love in front of someone who CLEARLY loved your niece!" he hollered as his aura went up even higher than before. Yellow turned pale as a ghost.

"H-H-How did you know about that?" she stammered in a shaky tone. Ash quickly casted an apologetic glance at Leaf, who nodded as if telling him to say the truth.

"Well, let's just say that your daughter sold you out by accident. But never mind that. I want to talk about Serena. She had not been happy since camp ended. Then again, how could she be when she had to do something that was never her passion for a long time to begin with? And have you thought about how she would react if she had found out about that dumb Hypno incident or the call between you and her mother?! Arceus knows that Serena would've been devastated, and possibly beyond repair! WOULD YOU HAVE WANTED THAT FOR YOUR OWN NIECE, OR, HECK, EVEN YOUR OWN DAUGHTER IF YOU HAD DONE THAT TO KEVIN?!" he exclaimed, clearly riled up. Ash could see that doubt was starting to form in Yellow's mind, doubt over whether she had done wrong by him or not, doubt over whether she hated the Ketchums for all the wrong reasons, doubt over whether she could be forgiven after all this time.

"Ash..." She couldn't say anything else as tears started to fall down her cheeks. Ash took a deep breath.

"Yellow, Serena saw me on the news, battling a Garchomp who had gone amok thanks to Team Rocket with Pikachu and a soon to be mine Froakie...on top of possibly the tallest building in the world, Prism Tower. After the battle, where we had to chop off the collar that was controlling her, the floor underneath Pikachu collapsed, sending him plummeting. I naturally jumped right after him. As Grace just told me yesterday, when Serena saw me falling, her life literally flashed before her very eyes. Can you imagine how she would have felt if that Mega Blaziken hadn't caught me? Arceus, I'd hate to think of the possibilities." he stated with a shiver at the end as he stole a glance at Clemont, Bonnie, Pikachu, and Greninja, who were also shivering. Yellow was struggling not to cry, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her at this point. Then again, she still couldn't form any words whatsoever. But Ash still wasn't done talking.

"Serena started her journey looking for me. And I didn't notice it back then, but I've had a hole in my heart for years. No matter how many girls I've traveled with, no matter how many times I've seen Brock flirting with a pretty girl, a Nurse Joy, or an Officer Jenny, no matter how many times I've been flirted with or even kissed on the cheek (and one time, it was from a Legendary Pokemon disguised as a girl), it never went away. Yet, when I saw Serena at the Santalune City Gym, even though I didn't recognize her, no thanks to you, that hole still started to gradually fill up. I lost that battle against Viola, and, after a disastrous loss in the Vertress Conference, it was getting me down to the point where I even considered quitting my battling career. But then Serena got me back up on my feet like nobody else ever had before, and I will forever be grateful for that. And if you've seen the Kalos League, you would know about Ash-Greninja. Serena indirectly helped us master that transformation by looking for a very depressed me after my loss against Wulfric and throwing snowballs in my face because I wasn't being the Ash she knew. I didn't even mention the fact that she gave me my first kiss on the lips and that I ran down an escalator to kiss her back! Tell me, Yellow, is all of this love? Yes, it is!" he exclaimed furiously. By that point, Yellow had completely broken down.

"Ash, I'm so sorry! I was so caught up in my jealousy towards your mother that I didn't even consider others' feelings for thirty years. Damn, that's too long for someone to be holding a grudge over something as stupid as that. And I should probably apologize to Green, Leaf, Kevin, Serena, Grace, Red...and Delia too." she admitted in an apologetic tone. Kevin and Leaf decided to show their faces.

"It's fine, Mom. I still love you, even if you had your flaws. I'll be even more happier if you get back with Dad." she replied with a warm smile. Kevin nodded in agreement with those words.

"Yeah, and I think Dad misses your company too...when you and Mom aren't constantly going at each other's throats all the time." he added as he crossed his arms with a toothy grin. Yellow hesitated, but then sighed before nodding back at the couple.

"Leaf, dear, I admit, I've been such a terrible mother to you by trying to keep you and Kevin away from each other for so long. However, now I've seen the error of my ways, and I'm so sorry for trying to separate you from him. I really hope that we can start fresh with no bad blood between us." she said with regret evident in her voice. The trio couldn't help but smile at the sound of that.

"Now I like that idea." both Kevin and Leaf said simultaneously. They both looked at each other and blushed profusely. Yellow saw that and smirked.

"So...are you two a couple?" she asked teasingly. Kevin and Leaf became flustered while Ash laughed.

"Um, if we said yes, how would you react?" Kevin asked back, looking very afraid. There was silence on the other end, which made him and Leaf even more frightened. To their surprise, a minute later, Yellow squealed in delight.

"Aw, you two look so adorable together. Don't worry, I approve of the relationship. And I'm pretty sure Delia will too, once I've worked out my problems with her. Though, Kevin, if you ever hurt my daughter, I will track you down!" she exclaimed in a threatening tone as she gave Kevin a death glare. He turned pale at the sound and sight of that while Leaf giggled a little bit.

"Oh, Mom, there's no chance of that happening anytime soon. Kevin and I love each other too much. Don't we, dear?" she inquired in a loving manner. Kevin instantly nodded at those words, which earned him a kiss on the cheek. Yellow giggled at them before looking over at Ash, who was depressed.

"Say, do you mind if I talk to Ash alone?" she asked seriously. Kevin and Leaf nodded to show that they didn't mind it. Once the couple left with a goodbye, Yellow was now focused on Ash, whose hat was shadowing his eyes.

After a minute of a rather uncomfortable silence, she took a deep breath before saying, "Ash, you OK?" Ash shook his head.

"Did anyone tell you that something terrible had happened to Serena?" he asked in an enraged voice. Yellow gasped in horror.

"Oh, my Arceus! What happened to her?" she inquired, obviously concerned. Ash quickly got Yellow up to speed on everything that had happened in the last three days. By the time he was done, she was crying even harder than before.

"...Fuck that Lusamine bitch! You just gave me a new person to hate! Actually, fuck that High Branch Chief too! Wow. That's even worse than what Delia and I had been through!" Yellow shouted in a vicious tone. Ash flinched, but didn't say anything.

Yellow then smiled warmly and, while wiping the tears off, asked, "Ash, would you forgive me if I tell you that there is a way to get your memories back?" Ash suddenly looked into her eyes with a hopeful look on his face. Yellow could see that he had previously been crying.

"Really? There is?" he asked excitedly. Yellow couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.

"Yes, there is. It requires you to have three specific kinds of Pokemon: one with a Bond Phenomenon, a Lucario, and a Psychic type. That 'Ash-Greninja' is clearly a Bond Phenomenon, isn't it?" she asked with a knowing smile. Ash's eyes widened in surprise as his mouth hung ajar.

"Wait, how did you..." He trailed off, clearly shocked.

Yellow smirked as she said, "What, you thought you were the only Battle Bond user out there, Ash? Just so you know, Battle Bond is basically another name for Bond Phenomenon. You'll surely meet a few of them in the near future. Who knows, you might even know a few of them." She winked at the last sentence. Needless to say, Ash (and Greninja) were flabbergasted by the revelation.

"BATTLE BOND?! Shoot, now you're making me want to battle one of them." he replied with a slight pout.

Ash quickly laughed it off before adding, "But my top priority right now is getting my memories back. Yes, Greninja is here with me, and I do have a Lucario and a Latias on my team." Yellow's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Latias.

"Hold up, you have a LATIAS?!' she exclaimed with her mouth hanging wide open. Ash rolled his eyes, clearly having expected that kind of reaction. He motioned for Greninja, Lucario, and Latias to come to him. Soon, they were facing Yellow expectantly.

"OK, Yellow, we're listening." Ash stated, clearly focused. Yellow snapped out of her initial shock from seeing a Latias out in the flesh.

"OK, now the process, which I learned from a certain someone, is rather simple. Greninja must be in his bonded form. Ash, you would take a Psychic type move, preferably Psychic, to the head from Latias, which would knock the both of you out. And Lucario must stabilize you, and only you, with his aura, since Greninja will be fine. And then you would be out of commission for about twelve hours. Once you two have woken up, you'll have remembered your lost memories...and maybe gained something else." she explained mysteriously. Needless to say, the quartet was immediately intrigued.

"Huh, that doesn't sound so bad." Ash stated with confidence evident in his voice. Latias rolled her eyes.

'Says the most reckless guy on the planet.' she replied in a sarcastic tone. Ash rubbed the back of his head with a mareepish smile, which caused Yellow to laugh.

"Oh, and Ash, you should have a bodyguard for the entire process just to be on the safe side. After all, we wouldn't want anything to happen to Serena's knight in shining armor now, would we?" she asked in a teasing tone. Ash blushed at that.

"Uh, yeah, that's probably a good idea." he admitted with a chuckle. Yellow nodded.

"Well, Ash, I'll let you get to it then. In the meantime, I'm going to try to apologize to your mother." she said with a determined look on her face. Ash couldn't help but smile at that.

"OK. And Yellow, I forgive you." he proclaimed. Yellow was close to tearing up again.

"Thanks, Ash. Who knows, I might make it to the League to support you and your brother." she said happily. Ash nodded at those words. Once they said goodbye and hung up, he looked at his three Pokemon.

'Ash, you sure you want to do this?' Latias asked, a little worried. Ash and Greninja stared at each other, and then back at her.

"Yes, I do. My childhood memories of Serena are too precious for me to not remember. Which brings up a question: who can be my bodyguard?" he inquired while thinking deeply.

'Well, we could always Mega Evolve Sceptile...' Greninja replied as he looked over at Ash's Sceptile. That caught his, Pikachu's, and Charizard's attentions, as they walked over to them.

"Sceptile?" Sceptile asked curiously.

Ash took a breath before saying, "Sceptile, we're planning to do something risky as soon as possible, and we need a bodyguard. Since we had not let you Mega Evolve yet, we could have you be a Mega bodyguard for the night...if you're willing to, that is." Sceptile thought about it for a minute.

"Tile." he replied, nodding in agreement. Ash nodded back before looking at Pikachu and Charizard.

"If you two want to train, go right ahead. I'll have Lillie and Gary know so that they can let you in for dinner and bed." he stated. The duo nodded in approval before heading straight for the battlefield. Before Ash could do anything else, his stomach suddenly rumbled loudly.

"I should probably have an early dinner first..." he murmured to his four Pokemon in embarrassment. After dinner, telling everyone else the plan for the night, which nobody really objected to, and trading keys with Nurse Joy, the group of five was in a room with a double bed. Ash had gotten changed into his pajamas with only his Mega Ring and Serena's ribbon still attached to his wrist.

"OK. Sceptile, you ready?" he asked confidently.

"Sceptile!" Sceptile exclaimed as he held up his fist. Ash grinned before becoming serious.

"Key Stone, respond to my heart!" he said as he pressed on his Key Stone. It started to glow.

"This is for my precious memories! Sceptile, MEGA EVOLVE!" Ash shouted, holding his fist up in the air with his Key Stone aimed at Sceptile. The Sceptilite began to glow, and a few seconds later, he started to glow as well. After the glowing stopped, his head crests became more pointed with a round portion missing from the middle. Red marking surrounded his eyes, which became smaller and more narrow. The yellow seeds down his back grew larger. The last pair of seeds turned red, while the pair above it turned orange. Red stripes encircled the base of his tail and ran across his lower belly. The leaves on his wrists became more pointed, and the upper ones had red tips and half-circles cut out of the middles. Covering his chest and shoulders were plates of leaves similar to those that formed his tail. His tail grew longer and developed a red stinger at the tip. Mega Sceptile growled menacingly before nodding at Ash. He nodded back before looking at Greninja.

"You ready to do this, Greninja?" Ash inquired with a determined smile.

Do you even need to ask, Ash? Let's see what hidden memories await us! Greninja replied with a grin. Ash instantly started to focus his aura on him.

"We're going to get stronger. For Serena. LET'Z GO!" he shouted with Greninja mimicking his actions. Suddenly, a torrent of water surrounded them. They then merged together. The torrent turned into a huge pair of wings around Greninja's back, which solidified into a giant water shuriken. He and Ash both opened their glaring red eyes. Mega Sceptile and Lucario both looked amazed at the sight of Ash-Greninja as he took the shuriken off his back and placed it next to the bed.

As they both got into bed, Ash stared at Latias and Lucario and smiled before saying, "Ready whenever you are." Lucario stood next to him while Latias hovered above the bed.

'For the last time, are you positive that you want to do this?' the Eon Pokemon inquired, still looking concerned. Ash glanced up at her with fire in his eyes.

"I've never been so positive about anything in my life. Now hit me with everything you've got, Latias!" he exclaimed with a raised fist. Latias sighed in defeat before her eyes glowed purple. As a purple outline surrounded Ash's head, he and Ash-Greninja both screamed in pain. After a minute of them shaking violently, they both passed out, with the bonded Ninja Pokemon changing back to normal.

As the glow in Latias's eyes and outline around Ash's head disappeared, she shouted urgently, 'NOW, LUCARIO!' Lucario was already on the move, putting her paws on his body and focusing her aura on him. A few seconds later, Ash's face started to glow green. Once the glowing stopped, he seemed to have a smile on his face.

Lucario sighed in relief before saying, 'Ash has been stabilized.' Latias and Mega Sceptile both let out a breath that they didn't know they were holding in.

She smiled warmly before saying, 'Sweet dreams, Ash...and Greninja.'

Meanwhile, back at the lobby, Lillie was brushing Delphox's fur. Sylveon, Altaria, and Snowy were patiently waiting for their turn. Milotic and Pancham were having a mock Contest battle outside.

"Feels good, doesn't it, Delphox?" Lillie asked with a smile.

"Phox." Delphox replied with a smile of her own.

Suddenly, they heard a woman's authoritative voice say, "Excuse me, are you the former Lillie Yvonne?" Lillie and the four Pokemon turned to see an Officer Jenny looking at them with a neutral expression on her face.

"Yes, I am. Why, do you need anything, Officer Jenny?" she asked curiously.

Lillie was totally unprepared for the response that Officer Jenny gave her while holding up the handcuffs: "You are under arrest for threatening the President of the Aether Foundation. You must put your Pokemon back inside your Pokeballs immediately. Resist is futile, and everything that you say will be used against you in court."