Around 10 Years after the events of the final battle between Ash and Lucifer. In front of Ash's house, Pallet Town. 9 PM.

A portal opened up in front of Ash's house. The portal flickered, before Ash, Spark, and Zossie stepped out of it.

Ash grabbed the hood of his cape off his head, and looked at the entrance to his house. "Home, at last." He smilingly stated. Ash's hair and beard had overgrown a bit and the strands of his hair were rough and unkempt.

"It's been what? 7 years?" Spark said, checking his PokeGear. He looked more mature, since he was in his 20s now.

Zossie stretched a bit. "The distortion world shenanigans made time go by so fast." She said. Zossie was wearing a modified version of her normal Ultra Recon Squad armor. She had a more mature vibe going on too, looking almost the same as Soliera now.

"Come on, let's go inside." Ash said. "Serena and the kids are gonna be surprised." He said as he walked straight towards the door, and entered. Spark and Zossie followed.

Moments earlier, inside the House.

Serena, Anna, and Zenith were in the lounge area. Zenith was playing a Pokemon game on the TV, while Serena and Anna sat together. 

Both Anna and Zenith had grown up - They had just recently turned 10 years old. 

"Keep going--" Serena said, while holding Anna's hands and looking into her eyes gently. "You can do it for longer-!" 

Anna's face showed visible discomfort, as the marks on her cheeks glowed. She was practicing use of her inherited powers which allowed her to switch to any other typing - necessary to be able to hear and speak since her Cosmic typing stopped sound.

"A-Agh-!" Anna cried, as she stopped using her powers. Her cheek marks stopped glowing as well.

"Good girl!" Serena exclaimed, as she hugged Anna. "You can maintain change for longer now!" She added. 

Anna smiled, as she wiped off her tears. After a moment, she looked down.

Serena tapped Anna's shoulder, and asked her 'what happened' in sign language. 

Anna signed back. 'I miss Papa'

Serena sighed, and then hugged Anna. "I miss him too."

Suddenly, the entrance door unlocked itself, and swung open. 

Ash entered the house, and looked at everyone inside. "Papa's home."

Anna's eyes widened, and cheeks glowed as she screamed with all her might. "PAPA!" 

---

Moments later, everyone was seated on the couches. Anna was already asleep in Ash's lap, while Spark and Zossie just went to sleep seated straight up. Zenith went straight to his room to sleep too. 

The only ones awake in the house were Ash and Serena now.

Serena placed some Tea, and sat right next to Ash. She gently hugged him from the side. "Feels good to have you back."

"Good to be back." Ash replied, leaning a bit towards Serena as well. "Sorry for taking so long. Was a huge mess to clean."

"Don't be sorry." Serena replied, snuggling closer to Ash. "You were successful in your mission, right?"

"Yeah." Ash replied. "We saved a whole Dimension's worth of people from suffering. Dimension 66 and the Distortion world too."

"Then it was all worth it." Serena said smilingly, as she gave Ash a little peck on his cheek. She tried wrapping her arms around Ash's, but got blocked by Anna.

"Guess you've got competition." Ash joked, as he adjusted Anna in his lap and then got up. "I'll go put her in her bed."

Later, Ash and Serena spent a good while chatting, just enjoying each other's company after such a long time.

After a while, Serena pulled her bangs behind her ear. "So uhm... Ash... I had a request."

"What is it?"

"Since I... waited this long... Can I... be a little selfish tonight?" Serena asked, as her cheeks lit up. "I know you're probably tired after your journey...." She added, looking down at the floor while nervously twiddling with her fingers. "I-I mean! I-It's okay if you just want to sleep!" 

Ash looked confused for a second, but then formed a cheeky grin. "Sure, milady." He said, getting up. He grabbed Serena and picked her up in his arms bridal-style.

Serena squealed. "A-Ash! Stop! You don't have to carry me like this! It's embarrassing! What if the kids see us like this?!"

Ash chuckled. "Nah, they're asleep. Nobody's coming." He said as he walked straight to the bedroom. 

...

The next morning.

Serena woke up. She was lying on the bed, with the blanket over her body. She looked to her right, where Ash was still sleeping right next to her.

Serena formed a smile, and then just endearingly stared at Ash's sleeping face. "Welcome back, my Pokemon Master." She whispered, before giving him a hug from the side. "I missed you. A lot."

...

Moments later, at the breakfast table.

Everyone had woken up and were having breakfast. Ash's hair was back to normal, and he'd shaved off his overgrown beard as well, resulting in his appearance back to tidy.

"So what's the next step for you, Zossie?" Serena questioned. "Going to continue in the Ultra Recon Squad?"

"Actually, no." Zossie replied. "I was actually thinking of working as an archaeologist." She added. "It's the one thing I inherited from my Father, so I want to continue his dream of uncovering more and more stuff about Aura."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Serena remarked, and then turned towards Spark. "So are you going to do the same?" 

"Huh?" Spark replied, raising an eyebrow as he took a sip of coffee. "Why would I do the same thing as her?"

"Don't you two want to be together?" Serena questioned. "After all, you two are dating now, right?"

...

Spark instantly spat out his coffee. "WHAT-WHAT-!" He shouted. "Wh-Who told you?!" 

"Huh?" Ash looked around, while Zossie just lowered her head and blushed. "You two are dating? Since when?"

Serena giggled. "Oh, Ash..." She said. "You didn't understand while they were with you for years, and I picked up on it in just a night." She added. "Haven't you noticed these two glowing when they talk to each other?"

Spark tried to hide his blushing face. "I- uh- Anyways, no, I've got my own stuff planned." He said hesitantly.

"And what's that?" Serena asked.

"There's been a sharp rise in crime thanks to people with powers of Aura becoming more and more common." Spark replied. "I had already planned this with my friends at school - Candela and Blanche - I'm planning on making my own Team of powerful trainers with my battle ideology at its core. Just like those two." He added.

"Oh, I know those two girls!" Serena responded. "They're now the commanders of Team Valor and Team Mystic!" She added. "They have tournaments against each other and also team up against wrongdoers like Team Neo Rocket!"

"Wait, what?" Ash shockingly stated. "There's a Team Neo Rocket now?"

"Was." Serena replied. "They got beat by the alliance of Team Valor and Mystic a few years ago." She added.

Spark nodded. "And I'm gonna make a team of my own that's gonna be just as great as theirs!" He said. "I'm gonna name it after my own ideology of Battling: Instinct." He added. "Team Instinct!"

"Oh- that reminds me" Ash spoke up. "Am I still the champion of the Indigo Elite Four? It's been years" 

"Lance defended your title fiercely, but a while back he got defeated by a Champion trainer from the Galar Region." Serena replied. "I think his name is Leon."

"Ah, that sucks."

"Don't worry, father." Zenith spoke up. "Since you lost due to absence, you get one chance to battle this new guy." He added. "If you are victorious, the new guy gets kicked out of the Elite Four immediately. New rules of the Championship."

"Huh, interesting." Ash responded. "Guess I'll put in a request for that match when I get the chance." 

---

A few weeks Later, Unknown location. The Galar Region.

Inside a cave, a few archaeologists stood. They had flashlights that they used to check the walls of the cave as they observed the walls.

"This is indeed a big discovery." One of them said. "This place must be undisturbed for at least a thousand years." She added, noticing the shapes of the rocks on the ground.

"We were ordered to not explore on our own till a representative from the Ultra Recon Squad arrived." Another person in the group said. "Is it wise to explore like this? What if we get cursed or something?"

"Don't be a baby. There's no such thing as curses." One of the archaeologists said as he stepped forwards, finding a large chamber. He called his co-workers in, and they all began observing everything one small area at a time, using their flashlights.

Suddenly, the light shone upon a large boulder in the middle of the chamber. On the boulder, a drawing of a Mega-Rayquaza was present. The drawing of Mega-Rayquaza appeared as if it were squeezing the boulder, as if trying to contain something within it.

One of the archaeologists stepped forwards in order to get a closer look. "It looks like it's made out of steel or something..." He observed, brushing off the dust from the thing that looked like a boulder.

Suddenly, the boulder started glowing with a faint purple Aura.

"Wait!" One of them said. "Something's not right! It's glowing! Back off!"

The purple glow transferred into one of the archaeologists, completely enveloping their body and possessing them. The archaeologist's eyes turned white, and they began foaming at their mouth. The others stepped back, afraid. They tried talking to him, but suddenly--

"AURA GUARDIAN! YOU---" The archaeologist spoke angrily. "WILL PAY!" He yelled, before running straight at one of their own coworkers and grabbing them by the throat.

Outside the entrance of the chamber, there was a camp. A few archaeologists were present, with their equipment out. They were all busy with various things, when an SUV approached and pulled over.

The door opened, and Zossie stepped out. She wore an outfit fitting for an archaeologist that works on the field. She still wore her glasses from the Ultra Recon Squad, but they were colored brown to suit her outfit. 

Zossie stepped forwards and spoke with a few of the other people working there, when she found out a team had already gone inside the cave to explore.

"What?!" Zossie exclaimed. "That's dangerous! I thought Mom ordered that nobody was allowed-"

*BOOM*

An explosion went off inside the entrance of the chamber, and dust spread everywhere. Everyone began coughing, while Zossie quickly took out a Beast Ball and pressed its button. "Naganadel! Use Air Slash!"

*Pop*

Naganadel screeched as it emerged from the Beast Ball, before using its wings to create a strong gust of slashing wind that blew away all of the dust instantly.

The Archaeologist that was possessed stood still, looking around while still foaming from their mouth. There was blood on their hands that dripped down on the stiff rocky ground. Mysterious Unown symbols also appeared on their body, as if tattooed.

Zossie's eyes glowed yellow as she observed the archaeologist's Aura. "That Aura coming off of them looks similar to--- impossible!" She thought, as her eyes widened. "This is really bad! Naganadel! Use Dragon Pulse! Attack them!" She yelled.

Naganadel screeched before releasing a multicolored Dragon-shaped energy at the archaeologist. The Dragon Pulse went straight and hit its mark.

*boom*

The possessed archaeologist took the Dragon Pulse head-on and didn't even flinch.

"No damage at all?" Zossie shockingly observed. "Is that Aura a Fairy type? Naganadel! Use Air Slash!"

Naganadel attacked as instructed, but just like earlier, there was zero damage inflicted on the target.

"As I thought. It isn't a Fairy type--- It's immune to damage." Zossie deduced, as she looked at the possessed archaeologist. The archaeologist just kept repeating "DIE!" Before turning towards a staff member nearby them.

"This is bad!" Zossie exclaimed, raising her left arm. "You need to stay put!" She yelled with glowing yellow eyes, before releasing a Thunder Wave from her body that hit the possessed archaeologist.

The possessed archaeologist screamed as their body got paralyzed, forcing them to drop to their knees. 

"What the hell are you?!" Zossie exclaimed.

"I DON'T SERVE YOU!" The possessed Archaeologist responded.

"Who do you serve, then?" 

The possessed archaeologist set its sights on Zossie. "I can see it in your Aura... you met that Aura Guardian... that Ketchum... one that I will kill..." They spoke, forming a creepy grin as the purple glow left and began hovering up in the air. It appeared like a blob of dark aura with two darker bits mimicking eyes.

The dark aura observed everyone for a moment, before blasting away like a rocket. 

Zossie quickly checked the archaeologist that was previously possessed, and they seemed near death.

The remaining staff hurriedly ran over to help, and questioned Zossie about what just happened. She had no answers about the bizarre events that just unfolded. Zossie had just one thing on her mind.

"I need to let Sir Ashton know right away!"

---

*Intro*

https://youtu.be/z2AnTuAwqhk

---

Over at the Kanto Region.

Bird Pokemon chirped in the blue morning sky above Ash's House in Pallet Town. Inside the Kitchen, Serena stood in front of the sink, as she rinsed some dishes clean. She wore a simple pink dress and an apron over it. Spark and Zenith were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Nobody else was visible.

Spark looked down.

"Everything alright, Spark?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah..." Spark replied.

"Who do you think you're lying to?" Serena questioned again.

Spark sighed. "The whole 'Team Instinct' thing isn't going as planned." 

"What happened?"

"Uh well... haha..." Spark said, giving off a nervous laughter. "There's like thousands other small-time teams that are trying to get famous too just like Team Valor and Mystic, so my new Team Instinct isn't getting any trainers signing up." He added. "Only Zossie joined, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she joined just to make me feel better about the whole situation."

"I can imagine things being very competitive." Serena replied. "And you're quite late when it comes to the boom of trainer teams that started years ago."

"Yeah, I know... Team Instinct is laughably weak." Spark depressingly stated. "To be honest, I'm starting to doubt things. I'm not sure what my next step should be." 

Serena took a deep breath, and then looked straight at Spark. "You have to keep pushing, Spark." She smilingly said. "If you're ever in doubt, get moving!"

Spark formed a gentle smile. "Y-Yeah... I guess I should."

"Big bro.." Zenith spoke up. "You said that your Ideology is about Pokemon instincts, and how they get those instincts upon hatching, right?" 

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then why don't you learn more about Pokemon Breeding?" Zenith asked. "There's a great university in Unova where Uncle Brock is a professor now." He added. "Plus, the whole team format boom just recently reached Unova, so you'd have an easier time getting trainers to your team too!"

"Huh? Is that so?" Spark said. "Since Brock is there, I can say for sure that academically, I'd have a lot to learn." He added. "But is getting a degree the right way to go about this?"

"You can't have too much knowledge." Zenith replied. 

Spark eased up. "Well, I guess I have to give it a shot, since our resident Psychic-Type gave the idea." He jokingly stated.

Zenith pulled out his PokeGear and typed on it. Seconds later, Spark's PokeGear beeped.

"I've sent you some resources about what I said." Zenith stated. "Think about it carefully, big bro." He added, as he got up from his chair while using a napkin to clean his mouth.

"I'm done eating, Mother." Zenith told Serena as he fastened his backpack. "I'm off to get my first Pokemon!" He added, taking out black gloves and wearing them. The gloves were similar in design to what Ash typically wore on his journeys.

Serena turned towards Zenith. "By the way, where's Anna?" She questioned.

Zenith looked at the distant stairs. "I think she's still sleeping."

"Didn't I ask you to wake her up?"

"I did, Mama... but she wasn't waking up at all!" Zenith protested "I don't wanna be late! Professor Oak might give my Pokemon to someone else! I don't wanna end up with no Pokemon!" He pleaded desperately. "It can take ages for another batch of Starters to come in again!"

Serena sighed. "Okay, I understand. Have you already decided on which Pokemon you're choosing?"

"Of course!" Zenith responded. "I'm gonna choose Bulbasaur! It's the most logical choice!"

"Logical choice?" Serena questioned. "What do you mean?"

"It's a choice based on the gym leaders I'm gonna face!" Zenith replied. "In Kanto, if I take a specific clockwise route around the region, I'm gonna face Ground, Rock, Water, Electric, and Grass type Gym leaders. All of those types are countered by Bulbasaur!"

"Of course... why am I surprised?" Serena remarked. "You've always been one to carefully calculate everything before making any decisions." She added.

"Yep! Bulbasaur is the best choice!" Zenith proudly stated. "It's much better to choose a starter rationally based on type advantage instead of just picking whatever looks cool when fully evolved!"

Serena chuckled. "Your father would be one to disagree, Zenith."

"I know what I'm talking about!" Zenith replied. "Father just wins without type advantages because he's just that good!"

"Of course he is." Serena replied, smiling.

Zenith looked at the empty chair where Ash usually sits when eating. "Speaking of which--- where is he?"

"Oh, he had to leave early morning." Serena replied. "It had something to do with work."

"Is he gonna be at work all day?" Zenith questioned, a bit downed. "He came back after years of work, and he still has more..."

"Don't worry!" Serena assured Zenith as she walked up to him and patted his head. "He promised that he'll be at the lab to see you off on your journey. He might be waiting for you there!"

A huge smile formed on Zenith's face. "Okay! I'm leaving for the Professor's Lab! Bye!" He exclaimed, grabbing his blue hat and wearing it. He rushed out of the door and was already sprinting on his way down the road, straight to Professor Oak's Lab.

Zenith looked at the blue sky. "I'm gonna become a strong trainer, and unlock every secret there is when it comes to Aura!" He thought, raising his hand as it briefly burst into flames. "And I'll beat you in a battle one day, too! Just you see, Father!"

Serena stood at the door as she saw Zenith run off in the distance. She simply shook her head. "So obsessed with Pokemon... Like father, like son." She wondered, before going back inside the house.

Spark got up and also left, saying he was going to the family restaurant in town - Perry had called for him.

Serena walked back inside after seeing Spark walk out. She looked at Anna's plate of food going cold, and sighed. "She's going to be late-"

The PokeGear on the table started ringing. It was a video call from Grace. Serena picked up the call, and began talking to her mother. Grace had visibly aged; she had visible wrinkles on her face and some gray hair. She also wore glasses due to her weakening eyesight.

After a few moments of chatting with Grace, Serena remembered that Anna had still yet to leave for the Lab to get her starter Pokemon.

"Ugh! I can't believe I forgot! Hold on, Mom--" Serena said, before calling out her Charmander.

*Pop*

"Charmander-Char!" Charmander exclaimed as she emerged from the Pokeball. She was the same as ever, still wearing the little bow on her head.

"Charmander. Can you go upstairs and awaken Anna? Tell her she's getting late." Serena asked.

"Char-Char!" Charmander replied while nodding, before she ran off.

Serena sighed, before turning towards her PokeGear, and continuing to talk to Grace.

"Why didn't you awaken her earlier?" Grace questioned.

"Of course I tried once. But as usual, once is never enough!" Serena sighed. "I wonder who she takes after?!"

Grace simply giggled, looking at Serena through the screen. "Now you know how I felt when you were little, Serena."

"Wha-? I-I wasn't anything like that!" Serena responded, embarrassed.

"Sure, Serena. If you say so." Grace smugly responded.

---

Earlier that Morning, over at Ash.

The sky was beginning to shift from dark to blue, as the seconds passed. Ash walked through the main streets of Pallet Town, headed straight towards Professor Gary Oak's Laboratory. As he walked by the street, many shops were still closed, but some were opening. The few people he did walk past greeted him warmly.

"Good Morning, Mr. Ketchum!" A garbage man said as he grabbed a black bag of trash and threw it inside the garbage truck.

"Out for an early hike today, eh?" A shopkeeper remarked while standing outside his shop, casually smoking a cigarette.

"Mr. Ketchum!" A bakery shop owner said from the distance, with his arm raised. "Your kids are leaving on their first journey today, yeah? I'll be baking my special good-luck cake for 'em! Make sure to pick it up from my bakery on your way back!"

Ash just smiled and waved in response, continuing to walk to the lab. He took out his PokeGear and dialed a called to Gary, who picked up instantly.

"I'm on my way, Gary. Make sure you don't fall asleep."

"Asleep? With the Ultra Recon Squad getting into my lab in the middle of the night, I couldn't sleep at all!" Gary responded anxiously. "Get your ass over here fast, Ashy-boy!"

"Yeah. I'm on my way." Ash replied, before ending the call.

---

Ash entered the Lab, and was instantly greeted by Gary and Soliera of the Ultra Recon Squad.

"'bout time." Gary said. He was wearing a white lab coat over his formal office clothing.

"Good to see you again, Ash." Soliera spoke up. She was wearing her usual Ultra Recon Squad (URS) armor.

"Let's get straight to the reason why we're here."

"Yes. Please follow me."

Ash, Gary, and Soliera made their way to the edge of the lab building, where a large shipping container was placed. The container was white/teal in color, making it apparent it contained URS technology.

Soliera opened up the container, revealing a dead body on a bed. It was the archaeologist that was killed earlier in the Galar Region. There were some machines connected to their brain, however.

"Was it necessary to bring over a dead person overnight?" Ash questioned. "I could've just come over to the Galar Region by myself."

"Zossie sent the container over and said that she'll be coming over too. She had reasons." Soliera replied. "But before I explain that, can you do the memory scan? These machines have been doing their best to keep the brain alive even though the body is dead. Its prototype technology, so it might fail at any time."

"Alright." Ash said, putting Pikachu away on a table so he could sleep comfy. He then proceeded to walk over to the dead body and placed his hands on its head. His hands glowed, as he closed his eyes.

Ash saw everything through the dead archaeologist's memories. He saw how they encountered the mysterious boulder, and he also saw the markings on it. A few moments later, he stopped scanning the dead body's memory and stepped back.

"It seems Zossie was right about what she said over the call." Ash commented. "It has an Aura Signature similar to that of Giratina."

Soliera nodded. "Which is why it has become worrisome."

"How is that? Giratina lives within my body. I'm sure there aren't parts of Giratina sealed around the world." Ash spoke, before turning to Gary. "Did you do a scan to check how much of it matches?"

"Yeah." Gary replied. "Zossie's prosthetic arm gave us good readings of its Aura Signatures, so we were able to analyze them." He continued, typing something on his tablet and opening some files.

While Gary was busy doing his thing, Ash turned to Soliera. "And what was the reason you brought the dead body here?"

"There were mysterious Unown symbols that appeared on the body during the time it was possessed. Zossie's glasses recorded them, but they're too hard to read. I want the Holon Research Facility take a look at the body." Soliera replied. "I figured you would want the same thing done, so it was best if we wasted minimum time."

"Good call. I feel the same." Ash replied.

Gary looked at Ash. "I've found the results. Giratina's Aura and that thing are at least a 95 percent match."

"95 percent, huh?" Ash pondered. "So it's not Giratina's, but something of similar nature. It's definitely something I should look into."

"There's also another thing." Soliera spoke up. "Zossie said another thing that worried me."

"What was it?"

"The 'thing' that came out of the mysterious boulder---" Soliera spoke. "It said it was coming after an Aura Guardian. A Ketchum."

Ash squinted his eyes, as he processed the information. "Are you sure?"

"Zossie is 100% sure. The recordings from her glasses proved it."

"Then we have a problem." Ash responded after a second of thinking. "I should probably warn Serena-" He was speaking, when he suddenly stopped.

"What happened?"

"I'm being summoned." Ash replied, before a portal opened up beneath him. Ash dropped into it before it closed.

---

Ash stood still in front of the council of Space, Time, Matter, and anti-Matter. He looked at Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus in front of him as his clothes glowed black, before Giratina emerged and stood right behind him.

"You summoned me, Arceus?" Ash questioned.

"Yes." Arceus responded. "Dialga has something to say."

Ash turned to Dialga. "What is it?"

"You are about to face great danger." Dialga spoke. "A beast has begun its process to get loose on Earth once more." He added.

"You mean the thing that attacked the archaeologists?"

"Yes"

"Is it free from the seal already?"

"No. The seal was weakened, however. The being is merely using its powers to possess people into doing its bidding. It can't use any normal human to undo the seal."

Ash squinted his eyes. "The seal that I saw through those memories--- the seal on that boulder." He remembered. "It looked identical to Dad's Dragon seal. Did Dad put that seal?"

"Yes"

"It all makes sense now. Dad sealed that thing there. If that place is ancient, it means he did it during the time he was training to become a Celtic Warrior in the European Galar Region."

"If you know that, you must also know how the seal can be undone."

"Yeah." Ash responded. "That thing needs someone with Dad's blood to go there and undo the seal." He added. "It might attack my family."

"That is the problem at hand." Dialga said.

Ash took a few deep breaths. "I'll put a stop to it." He said, lowering his head as Giratina went back inside his body. "If that's all, I'll be taking my leave."

"This council meeting has concluded."

---

Back at the Lab, Ash emerged from a portal. He stood before Gary and Soliera, in deep thought.

"Everything alright?" Gary questioned.

"Y-Yeah." Ash replied. "Anyways, I'll deal with the situation of this weird Aura." He told Soliera. "Keep everyone in Galar on high alert. Order everyone to carry a Pokemon that knows thunder wave. That seems like the only way to stop the thing from possessing people."

"Right." Soliera responded.

"By the way" Ash turned towards Gary. "What time is it?" 

Gary checked his watch. "About 7'o clock."

This reminded Gary about something, so he just excused himself as he dialed a call to someone.

"Professor Rowan?" Gary said as soon as his call got answered. "About that thing I requested last time.... yeah... she got one already? A Piplup, huh? Just like her mother.... is she still there? Can I talk to her?"

A few seconds passed, and then Gary's expression changed. He was visibly frustrated. "I...I see. Thank you for your time, Professor." He spoke, before ending the call.

Ash looked at Gary a few meters away. He instantly knew what was going on. "Hey Gary. You okay?"

"I'm fine." Gary replied, not looking Ash in the eye. He turned away and walked towards the back door that led to the Lab grounds. "You guys do your stuff with the container you brought in. I need some fresh air."

Ash sighed, while Soliera just looked on, confused. She asked Ash about what just happened to Gary.

"Gary called Professor Rowan." Ash replied. "Professor Rowan is the one responsible for giving starter Pokemon to new trainers in the Sinnoh Region. The place where Gary's Daughter; Riza lives now."

"The Professor's Daughter lives in Sinnoh?" Soliera questioned. "Why doesn't she live here?"

"She lives with her mother." Ash replied. "Around three years after Gary and Dawn got married and had their daughter, something happened between them. They got divorced, and Dawn got full custody of their daughter Riza." He added. "Gary was probably hoping to talk to Riza today, since she's getting her first Pokemon and starting her own journey."

Soliera sighed. "That must be rough on him."

"Yeah." Ash spoke, before taking a step ahead. "I'll go talk to him. Can you seal up the container? We need to get this dead body in front of Phyco as soon as possible. We might be able to find some weakness of that thing, since it did possess this body. Its invincibility is troublesome. I'll need to know a way to attack it if I'm gonna beat it."

"Understood." Soliera replied. "I'll get in touch with my subordinates instantly."

---

Ash walked out the back door, and saw Gary leaning by the lab building's wall. He was smoking and just looking at the blue morning sky.

"Hey, Gary. Listen-"

"My little Riza. What is she like?" Gary questioned Ash. "Your whole family was invited by Dawn to Riza's tenth birthday, right? What was she like? Is she happy?"

"Uh..." Ash stuttered, looking down at the grass. "From what Serena told me... Riza... She's... a well-behaved girl. She listens to her mother, and is quick to make friends. She always appears cheerful."

"I see." Gary replied, continuing to smoke. "Guess the judge was right about letting Dawn have full custody." He added, before raising his head and staring at the fine print of the cigarette he was holding. "The Judge that heard our case said 'Mister Gary Oak is unfit to raise a child', huh? Give me a fuckin' break. It's just a polite way of saying 'you're too busy with work all the time. Give your family more attention'."

"Why didn't you do something about it earlier?" Ash questioned.

"Dawn was too stressed from doing everything on her own, since I always had my head buried in work at the Lab." Gary responded. "I rarely, if ever, helped raising Riza since she was born. I'm at fault too, so I can't blame her for losing her mind over the situation." He added. "Before I realized what I was doing wrong, it was too late. Not that it matters anymore, anyway. I've moved on."

"Why didn't you let me help before things went to shit?" Ash questioned. "You don't appear to have moved on, Gary."

"There's nothing you could do about it, Ashy-boy." Gary responded, forming a tiny smile. His eyes appeared to have sunk into their sockets over the years; he looked internally dead. "Besides, you've got bigger problems to take care of, Mr. savior of the universe." He added. "You recently came back from a journey into that freak Lucifer's Dimension. You spent years there cleaning up the mess that Lucifer left behind. Compared to the shit you solve, my problems are non-existent."

"That's not true, Gary." Ash replied. "You know that." He added. "If it wasn't for you taking care of my Pokemon, I wouldn't be able to be good at what I do. A good Pokemon professor is the backbone of every trainer that relies on them."

"I guess so."

The sound of the Lab's main door came. Someone had come in. "That must be a kid looking to get their starter Pokemon." Gary said, as he threw the cigarette and stepped on it. "I should get back to work now. Smell ya' later, Ashy-boy." He added, before walking back into the lab. "Don't get your head too much into work and ignore Serena! You put her through a lot already!"

Ash just stood there, and lowered his head. "Practice what you preach, dumbass."

---

Some minutes later, Soliera left the Lab as a semi truck took away the container she brought earlier in the morning.

Soon, Zenith entered the Lab building. He breathed heavily as he looked at another young trainer make his way for the exit door, holding a Pokeball in his hand.

"OH, NO!!!" Zenith yelled, holding his head. "I'm late!" He added, before running towards Gary.

Gary noticed Zenith running towards him. "Hey, Zenith! Took ya' long enough. I almost thought you weren't coming!"

Zenith breathed heavily as he ran over to Gary. "Professor Oak! Please tell me you still have a Pokemon left for me!"

"Yeah, I definitely do!"

"Nice! I want Bulbasaur, then!" Zenith replied.

"Uh..." Gary replied. "Actually, a kid just took Bulbasaur."

"WHAT?!" Zenith responded. "O-Okay! No worries! I'll take Squirtle, then!" He exclaimed. "Squirtle is a logical choice too!"

"Um... actually, another kid took Squirtle earlier too."

Zenith dropped his head, acting depressed with imaginary dark raining clouds over his head. "Then... can I have Charmander?" He depressingly said. "Guess I'll just train it to learn Metal Claw..."

"Sure." Gary replied, taking out the Pokeball for Charmander and giving it to Zenith.

"I understand that you don't have any-" Zenith was saying, when he suddenly realized he did indeed get a Pokemon. "NICE!" He exclaimed loudly.

Ash walked into the Lab building. "Congratulations on getting your first Pokemon, Zenith!" He happily said. "You've finally begun your journey as a Pokemon trainer!"

Zenith formed a giant smile. "Thanks, father!" He responded, before clicking the button on the Pokeball.

*Pop*

"Charmander-!" Zenith's Charmander exclaimed, as it emerged from its Pokeball. Sparkles of shiny glitter spread around, as Zenith caught the Charmander in his arms.

"It's my first Pokemon!" Zenith excitingly said, hugging the Fire Type Pokemon. It was then, when he suddenly noticed that his Charmander was golden in color. "A different colored Charmander?" He said, turning towards Ash and Gary.

"Whoa! Zenith!" Ash surprisingly stated. "Your Charmander is one of a different color! It's a Shiny!" 

"A Shiny?" Zenith questioned. "You mean like Father's Noctowl?"

"Yes. It's a rare coloring mutation." Gary explained. "I've seen only about a handful of Shiny Pokemon in my entire life. Consider this a privilege."

"It really is that rare?" Zenith questioned, turning towards Ash.

"Yeah, it is." Ash replied. "I haven't encountered a lot of Shiny Pokemon in all of my years as a trainer."

"Whoa! Awesome!" Zenith exclaimed. 

"Hey Zenith!" Gary spoke as he gestured towards a metal plate near his table. "Tap your PokeGear here to install the PokeDex app on it and get registered as a Pokemon Trainer!"

"Oh, yeah!" Zenith replied, taking out his blue PokeGear and doing as instructed.

---

Meanwhile, back at Ash's house.

Serena's Charmander entered Anna's room, before hopping onto her bed. "Char-Char-!" She said, looking at Anna while shaking her a bit.

Anna was sound asleep. She wore pink pajamas that looked similar to what Serena used to wear when she was younger.

Charmander kept trying to wake Anna, with no progress whatsoever. Then, she took a deep breath, before slamming her fist on Anna's head.

*BAM*

Anna's eyes instantly opened. She opened her mouth wide, presumably to scream but nothing audible came out.

"Char-Char!" Charmander cheerfully said, raising her arms.

Anna looked at Charmander, and the only expression she had was anger. Within seconds, Charmander hopped off of Anna's body, before running around the whole room. Anna chased Charmander with the intent of hitting her, but ended up hitting her own head against a chair.

Charmander stopped in front of the door, and laughed. "Charr!" She shouted, sticking out her tongue at Anna. She quickly ran away downstairs.

...

A few moments later, down at the breakfast table.

Anna slowly walked up to the table and sat on a chair. Her long honey colored hair were unkempt and desperately needed some brushing. She was still in her pajamas. 

As Anna began to slowly eat, Serena quickly pointed towards the clock, and then signed 'you're late'.

Anna's eyes opened wide, as her cheeks glowed. "Oh no!" She screamed, before running towards the exit door. "I'm late!"

Serena sighed, looking at Anna outside the house, rushing straight towards Professor Oak's Lab. "Like Father, like daughter."

...

Moments later, at Professor Oak's Lab

Anna slammed open the doors, and noticed Ash, Gary, and Zenith standing at the far side. She quickly dashed over.

"Uh, okay... let's see..." Gary said, as he looked at his hands. "What were the signs..." He said, trying to figure out the sign language gestures he had to do to talk to Anna.

Anna's cheeks glowed, as she shifted her typing. "I can-- speak!" She stated. "My powers are well rested from sleep!"

"Oh. That makes things easier." Gary said, easing up. "You sure got late."

"Sorry, Professor Oak!" Anna apologetically spoke, before noticing Zenith holding a Shiny Charmander in his arms. "Wow! A Golden Charmander!" She said in amazement.

 "It's a Shiny Pokemon." Gary said. "Zenith lucked out."

"Shiny Pokemon?" Anna questioned.

Gary then briefly explained what Shiny Pokemon were, which got Anna excited.

"Wow! I hope I get a Shiny Pokemon too!" Anna exclaimed.

Ash chuckled. "Okay, Anna." He said, turning towards the machine that held starter Pokemon in their Pokeballs. "Which starter are you choosing?"

"Squirtle!" Anna instantly said, looking at Gary. "I want a Squirtle! Water type like Papa's Grinja!" She added, mispronouncing Greninja.

"Uh..." Gary said, sweat-dropping. "Someone already took Squirtle."

"Huh?! What about Bulbasaur?"  

"I'm afraid someone took that already too." Gary replied, thinking while rubbing his chin. "The early bird gets the worm--- or in this case, the Pokemon."

Anna turned towards Zenith and looked at him holding his Charmander. "And Zenith took Charmander..." She said. "You mean... No Pokemon for me?!" She exclaimed with her eyes wide open.

Ash turned towards Gary. "Let me guess... you've got another Pokemon except the normal starters that you're gonna offer to Anna?" 

"Yep." Gary replied. "How'd you guess, Ashy-boy?"

"Let's just say that I've got experience."

Anna's face lit up. "I can still get a Pokemon?!" 

"Yeah, but.." Gary said, as he pressed a button on the machine, which opened a special compartment that had another Pokeball. "This Pokemon is a bit special." He said, pressing the button of the Pokeball.

*Pop*

"Froaaakie-!" A Froakie exclaimed as it emerged from the Pokeball. Shiny sparkles spread around as the Pokeball popped open, implying that the Froakie was a Shiny Pokemon too. It was lightly paler in color than a normal Froakie.

"It's a Shiny!" Anna excitedly said. 

Ash turned to Gary. "You said this Pokemon is a bit special. Did you mean its Shiny, or something else?" 

"Yeah, about that." Gary began explaining. "Tracey found an egg in the lab grounds randomly a while back. We don't have a Female Greninja in our care here, so we're puzzled about where it came from. I can't be wild, since the Froakie evolutionary line isn't native to Kanto." He added. "I thought might as well let a trainer take it as a starter, since Froakie is a starter Pokemon from Kalos.... but..."

"But?"

"Every trainer that took this Froakie returned it soon after." Gary said. "They complained that the Froakie doesn't obey their commands."

"You mean its disobedient?" Ash questioned. "Back when my Greninja was a Froakie, it acted the same way." 

"Nah, nah, Ash-boy. It's not just that." Gary said. "The problem with this Froakie is... its partially deaf."

"Partially Deaf?" Ash said, as he turned his attention towards the Shiny Froakie sitting on the ground in front of Anna, looking straight into her eyes. "So not only does it not obey commands, it also has trouble listening to orders?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up."

Anna knelt down, and forwarded her hand. Her hand released faint waves of Aura, which Froakie sensed. "Froaakk---" Froakie said, forming a smile as it forwarded its hand as well, and grabbed Anna's hand gently.

Nobody else said a further word, as Froakie quickly jumped on Anna's shoulder as she stood up.

"I'll take it!" Anna told Gary. "it understands me!" She added, before her voice died out. Her cheeks stopped glowing as well, indicating she'd stopped using her power.

"Interesting." Gary said, noticing Anna and Froakie practically telepathically communicating with each other. 

Anna smiled widely, as she talked to her new Froakie. "Ah! So your name is Croaky!" She told her Froakie, that had named itself 'Croaky'. "Nice to meet you, Croaky! I hope we'll be great friends!"

"Looks like you guys are friends already." Ash remarked.

Zenith placed his Charmander on the ground, and then looked at Anna. "Now that we finally have our own Pokemon... wanna battle?" 

Anna formed a determined smile, and just nodded.

...

Moments later, at the Lab's grounds. 

Anna and Zenith faced each other, with the battlefield separating the two. Ash stood in as the referee for the battle. Spark had joined everyone as well as a spectator.

All of Ash's Pokemon quickly gathered around the battlefield, eagerly looking on as their Trainer's children try out their first Pokemon.

"I wonder how different this battle will be from normal." Ash thought, looking at his kids. "They've been practicing with my Pokemon here... hell, It wouldn't be far fetched to say that my Pokemon took part in raising these kids." He thought. 

"This will be a standard rules one-on-one Pokemon Battle!" Ash announced. "The battle will be over when either Pokemon is unable to continue!" He added. 

Zenith threw his Pokeball. "Charmander! I choose you!" 

Anna threw her Pokeball. "Croaky! I choose you!" 

Both Pokeballs popped open, with both Pokemon emerging, standing opposite each other, and ready to battle.

"Battle Begin!" 

Both Anna and Zenith looked at the PokeGears in their hands, as they took note of what moves their Pokemon knew. 

"Croaky! Use Lick!" Anna yelled. As she spoke, Ash noted faint waves of Aura coming off of her body that connected with Croaky, making it listen clearly. Anna was wearing a bow on her head, which shifted to Purple in color, indicating she switched her own typing to Ghost.

"Froaa-KIE!" Croaky yelled as it suddenly got serious and blasted straight towards Charmander. It stuck its tongue out, which created an extended pseudo purple glowing tongue. At the same time, Croaky's whole body shifted color and turned purple as well. 

"What the?!" Zenith said in shock, amazed at Croaky's speed. Croaky reached Charmander and slapped it in the face with its glowing tongue.

*bam*

Charmander slid away, but stayed on its feet. 

"Your Pokemon is fast." Zenith remarked. "Charmander! Use Scratch!" 

"Charrrr--MANDER!" Charmander yelled as it ran towards Croaky with glowing white claws, and then struck it. 

But Charmander went right through Croaky.

"What?!" Everyone said, surprised.

"No effect?" Zenith said. "How?"

Gary walked up to the Battlefield. "Oh, I almost forgot." He said. "The Froakie I gave Anna--- it has the Protean Ability."

Ash's eyes widened. "What? Seriously? That's amazing!"

Anna turned towards Ash. "Papa... what is a Protean?"

"It a possible ability of Froakie's evolution line." Ash replied. "It changes the Pokemon's type to the type of the move it's about to use." He added. "It's similar to the power of the Key that we have." He said, pointing at Anna's bow that was purple. "Just when your Croaky used Lick; a Ghost type move, it changed its typing from Water to Ghost." 

Anna looked surprised, as she turned her sights back towards Croaky, who just stood in front of her, awaiting further orders. 

Zenith adjusted his hat, as he formed a smile and looked at his Charmander in front of him. "Okay, Charmander! Our opponent is strong!" He yelled. "Use Smokescreen!" 

Charmander took a deep breath, before exhaling thick black clouds of smoke everywhere. Anna and Croaky looked around the battlefield, trying to spot Charmander but to no avail.

"Charmander!" Zenith yelled. "CRUNCH!"

"Croaky!" Anna yelled. "Use Bubble!" 

Croaky quickly let out a stream of blue bubbles into the smoke, as its body color changed to blue - indicating a switch to the Water type.

"ChaAAR-!" Charmander let out a growling cry as it emerged from the cloud of smoke right in front of Croaky, with glowing black teeth around its face. The teeth crunched Croaky in between them, before exploding with dark energy.

*BOOM*

Croaky cried out in pain as it flew away, and landed right in Anna's feet. It quickly got back up on its feet again, and looked visibly angry.

"Froaa--KIE!" Croaky yelled, jumping over the cloud of smoke, and forming a glowing blue orb; a Water Pulse.

*BOOM*

The smoke blew away, as Croaky landed right in front of Anna.

Anna gasped. "Yay! We landed a hit, Croaky!" She exclaimed in excitement.

"Froak-?" Croaky responded; a bit surprised. It didn't expect Anna to respond positively after it made a decision on its own without command. It then proceeded to celebrate with Anna as well.

Ash silently observed things. "So she's letting her Pokemon decide the moves as well. Interesting."

Zenith squinted his eyes. "Charmander! Use your full strength!" He yelled. "Dragon Breath!"

"Croaky!" Anna yelled. "Use Water Pulse!" She said, with her bow turning blue; water type.

Both Pokemon attacked each other at the same time, causing the attacks to nullify mid-air. This pattern followed, with both Pokemon attacking each other over and over. Anna and Zenith were breathing heavily now, and had started sweating. Neither of them wanted to give up on their very first battle after becoming proper trainers.

Ash's eyes glowed, as he looked at the Aura of Anna and Zenith. Suddenly, he noticed that both Anna and Zenith had waves of Aura coming out of their hearts, that were intertwining with their Pokemon's bodies. As the battle continued, the waves became more prominent and strong in power.

"Is that..." Ash thought, looking at the waves. "It can't be... are they both already at such a level?"

Charmander and Croaky had marks of injury on their bodies, and they slid away and stopped in front of their respective trainers. Both Trainers and Pokemon were heavy breathing as they looked into each others eyes.

"I'm not going to lose my first ever official battle!" Zenith exclaimed.

"Neither am I!" Anna replied.  

Zenith adjusted his gloves. "Charmander!" He yelled, as his eyes glowed with a bright orange Aura. "Let's GO!" He said, as suddenly the orange aura formed around Charmander's body. 

"Croaky!" Anna yelled. "We need to prove that we can win!" She added. "Let's GO!" She said, as bubbly blue aura formed around her eyes, and then around Croaky's body as well.

"Charrrrrr-!" Charmander growled, as the color of its flame shifted from red to blue. The color of the aura around Zenith's eyes shifted to blue as well.

Ash's eyes widened, as he looked at the Auras of the two kids. "Shit... this is getting out of control! I need to stop this-!" He thought. "The Aura around Zenith... that's the blue flame! He's not trained to use it!" 

"Dad!" Spark yelled from across the battlefield. "Isn't this going too far? They're not trained to use their powers like this!"

Ash looked back at Spark, and nodded.

Both Anna and Zenith yelled loudly, ordering their Pokemon to attack.

"CHAR!"

"FROAK!"

Both Pokemon blasted towards each other. Charmander's whole body was covered in a vortex of blue flames, while Croaky's whole body was covered in a vortex of clear water.

Right before the two Pokemon could connect their attacks---

"Nin--JA!" Greninja's voice yelled, as he quickly jumped in between the two Pokemon, and used two Water Shuriken to absorb the attacks incoming from each side.

*BOOM*

Everyone covered their eyes from the heat and steam that emerged from the battlefield, and then patiently waited as it all cleared up.

Greninja got visible in the middle of the battlefield. He had a few marks of injury on his body, but nothing serious. 

Both Charmander and Croaky got revealed lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Wh--what?" Zenith said, as his sight got blurred. He got dizzy, as he closed his eyes.

"Battle... is... over...?" Anna weakly said, as she closed her eyes.

Both kids simultaneously passed out, and dropped. The last thing they heard was Ash's voice calling out to them.

...

A few minutes later.

Anna and Zenith opened their eyes. They were on the grass together, surrounded by Ash, Spark, and Zossie. Their Pokemon were right beside them.

Zossie's hands glowed as she healed the kids.

"D-Dad..?" Zenith said, as his vision cleared. Anna had completely regained consciousness as well.

Ash suddenly hugged the two kids on the ground tightly. He was trembling. "Don't ever do that again!" He yelled. "Idiots... no wonder I didn't get taught this stuff early on..."

Moments later, inside the Lab building.

Everyone was seated inside Gary's office. Anna and Zenith were given something to drink as they regained their strength. 

"That was reckless." Zossie spoke up. "It's a good thing I happened to come at the right moment." She added.

Ash sighed. "Kids... promise to keep this a secret from Mom, okay?" He said. "If Serena finds out this happened, she's gonna have your powers sealed."

"What happened?" Zenith questioned. 

Ash looked at Spark, who looked back. The two nodded, and then looked back at Anna and Zenith.

"You two triggered a form of the bond phenomenon." Ash said.

"Wait, seriously?" Zenith questioned, eyes widened. "The power you use with your Greninja?! We did that with unevolved Pokemon that we met an hour ago? That's so awesome!" 

"Shut up, idiot!" Spark yelled. "Nothing is awesome about almost killing yourself, you damn morons!"

"Spark, calm down." Ash said, before turning towards the kids. "You guys need to be careful about how you use your powers." He added. "When I was your age, I had no clue about any of this. But after I learnt it all over time, I thought it'd be best if you kids were given a headstart. I can't believe how foolish I was. Dad was right in his approach."

Anna and Zenith lowered their heads.

"We're sorry. We didn't mean to mess up like this..."

Ash sighed. "It's alright." He added. "I'd be lying if I said I've never been a little reckless with my own abilities when I was a beginner." 

"A little?" Spark said, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah right, just a little." He added sarcastically.

Gary entered the Lab's office, holding two sheets of paper in his hand. He handed them over to Ash. "It's tomorrow, so might be a bit of a rush." He said.

"Tomorrow?" Zenith questioned. "What's tomorrow?"

"What I'm about to ask of you kids." Ash replied. "But first... I've got something to say."

"What is it?"

"I want both of you... Anna and Zenith... to answer me one question before you're allowed to go on your journeys." Ash said. "What are your Pokemon to you?" 

Anna and Zenith both squinted their eyes, as they began thinking. 

"You don't have to answer now. You've barely been an hour with your Pokemon." Ash said. "I'm not looking for a 'right' answer. I'm looking for 'your' answer." He added. "You have a week to give me your answer." 

"You don't mean... are we supposed to just stay at home for the whole week?" Zenith asked.

"No. Of course not." Ash replied, forwarding the sheets of paper that Gary had just handed him. 

Anna and Zenith grabbed a sheet each, and looked at the paper. It was a registration form.

"Tomorrow, Professor Oak's summer camp begins." Ash said. "It's going to last a week. I want you two to take part in the activities alongside your new Pokemon, and use that experience to come up with your answer to my question."

Anna and Zenith both instantly nodded.

Suddenly, a machine in the office beeped. It was a fax machine that began printing something.

Gary walked over to the fax machine and observed the printing fax. "Oh! Another application for the summer camp." 

Zenith shook his head. "It boggles me how Japan still uses fax machines in this digital age. Just because something works, doesn't mean you shouldn't try and improve it. You need to strive for the ideal as times keep changing."

"Hey!" Gary said, turning back towards Zenith. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

"Just like your marriage?" 

Gary was left speechless. He just stood there, looking at the printed fax.

"Hey!" Ash angrily yelled at Zenith. "That was NOT a good thing to say, Zenith! Apologize to the Professor! Now!"  

Zenith sweat-dropped. "Uh- Sorry, Professor. I went too far. Couldn't help myself." 

Gary didn't respond. He was still looking at the fax he'd just received.

"Gary?" Ash said, getting up and walking over to Gary. "You okay?" He added, before looking at the fax. It was a registration form similar to what Ash had just given to Anna and Zenith. But this one was filled, and the box for 'Trainer Name' was filled with 'Riza Oak'. Gary and Dawn's daughter.

Ash formed a smile, and placed his hand on Gary's shoulder. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if it is broke, you better mend it."

"Y-Yeah, right..."

Ash's phone beeped. He took it out and checked the notification. "Nice." He said. "My request for a match against the new champion got approved." He added. "Time to take back my title of Champion."

...

Later that night, at an exhibition battle stadium in Viridian City.

The crowd cheered loudly, as Ash appeared in public eyes for the first time in years. Ash's family watched from the crowd, as the match was about to begin.

Leon emerged from the opposite end of the battlefield with his own fans cheering for him.

"Greetings, challenger." Leon said, welcoming Ash. 

"I'd prefer it if we put aside the formalities." Ash replied, taking out a Pokeball. "Let's do this!"

Leon smirked. "Very well. This shall be a 3 on 3 battle. Standard rules."

The crowd cheered, as both trainers threw their Pokeballs.

*Pop*

"Nin-Ja!" Greninja exclaimed, emerging from his Pokeball. 

*Pop*

A roaring screech got audible, as a Dragapult emerged.

"I've never seen that Pokemon before." Ash said, pointing his PokeGear.

PokeGear: Dragapult. The Stealth Pokemon. Dragon/Ghost type. When it isn't battling, it keeps Dreepy in the holes on its horns. Once a fight starts, it launches the Dreepy like supersonic missiles.

"Interesting. Must be a Pokemon from Galar." Ash said, putting away his PokeGear as his eyes glowed. "Okay, Greninja! Let's do this! We're not holding back for even a second!"

"Nin-ja!" Greninja replied, looking back at Ash.

*Ash-Greninja theme plays*

A blue vortex of water formed around Greninja's transforming body, before going into his back and forming a giant Water Shuriken. 

"Nin--JA!" Greninja exclaimed, completing his transformation into Ash-Greninja.

The crowd cheered loudly, as Ash-Greninja made its first appearance in years.

Announcer: "THERE IT IS! ASH-GRENINJA!"

"Greninja! Night Slash! Let's GO!" Ash yelled, as Greninja blasted straight towards Dragapult at breakneck pace, pulling out a glowing purple kunai and slashed it.

*BOOM*

Dragapult screeched as it got launched away and hit the wall behind Leon. It dropped down, going unconscious.

"What?!" Leon said, shocked. "In just one hit?!" 

The referee raised a flag towards Ash. "Dragapult is unable to battle! Greninja wins!" 

The crowd's deafening cheers drowned out Leon's sigh of disappointment, as he called back his Pokemon. 

"Impressive." Leon said, as he took out another Pokeball and pressing its button.

*Pop*

An Aegislash screeched as it emerged from its Pokeball. It was in its Shield Form. 

"An Aegislash." Ash murmured. "Now that's a Pokemon I know well of." He added, thinking about his battle against Sawyer's Aegislash in the Kalos League.

"King's Shield!" Leon yelled, as his Aegislash formed a protective barrier in front of it.

"Greninja! Night Slash!" Ash yelled, as Greninja ran straight towards Aegislash, while creating two purple glowing kunai knives.

Leon had a cheeky grin on his face as he saw Greninja approach Aegislash. But right before Greninja tried attacking...

"Greninja! Attack the base!" Ash yelled. "Force a stance change!" 

"Nin-JA!" Greninja yelled, as he slid on the ground, going right below Aegislash and clear of the King's Shield barrier. He used his Night Slash to hit Aegislash's blade protruding below its shield, forcing it to slide out of the shield and thus change into Blade Form.

"What?!" Leon shocking said, as the crowd cheered.

"Now!" Ash yelled. "Night Slash!" 

"Ninn-JA!" Greninja yelled, slashing Aegislash's blade.

*BOOM*

Dust kicked off and cleared, revealing Aegislash lying on the ground; unconscious.

The referee raised a flag towards Ash. "Aegislash is unable to battle! Greninja wins!" 

Announcer: "Unbelievable! Ash Ketchum just forced Aegislash to change its stance! Something only expected from Ash Ketchum! He's out for blood!"

The crowd cheered wildly, as Leon called back his Aegislash, and swapped out the Pokeball for his last Pokemon.

"Impressive." Leon said. "You really are quite gifted." He added.

Ash let out a tiny chuckle. "Nothing more than tireless training to become one with my Pokemon!" 

"Good. Very good." Leon said, as the bracelet he wore reacted with the Pokeball, making it glow and grow in size. "Go, Charizard! Gigantamax!"

The enlarged Pokeball flew in the air before popping open, revealing Charizard in his Gigantamax form.

The crowd cheered wildly, as they saw the towering giant Charizard dwarf Ash's Greninja, which only looked like a spec in comparison. The ground trembled as Gigantamax Charizard landed on its feet.

Ash adjusted his gloves. "This is where the fun begins." He said, grinning. "Okay, Greninja! Use Double Team!" 

"Nin-Ja!" Greninja yelled, crossing its fingers as it made many fake copies of itself all across the battlefield. All of the copies began running towards Charizard.

"Charizard!" Leon yelled. "G-Max Wildfire!" 

Charizard roared loudly, making the ground tremble as its powered up its move, as Its fiery wings glowed bright red and yellow. It then fired a giant bird-shaped flame from its back at all the incoming clones. 

*BOOM*

"Agh!" Ash trembled, as he felt the pain from the G-Max move on his Greninja.

All of the clones got deleted, revealing the real Greninja standing still, covered in fire.

"Quite the brute strength there." Ash said, as Greninja spun a Water Shuriken from his back to get rid of the flames surrounding his body. He had many marks of injury.

Leon smirked. "My Charizard is undefeated in this form." 

"Well, that's about to change, then!" Ash replied. "Greninja! Double Team! Make as many clones as you can!" He yelled, as Greninja formed fake clones of himself all over the battlefield.

"It won't WORK!" Leon yelled, as Charizard let out a sea of flames that hit all the fakes, and made them all disappear.

Suddenly, Leon realized something. "Where did the real one go?" 

Ash smirked. "You thought that by making your Pokemon bigger, you had a better chance? You couldn't have given Greninja an easier target!"

Leon's eyes widened, as he noticed Greninja sprinting over Gigantamax Charizard's back, travelling all the way up towards its fiery wings.

"Now, Greninja!" Ash yelled. "WATER SHURIKEN!" 

The battlefield's ground cracked, revealing another huge sea of fake clones of Greninja.

"Ninn---!" Greninja yelled, grabbing the Water Shuriken on his back, and absorbing all of the clones into it, making it grow over a hundred times in size. "NIN-JA!" He yelled, slamming the giant Water Shuriken on Charizard's fiery wings.

*BOOM*

The flame on Charizard's wings flickered, as it suddenly lost its balance and waved around a bit.

Greninja landed on the ground near Charizard, looking at his giant foe.

Ash instantly got a lightbulb moment. "Greninja!" He yelled. "Make it fall over!" He added, pointing at Charizard's feet. "Use your tongue! Pull its leg!"

Greninja nodded, before unwrapping his long tongue. He then quickly wrapped his tongue around one of Charizard's feet, and pulled with all his might.

"Ninn--JA!" Greninja yelled while tugging, as Charizard lost its balance and fell flat on its face in the middle of the battlefield.

As Charizard was falling, Greninja created more clones that all used a Water Shuriken from below, aiming straight for the falling Gigantamax Charizard.

*BOOM*

The ground trembled and cracked as Charizard fell. 

The dust settled in seconds, before Charizard suddenly reverted from its Gigantamax form and revealed itself to be unconscious.

The referee raised a flag towards Ash. "Charizard is unable to battle! Greninja wins!" He announced. "Which means that Sir Ashton Ketchum has taken back his title of Champion!" 

Announcer: "Unbelievable! He's done it again!" 

*crowd cheers*

Greninja ran towards Ash, as he reverted back to his normal form. The Trainer and Pokemon shared a hug.

Leon called back his Charizard, and then just stood there in complete shock. "I-Impossible!" He whined, with his legs shaking. He then turned around and stormed out of the battlefield area.

...

Moments later, in a special room of the battle stadium.

Ash was seated on a bench, cooling off from the battle. His family was present with him as well.

"So." Ash said, looking at Anna and Zenith. "How did you like your Papa's battling?" 

Anna and Zenith excitedly began fangirling about how awesome they found Greninja's battling style, and how seeing it live was even better than watching online videos about it. 

"Geez." Spark sighed. "You really had to go ahead and beat that Leon guy into the ground, huh?" He said. "You coulda let him beat at least one of your Pokemon or something, y'know?"

"No." Ash replied. "I wasn't taking any chances." He added, before rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, I wouldn't wanna risk looking uncool in front of my kids."

Spark chuckled. "Sure."

"Which reminds me." Ash spoke up. "Where did Leon go? He didn't shake my hand at the end of the battle."

"The guy got his butt kicked." Spark replied. "He's long gone."

"Ah. That's too bad." Ash said, as he got up. "Let's head home too, then."

...

Later that night. Back at Ash's house in Pallet Town.

Ash was in the lounge all on his own, watching the TV. On it, a repeat of Leon's interview earlier that night was playing, right after his loss against Ash.

(On TV) "This is just a minor setback. I will come back stronger." Leon said into the microphone being held in front of his face, before turning away and walking away. 

Ash used the remote to turn off the TV, and then just leaned back. He sighed, before taking out his PokeGear and calling Gary.

Gary picked up instantly. "Yo! 'Sup, Ashy-boy"

"Gary." Ash replied. "How's Greninja doing?" 

"He's doing fine." Gary replied. "That stunt with the tongue was a bit dangerous, but there's no permanent damage. Greninja just pulled a muscle." He added. "He'll be fine by tomorrow. Sleep easy."

Ash took a sigh of relief. "That's good to know." He said. "Thanks, Gary."

"No worries, Ashy-boy!" Gary replied. "Its my job." He added. "See ya tomorrow! Remember: the summer camp starts at 10 am sharp!" 

"Yeah, got it." Ash replied. "See ya."

"Alright! Smell ya later!" Gary said, ending the call. 

 ...

Meanwhile, over at Leon. Galar Region.

Leon got out of his plane, and walked out of the airport into a black luxury car that was waiting for him. 

Leon didn't say anything to his driver, as the car drove to his house. Suddenly, the car stopped, and the driver turned around.

"Driver?" Leon said. "Why are we stopping?"

The driver formed a devilish grin. "You." He said, as his eyes started expelling a dark aura. "You are the descendant of my master."

"Huh?" Leon responded. "What are you talking about?"

The dark aura emerged from the driver's body, and looked at Leon straight in the eye. "I need... freedom..."

Leon began sweating, as he looked at the blob of dark aura. "You...! I thought that was just an ancient legend in my family!"

"Yet here I am... here to serve my master..." The dark aura responded. "Free me from my prison, so I can serve you once more..."

Leon could feel an immense pressure coming from the mysterious thing in front of him. "What the hell are you?!"

"I. am. Eternatus."

...

*Freeze Frame*

---

Well, that's a wrap! see you again next year!

just kidding. I'll do my best to complete this arc quickly.

Thanks for reading!