pokemon Fighting Dreamers

Jubilife City, Sinnoh. Around 06:00 AM.

Danika was laying down with her eyes wide open on her bed along her Azumarill, doing her best to rest after plenty of days reading Team Galactic archives and watching the interviews with Saturn and the other members, and even though she didn't sleep much last night, her Azumarill was sleeping like a baby.

"Today I don't feel like doing anything..." Danika sang in an effort to fall asleep. Her Rotom Phone then started to ring next to her, but she tried her best to ignore it. "I just wanna lay in my bed..." She continued as the rings became louder in her head. "Don't feel like picking up the phone... so leave a message at the tone."

"Oh, but you haven't installed the voice mailbox, Miss." The phone informed her.

"Argh, damn it!" She gave in and lazily took the phone to see the person who was calling. "Quillon, this better be something imp-"

"DANIKA!" Quillon screamed once the call was on.

"Eh?! What's the matter?!" She exclaimed waking up her Azumarill.

"Someone stole the Hisuian Braviary!" Goh shouted above Quillon's shoulders.

"What?!" Danika exclaimed.

"They simply disappeared overnight, something turned off the cameras, we don't know what happened." Quillon explained. "We think someone found out about them and then stole the Braviary to sell them in the black market."

"We have to find them, we can't let them wander around in the present!" Goh continued.

"O-Of course, I'm on my way!" Danika replied and cut off the call. "T-This is bad Azumarill, whoever stole the Braviary could be on the other side of the world already! It'd take a miracle to find them all again!"

"DID I HEAR SOMEONE ASK FOR A MIRACLE?!" A voice echoed in her apartment as all the light turned off.

"What the-"

"Get ready, Danika, for the halation is at hand! Lord Arceus himself has sent me to guide you through this mission! So heed for my words for the essence of time is decaying!"

"Who are you?" Danika asked.

"Who am I? WHO am I? I am the guardian of the hours! I am the powerful, the pleasurable, the indestructible! ...Dialga."

The lights finally returned and a chibi version of Dialga was now standing on Danika's bed.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Why aren't you impressed?" He asked.

"Arceus sent a marketable plushie to help me find the Braviary?" Danika asked with a dead stare.

"How dare you?! I'm the original Dialga! The one you helped in Temporal Tower!"

"Uh, sorry Mr. Dialga, it's just that compared to last time we met you look a little...um..."

"Intimidating? All inspiring?"

"...Tiny." Danika answered.

"Of course! I am travel-sized, for your convenience. If I was my REAL size, your home would have crumbled apart, not to mention your rabbit here would die of fright. As for the Braviary, don't worry, I was the one who sent them back."

"Oh! That's good to know, so they're back to their time?"

"Indeed, I formed a portal and sent the whole flock to their corresponding time, but there's another reason why I am before you. I'm gonna assume you're aware that there's still another time anomaly in Sinnoh that hasn't been treated."

"You mean what I tracked in Twinleaf with the Chrono Morpher system?" Danika asked. "Don't tell I've violated time laws or something like that."

"Do not worry, you didn't break any law, I'm glad you wanted the help, and yes, the problem is in Twinleaf."

"Well, I was gonna inform my supervisors about it."

"And I ask you to not do that."

"Why exactly?"

"Because now, you are my chosen one."

"... I'm your what?!"

"Yes, I have chosen you to do my bidding in the realm of the mortals."

"B-But why me?! Shouldn't you trust Ash with something like this?!"

"Ash is... a little busy at the moment... besides, your hair has a really nice shade of blue, I like it."

"I-Is that really the best reason you can give?!" Danika exclaimed.

"Well, that, and the fact that you managed to stop me from my primal reversion, that's not something any human can do."

"Look, I'm honored you think of me that way, but that wasn't just me, my friends Goh and Quillon helped me as well, and this all just seems a bit too big for me."

"Too bad you can't reject my offer." Dialga informed her. "You are now a guardian of time."

"Hey, HEY! Put that down a few pegs!" She pointed at the Pokemon.

"Don't tell what to do! I'm a God!" Dialga ranted.

"Maybe I'd take you more seriously if you weren't a chibi!" Danika shouted.

"Argh! Listen, I really screwed up with those portals, ok? Arceus has been pushing me and I've been trying to fix it, but my powers haven't fully recharged. Celebi is doing his best to help me as well, but I really need you into this, I can't take care of everything."

"I'm really sure you can find someone more fit for the job." Danika insisted.

"Fine Danika, I didn't want to do this, but you leave no choice." Dialga took a deep breath and then made a puppy face.

"...What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making you feel guilty. Is it working?"

"How could it...? No. Look at me. Does it look like it's working?" She asked and Dialga continued to give her the look. "No. No, it's not... No! No! No! Do not let him win!" Danika looked around and then back at the chibi. "...All right, You win. What do you want from me?" She asked.

"Great! I just need you to go Twinleaf and contain the anomaly."

"Well, it'd be easier if you tell me what exactly that anomaly is."

"Of course, you know it's from Twinleaf, you already met with the girl Dawn, right?"

"Yes, I did." Danika answered. "I asked her about the topic, but she assured me everything was normal."

"Well, listen to this, the anomaly is a female teen named Shō Akari, she's Dawn's ancestor, she somehow ended exactly in Dawn's house and is currently living there."

"So Dawn knows about that? I knew she was lying!" Danika exclaimed.

"Well, yes." Dialga said.

"And why don't you just tell Dawn about all this?" Danika asked. "She has been Ash's companion, so she should know how to deal with all this."

"She knows about the consequences, but I'm afraid she's grown too attached to Akari, in fact, she'll likely try to stop you."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Nothing is for sure in my line of work...besides the blue shade of her hair is pretty ugly."

"But her hair has exactly the same tone of your skin." Danika pointed out.

"Silence, mortal!" The chibi demanded.

"I still don't get it, why do you need a 'chosen one' for this?" Danika asked. "Can't you just bring her back yourself with a portal like you did with the Braviary in the base?"

"Akari's structure is weird in the regard of time, there's something odd about her, but I haven't been able of pointing out exactly what it is, she's some kind of living paradox, what I'm trying to get at is that a simple portal won't suffice, that's why I'm asking you to contain her, at least until Celebi and I can form a proper portal, Akari has already learned too much about the future, all that knowledge could affect the past negatively."

"Fine, guess I will help you with this."

"Perfect, but one last thing." Dialga floated in front of her. "Don't let Akari touch you, or touch anyone else for that matter."

"Why not? You're gonna tell she's time-toxic or something like that?"

"Well guessed, but actually no, it's more complicated than that." Dialga answered. "I told you, her structure is weird, I'm afraid that if she touches someone that could act as "equivalent", that someone could take her place in the past and that would only complicate everything further, but I'm not sure about who could or could not be affected by it. But the good news are that would happen to one person since Akari only represent one space in time, so I guess that if a homeless ends up being her equivalent it wouldn't be so bad."

"Could Dawn be in danger because of that?"

"No, Dawn in specific is immune to Akari's paradox due to being her direct descendant."

"That doesn't make much sense."

"Trust me Danika, something I've learned in this work is that it doesn't always has to make sense." Dialga sighed. "Meanwhile Palkia only has to make sure that this fits into that...to recap Danika, you have to capture Akari, by any means necessary."

"I really don't like where this is all going..." Danika frowned worried. "But either way, what do I win in all this?"

"What do you mean?" Dialga asked.

"Well, if I'm putting my life at stake so you don't get your hands dirty, I want a payment."

"Saving time from tearing apart so you can continue existing isn't enough payment?" Dialga asked.

"I'm pretty much doing it solely for that at this point." Danika answered. "But I want answers, from you and your brother, my organization is studying the origin of the species and who better to explain us than Father time himself?"

"You really want to make an exigence to a god, you don't get scared easily, do you?" Dialga smiled. "Fine, if you contain Akari without causing trouble and keep her steady until I can make a proper portal, I might give you some answers, but I'm not promising anything."

"Good enough for me." Danika accepted, Dialga then nodded and disappeared. "Alright Azumarill, we'll take care of this later, first we'll head to the base, I don't want Goh and Quillon to suspect anything."

Back in Sonia's lab.

Victor and company were simply looking as Gloria was sitting on Ash's lap while they were both on the floor.

"...Gloria, could you at least get off Ash?" Victor finally broke the silence.

"D-Do I have to? We were in the middle of something." Gloria said.

"Gloria, I think you should do what he says." Ash told her.

"Hmm... fine." Gloria hastily got off Ash and stood up, with Ash standing by her side.

"So...what happened exactly?" Victor asked calmly at the two.

"Ash was here visiting Sonia it seems." Gloria quickly answered. "So, we had a talk about our feelings, and then he stole my first kiss, then I jumped on him and took a few more kisses myself." She smiled with a light blush.

"...So?" Victor looked at Ash.

"Y-Yeah, I guess that was a pretty good recap." He answered.

"Gloria, are you totally sure you're ready to be in this kind of relationship?" Victor asked

"Sure thing bro, I'm gonna be Ash's fourth girlfriend!" Gloria assured.

"...Wait, fourth?" Victor asked.

"Bea, Nessa and Peonia are already his girlfriends, but Ash said I could be one too!" She exclaimed before Ash could even say anything about that.

"And are you really okay with that?" Her brother continued.

"I am." Gloria nodded. "I really want to be with Ash and he wants to be with me too, so I'll give this a try."

"Vic-"

"Ash." The older brother interrupted. "...Just promise me you'll make her as happy as humanly possible."

"I swear, Vic." Ash answered.

"Then you're good to go, Gloria." Victor smiled. "I wish you guys the best."

"Uh... Are you sure?" Ash asked.

"Would rather want me to not be sure?" Victor asked.

"N-No, I mean, we just were with Peonia's father a few hours ago, he accepted all this, but we had quite the argument before he gave in, so I guess I'm just a little surprised by how easy you took it."

"Don't misunderstand me, I'm not totally okay with this idea." Victor said. "But you've had personally helped me and I know you care about Gloria, so I trust you, I also know just how much Gloria loves you, you have no idea what it was like to live with her cheering, so if she wants to do this, I'm no one to stop her, I'm just asking you to take good care of her."

"Well, thanks a lot Vic." Ash smiled at him.

"I'm happy for you too, Gloria." Marnie joined the conversation. "But you still have to tell your mother about this."

"Trust me Marnie, she'll be more than glad that Gloria is with Ash." Victor answered and then shared a short laugh with Gloria.

"I guess that makes me less worried." Ash replied.

"Alright, hearts are out, now back to us." Gloria looked at Ash. "I-I know what I said, and I still want to beat you in a battle, but if you really want me to be with you, t-then let's do it!"

"I..." Ash smiled for a moment, but his face quickly turned into a frown.

"W-What's wrong?" Gloria asked.

"Sorry, I guess I'm having second thoughts all of a sudden." Ash answered. "Gloria, I didn't mean to push you with that kiss, I just wanted to express my feelings because I really like you, but if you don't feel ready and want to wait then-" Ash was interrupted once Gloria put both her hands on his cheeks, leaving them both blushing.

"Do you have any idea of how long I waited to meet you?" She asked. "Do you even understand what this hat that you gave me means to me? I've spent years imagining how our first meeting could be and when it finally happened...it was way better than everything I expected, you were even more wonderful than I thought you'd be...Ash, is thanks to you that I'm the person who I am today, if it wasn't for that battle I'd probably be stuck in my home going through some emo phase or something and y-you can be sure I'll do all I can to repay you somehow and this...well, this seems like the perfect way to start." She giggled embarrassed. "Now please, I, Gloria Schilly Tsurutate, have one thing to ask, a-a very important thing, and I don't want to scare you, but your answer could change my life forever, so here goes ...Ash Ketchum, w-w-w-would you like to be my boyfriend?"

"...Of course, Gloria." He simply answered and Gloria jumped on him to kiss him almost knocking him down in the process.

"This feels so nice..." She trailed off before going for another kiss as Ash hugged her closer.

"So this is how she feels when I kiss you..." Victor looked at Marnie. "Yeah, it's kinda awkward."

"Well, I suppose you'll be traveling with them from now on, Gloria." Marnie said.

"I guess." Gloria answered parting from Ash. "But I'll be sure to call you guys every day, don't worry."

"You're truly a lucky guy, aren't you Ash?" Marnie asked him.

"Yeah, definitely." Ash answered looking at Gloria and then at his other three girls.

"Good luck to you too, Marnie." Gloria said. "I know Victor will be fine in your hands, he'd be a wreck without me, so we can't leave him alone."

"You're one to talk." Victor rolled his eyes.

"Well, I suppose you won." Roxie walked to Gloria, after having been in the background of the conversation the whole time, simply hearing the explanations.

"Maybe, but if we're already four, I see no reason for Ash to reject you, right?" Gloria looked back at his new boyfriend.

"Is that so? How's that, Ash? You'll ask me to be part of this little mess too?" Roxie asked.

"That depends, do you want to?" Ash asked back and Roxie held his chin.

"Of course I do... but not right now, I need a moment to think about this whole thing, you know?" She smiled. "Though I know you have good intentions and I really have a weak spot for you so I'll probably give in sooner than you expect... that is if you promise you'll save me a spot."

"Of course Roxie, I'll be waiting." He answered and Roxie surprised him with a lip kiss.

"You God blessed bottom." She grinned. "That was my first kiss...just to make sure you'll keep me in mind, Kay?"

"S-Sure." Ash answered embarrassed.

"Hmm, well, if they're both gonna be with him I guess our bet ends in a tie." Victor said to Marnie.

"I guess." Marnie answered. "So, let's do each that favor, fine?"

"Would you at least tell me what you want from me?" Victor asked.

"I don't think I will, so you'll have to be careful." Marnie shrugged shoulders.

"...Sure." Victor sighed and Gloria gave him a sudden hug.

"I'll miss ya, Vic." She said.

"I'll miss you too." Victor hugged her and then looked at Ash. "I leave her in your care... and for the love of Arceus, don't give her any cider."

"You never understood the power of the Scottish." Gloria laughed and Victor gave her a quick flick on her forehead.

"Ouch, alright." Gloria rubbed her forehead and then looked at Ash's other girlfriends. "Well girls, hope you don't mind me joining the fray."

"Hope you don't mind us already being in the fray." Nessa answered.

"Welcome in, Gloria." Bea added.

"Right, uh, m-my name is Peonia, nice to meet you."

"Same here!" Gloria offered her a handshake. "I've heard some things about you from Sonia, nice to finally meet you."

"Alright people, this place has gotten too crowded for my taste." Sonia talked. "Ash, I'm glad it all turned out fine, but I feel like you and your girls should get some privacy."

"Then I think we should go back to my mansion to settle down." Nessa suggested. "We still have a lot to discuss."

"I guess this is goodbye then." Victor said. "Roxie and I will be following Marnie's Gym challenge, she still needs two badges."

"Right, what about you Gloria?" Ash asked.

"I'm just missing one!" She smiled proud.

"Well, I'm missing three." Ash answered. "I guess that means you and I can challenge at least one Gym together."

"Alright!" Gloria exclaimed excited to then hug him.

victor simply smiled at this and the brothers shared one last goodbye hug. The two groups then parted on their different ways, meanwhile Sonia stayed in her lab, thinking about what in the world just happened.

"Well, that was quite the scene..." Sonia sat down while she processed all that happened. "So Ash just got Peonia and Gloria today...I honestly hope Valerie can make it too, she's totally wrecked, and if she makes it... well, I might talk it out as well, but just how far will Ash be willing to take this?"

Meanwhile in a hotel room in Lumiose City.

"How could I fall for that? I should have known it." Diantha said to herself still replaying the scene with Domino in her head.

"Diantha, for Arceus' sake, stop with the laments!" Cynthia told her while she was packing up her things.

"Cynthia, you still don't understand what's going on?!" Diantha exclaimed. "I lost the King's Credential! All that information, all of Team Flare's plans were there! I put my guard down and now they're in the hands of Team Rocket! I've just put my the whole region if not the whole world in danger!"

"Yeah, I understood it around the 15th time you told me, but I was there as well, Domino stole it from me too..." Cynthia answered. "I'm sorry, I also failed, but staying here scolding ourselves won't right the wrong...I'm sure you'll find your own way to fix this, you're smart, but I'll have to leave this to you. I'll be back to Sinnoh."

"Y-You're gonna leave me after all that just happened?!" Diantha shouted.

"I have to contact Ash, he could know something about this, and I know just the person to help me find him. Besides, I'm not of much use here in Kalos right now."

"Fine, fine..." Diantha sighed. "You're right, I'm overreacting, I suppose the best I can do is trying to find out how Team Rocket knew about the King's Credential. Good luck."

"Good luck as well then." Cynthia answered. "Call me if you need anything...hey, would Greninja want to come with me and see Ash again?"

"Don't think so. He's also quite frustrated with what happened." Diantha answered. "He told Gardevoir that he'll be looking in the surroundings of the lab for any clue, but say hi to Ash for me; and tell I'm still waiting for that rematch."

"I'll be sure to tell him." Cynthia assured and then left the room onward to take her private jet in the Lumiose airport.

Back to Nessa's mansion.

After a trip in the limo, Ash and his four girlfriends were now in Nessa's room, the girls were sitting in a circle in the bed, meanwhile they had left Ash sitting in a nearby couch as an spectator.

"Do I really have to stay here?" Ash asked.

"Ash, as much as we'd like to surround with hugs and kisses, this is a girlfriend talk." Nessa answered. "Be thankful that we let you inside the room this time.

"Yeah, we need to talk between us." Bea said. "I mean, we're four now, the number of girlfriends that Ash has just doubled in less than a day."

"Don't forget Roxie will be in eventually too." Gloria pointed out.

"And who was that girl?" Nessa said.

"Listen, before asking for anyone that is outside of this, I think we should be clear between all of us first." Peonia said. "I say we do some basic presentations along with how we met Ash, with no questions until the end, how's that?"

"Well, sounds good, you all already know it, but my name...uh, m-my name is Bea." She felt like it wasn't the moment to talk about that; and Ash had to agree in his mind. "Ash and I met here in Hulbury when he was starting his journey in Galar and I've been accompanying him since then. I'm nothing but a trainer at the moment... and well, I'm his first girlfriend of course, but it took me quite some time to confess."

"I'll take seconds then, my name is Nessa Rurine, I first saw Ash during a fashion show in Nimbasa a few years ago, then I first talked with him through a call here in Hulbury and we finally met in Turffield after he challenged Milo there, we had a Gym battle, I confessed and then we met a few times until I finally became his second girlfriend, and I know it may sound stereotypical for a Water-Type trainer, but my hobbies are swimming and fishing."

"My name is Peonia Cosmos, I'm a fossil researcher, I met with Ash here in Hulbury after overhearing Bea and him were heading to the Crown Tundra, I offered myself to guide them and I helped them in their journey there, we saved the Tundra all of us together. Ash and I then had a match and I became a Gym Leader thanks to him. I later confessed to him in Wyndon and I just became his third girlfriend today after knowing Bea and Nessa were sharing him."

"My name is Gloria Schilly Tsurutate and I'm a Gym challenger, I first saw Ash in the TV four years ago while he was challenging the Kanto Frontier Brain Brandon and that inspired me to become a trainer, then I first met him in the Hulbury outskirts after he fought with Nessa, we had a battle there and traveled together until Motostoke, I also met with him a few times again before becoming his fourth girlfriend, guess you all you know about that last part."

"Hmm, coming to think about it, I pretty much met you all here in Hulbury." Ash said.

"Well, that's quite odd" Bea said.

"There's just something special about this city." Nessa said. "Now girls, any questions?"

"This is a little embarrassing, but you could teach me how to swim?" Peonia asked Nessa. "I-I know it's stupid, but I was raised in the Crown Tundra, there isn't much place to swim, so I really don't know how, I sink like a rock any time I try it."

"There's nothing to be ashamed, Nia." Nessa answered. "It'll my pleasure to teach you."

"Hey, wait a sec, your last name is Cosmos?" Gloria asked Peonia. "That means you're related to the Chairman?!"

"Yup, I'm his niece, he's the younger brother of my father, Peony."

"And does the Chairman knows you're sharing Ash?" Gloria asked again.

"No, he doesn't, only my dad knows, but we'll find the time to tell uncle Rose, right Ash?"

"Of course, we'll tell him together." Ash assured.

"Thanks...hey Gloria, that hat is really similar to Ash's." Peonia said.

"That's because it was Ash's!" Gloria answered proudly. "He gifted it to me last time we met!"

"You gave her one of your hats?!" Nessa exclaimed slightly jealous. "B-B-But you haven't gifted me anything yet!"

"Consider letting you join our relationship the gift." Bea talked to her.

"That reminds me, I still have to thank you, Bea." Gloria said. "Like sure, you all accepted me. But you were Ash's first girlfriend and I imagine Nessa had to get through you to be part of this, so it's thanks to you that we're all here with the boy we love."

"Hmp, yeah, thank you, Bea." Peonia said.

"I've already said it, but it won't hurt doing it again. Thank you, Bea!" Nessa added.

"Heh, it's nothing." Bea smiled with an embarrassed blush. "Now the thing everyone is wondering. To which extent are we going to share Ash? Like, will we have him one each night? How will we work that out?"

"Well, I guess we can have him one weekday each of us and then all of us together on weekends." Nessa said.

"Or maybe we can alternate as in one day with one of us and then another day with all of us and then the other day with the next girl." Gloria suggested.

"But who's gonna take the first turn?" Peonia asked.

"And who's gonna take the last? Nessa asked and all the girls shared some unfriendly glares with each other since they didn't want to wait for the moment, meanwhile Ash simply gulped worried.

"C-Can I say something?" Ash asked.

"No." They all answered in unison looking at him.

"Until we can clear that out and choose a proper order I think we all should sleep with Ash together." Bea said.

"I guess that's the most fair option." Peonia said. "I mean, it'll be better to not have anyone take advantage over the others...uh, but that makes me think, Nessa and Bea, you still haven't got..." Peonia blushed as she asked. "Ehem, you still haven't got lucky with Ash, right?"

"Nia, if you're gonna ask something like that at least be direct." Nessa said.

"Sorry, I'm just taking in consideration the...public." Peonia pointed at Gloria.

"Hey! Just how old do you think I am?!" Gloria complained.

"Uh ...eleven?" Peonia asked.

"I'm fifteen!" Gloria ranted. "And I'm turning sixteen next week, so Ash, you better give me the gift I'm expecting!"

"Uh, Y-You mean-"

"Yes, that!" Gloria interrupted him leaving them both blushing madly and then looked at Peonia again. "Eleven?! Do I look like a Loli to you or something?!"

"Sorry, sorry... but I still think you're a bit too young for that." Peonia continued. "But then again, I'm just 17, and I ...I'd be lying if I said I don't want to do that, so I'm not sure if I should complain, you and Ash are both 17 too, right Bea?"

"Uh, yes, although my 17th birthday was just a few days ago." She answered.

"Well, since we're throwing away ages I suppose I should just admit I'm 22." Nessa said blushing. "K-Kinda embarrassing to be the eldest...uh, either way, to answer your question Nia, I haven't got lucky with Ash." She continued and then smiled looking at Bea. "But Ash told me that the first girlfriend ran a different luck..."

"Y-You told her about that?!" Bea shouted at Ash.

"W-Well, she asked me about it last night and I didn't want to lie to her." Ash answered embarrassed.

"He told me he saw your bare chest, but that was it." Nessa said and Bea calmed herself a little. "But guessing by your reaction it seems like that wasn't everything, now was it? You two are virgins or not?"

"YES, WE ARE!" Bea shouted. "Y-You have a problem with that?!"

"Nope, but that means you did something else." Nessa answered. "It looks like someone has a little kink here."

"E-Even if that was true that's none of your concern!" Bea shouted causing Nessa to laugh.

"Geez Bea, it's fine, I mean, we'll eventually have to share Ash in more ways than you think." Nessa said. "So if you have anything hidden I suggest to just let it out."

"Not happening!" Bea shouted again.

"Alright Ash, why don't you tell us yourself then?" Peonia asked interested. "What did you do in that bed?"

"I-If Bea doesn't want to tell you, I'm not going to either, sorry girls." He answered.

"You better don't!" Bea shouted.

"Wow, I knew this would be crazy, but this relationship is truly chaos." Gloria giggled. "Funny chaos, that is... Hmm, I have an idea. Ash, why don't you tell us about the other girls that you also like?"

"Uh, why exactly?" Ash asked.

"You know, just to be ready for when they join in." Gloria explained.

"I think you mean if they join in." Peonia said. "Like sure, all four of us accepted, but there's no way to know for sure if they'll be fine with this whole sharing thing as well."

"If they love Ash as much as we do, I think they will all definitely consider to join at least." Gloria replied. "Go on Ash, tell us about them. I promise I won't get jealous."

"Well, where should I even start?" Ash wondered.

"You know what? I'm gonna do it." Bea said. "Since I spent some time with them beforehand I think it'll be better that I tell you about them impartially instead of Mr. love evangelist here, fine?"

"We're all ears." Peonia said.

"Right, so first is Flannery." Bea began.

"You mean Flannery Moore, right?" Peonia asked. "She's Kabu's niece and a Fire Gym Leader from Lavaridge in the Hoenn Region."

"Oh, right! She's the girl Ash fought before Kabu in their Gym match." Gloria said. "Well, she seemed nice, how is she?"

"Well, she's a great-"

"She's a horny 24/7, pervert with big boobs..." Bea interrupted Ash. "And I mean...huge boobs."

"You sound kinda jealous of that last part." Nessa jiggled her chest a little to try annoy Bea, something that she succeed at, they weren't near Flannery's size, but they were still the biggest in the room, something that Ash definitely paid attention to thanks to the movement.

"Either way, despite all that Flannery is really reliable." Bea continued. "She traveled with Ash and I through Sinnoh and she's definitely someone who will have your back no matter what...even if she wants Ash to grope her in public."

"Come on Bea, you're just exaggerating with that last part." Peonia asked.

"No, she's not." Ash said. "I'm pretty sure Flannery said something like that out loud while she was with us."

"And if she asked you to do that, would you comply Ash?" Nessa said.

"N-NO!" Ash shouted. "I-I mean...not in public at least." He answered and the four girls laughed blushing.

"Oh, I see." Nessa said. "But Ash, are you a boobs guy or a butt guy?"

"I'm n-not going to answer that..." Ash simply looked away, blushing like there was no tomorrow.

"I think I know the answer for that tho." Bea smiled.

"BEA!" Ash shouted embarrassed.

"So that's what you did..." Nessa trailed off and Bea simply coughed.

"Well, I think that's it for Flannery." Bea continued. "Next up is Jasmine, she's a Gym Leader from Olivine, in Johto, and a top coordinator in that region, she's the Johto contest champion in fact."

"Hmm, I actually saw that battle you had with her before the world contest in Sinnoh." Peonia said. "Dad said I could learn a thing or two from his fellow steel-type expert. But I'm just now noticing you were the guy she was fighting...hey, wait a second. Bea, you were one of those girls in cheerleader outfit, weren't you?"

"Y-Yes..." Bea answered embarrassed. "It was me, Flannery, and a friend of Ash, Dawn. It was also Dawn's idea to begin wih."

"By the way, did you kept the outfit?" Ash asked.

"Yes, why?" Bea asked.

"I think he wants you to wear it again." Nessa teased them. "I'll have to get some for the rest of us then. Wouldn't you like that Ash?"

"...I-I'm s-sure you'd all l-look g-great." That was all he could stutter imagining the scene in his mind.

"A-Anyway, Jasmine is far more calmed and reserved than Flannery, she's the kind and caring type I'd say." Bea explained. "...Although she's technically the first girl Ash has seen in underwear."

"WHAT?!" The other girls shouted and looked at Ash.

"I-It was an accident!" He exclaimed.

"Ash entered her room while she was changing." Bea continued. "But neither of them seemed to be exactly mad about it."

"W-Well, she knew it was an accident so she forgave me right away." Ash said. "Although I still feel kind guilty for entering her room, the contest staff gave me the wrong directions, but I should have asked before going in."

"I wouldn't mind you entering my room while I'm changing." Nessa teased him.

"Ash, let's try a little cognitive question. Do you remember what color her underwear was?" Peonia asked with a laugh.

"Uh, I-I don't know, I tried to look away from that as much as I could. I tried to focus on her face." Ash answered. "S-She didn't even look mad, just embarrassed, she was totally red, s-she looked adorable...what am I saying? You all look adorable when you're blushing." Ash looked at the four and in fact they were all blushing from the compliments. "Yup, just like that."

"Enough sugar words, look down into your memories, you saw her underwear at some point." Peonia insisted.

"Well, let me think... y-yes, I remember, her bra was grey." Ash closed his eyes and he remembered the scene. "H-Her panties...t-they were grey as well, with a red flower in front, I-I think I could almost see her-"

"Ok, enough! Let's move onto the next one!" Gloria exclaimed. "I'm gonna suppose that'd be Roxie, you guys met with her in Sonia's lab already so I'll give you the introduction, she's a Poison Gym Leader from Virbank, Unova, and probably the strongest Gym Leader in that region, she's also a rockstar that goes on concerts all around the world, I met her since she was friends with Marnie. She's kinda crazy with a bit of go-all-out personality, she's definitely not afraid of saying out loud what she thinks, but after traveling with her for some weeks I've met her more laid-back side and she's great."

"But she keeps telling me I'm a bottom." Ash added slightly annoyed.

"And well, are you?" Peonia asked.

"I mean, considering how Bea can carry him so easily and the way Gloria and Roxie took control of those kisses despite being shorter than him..." Nessa said.

"I-I guess I kinda lower my guard when I'm around you girls." Ash answered embarrassed.

"Lastly would be Korrina." Bea continued. "I haven't met her, but Ash told me a few things about her, she's from Shalour City, in the Kalos region, a Fighting Type Gym Leader and professional skater."

"She also traveled with Ash for a while in Kalos." Gloria added.

"Valerie mentioned she's a little hyperactive but really dedicated when it comes to battles, a bit much like Ash." Nessa said.

"And those are the girls who like our boyfriend as far as I know." Bea said. "Or am I missing someone, Ash?" She asked thinking about Dawn, who mentioned to her being in love with Ash, but never properly confessed to him.

"N-No, I think that's everyone." Ash replied. "Uh...for now, at least. I mean, Jasmine, Flannery and Roxie all confessed to me directly, but you never know if there's someone else out there."

"And what about Korrina?" Peonia said. "She didn't confess?"

"Well, she didn't say it directly." Ash answered. "But the way she was acting while we talked last time made me suspect and...well, I guess I like her that way too. So I'll ask her about it next time we meet."

"Why don't you just call her now and ask to be sure?" Gloria suggested.

"I honestly don't think that's the kind of thing you should ask by phone." Ash answered.

"You say you're suspecting Korrina has a crush on you." Bea said. "Is there any other girl you're suspecting too? Like May or...Dawn maybe?"

"No, I don't think so." Ash said. "I've spent so much time with those two that it'd be stupid if I didn't realize they also like me...hmm, well, there's also my friend Serena, she acted weird too during our travel together in Kalos and she... kissed my cheek the day we parted ways, but I haven't seen her in about two years, so I could never ask her about that... there's also..." Ash was about to mention Valerie, but then he thought about his last conversation with her. "...No, nevermind."

"What about that girl Danika?" Peonia asked. "Wasn't she a fan of yours?"

"You met with Danika?!" Gloria exclaimed. "Boy, I bet she freaked out!"

"Funny, she said just the exact same thing about you." Ash answered. "Well, Danika said that she admired the things I've done with Legendary Pokemon, but I don't think she likes me that way."

"She does." Gloria quickly answered. "I know her, trust me."

"She literally has a shirt with your face on it." Bea said.

"I'm sure she'll tell you soon." Gloria continued. "She may let her honor speak for her most of the time, but now that she met you, I bet she'll just melt away."

"Since we're talking about suspicions, what about Aria?" Bea asked. "She acted kinda odd as well."

"No, I don't think she-"

"What about Bianca?" Gloria asked.

"What about Elesa?" Nessa asked.

"Wait, those two also-"

"What about Cara Liss?" Peonia asked and everyone else in the room gave her a weird look. "Just in case."

"A-Alright, enough future girlfriends predictions, I'd like to focus on you four right now." Ash said.

"Hey, listen, if we're gonna have that many people then I think we need some leadership." Gloria suggested.

"Isn't that supposed to be Ash's role?" Peonia asked.

"Well, maybe, but he needs a co-captain to help him lead the horde too." Gloria explained. "A single dude is not gonna organize and control a huge group of girls."

"Then that person should be Bea since she was Ash's first girlfriend." Peonia said.

"Guess I'll have to accept that." Bea said.

"I don't think you girls should start a hierarchy system." Ash said.

"I mean, we're all centered around you and you're already kind of our leader." Peonia said.

"You're making it sound as if this was a cult." Nessa said.

"How am I supposed to lead the other girlfriends anyway?" Bea asked.

"Well, you could be some kind of mediator in case we get a discussion that's too feminine for Ash to understand." Gloria said.

"You think we won't be able of getting along?" Nessa asked.

"That's not what I'm saying, but we're all different and like different things, discussions are already normal in the typical type of relationship, so I can imagine something like this will have some troubles here and there too." Gloria explained. "But I'm sure we'll get pass them, all of us together."

"We also have to take in consideration that since Nessa and I are both Gym Leaders we won't be able of staying with Ash all the time. Not to mention the other girls who don't even live in this region." Peonia said. "But Gloria and Bea can keep traveling with him just fine."

"Yeah, you're right." Bea said. "Well, if that's how things are then Gloria will be my second in command."

"Even with the traveling thing, shouldn't I be second in command since I was Ash's second girlfriend?" Nessa asked.

"Nope! Gloria it is!" Bea answered.

"Alright! You heard that, Ash?" Gloria jumped out of bed and Ash caught her on his arms, bridal carrying her. "I'm second in command! Kiss me! That's an order!"

"Gloria, you don't need to order me to-"

"Do it!" She interrupted grabbing his face.

"Yes, ma'am." Ash laughed and gave her what she wanted; And the feelings kiss added to being carried like a princess made Gloria pass out for a moment in Ash's arms as she daydreamed.

"Can I, uh, have one too?" Peonia asked approaching the two.

"Of course, Nia!" Ash smiled and Peonia went for a kiss while he still carried Gloria who was recovering from the kiss. "Really girls, you don't need to ask permission to kiss me." After Ash said this, Nessa approached them as well and planted the third kiss in a row. "Uh..."

"What? You said I didn't need to ask, right?" Nessa smiled.

"I-I dunno, I guess, sure, I might-" He stuttered.

"Come here, you." Bea was the last to reach out to him and softly lifted Ash's chin to take her turn. "And that's the four of us." Bea said separating from a madly blushing Ash that looked as if he'd fall unconscious any moment. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes, I just...I-I need to get used to the line of kisses, I suppose." Ash answered embarrassed. "C-Could one of you carry Gloria for me before I pass out as well?"

"What? Don't tell me the attention is too much for you already." Bea smiled. "I thought this was what you wanted."

"Yeah, you should get used to it if our number will end up doubling." Peonia said. "Although that may take a while, considering the girls you mentioned are pretty much scattered around the world."

"It's funny, you seem to have a way to charm Gym Leaders the most, out of all thehe girls you're 'sure', Bea and Gloria are the only ones that aren't Gym Leaders." Nessa said.

"Who wants to be a Gym Leader when you're a champ in the making?!" Gloria exclaimed returning to herself. "Ash, listen, I-I'm not gonna hold back in the league just because you're my boyfriend. When we meet in the battlefield, I'll do my best to kick you out!"

"That's the least I'm expecting. I'll try all I can to defeat you too." Ash answered and Gloria went for another kiss while he still carried her.

"I-I'm gonna make you proud, I promise!" Gloria shouted hugging him.

"Well, Nessa and I have to participate in the league as well since we're both Gym Leaders." Peonia pointed out. "What about you, Bea?"

"Ash still has the free ticket that Chairman Rose gave him when he invited him to Galar, so if Ash gets all his badges I'm in too." Bea answered.

"Let's all promise to go all out then, even if we're matched against each other." Gloria said. "And no hard feelings afterwards, of course."

"I promise." Ash was the first to agree.

"I promise." Bea added.

"I promise." Peonia continued.

"And I promise!" Nessa ended. "Since we're talking about that. Ash, you mentioned I was the strongest Water-Type expert you've met, but out of the four of us, which one is the strongest according to you?"

"That'd be hard to say honestly." Ash answered. "You all have different battle styles and gave me great battles, and I'm sure you've all grown stronger since then, I wouldn't know how to tell who's stronger."

"Well, if you're gonna keep hiding behind your 'no-favorites' policy, we'll have to find out ourselves." Gloria said. "There's four of us, so we could have a little tournament."

"Sounds interesting." Nessa replied. "And the winner could get a prize."

"And that prize..." Peonia continued.

"Could be Ash's..." Bea added and the four girls looked at him.

"...I don't feel safe." Ash said.

"Alright Ash, get out of the room, your girlfriends need to talk in private." Nessa told him.

"Guess there's no use in complaining." Ash sighed and left the room. He thought for a second about staying behind the door to hear what they could be talking about, but he quickly chose not to do that and instead went to Valerie's room to check on her.

"Yeah, I definitely have to pay more attention to the bigger picture...Bea, Nessa, Peonia, Gloria...Flannery, Jasmine, Roxie, Korrina...Serena...I really hope I can handle all this, for their sake."

Meanwhile in the Lumiose Airport.

"Come on, Miette, hurry!"

"Shauna, could stop running before you end up-?"

"Ah!"

"Doing that..." Miette sighed.

The performers had gone to the airport together to wait for a friend's arrival and once the corresponding plane was announced to have landed, Shauna decided to run and be the first to greet her, but she ended up bumping on someone and caused both herself and that person to fall to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Shauna apologized in the floor with her eyes closed.

"Be more careful, will you?"

"Wait a..." Shauna opened her eyes once she recognized the voice. "Miss Cynthia!"

"Are you two okay?" Miette asked approaching them.

"Miss Cynthia, please forgive me!" Shauna pleaded prostrating herself. "I didn't mean to make you fall, please don't make your Garchomp use me as a toothpick!"

'Why is everyone acting like that with champions lately?' Cynthia thought as she stood up. "It's fine, it was just an accident, please get up."

"You're too kind." Shauna answered relieved still prostrating. Miette then helped her stand up.

"Please stop embarrassing yourself." Miette scolded her friend.

"Hey, hold on, you're Shauna, aren't you?" Cynthia asked.

"Uh, y-yes, that's me." Shauna stuttered scared again.

"It's so great to meet you!" Cynthia smiled. "Could I have an autograph?"

"You... want her autograph?" Miette pointed at Shauna.

"Of course! Shauna you were my favorite during the last season of performances." Cynthia answered offering her a notepad. "Here, if you may."

"Oh, my, this is quite a huge honor." Shauna took the notepad and made a few errors due to the surprise until she finally got her signature right. "H-Here you go, thanks for your support."

"Thanks to you. And keep doing your best!" Cynthia answered and then walked away to take her flight.

"Cynthia is my fan..." Shauna giggled embarrassed. "W-Wow, that's a lot to process."

"Don't know what else to say besides congratulations." Miette told her. "But don't let that get your head in the clouds."

"No, of course not!" Shauna replied. "You heard her, I'll keep doing my best!"

"Shauna, Miette!" A voice called behind them.

"Serena..." Miette smiled once she saw her.

"SERENA!" Shauna ran to her and trapped her in a hug. "You're finally here! It's been so long!"

"Glad to have you back." Miette said from her side.

"Thanks for receiving me." Serena answered while Shauna hugged her tighter. "S-Shauna, I need to breath..."

"Sorry, I really missed you." Shauna answered and gave her some space. "Wow, that new outfit is great. You look so different."

"I feel different." Serena answered. "I truly feel like my journey in Hoenn helped me grow as a person, even if I couldn't win any contests...but either way it feels really good to be back and see you two again, dunno how I could live almost two years without my best friends and best rivals. I've heard you've been doing great, Shauna, your performances have been amazing, and congrats on opening you bakery, Miette."

"Thanks Serena." Miette answered. "That means a lot more than you think."

"And a thanks from me too!" Shauna hugged her again. "I'm not giving in, I'll take Aria down...but what about you? Will you try performances again?"

"I'm not sure." Serena answered. "I had to change my style a little in order to adapt to the different format that contests used, but it didn't work out, I'm not even sure if I could get back to performances just like that, I need some time to settle down and think so I'll just go back home for now, I've been missing Mom a lot too."

"Alright, but we're going to Miette's bakery first!" Shauna said.

"Uh, why?" Serena asked.

"We left something for you there." Shauna answered. "I can't believe I forgot about it, I'm so clumsy."

"Hmm...let me guess, you guys made me a welcome back party." Serena said.

"Argh, damn it!" Shauna ranted. "...Yeah, it was my idea."

"Everyone is waiting for you at the bakery so I think we should go there already." Miette said.

"Everyone?" Serena asked.

"Yup! Ariana, Clemont, Bonnie, Tierno, Trevor, Meyer, Korrina, Gurkinn, Grace, even Malva!" Shauna rapidly listed them. "Everyone is there!"

"Oh...I-I see." Serena answered slightly disappointed.

"I'm gonna suppose you were expecting someone else to be a guest." Miette smirked, still retaining some of her teasing habits. "As much as I would have liked to see Ash again as well, we couldn't contact him."

"I mean, Korrina had his number, but she told us Ash was too busy to come to Kalos at the moment." Shauna explained.

"Sure, like, I know I lied, but Ash told us he was busy!" Korrina explained to her Lucario outside of the bakery. "Besides, I still haven't finished his gloves! And we haven't trained enough, we're not ready for that rematch! He can't come just yet! I'd die of shame if I disappointed him...and if he comes for that party that means he'd spend more time with Serena than me."

"Korrina, shouldn't you come back inside before your friend arrives?" Flannery asked from the door.

"Uh...s-sure, I'm going." Korrina rolled back in.

"Guess it makes sense that he's busy." Shauna continued. "After becoming champion he set off to Galar and is taking the Gym challenge there. But he promised Korrina he'd be back in Kalos soon."

"It makes me really happy to know he continues to step forward for his dream." Serena said. "I've seen some of his fights since we separated and he just gets stronger everyday."

"Is still a shame you won't be seeing him right now." Miette said. "I would've loved to see your trademark blushing face once you lock eyes with him."

"Well, too bad for you, but that wouldn't happen." Serena answered. "As I told you, I've grown a lot during my travel in Hoenn."

"I'm seeing something that definitely grew here." Shauna said looking at Serena's chest.

"Does that mean you don't like Ash anymore?" Miette asked Serena.

"No at all, I'm still infatuated." Serena answered. "He is still what I want, but I told him last time we were together that I'd become a person he'd definitely like next time we meet and that's what I've been striving for. So no more blushing mess shy Serena, I'm gonna be direct, I'll share all my feelings with him."

"Go for it, Serena!" Shauna cheered on her.

"Well, glad to see you finally matured." Miette said. "Now come on, as I told you, everyone is waiting."

"Right behind you, girls."

Back with Ash.

"Valerie, you there?" He asked knocking the door of her room.

"Oh? Y-Yes, give me a second." Valerie answered and went to open the door. Ash's Flabébé was resting on top of her head, meanwhile Pikachu was on her shoulder and jumped to Ash's once he saw him.

"How was everything?" Ash asked Pikachu and he simply nodded silent.

"You're back sooner than I expected, how was your date with Bea and Nessa?" Valerie asked.

"Well, it didn't go exactly as planned, we got a few deviations and... I just got two more girlfriends now." He dropped the bomb and Pikachu dropped his jaw.

"...You what?" Valerie blinked a few times.

"Yeah, they're called Peonia and Gloria, they were both really good friends of mine, they confessed to me a while ago and I accepted them both today, Bea and Nessa already welcomed them in too. They're all in Nessa's room talking about...girly things, I hope."

"I see..." Valerie trailed off. "So you got four girlfriends already..."

"I bet you think I'm starting to look like a horrible person, right?" Ash asked.

"What? N-No, Ash please, you're just a person who follows his heart and that's truly admirable." Valerie answered. "I know your intentions are the best and I'm sure you'll love all the girls dearly, I mean, just look how much care you took of me...Y-You really didn't need to leave Pikachu with me."

"S-Sorry about that, it's not like I fear you could have some relapse, I know you've been a lot better since it all happened, but I'm just still a little worried."

"Please don't apologize, It makes me... immensely happy that you still worry about me, Pikachu's company is nice; and as I told you, that makes me feel sure that you'll treat the four girls just fine."

"Thanks, I'm glad you trust me." Ash smiled and then gave a sigh. "...But the fact that you do trust me makes me want to ask something, it's about Flabébé."

"Oh right! thank you for letting me study her." Valerie said and looked up at Flabébé as the fairy floated back to Ash and landed on his free shoulder. "Listen, I talked with Viola earlier today, she took a picture of AZ, the man I told you about in Flabébé's story, he's still somewhere in Kalos, I don't know where exactly, but if anyone can find him I know that'll be you."

"I'll be sure to look for him." Ash said. "But that's not what I was talking about. I meant that thing Flabébé did the other day, when she reacted to your feelings... do you like me too, Valerie?"

"...I do." Valerie answered looking down. "How funny... you were so oblivious of Serena's crush on you even though you traveled so much with her, but now spending a few days with me is enough to give it all away. I guess you've matured after all."

"You didn't tell me because of Nessa, right?" Ash asked.

"Y-Yes, Ash you don't understand, her feelings for you were always so pure and she trusted me to help her with that, it makes me so happy to know you're finally her boyfriend."

"But what about you?" Ash asked. "I'm glad you worry about Nessa, but your feelings are also important, aren't they?"

"Not in this case." Valerie shook her head. "How am I supposed to look Nessa face to face and tell her I've been loving the same man I was helping her to be with? How would I explain never telling her about something so important?"

"Considering she's already sharing me anyway, I doubt she'd mind." Ash said. "And you're one of his dearest friends, I think we should ask her."

"I can't Ash, I... I'll admit I wouldn't mind sharing you if the situation was different, but I can't betray Nessa that way...Besides, we both know you don't love me the way that you love her, you only see me as a person to help, and although I'm infinitely grateful for that, I know you'd only take me in out of pity, especially after all I've just said."

"T-That's no-!"

"Ash, stop it!" Valerie inadvertently shouted. "Please, stop it. J-Just look at me! If I kissed you right now and I said I loved you...would you really say it back to me? Would you really mean it?"

"Y-Yes, I would!" He answered.

"...You're a terrible liar." Valerie made a fake smile as she tried to hold her tears, before quickly closing and locking the door between them, leaving Ash out of the room.

"Valerie!" Ash called her.

"I'm fine, Ash...please, if you want to make me happy..." Valerie sat down on the floor, resting her back on the door. "If you want to make me happy just forget about me, maybe that way I will move on... and please don't tell Nessa about this, the last thing I need is making her feel guilty because of my feelings too...this wouldn't work out, I wouldn't work out."

"But how can you be sure about that?!" Ash ranted.

"...Ash, I know you just want the best for me, but you need to realize that you won't be able of making everyone happy...Still, I truly wish that you can be a merry man, surrounded by all the girls you love...e-even if I'll never be one of them."

"...It wasn't gonna be that easy." Ash sighed. His Rotom Phone then ringed and he pulled it out of his pocket to see and unregistered number. "Who could it be... M-Mallow! Lana!" Ash greeted them. "Girls, it's nice to see you! H-How have you been?"

"It's been a while, Ash." Mallow waved at him with a smile. "We've been missing you a lot, but aside from that we're fine."

"Uh, look, Kukui asked us to call you." Lana said. "How shall I put this? ...We took Burnet to the hospital and-"

"HOSPITAL?!" Ash shouted. "W-WHAT?! IS BURNET OKAY?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"She's fine, she's fine!" Mallow tried to calm him down. "It's just the baby."

"...THE BABY?!" Ash shouted even louder.

"Uh, yes, the baby." Lana replied.

"BURNET IS PREGNANT?!" Ash shouted again.

"You didn't know?" Mallow asked.

"NO, I DIDN'T KNOW! AND YOU BETTER TELL KUKUI THAT I'LL TURN HIS BEARD INTO A MUSTACHE FOR NOT TELLING ME!" He shouted one more time before cutting the call and sighed. "...Valerie, I'm not done with you. I've already told you, you're worth it, I'll make this work out." He said to the door before running back to Nessa's room.

Meanwhile in Alola.

"Uh...W-Well, at least he's coming!" Mallow was taken aback by his reaction, but she smiled nonetheless, while simply Lana rolled her eyes. "And Lillie is on her way too! I'll prepare all the dishes he loves! We'll make him the best welcome back party ever! we have him on the bag!"

"He really sounded mad tho." Lana said. "I wonder why Kukui didn't tell him Burnet was pregnant, he mentioned having speak with Ash a few weeks ago."

"Hmm yeah, it's a little weird." Mallow said. "But let's not worry about that, we have to prepare everything!"

"Could you calm down? I know you're excited to see Ash again and I'm too, I really hope he accepts the three of us, but this will all fail if we don't plan it right and we need Lillie for that."

"You worry too much." Mallow rested her elbow on Lana's shoulder. "It'll be great, just imagine, Mr. and Mrs, Mrs, Mrs Ketchum."

"Sounds like some weird parody show." Lana said.

Back in Nessa's mansion.

"GIRLS!" Ash bursted into the room.

"There you are, Ash." Bea said. "We just ended discussing the rules of the tournam-"

"PACK YOUR THINGS! WE'RE GOING TO ALOLA!" He shouted.

"Eh?"

"What?"

"Where?"

"You mean like, right now?"

"YES!"

Meanwhile in Celadon City.

Erika and Sabrina were both in the greenhouse of the Gym, the two were sitting in the grass meditating, surrounded in a circle of open perfume bottles, it was one of Sabrina's aromatherapy, and while Erika had already reached inner peace a while ago, Sabrina was having quite the trouble to let the stress out, mostly because she wasn't wearing her bracelets, they were next to Erika instead.

"How you doing?" Erika asked with her eyes still closed.

"I-I've never felt better than this!" Sabrina exclaimed.

"That's no good..." Erika sighed. "Let's try our mantra: My anger is mine, but I am not my anger."

"M-My anger is mine, but I am not my anger." Sabrina repeated trying to calm down.

"My anger is mine, but I am not my anger." Erika continued.

"M-M-My anger is mine, B-But I'm not m-my anger."

"My anger is-"

"This isn't working!" Sabrina interrupted and a burst of psychic energy came out of her and surrounded the place, knocking down the perfumes and scaring away the Grass Types that were playing around the greenhouse, but Erika remained unfazed and simply put the bracelets back on Sabrina's wrists to help her control her powers.

"I guess that's enough for today." Erika said.

"I'm sorry, I swear I want to do my part, but I simply can't focus enough." Sabrina took a deep breath. "Specially after what happened in Stow-on-the-Other-Side. I almost killed that kid and I've been unsure of everything since then."

"The problem is not that you lose control if you take off your bracelets, the problem is that once you take them off, you start to worry about what might happen, which eventually causes those outbursts." Erika explained.

"And what do you suggest to fix that?" Sabrina asked.

"Well, I'm not sure." Erika admitted. "I've been trying to help you as I can, but I'm no expert in psychic powers."

"Yeah, I don't think a florist would be the best help with this." A third voice talked.

"AAAH!" Sabrina shouted.

"Oh, hey there Misty." Erika greeted her.

"You really should lock that front door, but nice to see you, Erika." Misty said standing before the two. "You too Sabrina. It's been a while."

"Uh, yeah, I mean, I've seen you in some Gym Leader reunions, but I think this is our first direct talk since that." Sabrina laughed nervously. "Hey, quick question, are you still mad about that time when I turned you into a doll?"

"I actually am now that you mentioned it." Misty said.

"Uh... beautiful day we're having, right?" Sabrina asked.

"That's not why I'm here anyway." Misty answered.

"Do you go everywhere dressed like that?" Sabrina asked again. "Like, just a swimsuit, a jacket and sandals?"

"Erika spends the whole day in a kimono and I don't see you complaining." Misty rolled her eyes.

"I think I prefer your hair like that tho." Sabrina continued. "Seriously, that side ponytail you had looked pretty dumb. I can say it now."

Misty simply clenched her fists and took a deep breath. "Listen Sabrina, I heard Elaine was challenging your Gym, you know where she is?"

"She left to Alola with her friend Mina the other day." Erika answered.

"Everyone is going off to Alola, it seems." Misty sighed. "I was looking for Miss Ketchum, but she also left to go there."

"You were looking for Miss Ketchum?" Erika asked. "I guess that means you also noticed it."

"I really doubt there's anyone else named Ketchum besides my lame-o." Misty smiled. "But Elaine didn't tell me that Ketchum was her second name when she fought me, so I just found out the other day in TV, and Ash never told me about her either."

"That's because they don't know each other." Sabrina answered.

"So they are related?" Misty asked.

"Brother and sister, yes." Erika answered. "But neither of them know about that."

"I guess it makes sense that they haven't meet." Misty said. "I mean, Ash would have obviously told his sister about me... Ash tells his friends about me, right?"

"Either way, you don't have to worry." Sabrina said. "They will meet soon, just in Alola."

"So Ash is going there too..." Misty trailed off.

"You'll go as well?" Erika asked.

"Don't think so, I'm rather busy right now." Misty answered. "Guess I'll have to wait for one of them to return to Kanto. But thanks for the information."

"Now that I think about it, did your vision tell you what's going to happen when those two meet?" Erika asked Sabrina. "How will they both react?"

"I believe I shall keep that to myself." Sabrina winked. "Knowing in advance would suck all the enjoyment when it happens, wouldn't it?"

"Hmp, yes, that's very true." Erika smiled.

"Or maybe you could admit you just don't know." Misty said.

Meanwhile in the S.S. Anne.

"Cool, I can already see Alola from here." Elaine looked at the islands from afar with her Pikachu on her hat, with Mina next to her, the two were standing in the front of the ship, while the sun rose above Alola.

"I'm sure you'll love the place." Mina assured her. "There's many Pokemon and people to see, it will be a whole new world for someone like you."

"That reminds me... the person Sabrina said I was going to meet." Elaine gave Mina and accusing glare. "You know who it is, don't you?"

"Maybe I do or maybe I don't." Mina shrugged shoulders. "But either way, Sabrina said it had to be a surprise, and I'd rather keep it like that."

"Alright, but is it a good or a bad surprise?" Elaine asked.

"Hmm, a rather interesting surprise I'd say."

"This isn't funny anymore!" Elaine complained. "Can you at least tell me his name?"

"... Let's do this, I'm gonna make a little draft of him." Mina sat on the floor and pulled out a canvas from her bag. "How does that sound?"

"Fine, show me." Elaine accepted sitting next to her.

"Hmm...well, where do I begin?" Mina placed the canvas in the floor looked for black paint and a brush and began the drawing. "...His hair is black, messy and spiky, his face is somewhat firm yet quite kind-looking, he's got these funny marks on his cheeks; and his eyes..." Mina stopped the brush for a moment and then continued to paint with a more focused expression on her face. "His eyes are always so intense and focused...I've never seen such eyes."

"Oh, I see..." Elaine could swear she saw a small blush beneath the painting on Mina's face and she smiled since that was the first time she had seen Mina doing that. "Should I... ahem, leave you and the drawing alone for a moment?" Elaine tried to tease her and Mina simply rolled her eyes.

"You're hilarious, anyway, this is how he looks like." Mina finished her work and presented Elaine a painting of Ash.

"He seems...oddly familiar." Elaine said.

"Very interesting choice of words." Mina giggled.

"How so?" Elaine asked.

"Nothing." Mina stuck out her tongue. "But don't worry, I'm sure you two will get along quite well."

"You're seriously not gonna tell who he is?"

"Nope. You'll find out when we get to Alola."

'...Just who is that guy?' Elaine thought.

Twinleaf, Sinnoh, around 6:00 PM

Cynthia's private jet had landed a few minutes ago in the Pal Park nearby, she then released her Garchomp and flew on her back until they made it to Twinleaf, landing right in front Dawn's house. Akari was watching some TV in the living room along Johanna who explained her everything she could, meanwhile May and Dawn were in the latter's room, still discussing about their agreement. Cynthia then knocked the door and May and Dawn quickly went downstairs to open it, Johanna then told Akari to stay in the living room while she went there as well.

"Hey there, Dawn! It's been a while." Cynthia greeted her.

"Great to see you again, girl." Dawn answered.

"Girl?" May asked looking at Dawn. "Wait, you're...friends with Cynthia?"

"You don't know everything about me." Dawn grinned. "But yes, Cynthia is a good friend of mine, I travel with her from time to time."

"Listen Dawn, have you met with Ash recently?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes, he came back to Sinnoh to see May here in the World Contest." Dawn answered pointing at the girl, while she nervously waved at Cynthia. "You still haven't told me why you didn't go."

"I was a little busy in Unova." Cynthia said. "So he was the person that Jasmine fought in my place?"

"You didn't even watch that battle?" Dawn asked.

"I was busy!" Cynthia ranted and then coughed. "But I'll admit, it would have been nice to be there and see him too."

"Why the sudden interest in Ash?" May asked with a bit of jealousy.

"Well, as you know, he's a champion now, I was discussing with Diantha in Kalos the fact that he could need some advice from his fellows to be ready for his duties." Cynthia explained. "Do any of you happen to have Ash's number?"

"Uh, yes, we traded them before he left Sinnoh again, give me a second." Dawn looked for her phone and sent the number to Cynthia.

"There, thanks." Cynthia said.

"You know you could have just called me and I would have sent you his number, right?" Dawn asked. "You didn't have to come all the way here just for that."

"Maybe, but I wanted a reason to visit you." Cynthia smiled at Dawn. "Besides, I needed to come back to Sinnoh anyway, now let's see what the man has to say." The champion made a video call and this was quickly answered by Ash.

"Uh, Cynthia?" Ash asked weirded out. "...Who gave you my number?"

"Good to see you too, Ash." Cynthia answered with a sarcastic tone.

"S-Sorry, I'm..." Ash sighed. "I-I'm a little moved right now."

"It's fine, sorry to bother you if you're busy. Listen, I was wondering if I could give you a visit, there's something important I need to discuss with you, where are you right now?"

"Right now? Uh well, I'm on Hulbury in the Galar region, but I'll be going to the Wyndon Airport in a moment, I have to go to Alola."

"Well, would it be okay if I catch up to you there in Alola?" Cynthia asked.

"Of course, it'll be great to meet with you again!" Ash answered.

"Hey Ash, what color of swimsuit do you think would look better on me?" Nessa's voice was heard in the background.

"Uh, gotta go." Ash said to Cynthia. "Hope to see you soon."

"Bye then, I'll be counting the minutes." Cynthia smiled and cut the call. "Swimsuit, huh? ... well, it seems like I'm going to Alola."

"Uh, excuse the sudden thought, Miss Cynthia." May called her. "Would it be okay if we go with you as well?"

"Well, I guess I don't mind." Cynthia answered. "Let's go then, my private jet is waiting in Pal Park."

"W-Wait a second, May! We can't just go to Alola!" Dawn shouted.

"Just think about it, Dawn!" May exclaimed. "Sun, beach, that lovely atmosphere, it's the perfect place to give Ash our proposal!"

"B-But-"

"Please listen, we've been waiting long enough, you and I got all the terms in place, what else do we need?" May asked.

"Uh, what are you two talking about?" Cynthia asked them.

"...Please, excuse us." May answered and took Dawn to the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Cynthia asked at Johanna.

"Wouldn't I like to know?" The mother rolled her eyes.

"May, I can't just leave to Alola." Dawn continued in the kitchen.

"But you have to! We have to!" May exclaimed. "Ash is the champion of that region! Just think about all the girls who'll be throwing themselves at him! Or that girl we heard in the call! Who even was that?!"

"Well, it didn't sound like Bea, so I don't know." Dawn answered.

"Me neither!" May replied. "So we can't lose anymore time!"

"Y-You may have a point, but what about Akari?" Dawn asked. "Should we take her with us?"

"Of course not!" May shouted. "Argh, sorry, sorry, I just don't want you to get distracted with your cousin while we're trying to get to Ash, your mother can take care of her, we'll be back before Akari even notices it."

"... Alright May, you win." Dawn smiled. "We're off to Alola."

"Wise de-cision!" May smiled as well. "Now let's go pack our things."

The two coordinators made their way to the room they were sharing and prepared what they'd take to Alola, May was far more excited and quickly finished her setting, going back down and waiting outside of the house along Cynthia. Akari then went upstairs to meet with Dawn who was still packing.

"You'll be leaving too?" Akari asked worried.

"Y-Yes...sorry." Dawn answered without making eye contact. "This is really important, but don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"B-But Dawn, we still haven't found a way to return me home." Akari said.

"I know, I'm sorry, but this could be exactly what we need." Dawn replied. "I'll tell Ash everything about you and I'm totally sure he'll find a way to help us."

"Are you sure?" Akari asked.

"What do I always say?" Dawn smiled at her.

"No...N-No need to worry." Akari answered.

"Exactly. I'll be back with Ash before you know it, we'll take you back to your home together, fine?"

"...Alright Dawn, you know I trust you."

"That's just great. You only have to stay here with Mom and everything will be solved." Dawn reached out to her and gave her a hug.

"I...I want you to know that these days you've been like the sister I never had." Akari whispered as she returned the hug.

"...Same goes for me. I'll really miss you." Dawn answered "I've always wanted a sister... wouldn't it be great if you could stay here with us?"

"I wish I could, but you said it yourself when I first landed on your house, I must return where I belong."

"Yeah... you're right." Dawn sighed, Akari then helped her pack her things and the two shared another hug once they ended. Dawn then said goodbye to her mother and went with Cynthia and May, who were still waiting for her outside the house.

"All good?" Cynthia asked the younger girls.

"Ready for take off." Dawn nodded.

"Let's say Alola to this new adventure!" May cheered on.

"She's finally leaving..." Danika said from afar along her Azumarill, both hiding behind a tree. "Good thing I left that mic there last time, so if both Dawn and May are out that means only Johanna will be there with Akari. Ready to go?" She asked and the rabbit nodded.

After Dawn, May and Cynthia left the house in a Taxi, Danika waited exactly 30 minutes to make sure they wouldn't return and then calmly walked to the home to knock the door, waiting for a moment until it was opened by Johanna along her Glameow.

"Oh, you again Danika? Nice to see you." Johanna greeted her. "Sorry, but you just missed Dawn, she left to Alola a few minutes ago."

"Unfortunately Miss Johanna, I'm not here for Dawn." Danika tried to give the most sincere smile she could.

"You're not?" Johanna asked slightly more worried. "Well, sorry to tell you this, but I'm the only one in the house."

"You don't need to play your daughter's game anymore." Danika turned the smile into a serious stare. "I'm here for Akari, I request that you leave her in my custody."

"A-Akari, who's that?" Johanna asked.

"I'm going in, Miss Johanna." Danika was about to enter the house, but Johanna quickly slammed the door in front of her and locked it, leaving Danika outside and then running to Dawn's room, where Akari was.

"Oh? So you want to make me the bad guy here?" Danika cracked her knuckles. "That's just fine. Superpower!" She ordered and Azumarill tackled down the door surrounded by red energy.

"W-What was that?!" Akari stuttered as her Zorua hid beneath Dawn's bed. "Zorua!"

"Akari! You have to get out of here!" Johanna entered her room and ran to her along Glameow.

"M-Miss Johanna, what's the matter?" Akari asked.

"I'm the matter it seems." Danika said from the door.

"Get away from her!" Johanna stood in front of Akari.

"Miss Johanna please, she can't stay here, she's dangerous!" Danika continued. "I'll just take her to my organization until we can find a way to get her back to her time, I promise you she won't be harmed in any way."

"Sorry, but if Dawn didn't trust you then I won't either." Johanna answered. "How can I be sure you'll get Akari back to where she belongs?"

"It can't be anything worse than what's already going on! Miss Johanna if you don't get out of the way, I'll have to arrest you for interfering."

"Akari is family, one way or another." Johanna answered. "If you want her, you'll have to pass over me!"

"Glameow!" The cat prepared a Shadow Claw, readying herself to fight.

"...I'm really sorry then." Danika looked for her Poke Balls.

"I'm sorry too." Akari took a step forward with an odd Poke Ball in hand. "Dawn told me to not escalate any conflict unless I was forced. But well, this seems quite forced. You've threatened my family. I must fight back. Come forth, Koguma!" Akari tossed the ball and released a large brown bear Pokemon that growled at Danika.

"An Ursaluna?!" Danika exclaimed.

"Koguma, Hyper Beam!" Akari shouted and Ursaluna shot the attack directly at Danika and her Azumarill, but they avoided it just in time, while the beam kept going an left a huge hole in the wall.

"Oh my gosh!" Akari exclaimed and then giggled. "Heh, Dawn taught me that last night...I-I mean, s-sorry about your house!" She apologized to Johanna.

"Don't worry dear." Johanna sighed. "In situations like this we don't pick the ballroom, we just dance."

"Here's your warning, Shō Akari!" Danika shouted. "By the authority of project Arceus, the international police and Dialga himself, I'm stopping you by force!"

"Well, here's YOUR warning!" Johanna answered. "By the power of the Shō family, we...uh..."

"We're about to test your luck!" Akari said.

"Yeah, that sounds cool!" Johanna added.

"It'll be as you want." Danika replied.

"Koguma, Polaris Impact!" Akari ordered.

"Pola-what?" Johanna asked.

Ursaluna roared as his eyes and the moon in his face illuminated with blue light and he charged against the Danika.

"Azumarill, Superpower!" The rabbit answered the aggression and despite her smaller size she pushed Ursaluna down to a wall, destroying it and making the bear fall from the second floor of the house.

"...I really don't think the insurance will cover that." Johanna said. "Glameow, give us a coverage!"

"Meow!" Glameow jumped and shot a Shadow Ball at the ground, creating a smoke screen, the family then jumped out of the hole, landing on top of the fainted Ursaluna.

"Curse you, fall damage!" Akari ranted to the skies and then returned her Pokemon. "Thanks you for doing your best, Koguma."

"You really think you can escape me!" Danika jumped from the hole in the wall and landed in front of them along her Azumarill. "My title is literally 'Chaser'! You're just making everything worse!"

"Come forth, Washi. Hurricane!" Akari called upon a Hisuian Braviary that used his wings to create a gust that slowed down Danika.

"Akari, please get out of here." Johanna looked at her. "I'll keep her busy, try to catch up to Dawn, she was going to the Pal Park Airport."

"What's an airport?!" Akari shouted.

"Just go to the southeast. It's a big building with flying things." Johanna explained.

"I understand, please be careful Miss Johanna." Akari accepted and looked for another Poke Ball. "Come forth. Ookami!" She called upon a Hisuian Arcanine and jumped on its back. "Washi! Stay here with Johanna, make sure she remains unharmed, I'll be back with help!"

"Brav!" The eagle nodded.

"Out to the southeast, Ookami!" She ordered and the Fire type ran away.

"I'm done with this!" Danika pulled out a small bear-like totem from her pocket. "I didn't want to this, but I can't afford to let her escape! Great Spirits of all who lived before! BEAST ON!" She shouted and the eyes of the totem illuminated summoning the translucent blue spirit of a bipedal bear Pokemon.

"What is that thing?" Johanna asked.

"Surging Strikes!" Danika ordered and the bear jumped through the wind and knocked down the Braviary with a quick succession of Water-covered fists. Johanna's Glameow then tried to attack with a Shadow Claw, but the spirit sent the cat flying back with a straight punch, leaving Glameow completely defeated.

"It's over...thanks, Hye-Jin." Danika looked at the spirit, the latter took a bow to her and then returned to the totem. "...I'll take care of you later." She gave an angry look to Johanna before running away in the direction Akari left.

Meanwhile with Akari, her Arcanine had simply kept running in the direction Johanna told them, eventually making it to Sandgem Beach.

"That must be the place." Akari said looking at a plane landing a few miles away. "I can only hope Dawn hadn't left yet. What am I supposed to do now? Miss Johanna is in problem because of me, I- Look out!" She shouted and her Arcanine stopped as it almost ran over someone, but the brake was so abrupt that it caused Akari to fall off her Pokemon and to the sand.

"Dawn, is that you? Are you okay?" Lucas asked offering a hand. " ...What kind of Pokemon is that?"

"AAH! Sasori!" Akari tossed another Poke Ball and called upon a Sneasler that threatened Lucas with his claws.

"Wait, wait, it's me, Lucas! I'm professor Rowan's assistant!" He said. "I can understand you don't remember me, but please calm down."

"Oh...sorry about that scare." Seeing how he wasn't doing anything worrying, Akari and their Pokemon calmed themselves a little. Lucas then offered his hand again to help her stand up and she accepted it, but the moment they touched, the two of them felt a shock and separated.

"Ouch! Was that a buzzer or..." Lucas looked at his hand for a mark, but what he saw was how it was vanishing in thin air. "Uh, D-Dawn? Dawn! What's going on?!"

"I... don't know..." Akari answered as Lucas continued to vanish.

"Stop right there, you-!" Danika caught up to Akari just to see how Lucas completely disappeared. "What was...What did you do to that guy?!" Danika shouted.

"I-I don't know! I simply touched him!" Akari exclaimed.

"He took your place in the past..." Danika trailed off remembering Dialga's warning.

"H-He what?!" Akari exclaimed and touched one of Danika's wrists.

"Don't touch me!" Danika shouted again and Akari backed down as her Arcanine and Sneasler stood in front of her to protect her.

"Oh no, no, no!" Akari backed further from her. "Don't tell me you'll also-"

"It's fine! I'm fine!" Danika exclaimed and held her arm trying to calm herself. "It was a... reflex, Dialga said that that transfer thing could only happen to one person...but that guy is gone, I told you it was dangerous that you stayed here!"

"I-I know but-"

"I can't believe I lost track of you enough for this to happen!" Danika continued. "And now that guy is in Dialga-knows-where! And I don't even know if he can be brought back! I don't even know if you can be sent back to the past anymore!"

"I-I had no idea something like this would happen!" Akari kneeled in the ground and began to cry. "I just want to go home! I-I never wanted to come here!"

"...Please just come with me." Danika sighed and tried to talk as calmed as she could. "Nobody else here needs to get hurt, I promise I'll get you back to your home somehow." She offered her hand.

"F...Fine." Akari took her hand and sighed relieved when nothing happened. "I give up."

Back in Johanna's house.

"Come on Dawn, why won't you answer?" She asked trying to call her through her phone.

"You can cut that off Johanna, I put down the communications before all this started." Danika walked back into the wrecked house, with Akari walking behind her.

"A-Akari? W-What happened?!" Johanna ran to her.

"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have stayed with you two..." She trailed off.

"It's okay, someone will notice what happened to the house, they'll have to call Dawn for us." Johanna said.

"That's not happening either." Danika talked again. "I already ordered a removal team, they'll fix the house, but don't worry, you won't have to pay us anything...still, I warned you Johanna, you resisted, not to mention you already know too much about all this...I'm taking you under arrest. Akari and you are coming with me."