The new year came and went, and so December ended, and then came January, but even still the gang didn't immediately go off to start training or to get back together, I mean they had everything already, they had plenty of time to prepare.
May had the Grand Festival, and Ash had the Conference, they had reasons to just go and train by themselves, plus Brock said he was spending some time with Lucy right now.
Plus May still had to get used to her Munchlax, since sure she did get better, but well it was still Munchlax, not exactly really easy to train or feed. Food really wasn't a problem; the rest of it was.
One day she asked Ash if he could come by and let her use his Snorlax to help her Munchlax train, but Ash, after feeding him at home, went and showed her Snorlax, who just slept, then Munchlax got up, got onto his stomach, and she fell asleep there too. The weirdest part is that she did actually get stronger.
But anyway back to the thing, the order that they have to go was gonna be May's Grand Festival in February, and after that it's the Ever Grande Conference in April. After that's done, Ash just has to wait past May for his birthday and get ready to start Sinnoh in late May.
Now it sounds straightforward, but frankly most of it was just waiting, and of course that doesn't mean Ash won't be doing nothing, he had plenty to do for preparation in Sinnoh.
But frankly, now that everything was dealt with over with Team Aqua and Magma, things were chill, so much so that after the New Year passed Ash finally took his mom and Molly over to Lavaridge Town to visit the hot springs.
And sure Ash enjoyed it too, especially since he doesn't have that scar on his chest anymore, and he took the time to go check up on Flannery, and go check the volcano where Groudon was sleeping in now.
Flannery was more than happy to see him and gladly went up to check with him as they talked about the situation that's been going on. Apparently Lavaridge lucked out since it's so high up, it almost didn't even get touched in the incident, so in the rebuilding efforts she really didn't have to do anything, but she still said that she was gonna go and help out Rustboro City, since unlike here that is the town that got hit the hardest.
Poor Roxanne was dealing with all of that alone, even with Devon Corporation being in the town it was still a pain for her to deal with by herself.
But anyway after checking in with her, Ash decided to disassemble the machine once and for all since they wouldn't need it and also so he can take the piece of the meteorite back, since Rayquaza ate the big one he was left with 1 small piece, and now with this that makes 2 small pieces.
The meteorite was still useful, it could absorb natural energy. That made it insanely useful, because of the term 'natural energy', what do you think that means? I'll give you some time to take a guess, because here is the thing, it is way more than you think.
So after Ash got that back, together they went back to town, and Ash even let himself relax and went into the hot springs.
After that, when they went home, Ash spent some more time with his mom and helped out in the restaurant, plus it let him hang out with his friends since he had a lot of free time, especially let him talk with Dawn since she was gonna get out soon. Oh yeah, Barry too.
But that's for later. But of course he still likes hanging out with his friends, although talking with Dawn and Barry made him remember, oh yeah, Paul is probably doing stuff in Johto. He wonders how he's doing.
—
{Meanwhile}
Paul was walking through the forest off to get to his next Gym, although he was visibly annoyed, grinding his teeth, because next to him was someone he hated but for some reason he keeps getting followed by him, Goh.
"Well where are we going next buddy, and can we stop here? I think I saw a Pokémon I need to catch and—" Goh was talking really fast.
"Can you leave me alone already!" Paul snapped at him. It's been like this since he met this guy in Kanto. Back then he caught a Pokémon, he looked at its moves and thought that it wasn't good enough.
But at the same time this guy passed by, and when he saw that Paul was gonna release the Pokémon he asked if he could just have it, and since at the time Paul didn't really care, he gave it to him. Worst mistake of his life.
Because after that he started following him around, and annoying him, and Paul HATES it. He is so annoying especially when he talks about catching Mew for hours every day. This has been his day every day for a year. Paul even stopped releasing Pokémon in hopes that now that Goh couldn't get the ones he didn't want he'd leave, but no, he kept following him around.
The fact that Paul hasn't just attacked him is nothing short of a miracle. He really considered it, but no, he'd lose his trainer license, and he just had to remember, as soon as he's done with Johto he'll go to Sinnoh directly, skipping over Hoenn, just because Goh is legally not allowed to travel around there yet. Just a few more months.
"Ha, good one best buddy, anyway come on I think I saw a group of Kricketot," Goh said happily, putting his arm over Paul's shoulder.
"Don't touch me," Paul said, but Goh either didn't hear him or ignored him.
And as Paul got dragged, he thought, did he do something in his last life? Did he like… offend someone, or do some war crime? Can he apologize? Because why does he deserve this? No one deserves this.
He'd rather hang out with Barry than have to be with this idiot.
—
'Meh, he's probably fine,' Ash thought as he went on with his day.
Some more housekeeping things. So first off, the Courtney situation, she was still getting treated, and Daisy was spending a lot of time helping with her treatment. So much so that Daisy decided to drop out of this year's Kanto Grand Festival. There would be another one next year, but Courtney took priority.
Most of the days that she brought her here to Pallet for them to hang out again, she didn't seem to remember them. I mean she kinda remembered their names when she saw them, but she didn't seem to remember any of the good times they had together.
But that might have just been trauma or grief. That was to be determined, plus she was slowly starting to get better, and Daisy was happy, so really that's all that mattered.
Next over with the Zinnia issue, he went over to visit where she was, and found her in a Devon Corp facility going through physical therapy to regain the use of her legs, while some League-appointed personnel watched over her.
When Zinnia saw him, she got really happy and quickly got back to her wheelchair to go over to him to talk.
Apparently the Draconid people are doing really well, other than there being like 50 of them left. Now they aren't struggling for resources, and can live their lives happily. As for her… well let's not get into that.
Next up, when Ash went over to visit Wattson to talk about Mauville Holdings, while Wattson would have liked to know how Ash knew to rebuild New Mauville, he knew Ash had his secrets, so Wattson chose not to press the issue. If Ash wanted to tell him, he would.
But as for Mauville Holdings itself, although it was up and operational it just recently got a generous donation from Devon Corporation. Turns out after saving Steven's life, Mr. Stone was very keen on finding some way to repay Ash, starting with this.
And then there was Ash's team at study space. Well, you know, just looking for the meteor wasn't the only thing they were looking for. After all, if that was it, what's the point?
This section was mainly created for them to search space, and the things that come from it. After all we know that Pokémon multiverse is canon, there are multiple, but in this case let's talk about the one that specifically separates the Mega and non-mega timelines.
There is one main difference between the two, and that is the Ultimate Weapon. You see that weapon created so much infinite energy that it converged into two timelines, one where it fired and one where it didn't.
Now this is obviously following the games, and with the manga and anime it's kinda different, but point is this is important, because the Ultimate Weapon let off so much power that all the extra had to go somewhere, and that somewhere was into outer space.
And especially after the meteor fell and Ash found Mega Stones inside of it, that made him wonder more, is there more things to find out in space? And on top of that, what if there are more Deoxys out there? This may be a stretch but the chance is not zero.
And on top of all of that, if this team Ash got together can get that, they might be able to make wormholes to other dimensions. Sure it opens a whole can of worms but think about it, there is loot to be taken out in those other dimensions, and other goodies he can get, and Ash still has some things he'd like the answer to. But that is for later.
So yeah even after the meteor incident was over, the team didn't just stop, they had much more work to do. And hey, maybe he can get them to start investigating Ultra Space, or the Mega dimension.
Oh speaking of Mega and Deoxys, his 2 Deoxys came back a few days ago after collecting as many as they could find in Hoenn and even some in other places like the nearby Johto, Kanto, and Sinnoh. Other regions were too far and not worth the travel.
Ash got a nice little collection of Keystones. He got a bunch of Mega Stones. Now a lot of them were duplicates and some he already had, and even with those that he didn't have there were duplicates of those, plus he couldn't even use all of the new ones, like he got a Pinsirite, he doesn't even have a Pinsir.
So of those that he did find, he got Medicham, Banette, Abomasnow, Kangaskhanite, Gengarite, Charizardite Y, but also some of the new ones like a Clefablite, Skarmorite, a Froslassite, Excadrite, Staraptite, and specifically a Garchompite Z.
Now he couldn't use all of those because of the fact he didn't have all of those, and he also got a bunch of duplicates of ones he already had. And of those, except for the Garchompite Z, he only got 1 of those, and there were obviously more out there. This is just what they found.
But on top of that, Darkrai found something, a few Mega Stones that didn't have color yet, like they were unformed, strange.
Ash took one and looked at it, then he put them separately from all of the other ones he had. Didn't want to risk it until he knew what they were.
But on top of that, there was one last thing he had. He found 1 green Mega Stone that he actually didn't recognize. It was green and brown, and none that he could remember looked like this. And speaking of unknown Mega Stone, he still had that other unknown Mega Stone that Flygon found for him.
He'd have to do some testing, but hey he has a lot of time. Speaking of which there is one thing Ash still needs to do while he still has time.
—
{In the Sevii Islands}
Ash went out after asking Green to take him to the islands, since she was pretty experienced in it because she spent a good amount of time here, so she knew the islands pretty well.
And also she was more than happy to bring Ash along on her adventures now, especially since it was a Green and Ash solo adventure.
As for the place they were going, they were heading straight to Sevault Canyon on Seven Island.
Green leaned casually against the railing, one hand tucked behind her head, the other spinning a Poké Ball between her fingers like it weighed nothing.
"So," she said, glancing sideways at Ash, "you always just ask people to take you places, or am I special?" she said like she was just trying to make conversation.
Ash didn't even look up right away, "You're special because you actually said yes."
That got a small laugh out of her. She leaned a bit closer anyway, shoulder brushing his, "Careful. That almost sounded like a compliment."
"Tell yourself whatever you need to," Ash shrugged.
Up ahead, the shape of Seven Island began to rise out of the haze. Rugged cliffs, dense green ridges.
Ash tilted his head slightly, "That's Sevault Canyon, right?"
Green followed his gaze, "Yeah. Pretty much the most annoying place to get lost in if you don't know it."
"So you've gotten lost there before."
"Multiple times," she said proudly, "But hey, it builds character. Isn't that what you always say? Suffering builds character?"
Ash nodded and rubbed his chin, "I do say that…"
The ferry docked a while later and Sevault Canyon wasn't far inland. They walked close by to the entrance.
Green stretched her arms, "Alright. Rule one: don't fall. Rule two: if you fall, try to look cool doing it."
"That's not a rule."
"It is now."
They started walking, and walking together. Green would every now and then shoot a teasing jab at Ash, but Ash was either not affected, or he teased her back and they laughed.
When they got in and had Pikachu light up the room with [Flash], Green walked next to him with her arms behind her head.
"So what are we even looking for here, unless you came here to try and get me all alone, how naughty~" Green said with a small smirk.
Ash shook his head and spoke, "It's Molly-related," he said, dragging his hand against the wall feeling for something.
"Wait what?" Green stopped smiling and blinked, "Say again?"
Ash kept going as he felt something finally, "It's Molly related. Remember basically what I told you about her dad and the Unown? I think there are some here."
Green immediately got serious. She could get serious when she wanted to, and right now it seemed like this was the time for it, "Why didn't you say that before? I wouldn't have taken the long way."
Ash looked at her, squinting his eyes, but he sighed and kept feeling the wall. He knew there were some Unown here, because he knew Sird was keeping some in here. A while ago she found this place and opened it, then used it to trap more Unown to keep them for later.
As for what 'this place' is, well, Ash finally felt what he was looking for. He smirked and finally pushed it in, and with a click the secret opened, and the wall of the cave began opening. Then around Green and Ash, Unown began shooting out of the cave and spinning.
Green looked at all of them in shock, but Ash activated his Aura and looked around for any that seemed familiar, then he found 2, a D and an E.
Immediately he whistled, "Pikachu, [Electroweb]."
Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and shot a wide net over a bunch of Unown. In it, the E got caught but the D dodged and started flying to the door.
"Green, grab that D!" Ash called out.
Green quickly nodded, "On it!" She ran and pulled a Poké Ball out, "Gengar!"
She threw the ball out and her Gengar flew out laughing. Then Green called out, "Gengar, grab that Unown!"
The D Unown heard and quickly spun around, shooting a [Hidden Power] getting Fire and shooting it at Gengar, but Gengar quickly dodged down and appeared behind the letter. When the Unown turned it saw Gengar laughing with its tongue out.
That made Unown quickly get scared and fall to the ground where Green caught it and quickly threw a Poké Ball at it, catching it quickly. When she looked back, Ash reeled back the net and caught the E.
"Alright, we got 2 more," Ash said with a smile walking over to Green and they gave each other a high five.
"So, how many do we need to help Molly?" Green asked seriously.
Ash pulled out his phone and scrolled, "I think all we are missing is 3 more letters. We need to find an S, a P, and an R."
Green nodded, "Ok, doesn't seem too hard. Just 3 more." She then got a grin, "How about we go back and celebrate with Molly? We are one step closer~"
Ash rolled his eyes, "You just want to show off to Molly and hope she upgrades you from Big Sister Adjacent."
"I swear it will be mine!" Green exclaimed, raising her fist up into the sky, "Besides, when one of the siblings hates me, I have to have one of them like me." Green huffed. She was still upset about the lack of gift.
Ash did the only correct thing to do, and what May should have done every time Ash says that she hates him, he walked away.
Green immediately folded and ran after him, "Wait, Ash, are you not even gonna try to comfort me? Don't tell me you actually hate me," she said, but it was still a little overdramatic and she put her hand over her face, "Oh the pain, my childhood BEST friend hates me… I guess it's true the childhood friend always loses…"
Ash rolled his eyes, and while Green peeked, Ash tossed something back towards her. She blinked and quickly caught it, then looked down and saw it was a Pink Mega Stone, which was confusing to her, she didn't recognize it.
But then Ash's voice cut in, "It's for Clefable."
Green looked up and saw Ash had Abby out and was waiting for her, "So you gonna hop on? We've got to tell Molly, don't we?"
Green immediately went from confused to having a big smile on her face as she ran over and gave Ash a quick hug, "I knew you were just one big old tsundere, Ash. You could never hate me!" she said proudly.
"Hm, I'm still considering leaving you here," Ash said, but Green just giggled and then they teleported together.
—
{A month later}
It was time. May was preparing. She put on her usual clothes and made sure her bandana was put on nice and tied, and in her bag she already had her new contest outfit, the very same one she got from Juan. I mean she looks great in it, why would she not use it? Plus it looks much better than bright pink.
But when she was fixing herself she walked past a mirror and caught a glimpse of herself. She slowly took a few steps back seeing her bandana on her head, and after all of Ash's pointing it out she took a good look at herself and realized, much to her displeasure, 'oh no… they do look like bunny ears…' she said finally looking at the way her bandana stood up
But she was too tired and committed to change her style, so she went down the stairs. She expected maybe Norman went off to deal with Gym Leader duties. She already prepared herself to not see her dad there in the Grand Festival cheering for her.
But when she went downstairs, Norman was sitting right there at the table with his legs crossed. When he looked up he smiled, "Hey, if it isn't our very own Top Coordinator!"
May blinked, "D-dad? Didn't you have things you were gonna do? Why are you still here?"
Norman waved his hand, "Oh that? Well that stuff is not important. You think I'd miss my little girl's most important day? I would never," he said dramatically, holding his heart.
Plus realistically speaking, Petalburg was one of those cities that really didn't get as hit as other places, so all the repairs that needed to be made were already made, and since the Gyms were all closed, the only thing that needed to be done was some paperwork.
And like… who does that paperwork go to? The Association? You mean the one with no president and was going under heavy investigation still? Yes, it's been months but the investigation is still going.
"Actually your father was more excited than you were last night," Caroline walked in holding a plate of pancakes for May, "He hardly got any sleep."
"Ah, dear I don't think we have to tell her that part," Norman said helplessly.
May stood there stunned, before she felt her lower lip tremble and she ran down and hugged her dad, "Dad… thank you."
Norman smiled and rubbed her head, "You don't need to thank me, I'm your dad. You're always the most important thing to me."
Caroline pushed her way in pouting, "And where is my hug?"
May wiped her eyes and smiled, hugging Caroline too, "I love you too, Mom."
Caroline felt content as she hugged her back, "May, we wouldn't miss this day for anything."
"So come on, after you finish breakfast, we'll all go together," Norman said with a grin, holding up a Poké Ball and spinning it, "How about it May, wanna race our way there~"
May chuckled and smiled, holding out her own Poké Ball, "Only if you want to lose, Dad!"
Meanwhile Max slowly walked out with bead hair he looked up, saw both May and Norman looking like they were ready to turn breakfast into a competition, he slowly walked up, took a plate of pancakes from Caroline, and turned, "I'll have breakfast in the living room…"