Ash looked at the desolation that he and his Pokémon had created. He whistled in amazement, as he returned four, of his strongest Pokémon, to their Pokéballs and looked toward a beaten and battered Lucario and Pikachu.

"Master, for the love of God, use them in battle!" Lucario pleaded as he was gasping for air. "That was no training session out there. They were trying to kill us."

"Pika pi pika chu cha pika pi Pikapi," Pikachu added as he hit the ground, feeling exhausted.

"Hey, I asked you guys if you really wanted to join them, and you said yes," Ash stated as he giggled at the condition that those two were in. "You have no one to blame, but yourselves. Thankfully, I probably won't need to use you two tomorrow, so you two can rest."

Ash hadn't seen Serena, after his battle with Max. His group of friends decided to help cheer Max up by deciding to go out into the town, that night. He figured Serena would have felt awkward if she hadn't gone with them, and he totally understood that. Instead, he used the time to relax and go to bed early, so he could enjoy his day off before the next round, which would start the full 6-on-6 battles of the tournament. He decided to exercise his top six pokémon. Despite offering Pikachu and Lucario the chance to take a day off, they insisted on participating, and now, they both regretted in making that decision.

"I didn't think they would come out and do this," Lucario said as he motioned to the destroyed field. The once green and gorgeous field has now become a wasteland of mud, craters, scorched earth and trees that were cut in half. Lucario took his eyes off the destruction and turned his head towards Ash's belt as a look of horror appeared across his face. "Oh crap! They're ready to go at it again. Good lord, do they not know when to stop?"

Ash threw his head back in laughter, as he saw the face that Lucario made. "You have to remember, Lucario. They have been in tournaments, like this, before," he explained as he walked over to his companions. "They love the limelight and the opportunity to show off their true strength. Each one of them has played an important role in, at least, one or more of my conference appearances, and they wanted another shot on a big battlefield."

"At this rate, they'll destroy that battlefield," Lucario muttered under his breath.

"Pika pika," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Wow, you two have been spoiled," Ash said playfully. "You've gone soft. Maybe I should toss you guys in your Pokéballs. Maybe then, you'll come out with their fire and passion." Lucario and Pikachu both shot glares towards Ash, as he laughed at their reactions. "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here," Ash said as he picked up Pikachu and placed him on his shoulder. He bent down, so Lucario could get on his back. The aura Pokémon rested his head on the opposite shoulder, which Pikachu was laying on.

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked with a glimmer in his eyes.

Ash chuckled when he noticed Lucario also had the same hopeful expression in his eyes as he was waiting for the answer. "Yeah, I guess you guys earned a fancy dinner. We'll eat in the lounge, on the top floor of the hotel, tonight." With their answer being met, both Pokémon let out a joyful cheer as Ash made his way back to the hotel, carrying his two loyal partners.

---

Serena, Clemont, Dawn, and May were walking through the hotel hallway toward their rooms, as they were discussing the night that the group enjoyed, after Max's defeat to Aaron, earlier the same day.

"I still can't believe that Brock ended up getting that girl's number!" Dawn exclaimed as the rest of the group laughed.

"Well, what did you expect?" May responded. "After all, he's a now Pokémon Doctor, and all girls just love a guy in a doctor's outfit. The funniest thing about that moment was the expression on Toxicroak's face when the girl actually gave it to him. He looked as if he was about to pass out from shock!"

The group's laughs intensified as the memory came back to them. While the night was fun, it had also been crazy. Luckily for Bonnie, she had a day off tomorrow, so the fact they didn't get back until early in the morning, didn't bother her much. Serena had been slightly disappointed as she didn't get the chance to see Aaron, after the match. But still, the night was fun and insane.

"Well, here we are," Clemont announced as the group came to the girls' room. "Do you think that they're still in there, watching videos?"

"Knowing those two, they properly have gone through the footage three times already," May responded. "Come on, I got my key right here." She took out a card key from her fanny pack. She slid the key through the electronic card reader and opened the door. Dawn noticed that they were missing someone. She turned to see Serena facing the door, across the hall, from theirs.

"Hey, Serena. Aren't you coming in with us?" she asked her.

Serena turned and gave Dawn a smile. "Yeah. I am, but I'm going to see if Aaron wants to hang out with us, for a bit. I know the whole 'don't make friends with the enemy' bit that a lot of trainers have, but I don't think he's like that. Besides, I've seen him hang out with Trevor and Gary, despite Trevor is still competing in the tournament."

Dawn smirked from ear to ear at Serena's proposal. "Well, don't just stand there, Serena. Knock!"

Serena took a deep breath in and exhaled, before balling her hand into a fist and lightly knocking on the door. She waited a few seconds but didn't hear anything. "Maybe he didn't hear me or thought it was a knock on a different door," she said as she knocked louder. She waited for what seemed like minutes before she let out a groan and dropped her head in defeat.

"No luck?" Dawn said with dissatisfaction in her voice, as she saw Serena enter their room with a defeated look on her face.

"Yeah. He hasn't been in his room, all day," Serena answered as she took a seat on her bed.

"Who?" Bonnie asked turning her attention away from the video, which she was watching with Max.

"I wanted to hang out with Aaron, but he's nowhere to be found," Serena said while noticing that Bonnie wasn't watching a video of Aaron battling. It was someone else. "By the way, Bonnie, why are you watching a video about Volkner? You're battling Aaron tomorrow, not Volkner."

"I know that," Bonnie said with an annoyed tone in her voice. "I wanted to see how different elite level trainers deal with raw speed, like that of Aaron's Pokémon. While I won't be facing Volkner tomorrow, it sure is helpful to watch on how he deals with faster opponents. I also watched some of Sabrina and Lorelei's battles against other Elite Four members and Lance, to study their strategies against faster opponents."

"Hmm. . . . Interesting theory that you're making here, Bonnie," Clemont said.

"Thanks, big brother. This is the last piece of film that we have in the room, so afterward, we can go and get something to eat."

"Finally!" May shouted. "I'm starving!"

"Didn't you ate like two hours ago?" Max responded as he was shocked that his older sister is hungry again.

"Yeah, but sitting here and watching you two lovebirds are making me hungry!" The group laughed as they saw Bonnie and Max's cheeks turn a bright red at May's comment.

---

Ash sat in a booth that looked out over Saffron City. The city was shining in the night sky. He was seated in a half circle booth, which was lowered from the main walking area of the lounge, in order to give off a personal atmosphere. The booth was turned to face the wall, made of glass, which gave the customers beautiful views of the city or forests, surrounding the hotel, depending on where, in the lounge, you sat.

On his lap, sat Pikachu, who had fallen asleep. The mouse Pokémon had curled itself into a yellow ball, emitting heat onto Ash's lab. His breaths were slow and rhythmical. The electric type's breathing was being matched by Lucario's, who was now leaning against Ash, while also sleeping. The Pokémon rested its head in the crook of Ash's neck, as a small smile graced his lips. They had finished eating, a while ago, but the waiters were in no rush to kick them out, and instead, encouraged them to stay and enjoy the sights. Tuckered out from their earlier training session, and with their stomachs full, the two Pokémon had quickly fallen asleep, leaving their trainer only with his thoughts.

Ash snapped out of thoughts when Trevor and his Mewtwo, who was by his side, walked over to his booth and stopped in front of him.

"Hey there, Aaron," Trevor said while making sure that no one was listening. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh, Trevor. What brings you here?" asked Ash.

"Well, I wanted to give my Pokémon a nice dinner, for their hard work and effort that has gotten us into the next round," Trevor responded as he and Mewtwo sat down across from Ash and his Pokémon. "They enjoyed it. Right, Mewtwo?"

"The food tasted very good," Mewtwo responded as he gazed over towards a sleeping Lucario and chuckled. "It seems those two are out cold. I sensed that they were a bit exhausted from a training session, today."

Ash chuckled. "Yep, that's what happened. I had them train alongside with four of my strongest Pokémon. Although I offered them a chance to rest, both Pikachu and Lucario insisted. When the session was over, they were regretting their decision."

"Oh dear," Trevor stated as he gave a chuckle. "Well, at least you now know they could handle an intense training session, like that one."

"Yeah," Ash said while noticing a serious, yet playful, look on Trevor's face.

"Ash," Trevor whispered while making sure that no one was listening to their conversation. "That remark you made to Max, at the start of your match, it's the same one that Giovanni made about you and Serena. Why did you use a tactic that was used by the enemy?

"To be fair, Trevor." Ash hesitated while giving a nervous chuckle. "At least I didn't say it, in a threatening tone. Right?"

Trevor thought about it, and ultimately, was satisfied with Ash's answer.

"Yeah. I guess." Trevor said as he gives Ash a satisfied look.

Suddenly, they both heard footsteps and familiar voices making their way towards them. Ash turned his head in a way that wouldn't upset either of his Pokémon, as he noticed his friends approaching.

"Long time, no see," he said, catching the group's attention. He immediately saw Serena's face light up and a smile appearing on her face. Under his mask, he was smiling too. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're good. Thanks for asking," Serena said as she approached them. "Have you already eaten?"

"Yeah. We ate a while ago. These two fell asleep, so I'm just sitting here enjoying the sights," Ash said as he gestured to his two Pokémon.

"I'm enjoying the sights as well," Trevor said calmly.

Serena saw the peaceful look on Lucario's face and felt a bit of jealousy inside of her. "Man, that is one lucky Pokémon."

"Mind if we joined you guys?" she asked.

"Sure. You guys can join us, right Aaron?" Trevor asked as he turned to look at Ash.

"Yeah, I would like that. That is if it is alright with your friends." Ash said. He was hopeful that his friends would agree with her plan, but he would understand if Max or Bonnie didn't want to. After all, they were competitors; however, Trevor is also a competitor, but he's alright.

Much to Ash and Serena's delight, the group shrugged and walked over to the booth to join him and Trevor. He noticed a few giggles and glances being shared, between Dawn and May but brushed it off when Serena sat on the side that Lucario wasn't on. She was next to him with little distance separating them, as the group barely managed to fit into the booth. Ash fought the urge to grab Serena's hand, so instead, began to slowly scratch behind Pikachu's ears, while earning a low coo from the sleeping Pokémon.

The group held scattered conversations, as they waited for the waiter. Once they ordered and had gotten their drinks, the conversations died down to an awkward silence.

"So Aaron, what is up with those two," Max asked as he pointed to the two sleeping Pokémon. "They look exhausted. Any reason?"

"We just did some training earlier and they were put through the wringer. After that, we came up here," Ash stated. "I had to actually give Lucario a piggy back ride because he was so tired if you could believe that."

"Wow, that sounds more intense than the first time you explained it," Max exclaimed. "You'll have to show me what you do to get your pokémon so strong, Aaron." The rest of the group hummed in agreement. They wanted to know about the mysterious trainer's secrets too.

"As I said, a few days ago, maybe after the tournament is over. I can't be giving away my secrets, after all," Ash said playfully toward Max. The comment earned a disappointed sigh from Max and a chuckle from the rest of the group.

"So I'm guessing all that training must have pushed you too," Serena commented. "After all, you do look. . . . so well defined." She was blushing as she finished her statement.

Ash laughed at her reaction and admired her blush. He always thought it was cute and had missed it, during his time on Shamouti Island. He began to answer, "Yeah, I had been given some advice, a few years back, to train alongside my Pokémon. In the end, it has been some of the best advice that I have ever gotten. The bond that we now share is second to none. We know each other's weaknesses and push ourselves further than we could have ever thought possible. It really made us into the family we are now," Ash finished as he smiled down to the Pokémon in his lap.

"Is that how you got that scar?" Bonnie asked as she pointed to Ash's left eye that showed a bit of the scar that stretched from his forehead and across his left eye, before vanishing underneath his mask.

Ash shook his head. "No. I got that from saving this guy," he scratched the top of Lucario's head, causing his smile to grow.

"You know, I have been wondering about that, for a while now," Trevor stated as he too was curious about Ash's scar. "I would like to hear about that story, please. If you don't mind, of course?"

"Yeah! That sounds like a real adventure!" May and Dawn both exclaimed.

Ash let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, if you guys really want to hear the story." He said as he begins to tell his tale to the group. "As I said at dinner, a while back, it was about five years ago now. What I didn't tell you was that Pikachu and I were stowaways on a freighter. . . ."