A/N

I hope everyone had a good Christmas.

Extremely sorry about the huge delay. More about it after the chapter.

Aside from that, enjoy the chapter! Leave a vote if you like the chapter. And don't be afraid to comment!

Also, if you see any mistakes don't be afraid to point them out. It's late when I was editing so I probably missed some mistakes.

***

The loud bellow of a grunt slashed the blissful silence of Vidiran forest. Sweat beaded down Ash's raven head as the man angrily stomped over with an irritated frown. Ash barely held in his girly yelp that bubble menacingly at the tip of his month.

"What, a cat got your tongue, kid? Spit it out!" The grunt spat with enough coldness to take down a Charizard.

Ash's hands nervously played with his blue jeans as his mind began to turn into a confused pokemon. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly, as he hands ran over his pocket, an idea popped into his head like Mew using teleport.

"P-p-Pokémon Go," the student manged nervously, holding up his phone with the app open and playing on his screen.

The brown eyes of the muscled man narrowed, making Ash's heartbeat outside his chest. "Pokemon Go?" The grunt tonelessly questioned, his eyes darkening.

The raven head immediately nodded. "Y-yes," withholding any signs of cowardness from emerging in his voice.

After a couple of more seconds under the intense glare, the grunt let out an annoyed sigh and smacked his forehead. "You seem to be lost on your stupid pokemon adventure, so I'll cut you some slack."

Ash tentatively nodded, not wanting to attract any more trouble then he already had around him. "Follow me, kid. Ill escort you out," the grunt ordered, giving Ash a little shove towards the exit of the forest. Immediately, Ash started walking in the direction he was shoved, with the grunt following behind closely.

As the two trudged through the dense forest, Ash's growing curiosity eventually got the better of the boy. "What is happening here? I was here a couple of days ago, and everything was normal."

Taking a glance at his escort, he saw the grunt's face tug into an annoyed frown. "Some research project. Don't know, don't care. I'm just here to look after them from people like you and get paid," he spat. Satisfied with the answer, Ash looked back in front, not daring to push the grunt's sensitive buttons any further.

When the duo reached the tree line of the forest, the grunt ordered, "Now scram. If I see you again, I will not be so kin-"

A powerful bolt of electricity rained down from the trees, striking the grunt and electrocuting him. After a couple of seconds of the grunt's agonising screams of pain, the electricity stopped, and the man collapsed onto the ground. Ash quickly checked on him and saw his eyes rolled into his head; he wasn't going to be conscious for a while.

The yellow mouse pokemon then suddenly leapt from the tree and landed on top of the grunt he just took down. "What the hell Pikachu!" Ash boomed at the yellow mouse Pokémon, who was wilding grinning on top of his tasered victim.

"What do you mean? What the hell?" Pikachu shot in disgust. "I just saved you. Where is the 'thank goodness you are here' or 'thanks for saving me' or even thanks, in general, would be appreciated!"

"He was about to let me go you, idiot," Ash exclaimed with an annoyed tone, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Shrugging dismissively, Pikachu mocked, "O boohoo. You are free so the same result." Ash let out an annoyed scoff at his companions swagger. "His gang were doing some research at our portal entrance, so it's probably best to knock him out."

"You think they know anything about you guys," Ash inquired.

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders, "Probably. While we split off, I tried to do some digging, but I couldn't understand the data they were collecting with the weird devices they are holding."

"So they know that there is something fishy going on here?" Ash confirmed

Rubbing a hand against his chin, deep in thought, Pikachu then concluded, "Yes."

"Then why did you thunderbolt the man!" Ash yelled, wildly waving his arms around while motioning to the downed grunt in front of them. "Not suspicious at all Pikachu!"

"He probably won't remember," Pikachu waved away dismissively like it was a tiny ant.

"Probably?" Ash interrogated, his eyes narrowing.

Seeing the intense stare, Pikachu nervously rubbed the back of his head "Well... Hopefully, he won't remember."

Ash scoffed at the mouse Pokemon and groaned, "Geez the word covert and stealth is not in your nature is it."

"Hey I can be stealthy," Pikachu defensively barked.

Scoffing at the reply, Ash immediately retorted, "O yeah. Cause it was sooo hard finding you."

As Pikachu eyes angrily twitched and his paws turn into a fist, Pikachu hissed, "As I said before I LET you find me ok!"

"Yeah yeah, if that helps you sleep at night," Ash teased, hiding a smile from his face.

"Shut up and hide the body," Pikachu barked as he lept off the unconscious man.

Letting out an annoyed groan, Ash walked over the grunt and started dragging him behind thick bushes cursing under his breath, "You are starting to sound like my mum now."

Satisfied with where the grunt was hidden, Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned back to his pokemon partner. But before, the two could spark a conversation or plan what to do next, Pikachu let out a tired yawn and rubbed his eyes.

Ash's eye twitched at the action. "How are you tired? I did all the work with hiding the body you created."

The Pokemon stiffened at the question. "Hey now. While you were with busy with your girlfriend, I was trying to find you to drag you over to the portal."

A faint blush formed on the raven head's face at the mention of 'girlfriend.' Girlfriend... It sounded pleasant to Ash. Before his friends abandoned him, he wouldn't have understood the meaning of having a girlfriend or being someone's boyfriend. The raven head was as dense as a Golem.

But, with the 'help' of Brock and small hints from his mother, he eventually grew out of his dense shell. He still had his facepalming stupid moments, but there were through and far between. So, as Ash could help but ponder over how his relationship with Serena went so wrong, that's when all the pieces of the puzzle were complete. She had a crush on him. From the constant stuttering whenever they touched and the bright red blush on her face, it was clear to ASh that Serena did indeed like him.

But just as quickly as that thought came, he promptly shoved the feeling away and locked it into a cell forged in his mind and replied seriously, "She is not my girlfriend, Pikachu."

"Yeah, sure," Pikachu snorted. But deep down you want her to be, don't you Ash.

The raven head just rolled his eyes at Pikachu's comment. "Plus, your bed was so comfy I didn't want to wake up," Pikachu added absently, stretching his arms.

"Hold up. Since when did you sleep on my bed?" Ash interrogated as an eyebrow rose. Seeing the Pokemon nervously scratch his head, Ash's eyes went wide. "Did you come into my room while I was sleeping!"

Pikachu opened his mouth to bark a defence, but a cheeky high pitched voice interrupted the pokemon, "You two sleep together. Cute but don't you think you two are going to quickly?"

Startled by the mysterious voice, Ash and Pikachu's head snapped towards to where the voice came from. As they looked, they saw the pink, floating bipedal Pokémon staring back at them, giggling as it floated in front of them.

Seeing the bubbly pink Pokemon giggling over their 'close bond,' a vivid blush grew on both their faces. "MEW! What the hell?" Pikachu bellowed as he attempted to tackle the mythical Pokemon to the ground. Whose laughing only increased as Pikachu embarrassing fall flat on his face after Mew effortlessly dodged one of his tackles.

While all this was happening, Ash stood there with a flustered face. Eventually, Ash tried to persuade, "It was all Pikachu's doing." Pointing an accusing finger at the downed electric type. "I was sleeping when he snuck in."

Immediately, Pikachu shot to his feet, electricity sparking from his cheeks."No, that all lies! He started to cuddling me like I was one of his plushies I swear," Pikachu exclaimed hurriedly, staring daggers at the raven head.

"Shut up, Pikachu!" Ash boomed. "I thought you were my Pikachu plushy!" Ash tried to reason.

A twitch formed on the face of the electric Pokemon. How dare he compare the 'mighty' Pikachu to a mere plushy? "What the hell kind of plushy feels warm! Last time I check, I was the real thing you know,"

As Ash and Pikachu continued to butt heads with their loud shouting match, Mew stood to the side, amused at how the two-act around each other. From the limited time Mew got to see of Ash, thy mythical pokemon noted how he usually was more timid and quiet whenever he was around other humans. But with them, he was a completely different person. Noisy, joking, curious and most of easy going. It's like Ash could safely let down his guard when he was around them, which was sad.

The raven head had such a strong and positive personality that the world could benefit from, but the watchful grasp subdued Giovanni. The thought of the pale man mad Mew's blood boil.

That devil made Ash's life a living hell. Ripping the boy away from his father like they were a piece in a chess game. Which then had a snowball effect in his life at school and with his friends. And all Ash did was put on a mask and smiled as if everything was ok. He was bottling up the pain and sadness, screaming from his scarred heart. For years he did this. Until his bubble burst and he let it out all onto Lucario's chest and in front of them.  Their hearts ached with Ash when they saw his tears of pain. From that then own, Mew and Pikachu vowed to protect the boy whenever and however they can.

"Hey Mew, do you know what is happening with all that?" Ash asked, pointing to where the strangely dressed group was stationed.

Clearing its throat, the Mythical Pokemon answered, "That's why I am here?"

Annoyed at the vague answer the mythical Pokemon was giving, Pikachu placed his hands on his hip and impatiently added, "So are you going to tell us?"

A giggle escaped Mew's mouth over Pikachu's lack of patients. "Brace yourselves."

Dread immediately sailed over Pikachu's face like a pokemon using surf. Taking a couple of scarred steps away from the psychic Pokemon, he pleaded, "Hang on Mew. Surely there is another way." Ash and Mew couldn't help but snicker at the electric type.

"Nope."

Suddenly, the three disappeared from the forest as if they were never there. Much to the girly screams of Pikachu, who was screaming curses and threats at the other two. Who almost died of laugher.

As quickly as they disappeared, the trio flickered back into existence, with Pikachu falling flat on his face, grasping his stomach, and Ash on the ground, clenching his stomach to try to stop his laughter.

When the raven head stopped, he got to his feet and looked around his surroundings. Inspecting his surroundings, the teenager realised he was in a dimly lit cave, with the bright light of the cave's exit shinning from behind him and an old wooden sign placed in front of him. Reading, "Welcome to Digglet Cave, Pewter City entrance. Stay on the track to get to Vermillion City and do not feed the wildlife in the cave."

As he figured out where the group teleported to, Ash then turned to Mew, staring at Ash, wanting him to speak. "It's so cool how you can teleport like that! I wish I could do that! It would make  life sooooo much easier!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Mew couldn't help ut giggle over Ash's enthusiasm.

"Speak for that yourself. I'm ready to throw up..." Pikachu mumbled, collapsed on the dirt ground of the cave.

"O be quiet you." Ash shot confidently, before turning to the psychic Pokemon. "Why are we in Digglet Cave Mew?"

"This place is Digglet Cave?" Pikachu interrupted with a shocked tone. Seeing the nod from Ash, Pikachu's face tugged into an annoyed frown, "Digglet has a cave named after it but not me?!"

"Don't look at me like that. I don't create the names. But I believe moles are living around the cave, so that might be the reason?" Ash explained.

The two Pokemon gave the raven head a dumbfounded look. "What's a mole?" They ask.

Ash facepalmed at the question. "They dig a lot. But don't worry about it too much," Ash tried to explain.

A cheeky giggle escaped Mew before it exclaimed happily, "But to answer your question about the weirdly dressed group back there. Arceus will explain things soon."

The raven head rose an eyebrow, "Well, how are we going to get to Arceus if they are guarding th-"

Rudely interrupting the raven head, the same purple portal whirled into existence in front of him, kicking up the dirt and dust beneath it and creating a thick dust cloud that temporarily blinded the trio.

When the portal finished expanding, and they could all see again, Ash turned to the two Pokemon and exclaimed, "I see. Another portal location."

***

"Ash. I'm glad you could make it here safely," Arceus said when it saw Ash emerge from the purple abyss of the portal and into the gloomy reverse world environment. His companions quickly following in pursuit.

"Thank you, Arceus. I've been waiting to come back here ever since I left," Glancing at the wolf-like aura Pokemon standing emotionlessly beside Arceus with his arms folded across his chest.

"So what will you be teaching me today, Lucario?" Ash excitedly asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement like a child about to receive his present on Christmas. 

Seeing the beaming smile and the sparkle in Ash's chocolate brown eyes, Arceus couldn't help but let out a chuckle. While Lucario just rose an eyebrow, never had he expected to see Ash this excited for training, especially after the pummeling he had coped days earlier.

"Its good to see you enthusiastic about aura training Ash. But Arceus and I need to talk to you about something before we can start," Lucario exclaimed calmly, with a hint of seriousness.

When Ash felt the severe tone of his teacher's voice, his body tensed and his full attention went to the duo. The aura pokemon usually adopted a serious style whenever he spoke, that was just his nature from serving under sir Aaron and the times. But this instance, his voice was said in a manner that demanded attention and concentration. It grabbed Ash's attention like a magnet.

Seeing the faint but intent nod from the raven head, Arceus explained, "Around midnight, Lucario noticed a group dressed in Red and white scanning the area around where the portal would form. This group is called team flare, and it seems that they have noticed our recent actions in what you would call Vidiran forest."

"Do you know what they are doing?" Ash sought.

The two shook their heads. "We do not know their intentions yet," Arceus told. "But we know they want to harness our power for evil deeds. And they will stop at nothing to get it. Even kidnapping and interrogating people who seem to have connections with us."

So that means that had humans helping them before, Ash concluded. "So is that why you wanted me to keep all this a secret. So that they won't suspect me?"

"It's the main reason, yes. You never know who is working with these people," Lucario answered.

Ash nodded in agreement. "It's so annoying that people want to use your power for selfish needs!" Ash huffed, his face tugging into a frown. The boy always pondered about the existence of Pokemon in his world. If Pokemon were able to integrate peacefully into the world who knows what life would be like? Would it be like the Pokemon anime? If it were, Ash would adore it. The boy could barely stay in one spot for an extended amount of time. So the sound of adventuring around the world with friends was like the best Christmas present he could receive.

"It is an annoyance. And it only seems to be getting worst. These sudden check-ups have been getting more common."

"So you are saying that you have dealt with team flare before?"

"Whenever we use a portal constantly, it usually takes them a couple of weeks for them to show up. We believe that they have a way to track the energy produced by our portals." 

"So does that mean we will have to stop meeting each other?" Ash asked hesitantly.

Ash didn't want all this to stop. For the first time in years, the raven head felt complete again. Before that fateful day where Ash spotted Pikachu in Vidiran forest, his days were bleak, boring, and empty. He had nothing to look forward to. School suddenly became a compulsory drag, and homelife plummeted like an anchor on a ship. And before he knew it, with his friends disappearing like the white dove in a magic trick, and his only wish to take care of his mum, the boy delved right back into Pokemon. He used the pocket monster series to try to fill the void left empty. But it could only do so much.

When he finally met them (pokemon), Ash had a genuine reason to get out of bed because of them. Not cause of the looming threat of Pikachu and his scary electric, but because he had something to look forward to. New memories to be created and friends to be made, another adventure to travel on. Life finally decided to take pity on the boy and threw him a life vest after forcing him to tread water for years.

"No. We will probably just need to use different portals each time now," Arceus answered after what felt like an eternity for the boy.

"Thank God. I thought we would need to stop meeting up," Ash breathed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Like we would leave you that easily," Pikachu announced as he hopped onto the boy's shoulder.

"Wouldnt want anyone else Pikachu," Ash cheerfully replied and rubbed his ears, making the mouse Pokemon let out content coos.

After allowing the two to play around with each other, Lucario then stepped forward and announced, "So if you are ready, let's start your training session now."

Ash opened his mouth, but before he could bark some enthusiastic agreement, the boy was rudely cut off by a loud groan roaring from his stomach. All the pokemon around the raven head burst out laughing as Ash rubbed the back of his head. Letting out a nervous chuckle Ash managed to explain, "Ummmm. Well... Since somebody stole my food." Glaring at the yellow mouse pokemon, who returned with a devious smile and a thumbs up. "Can I quickly eat some berries before training? I will literally drop dead on the spot if I don't eat something."

***

Hoarse coughs and heavy breathing interrupted the calm and soothing green forest as the raven head collapsed onto his hands and knees. Sweat poured from his hair like water being released from a dam. Lucario stood in front of his tired student with his arms crossed over his chest. His face void of emotion and his eyes clouded like a foggy day, as he waited for Ash's breath to return to him.

With his naive confidence disappearing like it was sinking in quicksand, Ash huffed tiredly, "Nevermind. This is harder than I first thought it would be."

"Its one of the hardest mental abilities one can learn and master. As I said earlier, it is no walk in the park," Lucario replied.

Ash shook his head. Mind reading, an ability that relies on the users will and desire for it to be effective. When Ash heard this, his confidence and sneering grin shot into space like a rocket sent for Mars. But this same rocket ship soon came crashing back down to Earth, causing an explosion of failure as the boy failed over and over with no improvements in sight.

"I've done it before. At Serena's house, I heard her through. But it felt weird. All I could hear was that nothing else."

"When you want something that badly, one often doesn't see what's around them. They lose the ability to see the bigger picture. Be careful when you use it. There is a fine line between too much and too little. You can only learn that line with time and experience," Lucario explained as he helped the boy back to his feet.

Ash mentally scolded himself over his failures over the mind-reading technique. His hands tightened into a fist and his mouth clenched. Seeing this, Lucario placed a paw on the teenager's shoulder and encouraged, "Don't beat your self up over this. It took Sir Aaron weeks for him to read minds consistently. Months until he could use it without arousing suspicion."

As Lucario started into Ash's chocolate eyes, he saw the fire of determination continue to burn inside. It was that burning fire that convinced the aura Pokemon that Ash may become a great aura user. Frustrated, Ash bent over to rub the dirt off his palms and jeans before turning to Lucario, "Tell me about Sir Aaron."

The question caught the wolf-like pokemon by surprise. Looking at Ash as if he has grown to hides, the wolf-like pokemon asked, "Why do you want to know?" His ruby eyes analysed his student like it was a science experiment.

With the prying eyes of Lucario, Ash unconsciously rubbed his nose. A touchy subject for his teacher. From a quick skim over the aura pokemon, Lucario may look as calm as a lake, but he was as rocky as a small ship stuck at sea. Ash saw Lucario's shoulder slightly tense, and his breath hitch at the mention of his old friend. Or the somewhat defensive and snappy tone in his reply as if he was an overprotective parent.

Sir Aaron is a gaping wound for the pokemon.

And Ash knew he needed help closing it, just like they were helping him do with his past. "You look up to him. A lot of people idolise him. So I want to learn about him. You are probably the only living thing alive that has first-hand experience with him you know."

Ash then sat down in front of his teacher, his chocolate eyes not wavering off the pokemon as he waited. The sight was a bit shocking to Lucario. It was a pain to teach the raven head after an extended amount of time f talking about the theory of aura; Ash would often zone out or get distracted by staring at the pokemon around him. To see him wanting to sit down and learn something that wasn't physical in any way was almost scary to Lucario.

Copying his student actions, Lucario sat down in front of Ash. "To simply put it, He is one of the greatest to live. Sir Aaron is the reason why many of us, pokemon, believe humans and pokemon can live in peace one day."

Ash nodded. "What was he like?" He pried.

A small smile slowly crept onto the face of Lucario, restraining himself from chuckling. "Determined," Lucario spoke proudly like he was a proud father. "He would try to move mountains and oceans to get what he wants. He was stubborn, never backing down from anything. Even when he really should have. That's how he became one of the best."

"Sounds like my father," Ash said with a faint smile. "My mum always talked about how he was stubborn as hell sometimes. Wouldn't back down from anything."

Unbeknownst to the Raven head, as Ash reminisced hearing his mum scolding Red over his persistence and blatantly stubborn attitude to life, Lucario stiffened at the mention of Red. His shoulders tensed, and his head dropped for a brief moment almost whimpering before he returned to his stoic nature.

"I see that determination in you. It's a high chance you are related to Sir Aaron," Lucario stated quietly, looking away from Ash. 

Ash rose an eyebrow as he eyed his teacher. But, as if he was using aura to read Ash's mind, Lucario explained, "Your aura. The energy or feeling it give off reminds me of Sir Aaron's." And red. "Not to mention your persistence as well."

Nodding with a giggly smile, Ash exclaimed like a fangirl, "It would be sooooo amazing to be related to a man like Sir Aaron." His brown eyes were dazzling with sparkles. Lucario silently scoffed and shook his head as Ash began acting like a kid. It felt like the teenager was about to drool over their favourite celebrity.

When Ash eventually died down, Lucario then abruptly cleared his throat. "I've wanted to ask this but..." Lucario went silent, and his head looked down to the green ground, as his mind mulled over his next words.

Suddenly he felt Ash inch closer to him and a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Lucario. There is no need to be afraid." He heard Ash speak as the pokemon was met with a reassuring tooth

Shaking off his nerves, Lucario took a breath to steady himself and asked hesitantly, "Do... Do you know how he died? I've been itching to know since I was released from the crystal."

Ash blinked at the question as his eyes widened. Doesn't he know how his best friend died? Looking at the dreary pokemon in front of him, Ash tried to envision himself in his teacher's feet.

He couldn't.

Yes, he is facing his hardship right now, but at least he wasn't forced to abandon his life. Of course, not having humans to talk to continually was terrible, but at least some people are trying to help him. At least Ash had a chance to regain those lost connections.

Lucario was never given that chance. Once he left, there was no going back. No kingdom to protect, and no Sir Aaron to learn from. He said Goodbye when he knew it was impossible to say hello again. Yet Lucario accepted it. He acknowledged that his life up to that point would be erased from history. One moment he was with his best friend, and as quick as a blink, he awoke centuries into the future, with everyone he knew gone. Did he have a special someone back then? Was he forced to leave them behind?

You were being forced to abandon your best friend, your life, a possible lover, for the reason that was no fault of yours. And with no chance to see them again. Ash couldn't handle that burden. Very few would be able to.

"All I know is that he died during the siege of Rota," Ash spoke tentatively. "He saved the kingdom. He became a hero and now has a festival in his honour." A half-truth. Yes, there is a tremendous lively festival in his name, but his death was not so pretty.

Surprisingly Ash listened in history class for the first time in his entire life. Usually, the boy would begin dozing off in the first 5 minutes; he had an attention span like a goldfish with theory work. But with the knight, the story captivated Ash's attention like a fish on a hook.

Days after Rota's siege was thwarted (thanks to their best knight's heroics and leadership), far away from the dreary silent battlefront, the aura user's body was found. Alone and with no being insight. Leant up against a tree, his cold corpse laid with a wound to his chest and bones fractured in his legs.

It would have been a slow and painful death. A tragic way for a hero to past. Alone, and with a helpful friend called pain banging on his front door until the knight finally decided to open his door and greet death with a welcoming hug—a sad way for a hero to past.

But Lucario didn't need to know that.

The aura Pokemon lips bent into a smile. His stiff and tense posture changed to a more relaxed mindset. "He deserves all the praise. I just hope his death was peaceful."

Ash barely stopped himself from wincing. He hated to lie to a friend's face, but he would be okay with it if it were to protect them. But that still doesn't make it easier for the raven head.

Wishing to edge away from the precarious subject, the raven-head teenager shot to his feet. "Sir Aaron is certainly amazing Lucario. But someone has to be better than him one day, right?" Shooting his best tooth-bearing smile at his teacher. Hoping the wise pokemon won't pick up on the sudden change in topics.

Lucario let out a small chuckle. Looks like he didn't notice, Ash thought, letting out the nervous breath that he unknowingly held. "You will need to train hard just to get near Sir Aaron's level Ash," Lucario warned.

Ash scoffed at the statement and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "That won't be a problem for me, now come on. I got a feeling I will be able to master mind-reading in the next couple of tries."

The Aura Pokemon shook his head. He knew the chances of that happening were astronomically small, like finding three shiny Pokemon in a row. But at least his student's persistence was still simmering away steadily.

That skill is going to makes Ash special. It could very well be that Ash does surpass the knight with it. And Lucario wasn't going to let that talent slip through his grasp. Unlike his previous student.

***

"Calem."

Immediately, the teenager's eyes shot open, and the blinding light instantly greeted him. The cloaking sound of people walking and chatting echoed around him. Weird, the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his house. And Pallet Town was known for its tranquil and peaceful environment, not a bustle or hustle of a crowded city.

When the bright lights of the midday sun finally cleared, Calem found himself in a large building with hundreds of people walking about and a large clear glass window. This was not Pallet Town. Confused with his location, when Calem looked around, he noticed dozens of aircraft docking into gates and taking off from runways. He was in an Airport Terminal.

Was this some dream? Calem thought. It would have to be right?

No

For some reason, Calem's brain didn't believe so. Whether that is the cause of the terrifying feeling he had growing inside of him or how the world around him felt too complicated for his mind to conjure in his sleep. Something told the boy that this was all real.

"Don't go Calem," A feminine voice suddenly begged. Calem's breath hitched. The voice sounded so familiar to him. But he couldn't pin from where.

As he turned to the voice, he saw a brown double ponytailed girl and a boy with a red hat in front of him. The two figure were engaged in a conversation. Calem's face contorted into a frustrated frown. Not cause of the tears falling from the girl's face but how the boy looked identical to him. It was like he was looking in a mirror only the boy in front of him being a tad younger.

"Who the hell are you?!" Calem screamed.

The two didn't react. Not even a small flinch to his booming voice. Frustrated with being ignored, Calem stepped towards his twin and grabbed his shoulder saying, "Listen here pun-." His hand went straight through his twin's body, like a ghost through walls. 

"I'm sorry. But I have to go back to Kanto." The alter ego, 'Calem,' said with a sad tone, oblivious to Calem's attempts to draw his attention. The raven head then tried to grab the girl.

Same result.

Calem then took a step away from the duo. It was like he was watching some drama tv show. Only he was the main character, and the viewer (him) was also in the scene. He could walk around them, but he couldn't interact with anything. It's like he didn't exist.

As the girl continued to sob, Calem felt a wince of pain from his heart. Why does it hurt to see this girl cry? He doesn't remember having to say goodbye to anyone. Let alone having someone cry for him. Who is she?

Again, a simple way to explain all this was that its a dream. But Calem rejected this sound explanation. It felt real. He could feel the raw emotions of the girl in front of him.  If this were a dream, he would have already woken up. But that doesn't explain what all this is. Some vision created by the heavens? A glimpse into the future?

No.

The past.

But why can't he remember it? With this thought, Calem watched as his doppelgänger wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder. "Stop crying. We will see each other again. One day I'm sure," 'He' reassured with a warm smile.

She stopped sulking as her emerald green eyes clashed with his cloudy grey ones. "H-how do you know that?" She managed.

The teenager then reached up and grabbed his red Cap and placed it on the girl's head. As Calem witnessed this, he couldn't take his eyes off the girl. Something about the faint smile that grew on her face made his heart dance with joy.

But why? Why does he feel this strongly about this stranger?

"How I am going to get my hat back then?" 'Calem' answered, with a goofy smile.

The girl wiped away a strand of hair away from her face. "You will remember, right? You promise you won't forget about me?" She asked with an authoritative tone.

"I promise. You will be right here next to my parent," 'He' says, pointing to his heart.

My parents? Calem thought.

A wide smile grew on the girls face as she wiped away some tears. "You had certainly changed from when I first met you. For the better of course."

'Calem' let out a small chuckle and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. A faint blush appearing on the female's cheek. "That mostly causes of you," He said.

A giggle escaped the girl. "At least you have the chance to apologise to that boy now."

"Boy? O. Ash, right?" She nodded. "Yeah. That will be good. I was such an ass to him."

Calem's face frowned. But not at the mention of the raven head's name. More for having no memory of this event. All he could remember was his hatred for the boy. Since when did he want to forgive him?

Suddenly footsteps echoed around Calem, as the two turned towards him. But not to look at him but behind him. Turning to look, he felt a cold sting run around his body at light speed. Removing the breath he had in his lungs for a moment. As he turned back to see who walked through him, his eyes immediately locked onto the fire orange hair on the man.

His father. Only with shorter hair and a very soft beard. Not the mane-like hair Calem became used to seeing. This was a younger Lysander standing in front of him.

"It's time to leave Calem," his 'father' spoke with a commanding tone, before walking away, feel the same cold stab as the orange head walked through him.

After he recovered, Calem noted the uneasiness on both their faces. There was a sense of hatred or distrust for the orange-haired men. Yes, the teenager had always felt a sense of fear when talking to his father. But he still felt obligated to listen to the orange head, never doubting his words, even if they seem quite strange at times.

Before Calem could think more about this, 'Calem' abruptly cleared his throat. "I-I guess this is goodbye." He announced as he looked at the girl next to him.

The girl then suddenly wrapped her arms around 'Calem.' Encasing him in a tight hug. "Please keep in touch Calem," She begged as tears soaked into the raven head's blue jacket.

"I will. I promise I'll keep in touch Shauna," wrapping his hands around the sobbing girl, kissing the top of Shauna's head.

Eyes shooting open, Calem awoke with a loud painful gasp. Letting out shuttered breaths, sweat flowed down from his black hair like a gushing river, encashing his sleepwear in a layer of sweat.

"Shauna. That's her name. Shauna," He murmured.

A lonely tear ran from Calem's eyes as he thought of the girl. When was the last time he cried? The boy thought. When he last saw her? How long ago was that?

Suddenly, the creaking of the door put Calem on edge. As the door of his bedroom swung open, a lion-maned man walked through the doorway, sending shivers down his spine.

"F-Father?" Calem managed to mutter, fear gripping his body like a constricting snake.

"Hello Calem," Lysander calmly replied as he walked to his son. "I was in the area, so I decided to drop in to see how you were doing." Even with Lysander's calm and sincere tone, Calem's heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

Lysander's blue eyes suddenly turned cold as he looked at the boy like he was prey ready to be eaten for dinner. "From what I've been hearing, it isn't good. And it certainly seems that way." Touching the bandage wrapped around the head of Calem, drawing a hiss of pain from the teenager before Calem quickly swatted his hand away from his head.

"Just school drama," Calem replied, gently rubbing over the bandage to soothe the pain Lysander inflicted.

As the lion maned adult pondered over the wounded teenager, he couldn't help but feel something was off in the boy. Something has changed in him, very minor admittedly, but very noticeable at the same time, like a wall being painted differently in a house. Yes, he was still acting like the feisty brat Lysander knew, but someone behind the curtains of Calem's grey eyes changed. The orange head would have to look underneath the underneath, the iceberg hiding below the water. It was a complicated puzzle put forward to Lysander. And the man loved solving puzzles.

When Calem saw the prying eyes of his father, he immediately wanted the glaring spotlight of his father off him. With the urge to change the subject, Calem nervously asked, "F-father. C-can I ask you a question?"

Their eyes clashed, the blue fire vs the grey cloud of Calem's. "What is it? It better be good." Lysander snapped.

Calem stiffened, "Do you know someone named Shauna?"

Calem internally winced, preparing for some sort of scolding. But it didn't. Nothing happened, just an eery fog of silence. Cautiously, Calem pried open his eyes and was met with the emotionless face of Lysander. The boy tried to drew any ounce of feelings or emotions from the man, but there wasn't any. No shock, no anger, no fear. Nothing but the bayonet void of emotions. It was as if the man died on the spot.

"Shauna?" Lysander confirmed after a moment of pondering, to which Calem replied with a cautious but assured nod. Seeing the nod, the adult let out a quiet hum, trying to put the name to a face. "No Calem. I haven't," He announces with an emotionless face. "Where did you hear her name from? Some sort of dream, perhaps?"

By some miracle, Calem managed to hold in the shock that came from Lysander's question. Usually, Calem would immediately tell Lysadner the truth with no hesitation. But this instance, something changed, like a flick of a switch. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as a sudden thought snuck into his mind.

Why would he think it was from a dream?

Cause he is the cause of it.

Why? He couldn't figure out yet.  But something about Lysander's cold aura in the dream brought Calem to that conclusion. It was as if the shivering chill was calling out to him, trying to give him a sign about the orange-haired man he calls father. Or stepfather to be more precise.

Of course, Calem knew Lysander was not his birth father. The orange hair and completely different faces were a dead give away. In fact, Lysander admitted not being his father plenty of times before. Apparently, there was some complication with his birth parents that made him become his guardian. And at the time, he accepted it. If his parents decided not to be in his life, why should he care about them? A floored way of thinking Calem admits. Especially with the dream of him apparently keeping his parents close to his heart even if he doesn't even remember a cent of who they were or what they looked like.

"Some student said her name at school, and it seemed familiar to me," Calem replied smoothly.

Hearing his 'son's answer, Lysander nodded and left his room, closing the door behind him. The moment Lysander left, Calem let out the long breath he was holding and collapsed back onto his bed. Letting out a relieved sigh as he rubbed his forehead to soothe his overworked mind.

Something happened to Calem that caused his memory loss or alteration. He had his suspicions about it before but was sure of it now since his vision had just occurred. There were too many gaps in his memory for it to be some coincidence or just him forgetting things. You don't forget about family or friends like a flick of a light. Even Calem can admit that.

But what happened?

That's the billion-dollar question that Calem would give anything to hear the answer to. But at least he knew one thing, Lysander has something to do with it. The cold chills from the dream, the unnerving stare that could cut steel, the half-truths and lies, and the constant barrage of questions about Calem's mental state. Lysander knows something that he doesn't.

Even with hundreds of questions begging to be answered in his mind, Calem felt clear. Which was weird for him since he thought the opposite would happen.

But it didn't.

Confused, lost and lonely, that's what he felt for the past couple of years. Yes, he had friends at school and a beautiful girlfriend at the time. But something felt missing. A hole in his soul that no one could fill, until now. 

A vision of another raven head blinked into Calem's mind. His mouth slowly turned into a smile as he laid in bed. Something Calem thought never would happen whenever he thought of Ash. Whether it was a complete coincidence or Ash's stubborn persistence, something changed during after conflict. And it only increased since time slowly ticked by.

Perhaps he should thank Ash for what he did.

Because by the raven head doing or some gift from higher powers, Calem had the best birthday or Christmas present he could have received.

He felt free.

So as he felt his eyes growing heavy and his vision starts to be covered with the curtains of the night sky, he went to sleep with a smile planted on his face. Hoping that this feeling would stay when the sun came to say hello the next day.

***

A/N

Thank you for reading and finishing the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! (Leave a vote if you did)

Also,  I would like to wish you all a late Merry Christmas and an early happy new year (thank god). I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas during these... different times.

I would also like to apologise for the major delay with releasing this chapter. I have no excuse for the delay. Yes, I had final exams for the year, but they were done a month ago. Since then, all I've been doing is playing games with friends (pure laziness on my part). For some reason, I never could write anything for this chapter. I could easily think of ideas and future plot points for the book. But when I had to sit down and write and finish this chapter, I just never had the urge or drive to for some reason. I'm sorry about that. I still aim to release either monthly or either every two months (unless something major happens, of course).

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Stay safe, and hopefully, I will see you in the next chapter.