I was scared you had died

Akari was worried. No, she wasn't. Yes, she was. Absolutely not.

Okay, she was scared as hell.

Where was Ash? He had been out for nearly ten days at this point, and she was legitimately panicked.

It was now late night. She was on her bed, eyes open and red from little sleep and she was watching Ash's bed, empty again.

Pikachu was clearly worried about her trainer and was cuddled next to her to give the girl a bit of comfort.

"Pikachu, what should I do? Why I'm here while he is out in the wild, alone… It's been ten days…"

She got up and went out. She didn't want to sleep. Pikachu and Piplup followed her.

She was wandering around, not caring about anything around her.

..........................................................................................…..

"Ash, we should stop. It's dark outside." Irida said to the boy. Her face was aching from the wind since it was a whole day of riding on Wyrdeer, even if Ash was shielding her.

"No, we must come back. Your wounds could get worse. Yesterday we had to stop, but now I won't until we are in Jubilife" he said, a bit harsh in his manners.

"They probably think I'm dead" thought Ash.

Meanwhile, Irida strengthened her grip on Ash for some extra shield from the wind and also as a reaction for Ash's care. It was hard to find someone as him in the Hisui region.

............................................................................................

"I guess the best thing we can do is to split and check on the three lakes simultaneously" proposed Goh as the group exited the Canalave library.

"Well, I think it's the fastest way even if it would be better to go there altogether" responded Dawn.

"I'm with Goh" said out of the blue Serena.

"Why Serena?" asked a stunned Dawn. "Well, it's the fastest way. If Ash is trapped in the past, he could use help as soon as possible." She answered. "And, in any case; going all around Sinnoh from lake to lake will take us at least a month. I'd say the sooner we complete these trials, the better."

Dawn thought for a bit: "Oh right, but then we will meet together back before doing anything else" She extended her hand. Serena put her hand over Dawn's and soon after Goh joined the group.

"I'm going to Lake Verity" proclaimed Dawn.

"I'm to Lake Valor," said Serena.

"This leaves me with Lake Acuity" finished Goh.

The trio shared a determined gaze. And then threw their hands in the air. Their mission was settled.

..............................................................................................

Brock was resting in a Pokémon center. He had found out that he was in Alola but didn't try to contact Clemont for now.

Not because he didn't want to be seen but because he had more impending thoughts.

Celebi was still very weak and, even with all the technology a Pokémon center had, his conditions were still very critical.

But, if this wasn't enough, he had to think about what had happened in Ilex Forest. Somehow Celebi had teleported him forward in time to one week later in Alola. Maybe he was too weak to do more but, in any case, what preoccupied Brock the most was that man.

Why did he need Celebi? What was that dark void? And who was he? A lot of questions and no answers.

He went outside to breath some fresh air and clear his thoughts. Suddenly the sound of an explosion roared in the atmosphere. Glass shattering, wind stroking with fury trees, debris thrown away. A loud noise coming not far away. What Brock saw next made his blood freezing in his veins.

A dark hole emerged from the dust.

"Fuck!" muttered Brock, unclipping a Poké ball from his belt.

.............................................................................................…

Ruins of Alph were now in sight when Gary passed through Violet City. He had forgot his phone at his grandpa's lab, something very odd for someone as mindful as him, but he couldn't care less.

He was always out searching for ruins and anguish places where to find rare Pokémon, so he didn't think he would need his phone.

Blastoise was walking with him. Even this wasn't a common thing for Gary, but again, everything was odd with him those days.

Without Ash, he felt like he had lost more than a friend or rival. He had lost the man who had in some ways started his whole career. He wanted him back. He wanted to go on with his research, knowing that his old rival was still out there realizing his dream to be a Pokémon Master.

He was determined to discover the truth about the prophecy, and he knew where to find answers: The Sinjoh Ruins. That place was a bridge between Johtonian and Sinnohnian culture and in the past, it was known for rituals to the Gods of Creation. When Gary understood that the prophecy was referring to Arecus, he knew that this would have been the start for his search.

"Now, I'm going to see what on Earth wants God from Ashy-boi!"

.............................................................................................

Akari was now walking absently through the Floaro street, the main artery in Jubilife. Her Pokémon were following her, enjoying the walk and the fresh air, but most of all, concerned about their new trainer and friend.

"Why do I even care? He is just a random guy from the future…I have better things in my life, like making more research for the Pokédex, like…"

"Like wandering around speaking to your Pokémon?" said a feminine voice coming from the gate.

"Munch!"

"Come on Mai, we must meet Kamado. Lilligant can be in real danger!" exclaimed another voice.

"Everyone is sleeping Arezu! Just wait some more!"

"Wait? Wasting time isn't conceded by Almighty Sinnoh! You have some wheels out of place"

"Hust relax. The situation isn't critical yet. If there were a real danger, Adaman would be with us"

Finally, Akari approached the two quarreling girls.

The first one had short black hair with a lock of hair descending over one eye. She also had a red clip, which held it in place.

Her eyes were dark blue, and she had a mole under her lips.

She wore a dark blue sweater with a hood, a symbol in the middle of it and tight pants. Different Pokémon were drawn on her outfit, a Ursaring on her right shoulder and a Stantler on her right leg.

She also had a Pokémon with her, a cute Munchlax.

The other one had a similar blue sweater, but without drawings. She held a shoulder bag. Her pants were red, fading into soft blue around the knees. Her hair was short and red; her eyes were red with black pupils.

Akari thought she had already seen those symbols on the two girls' sweaters but shrugged the thought off and proceeded to introduce herself to the strangers.

"Well, hello. I'm Akari, from the Survey corps. These are my Pikachu and Piplup. And who should you be?"

"Oh, that's strange. A Galaxy Team member with two Pokémon and it doesn't even seem like you are abusing them. Well, we are from Clan Diamond. My name's Mai, this is Munchlax, and this whiny here is Arezu"

"Hey, don't you start again, Miss comedian!"

Akari covered her ears to the two shouting girls, but Pikachu decided to stop the fight firing a Thunderbolt and covering them with soothe.

"So why, two Diamond clan's member are here in Jubilife?" asked Akari with Pikachu now on her shoulder.

The two girls took a bit to recover from the shock but then Arezu started to talk: "We are here asking for help. We want to see Commander Kamado"

Akari stood there pondering what to do and then made them a sign to follow them but added: "Come with me. I don't know if someone is still at the Galaxy Hall, but I think we will see"

The two girls nodded and followed the girl in the lead.

After some minutes of silent walking, they arrived in front of the building, one of the few in Jubilife made of bricks and not wood.

Much to Akari surprise, lights were still on, and Commander Kamado was in the office of Captain Cyllene, a strict woman with light blue hair and harsh grey eyes. She was the leader of the Survey Corp and was a very serious woman. Akari herself had never seen her smile. Next to her and Kamado was Professor Laventon, a man come from Galar whose goal was to discover as much as possible about Pokémon. It didn't help, however, that he was so scared of them.

It looked like they were discussing something when they heard the main door opening and turned to face Akari with her two guests.

"Oh, it seems that Akari had found you" commented dryly Captain Cyllene.

"We were waiting for you" simply stated Kamado.

"Ohhh, look at that Munchlax" exclaimed ecstatic Laventon, coming close to the Pokémon.

Munchlax opened his mouth yawning and so the coward professor jumped in fear and found refugee behind a plant in a vase.

"Wait, you were waiting for them?" asked Akari. Kamado came close and put a hand on the girl's shoulder: "Yes, we received a letter from Adaman asking us to help these two wardens. I think this is a good way to keep healthy relationships with the local clans."

Then he told the wardens: "So what do you need?"

Mai spoke first: "As you may know, I'm Wyrdeer warden, on of the few to have the power to summon that great creature, blessed by the Almighty Sinnoh. But it's been two days since I last saw him, and I think he can be in danger."

Then it was Arezu's turn: "I'm the Lady of the Ridge Lilligant warden. She's enraged and had lost control. I fear that she's gonna destroy everything in this berserk state"

Kamado raised an eyebrow: "And you, as Wardens of these Pokémon didn't do anything?" he asked with crossed arms.

Mai intervened: "Actually, Arezu tried to do everything on her own but that didn't go well. We tried to calm her down but she's too strong. So we thought to sweeten her with her favorite foods but in this season some kind of flowers she likes are rare. She went on in her searching and got injured. It's only by pure luck that I was in the nearby area."

Cyllene took the word: "So your noble Pokémon is frenzied, you couldn't help her and now you are here asking us to go there and calm a Pokémon that even two of the strongest wardens in all Hisui didn't manage to."

The Diamond girls were starting to grow annoyed at the subtext Cyllene and Kamado were implying but suddenly a loud noise of stomping was heard and then a shout.

"HOW DO WE STOP THIS THINGGGGG!?!?" "Wyyyyyyrdeeeer!"

Akari recognized in one second the first voice while Mai did the same with the second one.

They bolted out from the building and saw a white deer like Pokémon and two human figures on it.

"ASHH!" shouted Akari, tears in her eyes and a wide smile

Mai acted even more quickly, grabbing her flute and intoning a melody. Wyrdeer heard it and calmed down, putting a halt to his run.

"Holy moly, Irida. You said you were able to stop him like you did yesterday" said a slightly fatigued Ash, before slipping in his attempt to descend from Wyrdeer and falling face first on the ground.

Pikachu had just hopped from Ash's shoulder in time.

"Wyrdeer, oh My Sinnoh. I'M SO HAPPY TO KNOW YOU ARE FINE! Why did you disappear like that?"

"I called him" stated Irida while she was being helped by Greninja to hop off Wyrdeer.

"IRIDAAA?!" exclaimed both Mai and Arezu. "What happened to you?" they said, watching the Pearl clan leader covered in bandages and bruises.

Even if the two clans weren't friends, it was still surprising to see on of the leaders in that way.

Akari, meanwhile, had helped Ash getting up and so he said: "Isn't it better to first help Irida and then go on with the explanation?!" he huffed, clearly tired from the last two days of ride.

Once they entered the Hall, the Medical Corp proceeded to treat Irida, changing bandages, disinfecting wounds, and giving her some painkiller herb extract. She was obliged to lay down on a bed.

In the other room Ash told everyone what he did in the last ten days.

"And so, she summoned Wyrdeer and here we are. I must thank her because, otherwise, I would be still out there" he scratched the back of his head and laughed together with Pikachu and Greninja.

Akari came up to him, watched him right in his auburn eyes. Ash noticed her and was about to say something when she slapped him straight into a cheek, making him fall on the ground. She turned around and went away, Pikachu and Piplup following her with concerned faces.

Ash was thrown back by this and wanted to go but was stopped by Cyllene.

"So, you are the new Survey Corp member, aren't you? Well, I'm Captain Cyllene and I'm the leader of the Survey Corp. I have a task for you: help those two" she said pointing to the girls.

Kamado and Laventon looked a bit surprised by her manners: "If you fought Kleavor, you could probably help them"

Ash only answered: "Cool. No problem! What should I do?" he asked, surprising everyone in the room.

Someone who wasn't scared by Pokémon and wanted to help everyone, despite clan rivalries was absolutely an exception in that world.

Arezu told him about Lilligant and Ash was clearly interested.

"Okay, so I have to calm that Pokémon and I will need that flower, but no one knows where to find it in this season…" he said, mumbling.

"Well, I have a way to help you." Intruded Irida. Everyone watched her: "In the Solaceon Ruins, there's one of my wardens. She watches over Ursaluna, a Pokémon capable to follow smells. It could be helpful"

Arezu was shocked to see that the leader of Clan Pearl was helping her.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked in a harsh tone. "I'm not helping you. I'm saying it for Ash. I'm not interested in helping someone who worship a fake Almighty Sinnoh"

"Try to say that again!" shouted Arezu before being stopped by Ash.

"I don't know what you are saying but quarreling is useless now. Someone can please tell me more on these noble Pokémon, Clans, and things?" he said, in a mixture of hurry and tiredness, something Pikachu clearly shared with his trainer.

"Okay then, let's make this quick!" said with stoic resolution Kamado himself: "Noble Pokémon are venerated Pokémon of this region by those two Diamond and Pearl clans because they think these creatures descends from Pokémon who had received the blessings from the Almighty Sinnoh. Every team worship different Nobles and had elected wardens to take care of them. The reason why the two Teams always argues is that they have different Almighty Sinnoh. Clan Diamond worship a god of time while Clan Pearl one of space. I really don't care about their arguments but that's it" he finished, proud of his speech.

Anyway, this didn't stop the arguing between the Clans' members but Ash soon lost interest.

So he spoke directly to Cyllene: "Tomorrow I'm going to these Ruins and find that Pokémon. I don't know when I come back but I will" he said confidently.

Cyllene looked at him with no emotion: "Go talk to Akari first. We will arrange a camp near Crimson Mirelands in two/three days, so you can have a base for operations.

Ash grinned. At least someone was helping him now.

..........................................................................................….

Ash was speaking with Pikachu and Greninja about what to say to Akari.

"She should apologize to me. Why did she even hit me like that?" "Pika pika, chu pika".

"So you are saying she was preoccupied for me… Well, at least it makes sense. But, if I'm preoccupied for someone, I don't slap him in face when I see that he is fine"

"Ninja, Gren!"

"Right, I will find her and see what happens"

They walked for a while, eyes fixated to the moon and Ash's train of thoughts was interrupted by Greninja:

"Grenin, Ninjajaja?"

"Why asking me if Serena is watching the sky? I don't even know if it's night there"

"Pika, pi pika!" "Oh Pikachu, don't make my head blow up with all this time travel paradoxes"

"Ninja,nin"

Ash sighed: "Right, you want to know… Well, after you left with Zygarde we got our ways. She went to Hoenn and I came back home. I really don't know where she should be now, but, if the visions are true, she is in Sinnoh with Dawn. The thing is, when she left, she gave me something to think… she was going away, down in the escalator, when she turned, ran up and kissed me"

"Ninjaaaaa!" Greninja grew redder and redder. Pikachu's snickers didn't help.

"Don't look at Pikachu. He only loves joking on me. Right, tomato cheeks?" Ash chuckled, while Pikachu puffed his cheeks.

"Anyway, during our time in Alola me and Pikachu spoke a lot about this… Serena is really special. No doubt on that. Wanted to understand my feelings before speaking to her again. Now I know… but since we are here, I think it's useless speaking of that…"

Greninja, through his bond with Ash knew the answer… They stood in silence, approaching the wooden house.

Upon entering the room, Ash heard someone crying. His heart ached. He didn't want to hurt Akari, even if he didn't mean to do so.

"Go away. You are not welcome anymore" she said between sobs.

"Hey, what's that for? What did I do?"

"You were out for ten days…ten days… and you tell me what you did???" she got up, anger taking possession of her body.

"I thought I was meant to never see you again. You left that day saying you would have been back soon. That I could not follow you. I've passed these days thinking you were in troubles, you were lost…"

"But I'm here now" countered Ash, not really comfortable in the situation.

"I THOUGHT YOU DIED OUT THERE, YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, tears straining her face, eyes red as blood.

Ash's eyes widened in realization. He had fucked up. She was scared for him.

Ash came close, Pikachu did the same with Akari's Pikachu who hadn't had such an outburst but was clearly upset with him.

He hugged her, strong. She wanted to back away. But she didn't. Instead, she dipped her head in his chest and sobbed.

Ash wasn't a guy to speak much about these kinds of stuff, so he only said one thing, the one he really meant:

"I'm sorry"

Akari strengthened her grip upon hearing this. "I forgive you".

They stood there for a while more. The Pikachus did the same.

Then Ash went to have a shower, his Pokémon following him.

Akari, before hitting the bed, watched the moon outside and smiled. "He is back" she whispered.

..............................................................................................

Serena had started her journey alone. It was going to be a long journey, but she didn't care.

The only thing in her mind was to have Ash back.

She was camping on Route 218, petting Sylveon:

"You know Sylveon? I'm a big idiot. I was out there, improving myself, doing my things, bettering myself. And now… I lost the guide that inspired me to be what I'm now. I want him back. Heck, I want to have one of those visions again, only to hear something from him. Even if distant, even if in another time. I was always confident I would have seen him again that now that it's not sure, I miss him, more than ever.

What does the old say? You don't realize how you care for something until it's not here anymore"

Some gentle tears strained her gorgeous blue eyes. Sylveon wrapped her feeler around her trainer's wrist.

"I won't lose hope. I won't give up until it's over. This journey will be difficult and different from our previous ones, but I'll do my best to save Ash and Pikachu. Are you with me, Sylveon?"

Sylveon cheered with her trainer before starting to get drowsy.

Serena looked up into the sky, the full moon over them: "Ash, I don't know if you are seeing this sky but please, hear my message: I'm with you. You are strong. You can pull through anything. And I'm coming to you. I want to be around you even more. Please, don't forget me"

Somehow, in Hisui, Ash felt attracted to watch the moon gain while he was showering with his Pokèmon:

"I won't ever forget you, Serena. Wait some more. I'll come back".

He smiled. Pikachu and Greninja felt their trainer's emotions. They smiled in turn.