The day seemed to drag on for Serena. Not only had she been woken up early by Bonnie and Max, after her run-in with Aaron Tajiri late last night, but she also had to sit through the many boring first round battles that day. It wasn't that they were boring, it was that she didn't have an interest in them. After all, she was here to watch Bonnie and Max, but they didn't have their opening round battles until tomorrow. Both of them had been eager to watch the other competitors though, so she reluctantly followed them from the stadium to stadium watching the trainers they were interested in.

The first one was Ritchie, who Serena thought was a carbon copy of Ash. Misty and Brock took more of an interest in the trainer than Max or Bonnie. Apparently, they had met him at the Indigo Conference during Ash's journey through Kanto, and it was clear, that they wanted him to win. They cheered, as it seemed his Raichu had barely put him into the next round. Both Max and Bonnie pointed out that he would be a difficult person to beat, but not impossible.

Next, came a trainer that Dawn especially took an interest in. His name was Paul. Serena recognized the name and features of the young man. What really stood out to her, was his purple hair and demeanor. During their Kalos adventures, Ash always mentioned a past rival of his, fitting the description of the trainer that she saw battling, saying he was, by far, one of the best trainers he had ever faced. He kept true to his reputation, as his final Pokémon, Electivire, soundly defeated his first round opponent.

Serena heard stories from the past, as the group laughed at the many adventures that they had been on. Recounting daring Pokémon rescues, the amazing sights, and sounds of the legendary Pokémon they encountered. She also felt a pang of jealousy spring up in her, as Misty, Dawn, and May told of their great adventures with Ash. They never specifically had said it was him, but she could see a look in their eyes that informed her that it was Ash. She brushed it off as the day wore on.

The last battle of the day was Trevor against Jon Dickson, who won the Silver Conference that Ash competed in. Jon is a strong trainer and tough to beat. However, his Pokémon was easily defeated by Trevor's Mewtwo, who he used throughout the entire battle.

As the last battle, of the day, finally came to end, the group departed from the arenas. Walking along the path, which led them into the city, they noticed a familiar group, standing off to the side, in one of the most extravagant restaurants in all of Kanto. They saw Scott turn around, with a beaming smile across his face, once he saw the group out the window. He motioned them to come into the restaurant. May didn't waste a moment. Acting on Scott's kind gesture, she grabbed Max and Brock and bolted through the entrance, while the rest of the group followed.

---

Once the group had got into the restaurant, Serena saw the group that they would be spending dinner with. She skimmed the group of Champions before her eyes fell onto two figures that were off to the side of the large crowd. One, she had only met the other day but recognized as Drake of the Orange Crew, and to his left, was Aaron. She was about to go towards the two trainers but was interrupted by Diantha.

"Why, hello Serena! So good to see the Kalos Queen enjoying a vacation," She commented to Serena, with a smile.

Serena's eyes met those of the world famous trainer and movie star. Over the past three months, they had built a friendship due to their many photo shoots and public appearances they had together.

Serena smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to get away from the craziness of the media for a bit, and this seemed like a good enough place."

Diantha continued the small talk, as the group waited for their table to finally open up. Once their group had been called, they worked their way to a small room, which was able to provide a little privacy, to avoid the paparazzi and fangirls.

Once they had sat down and ordered their drinks, a conversation began to start up. The group had been seated at a large round table, so the entire group could easily have a conversation. The conversation began with the thoughts of the day's battles before Lance finally asked the question everyone had been wondering.

"Tell us, Aaron," he started turning to the masked trainer, who was sitting in between his Lucario and Drake. "How did you start your Pokémon journey? Every participant filled out a bit about themselves, yet yours was lacking in detail."

Ash kept calm. He knew this question would come up at the table. He looked down at his lap to Pikachu. "My parents wanted me to grow up and take over the family business. They were fishermen on one of the many islands in the archipelagos. Fishing never interested me," he took his eyes off of Pikachu and looked over to Lance before he continued his lie. "I always wanted to be a trainer; so when I had saved enough money, I bought my trainer's permit, along with a Pokémon egg from a local nursery. The egg hatched and this little guy came out," he said as he scratched Pikachu behind the ear who cooed with delight.

At the table, Trevor caught onto his lie, as he knows the truth.

"That's a nice story and all Aaron, but that doesn't explain the Lucario or the Floatzel you have," Lance began to have an annoyed look on his face. "Both those Pokémon aren't native to the Orange Islands. That means you have had to travel to Sinnoh and other regions. No one here remembers hearing or seeing you in any of the various Pokémon Leagues."

Again, Ash had a story to tell. "Well you see, Lucario, here, I saved about five years ago from poachers when he was only a newly hatched Riolu," he motioned over to the aura Pokémon who nodded in approval. Not everything was a lie, even Trevor believed that part. "They had been shipping him to the islands, as a way of escaping the Kanto police. I found him and rescued him, and well, we have been friends since. As for the other Pokémon you mentioned, I have been to the various regions, of the world, and have caught many Pokémon during my travels."

"Then, why not a battle for badges and enter Pokémon leagues?" Max joined in the discussion with curiosity.

"I wanted to get away from the islands, have adventures and such. Battling with my friends and becoming stronger was a secondary goal of mine, so badges and leagues didn't really interest me at the time," he responded.

"Then, why show up now? "Cynthia asked puzzled.

"I had thought about gym battles and Pokémon Leagues before and was deciding on whether or not to actually begin my journey again. I saw this tournament and the wild card tournament, so I thought it would be the perfect way to see if I was ready to battle with the best," Ash responded. A little bit of annoyance could be heard in his voice. All the questions and prodding were slowly eating away at him and his patience.

"You said that battling and getting stronger was only a secondary goal of yours. How then, did you get so strong?" Brock asked, wanting to know the secret behind his new friend's power.

"Well you see, after a while, I returned to the islands," Ash began. "I decided I wanted to become a powerful trainer, so I settled on Shamouti Island. It is a big enough island with mountains and forests, so I would have difficult terrain to train in, but small enough that there wouldn't be many tourists. So my Pokémon and I stayed in the wilderness and trained. I put myself through whatever training I put them through, and together, our bond grew and we became what you see before you today."

"Wow, that sounds intense! You have to show me how you did it, Aaron!" Max shouted with enthusiasm.

Ash chuckled at his friend's response. "Sure, one of these days, after the tournament. Remember, I may face you in the round of 32."

All of the sudden, Max went pale as he remembered the seeding. He was initially worried about Iris, but now, he was more worried about Aaron. He looked over to Bonnie, who had the same pale expression. She would be next in line to face Aaron in the round of 16. The group laughed at the expressions on the two young trainers. The laughter continued until Trevor spoke up.

"So Aaron, is Sakai your rival in this tournament?" asked Trevor.

Ash turned to him and was confused by the question. "What you mean?"

"You and Sakai were both wild card winners, so I thought maybe you guys had a rivalry going on here," Trevor said as he notices Ash struggling to come up with a response.

"Well, he and I had a history together," Ash responded with a serious tone in his voice.

"Was it good or bad?" Trevor asked as Ash started to get annoyed with the question about his relationship with Giovanni.

"Let's just say that I had a bad history with trainers who have feline-like Pokémon, like a Meowth or Persian," Ash answered as their conversation started to become more intense.

Serena, listening to them talk, had a worried look, in her eyes, as she was afraid of an outburst happening between the two.

Ash then asked Trevor, "I mean, I'm sure that there are certain people that you, Trevor, yourself, don't completely trust?"

Trevor had already come up with a response. "You're correct. I don't trust people, who wear a mask over their face." Trevor responded.

His response caused the rest of the group to be in shock, as they're hearing their friend backlashing against their new friend. Ash was puzzled by Trevor's statement.

"Really, now? Why don't you trust people who wear masks?" questioned Ash, although he already knew the answer.

"By wearing a mask, you're clearly hiding something," Trevor answered with a serious look in his eyes. "A mask hides a person's true self. Another reason would be a person, wearing a mask, not being completely honest to their friends and family about where they had been for the last several years."

Ash suddenly realizes where Trevor was going with this. He needed to end the discussion quickly before it gets out of hand.

"Look! Just because I wear a mask, doesn't mean I have anything to hide at all." Ash shouted back at Trevor, who didn't flinch at Ash's argument statement.

"What about you, Trevor?" Ash continuing his argument. "Surely, you have secrets that you're keeping from your friends. Am I wrong?"

Trevor hesitated to answer.

"If I did have secrets, they would be mostly about my personal life, which I would like to keep quiet about. Besides, at least I don't wear a mask to hide them!" Trevor answered as the conversation was starting to intensity even more.

"Listen here!" Ash yelled towards Trevor. "I don't feel comfortable with talking about why I wear a mask, alright. So just drop it!"

Trevor, knowing that he can't get Ash to tell the truth right now, took a deep breath, and then, said one last thing to Ash.

"Alright, Aaron. Can I say one last thing to you? asked Trevor.

Ash was hesitant to let him speak. "Alright," he replied. "What is it?"

"There's a saying that a Ninetails only shows its true teeth when it's backed into a corner. I only hope your true teeth aren't crooked." Trevor stated with a serious, yet threatening tone, in his voice.

Ash's mind was in shock, as those words confirmed Ash's theory. Trevor knows about the truth. How does Trevor know that saying? Was he listening to my conversation with Giovanni the other night?"Ash wondered as he and Trevor stared at each other with tensed eyes for a bit.

The whole room was silent until finally, someone spoke up.

"So Aaron?" asked May as Ash snaps out of his stare towards Trevor.

"Yeah?" Ash replied while Trevor still had a serious look on his face.

"You didn't mention any traveling companions," May said slyly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could notice Serena beginning to blush. "Is there a lucky lady in your life, or are you taking applications?"

Ash was thankful that he had a mask over his face, to hide the blush that made its way onto his cheeks. His eyes moved from May, around the table, to all the eyes that were fixed on him, waiting for a response. He stopped when he got to Serena, looking down at her glass of water, whose cheeks were covered with a light pink.

"There is someone that's really special to me," Ash began slowly. "She's a very beautiful, kind, and overall, an amazing person. I just hope she feels the same way about me."

Serena could notice that Aaron was gazing at her when he said that. She gave a little giggle before taking a sip from her glass.

The conversation then moved on to other things, until the food came out. Aaron hadn't ordered anything, so instead, he excused himself and headed out of the restaurant and towards the hotel.

"That is one strange character," Misty commented as she watched the masked trainer exit the room.

"Yeah. Max, you better be ready to bring your 'A' game, if you want to beat him," Wallace added before beginning to eat his food.

The group sat, in silence, eating their food. Lance excused himself, saying that he had to use the bathroom. He went into the back of the restaurant where a woman, with green hair and dark eyes, was waiting for him.

"You were right, Lance," the woman began. "He is an interesting character."

"Yes, I already know that" Lance spat. "What I am more interested in is what his real identity is. We both know he was lying through his teeth back there. Also, Trevor seems to know something about him, but wasn't exactly telling us the man's identity."

"I recognize the man's spirit from somewhere in my past," the lady began as she looked to the Champion. "But I cannot specifically say who he is, not yet anyway."

"Fine," he responded coldly. "What of the second wild-card participant? According to Aaron, they had a history together, one that didn't go well with Aaron it seems."

"He has a much darker presence than Aaron. Sakaki seems harmless, but inside, he is dangerous," she began. "His spirit I also recognize, but again, cannot pinpoint from where exactly. They did a good job of changing themselves."

"Sabrina, that isn't something that should be praised," Lance looked at the gym leader hesitantly. "Like what Trevor stated, they're hiding something underneath their masks. Both of them. I want answers!"

Sabrina looked at Lance and let out a small chuckle. "Patience, Lance. They can't hide, who they really are, forever. The longer the tournament goes, the higher up the emotions will be. A person's true character and identity are always revealed when they're under emotional stress. When that happens, their true identities will be revealed to me."

Lance took the gym leader's words into account, as he made his way back to the table to enjoy his dinner.

---

Later that night, Trevor was standing in front of Gary's hotel room and was knocking hard on the door.

"Gary! Gary, are you in there?" asked Trevor while still knocking.

Eventually, Gary opened the door and saw Trevor standing there. He also noticed the serious look on Trevor's face, which to Gary, meant only one thing.

"What's up, Trevor? Do you need help with something?" asked Gary, even though he knew what Trevor's question might be.

"Yes," answered Trevor in a serious tone in his voice. "I need to talk to you about Ash."

Gary nodded and let Trevor into his room. "Come in," Gary said as he motioned Trevor to enter the room. "Glad someone, other than me, found out about the truth."

Gary closed his door as he informs Trevor the details surrounding Ash's sudden return.