Haven't done this one in while. Enjoy!

(I. am. so. sorry. for. the. amount. of. A. Us. but. I. just. love. them. :).)

Steven's vision was clouded with dust as a sharp, violent breeze blew his way. The last thing he saw was the Megalith falling to its annihilation as Lysandre was destroyed by the Ultimate Weapon.

'When am I gonna get to talk to that cute kid?...', Steven thought to himself as he recalled the boy's adorable face and satisfying, fearless voice. 

He never caught his name, but he was sure he would after this disaster was over. He'd been watching him since the Kalos League, only being able to focus on him since. And when he saw him go against Alain, he found himself wanting Alain to lose. 

'I never liked Alain anyway...annoying dude...if he goes for that cute kid, then I'll finally have an excuse to beat him up', Steven thought with a devious smile.

His vision started to return to him as he looked around. Everyone seemed fine, except for one boy who'd been thrown mercilessly into the ground by the harsh wind. He was still clutching his Pikachu, but Steven didn't see him move.

"That's the kid!", he exclaimed as he rushed over to the boy, whose Pikachu was now trying to shake him awake.

He kneeled to his side and, seeing how pale and injured he was, immediately checked his pulse.

"Thank goodness you're alive...", he kept muttering to the boy as if he was talking to him, "You're freezing...gosh, you're way too light, are you underweight?...I know you're short and skinny, but...is that an open wound?!"

"Pika pika!", Pikachu started to urge him, waving its arms around.

With one hand on the boy, Steven used his other hand to pet the Pokemon's head.

"It's okay...I'll take care of him", he reassured it as a helicopter landed near them.

He gently lifted the boy up and carried him into the vehicle, sitting down and laying him on his shoulder so his body leaned on his. As the child's head rested on his shoulder, he couldn't help but plant a soft kiss on his head. Even with his lips he could feel how soft the boy's dark hair was. Pikachu, standing on the boy's lap holding his hat, murmured as it watched this complete stranger caress its trainer.

"Pikapi?"

Steven chuckled in admiration at the pair of them. An adorable little trainer with a Pikachu who looks out for him. If only he could remember the boy's name.

"You care about him too, don't you?"

Realizing his feelings, Pikachu cooed in delight. During their journey, many people had caught feelings for its trainer. It happened so often that he started to pay it no mind. But this man seemed to love him much more than it'd ever seen.

He wasn't sure whether it was turbulence or something else, but the helicopter unpredictably began to give in to the wind, violently shifting from side to side. Even the pilot didn't know what was going on as he kept his hands firm on the steering wheel to try and stabilize the vehicle, but to no avail. He carefully placed the boy in a safe position before steadying his way over to the door. Yanking it open, he saw a certain ginger-haired man with a jet pack, whose Pokemon were continuously throwing moves at the helicopter.

"You!? I thought you were dead?", he screamed while getting ready to release his own Pokemon.

"Dead?! Ha! As if I would ever let my own weapon stop me", Lysandre yelled back as his Pokemon spat more moves at the smoking helicopter, "Now give me the boy and no one gets hurt"

"The trainer inside?", Steven asked before getting an affirmative nod from the other, "No way! I'm not letting you touch him!"

"You have no idea what he is Steven! You don't know what he can do!"

"Are you talking about his bond with his Greninja?"

"How do you think that bond happens?! It doesn't just come out of nowhere! Now hand him over!"

"Never!"

Steven's Metagross, even on its own, was able to take out one of Lysandre's Pokemon and was handling the other two fairly well. The helicopter started to fly more narrowly. Steven now had the upper hand as Lysandre's jet pack seemed to be low on battery.

"Maybe you should give up trying to make me fall before you do!"

"I'm not giving in until he's mine! Do you know how powerful he is? How much that would benefit me?"

"You're so selfish it's sickening! Willing to hurt other people endlessly just to get your way!"

Only one of Lysandre's Pokemon was left now. The man growled with rage as he pulled something out of his back. Steven's eyes widened with fear as he stepped back.

"You thought you were going to win, huh?"

Lysandre pulled a trigger and the weapon immediately fired, sending the helicopter spiraling out of control. Metagross was able to catch Steven, Pikachu and the pilot, since they were the closest, but the young boy was plummeting towards the sea before Steven could even find him. His cap blew into Steven's hands, making him realize the boy was gone. Possibly forever.

Soon, the young trainer's lifeless body met the harsh waters. All was silent as he drowned deeper and deeper into the abyss of the cold ocean. Even the waves had no mercy for him, recklessly thrashing him around until they could no longer reach him. He was so peaceful in such a sad way, as even if his hands were placed over his heart as he descended so slowly into the darkness, the bubbles popping from his mouth, the lack of movement in his body and the flowing red liquid that bled from his deathly pale flesh manifested the cruel way in which his heart stopped.

Pikachu reassuringly tapped Steven's shoulder, which it was sitting on, to try and reassure him. The man stayed silent, not a word escaping his mouth. Diantha stood next to him, placing a hand on his other shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find him. Lysandre was caught, so don't think about him anymore. I'm sure everything will turn out alright, Steven"

Even with his fellow champion by his side, he refused to speak and kept his head down. Diantha continued to keep him relaxed with her voice.

"You know, that boy you took in is the runner up of the Lumiose Conference. Quite impressive, I must say. Especially that skill he and his Greninja possess...how fascinating..."

"I know he was the runner up", Steven mumbled, still keeping his head down.

"What do you mean, 'was'?"

"I'd hate to say it, Diantha, but he's been in the ocean for minutes now, and we haven't seen a sign of him. If there's anything left in him, it's probably severe hypothermia"

"We'll find him. I'm a woman of my word. Trust me, Steven"

They stayed silent for a few more minutes.

"Lysandre said something about the power that boy possesses"

"What was it? If it's bothering you, I'm sure he was just trying to scare you"

"He said that there's something that boy has...something he is that makes the bond work. 'How do you think that bond happens, it doesn't just come out of nowhere'. That's what he said"

"Well, now that you mention it, he does look a bit like-"

"What? What is he? Whatever it is, please tell me it's the reason he's still alive right now!", Steven asked frantically as he leaned up to her.

"Woah, calm down", Diantha murmured as she pushed him away, "I'll tell you, but don't get your hopes up, alright?"

"Alright. Tell me"

"Well, back when I used to study Pokemon a lot, before I became a champion, I read about some sort of legend. Legend of the core, or something like that. It said that the entire universe is connected to one being who's the cause of its existence. That being created humans, powerless creatures, and Pokemon, creatures with power similar to its own. But it's above everything. It's an endless possibility; nothing can defeat it. I was so intrigued by it that I kept a picture of...something that showed what he looked like, I don't know"

She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. The picture showed a variation of shapes pieced together like glass panes, all different colors. There was some sort of figure, with dark hair that was so long it went past its feet, and what looked like two wings stretching out from his back. Not only was Steven astounded by the wondrous image, but his mood seemed to shift.

"Amazing, isn't it?", said Diantha as she took the paper back from him, "I don't know if the legend is real, since it's not very popular, and most of us are taught that Arceus created everything, but I just thought, since the figure looks a little like that boy...you know..."

"Thanks", Steven muttered quietly, staring out into the ocean, "That actually helped me a little"

"Diantha!"

The female champion immediately got to her feet as a desperate man appeared sprinting towards her. He was panting breathlessly, with small cuts around his body, as if he'd fallen over far more than once, an his dress and shoes seemed to have been torn.

"What happened?", she questioned as the man reached her.

"The...the ocean...", he breathed, pointing towards the horizon, "It's...it's frozen"

As the young trainer's hands slipped from the grasp of his heart and reached out towards the surface, something of a spark seemed to ignite within his palms. Between one blink and another, a barricade of ice sprawled from his body, trapping him in a fortress of freezing solid, and the rest of the creatures in the ocean, which was now nothing but a block of ice. In the center, still motionless, was the boy's body, thrown across shards of ice which, in a strange way, seemed to be protecting him.

But that wasn't the end. Oh no, that was only the beginning. Cocoons of energy raced through the sky after emerging from the stone-like figure, summoning fire upon the trees and ground to shatter the plates, and tear the world apart. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, all at once. An army of elements seeing revenge.

Diantha and Steven did their best to swerve out of the way of the deadly paths of raging nature, of which they didn't know the cause of. Steven couldn't help but glance into the frozen block of sea every five seconds or so, hoping, just praying that by some miracle that boy who his heart somehow belonged to was safe. 

"It all started with me saving him...", he sobbed as he ran as fast as his feet could carry him, though his heart was getting heavier by the second, "I was going to take him with me, then that...that-that stupid, idiot Lysandre had to come and ruin everything-"

"Steven, listen!", Diantha interrupted him as she jumped a crack in the ground before it expanded to a ravine, "I think I know what's going on"

"You do?"

"Of course! I was almost in love with that legend at one point. I studied every inch of it. The spirit, being, whatever that's the core of everything, it's connected to the world. It gave Pokemon powers similar to its own, remember? Which means it has all the abilities Pokemon have-"

She was forced to stop talking when a boulder crashed directly in front of her, and she had to go past it before continuing.

"-What I'm trying to say is, that being is angry. I think that boy really is who the legend's talking about. It's causing destruction because it's angry"

She was almost completely out of breath, having to run nonstop and shout so her fellow champion could hear her.

"You told me not to get my hopes up!"

"Well, I actually think you should! 'Cause there's a pretty good chance you-w-w-woah!"

She was cut off once again when she felt the floor slip underneath her. She found herself sliding across the ice on her back, looking across an empty island of frost.

"W-We're on the ice...", she stammered as she pushed herself back up.

Steven, barely able to keep his balance on the ice, carefully stumbled past her, using his arms for balance.

"W-woah, where do you think you're going? Hey!", Diantha alerted him as she grabbed his jacket and pulled him back, "Listen here! I know you're stuck in your own little world right now thinking about all the things that could be happening to your crush, but I'm the one that got you here and let you know that there's a possibility that person is alive, so if you're going somewhere, I'm coming with you!"

Steven lunged forward, freeing himself from her grasp.

"Well we won't get anywhere like this!"

"Don't you have any useful Pokemon? How did you get down from that helicopter?"

"That's right...Metagross!"

Steven called out his steel-type Pokemon and climbed on top of it, Diantha following suit.

"Metagross, hover across the ice for us! We'll keep an eye out for anything, but you do so too, okay?"

The Pokemon responded obediently by crying its name, before setting off into the blue glaze. The sun had begun to rise, casting extravagant rays of gold and rose across the horizon, and reflecting off of the frozen water, but somehow not melting it. The two champions had been awake for ages, but Steven refused to give up. He wasn't sure how, but he certainly knew this boy, or whatever he loved, was certainly worth it, despite the fact that he didn't even know his name. Diantha was not only Steven's trusted (or so she thought) friend, but she was eager to see if the legend she'd invested so much time and energy into was real.

For what felt like hours, they explored the tedious island of ice, finding nothing but Pokemon who had been caught in the sudden explosion of nature and frozen in place. But before they could even think of giving up, Metagross unexpectedly backtracked with an excruciating screech of pain, throwing the two off its back. It sounded like it hit something.

"What was that?", Steven groaned, holding his aching head.

He began to shuffle back as much as he could when he saw the growing hold of ice, expanding swifter by the second. Diantha started to do the same, sliding back for her life to avoid sharp blades of frost piercing through her. 

"Got any Pokemon to help with this one?", she shrieked as small screams escaped her each time she flinched at the deadly thorns of ice.

"Only an Aggron and a Metagross. Is Gardevoir really your only Pokemon?", Steven replied as he did the same.

"Of course I do! I just don't bring them...with me...all the time..."

"Well, what are we going to do now? We're literally on the brink of death! One wrong move and I could lose my life to an icicle!"

They continued to scream in fear, getting louder and louder, until something appeared in front of them, stopping the ice. It was a slightly transparent, ghost-like figure, completely white instead of its dark, long hair and dark eyes including the sclera, with large wings sticking out from its back. Its hands were on its heart as it hovered in the air. Without warning, its wings raised as if to protect itself, and its whole body strained as if it was in pain. Forcing its neck upwards, it vocalized a unique melody, its head and wings continuing to aim higher until it shattered into fragments of glimmering dust.

A large crevice broke between the ice in less than a second, and before they knew it, the ice disintegrated, dropping them as well as itself into the freezing ocean. They were about to panic more when they realized not only were their bodies warmer that expected, but there was no need to hold their breath. The same melody continued to echo through the sky and sea, almost as if it was reassuring them to keep going. That they were almost there. Though it was a mutual agreement that verbal communication wouldn't be possible until then.

Far, far away, but so close at the same time, something in the ocean with them was glowing. It was a faint glow, but bright enough for them to know it was their goal. Without hesitation, they began to swim towards it. The same melody continued to erase the doubt in their heads whenever they felt it. Closer and closer. It was getting brighter. Brighter than the sun. They were starting to be able to make out what it was. A...person? It seemed to be surrounded by a lot of ice, meaning it must have been the center of it all. But now, whatever it was, it was slowly cascading into the endless crevasse that was the ocean. Steven was the first to make it out. Dark hair...a blue coat...it was him. He found him.

"Ash...", he whispered, somehow able to remember his name, not even giving thought to the fact that his voice echoed underwater, "I'm here..."

He held out his hand, stretching it as far as he could, until he made contact with his body...

They found themselves in a white void. Nothing but emptiness and the voice of the same melody still following them. The melody seemed to get louder as it flurried into a physical body, forming a figure of a young boy, long, black hair, large, angelic wings, his hands on his heart, still singing.

"Ash...I'm here...", Steven whispered, his voice still echoing somehow.

Diantha, on the other hand, was awestruck into silence. The legend she'd studied and admired so much turned out to be real. She was facing it. 

A vision came before them. The young boy, his hands glowing, something forming. They'd gone so far, but it was hardly tiring when every minute they were alive, there was something new.

"I was lonely...", the boy's voice told them, although it felt like he was also telling the rest of the world, "So I created something...I made things that were like me...things that were magical. And then I created something else...things that weren't magical...and I called them humans"

The vision showed a group of humans and a group of Pokemon, the boy stood in between.

"The humans respected me...more than the Pokemon...so the Pokemon got angry...they hated me...said they didn't need me anymore..."

The group of Pokemon appeared to be yelling at the boy, who looked extremely distraught, he was crying with so much agony, until a final, ear-piercing scream destroyed him. He was fractured into millions of pieces.

"...So I made myself look like a human...so they'd respect me..."

A shadow of Greninja appeared next to the boy. But the shadow looked like it was merged with something else. It was Ash-Greninja, but with the boy's eyes.

"I even tried to connect with and be Pokemon sometimes...to understand what it felt like to be them...and why they hated me so much...but I didn't understand"

An image of Lysandre appeared. The image was laughing, pointing something at the boy.

"But now even humans start to disrespect me...I don't understand at all!"

The last word, the cry of frustration, echoed into the void, which soon came back. Shards of ice emerged from the boy's feet. Rain, thunder and floods of water broke in behind him. His voice was no longer calm and soothing, now it was loud and filled with rage. The ground trembled before his furious voice.

"No one wants me! Everyone will go! Then I'll just be alone again..."

Steven and Diantha suddenly realized they were able to communicate.

"So...Ash is a spirit who created the world...", Steven started.

"...But Pokemon started to disrespect him...", Diantha continued.

"...So he pretended to be human..."

"...And took on the form of Pokemon, which was the bond..."

"...To try and understand how they felt..."

"...But then Lysandre made him see how humans are..."

"...So he's destroying everything he created, which is the universe..."

Steven gasped and turned to face the boy, who was trapped once again between shards of ice, while unconsciously destroying everything around him.

"Ash...! Not all humans are like that! Not all Pokemon are like that, either!"

"How do you know, human?", yelled a voice from above, though Ash stayed completely still.

"Don't you see? The world has changed! All of us, humans and Pokemon, worked together to stop Lysandre. If you just came back as yourself, no one would hate you anymore!"

"...And how can you promise that?"

"...Because I love you"

The ice he was trapped in suddenly shattered, leaving Steven to catch him. He sat down and lay him down next to him, as he did in the helicopter.

"...You do?"

"...Of course I do. I came all this way, escaped from a helicopter mid-air, ran away from tornadoes and hurricanes, slid and hovered across ice that could've killed me, swam towards you and listened to you tell me what you are. I didn't even think of sleeping or giving up. All I could think about was you. I don't know how or why, but I love you"

Diantha, in the background, raised a hand to make a statement.

"Uh, I did all that stuff, too! He never would've found you if it wasn't for me! I studied you for years, you know!"

Steven looked at her briefly before turning back to Ash.

"...You think...I should come back...as me?"

"I wouldn't wish for anything else"

Ash smiled, taking Steven's hand in his own, before everything around them glowed...

"Pika pikapi! Pikachu!", Pikachu cried out happily as it played with the other Pokemon in the greenhouse. 

"Don't tire yourself out too much, Pikachu!", suggested Ash, stroking the electric-type with his large wings.

"Viv! Vivillion!", the bug-type Vivillion cooed as they carefully braided colorful flowers and stems into his long, smooth hair.

Ash chuckled and put a hand to his hair to help them, emitting a green aura from his palms that grew roses into the seams of the braids. The Flabebe gazed with wonder at the sight as they played with his graceful dress. He looked down and smiled at them, putting the other hand to his dress, generating golden patterns into the edges.

"Ash? You ready?", Diantha asked as she walked into the garden.

"Is he? I've been ready for hours", Ash laughed as he walked up to her.

"He's just fussing over his hair, as usual. Classic Steven"

"Ready!", a voice called out from behind her.

Steven ran into the garden, wearing his usual suit, but with a few patterns, clearly made by Ash, magically sown into his jacket.

"Shall we?", he proposed, holding out his elbow.

"We shall", Ash answered, lightly linking their arms as they exited the garden.

Diantha watched from behind along with Pikachu and the other Pokemon, clutching a piece of paper with a picture close to her heart.

"They're so perfect together", she squealed, receiving murmurs of agreement from the Pokemon.

As Steven strolled into the streets with Ash by his side, he shifted his gaze to look at you.

"So", he started, "Who do you like more? Me or Alain? I know it's probably me", he whispered the last sentence with a smile and a wink before heading off.

I know that was a ridiculous AU and way too long. When I do Ash x Steven again, I'll make it  normal, promise. Got a bit carried away there.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed, requests always opened and thanks for reading!