Alain held an unconscious Ash in his arms. He did care about him, admittedly more than others and in a different way, but he failed to save him several times. Lysandre escaped from the building, leaving Alain and Ash alone.

Steven appeared on top of his Metagross. He landed swiftly on the building and ran up to the two. He knelt down, watching the limp boy struggle to breathe.

"Who's this little cutie? Let's see...pretty small lips...cute button nose...big eyes...soft, pale skin...wow, Alain, you really found me a rare one this ti-"

"Zip it, Steven. I didn't 'find' him for you. This is Ash, the one I've been telling you about, remember?"

"Oh. You mean, the one you liiiiii-"

Alain got closer and his face expression became threatening.

"Say another word and that blue hair of yours is as good as gone. Understand?"

Steven backed away and playfully shook his hands.

"I dunno how you think you can tell me what to do...you're 18, I'm 21, and the kid is...um..."

"14"

"What?"

"Ash is 14, Steven? Does that answer your question? Come on, we need to go"

Alain lifted Ash up with ease and climbed onto his Charizard with the boy in his arms. Steven ran up to him, urging him not to go yet.

"W-Wait! How about I take him? I'm older, remember? That means I'm smarter, more intelligent, and way more responsible"

"'Smart' and 'intelligent' mean the same thing, genius"

"Ha! See? You just called me a genius! Clearly only a genius like me deserves to take this stunning-looking...adorable...cute little-"

"Can it, Steven. Now isn't the time to flirt. Ash is injured, and I need to get him to safety. You can help, but I'm not leaving you with him. It's your choice"

Steven sighed reluctantly and climbed onto the Charizard.

"Ugh, fineeee"

They flew across the red sky for about a minute, Alain holding Ash close while Steven stared at him. A bomb hit Charizard, causing an explosion mid-air and breaking his balance. All four of them fell the sky-high drop. Charizard caught Alain safely, but Ash and Steven continued to fall.

Steven woke up to the sound of coughing. It was a quiet, soft cough. He looked to his right and saw Ash sitting up, hand in front of his mouth as he regained oxygen. He opened his eyes, allowing Steven to look at them.

"They're so pretty...blackish, brown eyes with a perfect tint of red...kinda like a warm chestnut in an oak tree in a golden summer, or a creamy, caramel flavored chocolate, or the leaves on the muddy floor of the tall forests in autumn..."

"Um...are you okay?"

Steven turned to find the boy staring at him, slightly concerned and slightly creeped out. Steven shuffled out of his position, where his face was towering above Ash's, and dusted himself off.

"I should be the one asking you that. You just absorbed lots of Mega Evolution energy and collapsed!"

"Oh, I'm fine..."

Steven leaned on his shoulder and eyed him like a police officer.

"Are you sureeee?"

"Um, yes..."

He stepped back again and crossed his arms.

"Hm, well, your story checks out. I'm gonna need you to follow me"

"Um...okay..."

Ash followed him a few steps forward, before he felt his legs going numb again. He fell into the arms of Alain, who's slid into the field just in time, and panted heavily. Steven groaned as he turned around, but Alain held Ash close.

"Ash..."

A trickle of blood oozed from his head, running down his head and falling from his chin. Steven's expression got serious.

"Ash, you're bleeding! Don't worry about anything or anyone else, just try to stay awake, okay?"

Ash struggled to speak, but managed to get a few words out, Steven kneeled down and took his cap, holding it in both hands.

"But you...but you need to...stop...Lysandre..."

"The gym leaders, Diantha and your friends are working on that. They can handle it, I promise. I need to get you to safety"

Ash held Alain's shirt as Alain started to cry.

"Don't....don't waste time on me, Alain...go, please..."

"I won't. You're important to me, Ash. I'm not going to leave you"

"A...Alain..."

Ash's eyes closed. His grip on Alain's clothing loosened. His hands slowly fell down his jacket. The clouds of cold breath in front of his mouth stopped coming. Alain started to cry even more and shook him.

"Ash! Ash, wake up! Ash!"

Steven watched until the last second where Ash fell unconscious. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

'Through all that...', he thought, 'Through all that pain he was suffering...he still insisted on letting Alain leave him. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of everyone else. That's...that's not something you see everyday...'

"He's still breathing! Steven, help me!"

They all climbed onto Charizard, Alain crying into Ash's midnight hair and Steven staring at him again while Charizard flew off into the direction of the Lumiose Gym.

Alain kept close to Ash at the top of the tower, where no one would see them. When Ash's eyes fluttered open, both their hearts skipped a beat.

"Ash...finally, you're awake...", Alain sobbed as he leaned closer, squeezing Ash's tiny waist with his large hands.

Steven couldn't help but chuckle in delight. He'd only just met the little boy, but he had enough time to realize how extraordinary he was.

"A-Alain, why are you crying? I'm fine", Ash insisted while Alain's tears continued to flow.

"I-I know, I'm just...I'm just happy you're awake", Alain dried his tears.

The next few minutes proceeded with Alain convincing Ash it was okay that he didn't help to defeat Lysandre, since he'd suffered more than enough already. A few times Ash questioned the blue-haired man in front of him, but Alain ignored it, so he did too after a while. Alain went to check on Charizard, leaving Ash and Steven alone.

"Okay, who are you?", Ash interrogated, pointing at Steven accusingly.

Steven, shocked, replied as he always did.

"Oh, you know, just a stunning young man with a-"

"Okay, yeah, I think I know who you are, now"

"Oh, really? You know I'm the champion? Well, hah, I mean, who doesn't, right?"

"I was going to say arrogant blue-haired idiot"

Steven looked even more shocked.

"I didn't know you were a champion"

"But now that you do, you still have the courage to say that to me?"

"What would be the difference with saying it to someone who isn't a champion"

"Well, I've won countless Pokemon battles and won countless titles and-"

"So? Just because you won a battle doesn't justify acting more superior than others"

Steven got closer to him and glared.

"So, is that why you weren't upset when you lost the Kalos League? Because you thought your loss didn't matter? Alain got the trophy, not you, remember?"

Ash shot him a flawless poker face.

"So you're saying a piece of gold makes some people better than others? It's not the loss or win that counts. It how you battle. It's the feelings you have during the battle. If I'd battled with no emotions at all and won, the trophy wouldn't matter to me at all"

Steven stepped back and took a moment to think.

'So that's why Alain was so happy to win against Ash...it's Ash that gives people these emotions because he believes in them...'

He stepped closer again.

"So, Ash, why do you travel and enter leagues if it isn't to win?"

Ash looked down for a second, almost as if he was sad, and raised his head again.

"That's...none of your business..."

"What? Why?"

"It's personal"

"Well, I can't imagine a reason for entering leagues being personal-"

Ash's pupils got smaller and his soft voice got louder.

"I said it's personal, okay? Leave it"

And he sunk down against the wall behind him. Steven sighed and waited for Alain to come back. When he did, and realized the atmosphere was tense, he decided to leave Ash alone. Steven asked him.

"Alain, why does Ash travel and enter leagues? He said it's personal when I asked him"

Alain looked at him, his expression half-confused and half-surprised.

"I don't know. I asked him once, too, but he said the same thing. It's probably something sensitive to talk about"

"What reason for battling could be sensitive?"

"I don't know. Maybe something that happened in his life...maybe to do with friends, or parents-"

Ash gasped very quietly while Alain listed reasons, but it was loud enough for both of them to hear, causing them to believe that was the right reason. Alain crept closer to him and knelt down.

"Ash"

Ash looked at him.

"Is your reason for battling something to do with your parents?"

He looked away.

"Please just leave it"

Alain held his shoulders.

"I don't want to"

Ash sighed and thought for a moment.

"It's...to make friends, okay? You have your reason now"

"I don't believe it. It's definitely something to do with your parents, and people usually try to make friends when they're lonely-"

Alain paused and sat there confused. Suddenly, he gasped in shock and covered his mouth. He looked into Ash's eyes with sympathy.

"Ash...is one of your parents...gone?"

Ash didn't answer.

"Please tell me"

Steven could only watch wishing he was in Alain's place right now, but also hoping he could convince Ash to reveal the truth.

"Fine"

"Thank you"

"My dad...left me and my mom at a young age. To go become a champion. That was his dream when he was my age and I think he gave it up to have a family, because he often calls me a 'mistake'. I come from a rich family. Both my mom and dad are billionaires, so they thought money would make me happy. I wanted friends. My mom never let me come into contact with Pokemon because she was scared I'd end up the same. Eventually, she let me go on a journey. I'm not doing any of this to win or be famous like my dad wanted. I'm doing it to make friends...and to find my dad"

They were all silent for a moment. Alain spoke up.

"I'm sorry I asked, Ash"

"No, it's okay, this is the first time I've felt someone. I feel better now"

"Is it...okay if I ask more?"

"Sure. I haven't really got much to hide now"

Alain went on to ask Ash questions about his childhood, which Ash would answer as Steven watched. They were amazed at how much they didn't know about him. 

"Wait, so your first language wasn't English?"

"No, it was Chinese, because I come from a Chinese-Korean family. A little Japanese blood too, I think"

"So, what languages did you learn first?"

"Chinese first, then Korean, then Japanese..."

"Where does English come in?"

"English was the fourteenth language I learnt..."

"Fourteen languages?!"

"No, I learnt sixteen languages by the time I was 9 or 10 years old. English was just the fourteenth"

"You've only been speaking English for about 5 years? But you speak it so well-"

"Thanks..."

"Ash, you're so much more talented than I thought. Don't get me wrong, but you could quit Pokemon Training right now and you'd have no problems..."

Steven thought he'd chime in to erase the feeling of being left out.

"Wait, why did you have to learn all of these languages"

"Well, I'm the heir to lots of different corporations, and even if I don't want to, I'll have to run them someday, so my tutors need to make sure I excel in anything I can to my full potential"

"What school did you go to?"

"Changzhou Elementary, Beijing Middle School and, right now, I'm attending Chongqing High School. Only the richest people in China go to those schools, so you can imagine I grew up with lots of snotty and arrogant people. I have a few friends, but we usually keep to ourselves since even some of the teachers are really rude"

"Wow...what corporations are you heir to, then?"

"Well, my mom's sister runs the Aether Foundation, but she's going to hand it to me when I'm old enough. Some of my dad's brothers run organisations like Team Magma and Plasma and Aqua, and all of them are being handed to me as well. I know what they're all doing to Pokemon and I hate it. So, as soon as I have control over them, I'm gonna work on saving Pokemon instead of hurting them"

"Wow, so you grew up going to school with a bunch of annoying rich kids, then came home to President Lusamine as an aunt and Maxie, Archie and Ghetsis as uncles? No wonder you turned out to be so special! You have one heck of a family!"

"Thanks. I kinda feel sorry for my cousins N and Lillie. They grew up just like me, but, Lusamine and Ghetsis say they'll never be ready, and they're fine with that, so they're also on Pokemon journeys. I know they don't want to take control of their parents' companies, but, they don't speak to their parents at all. Lusamine and Ghetsis speak to me more than their own children. Oh! I just said their names without saying 'aunt' or 'uncle'! That feels so weird! But great at the same time!"

While Ash relished in his cute little victory, Alain smiled while Steven reminisced.

-Flashback-

"So glad of you to join us, Steven!", Delia said.

"Oh, yes, it is. Let me introduce you to the family", Red said.

"This is my sister, Lusamine. She runs the Aether Foundation"

"These are my brothers, Ghetsis, Archie and Maxie. They run Team Plasma, Aqua and Magma"

"Wow, that's pretty cool", Steven praised.

"Unfortunately, my daughter Lillie is too stupid to take over the Aether Foundaton. I've given her everything. And, what do I get in return? Nothing!", Lusamine sneered.

"My son N cares too much about Pokemon to take over Team Plasma. That unruly boy. He'll never learn", Ghetsis complained.

Red stepped in and smiled.

"So, since their children aren't ready, me and Delia had a child of our own, who's going to take over all of those companies and me and Delia's as well"

Delia brought a small baby with black eyes and midnight hair into the room.

"Say hi to our beautiful little boy, Ash"

Steven and all the others in the room exclaimed with an "aaaaw".

"He's so cute! We've already started teaching him Chinese", Lusamine said as she played with the child.

"He's going to be the most successful. We're going to raise this one right", Ghetsis agreed, stroking his hair.

Steven thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Wait, what if Ash doesn't want to rule like his cousins?"

The adults shot him a terrifying glare. The atmosphere of the room turned dark.

"He'll. Have. To.", Delia answered, walking closer with every word, "He's our only option. Whether he likes it or not, he'll take over. He has no choice"

Steven couldn't help but feel sorry for the little boy. His whole life was planned out for him and, just by looking at his caring eyes, even a seven-year-old Steven could tell that there was a chance Ash wouldn't like it.

While he was leaving, he swore he saw a man with orange hair in the background, but thought nothing of it and left.

-Present-

"So you ended up rebelling too..."

Ash looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing"

"Ignore him, Ash. He's weird"

After Lysandre was sorted out, everyone who'd helped met up at Professor Sycamore's lab, leaving Ash, Alain and Steven at the top of Lumiose Gym with Lysandre. He was pathetically lying on the floor, panting while the other three boys looked at him with disgust in their eyes. Ash looked with just a tint of sympathy, and Steven looked as if he knew this man, but they both kept it to themselves. He whispered, but they could barely make out what he was saying.

"Ash...your mother...your...mother's...brother..."

They heard it, but they didn't believe it. Ash stepped forward.

"What? My mom doesn't have a brother"

"She...does..."

He handed him two photos. Alain and Steven caught up to him to look at them.

One was a picture of Red and Delia together, looking about seven or eight years old, and one was a picture of Lysandre and Delia together, Delia in a white dress and Lysandre wearing suit.

"But that doesn't make sense. My dad and mom met when he was 16. He's definitely younger than that in the picture. But the second one...looks like my mom and you...getting..."

Ash stayed still and thought for a moment, but immediately gasped and covered his mouth, alerting Steven and Alain. He started to step back in disbelief.

"Y-Y-You're my d-dad? But, no! T-That can't be p-possible! Red is my dad! Well, I don't have any memories of him, but...I didn't know that..."

Ash collapsed, and this time, Alain was too slow to catch him. He held him in his arms as he cried.

"Ash, are you okay?"

"It's a lie. My whole life is a lie"

Lysandre chuckled and left the building via his Gyarados.

-Professor Sycamore's Greenhouse-

Ash played with the Pokemon on his own, laughing and smiling weakly at their attempts to cheer him up. He felt one hand on his head and another on his shoulder. He turned around to see Alain and Steven smiling at him. He stood up, walked away, and scoffed under his breath. Steven stayed still, but Alain followed him.

"Ash, wait! I need to talk to you!"

Alain caught him by the shoulders and turned him around. It broke his heart to see his melancholy face. He pulled him into a hug.

"Ash...you can't change your family tree. But you can change your future. You can stop Team Flare and the other organisations from hurting Pokemon. I know it's hard to believe Lysandre is your dad. You and him are so different. But you have a kind heart. Promise me you'll use it"

Ash stayed silent for a minute, then smiled.

"...Okay...I will..."

Steven appeared behind him and grabbed Alain's collar.

"Just for the record, he's mine"

"Yeah, right. I think you know well he's mine"

"Oh, it's on"

"It sure is"

They shot each other death glares for the rest of the day while hanging out with Ash, somehow going unnoticed by him. They weren't fazed in the slightest by their new rivalry. However, they were extremely happy they'd both managed in some way to connect to Ash and make him feel better. They didn't know what would happen next, but one thing for sure, they weren't going to stop competing until one of them won Ash's heart permanently. And neither would let the other have that chance.