Love where this story is going. Worth the wait...btw, SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK!

This is the way to come back after five years. The way the chapter started with Misty's grad battle then having all hell break loose, wow. Just how you brought all the main characters into plays with escaping the stadium and the dorms was genius because in one way or another the fans have connected to them and feel for them. I mean with Misty not escaping the whirlpool, just everything put together made this chapter just crazy because it looked like Misty would graduate and hopefully she and Ash could get out of there, but then the way wrote and the events you made, just intense. Can't wait till next time and I can't wait to see what you make the mysterious Pokémon in the caverns along with everything else.

Thunder

:)

How strange is it that I decided to read this story again, and you go and update it? I am so happy right now! I cannot wait for more. I really do love this story so very much. Please continue. The details and depth of characters and plot are amazing.
This story is so epic I forgive you.
I think a prequel could be interesting...

Wow, I am so happy you're going to finish this. Welcome back!

Holy smokes finally! I almost had a heart attack when I saw this email update in my inbox. Well worth the wait! Thanks so much!

Ahhhh! Welcome back! :-)

Wow, this is just about the most exciting thing to happen ever! I started reading this story just shortly after you stopped writing it. Maybe a month or two. So I've been waiting 5 years for this update, frequently checking your page for a hint, a glimpse at something new. And finally here it is! I'll admit that I didn't remember exactly everything that was going on, but even still, this chapter made sense, so congratulations on that. This chapter was great, I really like the idea of a Morty-Ash friendship. And is Delia dead now? She can't be! But I'm just assuming that she was in the infirmary... Aaah, so many questions! But this was so great. I'm glad that your writing style hasn't changed very much. Also, if you ever need a proof-reader, I love proof-reading. Just saying. Can't wait until the next chapter, PF!

I'm so glad you're back! I had almost given up, yet still hoping that you would continue the story. I really love this story, it is hands down my favorite Pokémon Fanfiction.

Holy shit, please tell me this means you're back?!

Sorry, I forgot to mention one thing in my review for the latest chapter. My bad! Anyway, I'm still hooked on the idea of you writing a prequel. I don't know how many people would agree, but I definitely think it's worth your while and would complete your already fantastic story. Just thought you should know there is some interest!

Okay, so I finally got done reading chapter nineteen (though I'm having to review on chapter eighteen since APPARENTLY this website no longer allows multiple reviews on the same chapter, which is stupid, but whatever). This is going to be a rather long review (I think-I tend to be a wordy person), so be prepared for that! Also, this is bossanovabyss from Tumblr, so, uh, glad you enjoyed my spazz post there, haha. xD

Anyway . . .

First, your writing was already good before, but it really has improved over time. It's not so much of a jump that previous chapters are painful to read, but there is a noticeable shift in quality there, which comes with age/experience/yadda-yadda. Sentences flow together better, and action scenes are easier to distinguish, too. Everything is paced properly, worded correctly, et cetera. Yet, as mentioned, since the jump isn't too big, everything still flows together pretty well from the previous chapter-which is good, because I had to re-read the end of the last chapter to remember where we left off, haha.

Second, I'm honestly pretty relieved that you're deciding to extend the number of chapters remaining instead of sticking to your original plan of ending things at one or two chapters. The reasoning for this is that I think extending it out helps with the pacing; yes, you could have ended it all in one big battle (which I'm assuming is what you were planning, and I seem to remember you telling me something about that when I asked a long time ago), but I think this way works better. There's still destruction and chaos and action and tension, but at the same time, there's no risk of running into melodrama, and this is a believable turn for the story to take. It makes sense for the plan to "go off," but not as planned; it makes sense for everyone in the Stadium to be thrown into chaos, but not into an action battle, since none of them knew what was coming. And more than anything, it makes sense for both Ash AND Gary to be caught off guard by this, as it heightens the tension.

And speaking of that, GARY! The fact that you opened this chapter showing him talking to his incapacitated grandfather was-well, honestly, it was brilliant. A bit late in the game to introduce sympathy for his character (since while he spoke of his grandfather before, it always seemed more like an excuse than a real reason), but better late than never in this case, because of how you've handled it. You're not saying, "Oh, no, see, he's really not a bad guy after all!" Instead you're saying, "He's not a mustache-twirling villain, but he has definitely descended into He Who Fights Monsters territory," especially since we all know (but Gary can't see) that Ash isn't really the monster he thinks he is. The scene in the beginning, as well as the scene at the end (and excellent job book-ending the start and end of the chapter, there), give Gary more humanity than he had before, while at the same time showing us how far he has fallen. He is, after all, refusing to acknowledge the part that he had in this destruction, instead shifting all of his grief, rage, and hatred onto Ash. It makes sense for his character, but it's also tragic in a way, because of that humanity that we're now aware of.

Although, there is one thing I have to ask-is Ash's mother still in the infirmary? I know that she worked there, but I can't remember if she was located somewhere else or not (since I do remember Drake being in legal trouble, but I can't recall if Delia also got wrapped up in that somehow, or if she managed to avoid it, etc). If not, then I'm wondering if she's okay, and surprised Ash didn't think of her-though again, it has been a little while since my last re-read, so I may have forgotten. In any case, if she wasn't relocated elsewhere, then that sheds even more light on Gary's character, because in that case, he's not even thinking about the fact that Ash's mother would be just as dead as his grandfather (since, iirc, he does know that Delia is Ash's mother). It really shows us, without having to be told, just how much he has succumbed to madness.

Anyway, I love the additions of the new characters, too-the odd little friendship between Ash and Morty, and I absolutely love how you introduced Ritchie! Then again, I may be a bit biased since Ritchie was always one of my favorites, but still. I also felt my heart twist for Rudi, though I've always loved how you handled him in this fic-how, unlike so many other shipping fics, you didn't turn him into a crazed villain in order to derail any sort of love story between him and Misty. I think I remember you saying you caught flack from some people for that (or at least, I remember you having to reiterate on Livejournal that no, it really is not a Misty x Rudi story just because Rudi isn't evil), but I'm really happy you took the high road on that. It would have been easy to make Rudi evil, but instead you've kept him as a genuinely good guy, and it does so much more for the story, the characters, and your writing.

Really, this fic is just as good as I remember it, if not better. I could rave on about other things I loved in this chapter-such as how Ash found himself knocked out and disoriented, not magically okay, as it would have been easy to do-but this is long as it is. The only thing I'll say is that one other detail I didn't remember is . . . I know that Jesse and James were in the fic before, but was Meowth? I don't remember him, and he felt a bit out of place because of that. Not enough to detract from the chapter entirely, but I honestly can't remember if he hung around them before.

Anyway, I need to give the fic a proper re-read again, apparently, to refresh my memory, so I should go do that. Thank you again for updating, don't feel bad about the wait (because, really, joining the Army, moving to Kuwait, and learning a new language are more important than fanfiction!), and I can't wait to read the next chapter!

-Scrawlers

P.S. This really is the only Pokemon fic I actively read/follow, and the only truly good Pokemon shipping fic I've found, ESPECIALLY for this ship. I wasn't kidding when I said that you've handled the character relationships really well, and that's part of the reason why I'm such a spazz over this. So, thank you for that as well, and take some well deserved kudos. :)

I don't even have words for how happy this made me. This is not only one of my favorite fanfictions of all time, but one of my favorite stories. I've reread it several times, even though I was sure by now it was discontinued. The wait was completely worth it.

This isn't a very good review, not a lot of detail or criticism but...I'm just so unbelievably happy.

I couldn't believe my eyes when i got the email update! This was one of my first forrays into pokemon ff and i remember it dearly, so thank you for such a lovely surprise.

I must say this chapter is beyond excellent and the suspense is killing me! I wanna know what's going to happen next so bad! It's absolutely amazing, really. The way you write is very moving and you feel the characters emotions as if they were real. Plus, the sudden twists and turns regarding Gary and Morty and of course Cypress, left me speechless. Bottom line, you made my day. Keep up the good work!