Ohhhh. I like it so far. Yay for an old school fan writing a pokemon fanfic. I thought I might have been the only one left.

Looking forward to more! Especially since this story is already complete. I have plenty to read ahead of me. :)

I LOVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANCE AND LEAF! It's so nice of him to be like a parent to her

OMG IF DELIA MOVED IN THE THE GREENE COUPLE THEN BY ADOPTION DOES THAT MEAN LEAF IS ASH'S AUNT?!
Kay, Au Revoir~

Hello there, I noticed this story floating around for a fair while. But now that I have finished my own writing and have the holidays to relax, I thought now would be a good time to dive in.

Why? Because I want to keep on believing in Ash Ketchum.

I am one of those who grew up with the original series as a child, and no matter the bumps and downtimes over the years of adolescence (for both the show and real life), I always found reasons to keep on looking forward towards a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, the end of Diamond and Pearl was not one of those reasons, and the overall presentation of Best Wishes felt like a slap in the face for the fans of Ash Ketchum. The Unova Region and its many themes were practically perfect for an older Ash to mature and grow up into the Inspirer that I used to see him as (amongst many other older fans).

For that reason, I am already thankful to see another writer having taken up the mantle to do this. Not another rewrite from the very beginning (we have enough of those), but one that is aimed at continuing Ash's story.

But enough of my reminisce for now.

The prologue was short but sweet. I am intrigued with that dream involving Giovanni. He never got any real closure or some sort of character arc in the show (although his grand operations in Best Wishes were pretty badass), so I look forward to his involvement here.

Speaking of which, the dream sounded as though there is a case of amnesia here. Did Ash forget something important between now and the Sinnoh League? My guess is that a clash with Giovanni and/or his pokemon caused him to lose specific memories of importance. I personally love it when stories leave tidbits and foreshadowing for the future, so I will be on the lookout for those hints.

Iris and Cilan were not really shown much here, but they do sound more lovable than canon Best Wishes. I myself actually enjoyed Cilan's scientifically-oriented mind and speech, while Iris can contrast him by being more of a nature girl, so I am keen on seeing where you decided to take these characters.

And now Ash is going to be seeing Misty for Christmas. Just so you know, Misty has always been one of my favourite poke-girls (more often now my favourite of all). She did have many faults in her own character and the writing of the staff, but those faults are a part of the reason why I love her character so much, so it will be really nice to see what you did with her as well.

Anyway, peaceful start to this story. I look forward to where this goes next!

P.S. This must be more than just a coincidence. I started reading this story with just under two weeks before Christmas Day of 2017, and I became really excited when Ash said he was preparing to see Misty for Christmas. They say that coincidences are merely the laws of the universe trying to remain anonymous, so in the lead-up to Christmas, I am going to make the most of this opportunity to enjoy this story for Christmas!

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I knew that Emily knowing about it was gonna cause trouble eventually. However, I am so shocked to see that Lance reacted quite calmly? I thought he would have lost his mind. The Cress and Chili mission to find Meoletta was so funny! It was a nice touch!

I had a feeling that the fact that Trip's mom knew about it would be brought up again, and I am wondering how it will affect everything. Though, I feel like it might cause trouble. Also I really felt bad for Domino, even after being betrayed, she is still loyal to the organization and that is really incredible. I loved the moment with Jess, James and Meowth.

Leaf's background story made me tear up. Though, I was expecting it to be quite sad, I wasn't thinking it would be that sad. I am glad we know more about Lance and Leaf's relationship. I adored Misty's speech! It was a good one! Finally I must say, Giovanni abandoning them was absolutely cold and really made an impact. If he is willing to abandon very good and loyal agents like Domino behind without a second thought, I can only imagine what he would do to anyone else. All this about Kyurem seems like a very bad idea and things are getting even more intense. I am interested in seeing what can happen! I hope this means we are going to see more action from Jessie, James and Meowth. I sincerely hope things won't end up badly for them like it did for Domino and the others...

omg this chapter was certainly full of action! Everything turned really not like I was expecting everything to happen. I feel bad for the poor rocket guy who got beat up. I feel bad for May who really got injured, for Leaf who is almost dead, for Trip who in the end wouldn't even be in this situation if he stayed in Unova, for Silver who everyone hates even though he didn't knew about the news . And Ash...who hates himself so much right now, that poor guy. Everything ended up in a mess, and I just am speechless. I wasn't expecting all of this and I must say bravo! You certainly wrote everything so well!

I had a feeling something bad would happen to Iris. Though, I am glad that they found a solution and that they all found a place to stay for a while. omg the reunion between Zoey and Candice was so touching! And I laughed because it is exactly how Zoey predicted the scene to happen chapters earlier lmao. I like that Drew is the one who makes the other laughs with his remarks. It's just a nice inclusion to the group and I find it touching that everyone seems to appreciate it. And after learning about his backstory, It is sad to think that all this is related to Team Rocket...

I loved what Juan said to Wallace. It was true and he said it without sounding mean or condescending. It really felt like it came from his heart and for the good of Wallace. I also loved to see Steven interact with his old friends. I was so sweet and touching. Really felt like a meeting with old friends you haven't seen in a long time. And finally, Brock got a number from a lady! Glad it was Lucy too! I was speechless to learn what Archer did at the end...that was unexpected.

I gotta say love the little detail that Ash, without a second thought, give his hoodie to Dawn. I always sort of imagined their friendship being like a brother sister of some sort. And I just thought it was really cute. I know Ash would probably do this for anyone who asked, this is why he is such a sweet guy! I can't believe Ursula is actually helping! I am glad to see her included in the fic, but from all the characters I imagined helping them, I had to admit Ursula was probably the last one in my mind lmao. Glad she didn't turn to be awful like I thought she would! And she pulled such a good acting performance. Ursula, I am proud of you! However, as much as the trip to Sinnoh interests me, I am worried about Iris! If she is handling the cold that badly in Johto, It sounds worse in Sinnoh. Hope things won't go bad for her.(though, 15 F is really not that cold of a temperature yet.)

yikes, Lance really put himself in big trouble and drama. I totally understand Reggie and Solidad's and all the other's reaction to this. It sounds like he is hiding so many stuff from everyone. And it just makes me wonder about Lance's and Leaf's relationship and past. Drama started again in the group and I can't help but to smile at how Paul tried to avoid the situation by making it painfully worse and awkward on him and everyone lmao (not that I am that surprised). In some way, I am interested that Trip knows about the Ikari (not so secret) kiss. I feel like Trip hasn't really bonded with anyone, and I am wondering if it's going to start some kind of bond with Paul (or conflict lmao it could easily go this way). Finally, I am super happy that Looker gets involved in the case!

That last line was absolutely funny. Perhaps the best way to end the chapter and situation hahaha. I am glad that Paul is getting that much development. And I have to admit the Ikari moments made me smile. You wrote it so naturally!

That means ASH HAS A BRO OMG! I am curious to know where all this will lead to! Part of me really hopes that they can get along! It would be the most interesting. Also, I have to say my favourite part was the part where Paul walked the gang in town. It was nerve-wrecking for them and Leaf being so angry was such an intense moment. I feel bad for Paul to take all the blame, I wonder if this going to stain Leaf's trust in him in the future.

I am happy that Drayden is there, caring for Iris so much and he that he knew or had a suspicion over the conspiracy that is going on. I am surprised that he is Lance's father though, but intrigued in what this will bring to the table. When I was reading a few chapters earlier all the families mourning the death of the gang, I was surprised to not see anyone for Iris. But now I am reassured that Drayden is smart and cares for Iris. I was absolutely shocked by Paul standing up for Ash. Though when I read the chapter title, I was in disbelieve lmao I thought it would be a fight/conflict between maybe Paul and Drew since the tension between them grew quite rapidly. I am happy to read that he actually argued/fight against Leaf, that everyone agreed with him and I was super shocked to read that he lost. I had to admit I underestimated Leaf, but nonetheless, they are still going to Mt. Silver?! That was almost as shocking as learning that Paul stood up for Ashy-boy.