Venusaur and Ash were sitting down near the tree, Venusaur was being coddled and hugged by his family. This was supposed to be a quick adventure in and out yet now there is a soap opera subplot.

"[Umm, I-I'm not really used to this.]" Venusaur siad looking uncomfortable, "[I'm still trying to process the fact that I have parents.]"

"[Do you not remember us?]" Venusaur mom asked, receiving a head shake from Venusaur.

"[Sorry, but I don't remember much before about a Year ago, sorry I had a bad experience and want to block out most of what happened.]"

"[Don't be sorry, I can only imagine what kind of things happened to you in the time we lost you, you were only about 3 months old at the time.]"

Ash then leaned into the conversation, "Wait aren't you like 2 years and 5 months old, how the heck did you block out your parents."

Venusaur's dad looked at Ash blankly, "[So this human is your trainer? Is he broken?]"

[I'm still debating that myself, but he is at least competent and takes good care of me, unlike 'her',] Venusaur said shivering.

"[Wait so this human isn't the one who took you away?]" Venusaur dad said, getting a head shake from Venusaur, "[Oh, good then I was debating just killing him as a punishment.]"

"Yeah I'd like my head to stay on my body," Ash said as Venusaur picked him up and turned him around without acknowledging him.

"[So then, what happened after you where taken?]" Venusaur mom asked

Venusaur sighed, "[I don't like thinking about it but I can tell you some of it-]"

For the next few moments, Venusaur explained his story and how he was found by Melanie and then taken in by Ash, even saying some of the adventures he had with the new gaggle of idiots he calls a family.

"[So that's what happened…]" Venusaur dad said, "I swear if I find those people I will show them why us Venusaur are the strongest in all these woods]"

Meanwhile, Ash sat and mused to himself, "Yeah I always forget I've only had you for like 3 months."

"[Well, considering your situation I'm surprised you were able to grow so fast, considering before that trainer with you you were not formally trained.]" Venusaur mom said, as Venusaur now stood at 3 meters, taller than her and only 0.2 meters shorter than his father.

Venusaur sister rubbed Venusaur on the head with her vine, "[And my little brother evolved thanks to me! Feel free to call me onii-chan~]"

Venusaur felt sweat fall from his head, "[Oh goody…I'm not doing that.]"

Venusaur sister pouted as Venusaur mom continued, "[Thank goodness you're back, we have so much to catch up on!]"

Venusaur looked over, "[Err, right, I wanted to ask, stop me if this sounds wrong, but why didn't you just try to have another son?]"

Venusaur mom and Venusaur dad looked at each other and slightly looked away, "[Em, w-well you see we spent a lot of time being worried, I would have loved another child we were even planning on it before you disappeared, but the stress, it was a lot to take in when we thought about you.]"

Venusaur sister looked somewhat annoyed at her parents, "First: gross, Second: yeah it would have been awesome to have another little brother or even a little sister, but dad kinda became…cold."

Venusaur dad looked at his daughter shocked that she said that as Venusaur's mother nodded, "[Yes he was the one affected most by your disappearance, he blamed himself every day.]"

"[H-hey you don't need to say that!]" Venusaur dad said, trying to stop the girls.

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Venusaur actually cracked a smile, it felt nice to feel like he had a family, and yet it also felt like this wasn't new. The bantering, the laughs, the smiles, the feeling of belonging he felt like he already had with the image of those idiots.

But he was snapped back to reality when Venusaur mom said something, "[We'll have so much time to catch up now that you're home!]"

"[Em, what?]"

"[Yeah, your home so we can finally be a family again,]" Venusaur's sister said happily.

Venusaur looked down at the mother and sister duo looking happily at each other, Venusaur looked over at Ash who gave him a look and put his Pokeball on the ground.

Venusaur didn't have to hear Ash's words to understand what he said to him, 'Do what YOU want, I won't force you to do anything.'

Venusaur looked at Ash, then at his Pokeball, then back at his family, his father looked at him as if he understood, so Venusaur took a breath and spoke, "[I can't stay.]"

That caused the happy faces of Venusaur mom and sister to immediately freeze as they looked at Venusaur in shock, "[What do you mean.]"

"[I'm sorry, but I can't stay here with you all,]" Venusaur said, lowering his head.

"[I-Is it because you don't remember us, that isn't a problem we can make new memories.]" Venusaur mom said frantically

But Venusaur shook his head, "[No it's not that, well that is a part but it's not the reason, if you had asked me 2 months ago I would have agreed.]"

"[But what changed?]"

"[I-I found a new family, it may be dysfunctional, our head may be a bumbling idiot, and we may fight each other sometimes, actually we fight a lot, but it is MY family, one that I want to protect.]"

Venusaur dad who stayed silent comforted his wife, "[It's not our decision to keep him here,]"

"[I know but we just got him back, I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye again.]" Venusaur mom said, looking down.

"[But he isn't our baby anymore, he grew up, he had to. We both know the day would come when he would either challenge me to become the next king or leave to find his own territory, his fate was never in our hands.]"

Venusaur mom felt like she was going to cry, but Venusaur's vine grabbed her on the shoulder, "[I can come and visit sometimes, and this time I promise I won't forget about you.]"

As he said that Venusaur closed his bulb so he looked like a big Bulbasaur, getting a tearful hug from his mother and sister.

After some time they let go and Venusaur walked up to his father, "[Although it does break my heart to see you leave, but it was still good to see you once again. But another matter is at hand, the royal stone, you earned it and it's your birthright.]"

Ash peaked through between the frogs, "Well then since he gets one from being the Prince, can I get 2 since he won."

Venusaur and his dad both stared at Ash, then looked at each other, "[Are we positive he isn't broken?]"

"[I'm still contemplating that, he does this more than you think]"

–

Ash and Venusaur were led into the big tree by Venusaur dad, somehow it looked bigger inside than outside as he saw that in the very center of the room with stalactites dripping some strange liquid to what appeared to be a pedestal, and on the rock was a smaller rock about halfway formed.

Near the bottom of them were 3 familiar stones that Ash recognized and Venusaur seemed compelled to.

Venusaur dad began speaking, "[This place has been in our sacred lands for years, far before even I was born, the last time someone outside my kingdom was given one of these Stones was when I was still just the Prince.]"

Then Venusaur dad looked at Ash, "[I don't know why you are so insistent on getting them or how you even know about them, but if you promise you will take care of my son it is a small price to pay.]"

Ash smiled and put his hand on Venusaur, "Don't worry, even if you didn't tell me to, I would have done that anyway, after all, we're family, and nothing is stronger than family."

Venusaur dad nodded in approval, "[I like that, alright I will leave you to it, you may choose the ones that call to you.]" Then he walked out.

Ash watched him leave, and then he looked at Venusaur, "Well you heard him pick your favorite."

Venusaur rolled his eyes as he walked forward and inspected the 3 mega stones to see which one called to him, meanwhile, Ash walked over to the podium where the stalactites were dripping picking up a random leaf on the way.

'I have no idea if this is going to work but it doesn't hurt to try,' Ash mumbled as he collected some of the liquid on the leaf, then he grabbed his broken Keystone and started pouring it onto it.

When all the liquid was gone Ash waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened making him sigh, "Well can't say I'm disappointed since I didn't expect anything but still, whatever." Ash mumbled as he put it in his back pocket and walked back to Venusaur.

Venusaur was still lost in thought for a moment but then grabbed the one that he liked the most, and turned to Ash who walked back down, "So you done?"

Venusaur nodded, holding his stone as Ash walked over and grabbed one himself, "Alright then, let's go and maybe we can get back before morning."

Venusaur and Ash started walking to the exit but Ash just had to say 1 thing, "So you admit we're a family."

"[Don't push it]" Venusaur said, not even turning to Ash, getting a chuckle as a response.

When they walked out they saw all the Grass frogs lined up with what seemed to be their version of a goodbye party all cheering and saying goodbye to Venusaur.

Venusaur and Ash looked at each other and both sighed thinking the same thing, 'I guess we aren't sleeping tonight.'

–

{The next morning}

Ash and Venusaur were walking back after being dropped off by Pidgeot, the main reason Venusaur was still out was because Ash was sitting on top of him, both of them looked relatively tired as they walked back into town.

The sun was already rising and people were already setting up for the day as they walked through the town until they got to the place they were staying at.

Along the way when they got close, they finally saw Brock, Misty, and Yellow with Pikachu. When they noticed each other they all looked silently at each other.

"..."

"..."

"...Sup," Ash said, breaking the silence, then continuing to walk through.

"Wait, aren't you going to explain!" Misty yelled

"No, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

—

{Team Rocket's Cinnabar Base}

Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra were standing in front of Giovanni with Shadow Articuno and Moltres and the thunder feather.

Giovanni nodded, "Excellent work, just what we need," then he signaled for 2 scientists.

Both scientists walked over and greeted the boss, "Sir" x2

"Dr. Namba and Professor Sebastian, it's time."

The scientists nodded as they went to Articuno and Moltres and both plucked a feather from them and took the feather Sierra had.

Then they quickly went to a nearby machine and put all 3 in, then the feathers began to dissolve and formed into a new liquid, then with a press of a button, it was all put into a weird Egg.

"It's a good thing we have gathered experience, otherwise this may take months, but if all goes well we should finish in a few days." Dr. Namba said

"But we will remain here to monitor it, just to make sure no complications occur," Professor Sebastian said.

Giovanni nodded, "Good, and don't worry about the time loss, once you complete this you will be compensated to continue your work for Team Rocket."

Then Giovanni looked at Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra, "Now as for you three, you will be rewarded for your work, but we have one more job to do,"

Giovanni pulled out his Purple Pokeball, "We have a Project to finish."