[center]Chapter 1:
The Stranger[/center]
Emerson stood in front of the Pokémon Center, paper bag in hand, and cursed his luck for at least the fifth time. When he had agreed to meet Adam, he had assumed Adam would be responsible enough to be on time. Now, ten minutes after their scheduled meeting time, Emerson was beginning to think he'd been had.
"Last time I trust a random guy asking for a deal," the Silph Co. employee grumbled, looking once more to see if his customer was making his way there. Seeing no one, he turned to leave, once again cursing unreliable customers.
"Did you bring them?" said a voice, making Emerson jump, almost throwing his bag in surprise. Turning around, Emerson was face to face with his customer, Adam, who seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Emerson said, angrily trying to regain his bearings. "What kept you? I've been waiting for twenty minutes!"
"I'm sorry, I was… held up," Adam said, his deep voice lacking any emotion. His eyes met the bag in Emerson's hand, and he nodded to it. "Is that my order?"
"Yes, it is," Emerson said, still grumpy, opening the bag. Inside were six Pokéballs, white on the bottom and purple on the top. Above the release button was a white "M," and there were two large, pink bubbles protruding from the top half. Adam gave Emerson a large stack of bills, and Emerson handed him the package. "I have to say, this is one of the largest orders we've ever gotten. Hat exactly are you going to use them for?"
"That is my concern, not yours," Adam said, his voice still emotionless. "You'll find I left you a rather large tip, I trust tat will be enough to cover any questions you might have.
"I suppose it will," Emerson said, reaching into his pocket. "If you need anything else, just give me a call." He handed Adam his card, making a mental note to have his assistant forward any calls from this customer to one of the other employees from now on.
Adam watched the salesman leave, a look of disdain on his face.
[i]Finally[/i], he thought, turning back the way he came. [i]I finally have the tools I need. After next week, the world will know who I am, and they will finally, after all these years, know true darkness.[/i]
[center]****[/center]
For the past hour, someone had been following Jake. He didn't know who, and he didn't know why, but he was going to figure it out.
That was one of the only things Jake didn't like about living in Sunyshore. It was a big city, with lots of people, and If you tried to confront someone on the street with a problem, security was right there, instantly, and you could never figure anything out.
Stepping off the automated walkway, Jake noticed a darkened alley. Turning his head just a bit, he saw the man who had been following him, and he moved toward the alley, formulating a plan.
When he reached the dark street, he stopped, just within the shadows. He could still see the man coming, but the man couldn't see him. When he came closer, Jake reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the alley before he could utter a sound.
"Who are you?" he said, shoving the man against the metal wall of a building. The man let out a small "hmph," handing Jake an envelope.
"It's all in there," The man said, as Jake let him down and took the envelope.
There were a few things inside, the most prominent being a folded flier of the Tournament that was being held at the Battle Frontier. It outlined the dates and the location, but other than that, the only thing it mentioned was that it would be the largest Pokémon tournament ever held, and the details would be given at the opening ceremony.
"Why would someone be giving me a flier to this?" Jake asked, mildly aggravated. "They're literally everywhere I go, I see them every day."
"There's a note in there, too," the man said, pointing to the envelope. "That will explain everything."
Jake reached in and found the note, unfolding it, and immediately recognized the handwriting.
"Why would Cynthia be contacting me?" Jake asked, now more confused than annoyed. When Jake was the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia had challenged him after defeating the rest of the Elite Four. They had battled twice, and Jake had won both times. After Jake had given up his title and moved back home to Sunyshore, Cynthia had wanted a rematch, but Jake had always been busy. "What, does she want me to enter this tournament so we can finally battle, or what?"
"Read the note," the man said gruffly, straightening his collar and looking around anxiously. "There's more to it.
"Alright, alright," Jake said, and began to read.
[i]I'm sorry if this catches you at a bad time, but I need your help.
I received word from Silph Co. that a large order of Masterballs was sold to an unknown buyer last night. This coincides with another call I received from Steven, in Hoenn, that his corporation had also received an order earlier in the week. They had turned it down, due to a lack of information, but Silph Co., who has been experiencing a slight drop in sales this year, decided to accept the sale.
We're not sure who the buyer is, but we have confirmation that a man matching the description given by a Silph Co. employee is entering the Battle Frontier's tournament next week. We need all the help we can get to track him down. A few Gym Leaders from Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, and even Sinnoh are going to enter, as are various members of the Elite Fours and even the Frontier Brains from Hoenn. I'm asking, as a personal favor, that you join us.
I can't explain everything in the note, for fear of it being intercepted, but I will explain everything as soon as you arrive. Your travelling expenses have already been taken care of, and I'll be expecting to see you on Sunday.
With regards,
Cynthia.[/i]
The last item in the envelope was a ticket for the Sunyshore Ferry, leaving on Friday afternoon.
"I'm sure it would mean a lot to her," the man said, noticeably uneasy. "I know you two have, um… history."
"That's enough of that," Jake said, irritated. "You can tell Cynthia that I'll be there, only to help her with this case. If we battle in the tournament, then that will be that. If we don't then it will have to be another time."
"Yes sir, I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry about it," Jake said, putting the ticket in his pocket and pushing the envelope back into the man's hand. Without another word, he left the alley and made his way home.
[center]****[/center]
"But why can't I come?" Jackie said, standing at the door while her brother sorted through clothes he was taking with him. "I'm 18, and I've travelled all over Sinnoh without you, why can't I go to the Battle Frontier?"
"I'm not going just for the tournament," Jake said, putting a pile of clothes in his bag. "Cynthia needs my help, and I haven't been away from Sunyshore in a while, soI figured I'd help her. End of story."
"No it's not," said Jackie coyly. "You forgot to mention the part where you can't wait to see Cynthia again, you heartbroken Luvdisc."
Jake threw a sweatshirt at her, but she was already running down the hallway, laughing all the way to her room.
"That is [i]not[/i] the reason I'm going," he said to no one in particular. He packed the rest of his clothes in silence, and then moved to look out the window.
The sun was setting over the ocean, and Jake thought about what was coming. He hadn't been involved in anything like this since he stepped down as the Sinnoh Champion, and he had to admit, he missed being in the action. He thought about all the battles he'd had over the years, and all the battles he was about to have at the largest Pokémon Tournament in history. He began thinking about any other items he'd need for the trip, and soon, he was completely done packing.
Friday afternoon couldn't come fast enough.