Igniting The Fire

Authors Note:

Hello there!

I hope that you enjoy the story. My writing is not perfect, but I try to keep everybody content, despite me knowing that that isn't always possible. Just for your knowledge, I'm a slow updater. Not because I don't write, but because I tend to put a lot of time into planning chapters, character arcs, proof-reading, adding and taking away stuff that does not fill any purpose, etc. etc. You know the drill. If you find something that does not make sense or is poorly/ incorrectly written, please tell me so I can adjust the mistake. I'm also up for ideas from readers, so if you have something; an idea, anything that you find interesting, write it in the comments etc. and mabye I'll draw inspiration from it when I write the next chapters.

Chapter 1, will be more of a "Prologue" that focuses on giving the story more depth, but Chapter 2 will return to "present time".

I also like to put in hidden movie, video or book references in my stories, so try to find each one in each chapter. It will be great fun to see if anyone get all of them. (The "Hello there" in the begginning does not count.) Each chapter also has a song dedicated to it, which also in the end will be the chapters title. For Chapter One it's: Thunderstruck by AC/DC.

Enjoy the book,

Raey Parker

Chapter 1: Thunderstruck

(September 9th, Kalos)

"It has now been almost two days since Tyranitar Incorporations, the highly successfull producer of Poké-Serum, the brand that has revolutionised the world for over two years, was brought down by police after an intense battle outside of their headquarters, in Kalos capital Lumiose City. The reasons behind the Police and Officer Jenny's actions are still unknown, however the latest reports on the subject describing the incident, although uncertain, talks about illegal experimentation on innocent Pokémon in hopes on enhancing their products. It's unsure for how long these experiments have been going on, but early proof given to us by safe sources state that the substances that we have been buying for our pokemon during these last two years, could all have been engineered by illegal experimentation. Tyranitar Incorporations that as late as a month ago took another step towards becoming a contender for the worlds biggest company, now has to enjoy it's downfall behind bars, as these news show their stocks sinking by nearly 86% over the last few days. The founder of Tyranitar Incorporations, Stanton Eccer, has yet to answer to any of these charges."

"Another person present at the downfall of Tyranitar Incorporations was Ash Ketchum. The 18 year old Kalos and Sinnoh Champion could be seen fighting alongside Officer Jenny, however his reasons for involvement are still unknown to the public. The 18 year old who as late as 6 months ago won the Kalos league after defeating Diantha has yet to answer any of our calls in hope of an interview. He was however seen outside the Lumiose Gym as late as yesterday with his girlfriend Serena, the famous Pokémon performer and fashion designer, as well as his Pikachu. We will get back to you in short with further updates on the situation. In other news the weather seems to be getting worse-..."

The man watching had turned off the TV. There was nothing more he needed to hear; nothing more he needed to know. He didn't actually know why he watched the news about Tyranitar Incorporations. He had constant contact with Officer Jenny in case something came up, and the news where more than enough steps behind. The only interesting piece of information they had come with was that Stanton Eccer hadn't commented the charges brought upon him and his company. He seemed to have completely disappered.

The man looked to the left; down on the woman laying next to him. She was stunningly beautiful, with honey colored hair and pinkish lips. She was wearing one of his black hoodies and drooling slightly on to the pillow her head rested on. In the womans lap laid a Pikachu. It was snoring slightly, clearly sleeping peacefully. The man, the woman and the Pikachu were situated in their bed. He smiled down at the two sleeping figures. They had come to be the most important parts of his life. They were almost as necessary as the air he breathed, the food he ate or the water he drunk. They were like puzzle pieces; ment to stick together. He looked outside the window; seeing a rainy, autumn day, with a sky filled with dark clouds. It had been raining non-stop for almost a week, with the exeption of yesterday morning. The summer had been amazing, with lots of sun and clear skies, but he guessed that everything came with a price and that this rain was a form of compensation.

Ash Ketchum ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes. His hair was shorter than ever before. During his childhood his hair had mostly resembled a spearows nest, since it was so wild and un-combed. His girlfriend had however always thought that his hair was a bit too long, and had for little over a month ago brought him to one of her friends that worked as barberer. He had cut his hair down a bit, trimmed it and styled it with hairgel, something Ash himself never had used before. In the beginning he was critical, but over time he liked his new hairstyle more and more. Ash looked up towards the ceiling, thinking about the last few weeks. They had been hectic, to say the least. The whole ordeal with Tyranitar Incorporations had been a long journey, with a investigation over a year old. He had only been a part of it during two weeks, but was still as deeply disturbed as them who had worked in the policeforce for years.

It was however not until these final few weeks that things truly started to happen. Tyranitar Incorporations had launched their first products around two years ago, and they quickly became incredibly popular. Their medicine had incredible healing proportions and there were special types of medicine made for different types of pokemon. Their stock prises shot into the stratosphere, and over night Tyranitar Incorporations was one of the wealthiest companies in the world. Not long after their success started however, the police begin to suspect that things were not all glory and sunshine inside their headquarters, where all medicine and pokemon food was distributed from. Tests were carried out on the medicines and most definitive proof was found that it contained blood cells from Pokemon. The scientists however needed more proof before filing a report towards the company, so over the last year they had been carrying out multiple tests on new products to gain as much content for a potential takedown of the company. But then, for a little over two weeks ago, a man aproched Officer Jenny with information. He said that he worked at Tyranitar Incorporations as a scientist and that he wanted to tell her something, but only in exchange for protection. So Jenny listened and the scientist told her the truth about Tyranitar Incorporations products. And the truth was even more horrifying than anyone could have ever imagined. The scientist said that Tyranitar Incorporations built all of their foundations to their products on illegal experimentation on Pokémon. Pokémon were kept in cages, treated without mercy. Sometimes they went without food for days. The scientist also said that some of his colleagues had got orders to use different torture techniques to make it easier to make pokemon cry and to catch their tears, which eventually would be used in experimentation.

Officer Jenny had acted immediately. A plan was discussed, a plan that involved storming the headquarters to save the pokemon trapped inside. This was where Ash got into the picture. He got a call from Jenny during a sunny evening two weeks ago, asking him to come down to the station because she needed his help. He had obliged and went down to the station to meet with Jenny. Ash was equally horrified at the thought of tortured and decided to help; and a few days later they stormed the headquarters of Tyranitar Incorporations. They were met with heavy fire. The workers had probably drawn the conclusion that their secrets were about to be discovered, and tried to fight back to ensure that the evidence could be hidden. They did not succeed however, and the battle was over within an hour. Before the battle the headquarters of Tyranitar Incorporations looked like something out of a spy movie.

It was a large building; which insides looked pristine and clean, with a big fountain in the middle. The fountain contained a statue of a Squirtle, a watertype pokemon, shooting a line of water up in the air. It was stunningly beautiful, carved out in bronze as it reflected the sunlight shining in trough the big windows close to the entrence. The buildning also had offices and a reception. It reminded Ash of a bank, more than a facility where they produced illegal products. After the battle, the building had come to look as something out of a war zone, with broken walls and fires scattered all over the building. Destroyed desks and papers littered the pristine floors and paintings of pokemon that had previously hung on the white walls had fallen down. From there it hadn't taken long to arrest all people present in the building and to Ash's horror, the scientist had turned out to be telling the truth. In one of the labs the policeforce found hundreds of pokemon trapped in metal cages. They were underfed and boney; scared, weak and incredibly undeserving of the treatment they had gotten. The trapped pokemon had been saved, fed and nurtured back to health by Nurse Joy, but their psychological scars were deeper than anticipated. Nurse Joy were sure that she could help them if she was given the time, but where at the same time quick to point out that it would take months, mabye even years.

Ash rose from his bed and walked quietly out into the kitchen. There he took a glass of water and after that set out for one of the armchairs located in his and Serenas livingroom. The livingroom was the biggest room in the house, decorated after Serenas preferences. Paintings hung on the wall and on the floor a red mat, decorated with small symbols along the edges. In front of the armchairs were a fireplace, where logs still were ignited and smoldering from when they'd used it before going to bed to take a nap about an hour ago. He sat down in one of the armchairs and juggled the water in his glass for a moment before taking a sip and putting it down on a dark, wooden table in front of the fire. There was still some heat present from the smoldering fire, but it was slowly ebbing away to a cold, given by the rain outside.

"Pika?"

Ash turned his head. At the far end of the room, where he had entered just moments earlier, stood his best friend. His fur was a bit ruffled from sleeping, but as always he looked alert and ready for anything. Ash gave him a smile and patted the armchair beside him. His buddy sprung forward and launched himself on to Ash, settling in his lap instead. Ash chuckled quietly. Pikachu had always prefered his lap or shoulder over any other place to sit.

"How are you doing buddy? Feeling good?" The pokemon cooed slightly and nodded it's head. "Sorry, if I'm worrying you. I was just thinking about the last few days. It just came out of nowhere. I never thought I would be a part of something like this; neither did you I presume? I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

Just as he said that something started to buzz in the kitchen. It sounded like a swarm of beedrills, but Ash quickly understood that it was his or Serena's phone ringing. He rose from the armchair; Pikachu hot on his heels and entered the kitchen. Ash picked up the phone and looked at the number to dechiper who was calling him. It was Officer Jenny. Ash picked up the phone, pressed the green button to answer and held the phone to his ear and spoke.

"Hello, Officer!"

"Hello, Ash. How are you?" said Jenny from the other side of the phone. She didn't however let Ash answer this question; instead plowing on, wasting no time. "I need you down at the station. Is there a chance you could come by? I think we've found something that might be of interest to us in the takedown of Stanton Eccer, but I need you to look it over before I make any further investiagtions. It could just be something unsignificant that is of no use to us."

Ash raised an eyebrow. This sounded like something that was outside of his comfort zone. He was fine with battling and taking down bad guys, but reviewing potential evidence was something that he felt uncomfortable doing. He spoke, asking the question on his mind.

"This sounds like something for your detectives, rather than me Officer. Reviewing evidence has never been my good side."

"I would have put my detectives on this, if I didn't know the fact that I had you at my disposal. This is no usual evidence, it's more connected to battling, which is an area that I know that you're quite familiar with. I think your views on what we have found could help tremendously. It would offer us a uniqe angle and insight from a true proffesional."

Ash felt his head heat up a bit at these words. Although he was used by now to be called "master" by strangers in public, hearing it from friends always made it feel akward. "Ok, then." he said with a small smile. "I'll be down as quickly as a can. I just have to wake up Serena, to tell her where I'm going."

"Ok, then Ash. I'll see you down at the station."

"Yep, I'll see you there."

Ash hung up the phone and looked down at Pikachu.

"It looks like you and me are needed at the station. Apparently Officer Jenny have found something she wants me to look at."

Pikachu gave Ash a look that quite clearly said: "Are you serious? We have to go there right now?"

Ash gave Pikachu a small smile and said: "Yeah, I'm not very motivated either, but she really sounded like she needed our help, so we will have to go. You don't mind waking Serena up, by the way, while I get more properly dressed. I need her to know where we are going."

Pikachu shrugged and ran off to wake Serena up. Meanwhile Ash climbed out of his sweatpants and dressed in blue jeans and a black and white jacket. A few moments later Pikachu was back, and behind him stumbled Serena. She looked tired, but pleased; evidently gotten some rest out of the nap. Her blonde hair hung over her shoulders in waves and she gave her boyfriend a smile.

"Going to meet up with Jenny?" she asked, clearly interested. Her voice was hoarse from the sleeping.

"Yeah." said Ash. "She wanted to show me something about the case and review it with me. She thought it would interest me since it was connected to battling, but I'm still not very motivated to go."

"I can't see why." said Serena with obvious irony as she threw a glance outside the window. "Don't worry. I'll guard the house. I still have to call that damned fashion designer I've been trying to avoid. Guess I can make that call now."

"Yeah, I guess so. It would seem like a smart idea."

"No shit, It was I that came up with it..." said Serena while giving Ash a small wink.

"Just as long as it isn't that grey haired one. He pisses me off everytime. It feels like he has to be the center of attention all the time."

"Don't worry, Romeo. It's not him. But I promise, that if he does call, I'll hang up directly. I don't really like him either."

Ash himself gave a chuckle, turned towards the door and opened it. He looked back at his girlfriend and they exchanged a quick "I love you" before Ash stepped outside in the rain and closed the door. Trying to avoid drowning, he and Pikachu ran to the car parked outside and threw themselves inside. Ash turned on the car and put on the heater. The car was not cold, but rather chilly; the coolness of the rain falling outside seemingly being the main reason. Ash backed outside from the parkingspace and set off towards the policestation. He turned on the radio to make the ride more fun and enjoyable. It wasn't a long ride to the policestation, only about 20 minutes, and neither was it generally boring, but Ash always felt like the way there would go faster with music at his disposal. The traffic was minimal, so Ash anticipated that he would probably be able to get there earlier aswell.

"Good." he thought. "The faster I get this thing finished, the faster I can get home to Serena."

A few minutes later he turned into the parking lot outside the policestation. By now it was rather dark and the entire parkinglot was lit up by the warm light eminating from streetlights. The amount of falling rain however had not changed a bit. It almost seemed to have gotten worse during the drive down to the station. Ash and Pikachu opened their respective doors, but closed them quickly so not to get the interior of the car wet. Ash pulled up the hood on his jacket and broke out in a small run towards the building in front of him. The police station wasn't very big. It was a rather small building mainly decorated in blue, black and silver colors to represent the usual colors officers wore while on duty. Alongside one side of the building stood around three or four, white and blue policecars, and to the left of them, under a small roof stood two black motorbikes, chained to a metal pole. Ash approched the door to the station and tried to open it. The door was locked so Ash simply knocked once, hoping to get the attention of anyone inside. There was no answer. Ash frowned. They should have heard him. It was not very late and there was a reception right around the corner which was always staffed. He knocked once more but still there was no answer. He picked up his phone to call Officer Jenny. Mabye they were all having a meeting or something. He pressed the number and held the phone close to his ear. There was no answer this time either. Ash tried again, but the line, just like the previous time, was silent. He looked down at Pikachu who gave Ash a calculating look.

"Pikachu." said Ash. "I need you to break down the door with an iron tail. Something is going on here and I don't like it. We need to make sure that nothing has happened inside."

A few moments later the door fell backwards from the strength of Pikachus iron tail. When it hit the ground it gave of a huge "WHAM", but a few seconds later, once more, everything was quiet. Ash and Pikachu stepped over the door and in to the policestation. The first sight that met them was an empty reception. The room looked untuched and all the lamps, like usual, were on and emitting light. Ash called out once more in hope of an answer, however there was still nobody responding. He opened the door to the left of the reception and went inside.

"I have a bad feeling about this." said Ash in an undertone.

Behind the door was a fairly long hallway, with doors on the sides leading in to different rooms. At the end of the hallway was another door leading in to the big conferance room. Beside the doors along the hallways stood different plants. He had no idea which types of plants inhabited this place, but he was sure that they were there to give the otherwise boring hallway some life. Quietly he went forward; Pikachu right behind him. The hallway was simply lit up, with not near as many lights as the reception. Ash's shadow was mirrored on the floor in front of him and he could see his own reflection in a picture frame hanging on the side of a small, plastic watertank. The picture contained all the workers at the station. It had been taken for over a year ago, outside the station, on a hill near the forrest. He opened a door to his left and peeked inside. The room was empty, but it was filled with papers and broken or outdated computers. Ash closed the door and decided to go directly to the door at the end of the hallway that he knew led to the big conferance room. This was the most logical thoughtprocess. If there was anyplace in the building the staff would be, it would most likely be there. He took a breath before opening the door and mentioned to Pikachu to be ready to attack if anything was lurking inside.

The door swung open and Ash stepped inside. The sight that greeted him was the most horrible sight he'd ever witnessed in his life. It was worse than any horror movie, worse than anything he'd ever read in fiction, worse than seeing those innocent, starving pokémon a few days ago locked up in those metal cages. It was an image he knew he'd never get out of his head for the rest of his life. There was nothing that anybody could have done to prepare him for this. Inside the room laid, on the floor, over thirty, most likely dead, police officers; men and women. All of them had been shot multiple times. Some had been shot in the stomach or the chest, while some where laying on the floor with holes trough their heads. Bloodsplatter, bulletholes and bullets were scattered across the walls and the floor. The crimson colored blood from the dead bodies were sticking to the carpet that covered the floor. Ash felt like he wanted to puke. After the initial shock Ash realised that there was no sign of Officer Jenny. He and Pikachu quickly stepped over the bodies on the floor and made sure not to step in any of the blood, and made their way over to Jenny's office. He felt himself growing dizzy. This was too much to handle. He'd seen scenes like this in movies, but they wer just that; just movies. Just something fictional that some creators with vivid imagination had made up to entertain people. Ash reached the door and pulled the handle downwards to open it. It opened quietly inwards. The room was dimly lit up, but that was in no way a interferance to anybody with good eyesight. This room did not however come with thirty dead bodies, rather two, that were very much alive. In a chair in the middle of the room sat Officer Jenny. You could easily see that she had been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and the outline of old tears glimmered in the light from the lamps on her cheek. She was tied up with ropes and a muzzle made sure that she could not utter a word. That did not mean however that she didn't try to resist her restraints. Officer Jenny thrashed right and left, but to little avail. The ropes did not budge.

Behind Officer Jenny, in the leather chair that was situated behind her desk, sat a man in a black suit, with a black tie. He looked to be in his thirties, but Ash knew that looks could be deceving. His hair was dark and eybrows rather thin. The mouth was snapped shut, and the grey eyes the man bore, were calculating and menacing. He really looked like a villan thought Ash. One of those you'd find in a spy movie, like Detective Pikachu. On the desk laid a pistol with a silencer and a pair of glasses with black outlines. The man looked up at Ash, down at Pikachu and gave them a cold, devilish smile. When he spoke Ash almost jumped. The voice belonging to the man was not rough like he had expected. Instead it was smooth and calm, but it carried an aftertone that made the hairs on Ash's arms stand straight up.

"Hello there, Mr. Ketchum." said the man. "I've wanted to meet you for quite a while now, although I would have wished for it to happen over more peaceful matters."

"What do you want, Mr. Stanton Eccer?" asked Ash with a voice dripping with rage. "What have you DONE?"

"Only the necessary I'm afraid, Mr. Ketchum. They were in the way, and I needed to get access to this pretty lady..." said Stanton Eccer, pointing a thin finger at Officer Jenny. "She have some information that absolutly cannot hit the media. You see, it would kind of make my life a little bit more difficult, than it already is, and I would like to avoid that."

"You killed all those innocent people outside. You don't get to deserve anything!" said Ash furiously.

Stanton Eccer simply ignored this and sat up a little straighter in the chair.

"You're quite the inspiration around the world. Did you know that? I have a nephew that adores you. He has posters of you and that Pikachu all over the walls in his room. Never understood the fascination with you, or battling for that matter, but I guess I'll find out what all of the fuss is about right now. Hmm, I like that word. Fuss. Rolls off the tounge in a nice way, don't you think?"

Ash just glared at the man. He seemed to take this as some form of joke. The owner of Tyranitar Incorporations sighed and looked down at Pikachu. He gave the pokemon a small smile that never quite reached his eyes and spoke once more.

"Ash. I know why you and so many other people are wondering, why we have done what we have done and I'm sad to say that's a question I sadly can't answer to a full extent. But surely even you can see the potential in what we have found. This is the answer we have been looking for for years. Your pokemon will now be able to get healthier than ever before. And we can do that by a few drops of blood. Isn't it incredible?! Mabye even us, Ash. Mabye even us humans will be able to benefit from this."

"No, it's not incredible." said Ash with disgust. "It's cruel and crazy. Dangerous and awful. How dare you treat innocent pokemon like that!?"

"You know, I think I'm starting to see why my nephew likes you so much. You cirtanly have a flair. But sadly for all the things that are insignificant"

"SHUT UP!" growled Ash. Beside him Pikachu's cheeks were alive with electricity. The pokemon looked more furious than he'd ever looked before. It was almost scary. "I will take you down if it's the last thing I'll do in this world. You'll never get away with this!"

"My boy, I have been doing this since you were a child. This is nothing new and I've always gotten away with it. You see, there is never anyone alive to tell the tale."

"YOU MONSTER!" roared Ash in fury.

Stanton Eccer gave Ash a cold look, and swiftly looked down at the clock. He seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. But to get to that something or someone he'd have to get past Ash, and he had no intentions of budging.

"I'm sorry Ash. This has without a doubt been a wonderfull conversation, filled with interesting stuff. But since I got the information I was here to collect, I think it's safe to say that my place is elsewhere. It was nice meeting you, but with all due respect, I hope we never cross paths again. Have a wonderfull evening..."

With that he grabbed the gun on the desk, turned around in the chair, rose from it in less than a second and threw himself into the window behind him. Ash had not anticipated this and gave a big yelp of shock. The window smashed and Stanton Eccer tumbled towards the ground. Ash ran forward to see what had happened to the man. Surely he had not jumped to his death. A few moments later it became obvious that he hadn't. A large, orange Dragonite came flying up from beneath; Stanton Eccer perched on it's muscular back. Ash swore loudly as he saw the man disappear slowly towards the horizon. Ash turned and ran back to officer Jenny, still tied up in the chair. With the help of Pikachu's iron tail once more she was free. In one swift move she removed her muzzle and screamed at Ash. Once again, a something happened that he hadn't anticipated. He thought that Jenny would have fallen down crying, but evidently he was wrong.

"GO YOU IDIOT! CATCH HIM! FLY AFTER HIM ON YOUR CHARIZARD! DON'T LET THAT MAN ESCAPE!"

"What about you?" asked Ash timidly.

"I'll live. NOW GO! I'll call for backup!"

"If you say so, Officer. CHARIZARD, I CHOOSE YOU!" screamed Ash. A moment later the majestic creature stood in front of them; the fire on his tail stronger than ever. "Charizard!" said Ash quickly. "We need to catch that Dragonite! Could you help us?" said Ash and pointed towards the small dot in the distance.

The pokemon nodded and gave a thumbs up, before bending his back slightly, mentioning for Ash and Pikachu to climb omboard. They jumped omboard and a moment later they were soaring through the air. The dot that previously had been so far away came closer and closer. Ash knew that Charizards speed was unmatched in cirtain distances and that this was one of them. They were gaining ground every moment. The rain hit their faces with such ferocity that it was difficult for anyone to see. Overhead, Ash could hear thunder rumbling. This was not a good point to be in the air. They raced after eachother for a long time, easily more than thirty minutes. They were now on uncharted territory, flying over woods, rivers and mountains never seen by them before. Suddenly everything happened very fast. The Dragonite slowed down and turned around. Charizard slowed in, preparing for the inevitable battle that would soon take place. Pikachu, now perched on Charizards shoulder looked furious and ready to strike at any moment. Charizard came to a halt around ten meters from Dragonite. Both glaring at eachother. Ash looked down; taking in the surrounding areas. They were situated right over a big river cutting through the landscape. In the distance mountains could be seen. They were covered in snow and looked menacing in the surrounding darkness, but Ash could tell that they would look quite beautiful surrounded by light eminating from the sun in the early mornings. On the right of the river was a small town, containing a few hundred houses. There were lights coming from the windows and the streets were lit up by streetlights. To the left of the river was a huge forrest. Ash could see that some of the leaves in the trees were turning yellow, showing clear signs that atumn was finally here. He turned his gaze back towards Stanton Eccer and the Dragonite. The man on the back of the Dragonite was giving Ash a devilish smile that reached his cold eyes. Water from the rain was running down his pale face and his previously neat hairstyle, was now, above anythign else, a mess.

"I'll say it again, Ash." shouted Stanton Eccer over the rain. "I understand now. I understand why my nephew adores you. That spark, that glare, that eternal love for pokemon. You really are an inspiration! If only you could see the world the way I do. We would be great partners!"

Ash didn't hesitate and screamed back.

"I would never fall to your level, Eccer! My love for pokemon stretches far above your cruelty. What you're doing is wrong; so wrong! They don't deserve this, they never have and never will. And I wall fall to nothing to stop you and everything you stand for!"

"We'll see about that Ash!" screamed Stanton. "I was like you once. Energetic, passionate, with a heart full of hopes and dreams. Above anything else I had an undying love for pokemon and a unquivering thirst for the knowledge of everything that surrounds them. My dad owned a pokemon center you see. I spent every waking hour of my childhood there, engaging and meeting new pokemon. I protected them! I LOVED them! But with the years, my dear Ash, came revelation. I saw that pokemon had a deeper potential, a greater meaning in this world, and finally I get the chance to use my ideas. But then, you came, and that stupid police officer, Jenny."

He said the last few words with distaste. He looked angrier than ever before; his eyes shining with rage.

"Like I said Ash. Anyone can become anything! You've just got to ignite the fire and let the possibilities in!"

"You're wrong!" roared Ash back as an answer. "We all have a choice. We chose who we become, and I'll never follow in the footsteps of someone that openly confesses to use cruelty for their own benefit!"

Stanton Eccer snarled angrily and gave the pokemon champion a death glare.

"Then I'll kill you, Ash Ketchum, and everything you stand for!" shouted the leader of Tyranitar Incorporations. "DRAGONITE, USE ICE BEAM!"

Ash had been prepared for the attack and reared aout of the way. This was something he was used to. He was after all, a champion and one, if not the best pokemon battler and trainer in the world. The pokemon began to circle each other. Ash knew they had to play this smart. He had two pokemon at his disposal, while Stanton only had one. If they combines their attacks tactically this battle shouldn't last long.

"Pikachu!" he shouted. "Use thunderbolt, and Charizard use flamethrower. We need to get them off balance."

"Dragonite, dodge it!" yelled Eccer.

The massive dragontype pokemon dived out of the way from Charizards flamethrower, but couldnt avoid Pikachu's thunderbolt, which struck the Dragonite straight in the chest. The pokemon and it's rider lit up at the direct hit. Ash could tell pretty quickly that Stanton Eccer was at best a mediocre fighter. His moves was sloppy and his countermeasures useless.

"Good hit, buddy!" yelled Ash back towards Pikachu. Pikachu closed his fist and gave Ash a satisfied grin. Ash looked down once more. The streets of the town on the right of the river was now occupied by a lot of the residents in the town; men, women and kids. Some were filming the entire thing with their phones, not caring about the rain or cold. Ash quickly turned his gaze on to Stanton Eccer once more and they continued to battle. Ash, Charizard and above all Pikachu kept on striking hit after hit on the tired Dragonite. Stanton Eccers offence was still as sloppy as ever. Ash knew this battle would be over soon. He anticipated that another good hit from one of Pikachu's thunderbolts should to the trick. A small problem had arisen though. During their battle, the weather had gotten even worse, if that was possible. Thunder raged around them and just a few hundred meters from them, right down a tree, lightning struck. Being this far up in the air; being the highest point in a thunderstorm was not a good idea. He had to make an end to this quickly.

"Give up now, Stanton, or I'll strike you down! We both know that you're out of time."

"NEVER, ASH KETCHUM!" shouted the man in the black suit. He set of upwards, towards the clouds, towards the dark, rainy sky.

Ash on Charizards back pelted after him. Stanton sent attacks slashing through the air behind him as he and Dragonite flew. Flamethrowers and Ice beams; anything he could thing of. But like Ash had anticipated. He wasn't a battler. Ash continued to dodge and the distance between them closed quickly. Then out of nowhere a incredible light flashed in front of Ash's eyes and a heat, more incredible and horrible than he'd ever experienced before struck him. He immediately lost conciousness, slipping of Charizard in the process. He looked down once more whilst feeling his mind slipping into the abyss. One last time; for he knew that this was the end of him. He saw both Pikachu and Charizard out cold aswell. They were tumbling downwards, towards the river; it's dark waters ready to accept him into it's depth. The last thing he heard or saw before entering the realm of darkness was the sound of Stanton Eccer laughing a high pitched, psychotic laugh whilst flying away over the forrest and the screams of the people down on the rainy streets. They would be the last people to ever witness a battle from Ash Ketchum. He knew it and it made him feel empty. A few moments later he hit the surface of the water and everthing was gone in an instant. His mind, his memory; everything. Ash Ketchum was gone.

Mount Gyrados was a part of the Northern Mountainrange of the Kalos region. It had a snowy top and had gotten it's name from it's south side. The south side of the mountain looked like the face of a Gyrados. A huge cave was portraid as it's mouth, filled with stellaites and sharp rocks. In the darkness of the current night it gave off the illusion of looking like a beast emerging from the mountain. A great stone beast, bigger than any Pokemon of this world. Through the mountain ran a river. It was wide, dark, cold; with fierce streams, and a surroudning area of wilderness. In the river floated a man, a Pikachu and a Charizard. They were facing upwards towards the sky; their bodies numb and blue of the cold temperatures of the water. The flame, which had previously been almost abnormally large on the tail of the Charizard was now close to being disinguished. The man's clothes were burned and severed and a big parts of his body was twisted in weird ways after the initial impact. They were all unconcious, floating along with the water like a log or a boat.

The river led into a cave that was long and spiralling. The cave was darker than the outside world in the night, due to the fact that no light was able to penetrate it's depths. The bodies in the river continued to float along with the streams firece turns and twists. Droplets of water trickled down from the ceiling of the cave and hit their faces, but nowbody noticed anything. Time and space was all but a fragment of reality. The man, the Pikachu and the Charizard spent hours in the river before washing up on a shore. The shore was located inside the cave, close to a tunnel. Vines were hanging from the walls and on the side of the tunnel sat lit torches. The flame spread a warm, inviting light that cut throught the darkness in the cave. The most peculiar thing about the place was not however this. It was the fact that the bodies on the shore wasn't alone. All around them stood people in grey hoods. They looked a bit like munks, but without the shaven hair. All of them wore a neckless with a gold ingraved picture of the legendary pokemon, Arceus. The hoods were also encrusted and decorated with silver patterns along the shoulders.

In silence the stood, watching the bodies on the ground. Living beings barely breathing. One of the people in grey hoods stepped forward and pulled off her hood. It was a woman. She had grey hair and calculating blue eyes. She held up a hand and pointed to the beings on the shore.

"Take them up to the village." she said. Her voice was deep, but calm and welcoming. "Arceus was right. They have arrived. You know what we have to do. That man is going to be the salvation of our world. The one to bring together all men and Pokemon in unity. But his change is not complete. It's up to us. He doesn't know his destiny and nor does his pokemon. His body is broken and it won't fit him no longer. It's time to begin the change. Let's get going before it's too late."