Revelations

Chapter 1: Betrayal

"It shall be done, Giovanni," stated Ash Ketchum, as he nodded his head. His partner, Roman Schiffer, who was standing next to him, was also nodding. Their mission was to head from their headquarters in Viridian down to a small town by the name of Pallet, in order to steal the three starter Pokemon, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, from Professor Oak's lab. These three Pokemon were known to have very powerful evolutions, and Giovanni wished to add them to his team of powerhouses.

Seeing as Ash and Roman were highly ranked grunts, just a step below Commander, they were given this mission as a form of a test. If they were successful, they had passed, and one of them was to be promoted to Commander. Commander was a very prominent position in the ranks of Team Rocket, and it was the goal of every grunt to work their way through the ranks, and end up at the top, holding that title.

Ash and Roman slipped on black masks with a red 'R' over one eye, and headed out of the room. All grunts were required to wear these masks when they were on a conspicuous part of a mission. This was so that they could live normal lives if Team Rocket ever had to go to ground again, as they had had to do eight years ago, when the soon-to-be Champion, Red, had smashed the carefully built criminal organization to bits. Since then, Team Rocket had been built back up in the shadows, relying on their connections to the crime syndicates in other regions, such as Galactic, Plasma, and Flare. There had been rumors, of course, that the Rockets were going to make a comeback, however nobody really believed them because they had been taken down so thoroughly after Red had caused their operation to fall into shambles. The International Police and most of the Officer Jennies throughout Kanto had systematically raided every Rocket stronghold in the region. There was only one problem; despite their best efforts, they had never confirmed capturing Giovanni, the secretive and sinister leader of the Rockets.

So Rocket was born anew, hidden away from the eyes of the public. Giovanni had learned his lesson when he had been soundly beaten by Red, and was determined not to make the same mistake twice. The year before, Rocket had burst back out into the world's crime scene with a force that had the International Police reeling, trying to put a stop to the Team's heinous activities.

The citizens of Kanto were shocked that the stories they would tell their kids about Team Rocket coming to get them if they didn't go to sleep had come true. It was even worse than they had imagined. Team Rocket had not failed a single mission since their comeback, and the International Police had little to no evidence to aid them in their search for the Rocket headquarters.

Ash and Roman entered one of the black vans that was part of the Rocket motor pool, and drove out of the city, and into Viridian Forest. The date was June 27th. The time was 5:30 AM.

The room was dark. The only real light was around the shades covering the windows. There was also a dim red glow coming from the numbers on a digital clock. She woke with a start, sitting up quickly in her bed. She sat for a minute in the dark, staring at where she knew the window was, hair the color of honey cascading over her shoulders and down her back. She sighed, and turned, looking at the clock.

'One more day,' she thought to herself. The last eight years had been difficult for her. She had been just three days away from turning 10, and therefore permitted to begin her travels. In that three days, the truth had come out about Team Rocket; how they had been robbing and kidnapping young trainers, and forcing them to hand over their Pokemon. This was only discovered once Red directed the police to the demolished Rocket headquarters. The Kanto government had quickly held councils and hearings, deciding that the minimum age for a trainer be raised to 18, since teens were then deemed to be adults and fully capable of handling themselves. As a result, she who was on the cusp of her journey, had been denied her right to travel freely, and forced to wait for eight years, until she was deemed ready.

The last year had been even more difficult, because of the return of Team Rocket. There had been talk of temporarily halting the dispersion of trainer licenses until the International Police had a better hold on Team Rocket's activities. She had been terrified that she would have to wait even longer to begin her adventure. Fortunately, the government had decided against that, and so here she was, 17 years and 364 days old, one day away from beginning her quest to challenge the Pokemon League. She sighed again, this time in anticipation. She swung her legs off the side of her bed, and was just about to stand up when she heard a shout.

"Serena! Breakfast is almost ready!" Serena Yvonne smiled and stood up, ready to get dressed and eat. The date was June 27th. The time was 7:00 AM.

"Alright, you understand the plan?" Ash asked, with Roman nodding his head as a response. The plan that Ash had devised was quite simple, really. They would first use Roman's Arcanine to melt through the back doors of the lab. Next Ash's Scizor would break through the locked display stand holding the starters. If any lab aids happened to be present, Roman's Hypno would make them forget they were ever there. Then they would hop back into their van, and roar off back towards Viridian.

"Alright, there's the lab. I'll go up this road here to the service entrance," said Roman, briskly, his shoulder length white hair in heavy contrast with his black mask. They pulled up to the back doors, and came to a halt. Hopping out of the van, Roman threw a Pokeball, his Arcanine appearing as the ball flew back to his hand.

"Arcanine, melt the doors," Roman ordered dispassionately. Arcanine unleashed a massive flamethrower onto the steel service doors, melting them in seconds. They walked through the hole where the doors used to be, and went straight to the display case with the starters. Ash released his Scizor, and told him to open the case. He did so, and was then returned.

Ash went to grab the Pokeballs containing the starters, but stopped abruptly when he heard the sound of a Pokemon being released.

"You might not want to do that," he heard Roman say from behind him.

"What is this, Roman?"

"Oh, nothing really, just a little thinning of the competition. It's nothing personal." Ash could have sworn he saw a glint coming from behind the eye of the ominous black mask. "Arcanine, burn his uniform so the 'R' is obscured. Hypno, use Psychic to remove his mask, then Hypnosis to make him forget that he was ever a part of Team Rocket."

"Wha-," said Ash, and his eyes widened behind his mask just as he was hit by the Ember attack, followed quickly by his mask being ripped off his face. He fell back onto the floor, as a tingling sensation invaded his mind. He slumped over to his side, his last thought before oblivion was one of anger. A deep throbbing anger that could not possibly be removed completely by a mere Hypnosis attack…

He woke up to a world of pain. The first thing that he was aware of upon regaining consciousness was a pounding in his skull. It was all he could do to open his eyes and try to sit up. As soon as he moved, he regretted it. It felt like his skin was made of paper that was stretched tight over his bones, and when he shifted position, that paper seemed like it was tearing in many places all at once.

"My head…. Where am I?" Ash looked around, seeing the damaged display case, then the now-cooled metal of the melted doors. After he took in his surroundings, he looked down at himself, and grimaced at what he saw. The outer layer of what appeared to be some sort of uniform was almost entirely burned off, his undershirt was burned through in the front, and his torso was covered in raw burns.

He realized that he needed help as soon as possible, despite the fact that he had no idea where he was. He tried to stand up, in order to look for a phone, or alarm that he could use to contact the nearest Pokemon Center. When he got up into a crouch, he realized it was a bad idea. Once he got all the way up, the pounding in his head increased tenfold. He knew that he couldn't take it for too long without passing out from the sheer pain.

"God… This's the mother 'f all headaches…" he slurred, as he stumbled in the direction of the closest wall. He reasoned that he could use it as support, while also following it to the phone that he was sure would be there somewhere.

After a minute or two of looking, he came across a staircase. He could see a phone halfway down. He knew that trying to make his way down the stairs would be extremely difficult. Walking on the level ground was hard enough already. Regardless, he knew he had to get help. He tried to take the first step, and immediately pitched forward violently, plunging down the stairs. He smacked into the landing where the phone was, and felt his momentum pull him over it and down the next set of stairs.

By the time he reached the bottom, the pain was otherworldly. He figured he must have broken at least six bones in the fall. He lay there for a while and thought about his predicament. Now trying to go back up the stairs to the phone was out of the question. He would have to figure out where the nearest people were, and hopefully they could get him to the Pokemon Center that must be somewhere nearby. But before he could go anywhere, his body gave out from the pain. Ash spiraled back into unconsciousness. The time was 7:34 AM.

Serena had just finished up breakfast with her mother, and was clearing the table. She had been debating in her head for the entirety of the meal, trying to decide which starter she wanted to pick.

Charmander could help her light campfires and cook food, if she was ever too far away from a Pokemon Center. It could also help keep her warm, as she was sure that she would be traveling during the winter as well. When it was fully evolved, she could also fly on it. She had heard that flying on a Pokemon was one of the easiest ways to get anywhere that you had been before.

Squirtle could help wash things after meals if they weren't near a river, and could also keep her cool and fully hydrated in the heat of the summer, especially if she found herself someplace like Route 9, where there was no water at all. When it was fully evolved, she could also surf on its back, which would be very helpful in getting her to places such as Cinnabar Island, and navigating others, such as the Orange Islands.

Bulbasaur could… help her climb ledges? She didn't know. She decided that she might as well catch a different Grass type later on in her journey. So it was between Charmander and Squirtle. She wasn't sure. She decided that she would go out and ask Professor Oak about the pros and cons of the two.

"Mom, I'm going to go over to the lab, and try to decide which starter I want, so that I'll be ready for tomorrow, alright?" As Serena said this, she was putting on her shoes and getting her regular pink hat. She was dressed in her favorite outfit; a black sleeveless top with a red pleated skirt, and black, thigh length stockings. As she tied the laces on her black Converse, she heard her mom respond.

"Sure, Serena. I have to do some work around the house today anyway. Have fun!"

"Thanks mom!" Serena called, as she closed the door behind her, and made her way up the road to the lab. She continued to muse over which starter she wanted as she walked. When she was almost to the lab, she noticed the Professor coming towards the lab from the other direction. She waved to him, and he waved back, a smile on his face.

"Ah, Serena! Here a day early, I see. Is there something that you wanted to talk to me about?" Oak asked, as he walked up to the door, pulling the keys out of his pocket as he spoke. He unlocked the door, and looked at her questioningly as he opened it.

"Well yes, Professor, I wanted to ask you for a more detailed list of the different qualities of the starters. Charmander and Squirtle in particular." As she said this, she twisted her hands in front of herself nervously. She hoped that he could help her out with her dilemma, as she really wanted the one that would be the most useful to her on her travels.

Professor Oak just laughed, and shook his head. "Follow me, Serena. I'll take you to the starter room, and we can go over their different abilities. Sound good?" She nodded. "Good! Then let's get a move on!"

They walked into the lobby of the lab, and Oak went behind the desk and turned on the lights. "Why don't you head on up there and read over their descriptions? I'll be right up, just as soon as I check in."

"Okay, Professor! Don't keep me waiting too long!" She spun and walked off, turning the corner to the stairs. Oak had seen the excitement in her eyes, and was not fooled for a second by her calm act. She was fit to burst. Oak chuckled as he scanned his card to check in. He was suddenly ripped from his thoughts by an ear piercing scream, coming from the direction that Serena had gone.

"PROFESSOR!"

His face paled and he sprinted as fast as his old legs could carry him towards the scream. As he rounded the corner, he saw Serena kneeling by a dark shape on the floor. He rushed over to her side and crouched down. It was a young man. He couldn't be more than 20, his messy dark hair and athletic build gave a good clue to his age. Oak quickly put his fingers to the man's neck, checking for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he found one, but he didn't slow down.

"Serena! I have a stretcher in the closet under the stairs! Grab it for me please." Serena snapped out of her worried daze, and moved to the closet. She flung it open and saw the stretcher. Yanking it out and putting the wheels down, she pushed it back over to the body on the floor. "Great. Help me lift him up, if you would." Working together, they got him up onto the stretcher, and Oak wheeled it off to a small room that was used for caring for injured Pokemon. Fortunately, it was designed to be able to work for humans as well, because Pallet didn't have a Pokemon Center.

Oak grabbed some smelling salts off a shelf, and waved them under the man's nose. The man sneezed, and opened his pain-clouded brown eyes. The time was 8:00 AM.

Waking up for the third time that morning, Ash opened his eyes. What he saw took his breath away. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen was gazing down upon him, slate gray eyes filled with worry. Hey lay there in shock for a moment, staring at the girl, before he noticed the gray haired old man standing next to her. He blinked once, then twice, trying to understand what was going on. He didn't remember anything before waking up earlier and falling down the stairs. Speaking of falling… He groaned, realizing how badly he was hurting. It was then that the old man spoke.

"Young man, are you alright?" Ash was slightly taken aback. Was he alright? Did he look alright? No! He was sure he had multiple broken bones, and the front of his body was covered in burns, which were now beginning to weep slightly, as they had been bashed into the stairs on his way down. No, he was most definitely not alright.

"Of course not," Ash said coldly. "I need to get to a Pokemon Center. Kindly direct me to the nearest one." It was now Oak's turn to be surprised. He had just picked this kid up of the floor in his lab, revived him, and was going to help heal him, and here he was, treating him like some minor annoyance that was in his way.

"Now you see here, young man! I am Professor Samuel Oak, and you just so happen to have appeared, badly burned and bruised, in my lab." Ash's eyes widened slightly. So he was in a Pokemon lab… Interesting. Maybe he didn't have to go to a Pokemon Center after all. "I can heal you here, but only if you explain what you were doing on the floor in my locked building at 8:00 in the morning!" Nope. Definitely didn't need to go to a Pokemon Center. Phew. He decided to act slightly more pleasantly until he could be bandaged up enough to leave Oak's direct care.

"Honestly, Professor, I have no idea what I am doing here, or even how I came to be on the floor in your lab. See, I woke up here this morning, burned, with almost no recollection of my past. I'm as much in the dark as you are," Ash stated, with a confused expression on his face. He glanced back at the girl. She was staring at him, mouth slightly open. When she noticed his eyes on her, she quickly shut her mouth, and blushed slightly. Ash raised an eyebrow, and looked back to the Professor, who was nodding his head thoughtfully.

"Well then… In that case, I must at least ask for your name and age. Do you remember those?"

"I seem to think that it was Ash," replied Ash, with a sarcastic edge to his voice. "And I'm 19. Now, if you have some painkillers for a monumental headache, and some bandages or something for these burns, this would be a great time to bring them out." By now, Ash was getting pretty frustrated with Oak. He kept asking him stupid questions about his name, his age, and what he was doing in his lab. Okay, that last one might be slightly important, but his name and age? Really?

In the split second that it took for these thoughts to run through his mind, he saw the girl jump and turn around. She picked something up off the nearby counter, and rotated again so that she was facing him once more.

"Uhm, here," she said nervously, holding out a plastic cup of water and a couple of red pills that he assumed were painkillers. "I… got these together while the Professor was waking you up. I figured that those burns were probably hurting quite a bit, so…" she trailed off, blushing once again. Ash's mouth dropped open. Here he was, found injured on the floor of a random building by some grumpy old man and… this girl. A girl who seemed genuinely worried about him, and was thoughtful enough to have prepared something for him to take for his pain. He was astounded. He didn't remember ever being treated with this kind of thoughtfulness. He then realized that his mouth was hanging open and he must look like a complete fool. He quickly shut it again, and gently took the proffered medicine, downing the cup of water along with the two pills. He gave her a quick smile.

"Thanks," he said, handing the cup back. She smiled back at him, turned, and dropped the cup into the trashcan beside her.

"It was no trouble. We should give you a quick scan before we bandage you up, just to check for broken bones or anything like that, alright?" While she was saying this, she was going about pulling a mounted scanner out from the wall, and prepping it for use. Serena had used this many times on lab Pokemon who had been injured in battles when she was helping the Professor, and knew exactly what she was doing. As she moved around the room, her hair would swish back and forth across her back. Ash was mesmerized by this simple motion, and couldn't stop himself from staring at her again.

Once she had finally readied the scanner, she spun around and asked him to stay still while she pulled it over his prone form. He agreed, of course, and she pushed the white scanner arm over him, looking at a small screen to her right as she did so. When she had finished, she looked at him, and said, with a hint of a smile, that all his bones seemed to be intact. He sighed in relief, glad that he didn't have to go through the entire process of getting snapped bones back into place and walking around with a cast for weeks on end.

"Well, we should probably get what's left of that shirt off you, so that I can wrap up those burns," Serena said, while putting on some plastic gloves. She then opened a cupboard and pulled out a roll of gauze and some rubbing alcohol. She also grabbed a pair of scissors off a little table next to the stretcher.

"I need to apply some of this to the burns," she said, gesturing to the rubbing alcohol. "It's to make sure that they don't get infected and that they heal quickly." Ash grimaced and nodded, knowing that it would sting quite badly, considering that the burns were so raw.

Serena began to remove the tattered remains of his shirt from his torso, so that she could have full access to the burned area. As she touched his chest, her face flushed. She ignored it, and kept at her work. When she had the shirt off, she poured some of the alcohol onto a cotton pad, and began to dab it over his burns. Ash grit his teeth and closed his eyes so as not to cry out in pain as she did so. When she pulled the pad away, it was covered in blood and bits of charred skin. Her stomach did a small flop, protesting against the thought that his parts of his body were falling off. She hurriedly threw it away, and picked up a fresh pad, splashing some more alcohol onto it. She then resumed dabbing away at his burns.

Oak looked at Serena, who was being very kind to this Ash, who was in his opinion rather rude. He smiled slightly, seeing the warmth in her cheeks. "Well Serena, you seem to be doing a fine job here. I need to go check on the starters, and make sure that they are ready for you new trainers that are collecting them tomorrow. I'll just leave you to your work." As he said this, he had backed to the door, and now had his hand on the knob, ready to leave. "If you need anything, be sure to call me."

"Okay Professor! Have fun with the Pokemon!" Serena exclaimed, remembering suddenly that she had to continue her conversation with him about the starters. She decided that it would have to wait until later, after she was done treating Ash.

Professor Oak shook his head with a smile, and left the room, closing the door behind him. He walked down the hall, deep in thought. He was confused as to how this young man had found his way into the lab. The doors were locked every night, and Oak was sure that Ash hadn't been there the day before. It was all quite a mystery. He was so deep in thought as he climbed the stairs, that he almost didn't see the smashed glass on the floor from the display case that had held the starters. When he did, his eyes widened in shock, and his head snapped up, happening to see the melted through back doors. He didn't even register the black scorch marks and ashes all over the floor until he fell to his knees, and then hands, fingers running over the loose ash.

The time was 9:00. The date was June 27th.

A/N:

Hey everyone! After a long hiatus from writing, and a fandom switch, I have finally come up with another idea for a fic that I think I can actually pull off. Maybe. I usually burn out relatively quickly when writing things, and as much as I hate to admit it, that might happen to this eventually as well. I'm sorry, but it isn't really something I can help. I will try to keep it going as long as I can however, and I hope that you guys enjoy it.

Leave a quick review, and tell me your thoughts. Was this first chapter good? Bad? Ugly? I'm always open to constructive criticism, but any hate or flames will be ignored. See ya!