OK. Let me start with an explanation here. So this dictator-guy, who happens to be Ash's uncle, takes over Kanto. He forbids people from owning pokemon. So, Kanto splits into 3 groups: the people who flee Kanto so they can keep their pokemon, the people who don't take any risks and give up their pokemon, and the rebellion (what they do is stated in their name). Ash and his friends are all in the rebellion group. Misty and Brock were at their gyms when it happened, and Dawn was doing contests in Kanto. May and Max are safe in Hoenn. Cilan is still in Unova, and Iris will appear in a region I made up. Professor Oak has been arrested and Tracey feeds the pokemon kept at his lab in secret.
Ash is a different story, however. Since he is the dictator's nephew, he is given special permission to keep one pokemon (Pikachu). Some of his other pokemon, who have found him again, are hidden in the rebellion's secret base (which is underground). He uses Pikachu to pass messages about his uncle's plans to the rebellion, making him an essential member of it. Well, that's you're background check. Here's the story:
Ash started to tie a note to Pikachu's tail. Someone knocked on the door.
"Ash, may I come in?" A voice called.
Ash quickly hid the note under his pillow and called back. "Yes, Uncle Simon."
The door opened and Simon strolled into Ash's new bedroom. He had black hair, much like Ash's, and dark red eyes. He wore a black suit.
"I'm going on air in ten minutes. Please don't disturb us." Simon said.
"You hear that, Pikachu? No disturbing Uncle Simon!" Ash told Pikachu, petting it on the head.
"Pika!" Pikachu replied, happy to be petted.
Simon grunted in disgust. He hated pokemon, but he loved his nephew. It was because he loved Ash so much that he had made an exception to his law of no owning pokemon.
"Dinner's in an hour and a half. See you then." Simon left the room.
Ash closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. His uncle hadn't found the note. He finished tying it to Pikachu's tail, then lifted Pikachu up to the vents.
"You know what to do, Pikachu!" He told his best friend. Pikachu was to hurry and deliver Ash's note to the rebellion, which would send Pikachu back with another note which Ash would burn in the fireplace after reading. It had worked that way for several months now, and would continue to work that way until either Ash was caught or Simon's reign ended. Ash wondered which would come first.
He turned on the TV, wondering what message his uncle was about to give to Kanto.
"Citizens of the Kanto region, I have noticed our population plummet in the past few months. Can you not handle the likes of me? No worries, because I am to announce that the region of Johto has just joined our ranks." Ash dropped the remote. "I am troubled to say, however, that my guards have found many lawbreakers in that region. Do not think you can escape me simply by going to another region, citizens of Kanto, because the world will soon all be part of this empire." The announcement was over.
"Well, that will certainly increase the amount of people taking part in the rebellion." Ash muttered to himself, flipping off the television set. "People won't like what he just said there."
An hour passed. Pikachu tapped on the metal cover of the vents. Ash looked up in surprise.
"Back so soon? I thought it would take longer for you to go there and back." He took the note from Pikachu and read it silently.
Dear Ash,
We are sorry to suddenly disappear on you, but we no longer feel it safe to be in contact with Dictator Simon's nephew. So we leave to hide someplace else. Please do not reply to this note.
Sincerely,
Captain of the Rebellion,
John Rebeld
Ash pursed his lips together. They would regret this. Without him, they would have no information of what Simon was up to.
He threw the note into the fireplace and, for once, enjoyed watching the flames eat it up.
The last half hour before dinner had passed quickly. Ash was late.
He wasn't hungry, so he avoided the dining area and stormed through the halls instead. Pikachu could feel Ash's anger and connected it with the note and why it had found a couple of rebels so near the castle where Simon had taken up residence and was forcing Ash to stay as well.
Pikachu knew Ash had no connection to the outside world other than the notes he exchanged with the rebellion.
"Pika Pika?" It asked.
"I'm fine, Pikachu. They're going to regret this, and then come crying back to me for help. I know they will." Ash told his little buddy. "In the meantime, I'll just find something to amuse myself around the castle."
"Sir Ash?" Ash turned. A servant had caught up to him. "You are wanted in the dining area."
Ash sighed. There was no avoiding anything if his uncle ordered it.
When he sat down at the table, his uncle immediately burst into conversation, knowing Ash always tuned in to his broadcasts.
"So, Ash, what do you think about having Johto as part of our empire?" He asked.
"It's great." Ash said softly, thinking more of the note from John than of his uncle's growing empire.
"What's wrong, Ash? You sound upset. Has that Pikachu done something to you?" Simon snapped, thinking this was Pikachu's fault.
"Pikachu? No! It was something else!" Ash replied quickly, hugging Pikachu tightly as he said it.
"Then, what was it?"
"I can't tell you! It's a secret!"
"Tell me!"
"Um…" Ash hesitated. "The rebellion is troubling me. How long do you think it will take for them to penetrate the castle?"
"Oh Ash. That's nothing for you to worry about. You relax and leave the rebellion to us."
"You know, a bunch of people are bound to join them now that we've added a whole other region to the empire."
"I didn't think of that. You're very helpful, Ash. I'll make sure no one else joins the rebellion. All it will take is increased security in the towns."
"Why should you make those poor people suffer?
"They won't be suffering. I promise."
"Um… Okay…" What have I just done?
"YOU DID WHAT?" Misty screamed at John.
"I… I broke off our contact with Ash…" John stammered. "I figured it would be too dangerous for us to stay in touch with him…"
"HE'S THE ONE WHO'S BEEN GIVING US ALL THE INFORMATION ON SIMON'S PLANS, YOU IDIOT!" Misty screeched.
"He won't be now. That's for sure." Brock cut in.
"I'm sorry! I figured we could find another way! Not all rebellions have an inside source, you know. What if he got caught? We wouldn't know and then we'd get caught too." John tried to cover up for his mistake, but it was very difficult.
"That's not a good enough excuse, John. You realize Ash was counting on us too?" Brock told him. "You made a big mistake writing that letter to him. He might do something stupid now, like…"
As if on cue, a messenger stepped into the tent. "Sir, security in the towns has been upped highly. I heard a rumor that it is because the dictator's nephew was worried more people might join the rebellion."
"Yeah. Like that." Brock finished.
"This is your fault, John! If you hadn't sent that letter to Ash, this wouldn't have happened. We're going to have a drop in member percentage now!" Dawn yelled.
"Member percentage? Is that what you're thinking about?" Misty asked.
"It was the first effect that popped into my head." Dawn replied. "We're also going to have trouble getting food, and carrying out our plans, and communication…" She counted out the effects on her fingers as she went.
"Dawn's right. This is serious. Increased security spells big trouble for us." Brock agreed, grimly.
"Ash made a big mistake, saying that to his uncle." John added. Three pairs of eyes glared at him.
"HE WOULDN'T HAVE SAID A WORD IF YOU HADN'T CUT OFF OUR COMMUNICATION WITH HIM!" Misty was still burning with anger at John.
"Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it is." Brock said, forever the peacemaker. "We have to figure out how to deal with this problem without yelling at each other."
"You're right, but this isn't over, John." Misty replied.
"We have to renew our connection to Ash in order to fix this problem." Dawn suggested. "I'm sure he can do something."
Richie walked into the tent. "You know the whole camp heard you yelling. I was on the other side of the base and I heard you."
"Sorry Richie. Tell everyone we're going to deal with this, okay?" Misty told him.
"Sure." Richie answered with a shrug. "No problem."
"Thank you." Misty added, as Richie left the tent.
"Pidgy!" Ash looked up. A Pidgy sat on the windowsill. Attached to its leg was a note. Ash hesitated before taking the note and opening it. It was from the rebellion.
Dear Ash,
We are very sorry about John's mistake. He is an idiot and has been demoted from the position as captain of the rebellion. Richie now has that position. Please forgive us for our mistake and rejoin the rebellion.
Thanks,
Misty, Brock, and Dawn
Ash hesitated again. He picked up pen and paper and wrote a note back.
To the rebellion,
Simon has taken over the Johto Region and tightened security in the cities. I appreciate you writing me back so soon and letting me know it was a mistake that John kicked me out. I will do everything I can to lower the security in the towns.
Write back soon,
Ash
"So you're in contact with the rebellion." Ash spun around. Raymond, Simon's second-hand man, had been watching over his shoulder as he wrote the note.
Ash quickly scrawled the word 'help' over the whole note before shoving it into the Pidgy's beak and shouting "Go!"
He scooped up Pikachu and ran from the room.
"GRAB HIM!" Raymond shouted. The servants hesitated, and then, deciding it would be best if they followed orders, two of them grabbed Ash. Ash struggled for a few moments before going limp in the servants' arms.
"You can tell he's been caught by how quickly the last part was written over the whole note." Richie observed. "His punishment might be subdued because of his social status, but something tells me it won't be good. It might involve Pikachu."
"Ash can't live without Pikachu. We all know that." Misty put in.
"We'll come up with something. We have to." Brock said.
Upon seeing the helicopter, Dawn acted without thinking. She slid under it, and tied herself on. The helicopter took off.
Dawn hung upside down for hours under the helicopter as it flew over the ocean to a far away region.
Finally, it landed.
Several pairs of feet stepped onto the ground. Dawn recognized one of them to be Ash's.
"Let it go, Ash. You asked for this." The person who spoke was the dictator they all despised.
"But…" Ash stammered.
"Let it go." The dictator said firmly.
Dawn could hear Ash sobbing and suddenly understood what was going on. The dictator was forcing Ash to release Pikachu into the wild.
Dawn gritted her teeth. She wouldn't let it happen. She untied herself from the helicopter and snuck over to the bushes. She would get Pikachu back to Ash if it was the last thing she did.
"Pika…"
"G-go, Pikachu… G-go f-free…"
"Pika!"
"G-GO!" Ash ran back to the helicopter, still crying.
Soon, Pikachu and Dawn were alone.
"Pikachu…" Pikachu was crying now.
"Pikachu, it's okay." Dawn said softly. Pikachu looked up, surprised. Dawn came out into the open. "I'll take you back to Ash. I promise."
"Pikachu!" Dawn could tell Pikachu was grateful from the way it spoke. She'd made a promise to Pikachu and she was going to keep it no matter what.
Ash shoved the plate of food onto the ground. His dinner went all over the carpet. With Pikachu, there was nothing he couldn't handle. Without it, he was miserable.
Simon walked into the room and gazed sadly upon the spilled food. Ash turned away.
"Ash, this wasn't my choice. It was yours. If you hadn't gone against me, you would still have your pokemon in your arms." Simon told his nephew.
"Uncle Simon, look at me. You've done this to millions of people. You've ripped away creatures that were well-loved from the people who loved them. You might not like pokemon, but there are a very large number of others who do. You've made everyone suffer for something that wasn't their fault. Is this what you want? To make people miserable?"
Simon was shocked silent. He hadn't realized before.
"The rebellion is completely made up of people who want to keep the pokemon who make up their everyday lives. If it weren't for your law against owning pokemon, there wouldn't be so many people rising up against you. I wouldn't be one of them if it weren't for that stupid law. Yes, I admit it. I'm one of them."
"Ash… I…"
"Forget it! I'm out of here!" Ash stood up and marched out the bedroom door.
"Somebody stop him!" Simon yelled. Ash started to run, but didn't get very far. Simon caught up to him once he was safe in the servants' arms. "Ash, I forbid you to leave this castle. One step outside, and we're throwing you in the dungeons. I don't want to do it, but if you must I must. Now go back to your room and reflect on what you've done."
Ash was taken aback. He hadn't expected this from his uncle, but now… he was a prisoner…
"Target sighted." Misty announced, lowering some binoculars. The rebellion council had agreed upon rescuing Ash, and Misty was leading the charge. "Third window from the left. Top floor."
"The top floor? Oh boy. That sounds like fun." A girl named Maddie said sarcastically. "We should enjoy this."
"Keep your mouth shut, Maddie. Did you think all the missions would be easy?" A boy named David responded.
"The window is covered with metal and lasers and surrounded by video cameras." Misty informed them. "This won't be easy."
The rebel group sent to rescue Ash consisted of Misty, Maddie, David, and two other boys named Brian and Andrew. They were all of pretty much the highest rebel status because the council, which Misty was on, knew this would be a difficult mission.
"Let's go save Ash."
Dawn wandered through the forest with Pikachu until she found a path. Walking along the path, she ran into a girl with an Axew.
"Excuse me, miss. Could you please tell me where I am?" She begged the girl.
"You're near Nemilnia Town in the Dilinsco region." The girl answered. "My name's Iris. I'm from the Unova region." She held her hand out.
"My name's Dawn. I'm from Sinnoh." Dawn replied. "Do you know where I can find some transportation to the Kanto region, a blimp or a ferry or something?"
Iris's eyes widened. "You want to go to Kanto? You must be crazy! Everyone knows going to Kanto means giving up your pokemon. There is no transportation to Kanto anymore!"
"You see. I was already in Kanto before something happened and I ended up here. I need to go back. I'm part of the rebellion there." Dawn explained.
"The rebellion?"
"That's what I said. I need to get this Pikachu back to a friend of mine. He can't live without it."
"I have a friend who has a Pikachu and can't live without it. His name is Ash Ketchum."
"We're talking about the same person, then."
"If that's the case, Axew and I will help."
"Axew!"
"Great to have you. Thank you for your help."
"The rebellion seems to have sent a small team to infiltrate the castle. I suspect they may kidnap your nephew should they have the chance." Raymond told Simon.
Simon bit his lower lip. Ash was the person he cared about most. He couldn't let the rebellion have him, no matter what.
"Hide him in the underground section of the castle. I want him protected from the rebellion at all costs." He replied after a moment of silence.
"Yes sir."
"Come with us." Some servants appeared at Ash's bedroom door. They seemed to be in a rush. "Now."
"Forget it." Ash snapped. "Go pick on someone your own size."
"We are acting on King Simon's orders, young man. You are to come with us immediately."
"I'll only go with the person who brings me Pikachu."
"That's not an option. The rebellion has infiltrated the castle and King Simon wants you protected."
Ash looked up in surprise. "They're in the castle?"
"Yes, now come on. We can protect you from them if you cooperate."
"We suggest you step out of the way." The servants spun around. Misty stood behind them with four other rebels. "Ash is coming with us."
One of the servants slammed his hand on big red button attached to the wall. The castle alarm blared.
Servants and guards surrounded the rebels. They were caught red-handed.
"So, you kids were arrested as well, I guess." Professor Oak's voice floated over from the corner.
"Professor Oak? What are you doing here?" Misty yelped.
"I was arrested for owning pokemon. You?" Professor Oak replied calmly.
"We were arrested for being in the rebellion." Maddie answered.
"No worries. Ash will get us out of here." Brian announced confidently.
"Now is the perfect time for a poem. The guarded prisoners were careful listeners, waiting for their rescuer to come." Professor Oak said.
"Does Ash know you're down here?" Misty asked, ignoring the professor's attempt at a poem.
"He's tried to free me four times, to be exact. After that, he gave up. Now, he just comes down to chat with me every day. He says his uncle lets him as long as he doesn't try anything. He didn't come down yesterday, though. I wonder why." Professor Oak explained.
A door slammed and they heard footsteps.
"Wait! There might be more of them! Don't go down there!" A muffled voice shouted.
Ash appeared in front of them, stopping to catch his breath.
"Are… are you okay?" He breathed.
"I told you he'd get us out of here!" Brian bragged.
"Tried and failed." Ash told him. "I have no way of getting you out of this cell. The only way to open the door is with a fingerprint I don't have."
"I'd be able to hack it if they hadn't taken and broken my tools." Andrew told him. "Do you think you could get me some tools like them?"
Ash nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Sorry this had to happen to you."
"Ash, what happened to Pikachu?" Professor Oak questioned.
Ash looked at the floor.
"ASH KETCHUM, GET UP HERE THIS INSTANT!" Simon screeched from the top of the stairs. "YOU'RE GROUNDED!"
Ash tensed. They could all see the anger building up in him, but only Professor Oak and Ash knew why.
Ash stormed up the stairs. They could all hear the conversation that ensued.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BOSS ME AROUND! YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!"
"I'M THE ONE TAKING CARE OF YOU RIGHT NOW, SO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER I WANT TO YOU!"
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO… to…" Ash faltered. He didn't want to say what was on his mind.
"YOU DIDN'T ASK ME TO WHAT?"
"I didn't… I didn't… I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO BANISH MY PARENTS SO THAT I'D NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN! THERE! I SAID IT!" Ash burst into tears and ran up to his room, slamming the door behind him.
"Pidgy!" A Pidgy sat on the windowsill.
Ash scrawled a letter to the rebellion and sent the Pidgy away. He was angrier than he had been when John had made the mistake to suspend him from the rebellion. He vaguely remembered Andrew's request and told himself he'd do it later. He had lost everything, thanks to his uncle.
Ash cried himself to sleep.
"According to Ash's note, our rescue party was captured and he's been grounded. Plus, Dawn has gone missing." Brock told Richie. "We've got to do something about this."
"I know, but what? We can't just send another rescue team after some of our top rebels failed to accomplish their task." Richie replied.
"You're right. All we can really do right now is wait. We can't sneak back into that castle."
"I guess so… Let's just do what we've been doing and let Misty and the others take care of themselves."
"No plane to Kanto? How is that possible?" Dawn yelled.
"No plane, no boat, no car, no transportation at all. We got nothing running to Kanto or Johto right now." The airport told them. "It was all cut off thanks to that idiot Ketchum."
"Ketchum?" Iris asked.
"Yeah. That dictator who took over Kanto and Johto. His name is Simon Ketchum." The worker responded.
"We've got to go to Kanto! There must be something!" Dawn yelped. People were staring, wondering what might have made that girl crazy enough to go to Kanto.
"Sorry, kid. Maybe you can get somebody to bring you to the border, but there's no plane headed for Kanto or Johto." The worker told them.
The girls walked out of the airport.
"That worker had a good suggestion. Maybe somebody can bring us to the border and we find a way to travel the rest of the way." Iris said.
"I'll take you the whole way." A voice spoke behind them. The two turned around. A tall, muscular sailorman towered above them. "The name's Gerald. I've been wanting to help Kanto in some way, shape or form, but I haven't found any way to do it. Surely, you girls have a good reason to be going to Kanto?"
"I was just helping her at first." Iris responded. "But then I heard some things that make me really want to go there and help more."
"I'm part of the rebellion. A friend of mine lost his Pikachu to those creeps and I'm bringing it back to him." Dawn remarked.
"You're a part of the Kanto rebellion?" Gerald gasped loudly. People around them started whispering.
Dawn glanced around her nervously. "Well, yes. I hooked onto the helicopter when they left to make my friend release his Pikachu. I'm helping him get it back. Kind of without his knowledge but still…" She paused for a moment. "He was crying hard when they made him let it go. Pikachu's his best friend and his first pokemon. He hasn't been away from it this long since he started his pokemon journey. I can't just let them be separated forever or anything like that."
Her Piplup popped out of its pokeball. "Piplup!"
"Kind of like me and Piplup." She added.
"And me and Axew." Iris put in.
"I want to come!" A young trainer nearby stated. "I want to fight the people who separated all those trainers from their pokemon!"
Nearly everybody in earshot chimed in, saying they wanted to join too. Dawn was overjoyed.
"Your nephew has done it again. This time, he freed all the pokemon we were holding in the dungeons. If you don't find a way to control that boy, I will." Raymond snarled.
Simon sighed. Ash had always been such a sweet child, but he loved pokemon, and that was what was getting him in trouble.
"There's been a prison break. All the guards, including me, were knocked out by the pokemon that were being held in the dungeons, and guess who was leading the charge." A breathless guard reported.
"Ash…" Simon sighed.
"That's right. You have to do something about him." The guard said. "Now."
Simon stood up with another sigh. "I admit he's pulled the last straw. I'll go deal with him."
"We woke up in time to keep him from escaping with the prisoners. I'm sorry, but we had to tie him to a column and give him a dose of sleeping gas to stop him from getting away." The guard announced sheepishly.
"It's okay. He deserves it." Simon told him. He paused. "Wait. You gave him sleeping gas?"
"Well, yes…"
"How dare you do that to my nephew? Tying him up I can understand, but sleeping gas?"
"I'm sorry, sir! We…"
"Enough! Take me to my nephew! Now!"
Three small ships took off for Kanto that afternoon, the first transportation from Dilinsco to Kanto in four months. They carried a number of trainers ready to join the rebellion.
Dawn sat at the front of the leading ship staring at the ocean before her. The last time she had been on the high seas had been before this all began. She had just been a plain old pokemon coordinator dreaming of becoming top coordinator at the Grand Festival. Now, things were much different.
"Miss Dawn?" Gerald called. "What do you suppose we do when we get there?"
"Stay hidden and wait for my signal. I need to let the rebellion know we're coming first." She answered.
"Pikachu…" Pikachu seemed really sad. Dawn picked it up and hugged it.
"Don't worry, Pikachu. You'll be back with Ash soon." She whispered to it.
"Pikachu…" Pikachu didn't seem to quite believe her.
"I promise." She added.
"Pika?" It asked, looking back at her. She nodded. "Pika!"
Now I just hope I can keep my promise… She thought to herself.
Ash moaned and opened his eyes. He was back on his bed in his castle bedroom.
"Get away from me! I told you that you were fired and I meant it!" His uncle sounded mad. Ash turned to look at him. He was yelling at a guard that seemed to be begging for mercy.
"Sir, please…" The guard pleaded.
"No! Now leave this castle immediately or you will be thrown in the dungeons for trespassing!" Simon screamed. The guard left.
"Uncle… Uncle Simon… What happened?" Ash groaned. The angry eyes turned to him. He flinched.
"You happened! Again! You good-for-nothing brat! I brought you up here for now, but you're going to spend a few weeks in the dungeons for what you've done today!" Simon yelled at him.
Ash's eyes widened. "But…"
"My word is final! You have two more hours of freedom! Make the best of them!" Simon stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Ash sat up and immediately regretted it. He was extremely dizzy. He couldn't exactly remember what had happened.
"The… the dungeons…" He whimpered. His uncle was that angry with him. What had he done that was that bad?
He grabbed a pen and paper. A note to the rebellion. That would be the best thing to do right now…
Ash tried to write, but the letters blurred together. Everything seemed to be spinning.
"Time's up, kid." Raymond snickered far away from him, almost in another life.
Ash collapsed.
"He's having some sort of bad allergic reaction." The castle doctor announced. "It must be from something in the sleeping gas."
"Ash…" Simon whispered. "Ash, please wake up… please…"
"I've pretty much done everything I can for the moment. Move him into the medical ward and I can do more in an hour or so." The doctor continued. "That one dose of sleeping gas put him into a really bad condition."
"Please, do everything you can for him." Simon told her.
"I will. Just move him into the medical ward, okay?" She replied. "Wait… He's having trouble breathing!" She quickly did a number of procedures on Ash. At last, his breathing eased.
"We need to get him hooked up to a machine immediately if we want him to live." The doctor gasped. "Quickly!"
Iris grabbed a vine and swung down from her perch on the castle wall. She made it back to camp without being spotted.
"Axew-ew" Axew cried, jumping into her hair when she arrived.
"Something's happened to my friend." She reported. "He's in that awful dictator's castle being looked at by a doctor."
"What's this about a doctor?" Dawn asked, walking into the clearing with several other rebels.
"Ash. There's a doctor with him and he's unconscious. I think it means something bad." Iris answered.
Dawn and the others gasped.
"We've got to do something! He might be hurt!" Dawn cried.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped out of her arms and ran away.
"Pikachu! Come back! Now's not a good time to go back to Ash!" She yelped, chasing after Pikachu. She came back a few minutes later with a devastated look on her face. "I lost Pikachu. It's probably headed for the castle, where Ash is."
"I know that might be a bad thing, but it might also be a good thing." Iris told her. "Ash needs Pikachu now, when he's ill, more than ever."
"But we don't know what they'll do when they find out Pikachu came back." Dawn moaned in despair. "What do we do now?"
"Keep an eye on Ash and register all these people who want to join the rebellion?" Richie, who had come to the camp with Dawn just now, suggested.
"That guy's right. All we can really do right now is watch and wait." Iris exclaimed.
"Hey! 'That guy' has a name. It's Richie. Don't forget it." Richie snapped, and then added proudly." I'm the captain of the rebellion."
"So you're the leader?" Iris asked.
"No. Brock's the leader, but I can understand the mistake." Richie laughed.
"Iris, this is Richie. Richie, Iris." Dawn introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Richie." Iris said.
"Nice to meet you too, Iris." Richie replied.
"Yeah. I'm going to make sure nothing else happens to Ash. Take care of Axew while I'm gone, okay?" Iris told Dawn.
"Okay. Report back soon." Dawn answered.
"Fine. Bye."
"Bye."
Raymond inserted the shot into the boy's arm. Simon wouldn't know until it was too late. His nephew was a little pest that needed to be gotten rid of. Surely, the people would thank Raymond for breaking their awful dictator's heart as he had theirs.
But their pokemon aren't dead. This brat soon will be. Raymond thought to himself. He had despised the young boy ever since he had been brought to the castle.
Raymond pulled the shot out of the kid's arm. The child immediately reacted, but the machine he was hooked to treated him right away and quickly pulled out the poison.
Raymond growled. The machine was making it difficult to kill the boy by what seemed to be natural means.
He stood up and left the room. He would try again with something stronger tomorrow night. He needed to go to sleep for now.
The boy coughed and whimpered behind him.
Raymond grinned. So his efforts had had an effect on the child after all.
Mission accomplished.
Iris was horrified by what she had just seen. That man was poisoning Ash! She hopped down from the tree she was in.
If I report to Dawn first, the rebellion will know what's happening to Ash but not be able to do anything about it. Iris pondered. But if I report to the dictator about what I saw… I don't know how high that man is on the dictator's scale. I might be thrown in the dungeons for spying… But he'll hear my story and might be able to do something about this… Yes! I'll do that!
Iris hopped over the wall and approached the castle from the front.
"Sir, I beg a private meeting with Mr. Ketchum please." She told a guard, bowing.
"You mean King Simon?" The guard asked her.
"Yes. May I please?" Iris begged.
"Perhaps. But you must accept his second-hand man being in the room." The guard informed her.
That horrible man couldn't possibly have a position that high, could he? "Works for me." Iris followed the guard into the palace.
"Stay here." He said to her. Iris stopped walking.
The guard went away and returned with a tall man that had hair much like Ash's. Iris bowed again.
"Rise, young one." Iris broke out of her bow at the dictator's word. "What is it you wish to tell me?"
"You see… um…" Iris's eyes caught on those of the very man she wished to report. What now? "I… um…"
"I do not wish to be an intimidating man, young one." The dictator said.
"It's not you. It's… um… It's him who's intimidating me." She pointed to the man she'd seen poisoning Ash. "I wish for a private meeting, if possible."
The dictator nodded. "Come with me. Raymond, I will speak to her alone."
The man, Raymond, gritted his teeth. "But sire…"
"Raymond. Do not follow." The dictator said.
"Yes sir." Raymond sighed, and glared at Iris, wondering what the girl was up to. He had low tolerance for children.
Iris followed the dictator into a small room.
"Normally, I do not allow private meetings like this, but I have the feeling you have something very important you need to tell me. I wish to know. Is it about my nephew?" The dictator questioned.
"Yes. You see… That man you called Raymond… Let me start over. I heard my friend Ash was sick so I had to come see if he was alright. However, I knew I wouldn't be allowed close to him if I came through the castle." Iris explained. "So I watched from outside the window. While I was there, I saw a horrible thing. That man stuck some sort of needle into Ash's arm. When he withdrew it, it was empty. Then, Ash had some sort of bad reaction to it. I think that thingy may have suppressed it, but it was a horrible sight anyway!"
The dictator was silent, and then he said. "You accuse my right-hand man of poisoning my nephew?"
"I… Do you think that's what it was?" Iris murmured.
The dictator crossed the room, opened the door and clapped his hands once. A few servants and Raymond rushed over.
"Keep an eye on this girl. Make sure she doesn't leave this room." The dictator ordered the servants. Iris gasped. "Raymond, you come with me."
"Yes sir!" The servants and Raymond replied.
"For how long?" Iris whispered, but no one heard her.
The dictator and Raymond left the room.
Iris knew she was in trouble.
"Why isn't she back yet?" Dawn was pacing back and forth, worried. Iris had been gone for nearly 24 hours straight and hadn't reported anything to the rebellion even once. "Did she get caught? Does she need to be rescued? Is she… Is she…"
"Dawn! Calm down!" Misty said, shaking her friend. "She probably just forgot to report to us."
"You're right." Dawn breathed. "She's probably just fine."
"That's the spirit! Now don't worry! Iris is fine."
Iris was terrified. Where had she gone wrong? Should she have told the rebellion first? Was it too late for Ash? Was she going to be thrown in the dungeons? Had she done the right thing? Questions swirled around in her head. She wanted Axew, but knew she couldn't have it right now.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu popped out of nowhere.
"Pikachu? What are you doing here?" Iris asked the little lightning pokemon. "Did you come to be with Ash?"
"Pika?" Pikachu looked around. "Pikachu…"
"You can't find him? I can't help you right now. I'm stuck where I am." Iris told it. "But good luck."
"Pikachu…" Pikachu climbed up and sat on Iris's lap. "Pika…"
"It's okay. Ash will be fine." Iris comforted.
"A pokemon?" One of the servants saw.
"It belongs to my friend Ash. My new friend brought it back from Dilinsco for him. She's really caring." Iris explained.
"Oh. You can hold on to it for now, but let go of it once the king returns." The servant remarked.
The dictator walked back into the room a few minutes later. Iris placed Pikachu onto the ground.
"It came to me. I didn't catch it or anything." She explained.
"Pika!" Pikachu seemed angry.
"Pikachu, no." Iris told it.
The dictator briefly glanced at Pikachu and then locked eyes with Iris.
"You were right." He told her. "I couldn't believe Raymond would do such a thing, but he did, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He could've killed my nephew if it hadn't been for you. You saved my nephew's life with your spying. How may I ever repay you?"
Iris stood up. "All I want is for the law against owning pokemon and pokemon battles and contests and so on to be lifted, and for Ash to be free to travel about as he pleases with his pokemon again. May I ask that much from you?"
"Pika?" Pikachu added.
"Ash showed me the pain I had inflicted upon the people by creating that law. I don't really like pokemon, but I have no right to take them away from others. I accept your request. I will lift the law." The dictator said.
"Really?" Iris yelped. "You'll really do it?"
"If you will take care of my nephew on his journeys, I will do it." The dictator remarked.
Iris ran up and hugged him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can travel with my Axew again! You won't regret this! I promise! Please return Pikachu to Ash for me!" She picked Pikachu and shoved it into the dictator's hands, and then ran out of the room laughing with joy.
"Pika?" Pikachu was confused by Iris's sudden burst of happiness.
"Wait a second… You're Ash's Pikachu? But how? No matter. Pikachu, I'm sorry. I'll bring you back to Ash immediately!" The dictator said.
"Pika!" Pikachu was happy now too. It was going to be back with Ash!
However, Pikachu's happiness vanished when it saw its best friend locked away in a machine.
"I'm sorry, Pikachu. This is as close as you can get." The dictator told it. "I wish I could do more for him, too, but neither of us can."
"We predict we'll be able to transfer him from the machine to a bed in a few days." A nearby nurse said helpfully. "Pikachu can get closer then."
"Pika…" Pikachu was really sad. It had come all this way just to find its friend ill and hurt, needing a machine to survive. What's more it couldn't even get close enough to comfort its friend.
"He won't even know that Pikachu's here for a few days anyway." The nurse added.
"I see…"the dictator's voice trailed off. "Please, please, get better…"
"And so that's what happened." Iris finished. "Well, isn't that wonderful?"
Everyone was speechless. Iris had done it. She had freed them. They could go back to their former lives without having to worry about government officials taking away their pokemon.
"What about Ash? Will he be okay?" Misty whispered.
Iris was silent. "I certainly hope so." She finally said.
"That's not enough of an answer." Brock told her. "By the sound of it, you're welcome at the castle. Please, go check on him."
"All right. I will." Iris answered. "I'll go right away." She left.
"Did she even hear herself speak? Ash has been poisoned and she's thinking about being able to have her pokemon with her?" Dawn spoke up at last.
"I think she cares about Ash too. She just was too excited with the moment to remember." Richie said.
"I sure hope he's all right." Misty said.
"Me too." Brock added.
"Me three." Dawn put in.
"I agree." Richie responded. "Let's hope the doctor says he'll be fine."
Raymond snuck into the medical ward. It hadn't been hard to break out of the dungeons; the door still accepted his fingerprint.
Placing his revenge on Simon would be easy. Simon cared about his nephew more than he did anyone or anything else in the world.
Poison had proved not to be enough to kill the boy. This time, he'd use the dagger.
He snuck into the young boy's room. The child was still hooked up to the machine.
Not for long.
Raymond opened the top of the machine and yanked the cords off the boy. A siren went off. He would have to make this fast.
Raymond raised the dagger above his head, but, before he could bring it down on the boy, he was hit by a small fur ball. The blade flew, point-first, straight into the wall.
Raymond gasped. The boy's Pikachu! He had thought the creature was gone!
Pikachu was angry. It had used volt tackle to get Raymond out of the way, but it wanted revenge on the man who had nearly killed Ash.
Simon and several doctors rushed to the door, responding to the alarm.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried a war cry and used quick attack.
Raymond dodged. "Stupid pokemon!"
Pikachu used iron tail, a direct blow to Raymond's right leg.
"Ow!" Raymond roared. Pikachu volt tackled him again while he was off balance. Raymond pulled the dagger out of the wall and threw it at Ash. Using a combination of quick attack and iron tail, Pikachu knocked it off course, causing it to fly into a wall once more.
Simon looked at Pikachu with new eyes. He had always thought of pokemon as heartless and dangerous, thanks to a bad experience he had had when he was a kid, but here was a Pikachu fighting to save its trainer's life without being asked to. Maybe pokemon weren't so bad after all...
"Stupid pokemon!" Raymond screamed, lunging for his weapon.
"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu's thunderbolt lit up the room. Raymond was blasted out of the castle, far into the forest.
Ash moaned and weakly opened his eyes.
"Pika!" Pikachu scurried up onto the table and cuddled up next to Ash.
"Pikachu… but… how?" Ash mumbled.
"A friend of yours brought it back from Dilinsco. Ash, I'm sorry for everything I've done. Please forgive me." Simon whispered to his nephew, kneeling beside him. "It was wrong of me, and I regret it, but I've learned from my mistakes. I'll be a better person now. I will no longer rule over Kanto and Johto. From this moment on, they are free."
Ash gave a small smile. Then, he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
Simon looked at Pikachu, who seemed worried about its sick trainer.
"Pika…"
"Pikachu, you saved my nephew's life. How can I ever repay you?" He asked it.
Pikachu snuggled up against Ash some more, showing that all it wanted was for Ash to be all right.
"It's okay, little Pikachu. He'll be fine soon enough." A nurse informed it.
"Pikachu…"
Several months passed. Kanto and Johto rejoiced at being free again.
At last, Ash was ready to resume his journey.
"Be careful, Ash." Simon warned. "Raymond is out there somewhere. You know that I'm not comfortable with you going out before he's caught."
"Don't worry, Uncle Simon. I've dealt with criminals before." Ash told him.
"That's reassuring." Simon grumbled.
"Don't worry. Pikachu will take care of me. Right, Pikachu?" Ash gave Pikachu a grape.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, taking the grape happily.
"Well, I've seen how good Pikachu is at protecting you. All right, go do your thing." Simon murmured
"Bye, Uncle Simon!" Ash called, waving as he ran to carry on his exciting journey as a pokemon trainer.