Chapter 2

"My son I am so proud." Says Giovanni "It has been but five years and you are only twenty-two. In that time you have destroyed Team galactic utterly, beaten team magma and aqua and have bankrupted team plasma. You have risen up the ranks to my right hand and have easily supposed my strength in Pokémon."

"I have had good teachers."

"Ah yes Jessie, James and Meowth. They have been rewarded with promotion after promotion. They are now your loyal bodyguard."

"Why have you called me here father?"

"I have decided to enter you into a competition. The prize money is shall we say, significant and we would be most grateful if you could acquire it."

"You want me to steal it?"

"No I want you to win it as your friends will all be there. Since you had your death arranged five years ago you will need to go under a different name. What would you like that name to be."

"I shall be known as Red."

"Okay red you shall go to this tournament with your best Pokémon and your bodyguards and return with your prize money."

"Yes father."

Red walked to the room that his Pokémon were sparring in. His two strongest snorlax and charizards were fighting Blastoise and garchomp respectively. Sceptile was fighting with Meowth. Team rockets Pokémon were also training there.

"Jessie we have a new mission."

"Okay sir what is it."

"You should call me Ash in Private Jessie you two James. Anyway the mission is to enter the world tournament and win. You shall accompany me as my body guards and shall help me out with training and keeping my identity private. I shall go by the name of Red and will go in full cape and hood."

"Ash should you not remind them about your friends."

"Oh thanks, my old friends shall be there so you may need to go disguised."

"Was that mewtwo helping you again." Asked James.

Ash nodded looking down at the pokéball at his neck. Giovanni had been thrilled about Ash's successes and recapture of mewtwo so had gifted Ash with mewtwo. This had made mewtwo much calmer as he liked Ash and so was now one of Ash's core Pokémon.

(Jessie's and James' Pokémon are Jessie- Swoobat, jellicent (pink), wobuffet, seviper, yanmega, Drapion. James- Cofagrigus, Amoongus, Mr Mime, Carnivine, Arcanine, Cacturne)

Five minutes later they were kitted out. Ash in a mysterious cloak and hood, Jessie and James in black security uniforms. They got on charizard, Swoobat and garchomp and flew off.

When they landed outside lily of the valley tournament were it was being held they walked into the Pokécenter.

"Hello nurse joy can I register for the tournament please."

"Yes sure your name is?"

"Red."

There was a silence as nurse joy was obviously waiting for a place of birth.

"Where are you from?"

Red thought about this. "Your nightmares."

"Okay. That is how you are registered do you have an identification badge."

"Yes" said Red "don't make a noise when you see my real name."

Nurse Joy looked up disbelieving. "You died five years ago."

"Obviously not."

"Why did you not come out from hiding last year when you were proved innocent and Saturn was sentenced for it."

"Where would I have gone, my friends betrayed me and my family were dead along with my house." Red said bitterly.

Nurse Joy looked up sympathetically.

Just then Max and Paul marched in flanked by the other betrayers.

"Get out of the way for the winner and runner up of the recent silver conference" yelled Max.

They got to the counter to see red and his bodyguards waiting by Nurse Joy for the registration to be complete. Max tried to push in front but, James got him in an arm lock and flipped him over.

"You idiot do you know who I am."

The two team rocket members looked back impassively as their training told them to.

Max then noticed the man that they were guarding. "ha you must be weak I do not need any bodyguards."

"If you knew what I had done then you would know that I am not weak. If you had the enemies that I have then you would have hundreds of bodyguards. If you had the friendship that I have with my bodyguards, one of complete trust than you would have had to have experienced near death so many times that you just do not care much anymore." Red said referring to the many times that they had saved each other's lives.

Max looked back cockily. "Oh yeah well I am the runner up to the silver conference and the latest winner of the ventress conference."

"They must have gotten a whole lot easier then" replied Red.

"Come on outside and have a one on one."

"No I have to do something more worthwhile like watch some paint dry."

Max got mad at Red as he and his badyguards walked off to the room that they had booked.

"You are just scared and have to hide behind people. I bet your Pokémon are really weak."

This made Red mad. He could take affences all the time but to his Pokémon he could not.

"Okay 1v1 your strongest v one of my team."

"I won't need my strongest to beat you" said Max as they walked over to one of the outdoor battlefields.

"Go gallade."

"Snorlax show them some power."

"Gallade use phsyco cut"

"Snorlax one hit with body slam."

Snorlax ran with incredible speed taking the phsyco cut like it was nothing and landed so hard on Gallade that even Jessie and James winced.

Red walked off before the smoke had cleared and had disappeared with the trio and snorlax when Max next looked up.