Q: Why didn't the time stone activate when Ash touched it?

A: There's a reason the time stone didn't activate to Ash's touch. This time stone has some powers of it's own, besides relaying the past.

The skyline of New Tork was in the distance. I was training hard for the World Cup. Electricity lit up the gym as Pikachu unleashed his thunderbolt. "Now use agility!" Pikachu became a yellow blur on the field. "Quick Attack!" I called out. "Pika,pika,pika, pika,pi!" One of the targets on the end of the field shattered. "Good job, buddy. Keep it up!" Pikachu began charging up an electro ball and let it loose. Misty watched on the sidelines.

Now things were going to get hotter with my next Pokémon. "Charizard, I choose you!" The flying fire type came out and roared in confidence. He then loosed a flamethrower in my face. "It's good to see you too, Charizard." I coughed out some smoke. "Show me what you learned!" Charizard aimed his head up towards the sky and unleashed a fiery comet. It broke apart in the sky, fizzling high above. "Whoa, you learned Draco Meteor!" Charizard grunted and blew smoke. His eyes shone. He wanted a fight with a strong dragon.

Before receiving Charizard at Professor Oak's, the Professor told him that Charizard had come by himself, all the way from Charicific Valley. I could tell he wanted a bigger challenge. That was why I brought him along. The World Cup would be fierce. Charizard rested on all fours and began doing pushups, mixed with flamethrowers. Charizard had his own way of training. I wiped my face off with water from my water bottle.

"Leavanny, come on out!" The grass and bug type came out. "Leavanny." Use energy ball than follow up with X scissor!" The Pokémon shot across the room charging up an energy ball, to fire it point blank at one of the targets. She sliced another to four pieces. She started her training as well.

"Buizel!" I called. The Sea Weasel Pokémon emerged. "Bui,Bui!" The water pokemon greeted. Buizel always gave one hundred and ten percent like the rest of my Pokémon. He began practicing aqua jet, water gun and water pulse. We would still have to work on adding ice to the attacks.

"Hawlucha!" I called. The Wrestling Pokémon emerged. This Pokémon was truly almost exactly like me. "Haw!" Hawlucha spread his wings and launched into the air. Hawlucha was currently working on fighting while airborne. Hawlucha became a blur of wings.

"Noivern!" I called out another of my Kalos Pokémon. The Sound Wave Pokémon emerged. Noivern began soaring around the field, hitting targets from above. This was the very best team I could put together. I hoped Goodra and Greninja were doing okay. I began doing some exercises, getting in shape along with my Pokémon.

Misty was still on the sidelines, but she was training her own Pokémon. Water arched back and forth. Psyduck was well, Psyduck.

"Attention, we will be arriving at New Tork Harbor in two hours." A man on a PA system spoke. We returned our Pokemon to their Pokeballs. The woman with long straight, blonde hair appeared. She wore jeans and a blue shortsleeve shirt with the symbol of the Pokémon League. Dark sunglasses obscured her eyes. She was so familiar to me for some reason.

"You are certainly training hard for the World Cup. Your journey has taught you much, Ash." She took off the sunglasses and a pair of grey eyes were underneath. "Cynthia?" I realized. Misty turned and paled. "We always seem to bump into each other on our journeys. Will you introduce me to your friend?" Cynthia asked.

Misty nervously spoke. "Hi, I'm Misty. Cerulean City gym leader."

"You can call me Pallas during this cruise. Trying to avoid the public eye during traveling." Cynthia said. "What are doing here?" I asked. "Attending the World Cup, it happens once every eight years in a chosen city and later, Rota. "Something a lot bigger is going on here."

I was having trouble with the time flower, it wouldn't react to aura. Maybe it was broken. My Pokémon introduced themselves to Cynthia. She looked at Charizard. "So this is the Charizard that defeated Articuno. I daresay it could go up against my Garchomp." Charizard huffed and drew itself up slightly in response. Charizard had a bit of an ego.

"I hope to see you in the World Cup, Ash." She walked away. Misty hit me upside the head. "Owwww." I moaned. "You didn't tell me you knew the Champion of Sinnoh!" "Must've slipped my mind." I was in a daze. "Along with your brain." She muttered. I had really hoped we had gotten past that stage.

The skyline of New Tork hadn't changed. Pokémon Hills rose from the center like a green and metal dome. The city was more packed than usual. I thought the opening of Pokémon Hills attracted a lot of people. The hustle and bustle made me anxious. Everything was on fast forward. The exhaust of the cars and trucks made it grungy. It was more dirty, crowded and noisy than usual. It made me long for the outdoors. It wasn't hard to miss were the event was being held. The banners and flags of the Pokémon League fluttered in the wind, hung around a stadium. A Pokémon center was nearby. A banner over the doors read, "Registration for Pokemon World Cup."

I took a breath and went inside. The line was shorter than I thought. "I'll be checking for a room while you register." A place to stay sounded nice. A day without rolling from side to side sounded excellent. Sea travel messed up my bearings, as well as the Pokémon. Pikachu kept wobbling side to side on my shoulder.

I plugged in my Pokedex and my identification came up. A pop up banner came on the screen reading "Accepted. Trainer average in Conferences accepted." The machine spat my Pokedex back out along with a letter. The screen went flat white for the next person. Misty was waiting for me. "All rooms were booked in advance." Misty said in a state of shock. "Did you register? Are you going to battle?" Misty spoke in a hurry. I grinned. "Yep." She smiled. "Nurse Joy told me that trainers who are entering the World Cup have an all-expenses paid stay at the Plaza, for the duration of the event." Now I was mindblown.

"Really?" I asked. Misty grinned. "Let's go, I wonder what it will be like." I wondered who my first match would be against. The Plaza was more like a mansion and overlooking the park. Inside, I was struck by how fine everything was. The floor was so polished that it shone. The stones were decorated with a floral pattern and the lobby reminded me of a palace fit for royalty. The staff all wore red suits. A decorative P was on their jacket pockets. This was a luxury hotel.

I approached the front desk. It was made of dark wood and it gleamed. The man behind the desk looked up and sat still, posture perfect on a tall chair. "You are one of the trainers, then? Pokedex, please." I handed it over. The dull green eyes scanned the computer in front of him. "Well, everything checks out. Who is this?" His tone was flat and professional. "This is my coach, Misty." I replied. The brown hair was slicked back, so I could see his eyebrows rise slightly.

"Well coaches are allowed, so I guess she is your guest as well." Misty was turning red. The man handed my Pokedex back along with a key card. "Enjoy your stay." It was so flat that it sounded automatic. The card read, "Floor 20, Room 6." It was in fancy writing that was kind of hard to read.

The elevators dinged open at the end of a hall lit by fine light fixtures. The pool nearby reminded me of an ancient villa owned by a king or priest. When the doors opened again, I almost had a heart attack. It was Tobias. Just my luck. Nothing about him seemed to have changed. "I thought we would meet again, Ash. I look forward to our battle."

He disappeared into the elevator, the doors closing like a coffin lid. Misty shivered. It got really cold all of a sudden as we walked. "Who was that? He was creepy." I never thought Misty to be scared of anyone, but I was seeing it now. "Tobias, I lost to him in the Sinnoh League. I only defeated his Darkrai and the battle with Latios ended in a draw with Pikachu."

"Pika." My buddy said sadly. "Cheer up, Pikachu. I know we will beat him this time." I appeared confident, but I was unsettled. The room we were in was like a house or villa for royalty. It was luxurious. The couch looked like soft silk and the chairs and table in the living room were all decorated with a leaf pattern. The cable TV was high def, and the kitchen was stocked. We had views over the park and the city. A stairway led up, which meant there was a second floor.

Misty laid back on a recliner. "I could get used to this." I decided not to comment. A guide on the table said there was a training gym in the hotel, restaurants nearby and transportation. Fifth Ave was a few steps away. I turned my attention to the letter I had received. The Pokeball and lighting symbol representing the League was stamped on the front. I began to read the contents to Misty.

"Trainer Ash Ketchum, I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Pokémon World Cup. The World Cup is an event that gathers top trainers from specific regions all across the globe. Regions are chosen by contributions to the League, humanity and the welfare of Pokémon. The event is much like a Conference, except the battles are six on six only. The winner receives the title of Elite Trainer, a sum of ten million poke credits deposited into their account and a chance to battle a champion assigned by lot.

Regards, Charles Goodshow.

P.S. A formal dinner will be held at the Rose Club at seven am, the day before the opening ceremonies. Personal guests are allowed.

I needed some air. Misty as well. We stepped out onto a terrace overlooking the park. "Wow." We both said as one. These would be the matches of a life time for many trainers. "You ready to win, Pikachu?" "PIKA!" He yelled. He was pumped.

It was at that moment, I saw a flash of magenta hair swept back. I looked again. That hair could only belong to Jessie of Team Rocket. The hair was on a rooftop across the avenue. "Misty." I pointed it out. "Team Rocket, what are they doing here?" Trouble couldn't be far behind. We looked at one another. "Let's tail them." We both said at once. As we left the hotel with our Pokeballs and a few energy bars, we ran into someone.

I recognized that orange headband. "Cameron!" I greeted. He ran up, a miniature dust cloud forming as he stopped. "Hey Ash! How've you been? Is that your girlfriend? Do you want to battle later?" He said at a rapid pace. "Great. No, she's not my girlfriend. Isn't it against the rules to battle right before a conference?" I answered all his questions. Pikachu greeted Lucario from my shoulder.

At least I wasn't pushed into a body of water by Bianca. "I thought I spotted Team Rocket around here, so we're following them." The amount of people around made it hard to follow anybody. "Those three again? You aren't going to find them easily in this city. I got lost several times already." The Lucario closed his eyes and opened them. Lucario pointed to the subway. "You can sense them, Lucario?" Cameron asked. Lucario nodded. "Rio."

"Show us the way then." Misty spoke. The subway was clean and busy, trains came and went with the wind coming from the tunnels. Sometimes the subway went above the streets in an elevated track. The trains were all electric, to keep exhaust from filling the subway. Lucario opened a service door with the spike on its fore paw. The lock clicked open.

The passageway was made of cement and bare lightbulbs running along. A series of cables ran along the wall, probably the wiring for the track. After a while of walking, Lucario stopped and looked around in confusion. There was no door or anything else around, besides the rumbling sounds of a passing train. The tunnel walls were moist from being underground. Where were they?

Team Rocket had just disappeared. "Can you still sense them, Lucario?" Cameron asked. Lucario nodded. The Aura Pokémon began feeling around one of the walls. "Er, Lucario?" Cameron sweatdropped. A section of the wall opened like a door when a part of the cement sank into the wall further. "A secret passage." Misty spoke in a whisper, a faint echo sounding. The blackness ahead yawned like a cave. Lucario powered up an aura sphere until it functioned just like a torch.

A cat's paw was in the dust of the stairs leading down. Team Rocket had definitely come this way. The Stairs descended about thirty feet before we were in another tunnel. Soot stained the walls. Old tracks were laid down and the brick was crumbling. We had stumbled into an older section of the subway. The aura sphere made everything look creepier. Shadows surrounded us as we followed Lucario.

I heard a train whistle from somewhere. "Probably in the tunnel above us." Misty said pale. The tunnel rumbled. "Just passing over us." Cameron sweatdropped. "It sounds awfully close to me." I answered. Pikachu shivered on my shoulder and went behind my head. We heard the train whistle again and we all gulped. Turning to look behind us, we saw a light of a train coming at full speed. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" We screamed at the top of our lungs. "RIIIIIIIOOOOOO!" Lucario shouted.

Cameron dove one way along with Lucario, Misty the other. I was locked in place as the train went right through me and Pikachu. "CHHHHUUUU!" The electric mouse squealed in panic. It felt like icy water had gone through my chest. My cap had left my head. The train faded away. "Heh,Huh." I breathed. The train had gone, my stomach with it. We were in total darkness. Lucario's Aura Sphere began to shine again.

"Did you happen to see the number on the locomotive?" Misty asked. "Sorry, I missed it." I weakly said. Having a ghost train go right through you tended to do that. We began walking along the tracks, Lucario guiding us. The tunnel shook, dust coming loose from the ceiling. This made me nervous, if it collapsed we would have a building or street fall on us.

The tracks ended, but the way ahead was clear. "Could you dim the light, Lucario?" I asked. The light shrunk in size. The tracks of cat's paws now had two other sets of footprints. "My name is Meowth, I'm covered with fur. That's why I get hairballs, you called us sir?" Meowth's voice echoed around the tunnel. We could hear but not see them. The song echoed around the tunnel. A man's voice echoed around the tunnel.

"You know who is entering the World Cup then?" "Yes Sir." The trio said. "Sending over the trainer list now." Meowth said. "Report back to operations, now we wait." The boss of Team Rocket finished. He was here, somewhere in the city.

The sounds of Team Rocket moving away came from ahead of us. "Douse the light." The green aura disappeared leaving us in pitch blackness. A warm glow came from ahead, but it was moving away, into the wall. I heard the sounds of rushing water from a pipe before the door closed. It sounded like a busted pipe, except there wasn't flooding. It had to be running below the streets.

The aura sphere came to life again. We went to where we had seen the light and were greeted by a brick wall. I heard squeaking and a black Rattata dashed across the tracks. Someone had dug through the brickwork to make a passage.

Team Rocket must've been at this for weeks, maybe months. A passageway for only one person went forward, the way lit by lightbulbs. The air was muggy and I could hear rushing water. We came across the source, a water pipe with a freshwater sign on it. Whoever had done this had dug into a service tunnel. This was the area's way of delivering freshwater. Misty brought out her new Pokenav. "We are right under the Green Line that runs from Lexington to Woodlawn."

The tunnel went on before it ended in a locked door. Lucario picked the hand scanner on the door by using aura. "How did he do that?" The door opened slightly and I looked through the crack into a cavernous room. A set of vials, scientific equipment and precision machines were cluttered around. Men in white hazard suits walked around. It seemed too clean to be dangerous. Pikachu left my shoulder and wandered into the room.

"Pikachu." I whispered. Pikachu looked around before diving into the shadows, underneath the tables and equipment. "We shouldn't stay here." Misty whispered. "We can't leave without Pikachu." My friend had disappeared from sight. "I am going, now before we get busted." Cameron said. It was unlike him to be quite. A man in a hazard suit walked by and that was the last thing I saw before blackness came over me.

I awoke, leaning against something my head pounding. Misty and Cameron came into view. They were stirring as well. Lucario had been bound by chains around his legs and forepaws. "You should know better than to leave yourself with only one escape route." A man's voice said. I turned and focused on the man in front of a light source. We were back in the abandoned subway tunnel.

The man came into sharper focus. Only Lucario was bound. My friends were not hurt. I rubbed my head, the headache was pounding. The man's helmet was off but the voice was familiar. "You should be coming around soon." My vision stopped being blurry, but I couldn't stand yet. The man's hair was black and swept back, his eyes were blue.

"It was only luck that I came across you before a guard did." He gave me a blue stone with an orange and cream colored swirl inside of it. It was a mega stone, one I hadn't seen before. "Good luck in the World Cup." He unwrapped the chains from Lucario. "I am sorry, friend. I didn't want to take any chances that you would attack." The man disappeared into the darkness taking the light with him.

We were in total blackness for a while. Misty groaned. "My head." "Ouch." Cameron said. I heard the pitter patter of paws. A soft glow came around the corner and Pikachu came into view. A closed petri dish was in his mouth. I placed it with the mega stone and time flower. I would check them out later.

We stood up, a bit shaken. The tracks were rusted in places. If someone fell, they could be seriously hurt. I thought about the strange man who had helped us get out of there. Team Rocket was doing something under New Tork. "What are you kids doing down here?" A man came from the opposite end of the tunnel. He was dressed in an orange and yellow striped suit of a construction outfit. A smelly bucket of some thick liquid was in his hand. A light shone from his hard hat.

We had been busted. "You three have some explaining to do." He was a big guy, not Surge large, but close. He was about two feet shorter. The worker herded us back the way he came. Soon we were greeted by an open door leading to a subway tunnel. A path went along the tracks, probably for inspection. A train went by and the air made a strong wind gust.

We emerged from the tunnel to a station. The man took us along to a security office. "Talk." The man sat down. "We were following some members of Team Rocket, Jessie, James and their Meowth. They went underneath the Green Line and talked to their boss, Giovanni. We followed them about twelve miles to a room with all sorts of equipment. We were heading back to the Plaza, when you caught us."

Misty told the story. We were covered in some kind of dust from head to toe. The stuff reminded me of the white powder in the vial. "I can tell you are telling the truth, but you will have to talk to Officer Jenny at the station. We have seen some members of Team Rocket, but it's like they keep disappearing." Cameron kept quiet. I think he was nervous, heck, I was. Pikachu was on my shoulder. We squinted as the light temporarily blinded us. It was sometime in late afternoon. The sun was casting long shadows. It was sunset when we left the station, Officer Jenny was looking a little stressed. I noticed pictures of Team Rocket had been photographed all over the south parts of the city. Wanted pictures covered the wall near the front desk. A Houndoom growled at us.

"Calm down, boy." Jenny said. It kept growling. "Maybe Houndoom is smelling something on you three." Jenny released Houndoom and it sniffed my pocket where I kept the time flower, the mega stone and the unbroken petri dish Pikachu had brought from that lab. I brought them out. The Houndoom barked at the sight of the petri dish. "I'm afraid this is evidence." Officer Jenny confiscated it. "Have this run down to the lab." One of the officers took the petri dish. We were in a dark room with only one lamp. We fidgeted nervously as the worker told Officer Jenny how he caught us for trespassing and our Team Rocket story.

I had to hand over my Pokedex to Officer Jenny. "I am the property of Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. User is currently staying at the Plaza Hotel. Trainer is currently registered for the World Cup." The electronic voice said. I heard the policeman from earlier say something about the petri dish contents probably being a abuse substance. "Since you are in the World Cup I can't hold you here until I get the full story, so I will let you off with a warning this time."

We were let out of the dark room and the Green Line was now marked on a map behind the front desk. The rich people at the Plaza, gave us sideways glances as we entered the lobby. Cameron looked white as well, a ghost. His hands were twitching like he was playing an imaginary piano. Or maybe it was from being cooped up for so long. The elevator ride back up was silent. Until Cameron broke it. "I missed a lot of training today."

Misty sighed. "That's all you guys care about these days." She glanced sideways at me before huffing. Cameron still looked shaken when we arrived at the twentieth floor. "See you later, Ash. They have to have a gym around here somewhere." Cameron ran off, it was like he was in a hurry to get away.

We washed up in our room. I wished Clemont was here, he would have some kind of gadget that could tell me what that stuff in the petri dish was. I kept it safe in one of my backpack's smaller pockets. I had about a week before the World Cup. "I'm going to train- Owww." Misty was pulling me by the ear. "We are going shopping, Ash Ketchum. The words formal dinner means a suit and tie. Table manners as well."

The next three days I would call torture. I went shopping with Misty and ended up with a one Pokecredit brown tie, a black suit that was three hundred Poke credits. She let me go after that, but to be at the room by two pm or else. It was ten o clock when I started training with my Pokémon. That left me with four hours to train my Pokémon and figuring out what vitamins to put in their diets.

With such time limits, I had to use short bursts of vigorous training workouts. In twenty to thirty minutes we were all drenched in sweat. Lots of water was used to cool down during a ten minute break before exercising attack power. With Tobais's two legendary Pokémon, I needed something that would penetrate through a light shield and cause damage to a Darkrai. Darkrai was weak against bug type moves, so I had to use Leavanny against it. Pikachu would face Latios again.

Those were the only two of his Pokémon I knew about. I doubted he had normal Pokémon. After thirty minutes of attack training, I was worn out as was my Pokémon. Tomorrow would be agility. I wasn't sure what made me more nervous, improving table manners or preparing for the battle. At least I passed the elbows off the table and small bites. Living with only my mom gave me a crash course in table manners at home and how to talk to a woman.

The day went by too quickly. I looked up the Green Line online. It ran just as the Pokenav said. I checked a twelve mile distance using Lexington and Woodlawn as a guide. Hillview Reservoir fed the entire south part of New Tork City. Maybe we could visit Pokémon Hills and the Reservoir tomorrow. The lights of the city shone through our windows. Pokémon Hills gleamed in the light pollution. I missed seeing the stars.

Pokémon Center

A black van silently goes past a fence. The license plate was real, but bought under a false name. Stopping in the road it pulled off to one side drunkenly. It stops just before hitting the gate. The lights turn off and so does the security camera on one of the fences. The camera flickers back on, but the truck wasn't on camera. "We are now the invisible truck." A man's voice said.

"Shut up." Another man's voice said. It was gravelly from aging. He wore a white labcoat over a purple shirt. His hair was white and bushy. Sideways half circle shaped glasses hung on his nose. "A worker will come to see what the problem is with the lights and we must be done before then. We have thirty minutes maybe less." The man's name was Dr. Zager and he was Giovanni's head of Scientific Research. He had been given the position after Dr. Fuji's death.

Thoughts swirled in his head. Mewtwo was a breakthrough in science. The ability to clone a Pokemon, even a Legendary. Even Zager was impressed, but cloning was risky. He had looked at the waves of the birth of Mewtwo and the other Pokemon, even Amber. The wavelengths reminded him of Rapid Eye Movement, more commonly known as "dreams." Amber and Mewtwo had been communicating somehow. By using the sedatives, Mewtwo had been robbed of the emotional response to a traumatic event. In short, Mewtwo awoke with severe PTSD. The harshness of Giovanni must also be the cause of it's cold and violent behavior.

Capturing it again would only further enrage Mewtwo. He planned to be far away before that happened. The gate silently opened as an operative managed to get past security. Giovanni would be watching the games, then board a waiting helicopter. The machines would do what they had programmed to do, but sneaking it in to a Pokémon Center was difficult escapable with this much security. Team Rocket had completed stages one through three without problems. Stage four and five would be dangerous. He had some safety measures already in place for himself.

If everything went according to plan, Southern New Tork and Pokémon Hills would be decimated. The scientist still didn't think it would work. Electric-type tests with Project Metus the had ended in failure. The generators of electricity in the Pokémon caused the device to overload and release it contents too soon. So an electric nullifier for the substance had to be created using a bit of chemistry so that the plan wouldn't be revealed too soon. The operatives had managed to finish offloading the van and everything was now in place. With all the Pokémon treated by a Pokémon Centers here for the trainers in the event and others, the estimates showed that at least hundreds of Pokémon would be treated. The doors closed and the van drove off.

Pokémon Hills

The laboratory was white and clean as a man in a white lab coat was busy typing away on a computer keyboard. Whatever was in the petri dish that had been confiscated that morning was so small it required an electron microscope to see properly. Still the scientist had to report what he saw and it's potential uses. If it indeed came from a laboratory of Team Rocket, well trouble wouldn't be too far behind.

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