So, yeah. Eventful week for me. We did some hard circuits yesterday in the blazing sun, and today we have family style dinner in the dining hall with our dorm-mates. To be honest I really don't like the food here, I have yet to eat a lunch here, so now I feel anorexic. But I do eat a hefty breakfast and dinner to compensate. But you guys don't want to hear about my life, let's get on with the chapter.
AdvancedLover: Hello again, thanks for being the first reviewer. You seem to have gotten everything down so far. I don't think you've missed any severely important parts. Also, Ash's daily routine is not that exerting. I made sure of it. Most people who run aim for a eight minute mile, having twenty minutes is not that good. the whole point of that was to show that he isn't good at sports.
BlackStarZX: Sorry mate, AdvancedLover got that title, but I'm happy I got someone for my old story. Actually, you are hardly going to see Pokemon in the story, I'm not even sure if I'm going to add Pikachu. I know, I know and I'm sorry for that. I'm trying to get back in the game here and it's tougher than I expected. The glass obviously. When someone looks like a Freddy Cougar victim or something out of an Edgar Allen Poe novel it tends to raise eyebrows. And I'm calling it "The Loser" because Ash is always going to make people believe is isn't good/smart/strong etc.
thor94: Sorry, I'll try to slow it down and straighten everything out. There are going to be a lot of unanswered questions for a long time though
Shadow'Blaze14: Thanks, I happy you enjoyed it. I'm happy to be back and writing. Not sure if it'll be like my last one though, schedule wise that is. Yeah, things took too long to kick off in my last story so i just decided to drop you into the thick of things.
Fallingarcher22: Great to have for my second story, I'm glad you could join me once again. Yeah, I'm verging way away from Ash taking on armies. I'm leaning more towards a disciplined Ash that knows what he's doing and how he needs to lead his life. I love the rules concept, I know why but I get excited whenever I'm typing out the next one.
Remisolleke: Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it
aboz567: Sorry if you're confused, but that's is how a lot of this story is going to be, answering questions Ash has. Because you won't know until he knows. Thanks, I hope you stick around for the end.
Chapter 2: Terror at 20,000 Feet
Mercilessness is the law of nature, and rapidly and irresistibly we are drawn to our doom"
-Nikola Tesla
I started dreading sleep, or maybe I just couldn't wait to go to sleep again. I tossed and turned for hours before I eventually dropped off. I found myself in the night air, soaring through storm clouds, lit up by bolts of lightening cracking in the distance. I had no idea of where I was, but I knew where to find him. I knew where the blue/brown eyed boy was. I saw something small and dark sailing towards me, an airplane.
As promised, Ash had a ticket waiting for him at the ticket counter. She'd also reserved a connecting flight to Mauville from Ever Grande. Ash showed the agent his passport and she handed over his barding pass without a question.
He had stopped at a gift shop and bought a cheap black carry-on, a grey and black sweatshirt, and a baseball hat. He had gone into the men's restroom and changed into everything and stuffed his backpack and his old clothes into the new bag. He pulled on his hat, checked himself in the mirror, and walked out
The terminal was nearly deserted, but then again, he did have one of the last flights out. He showed his passport to the female TSA guard at the security entrance, receiving only a quick glance before she stamped his pass and waved him through. A stack of plastic trays waited beside a long stainless-steel table that fed a conveyor belt through the X-ray machine.
Ash stepped up and took off his sweatshirt, sneakers, hat, Xtransceiver, earbuds and put it in the plastic tray before slinging his bag on the conveyor belt with it. After pausing at the metal detector, he was waved forward. He stepped through without setting off any alarms and was pointed to the waiting area for your bags. He sat down and watched as his bag disappeared behind rubber blinds that led into the machine.
He glanced around the terminal and saw two men in black jackets walking towards security, looking around. They hadn't spotted him yet.
Ash's eyes widened in terror. 'The bird! My Swiss Army knife!'. Time to bring out the powers. He started hard at the woman behind the monitor, trying to put one of his barriers on the screen or just shove the an image in her head. She stopped the belt in Ash's bags and leaned in for a closer look.
'A stuffed animal and a toothbrush'
Ash concentrated, silent and trembling, and pushed the pictures at her. He didn't know how, but he felt them work. The toothbrush and the stuffed animal replaced the Pidgey and the knife. A moment later, the attendant leaned back and advanced the conveyor belt.
Relieved, Ash turned around and came face to face with a big, pale TSA guard, who was eyeing him coldly. He asked for Ash's pass, which he examined and the looked at him sharply. Ash's neck bristled
"Wait over there" he said, pointing to a small metal bench with no back to rest your torso on.
Ash had just been kicked up to another level of scrutiny. They no doubt had his name on the watch list at this point. The guard walked with his pass, holding it like it was a live hand grenade, and walked into the maze of partitions. He showed a heavyset woman in a blue blazer. She glanced briefly at Ash, sharp eyes veiled with practical indifference, the pointed the guard to a nearby computer.
Ash glanced back, the men in black jackets were at security, looking at passengers. He turned back to the guard, preparing to use his ability again. The guard's already pale face was ghostly white by the flickering screen. He focused on right in front of the guards eyes. He felt his pulse slow, a wave of heat shoot up his spine, flow throughout his body, and rush up to his head with the image he wanted.
He "deleted" his name from the list and pushed in a new one in its place. Gregory Taft.
The guard leaned in, as if not believing what he saw. In a panic, Ash pushed words at him. The guy who cleared the checkpoint before the kid, you remember him. The guard's head shot up above the partitions, swiveling around like the periscope of a submarine. His eyes hot past Ash and landed on the business man heading towards the gate, dragging his luggage behind him.
He spoke to the supervisor who took out a walkie-talkie and issued orders. The guard and some others went after the businessman, stopping only to give Ash his ticket back. Behind him, police officers stepped in front of the line of the metal detector. Ash strapped his Xtransceiver on his wrist and glanced behind him. The men in the black jackets were gone, did they see him?
Not taking any chances, Ash picked up his bag and walked away. Just as Ash rounded a corner, his knees buckled, his vision faded to spots, the room spun like he was about to black out. He dropped his back and stumbled into the men's room. He grabbed the sink, holding it with both hands, and splashed water on his face and neck, which were unnaturally hot to the touch.
He chuckled wryly to himself 'Still got it, even if using it kicks my ass. Just another thing I'll have to work on'. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing his blue eye faintly glowing. He leaned in closer to the mirror and even stretched his eyelid apart to get a better look, but the glow had faded. He shook his head and splashed himself with water again.
'Now I'm seeing things'
On unsteady feet, he made his way back into the terminal. His flight had already begun boarding; a line forming at the Jetway. He stepped onto the plane and found his seat two-thirds of the way back, window, right side, looking over the wing. He unzipped his carry-on and took out his earbuds, plugging them into his iPod. He considered checking for messages, but thought better of it.
Boarding didn't take long; the flight was pretty short, Kalos not being too far from Hoenn. The plane was less than half full, some business men in suits, some elderly, a few adults in civilian clothing, all of them preoccupied. Ash leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to the gentle hum of the turbines.
Rule #49: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, JUST BREATHE
He turned up his favorite playlist, consisting mostly of John Dreamer and Ivan Torrent, two composers that he found brilliant. Listening to the orchestra work their magic, he relaxed his hand's death grip on the seat. Right now, he needed an uneventful flight to restore some sanity so he could face tomorrow.
He barely noticed the voice at first, it just hummed along with the music. With his state of mind, Ash just thought it was part of the soundtrack... until it spoke "Just breathe, nice and slow"
Ash's body tensed entirely too fast, he opened his eyes and looked around, spotting a two fingered salute ten rows ahead of him.
"Relax, stay in your seat, eyes closed, don't give us away"
So much for an uneventful flight
"Keep your cool and we'll be fine"
"Who the fuck are you?" Ash whispered "Why are you following me?"
"I can't hear you, it's kind of a one way thing until you figure it out on your end. Just sit tight"
Ash looked back down the aisle, the Corvette guy's seat was empty. At this point, Ash wasn't surprised.
One last passenger, a grotesquely overweight woman, dressed in a purple warm-up suit, wobbled down the aisle. With darting, beady eyes, she located her seat, four rows across the aisle form Ash. Panting from exertion as she plopped down.
A flight attendants voice came over the speakers, saying they were ready for departure and all electronics should be turned off. Reluctantly, Ash turned off his music and unplugged his earbuds. The plane rocked away form the gate and the cabin lights dimmed, Ash glanced at the Corvette man's seat, still not back.
The plane lurched forward, accelerating for takeoff, shaving Ash back against his seat with an exhilarating rush as it lifted in the air. The countryside soon faded into the distance, becoming unrecognizable spots of light. The plane banked over the ocean, then turned east. Welcome, but unexpected relief flooded through him, he escaped his pursuers, for the moment.
The moment the PA system came back online with the attendant saying it was okay to use electronics, Ash popped his earbuds back in and listened to the same song again. This time, there was no voice to greet him.
"Oi, you there?"
"You look like an idiot" the man said through Ash's earbuds
"I don't care. I am this close, this close, to a totally justifiable meltdown"
"Calm down, slide your seat back, and listen to your music, nice and easy"
Ash did as he was told and eased back into his reclined seat. The man leaned forward; he was sitting on seat to the left in the row behind him. "I hope you've shaken them off, otherwise this could be a pretty eventful flight, contrary to your wishes"
"Who are you?"
"Name's Aaron. From here on out, keep an eye open at all times. expect the worst, hope for the best. Once they got you in their crosshairs, they'll never let go of the trigger"
"So why are people and Pokemon chasing me?"
"Yeah, now's not the best time to talk about that"
"Why not?"
"Because fuck you"
"Okay then"
"Look, I just got sent on this job this morning. I haven't even had the time to read your file or why I need to be here"
"My file?"
Aaron took a small transparent glass cube form his jacket pocket. Inside, floated a pair of gleaming black cubes. They were the size of dice, and hung suspended in air, revolving at different angles and speeds. "That's my file?"
Lights beamed form the black cubes, and three dimensional images appeared above the large glass cube. An image of one of the men in black appeared along with a strange looking Houdoom. "This is all they sent after you so far, the Grunts and those bastard from the reverse World. So from here on out, you'd better believe I got your best interests at heart, or the mission could go south faster than a flock of Wingull flying from a new Ice Age. Given the resources they've committed, we have to assume that you're their target. That's why I led them away"
"So what category of a mission is this?"
"Escort and Protect. Just be happy the didn't get you with a Ride Along. Those things are a hell of their own"
"A Ride Along?"
"It's the thing in your mom's neck"
"Is-Is she alright?
"No way of knowing right now" Aaron said with surprising gentleness.
"Is my dad okay?"
"I'll try and find out. I need more information, and you need rest. Get food in your stomach, catch up on your Zs, if things get "eventful", the only thing you'll need is in that pouch in front of you. Keep an eye out"
Ash fished through the seat-back pocket and retrieved a small grey box. Inside he found a blue crucifix that was almost glowing. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this? There's hardly a devoted Christian out there anyway. It's all just people born into the religion"
The seat behind him was empty again
Ash turned on his music once again and hung the necklace around his neck. When the attendants rolled the beverage cart by, he took two bottles of water and drained them. he pulled the unfinished paperwork for the Center form his bag and filled it out. Then carefully forged his parent's signature's on the appropriate lines.
A jolt of turbulence shook him from his now completed work. He felt a presence to his right and turned, expecting to find Aaron. Instead he found the obese woman standing in the aisle, staring at him. A horrid stench reeked off of her, like she hadn't showered in weeks.
"Can I help you?"
She blinked and moved her lips, but no words came out. Another jolt rocked the plane, harder this time. She turned and shuffled down the aisle with a peculiar gait. Ash glanced around, no Aaron. Acting on instinct, he grasped the crucifix tightly and leaned into the aisle.
Suddenly, his vision seemed sharper and everything turned dark with blue figures and shapes here and there. He could see the gears and workings of the airplane through the floor, but he focused back on the woman. She had a glowing nimbus of light around her, sickly green. The outline of her body wiggled and squirmed like a bean-bag being tossed around, bulging at nauseating angles.
Ash took his hand off the crucifix, the woman looked normal again, or as close to normal as it could get with trying to fit her size into those purple warm-ups. She walked past her seat to the lavatory, opened the door, squeezed through it, and close it behind her
"Aaron?" Ash whispered
Nothing. Lightening flashed off in the distance, flaring a jagged skyline of ominous clouds. He glanced down at the time, they were less than an hour from their scheduled arrival in Ever Grande. A bell sounded, a flight attendant announced that the captain had turned on the seatbelt sign and everyone should return to their seats. Ash fastened his seatbelt and yanked it tight and leaned back into the aisle. Water, or some kind of fluid was seeping out from under the lavatory.
Ash threw off his belt and moved forward. The floor shook and trembled as he reached the door and planted his feet on the soaked carpet. The status panel read "open", so he gripped the knob and quickly pulled the door open.
Lying in a deflated pile, crumpled on the floor, were a woman's purple warm-ups. Fluids leaked out from the arms, legs, and neck. the right arm of the suit extended into the toilet, the same nauseating smell hung in the air. He saw motion inside the suit, a shape the size of a football slinked form the torso, down the arm, and out the open commode. The purple suit lay flat, then, in a single move, something yanked it down the hole and out of sight. Something fleshy went down with it, like the discarded skin of a Pokemon.
A flight attendant appeared behind Ash "Sir, you need to go back to your seat"
"I saw water coming out under the door"
She glanced down at the wet carpet underfoot "We'll take care of it, please go back to your seat, now"
Seeing no point in arguing, Ash worked his way down the aisle as the plane bucked and swayed. Ash glanced back and saw the attendant shut the door and head back to her station. He passed the fat woman's seat and discreetly grabbed her carry-on. He zipped it open, empty. It was a prop. Had that thing even been a person?
"What's you see?" Aaron asked. The man, now standing beside him, listened as Ash described what he's seen
"A Carrier. You have the luck off the Little Bastard. They snuck a Carrier on board" Aaron said
Another flash of lightening, closer, brighter, drew Ash's attention to the window. Sparks spit out the form the rear engine below the right wing. He turned back to Aaron, but he was gone. Ash reached up and grasped the crucifix once again and turned to the window.
After his shock wore off, he counted six of them. They looked like strange Rattatas that had been dragged form the see.
"Was this what the Carrier was carrying?"
Squat, repulsive, rubbery plugs of flesh. Bushel-basket mouths with razor sharp teeth. A line shot down from the snout to the bottom of the tail, which was supposed to be white, was now a sickly green. Four sickly legs, armed with sharp talons, sprouted from their torsos. These creatures, Pokemon, Rattatas, whatever they were, they were built for pure destruction, which was exactly what they were trying to do to the plane's engine.
Ash let go of they crucifix, he saw nothing but a sparking engine and empty wings. He held the crucifix again and saw the awful swarm again. This doesn't make sense, Pokemon aren't invisible, and they certainly can't turn into humans. And why can I only see them when I'm holding the necklace?. He took the necklace off and wrapped the chain around his knuckles, like a fighter would with brass knuckles and held the crucifix in his palm.
He saw all six Rattatas attacking the engine in a housing frenzy, hammering away at it with tooth and claw. The plane entered another pocket of turbulence and almost lifted Ash out of his seat. He fastened his seatbelt and examined their feet, noticing small metal piercing going through them. "that must be how they're sticking to the wing of the plane. Magnetism? Hooks? An air vacuum? Wait, were those Houndoom like this? I only saw they're outlines when they got incinerated, I never got a good look at them. But they weren't invisible. Maybe they can only do it to a certain size? Where do they come from? Didn't Aaron mention something about the Reverse World?
The plane jolted and Ash momentarily let go of the crucifix. One of the Rattatas was pressed up against the side of the glass, staring at him with glowing red eyes. It pointed a talon at him, opened its mouth in an evil grin, and drew a finger along its throat. Then, it gripped both sides of the window and reared its head back, ready to bust through the glass with a Headbutt.
Something grabbed the thing from behind before it could strike. A hand closed around the creatures neck and yanked it away from the window. Aaron was outside, somehow standing on the wing. As the Rattata bucked furiously, Aaron squeezed its neck, breaking it, before tossing its limp body into the air and out of sight, its limbs flailing.
Aaron gave Ash a quick wave before drawing a side-arm from under his jacket, a customized pistol. He walked farther out onto the wing, somehow unaffected by the altitude, wind, turbulence, temperature, and every other principle of physical science that should destroy anyone in these circumstances.
Anyone human
Aaron stopped halfway to the engine, raised the gun, and open fired on the swarm. Bursts of blue light shot from the barrel, ripping clean holes through the creatures. One after another, they fell into darkness. The last two Rattatas whipped around and launched themselves at Aaron like missiles. he fanned the hammer, killing one in midair, sending it tumbling into the void. The survivor landed on Aaron's right shoulder, scrambling around to the back of Aaron's neck.
Aaron, unable to reach, staggered to the front of the wing and grabbed the form edge of the wing. Struggling against the ferocious g-forces, Aaron lay flat against the wing, leaning into the wind like a ski jumper. The Rattata hung on desperately, unable to to strike, pinned by the crushing wind. Aaron turned 180 degrees until he face skywards. The Rattata clung to him, fighting the pull of the turbine below. Then, with a silent scream, it was sucked down into the whirling grill of the jet's turbine.
Aaron stood up and walked over to Ash's window. He peered at Ash, looking tires and annoyed. He held up to fingers and said something Ash couldn't hear. But the message was clear enough for anybody "That's two"
Aaron shook his head and walked down the wing, out of sight.
They landed in Every Grande forty minutes later without further incident. No one said a word as they shuffles off, grateful to be touching the ground. Ash's flight had been delayed an hour due to the storm, but that gave him time to cover his tracks. He found another airline with a nearly empty midnight flight to Eterna City. He handed the tried ticket agent his boarding pass and pushed something into her mind, using his barriers to break through. He put in a picture of a pass to Eterna City, then another of his name on the passenger list.
She checked him in and he wandered away. He did the same thing in reverse before boarding his flight to Mauville: the agent voided his name from the manifest. Getting into peoples heads using barriers was getting easier. Not much easier, but he didn't feel like collapsing this time. He boarded the plane and dropped himself in his seat. Still holding the necklace, he scanned the plane. All clear.
He unwrapped the chain form his hand and hung it form his neck again. With some luck, whoever was tracking him would think he was going to Eterna City. Ash just stared out the window for the entirety of the trip, not responding to anything until he felt the landing gears drop as they touched down in Mauville.
Ash entered an empty terminal before heading to baggage claim. An older, white haired gentleman held up a message board: Mr. Ketchum spelled in movable type. He spotted Ash gave a wave and started forward
"Is that you Ash?"
"Yes, sir"
"Dan Blaine, from the Center. I'm a college of Ms. Drasna. A genuine pleasure to meet you". Blaine locked eyes in a friendly, benevolent way. He stood six feet tall, upright and spry. His ruddy face looked as weathered as a man in his seventies, but he moved with energy of someone half that age. His handshake crushed Ash's hand, but after years of his Dad doing that to him, Ash learned to squeeze back.
Blaine smiled when he did "May I take your bag? Are you expecting any others?"
"No, sir, that's it" Ash said, handing over his bag
"Let's move along then, shall we? The car's just outside" Blaine gestured to the doors and took the lead. He walked with a noticeable limp, possibly a knee problem, but powered through it as if he considered physical pain a minor inconvenience. "How are you feeling?" Blaine asked, as if he really wanted to know "Rough night?"
"Does it show?"
"I'll wager most of your fellow passengers were business travelers, rushing form one meeting to another. At the risk of souring impudent, the red-eye has always symbolized for me how worship of money makes us behave with utter contempt for our own humanity"
Ash stared at him
"That may have sounded strange after a sleepless night on a plane"
"I understood you" Ash said "I just don't here people talk like that much"
"Plenty of folks in Kalos speak perfectly good English"
"Yeah but it's more along the lines of, the red eyed dude that blows chunks"
Blaine laughed agreeably. It was dark as they exited, a cold wall enveloped Ash, bypassing his sweat pants as if they weren't there. "You're in the grip of an early cold" Blaine said "You're not used to it in Kalos either?"
"Is it always like this?"
"No, no, no. For the next five months it's usually much worse"
A blue Ford Flex stood at the curb, the Center's coat of arms on its side. An immense man in a fur coat and matching hat popped open the rear gate and came towards the like a building on wheels. He wore a big, irresistible smile. He took Ash's bag and swung it into the back.
"Say hello to Brawly, Ash"
"Nice to meet you" Ash said. Brawly smiled broadly and cradled Ash's hand in both of his, felt like shaking a catcher's mitt. At least he didn't squeeze. He opened the rear door and gestures Ash inside. Ash hopped into the SUV's toasty interior, the seat felt plush and heated. Brawly moved to the driver's seat while Blaine climbed beside Ash.
"Feeling warmer now?" Blaine asked
"It's certainly an improvement"
"It's just coming up on six-fifteen. We have a two-and-a-half-hour drive ahead. I thought we'd have some breakfast on the way, Brawly. I believe a stop at Popski's in in order, don't you agree?"
"Popski's it is, sir"
Brawly guided the into the early morning traffic. Ash tried to relax in his seat, finding it rather difficult considering he didn't know if his ploy lured his pursuers away. At least Blaine's hospitality gave him some comfort. Which boded well
Rule #49: WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, TREAT DISASTER AS A WAY TO WAKE UP
Half an hour later, they huddled in a red leather window booth in a stainless steel railroad car diner called Popski's. It sat a stone's throw from the interstate surrounded by 18-wheelers. A feats crowed the table in front of them, stacks of pancakes as thick as paperback novels, laden with melting butter and hot syrup, a platter of perfectly fried eggs and fat, pungent sausages, waffles so bug a toddler could have used them for snowshoes , smothered with plump blueberries, a pile of crisp, sizzling bacon, pitchers of fresh squeezed orange juice, and pots of strong black coffee.
Ash ate with a desperate craving, every bite tasted better than every version of these foods he'd ever eaten, as if Popski's was the place they invented breakfast and the rest were poorly imitated versions.
"This place is unbelievable" Ash said
"The legend of Popski's is known far and wide" Blaine said "to every wayfarer who travels these lonesome roads"
"It's said that a meal at Popski's and revive the dead" Brawly said, giving an astonishing belch immediately afterwards, giving them a good laugh. When Ash pushed his plate away, stuffed and satisfied, he felt as if he really had come back to life. Brawly paid the bill and Blaine led the way back to the car. Ash stopped to take in the beauty of the unfamiliar landscape. Flat, featureless grey-brown plains stretched to the horizon in every direction. It made Ambrette seem like a lush forest in comparison.
Withitn minutes they were back on the highway, heading east.
"Do you teach at the Center Mr. Blaine?"
"Thirty years now, World History. My favorite subject is the Aura Wars in the twelfth century. It's around the time when Jousting was invented. Do you play a sport?"
"Uh, Cross Country and Football" Ash lied. He never played a sport, his parents never let him.
"Ah, brilliant. Cross Country would give you the stamina to play any sport. We encourage our students to play as many sports as possible"
"Not really sure what to expect in that regard"
"Well Ash, it's a new day, my advice is that you make the most of it. I know it can be hard leaving home. I was fourteen when I first boarded. Filled me with uncertainty, and a fear of the unknown. This may sound odd but if you're able, don't push those feelings away. Embrace them. They're yours, part of you, they're here to teach you some of what you've come to learn"
"And what would that be?" Ash asked
"That's a question only you can answer. And probably not for some time"
They rode in silence. The landscape changing from the interstate to a two lane highway. The road began to ramble through gently rolling hills covered with hardwood forests. At a quarter past nine, they left the highway for local roads. Brawly executed a bewildering number of turns. Ash caught a glimpse of Mauville City. His senses sharped and he grasped his crucifix, the world seemed to open up to him. He could feel everyone in the city, one million-seven hundred-ninety-three thousand-four hundred-and twenty-seven souls resided in it. Don't ask him how he knew, he just did.
He trained his senses to the route ahead and his vision seemed to zoom forward along a wooded lane that eventually led to the schools the end of the tree-lined drive, they stopped in front of a traffic gate next to a stone guardhouse. A large man in a tan uniform stepped out and talked in a language Ash didn't understand.
"Ash, say hello to my cousin, Byron.
"Hey, how's it going Mr. Ketchum?" Byron said "Welcome to the Center"
Ash returned his wave and couldn't help but notice the automatic strapped to Byron belt. Byron raised the gate and let Brawly drive through. After cresting a short rise, they eased down toward a broad, bowl-shaped valley. Through the bare trees, Ash got his first glimpse of the Center for Integrated Learning. The photographs had not exaggerated it beauty, but it was even more magnificent in person.
"Straight to the Stone House, please, Brawly" Blaine said
They followed the road as it curved away from campus, past a broad gravel parking lot filled with cars, a fleet of SUVs, and school buses in silver and navy blue. Around the parking lot stood an assortment of smaller building bustling with activity, a vibrant, self supporting community.
"These houses are our infrastructure. Laundry, kitchens, communications, transportation, power plants, and so forth" Blaine said
They turned onto an unpaved lane that climbed through thick woods, until they passed a notch between converging ridges into an open clearing. Before them, and immense, board pillar stood fifty feet in the air. At the top of the structure stood a house crafted out of wood, stone, and steel, looking as if it had been grown natural on the top of the pillar.
"Welcome to the headmaster's house, also known as the Stone House" Blaine said, walking towards the rock
Ash followed him, past a steel staircase that curved around the column to the house above. the went under an arch carved in the rock and into a small foyer with an elevator. Blaine pressed a button and the doors chimed open. On the inside, a phrase was engraved above the door
NO STREAM RISES HIGHER THAN ITS SOURCE
The doors opened and they stepped into a reception area with concrete walls. A friendly white-haired woman waited to welcome them. She led them into an adjoining room. The dimensions of the space were enormous. The rectangular windows rose up to an arched cathedral ceiling, giving them breathtaking views of the countryside.
Ms. Drasna walked forward to greet them. She wore a black skirt and a crisp white blouse, black leggings, and knee-high black boots. She grabbed Ash's shoulders with both hands and gave him a searching look. "Are you alright?"
"Yes"
"I'm glad you're here"
Another man entered the from a door near the fireplace. He was tall, angular, with big hands and long, rangy arms. He wore blacks pants along with a long black boots and a blue coat with orange stripes going downy the zipper and the sides.
"This is our headmaster, Lance". He had an outdoorsman's face, board and tanned, and piercing brown eyes framed by a hull head of spiky carmine hair and appeared completely unconcerned with Ash's one blue eye, not that he knew Ash's real eye color anyway.
"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Ketchum". His voice was deep and agreeable
Rule #53: ALWAYS LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE. GIVE THEM A HANDSHAKE THEY'LL REMEMBER
They shook hands, Lance's were rough and strong, not a teacher's hands at all. There seemed nothing "academic" about the headmaster. He looked like he picked his teeth with a bowie knife and had the confidence of a five-star general.
"You'e had an interesting journey" he said, not a question, a statement
"That I have, sir"
Blaine headed for the door, a small wave to Ash before he left. Lance invited Ash to sit on a sofa near the fire, a tray of fresh fruit and rolls sat on a nearby table. Lance poured himself some coffee and sat down across from him.
"Did you finish the paperwork I gave you?" Drasna asked. Ash fished the papers out form his bag and handed them over. She paged them over, while Ash tried to ignore the desire to watch. Lance casually studied him. "To many cultures, including Mauville's, to wish someone a safe journey is considered a curse" he said
"I'd say the last twenty-four hours have been... interesting"
Drasna looked up and gave Lance a nod: Everything's in order
"Would you like to share with us about it" he asked
TELL NO ONE
Ash wanted to honor Dad's warning, but he also felt like he word them some sort of an explanation.
Rule #66: THE BEST WAY TO LIE IS TO INCLUDE PART OF THE TRUTH
"My parents wanted me to come right away, today, because they thought I was in danger" Lance and Drasna exchanged a look of concern
"What kind of danger Ash?"
"Theu didn't exactly say, sir. But there were people looking for me yesterday, in our neighborhood, that we'd never seen before". This is coming way too easily. Am I just a good lier?
"Describe them to me"
"I didn't see them up close, but they were in black cars, with unmarked license plates"
"Do you know what they wanted?"
"No, sir"
"Was this before or after I saw you at your school?" Drasna asked
"I saw them once before, and thought nothing of it. It was mostly after"
"Did your parents contact the police?"
"They did" Ash said, as close to making a lie of the truth as he could manage "That was when I called you last night Ms. Drasna"
"So that was the reason for your urgency. Your parents though these people represented some kind of threat to you"
Ash nodded, hoping they wouldn't ask anymore questions.
"Have you spoken with your parents this morning?"
"Not yet, sir"
"You need to let them know you arrived safely, and I'm sure you'd like to know they're safe as well"
"I would, do you know why they're interested in me?"
"We don't, but we are not without resources here. I can investigate into this, if you'd like"
"Thank you, sir"
"I'm truly sorry you had to go through this. Hardly the ideal circumstances for your arrival. A new student's first day should be a much happier occasion. But first things first. You can use the phone in my office to call home, follow me"
Ms. Drasna stod as well, holding up Ash's paperwork "I'm going to expedite this and get your admission finalized" she said, heading to the office. Ash followed Lance into a smaller office next door. Heavy leather couches bracketed wagon-wheel tables in front of another blazing fireplace. A sustainable oak desk sat on a riser in form of a picture window. Two pictures of imposing men hung on either wall, facing each other. "My predecessors, Thomas Altross and his son, Riley Altross" he pointed to a phone on his desk I'll give you some privacy" Lance said before he stepped out
Ash wondered if anyone would monitor his call, probably not, but they'd at leafs have a log of what number he'd punched in and compare it to the ones he put on the application. He debate getting caught in a lie to if he could be tracked to the Center if he called home.
He punched in his home number. The phone rang twice before a bland male voice he didn't recognize answered "Ketchum residence. Ash started the stopwatch on his Xtransceiver. "Riley or Delia Ketchum please" Ash said, dropping his voice and octave.
"Who is this?"
"Who am I speaking with?"
"I'm a colleague of Mr. Ketchum's"
Bullshit "Can I tell them who's on the line?" the man asked
"Supervisor Mullins, Office of Familt services in Eterna City, Sinnoh" Ash said
"The man muffled the receiver and repeated that to someone in the room, and a moment later another hand took the phone "This is Delia Ketchum". Ash felt that same sick ambivalence when he heard her voice. It was her, but it wasn't her
"Mom it's me, don't say anything, just listen. I'm in Sinnoh-"
"They said Family Services, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, they're helping me. Is everything okay over there?"
"Ash, we're just worried sick about you"
"Who answered the phone?"
She hesitated slightly "Someone form your dad's office is helping us, Carl Stenson"
"Let me talk to Dad"
"He's sleeping right now"
"I'm going to Kanto, don't follow me or try to find me. I'll call in a few days" then he hung up
He hung up then called the main switchboard for the science department at the University of Saffron. A receptionist answered. "Hi, I work for the local newspaper, I'm trying to reach someone in your department. Carl Stenson, I think he works with Riley Ketchum"
"I'm sorry, we don't have anyone here with that name"
"You're sure?"
"Yes. Would you like to leave word for Mr. Ketchum? He's not in-" Ash had just started to hang up "-but the police were here earlier and I know they've spoken with him"
"That's what I'm calling about"
"You mean the break-in last night?"
"Yes, in Mr. Ketchum's office?" he heard a reluctant silence "This can be off the record if you'd like"
"All of Mr. Ketchum's work was taken. Files and two computers. They're going through everything right now to see what is missing"
"Do they have any idea who did it?"
"Not so far-"
Ash hung up. What was this all about? Stealing Dad's research, what could have been in there that could justify all this? He tapped in Brock's number.
He answered on the second ring "This is Brock"
"Brock, it's Ash, you drove me the airport last night?"
"Ash! how are you? Did you make it to Hoenn okay?"
"Yeah, just wanted to let you know"
"How's is you father?"
"He's better thanks, but I'm probably going to be here for a while and I've got kind of an odd situation. Could you do me a small favor?"
"Shoot"
"My Dad's worried someone's going to break into our house in Ambrette. I forgot to lock the door and the doctor says he shouldn't have any stress right now. Could you swing by and check so I can tell him everything's okay?" I'm too good at lying. That's a bad thing
"I'm all over it, what's you address?"
Ash told him "Alright, I'm going to check it out soon and get back to you as fast as I can"
Ash turned and saw Ms. Drasna in the doorway. He worried she'd overheard, but she was focused on something else "Got to go, check in with you later". He ended the call as Drasna approached him "I have to ask you about this before I bring it up with Lance. Did you really try to fail that test in September?"
"I didn't try to fail. I just didn't try to succeed"
"But your score was perfect. 100%. The only one in recorded history. People with photographic memories got less than than you. How could that have happened if you weren't trying?"
"I don't know"
"I suppose the bigger question is, why would you do a thing like that?" she looked at him searchingly with genuine concern, so he told her the truth
"A rule my parents had"
"A rule?"
"Rule #3: never draw attention to yourself"
"Why would your parents want people to think your not as smart, exceptionally smart, as you actually are"
Ash shrugged. He never questioned it, and still didn't. "They explicitly told you to hold yourself back, with no explanations?"
"All they said was "We have our reasons", end of discussion"
"And after scoring off the charts you end up being followed"
"Yes"
"Then maybe there is cause for concern, But I can promos that your safe here. We have a lot of high profile families and we take security very seriously"
Before he could respond, Lance walked back in and sat at his desk "Did you contact your parents?"
"Yes"
Lance jotted something down in a notebook and handed the note to Drasna. She era fit without reaction as Lance put a hand on Ash's shoulder and and guided him to a door at the far end of his office. "I'm going to have to give the abridged version of the Headmaster's Address"
They entered through the door and into a narrow corridor sided with windows from floor to ceiling on with wall. Gusts of cold wind whistled through open windows along the top. "This is an observation deck that connects the house to the back of the Center. The architect wanted to make people feel not just suspended in space, but time as well. So he called this the Infinity Room"
They passed over thick windows embedded with planks, allowing him to see straight down where the parked cars looked like toys. Mr. Altross brought the students here to remind them to stay alert at all times"
Just like Rule #6
"He believed experiences create intense awareness tune the self to a higher state of consciousness, like a signal amplifier for the soul. An the best way to do that is to show them the reality of the situation, the danger. Your recent experience might have given you a sense of this. That's why Thomas Altross founded the Center a hundred years ago: to introduce the future leader of all the regions to each other, bur more importantly, to themselves" Lance paused "Are you with me so far?"
They stopped at the end of the corridor. The observatory chamber opened ahead like a globe attached to the end of a stick. The walls, the ceiling, the entire floor below the telescope was made of clear glass bricks. He felt like he was tumbling through open air. Ash reached the telescope and tried to focus on it to get his head to stop spinning.
"Wherever you are in the world, fifty percent of the people you see are below average. The rest are, for the most part, only slightly above average. I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with being average. because there isn't. But exceptional people are, by definition, exceptionally rare. And we know from history that innovation and adaptation have allowed us to leapt forward as a species"
Ash leaned in and looked through the brass eyepiece. Expecting a dim view of the daylight sky, he couldn't identify what appeared. Blurry globes and fuzzed out splotches of color floated through his field of vision, like the slide of microbial in a drop of water viewed through a microscope. Then he realized, the telescope was trained on the commons in the middle of campus half a mile away. He was watching the magnified students as if they were feet in front of him.
"All of these young men and women, like you, posses the talent and potential to become exceptional. Uncommon people who will one day do uncommon things. And if we do our jobs correctly, by the time you leave here you will have realized that potential. In the meantime, make new friends, connect, leaner from each other, and for each other. Find your Gates of Hell and vanquish what lays inside. Because one day, much sooner than you realize, this will become your world. That wasn't too terribly painful was it?"
"No, sir"
"I always felt like this place would be the perfect place to dream"
'Yeah, the perfect place to die' Ash thought. With that, he pitched forward, unconscious, and slammed into the transparent floor
Alright now here's the question, which female characters should I put in the story, I already have May in there for a reason, her circumstances as a character are too perfect for me not to use her but I can get one more in there and I don't know which one I should. So, I want you guys to tell me who to put in. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, suggestions, requests, and anything else is always welcome. I'm not sure when I'll update next, whenever it is i have the chapter done I will. Till next time
-novaking2832