Chapter two is here, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy and I'll see you at the end.

Disclaimer: We interrupt your story for an important news bulletin. Th3nerdy0ne has just announced that he does not own Pokémon. Oh what will this mean for our intrepid writer? Apparently nothing.

On with the story:

Chapter Two

A Letter and an Important Meeting

It was an unusually quiet day in the Cerulean City Gym. Very few trainers had shown up to challenge the leader, the Pokémon were all relaxing, even the Sensational Sisters were uncharacteristically quiet (though whether that was a bad thing or not was up for debate). And at the forefront of all this silence and boredom was none other than Misty Waterflower. A strong water-type specialist and leader of the Cerulean City Gym.

She was currently in the pool of the gym doing her daily routine of exercising with the Pokémon. She had just started her fifth lap around the pool with Dewgong when the bell for the gym's front doors went off. Sighing, Misty swam towards the ladder on the right side of the pool and climbed out. She picked up her ocean blue towel from the bleachers, gave her hair a quick drying, threw the towel around her shoulders, and proceeded towards the front doors.

As Misty entered the reception room/lounge, she was greeted with the sight of her eldest sister, Daisy, lying on the couch with a magazine in her hands and a look on her face that was a mix of both boredom and tiredness. Misty walked over to the couch, put her hands on her hips, and gave her all too famous 'Glare of Death' as her sisters called it. Sensing that someone was now watching her thanks to the chill that had just ran down her spine, Daisy looked away from her magazine and was met with a pair of angry looking emerald eyes.

"Hey, baby sis. What's up?" Daisy asked cautiously.

Misty just continued to glare at her for a minute before finally answering.

"How long have you been here?" She asked. Annoyance very evident in her tone.

"Since 1:00." Daisy replied. Not really understanding why Misty was asking this.

"Did you hear the doorbell?" Misty asked. Her glare never faltering.

"Yeah." Daisy replied slowly.

"And why didn't you answer it?" Misty asked.

"It's too far. And I'm tired." Daisy whined.

"In other words you're too lazy to answer it yourself." Misty said. a vain clearly visible on her temple.

"Pretty much." Daisy nodded in agreement. Knowing it would get a rise out of her younger sibling.

Misty took several deep breaths before turning and heading towards the front door. As much as she loved her sisters, there were times when it just became too hard not to give them a light smack on the back of their heads. So to avoid physically harming her irritating family members, she just walked away to the task at hand. If it was a trainer asking for a challenge she didn't want to keep them waiting any longer because of her older sibling's lazy nature.

When she finally reached the front entrance, she pressed a button on the right hand side of the doors allowing them to open. As she stepped out of the gym, ready to apologise for keeping who ever it was waiting so long, she was met with nothing but an empty pathway leading to her gym. Confused, Misty took a few more steps outside and looked around the area. There were no signs that anyone had been there. Not even a retreating figure in the distance.

Shrugging it off, the red-head turned back and headed towards the gym doors. As she was about to enter, she felt her foot step on something that felt like thick paper. Looking down, Misty was met with the sight of a small envelope with her name on it. Picking it up, she entered the gym and walked back into the reception room/lounge where Daisy was still laying on the couch, her magazine open once again. Hearing her sister re-enter the room, Daisy turned her attention to her younger sibling and noticed the envelope.

"Oh, is that for any of us?" She asked with a little excitement in her voice as she probably thought it was fan mail from someone.

"I found it on the ground outside the door. It's addressed to me." Misty replied.

Though Daisy looked a little disappointed that it wasn't for her, she still stood up and walked over to Misty who proceeded to open the letter and begin reading what was written on it out loud.

'Dear, Ms. Waterflower.

I am writing to request that you meet me at the Cerulean Café in the square at 3:30. When you arrive, sit at the table in the right hand corner outside. Come alone.

A friend.'

When Misty finished reading out the letter, both her and Daisy had perplexed looks on their faces. Neither said anything for a minute or two before Misty checked her watch and headed to her room. Daisy snapped back to reality after noticing that her younger sister was no longer next to her and followed her upstairs. As they entered Misty's room, the red-head threw her towel onto her bed, took some clean clothes out of her wardrobe and headed for the bathroom.

"You're not actually going, are you?" Daisy asked incredulously.

"Yes, Daisy. I am." Misty replied as she entered the bathroom and closed the door.

"But what if it's some sick pervert? You have no idea who this person is or what they want. What if this person tries to hurt you? Or kidnap you?"

"I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. You know that."

"Still. I'd feel much better if I went along."

"The letter said come alone."

"I don't care. If it looks like my little sister is in any kind of danger I have to be there." Daisy protested. Crossing her arms in an 'I'm going to be stubborn about this until you agree to let me do what I want' kind of way.

Misty knew there was no way to win this argument. Once Daisy had her mind set she wouldn't relent until she got what she wanted. Sighing heavily, Misty opened the bathroom door with an exasperated look on her face and came out wearing a yellow long sleeved t-shirt, tight denim jeans that went a few inches past her knees with a red belt around the waist, and a pair of red trainers.

She was instantly met with a glare from her older sister as she exited the bathroom. It wasn't the same kind of glare that Misty had given her earlier, but it was close enough that anyone else would assume it ran in the family. They glared at each other for about two minutes before Misty threw her arms up exasperatedly.

"Fine, let's go." Misty finally relented and was met with a sickeningly delighted grin from Daisy.

"I'll get my car keys." Daisy said as she ran out of Misty's room and back down stairs.

Misty just sighed and followed along.

"Something tells me it's gonna be a long day." She said to herself.

Cerulean Square

The center of Cerulean City was filled to the brim with shoppers and tourists. Families could be seen enjoying both the sun and the magnificent buildings and statues around the area, Restaurants were obviously doing very well today thanks to the crowds and hot weather, and in a small café, sitting at a table outside, was Misty. She had arrived earlier than planned, thanks in great part to Daisy's lack of obeying the laws of the road, and found herself sitting at the table mentioned in the letter for the past twenty minutes now.

Misty had asked Daisy to stay in the car which was parked in a car park around the corner from where she was, much to the older siblings dismay and constant protests. Still, she had relented and agreed to wait in the car until she returned. Now, here Misty was. Awaiting the arrival of the mysterious friend that had sent the letter. She checked the time on her watch for the fifth time in a row. 3:30 on the dot. She looked up from her watch and looked out to the large crowd of people, trying to see if she could find anyone suspicious looking.

"I can assure you, Ms. Waterflower, if you are looking for someone suspicious, you're going about it the wrong way." Came an accented voice from behind.

The startled red-head jumped in her seat and turned to be met with the sight of a man, possibly in his mid fifties, with short brown hair that was grey in some areas, and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a light brown blazer that was buttoned up, a white shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a black tie around his neck. He was also holding what looked to be a walking stick with a crystal sphere on top with what appeared to be a blue flame inside of it made of what looked like sapphire. The man walked past the startled teen and took a seat across from her.

"Especially if you're looking for someone from an organisation that specializes in being invisible and blending with a crowd." He continued as he raised a hand to signal for a waiter.

"And what organisation is that?" Misty asked as she eyed the man suspiciously.

"All in good time, my dear. First, I think we should place our orders. There's no point in coming to a highly respected café and not order something. Don't you agree?" The man said as a waiter approached their table.

"Hello, and welcome to the Cerulean Café. Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked in a polite manner.

"Yes, my boy. I would like some Earl Grey Tea, please. And what would you like, Ms. Waterflower?"

"Just regular tea with milk and two sugars, thanks." Misty replied, not taking her eyes off of the man.

As the waiter walked off to get the orders, Misty just continued to stare at the man while he took out a pocket watch, looked at the time, and placed it back in his pocket. He then turned his attention to the red-head and smiled warmly. This smile actually managed to give Misty some comfort as it looked sincere however, she still remained weary of him. After another minute or two of uncomfortable silence, the waiter returned with their teas and the two proceeded to take small sips from them.

"Ah. I've always loved how they do the tea here. Nothing like how they make it in my place of birth, but enjoyable nevertheless." Said the man as he took another sip from his tea.

"Are you going to get to the point of who you are and why you asked me here, or will I just leave?" Misty asked, getting rather irritated by what was happening.

"Certainly, my dear." The man said as he placed his tea on the table and folded his arms on the table to lean forward slightly. he then reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out what appeared to be a badge with a blue flame similar to the one on his walking stick, and his name next to the word Commander on it.

"My name is Simon Lecter. I'm the head of an organisation that works as a sort of, special police force." The man introduced

"Like a S.W.A.T. team?" Misty asked as she studied the ID.

"A little more special than that. The people that work for me have special kinds of skills that would be wasted with a regular police force. So we have our own privately funded organisation that we call, Serenity." Lecter explained.

"So why did you ask me to come here, Mr. Lecter?" Misty asked as she relaxed a bit, though still keeping her guard up.

"Tell me, are you familiar with Aura Ms. Waterflower?"

Misty nodded in response. About a year ago Ash had told her all about what happened with Lucario and the Tree of Beginning, and explained a little bit about Aura to her. She was amazed, to say the least. She had sometimes imagined what it would be like to have that ability after hearing about it and had, on several occasions, gone to the local library to find more information about it. Sadly, there weren't that many books on the subject. Mostly myths and legends. Misty was brought out of her brief thoughts by the voice of Lecter as he continued to explain why he asked to meet her.

"Well you see, it has come to our attention that you know a descendant of an Aura Guardian. Ash Ketchum, is it?"

Misty nodded.

"Well, we have reasons to believe that Mr. Ketchum is in danger." Lecter explained.

Misty took in a sharp breath and her eyes widened at hearing this.

"What?! Why?!" Misty nearly yelled.

"Calm down, Ms. Waterflower. Let me explain." Lecter said calmly. Not at all fazed by the raise of tone in the young teen's voice.

Misty took a few deep breaths before finally relaxing enough that she was able to continue listening.

"As I was saying, we have reason to believe that Mr. Ketchum is a possible target for a rival faction called Specter."

"What do you mean by faction?" Misty asked.

Lecter looked hesitant for a moment. He was contemplating whether he should tell her or not. It would mean breaking several regulations. However, given the current situation, he didn't really have much of a choice given the little time they have. Finally making a decision, he explained.

"Well, both my organisation and Specter have been more or less at war with each other for centuries. And we've done a remarkable job of keeping it a secret from the rest of the world so I would appreciate it if you never spoke of this to anyone else. Understood?"

Misty nodded in understanding. Lecter continued.

"Now, Serenity has made a commitment to keeping the world safe from any and all threats. And Specter is a big one. Team Rocket are boy scouts compared to them. They want nothing short of complete control of the entire world and will terminate anyone who gets in their way or is considered a threat."

"And what? They think Ash is a threat?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Well, he is a descendant of a powerful Aura Guardian, has the ability to use Aura, and has done his fair share of world saving. Wouldn't you agree?"

Misty couldn't help but nod in agreement at that. Ash was the type of person that would jump head first into danger if it meant saving others. Hell, she was there for most of them and had to suffer several mini-heart attacks when it looked like he had died during these occasions. And now it was happening again. Ash had somehow managed to unintentionally tick off a dangerous organisation and now they were out to get him because of both his nature and his heritage. If he was here right now, Misty would've smacked him upside the head with her mallet for being... Ash. She knew it was the type of person he was. Hell, that was one of the reasons she lo... anyway, she couldn't fault him for being him. But she could certainly give him an ass kicking for it.

"So why call me? Why not go see Ash directly?" She asked.

"We don't know where he is. We are aware that he's in the Sinnoh Region, we just don't know what part. But Specter does." Lecter said.

Misty's eyes once again widened in shock.

"We don't know how, but they've managed to locate him. And they're most likely going to send someone to kill him." Lecter explained.

"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe any of this? How do I know you're not with these guys and your just tricking me to get closer to Ash?" Misty asked with a glare.

Lecter just shrugged. "You don't. And I don't have any other proof aside from my ID which for all you know could be forged. All I can offer you is my word that I'm telling the truth."

Misty thought on this for quite a while before finally coming to a conclusion. She didn't trust this man completely, but if Ash was in any possible danger she'd have take the chance.

"So what do we do?" Misty asked with a serious tone in her voice and look in her eyes.

"You have a Pokégear, do you not?" Lecter inquired.

Misty looked confused for a moment before realising what the older man was getting at. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her Pokégear and began searching through her contacts for the number she was looking for. After a minute, Misty finally came to Ash's number. She had gotten him a Pokégear for Christmas a year ago and it's been their main way of keeping in contact ever since he left for Sinnoh. She looked at the number for a few moments before finally pressing the call button. As it rang she looked up at Lecter.

"What should I tell him?" Misty asked.

"Tell him that you need an extra pair of hands to help you out at the gym." Lecter said.

"Why can't I just warn him about the possible attack? That would be a smarter thing to do, wouldn't it?"

Lecter shook his head.

"Even if you warn him it won't make a difference. These people are trained killers. He'd have a snowballs chance in hell."

Though Misty didn't like hearing that at all, she nodded in understanding. She waited for a few more moments as the phone rang before the sound of someone answering could finally be heard.

"Hey, Mist. What's up?" Came the happy voice of the raven-haired trainer.

Misty took a deep breath to calm herself so Ash wouldn't think something was wrong.

"Hey, Ash. I was wondering, is there anyway you could come to the gym for a while? Things have gotten pretty busy down here and I need some extra help. If this isn't a good time I understand, it's just-" Before Misty could continue, she was cut off by the cheerful voice of the young man on the other end of the phone.

"Sure. I don't mind coming down and giving you a hand. Me and Pikachu need a brake from training anyway. We just arrived at Sunnyshore a few minutes ago, so I can get a Ferry ticket and be down there in two days. Sound good?"

"Two days sounds perfect. I'll see you then." Misty said as she smiled. She hung up after that and turned her attention back to Lecter.

"He'll be here in two days?" He asked.

Misty nodded. Lecter smiled.

"Perfect. When he arrives I'll see to it that my best agents are assigned to watch over you both. And if any Specter operatives show up, they'll take care of them." He said.

"I'd feel better if there wasn't anyone after him at all." Misty said with worry evident in her voice.

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Waterflower. We'll make sure nothing happens to either of you." Lecter assured with a smile.

After that, the two went their separate ways. But not before Misty grabbed the older man by the wrist and gave her 'Glare of Death' to him.

"If I find out that you've lied to me, and Ash is hurt in anyway, I'll make sure you regret it." She threatened.

"Don't you trust me?"

"About as far as I can throw you." Misty said simply.

Lecter just smiled. "I assure you, Ms. Waterflower, I am telling the truth. I promise that no harm will befall you or Mr. Ketchum."

With that, Lecter disappeared into the large crowd and Misty headed towards the car park where Daisy was. During the drive back to the gym, Daisy had bombarded Misty with questions about who it was she met and what it was they were talking about. Misty just told her that it was private and that Ash was coming in two days and left it at that. Though Daisy wanted to press on the matter, an angry glare from Misty shut her up and both sisters were silent for the remainder of the drive back to the gym.

That was chapter two, ladies and gentlemen. What did you think? Good? Bad? Leave a review and let me know.

I'll be getting off college for the Easter brake soon so hopefully I'll be able to update faster. I'll get to work on chapter three as soon as possible and have it out when it's good and ready.

Until then, live long and prosper and may the force be with you.