Any flash back thoughts will be quoted and italicized. And just thoughts will be bold and italicized. Thx again for reading.

Chapter 2: The meeting with Cynthia

As Ash exited the stadium with Pikachu and Rilou right behind him he began to wonder.

"What in the world would Cynthia need to talk to me about? Oh well I'll find out when I get there", Ash thought.

"Ash?", said a not to familiar voice.

Ash looked up and saw his friends and family running up to meet him.

"Hi guys, well what did you think of the match?", inquired Ash.

"That was a fine battle young man, one that I haven't seen the likes of in years", complemented Oak.

"That was awesome!", exclaimed Brock as he gave thumbs up to his overly exhausted friend.

"That was great honey; if only your father could have seen how great you were…", said Mrs. Ketchum as she then got lost in her thought thinking about the past. She then gave him a hug that could have blown the wind out of him.

"MOM!" Ash exclaimed in protest, "I'm not a little kid any more, I'm a Pokémon Trainer and I want to be treated as such."

"I know…I can still see as if it were yesterday", Mrs. Ketchum said concernedly.

She tilted her head back and pondered the many years she spent raising Ash as a young boy, with Ash's father occasionally in the background.

"Speaking of which whatever happened to dad?", questioned Ash.

"Well…", said Mrs. Ketchum as she began to wonder.

Ash and company then began walking to a diner for his congratulatory meal.

"I don't know, the last I heard of him you were about five years old", Mrs. Ketchum began to explain. "He had called me just before his Championship match similar to the one you just had, and during the final ceremony as he was about to be awarded the championship trophy there was an accident, an explosion had gone off right beneath him and after the smoke cleared he was nowhere to be found.

"I was devastated and I never seen or heard from him ever again, until one night several months later around one in the morning during a terrible storm there was a knock on the door. As I answered it there was a man wrapped in a drench coat asking to speak with me about a matter concerning your father. He a handed me a letter from him stating that he was alright, but it would be a while before he could see us again. Also that the display of him disappearing was to make everyone think he disappeared, when in reality he was just in hiding because someone was after him. So he had to disappear in order to protect himself, but most of all his family. If anyone where to find them associating with him in any way their lives would be at risk. After reading over the note I was to also burn it and not tell anyone until after Ash had won his first championship, and just as I looked up to thank the man he disappeared", explained Mrs. Ketchum.

By this time they had already arrived at the diner, gotten a table and had ordered their food.

"Yes, that does sound intriguing as I too received a visit on the night before your tenth birthday by a shady man in a drench coat and was given a Pokéball meant especially for you containing the Pikachu you have on your shoulder now. I was instructed in a letter (in your fathers handwriting I might add) given to me by the man that you were to receive that Pokémon regardless of your current choice. Luckily you over-slept a made the transition easier on me to give it to you", Oak explained.

Ash sat there with his mouth wide open in astonishment for a few seconds.

"So basically what you're saying is you don't know where dad is and somehow he is responsible for me getting Pikachu?", questioned Ash.

As the discussion continued their order had begun to arrive and was placed on the table in a timely yet exquisite manner.

"Yes…", Oak and Mrs. Ketchum said simultaneously.

As everyone gave out a troubled sigh, they began to eat the feast that lay before them.

"Well, we shall worry about past events later, but for now let's celebrate Ash's victory", Oak declared.

"Let's dig in!" Ash asserted with a starved look on his face.

"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed agreeing with Ash.

Everyone: "Itadakimasu!" A/N: Japanese for I humbly receive.

As everyone was digging in, a dark shadow loomed on the outside, staring at the new champ of the Sinnoh region as he stuffed his face.

Moments later it began to rain, and as everyone was eating Pikachu took a slight glance out the window. While he was doing such he caught a glimpse of a figure watching in from the outside. Pikachu leaped off the table and ran towards the window, but before he could get there it disappeared.

"Whaf's th' matt'r P'kachu?" Ash said concerned with his mouth full of food as he looked at the windows and the storm that was taking place outside.

"Ash! I thought I taught you better than that!", Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed.

"I'm sorry", said Ash after swallowing his food in a depressing tone."

"Well at least it didn't rain on my match…", Ash said dubiously as he approached the window where Pikachu was now perched staring out at the rain.

Pikachu then cocked his head in confusion as he tried to figure out what just transpired.

"Ash why don't you come back here and finish your dinner before it gets cold," said Delia as she looked up and saw her little man staring out the window in despair.

A/N: Delia and Mrs. Ketchum are the same person in case you didn't know.

"Hey mom is there any more you can tell me about dad other than him being a great Pokémon trainer?", questioned Ash as he made his way back to the table to finish eating his victory dinner.

"Well he was a loving father, a lovable gentleman, and an adoring husband, when you were little he used to always help me give you a bath in the sink, everyday whether he had just gotten back from an exhausting day at work or just relaxing on a day off", said Mrs. Ketchum as she began thinking about the days when Ash was still in diapers.

"Wow I never would have thought of him that way," uttered Misty.

"Thank you for the food," said Ash moments later as he began excusing himself from the table.

"Hey mom…guys, I'm gonna go for a walk… got some things I wanna think about, meet you back at the hotel a little later, ok?"

"Ok Ash," replied everyone with a puzzling look.

"Come on Pikachu, Rilou", said Ash as he held out his arm for his long time partner to take a leap on his shoulder and Rilou to follow beside him.

Pikachu: "Pikachu pi."

Rilou: "Rilou ri."

"Wonder what's on his mind, perhaps I should go with…", said Misty as Brock then immediately stopped her by the shoulder and shook his head.

The rain had begun to lighten up as Ash began walking up the road past all the attractions and people passing that had come to see the Pokémon league competition. He began to think about the things Cynthia had told him after he had just left the stage at the awards ceremony.

Cynthia: "Meet me in my suite room 1201 at the Sinnoh Now hotel on the 12th floor, tonight around midnight… there is a matter I must discuss with you alone away from all the commotion."

"Alright maybe now's a good time as any to go she what she wanted to speak to him about", said Ash as he looked at the clock tower in the center square as he stepped out of the Pokémon center.

"Wow its already 11:45, the party went by faster than I thought it would, guess I better pick up the pace a little, if I want to make it their in time", Ash thought to himself as he began to pick up his walking pace to almost a sprinting jog. "Come on Rilou let's pick up the pace a little, don't wanna be late", Ash said to his new traveling buddy walking beside him.

Rilou: "Rilou ri."

Ten minutes later Ash, Pikachu, and Rilou arrived at the Sinnoh Now hotel; now they just had to make it to the 12th floor in room 1201 to meet up with Cynthia.

Ding! Went the elevator they were in as it reached the 12th floor. Alright here we go, said Ash as he and his Pokémon stepped out of the elevator and into the hall.

"Room 1201…1201…1201…1201…1201… ah", thought Ash as he cycled through the doors looking for the one Cynthia had told him to meet her in.

*Knock, Knock* as Ash hit the door waiting for someone to allow him passage to the room Cynthia designated to him to meet her in.

For what had seemed like an eternity later, the door opened and there stood the previous champ in her black Pokéball bath robe with her hair also in a blue bubbled designed towel.

"Hey Ash right on time…and good you're alone…and you brought Rilou too, come on in a make yourself comfortable", said Cynthia as she showed Ash and his Pokémon into her deluxe suite.

"Thank you", replied Ash as he looked at her questionably.

"Oh sorry I kinda just got out of the shower after a bunch of interviews and autograph signings I had to go through, you wouldn't believe the traffic…", mentioned Cynthia as she trailed off looking at Ash.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to ramble, I just thought…"

"Cynthia!", Ash said as he interrupted her mid sentence.

"Wh….what?", cried Cynthia in a startled tone.

"You needed to speak with me about something", questioned Ash?

"Oh yeah, um… hang on a sec if you will take a seat on the couch for a moment I need to go grab something first", said the surprised Cynthia.

A moment later she returned with a pure white box with a Pokéball looking seal on it, and it was about as large as a shoebox.

As she began to sit down she explained; "Ash, now inside this box are a Pokégear, badge case and some Pokéball seals. But before I can explain what they are for I need to know if you're ready to take the next step in your training", she explained in a dark but yet serious tone.

"That means life or death risks, pass or fail circumstances, and choosing whether to save a friend or save a loved one passages. I need you to think long a hard about this and get back to me in a few minutes while I go change in the other room. Now I'm also going to leave the box here if you think you're ready just insert Rilou's Pokéball into the seal right here and I shall explain everything you need to know when I come back. If you decide not to, feel free to leave the room and go back to your friends and family, but you must leave Rilou and his Pokéball on the table."

Ash's heart stopped, (not literally) "What?", cried Ash as Cynthia got up.

"You expect me to make that kinda decision in only a few minutes?", Ash barked as Cynthia began making her way into the back room to change.

"Cynthia simply ignored his last comment as she placed her hand on the door, and replied in a serious tone, I look forward to seeing what you do in response", as she closed the door and locked it.

Pikachu and Rilou looked at Ash with a troubled look.

"Pikachu?"

"Rilou ri?"

A moment later Ash took out Rilou's Pokéball and looked at it for a bit with a petrified look and then as he was about to place it on the table, Pikachu jumped onto his lap smacked him across the face with his tail and began talking to him as if he were going to knock him into next century if he made the wrong choice in the matter.

"Pika Chu Pi Chupi Cha Pi Ka", enunciated his long time friend and companion.

Ash just sat there blankly staring at Pikachu.

"Your right Pikachu why should I doubt myself, we've been through stuff that can only happen once in a lifetime, if we were lucky. An ordinary trainer would probably freak out in these circumstances, but luckily we not ordinary", replied Ash softly.

"Thanks buddy I needed that", he said as he rubbed his Pokémon on the head, Pikachu turned around in his lap to face the box on the table as he turned the Cherish Ball around in his hand around and inserted it into the seal located on the box.

The box flashed and beeped a few times and after a few seconds of waiting it clicked.

"Well guys our new journey starts right here, right now", said Ash as he flipped the box open.

Meanwhile back at the restaurant…

Everyone: "Thank you for the food."

"Well Misty, Brock did you enjoy your meal?", asked Mrs. Ketchum as they began to sit back in their chairs after they finished eating.

"Yes Mrs. Ketchum", Misty replied, "It was delicious."

"Mm...Mmmm I guess I'll have to get the recipe to learn how to make it so we can have it more often on our next journey", Brock said.

"Speaking of which whatever happened to Ash?", questioned Misty as she looked out the windowsill.

"He probably got attacked by Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket and he is fighting to save Pikachu from them again", said Brock as he let out a deep sigh of concern.

"I thought we saw something on the news a few nights ago that Team Rocket was all arrested, by the FBI for plotting some mission to brain control all of the world's Pokémon or something", replied Misty.

"Well it wouldn't surprise me if a few were hiding right underneath our very noses and we didn't even know it", said Brock.

"We should probably start looking for him before it gets too late", replied Misty.

"Goodbye Mrs. Ketchum we will see you after we have found him", said Misty.

"Wh-wait Misty, Brock you're not worried about Ash at all", replied Mrs. Ketchum in a startled tone.

"W-what if…" as her eyes filled with tears, Misty came up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry if there's one person I know that can't be beat by some petty criminal organization, or anyone for that matter its Ash. I mean we are talking about your son, and besides those guys are not even worth the effort so there's really nothing to worry about, we've handled so many of them in the past Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua and Galactic for example they were trying to change the world as we know and we were there to stop them, but mostly Ash and Pikachu. So dry those tears and enjoy the festival", replied Misty in a low monotone voice as they began to exit the restaurant.

Mrs. Ketchum looked up with a slight smile.

"But we will still make haste in finding Ash there is something important I need to talk to him about", said Misty as she got serious again looking up with a slight glimpse of a tear in her eye.

"Misty are you…", said the concerned Mrs. Ketchum.

"I'm fine just got something in my eye", replied Misty as she wiped her eyes with her hands trying to hide her concerns for Ash as well.


As Misty and Brock begin their search for our hero what mystery lies in store for him in Cynthia's room, and what could Misty have to tell Ash. Find out next time on Events Unexpected.