Chapter 3.

Rodney

"Rodney, get off me, you sick Bastard!" Candice shouted, jolting from her sleep. She flicked out her knife from her pocket, and spun Ash's body around, pointing her knife under Ash's throat, and yanking the locks of his thick raven hair. Ash's heart vaulted from his chest, drops of sudden fear surfaced his face as he looked down at the short blade under his chin.

"Pika-Pi!" Pikachu yelped, defending for his Master. Static buzzed around his perfectly red round cheeks.

Ash held up his hands innocently. "Candice…" He said as calmly as he could. "It's me. Relax. Put down the knife."

"Oh God…" she suspired, lowering her knife, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I—I thought you… I thought Rodney—"

"I know," said Ash. This wasn't the first time Candice awoke with her knife at the ready, screaming Rodney's name with trepidation and sweat. He knew Rodney Silverian, a regional famous FBI agent and the one responsible for all the Wanted posters posted around Kanto, haunted her sleep. Ash wondered if Candice ever had pleasant dreams.

Candice folded the lance back into the silver handle, shoving it back into her pocket of her shorts. She looked down at the blanket wadded between them. "What were you doing?"

"I-I-was only-you were-" he stuttered. He didn't know how to word what he was doing without sounding like a creep—and he wasn't being a creep. Candice knew she thrashed around in her sleep; he didn't want her to hurt herself even more, especially with the fire still burning. He was just trying to hold her still and keep her calm. He had seen her Pokémon restrain her multiple times. He only wanted to help. But now he kept thinking about what Misty would say to him, or even worse, the look on her beautiful face if she had seen him holding Candice like that—he was practically spooning her! What was he thinking? He had a girlfriend!

"What time is it?" She asked, ignoring her original question.

"What-er… Almost two."

"Hmm… Half an hour. That's probably the longest I've ever slept."

It was true. She usually only slept for minutes at a time, getting a collective of three hours of sleep each night. She didn't like sleeping, and if it weren't such a necessity in her life, she would never sleep a wink. She said that sleeping is pointless, but Ash liked to think it's because she doesn't want to live through more of her nightmares.

"I still have watch," said Ash, holding up the small blanket he used to wrap her shivering body in. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when it's your turn." Candice declined, wincing as she crawled herself to standing. Her leg was still hurt from when Ash attacked her, doing somersaults down the steep hill, while trying to escape from the wild mob in Celadon earlier in the week. She had a board tied against her leg, using strips of old fabric from past costumes. Ash was sure she had sprained something, but Candice refused to see a doctor to get it checked out.

"I need to go for a walk," she said.

"You really shouldn't be putting weight on it—" Ash started, but Candice switched out her blade one again, pointing it threateningly, telling him to shut up. "But you can hardly even walk on your own."

"Well, I better damn well try!" She shouted. "I can't afford to succumb to Rodney because of a stupid injury. You go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"How do I know you're not gonna leave and disappear?"

"You won't." She smirked. "Didn't your mom ever teach you anything? Never trust a thief."

Flareon barked, getting up from its sleep and walking beside the limping bandit. Espeon remained on the ground, awake like everyone else and wagged its tail back and forth like nothing was wrong. Pikachu cautiously lay back down, but kept his eyes wide open. Ash knew that Pikachu felt rather skeptical towards Candice, unsure of her true character.

"She'll be back," he muttered to Pikachu, staring at the green pack beside Espeon. She had to come back for the pack. Eventually.

He rested his body against the cool grass beneath him, using his backpack as a pillow and covering himself with the blanket. He could still hear Candice's voice muttering to either herself or Flareon, but the only words he could make out were "Rodney," and "reprobate bastard."

Ash remembered the day he met Rodney. He had grown to like him. After all, he was a regional hero with charming charisma, and a wickedly strong trainer with a purpose. He even gave Ash some advice when he was competing in the World Wide Tournament. Ash remembered how good and honored he felt when Rodney befriended him and asked for his help to search for Candice. If only he knew then the things he knew now…

Two things Ash knew for sure were that Rodney was not stupid and he was a brilliant liar. Rodney knows Candice like the back of his hand, able to pick her out from a crowd of thousands in a matter of seconds, like an avid Where's Professor Oak finder in those famous children's books, and he seemed to know just how to manipulate her behavior for his personal gain.

THREE WEEKS AGO

"Oh God. What am I eating?" Patsy asked at dinner, sitting right beside Ash, just as she promised she would. She stared intently at a can that rolled from her white shoulder bag from the other side of the table. "Is it chicken or fish? I know it's tuna, but it says, Cumbusken of the Sea…"

Ash stared at her with disbelief. "First of all, that's pasta," he pointed to her dinner, and then to the can. "And second… that's not even open."

Patsy shrugged, shoving the can of tuna back in her bag. The cafeteria was crowded with thousands of trainers trying to eat their dinner before the opening ceremonies. Ash has entered many competitions before, but none of them were this massive. He could hear trainers on different tables speaking in different languages, laughing, giggling, and enjoying themselves, but Ash couldn't help but think about the competition ahead, and wonder whether or not if his Pokemon were ready. His Pokemon were so small in comparison, most of them still in their basic form. He wasn't scared or nervous that his Pokemon weren't strong enough, but rather, that his Pokemon could get smashed under his competitors's Pokemon's large feet.

"Hii Danny," a couple female trainers said in union, waving flirtatiously as they walked passed. He could feel his cheeks turn pink as he waved back. He didn't know how Patsy did it, but she seemed to have made every girl trainer in his place aware of his presence, and the fact taht hsi name was "Danny" as almost every female competitor giggled and greeted him as they passed. One even gave him her number earlier, saying that she would love to talk to him sometime, something about water sports, or something…

"Aww, how sweet. They feel bad for you." Patsy said, stabbing the pesto covered penne noodles with the tongs of her fork like it was a game of whack-a-mole, until her fork could not possibly hold any more noodles. "Sympathy trainers make the best lovers."

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "Wh-Why would they feel bad for me?"

"Because they don't think you have any friends." She said matter-of-factly.

"Why do they think I don't have any friends?"

"Cause… I said you didn't."

"Why did you say that?"

"Because… you don't." Patsy said it like it was obvious.

"I have friends!" Ash shouted. He decided to come to this competition alone, so his friends could achieve their goals of being a top coordinator, or finally starting med school, or running a gym, although, he would have loved it if at least one of them made it here with him, one of them specifically. It had been years since he traveled with Misty, but he maintained his promise to her before he left for this worldwide competition: the moment he won, she'd be the first face he'd come and see.

"Danny, it's okay. You don't have to lie. I'm eating lunch with you, so you're not a loser. But… we are cousins… and that's almost as bad. Good thing I'm hot."

"Excuse me," a man with a deep voice said, standing at the front of their table. Ash could see the muscles in Patsy's arm tense up ever so slightly as they turned to look at the man. He wore a navy jacket with bright yellow bolded letters on the left side of his chest that read: FBI. He had long flaming red hair that came past his chin and spiked out at the bottom and a long whitish scar ran down his left eye, making his brown eyes seem more visible than usual. "Have you seen this girl?" He held up the Wanted poster for Candice Pristin.

Ash shook his head. "Has anyone?"

"She's really pretty," said Patsy. "What's she "wanted" for?"

A wide smile spread across the man's face, revealing his unusually white teeth. "Patsy? Patsy Showgur? It's me-Rodney Silverian."

Patsy covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. "Ohmigosh, Danny, how sweet, I have a fan. Do you want an autograph or something? Let me get a pen…"

"No, no, no, no. Patsy," the red headed man put his hand on top of her slender fingers. "Don't you remember? We used to travel together."

The cute blond bit her lip, deep in thought. "No… I don't remember a Rodney… but there was this one red headed guy I used to travel with-"

"That's me." The guy insisted.

"No, he was a lot cuter." Patsy said boldly. Rodney looked like he got smacked with a brick. Impetuously, Patsy clapped her hands together, bursting with excitement and energy. "Oooo! Maybe you saw me in one of my shows? I do a lot of shows."

Rodney looked at the table; his face grew long with disappointment. "Yeah… I've seen every single one. I even gave you some flowers."

"Aww, how sweet. See, you really are a fan."

Ash couldn't believe it. What was wrong with this girl? She didn't know who a Nurse Joy was, she is convinced he is her "cousin Danny," and she couldn't even remember someone she's traveled with? Was this girl insane?

"Well, this is my cousin Danny," said Patsy, ruffling through Ash's messy hair. Ash leaned as far away from her as she could, trying to get away from her long fingers. He only liked it when certain orange haired girl played with his unruly hair. Her voice dropped to a whisper, but it was still loud enough for Ash to hear, even through all the cafeteria noise. "You have to be really nice to him. He has anger problems, and he doesn't make friends."

Ash dropped his fork against his plate, done with his dinner and done with Patsy spreading all these false stories about him. She was insane. She had to be literally insane.

"See what I mean?" Patsy pointed with her head toward Ash. Ash threw his hands in the air in frustration. Couldn't she just leave him alone? He had a tournament to focus on.

Rodney took a seat on the soft maroon bench across from them, keeping his hand on top of Patsy's, and never lost her eye contact. Patsy sighed. "Well, I have to go shopping. People tend to think I am really excessive, but I'm not. I can totally go seventy hours without shopping. I've done it, like, twice." She slid herself out from the booth, leaving Rodney's hand on the table. "See you, Cousin Danny. Save me a spot at the ceremonies, all right?" She turned gracefully on her heel, weaving in and out of the thick crowd of trainers. Rodney stared at her as she left, her curly blond hair bounced with each step she took.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" He asked.

Ash readjusted his hat, wondering if Rodney actually asked him that question, or if he stated it rhetorically. "I don't think I'm allowed to answer that, since she's my cousin." he said sarcastically. Rodney chuckled at his answer. "Seriously, is she all right in the head, or is it some sort of battling tactic? She thinks I am her cousin."

"If it's a battling tactic, it's certainly one I have never seen her use. But if it makes you feel any better, I've met about… five others spiky black haired kids like yourself that she claims to be her cousin." Rodney said, stretching out his hand for a shake. "What's your real name?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Rodney's grip was firm and strong, much like a invested business partner. "She said she didn't remember you."

"Yeah. I'm afraid Patsy doesn't remember a lot of things since the accident."

"Accident?"

Rodney bit the corner of his lip. His eyebrows pointed together and focused a mustard stain on the floor. His hands slowly crumpled into fists and his face looked like it hurt to remember. He was silent for a while, and Ash wished that he never asked. It was a personal question, he shouldn't have asked. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Rodney spoke up. "It happened about seven months ago… We were driving really late at night and it was foggy. We crashed straight into a tree, but Patsy wasn't wearing her seatbelt and she… she flew through the window."

"Oh…"

"The doctors said she developed a form of amnesia, forgetting specific details about her life, like faces and names, even some of her dancing. The only thing she didn't seem to forget is her battling, which is amazing, really. The doctors said that over time, she should be able to recall mostly everything again, but it's been months, and she still doesn't seem to remember me, and she was my girlfriend for three years."

"I'm sorry," said Ash, now feeling bad for getting so flustered with Patsy.

"Don't be, I'm just glad she's still here." Rodney said, shaking things off. He unfolded the Wanted posted from his pocket and stared at the picture of the criminal. "I should really be focusing on my job. Rumor has it that this Pristin thief has connections to some of the trainers here in this tournament. You haven't by chance heard anything, have you?"

Ash shook his head.

"You're not lying to an officer, are you? Doing so is a felony, and is punishable for time behind bars."

"I don't know anything about this thief, officer." Ash admitted. "And if I did, I promise I would be the first one to report it. I want to see her stopped just as badly as the next person."

Agent Rodney Silverian nodded and pulled out a white card from his pocket and handed it to him. "If you hear anything suspicious, I want you to give us a call, alright?" Ash looked at the rather plain card with Rodney's name, title, and phone number listed in the center. "Good luck in the tournament." He continued throughout the cafeteria, stopping at the different tables and inquiring the same questions.

Ash brushed his fingers through Pikachu's short cut yellow fur coat as Pikachu licked the lid to a ketchup bottle. So that was why Patsy acted so strange. He felt bad and sorry for her, and wondered how he would act if he couldn't remember any of his Pokemon, or his friends, or his mom. Or how frustrating it must be if someone like Misty couldn't even remember him, or any of the adventures and trials they've been through together. It must have hurt Rodney to see Patsy like that.

"Give me a call if you hear anything," he heard Rodney say to another table of trainers, leaving a stack of white business cards on the table and continued to the next one.

He kept staring at the different Pokemon eating with their trainers. The young punk from earlier fed Pokefood to his tall Dusclops, the woman dressed in a navy business suit and pearls giggled with her twitching Furret, and a balding man dressed in an open orange and yellow Hawaiian shirt and shorts arm wrestled with his large Poliwrath.

"Are you alright?" a girl asked, stopping in front of Ash. She had hair the color of limes that was pulled back into high ponytail and long swooped banged covered her right eye, so only her left icy blue one was visible. Her eyebrow rose with recognition. "Oh! You're Danny, the kid everyone is talking about."

Ash groaned. "I've told you my name is—whatever. Danny, fine…" He figured he might as well just save everyone the confusion and go by the name Patsy gave him.

"You don't like the name, Danny?" The girl asked, sitting in the exact spot Rodney sat before. Her hands laid out flat on top of the table, inches away from Ash's. He noticed that her nails were painted alternatively pink and black.

"I prefer to go by Ash," he said, as if his actual name had become a nickname.

"You look lonely," she said, lacing her fingers between Ash's. "A Pokemon Competition is such a sad place to be lonely."

Ash didn't quite know how to respond to that, and he felt awkward holding some random girl's hand, especially since he didn't even know her name.

She leaned in over the table, placing her head just inches from Ash's face. He could smell peppermint in her breath. "My name's Erin. I came here all by myself, too, but no trainer deserves to come to places like this on their own. Trainers like us need constant support. If you'd like, you can feel free to talk to me anytime you want. I have an extra bed in my room in case you feel like you need some company, if you know what I mean…" She closed her eyes, or at least her left eye, and puckered her lips, slowly, moving closer to his face.

Feeling a little scared, he slid out of the booth, missing her lips just barely. "I'm good. I don't need—I'm not lon—I have a girlfriend." He explained.

"What?" The girl exclaimed, falling on the table. "I thought that girl said you were lonely, that you were looking for some fun."

What on earth was Patsy telling these girls? That her pathetic angry friendless bed wetting cousin needed some raunchy experience?

"The commencements are starting!" A boy in a yellow sweater and blue hat shouted, dashing through the cafeteria to the battlefield. The clock read ten minutes to seven and majority of the trainers in the cafeteria followed suit. They gathered up their things, walking coolly, not wanting to show too much eagerness to their competitors, but Ash knew that deep inside, everyone was anxious to see who they were paired up against.

"Ash!" Erin called. He turned only to be greeted by a mighty slap across his face, muttering something about how only gay guys would reject an offer like that. He caressed his face, feeling where her vicious fingers had slapped him.

The brisk night air kissed Ash's face as he took his first steps on the grand stadium battlefield. Bright stage lights illuminated the oval shaped stadium, packed with visitors screaming, cheering, and bashing random objects together to make even more noise. Ash imagined the entire place dressed with his face on their shirts, chanting, calling, and cheering his name to victory. The image of Misty's beautiful face standing in the front row, cheering louder than any other person in the crowd. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a smooth pale blue charm hooked to a chain shaped like a raindrop. Misty gave him that necklace just before he left for the tournament as a good luck charm and a reminder to come back to her the moment the tournament was over. He traced the outline of the charm repeatedly with his thumb, remembering and missing the warm soft touch of Misty's lips against his, and the smell of her chlorine hair.

"I could really use you right now, Misty." He said under his breath. He wasn't sure whether if the was idea of Misty's face, the brand new stadium smell, or the presence of other amazing Pokemon trainers around him, but suddenly, he felt a burst of motivation pulse through him. He was a strong Pokemon Trainer. He believed in his Pokemon. He could win this competition, and the grand prize would be to be back in Misty's arms. Away from Patsy and her crazy allegations about who he was.

A large televised screen projected the live image of three people standing on a small narrow green stand with a large bronze basin behind them. One of them was a balding man dressed in red standing on the left, while a man with a busy beard and mustache stood to the right, and a woman with short black hair dressed in a traditional floral Japanese kimono stood in the center. Pokémon Trainers scattered throughout the floor of the stadium, smiling and waving the crowd above them.

The bald man approached the microphone, and immediately, the stadium hushed into small whispers. "Welcome to the first ever Grand Pokemon World Wide Tournament!" The crowd broke out into loud screams. The announcer waited as a different announced translated his statement into a different language for the foreign trainers. "As a member of the National Pokémon League, we kept trying to think of ways to make our competitions bigger, stronger, and better, and what a better way of doing so than bringing all of our past Pokémon Champions together in the same room. This is the ultimate challenge for the title: "Pokémon Master!""

Ash smirked. He's yearned for that title ever since he was ten and left Pallet Town all by himself for the first time with his then-grouchy Pikachu beside him.

"Of course, an idea like this takes many years to put together and assemble. Thanks to our National Pokemon League workers, we were able to make a complete list of winners past and track down their permanent addresses, but we still had one very big problem: we did not know where to host this. We looked into hosting it at the Indigo League, we looked into hosting it in Hoenn, and Johto, and just as we were about to settle, we received a phone call from a very generous person. She said that hosting a grand tournament like this in a preexisting stadium would be a letdown to all the other champions that have already won there, so we asked her where she thought we should host the tournament. She said, "Easy. Right here in Celadon." She got all the arrangements ready, the space, the workers, the supplies, and even the beautiful flowers to decorate the entire place. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you give a great warm welcome to the beautiful, elegant, nature-loving Princess and Celadon's gym leader, Erika!"

The woman in the kimono waved gracefully at the crowd, blowing small kisses at them.

"And now, just like any other tournament, it is time for the Opening Ceremonies to begin!" Fireworks blasted into the air, splattering into a variety of different shapes, colors, and even Pokemon in the dark sky. The crowd 'ooo'ed and 'ahhh'ed in contempt with each blazing image. With the last explosion, the audience looked down to see a small orange flame flickering in the distance. A tall dark skinned male dressed in white ran into the stadium holding a torch high in his right hand.

"The sacred flames of Ho-Oh!" The man announced as the runner dropped the flames in the large basin behind him, engulfing the entire insides of the bowel. "This is the official commencement of the first Worldwide Games!"

The crowd cheered once more.

"And now the moment you have all been waiting for..."

The large T.V. screen flickered to show each of the one hundred battler's identification pictures. Ash squinted his eyes, searching for his tiny picture on the screen.

"Rodney, stop it!" Ash heard familiar voice giggle, followed by shushing sounds. He turned to see red haired man with his arms wrapped behind a petite blond, necking her like a vampire at midnight. Rodney was no longer wearing his FBI jacket, meaning he was off duty.

"I think I remember you now." Patsy said, giving him an odd look, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to remember him.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. And in case you couldn't get it... earlier when I said: "Like an avid Where's Professor Oak finder in the famous children's books," I was trying to make a pun or a joke out of the Where's Waldo books... but I don't think it came across clearly... If anyone knows how to reword that sentence, feel free to let me know.

Also, I accept criticism. And comments are always nice to read, too. So please, feel free to leave a review telling me what you think, and what I should work on. Thank you so much.