"You are not safe. No matter how many people are around, or how clear the area looks, no matter what anyone says, no matter what you think, you are not safe. It only takes one second, one second and it's over. Never let your guard down, ever. I want you to promise me."

-Rick Grimes; from The Walking Dead (2014)

Ever since Ash was very little, he knew he wanted to travel the world. He knew he wanted to have Pokémon by his side. That he wanted to achieve great things. In all honesty, anyone who knew Ash personally knew that he had very big dreams for himself. The young boy voiced those dreams on numerous occasions, making sure anyone who'd listen knew what his plans were. As time went on, those dreams narrowed themselves down, eventually becoming Ash's dream to become a Pokémon Master. He'd always had a fascination and admiration for Pokémon, so it seemed to solidify his determination to become the best Trainer out there. That also meant he had eagerly counted down the days until he'd receive his first partner. Obtaining Pikachu had been the best day of Ash's life, despite his tardiness to Professor Oak's lab. Then came all the friends who'd come into the young Trainer's life since the day he left Pallet Town. It seemed as though Ash's journey to becoming a Master was going well – he was meeting new people, capturing Pokémon and making them stronger, everything Ash believed made up a fantastical Trainer. He managed to battle strong opponents, even going so far as to challenge different region's Pokémon Leagues. Unfortunately, Ash never did win, but that didn't diminish his determination.

If there was one thing Ash Ketchum had, it was determination. Anyone who knew him personally would say so.

That was why, after hearing about the strength of the Trainers in Cordelia, he just had to go. At the mere mention of an area filled with strong opponents, Ash wouldn't be able to fight the urge to say no. The only thing was that the young Trainer wasn't very familiar with Cordelia, though he was happy his old friend, Brock, was with him. Brock seemed to figure out anything in the blink of an eye.

"So what's this place again?" Ash asked; his face was scrunched up in confusion. He'd had it explained to him once before, but the oddness of the region seemed to go right over his head.

"Cordelia's said to be an ancient kingdom," Brock stated. "It's said to have formed before Sinnoh or any other region for that matter, making it the oldest region on the planet."

Ash's eyes widened at that. "Seriously?" he exclaimed. "That's so cool."

"I'm surprised I've never head of it until now," Dawn said, nodding in agreement. "It's so close to Sinnoh, I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone bring it up."

"Who knows?" Brock said, shrugging. "Some areas choose to live quieter lives than others."

-Bastards-

"(You want to do what)?" Kirlia exclaimed. Briar Rose had really taken the opportunity to fine tune her thought process, but she came to the conclusion to face off with the Sovereign on her own. If her father wouldn't allow her to help him, then she'd have to do something about it without him knowing. It seemed like a very logical solution in her mind, and she assumed Kirlia would think the same.

"I think we should take on the Sovereign ourselves," Briar Rose repeated. "Father won't let me help him with anything, and I can't just sit back and let everyone else do the dirty work. What do you think?"

The Emotion Pokémon's eyes were wide with disbelief. The very idea sounded impossible, ridiculous, idiotic! Briar Rose's determination to know what was going on was admirable, but thinking she could take on a group as savage as the Sovereign was suicidal. Kirlia may hold a close bond with the princess, but she didn't hold a death wish. Part of Kirlia hoped that Briar Rose was joking, but she could see the excitement and resolution in the princess' eyes, showing that she was serious. And once Briar Rose had her mind set on something, it was almost impossible to change it.

"(The Sovereign are too powerful, Rose)," Kirlia responded. "(They'd capture us before we had a chance to react. Or worse. I don't think you really understand what we're up against)."

Briar Rose's eyes lost their gleam, instantly replaced with anger and frustration. "I do understand," she exclaimed. "They're dangerous. They're threatening my home – our home."

"(We shouldn't be risking our lives on a plan that might not work)." A stern look came across the Emotion Pokémon's face. She had helped Briar Rose with a lot of her ideas, but attempting to face off the Sovereign singlehandedly was too much. It wasn't well thought out, it was too dangerous. Kirlia understood the need to keep one's home safe from intruders, but jumping headfirst into something without proper knowledge wouldn't solve it. "(Your father kept you here to keep you safe)," Kirlia went on. "(Don't go throwing your life away because you want to be a hero)."

There was a long moment of silence. Briar Rose's eyes were wide as she regarded Kirlia. Never before had the Emotion Pokémon said anything like that, and the princess wasn't sure if she should be impressed or hurt. The young girl was absolutely sure that the plan seemed possible, maybe a bit shaky here and there, but doable at least. Briar Rose wanted Cordelia to be save, she wanted the Sovereign to be held accountable for their actions. Who wouldn't want something like that? And seeing how Kirlia was the princess' closest friend, Briar Rose hoped her friend would see it from her perspective. That obviously wasn't the case.

-Bastards-

"And you're sure this necklace will be able to give us full control?" Once the meeting had been concluded, the Sovereign leaders decided to regroup and discuss plans. They needed to figure out a way to send one of their own into Cordelia to steal the necklace. Once they had it, their recreation plan could finally take root. They'd not only be able to rebuild a region in their own image, but they'd have the power over three Legendary Pokémon. The Sovereign may as well have power over the whole world.

"I'm positive," Jamie responded, glancing over at Tobias. "This necklace was forged out of special crystals. Those crystals were able to bend the Legendary Pokémon to the user's will."

"How do you suppose we'll get our hands on it?" Another of the Sovereign founders, a woman named Marguerite, looked between the two for a moment. "None of the others seemed willing to go."

"Don't worry," Tobias scoffed, "we'll get someone to infiltrate. We've been studying Cordelia's guard patterns for years; we'll get in."

Marguerite let out an unsatisfied huff. "The armies on the Outer Rims aren't letting up, Tobias," she exclaimed. "We won't be able to sneak anyone by, nor will we be able to fly anyone over."

"We have Psychic Pokémon," a man named Theodore said. "I'm sure some of them know Hypnosis. We should consider that a possible option."

The four argued for a moment longer before they heard the door to their meeting room open. On the other side stood a figure they knew all too well, one they feared the most. She had been the one to come up with the Sovereign's ideology, to form the very foundation the group stood on. Her power was definite, and no one dared go against her. Even her Pokémon were feared, having been trained to the highest possible levels they could reach.

"How foolish," she said. "You're all arguing over this?"

"Ma'am, we didn't think you'd be here," Marguerite exclaimed, bowing her head slightly. "We're sorry for any disturbances we made."

With a simple hum, the woman crossed her arms over her chest. Her Alakazam and Weavile stood beside her, looking around the room carefully. Those were her main Pokémon, the strongest of all the ones she possessed. She'd trained the Sharp Claw Pokémon and the Psi Pokémon since they were in their pre-evolutionary forms. "There's always some kind of disturbance, isn't there?" she murmured. "You won't get much cooperation from them. They're afraid of what Léon will do to them. But I can assure you one thing, if we're going to infiltrate them, you'll have to send someone over they'll least expect."

"W-We know that, ma'am," Tobias stammered. "We're trying to consider our options."

"Why not send Francis? We'll loan him his old Pokémon, and he should be fine." There was a long pause. "What? Is that not a good decision?"

"I-It is!" Jamie squeaked. "It's just Francis is a bit...incapable, physically."

"Incapable?"

"He's got that injury, ma'am," Theodore said. "He just healed from his time fighting the Outer Rim. He was hit with a nasty Flamethrower."

There was another long pause. "Send Quinn, then," she said. "Give her Froslass and Nuzleaf. That should suit her just fine."

"Of...course, ma'am," Marguerite said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. "If you think that's best."

(A/N):

Not my best chapter, but I hope you guys find something enjoyable in it. If you find this chapter could use some improvements, let me know in the reviews and I'll get to it ASAP. Constructive criticism is very important to me, so any ideas you might have are always welcome.

Nothing in the PKM universe belong to me. All I own are my OCs + the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs/subplots, PM me or leave a review.

See you guys on the flip side.

Bella Lillis