Okay, so for these flashbacks I'm gonna start referring to Ash as "Ash", not "Leader", because contextually in my mind this is all happening before Ash really changes. I'll go into it in future flashbacks so it starts to become more clear, so bear with me.
Gain Of Trust
CHAPTER 7
"PERVERT!"
Ash sighed as he watched his male companion once again receive the woman's open palm forcefully across his cheek. Jack stumbled back, managing to catch his balance before falling, but could not maintain the balance as he didn't foresee the woman's foot also coming in contact with an important part of his body directly after.
"And so the cycle continues, as always..." Ash said, shaking his head.
"Kachu..." the mouse sighed in agreement, still perched on his shoulder and copying his trainer's actions.
"Glad to hear this is amusing to you jerks..." Jack groaned, hands protectively clutching his now aching...you know. Ash smirked, glancing up at Krystal, who had now turned her body 90 degrees away from Jack, arms crossed and glaring daggers at the injured man on the ground.
"It's what you get for open sexual harassment," she said in a terse tone, causing Jack to flinch and even surprising Ash.
"I don't even know what you're mad about! It was a compliment!" Jack defended, but the woman wasn't backing down.
"Saying that you're lucky to see me and shaping the letter C with your hand is not a compliment, you pig!" Krystal snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest protectively. Ash's eyes caught notice of the corner of Gina's lips curling into a smirk.
"Okay, Krys', come on, he's a guy," Gina put her hand on her friend's shoulder, calming her a bit. "You know he's not gonna understand what he did wrong."
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
"See? He proves my point exactly."
"What the hell is happening?! Leader, feel free to help me here!"
"Jack, you gotta learn to recognize that sometimes in a battle, you have zero chance of winning. This is one of those times."
"What the hell, man?! What happened to trusting each other when we need it?!"
"You know very well this is not what I meant when I told you that. Women are very dangerous, and I know fully well not to piss them off," Ash said calmly, Jack beginning to mutter curses under his breath as he slowly returned to his feet. Krystal and Gina looked over at Ash, surprised. "...What?"
"...Sorry, it's just...Well..." Krystal lost her words as Ash's eyes landed on her, the girl suddenly feeling nervous from his usual serious look.
"You don't strike us as the smart guy, just from first glance," Krystal looked bewildered at her friend's words, and how calmly she had said them despite their clear insulting meaning. She quickly clasped a hand over GIna's mouth, feeling more nervous.
"A-Ah- What she means to say is that you don't...uh, well, you don't look like you have trouble with women at all!" all eyes were on the icy-blunette, the girl's cheeks quickly growing warmer.
"Mff th gwo, nt obsh nt awwl... (Way to go, not obvious at all...)" despite her hand covering Gina's mouth, Krystal could still understand what the silver-haired girl had said, shooting a glare at her.
"Well, it's your fault for insulting the creepy guy that just tracked us down when we've never even seen him before!" the girl quietly responded in a hush, Gina giving a slight roll of her eyes. She grabbed her friend's hand, taking it off her mouth.
"Uh...look, I'm not mad at you for saying that," the girls looked over at Ash, who gave a shrug of his shoulders. "In fact, I'd be more suspicious if you trusted me right now. I get it, I'm a complete stranger, you have no idea who I am or how I found you, and I bring a pervert along with me-"
"Hey!"
"Shut up, Jack, you're not helping. Look, girls, I really am here just to talk, nothing else. He's an idiot, but you can just ignore him," Ash ignored his friend's responsive outbursts in defense of himself, not taking his eyes off the girls, who only stared back at him cautiously.
"...You must understand then that we have so many questions right now."
"Of course, and I would gladly answer any of them if you'd like."
"Alright...First, how did you know our names?"
"It took a little digging here and there, I'll admit. You two aren't easy to find on records, so I gotta commend you for that."
"O-Okay...Then, how did you find us today? Like on the roof just now?"
"Ah...Well-"
"I can answer that!"
"Jack, please don't. You'll make this worse."
"Oh come on, you give me such little credit! Besides, it was my idea in the first place!"
"What was?"
"Based on your history, plus the records of thieves in this town for the past few years, we managed to track you here. Once we saw you in town today, we figured you were gonna be stealing again, so we just watched and waited until you were making your escape to somewhere isolated."
"..."
"..."
"Jack...You just love to dig your own grave, don't you...?"
"What are you- GAH!"
"You were watching us?! All morning?!" Krystal snapped, Ash giving a sigh as Jack returned to his previous defeated position on the ground, clutching the same area once again. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Arceus, what is the matter with you, Krystal?! I'm just answering-" Jack felt a swift kick to his gut.
"Do NOT call me by my name! You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of!" she shouted at the injured man, Ash and Gina unable to resist from chuckling to themselves.
"But...I actually do...and I'm starting to get a better idea..." Jack muttered weakly, Krystal not taking her eyes off him. Ash continued to watch the two bicker back and forth, as if they were best friends already. What surprised him, though, was that during this, Gina had made her way closer to him, standing now only a few steps away beside him. He glanced over to her curiously, noticing that she was doing the same thing to him.
"...I do apologize for him, really. I'm sorry that Kry- your friend, has to do this..." Ash quickly corrected himself from saying her name, given what she was doing after Jack had made the mistake of doing so.
"It's okay," Ash was surprised at Gina's calm response. "To be honest, Krystal has to do this a lot wherever we go. Wherever we end up going, there are always men who think they can get away with whatever they want and have whatever they want."
"Yeah, it's disgusting..." Ash's eyes wandered back to the bickering pair, watching Jack now try to crawl away to no avail.
"...You are telling the truth," Ash glanced to the girl again, noticing her curious eyes fixated on him more intently. He slowly nodded. "You don't have to be nervous. Like you said earlier, I have sharp senses, and I'm sure you weren't just taking a guess on that," Ash felt a hand on his shoulder, turning his body towards the girl. He felt nervous as she stepped closer to him, leaving only an inch or so between them as she maintained eye contact. "...And I can feel the honesty from you."
"...uh...Glad to hear..." Ash responded carefully, unsure as to how he should react in this situation. The slightest error and he could very well end up like Jack. Krystal glanced over at her friend, suddenly taking notice of how close she was to Ash.
"Wha-Hey!" Ash's attention was drawn back to Krystal, who had quickly moved away from Jack and towards him. He instinctively stepped back, away from both Gina and Krystal as the girl stopped only a few inches further away than Gina had. "What are you doing to Gina?!"
"What? No, no, I wasn't doing anything," Ash defended, but the suspicion in the girl's eyes showed no sign of subsiding from him. Gina raised her hand above Krystal's head, dropping a fist lightly onto her head.
"Ow! What was that for?" the icy-blunette began to fake pout. However, Gina showed no sign of believing it or regretting her actions.
"He wasn't doing anything. He's telling the truth, about all of it," she told her friend calmly, stepping towards Ash once more. "...You said you did some digging to find out who we were. However, a part of me feels unconvinced that it was specifically us that you were looking for."
"...Right as always, miss-"
"Gina," Ash gave a curious look, surprised at the girl's interjecting response. "Calling me miss would be confusing, so I would prefer Gina. You can call her Krystal as well, or Krys' for short."
"Hey! You can't just decide that for me!" Krystal butted in, her friend giving another light knock on the head. Krystal glanced at Ash, who still looked confused, then looked away with her cheeks puffed in light frustration. "...Fine...Krys' is fine..."
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder to Krystal's, surprising the girl as he landed carefully. He looked at the girl, flashing a cute smile. Krystal couldn't resist the urge to smile herself, cautiously lifting a finger to stroke Pikachu's fur under his chin. The mouse leaned in, happily accepting her action.
"Nice to meet you too," she said gently, suddenly feeling more comfortable with all what's been happening. Pikachu hopped from Krystal's shoulder to Gina's, nudging the girl for the same treatment. Gina smiled as well, surprising Krystal, as she began to pet the mouse as well.
"Well, you are right...Gina..." Ash felt unsure about using their names casually, considering what had happened to Jack not a few moments ago. "...You're right that we weren't looking for you two, specifically. We were only looking for people who might have the same beliefs as we do, someone who might be able to help us with the goal we're working towards. That's the proposition we mentioned earlier."
"So...You want us to work for you?" Krystal asked, feeling confused.
"No, no, I'm not that controlling. I want to propose you work with us."
"What's the difference?"
"Well, working for us just sounds...I don't know, it's weird to me. I don't want to have workers under me-"
"But that's just your humble nature taking over," all eyes turned towards Jack, who had now returned to his feet again and was making his way slowly over. He carefully made sure to keep distance from Krystal, holding his gut. "Truth is, Leader's really in charge here. No doubt about that, he's got the charisma and all that crap for the job."
"And I told you to stop saying that," Ash sighed, Jack giving a roll of his eyes.
"So you consider yourself working for him? I guess that makes sense," Gina stated, Krystal giving a nod and earning an insulted look from Jack. "You said Leader has the charisma to be a leader, and that's certainly true, but there's no way you have that."
"Might I just add, I am certainly thankful I made the decision to choose you two for this," Ash said with a smile, the two girls glancing at each other with a brief smile. Jack sighed. "I realize it's a sudden decision to make, but even if you refuse then it's not like we won't provide you with nothing."
"What?" the two girls gave a confused look.
"Yeah, what?" Jack added, clearly not in the loop either. Ash smiled.
"Even if you refuse, as thanks for your time, I wanted to at least offer something," Ash started, pulling out a small notepad and showing it to the girls. "I've got a list of the best real estate I could find, most affordable prices, any region you want, nice and secluded."
"What...are you saying...?" Krystal couldn't believe what she was hearing. She glanced at Gina, who to her surprise, looked just as stunned.
"...You're offering..."
"You can decline this as well, if you think I'm trying to offend you, but I am being serious here. I offer you this regardless of your decision for the job, but I believe everyone is capable of choosing their life how they want. I'm merely giving you the option," Ash only watched the two girls stare at him in awe and surprise. He glanced over to Jack, who looked just as surprised, but at the same time not.
"...So then, what exactly is this job you want us to take?" Gina finally said, breaking the silence. Krystal cleared her throat.
"Y-Yeah...If you know we're criminals, I can't imagine it's at a law firm, the way you dress doesn't exactly seem professional," Krystal crossed her arms, the two men glancing down at their outfits. Gina, knowing how her friend inside and out, caught the brief look up and down that Krystal had given to one of the men in particular.
"You're definitely right about that. Our goal isn't exactly...ethical, you might say," Ash scratched the back of his head, Jack's mind beginning to go into thought. Something flashed across his mind, alarming him. "Although, this'll be kind of boring, so Pi, wanna go with Jack and get-"
"H-Hey, uh, Leader, why don't we actually just give the girls a sec? I'm sure they could use it to process all this we're just throwing at them," Jack butted in, grabbing the man's shoulders and dragging him back a few steps. "Take your time, ladies, we'll just be over here. Pikachu, you can help 'em decide, can't you?"
"Pi?" the mouse twitched his ears, slightly tilting his head in confusion as Jack dragged his trainer away from them.
"Do you know what that was about, Pikachu?" Krystal asked the mouse, feeling as if she had missed something. The mouse shook his head.
"What are you doing?" Ash asked, his friend glancing over at the girls in the alleyway as he stopped around the corner of the alleyway entrance. "Seriously, Jack, what are-"
"Look, I'm...Keep your voice down, but I think we should tweak the plan a bit," Jack said, surprising Ash.
"You didn't even like the idea of having a plan, now you want a say in it?" Ash lowered his voice halfway through his words, tired of watching Jack tap his finger against his lip repeatedly in an attempt to make him speak quieter.
"I know, I know, it's just...Listen, however we tell them the plan, they're gonna freak out, you realize that, right?" Ash looked confused. "I mean...Come on, think about how you first reacted when I brought it up. They're girls, man, you think they're just gonna fully accept it and not think we're insane?"
"...Fair point..." Jack sighed in relief. "But what are we supposed to tell them, then? If we don't tell them the real plan, then how do we even get them to agree to help?" Ash asked. Jack thought for a moment, crossing his arms behind his head. "I know you agreed to keep it from Pikachu, and I appreciate that, but keeping it from every partner we make is gonna be going too far."
"...Unless it's not a complete lie..." Jack muttered to himself, having an idea.
"So, what kind of a guy is Leader, exactly?" Krystal asked the mouse, the electric-type tilting its head with a curious look. "I mean, if he wants us to agree to work with him, then...we gotta know what kind of person he is, right? And I can only guess that you're a part of his team, right?"
"And why does Jack call him Leader? Didn't he say his name was Ash?" Gina added, the mouse scratching the back of his head, unsure what to say.
"Whoa, Gina, that's a little personal, don't you think?"
"How? He gave us his name when he introduced us. I'm curious."
"And since when have you ever been curious about something? ...Especially a guy..."
"Don't be jealous, Krystal, I'm just simply trying to understand this situation."
"J-Jealous? No way, why should I be jealous?"
"Well, there's one possibility. Pikachu, does Ash have a girlfriend?"
"W-What are you doing?!" Krystal's cheeks flushed at the girl's sudden question, surprising the mouse as well. "And why are you using his real name?!"
"Using who's real name? the icy-blunette jumped, surprised to turn around and see the two men had now returned. Ash gave her a curious look, embarrassing the girl further.
"N-Nothing! No one's! Moving on!" she stammered, turning her head away in shame and noticing Gina's coy smile.
"So, what exactly is this 'unethical goal' you were mentioning?" Gina asked. Ash and Jack glanced at each other, Jack crossing his arms and glancing up at the building beside them. Ash took a deep breath, hesitating, before giving his response.
"...I'm sure you know about the ploy of Team Plasma a few years ago, yes?"
"...I can't stand this..." Max furiously tapped his foot on the cold ground, arms crossed tightly as he stared at the ground where May had disappeared.
"We know, Max, but you just have to hold on. We have to give Brock and Gary a chance," Misty told the boy, watching him in his annoyance.
"I'm trying, Misty, I really am...But I can't even feel my foot anymore..." he gave a sigh and scratched his head vigorously.
"And of course there's no service in here..." Dawn muttered, annoyed as she tapped the screen of her phone. "Maaan, I just feel useless right now!"
"Pika..." the electric mouse's ears drooped, its worry clear as day on its face. Dawn looked down at the mouse, picking him up into her arms and hugging him closely.
"She'll be alright, Pikachu...We're gonna get her out..." Dawn trailed off, her thoughts beginning to wander into a dangerous place regarding confidence in her friend's safety.
"...Hold on," Misty said, looking as if she had realized something. But she didn't say anything further.
"...What? You don't seriously expect us to just hold on, do you? May is-" Max stopped, seeing the Kanto gym leader shake her hand as if to stop him.
"No, not that. Just focus on feeling right now," Max and Dawn looked at each other, confused, then back at their friend. She held her arm out and rubbed her skin. "Look."
"...What are you doing...?" Max was unsure where she was going with this.
"I don't have goosebumps anymore. It's gotten...warmer..."
"Max! Misty! Dawn!" everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the entrance, hearing a familiar voice.
"Brock! They're back!" Dawn exclaimed happily, hearing distant footsteps begin to get closer. They saw their friends soon come into view in the doorway, panting as they stopped to catch their breath.
"Well? What'd you guys hear? Anything?" Max asked quickly, the two men taking deep breaths trying to be able to speak faster.
"...We got...something, but...we're not sure it's great..." Max was immediately worried again. Brock straightened his back. "But if the guy was right, then by now, May's definitely found the dragon."
Then the group heard a distant, but petrifying roar. And the ground started to shake.
1 year ago...
"So...what are we doing here, exactly?" Jack asked, earning a frustrated sigh from his companions.
"If you had been listening instead of staring at that blonde, you would know," Krystal muttered under her breath with an unimpressed look. Gina nodded.
"Oh shut up, she looked at me first."
"She did not, Jack. She was obviously looking at Leader."
"What?! No way!"
"Wait, why am I being involved in this?"
"Because she was looking at you! Woman's intuition, Leader, it was pretty obvious to me. You could tell too, right, Gina?"
"I could tell there were two women looking at Leader, yes."
"See? Gina kn- Wait, two women?"
"Oh, did I say two?" Gina asked innocently, glancing away from her friend with a smirk. Ash gave Gina a curious look, then at Krystal. He gave a sigh, then looking at Jack with a more annoyed expression.
"I told you not to get them calling me Leader..." he said in a terse tone, Jack crossing his arms behind his head with an innocent whistle.
"It's not his fault, Leader, it's just who you are," Krystal flashed a grin. "Plus, it has been six months already. And calling you Leader just feels natural, you know?"
"True. When you first found us, you did tell us to call you Leader," Gina added.
"...Oh yeah...Dammit..." Ash gave a sigh and scratched his head, shaking it. "Whatever, let's just get back on track here."
"Right!...Which is..." Jack nudged Leader's arm, clearly not having an ending for that statement. Everyone sighed.
"To find two men who work here," everyone looked at the tall office building in front of them. Stepping inside, they entered a fancy main lobby with a few people sitting in waiting chairs, and a female receptionist behind a desk. Ash stepped up to the counter.
"Hello, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely, flashing him a smile.
"Yes, I was wondering if there's a chance I could quickly have some time with a few workers here," Ash said, the receptionist smiling in response.
"And which employees are you trying to reach?" she asked, Ash flashing back a smile.
"They go by Mason and Webb."
"A-An earthquake?!" Dawn exclaimed, the group suddenly stumbling to maintain their balance. Gary held his arm out to the wall to catch himself, looking up towards the ceiling.
"Guys, there's no way it's safe in here! We gotta get outside! Now!" he shouted.
"But what about May?!" Max asked, the professor hesitating for a moment.
"Sorry, Max, but we can't stay in here for now," the boy's heart dropped at his words, then he felt his body almost get thrown against the wall from the ground's shaking. Brock helped the boy up, everyone rushing through the doorway and navigating through the chambers. Chunks of ice had begun falling from the ceiling as they continued, crashing into the ground as they made their way back to the entrance. Once they saw the final doorway beaming light inside, they hurried out into the light, stopping to catch their breath a short distance from the entrance. Panting, they looked around to notice something peculiar.
"Wait...Do you guys see what I see...?" Misty asked slowly.
"Yeah..." everyone had noticed the same thing. Inside, they were being violently shaken, but once outside...there was nothing. Looking towards the entrance, they could still hear the rumbling noise from within, but outside was as calm as before they had entered. "...It's only affecting inside..."
"But...How is that possible?" Brock asked, the young researcher looking at the clock on his phone. Then, the sounds from within the cavern stopped. "Sounds like it stopped...Think it's safe to go back in now?"
"No, we should probably stay out here for a little longer, just in case," Gary said, looking at their surroundings some more. "That doesn't make sense, though...how could it possibly be only on the inside...?"
"What if...it's because it was below us? On the inside?" Dawn asked unconfidently, holding a fist close to her chest. "What if May...really did find something?"
"Come on, don't go there," Misty responded, glancing at the younger boy whose expression began to grow in worry. Minutes passed in silence as the group maintained their gaze at the cavern's entrance, save for Gary who was watching the time.
"...Gary, it's been almost ten minutes..."
"I know, but earthquakes tend to have after tremors. And if this was only affecting inside, then it was definitely no ordinary earthquake," the researcher responded. Another five minutes passed.
"Alright, that's it! I can't wait anymore!" Max exclaimed, throwing his arms up as he moved towards the entrance.
"Hey! Gary said it's not safe!" Dawn grabbed his arm but he shook her off.
"I don't care if I'm not safe! May's not safe right now! She hasn't been safe for a lot longer than we haven't been, so I can't just stand here and worry about myself!" he shouted, the blunette's expression growing concerned for the boy.
"Max, come on-" Misty started, but the boy stopped and turned to face her.
"No, I'm tired of this! If May found that dragon, she could be fighting it all by herself with no one to help her! She may be strong, but come on, this is a rare dragon from a meteor! I doubt it's just another pokemon you run into walking through the forest!" Max exclaimed, the two girls giving a worried look. Brock put a hand on Gary's shoulder.
"You know he's right..." Gary bit his lip, looking towards the entrance and then back to his phone. Everyone faced the entrance, looking at each other. They all knew they were thinking the same thing, giving a nod before they started stepping towards the cavern.
But then, behind them, a sudden...familiar voice, caused each of them to stop in their tracks.
"Why are you guys fighting?"
END
Hopefully you've been able to keep up with the flashbacks, I realize I'm not the best at setting the time period beforehand but I feel it gets repetitive doing it every time. Also doing it in order. See, on my hiatus I came across the DC show "Arrow", and I admit I was skeptical of how they told the story of the present as well as flashbacking to the past concurrently, but I quickly became a fan of it. That's kinda what I'm trying to do here, but the flashbacks aren't all gonna be in perfect order, so I'll try to label the time if it's not the same as the previous flashback.
Also the time declarations are in reference to the present: so 2 years ago is two years prior to the present, 1 1/2 years ago is six months after that, 1 year ago is another six months and so on.
