Here you go; a decently long chapter to make up for me not updating for far too long. Now, from this point on, the plot really starts to get going and you will learn more and more about what the hell is going on, which I deliberately kept vague.

Thank you to all those who review. You all rock! Let me know what you think of this one. I'm curious whether some of you can predict what's gonna happen next!

Chapter 10: Paying a social call

"Ma, we need to leave," Red said gravely to the woman who had raised him, as she was rolling his wrists in bandages after applying an antiseptic."They're getting closer. I think they may be onto us. If we don't move out soon, they'll catch us."

Red and his mother had been hiding out there in the wilderness on the northern flank of Mount Silver, a place that rarely saw human visitors, for several months, now.

Before Kanto was thrown into chaos, Red happened to overhear rumors about an evil team hell-bent on taking over the region. A while later, as he wandered about, he saw them. From a distance, somewhere in Viridian City, several black coats were plotting to move to Pallet Town. Upon hearing this, Red had wasted no time rushing back to his hometown to protect the most precious person in his life. He had made it just in the nick of time.

He had awoken his mother in the middle of the night and they fled together just a few hours before Team Omicron showed up. He saw with his own two eyes just how serious the threat had been and how much he didn't want to be caught. He just wished he had the time to warn his friends and the rest of the townsfolk. Over the last year, Team Omicron had made a reputation of brutality and they attempted to spread their beliefs like a disease. They ruled by fear, using their pokémon to terrorise helpless civilians. Any one who tried to resist, they mauled or executed to set an example. Red had also quickly figured what they did with trainers.

Team Omicron did not ignore the benefit of having a large group of strong fighters. As such, any person suspected of training pokémon for battle was to join their rank, whether they chose to or not. They proved to be particularly persistant chasing after notoriously strong trainer like gym leaders and Elite Four.

That's why, when Red had heard that Viridian City was on particularly tight watch, he grew very worried for his lifelong rival turned best friend Blue Oak.

He had tried time and time again to figure out where his friend could be; if he had been caught, killed or if he had escaped. He really hoped the last one was what happened. But the hideout he had found for his mother and himself didn't benefit from cellphone coverage and on the few times he had ventured out in populated areas, dialing Blue's number had yielded absolutely no result, as if the device had been deactivated. It didn't seem like a good sign, but Red tried to remain optimisitc. He was sure they were going to find eachother eventually. Fate had a way of bringing them together.

He had ordered (or more accurately, pleaded) his mother to remain in the safety of the cave at all times, well aware that Team Omicron liked to blackmail some trainers into obedience by threatening their loved ones. The last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt because of him; and to have to do bad things as a result. But after spending several months in a cave with no contact with civilization, obviously, she grew impatient and he could tell she wanted to get out. She had her own people to worry about.

What she hated more than anything was when he left on one of his trips. Red was far too paranoid to let her wander off on her own, or even to allow her to accompany him. He insisted upon going on his own to fetch supplies necessary for their survival in the wilderness. However, without telling his mother, Red had also begun investigating the mysterious group that had sneakily taken over Kanto seemingly overnight. To find out who they were, what they wanted, who was their leader...

Of course, getting so close to the enemy was risky, and he had gotten into battles once or twice. One time, they had managed to sneak up on him when he didn't expect it and he didn't have the time to use his pokémon, which had resulted in his capture. He had thankfully managed to escape just now. Luckily, they didn't know who he was, which was probably the only reason they didn't send a bigger force after him.

Red was world famous ever since he had ascended to the throne of the Indigo League, dethroning it's previous champion mere hours after his own crowning. His skills as a pokémon trainer had made him an idol every aspiring trainer looked up to. However, he had always been an introvert at his core and didn't actively seek fame or attention. As such, he'd always refused interviews and never made any mediatized public appearance. He also shied away from cameras, so even though his name was widely known, his face was not and he was able to go through life without being bothered by anyone. Most of the time. And this had proved to be a lifesaver when it came to Team Omicron.

Even when they caught sight of him, they didn't know who he was, otherwise they might be a lot more persistant in hunting him down. Because of that, he was able to venture into most towns to get what he needed without attracting unwanted attention. Sure, he made a particular effort not to catch anyone's eye or ear. He wore dark plain clothing, never let his pokéballs be visible to onlookers and he had grown a short beard to change his appearance even more. He had even switched his signature red cap for an unremarkable black one.

"I'm so sick of hiding out there," Margaret sighed, finishing her probably unecessary bandaging of his wrists. "This can't go on forever, Red."

Red nodded sympathetically. This couldn't have been easy on his poor mother. She, who was a social flower and despiced violence and loved nothing more than living a peaceful life in her home. Being isolated in a cave for so long was understandably getting to her.

"I know, ma," he said, gently grabbing her by the shoulders. "But I know where we can go. We won't have to hide anymore."

At this, Margaret raised a skeptical but interested eyebrow.

"I found out that there's a group of trainers who has managed to escape and regroup to form a resistance against Team Omicron. A group of rebels, if you like... If the rumor is true, they're hiding out on Cinnabar Island."

"Cinnabar Island!? That's so far away! How are we supposed to get there with all these folks chasing after us?"

"I know, but... We're going to make it. I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

"Oh, Red, it's not me I'm worried about."

Of course, she'd be more worried about him than she would be for her own safety. She had been raising him all by herself for most of his life. Like any single parent who only has one child, he was the most precious thing in her life. Especially since her husband, and Red's father, had abandonned them both when he was very young.

Their shared abandonment by the same man made it so that for the longest time, they only had eachother to stay happy. Red had been his mother's reason to try and get over her abandonment and Margaret was, to Red, the person who not only gave him life, but fought claws and teeth on a tight budget for years to keep him well fed, clothed and have all of his needs tended to, not caring about her own. She always put him first, but the older she got, the more Red wished he could get her to stop fussing about him and start worrying about herself for once. But well, mothers will be mothers...

The road was long and dangerous and Red had to take a longer route than he normally would have, just to avoid going out into the open where the enemy could spot them. Both he and his mother wore hooded jackets to travel through the forest. It was difficult, as they marched along the western side of Victory Road, and then route 23. Eventually, they would reach the edge of the ocean, right next to Pallet Town.

As much as they would both have liked to go back there to check if everyone was alright and to gather stuff they didn't have the time to bring during their quick midnight escape, going back there was far too dangerous, as Team Omicron was certainly watching it very closely.

Red had his mother ride on his Venusaur for the particularly difficult terrain in the hills, not wanting her to fall and hurt herself or wear herself out as she was in her fifties and not in as good a shape as he was. He could tell his treating her like she was a fragile old lady bothered her but she accepted it without complaining about it. Venusaur's flower helped shelter her from the rain and harsh sunlight like a big pink umbrella. As for Red, he was content with walking ahead, watching and listening closely for any threat.

Apart from the occasional wild pokémon who came by to look for trouble, which Venusaur easily and quickly frightened away, they only came close to being spotted once, as they had no choice but to traverse route 22. Red had been extremely careful, waiting for nightfall before attempting to cross. He and Margaret had nearly been spotted by partolling black coat wearing men but with some luck, they had managed to get past them and back into the forest before any confrontation occurred.

It took about a week before they finally made it to the edge of the ocean. Now, what was probably the hardest part was done. However, they had to swim to Cinnabar, which meant they would be out in the open for an extended period of time, which the former champion didn't like at all. But they didn't have much of a choice.

Mother and son climbed on the latter's Lapras' shell, getting ready for a day-long sea voyage. Luckily, the waters were calm and when the night came, Red sent his transport pokémon out into the waves, while his Scyther flew above them on the lookout for possible attackers.

During the afternoon of the next day, Cinnabar Island came into view and it wasn't long before Red spotted some fearows circling above them and a few dewgongs and tentacruels following them. Someone was definetly aware that they were approaching.

"What do they want?" Margaret's worried voice asked from behind his shoulders.

"I think they're lookouts," Red answered, eyeing them carefully but remaining calm so as not to agitate her.

What was left to be determined was whether these pokémon belonged to the good guys or the bad guys. These pokémon were definetly not wild, as it was clear to the former champion that they were following commands but none of them attempted to engage in a battle with them, which was at least a little reassuring. They were probably intended as sentinels for whoever sent them.

Some time later, he saw two other laprases, these with riders on them, approach them. Red saw his mother tense up behind him but he remained calm and slowed down his own pokémon as his Scyther descended closer to him in case he needed help.

"You there," one of the unknown riders called while the other one swam his lapras next to him. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Red would have prefered not to respond, as stating his name to people who could be Team Omicron didn't sound like a good idea. But at the same time, if these were the rebels he was looking for, them knowing who he was was possibly the only thing that could make them allow him to get to the island. So, he took a chance.

"My name is Red."

The shock was immediate and evident on both rider's faces and they exchanged a look.

"We were hoping you would show up, Master Red," one of them said. "Please, come with us."

With the two riders as his escorts, under the watchful eye of his Scyther, Red and Margaret finally touched the shores of Cinnabar Island. Red withdrew his Lapras.

Cinnabar certaily had changed. Almost a decade ago, a volcano had errupted from the depths of the Earth and had destroyed everything on the island; gym, pokémon center, mansion; everything. Red hadn't seen it in person since that had happened but the island had obviously remained uninhabited for a while after the catastrophe, as everything had been burned to ash by blazing hot lava. As the years went on, though, life had found its way and small bushes and plants had started growing again and wild pokémon were slowly coming back. Still, the entire island was covered in black volcanic sand and what little trace of human activity had been left behind by the lava waves were merely small hints of buildings; remains of crumbled walls and small piles of debris. It still looked very much like a post-apocalyptic landscape. The newly formed dormant volcano now towered over a dry, black wasteland.

The only building to be found was a pokémon center, which had been built not far from the beach to replace the old one.

Red had heard rumors about a bunch of trainers who had managed to escape the claws of Team Omicron hiding out there in the hopes of gathering enough force to launch a couter-attack to take back their land. There had been no telling if these rumors were true, but after months of hiding out into the wilderness, this had been the closest thing to hope he had found. Indeed, like Margaret had said, they couldn't hide forever and Red too was starting to think it was high time to fight back.

He had decided to take a chance to see if this whole resistance rumor was true and the risk had paid off, for he had managed to take himself, his pokémon and his mother in a place where they would find nothing but allies and wouldn't have to hide.

The Papenbrooks followed the two escorts down a long path concealed among hills covered in so much ash it looked like black snow, for a few minutes. After a while, one of the men spoke:

"We were hoping you'd come here, Master Red. Many of us, myself included, are convinced that if anyone can lead us to victory, it'd be you."

"Just call me, Red," he said, carefully deciding not to respond to the rest of the sentence.

This display of faith was quite touching but the former champion prefered not to make any promises and give them false hopes. He had come here first and foremost to keep his mother safe. If these rebels refused to provide this for him, he'd be out of there in a blink.

Eventually, they reached a large expense of flat ground in the heart of the island, at the base of the volcano. There, dozens and dozens of tents had been built and Red could see something like a hundred people and their pokémon walking around, chatting and sitting at campfires. Those, he presumed, were trainers who had managed to get away from Team Omicron. A few of them looked vaguely familiar.

Red's brown eyes scanned every face in his field of vision, looking for familiar strawberry blonde hair and sharp hazel eyes. Surely, Blue would have heard of this place, but as the escorts took them amongst the tents towards the other side of the field, he didn't recognize any of the trainers as his best friend and rival. However, a few of the rebel trainers did seem to recignize him, as incredulous looks and whispers were exchanged as he passed by.

The escorts took them to a large tent planted at the foot of the volcano. Here, they said, they would meet with the leader of the resistance. They asked for Margaret to wait outside but Red refused to go in if he couldn't keep an eye on her, so they ended up letting her in as well.

Red's eyebrows shot up in surprise upon seeing who was the leader of this so-called resistance sitting at a desk, looking through some papers. The red hair, the navy blue suit, the cape...

"Lance!?"

"Red!?"

The two men looked at eachother, equally surprised for a moment.

Well, Red did not expect that, but at the same time, it made too much sense. Of course, being one of the Elite Four for so long, Lance was definetly one of the toughest trainers in Kanto, and not only that, but he was a natural born leader. Although, Red was certainly wondering how he had managed to get away from Team Omicron...

"I'm surprised to see you," Lance said with his usual deep tone. "My, you've grown since last time I saw you."

Red got that a lot when he met with old acquaintances. He was no longer the small boy he used to be on his quest for the Indigo League throne. At 22 years old, he was now a fully grown man who, after going through a very difficult and unhealthy adolescence, had blossomed into a stronger adult, in every sense of the word. Though he was average in height and unremarkable with his short brown hair and deep brown eyes, he had taken it upon himself to make up for all the time he had lost losing his mind on Mount Silver and had done some intensive work on both his mind and body.

He had become a very controlled and laid-back individual. He was not short on bravery but he had grown wiser than he used to be. He had adopted a lifestyle that would let him maintain his inner equilibrium, for he was absolutely not inending to lose it... again.

His scrawny child body had been reborn into a solid muscular built. Red had taken it upon himself to do regular exercise to keep in shape. It seemed as though he had good genes, because he built up muscle pretty fast and with relative ease. He looked nothing like a kid anymore, especially with the beard he had grown recently. When he looked at himself in the mirror, Red felt proud, not out of vanity, but rather because he had gone through a terrible phase; had seen himself at his worst, small, weak, underweight and disconnected from reality and could now look at himself after overcoming that, strong, healthy, his back straight and his life back on track.

As for Lance, the man was in his late thirties but he had barely changed at all, except maybe for a few barely visible wrinkles. He still stood with his calm and commanding presence like the master trainer he was.

Lance wasn't exactly a friend; they really didn't know eachother that well, they had only talked on a few occasions, most notably when he battled the dragon master for the champion title years ago. Nevertheless, the two men had a great deal of respect for eachother and Red was happy to count him as an ally in this crisis.

"I'm sure you've seen it... What happened to Kanto," the redhead said, sadly shaking his head.

Red nodded.

"Well, now that you're here, we have a chance to make it change," Lance declared with renewed confidence. "Team Omicron is a cunning and treacherous ennemy. They have managed to get a lot of strong trainers on their side and they don't play fair. We've been trying to kick them out of our home a few times. We're strong but there's too many of them and too little of us."

Lance made a pause, his blue eyes going between Red, Margaret and his men, standing in the back.

"Which is why I'm asking you for your help, Red," he finally said. "There may not be a lot of us, but you are one of the strongest trainer in the world. You might just be what we need to tip the scale in our favor. With you, we can win... and take back our land!"

"I'm very flattered, Lance," Red responded. "And, trust me, I want these bastards out of my home just as much as you do. But if I'm going to risk my life and my pokémon's to help your cause, I'm going to have a few conditions."

Of course, Red knew that the rebels would ask for his help. They made it clear upfront upon meeting him. And he was not, by any stretch of the imagination, some sellout who would only help if he had to gain something from it. He wanted to drive Team Omicron away just as much as Lance did, maybe even more. But he hadn't forgotten what had taken him here in the first place...

Lance looked mildly surprised upon hearing this but his expression remained impassive, with no visible irritation. He probably knew the former champion was reasonable and not some mercenary who could easily be swayed by money or other such things.

"What would that be?" he asked calmly.

"I will help you if you can guarantee the protection of my mother. Ensure that nothing bad happens to her and keep her safe."

"Red!" he heard Margaret call out in indignation behing his shoulder.

She definetly was not happy at the thought of her only son going out to risk life and limb while she would be put to the side and ignored while that happened. He didn't feel good doing it, but Red ignored her protest, prompting Lance to do the same.

"Of course, it's no problem at all," Lance quickly agreed. "The place is well guarded 24 hours a day. As long as she stays here, nothing bad will happen to her."

Red could feel his mother's glare in the back of his head. He knew she wouldn't like being treated like some infant that needed protection, especially when her precious son was trading his safety and possibly his life for it, but Red refused to take any chances. He didn't want to lose her. He was certain he was gonna get an earful later but so be it.

"I also want your men to find out where Blue is and take him here," Red finally revealed his second condition.

"Blue? … Blue Oak? Professor Oak's grandson?" Lance asked, not having expected that to be his other demand.

Red nodded, serious.

"Why do you want us to find him?" Lance asked curiously.

Red knew that Lance and Blue weren't on the best of terms. The latter's arrogance had a way of irritating most people and Lance was no exception. Especially since Blue became a gym leader and therefore, a colleague to Lance. The young trainer had bent the rules of the League to his will ever since he'd been hired while the dragon tamer was a strickler for rules and traditions. Their conflicting view on how to manage their career and caused some friction between them. They didn't flat out hate eachother but Blue always liked to provoke and taunt Lance for being a "lap growlithe" to the League while he was an immature disobedient prick in the eyes of the Elite Four. Red hoped he wouldn't let this meaningless feud get in the way of his better judgment.

"Blue is just as strong a trainer as I am," Red argumented, hoping to convince him. "He could be a great help in a battle. You would rather have him on your side than on the ennemy's."

Lance remained silent for a moment, weighting the options, pondering if Red's help was worth the risk and the time. Sensing his hesitation, Red said what he knew needed to be said to convince him.

"If you can agree to these two conditions, I will do everything in my power to help you out."

That seemed to do it for Lance and the redhead slapped his hand on the table like a judge revealing his verdict

"Deal."