(A/N): Hello! Two quick announcements before the chapter starts. First, I'd like to welcome thechinskyguy on board as my new beta reader! Secondly, I'd really appreciate it if you could check out the poll on my profile... I need your help! Enjoy the chapter!
Ash bit the inside of his lip and caught Aurian's eyes. Crap! What should we do?
Lie or tell as much of the truth as possible, the girl replied with a frantic glance. Those are our only options.
Brock noticed the silent exchange between the two trainers and started tapping his foot, drawing the patonai out of their discussion with a slight jump from Ash and a rather edgy glance from Aurian.
"You're right about the combat training," Ash stated, absentmindedly scratching Pikachu behind the ears. "Blue and I have apprenticed under a rather talented man for two and a half years now. We've been sworn to secrecy..."
"Oh, of course. Secrecy, the last weapon of cowards," Brock countered sarcastically.
Ash could feel Aurian's aura spike in power, and prepared himself to restrain her.
"We are not. Cowards," she whispered. "You don't know what we've seen, what we've been through, what we've done- we've saved the world a few times, and what do we get in return? A promotion and no recognition."
The raw sincerity in the younger girl's eyes caught Brock off guard. Perhaps she was telling the truth. "Why are you here?"
"We can tell you that one," Ash replied with a tired sigh. "We're here to stop Rocket from whatever they're up to. As for what that is... we're not really sure. Blue and I are waiting for more information from our superiors."
Brock frowned. "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you working for?"
"We're not with a Team. That's all we're at liberty to say," Aurian said with another fiery glare. "We'll get in major trouble if we disclose more than that."
"What kind of trouble?"
"As in a definite memory wipe and immediate replacement from our squad," Ash finished, crossing his arms. "Our superiors take security breaches rather seriously."
Brock grimaced. "Some punishment."
Aurian allowed a faint smile. "We've seen it happen before- a few times too many, in my opinion. The information we disclosed will stay between the three of us. If it doesn't, expect a swift attack not unlike what Red and I had to demonstrate to that Rocket Special Operation team. Are we clear?"
"Yes ma'am," Brock replied with a gulp. Really don't want to make this girl angry, he thought. Wouldn't end well for me. "One more question, though... you're not really known as Red and Blue, are you?"
Ash turned back around, his counterfeit crimson eyes sparking rather dangerously. "That's for you to decide, Brock. Let's head back."
The group of three rejoined Misty, Max, Maddy, and Noah, who were discussing what the Rocket members could've been doing around the tournament site.
"What is Rocket known for?" Misty pondered. "The people I've seen that are affiliated with them were extremely incompetent."
Noah frowned. "They really like bombs. Lots and lots of bombs. Theft, bribery, corruption."
"Yeah, that's been made pretty clear," Max said, "but why are they here?"
Maddy bit her lip. "Well, there'll be a lot of Pokemon here whenever the tournament officially starts- maybe they'll go after the really powerful ones that show themselves?"
"That sounds like a probable thing that they would do," Michael announced, crossing his arms. "We shouldn't be stressing about things that we can't control. Flint will send League people to take care of the Rocket workers, so we can just relax and let it go. The opening ceremonies are starting in a few hours... why don't we hang around and get to know each other more before then?"
Max grinned. "I second that! Let's go back to Red and company's campsite. It's large enough for all of us to chill."
At that, one of the bigger men started groaning like he was waking up, and Ash and Aurian locked eyes.
"Whadda we do?" Maddy asked, hiding behind Brock. "He's waking up!"
Aurian smiled. "I got this." And at that, she slammed a right uppercut into the man's temple, knocking him out again to the surprise of everyone except Ash, who just shook his head and smiled.
Brock decided to stay with the unconscious Rocket members. The group of seven bid the Breeder and aspiring Doctor goodbye and returned to the campsite. Noah restarted the fire once they got there and the group ate s'mores for lunch. Totally unhealthy, but worth it anyways.
And the day continued on like that, with everyone exchanging childhood stories- Ash being careful not to share any that would reveal his identity to those who already knew his other identity- until it was time to head to the main stadium for the opening ceremonies. The competing trainers separated from the trainees at the gate, where they joined Noah in his quest to find a wheelchair-friendly space for him to sit and enjoy the ceremonies. Ash, Aurian, Michael, and Misty joined the throng of competing trainers and organized themselves into the block that they'd be entering the stadium in. Ash suspected that Lance had tweaked the order of the lines so he would end up standing next to Aurian. The dark-haired trainer was distracted from his musings by the sudden arrival of the commentators to their respective microphones.
"Welcome, everyone, to the inaugural Global Invitational Grand Tournament! We have gathered the top three hundred and twenty trainers from Kanto, Johto, the Sevii Islands, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Almia, Fiore, Oblivia, Orre, Kalos, and Unova to compete for the title of Grand Pokemon Master, along with a rather sizable cash prize and the opportunity to battle any Elite Four member or Champion of their choosing! I'm your host, Charles Goodshow, and I've got the lovely Shauntal of the Unova Elite Four and Champion Lance of Johto alongside me to help narrate this tournament!"
"Thanks for the opportunity, Mr. Goodshow!" a feminine voice responded. "I'm looking forward to seeing some absolutely fantastic battles!"
"Lance, do you have anything to say?"
Ash shook his head as he heard his commanding officer speak. "Like my ghost-specialist friend said, I want to see some thrilling battles, which will definitely come around sooner than later. Mr. Goodshow, should we start the program!"
Mr. Goodshow cleared his throat and continued on. "Yes, of course! Let the procession begin!"
A lively march played by the Interregional Orchestra started playing over the loudspeakers, and the trainers filed in in a large line that eventually settled into a formless blob.
"Let's go over some favorites here- there's Gary Oak, the grandson of the famous researcher Professor Samuel Oak! He's come out of retirement from training to compete here," Shauntal started. "Quite a well-rounded young man with a very balanced team. I'm expecting great things from him."
I can hear Mr. Goodshow's smile through the microphone, Aurian thought. The man really has a passion for battles and a flair for organization.
"And there we have Tobias Takuto, the trainer that swept the Sinnoh League almost three years ago with only a Darkrai! He's a strong favorite here, ladies and gentlemen," Lance said, and all eyes in the stadium travelled towards the cloaked trainer, who raised a hand in response to the attention.
"Over towards the inner wall is Tyson Tetsuya of Mauville City in Hoenn. He's gone very far after that last Ever Grande Conference, and he'll put up a strong front in these first few rounds with a powerhouse team," Shauntal answered.
"There's Michael Davidson of Orre!" Mr. Goodshow announced, "A fantastic young trainer who won the Colosseum Challenge of his own region at the young age of thirteen! He'll go far here, that's for sure!"
Ash got a feeling that Lance was about to do something rather embarrassing, and resigned himself to his fate as his boss took the mike. "And over there in the crimson shirt and the red and white hat and a Pikachu on his shoulder is Red Aronshu of Kanto. The kid may not look like much, but he's got a powerhouse team that's ready for anything this tournament will throw at him. The young lady next to him is Blue Katrian, also a very strong trainer- her main three Pokemon are a force to be reckoned with. Both of these trainers- at seventeen years old- could be definite dark horses in the tournament."
Aurian grinned as Lance announced her alias, and waved to the crowd, drawing yells and cheers. Ash did the same, and waved as Pikachu did the same. He could hear a few screaming girls in the wash of noise that was the crowd, and nudged Aurian in the shoulder.
Looks like you've already got a few admirers, Ash heard Aurian ponder through Kokani.
Shut up, he responded with a small smile and a shake of the head. They'll never even get a chance.
"There's Misty Waterflower," the girl waved at the crowd, "The youngest of the Sensational Sisters and the Gym Leader from Cerulean City! She's put up a strong fight in the Whirl Cup and a few other Gym-Leader exclusive tournaments, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she'll do in this tournament!" Shauntal called.
Other names that Ash recognized from previous competitions were called as the formless blob eventually reorganized itself into a large rectangle. The last trainer filed in as Mr. Goodshow appeared up on the balcony closest to the Flame of Ho-Oh. Lance passed the head of the Pokemon League a torch, and the older man lit the cauldron with a blast of heat. A multi-colored flame lit the night, with the screams of the stadium almost drowning out the crackling of the fire.
"And now, we reveal our first-round match ups. The top 160 from our current 320 trainers will advance past the prelims into the first round. These battles will be single style with three Pokemon each. And here are your match-ups!" Mr. Goodshow yelled into the microphone.
Aurian held her breath as the giant television screen lit up with pictures.
"Paul," she growled, tapping her foot. Her anger suddenly turned to amusement, and she turned to grin at Ash. "This will be fun."
Ash shook his head. "Man, these are some whacked line-ups. I'm against Gary, you're against Paul, and Michael will be fighting Jasmine from Johto- you remember her? Misty is up against... oh gosh... Rudy."
"Why the 'oh gosh' with that last one?" Aurian asked, twirling a strand of hair that had escaped her braid from her finger.
Ash grinned. "He was in love with her when we were touring the Orange Islands."
Aurian let that sentence sink in for a few seconds, and then sighed. "Okay, then. That shall be interesting. Since the opening ceremonies are over, I vote we find Michael and Misty and regroup with Noah, Maddy, and Max and go to bed. I've got the first battle tomorrow, and I'll need as much rest as possible."
"Twenty Poke-dollars that Lance narrates for both of us," Ash countered with a grin.
"You're on," Aurian responded, shaking his hand.
Michael, having evidently overheard that last statement, butted in with a "throw me in for three of us for twenty, as well?" which sent the three trainers into gales of laughter.
"Think Misty, Maddy, and Noah were heading back to the Center, so let's find Max and head back to our site," Michael announced, stretching his arms. "Oh look, there he is."
"Red! Red! I can't believe that you're fighting Gary! And that Blue is fighting Paul! Man oh man, I can't wait for tomorrow!" Max exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. "Let's get out of here so tomorrow can start already!"
"I hear ya, let's get some sleep," Aurian responded, yawning.
The four walked back to their campsite, and climbed into their sleeping bags without another thought.
Aurian's Pokegear started ringing at about midnight, and the teen answered it with a groan. "Hello?"
"Blue," Lance's voice came out of the speakers, "We need you and Red back at headquarters as soon as possible. We've finally got the five people that attacked you and the Rocket Trio in custody, and we need you two to interview the trio. I'll need you two in Hall 9, Room 14 in twenty minutes."
The screen went black, and Aurian shook Ash awake as quietly as possible. When he started to protest, the girl clamped a hand over his mouth, which woke him up.
"Lance called. We need to go to headquarters, pronto. New information."
Ash called out his Gallade, Xiphos, and politely asked him to Teleport the patonai and Pikachu to headquarters. Aurian clamped his hand in a ViceGrip as a yellowish-green light engulfed the two humans and two Pokémon. They were sent hurtling through space at a breakneck speed, and landed, hard, on their feet within the G-Men base, which was hidden deep in the depths of the Kanto Victory Road.
"Lance wants us to meet him in Hall 9, Room 14 in our formal uniforms," Ash read off from Aurian's Pokegear. "Wonder why we're in formals? Oh, Xiphos, return, please."
"Beats me," Aurian replied as the psychic-fighting type was sucked back into his Pokeball. "Must be a visitor. I'll meet you at the entrance to Hall 9- gotta go change."
"See ya," Ash answered, dashing off to a dressing room.
After pulling Pikachu off his shoulder and setting him down on a bench, Ash pulled his clothes out of a duffel bag that was stashed in the wall, and started laying out the individual pieces of the dress uniform. After pulling on a pair of black pants, navy boots, and a black undershirt, he shrugged on his pitch black G-Men jacket. After he finished buttoning the silver circles through their respective holes, he added a navy blue ascot under the collar of his jacket, and struggled to button a short cape to his left shoulder. Three long knocks and a short thump echoed off the door, and Ash opened it to reveal Aurian in full uniform.
"Need a hand with that?" she asked with a smile, snapping the cape in place with ease. The silver-trimmed navy fabric flowed in a smooth cascade down both of their shoulders, and Ash straightened his jacket as Aurian tamed her hair into a simple braided bun. One navy ribbon later, the two closed the door and started walking towards Room 14.
"Seems like forever since we were in our formals," Ash pondered. "Since that one ceremony after we brought down the Johto branch of Rocket, right?"
Aurian grinned. "Yep! That's when we got our Captain ranks," she finished, pointing to a double chevron on her right shoulder. "Created quite an outrage."
"What would the G-Men be without an upset every once in awhile?" Ash countered with a smile. "People were more alarmed that they'd be under the command of two seventeen year olds- one of them female- than the fact that they'd be gaining rather capable Captains."
Their conversation ended as they finally arrived at Room 14. A few G-Men on guard duty saluted the two patonai, and opened the door for them.
Jessie, James, and Meowth were handcuffed and locked in individual interrogation rooms. Lance was waiting on them in full uniform- his redesign of the standard G-Men uniform in black and red instead of the standard navy hidden by his pitch black cape.
"Good. Welcome back, Captains Ketchum and Borealis. I hope your field mission has been successful?"
Ash smiled. "I'd say so, Commander. We've recovered some new information that we'd like to share as soon as we finish up here. Leeched it from a Rocket Pokedex. Hopefully, it will contain new information on 'MissingNO'."
"Have you sent replacements in the place of the Special Ops team we subdued?" Aurian asked.
Lance frowned. "Not yet. We're still finalizing departure times and disguises. The team should be leaving within the hour. That was a great move on your part, Aurian, with calling Flint. Way to keep yourselves undercover."
"My main question," Ash asked while stroking Pikachu under the chin, "is why you've called us here in full formals when it's only those three fools?"
Lance's eyes darkened. "They can't know that I'm in charge of the G-Men, or Giovanni will try to attack me from within the League, since these three would most definitely spill if I was revealed as the head honcho. I told our prisoners that two of our most trusted Captains would be interviewing each of them."
"What should we ask them?" Aurian inquired.
"Ask about major projects, and prominent allies," Lance responded. "We need to know if they've got any sleepers within the League."
Ash nodded. "Aye aye, Commander. We'll start with Jessie."
The young man pulled Pikachu off his shoulder, and passed him off to Lance, sighing at the pitiful look that the yellow rodent gave him as he was passed over.
"They'll recognize me in an instant if you're on my shoulder, Pika. Better safe than sorry. Aurian, you ready?"
She quickly grabbed a notepad and pen, and nodded a confirmation. As the patonai entered the first room, Lance took a closer look at the electric mouse that was peering at him with wide brown eyes.
"Kapi?" he squeaked, tilting his head. Pikachu's ears flopped down the sides of his head, adding to the cuteness factor.
Lance smiled, and imitated the way that Ash had scratched the little Pokémon under the chin and on his little stomach. The electric rodent squealed with happiness, which Lance found to be rather uplifting.
Ash opened the three-inch thick steel door, and wasn't surprised at all to see Jessie behind bars. Her hair had lost its usual shape, and was braided to the bottom of her back. Her uniform, once a pristine white, was now a battered and dirty gray.
"Here to question me, boy?" she snapped. Aurian peeked around Ash's shoulder and waved cheerfully, which caught the Rocket member off guard. "I thought this was the G-Men?" Jessie asked with a huff and a turn of her nose.
Aurian gave the older woman one of her signature steely glares. "Still is. We're Captains Katrian and Aronshu, and you will address us as so whenever you wish to speak. Are we clear?"
"I don't have a choice," Jessie muttered.
Ash smiled faintly. "We'll start by having you look at some photos. Do you know who these people are?"
Aurian slid five photos over- individual shots of each member of the Rocket Special Ops team that the two patonai had downed the night before.
"Yeah, I know them."
"Could you give us their names, please?"
"Domino Harvey, John Adamson, Boris Fuqua, Sammy Slater, and... wait... Petrel? What's he doing in this lineup?" Jessie pondered, resting a handcuffed fist under her chin.
Ash smirked. "Captain Katrian and I were assaulted by these four men and lady, who had no clue of our status. Why is Petrel's picture surprising?"
"He's one of the execs- fifth in command. Domino, on the other hand... I'm surprised you managed to take her down. She hasn't been bested in hand-to-hand in years."
"Are there any sleepers within the League that you know of?" Ash asked, crossing his arms.
Jessie shook her head. "Nope."
"You seem to be rather willing to give out information," Aurian pondered, biting the inside of her lip. "Any particular reason?"
Jessie sighed. "Would you believe me if I told you that seeing that... thing... down in our headquarters scared me more than I thought was possible? Don't give me that look, girl," the Rocket member said, evidently noticing the suspicious look on Aurian's face, "you'd understand how I'm feeling now if you were in my shoes. Those scientists don't know when to stop, and I don't want to be associated with any of that. While I did fall for the world of crime, there's a sort of disillusionment that comes along with it- that everything has to be done one way and one way only. I'm ready to leave that."
"Interesting," Ash thought out loud. "That will be all."
The Rocket member smiled- a razor thin motion.
"Thank you for your time, Miss," Aurian answered, opening the door. "Ready?"
Ash followed her out, and sighed with relief as he closed the door.
"Should we interview James or Meowth next?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
"I vote James," Aurian volunteered. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to deal with a Pokemon that can speak our language just yet. We managed to dig up some pretty big information from Jessie- we can use that as leverage against James, if necessary. Let's go."
The second door opened, revealing a very familiar lavender-haired face. James eyed the patonai suspiciously, and only spoke after Ash closed the door.
"Do I know you?"
Ash smirked. "We haven't met, I would've recognized you if we had. I'm Captain Aronshu, and this is Captain Katrian. We'd like to ask you a few questions."
"Course you would, that's all anyone's been doing," James sniffed. "Fine. Fire away."
They repeated the picture quiz with James, and received an equally surprised reaction at the last picture. He confessed that the three of them had a certain grudge against Domino from their time at the Rocket Training Academy that had never really dissolved itself.
"Next set of questions- why were you on the way to the Global Invitational?" Aurian asked, tapping her pen against the notepad.
James sighed. "Boss wanted us to look for a kid that's managed to slip off the radar for a few years- Ash Ketchum. Said he wants to recruit him, or something like that."
"What was your response?"
"We accepted the mission, of course, but then had some second thoughts on the way over," James answered. "Jess, Meowth, and I have known the kid since the day after he started his journey. We may be on opposite sides in this mess, but I respect his work ethic and abilities. So we decided as a team to check the tourney, say that we couldn't find him, and then head back. Then we ran into those dang Rangers, and they turned us in."
Aurian frowned. "Why Ash Ketchum?"
"The kid's a fantastic trainer, and has a bunch of connections in high places. I've seen what he can do first hand... he's got relationships with all these legendaries, and has never met a stranger."
"All right. One more question, James," Ash announced, sliding over one last picture. "Do you know what this is?"
The older man narrowed his green eyes. "MissingNO. That's been the top priority around the Kanto base, lately. I asked a scientist friend of mine about it, and he said he couldn't give a location other than something called Sector A9."
"Thank you. One more thing," Aurian questioned. "Why are you helping us?"
James sighed. "Look, you'll never understand the emotions that shot through my veins when I caught sight of MissingNO. I'm not one for philisophical ponderings, but I've come to the conclusion that my colleagues have crossed the line. Mewtwo was pushing the boundaries of ethics, but this... this is another level of sick and wrong."
Ash considered this statement with a thoughtful nod. "Thank you, James."
The lavender-haired man did the best he could to smile as the two left the room.
Ash smiled. "Excellent. If two of the three Rocket members that have known me for seven years don't know who I am, this disguise can fool almost anyone."
"Don't get cocky," Aurian answered, tapping her foot. "Ready to go see Meowth?"
The female trainer opened the third door, and looked down at the imprisoned cat Pokemon. Meowth's coin, which he was normally extremely protective of, was dull instead of reflective. His fur was dirty and matted, and his eyes seemed to have lost their usual spark.
"What'cha doin' here?" the Pokemon asked.
Ash extended a hand. "My name is Captain Aronshu, and this is my partner, Captain Katrian. We're gonna ask you a few questions."
Meowth narrowed his eyes. "Neva had a human shake a paw before."
"Captain Aronshu and I aren't like most humans that you've been around, from what your colleagues told us." Aurian answered, returning Meowth's pawshake. "Let's cut to the chase... Jessie and James have told us quite a bit. Do you know anything about MissingNO?"
"Nothin much, but I know a bit," Meowth responded. "Rocket's gone too far. I've seen tha thing in the flesh, if that term even works for tha thing. MissingNO is not a real Pokémon. Doesn't smell like a Normal type, even if the scientists claim it is one."
Aurian's eyes narrowed. "How did you see MissingNO? No offense, but I doubt that you had the security clearance to see the thing without setting off some serious alarms."
Meowth sighed. "You're right, I didn't. Snuck in through an air vent right by Sector A9, and stayed in the shadows until I approached the lab. The thing is huge- at least seven feet tall when I last saw it, and it wasn't even half developed, from what I overheard. They've gone too far with experimentation- they're trying to play Arceus by creating life, and even I know that's a bad idea."
"One last question," Ash finished, fishing the Rocket Pokedex out of his pocket. "What data is on this?"
"Not sure," Meowth answered. "You'll need a fingerprint to access anything in there, or it'll self-destruct. Good luck with that."
"Thank you, Meowth, and you'll get access to a lawyer soon if you please. Bye," Aurian said, and Ash followed her out of the room.
The door closed, and Lance looked at the two patonai and smiled. "Well done, you two. I'll have our forensics crew look at that Pokedex so you can go back to that campsite and get some sleep. Good luck in the tournament tomorrow. Ash, I'm sorry about that match-up."
The crimson-eyed boy shrugged. "Nah, it's no big deal. I've beaten Gary before, and I know his weaknesses. This shouldn't be too bad."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "Don't get cocky. Aurian, how do you feel about Paul Shinji?"
"That stubborn, stupid, stuck-up son of a..."
Her response was cut off by Ash clamping a hand over her mouth. The female trainer pulled it off of her face and glared at her patonai. "I was going to say 'that son of a gun', not what you thought I was gonna say..."
"Anyways, we'll be changing and leaving now. Thanks for the info, Commander, and we'll call or send Michael off with more whenever we find it. Later," Ash finished as he took Pikachu from Lance's shoulder and returned the sleepy electric rodent to his own.
Lance shook his head as the door closed behind him. "Can't wait to see how badly Aurian flattens Paul. That'll be a battle to remember. I'll see if I can pull some strings so I can narrate for both of them tomorrow."
Ash and Aurian didn't say anything to each other other than a simple 'night' as they climbed into their sleeping bags.
After what felt like forever, a scene started unravelling itself within Ash's head- a scene so clear that he felt that it wasn't just a dream.
The crimson-eyed trainer drempt that all of his friends were together at the tournament, discussing how much they missed Ash and that they wished he was here. Even Misty and May, who had been the most vocal about his failure to protect innocent people, were joining in the nostalgic conversation. He found himself standing a little away from their group, with Aurian at his side.
"You know what you've gotta do," his patonai answered with a smile. "Go get 'em, champ."
Ash sucked in a deep breath and nodded, stepping towards his old companions. "Hey, guys?"
The group paused their speech and waited patiently. Misty stood up. "Yes?"
"There's something you need to know, and I'd like to apologize for lying to you all. My name isn't Red Aronshu... you can call me Ash. Ash Ketchum."
May joined Misty. "You're kidding."
Ash held up his Sinnoh Pokédex in response, which had his picture and contact information on the screen. "It's me, guys. I'm back."
Before he could see his friend's reactions, the dream shifted and faded into black, much like his teleportation experience earlier, and his home in Pallet Town came into view. His mom was seated at the kitchen table, with tears streaming down her face. She held half of a crystalline structure within her hands, and was rolling it back and forth as she sat in heavy thought.
"Oh, Ash," she whispered, her voice cracking. "There's so much I have to tell you, but I'm not sure how to do this..."
"You can tell me, Mom!" Ash cried out, startling the woman in front of him. "I'm here, just tell me!"
Delia looked up and made eye contact with Ash, her eyes still watery. "I can't, son. Not yet. The time isn't right, or I would know..."
Ash ran towards the kitchen table to comfort his mom, but woke with a gasp as daylight filtered into his eyes. He squinted, and realized with a jolt much like Pikachu's electricity what day it was.
His past had finally come back to haunt him, and it was starting with Garrison Oak.
(A/N): Hey, everyone, and thanks so much for reading chapter 10! It's review response time!
WritingForMuffins: Thank you! The plot will definitely pick up from here on out.
xRoosiee: Yep!
SerenaTheHedgehog: That's basically how I view our Breeder friend.
thechinskyguy: Thanks for the encouragement!
PL, signing off!