Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's affiliates.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews and PM's, I appreciate them a lot. Any suggestions for the story are welcome. Enjoy.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Lysandre yelled from behind his desk. After the reporters had finished with Ash, Malva had brought him to Lysandre's office to discuss important matters. Of course so far it had just been Lysandre yelling, with no real discussion at all. "You were going to be champion, but you turned it down. Why?"
"That wasn't the deal. You just wanted me to beat the Champion so Team Flare's reputation would go up and you get more recruits. You never said that I had to be Champion." Ash said with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "And if you want me to stick around you better knock off the yelling at me like a child crap! I don't have to be here if you recall."
Sighing in defeat, Lysandre leaned back in his chair, thinking of what to say. It was true, he held no sway over Ash and he could leave whenever he wanted. Maybe though something to occupy him and let him cool down. "You're right, I'm sorry for yelling it was uncalled for. But being Champion would have given you power over the other Elites and many other privileges that we could have used. That's irrelevant now, so on to more pressing matters. Do you think that you can locate a Pokemon for us?"
"Possibly. Got a specific one in mind?" Ash answered curtly, still upset from being yelled at.
"Oh yes, a very specific one in fact. The problem is finding it, we know its in a mountain range somewhere in Kalos but the cocoon its in shields it from our scanners. But I'm sure you could find it and bring it back no problem."
"What Pokemon is it?" Ash stated coldly, ignoring the praise that Lysandre was giving him.
"Yveltal." Lysandre stated plainly while watching Ash's face for a reaction. There wasn't any surprise on his face but something like dread flashed across Ash's face but only for a second.
"What do you want it for?" Ash asked still using the cold tone of voice that sent a shiver down Lysandre's spine.
"It is essential for my plan. If it makes you feel better, Yveltal stays dormant until it receives enough energy to awaken. It's completely harmless in the cocoon." Lysandre said, trying to ease Ash's suspicions. He needed Ash to do this or else it would slow the plan down till they found another way of locating Yveltal.
Ash was unsure on what to do about this situation. It seemed as though Lysandre was hiding something from him but he just couldn't figure out what it was. Times like this, Sabrina would be helpful to have around. Just have to go along with it for now. "Fine, I'll find Yveltal and bring it back for you. See you in a day or so." Ash said as he turned and began to walk toward the door.
"Wait! Your leaving already? Don't you want to rest after that long day of battling?" Malva spoke up for the first time in the tense conversation. Just from the one battle she had with Ash, she was worn out but Ash had fought in five battles. He should barely be able to stand let alone go exploring the mountains for a legendary Pokemon.
"No. Besides, you want it here as soon as possible right?" Ash asked, directing his question toward Lysandre and ignored Malva.
Lysandre nodded in agreement. "Yes, the sooner the better."
"Then I'm off." Ash said before leaving through the door.
Malva turned on Lysandre with disbelief on her face. "Why did you let him go? He must be exhausted from today."
Shaking his head in frustration. "Do you really think I could stop him? He does what he wants, as you have seen first hand. I just point him in a direction and hope it is to his liking. If your worried about him, why didn't you stop him?"
Looking away, Malva answered quietly. "He's still giving me the cold shoulder for some reason. He barely even acknowledges me, let alone listen to what I have to say."
Lysandre looked at Malva sympathetically. "Give him time, he will warm back up to you. Now we better prepare the containment unit for Yveltal. Ash may be an insubordinate ass but he always gets the job done."
"Yes sir." Malva replied sadly and both of them left the office and headed for the lab.
"Listen Mr. President I don't care what you say about it, we are going to bring him in alive end of story." Paul yelled at the screen of the video phone in his office. His phone was larger than the ones in the Pokemon Centers and took up part of one wall in his office. The screen was so large to allow for conference call with multiple gym leaders or elite four members at the same time. Right now it was filled by the new President of the Pokemon League, Lance.
"And how exactly are you going to bring Ash in alive when last time you couldn't even subdue him? He is a threat to the security of the Five Regions and must be eliminated. End of discussion Paul." Lance ordered, leaving no room for argument.
Through gritted teeth Paul replied. "Yes sir. I'll get a team ready to leave by tomorrow morning."
"Good. I want regular updates on your progress. I will see you tomorrow." Lance said and then hung up the call.
"That arrogant son of a bitch! How dare he order me around like that!" Paul yelled as he shoved a stack of papers off his desk in frustration.
"Having a little tantrum Paul?" Cynthia said as she walked in to see the mess of paper all over the floor.
"I'm fine." Paul answered curtly. "Where are the others?"
"They are coming. But why did you want us four specifically? Need a date for a boring league event or something?" Cynthia chuckled.
"No." Paul said with a hard expression. "I will tell you when the other three get here."
"Okay, I can wait."
As if on cue three very out of breath females burst through the door, looking to Paul for answers. Lily was the first to gain enough breath to speak. "Where is he? Where is Ash?"
"Calm down and I will explain." Paul commanded seriously. "Take a seat and catch your breath." Once all of them were seated and their breathing was normal, Paul began. "I will start with the information we received yesterday. Professor Oaks lab was broken into and the professor was attacked. He wasn't harmed but he said his assailant was Ash."
"Why would Ash attack the professor?" Misty interrupted.
"Apparently." Paul continued in an irritated tone. "Ash was upset that his mother's house was sold and came to confront the professor about it."
"Oh no. Ash must have been devastated." Misty added sadly while covering her mouth.
"Yes he was according to Professor Oak." Paul stated. "But it doesn't end there I'm afraid. After he left Oak's, he made a beeline for Sinnoh. More specifically Celestic Town to see Cynthia's grandmother, Professor Carolina. Cynthia, you can take it from here."
"Okay, well grandma said Ash was just there to get some information about the Legendaries of the Kalos Region and about those wings of his that I'm sure you all remember." Cynthia stated and then sighed. "Unfortunately, grandma told Ash all she knew on both counts and then he left."
"How does that tell us where he is? He may have been asking about Kalos Pokemon but that doesn't mean that's where he went?" Lily stated, frustrated with the lack of any real information about where Ash was. She was also a little hurt that Ash had been so close and didn't come to see her.
"It doesn't but it gave us a place to look. Granted once we started looking, it wasn't hard to tell he was in Kalos. We recorded this from a Kalos TV station that was covering the event." Paul said as he brought up a video on the big screen. "This was an Elite Four challenge that took place earlier today. I'm sure you all recognize the challenger."
All the women did indeed recognize him but couldn't believe how handsome he looked. He looked more like the old Ash, before he was sent away back when all he thought of was battling Pokemon. His clothes were similar to his old ones but his face was more mature and handsome judging by the girls reaction. Seeing them react like drooling school girls, Paul rolled his eyes and continued. "The battles went on all day, one right after another. Ash defeated all the Elites and only lost two or three Pokemon in each fight."
"He fought them all on the same day?! That's insane!" Cynthia shouted in disbelief.
"Not only did he fight and defeat the Elite Four on the same day but he also beat the Champion." Paul stated. "But the important part of all of this happened after he defeated the Champion. Listen to what he says in this interview right after the battle." Fast forwarding to the end , Paul resumed the video when Ash was talking to the reporters. Everyone except Paul was in a state of shock when Ash turned down the title to work for Team Flare. Cynthia was the first to regain her composure.
"Who is this Team Flare, Paul?"
"We aren't sure. Kalos is out of the Leagues jurisdiction, so we have very little information about what goes on there. That is why we need to send in a team to gather information and locate Ash." Paul said while dreading what he was going to have to tell them.
"We are that team, am I right?" Sabrina asked, sensing something was coming.
Yes because we know him the best, you four and myself were selected to go after Ash" Paul said in a somber tone.
"Wait, what do you mean go after? What aren't you telling us Paul?" Cynthia asked, unsure what was going on.
Paul stood up and looked all the girls in the eye before telling them the truth. "We aren't going to capture Ash. Our orders are to kill him and bring back the body as proof."
"So, Dr. Xerosic how goes the project you've been working on? Have you figured out how to awaken Xerneas yet?" Lysandre said as he strode into the lab with Malva behind him. The lab was quite large and open except for the computers near the walls and the large withered tree in the center.
"In a sense yes." Dr. Xerosic said without taking his eyes off the computer screen. The doctor was a man of average height with a small belly and very pale skin from being out of the sunlight for long periods of time. He wore a red suit similar to the other members of Team Flare but without the tie. While still typing away, he continued. "We know what will awaken it but we lack the correct energy to do it."
"What kind of energy?" Malva asked curiously.
"Yes please explain doctor?" Lysandre said seriously. He knew the doctor would figure out how to do it but he had been afraid from the start that they wouldn't have the tools necessary to accomplish it. To have the peak of the mountain in sight but to run out of rope could break any man.
"Well you see, normally Xerneas and Yveltal only awaken every thousand years and then they live for a thousand years before reverting back to their dormant form." Dr. Xerosic explained.
"Yes, yes we all know this. Can you please get to the point." Lysandre interupted, growing impatient with the doctor.
"Yes, sorry sir." The doctor apologized and then continued. "While dormant, both Xerneas and Yveltal absorb nature energy from the world around them in small amounts Then over the course of the thousand year span they accumulate enough energy to awaken. Our problem is we don't have a ready supply of nature energy to administer to awaken them."
"What is nature energy?" Malva quizzed.
Nature energy is the energy within all living things. It has been called many things over the centuries but Aura is the most common name for it. There are a few Pokemon who can control Aura and by using one or two of them we may be able to awaken Xerneas." The doctor finished, slightly out of breath from the long explanation.
A large smile had spread across Lysandre's face when the doctor had mentioned Aura. He knew where there was a large supply and all he had to do was wait for him to come back. "Excellent work doctor, but we needn't worry about gathering those Pokemon. We will have the power you need in a day or so and then we can put the plan in motion."
Ash loved being outside ever since he was a child. He was always going out to look for Pokemon or playing with the few kids that lived in Pallet Town. Living in a small town had been great since nature was heavily integrated into the town but being in the big cities had always made Ash uncomfortable. The cold steel of the buildings, the hard concrete beneath your feet, even the people were different in the city. They always seemed to have somewhere to go and always in a big damn rush.
That was part of why Ash had been more than happy to leave Luminoise City when Lysandre had asked. The other part was something that had developed in his exile, something that comes from isolation from people. Your away from them for long enough, you forget how to act around them. Almost like a social anxiety disorder. One person in particular made Ash made Ash more uncomfortable than most but that was because of the dream he had last night.
"Malva." Ash said aloud to himself as he hiked through the mountains near Reflection Cave just as the sun was coming up. He had flown on Skarmory to the base of the mountain range and then decided to walk for a change and enjoy himself. Unfortunately his mind was plagued with the dream he had and what it had meant. Each girl had meant something to him for one reason or another but the Pokemon behind each girl had sent his mind into a frenzy. Did the three Pokemon represent the different paths he could take? And whichever one he chose, would the girl be who would stand by him? Why did he have to chose one of those paths at all, why couldn't he go another way? Was it his destiny to chose one of those three paths? Would Malva bring about destruction? What order would Sabrina bring about? And what Life would Lily bring to the world?
"Argh!" Ash shouted, scaring some Pidove that were in a nearby nest on a cliff. "Every time I get some answers, more questions come up demanding more answers."
Looking around at the mountain in front of him and the forest behind him at the base of the mountain, Ash spotted a cave opening that he hadn't noticed before. It was half covered by a large boulder but he could just make out part of the opening. Moving as quickly as he could on the rocky terrain, Ash made his way to the opening and using his Aura to increase his strength, moved the boulder away. The cave was as black as night inside and had a dark, foreboding presence that would stop most from entering. Ash knew he had found the place he was looking for, focusing his Aura and using it to see made the cave as bright as daylight and Ash began his search.
The deeper in Ash went, the stronger the dark feeling became. I was almost drawing Ash to it, like a part of him wanted to be near this thing. The passage twisted and turned back and forth multiple times but the pull Ash felt told him he was going the right way. Finally the cave opened up to a large dome shaped cavern with mirrors all around but with the lack of light they couldn't reflect anything.
At the far side of the cavern stood the very thing that Ash was looking for. It stood at about ten foot tall and roughly four foot wide and was a pale greyish color. The cocoon seemed to radiate a foul, dark aura that made Ash shiver slightly. Focusing all his attention on the cocoon, Ash made his way towards it thinking of how to get it back to Lysandre's Lab. He was so focused that he didn't notice the figure teleport behind him until it spoke.
"Leave it alone Ash, Your better than this." A deep, gruff voice said from the darkness.
Ash spun around and was startled by the figure standing in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
"Paul, what was the name of the city you said we were going to?" Misty asked from her window seat of the private plane. The League had given the group use of it's private jet, usually reserved for the President of the Pokemon League.
"Its called Shalour City and to answer your next question, we will be there in an hour or so." Paul answered while reading the newest intel that Lance had given him before they departed.
"That wasn't what I was going to ask." Misty said, frustrated that Paul was treating her like a whining child. "I was going to ask why we are going there? Ash hasn't been spotted there."
Sighing and setting down the papers he had been reading, Paul began to explain. "You remember the battles that Ash had against the Kalos Elite Four?" Misty nodded her head and the other girls began to pay attention as well. "Well did you see that Mega Evolution that they did with one of their Pokemon. Their Pokemon changed changed appearance and grew vastly more powerful. The ones that did this also gave Ash the hardest time in battle."
"Where are you going with this Paul?" Cynthia asked lazily from her reclined seat.
"Mega Evolution could give us the edge we need to stop Ash and Shalour City is famous for it. That's why we are going there." Paul finished and went back to reading.
"Hmph. No amount of force is going to stop Ash." Sabrina whispered just loud enough for the person next to her to hear.
"What do you mean Sabrina?" Lily asked in a low whisper. She had been quiet all day, thinking of what Paul had told them yesterday. Like the other girls, Lily was struggling with the mission that the League had assigned them and hoped that they would find some other way to bring Ash in.
"Fighting Ash will only drive him further away and end badly for us. Look what happened last time. There is only one thing that could get through to Ash and stop him and I think you know as well as I do what that is." Sabrina said as a smirk appeared
Lily smiled back but as she turned to the window, the smile faded away. Sabrina's words held a lot of truth but what would happen if they were able to stop Ash? Would everyone be able to get their happy ending or would it all end in disaster?