(A/N): Hey, everyone! Chapter 11 is here, and it's the longest one yet. I'm trying to make the chapters a little bit longer now. They felt kinda short. I dunno, that might just be me. Anyhoo, thanks to Suzurin and anonymous (Person) for reviewing! Don't worry, Amy's appearance will eventually be described.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. It would be awesome if I did, but I don't. I don't own the characters either, with the exception of Anna, Cain, Damian, and Amy. There might be other minor characters that I create as well. Oh! The plot is mine too. If there is semblance to someone else's plot, it was completely unintentional.

Chapter 11: The Riddle in the Tower

Nobody was too thrilled to be going to Lavender Town. After all, it didn't hold the best memories for the three. They didn't want another accident like the last time they were there. But, that was where we had to go. That was where the trench coat woman told me to go. Indirectly, but she did. We all walked in silence for probably around an hour, when Ash couldn't take it anymore.

"Will somebody, please, say something!" he whined. I turned around to see that he had stopped, and was just standing there, with an annoyed look on his face. "Maybe a certain someone could explain why we were going to Lavender Town anyway!" I waved dismissively.

"Calm down, kiddo," I yawned. He huffed.

"Explain a couple of things and I will!" I sighed. This guy was really persistent. He just wouldn't give up!

"Alright, alright. Okay, we're going to Lavender Town because a woman in a trench coat told me too, alright? Happy now?"

"No." Sigh. I guess I would have to be a little more in-depth than that.

"Okay, she didn't tell me directly; she gave me a riddle. She said that she needed me to 'go back to Shadow.'" I absently clicked a Pokéball off my belt and began to toss it back and forth between my hands. "Shadow is the name of my Gengar. It was also the nickname my mother was given. You see, she had a bit of an affinity for ghost-type Pokémon, so Shadow fit. All the different things that the riddle could be a reference to point to ghost Pokémon. The Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town is where ghost Pokémon reside. It's the only place I can think of that makes any sense at all." The three looked between each other and nodded in agreement. The explanation was satisfying, for the time being, at least. Relief washed over me. I was very glad that I wouldn't have to explain what was there yet. I fingered the string around my neck. How had Cain found out?

To keep the silence from returning, the four of us began a slow conversation. It was a bit awkward at first, just because of the earlier silence, but we eventually eased our way into it. We argued and debated, and we made random jokes, we told stories and just talked. It was weird for me. This was the first time that instead of explaining myself, or interrogating others, I was actually involved in a conversation. Not just with them, either, I mean in my whole life. I had never been the most social of people, and holding regular conversations was difficult. But with Ash, Misty, and Brock, there was no trouble at all.

I tilted my head back, drinking in the rays of the sun. I squinted and looked at my watch. It was about noon. Knowing Ash, it would be any second now...

"I'm hungry." Yup. Figured that much. So, we all sat down while Brock made some stew.

"I guess you guys are pretty lucky that Brock know how to cook, huh?" I asked Misty. She nodded with an embarrassed grin. Brock set bowls of the stew in front of us, got a bowl for himself, and set a dish of Pokémon food for Togepi and the two Pikachu. I scratched the back of my neck and laughed. "I'm pretty lucky, too. Ya' see, I can't cook to save my life. Almost burned the house down after mom left. I ended up having to get help from-" I cut off. Misty blinked at me.

"Had to get help form who?" I poked my spoon at the stew.

"Help from Cain," I muttered.

"Oh." And that was it. The silence had returned. We finished up and got on the road again. I couldn't help but feel like I was pushing them, but I wanted to get to the Tower as soon as possible.

As soon as possible was a while. I had forgotten how big the region was if you didn't fly. I had originally figured that it would take a few weeks to get there, tops, but I didn't think I would be walking. Now, my estimate of a few weeks had to be lengthened to a few months. One day in the middle of the second month started like any other.

The four of us woke up and I shifted between my feet anxiously while the others ate something. I never ate breakfast. Before I left Seafoam Island, breakfast was just another excuse to call the fire department. The others finally finished and we hit the road. And just as usual, we began to discuss random things. But things didn't continue on so regularly. I was in the middle of quizzing Ash on type advantages when a loud crashing sound cut me off.

"What the-" I spun around to the source of the noise, to see a large, Nidoking shaped robot staring down at me.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" Wait... I heard this somewhere before...

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" I remember! They were the ones that interrupted my battle before!

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" At this point, a platform had risen up from the head of the robot, to reveal the two Team Rocket members and the Meowth. I glanced behind me to see the other's reactions. Ash was mimicking the talking with his hand and Misty was stifling a laugh as she watched him. Brock mouthed the words We're used to it by now, at me. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the Rockets.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" After finishing their motto, the three surveyed us. James tapped Jessie on the shoulder and pointed between Pikachu and Alice.

"Look, Jess, we can get two Pikachu for the price of one! A twerpy Pikachu, and a twerpetty Pikachu." Jessie hit him over the head with a fan.

"I can see that, James!" They continued to argue, and getting bored, I turned back to the others.

"They're really weird but it's a kinda cute couple." A fan hit me in the back of my head. I wheeled around and snapped Terra's ball off my belt. "Alright, that's it!" Ash stepped up beside me. He looked worried. Oh. Right. Terra. Oops. I snapped it back on. "Well then, I'll use-"

"Don't bother. They're pushovers," Ash said with a shrug. I blinked at him.

"They have a giant robot, genius."

"Yeah, I know. They always do."

"How long have they been following you?"

"Long enough. Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" His Pikachu leaped up in the air and cried out, releasing a powerful electric attack on the robot. However, the electric attack bounced right off and came flying back toward us. We scattered, and the bolt just missed my feet. Annoyed, I shouted over to Ash.

"You know, I don't know these guys as well as you do, but if they've been following you 'Long enough,' and if you have this Pikachu of yours, don't you think that they would have learned by now to make their robots electricity-proof?" He thought for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so." I slapped my palm on my forehead and sighed. Ash was an idiot. I stood back up and snapped a Pokéball off my belt. I had no idea what Pokémon was in it, but I could make it work. I pitched it toward the robot and it opened and returned to my hand. All eyes were trained on the Pokémon that was taking shape. The light finally faded to reveal a Tentacruel. That'll work. Jessie, James, and Meowth were extremely excited about the release of my Pokémon.

"Look, Jess, the boss would love it if we brought him some of her Pokémon! You've seen how powerful they are!" Jessie nodded, but her face had wrinkled up in disgust at the sight of the Tentacruel. Misty, on the other hand, was suddenly by the Tentacruel's side, eyes wide.

"It's... beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Its tentacles move so gracefully, and it's just so squishy and cute! Look at how that red gem sparkles!" I raised an eyebrow and turned to the guys. Brock shrugged and Ash rolled his eyes.

"She has a thing for Tentacruel," they said simultaneously. Misty was still rambling on.

"I just could never hurt one of these precious things!" I nudged Ash.

"I guess I know what Pokémon to use in a battle against her," I whispered. He laughed. Misty glowered at us.

"I could battle one though, so that strategy won't work." I snapped my fingers in mock frustration.

"Dang it!" I finally turned my attention back to Team Rocket and cleared my throat. "Anyway, Ruby, use acid!" Ruby tilted back a little and spat the purple ooze onto the Nidoking robot. The acid burned a hole in the base of the machine.

"You named her Ruby?" Misty asked. "Such a pretty name for such a pretty Pokémon!"

"Thanks," I replied. I was glad that someone was actually complimenting the name I gave my Pokémon instead of insulting it. I pointed up to the gem on her head. "I call it the ruby of the sea." Misty bounced up and down a little.

"That's what I call it too! Aren't Tentacruel just amazing?"

"Yeah, it's pretty convenient that they're dual-type Pokémon."

"Are we gonna sit here talking about it all day?" Ash complained. He had a point. We had Team Rocket members to remove from the picture. I turned back to the robot...

...Or at least where the robot was supposed to be. I blinked at the place where the robot had been just a minute before. Maybe Team Rocket had gotten bored and left. But if they had really wanted my Pokémon, then...

"What, wondering where they went off to?" a voice called from behind a tree. I shivered. I knew that voice. "I just told them to let someone a bit more experienced handle you." Cain stepped forward. I ground my teeth.

"And yet, you still lost to me at the Pokémon League," I shot at him. He wasn't very experienced. There's no way he could be. I had been training for longer, and had two very experienced trainers for parents. "What, are you gonna send your Charizard after me again? Ohh, I'm so scared! There's no way my water-type could ever beat it!" I taunted, motioning toward Ruby. Now it was his turn to grind his teeth.

"It was the only other flying-type I had with me at the time," he muttered. I placed a finger on my lip and pretended to be thinking about something.

"Oh, that's right, because my Gyarados kicked your Gyarados's butt!" He scowled. But he turned that frown upside-down within seconds. "Why are you smiling?" No response. "Why are you smiling?" I asked again. Upon closer inspection, though, his eyes weren't trained on me, but somewhere behind me...

"Piiiiiii-kaaaaaa!" I wheeled around to see that the Nidoking robot had returned and snatched up the two Pikachu while we were distracted by Cain.

"Oh, no you don't!" I yelled. "Ruby, aim a hydro pump right in that hole!" Before she could act, however, Cain made a swift gesture with his arm, and the two Pikachu were lowered to be positioned in front of the hole. I yelped. "Stop the attack, Ruby! Hold your fire!" Ruby twisted around and blew the hydro pump toward Cain instead. He drew back in shock, but couldn't react in time to avoid it. He was thrown back and smashed against a tree. He slumped to the ground with a moan. His eyes fluttered for a moment before falling unconscious. Oops. The robot hustled over to him, with the three members of Team Rocket inside more than a bit confused. Misty, Brock, Ash and I stepped closer as well.

"I didn't... kill him, did I?" I leaned a little closer, then decided against it and pulled away. "Probably not." I cracked my neck and turned back to the robot. One down, three bozos to go. With their brain unconscious, they should be no problem to defeat. "Well, let's try this again, Ruby. Hydro pump!" The Pikachu had been moved out of the way of the hole, leaving Ruby with a clear shot. The hydro pump blasted inside the robot, filling the entire thing with water. The Team Rocket members inside began to scream and make gargling noises. Losing control of the robot, the Pikachu were released.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu raced back to Ash and leaped up to him.

"Pikachu, I'm glad you're okay," he said. I watched. Those two were really close. Alice hopped up onto my shoulder and nudged my head. I stroked her.

"I'm glad you're okay, too." I turned to face the robot once more. "We've got a job to finish." I looked to Ash and nodded. We both pointed to the robot.

"Thunderbolt!" we cried. Pikachu and Alice raced forward and fired a powerful thunderbolt right into the hole. Water conducts electricity, so the attack was channeled all the way through. Jessie, James, and Meowth screamed for a little before the robot exploded.

"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again..." the three shouted, their voices growing fainter as they flew farther away. I raised an eyebrow.

"I hope I didn't kill them, either..." Brock shook his head and laughed.

"Don't worry, Amy, we've been doing that for a year now and they always come back anyway," he said. Ah, that explained why they said they were 'blasting off again.' Misty had gone back to Ruby and was hugging her. I blinked at them, and recalled Ruby before Misty could completely smother her. And the four of us finally got moving again.

"Sorry about them, we're used to them by now. They've never gotten away with our Pokémon before for more than a couple hours, max," Ash explained. I laughed. But I could tell that it wasn't the Pokémon that Cain wanted. He wanted information. I clutched the string around my neck again. Misty caught this.

"What's on that string?" she asked. I jumped.

"N-nothing!" I stammered. She crossed her arms and smiled at me, trying to silently convince me to tell her. "R-really! It's n-nothing!" I paused. "Did you put Togepi down or something?" I asked, wondering where the little egg-like Pokémon had gone. She instantly panicked, but soon found Togepi wandering around behind a couple of rocks. Lucky for me, she was too worried about Togepi now to remember what she had asked.

I kept moving us at a brisk pace, and not too much more time passed before we reached Lavender Town. Just like the last time I was here, a thick fog surrounded the entire area. The four of us stood on a ledge overlooking the town to catch our breath for a moment before following the small path down the side of the ledge. I felt myself speeding up the closer we got to the town, and by the time we reached the edge, I was running.

I took off and tore straight through the town toward the Tower at the end of the main road. I didn't even slow down when I reached the doors. I didn't even know if the others were still behind me. I entered the Tower and saw... nothing. No one was there. At all. I stomped in frustration.

"Where did she go?" I heard Ash ask the others from outside.

"She's probably already in the Tower," Misty replied. The doors creaked behind me and the three entered. None of them looked very excited. But then, the last time they were here, Ash nearly got himself killed. Brock gulped.

"Well, Amy, you know what you have to do in here, so we'll just be outside," he said, grabbing Misty and Ash by their wrists and trying to pull them out. Both of them shook his hands off. Ash actually seemed the most relaxed of the three, which I thought was kinda weird, considering he was the one that had been killed before. But then, he did say he had played with the ghost Pokémon. He turned to the stairwell and called.

"Gastly! Gengar! You guys still hanging around here?" A pause. Then, the two ghost-type Pokémon came flying out of the shadows and tackled Ash. Misty and Brock screamed. I jumped. Ash laughed. "It's okay, guys." I blinked. I didn't get it. He had seemed pretty scared when I first interrogated him. Of course, it probably wasn't the tower he had been scared of; he was probably scared of me. "Gastly, Gengar, can you two do us a favor? We need to find... uh... what are we looking for?" He turned to me. I shrugged.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. An... item, I guess," I muttered. I didn't want to tell them what we were looking for. But I would have to if I wanted to find it. "Let me put it this way; has anybody put something in the tower recently, say, the past two years?" The Pokémon thought for a moment, and then both perked up and glided across the room. I saw on the floor, now, a dusty chandelier. We all flinched and turned our heads away. Gastly and Gengar finally came to a stop in front of a blank wall. I surveyed it.

"There's nothing there," Ash muttered, obviously disappointed. Dust was thick on the place where the wall met the floor. I blew on it, sending a huge cloud of dust up in the air. I heard the others coughing behind me. But my attention was focused on the spot in the center of the small wall. A handle had been revealed. I grasped the handle and pulled upward. A panel of the wall lifted with it. The others watched intently. Behind the panel was a small, wooden box with an oddly shaped indentation on the front. Loosely taped to the top of the box was a sheet of paper. I traced my finger along the indent, and then pulled the paper off the box, not wanting to remove the box itself in case it was a trap. Misty leaned over my shoulder.

"What does it say?" she inquired. I cleared my throat and recited,

The first is the stone that stops time tomorrow,

Some are the titans; the elements; three,

The final key has brought much sorrow,

With all five in place, the treasure you'll see.

So, was that okay? Finally, one of the names of Amy's Pokémon has been explained! Yeah, I know the riddle part is kinda short, but hey. Hmm... so the first key is 'the stone that stops time tomorrow.' Wonder what that could be? Take a guess, see if you know what the keys are! Review, please!