"Something wrong?" Ash leaned back against the side of a building, watching Nel and her friend patiently. It wasn't everyday that someone got to experience teleportation for the first time, especially right in the middle of a meal. Nel and her friend were across from Ash in the same position they were moments earlier. The only difference now was that they were sitting in chairs, which Gardevoir had clearly borrowed from a nearby table, and that they were both facing Ash. As the younger of the two women attempted to stand Ash said quickly, "You might actually want to sit for a bit longer. That kind of travel isn't something that most people can handle the first time." His words earned him a glare from the girl but she eased herself back into the chair anyway.
"I'm impressed Ash, really," said Nel, crossing her legs like nothing had happened. "Well, more nauseous, but still impressed."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Ash, shrugging his shoulders. "By the way," he added the other girl, "you sure keep dangerous company. Do you even know who she is?" The girl stood up.
"Yeah, do you?"
"Sure do," Ash nodded, "You on the other hand not so much."
"Her name is Ember Meres. She's a friend of mine," said Nel, also standing.
"A friend huh? I'm Ash Ketchum," said Ash, stepping forward and holding out his hand. Ember glanced at it before pointedly crossing her arms across her chest.
"The tournament finalist, right? Pleasure," she said, clearly not impressed.
"God Em, could you be any colder?" asked Nel with a groan. "...what," she shot at Ash who was looking directly at her in interest.
"Honestly, I thought that when you got your memory back you'd be just like before... but you've really changed, you know that?" Ash said truthfully.
"Oh?" said Nel, pretending to look puzzled. Ash folded his arms.
"Point made."
Nel blinked, her mouth twitching in the shadow of a grin. "Point taken," she said, hands up in surrender, "but what did you think would happen? I get my memory back from before and end up forgetting everything that's happened in between?"
"Makes sense," said Ash, ignoring Ember's smirk.
"Nel, are you going to talk or what? We don't have all day," she said. "Plus I never got to actually eat," she added, glaring at Ash.
"Relax, Em, it's been a while, you know?"
"Alright, so what did you want to talk to me about?" said Ash, though he was pretty confident he could guess...
"Vince Korinek."
Bingo. "What about him?"
"I want him dead, among other things." Ash leaned back against the wall again, tilting his head slightly.
"Can't imagine why you'd want to off someone with such great taste in suits," he said sarcastically.
"You know what he did to me, Ash," said Nel coolly. "I haven't forgotten those few weeks." At this Ember frowned.
"Wait, you've met him? Don't tell me you actually know him?" Ash's eyes quickly moved to Ember. Something told him that this girl was more than just some random.
"You could say we're on a first name basis. Relax, Miss Meres, he's not the kind of guy I'd party with, get it?"
"Don't worry, Em, he's not part of Korinek's group," said Nel calmly, placing her hand on Ember's arm, "that I'm certain of. Anyway, Ash, it sounds like you've since had a bit of a history with him," Ash's reaction was somewhere between a smirk and a sneer, "so I'm sure you wouldn't be opposed to helping me take him down."
"Putting you back behind the wheel? Forget it," Ash said, waiving his hand dismissively.
"Details, details. Think of all the good it will do the world with him safely underground."
"Are you sure that your memory is all back?" Ash asked. "Because I don't recall ever being anything close to friends with you." Nel took a step forward, shaking her head.
"What does that have to do with anything? It's two people working together for a similar goal. That's all I'm asking."
"And all I'm saying is that I can't see any reason for me to even consider it. You're wasting your breath, Nel." Nel bit her lip in frustration. Watching her think quickly, Ash could see that without a doubt, the outward shell of Hunter J was gone. Just the thought of having this conversation- a conversation- with Hunter J was laughable. He knew that she was still just as dangerous. Her skill as a trainer would be as sharp as ever. But to see her with a friend, joking and teasing, and not trying to kill him for some reason or another...
"Ash!" Ash gave a start, realizing that he had spaced out. Nel shook her head. "Did you hear me? I said fine, I won't keep asking you about it. Just at least give me some information on the guy. Or are you unwilling to do even that?"
"No, I won't mind giving you information, but you should know better than anyone that nothing in this world is free," said Ash evenly.
"Oh, I never said anything about free information," said Nel. She began to smile in a way that made Ash uneasy. "It'll be a straight trade: my info for yours."
"Right," said Ash, "but somehow I find it hard to believe that a person who until recently didn't even know who she was has anything like that to offer." But Nel was shaking her head now.
"I know how it sounds, but it's true. We actually know a lot about your, how should I put this, extended family. Isn't that right, Ember?"
"What?" said Ember, startled at being suddenly addressed.
"Sorry, my little joke," said Nel quickly. "Just wanted to see If you were listening."
"Stop playing around," snapped Ash. Was everybody going to bring this up? "You just stepped onto considerably thin ice, Nel. What are you getting at?"
"Sorry, Ash. Not unless you agree," she said with a smile. Ash clenched his teeth together in frustration. "So, do we have a deal?" Ash could see that she wouldn't budge on this.
"Well, since today seems to be the "let's all talk about Ash's 'dysfunctional' family" day, why not?"
"Wonderful," said Nel, seemingly delighted. The way things were going now, Ash wondered if this hadn't been her original plan all along. She looked at Ember for a moment before saying, "There is a very large meeting of Aura Guardians from around the extended area happening tonight in this city."
Ember practically sputtered in shock, rounding on Nel at once. "Nel! That's-" Nel turned to meet her gaze. Ash didn't see what was behind Nel's eyes at that moment, but whatever it was made Ember stop talking...albeit angrily.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" asked Ash, more out of habit from dealing with the woman than anything. Nel smiled. She had known he would say that.
"You don't, do you?" she said softly. "The meeting is taking place around eight-thirty this evening. As for where..." she glanced at Ember, "well I'll just say that it's in the center of this city in a big, old building. Can't miss it. Really."
"Well it's sweet of you telling me all that. I mean it is good information to someone like me, but I still don't see how this even remotely has to do with what you agreed to tell me about," Ash said in a bored voice.
"Well then, what if I told you that your father is going to be at that meeting," Nel said, her voice still maintaining that soft quality. Ash's brain skipped for a moment, though his outward appearance didn't change at all. He had expected something ridiculous like that. Ember frowned.
"Ahh," said Ash slowly with a smile, "of course he is."
"I know you don't believe me," said Nel, her dangerous looking smile in place, "but it looks like you're just going to have to trust me on that one. Oh and before I go," Nel bowed her head slightly at Ash, eyes closed, making Ash blink in complete confusion. "I'll pay you back properly for that time at a later date." Satisfied, she turned away from him. "Come on Em, time to go."
Ember's eyes moved between Nel and Ash for more than a few moments before she let out a short breath and followed Nel. Stopping in front of Ash she said shortly, "Don't come."Ash looked at her hard.
"Why?"
"Just don't."
XxxxX
Ash watched them go quietly thinking over everything that had just been said. Could he believe Nel? For what it was worth, her tip looked legitimate; not to mention Ember's extremely dark parting words, though he suspected that was just a bluff. No matter how you put it, something was definitely up.
"You can come out now," Ash said a minute after Nel and Ember had left the alleyway. They approached him slowly, ears still full of what they had just heard.
"Ash," said Cynthia slowly, "was that..." she didn't finish her sentence.
"Yeah," said Ash, finally turning to them, "It was her."
"What are you going to do?" asked Gary. He handed Pikachu over to Ash, who scratched the Pokemon's head to reassure him. "You going to go?"
"Don't really have much of a choice now do I?" Ash laughed bitterly. This day was just one wreck after another. One part of him just wanted to go home and be done with it. Miranda's eyes were fixed on his own. In them he saw worry. In spite of his mental turmoil, he felt slightly better. That a girl as good natured as Miranda could lose everything—her home, her family, her culture, her life—in the worst possible way, and then still genuinely worry about another soul in the world, let alone him...
"Don't worry about me, Miranda," Ash said with the biggest smile he could muster, "I'm alright." Miranda shook her head slightly, her frown giving way to the barest of smiles. Without thinking, Cynthia put a hand on Miranda's back for comfort. Miranda glanced at Cynthia but made no effort to shake off the hand.
"I know what building that woman was talking about," she said forcefully, as if to prove she wasn't weak. "A big, old building in the center of the city could only mean that giant mansion at the exact center of the city."
"There's a mansion at the center of the city?" asked Ash, interested.
Miranda nodded. "Yup. Well, maybe not the exact center, but I'm sure it's close. I mean, the city was built around that mansion to begin with. It's the oldest building in the entire city!"
"Not to sound rude, but how do you know all this?" asked Cynthia curiously.
"Tour books and living here for a month before everyone came," Miranda answered simply.
"Well, that's handy. Thanks, Miranda," said Ash brightly. Miranda smiled happily. "Anyway," Ash continued, "I'm going to head out now. I know I've still got plenty of time but there's some stuff I need to take care of first-"
"Wait!" Miranda had moved forward to grab Ash's arm before he could vanish. Everyone looked at Miranda eyebrows raised. She blushed scarlet and muttered, "I umm, I have more I can tell you about the mansion. If you want to hear it..." her voice died in embarrassment at her outburst. Gary smirked and clapped Ash on the back.
"Good luck, Ashey-boy. Let me know if anything happens," he said and walked off back into the plaza. Ash nodded to him then looked at the remaining two. Suddenly he realized who he was alone with. Miranda was silent, her head down, still embarrassed and still clutching to his arm. Cynthia was looking at Miranda then at Ash, then back. When she noticed Ash's gaze she could only hold his eyes for a second before she looked away.
Feeling annoyed and somewhat lonely, Cynthia walked past Ash heading for the plaza behind him, where sounds of exuberant life were clear, if faint. He didn't move. He was afraid of disturbing Miranda more than she already was.
"I'm...sorry," Cynthia said quietly, knowing that Miranda's incredible hearing would pick it up anyway. "You've been through so much today, you're still going through more, but I can't do anything to help you...don't know about anything that can help you."
"Cynthia, I-"
"Don't. It's just frustrating," she said. "Good luck." And she walked out into the throng.
"It is frustrating," said Miranda, now leaning into Ash. "It really is."
XxxxX
Later that evening
Ember stared at the piece of paper in front of her without really seeing it. She was sitting on the floor of her room, back against a large Pokemon doll for comfort, file folders scattered around her. With an irritated sigh, Ember added the paper in her hands to the mess below and sunk herself into the soft doll. The earlier encounter with Ash Ketchum was firmly lodged in her head and she had no idea why. Well, not no idea...
Ketchum... where did she know that name from? The name was vaguely familiar, but as to why completely eluded her. It was almost as if the answer was constantly in the corner of her vision but gone whenever she turned her head. Regardless, the whole situation was baffling. She knew for a fact that no member of the Guard had that name—she often worked with the personnel officer—so how could Nel have thought that Ash's father would be here? After all, Nel had only learned of the Guard's existence recently. Of course, Ember didn't dismiss the possibility that Nel had lied to Ash. It was clear that the two had unpleasant history with each other. But if Nel did lie then, it still wouldn't explain why she had told Ash about the meeting to begin with.
"God this is so frustrating!" Ember leaned forward, dragging the doll up and over her shoulder to sail across the room. It thumped into the dresser by the window, causing the picture frame on its top to teeter precariously. Moving swiftly, Ember dove on top of the doll, catching the picture as it fell. She sighed in relief, shifting to her knees to get up.
"Nice catch."
Ember nearly dropped the picture frame before grabbing it tightly and glaring at the person standing in her doorway.
"I didn't know knocking was out of style," Ember shot at her guest. Long locks of hair shook slightly as the woman at the door chuckled.
"You know, I've never actually seen you dive for something before. Or be startled for that matter."
"Oh shut up, Sonia," Ember said, feeling an embarrassed heat rising in her face. The woman simply laughed more. Ember couldn't help but crack a smile. Though nearly twice her age, Sonia was one of Ember's longest friends. She was among the group of people who had known her ever since she and her father came to live with the Guard nearly nineteen years ago. "Anyway, what's up? It's not time for the meeting yet, right?"
"No no, we've still got a little under an hour," said Sonia, eying her watch. She took a seat at the desk on the other side of the window, careful not to step on the various reports crowding the floor. As Ember replaced the picture frame on the dresser Sonia said, "I'm surprised you still have that thing."
"Pictures are memories... doesn't seem right to get rid of a memory," Ember mused. "Sorry about the mess, by the way. I've been working."
"Sure you have," Sonia said sarcastically. "Oh come on, don't give me that look. I'm not going to tell you off or anything." Ember moved to her bed and sat on its edge. Grabbing a pillow and hugging it she replied,
"You know, last time I checked I was your superior more than three times over."
"Details, girl, details," said Sonia, waving Ember's words away. That was when Ember noticed a dark folder next to Sonia on the desk. Seeing where her eyes were, Sonia said, "I found what you were looking for. Wait," she added as Ember made to get up. Something in Sonia's voice made her freeze; she was serious. "This isn't something I would normally do. I've known you your whole life and there's only one reason I'm letting you see this. That is... something you'll understand when you read this." Her finger tapped the folder. Ember suddenly felt apprehensive.
Sonia stood up. She looked into Ember's eyes for a long moment. "I'll be outside if you need me." She left.
Ember quickly moved to the desk, flipping the folder open without hesitation. Instantly, she understood why Sonia had let her see this.
"This isn't right."
It couldn't be right. Ember knew that the information she was reading was true, but it couldn't be. She just didn't believe it. It must be a coincidence. Ember left the desk to search the floor. Almost at once she found the file she was looking for: Ash Ketchum's profile, courtesy of the Pokemon League trainer database. Laying it next to the other file on the desk, Ember read, eyes moving from one to the other rapidly. Eventually they slowed and stopped. She stood up, turning to the door just as Sonia rushed in.
"Sonia-"
"Ember," she said, overriding the girl, "I know it's a bad time, but I just got word; We have an intruder in the base!"
"What?" Ember half shouted. The intruder could not have had worse timing.
"Look, we'll talk later but I have to get down there now," Sonia continued, already moving to the door. Catching herself as she was leaving she said quickly, "Get dressed and come down as well, I doubt he'll evade us for long but if I'm wrong we could use your help." She left, one hand moving to the small headset hidden under her locks. "I'm in the East Wing Tower, heading down to your position now. ETA five minutes. I want all of Central sealed off..."
Sonia's voice faded as she rushed out of Ember's rooms. An intruder and at this time...could it be him? Ember glanced at herself in the full length mirror by the dresser; she was in a shirt and shorts. No good. Closing the door, Ember quickly stripped to her underwear and opened her closet. She grabbed the uniform hanging in it and began dressing, her mind entirely elsewhere. Finished dressing, Ember grabbed a pokeball from her side table at random and clipped it to her belt. As she left, her eyes moved once more to the dark folder, still open on her desk; on the name adorning the top of the page.
Gabriel Meres
XxxxX
30 Minutes Earlier
Ash stood in the shadow of an old boutique, quietly watching the occasional passerby. His main focus however was the incredibly large mansion directly across from his position. It easily took up most of his view, despite being quite a ways in from the road. Only the front of the mansion was entirely exposed to the road. The other sides were mostly covered by a thick, miniature forest, hiding all but the tallest sections of the mansion. A tall stone wall topped with a short metal fence surrounded the entire property. The path leading from the front gate to the mansion was lined with old lamp posts and low hedges that did a good job of obscuring any type of view from the gate.
Before he had left Miranda earlier that day, she told him the few other details she knew of the mansion. The most important by far was that the family that owned the mansion kept it open, within limits, to the public at large. People came to the mansion and entered it like it was a decent sized museum, looked around at the historic architecture of the building and its interior design, then left feeling slightly bemused at its grandeur. To Ash's surprise, the mansion, called The Mansion of the Elements or simply just Element Mansion, was a huge tourist attraction. Who would have thought that people liked boring themselves with the insides of dusty old buildings.
A faint chime sounded somewhere in the boutique. Ash looked down at his watch. It was 7:30. If Nel was to be believed, he had an hour until the meeting started; and considering what he had observed in the past hours, there was no denying that something was going on. Ash watched as seemingly random visitors to the mansion show signs of being Aura Guardians. There were some who were clearly using their aura, while some appeared to have no aura at all. Not only did Nel seem to have been telling the truth, but the way that so many Aura Guardians were behaving either meant that the meeting wasn't a secret at all and he was just completely out of the loop, or they thought that they were safe from detection here.
"Well," Ash muttered to himself, "either way I'm going so it's not really that important at the moment."
But how should he get in? It was this that had occupied his mind for most of the time he was standing there, watching the people pass. There were numerous ways to sneak in the mansion, but with what he was looking for there were really only two main ways of going about it. Either sneak in or just walk in.
Sneaking in required a bit more care than just walking in of course. He would probably scale the wall on one of the sides or in the back where there was cover by trees then make his way to the rear entrance. If it wasn't locked he'd sneak in. If it was, well then he would probably do something less subtle. Like climbing up the walls or something crazy. Unfortunately there was a problem with sneaking in. Well, more than one problem, but one underlying huge problem. Just by sneaking in he's already made himself an enemy to every person in that building. Definitely not the safest thing to do.
Of course, simply walking in, chest held out and white teeth shining, really didn't do him that much good either. While it definitely didn't make him out to be a sneak by breaking in, realistically there was no way for him to remain under the radar. If the meeting is as big as it looks from all these people showing up then there must be someone checking off the guest list. Showing up without an invitation might earn him a little more than just a, "Go away." Plus, just walking into enemy territory and saying, "Hi!" Who does that?
Ash was only really unable to figure out which form of entry to go by because of what he wanted to do in the mansion when he got there. The number one objective was simply to see if his father actually was at the meeting, however 'simple' that could be called. However, considering his position among Aura Guardians, to have not heard of or been told of this meeting was a serious problem. He needed to find out why he hadn't been invited and what the meeting was about. Lucky for him that those two objectives completely clash in the best ways to get them done. Obviously breaking in wouldn't help him if he wanted to talk to them without being imprisoned, and walking in the front door won't exactly give him the privacy he would need to search for someone in whatever ways he could.
All this was racing through his mind non stop while he 'relaxed' at the boutique.
"This is silly," said Gardevoir, appearing from nowhere at Ash's side.
"What is?" said Ash automatically.
"All this thought of how to do what you want," Gardevoir hovered barely above the ground like she normally did when relaxing. Ash was always impressed at how straightforward Gardevoir could be despite being so intelligent. Apparently not all intelligent things are complex in nature.
"So what do you suggest I do?" asked Ash, interested in what she would say.
"Stop wasting your time and go in the front like you were planning to from the very beginning," Gardevoir said flatly. Ash grinned.
"Good idea," Ash said, stretching a bit before barging in. "I like the way you think, Gardevoir. I guess I'm just a little bit nervous about all this. I mean it's unlikely to say the least, but for all I know I might actually meet the other half of my family."
"Then I will soothe your nerves," she replied moving to his side. Gardevoir placed a hand on either side of his head and used Calm Mind, purposely transmitting it through her trainer as well as herself. Ash sighed heavily. Gardevoir had only ever done that for him once before, she said that it wasn't safe if done frequently, but he truly appreciated it now. It was as if his mind had become a still lake. He wondered what she felt when she used the move.
"Alright Gardevoir, let's do this."
Not five minutes later...
"Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea!" Ash berated himself. He ducked into a side room and hid behind a sofa. The sentries that had been chasing him ran straight past the room he was hiding in. Ash lay his head on the floor, grateful for the rest, even if only for a moment. When he had entered the building a few minutes ago, several things crossed his mind. The first was WOW. The mansion was a wealth of burnished wood, silver and gold inlays, landscape paintings, elaborate rugs, small stone statues of Pokemon, spiral staircases... it went on and on and on. And that was only a small portion of the first floor.
It was getting near the time that the mansion would be closing to the public, so there were less people in the building than earlier. Ash knew his only chance was to make his way deeper into the mansion so he tailed the first Aura Guardian he could make out. They walked in silence for a while before coming to a hall barred by two guards. The man spoke to them briefly then was admitted. Ash approached confidently.
"Hey, I'm here for the meeting, is this the right way?" Ash asked cheerfully. The guards looked at Ash, then traded looks themselves before shrugging and parting to let him through. "Thanks!" Ash said before hurrying along after the other guy. He caught the beginning of one of the guards saying,
"Well, I guess it's good they're not all..."
Ash looked up and found himself face to face with two security cameras, one on each side of the hall.
"Crap."
"Hey, you! Stop right there!" Ash looked back to see the two guards making a beeline for him. Something glinted near the ear of one of the guards. Ahh, Ash thought, radio headsets. I didn't even notice them before. He broke into a run down the hall, turning right the first chance he got. The next four minutes became progressively worse as sentries began hounding him. It was pretty much impossible to avoid the cameras and people. Eventually he managed to make it into the room he was currently in. It was only a matter of time before they found him here though.
"Hey, what are you doing on the floor?"
The voice made him jump and spin over. A young woman was standing over his head. Had she been in the room the whole time? She stood there, looking down at Ash silently. Wondering why she wasn't doing anything, he realized she must be waiting for him to answer her question.
"Oh," he said awkwardly, "I guess I'm just tired and I really just wanted to lay down...immediately."
"Well then why not lay down on a couch?" asked the woman reasonably. "Wouldn't that be much more comfortable?" He stood up, making the woman jump back slightly.
"You know," he said, "I'm feeling pretty good. I think I'll go for a run now. See ya!" He ran off out of the room, determined to put a fair bit of distance between himself and the odd woman. Turning a corner, Ash ran straight into a wall. Or at least, it felt like a wall. He could see clear through it. Must be glass, he thought rubbing his head. No matter how far he went Ash kept hitting those strange glass walls. He was already completely lost as it was. Now the glass walls seemed to just be there to drive him insane. Praying he wouldn't bump into glass for the tenth time Ash turned a corner and saw a bright light at the end of this hall. That meant there was a big room ahead. He put his hand out in front of him to make sure there was no glass then moved quickly to the end of the hall.
The moment Ash emerged into the large circular room, hands grabbed him. Two his right arm and two his left. Ash quickly moved his hands to the back of his belt, twisting the small metal rod that was housed there. The rubber capped metal shot out of the ends, extending into a full staff and catching his two attackers in the guts and throwing them back. They clutched their stomachs in pain. Ash sheathed the staff then moved into the middle of the room. He knew it would come to this eventually. The glass walls must have been to herd him to this room where he could be ambushed. As if they heard his thoughts, over a dozen sentries emerged from various doors around the room. All of them had pokeballs on them.
"Heh, what do you think Lucario? Can I take them all on myself or will you have to step in to help?" said Ash to a pokeball on his waist. No response. "No seriously I'm going to need help, Lucario. They're all Aura Guardians to some extent, right? Lucario? Luca, buddy? Well this sucks."
"Intruder, identify yourself and surrender," said one of the sentries, stepping forward.
"My name is Ash. I want to speak so someone in charge. Trust me this is just a big misunderstanding," he said, facing the man who spoke.
"You have no right to demand anything here."
"Actually, your guys let me in," said Ash, unable to resist. "I'm serious, just ask them."
"Sentries, capture him," said the sentry. Looking at Ash he said, "You're about to find out exactly why no one is ever dumb enough to break into this place."
XxxxX
Ember raced along the halls of the mansion as quickly as she could. She could feel the fight as clearly as if it were happening right next to her. She figured Sonia must already be there. Ember knew that Ash wasn't a pushover, but from what she had seen of his power he was nothing special. Sonia on the other hand was a Sentinel. In other words she captained all the guards and sentries, in power and rank. Sonia was a wonderful person, but on the battlefield she could be less than forgiving, especially when her people are hurt or at risk.
"Dammit Ash Ketchum, you'd better be okay... there's things I need to ask you!"
She was close now, only a few rooms away. Making it to the final corridor Ember pulled up short. The passage was littered with people, all moving to to main room to see what was going on. They were at one of the second floor entrances to the room. Ember pushed past people as she emerged into the room, her vision opening up to the wild scene below.
All around the edges of the room, Ember could see kneeling or flat out unconscious sentries. It looked as if their ambush didn't go exactly as planned. Additionally, there were only a few Pokemon that were still with their trainers; likely most of them had been knocked out and recalled. In the center of the room Sonia and Ash were fighting. From her viewpoint high up, it almost looked like they were dancing. Of course, one look at Sonia's face said that wasn't the case. She was enraged. Ash on the other hand had an expression that looked like he was in over his head.
Movement to the side at her own level caught Ember's eye. Looking up she saw that two Pokemon were battling fiercely on the other side of the second floor platform. They broke apart for a moment. Ember instantly recognized the clipped ear of Sonia's Lucario. He was fighting a Zangoose which must belong to Ash. Was Ash stupid, wondered Ember, now moving to the stairs at the back of the room. That Zangoose has a complete type disadvantage. The Pokemon was looking weary as it is; she figured he wouldn't last much longer.
Ash on the other hand seemed to be managing himself well enough, despite how things looked...or not. Ember darted to the railing of the stairs and looked over it. Ash had just been thrown against the wall from more than ten feet away.
"Sonia, aren't those things a little unnecessary?" Ember shouted in alarm, staring at the gauntlets she was wearing. They were basically designed to enhance the force she could put into something. Basically super pushing gloves, or punching in this case. Whether Sonia couldn't hear her or just simply chose to ignore her, Ember couldn't tell. Ash was getting to his feet, clearly shaken from hitting the wall. Ember could see damage to the wall as well.
"Are you insane?" Ash shouted, leaning back against the wall for support. "What if I had hit the wall head first? That could have killed me!" Sonia tilted her head to the side, cracking her neck slightly.
"It's possible," she said.
"Is this how you treat guests?" Ash said, now leaning against the wall he just hit. Ember frowned. For someone who had just slammed into a wall, he looked perfectly fine. What was his body made of?
"If you wanted to be treated kindly then you should have asked for someone at the front door, not beat up my men!" Sonia snapped. "Stop resisting and give up or I'll drag your head through the floor." Ash shuddered. Something told him she wasn't joking with him. Why did he have to run into someone with such anger problems so early on? Looking up randomly, his eyes met Ember's. He blinked, staring. Even Sonia looked after a moment.
"Ember! Hey!" said Ash happily. "Help me out here, would ya?"
"Ember, you know him?" asked Sonia surprised. Ember sighed, rubbing her head. She hadn't seen him for more than a few seconds and he was already giving her a headache. She couldn't believe that she had been worried about him for even a second. She looked straight at Ash with a blank stare.
"I told you not to come."
"You know I couldn't do that," he replied.
"Yeah, I guess I do," she muttered. What a day. "Sonia, stand down. Send for medics for them all." Sonia hesitated for a moment, eyes fixed on Ash, then closed them and nodded. Her posture relaxed and her fists unclenched.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Ash watched in surprise as the clearly older woman, and in his case scarier, immediately put a hand to her ear and said, "I need a mixed team of medics to the main room in Central, now." She looked back at Ash then called, "Rush!" Her lucario jumped down to land at her side. He was only somewhat beaten up. Zangoose followed the Pokemon down and moved to Ash's side. His Pokemon was in much worse condition.
"Jeez you're beat up. Did you have a good fight?" he asked Zangoose. Zangoose said nothing, only smiling in a way that Ash knew all too well. "Sonia, was it?" The woman looked at him. "Or is it Commander Sonia? Well either way, Zangoose here says he had a good fight. I hope you'll grant us the honor of a rematch sometime." Sonia blinked, taken aback. After a moment she nodded. The medics had shown up. Clearly unaware of what exactly had just happened, one of the Pokemon medics went straight for Zangoose and Rush. As Ash thanked the medic Sonia pulled Ember aside.
"Alright, what the hell is going on? Who is that?" she whispered, jerking her head at Ash. All around them there was movement and sound from the medics helping the people and Pokemon. Ember sighed and looked at the high ceiling which was painted to look like the sky.
"Ash Ketchum," she said softly. Her eyes moved to meet Sonia's, which had gone wide at the name. Ember smiled weakly.
"My brother."