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Chapter XXV: In Which Burgundy Takes A Call
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March 5th, 2002. Early Morning. Opelucid City.
There were a lot of questions running through Misty's mind; so many that she couldn't sort them out, and even if she could, she wouldn't be able to ask them. Instead, she sat rigidly beside Ash in the back of the police cruiser, feeling as though she were ready to burst at the seams and completely fall apart. It made her wonder how the others were doing. If she was one of the 'strong' ones, then how were they faring?
Ash was watching Misty carefully, and he was very much aware of how overwhelmed she was feeling at the moment. In fact, he was sure everyone felt the same after his show on the runway... but he made a bet, and that was a bet on their faith. They would be angry—at least, there would definitely be a demand for an explanation—but he trusted they would still follow his lead. He needed them to.
To say he wasn't nervous either would be a lie, though. A G-Men agent had taken Pikachu away from him, and even though there was the promise that he would be OK, the separation anxiety was starting to set in.
Ash's gaze flicked toward the front. Officer Jenny, who had been called to the scene by Agent Adalet, wasn't paying attention. So, he discreetly reached out and grabbed Misty's hand with his.
She looked at him with wide eyes, and they pleaded for an answer. He grinned at her crookedly, a silent reassurance that everything would be OK. She breathed out and, using her free hand, brushed a piece of her red hair out of her face.
She then reciprocated his grip.
Hell or high water.
James's eyelids drooped and eventually fell, but Jessie elbowed him in the side, jolting him back awake. This had been happening back and forth between she, James, and Meowth for the past hour or so. They were all dead tired. They had spent so much time thinking last night, and thinking was a bad thing in Team Rocket. It made agents stay up all night and look bad in front of their bosses in the morning.
"How close are we?" Giovanni asked the driver. He was seated in the front with his Persian curled on his lap. The size of the Classy Cat Pokémon made the arrangement a little awkward, but the Team Rocket Boss would never leave behind his beloved Normal-type.
"Very, very soon," the driver replied. Another Team Rocket agent's Onix had carved out a makeshift road in the mountain late last night, after Kyurem's capture, purely so Giovanni would have easy access to the cave in which the Legendary Dragon resided. Suddenly, the said cave emerged in a bend around the mountain, and the vehicle headed straight into it. Cables with lights attached had been hastily hung from the walls to light the way.
Still, the dimness of the atmosphere made it even more difficult to stay awake, and the mutual elbowing and shoving and stomping on feet increased among the trio.
"What are you fools doing back there?" Giovanni snarled when he had enough of their startled grunts and movement.
"Nothing, sir," the three replied in unison.
Suddenly, the vehicle slowed to a complete stop, and Giovanni looked ahead and promptly had his breath taken away.
"Arceus," he swore in awe before opening the door, pushing Persian off his lap, and stepping out of the car. "It's gorgeous."
Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged brief, confused glances before clumsily exiting the car, too. Then they say what had the Boss so enraptured. The massive Kyurem laid down on the ground, his uneven, jagged wings flattened and folded behind his back. His eyes were dark with sleep, and the blinking Meloetta-inspired device remained attached to his neck. Mewtwo and Moltres waited on either side of the Dragon-type, like obedient soldiers.
"He is just what I need," Giovanni continued, patting his hand on one of Kyurem's giant, icy claws. "His size certainly puts even a Wailord to shame, doesn't it?"
The arriving trio came up beside Pierce, whose gaze flicked toward them briefly with a frown but eventually returned toward Giovanni, who was growing increasingly delighted with his new toy. Jessie also noticed several other familiar faces in the crowd, including Butch and Cassidy. Cassidy felt her gaze and stuck her tongue out at her demeaningly.
Jessie scoffed and looked away. If the time were appropriate, she would have brought up the fact that the blonde and Biff or Bill or whatever his name was had to be hauled out of jail by Annie and Oakley. In fact, Jessie was partially amazed the duo had been transferred from Johto to Unova to work on this mission. Their capture, though hushed, was an embarrassment to the organization.
The esteemed leader then spun toward the forty or so agents that had gathered.
"Today is the day," he began proudly, "that we overtake the G-Men. Today is the day that we, the outcasts of society, get our reprieve. You, among many, were chosen to be here because of your loyalty to this organization and your contributions to this project. Sixteen years ago, a wonderful and loyal Team Rocket agent gave her life in her pursuit of the legendary Mew. Eight years later, Project Legendary began due to her work, and after another eight years, it will end today."
Several cheers and enthused claps emerged from the crowd. Jessie, James, and Meowth's reactions were delayed, but they came nevertheless.
"What do we do next, sir?" Pierce asked.
"I have already said this, Pierce," Giovanni began, his lips curling into a smirk. "We wait. We wait for the G-Men to come, because they will."
"Sir, Hutch and I could go to the airport and wait for their arrival," Cassidy spoke up. "We will send warning to you when they do."
"Hutch?" Butch whined. "Cassidy, it's-"
"-Ah, ambitiousness," Giovanni commended, cutting Butch off. "That is what I like in my top agents. Yes, that would be appropriate. You are excused to do so. Please keep close contact."
Cassidy beamed and sent another nasty look toward Jessie before heading off with Butch. Giovanni turned to admire Kyurem again, and the agents began to disperse to their own recreations. Jessie stood motionless for a long moment before approaching the armored Mewtwo. James and Meowth watched her apprehensively.
The Psychic-type towered at least a foot above her, and she might have been unnerved for that reason had she not known he wouldn't attack her unless Giovanni ordered it. She tried to see through the visor, to look at his expression, but it was simply too dark. There was no visible emotion in him. It was as though he were a statue, an object.
Jessie breathed in sharply and spun around to face James and Meowth again.
"Sixteen years ago," she began, speaking in a hurried tone, "my mother left me so she could attempt to capture Mew. She died. She died for the thing that would become Project Legendary. I won't let the same happen to me."
Kyurem's eyes began to glow again as he awakened, and he obediently rose up. Meloetta's demented song had worked its magic on him. Yet, the very last essence of himself burst from his core in a long, solemn cry.
Iris felt a cold pang in her heart, and she straightened up with a muted gasp. May, being the only person close enough to notice the almost unnoticeable change in Iris, cast her a concerned glance. Axew also sensed his trainer's discomfort and popped out of her hair to comfort her, which caught the officer at the collections desk in the Opelucid City Police Station off guard.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to turn over your Axew, too," he said, and Iris snapped out of her daze and looked at him with terrified eyes.
"No, no," she pleaded, grabbing her Axew off her shoulder and hugging him tightly. "He's still just a baby. He's been with me practically since he was born."
Her protest drew in the attention of all her peers, who were also in the process of turning in their Pokéballs and other items, as per the terms of solitary holding, where Adalet had ordered they be placed. No Pokémon were allowed in confinement. All of them had to be left at the collections desk. In fact, Pikachu was there waiting at the desk when they first arrived, though he was confined in a cage. It had taken every ounce of strength in Ash to not fall apart and begin attacking with his Pokémon again—this time seriously—when he saw his best friend locked up like that.
Ash, however, remembered that Pikachu had put his trust in him, and flying off the handle would be letting the Mouse Pokémon down. So he merely nodded toward the Electric-type, assuring him that all was still well.
"I'm sorry," the officer said, though he hardly sounded genuine, "but rules are rules."
Iris stood, mortified, but she eventually slowly nodded and, with shaking hands, gave him her Axew. He immediately began fussing and crying for his trainer, but she could do nothing. Cilan looked at the officer with nothing sort of absolute disgust. He had not realized he was capable of hatred—he was far too gentlemanly for such a raw emotion—but in that moment, he swore that was his feeling.
"Is there anything else on you?" A second collections officer asked, directing the question toward Cilan. He looked toward her, and he became acutely aware of the pressure of Winona's PokéNav pressed up against his ankle. He had slid the device into his sock earlier, and his pant leg covered it. Ash was watching the connoisseur carefully.
"No, madam," he answered politely. "I gave you all three of my Pokémon."
Silver's eyes widened as realization dawned at him, and his eyes quickly passed from Ash to Cilan to Leaf.
Adalet suddenly swept into the room, standing directly in front of Silver.
"Are they ready?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," one of the officers replied.
Silver's eyes scanned the room to ensure no one was watching him. Then, he delicately reached out, pulled Adalet's wallet out of his back pocket, and slid it into the rim of his jeans without the agent noticing.
They didn't call him the silver-eyed thief for nothing.
Drayden felt the same awful chill run through his body, and he slowly exhaled. He was sitting among friends—other gym leaders and Elite Four members—in the Opelucid City Gym. The Unova elite had started gathering there since the early hours of the morning, and various members of the Hoenn elite had begun arriving in patches, too. Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh, being much further from Unova, were behind. Still, anxiety hung in the air as they waited for the G-Men leadership to arrive. They understood they were to remain inactive until their Champions came to lead the charge.
"Drayden, are you all right?" Elesa asked him with concern.
His eyes flicked toward her.
"Yes," he answered simply, though it was a lie. He slowly rose to his feet. "I just realized there's a matter of business I must take care of."
"What business?"
"Never mind that," he dismissed. "I trust you'll take care of everything here for me."
Elesa blinked, taken aback.
"Ah... yes."
Drayden then retrieved his Pokéballs and slipped out the room without much notice. One who did notice his leave, however, was Max Maple, as he sat between his parents, clutching his own sole Pokéball.
The slam of the heavy, metal door echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the yellowish walls. They were not placed in a cell, as some had imagined they would be. The room was carpeted, but disturbingly empty. A polished wooden desk was near the right side of the rectangular capacity, and several cushioned chairs lined the wall.
The click of the lock on the door, though, likened it to a prison anyway.
The important thing was that they were together. Ash's fear was that they would be split up, and he was relieved that had not been the case. This overlooked detail was not as comforting to his companions, however. As soon as they were alone, Leaf stumbled over to the desk and bent over it, lowering her face into her arms and groaning. It was unclear whether this was because of the physical pain that came with an agent pushing his hand into her gut, or because she was frustrated with their situation. Perhaps it was both.
After a brief silence, Drew turned to Ash with the one question on everyone's mind.
"OK, what was that back there?" he demanded.
Ash let on a half-smile.
"I know you're all probably mad..." he said, taking a step away from the group.
"Mm, yeah, a little bit," Trip added bitterly.
"I do have an explanation."
"Well, we're all ears." Gary sounded more tired than anything.
Ash paused, thinking how he could best explain himself without inciting any further anger from his peers.
"Believe it or not," he began. "I actually wanted this. I didn't tell Pikachu to go after Agent Adalet hoping that we'd have some grand escape. I knew they would take us into custody, and I hoped they would put us in a room just like this one."
This elicited several confused stares. Even Leaf lifted her head again.
"Why?" Zoey asked.
"Because look," Ash answered, gesturing to the area around him. "We're alone. When we were on the plane, Adalet and those other agents were watching us. We wouldn't be able to get out. No one's watching us now, though. Dawn, look out that window. Is anyone watching us?"
The blunette blinked, but she peered out the small 12-by-6 plexiglass window that was embedded in the locked door.
"Doesn't look like it..." she decided.
"I'm not sure what good that does, though," Ritchie commented. "We don't have our Pokémon with us anymore. Maybe we're not being watched, but there's no way we could possibly get ourselves out of here without them."
"We don't have to have our Pokémon," Ash replied confidently. "At least, not right now, 'cause we won't be the ones getting ourselves out. Cilan, you still have Winona's PokéNav, don't you?"
Cilan quickly nodded, reached down to pull the device out of his sock, and handed it over to Ash. Ash clutched it with a grin, and Iris (along with several others) looked at the connoisseur in surprise, unsure how he had managed to get it past the collections desk.
"You intend to call someone," Paul stated it as a fact.
"Yup."
"Who? Cilan's brothers? They could be hours away still. It might be too late for us by then," Paul continued.
"No. Not Cilan's brothers. I'm still counting on them to catch up to us later, though," Ash replied. "See, right before we landed, I decided to take a look at the website for Opelucid City, and I found out there's a Don George Tournament bein' hosted here right now."
"A what?" Kenny's face twisted in confused.
"The Don George family owns a string of battle clubs across Unova," Trip explained flatly, "and they hold tournaments in various cities all year round. I don't see how this is relevant, though."
"Because," Ash emphasized, "I looked at the entrant list, and they're here. Stephan, Burgundy, Georgia, Bianca, Luke, they're all here. They're in the city. Seeing that list, and hearing Adalet tell us how they were gonna make sure we didn't leave, that we didn't get to go to Kyurem and Mewtwo and Moltres, it made me think—" He paused briefly and turned toward Misty. "—made me think about what Misty said about how things are supposed to go wrong around me, but that there are people who are in my life, in my path, that are supposed to help set it right again."
Misty's chest tightened.
Ash continued, "But Silver also said something important—that these people are waiting for me to act, to take the lead. Well, I'm acting. I'm doing it. That's why I told Pikachu to use Volt Tackle, so we could be here and utilize the help of Stephen and Bianca and all of the others. I think they're here for a reason, in the same way you guys are here, and Ursula and Conway and Nando were here."
"You're banking on those five breaking us out of jail?" Trip appalled.
"Well, yeah..."
"You're crazy."
"Yeah, but you're just as crazy as I am," Ash said with a twinkle in his eye, and Misty couldn't help but smile. He was back. "I mean, you honestly think I'm the Chosen One, and that's crazy. If you're crazy enough to believe that, then you're probably crazy enough to think this'll work."
Trip stared. Zoey let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Do you even have their numbers?" Trip finally asked.
"No, but..." Ash glanced toward Leaf, who had pushed herself back into a standing position while listening to Ash speak with intrigue. "That's what Leaf's for, right? She's a part of this whole connection. She's a G-Men agent, and the G-Men have access to this huge bank of trainer information and stuff, right? If we find Stephan's number and managed to get ahold of him, then I'm sure he'd be willing to help us."
Leaf's face fell, and for a moment, she swore she might cry. On one hand, she was touched he considered her a part of his circle. On the other hand, she could feel her heart breaking, knowing he had not understood the implications behind Adalet calling her 'Ms. Greene.' Yet, she couldn't bring herself to explain this, so she slowly rounded and held her hand out to Ash, expecting him to give her the PokéNav.
"That's true. There is a database office I can call," she said, though she sounded utterly dejected. Silver noticed this, and he pursed his lips. Everyone else passed it off as exhaustion and breathiness as a result of her injury.
She dialed and pressed the device to her ear. Ash was eagerly watching her.
"You have reached the G-Men headquarters in the Indigo Plateau. Please state your business," a secretary's voice said formally after picking up.
"Hello, this is Agent Greene," she began. "I need to get a number for a trainer."
"Could I gets your full name?"
"Leaf Greene," she answered simply. "That's Leaf, as in the thing that grows on trees, and Greene, like the color, but with an extra 'e' on the end."
Silence followed. Leaf leaned against the desk, her free hand grasping the edge.
"... Could you give me your ID number?"
Leaf dreaded this question. She had hoped by some miracle that it wouldn't come, that she hadn't been removed from the employment roll, that her name alone would get her through. The fact the secretary had to ask meant she wasn't there.
"012904," Leaf answered.
More silence. Then:
"I'm sorry, Ms. Greene. It appears I cannot find you in our system."
Leaf dropped the phone from her ear to her side, though she didn't hang up.
"I'm not in the system," she said simply.
"What?" May asked, blinking.
"I'm not in the system," Leaf repeated. "I've been removed."
A painfully long pause followed. No one said anything. Leaf's eyes flicked downward, and Gary's gaze softened with sympathy. He knew this was exactly what she had striven to avoid. She wanted to support Ash in his role while also maintaining her membership in the government organization. To do both, as it turned out, was not possible.
"Leaf, I'm so sorry," Misty finally spoke up.
Silver frowned, deciding he'd had enough. He reached into his jeans, retrieved out Adalet's wallet, opened it up, and pulled out the agent's G-Men ID badge.
"I suspected something like this would happen," he said before tossing the ID onto the table. It slid a couple inches across the surface, and for a moment, everyone just stared at it. Leaf looked up at the silver-eyed boy, wanting to ask how he'd acquired it. Before she could however, Paul, in one fell swoop, plucked Winona's PokéNav out of Leaf's hands and brought it up to his ear.
"Hello, this is Agent Adalet speaking. Are you still there?" he asked without missing a beat.
Dawn's jaw nearly dropped.
"Yes, sir."
"I think there's been a bit of a mix-up. I'm not sure why Agent Greene is not in the system, but I'm fairly confident that I will be," Paul continued. His low voice was perfectly suited for the gruff male agent.
"Can I get you to tell me your full name?"
"Erol Adalet," Paul answered, picking up the badge and reading it. "That's E-R-O-L, A-D-A-L-E-T. My number is-"
"-Ah yes, here you are. I'll patch you through."
Paul then dropped the device, his hand covering the receiver, when he saw the others trying to get his attention.
"Paul," Dawn began seriously, "impersonating a G-Men agent is, like, mega illegal."
"So is attacking one, but we all seem to be OK with that now," Paul retorted before lifting the PokéNav again.
"You've reached the records office for the G-Men. Who do you need to look up?"
"I'm looking for the number of a trainer from the Unova region," Paul answered. "His name is..."
He looked toward Ash expectantly, and the raven-haired boy quickly straightened up.
"Oh! Um..." He paused to think. "Is it Stephen or Stephan? I can't remember now."
"Are you serious?" Paul glowered at him.
"I'm pretty sure it's Stephen, Ash," Iris said.
"OK. Then we'll go with Stephen Dunstan," Ash conceded, though he was still unsure.
"Stephen Dunstan," Paul parroted into the receiver. "That's..." He waited for Ash to begin mouthing the letters to him. "S-T-E-P-H-E-N, D-U-N-S-T-A-N."
Paul could hear the person on the other side furiously typing on a keyboard. He turned and sat on the edge of the desk, waiting.
"I'm sorry, I can't find any trainers with that exact name in the Unova region."
Paul let out a frustrated breath, and he covered the receiver with his hand once again.
"He can't find anyone."
"What?" Ash seemed confused.
"The person on the other side of the line can't find anyone named Stephen Dunstan," Paul repeated more firmly.
"W-Well then we'll try Georgia!" Ash persisted.
"Ash, are you out of your mind?" Iris asked with a short laugh. "On what planet would Georgia ever help us? She hates me, she's indifferent to you and Cilan, and I don't think she even knows Trip exists!"
"Well, that's not unusual for Trip," Gary commented dryly, and Trip let out a low growl.
"We've just gotta try." Ash was determined.
"All right, I have a second name then." Paul picked up the phone again. "It's Georgia..."
Ash bit his lip when Paul looked at him.
"What's her last name?" he muttered to himself frenetically. "What's her last name?"
"Hamilton," Trip interjected. "Georgia Hamilton. G-E-O-R-G-I-A, H-A-M-I-L-T-O-N."
Paul repeated the letters through the device and fell silent afterward. Ash crossed his fingers, hoping it would work.
"Here she is. I'll send the call through immediately."
Paul smirked.
"The phone is ringing," he said, holding out the phone toward Iris. Several happy breaths swept across the teens, and May let out a giggle.
"Paul, you're the best!" Barry exclaimed with a grin. "All your debts to me are officially waived. You deserve it, man!"
"W-wait," Iris began with a nervous chuckle. "You want me to talk to her?"
"You're her rival, aren't you?" Paul asked.
"I just said a couple minutes ago that Georgia does not like me."
"So?"
"So? Imagine if, one year ago, Ash called you asking you to bust him out of jail. Now imagine you believe he's been dead for two months"
Paul furrowed his eyebrows.
"Fair point." He then offered the PokéNav to Cilan. "Here, you have experience with this now. You talk to her."
Cilan didn't have time to protest. The phone had rung twice, so he fumbled for it and pressed it to his ear, waiting Georgia to pick up.
Winona's mind was fuzzy in the oddest way possible. It felt as though she had some sort of sinus infection or head cold, but without the pain and runny nose. The past eight or so hours of her life were completely foggy to her, and she didn't like that at all.
Agent Adalet had been the one to draw her out of her trance, and he brought her to a private room within the Opelucid City Police Station.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, sliding a glass of water toward her.
"Just... strange," she mumbled, graciously accepting the water and taking a sip. "I'd like for it to never happen again."
"If it's any consolation, I imagine Leaf will be terminated for her insurrection."
"Leaf?" Winona blinked. "She's the girl who was injured, right?"
"That's right."
"She wasn't the one who hypnotized me," Winona corrected. "It was that boy with red hair and light gray eyes. Silver, I think his name is? I have a message from Wallace saved in my PokéNav telling me a little bit about him."
She pulled her bag up onto her lap and rummaged through it. After an extended search, however, she paused with a frown.
"Is something wrong?" Adalet inquired.
"My PokéNav is missing..."
Adalet lips tightened, bothered by this new discovery. He couldn't dwell on it long, however, as his own PokéNav began ringing. He excused himself to answer.
"This Erol Adalet speaking," he said.
"Adalet," Lance regarded. "Are you available? I need you to take care of some new arrivals at the Opelucid City Airport."
"I am available, as a matter of fact."
"Are Leaf and the fourteen safe?"
"They won't be causing trouble anymore."
"O... K..." Lance sounded suspicious, but he quickly moved on. "As I was saying, I received word that a flight from Viridian City recently landed. I've been trying to contact Drayden to tell him, but he won't pick up."
"I'll take care of it," Adalet said. "How far away are you and the Sinnoh elite now?"
"Under two hours."
"All right. We'll wait for you."
"Thank you, agent."
March 5th, 2002. Morning. Plane to Unova.
Cynthia didn't look up when her husband slid into the seat beside her—but she did have questions prepared.
"Did Lance manage to get in contact with Drayden?" she asked.
"No." Steven shook his head, "but he called Adalet, and he's going to take care of it."
Cynthia sighed and pressed a hand to her face before clumsily running her fingers through her hair.
"This isn't really coming well, together, is it?" she inquired.
"If nothing happens before we arrive, we'll be able to unify ourselves with the other elite," Steven assured her.
"Drayden's missing. Something's happening," she said point blank. Steven frowned and averted his gaze. He knew that she was right. He wasn't particularly familiar with Drayden, but he understood that while he was normally calm and level-headed, he had certain ticks—ticks that would cause him to act irrationally. In fact, it seemed to run in the family, from Drayden, to Lance, to Leaf.
"I put in a call to the G-Men headquarters at the Indigo Plateau," Steven started a new subject. "They released Chris early this morning."
"Well, I'm sure he's happy about that." The bitterness in her tone was subdued, as was nearly everything else about her. Steven sighed.
"Cyndi, what's bothering you?" he asked.
"I think you know, Steven."
"Emily?"
Cynthia's lack of a response was a 'yes.'
"There's nothing we can do about it right now," Steven went on. "Emily will be OK. We know she is with authorities now. Her husband can't touch her anymore. Or are you thinking about what Lance said?"
"Both, I suppose," Cynthia answered.
"Don't let it bother you," Steven persisted. "Empathy is an amazing quality, and you are rife with it. Is that a weakness? Perhaps excess does place us in troubling situations, but lack does the same. You and Lance have both made mistakes in this regard. This will only make you a stronger leader and a better parent, and it will do the same for him."
Cynthia finally made eye contact. Steven smiled and reached for the curve of her belly.
March 5th, 2002. Morning. Opelucid City.
Georgia was not expecting to see her fellow trainers passively watching television in the Pokémon Center's lobby when she came downstairs that morning. Although the second round of battles for the Opelucid City Don George Tournament, Clubtastic, did not begin until noon, she figured most of them would be outside doing some last-minute training.
She took a bite out of her breakfast, an apple, before leaning her arms on the back of the sofa on which Burgundy and Bianca were seated. She was temped to roll her eyes when she realized to what station the television was turned. She was sick of the news.
"What are you doing watching this?" she groaned.
"As an aspiring Pokémon S-Class Connoisseuse, I need to be more socially aware," Burgundy said stiffly.
"Try B-Class before you even think about S-Class," Georgia scoffed before taking another bite of her apple. Nevertheless, she settled herself enough to see what had her peers so entranced.
"Now, how credible do you think Emily McGonnigal's claim is, Jim?" The anchor was sitting at a small table with two of the station's correspondents, a male and a female.
"Oh, not credible, not credible at all." He shook his head and adjusted his glasses. His shiny, brown hair was slicked to one side, and he was wearing a gray suit. He was precisely the type of pretentious, ignorant jerk Georgia loved to hate, and people like him were the reason she balked at televised news media. "You see, Davidson, here we've got a battered woman who's lost her son and whose husband regularly beats her. You don't think it's possible that this poor woman invented this fantasy—this idea—that her only child, Trip, is actually alive to avoid dealing with reality. It seems like a typical thing for a mother or any woman in her situation."
"Wait," Georgia interjected, latching onto Trip's name. She rounded the sofa and sat between her female competitors. "What happened? When did it happen?"
"It broke last night," Luke answered plainly. His Zorua was on his lap, and he was petting her, almost therapeutically.
"Trip's dad got arrested for beating his mom," Stephan explained in further detail. "And his mom said something about Trip being alive, so it's all over the news today."
"Ugh." Georgia made a face. "That's awful. Why would they report on something like that?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Luke inquired.
"I don't know... I guess because there's something really distasteful about airing a family's dirty laundry like that," Georgia explained. She fiddled around with the Xtransciever on her wrist and pulled it off. It was a habit of hers play with her clothes or accessories when she was uncomfortable. "I mean, I didn't know Trip that well, but do you think he'd be OK having his name plastered all over the news like this? No one actually cares about him or any of those other kids. It's just some big soap opera they sell to get higher ratings."
"I care," Bianca said in a half-whisper.
"Speak up, Bianca. No one can hear you when you're mumbling." Georgia's irritation trickled into her tone, and she dropped the Xtransciever onto the table with a sigh. Georgia's attitude upset the normally bubbly Bianca.
"I care," Bianca repeated more firmly, rising up. Her fists were clenched, and she was nearly shaking. "I care, because my cousin died in that accident, because Cilan, Iris, and Ash, who were all really good friends to me, died in that accident. Sorry if you don't feel the same way."
She raised her hand to wipe away a stray tear before abruptly turning on her heel and running out of the room. Georgia let out a long breath as her face fell into her hand and guilt started to flood her consciousness.
"Nice going, Georgia," Stephan said. It was unusually bitter for the normally jolly and good-natured young man. Perhaps they'd all become a bit bitter since the accident, though.
"Shut up, Stephen."
"It's Stephan."
"Whatever. I'm going to go talk to her." Georgia stood again and briskly went after Bianca. As she was headed out, her Xtransceiver began ringing.
"Hey Gia, you've got a phone call," Burgundy called out.
"You answer it," Georgia called back as she disappeared. "I'm busy at the moment."
Burgundy huffed, picked up the watch-like device and pressed the receive button. No video feed came through, which was mildly surprising. It meant someone was trying to contact Georgia via a regular telephone or a device like a PokéNav or PokéGear. Although newer versions of the technology had some video capabilities, they weren't compatible with the Unova-based Xtransceiver.
"Hello, this is the secretary for the world's most massive bitch," Burgundy greeted dryly. "How may I help you?"
"Burgundy?"
Burgundy's mouth dropped. Stephan and Luke were both shocked, too, to hear the familiar voice through the speaker phone.
"Cilan?!" she nearly screeched.
"Bianca!" Georgia rapped on the door to the bathroom in which Bianca had locked herself. "Bianca, I'm sorry. I didn't know about your cousin, and I didn't mean it in that way."
Bianca remained silent on the other side. Georgia sighed and fell back against the door.
"I mean, it's not like I don't care," she said. "I was really upset when I found out about the crash—more upset than you'd think. It's really, really unnerving to realize people you competed with, battled against even, were just... gone. I'm just tired of hearing about it on the news, because then I get upset all over again."
"Georgia!"
Georgia looked cross when she heard her name called, and she turned to see Burgundy stumbling toward her.
"What do you want?" she groused. "I am trying to be sentimental and comforting right now."
"Y-You..." Burgundy paused to swallow. Her face was pale, and this elicited some concern from Georgia. "You really need to listen."
The connoisseuse held out the Xtransceiver, and Georgia looked at her doubtfully before accepting the device, holding it up on her open palm.
"Why? Who-"
"Georgia? Is that you?"
The magenta-haired girl breathed in sharply. She could recognize that voice anywhere.
"Cilan? You're alive? Wha- This better not be some cruel joke!" Georgia's voice suddenly took a low, warning turn.
"It's not. Georgia-"
"Arceus, so what Trip's mom said is true?" Georgia asked. "Is Trip alive, too? Iris? Ash? Are all of the fourteen alive?"
"I don't know anything about... that." Cilan was strangely careful to avoid mentioning Trip's mother. "But yes, we are all alive. I can switch to speaker phone if you'd like proof of that."
"Please do," Georgia hissed. "I'd like to talk to Iris."
There was some fumbling on the other side of the line, and in the meantime, Stephan and Luke came running in to see what was happening. They were just as bewildered by the notion that the fourteen were actually alive as anyone else, perhaps moreso because they were closer with Ash, Cilan, and Iris than either Georgia or Burgundy. At least, their relationships with the trio were more positive.
"Hi Georgia." Iris sounded nervous.
"You better have a good explanation for this, Ms. Dragon Master," Georgia seethed.
"I do! I really do! It's a really long story, though, and we're tight on time. Actually, we need your help. We're in a bit of a situation..."
"What situation?" Stephan finally spoke up.
"Stephen!" Ash's voice broke in. "Is that you?"
"Er... it's Stephan. But yeah, it's me!" Stephan grinned. "Good to see ya—uh, hear ya—again, Ash!"
"Hey, this is my conversation!" Georgia elbowed him in the gut. "Butt out!"
"Who is there with you, Georgia?" Cilan asked. "Stephan and Burgundy and... ? At least, I'm fairly certain it's Burgundy. She presented herself as your secretary when she picked up the phone."
Burgundy's skin tone went from pale to red, and she buried her face in her hands with embarrassment. Only then did the humiliation of saying an unsavory word in front of another connoisseur (her dreadful rival, Cilan, no less) dawn on her. Such language was unbecoming of an aspiring S-Class, and Cilan certainly understood that.
"Luke's here," Georgia answered. "And so is Bianca, through a two-inch wooden door."
"What is that supposed to mean... ?" they could hear Trip mumble.
"Ey, Trip! Good to hear ya, too!" Stephan's grin widened.
"Stephen! What did I just say about this being my phone call?" Georgia snapped.
"Sorry." Stephan hung his head. "... And it's Stephan."
"This has gotten way off-topic," an unfamiliar voice interjected.
"Misty's right," Ash agreed.
"Yeah..." Iris trailed off. "Like I said, we're, um, in a bit of a bind, and we need your help. We need all of your help."
"How?"
"We've... kind of been arrested."
"What? Why- OK, hold up, slow down there." Georgia let out an anxious chuckle. She didn't know how else to react to the situation. It was all happening so fast, and she was still reeling. "I can tell you already that I am not going to bail you out of jail. Nu-uh. Sorry. Nope. You can't just waltz into my life again with an out-of-the-blue phone call and expect me to help you guys."
"How'd you get arrested anyway?" Luke asked, clutching his Zorua.
"Look, we'll explain all this to you in due time, but we seriously are in a rush right now," Iris persisted. "Kyurem has been captured by Team Rocket, and we've got to help him. We don't want you to bail us out of jail. We want you to break us out."
"Kyurem? You mean the legendary Dragon-type?" Stephan asked.
"That's the one!" Ash affirmed. "And he's in big trouble, and he needs us."
"Why do you have to be the ones to help him?" Burgundy snarked.
"It really is a long story..."
Georgia let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Well, I don't want to hear it. Sorry, but I think you're insane."
"Please Georgia," Iris pleaded. "I'll be forever in your debt if you do."
"I'll pass. Thanks for the consideration, but sorry not sorry, no can do."
"Georgia!-"
Georgia ended the call before Iris could say anything further, and Stephan and Luke looked at her, appalled.
"What the heck did'ja do that for?" Luke asked with a frown.
"Luke, they were asking us to break them out of jail without much explanation," Georgia replied, exasperated. "Any reasonable-minded person would say 'no.'"
"Well, maybe we're not reasonable," Stephan retorted.
"I could see that..." Burgundy muttered.
"Yeah, it's a bit crazy, but-" Luke began, before Georgia cut him.
"It's a lot crazy," she insisted, and Luke glowered at her before continuing.
"But, at the same time, how crazy is it that those guys are alive? It's something else! Somethin' you'd watch in a movie or read in a book! And the heroes always need their trusty friends to fall back on when they're in trouble, and that's us!"
"This isn't one of your films, Luke," Burgundy pointed out.
"Well, maybe you don't wanna help 'em, but Luke and I do!" Stephan added.
"Yeah!" Luke rallied with him.
"Me too," Bianca's muted agreement emerged from the other side of the bathroom door, and the four glanced her way as she slipped out. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was determined. "I want to help, too."
"All right!" Stephan pumped his fist, before looking back at Burgundy and Georgia. "'Course, it'd still be helpful if you two joined us..."
Burgundy was unsure, and Georgia's wasn't ready to let her stubbornness break.
"Fine then. Let's get goin', B," Stephan continued, gesturing for Bianca to follow. She let out a giddy laugh and quickly scampered after him and Luke as they headed off. Georgia huffed and looked at Burgundy, who was already watching her expectantly.
That did it.
"I can't believe this," Georgia grumbled. "Let's go, too."
After a ten-minute walk back through the dimly lit tunnel, Jessie, James, and Meowth made it back outside. Jessie needed a moment to breathe and gather herself, and her partners went with her to ensure she wouldn't do anything rash. Moreover, Kyurem's cave was nothing short of freezing, and while the temperatures weren't much better elsewhere, the sun's rays helped warm the air, even if just a little.
"Man, dat Kyurem is sumtin' else, in't it?" Meowth tried to strike up conversation. "Makes my hair stand on edge. Doesn't quite gimme da creeps like Mewtwo, though..."
"Meowth!" James glared at the cat-like Pokémon. Mewtwo was not a good topic to discuss with Jessie around.
"Yeah..." Jessie halfheartedly agrees. "It bothers me, too."
"Jessie..." James recognized that his companion had been in a funk ever since last night. He had been, too, but she was especially affected. It disturbed James, because she'd always been the more 'loyal,' the more 'focused,' the more 'tough' one of the bunch. He, well, he was just there for the ride at that point. He had no plans of leaving Team Rocket with Jessie unwilling to break ties, but if she was on the brink of breaking down... what did that mean for himself and Meowth?
James might have brought this up with Jessie then, asking her what she wanted from him, what she wanted him to do. The three were alone. There was no one they could trust more than each other, so they could speak freely if they wanted. There was no need for their self-imposed rules about thinking and talking about being the 'good guys.' Might have, because from out of nowhere, a powerful blast of fire came from above, and James, being the first to notice it, tackled Jessie and Meowth into safety.
There was hardly any time for James to turn his neck and see their attacker—a snowy-haired man and his Salamence—as the elderly trainer fiercely ordered the Dragon-type to use Hyper Beam.
"W-Wait!" James staggered to his feet, frantically waving his arms. "Don't attack! Don't attack! We mean no harm!"
The trainer paused and gestured for his Salamence to hold off, though he was no less wary or even angry.
"No harm?" he thundered. "No harm? Is it true you're Team Rocket members?"
"Well, yeah..."
"And is it true Team Rocket captured Kyurem?"
"That's true, too, but..."
"But we're not in support of Team Rocket any longer," Jessie boldly said, standing up and brushing herself off.
"Jessie!" Meowth gasped. "Where's dis comin' from?"
"You honestly didn't expect this after yesterday?" she scoffed.
"I know last night was bad, but we've had bad nights before where we've wondered why we're still in Team Rocket... but we're always back at it the next day!" Meowth persisted.
"Not this time." Jessie vigorously shook her head. "I don't want to be another 'martyr' like my mother, like Archer, like Proton. If the Boss wasn't loyal to Domino and Petrel, then why should I be loyal to him?"
"Jessie, you know da penalty for betrayal is death!" Meowth panicked.
"So what?" Jessie scoffed. "It's either be killed by Team Rocket or this guy right here!" She made a gesture toward Drayden. "And if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die on the right side."
Drayden furrowed his eyebrows and exchanged a mildly confused glance with his Salamence, but he said nothing.
"You know what, Jessie," James began, scared but still determined. "I'm with you. Let's do it. Let's be the good guys."
The two then turned two Meowth, who was looking back at them with wide eyes.
"All right," the Scratch Cat Pokémon gave in with a sigh and tired smile. "Count me in, too. We're in dis together, right? We always have been."
"Right!" Jessie and James said in unison.
"If you three have figured yourselves out," Drayden cut in gruffly, "then I would like to remind you that I am still here."
"Well, since we're good guys now, we'll help!" James insisted with a goofy grin. "Whad'ya need from us? What are you intending to do?"
"Raise hell," Drayden replied flatly. He was suspicious of their antics. They had seesawed from 'bad guys' to 'good guys' in a matter of seconds, and that was worth concern. "I don't want your assistance for that."
"You'll die without it," Jessie warned. "Mewtwo and Moltres are under the Boss's full control—and he'll use them to wipe out anyone who dares defy him."
"Which, uh, I guess includes us now if he finds out we're telling you this." James let out a nervous laugh. Suddenly, the prospect of dying—whether on the right side or not—didn't seem so fancy or heroic.
"Mewtwo and Moltres is not my concern. It's Kyurem I'm after."
"Same dealio, Mr. White Beard," Meowth piped up. "Kyurem is also under the Boss's control now. Ya wanna free 'em, you'll have to tackle the big ol' device attached to his neck."
Drayden frowned, but he concluded that as silly as their sudden change of heart seemed, it was genuine. The reveal of sensitive information attested to that.
"I'll have to take that risk." Drayden turned away and gestured for his Salamence to do the same. "If you're afraid of death, then I suggest you leave now. Because I'm not."
"W-We're not afraid. We're good guys again!"
"Being good doesn't mean you're not afraid," Drayden growled. "Leave. You'll only serve as a distraction."
Drayden then turned and began heading into the cave.
"Distractions are what we're best at!" James called after him, but Drayden didn't look back.
"Dis is for da better James," Meowth assured him. "We wanna start anew, we gotta go now."
"The Boss probably won't even miss us," Jessie added in agreement, "if he doesn't miss his other agents."
James frowned but nodded as he began following his companions. Another roar of Kyurem's could be heard from the depths of the cave.
"OK, we need a plan B," Zoey sighed. After Georgia's initial hang-up, their multiple attempts to call her again went ignored, and the group was starting to grow antsy again.
"Well, maybe now we really should consider trying to call Cilan's brothers..." Dawn suggested. "It's been another hour. Do you think they could be to Opelucid City by now?"
"It's not a matter of whether they could be at Opelucid or not," Cilan corrected. "If they were driving straight from Striaton City to Opelucid City, they would have been here hours ago. They went to White Forest looking for Meloetta, though, and who knows how long that took or even whether they have her yet?"
"So it's a stretch," Gary conceded. "We should still try."
"We could also wait for Lance," Leaf added.
"Oh? And what good will that do?" Silver scoffed. "I thought Lance sent Adalet to put an end to our little adventure, which, I might add, he very successfully did."
"I don't know..." Leaf trailed off. "I'm not so sure. Adalet has been hostile toward me since we first met. In fact—and some of you probably picked up on this the night we left—my involvement in this case was a point of contention for him and Lance. He didn't think I should be with you guys, and he made that pretty clear."
"Is it any surprise it's contentious, though?" Ritchie asked. "Especially now, all things considered..."
"That's my point exactly," Leaf persisted. "This a charged case for him and I. I'm now wondering if any bias leaked in, and he ended up unintentionally baiting us. Maybe the reality of the situation is different with Lance."
"Leaf, the reality is that you were slashed from the G-Men's employment roll," Silver sighed. "You're clinging to fantasy again. Stop that."
"Silver..." Ash gently pleaded with a frown.
"No, it's all right, Ash," Leaf cut back in. "I suppose I just want to trust that... anyway, let's call Cilan's brothers."
The connoisseur let out a tired sigh as he swept up Winona's PokéNav, preparing to dial her number. However, the click of the lock on the door caused him to quickly shuffled the device away into hiding. The door swung open, and there stood Officer Jenny with a rather placid smile on her face.
"Officer Jenny!" May exclaimed in surprise. "Is... something wrong?"
Jenny shook her head, but gestured that they all should follow. Several confused glances were exchanged, but they ventured ahead anyway, one by one. Leaf was the last to leave the room. Her mind was heavy with thought, and it caused her head to hang.
September 23rd, 1999. Late Evening. Indigo Plateau.
Drayden intimidated Leaf.
He was never unkind to her, of course. He was simply aloof, distant, maybe even a bit coarse. It was funny, in a way, since Lance was quite similar—scarily similar—but Leaf didn't find herself feeling so small around him. The familiarity with Lance, however, simply came with time. Looking back, she realized she found him just as frightening when they first met.
Drayden didn't come around often. The trip from Unova was a long one, and he had duties to attend to as the Opelucid City Gym Leader. On the flip side, Lance was so occupied with the G-Men and his responsibilities as the Indigo Champion that he rarely had time for visitors. In short, Leaf simply didn't know the elder Grayson that well.
Every time Drayden did come to the Indigo Plateau, however, he left an impression on her, even if just with a few words or a look in his eyes. It was awe-inspiring how deeply his succinctness could affect her. Their first meeting, in particular, had stuck with her.
"Father," Lance had begun simply, politely, "this is my student, Leaf."
Drayden's gaze flicked toward her, and Leaf straightened up with wide eyes.
"A student?" he inquired. "I wouldn't have expected that already, Lance. Tell me, Leaf, are you also an aspiring Dragon Master?"
"Ah... no sir." Leaf stumbled over her words. "I have a mixed team of Pokémon."
"I see," Drayden mused. "Interesting..."
It wasn't in any way demeaning or judgmental, but an important realization hit Leaf at that very moment. Lance came from a long line of Dragon Masters. Everyone in his family specialized in Dragon-types. Lance and Clair had been trained by Drayden to use Dragon-types, Drayden had been trained by his parents, and his parents had been trained by their parents. Their history was rooted in the Unova region's mystic Village of Dragons, and it was Leaf's understanding that Lance's paternal grandmother was the village matriarch.
The fact Lance had chosen to mentor Leaf when she didn't even own a single Dragon-type Pokémon, therefore, was quite odd. It was even more befuddling when she realized he had never pushed her to specialize, nor had he asked her to catch a Dragon-type. He worked with her for what she was, and that was unique.
For many years, she never understood why, and she never asked. It wasn't until a later visit from Drayden that she even began to grasp a possible reason.
Leaf had gone for bed, leaving Lance and Drayden alone in the Indigo Champion's office. However, it wasn't until she reached her room and flicked on the light that she was missing something: her book. Reading helped put her to sleep at night, but she had left her newest book, a gift from Lance, on the chair she usually occupied in his office.
Without a second thought, she went back to retrieve it. Yet, as she approached the now-closed door, she could hear Drayden and Lance's voices on the other side, and they were in the middle of an argument. Leaf stopped, furrowing her eyebrows before leaning toward the door to listen.
"I would implore you to be careful, Lance," Drayden warned. "You must be able to find a balance, or you will regret it. It will hurt her, and that, in turn, will hurt you."
"I don't understand what the problem is," Lance sighed, frustrated.
"Answer me this, then," Drayden pressed, "are you her Champion mentor, or are you her parent?"
Leaf blinked in surprised and leaned away from the door. She didn't think it was possible, but were they... talking about her? If so, the question was very strange. What exactly did Drayden mean by 'Champion mentor'? And wherever did he inherit the notion that Lance was her parent? These questioned only served to intensify Leaf's intrigue, and she leaned closer to the door, anticipating Lance's answer.
"Is it too much to ask to be both?"
Silence followed.
"Lance," Drayden began seriously, "do not make the same mistake that I did with you."
March 5th, 2002. Morning. Opelucid City.
"After him!" Giovanni cried angrily as Drayden's Salamence rose into the air with his trainer on his back. The control device that was formerly attached to Kyurem's neck under the gym leader's arm. The edges of the machine were tainted with dry blood. Salamence's Hyper Beam had been unable to destroy it (thanks to the genius of Dr. Zager), but Drayden had improvised and flew up to tear the embedded device from the Legendary's neck with his bare hands.
Yet, the pain that came with the ripping of scales, in addition to the sudden freedom, sent Kyurem into a rampage, and he tore out of his cave before anyone could possibly think of stopping him.
Drayden, however, was easier to stop, and doing so was also necessary. They would need the control device to recapture Kyurem.
Mewtwo wasted no time. He sent a Shadow Ball toward Drayden, knocking him squarely in the chest and off his Salamence. He fell quite a ways and hit the ground with a painful 'thud.' Moltres then sent a Fire Blast toward him, but Salamence swept in and used Hydro Pump in retaliation. The forces of fire and water canceled each other out, and it gave Drayden enough time to climb back onto Salamence.
Moltres took flight to chase after the elderly trainer and his Salamence, and Mewtwo was soon to follow before his Master called him back.
"No!" Giovanni said fiercely. "Mewtwo, I need you to stay and be safe for now."
"Man, Opelucid sure is different from Striaton City," Chili mused aloud as he leaned his head against the car's window. "All these tall, white buildings... Striaton's downright colorful in comparison."
Meloetta, who was sitting on the Fire-type specialist's lap, glanced up at him curiously before also peering out the window. She tilted her head and pressed her white, rounded hand to her face as she, too, became enraptured by the towering white-brick buildings.
"Oh, that's right, Meloetta," Cress, who was now driving, interjected. "You've never been to the city, have you? At least, we've read that you prefer to stay away from human civilization..."
"Etta." Meloetta nodded.
"'Course, humans aren't all that bad," Chili added, "I mean, yeah, there is that whole thing with Team Rocket capturing Mewtwo, Moltres, and Kyurem... but you're gonna help us fix that with your song, aren't you?"
"Et etta!" She looked determined.
"And since you seem to like the Rockin' Raikou so much," Chili pressed onward, "maybe after all this straightened and the world's in order again, we can go see a concert together!"
Meloetta was delighted by the idea, and Cress quirked an eyebrow before letting out a short laugh. The idea of such a delicate, little Pokémon at a loud, crowded rock concert rubbed him funny. The amusement of his imagination came to a quick halt as a loud, angry roar in the distance caught him off guard. He looked ahead and felt his breath leave him as the massive Kyurem emerged from near the top of the mountain.
Cress pulled off to the side of the road, set the gear into park, and opened up his car door to step outside and get a better look. Chili did the same, with one foot in the car and one foot out. He rose with Meloetta in his arms.
"Is that... ?" Chili began in awe.
"Yeah, that's him," Cress replied, anticipating his question. "That's Kyurem."
Meloetta trembled as she clung to Chili's chest. The redhead looked down at the Psychic-type before snapping his head toward his brother.
"We've gotta find Cilan and the others, quick," he breathed.
The confusion among the group of trainers intensified as the Officer Jenny lead them back to the collection's desk and gestured for the officers manning the desk to release their Pokémon. The collections officers were just as baffled, and they spoke up in mild protest.
"Are... Are you sure about this Officer Jenny?" the female collections officer asked. "Agent Adalet was pretty specific about this..."
Officer Jenny nodded again, and the collections officers exchanged glances with a frown, but they headed into the back room to retrieve the Pokémon they had in holding anyway. Iris let out a delighted trill as her Axew came back to her, and she was quick to grab the Dragon-type away from the collections officer and hug him tightly.
"Oh Axew!" she cried. "I'm so sorry that had to happen! But I'm here now!"
The other trainers were also relieved or happy to have their Pokémon returned to them. Dawn even unexpectedly let her Piplup out of his Pokéball and gathered him up in her arms. She had started keeping the Water-type in his Pokéball more since the incident in Silver City—they didn't want to risk stirring up trouble like that again—but the brief separation had made her realize how much she missed constantly carrying him around.
Pikachu was the last to be delivered to his trainer, and the Electric-type grinned upon seeing Ash again.
"Pikachu!" The raven-haired boy happily exclaimed as the yellow Pokémon hopped onto his shoulder, where he belonged. "See? I told'ja everything would be all right."
"It's not all right, though. Something's off," Trip muttered to Ritchie. "Officer Jenny wouldn't..." He stopped short, inhaling sharply when he caught sight of a tiny black puff of fur on Officer Jenny's backside.
"Wouldn't what?" Ritchie whispered back.
"Hey!" Everyone's heads whipped around to see another Officer Jenny standing at the door, a look of shock on her face as she noticed the freed trainers and her duplicate. "Why are you all out here? And which Officer Jenny are you? I'll have you know this is my division, and-"
"-Dewott, use Water Pulse!" The ringed blast of water came suddenly, and it threw Officer Jenny against the wall and knocked her unconscious. The trainer behind the attack bit her lip when she saw the damage. She had not intended for her Dewott to be so brutal. Then, she swiftly turned toward Cilan and jammed a finger into his chest, growling:
"I better not lose my hard-earned connoisseur license over this! I swear, if you report me to the Pokémon Connoisseur Association, my need for revenge against you will double twofold! It already has since finding out you lied about dying!"
Cilan stared at her in shock for a moment. Then, he melted into a smile.
"Of course not!" he assured her. "Burgundy, thank you!"
"You guys came?" Iris was shocked, but happy at this turn of events as Georgia, Stephan, Luke, and Bianca skidded onto the scene.
"Yeah, you better believe we came," Georgia scoffed with a hand on her hip. "I'd like your eternal debt to me now."
"'Course, it was all my idea," Stephan added, rubbing the back of his head with a grin. "Your plan of rescue, I mean."
"It was still my phone call!" Georgia retorted.
"Our rescue?" Ash was practically starry-eyed. He had bet right.
"Yeah!" Luke excitedly affirmed. "Well, unfortunately, it could only last for so long..."
He looked toward the Officer Jenny that was still standing. She let out a fiendish giggle and jumped up, transforming back into her normal form: Zorua.
"Wh-What's the meaning of this!?" the male collections officer stammered angrily, and Bianca was quick to step up to the plate.
"Petlil," she said, looking at the small Grass-type in her arms, "use Sleep Powder on those two meanies!"
"Lil!" Petlil jumped forward onto the desk and sprayed her bluish pollen on them up-close, so there was no chance of escape, and so no one else could be impacted by its effects. The two collections officers slumped to the ground in a deep sleep.
"Bianca!" Barry happily cried, and she turned back toward him, beaming.
"Barry!" She practically tacked him with a hug, but he wasn't the least bit caught of guard, and he picked her up and swung her around once.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Iris asked with eyebrows raised.
"Yeah!" Barry answered. "We're cousins! Don'cha see the resemblance?"
Ash scrunched up his face, looking over the two carefully.
"No, actually," he concluded. Drew gave him a disbelieving look.
"You're joking, right?" he dryly asked.
The conversation was cut short by the echoes of an angry roar, which could be heard even inside the police station. Iris's throat tightened, and she held Axew closer to her.
"We can discuss this later," Gary said sharply. "It sounds like there's trouble."
Elesa was quick to jerk Flannery and Skyla with her into an alleyway as Kyurem launched an Ice Beam through the path in which they had stood, creating a thick sheet of ice on the white stone road. When the gathered elite heard the roar of the legendary Dragon-type, they quickly sprung into action—completely and embarrassingly disorganized action. The understanding was they were not to act unless Team Rocket acted first, and Kyurem's rage was perceived as an attack.
Yet, there was no consolidation, no plan of attack among them, because one had not been formed. So, they ended up splitting into factions when the situation turned chaotic.
"Macargo, use Flamethrower on that ice!" Flannery ordered after calling out her Fire-type. Once the slippery ice melted into cold puddles of water, the three gym leaders skidded back out into the street, watching Kyurem as he flew away.
"So what's our plan?" Skyla asked. Kyurem flew a little too low, and his tail damaged the black slate on a roof. The women winced.
"Stop Kyurem from destroying the city," the Nimbasa City native answered shortly, pulling out a Pokéball of her own.
"That's not much of a plan." Flannery frowned.
"That's because I came up with it in less than two minutes."
"Elesa, we don't even have half the number of trainers here as we did the Hoenn base." Skyla's voice shook as she spoke. "And we weren't up against Legendary Pokémon then."
"Well, what you suggest then, Skyla?" Elesa retorted, frustrated. "We can't just idly stand by and watch, even if Drayden's missing and the G-Men leadership hasn't arrived yet."
The Electric-type specialist was so intensely focused on her companions that she didn't notice that another presence was heading toward them. Moltres launched a Flame Spin at the trio, and they didn't have a prayer of dodging.
"Altaria, use DragonBreath to intercept that Fire Spin!" The collision of elements blew up the area with smoke, and Moltres quickly moved on. His interest was not specific to the band of gym leaders. Elesa lowered her arm to see whom their savior was.
Winona jumped off her Altaria once they got close to the ground, and she gave her fellow trainers a tired salute. Above her head, in the distance, Elesa could see the belly of a Salamence. Moltres appeared to be in pursuit.
"Arceus, Drayden," she muttered. "What did you do?"
Delia Ketchum clutched her heart as she watched Kyurem soar into the sky from the window of the airport terminal. Although they were several miles away from the mountain overlooking Opelucid, the beastly form of the Dragon-type remained distinct, even in the distance. She felt sick to her stomach as her mind wandered to Ash and his father, and wondered if she had said something when her then-boyfriend Giovanni revealed he would take his mother's place as the leader of Team Rocket, if this would have never happened.
She didn't, though. She was too weak, too afraid, too concerned about the welfare of her unborn son that she remained silent for nearly 15 years. Now her son would have to fix her mistakes. There were many who needed to fix the mistakes of those who came before them.
"Adalet!"
Delia turned her head when she heard Brandon call the name. He was storming toward the arriving agent.
"That's your name, isn't it? Do you see this?" The Pyramid King gestured out the window. "What's happened? Has Giovanni ordered an attack? If so, then where are Mewtwo and Moltres?"
"I don't know," Adalet growled in response. "This is a developing issue for me, too. Kyurem only now just emerged, and I can't tell what he's doing or what anyone else is doing because I'm trying to do several things at once, Drayden isn't picking up, and Lance still isn't here."
"Kyurem's behavior is very clearly belligerent," Professor Oak spoke up as he observed the Dragon-type from afar. "He's angry. I don't think this is the attack of a domesticated Legendary Pokémon under the control of Team Rocket. This is a wild Pokémon that's escaped."
"How?"
"No time for speculation," Brandon persisted. "What's the plan?"
"There is no plan. The G-Men were supposed to formulate it as they and the Sinnoh elite flew here while the rest of us gathered and prepared for their lead."
"OK, well that does us no good," Brock let out a frustrated sigh.
"It simply means we're on our own," Solidad said. She remained even-headed, even in crisis. "Where are the children?"
"Out of the way," Adalet answered.
"It was my impression that Lance condoned their participation," Solidad replied calmly, though firmly. "We need all the manpower we can get anyway, if we're missing the Sinnoh elite and chunks of the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn elite still."
"Well, I do not condone their participation," Adalet retorted. "I'm sure a parent would agree."
Delia looked at the agent with wide eyes, realizing this was in direct reference to her. Before she could answer, Adalet's PokéNav rang again and he swiftly picked it up.
"What?" he snapped into the receiver. He remained silent for several long moments, listening. Then, his eyes widened. "They escaped?"
Delia's lips curved into a crooked smile.
"Well, my Ash always has been determined..." she said, almost ironically.
July 10th, 1997. Late Afternoon. Pallet Town.
At a young age, Delia Ketchum's father walked out on her and her mother, and they never saw—or heard from—him again. At least, not alive. She was too little to understand at the time, but as she grew into her teenage years, speckles of her parents' story began to light up the fogginess in her head.
Professor Oak was her teacher. He was everyone's teacher, including his own son, Jon Oak, and his would-be wife, Melissa Beach. They were her best friends. Rather, they were her only friends, since no one else her age lived in such a small town. They were good to her, but Delia understood well that she was a third wheel. Delia was absentminded, clumsy; Jon and Melissa were bright and eloquent. Even though the two argued often and exchanged banter like it was a game of volleyball, everyone could see they were perfect for each other.
It was from those two that she learned about her father—not because they told her, but because she asked. Delia's own mother wouldn't talk about it, and as Delia grew older, the question of her family began to gnaw at her, and she turned to her friends for help. They knew more than she would have expected.
Scandal simmered in a place as small as Pallet, and there were rumors that Delia's father had belonged to Team Rocket. He met her mother when they were teenagers, and she got pregnant at 17. They quickly married, but he grew tired and returned to his duties, and her mother never could file for divorce. They both still carried his name, Ketchum, as a reminder of what he had left behind.
Rumors were just rumors, though—or so they said. Once Delia had heard the story, she became more suspicious, more aware of the sympathetic glances, of the whispers behind her back. Delia knew for sure the rumors were true when the police from the nearby Viridian City showed up on her family's doorstep one evening, informing her mother that he had been shot and killed in a run-in with the law. Her mother did not accept the body, and no funeral was held.
The whispering intensified after the incident, and Delia knew more than ever she needed to get out. At 18-years-old, she went to Viridian City to try to make a life for herself. She abandoned her father's defunct surname and adopted her mother's, Taylor. It was in that city, that new life, that she met Giovanni.
For her, it was love at first sight. He was charming, charming, charming, and he had her enraptured the moment his lips curved into his arrogant though still handsome smirk and he opened his mouth to speak. She used to think Jon was the smartest person she would ever meet. Within five minutes, Giovanni had debunked that myth of her mind.
Moreover, the fact that he was nothing like cookie cutter of a nice, clean-cut boy like the ones she had met in her hometown drew her to him. He was enigmatic, jaded. He understood the meaning of being an outcast, or so he claimed.
There were signs. She ignored them, because she was so blinded by her own infatuation. There were some things he said that scared her; things that opposed everything she had learned as a child from her mother and Professor Oak. While she had left that life behind, there were tenets of knowledge and ideals to which she still clung.
"Pokémon were placed on this earth for the benefit of humans," Giovanni had said, holding a cigarette between his fingers. "They are meant to obey humans. They exist for no other purpose than our exploitation. Whoever says otherwise is an emotional crock."
He also would never let her return home, not even to see her mother or friends. The one time Melissa visited, Giovanni was unusually cold to her. The way he stared with his beady, black eyes unnerved her, and Melissa wasn't afraid to tell Delia her thoughts in private. She told her there she thought was something severely wrong with him, something wrong in the head. Delia had been tempted to believe her—after all, she had her own reservations about her boyfriend—but his smooth words and kisses kept her from straying too far.
Delia ended up missing a lot. She missed Melissa and Jon's wedding. She missed the baby shower of their first and only son. She missed the death of her mother, which according to police was some sort of freak accident involving an oven. Delia refused to miss the funeral, however, and that began the quick downward spiral of her and Giovanni's relationship.
He admitted the reason he couldn't leave Viridian was because he was tied down by his mother. She was growing old, and he was posed to take over Team Rocket soon. She had never known about his connection with the crime organization, but she was horrified to learn of it. Yet, he germanely offered her a deal: He would let her return home for the funeral and mull over her options.
In retrospect, Delia realized he was probably convinced she would come back. The scary part was, she would have, too, if it weren't for a certain life-changing discovery.
She was pregnant.
That earth-shattering news changed everything, if only because she saw her mother's life unfold as her future while reading that pink plus sign on her pregnancy test. She realized she didn't want that for herself. She realized she wanted to save herself the pain of a man walking out on her as her father had walked out on her mother.
Delia never contacted Giovanni again. She moved in with the aging Greene couple, who had recently put in their adoption papers, and reinstated her father's name as a defense in case Giovanni ever came looking for her again. Strangely, he never did. He never came knocking on her door. To her knowledge, he never tried to track her down. She never figured out why—whether he simply didn't care enough to retrieve what he believed was his, or if he'd found someone else—but she didn't let it bother her.
Ash, in a way, was her saving grace. He was the reason she straightened out her life and her head. It took several months, but over time, as she remained distant from her former beau, the nature of her relationship with Giovanni and Giovanni himself became clear. She realized she had unknowingly escaped from an abusive relationship with a sociopath.
And she loved Ash for it. She loved him for many, many reasons—his lopsided grin, his warm brown eyes, his unshakable loyalty, his boundless love for his friends and Pokémon... He was everything his father wasn't, and Delia was thankful for that. When she looked at Ash, she didn't see a trace of his father in him. He was hers and wholly hers, and she wouldn't let anything take that from her.
That was why she lied. That was why she never told him or anyone who his father was and what he did. Ash was no mistake to her, and she didn't want the legacy of his father to taint him. Moreover, she wanted to ensure he remained safe. Telling someone about Giovanni, about his work in Team Rocket, risked not only her own wellbeing, but her son's wellbeing, and that was nonoptional.
Before the December 2001 string of attacks, there was only one time Delia ever came close to saying something.
"We're here live at the Celadon City Gym—or rather, the charred remains of the Celadon City Gym—after a fire broke out last night. This morning, we received reports that the fire was actually started by a couple of Team Rocket grunts who came to rob Gym Leader Erika Applebaum of a rare perfume fragrance kept in the gym. As always, those who many have information about Team Rocket members or incidents related to Team Rocket are encouraged to call the public hotline for the G-Men at (555)-026-0026."
Delia sat on the sofa by herself, watching the report with dulled eyes. Team Rocket's criminal activity had surged over the past several years, and the Indigo G-Men in combination with the Hoenn division were in relentless pursuit of him. Many times, Delia wondered whether she should put in a call and tell them what she knew. She never did, because she deluded herself into thinking there was no way her information would help them.
Watching this particular report, however, unnerved her, because she suspected Ash and his friends would be near Celadon Town at that point. To assuage her own fears, she put in a call to the Pokémon Center Network. The next time Ash walked into a center to heal his Pokémon, a scan of his trainer's license at the front counter would alert Nurse Joy to the fact Delia wanted to speak to her son, and she would relay that information to Ash.
Delia was surprised that the call came so quickly.
"Hi Mom." Ash's smiling face always brightened her day, even if it was through a video screen. "What'cha need to talk to me for? This is the first time you've ever used the Pokémon Center Network... is everything all right back home?"
"Yes, everything's fine," Delia assured him. "I just wanted to check up on you. Motherly instincts, you see. I saw the report for the burning of the Celadon City Gym on the news, and it made me nervous."
"Oh yeah, that? I know about that. We were there for it."
"You... you were there for it?"
"Yup! We helped put out the fire and everything. And look! I got my fourth badge!" He lifted his jacket to reveal the rainbow flower-shaped Celadon City Gym badge.
Delia didn't have time to be proud, though.
"Did you see the Team Rocket agents, then?" she pressed.
"Oh... those guys..."
"Those guys?"
"Yeah, we've ran into them several times."
"Times?" She emphasized the 's.' "How many times?"
"What?"
"How many times have you run into them?"
"Uh..." Ash scratched his head, thinking. "I don't know. I guess I've lost count. They're always after Pikachu."
The color drained from Delia's face.
"Ash, why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"I don't know. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Pikachu always just Thunderbolts them away, anyway."
"It is a big deal, Ash."
"Don't worry so much, Mom. We're always OK. I've got Misty and Brock with me, and they've got my back. Those Rockets will never hurt me. We just talked to Officer Jenny last night and told her about it, so maybe they'll be able to arrest them and stop it all."
Delia pushed herself back in her chair, sighing as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"All right..." she gave in. "Send Brock and Misty my best, OK? And please be safe."
"I will, Mom. Love you."
"I love you, too."
When the call ended and his face disappeared, her fingers lingered on her phone's keypad, wondering if she should make the call. She started dialing:
555...
026...
00...
She stopped and hung up, losing her wits. Ash would be fine, she tried to assure herself. He had kept himself safe thus far, and she trusted he would continue to do so. She didn't want to drudge up her dark past and potentially put herself and her son in harm's way, or so she told herself.
Delia wondered what would have been different if she had made that call.
March 5th, 2002. Late Morning. Opelucid City.
Ash felt a sense of anxiety briefly overshadow his conviction when he saw Kyurem launch an Ice Beam in the distance. He had never seen the Legendary before, and the sight alone was almost enough to restore his old mindset to push his companions away from him, away from the possibility of pain or—in the worst case scenario—death.
He quickly shook the feeling off, though. He knew he was naïve, but to think he could tackle three Legendary Pokémon plus the leader of Team Rocket on his own was nothing short of idiotic. He also knew (rather, he had learned) that being the Chosen One was a two-way street. Not only did he need his friends to have confidence in him, he needed to have confidence in his friends.
"W-Was he flying around while you guys were on your way here?" Barry asked nervously.
"No." Georgia quickly shook her head, though she had wide eyes. "That is definitely new."
Ash narrowed his gaze, squinting. He could see a growing speck of fire that was headed in their direction. Yet, his head snapped back toward the road as car suddenly pulled in front of them. The tires screeched as it did, leaving black marks on the road. Initially, Ash feared Adalet had come to curb their dissent, but he quickly recognized the two trainers in the car.
Chili was the first to stumble out and throw his arms around his his brother. Cress was soon to follow.
"Ah, C-Cilan," Chili stammered through forming tears. "Sorry, I don't mean to get so emotional and clingy, it just didn't become real until I saw you..."
"Same," Cress agreed, though he was holding himself together far better than his red-haired sibling.
Cilan couldn't help but smile, and his eyes, too, began to grow watery around the edges as he extended his arms and returned their embrace.
"I'm sorry, both of you," he said sincerely. "I never wanted to do any of that to you. I do hope you'll forgive me."
"Sorry to cut a sentimental reunion short," Zoey spoke up, "but... did you two manage to get Meloetta?"
"Oh, yeah!" Chili brightened up again and, pausing to dry his eyes, broke away from his Triplet brothers and jogged back to the car. He had left Meloetta in the front passenger's seat, and he gathered her back up in his arms.
"All right, Meloetta, I'd like you to meet-" He stopped short when a Salamence rushed overhead. The sheer speed of the Dragon-type's movement cut into the air, making a quiet whistling sound. Nearly everyone stared after the Pokémon, half in awe, half in confusion, but only Iris noticed the Dragon's rider, and she sucked in her breath.
"Was that... ?"
She didn't have the opportunity to finish her question, as Moltres came barreling after the Salamence from behind the group, and its talons caught on the edge of the Griffith brothers' car, picking it up briefly before letting it go and flipping it back down—just over Chili and Meloetta's head.
"Blastoise, go!" Gary's reflexes were as sharp as ever, and Blastoise immediately emerged from his Pokéball and jumped to catch the vehicle. Chili clutched Meloetta tightly, bracing himself for impact, but it never came. Gary then swept underneath the car his starter was holding up and pulled the Striaton Gym Leader and Legendary out of of harm's way. Blastoise set the car back down.
"Thank you..." Chili began, shaken, but he trailed off.
"Gary," the researcher introduced himself. "Believe it or not, that is actually the second time my Blastoise and I have saved someone from being crushed by a car."
He then looked toward Leaf, but unlike everyone around her, she was distracted. Her gaze was settled on a couple on the street whose attention had also been drawn to the near-death accident. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to examine them more closely.
Meanwhile, Ash's eyes remained glued to Moltres for a long moment before they flicked back to Meloetta and then to Kyurem, who was launching another Ice Beam, this time aimlessly directed into the sky. The mere sight sent chills up his spine, but the wheels in his mind began to turn as an important question formed. He could account for Kyurem and Moltres, but where was Mewtwo?
His gaze then wandered up toward the mountain. That was where Kyurem had come from, and Moltres and the Salamence came from that same direction, too. He concluded Mewtwo must be there. Giovanni certainly wouldn't haven been able to catch Kyurem without him.
"That was him! I'm sure of it!" Iris suddenly—and, unfortunately for everyone else, vaguely—declared. After adjusting herself so Axew was safely and securely in her hair again, she took off in the direction in which Moltres and the Salamence had gone.
"Iris!" Cilan yelped before running after her. "Where are you going?"
Others were quick to follow, but it wasn't until about half the group trickled away that someone realized some of its members—Leaf and Ash in particular—remained rooted to their spot.
"Ash," Paul growled. "What are you doing just standing there? Come on!"
"I'm not going." Ash shook his head. "I need to head for Mewtwo."
Chili, the only lingering Griffith brother since he had stopped to watch the conversation unfold, blinked when Ash extended his arm toward him and Meloetta. He invited the Legendary Pokémon to join with a warm smile and a couple flicks of his fingers, but she was still shy.
"Don't worry." Chili glanced down at the Psychic-type with a reassuring grin. "This is the guy I was telling you about. You're going to help him."
Meloetta relaxed, and she glided over to Ash, sitting on his extended arm. Pikachu hopped to his trainer's opposite shoulder and waved, and the raven-haired boy grinned before bringing her in close. He then looked up at Paul again, waiting for a response. Paul pressed his lips together, thinking.
"All right," he agreed, "you and I and Gary and—Leaf, where are you going?"
When she saw the couple hastily turn away, she unsteadily moved forward, trying to catch up with them. When Paul called her name, however, she whipped her head around to look at him.
"I thought I saw something," she said, very seriously. "You don't need me. I'll weigh you down."
She then broke into an easy jog, but it was a painful endeavor. Paul stared after her for a long moment but shook his head, deciding he wouldn't bother stopping her.
"OK, fine then it'll just be-"
Gary took off after Leaf, and Misty's eyebrows shot up as she jerked her head toward him. Leaf had disappeared, but Gary was determined to find her again.
"Gary, whatever happened to getting even with Giovanni?" she called after him. Her tone wasn't disbelieving. It had a touch of sass in it, as if she already suspected the answer.
"That's not my priority anymore!" he shouted back before he, too, disappeared.
"Let him go. It's OK," Ash insisted, regaining the attention of his remaining peers. "Silver and I will go to the mountains ourselves. It'd be kind of poetic, don'cha think? Just Giovanni's two sons fighting him."
Silver turned his head, but he remained expressionless
"Poetry doesn't matter in this situation, Ash." Paul scoffed.
"But strategy does." Ash suddenly grew serious. "We could have the element of surprise on our side with just Silver and I. It's harder to pull that off with a big group of people. No need for that with Moltres and Kyurem, though—you'll need as many people as possible to stop them. Besides, you've got the Pokémon for it. Your Electivire would make a great match with that Moltres, as would all of Misty's Water-type Pokémon, plus Barry and Kenny's two Empoleon."
Strategy was a language in which Paul was fluent, and Ash was well aware of that. Paul appeared doubtful for a moment, and he flicked his gaze between Ash and Silver, mulling over the Ash's words.
"All right," Paul gave in. "Fine. Go ahead."
Zoey looked appalled that he had conceded so easily.
"Paul," she protested, "you were the one who was saying Ash doing things by himself was a bad idea."
"He's not alone, though," Paul responded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He's got his brother."
Silver said nothing, staring at Paul. Ash tilted his head, looking at him, but Silver refused to acknowledge him with so little as a split second of eye contact.
"Silver... ?" Misty inquired, trying to elicit some sort of response aside from a hard gaze. The red-haired male turned and looked at the mountain.
"Yeah, we'll take care of Mewtwo and our father," he said shortly.
"And I'm counting on you guys to stop and save Moltres and Kyurem for me," Ash added.
"We will, Ash." Misty nodded resolutely. She then turned and started in the direction in which Iris had gone. The others were quick to follow, and Ash looked toward the mountain, keeping Meloetta close.
.
.
