AN: Well, I'm still around.

14: Arrival

Professor Krane was practically bouncing in on the balls of his feet as he awaited the docking of the S.S. Wailord as the medium sized cruise ship neared.

"Professor, maybe you should calm down a bit," Cissy smirked at the man, "Anymore excitement and I think you'll have a heart attack."

Krane just smiled at the woman, "Calm down? Miss Cissy you don't know what today means to me, to Orre!" He laughed, "You and the other Gym Leaders have done wonders for the region already by just being here. But today I can actually welcome a Pokemon Professor of all people!"

Cissy chuckled at the man's enthusiasm. The man was a technological genius, but when it came to Pokemon he was lacking in a fair bit of knowledge. The man they were to meet was recommended and acquainted with Professor Oak himself, as well as a friend to the Ketchum family that she was now helping to try to turn things around for the region.

"I hear tale that Ash convinced a Pokemon Doctor to take up residence here, too," Krane went on in delight, "This far more than I ever could've asked for when I plead my case to Professor Oak!"

Cissy nodded, "The Doctor's a friend of Ash's, I hear, and an old traveling companion." She nodded, "I like the sound of that. A school-learned Doctor is all well and good, but one that's had to study out on the road and perfect his craft sounds a whole lot better than one of those pencil pushers from the colleges."

"Seems to me that Ash commands quite a bit of respect for such a young man, doesn't he?" Krane asked, smiling widely, "When I asked Professor Oak for help, I never imagined that he'd bring a trainer not even in his twenties, yet, and see that same young trainer do so much in so little time."

"He's a clever kid, I'll give him that," Cissy smiled, "He didn't become our Champion on luck alone, after all. He's got the skill to back up that mind of his, even if he does seem a little dense at times."

Krane chose not to comment as the cruiser began to dock.

Meanwhile on board the cruiser, several parties were making ready to disembark. "Last chance to back out," Brock said to the girl next to him, "I made sure to by a return ticket just in case."

Autumn just giggled and looped her left arm through his right, "I thought we'd gotten past that, Brock." She said with a pretty blush, "Or was last night not enough?" Brock chuckled at the reminder of the previous night's activities. He was no longer hellbent on denying her feelings, or his own for that matter. Thank Arceus he had left Croagunk back in Pewter City.

"Just thinking about your best interest, Autumn." Brock told her, looking out at the cast expanse of desert in front of them. "Besides...this isn't going to be easy."

She gave his arm a squeeze, "No, it's not, but that's good," she grinned when he looked back to her, "Easy tends to be boring."

"Morning you two." The new couple turned and found Professor Hale and his family with their luggage. "I trust you're both ready for whatever this Region has to throw at us?"

"More or less," Brock chuckled, "Where will you be heading after we make port?"

"We'll be meeting with Professor Krane and he'll escort us to his laboratory where I can begin work," he said, looking down at his daughter, "Molly, however, wants to travel with Max to Pyrite Town. My wife is against it, of course, but - "

"But I would feel better knowing that you would keep an eye on her for us?" Mrs. Hale asked, looking at the young Doctor pleadingly, "Please, I know this will be a bit of a burden on you, but I'd really rather not restrict my daughter."

Autumn shared a look with Brock, "I could use some help with the ice cream parlor I'm planning to open. An extra pair of hands would be nice since you'll be busy with the hospital."

"That settles it, then." He smiled, looking down at the little girl, "Welcome to the crew, Molly!"

"Yay!" Molly whooped and rushed to hug the pair as Max came running up to them with Ralts poking his head out of his backpack. The girl saw him and hugged him around the neck, too. "Guess what, Max? I can go with you!"

"Really?!" Max was looking just as excited as she was, "That's great! I can't wait to see Ash again, and maybe we can battle him!"

Autumn and the girl's mother shared a knowing look, the latter hiding her smile behind her hand. "Red" Ketchum soon joined them, looking somber, "Never thought I'd be back in this old sandpit." He said mostly to himself.

Max looked at him, "Hey, what happened to your Pikachu?"

"Mm?" Red looked down at him, "Ah, he's resting in his Pokeball. Why?"

Brock chuckled, "Ash's Pikachu suffers from claustrophobia." He said, "He can't standing being inside his Pokeball for any amount of time, and usually rides on Ash's shoulder, or in his backpack with the zipper open so he doesn't panic."

"That explains a lot," Red chuckled, "But mine never had such a problem. Besides that, having a Pokemon out in the open is a bad idea in Orre. Most people would think its fair game if it's not in any type of ball."

Max looked at his Ralts, who sank down into his backpack for safety, closing the zipper. Molly already had her Teddiursa tucked away in her Pokeball, and hidden in her dress pocket.

"Anyway, where are you all bound for?" Red asked the young Doctor.

Brock smirked, "Four of us are heading over to Pyrite Town to meet up with Ash," he said, "The Professor and his wife are heading to Krane's lab."

"Then I might as well tag along," Red smirked, looking identical to his son. "I haven't seen my boy for twelve years, and I think it's about time I faced the music."

Max grinned, "Don't be surprised if he sets Pikachu on you." The boy said, snickering, "If he's still got his temper, then I wouldn't put it past him."

Red chuckled, "I wouldn't blame him if he did."

"Well, let's get going." Brock said as the cruiser was docked and the ramps were lowered.

(*)

Hours later, as the sun was beginning to dip below the mountains, Brock's part found themselves in a slightly familiar predicament.

"Those Onix and Steelix are just as mean as I remember," Red commented with a hint of worry in his voice as his foot crushed the gas pedal to the floor. "Bigger than I remember, though. Heads up, Brock!"

Brock dove over Autumn and the two children protectively as a massive Steelix sailed over the jeep like a Wailord breaching, and dove back beneath the dunes. "I've had just about enough of that one!" He growled, looking at the older man, "Find a place to pull over and let me deal with it! Rock-types are my specialty!"

"Don't be dumb!" Red shouted, "They'll eat you alive!"

Brock huffed, and gave Autumn's hand a squeeze before he bailed out. "BROCK!"

Brock was no stranger to rough and rowdy treatment from his travels around the world with Ash. He slid down the sand dunes on his knees, which attracted the giant Steelix's attention. The diamond-hide Steelix was truly massive, and dwarfed even his own at an easy hundred feet long, and several tons. "If there's one thing I know about Onix and Steelix, it's that they always answer to an alpha of the group, and since you're such a big one, I'm willing to bet that's you."

The Steelix roared at him, a blast of pure power rushing past him in a gale.

"Brock, are you out of your mind!" Red roared down at him as he prepared to come to his aid, "Hang on, I'll -" Autumn suddenly grabbed his arm, "What are you doing; he'll be pulverized!"

Autumn shook her head, "Just trust him. He knows what he's doing."

Max nodded, "Yeah, I've seen do some incredible things with wild Pokemon."

Molly was peaking over the side of the jeep as Brock readied himself for a battle.

Brock grinned, "Alright, big fella, let's rock!" He yelled, and let his Pokeball fly, "Swampert, let's go!"

Swampert appeared in a flash and roared out a challenge, even when it saw how much bigger the Steelix was. Steelix returned the challenge and charged with blinding speeds. "Stop it with Hammer Arm!" Brock commanded.

Swampert's arms glowed with raw power as he thundered forward to meet Steelix. Steelix reared up, and unleashed a massive Dragonbreath attack. "Spin into it!"

Spinning his body, Swampert lept up and pushed through the onslaught, slamming into Steelix at full power, and smashing it to the ground. Steelix didn't stay downed, however, and dove beneath the sand. "Alright, use your fins to keep track of it, then use Earthquake!"

Red was impressed as he watched the Swampert lower himself to the ground, his fins twitching like sensory organs, and glowed a moment later as he unleashed a devastating Earthquake attack. The dunes around the shifted, forcing him to move the jeep to keep it from toppling into the battle zone, but it served to force Steelix out of hiding as it appeared right next to Swampert delivering and powerful Headbutt.

"Focus Blast, now!" Brock ordered as Swampert wheeled around on the massive Iron Snake. He formed and orb of energy between his hands, and fired it pointblank into the Steelix's face, and sent it flying out of the sand. "Hammer Arm again while it's stunned!"

Swampert wasted no time at all when it went in for the finishing blow, and lept into the air. Steelix swiped at him with an Iron Tail, but Swampert was able to dodge by rolling his body and smashed right into the massive Steelix.

The impact caused a tremendous explosion as the two Pokemon collided. Swampert jumped clear of the smoke that rose up, tired, but unharmed. Brock readied a Pokeball as the dust began to settle. "Come on, stay down." Brock quietly prayed.

Up on the dunes Autumn was making the same prayer as she watched the dust settle. Soon the gleaming hide of the Steelix was seen. It was still conscious. The titanic Pokemon growled, and opened its mouth toward the trainer and Pokemon, and black and violet sphere forming.

"That's Hyperbeam! Brock get outta there!" Max shouted, and looked over his shoulder, "Ralts!"

"Right!" Ralts popped out and glowed blue, the same aura appearing around Brock and Swampert, and lifted the pair out of harm's way just as Steelix fired the attack.

Brock was nearly thrown into the sand from the force of the explosion, "Argh, enough is enough!" He hurled the Pokeball, and struck home on the massive body of the Steelix, and sucked it inside the ball. But the Steelix still had some fight left in it, and ball cracked as the Steelix broke free. "Dammit!"

"Catch, Brock!"

Brock looked down as the young voice reached him and saw a spinning grey sphere hurtling toward him. Brock managed to catch it as Ralts brought him back to the ground, and then hurled it right at Steelix. The Heavy Ball hit its mark, and Steelix disappeared once more, and fight was on.

The Heavy Ball shook violently, even in Steelix's weakened state, it wasn't a sure catch. But the design of the Heavy Ball gave it an advantage over the Steelix. The heavier the target, the more power the ball used in keeping the Pokemon contained until it was caught. Steelix finally tired, and gave in, the ball giving off a small chime.

Brock and Swampert sank to the ground as the battle came to a close. "Man that was close!"

"I'll say," the young Doctor turned with a huge grin on his face as his savior came sliding down the dunes, "Should've known you'd go after one of those diamond Steelix as soon as you got here." Ash grinned right back at oldest friend, "You never could resist a Rock-type."

"And you could never resist butting in," Brock laughed, extending a hand as Ash reached out to help him to his feet. Brock then pulled the younger man into a crushing hug as Pikachu bounced to his shoulder and perched on his head, "Man oh man is it good to see you, Ash!"

Ash laughed and patted him on the back, "Good to see you, too, Brock!" He stepped back, "You a day or two late, though. What happened?"

"Stopped in Olivine City for some supplies." Brock smiled. "We met some friends on the way, too."

"Yeah? Who?" He asked.

His answer came when he looked toward their jeeps, Ash's being pulled up a few yards from Brock's where Wiley and Troy were grinning down at them. It was then that Ash caught sight of a young boy with glasses that were damnably familiar.

"Is that...Max! I don't believe it!" Ash crowed as the boy came barreling at him and tackled him to the ground. "Man, look at you! You've grown!"

Max laughed as Pikachu launched himself at the boy as he got up and pulled him back to his feet, "Sure have! It's great to see you're okay!" The boy grinned, balancing the little yellow Mouse on his shoulder, "After I saw you on the news, I just had to come!"

"HEY BOSS!" Wiley yelled down at them, "We gotta move it! Another herd's headed this way!"

Ash grimaced, "Brock, better get that Steelix." He said, "Max, you get back in your jeep and buckle up." He looked back up at the wrangler, "How are we on Pokeballs?"

"Not bad, but I wouldn't risk a close encounter with anymore Onix and Steelix!" He yelled back, "We've got a good haul to bring back to the kids at home. And you did promise the li'l lady you'd be back before supper."

Brock looked at his friend, "What's all that about?"

Ash shrugged, "Not a lot of people in Pyrite have Pokemon of their own, yet, even with Kurt helping out with the Pokeball problem, so Wiley and I decided to come out and catch a few for some starters."

Back up on the dunes, Red was feeling conflicted.

His son was helping wranglers. Something he himself had once hated doing, even though he knew it was necessary to survive out in the desert. But then again, he had heard the boy say that they were catching for starters, not money.

"Mister Ketchum," Molly whispered from the back seat, "Aren't you gonna go talk to him?"

The man sighed, "Not sure I've got the right to, Molly." He said as Max climbed back up to them, "I haven't seen him since he was just a kid, ya know?"

"Don't be a coward," Max clambered back into the jeep, "I've seen Ash face down Legendary, Mythical, and monster Pokemon before, so if he's anything like you, then you oughta have a spine made out of steel!"

Red frowned at the young trainer, "He takes more after his mother, actually."

"Bawk!" Max clucked.

"How would you like to meet my Venasaur," grinned Red with a twitch of his eye, "He get's pretty hungry around this time of day!"

Autumn gave him a shove, "The truth hurts, doesn't it." She asked as Brock clambered back up the dune, "Brock, are you alright?"

Brock grinned at her, "Never better," he said, holding up his new Steelix's Heavy Ball, "Forrest is gonna be so jealous when he sees this!"

"GET THE LEAD OUTTA YER PANTS!" Troy roared, "Roll'em out!"

Red frowned, and started the jeep, "Well, time for a family reunion."

(*)

Drake was on distribution duty when Ash brought in the newly captured Pokemon. "HEY! HEY! HEY! TAKE IT EASY!" The Orange Crew leader roared as people young and old crowded around to get at Pokemon. "Form a line already! Kids first!"

"Who made you the boss!?"

Drake snarled and released his Dragonite, "Got a problem, see my complaint department!" He jerked his thumb at the pseudo-Legendary. No one complained after Dragonite snarled angrily. "That's what I thought...NOW LINE UP!"

Ash laughed at the man's aggression as he got everyone to fall in line. "And that's why I'm glad he's here." He said to Wiley as the wrangler laughed along with him.

"Me, too." Wiley said, patting him gently on the back, "How's the burn? Any better?"

Ash flexed his arms, "Yup, revving at full throttle and ready to go."

"Good," Wiley grinned, then frowned, "Folly gave me a little information a while ago." Ash looked at him in interest, "Venus is hiding out in Phenac City." He said, "She stays there a lot since the city's built over a massive underground lake, so there's plenty of water to grow crops. She and one other usually monopolized it."

"Is it far?" Ash asked.

"Can't get there on foot," Wiley said, shaking his head. "But you've got that Charizard of yours, so you could be there in two shakes. But then you'd have to deal with both Venus and that other goon that lords over the city. I hear tale he's got a pretty strong team, too."

Ash frowned at that, "Venus I can probably handle, but what do you know about the other one?"

"Never been there, so I don't really know nothin'," he said, shaking his head, "Speaking of water, Serena was talkin' to Joy about using the rain water to fill up some tanks to get water to the town. What'cha think?"

Ash grinned, "I'll go along with that, just so long as she doesn't stress over anything."

Wiley smirked at him, "Man, you sure are fussy over her since you found out you're gonna be a dad." He said, much to Ash's embarrassment. "Sure do hope it ain't contagious."

Ash slapped him on the back, "Yuck it up, Wiley, you'll find out what it's like one of these days."

Brock, meanwhile, was taking in the layout of the town, and looking worried. Each building was just a patchwork of sheet metal and scraps. he really didn't know what was holding them together. Autumn had already set up a small ice cream stand with the equipment they had managed to bring along, and was a huge hit with the children after they had gotten a Pokemon from Drake.

"Come on, now, there's plenty for everyone," the girl giggled as the children crowded around her, but the young Doctor noticed that there was a tremble in her voice, something he intended to ask her about later.

Serena came up toward the group, her Alolan Vulpix perched on her shoulder as usual, and hugged Brock fiercely. "I'm so glad you were able to come, Brock," she smiled, "You don't have any idea how much I've worried about Ash while we've been here."

"I can imagine," Brock smiled at the girl, regarding her with a small look, "Serena, you're glowing!" He grinned widely, "How far along?"

Serena blushed heavily, her hands moving over her stomach, "Oh, I'm...just a few weeks, really. I really wouldn't have known if it wasn't for Pikachu."

Brock chuckled as Pixie rubbed up against her cheek affectionately. "And who's this little cutie? It's not like any Vulpix I've seen before."

"Pixie!" Pixie barked and raised her paw in greeting.

Serena giggled and took the little Ice-type in her arms, "This is Pixie, an Alolan Vulpix that Ash gave me to raise from an egg."

Brock reached out and tickled Pixie's chin, "Amazing. I've never seen anything like her. I might have to get one myself." He grinned as Pixie leaned into his touch, but then all his good humor disappeared, "Look, Serena, we met someone on the boat we took to get here." Serena looked at him curiously, "He claimed to be Ash's father," now she gasped, "And if they didn't look damned near identical, I wouldn't have believed it."

"That was the man I saw with you guys when Ash brought you into town?" She asked.

"It was, but he's slunk off somewhere," Brock sighed, "He's not a bad guy at all, but Max gave him a hard time earlier because he was afraid to face Ash after so long."

A small fluttering in her stomach made her shiver, "I bet he is," she sighed, rubbing one hand against her stomach again, a fact that Brock didn't miss.

"You're not having trouble already, are you?" He asked in concern.

"No, no," Serena shook her head, "I think it's just the start of morning sickness."

Still unconvinced, Brock promised to have a look at her later that evening.

Red, however, was closer than Brock thought.

The man was hiding in the crowd and keeping his ears open, and the news that reached them was more than surprising. 'That girl's pregnant?' He wondered, frowning, 'Wait, I think I saw her on Tv at one of those Pokemon Showcases. And Ash was...' Red's eyes went wide as saucers, 'I...no way...I'm a grandfather?!'

As Red was coming to grips with his impending grandfatherhood, the two youngest members of the new group were watching as Drake handed out the Pokemon. "What all did you guys catch out there?" Max asked.

Drake smiled at the young trainer, "Wiley and the rest usually go after youngsters since they tend to grow fast around here, and once they evolve, no one's brave enough to go after them." He said, "Most of these, though," he looked down at a Level Ball in his hand before passing it to a young man, "These came out of the desert, so they're Aron, Trapinch, Sandshrew, Numel, and I think Troy managed to nab a few Wooper that were playing in one of the pools left by that big storm a few days back."

Molly beamed, "I like Wooper, they're so cute!"

Drake handed out the last ball, "Alright, that's all for today, everybody!"

There was a collective "Aw" of disappointment as Drake made the announcement, but no one fussed. Rumor had it that Ash's old friend Budula set off toward Galar, one of the more remote regions, in search of new Pokemon to breed.

In truth, Professor Oak had asked him to go, and had even paid for his boat and plane tickets. The Alolan native had been delighted to go, having heard of the Galar Region, and the Pokemon that lived there. All of them were hardy, and used to varying climates. And so, off he went.

"Hey, Drake, when's the Gym gonna be opened?" One little boy asked.

"Just as soon as Wiley's up to scratch," Drake told the boy, "Til then, you can still battle it out in the tournaments, you know?"

(*)

That night at dinner the arrival of Brock's group was something to be celebrated. Ash and Serena had moved their things into The Under where Ash helped managed the miners and their operations concerning the Mega Stones, and Nuggets. To Brock's surprise, the area was very rich in gold dust, which was often eaten by Onix and Steelix when they burrowed, and pushed out through their hides as the rounded Nuggets they mined for.

The miners were quite happy with the new management as Ash was quick to let them take their wages out of the gold the found as well as any stones they wished to keep. One Nugget was worth enough to feed a family for a week.

What really got them on his side though was the fact that Brock had managed to catch the giant Steelix that normally blocked their way to Phenac City where they could cash in their Nuggets.

Brock gained himself a great deal of respect with them once it known that he had taken the monster head on in battle. Not even Venus bothered to try and capture the behemoth.

"I wouldn't have caught it if Ash hadn't thrown me that Heavy Ball when he did," Brock said, looking at his friend, "How'd you know where to find me, anyway?"

Ash shrugged, "Luck, mostly." He said, "After we set out to round up some of the Pokemon that were driven out of hiding by the storm, Troy saw the Onix herd chasing someone, and we charged in."

Autumn smiled and leaned on Brock's shoulder, "Well, I'm glad you did," she said, "Brock's Swampert is strong, but I know that Steelix could've outlasted him if something didn't happen soon."

Kurt just laughed, "It's because he was using those useless factory-made Pokeballs. My custom Apricorn masterpieces are ten times as effective."

"Toots his horn louder than a Torkoal," Wiley whispered to Drake loudly, setting the table to laughing. "But it's great having an actual doctor around the place, even if you only do Pokemon."

"I don't," Brock smiled, "I've got several brothers and sisters younger than me, so I know a lot about human medicine." He said, looking toward Serena, "And don't think I've forgotten about you, Serena."

Max looked up at his brother-figure, "I still can't believe you're gonna be a dad soon!"

"Neither can we," Ash and Serena said at once, smiling happily.

Autumn smiled happily for the couple, but whispered to Brock, "Have you let them know about Re-er-Mister Richard, yet?"

Brock shook his head, "I wanted to let him handle it." He whispered back, "Besides, ultimately, it's not a mess I wanna get into."

Autumn nodded in understanding, "Good point."

"Speaking of messes," Brock said, speaking normally again, "Why were you so tense this afternoon when you were giving out ice cream?" He asked, "It looked like you were a big hit with the kids?"

Autumn bit her lip when everyone at the table turned to her, "Well...I just..." she took a deep breath, "You told me it was going to be rough, yes, but I didn't think I'd have children so thin coming up to me asking what ice cream was." She sighed, "I've never dealt with hungry children before...at least not like that."

Wiley understood, "Yeah, things are still rough." He nodded, "The few towns here in Orre aren't really self-sufficient; Agate and Phenac both have water in spades, but Pyrite's right next to the ocean. What water we drill for is polluted by saline. We can't drink it, or use it on crops."

Kurt just laughed, "You kids. A little problem like that hasn't stopped me from growing my orchard," he boasted, "And I don't even ask my Slow-boys to water the plants. I use a bio-filter. You lay down a bed of gravel, and then a layer of sand on top of that, and charcoal on top of that. It takes a little while, but running the water through that kind of filter will make it drinkable. It'll even take all the salt out of ocean water."

Ash looked at his girlfriend, "We could use that for your water tank idea."

"And there's plenty of sand and gravel to do it, too!"

Wiley thought for a moment, "There's a bunch of driftwood along the coast we could make into charcoal." He shook his head, "Problem is it's crawling with Gyarados. If we get too close to them, we're history."

"Someone said that the coastal pod's been getting more aggressive, too." Lovrina pointed out from her spot between Delia and Tracey, "Apparently they're hunting more then usual."

Samuel frowned at this, "Let me guess, this was around the same time as the rains started, right?"

"How did you guess?" The girl asked.

"Just a hunch." He sighed.

Delia looked across the table at her son, "Did the two of you ever get into contact with Serena's mother?" She asked, "Or would you still like me to do it?"

Ash and Serena winced, "Well, we got in touch with her - " Ash began.

"And she's very happy for us," Serena put in, "She's also very excited about the baby. She said she'll get us a whole unisex set up for a nursery and everything...but when she found out we were in Orre..." The girl's face fell and Ash gave her shoulder's a comforting squeeze.

Ash sighed, "Let's just say I'm not her favorite person right now." He said, looking troubled. "Don't get me wrong, I get why she's upset, but I didn't expect her to threaten to take Serena home as soon as she got here."

Delia cupped her chin, "Oh, dear," she sighed, "I knew I should've said something instead. We mothers have an understanding of a sorts. She's coming here?"

"I got a call from Steven saying that she met with him in Hoenn just before he bordered his chopper to head our direction." Ash sighed, "Apparently she's hitching a ride with him, and should be here some time tomorrow when arrives to assess the stone quality in the mines."

"And there's no way that I'm going back," Serena shook her head, "No way."

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu suddenly bounded into the room with Pixie and Max's Blitzle right on his tail. He jumped up to his trainer's shoulder before Pixie could chomp on his tail.

Ash chuckled, "Babysitting getting a little rough, buddy?"

"Chu..." Pikachu presented his aching tail.

Serena giggled, "Sorry, Pikachu, but she's teething."

Brock chuckled as well, "I'll make an ointment for him later. And I'll make something for Pixie's mouth. She can't be too comfortable right now."

The phone rang and Wiley went to answer it while Delia contemplated what to do about Grace when she arrived. While she still wasn't thrilled about being in Orre, things had gotten slightly better since their arrival. Pyrite was steadily improving little by little, and it was thanks to Ash and Serena.

Wiley came back into the room, "That was Folly with a bit of good news." He said, looking at Serena, "The boys drilled into an underground lake about half an hour ago, and it looks as pure as you can get!"

"That's wonderful!" Serena smiled, "When can we set up a pump?"

"I'll call Professor Krane after supper and see what he can come up with." Wiley promised, and looked at Ash, "And he got some info on the other fella from Phenac. He goes by Ardos, and apparently he's pretty high up because even Venus is careful around him."

"She's only careful because she doesn't like to lose her toys," Lovrina said with some disgust. "She's not just careful around him, she's his lover. I've caught them together more than I care to count. He doesn't exactly care if he has an audience, either."

Delia coughed, "Lovrina, dear, please leave that sort of talk for after supper, and away from the table, please?"

Lovrina bit her lip, "Sorry, M-Mom."

Delia gave her a smile. She was still getting used to the idea of having a real mother that actually treated her like a daughter.

"Anyway, the guy's not even that the top dog around. Aside from Dakim, there's two others." Wiley said, "One of them's Ardos' brother, Eldes. He's up on Mount. Battle as the one hundredth trainer. He's also the one that gives out one of three Johto starter Pokemon if you beat him. The last one I haven't heard anything about. That one keeps well out of sight. So I'm guessing he's the real head honcho around the region."

"One step at a time, Wiley," Professor Oak said, smiling at the young man, "I'm beginning to wonder if they actually have the Snag Machine at all, or else we'd be hearing of people losing the Pokemon by now."

Serena looked at the Professor in confusion, "But Professor Krane was so sure that the one he had was stolen," she said, "why would he lie?"

"Not lie," the aging Professor said, "He certainly had the Snag Machine for a short time, of that I'm quite sure, because he has a prototype that only works on Dark Pokemon, but the one he was so certain that was stolen was the original that outright steals another's Pokemon. Think of for a moment. A man like Dakim, or someone like Venus would no doubt have already started using it."

Ash nodded, "He's right, now that I think about it, if Jessie and James were still with Team Rocket, they'd already be using it if they had it."

"So what did they take?" Tracey asked, "Krane sounded so sure over the phone when he asked us for help."

Samuel nodded to his apprentice, "I believe he thought that he had the original, but actuality it had already been switched out for a replica." He said, "Why else would Venus not have fought with Ash when she could have used it herself an possibly taken any of his strong battlers like Charizard, or even that incredible Greninja?"

Max did not like where the conversation was going, "So...what happened to the original?"

"That is the question, my dear boy, the very question we need answering." He said, "For now, however, we need to take things slow, and get this region ready for the Orange League to take over. We'll be considered a real threat to them, then, and when the come for us, we'll need to be ready."

There then came a knock at the door. Delia rose, "Now who could that be?"

"Go with her, Pikachu." Ash said, prompting his little powerhouse to jump to her shoulder.

Delia went to the door, and opened it carefully. "Who is it?"

The man stepped into the light flooding from the doorway, causing the woman to gasp. "Hello, Lia." Red smiled at his wife.

"Ri...Richard...?"

Pikachu cocked his head at the man, but before he could do anything, he felt Delia slump underneath him, and collapse to the floor in a dead faint.

AN: Well, I finally came back to life. Sort of. Hope you're not all upset at me for taking so long. Life and all that, eh?

Anyway, you guys know the drill. Review if you liked this chapter, or adios amigos.