"On a scale from one to ten, how bad is this?" Misty hissed.
"Eleven," Aurian pulled four pokeballs from her belt, ducking behind the raised platform.
"Mayday, what do we do?" Ash called.
The assembled mob of Rebel League members parted to reveal a familiar blue-haired figure donning a simple black uniform, a green heart-shaped vine etched over his heart.
"My dears, this doesn't need to get out of hand," Saturn purred. "All we want is your unrestricted cooperation… and for the Champions to come with us."
Cynthia's passive expression changed to a snarl. "Like hell we will."
"What a shame, then, that we had to take so many hostages to change your mind," he shrugged. "So be it."
Anabel moved behind Cynthia and Diantha, an Espeon materializing at her side. "Champions, he's lying."
Diantha crossed her arms, her Goodra doing the same. "Give us the full truth. What are you truly after?"
"Does it matter, in the end? There are too many of us here for you to risk their lives," Saturn swept his arm across the assembled audience, quaking in fear. "All we want is to talk."
A riot of sound echoed beyond the breach, familiar navy and red uniforms darting in and out of view.
Aurian tossed a single pokeball, Cass appearing in a brief shower of light.
"You up for a challenge?"
Cass nodded. "Tell me what to do."
"Red and I need to help our division without blowing our cover. Can you summon a Protect large enough to wall off about half this room?"
"I can, but I don't know how long I can hold it," Cass gazed to the side. "How much time do you need?"
Aurian exhaled. "Enough to do something pretty damn stupid."
"Tell me when," Cass snuck to the side of the room and crept along the back wall, advancing towards the fray.
Saturn's Drapion appeared, a menacing roar echoing through the room.
"Blue, there's a secondary corridor behind this room. If we can get the audience in there without panicking, we can clear out enough space to take care of business," Ash said. "Riley's back there now with half the division. Do what you need to, I'll follow your lead."
Aurian took in the standoff between Saturn, Cynthia, and Diantha, Misty's trembling hands, Anabel gauging the situation with patient stillness, Touko's wide eyes.
Faith was nowhere to be found.
"Crap," Aurian muttered, reaching for a pokeball at the back of her belt. "If we don't solve this now…"
Cottonee appeared at her side, tilting to her side with an inquisitive look.
"I need all the Sleep Powder you have. This is going to be risky. If I throw you over Cass's barrier, can you only hit the folks in the weird uniforms, not the audience?" she whispered.
Cottonee squinted at the situation, then turned back to nod at her trainer.
"Thank you. Hang tight, we need to get you closer…"
Aurian took the wall opposite of Cass, sneaking along the side. Cottonee hovered at Aurian's feet, tracing her every step.
"...none of your demands make any sense," Cynthia's quiet voice carried well, even without a microphone. "You speak of domination and subjection with no peace. You and your people will not succeed."
Saturn raised an eyebrow, surrounding minions pulling pokeballs from belts. "No one asked for your opinion."
"Cass, go!" Aurian yelled.
Cass's barrier flickered into view as Aurian threw Cottonee as hard as she could, the dual-type careening towards the ceiling. Sleep Powder poured out from her leaves, the crowd below wincing as powder fell and stuck to the aura shield.
Ash, Brock, and Michael grabbed children and tossed them out of the back exit. Rebel League members dropped like flies, snores filling the room.
"You sneaky son of a…." Saturn wobbled, taking a few shaky steps forward.
Aurian crossed her arms, coming fully into view for the first time. "Nothing you don't deserve, you bastard."
Saturn's eyes widened in a split second of realization before he passed out, head making contact with an abandoned chair before his unconscious form sprawled across the floor. A trickle of blood trailed out from his temple.
Diantha cracked her knuckles, then sent her Goodra forward. Cynthia's Staraptor showed no mercy as he dissected the leaderless Rebel League forces, met by half of the Armada.
Ash turned over his shoulder to find a uniformed Riley, Hiori, Eusine, Sam, and Mark escorting audience members through the second staircase.
"Max, Maddie, Noah!" Ash called, pulling the three trainees forward. "It's not safe, you need to leave."
Noah paled. "Is there an elevator down there?"
Riley poked his head in the door. "There is, don't worry. We'll personally escort you down and make sure you get out safe and sound."
"Thank you," Noah wiped a panicked tear from under his glasses.
"Go, we're running out of time!" Ash almost knocked Max and Maddie over shoving them into the corridor. "Meet you in the Center, stay where people can see you!"
Noah hustled, running over Ash's toes in the process.
"My bad!" Noah protested, halfway out the door. "I've done it to people I love and people I don't! We'll let you know when we make it!"
Riley watched the three trainees sprint down the hall, flanked by Hiori and Sam. "We'll take care of them."
"Thank you," Ash said.
He turned over his shoulder to find a massacre- the Rebel League stood no chance without a functional leader. Five men remained, standing back-to-back in the middle of the room.
"Somebody get the blue-haired dude!" Ash called, leaping over a downed series of chairs while Pikachu rocketed skyward.
All five Rebel League operatives found themselves in the middle of a massive Thunderbolt, electricity rattling their bones before fading away. Cass moved in and knocked two men out.
Aurian's Volcarona made a surprise appearance, sticking Saturn to the floor with a well-placed String Shot.
"That's all she wrote," Cynthia crossed her arms, taking in the unconscious Rebel League operatives scattered amongst the chairs. "Next question, who the hell are these people?"
Anabel narrowed her eyes. "Most importantly, why did Saturn recognize Blue?"
"That's not important right now," Aurian blurted, face burning red as she returned her Pokemon. "We need someone to trace the evacuation route and make sure all the spectators got out okay. This was dirty."
Touko returned her team members and grabbed Anabel's arm. "We're on it!"
"I've never seen this logo before," Diantha squatted and shifted Saturn's arm aside to reveal swirling green vines. "Does anyone have a lead on this?"
A uniformed Wes ducked back into the room, flashing a G-Men badge. "Ma'am, I've been asked to inform you that these operatives are the result of the Teams combining. They've functioned under the name 'Rebel League' for some time now."
"How curious," Cynthia said. "I assume the G-Men are aware of the threat?"
"Acutely," Wes deadpanned. "Our division's tracked these hooligans for months. We believe they have ulterior motives concerning the progression of the tournament…"
While the Champions spoke with Wes, Ash pulled Aurian, Michael, Brock, and Misty aside.
"Faith's not here," Ash hissed. "Why would she leave instead of put up a fight?"
Michael groaned. "Oh, y'all know she's off doing something suspicious. Can we pull security footage?"
"Is that legal?" Brock raised an eyebrow.
Aurian shot two finger guns in his direction. "With a warrant, yes."
"On it," Michael saluted, pulling his Pokegear from his pocket. "Remind me, is that Brendan or Lucas?"
"Lucas is with Tech, that's right up his alley," Ash whispered, catching Wes and the Champions moving towards their group out of the corner of his eye.
"But yeah, I'm with you, it's pretty weird that Faith's not here," Aurian raised her voice, relieved to see Wes' eyebrows travel halfway up his face. "Oh, sorry, how can we help you?"
Wes pulled a notepad from his belt. "Since the rest of my division is off tracking down a few folks, I need to take some statements. Walk me through exactly what you saw."
The group of five did their best to recount their version of events.
"... and everything's pretty much a blur after Blue's Cottonee released that Sleep Powder," Misty finished with a shrug. "Glad we're all okay. I'm worried about the trainees and everyone else, I wish there was a way we could make the event up to them."
Wes capped his pen and motioned towards Aurian. "Blue, right?"
The younger girl nodded.
"You said something about someone not being here. Tell me about Faith Sorenson."
The patonai made eye contact for a split second.
"In front of Cynthia and Diantha?" Aurian asked.
Ash fought back a grin. "Oh, Wes is brilliant."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, our last panelist vanished into thin air once the Rebel League got here. I don't mean to speak for the rest of us, but it's weird that Faith didn't hang around," Aurian said. "We could have used her help."
Misty nodded. "Yeah, I'm with Blue. Something's not sitting right about this."
"From what we've seen from her battles, Faith is no coward," Diantha mused.
Cynthia stayed quiet, pacing in deep thought.
"Is there any way to figure out where she went?" Brock asked.
Wes made a non-commital noise. "We'd have to get a warrant for security footage, and that's near impossible without anything more than your word and a weird gut feeling."
Cynthia looked up. "Would a Champion's Request expedite the process?"
"Oh crap," Michael whistled.
"Yes, it most definitely would," Wes smiled. "Thank you, ma'am."
Cynthia grinned. "My pleasure. What else do you need?"
"To find my team, but you can't help with that. Thank you for your help. If there's anything we can do for you until the tournament ends, please don't hesitate to reach out," Wes passed out business cards with the Armada's direct line on the back. "We're a phone call away."
The patonai resisted the urge to salute as Wes departed the room.
"Cynth, why pull a Champion's Request on that security footage?" Diantha asked, toes tapping against the floor.
Cynthia dug for her Pokegear, flipping through photos. "A certain Gary Oak sent me this a few days ago. I had my suspicions about Faith's talent, but this confirmed everything I hoped wouldn't be true."
The photo in question revealed Faith in a red hoodie speaking with Saturn in the forest, three acid-green vials passed between the pair.
"Is this enough to have Faith removed from the tournament?" Brock crossed his arms. "That has to be illegal on about fifteen levels."
Cynthia nodded. "I tried to raise hell through the appropriate channels, but Faith's still a competitor. I showed Diantha, Lance, and Alder, and all of us are in agreement that something's off."
"Okay, how do we move forward? What can we do, especially if someone in the League's senior leadership still wants her in?" Ash asked.
The group went silent as a small army of Officer Jennies appeared, taking all the operatives into protective custody.
"Until the G-Men figure out why this Rebel League attacked the Girl's Forum, lay low," Diantha sighed.
"She's right," Cynthia rubbed her temples. "They could have been after us, the finalists, anyone on that panel. Saturn clearly knows how to cause just enough chaos to be dangerous."
Misty turned over her shoulder. "But Saturn's been arrested, right?"
"I'm more worried about what this group will do now that he's out of the picture," Ash shook his head. "I'm not sure I want to know what else they're capable of."
Aurian's Pokegear erupted in a frenzy of ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hey, we're safe at the Center! You guys doing okay?" Maddie asked.
"Thank God, that's a relief. We're good, probably about to head back. Where are you?"
Max took over the phone. "We're in the hotel room that Maddie's family booked. Figured no one would look for us here."
"That was smart. Proud of you guys," Ash said. "We'll be there in fifteen. Meet us in the lobby, same blue couches as normal."
"You got it!" Noah answered, line going dead soon afterwards.
Michael cleared his throat. "Is there anything else, Champions?"
"Yes, before I forget," Cynthia turned towards Aurian. "That trick you pulled with your Lucario and Cottonee was impressive. I've never seen someone so focused in the midst of that much danger. How did you pull that off?"
Aurian shook her head. "All I could think about were the kids. I just did what I had to do to keep them safe, you know?"
"And Red, Michael, Brock, way to coordinate that evacuation." Diantha beamed. "People made it out of this alive because of you."
"It wasn't any trouble at all," Ash said. "All in a day's work. If you don't mind, we need to go check on our trainees and make sure they're okay."
"Of course! Best of luck tomorrow," the Champions waved the group off into the elevator.
Once the elevator doors closed, Aurian collapsed against the back wall. "That was close."
"Too close," Ash groaned. "Blue, Saturn almost outed you. We're so lucky that Cottonee's Sleep Powder fell when it did, we almost lost our covers back there."
Brock raised an eyebrow. "Hold on, how do you two know Saturn?"
Aurian rolled up her sleeves, scars livid in the harsh fluorescent light. "He's the one that did this to me."
"Sweet Keldeo," Misty took Aurian's hand. "And you didn't want to kill him?"
"That wet sock isn't worth anyone's time," she muttered. "I'm sure that law enforcement's having a field day now that he's in custody, I imagine he's given anyone researching Team Galactic a crapload of grief."
The elevator doors opened to a flurry of reporters, videographers, and photographers in the lobby of the stadium, all present rushing forward.
"Ms. Katrian, can you tell us what happened in the Girl's Forum?"
A blonde reporter waved frantically. "Ms. Waterflower, was anyone injured in the fray?"
"Who were the attackers?"
"What did they want?"
"Are you okay?"
"Enough!" Ash barked.
All present fell silent.
"We're okay. No injuries, as far as we know. The Champions are safe and cooperating with local law enforcement. We don't know who the attackers were. No further questions," Ash stared down the reporters.
Aurian cleared her throat. "Excuse us."
A path materialized like magic, reporters parting the seas to let the five through.
"How the hell did you learn how to do that?" Brock asked, automatic doors closing behind the group.
Ash grinned. "When you spend enough time around our commander, that's one of the first things you learn."
"'Your time is yours, no one else's'," Aurian's fingers formed air quotes. "If you don't believe it, no one else will."
"Come on, they said they'd be here soon!" Max groaned, standing on his tiptoes on an abandoned ottoman.
Maddie gently pulled him down. "Hey, don't hurt yourself. We can trust them, right?"
"Nothing I've seen makes me trust them any less," Noah grinned.
Max nodded. "You're right. Guess I'm just being impatient."
"Center sure is crazy today," Maddie whistled, taking in the scene of reporters rushing about, Nurse Joys healing Pokemon as quickly as they could, and the general hubbub of an Island in distress.
"The stadium was worse," Ash appeared from behind a small crowd of people, closely followed by the rest of the group.
Max nearly knocked him over in a hug. "You're okay!"
"Thankfully," he ruffled his trainee's hair. "That could have been a lot worse had Blue not done what she did. We owe you one."
The girl in question shrugged. "It was nothing. I'm glad the G-Men were able to make it there in time to help out more."
"What now?" Noah asked.
Ash glanced at his watch. "As far as I know, the Gala's still on. We have two hours to get ready and gameplan, because I'm sure as hell that the Rebel League's not done yet."
"You really think they'll attack twice in one day?" Misty yelped.
"I wouldn't put it past them," Aurian led the group out of the Center and back towards the campsite. "That wasn't an attack, that was a declaration of war. Red, Michael, who's left in that circle to organize something on the Gala tonight?"
Michael bit his lip. "Well, Jupiter's still out there. Charon is too. Ariana, Proton, and Archer from Rocket. We still don't have a lead on the Hexagon Brothers from Cipher."
"Magma and Aqua are out, Dragonite Reserve's eliminating that threat at the moment," Ash added. "What about Plasma?"
"Colress is Research, so he wouldn't get any field time," Aurian said."The Sages aren't capable of doing anything from jail, N's with us now, Ghetsis is dead… did Koga ever find the Shadow Trio?"
Max traded a confused glance with Brock, Misty, and the rest of the trainees.
"I'm just as lost as you are," Maddie whispered.
Noah's eyes lit up. "Oh! I remember when all the Sages were caught! It was a big operation across the entire Region, split between the International Police and outside help… which I guess was the G-Men."
"My money's on Jupiter leading a team for the Gala. She was in the OG inner trio and was tight with Cyrus before we sent him into the void," Ash said, the other two G-Men nodding. "Now for the fun part- how will we stop them when it happens?"
Misty hung back, taking in the plans but not contributing.
Her hands still shook from her fifteen minutes of panic at the Girl's Forum, trapped between using her team to make a difference and risking innocent lives.
"Talk to me," Ash shifted his pace to match Misty's, the rest of the group forging on ahead through the forest. "What's on your mind?"
She shook her head. "Back when everything went to crap, I couldn't do anything. I promise I wanted to help but my feet felt like cement-"
"Hey, it's okay. Was that the first time you've been in that big of a mess?"
"Kind of? Outside of Lance evacuating me out of my own gym when Rocket burned it down and our adventures all those years ago, I guess so. I'm supposed to help people when they're in trouble, Red!" she cried, fists curled tight. "Instead I sat back and preserved my own life because I was too much of a coward."
Ash lifted her fist and uncurled her fingers. "No one has a perfect response to danger."
"You, Michael, and Blue sure do," Misty huffed.
"You also need to realize that we've seen far more trauma, blood, and horrible events than anyone should know," Ash slipped her hand inside his own. "We've had four years of practice. This is our job, Misty. You never signed up for any of this. Don't beat yourself up, it's okay that you didn't know what to do."
"What happens if you and Blue and Michael aren't able to stop whatever happens at the Gala tonight? What happens if it comes down to Brock and I?"
"Misty, I promise it won't ever come to that," Ash took her other hand and squeezed. "And even if it does, you'll be prepared. It's easier to act when you have a plan, and Blue and I will do everything we can to prepare you for tonight."
"I just want to be brave enough to help," she murmured, squeezing back.
Ash paused, red eyes catching in the light. "Misty, you've already helped, you know that? It's so easy for me to get caught up in the mission and forget that I'm only human at the end of the day. You're forcing me to trade my armor for kindness- something I almost forgot how to do-"
He was cut off by Misty stretching up on her tiptoes, closing the space between them.
Ash swore he saw fireworks when their lips met.
Across the way, Aurian, Michael, and Brock watched the scene unfold from behind a few aspen and pine trees.
Aurian handed Michael a ten-dollar bill. "You'd better buy something good with that."
"Think Red would kill me if I bought one of those copycat hats they sell in the Stadium marketplace?" Michael tucked the bill in his wallet.
"Yes," Aurian said. "Yes, he would. Rudy would love you for it, though, as would the rest of the division."
Michael humphed in satisfaction. "That settles it, it's happening."
Brock smirked. "God, those two had a bad case of emotional constipation."
Two hours later, the group, minus Michael, trekked back towards the Stadium.
"Remind me why I decided that making this walk in high heels was a good thing," Aurian muttered, suppressing the urge to cuss under her breath as her right heel stuck fast in damp soil.
Ash gave her a credulous look. "Because you're nuts."
"That's been clearly established, you can do better," she rolled her eyes. "At least Misty was smart enough to go with flats."
"Despite the fact that I'm a Sensational Sister, you couldn't pay me enough to wear those things," Misty put her hands up.
Max shrugged. "Man, I'm so glad I never have to deal with any of this."
"Everyone clear on the plan?" Ash asked.
Misty nodded. "We'll do all we can to act like everything's normal."
"While we won't stay together the entire time, we'll all scan the attendees for folks who're up to no good," Max added.
"Meanwhile, your people will set up a perimeter around the building and monitor who goes in and who goes out," Brock finished. "If things go downhill, stick together and evacuate if we're told to."
"That reminds me, you mentioned you'd go in with extra weapons," Misty frowned. "I didn't see you grab anything when we went to that costume room…"
Aurian shifted her jacket aside to show a second necklace. "I'm still wearing my arrowheads, they're just not visible. This necklace is technically on loan from a little museum in Cameran- pure Rota crystal. We've stockpiled enough aura in here to be prepared for pretty much anything."
"All my buttons, cufflinks, and the stone in this ring are crystal, as well," Ash said. "Worst case scenario, we can use the necklace as a grenade, but we don't think Her Majesty, Queen Ilene would be happy with us."
The group joined a throng of well-dressed folks, all of whom hopped on elevators up to Goodshow's private suite.
"This is going to be amazing," Maddie whispered, tucking an unruly braid back into place.
Aurian put a hand on her trainee's shoulder. "Absolutely."
As the doors opened, Ash's jaw nearly dropped of its own accord. Goodshow's suite ran along the top edge of the stadium, every wall made of a mix of elegantly draped steel beams and glass. A massive mahogany bar sat on the far side of the room, eight bartenders dressed in League colors serving a long line of guests.
"Fancy," Aurian murmured, noting the feel of marble tiles beneath her feet.
Max gulped. "Something tells me that I shouldn't touch anything in here."
"I'll say. That painting is probably worth more than what I'll make in the next decade," Ash motioned towards an exquisite depiction of water lilies in a tranquil pond.
A familiar silver-haired figure met the group where they stood in the entry.
"Good evening," Steven Stone said, offering a kind nod. "I believe that Mr. Goodshow wanted to speak with Mr. Aronshu and Miss Katrian before the event begins in earnest. Please follow me."
"You'd better tell me how the food is by the time we get back," Aurian waved.
Maddie flashed her mentor a thumbs-up. "I'll eat all the fondue, just for you."
"That's my girl!" the younger patonai beamed, following Ash towards a raised platform at the back of the room.
Ash swallowed hard as they approached Goodshow at the stage's edge, Tobias and Faith standing beside him.
"Ah, hello hello!" the older man said, offering a firm handshake to Ash and Aurian both. "How lovely it is to see you, thank you so much for coming!"
"The pleasure is all ours, sir. It's an honor to be here," Aurian gave a diplomatic smile.
"Blue, you have to tell me where you found your outfit, it's stunning!" Faith grinned.
Aurian shrugged, tugging at the long sleeves of her midnight blue jumpsuit. "Oh, this old thing! I've had it in my closet for about two years but never had an occasion fancy enough to break it out until now."
"Some things never change," Tobias sighed. "Should have seen this coming."
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, for sure. You have any idea what to expect out of this?"
"Goodshow shows us off," Tobias fought back a smile at the pun. "We get a fancy medal. We schmooze with fancy donors who have no qualms about the finale of the tournament. We leave, we fight tomorrow, we finish the Global Invitational out."
"Maybe we get to fight a Champion, on record?" Ash offered with a shrug. "I'm still in shock that I made it this far. Haven't even begun to think of who I'd challenge if given the opportunity. What about you, Tobias?"
The Undeniable frowned, expression growing stormy. "I have a few ideas, but nothing's certain yet. If you had to pick now, who would you face?"
"I'll tell you if you tell me," Ash winked.
"Deal," Tobias laughed.
Ash bit his lip. "If I had to pick now, I'd choose Lance. I've looked up to him since I was a kid, way before I started my journey. Facing off against him would be a perfect full-circle moment."
"I may have to say the same. I've always been intrigued by Lance's strategies, it'd be a pleasure to see them in action for myself-" Tobias started, cut off by Goodshow tapping the microphone on stage.
The room quieted in a rush, all eyes on the stage.
"Welcome to the Victory Gala! Tonight, we celebrate four of the League's best. Before we feast, we would like to offer them our sincerest congratulations on behalf of the Pokemon League and their home regions."
A polite round of applause rose and echoed among the vaulted ceilings.
"Our first Final Four member, hailing from Canalave City, Sinnoh, is none other than Blue Katrian, the Sinnoh Sharpshooter!"
Aurian joined Goodshow on stage to riotous applause from the younger trainers in the room.
"I believe this is for you," Cynthia draped a medal around Aurian's neck.
"I've died and gone to heaven," the younger trainer said, drawing a laugh from all close enough to hear.
Goodshow cleared his throat. "Continuing on- from Kanto, we have Red Aronshu, the Crimson Menace!"
Ash climbed the steps and stood next to his patonai.
"Congratulations, Red," Lance passed over a medal. "Job well done."
"The Undeniable, Tobias Langley of Vermillion City, Kanto!"
The applause faltered for a split second before resuming at twice its previous intensity. Trace stepped forward and gave Tobias his medal.
"Last but not least, Faith Sorenson of Lavender Town, Kanto's Sweetheart!"
A mob of League photographers pushed their way forward, angling for the best shot of the four trainers together.
As Goodshow raised his microphone to speak again, one of the glass walls shattered.
"Something's not right!" Ash said, pulling his patonai away from the debris.
Aurian squinted at the rubble, gala attendees running in all directions. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
The patonai locked eyes before they both spoke in unison.
"That explosion was triggered-"
"From inside, yeah!" Ash finished his patonai's sentence, then pulled three Pokeballs from his pocket. Heracross, Gengar, and Sceptile burst out, taking defensive stances.
Figures in all-too-familiar uniforms rappelled in from above, led by none other than Jupiter herself.
"Mind if we crash the party?" she crooned, shouldering a rifle. Her men pointed their weapons at Goodshow.
"We have a list of demands that we need met before we leave," she pulled a small paper from her pocket. "Relinquish control of the League to our leader, who you will address as Cabot. Turn in your G-Men. Finally…"
She trailed off, a murderous glint in her glare. "We want Ash Ketchum and Aurian Copland, dead or alive."
(A/N): Hello! Hope y'all's weeks are going well! Special thanks to thechinskyguy, as always, for his fantastic beta work. Thanks for reading C22! Drop a review if you'd like, I love hearing from you and new friends are great! Have a great rest of your day- this is PL, signing off.
