A/N: I have some good news, if you happen to enjoy this story that is. It want on a bit of a break because I had slightly overcommitted in terms of fics. I was actively-ish writing 7 different stories (most of which are not at the point of being posted here), and was simply getting snowed under. Too much choice, and I was getting nowhere.

So I stepped back over Christmas, and have come back with a plan. Clear the decks of the shorter stories so that I can get back to investing time in the longer ones. The first story in the 'clear the decks' category was this one, so I've spent the last month completing it. It's now complete in draft, and I will be posting regular updates for it while I move on to writing my next work (the long delayed original story). Then I'll move on to the next fic. Not sure on the order as yet, but that's the plan. Updates for this should be every Friday, and it will come in at 23 chapters, reaching a little over 80k words.

Chapter 13

Cynthia wasn't at her hotel, which Ash realised a little belatedly was probably to be expected. Like him, she wasn't exactly the kind of person who was willing to simply sit around when things were happening. The question was where might she have gone?

In the end, they decided to head back to the Pokécentre to check up on Nurse Joy and all the Pokémon in her charge. The power was back on across the city, completely robbing it of the dark and forbidding atmosphere it had taken on in complete darkness, but that didn't mean that everything Charon had done had been undone.

They didn't even know what he had done, really, so who was to know if he hadn't done something else, and the power cut was merely a cover for it.

They got their answer soon after entering the Pokécentre, which they found contained a few police officers standing around looking serious. The Growlithes with them sniffed at Ash, Brock, and Dawn when they entered, but nothing resulted from the inspection. Talking to both Nurse Joy and another of the officers, Ash caught sight of Cynthia, her long trademark black overcoat and bright blonde hair easily setting her apart from everyone else.

"Ash!" she said when she looked up and met his eyes. Her voice carried easily across the uneasy hush which filled the Pokécentre's atrium. "What did you find at the power plant?"

Nurse Joy must have told her what they were going to do, Ash realised. "It had been taken over by some Pokémon," Ash answered. "Koffings were keeping Officer Jenny out but we were able to get through them."

"Strange," said Nurse Joy. "The old factories around there have always had a few wild Pokémon living in them, but I've never heard of them actually attacking anyone. Least of all the power plant. What could they hope to gain?"

"Well, that's the thing," said Dawn, glancing at Ash. "It looks like they were being commanded by someone else."

"Or maybe controlled," said Brock darkly.

"It was Charon," Ash explained. "When we got to the control room we found the Banette which has been causing trouble there, and Charon was on this big screen."

"Charon?" Cynthia asked. "He's involved in this? That is not good news."

"Who is Charon?" asked Joy, looking lost. "Some kind of criminal?"

"I guess you could say that," said Brock. "We've come across him before."

"He's a scientist," Dawn added, "and he doesn't seem to have any kind of morals. So long as he's doing his research, he doesn't care who gets hurt."

"He's bad news," Ash agreed. Most people didn't know what had happened with Team Galactic and Cyrus' mad attempt to recreate the universe in his own image, so he couldn't go into much detail.

"He was part of a criminal organisation which was recently dismantled by the International Police," said Cynthia. "The only one of the leaders to escape capture."

Technically, Cyrus had escaped too, but he wasn't exactly free either, so it made sense as a simplification.

"Oh dear," said Joy, looking concerned. "Could he have had anything to do with Chansey?"

"What happened to Chansey?" Ash asked immediately. He looked around and realised there was no sign of the Pokémon. It rarely went far from Nurse Joy's side.

Cynthia grimaced and pushed a few strands of hair back behind her ear. "Chansey was taken during the blackout. We've been trying to work out how they did it."

"Well it couldn't have been Banette," Ash realised, speaking his thoughts. "It was over at the power plant until not long before the power came back on."

"Then there was the attack on the Clefairy," Dawn pointed out. "It should have been near the baths at that time. Brock saw it."

"I was so sure," said Ash, shaking his head. Everything had pointed to Banette being responsible. "Do you think it could still be Charon behind the attacks?"

"It would be quite the coincidence if it was not," said Cynthia. "I just cannot see what he might be up to. It's not been all that long since Galactic was dismantled. Does he already have some new benefactor?"

Ash shook his head. "I don't know. He didn't really say anything. He just taunted us a bit and ordered his Pokémon to attack us so they could escape."

"Hmm…" said Cynthia, staring into space.

"Should we send someone out to the woods?" Dawn asked. "That seems to be where the taken Pokémon always reappear."

"That might be a good idea," said Cynthia. She nodded to the nearby police officer, and he hurried off, presumably to do just that. "I think everything is in hand here. Would you three like to come with me? I can't help but think there's something we're missing here. I want to try and work out what it is."

Ash knew he had a battle to prepare for, but that was barely a footnote in his mind, really. When it came to a choice between doing the right thing, or brushing it off for a Pokémon battle, he knew there was really only one choice.

Besides, spending time around Cynthia was probably better than training anyway. A wordless glance was more than enough to tell him that Brock and Dawn both agreed.

"We'll help however we can," he said.

o-o

"There has to be some kind of connection which links the Pokémon which were taken," said Cynthia, slouching into one of the comfortable chairs which occupied her suite's living room. "But what could it be?"

Ash just shook his head tiredly and flopped into the chair next to her. Dawn and Brock had already taken the other available seats. Pikachu jumped down off his shoulder and immediately curled up into a ball on the armrest.

It was late. So late that the word early was really more apt. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and the town was coming to life once more. Ash hadn't managed a wink of sleep.

He, alongside Cynthia, Dawn, Brock, and a few other volunteers, had been combing the town and woodlands for Chansey all night, with no luck.

"Buneary, Ralts, Clefairy, and Chansey," said Brock. "None of them especially powerful."

"Don't forget the Lumineon," said Dawn, the final word opening up into a big yawn. "They might have been trying to take that too."

"But it wasn't even the Banette which took Chansey," Ash pointed out. "It was at the power station the whole time."

"It was probably too far away to be the one that dumped Clefairy in the woods too," said Cynthia shaking her head in exasperation. "Not to mention the sudden addition of a swarm of Koffing, and a Gengar to the mystery."

"Had Nurse Joy found anything more when you spoke to her?" Ash asked. While he and his friends had been quickly snagging breakfast after a long night tramping the streets, Cynthia had been talking to Nurse Joy. "Anything about what might have drained them that much?"

"That's the strange thing," said Cynthia. "The more she looks, the more convinced she is that it's not a ghost type doing this. She thinks it was Sleep Powder that was used to incapacitate the Pokémon."

"That's not something any of the Pokémon Charon has can do," said Dawn, frowning.

"None of the Pokémon he has that we know of," said Ash. "He could have any number of other Pokémon scouring the town."

Cynthia hummed, and started tapping her chin in thought. "In that case, you'd expect more than one Pokémon to be taken per day. If he has so many Pokémon capable of kidnapping others, and he's still only taken one a day, that suggests he only needs one per day."

"What could he need them for?" Dawn asked.

"That is why we need to answer what it is that links all the Pokémon that have been taken," said Cynthia, nodding. "Once we know that, maybe we'll have some idea of what he's using them for."

"Well, Chansey can't do much," said Ash with a shrug. "Just basic physical moves and some healing."

"Clefairy has a little more range, but it's very similar," said Brock. He frowned. "Clefairy can also learn healing moves though."

"So can Ralts and Buneary," said Cynthia. Her eyes widened, and she met Ash's surprised gaze. "Could that be it? Is Charon somehow stealing the energy they use to heal others?"

"It might explain why they're so fatigued, but undamaged," said Brock soberly. "Those healing abilities take the Pokémon's own vital force to perform. If they're pushed or overused it can cause serious harm."

"That must be it," said Cynthia. She learned forward and, with her elbows on her knees, started massaging her temples. "But what would Charon want with the ability to steal a Pokémon's healing abilities?"

"Does he need a reason?" Ash asked. "It's not like he believed in Cyrus' mad plan. He just likes experimenting."

"Maybe…" said Cynthia, her voice trailing off.

At that moment, her phone rang, causing Ash to jump in surprise, and Pikachu to let out a little jolt of electricity. Cynthia quickly fished the device out of her coat and brought it to her ear.

"Cynthia here," she said simply. There was a brief pause as the person on the other end of the line said something that Ash was only able to catch snippets of. "Where? And they're okay? The Pokécentre. Yes. No. I'll be with you shortly."

She soon hung up, and didn't keep them waiting. "Chansey has been found. One of the other trainers in the tournament found her in the woods."

"I thought there were officers out there?" Ash asked. "Did they see anything?"

Cynthia shook her head. "Doesn't seem that way. It's a big area to try and cover, though."

"Who found her?" Dawn asked. She clasped her hands together. "Is she okay?"

"Jenny says she thinks she'll be okay, but it's definitely the same thing as the other kidnappings." She pushed herself up with a tired groan. "It was Rojin that found Chansey."

"He does train out there," said Dawn slowly, clearly thinking back to the time when they'd run into him while they were training.

"It's good that he was out there," said Ash. "Who knows how long Chansey might have been left out there."

"Mmm," said Cynthia. "Look, I'm going to go down to the Pokécentre to meet Jenny and to get the rest of the information. You three can either stay here and get some sleep, or come along if you like."

Another huge yawn from Dawn answered that question fairly neatly. "I'm just about dropping off," she said. "I think I'll take a short nap."

"Me too," said Brock.

Ash suppressed a yawn of his own and jumped to his feet. "I'll come."

"Are you sure?" Cynthia asked. She was wearing a curious expression which Ash couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was just the tiredness. "Don't you want to spend the time making sure you're ready for this evening?"

"This is more important." He might be tired, but Pokémon were being hurt. How could he sleep knowing someone else might be hurt while he was comfortable on Cynthia's couch? He looked at Pikachu for a second before deciding to let him have his sleep.

The smile that Cynthia gave him was every bit as good as a cup of coffee. "Well, come on then," she said, and she made for the door.

Something was niggling at Ash as they rode the elevator to the ground floor. "That's twice now that Rojin was around when the kidnapped Pokémon was found," he said. It felt wrong to even consider the possible implications. Rojin obviously loved Pokémon. Ash could see it in how he interacted with his own Pokémon, but it was a bit of a coincidence.

"You're right," she said, "and to be honest, I've been interested in him since the start. If he is to be believed this is his first ever tournament."

"He's definitely no beginner," Ash agreed.

"I think he is using an assumed name," said Cynthia, staring at the blank doors of the elevator as she spoke. "There's no rules against it, though. And if my suspicions are correct, he has a good reason."

"You think you know who he is?" Ash asked, surprised.

She nodded. "I told you about the old Champion, didn't I? Ezo?"

"Yeah…"

"Rojin's fighting style is very much like Ezo's."

"You think the old champion is battling in this little tournament?" It was hard to believe. "It's not even a league tournament."

"Exactly," said Cynthia. "I think this is why he has been concealing his name. Last time we spoke he promised that the next time we met he'd be challenging me to take his mantle back."

"So you think he's trying to avoid you?"

Cynthia smiled. "Oh, there's no doubt about that. Every time I've tried to seek him out he has made a quick exit. He was always a strange one."

The door dinged open, and they both stepped out. Together, they moved quickly through the lobby and into the street.

"But even you said he loved Pokémon," said Ash. "No one who loves Pokémon could do what is being done to them now."

"No," Cynthia agreed. She waved at a small child who was staring at her with wide eyes and a partially melted ice cream. "I do not see him doing this, but if I could just ask him some questions, maybe he's seen something out in the woods while he's been training."

"I could ask him," Ash offered. "He's spoken to me a few times. He seems to have a soft spot for Pikachu."

"I'd really appreciate it, Ash," she replied, looking pleased. "He was Champion for years, and if I'm being honest, I suspect he was much better at it then I am."

"I don't see how that can be possible," said Ash, glancing over at her. "You're Cynthia. You were the youngest Champion in the last hundred years. So far as I can see, you're pretty much brilliant at everything you do."

"There's a lot more to being Champion than Pokémon battles," said Cynthia, shaking her head sadly. "I can do battles. When we were fighting Cyrus, I never thought for a minute that we'd lose. I knew you and I could handle anything he could throw at us." She paused. "And Brock and Dawn, of course."

"Then what's the problem?" Ash asked. "What's the part of being Champion that's harder than stopping the end of the world?"

Cynthia stopped in the street, and it took Ash a couple of paces before he realised she'd disappeared. He looked back at her with a quizzical look.

"Do you remember last night, when we spoke?" she asked him.

"Yeah." How could he forget it? Perhaps it was seeing Cresselia, or maybe it was something about the way Cynthia had opened up to him, but it was seared into his memory.

"You said it must get lonely at the top." When Ash nodded, she continued. "That is part of it. The greatest challenge in being Champion is… not just being Champion, if you understand my meaning?"

Ash frowned. He didn't understand. Cynthia was much more than merely Champion. She was a world authority on the history of Legendary Pokémon. She was an icon for thousands of people around the world. She'd saved the world from Cyrus. "I don't think I do."

With a sigh, Cynthia glanced at her watch and started walking again. The Pokécentre was not far away now. "It is so easy to let the position, the job, the responsibility, become everything. I told you I missed the travel, but that's not all I miss. This is a job which doesn't leave much time for yourself. Lance loves it. I know he does. He is the job. There is no part of Lance who is not Champion.

"That's not me, though. Or not what I want to be. Lance is okay with being alone. With never being able to find—" She stopped and glanced over at Ash with an unreadable expression. "With never being able to connect. I have my hobbies and interests, but they always have to come second to the responsibilities of being Champion. I just… there's some things which I don't think can survive coming in second."

Once again, she looked over at Ash, and he got the feeling she was waiting for him to say something, but he had no idea what.

"Well, I'm just glad I got the chance to know you," he said. "Even if you had to leave tomorrow, and I never saw you again, I'd still be happy." He frowned. "No, that came out wrong. I'd be sad to see you leave. I'd be sad knowing I wouldn't see you again. But I'd be happy for the time I did get with you." He paused, replaying his words in his mind. "That sounded really sappy, didn't it?"

Cynthia's laughter was almost musical, and it did a lot to ease his growing embarrassment. Where had that come from?

"You are an unusual man, Ash," she said, pausing at the door to the Pokécentre. "Thank you. I think I needed to hear a bit of sap."

"Well, I'm always happy to help!" He grinned and flashed her a thumbs up.

"That is something I could never doubt."

A/N: Next update should be in a week. In the meantime, apart from Ash/Cynthia (obviously) which is your favourite Pokémon ship, and what's the best fic featuring it? I'm going to be in sore need of reading material over the next week or so, so lay them on me.