A/N- This chapter is a little longer than others, about 6.5 thousand words. Thanks to Flamewing98 once again!

"Speech" 'Thought' 'Telepathy'

Please enjoy and review!

Chapter Fourteen

*Bang bang bang*

The courtroom slowly silenced as the judge pounded his gavel.

The presiding judge's gaze pierced into the crowd and waited a few moments, making sure that he had the full attention of everyone in it "Since Ash Ketchum and Red have escaped their cells, presumably with the aid of Team Rocket, and they are not here to attend this court session, by Article IV of the Soln Act, I declare that this trial will continue. The defendants shall be tried in absentia."

The crowd roared once again, though it was mostly due to various reporters and journalists asking questions than to any anger at the decision to try two men for their lives without their presence so they can defend themselves.

Only two people in the courtroom looked saddened by this decision; a man and a woman sitting next to each other in the front of the room, Gary and May. Their friends were also sitting in the front, but on the opposite side of the room.

The judge slammed his gavel once more "Silence! This is a court proceeding, not an interview, and you will treat it as such! Anyone who causes any trouble will be held for contempt of court!"

The noise died down much faster this time.

"Thank you." The judge turned to the prosecution "Attorney General Hastings, please proceed."

The prosecutor stood up, moved in front of the bench, and turned to the crowd "Everyone here knows what has happened. Two men, originally thought to be driven by greed now known to be Team Rocket operatives, have attacked the Royal Aura Resort. They wanted to steal the Pokemon kept there, and maybe more. As if this was not bad enough, they managed to kill one hundred and forty three of the resort's fine security team along with one hundred and eighty two of their Pokemon." He raised his arms in a questioning manner "One hundred and forty three men? How many is that? If you're curious, that amount is over everyone in this room, and that's not including the Pokemon. This scale of this level of crime has not been seen since the before the founding of the Pokemon League, when the four regions savagely fought over meaningless points and petty disputes. Since then, we have managed to put aside our differences and work together, to bring peace and prosperity to our citizens. Even Orre, with it's population being largely ungoverned, hasn't seen this heinous a crime in a long time." He turned and pointed a finger at the jury, who began to look angry as he spoke "It is up to you, the jury, to find the guilt in this matter. And due to the sheer amount of evidence against them, and the fact that they have run back to Team Rocket with their tails between their legs, Ash Ketchum and Red are without a shadow of a doubt, guilty!"

Hastings stood for a moment as the crowd gave a thunderous applause and wiped the sweat off of his brow. As he went to take his seat, the defense stood. The lawyer who was defending Ash and Red, Mr. Kamon, was a public defender because no lawyer with their own practice would be caught dead near them. They were what is referred to in the practice as career breakers.

He went to where Hasting stood a few moment earlier, sweat dripping down his face. Kamon was no fool; he understood that his chances at winning this case were almost none, but that wasn't what worried him. No, what worried him was that someone would think that he agreed with the criminals and try to teach him a lesson. He knew that he didn't support their actions, he's only a public servant who drew the short straw when he got assigned to work this case and since they were his clients, he had a responsibility to do his best. But not everyone understood that.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case is about people who are mentally ill and didn't know what they were doing. The prosecution would like you to think that they are simply bad people with nothing but ill intentions, but that is not the case. In the short amount of time they spent in jail, the two were observed to behave erratically, often talking to themselves. This will be shown in the evidence, not that they are cold blooded killers. That is why I plead insanity for my clients."

As Kamon went to sit down, no one clapped. A lot of people glared at him as he moved, but he did his best to ignore them.

The trial began.

…

It proceeded as everyone thought it would. The jury had no time for the defense but was all ears for the prosecution. It was very clear which way they would decide.

The time came for May to give her testimony for the defense. Once she did, she was cross examined by the prosecution

"Miss Maple," Hastings locked his hands behind his back as he gazed at May "you were there on the night of the attack, yes?"

"I was."

"And we've established that you witnessed the accused kill all of the security team, correct?"

"Yes."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that is all we need! We already know, from the sworn statement of the Royal Aura Resort, that there was an attempted robbery with these two as the perpetrators. There can be no excuse for murdering this many people and Pokemon! So I ask you, what more do you need to decide their guilt?" He faced the judge "Your honor, the prosecution is finished with the witness."

"Miss Maple, you may take your seat." The judge said.

May nodded and quickly exited the podium, glad to be out of the center of attention.

As she sat, Gary asked her a question "Why didn't you say that they were fighting Team Rocket?"

"Because it wouldn't help." May sighed "Kamon said that mentioning them would only help solidify the connection between them and Team Rocket. No one actually believes Ash and Red were fighting them except us."

Gary shook his head "Kamon. I know he's trying his best, but it's obvious when you see him face to face that his heart isn't in this. He doesn't really believe in them."

May blew a raspberry "Unfortunately, that's where we are. Until we can meet with them again, the best we can do is just wait and try to ignore everyone else."

Hastings stood once again "Your honor, we have several of Ash Ketchum's old traveling companions here to testify about his capability to commit these crimes."

The judge nodded "You may proceed."

The crowd stirred at that. Old friends of Ash were here, but they were against the criminal? That promised to be interesting to them.

Gary almost choked he snorted so hard "Great, now we have to sit here and watch these traitors spit on Ash's name. Sounds like a blast."

May adopted a look of disgust similar to Gary's and nodded in agreement.

Hastings stood "I would like to call Misty Waterflower to testify."

The judge nodded "Proceed."

From across the room, Misty stood up, and he looked to be in a rough state. Her eyes looked bloodshot and even though you could tell she fixed it up, her hair was still a bit disheveled. Even though she believed that Ash was now a murderer, she had still loved him like a brother and after her anger had worn off, she had broken down.

Misty went to the bench and sat in the witness booth, her eyes alight with anger once again.

"Miss Waterflower," Hastings started "how long have you known the defendant?"

"Eleven years."

"How long have you noticed any odd behavior in him?"

"When we started traveling together initially, he was nothing out of the ordinary. A little stronger than the average starting trainer, but that's it. We traveled through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto before I left to take care of my gym. After that, he traveled with other people, but I still saw him on occasion. The first time I noticed any real odd behavior was after he returned from Hoenn. I visited him at Professor Oak's lab, and he was in the field with his Pokemon. I sneaked out to hi, to surprise him, and I caught him talking to the a trio of Team Rocket members. After a few minutes of talking, the trio got up and left him, without so much as a fight."

May scoffed. Jessie and Jame might have been criminals, but it's not like Ash would just attack them on sight. He always waited to be provoked, and if they were civil, he responded in kind. A glance at Gary told her that he was thinking the same thing.

"So you're saying that it's possible that Mr. Ketchum has been in collusion with Team Rocket for many years now?"

"Yes, I'm saying that' a possibility."

"Your honor, the prosecution is finished with this witness."

The judge looked to Kamon "The defense may cross examine the witness."

Kamon stood "Your honor, the defense has no questions for this witness."

Some eyebrows raised at that; it was very rare for a witness to not be questioned by both sides.

The judge's eyes widened in surprise too "Very well. Miss Waterflower, you may step down from the bench."

Misty nodded before getting up to return to her seat "Thank you, Your Honor."

Hastings said while Misty was still walking to her seat "Your Honor, we would now like to call Richie Hiroshi to the stand."

The judge nodded.

Richie stood and made his way to where Misty just sat, passing her along the way and muttering something into her ear before going to take his seat.

Mr. Hastings raised an eyebrow inquisitively "Mr. Hiroshi, you never traveled with Mr. Ketchum, did you?"

Richie shook his head "No, I didn't."

"But you did know him, did you not?"

"It is."

"Would you please explain to the jury why you think Ash Ketchum has the capability to commit these rimes?"

"Like Mr. Hastings said, we met at our first Pokemon League, the Indigo Plateau." Richie rubbed his hands together "And we became friends very quickly. One day during the League, the Team Rocket trio stole a whole bunch of trainer's pokeballs, and we went to get them back, but ended up getting kidnapped and thrown in the back of their getaway van. We managed to break out and I took the pokeballs while Ash went after Team Rocket. I didn't see what happened because we split up, but when Ash came back a few minutes later, he was eyeing the pokeballs. When I asked what was wrong, he told me that he was just worried about the Pokemon. I thought that was strange, and since I never saw team Rocket get blasted away like he usually did to them, I was a little suspicious. But since he didn't try anything, I forgot about it, and haven't thought of it since he attacked the Royal Aura Resort."

May looked confused, but Gary shook his head "I remember that. Ash told me about that when we crossed paths after the Johto League. He didn't blast them off because they went careening away in their destroyed van, and he was worried about the Pokemon in the balls. That's no evidence against him, but it'll work anyway. Everyone's already made up their mind about the outcome; this trial is nothing more than a sentencing."

"So much for a fair trial then, huh?" May looked at her hands, saddened by the fact that her love wouldn't even get a fair trial.

"Nope. This is a sham of justice."

"Mr. Kamon," the judge looked at him "would the defense like to question the witness?"

"No Your Honor, the defense has no questions."

That got a quiet uproar. Two witnesses with no questions? It appeared as though Kamon had given up after all.

The judge, however, seemed unsurprised this time. It seems that he had figured out what Kamon was doing, and he looked displeased with it, dismissing Richie before speaking again "Does the prosecution have any more witnesses?"

Hastings nodded "Yes Your Honor, we have one final witness. We would like to call Brock Harrison to the stand."

"Proceed."

Brock, like Misty and Richie before him, went to take his place next to the bench before being questioned.

"Mr. Harrison, how long have you known the defendant?"

Brock was the maddest of all of Ash's old friends, and that anger was slightly visible in his voice "I met him eleven years ago, a few days before Misty did."

"How long did you travel with him?"

"Five years."

"Five years is a lot of time, is it not?" Hastings asked rhetorically "Half of a decade. You must have gotten to know Mr. Ketchum very well in those years, yes? And seen what he is capable of, no doubt."

Kamon's instincts told him to object, not on the terms that it was necessarily an unfair question, but it was a leading one, which was not allowed. However, he held his tongue and remained silent.

"Why didn't he say anything?" May demanded angrily "That question is basically telling Brock to say that Ash is bad, why didn't Kamon object?"

Gary looked thoughtfully at Kamon for a moment before answering "I think I know what he's up to."

May turned her gaze to him "What?"

"I think he's deliberately not doing much, but not to hurt Ash and Red." Gary told the brunette.

"How does that make sense?" May asked, the sound of Brock being questioned by Hastings in the background "Not saying anything is amount to agreeing!"

"No, trust me May." Gary said "As a professor, I've had to come to a few trials myself, and I've gone to many with Gramps. Just wait. And see, Kamon knows what he's doing. His plan isn't going to work, but it's the only hope against a biased jury."

May grunted in response, not completely satisfied with his answer, but accepting it for now.

"And so that is one of the many reckless thing that Ash has done that placed people in jeopardy?" Hastings asked Brock.

"Yes, he jumped out at the giant Pokemon machine of a Charizard too, and that almost got us fried."

"So in conclusion, Mr. Harrison, you would say that Ash Ketchum is not only capable of these crimes, but has repeatedly place even his closest friends in unnecessary danger?"

"I think that Ash is not only capable, but willing." Brock stated "None of his antics really bothered me at the time, but now, it all seems suspicious. Especially his common encounters with Team Rocket. A Pikachu? Even though his Pikachu is far above the normal strength of a regular one, it's not like it's the most powerful Pokemon in existence, not even close. They must have had a different reason to follow him, like be there if he needed backup, for example. They must have been the ones who 'kidnapped' Ash after the Sinnoh League, probably because they needed him back with them to steal or kill in some other region. Looking back, I think that Ash Ketchum is a criminal and scum, and I agree with the charges, and think that he needs to be found and brought to justice, whatever means necessary!"

Hastings indulged himself with a confidant smirk, pleased with how the trial was progressing "Your Honor, we have no further questions."

"Does the defense have any questions?"

Kamon shook his head once again "No Your Honor."

"Real surprise." The judge muttered under his breath "Seeing as how both sides are through presenting their evidence, the jury shall now go and make a decision."

…

A short hour later, the jury had reached a decision.

"How does the jury find the defendants?"

One of the jurors stood up and faced the judge "We the jury find the defendants to be guilty on all accounts, Your Honor."

As he sat, applause broke out once again, but the judge allowed it this time, letting it die down naturally before speaking "Then, for the crimes of attempted robbery, the affiliation with the crime syndicate Team Rocket, and mass murder of both humans and Pokemon I hereby sentence Ash Ketchum and Red to death by lethal injection. Once they are found, they will be executed as soon as they can be transported to the necessary facilities. This court is adjourned."

*Bang bang bang*

As the exits crowded with people attempting to leave, May and Gary stood and waited for the crowd to abate. They stood there as the noise died down, the happy chattering of pleased onlookers slowly quieted.

"What did you think Kamon's plan was?" May asked Gary.

Gary looked frustrated "Since it was clear that the judge and jury were biased against Ash and Red, Kamon tried to look as incapable as possible to try and get this case dismissed on account of an incapable attorney. It was their only hope, but it looks like it didn't work. The judge clearly didn't like it, which is understandable. It's kind of a dirty trick."

"Makes sense." May thought for a moment before changing the subject "So what do we do now?"

Gary ran a hand through his hair "Actually, I think that this situation is more suited to you."

May looked surprised "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that, after Ash disappeared for the first time, you became very adept at avoiding people and finding quiet places to lie low. I don't really feel like seeing everyone after the things they said about Ash. Brock especially." Gary had held a small grudge against Brock for their brawl a short time ago, but after last night when they saw Ash and him testifying against him, it didn't remain so small.

May shifted uncomfortably as she realized that Gary was right, but her mind instinctively gave her an answer.

"Um, how about we go to a theater and catch a movie, then find a bar to hang out in while we think about what to do from there. The movie will kill some time until things clear up around here and the bars are usually crowded at this point, so it will be harder to find us."

"Sounds good." Gary said, the light from the setting sun hitting him in the eyes and he held a hand up to block it "Let's go. It's starting to get late."

…

"Ugh, my head." Ash said irritably. "I've said that way too much lately."

As his head cleared, he looked to his surroundings. He was in another sort of cell, except this one was nowhere near as nice as his last, and that was saying something. It was barely big enough to fit his bed in, and bed is a loose term. It was really just a hard wooden board held to the wall by chains, and not at all comfortable. The room that the cell was in was very dark, making it hard to see, but Ash could sense Red in a cell next to his.

He looked at his ankles, which were still bound by the plasma cuffs.

"I'm getting really sick of these dumb cuffs." Ash grunted in frustration before blowing a raspberry "Red, are you awake?"

"Of course." Came his response "They gave you way more drugs than me. I'm insulted that they think that much more of you than me."

"I swear," Ash growled "Once we get out of here, I'm gonna kill everyone around here! I'm sick of being dragged from one prison to the next, unconscious!"

"Yep. Except there's no way I'm calling Mewtwo in here. That's probably what Team Rocket wants, and far be it from me to give them what they want."

Ash nodded "Yeah, if they got their hands on him, it would be terrible for the whole world."

Ash heard a grunt of acknowledgment from Red "Yep. So all we can do now is sit and wait."

…

Giovanni sat in his chair a his desk, stroking Persian's fur.

The glow of his computer in his face as he looked over details of his plan, making sure everything was in order, a maniacal grin on his face.

He gave a short bark of laughter before using his intercom to contact his secretary "Alison, get Domino in here now!"

"Yes sir!" was Alison's response, which held a note of fear, something it didn't use to have.

She, like most others in Team Rocket, had noticed Giovanni slowly going deeper and deeper into the crime world as his plans got bigger and more radical. He was once a fair man as Team Rocket began its journey as a criminal organization. He had begun to change rather abruptly a few years ago, and he had remained somewhat fair, but with a cruel streak. This wasn't anything to be even slightly curious about, as he was a crime lord and so it was unsurprising, but lately he had become almost... erratic. This obsession with Ketchum was only the tip of an iceberg that has been long in forming.

Giovanni continued to pet Persian as he waited, the lights in his office turned off. He had a problem he wanted to discuss with the double oh. Unfortunately for Domino, that problem was her. Giovanni's grin slipped off of his face as anger crashed into him. She had become weak in her time with Ash, something that was either about to be fixed or dealt with.

Domino opened the door and hesitantly walked in and Giovanni immediately put on a neutral expression. She looked nervous as she approached Giovanni, stopping in front of his desk with a salute.

"Yes sir!"

"Hello Domino." Giovanni kept a straight face, hiding the irritation he felt at her underneath his cool facade "How have you been?"

Domino looked surprised; Giovanni never bothered with small talk "Um, fine sir. Our last job went off without a hitch, and no one was hurt either."

"No one, you say? Is that no one in Team Rocket, or no one at all?"

"No one at all, sir. It was quite a hassle too. The trainers put up a small show of resistance, but I was able to talk them out of it before I had to do anything drastic."

"If it was such a hassle, then why didn't you just deal with them!" Giovanni slammed a fist onto his desk, sending a few sheets of paper onto the floor "You've gone soft, Domino, and that is something I do not need in a double oh."

Domino took a step back in fear. She had noticed the decline in Giovanni's sanity too, but Ash had usually kept her out of his sights; he never intentionally hurt Ash any more than necessary, because he wanted him fresh for when he needed him. Giovanni had gone through too much to get him to allow his frustrations to hurt him. Ash was and still is the most important part of his master plan. Unfortunately, now that Ash was no longer around to protect her from Giovanni's rage, she had no safety net to fall back on this time.

She didn't regret it though. Ash had changed her, and the only reason she stuck around, well, Ash knew her reason, and that was enough.

However, Giovanni looked much angrier than usual.

"Well sir, I don't think we need to harm the victims any more than than we need too. After all, why give the police any more reason to come after us? They still think we're too small for anything more than petty theft and the occasional small robbery, so why take the chance?" She maintained eye contact with the Team Rocket leader, finding it difficult to match his angry glare. She had prepared this response ahead of time, and it was a logical argument that a rational and logical man would understand. Too bad he was no longer rational.

"No Domino, you should have dealt with them!" His face was starting to redden "If we leave challenges like that improperly answered, then we will be seen as weak by the few left who know our strength!" Giovanni stood quickly up, prompting Domino to take another step back. It seemed like he was about to shout again, but red flashed briefly through his eyes and he appeared to calm down before taking his seat again.

Domino took a deep breath to help herself calm down "I'm sorry sir, but I disagree. I didn't see any reason to hurt them. They were already victims."

The Rocket boss smirked, an expression that Persian mimicked "I'm almost glad that you think that way, double oh nine. You see, when Ketchum and Red went rogue and made the mistake of attacking us, we were forced to kill off all of his Pokemon."

Domino didn't give any outward reaction, but her mind was reeling from that information. She didn't want to give him any more reason to be angry. What she didn't know was that he no longer needed one.

"Because of this, I thought that we no longer had anything to set him off in the controlled setting that we need." His smirk turned to a sinister smile "At least, until I remembered you."

The Rocket elite's eyes widened in horror, but she didn't dare make any move; she didn't trust her body at the moment.

"You see, Domino," Giovanni looked at her, madness dancing in his eyes "it is very likely that you are the person who is the closest to Ash. He may now partner with Red, but you have been by his side for the last two years. You trained him, helped him stay alive, and you were a friend to him. Even if you weren't supposed to actually become his friend. You forgot your purpose and why you are here."

Giovanni's hand hovered under his desk, out of Domino's sight "That is why, in place of his Pokemon, we will use you to trigger a reaction like the one we saw at the Resort."

In a flash, Domino was racing towards the door, but Giovanni knew it was coming. His hand pressed a button under his desk and before she could open the door to escape, two men with very imposing physiques opened it and stepped in her path. Undeterred by them, Domino shot her foot at the first man's knee, intent on crippling it. It was a lightning fast strike, as she knew something like this would happen if she ran, but with reactions that seemed almost inhuman, he bent his leg just enough to let her foot brush beside it and kicked his leg up to trip her. Surprised, she was caught off guard and fell to the ground, but the second man was there in a flash and caught her before she fell holding the double oh in a tight grasp. She readied herself to resist, but stopped dead when she saw the red ball of energy form in the first man's hand.

Giovanni stood from his desk and almost prowled over to her, laughing like a maniac "Tsk tsk, Domino. You don't want to provoke these two. They're very quick to anger Now behave, and you should be kept comfortable. Until, of course," he paused, relishing in the moment and the terror he saw on his ex-second in command's face "until we, use, you to enrage Ketchum."

The two guards hauled Domino away, while Giovanni continued his laugh, a sound that put any cartoon character's to shame.

…

"Red, I'm not playing I Spy again." Ash sighed "Beside, it's too dark to see anything. There's no point in that."

"Aw come on." Red whined "I'm bored. We've been in here for three days now, and no one comes to visit us. I need something to do."

"Well it won't be I Spy."

"Come on, you know you want to."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

No, I don't!"

"You know you do."

Ash was ready to make a rather rude remark to his jail buddy, but the door to the room suddenly opened, and two large men walked in. One of them went to Red's cell and the other to Ash's. They opened them and undid the wire on the cuffs to the wall. Both Ash and Red could sense the aura in them, so they weren't especially eager to capitalize the chance to escape, not while they were both still cuffed.

"Come with us," one of them said "the boss wants to see you."

"About time." Red snorted "We've been getting kind of bored. And lonely."

The guard jabbed him on the side of his skull "A funny man, huh? Why don't you just get moving?"

"Fine, fine. No need to get pushy."

They led Ash and Red through the Rocket base, stopping in front of a large set of doors. One of them went to the side and put his hand on a scanner. A light shone from it and a confirmation bleeped as a clicking sound emanated from the door. They pushed it open before pushing Ash and Red in ahead of them.

The room was huge. It was the size of an airline hangar, with thick cables running everywhere. At the end laid a giant circular stone structure of some sort on a small pedestal. It looked old and had strange markings on it. In front of it were two constraint devices that were facing the stone, and they looked very capable. Beside the stone was a metal table about the size of a human that had restraining straps for the arms and legs. A smaller door was beside the table.

The two men herded Ash and Red over to the two constraint devices, and put them in it. They bent over and hooked the cuffs' cables to the device and powered it on. Immediately, the devices sprang to life, enclosing the two of them from the torso down, so that the only part of them that could be seen was the upper torso and above. Ash wasn't sure, but he could've sworn that he felt something dig slightly into his skin in multiple places.

The two guard then took positions behind the two of them, crossing their arms a they waited.

The large doors opened once again, though Ash and Red couldn't turn to see who came in.

Once the newcomer came into view, their eyes narrowed at him.

"Giovanni." Ash spat "What do you want with us? Why don't you just get it over with and kill us like you did my Pokemon!"

Giovanni smirked at him "Ash, my boy, why would I do that? Especially after all of the trouble I went to get you two back."

He stepped up on the pedestal and looked down at the two captive "I would hazard to guess that you're very curious about why I had Red kidnap you those years ago. Well, it's very simple really. You have a blue aura, something I haven't been able to find anywhere else."

Ash looked unsurprised "I figured as much. It's not like I was the best trainer around, so there was no other reason for you to want me."

"Haha!" Giovanni boomed "But you don't know why I want your blue aura, do you? I have these red aura users, so why would I need your aura, which was untrained when I had you kidnapped."

He closed his eyes "The answer is quite simple. I assume you've heard the tale of Abigar the Bloody and his attack on the regions?"

Ash nodded "Red told me about it."

"Then you know how he was locked in the Reverse World by Sir Aaron?"

"Yes." Ash thought he saw where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"Well, as the story goes, in order to free Abigar from his imprisonment, you need the aura of a red aura user with his powers unlocked and the blue aura of the user who unlocked them. I was going to have you unlock one of my red aura users powers, but since you went and did that already, I don't have to worry about it."

Red glared at Giovanni "What makes you think we're willing to help you with this, because I assure you that we're not."

Ash nodded in agreement and spat at Giovanni's, but he could only hit his feet.

"well," Giovanni rubbed his hands together "the red aura is pretty easy to get and I don't need much."

The guard standing behind Red charged his fist with aura and smashed it into the exposed part of his back. Red growled in pain and his constraint started to glow a soft red as he unconsciously radiated aura.

"Red aura users instinctively use it when their bodies tell them that they are in danger." Giovanni pointed to Ash "You, however, will not. Because of your stronger aura, you blue aura users have more control over what you unconsciously emit. Except in one case. I'm sure you remember what happened a few nights ago?"

Ash gritted his teeth in anger, but said nothing, unwilling to show anything give Giovanni the satisfaction of seeing him angry.

"You lost control and emitted a significant amount of aura, enough to open this portal," He pointed to the stone structure "and release Abigar back into this world."

"Good luck with that." Ash snorted "If you hadn't noticed, you already killed all of my Pokemon."

Giovanni waved his hand and the door next to the table opened "Oh, don't worry. I have something just as good."

Another guard walked in, followed by two form. One was another guard basically dragging the third person in.

"Domino!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash!" Domino yelled as the guards threw her onto the table and started to strap her in "Don't worry about me, just don't give him what he wants!"

Ash and Red watched as they finished strapping her down and made sure she couldn't escape. Once finished, one of the guards aura charged a fist and slammed it into her gut. She sputtered in pain and held in a scream. Ash felt anger swell inside him as he did his best to not give out any aura, closing his eyes in concentration and to avoid what was going to happen in front of him.

Giovanni reached under the table and pulled out a sharp looking knife. Domino's heartbeat quickened when she saw it.

Giovanni traced it along her arm slowly "You could stop this now, Ash. Just give us your aura, and she won't have to get hurt."

The guard threw another punch, this time into her rib cage, and she grunted with pain again, eyes still fixed on the knife.

Ash took a deep breath "Never."

Giovanni shrugged "Fine, don't say I didn't give you a chance."

He stabbed the knife into her bicep as the guard produced his own knife and ran it into through her hand. Domino screamed in pain and thrashed in response, but that only deepened the cuts.

Ash's breathing sped up as he continued to try and control his anger.

"Ash, don't do it." Red tried to encourage his partner "Don't give them what they want. It will make Domino's suffering be in vain."

Ash nodded but jerked as Domino's screams intensified as she was continually cut. They were very careful about the cuts they made in her, to not slice an artery or major blood vessel so that she would bleed out and prematurely end the torture.

The guard charged his fist once again and crashed it into her nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch as Giovanni moved on to her abdomen with his knife.

Domino continued to scream.

Ash was shaking now, his self control almost at the tipping point, but he gave off no aura. Though he wasn't sure how much longer he could go.

"Hahahaha!" Giovanni roared with laughter as he continued to cut her. After a few more cuts, he started to punch her in various areas, causing big bruises to form immediately. The guard was keeping pace with him, except his punches were charged with aura and he broke a couple bones in her leg.

Domino could no longer take it and passed out from the shock and pain.

"Ash..." She muttered before blacking out.

Something in Ash snapped as he heard her screaming stop; it was somehow worse than when she screamed. Her stopping meant that she was at her limit, and couldn't take anymore.

"Ash, don't do it!" Red yelled, trying in vain to stop him.

But Ash was no longer in control, his rage taking control of him for a second time.

"GIOVANNI!"

He tried to throw aura ball after aura ball at the man, but his arms were still covered and it was all absorbed by his constraints; the wires attached to his skin were siphoning the aura.

"Yes, YES!" Giovanni bellowed "Set Abigar free!"

Ash screamed in fury, and the markings on the portal began to glow.

"Ash, stop! Look at the portal! It's beginning to open!" Red desperately tried to get him to stop.

Ash didn't listen and continued to try and throw his aura, which continued to go straight to the portal, which glowed brighter.

Suddenly, the portal shone a brilliant blue as Ash fed it, and it turned almost mirror like. But Giovanni knew that it wasn't a mirror, but a bridge to the Reverse World.

"YES!"

Ash slumped over, unconscious; the portal took over for him and drained the rest of the aura it needed from him.

After he passed out, a booming laugh echoed from the other side. Five figures could be seen through the portal, and they were fighting a giant Pokemon.

"Goodbye Giratina!" One of them shouted "You shan't keep us any longer!"

One of the figures threw a red aura ball at the Renegade Pokemon, causing an explosion which allowed the five figures to jump through the portal. Once they were all out, Giratina's roar shook the room before one of them threw an aura ball at the stone structure, causing it to collapse, shutting the portal and stopping it from draining Ash. The shock wave from the portal sent everyone but one sprawling on the ground.

It was silent for a few moments.

The sole person standing laughed "I never thought that this world would ever see my might again! This time, I will kill every aura guardian I see, I will burn the land they occupy and salt the ground, I swear I will wipe them from existence!"

A/N- There we go, next chapter on time. Thanks for reading!

See y'all later!

DarkLucario98