The World Bleeds

Pokémon (Game) / Pokémon (Anime) / Pokémon (Manga)

This is a concept dealing with the clash of Pokéverses - namely the Animé-verse (which is the one most people will be somewhat aware of) combined with plot-elements from the Game and Manga, though neither of the latter are required. They just make plot references more apparent. Ash gets a much-needed badass-boost, and most of the canonical plot goes out the window immediately. Cheers.

Ash Ketchum had never really thought very far ahead. He'd dreamed of stepping out into the world with his first Pokémon in hand, and mused about defeating the most powerful opponents and becoming a Pokémon Master at some point in the future. But - not a whole lot in between. Which, he realized dully as he trudged through the overgrowth, was kind of an oversight.

Of all the days to sleep in, this had to be the worst one, though. He'd arrived at the laboratory several hours later than intended, furiously reassuring himself that Professor Oak would have kept his new partner until he arrived, and rushed past Gary without even giving him a second glance, as the asshole certainly didn't need the attention. In the end, he'd begged for a Pokémon of his own. It was all rather embarrassing, but at least he'd gotten what he came for. Sort of.

He had not received the Squirtle he'd ultimate decided on, or either of the back-ups that he would've settled for. No, he'd gotten a Pikachu, a pint-sized electric rat, obstinate just for the sake of it and completely unwilling to get into its Pokéball, much less obey even the simplest of commands. Its touchy personality certainly didn't help matters either, given that it was just as liable to shock someone as it was to ignore them.

Rubber gloves and twine had worked thus far, helpfully supplied by his mother, but Ash knew that it was a hopeless situation. It seemed altogether wrong to go to such lengths when it came to raising Pokémon, given that it was supposed to be an effort from both sides, and Pikachu didn't care to listen. Even Ash, a total rookie, knew that a certain degree of trust was necessary. Without it - he might as well not have a Pokémon at all.

"Look, little guy -" Ash tried again, staring up at the tree across the clearing where Pikachu looked down at him imperiously from a branch. He ran a hand through his dark hair as he leaned back against the bark of his own tree, frowning. "Just help me catch a Pidgey or something, buddy. Maybe even a Pidgeotto. And I have some food, if you want it…" He gestured vaguely at the critter with a little can of chow that he'd received from the Professor. "Come on..."

It was obvious, Ash realized at last, that if Pikachu didn't want to be his Pokémon, he'd have to figure something else out. Pallet Town's part of Kanto was hardly known for its particularly unique Pokémon, but nearly anything would be better than an unwilling partner, and he had a small collection of Pokéballs. If he could convince the little creature to help him out against the local wildlife, he could catch something more amenable to reason. Then, at least, he'd have something to work with.

Did all trainers have to go to these lengths? Or did he just suck?

He frowned at his Pokédex as he flipped it open to the same page he'd been studying for a while. It was an extensive report on the Pokémon sighted in the immediate area, as compiled by Professor Oak. Rattata and Pidgey made up the lion's share, of course, but there were notes on occasional Spearow, Diglett and Sandshrew as well, and even some Mankey. Any of those, save perhaps for the Rattata, would be enough to get him started.

"Hey, Pikachu - look at this from my perspective," he said after a while. "If I catch something around here, it means you don't have to follow me around if you don't want to. I can let you go back to Professor Oak, if you want to. How does that sound?"

Pikachu sniffed momentarily before it turned its jagged yellow tail to him, little electrical shocks bursting from his cheeks.

"Well, you're not very easy to work with, so can you blame me for trying?" Ash wondered nervously as the air suddenly seemed supercharged. "What do you want me to do, then? If I just set you free, then how am I going to catch anything at all?" He poked his Pokédex, frowning. "Look, there's said to be some Pikachu in the Viridian Forest, and that's pretty close." He paused. "Wait, is that where you come from?"

"Pi." Pikachu turned slightly, ears twitching. "Chuuu."

Ash nodded. "That's perfect, then. Tell you what - if you help me catch a Pokémon that would actually care to go on my journey with me, I'll let you go free in there. After that - well, you'll have to decide that for yourself, I guess."

Pikachu flipped around on his branch, with little sparks still dancing across its cheeks. "Ka. Chuu. Pikachu."

"Ah. I'm assuming that's a no?" Ash asked tiredly as he slumped back against his tree. "Well, I have no idea what to do beyond that... I can't force you to do anything, and if I try and tackle some Pokémon myself, I'd just end up in the hospital." He sighed. "Man, I do suck."

"Pi!" The yellow rat laughed to himself, a little high-pitched chuckle. "Pi-Pika Chu," it agreed, waving its tail merrily.

"You didn't have to agree with me," Ash muttered shortly. "This would be a hell of a lot easier if you could just talk normally." He adjusted his hat, shaking his head. "You don't like me - I can deal with that. But we'll have to get along for a little while, or we won't get anywhere. Viridian Forest isn't that far - a couple days at most. You can think it over on the way. How about it?"

"Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu agreed slowly, glancing at the Pokéballs on Ash's belt before shaking its head sharply. "Chu."

"Yeah, you can wander around by yourself, no problem." He sighed, defeated, as he removed his rubber gloves, shoving them into his backpack as he got up. "We've got a couple hours of daylight left to burn - how about we get started?"

"Any success?"

The darkened room revealed nothing except the images of the stars that were projected onto the roof, slowly rotating to mirror the real ones outside. It was midday there, but inside it was like midnight, and the Moon hung just above the horizon, gleaming dully in a false sky. In their midst stood a tall man, his arms crossed behind his back.

"No contact has been made yet - but the mission is proceeding without a hitch," a second figure stated firmly. "Our operative is ready to approach the target within the day. As expected, minor variations were observed from your description - but nothing fundamentally troubling."

The first nodded shortly. "Good. I would worry - but I find myself surprisingly confident in my recruit's success." The man shook his head, smiling to himself ruefully. "It's a surprise, to say the least, that I would reach out to those people." He frowned. "I will have to arrange their annihilation through other means. But perhaps he will again be of assistance."

"What do you mean…?" The other managed to cut himself off. "You keep secrets close to your chest, sir…"

"I do. Trust that I am prepared for many things, at least." The older man sighed, staring at the star-studded sky. "This person - I would not expect you to understand why I cannot leave him be. The most important thing... What shines the brightest…" He reached out one hand, a gleaming black-and-yellow Pokéball clasped in his hand. "The path ahead is dyed red - with blood, perhaps."

"...Why is all this so freaking hard?" Ash complained as the moon came out overhead, dousing the evening gloom in pale light from in between thicks bands of cloud. A storm was coming, and there was nowhere nearby that would serve as shelter, out in the wild. Which probably meant he'd soon be soaked to the bone. Fantastic.

As it turned out, Pidgey were flighty buggers, and Rattata ran off at the slightest provocation with a squeak that alerted half the other Pokémon in the area. After the first dark clouds appeared on the horizon, they'd stopped coming out entirely, leaving the sparse forest a dreary and vacant mess. It was abundantly clear that the Pokémon around Pallet Town knew exactly what Ash was trying to do, and were having none of it.

"I blame Professor Oak for all of this," Ash said tiredly to his Pokémon. "Or maybe Gary, come to think of it. He probably roughhoused through here so hard that everything's still shocked about it..." He glanced to his side, to the small form of his little Pikachu. "What do you think?"

"Pika. Pikachu." The little electric rat shrugged lightly. "Pikachu, Pikapi."

"Yeah - you tell 'em," Ash muttered dryly. "Maybe we should go somewhere a little off the beaten path, tomorrow. It would probably be more dangerous, but…" He frowned. "I really don't want to call the Professor without even one capture, you know? I'd look like a tool."

He didn't deign to reply to Pikachu's snickering.

Starting a career as a trainer was a lot more involved than Ash had anticipated. He'd always looked at it a little like a videogame: you get your allies, train them up, and then stomp all over the competition. It was becoming pretty clear that most Pokémon didn't want to get caught, though, and he would bet that a lot didn't even care about fighting at all. Pikachu, it seemed, was fed up with trainers altogether, and he was probably not unique.

Which meant that most of what he'd seen about Pokémon on television, including the instant bonds of trust that everyone just seemed to have, were probably a pretty biased sample to begin with. Only the combinations that actually worked would ever show up for a competition. All the Pokémon that never listened to their trainers, or refused to fight - they were just washed out to the background. It left Ash with an uneasy feeling.

In any case, if he wanted to get on with is journey, then he'd need to find an alternative to his annoyed little Pikachu, which would run off the instant a Pidgey or Rattata stumbled its way into a ball. If he wasn't careful with that, he could become one of those trainers. The ones that had only a few nearly-wild critters that would get knocked out every two seconds, and never seemed to get a move-on at all. That would suck. A lot.

"Well," Ash said at last. "Moping isn't going to get anything done, I suppose. Pikachu?" He tapped his shoulder. "Want a lift?"

"Pika." The little creature sniffed.

"Suit yourself then." He grumbled. "You even have that nice and warm Pokéball to use if you want. I'm just going to end up freezing cold." Ash sighed as he set off again with a shiver, watching the sky suspiciously. "If you see some shelter, let me know, alright? Because if that storm breaks, we'll be worse than just cold."

Now that he was finally on the road, the dream of Pokémon Master seemed somehow further away than it had at home. It was easy to buy a couple of Pokéballs and potions and get into the wild, but actually catching anything was proving a challenge, and the world seemed uncomfortably huge. Unless he wanted to spend the next few months just wandering the countryside, he needed to get a move on.

Viridian City, close though it was to Pallet Town, was honestly a pretty terrible place to start his journey. It served largely as a thoroughfare for trainers that were headed for the Indigo League, the Kanto championships, which meant that most people travelling through it had a lot of very powerful Pokémon. Odds were that his obstinate Pikachu would be laughed out the instant it walked into town, and the gym's leader would probably respond no differently.

Maybe it was smarter to start with Pewter City, instead - it had the added benefit of being on the other side of the Viridian Forest, which meant he could deal with his Pikachu-related foibles along the way. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Thunder rumbled dangerously in the sky above.

The winding road weaved through a largely flat landscape until it finally reached the outskirts of civilization, but Ash barely thought of where he put his feet until he was among the first buildings, focused as he was on his musings. Practical considerations crowded out his dreams for attention and mastery, especially since his feet were hurting pretty badly and he was shivering in the nightly chill. At least he'd stayed ahead of the storm, he figured.

"Well, we got this far," he murmured distractedly to the Pikachu that was trailing behind him. "People live here, so we can probably find a place to nap for the night." Ash stretched, yawning. "There's bound to be a Pokécenter somewhere…"

"Pikapi, Pikachu!" The little yellow rat bounced on its tail, warily glancing to his side, staying rather far away from its trainer. "Pi."

"...Yeah, whatever you say. Weirdo." The streets were abandoned, and Ash glanced nervously around himself as he trekked towards the brightest of lights in the inner city. It was actually creepy to be out at night, especially with the wind howling around the houses. Even though there was nobody around, it felt like someone was watching him constantly. "Come on."

Nearly half an hour of walking in the dark later, the round shape of Viridian City's distinctly recognizable Pokécenter appeared. Ash smiled thinly. "Finally, Pikachu - we're here. Now, we'll go see if they have what we want." He looked down with a relieved smile, taking in the rodent's nervous expression and pausing. "Something wrong?"

"Pika….? Pi!"

There was a rustle behind them, and then: "Tangela, you know what to do!"

Ash turned in surprise, but his movement was cut short as viciously strong vines suddenly wrapped themselves around him, smashing his raised hand into his chest, and tripping him to the floor painfully as they held tight. Three empty Pokéballs bounced across the street as he landed on his face, and from somewhere in his backpack he could feel lemonade leaking onto the pavement, soaking right through the fabric. Fantastic.

"Pikapi! Chuuuu!" Pikachu cried in a strangled tone, and Ash managed to twist his head slightly to see the electric mouse also trying to burst out of its own tangled mess of vines, his thundershocks doing little more than tire it out as they discharged against the ground. "Chu!" the mouse warbled worriedly, its breath quick and panicked.

"Ahah! I have you at last!" A woman spoke firmly as she stepped away from the shadows, her stern expression promising nothing but pain in the future. Ash recognized her immediately from the television - or at least her family. Bright turquoise hair under a cylindrical blue hat, there could be no mistake about that.

"Officer - Jenny?" Ash blurted, eyes wide. "...What's going on?" He winced as he tried to right himself, feeling thorny vines tearing into his clothes and scratching his skin. "...Ow."

"Don't get mouthy with me, mister!" Jenny snapped as she gestured to her side. Her little Tangela hopped over to Pikachu with a rustle of its many tentacles, raising the Pokémon slightly off the ground. "Keep it entangled in the Vine Whips - it's clearly wild!"

Tangela were, Ash observed bemusedly, rather disgusting creatures - all vines and tentacles and gooey discharge, except for the two little feet that shuffled around nervously beneath all of that mess. The Pokémon's eyes were hidden deep within, and two long viny tentacles reached out from the center, their ends trailing to the road, probably to relay the current of Pikachu's thundershock.

"So, you got me. Now, what did I do?" Ash finally demanded as he wriggled in place, his shock forgotten. "Do you always attack people from out of nowhere? Sheesh, I just arrived here!"

"That hardly exempts you from the law, criminal! And I don't take lip from Pokémon thieves," Jenny responded sharply, sniffing. "All these weeks of searching, and here you come traipsing down the street like you own the place - it's almost daring! Spouting your mouth off about stealing from the Pokécenter, have you no shame?"

Ash blinked. "What… did you say? Stealing?" He shook his head slowly, wiggling on the ground uncomfortably. "I wasn't stealing anything! I'm a trainer!" He grimaced. "Sort of." He glanced to Pikachu, who was still trying to break free. "I was just going to ask to stay the night!"

"A likely story!" Jenny replied. "This Pokémon is clearly under duress, and I heard everything you said!"

"You're all wrong!" Ash returned with the same tone, finally managing to get himself half-upright, his arms and legs still bound together. Judging from Jenny's expression, that had been the wrong thing to say. "Look, Pikachu here is my - first Pokémon. I don't have any others!" He gestured weakly to the ground with his head. "Those balls, they're empty. Unused."

Jenny looked victoriously at the little balls, picking one up. "Ah! So this is what you were going to use to steal those Pokémon in the Center!" she declared, nodding confidently. "Well, not on my watch! You're coming with me, mister, and you can stay the night in prison! Growlithe, come out." She tapped her waist, and a dog-like furry Pokémon appeared at her side in a burst of light, all business from the instant it materialized. It barked once, growling dangerously.

"Wait! Call Professor Oak in Pallet Town! He can vouch for me!" Ash tried desperately, staring at the dog warily as a few licks of flame burst from its mouth. "I was just walking! You're making a big mistake, here!"

Jenny shook her head. "Now you've descended to childish threats? Pokémon criminals are the worst," she muttered darkly. "You are the ultimate liars. Hmpf. Take him away, Growlithe!"

Ash sighed forlornly to himself as he was dragged off, still entangled in tight vines, and he heard Pikachu crying in protest in the distance.

He really was the worst trainer ever.

"Did my ears deceive me?" A shape in the shadows asked, sniffing derisively as he shook his head, eyes gleaming. "Did Officer Jenny just call that boy a thief? A thief, him? Do we really want to let our good names be besmirched by an amateur?" He threw up his hands dramatically. "Pathetic!"

"Right! We can't let that stand!" his neighbour agreed enthusiastically, balling her fists. "Hmpf. We go through all this trouble to build up a dastardly reputation, and then some good-for-nothing cashes in on it? Not while I'm still breathing!"

"...You guys are makin' no sense," a third voice piped up, sharp and oddly accented. "We're here to steal some rare Pokémon, not get upset over some twerp getting caught! Who cares about that?"

"I do!" the male answered snappily, crossing his arms as he glared from under his purplish bangs. "Fake criminals are the worst, you know!" He paused, frowning. "But wait - did you see that he already had a Pokémon with him, and it was really upset with him? Didn't the Officer say something about that? He must have stolen it from someone! That's why the police took him to jail!"

"Oh, my! He must be the real deal! A Pokémon thief!" the woman agreed suddenly. "A successful one - sort of! We haven't gotten anything yet, after all - we've just gotten close…" She nodded sharply to her partner. "You know what that means! We have to speak to him, learn how he pulled off a heist. It's the perfect plan!"

"You two are impossible, you know that?" The third figure shook his head, sighing wearily as his companions laughed. "If you're sure you wanna get this party started, there's no time like the present!"

Ash sighed forlornly as he looked at the blank wall of his cell, toying distractedly with his hat as he sat on the ratty old bed that had not been cleaned in ages. Almost two hours had passed since he'd been left here to stew behind bars, and there had been no sign of Jenny's return. He didn't even have his Pokédex or Pikachu to keep him company, either.

This wasn't how he'd imagined his first day to go - not at all. Outside, he could hear the wind and rain buffeting the building, but he almost wished he'd been in that wet mess instead of locked up. He could already imagine the outrage of his mom when she found out he'd been taken here on his first night out - or Professor Oak's shock, for that matter.

What the hell was he going to do? If Jenny contacted Pallet Town, he'd be the laughing stock of town, not to mention Gary would never let him forget it. If she didn't, he'd end up staying in isolation until they finally figured out who was really a thief. Which could take weeks, or longer. In either case, he was seriously screwed.

Of course, everything that could go wrong, would go wrong.

"...Stand - in there!" A voice cried out in the distance, and Ash perked up. It was the first thing he'd heard since his arrival, and it sounded remarkably close, all things considered. Almost like someone was right on the other side of the wall.

"...What?"

Again, the muffled sound returned, too distant to hear. He put his ear up against the wall gingerly, frowning confusedly. An instant later, the voice returned.

"...in the hole!"

He couldn't throw himself back soon enough; the explosion was an instantaneous cacophony of light and pressure and sound, and Ash found himself flung through the room and landed painfully against the bars on the opposite side, one ear beeping in protest as he let out a whimper.

His eyes stung and tears blinded him as he tried desperately to find some sense of up or down. Someone was with him - he couldn't tell who was in the room, but it certainly wasn't the police. What the hell was going on? Why did his head hurt?

"You used a little too much of the 'splody stuff," a nasal voice deadpanned. "...What were you trying to do, blow up the whole buildin'?" it continued irately. "Imbeciles!"

"I think he didn't stand back," a man said warily as he wafted away some of the dust in the air, coughing lightly. "I guess the walls were thicker than I thought. You can never tell with this dynamite stuff, can you? Where's a good Voltorb when you need one…?"

"Who -" Ash tried to ask, pushing himself upright as his head spun, but his tongue lolled in his mouth. He felt faint, like everything was going in circles, and unconsciousness beckoned. "...Who the hell are you?" he finally bit out.

There was a long, pregnant silence. Then, a woman's laugh cut through it, high-pitched and lyrical. "Ah! Prepare for Trouble!" she cried.

The man smiled broadly: "Make it double!"

"To protect the world -"

Were they rhyming? Had he landed in the freaking circus?

"Shut up, you two!" a third voice interrupted the clearly well-rehearsed spiel, and the woman paused mid-sentence, with a clueless expression. A tiny figure pointed upwards from between them, gesturing wildly in the dusty gloom. "Think! Officer Jenny's gonna be on us real quick, since everyone heard that little explosion o' yours! We gotta get out of here, now!"

"Right!" the man agreed nervously, quickly leaning down besides the crumpled form of their target. His concerned face wavered into view, purple hair framing worried eyes. "Hello there. I'm James. It's nice to meet you." He smiled momentarily. "Get up - we've got to get you out of here, and Jessie won't take no for an answer. We've got a hot-air balloon - a little old-fashioned, but it works."

Ash blinked warily, wondering when he'd told the man his name. "A balloon…?" The world spun again, and he wondered if he should get out of the jail at all - he hadn't done anything wrong, right? Still, he hardly cared to hear what people at home would say. "What is going on…?"

"This is a breakout! You're not staying in here," the woman declared confidently. "All this dust is unhygienic, anyway! Besides, thieves help each other, don't they?" She winked exaggeratedly. "Come on, we can figure out all the rest later." Her long locks of red hair wafted behind her as she turned. "I'm Jessie. The runt's Meowth."

"That's right! And Team Rocket's all here!" the last figure agreed loudly - and he was most definitely a talking Pokémon. That was cool. Ash closed his eyes as the cell seemed to teeter onto its side.

"Hey, twerp, you don't look so -"

He didn't hear the last half of the sentence as vertigo finally managed to pull him under.

"Today's definitely not my day," Ash murmured to himself as he rubbed his aching head, staring up at a gigantic balloon shaped like a Meowth head, attached rather loosely to a nearby tree. He wasn't in prison anymore, so there was that. A small blessing.

Instead, he had been kidnapped - broken out of prison by a group of fancy-dressed clowns who had a large collection of 'Wanted'-posters laying around their balloon, all of which carried their faces rather prominently. It was plenty clear what that implied, even to his addled senses. Crazy as it sounded, these idiots were the real Pokémon thieves.

"Ah! He's finally awake!" the high-pitched voice of the talking Meowth exclaimed, and Ash glanced to his side in consternation, staring at the creature. He'd never actually seen a wild Meowth, but he was fairly certain they didn't walk on their hind paws like a human did, nor did they speak. This one was effortlessly balancing with its tail, and its diction was remarkably clear. This was an honest-to-goodness talking Pokémon. How?

"Well, that's excellent!" the man from before - James - blurted, as he waved distractedly from his seat next to a pitifully tiny campfire on which he was roasting a single marshmallow. "So, twerp, how are you feeling?" He smiled good-naturedly, managing to come across as quite genuine. "Sorry about the ropes, but I didn't really know what you would do when you woke up, and it's better to be safe than sorry."

"You don't look so good…" the Meowth piped up.

Ash rolled his eyes. "I feel like I was caught in an explosion," he muttered darkly, glaring at his captors. "And I'm pretty sure everyone will think I'm a Pokémon thief now, so thank you for that. It'll be a mess getting out of this again, I just know it!" He spat on the floor and sighed. "There goes my ticket to Viridian City."

"You don't say." James grinned, ignoring the despondent expression on Ash's face. "Well, never let it be said that Team Rocket's not helpful - we can probably drop you off somewhere else when we're done. Jessie's insistent that you tell her where you picked up that Pikachu - and if she can keep it. I think she's in love."

Ash blinked, frowning. "...You're weird."

"Hmm. My parents would agree." James made a dismissive gesture, scoffing. "Meowth, can you get some water for the trip? A little courtesy never hurt anyone." He nodded vaguely to Ash's position. "Besides, you're freaking out our guest. I think he's more a people person, if you know what I mean."

"Ah…" Meowth stuck out his tongue, sneering. "Feh. One of those folks, eh? Fine, I'll go catch a fish or something..." Then the Pokémon wandered off into the woods, swaggering exaggeratedly. "See how you like starvin' to death!"

James shook his head ruefully as the figure vanished. "He's quite a piece of work, isn't he?" he murmured, still grinning. "Jessie's off to town, to see if she can release that Pikachu of yours from captivity, and get the rest of your things - I don't know if she'll succeed, but you never know. Nobody expects the criminal to break into the same prison twice, I'd think."

"You keep saying that -" Ash protested, gritting his teeth. "I'm not a thief!"

"I know." The mood shifted then, quite suddenly, and James straightened. His eyes gleamed dangerously, and Ash couldn't keep from gulping in surprise at the sudden turn-around. Where before there had been the semblance of a rather clueless and dimwitted thief, now stood a person with startling confidence. "Don't take me for the fool I play, now," he murmured mildly. "That would be a mistake."

"...What…?"

James glanced behind him, shrugging slightly. "You haven't figured it out yet?" He rose slowly, turning away as he looked after Meowth's path. "I was the one who incited the others to free you, of course. Knocking you out was unintended - but not unwelcome. Meowth and Jessie played along, of course - they're exactly as they seem." He smiled. "They do like their little conspiracies."

"...Wait, you're playing them? I thought you were a team?"

"Yes - but is it so hard to imagine that I would have ulterior motives?" James sighed, leaning against the balloon's basket as he closed his eyes. "I suppose I don't look the part. It's a long and sordid tale, if you must know. A year or two ago, I'd probably be just like those other two - a low-level Team Rocket flunkie far too obsessed with trying to rise through the ranks to ever actually manage it." He shrugged. "Not anymore, clearly."

"...It's all a ruse?" Ash inquired slowly. "Why?"

"We all act as we're expected to, of course," James replied enigmatically. "My eyes were opened, back when I was lost. I was a mess when I joined Team Rocket - I barely had anyone to talk to, and I fell in with a bad crowd just to belong somewhere. I kept my head down, and figured that it beat staying at home." He ran a hand through his hair. "Things changed. Someone came for me, and offered a path to a better world."

"A better world?" Ash repeated, wondering what on Earth that had to do with anything. "What are you talking about? The world's fine!"

"It is hardly my place to discuss that, I think," James simply noted. "But I did come here for a reason - I was under orders which didn't come from Team Rocket at all." He sniffed. "I don't work with that group anymore."

Ash glanced at the piles of wanted-posters that were spread around the balloon. "...Really?"

James smiled sadly. "An act is an act. Sometimes it's not much of one, but I can't turn back all the mistakes I've made. Still, it fills the days, and it gets me places." He reached out, offering his hand to Ash. "My true reason for being here, is to extend an invitation. To you."

"...What?" The boy stared at the offered hand, blinking. "No!"

James sighed. "Not so hasty, now. I'm here because certain people see promise in you. I can't imagine why, though." He paused, grimacing. "Though - they saw the same in me, I believe. That's likely why I was invited. You and I - are not so different."

Ash stared at the criminal suspiciously. "You're inviting me? To what? A group of thieves?!"

"No, no. Not to Team Rocket, of course," James replied with a scoff. He reached into his vest, revealing a Pokéball and a small, oval-shaped golden pin. "I was told to give you these. The details will become apparent when you reach Vermillion City, I'm sure. The Pokéball contains a Pokémon that you should consider a gift - it's yours. Show the pin to the right people, and it'll serve as a ticket out of Kanto."

Ash stared, barely registering the words as he considered the Pokéball that was offered to him. "You're giving me this...?" he asked slowly. Somewhere deep inside, a desperate hope flared to life that refused to be squashed. He'd lost Pikachu, a Pokémon that he could barely even get to listen to him. There was no telling when he'd get it back. This could be his way out. "What is that Pokémon?"

James wagged his finger, smirking. "Now, now, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," he chided. "This belonged to the person who saved my life, so you'd better take good care of it. I'm told it's of some - symbolic importance."

"...That tells me absolutely nothing." Ash frowned, wondering if he could take the Pokémon and flee, getting as far away from the creep as possible. Team Rocket, or whoever they were, could go stew for all he cared. He needed to get his name cleared - soon. "Who is the person you mentioned?" he asked at last, doubtfully.

"Oh, he's someone powerful, who lives in another region. The ticket will get you there, should you decide to go after all," James explained. "His name is -"

The boss of Team Galactic, Cyrus, smiled tightly as his blue hair gleamed in the artificial moon's light. He turned away from his subordinate as a small pin in his hand glowed a dull red. "Fate changes today. And thus the chain is forged…" he murmured into the darkness.

Author's Note : So, yeah, apparently I write this fandom too. Go figure. (I am utterly fond of the games, admittedly, and I watched the show enough I know half the thing by heart even ten years later...)

Cyrus is a rather cartoony villain in late game, so he got shortchanged quite a bit. He ends up as the only person on the other side of his artificially created universe, so the link to this plot bunny was easy. This is the flipside of that coin - the distorted universe that Palkia and Dialga created, which is a variation of the Anime Verse. Cyrus knows most of the stakes, and who will be of influence in the events to come.

And the world shall bleed red.