How he couldn't have spotted her immediately was by him, Domino stuck out like a sore thumb.
Not dressed in her Rocket garb, but… He blinked, she wore the same outfit she had worn the day of their battle at Indigo.
And she was staring directly at him, from across the hall her violet eyes regarded him without emotion.
And then she began turning and walking towards the door behind her.
"Ash give me the wor-
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot, get down here and take Misty to Cynthia now!" And without waiting for her response, he sprinted away from Misty and down the long cursive balcony.
His hand reached into his pocket and felt the tracker, he hit the only button on it and stuck it into his pants.
As he ran, his blazer flew off of his body, as well as the tie.
From his peripheral vision he could see people looking up to look at him, but his eyes were focused solely on the departing figure.
Nearing the door Domino had gone through, Ash removed his pistol and stuck it into the waist band of his pants.
Gripping the railing, he vaulted over it- garnering cries of surprise as he fell the fifteen feet to the ground and land in a roll before sprinting out through the door.
He was in a kitchen, how cliché. He ran up to one of the chefs and grabbed him by the collar, "Where did the woman go!" He shouted.
The plump chef paled, "O-Out the back s-sir!" Ash dashed away and towards the door which failed to close properly.
Stepping into the night, his eyes roamed the streets. Cars passed by him, the track of the magnate-train ran some hundred feet in front of him across the road.
"DOMINO!" He shouted pacing down the sidewalk, "DOMINO!"
No call greeted him, however a few passerby's eyed him like he was crazy.
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and took a calming breath, he was going to get worked up.
It was domino who had been sent to get him, he knew from the beginning that if it was to be anyone.
It would have been her.
She knew of his doings, that he was doing… A deal in a way with the G-Men.
But to what extent?
She'd want to lead him away, somewhere where she'd be able to disarm him or cause a ruckus which would lead to him being revealed.
Somewhere quiet, or-
He looked over his shoulder down the road which led back towards the banquet. Or someplace he couldn't cause a problem.
Somewhere where he wasn't allowed to be seen.
Because of his past.
He started running, past the banquet hall and down the road.
There was only one place he knew of that would be hell if he was seen, some place that was probably doing live broadcasts, and watched by millions.
He took a left running to the center of a bridge that looked over a highway, he brought himself to the guard railing and saw her.
Blond hair sticking out from beneath the dark pink hat as she jogged towards the contest hall.
His hand gripped the butt of the pistol and he brought it level to her moving form.
Easy target, low wind- He moved the pistol slightly right, accumulate drop at 1600 meters.
He pulled the trigger twice, gun thundering into the night and echoing through the many skyscrapers in Goldenrod.
About two seconds later, he saw the sparks of the two rounds impacting the cement two feet in front of where Domino would have been.
He saw her pause, glance over her shoulder and start off again.
Looking over the side of the bridge, it was a ten meter drop.
He'd be running with a limp the rest of the night, but-
Without a further thought, he leapt over the ledge, and instead of the momentary free fall he had been expecting, he cured loudly as he fell onto the roof of a box truck, before the momentum sent him rolling off the top and onto the pavement.
The truck screamed to a halt as the driver threw on his breaks, Ash took no notice.
Cursing repeatedly as he felt his now broken ribs, that was going to put a damper on things. Growling he pushed himself up off of the ground and to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his side.
The driver got out of his truck and was looking at Ash as if he was insane, "DID YOU JUMP!?" He yelled incredulously.
Before he could get another word in Ash had drawn his gun and leveled it with the man's forehead, "Official Pokemon G-Men business, I'm commandeering your vehicle.
"Wha-" Ash cracked him on the back of his head with blinding speed knocking him unconscious before getting into the drivers seat.
This was a new experience.
Keys were still in, what he knew as the shift was on the P- park.
"If a bullet doesn't kill me, this will," He muttered pulling the shift to D and feeling the sudden lurch of the truck.
He had never driven in his life, except for the motorcycle.
A truck was entirely different.
Applying pressure to the pedal his hands gripped the wheel tighter as the speed gauge went from 60-70 and then right up to 100.
A left was coming up, going down that road he knew it would take him to the contest hall.
At the light, he burned through the red and spun the wheel entirely left.
The wheels screeched, and he felt the truck tip as they rounded the corner. Car horns blared from all directions, and he kept at the steady 100mph while avoiding incoming traffic.
He was going to be in so much-"SHIT!" Ash threw open the driver's side door and threw himself out of the speeding vehicle. He hit the ground hard, his body rolling at least five meters before coming to a halt.
He briefly caught sight of the box truck continuing down the road until running headlong into the magnet train which cut through an intersection.
His eyes widened as the truck was sheared directly in half by the magnetically propelled locomotive, shards of metal fell from the sky, while the back half of the truck lay sparking laid out across the intersection.
Shit. Suddenly the ribcage didn't hurt as much as before.
Standing himself up, spectators were torn between watching him and the wreckage in front of them. He paid them no attention, removing the pistol once again from his waistband he now limped on wards.
Domino would have made it to the Contest Hall by then, set up fortification within an area which would prove to be extremely difficult for him to move in.
More so now due to his injuries.
Sirens sung behind him as they went and examined the damage and asked for reports. If needed, he'd deal with that later, instead he limped on and saw the dome roof of the hall come from around the corner.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
He entered through the backdoor, picking the lock and sneaking into a hallway which would eventually lead to the lobby.
Domino was in the building, he was sure of it. She would want him at a disadvantage, he knew that as well.
So as he removed Espeons Pokeball from his right pocket, released her, and made a silent command to lead the way.
He had predicted that he'd be led to the central field where the contests were taking place, and he was correct. However instead Domino chose not to enter the crowd of spectators in the stand, or the contestants in the lockers.
Espeon pawed once on the push-lever door that read in bold black letters RAFTERS, and tilted her head cutely at Ash.
He placed two fingers to his brow and tapped twice before pointing down the hall which led to the stands. Espeon inclined her head, released a silent 'meow,' and scampered away.
Turning his attention to the door, he reached out and pushed open.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"We're back after the break with the battling portion in the Goldenrod Contest! Let's get this started by introducing our next..."
Ash ignored the commentary as he climbed the metal staircase. Domino would be waiting for him, whether to talk, or for a recapture, or take down, or something else entirely.
She would have planned this out entirely.
The rafters were what you would expect. Beams running along the roof, a grate walkway suspended above the spectators and battlefield.
He knew that if he saw Domino he couldn't risk speaking, should his voice accidentaly carry out down to those below. A commotion would ensue an-
He spun around, right arm springing up as Domino's leg swung for the back of his head. Ash rolled back, raised his hands into a protective stance and tensed.
The violet eyes watched him intently waiting for him to strike.
Down below the crowd started hooting and howling as two contestants took the field.
Ash lunged forward, jabbed outright and pressed forward. Domino ducked, closed the distance and delivered a quick strike to his chest.
He grunted and fell back two paces clutching his ribcage. That's right, he had broken a rib.
Domino caught his grimace and her eyes lit up drastically, yet no smile landed on her cherry flavored lips. He knew this from experience.
She leapt forward, punching jabbing, and kicking in a flurry. He blocked what he could, but was driven back, and unable to fully stop the blows from connecting. His back hit a railing and he ducked as Domino's heel hissed above his head.
A burst of flame shot up on their right side, and the howling beneath increased. With his back to the railing, he dove forward, driving his shoulder into Dominos momentarily throwing her off balance. With that brief moment, he placed distance between himself and her, leapt over the railing and onto one of the support beams a little over a foot in width.
If I'm going to take her down, I need to level the playing field.
Her foot work was uncanny, but her balance needed work.
His eyes met hers as he back further down the beam, taunting her to take his lead.
She kept her face blank, but he knew well enough that she accepted his challenge without hesitation and swung herself over the railing.
One misstep and either of them would fall a good fifteen meters to the field below, where a crater opened up as two attacks of even strength collided.
Domino advanced, and he moved further away from the walkway until they were directly over the center of the field.
Should a attack go off the mark, they'd both be disoriented if it landed to close.
Which was persicily what he wanted, that and it would encase of emergency leave Espeon clear sight of them encase emergency.
Ash started his attack. Ignoring pain like he had been drilled to do, he leapt forward, striking domino in the lower calf with his leg before throwing a quick left and right.
She swayed sideways as the foot connected, but kept her footing and moved around both punches.
A flurry of leaves ricocheted into the rafters behind them.
The duo landed, blocked, and traded blows. Moving silently all the while in a dance that would not seem to end.
Ash swallowed and felt sweat trickle down his back , this is going on for to long. He had a light cut on his lip, and he felt as if he didn't get pressure on his ribs soon, the bone was going to tear through his skin.
This had to end fast.
Dom was far from tired, but she didn't have any broken bones did she, and he knew she could last for a long while.
Her foot sailed towards his head once again, instead of ducking however, he twisted so both hands came up, and caught her foot centimeters from his temple.
He hadn't done that during their training.
Quickly, he pulled hard, and Domino with only one foot to support herself had her foot slide out beneath her making her fall backwards.
Her back hit the steel hard, and while she had the moment of distortion, he drew his sidearm from his waistband and held her at gun point.
The building was roaring with sound, but between then there was only silence.
Her eyes had widened only a small margin at the action, but he knew she was beyond startled.
She was analyzing him, for... For..
For who he was.
Had he been given the antidote, or was he still Shayne.
Her eyes shifted briefly to the open air beside her and then back to his. He started to speak to her, but before he could, her right foot swung in an arc and connected with his hands.
The gun went spiraling through the air away from them and began to fall towards the ground. He dove forward, not at the gun, but at Domino.
The blond rolled sideways, leaving the beam and followed the gun towards the field. The crowd was roaring in confusion, but Ash ignored that and with his belly to the beam he grasped Domino by the scruff of her jacket and gritted his teeth.
They had been noticed now as spectators saw the blond girl hanging from the ceiling, supported only by an arm.
She was looking at him, but that was the least of his concern. He growled, using the strength he had built up over hours and hours of rigorous training to slowly inch Domino up. When he could, he had one knee on the beam and went to set a foot to finally haul her up.
But he slipped. His foot slid back, and he was thrown off balance. He fell forward, in the free dall towards the ground pulling Domino into his chest and rotating them so that he would be the one to hit the ground.
Screams sounded around them, he ignored them all.
Half a meter from the ground, the momentum slowed briefly, and then he hit the ground.
"FUCK!" The words was screamed out of his mouth without regard. His chest was on fire, and a sharp pain coursed through his back.
He gritted his teeth and looked to the person still in his arms.
Domino couldn't keep her shock at bay this time, looking at him with wide eyes and a very small part of her mouth.
He looked her in the eyes and placed his hands carefully on the back of her head, she didn't object.
He opened his mouth, and it looked like she herself was ready to listen, and began to say her name. However he threw his head forward, pulled hers towards his and let the tops collide.
Domino made a soft cry, but her voice was lost quickly as she lost consciousness.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
He bit his lip ignoring the screams of confusion and rolled Domino off of him. He shoved his hand into his pocket removed the locator and pressed the button repeatedly. "Come on Come on!" He shouted bringing himself to his knees.
He looked around, and brunette and a Wartortle were pale and looking at him like he was a devil reincarnate, to his right a blue haired girl and her Piplup looked much the same.
He felt two small paws on his shoulders and he sighed, "Good job Esp," He muttered standing up despite the protest his entire body seemed to be screaming at him.
He looked around again and went towards the brunette limping all of the way. Next to her he bent down picked up his M9 and slid it back in his waistband.
Seeing he was armed, the security guard who had begun to make his way over stopped and watched as Ash knelt, scooped Domino into his arms, and start for the doors.
He accomplished one of the two objectives. He captured Domino, but it seemed that his cover may have been blown.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
They had Domino now, she knew nothing of business and he realized that. This was a mission to recapture or test him, which ever it was Domino had her answer.
What happened next would be decided back at the G-Men HQ.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The stadium was silent as the two remaining brutes fought on their final (Or they thought to be final, most had thought that ten minutes ago) stretch of strength.
Lance watched in silence, this battle was no longer in his hands but now his last Pokemon Dragonite.
The dual Dragon and Flying type was bruised, battered, and bloodied as it drove another ice infused fist into the Garchomps crushed ribcage.
His longtime partner was incapable of flight, it's right wing showcasing a gruesome amount of blood and bone from an Bite attack earlier on which all but tore it off.
It's right arm was also immobile from a lethal Slash which severed a muscle or tendon in it's shoulder.
Garchomp wasn't much better off.
When Ash had said that the modifications to his Pokeballs would bring out a far more wild and animalistic side to his Pokemon it was true. Dragonite had had torn off the back left fin on the Garchomps elbow, which was now catching dust off to the side.
He had caved in the ribcage completely, and with each jab thrown the organs were being crushed in to jelly.
"DRAGONITE!" Lance shouted furiously, "END THIS WITH A FIRE PUNCH!"
"COUNTER WITH DRAGON FANG!" Radian retaliated swiftly. The Rocket had not accounted for the equal amount of ferocity from the current Champion. And the battle had soon become a Pokemon for a Pokemon, when one fell so did the other.
And a tie would not make him the Champion should that happen.
Garchomp rushed forward, its teeth glowing a murky blue which sank deep into Dragonites shoulder, who screeched as its free hand pulled back bursting into a blaze of fire.
"FINISH IT!"
The screech amplified ten fold and Garchomps teeth began pull. Dragonite through its fist right into the powdered ribcage, before bellowing as the teeth in its shoulder ripped away, taking meat and tendons with it.
The crowd screamed in fright and horror, not from the action of the battle.
Dragonites fist plowed through the soft skin and into Garchomps organs, and with a screech of pain and triumph grabbed a handful of crushed bone and organs and pulled them from inside.
The organs sputtered blood from the wound, and were tossed aside in a mess.
Garchomp, with a chunk of Dragonites shoulder still in its razor sharp jaws, staggered back shrieking in pain. The chunk of meat fell to the ground, and Dragonite raised its one usable fist.
And drove it hard into its skull.
Seconds passed, and then a minute.
Lance turned to the referee, "Call it." The voice was emotionless, no sympathy what so ever for the horrid scene in front of them all.
He didn't, not immediately anyways as he stared at the lifeless body laying on the ground. Blood leaking from the wound and soaking the ground around it.
He lifted the green flag, and in a shaky voice spoke, "Garchomp is unable... Unable to battle! The victory goes to the current Champion Lance!"
And like that, the first strike against Team Rocket began.