"Statements"
'Thoughts'
Side Notes
"Your...father?" James asked.
"You know him quite well as Giovanni."
"YOUR FATHER IS THE BOSS?!" exclaimed the trio in unison.
The redhead nodded. "Yes, and if you live up to the reputations you've built against Rocket's competitors, you should know where he's currently based."
Meowth stood proudly. "Son or no son, Giovanni's the boss and we don't rat on the boss!"
"Yeah, we'd never betray him!" Jessie and James raised their fists in compliance, causing Pelipper to lose some balance.
"Figured I'd find some resistance. Let's try this instead: The prison is only a couple of miles in that direction," he pointed far into the direction they just passed, "I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate being sent back to your cluttered, untidy bunks."
They gasped in horror. "You wouldn't dare! Scoundrel!"
"It's not like Giovanni cared enough to save you. Chances are he's on his way to find someone to replace your positions, I'd never imagine my father acting otherwise." His face contorted into a look of disgust when he said "father".
The boy eased himself. "I'm giving you a chance. If your knowledge could really help me track him down, I'll let you walk away with your freedom. I'm kinder that way."
They considered his words in earnest. While he had a point, they still had years of loyalty owed to their employer.
"Give us a minute," said Jessie.
"Okay, he's our safest bet for the time being," James muttered. "Let's see how far his kindness can take us before we leave him in the dust."
Evil smirks plastered themselves on the trios' faces. "Roger that!"
"Crobat!" Silver's ride scowled. The Rockets and their birds jolted back in fright.
"W-what's wrong with your purple friend over there?" Jessie asked.
Silver responded to his Pokemon's distress with a stern interrogation. "Crobat's hearing is exceptional. If it's this agitated, you must've said something it didn't like. Spill it: What did you say?"
"Nothing, we swear! Right James?" Meowth looked desperately towards his ally.
"Of course, we're totally not planning to double-cross you! Or anything like tha-OW!" The blue Rocket stopped when his pink-haired partner pulled tight on his ear.
"We weren't supposed to reveal that moron!"
Silver facepalmed. "What am I going to do with you three? I guess even the best slip up from time-to-time. I'm not trying to hurt or threaten you. Just tell me what I want, and you're free. The loyalty is admirable, but that's all for naught. The man you pledge loyalty to will discard you on a whim. Just like he did to-" He was trudging through volatile emotional territory. His face fell into a grimace now. "Just like he did to my mother."
"Mother?" The three asked.
"Never mind." Silver brushed his bangs over to hide his eyes. "I'll ask you one more time: Will you help me?"
Outdoor seats at the local cafe seemed too casual of a spot to unveil such big news, but it's what Ash and Brandon settled for. As to be expected, Brandon displayed a whole array of demeanors as he reacted to the news, all mainly ones of dismay.
"So that man who seemed to trouble you during our battle; his name was Tobias? I didn't expect him to have caused this much of a disturbance. I hope your friend makes a quick recovery," Brandon supported.
"I hope so too. I still have to tell his parents, but I don't know if I can bring myself to tell them. Goh's my best friend. But now..." Ash gripped his chest. "And besides that, I still have to challenge Leon and become a Pokemon Master."
The man observed his companion's distress, but also the tiny shred of hope in his eyes as he spoke the final sentence. With that, Brandon asked this question: "Being a Pokemon Master is a term not defined by the conventions of our world. Tell me Ash, what does it mean for you?"
The boy gave him a blank stare. He looked down at the table they shared and processed thoughts Brandon could never speculate.
"I wish I could tell you, but it's something I haven't figured out yet." Ash rested his forearm on the table, giving Brandon the impression that he was beginning to relax more. "But what I do know is that I've always felt just a little bit closer every time I said it. Through all of my ups and downs, with all of my friends and rivals, not to mention all the Pokemon I've met and caught, they gave me what I needed to grow towards that goal, but I still have to keep growing. Sometimes I relaxed on battling, but I've never lost my excitement on Pokemon! It could take me years, but it's a road I'll keep running on."
Brandon sipped on his coffee. "I'm pleased to hear of your resolve, but clearly you've found a roadblock." Ash acknowledged what he meant by that. "You just told me you were running towards your goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, and yet here I see you having just run away from admitting your shortcomings to people who deserve to know that truth. Ash, you must understand that every step you took running from that hospital was a step you've regressed on your road to becoming a Pokemon Master. While I know next to nothing of the term, I know that every master has to face his consequences."
Ash looked him in the eye. He deserved every bit of this scolding; taking it from Brandon still felt like an escape in comparison to taking it from Goh's parents.
"I want you to remember these words: Being a Master isn't just a goal, it's a responsibility. You must ensure that you are ready to face the challenges that lie ahead of you. No matter how much willpower you carry, you can't run to your goal if you fail to see you're stepping backwards. What you need isn't more strength, it's proper guidance."
The boy listened closely and took into consideration everything he heard. Upon the last sentence. He stood up and bowed. "I'm really happy I talked to you about this. I'm surprised you don't have any students."
"I actually hav- had four students." Brandon seemed reluctant. "How old were you again?"
"I'm twelve now," Ash revealed.
"Then they should only be about two to three years your senior. One of them is my nephew, another is now a Gym Leader, one continues to pursue an idyllic dream, while the last is someone you've surely met along your Battle Frontier journey. I believe you remember Greta?"
"I remember her; no way could I forget that tough battle." Ash had a flashback of his Snorlax against her Medicham.
"Well, that's a story for another time." Brandon quickly brushed off the topic. "Given the circumstances, some generosity would only be fair, on the condition that you stick to your principles. You've got three days before the Ultra Class Tournament commences. I want to challenge you to a rematch two days from now. Until then, prepare yourself as well as you can with the time I've given you."
Ash just heard the best news of his life. "Wow, you'd really do that for me?"
"I'm willing to give a second chance to someone with the right goal, but I'm not just handing out this ticket. The rules will be different this time. I can only reserve three opponents for you to take on. In other words, a standard 3 vs 3." Brandon took on a thinking pose. "Come to think of it, you've never challenged the original titan trio as a whole before."
"So Regirock, Registeel, and Regice? Sounds like I've got my work cut out for me." Ash dropped the bottom of his right fist on his open left palm. "But I just battled your whole team last time, so why are you switching?"
"I have a whole batch of challengers coming in from the Battle Frontier, of whom I had to suspend for the Battle Gathering, so I'll reserve the other three for them. My Pyramid will remain above Jubilife while I wait. I'll wait for you there."
"Thanks for letting me have a go one more time. I won't lose again." Ash got off his seat and started to run in place as he waved goodbye. "I'll see you in two days!"
Brandon waved back. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." The man pulled out his phone and locked his eyes on the screen. 'Let's see if they'll take the call?'
Ash ran around the block a few more times until he found a relieved Pikachu. His feet kept going as he grabbed Pikachu by its body and plopped it on his shoulder. "I'm back buddy, and I have the best news!"
He ran straight into the hospital and completely skipped the elevator in favor of the stairs. The steps went by in seconds. Excitement didn't feel appropriate, but he just couldn't keep this news to himself anymore. Ash busted through the swing doors and began to speak.
"Ash, what's wrong with you!?" Chloe exclaimed.
"Hey Chloe, I've got the best news for ya. Wait till you hear it!" His eyes peered at Goh's parents. "I'm sorry for just barging in like this, but I have to tell you somethi-"
"You can stop, Serena told us all about it," Camille, Goh's mother, said, but there was something off about her voice.
Ash frowned and kept his eyes on the ground before Camille. "I shouldn't have run off like that. I should've told you the truth from the get-go. I couldn't face you with the truth and I'm so sorry for it."
"Goh spoke very highly of you. I'm disappointed, young man." This time, Walker, Goh's father, spoke. Despite how calm he tried to sound, Ash could hear his voice choking up, which only made him feel like an even worse person for running off.
It didn't seem like they carried anger in their cadence, only grief. Ash didn't take that as an opening for relief. Goh's parents knew better than to pin all of their hopes on a young boy, so they chose to focus on their son's recovery.
The boy bowed in apology. "I'm sorry, I owe you just as much of an apology as I do to Goh!" He leaned back up and smiled. "But we've got another chance! Brandon said he'd give me a rematch for the Battle Ticket two days from now."
"Is that right?" Ritchie eagerly came walking out of Goh's ICU.
Ash smiled confidently.
"Nice to have you back, Ash."
"So fill us in, there's gotta be more than just a simple rematch." Chloe asked.
"Sure, I'll tell you all about it, but where's Serena and the Professor? I want all of you to hear about this."
Chloe piped up again. "My dad went up to feed Goh's Pokemon. And Serena..." She glanced at Ritchie like she was about to reveal classified information. "She's in the room with Goh."
"Oh, then I'll go call her up," Ash began to march into the room. Chloe and Ritchie stopped him by both shoulders, provoking a grunt of astonishment from Ash.
"She's pretty upset right now. When you ran off, we ended up leaving her to break the news to his parents. The news hit them harder back then," Chloe finished.
'So that's why they weren't that upset when I told them earlier...'
The parents stood uneasily, confirming what Chloe stated.
"Before you share the news, Serena should probably get the apology she deserves," Ritchie remarked. "We've given her ours, but I think she'd be happier if she heard the last one from you."
Ash nodded. A breath of air left his mouth as he pulled the door to Goh's ICU.
"Serena, you there?"
Ash found Delphox standing next to its seated trainer. When it spotted Ash, it patted its trainer by the shoulder and walked up to the boy, briefly reciprocating his greeting before walking out to leave them the room. The girl's gaze locked onto Goh, barely moving from her chair even when he entered the room. He could see the melancholy even from the sclera of her eyes.
"You're back." The stiffness in her voice didn't escape the boy's auditory perception.
"I'm sorry I left you behind like that."
Serena finally mustered up the motivation to turn and look Ash in the eye. "I'm not upset that you lost because I know that feeling too, but I don't want you to start running from your consequences, that's not like you at all."
He captured every word she said to heart and pulled a chair next to Serena's. The girl reverted her eyes to Goh while Ash did the same.
Calmly, she asked, "So what are you going to do now?"
"Brandon agreed to have a rematch in two days: he's bringing Regirock, Registeel, and Regice. We still have a chance."
An inch of a smile cracked on the side of her mouth, but her eyes remained somber. "That's good to hear. Are you going to train for it?"
"With everything I've got. I'm ready to take that win, no matter what, and I promise to make it up to you and Goh." His face beamed.
Sensing the mood lighten, Pikachu hopped off its best friend's shoulder and landed on Serena's lap to doze off - she caressed its head in response. "Did you tell the others yet?"
"I told them I was getting a rematch." He fixed his eyes on her. "But I didn't want to tell them everything without you there."
Serena took a deep breath. She was never one to hold grudges. "Then I think they need to hear the rest of the good news." She was smiling fully now, and she let herself make eye contact with him. She gently plopped the slumbering Pikachu on Ash's head. The red-capped trainer had to put both hands in order to keep its balance.
"Serena," Ash groaned. He gestured at the inconvenience of having to hold the unbalanced Pokemon sleeping on his head.
"Aw, but I think it looks cute," She replied teasingly. Serena stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Besides, didn't you say you'd make it up to me?"
She winked playfully as he stood up with her. Together, they shared a moment to hope for their friend's recovery before they walked out of the room and went to confront the rest of the party, of which contained Professor Cerise now, who'd returned from his time with Goh's Pokemon.
With hands on his hips, he welcomed the young trainer. "Glad to know you're back, Ash." His enthusiasm shifted to minor surprise at the sight of him holding Pikachu on his head.
"Hi, Professor."
"Now that we're all here," the man continued. "I heard about you getting a rematch. That's great!"
"Yep, but there's more to it." Ash excitedly grinned.
The group leaned closely and listened.
Hordes of people cocooned the Pokemon Center, which Ash and Chloe soon discovered was the waiting line.
Chloe recognized one of the people as the girl who lost to Brandon before Ash did. She walked up to her and sparked a conversation. "There's quite a lot of people here."
"Ultra Class season. Tons of losers from the Battle Gathering end up swarming Jubilife's Pokemon Center. There are even more trainers lined up in the waiting room inside, and they're all hoping to get their teams healed up like mine are," she revealed.
"You mean we have to wait through this whole line?" Ash grumbled.
Just then, a large group of trainers exited the building, all carrying disappointment in their face. An unhappy Nurse Joy followed out with an announcement. "Attention! Due to the immense amount of Pokemon and their trainers' waiting for healing, we're unable to reserve any more space for your Pokemon to rest for the remainder of the day! I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience!"
Complaints from angry trainers filled the air, but the group focused more on their own.
"But I need to get my Pokemon healed. They're exhausted!" Ash complained.
"Don't worry, Ritchie and Serena headed to the PokeMart for the items your Pokemon needed. Let's meet them back in the hospital and hope for the best.
"...Sorry, but with all the trainers getting their Pokemon paralyzed by Brandon's Titans and their Zap Cannons, our Paralyze Heals are all out of stock. In fact, a good handful even decided to run quickly to nearby towns just to heal their Pokemon in those centers. I called up the PokeMarts in Canalave City and Floaroma Town to ask for some supply shipments and it turns out they have their own Centers and Marts being filled by the excess trainers from the Battle Gathering who couldn't get their Pokemon healed here in addition to their own local trainers looking for a simple healing," The clerk explained. "But we've got other status items in stock. You mentioned a Pokemon that was burned, I could sell a Burn Heal for that one."
"Does that mean we have no way to free the Pokemon of their paralysis?" Serena worriedly asked.
"Well, there is a possible method," the clerk suggested. His tone made it sound as though he was speaking of taboo.
"If you've kept in contact with anyone from a further point, you could ask them to do you a favor and send over the Pokemon for them to be healed there."
"That works perfectly! I know Professor Oak would definitely do that for Ash!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Right! Thanks for the help Mr. Clerk!" Serena and Ritchie paid for the Burn Heal before they excitedly ran off with a wave.
The rest of the group received the news warmly. Ash stepped in front of the hospital's PC and immediately came into contact with Professor Oak.
...
...
...
"Ash my boy! What's the call for?" Samuel happily greeted.
"Hi Professor! I have some Pokemon that can't be healed here. It's a long story, but do you mind if I send them over to Kanto so you could heal them in a Center nearby?"
"Hm, that does sound like a troublesome situation. I'm sorry to say this, but a bad case of the Pokerus spread all over your Tauros and now they can't stop fighting each other all the time. Even Bulbasaur can't work its magic to calm them down."
"Oh, I see..." Ash seemed a little more bummed.
"Of course, that's what I have my trusty aide for. Tracy, would you care to take Ash's Pokemon and head over to Viridian City's Pokemon Center?"
"Of course, don't worry Ash! If Scyther gives me a ride, I should make it there at dusk. I'll be sure they recover real soon," Oak's aide responded.
Ash sent the four Poke Balls of Lucario, Dracovish, Gengar, and Dragonite over. Then he stared at Pikachu.
"What about you buddy? You'll have to get in your ball for me to send you over. Does that work for you?" He asked.
Pikachu shook its head. It would rather recover naturally then stay in its Poke Ball.
2 hours later
"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam! Torterra, Leaf Storm!"
The two attacks clashed powerfully against the other, leaving a bright explosion that forced Paul to shield his eyes from. Both Pokemon were nearing their limits.
Out of breath, it was Gyarados who collapsed, declaring Torterra the clear victor. The winner of the match gazed wearily as its master approached the fallen Pokemon. The trainer looked Gyarados face-to-face and nodded.
"Good work, you're done for the day." He returned it.
Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring!
Paul picked up the phone and listened to the voice on the other side.
"Hey Paul, you up for some training?"
He smirked. "Sure."
"Great! Meet me in Jubilife hospital's training facility."
And with that, the call ended. Paul turned his head to Torterra. "They're ready. Let's go."
Paul followed his GPS' directions and came across Jubilife hospital. He entered the elevator and picked the ground level. The room was wider than he originally expected. Paul spotted four separate battlefields, each separated by a white line on the ground.
"Paul, over here!" Ash waved over with both hands as said trainer approached. They found company with Chloe, Serena, and Ritchie, the latter two occupied a separate field to train, giving no more than a short wave to the arriving trainer while Chloe kept Ash busy with conversation.
The newly refreshed pair of Pikachu and Sirfetch'd sparred against each other with clashing Leaf Blades and Iron Tails.
"Those two seem lively, but where are the rest?"
Chloe and Ash looked at each other, and the former took it upon herself to reveal their tight circumstances, but it was the latter who disclosed Brandon's recent offer.
"So you've met some ups and downs since I left earlier." Paul sat down and thought over the current situation. "And you only have two Pokemon for the time being?"
"Yep, Pikachu and Sirfetch'd were back in fighting shape about twenty minutes ago, so we headed down here for some training and that's when I called you," Ash responded.
"That's not my point. You're heading into a three versus three matchup with only two Pokemon."
"Of course!" Ash thumped himself on the head.
"We have two days. The rest of Ash's Pokemon should be here by then," said Chloe.
Paul shook his head. "The time it takes for Tracy to make it to Viridian City is too long. It would take even longer for your Pokemon to recover from their Paralyzed states. All that time should result in them getting back tomorrow. That's training time we can't afford to give up when it's Brandon you're facing."
"So you want me to bring a different Pokemon for my third spot?" Ash asked. "But who do I pick?"
"There's one thing I can say for sure: Your Pokemon fight better against opponents they've faced before. I can already sense Sirfetch'd eagerly wanting its redemption. Against Registeel, I'm guessing?" Paul turned his head to said Pokemon, who smirked in agreement. "So that leaves Regirock and Regice."
"Pikachu's beaten Regice before." A sentence that surprised Chloe. Once they got over that, they registered Pikachu as the answer to Regice.
"So who are you leaving for Regirock?" Chloe asked.
Ash started thinking. "If we're going by Pokemon who fought them before...I have the perfect idea for Regirock!"
"Good, but I want to discuss the primary Pokemon here." Paul pointed at Sirfetch'd. "Let's start with that recharge problem."
"You make it sound so easy, but how can a Pokemon even overcome that problem?" Chloe wondered.
"Let's start with some groundwork first: Only Pokemon that won the genetic lottery can fully bypass the recharge drawback. Since Sirfetch'd already proved it didn't win that coin flip against Registeel, it'll have to resort to the other method. I got my first glimpse of it when I battled Cynthia."
A moment of reflection allowed Ash to remember his rival's battle with the Champion of Sinnoh.
Paul continued. "I saw it firsthand during the last round against Garchomp. Pokemon who learn this technique still can't use their moves when recharging, but it's useful for dodging any attacks during their point of supposed vulnerability. I'll talk more about it once you fetch Pokemon number three."
Ash nodded and ran off to the hospital's PC from earlier.
...
...
...
"Ash my boy!" Oak proudly responded. "Do you need to send another Pokemon?"
"It's actually the opposite this time. I need to bring someone over."
"Oh? Who do you have in mind?"
Ash grinned and gave his answer.
Out of frame from Ash's PC screen, the Forest Pokemon smirked.
Rinto enjoyed the comfort of a red camelback sofa, leaning his arm over the back rest. "I didn't think we had a yacht under our budget, doctor."
Despite the boat's multiple interior luxuries, Colress remained standing upright, hands behind his back, peering out the window. "Nothing materialistic escapes this organization's reach." A clock on the wall allowed him to measure the time that remained before their arrival. "We have approximately two and a half minutes left before we reach the sponsor's base."
"Hunter J is upstairs." The boy with green hair prepared to stand. "Should I alert her?"
"Don't bother. She can't miss it either way. Even in a room with no windows, she will feel the ship's autopilot come to a halt."
The yacht stopped minutes later. However, all that appeared in any direction was the vast ocean. No island, no base.
Confused, Rinto spoke. "Is it malfunctioning?"
"Just wait."
A few moments later, the area ahead of them began to rumble, and their boat trembled accordingly. Rinto crashed onto the side of a table and grabbed on for leverage.
Hunter J came rushing down the stairs, and nearly would've fallen had it not been for the rails. "What's happening?!"
"What an irksome structure." Colress pushed his glasses up. "Observe closely."
From the water rose a large, box-shaped platform covered by and iron coating. Engraved into its surface was Team Scythe's symbol.
Rinto and Hunter J were speechless.
"It's massive..." Hunter J muttered.
Colress chuckled. "It's easily worth a hundred of these yachts."
The boat's intercom started to ring. "Is this you, sir Colress?"
"Yes, permit our entry."
The gates separated while the ship cruised in. Guards escorted them on watercrafts until the gates closed behind and their boat reached a solid floor. The area rumbled once more as the platform began to descend, this time with the three inside. When it stopped, Colress, Rinto, and Hunter J stepped off.
More guards came to meet the trio. After a bow, the leading one spoke. "Sir Colress, thank you for gracing us with your presence."
"Save the formalities. I came to meet Team Scythe's sponsor, where is he?"
"Of course, we'll lead you right away."
Rinto fixed his tie. "Then let's g-"
"Unfortunately, this is as far as you two go," the central guard spoke.
"What?" Hunter J questioned.
"The sponsor is a very secretive man. He's very protective of his identity, so much so that even his own subordinates rarely see him. As the organization's de facto boss, it's advised that we don't step even an inch out of line of his intentions," the scientist responded. "The other guards we'll lead you to their cafeteria. Take anything you want; I'll cover your expenses."
"Tch, fine," Rinto accepted tentatively. The pair of agents were very clearly displeased by this option, but no others presented themselves. They left with no other protest.
The halls were first class, certainly beyond that of the other bases, barring their main headquarters. Each door was framed with bronze, silver, or gold, depending on the occupant's rank.
'Team Scythe only financed the structure. He went out of his way just to decorate the interior with all these unnecessary glamours, how pretentious,' thought Colress.
The guards stopped in front of a diamond-crested elevator. "We're here. You're the only one of this group allowed to meet him today."
'Of this group?' Colress briefly thought. "Very well. Thank you for your service."
The man stepped in with no urgency even as the doors closed behind him. He pressed the uppermost floor and waited as the lift brought him higher. Colress held only one thought the entire time. 'Who else is he anticipating? We're the only two on the board who know of this project. Tch, I specifically told him not to share this information even with the other leaders.'
ding
He'd arrived. The doors opened to a vertically semicircular entrance hall, one that was much darker in comparison with the previous floor. Waiting for him was a tall woman with honey blonde hair, red lipstick, and hexagon earrings.
"Welcome, Sir Colress," Oleana greeted, feigning respect with a fake smile. "Chairman Rose thought you may appreciate a brief tour of our base?"
Colress stared apathetically. "Fine."
The darkness felt more reminiscent of a tunnel than a hallway, perturbing the scientist that proceeded to walk through it. Lights were sporadic, mainly spread between aquariums that made up the wall and ceiling. Each aquarium was labelled according to the regions of the Water types they contained.
The hallway eventually led into a wide, dome-shaped room. The area's lower half was decorated with multiple awards, valuable artifacts, and the like. More pleasing to the eye was the upper half, which was simply a transparent pod showcasing the pristine ocean on the other side, but Colress only paid attention to the desk in the middle of the room, and more importantly, the man behind it.
"Colress, welcome. I sure hope you found the escorts pleasant." The man walked from his chair and extended a hand. In return, Colress shook it, despite having no immediate desire to do so. "Why so cold to your boss?"
"Drop the facade, I left my subordinates behind. Don't let this false power get in your head, you're a disgrace to the leader each time you parade yourself with his title. Never forget that you're merely a cover."
"Don't belittle him!" Oleana shouted.
Rose put a hand in front of him that told his assistant to stand down before focusing back on Colress. "Yes, spoken like the true broken record that you are. I've already informed the rest of the council that I'd be postponing the negotiations with Team Aqu-"
"I think you know full well why I'm here." This is about Project: Creator."
Rose's pompous attitude shattered beneath him. "Fine, make it quick."
A simple discovery. Three of the presumed seven letters of its name were discovered. A, C, and S."
Rose raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"What do you mean?" Colress was astounded.
"Does reciting the Creator's name summon its presence? If not, then what's the point?"
The animosity could no longer be contained. The scientist grabbed Rose by the collars and yelled, "You ignorant fool! Every discovery in this project is monumental in essence, and you respond with disinterest!?"
Rose pulled the grip off his collar. "You arranged an entire meeting and risked suspicion from Team Scythe's leader simply to share a few pointless letters. You told me yourself that the leader had very little mercy for the disobedient. As our lead scientist, it should be quite easy for you to understand what's of value and what isn't."
"That vase over there." Rose pointed to the piece of bronze furniture. "It holds value in how it signifies the power of my wealth." He pointed to the ceiling. "This dome around us holds value in its protection from the water. You and I hold value as two pillars of Team Scythe."
"And this..." Rose pressed a series of keys on the computer on his desk, which seemed to activate something beyond the simple 8x20 inch screen.
A siren from outside the dome produced a harsh ringing sound. Upon hearing this, the vast array of Pokemon in Rose's separate aquariums started to cry out in unison, all while facing the same direction: The dome.
Colress was too startled to process any of this, and he almost managed to regain his composure until he heard the bellowing roar of the beast beyond the protective pod. The water rumbled, the floor trembled, and from outside, the Sea Basin Pokemon emerged, looking into the dome with unbridled might.
-Long break period, but nothing new in that regard.
-I might disappoint people by having Ash come back from his "down" period almost immediately, but I'll try to make up for that narratively later on.
-And yes, Rose is in Team Scythe now too. I have some plans for him