Secret Identity
****************
Ash looked out the window of the
black sedan, trying to figure out where exactly they were headed. He was
nervous; it had been a dangerous gamble to trust this man, who could feasibly
be just about anyone. Something inside Ash, however, told him that the stranger
was not a threat to him.
The car stopped suddenly outside of what seemed to be an office building. In fact, Ash knew people who worked on this street, maybe in this very place.
Once inside, and after he had assured
himself that they hadn't been followed, Agent Branton smiled wryly at Ash,
"Expecting an abandoned warehouse or secret hideout?" At a sheepish smile
from Ash he continued, "Yeah, well, that's where everyone would think to look.
If any crime boss in this city discovered our existence and decided to search
for our headquarters, where would they look? Certainly not an uptown office
building where your Average Joe works 9-5 everyday."
"Well, if it's a normal office,
where do your guys go?" Ash questioned.
"We've got the 15th and 19th
floors all for us, plus we got the whole place after 6. Some of our guys work here
during the day, too. The business we're in ain't exactly the work of
millionaires."
Ash nodded as they climbed into the
elevator and rose to the 15th level.
Once out of the elevator, Branton led
Ash down a dark corridor and stopped at the second door on his right. Branton
pressed a small design at the corner of a WELCOME mat that was placed outside
the door. A machine appeared as if by magic next to the doorknob. The agent
pressed his hand onto the pad, then entered a code. There was an audible
clicking sound and they walked into the room.
Inside, Ash blinked at the bright
contrast between outside the room and inside. The room was bustling with
activity. It looked almost like a day at the office, except that it was nearly midnight,
the shades were drawn and the only light came from a ceiling full of
fluorescent lighting fixtures.
Ash followed Branton to a door that
led to an adjoining office. Branton knocked, responded to the inquiring voice
within and the door was opened.
"So, you got him, Branton?"
The voice came from a gray haired man seated behind a dark mahogany desk. He
looked to be somewhere in his fifties , but from the look in his eyes , it
appeared he had lost none of his edge with age. He was dressed in a charcoal
suit, his gray-blue eyes staring straight into Ash's own.
"Mr. Langsley, sir, Ash
Ketchum," Branton introduced, "Ash, this is my boss, Chuck
Langsley."
Ash offered a hand, but Langsley
shook his head curtly and said, "I only shake when I know a man's a man.
Not sure about you yet."
Ash wasn't sure how to respond to
that, but luckily he didn't have to.
A woman standing to the left of
Langsley spoke. The thirty-some year old brunette was striking. Her dark auburn
hair was pulled up in a smooth matronly bun, but proofs of her youth swirled
down in curly wisps of escaped locks. She had intense green eyes that seemed to
snap as spoke. Her skin was creamy, her lips red, her figure professionally
accented in a crisp crimson suit that couldn't help but accentuate her ample
curves. Ash had to be snapped out of a trance when he heard her speak and
immediately felt guilty when he thought of Misty.
"There's a reason we brought you
here, Mr. Ketchum," she said. "As you know, the crime rate has risen
dramatically in the last several months. We know it is the result of the
organized crime gang Team Rocket and the fact that certain heads of that
organization hold prominent positions in this city."
"Yeah, like Giovonni," Ash broke in, "He runs the
Gym, why don't you arrest him?"
"We know all about Giovanni and
the rest," she continued, "But he's elusive and he's got contacts and
strings to pull all over this town. We can never get enough decent evidence to
link him to anything that's been going on, let alone convict him."
"But how does any of this affect
me?" Ash asked, confused.
Langsley, Branton and the woman who
had been speaking exchanged glances.
"Mr. Ketchum, you are a very
talented Pokemon trainer. Not only that, but you're smart. And clearly
physically fit." Langsley paused for moment. "We think you would be
an excellent addition to the Agency."
Ash stood for a moment, letting their
words sink in.
"So, suppose I agree? What would
I do? What do people do around here anyway?"
Branton spoke. "Look, you heard
what Ms. Kelli said, we can never get any hard proof to put Giovonni or any of
his goons away for good. That's where you come in."
Ms. Kelli picked up where Branton had
left off. "You would go undercover at Team Rocket, find out their next
move, and catch 'em red handed."
"Undercover?" Ash repeated.
"I'm about to become the next Pokemon master. Most of my battles are on
TV. My face is in the newspaper. How do you expect me not to be
recognized?"
Langsley didn't answer right away.
"Ketchum, do remember Dave Miller? Jim Conners? Margaret Handel? All
promising young trainers like you."
"Yeah, I've heard of them. But
they never got to the Four. After a few
great wins, they all just sort of faded from the spotlight..."
"A few months of laying low,
dying their hair, changing their look...We've got each of them stationed in
critical branches of Team Rocket. But none of them have been able to break into
Giovonni's inner circle."
Ash gaped at the man. "So you
want me to-to..."
"We think you could do it. That
girlfriend of yours is perfect. Tell the world you're getting married, drop out
of sight for a while, go blonde, and you're set."
"But I'd have to-"
Branton finished for him, "Yes,
quit the League you're competing in now before you face the Elite Four. If you
beat them, it would be too hard for you to disappear and you'd just be too
recognizable." He paused. "No, you could not be a Pokemon Master."
****************
Not become a Pokemon Master???
What will Ash decide? If you want to find out, please tell me in your review
cause if no one is interested there's no point in finishing the story.
