A New Path

by TheCouchEffect

Ash has finally achieved his dream after so many years. He has become the champion of a Pokemon league. Despite this victory, he feels lost with no sense of direction. Weeks after his victory, he is framed for a crime he didn't commit. Unwilling to accept guilt, he will be drawn into a battle to clear his name and bring Team Rocket to justice before they can become unstoppable.

12. Bitter Pill

The soup kitchen was crowded again.

On Ash's first day he'd expected to deal with a dozen homeless. Yet after being on the food line he'd realized that he'd served a hundred and fifty people before his lunch break.

He'd known that poverty and homelessness existed. How could he not? His journey had taken him across the world to some of the largest cities mankind had ever built. For all the wonders of civilization, it had been impossible to miss the people sleeping under bridges or sitting on street corners begging for scraps.

Ash had always done his best to help by giving out any cash or food he could get his hands on. But afterwards? They just… faded from his mind. He didn't bother thinking of them until their next encounter. He felt disgust for not paying more attention, and angry at the world for allowing this to happen. He promised himself he would do better in the future.

Coming to this soup kitchen was as good a place to start.

The conversation of the workers and hungry ran over each other. The ruckus did nothing to dim the moon's light or the ambience it brought. And the smells… A blend of grease, cooking oil, and so many fish and Water types his mouth watered and eyes stung. It brought memories of his journey with Brock to the surface. He could remember the day Brock had managed to snag a few slices of Gyarados meat from a market and cook it for them all. It was so vivid that he almost felt as though he was physically there.

Today, Ash had been assigned to man the front counter and keep track of everyone who came for food. He smiled down at a pair of kids over the counter. Both had dirt in their blonde hair. The boy's eyes flicked around the room, never still. The girl didn't follow suit. She was rock still, only moving when her peer's paranoid turning around all but dragged her behind him. She refused to let go of his torn clothing, eyes down even as she numbly followed along with his motions.

"Hey there." Ash chirped. "What're your names?"

The boy growled up at the adult behind the counter. "Why do you want to know?"

"Bookkeeping." Ash promised, hands going up, a mute "don't shoot" that made the kids lips quirk in response. "It lets us keep track of people. That way if anyone misses a day, we can go looking for them and bring them food."

Or report them missing.

According to the other volunteers, if the soup kitchen didn't then no one else would.

He was doing his best not to dwell on that.

The boy's glare lessened a hair. "So we can come here as often as we want?"

Flicking his dyed hair out of his eyes, courtesy of another nod, the trainer explained. "Absolutely. We just need your names so we can keep track of you and your allergies."

"Uh… Allergies?"

Oh geeze. "It's stuff you can't eat. Stuff that makes you sick."

The boy blinked. "Oh! We can't eat peanuts. Mom said if we do we'll die."

Ash was tempted to ask them where their mother was. All he'd get was another hit against his faith in the world. So instead he grabbed his pen, jotting down the allergies. "I'm glad you two remembered that. Your names?"

"I'm Alan. And this is Dixie…."

"Well, Alan and Dixie, let's get you two some food!" He turned towards the kitchen and barked. "I need two meals! No peanuts!"

Back in the kitchen, he heard various sounds of affirmation. There were enough people that the kitchen was able to work efficiently. Some were members of Team Skull. Normally, Ash would have been worried about working with criminals, but Skull's were just petty thieves.

Nothing to really worry about.

While he had been relegated to the position of greeter and server, his friends had different roles. Latias - using her powers to look like Anabel - was washing everything and anything sent her way. While anyone else would have buckled under the mountain of dirty dishes, with her Psychic powers Latias washed dozens of plates at a time without missing a spot. Thanks to her legendary abilities she was able to convince everyone in the kitchen that she was very good at her job.

Pikachu was hooked up to a generator supplying the building with power. The owner was making a killing with his mouse ran power plant. With all the money Pikachu was saving him, he could afford to stock up on food.

After a few minutes, two trays were passed up. Each had a baked Magikarp with a side of garlic roasted potatoes, a fresh berry-veggie salad medley, and a steaming bowl of Slowpoke stew. Ash reached down beneath the counter and into a minifridge, plucking out two large bottles of water. He handed everything to the two children.

Dixie took her tray, her voice a whispered stammer. "Thank you, mister. You're the best!"

The two left soon after to find a seat and Ash couldn't help but shake his head and smile. Working here at this soup kitchen may not have been glorious or stopping the bad guys, but it was meaningful. Every person that he could keep from going hungry tonight was one person he wouldn't have been able to help otherwise.

Latias chose that moment to speak through their mental link. "How many is that so far?"

Ash glanced down at the list while writing down the name of the next person. "About twenty-five. If the others serve the same amount, that makes about… a hundred people."

Pikachu's astonishment could be felt through the link - akin to a weak Thundershock. "That many? At this rate, we'll break three hundred."

Latias giggled. "We can only hope so. That's three hundred people that wouldn't eat otherwise." Behind him, Ash could hear running water and feel the steam emanating from the washroom. "When we leave Alola, we should find a way to do more stuff like this."

Pikachu hummed in agreement. "I'd be up for that. Maybe I could even try my hand at tossing some of those salads."

Ash laughed chuckled under his breath. "I'll see what I can do. When we're done here I'll see if I can grab us some sweets as a treat."

"Ahem…."

Ash internally rolled his eyes. "And a small bottle of ketchup, you addicted rat."

Pikachu chuckled. "You call it an addiction; I call it the nectar of the gods."

Latias huffed in amusement. "As one of those gods, I can safely say that's not true at all."

"Then you must not be a god. Only the truly ascended can understand its greatness!"

Before Ash could chip in, he was broken from his mental conversation by a scuffle in the dining room. He leaned to get a better look and felt his hair stand on end. A trio of thugs had grabbed Makata by the neck and slammed him into a wall.

"I don't think you understood us, old man." Rockruff necklace wearer hissed. "You're operating on our turf. That means you gotta pay up when we tell you to."

Makata brought his hands up to grab the wrists of the Rockruff necklace goon. Despite the hands around his throat, he didn't look intimidated. "Boy, think about what you're doing. This is a soup kitchen. We're not some business you can shake down. We help people."

One of the thugs snorted and tossed his Pokeball from hand to hand. "That's real sweet of you folks. We're all for helping the little people out… so long as you pay us our dues first."

The punk closest to Ash laughed. "It ain't so bad, old man. We protect this place from any unfortunate accidents or nasty criminals. You got no idea what sorts of monsters are out there."

Makata glared at them. "And if I don't, then all these 'accidents' and criminals will suddenly come out of the woodwork?"

Collectively, the trio smiled. "Corretamundo."

Makata glowered. "No deal. You can do whatever you want, but you're not getting a cent outta me."

"Oh yeah?" The leader taunted. "And what about all these good people here? You willing to put them at risk over a few dollars and your worthless pride?"

Ash's skin crept at the tension of the scene. His blood boiled. He reached for his pen, clicking it on. It wasn't much, but it was something. Luckily no one heard the sound. Patrons and workers freezing when the realized what they saw then slinking off. Too afraid to notice anything else but the standoff.

Ash was willing to tolerate a lot, but this? Hell no. He wasn't about to let these people disturb the peace or be a danger.

He reached out to Latias through their link. "Can you do something? Make them see something that'll scare them to send them running?"

He could feel her hesitation through their bond. "I could. What happens if they freak out and hurt others though?"

"Then put them to sleep. If you can immobilize them and their Pokemon, that will allow us to call the police and get them out of here."

Ash reached up to scratch behind his ear but stopped as he realized it Pikachu's itch. He was still getting used to the side-effects of these mind-links. "What if one of them is a Dark type? Her powers won't work on them."

Ash fingered the sunglasses hanging from his shirt. "That's when you cut the power and come out here. We'll deal with any Dark types they have. On my signal. One… two… three-"

"What's going on here!?"

The voice that cut in was loud, confident, and furious. The thugs were shocked, dropping Makata. Everyone in the soup kitchen froze, looking for the voice.

Ash's heart stopped.

Standing in the doorway of the kitchen was a woman around his age. At her side was a humanoid, plant-like Pokemon with green petals nearly a match for her trainer's hair. An organic crown atop its head helped differentiate mon from woman. Both were holding large boxes in their hands and glaring at the thugs.

Ash shrank back against the others. He couldn't afford to let her see him.

The three thugs looked at each other for a moment before laughing and sauntering up to Mallow. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, little miss. We're just talking business with the old man here."

Mallow and her Tsareena set the boxes of food on the ground. Mallow walked past them. In their shock at being blatantly ignored, none of the criminals stopped her. She helped Makata to his feet and dusted him off.

"You need to be more careful, sir." She told the elderly man. "At your age, you can't afford to go playing hero."

Makata laughed. "Maybe not. I've always had a nasty habit of leaping before I look though."

Mallow smiled and rolled her eyes. "Stubborn… I can see why your wife is always so stressed out."

One of the thugs stomped his feet. "Oi! Girly! Stop ignoring us!"

The smile was wiped off Mallow's face. "Excuse me for a minute, sir." She crossed her arms and spun towards the criminals. "You three need to leave. Now."

The trio laughed. "Not gonna happen. Not until that geezer gives us what we want."

"Unless you'd rather take on his debt?" One of them waggled his eyebrows. "I can think of a few ways you could pay…."

Ash tightened his grip on the pen and stepped forward. He wasn't just going to stand by while a friend was in danger. He'd deal with the repercussions later.

Mallow scrunched up her nose in disgust. "No, thanks. I deal with enough trash with my job already. I don't need any more adding to my misery. Leave. This is your last warning."

The Rockruff necklace goon tried to shove her back but stumbled when she stepped out of the way. He sneered. "Oh yeah? And who's gonna make us? You?"

"Yep. Well, me… and my little friend you forgot about."

They blinked and shared a look with each other. "Wha-"

That was as far as they got before their legs were swept out from under them. Mallow's Tsareena moved faster than the eye could blink and kicked each of the men to the floor. Once they were on the ground, she moved towards the leader and placed her foot atop his throat and pressed down hard.

With her arms crossed behind her back and a taunting grin, Mallow leaned over the leader of the group. "So… are you willing to leave on your own yet? Or do we need to knock you unconscious and call the police?"

One of the thugs staggered to his feet and ripped his Pokeball off his belt. "No one messes with the Tunnel Runners and gets away with it!"

Mallow didn't bother to hide her laughter. "Tunnel Runners? What are you, twelve?"

Ash didn't bother hiding his laughter. No one else did either.

The thugs flushed. "Stop laughing!" One of them shouted. "We'll show you!"

The Skull Grunts working in the back of the kitchen stormed out into the dining room and unleashed their Pokemon. A small army of Alolan Rattata, Yungoos, and Zubat filled the room, barring their fangs at the thugs.

One of the Grunts stepped forward and clenched his fist. "Yo, if you think you're gonna hurt any of these people here, you'll have to go through us!"

A Tunnel Runner goon sneered in disgust. "Skull? What are you buffoons doing here? Don't you bastards have enough to worry about fighting and dying in your little war with them outsiders?"

One Tunnel Runner in a beanie laughed. "Yeah! Last I heard, you people were running scared. What are you doing here?"

The Skull Grunt narrowed his eyes. "We're just keeping our people fed. Ain't like they got anyone else to help 'em."

"These aren't your people." Rockruff necklace responded. "Not since your group ran with your tail between your legs and left it for the taking."

"We're back." The Grunt snapped. "And if we're willing to fight Rocket for what's ours? Some no-name gang of junkies and failures isn't gonna stop us. You best do what the lady says and walk away while we're still giving you the chance."

The Tunnel Runners scowled but put their Pokeballs away. With the immediate threat gone, Tsareena took her foot off the leader of the group and let him scramble to his feet. As his friends crowded around him, Rockruff necklace glared at the room of people while gritting his teeth.

"Fine, we'll go." He rubbed his throat. "But we won't forget this! The Tunnel Runners will make you all rue the day you crossed us!"

Contrary to their bold words, the Tunnel Runners sprinted out of the doors and didn't bother looking back. Once they were gone, the tension slowly faded away and allowed those who remained to breathe easy. Mallow and the Skull Grunts started to mingle with everyone while Makata began to laugh at what happened.

Ash released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and slumped against the wall. They'd managed to avoid any major violence and keep the soup kitchen safe. They were safe for the night. He suspected they would hear from the Tunnel Runners again though. Hopefully, Team Skull's presence should have been enough to keep them from coming back.

He hadn't liked them much during his journey in Alola and he certainly hadn't thought much of them. Frankly, he'd always thought they were bumbling buffoons even worse than Jessie, James, and Meowth had been. In the eight months since he'd been gone, though, it looked like they had turned into something different.

Something better if their words of fighting Team Rocket were any indication.

Latias gently nudged his mind through their link. "You okay, Ash? You seem tense."

"I'm fine… I just need a moment."

A moment to figure out how he could keep working here and avoid Mallow at the same time.

---

By the time the soup kitchen had locked its doors, it was close to midnight. Ash, Latias, and Pikachu had stayed to help clean up and get the kitchen back in order then left to head back to their team's safe house. Even with the islands being invaded by Team Rocket, it was still safe to walk the streets at night.

Granted, if anyone had tried to mug Ash or attack his team then they would have been in for a rude awakening. It was a nice change to pace to relax after working so hard.

Ash glanced at Latias and Pikachu. His Electric partner was riding on Latias' shoulder and the two were chatting while they made their way back to the safehouse.

"So he really tried to make you fight a Ground type? By yourself?"

Pikachu groaned. "He didn't just try – he did make me! More than once this mad man has made me fight things ten times my size that are immune to my attacks!" His partner shivered. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be crushed by an Onix?"

Latias giggled. "I can't say I do."

"It's not pleasant!" He whined "Those things enjoy crushing stuff! And Ash? At this point, I think he's got a few screws loose with how often he does this to us."

Ash's eye twitched. He couldn't just let that go! "Remind me again how these fights turn out? Was it you or those overgrown boulders who ended up on the ground?"

Pikachu scoffed. "You don't get to use that as an excuse! Just so you know, every team we've ever had kept a betting pool!"

Latias didn't bother to hide her laughter. "On?"

"On who the unlucky suckers were that were going to be sent against something they were weak to!" Pikachu shouted. "You should have seen how pale the Fire types would get when they realized he was taking us to a Water gym!"

Ash frowned. "I wasn't that bad. I just wanted to give you guys a challenge."

Pikachu nursed his tail in his paws, his ears twitching. "You sent me against a Rhydon. The only reason I still have a tail is because its horn was covered in water and conducted electricity!"

Latias hummed, her arms behind her head. "Well I think it's sweet. He's just trying to bring out the best in you. You should be more grateful."

Pikachu glowered at her. "We'll see how you like it when he makes you fight a Darkrai or something. When you're being pummeled into the ground? I want you to remember this conversation because I am not going to feel one once of sympathy."

Latias rolled her eyes. "Such a charmer. This is why people prefer Ash, you know."

Pikachu gasped in mock shock.

Ash chuckled. "Speaking of battling, I've been meaning to ask you two something now that I can understand you." He told them. "Why do Pokemon let Humans use them for battles?"

Pikachu blinked and tilted his head aside. "What brought this on?"

He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. It's just something I've always wondered. Your kind is naturally much stronger than us. You can enhance your strength, manipulate the elements, you even have natural healing factors. We're taught in schools that it's because you like working with us, but I've always wondered if it's true."

Pikachu clicked his tongue in understanding. "I see. Well that's sort of true? Not completely but it's the closest your kind will get. Basically, the reason so many of us are willing to spend time with Humans, going on journeys, and participating in battles is because it's pleasurable to us."

Ash flushed in embarrassment. "Pleasurable!?"

Oh Arceus… just what did Pokemon think Trainers were!?

Latias laughed and bonked the top of Pikachu's head. "Stop messing with him, Pikachu. He looks like he'll spontaneously combust any moment now."

"Alright, alright." Pikachu laughed. "So pleasure may not be the right word. It's just the closest one your language has to explain the feeling. It's more like… we enjoy fighting and getting stronger. We experience a rush when we push our limits and grow stronger. Learning new moves, taking more damage before we collapse, all of it. It's an incomparable rush."

"And it's something only you Humans excel at doing. Fighting, that is." Latias explained. "Other Legends I've met – the ancient one's – they all talk about how your kind excelled at it. You developed tools and weapons to carve out a place in the world for yourselves. Even the strongest Pokemon were wary of attacking your settlements according to them. Once you started capturing Pokemon and training them, their strength would grow exponentially."

Pikachu nodded. "All Pokemon have stories about your kind. Folk tales of weak or otherwise unwanted Pokemon being found by Humans. They'd be taken on grand adventures, given training to far surpass even the strongest of their old families, and even match the gods themselves. My mother used to tell me stories of the Human warrior Caesar and his Nidoking that overthrew a dynasty and sent Palkia fleeing in terror."

Latias nodded. "Even if most of the stories are untrue, the message is the same. If you want to grow stronger, Humans are your best chance to do so."

"This is all just generalization though." Pikachu admitted. "Not all Pokemon enjoy fighting. But all of us enjoy improving ourselves and our abilities. It's why you've got Pokemon willing to focus on improving the style and beauty of their moves with Coordinators, or Grass types improving the yield of their crop fields, or Pokemon under the care of doctors learning new ways to heal people. We all want to become the best version of ourselves we can."

Latias smirked. "It doesn't hurt that you Humans have technology either. Protection from the deadly elements, an easy abundance of food and water, medicine for the sick, entertainment beyond our wildest dreams. Really, you Humans may not be as strong as us physically, but you're far more creative and in some ways far smarter." She told him. "It's a natural partnership only monsters would try to break up."

Ash felt a smile stretch across his face. That was… a surprisingly sweet reason. The idea that both Humans and Pokemon were benefitting from their partnership filled him with relief. While he had always believed Humans and Pokemon were equals, there had always been a small nugget of doubt in the back of his mind fueled by the words of the crueler Trainers he had met. Now he could say with certainty that they were wrong.

A few minutes later, the trio arrived back at the Interpol safehouse that their group had been using as a base for their stay on the islands. This late at night, most people were asleep in bed and their businesses were closed until the rush of the morning came. Despite this, however, Petrovic was standing outside of the entrance to the building smoking a cigarette. When he saw them, he grinned. He tossed the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it with his boot.

The older agent walked towards them, arms spread wide in cheer. "Ah, the prodigal son returns!" He laughed. "How was yer time out, brat? Did ya have fun walking little old ladies across the street? Rescue any Meowth from trees?"

Ash had to suppress a sigh. After a long day and almost running into an old friend again, he was in no mood for Petrovic's mockery. "It was fine." He tried to walk past him. "I was just helping people in need. You should try it sometime instead of doing… whatever it is you do."

Petrovic held out an arm in Ash's way. He looked pleased by Ash's sharp words. "So you've got some claws in ya after all, huh?" He grinned. "And here I thought ya were a limp noodle without a lick o' fire inside ya."

Latias narrowed her eyes, and the air became tense with Psychic energy. A shiver ran down Ash's spine. His mind instinctively began to race while his eyes widened. The Psychic energy wasn't directed at him, however. Petrovic grimaced from the glare of the Legend and stepped away from Ash. He held up his arms in surrender.

"No need to get so defensive, ya overgrown lizard." The purple haired agent stuttered. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. I was just makin' an observation."

A growl escaped Latias' lips and Pikachu began to spark with electricity. "Mind your tongue. You can insult the others all you want but leave Ash out of it."

Petrovic snorted in amusement and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trench coat. "Fine by me. It's no fun messing with him anyway. It's like kickin' a starving Lillipup. Just cruel." He looked to Ash and shrugged. "Ya got a protective pair of pets there. If only we were all so lucky."

Ash crossed his arms defiantly. "They're not pets. They're my friends and partners." He corrected the man. "And they're just as much a part of this team as you and me. Treat them with respect."

Petrovic rolled his eyes. It was clear that wouldn't be happening any time soon. "Sure. Whatever ya say, brat." The man sighed. "Just figured I'd wait outside for ya. Make sure ya made it back all safe and sound."

"Why?"

"'Cause if I didn't and something happened to ya, Looky and the other one would find some way to blame it on me." Petrovic leaned back against the wall of the safehouse. "I also wanted to talk to ya for a moment without them around to hold yer hand or make excuses."

Pikachu sighed. "Let's just head inside, Ash. I'm too tired to deal with his nonsense right now."

Ash couldn't agree more. He didn't hate the man like Looker or Anabel did, but Petrovic leapt at every chance to insult them others. Ash was convinced he was doing it on purpose. No one could be so abrasive by accident.

Petrovic wasn't letting him go inside without talking though. "What did you want to talk about?" He eventually asked.

"Well, I think it's real sweet and all how yer spending time at that soup kitchen. Ya got the spirit of a good Samaritan and I'm sure yer mommy would be proud." Petrovic looked up into the night sky at the crescent moon shimmering down on them. "I just wanna make sure you understand what's important."

He frowned. "What do you mean? Helping those people is important."

Petrovic gave him a lopsided smile. "It is. Yer free to keep doing that all you want. Ain't no one gonna stop ya." He pushed off the wall. "But yer not some geriatric with nothing better to do or kids forced by their parents to volunteer. Yer an agent of Interpol."

"I know that…."

Petrovic snorted. "Do ya? Could of fooled me. The passion ya show for the little kitchen is more than ya've shown for our work." He shook his head. "What? Is saving people from certain death less important than tossing a salad? Too glamorous for yer blood?"

Ash flinched at the accusation and looked away. "That's not it. I just… it's a lot to handle is all. The lies, the violence, and the pressure to save the day..." He trailed off for a moment before letting out an exhausted sigh. "It's not what I expected when I first joined."

"Sorry our line of work ain't all fancy suits and beautiful women at rich mansions, brat." Petrovic reached over and thumped him on the back of the head. Pikachu jolted Petrovic with a weak burst of electricity. The older agent recoiled in pain and grunted but pushed on. "Reality is always disappointing. Just cause it ain't like the movies doesn't mean ya can put anything but full effort into this. Not if ya want to survive long enough to clear yer name."

Ash's shoulders slumped in defeat. "What do you want from me, Petrovic? Do you want me to stop going to the soup kitchen?"

A shake of his head. "Nah. Keep going if it makes you feel tingly inside. What I want is for ya to understand one simple fact: this job comes first. When yer with us, ya give us a hundred and ten percent. Ya do exactly what we say and don't go trying to pull any of those useless heroics. We know what we're doing and how to protect these people." He placed his hand under Ash's chin and forced him to look into Petrovic's eyes. "Understand, brat?"

Ash glared up at him. "Yeah. I understand, sir."

Petrovic smiled. "Good. Now get to bed. Ya have a long day ahead of you tomorrow and I don't want ya complaining ya didn't get yer beauty sleep."

Once Petrovic stepped aside, Ash and his partners moved past him. While Ash didn't know about them, he was left feeling… disappointed in himself. Had he really been doing such a poor job as an agent that the others were wondering if his heart was really in it? Or was it just Petrovic trying reach out and give him a helping hand? Ash couldn't say for certain. All he knew was that he'd need to do better.

Not just for himself, but for his team and all the people that he was now responsible for protecting.

"Oh, one more thing." Petrovic called out before Ash could open the doors. He turned to see what the man wanted. Ash was almost too slow to catch the small, metallic object Petrovic had tossed at his head.

It was a lock.

At his confused look, Petrovic laughed. "I noticed ya've been practicing how to pick locks alongside everything else. For a rookie, yer pretty good at it. Figured I'd give ya something a bit more difficult to practice on than that dollar store crap." He explained. "Once ya get fast enough with that lock, I'll bump ya up to something tougher. We'll turn ya into a proper agent yet if ya do what we tell ya."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Petrovic. I appreciate it."

Petrovic snorted. "Not a problem, brat. I'm always happy to show off for the less competent people. Gives them something to strive for." He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now get to bed! Ya won't have any time for naps tomorrow."

---

"Well, Ash, we know you wanted our job to be a bit more like the movies. Have you been studying the alias we gave you?"

Ash sent Looker a nod. The team was in their safe house preparing for their mission today and munching on bacon and eggs for breakfast. A week ago, Ash had been given an alias to study. Courtesy of their HQ here in the Alola region, it had come complete with details of his new name, basic details of who he was and how he should act, a fake ID, and even advice for what to wear.

He felt like an actor preparing for a role in a movie.

"My name is Alex Woods." He stammered. "I'm a trainer from Melemele Island trying to complete the Island Challenge. I made some mistakes, though, and now I'm in desperate need of some cash."

Anabel hummed from her position in a chair by the microwave in the corner of the safe house. "What kind of mistakes?"

Ash squirmed in place and averted his eyes while wringing his hands together. Just like the alias suggested. "I made some risky investments. My friend said that it would have been a sure thing. A thousand percent return on investment but… well… then he took a vacation to Orre. And he hasn't been returning my calls."

Petrovic loudly munched on a strip of bacon dipped in syrup. In his right hand was an entire bottle of the stuff. "Not bad. Add some urgency. Loan sharks or something equally shady. Keeps people from asking questions about why a nervous brat like ya would want to get involved in crime."

Looker sipped on his Galarian Coffee. "Nothing puts people's minds at ease like knowing they have something to hold over your head. Crippling debt that could destroy your life is as good as any other."

"Remember not to add too much detail into your cover." Anabel told him. "It needs to be something you can easily remember. Too much detail and chances are you'll end up forgetting something during a crucial moment."

Ash nodded. "Understood." He took a moment munch on his breakfast. Latias was busy sipping on a smoothie while wearing Ash's form and Pikachu was busy guzzling down a bottle of ketchup almost as large as he was.

For his sanity, Ash chose not to think too hard about where it all went.

Petrovic tapped his chin in thought and sauntered over to Ash. Before Ash could ask what he was doing, the older agent unscrewed the cap to the bottle and dumped the entirety of its contents atop Ash's head.

Ash recoiled in disgust and glared up at the man. Behind him, Latias' eyes began to glow and Pikachu… well he was too absorbed in his ketchup to even notice what was happening. "What was that for!?" He shouted.

Petrovic snickered. "Yer too clean." He said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Ya ain't going to be passing as some high-class criminal. Yer a down on yer luck, two-bit thug who was dumb enough to fall for a con. That mean's ya gotta lock the part. Dirty clothes and greasy hair."

"Or in your case, syrupy." Anabel chimed in with a tiny chuckle.

Looker tried to hide his own laughter behind a sip of his coffee. "If nothing else, it'll help you blend in a bit more."

He pouted. "I hate you all…."

They all laughed. Even Latias and Pikachu were joining in on the fun. Ash supposed he couldn't blame them all for trying to keep things light. It helped him ignore the pit in his stomach.

In the past week and a half, Team Rocket had begun their counterattack. It wasn't just Skull Grunts, or their criminal allies being targeted by Rocket. The businesses that supported them or were in Skull territory were. From the reports that Looker was being sent, they were being smashed up, burnt to the ground, and otherwise harassed in some way. According to Looker, it wasn't just Team Skull being hurt either. Many of the businesses in Skull territory were directly affiliated with the Aether Corporation or were covered for damages by the insurance branch of Aether.

Team Rocket had found a way to make both enemies bleed in a strike.

They weren't just using Team Rocket agents to strike. While Rocket officers oversaw the operation, the bulk of their force was natives to the region. Freelancers, mercenaries, and small-time gangs which had chosen to align themselves with Team Rocket in exchange for a hefty paycheck or an increase in their territory depending on which they were.

Team Rocket were masking their involvement in this crime wave with this strategy. On the rare instances the media did report on these crimes, Rocket was never mentioned. These native criminals were the perfect smokescreen to protect the syndicate from public outrage and a dedicated effort from the government. No one wanted to impact tourism to the islands, after all.

By using domestic criminals to hit these businesses, they were able to mask their involvement in the crimes and keep the media from reporting on how foreign criminals were destroying Alola. Headlines like that would have created both a witch hunt against Team Rocket backed by the full force of the Alolan government and impacted the tourism so badly that even Team Rocket's profits would be crippled.

There was one weakness though. Something that Interpol was exploiting across the region in full force: their manpower. With their focus on using freelancers, Interpol agents could pose as them and get close to Team Rocket. Close enough to learn their plans and find a way to tear them down.

And Ash would be taking part in that infiltration.

"What about all of you? Are you all prepared for what you have to do?" He glared at Petrovic. "Can I help any of you get prepped? Maybe with a helping of hot sauce in your eyes?"

Petrovic chuckled. "Try it and I won't be the one missing an eye, brat."

Looker took a loud sip of his coffee. He let out a blissful moan. He always seemed so much calmer when he had it in his hands. "We're fine, Ash." He assured. "As senior agents, it's our duty to make sure you're prepared. Not the other way around."

Anabel nodded. "I'm all set for my infiltration. I have my alias memorized and my Pokemon are all aware of what we'll be doing."

"As for me, I'll be helping our contact at Aether." Looker informed them. "Interpol and I will search for moles from Rocket in their work force. We'll vet anyone who could have access to their data on Ultra Wormholes."

"Which means Looky won't be there to hold yer hand, brat." Petrovic decided to add.

It didn't do much to help the anxiety Ash had managed to ignore up until this point.

"No, but you will, Petrovic." Looker scolded. "Since this is your first infiltration, Ash, I decided that Petrovic would be best suited to overseeing you."

"… really? Him?"

Petrovic's eyes narrowed. "Oi."

Looker went to take a large gulp of his coffee. He groaned in annoyance and set it aside when he realized it was all gone. "I know that Petrovic can come off as incompetent and lazy-"

"OI!"

Looker ignored his complaints. "But he is skilled at his job." Looker shivered. Almost as though the words tasted like ash, and he had to force them out or risk choking on them. "If Anabel and I can't watch over you, then he's the best one for the job."

"He's also the only one who can if you two are busy…."

Looker flinched. "That may be true, but it doesn't mean you can't rely on him."

Anabel rolled her eyes. "Look at it this way, Ash. If something goes wrong and your life is in danger, Petrovic is the perfect man for the job. Killing things is his specialty."

"I prefer the term targeted elimination and asset removal." Petrovic grumbled.

Pikachu sat up with his ketchup bottle between his legs, licking the tomato smoothie off of his paws. "Don't worry so much, Ash. You've got me and Latias to watch your back too if things go south! Nothing could possibly go wrong that we can't handle with a Legend on our side!"

Ash didn't have the heart to remind his little buddy about how said Legend had been taken down by an overgrown rat, a floating ball of ice, and one-eyed ghost. He just couldn't do it when his buddy seemed so confident.

Latias, however, didn't seem to share his reluctance.

"Actually… I can't come."

Anabel frowned. "What do you mean you can't come?"

Petrovic snorted. "Yeah, why can't ya? Don't tell me the big bad Legend is scared of a few common thugs."

Latias glared at their abrasive teammate. "What I'm scared of is this city burning to the ground and its people fleeing in terror."

"What do you mean?" Looker demanded. "Don't keep us in the dark, Latias. What is so urgent that the city could suffer?"

The Legend sighed. "Among Legends, there are unwritten rules we all follow." She slowly munched on a plate of eggs in her lap. "One of them is that we each have our own territories. Our kingdoms, if you will."

Ash tilted his head aside. "You mean like the land with Groudon or time and Dialga?"

She shook her head. "Those are domains. The source of their powers and what they have been tasked with overseeing. My domain is emotion – I can understand it on a level even other legends never could." She explained. "Our kingdoms are different. They're the physical territory we spend most of our time in. My families was Alto Mare before… before it was destroyed. Groudon has joint claim to Hoenn while Dialga splits its claim to Sinnoh with their counterparts."

Looker crossed his arms. "I see. Those regions are where the worship of them was at their height. I take it that there are Legends who rule Alola?"

She hummed affirmation. "The Tapu's. I've never met them before, but my brother did once when he left the city. According to him, they were volatile, violent, and just plain rude."

Ash frowned. He had met each of the Guardian Deities. While he wouldn't say they were the friendliest Legends he had ever met, they were far from the worst. They hadn't just helped protect the islands from an invasion of Ultra Beasts, they had stepped in to help him and his friends save Lusamine from the clutches of Nihilego.

Latias looked up and closed her eyes. "When one Legend enters the kingdom of another, we're expected to meet with them and offer a tribute. A gift to show that we come in peace, not conquest."

"And what happens if you don't?"

"They take it as a personal insult and will stop at nothing to teach the offending Legend a lesson." She sighed. "Most of us prefer to stay on good terms, so we never have any issues. The only ones that do are those who have territorial disputes like Rayquaza and Deoxys or opposing domains like Darkrai and Cresselia."

Pikachu stuck his paws into his ketchup bottle in an effort to get as much ketchup out as possible. "My father used to warn us that when Legends fought one another, our only hope was to hide and hope for a miracle from Arceus since they're the only ones that could save us then."

Ash suppressed a snort of amusement. They had been caught in the middle of more rampaging Legends doing battle than they could count. At this point, Ash wasn't sure if Arceus was looking out for him or had some sort of personal vendetta with how often his life was put in danger.

Looker hummed. "I can see why you want to meet them. Can it really not wait though?"

She sighed. "I've already waited long enough. I should have done it as soon as we got here. Any longer and chances are they'll lose their patience. At that point, me being around any of you would put you in greater danger than if you got exposed as Interpol agents to Team Rocket."

"Well then ya best get moving, little miss." Petrovic ordered. "I think I speak for us all when I say I don't need a Legend throwing a tantrum to be the death of me. Best bring them a nice gift so it doesn't happen!"

Anabel nodded. "For once, I agree with the homicidal man child." She raised her empty plate to block the annoyed swat the man made for her head. He reeled back and clutched his hand in pain. She stuck her tongue out in childish victory and giggled.

"The sooner you make nice with the Tapu's, the sooner we can put you back to work." Looker told her.

Ash tried for his best reassuring smile. "Be safe, Latias. I don't want you getting hurt if you can avoid it."

Latias looked away in seeming embarrassment at everyone's words. "There's no need to be worried. I'll be fine. Battle's between Legends rarely end in death."

Ash frowned. "Doesn't matter. You're one of us and that means we're going to look out for you."

Looker nodded. "He's right. Interpol looks after its own. Whether you're Human or Pokemon."

Petrovic shrugged. "I have always wondered what fried Legend tastes like. Guess I'll finally get the chance to try some if ya wind up needing help."

Anabel grunted in disgust. "Even when you're trying to be nice, you still come across as an ass."

A giggle broke up the fight between their two purple-haired teammates before it could begin. Latias flashed them all a bright smile. "Thank you, all of you. I appreciate it. I promise that the moment I'm done with the Tapu's, I'll be there to help wherever you guys need me."

Looker nodded. "That just leaves us with one other issue." His gaze turned to Pikachu. Slowly, everyone else's eyes followed suit until he was the center of attention. Pikachu froze midway through licking his paws.

"What?"

Petrovic sighed. "Ya gotta go in a Pokeball, rat."

Ash frowned and reached over to pluck Pikachu off the bed. He gently placed him in his lap and wrapped his arms protectively around his starter Pokemon, giving the rest of his team an uneasy look. "Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs. He prefers to be outside with the rest of us."

Before Petrovic could insult Pikachu and Ash for their reluctance, Anabel leaned forward in curiosity. "Why? I thought Pokeballs were designed to create a comfortable environment for your kind? None of my Pokemon ever complained about them."

Pikachu grimaced. "I guess they do. It's enough to keep most Pokemon happy and out of danger after being beaten in battle. I've just never liked them." He shivered. Ash stroked his partners ears in comfort. "It's hard for me to ignore that it's all an illusion designed to keep me trapped. It doesn't help that I'm all alone in there and unaware of the real world. In there, time doesn't even work right. If anything ever happened to Ash and I was stuck in there? I'd have no idea anything was even wrong."

Ash hugged Pikachu closer. "I'm sorry… I never knew it was that bad for you."

Pikachu sighed. "It's fine. You couldn't know and you never forced me into one."

"I see. That makes this more complicated then." Looker told them. "Most trainers keep their Pokemon in their balls. Seeing you outside of one might raise some suspicion. Enough that someone may look too closely and connect the dots to back to Ash's real identity despite the disguise."

Ash glanced down at his partner for a moment before speaking up. "Maybe Pikachu could hide in my clothes to avoid suspicion? Or maybe he could try sneaking in and following us wherever we go-"

Pikachu placed his paws on Ash's hand, tilting his head back to look up at him. "Ash, it's alright. I'll go in the Pokeball."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you if I can avoid it."

"And I appreciate it. We can't avoid this though." Pikachu shook his head. "If I want to be there to protect you without potentially revealing who you are, I need to go in the ball. I can survive in there for as long as I need to if it means I can protect you."

A smile graced Ash's face and he hugged Pikachu closer. "Thanks, buddy. I appreciate you being willing to do this for me."

"Happy to do it. Just uh… just don't forget to let me out the moment you can." Pikachu shivered. "I still want to be able to breath real air as soon as possible."

"You've got it."

And if Ash survived this? A weeks supply of specialty ketchups all for his buddy. It'd put him back a few thousand with how quickly Pikachu went through the stuff, but for this? Pikachu deserved it.

Looker smiled. "Glad we got that sorted. Alright people let's finish up our preparations. We have a long day ahead of us!"

---

Ash took a deep breath. It was a little before noon and the sun hung high in the sky. At the moment, the streets were alive with movement as people went about their daily routines and Pokemon scurried alongside their Humans. No one paid much attention him stood on a street corner.

Just down the street was a bar. It should have been empty this early in the day. While he'd been watching the bar, though, he'd seen over a dozen different people come and go. Any doubt he may have had about Interpol's intel on this place was gone.

Which meant he needed to get in there soon if he wanted to do his part.

The comm piece in his ear crackled to life. "Oi, brat, get moving." Petrovic said into his ear. "The longer ya just stand around staring, the quicker people are going to get suspicious. Especially with how much of a creep ya look like."

Ash ran a hand through his syrupy, dyed blond hair and turned to look at his reflection in the window of a flower shop. Given the nature of this mission, he had been forced give up his tropical attire. He tugged at the collar of the baggy brown hoodie he wore over a stained white T-shirt and ripped blue jeans. He looked up at the cloudy sky and adjusted the sunglasses over his eyes.

If it weren't for Pikachu's Pokeball on his belt and his revolver Ash would have been the down on his luck trainer he looked… Petrovic had been giving him lessons, and while not great he could hit a target. One out of every two shots.

His glasses reassured him most. These were the same glasses he had snatched off one of the Grunts in Alto Mare. From his tests and the tests run by Interpol, they allowed him to see in infrared, night vision, and x-ray visions. He could even use them as a pair of binoculars and to record what he was seeing.

It was that feature which was allowing Petrovic to see what he saw. Sadly, that meant that he had to listen to the older agent insult him over every move he made. If that was the price he had to pay for advice, however, then so be it.

At least, he hoped so. You could never be sure with Petrovic.

With one final, deep breath he started to move towards the bar. There was a bouncer outside the door reading a celebrity gossip magazine. Once he saw Ash, he looked up.

"What is it?" He sighed. "Bars closed until later tonight."

Ash shifted on the spot, wringing his hands together. "I-I'm here about the job."

"Boss isn't doing interviews for new bartenders until next week and is only taking people with prior experience-"

He shook his head. "No, the other job. The one looking for um… independent contractors? Is that the word?"

The bouncer narrowed his eyes. "You're a little young for this line of work."

Ash looked away from the bouncers gaze. "I'm old enough. No one told me there was an age requirement."

A sigh escaped the bouncers lips. "That's because there technically ain't any. Look, kid, just turn around and walk away. There's no reason for you to get involved. Get yourself a normal job."

His fists tightened and he trembled. "I need this job!" He all but shouted. A few passersby on the street looked their way, but once it became clear that nothing dangerous was happening they shrugged and continued about their day. "I-I have debts and I need the cash fast."

The bouncer was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He pushed open the door for Ash to enter, though not before one last parting message. "Hope this debt is worth it."

An amused snort sounded in his ear. "Ya play the desperate failure well, brat. Then again, I guess ya did have practice in your previous life."

Ash's eye twitched. This was going to be a long day.

Once he was inside the bar and the door shut behind him, Ash could see that he wasn't the only one here. There were at least five others here, all of them older than him by at least a decade or more. They each looked over to see the new blood, but after a moment they each looked away. None of them seemed interested in him.

That was fine with Ash. Each of them were criminals if they were here. Though… technically he was as well. Maybe he shouldn't be so quick to cast judgement in that case.

Ash took a seat at the bar by himself and kept his head down. The bartender came by and asked him if he wanted anything to drink. Before Ash could tell him no, his earpiece crackled to life again.

"Ask for a beer. Take small sips but be seen drinking it." Petrovic advised. "It'll help ya fit in with the other freelancers. Get ya some more respect than the average brat."

Ash frowned but took Petrovic's advice. He ordered a beer from the bartender and was given a small, brown bottle.

"Oh, and if ya never drunk alcohol before? Best try not to think about the taste and just get it done in one go."

With that final warning in mind, Ash took a tiny sip from the bottle. It took all his willpower not to spit the foul tasting sludge in his mouth out on the counter or toss the bottle in the nearest bin. Instead, all he could do was shiver in disgust and try to force the burning liquid down his throat. Once it was down, he set the bottle aside.

"Hmm… not bad for a first time. That is a pretty weak brand though. Once our mission in Alola is over, I'll give ya a taste of some of the good stuff that Looky's been hoarding."

If what he'd just had was considered weak then Ash wanted nothing to do with it. How on earth anyone could get addicted to this stuff was a mystery.

For the next half hour, Ash sat in silence at the bar taking the occasional sip of the bottled death in his hands. He was almost convinced that nothing was going to happen. Then the door opened, and he turned to see a man with tanned skin and an eyepatch walk into the bar.

He looked familiar somehow.

Petrovic whistled in his ear. "Well would ya look at that. Ya must be the unluckiest son of a bitch this side of Alola." He chuckled. "That's Gozu Conti. He's a veteran from the Great War. Served in the Kantonian army before his region got its ass handed to it. Nowadays though? He's the second in command of the Matori Matrix – a direct link to our target."

That's where he recognized him! He'd never spoken with the man, but he had seen him with Team Rocket before. Last he'd seen, the man had been fighting a losing battle against Professor Kukui while trying to capture Ultra Beasts.

If he was here, then this must have been serious.

Ash stood up alongside all the other freelancers in a line. Gozu walked up and down the line for a moment, taking stock of each of them and muttering silently under his breath. When Gozu's one-eyed gaze landed on him, Ash looked away fidgeted in place. The man moved on not long after which allowed Ash to breath an internal sigh of relief. Thank Arceus for small mercies.

Now if only that arrogant prick could have avoided putting Ash in this situation in the first place.

Eventually, Gozu leaned back against the bar and let out a tired, annoyed sigh. He snapped his fingers in a silent order for the bartender to fetch him a drink. "Standard fee is a thousand dollars. You get paid when the job is done. Any of you wind up dead or arrested, the others won't collect your share." He snatched the bottle of whiskey out of the bartenders hand and poured himself a glass. "You'll need your own weapons or Pokemon… looks like you've all got that covered."

He downed his glass in one go and set it down on the counter with a loud thud. Then he sighed. "Any questions?"

One freelancer raised his hand. "Yeah. What's the job? All we were told was that you people were paying for a few hours of work."

"Keep your mouth shut, brat!" Petrovic hissed. "Just act like all these other stooges and you'll be fine."

Ash kept his mouth shut.

"You may have heard about how stores in Team Skull territory are getting hit." Gozu said. "And that is exactly what you will be doing."

"What if Team Skull are there?" One of them asked.

Gozu rolled his eye. "Battle them, rob them, I don't care. Hitting these businesses is more important than you lot feeling good about yourselves for beating on Team Skull."

"How do you want this done?" Ash spoke up.

Gozu sighed. "Smash up the place. Rob it blind. Hell, burn it to the ground. The more damage you do, the better." He glared at them all and slammed his fist on the counter. They all jumped in alarm. "Let me be clear about one thing though: "You'll kill no one and nothing, no matter what. I won't deal with the heat, and I'll make you all burn if you screw this up and try to screw me over."

"What if they try to stop us though?"

"Doesn't matter." Gozu growled. "The kind of heat that will fall on us if you numb skulls went and killed someone would jeopardize this whole thing. So if any of you are thinking of ignoring me on this? Remember that Team Rocket never forgets nor forgives our enemies."

Left unsaid was that anyone who broke the few rules Gozu had given them would become one. It didn't take a genius to see that was enough to scare most of them into obeying. That was fine with Ash as far as he was concerned. The less he had to worry about Team Rocket hurting others while he was with them, the better.

Gozu clapped his hands together. "Now, if you lot can manage to get this done without screwing it all up, there may be more contract work for you in the future. Some with a bigger payoff than this job." He promised them. "Impress me by keeping your mediocrity to a minimum and I'll keep your names in mind when it comes time for those jobs."

"Ya hear that? Don't go screwing this up and we'll get ya one step closer to our target." Petrovic chimed in his ear. "Normally I'd bet against ya, but with me as yer guardian angel? I'd bet every cent in my bank account on ya."

Ash blinked behind his glasses. Really? Well those were some pretty big words of encouragement. If Petrovic believed in his chances, then maybe this would all work out-

"Don't go making me broke, ya hear? Or I'll take a pound of flesh out of yer hide for making me out like a fool."

Ash suppressed a sigh. There it was. Well, he'd just have to do his best to prove Petrovic wrong. The best way to do that was to be the best damn thief he could be! And… destroy someone's livelihood while traumatizing them for the rest of their life.

This was going to be a long day.

Gozu grinned. "Now get out there, ya morons. You do this right and the only ones who will lose here are the insurance companies." He snorted in derision. "And I think I speak for us all when I say fuck those assholes."

Ash laughed alongside the others.

It tasted like ash in his mouth.

---

The people in the store knew something was wrong the moment Ash and his crew entered. It would have been obvious to everyone when a small army entered the store in the middle of the day and fanned out to cover all the entrances and exits. While Ash moved to close the blinds to the store, another flipped over the sign in the window to say closed.

The store owner and the only worker nervously backed away.

The business their group had been sent after was a specialty Pokemon goods store. From what Ash could see, everything a professional trainer could need was here. Specialty Pokeballs designed for specific situations were in carefully sealed display cases. High-quality foods rich in protein and zinc were available for modest fees. He could even see instruction manuals for how to raise specific species of Pokemon or teach them certain moves. If Ash had come here on his journey, he didn't think he'd ever leave.

A shame they'd have to destroy it all.

Petrovic hummed in his ear. "That stuff looks nice… see if you can grab some on your way out. Might as well nab some for ourselves. Daddy could use himself a nice Heavy Ball…."

Ash scowled. He wasn't going to steal anything. He may have to pretend to be a criminal to protect Alola, but he wasn't going to do any more than was necessary. He wasn't going to profit from destroying these people's livelihoods if he could help it.

"Let's all just stay nice and calm." The oldest goon who had chosen to take charge of this job released a particularly mean looking Poochyena. "I'm sure you two know the drill. Stay calm and nobody gets hurt. Do something stupid and my partner here tears off your legs. Understood?"

The owner and worker both nodded so fast that their heads seemed to spin.

The older man scowled and snapped his fingers, causing his Pokemon to bare its fangs at the two. "I said, do you understand?"

The store owner shielded his employee with his body. "We-we-we…."

Ash shoved the leader of their little group backwards. It was enough to send the man tumbling to the ground and draw the attention of the Poochyena. The small canine growled at him, and Ash met its gaze head on. "They understand. Let it go."

The older goon stumbled to his feet. "You're not the boss here, brat!" He growled. "I'm in charge here, okay? That means that when I give an order, you obey. If I want to rip these people's legs off, then you hold them down for me! Got it?"

Petrovic scoffed over the comms. "He's a small man with a fragile ego. Probably only gets to feel good about himself when he's tormenting those weaker than him." He told Ash. "I knew a guy like that once. Major psychopath. Saw the world in terms of hunters and prey. Kind of like this asshat. Difference is the guy I knew could back up his talk."

"Brutalizing them isn't going to help us. They're already too terrified to do anything." Ash tried to reason. "Remember what the boss said. No killing – ripping the guys legs off is all but guaranteed to do that."

"Trying to reason with him? Bold strategy, brat. Doubt it'll work though. Men like him can't handle being called out on their mistakes."

The leader glared. "I've been doing this for years! No upstart brat is going to go and tell me how to do my job. Especially not one that doesn't know how to use some damn soap."

Ash sighed. "I'm not telling you how to do your job. I'm just reminding you what our job is. Frightening these people isn't it."

The other goons that Ash had come with all seemed to agree. Ash's cover was that he was a young and stupid trainer in over his head with no other option, but he had no way of knowing if that was true for the others. It didn't excuse what they were willing to do, but he could empathize with them enough to not hate them for it.

The same couldn't be said for the leader of their merry band of men.

"As long as I'm in charge, we're doing things my way!" The man barred his yellow teeth in an attempt to appear threatening. He shoved Ash back. "You want to save these people? Then tear this place apart like you're supposed to!"

Ash sneered. "And what'll you be doing? Standing around to bark orders?"

The leader grinned. "Nope. Me and the owner of this fine establishment will be taking a trip into his office." He reached over and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, roughly yanking the man towards him. "He's gonna let me into that safe of his and I'm gonna get myself a new pair of boots."

He frowned. "The safe? We were told to destroy this place."

The man grinned. "The boss said he didn't care what we did as long as he destroyed it. So I'm just doing our job." He turned his back and dragged the store owner into the back with him. His Poochyena stayed behind to keep an eye on the worker. "If you're so concerned about the job, then maybe you should go do yours."

Ash gritted his teeth and turned away to head towards the Pokeballs in the corner. The others had all begun to released their Pokemon and start smashing things up. The worker they had taken hostage was cowering in fear at the Pokemon they had surrounded themselves with. He harshly grabbed a Pokeball off the shelf and dropped it to the ground, stomping it beneath his boot. There was nothing else he could do. The fear of these two people wasn't worth risking the mission.

Interpol had to focus on protecting everyone.

He made sure to keep his ears open though. If it sounded like the older criminal was going to hurt the man, then all bets were off. He may have been willing to destroy this place and scare these people, but killing them? That was one line he would never cross. Petrovic would be pissed, but there'd be other opportunities and it wasn't like he was the only one infiltrating Team Rocket's network.

Ash took Pikachu's Pokeball off his belt and released him to the ground. His partner blinked and took a moment to look around. The electric-types eyes narrowed in disgust when he saw where they were and what they were doing. Ash sent his partner a reassuring smile.

"Help me smash these things up." He let out a sigh and grabbed a Quick Ball off the shelf. He smashed it under his boot and moved on to the next.

With a reluctant nod, Pikachu followed suit and began to spark with electricity. Bolts of lightning arced out from his body and slammed into multiple Pokeballs at a time. Many of them couldn't stand up to the surge of power they were experiencing and shattered into smoking shards where they laid.

Petrovic groaned. "Are you really not gonna take any for yourself? This is such a waste." He told Ash. "You realize stealing it'll help you fit in better? There's no harm in it since it's all gonna be destroyed anyway, so what's the difference?"

The difference was that Ash would be actively profiting from these people's misery.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

It continued like this for the next few minutes. He and Pikachu would smash up the Pokeballs on the shelves while the other goons were destroying everything in sight. Soon enough, the once immaculate shop looked like a junkyard. If the owner was lucky, then the insurance companies wouldn't try to fight him on its destruction and would reimburse him for what they destroyed. They were just Trainer accessories, after all.

The building itself though? That was a different story.

The other criminals had chosen to stack everything made of paper into one, giant pile in the center of the store. The plan was for Pikachu to light it on fire with his electricity and leave the store to burn down. All they had to do was disable to sprinkler systems above them and they'd be good to go.

As far as jobs went? This had been smoother than he'd thought-

A gunshot shattered the façade.

The worker began to sob as the Poochyena growled. Ash, Pikachu, and the other goons all ignored them in favor of rushing into the back towards where they'd seen the oldest of them drag the owner to. When they all arrived, they saw the owner huddled up against the wall on the floor and a bullet hole next to his head. Standing above him was the goon in charge, a smoking pistol in his hands.

Behind them on the wall? An open safe with nothing but pictures inside of it.

"Are you messing with me?" The goon shouted. "Pictures of your family? That's what you choose to keep in your safe? I don't fucking buy it! Tell me where the real safe is or the next one goes in your skull!"

"Ash, stay out of this." Petrovic ordered. "Everyone outside heard that gunshot. People are calling the police and they'll be here any moment. Ya need to get out of there, right now."

None of the other members of the crew were willing to stop him. They and their Pokemon shifted nervously, a few of them sending hopeful glances his way. The store owner had his eyes closed as tears ran down his face and he could hear the worker still sobbing behind them.

Ash made his choice.

He stepped forward. "Why did you shoot?"

The pistol swung around to aim his way. "Quiet, brat!" Their 'leader' shouted.

"You just made a lot of noise." He pointed out. "The people on the streets will have noticed and called the cops by now. They'll be here any moment."

"Are ya seriously doing this? I swear to every Legend listening, when we're done here, I am going to beat the common sense into ya that yer mother clearly never taught ya!" Petrovic scolded. "Fine! Turn your body to the side. It'll make you a harder target for him to hit."

He did as Petrovic advised, holding his hands out in a calming gesture.

It didn't seem to have that effect on the man pointing a gun at his head.

The man clenched his free hand into a fist. "I told you! I'm in charge here!" He shouted. "As soon as this bastard tells me where the real safe is, I can take his stuff and we'll go!"

Ash audibly sighed. "The boss was clear: No deaths. Do you really want to test him? Over some imaginary safe that doesn't exist?" He asked. "If the man had another safe, he'd have told you by now. Accept that he keeps his mementos in it, and we can go."

The man scoffed. "You think you're so smart? Cocky brat. Your generation always do think you know better than your elders." He growled. "I know how these people work. They've always got multiple stashes."

"I don't care. I'm not being hunted across Alola because of your stupidity." He sent a nod to Pikachu at his feet. His partner gave a nod back and scurried past the group of thugs behind him towards the Poochyena holding the worker hostage. "Drop the gun."

"And if I don't?"

Then Ash would make him.

"Ash, we don't have time for this. Ya gotta take him out quick without getting shot. It's yer only chance of escaping before the police arrest you." Petrovic warned. "Take out his gun hand, then go for the head."

The two of them stared each other down for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the sobbing of their hostages and the breathing of the goons that had spread out at this point to stay out of the way. The man twitched.

Ash jerked suddenly to the left.

The gun went off and the bullet slammed into the wall behind him. Ash stayed low to the ground and leapt forward. He tackled the criminal in the gut and carried him forward to slam into the plaster wall behind them hard enough to cause cracks.

The leader let out a pained wheeze as the wind was knocked out of him. Ash stepped back to let him fall to the ground. He grabbed the thugs gun hand and brought it up. With one hand at the wrist and the other wrapped tightly around the base of the arm, Ash began to twist until the man let out a pained ground and he could only uselessly struggle in his grasp. The man tried to angle the pistol up towards Ash, but all his efforts amounted to was him firing uselessly into the ceiling.

"Grab his thumb and break it." Petrovic ordered. "Don't stop until you feel it break and you hear his screams."

Ash grabbed the thumb holding the pistol. Quickly and sharply, he jerked the thumb to the side until he heard a crack. As the man screamed and dropped the pistol to the ground, Ash held the thumb in that position and applied pressure to increase the pain.

"Good technique." Petrovic chimed in. "Use the door to the safe to smash his head and knock him unconscious."

Ash grunted in affirmation and hoisted the man up by his arm, tossing him into the wall. While the goon clutched his broken thumb, Ash grabbed the side of his head and slammed it into the open hole to daze him. In his stunned state, there was nothing the man could do to stop Ash from grabbing the door to the safe and ramming it into the criminals head as hard as he could.

Ash let go and the man slid to the floor, unmoving and unconscious but alive.

"Nice work, Ash. Didn't hesitate once." Petrovic praised. "I'll buy ya an ice cream cone when this is over. Ya need to get moving now though, out the back exit. I can hear the sirens from here."

Ash took a deep breath and looked down at the unconscious crook with disgust. "One of you grab him. If we leave him here, he'll just rat us out to the cops." He snatched the Pokeball for the man's Poochyena off his belt. "We're getting out of here."

The other thugs rushed to follow Ash's orders. He didn't know if it was because they were afraid of him or if they just wanted to leave before the cops arrived, but at this point he didn't care. As the others carried the unconscious body of the man out of the officer, Ash took a look at the owner on the floor.

He looked up at Ash in sheer terror.

Ash sighed and reached into his pocket. He ignored the way the man flinched away and pulled out his wallet. He left the couple hundred in cash he kept on the table and turned away.

"For your trouble."

As Ash left the office, he saw the store worker huddled into a corner with their knees pushed into their chest. On the ground, the smoking and unconscious form of Poochyena laid at Pikachu's feet. With a nod, he returned both of them to their respective Pokeball and gestured for the others who had come with him to follow him out the back.

They had to report back to Gozu.

---

By the time they made it back to the bar, Ash and the rest of the group were out of breath. They had to sprint between back alleys and stay out of sight of everyone. Halfway through their trip, the man Ash had beaten unconscious had woken up. Ash almost thought he would have been stupid enough to try again, but once he realized they were hiding from the police he decided to keep quiet.

It had surprised Ash.

Once they were inside, Ash tensed. Gozu sat at the counter with a drink in his hand. And behind him? A massive Aggron towered, and its horns scraped the ceiling. When it saw them enter, the Steel type let out a growl similar to steel tearing to draw Gozu's attention.

The Rocket took a long, slow sip of his alcohol before slamming the glass on the counter. When he turned to look at them, his eye narrowed into a glare that froze them to the spot, the glass still in his hand.

"Don't panic." Petrovic whispered. "I'm sneaking in. If things go south, I'll be there to get you out."

That would have been more reassuring if Ash actually believed he could survive.

"I send you people out on a simple job. Go in, smash up the place, and get out. I even let you take whatever shit you want." Gozu cracked his neck. "And yet somehow, you all manage to muck it up."

"Boss, we-"

The goon to Ash's immediate left didn't get to finish his sentence. Gozu lashed out and hurled the glass in his hands at them. The glass shattered on impact and sent the man to the ground, clutching his face in pain.

"Do not speak." Gozu seethed. "You morons may be the most incompetent group of people I've ever worked with. Because of you, now the police are cracking down on the area! Something I ordered you fools not to do!"

Gozu's Aggron growled and took a single step forward. It was enough to make those around Ash whimper in fear. Ash kept his eyes on Gozu.

"I'm tempted to have my Aggron grind you all into dust for this." He ran a hand down his face. "But then I wouldn't get any answers. So I'll give you all one chance: who's the genius who decided to go off script?"

Everyone turned and pointed at the self-appointed leader of them all. Once the attention was on him, the man backed away.

"I-I wasn't actually going to shoot him!" He stuttered. "I was just trying to scare him! Get him to show me what was in his safe! It would have worked out just fine if this asshole hadn't gotten in my way and tried to stop me."

When the finger pointed his way, Ash growled. "You son of a bitch!"

"Enough!" Gozu shouted over them. Once everyone had quieted down, Gozu stepped forward towards Ash. He loomed over him and placed his hand on Ash's shoulder to keep him in place. Ash took a shuddering breath but refused to look away from the man's gaze. "Why did you try to stop him?"

"You gave specific instructions for us not to kill anyone because it would draw too much attention." He told the older man. "There was no reason for those people to die. All it would have done is draw attention to us. The only reason we made it out is because I stopped him. If he'd had it his way? We'd have gotten into a hostage situation with the police all because he wanted a few extra dollars."

"You little-"

Gozu snapped his fingers. On command, the Aggron reached over and plucked the man out of the crowd. That shut him up really quick and left him a quivering mess. Ash ignored the rush of smug satisfaction he felt at seeing the man so terrified.

With a click of Gozu's tongue, the Aggron set the man down on the ground in front of Gozu. The Rocket looked the man in the eyes for a moment. "You disgust me." He sneered. "I knew working with common criminals like you would be a test of patience, but I thought you'd at least have some sense. Instead, the only one here with a functioning brain seems to be the brat!"

"But I-"

Gozu slammed his fist into the man's jaw and sent him sprawling to the ground. "No excuses! I am in no mood for any of it."

With the man on the floor and an Aggron standing by, there was nothing stopping what came next. Gozu raised his boot and brought it down on the man's head. Once, twice, thrice. Gozu continued to beat the man while he was done to make an example of him to everyone.

Ash flinched and tried to look away.

"Keep yer eyes on this, Ash." Petrovic ordered. "Ya need to understand what the cost of failure in our line of work is and what's at stake. Harden yerself to it now and you'll be thankful later."

Reluctantly, Ash brought his eyes back towards the beating. He witnessed every brutal blow, heard every pained grunt and wheeze, and smelled the rusted aroma of blood on the floor. The longer he watched, the easier it became not to look away.

It did nothing to get rid of the disgust he felt for the senseless brutality.

Eventually, Gozu showed the man on the ground mercy. By the time he was done, the goon who had made the mistake of disobeying Gozu looked close to death. Ash would have believed he were if it weren't for the irregular rise and fall of the man's chest.

Ash felt a twinge of sympathy. He'd need to get to a hospital.

Gozu scraped his boot on the floor. "You can all forget about getting paid for this. Now get out of my sight and take this garbage with you. If I ever see any of you again, I won't be so kind."

As the others grabbed the men on the ground and started to drag them out, Ash made to leave. Once he felt a hand on his should, he froze.

"Not you. You stay."

Ash audibly gulped.

"Stay calm. I've got yer back."

Once the others had all left and the door swung shut, Ash turned to look at Gozu. Unlike before, now he just looked curious. It put Ash on edge. The last thing he needed was a dangerous Rocket looking at him.

"What's your name?"

"Alex Woods, sir."

Gozu grunted. "Well, Woods… do you know why I kept you back?"

Ash shook his head. "No, sir."

"It's because you're the only one from that little group who showed me you had some brains." Gozu returned Aggron to its Pokeball and went to sit back down at the counter. "You kept your head when everyone else around you was losing it. That's rare."

"I know this is probably the first time anyone's praised ya, brat, but don't look too eager for praise. Ya gotta play it cool." Petrovic advised.

Ash shrugged. "I just didn't wanna end up in jail, sir."

Gozu snorted. "So would any smart man." He poured himself another drink. "You followed orders and were able to improvise when things started to go wrong. That's more than most freelancers."

Gozu reached into his pocket and tossed Ash a thick wad of cash. He caught it in one hand.

"A thousand dollars, as agreed upon."

Ash gaped at the money. "I thought we failed the job."

Gozu shrugged. "Store was smashed up and Skull's ability to protect its territory is shot. That's a success. If that bastard hadn't tried to kill someone or the others had all stepped in to stop him, they'd be getting paid too."

Fair enough. "I see… thank you, sir." He bowed his head. "I appreciate you keeping your end of the deal. I'll be going now."

Gozu took a sip of his drink and waved him away. "Sure thing, Woods. Don't show your face around that area of town and you should be fine." He advised. "Oh, and Woods? If you're ever looking for more work? Stop by the bar. I may not like freelancers, but there'll be plenty more where this came from in the future. Rocket is here to stay, and our friends will always be richly rewarded."

Ash smiled. "I'll keep that in mind, sir. Have a good day."

Petrovic snorted. "Brat, I have no idea how you pulled that off… but congratulations. Yer first real job went smoothly." He laughed. "Maybe we'll make a competent agent out of ya yet!"

The corner of Ash's mouth twitched. "Maybe."

Maybe….

---

It had been hours since his mission had ended. Petrovic had congratulated him but told him a true debriefing would have to wait until Looker and Anabel were finished. Until then, Ash was free to spend his day however he wished while Petrovic handled some 'business'. Whatever that meant.

Ash hadn't done much since then. Latias had yet to return from her meeting with the Tapu's, so he released Pikachu from his Pokeball. Ash and his partner had just wandered around Hau'oli City. Seeing the sights and reminiscing about better days when they had been students at Professor Kukui's Pokemon School.

They had stopped by to watch from a distance. New students had started to attend the prestigious school to learn about the wonders of Pokemon. Even from a distance, he could see that they were enjoying their time there. Playing with the wide variety of Pokemon and studying their unique biology. Competing in friendly battles to test their skills and grow their bonds with their partners. Every now and then, he would even catch a glimpse of Professor Kukui offering them advice and vital lessons.

It had brought a smile to Ash's face.

While his time in Alola had been different, he had enjoyed his time here. He had been able to truly relax and enjoy his island trials in a way his gym battles hadn't allowed him to. His friends and he would spend all day exploring the islands together just having fun. Even when they had done their duty as Ultra Guardians, they had always stuck together and treated it as a chance to study the fantastic beasts from other worlds.

Ash missed those days. He hoped that when this was all over – when Team Rocket was beaten, and his name was cleared – that he could come back. He was still its Champion, after all. Maybe he could settle down here with a nice place on the coast. He wasn't sure what the duties of a champion were beyond just defending their title, but he could imagine himself enjoying them. A sunny locale, the chance to guide trainers on their journeys across the islands, and a simple life of fame and fortune.

It would be less complicated than the work he was doing with the International Police.

When Ash had been a kid, he'd loved watching spy movies. The heroes always made it seem like such an easy, glamorous life. They'd wear fancy suits and attend high society dinners. They'd meet beautiful women and were respected by everyone. Their teams always got on perfectly and complimented each other's weaknesses. They had the best gear and the strongest Pokemon by their side. Most importantly, no matter how dangerous their enemies were or how badly the odds were stacked against them, the heroes could always come out on top to save the day. It didn't matter how numerous the army was or how powerful the superweapon could be or even what Legend was rampaging.

He'd dreamed of being a spy as a kid.

The reality was disappointing.

Ash wasn't some hero that grand stories would be told about. He didn't know what he was doing most of the time and just went along with everyone else. The enemies he faced weren't stupid and victory was far from assured. Worst of all, there was no guarantee that he would ever be able to save anyone, no matter how hard he tried. He may have been able to save the owner and his worker during the heist, but Ash knew that it wouldn't always be like that.

The sound and sight of Alto Mare drowning still haunted his nightmares. It was a constant reminder that he could never save everyone, even when he managed to claw out a victory for himself and his team. It wouldn't stop him from trying though.

The day he stopped trying to save people was the day his hope for a better life died.

As it was he found himself having to bend his morals. Lying about who he was constantly was one thing. He was a criminal and couldn't do his job if people knew where he was. What got to him was how he was forced to stand by and watch as criminals got their way. A year ago, he'd have been the first one stepping up to stop them and save everyone.

Now he was actively helping these criminals destroy lives and having to weigh saving one life against saving everyone. Even worse, he was starting to lose his restraints. Back at the store, he hadn't hesitated to inflict as much pain as possible on that freelancer. And if Pikachu hadn't been able to deal with the Poochyena or the others had tried to step in, Ash would have done the same to them. He hated it. He hated the violence, and he despised having to help people like Team Rocket. No matter how much he understood, he didn't think he could ever get used to that feeling disgust.

When this was all over, he would be glad to go back to a simple life.

If he even could anymore.

Ash looked up into the night sky and let out a tired sigh. The half-moon above them was shining down on the world from a starless sky. The streets were empty, and the people had all turned in for the night. It was about time that he started making his way back. The others would probably be back soon if they weren't there already. They'd have instructions on what to do next.

As he and Pikachu were walking down the street, he came across Aina's kitchen. The same kitchen that Mallow's family owned. Ash could see lights on inside and even hear muffled voices. That was strange… this late at night most stores and restaurants would have been closed. He wondered what was going on.

He needed to get out of here before Mallow spotted him. It was none of his business. The risk to her seeing through his disguise and recognizing him was too great to do anything else. The close call at the soup kitchen the other night was bad enough.

Just as he began to walk down the street, there was a loud crash and the shattering of glass. Ash froze. He and Pikachu shared a brief look with one another. It might have been nothing. Maybe Mallow or whoever else was inside dropped some plated. After the day he'd had, Ash wasn't willing to take any chances. Not with his friend at risk.

The two of them crouched low to the ground and crept towards the kitchen. Going up the stairs of the front porch, the two crept close to the walls of the front windows and peered inside. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Inside the restaurant, Mallow was surrounded by three men. They were the same ones who had tried to shake down the soup kitchen. One of them grabbed her arms and was pinning them behind her back, another was tossing Tsareena's Pokeball up and down. The final thug and the leader of the group had crossed his arms and seemed to be laughing at her predicament.

Ash clenched his fists. Those petty, arrogant bastards! Targeting Mallow just because she had been the one to stand up to them? They were too cowardly to go after Team Skull, so they targeted Mallow when she was alone and tired from a long day of work.

He looked down at Pikachu and saw the same look on his face. They couldn't just go barging in. Doing that put Mallow at risk before he could get in position. They'd need to play this carefully if they were going to make it out with everyone in one piece.

Ash tapped an unnoticeable button on the side of his sunglasses. Before his eyes, the world changed to enable him to x-ray vision. He could see through the walls of the building and how many people were inside based on their skeletons. Only Mallow and the thugs were here. That wasn't surprising. Men like this never attacked unless the fight was rigged in their favor.

While there were other entrances, they couldn't risk the time that it would take to pick his way through the locks. Smashing their way inside would be even worse. Panicking criminals tended to attack first and ask questions later. It wouldn't shock him if they turned Mallow into a human shield.

They'd need to make sure that didn't happen.

Ash reached down and unclasped Pikachu's Pokeball from his belt to hold it out towards his partner. Without Latias here to translate, a silent message passed between them. Pikachu gave him a determined nod and reached out to touch the button of the Pokeball. Once he was sucked, Ash took a breath and shrunk the Pokeball to stuff it in his pocket for safe keeping.

The reluctant agent stood up and moved to the door. He took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself. Pokeball in his hoodie pocket, revolver hidden behind his back in his waist band, and his knife on his hip. He was as prepared as he could be. It was time to put his training to good use and save his friend.

He gently opened the door which rung the bell above the entrance which usually signaled that a new customer had arrived. As soon as the thugs heard it, they turned in alarm and their hands fell to the Pokeballs on their hips. Once they saw that he was alone, they all scowled.

Ash stepped forward. "What's going on here?"

The leader of the Tunnel Runners sneered. Stepping forward, the leader was trying his hardest to appear big and threatening, even as he placed his Pokeball back on his belt. "None of your business." The man growled. "Now scram, if you know what's good for you."

Ash's eyes met Mallow's over the thugs shoulders. There was no recognition there.

He shrugged. "Can't do that." He started to circle the three thugs and put some tables between him and them. One every table there were an assortment of condiments, napkin holders, and even a few with chairs stacked on top of them. "You and I need to have a little talk."

The man snorted. "About what?"

Ash grabbed a large glass bottle of hot sauce off a nearby table. Anabel had told him that the key to hand-to-hand combat was to close the distance between you and your opponent without putting them on guard. With that in mind, Ash began to toss the bottle up and down in the air. "A business arrangement. I think it's something the infamous Tunnel Runners are gonna want to hear."

The men all perked up. "So you've heard of us?"

Ash smiled as he caught the bottle in his hand. He unscrewed the cap and tossed it aside. "Who hasn't? Word on the street is that you're the new power in the area. Real hardcore group that doesn't take crap from anybody."

Each of the thugs began to smile and laugh amongst themselves. For men like them, they must not have been used to hearing praise at all. "Well you heard right! That's us! Most badass crew this side of Alola!"

"Yeah! We're twice the gang Team Skull ever was!"

Ash hid his snort of disbelief behind him taking a sip straight from the bottle. The hot sauce burned as it went down and made his eyes water, but it had the intended effect. Each of the thugs looked at him in disgust but further lowered their guards. Exactly as he'd hoped they would.

Ash took a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes. He sauntered over to them with an exaggerated sense of calm. "I'm glad to hear it. I'd be disappointed if all the stories I heard weren't true." He was close now. Close enough that he could reach out and touch the leader.

The leader smiled. "So what is this arrangement you wanna offer to us?" He asked. "You won't find any better people for the job than the Tunnel Runners. Awroooo!"

As their leader howled, the other two howled with him. Ash winced and sent Mallow a sympathetic look. Once the three were done, Ash slung his arm over the leaders shoulder in a friendly gesture. He turned the two of them to face Mallow and the other thugs then hoisted the hot sauce in the air as a toast.

"The deal is simple." Ash laughed with a charming smile and tightened his grip on the hot sauce. "You three leave and never come back. In exchange, you avoid a visit to the emergency room."

The leader frowned. "Wha-"

That was as far as the man got. As fast as a serpent, Ash snaked his arm up and around the leaders neck in a tight choke hold. He kept a grip on the bottle in his hand and sent a splash of hot sauce in the shocked face of the thug who was holding Mallow hostage.

The criminal screamed and let go of Mallow, staggering back while clutching his face.

Mallow took her chance and got out of the way. The final gang member stepped forward to strike back. That single step was as far as he got. Ash jerked the man in his choke hold to the side and kicked him towards the other goon.

As the two stumbled to the ground, Ash turned to the one still screaming. He tossed the bottle into the air and caught it by the neck. Ash gripped the criminal by his collar to hold him in place just before slamming the bottle into the side of his head. It shattered and shards embedded into the man. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Ash dropped the remains of the bottle. As he reached into his pocket to fish out Pikachu's bottle, he was tackled from behind by a thug. Pikachu's Pokeball dropped. Ash rolled along the floor so he wouldn't end up on his stomach.

When they rolled up against a table leg, the thug was on his chest. Ash raised his left arm above his face to block a strike from the man just as it came down. Ash slammed a fist as hard as he could into the thugs groin. When the man tried to close his legs, it shifted his weight enough for Ash to thrust his chest upwards with his arms and his hips. The man was thrown off of him to the side.

Just as Ash managed to push himself to his feet, he felt arms wrap his arms around his chest. Ash leaned forward before bringing his head back as fast as he could and slamming it into the nose of the thug. When the man stumbled back clutching his nose, Ash roundhouse kicked him in the chest and sent him tumbling backwards over a table.

With the three thugs either unconscious or on the floor, Ash walked over to the one holding his groin and placed his boot on the man's throat. In his best impression of Petrovic that he could muster, he turned to glare at the leader of the gang. "Leave. Now." He ordered. "I won't ask again."

The leader slowly stumbled his way to his feet. With a bleeding and broken nose, the man glared at him. "You think we're gonna listen to you, you son of a bitch?" He reached down to grab the Pokeball off of his belt. "You got another thing coming-"

Before the man could even bring it up to throw, Ash grabbed the revolver and brought it up. He cocked his revolver. Everyone froze at the clear escalation.

It was an important lesson that Petrovic had hammered into him when he was teaching him how to shoot. It would take an average of three to five seconds for a trainer to grab a Pokeball off their belt, enlarge it, and throw it in a full arc. An extra few seconds could be added if they chose to speak a command afterwards. In the time it took them to do that, a gun could fire a single bullet that would travel thousands of feet in a single second and take them out of the fight before it even began.

Petrovic had assured him that just the sight of a gun could be enough to end most fights. Ash hoped that was the case. He didn't want to actually have to shoot someone. If the thug was going to be a threat and tried to release his Pokemon though?

Then all bets were off. No one would threaten his friends while he was around.

For a moment, everyone was afraid to move. Then the bell above the door rang and everyone turned to see who had entered. It was a woman with pink and golden hair tied into four separate ponytails. Wearing a Team Skull uniform and with an imposing Salazzle at her side, no one there could mistake who this was.

Plumeria. The Big Sister of Team Skull and Guzma's right-hand woman.

For a second, Ash wasn't sure whether to keep his revolver pointed at the Tunnel Runner or if he should swivel it around to her. He wasn't sure if he'd survive doing so but if she was here to hurt Mallow then he would do what he had to protect her.

Luckily for him, it didn't seem like that was necessary.

Plumeria took one look at the state of the restaurant and let out an annoyed sigh. "Of course I arrive at the worst possible time. Why am I not surprised."

The Tunnel Runner he was holding at gunpoint sneered. "Plumeria? Get lost! This is our turf now and your kind aren't welcome!" He growled. "If you don't, we'll make you regret it!"

Plumeria took a look at the man knocked unconscious in a puddle of hot sauce and his own blood. Her eyes shifted to Ash and the gun he held before going to the state of the other two thugs. After a moment, she started to laugh quietly to herself and rolled her eyes.

"Sure you will. I'm so scared already." She deadpanned. Then her eyes drifted to Mallow. "You. This is your families restaurant. Mind explaining what happened here?"

Mallow gulped. "I was finishing up cleaning and getting ready to go home when those three came in. They threatened to destroy the restaurant and teach me a lesson. Then before they could do anything, this man came in and… well, saved me." She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Plumeria grinned. "My little bros and sisters told me about how you stuck up for the little guys at the soup kitchen nearby when some thugs came by to shake it down. I figured I'd come by to show our appreciation and let you know we owe you one." She glared at the Tunnel Runners. Ash could see a shiver run down each of their spines. "These the same one's from that day?"

Mallow nodded.

Plumeria's grin took on a feral edge. "Well I guess it's a good thing I stopped by." She looked at Ash and winked at him. "Nice work there, big guy. Mallow here is considered off-limits to Team Skull, so you did a good thing. I'll take them off your hands and make sure they never bother anyone again."

Ash frowned. "What are you going to do with them?"

Plumeria shrugged. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just pat yourself on the back for doing a good thing and leave the rest to me. No need for a good Samaritan like yourself to stress over the details."

The lead Tunnel Runner growled and tightened his grip on his Pokeball. "Like hell we're going with you! We're in charge here! Not some washed up gang like Team Skull-"

That was as far as the man got. Plumeria pursed her lips and let out a quick, sharp whistle. Faster than anyone could blink, her Salazzle leapt through the air and pounced on the man where he stood. With one set of claws pinning his arm to the ground and the other poised to slash his throat, the man had been eliminated as a threat in mere seconds.

Plumeria sighed. "Honestly, even if Team Skull is washed up like he says we are, we're still leagues better than this little group of disappointments will ever be." She shook her head and walked towards Ash. Once she quirked an eyebrow at him, he slowly lowered his gun and stepped away from the man he'd kept pinned down. She smiled.

He reached down to the man on the ground and snatched a Pokeball off of his belt. At Plumeria's questioning look, he tossed the ball towards Mallow.

"They took her Pokemon when they came in." He explained. "It's why she needed me to step in instead of defending herself."

Plumeria nodded. "Lucky her then." She reached down and hoisted the man on the ground up to his feet before shoving him towards his unconscious friend on the ground. Slowly, her Salazzle released her grip on the leader and forced him to his feet as well. "Grab him. All three of you are coming with me. Do as I say and stop annoying me, and maybe you'll all get to sleep in your own beds tonight."

As the Tunnel Runners collected their friend and were herded out the door by Salazzle, Plumeria turned to Ash and Mallow one last them. With her hand on her hip, she gave the two of them a nod in farewell. "Far as I can tell, no one heard the sounds of your little brawl." She told them. "Up to you if you want to call the police or not. Whatever you decide to do, Team Skull will cover the damages. Least we can do for you. Take care."

With that, Plumeria walked out of the restaurant and into the night with the group of criminals. With Ash's involvement with Interpol and his mission to infiltrate Team Rocket's operations in Alola, he knew this wouldn't be the last he saw of her. With her position in Team Skull, Plumeria was bound to be on the front lines of their war against Team Rocket. With his luck, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up having to fight her to maintain his cover.

He'd need to do research into what Interpol knew about her so he could be prepared.

Ash shook his head and placed his gun behind his back again. He walked towards where Pikachu's Pokeball had rolled on the ground and released his partner from his ball. Once he came out, Pikachu sparked dangerously and looked ready for a fight. Once he saw the state of the place and that it was only Ash and Mallow inside, he tilted his head aside in confusion.

Ash smiled and scratched his partner behind the ears. "Sorry, bud. I didn't get a chance to use you before they were on me." He told him. "Looks like I'll need to work on my timing… and not turning my back on my enemies. Anabel would be furious if she saw me do that."

"Um… excuse me?" Mallow spoke up.

The two of them froze. He'd forgotten she was there for a moment.

"I want to thank you for your help there. I'm not sure I could have stopped them from destroying my restaurant if you hadn't shown up." Mallow smiled. "I really appreciate it."

Ash nervously laughed. "It… it was nothing. I was just trying to help out. Anyone else would have done the same."

Mallow giggled. "No. No, they wouldn't. Most people would have called the police, not come rushing in to save the day themselves. It takes a special kind of bravery to do that."

He blushed. "Most people I know would have called it stupid."

"Oh, it probably was. Doesn't make you any less brave though." She clapped her hands together. "I normally don't do this past closing time, but why don't you sit down? I'll cook you up a nice meal as a thank you!"

Ash and Pikachu shared a nervous glance. "I appreciate the thought, but I really have to get going. Places to be, you know?"

Mallow frowned and puffed out her cheeks. "Well, how about you come by tomorrow then when you're free?" She prodded. "I guarantee you'll never taste any food better than what I can make for you!"

Unfortunately for Mallow, she was only the third best cook he'd ever met. Brock and Cilan were still the true masters of the culinary arts. The prospect of tasting her food again was tempting though. It'd been so long since he'd had some of her freshly baked cakes or spicy seafood.

He couldn't risk it though. Every second he remained around her was one second closer to her discovering his identity.

"Sure, I'll do that." He lied through his teeth. "Now I really have to go."

She reached out and grabbed his arm before he could leave. Ash forced down his instinctive urge to grab her wrist and rip it off of him. Damn training. "Hold on, I don't even know your name! Come to think of it, you seem familiar. Have we met before."

Mallow leaned her face so close to his that he could feel her breath on his skin. His eyes widened and he tried to step away. Every time he did though, she followed. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was humming to herself while trying to figure out why he seemed familiar.

She was determined to get answers out of him. Even if he somehow managed to get out of her grip and sprint out of her restaurant, Ash knew that she would follow him. On the off chance that he lost her, he'd have to stop attending the soup kitchen or risk her seeing him and starting the hunt all over again.

He didn't have a choice.

Ash sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back. He moved to sit down in one of the chairs on the floor and patted his shoulder for Pikachu to come sit on. Once his partner was firmly in place, he shook his head and leaned back.

"You always were a stubborn one. Lana was right. You're like a Rockruff with a bone."

Mallow blinked. "Lana? What are you talking about? And why do you sound so… familiar?"

He smiled. "It's because we know each other. I know I look a little different these days, but I'm surprised you haven't realized who I am." He laughed. "Guess Looker was right. No one looks beyond the surface. Close your eyes and listen to my voice. It'll come to you."

With a wary frown, Mallow did as he told her. After a few moments, a gasp of shock escaped her lips and she stumbled backwards. She looked at him with wide eyes, mouth agape. "Ash?" She whispered. "Is that you?"

"Got it in one. It's good to see you again Mallow. I missed you. We've got a lot to catch up on."

---

So... been a while huh? Yeah, I think at this point I'm just going to stop trying to plan out when these chapters come out. I always wind up going over my own deadline and with way more of a word count than I expected. So from now on, expect updates to come out - just never on time, so to speak.

We recently also broke 10k total views on the story... about a month ago! A bit late to say this is a celebration of that, but hey. It's still a landmark I'm happy to have passed. Y'all are a big factor in my motivation to keep writing. I hope you all enjoyed this slightly different format where I focused on a single POV. If not, well only the next chapter will be the same. After that, we'll go back to the usual format.

Before I go, I will address one thing since a lot of people seem curious about it. While I think romance would be an interesting element to add, I don't have any specific plans in mind. If I did it, I'd want it to feel like a natural progression for Ash. So while it's definitely on the table, I guess you could say I'm waiting to see if any connects that way with Ash.

Anyways, I'll leave you all to it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and are excited for what I have in store next!