Welcome to Chapter 2. Last we left of Ash and his friends managed to escape the traitors. But where will they go now that Professor Oak is accusing Ash of drugging his pokémon? Only time will tell. Please let me know what you think.

Also, I'll be taking some time to edit Chapter 1, thanks to some really helpful feedback I received.


Ash and his friends ran from the Ketcham house and didn't stop until Pallet Town was out of sight and they could take cover amongst some trees. Tired from running, they all stopped to catch their breath.

"Now what do we do?" asked Brock.

"I don't know," said Ash, wishing he'd been able to think it through a little more.

"Well, we can't stay here, or they'll find us," said Clemont.

"Where are we supposed to go?" asked Bonnie. None of them had an answer.

"Regardless, I can't leave yet," said Ash.

"Ash are you crazy? You're about to have the entire region looking for you," stated Gary.

"Most of my pokémon are still at Professor Oak's. I can't just leave them," said Ash. "I know it's a big risk to go get them, but I can't just leave them behind."

"We know you can't Ash. That's why we also know you'd never drug them to perform better. You care about them way too much," said Dawn.

"Thanks Dawn," said Ash. "But still, I have no idea how we can retrieve them without being spotted."

"I may have a way we can get them," said Brock retrieving a pokéball. "Go Geodude."

A pokémon that looked like a small boulder with arms appeared before them.

"We can use Geodude to tunnel underground into Professor Oak's lab and retrieve Ash's pokémon," said Brock.

"Wouldn't it be better to use Steelix? He's bigger and could dig his way through more quickly," stated Ash.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but Steelix will make a much bigger noise and its best we keep a low profile," stated Brock.

Ash couldn't argue with that logic.

"Still though, we're gonna need more than just a way in if we're gonna get my pokémon back," said Ash. "Gary, how well do you know your grandfather's lab?"

"Like the back of my hand. I know exactly where he keeps your pokémon," said Gary.

"Ok here's the plan. Brock, Gary, you come with me and help me get my Pokémon back. Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, stay here and keep a look out," said Ash.

"We can do that," said Clemont.

"Ok, but if we're not back in half an hour leave us and save yourself," said Ash. "Will you guys be ok by yourself?"

"No need to worry Ash we'll be fine," said Dawn.

Ash, Brock and Gary got Geodude to dig a hole in the ground and start making a tunnel back to Professor Oak's lab. Once there they bust through the floor and started making their way to the room where Ash's pokémon were kept. Immediately they started putting them into Ash's bag. They knew they needed to move quickly because someone could catch them at any second. Once the last pokéball had been placed in Ash's backpack, they started heading back through the tunnel, as Geodude filled in the hole.

"Gary are you sure you're ok with betraying your grandfather like that?" asked Ash.

"I made my choice the moment I decided to believe you over him. I've made my bed Ashy-Boy, now I have to lie in it," said Gary.

They quickly got to the end of the tunnel while Geodude finished filling in the hole. After which Brock returned Geodude.

"Ok now we have to go. It won't take Professor Oak long to find the big hole in the middle of his floor," said Ash.

"Still though this might work to our advantage, because now they might believe we're hiding underground, giving us more freedom to travel by air or water," said Gary.

"But where can we go?" asked Ash. "Professor Oak's likely already lied to all the professors I've met, meaning we can't take refuge in one of the regions I've visited."

"Not only that, but he's also likely spread the lie to other regions, which'll make it more difficult for us to find a place to go," said Brock.

"We just need to find a place to lay low for a while until we can find a place to hide," said Ash.

"But where can we go? Even staying in the woods isn't an option because they've likely got search parties everywhere," said Clemont.

"What if we picked a place so obvious that no one would think to look for us there?" asked Dawn.

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"What if we hid in a place that was such an unwise place to hide that no one would think we'd be stupid enough to hide there," said Dawn.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Brock.

"My mother's house," said Dawn.

They all thought about this for a while. It was a decent idea, but there were also a few issues.

"How can we know your mother hasn't believed the lies?" asked Gary.

"We can't. But my mother got to know Ash pretty well during my travels with him, so I'm hoping she can see through the lies and believe he'd never do anything to harm his Pokémon," said Dawn.

"I don't know Dawn, it still seems like a bit of a long shot," said Brock.

"Well, I must confess I have other reasons for wanting to visit her. If we're gonna have to go into hiding, I just wanted to see her one last time before we leave. I know that's selfish of me considering we all have families, but it's just something I have to do," said Dawn.

"Either way it doesn't look like we have many other options," said Ash.

"No, we don't," said Clemont.

"Let's face it, every decision we make from now on will be a risky one. It's up to us to decide which risks we want to take," said Gary.

"I say we take it," said Ash. "Dawn stood up for me, so I see nothing wrong with fulfilling her final wish before we go into hiding. But Dawn you have to promise me something."

"What?" asked Dawn.

"If your mother believed the lies, tell her that I said they were true and that we ditched you the moment we had the chance, but you have no idea where we are."

"I promise," said Dawn. "No matter what I'll never tell them how to find you or your pokémon."

"Thank you," said Ash, eternally grateful to have a friend like Dawn.

They travelled to the Sinnoh Region via water and flying pokémon. Ash and Dawn were on Ash's charizard, Clemont and Bonnie were on Ash's noivern, while Gary and Brock were on Gary's blastoise. They travelled for many hours, but eventually the pokémon needed a rest and so they took refuge on a small uninhabited island in the late of night. They felt it would be too dangerous to travel by day, so they spent much of the next day resting while they tried to figure out where they could hide from Professor Oak and the other traitors. This was a difficult task because Professor Oak had influence on so many regions of the world that it left them very few options for refuge.

By evening they had packed up camp and continued heading towards the Sinnoh Region, arriving at Dawn's home in Twinleaf town late one night. Dawn approached her home, while the rest of the group remained hidden amongst the trees. It was a long shot, but Dawn just prayed her mother didn't believe the accusations made against Ash. Dawn knocked on the door and her mother Joanna answered.

"Dawn?"

"Hi Mum," said Dawn, as Johanna crossed her arms. "I'm guessing you've heard the rumours?"

"I have and I must say they were very shocking, not to mention upsetting," said Joanna.

By the way her mother was talking, Dawn had no idea whether Johanna believed the lies or not.

"Tell me, are they true?" asked Johanna.

"Please tell me you don't believe them?" asked Dawn.

"Answer my question Dawn. Are they true?" asked Johanna again.

"No, how can you even ask that? After everything Ash did for his pokémon how can you ever believe he'd do anything that could put their health at risk?" asked Dawn.

Johanna ignored Dawn's question and answered with another.

"Tell me, are the rest of them out there right now?"

Dawn didn't answer the question, because she still didn't know whether her mother had believed the lies or not.

"If they are, tell them to come in. I'll keep them hidden," said Johanna.

Dawn's expression lightened.

"You will?" asked Dawn.

"I had my doubts the moment I heard the story, but if you don't believe them, that's all I need to hear. I promise you Dawn, no one will find any of you while you're in my home," said Johanna. "Now come on before someone sees you."

Dawn was so happy that her mother hadn't believed the lies. She was even more happy that Johanna was willing to give them a place to hide.

Dawn went back and got the rest of the group. They were all eternally grateful to Johanna for giving them a place to lay low until they could find a region to hide in that was away from the influence of Professor Oak.

By this point the news of Ash's alleged drugging of his pokémon had become a worldwide news story. Half the world was looking for Ash, determined to punish him for his crimes. Many couldn't believe what they heard. Those Ash had met throughout his journey were horrified to learn that Ash could do something so cruel and unethical and still call himself a Pokémon Trainer. Knowing Professor Oak to be an honest and respected Pokémon Researcher, the majority of the population believed his story and were telling people to immediately report any sighting of Ash Ketchum or the people who fled with him. While most of the world had believed the accusations, there were a few who remained sceptical. In particular, there was a purple haired trainer from the Sinnoh Region who had a hard time believing these claims and was determined to uncover the truth by any means necessary.