(Guest

Yeah you're probably right about Professor Oaks making sure the footage is never seen. How is Delia doing in that prison by the way? Poor woman She was just being a good mother.)

I'll be honest I was going to do a chapter on Johanna visiting Delia in prison, but I don't know how I'll fit it in. But since you asked I'll let you know she's doing alright. The chapter would've shown that many prisoners believe Ash is innocent and are doing their best to keep Delia safe. If I can think of a way to fit it in I will, but I think that'll be a little difficult right now.

(Mario 64

The people I believe and definitely who still on ashs side and know him well enough who is innocent Cynthia diantha korrina Alexa viola Paul Alain Sawyer may(I know she was seen as a traitor but I believe even she knows ash is definitely innocent but was to afraid to say anything because of what the traitors especially professor oak might do to her if they heard or saw join ashs side what I can see her do is gather much information as she could in secret sneak away from them find ash and try to convince him that she's on his side and wants to prove it to him and show how much she cares for him and how much she means to him and wants to join him and help him any way she can to earn his trust again and show her loyalty to him especially how much he's done for her during their journey in hoenn and Kanto knows ash would never do things like that to win battles and earns his victorys fair and square in other words she can be a undercover spy and tell ash everything she knows after she gets enough information to help ash and expose professor oak for his lies and increase ashs chances of finally proving to everyone else he was innocent all this time) the last few people I definitely know ash is innocent Steven stone lance and Sabrina)

You've given me a lot to think about and I'll do my best to work them in. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to fit them all.

Speaking of which, I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions, it was a great help in the writing of this and the next chapter. Like the last two chapters, this was originally going to be a longer one, but it went longer then I planned, so I again decided to split it in two. I hope I made the right choice. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please let me know what you think, all feedback is greatly appreciated.


It didn't take long for the news of Max's escape to make it across the six regions which Ash had travelled. Professor Oak called an emergency meeting to discuss what they could do to find and catch him. The meeting was held in the Hoenn Region, now believed to be Ash's last known location. Present at this meeting were Professor Oak, the Elite Four of the six regions, the Gym Leaders, those who had been present when Ash was accused and many others Ash had met and travelled with throughout his journey.

Paul was amongst this crowd. He was eager to see what everyone had to say about this most recent development. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Professor Oak had lied about Max's escape. Sadly, Paul had to keep this opinion to himself. While he had a strong feeling there were others that believed Ash was innocent, he had no idea how he could find them. He was in a very tough situation where the smallest slip up would lead to major troubles. The most he could do was sit and listen while Professor Oak addressed them.

"Thank you all for coming," announced Professor Oak. "As I'm sure you're all aware, a few nights ago Max Maple escaped from Hoenn Military Academy. I've called you here today to request you help me search the Hoenn Region for Ash Ketchum. The only logical way that Max Maple could've escaped is that Ash snuck into the military school and broke him out. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Ash is still in the Hoenn Region and we have to find him before he can escape."

"How dumb does he think we are?" thought Paul.

"But Professor how can we be sure it wasn't Jirachi who helped Max escaped?" asked May. There was doubt in her voice. "I met Jirachi while the Millennium Comet was passing over the planet and in that time he and Max became quite close. How can we be sure he didn't suddenly appear to help Max?"

Professor Oak answered her calmly but firmly.

"May, I know you're concerned about your brother, but you have to look at this logically. Jirachi can only appear for a week every thousand years and he appeared only a few years ago. There is absolutely no way he could've appeared to assist Max. It's just not possible."

"Besides in helping Max, Jirachi was helping Ash. And do you really think Jirachi would want to help a dirty cheater?" asked Misty.

"Well that creates another question. Are we absolutely sure Ash drugged his pokémon?" asked May.

"May come on. You travelled with Ash through the entire Hoenn Region, so surely you witnessed many of his Gym Battles and how poorly he performed in them?" asked Iris remembering her own journey with Ash.

"Well yeah but…"

"Then how else can you explain him suddenly doing so well in the Hoenn Pokémon League and later Battle Frontier?" asked Misty. "It's obvious he drugged his pokémon to give him a better chance of winning."

The whole room nodded in agreement.

"Furthermore, I tested Ash's pokémon and all of them came back positive for performance enhancing drugs. Ash is a disgraceful cheater, and he needs to be punished accordingly," said Professor Oak firmly. "As for your brother, I'm not sure how exactly but Ash brainwashed Max into believing he was innocent despite all the evidence presented to him. You did the right thing by suggesting Max be sent to military school for rehabilitation and I'm sure with time he could've seen the error of his ways. Sadly, that is now impossible thanks to Ash. Please May help me find Ash. Not just for his disgraceful actions in the Pokémon League, but for the damage he has caused to your family."

May lost any doubts she had.

"Yes, Ash must pay for what he's done," declared May.

"She can't really believe him, can she?" thought Paul.

Paul was starting to fear that despite how close most of these people had been to Ash, they truly believed he was guilty. What he didn't understand though was why? Why had all of Ash's so called friends refused to believe he was innocent of something he would obviously never do?

"So Professor, what are we gonna do about Ash?" asked Cilan.

"Glad you asked," said Professor Oak. "Given the location of Hoenn Military Academy and the assumption that Ash would only travel at night to avoid detection, it's highly likely that he's still in the Hoenn Region. So, we're going to split into teams and search every possible direction he could've headed after freeing Max. The teams will be split like this!"

Paul stopped listening at this point, as he strongly suspected that Ash had been nowhere near the Hoenn Region on the night of Max's escape. Furthermore, as he believed Ash was innocent he had no intention of helping with the search. Considering his history with Ash, he had a feeling he could easily come up with an excuse as to why he didn't want to search for him. Paul just hopped that wouldn't put suspicion on him. Paul looked around the room. How could he possibly know if the people in the room truly believed Ash was guilty, or secretly believed he was innocent like Paul did? Paul couldn't ask anyone what they really thought, because if they believed Professor Oak it would put suspicion on him and if they believed Ash was innocent, they would likely follow Paul's strategy and pretend like they didn't.

There were a few he suspected believed Ash was innocent, but he knew he'd never be able to find out for certain. The main people Paul felt would believe Ash's innocence were the other rivals Ash had made in his travels. After his defeat to Ash in the Sinnoh League, Paul had been closely following Ash's career. In doing so he knew Ash had gained new rivals in Trip, Sawyer and Alain. Paul suspected these three would believe Ash was innocent because they would've gotten to know Ash the same way Paul had and would thus know Ash would never drug his pokémon to make them perform better because it went against everything he believed in. Unfortunately, Paul would never be able to discuss this with them because there was always a chance they believed Professor Oak. For now, Paul felt he would have to try and prove Ash's innocence on his own.

He scanned the room in the hopes of finding people who might believe Ash's innocence, sadly, he didn't know many of the people here well enough to make that judgement. Paul's gaze fell on the Gym Leaders. One of the Kanto Gym Leaders was looking right at him. It was Sabrina, the psychic Gym Leader of Saffron City. She gave Paul a look that made him suspect she knew what he was thinking. As a psychic, Paul knew it was within her realm of ability to read people's minds. Did Sabrina know Paul secretly believed Ash was innocent? And if she did why hadn't she simply sold out Paul and whoever else secretly believed Ash was innocent? Before he got his answer he was interrupted by Professor Oak.

"Those are the teams and your objectives. Now go out there and find Ash before he has a chance to flee this region," he ordered.

"Yes sir," said the room simultaneously.

Paul had been so distracted he hadn't heard which team he was on. He supposed it didn't matter as he would be ditching first chance he got.

"Paul," called Misty who was followed by May and Kenny. "We're in a team together and we're supposed to help search the north side of Hoenn!"

"I guess since we were the ones who nearly caught Ash when he first escaped, they probably think the four of us will have the best chance of finding him before he leaves Hoenn," stated Kenny.

"How do you think we should proceed?" asked May.

Paul felt this would be his best chance to ditch.

"Do what you want, I'm outta here," declared Paul.

"Don't you want to help find Ash to ensure he's punished for what he's done?" asked Misty.

"As Ash's former rival you should help us ensure he's put in prison and prevented from ever harming pokémon again," stated Kenny.

"I couldn't care less about what happens to Ash. Besides he's already been banned from future Pokémon Leagues, so as far as I'm concerned, he's no longer my problem," declared Paul.

"But if we can find Ash, we can ensure the safety of his pokémon," reasoned Misty.

"While his method to make them stronger is disgraceful and pathetic, what Ash does with his pokémon is none of my concern," said Paul. "Furthermore, you have the whole world looking for him, you'll find him sooner or later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do then help you find a pathetic, weak trainer."

Paul left, leaving the three stunned.

"Typical Paul he hasn't changed," said Kenny angrily.

"Well given what Dawn told me about Paul, I don't know why we expected him to be interested in helping, especially when Ash is no longer an opponent he has to worry about," said May.

"Still, you'd think he'd at least want to ensure Ash is punished accordingly, but I guess that's just too much to ask," stated Misty.

Paul tried to think about what his next move should be. His first thought was getting out of the Hoenn Region, because if he kept refusing to help search for Ash people might suspect his true intentions. The quicker he got out of the region the better. He also considered finding Sabrina and asking if she had read his mind. Paul had little doubt that she had, but that opened up other questions. If she believed Ash was guilty, why hadn't she sold Paul out right then and there? Did that mean she believed Ash was innocent? But if so, why hadn't she approached Paul to discuss this. Better yet why hadn't she simply just read Professor Oak's mind to see if he was lying and expose his lies to the police?

Deep in thought, he turned into an empty ally.

"To answer your question, I read both yours' and Professor Oak's minds. And I know you believe Ash is innocent," said a voice.

Paul turned in a panic. Sabrina had followed him. Paul removed a pokéball and prepared to battle her.

"Don't bother, I'm not here to fight you," said Sabrina. "I also believe Ash is innocent, if I didn't I would've turned you in already. Isn't that what you were thinking when you were scanning the room for potential allies?"

Paul put his pokéball away.

"So why do you believe Ash is innocent?" asked Paul.

"I never believed he was guilty. Ash helped me remember who I was, he saved me from a life of loneliness and helped me reunite with my parents. Through the battles we had at the Saffron Gym, I saw into his mind, and I know that Ash would never drug his pokémon," stated Sabrina.

"Does that mean Professor Oak is lying?" asked Paul.

"Yes, I saw it the moment we were in the same room together. Nearly everything Oak has said about Ash is a lie," said Sabrina.

"Nearly everything?" asked Paul.

"This will be difficult to hear. Ash's pokémon were drugged, but not by Ash, by Professor Oak," stated Sabrina.

"What?" asked Paul.

"I was just as shocked as you were," said Sabrina.

Paul couldn't believe this. It was one thing for a trainer to use illegal drugs to make his pokémon stronger, but for a Pokémon Professor to frame a trainer by drugging his pokémon, it was unheard of.

"Why didn't you go to the police and tell them the truth?" asked Paul.

"Don't you think I already considered that?" asked Sabrina. "I was reading Oak's mind for most of the meeting and unfortunately he's already figured out numerous ways to discredit me and my psychic powers as a reliable source of information."

"Why is Professor Oak doing this?" asked Paul.

Sabrina looked away, she had seen Oak's reasoning for framing Ash, but felt it would be dangerous to reveal that right now.

"I think it's better you don't know. We're heading into dangerous territory. I've read the minds of numerous people and most of them genuinely believe Oak is telling the truth, so they'll probably refuse to believe us. I'm also sure if we tried to tell the truth, Oak would do everything in his power to ensure it didn't hit the media, which would put even more people in danger. So, I feel the less you know the better because if the truth gets out it'll upset a lot of dangerous people," warned Sabrina.

Paul didn't like that Sabrina was still holding crucial information from him, but from the way she was talking Paul felt she was being honest regarding how dangerous this information was, so maybe it was best that he didn't know right now. There was one thing, however, he had to know.

"Did anyone else in that meeting believe Ash was innocent?" asked Paul.

"A few, but not many. Even if we all teamed up to fight those who believe Oak we'd likely lose, as we'd be greatly outnumbered," said Sabrina.

"Do any Gym Leaders, League Members or Professors believe in Ash's innocence?" asked Paul.

"There are a few. Last I checked about twelve for the Gym Leaders and League Members and there is one professor who believes Ash's innocent," answered Sabrina.

"Really who?" asked Paul.

"Another thing I feel I should keep secret," said Sabrina.

"Don't be stupid if we all team up together we might be able to come up with a solution to help Ash," suggested Paul.

Paul had always been a loner, so to suggest teamwork was really unusual for him.

"Normally I would agree, but Professor Oak has eyes everywhere. If too many of us are seen together in one place it might look suspicious," said Sabrina.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" asked Paul.

"We'll do it in teams. You make contact with the trainers who believe Ash is innocent, I'll go talk to the League Officials, Gym Leaders and the Professor who believe he's innocent," suggested Sabrina.

"Good idea, that way we'll look less suspicious," said Paul.

"Good luck, but be careful," warned Sabrina.

Sabrina turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, how am I supposed to find the trainers who believe Ash is innocent? I'm not a psychic," stated Paul.

"Trust your instincts, they're already correct," said Sabrina.

"What does that mean?" asked Paul.

"I can tell you with absolute truth that all those you suspect of believing in Ash's innocence do. Contact them and try to come up with a game plan. And you never know, some others might find you," said Sabrina, quickly glancing at both ends of the alley.

Sabrina left Paul to think about what she said. Those he suspected of believing in Ash's innocence did. That could only mean that Trip, Sawyer and Alain also believed that Ash was innocent. This left Paul with another important question. How was he supposed to contact them? He decided it was best to wait until people believed Ash had fled the Hoenn Region, maybe then things would be a little quieter and it would be easier for Paul to make a move. There was still one thing Paul didn't understand. Others might find him. What did that mean? Little did Paul know, he would soon learn the answer.