Agma Sins

by silentplayermc03

A chosen few had gone undercover to investigate a sinister new team that had taken form. Now at a tournament and near the end, they are haunted by the sins they had committed in the past in order to stay in disguise and find out their true plans. Running into their family and friends and dealing with their dark pasts, they start to wonder if they could ever have normal lives again.

2. Prologue

AGMA SINS

PROLOGUE

A man dressed in an elegant suit who was carrying a traveling backpack was something that you wouldn't normally expect to see traveling into the depths of the world. Yet, lo and behold, there is one progressing through a tunnel underneath the ground with his eyes taking in his surroundings as he continued on. This particular man with silver hair is an avid fossil collector, an archeologist, a geologist, the handsome son of a wealthy multinational business owner and is one of the champions of the world. More specifically, he is the Champion of the Hoenn region and his name is Steven Stone.

Right now, he is currently on a mission for the Pokémon League. Though he is one of the strongest trainers in the world, he was not completely on his own. Raising his right hand to his ear piece since his left was holding the flashlight in front, he pressed the button on it, held it and began speaking into it. "This is Steven. Can you still read me?" he asked and then let go of the button.

A little bit of static was heard before someone was heard answering him without issue. "Loud and clear Champion. Any new problems and have you made your way through yet?" asked a soft and soothing female voice.

Before he could answer her, another voice was heard. "How come you get to talk and not me?! Give me the mic! He'll want to hear my cheerful voice while alone down there! Not your boring one!" demanded another female whose voice had more energy behind it but was also pleasant to the ears.

Chuckling to himself, Steven shook his head as he heard them bickering over who got to use the microphone. Though the two may act childish at times, he trusted them and knew they are strong and reliable. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked them to come with him on the mission for support. And he definitely wouldn't have picked the two to be among his Elite Four. Never fails, he mused to himself as he continued on. Every time they work together on something like this, there's always that bit of competition. He was about to say something to them when there were sudden hitting sounds and yelps of pain out of nowhere that made him stop. "Pheobe?! Glacia?! What happened?!" he asked worryingly.

Things being moved around and some whining were heard before a gruff tone of voice was heard. "Everything's fine. Sydney came in and tried to take the microphone from them while making a foolish comment but then both Pheobe and Glacia teamed up against him and beat him down," answered the male with amusement. "He's licking his wounds in the corner and the two are scolding him right now for saying that."

Steven let out a sigh as he relaxed before he chuckled again. When will he learn? "I'm not surprised. Anyway, to answer Glacia's previous question, besides the expected wild pokémon encounters, nothing new to report," replied Steven as he continued through the tunnel. "But there's low visibility and hardly any room to go through. Are you still able to track my location Drake?"

"Affirmative," said Drake as he looked at the computer screen. They were tracking his movements through a powerful radio transmitter that was on his person that also sent information about his vitals. "Signal is strong, you're vitals look good and right now it shows that you're about five hundred feet underground."

"Damn, five hundred?!" He didn't think he would be that far underground with only some time passed. "Anyways, good to know," replied Steven. "How much farther until I reach it?"

"From the information that was gathered, you should find it soon if you keep up your current pace. Contact us once you do. And though we know you can handle it without problem, let us know if you need any help," advised Drake.

"Thanks. Just try to control those three will you?" He heard a sigh and he chuckled once more. "Steven out." Letting go of the button on his ear piece again, the champion continued on. Taking his time through the narrow tunnel, he thought about what they could possibly find once reaching their goal. The information that they were going on was collected from the abandoned bases of both Team Agua and Team Magma after they were defeated and the world was saved from their menacing plans. He was part of the group that led the attack to bring them down. It consisted of several strong gym leaders, himself, the Kanto Champion and G-Men leader Lance Wataru, many G-Men and a few strong pokémon trainers with much potential, one of whom was his friend Ash Ketchum.

After taking everything of note or value, they brought it to the Pokémon League world headquarters that's stationed near Indigo Plateau. It had taken the league a long time to make sense of all the documents, files, artifacts and other things they had obtained from both bases. Much of it was written in code, protected by heavy software encryption or locked in very difficult to open safes. The best researchers, engineers and professors in the league had been on it for years before they were able to connect some of the dots. Some of the results were expected such as details about the weather deities of Hoenn and how to find and control them; Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. But one thing that was uncovered after translating and deciphering the code from the abandoned bases caught their attention and worry. It was something about ancient scrolls and another thing that mentioned a much greater power that could change the world.

It was because of that discovery that the champions of the world held an important classified meeting to discuss what was found. After speaking about that for a long time with some very heated arguments and discussions, it was decided that one of them would lead the investigation to find these ancient scrolls and what this so called 'power' is. And the best candidate who was unanimously selected for it was Steven Stone who accepted the mission without hesitation. His fellow champions believed him to be perfect for the mission because of his experiences that was related to what was needed and since he is a local of the location where it was said to be. The scrolls were in a deep cavern hidden far beneath Meteor Falls of the Hoenn region.

After that meeting, Steven contacted his Elite Four and began making plans for the mission. When they had arrived at Meteor Falls, they set up camp near the entrance. It was decided that two of them would stay outside and monitor the other three's vitals and progress. They would only head in if help was needed. The three headed inside and reached the lowest levels of the place that was known. Following the directions from the newly discovered information, they were able to locate and reveal the hidden entrance. But after going through the tunnel some distance with no trouble and facing some wild pokémon that weren't a threat at all, the champion had the two with him go back up and help keep the area contained as well as double check their path in case they missed anything. They hesitated at first but when they were reminded that this wasn't the champion's first time cave exploring, they agreed.

Making his way further down into the world, Steven was starting to breathe a little raggedly. The air quality was not that good and he was starting to become tired. He stopped to rest a bit while leaning against the tunnel wall. "Steven? Steven, come in! Are you alright?" asked a worried Pheobe through his ear piece.

He raised his hand and pressed the button on it before he replied back. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired. The air is getting much heavier down here and it's getting rather stuffy."

A sigh of relief was let out by the ghost trainer. "Okay good. Because on the screen it showed that you stopped and your heart rate had gone up a bit on the monitor," explained Pheobe. "You better get out of there in one piece and come back to me or else."

He allowed a small smile to form on his face. "Yes Ma'am."

"Hey!" came Pheobe's annoyed voice. "I'm not a Ma'am! I'm a beautiful young lady and you know that!"

"What's the difference?" came Sydney's voice.

A loud groan was heard from Drake who knew what was coming. Steven held in his laughter while picturing in his mind what was happening right now; an annoyed Drake burying his head into his hands, Glacia giving Sydney a look of pity and a pissed off Pheobe giving the dark type trainer a death glare.

"That word is for woman who are older than me like Glacia!" shot Pheobe without thinking.

The ice trainer had her eyes widened over that. "Excuse me?!" snapped Glacia. "I'm not that much older than you!"

Ignoring their argument, Steven began moving again and headed down. "Guys, if you're going to just argue again, go off the mic please. I'll let you know once I reach the-HEY! I found it! I'm at the dead end!" he exclaimed all of a sudden.

Instant silence was heard before Pheobe spoke. "You did? That's good. Do you see the symbol on it?" she asked him.

Steven aimed his flashlight over the stone wall and moved the light over it until he found a marking on it. It was a circle that had a triangle in it, which had the ends of it touching the edges of the circle. There was a straight line going through the middle of the triangle. There were five indentations in the wall, one in each part of the symbol. "I did. I found it," he replied back as he kneeled and lowered his backpack onto the ground. "What was the order?" he asked as he opened up his pack and reached into it.

Some ruffling of papers was heard before Glacia answered him. "Okay, you need to place the artifacts into the indentations in the proper order; left triangle, right triangle, bottom part of the circle, right part of the circle and left part of the circle. The symbol should glow afterwards and then the riddle will be asked. You'll only have a minute to answer it before it stops glowing. If we don't give an answer or give the wrong one, then we'd have to wait for a year before we can try again," she reminded him.

"Understood," replied Steven as he took out five small items from his pack. He shined the light on them with his flashlight. They were identical green and red-orange colored hexagonal diamonds. He stood up and faced the symbol. He placed each of the diamonds into the indentation in the required order. When he placed the last one, it took a couple seconds before the symbol glowed a bright blue. An ominous tone of voice was then heard that echoed slightly in the tunnel. It was saying the riddle and Steven concentrated on the words while his team listened in on it too.

All in the world seek it

Human and pokemon

Strong and the weak

Yet they already have it

But do not realize it

They may use it

They may show it

They may hide it

It can help cause change

But those who abuse it

Are ultimately lost to it

What Am I?

After the riddle was fully said, it kept on repeating. Steven thought furiously over what the riddle stated and so did his elite four. What could it be? What can cause things to change, that everyone can use, show or hide and everyone has it but they don't realize it? While his mind was working overtime to figure it out, he heard his friends quickly discussing and giving suggestions on the other end of the mic.

"Could it be hope?" asked Sydney.

"Maybe but I doubt it. I think its love," suggested Pheobe.

"It's not love but it could be confidence," countered Drake.

"You're all just focusing on part of the riddle. You need to look at the whole thing," advised Glacia since none of them made sense. She glanced at the timer they placed. "We have thirty seconds!" warned Glacia suddenly.

Steven let out a frustrated sound as he slammed the side of his fist against the tunnel wall but then grit his teeth as he hurt his hand a bit. What the hell is it?! Many things that were close came to mind as he messaged his hurt hand but each one just didn't feel right. Both humans and pokémon have it but still seek it…but if they abuse it, it can consume them and make them lost… His eyes widened after figuring it out. "Power!" shouted the champion at once.

The riddle stopped being repeated abruptly and the glowing symbol faded away. Steven stood waiting patiently to see if something happened. After a moment of nothing happening, he was about to contact his team when tremors started rocking the area. He braced himself in the tunnel, unable to call out any pokémon since the area was so narrow. Fearing that this may be his last moments alive if the tunnel collapsed, Steven was trying to figure out a way to get out alive. After about a minute or so, the tremors slowly stopped. Then the wall that had the symbol began moving down into the ground and when it finished, it revealed a new path.

"Steven?! Steven?!"

"Are you alright?!"

Both Glacia's and Pheobe's high pitched and worried tone of voices made Steven's ear ring. "Ah, yea, I'm here!" he replied back. "Do me a favor and don't go all hysterical on me right off the bat alright?" he asked them. "Almost made me go deaf…"

Glacia let out a relieved sigh but then Pheobe shouted back. "Well excuse me for caring about you!"

Again, Steven's ear was hurt from her shouting. "Okay, okay, just stop yelling!" Pheobe huffed into the mic and he let out a sigh. "By the way the dead end is gone. There's a new path. I'm continuing on and I'll contact you when I find something," he told them.

"Be careful!" said the ghost elite four member.

The champion responded back that he will. He picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulders before going through the doorway. He followed down the only path available to him that was steadily becoming sloped downwards. After some time, he entered into a much larger area. He shined his flashlight around the area and found out that he was in a clearing. "Guys, I think I found the place."

"What does it look like?" asked Glacia.

"Well, let's see; stone walls and ceiling, rocky and dirt filled floor…basically like an underground cavern," he answered sarcastically and she let out an annoyed sound. "Hold on a sec, I see the altar. It's on a raised platform in the middle of the area. I'm climbing the steps towards it now," he informed them as he drew closer to it. He was about halfway up the steps when an eerie sound was heard around him. He stopped and looked around as his right hand went to his belt. Before he could do anything such as bringing out a pokemon, a bright light shined in the area from behind him. He glanced back and saw it was coming from the altar. He cautiously moved towards it, ready to defend and call out his pokémon if needed. When he reached it, he saw an artifact that looked exactly like the symbol on the stone door. It was made entirely out of a crystal with green and red-orange colors. Looking around it, he also noticed a shelf underneath the top part of the altar with several scrolls stacked neatly on top of each other. He raised his hand to his ear piece as a smile appeared on his face. "Team, I have good news; I found the scrolls and the artifact."

"Bad news is you won't be able to use them, let alone get out of here alive."

Steven whirled around and his eyes widened in surprise at the two men who were there. One was a large, muscular and dark skinned man with a beard dressed in blue jeans and blue sleeveless jacket. The second was a skinny, middle aged man dressed in red pants and red trench coat that was buttoned up with glasses. The two were the ex-leaders of the disbanded organizations Team Aqua and Team Magma respectively; Archie and Maxie. "What are you doing here?!" asked Steven with anger and surprise as he gripped a poke ball from his belt. "And how did you find this place?!"

Maxie smirked at the young champion before taking out a poke ball and pointed it towards the spot beside him. A green chameleon looking pokémon appeared before he returned it. "Kecleon may not be very powerful, but they are very useful," he said calmly. "And you have been very useful to us as well Mr. Stone."

Steven let out a growl as he understood. "I should've known you two would've had backups for your files. How did you know we would come here? How long have you been following me? And why are you working together?" he asked them, trying to buy some time so he can think up of a plan.

Archie let out a hearty laugh. "Caught on finally have you? And does it really matter?" Steven kept quiet at that. "And we know what you're trying to do. You won't get enough time to think up of something," he said while taking out several poke balls from his jeans' pocket.

"You know, even though we don't need to this…" started Maxie as he too took out several poke balls. "…we owe you for what you did to us. It's time to pay for ruining our vision!" Both ex-leaders tossed out their poke balls into the air and multiple flashes of bright light brought forth several battle ready pokémon. A Camerupt, a Blaziken, two Mightyenas, two Crobats, a Gyarados and a Swampert appeared and immediately went into fighting stances.

Steven copied their actions and tossed out his poke balls as well. His Metagross, Aggron, Claydol, Cradily, Armaldo and Skarmory appeared. "You cannot beat me!" stated Steven. "You have one chance; recall your pokémon and surrender! You were defeated before and I will defeat you again!" informed the Hoenn champion as his pokémon took up battle positions in front of him.

Maxie and Archie both had smug looks appear on their faces. "Attack!" ordered the two at once. Their pokémon advanced without hesitation.

"Take them down!" ordered Steven and his pokémon intercepted their opponents and engaged them in battle. While they did that, the champion faced the altar and quickly took the scrolls and put them into his pack.

"Those aren't yours!" roared Archie as he threw a dagger at him.

Steven dodged the projectile at the last second by moving to the side and took up cover behind the altar. He finished up placing the scrolls into his pack and moved his hand to his ear piece. "Guys! I got the scrolls and I'm about to get the crystal. But I ran into some trouble here so stay alert!"

Some static was heard along with Sydney's voice. "Steven! What do you mean? What's going on down there?!" he asked.

"Maxie and Archie are here," he replied back and he heard gasps and growls from his team. "I'll handle them but if they're here, then they must have brought friends. Keep your eyes open!" he told them.

"I'm coming to help!" stated Pheobe all of a sudden.

"NO!" shouted Steven. "You won't make it in time and I don't want any of you here to get into the cross fire!" he said sternly, startling her and the rest of his elite. He glanced back at the battle going on and saw his pokémon in control even though they were outnumbered. "I'll be fine Pheobe," he continued saying but softly this time. "After this, we'll celebrate our discovery and victory okay? How does lunch sound at Lilycove City?"

She responded back after a moment. "Okay. But make it dinner," she said quietly.

He smiled a bit. "Alright, it's a date. Stay alert up there, be safe and I'll see you soon."

She smiled at the other end of the line. "You too and good luck."

Steven let go of the button on his ear piece and refocused on the battle. The champion noticed that though his pokémon were in control, their opponents were giving a tough fight. Looks like they've been training. Their pokémon have gotten much stronger. But they're no match for my pokémon. Steven shouted out some commands to his pokémon and they quickly took up the orders and worked together. As a result, his pokémon knocked out a couple of their opponents and the odds stacked in their favor. "You're pokémon are getting hurt for no reason! Recall them and surrender!" advised Steven again.

Archie snarled while Maxie narrowed his eyes. "We will not surrender. And you may have taken out a couple of our pokémon, but that doesn't mean the battle is lost for us." Steven watched from behind cover as both of them raised their right wrists and black bracelets with white stones embedded into them were visible; Mega Rings. His eyes widened as they touched them and their Blaziken, Camerupt, Swampert and Gyarados were encased in bright white spheres of energy before they erupted to reveal their mega forms. "Let's see you take them on and see just how powerful the Champion of Hoenn is," taunted Maxie.

Steven narrowed his eyes at the two. "If that's what you want, then you'll see how powerful a champion and his pokémon are!" He raised his right hand and touched the ring on his ring finger. His Aggron and Metagross were also encased in white bright spheres before they burst to reveal their mega forms. "Knock them out!" roared Steven and his pokémon let out loud battle cries before they powered up different attacks.

"Stop them!" shouted both Maxie and Archie at once. Their pokémon also began getting ready to launch their attacks.

Both groups of pokémon fired their beams of energy at one another and the cavern flashed with multiple different colors from all the different types of attacks. Some of the beams collided against their targets while others hit the cavern walls before they exploded, covering the area in smoke and dust. The three humans coughed because of it and did the best they could to cover up their eyes and mouth until it slowly faded away. When the smoke finally cleared, they saw that many of their pokémon were out for the count with only a few left. Steven's Mega Metagross and Mega Aggron were still up. Archie and Maxie also had their Mega Blaziken and Mega Swampert still conscious as well but they were panting much more heavily than the champion's pokémon.

Steven stood up from behind the altar and he returned his fainted pokémon. His mega pokémon took up a battle positions in front of him. "It's over," he told them and the two narrowed their eyes on him while growling. "You're pokémon cannot continue to battle. This is your last chance. Surrender now or…" He stopped talking as sudden rumbling was heard before the area began to shake. "What the…"

Maxie and Archie looked around too when some rocks and stalagmites fell from above onto the ground. "This place is falling apart!" yelled Archie as he barely evaded a large rock that shattered into smaller pieces when it hit the ground.

"That last barrage of attacks must have weakened the area," remarked Maxie as he returned his fainted pokémon and so did Archie. "But we cannot leave without the items at least." Another Kecleon appeared out of nowhere next to him while holding a pack. "Ah, right on time."

Maxie took the pack and Steven had a shocked look form on his face. "What the…" He looked down around his feet and the pack that he had set against the base of the altar was gone. "Damn it!" he shouted out in frustration before locking eyes with the two.

His enemies smirked at him smugly. "Looks like you failed Champion. Time for us to go!" stated Archie as he threw some small pellets onto the ground in front of him and Maxie. They exploded once they hit the ground and brought up a smokescreen. Both of them began fleeing the area with their pokémon as Steven told his Mega Metagross to clear the smoke. After using Psychic to clear the area, he saw that they had already reached the tunnel. He pursued after them with his pokémon. But then Archie turned around after entering the tunnel and shouted out; "Block the path!" His Mega Swampert used Hammer Arm to strike both sides of the tunnel hard, causing it to start breaking apart. "I hope you're comfortable for your eternal sleep! Hahahahaha!" The two continued running away as the tunnel collapsed and the path was blocked.

"SHIT!" yelled Steven as he skidded to a stop in front of the now unusable path and so did his pokémon. The tremors became worse and caused them to lose their balance. They stumbled around a bit before falling to the floor. Steven glanced at his two pokémon after they stood back up and they nodded. "Maximum power Hyper Beams!" Both his pokémon moved forward and began powering up white balls of energy in front of them as they concentrated their energy into it. Right as they were about to fire their Hyper Beams, more rubble fell from above that made Steven shout at them to move out of the way. Though they were able to dodge them, they couldn't stop their attacks and they ended up firing the energy beams towards the walls instead of the blocked path. That caused more cracks to form and more pieces to break off. They attempted another try but couldn't. They had used up too much energy and didn't have enough left over to make a powerful enough attack to clear the path. Turning around to face their trainer, the pokémon gave him sullen looks. "It's alright. You did your best," he told them. He was about to return them when his pokémon shook their heads. If their trainer was going to go down, they would go down with him. The silver haired young man gave them respectful looks.

"Steven! Steven!"

Hearing her worried voice in his ear made his heart beat a little faster. He had never before appreciated just how beautiful her voice sounded. He raised his hand to his ear piece and pressed the button on it. "I'm here Pheobe…" he said in a strangely calm voice. He turned around and slowly headed back towards the altar while trying to keep his balance with his pokémon following after him.

"What's going on?!" she asked him with a frightened tone. "We started battling both Team Agua and Team Magma goons when an earthquake started to happen for a bit until we kept feeling aftershocks. And then they just left without a word!" she said, barely containing her emotions. As Steven listened to her, he reached the altar and the earthquake finally stopped. "Finally, no more shaking…what happened?! Where are you?! Why aren't you back up yet?!" she asked him.

Steven closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose before exhaling it out of his mouth. "Archie and Maxie escaped with the scrolls and caused the tunnel to collapse. The cavern is falling apart and I'm trapped down here…"

"WHAT?!" screamed Pheobe in fright while the others let out shouts.

The microphone was taken from her and Glacia started talking loudly, unable to control herself. "You need to find a way out of there! NOW!"

"I cannot. My pokémon tried to but they are too tired out from their battle with them…"

Drake took the microphone and cut him off. "Then just sit tight and survive. We're coming for you!"

Steven glanced at his two pokémon who had reverted back to their normal forms. The stoic expressions on their faces were all he needed to know that there was no way. "No. It's too late. There is no point in risking your lives…"

"BULLSHIT!" shouted Sydney suddenly. "We're on our way!"

"NO!" yelled Steven, startling them again and they froze in their spots above the ground. "There is no time! Don't come down here!"

Pheobe snatched the microphone out of Sydney's hands. "Do you honestly believe that I'll just sit here and do nothing?!" she screamed at him.

"You're gonna have to!" he snapped back quickly. Several large chunks of rock broke off from the ceiling and fell down. Steven and his pokemon looked up from the breaking sounds and jumped to the side to avoid them at the last second. Lucky for them otherwise the pieces would've crushed them if they hadn't. He didn't want to go just yet when he had things to say. "I'm running out of time here and I will not risk your safety for anything!" he told her.

Pheobe took in a sharp breath at that, her heart rate increasing. "Steven…I know that. It's just…I don't want you to go. How…how could I go on…without you?" she told him as her eyes began to fill up with water. Her fellow Elite Four members locked their saddened gazes onto her.

Steven controlled his reaction. He didn't want to scare or upset her even more. He knew he was going to die. And that's when he realized that he would never again see her or hold her in his arms. He was trembling from that realization and his heart was beating rapidly in defiance because of it. He forced his voice to sound calm. "I know Pheobe. I'm sorry we didn't have much time together. But let me tell you that it was the best time of my life being with you."

She felt herself filling up with emotion over what he just said. "M-Me too," she answered as slow and hot tears escaped from her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.

Steven looked up at the clearing ceiling and saw many cracks forming everywhere. He glanced back at the altar and saw that the crystal artifact had not been taken. However, it had been damaged and it wasn't glowing anymore. "I don't know how much longer I have…"

"Please, there has to be a way! Let us do something!" pleaded Pheobe with her voice going higher. "Let us help you!"

He closed his eyes again to prevent himself from breaking down. "I'm too far underground and you won't reach me in time. It's alright. Please let me just say this before it's too late," he told her and she went quiet. "Thank you. I wanted to say I will watch over you. Don't stop living your life and don't stop being your energetic and cheerful self. All I want is for you to be happy and if it's not too much trouble, to just remember me every now and then," he requested.

The ghost trainer sniffed a little. "I won't ever forget you." The fossil collector smiled at that. "I love you Steven Stone," she told him.

He had his smile grow larger as he filled up with emotion. He quickly responded back as the cavern's entire ceiling gave way. "I wish I had the power to come back to you and help you change the world. Knowing what you just told me is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I lo…"

His words were cut off suddenly as the radio transmitter on him stopped sending a signal. His vitals and location on the monitors vanished. All four members of the team had their eyes widen and they felt their hearts start beating like crazy. "Steven?...Steven?!...STEVEN!" screamed Pheobe into the microphone but no reply came back. "NOOOOOOO!" she cried before dropping to her knees and started sobbing loudly. "No…no no no no no…Steven…why…" The other three gathered around her before dropping to the floor and gave her a group hug to try and comfort her. "I'll…I'll never...forget you…I…I promise…" swore Pheobe as she continued to cry. Her fellow elites freely let their tears fall as well for their fallen Champion…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two months had passed since the Hoenn mission and there was much going on. Especially at the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League world headquarters, where an elderly man with long white hair and beard was sitting in his office with a tired look on his face. There were many papers in front of him on his desk that he was looking through for the past couple of hours. He had very important decisions to make that regarded the Pokémon League and what happened to one of his champions. He let out a sigh and leaned back against his chair as he looked up at the ceiling. I still can't believe it. How could this have happened? Life is just not fair sometimes…

The elderly man thought of everything that happened after one of his champions death; the declaration of his demise on the news but not the true reason how to prevent a panic, the people's reaction to it, the wake and funeral where many people attended to pay their respects to the empty coffin. He shook his head after that last thought. They never retrieved his body because of one simple fact; they couldn't reach it. Of course it was attempted but no matter what equipment they used or what powerful pokémon they had try to dig to his last known location, it was of no use. The ground was far too hard and the cavern he was in was just too deep in the ground.

He thought of what Pheobe did when she heard that they had given up. He shuddered in his spot after remembering the furious look on her face before she lashed out at everyone. It had taken the combined might of her fellow elites to stop her and calm her down before she broke down and cried heavily in Glacia's arms. After that ordeal, she had taken up refuge in Steven's island home and rarely got out of there. She didn't allow anyone to come in, not even her closest friend Glacia.

Goodshow shook his head, trying to clear the image in his mind of the ghost trainer all alone in an empty house on an island in the middle of the ocean while crying her eyes out. He didn't like thinking of that but had a tough time not doing so. It was all he thought about it these days. Along with two other things, one of which was about finding the criminals who were responsible for it. And the other one was thinking of how and when to choose a new champion for Hoenn. It was frustrating because he needed it done but there weren't many ideal candidates to try for it and he didn't want to do it in a way where the people would see it as disrespectful or that he didn't care. Because he did care. A lot. He wanted people to think that he was honoring the late champion's memory and that the new champion was not trying to just replace him. That he or she had earned the right...

And that's when he got an idea. He quickly wrote it down so he wouldn't forget it. Afterwards, he decided to continue with his other work to keep himself busy. He picked up a paper from his desk and was about to go over it again when his office door was opened. A tall, well built man with spiky red hair walked in. He was dressed in black pants, red shirt and black cloak. He was one of the other league's champions. "Ah, hello Champion Wataru. Why are you up so late?" asked the elder.

"I could ask you the same thing President Goodshow," he replied back.

Goodshow gestured towards the papers on his desk. "Well, if you must know, I've been trying to figure out how to replace Steven as Champion of Hoenn in a way that won't cause the people to cause a riot. And I think I found a way."

Lance nodded over that. "I see. So what did you think up of?"

"A memorial tournament to honor his name and the things he's done as champion for the one year anniversary of his death. At the same time, it will be used to find the next worthy contender to become Champion of Hoenn. Whoever wins it, will face the Hoenn Elite Four and if they win, they will become the newest champion," he answered while writing some more notes about it that just entered his mind.

Lance stated that it was a good idea before going quiet. He then cleared his throat. "President Goodshow, I have some news," said Lance suddenly and waited until the president raised his sight and caught his gaze. "I have some reports from my agents in the field who have found evidence that a new organization has taken form." Goodshow had his eyes widened and he lowered the pen onto the desk. Lance extended out his hand and gave a folder to him who took it and began going through its contents. "They are appearing all over the world in each of the different regions. They're recruiting heavily and are not slowing down at all. They have kidnapped people, tortured others who got in their way, raped, killed, blackmailed, bribed, stolen anything and everything from food, pokémon, resources, equipment and done much more."

The president had his eyes narrow in anger as he skimmed over the reports and photos of the horrible things that they've done. "Arceus…what is wrong with these people?!" The bearded man looked up from the report to lock eyes with the spiky haired man. "This is very upsetting Lance. What is their plan? Why are they doing this? And do you know who is behind it all?"

Lance leaned in closer to him as he placed his hands on the desk to support himself. "I do know who's behind it. It's them Charles…Archie and Maxie." Goodshow let out a growl. "They have teamed up and are working under a new name called 'Light of Agma'." The president started shaking from anger filling him. "I don't know what their plan is or the reasons behind all of this. But I do have a plan."

"What is it?" asked Goodshow.

"When I said that they are recruiting heavily, I meant it. Almost anyone and everyone is being taken in, no matter their background."

"Why is that?"

"Because they're being brainwashed."

Goodshow gasped. "Why are they doing that and how do you know?"

"Probably to make sure they have loyal followers. And we figured that out after capturing a few of them and running some tests after they wouldn't cooperate. My plan is we can try to send a couple people under cover to infiltrate their ranks and gather intel on what they're planning. That way we can…"

"No," interjected Goodshow while shaking his head. "I will not knowingly allow people to become brainwashed."

"You won't have too," said Lance and Charles titled his head. "When we ran the tests, we also found out how to prevent the brainwashing with a chemical compound and that certain people cannot be brainwashed at all because of their abilities."The president had an understanding look form on his face. "However, those who have already been brainwashed are lost unfortunately and cannot be returned as of this moment. We are trying to find a way to undue it. Though we're still in the early stages of it, we think we may be on to a remedy to reverse it in the future," further explained the champion.

Goodshow thought in silence a bit over this new information. "That is a little uplifting to hear. And we may be able to send someone into their ranks with no worry that they will become brainwashed at least. But who will we ask and what abilities are you talking about?" asked Goodshow.

"Well, we will send in two operatives so they can help each other stay concealed and to increase our chances. And the abilities that I mentioned?" Lance allowed a grin to form on his face as Goodshow titled his head again. "Those with the power of the heart and the power of the mind cannot be controlled."

Once again, an understanding expression formed on Goodshow's face. "Ah…I get it. So who will you be asking to do this for us? Master Riley? Will Itsuki of the Johto Elite Four?"

Lance shook his head. "No. Though I did say that they are recruiting almost anyone, they will be suspicious of an Elite Four member trying to join and same thing with the only publicly known aura user in the world who has a reputation for being a boy scout. They are far too popular and well known to get high into the ranks let alone join them." Goodshow nodded in understanding and agreement. "And they need to have credible back stories in order to get into the organization. Who I have in mind are ones who we can trust beyond any doubt because of what they've done in the past and they will not draw too much unnecessary attention."

"Who?" asked a stumped Goodshow.

"Ash Ketchum and Sabrina Natsume."

Goodshow's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?!" he snapped. "Have you lost it?! I want to catch those assholes who caused Steven's death but this is suicide for them! They're both well known and popular! And Ash helped to cause their downfall and he doesn't have any powers! Are you thinking of offering him up to them so Sabrina could possibly get in or something?!" He was confused and angry that Lance would even suggest something like this.

He was about to continue when he was interrupted. "Hold on Charles," started Lance as he held up his hand, getting his attention. "You are right about that and I have a plan for that too. I should've mentioned that with Sabrina and Ash, we can make up credible back stories for them for the reasons why they've decided to join. Sabrina's will be that her psychic gym has been replaced by the fighting gym in Saffron because not many will battle her because of the rumors of her still being a monster. She became angry and wants to get revenge for replacing her. As for Ash? He can use Aura. We've been informed about it by Queen Ilene of the Kingdom of Rota years ago but kept it under wraps." Goodshow had his eyes widen over that. "And he just competed in the Kalos tournament about a week ago and came in second place. He didn't win again and he can use that story that he's had enough of losing and wants to accomplish something. That he's sorry for stopping them and now understands what they were trying to do."

Goodshow thought about that for a bit before he responded back. "Those are good stories and could actually work. But wouldn't they know about the fact that their brainwashing doesn't work on aura and psychic users?" he asked him.

Lance shook his head. "There's no way. From what we've seen, the information that was gathered and the fact that there are very few people with those specific abilities, they would have a tough time figuring that out. Also, they have tried recruiting gym leaders but they're staying away from higher profile persons such as Elite Four members. It looks like they don't want the spotlight or questions that would come from one of them vanishing or doing their illegal activities. Plus, the only known aura user is Riley. Ash's ability is completely unknown except for me, you, a couple of his friends who are keeping it a secret, Master Riley and Queen Ilene." Charles nodded his head over that since that was a smart move. "Though Ash does have many friends throughout the world, and Sabrina is infamous in Kanto, they aren't world renowned but their strength will definitely attract them."

Goodshow thought heavily over what he was told for a several long minutes. After coming to a decision, he let out a long sigh and responded back to the plan. "Alright. I agree to having them go undercover but on a few conditions. First is that we will ask for their cooperation and that they will be told of everything and anything that they might have to go through in order to get the job done. If they refuse after explaining, we will accept that and think of something else." Lance agreed with that. "Good. Second is that if they do accept, we won't send them in as themselves. I don't want them or their families to end up getting crucified by the public. We will give them top notch disguises. And you know what I mean," finished Goodshow while giving Lance a certain look.

His eyes widened as he understood. "Are you talking about the 'Ditto' protocol?" asked Lance.

Charles nodded. "Yes. It's been perfected and only my most trusted and capable scientists know about it."

"That is good news," commented Lance with enthusiasm.

"Yes it is. Third condition is we will prepare the chemical compound that you mentioned for them and they will use it just in case for safety. It will still be effective with their powers correct?" Lance nodded before explaining it in detail. "Okay good. The fourth is we must let them know that they cannot contact their families or friends and they can't contact them while they are under cover. But if they want to let their families know at least that they will be helping us on a mission and may be gone for a long time, then that is alright but must keep quiet about it. Agreed?" Lance again nodded and responded back that he agreed with everything. "Alright then," he said as he stood up and extended his hand out. "Get started on this as soon as possible Lance."

Lance stood up and grasped his hand. "Will do Charles. We'll stop them and avenge Steven."

After shaking his hand, the champion left the office in a brisk pace and Charles sat back down. He exhaled and started thinking about everything he just learned and what he had decided to allow happen. Glancing down at the horrible pictures in the report in front of him, he clenched his hands into fists as anger rose in him but controlled it. He closed his eyes and said a prayer in his mind. Arceus, I have a feeling that they'll accept. Please watch over them. He opened his eyes and went back to thinking of how to make the tournament become so grand that it would honor Steven's memory…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A young man in his late teens was snoozing away in his bed. He had one foot hanging over the bottom of his bed and one hand stationed over his head, resting on his messy black hair while the blanket covered only half his body that left his bare chest exposed. He had steadily grown over the years, transforming from a rash, scrawny and foolish kid into a more reserved, well built and wiser adult. While he was snoring away, there were another set of snoring sounds coming from inside his room. In a small basket bed that was stationed near his own was his ever faithful starter. The small, cute yet powerful mouse was also sleeping peacefully.

Trainer and pokémon had barely been back home for a couple weeks now after winning second place in the Kalos tournament. After the closing ceremony of the tournament, they had said their goodbyes to their friends who were beyond saddened to see him leave with one more so than the others. Before leaving Kalos though, they all had promised to keep in touch with one another since they too had to go their own separate ways. The trip back home was a long and boring one for him and his pokémon. But when they finally sailed into Vermillion port, neither could contain their happiness to be back in their home country. As usual, when they finally arrived home, his mother had almost crushed him in her motherly embrace. His back had hurt for about a day but he couldn't complain about that since he was too happy to be home again and see his mother who had done anything and everything for him with no questions asked.

Speaking of his mother, a woman with auburn colored hair in her late thirties opened her son's bedroom door and walked in. She was still an attractive woman who kept her slender figure because of her active lifestyle who spoke with a soft tone at almost all times unless she grew angry. She shook her head before chuckling quietly and smiled as she saw the way he was sleeping. It's great having him back home. I've missed him so much. She then noticed that he was now too tall for his old bed and he had developed lean muscles from all his travels and training. Yup, he needs a new bed. And he's grown to be quite a handsome young man. Looks like those exercise books I sent him did wonders. Good job Delia. She patted herself on the back before she remembered his companions that he traveled around the world with and her smile grew. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those girls he traveled with ended up falling for him. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they all did. I can just imagine them fighting over him. If that happened, that would definitely make things interesting. She happened to glance at the clock in his room and her eyes widened. Shit, I almost forgot about the surprise! She was about to wake him up but then stopped herself. Maybe I'll let them do it since they're already here. A devious grin formed on her face after that thought. Yea, I'll let them do it once we're ready. This house needs a little excitement once in a while. Delia left the room and closed the door quietly. She then headed downstairs to finish getting the place ready for her son's surprise.

The surprise was a welcome home and birthday party. Though he had arrived home sooner and his birthday was a few weeks ago, she wanted to celebrate it but couldn't because of several reasons. But now, she was able to set it up in secret with the help of his closest friends. And several of them had arrived early in the morning to help her out and she was very appreciative of it. Delia barely finished getting the chicken wings onto the oven trays when five girls entered through the back yard door. She looked up at them and smiled. "Hey there! Finished?" she asked them.

"Yup!" said her guests together cheerfully. These five girls were the ones that Delia's son had traveled around the world with. Each of them had grown into strong, smart, successful and very beautiful young woman but didn't change from who they are at their core. In addition to that, each of them had an incredible bond between each of them and him because of what they went through together. Whether good or bad, everything made them become part of one another. They were the closest of friends, trusted and respected each other completely.

But that's not the only thing that occurred between them. Over the course of their travels and experiences together, not only did they become extremely close, but each of the girls had developed powerful feelings for him. Though they gave him hints and clues, teasing him about it sometimes, it seemed that he just never caught on. That did annoy them and sometimes saddened them that he wasn't getting it. But that didn't mean that he wasn't there for them or that he didn't care about them. Oh no. He did everything and anything that he could for them and they did the same for him. He was just focused on his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master and they respected him for that and understood. And so, each of the five girls had decided to wait for the right time to tell him about what they were feeling for him.

But when Delia had contacted them and told them about the surprise party that she wanted to throw for her son, they jumped on the chance. Each of the five thought that this could be the perfect opportunity to reveal their feelings for him and to see if he felt the same way between them. When they arrived at his house early in the morning to help out and to perhaps speak with him privately, they ran into each other. Having met before through Ash and becoming friends with one another, they didn't think too much of seeing each other there at his house.

That changed however when they worked together in the backyard to set it up for his surprise party and soon found out the other's hidden motives. They had argued over who would get to tell him and who he would get with. That is until they decided to call a truce once they realized they were all in the same boat. Agreeing that each of them would confess to him about their feelings and no matter who he picked, the rest would have to deal with it and move on as well as promising to stay friendly with one another no matter what. Finishing up their tasks, the five went back inside to see what else his mother might need help with.

"Thank you so much!" said Delia after they told her they had finished up while placing the wings into the oven.

The red haired girl out of the group spoke up first. "No problem Delia. I'm always available to help you out," she said and the other four narrowed their eyes on her for saying what they wanted to say. Even though they promised to stay friendly with one another and not fight each other, they still couldn't help but see everything as a competition now to get their feelings returned. She was wearing blue jean shorts, a yellow short sleeved shirt with black and yellow tennis shoes while her red hair was tied back into a simple pony tail.

Before Delia could respond to that, the brown haired girl of the group moved forward and threw away some garbage into the trash can under the sink. "You're not the only one who wants to help Misty," she remarked. She was wearing blue tights that reached her knees with a white short skirt over it, a red collared shirt, red tennis shoes and her brunette hair was mostly covered in a red bandana except for a few strands on both sides of her face.

Sensing the tension building between them, Delia decided to shift their attention. "I do appreciate it and thank you too May." She faced the other three girls. "And much thanks to you as well!"

"Sure thing! No need to worry!" exclaimed blunette of the group enthusiastically. She was dressed in a pink frilly skirt that reached down to the middle of her thighs, a white tank top, black vest, pink knee high boots along with a white beanie on top of her head and her blue hair flowed freely down her back.

A purple haired girl rolled her eyes over the blunette's behavior. "Are you always so hyper Dawn?" She was dressed in skin tight white pants that went a little past her knees with yellow tips, a large pink ribbon tied around her waist, a cream colored long sleeved shirt, white shoes and long purple hair that was tied into two pig tails and one long pony tail.

Dawn narrowed her eyes onto Iris but Delia quickly intervened. "There's nothing wrong with that and you know that Iris. I heard many stories about you being the same," she remarked and Iris blushed a bit at that while Dawn crossed her arms with a look of triumph. Looking over at the last of her guests, she tilted her head. "Are you alright Serena? You're awfully quiet," she asked her.

The honey blonde haired girl jumped a bit from being put on the spot light so suddenly. She was wearing black tights with a red, knee length frilly skirt, a black sleeveless blouse and red shoes. Her honey blonde hair had grown long again and it was flowing freely down her front and back with a red hat on top of her head. "No, no, I'm fine Mrs. Ketchum!" she said with a slightly embarrassed tone of voice. She had just met the girls and barely getting to know them all and was feeling a bit of an outcast.

She smiled at her. "Please, just call me Delia." She faced the other girls and smiled at them too. "Thanks for all the help. There's nothing else to be done except finish my cooking."

The girls nodded in understanding until the brunette spoke up. "Is he up yet?" asked May.

"No, he was still asleep when I went to check on him," explained Delia.

"Shouldn't we wake him up?" asked Iris.

Delia thought a bit and looked at the kitchen clock. "Hmm, you're right. Though the others won't be here till later, the food is almost ready. We can still surprise him with just us here." The girls each thought that would be better for them. They wanted to talk to him about something important. "And by the time he actually gets out of bed, showers…" The girls had their faces redden slightly that Delia noticed from the corner of her eyes but kept quiet about it. "…and gets dressed, lunch should be ready." Sudden knocking drew the six's attention. "They're early!" remarked Delia as she headed towards the door while wiping her hands against her white apron. The girls followed after while also getting a little annoyed that their other friends have arrived early since that wouldn't allow them to talk to him. Delia reached the door and opened it while she started talking. "Thanks for not ringing the door bell. He's still…" She stopped talking after realizing that it wasn't the other invited guests but someone else. Someone with great authority and respect. "Champion Lance?!" exclaimed a shocked Delia. The girls behind her had their eyes widen after hearing that and when they peeked out from behind her, they saw that it was indeed the Kanto Champion, which made their jaws drop.

Lance smiled at Delia and nodded. "Hello, Mrs. Ketchum." He noticed the girls standing behind her with surprised expressions of their own. "And hello to you as well. Please excuse the rather abrupt visit. I hope I'm not intruding or anything…"

Delia waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, no, it's quite alright! Please come in!" she said while stepping aside and so did the girls for him to come in.

"Thank you but I also have someone else with me. I hope it's not rude to invite her in as well?" he asked and Delia replied back that it was no problem. "Thank you." He glanced towards his right. "See? I told you they wouldn't mind."

Lance stepped inside and a couple seconds later, a black haired slender girl with noticeable curves revealed herself. "Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me into your home," said the girl politely. The girl was wearing her trademark outfit of black tights with a red skirt over it, a black long sleeved tight top with a red short sleeved mini jacket, red boots and her long black hair was flowing down naturally.

Misty and Delia had their eyes widen again after they saw her, knowing who she is. The other girls however tilted their heads but couldn't hide their jealous expressions over her stunning appearance. Before any of them could say anything else, Iris spoke up. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked the girl with a hint of jealousy. The Unovan native knew who Lance is of course because of her obsession with dragons, dragon trainers and so she would know who Lance is. But she had no idea who this girl was. And neither did May, Dawn or Serena.

"She's Sabrina Natsume, the psychic prodigy! And she's one of the strongest gym leaders of Kanto!" answered Misty for her fellow gym leader, making the girls gasp a bit. They had heard of Sabrina from the stories that their crush had told them. Sabrina gave an appreciative nod at her for the compliment.

Lance raised his eyebrows over their reaction. "Huh, looks like you're popularity is growing Sabrina." The psychic however didn't comment on that. "How do you know of her?" asked Lance with curiosity.

The girls glanced at one another before looking at Delia who understood. "It looks like my son told them stories of his experiences to them as they traveled," she explained.

Sabrina had a split second reaction from that that nobody noticed. He's been talking about me? What has he been saying to others about me? She wondered in her mind about what he could have said about her but remained aware of what was happening around her.

Lance and an understanding look form on his face. "I see…well, speaking of your son, is he here?" he asked her.

Delia nodded while gesturing to the living room and couches. They all gathered around the couches and Lance was about to sit down when she answered him. "Yes he is but he is still asleep."

That caused Lance to have freeze midway sitting down and a look of disbelief formed on his face. "Still? It's two in the afternoon!" he remarked.

Delia chuckled and the girls smiled a bit. "Yea, he was up late last night. But then again it is rather late in the day. I'll go wake him up but it'll take a little while. Whenever he has late nights, it's kind of hard to wake him up," she revealed as she made to go upstairs.

"Mrs. Ketchum, if I may make a suggestion?" asked Lance and Delia said he could. "Let's have Sabrina wake him up. She has a…way of getting people to wake up. And while she's doing that, would it be too much to ask for something to drink?" he asked her. That made the five girls become peeved over his suggestion since each of them wanted to wake him up and didn't want another girl to enter his bedroom. But none of them wanted to cause a scene or disrespect a champion. Sabrina sensed their emotions but didn't react over it.

"Not at all," she replied back before looking at the Saffron gym leader. "And if you don't mind." Sabrina shook her head slightly. "Thank you. His bedroom is upstairs, the first door on the right. While you do that, I'll go get us all drinks." Delia moved to the kitchen as Sabrina walked to the stairs and went upstairs.

Lance looked at Sabrina going before facing the five girls who were sitting on the two couches in front of him with their gazes towards the stairs. A smirk formed on his face after noticing the looks on their faces and he had a feeling that he knew the reason as to why. Well, what do we have here? I'm impressed Ash. He decided to have some fun while he was there. "So, do you five always spend your time here at his house?" he asked them. The girls snapped their attention on to him with flushed faces at that sudden question and because of it being asked by the Champion of Kanto. Seeing them staying quiet, he asked another question. "Not answering? Alright. Maybe you'll answer this question. Do you always get jealous looks when another girl is around him or is about to talk to him?" The girls blushed heavily over that question and he smirked at their reactions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sabrina reached the second floor and headed towards the first door on the right. She grasped the doorknob with her delicate hand, turned it and opened the door. Walking in without making a sound and quietly closing the door behind her, she looked around the room until she spotted him. Her pink eyes locked onto his sleeping form and looked at him for a few seconds. As she looked at him, her eyes roamed over his exposed body and seeing his lean muscles made her cheeks redden slightly. Forcing herself to look away, she took in the rest of his bedroom surroundings. She saw his Pikachu sleeping in his own little basket bed beside his bed, a desk with a lamp and computer screen on it and then she saw his dresser with a mirror on it. She walked closer to the dresser since she noticed some pictures that were taped onto the edges of the mirror and some others that were pinned to the wall on both sides of the mirror.

The psychic prodigy looked at the pictures and found that they were of him and his friends. She smiled a little at seeing them. He sure has had a lot of experiences, she thought to herself while looking over them. She quickly looked over the photographs and noticed something that caused her smile to fade a little. Most of the images contained the girls who at that moment were downstairs. But there were five particular pictures that caught her eye and she looked at them more closely. The first one was of him and the only girl she knew from the five who was Misty. The two were sitting beside one another next to a river while fishing with smiles on their faces. The second one was of him and the brunette holding up a ribbon together on top of stage. Third photo was of him and the blunette who were both dressed in swim clothes while on a boat and sharing a high five while smiling. The fourth image showed him and the purple haired girl sitting on a large tree branch and looking at a sunset together. And the last image was of him and the honey blonde haired girl on a roller coaster together with their hands up in the air with happy looks on their faces. Are they really that close with one another?

The black haired girl turned around and looked at the black haired man sleeping on the bed as many thoughts went through her head. Do the girls that are downstairs know of each other's experiences with him? She thought about that a bit, trying to figure it out over what she knew and what she's seen and heard about him. I'm jumping to conclusions. And I don't think he has been playing with them. I'm not sensing any evil vibes from him, even in his sleep. Perhaps they're just really good friends… She then remembered how she sensed feelings of jealousy spring up within the five girls when Lance suggested that she wake him up. No, the girls have feelings for him. That's for certain. Do they know of one another's feelings for him? Does he know about it? Does he have feelings for any or all of them? But maybe he doesn't even know about it. But why would five different girls all have feelings for the same man? Sabrina shook her head after trying to think up of the reason or reasons why. Moving closer to his bed, she stopped right beside it and leaned over his body to look at him even more closely. Her cheeks reddened even more than last time as she took in his looks. He has grown a lot since last we saw each other, that's for certain. She suddenly remembered how the girls reacted when Misty revealed who she is and what Delia said. But what exactly has he been saying to them about me?! Has he told them of how I used to be a monster?! Is that why they gasped?!

As she thought about that for a bit, worried that he had been telling people about her horrible past, the sleeping man turned his head towards her but didn't wake up. Sabrina froze when he moved but then relaxed when he didn't open his eyes. Noticing that his eyes were moving a little underneath their eyelids, she realized he was having a dream. Hmm…I'll worry about that later. I want to know what dream he's seeing. She focused her power and read his mind to see what he could be seeing. After a moment, she gasped and stopped reading his mind. Oh my Mew! Becoming suddenly embarrassed because of what she saw, Sabrina made to move away and wake him up as she was supposed to do. But in her haste, she turned too quickly without straightening out first and lost her balance…

"AH!" shouted the young man as he was woken up abruptly that also woke up his starter who looked around groggily before his jaw dropped at the scene he saw. The man snapped his eyes open after the noticeable weight fell onto him and he looked down at what had awakened him. He saw a beautiful dark haired girl lying on top of him while staring into his brown eyes with her pink ones. The two stared at one another for a while in silence while both of them were having their faces redden with each passing second. "Um…hi?" he said awkwardly after a moment.

The girl didn't respond back. Instead, she quickly got off of him, stood up straight, and spoke with a calm voice as if nothing happened. "Mr. Ketchum, we are awaiting your company downstairs. Please join us as soon as possible," she said in a professional manner, though her red face turned dark crimson as she spoke. When she finished, she turned around to leave the room.

"Hey!" he called out to her and she stopped right in front of the door with her heart beginning to hammer. "It's good to see you again Sabrina. And I'm sorry if I scared or hurt you," he told her.

She glanced back at him with a surprised look at what he said. "You didn't scare or hurt me. It's just that I was told to wake you up and when I came in here I…" She stopped, unable to continue and he titled his head. She let out a sigh. "Let's just not speak of this please. And please come down quickly." She opened the door and left his room. She stopped in the hallway in front of the door and took in multiple deep breaths. I cannot believe that just happened. And what he was dreaming about… She shook her head to clear it and refocused her mind. Get a grip! You're here on a mission! The psychic prodigy forced herself to calm down and went back downstairs. Seeing the others in the living room, she told them that he has awakened and will be joining them shortly.

When Sabrina left his room, the man and his pokémon glanced at one another. "What was that all about Pikachu?" he asked him.

"Pika," replied back his starter, shrugging.

"You said it. But she said that people are waiting. So let's get ready buddy." He got up and entered the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. He used the toilet, washed up, brushed his teeth and then reentered his room. He quickly dressed and when ready, he glanced at his friend. "Ready?" Pikachu merely yawned and curled back up into his bed. "Alright, fine. I should start calling you Snorlax." Small sparks shot out of Pikachu's cheeks but Ash just chuckled before he left his room and headed downstairs. When he reached the living room, he was about to say something but then froze when he noticed who was there while his eyes widened.

But that didn't keep some of them from reacting though. "ASH!" cried the five girls at once. Before he knew it, he was taken up into a tight group hug by the five girls. Seeing him finally made the girls react without even thinking of the fact that they were competing for his affection. They were just too happy to see him again. That scene made Delia smile largely and caused both Lance and Sabrina to have astonished looks form on their faces.

"Hey…" he wheezed since they were unknowingly crushing him with their tight hugs. "Wanna…let me…breathe?" he forced out and the girls let him go immediately. He gasped for air and the girls blushed heavily over how they just acted. "Thanks…for not…suffocating me…" He caught his breath and straightened out. "I'm happy to see each of you too," he told them cheerily and the girls beamed at him with happy smiles. He then looked at Lance before moving towards him. "Champion Lance, good to see you as well. Please don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?" he asked while extending out his hand.

Lance stood up and shook his hand while chuckling a bit. "Likewise. And I know it's rather sudden, dropping in on you like this. But there's something I need to discuss with you that's important. That's why both I and Sabrina are here," informed the dragon champion.

Ash nodded his head. "I see." He turned to look at Delia. "Mom, we'll be in the backyard…"

"You can't go there!" shot the girls at once.

That made Ash, Lance and Sabrina to look at them over their outburst and Delia was giving them a 'c'mon!' look. "Um, why did you say that?" The girls clapped their hands against their mouths, not wanting to further ruin his surprise. "Really? What's going on here? Is everything okay?" asked Ash, looking at the six with a concerned expression.

Receiving an apologetic look from them, Delia let out a sigh. "It's alright," she told them before facing her son. "Might as well tell you now. Ash, I had planned a surprise birthday and welcome home party for you and the girls had come early today in the morning to help me set everything up," explained his mother.

Ash couldn't believe it but felt happy from that. "You didn't have to do that Mom but thank you," he told her before giving her a hug and thank you kiss on the cheek while the others smiled at his action. He then faced the girls. "And thank you for doing that for me too," he told them before hugging and thanking each of the five. Each of the girls replied back in different words that it was their pleasure and that they wanted to do that for him. The young man turned to face Lance and Sabrina. "Don't tell me you were in on it as well?" he asked them with a grin.

Sabrina said nothing, keeping to her quiet nature but Lance chuckled. "No, this is one party I had nothing to do with. But now that's out of the way, if we can have that talk now?"

"Oh right. It's this way," replied Ash. He led the way to the backyard as Lance and Sabrina followed him. Stepping outside, Ash noticed the decorations and how tables and chairs were set up. He smiled again over it and felt great feelings rise within him as he thought about what they did for him. But remembering that the champion wanted to talk to him, he faced Lance and Sabrina. "So what's up?" he asked them, alternating his gaze from one to the other.

Lance glanced at Sabrina before locking eyes with Ash. "I'm here on very important business. But first, I want to ask you this; are you aware of what happened to the Champion of Hoenn?" he asked him.

Ash's cheerful attitude vanished and his eyes grew sullen. "I am. I remember seeing the news about it before entering the Kalos tournament. He was my friend. I can't believe that he's gone," he said told them sadly.

Lance nodded in agreement. "I still can't believe it myself. But what if I told you that we can honor his memory? That we know who caused his death and that we can stop them from hurting others. Would you want to be among those who fought to protect others? To protect your loved ones?" he asked.

"Of course I would! What kind of question is that?!" snapped Ash without hesitation.

Lance however merely smiled back at that, making Ash tilt his head in confusion. "Good. Because what I want to talk to you about is helping me to take them down."

"Take down who? And how could I help?" he asked the champion.

Lance began explaining everything. From what Steven was doing for the League. How he was ambushed by Maxie and Archie and left to die in the collapsing cavern. How Pheobe had become lost in her grief. How his agents all over the world had begun reporting that a new evil organization that called themselves the followers of the 'Light of Agma' had appeared and were doing horrible things. That they were doing many terrible acts and that they were brainwashing people to do their dirty work. He told Ash of the chemical compounds that prevent it and of the fact that those with aura and psychic powers could not be controlled. Of his plan to send two trustworthy persons to go undercover to infiltrate this new group and find out information on them. Of the precautions they had thought up of to protect their identities, families and friends. And that those two persons were him and the psychic prodigy.

After he was told everything, Ash was astounded over what he had learned but more so that Lance was thinking of having him do it. Even though he wanted to help, he really did, he didn't think he was the right person for the job. He wasn't as powerful as other trainers. Wasn't that proved just a couple weeks ago when he yet again didn't win a league tournament? And he didn't know how to control his aura at all. He shook his head. "I'm sorry Lance but you've got the wrong person. I can't use Aura or Psychic abilities and I'm nowhere near as strong as other trainers. I want to help but I would just end up messing up the mission," informed the young man.

"What, you think we're just gonna throw you to the wolves?" asked Lance in disbelief and Ash hung his head. "You're selling yourself short Ash. You're a strong trainer and you have much potential. And we know of your ability to use aura because of the incident a few years ago in the Kingdom of Rota." Ash snapped his gaze onto Lance with a shocked look. "That's right," grinned Lance. "Queen Ilene has informed us of it but we've kept it under wraps. No one knows about it except for myself, President Goodshow, Master Riley, Queen Ilene, you, your friends, family and Sabrina. We can help you control and use it as well as help you and your pokémon train to become stronger. I need people I can trust without a doubt. People who can be absent for long periods of time with no one batting an eye over it. People who can handle themselves in dangerous situations. People who cannot be swayed or brainwashed from their own beliefs and morals. I need your help Ash just like I need Sabrina's help. She has been told of all this and agreed to doing it before we came here. You two are the only ones who can do this. Will you help me? Will you help protect everyone?" asked the dragon champion.

Ash thought about everything that he learned and what Lance just said. He glanced towards his house and thought about his mom and the girls who were inside it. He thought of how much he cared about them and that he could never allow them to get hurt on his watch. Not now, not ever. Moving his sight over to the champion at first, he then slowly turned his head to lock eyes with the psychic prodigy. "I guess we're partners Sabrina." She nodded and Lance smiled when Ash faced him again. "What do I need to bring with me and when do I need to leave?" he asked him.

"Just bring six of your most powerful and versatile pokémon. We'll take care of everything else," informed Lance. "And the sooner the better. I'm actually hoping to have you come with us now so we can get things started," revealed the champion.

Ash had his eyes widen. "Now?! I just got home! And my Mom and the girls planned this surprise party for me! How could I leave right now?" he asked them.

Before Lance could answer, Sabrina did. "I understand that Ash but the longer it takes us to make a move, the more time Archie and Maxie have to do more horrible things to more innocent people," explained the gym leader.

Ash understood and hung his head in shame from his selfishness. "You're right. I'm sorry. I should've realized that," he apologized to them. He raised his gaze to them. "But I need to tell them at least. Please?" pleaded the young man.

"Sure, go ahead," answered Sabrina for Lance. Ash thanked her and hurried inside to tell them. Lance gave her an annoyed and angry look. Knowing what he was going to say and ask, she answered him automatically. "We told my parents the full story. He has the right to tell his. None of them will say a word to anyone. His mother is smart and the five girls have feelings for him. They will not do anything to jeopardize the mission or his safety."

Lance shook his head. "Hopefully. But when feelings get involved in missions, things could get messy," he said wisely and she couldn't argue with that. "C'mon, let's go inside and help him with this." The two entered the house once more and helped him explain things to the six of what he was told, what he was asked to do along with Sabrina since only they could do it and that he had to leave now since time was ticking.

After some time of explaining things with them making gasps and feeling both anger and sadness over what they were told, everyone was finally on the same page. Taking in a breath, Ash looked at Delia. "Thank you Mom for understanding. And thank you for this," he added, gesturing towards the backyard. "It means a lot to me." Delia smiled and he looked at the girls. "And thank you too for being here, helping my Mom and doing all this for me as that means a lot to me too," he said to them, making them smile as well. "But I need to get ready and leave as soon as possible," he reminded them and they had sullen looks form on their faces. "It won't be for forever but it may be a long time that I'm gone. And I won't be able to contact you in any way and you can't contact me either. Otherwise that could put you, Sabrina or me in danger and I don't want that. Okay?" Reluctantly, they agreed to that as their eyes began watering.

"Hey," started Delia, keeping her tears at bay that her son was leaving all too soon. And this time, on a dangerous mission. They all had their attention shift to her. "Before you go, I want to take your picture with the cake for your scrapbook. Okay?" Ash glanced at Lance who agreed to that and Delia hurried to get the cake out from the kitchen. She placed a candle in the shape of a '1' and another in the shape of a '8' on to it. She lit the candles and then took it to her son. "Everyone gather round the birthday boy for the picture!" ordered Delia as she picked up the camera she had placed on the coffee table earlier in the day. The girls stood around Ash as he held the cake in front of him. Delia was about to take the picture when she stopped and glanced at Lance and Sabrina. "You two get in as well!" Wanting to get it over with quickly, neither of the two argued about that and joined in. But the psychic prodigy was feeling a little happy that she was asked to join in on a personal moment to be remembered in the form of a photograph. She didn't get to do things like this much.

"Mom, you come too!" requested Ash before she could take the picture.

"No, I'm fine. Just you and…"

"Please Mom!"

"Oh, alright!" She placed the camera on top of the dining table, set the timer and hurried to the group. A few seconds later, the camera flashed its light and took the photograph. "Thank you!" she told them. "Make a wish Ash!" Ash closed his eyes as he made a wish before opening them and blew out the candles. "Good job! Now, you need to eat a bit of it so it can come true!"

"Hello!" interrupted Lance, slightly annoyed. "We gotta go here!"

What happened next, nobody was expecting. Ash's mother whirled around and glared at the champion. "Listen here Champion, my son is going to be going on a dangerous mission for you because others cannot from what you say! And I don't know when he can come back home! So you can wait a few more minutes!" snapped Delia and Lance widened his eyes as he gulped over the furious expression on her face. The others just stared at them with their jaws dropped at what just occurred.

"Mom, he's right though. I need to…" started Ash weakly

"Ash, do as your mother says," interrupted Lance with a slightly frightened tone of voice.

Unable to say anything, Ash just nodded his head quietly while the rest couldn't believe that Lance submitted to another. He was usually very stubborn and unyielding. Delia had him eat a bit of his cake while cutting out slices for the others. She even handed one to the champion but in a rather rough way by jamming the plate into his stomach.

"Don't you know by now not to mess with mothers?" taunted Sabrina very quietly as she stood next to him and enjoyed her slice of cake.

"Shut it," he replied back in barely a whisper before quietly consuming his share. The psychic prodigy just smirked at him, keeping in her laughter.

When he finally finished eating his piece of the cake, Ash stood up. "Thank you Mom. I'm gonna go get Pikachu so we can leave."

Lance's eyes widened as he just thought of something. "Ash! You can't take Pikachu with you!" Everyone looked at the champion over what he said. When Ash asked him why, he explained further. "Even though we're going to get you the best disguises that money can buy, if you take Pikachu with you, it could cause problems. Especially since he won't stay inside his poke ball and the fact that you won't be seen for a while, it could cause them to grow suspicious of you. We can't take that chance!"

Ash sagged his shoulders as he understood what Lance was telling him. He had never before left Pikachu behind when he started another adventure or mission. But he had to this time? "Damn it. Fine. Let me just go say goodbye to him then." Ash made his way upstairs and entered his room. He saw that his starter and best friend was still snoozing away. He smiled a bit before kneeling beside him. "Hey, Pikachu, get up buddy. I need to tell you something." The electric mouse groaned a little before opening his eyes and faced his trainer and best friend. "Hey, I'm gonna go on a mission with Lance and Sabrina."

Pikachu widened his eyes and stood up. "Pikapi, pi pika!"

Ash shook his head. "I'm sorry buddy. I said 'I'm' going. Not 'we'." Pikachu tilted his head, confused as to why he said it that way. "I can't take you with me." Pikachu's ears drooped and he gave a puppy dog pout. "C'mon, don't do that to me buddy. I want to take you with me. But the mission I'm going to go on, I have to go in disguise. And if you go with me, since you won't stay inside your poke ball, then they'll find out who I am and they could hurt Mom or our friends."

Pikachu looked down for a moment. He then got an idea, jumped off his bed and dashed to the backpack on the ground and rummaged through it. Finding what he was looking for, Pikachu retreated from it and held it up. It was his poke ball. "Pikapi, pi pika pi pikachu pi pi pika."

Ash couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You'll go into your poke ball so you can come with me?" he asked him and his starter nodded. Ash's eyes watered over that and he quickly moved to his first pokemon and hugged him. "Thank you buddy. You don't know how much that means to me." Pikachu hugged him back. "But I think it will be better if you still stay." Pikachu withdrew from the hug and gave him a shocked look. "Not because I don't want you with me. But because I don't know how long I'll be on this mission for. And if the bad guys find out who I am, I need someone I can trust who can protect Mom. Though my other pokémon will be at Professor Oak's ranch, I need someone by her side at all times. And you're one of my strongest pokémon. Will you please do this for me Pikachu?" asked Ash.

Pikachu looked into his trainer's eyes while thinking about everything he just said. Understanding everything, the electric mouse had a serious expression form on his face before nodding. "Pikapi, pi pika pi pi pikachu."

Ash nodded. "Thanks and I know you'll do everything to protect Mom buddy." The two hugged once more before he stood back up. "C'mon, let's go tell everyone." Pikachu jumped to his shoulders and the two made their way back to everyone. When Lance saw the yellow mouse, he was about to say something when Ash raised his hand. "Pikachu isn't coming with me Lance. I explained everything to him and he agreed to stay," he told the champion who nodded before facing Delia. "Mom, Pikachu is going to stay with you so he can protect you and keep you company. And most of my pokémon will still be at Professor Oak's ranch so they can help you and protect you too. Okay?" Delia smiled at that and agreed to it. Pikachu jumped to her shoulders and nuzzled against her cheek with his own. She giggled a bit over that. Ash faced Lance and Sabrina. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Before Ash could say another word, Delia stood up and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you my son. I know you and Sabrina will succeed. Just promise me that you'll come back in one peace and that you'll take care of yourself and Sabrina. Alright?"

"I promise Mom," said Ash while in the hug. They separated and he looked at the girls who had gathered round him. Without any hostility towards one another, the five girls took him up into a group hug once more, trying to show their feelings for him through their action before each of them said something.

"Please be careful Ash," requested Misty.

"I know you're tough but don't push yourself too hard," advised May.

"No matter what you experience, don't let it change you," pleaded Dawn.

"Just think of the good times if and when you're going through something bad," stated Iris.

"And we'll be waiting for you for as long as it takes for you to come back," finished Serena.

Ash felt his heart beat begin to quicken over what they told him and he was starting to redden from feeling their bodies against his. Something began stirring within him that he had felt sometimes throughout his travels with them but it was much more powerful. Suddenly realizing what he was feeling, Ash wanted to kick himself for not noticing it until now. But he remembered what they just told him and he relaxed a little.

Sensing what he and the girls were feeling, Sabrina turned her gaze away from them to keep herself from showing any emotion to them as she thought about what she just sensed from them. Looks like he does have feelings for them too. But, how will he choose? I guess he'll have to wait till after we complete our mission. That is, if we do come back at all. Worry and sadness filled the psychic prodigy over what was happening and what the two of them were about to do. But she kept her expression neutral since she had a reputation to keep.

After a while, the girls and Ash separated and he promised that he would do what they asked of him. The girls smiled slightly as their wet eyes shined under the living room lights. "Just do me a favor. Can you tell the others for me when you see them?" he asked.

Before any of them could say anything, Lance spoke up. "No! They will not!" Startled by his outburst, everyone else set their gaze onto him. "Look, telling your mother was necessary. Telling your five girlfriends…" Ash and the girls blushed heavily over that but before they could remark that they weren't together, Lance continued on. "…was a stretch. But we cannot tell anymore of your friends! The more people who know about this, the easier it will be for Agma to find out about our plans if they get suspicious and decide to do a little investigating of their own! Understand?!" he told them. They looked at one another as they understood and then looked at Lance. Promising that they won't say anything to anyone else, no matter what, Lance let out a relieved sigh. "Good." Lance then faced Delia. "Thank you for understanding and supporting this," said Lance before he exited the house.

Seeing the incredibly saddened expression on Ash's mother, Sabrina had this sudden impulse to say something and she didn't stop herself. "I won't let anything happen to your son," promised Sabrina. Delia was at first shocked over hearing that from the psychic prodigy because of her well known reputation but quickly recovered and thanked her for that. Facing the girls, she remembered the photographs from Ash's room and their feelings. "I'll keep the one you love safe for you," she told them via mental girls had their eyes widen over hearing her voice in their head but said nothing. Instead they just nodded at her. Coming back to her senses after all that, she wondered why she did what she just did and the Saffron gym leader exited the house too while confused over her actions.

Ash walked to the door but before he followed after them, he glanced back at his mother and the girls. He saw the proud but sullen look on his mother's face. He saw the watery eyes and scared looks on the girls' faces. "Everything will be fine. We'll stop this 'Light of Agma', this new group that Archie and Maxie started. You guys just take care of yourselves. Mom, Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, Serena…" As he mentioned each one, he locked eyes with them before moving on to the next. "…I will always think of you and I'll be back as soon as I can." He smiled at them, to try to reassure them that everything will be fine and they smiled back at him before he left and closed the door behind him.

The second he disappeared outside, Delia collapsed onto the couch and buried her face into her hands before she started to shake and let out small sobs. Pikachu tried to calm her down by patting her head gently. The girls gathered around her and tried to comfort her but were having a hard time controlling their emotions as well. "He just came home…and now he's leaving again…and this time on a very dangerous mission…why…" The girls hugged the crying mother while they too freely let out their own tears. They were feeling and thinking the same way but tried to comfort her by rubbing her back and telling her that he will be fine and be back before they knew it. They also promised her that they will stay with her until he comes back. "Why…would you…stay?" she asked them through her sobs.

The five girls glanced at one another and after a moment, agreed silently to tell her the reason. They faced their crush's mother to tell her the reason why. "Because…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A group of three people appeared out of thin air in front of a large building with tall concrete walls around it. After Ash stepped outside and walked over to Sabrina and Lance who were waiting on the street in front of his house, Sabrina's eyes glowed blue before they vanished from sight. Shaking his head afterwards to throw off the sudden unknown feeling, Ash then looked around the area. "That felt weird. I've never teleported before. You know we could've walked to the professor's lab," he told them.

"Sorry, it does feel a little jarring to teleport the first few times. We just don't want to waste time. I should've warned you that I was going to do that," apologized Sabrina.

"Gotcha and it's alright since I'm fine," replied back Ash and she nodded.

Lance stepped forward. "Remember, only six pokémon. We don't have time to train all of your pokémon. Just choose ones who are naturally strong, are versatile and have great potential to become very powerful. We'll wait for you here," he said.

"Got it," said Ash. He quickly moved walked alongside the wall towards the entrance and when he reached the door, he rang the door bell on it. A moment later it was opened by a middle aged man with grey hair who was wearing a white lab coat over khaki pants and red shirt. "Hi Professor Oak. I'm here to get some of my pokémon so we can train," said Ash, deciding not to waste time since he had people waiting for him and a mission that needed to get started on.

"Ah Ash, sure thing! Come on in," he replied as he stepped to the side and Ash walked inside. As they walked down the hall, the professor spoke to Ash who he viewed as his own. "Getting started on training again so early? Don't you want to relax a bit? I thought you'd be happy to be back home. Speaking of which, how are things? Feeling good that…"

"Everything's alright Professor. I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry as I don't have much time as others are waiting for me," interrupted Ash.

Seeing the serious look on his face, Professor Oak understood. "I see. Okay, let's get this going." He entered his laboratory where his pokémon transfer machine was. "Which pokémon do you want?" asked Oak.

Ash thought for a bit before deciding. "I want these six pokémon." He told him which pokémon he wanted and the professor quickly got them ready for him. After getting the pokémon he requested, he thanked the professor and quickly left but not before telling him not to tell anyone about this. Professor Oak agreed but asked why since he was curious. Ash quickly made up a story that he was going to go into specialized training with them and didn't want people to know about it until the next time he competed. Promising to keep quiet, Oak wished him luck as Ash took his leave while thanking him again.

Once he left the building, Ash hurried to where Lance and Sabrina were waiting for him. "Got them?" asked Lance and Ash nodded. "Good. It's time we begin."

Ash glanced towards the direction where is house is in the distance. "I guess it is. Goodbye everyone. Stay safe. I hope we'll see each other again soon." After he said that hope out loud, Sabrina gave him a respectful look that he caught. He nodded at her and she nodded back before her eyes glowed blue.

The Saffron gym leader, the Champion of Kanto and the Pallet Town trainer vanished in blue glows to begin their mission. A mission that would have them go through many horrible and terrible experiences that will cause them to change from who they were. A mission that will have their actions and choices haunt them for the rest of their life, whether they succeed or not in the end of thwarting the vile group that calls themselves the "Light of Agma". They will never forget the things they did for so called justice and for the greater good. Only the two would truly understand what they've gone through, the reasons why and what it did to them. Their suffering will bring them to the brink and they will wonder if they can ever come back from it. And they will soon come to name their pain, their anguish, their nightmares and their despair. They will call them their 'Agma Sins'.