Arising from Ashes

by Qawsd

Ash was caught by Team Rocket and he was made to be in Team Rocket for years and he escapes. What happens after he escapes and how would Team Rocket pursue Ash? Will Ash manage to defeat Team Rocket or will he be forced to join Team Rocket and what would he do once he joins? What will the world do if Ash is captured again and Team Rocket starts its plan to take over the world?

4. Chapter 4

"So you became friends with a Rocket!" Prof. Oak exclaimed!

"Yes I did Professor and I'm still friends with her to this day," Ash replied calmly. "Aly and I had gone through a lot together, and she helped me escape. So without her I wouldn't be here right now,"

"But Ash, you can't trust Rockets, they will lie to get what they want!" Misty said incredulously! She couldn't believe that Ash would trust a Rocket! How naive could he get?

Ash sighed; this was agitating him a little. "You don't think I know that Misty? I never told her everything and she understood when I wouldn't answer certain questions. She knew I was being forced to stay at the Academy. She understood when I couldn't tell her where I was going once I broke out."

"But I knew why she was a Rocket, I know her story and why she joined. And that's something I can never tell you. Wanna know why, because she trusted me enough to tell me. I'm the only person who knows why she joined, no one in the entire Rocket organization knows." Ash took a deep breath.

"And you can think or say whatever you want about her, but none of you will know her like I do!" Ash finished firmly putting an end to the conversation.

The entire group stared at Ash stunned; he was flat out defending Team Rocket. Whatever bond this Alyssa girl and Ash had was special. Ash and Alyssa must have gone through a lot in the past few years for Ash to talk about her like that.

"I-I'm sorry Ash…"Misty trailed off.

"It's fine Misty, I didn't mean to be rude or anything like that. It's just that without her I could very well be dead right now. And she had to go through a lot before and after I escaped," Ash said gently.

"Now what's the next question? Ash asked the group. The group sat silently as they considered the next question. Surprisingly Pikachu was the next one to ask a question.

"Pikapi pi pikachu chu, ka pi Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"Hmm," Ash thought about what Pikachu had asked him.

"What did Pikachu ask Ash?" Delia asked. She was getting more comfortable now that the story wasn't so hard to hear.

"Pikachu wants to know what the next important thing that happened was. In my eyes there are quite a few. But the main events that would come into play wou-" Ash stopped as he remembered something.

"What is it Ash?" Tracey asked. Ash didn't answer; he was still going over something in his head. The group waited for Ash to finish thinking. It was almost 5 minutes later before Ash began to speak again.

"Well…I suppose the most important thing would be the 'Tournament' (Ash used finger quotes as he said this) Giovanni held in my honor," Ash said, his mind was far away as he recalled the events.

"Was it a Pokemon tournament?" Brock asked.

"No, nothing like that, and I wasn't allowed to use Pokemon, only the fighting types I trained with," Ash said dismissively.

"Why couldn't you use Pokemon Ash?" Misty asked. Team Rocket used Pokemon to do their work. So why wouldn't Ash be allowed to use them too?

"They knew I could battle, and they thought I would use one to try and make an escape attempt. So they kept me away from Pokemon, and Pokeballs," Ash said nonchalantly.

"So what was the tournament then?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Well I was the best fighter in the school. I could take out anyone if I wanted to, and I'm not just saying that to be cocky. It's the truth!" Ash said making sure that everyone understood.

"So after I fought Chris, I had a couple more fights over time and I came out on top each time. And once Giovanni got word that I had taken down 12 or so Grunts with ease, he decided to hold a fighting competition to see how well I'd fair against the others," Ash stated as he grabbed the water bottle off the floor and took another drink.

"Whys that the next important thing Ash?" Misty asked.

"Because this was around the time I was planning my breakout. And I learned that if I won the tournament, I would be sent to an Advanced Academy for training," Ash answered, this was an important factor leading to the breakout.

"So did you throw the competition, so you wouldn't be transferred?" Tracey asked.

"I couldn't throw the competition. If I did Giovanni would suspect something, and bump up the security around me. And if he did that, I wouldn't be able to attempt the break out," Ash said as he rummaged through his bag.

"Ka chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Ash.

"You'll see in a second Pikachu," Ash said as he pulled out an object wrapped in cloth from his back pack.

"What's that honey?" Delia asked. Ash unwound the cloth, and inside was a sheathed knife.

"The tournament started with fist fighting, but after a while, they brought what they trained us with into play," Ash said as he unsheathed the large blade. It had a black hilt, the steel blade was 10" and edged.

"This was the knife I used when it came to the fighting. But I didn't use it to cripple, only to do enough damage to get the win."

"The main reason I couldn't throw the competition was because there were a few Grunts who wouldn't mind seeing me get hurt, or killed for a matter of fact. So I had to injure some so that I could continue. I never did permanent damage tho!" Ash said sternly.

"So how did the competition go Ash?" Brock asked. He wasn't one for violence, but this seemed like it could be an interesting story.

Ash thought about where he could start. "Well I guess I should start from when I first found out about the tournament right?" He asked. The group shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, so…" Ash began.

[Flashback]

Ash was sprawled out on the bed in his tight compact room that was his living quarters. The room he was forced to live in was double the size of a broom closet. The room was just big enough for a bed to fit in tightly against the walls, to the right of the bed was a small dresser that kept multiple Rocket uniforms which he wore every day. Other than that, the room was empty except for the door.

Ash had finished the days Training, and had just gotten back from spending the night with Alyssa. She had grown to be the fire that energized him to keep going. It was almost two years since they had met, and they had grown a special bond. She was the only reason that he was still going, she was the only reason he was still alive.

The day they met in the cafeteria those two years ago changed everything for him. He had been alone, unloved, unwanted. He was just a tool in whatever Giovanni's plan was. But she kept him from doing anything rash, during the two years both of them had gone through a lot. Ash owed her his life, because she stopped him from doing anything that he'd regret.

There were times when he wanted to call it quits, and just end it. But she pulled him through it. He couldn't allow himself to do that to her. She had given up everything for him, and he would do the same. Even if it killed him in the process.

Ash was beginning to doze off as he heard the door to his room snap open. He was tempted to turn around to look to see who it was, he knew it wouldn't have been Alyssa; she would have knocked and yelled something sarcastically at him.

"You got some nerve just opening the door like that." Ash said coldly not opening his eyes. The person didn't answer; instead they came up and gripped Ash on the arm. And that was a mistake. Ash snapped his eyes open and tore his arm away from the Rocket. Ash flew off the bed and threw a quick jab into the Rockets jaw. Ash grabbed the Rockets arm and twisted it at a painful angle behind the Rockets back and slammed his head into the wall of his room.

Pinning the Rocket against the wall Ash asked the question. "Tell me right now why I shouldn't snap your arm! And knock you unconscious!" Ash growled!

The Rocket didn't answer immediately, which made Ash increase the pressure on the arm."I-I have an Agh! Message from the Boss!" The Grunt got out.

"Well if that's the case why didn't you knock on the door like a regular human being? Or why did you not answer me when I asked you what you were doing coming in here?" Ash said calmly applying more pressure.

The Grunt winced as the pain shot up through his harm. "It's Urgent! Giovanni told me to get you right away!" The Grunt managed.

"Where is he?" Ash asked.

"His office! He showed up randomly and told me to come find you!" The Grunt answered. Ash knew something was up; Giovanni didn't reside here at the Academy. He stayed at wherever the main Rocket HQ was.

"You're getting off lucky, next time you need me knock like a human, or I break your neck! Got it!" Ash growled threateningly. Ash would never break somebody's neck, unless it was a life or death situation. But the Rocket didn't know that.

"Of course, I'm sorry! I swear!" The Grunt said as he looked into Ashs dangerous glare. Ash released his hold on the Grunt and told him to get lost. He gladly obliged. Ash sighed and walked over to the small wooden dresser. Opening the top of the three drawers, he took out his black cap. Placing it over his head so that it covered his eyes, he turned and left his room.

Leaving his room in the Dormitory he went left down the hall, then down two flights of stairs and took a right. Going down the hall way, he took a left and continued down the hall for a minute before taking another right and ended up in the Training room. Giovanni's office was situated between both a Gym, and a Training field. It was so that he could watch the Grunts train to see if they were any good, and to see if they need some encouragement as Giovanni put it.

Ash walked across the dirt battle field and up a short stair case that led to a wooden door. Ash knocked on the door and waited. Ash waited and after a minute the door finally opened. The door was opened by a blond Grunt. Ash didn't acknowledge him and walked in. He was in a small room with a desk and a chair beside another door. Ash went up to the door and knocked.

"Hey you can't just-" The Grunt was cut off by Ash turning to him and raising his hat a little, giving him an icy gaze telling him to be quiet.

Ash turned back to the door and knocked again. He was tired and didn't want to be here long. Giovanni would no doubt be displeased with Ash for constantly knocking. But Ash didn't care; he had no respect for Giovanni, or Team Rocket. Except Alyssa of course.

The door finally opened and in the door frame stood a smiling Giovanni in his regular orange suit. "Ah, Ash my boy come in, come in!" Giovanni said coolly motioning for Ash to enter the room. Ash didn't like Giovanni's tone, but obliged and sat in the chair facing the desk that was in the room.

The room was large; it had book shelves lining the walls. The desk sat in the center of the room; on top were a computer, a digital clock, and some papers, other than that nothing, and there was also a black leather chair behind the desk.

Giovanni went around to the other side of the desk, and sat down in the chair. "How have you been Ash? It's been awhile since our last meeting." Giovanni stated calmly.

"Fine," Ash replied just as calmly.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at Ash, but let a smirk come across his face. "Still following in my footsteps I see?" Giovanni guessed.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm keeping myself alive. Now why am I here?" Ash asked calmly. Ash wasn't intimidated by the older man, at first when Ash had begun to take away his emotions he hadn't realized he had taken the tone Giovanni had used when he had first been kidnapped. Ash improved on it tho, adding the hat for effect, and making the tone a lot more ominous.

Giovanni's smirk grew. This unsettled Ash, but he didn't change his demeanor. Giovanni took one of the papers off the desk and handed it to Ash. Ash took the paper and looked at what was on it. Names were written down the left side of the sheet; lines branched off from the names and connected to other lines. Making a pyramid until there was one line at the top.

Ash had seen this many times in his journeys, it was a battle tree chart. Ash was more than puzzled, was there going to be a Pokemon battle tournament or something? "Is there a Pokemon battle tournament?" Ash asked as he scanned the names. Half way down he noticed his name.

"A tournament yes, Pokemon no." Ash was puzzled by his answer, but remained silent so Giovanni could continue.

"Ash your skills as a fighter are becoming too much for this Academy to handle. Over the last two years you have fought in 17 fights, and won each one,"

"I wouldn't fight if they didn't provoke me." Ash stated simply.

Giovanni smiled, "Well of course, and you wouldn't have fought if they hadn't gone after that girl right?" Giovanni asked innocently. Ash didn't answer. But Giovanni knew the answer anyway.

"If you are as skilled as a fighter as I believe you are, I'm going to transfer you to a new facility with better training, and better security so you can start to use Pokemon." Giovanni waited for Ashs reaction. He didn't get one, that damn hat of his hid the expression in his eyes and left him answer less.

Ash was deep in thought; he made sure to keep a blank face on in case Giovanni got a good look at his face. 'I can't transfer, I'm so close to getting out of here, and I can't leave Aly here by herself, she'll be torn. But what if I do terrible on purpose? Then he'd know I'm not a very good fighter, or what if I decide not to compete?' Ash was struggling for a way to get out of this.

Giovanni was getting annoyed with Ash; he had kept him waiting for almost 5 minutes. Ash finally spoke. "This is a fighting completion?" Ash asked.

"Yes, it is."

"I won't transfer," Ash said laying extra stress on 'wont.'

"Well that depends if you win or not," Giovanni stated firmly.

"What if I throw the competition?"

"Why would you? You have nothing to lose do you?" Asked Giovanni suspiciously.

"In fact I do, I can't leave the girl." Ash put firmly, he looked down at sheet again and took another look at the list scanning the names.

Giovanni studied Ash for some sort of emotion, as much as he hated it Ash played the emotionless role very well. Better than him, but he wouldn't admit it.

"What if I transferred the girl with you?" Giovanni asked, he was trying to hit Ash in a weak spot. Ash snapped his gaze from the sheet to Giovanni as he said that. Ash didn't think he would play that card. Either Giovanni was up to something, or he really wanted Ash to compete in the competition.

Giovanni knew he had Ashs attention when he said that. "I'll make you a deal," Giovanni said simply placing his hands on the desk. "If you win the competition, I'll send you and the girl to the facility. But if you lose, or try and get out of the competition I will bring back the security from when you first arrived, and I'll have the girl shipped to another Academy. But if you throw the competition, on purpose. I will ship you to the Advanced Academy imminently, no time for good byes to your friend. As soon as the match is done, you're gone." He finished firmly.

"What happens if I do my best, but don't end up winning?" Ash asked seriously. Giovanni hadn't actually considered that. But he came up with an answer.

"Let's see how far you get, if you're near the top, and you pass out from exhaustion, or from blood loss. You will be shipped off without the girl. If you lose in the beginning with what I truly believe is your top fighting, this entire thing will have been a waste of time." Giovanni finished.

Ash didn't like this agreement at all; he was getting the worst of the deal. But he had to ask what was on his mind. Ash reluctantly took his hand and put it on his hat. Slowly he gripped it and took it off.

Giovanni was surprised at this, he was about to say something when he noticed the look in Ashs eyes. "I would like time to think over that decision," he stated firmly but cautiously. Giovanni could see in his eyes that he was treading lightly, and Giovanni decided to take that into his advantage.

"Why can't you answer for me now?" He asked.

"This decision can change the outcome of how this entire competition goes. And it's not only me being put at risk; it's also putting the girl on the line." Ash said slowly.

"I would like to discuss the deal with the girl, and get her input. But for reference, when is the competition?" Ash said this slowly as he folded up the sheet and tucked it into his shirt.

Giovanni eyed Ash suspiciously. He drummed his fingers across the desk as he considered what Ash had asked. As Giovanni thought about what Ash had asked, Ash stole a glance at the clock. It was almost midnight. Ash waited for a few minutes, until the Boss broke the silence.

"How long will it take for you to talk this over with the girl? You most of all know I'm not patient, and I would like this to be settled fairly quickly."

"Let me go now, I'll head to her room and we'll talk through the night. We will come in here at 6 and have your answer." Ash said firmly with a nod.

"What do you mean we?" Giovanni asked.

"I bring the girl with me to answer you. For…Insurance." Ash said with the faint trace of a grin.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow at that, "Fine hurry up, and if you keep me waiting a minute after 6 deals off." Giovanni said pointing at the door, telling him to leave.

Ash needed know further coaxing; he pulled the cap over his eyes and bolted through the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash sprinted down the empty hallways, taking several lefts and rights until he finally arrived at the girl's dorm. Stopping to catch his breath, Ash opened the door that led to the many rooms in the building. Ash knew Alyssa wouldn't be thrilled to see him at midnight; in fact she'd probably be asleep. But Ash needed her help with this, he couldn't leave her or be sent to a different Academy.

Continuing down one of the hallways Ash looked at the numbers on each of the passing doors. 313, 314, 315, 316, and 317! Ash thought as he stopped and continually knocked on room 317s door until someone decided to answer.

Ask knocked for 30 continuous seconds before the door was opened. Opening the door stood a green haired girl with dark green eyes, a large nose, freckles, and a scowl on her face. Seeing that Ash had been the one at the door, she closed it on him right away.

Ash began knocking harder this time and louder to wake up all the occupants in the room. After no one answered the door, Ash did what he hated to do. He started yelling. While continuously knocking on the door Ash began to call out Alyssa.

"ALYSSA! ALYSSA WAKE UP! I KNOW YOU CAN HERE ME! AND TELL THAT GREEN HAIRED GIRL IT'S RUDE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON PEOPLE!" Ash shouted, as much as he didn't like to yell, this was a little fun. The door was swung open again by an irritated Alyssa.

"Nice PJ's," Ash snickered at the blond. She was wearing a green tank top with Roselias printed all over, and grey sweat pants.

"What the hell are you doing here, and why are you all sweaty?" She whispered furiously. She was doing everything possible to not smack the smirk off Ashs face.

"Look Aly, get changed we need to talk. Important business!" Ash said seriously and quietly, so that the other girl wouldn't hear. Alyssa's eyes went wide awake at that, Ash usually waited till the morning to talk about important things.

"What is it?" She inquired.

"Can't talk here, I'll wait for you to get changed then we'll head to my room k?"

"Okay, hang on!" Alyssa slammed the door shut, and minutes later she appeared wearing her regular Rocket pants and a black hoodie over her green shirt.

"Let's go, we've only got a few hours," Ash said as he took off down the hall.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two arrived at Ashs tiny room a couple of minutes later and sat down on the bed. Ash reached into his shirt and pulled out the folded piece of paper.

"What's that?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, but I just got out of a meeting with Giovanni," Ash began.

"Giovanni's here?"

"Yeah, and what we talked about concerns you, I was able to get him to give me a couple hours to discuss this with you before I gave him my answer!" Ash gave her the piece of paper and waited while she examined it.

Ash watched as her eyes scanned the list of names, her eyes stopped for a second when she read Ashs name, but continued after the moment's hesitation. She looked up from the sheet and looked at Ash, "What's this supposed to be a tournament listing or something? And whys your name on it, you can't use Pokemon?"

"It's a tournament; Giovanni wants to transfer me to another Academy. So to see if I would be suited for it, he's holding a fighting competition to see how well I do."

"You're being transferred!" Alyssa said in shock.

"I told him I wouldn't compete so I wouldn't have to leave you Aly," Ash said giving Alyssa a reassuring look.

"So you're not leaving?" Alyssa was confused,

"This is why I came to you, Giovanni offered me a deal, if I win the tournament, I get transferred and you come with me." Ash said giving her a small smile.

Alyssa's face lit up into a smile! "That's great! We know that you're the top fighter here, so it shouldn't be a problem right?"

"With Giovanni there are always more details, If I try and throw the competition I'll be sent to the other Academy. If I don't compete, Giovanni will bring back the old security and send you off to another Academy. And If I do my best but don't win and I'm near the top, I'll be shipped off without you. But if I do my best and I lose in the beginning, then everything remains the same." Ash finished.

Alyssa thought about what Ash had said, there was a lot on the line for both of them. They could be split up, they could stay together here at the Academy, or at a different academy, or she would be sent off and Ash would be left with tight security and no one to be with him.

"So what do you plan on doing? And why would you not compete or throw the competition?" This part puzzled her.

Ash took off his hat and set it on the ground; he got up and opened the door, and checked to make sure no one had been eavesdropping. Making sure the coast was clear he silently closed the door and locked it.

Sitting down on the bed, Ash told her why. "There are three main reasons I can't throw the competition. One I can't lose you, two I can't change Academy's, and three I can't have the old security back."

"Well, I understand one of those three answers, mind filling me in on the rest?" Ash nodded, he knew she wouldn't like what she was going to get for an answer.

"Remember the day we met? When I asked you where this Academy was?" Ash asked.

She nodded. "And you remember that Giovanni went to great lengths to get me here?" She nodded again. "Do you know how he got me here?" Alyssa was about to nod but stopped. This was something she had thought about once or twice, but other than that it had never been brought up.

"No, I thought about it a few times, but I never thought of asking. Is it something I should know?"

Ash nodded, "You know how I told you how I used to train Pokemon, and go traveling and competed in leagues."

"Yeah?"

"Well Giovanni went to great lengths to get me here. So far as to what I can piece together he went as far as to attack me at the award ceremony at the end of a League." Ash wasn't sure how she would handle the news.

"I-I knew you said you were being forced to stay here. But I never would have expected that!" Alyssa was shocked; Ash had simply told her that he had been brought here against his will. And when she asked why, he said he didn't know.

"You told me you didn't know why you were here! Did you lie to me?" She asked incredulously! Ever since Ash and her had become friends, they had always been truthful with each other. The thought that Ash had lied to her was a tough thought to bear.

"I never lied to you Aly, I still don't know why I'm here. But when Giovanni forced me to join, he threatened to kill my friends and family if I didn't join. That's the only reason I stayed."

Alyssa couldn't believe this! Ash had only joined Team Rocket because the lives of his friends and family were on the line!

"Ash. I-I Didn't know!"

Ash smiled at her. "It didn't turn out all bad tho. If they hadn't done that, I never would have met you!"

Alyssa couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. "Yeah, I guess that's a good thing isn't it?"

"But now that Giovanni wants to send me to another Academy. There's something you need to know that you won't like,"

"What is it?"

"Over the past few months, I've been planning my…Escape."

Alyssa looked at Ash astonished! "Your…Escape?"

"Yeah, I can't stay here anymore. I don't know what's going on. But now that I know Giovanni wants me to go for Advance training, that can't be good. I have to get out of here before he sends me. I have a feeling win or lose I'm going to be sent there no matter what."

"Why haven't you told me about this? Don't you think I should have known?"

"I know, but I never knew how to bring it up. Do you honestly want to know why I never brought it up?"

Alyssa nodded the fact Ash was going to leave without her knowing was unexpected.

"I'm concerned about what would happen to you after I had gone." Alyssa gestured for him to continue. "Well you're the only person, who's been with me through this whole thing. Giovanni would no doubt come to you for answers, and his methods of getting you to talk aren't fun. Believe me."

Alyssa stared at Ash; she wasn't sure what to think of this. "W-what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know. If I broke out…Would you come with me?"

"What!" Alyssa didn't see that coming.

"Would you want to come?"

"Where are you planning on going?"

"I can't tell you if you're not going to come," Ash said, he had thought through all this before.

"How come?"

"Think about it. If you stayed and knew of my whereabouts, they wouldn't stop until you spilled. And believe me they would get it out of you!"

"I don't think I should Ash, I have nowhere else to go. And living the life of a fugitive doesn't sound like it would be the easiest thing to do." Alyssa was worried that Ash would try to keep coaxing her into joining, but his next words dismissed those feelings.

"It's fine, but say I can get things together on my own. Would you like to get out of here? Like I break you out or something?" Alyssa gaped. Comeback for her?

Ash raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you give me an idea of what you're planning at least? If you did get things together, what would we do?"

"That's something I can't tell you. I've got a few things to still think about. But when we go to see Giovanni, we can only hope that the tournament isn't for a few months. I'm going to need your help getting ready for it, I'm going to have to win this thing, I have a way of getting a time extension once the tournaments over, but that's when I'm going to have to leave. The night after the tournament,"

"How do you plan on getting out?" Alyssa asked, this was something she was quite curious about. The Academy was a 3 section building. On the left side was the male dormitory; in the middle were the Training rooms, cafeterias, gyms, and the infirmary. Then on the right side was the girl's dorm.

The entire building was surrounded by a fence, and a large forest that stretched on for miles.

"Well, I'm going to do it around 2AM, the guards will be tired, and will be changing shifts an hour after. I'm going to head up to the cafeteria and break out through that window that's about half way down the back wall. Once I'm out from there I'm making a dash into the woods, and hopefully be far from here once they get word I'm missing. Nothing complicated, the more complicated the more things can go wrong."

"Okay two things with that, one the cafeterias locked, and two the window has two iron bars across it. How do you expect to get through those?"

"Cafeterias easy, I'll pick the lock, take maybe a minute, once I'm in there jam the door shut, then taking out the bars will take some time, but I've done it before." Ash said nonchalantly.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously. "You've done it before?"

"I've dealt with Team Rocket in the past; I've been thrown into a few cages here and there. Sure my Pokemon were the ones that broke the cages, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve so."

"Like?" She asked innocently.

"Like something I can't mention, best if I keep that a secret until I get you out," Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "Okay we've got about two hours till we got to see Giovanni, do you wanna sleep in here, then I'll wake you up when it's time to go?"

Alyssa thought about it, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep now knowing all the facts she had just learned. "I'll try, I'm not sure I will be able to tho."

"Okay, I'll lie on the floor; I've got some things to think about." Ash said.

Getting up from the bed, Ash went to the drawer and took out two shirts and folded them into a pillow. Alyssa crawled under the thin covers of the bed and closed her eyes. Ash dropped down on the floor and lay down, slipping the shirts underneath his head for slight comfort.

' I'm going to have to train a lot more then I usually do before this competition, but I can't help but wonder what Giovanni's up to. After I give him my answer, I'm going to take as much info as I can get from him.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash got up from the ground and stretched. His muscles were a little tight after lying on the ground for two hours. Ash took his hat off the ground and placed it on his head. Ash then picked up the folded shirts and went over to his dresser.

Ash slipped the shirts into the second drawer and opened the top and pulled out a second hat. He then looked over at the sleeping figure on his bed. Alyssa was curled up in the covers with her head half covered. Chuckling to himself Ash walked over and gently shook the tired girl. "Aly come on we got to get going. Gio ain't gonna like it if we're late."

Alyssa stirred, and slowly turned over to face him. "Why do I (yawn) need to come again?" She asked drowsily.

Ash smiled, "I need you to make sure there are no loop holes, or ways so that I can get scammed on this deal."

"Right, you get distracted easily and need someone to keep your from turning to the dark side right?"

"Yup now get up," Ash said as Alyssa slowly lifted herself out the bed. Once she had stretched Ash handed her a hat.

"Why do I need this?"

"You're going to do your best to hide your emotions. Not hard to do, and Giovanni can tell if were up to something."

Alyssa placed the black cap onto her head, making sure to fix the slight bed head she had. Ash noticed the hat was slightly off, and pulled the hat down another half inch so that it fully covered her eyes. Ash slipped his hat over his eyes and opened the door. "Let's go!" Ash said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The duo made their way into the Training room and up the staircase Ash had originally gone up. "Follow my lead," Ash whispered. Ash knocked hard on the door. After a moment the door was opened by a brown haired Grunt, following the same manner he had before. Ash walked right passed the Grunt and into the room. Alyssa was just behind Ash.

"What do you thin-" The Grunt was cut off by Ash tilting his hat up briefly shooting the Grunt a dangerous glare.

Ash knocked on the door to Giovanni's office and waited. There was a click and the door swung open, Giovanni had an emotionless gaze. Probably because Aly's here, Ash thought. "Come in, you and the girl came up with an answer I take it?" Ash sat down in one of the now two chairs in the room and motioned for Alyssa to do the same. She sat beside Ash.

Giovanni walked around the desk and sat down, he noticed the girl had her hat down the same way Ash did. The boy was clever, that's for sure. Ash spoke first, "The deal stands then?" his voice was as calm as ever.

A smirk came across the Rocket bosses face. "I take it you accept the deal?"

"Before I answer, I need to know if you're providing supplies." Ash asked. Giovanni wasn't expecting this, he expected a straight answer.

"What do you mean supplies?"

"If you want me to fight in this, I need wrist wraps if you expect me to do well; I'll also need an attire of my choice." Ash stated firmly. Alyssa was surprised at Ashs attitude to the Boss! He was acting as if he were in control of the situation. It was a good idea for Ash to give her the hat, because she was looking in awe at Ash.

Giovanni had a calm expression on his face , but on the inside he hated himself because he slightly admired how the kid could act as tho Giovanni was the one being questioned. But he had a way to counter Ashs cool demeanor.

"I supply the equipment you need, and you fight in the competition?" Giovanni asked? Alyssa leaned over to Ash and whispered something into his ear. This annoyed Giovanni.

"With the original deal acting as well right?" Ash asked.

Damn the girl! Giovanni was trying to slip one over on Ash and she saw through it. Giovanni glared at the girl. Even tho he couldn't see her eyes, he could see her tense up as he stared at her with cold eyes. Ash slowly moved his hand over to hers, to help keep her calm.

"Is it a deal? You supply the equipment, and the first deal is kept intact? Yes?" Ash said.

Giovanni tore his gaze from the girl and back to Ash, "Yes, the original deal and I get you the equipment." Giovanni said coldly. Ash held his hand out over the desk toward Giovanni. Giovanni took the offered hand and grabbed it tightly, Ash fought back by shaking just as hard.

Once the shake of power ended Ash had other things to discuss. "I'd like to dismiss the girl, so we can discuss more private matters without interruption," Ash stated coolly. This greatly surprised both Alyssa and Giovanni as both of their heads snapped to look at Ash.

Giovanni had no clue this was going to happen, and he wanted to tell them both to get lost, but now curiosity burned through him.

"And what matters might these be?" Asked Giovanni.

"As I said before, private matters between us, nothing needed for my companion to hear."

"And what do these have to deal with, that are important enough for the girl here to not be in the room if we talk about this." Giovanni said.

Ash tilted his cap up so Giovanni could see his eyes, "Ones that concern you and I, and I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about." Ash stated firmly laying a large amount of stress on 'you' and 'I' to get the point across.

Giovanni looked at the girl, "You're dismissed!" Alyssa gave him a salute and quickly left the room, not even giving Ash a look.

Once the door was shut Giovanni began. "What do you want to know? We haven't touched your family if that's what you want to know."

"I want to know why took me in the first place, I'm being sent to an Advanced Academy. So whatever you have planned must be happening soon." Ash stated.

"Those have nothing to do with you, and do not concern you." Giovanni stated flatly.

"I have my thoughts; maybe you'd like to hear them?" Ash said inquisitively.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm right, I've only got small bits of it. But I think you'll know I'm on the right track, interested?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow at the Boss.

"Oh please do, inform me of your glorious detective work!" Giovanni scowled.

"You only took me so I'd stay out of the way, out of the way of what I'm not sure. But it has to deal with the Pokemon League, Kanto or Johto. Take your pick?"

Now it was Giovanni's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And why would it have to deal with the Pokemon League?" Giovanni questioned.

"Two reasons, you have power in Johto, and Kanto. And there's really no other reason for you to remove me from the League unless you see me as a threat." Ash stated in a matter of factly tone.

Giovanni studied Ash thoroughly, the kid thought this through well. But that shouldn't surprise him; he's had two years to think it through. But the kid wasn't far from the truth.

Giovanni smirked. "I won't lie to you, those are some good theories. But you're far from the truth there." Giovanni was a master of lying, the puzzled expression on Ashs face proved that.

Ashs face turned into a scowl, "Well, that's what I wasn't hoping for. But I have nothing else to discuss." Ash said downheartedly.

"Good, now leave before you feel like bringing anything else up!" Giovanni said pointing at the door.

Ash was about to get up, when something stopped him. "When is the competition?" Ash asked.

"One month, now go!" Giovanni said getting irritated. Ash got up from his chair and walked through the door pulling down the cap over his eyes.

Walking out he did not see Alyssa, but that wasn't surprising. Leaving onto the field and out in the hall Ash couldn't help the victorious smirk that came across his face. Ash had one month to get ready for the break out, and he had read Giovanni's face like a book. When Giovanni had said that he was nowhere near right about his thoughts. Ash looked into his eyes to see that he was telling the truth.

That would never happen; Giovanni would have kept a blank gaze so that Ash couldn't read his thoughts. But when he did, it was like he wanted Ash to know that it was the truth. And that's where Giovanni's plan had back fired.

Giovanni was a guessing game, that you would either be told a lie, or a confusing answer of the truth.

And Ash had been told a lie.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash had found Alyssa in his room asleep on the bed, coaxing her from her sleep. He said they had one month to prepare, she asked what he had asked Giovanni. And guilt swam over Ash for the first time as he told her a lie. Instead of filling her in on that he knew Giovanni had lied to him about the answer, he had told her what Giovanni had told him. And that was it.

It was going to be for the greater good in the end. Ash knew how he was going to do the tournament and everything. He had everything planned out on his walk back to his room, he had thought on how the tournament would play out and the breakout. He told Alyssa his idea for the competition, and she thought it was brilliant. But now he had to train for it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

[One Month Later]

'Left, left, right, duck, kick, dodge!' Ash thought as he rhythmically moved around the punching bag. He had been in the gym for 5 straight hours, over the last month and he had spent his time constantly practicing to get his stamina and strength to its fullest before the tournament was held.

The tournament was the next day and he had to prepare himself for the tiring day ahead. Ash knew that if he made the slightest mistake in this tournament, it could be disaster for his plans. He could break his leg, or arm, sprain his ankle, get a concussion. The amount of things that could go wrong was endless.

"Well hey there hotshot, mind takin a break? You know we don't need you passing out in the first round right?" Alyssa asked as she came through the gym doors. Ash let go two more rights and lefts before turning around.

"Well Aly, a lot is on the line so you know that there is no such thing as too much practice!" Ash said as he walked over to a bench to pick up a white towel.

Alyssa wouldn't have any of it. "Well Ash, I think it's time you take a break. And don't give me none of that 'I'm doing this for you stuff'. If you were really doing it for me you'd come get dinner with me!" She said crossing her arms stubbornly.

During the month of training Ash had used the 'I'm doing all this training so that I can make sure your safe after the tournament' excuse many times. The first few times Alyssa had bought it, but after coming back to the gym asking for a week straight. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

Wiping the sweat off his face with the towel, Ash took a draft of water from his water bottle before answering his best friend. "Not a good idea Aly, this is going to be quite the tough challenge. I don't think a little more training would hurt," Ash said giving her a persuading look.

"Ash," She said gently, "Please come with me to dinner. What if something goes wrong during the tournament and this will be the last time we have a chance to hang out before or after the tournament."

Ash could see in her normally blue cheery eyes that she was worried. Ash gave her a genuine smile. "Come on Aly, I'll shower up and we can go grab something to eat." Ash draped the towel around his neck and picked up the water bottle.

"Thanks Ash, how long do you think you'll be?" She asked.

"Give me ten minutes, and I'll be ready." Ash replied as he gave her a wave, and walked off to the showers. Walking into the showers, Ash realized how sweaty he was. The white tank top he'd been wearing was damp with sweat.

Taking off the damp shirt, Ash noticed for the first time at how much he had changed. When he had first arrived at the Academy, he had been more than a head shorter than he was now. He had much more muscle toned arms, and chest. His hair was longer, but it still had the same messy style he had before.

Ash shook off his thoughts on how he looked and got into the shower. After a quick shower, he changed into his Rocket uniform and left to find Alyssa. It wasn't hard; she had been leaning on the wall outside the door.

"Take your time why don't you?" She asked sarcastically smiling at him.

Grinning back he replied, "Well, I seem to remember you taking an hour to do your hair. It fascinates me how you put so much effort into it, then you end up covering it with a hat anyway." Ash walked up and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on Blondie let's go!" Ash said leading her to the cafeteria.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two walked into the crowded cafeteria, and waited in the short line up. Lucky for them today was Wednesday. That was the only day that had a somewhat appetizing dinner, a burger and cold vegetables. The Grunt who was serving the dinner placed a burger, and some veggies onto each of their trays. Once they had their food they made their way to their table

The duo made their way through the tables and sat down in their regular spot at the back corner. Ash leaned back in his chair as he took a bite of the burger.

"So are you nervous about tomorrow?" Alyssa asked as she picked up her burger and took a bite.

"A little, a lot can go wrong. But I'm pretty sure this shouldn't be too hard, but in case something goes wrong I need you to be ready to get Sue for me." Ash replied as he scanned the room for trouble.

"I've got a feeling she's going to be there anyway to watch; Giovanni is probably going to have medical staff on standby for the more serious stuff." Alyssa took a glance behind her to see if people were staring.

When news of the fighting tournament got out, many Grunts knew that they had a chance at being paired up with Ash. So they had taken the opportunity at whatever time possible to gang up on him to do some damage. They had only ganged up on him a couple times that month, but Ash hadn't been able to fight them to the best of his abilities. They had gone after him right after his long hours of training when he was the most vulnerable.

"A couple of them are staring, but they aren't going to try anything," Ash said reassuringly to Alyssa.

Alyssa turned back to Ash, "How can you be sure? Tomorrows the tournament, so if they can hurt you so it'll be easier for them I don't think they'd mind doing it!" Alyssa said worriedly.

Ash gave her a caring smile, "Giovanni arrived a couple of hours ago, so unless they want to deal with him then I don't think they're going to try anything." Ash took another bite of his burger before pushing the tray away.

"I guess you're right, but what is the plan exactly for after the tournament?" Alyssa asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow at her, "Well this isn't the best place to be talking about this. But I'm going to stay the night in the infirmary for safety reasons, then the next day we'll spend the day together." Ash gave her a sad smile.

"Then that night, I'm gone…"

Alyssa looked into Ashs eyes; she could see that he was sad to be leaving her, and she felt the exact same way. They had grown close over the last two years, and it was like they had known each other their entire life.

Alyssa gave Ash a sad smile in return, "I've actually been thinking about that, Ash." She wasn't sure on how Ash would react to what she was going to tell him.

"What about it Alyssa?" Ash asked curiously.

"You know how we decided that you would get me out of here after you got things together." She said slowly.

"Yeah…" Ash trailed off not knowing where this was going.

"Well I had this idea you see. I don't think you should come back for me,"

Ash cut in; he kept his voice neutral and calm. But on the inside he was shocked. "How come? I thought you wanted to get out of here as well?"

"I do!" She said to reassure him, "It's just what if I stay here and while you're gone I gather information about what Giovanni is planning. I mean what if we find a way for you to get back at him for what he did to us; foil the bad guy's plans!"

Ash was dumbfounded; he had no idea what to say. "I, I'm speechless. That's a brilliant plan, but could you pull it off?" Ash was shocked by her plan, but he loved the fact that he could take down Team Rocket, before there plan came into action.

"I think I should be able to, remember how I've been training for about four years now?" Ash nodded.

"Well one more year and I get to go into the field. So we could come up with a way for us to stay in contact!" Alyssa wanted to shout that out in excitement, but they had to keep talking in a whisper so the others couldn't hear.

Ash thought about what she had said, he was looking for littlest details that could ruin their new plan. "What are you going to tell Giovanni when he asks you where I've gone?"

"Well I'll tell him the truth, you haven't told me where you're going, or what you're going to be doing right, so all I can tell him is that I knew you were planning a break out, and that I had just found out about it."

Ash wasn't a hundred percent on this, he wanted to make sure that Alyssa was going to be safe and wouldn't have any harm done to her.

"I want you to tell him whatever he wants to know, how I get out, what we talked about when we first found out about the tournament. Everything but this plan!" Ash still hadn't told her that he knew Giovanni was lying about what he had told Ash the night he found out about the competition.

"Are you sure? What if he asks something like…" Alyssa trailed off as she thought of a question.

"Nothing you could tell him would help him find me; I've got everything sorted out. I know where I'm going, I just need to figure out how I'm going to get to these places. You don't need to worry."

Alyssa was still worried that she might say something wrong, but her thoughts were soon brought back to the present. "But we can't even worry about this right now; first I've got to make it through tomorrow, right!"

"Right!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ash, Ash wake up!" Alyssa shouted from the other side of the door. It was 6:30AM and Ash and her were supposed to get an early breakfast before a light workout. Ash was fast asleep, but he could subconsciously hear Alyssa calling him.

"Five more minutes…" Ash moaned quietly. Alyssa pounded on the door, but Ash did not answer.

"Oh come on he can't be that tired!" Alyssa said to herself incredulously. Growing irritated she pounded on the door as loud as she could, "ASH WAKE UP THIS INSTANT! YOU DENSE IDIOT THE COMPETITIONS TODAY!" Alyssa yelled.

That got Ash up; Ash shot up from his bed and tore open the door. "What time is it?" Ash asked quickly.

"It's 6:30! Now hurry up and get dressed, we need to get something to eat, and get in that work out!" Alyssa said impatiently.

"Why didn't you get me up sooner? We were supposed to leave at six!" Ash asked incredulously!

Alyssa glared at Ash, he had a competition coming up but that wouldn't stop her from doing some damage herself. "I've been trying! You sleep like a Snorlax with a full stomach!" She shouted!

"Well someone's a little grumpy isn't she?" Ash said coolly closing the door behind him. Alyssa glared at the door irritably. Ash came out came out a minute later in his workout attire, black shorts, a white tank top, and his black cap.

"Ready?" Ash asked happily.

Alyssa grabbed him roughly by the wrist and dragged him behind her. "Don't push it Ash, I don't have a problem knocken you out before the competition!" Alyssa said huffily!

Ash chuckled and caught up to her so he wouldn't be dragged anymore. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to keep my mind off the tournament." Ash replied honestly. Alyssa's glare softened as he said that,

"I know, I'm worried to, you got a rough day ahead of you."

The duo made their way into the empty cafeteria and grabbed a quick breakfast. The breakfast was simple and straight forward, toast and some fruit. After they ate, they headed straight for the training fields. "Why are we coming here first?" Alyssa asked.

"I need to get the clothes that I'm gonna be wearing. Giovanni said to pick them up here, I'm guessing in his office." Walking through the doors to the field, they saw the ring Ash would be fighting in. It looked like a boxing ring, but instead of it being elevated, it was flat on the ground. Around the ring were stands for the Grunt spectators to watch.

Ash and Alyssa walked past the ring and up the steps to the wooden door. After a quick knock on the door, the door was opened almost instantaneously. A blonde Grunt motioned for them to come in, "These yours?" He asked taking a cardboard box off from the desk in the room.

Ash walked over to him and opened the box. In it were two pairs of white wrist wraps, two black V-neck T-shirts, a pair of black cargo shorts, and a pair of black and white sneakers. Ash took out each of the items to make sure they would fit. Ash nodded and replaced the items into the box.

"Yeah these are mine, Thanks." He said giving the Grunt a nod. The Grunt jerked his head to the door motioning for them to leave. Ash and Alyssa walked out of the room and headed for the gym.

"Hey Ash, why didn't you ask for shin pads, or elbow pads or anything?" Alyssa inquired.

"From what I know it's basically going to be like a street fight, so no padding. The only reason I was able to get the wraps is because I told Giovanni I wouldn't be able to make it far in the competition if my knuckles were bruised or badly cut." Ash said as they went around the corner.

"Makes sense I guess," Alyssa shrugged. They turned another corner and entered the gym.

"So what are you going to start with?" Alyssa asked.

"I guess I'll start stretching then go to the bag," Ash shrugged.

"What about weights?" Alyssa asked as she jerked a thumb over to where the weights were shelved. Ash thought about it.

"When does the tournament start?" Ash asked.

Alyssa glanced over to the clock in the room. It was 7:15. "You got another hour before you need to get ready." Alyssa said.

"I'll finish stretching then move to the weights for ten minutes, and then I'll use the bag." Ash shrugged as he started to stretch his hamstring.

"Where are you going to be during the fights? I'm gonna need to know where my coach is don't I? Ash smiled at her as he walked over to the weights.

Alyssa gave him a smirk, "Oh so I'm your coach am I? Well I dunno, maybe I should be in your corner yelling at you to do better!" Alyssa giggled.

"I have a feeling you're going to be doing that even if you aren't beside the ring," Ash chuckled as he started bench pressing.

"Well you got me there." Alyssa replied, then looking at Ash she realized how much he was lifting.

"Damn Ash, I didn't know you were that strong!" Ash was bench pressing around 200lb.

Ash grinned at that, "I know, it's like I'm lifting three of you!"

Alyssa shook her head at Ash, she was a little on the light side, so she looked rather thin. "Oh so funny Ash, maybe you should stay here and be the entertainment for Team Rocket during dinner!" She said overly sarcastically, clapping her hands.

Ash replaced the dumbbell back on to the rack, and began to stretch again. After another five minutes of stretching Ash got focused and went over to the box of supplies he had gotten. Sitting down on the bench the box was on; he took out one of the pairs of wrist wraps and began to wrap them around his hands.

"Why are you using the new ones, if you've already got your old ones back in your room? Alyssa asked. Ash had perfectly good wraps in his drawers in his room, so why would he start using the new ones right away.

"Dunno, I guess to break them in and see how they feel?" Ash shrugged. Alyssa shrugged as Ash got up and started getting into the rhythm of moving around the bag and throwing punches and jabs.

"Hey Ash, you forgot to get your water bottle. Want me to go get it?" Alyssa asked, Ash was going to be parched after and during the fighting.

"If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it!" Ash said as he threw two lefts and a kick into the punching bag.

"Alright, be right back!" Alyssa ran out the door and toward Ashs room.

Alyssa half walked, half jogged to Ashs room. Arriving at Ashs room she opened the door and went to his dresser. Ash never locked his door when he wasn't in it. Opening the top drawer she pulled out his black water bottle. Leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she ran to the nearest washroom and filled up the bottle.

Going through the halls almost running, she stopped in front of the gym and caught her breath. "Ash I'm back…" She called out as she opened the gyms door. The first thing she noticed was that Ash wasn't alone in the room.

"I don't see why we can't do this now; I mean there's a chance we won't even be paired up during the competition." A Grunt said. There were three Grunts standing in front of Ash. Alyssa knew they wanted to get a chance to weaken Ash before the competition started.

"Well if you three really want to be paired up with me I have no problem getting Gio to fix who I fight," Ash said coldly.

"Ash? What's going on?" Alyssa asked to draw the attention of the Grunts away from Ash. The Grunts spun around to see who came to Ashs aid. The Grunts faces lit up into smirks as the saw Alyssa.

"Well hey babe, what brings you here?" A Grunt with brown hair and green eyes asked, giving her a cocky smile.

Alyssa wasn't one to take that, but right now she couldn't let Ash take a fight for her. "Well, I'm here to wish Ash good look before the fight, God knows he's gonna need it!" She said with a laugh. The Grunts joined in on her laughter and turned back to Ash.

"Well my Majesty, I see your girl has finally seen the light!" A blond haired Grunt laughed.

"Bout damn time to!" A blue haired Grunt chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a sad life I have," Ash said depressingly looking down at the ground. "No friends, no family, nothing." Ash sat down on the ground and hugged his knees to his chin.

The three Grunts were roaring with laughter! "L-Look at this! The princess fin-AGH!" The Grunt was cut off by Ash swiftly kicking his leg out and into the Grunts kneecap, causing him to crumple to the ground. As the Grunt fell to the floor, Ash shot up and threw a right uppercut into the Grunts jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Ash got up into a fighting stance on the balls of his feet waiting for the first attacker. "Who's next?" Ash asked threateningly.

Alyssa shook her head and placed her head in her hands and sighed. They were doing so well, the Grunts would have left, and Ash could have gone back to training. But nope, Ash had to go and ruin it.

The two remaining Grunts looked at each other in surprise. Ash had just knocked out one of their group, and was ready for them to advance on him. They were unsure on whether they should or not. Their original plan was to have two of them hold Ash while the third beat him.

"I tell you what, take him," Ash jerked his head to the Grunt on the ground. "And get out of here before you both regret it!" Ash stated coolly. The Grunts stood looking at Ash, they then very slowly bent down and grabbed the unconscious Grunt by his arms and began to pull him out of the room. Alyssa stepped out of the way as they went through the door and into the hall.

"Oh come on Ash, why did you go and do that?" Alyssa asked. Ash shrugged and shook off the tension he had.

"Better then training with a punching bag I guess," Ash replied.

"But what if something happened, you could have been seriously hurt!" Ash walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. After a second she reciprocated and pulled away.

"Look. I didn't get hurt, and when you came in they were going to still going to go after me. Then if they did grab hold of me, and you tried to intervene they would have gone after you to!" Ash said seriously looking her in the eye.

Alyssa sighed in defeat, she knew it was true. "I'm gonna go shower, you should go find yourself somewhere to watch the fights. Once I'm done I'll come find you okay?" Ash asked her.

Alyssa gave him a nervous smile. "I guess, but don't take too long, or I'll go in after you!" She replied.

"I bet you would, now get going!" Ash chuckled as he ushered her out the door. Ash had a quick shower and unpacked his clothes from the box. The V-neck T-shirt, cargo shorts, and wrist wraps made Ash look like he was a professional fighter. Tying his new sneakers up, Ash took a look in the mirror.

Ash couldn't believe how far he'd come. Everything he had worked toward over the last two years was all going to determine his future in the next few hours. The constant planning, practicing, everything was coming together. Now all he had to do was survive the next couple hours and he'd hopefully be home free.

Ash shook himself out to relieve the stress and tension that he had. He could feel something that he hadn't felt in years, the anticipation, the excitement, and the nerves of an upcoming battle. He was ready. Ready to take down Team Rocket.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash left the shower room and headed straight for the training room. Opening the doors, Ashs jaw dropped at how full the room was. The stands were packed, and there was a large crowd who formed a circle around the ring so they could get a clear view of the fights. Looking around the room Ash searched around for Alyssa.

After ten minutes of searching Ash found her over by where the nurses and doctors set up a tent. "Place is packed isn't it!" Ash called out to get Alyssa's attention. Alyssa spun around and waved at Ash. "Lookin good Ash, those clothes fit ya nicely!" She said giving him a once over.

Ash chuckled at rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "Thanks Aly." Alyssa smiled; she knew Ash would be embarrassed by that.

"So what are you doing over here?" Ash asked, it had a pretty good view of the ring, but it was a little far away.

"It's got a pretty good view, and Sue was around here so." Ash nodded, it was logical.

"Damn boy look at you!" A female voice from behind said. A grin lit up on Ashs face, he recognized that voice anywhere. Turning around Ash saw the brown haired nurse.

"Hey Sue, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thanks for askin. But did you half to send us a beat up kid before the competition started!" She said giving Ash a smirk with a raised eyebrow.

"Well unless you wanted it to be me and Aly then yeah." Ash replied simply.

"So Ash are you ready?" Alyssa asked, she knew his nerves were high.

Ash gave her a grin, "Never been more ready in my life!" Ash said confidently.

"You better give me a show boy; I've deserved it after how many times I've had to help you!" Sue said seriously.

"Don't worry Sue; you'll get one I promise. But keep some ice packs around, I already know I'm not going unscathed during this so." Ash said seriously. He had to fight in almost 10 fights. To think that he would go unscathed would be ridiculous.

"Will do, but don't get to beat up right away, I wanna see some knock outs from ya!" Sue grinned.

"I'll do my best, I have emergency tactics. But I'd rather not use those if I need to!" Ash replied.

"What type of tricks you got up your sleeve Ash?" Alyssa piped in.

"Well I-" Before Ash could finish, the sound of a microphone turning on could be heard. The trio looked toward the ring, and standing in the middle of it with a microphone in his hand was Giovanni.

"Welcome everyone one to this trial of combat!" Giovanni's voice ricocheted off the walls of the training room. "We are here to witness the excellence of our fighting trained Recruits! They will be competing in multiple rounds to get to the top rank of Team Rockets Grunts!"

Ash listened intently to Giovanni's speech. He honestly could care less about the formalities but he wanted to know the rules.

"The rules are for this competition is to win by whatever means necessary, if anyone from the crowd interferes with a match then they will be severely punished! No padding that gives an advantage over the other is allowed! Anyone caught using these methods of cheating will once again be severely punished!" Giovanni stated in an icy demeanor.

Ash felt someone grab his wrist, he switched his gaze to Alyssa and he could see in her eyes that she was terrified. "Are you okay Aly?" Ash asked softly.

"A-Ash, he said any means necessary! You-You could be seriously hurt!" Alyssa was about to panic. Ash quickly wrapped her into a tight but gentle hug, and started to rock her back and forth.

"Don't worry Aly, everything's going to be fine. Just take it easy," Ash brought her over to a chair by the medical tent and sat her down.

Alyssa had tears starting to form in her eyes so she lowered her gaze from Ash. Ash crouched down so he could look into her eyes, he gave her his trademark toothy smile, "Aly, trust me. I am going to be fine. I have you and Sue in my corner, that's better than having the world on my side!"

Alyssa gave him a nervous smile, "I know Ash, I-I I'm just so scared for you…" Alyssa trailed off.

Ash put her into a gentle one arm hug, "It's alright for you to be scared, I am to I-" Ash was interrupted by Giovanni.

"And now the first rounds will begin!" The Rockets began to cheer like this was some underground fight club. A smirk came across Giovanni's face. "I will now hand this over to the announcer so we can get things underway!" Giovanni cackled.

Ash, Alyssa, and Sue waited as Giovanni handed the mic to a Grunt who wore a black and grey referee shirt, instead of the white and black. Chuckling the Referee began to call the first names. "For the first match of the day is..." He trailed off for the suspense to build.

Every Grunt in the building wanted to see the fights, but what they really wanted to see is how beat up Ash would get. "Between Roloson and Patricks'!" The Grunt called out! The crowd erupted into shouts of curses, cheers, and howling.

Ash let out a pent up breath he'd been holding since Giovanni left the ring. "Looks like we got some time to kill," Ash said.

"Looks like it." Alyssa replied thankfully. The fight if you could call it that lasted ten minutes, the entire time the two who were fighting constantly circled each other and occasionally lunged forward to throw a punch. The match ended when one of the Grunts jumped forward and let go a hard blow to the other Grunts kneecap breaking it.

Alyssa winced as she heard the cracking sound of the knee breaking. "Brian, Carole! Go get that kid now!" Sue shouted as two Grunts from the crowd were carrying off the injured Grunt who fought.

"Ash…"Alyssa trailed off. "Yeah Aly?" Ash had kept a keen eye on the fight to look out for what he should be expecting.

"What if that happens to you!" Alyssa's voice was barely audible. Ash crouched down and put his hands on both of her shoulders.

"Aly, trust me I'm going to be fine. But if you're scared to watch then maybe you should head back to your room." Ash said.

Alyssa glared at him, "Why would you say that! I'm not leaving you, if you like it or not!" She shouted.

"Good, just take a couple deep breaths okay? I know you're scared so am I, we just got to take it one step er fight at a time." Ash said seriously.

Alyssa took a couple deep breaths to get herself under control. "Okay Ash, I'll be alright,"

"That's good-" Ash was once again cut off as the Referee called out the next two participant's names.

"Next up is Burrows against her Royal Highness!" The Grunt paused to let the crowd laugh, Ash only scowled. "Princess Ketchum!" The booing instantly poured throughout the stadium at the sound of Ashs name.

Ash stood up and smiled at his two friends, "Knock that idiot out boy!" Sue encouraged.

"Good luck Ash, Alyssa got up and gave Ash a tight hug.

"Thanks Aly, I'll be right back, and don't worry Sue, I'll give you your show!" Ash said seriously.

Sue let a devious grin spread across her face; she had been waiting to see Ash fight for ages. The two watched as Ash silently made his way to the ring.

Ash skillfully moved through the jumble of Rockets and into the ring. Ash didn't even glance at his opponent; he went straight to the Referee. Ash walked up and grabbed the Ref by his shirt; Ashs eyes were cold and dangerous. In his most threatening tone Ash said, "Announce my name like that again and I'll do to you what I do to him and worse!" Ashs voice was calm; it made the threat even more deadly.

"Do you understand?"

The Refs eyes were wide open in fright; the look in Ashs eyes was deadly. But slowly he nodded. Ash let go of the shirt and walked to his corner where he shook himself out and did a quick stretch.

Ashs opponent was shorter than him, he had brown straight hair, small nose, and a slightly bruised cheek, and had bigger arms Ash did. That didn't faze Ash, just because you have more muscle didn't mean you were stronger.

Ash cracked his knuckles before raising his fists in front of him. The Grunt across for him raised his fists so they were positioned like Ashs.

The referee stepped out of the ring, and pulled out a cap gun, pulling the trigger the match started.

As soon as Ash heard the gun sound he advanced on his target. The Grunt waited for Ash to be right in front of him before he swung a wild right hook. Ash ducked and shot up and unleashed a devastating assault on the Grunt.

Ash threw a hard left jab into the Grunts jaw, and followed up with a swift kick to the gut. With the Grunt winded Ash gave the Grunt a light uppercut, not enough for a knock out, but enough so that his face would be visible. Ash let go three right jabs to the nose, followed by a hard left to the jaw. The Grunts mouth and the front of his shirt were drenched with red, Ash had broken the Grunts nose and now the damage was shown to the crowd.

Ash decided to end this. Ash waited until the Grunt decided to attack, he swung a shaky right kick at Ash who countered by blocking with his left leg, and let go his own kick into the Grunts stomach causing him to once again be winded. As he went for his first breath, Ash swung a powerful right hook into the Grunts already swollen jaw.

As soon as contact was made Ash turned and left the ring. He already knew what the outcome of that punch did. The room was silent as Ash stepped out of the ring. It was one faint clapping sound that filled the room. Giovanni gave Ash a standing applause at the fight. The room remained silent as Ash continued walking.

Sue and Alyssa stared at Ash in astonishment. The silent training room was broken by Sue, "Damn boy! That boy ain't waking up for a long time that's for sure! That was one hell of a show!" Sue shouted excitedly.

"Thanks Sue," Ash turned to Alyssa, "Told you it would be alright," Ash grinned.

Alyssa grabbed Ash into a massive bear hug, "That was terrific Ash! You did Great I was worried for nothing!" Alyssa squeezed Ash as hard as she could.

"Aly! You-Kill-ing Meh!" Ash choked out!

"Oops sorry Ash!" Alyssa giggled with a delighted grin on her face.

"No problem, now we have a resting period before I go back out there. "Ash said as he took a seat, he may have won the fight. But he did not hold back so he was just the slightest bit tired.

Alyssa handed him the water bottle, "Here Ash, you must be thirsty!"

Ash took a drink of the cold water and spat it out onto the ground. "That's a lot better thanks Aly," Alyssa grinned at him and took a seat next to him as they watched the next few fights.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A couple hours passed and Ash had fought in six matches, most had gone flawlessly, but Ashs sixth opponent took him by surprise, at the start of the match he had ran up to Ash and grabbed his shirt, and started throwing wild punches at Ash. A couple of the blows hit, and opened a cut on Ashs cheek.

After the surprise wore off, Ash kneed the Grunt in the gut and finished the fight quickly by throwing a hard right into the Grunts gut, followed by sweeping the Grunts legs out from underneath him. When the Grunt was down, Ash had flipped the Grunt onto his stomach and pinned him down with both knees on the Grunts shoulder. With the Grunt pinned down Ash pulled his arm into a painful submission.

Ash repeatedly shouted for the Grunt to call it quits, but he refused. So Ash had to do something he wish he didn't, he snapped the Grunts arm.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"AAGH!" The shout sounded throughout the Training room. Ash got off the injured Grunt and left the ring shaking his head. Ash pushed through the crowd of Rockets and made his way back to Alyssa and Sue.

"Ash! Are you okay?" Alyssa asked worriedly as she saw the cut on Ashs face. Ash felt were the cut was on his face and winced as it stung.

"It's not bad, does sting a little tho. I feel bad for the guy over there, should have listened!" Ash said as he shook his head sadly.

Alyssa put an arm around Ash, "It's not your fault Ash, he was an idiot. You constantly shouted you'd snap his arm for three minutes. He didn't listen so you did what you had to!" Alyssa said to get him back into his fighting confidence.

"I know, I just wish it didn't have to happen that way," Ash said giving her a small smile.

"Good, now how are your hands doing? They've been pretty busy so,"

Ash looked down at his knuckles, and saw that the originally white wraps were now a dark pink. "Can you pass me the other pair of these; I think it's time for a change!" Ash said as he carefully un-wrapped the bloodied wraps.

Alyssa went to Ashs box that had his supplies and took out the other pair of white hand wraps. As Ash removed his wraps, he realized how bruised his knuckles were, "Hey Sue!" Ash called out behind him to the medical tent.

Sue popped her head out, "What is it boy! We got work to do!"

"Think you can get me two ice packs? My knuckles are starting to swell!" Ash called out to the nurse. Sue nodded and disappeared into the tent. Seconds later she reappeared with two packs for him. "Thanks Sue!"

"No problem," She turned and ran back into the tent.

"Ash… your hands aren't looking to good, are you sure you can keep going?" Alyssa asked as she gently took Ashs bruised hands in her own.

Ash gave her a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine Aly, just need to keep some ice on them for now before my next fight." Ash sighed contently as the cold icepacks covered the painful swelling.

Fifteen minutes later, it was time for Ashs next fight.

"We got an interesting match up here folks!" The Referee was grinning like child on their birthday.

"The next match up is between Big Boy Brad and Ketchum!" The Referee laughed. The crowd roared their approval at this. Ash on the other hand wasn't too thrilled.

"Umm, Aly?" Ash asked curiously.

"Yeah Ash?" She asked nervously.

"Did I hear what I think I did?"

"Yup…"She choked out.

Ash looked at Alyssa worriedly, her blue eyes were scared, and his brown eyes were no different. "I recommend getting Sue out here just to be on the safe side!" Ash said giving her a false smile.

Alyssa ran up and gave Ash a quick hug, "You better not get knocked out here Ash! You've come too far to end it now!" She whispered into his ear.

"I won't, don't worry Aly, but get Sue! I've got to get over there!" Ash pulled out of the hug and quickly made his way over to the ring.

Ashs eyes went wide as he saw how tall his opponent really was. The seven foot monster in front of him was huge. Brads appearance resembled a very tall and large-muscled lumber jack. Swap out the overalls and put him in dark blue jeans, and a skin tight black t-shirt and there you have it. His black eyes and night black hair were more than a little intimidating.

Ash kept his distance from the towering man in front of him. Ash kept on the balls of his feet, his only chance at winning this was with speed. There was no way in hell he'd win this with strength.

The Referee stepped out of the ring with a huge smirk on his face; pulling out the cap gun he started the match.

Ash instantly began to circle carefully around the giant. Brad laughed as Ash danced away from him. Ash quickly leapt forward and let go a hard right hook into Brad's stomach, but that did absolutely nothing. Brad laughed at the blow Ash delivered.

Brad stepped forward and threw a left jab at Ash. Ash ducked, and sprung back up only to be hit quickly by a hard right in the jaw. The blow staggered Ash and he fell against to the ropes, he could feel warmth slowly sliding down the corner of his mouth. The punch was like being hit by a train.

As Ash scrambled to recover himself at the ropes, he narrowly avoided a right hook from Brad. Ash ducked the blow and ran to the other side of the ring. Getting himself back into his fighting stance, Ash leapt forward and threw two hard swings into Brad's stomach.

Brad definitely felt that, he winced as the second blow hit him. That just made him angry; Brad swung a powerful right into the left side of Ashs ribcage.

Ash fell to the ground at the pain that shot through him. The punch knocked the wind out of him, but he couldn't give up. Ash shakily picked himself off the ground, and wearily raised his hands in front of him ready to defend himself.

Ash ducked a right and sent a hard kick into Brad's knee. Brad fell do his knee at the blow, Ash went to deliver a right hook into Brads temple, but Brad blocked and let go a left go into the already injured ribcage.

Ash fell back and held his side, the pain was excruciating. Brad was back on his feet and was standing above Ash as he squirmed on the ground. Brad raised his boot; Ashs eyes shot wide open as he saw what Brad was going to do. Ash rolled to the left as the boot came crashing down a second later where his chest had been.

Ash got to his feet ignoring the searing pain in his side; he slowly raised his fists in front of him as he prepared for Brad's upcoming assault.

Brad let go a deep laugh at the beat up Ash, "As soon as I'm done with you I'm going over to that blond whore of a girlfriend of yours, and were going to have some fun!" Brad laughed! The Rocket crowd roared with laughter at what Brad had said.

Ash lowered his guard at that.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Uh oh…"Alyssa said aloud.

"What's Ash doing? He's going to get even more torn apart then he already is!" Sue exclaimed!

"I don't know what Brad said, but whatever it was got Ash angry!" Alyssa said worriedly. Ash lowered his guard and was merely staring at the giant in front of him.

"What do you mean he got angry?" Sue asked confused.

"Do not make Ash angry if he is in a fight. Never."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ashs glare was cold and dangerous, Brad didn't seem to notice. 'You could have won this, no chance now…' Ash thought angrily. Ash decided to risk it all. Adrenaline coursing vigorously through his veins, Ash ran forward and slammed a powerful right into Brad's gut, which staggered the giant. Before Brad could recover, Ash dashed backward and threw his back into the ropes and propelled himself forward, with the extra momentum Ash ran at the giant and jumped turning in the air he swung his leg in a wide arc into the giant's temple. Ash knew he wouldn't be able to land on his feet, so he landed with a painful thud on his badly damaged ribcage.

A meaty smack was heard as Ashs foot made contact with Brads skull. Brad stood still as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Then he slowly fell to his side and landed on the ground in an unmoving heap.

Ash tried to pick himself off the ground, but was in too much pain. Lucky for him the room was silent at the scene in front of them. "ALYSSA!" Ash shouted in pain as he tried to pick himself up, "ALYSSA!"

Alyssa and Sue were stunned at Ash, he had been standing in pain, then out of nowhere he had ran up to Brad, staggered him with a punch, used the ropes to give him extra momentum! Then did a mid-air spinning round house kick for a knock out!

"ALYSSA!" Alyssa snapped out of her stunned gaze as she heard Ash call her name, "ASH!" She shouted as she bolted for the ring, Sue right behind her. Pushing through the stunned crowd, she saw Ash laying painfully on the ground holding his side.

"Ash!" She ran over to him and saw the blood running down the side of his mouth. "Sue! We've got to get him to the tent!" Alyssa shouted at the nurse! Alyssa bent down and lifted Ashs arm around her shoulder. Ash winced as she lifted his arm.

"Other side please, ribs broken!" Ash said through gritted teeth. Alyssa went to his other side and slipped his arm around her shoulder and very slowly lifted him off the ground. Ash was pretty much dragged the rest of the way to the tent. Entering the medical tent, Ash was placed on one of the beds.

"Sue" Ash said tiredly,

"Yeah Ash?" She asked quietly. She was stunned at Ash; she couldn't believe the heart this kid had.

"Stop the bleeding and get me something to kill the pain in my side. I've got to be back out there in a few minutes." Ash said. Sue ran to one of the cabinets.

"No Ash! You can't go back out there!" Alyssa cried through tears. Ash had broken ribs and he was bleeding! She wouldn't dare see him go back out there!

"Don't cry Aly, I'll be fine I have to do this. Only a few more rounds and I'm done!" Ash said giving her a painful smile.

"Ash no! Please don't go back out! You can't get hurt anymore!" Alyssa had tears streaming down her face; she wouldn't let Ash go no matter what he said. Sue came back with a cup of water, two pills, a sewing needle, disinfectant, and some string.

"Take these Ash!" She handed him the pills and cup of water. Ash downed the painkillers, and waited for Sue to start stitching the cut.

"Aly go get Giovanni for me!" Ash said seriously. Alyssa gasped.

"W-Why Ash?" She had no idea why Ash would want to see the person who put him into this in the first place.

"Just do it please, and I know how you are about seeing things get sewn up so please get him for me!" Ash asked desperately.

Alyssa got up from where she was seated beside Ash, "I'll be right back! Don't you die or pass out on me!" She shouted worriedly as she left to find the Rocket boss.

Alyssa ran around the room looking for Giovanni, the next fight had gotten underway but was nowhere near as good as the previous fight. Looking around the training field, she saw Giovanni seated up in a balcony above the ring. She bolted for the stairs and past the guards.

"Sir!" Alyssa said as she raised her hand in salute to the boss.

Giovanni turned his gaze from the fight to the tired girl. "What are you doing up here?"

"Ash needs to talk to you about something!" Alyssa replied.

Giovanni's curiosity peaked at that, he was more than impressed with the previous fight. It made this entire competition worth watching. "What does he want?"

"He didn't say he just told me to come get you!"

Giovanni got up from his seat, "He's in the medical tent?"

"Yes sir! Broken ribs and he's getting stitches on his lip!" Alyssa was practically dancing, she wanted to get back and see Ash.

"Fine lead the way." Giovanni stated coolly. The two made their way to the medical tent to see Ash sitting on the edge of the bed without his shirt on.

"Ash what are you doing? You should be lying down!" Alyssa shouted.

Sue came up to Ash with a roll of gauze and tape. "I'm not done yet; I need a little more time before my next fight!" Ash said looking at Giovanni.

"You still plan on competing?" Giovanni asked surprised.

"No Ash you're not competing! You can't keep going you're going to kill yourself!" Alyssa shouted tears springing back into her eyes.

"How long till my next round starts?" Ash asked the Rocket Boss.

Giovanni eyed Ash curiously. Broken ribs and he was still going to keep fighting? 'Maybe I should make this more interesting...' Giovanni thought.

"Your match would be after the one that's finishing next, are you sure you still want to continue? If you say yes, there's no backing out until the round after that." Giovanni stated flatly.

"Ash no!" Alyssa shouted! She ran up to Ash and pulled him into a tight hug, making sure to avoid his freshly wrapped mid-section.

"Yes I'll go another round. After that we shall see how I feel. The painkillers kicked in so I shouldn't feel my side very much."

"Very well, make your way out when you hear your name." Giovanni stated as he left the tent, with a dangerous smirk on his face.

[Pause Flashback]

"Why would you go back again and fight Ash!" Misty asked incredulously!

"I had to Mist, I could still walk, still somewhat defend myself, and still attack with kicks or right punches." Ash replied looking at the surprised red head.

"But why Ash? You had broken ribs! That could seriously harm you if you got hit there!" Brock exclaimed!

Ash gave the group a smile. Taking the bottle off the ground he took a another sip of water and set the bottle back into place.

"The reason I stayed in was because Giovanni thought that I wanted to get Alyssa to come with me to the new Academy. So I had to stick it out until the final match or until I couldn't fight anymore." Ash looked around the room and saw the question everyone was thinking.

"So did you make it to the Finals or have to quit do to exhaustion?" Tracey asked.

"Well…"

[Continue Flashback]