Delia fidgeted with her backpack nervously; she could not believe this was happening. Two hours ago, Pikachu had bolted through the front door of their house and started chatting to her wildly with wide eyes. She had asked him where Misty and Alyssa were, and he gestured for her to follow him before sprinting back out the door.
She had ran as fast as she possibly could until he reach Pallet Cemetery, she saw him sprint passed the destroyed gate and through all the tombstones. She called out to him and followed him over to Ashs grave, where her world turned upside down.
Misty, Alyssa, Pikachu, and the League Champions stood around Ashs dug up grave. Her heart beat furiously and she paled unable to form words. When she opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out, but Misty and Alyssa had taken her into a tight hug. When she came to terms that she was being hugged, she saw that both of the girls were grinning ecstatically.
She asked what was going on; their answer had all but made her faint. She fell back, unable to stand. Slowly she shook her head in denial, but then Lance had come over and spoke to her privately. He had showed her the remains in the grave, the pictures stolen from the Rocket facility, and she knew that it was true.
Ash was alive.
Now here they were on a private plane on their way to where ever the Pokemon G-Men base was located. The G-Men were going to launch a rescue mission for Ash once they arrived and bring him back to base. They'd remain there for a few weeks until Team Rocket had been shut down for good, and Ash was safe. Afterwards Ash, her and the girls would return to Pallet and decide on where to go from there.
She looked up from her thoughts as Lance came and sat across from her, "Mrs. Ketchum, there is something we need to discuss before we arrive at our headquarters,"
"Of course, I-I can't thank you enough for doing this Lance, this means the world to me," She said softly, but her voice was filled with gratitude.
He smiled at her and waved it away, "No need for thanks Mrs. Ketchum, we're just doing our job."
"I know, but still thank you so much,"
"It's no problem, but we need to discuss about when we get Ash out of the Rocket facility," He said seriously, "When we bring him back to base, you won't be able to see him right away,"
"H-How come?" She asked worriedly.
"One of the reasons we wanted to keep all of this away from you is because Ash may be different from when you last saw him."
Delia looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean, how is he going to be different?"
"Team Rocket has… Tampered with his memory, meaning we don't know if his personality is the same, or completely altered." He paused before continuing, "We need to speak with him privately before anyone else does to see what he remembers, what they've told him about anything that's happened within the last year could be far from the truth."
Delia sat silently, as she thought over what the Champion told her, "Okay…" She said in a weak voice, "Just don't hurt him."
"I promise we won't, with Ash back, we'll be able to end all of this permanently, once and for all."
Delia nodded silently, "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to sleep for the rest of the flight, it's been a long day."
"We've still got two hours before we arrive at HQ, we'll wake you when we arrive," Lance got up and gave her a small smile as she closed her eyes and repositioned herself to get comfortable. Her thoughts faded and soon she was fast asleep.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Domino stood in the communications center of the training facility; she faced a large monitor which flickered to life with an image of the Boss.
"Sir!" Domino snapped a salute to the head of Team Rocket.
"Domino," He said coolly, "How is he doing?"
"It's getting worse," As she said that his eyebrows scrunched up in anger, "Last night, he dreamed of something that happened at the Ecruteak Academy."
"What exactly was it about?"
"It was of the girl, when he was stabbed while protecting her. He told me he could actually feel the pain of where the knife cut and stabbed him… He looked frightened sir."
Giovanni changed his demeanor to calm, "Frightened you say?" He asked carefully.
"Yes sir, I saw it in his eyes. He was shaking and sweating, I haven't seen him like that since after he was first administered his first dosage."
Giovanni nodded slowly, "You're taking care of him?"
Domino nodded and a light blush crossed her face, "Yes sir, I'm keeping an eye on him."
Giovanni gazed at Domino carefully, "You've trained him well Domino, but are you sure you're not… Becoming too attached?"
"W-What do you mean sir?" She stuttered nervously.
Giovanni nodded thoughtfully, his calm demeanor turned to something of kindness, "I know you've developed… Feelings for the boy, but are you sure you want to do that?" He asked seriously, but not unkindly.
Domino turned her gaze away from the Boss, "What do you mean?"
"What happens if the boy's memory is completely wiped? There is still the probability of that happening, are you sure you want to care for someone who won't even remember how to walk, let alone speak?"
Domino was at a loss for words, she knew of the risk Ash was taking, or Shay as he was referred to by the Rockets. "You're our second best operative Domino, second only to Ketchum. I entrusted you with his training, and you fulfilled that mission months ago." He paused thoughtfully before he continued, "I like you Domino, and I don't want to see one of my top operatives go into depression over something as little as a… Heartbreak."
"I won't stop your personal affairs, but do realize this. If his operation is a success, you will always come second to his orders, do you understand?"
"Yes sir…" She said meekly not meeting his stern gaze.
"That means if he has the order to kill a target and you were his partner, he'd go for the kill before worrying about your well being. You could be bleeding out, and he'd leave you to fulfill his objective. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir…" Her voice was just above a whisper, "Is that all?" She added shakily.
Giovanni stared intently at the crushed young woman in front of him; it was for her own good to except the consequence before she put herself in too deeply for the boy. "That is all, keep an eye on the boy and keep me informed." With that the monitor went black and silence filled the Com Room.
Domino stared emotionlessly at the ground before turning on her heel and leaving the com room to look for Shay.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Shay jogged steadily around an indoor oval running track, Espeon at his side. He'd been running for the past hour constantly, however it only felt like minutes as he was lost in his thoughts.
He couldn't get that bloody dream out of his mind, it felt… So real, he could feel the pain in his lower back as… His dream self was stabbed by the knife. And then there was that blond girl, she had said he was protecting her? Why would he do that if she had been one of the people tormenting him for the last few months?
Without warning, he broke out into a full on sprint and began pushing himself to his limit. He completed two laps before he doubled over in exhaustion, he lay sprawled out taking in deep breaths to try and still his rapidly beating heart.
Groaning he sat himself up and reached over to pet Espeons soft fur. As far back as he could remember, he had been given an Eevee when he started his training. It had evolved during a training battle with Domino early in the morning, about two months after he had gotten it.
"Come on Esp," He groaned as he pushed himself off the ground, "Lets hit the weights for a while and then we can work on your combos," The psychic type rubbed affectionately against his leg before starting off towards the glass door that led away from the track field.
Entering the gym, Shay gave a slight nod to the few who were present before heading over to the weights and readjusting them until the barbell weighed 220lb.
He lifted the barbell off of its holder and began doing curls, he grunted with effort, but it was fairly easy. Have you told anyone? His eyes narrowed, it was far too soon for them to be starting up again.
Would you, maybe want to dance? He winced as his head gave a slight ache; he quickly set the weight down and reached for one of the needles on his thigh. He swore as his hand passed through thin air where the needles were supposed to be. He had them on his jeans, not the shorts he currently wore.
"Come on Esp, we need to gra-Agh!" He fell to one knee as a sharp pain cut through his head, grunting angrily he got up and ran for the gym doors. He sprinted down the halls shoving Grunts out of the way as he headed for his room.
Turning a corner, he froze. Aqua blue dress, shoulder length orange hair, it was her. She stood at the other end of the hall, just staring at him. Tormenting him to come after her, he clenched his fist in and out as he thought of possible ways to take her down without her escaping.
His heart started hammering; he could feel his adrenaline beginning to spike. Reaching to his side, he swore as his hand passed over where his sidearm should have been.
Are you alright?
"Of course not!" He barked furiously, his head ached painfully and she was taunting him, like a wild Pokemon from the Farwind Mountains, that was in a cage who was being poked insistently by a bloody child. His outburst caused the Grunts around him to look at him cautiously.
He glanced down as Espeon rubbed against his leg, "Espeon do you see her?" His voice was just above a whisper, the magenta cat shook her head as she stared at her trainer with curiosity.
Shay your back!
He staggered back as if he'd been struck in shock, she had said his name. She knew his name! "Who are you!" He roared in fury, he was furious. He couldn't run after her, because by the time he reached the end of the hall she'd be gone. She was always gone. He was unarmed, except for Espeon who couldn't even see the damned girl.
His arms started trembling, his breathing became unsteady, and he could feel sweat trickling down his neck and into his shirt. His head felt like it was about to explode, he needed his medication but he couldn't let her escape.
He shut his eyes, using every ounce of strength to will his breathing to calm itself. It was a futile attempt, his adrenaline was hindering him from thinking rationally, denying him the ability to theorize an effective plan of attack.
He cried agonizingly as an intense pain tore through his chest, his legs gave out underneath him dropping him to the ground in a gasping, trembling heap. He watched as she appeared directly in front of him, her throat easily in reach, if only he could reach up and grasp it. He would relish in victory as he drove the oxygen from her lungs, watching in satisfaction as-
He cried out in agony as he felt something within his mind give way. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, all he could feel was a light sensation on his lips as the girl gently pressed hers to his.
His mind faded from existence and he fell into unconsciousness.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
[Forty Three Hours Later]
The communications room of the G-Men Head Quarters was hustling with movement, coms relay workers moved from post to post as lines of text and videos displayed on the monitors in front a group of eight who stood tensely together.
Misty looked at the monitors apprehensively, one video especially. It was a helmet camera that was making its way through a thick brush that didn't seem to end. Muttering came from the video, she guessed by the wearer of the cam, to the other soldiers around him.
"Can you hear me Corporal?" Lance spoke to a monitor that displayed the same footage except for a roster of names to the side.
The video shook until a voice came through, "Loud and clear sir, Alpha, Echo and Delta Squads in position. We're just waiting on the go ahead from the inside, over."
Lance nodded thoughtfully; turning to Cynthia he raised his index and middle finger and made a guillotine swiping motion. In which she responded by typing rapidly into a computer before hitting enter.
She turned back to Lance and gave him a thumbs up, "Message has been issued to the inside Corporal, raise hell and Godspeed,"
"Acknowledged sir, stand by for the fireworks." The transmission silenced and all movement in the room stood still. All personal watched the main screen intently. It was an image of a large stadium-esk building that had its perimeter surrounded by a chain linked fence. There was a fifty foot distance from the fence that started the treeline of the surrounding forest which hid the G-Men Soldiers.
"Detonation in three, two… One!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Lay back down,"
"I'm fine Domino," Shay replied stubbornly.
The blond placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him roughly back down onto the cot, "Shay you've been unconscious for the past two days, you're not fine. So you're going to lay there and rest whether you like it or not!" She crossed her arms across her chest defiantly, daring him to say otherwise.
His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, however he did not sit back up, "Hey Dom?" He asked softly.
Domino tilted her head slightly at his tone, "Yes Shayne?"
"I hate when you call me that," He grumbled, but he continued, "Why is all of this happening to me? I mean… The voices and those… Girls are there … Yet they're not."
Domino took his hand and sat on the edge of the cot, "I dunno Shay, I honestly don't know, it could be a sort of schizophrenia or mental disorder." Shay nodded slowly, he could hear the honesty in her voice. However it was lacking a certain quality in it, almost like sincerity. "But I've got good news," Her tone filled with happiness, however her expression showed worry.
He sat himself up in interest, "What do you mean?"
"I contacted Giovanni," She began, "I told him how I found you unconscious do to your… Problem and I managed to persuade him into having your operation moved to three days from now," She looked up from her lap and into his eyes, which instantly warmed her heart. The excitement in them was unmissable, the last time she had seen him like this was way back when Eevee had evolved into Espeon.
Shay leapt up from the cot, lifting the blond off by her waist and spun her in the air, in which she let out a squealed "SHAAAY!" He set her back onto the ground and took her by surprise by gently placing his lips to hers. The surprise quickly wore off as she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, much to their delight.
In an instant however, that delight was taken away. The ground beneath them shook violently, tossing both of them to the ground as the sound of explosions rippled throughout the building.
"Are you alright?" Shay asked as he disorientedly got to his feet and went over to Domino.
She nodded and got to her feet, "Yeah, but what the hell was-" Before she finished, her answer came in the form of red emergency lights flaring on, and a siren blaring throughout the building.
"We are under attack; I repeat we are under attack! All personal report to East and Northern sectors to secure the breach!"
Shay looked to Domino with wide eyes, he opened his mouth to say something but stopped when she grabbed his wrist and ran out into the hallway. Grunts sprinted through the hallways shouting orders, removing pokeballs, and guns from their sides as they prepared to defend their base.
Domino used her free hand and gripped a passing Grunt by the collar, "What's going on?" She demanded furiously her glare dangerous.
"League Forces have breached the perimeters and are making their way towards the barracks and infirmary!" The Grunt replied hastily!
Domino swore under her breath, she may not have known exactly why the G-Men were attacking, but she had a pretty damn good idea of why. Her eyes drifted to Shays who were waiting for her orders. "Find a Squad and guard this hallway, set up a perimeter blocking the armory got it!" She barked at the Grunt seriously.
"Yes mam!" He snapped a salute as she released his collar and turned to Shay.
She met Shays gaze and saw the look of determination in his eyes, "Come with me!" She stated before starting off in a run in the opposite way of the other Grunts. The two ran through multiple hallways past Grunts who were ordering attacks, screaming, and the occasional gun shot.
They pulled to a stop outside of a metal door which read armory that had a key card lock, Domino reached into her shirt and produced a card and inserted it into the lock. The red light flickered to green and the door slid apart, "Arm yourself," She ordered quickly as she ran over to a pile of duffel bags and began filling it with different supplies.
"Light or Heavy?" He asked stopping in front of the gun rack.
Domino stopped packing, and turned her head so she could meet his eye, "Mission attire," Shay stood stunned at the suggestion, this was a defense mission, which he'd preferably use Espeon and an assault rifle. But his mission attire was completely different.
Forgetting the guns completely, he ran over to a series of lockers and put in a combination. The lock came undone and Shay stripped off his shirt, socks, shoes, and shorts, so that he was only in his boxers. He removed a pair of black cargo jeans from the locker and quickly slipped them on.
He then took out a tight black tank-top, which was quickly covered by a modified bullet proof vest, which had sheaths sewn across the sides, front, and back. He took out a black dual holster and strapped it around his waist.
The final piece of clothing was a black baseball cap which he placed backwards on his head. He felt another explosion ripple above him as he returned to the gun rack. He removed two handguns and slipped them into their respective holsters. He then turned to the opposite wall where a large array of knives lay. He removed a wide assortment of throwing knives and combat knives and slid them into their assigned sheaths, before taking a glance at Domino who was doing up the duffel bag and turning towards him.
"Domino wha-"
Domino silenced him, "Listen to me. You will do as I order do you understand!" He nodded in acknowledgment. She placed the duffel bag into his arms and handed him her key card, "You don't have much time, go through the back and use the key to get through the fence. You run dammit, you run an-"
"I'm not running!" He shouted incredulously, "Why wou-"
"Dammit Shay listen to me, you run and you don't stop. Not for anyone but me or Giovanni understand!"
"But wh-"
"This attack is about you dammit, they know you're going to become our top agent and they want you dead. You need to get out of here before we can't hold them off anymore! Run and don't stop!"
Shay stood silently, as he took Domino's words to heart; slowly his head began to move up and down in agreement, "Alright," He slowly began to back away towards a sealed off door, "Don't do anything crazy do you understand me? Don't you dare get yourself killed!"
Domino nodded and turned to leave when she froze; turning back she ran over to him and brought his lips down upon hers, while placing an object into his hand. She broke the kiss and whispered, "It's the last one, only use it in an emergency,"
Shay looked into his hand and saw a lone needle. He placed it securely onto a pocket on his thigh before placing a final kiss on the top of the blonds head, "Be safe," With that he turned away, duffel bag slung across his back, and left the armory.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Shay removed a hand gun from his side and switched off the safety, he had his orders dammit, and he was going to follow through on them. His life depended on it.
The corridor he ran down was devoid of any light except for the feint red at the other end which signified the exit. He felt the ground rumble under his feet as something collapsed or exploded. He stopped in front of the exit and slid the key card into the lock. Pulling the card out the red like blinked green, and with a final breath he pushed open the door gun at the ready.
It was night, ten maybe eleven o clock. The sky had a dark grey hue due to thick clouds and the light from the crescent moon. The air smelled heavily of smoke, ash, and destruction. Cries of pain, human and Pokemon cried out from all around him. Not wasting anytime he broke out in a sprint for the surrounding fence. In the midst of the fighting around him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as he ran from the Rocket Training Facility. Tossing the thoughts aside he began scrambling up the fence when a shout from behind alerted him.
Leaping from the top of the fence to the other end, he spun around and raised his gun towards the fence. Three men were shouting wildly at him as they ran towards him arms in the air waving for him to slow down. Even without Domino's advice, it was odd that they would be trying to alert him.
He fired off three air shattering shots which dropped each of his pursuers, one of which was crying out in agony on the ground. Without another glance, he continued at a sprint for the nearing treeline. Thumbing the safety on, he slid the handgun into its holster and removed a large knife from his vest as well as a smaller throwing knife.
He shifted the weight on his back so that it was more comfortable; he slowed out of the sprint and began at a cautious pace. In the distance gunfire and shouting could be heard fading with every step. Minutes passed and the world around him was silent, no sounds could be heard from the Rocket base, the smell of smoke and ash could no longer be smelt.
His eyes darted through the thick brush, looking for a slight trace of movement that would alert him to the League Forces. His heart nearly stopped as a snap sounded under foot, his gaze glared downwards at the twig he had stepped on.
He breathed deeply as he calmed his heart. The silence was bothersome, there should be the sound of shouting, cries of agony, explosions, something! But there were none. And that did little to ease him.
"ASH KETCHUM STAND-" It was only half a second before the voice was silenced by a knife burying itself in his chest. Shay broke out into a sprint, removing another throwing knife from his chest he continued running, ducking, leaping, to escape his pursuers.
As soon as the voice came out, he had whipped around and thrown the knife knowing it would be a fatal throw. He now heard shouts of him being seen, him being near by.
Something whizzed by his shoulder, and drove itself into a nearby tree. It only took a few seconds to realize it was a dart of some sort. Tranquilizers. He thought instantly. He thought of what Domino said, they wanted him dead. But first they wanted answers, bring him back for questioning and then kill him.
"KETCHUM WE MEAN YOU NO-" A glimmer of silver in the moonlight imbedded itself in the caller's chest, dropping him to the forest floor. There was no way in hell was he stopping. And why did they call him Ketchum?
He spotted a clearing up ahead; he was rational enough to understand that if he kept running they'd eventually catch him due to a stumble, dead end, or fatigue. So he was going to alter Domino's plan slightly.
He sprinted into the center of the circular clearing and removed the duffel bag from his back, dropping it onto the ground. He crouched down and unzipped the bag examining its contents. Clothes, ammo, dried rations; a pokeball which he knew was Espeons, tarp, rope and first aid supplies.
He removed two extended clips, removed the two side arms from his side and placed both clips into individual holsters. Standing up, he clicked the safeties off both side arms and waited. It was feint, but the sounds of rustling bushes, the crunch of dried leaves, silent mutterings between his attackers.
"Ash Ketchum, this is Corporal Simmons of the Pokemon G-Men Special Forces. We are here to return you to your family, drop your weapons and place your hands above your head!" Shay was utterly confused by this statement. Return… To his family? What the hell is this some sort of joke? He had no family. Other than Giovanni, Domino, and Espeon, there was nobody else.
However he took a chance and lowered his weapons, he dropped them onto the ground with a muffled thud. "Place your hands above your head!" The Corporal ordered. He complied, and raised his hands in the air in surrender.
In an instant footsteps from all around him crashed through the forest and into the clearing. He was surrounded. A middle aged man dressed in camouflage with a camera on his helmet stepped forward and lowered his gun as he took in the sight of Shay, he let out a chuckle, "Dressed for a war are yah?" He asked gesturing to the array of knives across his body, and the two handguns on the ground.
No reply.
The Corporal took another step forward, "We're here to take you out of this hell hole son,"
Again no reply, "Your vocal cords messed or something?" Shay's face was expressionless, his hands still raised above his head. Simmons removed a hand held radio from his belt and spoke into it, "We've got him Sir, you reading this?"
Shay remained impassive as he watched the corporal communicate to his superior. Now Shay was not an idiot, but his curiosity was beginning to get a hold of him. They thought he was someone else, this Ash Ketchum. Two things ran through his mind, one being to act on his first plan of die in a firefight, or his second plan which was to be this Ketchum boy and get access to G-Men files and locations.
A voice came over through the radio, "Ash, this is Lance of the Elite Four. If you hear me respond."
Simmons tossed the radio to Shay who brought his hand down fast enough to catch it. Slowly he brought the radio to his mouth, "I'm afraid you've made a mistake,"
There was no response from the radio, "Corporal take him in," Shay dropped the radio and glanced at Simmons who had begun advancing on him, the other soldiers around him following his lead.
Simmons took out a pair of hand cuffs, "Place your hands behind your back son," Shay stood unmoving as the Corporal reached forward to take his wrist.
As soon as he felt the Corporals gloved hand brush against his skin, he went on the offensive. In one fluid motion, his hand snatched a knife from his chest and cut it across the corporals throat. In the same action he brought the same hand back and through the knife into a startled soldier.
He dropped down as the air above him lit up with passing tranquilizers, he reached beside him and grabbed a hand gun and opened fire.
He fired off six shots before a sharp pain took him in the shoulder. His mind went foggy, but he kept firing blindly until the gun seemed to become a hundred times heavier and the continuous sound of chink, chink, chink, signified the empty clip.
His eyes shut and his body seemed to shut down. Something flipped him onto his stomach, and he heard a few words before drifting off into sleep.
"Ketchum is detained… Seven KIA on our end, bringing him in for interrogation."