The hardened plastic training knife drove closer to the soft flesh of his throat, with his shoulders pinned to the gym floor, and Domino straddling his chest he was defenseless, "Yield," She growled, her violet eyes narrowing as she pressed the blade deeper into his skin.

Ash merely grinned at her, making her apply more pressure, "Come... Come on Domino," He panted breathlessly, "I don't yield, you know that."

The blade pressed deeper, drawing a thin line of blood across his throat, "You'd be dead right now," She hissed angrily, "Arrogance will get you nothing but a knife across your throat,"

His grin merely enlarged, "Than do it." He challenged dangerously, "Show me what could happen!"

She growled, "I'm not allowed to kill you, if I was, you'd be dead long ago. And Giovanni doesn't want his errand boy hurrgh-" She blinked and Ash cocked his head to the side curiously, a delighted smirk now over taking the grin.

"I-I'm sorry Dom," He chided, "What was that?"

Her eyes narrowed at him, attempting to speak she cursed mentally as her jaw and tongue were locked into place, "What's wrong?" He teased straining to roll one shoulder off of the ground, "Cat got your tongue?"

He managed to roll her frozen body off of himself before removing the training knife from her grip, he placed the hardened blade at her throat and pulled it gently across her skin, "Tisk Tisk Dom, let your guard down did you?"

She wanted to break his nose right there, but she couldn't help but be somewhat proud. "Let her go Esp," He called out helping her frozen body into a sitting position. The magenta cat fell suddenly from the ceiling in front of the pair, "You were excellent girl," He grinned stroking her silky fur.

He positioned himself behind Domino and began massaging her shoulders and back, "Espeon and I came up with an immobility attack, mixing Disable and Physic shuts down the body completely. Especially on people," Ash informed as her left side began to regain feeling.

"Freezes the muscles in your arms, legs, and we've been working on faces as well."

Domino remained silent, secretly loving the feeling of his rough hands working their way down her back. "Massaging is the best remedy for it, without proper relaxation after the attack it's possible for paralysis in certain regions."

His hands began working her sides, "Hit the shower," She ordered abruptly attempting to stand.

"Still have to work out the-"

She cut him off with a hard glare, "Our training is done for the day Shay," Her tone was not to be contradicted.

He nodded standing up, "Yes ma'am," He gave her a small nod before starting for the showers, Espeon slinking around his heels.

Once he passed through the doors Domino followed after him. Their training session had left both of them aching, and sweaty, both in dire need of a shower. Pushing into the locker room, her left hand snatched a towel off of a rack and she stopped in front of a locker.

She removed her clothing, stuck them in her locker, and wrapped the towel around her chest so that it covered her top and bottom. Removing the hair elastics from her hair she tossed them to the side and stepped into the showers.

There were no individual showers, or gender specific. All personal had to clean themselves in the same room, and currently it was just her and a stark naked Ash Ketchum who didn't even notice she had come into the room.

She slipped out of her towel and draped it over a nearby wall, before turning on the hot water to wash herself, as she did, her eyes roamed hungrily over Ashs toned body.

It had been four months since he had had his memory blanked, since he had forgotten who he really was. Since day one she had been reworking him in every way possible to change him from that idiot of an attempted hero to a cold blooded killer.

And by God her work was magnificent.

He had been well trained from when he had been sent to that Academy all those years ago, she had developed his training regime after all, but he had had to deal with the dumb blonde who couldn't protect herself for the life of her.

He was distracted by her, taking his focus away from getting faster, stronger, more cunning just to make sure that bitch was safe.

Yes in a very small way she found it admirable, but it was a very slim feeling.

But without his old distractions, without sympathy, without anything to give him comfort, he was faster, dangerous, stronger, agiler. In four months his skill in martial arts had increased ten fold of what he had learned at the Academy.

It was the firearms that surprised her greatly, she remembered all to well what she put him through to get him to accept the Ranger's training when he had first been taken into Rocket custody five years ago. For the life of her she couldn't remember such a crack shot, his shots precise to the minimalist detail. He could draw faster then she could comprehend, reload in a blur and be off again faster anyone in the world.

How he learned to shoot outside of training at the Academy was a mystery to everyone, and to such a level where she'd be damned if she ever had to face him in a stand off, she was trained in firearms to quite the degree, but Ash surpassed her in every area.

She ran the soap over her body, her violet eyes watching as Ash squirt body wash onto his hand and began applying it across his body. He didn't take notice of her watching at all. The thought was... Distracting, Ketchum refused or simply didn't care enough to spare her a glance.

And that annoyed her greatly, she was fit, beautiful, sexy, curvy, but he didn't seem to give a single fuck as he wash away the soap and started lathering his hair with shampoo. She knew for a fact that he was straight due to the Intel regarding him and the Gym Leader, so why hadn't he even spared her a glance.

God knows, even though she wished he didn't, that she spared him more glances than she would like. That damned puppy dog behaviour of when he first learned that she woul be his teacher got to her, he'd followed her around speaking to her, acting like her, doing everything that she did.

It was annoying as hell, but it allowed her to shape him to her specifications, so that he would do what she liked. He was her project, her student. Not Giovanni's, so she had made him perfect.

For her.

Unknowingly.

And now that was back firing on her as he wouldn't even spare her a single glance, yes a small hello as they passed in the hallways, but that was it outside of his training.

Nothing else.

She watched as he shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist before walking towards the lockers.

There had to be a reason, unless the memory wipe also cleared out his knowings of what males and females were supposed to do, she couldn't think of anything else.

She shut off the water and wrapped the towel around her chest, while wringing out her hair as she entered the empty lockers. Going over to hers she removed her uniform, changed, and left the gym.

She was going to ask him directly, not for her benefit, but for his training. On the off chance that he was to be captured and then miraculously seduced for information that would be on her head, even though she had taught him ways to ignore pain. Even though... This technically wasn't pain.

Domino strode down the hall, her eyes darting down each turn for a view of the raven haired young man.

She spotted him near the end of a hallway to her right, heading for the kitchens, she realized. Taking off in that direction, she entered the kitchens and spotted him stealthing his way around the kitchen, using the islands and opened cabinets to make his way over to a concealed nook.

She watched him as he began picking the lock on the nook, using what looked to be a butter knife and fork until the small door opened silently and he produced a green tinted glass bottle.

Shutting the door, he made his way back in her direction. Rolling from cover to cover, evading the line of sights of the chef's in the room, until his eyes locked with hers and rolled out of the kitchen and into the hallway, bottle clutched securely in hand, with two bent utensils in the other.

He grinned wearily at her, glancing from her accusing eyes to the bottle in hand and back to her, "I was thirsty?" He said chuckling nervously.

She snatched the bottle out of his hand and read the label, "Seems like a lot of work when you could just grab a bottle of water. Red wine, really?"

Her eyes watched him searching for the unsaid reasoning behind his action, "Practice and... I wanted a decent drink, that's it." He was being honest, that much she could tell, "Now can I have that back?"

Her eyes never left him as she shoved the bottle into his chest, his hand came up and stopped it from falling as her hand retreated, "I need you to answer a question for me." She stated getting to her real reasoning for being here, she could careless if he had stolen bottle of wine.

His eyebrow arched and she continued although a tad more awkwardly than she would have liked, "Do you find... well uh," God it was like giving someone the talk, "Do you like girls?"

He blinked, and she had a momentary urge to claw his eyes out for making her speak to him about this, "Like find them... Attractive, tingly, sexual thoughts!"

His eyes started blinking rapidly, and for a brief second she believed that'd she'd broken him. Opening his mouth to reply, he quickly shut it with clop and decidedly went back to blinking at her.

"Answer my question." She ordered firmly, "For training."

His blinking came to an abrupt halt, "Training?" His tone was curious, the one he used when he was asking a question on a new topic she was oging to teach him.

"Yes, Training... So?"

"W-Well..." He struggled with the answer, keeping his gaze steadily on the floor, "I-I do. But I'm not supposed to think those thoughts."

This time she blinked, "You're not?" She drawled sarcastically.

"Affection is a weakness," He recited, "You soften, and devote yourself to a person or object. Handing a piece of your soul over to them, which in time will be used against you. More harm comes from growing closer to a person, than to be secluded and alone. Your stronger on your own, the only weakness is yourself, nothing can be used against you. You worry for no one."

Welp! She though exasperatedly, at least she understood where he was coming from now. She had drilled him to hard apparently, her teachings about not bonding with anyone outside of herself, Giovanni, and Espeon, were taken to heart.

"Shay," She said calmly, "You are correct, affection is a weakness. The biggest so, it can be used to drive you insane, to make you do things you would have never believed possible."

"But it is not entirely bad, and right now i need you to be honest with me." He nodded seriously, "Do you feel affection for anyone?"

The silence was drawn out, as he stared blankly at her. But her eyes never left his, she was going to retrain his damned beliefs on this subject if it killed her, "I'm not allow-" Her eyes narrowed into slits and he silenced.

"Do you..." She huffed out a breath, "Feel affection for anyone?"

"Espeo-"

"Not Espeon, a person!"

He swallowed unsurely as her eyes flickered dangerously, "You."

Bingo! She took a deep calming breath and spoke as calmly as possible, "And why have you never shown affection towards me, outside of saving me from being killed?"

"I'm not allow-"

She held up a hand signalling for him to shut up, "Do not resort to your fall back answer," She stated, "Truth, right, now."

He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the topic, he had learned that alcohol was a calming solution to stress so he went to remove the cork but had the bottle snatched once again out of his hand, "Answer."

"I... I don't know how to." He answered embarrassingly.

She blinked twice, not expecting that answer.

"What?" She asked dead pan.

"I don't know how to express. Affection. I haven't been taught."

Oh dear god. She thought excitedly, although that was concealed to the best of her ability, The opportunity was there. "You don't know how to express yourself?"

He shook his head, and she glanced down to the bottle of wine in her hand, "Well you've got another lesson today." She stated heading towards where their rooms were located, "Come on."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-

The memory had a small smile playing on her lips as she marched through the comm-room doors in front of the large monitor.

She had taught him a lot that day. Her affection for the Pokemon Trainer had been strong for him before that, but that day she had started shaping his personality and their relationship outside of teacher and student. The few months before, he had simply followed orders, trained, and was taught. A machine, until she had begun to socialize with him at the training facility.

In a way, his affection for her and vice versa helped him get better. Before he had no drive other than to get progressively better. But than he had her, he wanted to get better for her. And he did, for months before the voices and hallucinations begun.

He had learned everything from her, and she had been sent away to continue her duties. Only being called back on occasion to see how he was progressing, and when something serious happened. Such as the most recent shooting.

The monitor flickered to life, and Giovanni's face appeared, black eyes staring directly into her soul, "Sir!" She snapped a tight salute and kept a neutral face.

She knew why she had been contacted, there was only one reason.

"We've located him Domino..."

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

The motorcycle was truly a thing of beauty he found, going well over two-hundred down an empty highway was exhilarating. He had been sceptical when he located the bike in a storage shed in Celadon, but that was completely gone. Having travelled hard for a week straight to Ecruteak City, he was now driving down a winding pass that would eventually lead to a dead end deep within the surrounding forests.

The trip had been uneventful, three run ins with Officer Jenny's as he crossed the Kanto, Johto border, something he was sure he was going to get ripped on once he returned to the G-Men.

Or if he returned to the G-Men, he was still entirely unsure of everything. His thoughts were wild, with what could or could not be the truth.

He hoped that this Academy Alyssa had sent him to would deliver some insight into what really had happened. That the woman the blond had spoken of would still be located at the facility, having a personal doctor seemed like something Giovanni would administer for him, especially if he used to be a thorn in Team Rockets side years before hand.

He slowed as he rounded a bend, bringing the bike to a stop he parked it behind a bush and shut off the ignition. Lifting a leg over the side, he went around to the side car and removed his vest and holster. He had removed the weaponry after the first... Incident with Jenny, apparently seeing someone armed with pistols and an array of knives was not a common occurrence outside of Rocket territory.

Slipping the vest back on, and attaching the holster around his hip he started into the bush. Alyssa had told him three clicks south of Ecruteak, he was about two point five clicks into the forest, meaning he had about a twenty minute jog ahead of him.

He was a shadow as he moved silently through the forest, feet nimbly stepping over dried twigs, and leaves that would crunch under foot. The dark of the forest did not deter him, nor the silence of the night.

Strangely enough it comforted him, it was just him alone with his thoughts. No urgency's, no death or blood, no anger. It was just a silent peace that surrounded him.

He moved in a crouch up to a bush, spreading it apart with both hands his eyes landed on the three sectioned building in front of him. Massive chain link fence surrounding the perimeter, barred windows, flood lights...

How the hell did he get out of there on his own? Fuck, how the hell was he going to get in on his own? Reaching into a pouch on his vest he removed a silencer before securing it onto one of his hand guns.

He set the pistol onto the ground and removed his vest, taking one of the knives and slipping it into a concealed sheath in boot. He'd need to go in undercover.

Positioning his vest behind the bush away from any sight-lines of the building, he stuck the hand gun into his waistband and dropped the holster down onto the ground.

Removing the Pokeball from his side, Espeon emerged in a flicker of red light, pink eyes watching interestedly, "Stay in the shadows," He whispered gliding out from behind the bush and into the shadows that were caste out onto the clearing.

He was a wraith, moving from shadow to shadow until he was at the point where he would have to make a break for the chain link fence, "Disable if we're spotted, freeze them." And than he was sprinting, a magenta blur at his heel as the moonlight shone down on him, casting a long shadow behind him.

He was up and over the fence in half a second, his arms hoisting him up and over before he hit the ground in a roll. So far nothing, he really shouldn't have been surprised, why the hell would they be expected to be attacked?

At least at the facility he was at they had been prepared on the off chance that anyone had learned that he was alive and kicking. He sprinted up to the towering wall of the building, throwing his back against it.

He gestured with his index and middle finger towards the corner of the building. Espeon nodded and silently moved over to the area and peered around, eyes glowing a feint red as she scanned over the area.

Her eyes turned back to him and she pawed twice at the grass, there was a target. He moved over to her, and glanced briefly around the corner, a patrol stood idly down the field, pokeball on his hip, and hands clasped behind his head.

Espeon awaited her command, Ash brought his right index finger up and swiped it across his forehead. Espeon nodded and crawled belly to the ground out into the open. Her eyes roamed around for a loose object, until they landed on a reasonably sized rock. Her tail swished to the side and Ash tensed, one eye staring directly at the Rocket member.

Espeon's eyes shone blue and the rock rose steadily off the ground and into the air, it travelled down the field towards the Rocket. And than it soared forward, it spun end over end until it landed a few meters in front of the Rocket with a dull thud.

He jumped as the stone hit the ground, glancing around he saw no one and went to inspect it. And immediately Ash had covered half the distance between them, the Rocket bent over to pick it up, but his hand never reached it as Ash hooked an arm around his neck and placed him into an inescapable headlock.

He flailed, choking for help, as the blood flow to his head begun to cease, until his wild movements grew slower and finally halting altogether.

Ash drug the body against the wall and began unclothing the Rocket. He slipped on the black shirt with the red R, the light grey gloves, black sweatpants and, grey boots, before standing up and patting himself down.

He felt the rectangular card in his pocket, he now had access to the building. He nodded at the body, and pointed to the roof. Eyes glowing blue, the Rocket member was lift off the ground and into the air, high above them until he disappeared over the roof.

"Return Esp," He whispered holding out the red and white sphere, "Your work here is done for now." Replacing the Pokeball to his hip he started down the perimeter in search of the door.

He eventually found it on the other side of the building, using the key card he fought down the smirk as the lock flashed green and opened for him.

To say the nostalgia hit him would be the understatement of the year.

It came crashing down on him like a waterfall, he didn't remember where he was, yet he knew where he was. He remembered without actually remembering, the feeling of experiencing something after so long engulfed him as he started down the hallway.

He was in the south wing he remembered, or knew was a better term. The halls were empty as the trainees were all asleep in the dorms, his footsteps echoed with each step. He didn't seem to care as he passed doors upon doors.

A class room, they had taught him... Tracking, yes tracking in there. How he knew that he didn't care, he just did. Another room, with large black doors lay in front of him and he pushed them open. A gym, the gym from his dream.

He stepped inside and walked into the center of the room, he'd been here. Oh God he knew he had been there before, he could almost hear the lessons being drilled into his-

Prime prime ape!

A young, pained laugh, Nice one, won't be so lucky next time though

He blinked and tried to loosen his mind, tried to will the voices back, tried to allow them to access his mind.

Come on your Highness! A female taunted him, Giovanni's heir must be able to dance if she want's to rule the Country!

His eyebrows contracted together at the statement, Giovanni's heir. Was that why-

That's three Ketchum! A voice barked into his ear, Two-hundred and ninety seven to go!

I-I can't... A pant, It's to much! AH! He winced, a hand clutching the right side of his ribcage as if someone had delivered a swift kick to his midsection.

Almost got it Aly, anticipate my movements

He swallowed and glanced once more around the gym, after a minute of prolonged silence he supposed that was the end of that, and decidedly left the gym and back down the halls.

The voices came back time and time again, not only voices, but smells, and pains in his sides, back, legs. He was aching by the time he made it to the northern sector, but he willed it on. He wanted to feel the pain, hear the taunts, Alyssa's voice.

He eventually came passed a door that made him freeze in his tracks. A nurse, she had said to look for a nurse. And he knew for a fact, not sure how but he did. That this was the only infirmary in the building.

He stepped into the room, rows of empty, made cots lined the walls. Cabinets, a sink off to one side. The nostalgia was off the charts, just by looking at the cots, he could remember which ones he'd lain in, which injury had sent him there.

It was so odd, to not know who you were. Slowly unraveling your past with little tidbits of information that led to bigger bits, and then even larger bits after that. One small word, sound, smell, triggered all sorts of responses, he was glad he had yet to hallucinate here yet, on the chance that he did something he'd regret.

He sat down on a random cot, Keep off that leg for a few weeks got it?

I'll try to Sue-

Try to my ass Ash, I catch word yar walking, worken out, or just plain standing on that ankle I'll have you confined to this room until I deem ya fit for anything!

A laugh, Alyssa's. I'll keep em off it Sue,least I can do for ya

His eyebrows furrowed, Thank ya darlin, if he even gives you a lick of trouble come see me and I'll deal with him proper-

"Can I help ya?"

His head snapped right and his hand instinctively went to the butt of the gun protruding form his waistband, the room was dark and he couldn't make out her appearance.

But he had recognized the voice immediately.

"Sue."

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

Her Pokegear rang, once, twice, three times. And then there was a pause, soon followed after by the ringing once again.

Misty let her thumb run carefully over the answer button, he had called nine times within the past few days, and all she had to do was pick up. Pick up, say they were over and end the call. Three easy steps, three easy steps that she just could not bring herself to do.

Gary would ask for an explanation, he'd ask where she was and was she okay. And then as soon as she would say that they had to break up he would ask why.

And what would she say? That her dead, but not dead boyfriend was fighting a war with Team Rocket while being allied with the Pokemon G-Men. Oh, that his memory had been tampered with so that he did not recognize -or he had with an intent to kill- any of them, that he was a member of Team Rocket.

So she was currently with Delia and Alyssa at the G-Men headquarters until Team Rocket was once and for all disbanded or... Or the more likely chance of Ash getting killed, actually killed. He was the reason for all this after all, for what ever reason. So the entire situation depended heavily on his actions.

That was a fair reason after all. Right?

On the eighth ring she clicked answer and brought the Pokegear up to her ear, her breathing uneasy.

"Misty? Misty hello?" Gary's voice came through on the other end, she could hear the concern and uncertainty in his voice.

"Misty where ar-" She ended the call immediately, not yet. She couldn't end it yet, not... Not until she was sure everything would turn out fine. Not until Ash had gotten a dose of what ever the G-Men were cooking up for him.

She placed her phone down on the bedside table in her room, and immediately the ringing begun once again.