Chapter 17 – Underground Answers

Aaron walked along the streets of this fashionable city looking around. He'd always loved coming here. Everyone was so forward with their thoughts on what Pokemon were all about and how to celebrate them. This of course also helped create a huge financial boon for Hearthome. People from all over the world came here to connect with one another and with their Pokemon.

However, he was not here to do either of those things. With Hearthome being such a center for commerce it also attracted the darker side of business. An underside in which criminal elements came to exploit. With a black market available, there was a good chance that Aaron would be able to find out some information regarding Galactic. There had to be something or someone who had some information on what was going on. And hopefully that information could help Cynthia with this mission of hers.

Hands in his pockets, the elite stopped at the mouth of an alley. Very few people knew about the underground of this historic gateway city. There was no underground developed quite like Sinnoh's but the access in Hearthome wasn't well known to anyone. At least not those who lead their lives above board. Aaron had travelled off the beaten path once in a while though, all those years training his bug types. Some of the battles he'd gone through fighting against some less than reputable people in his youth had introduced him to a new way of seeing the world. And besides, some of his bugs loved the underground!

People walked past, but it wasn't such a hustled pace. Instead it was more relaxed and heartfelt. Perhaps that was the reason so many people wanted to settle here. Jill could certainly understand it. There was something different here. But there was also something old. Almost unsettling. At least in Icarium's eyes. Humans didn't seem to notice. In fact, in the two weeks that he had been travelling with his new trainer, he had never seen her show any sensitivity towards the old energies which permeated this region. But neither had any of the others.

"Big city…" Caladan said in a low voice. He was once more somewhat unnerved by the sheer size of a human population all contained within one area. Icarium looked down at the top of Cal's head. The grass type was this team's unofficial leader. He had known their trainer longest. He was also the one who bore Icarium and filled him in on all of the adventures Jill and he had encountered thus far. The tiny psychic type had also begun his training with the team. Something that both excited him and surprised him.

The two walked along behind Jill, drawing looks from the people who passed them by. Most were not used to seeing rarer Pokemon in their midst. The Pokemon centre Jill headed to was located near the centre of the city. The rest of the Pokemon were kept in their Pokeballs. Icarium was still small enough as to be easily transported by Caladan. The others were almost getting too big. Even Cal was pushing it in size.

"Hearthome is one of the larger cities I'm aware of" Jill said to reply to Caladan. "There are others that get even bigger though."

Stalls lined the walls wherever doors didn't beckon an entrance into something just as dark as some of the wares being hawked. Aaron had his hood pulled up over his head, covering his face in shadows. The young man walked the hallway not stopping. Some of these rooms he knew were set up for matches of a far more dangerous nature. Instead he continued along, not looking at anyone. Finally, he came to a door, completely unmarked and easily missed.

He walked up and paused. The silence overtook everything as people who had been walking around disappeared. Aaron took his hand out of his pocket and knocked. The wait was deafening. After a time however, the door opened a crack. Light spilled out.

"Never thought you'd be down here again kid."

"I need some questions answered" Aaron replied. The other man who held the door closed, he paused, then opened it.

Jill opened her emails as her team lounged in the room. After weeks on the road the relaxation and clean up was nice. And her team seemed to be enjoying the luxuries of civilization. She kept forgetting that half of her team now was new to all of this. She smiled as she looked around at all of her Pokemon, then back to the computer. She was shocked to see an email from her mother asking where she was. Quickly she grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom! How are you?" Jill said.

"Jillian! I'm doing well. Did you get my email?" her mom asked immediately.

"I did yeah. What are you doing in Hearthome?"

"There's someone here I think you need to meet. Have you arrived yet?"

"Yeah I'm at the Pokemon centre right now."

"Good. I won't be there until tomorrow so get some rest sweety. Tomorrow will be a big day!" The line suddenly dropped, leaving Jill more than a little confused.

"People are pretty mute out there right now" the man said. He was skinny, average height and build. His voice was soft as well. The room was ill lit, something both the man and his two Pokemon preferred. This particular man knew how to use the shadows, and just so happened to be Aaron's mentor after watching the young boy lose with his beloved bug types.

"So we've noticed. I was hoping that you'd at least heard something."

"Why are you so curious about the underbelly of society Aaron? You live up in that tower now. No need to concern yourself with these thugs."

"That tower is trying to keep the peace. Something is going down, something far more dangerous than just black-market goods or drugs. This is something that could seriously upset the balance in Sinnoh. Possibly the other regions too!"

"So our beloved champion is trying to head them off."

"That about sums it up. We're trying to figure out what the hell this Team Galactic is. They siphoned off loads of electricity from the windworks. They've attacked trainers and stolen Pokemon."

"And they've been heavily recruiting too" the man said, still hidden in shadows. Aaron's head snapped up at that. The man looked at his once student. "Yeah you can guess as to the only reason I know that. If what you say is true, you need to get topside young man. You're not fighting a team; you're not keeping the balance. Someone is preparing to turn everything on its head. And you all best be ready when they do."

Jill awoke the next morning disoriented. The cushioning of the bed was so nice, so different. Living on the road, camping every night, it was everything Jill could have hoped for. Pokemon around her, a team who fought with her. So waking up in a bed within a rented room of the Pokemon centre confused the young trainer. Seeing all her Pokemon still sleeping around her brought her back to the present.

Getting ready was easy enough. Breakfast was delightful. Waffles and eggs weren't something she was able to normally eat on the road. Her Pokemon of course loved to partake in her breakfast as well. Sphyrna especially loved all the food as it was so different from the cave. Jill went back to her room after breakfast and gathered what she would need. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and simple shoes with a plaid top to head out into the sprawling metropolis.

The sun bounced off the glass of the buildings causing glare but it was a nice relief, the warmth with the chilled autumn air. Jill wandered down the streets taking in the sights with Chase at her side. The electric type was enjoying strolling down the sidewalks and watching the other people and Pokemon. The pair were headed towards a rather large and sprawling building on the north side of town. It was there that the young trainer was supposed to meet with her mother.

"Cynthia we need to talk" Aaron said as soon as he made it topside.

"What's the matter Aaron?" the champions voice asked on the other end of the line.

"This whole Galactic thing is way bigger than we expected. They've been actively recruiting from the underground."

"Did this come from the underground Aaron? I thought you were done with that place?" she said. Aaron's face went a touch red. Part of his taking up a mantle within the Elites was to not go back to the underground battling. And he hadn't. But that didn't mean that his being down there wasn't something the others would want to hear about. He was strong enough to have left that life, but part of it still lived on.

"Cynthia they have information others don't. And I went to a trusted source." He heard her sigh on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry Aaron. That was unfair of me. What did you find out?"

"They've been actively recruiting. I don't want to say more over the phone, but this is getting big if they're pulling from down here." Aaron looked around still at the entrance to the underground. People walked by not noticing, not paying attention to the Elite. With his hood up, he looked a lot like anyone else wanting into the underground, and none of the 'class' people of Hearthome would want anything to do with riff raff like that. Pokemon were a different story. They did pay attention and cast looks, as if they knew who the younger man was. What he and his team were capable of. A Luxio stopped walking beside its trainer briefly to stare in Aaron's direction.

"Come back to the league and we can discuss this more." Aaron nodded as he hung up and stepped out into the light.

The contest hall was mostly a giant amphitheatre. The domed roof could be either opened or closed. But it was also a training centre for those trainers who were interested in contests. The formats in Sinnoh were somewhat different than Hoenn, just as they were slightly different across the other regions too. The contests here held more rounds and were not based so much off of strength but rather appearance. Stock was still put into the performances as well however. Jill was not much for this style of training however, unlike her mother, who was famous for it. Jill laughed to herself a bit as she came upon the building. She had a number of rather famous women in her family. The men really needed to pick it up!

People were coming and going from the entrance to the hall, meaning that there wasn't a contest going on today. Tourists and locals alike however came to watch the performers practice their art in hopes that they one day may grace the big stage as a top coordinator. Jill walked into the lobby and stepped just off to the side to marvel at everything.

"Jill!" a voice called out. The young trainer began looking around for the source. It didn't take long for the woman to see her mother waving from a table with another woman to the left side of the building. Smiling and beckoning Chase to follow, Jill made her way over to her mother.

"Oh so good to see you again honey!" Johanna said giving her daughter a hug. Holding her out after to take a better at her daughter Johanna couldn't help but feel pride. "You look so much more mature!" Jill managed a small laugh.

"Thanks? I think…" Johanna laughed too.

"It was a compliment my dear. You just look so much more confident. So much more sure about yourself."

"That is bound to happen when one begins there journey no?" came the accented voice of the other woman sitting at the table. Jill looked over at her. The woman was clearly originally from another region, and yet her style was unmistakable. Jill knew immediately that this was Fantina, the gym leader for Hearthome and a powerful ghost type trainer. One who could most certainly hold her own against the Elite Four if she ever chose. Only the daring trainers went up against Fantina. Or those more interested in the super contests.

"You're most certainly right Fantina! Oh and how rude of me. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Jillian" Johanna said.

"Ah wonderful! Are you taking after your mother here?" Fantina asked.

"No, actually I'm taking a different path of becoming a trainer instead" Jill responded. Fantina smiled at that.

"So you have come to this most amazing city to challenge me then! Magnifique!"

"That was my plan yes."

"Well then we must have a battle tout suite!" Fantina basically shouted. Jill was somewhat taken aback but her mother was laughing.

"I wanted you to meet Fantina here because not only is she a powerful gym leader, but she's also a highly talented coordinator. And I'd also like to see how you've grown and what Pokemon you've caught!"

"You must come to my gym tomorrow and we will battle. I assure you, it won't be easy! But first, we must get you a new wardrobe!" Jill groaned as the two woman laughed. She hated shopping.

Jillian's Pokemon:
Caladan (Grotle) - level 24, ability: Overgrow, nature: Bashful
Chase (Luxio) - level 23, ability: Intimidate, nature: Impish
Epona (Ponyta) - level 24, ability: Run Away, nature: Naughty
Urim (Togepi) - level 15, ability: Serene Grace, nature: Brave
Sphryna (Gabite) - level 24 ability: Sand Veil, nature: Naive
Icarium (Ralts) - level 17, ability: Trace, nature: Lonely

Sorry folks I know its been some time since updating. Life's been really busy. Hope everyone can enjoy the filler chapter. I'll have a somewhat more exciting one up soon I promise! Let me know your thoughts!