The Champion of Hoenn paced throughout his study, his apprehension mounting with each step taken. His feelings changed along with each change of direction: on the one hand he felt irritation, and on the other, an anxiousness that was becoming more and more pronounced. He found himself wondering at his own naivety – all he had wanted, as long as he could remember, was to be a Pokémon Champion, but he had never truly stopped to consider everything the role entailed. Being the Champion, as he had so wrongly assumed, was not just about having a title. There were responsibilities involved; responsibilities that he was now convinced were way, way out of his depth. What on earth was he to say to Phoebe? He hardly knew her. Although, when he thought about it, this in itself was a serious fault in his leadership. What sort of Champion wasn't properly acquainted with his own Elite Four?

A sharp rap sounded at his study door, and the Champion felt his upper lip break out in a clammy sweat. He wiped at it automatically with his shirt sleeve, before croaking, "Come in!"

The panelled mahogany door swung open noiselessly, and the blood drained from Tripp's face as he saw exactly who was standing there alongside Phoebe. Despite not knowing Phoebe intimately, Tripp liked her well enough, but the man beside her, Drake, he neither knew well nor liked, and he didn't need to know Drake any better to realise just how intensely the older man despised him. Tripp tried, with difficulty, to avoid the dark, cat-shaped eyes of the white-haired Dragon Tamer. He blanched, however, when his own eyes came to rest on Phoebe; the ghost trainer looked a mess – to put it lightly. Her tanned face had an ashen grey undertone, and her eyes were both red-rimmed and framed by dark circles. She stared at him beseechingly, and Tripp's heartrate increased significantly. This responsibility was too much; he was lost.

"Tripp," she started in a hoarse whisper.

"Phoebe – I-I-"

"Tripp, what can we do? Why has this happened?!" Phoebe's voice broke and, to Tripp's horror, her eyes began to swim with tears.

Drake placed a comforting arm around Phoebe, and he glared at the younger man before them. He had no respect for this trainer who had so readily taken up the Championship, neither knowing nor caring about the danger that Hoenn was prophesied to be in.

"Yes Tripp," Drake continued sarcastically, "please enlighten us."

Tripp licked his lips, and tried to swallow down the cold sensation that was threatening to overwhelm him. He had no idea what to do, or where to even start – and he knew that Drake knew it. Tripp cleared his throat. He was the Champion for heaven's sake – he shouldn't allow himself to be intimidated by one who technically ranked below him.

"Whoever did this terrible thing will, of course, need to be caught," he said, trying to inject authority into his voice.

He was met by silence; hopeful on Phoebe's part, and stony on Drake's. Tripp tried to swallow again, but his mouth was too dry.

"And how are you going to do that, Tripp?" the Dragon Tamer sneered, "who, do you think, is behind this dreadful crime?"

Tripp's breath came faster and faster. Even Phoebe's face had lost some of its tragic horror, and she was staring at the Champion in bewilderment.

"Y-you don't even know who did it?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes narrowing and her heavy brows drawing downwards.

"It obviously needs investigating further –"

Drake interrupted him with a laugh like a roar.

"Investigating? Boy, I had my doubts about you, but this is something else entirely!" Drake took his arm from around Phoebe and advanced towards the Champion, "It would seem that you truly are as stupid as you look…" Tripp's face burned, but he could not speak, and Drake continued, "if you had an ounce of sense, you would know exactly who's behind all of this…for months I have tried to make you take Team Aqua and Team Magma seriously, but you're too ignorant for your own good – that or too cowardly, I'm still making up my mind on that one," he growled.

"What exactly is going on then?" Tripp said coldly; Drake had gone too far with his insults, and pride allowed Tripp to find his voice again, "if you're so fucking clued up, why don't you share it?"

Drake gave a half smile, and adjusted his hat so that it sat lower over his dark eyes.

"You know what's going on Tripp, I've told you many, many times before – you just refuse to believe it."

Tripp rolled his eyes.

"This again? Are you serious Drake?!"

"Yes I'm serious!" the older man spat, his moustache fluttering with the force of his fury, "and I would have thought that you, being from Sesame of all places, would understand!"

"But that's just it!" Tripp exclaimed, "I could just about get on board with Groudon and Kyogre being a threat if they're awoken – which, I might add, won't happen because there's no proof they even exist, but for you to claim that the Chaos Pokémon is making a comeback – well – it's absolutely ridiculous! Unfounded! You go on about my being from Sesame – that's why I can't take this seriously – it was in Sesame that Chaos was finished for good – more than seventeen years ago!"

"Why are you so certain he was 'finished', Tripp?" Phoebe asked quietly.

Tripp started; he had all but forgotten she was there.

"What do you mean 'why am I certain'? We're still here aren't we? We're alive!"

Drake and Phoebe exchanged a knowing look, and Tripp's fury began to rise.

"Tell me Tripp," Phoebe began again, her eyes downcast, "what makes legendary Pokémon different from ordinary ones?"

Clenching his teeth, Tripp answered her, keeping his temper in check with difficulty.

"There's only one of each legendary Pokémon," he said shortly, "they do not reproduce. I don't see why -"

"And why is this significant?" Drake probed; his tone had changed – he was no longer menacing, but expectant.

"What do you mean 'why'?! It makes them the rarest Pokémon on earth – as well as being the most powerful," Tripp added.

"You speak of them in the present tense," Phoebe continued, "how can you know which are living?"

"Because legendary Pokémon are immortal!" Tripp told her in exasperation, he had no idea where they were going with this. But Drake and Phoebe had seemed to come to their point. They were both surveying Tripp with knowing eyes.

Drake gave a triumphant smirk as he saw the Champion make the connection, his blue eyes widening and his face losing all colour. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Precisely," Drake therefore said, "Legendary Pokémon are immortal. The Chaos Pokémon may have been defeated by the Firelight, but never for a moment think that he is gone for good - that he hasn't, since the moment of his defeat, been planning his return."

The Champion's quarters rang with silence.

"I think," Drake finally said into the silence, "that we have given you some food for thought. I advise that you process this information alone. Phoebe and I will return here tomorrow morning, and I hope that you will be in a better state of mind in which to work with us?"

Tripp merely nodded, his stomach sinking into his feet.

"Until tomorrow," Drake told him as he adjusted his hat once more before leaving the room.

"Have a good evening, Tripp," Phoebe said with a watery smile, gently closing the heavy doors behind her.

Tripp moved over to his desk as though in a trance, and lowered himself into his chair, his head held tiredly in his hands.

-o-

Morty's phone began to ring, and he put down his toast in surprise, before rummaging in his pocket.

"Who is it?" Rose asked curiously; it was only half past seven on a Saturday morning.

"Hang on," he said with a small frown, before he answered the call.

Rose's confusion mounted; she was certain she could hear someone crying down the phone.

"Whoa wait, slow down," Morty was saying to the person on the other side of the phone, "just calm down, I can't understand you," his eyes widened suddenly, and his voice took on a comforting tone, "hey…hey start from the beginning…nice and slowly…"

Morty left the room, his free hand over his free ear so as to hear the other person more clearly. Rose waited patiently, wondering who on earth he was speaking to. She found herself hoping it wasn't his mother, Isadora: if anything was wrong with her or Hector…Rose continued to sit at the kitchen table, her tea growing cold as her theories became worse and more gruesome. What was going on?

About fifteen minutes later Morty reappeared, looking harassed.

"What was that?" Rose asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

"It was Phoebe," Morty said gravely, "of the Hoenn Elite Four…remember?"

"Phoebe?! Is…is she okay?"

"Not really," Morty said heavily as he resumed his seat beside Rose, "her grandparents guard the…Orbs atop Mt Pyre?…and they were murdered."

"W-What?!"

"I know…she's distraught – obviously – and these 'Orbs' have apparently been taken too."

Rose sat back in her seat, thinking. She had heard of the Orbs… the concept of them being separated was ringing distant alarm bells within her.

"Were the Orbs taken by the same person then?"

"I don't think so," Morty said quietly, "Phoebe was pretty hard to make sense of…but I think one of them was taken a few days before the other – so her grandparents were on high alert for any trespassers."

"How awful," Rose sighed as the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably at the news. Morty was watching her, and she knew he was waiting for her opinion, "what're we supposed to do?" she asked him.

"I have no idea…nobody knows who took the Orbs, but the obvious guess is Team Aqua or Team Magma…or both." Rose's face became whiter, and Morty took her hand. "We're going to have to have a word with him."

"He's sixteen Morty…do you really think he'll take us seriously?!"

"I doubt it," Morty replied tightly, "but we're going to have to try…in fact, I'll try – leave it to me."

"He wouldn't do anything stupid," Rose whispered, her brown eyes wide with fear. It wasn't a question, but Morty could hear her uncertainty.

"No, I don't suppose he would," Morty agreed, "But I don't think it'd hurt to give him some rules either. He doesn't know Hoenn, and he needs to know to keep his guard up."

-o-

The air was chilly in Olivine City, despite the fact that it was late August. Jasper pulled his jacket tighter around himself, and tried to tuck his chin further into his collar.

"Is Hoenn warmer than Johto?" he asked his parents as they exited the jeep.

"Yes," Rose laughed, as Morty grabbed Jasper's rucksack from the boot, "there's even a desert there apparently."

"Great."

Jasper's answer was abrupt and his tone was sullen, but Rose tried not to dwell on it. When she had left for her own Pokémon journey at sixteen it had been with Tripp – her best friend at the time. She had not been nervous but excited. However, she couldn't blame Jasper for not feeling the same - he barely knew his cousins, of course he was going to be feeling anxious. Rose herself did not feel entirely comfortable regarding her son's departure, but she was trying to smother her feelings. He had never been apart from her, and she didn't know how to feel. It was natural, surely, for her to be…less than happy with the situation?

"Why're they always so late?" Morty muttered as he stamped his feet, trying to keep warm, "surely there's not Dragon air traffic."

Rose laughed, and Jasper gave a half smile at the feeble joke. They had been waiting for over twenty minutes now, and Jasper was growing hopeful that his cousins weren't going to turn up after all. The idea of becoming a Gym Leader, which had never before appealed to him, was becoming more and more attractive than going on this journey. True, he was unlikely to have a chance to do anything heroic, but he also wouldn't have to travel with his cousins that he barely knew, and was pretty sure that he had disliked heartily as a child.

"Finally!" Morty exclaimed, although the surprise was clear in his voice, for Lance, Clair, Ebony, and Scarlett had not arrived by Dragon, but by taxi.

Will I be considered a hero for just going with them? Jasper pondered moodily.

"Rose! Morty!" Lance grinned as he stepped out of the taxi, cape and all. It had been over ten years since they had all laid eyes upon one another, but there were no hard feelings. They simply moved in different circles.

"Hello Lance," Rose smiled, "where're the Dragons?"

"I don't suppose even Dragonite can carry two humans and a rucksack that far…at least not a rucksack filled with as many clothes as Bonnie and Lettie have between them…" Clair remarked with a wry grin as she joined them.

"Hello Ebony, Scarlett," Rose said. Her shock was evident for, even at sixteen, her nieces were now taller than her. She wasn't sure why she was surprised, for Lance and Clair were both tall. In fact, most Dragon Tamers were – Rose was an anomaly of sorts.

"Hello Rose," Scarlett replied politely. Ebony merely gave a pained smile, and Rose registered the furtive glances that the black haired girl kept shooting at her father.

"Do you lot remember each other?" Clair asked with amusement, "you can't have been more than five years old the last time you met!"

Unwillingly the teenagers looked at each other.

Jasper felt like a bit of an idiot. He honestly had no idea what to say to these girls – his cousins – and he hated the way that all of the adults were just standing around watching. His first impression was that they looked ridiculously alike – they even had the same hair style; long and straight, complete with a full fringe. They also had the same slanting, cat-shaped eyes – much like his own. Luckily their hair and eyes were a different colour or he thought he'd never be able to tell them apart.

Ebony couldn't even bring herself to look at her cousin. She knew her father as watching her closely for any misbehaviour, and she was desperate not to cause a scene, but she was just too annoyed. All she wanted was to get on the ferry away from her parents. Just because she had to travel with her cousin didn't mean she had to befriend him…or even talk to him, right?

Scarlett was the opposite, and couldn't help but stare at Jasper openly. He was nothing like she remembered although, as she reflected on her memories, she should have realised that they couldn't have been accurate. Her childish recollections were of Jasper being very yellow, and her memory of him was of a small child with huge black eyes and bright yellow skin and hair. In reality, of course, Jasper was not all bright yellow. Granted, his skin, unlike hers, was a golden tan, and his hair a dark golden blond; however his eyes weren't black at all, but a bright, deep brown. He looked extraordinarily like Morty except for those eyes – although something in the set of Jasper's mouth reminded Scarlett of Rose. But overall he looked very normal to her, and that was what surprised Scarlett the most. In her head he had been nothing short of freakish.

Morty too was scrutinising Jasper, and he could see that his son was highly uncomfortable with the odd situation. Morty knew that he would have been too in Jasper's place.

"The ferry's leaving in twenty," he said, checking his watch, "you guys need to get going in a minute."

Jasper looked over to see his father's smile, but also the sadness in his violet eyes.

"Don't worry Dad," he said gruffly as he caught his father in a tight hug, "I'll be fine."

"Just remember what I told you," Morty returned quietly, still holding onto his son, "there's some funny stuff going on – don't go looking for trouble – you have absolutely nothing to prove – to yourself or anyone else."

Jasper smiled at his father, and gave a single nod, before turning to his mother. He had now grown taller than her, and her head nestled against his shoulder as she hugged him goodbye.

"Take care, Jas," she said as her brown eyes filled with tears. She looked up into his familiar face and gave a watery smile, her lips trembling. Jasper hugged her again, and kissed her on top of her head, causing her to laugh.

"You too Ma – don't worry about me – I'll be fine."

Rose felt slightly sick as her son released her. She did not want him to leave, not so soon, not so abruptly. She wasn't ready for this – their goodbye seemed too hurried.

"Come on," Morty murmured into her ear a few minutes later. She had been staring as the three teenagers made their way onto the ferry, her brown eyes never leaving the back of the golden haired boy, "let's get home."

Rose nodded, but still the general feeling of unease persisted. She supposed she would have to get used to it.

-o-

"Come on Bonnie, it'll be so weird tomorrow if we don't!"

"I don't care," Ebony said resolutely as she lay back on her bed in the twin cabin she was sharing with her sister.

"You're being so childish."

"You fucking go and have dinner with him then, if you're so desperate."

Scarlett scowled and crossed her arms.

"Jeez it's not that I want to – but the longer we leave it the more awkward it's going to be when we actually start travelling together!"

Ebony merely turned away from her twin and faced the wall.

"I can't believe I'm even in this situation," she muttered angrily.

"Why're you being so difficult? Do you fancy him or something?" Scarlett smirked. She knew just how to rile her sister, and she had no qualms over doing so. Ebony turned around in a flash, her mouth falling open in indignation.

"Fancy him? Are you for real?!"

"Well if you don't, prove it and come to dinner with him," Scarlett retorted smugly.

Ebony seethed inwardly. That was it, she had lost. She either had to go to dinner with her sister and cousin, or suffer the humiliation of Scarlett believing she had a crush on him.

"You're such an arsehole," Ebony said, shooting her twin a scathing look as she reached for her boots.

-o-

Jasper sighed as he heard the smart knocking at his cabin door. Standing up from his bed, he pulled his t-shirt back on before answering. As he knew they would be, his cousins were standing on the other side of the door. Scarlett looked very business-like, and Ebony, mutinous.

"Good evening, Jasper," the red haired twin smiled, "do you care to join us for something to eat?"

Rose had made him sandwiches, but he felt it might be rude to say so. He wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of getting to know his cousins, but he knew it would have to happen at some point – best to get it over with.

"Sure, just let me grab my boots."

It was an awkward walk to the Dining Hall, but none of the teenagers could bring themselves to start a conversation. By communication of a few raised eyebrows and nods, the three decided to eat at the noodle bar. Jasper took the seat opposite his cousins in the booth, and gave a tight-lipped smile.

"So…are you both going to collect badges?"

"No," Scarlett replied primly, "I'm going to keep a travel journal."

Jasper blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes." She did not elaborate.

"Er…okay. How about you, Ebony?"

Ebony glared at Jasper disdainfully through her deep, indigo eyes before she spoke. Her voice was dripping with contempt.

"Yes, I'll be collecting badges," she said listlessly with a contemptuous eye roll.

"Cool, we can be rivals," he joked, trying to ease the palpable tension.

"As if you'd be a rival to me," she snorted, her upper lip curling.

Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"Are you serious?"

Ebony reluctantly looked over at him again, her lovely face incredulous.

"What do you mean 'are you serious?'? You honestly think you're more skilled than I am?" She gave a high laugh.

"I never claimed to be more skilled than you," Jasper said coolly, "but I see no reason for your perceived superiority."

"Okay…right…are you being serious now?!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jasper could feel his temper rising – why she was such a prick?

"Come on Jasper," Scarlett said in a somewhat patronising manner, "you know where we're from, you know what Pokémon we have."

Jasper began to laugh now.

"So you're automatically better than me because you have Dragon Pokémon?"

"Well, duh," Ebony said, flicking her black hair behind her shoulders.

Jasper could only stare across the table at his cousins. Was it possible that his mother was related to these people? That he was?

"I guess we'll see in our first Gym match won't we?" he said levelly as he began to eat his noodles. Jasper vaguely remembered Ebony and Scarlett having tried to gang up on him as children, and he refused to let them believe he felt intimidated in any way.

"Keep dreaming," Ebony said, giving him a fixed, false smile.

"Will do," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he continued to eat.

"What's your reason for coming to Hoenn then?" Scarlett asked him curiously.

"For the same reason as you…well, Ebony. I have too many family members that are part of the Johto League – we can't challenge them."

The twins glanced at one another before bursting out laughing.

"What?" Jasper asked, confused.

"You're expecting to get that far?" Scarlett smiled condescendingly.

"I know I said 'dream on', but maybe you're taking that too literally – your dreams of getting a single Gym badge are unlikely to come true – let alone challenging the League," Ebony supplied nastily.

Jasper stood up from the booth, trying very hard to prevent himself getting into a verbal war with Ebony and Scarlett. He didn't care what they thought of him, but nor was he going to sit there and listen to it. He extracted a ten Pokéloan note from his wallet and placed it on the table next to his half eaten bowl. He no longer had an appetite.

"Goodnight," he said shortly, before he walked away from the restaurant.

"Touchy," Scarlett remarked to her sister, who gave an appreciative laugh.

-o-

Back in his cabin, Jasper sat down slowly on his bed, staring at his hands. He felt at a complete loss, and he had nobody to talk to about it. His mobile phone had no signal now that they were out at sea, but he didn't think he could face calling his parents even if he could. What would he say? 'They're being mean to me,'? He snorted.

Reaching into his rucksack, Jasper pulled out his Pokéball belt and released Wraitheon. The Pokémon could immediately sense his unease, and she jumped into his lap, rubbing her face against his jaw comfortingly. Jasper sighed as he stroked her back.

"I'm glad I've got you with me," he said truthfully, "I have a feeling this is going to be a lonely journey."

He laughed then, because what else could he do? He was setting out to travel with two girls who had made it very clear they didn't like him, and seeing as he couldn't change his heritage, he couldn't see their opinions of him changing anytime soon either. Deciding that he would worry about it in the morning, Jasper got ready for bed. He knew the ferry's rule: no Pokémon were allowed out of their Pokéballs in the cabins, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Wraitheon snuggled next to him in her usual spot, and Jasper began to relax gradually, before finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

-o-

He awoke the following morning, and had to think for a moment why the ceiling was wooden. Then he remembered where he was, and groaned to himself. He was pleased that there was only one more night to spend on the ferry; he felt like going for his usual morning run, like he always had with Morty, but he obviously couldn't do so here. Glancing at his watch, he realised that it was still set to Ecruteak time: seven in the morning. His father would probably just be finishing his own, solitary, run and returning home to breakfast. Jasper sighed heavily – there was no use in thinking about home, it wouldn't do him any favours.

Wraitheon graciously returned to her Pokéball, and Jasper made his way to the Dining Hall once again to get some breakfast. Having left half of his dinner the previous night, he was famished.

The ferry was pleasantly quiet this early in the morning, and Jasper was relieved to find no sign of his cousins. He happily ate his way through a bowl of porridge, some toast, and a coffee, watching the other passengers with interest as they passed his table. He had never left Johto before, and there were many Pokémon around that he had never seen. One lady near the fruit salad bar had two Pokémon that looked remarkably like Pikachu, but they were smaller. One was brown and cream, the other blue and cream. Jasper yearned for a closer look, but contented himself with the fact that there were bound to be loads of new Pokémon in Hoenn. For the first time, he began to grow excited about his trip.

His excitement faded when he spotted a red head and a black head making their way to the pastry case twenty metres from where he was sitting. To his relief, his cousins did not appear to spot him, and took their breakfasts to the opposite end of the Dining Hall. They attracted many stares, he noticed. He wondered if it was because they were still wearing their capes (for some reason), but then he decided it was more likely to be the identical way in which they held their heads. Their raised chins and disdainful eyes made it clear to anybody watching that they were superior – and they knew it.

Jasper rolled his eyes before standing up to grab another coffee. He chose a takeaway cup this time. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't hiding from them he was just…avoiding them.

Jasper shook his head at himself, and gave a rueful grin

Great start.

-o-

Much to Jasper's surprise, however, the rest of the ferry journey passed very pleasantly for him. Ebony and Scarlett had stopped by his cabin after breakfast that morning, and the three teenagers had a very brief, and very succinct, conversation that they all left feeling perfectly cheerful. As the twins had suggested, there was no reason for them to travel together; they didn't want to travel with Jasper, and Jasper certainly didn't wish to travel with them. It had taken no effort to convince their blond cousin that they should make their separate ways once they reached Slateport City. There was, however, no reason to inform either set of parents of their plan. And thus, after less than five minutes of conversation, Jasper and Ebony and Scarlett, for the first time in their lives, were all in agreement with each other.

The following afternoon, the great ferry sailed into Slateport Harbour, and there was a general kerfuffle and confusion as all the passengers pushed and shoved to be off the ferry first. Jasper hastily returned Wraitheon to her Pokéball; not only was she in danger of being trampled by the crowds, but he was aware of the fact that many people were double-taking in her direction. Rose had warned him that this was likely to happen. As of yet, Wraitheon was one-of-a-kind and people were bound to be interested in her. However, interest could inspire envy, and envy could lead to Wraitheon being stolen – either for personal profit or for ransom. Jasper swallowed. The thought of losing Wraitheon made him feel ill; she had been with him almost as long as he could remember. Jasper recalled the conversation he had had with Morty a few nights previously; he had to keep his wits about him on this journey. Yes, it was true that Wraitheon would help to protect him, but he had to protect her too – they were a team after all.

Jasper tried to make his way to the edge of the sea of people in order to breathe easier – it was very crowded, and the passengers were starting to push and shove. He could see no sign of his cousins – not that he minded – they could get trampled underfoot for all he cared. He smiled to himself at this thought – they truly brought out an ugly side in him…

Perhaps it was the overwarm, crowded walkway, but Jasper began to feel very strange indeed. His stomach turned and clenched slightly, and he began to feel very hot, his head swimming. Nevertheless, he continued to make his way through the protesting crowd, following an instinct he was unaware of.