Chapter Two-Touchdown in Saffron

The aerodrome in Saffron was the largest and oldest in Kanto. There were room for up to 50 airships to be landed there at any time. Ash had no trouble finding a berth and some attendants to refuel the Chronos-the ship's autopilot was adept at landing and taking off. No effort required on Ash's part, just money. Fuel was cheap, thanks to Sinnoh's investment into renewable energies. The Chronos had originally run on kerosene and helium, but Ash had got her converted into a electromagnetic model. It did cost a bit to do it, but winning the Sinnoh League paid...He could easily afford the energy boost, yes renewable energy did cost- it took time and effort to generate the massive amounts of electricity that the four great regions used, and it was by no means a passive process, but it was far better than oil, already rare and getting rarer. And although Ash no longer had the Sinnoh League money, he made enough from odd jobs requiring a Pokémon Master in waiting: he had even ended up teaching a stint at the Rustboro Trainer's School once, on advanced battling, for a few months.

'Mr. Ketchum, your ship is refuelled 100%, and a brief mechanics test reveals that it is in excellent flying condition. The Magnosis engine is operating at near-perfect capacity, and the gyros are fine. You should be safe for flying tonight.' An engineer informed Ash of his servicing.

'Thanks. Do you mind just minding it then? I'm going to go check out some of the city,' Ash replied. The engineer nodded and dialled a number to the switchdesk, while Ash entered the ship. He decided to withdraw a few Pokémon in case good battling opportunities came up. Which ones would he choose?

Ash had remembered something Gary had told him a long time ago- that it was counter-productive to rely on a single set of six Pokémon for too long. That was partly why Ash had only taken Pikachu to Hoenn and Sinnoh (although Aipom had tagged along then). Now that he had access to all his Pokémon after withdrawing them from Oak's Lab, and reclaiming Charizard and Squirtle from their training, he could rotate them accordingly so that they would gain equal battling experience. He was just about to finish a period of battling with Infernape and Swellow, was halfway through a stint with Kingler and Bayleef, and was just starting an exercise routine with Pikachu and Tauros, the leader of the 30 who he had previously used in the Orange Final Round and the Battle Frontier. He decided to withdraw those six, and exited the ship.

The landing ship looked completely legal. Registered to a Dedoika Industries, it was a director's vessel, the owner of which was flying to Saffron from Veilstone in Sinnoh for an important meeting with the President of the Silph Corporation. An OK was given and the ship was allowed to land. A half-hour later, after paperwork and the like were filled out, a tall, blond man wearing a smart black suit and carrying nothing but a BlukBerry phone strolled out of Saffron Aerodrome. As appointed, the call came exactly three minutes and thirty seven seconds later.

'...yes...target acquired...moving towards the North Park...legal battles, I see...thank you very much. Send in 3 others, this will be...simple. Goodbye.'

He hung up and started to stalk his prey.

'Get 'em, Claydol! Use Psybeam!' commanded Ash's opponent. His Claydol responded, spinning around before launching the energy wave from one of its eyes. Ash was ready, and had a good counter though. Coming up with instant ideas and ways to win, he was known for being able to create effective strategies in the heat of battle. His unorthodox tactics were still prevalent, in a form, but he had also learned just to use relatively unknown combos, which could be used in all sorts of environments.

'Swellow, ride close to the Psybeam! Then, use your Brave Bird attack!' he called. The bird nodded and flew down the Psybeam, taking advantage of the attack' concentrated area- yes, it packed a punch, but it was easy to avoid as the blast was not very wide, and it fired for an extended period of time. Not to mention most Pokémon were immobile when firing, so it left them wide open. Swellow slammed, wings spread wide into the Claydol, dealing maximum damage. Claydol's natural strong defences were proved useless, as it was still and Swellow could exploit any weak points. Of course, being a bird Pokémon, Swellow had excellent eyesight and was able to spy weak spots from hundreds of metres away.

'Ugh! Claydol, Cosmic Power, then Psychic!' the trainer shouted. The Pokémon, drained of most of it's stamina, called out to the heavens and swirled around. A mysterious light shone over it, restoring its outermost layer of its body. Then its eye flashed, and Swellow jerked in the air. Ash was confident in his Pokémon's abilities though.

'Swellow, shake it off! Use your true power!' Ash called out, as his bird was being violently shaken about. It had its eyes closed to the pain, but the voice of its trainer was enough for it to succeed. They flashed open, and Swellow broke free of the mental assault.

'Well done! Finish off your foe with Aerial Ace!' Ash commanded. Swellow chirped and flew at Claydol very fast. As it was nearing its foe, it disappeared, and reappeared behind Claydol, landing on the ground. At first it looked like nothing had happened, but the collapse of Claydol a second or two later signalled who was the winner.

'Woah, return Claydol! You did a great job!' Ash's opponent said. Walking over to the black-haired young man, he was in awe. Ash simply smiled.

'That was a good battle. You have a good team, with some serious potential. But...practice makes perfect!' Ash advised his opponent, who nodded.

'Yeah, that was really fun! I'll keep your words in mind- see you around!' said the trainer, who turned and headed for the Pokémon Centre. Ash watched him go, before Pikachu alerted him.

'You want to go look around the park? Sure, let's go,' he replied.

The suited man sat down on a bench and pulled out his BlukBerry. A few taps on the keys and he was instantly connected through to reinforcements hiding withing the approaching clouds.

'This is Stahl. I've located the target- now approaching Saffron City Park. I'm currently in position, how about you all?...I see, that's good news. Then, are you ready?...OK,' he said, before hanging up. Quickly bringing up the email screen, he selected one of the three addresses in the contacts and typed in a quick message.

PHASE ONE- OPERATION GLITCH. BEGIN.

'Geez, Jessie! Stop eating all the food! We won't have enough to get back to headquarters at this rate if you hog the rations!' a blue haired young man in a white uniform complained, 'Life is harder now, remember!'

'Oh, shut up, James!' Jessie, a red headed woman replied, 'You know perfectly well that we can just steal some from some sods below!' She continued to munch on a packet of crisps. James snarled and turned away to where their other companion, the infamous walking, talking, dancing feline, the legendary Meowth was busy attempting to fix a busted radar system with only his claws.

'Hmm, let's see, blue wire goes here, and the red wire goes there...and eureka! It's bleeping!' he cried.

'Nice job, Meowth!' James grinned, 'Now do you think you could help shave me with those claws of yours? My razor is busted.'

The cat simply snorted and headed into the interior compartment of the balloon, now fitted with a larger basket. It was the home of the three after being kicked out of Team Rocket years ago, although they still wore the uniforms- because they couldn't remember times otherwise, and it kept them warm.

'You know what James?' Jessie asked, 'We're near Saffron City. We have some money off of that trainer we strong-armed, you know? What do you say we go out drinking?'

James shifted his eyebrows. 'I don't see why not...' he murmured, 'Do you want to come, Meowth?'

'I'll come as long as you don't make me use Pay Day again to get away with your extravagances. You know perfectly well that I can't fight properly under the influence of tequila...tequila...ohh Meowzie...you came and you brought me beef jerky...' he started to sing. A collective sigh came from the others.

'Let's go!' a figure, dressed in white robes roared, as a large airship descended from the clouds, swooping over Saffron. The staff at the aerodrome looked surprised to see it swooping so low- especially since they had no warning of it. Ash too looked up to see it, whistling at its size and speed.

'The world sure has changed, Pikachu, don't you think?' he quietly said. Pikachu let loose a small Pi of agreement.

'Deploy aerial squadron and dragon squadron!' the man roared as several troops also dressed in white hurried around, throwing specific Pokéballs out of the hatches and into the air. They opened mid air to reveal fierce and strong flying and dragon types- Pidgeot, Altaria, Flygon, Staraptor, Skarmory, one or two Salamence and Dragonites...

'Attack the citizens! Captain Stahl will apprehend the target!' the senior figure cried out.

'For the glory of Ouranos!'

'Ouranos!'

That word spread on the winds, as an essence. The sky was falling now, and it struck fear into the hearts of everyone. Even one Ash Ketchum, who was concentrating on escaping Saffron Park, as approximately five Staraptor hurtled down towards him and some others.

'Pikachu, fire Thunderbolts off my shoulder. We're getting out of here!' he cried.

'Pika!' Pikachu agreed, 'Pika...CHU!'

Bursts of extreme electricity floored many Staraptor as Ash sprinted through the streets. He wasn't intent on fighting...in this day and age, with crime on a massive rise, and society darkening and declining, he had learnt that one man couldn't change the world any more...Despite his Pokémon beside him, he didn't have the skill to command more than about three or four of them efficiently at the same time- and he was one of the best. As Pikachu shot down the last of the pursuers, Ash dashed through an alley, jumped a fence- part of being a Pokémon trainer was that it kept you in peak physical condition- and bounded a corner to arrive at the Aerodrome. However there was someone waiting for him.

The suited man stood opposite Ash, with five robed grunts behind him. They all wore bandoleers holding Pokéballs, and hoods over their heads hiding their eyes. The suited man smiled at Ash as one of the grunts produced a briefcase and handed it to the man.

'Ash Ketchum!' he exclaimed. Ash was stunned.

'Yes, I know who you are, winner of the Sinnoh League, Pokémon master, yabba yabba yabba...and chosen one,' he smirked. The last two words sunk in like ice. This man knew a lot about him- more than nearly anyone else except his old friends.

'Who are you?' he asked.

'Ah, excuse me, my manners. My name is Stahl. I represent Ouranos, a organisation created for the sole purpose of stopping you.'

'Me?'

'Hehehe...it seems there is a lot you don't know about yourself. Oh well, I don't suppose you have to know...yet,' Stahl chortled.

'Huh! In any case, stand aside, I'm getting out of here,' Ash replied.

'Oh really? That's not the most heroic thing I'd expect the so-called chosen one to say!' Stahl shouted, pulling out a Pokéball, 'Let's see what you've got! Medicham, take him out!'

He threw the Pokéball, opening with a burst of light into the fierce form of a Medicham. Throwing some punches, it charged at Ash, who barely had time to grab a Pokéball of his own and throw it.

'Infer-NAPE!' the Flame Pokémon screeched and flexed its muscles. Ash quickly acted.

'Let's go, Infernape! Attack Medicham with Flamethrower!' he commanded. Infernape released a stream of flames from its mouth at Medicham, who quickly jumped out of the way.

'Infernape, keep on it!' Ash shouted, 'Trap your foe!'

Infernape fired a second Flamethrower at Medicham and followed it. However Medicham was able to dart and roll under the flames, and escaped unharmed...

WHAM!

'Nice Mach Punch, Infernape!' Ash grinned, as Infernape took advantage of Medicham keeping its eyes on the flames and not on its opponent. Stahl was not one to give up easily however, and ordered an attack.

'Medicham, Double Team, then attack!'

His Medicham nodded and seemingly split itself into many copies. Soon there were over fifteen of them surrounding Infernape. Then they all seemed to burst in and begin to beat up the monkey Pokémon, who couldn't defend itself against the onslaught. Ash was calm however.

'Infernape, close your eyes and feel for the real one! Don't fall for optical tricks!'

'Nonsense, Medicham, use Psycho Cut and finish this!' Stahl commanded. Infernape simply closed his eyes and listened for the flash of the mental blade which would most likely end Infernape's battle due to the type advantage. It swung down, poised for victory, from somewhere in a crowd, anonymous...and was caught by two ignited monkey fists!

'Good job, Infernape, now throw him and finish him! Flare Blitz!' Ash shouted. Infernape nodded, grabbing the real Medicham and watching the clones disintegrate into thin air. Then it threw its opponent, with incredible strength into a wall, and quickly leapt after it, ignited and reckless. The Medicham had no time to defend itself against the brief glance of the fireball that it received before it was knocked into unconsciousness. However Infernape looked tired and slightly wounded from the full-on attack- but it kept on fighting as Stahl pulled out a second Pokéball.

'Hmm, your Infernape is indeed strong, but I seriously doubt it can take this! Go, Gengar!' he cried, and released the spectre. His Gengar looked formidable to Ash, and he knew that Infernape's fighting moves would have no effect. But he had faith in his Pokémon, especially in Infernape.

'Infernape, go for the gold! Flamethrower at Gengar!'

'Oh no, that long range-close range tactic won't work any more! Gengar, dodge and retaliate with Shadow Ball!'

Gengar seemed to phase out of existence just before the Flamethrower hit, appearing about a metre to the left, with a dark, pulsating sphere of pain held in its hand. Hurling it towards Infernape, the monkey barely had enough time to roll out of the way and escape. Ash now deduced that the Gengar was adept at dodging long range attacks and its weakness would be at short range.

'Infernape, go in closer! Flame Wheel!'

'Dodge, Gengar!'

Infernape, ignited and burning, leapt at Gengar, spinning fast and furiously. Gengar once again phased away, and Infernape bounced off the ground where it stood, leaving a fire burning in its place. Ash picked up on it and found a strategy.

'Infernape, keep up on Flame Wheel! Attack Gengar again and again!'

'Keep dodging!'

Gengar did keep dodging the Flame Wheels, but the fires on the ground were getting larger and more numerous. Soon Stahl did realize what was happening, but it was too late. A circle of fire enclosed Infernape and Gengar, locking them into a small arena.

'No! Gengar's dodge will still get hurt by the fire! He's trapped Gengar at close range!' he exclaimed.

'Right! Infernape, finish your foe off with Fire Punch!'

'Gengar, retaliate! Shadow Punch!'

The two Pokemon rushed at eachother, raising their arms for the pain to be delivered. Infernape's was ablaze, Gengar's was similarly immersed in necrotic energy. They swung at eachother, Gengar delivering a blow square into Infernape's jaw, and Infernape knocking Gengar right between the eyes. Gengar was indeed the loser, knocked out by the fierce fighting spirit of the monkey, but Infernape was fatigued, and it showed. It was swaying and barely standing up, not at all in a fighting condition. Ash could sense this too, with his eyes and through Infernape's aura, of all his Pokemon, one of the ones that glowed brightest along with Pikachu and Charizard. Right now it was shredded and tattered, like cheap paper, and Ash knew that the fight was going to drag on and seriously injure his Pokemon.

I've got to get away...

Let me help you!

Ash heard the voice as time was flooded with white. He felt himself be transported to a different place, on a glass floor floating through mysterious grey and black clouds. His Pokeballs had disappeared and Infernape and Pikachu were absent. There was a...prescence ahead of him, with a great aura, greater than anything, but with something dark at the back. He didn't know what.

'Who are you? And where's Pikachu?' Ash asked. Responding, a 4 metre tall white beast appeared in front of him. Resting on pointed toes with flowing white fur, it's most prominent feature was the brilliant, large and heavy golden girdle around its stomach. Often depicted in religion as his God, Ash had met his maker at last.

'Arceus! It's you, isn't it?' Ash inquired. The Alpha pokemon nodded and spoke through telepathy. Its voice was deep and formal, but not too harsh, just slightly stern.

'Indeed. And you are Ash Ketchum, my Chosen One. The Arbiter!'

'Chosen One again...how am I an Arbiter? I thought Giratina was your angel of death!'

'Angel of death! You were sent to the living!' Arceus replied, 'You've just come across Ouranos, yes?'

'Ouranos...' Ash muttered, 'Yes, why? Their admin, Stahl, he called himself, is a skilled battler. I'm up, but Infernape's at his limit. Can you help me? They seem to have taken over the whole of Saffron.'

'It'll be more than just Saffron,' said Arceus darkly, 'I cannot directly interfere in the ways of the world anymore, that's why I chose you. Ho-oh, my Rainbow, has guided you throughout your life for this purpose. The friends you made strengthened you, no? And your bonds with your Pokémon! Magnificent! Ash, Ouranos have been around in a form for a long time. Their aim is simple. They seek to unleash...it!'

'It? I don't read Stephen King but...' Ash was confused, 'is It a Pokémon?'

'Not exactly...the easiest way is that it is the Omega to my Alpha. You must stop Ouranos before they bring it back. And they need you to do it. While I need you to stop them. You don't have a choice on where you're going, I'm afraid,' Arceus explained.

'Hmm...' Ash said. He had mellowed out considerably on his own. 'They did know a lot about me. But why do they need to take over the lands first?'

'If they have complete control, then no one can help you. A hero needs all the help he can get,' Arceus replied. Then its girdle flashed, and Ash found himself with his Pokémon. Infernape was close to collapsing, and Pikachu just looked confused. More light flashed, and Infernape and Pikachu became content, as it they had suddenly learnt everything Ash had immediately. Infernape's wounds had healed too. Arceus gave a sort of smile as the world began to fade.

'Maybe you'll see me in your dreams or something...but follow the Rainbow! And your friends- don't give up on them. Or Ouranos will use them...'

Ash had returned to real life, in the middle of what appeared to be a time freeze or something to that effect. Arceus's words rang in his head.

Ouranos will use them...

Against you.

Ash ran for the Aerodrome, before time unfroze. Strapping himself in, he engaged manual pilot and quickly lifted off. No time for namby-pamby autopilot. The Chronos roared as it sped off and time unfroze. Stahl looked up at the exiting airship and grimaced.

'Pulled a fast one, kid. But we'll find you.' Turning to his followers in the white robes with the bandoleers, he gave orders.

'Contact the other admins. Tell them to send troops to Pewter, Cerulean and Pallet. Round up of the target's allies.'

Once again, in the skies, Ash was thinking.

Follow the Rainbow. Find your friends.

He needed to find them fast. Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Tracey, even Gary...and of course, her.

'Pikachu, seems like we've got a new adventure,' he said to his long time companion beside him, 'You up for the job?'

'Pika!'

'Yeah, me too!' The 19 year old Ash had gone back in time 9 years. Suddenly a flash of light caught his eye from the sky. He saw a Rainbow arcing through the clouds and mist, and ahead, his Guardian, who always seemed to be watching over him- Ho-oh!

'Look, it's Ho-oh! Arceus said we should follow- Pikachu, it's flying towards Pewter!' Ash exclaimed to his partner.

'Pika!'

'Right, we'll go see him then, if that's what Arceus wants us to do! Full speed ahead!' Ash hit the throttle.

Chasing after a Rainbow, they leapt back into the life they had left 3 years before. Ash and Pikachu were back.