Last Chapter…

Ash held his head for a second or two before speaking. "I removed Xavier from the tournament, put him on probation as an elite and deemed him fit for house arrest."

The elites let out a synchronized gasp. "What?"

"Removed from the tournament?" Zandra gaped.

Ash nodded. "Yes, he was removed from the tournament. Even if he hadn't been taken by Flare, I wouldn't have permitted him to battle regardless."

Xavier cut in, stunned that Ash was being so honest, but also stunned that it looked like his equals had no clue of his tournament status. "H-Hold up, it's not all his fault, you guys didn't hear the full story—"

"It goes beyond that. My motives were violating the bylaws that founded this league, and without giving him a chance to rectify his actions or prove himself otherwise, I gave him the verdict. I did so without your opinions as well, for that, I am truly sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I will do my best to not allow them to do so in the future." Ash spoke to his elites directly, then he turned to Xavier.

"Xavier, I've had the great pleasure of knowing you for the past three years now, and those are three years I wouldn't want or take any other way. You've been nothing but loyal to myself and your fellow elites; you've served Alola as best as you possibly could. You've never truly lost in battle. I know how rash it was to disqualify you from battle based on the situation I found myself in. For that, I need to say how truly sorry I am. We can't say we weren't having a tough time these past few weeks, but knowing you were out there being subject to Arceus knows what, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all relieved your back and in one piece."

The trio next to Xavier still looked stunned at the news of Xavier's probation and removal from the tournament. Before any of the three could speak, Xavier finally got a moment to get out what was on his chest.

"Ash, you need to stop taking all the blame. You had good reason to punish me like that. You know this. If you aren't going to explain why, then I will." Xavier turned to his equals and spoke. "I'd been sneaking around with Malva for weeks behind everyone's backs. I brought my Pokémon with me most times and thought I was home free. I was so angry that… that my feelings were just hogwash when it came down to the wire. When Ash confronted me and told me to go back to the league to discuss what he'd found out, I disobeyed his orders."

Xavier licked his lips. "I defied him, and he kept his cool. Once Malva started arguing, Ash lost his patience and revealed he knew about her involvement about Team Flare. After an insult or two, I just… I just…"

Silence. "… Lost it. I socked him as hard as I could. I just saw red. I can't explain it."

The elites gawked at Xavier in bamboozlement. Xavier, who was usually so calm and collected, had assaulted his own leader? Xavier? That didn't make any sense, it made no sense at all.

"Ash, I am so sorry. The guilt's been eating me up every minute I've been a captive. I need to come clean. You're right. Malva's a shady girl, but you know me; that's how I like girls. I didn't even consider the bylaws, how it would endanger you, Zandra, Axel or July. It occurred to me that maybe I was taken as a first move to all traitors of Flare."

Axel frowned. "What do you mean?"

The brown-haired man spoke. "Think about it. Prior to Flare taking me, we had no reason to think they'd still be in operations. Now, there's motive to take me; they were sending a message to Malva and every Flare deserter that they can't hide or can't forget that it happened."

"Wait, but if that's true—" July began.

"Professor Oak could be in serious danger. That would explain why he was so squirrely about concealing his identity as an ex-flare member; he knew people would come after him if Flare was ever reinstated as a criminal organization." Ash spoke softly.

"It also may explain why Malva hasn't been here to visit Xavier; if the attack was meant as a warning to her, she may not want to bring any more attention or harm to Xavier." Zandra deduced.

"Malva hasn't been here yet?" Xavier gasped.

"No, she hasn't. The news is renowned by now, we haven't gotten a single lick of news from her yet." Axel shook his head.

Xavier was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Ash, I'd like to begin my probation period now. I need to earn your trust back, I understand that. Please let me prove to you that I'm meant to be here alongside my friends. Please." The three elites looked to Ash, who had an unreadable expression dancing on his face.

Ash nodded slowly and held out his hand to Xavier. Relief flooded through the Player's veins as the fire/ground elite shook his leader's hand firmly. "We can discuss further details later. For now, you're always going to have some sort of protection. Your Pokémon will stay here with you and at least one of us will be always in the building, at least for the time being. I'm going to keep the probation private from the media. We all are, yeah?"

"Of course."

"Naturally."

"Yep."

Ash turned back. "We'll figure out our next steps once you're back to full health. Unfortunately, we've already got our hands full."

"What do you mean?"

Ash licked his lips. "Take your pick. In the span of about a day or so, you were kidnapped, Lance pretty much told me to go to hell."

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Here, actually. But I need to make another stop before I can go see her again. I need to see Abel."

"Abel? Abel Winchine? The dude who took out Zandra in the original tournament and was still in the last I checked? Why?" Xavier questioned unknowingly.

Zandra didn't seem miffed by the comment. "Yeah, that's something else you missed."

"Abel was attacked just a few days ago. We don't know much about the attack other than that Max gets himself a ticket to the final four. Which means, if Ash here beats Cynthia—"

"—He gets to face off against Max for the right to go to the championship." July nodded.

Xavier slowly absorbed the information he'd just gotten. "Damn, you weren't kidding; you do have your hands full right now, with Flare back, Abel out of commission, rescuing me… man. You need us to take any of that off your plate?"

Ash gave a small grimace. "With some good fortune, Mr. Goodshow will keep accepting updates from Zandra and Axel, while July keeps the league in safe quarters. We know there's a mole inside Aether Paradise, which means I need to stay cautious with information there. For now, Flare is on their heels, which is how we need to keep it. We still have no information about the leader of Flare either. I still need to address the traitors. They're going to get it, and I'm sure they think I've long since turned to dust. It's nearly time to introduce ourselves."

Ash stood next to Xavier and held his hand out formally. The man eyed the gesture with a confused glance, caution glazed across his eyes. After the brown-haired man confirmed there was no malice or ill-intent in Ash's eyes, he shook his leaders hand firmly. "We can go into deeper discussions later of what'll be expecting."

Ash paused before chuckling. "You got hell of a hook there, by the way. Felt that one for a couple days."

Xavier scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'd say I was working out, but that'd be a lie. No poker face here either, heh. So we're good?"

Ash chuckled once more. "Yeah, we're good." The raven-haired man made his way to the door, which had been shut for the duration of the conversation. "Now, I need to go speak with Abel about the attack. I'm sure he's been expecting me for some time by this point. I'm sure you're all dying to keep the Player company. Make sure someone's always on the watch. That'll be all elites, to your positions."

With that, the feared champion turned on his heel and walked out of the room, the full elite four in his wake. He'd felt as though a great portion of the weight that had been on his shoulders had been lifted, and boy was he thankful for it. Now, he had another matter to deal with: speaking with Abel.

"A witness for what?" Ash was still clueless.

Abel grimly smiled at Ash. "A will. I'd like for you to be here to substitute in for someone who… couldn't be here."

"Who couldn't be here? Why are you being read a will in a hospital bed? Don't you think there are bigger issues to worry about? So say… getting healthier before a certain girlfriend whoops your backside for not telling her about a secret meeting with a lawyer?" Ghost raised an eyebrow daringly.

Abel sighed. "I wish it was that simple. This is important to me; I need someone else here to act as a witness to this. Will you do it? Will you stay?"

Ghost looked a bit exasperated to say the least, but reluctantly gave in. "Alright Abel, you win."

"Thank you. Seriously."

The lawyer looked a bit hesitant to say the least but agreed about as reluctantly as Ash had appeared to be. "Very well, I'll make some adjustments here to the will… that should do it. If you're both ready, I'll begin the reading."

The two men in the room waited pat. The lawyer cleared his throat. "My name is Thomas Cronwall. I stand before you today in place of Mr. Beaupre, who couldn't make it to Alola due to prior commitments."

'Wait, what? Did he just say Beaupre? Why does that sound so familiar?' Ash's mind reeled swiftly.

"Today, as requested by the writer, the contents of this will shall be released to the only two people who were deemed to hear said will. As requested by the writer, two people shall hear this will, with both names of the listeners as such: Abel Winchine, Ghost of Alola. This will shall include remaining wealth and the benefactors of such wealth. This will shall also include a final statement from the writer that is quite in depth. I will begin with the opening statement before proceeding first to the written statement."

Mr. Cronwall cleared his throat. "The lawyer addressing the will to the potential benefactors: Mr. Thomas Cronwall. The two potential benefactors are Mr. Abel Winchine, and Mr. Ghost. However, as the original will states, only the two specifically defined people from the will are permitted to collect the benefits, as such, all benefits shall go to Mr. Winchine, as the other benefactor is unfortunately deceased."

The man continued. "Mr. Winchine shall receive all wealth from the will, though I will still read out what was originally to be dealt to each person."

The lawyer spoke directly to the champion. "Is this suitable Mr. Ghost?"

"Of course." Ghost fought the urge to roll his eyes; what claim could he possibly have had on this? It was undoubtedly something that Abel should hold onto, after all.

"I'm glad you agree, I'm sure Mr. Ketchum would as well, if he were here."

Silence came for a brief moment.

Time seemed to slow in the room. Ghost felt the blood rushing through his ears. Chills were launched up and down his spine and Ghost felt the weight of the world come crashing down on him with brutal force. Ghost felt his mind spinning wildly, as though he was about to feint. He knew what he had just heard. Barely managing to speak coherently, the champion whispered faintly.

"… W-Who is the other benefactor?"

Abel eyed Ghost up curiously. Mr. Cronwall spoke. "As specified from the top of the will, the only two benefactors and therefore, people who are permitted to hear this will, are Mr. Abel Winchine of Hoenn…"

"… and Mr. Ash Ketchum of Kanto."

Abel spoke next. "Yeah, I was always hoping to meet him, but he passed under really weird circumstances. I have no clue why he…" Abel's voice trailed off as Ghost's mind began working overtime. He was the other benefactor of a mysterious will that was given to Abel? Why? On top of it, why hadn't he been given the will? What were the odds of being given the will when he was in the same room as the other benefactor?

The lawyers authoritative voice snapped Ghost out of his trance. "Correct; as Mr. Ketchum cannot be here, Mr. Ghost is substituting to the deceased to listen to the written statement, permitted by Mr. Winchine and approved by myself as well. With the opening statement out of the way, we'll begin the written statement." The man cleared his throat once more and spoke again.

"With that, I, Mr. Thomas Cronwall, formally invite Mr. Winchine and Mr. Ghost to listen to the final will of my client…"

"… Mr. Tracey Sketchit."

Present…

Misty was walking down the tunnel to the ABS battlefield. Misty felt excited to battle. Misty knew very well that this was a battle she could not afford to lose. A week ago, it was a battle she'd be kicking herself over if she was defeated. Now, it was one she likely couldn't forgive herself for if she lost; not with the current circumstance. She couldn't afford to lose now. These past few days had been nonstop grinding for her and her Pokémon. No doubt though that this would be her toughest test yet, and now she was a step away from the 6 on 6 battles in the semi-finals and championship match.

Misty took her time and she heard her name being announced. Misty slowly walked out, hands by her hips, palms open and head down slightly. Her eyes were closed. She looked like she was doing as photoshoot of some sort. She continued to slowly walk like this, shoes quietly clapping the soft dirt below. Misty lifted her head and without breaking stride, stared down her opponent. Lance looked back at her, expression unreadable. As soon as she stepped in the rectangle, the crowd let out one last boisterous cheer before dying down as the referee announced the rules.

"The battle between Champion Lance Dragonwright of Kanto/Johto and Elite Four Misty of Kanto is about to commence." The crowd exploded into cheers, their excitement hardly being contained. Neither Misty's nor Lance's face changed from the spectators.

"This battle is the second last 3 on 3 battle of the tournament. The winner of this battle will face Trip Craggier for the right to go to the Championship. As deemed by a battle randomizer, there will be no stadium gimmicks. However, at no point may a Pokémon be swapped out. Therefore, moves such as Baton Pass, Volt Switch or U-Turn may not be used in battle. Is that clear?" the referee announced authoritatively.

"Yes." Lance spoke for the first time.

"Crystal." Misty nodded briskly.

"If a Pokémon is forced out with a move such as Dragon Tail, the swap will be allowed. Otherwise the Pokémon that switched out will be disqualified for the remainder of the battle. Are both trainer's ready?"

"Yes."

"I am. I also want to make this a title defence and on winning, I can be the Kanto Champion."

"Does Lance agree?"

"Positive."

The referee nodded. "This is also a title defense match! Trainers will release their Pokémon at the same time, on my mark. 3… 2… 1… throw!"

As Misty threw her first pokeball in the air, time slowed. Misty found herself completely battle-locked. All she wanted to focus on was dispatching Lance and moving on to the— Okay it was impossible to say it so simply. The fact of the matter was that Lance was far off from the rest of the people she'd battled. In other words, this would be her toughest battle tenfold. Lance, while incredibly stubborn, was a fierce battler who generally came into every fight with a plan. She knew the ins-and-outs of most battle scenarios. Misty had little doubt he'd come prepared to face her.

Thus, Misty needed a firm plan in place. Misty knew that, in this battle more than all others, type coverage and situational readiness was paramount for Victory. She had come with a threesome that, if she was true with herself, was solid in most situations. Misty knew that her team came with holes, but she had an idea of Lance's team thanks to some good data analytics work. She composed her team, taught them new moves, preparing a reserve Pokémon in case something went wrong with a starter.

She had little doubt Lance would do the same. Misty refused to underestimate Lance. He was not a champion for nothing, unlike Diantha. This man would be a fierce opponent, one of the toughest she would likely ever face for the foreseeable future, other than Ash. She knew he could win, but would she lock up the battle? Misty eyed up her first Pokémon on the battlefield and then took in Lance's. Something clicked in her head and she put two and two together.

The referee yelled. "Dragonite versus Eelektross, battle begin!"

Misty smiled, she had a strategy against Dragonite that would work well. She would however give the first move to Lance.

"Dragonite, use Draco Meteor" As Dragonite charged the move, Misty ordered her first move as well. "Use Dragon Tail!"

Eelektross flew rapidly to Dragonite who was spending energy to charge the attack and then used Dragon Tail, sending Dragonite to the Pokeball while Dragonite took damage along with the move and then Excadril was released. Misty knew Excadril would be a challenge and she had her strategy prepared.

"Gastro Acid!"

As the announcer had expressed his shock and surprise, claiming Misty had an advantage now, Misty mentally prepared her upcoming moves, while Lance gritted his teeth which indicated to Misty that Lance's Excadril had the ability Mold Breaker and Mold Breaker would have made Eelektross which had Levitate and was having no type weakness, become weak to Ground and his strategy was gone. Lance knew he faced a battle with a Pokemon that had no type weakness but he would not lose.

"Shadow Claw!"

"Aqua Tail!"

As Excadril ran to use Shadow Claw, Eelektross used Aqua Tail and both the attacks hit and to Lance's surprise, Eelektross was able to make Excadril to lose more health than expected which meant that Misty was a very strong battler. While Lance knew that was possible and he was open for all possibilities, he knew the match would be hard.

"Focus Blast!"

"Evade!" As Excadril was using Focus Blast repeatedly, Eelektross was evading the move rapidly and Lance realized that he made a grave error, his Excadril's Special Attack was now too less and Lance realized it was time for Excadril to stop using the move.

"Smart Strike!"

Excadril was then using Smart Strike and was hitting Eelektross while Eelektross was using Aqua Tail and making Excadril to lose quite some health rapidly and Lance's strategy was now brute power to wear down Eelektross but Excadril fainted much more rapidly than expected.

"Excadril, you did well!" He said and returned Excadril to the Pokeball. "Dragonite, go!"

"Dragon Tail!" As Lance released Dragonite, Eelektross used Dragon Tail and Dragonite again lost quite some health and went back to the Pokeball and Lance released Aerodactyl from the Pokeball. Misty knew that Eelektross had two moves that were supereffective and one that had Same-type attack bonus.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Stone Edge!" Eelektross used Thunderbolt rapidly at Aerodactyl which was hit by the attack and lost health. Aerodactyl was then flying and then was able to evade from the attack while Eelektross was able to evade from the Stone Edge attack by floating away from the attack.

"Dragon Dance!"

Aerodactyl was then using Dragon Dance and increasing the power of its attacks and Eelektross was then using Thunderbolt and was able to hit Aerodactyl this time as Aerodatyl was going about the same position and Aerodactyl was losing health due to the attack.

"Dragon Pulse!"

"Full power Thunderbolt!"

Aerodactyl used a very powerful Dragon Pulse while being hit by Thunderbolt and both Pokemons were losing health rapidly then to Lance's horror, Aerodactyl proved to have lesser health than Eelektross and then Aerodactyl fainted from the attack.

"Aerodactyl, you did well!" He said and returned Aerodactyl to the Pokeball. "Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"

"Latch on to Dragonite and use Dragon Tail!" Eelektross rapidly latched itself to Dragonite and then was using Dragon Tail which was causing Dragonite to lose health rapidly Dragonite was continuing to fly rapidly but still was struck by the move and was unable to get Eelektross to leave itself.

"Heat Wave!"

Dragonite had lowered Special Attack due to using Draco Meteor and Heat Wave was hitting Eelektross but Eelektross was losing health lesser rapidly while using Dragon Tail on Dragonite continuously. Dragonite was losing health and then Dragonite fainted.

"Champion Lance's Dragonite is unable to battle, Misty's Eelektross wins! Champion Dragonwright is out of usable Pokémon! Therefore, with a three to zero victory, the trainer moving on to the semi-finals and the six-on-six battles is Misty, Champion of Kanto!" The crowd exploded into encores and whoops for Misty winning in an excellent manner. Misty let out a relieved laugh and wiped the sweat that had been forming on her brow.

She's done it.

Lance, meanwhile, was kneeling next to his Dragonite, consoling it for the loss. "You did a spectacular job, my dear friend. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Dragonite, who was now conscious, growled softly. "Dra…"

"I proved to not be strong enough or to have a very good strategy." The Pokémon smiled weakly at its trainer before being sucked into its pokeball.

Misty was patting her Eelektross on the back with a huge grin. "Congrats, you have defeated Lance." The Pokémon let out a mighty sound, one that appeared to sound like it had never once been hit in the battle despite having too less health.

A new voice cut in. "You're truly remarkable."

Misty turned to Lance, who was smiling at the duo. "Thank you."

She nodded slowly. "You can be a good Kanto Champion. As for your replacement as the Elite Four, I am sure you would have considered someone. Your Eelektross would give me nightmares with the way it held to Dragonite by its teeth which was an amazing strategy. I guess Bruno is the only Elite Four that both of our regions share."

As the audience cheered at the exchange, Misty spoke. "You are an amazing Johto Champion and you really have a good bond with your Pokemons, Sabrina would become an Elite Four member and Bruno would be the only Elite Four member that both of our regions would share."

The Dragon trainer smiled. "Until next time." He turned and walked out of the stadium, cheers still raining down. Misty watched him walk away for a few moments before she gestured to Eelektross to follow her. They went to the middle of the battlefield, and as the crowd fully expected, she slowly got down on one knee. Eelektross followed suit, going to the crowd with a solid crashing noise. Misty was quiet for a moment, head held low and a shadow covering her eyes.

Her Pokémon said nothing, only holding its head low. Misty stood up and Eelektross did the same. It seemed like Eelektross expected Misty to return it right away, but instead, Misty gestured towards the crowd. A moment later, Eelektross let out a mighty roar that shook the stadium to the core. Misty raised a fist slowly in victory as the crowd exploded into cheers. With that, she returned Eelektross to its pokeball and put her hands in her pockets.

The smallest curl of her lips could be seen as she walked away. The thunderous roars and cheers from the audience began to morph into cries she knew all too well as she approached the main tunnel.

"Misty!"

"Misty!"

"Misty!"

Misty looked back to the stadium one last time before she entered the tunnel and gave a two-fingered salute to the crowd before turning around and walking in, the roars still echoing off the concrete walls and words still echoing in his ears as he made his way back.

The smile that graced her face once she was back in the locker room was contagious as she swiftly packed her things.

Few Hours later...

Zandra felt her cheeks blazing. He was right. He was authentically, 100% genuine in his confusion. She had been flirting with him. There was no denying it. She'd meant it too; she'd meant every word.

She did miss him.

But why was she feeling like this?

"Well?"

Zandra sighed exasperatingly. "Okay fine; maybe I was teasing you a little, but it's nothing compared to what you did!"

"Does that justify you teasing me though!?"

"Yes! No… Maybe?" She shrugged helplessly. "It didn't seem like much in comparison to what you did."

"Doesn't make it right. You know that."

Zandra opened her mouth to argue, but knew down in her heart that he wasn't lying. She sat on the ground and within seconds Lance was sitting with her. "Well, I… I guess I'd be lying if I said otherwise. You're right… flirting with you only to shoot you down repeatedly out of spite isn't right. All the elites would agree with you. Anyone… would agree with you, actually."

Lance said nothing as Zandra contemplated her next words. "I hate this."

The man blinked, unsure of the vague sentence. "You hate me?"

The gorgeous girl shook her head slowly. "No, I hate what it is we're doing."

Lance looked a bit confused. "Look." She sighed. "I find you… well, attractive. You're easy on the eyes, and I know I'm not the only girl who looks at you like that. I could take Cynthia for an example if I really wanted to."

"Say what now?"

The pink-haired girl snorted. "Please; you haven't noticed her ogling you?"

Eyes wide and face morphed into one of skepticism, Lance shook his head slowly. "Hm, well in any regard, yes, women find you attractive. I find myself amongst them. Believe it or not…" she hesitated briefly before speaking. "I even find your over-confident and brash personality rather dashing. It usually comes off as arrogance to most other men. For you… I can't describe it, but I really find it appealing. You don't take shit from anyone, and I truly respect that about you as well."

Lance scratched the back of his head. "Ash can boss me around if he wants to."

Zandra continued, her speech getting more passionate by the moment. "But that's only because you felt guilty about what happened between us and Ash found out!" He looked surprised by the statement, not that it was false. "Did he—"

"No, he didn't say anything. I suspected it was an unspoken agreement between you two. I didn't want to break it up for obvious reasons. With you covering for him for over two years, the league was able to prosper much more. Ash was able to keep making public appearances for days on end. He was able to keep the crime down. Once our training was finished, we began our first assignment of patrolling the islands and introducing ourselves to the locals. It was our job to build reputation. We rotated every two days across the islands for around half a year."

Lance was quiet for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?"

The girl looked a bit guilty. "Well, during that time, we also rotated in at ALT City. Rather, the city when it was just a great, big, useless sack of dirt in the middle of nowhere. Ash was able to forge the city from the ground up and only make it this beautiful and prosperous because you were able to buy him time. While that was going on, I had plenty of time to think about… what had happened. I needed that time."

"For the first few weeks, it was just unbridled rage. I wanted you to be wiped off the face of the earth by Arceus himself. I felt I had true justification for the scenario. As time went on though… I tried to put myself in your shoes. I kept thinking that maybe you just made a mistake. I kept waiting for you to try and come explain yourself."

She looked at Lance for perhaps the first time in a good handful of minutes. "You never did."

The champion nodded. "Ash was fairly clear I should give you all the distance the regions provided. Even if he hadn't said anything, I was pretty sure you didn't want to see my mug anywhere in the region where you'd been just appointed elite. I stayed way clear of Alola for that reason."

Zandra looked downwards again. "After some months, I began to put on the mask that many people see today. It's a bit like Ash's first phase as Ghost, where he always wore the Black cloak and hat. The people of Alola knew Ghost for that outfit for some time, and despite seeing his efforts to defend the region, they could never truly shake the ominous and brooding feel he gave off. After a bit, Ash decided to stop wearing the cloak in the hopes of building a better reputation.

Lance nodded. "It worked."

"Yeah. People only call him Ghost now, which is considered a good thing." She looked sad. "I wasn't so lucky. The mask I put on had spread to the public. I was cold, unforgiving, quiet and… well, bitchy."

The red-haired man wisely kept his trap shut as Zandra found her next words. "Everyone else began to develop their reputations. Axel was given the title of Hero because of his reputation as a vigilante of HeaHea City being revealed. He was given an award for making the city safer by the city council instead of Ash. Xavier got his nickname for being a heartbreaker, as well as a master card player. 'The Player' never lost in his prime, I don't think he's lost since being elected as an elite either. July… the Beautiful, doesn't need too much explanation. She's like walking cocaine for any straight, single men."

The girl was quiet for a moment and then spoke softly. "And then me… the Ruthless. The mask I'd put on had frozen over. My reputation as a complete jerk to everyone I met across the months had built up to the point where my name was set. I buried anyone I faced in battle. I never gave autographs. I never stopped to take pictures or chat with the townsfolk. It didn't matter that I was one of the greatest trainers in the region; everyone knew to stay out of my path. And it was my own damn fault."

She looked up suddenly in realization. "I… I've never told anyone that before. Not even the elites. Not even Ash."

Lance looked surprised by her tale. He wisely chose his next words. "Do… Do you feel any better now that it's off your chest?"

The girl hesitated before giving a smile… a genuine smile. "Yes… I-I do actually."

Lance gave a small grin. "I'm glad. Really."

The girl placed her hand on his, making him jump slightly. "I'm sorry Lance, for how I've been acting around you. It wasn't fair to you, and yet I didn't stop. I can't say you don't deserve some blame, but I know my actions didn't make the situation better. I'm sorry for what I've said and done."

The man nodded slowly, a small grin on his face. Slowly, he wrapped his hand around hers. She didn't pull away. "It's alright. I was the cause of it. I deserved at least what was given to me. I understand. I've been messing things up lately too…"

"What do you mean?"

Lance looked guilty. "My overconfidence, I may have let it out too much with Ash. He tried to warn me about asking you out. I didn't listen, and I lashed out at him hard."

Zandra nodded. "Yeah, he mentioned as much. If it's any consolation, I think your fight with him was the last thing on his mind the past couple weeks."

This made the man look up in surprise. "What? Why?"

Zandra shook her head. "These past weeks have been brutal for Ash. Before your fight, Xavier was kidnapped."

"Yeah, I asked him about that just before I blew my top."

"Wow… that's enough to make any man go insane."

"Exactly. He spent weeks coping with losing his friend, elite who was also his friend, and his girlfriend in a twenty-four hour period of time. Xavier is back, but with what happened with Abel and his attack—"

"Huh?"

"And then preparing for Cynthia, he's got so much on his plate right now. He's working triple overtime at the moment and I can't help but feel useless."

Lance waved his hands in front of his face rapidly. "Wait wait wait, hold up, what happened to Abel Winchine? That is who we're talking about here, right?"

Zandra looked at him. "You really have been out of the loop these weeks haven't you?"

The man looked sheepish. "Yeah. Couldn't even prepare for a battle because I was so out of it mentally. Some champion. Ash is out while his friends abandon him left and right, but he still powers on."

Zandra placed a hand on his shoulder lightly. "Don't judge yourself too hard. Ash is the most dedicated person we both know, and that's a fact. We know why he works so hard; he needs to get his revenge on the bastards that were contempt with condemning him to hell. That's why we support him and respect him at the same time, right?

"Yeah… yeah you're right." Lance nodded slowly.

A moment of peaceful silence followed. Then, breaking the silence, Lance spoke once more. "So, where does this leave us exactly?"

Zandra didn't say anything for a moment before deciding. "Let's call it friends for now… sound fair?"

The man gave a nod and smiled. "Friends it is."

With his impeccable timing, her pokégear rang. One look to the man calling told her something was up. "S-Sorry, I need to take this."

"Xavier, what is it? I'm in the middle of something."

"You're clearly not with Serena, because I just found her. And you won't believe who's she's with. I need you here as soon as possible." The Player himself spoke on the other line. The female elite blinked rapidly before nodding. "Okay, got it. I'm on my way. I'm bringing a guest."

Before Xavier could answer, she hung up. "Wanna come for a fly?"

Lance said nothing… he only grinned.

(Time Skip… A handful of hours later)

Ash was walking down the tunnel to the ABS battlefield. He could hear the fans roaring and stomping on the bleachers in an effort to make as much noise as possible. 'Enter Sandman' was roaring through the concrete tunnel. He felt little to no emotion, however. Ash knew very well that this was a battle he could not afford to lose. A week ago, it was a battle he'd be kicking himself over if he was defeated.

Now, it was one he likely couldn't forgive himself for if he lost; not with the current circumstance. He couldn't afford to lose now. These past few days had been nonstop grinding for him and his Pokémon. Cynthia was all that stood in front of him of a chance to bury Max Maple once and for all. No doubt though that this would be his toughest test yet, and now he was a step away from the 6 on 6 battles in the semi-finals and championship match.

Unlike Diantha, Cynthia had at least rightfully earned her spot as a champion. Her team was world-renowned. Her Garchomp was possibly the most feared Pokémon of all the champions. This would be no cakewalk… at least not like the past battles he'd endured. Ariana, Cynthia's niece and Ash's first opponent in the tournament, would likely seem like a light breeze in comparison to her older relative.

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulders and sprinted to the entrance of the tunnel, waiting for his cue to run out. Ash took his time, knowing when the crescendo would hit… despite not listening to the song as he walked. The instant he stood by Pikachu's side, he heard his name being announced, and fireworks began to be launched left and right.

The crowd let out a thunderous roar that sent chills down the spine of all who heard it. Pikachu sprinted out on the field proudly while Ash slowly walked out, hands by his hips, palms open and head down slightly. His eyes were closed. He looked like he was doing as photoshoot of some sort.

He continued to slowly walk like this, shoes quietly clapping the soft dirt below. The infamous Ghost lifted his head and without breaking stride, stared down his opponent. Cynthia looked back at him, expression unreadable. Pikachu, being the faithful partner he was, had already prepared himself in Ash's box.

As he approached the trainer's box, the stadium had began to chant his name.

'Ghost!'

'Ghost!'

'Ghost!'

'Ghost!'

'Ghost!'

As soon as he stepped in the rectangle, the crowd let out one last boisterous cheer before dying down as the referee announced the rules.

"The battle between Champion Cynthia Shirona of Sinnoh and Ghost of Alola is about to commence." The crowd exploded into cheers, their excitement hardly being contained. Neither Ash's nor Cynthia's face changed from the spectators.

"This battle is the final 3 on 3 battle of the tournament. The winner of this battle will face Max Maple for the right to go to the Championship. As deemed by a battle randomizer, there will be no stadium gimmicks. However, at no point may a Pokémon be swapped out. Therefore, moves such as Baton Pass, Volt Switch or U-Turn may not be used in battle. Is that clear?" the referee announced authoritatively.

"Yes." Cynthia spoke for the first time.

"Crystal." Ash nodded briskly.

"If a Pokémon is forced out with a move such as Dragon Tail, the swap will be allowed. Otherwise the Pokémon that switched out will be disqualified for the remainder of the battle. Are both trainer's ready?"

"Yes."

"I am."

The referee nodded. "Trainer's will release their Pokémon at the same time, on my mark. 3… 2… 1… throw!"

As Ash threw his first pokeball in the air, time slowed. Despite facing against one of the most powerful trainers in the world, the biggest event that had happened to him since the day he was betrayed came flooding back to him in one mere moment. He was at the hospital with Abel… he'd just recused Xavier with the elites, Rocket and the Guardians…

Flashback… three days prior…

Ash found himself openly gawking at Mr. Cronwall. He must've looked quite hilarious, because the man chuckled and spoke directly to him. "Why the surprised look Mr. Ghost? Were you expecting the will from someone more famous?"

Within seconds, Ash found a suitable alibi. "I… I've heard of Tracey Sketchit before."

Abel looked rightfully surprised. "You know Tracey? How?"

Ash looked a bit uncertain for a moment before speaking. "Someone asked me to look into the disappearance of Ash Ketchum. I travelled to Pallet Town to speak to someone of great importance to the case. The man was I was speaking with was Professor Samuel Oak. He told me about the tragic passing's of both Ash and Tracey. The timing of this… well it feels uncanny. Perhaps I was indeed meant to be here at this very moment."

Abel looked nothing short of stunned at Ghost's words. "You were in Kanto? How recently?"

Ash shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Mr. Cronwall cleared his throat. "Ahem… I don't believe this conversation is one I should be here for… may I proceed with the will?"

Both of the other boys in the room exchanged glances before Abel spoke. "Go ahead then."

Mr. Cronwall nodded before looking down at the paper. "As I previously mentioned, this is the will of Tracey Sketchit. Mr. Sketchit unfortunately passed on a handful of years ago due to a Pokémon attack. It has not been confirmed and likely never will be, but foul play was suspected in Mr. Sketchit's death. According to his final will, the contents of the will could only be revealed to either of the benefactors upon their eighteenth birthday due to the contents of the will. With that, I shall begin the official opening statement."

"In attendance for the hearing to Mr. Tracey Sketchit; Mr. Abel Winchine, one of the two benefactors. Mr. Ghost of Alola is substituting in for the additional benefactor, Mr. Ash Ketchum, who could not be present at the hearing. Mr. Winchine has given his approval for Mr. Ghost to substitute in for Mr. Ketchum. I, Mr. Thomas Cronwall, have approved the conditions for the hearing and therefore, I will begin with the benefactor list and what they shall receive from the deceased."

The man continued. "With Ghost's approval, Mr. Abel Winchine will be given the numbers to Mr. Sketchit's private bank account, which will be provided separately. Here." Mr. Cronwall handed Abel a small piece of paper, to which Abel dumbly nodded, unsure of what else he could say or do in the situation. "Continuing, the Pokémon of the deceased shall also be given to Mr. Winchine, but as the Pokémon of Mr. Sketchit could not be recovered, there will be no Pokémon that are given out."

'Hm… that's weird. A lot like my own Pokémon who vanished under mysterious circumstances. No way Abel and his lawyer know that though… best to keep it to myself.' Ash's mind spun.

Meanwhile, the lawyer droned on about possessions that had been held in safe keeping that would be transferred over to Abel, and to the duo's surprise, there were quite a few items. Apparently, Oak hadn't taken any of them, even though they were in the laboratory at the time of Tracey's demise.

"Continuing, there is a letter from Mr. Sketchit to Mr. Winchine. I shall begin the reading of the letter now."

The older man cleared his throat before speaking in a softer tone.

"To Abel, my closest friend. How have you been buddy? If you're reading this, well, it means I kicked the can way earlier than I should've. Definitely not what either of us were hoping for huh? Well, I hope this finds you well. I don't know what will have happened or where you would be when you find out that I'm gone, but I know that whatever the reason may be, I know you'll be kicking yourself over something. I know you'll think that it all could've been avoiding had you just done something different, but you need to accept that some things just happen for a reason."

"Anyway, now that I've gotten my little rant out of the way, I'll ask you the same question I did before; how've you been? Have you become the best trainer in all the lands yet? I have little to no doubt you've at least taken a great stab at it. I'm sure one of the things you may be thinking is why I chose you as one of the two benefactors to this. Well, a day doesn't really go by when I'm not thinking about how many trainers you've whooped. Not a day goes by without me thinking about how much stronger you've gotten as a trainer and as a person. I have nothing but confidence and faith in you. You're bound for great things Abel."

"I still remember running into you in Hoenn. I was on business for Professor Oak. I remember just stumbling on you. You were so lost, so confused. When you told me you'd run away, I couldn't believe someone had so much confidence in themselves to take the rest of their lives in their own hands, with nothing but their guts and a Minun at your side. I was awed… you remind me of someone who I expect to be in the room with you right now. The fire in your eyes when you battle, it reminds me of Ash Ketchum. You're both special."

"You see, just before I met you, I finished travelling with Ash and his friends. I'm guessing this will be the first time you two have met, so let me say a few things about him, before he gets all humble and denies everything. Ash is one of the most devoted people I've ever met in my life. The passion for battling he has is second to none. I have no doubt he'll become a champion one day. His battling styles can change from reckless to calculating without him knowing it himself. He'll be a true test for someone like you, and I think a battle between you both will shake the earth's core. Unlike a lot of other trainers, Ash's bond with his Pokémon is something that he values above all. I've seen the bonds between him and his Pokémon up close. It's unbelievable. Those connections that he has with his Pokémon, it reminds me of the bonds you have with your Minun and Fletchling."

"I know this journey that you've been on will be a brutal one. I know that carrying the thoughts that your foster parents passed away so young must've shocked you, even if you hated them to the bone. I never knew my parents, I didn't know anything about them growing up, and I don't know anything about them as I write this today. By this point, you likely know everything I'm leaving you. Now though, I tell you my final piece of advice to you."

"Holding onto grudges will only hold you back. You need to forgive and forget in order to move on. Facing your anguish head on is how to truly live your life to it's fullest. It's a bit ironic, given as what I've written to Ash. Come to think of it, he's expected to be in the room with you anyway, so perhaps I didn't have to say some of those things to begin with. In any regard, Abel, my dear friend, live your life. Battle to the top. Forgive others who wronged you, and yourself for anything that may happen. Swallow your pride and find yourself in others. Get a girlfriend. Get married. Have kids. Make your legacy, and pass it onto them. You may not know much about your family's origins, but look to this as an opportunity; you can become the beginning of your family's line. How do you want your name to be remembered?"

With that, Mr. Cronwall stopped speaking and waited expectantly for the rush of emotions from Abel. Ghost was the first to speak. "Your parents died at a young age?"

Abel nodded slowly. "My biological parents apparently gave me up for adoption at a young age. They couldn't have given a Rattata's ass about me.I don't even know where I'm technically from. All I know was that I was adopted in by a bastard couple who treated me like I was cattle. I was abused and mocked by everyone in our town. Everyone thought so little of me. It became so bad that I didn't think twice about sneaking out the day I turned ten with nothing but a handful of pokeballs and some money I smuggled out. I'd spent years learned and studying battle styles from trainers, and once I had caught my first Pokémon… I decided that I'd go back and arrest my parents for abuse."

Abel looked up at Ghost determinedly. "When I became champion."

It didn't take long for the Alola champion to piece together the rest. "Your foster parents though?"

"Yeah… about a month after I snuck out, I came back. The whole village was ablaze. It was burnt to the ground within minutes of me arriving. I never figured out what caused the fire, only that I received a message from a carrier Pelipper a day later stating my foster parents had died in a village fire. They didn't have any Pokémon, so I ended up just carrying on like nothing happened. I think that's what Tracey was telling me about; I didn't go to their funerals. I didn't mourn them. I felt nothing… and I feel guilty for feeling like that."

Ghost nodded in sympathy. "My father was out of my life at an early age. I still don't know why he left my mom and I. It crushed me. Sometimes parents can be total blowhards, right?"

The 18-year-old looked surprised by the change of tone from Ghost. "Uh, yeah, you're right."

Mr. Cronwall looked at the duo expectantly. "Well then, are we ready to hear Ash Ketchum's letter?"

Ghost held his hand out briskly. "Proceed Mr. Cronwall."

The lawyer cleared his throat for the umpteenth time since the beginning of the conversation and began.

"Ash… Ashy boy. It sounds weird in person and in writing too. Guess Gary was wrong about something then. How've you been Ash? If you're reading this, then something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. This means I've unfortunately kicked the bucket ahead of your eighteenth birthday. I wish I could spend so much time with you, watching you mature into a young man, eventually marry May and start a family. Don't deny it, we all know you and Misty have been eyeing each other up like wild animals all these years. For how I know even though I never really 'travelled' with Misty, don't forget all the connections I've built over the years. I know a good deal about everything in this fair world."

"My fear is that I've learned too much. I fear that I may have found something horrible about this world we live in, and that by writing this, the illusion wrapped around our lives will come crashing down. If you're reading this, it likely means I didn't tell you what it is I suspect I've learned… what I've stumbled upon. I don't know who I can trust with the information I have, and that's why I had to be extremely secretive as well."

"Maybe it's best that I start from the beginning. You may want to buckle in, this is a doozy. As you know Ash, I've been working with Professor Oak for years now. In fact, when you turned 10, after some time, I started working for the Professor. Maybe it was a bit less than that…wait, was it more? Either way, that's a crazy thing to think about. It goes beyond time though. See, for the first two years or so, I was just settling into my role. I didn't see the bigger picture of what was happening. So, two years, I was just really starting to get the idea of my role with Professor Oak. Once I began to hone myself, I began to realize some things about the professor. He's… well, he only cares about himself. As my initial idolization of Oak blinded me for so long, I began to realize how egotistical the man was. He lusts for power. He lusts for control. As the weeks turned into months and his personality didn't change, I began to realize what the other Professors had warned me about had been true."

"I was in too deep. While in Kalos, a mysterious man met with Professor Oak. I didn't think too much on it at that exact moment, because Professor Sycamore was telling me about a new discovery called Ultra Beasts, and a device called a Rainbow Yzerlock. I was absolutely fascinated by it. I began to pour hours into the studying, to the point where everything and anything I had been doing was devoted to the Yzerlock. Normally, that wouldn't be anything wrong."

"The issue lied in Professor Oak. He'd been going to see Delia, muttering things about 'blackmail' or something of the sort. I have no clue what he was talking about. He was taking more absences. I wasn't always there to see how many times he left. But the more and more time I put into learning about Ultra Beasts and the Yzerlock, the more and more Professor Oak would press me and question me to my line of research. Each time, I'd have to make something up. I knew something was going to happen soon, and it did."

"Eventually, I broke down, admitting I learned about a strange device called the Rainbow Yzerlock from Professor Sycamore, and wanted to keep it private. When he asked why, I said it was because I didn't want him to waste his time with 'pointless shooting in the dark.' He seemed to buy the answer at first, but once more, left in a hurry. I became convinced something was wrong… horribly, horribly wrong."

"I admit, what I did next is against all morals. Some weeks later, I broke into Professor Oak's computer, and I copied over on his hard drive. I read some of his diary entries. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe that he would stoop so low. I realized then that I was being played for a fool. I knew I had to stay away from the Professor as much as possible. I chose to leave the lab as much as I possibly could, knowing fully that the Professor was likely monitoring my progress. I decided to do everything I could to prevent someone other than someone I truly trusted to find the Yzerlock."

"By this point, I was certain the Professor was allied with Team Flare. I needed a test to prove my theory though. Using his computer again, I sent multiple messages out about the Yzerlock and Ultra Beasts to the multiple shady contacts on his computer and told them not to reply. I knew it was risky, to say the least. After I had confirmed that the messages had been delivered, I deleted the messages and cut the power to the building, using a complete power surge as a coverup to why things were different on the computer. To make sure he didn't suspect a thing, I admitted to him what I told the contacts."

"The catch? Most of the information I told Oak and the contacts were false. I gave them a fake location to search, and sure enough, grunts were there with enough scanning equipment to fund an army within twenty-four hours. I was crushed. I knew that I was in far over my head, but that the best chance I had to keep the Yzerlock out of Flare's hands was to keep feeding Oak bogus information until Flare could be defeated. I know this is risky. I know this can be absurdly dangerous, what I'm doing here."

"This all happened less than a week ago, by the way. I'm writing this on September 21st, 2014. I cannot trust anyone other than you Ash, or another close friend of mine… his name is Abel Winchine. I met him during some research travels of mine in Hoenn. He's a gifted battler, just like yourself. You're both going to get along great. There's another thing… I don't want to throw you or Abel into the fire until you've been given time to prove yourselves. That's why I've given specific instructions that, in the event of my death, the will cannot be opened until either one of you turns 18. I think the two of you are only a year or so apart in age, so if you're reading this Ash, Abel's definitely mature enough to be brought into the fold. I'd trust him with my life."

"Ash… I'm sorry I'm forcing this onto you. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you about this ahead of time. You're a close friend… one of the only people I know who wouldn't dare stoop so low as to betray those that are close to them. If you only breezed through the whole thing, half-listening to me drone on and one… then please, listen to this."

"First… Do not trust Samuel Oak. He's bent on changing the world, and he's not afraid to put anyone down who stands in his way. Be careful Ash. Second… while I have never once stated this to anyone before, in writing or in person, I must reveal to you the location of the Yzerlock. Throughout all the countless hours of studying everything I had, I believe the Yzerlock is in the Sinnoh Region… somewhere in the area of Lake Valor."

"Trust your Pokémon, trust your instincts, never back down, never surrender. You may now be carrying the most dangerous knowledge in the world… what you choose to do with it is now up to you. Please forgive me for the burden I just placed upon your shoulders. Goodbye old friend… I'll see you in a much better place."

Mr. Cronwall stopped speaking for a moment to eye up Ghost, who looked nothing short of stunned. Abel next to him also looked absolutely rocked. "W-What…"

Ghost said nothing, his mind racing a thousand miles a minute and his heart feeling like it was on the verge of collapse. The only things he could truly think about now were Tracey's final words… but also him investigating Oak's logs. He felt his brain about to spiral out of control when a thought rushed back to his coherent memory.

Flashback… Chapter 21…

He kept digging away.

September 16th, 2013

This can't be happening. Tracey had finally opened up to me about the Rainbow Yzerlock, it's powers, it's abilities, and it's supposed location. I can't believe a device of such magnitude actually exists. This is my golden ticket.

But then, it was gone. The boss finally caught wind of Ultra Beasts and the Rainbow Yzerlock. Wish I knew how. Bless my heart, he doesn't seem to know I was aware for this long. They're ordering some sort of operation. This could be bad, and I'm in the dark. They're giving me last minute instructions on what's happening. I can't back out now.

What are they planning?

The one question remained, "Who is they?" Ash would muse over it and come up empty handed. This was just giving him more questions than answers.

September 24th, 2014

… I never thought I would see the day my successor would die. I was in the plaza with Delia and Tracey. The Power Tower competition was going on and everyone was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. All of the sudden, there was just chaos. I heard a scream from Tracey and I saw the most grizzly sight I've ever laid eyes on. A spike, who knows how long, impaled straight in his torso.

Flashback Over…

A cold grip of reality cascaded over Ghost, the feeling of dread drenching him head to toe. Tracey had written his will just three days before he had died. The more he thought, the more sense the situation was making. Tracey had been killed because he messaged the contacts that he himself was the source of the information. Because the message itself had came from Oak, Flare had no reason to suspect Oak was planning on keeping the information for himself. It also explained why Oak had no clue how Flare had found out, because the messages had been deleted.

Ghost also recalled the end of the September 24th log… how Tracey supposedly spoke about the Yzerlock before he was killed. He must have been sending Oak in an opposite direction to throw off Flare. It also explained why Flare and Oak couldn't ever find the Yzerlock, and why the Professor had believed he was next to be eliminated. Finally though, Ghost recalled another crucial and life-defining moment of his own…

Flashback… End of Chapter 21…

Tracey instead let out a quiet murmur. "I-I've only had the honor o-of being true friends w-with a handful of p-people Ash… I'm b-blessed to be h-having my final moments w-with one of t-them. T-Thank you… Thank you."

Ash felt the tears threatening to spill out in waterfalls. "No… not like this."

Tracey whispered. "Ash… come closer…"

Ash leaned down, unsure of what else to do. His eyes were filled with salt water and the slightest bit of action could be all it took to make them overflow. Tracey gently grabbed Ash's hand, now stained with Tracey's blood.

"M-My work… is h-hidden. I-I can't… trust… anybody with it… you c-can't get to it… yet. B-But you will… in time." Tracey rasped. "Ash. You… ehhh… A…" He let out a blood filled cough. "Y-You two… the o-only ones, w-who can d-do this…" He fell back down to the ground and uttered his final words.

"N-Never forget Ash… m-my… m-my will… t-there's a-a will… there's a-a… way." With his final words, Tracey's eyelids drooped closed and his hand fell from Ash's grip onto the grass below. The tears had long since fallen and were still cascading out. Ash reached for Tracey's neck to confirm what he already knew.

Tracey was dead.

Flashback End…

… That had been it. This conversation had been exactly what Tracey had been eluding to in his final words. His was foreshadowing Ash meeting Abel and getting the information he needed to find the Yzerlock, stop Flare and defeat Professor Oak. There was just one thing that still didn't fit the puzzle.

How did the traitors fit into the situation?

By now, it seemed inevitable that Professor Oak was the mastermind behind the betrayal, but that whole situation didn't line up. If Oak still firmly believed Ash had the information that would give away the true location of the Yzerlock, he wouldn't have gotten the traitors to do his dirty work. On top of it, there was no reason for Oak to want Ask gone if he possessed the knowledge of the Yzerlock's location. It still meant that Oak was guilty.

The question was, what was he guilty of?

Mr. Cronwall cleared his throat and spoke again. "If I may? There's another matter to discuss with Mr. Winchine."

Abel blinked rapidly, trying to process what he'd learned. "U-Uh yes?"

"There's another document for you. I believe it to be best if you read it and did not share this document to anyone." The single slip of paper that was given to Abel from Mr. Cronwall seemed to mark the end of the conversation. "With that, the hearing is complete. Should there be any questions, please feel free to speak with myself via Pokégear at any point, and I shall happily answer all questions." The man bowed his head in respect before leaving the room and the two young men to themselves.

Abel was reading the paper given to him slowly as Ghost spoke aloud. "This is so odd. There's so much that doesn't fit here. I need to figure this out… I'll need to let the elites know as soon as possible. This… this throws a huge wrench into everything. Who knows what he's been plotting for this long."

He was ripped from his train of thought from the only other person in the room. Next to him, Abel had let out a strangled gasp. Ghost's eyes tore to the legal adult. "What? What is it?" Abel said nothing for a few moment before he began blinking rapidly and his eyes closed shut, his head and body going limp. Ash didn't hesitate. "NURSE! NURSE!" Just before multiple doctors rushed into the room, Ash snatched the document lying in the man's hands. He covered it skillfully as he backed out of the room carefully.

He slowly made his way down the hallway, intent on reading the document. Ghost backed into a secluded corner of the hospital before carefully inspecting the document in his hands.

Certificate of Birth

This document certifies that Abel Darius Winchine was born to Delia Hanako Ketchum and Lysandre Fuladari Winthrop in the hospital at 8:42 PM on—

Ash let out a strangled gasp and threw the document to the ground as though it was poisoned. He gasped softly multiple times, trying to comprehend an unfathomable truth. After another moment, he snatched the document up again and reread it several times over. There was no mistaking it; it was an authentic birth certificate. Ash leaned up again the wall and allowed his head to touch the cold surface. He closed his eyes and tried to piece together what he'd just learned.

'Abel's my half-brother.'

'Abel's my half-brother.'

'Abel's my half-brother.'

'… how could this happen?'

Twenty Minutes Later… Xavier's Room…

The elites were utterly baffled and let totally slack-jawed. The foursome looked around the room and after a few minutes of simply looking at one another, they allowed the questions to flow as freely as they wanted.

"Abel's literally your half brother?"

"Tracey found the location of the most powerful item in the world?"

"Professor Oak's not the one who orchestrated the betrayal?"

"You learned all this in the past hour?"

The questions were halted when Ash put up his hand. "Yes, Abel is apparently my half brother. My mother said she kept this from me when I confronted her as Ghost, but I never expected it to be someone we actually know pretty well. Continuing, Tracey didn't find it; he just thought he did. Tracey's will lines up with Oak's logs that claimed Tracey updated his will around a week before he died. No, I don't think Oak could be the one who orchestrated the betrayal. He'd have no reason to want me gone if I was the only one who apparently knew where the Yzerlock was supposed to be located. And yes, I learned most of this in the past hour." Ash sat down and began to rub his temples in irritation.

Xavier whistled softly. "Damn."

Axel nodded solemnly. "That's a lot of curveballs to be thrown at you in one move."

"Tell me about it." Ash muttered softly.

Zandra seemed to be deep in thought for a few moments before she broke the silence that had been uncomfortably building. "I have something to think on, Ash."

Ash nodded. "Shoot."

"There's another something that doesn't line up to this whole scenario."

July cut in. "What's that?"

"The whole 'age eighteen' thing. Something's off about that." Ash and the other four looked at the pink-haired girl expectantly. She spoke as though she was a detective. "Alright, look at what we know. If either you or Abel were expected to get the message when you were eighteen, it would put you at a legal adult. Because you weren't eighteen when Tracey passed away, you both would have to wait until those years ran by before, theoretically, the Yzerlock could be discovered."

"You're not making sense Zandra."

The girl nodded rapidly. "Oak knew that Ash could access the will, but didn't when the professor believed Ash could. If Oak relayed that information to Flare, maybe they pieced together that Ash needed to be of age in order to access the will."

"Okay…" the group slowly spoke in unison.

"Ash is believed to be gone, but Oak finds out that there's another person who has access to the will. If that information is relayed, then Flare has realized they need to wait until that person turns eighteen in order to access the will. It wouldn't be public knowledge who the other person that the will could be talking about, it would only be someone who had knowledge of Tracey's friends, who was out of the region at the time of the funeral, who was below the age of eighteen and—"

"Had the information to connect all the dots together." Ash spoke slowly.

Axel blinked. "What am I missing here exactly?"

Ash began to see where Zandra was going. "Abel's attack."

"What about it?"

Ash nodded, and his eyes began to get wider by the second. "Abel was attacked by Team Flare. He told me he hadn't even told his lawyer who attacked him yet. That meant Mr. Cronwall was unaware that Flare was responsible, and it happened on the same night that Abel turned 18." Ash's head shot up. "Professor Oak would be one of the only people who could connect the dots from Abel being connected with Tracey."

Ash turned to the group this time. "That's why Abel was attacked. That's why Flare left without taking any of his Pokémon or taking him with them. They weren't after anything basic or any Pokémon."

"They were after the will."

Ash suddenly got up and sprinted out of the room, leaving a distraught group of elites in his wake. He sprinted down the stairs and out of the front door, nearly trampling a handful of people along the way. He let Pikachu run ahead of him as he navigated the streets to the nearest parking lot. He never took his eyes off the yellow rodent, who acted as his guide. Sure enough, within minutes, Ash found exactly what he didn't want to find; Mr. Cronwall, bloodied and bruised. He shook the man in an attempt to wake him.

Ash looked around wildly to see if the attackers may have just been leaving. It appeared he was out of luck. There was nothing around but cars. He cursed softly, knowing that the worst had just happened.

One call to the police and Mr. Cronwall was being helped into the very hospital that he just came out from, the irony. Ash shook his head as the man was carried inside on a stretcher. Despite the man revealing the most important information of the will to him, there was a far greater problem that the world faced.

Mr. Cronwall's suitcase was missing. And therefore…

The will of Tracey Sketchit was missing as well.

Ash burst back into the hospital room containing Xavier and snarled. "We're too late."

Zandra spoke. "What happened?"

"Flare has the will. They ambushed Mr. Cronwall in the parking deck and took the suitcase containing it. They know where the Yzerlock is, and they know that the league has the same information as they do." The four looked amongst one another, seemingly knowing what that meant, but July asked the question regardless.

"It means, we're on the clock. We have to find that damn Yzerlock before Flare does, or the world could fall into ruin. It's time to start executing some moves. Axel, July, I'm going to send you to Hotel Grand Lake to set up a full force stakeout. If they find the Yzerlock there, we're screwed, and I can't leave the region with my battle against Cynthia right around the corner, I'd be crucified by Goodshow."

Ash spoke again. "Xavier and Zandra, I have something else for the both of you. I'm going to ask you to follow the traitors and attempt to get any information you can on them. They must fit into the betrayal somehow, but if it's not Oak where they fit in, you need to figure out how."

"Got it."

"Will do."

He continued. "Meanwhile, I'm going to approve transfers for Abel to be moved to the league's private hospital ward. They could be targeted as easy picking for leverage here. Zandra, speak with the front desk on how to get that ball rolling."