"This complicates things." Ash said. He was back on Mystery Island, stood looking out over the sea, watching the sunrise. He had gotten back in the middle of the night, but hadn't seen his bed for a moment. Espeon was by his side, along with Pikachu.

"Why?" Pikachu asked. "I'm happy for them. Aren't you?"

"Their happiness is an irrelevance at the moment Pikachu." Ash said. "Gary will want Samuel Oak at the wedding. He will contact Mum, and she won't know where Oak is. I would expect Gary's next step to be to go to the Pokémon League, where he will ask Cynthia if she knows. Cynthia will ask me, and the fact that we don't know will be revealed."

"The scouts are back out looking." Espeon said. "If they can find him, they will."

"They won't." Ash said bluntly. "If they were going to find him, they would have done so by now. We will have to tell Cynthia, Lance and Steven soon."

"Can they help?" Pikachu asked.

"I don't know." Ash said, before a twig snapping behind him caused Pikachu to spin and face the threat. "Mellanie." Ash said, still facing out towards the sea. "Come and join us. Your input will be valuable."

Mellanie walked forwards nervously, stopping a short distance from Ash.

"Ash…" she started. "About last night… I just wanted to say… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ash asked, his voice emotionless.

"For… I don't know." Mellanie said. "I spoke to Espeon. And I spoke to Delia last night when you were gone. I…"

Mellanie trailed off, her words snatched away by the wind that was blowing in over the cliff. Ash turned to face his first student. "Say whatever you want Mellanie. Say whatever you feel, I won't hold it against you."

"I blamed you." Mellanie said quietly, almost too quietly to be heard. "When you told me about the Professor vanishing, I blamed you. You were meant to be watching out for him, like you always protected me. I felt that you were always able to protect anybody, and so you failed when you lost him."

Ash didn't say anything, but watched the teenager in front of him struggle to find the words to convey her emotions.

"I guess… You were safety. I always knew you were there, no matter what happened." Mellanie said, her voice growing in conviction. "I never thought about what that meant for you. Delia told me about how alone it would be for you. And I don't want it any more. I don't want to be protected from the world. I'm a strong enough trainer, and before I met you I went through a lot. I don't need the protection anymore."

Ash kept his face utterly expressionless as he gazed at the small teenager in front of him. "So in one go you acknowledge what I've done to protect you, and then say you don't want it? How is this helping Mellanie?"

Espeon and Pikachu started forwards, but Ash held out a hand to stop his Pokémon before they could intervene.

"Because we worked out what you need." Mellanie said. "Espeon said you are surrounded by those you protect. You need somebody who can help you. Who can protect themselves. Who you are not responsible for. Who can face whatever is coming at you, and face it down with you, no matter what. You don't need a student, you need a partner."

Ash didn't say anything for a long time. Espeon and Pikachu were staring at him, while Mellanie looked down, not willing to meet his eye. Eventually Ash spoke again. "And you think you can be that person?"

"I do." Mellanie said. "You said my input would be valuable. You said that I could help find Professor Oak. You believe that I am ready to stop being a student."

Ash stepped forwards, closing the gap between him and his tutee. "You are wise beyond your years Mellanie."

"Thank you." She said.

"But you are still young." Ash continued. "And ordinarily I would not ask this of you. I would not let you get involved in something like this, but I have no choice. I have no idea what is coming, and I need every bit of help I can get. And you are right in some respects. As a trainer, you are strong enough. As for whether your character is, only time will tell."

Ash reached out and clasped Mellanie on the shoulder, before turning away again and facing back out over the sea.

"I am also sorry about last night." Ash said. "I gave you no warning. It was unfair. I would have come back and explained, but something got in the way."

Mellanie didn't know what to say. Ash very rarely apologised. He rarely made mistakes that needed to be apologised for.

"Espeon would not have given you the full story." Ash continued. "Whatever has happened to Professor Oak is not natural. Somebody has targeted him, and done it in such a way that I cannot track them. That in itself is worrying, but just kidnapping an old man would be beneath anybody so capable. There is something else going on, and until I know what, we are at risk."

Mellanie nodded, knowing that Ash would know, even though he wasn't looking at her.

"Our first priority has to be to try to find Professor Oak. Therefore, in the last two days, have you had any ideas as to how we might find him?" Ash asked.

"You have Pokémon watching regions?" Mellanie asked. Ash nodded. "I assume you have asked them?"

"Of course."

"And none of them know anything?"

"They all swear that they don't know anything." Espeon said.

"They are lying." Mellanie said instantly. "It is your one blind spot, and it is being targeted."

"My blind spot?" Ash asked, a hint of humour in his voice.

"Yes." Mellanie said. "If it was another human, you'd have considered that they were lying. With Pokémon that owe you, you don't believe that they could possibly be lying."

Ash smiled. "This is why you can contribute. But I had considered that they were lying. However, I have no way of proving it. And without evidence we could be chasing shadows."

"I have a way." Mellanie said. "Outside of the regions, Pokémon are very territorial. They won't attack you because they respect you, and they won't attack me in many places for similar reasons. Usually, anybody that is with you is safe, but now, if they are turning against you…"

Ash blinked. "That…"

"Is brilliant?" Espeon finished. "Maybe she is ready after all."

"If the scouts don't find him, then when we go to the regional Champions, we might just use your plan." Ash said. "Good job Mellanie."

Gary stepped through the doors into the administration block of the Indigo League, Misty at his side. He strolled up towards the front desk to see the receptionist.

"Hi" Gary said. "I'm…"

"Professor Oak." The receptionist said. "Don't worry I know who you are. Cynthia is waiting for you in her office if you'd like to head up."

Gary thanked her before heading for the elevator. Inside he pushed a button and the doors closed.

"What are you going to say?" Misty asked. "Do you think she'll know where he is?"

"I hope so." Gary said. "Delia answered her phone, but said she didn't know where Gramps is. I wish he'd taken something with him so we could reach him remotely."

"He refused because he wanted to get away." Misty said. "You know that."

"Still." Gary said. "He could've left me a way of reaching him for something important."

Misty laughed as the lift doors opened onto a corridor. Halfway down, a door was open. Gary and Misty reached it, before knocking.

"Come on in." Cynthia said, rising from behind her desk and coming around to greet them. "It is good to see you both. Misty, when are you coming back to my training camps?"

Misty grinned. "Soon Cynthia. I'm entering a couple of tournaments, but I'll be back thrashing your tutees soon."

Cynthia laughed. "I could've sworn I asked you to stop doing that."

"Oh you did." Gary chipped in. "But Misty is more of a crush first and think later kind of girl."

Cynthia laughed as Misty shot a look of venom at Gary who ignored it. The Sinnoh Champion gestured to the chairs in front of her desk as she returned to her side and took a seat.

"So, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"I have a favour to ask." Gary said. "I need to…"

"Misty, can I see your hand?" Cynthia interrupted. Gary raised his eyebrows at his fiancé as she smiled and lifted her left hand. Cynthia leaned forwards, before her face lit up.

"Congratulations!" She said, beaming. "Misty, that ring is beautiful! Gary you chose well for a water trainer."

"Thank you." Misty said, before Gary could say anything. "Clearly he isn't a total screw up in everything he does."

"Hey!" Gary said, but Cynthia just cut straight over him.

"When did he propose?"

"Two nights ago." Misty said. "I had a long think, considered all my options, but eventually decided he'd be worth a chance."

Cynthia laughed as Gary spluttered, speechless next to Misty.

"Something to say Gary?" Misty asked sweetly. "No? Sure?"

"Perhaps we should be nice to your fiancé?" Cynthia said.

"Oh I don't know. Teasing him is half the reason I agreed to marry him."

Gary finally found his voice. "And I thought I was the one who was excessively arrogant."

Both the women laughed once more, before Cynthia's face became slightly more serious. "Well, congratulations once again." Cynthia said. "Now, whilst I am delighted to hear of your engagement, I assume you are here for something else as well?"

Gary nodded, still grinning. "I need to find a way of reaching my grandfather."

Cynthia nodded slowly, before turning to her computer. "He left to travel five years ago right?"

Gary nodded. "I've heard from him intermittently in the interim, but not for some time. I'd like to get hold of him."

"To tell him about the engagement?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes." Gary said.

"Couldn't you just wait until he gets in contact again?" Cynthia asked.

"I could, but the longest he's been without contacting me is eleven months." Gary said. "If he takes that long again, it could be a very long time. I'd like to speed it up."

Cynthia nodded, before typing quickly.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know how to reach him." She said. Gary opened his mouth, and Cynthia held up a hand. "I've put an alert out, so if he is seen by any member of the Pokémon League sees him, we'll know. And I'll send a message to Champion, asking if he knows anything."

"Will he?" Misty asked.

Cynthia smiled. "In the years I've known him, I've learned to never, ever underestimate Champion. Even if he doesn't know, he'll most likely be able to track down Professor Oak."

"Thank you." Gary said sincerely. "I know we could wait, but we want him to know. And we'd want him there, meaning that we can't even make any plans until we find him."

"Don't worry." Cynthia said. "As soon as we get anything, I'll let you know."

"Any idea of how long it could take?" Misty asked.

Cynthia shook her head. "I know that Champion tends to work fast, but I don't know how busy he is at the moment. I am sure that he will give it his attention, but it could be a while."

Misty and Gary nodded, processing this. "Can you let us know in a couple of weeks if you've still heard nothing?" Gary asked.

Cynthia nodded. "Of course. I will keep an eye on this myself, as a thank you for all the help Misty has given me over the years."

"Thank you." Gary said. "This means a lot."

"No problem. Now, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Misty and Gary shook their heads before rising and leaving. Cynthia turned back to her computer to send a message to Ash, smiling as she did so. She knew that he would never have let his old mentor come to harm. An answer should come quickly.

"Bugger." Ash muttered under his breath as he read the message on his computer screen. "Gary moves fast."

"What's that?" Delia called from across the room.

"Gary has just asked Cynthia to find Samuel Oak." Ash said. "She's asked me where he is, assuming that I would know where my mentor is."

Delia didn't say anything, but just watched Ash, who leaned back in his chair rubbing his eyes. After a few moments he stood up and crossed the room to sit next to his mother.

"I'm going to have to tell her aren't I?" Ash asked. Delia didn't say anything, but she knew she didn't have to. Ash knew what he had to do. The silence between them grew for a long minute, and then two. Eventually Ash stood up.

"Mellanie has an idea for a plan." Ash said quietly. "It is risky, but it might work."

"Mellanie did?" Delia asked. "Does this mean that she is going with you?"

Ash nodded. "She is young, and normally I wouldn't want to take her, but I think she is ready."

"If she's coming up with plans, maybe she is." Delia said. "But are you sure she can handle it?"

Ash nodded. "She is a remarkable young woman. I chose my first student well."

"Well make sure you look after her." Delia warned. "I know she is strong, but she is still young."

"Don't worry Mum." Ash said. "I'll protect her."

Ash rose to his feet and crossed the room to his computer once more. He typed quickly before sending the message and turning to leave his house. As he walked out of the back, he glanced at Espeon who was making her way towards him.

"You have a visitor." Espeon said.

"I know." Ash said, turning to look at the Pokémon accompanying Espeon. "Mewtwo, it is good to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"Something is wrong." Mewtwo said. "I hadn't intended to come back here any time soon after our trip, but you need to know."

"Define wrong." Ash said, now fully concentrating on Mewtwo.

"I can't." Mewtwo said. "I have only felt this feeling a few times. All I can tell you is that there is something very wrong in the wild with Pokémon."

Ash glanced at Espeon. "Do you feel anything?"

Espeon shook her head. "I would have said something."

"You are less in tune with the wild than Pokémon that live there." Ash mused. "And if you are right Mewtwo it means we will need to use Mellanie's plan. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I only came as a courtesy. I do not want there to be any imbalances in the world or any clashes between humans and Pokémon. Once I knew there was a problem I felt I should bring it to your attention."

Ash nodded. "Thank you for this. I won't forget it."

Mewtwo shrugged, a very human movement. "You'd do the same for me. Have you made any progress on your search?"

Ash sighed. "Alas no. The scouts have searched long and hard but found nothing. Not even a half clue to search for. Whoever we are against has done an expert job of erasing their tracks. I assume you've not found anything either?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "In my search for the cause of the disturbance I also have drawn a blank. I have also found no evidence of where Samuel Oak might be."

"Could the disturbance be linked to whatever you are feeling?" Espeon asked.

Mewtwo considered it for a moment. "I am unsure. Both are disturbances among Pokémon."

Ash nodded again. "Thank you for the help Mewtwo. We appreciate it greatly. If you do find anything, please contact us."

Mewtwo nodded and turned to leave, but Ash continued to speak.

"Also, if you aren't too busy, a friend of yours would appreciate a chance to say hello once again."

"Mellanie?" Mewtwo asked, drawing a nod from Ash. "Perhaps I will visit her soon, but for the moment I am unfortunately busy."

Ash nodded. "Goodbye old friend. I will see you soon."

There was a flash of light and Mewtwo was gone.

The figure stood on a tree branch, high up in the trees, waiting. Around the figures ankles, Bug Pokémon crawled, happy to just be with the human. The sun started to peer through the forest, slowly lighting the figure, revealing a woman. She was wearing close fitting combat trousers that helped her fade into the forest background, with her boots gripping the branch firmly. A slightly baggy shirt, under a jacket with the sleeves pushed up completed the image. As time wore on, the woman remained utterly motionless, until the Bug Pokémon around her crawled further up her body. An Ariados climbed onto her head, settling down happily. A hand, clad in a fingerless glove reached up to stroke the Pokémon.

A blue-purple Pokémon drifted onto a branch opposite the woman. Her attention immediately focused onto it as it settled down, watching her. The woman slowly knelt down, allowing the Pokémon at her feet to move away from her to avoid hurting them.

"It was him." The woman said, her voice soft.

The Pokémon nodded slightly, but continued to gaze at the woman, seemingly waiting for something.

"He will come back."

The Pokémon cocked its head slightly, questioning.

"Because this is the only place we could have left clues."

The Pokémon nodded again. There was a pause, and then it cocked its head once more. The woman smiled.

"This is your region. I would not tell you how to run it. But if you wish to reveal your colours, I would have no issue with that."

A smile spread across the face of the Pokémon and it bowed slightly before lifting into the air. Before it could fly away, the woman spoke again.

"Thank you. I know you had a good relationship with him. It means a lot that you would be willing to help me. I could not do this without you and your kind." She stood and bowed low as the Pokémon vanished at very high speed. The woman stepped off the branch, falling to the ground below. As the ground approached, strings from above caught her and slowly lowered her to the forest floor. The woman nodded her thanks to the Bug Pokémon that had caught her, before stepping away. She strode away into the forest until she reached a tree that had fallen over. She waited for a moment, until there was a flash of light. The woman bowed to the Pokémon that had appeared, and a moment later there was another flash and they were both gone.

"So what happened?" Brock asked. He was sat in a restaurant in Pewter City, opposite Misty and Gary. They had agreed to meet him on their way back through so they could discuss what happened at Indigo Plateau. When Brock had arrived, Misty and Gary hadn't seemed happy or sad, the two reactions he was expecting. He had made small talk while they chose their food, but as soon as the waiter left he asked the question that had been burning on him.

"We met Cynthia." Gary said. "And she had no idea where Gramps might be."

Brock nodded but didn't say anything, waiting.

"She said she would ask Champion. She thinks he will be able to track Gramps down."

"Did she give you a time scale?"

Misty shook her head. "No. But she did say that Champion is very effective, so hopefully not too long."

Brock nodded thoughtfully. "If he's half as good at tracking people down as he is at battling, it really shouldn't."

Misty and Gary waited for a moment, knowing what was going to come next from Brock.

"Did you get any hint about who he might be?"

Misty and Gary sighed in unison. For the past two years Brock had been getting more obsessed with the identity of Champion. Every time Misty was at Indigo Plateau working for Cynthia, Brock would ask if she had found out anything else about the Pokémon Master.

"No Brock." Misty said. "We didn't get anything else. When are you going to accept that we aren't going to get anything?"

"It's like you aren't interested in one of the greatest mysteries in the world." Brock complained. "Tracy cares!"

"I do care." Gary interjected. "But that doesn't mean I'm willing to drop everything to try to find out."

"But I'm not asking you to drop anything!" Brock argued. "I'm just…"

"If we find anything out, we will make sure we tell you." Misty said, smiling now. "Is that good enough?"

"I guess…" Brock grumbled. "One more thing though, are you inviting him to the wedding?"

Misty froze. She hadn't even considered it. Why would she invite the Pokémon Master to her wedding when she didn't know him? Before she could stutter anything out, Gary stepped in.

"Due to our positions as Gym Leader and Regional Professor we will probably send invites to both Lance and Champion, but we haven't really discussed it. But while I suspect Lance might come, I doubt Champion will – there is no reason for him to do so."

Misty blinked. Gary had clearly been thinking about this somewhat, and what he said made sense. She hadn't really thought about the implications of her position as a public figure, and definitely not considered Gary's.

"You never know." Brock said. "He interviewed your grandfather before he left, and he's met both of you. Maybe he will come."

Gary laughed. "You just want the chance to corner him Brock! I almost hope he does, because that promises to be thoroughly entertaining to watch."

Brock smiled ruefully. "I know it isn't likely, but I want to know more about him."

"Why?" Misty burst out. "I know you've been chasing after him for two years, but is it just about finding out more about him?"

Brock shook his head. "Sort of. It's quite hard to explain without sounding stupid."

Gary leaned forwards, curious. "You just heard us talking about inviting a man who never talks to anybody if he can avoid it to our wedding, I'm not sure you're the stupid one here. Go on Brock, why?"

Brock took a deep breath. "I'm a Pokémon Doctor, and I know I'm good at what I do."

"You're one of the best." Misty interjected, then stopped when she got a look from Gary. "Sorry… Go on Brock."

"But I am limited by the Pokémon I work with – it is hard to get past a point with normal Pokémon. I've heard stories about Champion's Pokémon, about how they train and how they work. If I could get a chance to work with them I could learn so much…" Brock trailed off at the looks of disbelief on the faces of his friends. "I know it's stupid…"

"Brock, I take it back." Gary said. "You might just be the stupid one here!" Misty smacked her fiancé around the head. "Ouch!"

"If you got a chance to meet him that would be incredible." Misty said. "Is that why you are trying to find out more?"

Brock nodded. "I know there is no way I could just walk into Indigo Plateau and ask to see him, but if I could find a way to meet him outside of their, I'm sure I could get a chance."

"Hang on." Gary said, rubbing his head. "You said that you had heard stories about his Pokémon training?"

Brock grimaced. "You just had to notice that… Well a couple of years ago I met this girl…"

Brock stopped talking as Gary roared with laughter. Misty tried not to but in a few moments she too started laughing. Brock glared at them, but didn't say anything else. A couple of minutes later he ruefully shook his head.

"Are you two finished laughing yet?" He asked.

Gary shook his head still laughing with tears running down his face, but Misty stepped in.

"Gary, that's enough."

"Sorry." He spluttered, trying not to laugh any more. "It's just so typical of Brock. Did he propose to her as well?"

"Just ignore him." Misty said, glaring at Gary before turning back to Brock. "So this girl, who caused you to stalk the Pokémon Master for two years? Who is she?"

"I never got her name." Brock said, slightly sadly. "She just came in to the Doctors with an injured wild Pokémon. Said she'd found it. We got to talking and she mentioned she'd seen him train. Apparently it was like nothing she had ever seen."

Gary stopped laughing. "Okay, now I'm interested. She watched the Pokémon Master train?"

Brock nodded. "She was in some remote part of the world and she came across some of his Pokémon training. She said that as a Doctor I should try to get a look at his Pokémon. Given their incredible physical condition I could learn so much from studying them." Brock's face fell. "I doubt that there is any way I'll ever get close enough to him though. It's not like I'll just stumble across his Pokémon training."

"You could ask Mellanie." Gary said. Brock looked at him in shock. "Didn't you see her interview? She admitted she had trained with Champion in the past. She might be able to get you close to him."

"I hate to say it Brock, but I doubt it." Misty interjected. "We've met Champion before and he was pure business. He won't adjust that for anybody, and Mellanie could jeopardise her place with him if she tries to get you close."

"Still… I could ask." Brock mused.

"Or you could drop it." Misty argued. "Let's face it, even if she did get you an interview with him, why would he let you see his Pokémon? They are possibly the most protected Pokémon in the world. Nobody gets near them. Just let it go Brock."

Before Brock could say anything, the waiter came over. As Gary turned to order, Misty met Brocks eyes, with her gaze conveying a simple message. Drop it so we can enjoy a meal together.

Ash out of the woods around his house, into a clearing where Mellanie usually trained. His tutee looked up from where she was kneeling next to her Totodile, discussing an attack.

"We have a meeting in two days." Ash said, immediately jumping to his point.

"Gary visited Cynthia?" Mellanie asked. Ash nodded. "So we are meeting the regional leaders?" Another nod. "And the plan is?"

"Your plan. We will take them to where Oak vanished. They will start to search, and we will see what happens with the local Pokémon."

Mellanie nodded slowly. "What do you want to have happen?"

Ash hesitated. "I'm not sure. If they are attacked, then that means we cannot rely on any Pokémon. However, if they aren't we are left with no clues."

"Surely some clues are better than nothing?" Mellanie asked.

Ash didn't answer, merely turning away. As he faded back into the trees Mellanie gazed after him. She knew the Pokémon Master well now, and if he was worried that did not bode well for her. She turned back to her Pokémon.

"We have two days to prepare. Let's make Ash proud."