The woman stepped into the reception of Indigo Plateau once more, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. It was a printed out email that she had received a few days earlier. She looked down at it again as she approached the receptionist.

Dear Sonia,

Please present yourself at Indigo Plateau on Monday.

Pokémon League

It was one of the briefest emails she had ever received, but she hoped she was right about what it meant.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked as she reached the desk.

"My name is Sonia, I was requested to come here for a meeting?" Sonia said. The receptionist nodded.

"Of course. Please go to the elevator."

"Don't I need to know which floor to go to?" Sonia asked.

The receptionist looked at her in surprise. "Not here."

Sonia turned and walked away, a slight hint of trepidation creeping in. She wasn't sure what to make of this treatment. She stepped into the elevator and the doors shut behind her. Before she could do anything it started to rise into the building. It went higher than the last time she was here, almost to the very top. When it stopped and opened she was faced with a plain corridor with a single door at the end of it. Halfway down was what appeared to be a waiting area. Sonia stepped forwards as she heard a directionless voice.

"Please go through the door at the end of the corridor."

Sonia strode forwards with more confidence, past the waiting area. As she reached the door it opened in front of her, allowing her through into the office beyond.

Ash Ketchum sat behind his desk, his hat firmly planted onto his head. Pikachu was at his feet once more, while Espeon was curled up in the corner. As the door in front of him opened, he got a look at the mysterious woman who had so interested Cynthia. She was dressed in plain clothes, to the point where Ash knew he would have found it difficult to pick her out in a crowd. However, when she turned her gaze onto Ash he could sense the power in it.

"Interesting." Espeon said into his mind. "She is similar to you."

Hidden under his hat, Ash merely raised an eyebrow as he rose from his chair to greet her. Espeon sensed it and sent a sense of amusement back down their mental link.

"The outfit is a disguise, just like every time you go out in public." Espeon clarified. "She doesn't want people to be able to remember her."

"Yes, thank you Espeon." Ash sent back. He held out his hand. "Thank you for coming in Sonia."

She took his hand almost in shock. "Champion." She said, withdrawing her hand. "I didn't expect you to be the one that was meeting me."

Ash didn't react as he sat down once more, gesturing to the seat opposite him. "Cynthia said you raised some important issues. I decided that given the nature and location of these issues, I should be the one to take it forwards."

Sonia nodded. "Well thank you for seeing me."

"Like I said, it is important. Now Miss Rukan, I would like to know more about this perceived threat."

Sonia froze. She had never been able to find somebody who could give her any insight to the Pokémon Master, but she knew from his reputation that he was a fearsome opponent in battling. She had watched him battle several times and had seen how he was almost permanently in control. Despite this, she had not quite realised that this level of control would carry through to everything he did. Her full name was a secret not easily uncovered, yet it appeared the Pokémon Master had found it in only a few short days. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear what over the sound of her mind racing.

"Miss Rukan?" Ash asked. She nodded slightly, trying to unfreeze her limbs and calm her mind. "I asked what in particular made you feel like this was a threat that needed to be looked into by the Pokémon League."

"Sorry." Sonia said. "I just prefer to be called Sonia." Ash inclined his head slightly, but didn't say anything else, seemingly waiting for her to carry on.

"I spend a lot of time in the Wilds." Sonia said. "And after being a Ranger, I know a lot about how Pokémon usually behave. And something was very wrong."

"Elaborate."

Sonia paused for a moment. "I've only seen it once before. Five years ago."

"Five years ago?"

"This is why I knew it needed to come to you." Sonia said. "Five years ago, when you fought in the Clash of Legends, I felt the same thing. I didn't know what it was until I came back to civilization, but I knew something was wrong. It went away quickly, but this time it's a bit different. Something is stirring them up, and it isn't something to do with legendary Pokémon."

"Could it be a human?"

"What do you mean?"

"Could it be a human pushing them to this?"

"Theoretically yes, but…" Sonia broke off as she realised something. "Five years… Tobias Takuto is due to be released?"

"She is very good." Espeon said. "I think I rather like her."

"Yes thank you." Ash shot back. "Helpful inputs only please."

"He was released a few weeks ago." Ash said. "It was done quietly, he was repentant and there was no need to turn it into a media circus."

"And you are asking whether he could be behind this?" Sonia asked.

"Could he?"

She considered it. "It is very possible. If the Pokémon throughout the world, in particular the legendary Pokémon reacted so strongly against him before then it is possible…"

"You said it didn't have something to do with legendary Pokémon." Ash pointed out. "Which is it?"

Sonia took a deep breath. "You beat down the legendary Pokémon, and they are unlikely to turn against you once more. However, other Pokémon that were affected by the destabilising of the world never got their chance to fight. If this was the case then they might be going after Tobias. If he remains in the regions that is likely to lead to a backlash of wild Pokémon at the major centres of humanity, especially wherever he is."

Ash inclined his head. "Thank you Miss Rukan. I will contact you once more if I need anything else."

Sonia took the hint as a dismissal. "Thank you Champion. I feel much more secure now I know that you are taking a personal interest in this matter."

She turned and left his office, striding back down the corridor to the elevator.

"Thoughts?" Ash said after his office door had shut behind her.

"She made some good points." Espeon said as she rose and arched her back.

"You thought so?" Ash asked.

"Yes." Espeon said moving further into the room. "Her thoughts about Tobias were fascinating; we didn't consider that his release could precipitate the attacks from wild Pokémon."

"Interesting." Ash said. "Pikachu?"

The little mouse hopped up onto Ash's desk. "Surely if Pokémon are feeling it, we should as well?"

"Not necessarily." Espeon said. "Just because wild Pokémon do, doesn't mean we will. We are too close to trainers to feel it."

"So it could have been true?" Pikachu asked. "Tobias could be the trigger?"

"Is that what you both think?" Ash asked.

The two Pokémon looked at each other and then nodded. Ash chuckled slightly.

"I'm surprised. You are both not usually so easily duped."

"Duped?" Espeon asked, her tone almost affronted.

"Tobias is not the cause." Ash said.

"How can you be sure?" Pikachu asked.

"Because when Samuel Oak vanished, he was still in prison."

Espeon and Pikachu stared at Ash in shock and a hint of embarrassment. Ash was right, they were not usually fooled so easily, but the obvious had for once escaped them.

"He was not released until nearly four weeks ago, which is nearly a month after Oak went missing." Ash continued. "She gave us that story in the hope that we would buy it, to try to cover something up."

"But why?" Pikachu asked. "Why would she lie to you?"

Espeon sighed. "Power. Specifically, being close to power."

Ash nodded. "Be ingratiating herself with us, and giving us information she gets herself closer to the Pokémon League. And if her information proved to be useful, she would expect me to owe her something."

Pikachu shook his head. "I hate politics."

"So do I" Ash agreed. "Butthis is where we are stuck for now."

"So what do we do now?" Espeon asked. "This was meant to be our lead into finding the Professor, but we've struck out again."

"We wait." Ash said. "Sonia was right about one thing. Whatever is causing this is a threat, and wherever it strikes, we'll have to be ready for it."

"It's been good to see you for a bit." Sam said.

Mellanie gave him an easy grin from across the table. "Well it's not easy to hang out when you're off training with Lance."

"Are you still angry about that?" Sam asked.

"Of course. How could you not tell me?"

"That I lost to the Elite Four? After you looked for certain like you were about to make history with a third consecutive win in Johto?"

Mellanie laughed. "Well we both know I'm better."

"Hey, I won last time we fought!"

"Lucky break. I've got more titles."

The two of them continued to bicker for a few minutes. Sam and Mellanie were sat in a restaurant in Fuchsia City, away from people who typically recognized them. They were trying to be inconspicuous as they took a few days break. After they had gotten back from the Wilds, Sam had told Lance he was going to go and work with Ash for a bit. They had both spent most of the following two weeks training hard, pushing each other. Ash was away frequently during the day, but home almost every evening where he tried to work on their training. However, he had told them that they should take a few days break, away from their training. They had headed for Fuchsia City and spent some time in the Safari Zone where Sam's fame as the most recent but one winner of the Kanto League was useful, particularly in getting rangers to keep fans away. They had then found a deliberately small restaurant for their lunch, hoping that nobody would recognize him. Thus far it was a ploy that had worked, although Sam suspected that the waitress recognized him but wasn't saying anything. Yet. But based off the looks she was sending his way, she wanted something from him. Although looking at her, a teenager who was clearly just working for some money to see her through this part of her life, she might want something else.

"Has Ash spoken to you recently?" Mellanie asked, changing the topic.

Sam looked at her like she was crazy. "Of course, I've been living with him for the past week."

"That's not entirely what I meant…" Mellanie said. "Has he said anything different to you? Has he seemed any different?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Not really. I mean he was away most of the time searching for Professor Oak, but I saw him in the evening." He looked at Mellanie thoughtfully. "Why? Has he said anything different to you?"

"Nope." Mellanie said without hesitation. "I just thought that with you now training under Lance he might have talked to you about what he expects."

Sam narrowed his eyes slightly as he laughed. "Mel, if Ash wants to make his expectations clear, he'll have a very long time when I'm the leader of Kanto."

"Is that your plan?" Mellanie asked. "To become the leader of Kanto?"

Sam blushed slightly from embarrassment. "Well… Kind of yeah. I mean I can't imagine ever taking on Ash, even if I thought I could one day beat him it would be weird trying to replace him. So yeah, the leader of a region is a pretty good place to top out. It is as high as I can feasibly go."

"How long do you think it will take you to beat the Elite Four and Lance?" Mellanie asked. "You could be the youngest ever regional leader."

Sam grinned. "That would be one reason to enter into the history books I guess. Anyway, what about you? Any plans for the future? You could take on the Johto Elite Four."

Mellanie ducked her head slightly, her hair falling to cover her face. "I haven't really thought about it. I'm happy where I am, working with Ash."

"Does that include lying to me for him?" Sam asked, his grin fading. Mellanie's head shot up to meet the level gaze of her oldest friend.

"Sam… I…"

"Don't worry Mel, I'm not angry." Sam said. "I just wish that you didn't feel you had to hide things from me. If there is something that you can't tell me, just say so. There are some things I probably shouldn't tell you about Kanto, and if I ever felt I couldn't I would say that and hope you'd trust me."

Mellanie didn't say anything, instead just looking down. Sam sighed. "Mel, if it will upset Ash don't say anything else about it."

Mellanie picked at her food for a few minutes, thinking back to a conversation she had had with Meganium. The Grass-Type had been watching Mellanie's Pokémon train while she meditated when Mellanie started to talk. Over the last five years, all of Ash's Pokémon had gotten close to Mellanie, but Meganium had been withdrawn for a long time. When Mellanie had started looking at reasons why, it became apparent. Meganium feared that she would have to share Ash with somebody else, something that wasn't easy to do. All of Ash's Pokémon were devoted, but Meganium was another level to them. The Pokémon had been surprised when Mellanie started asking questions about Ash, but had still answered.

"How do you do it?" Mellanie asked.

"Do what?" Meganium asked.

"You watch Ash who you love. You watch him isolate himself again and again. How do you do it?"

"I'd do anything for him. But I can't be the equal that he needs. You need to learn your own limits, and how others can make up your shortcomings. It is part of being a team."

Mellanie was quiet for a long moment before speaking. "This is a lesson isn't it?"

"Take it however you want."

Mellanie turned to answer, but Meganium was already walking away.

"Are you alright Mel?" Sam asked. Mellanie looked up in shock to see her friend staring at her.

"Yeah?" She said in surprise. "Why?"

"You've been staring at that forkful of food for more than two minutes."

Mellanie looked down to see her fork held halfway between her plate and her mouth and put it down, laughing slightly to cover her embarrassment.

"Mel, what's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, honest." Mellanie said. "I'm just not that hungry."

Sam nodded slowly and looked around. He saw the waitress and signalled to her that he wanted the bill. While they waited there was a slightly awkward silence between them until the bill appeared. Sam reached for it, but Mellanie wasn't even paying attention. After putting down some money, Sam stood up and held a hand out to his oldest friend. "Shall we get out of here?"

Mellanie nodded absent-mindedly and rose, heading for the door. As Sam followed he saw the waitress hovering near it with a pad of paper. He smiled as he reached her. It was always people around his age that were his biggest fans.

"Thank you for a lovely meal" he said, flashing her a charming grin. She smiled and blushed before holding out the pad of paper.

"You're Sam Fernandez right?" she asked. He nodded and she launched into a speech that she had clearly spent a long time perfecting while they ate. "Can I get your autograph? My friends will never believe that you came in here if I don't have proof."

Sam smiled. "Of course." He took the pad and scribbled a signature before handing it back. As he turned away, an explosion of words came from behind him.

"Doyounobuterrcanyouwantmy…"

Sam turned back to see the poor girl bright red with embarrassment. "Do you want to try that once more?" He offered.

She nodded gratefully. "If you're free… I mean… If you're not busy… tonight… do you want…"

"Am I free tonight?" Sam asked. She nodded. "I think I am, but I can't guarantee that nothing will come up. But assuming no emergencies, what did you have in mind?"

"Some of my friends are hanging out… Want to come?"

Sam considered it for a moment. "Sure. If you give me your number, if I'm free I'll give you a call?"

She nodded vigorously, scribbling a number down on her pad of paper. Sam took it and turned for the door. "Maybe I'll see you tonight then."

Sam walked with Mellanie down the road, heading for the outskirts of Fuchsia City. They sat quietly on the edge of field, their backs against a tree looking away from the city. After a few minutes Mellanie turned to Sam.

"So, you're going out with that girl tonight?"

Sam gave his usual easy grin. "Jealous?"

Mellanie sniffed. "Hardly. She just wants to show off the fact that she met you."

"I know."

"Then why..?"

Sam laughed. "Because we're young and we're famous. She just wants to show me off but I just want to have a normal evening for once. We don't get them very often do we?"

Mellanie shook her head. "Never." She hesitated, something that didn't elude Sam.

"Mel, tell me."

"Tell you what?" She asked.

"Whatever is going on between you and Ash. He's asked something of you that he hasn't asked me. And whatever it is, it is causing you problems."

"It's not that…" Mellanie said. "I don't really know how to explain it…"

Sam reached an arm across to put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Just explain it how he did."

Mellanie chuckled slightly despite herself. "I'm not sure that will help. He did it by obliterating Totodile."

Sam blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. Espeon had to explain it."

Sam leaned back smiling. "Of course. Ash is still terrible at explaining stuff to us. Go on then, how did Espeon explain it?"

"She talked about how Ash is alone." Mellanie said.

"Alone?" Sam asked. "He has his mother, his Pokémon and us and the other students. How is he alone?"

"Not in the sense of he has nobody around him." Mellanie said, speaking slowly and choosing her words carefully. "In the sense of there is nobody that he can turn to."

Mellanie looked at Sam, but his face was blank without understanding.

"If something goes wrong, or you have a problem, who do you turn to?" Mellanie asked. "Who can give you advice?"

"Ash." Sam answered as a reflex. "Or Lance. Or sometimes you. What's your point?"

"Who does Ash turn to?" Mellanie asked quietly.

Sam didn't answer as he realised what Mellanie was saying. Despite having friends and family, Ash had nobody.

"Now you understand." Mellanie said, even quieter than before.

"Yeah…" Sam said. "What do you do?"

"I told him that I didn't want to be a student." Mellanie said. "I want to be a partner."

Sam nodded slowly. "And you were wondering if he'd said anything to me."

It wasn't a question but Mellanie nodded anyway.

"He hasn't." Sam continued. "Why did you want to ask?"

"Because I wanted your opinion."

"Mine?"

"Yes." Mellanie said. "What should we do?"

"Obviously you need to find Professor Oak." Sam said. "But I guess that's not what you're asking?"

"No." Mellanie said. "It is something else. How could Ash lose him?"

Sam stared. "That's what you're trying to work out? How Ash could make a mistake?"

"Don't be stupid Sam." Mellanie snapped. There was a moments silence before she spoke again, much softer. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't know where I can get help."

Sam reached out and took Mellanie's hands in his. "Mel, whatever you need you know I'll help. Anything."

Mellanie smiled tiredly and Sam began to realise just how exhausted his friend was. She looked like she was only still awake through sheer determination. "Mel… What is this doing to you? When did you last sleep?" She didn't answer and Sam reached out to bring her into a hug. As she curled into him he looked down and realised just how small she was in his arms. While both puberty and training had caused him to grow, Mellanie had stayed small. Sam held her tighter.

"Mel, when did you last sleep properly?" he asked again.

"I don't know" she answered. "Ash needs help and I'm trying…" Her voice trailed off.

"Ash would never ask you to do this to yourself." Sam said, trying to hide his anger. "He loves you. Does he know what you're doing?"

Mellanie shook her head against Sam's chest. "He's worse."

Sam didn't know how to respond. In the two weeks that he had been back on Mystery Island he had never seen Ash sleep. The Pokémon Master was always working when he went to bed and was always up long before him. If Mellanie was truly trying to help him, she would be pushing herself just as hard.

Mellanie started to shake and Sam realised that she was crying. "I can't do it Sam" she said through her tears. "Ash gave me everything, and I can't help him. All my training, all my experience… and I'm useless…"

Her voice trailed off into tears and Sam just held her tightly. After a few minutes the tears started to dry and Sam realised that she had fallen asleep still curled up against him. He smiled down at her fondly and reached out to stroke her hair.

For the next half an hour Sam just sat there, looking out into the distance without really seeing. His mind was whirling with what Mellanie had told him about Ash. If Ash needed help then things were worse than he was letting on. Sam tried to work out what Mellanie had meant by Ash not making a mistake. Losing Professor Oak was a mistake. Unless… it was an attack from somebody. And the actions of the Pokémon towards the regional leaders, despite them being with Ash said that something was wrong. Movement on the edge of his vision made Sam break away from his thoughts to look out across the field. A Pokémon was moving across it, making no attempt to remain hidden. Sam watched it curiously. It was the kind of behaviour that Pokémon only showed in large packs, but it looked like it was alone. Then Sam focused more on the tree-line at the far end of the field. More shapes were moving inside it. He glanced down to where his hand was still absent-mindedly playing with Mellanie's hair. He sighed and shook her gently.

"Mel, you need to wake up." The girl stirred, waking up slowly before realising where she was and rolling away to stand up. Sam grinned as she stared at him.

"How long was I…"

"About half an hour or so." Sam said. "But that's not important." Sam raised his hand and pointed towards the trees. "That is important."

Mellanie spun and looked towards the trees as more and more Pokémon started to emerge. They moved towards the teenagers who started to back away from them.

"Mel?" Sam said quietly.

"Yes?"

"This feels very familiar. Like what happened to Lance and I in the Wilds."

"You think they are going to attack?"

"Not us. Look, most of them are happy to sit back. They are just sending enough forwards to force us to back away."

"Want to take their hint?" Mellanie asked.

"I'd rather fight."

"We can't. We need to know if this is just here or all around Fuchsia."

"Ah." Sam said. "Then I vote we run."

The two teenagers turned to run as the Pokémon started to send attacks into the ground, causing it to be churned up and creating a trench across the field.

A few minutes later Sam and Mellanie rushed into a Pokémon centre to see the news. It was as Mellanie feared, the city was completely surrounded by Pokémon. She turned to look at Sam.

"I think you should call that girl and cancel. This counts as an emergency."

Ash walked into his kitchen to see his mother stood over the cooker, stirring a pot. He breathed in deeply and smiled.

"That smells good."

Delia turned and met his smile with one of her own. "It's your mothers cooking, it will always smell good."

Ash leaned against the side of one of the counters, his gaze not leaving his mother. "I need to talk to you about something." He said.

"Not somebody else going missing?" Delia asked, but Ash shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. Something closer to home."

"Oh?"

"Gary and Misty's engagement."

"What about it?" Delia said slightly apprehensively. "You're not trying to do anything are you?"

"Of course not." Ash said. "But I am invited to the ceremony."

Delia was silent for a moment, thinking. "Are you going to go?" She asked.

"Something tells me you already know the answer to that." Ash said. "Espeon was very persuasive."

"Was she?" Delia said, nerves clear in her voice now. "Why does she want you to go?"

Ash didn't say anything, just gazed at his mother, his gaze penetrating. She met it for a moment before wilting under the force of his stare. She flushed before turning back towards the cooker to hide it. Ash burst out laughing.

"Sorry, but I couldn't resist."

Delia hit his arm with a wooden spoon. "Ash Ketchum, what happened to showing respect to your mother?"

"What happened to my mother avoiding my public life?" Ash countered. "I know you talked to Espeon. She is incredibly intelligent, and of all of my Pokémon she is the one who understands human politics the best, except for maybe Pikachu. But some of her arguments had a distinctly human feeling to them."

Delia met his gaze once more, but again she was the first to look away.

"I wanted what was best for you." She said, her voice quiet. "It hurts me to know how far you've come, but knowing you can't ever share that with your friends. You can still change your image as Pokémon Master, away from the aloof figure that few people ever see."

Ash sighed. "Mum, I'm not angry. You were right, I should go to the wedding. It would be expected for the Pokémon Master to be there. But next time please talk to me directly. You can come to me with anything. But don't expect me to become a public figure. I am at my best working behind the scenes."

"I didn't want to put you under any more pressure." Delia confessed. "I know how you are feeling the pressure from the problems with the wild Pokémon. And I already worry about how hard you are pushing yourself with the hunt for Samuel. And…"

Ash reached out and touched his mother's arm briefly. The missing Professor was hurting her. "I'll find him Mum." Ash promised. "I'll do anything to bring him back. You know that."

"I do." Delia said, sniffing as she tried to prevent herself from crying. "I just don't want to lose you to get him back."

"You won't." Ash said reassuringly, before grinning. "I am very difficult to hurt."

"Don't say that." Delia said, her voice cracking. "Ash, I lost you for seven years. Don't make me lose you again."

Before Ash could say anything else there was a buzzing from Ash's pocket. He reached down and pulled out a phone. He glanced at it, and slid it back into his pocket. Delia looked at him, hoping for some indication as to what was on the message, but his face was perfectly calm.

"Mum, something has come up. I'm heading to Indigo Plateau. I'll be taking the Pokémon."

Ash turned and strode out of the kitchen, leaving his mother to look after him, all her emotion written onto her ageing face.

There was a ring at the door, causing Brock to turn around from behind the desk at his breeding centre. "Come on in" he called. "The door is open."

A man hurried in, carrying a Golbat under his arm, the Pokémon clearly badly injured.

"What happened?" Brock asked.

"I was in Mount Moon." The man said, panting as if he had run a long way. "I hadn't gotten far in when I started to get attacked by Zubat in increasing numbers. I ended up having to use most of my team to fight them off, but they kept coming. As we tried to get back out, Golbat attacked. We had to beat him down pretty hard, and only when he couldn't get back up did the Zubat stop attacking. I couldn't treat him out there, and so I called the Pokémon Centre to say I was coming in. They said you were the best Doctor in Pewter City and I should come to you."

While he was speaking Brock had taken the Golbat off him and moved him onto a table in order to examine him properly. He crossed the room and started to pull out syringes. He glanced back at the man as he headed back to the table.

"Did you run all the way here?"

"Pretty much." The man said, leaning against a wall for support as he panted. "Golbat was hurt pretty bad."

Brock nodded, not really listening as he examined the Pokémon. He selected a syringe to inject Golbat, Golbat seemed to start breathing a little easier, but was still clearly badly hurt. Brock turned back to the man.

"I'll need to take him into intensive care. Please wait here."

He took Golbat and headed through another door. The man got a glimpse of a room filled with medical equipment before the door swung shut. He looked around before finding a chair to collapse into.

It was nearly an hour later that Brock emerged. The man was sat there drinking a cup of coffee that had been brought for him by one of Brocks siblings from the Gym attached to the breeding centre. Brock sat down in a chair before he started talking.

"Golbat will recover. He's sedated for now, but I need you to tell me everything."

"I'm not really sure what else there is to say" the man admitted. "I didn't want to hurt Golbat as badly as I did, but I didn't have a choice; he wouldn't stop attacking."

"You said you were attacked by large groups of Zubat?" Brock asked.

"Yeah" the man said. "I've never seen anything like it. They were utterly relentless, it was like a swarm of them." The man paused. "Is this important? Am I in trouble?"

Brock shook his head. "I can't report you. I know that Golbat kept fighting long after he should have known better."

The man breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you know?"

"Because he just tried to attack me." Brock said in a resigned tone. "Despite the fact that he was overdosed on painkillers and could barely stand. Something has greatly upset Golbat."

There was a sudden crash from the operating room next door and Brock turned to run back in. As he reached the door he froze. Inside there were Zubats flying around, wrecking the room. Every single window looking in had been smashed by the swarm of Pokémon. As Brock watched, Golbat was picked up by several Zubats who carried him away. The swarm followed leaving Brock to look through the window at the top of the door, and out the far window in shock.

"I'm off!" Misty called into the Pokémon Laboratory, before waiting. Sure enough within a few moments her fiancé had appeared.

"Heading off?" He asked.

Misty nodded. "I promised Daisy that I'd come and help out at the gym this weekend. They've not had a day off in months and since I'm around and just need to do some training I said I'd go and help."

"Fair enough. Are you taking the car?"

"Yep. It means I can get there a bit quicker, it is still quite some way to walk."

"You could take the train?" Gary asked.

"Only from Viridian. If I'm going to drive that far, I may as well drive all the way."

Fair enough." Gary said. "I'll see you on Monday?"

"If I come back Monday I'll be arriving late." Misty warned.

Gary smirked. "I'll try and stay awake for you then."

Misty met his gaze for a moment before she leaned in to kiss him. "Have a good weekend. Don't have any major breakthroughs without me."

"You are taking some of my test subjects!" Gary protested. "I'm not expecting a breakthrough on studying Pokémon behaviour when the Pokémon aren't here!"

Misty laughed. "Precisely. No major breakthroughs." She turned and headed out the door, leaving Gary to go back to a test he was running.

A few minutes later, Misty ran into his office where he was hunched over a computer.

"Gary!" She called as she panted. The researcher turned to regard her.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You need to see this." Misty said.

"But I…" Gary started to protest, but Misty cut straight over him.

"Trust me."

She led him out of the laboratory and to the edge of Pallet Town, walking instead of driving like she had first time. When they got there, Gary stood and stared. Silently, almost unthinkingly, he reached for Misty's hand.

"I guess you're not going to Cerulean anymore." Gary said shakily.

"No." Misty said.

In front of them, blocking the road out of Pallet Town, blocking every path out of the town, were Pokémon, stood facing in. Pallet Town was blockaded.

A/N

I hadn't intended to put one here, but there is something I need to quickly clear up. This is the world after Sinnoh, so there are no characters from Unova or Kalos. There was a review (from SpencerDorman) that talked about Sonia as if she was a character from the anime. If she is, that is news to me! She's an OC. She's actually a character designed for me a while back by an old friend who I've since fallen out of contact with so I won't be changing her name or anything. Just wanted to clear that up.

Till next week,

Iama2p