Ash and Alakazam appeared in a flash of light, at the top of a waterfall, the sound of the water crashing masking any other noises nearby. Ash quickly held out a Pokéball, recalling Alakazam. As his Pokémon vanished he looked around, waiting. Ash removed his hat while he waited. He didn't need it for this. He crossed to a rock and sat down to think briefly. He knew it wouldn't take long.

Sure enough, a few minutes later a huge bird dropped out of the sky, settling on the ground in front of Ash. Pidgeot bowed slightly, an action mirrored by Ash. They both held their positions for a long moment before Ash burst out laughing and stepped forwards to hug one of his oldest Pokémon. Pidgeot wrapped his wings around Ash and crowed slightly.

Eventually Ash stepped back from Pidgeot, casting his expert gaze over the Pokémon. It wasn't obvious but Pidgeot was not as healthy as usual. His feathers were still as glossy as ever, but there was still an element of illness about the Pokémon.

"Take me to the centre." Ash said.

Pidgeot nodded and extended a wing. Ash grinned and leapt forwards, easily vaulting onto Pidgeots back. As he passed the birds head his body twisted so he landed facing forwards. Pidgeot snorted slightly as he flapped his wings, causing the two of them to accelerate into the air fast. Within moments they were zooming along, heading for a tree that towered over all the others. There were a few flying types flying around the top, more roosting in the upper branches. Ash frowned, usually Pidgeot's home was used solely for Pidgeot. To have brought others in suggested that things were actually worse than he had originally thought with Pidgeot's shrinking territory.

Pidgeot settled down on a branch and Ash slipped off. Pidgeot turned to face his old trainer a curious look on his face.

"I suppose you're wondering how I knew to come." Ash asked. Pidgeot nodded. Ash looked at his friend with a sad expression on his face. "I shouldn't have needed to know. You should have asked for help"

Pidgeot shook his head and gestured with a wing at himself then pulled off a passable shrug. He then gestured at Ash and made a cutting motion. Ash smiled grimly.

"If you think that I would not come and help because I was under attack myself then you have forgotten what I am like." Ash said. Pidgeot nodded but seemed slightly down. "I'm not angry." Ash continued, his voice warm. Pidgeot looked up hopefully. "Did you think I would be? You have taken loyalty to me further than I ever deserved. I cannot be angry at you for doing that."

Pidgeot nodded. Before Ash could say anything else, there was a loud bang. Both Ash and Pidgeot twisted, keeping their balance expertly as they looked towards it. Ash glanced back at Pidgeot who looked ready to leap into the sky.

"You are under attack as well." Ash said. It wasn't a question but Pidgeot nodded once again. "Let me help. I can help you protect your territory."

Pidgeot shook his head and Ash chuckled. "Trust me, that wasn't an offer you could refuse." He held out a Pokéball. "I'll let an old friend of yours restore some order. Charizard, time for battle."

As Charizard appeared in the air, flapping his wings, Pidgeot crowed. Charizard looked around and a smile crossed the Pokémon's features. He drifted forwards and dug his claws into the tree before extending a wing towards Pidgeot. Pidgeot reached out and touched it with his own.

"Charizard, Pidgeot's territory is under attack." Ash said. "I need you to restore some calm to it. Do not worry about winning any back yet, just force any attackers to retreat."

Charizard let out an echoing roar, a sound that seemed to grow in volume as it spread throughout the forest. Despite himself, Ash grinned. "I actually meant for you to go and fight." Ash joked. "Although that might have done the trick."

Charizard cast a glance at Ash that seemed to say "watch it" before flapping his wings. He accelerated away from the vantage point, heading towards the sounds of battle in the distance. Ash turned back towards Pidgeot.

"How much have you lost?"

Pidgeot pulled off his shrug once again before extending his wing almost fully. Ash nodded thoughtfully.

"Almost all of it… Well that makes this interesting."

Pidgeot cocked his head at Ash, looking at him quizzically.

"I'm guessing you were approached by another Pokémon with a suggestion to abandon your support of me?" Ash asked. Pidgeot nodded. Ash grimaced. "And you didn't come to tell me?"

Pidgeot gestured with a wing towards the sounds of battle. Ash nodded in sympathetic understanding. "You were attacked? How soon after?"

Pidgeot cast a gaze at Ash before looking forlornly at his wing. Ash chuckled. "Sorry, I know you can't easily answer that one. Was it pretty much immediately?"

Pidgeot nodded. Ash looked out across the forest that they stood above, fists clenched.

"It was Sonia." He said. Pidgeot looked at him in confusion. "Of course, you don't know who she is. She is somebody I thought was trustworthy. Turns out I was wrong."

Pidgeot looked at Ash in surprise making him chuckle. "It does happen you know." He said. He peered out in the direction that Charizard had headed in, smiling as he saw what looked like an explosion in the distance.

"It would appear that Charizard is making progress." Ash said. "He might need some help."

Pidgeot appeared to consider this for a moment before nodding. He knelt to allow Ash to climb onto his back before hesitating for a moment.

"What is it?" Ash asked. Pidgeot gestured around before looking at Ash quizzically. "You want to know why I'm helping? Why I'm not focusing on defending myself from this attack?"

Pidgeot nodded and Ash grimaced slightly. "There is only one way to bring some of your colleagues back under my sway. If we fight hard enough they will have to appear. If I can beat them then we can start to rebuild from the divisions that Sonia has sown."

Pidgeot gestured at Ash who chuckled.

"No, I won't be the one fighting them. I have enough Pokémon with me to beat off several of them. And Alakazam can bring in reinforcements if needed."

Ash's voice took on a slightly harder tone.

"They have all forgotten who I am and what I am capable of. The way that you have been attacked has shown that. I will bring your territory back under your control. And they will learn why they once followed me. Because I never forget loyalty and I always reward it. You have been my friend for a very long time Pidgeot. You are deserving of my help."

Pidgeot considered the answer for a moment before seeming to accept it. He crouched down and extended a wing for Ash to climb on. Ash swung himself onto the Pokémons back and Pidgeot leapt into the air, heading off towards where Charizard fought. Heading off for battle.

Cynthia's computer let out a sound causing her to groan. She hated the sheer quantity of emails that seemed to arrive at her machine on a daily basis. She dragged herself back to her desk from where she had been scribbling on a board she had fixed to one of the walls. As she sat back down she rubbed at her eyes. She had not slept well last night, after she had sent Sam to go and find Ash to send him to save Dragonite. She had gone to her residence in Indigo Plateau late, not being tired but had spent only a few hours at home. She knew she had gotten some sleep but not enough when she had returned to her office very early. She had spent some time training before coming back upstairs to get to work on organising another training camp. She had thrown herself both into the training and the organisational work to distract her from the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. Lance had sent her a message from Pallet Town, saying that Ash had saved Dragonite and that he would be heading back. He was due back today, but it was late afternoon and there had been no sign of him. Before Cynthia could open the email, her phone buzzed.

"Hello?" She said after she pulled it out of her jacket pocket.

"It's me." Lance's voice came.

"You back yet?"

"Just arrived. I've just been cornered by a reporter and asked something about Champion."

Cynthia's heart skipped a beat. On instinct she used her shoulder to hold the phone in place against her ear, freeing her hands up to tap a few keys on her computer. The email popped up and she scanned in quickly.

"Would I be right in guessing that the question was something about allegations made towards him?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes." Lance said, his voice sounding slightly confused. "Want to tell me how you knew that?"

"I've just had a message about it." Cynthia said. "A courtesy you might say, from a certain media company."

"From Zane Zito?"

"Good guess. Come to my office, you need to see this."

"On my way." Lance said before hanging up. Cynthia leaned back in her chair, rubbing at her eyes again. She skimmed the email once more, before standing up and starting to pace.

A few minutes later the door to her office opened and Lance stepped in. He took one look at his friend and a concerned expression crossed his face.

"Cynthia you look exhausted. Are you alright?"

"I didn't sleep much last night." Cynthia admitted. "Something was stopping me from getting to sleep properly."

Lance accepted the excuse with a nod. "So what is this about?"

Cynthia was about to gesture to her computer when a thought crossed her mind. "One moment. You were cornered by a reporter?"

"Yes."

"What did you do to escape?"

Lance snorted with laughter. "I merely told him that I did not answer questions when I was ambushed. If he wanted an interview he should have contacted my office."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow and Lance looked away slightly sheepishly. "Okay, fine. I may have also scared him."

Cynthia chuckled. "I can't say I'm surprised." She turned to her computer where the email was still on display. "Anyway, have a look for yourself."

Lance crossed to behind her desk and sat down. He looked at the screen at started to read.

Dear Miss Shirona,

There is a woman who is currently in protective custody, her location remains undisclosed from the Pokémon League. She has made several allegations regarding the Pokémon Master, Champion. I have investigated several of these and found strong evidence to support them. This has been supported by the police force, who agree that the evidence suggests these claims might be valid. This witness has requested a public platform in which to disclose her allegations, a platform that will present them to the world and give Champion the possibility to respond to them. I should warn you, these allegations are extremely serious and should they be proven to be true, the current administration is likely to face considerable public criticism.

This email is a courtesy, informing you of these upcoming events as I believe that you have a right to know. Should you wish to make any comment, please contact my office.

Kind Regards,
Zane Zito

Lance looked up at Cynthia who was staring out of the window.

"He's a pain in the…"

"Not relevant." Cynthia said, although Lance could see a slight smile under her forbidding expression. "We need to know what these allegations are. And who the witness is."

"That could be tricky." Lance said. "If this witness truly has allegations to make against the Pokémon League, she will be being carefully protected by the police. Who are independent of us."

"For good reason." Cynthia said. "If these allegations were true, it would be the only way to ensure that the truth actually came to light."

"If?" Lance asked. "You think they might be?"

"Of course not." Cynthia said. "You know Ash as well as I do. There is no way that these are true."

"But?" Lance pressed.

"What could they be?" Cynthia said. "And more importantly, who could be trying to go against Ash publically?"

"Whoever kidnapped Professor Oak." Lance said. "The same person that has been targeting him for a while now."

"Precisely." Cynthia said. "But from what Ash has told us, they have remained hidden. For them to go public means that they must be confident of success."

"Or they are running scared." Lance said. "Think about it, if you have gotten yourself into a fight with a public figure, the best way to stay safe is to make the fight as public as possible. Ash then can't touch whoever they are."

"Maybe…" Cynthia said, not sounding convinced. "I just can't help but think we are missing something."

"We need to get Ash back here." Lance said. "Any news from Mystery Island?"

"No." Cynthia said. "Did you see him in Pallet?"

"Briefly. He left after treating Dragonite. He spoke to Gary Oak, asking about the attack that got Dragonite injured then left."

Cynthia drummed her fingers against the window. "I don't think he's on Mystery Island. If he was asking about the attack he must have an idea about what it means."

"What it means?"

"Let's face it, it wouldn't normal." Cynthia said. "A horde of Pokémon attacking a human settlement? Very rare. Ash must have known something about it."

Lance slowly nodded his agreement. "What though?" He asked.

"We need Ash for that." Cynthia said. "In the meantime, I'll answer Zane thanking him for informing us about the allegations. It is all we can do."

"Agreed." Lance said as he rose. "I just hope that Ash is able to fight against whatever this is."

Gary unrolled the newspaper as he stepped back inside the laboratory. The headline on the front page made him freeze.

'Allegations made against the Pokémon Master?'

Gary took a moment to compose himself before he started to read the article.

'In rumours emerging from the office of the prestigious Pokémon Analyst, Zane Zito, there is a suggestion that the Pokémon Master is on the very of being embroiled in the kind of scandal that could shake his League to its core. The Pokémon Master, famed for his private nature and known only as Champion took the title six years ago. In doing so he became the first Pokémon Master to take the title without losing a single Pokémon throughout the World League. Since then Champion has reshaped the Pokémon League, introducing new regulations for Gym Leaders to follow, replacing several that did not follow them. While not all of his work is popular, Champion is widely respected for his power and for the way that his changes have strengthened the League.

However, stunning allegations have emerged, suggesting that Champion's private persona hides more than one sinister secret. A witness who is yet to be named is due to appear on the show of Zane Zito tonight to give more detail on these rumours. The allegations which could include suggestions of endangering the public through dereliction of duty, putting Pokémon's lives at risk and jeopardising the peace between humans and Pokémon would cause severe damage to Champion's reputation if they were proved to be true. Continued, page 4.'

Gary folded the paper up once again and strode deeper into the laboratory. As he entered one of the research rooms, he found his grandfather peering at something under a microscope.

"Gramps." Gary said.

"Yes?" The researcher answered, not looking up.

"You might want to see this."

"Hmm? Oh, very well." Oak said looking up and taking the paper. He started to read the page, his face slowly whitening as he went.

"This is todays?" Oak asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes."

"And Champion still hasn't returned?"

"Not since he treated Dragonite two days ago." Gary said. "Do you still think he will?"

"I'm sure he will." Oak said, his voice closer to its usual volume. "He must."

"We don't even know where he was going." Gary objected. "And why would he come back here?"

"Just trust me." Oak said. "Now remind me, what did you say to him?"

"He just told me that he would investigate the attacks." Gary said.

"Nothing else?" Oak pressed.

"I… He was interested in the Onix that was attacking us." Gary said. "Seemed to be trying to find out what Pokémon it was."

"But otherwise you don't know?"

"No." Gary said. "Why is this so important Gramps?"

"No reason." Oak said, but Gary was not dissuaded so easily.

"Gramps, please tell me." Gary said. "You don't have to protect me anymore. You don't have to hide things from me."

"I'm not." Oak said wearily, before catching Gary's expression. "Okay, I am slightly. But trust me, I can't tell you yet."

Gary threw his arms up in frustration. "Will you ever be able to tell me?" He asked.

Oak shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I hope so." He said.

"Fine." Gary said as he turned to leave, snatching the newspaper as he went. As he reached the door he turned back. "Gramps, I love you. But please don't shut me out. Whatever it is, I want to help. Misty as well. She will be joining our family, you need to trust us."

Oak watched his grandson leave before turning away. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he rubbed them away angrily. "Where are you?" He growled to the empty room. "Ash, you need to get back here."

Sonia stepped out of the car to find three men waiting for her. Two of them were large, brutish types that she raised an eyebrow at questioningly before focusing on the third. Zane Zito.

"Do you often greet your guests out the back of your studio?" Sonia asked.

Zane smiled. "Not usually, no. You are a bit of an exception."

"Oh?"

"These two are bodyguards. They will protect you until you return to protective custody."

"Ah." Sonia said, before stepping forward and extending a hand. "Fair enough."

Zane took the hand and shook it. "Are you sure you still want to do this?"

"Yes." Sonia said. "More certain than ever."

Zane smiled. "That is good to hear. It would be embarrassing to have to cancel the show tonight."

Sonia smiled as she started to follow Zane inside. The two bodyguards slipped into step behind them as they walked. They reached an elevator and stepped inside. As the doors shut, Zane turned to Sonia.

"I just have a few questions that I would rather ask off air."

"Go ahead." Sonia said, her mind racing.

"We looked for evidence of a lot of your claims." Zane said. "Both myself and the police. And it was both pretty comprehensive and easy to find. So much so that I'm surprised nobody else found it."

Sonia's mind started to race. She had hoped that he wouldn't ask this, but then it wasn't surprising. She needed him because he was the best and he had gotten there through being thorough. Suddenly a force washed across the elevator. Sonia turned to look at Zane and his eyes had suddenly turned blank.

"I guess nobody had looked." She said, hiding the smirk that nearly broke out over her face.

"I… Maybe you're right." Zane said, before his eyes turned back to normal. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. "I shall pass you onto the make-up staff. They will get you ready and we are on air in forty-five minutes." Zane said. "I'll see you shortly."

The analyst turned and strode away, leaving Sonia to be swept along by a team who sat her down and started to work on her, covering her face in make-up ready for the bright lights of the studio. Sonia wore a small smile throughout, only making small-talk when they spoke directly to her. It was good to know that her protection was still in place. She knew that the evidence that they had found probably wouldn't have been enough to convince anybody. But a police backed witness going public would be believed by the public. If she was lucky, Zane would never know that he had been duped.

Ash leaned back slightly, enjoying the wind rushing through his hair. Charizard was soaring over the forest that Pidgeot called home, a flight of bird Pokémon following in his wake. Ash rode on his Pokémons back, looking down at the forest beneath them. He heard the sounds of battle beneath them and Charizard started to circle around without command. Ash grinned savagely as the wind started to pick up as Charizard descended. The last few days had been incredible for him, battling without boundaries, fighting a battle that at times had looked almost hopeless. When he and Pidgeot had joined Charizard, the Flame Pokémon was in the process of savaging a whole group of Pokémon. Ash had dropped down next to him and released Aggron. Aggron had looked around and let out a terrifying roar that sent the Pokémon that Charizard hadn't knocked senseless running. They had thought that the battle to save Pidgeot's territory wouldn't be too difficult, but the following day had proved them wrong.

The aggressors had counter-attacked, stretching Ash's limited resources to the absolute limit. Alakazam had brought in reinforcements, in the form of Snorlax and Machamp to try and hold back the onslaught without Ash having to fight. He was still trying to recover energy after his exertions, although two days later he felt strong and ready to fight. Ash had not realised how close to total defeat Pidgeot had been; as Ash's own Pokémon waded into the fight, Pidgeot's followers had withdrawn, glad for the reprieve. The first day had been heroic from his team, fighting off much larger numbers, often battling alone as they were separated from each other. Somehow they had pulled through, defending what little remained of Pidgeot's territory, aided by the giant Flying-Type himself.

The second day could have been less frantic but Ash had insisted that they did not give Onix any chance to regroup. Snorlax had led a driving attack, striking for the heart of Onix's own territory. The result had been some of the most ferocious battling yet. Onix himself had made an appearance but managed to elude Ash's team as they fought their way through. Pidgeot's followers had mostly recovered and were able to support, levelling the numbers to an extent. Ash knew that the end to the fight was near, but he couldn't help himself. He had enjoyed the joy of battling, able to put all of his considerable skill to the test. His Pokémon were very good at fighting by themselves but against the odds they faced they had needed his help. The entire team was proud of their success.

Charizard burst through the canopy to find Snorlax and Aggron giving ground against a large group of Pokémon. Ash ignored them and pointed forwards. Onix was watching from a distance. As he saw Charizard appear his eyes narrowed and he reared his head at Ash.

"Time to end this." Ash said quietly. Charizard roared his agreement and surged forwards. As Onix tried to attack a huge burst of flame shot from Charizard. Onix ducked into it and came out the other side scorched but still standing strong. His tail flicked around and Charizard was unable to react quickly enough. Ash leapt from his Pokémons back as Charizard was sent flying into the sky. Ash landed on the ground and looked up into the face of Onix.

"I was wondering when this would happen." Ash said quietly. Onix reared his head once more before bringing it down to crush Ash who simply rolled to one side, letting Onix smash his head into the ground.

"You were once my friend." Ash said mildly as Onix recovered. Both of them knew that Ash could have struck back but he hadn't. Onix brought his tail back around but Ash simply dropped to the floor letting it whip above his head. As he returned to his feet, Ash winced as Onixs tail sent a tree crashing into the ground with its follow through.

"You should have stayed in your territory." Ash said. "You aren't used to fighting here."

Onix roared and a white beam formed in front of his mouth. Ash leapt back as the Flash Cannon smashed into the ground where he had been a moment before. He laughed as Onix roared in frustration.

"You were once my friend." Ash said again. "And you knew that Pidgeot was once my Pokémon." Ash ducked as Onix brought his tail around once more and it whistled over his head. "You knew that I would come and fight for him. Why did you turn against me?"

Onix roared but Ash had had enough. He dropped to the ground once more and behind him Charizard let out an even bigger burst of flame than the last attack. It engulfed Onix, leaving him to roar in pain. Ash rolled away from the attack and stood up, brushing some dirt from his clothes. He looked at Charizard who was still pouring power into his attack and coughed quietly. Charizard's attack subsided and smoke rolled away from the impact point. As it slowly began to clear Ash stepped forwards to see an extremely scorched Onix lying in on the ground, groaning. He knelt down next to the Pokémons head.

"You should never have turned against me." Ash said quietly. "And you should never have attacked Pidgeot."

Before Ash could say anything else, there was an echoing squawk. He turned to watch Pidgeot descend from the sky. Onix stirred and looked up at the Bird Pokémon. Pidgeot landed next to him and placed a talon on Onix's head, forcing it back into the ground. Ash didn't say anything as Pidgeot held it there for a long moment before releasing and flapping his wings, lifting into the sky once again.

Onix slowly raised himself up before looking into Pidgeot's fearsome eyes. He seemed to consider for a long moment before bowing his head and turning away. Pidgeot let out another huge squawk that was echoed by the Pokémon around them. Ash looked around before allowing himself a smile.

"We won?" He asked.

Pidgeot dropped from the sky once more, landing next to Ash and nodded. He reached out with his wings and took Ash into a big hug, sweeping him off his feet.

"Hey!" Ash said, laughing. "Put me down!"

Pidgeot did so, happiness evident on his feathered face. Ash looked over to where Onix was moving away before glancing back to Pidgeot.

"You've taken his territory?"

Pidgeot nodded, his eyes never leaving Ash's face.

"Where will he go?"

Pidgeot shrugged. Ash nodded thoughtfully as Onix disappeared into the distance. He turned back to Pidgeot again.

"It would appear that you have regained your territory. I trust that you will ask for my help next time?"

Pidgeot seemed to consider it before smiling and nodding.

"Good." Ash said before letting out a long breath. "I will return to Pallet Town shortly, to make sure that Dragonite is recovered before I head back home. We just need to recover quickly. I trust we have permission to rest in your territory?"

"Are we nearly finished?" Sam asked. Espeon flicked her tail as she concentrated.

"Nearly." She said. "One moment…"

Sam waited patiently as Espeon continued to focus. They were inside Ash's house working on repairing the links to the mainland, as they had some time in Ash's absence. Sam had pushed for it, wanting an update from Cynthia but not wanting to leave Mystery Island.

"That should be it." Espeon said. "Try now."

Sam turned to the computer screen and tapped at a few keys. Within moments he crowed.

"It worked." He said. "You've gotten us an internet link back to the mainland."

Espeon bowed her head slightly as she padded away. Sam started typing fast, composing a message to Cynthia. He quickly checked it and then pressed send.

It was only a few minutes later that the computer beeped, announcing Cynthia's reply. Sam came running and skimmed her message. His heart sank.

Hi Sam,

It is good to hear that links have been restored to Mystery Island. It has been a tough couple of days without Champion. I have forwarded you an article from a newspaper; Champion needs to see it as soon as possible. There is an unknown person going on television very soon, promising to unveil several allegations towards Champion. Lance and I have been unable to work out who it might be or what their endgame might be. Any input from you would be greatly appreciated.

Yours,

Cynthia Shirona

"Mel!" Sam shouted. His childhood friend came running in, arriving in moments. She skimmed the email before turning to Sam.

"Sonia."

"That would be my guess as well." Sam said. "She is turning the public against Ash."

"How?"

"I'd guess she has made something up." Sam said thoughtfully. "With Ash away he would struggle to refute her claims and once she goes public it is all the world will be talking about."

Mellanie shook her head in frustration. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No."

The two teenagers looked around to see Espeon watching them from across the room. Her tail flicked as she regarded them.

"There is nothing you can do. Ash explained something to me before he left. With the kidnapping of his mother he has lost this fight before it even started."

"What do you mean?" Mellanie asked.

"If Ash opposes Sonia, she has leverage over him." Espeon said. "He will not jeopardise his mother, not for any reason."

"So Sonia will get away with this?" Sam asked.

"As you say, it is all the world will talk about." Espeon said sadly. "Even if Ash were here, he would not be able to do anything. And the rumours will only grow."

Silence fell in the room for a long minute as they all contemplated what Espeon said. Suddenly an idea occurred to Sam.

"The rumours are what could cause damage to Ash, right?"

"As far as I am aware." Espeon said. "I am no expert on human relations, but that would appear to be a logical statement."

Sam grinned. "What if the world had something else to focus on?"

"What?" Mellanie asked. "It would have to be pretty huge to distract from a scandal involving the Pokémon Master. Only something of equal size would work."

"I know." Sam said. "But I have something that might come close."

"What?" Espeon asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"Easy." Sam said, coming to a snap decision. "I will take Lance's Kanto title from him. The prospect of the Dragon Master losing one of his titles should get the world interested."

"What?" Mellanie asked, flabbergasted. "You… what?"

"I will challenge Lance." Sam said. "I am eligible."

"You beat Karen?" Mellanie asked. "Wasn't she standing in your way before?"

"Yes." Sam said simply. "I challenged her privately a couple of weeks ago. It was close, but I managed to beat her."

"Lance is a formidable battler." Espeon said warningly. "There is no guarantee you could beat him."

Sam turned one of his trademark grins onto the Sun Pokémon. "I have something to fight for. And the result isn't important, what is important is that I make a LOT of public noise in my challenge."

"How do you do that?"

"That's the easy part." Sam said. "And the best part is, the man who will give me a platform will have to split his time between me and Sonia. I'll use Zane Zito."

Mellanie seemed unconvinced. "This is impulsive, even for you." she said. Sam shrugged.

"I'd get around to challenging Lance eventually. At least this way I have a good reason to do it. And you know me Mel, impulsive is the only way I know how."

"I admit I do not know all that much about human interactions..." Espeon started but stopped as another voice rang out.

"You do not." Pikachu said from the doorway. "But I do. Years living with humans who have public roles did that for me. This might just work."

Sam grinned. "See? Pikachu agrees with me!"

Mellanie just glared at him, before smiling despite herself. Sam's enthusiasm was so infectious it was hard to ignore.

"Fine." She said. "How do you go about it?"

"I'll contact the Kanto League." Sam said. "In fact, I can do that now. If I use up a favour I can probably get the fight scheduled very soon."

"A favour?" Mellanie asked. Sam looked a little sheepish.

"Yeah... One of the administration staff owes me a favour..."

"Do I want to know?" Mellanie asked.

"I... Well..." Sam started. "It wasn't anything bad!"

Mellanie just rolled her eyes and gestured to the computer. "Go on then. Call in your favour. If you're certain about this, I'll be waiting outside with Pikachu and Espeon."

"Why?" Sam asked.

There was a glint in Mellanie's eyes. "Because I'm just as good as you and I could only fight Lance to a standstill. Even with a reason to fight, you're going to need to be at your very best to compete with him. I think I'm going to rather enjoy using Ash's Pokémon to beat you all in the name of training."

She flashed him a smile and vanished through the door, leaving Sam looking after her before he turned to the computer. She was right, he would need all the training he could get. But he knew he could beat Lance. He just knew it.

Zane Zito leaned back in his chair as the show went to a break. He had a headache, one that had started when he first interviewed Sonia and had never really gone away. It had gotten worse with the exertions of researching Champion's crimes, but he wasn't surprised. Across a small table, Sonia was sat in her own chair looking composed. Zane had to admit that her performance had been sublime. She had answered all of his questions, going into detail at several points to clarify things. Champion would have to answer the questions that were being posed towards him.

"What is left?" Sonia asked as the timer on the wall in front of them counted down to two minutes before they were back on air.

"Just the last few minutes." Zane said. "Is there anything else about Champion that you want to reveal to the world?"

"One more thing." Sonia said, a smile creeping across her face.

"Oh?"

"It's simple. Part of Champion's power comes from the aura of mystery that surrounds him. I can help strip that away."

Zane blinked in surprise before looking around as the call for one minute rang out. He rubbed at his temples as the headache came on stronger, but it didn't seem to make any difference.

"Are you alright?" Sonia asked.

"I… yeah, I'm fine." Zane said quietly.

"Thirty seconds!" came the call.

The two settled down, and waited. A countdown started, counting down the last ten seconds until they were back on air until a red light appeared next to the timer on the wall. Zane leaned forwards once more.

"I think it is safe to say that this has been a fascinating interview." He said. "But you have been teasing me all night. What else can you reveal about Champion?"

"What do you mean?" Sonia asked.

Zane smiled. "How do you know all of this about him? For one person to uncover it all from a remote position is an incredible achievement. How did you manage it?"

"I've had my suspicions for a while." Sonia said. "But after the attacks in Cerulean City I knew that I would have to try to get closer to him and so I took a job at Indigo Plateau. From there I was able to get closer to Champion and find things out about him."

"So you got close to him and betrayed his trust?" Zane asked.

Sonia seemed to consider it for a moment. "In a way, yes. But I would argue that he has betrayed everybody. His reign has antagonised wild Pokémon, leading to the attacks on human settlements across the Kanto region. If we do not work to repair these divides these attacks could get worse."

"Is that your opinion as a Pokémon Ranger?" Zane asked.

"As an ex-Ranger, yes." Sonia said. "I have never seen the wild so stirred up and it is a trend that has been developing for some time. I consider Champion's behaviour to be largely responsible. He has interfered in the relationships of wild Pokémon consistently. Pokémon do not usually tolerate human intervention and I would say that he has pushed it too far."

"Interesting." Zane said. "So what would you say Champion should do? Are you suggesting he should step down?"

"No." Sonia said. "I think that what I have uncovered is serious, Champion should be given a chance to defend himself and right the wrongs in the world. I will be the first to say that he has led the world superbly in the last six years, giving us an unprecedented level of prosperity. The question is at what cost."

"So what then?" Zane asked, his voice trying to hide his curiosity.

"Give Champion the chance to fix things." Sonia said. "But he needs to stop hiding from the world." She turned to the camera and spoke directly to it, her face and voice being beamed into millions of homes across the four regions.

"Strip back the veil of mystery." Sonia said. "I implore you Champion, stop hiding things from the world. No one man can lead a world by himself and your actions are leading to a split between Pokémon and humans. A Pokémon Master that leads us to a divided world, a world where Pokémon and humans are opposed is failing. You should be providing a bridge between the two, not antagonising one at the benefit of the other."

"Where should he start?" Zane said, his voice almost at a whisper as he was caught up in the moment.

"I will start for him." Sonia said. "Champion, your very persona is your greatest mystery. Stop hiding behind a fake name. Come clean and use your real name. Announce yourself to the world properly."

"His name?" Zane asked. "Will he share it?"

"He won't have a choice." Sonia said. "I will do it for him. The Pokémon Master's real name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum."

A/N

Hey all, me again. Just a few notes to answer some reviews, for various reasons (Interesting points raised or just they were so long they deserve it!)

SilverFlameHaze - Don't worry about it coming off as a flame, I've had them before and can deal with it. Your review was very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the swearing which made me think you were typing in a fit of rage! Put simply, I would agree with many of your points if all I knew was what has been written thus far. This story still has some way to run, and reasons/excuses will be revealed, either overtly or more covertly. I've said it frequently before, I'm glad these don't have word limits! But thank you for an honest appraisal of your thoughts, it was useful in shaping this chapter. I feel you deserve some credit for the help.

Sj929 - You have some suspicions of Sonia's motives? Please share! I'm curious to know how big the big reveal will actually be!

Devrat - Tobias has only featured as he is part of the history. Do not expect him to appear, as far as the story goes he is old news.

notsofrilly - I know. Again, patience. It will become clear how she has managed to pull off basically everything she has done. Just be patient and we'll get there!

On the note of patience... I may not be able to get a chapter out next week. I apologise in advance if I can't, but my free-time (read: writing time) is going from limited to almost non-existent. I will do as much as I can but no promises. I would rather miss a week and actually get a good chapter out than rush it completely and come to regret it. So sorry if I miss next weeks chapter, consider this your notice that it might happen.

Until next time,

Iama2p