Chapter 4 – Frozen World

"Accursed traitors and spies. This world is not worthy to join our regime. We will eliminate every unworthy life form from this planet and make it out own. It will be better. There will be no poverty. No death. No sorrow. We will have all the time in the world. No sickness. No unhappiness. No crime." "Yeah, that's because this world would be ruled by the criminals," Giovanni and Lance – Destruction of the Pokémon League

[10:33AM] – May 17th – South of Johto/Kanto – Alto Mare – The Secret Garden – Lance

The champion's black cloak waved in the breeze gently. His spiky red hair was salty and wet with condensation from the ever still clouds. Behind him his orange dragon let out its dirge-like call. Flying over the sea was an eerie experience, the waves unmoving and frozen, waves stopped mid-wave. The silence was unnerving, the constant roar of the sea silent for once.

It was as if the whole world had frozen.

Now Lance stood here on this Arceus forsaken island. He hadn't known it was this bad. They had thought this small insignificant island wasn't a problem. That it would fare better than the mainland.

The streets were silent. The houses were empty. And the whole place stunk of disease. There wasn't a soul in sight. Lance had walked along what once must have been waterways. The odd boat was parked here and there; some of them looked like they had still been travelling when the water was sucked out of the city. The island had gained a mile radius of extra, bare, barren earth. Around it the water hovered, help back by a strange force.

Lance had found his way here easily enough. The whole place resonated with the soul of a dragon, and his orange monstrosity had been no exception to this. He had winged his way here as quickly and as swiftly as the wind that had once blown its way through the city, turning the dry leaves in the streets and rustling the silent trees.

A garden in the middle of a city… was unexpected. With the rolling hills and once falling waterfall. A small fountain held shattered remnants of some sort of crystal ball. Lance's gaze drifted past that towards the graves on the hills. His footsteps were slow and heavy as he approached the weathered stone.

From ash to ashes, the earth doust we rise

Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind

The two graves stood back to back, and there was no apparent similarity between the two other than the shape and the carving upon them. One was a more modern, pale marble while the other was old yellowing sandstone. Lance read them both, blinking at them. The words upon the yellowed gravestone were faded and her leaned forwards, his fingers tracing the words.

He sighed at the indecipherable legit. But the verse was clear. His gaze flickered up.

From ash to ashes, the world doust we rise

Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind

The words were ringing around his head as he repeated them to himself. He glanced at the sixth word of the first line. Then moved to the other grave and looked at it. Then back at the other. Then he ran the words through his head.

And froze.

He had heard those words before.

At a funeral. Someone had died. Him. When he had been killed. The words read out by a league official.

Ash to ashes. Ash.

His hand had been midway to his Pokétch when he stopped, pulling his sleeve over it again. He would leave it for now. He knelt in front of the newer grave. A simple entry. No name.

To a beloved brother and guardian of our home. That was the Latios all right. Died eight years ago. Soul Dew destroyed three years ago. Lance's eyes flickered to what he had thought to be a crystal orb.

"Ah,"

He moved back to the other grave, tracing the faint marks left there. He found himself forming rough letters. From his pocket he pulled pen and paper, writing them down.

Auron ~ Hurc Guarbiar f Hanlo

He narrowed his eyes at this. He tried again. Some letters must have been mistaken for another. He got this.

Aaron ~ Hura Guardiar f Kanlo

He smiled. He could guess the rest, sort out the letters.

Aaron ~ Aura Guardian of Kanto

May's words echoed in his head. An aura guardian whose body was moved from south of Johto. Aaron.

Lance stepped back. This wasn't helpful. But then wasn't it odd either that the same verse had been at the funeral of an aura guardian? How much had his old friend known?

He stepped back. He should probably be contacting May right now, but to tell her his suspicions would be foolish. It would give them all false hopes.

Ash was dead.

Wasn't he?

[12:14PM] – May 17th – SECTION Viridian Base – North West of Viridian City – May

The brunette tied her hair up in her bandana. She screwed up her blue eyes, looking at her faint reflection in the dark computer. Her fingers tapped the table impatiently. There wasn't much for her to do when the power was out.

She spun in her chair, eyes looking upwards at the faint light in the room. The single light bulb hung from a wire, dangling helplessly. May wished they could get the generators working again. At least, she mused, the electric Pokémon could have a break.

Her Ninetales was currently providing the light, a warm glow engulfing her golden body. Her golden eyes were slanted as she rested her head on her paws, her nine tails waving dejectedly around. "Nyah," she sighed, tiredly. (Tired.)

May Maple nodded in agreement. They had been so busy the past two days. After that report from Mount Moon had arrived she had been trying to find out the identity of Shadow. She had been trawling through data but to no avail. No living person in this world matched his appearance and given information. It was a lost cause. A wild goose-chase. Dawn had phoned up several times to add info but even searching through card data information to find the owner of the security key had failed.

The verse had been ringing through her head to. The words seemed hauntingly familiar and she was still waiting for Lance to make his report. If his damn Dragonite flew as fast as he boasted he should have been there and back by now. She slammed her fist down on the table and stood up.

Her fox looked up, "Nyii?" (What now?)

"I'm calling that damn champion. He thinks he can just do what he likes sometimes but he ain't this time," In her anger her Hoenn accent was strengthened. The brunette reached for her Poketch, dialling Lance's number.

[12:15PM] – May 17th – South Johto/Kanto – Alto Mare Ruins – Lance

Lance cancelled the call. He couldn't take it now and he only hoped the beeping had not alerted the rockets walking on the other side of the tree he was hiding behind.

They had turned up about half an hour ago when he was rounding up his investigation. He had hidden, listening to their plans. The two of them seemed like bumbling idiots, arguing about stupid things and the female, constantly smacking the male.

"You idiot! We are here to find that Soul Dew, not sort out your hair!"

"Damn. There's nothing here but that ol' pond 'n some graves,"

Lance stiffened. He had been listening to their general chatter for a while and was bored to death. This seemed to prove more interesting. He motioned to Dragonite to stand ready.

His Pokétch beeped again and he cancelled it. May would be really pissed off but he would explain later. Unfortunately the Rockets had heard.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That beeping?"

"What beeping?"

Now there was the sound of someone hitting someone. Lance smirked. Dragonite bared his teeth. The orange tail lashed and the giant crouched, prepared to leap.

When the first voices had floated towards the champion Lance had taken refuge behind the tree. His dragon was too large to be hidden by thin trunks and had hidden behind the still waterfall. Now it the shadows he waited, eyes gleaming.

Lance waved his hand once.

A signal.

And the raging orange monstrosity burst forth from the waterfall.

Blue eyes gleamed and the teeth were bared, a dragon rage forming in his bloody maw. The water cascaded over his orange scale, dancing in the daylight and claws were outstretched as Dragonite leapt towards the two startled Rockets.

The one, a man with blue hair gave a startled scream and leapt comically into his partner, a woman with blonde hair, arms. She held him there in shock before realising and with a disgusted look dropped him on the floor and turned to bolt.

She ran straight into Lance who barrelled her back towards his dragon. She skidded to a halt, freezing. Her amber eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms arrogantly. Her partner stood up slowly, then as if realising something stood back to back with her, mimicking her pose.

"Prepare for Trouble," She announced, contemptuously.

"And make it double," the man added, smirking.

"To infect the world with devastation,"

"To blight all peoples within the nation," The two took alternative lines as they recited the strange poem.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

The woman brandished a fist, "Cassidy!" she cried.

The man mimicked her, a mirror, "Butch!"

The two glared at the champion, "Team Rocket circling the earth both day and night. Surrender to us now or prepare to lose the fight!"

They stood like that for a few moments and Lance stared at them.

Then he burst into laughter.

The two looked slightly put-of at this, their faces indignant.

"That….that was…" he could barely contain his mirth, "That is the saddest thing… I have ever seen!" He doubled over and the two Rockets looked confused.

Butch brandished a fist, "Is our motto meant to be funny?" he growled in his whiny voice.

Lance straightened smiling, smoothing his ruffled cloak, "I only wish all members of the Team were as stupid as you. Then we would have won this war long ago," His eyes burnt with anger.

Cassidy bristled, "We are not stupid," she hissed.

Lance crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently, "Stupid," he mocked. Behind the Rockets Dragonite growled making them both, leap about a foot in the air. "So…Cassidy and Botch…"

"IT'S BUTCH!"

"You look like you might be coming with me," Lance ignored the interruption.

Cassidy smirked. "Oh yeah. You're so confident champion. As if we would want to come with you," she laughed, flicking her hand as if in dismissal.

Lance tilted his head to one side, confused. "It's not whether you want to or not."

Butch smirked, his eyes dancing maliciously, "See you later," He waved. His gaze jumped to something over Lance's shoulders and he instinctively ducked.

It could have been a trick. If so it would have been a very good one and Lance almost wished that it was the case. But unfortunately as he ducked something whistled over his head. The Rockets dived out of the way as a large Aerodactyl swopped overhead. The grey claws were outstretched, rocky head snapping as Dragonite and Aerodactyl clashed. The force was so large it sent the dragon flying back into the fountain, sending a wave of water towards where Butch and Cassidy were lying.

Had been lying.

Those scum.

Lance left his Dragonite to sort out the giant fossil, his feet pounding on the ground as he raced after the rockets.

He didn't get that far. He skidded to a halt in front of a brick wall. How the hell could they run through walls? He reached out…

And fell right through it.

He blinked, but didn't have time to contemplate the mysteries of a wall that was not a wall. The two black suited grunts were racing around a corner and Lance gritted his teeth, racing after them.

Beep beep. Beep beep.

"What May?" Lance shouted, as he raced along the street.

The brunette sounded really pissed off as she spoke, her Hoenn accent even more noticeable than usual. "You're late with your report. And there's a power cut and I'm bored to death. Where are you? I've got a really bad signal."

Lance skidded around another corner. "I'm chasing Rockets. Why?"

Her reply was high pitched, "Rockets? Where?"

Lance cursed as he followed the two up some winding stairs. "Two of them. Bitch and Cassidy"

"It's BUTCH!"

"They were looking for the Soul Dew. I had them cornered but was attacked by a giant Aerodactyl."

There was a pause. Lance guessed that May must have nodded for she then spoke, "Oh, yes, I know. It and a Kabutops used to terrorise the city until a Latios saved it," Lance slowed down.

He looked at the faint image of May on the wristwatch.

"Did you lose them?" May asked.

Lance shook his head. He was thinking. "If there's a giant Kabutops around here…and it doesn't belong to Team Rocket…then…"

He was rewarded with two screams. One was high pitched and girlish, the other low and manly. Lance glanced towards where the man was sitting in the woman's arms. Again. The champion guessed he was the girly screamer.

Then his gaze focussed on giant monster behind them. He swore.

Cassidy dropped Butch on the ground. "We're out of here. Come on Butch!"

"IT'S B…oh, yeah. That's my name."

The man wasted no more time dilly dallying and raced after him companion. Lance trailed them for only a few paces before he saw their destination. A giant Zeppelin parked in what had once been the sea.

He moved his Pokétch to his mouth, whispering. "I'm following the Rockets. Dragonite will head back to base when I don't call. Tell Dratini and Dragonair to meet me south Kanto."

May's voice could be heard, confused, "Lance…Lance, where are they going? I need data, infor"

He cancelled the call. "Sorry May," he whispered, before slipping towards the airship.

[12:37PM] – 17th May – SECTION Viridian Base – North West of Viridian City – May

"No! Lance! Don't hang up on me! Lance!" May cursed as she dropped her wrist strap from her face. "Son of a bitch," she cursed. She leaned back in her chair.

Ninetales blinked at her reassuringly, "NyayaTiahTye!" There was a hint of teasing in her tone. (He loves you really!)

May shook her head. "I don't know what that means. Sorry. I don't know what you're saying." She sighed, slamming her hand down in the table. "What the hell is that idiot up to?" she wondered out loud. She leaned back and closed her eyes, sighing.

Her eyes snapped open. "That's it. I'm getting an electric Pokémon." She pushed her chair back and stood up, ignoring the scraping it made across the floor. She flounced towards the door and the fire fox trotted at her heels, disgruntled.

"YahNi TyiahNya," The fox grumbled, but May didn't understand. She walked along the floor in a brisk, determined manner, quickly and purposefully. (I'm better than stupid electric-types!)

She rounded the corner to the main section and slowed down. "What's up?" she asked her younger brother who was there, his glasses too large for him, his lab coat to long and the piles of papers he was holding too many.

Max shifted his weight uneasily, "Bruno and Karen are…well… annoyed." May sighed. "They wanted to see Lance,"

May rolled her eyes. "He's not here. He's in Alto Mare, heading back to the mainland."

Max shrugged, "Tell them that," he gestured to the door. The loud voices came from the other side. Several of the papers in his hands cascaded to the ground, only to be picked up by a green Pokémon in a skirt.

"RalRalts," the Pokémon chirped and Max thanked him, distracted. (Here you go Max!)

May sighed and walked forwards, knocking hesitantly on the door. Ninetales pranced across the corridor behind her. The loud voices stopped.

"Enter,"

May pushed the door open slowly. Her blue eyes took in the scene. A silver haired woman and large muscular man were standing on one side of the room, talking with a masked man and man who looked like a ninja. She swallowed. "Umm…I have news from Lance."

She instantly had their full attention. Bruno beckoned her into the room and she closed the door behind her, letting Ninetales slip in before latching it. Four Pokémon already stood in the room, an Umbreon, A Xatu, A Hitmonlee and a Muk.

"Where is our esteemed champion?" Karen sneered, her ice blue eyes annoyed.

May swallowed, "He went to Alto Mare to track down information that could help us with this mystery man. He encountered some Rockets there and is trailing them back to the mainland."

"Can you track his position?" The psychic elite was curious.

May nodded. "When the power comes back on I can run it through the system. I was going to request an electric Pokémon for my computer. No power no info. I'm sorry," She shrugged.

Koga gave a curt nod. "Thanks for your help. May, is it?"

She nodded, "You aren't usually here are you?" Her eyes scanned the four of them.

Will remained the silent, since he was the only permanent resident but the other three gave murmured 'no's.

May shifted her feet, "Forgive me for being curious, but what were you shouting about?"

Karen sighed, turning to face the desk. Bruno blinked at her, "You have a right to know, since you hold a high position in this base. We were arguing about this Shadow," Her Umbreon's hackles rose subtly.

May's blood chilled.

"Me and Karen think him a threat, but Koga and Will here think he is an ally. We wanted to seek Lance's council but he isn't here."

May shrugged, "Surely it doesn't matter. If he helps us, great, if he poses a threat we deal with it,"

Bruno nodded and his Hitmonlee cracked his knuckles, "That's what I think. But I also thought we should start issuing the troops for war,"

"War? Is this not war already?" May snapped, then realised her words, "I'm sorry."

Karen glanced towards her and smiled, "No matter girl. We were planning to end this once and for all." Will's Xatu let out a low mournful cry.

Will shook his head, "We cannot. You know what happened last time we tried to end. People died and both sides went home with their tails between their legs. It will happen again. I may not be a strong psychic but I feel it in my bones that another war would only lead to disaster."

Koga nodded, "If you are seriously considering this we have to meet, all the elites. And in case you don't remember, one of our number was lost thanks to our first attempts to end it,"

May let out a whimper and they turned to her in confusion. "Sorry," she muttered, not meeting their eyes, "It's just…I knew him too."

Koga turned back to the others, "We can't be so foolish to make the same mistake twice!"

"We were ruled by the League!" Bruno protested, "SECTION have things under control,"

"We don't have the forces to attack!"

"Every day we wait, every day we are further outnumbered!"

Beep beep. Beep beep.

May glanced at her Pokétch. "You're in luck." She gave a wry grin. "You can talk to the champion himself," She pressed a button and thrust her arm forwards. Lance's voice rang out.

"May? You there?"

She smiled, "I'm here. Some friends of yours are too, say hi!"

"Lance," Bruno spoke first.

Karen nodded and Koga rolled his eyes, "Me, Bruno, Karen and Will are here to,"

"Koga? Haven't seen you for ages! And Karen wants something. What does she want? She never turns up unless she wants something…"

The silver haired woman rolled her eyes, "We were just discussing something. Where are you?"

Lance's voice was suspicious but no fears were voiced. "Hiding aboard a Team Rocket zeppelin. I think they're heading for Fusia but I don't know. May, have you sent out Dratini and Dragonair yet?"

The brunette shook her head, "No, not yet." She nodded to her fox. "I've just sent Ninetales." The golden fox slipped out the door and May pushed it closed behind her, the lock clicking.

Lance seemed reassured, "Good. Be prepared for Dragonite to come back with a giant Aerodactyl in tow. Sorry in advance for any trouble that might cause." His voice was joking.

Only Bruno and Koga's Muk smiled at the joke. "What's your plan?"

"Plan? Haven't thought of one yet. I'm going in, real Ash style,"

Everybody in the room flinched.

Lance guessed what happened, "Lighten up everybody. It's been three years. He'd be mad if he saw the way you lot were all moping around, avoiding the issue."

Koga swallowed, "Actually, we were talking about the issue as you put it. Karen and Bruno want to try and end this."

There was silence. Then…

"Fools,"

Karen hissed, "Told you he'd be no help,"

"You really think it would work? Think Karen! Even if we did manage to overcome Team Rocket which I highly doubt, how are we going to fix this damn world?"

The silver haired woman shook her head, "There's nothing wrong with the world," she whispered, quietly.

Lance's voice was scathing, "Just keep telling yourself that. I know you lot don't believe in tales but I think this Time Gear issue is true. Guess who I got a call from?"

"I have a feeling you are going to tell us," Will put it mildly.

"Yep. Gary Oak. I felt so honoured." The sarcasm was clear in his voice, "Gary was asking me about them. I think it's time I told you guys a little something…" Now Lance sounded a bit guilty, "We have three of them in our possession."

"What?" Bruno gasped. "You didn't tell us?"

"Woah! Don't kill the messenger. They were never in my department. Ash dealt with them. There is one in the Pewter Base. One in Vermillion and Lorelei hid the last. We don't know what the hell to do with the things. They just look like somebody bothered to carve a special gear with pretty patterns in pretty stone. We wouldn't have even known what they were if he hadn't told us,"

Karen frowned, "How did he know what they were? We're trusting a dead man here,"

Lance's voice was cold, "A dead man who I trusted with my life."

There was an awkward silence.

Koga ran a hand through his navy spiky hair, "We should gather them. They must be important." He turned to May, "Dig out all the old rumours on Time Gears."

May shook her head.

"What's the problem?"

"We already have. Me and Dawn that is. We've dug out every single rumour and even rumours of rumours. We've been there, done that. I know half of them of by heart. It was my old project. We couldn't find anything out other than what we can guess." She shrugged, "That something the Teams did stopped Time. And to restore it you need to place the Time Gears in Temporal Tower. We don't even know what that it,"

Karen sighed, "We should still gather the gears together. I for one would be very interested in seeing them."

Lance's voice cut in, impatient. "You didn't let me finish. Gary told me he knows where to take them,"

"Where?"

Lance sighed, "I don't know. The message was cryptic. I don't even think Gary knew. He told me that when the moon was full they needed to be taken to a place where the sun died,"

May clenched her hand in frustration. She had taken her Pokétch off and laid it on the table. Ninetales had gone to contact Lance's dragons. She leaned back in the chair she had claimed. Words were ringing around her head.

From ash to ashes, the world doust we rise

Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind

She froze.

"Lance," she called, interrupting the psychic type trainer's musings. "What exactly was on the gravestones in Alto Mare?"

There was a pause. When Lance's voice came again it was stiff, clearly hiding something, "It was just like you said. One was for that Latios, the other for the dead guy."

"The dead aura guardian,"

"Yes,"

"And the phrase was…"

"Exactly what you told me,"

"Really?"

There was silence. Then a sigh could be heard. "I don't know May, I just don't know. It could mean anything…"

"But that phrase?" May was pressing the issue upon the champion. The four elites were very confused.

Lance's voice was quiet when he spoke next, "I wouldn't get your hopes up May,"

The fire in her sapphire eyes seemed to grin and her shoulders sagged, "I know," she murmured dejectedly. "Still…" she shrugged.

Karen tapped her foot impatiently, "Can anybody tell me what is going on?"

May shook her head. Lance's voice came through the speaker, "Nothing, we got distracted. Sorry, Will you were saying…"

May leaned back in her chair, her eyes blank as she struggled to piece things together. It was like one giant puzzle, and she was fitting together the pieces.

One vital piece was still missing, and she was struggling to find out what.

A/N: OMG! I AM SO SORRY! I haven't updated in AGES! It does not mean I have forgotten 'bout this story. This story will get finished.

And I feel guilty because this is only a filler chappie. And its the one with the stupid verse in that I made up in about ten seconds. But I tried to make it humourous adding in Butch and Cassidy. Really its a crime that nobody remembers his name ;). I also introduced the other SECTION elites. And Lance got a bit more characterisation.

Hope you enjoy! ~ Eclipse