-Carmine-

Foggy Clearing
Checkpoint Area
4:00 PM

Ash had been hoping the moment when he reveals that he was still in fact, well alive, to be glorious and touching, but reality proved otherwise. A certain woman kept making unexpected situations. Not that he minded, of course. With his father figure in Team Galactic gone, things could be worse.

The group had gotten off the mountain fairly quickly, going down on the sides with the suitable choices of Pokémon. Since they gradually went up the mountain, they had gotten used to the thinner air pressure on the mountains, making it easy to go down without dealing with any sudden changes in the air pressure, if one were to go up immediately and try to scale down the mountain afterwards. Ash saw many emergency response teams being dispatched on the summit, tending to the many people who attempted to fly over Mt. Silver. The height of the monument was not to be underestimated.

After wasting some time on the summit explaining how he was still alive and telling his friends to save the tears for later, Ash had flown down with his second choice of Pokémon, Salamence. The flying and dragon Pokémon had made quick work of the descent, followed by Cynthia's agile Garchomp, Dawn's Togekiss, Brock's Steelix, and finally, Max's Vigoroth. Max found the rest of the group were waiting for him on the checkpoint area. "What? At least I'm still faster than those guys." Max commented while pointing to the people who were still trying to go down the side of the mountain, following the lead of Ash's group.

The five of them scanned their Pokedex on the available scanner, and decided to split up for half an hour to re-stock, since apparently the committee had set up shop for items and equipment on the clearing before the Forest's entrance. Ash, who had no real need to buy items, was just waiting for his friends before he noticed someone who was out of place. A person wearing a motorcycle helmet, with a distinctive light blue tint. A member of Bravo Team.


Ash walked up to him while trying to remember his name. He sat down on a chair next to the person from Bravo. "Carmine, correct?" "Yessir, Tony Carmine it is. One of Bravo team. And you must be THE legendary Thanatos." Carmine replied. "Yes, I am. What brings a member of Bravo here, to the middle of nowhere?" Ash asked while looking around to make sure that nobody was listening in. "Quick update and escort. I was given the mission to escort you 'till you reach the objective." Carmine answered with enthusiasm. Ash raised an eyebrow. "What objective?" "Didn't you get an update on your Pokedex after you scanned it?"

Ash checked his Pokedex to see if an objective was added. "Ah, you're right." Ash flipped through the explanation. "Retrieve object in Fogbound Lake? What the hell?" said Ash in annoyance. "Why can't we just battle like a normal competition? Isn't that the initial point of the Conference?" Carmine looked at him and explained, "Well, Cyrus is trying to get the participants to retrieve this.. Artefact. It seems this thing, this object, can open the dimension rift, just like when he captured all the three legendaries from Sinnoh four years ago. I reckon he already got one in Treeshroud Forest."

Ash remembered the papers he obtained back in Indigo Plateau. "What are the artefacts called?" he asked. "Time Gears, if I remember correctly."

Then I was right to take those papers. Ash thought. But something just did not click. "Then why did he re-capture the three legendaries again? Doesn't it seem.. Redundant, if he can open the rift with just these… gears?"

"Well that's the thing." Carmine said while looking for a chair close to him. Having found one, he sat down and continued. "The Red Chain, that he made four years ago was incomplete. He realized that after the incident with you. After, he got out of jail, of course. So in a way, he is thankful to you." Ash stopped him before he continued. "You know of my past?" "Yes, the leader of Bravo Team told me. Is that a bad thing?" he asked back. "Not really, no. I didn't know she told other people." Ash commented. "Well, yes, she can be a bit of a blabbermouth sometimes." Carmine added. Ash smiled at how true that was. At this point, there were no more advantages in hiding his past. "Please continue."

"Yes. Coming back to the Red Chain. The Chain would not have been sufficient to control the Pokémon that reigns over the dimensional rift. And Cyrus would have to capture that Pokémon before he could shape the world as he saw fit. And the chances of that happening were pretty slim, even for Cyrus." Carmine paused to take a sip of his drink. He took off his helmet to drink and put it back on again. Ash wondered what the point for the helmet was, but decided to ask later. "I see. But how does this relate to the Time Gears?" Ash asked.

"The Time Gears, if collected alone, stops the motion of time for the Gear's region. For example, in Treeshroud forest, I was the one to take the Gear. And time just stopped. Even a dew that falling from a leaf stopped in mid-air." Ash raised an eyebrow again. "So what's the point in gathering all the gears? That would just stop all the flow of time everywhere. The world would be non-existent."

"That, is if you get the Time Gears only. What if you gather all the Gears, and make use of the Red Chain on top of it? The Time Gears are very powerful objects." Carmine asked. Ash snapped his finger and answered quickly, "Control over the Pokémon in the Dimensional Rift." Carmine nodded. "Exactly." "Then we have to return that Gear you got back to Treeshroud. And Protect the Gear here, on Fogbound, from the hundreds of trainers that are going to be looking for it. But how are we going to do it?"

Carmine placed his bag in front of him and opened it. He revealed 24 Master Balls. "The objective didn't specify what the 'object' was." Ash gave a light hearted laugh. "You're right. How careless can Cyrus be?" "Cyrus didn't personally see to organizing this round. He gave it to our team's executive representative. So we don't need to worry so much about this round." Carmine answered. "The guy with the chocolate flavoured cigar?" "That's him." Ash could not help but to laugh at how Bravo Team was acting. The once loyal dogs of Galactic, now planning to defect. "So you're really planning to turn your back on Galactic?" Carmine sat back and crossed his legs, "Only the Vice-Commander stayed, the one who attacked you in the city. He is one mad bastard. And as thankful as we are to Galactic for picking us up from our miserable lives before, we don't like to die just for Cyrus. Especially after finding out he was about to reshape the world in his own views. A new universe just for him? No thanks, we're good in this one. Where we can smile full of spirit, where one care for another. The rest of the team think so too."

Ash smiled and noticed that he was supposed to meet up with his group. "Come with me, Carmine. Meet the rest of my group, and into Foggy Forest we go."


Foggy Forest
Entrance
4:30 PM

Ash and Carmine found that they were not the first to be at the entrance. Max was already there, re-stocked and ready to go. "Hey Ash! Who's the person with the helmet?" he asked.

"His name is Carmine, also defecting from Team Galactic." Ash answered easily. "Oh, is that right? Well nice to meet you, Carmine! My name's Max!" said the young trainer happily. "Ditto." Carmine replied.

"You're not supposed to trust people that easily, Max." Dawn said behind them, with Brock and Cynthia with her. "For all we know, he can be another person working for Cyrus, but is pretending to work with Ash! Especially someone who's wearing a helmet when he doesn't have a bike with him." Dawn commented. Ash shrugged and tried to explain, "Well Carmine's trustworthy, believe me. So I believe you all have read the update on your Pokedex?"

Brock grabbed his Pokedex and read it again, "Yeah, but what 'object' are we supposed to look for?" Ash noticed that there were a couple of trainers who were listening in to their conversation, because of the presence of the Sinnoh Champion, and the apparent reputation he had built in the Conference. He walked over close to them, and said out loud, "Master Balls, I heard. Placed on top of Fogbound Lake." He saw that the trainers heard him and started whispering to themselves. He looked at Carmine and smiled. Carmine nodded in return.

"Well, that's that. Let's go in the forest." Ash concluded.

"Can I ask a question, before we go?" Carmine raised a hand. "Isn't that the Sinnoh Champion with you?" he pointed at Cynthia who was standing beside Ash.

"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong?" Cynthia answered. Carmine shrugged. "No, I was just wondering why you are here. I thought Elite Trainers prefer to be the Lone-wolf types." Ash pulled Cynthia and put his arm around her. "Well, we're dating. And she doesn't want me out of her sights to do something reckless." Said Ash with a big grin on his face. "H-Hey!" being caught by surprise, Cynthia couldn't really say anything, and she didn't exactly mind the sudden show of affection.

"You really have to tell us how that happened, Ash." Max added. "Brock definitely needs some advice on how to get girls." Max looked at Brock to find him sulking in an invisible corner muttering why Ash got a beautiful lady when he had no luck with them.

"Oh really?" Carmine commented in surprise. "Wow, The team leader would be jealous if she finds out."

"What did you say, Carmine?" Ash asked.

"Nothing, really. Let's go."


Foggy Forest End Path
5:30 PM

"I can hear water." Said Ash while avoiding the overgrown branches. Visibility was absurdly bad, with being not able to see more than 3 meters in front. "There's a reason it's called Foggy Forest, I guess." "We close to the exit, Brock?"

"We should be, Ash. I'm pretty sure we followed the map correctly." Brock answered about three heads behind him.

The group walked some more for a few minutes, before Ash stopped to inspect a red orb he found lying on the side of the path. "What's wrong, Ash? Not feeling well?" Cynthia asked, the look of concern clearly displayed on her face. "You guys go on ahead. I'll be right there behind you." Ash let Cynthia stay with him, while the others went on ahead to scout the area.

He looked at the red orb, its properties shining like the sun with a beautiful red and orange color. He touched it, and then a dizzy spell rushed his head like a wave in a tsunami. His body felt weak, and he dropped to his knees, his vision gone.

"Over here! I found the stone!" a voice called out. "Really? Lucky us!" another voice answered. "See, I got it! I found the Drought Stone!" the voice said again, excited. "Now, let's go back to that Groudon Statue."

"Here's the Groudon Statue. I have to put it in the Groudon's heart.. Here it is! Am I good or what!" the person laughed heartily, and the sound of him putting the stone on the slot was heard.

"We did it! We actually did it! It's lifting!"

"Good job, partner. The fog is lifting."

...

"..Ash, are you okay?" he heard a voice coming to him as he regained his vision. "Ugh.. Yeah, just a bit dizzy, that's all." He tried to stand up, however, losing balance on the way up and stumbled forward again. Cynthia tried to catch him. "Are you really okay? Maybe we should get you to see a doctor." She asked. "I'm fine, really. Just was a bit dizzy, like I said." He tried standing up again, this time, successfully. "See? I'm fine!" he said with a smile on his face. "Let's go where the others are."

"Yeah, that may be a good idea." Said the Champion.

Ash looked at the stone again. "Drought stone…" He thought to himself. "That was like the vision of the past I had in Indigo Plateau, but I could only hear some voices this time. Wonder what those meant."

"Ash? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." He bent down and picked up the stone.

After walking a short distance, they found the rest of the group standing before a statue of a Pokémon. Max noticed them and waved. "Hey Ash! Over here! We found something!" Ash walked over to them, and saw what Max was talking about. There was a Groudon Statue, standing majestically. There was an inscription in the bottom support, which was half sunken into the ground. The whole Statue by itself was covered in moss. Cynthia went forward to read the inscription. "Reignite the life that burned within Groudon. Then the sky shall be set ablaze with the sun's heat. Then the path shall be revealed."

"I'm surprised you can read that." Ash commented. "Of course I can. What do you think I did in all of those ruins I visited?" Cynthia said with a sly smile. Ash smiled proudly at her.

Ash turned to Carmine, who was just coming back after he looked around. "What did you find?"

"I made a full revolution, it seems. I was going around the base of the land formation in the center. Lead me right back to you guys. Can't see a damned thing because of the fog." Carmine answered. "Maybe you should take off your helmet." Dawn commented. "Hah. Funny. Did you find anything?" Carmine retorted. "Well… No." "Then the helmet stays on."

Ash looked at the inscription again and remembered what Cynthia said. "Groudon's heart…" he muttered. "Did you say something, Ash?" Brock asked. "What are you going to do with the statue?" Ash went closer and inspected it on a closer look. He looked for anything that had a resemblance to a dent or a slot. After a bit of searching, he found a slot on the back of the statue. If the vision was anything, then there was no harm in trying. "Here goes." He inserted the stone, and the Groudon's eyes shone red.

"Ash, what did you do!" Max asked while running away from the statue.

The fog was starting to lift, and they could see that they were below a giant rock formation, that stood tall on top of them, supported by a structure in the middle. An upside down mountain, one might say. Ash looked behind him towards the foot of the formation, and saw an entrance to a cave. "Brock, what are the chances of that cave leading to the top?" Brock looked over to the opening. "It's possible." "Then we're going in there." Said Ash while taking out his mobile phone. He took a picture of the path leading to the cave opening.

"What's the picture for?" Dawn asked. "For us to go there. We need to memorize the path to that opening for when the fog comes back." Ash answered. "But we can go right now and we'll have no problems!"

Ash smiled at her. "Not when I take the stone out." He took the Drought Stone out of the Statue, and the fog came back. "Why did you do that?" Max protested. "Now we can't see anymore!" "But we already know where to go. I don't want the other trainers having a jolly good time strolling in here when we did all the hard work."

"Makes sense." Brock added.

Ash threw the stone back to the path where he found it. "Well, let's go in that thing and retrieve the object."