Part 23

The celebration in the Vermilion Harbor continued with no one paying any mind to Ash, Anabel and Joker who were quietly leaving the scene.

"Wait, what about the other Cards?" Anabel asked as she looked back at the sea which the Palace had disappeared into. Joker could only sigh before looking back at the two of them.

"Like I said before, if you become involved with this, the price can be costly." Joker reminded them. "None of them made it off the Palace before it blew up."

"What?!" Anabel exclaimed.

"But there's still time. They could have made it off." Ash reasoned.

"No...I don't think so. Something clearly exploded from within the Palace." Joker explained. "I hate to say it, but I'm positive they were all caught in the blast based on how powerful it was."

Ash and Anabel grew deathly silent. They knew that this was going to be dangerous, but the thought of lives being lost didn't occur to them. Anabel gulped nervously, glancing toward Ash who seemed just as tense as she was, but that only seemed to last for a moment.

Ash drew in a deep breath and steeled himself. He wouldn't let this deter him. Anabel holds some sort of connection to Lawrence, and if this was what he was what awaited him, then he would face it head on. Lawrence knew something about his mother, and Gary had hurt his friends. This was war.

"Are the two of you ready to go?" Joker asked as he looked back at the two of them. Ash gave him a nod, but then he noticed that Joker had his gaze set firmly on Anabel. Looking toward Anabel, Ash could see that she was unfocused, ignoring everything around her. It was just like during her first battle in the Cerulean City tournament.

"Anabel?" Ash asked as he waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." She replied softly. "I don't think this is what I want. I can't do all of this."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Anabel, but this is going to be your life whether you want it or not." Joker said suddenly, bring Ash and Anabel's gaze back to him.

"What to do you mean?" Anabel asked, as Ash recalled what Gary had shared with him. His hunch in assuming that Joker knew something was correct.

"I have reason to believe that Lawrence's plans surround you." Joker said as he motioned to her.

"But why me?" Anabel asked.

"I'll explain everything when we get back to Indigo Plateau."

Indigo Plateau

Upon their return to the Cards base beneath Indigo Plateau, the Joker was swarmed by the staff within the base who were waiting for the return of the after seeing the news reports. But an empty silence broke out when Joker explained that they would be the only ones returning.

"As many of you can see, we're the only ones that have returned. And we're the only ones that will return. It has been confirmed that Lawrence's Palace exploded and sunk in Vermilion Harbor with the Hearts, Diamonds and Dealer still on board." Joker explained to the small gathering. "We have lost some very dear friends, and we should take the some time to think about them and keep them in our hearts. Their efforts will be remember and their names will be added to memorial, but our duties to the Pokemon League continue. Send this message to the Spades and Clubs. The Dealer has been lost, but the Red Joker has been selected to take his place."

The small crowd parted, giving Joker a walkway to the exit of the room. Outside in the corridor, Ash and Anabel were waiting for him quietly.

"Are the two of you ready?" Joker asked, receiving a nod from the duo. "Let's go to my office then."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before they arrived at a small room with only a wooden desk and three seats. The walls of the room were covered with framed pictures of the previous Dealer with each of the Cards that had been active at one time or another.

"Is this, the old man's office?" Ash asked as he began to examine each of the pictures. He could see that the previous Dealer had been acting as head of the organization for a long time, watching as he grew older and older with each picture. He had been a member of the Cards for decades, and just as he had told Ash, he had interacted with all kinds of people.

"Yeah. He was around for a while." Joker replied as he took a seat behind the desk.

"Do you have a picture with him?"

"Yeah, although I don't know where he put it up." Joker responded. "But I'll be taking these down soon so don't waste your time."

Ash turned away and took a seat beside Anabel, ready to begin the discussion that had been on their minds since leaving Vermilion Harbor.

"So can you tell us what's going on with Lawrence?" Ash asked. But Joker was focused on Anabel who was looking down at her clenched fists. She was holding something in.

"You look like you've got something to say Anabel." Joker pointed out, causing her to look up with surprise.

"It's just that, I've known Lawrence since I was little. He's not a bad man." She stated, causing both Ash and Joker to deadpan.

"What are you talking about Anabel?" Ash exclaimed.

"I used to live with him on that very same Palace, and I just know he's not a bad man." Anabel repeated for them.

"Do you know his track record Anabel?" Joker asked as he leaned forward onto his desk. Anabel shook her head in reply. "I thought so considering the fact that you've been in Hoenn. You don't even know what he's been up to in the past ten years."

"Like what?" Anabel asked curiously. Lawrence had always treated her and her mother well while they lived with him. What could he have possibly done?

"He tried to capture the Legendary Birds, Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos which offset the balance of nature around Kanto ten years ago. Silph's Co was involved with him, but they betrayed him in the end and freed the Birds. When he was captured, he was tossed in jail until last year." Joker explained.

"I'm sure he had a reason for trying to capture them." Anabel reasoned.

"I know why he was after them. And this is also the connection to you." Joker continued. "Lawrence is searching for an ancient city known as Pokemonopolis."

Ash perked up at this, recalling what Gary had shared with him on the Palace. "He's searching for a city. An ancient city. And only Anabel knows the way."

"Centuries ago, the people of this city had created a vast empire all over Kanto, but they collapsed suddenly and unexpectedly. A few sources believe that the Legendary Pokemon existing at that time saw that these people were becoming too powerful, and destroyed them. The reason has yet to be discovered, but Lawrence knows something about that city that we don't, and whatever it is he knows, it's fueling his desire to find it."

"So what does that have to do with me?" Anabel asked.

"You are one of the descendants of the people who once lived in Pokemonopolis." Joker replied. "My sources believe that the descendants have a special connection to the city, or something in it, and that will guide them back to it."

"A special connection? Like what?" Ash asked.

Joker raised his eyebrows before looking up in thought.

"I wouldn't know how to describe, but I suppose they would have a strange sensation wash over them if they were close to he location of the city." Joker responded. "Have you ever experienced that Anabel?"

"A strange sensation..." Anabel trailed off. It was such a weird question, and she barely had a grasp on where their conversation was heading.

"Every time we're in Cerulean City she gets these massive headaches." Ash jumped in.

"Really?" Joker said as he nodded his head. "This might be exactly what we're looking for."

"Wait a second, how do you know that I'm one of the descendants?" Anabel exclaimed.

"The people of Pokemonopolis were believed to have special powers that allowed them to dominate all of Kanto. You've already demonstrated these abilities for me."

"Like what?"

"You can understand Pokemon, and you calmed down one of Lawrence's Arbok by touching it." Joker replied. "And I get the feeling we're only scratching the surface on what you're capable of."

"So Lawrence needs Anabel to find the city for him." Ash clarified.

"Yes."

"But we don't know what he's going to do once he finds Poke-polis." Ash continued.

"Pokemonopolis." Joker corrected him. "And that's also true."

"So Lawrence could still have good intentions." Anabel pointed out.

"Yes, but based on what he's done so far, and in the past, it seems fair to assume that trouble is the only thing he's going to cause." Joker shot back. "But for now, we need to focus on preparing for what's ahead. Lawrence has gathered a large sum of money because multiple franchises paid the ransom for their trainers. I'm sure he will use that money to fund his search efforts, so there's no time to waste."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ash asked, causing Joker's eyes to twinkle darkly.

"I was hoping you would ask." He began. "With how the situation is developing, I want the two of you become full time members of the Cards. If Anabel can lead us to Pokemonopolis before Lawrence, we can discover the secrets within it, and hopefully put an end to Lawrence's plot before it can begin."

Anabel opened her mouth to speak, but quickly swallowed what she was going to say. She wanted to defend Lawrence, but with everything that had been brought to light, she needed to speak to Lawrence herself. And right now, it appeared as though joining the Cards was the quickest way to meet with him.

"What can I do to help?" Anabel asked, surprising Ash. He wasn't expecting her to go this far, but if she was willing to, he would join her.

"There is a lot the two of you can do. But the two of you will not be enough to take on Lawrence. I will assemble a team for you guys to work with and search of Pokemonopolis. But for now, I will call in two of the Spades to train your team." Joker said, receiving a nod from both of them.

Joker then rose from his seat to give each of them a patch where they could see that it was the emblem of the Cards which they could sew onto their clothing, preferably in a place where it could be hidden.

"Ash, you are now officially the new Red Joker of the Cards." Joker stated before looking toward Anabel. "And Anabel, you are now the new Ace of Hearts. In fact, you're the first female to become an Ace."

"So if I'm the new Joker, what does that make you?" Ash asked as he pointed toward Joker.

"Well, I am the Dealer, but I'm not a fan of that title. So just keep calling me Joker." He replied.

"So what do we do now?" Anabel asked.

"I'll take you to you're rooms. Then I'll send someone to give you a tour of the base later on." Joker explained. "Hopefully I'll have a team together for you in a day or two."

Ash and Anabel gave him a nod once again as they followed him out of the room. Both of them could only wonder what the future held for them.

August 5th

Ash and Anabel had spent yesterday becoming familiar with the base. Joker had introduced them to one of his assistants who acted as their guide for the day. They were taken all over the base and shown everything they would need to know and after that, they were given the rest of the day to relax.

But today Joker came to their rooms to escort them to his office where three people were waiting for them.

"Well I promised you a team, I hope you're comfortable with them." Joker said as opened up the door.

"He's back!" Brock shouted as he, Holly and Misty jumped to their feet.

"Hurry up and take these handcuffs off!" Misty yelled.

"Why did you have to put us in handcuffs in the first place!?" Holly added as Ash and Anabel deadpanned. The last thing they expected to find was three of their friends in Joker's office with their hands tied behind their backs.

"Calm down, calm down." Joker said as he raised his hands in his defense.

"How can we calm down when you kidnapped us?!" Misty exclaimed.

"Kidnapped?!" Ash repeated.

"Alright, I'll admit that my methods were a bit...over the top, but we're short on time." Joker began as he pulled Ash and Anabel into his office before shutting the door.

"What's going on?!" Ash demanded.

"This guy showed up at the Pewter City Gym with a Gallade saying he had to talk to me and Holly. When we met with him, his Gallade knocked us out with Hypnosis, then we woke up in here." Brock explained.

"He did the same thing to me this morning." Misty added as she glared at Joker.

"If you all will just calm down, I'll explain everything." Joker said as he took his spot behind his desk to retrieve the keys to each of the handcuffs.

"And what are you doing here Ash?" Holly asked, setting everyone's sight on the one person they all recognized. Ash sighed as he looked down. His friends were the last people he wanted to get involved in this fiasco.

"It's complicated." Ash said before looking at Joker. "But why would you choose them?"

"Teamwork requires trust. And in order for you to fight against Lawrence right now, teamwork is the top priority. So I gathered people I know you trust, and they trust you. This is to ensure that all of you will work together as a unit rather than individuals." Joker explained, leaving Brock, Holly and Misty out of the loop which further irritated them.

"What the heck is he talking about!?" Misty shouted as Joker pulled out a small ring of keys from his desk.

"I'll explain everything for you." He replied.

"If it means finding Gary and kicking his ass, you can count me in!" Misty declared with a fiery aura surrounding her.

"That's good to hear." Joker said after completing his explanation. He then looked toward Holly and Brock. "And what about the two of you?"

"Can...can we get some time to speak to each other?" Brock asked, receiving a nod from Joker.

"You can step out into the hall. But don't even think about trying to leave. I have camera's everywhere." Joker stated, sending a chill down their backs. They gave him a nod before exiting the room to talk to one another. "So in the meantime Misty, I'd like to give you this."

"Hmm?" Misty said as she received the patch from Joker. "What is it?"

"The emblem of the Cards. It's proof that you're a member of this organization, and will give you clearance to get into restricted areas in the Pokemon League." Joker explained. "You are now the Queen of Diamonds."

"Wow." Misty exclaimed before glancing at Ash and Anabel. The two of them already had their patches sewn onto their clothes. Ash had his on the inside of his jacket, and Anabel had her on the inside of her belt.

"Hey Misty, how are feeling now?" Ash asked as he took the seat beside her. The last time he had seen her was a month ago when she had just gotten out the hospital. Since then he had forgotten to check on her.

"I feel great now Ash, thanks for asking." Misty replied. "Although this isn't really how I pictured my career as a trainer taking off."

"Yeah, same here." Ash said with a chuckle.

"How are you Anabel?" Misty asked as she leaned for her seat to look at Anabel.

"Oh, I'm fine." She replied softly.

"And how's Psyduck doing?"

"Psyduck's great. I feel like he's really improving."

"That's awesome." Misty said happily.

"So, um, are you really comfortable with all of this Misty?" Ash asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean you got dragged into all of this unexpectedly. I just want you to know that you don't have to do this." Ash explained, causing Misty to frown.

"Ash, you should know me better than this. If I didn't want to do this, I would've left already." She stated. "I want to do this. We all know what Gary's capable of, and we can't just ignore the fact that he's loose. I know you want to catch him, and I'm going to help you, for your own safety."

"My safety?" Ash said as he wrinkled his forehead.

"Yeah. I can bet you'd try to take on Gary by yourself." Misty exclaimed, causing Ash to chuckle nervously. He had already tried this. "I won't let you fly solo, because you're bound to do something stupid just like in high school.

"Well, I guess you got me there." Ash replied as he scratched the back of his neck with a chuckle. The door to the room opened up, revealing the couple who had stepped out to speak to one another.

"Have you come to a decision?" Joker asked, receiving a nod from them.

"We'll help out." Brock stated, causing Joker to smile as he set out their patches on his desk.

"Excellent. The two of you are now the King and Queen of Hearts." Joker declared. "Now let's get your training started."

"This is the Ace of Spades from Hoenn. And the King of Clubs from Sinnoh." Joker said as they introduced them two men who were polar opposites.

The Ace of Spades was a lanky guy with long hair and shifty eyes who stared at the new team intently. On the other hand, the King of Clubs was a big burly guy who greeted them with a large smile and some slaps on the back.

"Nice to meet cha!" The King bellowed upon their entry.

"These guys are fresh, so they need a one week crash course. After that, take them through the wringer." Was all Joker said before leaving them in the hands of the two men. The newly formed team had no idea what awaited them as the King of Clubs and Ace of Spades became their mentors.

August 12th

"Keep you're guard up!" The King shouted at Brock as he threw out a series of punches directed toward his head. Raising his hands to protect his head from the blows, Brock patiently awaited his moment to strike. As the King extended his arm was again, Brock ducked below the attack and slid forward into the King's chest.

Now that he was close, Brock slammed his elbow into the King's side, causing the large man to hunch over with a grunt. Brock didn't waste a moment sweeping him off his feet, which put him in the floor with Brock looming over him. Realizing that he was on the floor, the King gave a loud laugh before jumping to his feet to slap Brock on his shoulder.

"Great work Brock. You've progressed pretty far during these past few days." The King noted as he looked toward the group who began to clap for Brock's victory.

Just as Joker had said, the King of Clubs and the Ace of Spades gave them a crash course of the basics of almost everything they would need to know. The King specialized in hand to hand combat, so he taught them a number of maneuvers they could use to take down their opponent if they were ever caught in such a situation.

The Ace, just like his appearance suggested, was a master of infiltration. He taught the basics to the art of snooping around, teaching them how to read each situation, testing them to see how they would handle it, exposing their mistakes and correcting their decision making. They had also been taught a few surveillance methods if they didn't have any Pokemon, how to ration food, escape methods and so on.

Ash felt as though his brain was ready to burst with all of the new information he was trying to retain. But he wouldn't let this slow him down. This would help him not only find Gary, but beat him and bring him in for questioning. Glancing at the team he had joined forces with, Ash was also aware of what fueled everyone's desire to complete this training as well.

"I won't let you fly solo." Misty had told him.

"I have to find Lawrence and speak to him myself." Anabel stated.

"I was never a fan of Gary to begin with. But after he put Brock in the hospital, someone needs to do something about him." Holly explained.

"After everything that happened in high school, I'd really like to avoid going through anything like that again. But I really don't want anyone else to go through something similar, so we have to catch Gary." Brock added.

Opening his jacket to look at the emblem of the Cards, Ash furrowed his eyebrows as the thought about the peculiar situation he was in. He would never have imagined himself doing something like this, but it just goes to show that you never know what could happen. Almost two weeks ago he was watching Anabel take part in her first tournament, now he was getting ready to fight a criminal mastermind.

Unova Region

Virbank City

Off the coast of Virbank City was a small island that had been known as Liberty Island years ago. It was once just the site for the famous landmark called the Garden Tower. But as time passed, the visits from tourists dwindled to nothing, and the landmark was renovated.

The Garden Tower still stands, but the basement of the Tower had been expanded into a small prison for Unova's most dangerous criminals.

"Hmm, I never expected to see you again Lawrence."

"I never expected to find you in such a sorry state." Lawrence replied as he studied the green haired man dressed in an orange prison suit.

"Neither did I." The man said with a sigh as he looked up at Lawrence who had a Beheeyem alongside him. Lawrence stepped over to the scanner on the only entrance to the room which he waved a small card in front of. The scanner beeped twice before it flashed green, causing the thick glass door to slide over, opening up the cell.

The man in the cell stared at Lawrence skeptically as he rose from the floor.

"What are you here for?" He asked Lawrence, causing him to chuckle.

"Since when do I need a reason to free my cousin from prison?" Lawrence asked in return.

"You know how long I've been in here. You could've freed me years ago. I know there's something you want." He replied.

"As deductive as always." Lawrence commented with a nod before motioning for him to follow. "Let's walk and talk."

The man joined Lawrence outside his cell where Lawrence began to lead them back to the elevator that would take them above ground.

"What about security?" The man asked as he looked up at the cameras that followed their movements.

"Not to worry. Beheeyem has knocked every guard and prisoner on the island unconscious, and it has already altered the memories of all of them. As far as their concerned, they don't even know you or I exist, and they will have no memory of either of us being in here." Lawrence explained as he looked at the Pokemon floating behind them. Without any memory of Ghetsis, his disappearance would go unnoticed by the guards present on the island. Not only that, Lawrence had also gone as far as to remove any footage of Ghetsis on the island to ensure that no one would know he had ever been here.

"Excellent." He said before giving Lawrence an empty stare. "Now tell me what you're doing here."

"Well, I'd like to know how you ended up here in the first place. I went through a lot of trouble to find you here." Lawrence asked, causing the man to look up in thought.

"It was years ago, after you had left to go to Kanto. We had obtained Zekron and Reshiram, and were only a step or two away from taking control of Unova until the League interfered. We crumbled immediately and I was captured and thrown in here." He explained.

"And what about the boy?" Lawrence asked.

"He fled when the League attacked us. I don't know where he went."

"Do you still believe he's the destined child?"

"No."

"Good, because I found her." Lawrence stated, receiving a look of shock from the man.

"You're still trying to find Pokemonopolis?" The man exclaimed. "Most of us had given up on that pipe dream long ago."

"All of you may have given up, but I know its out there. My father wasn't a senseless man. He wouldn't have wasted his life pursuing something that didn't exist. And just as father always said, the destined child has appeared. She will guide us to Pokemonopolis." Lawrence declared as they arrived at the elevator.

"How can you be so sure?"

"She's already demonstrated her abilities for me. She's the one."

"And should I assume that this is why you freed me...because you want my help?" The man asked as elevator doors opened, allowing them to step in.

"Pretty much."

"Well, you should know what my answer is going to be." The man said, getting a pair of raised eyebrows from Lawrence. "No."

"Alright then, what plans do have now that you're free?"

"I'm going to revive Team Plasma." He stated receiving a laugh from Lawrence.

"It's been years since they disbanded. Reviving them won't be as easy as you think." Lawrence responded.

"What makes you think that?"

"You'll need a lot of money to kick start an entire organization. Money that you don't have." Lawrence explained as he reached into his jacket. "Fortunately, I came with a gift for you."

The man eyed the plastic platinum card that Lawrence had pulled out his jacket pocket.

"I recently came into some money that I have no use for. If you join forces with me, all of it can become your's." Lawrence said with a smirk as the doors opened for them to step out into the small castle that stood on Liberty Island. Together they stepped out and continued moving in search of the exit of the castle.

"You know that I'm your cousin, but how do you know I won't just take this money and run?" He asked as he accepted the platinum card from Lawrence.

"This card is simply a sample of what you could have. If you join me, all I require is the loyalty of you and Team Plasma until I have taken control of Pokemonopolis." Lawrence explained. "Considering we're family, I'll hope that you'll join me in restoring what had been taken from us, Ghetsis."

August 28th

Kanto Region

Indigo Plateau

"We had to condense the wringer, so I'm impressed to see that all of you made it through." Joker stated as he looked around at the group of five who were sprawled out on the floor in different ways, trying to steady their breathing.

Ash raised an arm to speak, but found himself unable to string together a few words. He could only breathe deeply, receiving a chuckle from Joker. All five of them and their Pokemon had just gone through two weeks of the most gruesome training regime that had been designed by the Cards. Just as the name implied, every ounce of strength was wrung out of them everyday. There wasn't a moment during the past two weeks where they weren't exhausted, but they were already beginning to see the improvements in their Pokemon. Anabel especially.

Both Growlithe and Psyduck had thrived during the intense training regime, to the point where they could both hold their own against anyone's Pokemon, not to mention Psyduck's rapid improvement had brought the Pokemon close to the point of evolution. Anabel was astonished with their progression, and this only increased her desire to grow stronger with her Pokemon.

"Don't worry about speaking, I'll do all of that." Joker began. "Here's some news for you. While all of you were training, I sent out a few search parties to check out Cerulean City, but they all came back empty. So I want to send Anabel there to see if she picks up on anything."

Anabel remained silent, simply nodding her head in agreement.

"You have today to rest up. Tomorrow morning you'll have to head out immediately." Joker declared, looking at each of them to see their response. There was nothing verbal from any of them, but he could see that they were preparing mentally for what was ahead. The door to the training room opened to reveal one of Joker's assistants who called him out into the corridor.

"Sir, we've received a tip that Team Plasma has become active again." The assistant informed Joker.

"And? Unova doesn't want us to expand into their region. Whatever happens to them is their problem." Joker replied, causing his assistant to shake his head.

"No, our sources in Team Plasma have told us that they are coming to Kanto to join forces with Lawrence."

"Hmm, now this is an interesting development."

"Apparently Lawrence purchased Team Plasma, or rented them rather."

"Probably with all of the ransom money he collected." Joker mumbled. "I'll bet that Lawrence knows we're after him him now, so he's adding some man power. And if he has Team Plasma backing him, then that means the Shadow Triad will surely be snooping around our business."

"The Shadow Triad? Who are they?"

"A group of assassins that worked for Team Plasma when they were at large over a decade ago. They are just as strong, if not stronger than any member of the Cards." Joker explained, causing his assistant to glance into the room where Ash and the gang were resting.

"Are you sure they can handle trainers like that?"

"Truthfully, I only expect Ash and Brock to even stand a chance against them. Both of them are the kind of trainers that continue to improve as they are exposed to stronger opponents." Joker said with a small smirk. "Hopefully they'll be able to battle the likes of Lawrence and Team Plasma soon."

"Well Ash is the Indigo Conference Champion, and Brock is a Gym Leader. That should be expected."

"I suppose. We'll just have to see how this develops." Joker said with a nod. "But for now, tell the Spades and Clubs to be ready to mobilize in the chance that we need their assistance."

Ash sat quietly by himself in one of the break rooms, twiddling with his thumbs as he tried to make some time pass. He had already showered after completing the wringer earlier. He had sent his Pokemon to the infirmary to make sure that there was no lingering fatigue for their mission tomorrow. He even went through the trouble of fixing up the room he had been given. But there was still quite some time between now and the start of the mission.

Placing hand on the table beside him, Ash began to drum his fingers on it, unable to entertain himself.

"Ash, are you okay?"

Ash almost snapped his neck as he swung his head around to see who was speaking to him. It was Anabel.

"What?" He asked.

"You just seem, sort of, out of it, right now." Anabel replied as she studied his aura. The gray that she had seen when they were in Pallet Town had returned, and she was concerned for Ash who just couldn't seem relax at all today.

"Um, yeah I guess I am." Ash replied as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anabel asked as she took a seat in the chair opposite him. Ash looked down at his hands opening and closing them before he sighed loudly.

"I'm just anxious is all." He began. "I have so many questions right now, and I can't seem to find any answers. First Gary, then all that stuff about my mom. Now there's Lawrence and this Poke-polis mess."

Ash looked at Anabel when he heard a giggle from her which left him confused.

"It's Pokemonopolis Ash." She corrected him.

"That's what I said." Ash replied, causing Anabel to shake her head. "Really? Well that just proves how anxious I am. I can't even talk right. I just want some answers."

"I know what you mean." Anabel said softly. Ash frowned, realizing that there was a lot of information they both wanted to know, but someone, or something was hiding from this from them. And right now, Lawrence was their only lead.

"Don't worry Anabel, we'll stick together and figure out everything." Ash said as he looked directly into her eyes. "You can count on it."

Anabel gave him a small smile in return. Despite everything that was going on, he still found the time to reassure his friends that they would have his support.

Outside of the break room that Ash and Anabel were in, Misty was leaning against the wall, quietly listening to their discussion. She had been watching Ash for a while, working up the nerve to approach him and see how he was feeling, but Anabel beat her to it. But as the red head watched the two of them converse, she could see how much Ash had grown to trust Anabel. He didn't hesitate at all to tell her how he was feeling.

They were getting a little too close...

August 29th

"It's good to see all of you are ready to move out." Joker said as greeting as he looked at each of member of newly formed team. "I'm going to warn you know that once you embark on this mission, you can face dangers that you may not have experienced before. Use everything that we have taught you to succeed. If you feel overwhelmed, lean on your team for support. Use each other for strength in order to maintain the peace and security of Kanto."

All of them gave him a collective nod.

"Now, I'm going to make Ash the leader of this team, simply due to his rank. All of you are equals in terms of experience, so make sure you help one another." Joker continued. "Anabel, you will be acting the guide. I can't really tell you what you're looking for, so just trust your gut. Brock, Holly, and Misty. Unlike Ash and Anabel, you three haven't encountered Lawrence and his schemes. He's a dangerous man, so remember to use your strengths to cover for each others weaknesses."

"You got it." Brock said.

"That's good to hear. Keep in contact with me. But otherwise, I'm leaving you under Ash's leadership." Joker declared. "Good luck."

Diglett's Cave

Over the years, Diglett's Cave had been further expanded by the Pokemon native this cave. Scientists still remain unaware to the network of tunnels beneath the cave, and the authorities remain unaware to who uses these tunnels.

"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone has finally arrived." Lawrence said as he looked around at the seven figures that stood with him in the small room that had been specially made for him. Five men and two women.

"What exactly did you call us together for Ghetsis?" An older voice asked.

"My cousin will explain everything for you." Ghetsis replied as he motioned to Lawrence.

"I'm sure most of you don't know me, but you may address me as Lawrence. You may not have been aware of this before, but Ghetsis and I are cousins, and our fathers had the same goal which they passed onto us." Lawrence explained. "We come from a long lineage of people are searching for the ancient city of Pokemonopolis, and you all will be assisting us in our pursuit."

"Is this true Ghetsis?" The older voice asked as he looked toward the man.

"Yes." He said with a nod.

"No matter your pursuit master, the three of us will always assist you." A raspy voice said to Ghetsis.

"Excellent." Ghetsis said before Lawrence cleared his throat to regain their attention.

"When we succeed in finding and claiming Pokemonopolis, untold riches and unlimited power await us. Failure is unacceptable."

September 2nd

Cerulean City

It had taken them three days to actually get to Cerulean City, time which Ash and Anabel spent informing of them of everything they would need to know about Anabel, Lawrence and Pokemonopolis. Upon arriving at the city, they began to travel around in search of anything that caused Anabel to have a headache. She would experience multiple headaches for the next two days, but they couldn't find something in common with them until the night of their second day in Cerulean City.

"What's that Holly?" Brock asked as he leaned over to look at Holly's Pokegear as they walked along the side with Ash, Anabel and Misty.

"It's a map of Cerulean City." She replied as she showed the map to Brock, pointing out a number of locations which she had marked with red and green dots. "The dots show locations where Anabel had a headache, and where she didn't."

"Wow, good thinking." Brock commented as he examined the map with Holly.

"Thanks. Based on the map, Anabel has only experienced a headache when she was on the north side of the city." Holly explained, causing Ash to look back at them.

"Really?" Ash exclaimed. "Well then we'll focus on searching the upper half of the city."

"Right." They said together.

"Dusk, Twilight, the target has been spotted." A low voice said as three figures peered over the edge of the roof they stood on, looking down at the block below where they could see Ash and Anabel walking.

"Good eye Eclipse, Lawrence and Ghetsis will be pleased." The second figured known as Twilight added.

"Let's move." Dusk said, receiving a nod from his two partners. They had arrived at Cerulean City earlier today after recieving a call from one of the Lawrence's agents who had spotted their target.

"This trainer is the person you are searching for. This girl is the destined child. If you must engage her, make sure that she is unharmed. If anything happens to her and you are responsible, you will pay dearly." Lawrence warned them as showed them the recording of Anabel in his Palace. "Once my agents find out where she is, you are to follow her every move. Ghetsis has a great deal of pride and respect for you three, so I expect you to complete this task."

"You have our word. The Shadow Triad does not fail no matter the circumstances."

A/N

Alright, so now there's a lot going on now as everyone is thrown into a new lifestyle. I hope I didn't overwhelm anyone with this transition.

Lawrence and Ghetsis are related here in case you were wondering. My only reasoning for this was their similar hair color. Outside of that, I really don't have any case for them being related, but that doesn't really seem to matter considering how much I've altered the Pokemon world as it stands now. If you've got questions, please ask. It helps me sometimes when I have to explain myself.

I gave each member of the Shadow Triad a name. I read a few bios on them, and each of them are addressed separately as Shadow, but that won't work with me. So I gave them names that are based on moments in time where lights sources are blocked out. Twilight, Eclipse and Dusk.

Give some feedback, its always appreciated!