So as per my previous writing style, individual spoken phrases in italics means that it's either what they're thinking or it's pokemon speech. And with the larger paragraphs/sections of the chapter in italics, it's a flashback. If they're not labelled with a year ago or two years ago or something at the top, then it's the same as the previous section of flashback. It's gonna be going back and forth from this point, so try to keep up so you don't get confused. (Also flashbacks I will refer to Leader as Ash, so theres that too)

Gain Of Trust

CHAPTER 6

2 years ago...

"Maaaan, I'm so bored..." a young man sighed, running a hand through his short black hair. The man was currently lying on a small grassy hill, dressed in his usual dark red cargo pants and red vest over a white undershirt. He stared into the clear blue sky above him, spotting only a few small clouds as far as his eyes could see. He rested the back of his palm over his eyes, covering them from the sun coming down on him. He gave another sigh. "Jeez...There must be trainers around here somewhere, I can't take this boredom much longer..." tossing himself forward to sit up, he crossed his legs as he stretched his arms above his head. He looked around at the small park down the hill in front of him, but he didn't see anyone but small kids playing with small pokemon. "Well, no point if there's no challenge in it..."

"Ruff!" the man was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard something hit the ground near him, looking over to see a small red ball bounce on the grass a few times before stopping a few feet from his legs. He noticed a small dog-like pokemon running towards it, snapping its jaws around the ball and rolling on the grass with it playfully. But the second it noticed Jack, it stopped, giving a cute and innocent look. The man smiled.

"Don't mind me, little guy, you have fun," he gestured for the dog to continue, the rock-type giving a happy bark before jumping to its feet and facing him, stretching its front legs towards him and leaning down with its tail wagging in the air. "Oh, you wann play with me? I dunno, little guy-"

"Rockruff! Come ooon!" a young voice called out, the man noticing a young boy standing a short ways away from him, waving to the pokemon. The rock-type looked back at the boy, then back to the man and dropped the ball in front of him, nudging it closer with its nose. He smiled, reaching for the ball and looking towards the young boy.

"Looks like you already got a friend, pal, don't take 'em for granted," he said, tossing the ball carefully towards the boy so that it would bounce a short distance in front of him. The pokemon immediately took after it, trying to get to the ball before the boy did. The man crossed his arms behind his head with a smile, watching the pair begin to run further away in their fun. "Ah screw it, there's nothing going on out here. I'm sure they won't be too mad," he got to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he went down the hill towards the path which lead him back to where he came from. The man couldn't help but frown as he walked down the path, just as he usually had. Well, technically he shouldn't have, but that a point the man took the time to cast aside. He gave another sigh as he crossed his arms behind his head, noticing that he was coming up to the public battlefields. They were empty when he had been there earlier, so he figured resting on the grass would be nicer to do. But now, there was a small crowd gathered at one of the fields, catching the young man's eye.

"Togedemaru, Thunderbolt!"

"...Eh, it couldn't hurt..." the man sighed, changing his direction towards the battlefields. As he got to the back of the crowd, he could manage to see over the shoulders of everyone else a small mouse-like pokemon standing on the field, releasing a bright bolt of lightning towards the opposite side of the field. The man tried to look over to what kind of opponent it was facing, but he couldn't see past the crowd of heads.

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" the man's ears perked up in the crowd at the name that was called out. He adjusted his position in the crowd and managed to get a better view, now being able to see the green lizard that stood against the electric/steel-type. He managed to see the lizard just before the attack would have made contact, but more amazingly, he saw the lizard dodge it at the last second and burst down the battlefield at breakneck speed, slashing a glowing blade of grass on its arm across the chest of its opponent. The small mouse grunted, falling on its stomach.

"Come on, Togedemaru! Get up!" the mouse's trainer shouted, the small pokemon struggling to pick itself up. The grass-type returned to the side of its own trainer, crossing its arms as it glanced back at its once-was opponent.

"Don't force it, guy, he can't go any further," the lizard's trainer called across the field, taking out the pokeball to return the lizard.

"Don't you tell me when my pokemon can't go anymore! I'll say when we're done!" he shouted back, the crowd members beginning to murmur among themselves. "Get up, Togedemaru! You are gonna take down that damn lizard now, or you are not having anywhere to go home to!"

"Easy," his opponent whispered, quickly holding his arm out in front of the grass-type who instinctively began to ready its Leaf Blade. The Hoenn starter's glare changed from the opposing man to its own trainer, the trainer giving a brief smile. "Come on, Sceptile. We both know the world has plenty of bad people in it."

"What is wrong with that guy...?" crowd members continued to murmur as the smaller pokemon continued to struggle to its feet, a few boos coming out towards the trainer. The black-haired man crossed his arms behind his head again, glancing over at the other trainer.

And this was a moment that stayed with the man, for the years to follow. He saw another man standing on the field, similar stature and features to himself, including the noticeably jet-black hair they shared, though the field trainer's was clearly longer and less tamed. He wore a white t-shirt underneath a black vest, with dark grey cargo pants and sneakers. Although the most noticeable thing about him was the small yellow mouse positioned on the man's shoulder, as if he spent all his time there. The moment he looked at the trainer, he almost felt as if there was something...familiar about him. "...Huh...Wonder who that guy is..."

"Come on, you stupid mouse! I already said get up!" the other trainer shouted, beginning to step towards his weakened pokemon on the field.

"Alright, Sceptile," the other trainer took his ram back from in front of his pokemon, the lizard giving a grin as it burst down the field, surprising the trainer as it managed to get between him and the smaller pokemon from across the field before he could walk a few feet to get to it. The lizard drew up its arms, each of the grass blades on its arms extending in a green glow as the lizard stared him down.

"What do you think you're doing?! This doesn't concern you, this is between me and him!" the trainer shouted, the lizard not breaking eye contact.

"It concerns us now," the trainer looked past the lizard to see its trainer coming up beside his pokemon, hands in his pockets as he stared at him coldly. "There's no excuse to be treating a pokemon like that, especially when it tries its best."

"The hell do you know, punk? He can do way better than this crap!" the man shouted, angering the grass-type further. It was disappointed to notice its trainer hold his arm out in front of him again.

"Look at him, he's exhausted. There would be no point in making him fight anymore, it would only be hurting him," the black-haired man said, his opponent only spitting on the ground to his side. "Come on, man, it was a good battle, but your togedemaru really needs to go to the pokemon cent-"

"You think you can lecture me on how to raise my own team?" the man asked menacingly, stepping towards the trainer. The grass-type instinctively moved around its trainer's arm, readying its glowing arms against the man. "I could lecture you on how to keep your own pokemon in check and keep them from threatening people! You get that thing to stand down or I'll call the cops down here!" the whole area went silent, save for several gasps from the spectating crowd. No one could believe what was just spoken, in public. The grass-type was no longer willing to hold back, drawing its arm back to swing towards the man. But a human fist hit the man first.

"Whoa..." the crowd watched in silence as the black-haired trainer swung his fist at his opponent, knocking him on his back in the dirt. The lizard began to relax, but refused to let his guard down as the man started writhing in pain on the ground, holding his jaw where he was struck.

"What the hell, man! You think you can get away with that?!" he shouted at the trainer, but then felt himself dragged to his feet by his collar. Coming face-to-face with the trainer, he noticed the man's eyes had gotten significantly more serious.

"So you think you can insult someone, anyone, and not one person would stand against you? You expect the whole world to just accept the crap you pull and not do a single thing about it?" he spoke in a dark tone, scaring the weaker man. "I will only tell you this once. I will never accept a trainer like you to be able to have his own pokemon, unless you get your act together and learn to treat them with respect. They fight for you, so you can at least have the decency to treat them with the care they deserve for putting up with you. And if you can't do that much, then you have no right to be anywhere near pokemon at all, you understand?"

"Y-Yeah, dude, just chill out!" the man whimpered, the trainer not loosening his grip on the man. Then he let go. "You're a psycho, you know that?!"

"No, I'm a trainer who knows to respect his pokemon as much as they respect me. And that's because I know that if I tell Sceptile to wait, he will wait," the vest-clad trainer gestured the lizard, who was still glaring at the abusive trainer as the blades on his arms began to glow again. "but he will only take so much before I know that I have to let him do what he wants. And let me tell you, insulting pokemon, insulting him directly to his face, calling him a 'thing', that is making it much easier for me to want to let him do what he wants."

"...Arceus, you kids are so dramatic. I'm outta here, you can have that pathetic rat," the man sneered, pulling a pokeball from his belt and tossing it to the man's feet as he walked away. The small electric-type whimpered weakly on the ground, watching its trainer walk away without him.

"Hey, little guy," the crowd watched in amazement as the trainer of the Hoenn starter crouched beside his once-was opponent, giving a warm smile to the weakened pokemon. "I'm sorry all that just happened. I have some friends of my own, who know exactly what it's like to put up with an abusive trainer," the small mouse whimpered, watching the man cautiously. The grass-type lizard nodded at its trainer's words. "Look, I won't tell you what's the best thing for you to do now. That pokeball's there, if you wanna try to chase after him. But believe me when I say you deserve much better than that."

"Toge?" the small mouse gave a curious look, looking over towards the sphere it once called home.

"You can go back, or you can be free again. The choice is up to you. I can take you to the pokemon center for now for your injuries, but after that it's up to you," the man flashed another smile, surprising the small pokemon. It looked towards the pokeball with a sad expression, weakly crawling towards it. Then it weakly knocked it away. "...Good job, little guy. Come on, let's get you better," suddenly, the crowd began to cheer for the trainer. Not wanting to deal with the embarrassement, the trainer quickly scooped up the pokemon in his arms and hurried toward the nearest pokemon center, his grass-type partner following closely beside him. The crowd continued cheering, even after he was out of sight, until a few minutes later everyone had begun to return to their everyday lives. Soon, the only one who was left was the red-vested man, still staring in the direction where that trainer had gone to.

"...Huh..." was all he could say, after everything he just witnessed. He was no stranger to abusive trainers like the other man who had took off, and anytime he witnessed someone like him, it made him feel sick. He couldn't imagine treating his own pokemon in any way like that, he could never have the heart for it. Running a hand through his hair, he began thinking about going back to where he had come from earlier. But his eyes weren't leaving the direction where that trainer had gone in...

"I can't believe someone would do that!" the pink-haired woman exclaimed, giving a rare disgusted expression that not many people had ever seen. The trainer frowned.

"Yeah, but as sad as it is, there are always gonna be people like that," the man stated, stuffing his hands in his pockets after setting the pokeball on the counter. "This is his pokeball, or was, at least. There's probably a low chance he'll take it, but if he doesn't want it then you can get rid of it."

"Of course, this kind of thing has happened much more than I'd care to say," the woman said, taking the sphere from the counter. "Although it's not often that another trainer takes the time to show concern."

"Well, I'm a pretty odd case myself," the man chuckled, turning away from the counter. "Once he's feeling better, could you tell that little togedemaru to take care of himself for me?"

"Of course I can, he's in good hands now," the woman flashed her signature warm smile, the man returning a smile as he waved and walked towards the door. Stepping outside, he gave a sigh as he looked into the sky.

"...There are always people like that, huh, buddy...?" the man muttered, the electric mouse on his shoulder lowering his eyes sadly. He started down the path towards the park he had just left.

"Pika..." the mouse cooed quietly in agreement.

"...I just don't understand how they can act like that...Abusing pokemon, treating them so badly, how can anyone do that? Paul was one thing, but Sceptile clearly stopped that guy from kicking togedemaru. How could I just stand there and watch that?"

"Chupi," the mouse nodded.

"I know it was the right thing to do, though I'm sure Sceptile would've enjoyed knocking sense into that guy himself..." the man smirked, running a hand through his thick hair. "...Sometimes, I really wish there were a way to change the world, Pi..." the man gave a sigh, coming to a stop in front of a parkbench. He considered resting against the single tree beside the bench, but decided against it. He dropped onto the bench, rubbing his fingers on the bridge of his nose between his eyes as he leaned back. "Although I have no right to talk. I can't even solve my own problems, letalone the world's..."

"Pikapi, chu pika," the mouse spoke, resting on the bench beside his trainer. The man stared up into the open sky above him, becoming mesmerized by the slow moving clouds. He heard a slight rustle in the tree beside him, figuring there was a wild pokemon resting or something similar.

"I just don't know, Pi...I feel like nothing I do could fix this now..." he said slowly, his mind beginning to wander to a certain brunette. "...The world has to change, Pi...we have to prevent trainers like that from ever getting close to pokemon."

THUMP!

The man slightly jumped at the sudden crash beside him. He and the mouse pokemon beside him quickly looked over, and to their surprise, there was suddenly a similarly-dressed man on the grass beside them, rubbing his back with a groan.

"Damn trees, I never was good at climbing..." he mutterered under his breath, slowly sitting up and rubbing his neck.

"Uh...Mind if I ask what you were doing up there?" that's when the man noticed the pair watching him from the nearby bench. He stared back blankly for a few seconds, then scratched the back of his head with a nervous laugh.

"...uh...would you believe taking a nap?" he laughed nervously, crossing his arms behind his head. The man gave him a questioning look. "Hey...I hope you don't mind me asking, but...about what happened with that trainer earlier..."

"Oh, you saw that?" the man asked, placing his face in his palm. "Look, I wasn't trying to make a spectacle out of it, but when I see someone acting like that I can't really help it anymore..."

"Hey, that's alright by me, I'm not complaining about what you did. He got what he deserved," the short-haired man wiped the dust off his pants as he got to his feet, flashing a grin. "Any idiot like that deserves a sucker punch to the face."

"Yeah, tell me about it," the man on the bench chuckled to himself, the electric mouse moving to his trainer's lap. He gave the other man a look, glancing to the bench beside him. "What's your craziest trainer story?"

"Oh, you would not believe me if I told you," the pair shared a smile, looking into the open sky above them.

"Wanna bet?" the short-haired man smirked, taking a seat beside the other man.

"Then you're on, man," he hesitated, the other man's hardened expression beginning to soften.

"The name's Ash."

"I'm Jack. Good to meet you, man."

"Oh damn, was it this way...?" Brock sighed in frustration with himself as he looked at the different doorways around them. Gary and he were currently trying to navigate themselves back to their friends within the Giant Chasm's maze-like chambers.

"This way, I remember," Gary pointed to a specific doorway, his companion trusting him as they continued into the deeper chambers.

"I really hope May's alright...After all that stuff that guy said, I can't help but worry more now," Brock stated with a frown, the professor clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"She's gonna be fine, Brock. We're gonna get there before anything happens," the man flashed a smile, reassuring his friend. But despite their common worries, they also shared a common thought that drove them to continue quickly.

"Please let us make it in time..."

"Damn...That's actually really messed up..." Jack gave a nod to Ash's words, leaning back on the bench and looking up into the sky again.

"Yeah, was definitely a day that left a scar on me. It's kinda sad really, how things like that can just ruin your day and opinions."

"Opinions?"

"Yeah, like...I was always okay with trainers before, since I never really gave it much thought. Someone chooses a partner, they set out on a journey together to find new friends, it's a happy time. But then trainers like that guy from earlier...who just use pokemon as a means to gain power over others...it's just pathetic."

"So that day, you didn't think of all trainers as the same anymore? You began to seperate them between the good and the bad ones..."

"Pretty much. I didn't really mean to, it just kind of...happened. Pretty soon after I found myself judging people for how they treated their pokemon, I actually tried to help some pokemon get away from their trainers and return to the wild. I never realized what I was doing until I was face-to-face with the trainer in question, pissed off."

"Can't say I know that feeling...Though I do know something similar. There was this one guy I kept running into when I was in Sinnoh, real cold and emotionless guy. One day, he released his chimchar right in front of me because he said it was too weak. So I offered it to come along with me, and he did."

"So you help pokemon, too, even if the trainer doesn't like it? Whether it's letting them return to where they came from or giving them a new home with you."

"Yeah. I never would have been able to live with myself if I just left chimchar there that day and ignored the situation. Even today, I still ask him if he's glad that he decided to come along with me, even though he gives me the same answer every time."

"...Trainers aren't really in control," Ash glanced over at the other man, who was still resting his head back with a hand over his eyes. "...Since trainers are the ones to start the journey and take the pokemon in, they think they're in control of what they do with their pokemon."

"...But it's the pokemon's choice, just as much. If not more," Ash gave a sigh, running a hand through his thick jet-black hair. "In the end, it's up to the pokemon themselves to choose how they want to live. Just like how humans choose their own lives."

"...Not many people think that way, you know," Jack lifted his head again and looked to the man beside him, flashing a silly grin. "It's kinda refreshing to hear I'm not the only one."

"Well, sometimes the trainers just go too far with how they treat pokemon...And I just can't deal with standing by and watching it," Ash looked to his electric partner on his lap, who flashed back a smile. "...They're our friends...not claims to power, not possessions, not slaves...They have every right to choose their own lives as much as we humans do."

"...Have you ever thought about doing something about it?" Ash glanced at him questioningly. Jack now had his arms crossed behind his head, staring ahead blankly. Ash had thought he was referring to their stories from earlier, but at the same time, something about his tone and his expression...he was much more serious.

"How so?" Ash asked, the other man rising to his feet. He turned slightly to looked down at Ash, then flashing a grin.

"The world always welcomes change, you know...I say we change it," Jack stated, Ash giving him a curious look. "Look, if nobody does anything that really makes an impact, then there will always be trainers who treat pokemon badly. But if we did something that took the world by storm, then there would be no opportunity for them."

"...And what do you have in mind for that?" Ash asked slowly, the other man flashing a smile as he looked up into the sky.

"Remember Team Plasma?" Ash gave a nod. "...I don't think they were entirely wrong with their thinking."

"So...you want to liberate pokemon from trainers...?" Jack gave a nod. "...You think two men could do that all alone? Across the whole planet?"

"...It's worth a short, don't you think?" Ash thought for a moment on Jack's words. Then he smiled.

"...I suppose this world is rather stubborn, unless its options are...limited," Ash rose to his feet, the electric mouse taking his usual place on the man's shoulder. Both men smiled, extending a hand out and shaking on their newfound partnership. "I hope you have the resolve to back up those words in the times I need you, Jack. Gotta trust your partners."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm no shorter on determination than the average person," he chuckled. "Although, no offense, but I'm not exactly sure we're partners in this...After all, every revolution needs a leader, right?" Ash paused.

"...A leader, huh..." Ash's mind trailed off into thought on those words, but noticed a pair of women dressed in similar pink outfits were approaching them from behind Jack a short distance away. "Huh? Are those...nurses?" Jack noticed that Ash's eyes had wandered beyond him. He turned his head curiously to see what he had been distracted by, his whole body cringing in nervousness as he noticed the two women approaching them.

"Welp time to go, let's do this!" Jack quickly tossed a pokeball from his belt, releasing a blue dragon with red wings. He hopped on, grabbing Ash's wrist and dragging him onto the dragon's back as well. "Let's go, Salamence!"

"Wait! Mr. Ketchum!"

Ash flinched as the dragon took off, but not before the nurses' words rang through his ears. He looked back to the ground curiously, watching the two women become gradually smaller.

1 & 1/2 years ago...

"Hey! Get back here!" the man's shouting only fell onto ignorant ears as his pleas were ignored. He brought his pace to a halt, understanding that he could never catch up. A fair distance ahead, two teenagers were dashing through the crowd before ducking into an alleyway. They smiled as one picked up a small stone and tossed it to an overhead fire escape ladder. The ladder dropped out of place before slamming to a stop a few feet off the ground. The pair quickly climbed up the fire escape until they had reached the rooftop, taking a break as they looked at each other, smiling.

"Not bad for a quick grab," the one girl said, reaching into her pockets and pulling out a small handful of jewellery and fashion accessories. The girl had icy-blue hair, held back in a single ponytail behind her head. Her eyes shone a brilliant combination of blue and white, almost as if they were wore a blue tanktop with straps over her shoulders, matched with skinny-leg blue jean, each knee sporting a similar small tear in the fabric.

"I still don't see why it was jewellery you wanted to grab today, though," the partner spoke in an emotionless tone. The partner was a girl of similar stature, not to mention beauty. Her hair was the shade of silver, her bangs covering her left eye but leaving the right exposed, the back flowing just past her shoulders. She wore a flashy silver jacket ending just below her chest, showing her midriff. She also wore silver pants, slightly baggy in nature and not curve-revealing like her companion. She pulled handfuls of accessories out of her own pockets, eyeing them curiously.

"It's because we're gonna sell them, duh! Do you know how many coordinators buy this stupid stuff? I mean, they may look great on me, but unfortunately I'm a girl of quality," the blue-haired girl began trying on some accessories, her partner giving her a curious look.

"And yet here you are, single as the day you were born."

"Hey! A girl of quality can't just settle for any guy that comes along, I'm waiting for the right one!"

"Right, and I suppose that will be revealed when he realizes you're re-selling stolen merchandise."

"Exactly!...I think. Oh whatever, we should just get these back home. I'm tired from all that running."

"That's because you don't exercise anymore," the silver-haired girl received a swift hit to the top of her head.

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you get to be mean all the time!" she glared at her monotone partner, who only looked away with a smirk.

"Only when you act like an immature child. And I suppose that's not changing anytime soon..." the other girl heard the tailend of her words, crossing her arms as she turned away swiftly.

"Whatever. I know it's not like anyone's gonna be chasing us, and definitely not catching us, but I still wanna get back home quickly," her partner gave a nod, following the girl towards the other fire escape on the opposite side of the building. "You think the businesses around here would learn to lock down their stuff more tightly with how often we come around here. Honestly, it's like they're not even trying-"

"Hold on," the girl felt a swift tug on her arm, yanking her back a bit. She glared at the silver-haired girl who did it.

"What the heck was that for? I'm not being immature!"

"We were followed," the silver-haired girl stated blankly, her partner giving an odd look.

"What are you talking about? There's no way they could've caught up to us, letalone know where-"

"Looks like I was right about you," the girl jumped at the sudden voice, turning back towards the edge of the building. Hearing a strange flapping noise, they watched a man rise into view over the edge, smirking as what came into view below his feet was the intimidating final evolution of the Kanto fire-type starter. The man hopped off its back, the lizard dropping onto the roof beside him, shaking the ground slightly. The two girls eyed the man curiously: clad in a black vest over a white undershirt, hands in his pockets, with a small electric mouse positioned on his shoulder. The girls couldn't help but notice he was looking at them just as curiously. He settled his eyes on the silver-haired girl. "I was right not to underestimate you. Senses sharper than the average human, as well as speed between the both of you."

"Who are you?" the silver-haired girl asked, stepping in front of her friend defensively. The lizard lowered its head, the man holding his arm out in front of the fire-type.

"Easy, buddy," the man raised his hand to pet the dragon's neck. He looked at the icy-blue haired girl, who crossed her arms and turned away slightly.

"W-What?" she asked defensively, starting to feel uncomfortable. Although, looking at him more carefully-

"I'm not here to arrest you for being thieves, if that's what you're worried about," the girls blinked in surprise. "I'm only here to give you a proposition, determined by my evaluation of your skills."

"Evaluation? What are you talking about? We don't even know you," the blue-haired girl stated, the man giving a smirk.

"True, but I know you, Krystal, Gina," the girls glanced at each other nervously, recognizing the signal they were giving each other. In a split second, the man watched the two burst into a sprint away from him towards the fire escape they had climbed earlier. He frowned.

"Jeez, who the heck is that guy?" the icy-blue haired girl, Krystal, asked, sliding down the stair handles after her partner. How did he know their names?

"I don't know, but he's dangerous. I can tell," the silver-haired girl, Gina, responded, hitting the ground and turning around, freezing on the spot. Her friend hit the ground behind her, turning to notice her friend had stopped.

"What are you-" then she stopped. Past her friend, she noticed another man standing halfway down the alley, dressed similar to the earlier man but in different colors. Arms crossed behind his head, he flashed a grin.

"I suggest you give him a little more time to explain," he told them, the girls backing away carefully. Startled by a sudden crash behind them, they whipped around to see the fire-type and earlier man standing a few feet from them. They were boxed in. "Look, ladies, we're not here for trouble."

"Like I said, it's just a proposal," the black-vested man stated, Krystal's cheeks flushing pink at her first thought of his words.

"P-Proposal?! What the hell are you saying now?" she stammered, the shorter-haired man giving a sigh.

"He doesn't mean it that way, believe me. You gotta choose your words more carefully, man," he told the other man, his partner giving a sigh.

"I didn't think I would have to explain myself on that..."

"Dude, they're girls. Of course you will, especially if 'proposal' is the word you choose to use."

"Oh, be quiet. It was your idea to sneak up on them like stalkers."

"Hey! Well we can't exactly just talk to them mid-robbery, now can we?"

"What...is happening...?" the girls glanced back and forth, confused. Both men gave a sigh, crossing their arms.

"Whatever. Look, he used a bad word, but yeah, we're here with an offer for you."

"An offer? We don't even know you," Gina moved slightly closer to her partner, not lowering her guard on either side of them. The two men paused for a moment, then smirked.

"Good point. The name's Jack," the shorter-haired man said, the two girls eyeing him cautiously. They quickly looked at the other man, who was recalling the fire-type lizard to a pokeball.

"And you?" Krystal called out, watching the man run a hand through his hair before looking at them. They were surprised to see his hardened expression suddenly soften, forming a smile towards them.

"Ash. But you can call me Leader."

END

Hopefully that wasn't too complicated, but I will say that it's going to get a bit more complicated in the coming chapters. Given the title, "Gain Of Trust", I'm trying to revolve this story around that premise (meaning when trust needs to be earned, like May and the "monster", Leader and Jack first meeting, etc.).