Just as the group continued to think of what to do and giving a few feeble suggestions, a squat man came running up to them. He wore a lab coat and carried a briefcase. He ignored the barriers and rushed straight over to Officer Jenny. "Sorry I took so long. You need a Ho-oh expert right?" The man called loudly to the officer. Ash clearly heard him and was immediately interested. The others hadn't heard the man and continued the conversation. "I do but who are you?" Officer Jenny asked perplexed. The man fumbled in his pockets and produced a card. "Doctor Fakersman. I have studied Ho-oh for the majority of my career and would be considered as close as an expert you can find," the man informed proudly. Officer Jenny looked a little taken back but she returned the card to the doctor. She gave him a salute and asked what he needed. "Well, first priority is calming down Ho-oh. We'll need a base down here and cameras above feeding us information. Ho-oh should be able to communicate with us via telepathy so that shouldn't be a problem," the doctor started to list in a loud commanding voice.
Ash knew what he had to do. Officer Jenny wouldn't listen to him but maybe this doctor would. Ash just had to get his attention without Officer Jenny arresting him. Ash walked around the barrier, closely watching the doctor, trying to get as close as possible. Max was the only one to notice him and Pikachu leave the group and ran after Ash. "What are you doing Ash? Officer Jenny told you she'd arrest you," Max reminded him softly. Ash glanced as Max briefly before nodding to the doctor. "He just got here. He says he's an expert and it looks like Officer Jenny is following his orders now. If I can just get close enough I might be able to call him over without Officer Jenny noticing," Ash explained as he continued to watch the doctor and move around the barrier.
"Excuse me! Doctor Fakersman! Can I talk to you for a sec?" Ash called to the doctor softly. The doctor heard Ash and frowned at him. He walked over. "What is it boy? I'm a little busy right now," the doctor replied irritably. Ash nodded. "I know, I want to help. I think I can calm Ho-oh down but I have to get closer," Ash started to explain. The doctor held up his hand. "Look, you may think that because you're a trainer that you can handle any Pokémon but Ho-oh isn't like your average Pidgey. I can't allow you nearer," the doctor retorted coldly noticing Pikachu. Ash frowned and gave his most determined look. "You don't understand," Ash began again but the doctor wasn't listening anymore and began to walk away. "I've seen Ho-oh before!" Ash shouted to him desperately. The doctor froze. He turned slowly and faced Ash. "You've seen Ho-oh before today?" the doctor asked slowly. Ash nodded. "I've seen Ho-oh three times," Ash informed the doctor. He knew he had the doctor's attention now, all he had to do was convince the doctor to let him closer. "That has to mean something right?" Ash prompted. The doctor stared at Ash but he knew that Ash wasn't lying. The doctor wet his lips and nodded once and motioned for Ash to follow him. Ash smiled and vaulted over the barrier and Max followed Ash.
The doctor walked purposefully over to Officer Jenny and Ash followed nervously. It was at this moment that Brock and Gary saw Ash and both were angry. May noticed her brother and was instantly worried. The group tried to get Ash's or Max's attention without alerting Officer Jenny to them. They were shocked when Ash walked right over to Officer Jenny and stood beside the doctor.
"I told you that if you continued to interfere that I'd have to arrest you," Officer Jenny commented dryly and reached for her handcuffs. "That won't be necessary Officer Jenny. I asked him to come," the doctor interjected. Officer Jenny stopped reaching for her handcuffs and stared dumbfounded at the doctor. "He is a civilian doctor. He isn't trained for this," Officer Jenny reasoned. The doctor gave a bark of humourless laughter. "None of us were trained for this. However this boy truly believes he can help the situation and I for one trust that he can," the doctor countered. Officer Jenny nodded reluctantly. "How are the things I asked you to do coming along?" the doctor prompted calmly. Officer Jenny saluted. "The base is ready and two helicopters are on their way here with cameramen. We agreed that the news could report on the situation and in return they'll capture Ho-oh on film for us," Officer Jenny reported and the doctor nodded and led Ash, Pikachu and Max over to a newly erected tent.
The group watched gobsmacked as Ash was led over to a tent after Officer Jenny hadn't arrested him as she had threatened to do repeatedly. They rushed over and called to Ash and Max. Ash stuck his head out of the tent and gave a smile. He ducked back into the tent and a moment later motioned to his friends that they could come over. They entered the tent and saw four screens and a number of seats. Two of the screens were blank and two were showing scenes from outside the tent. One showed a ground view of Ho-oh and one showed a view of the gathering crowd at the barrier. "How did you manage to get in here Ash?" Gary asked softly. "I just told Doctor Fakersman what I tried to tell Officer Jenny," Ash replied, introducing them to the doctor. Gary went straight into researcher mode and offered the doctor his services.
Alright, I'm saying it now. I'm pretty sure that Doctor Fakersman is the last character to be introduced in this part. And with that
Until the next chapter.