AN: This is loosely based on my One Shot 'Burnt to Ashes', and on a request/idea of a reader of mine on , from Yasmin Noguera.
Okay, this includes the One Shot BtA, but with a changed ending and a lotta added on. And a prologue.
Ciao for now,
ABSOLuteOG
For once in his life, Giovanni Sakaki regretted his decisions. For once in his life, Giovanni wished he wasn't a criminal.
Like the other team leaders, the trainer – now champion of Alola – Ash Ketchum is a massive pain in the ass for his Team Rocket. Unlike the other teams, his still exists. The others don't anymore because of Ash. Before that changes, Giovanni decided to take Ash out. His executioner board convinced him not to attack Ash directly – Archer said this would cause suspicion, for such would be a bad timing – so instead, Giovanni opted for a warning shot. So he paid an assassin to kill Ash's father, which the assassin did.
This task was the biggest mistake in Giovanni's live.
Ash managed to track the assassin down and to make him to tell Ash who he works for. After that, the kid, the champion had been tracking down Giovanni. At first the boss of Team Rocket was not worried about Ash's doing, but after Ash cracked three bases and got Petrel captured, Giovanni did get worried.
Now Giovanni sat there, on a desk in a bunker, hiding from the youngest yet most dangerous champion.
Ariana not so subtly left the team. Others left as well. He his all alone when Ash gets to him. It is just a question of time when Ash finds him. He shouldn't have killed his father.
Giovanni was contemplating with death – he doesn't think the chance is zero – when the lid of the air vents fell from the ceiling. Ash Ketchum dropped out, accompanied by his Pikachu. He walked to Giovanni's desk. Giovanni didn't know what will happen now to him, not that he would want to.
"Ketchum, I... you found me." Giovanni tried to sound confident.
"Yeah, Ariana was willing to talk if I leave her and her son alone in exchange for your location.", explained Ash very relaxed.
Giovanni was a bit relieved that Ariana and their son Silver are out of danger. "I assume you're here because I killed your father by proxy."
"If you would have assumed anything else, you would be more stupid than you look like.", replied Ash. "Now, it may surprise you, but I do not plan to get payback on you for killing my old man."
"Wait, what?", asked Giovanni in disbelief. "Then why are you here?"
"I want to thank you for killing Farron. And for something else.", revealed Ash nonchalantly. "You see, Farron was a terrible father, an abusive asshole when he wasn't off somewhere with his mistress and second family. I am happy he is gone."
"Oh..." Giovanni didn't know how to react. Besides worrying that Silver starts to emulate Ash's doing. "If you wanted to thank me, why didn't you approach Jessie and James about it?"
"Besides that I wanted to thank you in person, honestly, the infiltration of your bases was just an act to not appear like a weirdo.", explained Ash. "Would have been weird if I was happy about my old man's death. Not to mention mom... even after discovering his other family, she was deep in the Stockholm syndrome about him."
"So all the mourning was an act?"
"Mainly to keep mom happy, but yes. All an act." Giovanni relaxed into his seat. And felt like an idiot, but he felt relaxed. He was never in danger. Silver and Ariana were never in danger. "Don't get me wrong, I still hate you for being a criminal. Now to the 'something else' I mentioned.", said Ash as he walked around the desk directly to Giovanni. He held his hand in front of Giovanni. Then, it caught fire, a blue flame danced on Ash's palm, just inches from Giovanni's face.
Giovanni just stared at it in shock. Besides that he simply didn't expect it, he felt the heat. He was sure such an ethereal flame could burn him. "Oh, a new trick?"
"Exactly, I've been training with Sabrina for a while. I figured Pokemon hadn't been as efficient against you and your team.", answered Ash. "While I could burn you to ashes here and now, I prefer not to make my hands dirty and drop on your level. So I will just want you. If you touch my mother, my friends or anyone who is close to me, including my Pokemon, burn marks are the least you have to worry about." Giovanni saw a blue glow in Ash's eyes.
"Understood." How difficult can it be to keep this promise up?
"Good." With that Ash left. "This is how you do a warn shot properly, dimwit." Ash vanished in the vents and Giovanni relaxed, he still could smell the smoke of the fire. He should have listened to Archer and recruit the fire demon.
Sabrina, after a long day of traumatizing some trainers and wannabe psychics, worked on a lesson plan. She decided to take on an apprentice of sorts. Of sorts because that person is actually not a psychic.
Ash came to her for advice on weird powers that popped up. After a few tests, they realized it wasn't psychic, it was aura. While Sabrina is no aura user, she still can help Ash to learn. And she simply missed Ash a lot, so she offered her help as it would mean he would come by more often. It was nice to have someone with similar powers around.
She walked around her gym, preparing some tests for Ash, when the doors opened. Sabrina turned round and saw Giovanni. He used to be a gym leader like her, but then he was revealed to be the leader of the infamous Team Rocket. He fled and hadn't been seen ever since.
"Giovanni! What are you doing here?", demanded Sabrina to know.
Giovanni hold up a hand and walked to her, slowly. He said, "I just want to talk, I have an offer for you, Sabrina."
"Oh really? What would a conman like you have to offer?", she asked, more annoyed than anything.
"Simple. I want to offer you to join my team. Your powers, you would be a great asset, Sabrina.", he answered.
Sabrina rolled her eyes, "That I don't laugh, what makes you think that I'll join you?"
"This." Giovanni gave her a picture. Her father in a cell, surrounded by Team Rocket grunts. Looking up she saw Giovanni leaving the gym. "For someone to claims to be such a great psychic, your father was easily to snatch right under your nose, Sabrina. You have forty-eight hours to decide." With that, he left, leaving Sabrina unsure what to do.
Ash was just chilling with his Pokemon in Alola. He really needs a break. Not from training, not from being a champion, not from the other champion not taking him serious due to his age (okay, partly from that, too, as they think the death of Farron hit him hart and he just masks it) but he just needs a break from his mother. She still isn't over Farron's death. He can't wait when she stops to grieve the man who made their life either hell or abandoned them.
He was giving Pikachu and his Alola Team a bath, when Sabrina and her Alakazam appeared in front of her. Teleportation.
"Sabrina?", he asked confused. He saw the look of fear in her eyes, the iris small and sweat beads in her face. She didn't stood as gracefully as normally. Not to mention, Ash can feel the fear radiating from her, a feature of his aura. "Did something happen?"
"I was handling the gym, when Giovanni came in. He demanded of me to join his team.", explained Sabrina. Now he felt her worry, "I at first didn't care much, as I had no idea how he could force me to join, but..." She gave him the picture Giovanni gave her. It was her dad in a TR cell. "I didn't notice he vanished. Giovanni gave me forty-eight hours to decide." Sabrina then started to cry and Ash hugged her, slightly reddening realizing their intimacy.
"Mm..." Not even a week and Giovanni broke their deal. That's it, he is a dead man now for all Ash cares. "I'll help you. You stay here, or hide somewhere else, and I will give Team Rocket a reckoning in the next forty-eight hours."
She nod, then gave him a Pokeball. "Use Alakazam. And let him teleport dad to me when you find him. Sure that I shouldn't help?"
"You clearly need to relax and calm down. Imagine what happens when your emotions go haywire, your psychic powers would go out of control.", explained Ash. "While aura training is literally just controlling the emotions. Plus I already ripped the team a new one."
"Considering that this was just a show, round two should be worse.", she told him. "But maybe don't try to burn someone... besides Giovanni."
"On it!"
Forty-seven hours remaining.
The first stop was the base in northern Johto, the base under Proton's control. While Ash doesn't think Sabrina's father is there, nor Giovanni, he won't want that Proton sends support when Ash attacks. It is so far from the others, it would take a while for news from here to reach the other bases. Well, Ariana's base used to be close, but she left the team, so hers is no more.
Proton's base was still rebuilding, so it was easy to sneak in and give Proton a good scare.
"What the heck are you doing here!", he yelled, seeing Ash on his desk. "Aren't you done with me and the team? The boss said he made a deal with you?"
"Well, he broke it.", said Ash, "So I have to ask again, where is he hiding?" Unlike the last time, Ash's eyes glowed blue and and his hands were on fire. "He kidnapped Sabrina's father, so where is he?"
"Come on, as if you're close to that demon!", yelled Proton. "Fine. Maybe I follow Ariana. Apropos. The boss, due to last time, does not share his position with us. He is tracking down Ariana and Silver. I think her father is with Petrel, as he is responsible for any torture. Or Archer, as he can be convincing. The whole thing is to make her join, right? Now leave me alone."
"Mm, no." Ash called out Melmetal. His Alola team helped him. Melmetal stuck Proton into a closet and melted the look. "I can't need you to support the others."
Forty hours remaining.
Ash decided to ruin Archer's branch first. He was also in Johto would be part of the reason. And he hopes he may have an idea where Ariana is. While she left the team, Giovanni is after her, so he will use her as bait. Or trade Sabrina's father against her. Whatever happens, we will see.
Archer's base was lesser ruins. Just because the psychic just gave Ash the info he needed.
"I saw you coming.", he spoke before Ash was in his view.
"Yet you didn't saw it coming that I wasn't going to kill your boss?", countered Ash. "Now where is he? Or Ariana? Or Sabrina's father?
"In the wrong direction, I won't tell you and at Petrel's.", answered Archer. "Listen, like Giovanni wants Sabrina to join, I want that you join the team. I think you're the more useful asset. If you join, not only can you reunite your girlfriend with her father, but you can protect your loved ones from us better."
Ash got red, "She isn't my girlfriend!"
Archer laughed lightly, "Your reaction says otherwise, Now listen, Ariana is hiding from Giovanni, she does not want that he endangers Silver."
"Really?"
"She left, didn't she? Honestly, I think that is a good call on her part.", said Archer. "I won't stop you, I don't think making her join is a good idea. As a psychic, she is hard to convince. Her powers may be dampen if we force her to join."
"I'm still gonna do this!" A ring of fire appeared around Archer. Like an arch, the flames touched each other over Archer's head. "This fire won't stop until I end it or get knocked out. Assuming the second won't happen, it should stop in forty hours." Archer just sighed and sat down.
Thirty five hours remaining.
Ash moved though Petrel's Kanto base stealthily. He waited for grunts to go into Petrel's room. It wasn't an office, Petrel doesn't need one. It is a torture chamber with a desk in it, nothing more. When a pair dared to go in there, Ash followed them in. When they were out again – something these two wanted to do as fast a possible, Ash tackled Petrel down. He sparked his fire, engulfing both.
Petrel yelled in pain, and sh told him, "This flame won't burn you, but it trigger your pain receptors, but you're probably into this."
"Oh yeah, I am.", answered Petrel. "Let me guess, the boss broke the deal? Man, Archer was right, we should ask you to join... are you interested?"
Ash rolled his eyes and made the fire worse, triggering Petrel's pain receptors to the limit. "You don't know where Ariana or Giovanni is, do you?"
"Boss is looking for her. Where one of the is, the other one can't be far.", said Petrel, "Albeit Archer told me Giovanni is in the wrong direction, apparently the lady left a few false bread crumbs. Knowing her, she probably gave Giovanni a curve ball and is somewhere totally different, somewhere boss didn't expect."
"Good. Now, where is Sabrina's father?"
"Down the hall.", said Petrel. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
Ash melted the look on his cell. The grunts – who didn't paid attention to the yells from Petrel's office as it was Petrel's office – were too afraid of Ash's fire. Last time was bad, now is nightmare fuel. He called out Alakazam, who took Sabrina's father to her.
Ash then continued his way. He walked though a forest of Kanto, before finding a bus stop. Waiting there for a bus, he made sure not to be recognizable. He had thirty hours remaining. Good time, now that he is without a Pokemon to teleport him and he has no idea where Ariana nor Giovanni are. He theoretically could cut this mission short. He has her father freed and attacking his remaining executives could be a warning to Giovanni. The fact that one executive may leave – similar to how Ariana left the team – this warning may sting a bit more this time.
As he saw the bus approaching, he got a call by Professor Kaina Burnett. "Ash? A boy approached us, asking where you are? He wants to challenge you for a battle.", she explained, "We told him we don't know either where you are. He asked if we could reach out to you that you return, he said his mother and him would leave soon."
Silver, Giovanni and Ariana's son, has red hair. And he owes him a match. "I... am actually on my way back to Alola."
Ash arrived in Alola with twenty hours remaining. As he approached the professor's house, he was stopped by Silver. Still shaken by their last meeting, Silver was a fumbling mess as he asked Ash for a battle.
"Silver... your mother is here, right?"
Silver's eyes widen. "What are you planning?"
"Not to harm you. I am tracking your father down again. I wanted to ask Ariana if she would bait Giovanni out of his hiding spot.", explained Ash. "I'll battle you when this is down."
"Mm, follow me."
Silver guided Ash to his mom's new house. Ariana got herself a little house in Alola. Silver told him she chose Alola, because Giovanni won't expect her to go here. Or not dare to get here. She was quite surprised seeing Ash here.
"I don't want to bait Ash. I don't want that he endangers Silver.", she said.
"I understand. I want to bring his reign to an end. Not kill him, just get him into prison."
"Mm, I still won't hide somewhere in Sinnoh like a piece of cheese in a Mousehold trap.", countered Ariana.
"Come on, mom!", chimed Silver in. "And if we just fake leak that you go there? But you actually remain here?"
"That is a good idea, Silver.", agreed Ash.
"Fine. But you vouch for me in court, okay?"
"Of course."
Ten hours remaining.
Giovanni got a hint his runaway wife was in Sinnoh, in a small cabin in the wild. He walked though the snowy area, when he saw the cabin, light glowing from the windows. Arriving at the door, he was surprised to discover it was open. Walking in, he didn't saw Ariana, but Ash. A yellow flame on his head. It flashed, becoming blue. Giovanni tried to turn around and run, but the door was closed off with a wall of fire. Looking out of the windows, he saw the fire was outside as well.
"Giovanni, not even a week and you broke our deal.", said Ash and stood up. "You really are an idiot, aren't you."
"How in the world are you connected to Sabrina?", asked Giovanni in disbelief.
"She helped me with my powers, that kinda sparked something more.", answered Ash. "In other words, you broke the deal. While I would like to burn you to ashes, I prefer to deliver you to the police."
Ash came closer to Giovanni. Giovanni was surrounded by fire and then fainted.
Giovanni woke up in a police cell. He saw Ariana and Silver.
"Looks like you fell into Ash's trap! Well, at least that means I can battle him now.", said Silver.
"Giovanni, I told you you're loosing your ways.", said Ariana, "That the team would fail. Archer also left. Well, the team disbanded, so..."
"What about you?", asked Giovanni.
"Oh, Ash vouches for me to be pardoned.", revealed Ariana.
Sabrina was happy her father was back.
"Wow, Ash, in under forty-eight hours! You did well! Thank you.", she said to him.
"No problem! That's what, um, friends are for.", he answered.
"Mm, I think we could be more.", Sabrina said, before giving him a peck on the cheek. Ash became redder than Pikachu's cheeks.
"A boyfriend? Good to see that you do normal teen stuff.", commented her father. "Don't you own that Silver a match?"
"Yes! Wanna watch, Sabrina?"
"Sure."
