*2 hours prior to Ash returning to Alola*
Walking through the city of Saffron, Ash decided to take the scenic route to the hotel he reserved, wishing to visit some old sites he prowled back in his adventuring days. He saw the old Silph Co building, the Karate Dojo, and briefly considered heading to Sabrina's gym before realizing how late it was getting?
"2 pm already?!" Ash said aloud, looking up at the sky. "Better get on to the hotel...those slaves of mine should be just about done with their task and making a beeline for the hotel."
Finally making his way to the hotel, Ash made his way to the penthouse suite, fetching a keycard from his suit pocket. As he opened the door however, sitting in the open windowsill was Aiden, his father, staring right at him.
"What the-" Ash blurted, his aura flaring up, until his father held his hand up at him.
"Do you think this is the right place for the 'King' to have a fight?" Aiden asked his son, fetching two pokeballs from his belt with his other hand as a precaution. "I didn't come to fight. We need to talk."
"And just what do I have to gain from you besides getting those powers of mine you sealed away back?!" Ash growled at the man, with Aiden running his left through his greying black hair, his right hand still keeping his two pokeballs tightly grasped.
"You have an enemy that I have recently found out is moving in the shadows." Aiden mentioned as his partner Pokémon flew into the window.
"We had a run in with those Syndicate types that you so graciously met when you tried to take down the boss man!" Griffon the Corvisquire cawed, the presence of a talking Pokémon hardly perturbing Ash given how many he had seen in the past.
Griffon would continue to speak more, but with a wave of Aiden's hand, Griffon stifled his chatty mannerisms.
"It would seem that the Syndicate gets their supply of weapons for another group. That group that seemed to consider both of us to be a threat to their plans. I want to know what you know." Aiden spoke, his gruff expression indicating his clear disdain for his son was still present as last time.
"And why should I tell you anything?" Ash scowled, crossing his arms in disgust at the man who not only sealed away most of his godly powers, but also used him as a meat shield against the very weapons Aiden spoke of.
"As much as it sickens me to do so, I suggest we form a truce, or perhaps we should call it a deal." Aiden proposed. "Our enemy seems to have solid intel on the both of us. I've had little time to look into this other group and the mediator between them and the Syndicate, but time is running short."
Ash looked at his father for a moment, wondering what sort of angle he could possibly be working.
"What could I possibly gain from this exchange?"
"Nothing, for now. We need to arrange a private place to talk. As much as it sickens me to dive into your den of debauchery, Alola is probably the safest place to avoid spies." Aiden said, looking out the window, his paranoia fully detected by his son.
"I don't think so. You have a lot to answer for, for being absent all those years. I've got way too much aggression to see any of this working out." Ash said, his frustration for his father coming to the forefront as the conversation carried.
"You fail to see the big picture. I don't think you ever did." Aiden said, returning his pokeballs to their belt, only to raise his fists up. "And that's why I despise you so much!"
"Um, boss?" Griffon butted in, placing himself in between his Master and his son. "Wasn't the whole point to get him on our side? What does antagonizing him like this do for us."
"If there's one thing I can sense about him that I share with him beyond our genetics, it's stubbornness. Only a fight like this help clear our minds."
"If you thought I would team up with you without blowing this steam off, you had another guess coming" Ash said, oddly concurring with the man before him.
And so the duo held a bout, using only their fists, in a fierce determination to release many of their regrets and demons.
*Present Time in Alola*
"And so that's how we reluctantly set aside our differences, for now." Ash spoke up, his body healing up as he, Annabel and his Champions slaves walked the path back up to the Palace. "Though I'd say saying even that isn't even entirely accurate. You still have a lot to answer for, Father."
"And I have plenty of strong reservations for you do, Ash." Aiden responded, with Arezu and Mai in tow.
"So, where is Go at?" Ash asked the man.
"I left him back at our safe house." Aiden replied. "He's become quite difficult to handle as of late, and I'm wondering why that's the case. He always made it clear he hated your guts, even before he and I partnered up, but he always obeyed my instruction, until when we finally came back here."
"Obeyed?" Ash asked, the group closing in on the Palace gates.
"Yes, obeyed. I suppose we're not too different in that respect, either." Aiden said. "We both control the minds of people to ensure absolute trust."
"You mind controlled Go?!" Ash said, getting angry.
"Oh don't give me that look, you hypocrite. I know what you've done to your friends. Turned your female companions into sex slaves, without a shred of hesitation." Aiden scoffed. "You're problems is not going far enough when it concerns the world."
"And what's that mean?" Ash growled as the gates of the Palace opened for the group, a whole dozen of Team Rose slaves standing there to escort the two men and their retinue.
"Kid, if you don't ever figure that out, then it's no wonder you don't deserve to be The Chosen One." Aiden snarled under breath, holding a handkerchief to his split lip.
As the group made their way, escorted into the Palace grounds, Aiden noticed the children's building, taking note of Red looking out the window at him.
"So, it seems you keep kids in this den of debauchery?" Aiden asked. "You really make me sick."
"Think again, idiot." Ash snarled. "We keep them separate from the rest of the compound for their innocence. Forget about them. You hardly seem the type to care about grandkids."
"You'd think right." Aiden concurred as Annabel clutched her stomach as she walked behind he brother and father.
Making their way to the command room, Ash and the group came across Delia in the hallway. The group stopped as Aiden met eye contact with his ex wife.
"Delia." Aiden spoke. "You're with that son of yours intimately? I knew he was low for banging his sister, but to think he'd stooped to copulating with his own mother."
"You broke my heart, Aiden." Delia said bitterly. "After you left, he was the only man in my life, and he's been far better in bed than the one time you ever touched me!"
As Delia stomped away from the group, Aiden looked at Ash and shook his head.
"If you want someone's seconds, then by all means, take them. I was done with her anyways."
"Why you-!" Ash said, fist clenched, only for Annabel to intervene.
"Please, Master! Let's just hear him out first." Annabel interjected.
"Tch!" Aiden scoffed, listening to his daughter addressing his son as her Master. "Let's just get this over with."
Entering the room lay a giant table with chairs on either side. As Ash healed his wounds with the Vigor Stone within him, he took a seat, with Annabel, Cynthia, and Irida beside him, with Aiden, Arezu and Mai beside him.
"You told me Go was your companion on the way over here. Why isn't he here?" Ash asked.
"I have him looking into something else. Besides, I'd rather not have you and him in the same room. He's been difficult to control as of late, ever since we returned to this timeline."
"Control?" Ash asked, perplexed by the man's phrasing.
"Forget about him. We agreed to establish a truce until we can uncover this little joint group that is trouble for both of us." Aiden put forward.
"It's time you explain things to us, father. When we found you in the old ruins, you were clearly planning to set up a trap, but not for us." Annabel spoke up. "Who were you targeting?"
His resentment for the past was clearly present, regret etched in Aiden's face. Bringing it up was digging up an old, bitter memory, but for his daighter's sake, Aiden relented.
"I intended to trap and kill the two ringleaders of the Syndicate. They're a pair of twin siblings who actually used to be Aura Guardians that were part of Rikey's guild, a guild as you already know betrayed the original Faction and nearly wiped us out for good."
"Except for your ancestor." Cynthia pitched in. "According to our salvaged records, and Riley himself, you're a defendant of the sole survivor of that purge."
"You'd be correct, Sinnoh champ." Aiden remarked. "I spent my early years in life training to be an aura guardian. Both my mother, a descendant herself, and Riley's guild were convinced I was The Chosen One, that's why they recruited me. I infiltrated the guild for the sole purpose of eliminating them and avenging the guild. My mother believed that group to be the ones who would cause the apocalypse the prophesy spoke of."
"According to Riley, you and my mother fled the group, so it clearly didn't work out." Annabel mentioned.
"She was one of the only two people I ever trusted in life completely once I joined Riley's faction." Aiden said. "Ana was her name. In fact, I named you after her as a way of honoring her."
"What do you mean?" Annabel asked, curious.
"Your mother was already pregnant with you when we fled. When my assassination attempt on the former leader failed, we had to run. I got a good tip from a friend of mine to head south west, into the Silver Mountain range. Your mother's water broke while we were still on the run. We were able to use what little medical knowledge we knew to deliver you safely, but your mother lost too much blood. She told me to take you and run...before...before..."
Aiden's voice grew horse, the man looking up at the ceiling with tears in his eyes and Mai and Arezu put their hands on a respective shoulder.
Soon his tears turned to rage.
"It was those two! Jack and Diana!" Aiden snarled, his rage burning so much that Griffon emerged from his pokeball to settle his trainer down.
"Hey, hey, hey! Easy there, big guy!" He cawed. "You wanna blow a blood vessel or something? I think I'll do that talkin' from here. So, to put it shortly, the two mooks who are running things in the criminal underworld are the two same bozo's who tried to bump off your old daddy dearest, here. The boss man's been waiting years to take his revenge."
"Why haven't you at this point?" Ash asked. "You clearly have the power and resources to try. Why didn't you?"
"Well, if you just had to ask, it's because he's d-" Griffon spoke, but Aiden hushed him with his hand, instantly silencing the bird Pokémon.
"I have my reasons. The point is their group is connected to another, if not another on top of that. They are being supplied technology far more advanced than I've ever seen. And from what I've observed, they seem to be getting that tech in exchange for people they've captured." Aiden responded.
"That's-" Annabel gasped, reflecting on what happened to her only a couple weeks ago, catching Aiden's attention.
"What is it, Annabel?" Aiden asked softly.
"Not too long ago, I was captured by a group. They called themselves the Ultra Recon Squad. They possessed very strange tech. I would have been their puppet if it wasn't for my Master here. Even someone as mighty as my brother struggled to compete with their technology, which had the power to suppress Aura."
"You were captured by one group just to be saved by your previous captor?" Aiden asked, looking at Ash sternly.
"I've given myself up to Ash willingly, even more so after I discovered we were family." Annabel replied, softly touching her wedding ring while glancing at her lover. "I'm his to use and abuse as he sees fit. I'm his slave, his sister, and his second wife, and I'm honored he'd have me as his servant!"
"Well, if they are dangerous enough to pose even the 'mighty and amazing' Ash Ketchum, then I guess maybe we should consider our options." Aiden spoke, half in a mocking tone, half serious. "The only reason I really even considered this alliance was because of this."
From his backpack he had Arezu carry for him, Aiden retrieved an opulent, wooden case, bedazzled with fine cut aura gems. From where the box opened was a mysteriously shaped look, with no discernible place to insert a key of any kind. Instead, a simple, sharp pin jutted from the case.
"This particular item was one of the main reasons I went into that other timeline. Not only did I meet Allie's like Arezu, Mai and Go there, but I discovered a relic that Riley destroyed." Aiden mentioned.
"Destroyed?" Ash asked.
"You've no right to ask me this, seeing as how you were the reason such a thing was destroyed. I won't bore you with that story for now, but what's important is what's within this box." Aiden continued. "Lost to our world, but still intact from a timeline almost exactly like our own. Inside this box contains the 'Accords of Athena'. Sound familiar?"
The room lay silent a few moments, only for the brief elation Aiden had to wane.
"I guess not."
Suddenly, something popped into Cynthia's head.
"Ah! I read about this from old tablets left behind in Sinnoh! Athena The Wise!" The blonde bombshell blurted out, her archeological knowledge proving useful.
"Ah, so one of you does know. At least some facet of her, anyways." Aiden smirked, genuinely content someone knew of the now enigmatic woman of legend. "For the uninitiated, Athena was said to be the very first Aura Guardian. Our very faction's founder, that woman was the ancestor of every natural aura user. She was said to be a miracle worker, giving birth despite never laying with a man, not even once. She was not only the first Aura Guardian, but the first Augur as well, said to see into the future. She was even the woman who gave us The Chosen One prophesy, to begin with, and was the very first person blessed by Arceus to receive the Stones of Power."
"Fascinating stuff, but what does that have to do with our predicament?" Ash asked.
"It took years for me to decipher old texts, but thanks to the other timeline allowing me to find ruins that would otherwise be lost in our current day, I discovered that Athena had found a way to transcend death, in a sense. Weaving a scroll from the gentle flowers of a Time Flower, Athena was said to have imbued the remnants of her soul into the scroll contained within this box. My plan was to seek out her guidance."
"Not that I would turn down more help, but what could she possibly offer us? The Chosen One's Prophesy was already fulfilled." Ash remarked.
"Yes, a fact I know all too well..." Aiden growled bitterly. "I wish to call her aid to give us insight, give us strength and guidance."
"If you unsealed my powers you barred from me, that wouldn't be a problem." Ash bit back, still upset that he was stripped of most of his godly abilities, barring the use of the Stones.
"You rely far too much on Aura and godly powers. It's made you arrogant 'Champion'. When was the last time you ever even used your Pokémon, hmm?" Aiden said. "If we wish to oppose such evil, we need to rely on our Pokémon friends to help us see this through. To be an Aura Guardian is to fight together, alongside Pokémon. Never forget that again."
A rift of tension once again formed between father and son. As the duo stared each other down, Griffon began to piece a thing or two other in his mind.
"Hmm, I just realized. Aiden, Ash, Annabel, Ana, Athena. Is it just me, or do a lot of you people just like the letter 'A' for some reason?" The bird squawked.
"Interesting you should note that, Griffon. It was customary for many Aura Guardians to name their children starting with the letter 'A'. That's because of our connection to not only our Founder Athena, but a way to commemorate Arceus, himself, the Alpha Pokémon."
"Huh." Annabel chuckled. "I guess you cared enough about Ash after all father. After all, that namesake only would hold meaning for your group's culture.
Aiden remained silent, only to switch topics moments after.
"The only reason I know what I know from this is because of other sources of tablets and scripture. Whatever could be gained from the scroll itself can only be ascertained by another Augur. To be specific, only a person with the blood of an Augur can open the box and translate the scroll inside." Aiden spoke, turning to Annabel. "I know you have the same blood needed for the box to be opened. Only fate itself has the right to decree who is born an Augur, and I believe it in my heart that you are meant to read this, my daughter."
"I will agree to take it, only on the condition you tell me why you are doing this." Annabel began to say.
"The deal is this. If I give you this box, you better make sure your 'Master' offers me resources as needed. I don't know how the enemy knows so much about me, but I'm being spied on. I'm having Go look into it right now, but for some reasons, the enemy knew I was coming when I raided their hideout in Saffron."
"You sure it ain't Go betraying you?" Ash asked. "Or maybe even those two next to you?"
"Impossible. I made sure of that. I used my Gallade to hypnotize them into my service. All three of them." Aiden said, shocking Ash.
"You brainwashed them?!" Ash gasped.
"Oh, don't you even think of criticizing me, you hypocrite!" Aiden bit back. "I've learned in life that the only way you can really trust people is by ensuring they remain obedient. It's a shame you fail to see the reason in that. Can you imagine how much of this could have been avoided if you actually committed to putting the world under your control with the Mind Stone?! All that power, wasted on a fledging like you is astoundingly disappointing."
"You mean to tell me, he was under your control, all this time?" Ash asked him, his rage tempered by his slaves around him.
"What?! No! I only brainwashed him a few years back, when we were still in Hisui." Aiden scoffed, offended at the notion he was viewed to be that petty towards Ash. "He has always been obedient for me, but up until recently, ever since he saw you again, he's been difficult to rein in, which is a huge reason why he isn't here today."
"Ok, so where does that leave us? What kind of deal are we making here?" Ash asked.
"I'll put it bluntly. I'm being spied on, somehow. You have more than enough manpower while I only have 3 associates to work with. You will send a good deal of your slaves out across the world, to not only try and discover how they do this, but to report any shady dealings may be going on. In return, I will return in a week to give you the scroll. Use that time to make yourself a better trainer, and a better person while you're at it."
"Wait, now hold on! Why not just give it to us now? You have it sitting right there on the table!" Irida spoke up.
"The old scroll I had, before it was destroyed by Riley. It could only be read in a specific place. The place that is said to be the resting place of Athena's remains. It's a place you'd know all too well, Ash. After all, you sent your slaves to go there and retrieve another aura artifact." Aiden sneered angrily, reliving past events.
"The purification cylinder..!" Ash gasped.
"That's right. We're going to that place. The place you and Riley ruined. The place I used to call home." Aiden said bitterly. "We're going to Orre. Take the time to get prepared and stronger. I don't want a weak associate when I'm fighting as huge an operation as the one we're dealing with. We'll meet again in a week. Until then, I'll leave Arezu and Mai here as a way to reach me, in case something pops up. Don't try anything funny."
Taking the scroll with him and saying farewell to his hypnotized servants, Aiden departed, without not so much as a goodbye to anyone besides Annabel, not even Delia as he walked out the Palace grounds.
And so Ash was given a week to prepare for whatever might come. Though he knew he would certainly need to be on his A game from here on out, he knew there was more than enough time for business, as well as pleasure.