Author's Notes: This is Chapter 9. It is also Chapter 1 of the original trilogy this came from.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. The Pokemon Company and Game Freak do.
Chapter 9
"Looks like that guy wised up." Ann remarked as she dressed Fin's bullet wound. "He's learned not to use Metal against Electricity."
"Interestingly, it wasn't Ash who shot me." Fin said. "It was his daughter, Kaylie."
"What did you say?!" Alex asked in surprise. "You saw here there?!"
"Oh, we saw her alright." Aurabolt replied. "In fact, she wanted to kill us. If I didn't know any better I'd say she's just like her father."
"Damn!" Alex exclaimed. "Ash must've told her Ted killed me. Sorry Ted but you're going to be hunted forever. Even though we were dating, I can tell you she is deadly with a weapon. Her skills are rivaled only by her father's. I would advise against trying to fight her head on."
"Believe me, I know the feeling." I said. "Women do make up most of the history's greatest assassins. I'll have to keep my eyes open."
"We'll have to be careful when we get into Kanto as well." Said Jim. "Jordan wants hunt me down, too. He may be hospitalized but we all know that won't stop him."
"Don't worry bro, we'll manage." I replied reassuringly. "We've both been marked for death dozens of times before. We're still alive, aren't we? We'll be fine."
"It's not us I'm so worried about." said Jim. "They're going to use Ann and the kids to get to us. I'm more concerned for their safety than ours."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." said Katrin. "Mom may be pregnant but I can still get her through solid objects with ease. It's not like anyone can hit something that isn't solid!"
"I may have let my guard down once but I won't do it again." Fin added. "I'll make sure to watch out for more non-metal projectile weapons."
"Finally, I can access TR Jet's database and find out information on various things." Ann said as she finished working on Fin. "I'm not taking maternity leave on account of an all out war!"
"As I once heard someone say, 'There ain't no getting offa this train!'" I exclaimed. "Let's move out!" Everyone let out a cheer.
"We're going to Kanto!" Matt exclaimed. Then we noticed the Ancient Mew still there. "So, what are you going to do?" He asked it.
"My last official act as protector of the planet has been done." It said. "I'm not really sure."
"Why don't you come with us?" I suggested. "We could use all the help we can get."
"Hmm...I guess I could go for some adventure." It replied, genuinely surprised it hasn't thought of that before. "I haven't traveled the countryside in years! I think I'll disguise myself as a human while we're traveling. I don't want people to get the wrong idea." It then transformed into a beautiful young woman. She had short brown hair and clear blue eyes. Anyone who'd just met her wouldn't know she was really a pokemon. "Just call me Monica." She said. Matt just stood there for a moment, stunned. She really was good! We were all mesmerized by the sound of her voice.
"Uh...sure." I managed to say. Then I detected a murderous aura coming from Ann directed at me. She was smiling but I knew from the feeling I was getting she definitely wasn't happy with me.
"Ok, let's get going, then!" Ann said when she noticed I picked up on her unsaid message. After packing up our stuff, we started east for Viridian City. Lance was still in bad shape so it would be a while before he would be able to move on his own. It was agreed that he would stay in Mt. Silver. With me in Kanto, there would be no fear of attack from Kanto or Johto. Matt, Jim and Hiro tried to prepare me for what to expect but in the end it wasn't enough. The once bright and bustling Viridian City looked like a ghost town. Several once tall and gleaming buildings were in ruins. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb on the city. When we came to the gym, there was a big "CLOSED" sign on it. It looked like it had closed for some time.
"I had to shut down the gym after you went AWOL."Jim explained. "Because of the frequent uprisings going on at the time, I couldn't run the risk of something happening. Now that you're back, this Pokemon Gym is officially reopened!" He unlocked the building and we went inside. Even though it was closed for 4 years, it hadn't changed much. We did find a box of hard drives in the doorway, though. After making sure everything was secure, Jim check his email. There were 3 new messages. One of them was from Jessie and James. It had been sent out to all the Gyms 3 years ago. Apparently there were new rules for the Kanto Pokemon League.
'To all Gym Leaders!' It said. 'New rules for The Kanto Pokemon League! From now on, all Pokemon Gym Battles are to be live streamed. A copy is to be submitted to the New Pokemon League HQ in Saffron City and another to the winning trainer. In addition to this, all Pokemon Gyms must have at least 2 Gym Trainers in order to be considered officially sanctioned by the Pokemon League. Gym Leaders must also battle at their best under these new conditions. Remember, we'll be watching you!'
"That's just plain weird." Ann remarked. "It's almost like they're mocking us!"
"Well, the first 2 rules don't apply to me." I remarked as I took out the Genome Badge from my Gym Leader days. "At the time I became a Gym Leader, I was exempt from having to have all battles recorded since I didn't have a building. I also didn't have to have Gym Trainers because I used to be in the Elite 4."
"Well, I still think it sucks!" Jim exclaimed as he checked his other messages. The second one was from Jordan.
It was short: 'I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch.'
Jim etched a reply in kind: 'Good luck with that, dumbass. There's a lot of people ahead of you so you'll have to wait your turn.'
"This guy is in a rush to get at me." He said after sending it. "He must really want to get hurt again. I hope the last one isn't like that."
Interestingly, it was Dave. 'Hey, Jim! Are you there? I sincerely hope you get this, as I don't know how much time I have left. How goes your search for Ted? Have you been able to find him? We are in desperate need of help in Cianwood! We just found the body of Jasmine today. Because of this, the Olivine Gym has been taken over by May, Ash's wife. We're also in need of some serious backup in Cianwood! Ash's forces are advancing. Please send help!'
We all just stood there, shocked. No one could believe that the Olivine Gym Leader was dead. If something wasn't done soon, Chuck would be next! I quickly sent a reply myself, being sure to apologize for disappearing with out an explanation. I let him know that as soon as I could, I would personally come and help him out but I was currently in Kanto on a special quest. To everyone's surprise, he etched a reply seconds later saying he'd try to hang on as long as possible. After assessing everything, I decided to go to Pallet Town to check on Professor Oak first. I also wanted to make sure Oak was okay before I went to Viridian Forest. Since Jim was officially running the Viridian City Gym again, he had to stay behind. Hiro also left to see how things were going in Saffron City. That left Me, Ann, Fin, Katrin, Matt, Alex and Monica to head south towards Pallet Town.
As we reached the City Limits, we found the countryside in ruins. It was as if someone had nuked Pallet Town or something. When we reached the town square there was only one person present. It turned out to be Gary, Oak's other grandson. "It's good to see you're still here." Matt said as we approached.
"I see you've found Ted Toss." Gary replied. "It's about time, too. I was starting to wonder if I'd have to leave grandpa here to find you." Then he noticed Alex. "Hey, isn't he one of Ash's generals?" he asked with concern.
"Not anymore." I replied. "He's helping us out. He's marked for death just like the rest of us."
"Being marked for death sucks." Alex cracked in an effort to lighten the mood.
"According to the most recent records, there are 576 contracts for Ted dead or alive. Wait, now it's over 700." Ann said as she held up her smartphone. "I checked while we were in Viridian City. More people want some of the bounty money. That and Ash keeps making more empty promises."
"We'd better hurry and get to the lab." said Matt. "There aren't that many people left in town and I don't want those who are left to think we're up to something." We walked down the main street and soon came to Oak's lab. It had developed pretty quickly since I'd last been there. It quite literally was a field hospital. The main floor had several rooms for both people and pokemon. Apparently, those who weren't in Mt. Silver were here. While walking through the facility, we soon found Oak in his office. When he saw me, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Theodore Nathan Toss, is that you?" He asked. He sounded as tired as he looked. He'd really given up hope after I disappeared. I felt bad for doing that to him.
"Yes it's me, professor." I replied as he walked over to hug me. "This is no dream. I'm back."
"Where have you been all this time?" He asked.
"To make a very long story short, in the middle of nowhere feeling sorry for myself." I replied. "I got so depressed from a loss 4 years ago, I went to Mt. Silver and have been living there since. I finally decided to let go of the past and now am going to free Kanto."
"I am so happy to hear you say that!" He exclaimed tearfully. "I'm so happy I got to see you again before I died. Who are these with you?"
"Alex Garum used to be a top general in TR but after a murder attempt on his life that I stopped, he's helping us now." I said as I made introductions. "And this is Monica. She's uh…something else." I really wasn't sure of what to say about her beyond that. She wasn't exactly human after all
"I'm a Pokemon Breeder." Monica explained to Oak. "I am here to help in any way I can."
"I'm Ted's wife, Ann-Marie." Ann said to him. "It's been awhile!"
"It certainly has!" Oak exclaimed, giving her a hug. "Wow, you've certainly grown. I remember when you were just a child. You've grown to become a wonderful woman since then."
"These are our kids, Fin and Katrin." Ann introduced "They're both 12 now."
"I haven't seen either of them since they were babies." Oak said in amazement. "They're certainly getting tall!"
"Finally, I'm going to have another baby, too." Ann said, pointing to her belly. "A regular one, though."
"That's nice to hear." Oak remarked. "Congratulations to you and your family!"
"Now that we've done the introductions, let's get down to business." I said. "We're looking for Zora Ketchum, Ash's sister. I was told only Delia knows where she is. Do you know where we can find her?" He then thought deeply as if he were reliving a moment of time. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to say anything at all from how conflicted he looked.
"Delia is in Viridian Forest." He finally said. "She moved there after the takeover. She knew Ash would be looking for her to find out information on the location of his sister. She went there knowing Matt and Gary would be able to keep the lab safe without her around."
"None of us even have a clue about Zora." said Gary. "I didn't know he had a sister myself."
"I only learned about her recently." Alex added. He then told everyone pretty much what he told me.
"This is serious indeed!" Monica exclaimed. "We need to hurry and find out where she is! If The Super Clones are any indication, she could cause serious destruction to the region in TR's Hands."
"Can you sense her anywhere close?" I asked Katrin. With her powers, Katrin could locate certain people or Pokemon as long as she knew them or met them in person first. The range of this power was pretty wide but not yet enough to cover all of Kanto.
"She's not anywhere close by." Katrin said after a few moments. "But Delia is definitely north of here!"
"I have one more question." I said to Oak. "Have you seen any Jirachi in the area?"
"Now that you mention it, I have." he replied. "One night I saw 7 Jirachi in the sky. They were together but then flew in different directions. One of them landed in Viridian Forest."
"This really helps us!" exclaimed. I then told him why we were looking for the 7 Jirachi. He seemed impressed with this daring side quest. After securing the lab, we decided to stay in town for the night. I took my family to the house I once lived in when I first became a trainer. It had since been remodeled a few times over the years but not since I'd been living in Mt. Silver. It was very nostalgic for me and Ann in particular. We wanted to have Fin and Katrin start off on a Pokemon Adventure like we did starting in Pallet Town years ago. They never had the chance. They'd been spending the last 2 years in a Cave with no chance to train pokemon. As I lay in bed next to Ann who was looking through some old pictures, I started thinking of something I could do to make it up to them. I felt they should at least be able to have a pokemon of their own someday.
"It's been a while since I've been in this house." I said to her. "I was hoping the kids would be able to become Pokemon trainers in here when they turned 10 like we did. I'm sure they'd become really good trainers."
"Then why don't we get them started now?" she asked. "They may be starting two years late but they're good at playing catch up."
"Now wouldn't be a good time." I replied. "There's a war going on and we're caught in the middle of it. It's not safe for your average trainer."
"They could still learn." Ann replied. "It would do them some good. That would help make them feel accepted by others."
"I've been fighting to be accepted my whole life." I said. "Whenever I think I have been accepted, I find out there's more. I don't want to push them too hard. They've already had to adjust pretty quickly. You have, too. You're pregnant with our third—no fourth child and you've done things most doctors would look at as less than ideal. After being stuck in a cave for 4 years, we're ready to do something for the hell of it. Normally this wouldn't bother me as it's part of who I am but I don't want to end up doing something I'll regret later on."
"It's okay if you're still having doubts." Ann replied. "We know you'll do your best. I know for a fact you becoming a Trainer wasn't something you regret. I know I had no regrets marrying you when I did. I'm even sure we both won't have any regrets on the life of our baby. The only thing I regret was letting the death of our last child nearly cause me to lose my mind."
"You've really stepped up over the past few hours." I said. "I'm not sure if it's from the lack of sleep or pure wisdom but I hope it's the latter."
"Well, I am pretty tired." Ann replied, laughing softly. "It's not from being pregnant, though. I'm sure we all feel the same way. Just tired of sitting by and not doing anything to make things right."
"That I definitely am." I said, yawning. "But I could sure use some sleep, too!" We both laughed.
"Alight, then we'll start fresh in the morning." Said Ann, yawning. "Maybe then we'll be capable of processing information." Then we both fell asleep.
When I woke up, it was morning, the sun hadn't come up yet. Ann was still sleeping but since I woke up on the floor, I knew the baby kept her up for at least half the night. When I looked, I could see the baby moving while she slept. Not wanting to wake her up, I quietly got dressed and went downstairs. On my way outside Aurabolt, now reverted back into a Pikachu followed me. I walked down the path to the cove overlooking the sea. I was surprised to see two figures already there.
"I had a feeling you'd come here." Matt said without turning around. "Neither of us have missed an seaside sunrise since the Indigo League Tournament."
"I came here for the view." Monica, who was with him explained. "I don't usually get to see a sunrise so I decided to see this one. It feels sort of special in a way."
"It should be coming up in the next 15 minutes." I said. "I always look forward to this like it's my first time seeing it. Sometimes it feels like the last."
"Well, I'm seeing it for the first time." someone nearby said. I looked down the cliff to see Katrin sitting on a rock.
"How did you get there?" I asked her.
"I never went to sleep." She explained, shrugging. "I was too busy thinking."
"About what?" I asked.
"The easiest way to see this sunrise!" she exclaimed. "Mom said you really wanted to see this one and also said you wouldn't mind if I came either. After thinking about it, I decided to wait here overnight. I would've gone to sleep but my ghostly side kicked in. After that, it was just a matter of time before someone came out."
"You're going to be sick from sitting there overnight so close to the water." I said. Not wearing anything but pajamas, I had reason to be concerned for her health. "Your mother is going to kill me when she find out."
"She wasn't down there the entire time." Said Monica. "She was meditating on this rock when I came. That's when she moved down there."
"Hey, I'm not missing this either!" another voice exclaimed. I looked at a dead tree next to the road and saw Fin. After waving, he jumped down and ran over. "I didn't want to stay up all night so I slept in that tree and waited for you to come out." He held onto the pillow and blanket he'd used in that tree. He too was dressed in only PJs.
"It's as if everyone is in a rush to beat me to a sunrise." I remarked.
"Not me." Came one more person, this time from the house. I looked and saw that it was Ann. She'd dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Even though they were a perfect fit, her belly was still sticking out the front of the shirt.
"How did you change so fast?" I asked her.
"I was wearing this when I went to sleep." She explained. "It's more comfortable than the PJs that were in the house."
"You were still asleep when I left the house." I said. "How did you wake up in time?"
"I think our baby had a part in that." She replied, point at her belly. "I planned to sleep through it when it started moving around so much I woke up."
"Something tells me this is going to a very interesting day." Said Monica as the sun started to come up. "This is where it all begins—again."
"Today we start fresh." I said. "A new day means a new chance for us to make this world a better place."
"Not just for the people who live here but for those that haven't even been born yet." Said Ann as Fin rubbed her belly.
"I'm ready to take Kanto back from TR Jet and return it to its rightful people." Said Matt. "This time I'm not going to stop until Kanto has been freed from their evil grasp!"
"We have to do what we can to make this place safe for all Pokemon." Said Monica. "After we've cleaned up here the pokemon should come back."
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Fin. "Let's go get 'em!"
"You live to see another day…" said Katrin, floating above us.
"And that's a beautiful thing!" We all exclaimed. We then went back inside to get ready to head north to Viridian Forest.
End Chapter 9.
I never said this before but the call and response at the end is a throwback to my time with the City Year program from 2003 to 2005. It's one of the many places in the story where I put my personal touch on the story.
