Chapter 10: Only temporary

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NOW – ALOLA

They went – and Kukui hesitated to call it a plan, necessarily, but they went over what they had, with Tobias.

Kukui felt out of his depth. Badly. Sitting there with his untouched cup of coffee in front of him, with Tobias explaining his ideas in his calm, emotionless voice, Kukui blinked against the waves of this can't be happening that washed over him, over and over, and endless storm. A tsunami – and he was drowning in it.

Tobias said something then, a throwaway comment, "well the first week in hiding will be the most crucial…", and it made Kukui's stomach twist suddenly, painfully.

"Hold on", he said weakly, fingers pressing against the bridge of his nose. "Tobias."

Tobias, ever the charmer, rolled his eyes. "Yes? What's your problem now?"

Kukui looked at him. Breathed in slowly.

"Can we just take a minute… Is this really the only thing we can do? Can't we just…"

"Do you want to keep Ash safe?" replied Tobias. It was rude, straight to the point. "Or do you not?"

"Of course I do, I just-" Kukui dropped his hand, stared at Tobias desperately. "Ash is…"

He trailed off.

"Tell me this", Tobias said, steadfast. "Who is Ash to you? No, forget that – who are you to him?"

"I'm his teacher", Kukui said, his voice suddenly almost gone. Then, more strongly, "I'm his guardian."

"And what else are you?" prompted Tobias. "You're a pokemon Professor. What else?"

"A scientist", Kukui said. Stared down at his hands. At the faded scars and the calluses, at the ring around his left-hand finger. "A husband. A…" He thought about Manu, suddenly, for whatever reason. Thought about the Masked Royal. He looked up. "A performer. A battler."

Tobias looked satisfied with that. "Good. Now, drop the sappy crap and pull yourself together. It's only a temporary threat we're dealing with, and you won't even need to do a thing. I'll handle everything after today."

"I know", Kukui said, not sure if he did. He tried to make himself believe. "I know. Everything's just moving so fast. I…"

"I get it", Tobias said, slow and steady, firm. "But whatever it is you're struggling with, can be dealt with later—I think we both agree getting Ash out of dodge is the priority here. Now, can we get back to the plan?"

Kukui nodded, his feet solidly on the ground and his head feeling clearer.

Ash is the priority here.

"Yes."

So they did. Tobias fixed his piercing gaze at Kukui while Kukui ground his teeth together and forced himself to focus.

"Look it over, once more", Tobias said. "You know Ash the best. Do you think we can pull this off?"

Kukui stared down at the notes Tobias had written. Lines of neat, deliberate handwriting stretched across the paper, indicating what the reporter would ask, how Ash would then reply. Vague answers to vague questions.

It seemed ingenuous in its simplicity, but Kukui wondered if it would be enough.

If the people of Alola and the people after Ash would believe it. If Ash was focused enough to go through with it.

"It's…" Kukui's voice lingered in the air, going nowhere. He looked up at Tobias and sighed. "Look, Tobias. All this planning… none of it will matter if Ash gets distracted and blurts out something he shouldn't. He's, um, not particularly good a liar."

He thought about the presentation Ash had tried to give with the help of Rotom Dex. The complete disaster it had been, until the boy had stopped pretending, and had started talking from his heart.

Tobias seemed to be thinking about something similar, too.

"We'll keep it short", he agreed. "And let's get a reporter we can trust. They need to be someone who would agree to do a pretend interview like this, and not go behind our backs spreading rumors. Someone who will edit out parts if asked to do so. Do you know anyone here like that?"

Kukui dug his fingers against his temples, hard. He shook his head.

Goddamnit.

"Manu will do it", he said sourly, after a moment. "If we offer him something good enough in return. And I happen to know exactly what he wants."

"Good", said Tobias.

"And", Kukui added, shrugging tiredly, "if we don't involve Manu ourselves, he's gonna get involved anyways. He will be all over our business until he's found out every last detail of Ash's alleged departure. So it's better to just include him right from the beginning, I think."

Tobias nodded before sitting up, suddenly alert. A second later, the front door clicked open and Burnet walked in, eyes sharp, hair astray. She glanced over her shoulder, where Ash was still outside playing with his pokemon, and then pressed the door shut behind her. She shared a long look with Kukui before speaking.

"You two done? What did you decide?"

"Ash will talk with Manu", Kukui said. His tone must've revealed all the discontent he was feeling about the decision, and he could see Burnet's whole face twist with it, too. He raised a hand before she could argue. "I know. But Manu is the only one we can trust to go on with a lie like this. To keep a secret like this. It's simply too good a deal for him to turn down. He helps us with this, and I promise him the interview of his lifetime once this mess is over."

Burnet sat down on the other edge of the sofa, her posture tense. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she nodded, said, "Fine. But I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"You two can argue about it later", Tobias said sharply, stopping Kukui from answering. "Now, I won't tell you the details of where I'm taking Ash, just to be sure, but I'm thinking Unova. It's far enough away and has cities big enough to make it hard for anyone to track our movements. I have contacts in Unova, too. We can make it work."

Kukui nodded. He didn't like it, but it'd have to do. Anything that'd make Ash stay safe, he'd agree to.

But Burnet shook her head, to both of their surprise. She smiled, just a little. Just enough to reassure Kukui with her confidence.

"Actually", she said to Tobias. "I might have a better idea."

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A few hours later, in the hallway outside Manu's office at Sports & Pokemon, Kukui was staring down the reporter with his arms crossed in front.

"If we're gonna do this, everything needs to happen on our terms. Everything. You understand?"

Manu chewed on his gum, open-mouthed and obnoxious, and grinned.

"Man, you must be in some deep shit to be this desperate", he said, amused. "What happened to all that bluster from this morning, hm? But sure, pal. I'll play out your little script and pretend the golden boy of Alola is off to a perfectly normal trip to gods know where, if that means you're going to stop being a little bitch in the future and actually give me an exclusive interview. And this time, it's gonna be on my terms."

At Kukui's stare of death, he just smiled wider. "That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"Yes. But Ash is off limits", said Kukui. His hands felt freezing cold, and he tucked them closer against his body, his fingers curling into tight fists. "Even after this current, uh-situation-blows over, I am not promising you an interview with Ash. Only with me."

"Sure, that works fine", said Manu pleasantly. "What's the timeline for this deal, then? Two days? A week?"

Kukui stayed silent, and Manu's eyebrows rose. "A month? Really, that deep?"

"I'm not sure", admitted Kukui. He breathed out through his teeth, frustrated. Manu's face settled into something unreadable as he stared up at Kukui.

"Hey, what's going on, my man?" he asked, and if Kukui wasn't inclined to always expect the worst from him, he might've thought Manu sounded almost concerned. "The kid needs an alibi for something?" Manu shook his head to himself. "No… You need him out of Alola for some reason?"

"It's none of your business, Manu", said Kukui curtly. "And it won't matter how long it takes. When it's over, I promise you'll get your end of the deal. I just need you to leave Ash out of it."

Manu eyed him for a moment before shrugging. "If you say so. And I'm good for it, man. I don't break deals like this. You can trust me." He patted his chest, where curls of black hair were sticking out from under the too-open collar of his flower-patterned shirt. "Scout's honor."

"Good", said Kukui, turning away. "Let's do this, then."

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Ash was fidgeting.

He sat stiffly on the chair Manu had offered for him, hands curled around a very uncomfortable-looking Pikachu. Every few seconds, his feet shifted on the floor, or his hand went into his hair, or he looked to the side, at Kukui, with widened eyes.

And Kukui just smiled at him, and gave him a thumbs up, and prayed that nothing would go too wrong.

"So, Ash, what do you want to say to your fans that will surely be disappointed to see you leaving so suddenly?"

At Manu's question, Ash jumped and grinned awkwardly back at the camera.

"Uh… well, I'm gonna be away for long – I'm gonna come back, for sure! So no one should worry about that or anything." His hand curled a bit tighter around Pikachu. "No one should w-worry about me, or, or my pokemon, or anything! …Right?"

He turned to stare at Kukui again, and Kukui felt the intense need to jump in front of the camera and just hold him. The need, it pulled in his chest, tugging, demanding.

He didn't do it, though. Because Manu was also looking at him, dark eyes flicking under his brows, and he said, under his breath, "…Alright. Let's keep in just the first bit of whatever that was…"

And Kukui could feel the growing suspicion in the tone of his voice, see it setting deeper on his face.

Then Manu turned back to Ash with the widest smile and nodded encouragingly. "Awesome, that's just awesome to hear! It certainly has been exciting few weeks for you, so it's no wonder you haven't been up to giving many interviews. But let me ask you at least one thing, okay?" He tilted his chin, keeping Ash's attention on him. When Ash then nodded, confused and flustered, he continued, "The people really wanna hear about your thought process behind the decisions you made during the final match against Gladion, Ash. Like that sick counter against counter you had Lycanroc use, wow! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that! Were you sure it was going to work, or did you take a calculated risk with it?"

Ash stared at him blankly for a while, before suddenly Pikachu muttered something on his lap, making Ash's eyes flicker from the camera to it. His brow furrowed slightly, and then he smiled.

"I trusted Lycanroc", he said, looking back up with more confidence. "Lycanroc's awesome. I was sure it was gonna work, cause both me and Lycanroc believed it would!"

Manu sat back, his eyebrows shooting up, and Kukui couldn't help but smile smugly. Ash sounded so sure. Without even really knowing what was going on, at least Ash still had his absolute trust in his pokemon. It made Kukui's heart swell up with pride.

Manu recovered fast. "Well, that does make sense, if you think about it! Some people have been saying they think the reason the Z-moves you perform are so powerful is because your bond with your pokemon is uniquely strong. And what I mean with that is, stronger than is normally considered possible with your limited experience and age." Manu cocked his head. "Any comments about that?"

Kukui winced. The interview was sliding off topic, and he really just wanted to grab Ash and get out of the building. As soon as possible.

Ash looked at Pikachu again, but it stayed silent. "Man…" He rubbed the back of his neck and grinned at the camera. "I just really like pokemon? My pokemon are the best! Grovyle and Swellow and… I mean, Lycanroc and, uhh…"

He looked at Kukui again, slightly panicked. Kukui, standing helplessly behind the camera, just gave him a thumbs up again.

"Incineroar!" Ash said, remembering. He waited until Kukui nodded, and continued, "Um, Melmetal and Rowlet and Naganadel. I really like all of them. So I guess that helps with making our moves super strong!"

Manu looked utterly confused by the nonsensical answer, for a short while, before shaking it off and replying, "Sure sure, that makes sense! But oh, look at that, unfortunately our time is running out! Maybe we can continue from here after your trip, hm, Ash?"

Kukui furiously shook his head, while Ash nodded hesitantly. Ignoring both of them, Manu barreled on, "On behalf of the whole trainer community of Alola, I shall wish you all the best! We all hope to see our shining new Champion back here with us soon. Thank you, Ash, for visiting me!"

"Yeah, thank you", Ash said clumsily, and when the camera turned off, said, "That went pretty well, right?"

"Pikaa…" sighed Pikachu.

"It went great", Kukui lied. He opened the door and beckoned Ash towards it. "Come on Ash, your flight's leaving in two hours, we gotta hurry."

"Aw, so soon?" Manu said, gaze fixed at Kukui. "I wanted to talk about the details with you right away. Like what parts of that, hm, mess are we allowed to leave in."

Kukui was already pushing Ash out of the door when he said, over his shoulder, "I'll call you back. Do not release anything before that, or the deal's off."

He slammed the door shut behind him and marched Ash to his car.

Here we go, he thought. It's done. This is really happening.

Oh gods.

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Burnet was waiting at the airport with the rest of his class when Kukui and Ash arrived.

"Ash!" Lillie shouted the second she saw them. "You're really leaving already?"

"Yeah, where are you going?" asked Kiawe with a frown. "Are you going somewhere to…" He lowered his voice. "…to find out what happened to you?"

Ash stopped in front of the group, shrugging uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess something like that."

"Man, this sucks", Lana said grumpily. "Why so suddenly?"

"You could stay a couple of more days, right?" asked Mallow. Her hopeful tone made Kukui feel oddly guilty, even though it had nothing to do with him.

"I dunno…" Ash said. He looked at Pikachu on his shoulder. "Something came up."

"Like what?" asked Sophocles. "You can tell us, right? It's just us."

"I'm sorry", Kukui interjected, stepping next to Ash's shoulder. "I promise we are gonna tell everything to you later, but for now all you need to know that Ash is leaving, and it's not yet confirmed when he'll be back."

Kukui's chest ached. Why did he feel so guilty? Everything really was happening too fast.

"I'm gonna miss you…" Lillie said quietly. "Snowy's gonna miss you."

"Sorry", said Ash, rubbing his neck.

"I hope you find out what's going on", Kiawe said. "I really do."

"Me too", said Lana, still slightly grumpily.

"Thanks, guys", Ash said. He looked at all of them in turn. "It was, uh, nice meeting you I guess. Just in case if I don't… If I don't see you guys again anymore."

Mallow stared at him. "And what does that mean?"

"Is something scary going on?" asked Sophocles. He glanced around like he thought something might be lurking in the nonexistent shadows of the airport.

"I dunno if scary's the right word", replied Ash. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "More like strange and… and dangerous, I guess."

"Alright", Kukui said, a bit too loudly. "The gates are about to close, and we need to go. Class, I'll see you tomorrow at eight o'clock. I have some exciting news for you! Just because Ash is leaving for a bit doesn't mean all the fun is gone, just keep that in mind!"

Everyone smiled, though mildly. Lillie asked: "Group hug?"

Kukui took Burnet's hand and together, they watched the kids saying goodbye to Ash and Pikachu. Pikachu jumped down next to the other pokemon that were out: Snowy, Sandy, Togedemaru and Marowak, and their paws clattered on the floor tiles as they all gathered into a pile in the middle of the group.

It's only temporary, Kukui thought furiously. Repeated it over and over in his head. Only for a short while. Only for a very short while.

"Ash, Pikachu", he said. He was surprised how steadily his voice came out even though his throat felt tight, strangled. "It's time to go."

"Okay", said Ash. He looked pensive; his hair ruffled from all the hugs he'd received. He crouched down and pried Pikachu away from the other pokemon. Pikachu whined softly. "Sorry, buddy. We gotta go."

He walked away with Kukui, looking over his shoulder a couple of times.

"They were really nice", he said to Kukui, his fingers wrapped tightly around the straps of his backpack.

"Well", said Kukui. "In a couple of years for you, they will be some of your best friends. You have plenty of time to get to know them."

They paused next to the flight attendant that was checking everyone's tickets. The board above the gates read 'Hoenn'.

Kukui asked: "You remember what to do, right?"

Ash nodded. He handed his ticked to the flight attendant, and the woman glanced at Kukui before smiling kindly at Ash.

"Is this your first time flying alone?" she asked.

"Um, yeah", said Ash.

"Alright, just let us know if there's anything we can help you with. Your seat is on the left side of the plane, quite far back. Just follow the numbers written on top of the seats. My colleagues are there to assist you."

"Okay", said Ash. He shifted nervously. "Thank you."

He looked at Kukui.

Kukui nodded. "Have a safe journey, Ash", he said softly. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah."

Ash walked through the gates into the covered outside area where other passengers were already piling into a bus that would take them to their plane.

Through the blurred glass window, Kukui watched as Ash slipped out of the queue and hurried into another direction, towards where an unassuming car was already waiting for him.

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THEN – SINNOH

Tobias took a step towards Ash. He moved slowly, deliberately.

"I'm Tobias, from where, exactly?"

Ash gulped. The man did not look happy, and with every step closer he only seemed more and more imposing.

"Care to elaborate, kid?"

"Um", said Ash. He threw his good arm up, defensively. Placatingly too, he hoped. "From a… a pokemon tournament?"

It was a wild guess. Maybe Tobias had entered other tournaments before the Lily of The Valley tournament where he and Tobias met? That would make sense, right?

Tobias frown deepened, but at least he stopped moving and didn't step any closer.

"A 'pokemon tournament?'" he repeated with obvious disbelief. "Hm. Which one?"

"Which one?" asked Ash nervously. He looked at May and Max. The siblings were glancing between him and Tobias, and they looked like they wanted nothing to do with either of them.

"Ash", May hissed. "What's going on?"

"I…"

"Maybe you should answer her question, Ash", said Tobias. His darkrai stepped up next to him, and he held out his hand, keeping it back. The threat, however, was obvious.

Ash huffed, attempting to mask his nerves. His fingers curled anxiously over the poke balls on his belt. "I dunno, I guess I just recognize you from somewhere", he said. His words came out rushed. "Is that really so weird?"

Tobias drew back a bit, straightening up to his full height.

"Recognizing my face—yeah, I could believe that, but you should have no business knowing my name, too. You must be working for someone, no matter how you're just a little kid."

"Ash-" said Max, preemptively.

"Huh?" said Ash.

"Oh." Max looked at him weirdly. "I thought you were gonna get mad at him for calling you that."

Ash scratched the side of his head. May ran a hand down her face, saying, "Max. Kindly shut up."

"I'm not working for anyone", Ash said to Tobias then. "Why would you even think that?"

"I just told you", Tobias said. The coldness of his voice was unreasonably intimidating, in Ash's opinion. "You have too much knowledge about me. When, and how did you learn my name?"

Ash had nothing. No clue what to say. He might as well tell the truth about time traveling instead of attempting to make up something and lie. Both options would be equally bad and sound just as unbelievable, anyways.

And Tobias wasn't a bad guy, right? He would probably get it.

"I'm, uh…", Ash then began. "Well. This is gonna sound really weird, but-"

Latias whined then, from behind Tobias. It was a heart-piercing sound, high and anguished and it sent cold shivers down Ash's spine. It made his skin prickle and his fingers tingle with needles, like the aftereffects of real physical pain.

Tobias turned around and dropped onto the grass next to it.

"Latias", he said in a hushed tone. "I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Here, let me…"

He grabbed a poke ball and recalled the pokemon. Still kneeling, he looked up to Ash with an unreadable expression.

"Where is the closest pokemon center?"

Ash's shoulders relaxed.

Tobias had priorities too. And that meant they would have a truce, at least temporarily.

"We can show you", he said, and smiled. "Just follow us."

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Brock was sitting outside of the poke center when they arrived, and he jumped up when he saw them.

"Hey Ash, guys!" he called. "How was your walk?" His gaze skirted over them and landed on Tobias. Brock's smile faded, settling into something unreadable. "And who's your… friend?"

"Is Nurse Joy around?" Tobias asked, instead of answering. He strode right past Brock, offering him nothing more than a passing glance. Ash hurried after him and smiled sheepishly at Brock.

"He's… um, it's a long story."

He ducked into the poke center after Tobias. The man had walked straight to the front desk and was talking to Abby, Latias's poke ball in his hand.

"I need it healed as soon as possible", he said to Abby.

Abby smiled brightly. "Of course! Please, go take a seat, this will take about a half an hour."

She tucked the poke ball into a tray and was about to turn around and carry it to the back room when she noticed Ash at Tobias's heels.

"Oh, Ash, welcome back!" she said cheerily. "Perfect timing. Lance was just looking for you."

Ash leaned against the counter next to Tobias, slightly out of breath.

"Oh, okay", he said. "Where is he?"

"Lance?" said Tobias, half under his breath. "You don't mean…"

Ash looked at him curiously but didn't have time to say anything more when Lance stepped out of the back room. He paused on his tracks, staring at Tobias with open shock for a second before masking it under a blank face. Tobias stared back, his fingers pressing white-knuckled against the countertop.

Slowly, Lance looked away from the trainer and at Ash.

"Hey, Ash. What is going on?"

He sounded… odd. Serious. Controlled. Like someone who's eerily calm, moments before exploding into action. Ash felt his heart suddenly race, his body on high alert, though he couldn't exactly say why he felt that way. Pikachu, too, bristled with nerves, traces of its electricity tickling Ash's cheek.

He stumbled through a sentence that didn't make much sense. "I- in the forest- we just met-"

"Lance." Tobias's voice cut through his, sharp like a knife. He straightened his back, drawing his hands away from the counter. "Look at that. Just the man I was looking for. What a coincidence."

Lance hadn't relaxed the tiniest bit. If anything, to Ash he looked even more tense that before.

He said, voice low and steady, "Oh, is that right? Well, what can I do for you?"

Tobias laughed, shortly, and it sounded anything but humorous. "You are still part of the G-men, right?", he asked. "Or is my information outdated?"

"Your information is correct, Tobias", said Lance evenly.

Ash took a double take at them both. Wait, how did he… had Tobias said his name at all? Did they know each other?

Tobias nodded appreciatingly. "We should go talk somewhere more… private." He looked around, at Ash next to him and at Abby still standing right next to Lance.

Lance considered him for a moment, his eyes calculating.

"Sure", he said after a short pause. "Come to the back room with me." He looked at Abby. "Nurse Joy, you can come too, so you can start healing his pokemon."

Tobias started, "Isn't there anywhere else-"

"You can trust her", said Lance. He hesitated another second. "Actually-you can trust Ash too. He's my… apprentice, for lack of a better term."

Ash had to admit he was very confused at what was happening at the moment, but he nodded anyways when Tobias turned to look at him.

"U-huh", he said nervously. "That's why- that's why I knew your name, I guess. Sorry I couldn't tell you before."

He was pretty sure he sounded believable enough. He really hoped he did.

Tobias smiled, slow and mean. "Oh Lance, you're using children? You people are not that honorable this side of the law either, I see."

Ash blinked, puzzled. He shared a baffled look with Pikachu on his shoulder. What had Tobias meant with this side…? Was Tobias one of the bad guys?

"Stop being so dramatic", said Lance with a huff. "Did you want to talk with me or not?"

He half turned around, beckoning with his hand. "Come on."

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And that was how Ash found himself behind closed doors with Lance, Abigail and Tobias. He sat rigidly at the far end of the sofa, a nervous Pikachu on his lap, while Abby worked on healing Latias. Lance, when Ash asked, had told him that Kellyn and Lucario were resting in one of the rentable rooms of the center, so for now Ash didn't need to worry about the pokemon, at least.

"Right, so", Lance begun, leaning against a wall with crossed arms. "Tobias. Let's get straight to it. Why were you looking for me?"

On the other side of the room, Tobias stood still as a statue, hands deep in his pockets. Ash noticed he looked way less imposing now, when face to face with just Lance.

"I need your assistance", he said then, and the tone of his voice really took Ash by surprise. He sounded humble, almost. Open, and honest. "I… need help."

Lance frowned slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"I want out of Team Enigma", Tobias said. Lance froze, and Ash felt himself staring at the trainer, mouth half open.

"You-" Lance coughed. "You can't be serious. Let me ask this again; what are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I just said." Tobias still hadn't moved; it was like he was stuck frozen in space and time until he would get his message across. He spoke quickly, quietly, "I need to get out, Lance. The people in power of that organization are getting more and more ruthless in their methods, and I can't be part of that anymore. When Saga was in complete control, things were different – but there are new people in power now, making decisions, telling her what to do… And she's sick, Lance. I don't know if that is knowledge the G-men have, but…"

He stopped speaking, sucked in an audible breath. He was calmer, then, when he continued, "I can help you take them down, if you promise me safety. If I am free to go, when this mess is over."

Lance was still leaning against the wall, but his shoulders were rigid as he looked Tobias all over.

"Well, this is… unexpected", he said after a short, stifling silence. "Also, very convenient for us, if you really are being truthful. I gotta say Tobias, I don't know much about your role in Team Enigma, just the fact that you've been seen spending time around Saga and the other bigger bosses. I only know your name because it came up once in a stake out I took part in."

"My role is not important", Tobias said, his face set in stone. "But if you need to know, I was never one that captured or sold those rare pokemon. That was never something I took part in."

"Right." Lance's head tilted, ever so slightly. "But you obviously knew about it, and for years, did nothing to stop it. So, what exactly made you change your mind so drastically, and why now?"

Tobias's shoulders slumped the tiniest bit, and the look on his face morphed from carefully blank into something much more raw, much more real.

"They captured Mew."

"Mew?"

Ash realized he spoke aloud only after a sudden silence fell, and both Lance and Tobias turned around to look at him. He stared back at Lance, million questions in his mind.

Lance said to him, "Well, this confirms what we were talking about earlier."

"Getting this Mew has been a top priority for months now, and they truly went far beyond reasonable measures in its capture", Tobias continued. There was mild disgust in his voice. "Finally, this morning-this morning Oli, one of our team leaders shot down a rival bounty hunter's aircraft where she had a Mew in containment. They took it, they took Mew, and left that aircraft in burning ruins. When I heard about this, I called help anonymously, but the hunter… I don't know. I don't know if she survived."

There was something heavy on Ash's chest, something suffocating. Static filled his head, and it was hard to focus.

He stuttered, "Wait, but-"

He sat up, and Pikachu moved closer to him, its tail whipping around anxiously.

"Was it Hunter J's plane?"

"From what I heard, yes, I believe so, though I couldn't tell you any details", Tobias answered. "It was mostly an accident I even heard about this mission."

"Hold on. What?" Lance turned his attention from Tobias to Ash, confusion clear on his face. "So J wasn't hired by Saga or Team Enigma at all? If they stole Mew from her, that means someone else hired J to capture it. But then…"

Ash had never seen Lance this out of sorts. He had one hand pressed against his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought furiously, as he tried to make some sense of the situation.

"What the hell is going on", Lance muttered. "This is all so convoluted."

The room fell into grim silence.

And suddenly Ash knew, somewhere deep in his core, in some unreachable, primal part of him, that things were about to go downhill, and fast.

He felt Lucario jerking awake in the room next over, its aura at full blaze in a way he had never experienced before.

It tugged at his spine and filled his veins with slow-burning fire, and he looked towards the front of the building before anything had even happened.

His fingers tingled and burned.

And then, somewhere beyond the closed door, someone started screaming.