Chapter 50
"Fancy seeing you here"
"Ash" James said, looking warily at him before he glanced at an unconscious Jessie who was hooked up to a ventilator, the steady beat of the heart monitor letting them know she was still breathing. "Why are you here?"
"One of my Gym Leaders is just down the hall" Ash said "it was pure chance that I wandered past this door. I'd ask how you've both been but it's evident by the cuts on your face and the fact Jessie is hooked up to a machine I'd say it was rather obvious. What happened to her?"
"She's being treated for ice burns" he said pointing the discolouration on the parts of her body that were exposed. "She was asked to lead one of the groups that was stationed on the High Street when someone used a Sheer Cold that wiped out most of the people stationed with her. She was very fortunate that she had borrowed Growlie from me and his body protected her but she was buried under the snow for hours. She seems to be doing ok though which is the important thing."
Ash immediately felt guilt flow through him as he knew exactly who had ordered that move used as it was him. He wondered if he should come clean when the Meowth started talking. He hadn't heard or seen from Meowth since they had first met in Viridian City all those years ago at the start of Ash's journey.
"Yeah she's a tough old gal is Jess." He said.
"I'm glad she's going to be ok" Ash said nodding "it's really strange hearing a Pokémon actually speak when I can understand them anyway. It's good to see you again though Meowth, how have you been?"
"Not great" he said, yawning and stretching, "but better than I was after we foist met anyways. That wasn't a fun time."
"Yeah I'm glad they were able to rescue you" Ash said nodding before turning to James "how did you escape? And why aren't there swarms of police surrounding your door?"
"Ah well that's because I teleported us both home first and changed us both into regular clothing" James said "in hindsight I should have brought Jessie straight here but I feared we'd be either arrested or rejected, either way Jessie would have likely died so while she was delayed in getting help I think I made the right choice."
"I would say so," Ash said, nodding to her.
"Ash what the hell was that screech?" James asked "I was hiding in the toilets when I heard you and your dad sprint past me up the stairs. The front doors were locked but luckily I still had Alakazam on me and we teleported to where I knew Jessie to be and fortunately found her but Alakazam was in agony when that noise happened and couldn't move."
"It was an untethered spirit," Ash said before explaining what one was.
"Oh wow" James said leaning back in his seat processing the information. "That poor thing."
"I'm glad you're all safe" Ash said "I must admit I thought you were both dead because very few of the Team Rocket members have been identified by family members."
"Likely because they were orphans" James said "90% of the recruits were deliberately chosen for that reason, so they had no other ties than Team Rocket to keep them loyal. Jessie's mum was the one who brought her into the fold here and she died on a mission so Jess had no one but Team Rocket, I left my home because of my overbearing parents who wanted me to marry someone I had no interest in and Meowth was a stray that travelled Kanto for a while before he was given to Jessie. Did you know we've been married just over a month now? Officially married that is."
"I knew you were supposedly married but I don't think you've told me that it was actually official." Ash said.
"We married in secret in October" James said pulling a necklace with two rings on a chain from under his jumper "when I was informed of the plans to take over the Radio Tower I knew that the situation was coming to a head and I wanted her to know that she was loved before we died. She of course thought I was joking until I pulled out the ring. We even allowed ourselves a small honeymoon, just a few days in Olivine City before we were ordered to Goldenrod City." Picking up her hand Ash felt like he was interrupting a very intimate moment between the two of them and knew James felt for Jessie what he felt for Nia. "She's the best of me Ash" he said looking at him.
"I can understand that." Ash said "So now you're free, what are your plans?"
"I've not even thought of it to be honest," James said, sighing heavily, "we'll probably be able to start our business now that we don't have to risk our lives every day. Jessie wants to open a clothes store for Pokémon Contests, we heard they're building theatres for them all across Kanto and Johto so she wants to get ahead of the game. As for me, I have no idea. I know I want to do something regarding computers, I'm a pretty decent hacker and know my way around a server but other than that I'm stuck."
"We're always looking out for talented programmers at the League" Ash said "there's been a few new ideas floated around lately that you could probably have a look at. I'll tell you what, I have a meeting in February with Bill and the other regional system creators when we finalise the Poképal for Silph in Vermillion. If I send you the details do you think you'll be interested?"
"Oh definitely" James said, his face lighting up, knowing what a privilege it would be working alongside Bill.
"I'm just giving you the opportunity James" Ash said "it'll be up to you to impress Bill and the others. There's also a building I own in Viridian City if you and Jessie want to look at it. One of my researchers used to live there as they were sacked a few weeks ago but the downstairs could easily be converted into a shop, or I could just have a building built nearby."
"Why?" James asked, perplexed.
"I'm always looking to help my friends out" Ash said "you guys have put yourself through hell over the last few years and while it was your own fault I'm glad you survived. You two need a fresh start where Team Rocket isn't an issue and I have the ability to help out. I know how talented you are, and I trust your faith in Jessie. It's that simple really."
"Nothing is ever that simple, or free" Meowth said slyly.
"Not with me" Ash said "I've helped a few people out and never asked for anything back. I don't know you that well Meowth but Jessie and James are still on the access list to my home for a reason, even if they've never used it. I don't take advantage of my friends, all I ask is they do their best of the opportunity I provide. Think it over, talk about it and if you have any more questions just ring me. You've got my number, you also know where I live and I'll be home until at least April before heading to Hoenn."
"We will do" James said, taking Jessie's hand again. "Thanks Ash."
"I need to go." He said nodding to him and standing up, "I haven't been home since before the Silver Conference and I need sleep. Stay in touch regardless of the decision you make. Good to see you again, Meowth."
Leaving them he briefly spoke to the nurse at the reception desk before leaving and sighing as he breathed in the Olivine air. Heading to the port he bought a ticket and waited in the lounge, wishing that the Bullet Train was available again but it would be another few days before they were back running as normal. Using it for the Vigil required special dispensation which he only received due to the reason he was travelling to Johto in the first place. He would have to find his own way home which left two options. Either he flew home via Silver Town, to the Indigo Plateau where he would still have to then fly again to Saffron to collect Pikachu or he got on a boat to Vermillion and flew to Saffron from there. So while Queenie didn't mind flying, the boat was still days quicker.
Leaving Johto was bittersweet as while there had been several instances of him having his life on the line the overall experience was quite wonderful, he had met some brilliant people, caught some wonderful Pokémon, had some brilliant battles and won the tournament at the end of it proving their hard work had paid off.
Ten hours later he disembarked the SS Aqua and decided flying to Saffron during the night and sleeping most of the day was the best possible way of eventually getting home quicker. The flight took another six hours but it was infinitely better than getting that infernal night bus that took nearly eighteen hours. Landing in Saffron he looked at his Pokégear and saw it was 7am and wondered what to do first. Deciding on sleep he sent Nia a message letting her know he was back in Saffron City and checked into the Pokémon centre thinking he needed somewhere more suitable to stay than taking up a bed here at the centre. It was hours later when he awoke, feeling slightly better and realised he wasn't alone in the room anymore as there was a familiar weight on his chest making him instantly calmer. Looking off to the side blearily he saw Nia asleep at the side of him too and drifted straight back off to sleep.
Elsewhere
A pair of purple eyes on a black screen unblinkingly waited for the last member to arrive and log in.
"Speak," it said.
"There has been discord sewn between Kanto and Johto because of Team Rocket but likely not as much as it could have been had the Kanto Champion not aided them. All told 450 perished."
"It has been noted that not a single trainer was a psychic which could come back to us and reflect negatively."
"It was a risk," purple eyes said, "one I deemed necessary. What of our agents?"
"The Kanto agent has reported that the mood is almost fully behind Ketchum, they feel he did the right thing in aiding Johto and rumours are he is funding the reparations out of his own pocket which will endear him even more to the people of Kanto."
"The Johto contact has not been heard from since before the Goldenrod Incident. Rumour has it Rota is involved."
"Rota?" Purple eyes asked, sounding concerned "in what way?"
"Eyewitnesses state that they saw several Lucario enter a house in Silver Town and leave not long afterwards with the police collecting two body bags. However, the contact was not one of them."
"They failed to capture their target" another voice said "I heard it directly from Silver. Ketchum rescued the target before we had a chance to move in and within minutes the Lucario were upon them in force."
"And who might you be? And how did you know about this meeting?" Purple eyes asked curiously and a little irritated.
The screen turned from blank to showing a person sitting in a room wearing a metal suit and purple eyes instantly recognised him.
"Ah, the Prodigal Son returns."
"I am not your son" the Assassin said "nor have I ever been. But yes, I am here. Ketchum did a number on Team Rocket. Rumour has it he and three others stormed the tower alone and won before Silver was confronted. I myself did battle with Ketchums Pokémon atop the building."
"And lost badly" Purple eyes said "you need not lie, I already know."
"He was aided by the Charizard from the Charicific Valley during our battle." Assassin said. "But yes, I still was defeated."
"Pathetically I heard" Purple eyes said contemptuously.
"Coming from you?" The Assassin said, chuckling a wheezing laugh "you are deliberately hiding from Ketchum because you fear him so let's not start that kind of game should we?"
After a moment's silence where the rest held their breath wondering what the response would be they were all surprised to hear their master ask.
"So, given the failure of our contact in Johto, what can we expect from Hoenn and Sinnoh?"
"Unknown" another voice said "we currently don't have as many numbers as Kanto and Johto and recruitment is slow due to the backlash from the Indigo League and the attempted possession of Ketchum."
"Yes, another failure to listen to instructions" The Assassin said "to do so in Ketchum's back garden and expect the world's greatest aura user not to recognise an attempted summoning was ridiculous. Who ordered that?"
"No one did" Purple eyes said "they were ordered to try and contact someone who could swing this war into our favour and in doing so alerted the very person we wanted to hide from."
"Yes well you may want to come up with a different idea concerning the potential ally because I very much doubt he will listen to you." The Assassin said.
"He will listen or suffer the consequences," Purple Eyes said dismissively.
"You are aware he's an ally of Ketchum right?" The Assassin asked, getting gasps from several people on the call.
"A false statement" Purple eyes countered "one we let out deliberately."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that" The Assassin said "I have it on very good authority that the ally…you know what the subterfuge regarding Mewtwo is ridiculous so shall we just call him by his name? Mewtwo has given Ketchum direct confirmation that he will not battle him nor face off from him on a battlefield except under duress. That's about as comprehensive a 'no' to your plan that you're going to get."
"As I said, Mewtwos compliance will be taken out of his hands. What news of Sinnoh?"
"My influence is not what it once was. The Pokémon Master activating her aural powers could not have come at a worse time and she is very likely to listen to Ketchum and follow his lead, especially if he offers to train her. It is only because of years of goodwill that I am still in my position."
"So Sinnoh will follow Kantos lead" Purple Eyes said "and should Lance still be Champion he will likely follow or remain neutral at best. Hoenn is being marginalised due to the incompetence of its Champion. Unova and Kalos are listening at least to our overtures but we need to secure them if we are to have any sway at the table when we reveal ourselves. How likely is the Pokémon Master to listen to Ketchum?
"Depends on how soon he can get to Sinnoh and how much they're already interacting. At the minute she has not given me any indication she is in contact with Ketchum at all but that will change should he beat Lance for a second time in the next few months as she knows he'll be a serious threat to her title as sole Master." The Assassin said.
"Cynthia doesn't care about that" Sinnoh said "she's always been an avid battler and will relish any battle they have. At the minute she'd stomp him flat and barely break a sweat but given another two years of training, which is his timescale to reach the Sinnoh Tournament and he'd be a much bigger threat. We should have taken him out when he was a rookie."
"Something which you had ample time to do" Hoenn said "given you met him before he eradicated all influence in Saffron. He had four Pokémon at the time and you were Elite Four and you still did not eliminate him."
"What and be murdered by Agatha and Samuel Oak?" Sinnoh asked, irritated.
Hoenn just scoffed and replied "Samuel Oak is not a threat."
"Now he isn't," The Assassin said, "but are you forgetting the damage his Charizard and Dragonite did to those from Team Rocket who attacked Pallet Town two years ago? Eight attacked with three Pokémon each, 2 survived to escape with their lives. The rest and their Pokémon did not. There's a reason Pallet Town has never been attacked for the last thirty years so do not be an idiot your entire life."
"Can we not attack Pallet Town now that he is retired?" another voice asked.
The Assassin just laughed, which came out very wheezy due to the voice changer installed in his helmet. "Is it any wonder failure is commonplace with this group?" he said.
"Careful boy," Purple Eyes said.
"Pallet Town is by far the most secure town or city in Kanto other than Indigo Plateau" The Assassin said "and will likely be for the next fifty years unless Ketchum dies. His Pokémon and those on his ranch regularly patrol the town, not to mention Blue Oak and Red Ketchum live there too and their Pokémon are formidable. Red now has a full team and Blue is still Champion. No, our efforts are best focused outside Kanto. Keep Pallet Town out of your mind."
"Well that's what we'll focus on." Purple Eyes said "Hoenn, do what you can to undermine the Champion and I'll see about getting someone to take his place, Sinnoh, keep your position anyway you can and I'll try and create an 'accident' for the current Pokémon Master so you can take her place. Kanto, I want you to travel to Kalos, there's a contact there who is close to the Royal Family. If we secure them, we secure Unova. We'll reconvene here in another two weeks to give updates."
As the screen went black Purple Eyes closed his and rubbed his temples. He hated having to deal with the Assassin but his reach, while long, wasn't as long as it could be and the Assassin could go places he couldn't. The loss of Johto and possibly Kanto was a concern, Johto disappearing altogether puzzled him but he knew that a rescue would be next to impossible if Rota were involved and he wasn't willing to risk open conflict before they were ready. Sinnoh housing the Lucario Kingdom also meant that they had likely lost that region too but he had already factored that in when he began his quest to eliminate the Aura users. The time was drawing close when he would reveal himself to the world. But he had a couple of Legendaries to speak to first of all, they knew what was expected and had disappeared. Perhaps destroying Mt Quena would make his point. Nodding he stood up and left the room, time waited for no one.
Ash
Waking up at 2pm was a glorious and very strange concept to Ash as he was used to waking up very early in the morning but there was no way he was staying awake the whole day to keep that routine. He was exhausted, even waking up after a seven hour sleep he was still very tired but waking up next to Nia, with Pikachu on his chest was a wonderful thing after being apart for weeks. He was so glad his starter had made it through the operation without any issues and that he was now on the road to recovery.
"Hey Pal" Ash said quietly trying not to wake Nia up "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok" Pikachu said quietly. "Very sore though."
"Yeah you will be" Ash said nodding "but it needed to be done pal. I hated leaving you here on your own, Are you mad at me?"
"I was" Pikachu said "that was until Nia told me about what had happened in Johto. I would have been useless being in so much pain."
"It was horrific Pi" Ash said "having you there wouldn't have helped to be honest as I would have been too worried about you suffering further injury. Hell, I was already worried about Nia joining me but once the battle started no one had time to second guess anything. Your surgery was more important to me than the battle which is partially why I immediately came back to Kanto and booked you in. You were in so much pain, I just found myself uncaring about the fate of Johto for a few hours. I hated leaving Nia out there though."
"She understood," Pikachu said "She's been keeping me company for the last few days. She's a good egg."
"She's also awake and trying to seem like she's not," Ash staged whispered as he looked over to see just one eye open as her head was buried into a pillow.
"I was asleep though" she said burying her head back into the pillow before looking at him "how are you?"
"Knackered" Ash said "but there's just too much to do. I'm glad all the major issues have been sorted out though so I can now get back home and at least try and relax. How are you doing?"
"I'm ok" she said rolling over to look at him properly "worried about you though."
"I'll be ok" he said "I have an in person appointment with John booked for the eighth of January. I know it's a while off but it will give me time to write down what's happened, what I can talk about and give him time to read over them. My main feeling at the moment is anger that it happened, relief that it's over and irritation that Silver disappeared. I had to serve Laura her papers too which wasn't fun."
"What papers?" Nia asked.
"Her potential termination papers along with a court summons to explain why she refused to attend the battle or Goldenrod City despite being given a direct order from myself" Ash said heavily "I hated doing it. While I don't agree with her beliefs she still had obligations to Kanto that she refused to acknowledge, that's what she's being put on trial for as it's classed as desertion."
"That's a bit extreme," Nia said, frowning.
"It is what it is," Ash said. "Like I told her and Katie, I don't make the laws up but it's my job to enforce them."
"Is there nothing you can do?" Nia asked.
"Like what?" Ash asked, confused.
"I'm not sure." Nia said looking sad "It seems like such a big deal for someone not wanting to possibly die."
"I know" Ash said "and while I don't agree with her actions Ni she still had her orders which is what they'll look at. I've been tasked with supplying my evidence of giving the order, after that it's down to her to give her defence."
"What's the penalty?" Nia asked.
"Loss of job, influence, possibly a fine and 2 years in jail" Ash said. "She would forever be branded a traitor afterwards."
"I feel like we should help her," Nia said, looking worried.
"Why?" Ash asked.
"Because she's fighting for what she believes in" Nia said "and that's a good thing because if everybody toed the party line then we have situations like what happened when the previous Elite Four let Team Rocket go. Whether that's the truth or not is irrelevant Ash" she said forestalling his comment "perception is everything Ash, and the Elite Four withheld vital information that I only know about because you've told me. You'll find that you're very well respected in Saffron City because of what you did but the Elite Four aren't welcome because they allowed Sabrina to do what she did. It took a rookie trainer to free a city from the minds of those arseholes Ash, when they should have at least checked on us. Now, I've obviously met Bruno and Lorelei and they're wonderful people but those feelings are hard to suppress for a lot of us and what they did left a lasting impression on us."
"I suppose I can understand that" Ash said nodding "I did wonder why they hadn't stepped in regarding Saffron. I never planned to do what I did, I knew I'd have trouble but my plan was to challenge and beat Sabrina and then leave as quickly as I could."
"I know, you've told me before" Nia said as she climbed out of bed "but just think, if you hadn't have done what you did and be the person who you are I would be under her control, Zoe and Ava would be under their control and Saffron City would still be oppressed. That I can't forgive."
"So what does that have to do with Laura?" Ash asked after digesting the thought of Ava being under the control of the witch and the abominations.
"I don't know Laura's story but what I do know from speaking with mum and dad about her is she grew up with her grandmother in Lavender Town," Nia said "she worked in the graveyard but disappeared suddenly when she started her trainer career. She never found out what happened either but she's convinced that Fuji had something to do with it."
"Hmmm" Ash said pondering "do you know her name?"
"No, but I can get it, why?" she asked.
"I have all of Fuji's files on his experiments." Ash said, kissing her on the head and standing up, walking over to his bag and pulling out his laptop. "Can you find out now?"
"Yeah sure" she said, picking up her phone and ringing her mother. After a brief conversation she handed Ash a piece of paper with a name on it and went to get a shower while he had a look in the files he kept very secret. He hadn't even sent these to Lance when he found them out as they were part of the same files that housed the information on how to create a cloning machine.
"Well" Nia said walking out twenty minutes later toweling her head.
"I think Laura's anger is justified" he said grimly and closing his eyes, breathing out heavily, "her nan was one of the first that Fuji experimented on trying to find out why she had such an affinity with Ghost Pokémon. Get this though, she's Grady's sister, which means he and Laura are related by marriage and it's understandable why they're both so against the decisions the previous Elite Four made. Their anger should be directed at Fuji but because they don't know for sure it's been placed elsewhere."
"Oh that's a bit shit" Nia said, reading over his shoulder and grimacing at the descriptions. "That's horrible. What kind of sick mind thinks of these things?"
"A mind that is desperate to regain his daughter and will do whatever it takes, regardless of how horrible it is" Ash said "the man was a genius, but he was also sick in the head."
"Sicko" she said before sitting down on the bed "so what are you going to do?"
"Regarding what?" Ash asked.
"Laura," she said simply.
"No idea" Ash said "it's not my decision, the courts have already decided she needs to answer for her lack of participation in the fight. Once the order came through to me that we were going to war I had no choice in giving the order to the Gym Leaders and Elite Four. It was taken out of my hands from there."
"She deserves to know this," Nia said.
"How would she explain knowing this?" Ash asked, "if I gave her this then the courts would know I know more than I should."
"It's better than her going to prison Ash" she said sighing knowing it was a tough decision to make.
"She should know this information," Ash said, nodding. "I've just no idea how to get it to her. I don't see how this will help her case though."
"No, neither do I" Nia said "anyway what's the plans for today?"
"I planned on spending the day with you before going home" Ash said "I haven't been home in months now, not properly anyway."
"Then let's go, we can visit my fathers shop and then go to the park." she said looking excited.
It was a very enjoyable day for Ash. Nia showed him around Saffron City and pointed out various landmarks that he didn't know about, they had a nice lunch together in one of the restaurants her parents used to take her to when she was a child and they visited her fathers shop which sold collectibles. Walking in he was amazed at the number of rare merchandise he had in the store, one wall was lined with retro games, another wall with collectibles such as action figures and the final wall was decorated with different shirts with famous peoples' names attached to them. He even, to his amusement, saw his own Kanto Championship shirt. Walking into the shop though he was acutely aware of many eyes tracking him and multiple whispers as he walked around with Nia looking at the various products.
"Hello sweetheart" a voice said as they turned around and saw a tall thin balding man, with round glasses walk over and give Nia a hug, shake Ash's hand and look at them questioningly, "what brings you to my humble shop?"
"I thought it would be nice for Ash to see what I get up to when I'm home and what you sell here." Nia said brightly looking at Ash before narrowing her eyes when she saw his focus was elsewhere. Nudging him he came back to himself and apologised before looking back over to the collectibles section.
"See something Ash?" Brian asked him.
"Is that real?" he asked, pointing to a display case and wandering over to it. Inside was the figurine of himself with Pikachu on his shoulder in his classic pose of a hand in his pocket, looking very windswept and interesting wearing his outfit that he wore around Kanto.
"It sure is" Brian said, opening the case so they could get a better look. Peering closely Ash marvelled at the detail and that's when he saw the price "No way am I worth that much."
"Shhhh" Brian said looking around theatrically at the crowd who was listening in "we'll never sell it if you say silly things like that out loud."
"Sorry" Ash said, chuckling as he looked above and saw one of his dad with his Charizard behind him, Blue with his Blastoise, Lance with his Dragonite, Robert with his Electabuzz and finally a much younger looking Sam with his Dragonite. "Wow, so this is the Champions section eh?"
"It is," Brian said, nodding happily "It took me a while to find the one of Professor Oak and Roberts is one of only three in the world hence it being so much but yeah, I love this collection."
"So why are you selling them?" Ash asked as Brian closed the glass case and locked it.
"I can't take them with me" he said cheerfully "and hopefully someone else gets a kick out of them and will love them just as much as I do."
"That makes sense" Ash said "I have one like that of my dad, to be honest it was the only reference I had for what he looked like for a long time as it was painful for mum to display any pictures of him after he was abducted but Sam bought me one for my fourth birthday. I still have it now but it's quite worn down from all the times I held it. But these are amazing."
"Thank you" Brian said "at least someone appreciates them."
"Hey I appreciate them just fine" Nia said shaking her head "I just don't get why people collect them and pay a fortune for them."
"No appreciation for art" Brian said, hugging her and kissing her on the top of her head.
"Anyway I was just showing him the shop, and he's off…" Nia said looking around and saw Ash had started to wander around the shop on his own, greeting various people as he stood behind them and listened to them talk about why they were in the shop. There were also several children that had seen him talking to others and grabbed him, brought them over to the shirt section and pointed out his shirt along with several other famous trainers' shirts too.
"Yeah" Ash said to a small boy who was looking at the shirt and cape of Lance's picking it up "I remember this one, he wore this to the match against Blue when he challenged him, and then he wore the black cape to the one against my father. Say what you want about him but he has style."
"So why don't you wear a cape?" a lady asked him who was likely the child's mother.
"They get in the way" Ash said "Lance has his specifically tailored so it is quite stiff in the wind so when he arrives at his battles on Dragonite it doesn't flap into his face. My flying types aren't as quick as Dragonite, plus Pikachu is my signature Pokémon so I prefer to walk into my battles with him on my shoulder."
"That makes sense Mr" the boy said "I can't wait to be a trainer, but it's so long away."
"It's only two years Brett," his mother said, "you'll soon be a trainer like I was."
"You'll love it" Ash said smiling "I certainly do. But make sure from now until then you prepare yourself properly, you seem to have a very supportive mother so listen to what she says about life on the road. Take it seriously but let yourself have fun at the same time."
"He's very good isn't he?" Brain asked Nia quietly.
"He's great with kids," Nia said, nodding "it's adults he has an issue with."
"I can understand why," Brian said, "after all, what kind of adult doesn't like collectibles?"
"Hey!" she said, nudging him playfully as they watched Ash wander back over.
"Sorry about that, but this place is amazing" Ash said enthusiastically "I wish I could buy something."
"Well why don't you?" Nia asked.
"Ah well I'm waiting to find out from my financial advisor what funds I have available to splash out." Ash said "I've just given Lance $1.5m to aid in the funding for Goldenrod City and the Whirl Islands, after all I destroyed their stadium saving them from Lugia so I'm currently recovering from Open Wallet Surgery."
"How can you just casually say you've spent that much money?" Brian asked bewildered, "That's more than I'll see in my lifetime."
"As I told Sarah years ago money is a means to an end for me" Ash said shrugging "and I'll make the majority of that back over the next year and a half when my Poképal comes out, I also have a few commercials I'm being paid for and the residuals are pretty decent."
"Why hasn't the Kanto Board donated anything, why you?" Nia asked concerned.
"They think like Laura and yourself," Ash said, smiling gently, "'A Johto problem is a Johto problem, not a Kanto one.' so I'm donating myself but Silph and my PR team are making sure it's known it's me and not Kanto that's donating the recovery funds. I need to halt any potential issues as we need to be united for what's to come."
"That doesn't sound good" Brian said "is it something I should know about?"
"Why don't you come for tea and we can tell mum and dad?" Nia asked.
"I'm fine with that" Ash said "I'd rather them be informed than surprised."
Five minutes later Ash and Nia left the shop before Ash remembered something. "Oh, just wait there a minute." Quickly he rushed into the shop and Nia could see he was chatting with her dad who looked temporarily shocked before doing something near the counter. Five minutes later a very cheerful Ash walked out, much to her confusion before something seemed to click in her head.
"You didn't?" she asked.
"Didn't what?" he asked, linking her and walking away with her.
"You did, didn't you?" she said, shaking her head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said nonchalantly before laughing.
That evening they sat in Nia's parents' living room and he told them everything he knew about what had happened and waited for their reaction. Surprisingly Sarah was the one who was the most level headed and nodded at certain parts, asked clarification on others but overall accepted the news. Brian however couldn't hide his worry that his daughter might yet again be forced into another fight for her life.
"I'm doing everything I can at the minute to try and prevent this from happening which is why I'm trying to make sure the regions are united. Isolation won't do us any good and unless Wallace changes his personality Hoenn will be marginalised leaving them easy and rife for the taking."
"Why does Wallace need to change his personality?" Sarah asked.
"He pretty much used his role of Champion to promote himself and did nothing to stabilise Hoenn after Stevens abdication. And while he's been doing that he's 'endeared' himself to his female fanbase shall we say to the point there's now at least four women claiming he's got them pregnant, one of whom is Ceruleans Gym Leader. He has a lot of lawsuits pending against him but he's using his role as Champion to protect himself from the courts claiming diplomatic immunity for what he got up to in Johto and Kanto over the last year. He can't be tried in Hoenn for what he did in Kanto and Johto, nor is he obligated to provide proof he's the father and the Hoenn Board are backing him. Those four women, and I'm certain there's more, are stuck raising his children on their own without any financial support. The only way he will lose any immunity is if he's dislodged from his role as Champion but so far he's managed to dodge any fights with his Elite Four as he's either claimed illness or been out of the country. There's only been one person in the last few years that's won a major Tournament, who is from Hoenn that can challenge their Elite Four for their position but I don't think they want to. At least I've not heard he does anyway so Hoenn is in the process of being isolated by the other regions because of him. People can say what they want about Blue and Lance but they kept their respective regions in order during their time as being Champion, something which I'm trying to do but I'm limited on what I can do until I turn 18 and fully take over. So, I'm taking the next few years to strengthen my position in the other regions and build a team which will help me retain my position because at the moment Kanto is in limbo and if I were challenged I would likely lose as half my Championship team is unavailable to me."
"So what happens if you were challenged?" Brian asked.
"I'm lucky at the minute because technically Blue is still the Champion so they'd have to battle him and beat him before they can face me" Ash said "it's a weird loophole in the law but because I'm under eighteen the reigning Champion is still the one who battles people for the title. Should he be beaten I would then be summoned as Champion elect to see who the actual Champion is. Whoever loses would be demoted to lead Elite Four however over the next year they can re-challenge up to three times before they stay at their chosen role."
"Would you re-challenge?" Brian asked.
"Yes" Ash said "I need the title of Champion to gain a Mastery. I could still beat and challenge the regions respective Elite Fours and Champions but until I lead my own I would just be seen as an Elite Trainer who happened to beat the other regions. Being Kanto Champion gives me the legitimacy that an ordinary trainer would not have. More importantly though I need the title of Master to gain control of the regions armies and the authority to command the regional Champions. At the minute I'm lucky I've not had much call to interact with Cynthia and that the war for Johto was limited to Goldenrod City and not the region as she could have countered anything Lance and I ordered, even with the two boards ordering the immediate recapture of the city. She could have taken over and we would have been forced to comply. So yes, staying Champion is essential and I'm actually very lucky to be the age I am as it gives me years to prepare for challenges and to win the Leagues I need to compete in."
"So you have the luxury of time," Sarah said, getting a nod from Ash.
"So yeah," Ash said, "that's the issue that we will be facing over the next decade. I have no idea when it will happen, I won't force any situation either but it will happen in the next ten years so be prepared because Saffron City will likely be the main hub for activity."
"Is it your responsibility to be doing this though?" Sarah asked, looking worried "you're only 14 Ash."
"I know" he said nodding "and technically no, it's Cynthias but as I have no proof of what's to come it'll be difficult to sway them. I have a meeting set up for Friday at 4pm with the regional Champions and their deputies where I'll tell them what I know, I'm just wary of how much to tell them as Cynthia's deputy and Unova's are psychics."
"They need full disclosure and have it documented that you gave them ample time to sort out their regions" Sarah said with her lawyer head on. It was a very strange but welcome surprise when she had informed Nia that alongside her own business she had finished the law degree she started when Nia left on her journey. "I'd advise you to send a copy to Jennifer too so your law firm has it documented too."
"I had planned to do so" Ash replied nodding "any official conversation I have with the league, regional professors, regional champions etc is documented so I can provide minutes to the Board of Governors. This one however is unlikely to go to them but it will be documented just in case."
That evening as he lay in bed at the centre he looked around and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Nia asked as they climbed into bed to watch a movie.
"I need a house in Saffron City" he said, surprising her "I have been thinking about it for a while to be honest so I'm going to look at the housing market tomorrow before heading home."
"That's a surprise" she said before snuggling into him "but having a home will help you in the long run I suppose."
"I'm sick of Pokemon centres" Ash said simply "and given I work in Saffron, you live here as does your parents it makes sense to have a house here. Plus with the Viridian to Saffron Bullet Train being completed in the next few years getting here will be a lot easier and faster than flying here. Porr Queenie has had a lot of work over the last few weeks."
"Can I decorate it?" Nia asked cheekily.
"Yes" Ash said.
"Really?" she asked surprised but also a bit hopeful.
"Yes" he said "I had already planned on trying to convince you anyway as you did a terrific job on the East wing when you designed the guest rooms. I also heard you sneakily designed Sam's room for him too so yes, you can do whatever you want to it. All I want is an office for myself that I'll get a keypad for that only you and I will be able to access, the rest is yours to design."
"Ok" she said quietly before snuggling in deeper.
The next morning he looked through the ads in the Saffron Reporter and found two houses that looked pretty decent so he arranged a time to meet the rep and they headed out. The first one was pretty decent. It was a three storey house, just on the outskirts of the City itself and had a huge garden. Ash instantly knew this was not his house but he went through the viewing anyway just in case it grew on him.
"It's not the one" Nia said halfway through when the rep was leading them upstairs to the top floor. "Sorry, this just isn't homey enough."
"I knew the moment I stepped in that it wasn't for us" Ash said "I had hoped it would grow on me but it's just too ostentatious for me."
"Who's been teaching you new words?" she asked playfully.
"That's fine" the rep said brightly before she led them back downstairs and locked the door behind them. "The next one may be more to your liking then as it's near the city centre, it's a ten minute walk to Silph Towers and is a two storey house."
They followed her in Nia's car and soon parked up outside a house where Nia was suspiciously quiet when she saw it. Ash however loved it from the moment they walked through the door. It reminded him of his mum's house in Pallet Town.
As they were walking round Ash noticed she was quiet and asked her what was wrong.
"I'll tell you later on." she said "it's nothing bad but what do you think?"
"This house has been rented out for the last year or so but the owner wants to sell up as she moved away a few years ago when she took a job elsewhere but as you can see it's a lot more homey than the last one, very intimate and perfect for a new family to begin their life journey. The asking price is $375,000 but she's willing to go as low as $300,000 as she's desperate to sell."
"What do you think?" Ash asked Nia who looked pensive for a moment before she walked off to the side and took out her phone and rang a number.
Ash just remained puzzled and looked at the Rep before saying "I do like this place. It seems perfect and I'll pay the full price if it can be sold within the week."
"Perfect" she said brightly "I'll ring the lady today and we'll get the ball rolling. Is it ok to contact you with the details via the number and email you gave me earlier?"
"It is," he said, nodding as they wandered over to Nia who quickly hung up the phone.
"Well?" she said, deflecting from her suspicious behaviour.
"I'm taking it" he said decisively and pushing her strangeness out of his mind "I'll pay full price so it'll be our by the weekend and hopefully by next week we can get the removal men to gut the place so it'll be all yours to do what you want with it."
"That'll be nice," Nia said smiling and looking at the rep. "So this will be ours by the weekend then?"
"As long as the owner is still ok to sell I would think so" she said brightly.
"Good" Nia said before looking up at him "Dads asked me to head to the shop for something so I need to go. When are you back in Saffron again?"
"Likely next weekend" he replied "I need to have a chat with Hatori about something and it needs to be in person so I'll arrange that with him. By then hopefully this will be ours, plus I really want to visit your dads shop again."
"No buying anything else!" she said poking him.
"Why not?" he asked before reeling his slip "damn, how did you know?"
"Dad was giddy last night, he only ever gets like that when he's done something wrong, has to keep a secret or has made a big sale." Nia said "plus you both were looking at each other all night like you wanted to say something but couldn't."
"Damn, I hate that you can read me that easily." Ash said laughing before following the Rep out of the door and shaking her hand before getting back into Nia's car and driving into the next street to park at the front of her parents house.
"I never realised it was so close." he said as they got out of the car and walked towards the city centre which was twenty minutes walk away. Leaving her outside the shop he kissed her goodbye, and headed back to the centre, picked up his gear and left. Climbing on Salamence he and Pikachu finally winged their way home towards Pallet Town. it was around 9pm when he arrived on the outskirts of Pallet Town, getting off in front of his mothers restaurant and ordering a take out and it was half an hour later when he landed outside his home and immediately felt relaxed as soon as he dropped his bag onto the floor and flopped onto the couch. He could finally, after a horrible and hectic two and a half months, relax.
The next day was a very somber one though as he had an incredibly important job to do. Walking outside he wandered into his huge garden and stopped at how breathtaking the view was at 6am. He really was a very lucky person to have this place. Whistling he walked to his usual bench and frowned when he felt something off in the distance only he couldnt put his finger on what it was. Soon Venusaur came lumbering out of the brush and stopped next to him as they gazed out at the lake in silence.
"Have I ever told you you've created an absolute masterpiece here Venusaur?" Ash asked him "I had a basic idea of what I wanted my garden to look like but this has absolutely exceeded anything I could have thought up. You have done an incredible job."
"I love this place" Venusaur said "I feel like I'm in a dream at times and that I'm living another bulbs life and that any day now I'll wake up back in the hidden forest and Melanie will bring another sick Pokemon for me to help heal. But then when I do wake up and I'm here, in my own garden, that I helped create. The feeling is indescribable Ash."
"I know exactly what you mean" Ash said nodding before sighing heavily and placing a box onto his lap "I finally brought her home, have you chosen a spot?"
"Yes" Venusaur said as they walked slowly off towards Ash's house and to where his gazebo was. Just in front of his decking was a small garden, more like a plot where a young sapling had been planted that certainly wasn't there before he left for Johto. Placing the tub down Ash took the lid off and stepped back as Venusaur started to glow as the ashes rose into the air mingling with the green and pink spores that had been released by Venusaur and created a spiral in the air that created a beautiful fluttering effect before the spores drifted downwards and settled around the sapling which amazingly to ash started sprouting little buds all the way up to the top.
"I will never get bored of seeing you work Venusaur" Ash said "it's incredible."
"She's finally at peace," he said.
"I'm planning on having that chat with the leaders tomorrow so can you get them ready to meet me near the lake near midday." Ash said.
"Will do" he said before he lumbered away.
The next day Ash walked around his lake to clear his head and felt the strange feeling return the closer he got to where the island was. Annoyed that he couldn't use his aura to walk across he reluctantly walked back to the dock and climbed into the boat and headed over to the island where the presence grew and intensified to the point it became alarming. He knew instantly what the feeling was but why the hell would they have visited here and why was there some type of psychic protection on his island? Climbing out he saw that the ground where he had once buried Typhlosion had been disturbed and a new mound had appeared. Looking around he saw that the shovel he had used months ago was still resting against the tree so he began to shovel the soil away. Ten minutes later he felt the shovel hit something and paused, it wasn't solid.
"What the hell?" Ash murmured as he continued shoveling the area. It was when he moved a particular part of the mound when he stopped and his mind went blank. He recognised the fabric whatever had been buried here was either warped in or was wearing. Dropping to his knees he quickly began to scoop handfuls of soil away and stopped when he felt his hand hit something ice cold. Carefully he moved more soil and froze before his vision clouded, he started shaking with anger and without any thought he yelled in rage releasing a huge pulse of aura that halted everyone sensitive to it in their tracks.
In Johto the beasts paused wondering what had happened to the Chosen One, the Lugia family stopped talking and looked East with concern, in Hoenn the Lucario Kingdom all wandered into the streets and looked at each other strangely before as one heading to the castle that their clan leader stayed in. Every Psychic in the world felt it too and in their fear they quickly hid inside their houses, shivering and shaking but unable to express just what had happened to them. In Sinnoh a man with startling Purple Eyes shot up clutching his own chest and feeling the dread every other of his kin felt and wondered what had happened and the pain became so intense he passed out and wouldn't wake for two days.
But it was back in Kanto that it was felt more acutely. In Rota everyone looked as one in concern without knowing towards Pallet Town, the three birds circling around their islands at Shamouti squawked as they fought to correct themselves before they headed towards Johto wanting to aid their champion, joining each other in flight. Nia leaned against the wall panicking as her heart started beating rapidly as she felt her mates rage release and had to sit down before she collapsed. It would be twenty minutes before her father found her and immediately took her to hospital as she passed out from the pain. Red was sitting with his wife and daughter when he felt his son's anger and immediately ran to the door, ignoring his wife's frantic shouts and using aura he didn't know he had access to sprinted out of Pallet Town towards Route 1 towards Ash's home. It was at the Tree of Beginning though that brother and sister looked at each other warily. They knew who that was, they had both felt his anger before but never to this point. It was strange, but they knew immediately the rage was directed at them.
They were very correct as Ash, trembling with rage, stared down at the dead face of the man he had hated for well over two years now. Staring up at him, unseeing was the face of Silver Hanzo, the once proud leader of Team Rocket, now nothing more than a slightly decomposed body.