Chapter 54
The next few days passed by fairly quickly for Ash. The meeting at the league with Koga, Laura and Giovanni went fairly well and they decided to start the gym challenge again on Monday 29th January, so trainers had two weeks to get back into the mindset of travelling and training. Ash was reluctant to start it up again so soon after the war in Johto but he understood the decision wasn't really theirs to make. The Kanto League Board had decided so they had to go ahead with it, so it was now down to them to let their gym leaders know. Ash sent an all staff email letting them know as soon as he arrived home, tagging Cynthia into it as well. She rang him immediately upon reading it asking what the plan was.
"As far as I'm aware it's the same as it ever was," Ash said "just the trainers have had three months less to get the badges. Luckily with Cinnabar being under lava the badge challenge is land-locked now so it shouldn't be much of an issue to get them. The only issue we'll probably have is we're down a gym leader. Erikas replacement isn't ready just yet as she's still getting to grips with running Celadon Gym, the boutique and train apprentices at the same time so while we're starting it back up her badge isn't a requirement this year, however we still will require eight badges to enter the Indigo Tournament. I have a feeling in the next month or so we're going to have to push Candice to choose the gym or the boutique. Katie has informed me she feels able to return to active duty, I'm not so sure myself as when I saw her a few days ago she was still walking a bit stiffly but I trust her and her judgement. Her apprentice has kept everything for restarting at the drop of a hat so we've no issues with Viridian Gym. We considered removing the mandatory seven badges needed to challenge that gym down to five or six badges before dismissing it. It's the final hurdle for a reason, so it's staying as the final badge. Other than that nothing else will change and the tournament will go ahead in August. I just won't be there for it as I'll be in Hoenn so Blue will still be doing his duties. I can't think of anything else to be honest."
"That's fine" Cynthia said smiling "I'll have to go Ash, I need to speak to Lance as they still haven't found Will yet so he'll need to promote someone to Elite Four. Oh, and don't tell anyone but we may have a new Hoenn Champion in the next month so hopefully that league can get back on track. Thank you Ash."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
"For taking this seriously" she said "and for keeping me updated as soon as you know anything. It means a lot. You're the only one at the minute that seems to be taking my role as Pokemon Master seriously."
"That doesn't surprise me" Ash said "Lance has been a dual Champion so he feels above a lot of people, Wallace is a prick, I don't know much about Steven but i feel like he'd have taken it seriously, Alder likes to go roaming so he doesn't take anything seriously. But you're welcome Cynthia. How are you getting on with your aura practice?"
"Not well" she said "I can create Aura Spheres but they're not fantastically controlled. My mind is very well protected which is a plus but I've yet to be able to use aura in my physical workouts like you do with Machamp. Lucario tries, bless her but she's not the best trainer. She's too scared to hurt me."
"Hmmm" Ash said thinking out loud. "Leave that with me, I'll get back to you on that. It's important that you learn to augment your aura into your workout sessions because it's the only way you can get stronger. Have you found your mate yet?"
"No" she said blushing slightly "the pulses are very painful though. Is there any way of stopping those?"
"Not outside of finding your mate no" Ash said shaking his head, "I was very lucky I found Nia within a year otherwise I have a feeling I'd still be sending out my signal. You may have to go travelling Cynthia."
"I do" she said "I go to every tournament I can but it's still not happening for me."
"It'll happen," Ash said, trying to reassure her "just be patient and hope it happens soon."
The next day Ash's phone started blowing up with messages confusing Ash until he turned on the TV in the morning and shook his head when he found out the reason why.
"We bring you breaking news. Winner of the 1999 Indigo League, Jon Dickson has announced his intention to challenge the Hoenn Elite Four and Champion Wallace. Mr Dickson had less than a month left before his intention to challenge ran out but he has decided that it's long past time to issue it."
"I just feel Hoenn is in bad shape right now" John said to a reporter "I've heard whispers that Hoenn is being disparaged due to the actions of our Champion and I won't allow that to happen, not when I have the ability to change that. So, I'm officially putting the Hoenn League on notice and I will be challenging the Elite Four and Wallace over the coming weeks."
"Interesting," Ash said, nodding his head in approval and ringing up Anne at the Plateau.
"Hi Ash, what can I do for you?" his secretary asked.
"Can you order nine tickets to the Championship match between Wallace and Jon please." Ash asked.
"Sure" she said "when is it?"
"Oh it won't be for another two weeks" Ash said "Jon hasn't beaten their Elite Four just yet but he will do and I want a front row seat to see that bastard Wallace become a civilian again."
"No problem" Anne said before she hung up.
15th January 2002
That weekend he was sitting with Nia and her parents discussing what was planned when Brian asked him about Jons challenge.
"Oh yeah" Ash said as he helped wash up the dishes "Jon will win, I have no doubts about that. I've kept in touch with him over the last few years and he's been training all over the place in anticipation of this challenge. That reminds me, are you all free on the weekend of the 9th of February?"
"I think so" Sarah said walking over to the calendar on the wall and checking it out, seeing they were indeed free "yes, we are. Why?"
"How would you all like to go to Hoenn for the Championship match?" Ash asked surprise them "as soon as I heard Jon was challenging Wallace I ordered tickets and wondered if you fancied joining me? I'll definitely be going anyway as I'll be flying straight from there to the Orange Islands on that Sunday but I hope you might like to come with me for the weekend."
"I can't see why not," Sarah said, looking around and seeing her husband with a hopeful look on his face. "Who else will be going?"
"Well us four obviously," Ash said "I've also got tickets for my mum, dad and Flora as well as two spare ones that I have reserved for Zoe and Ava. It all depends on if Ava can take that Monday following it off school though."
"That'll be nice" she said nodding "Ooh but what about hotel rooms?"
"Already sorted" Ash said "when I booked the tickets I also booked four rooms. Ever Grande City is massive, easily twice the size of Indigo Plateau so there's loads of hotels there."
"Seems like you've thought of everything haven't you?" Nia asked "It's almost like you knew we would all be free that weekend."
Ash just laughed before kissing her on top of her head and didn't say anything as they moved into the living room, enjoying a nice evening. The next day Ash walked with Nias family to see what had been done to his new house and found the place was just an empty shell now except for dust sheets all over the floors and one room filled with paint cans.
"They'll be starting the painting next week along with Saffron Kitchens fitting all the cupboards and appliances the week afterwards." Nia said as she went through what she had planned, getting a lot of nods and agreeing noises from her mum. Ash just looked at Brian who shrugged his shoulders making Ash laugh and shake his head. "Nothing," he said to Nia when she looked curiously at him "carry on." She did indeed carry on and when she was done she looked at him expectantly.
"It sounds terrific," he said, nodding.
"The only room I haven't done or designed is the room you want as your office" Nia said.
"Oh don't worry about that" Ash said "I can sort that out when everything else is done, it's not urgent at the moment as I won't have much time to enjoy it before I leave for Hoenn in May," seeing her gnawing on her lip he hurriedly continued "however if you want it done I'll send you information about what kind of desk, chair and monitors I want along with bookcases. You can then choose from them, ok?"
She nodded her head looking happy. Ash just put his arms around her and kissed her on top of her head "I know how incomplete projects frustrate you so we'll get it sorted, ok?" feeling her nod against his chest he chuckled before she led them out of the house, both couples going their separate ways.
When he arrived in Viridian City a few days later he stopped in front of a house with a shop next door and sat down on the step. Several children had come up to him, greeting him so it was quite an enjoyable experience. He was soon joined by three people, Ash recognising them immediately.
"Ash" James said, shaking his hand in greeting.
"Hello you two" Ash said, shaking Ash's hand and hugging Jessie who stiffened up before relaxing and returning the hug.
"Thank you" Jessie said looking at him. Ash was pleased to see that other than a small burn on her hand and a small scar on her face she looked more or less the same. Her hair had been cut from the long length it was the last time he saw her to a short bob which suited her. She looked good in her blouse and skirt. James looked like his usual self but wore khaki trousers and a shirt.
"What for?" he asked, confused.
"You know very well what for" she said, poking his chest. "Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find you had visited and offered us a chance to start something we'd long since thought we'd never get. Not only that but we then find out you'd paid for my medical expenses too. What's the catch Ash?"
"Nothing" Ash said laughing and shaking his head before greeting the third person with them "Hello Jennifer, thank you for making it today, I know you're busy" Ash said to his lawyer.
"It's fine" she said "I get a fancy bonus for coming out so it's a no brainer."
Ash just laughed again before taking out a set of keys and opening up the door to the house. The others followed him in and Ash just waved Jessie and James to have a look while he talked with Jennifer quietly. Half an hour later they heard the couple walk back downstairs looking contemplative.
Ash led them next door and he heard Jessie gasp when she saw the size of the interior of the shop.
"This is perfect" she said happily as she walked around the open area before walking into the back and saw a large room with an office joined onto it. "James, is this real?"
"It is," he said, smiling and walking over to her and hugging her. To Ash's concern he saw Jessie's shoulders start going and realised she was crying. Feeling like an intruder he motioned to Jennifer and they walked outside waiting for them. A few minutes later they saw Jessie and James walk out looking much more composed and smiling brightly at Ash.
"What's the catch Ash?" Jessie asked again.
"Nothing" Ash said, motioning to Jennifer, "the only thing you need to decide is whether you want to take it or not. I had the house built when I was waiting for my employees houses to be built for my land and it's now empty. The shop was already here and I bought it on a whim but had no idea what I wanted to do with it so when James told me you had plans to open a clothes store it sparked a thought. What if I gave you the shop for you to do just that? I don't need it, I have no use for it but you do so here we are."
"So what's the time-frame I need to have it set up by?" she asked, sounding very business-like.
"Over the next year there are going to be sixty buildings being built across Kanto and Johto, thirty in each." Ash said "they're going to be contest halls. Now I don't know much about Pokémon contests but James told me that you wanted to open a shop to create outfits for these contests. Is that right?"
"It is," Jessie said, "It was an idea I had when we were travelling through Hoenn for a few months looking for Pokémon for Silvers Zoo. They intrigued me, I even won a few ribbons at the same time but I was unable to take part in any tournament due to being otherwise employed."
"Well here's your chance" Ash said, handing the document to Jessie that Jennifer had retrieved from her briefcase. "I'll summarise but you have a few weeks to decide either way. For the next five years you'll be my employee. I won't interfere in how you run the shop but I will require information on purchases, progression etc but you'll mainly liaise with an aide I'm employing to run a few of my businesses. Once those five years are up and should you show my aide you're able to run his shop successfully you'll own 100% of it. I shouldn't tell you this but on the outskirts of Viridian City is a stadium being built to house the finals of the Kanto Contest Tournament Finals, which will be completed in eighteen months time so this shop is in a prime location. Other than that there are no catches.
As for the house I'll let it to you for a year before you start paying rent, which won't be a lot either. As I said I'll furnish it, at no cost to yourself as long as the requests are reasonable and within the budget I'll give you. Should you wish to buy it then there's a clause in the contract that will let you give me an offer anytime over the next five years and should you match the valuation it's yours. After that time-frame though it's up to me should I wish to sell it. I'll be honest guys, I can't see why I wouldn't sell it to you given I know you'll be a success. So yeah, that's the summary. What do you think?"
"Can we have a look and think first?" James asked before Jessie could answer.
"Yeah of course," Ash said, nodding. "Our convention is Monday February 18th in Saffron City so you can let me know then if you want. I'll be in Hoenn for the next few weeks and I won't be home until the week before then."
"So that's three weeks to make a decision" Jessie said nodding "we can do that. Thank you Ash. for everything."
"Don't worry about it" Ash said before leaving with Jennifer, going their separate ways shortly afterwards before he continued on to Viridian Gym where he informed Katie in person about what was planned for the next few years. She nodded and was quite excited about the upcoming convention even if it wasn't in her city. Her aide Jack had agreed to cover her for the few days she'd be away with Ash so that was that.
The day afterwards Ash arrived at Indigo Plateau and waited in reception, chatting to the receptionists about how things were now at the Plateau.
"It's been good" Micheala the receptionist said "I'm so glad we managed to keep the businesses here after what happened but I think it will take a bit of time before we're back to normal."
"That's good" Ash said nodding "it took a lot of convincing but Giovanni did bloody well in the aftermath. He worked his arse off to reassure them that nothing like that would ever happen again but I think it will take the next tournament going off without a hitch for them to be at ease again."
"Was that a compliment?" a suave voice asked, making Ash turn around as he saw Giovanni standing off to the side with three people with him, none of whom Ash recognised. Saying goodbye to Micheala he wandered over, offering his hand to the three people at Giovanni's side. One was a man in a blue suit, in late forties, one was a lady in her fifties with blonde hair who even Ash had to admit was an absolute stunner and finally there was another lady, looking to be in her late twenties in a brown dress who looked remarkably like them.
"May I introduce you to Geoffrey and Debra Marshall and their daughter Arabella," Giovanni said. "Lord and Lady Marshall are stakeholders in the Kanto League Board and were instrumental in swinging the vote during the crisis."
Ash shook their hands and thanked them "I'm glad to have met you. Thank you for your help."
"What brings you here Ash?" Giovanni asked when they returned the hand shakes.
"I have a meeting scheduled with the Elite Four, well, Elite Two" Ash said chuckling "hopefully by the end of the afternoon it'll be an Elite Three as we're here to offer Thomas Sparks a place in the Elite Four."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that" Giovanni said as they walked over to the elevator and got in. "He looked ok in the Unovan League tournament. Is it wise to offer him a place so soon?"
"Sadly we don't have much of a choice" Ash said "not many Kantonians are winning leagues and we only have three more years before we have to open the challenge up to the other leagues. It won't be good if there's just Koga, Laura and I when every other region has a full complement and we don't. I won't have Kanto be humiliated like that. The next few years will be very beneficial to Thomas though as he'll have the chance to train with Koga and Laura to up his game. You know Koga won't let him skate by."
"No, that is true" Giovanni said as they rose up to Ash's level in the elevator.
"Oh yes" Ash said just as he was about to exit "the AONB convention has decided to use Viridian City again this year after the success a few years ago. So from the 18th to the 22nd Feb Katie and her deputy will be unavailable. I'll send you the details when I get to my office, I just needed to speak to Katie before I spoke to you to make sure she could do it. She'll be with me in Saffron on the Monday and Tuesday for the programmers convention with Bill but she'll be back in Viridian on the Wednesday to take over host duties."
"Oooh that sounds interesting" Giovanni said "I may have to visit to see what the plans are from the AONB. It would be nice to visit my old gym once more and it's always good to hear what areas and ideas are in their minds."
"I'll probably see you at the Hoenn Final in a few weeks too" Ash said knowing Giovanni presided over them "I've got tickets to see Jon stomp Wallace."
"Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke" Giovanni said laughing before pressing the button to go to his floor.
The meeting with Thomas, or Tom as he wanted to be known went very well. Tom was a very tall, bald man with a brown beard, a lip ring and a stud under his lip. He wore black cargo pants, with a white vest top and trainers and seemed utterly at ease with being sat across from Ash.
He was a very easy going man, or as easy going for someone who could break someone's neck without blinking could be. It was a strange dichotomy ASh mused. He was a gentle giant who could do untold damage should he want to and Ash found himself getting along with him very easily. He understood that his place was up for grabs when the challenges started back up and was determined to keep his place amongst them.
"I've no interest in reproducing what the previous Elite Four did and have a set formation of us" Ash said as he walked him through the halls to the practice fields "we will all rotate and battle the challengers and we will decide as a collective should we believe the person who beat you deserves your place. A loss is not a guarantee of loss of place either, I understand that type advantage will likely play a big part and given you use Electric Pokémon we both know people will come at you with Ground/Rock types. Whether their character fits our little family will determine their possible place."
Tom nodded accepting that and was slightly happier because he knew his typing had a glaring weakness.
"My Pokémon has been rather eager to meet your Pikachu" Tom said in his calm voice "is he not here today?"
"Pikachu is off active duty until May" Ash said as they walked across the field to where he saw Laura practicing and training with her Pokémon. "He had a very serious operation not long ago and may have to be retired so he's resting at my home."
"That's such a shame" Tom said "he's an inspiration for electric types. My Raichu is very eager to meet him."
"Oh you'll get the chance" Ash said, nodding grateful for the kind words as they observed Laura finish her training and jog over. The introduction went well, which pleased Ash to no end. He informed her of who Tom was and what he had discussed with Katie the day before.
"Yeah she told me last night" Laura said nodding "stealing my girlfriend for two romantic days away eh? I may have to do the same to you."
Ash just laughed and shook his head. Tom, who did not know if they were being serious just looked confused before Laura took pity on him.
"Katie is the Gym leader in Viridian City and also my girlfriend" Laura said "Ash is taking her to a boring convention in February where they'll talk about nothing other than computer crap for two whole days."
"It's not crap" Ash said refuting it "there's going to be a lot of changes to the network over the next few years…"
"Blah blah computer crap blah" Laura said waving it off "I've heard of nothing else over the past week so please spare me any more details."
"As you can see Laura has an incredible bedside manner" Ash said to Tom before he turned back to her "I hope both sides of your pillow are warm tonight."
Laura just laughed at the comeback and decided she'd been beaten. She had found over the past week after the trial that her relationship with Ash had changed a lot. The information he had given her had been extremely comforting and she no longer wanted to antagonise him but also wanted him to know her straightforward demeanour would remain the same. It took a few days of them both testing the waters but they had found a happy medium which they were both happy with. They would likely never be best friends but their working relationship was improving by the day and once they realised they could insult each other and not have the other take offence they hadn't stopped trying to one-up the other. Ash won this round.
Friday 1st February
Ash whistled as he walked around his ranch and was soon joined by Queenie who landed next to the bank.
"We're leaving for Hoenn in a week, Jon Dickson beat the Hoenn Elite Four and the Championship Match is scheduled for next weekend and I've been asked to commentate on the event. From there we'll be flying back to Vermillion before flying again to Mandarin City and from there we'll fly to Shamouti to see how the festival went, to Navel Rock to speak to Danny and then back home for the convention so we'll be away for a good few weeks."
Usually Queenie would just nod before flying away only this time she seemed very concerned. Ash knew what the issue was but until his Pokémon came to him he would never push. This was something he knew she would have to come with him with though so over the next few days he informed his other Pokémon what was happening and who would be travelling with him and waited. Princess had introduced her school to him briefly before heading back to her den near the shipwrecks, Kabutops had finally had her clutch of eggs and guarded them fiercely to the point only Matilda and Ash were allowed near. Ash was pleased for her but slightly concerned for any researchers who would make the mistake of trying to get near as it would likely be their last mistake. There had been one near incident and Mark, the Unovan director had declared the fossil site off limits for everyone except him Ash and Matilda for the foreseeable future. The birth of fossil Pokémon was extremely newsworthy so their protection was tantamount, no one would interfere with Kabutops and her clutch. It was on Thursday that Queenie finally came to him, landing in front of him, her normal haughty demeanour one of worry and concern.
"I cannot go with you" she said looking away from Ash and up to the mountains where her cave was.
"Oh" Ash said, putting down a sheet of paper on his table on his gazebo. He was finalising the project of getting the house in Viridian for Jessie and the furnishings she had asked for. He received a reply just a few days after the offer with an affirmative so they had been going back and forth over the last week on what she required for not just her house but also her shop.
"We're not going to skimp on the shop" he had told her "if this is to be a success I won't have you hampered by inferior machinery so just let me know what you require." So Jessie had sent him a list of what she required and Ash had signed off on nearly all of them.
"Why can't you come with me?" Ash asked Queenie, giving her his full attention.
Instead of answering she took off again, nearly scattering his papers with the wind before she left to go back to her cave. A few minutes later she landed only this time she wasn't alone. Landing not far away from Ash she gently nudged a small Pokémon to walk forwards. Chuckling Ash leaped over the balcony and landed on the path walking towards them before he stopped ten feet away and squatted on his haunches as a Bagon carefully trotted forwards, doing its best to stay upright.
"So you finally let me know you had an egg eh?" Ash said as he tickled the Bagon underneath the chin making it melt into his hands, as its back leg started going much like a dog did when you tickled the right spot.
"You knew?" she asked.
"I knew," Ash said, nodding, "why do you think I've been using the League's Alakazam Queenie and not you to get to and from places?"
"How long have you known?" she asked.
"A few days after we arrived back here from Johto" he said, picking up the Bagon and placing him in front of her.
"How?" she asked gently, picking up her son in her maw and placing him on her back, underneath her wing.
"Queenie," Ash said patiently "I am the world's most gifted Aura user. I knew the moment I could feel the egg appear inside of you and I knew it was laid a few days later and then hatched a few days ago. There's a reason I didn't ask you to come on any journeys over the last few weeks, he's the reason. So, the question is what do we do from here?"
"What do you mean?" Queenie asked with slight concern.
"Does he go to the Bagon grounds to train? Are you going to train him? Is he going to be given to a trainer to have as a partner?" Ash asked.
"Usually they stay with their mother for a few moons before the decision is made" she said sounding concerned "I don't want to give up my Son though."
"Queenie" Ash said patiently "he is a Dragon. He will not want to remain here for very long, just as you didn't. If he's anything like you and his father he will have a thirst to prove himself. Yes I know who the father is, it's pretty obvious isn't it given only myself and Charizard have your loyalty. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. I leave for Hoenn in three moons time, you'll have until then to decide but I will be seeking advice from Lance and Drake. This place is a preserve for all Pokémon, I cannot afford to have Dragons battling for supremacy and destroying what we have all created. You understand this right?"
Queenie nodded before taking off to head back to her cave leaving Ash to shake his head and return to his papers. Sighing he picked up the papers and carried on reading them.
February 6th
The nine people boarding the plane to Hoenn were all knackered before they even sat down. Ash had underestimated how big an upheaval it was to have a newborn baby travel nearly a few thousand miles on a plane and how disturbing it was for said baby. Ash had been on permanent calming duties and therefore couldn't do much the day of the travel to help. Zoe had managed to get Ava out of school for the Monday so they were able to come too so the plane was pretty packed.
"It's lucky I could charter a private plane" Ash said as they sat down in their seats for take off.
"I wouldn't have come with you had it been commercial" Delia said fussing over Flora next to Ash "she's far too young to be around hundreds of people for seven hours on a flight."
Ash nodded and spent the entire flight just keeping Flora calm. The rest of the procession had a great time, marvelling at the views from the window, making sure Ash knew what he was missing out on. He groused good naturedly but as he adored his sister he didn't really care and spent the flight talking to her and reading her a story.
"He's really good with her," Sarah said to Delia as they had a small glass of wine.
"You're not wrong" Delia said "he adores her and she adores him. She's unbelievably happy whenever she sees him. He needs to stop giving me a heart attack though when he decides to kidnap her and take her on walks without telling me. That got old really quickly."
"I can imagine" Sarah said shaking her head "It bodes well for the future though."
"It does," Delia said, nodding "I do worry what will happen when she decides she doesn't want to be a trainer."
"I can't see Ash being bothered by that" Sarah said "At times he doesn't seem to like being a trainer himself all that much."
"Not anymore he doesn't" Delia replied "he used to love it but he's always in some form of danger, and with this war looming on the horizon, with him at the front it's not a nice thought to have."
"Nia won't talk about it" Sarah said looking over to her daughter who was chatting to Zoe "I think she's too worried about what might happen and what role she might have to play. As her mother I won't lie, it's bloody terrifying and keeps me up a lot worrying what might happen."
"Me too" Delia said, agreeing "I have the benefit of living with this for thirty years, this is new to you but it never gets easier. It's a scary thought. It's why I jumped at the offer to come to Hoenn with Ash for this, I don't get to spend as much time with him like I used to and you never know when it may be the last time. Anyway, enough of this maudlin talk, how's work been?"
"It's good" she said, nodding before continuing with much easier subjects to discuss.
Hours later they landed at Ever Grande airport and disembarked, before heading to their hotel in the hire cars Ash had procured. Red drove one car with Nia driving the other, Red wasn't comfy with Ash driving them just yet something which Ash agreed with, especially given they were travelling with his baby sister.
Checking in was relatively easy as was getting settled in their rooms. No one said anything but they all decided having a nap was a great idea before going out for food.
"This is really nice" Delia said, eating her linguini before feeding a spoonful of baby food into Floras mouth. "I may have to nick the chef."
She was unaware the waiter had overheard her and reported back to the chef who chuckled before walking out over to the table.
"Hello again, apparently you wanted to steal me from here?"
"Rosa?" Delia asked surprised "you're a chef here?"
"I am" Rosa said smiling as she hugged her mentor.
"Guys meet Rosa, my very first apprentice at Delias" Delia said introducing them to her "I had no idea you'd moved from The Golden Krabby."
"I had to" She said "It was luckily I did actually as a few weeks later Goldenrod City was captured and several of my co-workers were killed. I'm lucky Lord Andrew's gave me the opportunity to move when he did but I'm very happy here. What brings you here anyway so far from home?"
"Ash is involved with the final on Sunday and he got us all tickets" Delia said "I fancied a change of scenery so here we are."
"It was lovely to see you" Rosa said looking around as a party of twelve arrived "looks like I'm needed in the kitchen."
Delia was so happy to see her apprentice doing well that you couldn't get the smile from her face for the rest of the evening. A few days later and after a very enjoyable few days with his family Ash was instructed to make his way to the Stadium to do a run through of the broadcast for the day after.
Making his way to the meeting place he was led to a room where he was pleasantly surprised to see Cynthia getting her makeup done. Sitting at her side he nodded to her before he started having his own makeup done.
"Relax Ash" Cynthia said "you're tensing up which will ruin your makeup."
"I'll be honest Cynthia" Ash said "I don't have much practice wearing makeup so it's a little weird."
A chuckle gained their attention as looking into the mirrors reflection Ash saw someone he didn't expect to see.
"How the hell did they find you?" Ash asked bewildered.
"Well, when I heard the man who replaced me was being challenged for the title I couldn't wait to get back and watch it" Steven said sitting on Cynthia's side smoothing down his immaculate suit, "and then I find out what he's done in my place and I really cannot wait to see the battle."
"He's a disgrace" Ash said looking forward again "Champion Greta would be turning in her grave at what has become of her beloved Hoenn in your absence."
"Yes" Steven said pursing his lips "well from the articles I've read it's difficult to argue however we still have to go off the innocent until proven guilty belief don't we?"
"Not in this case" Ash said "Misty has by her own admission only ever slept with one person, and I know enough about her to know she wouldn't lie about who it was. The rest of the women are just as believable so I have no doubt the stories are true."
"The man is a disgrace" Steven's makeup artist said joining in to a conversation she knew she shouldn't be listening to "if it were my daughter there wouldn't be a rock big enough for him to hide under."
"A sentiment we all share, my good lady," Steven said, smiling.
"How did they find you anyway?" Ash asked a few minutes later as they left the room and walked towards the broadcast room.
"My father has my emergency number" Steven said "this was enough of one to bring me out of hiding"
"From whom?" Cynthia said speaking up for the first time before gulping when she realised she had done.
Ash looked puzzled at her for a moment before he cautiously scanned her aura and had to hold back a gasp. Well, well, well. That was a turn up for the books.
"Let's just say Ash's personal history with Team Rocket is not unlike mine and our own band of idiots in Hoenn" Steven said.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Ash said seriously "family member?"
"Mother" Steven said stiffly before he looked at Ash with a glint of steel in his eye "there will be a reckoning Ash, mark my words."
"If you need help just ask" Ash said "I'm due to compete in Hoenn from May. You have my number should you need anything."
Steven just nodded before he looked at Cynthia "are you ok?"
Cynthia not wanting to say anything stupid nodded before standing tall and looking around the room. Steven for his part brushed it off as the AD walked over and gave them all a script.
"Now," he said "it's well known what your personal feelings are about Champion Wallace" he said looking at Ash before continuing "however we need to know if you're going to say anything personal on air. We're a very serious broadcast company and we don't want any issues if they can be avoided."
"No" Ash said pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket "run that by the director and let me know if you want me to say anything. Silph are releasing that statement tomorrow anyway you all need to be aware just the same."
The AD read it and frowned before handing it back to Ash. "That seems fine to read at the beginning of the broadcast tomorrow, but from that moment on your opinions must be objective and about the battle. Ok?"
"Understood," Ash said, nodding before sitting down in the chair provided for him at the end of the row of three. Cynthia as Pokémon Master was seated closest to the host, Steven as former Champion was seated in the middle and Ash at the end. The run through was pretty easy and Ash found himself enjoying himself, providing his own input on Jon's performance. The Hoenn Elite Four was different from the Kanto and Johto one as it was broadcast live so everyone could see how Jon did in real time. Ash did notice that they didn't seem to try too hard though which puzzled him.
"Were they going all out?" Ash asked Steven as they had a bit of lunch in a room together.
"Notice that then did you?" Steven asked, chuckling. "No, no they weren't and I suspect that was at Drakes behest."
"Why?" Cynthia asked.
"Drake for all his faults is an incredible human being." Steven said after thinking about his answer "and for the last forty years he has given his life to not only protecting the seas of Hoenn on his ship but also nurturing the talents of trainers. He believes, and I agree with him that the role of an Elite Four member is to ensure the trainers who look up to you deserve the absolute best from you, and any deviation from that is a disgrace. That goes doubly for the Champion. If you think Ash has a strong opinion on Wallace, wait until you speak to Drake about him. He was disgusted in himself when he lost to him because we've had issues with him for years as the leader of Sootopolis Gym and his philandering ways so to see him become Champion and therefore in a position of more power and influence…well let's just say if it wasn't for his Granddaughter Phoebe being part of the Elite Four too he would have retired on the spot. He stayed to protect her, something which the others were happy to go along with too. Don't be surprised to hear Drake retires soon after Jon wins."
"So you think he'll win then?" Ash asked.
"I believe so," Steven said, nodding "admittedly I've not seen much of him since I watched him beat your girlfriend in the final a few years ago but he seemed much stronger over the past week."
"I must admit" Ash said "I don't know if I'd beat him at the moment given half of my team has been decimated. I'm lucky I have a few years to find more members to replace Pikachu and Charizard."
"Yes," Steven said, "you are. So make the most of it because believe me the lady over there won't hesitate in stomping you flat."
Ash looked over at Cynthia and was surprised to see a blush on her face.
"Is Pikachu's recovery going well?" Steven asked, looking concerned at her silence.
"It is yeah" Ash said "we had feared that he may never be able to battle again but he's just started using his tail again in mock battles, building it back up but the rehab will likely take at least another six to eight months before we're comfortable throwing him in a competitive fight. We may never use Iron Tail again which is a shame but I'm not too concerned about that. I'm just thankful he's healthy."
After a few minutes of silence Steven looked at Ash and said "Samuel Oak informed me that you're on the lookout for unusual pieces of a jigsaw."
Ash looked up in alarm at the proclamation. "Yes?" He replied slowly.
"I believe I may have discovered the location of another one."
"Where?" Ash asked quickly, surprising Cynthia at the rudeness.
"I found a tomb not long ago that had a sarcophagus that described a stone plate, one that gave off a feeling of despair to those around them hidden somewhere in the oceans of Hoenn. Now there's no actual place but the tomb said "to be blind is to truly see" which confused me for months until I realised I had seen that description somewhere else on my travels. In fact I'm not the only one who has seen it, only they don't know they have. There is a place just east of Lavaridge Town known as the Desert Ruins, aptly named because it's a desert that has ruins of a time gone by. However at the very south of the desert is a cave that has only been accessible for the last few months since it appeared out of nowhere and there is a tomb that no one has been able to access. On that tomb is a strange form of writing, one believed to be Ancient only it isn't. It's actually Ancient Braille. But it's not alone either as there's been one uncovered at the edge of the Hoenn Safari Zone a year ago, with the same Braille writing on a wall. No one has been able to break the seal, no matter what is thrown at it. Now I haven't told anyone but I believe your puzzle piece to be behind whatever the braille is hiding."
"So two have been uncovered in the last year?" Ash asked. "Do you have a timeframe on that?"
"The first reports got back to me around early to mid June" Steven said not missing the look of comprehension dawn immediately on Ash's face. "What?"
"At the beginning of June Arceus decided to go and hibernate" Ash began thinking out loud "the same day of the Green Wave. I suspect when she disappeared she released the obligations that her children had on the world as there's been non stop issues involving Legendaries since that day whereas before she kept them under control."
"You believe they're hiding Legendaries behind the braille?" Cynthia asked, making them both pause when they realised what they were talking about in view of someone else.
"Can she be trusted?" Ash asked quietly, making Cynthia frown.
"She's the Master Ash" Steven whispered back.
"Yeah, but this has nothing to do with her duties as Master, this is above anyone on the planet and needs to be kept to as few people as possible." Ash said.
"Ash, Cynthia is the authority on the Pillars and Arceus" Steven said looking at her and seeing she was getting quite angry at being talked about as if she wasn't there.
"And yet even she is dubious about Arceus being real" Ash said "Steven, only you, Sam and I have any idea what these puzzle pieces are, Sam has forgotten altogether and it's only because I sent you all my information that you have any idea what they are. More and more relics of the Pillars and Legendaries are being uncovered and I've not read one account that exercises caution when handling them."
"Excuse me, I am here you know" Cynthia said "and I've always been careful when handling relics."
"And yet the Adamant Orb, the actual relic that controls Dialga is on full view in Eterna Museum with minimal security" Ash countered "should that fall into the wrong hands you will have an unbound Lord of Time rampaging around Sinnoh and the world being controlled and doing damage that may not ever be able to be fixed. I've met Dialga, he's not one I ever want to meet again, and I certainly do not want to have to face him in battle. Other than the All-Maker, only three beings can have a hope of containing his power and they're likely to be just as pissed off at the humans as they are at Dialga."
"The Adamant Orb has been proven to be defunct" Cynthia said looking confused "every test we did on it came back negative."
"Oh I'm sorry" Ash said sarcastically "I must have missed the report on you having a Deity on hand to test it on. It will only work when Dialga is around and should Dialga be in the vicinity then I don't want to be." Turning to Steven he continued "this is why I didn't want anyone else to know."
"Well it's too late now," Steven said waving his hand and dismissing Ash's words "Cynthia can be trusted Ash and as I said she's an expert on The Pillars and the All-Maker."
"I know of the All-Maker" Cynthia said "and when we moved the Elemental Guardians from the Ruins of Alph I personally made sure that the tomb of Tabitha was closed off. The tiles are at my home."
"Tiles?" Ash said before remembering "you have the tiles that control the rooms in the tomb?"
"I do," she said, "and they're safe. I don't know what your father told you about our part in the Unown issue but Tabitha had tiles we needed to collect in order to get the Aura Dagger from her tomb. They spelled out the name Arceus."
"The name of the All-Maker" Ash said, nodding before taking a deep breath. "I'm not happy about it but I'll trust you. Both of you come to my room later on after we're done here, I'll tell you both what I know. There's too many ears here for my liking."
Hours later the three arrived in Ash's room and sat down on the couch that was by a bay window. He had asked Nia for some privacy for a few hours, something which she looked concerned about but seeing who was with him she understood that there were things she was not allowed to know. After greeting them both she made her goodbyes and left.
Ash grabbed three bottles of water from the fridge nearby before handing them to the two, sitting down and looking at Cynthia. After a minute of uncomfortable silence Ash began "about seven years ago Samuel Oak and Steven were on a dig site in Sinnoh where they stumbled upon some carvings hewn into the cavern depicting what looked like a horse with a halo around it. Sam thought it was an undiscovered Pokémon as neither of them could identify it, Steven didn't know what it was but then a few weeks later Sam recalled an account written centuries ago where they talked about a god Pokémon, "bigger than a horse but had a regal bearing and an awe inspiring presence". Now this was dismissed by many over the following centuries as wild imaginings but as you know most of the Ancients were proven to be real, so why not this God Pokémon? The account told of a man, I forget his name who wrote that he had actually met this God and she had bestowed upon him the right to rule over the people that lived in his area. He was said to have crafted his own crown with a stone given to him by Arceus and reigned 'benevolently' over his people. The man lived for a long time, longer than an average human lifetime anyway and it gave a bit of credence to his claim. Now, we fast forward to a century ago. There were paintings uncovered in Celestic Town depicting what you now know to be the Pillars of Creation."
"I know," Cynthia said, interrupting him, "Celestic Town is my birth place and my grandmother's father was part of the excavation team."
"Interesting" Ash said nodding "it explains your interest in them. Anyway when the ruins were uncovered it suddenly sparked a debate about who they were. The scholars at the time unearthed a scroll that described these three Pokémon millennia ago walking the earth, even depicting their names."
"I know of this scroll," Cynthia said, nodding "it's the primary piece of evidence that I used for my thesis."
"I read your thesis" Ash said nodding "it was really good. It would have been excellent had it not been for a few historical inaccuracies but given you've never met any of them Pillars I can understand why you came to the conclusions you did."
"What inaccuracies?" Cynthia asked, irritated at his statement.
"The scholar intentionally lied Cynthia" Ash said "The Pillars of Creation are not all equal nor do they rule over any Pokémon like Rayquaza does. Dialga and Palkia rule over time and Space like you surmised but only Dialga has a deputy who is active and does his job for him. Palkias deputy has not been seen on this planet for over a Millennia ever since he was lodged into a meteor by Giratina when he pissed him off one too many times and sent him hurtling into space."
"Really?" Steven asked, "I didn't know that."
"Oh yeah," Ash said, chuckling. "In fact you all know of him as his comet is due to pass by in the next few years, something Lord Rayquaza is keeping an eye out for as he has issues with Jirachi himself too."
"Jirachi?" Steven asked "I've not heard of that Pokémon."
"I have" Cynthia said "he's said to grant wishes to those who free him from his prison for a time."
"He does," Ash said, nodding "but Giratina knows instantly when he's been freed, and sends him back into space not long afterwards and he doesn't look very kindly on the one that frees him. Anyway as I was saying Palkia and Dialga are equals as you surmised but Giratina is rivalled only by Arceus herself."
"So he was banished because Arceus couldn't control him?" Cynthia asked.
"No," Ash said, shaking his head "he was never banished in the first place, it's his job to be Lord of Death and the Reverse World is a place not even Arceus can hope to match him in power. However when he's not in the Reverse World that's when his power level drops slightly and Arceus can match him."
"He was never banished?" Cynthia asked.
"No" Ash said laughing "I've no idea where that story came from but it's something which irritates him enormously."
"How do you know all this?" Cynthia asked taking it in
"Having the ability to speak to Pokémon is a wonderful thing and over the years I've been able to piece together legends and stories from the smallest Pidgey to the biggest Legendaries." Ash said "I have also had a lot of talks with the Legendary Birds and Beasts too over the last few years who have warned me of coming events and given me the backstory. With Giratina though it was Agatha who told me of his role along with how his deputy came to be born, I'd highly recommend speaking to her about it as it's fascinating. Anyway, continuing on and we arrive to four years ago when I left Pallet Town. For years I'd been honing my aura abilities so when I arrived in Viridian Forest and felt sickness I offered my help to the Royal Pidgeot who resided there. The 'Heart' of the forest was sick and dying and nothing anyone could do could heal it. It took me a few days but I was able to get it to a manageable level when I discovered just what was making the forest sick. I unearthed a peculiar bit of rock, curved slightly, obsidian colour and cracked on all sides as if it joined seamlessly as a puzzle piece. I immediately rang Sam who sent his Dragonite to collect it as he was very urgent about getting it safe. I didn't think anything more of it really for a long time until I unearthed another one at the Tree of Beginning that was corrupting Mews birthplace, stopping me from helping her recover and destroying the area around them. When I showed it to Sam a few weeks later he told me of what he suspected it to be and that he and his 'acquaintance' had done tests on the first piece of rock and discovered something remarkable."
"It cannot be made, shaped, used, burned, frozen, scratched or replicated in any way" Steven said "it's utterly unique in nature and it's not of this world."
"Not of this world?" Cynthia asked "how can that be?"
"There are many Pokémon that are not of this world" Steven said "but to my recollection up until then there had never been anything materialistic that was not of this world. We had collected samples from meteorites with small changes in their genetic makeup, there was even talk of a piece of moon rock falling somewhere in northern Kanto but we've not been able to verify that but this stone was incredible. It was also very frustrating because as I said we could do nothing with it."
"It's magnetic," Ash said, drawing his attention. "I have two pieces of it, they don't fit together but they're the same rock."
"So what is it?" Cynthia asked.
Ash looked at her before making a decision. "When Arceus was born, and I mean born from celestial bodies colliding it left behind an egg. The build up of her power, coupled with the leftover radiation of the collision was so much that her egg scattered across the galaxy in pieces when she was born. Contrary to the stories in the Eterna Museum she did not create the Earth, instead she settled on it as it was the closest place she could find in space that could give her the time she needed to come to terms with not only her incredible power but also to recover from the trauma of being born. She has no idea who created her, only that she does not wish to meet them as their power dwarfs hers considerably. Anyway she settled on top of Mt Coronet, at a place called the Spear Pillar and slept for centuries. During that time of hibernation, and without her knowing she sent out a call to the pieces of her egg to return to her and over time they did. When she awoke though she panicked that the pieces returning may return her to non-being and she halted their progress. Unfortunately though they were all inside the Earth's gravitational pull and they fell to various places where over time they were covered and forgotten but she knows where each piece is, she's just not telling anyone where they are."
"And the two pieces you have recovered are her egg?" Cynthia asked.
"It's been posited over the centuries that every single Legendary has an item related to them that either boosts their power, changes their appearance or controls them in some way" Ash said "It's true as evidenced by the Adamant Orb being found in Sinnoh and I've also heard of globes being uncovered elsewhere in Hoenn relating to Kyogre and Groudon. I've been keeping close contact with Jess Joy and Joseph Stone over the last year or so to try and find out anything about the other two Sinnoh orbs being discovered but thankfully they've not been yet. I fear for the world should anyone get hold of the Griseous Orb because Giratinas wrath at the temerity of humans thinking they can control him, without Arceus here to hold it in check will be unrivalled. I have no idea what would happen should Arceus Egg be pieced together either, nor do I particularly want to find out but I'm uncovering them at an alarming pace. It's as if my path is being purposely led to uncovering them and I can't say I'm overjoyed about it."
"So what's the plan for if they are uncovered?" Cynthia asked.
"Hopefully they stay separated" Steven said "you'll know instantly what they are as the feeling they give off is indescribable."
"If you're free at all over the next few months you're welcome to come and visit my home" Ash said to her "I can show you where I keep them and the lengths I've gone to to keep them secret."
"I'd like that" she said smiling "I have yet to visit Ketchum Ranch."
"I really need to change the name," Ash groused. "It's a horrific name that stuck."
"So you believe that these ruins are being uncovered because Arceus has disappeared?" Steven asked continuing.
"I do yeah" Ash said "it's too much of a coincidence that they appeared at the time she disappeared. Not only that but the Legendaries are playing up as they've got this new-found freedom they didn't have previously."
"And you think these ruins house Legendaries?" Cynthia asked.
"It's a possibility," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders, "so just be careful when you excavate them further. Do not destroy the wall" he finished laughing knowing that's what Amanda Hale did to get to the Unown.
"Oh there's no fear of that," Steven said.
"So how much of this can I tell Joseph" Cynthia asked "he's going to want to know why we're reluctant to excavate a new site that matches one we've already been to across the country."
"I'll send him some of what I know" Ash said "not everything but the basics of what may be uncovered and what to do if it does. I'll tag you both in and let him know we've discussed it and you and he can take it from there."
"Very well," Cynthia said, nodding before looking at the time. "I need to get back to my room, I have a call from Alder in Unova at eight. It was good speaking to you both though."
"I'll be at the stadium's gym tomorrow morning at 7am" Ash said "Pikachu's rehab needs to be at set times and I need to continue my work outs. You're both welcome to join me if you like."
"I'll be there" Steven said nodding "I'm curious to see your regimen and how different it is to mine."
"I'll be there too" Cynthia said "I've started sparring with Lucario but we've hit a wall, hopefully you can give us some pointers."
The two left not long after that leaving Ash on his own. Knocking on his parents door he spoke to them briefly before stealing Flora once again and heading to his room. Delia just shook her head and looked at Red who was trying to hold in his laughter. "Well it looks like we've got the evening to ourselves, fancy going for a walk?"
"I would love to," Delia said, smiling.