Ash has spent about two months in the Pallet Town, before he decided it was time to go to Rota Kingdom.
After the visit by Misty, and Brock, and Leaf's return to Pallet Town, along with relocation of Dawn, and Johanna; Ash has had a bunch of other visitors for the next month and a half.
Ash's friends from Alola came to visit him. There were a lot of them, as Lusamine came with Lillie, and Gladion, but also brought Faba, and Wicke. Both of them wanted to see the PPA, and weren't going to miss this chance.
On top of them, Samson Oak came to visit his cousin, Samuel Oak. Then there were Professors Kukui, and Burnet, along with their son.
Naturally, Mallow, and Lana came as well, along with Kiawe, and Sophocles.
All of them came together, and stayed for about two weeks in the Pokémon Center/Pallet Hotel. Ash led them around the Pallet Town, showed them the scenery, and Professor Oak's Ranch. He also showed them his mother's house, and the construction site of the Ketchum Castle. In the end, he showed them the PPA, which is what they all wanted to see the most. It's the most interesting thing to see in Pallet Town, even with the Pallet Hotel looking like a Pyramid, or the fact that one of the largest castles in the world is being built just on the edge of the Pallet Town. The PPA, is the most visited location.
During those two weeks, the Alola group has had a lot of fun. They've seen many things they haven't seen before, not to mention a lot of Pokémon, which they haven't seen in Alola. They've seen Ash's Pokémon, while he was training them in Alola, but there are many which Ash didn't have, so they haven't been able to see them. Now, between he Pokémon at Oak's Ranch, as well as hundreds of Pokémon currently in the PPA; they can say that they've seen more Pokémon then ever before. That also includes a bunch of Legendary, and Mythical Pokémon which Ash has saved, and are now calling the PPA, their home.
Others who came to Pallet Town to see Ash, were Serena, and Zinnia.
Serena is currently a Gym Leader in the Viridian City, so she didn't have to walk a lot to get to Pallet Town. Its two days of travel. The reason she didn't come as soon as Ash returned, is because she has a lot of challengers in the Viridian Gym.
Serena is actually considered to be the strongest Gym Leader is Kanto, and the ones who challenge her, are those who are going after their eight badge. On top of that, the Viridian Gym is now a Flying Type Gym, as Serena is primarily a flying type Pokémon trainer. As such, it's more interesting to challenge a flying gym then a ground type gym, which is exactly what Viridian Gym used to be, since long ago when Giovanni was still the gym leader in the Viridian City.
As she's a gym leader in Viridian City, Serena is living there, while her mother is living in Delia's house in Pallet Town. Serena still has her room in Delia's house, but she's rarely there, so the room is empty most of the time.
Serena has won the Indigo League, before she became a Gym Leader. As such, she became very famous around Kanto. She's also very popular, not only because of her great looks, but also because of her battling styles, and because her Pokémon are very strong. In fact, her Flying Type Pokémon are so strong, that before she became a gym leader she had to catch few other flying type Pokémon, which she then trained to be on the level of a Gym Leader. The Pokémon she had from before, which she caught in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn are too strong to be used in gym battles, against any challengers.
Even then, with a bunch of new Pokémon, which she only uses in gym battles, Serena is still considered the strongest gym leader in Kanto Region. The closest behind her, are Misty's sisters. They've actually gotten quite good, and the Cerulean Gym is now considered the second strongest gym in Kanto. Brock's brother, is currently the fifth strongest gym leader in Kanto. He's trailing behind Serena, Misty's sister, Sabrina is the third strongest, while Erica in Celadon City, is the fourth strongest gym leader.
The sixth strongest in the Fuchsia City gym. The seventh is the Vermilion Gym, and the eight strongest is the Cinnabar Gym. Cinnabar Gym was actually the second strongest when Ash was traveling through Kanto, but in the recent years, the younger trainers from the other gyms have all surpassed Blain, and he has dropped to the eight place.
There are few more gyms in Kanto, besides those eight, but they are unimportant, and considerably weaker then the top 8.
Due to her skills as a Pokémon Trainer, Serena also has visitors from all over Kanto, who come to her every day, not to challenge her, but to learn from her. She has started to let the crowd come to the Viridian Gym, and sit on the bleachers, so they can watch her match.
At first, she did it for free, but then she figured she can earn some money. As such, she has started to sell tickets for those who want to come and see the matches. Of course, she had to change the policy of challenging. As such, a challenger can't just come to the gym, and challenge her. Instead, you have to get an appointment in order to challenge Serena. This was how she deals with many challenger, but also how she knows when to sell the tickets.
On top of all that, she has also started to take videos of all of her battles, and then sell them on CD's in her gym. If someone wants to watch her battles - for whatever reason - they can just buy the disks, and watch it.
This has actually gotten rather popular, as the people buy the disks, and watch Serena's matches in order to learn her battle styles, and how to become better battlers.
Ash, and Serena have seen each other for a few hours when he was in Viridian City, waiting for Dawn and Johanna to come, so he can lead them to the Pallet Town.
The time wasn't enough for them, so she took three days off of work, and came to Pallet Town to spend some time with Ash. He could have gone to Viridian, but it wouldn't be of much use if she was stuck with her gym duties. As such, she came to Pallet, and stayed there for three days. After that she returned to the Viridian Gym.
During those three days, Ash has realized two things. First, Serena has gotten really sexy, as she got older.
The second thing is that her psychic powers have increased. He was able to feel it. He could also feel that it's more controlled, and that Serena seems to be the one to control her powers, not the other way around.
He realized that all the meditation, which Serena was doing, seems to be paying off.
Ash was also meditating. He was doing it for years, as it calms him down... somewhat. Still, he has anger issues, and his powers are constantly getting the better of him. As such, while Serena seems to be getting better at controlling her powers, and more importantly, herself; Ash isn't that successful.
Around the same time as the Alolan group visited Ash, Zinnia also came. She hasn't seen Ash longer than any of his other girls, except Diantha. Neither of the two have seen Ash since the end of his Hoenn Travels, which is over two years ago.
As such, she was very happy to see Ash, once again. She came to see him as soon as she found out that he was in Pallet Town, and that he will be there for a while.
Unlike some of Ash's other girlfriends, Zinnia isn't that occupied with her work, mainly because she doesn't work. She is spending most of her time at the Meteor Falls, where she's from. She's training her Pokémon, while there, and also training her Aura powers.
Zinnia has learned to use her Aura powers, at the same time as Ash. They learned it together in Rota Kingdom, but while Ash never stopped training and learning, Zinnia only spent about a year training her powers, before she returned home. From there on, she didn't train them, until she met with Ash once again.
Seeing how much he has progressed with his powers, and all the things he could do with them, pushed Zinnia to start and train once again.
For over two years now, almost three, she has constantly been training her Aura powers. She had to do it alone, though, as there was no one in Hoenn who could teach her. There were possibilities for her to go back in Rota Kingdom, and continue her training there, or a possibility for her to travel with Ash, and learn from him. Unfortunately, she never took one of those two steps, due to the fact that she's a granddaughter of the leader of the Meteor Falls, and as such, is obliged to be there most of the time. She does nothing, but she still can't leave for a prolonged periods of time. It will actually get even worse, when she takes over from her grandmother, and becomes the leader of their people. She will barely be able to leave at all, when that happens.
The only way for Zinnia to leave the Meteor Falls, when she wants, and come back when she wants, is if she renounces her rightful claim to be the leader of her people. The leader of the Meteor Falls people, is hereditary, which means that Zinnia will get it from her grandmother, once the old woman retires, or dies. Usually, it's a parent-to-child how the titles go, but Zinnia's parents are gone, which means that she is the only one who can inherit it.
She can refuse to inherit the title, but if she does, that would mean that she's giving up on it, and it will go to another family. She will never be able to get it back, nor would her descendants be able to.
As such, Zinnia is having trouble to decide what to do. She wants to see Ash, regularly. She wants to be with him as much as she can. All the time, if possible. But, on the other hand, she can't just give up on her duty. Her family has led the Meteor Falls for generations, and for her to refuse to continue to lead it, it would feel like a betrayal.
For now, Zinnia didn't make any decisions, or choices. Her grandmother is still alive, and will stay the leader of Meteor Falls for as long as she's alive. It was her own decision, as she has seen that Zinnia is conflicted with what to do. For now, she is letting Zinnia have as much freedom as possible. When the time comes, though… Zinnia will have to make a choice. Either go and be with Ash, or continue her family legacy. Unfortunately, she can't have both, as that would mean that Ash would have to move to live at the Meteor Falls.
Taking into account the kind of person Ash is, and the fact that he's a prince of a Kingdom, who has many girlfriends, the chances for him to move and live in a backwater part of the Hoenn Region, are practically nonexistent.
Zinnia has stayed in Pallet Town longer than any of Ash's girlfriends who came to visit him. She was given freedom by her grandmother, to stay with Ash for as long as she wants, and she used this rarely given chance.
She stayed in Pallet Town until Ash decided to go to Rota Kingdom, about two months after his return from Sinnoh.
Zinnia thought of going with him in Rota, but in the end she decided that she has been enough away from her home, and heeds to go back. As such, on the same day that Ash went to Rota Kingdom, Zinnia left the Pallet Town, and went back to the Meteor Falls.
Ash didn't go to Rota alone, though. He left with Amber, and Anabel, who have been in Pallet Town all the time. Amber currently only spends her time training, as there was nothing else for her to do until the castle is finished. Once it is finished, then she will be able to start being a Frontier Brain, of the Battle Castle.
Anabel, on the other hand, is a Frontier Brain, but the good thing about the Battle Frontier, is that the Frontier Brains don't have nearly as many challengers as the Gym Leaders. As such, they have a lot of free time, to do what they want.
Before she met Amber, Anabel was usually training, or spending time with her Pokémon. After she met Amber, and the two became romantically involved, she has been spending all of her time with Amber. Where Amber goes, Anabel goes. Of course, when Anabel has a challenger, and has to go back to the Battle Tower; Amber goes with her.
The two of them are always together, and have been like that for a while now.
As such, it wasn't a surprise for Ash when he found them both in Pallet Town, once he got back there.
While he was in Pallet Town, he didn't spend much time with them, as for the first week, he slept. Then, he had many visitors who took his time, so there was no time for him to spend with Amber, and Anabel.
The two girls were fine with that. They met Ash in Snowpoint City, few months ago, and have spent some time with him. As such, they are fine with letting him meet with people who haven't seen him in a long time.
Along with Amber, and Anabel, Delia has also went with Ash in the Rota Kingdom.
It has taken some time for Delia to recover from what happened with Rin. In fact, the only reason she did recover is because one day Ash barged into her room, and told her that he was the one who killed Rin. He went from the start, and told her of his conversation with Professor Oak, and Tracey, which led to meting Rin in Delia's restaurant, which led to Ash finding out that Rin is taking bribes, and cheating on Delia.
Ash told Delia, that Rin never loved her, and that he only wanted her for her beauty. He told her that Rin wanted Caroline, Grace, and Rose, but didn't go after them due to them knowing that he is with Delia, and they would tell her about him going after them, if he makes a move.
Then, Ash told Delia that he could have gone over the fact that Rin was taking bribes, but the moment he found out that he doesn't love Delia, that he was cheating on her, and practically messing with her; Ash didn't want to allow him to live.
As such, he killed him, but first he cut-off Rin's dick, and shoved it up in his mouth, while Rin was still alive. He killed him after that, by suffocating the crying man.
Ash's confession has done a lot for Delia.
For a long time, she knew the kind of person Ash is. She always knew that Ash would do everything for the people he cared for, but for him to do what he did to Rin, just because he cheated on her… its mind-boggling. It was shocking even for Delia.
It was at that time that Delia understood that she doesn't know Ash as much as she though.
Hearing what Ash has done for her, moved Delia. She decided not to pity herself for being cheated on, and screwed over. Instead, she decided to forget about Rin, and get back to her life with her son, and daughter, as well as her work in the Pallet Restaurant. She decided to forget that Rin has ever existed.
What she won't forget, if how far Ash is willing to go for her, and she assumes all the others he cares for.
So, after few days of being locked up in her room, Delia finally got out, and went back to her regular life as an owner of a restaurant.
Her friends were very happy for her, but more importantly, Ash and Amber were happy for her.
For the next month and something, Delia was back to her old self. Then, Ash decided to go to Rota, with Amber going with him.
Delia thought about it, and decided that she needs some time away from work. It's not that she's tired. She just wants to spend more time with her children, as she rarely has a chance to do that. At least with Ash. Amber is mostly home ever since she won the Battle Frontier. Ash on the other hand, is always traveling, and there is no telling when he will decide to start traveling again. Once he does, she won't be able to see him for at least a year.
As such, Delia decided to go to Rota Kingdom, with Ash and Amber.
Even though she has divorced from Red, no one in Rota has anything against her. Neither Ilene, nor Riley, hate her for divorcing form Red. In fact, they completely understand why she did it.
Red is a good man, and cares a lot about his family, but he was never home. A woman like Delia needs a man in her life, thus, one day she decided to get a divorce, and be free. Ilene, and Riley supported her.
At first, Red didn't want to divorce form Delia. He loved her, so why would he want to divorce from her. In the end though, after they talked, he understood that Delia is right. She wants a man in her life, and he's never there.
So, Red accepted to divorce from Delia, thus, giving her freedom.
So far, Delia's search for a man hasn't gone very well. In Alola, she was craving for sex, so she had sex with many man.
One day, Ash caught her having sex with some man, while Caroline, and Grace were there as well. It didn't end well, and the results were such that Delia decided not to sleep with many different man. Instead, she will try and find one she will always be with.
Then, she remembered Rin. He was going after her for years, and he was a good looking guy. He was smart, and relatively rich. On top of that, he lives in Pallet Town.
He was a perfect choice.
Delia knew that Ash doesn't like Rin, and that he never did. She knew that starting a relationship with that man, will make Ash angry. She wasn't expecting it to end with Rin's death, though.
It was a slight surprise for Delia that Amber didn't like Rin. She didn't know why, but Amber just had a bad feeling about Rin, and as such, she didn't like him.
In the end of it all, Delia is now free again, and can start a new relationship, if she wants. Of course, she will start relationship with a knowledge that if Ash doesn't like the man she chooses, it will end very badly for the poor sucker. Of that, she is sure.
As such, Delia is currently on ice - so to say. She simply doesn't know what to do.
XXX
One other face appeared in Pallet Town, few days before Ash left for Rota.
It was Max, who has returned from his journey through the Hoenn Region.
Max has started his Pokémon Journey about a year ago, and he decided that he will first travel through the Hoenn Region. It was his home Region. He was born, and grew up there. As such, it was an obvious choice.
He has already traveled through Hoenn, once. When Ash was there, Max has traveled with him, May, and Serena. He has seen most of Hoenn, and knew what to expect. Thus, when he started his journey, he had a lot of knowledge, and skills as a trainer, which he has learned from Ash, and Serena. Mostly from Ash.
Max traveled through Hoenn, got all eight badges, and entered the Hoenn League. Unfortunately from him, he didn't win. He got to the quarter-final match, but there he lost against a guy who would later become the winner of the Ever Grande Conference.
Max felt bad about his loss, but he was smart enough to know that he lost against a better trainer with a stronger Pokémon. He simply didn't have a chance. As such, even though he felt bad about the loss, he accepted it, and decided to move on.
With the Ever Grande Conference over, Max returned to Pallet Town, where he plans to spend some time, before he continues his journey. Originally, he planned to enter the Indigo League, after the Hoenn League. But, due to the Indigo League being canceled for the next two years, Max decided to travel through the Orange Islands, and challenge the Orange Crew, before he moves on to Johto.
He figures, it will take him about six months to travel through Orange Islands. Then, he can take a few months rest, and then start to travel through Kanto, or Johto. The gyms in those two regions are still working, even though the league tournament won't be held for the next two years. As it will take a while to gather all gym badges, Max thinks he will only have to wait only few months between the final gym battle, and the restart of Kanto, and Johto Leagues.
XXX
Before he left the Pallet Town, and went to Rota Kingdom, Ash had another conversation with Professor Oak.
The conversation wasn't about Rin. They haven't talked about him since after Ash killed him. What they talked about, is the Paldea Region, and the Aktia Kingdom.
Professor Oak was able to do what Ash asked him, and has gotten in touch with someone from Paldea, who has information about the Aktia Kingdom.
So, two days before Ash went to the Rota Kingdom, he visited Professor Oak, and from there he spoke with a person from Paldea.
Ash was in front of the video phone, looking at the image of a rather good-locking woman in her twenties. She has violet hair, and hazel colored eyes. She also has olive skin tone, and wears a violet, and white colored dress, along with high hills.
"Hello, Mrs." Ash said to the woman. "My name is Ash Ketchum. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Ash," the woman said, with a smile on her face. "But please, call me, Tulip. Mrs. makes me feel old."
"We don't want that, do we?" Ash said, smiling charmingly.
"No," she said, smiling back. "We don't."
Ash nodded. "Professor Oak said that you can give me the information I need," Ash said, now in full work mode, and with a serious look on his face. "Is that true."
Tulip nodded. "He asked a colleague of his about the Aktia Kingdom, and then the colleague contacted me, as I'm one of the few who know about that place, and can give info about it."
"Any specific reason why there are so little information's about the Aktia Kingdom?" Ash questioned.
Tulip sighed. "Until about a decade ago, it was a rather peaceful kingdom, ruled by good people, who loved their people," she started to speak. "That all went to hell when a group of people came together, and formed a pirate crew. They went over several islands, tortured, killed, pillaged... They did many terrible things, until one day, they went back to Aktia, and killed the ruling family, before they took over the kingdom. From there on, they killed everyone who opposed them. It is estimated that 40% of its population was killed in the last decade. The ones who stayed are living in fear, and as slaves to those who took over, as well as other criminals who moved in to Aktia Kingdom since the takeover.
"Due to all this, there is little information about the Aktia Kingdom. No one goes there from the outside, unless they want to join, and no one comes out of it… at least no one comes out alive."
"Then how do you get the information?" Ash asked.
Tulip smiled. "I have my ways." She said cryptically.
Ash looked at her curiously, before he shrugged. He didn't care how she got the information. As long as it's credible, and it can serve him, he doesn't care about her ways.
"Ok then," Ash spoke again. "What can you tell me about this pirate group? About their members, leaders, their powers. Everything you know, I need to know."
"Normally, I would ask you why you need those information's, but Professor Oak already informed me of what's going on, and about the three power users from Aktia Kingdom, showing up in Sinnoh Region, and doing what they did. As such, I won't ask you anything."
Ash nodded. He was glad he won't have to explain everything. It would take time.
"So, where to start..." Tulip spoke, before she stopped for a few moments, thinking of how to start explaining to Ash about the Aktia Kingdom, and its residents. "The Pirate Crew named itself the Aktia Pirates. The captain of the crew gave it that name, as they are all from Aktia Kingdom, and even as pirates they represented the Aktia Kingdom.
"The founder of the crew, and its captain, is a woman called, Umm Madaura. Even before she formed a pirate crew, she was very well known in Aktia Kingdom, because she was younger sister of the previous kind of Aktia. As such, she wasn't going to inherit the title, as the kind has sons, so there was no way for her to get the title of a Queen, unless the king, and his entire line dies out, and she's the only one left.
"Truthfully, we don't know why she formed a pirate crew, but if we have to guess, it was so she can take over the country. She could have tried to have the kind and his sons killed in secret, but she wasn't very well liked in the country, so if they all died, she would be a #1 suspect. Even if she wasn't suspected, people wouldn't want her as a Queen, as she isn't a nice woman, unlike her older brother and his sons. As such, she probably figured it's better to form a pirate crew, and amass the wealth and power, before she returns to the Kingdom, and takes over by force.
"I will admit that none of her reasons are proved true, and it's more of a speculations, but due to everything that's been going on, the chances are rather high that everything I just said, is the truth.
"Now, the thing about the Paldea Region, and Aktia Kingdom, as well as most of the Regions in this quarter, is that we have schools where people learn to use Aura, and Psychic powers. Naturally, there are people who have very little power, so they can't use them, no matter how much they learn, and train. Umm Madaura, and her pirate crew are all power users. They all have either Aura, or Psychic powers, and they are all very powerful.
"Until few years ago, Umm Madaura hasn't done anything against other regions. She stayed in Aktia Kingdom, and occasional looted here and there is other regions, but nothing too extreme. As such, none of the governments from the other regions, went after her. Mainly due to the fact that we are smart people and we know that attacking other nations will cause more trouble than good. We can go in, attack, and then say that we are doing this to save people, but that's all a load of shit. Only morons would believe that. As such, Umm Madaura and her crew were left free in the Aktia Kingdom, and will stay like that as long as she doesn't do anything too extreme against other regions.
"But then, few years ago we got information that Umm Madaura's crew, and the kingdom itself has gained a large number of very powerful Aura, and Psychic users. It has made everyone confused, as we all wondered where all those people are coming from. There are Aura, and Psychic users in Aktia Kingdom, Paldea Region, as well as other regions, but there have never been that many in Aktia, and those who were living there, weren't that strong.
"All of that has made us curious, and we wanted to find out what the hell is going on. That's how we discovered something crazy, and very bad. It's the reason why they need a large amount of electric power.
"Professor Oak told me about those three who gave you trouble, in Sinnoh. He told me what they've done, and he mentioned that they were going after the electricity. The reason they need electricity is due to a weapon which Umm Madaura created. We don't know how she created it, but we know that the weapon is a dagger which she named, Athame. She actually mass produced it, so there are a lot of them out there.
"Now, the power of Athame, is that it can absorb, and transfer power. Athame absorbs electricity, which powers it up. Then, if you use Athame to stub a Psychic, or Aura user, you can extract their powers from their bodies. The Aura, or Psychic power would replace the electrical power in the dagger, and then stay inside. From there on, all you have to do is to transfer Aura, or Psychic power, to a new user.
"The dagger has a limited capacity. Once it's full with energy, it can't be used again until the energy is released. But once it is, then the dagger can be used again. Also, one person can have Aura, or Psychic powers transferred to them several times. The only limit comes from how strong their bodies are. So the stronger they are, the more energy they can take in. Another limit is that one person can only have Aura, or Psychic powers. Not both of them at the same time.
"As you see, the reason Umm Madaura has so many Aura, and Psychic users under her command, is due to those daggers she invented. It's for the daggers that she needs electricity, and it's due to the need of electricity, that she sent those three to the Eastern Quarter. She knew that if she does that to the regions in the Northern Quarter, she will bring fire upon herself. But, no one knows about her, and her crew in your quarter, so it was a safe bet to send them there. Especially because all three people she sent, were powerful Aura, and Psychic users, and it is known in the northern quarter that the eastern quarter barely has any Aura, and Psychic users. Madaura never thought that there would be any trouble for her man. It has never even crossed her mind that there is going to be someone like you, who will be able to stop her man, and even have one of them killed, while the other two were sent to prison."
During Tulip's talking, Ash was quiet, and was carefully listening to everything. He was shocked by many things he has learned, but at least now he knows why those three came to Sinnoh, and what they were truly after.
As such, he can plan on how to deal with anyone else from Aktia Kingdom, and Madaura's crew if they show up in the eastern quarter.
For the first few days of his stay in Rota Kingdom, Ash spent it with his Aunt, mother, and Amber. Anabel spent it with them as well, though. She came with Amber, so they didn't want to leave her alone, while they have some family time together.
Those first few days were nice and relaxing, with Ash spending a lot of time with his aunt, as he was telling her of his journey though Sinnoh.
Then, one day, Ash decided to pay a visit to Urahara.
He doesn't live in the castle. I mean, why would he? He's a friend, but he's not a member of the royal family.
Urahara has his own house. He's never there, though. He spends most of his time in the Rota Kingdom research center, where he works, on research, and invention of many things. He's actually the one who made the plans for the Ketchum Castle, and Pallet Hotel. He designed them, top to bottom, and oversaw the constriction of the Pallet Hotel. Occasionally, he oversees the construction of the castle, as well.
After few days spent with his aunt, mother, and sister/fuck buddy, as well as his sister's girlfriend/his fuck buddy; Ash paid a visit to Urahara. He hasn't seen him in a while, and wanted to speak with him about the latest projects Urahara was working on. Like the Rota version of the PPA.
They spoke for a while, about several projects, like the Rota PPA, and the Ketchum Castle; before Ash decided he wanted to see someone in the Rota Prison.
Right now, Ash, and Urahara were walking down a dark corridor in the Rota Prison, which is located completely below ground.
The corridor is long, and there are many metal doors on both sides. Each door is the entrance into a cell. Each cell is made for one prisoner, instead of piling 10 of them in one four-by-three cell.
"Are you sure about this, Ash." Urahara asked, as he walked next to Ash. He looks like he always does, walking around with his cane - which he doesn't really need - and wearing a green cloak and hat.
Ash was wearing black pants, black shoes, and dark-red sleeveless hoodie.
"I'm sure." Ash said. "It's time."
Urahara wondered about that, but in the end he decided not to interfere with Ash's decision.
Soon, they were in front of one of the cells, which is holding a prisoner who has been in there for over two years. No one except few know of this prisoner. No one but few know who is inside, and why they are inside.
Ash is the one who put this person in jail. Originally, they were in the jail with the imprisoned Pokémon, but in a separate wing. Once the human part of the Rota Prison was built few months ago, Urahara had this person transferred to where they are right now.
"Leave us alone," Ash said to Urahara. "I need to do this on my own."
Urahara really didn't want to leave Ash in the cell with a prisoner. Not because he was afraid for Ash, but because he was afraid that he might snap, and kill the prisoner. That, wouldn't be a good thing.
"That's not a good idea, Ash." Urahara said.
"Don't worry," Ash said, without even looking toward the older man. "I won't kill the prisoner."
Urahara sighed, before he turned around, and left. He knew this was a bad idea, but didn't want to argue with Ash. He knew that he wouldn't be able to change his mind, and he can't really forbid him to see this prisoner, either.
Ash walked to the door, and pressed the palm of his right hand on the palm-scanner, at the right side of the door. The palm scanners are the only way to open the cells, and only those whose palm scans are in the system, can opened the cells. It was Urahara who made it this way, as he though it will be better secured. The only people whose palm scans are in the system, are, Ash, Red, Riley, and Urahara. No one else except them can enter inside.
The cell door opened up, and allowed Ash to walk inside. Once he did, he saw the cell for the first time.
Ash has already heard from Urahara, the kind of prison they've built. The Ketchum's, and Urahara are civilized people. They know that sending someone in prison built underground, for the rest of their lives, is punishment enough. Those people are not going anywhere out of that room, and even if they do come out, it's only occasionally, so they can get some sunlight. Red, Riley, and Urahara figured that that's punishment enough for everyone sent to their prison. There is no need to torture them more by placing half a dozen, or a dozen people in the same room, with nothing but beds, and a single toilet pot.
As such, all the cells are made for one prisoner. Also, the simplest cells only have a single bed, and a private bathroom. The better equipped cells have a large bed, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The cells can almost be compared to rooms in some middle-class hotels.
The cell Ash just entered into, is one of those better looking ones. The cell is rather large. Has a large bed on one side, and a kitchen with a small table, and chair, on the other side of the room. There is a door, leading to a bathroom on the same wall where the bed is, only a few feet being in between the door, and the bed.
As soon as Ash entered inside the cell, he noticed a person he was looking for. The person was a female with long black hair, green eyes. She's also a beauty with a body to die for. She was wearing a green crop cop, and a very small denim shorts. When I say small, I mean underwear small.
It was none other, then Jane. A former member of the Shadow Legion, who disappeared from Pallet Town not long after Ash returned from Hoenn.
All this time, everyone who knew Ash, and Jane, thought that Ash has killed her, because she was a member of the Shadow Legion. Ash never actually said that he has killed her, but he didn't say that he didn't either. What he did, is send her to jail, and the only ones who knew that she was there, besides Ash, are Red, Riley, and Urahara.
Jane was just as good looking as she used to be the last time Ash saw her. She doesn't look like she has aged a day, but her skin tone has changed. It's lighter than it used to be. Then again, considering the fact that the prison she is in, is underground, and that she spends very little time under the sun, it's not that shocking to think that her skin-tone would change.
It's a good thing that all prisoners are being fed vitamins every single day, otherwise they wouldn't have lasted long living underground.
Beyond that, there is nothing new on her.
One other strange thing is that, Jane doesn't look like a prisoner. She looks like a regular person, wearing regular clothing, and living in a small apartment, where she spends most of her time.
The reason for that is the prison doesn't look like a prison, and there are no prisoner uniforms. The prisoners are given regular clothing - if they don't have them. If they do have their own, then it can be brought to them by their own families.
In Jane's case, she has no family, but she did have her personal stuff, which were taken from the house she lived into in Pallet Town, and were then given to her in prison.
Ash, and Jane noticed each other, and while Ash wasn't surprised to see her, and had a blank look on his face; Jane was shocked to see Ash. Not only due to the fact that he is the reason she was there, but also because he hasn't visited her even once, since he has sent her to jail over two years ago.
"A-Ash." Jane barely whispered.
"Long time no see," Ash said, with a straight face.
Jane looked at Ash for a few moments, before she said. "Not due to my actions. I've been in the same place since the last time we've seen each other. If you wanted to see me, you could have come. I couldn't come to you, even though I've wanted to see you."
"You are here because you were a member of the worst criminal organization on the planet," Ash growled. "You went to my home town, and got close to my mother and friends, so you can spy on them, and maybe even hurt them. You can't blame me for what happened to you. You should be thankful that I let you live. I could have easily killed you. In fact, all those who knew you in Pallet Town, think that I did kill you, and I never said otherwise. Yet, I'm still free."
Ash walked closer to Jane, and stood in front of her. Unlike the last time they've seen each other, now Ash is taller, and wider. He's looks like he can break Jane in half with his bare hands, if he wanted to.
"I can kill you right now," Ash spoke again. "I can keep you here for decades, and then kill you. I can keep you here until you die of old age. No matter what I do to you, no one but me, Urahara, my uncle, and my father would know about it. For the rest of the world, you are hiding somewhere at best, and are nothing but a set of bones, at worst.
"Do you see it now," Ash placed the back of his right hand on Jane's cheek, and caressed it. "Your life is in my hands. I can do with you whatever I want."
Jane could barely breathe. She didn't know why Ash has come after all this time, but if he's come to kill her… she doesn't want that. She wants to live, even if it's in this apartment-like cell.
"What are you going to do to me?" Jane asked, fearfully.
Ash looked at Jane for a few moments, before he said. "I'll give you a chance."
Jane rose her eyebrows at Ash's answer.
XXX
Ash was walking over the dirt path toward the forest.
He is currently on the hill overlooking the Rota Kingdom, and the forest he is going toward, is part of the Rota Kingdom. Beyond the forest, though, is a part of free land - so to say. It's not a part of Kanto Region, nor the Rota Kingdom. It's a no-man's land, where no humans live. The only thing up there, are mountains, forest, meadows, and deserts. As such, no one but some Pokémon have chosen to live up there.
The place is where Ash wants to build a new PPA. He wants the turn the entire area into the largest PPA on the planet. It will stretch over the whole area, which is comparable in size to about 1/3th of the Kanto Region.
Ash has already spoken with his father, uncle, and Urahara. He told them of his desire, and they (mainly Urahara) are working on making his plan come to be.
Of course, even if the area is a no-man's land, and doesn't belong to any Region, they still need to talk with the Kanto Region Government, over the making of the PPA. The area is attached to the Kanto Region, and the Rota Kingdom, so everyone needs to come to an agreement, for the area to be turned into the PPA.
Normally, the Ketchum's would just buy the land, and build what they want on it. The thing is, the land doesn't belong to anyone, and as such, it can't be bought. They can try to just turn it into the PPA, but that would mean making a no-man's land into a private property. There is a possibility that no one will care about it, but there is also a possibility that one day, the Kanto Region may decide to cause problems for the PPA. As such, it's better to come to some form of an agreement now, then to have problems later.
As he was walking up the road, Ash's Rotom Pokedex is floating next to him. Ash was currently speaking with Urahara.
"Were are you, Ash?" Urahara asked.
He hasn't seen Ash since few hours ago, when he left him in prison with Jane. After that, he went back to his research center, and continued his work. As such, he doesn't know what happened.
"I'm on my way to see the area where we want to build the PPA," Ash said. "I want to take a better look over it."
"Where is Jane?" Urahara asked.
"She's in the castle with mom, aunt, Amber, and Anabel." Ash said, making Urahara's eyes widen in shock.
"You released her from prison?" He questioned in disbelief.
"I did," Ash said. "At first, I wasn't sure what to do with her, but eventually, I decided to give her a chance. I released her, but I warned her that this will be the only chance she will get. One foot out of line… and I will kill her with my bare hands."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ash?" Urahara asked.
"No," Ash admitted. "But I did it anyway. We'll see how it turns out."
Urahara sighed. "Where is she going to live, from now one?" He asked.
"She will stay here, in Rota," Ash said. "I want you to take her in, and have her work with you, and Shelly. She used to be a Nurse, but I'm sure she can learn something about science, and technology, and be able to help you, like Shelly is."
Urahara sighed, once again. "Fine," he said. "I'll go and speak with her right now. I also want to make sure she doesn't pull something, while you are away."
"I don't think she will," Ash said. "She knows me. She knows I don't threaten just for show. I WILL kill her if she does something I don't like. She knows that, and she will be calm, and do as she is told. I'm sure of that."
Urahara nodded.
After that, the call ended, and Ash continued his track to the forest, in silence, while his Rotom Pokedex floated next to him, while taking pictures of the unexplored nature.
XXX
Ash stayed in Pallet Town for two months, which was followed by another two months in Rota Kingdom. Then, one day, he decided that four months was enough time to rest, and spend time with his family, and friends, and that it's time to restart his journey. It was time for him to head to Unova.
The two months in Rota, Ash spent with his mother, sister, and aunt, along with Anabel, and Jane. He spent some time with Urahara, and Shelly. The two of them are working in the research division of the Rota Kingdom, and are constantly coming up with new inventions. Ash spent a lot of time with them, not only because he was interested in what they are doing, but also because Jane was going to work with Urahara, and Shelly from now on, and he wanted to see how her education was going.
The time spent with Ilene was one where they spoke of Ash's journey's, about Ilene's time as a queen of Rota, and about the new stuff which was happening in Rota in the last few years.
Amber, and Anabel spent a lot of time around Ash, as well, but they did spend more time just the two of them, then they did with Ash. This was the first time Anabel has actually been in the Rota Kingdom, and Amber used the chance to show her girlfriend around the kingdom, as well as the surrounding area. The two of them even went to the area which Ash wants to turn into the PPA. They went with Ash there, though.
During the two months, Anabel had to go back to her Battle Facility, twice, as she had challengers. Right after the matches, though, she would come back to Rota. She was lucky that as a Frontier Brain, she doesn't have a lot of challengers. If she was a gym leader, she would have never been able to take two months break. Unless of course she decides to close the gym, like Fantina did.
And so, after the two months were over, Ash, Delia, Amber, and Anabel, left the Rota Kingdom, and returned to the Pallet Town. Naturally, Ilene, Urahara, Shelly, and Jane, were there to see them off, and so they can wish Ash good luck on his journey.