Ash couldn't place the man in front of him, despite his certainty that he had seen him previously. The man who was staring at him in shock, but slowly starting to move once again.

"You… But… Interview… You… Pokémon League…"

Ash swept around the table, to meet the babbling man. He had none of his own Pokémon with him, but he didn't need them. One man presented no threat to him.

"What is your name?" Ash demanded as he towered over the man who had apparently decided to stop talking.

"I…"

Ash sighed. "No matter, I will find out."

The man managed to force out a laugh, a manic sound that was abruptly cut off as Ash stepped forwards slightly.

"You're too late Ketchum," the man said, a grin still on his face. "You may stop me here, but Hoenn will fall. The rest of Johto will fall. You can't stop all of us."

Ash blinked, then moved. Faster than the eye could see, his fist shot out, sending the man flying across the room. The door buckled under the impact, and the man slumped to the ground, before being raised up and slammed against the wall once again, Ash's fist at his throat.

"I'm not sure you're in a position to make threats," Ash said as he glared up at the man. "Now, what is your name? I'll not ask again."

The man looked down into the eyes of his attacker and felt his resistance crumble away. Usually, when facing an opponent he could stare them down. Little scared him, but when he saw the face below him he felt fear suck away all of his strength. The visage in front of him was covered in scars, with the worst running directly across his face, from his left ear to the right, ending just below his lips. The eyes themselves were utterly pitiless, dark pits into which the man could feel his soul falling.

"My name is Butch," he said choked out, the fist slowly crushing his windpipe and depriving him of air.

Ash nodded. "You know who I am. That will make this easier."

Ash let Butch fall from to the floor before turning away and returning to the desk. Butch slowly climbed to his feet, leaning on the door frame for support.

"Sit down Butch," Ash said sharply, gesturing towards the chair. "Before you fall over."

Butch considered trying to run but decided against it. Even if he was in a state to flee, he suspected that he would be caught within the first ten seconds. Probably less if the rumours about Ash Ketchum's capabilities were anything to go on. He let go of the door and staggered towards the chair, slumping into it as Ash's eyes bored into him. Inexplicably the face in front of him had returned to normal, perfect skin.

"How…" Butch started before Ash leaned forward, cutting him off.

"How many of you are there in this building?"

Butch clamped his mouth shut and forced himself to meet the stare of the man in front of him. If he could even be called that, Butch wasn't entirely sure if he would classify him as a man anymore. What kind of man had the ability to change his face on a whim?

"How many of your grunts are across Johto?"

No answer.

"Who are you working for?"

Butch tried to look away but a hand shot out, gripping his chin and forcing his gaze forwards to the man across the desk.

"Who are you working for, Butch?" Ash asked. Butch met his gaze for a long moment before spitting at his interrogator. Ash withdrew smoothly, allowing the spittle to land on the desk between them, before rising from his chair and started pacing.

"You know Butch, I'm sure your colleagues admire your loyalty. It is impressive, your refusal to give an answer to a simple question."

"Thank you?" Butch ventured, but Ash ignored him.

"So, let me tell you what is going to happen here. You can either answer all of my questions and then when you get charged by the Pokémon League, you might survive the charge of terrorism. Time in prison at the very least shouldn't kill you."

Ash turned and placed both hands on the desk, towering over Butch. "Do I need to hell you what option two is?"

Butch looked up, feeling a bubble up from somewhere inside, although where he had no idea.

"You're bluffing. You fell out with the Pokémon League. The Pokémon Master won't do anything to help you, and you won't do anything to help her."

Ash nodded slowly, before standing up straight.

"Option two it is then. Once my Pokémon are done stopping your attempted coup, they will teleport you to Indigo Plateau. The Pokémon Master will be waiting for you, along with testimony from myself and my Pokémon. Testimony that is admissible in court. You'll be lucky not to face the death penalty, especially when your lack of cooperation is considered."

"Our coup?" Butch stammered out, confidence suddenly destroyed.

Ash looked down at him pityingly. "You didn't think I didn't know about that did you?"

Steven and Lance heard the notifications at the same time as the felt their phones vibrating. Mellanie's phone went off a moment later. In unison, they turned away from the wall of screens that was showing the chaos in Suunyshore City.

"A report from Goldenrod," Lance said as he scanned down. "Another from Violet City and Ecruteak."

Mellanie didn't even bother to read hers as Steven started announcing similar reports from Hoenn cities.

"What is going on?" she demanded.

Lance held up a hand for a moment before dialling a number.

"Falkner? Give me a brief rundown… What?!"

Lance held his hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Mellanie.

"We've been attacked" he mouthed before turning his attention back to the phone.

"How did you win?"

There was a long moment before a look of utter incomprehension spread across Lance's face. He thanked Falkner before ending the call.

"Well?" Mellanie demanded.

Lance shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know where Ash is, but Falkner just reported that Violet City was being attacked, the focus being on his gym. The centre of the Pokémon League in the city."

"Just like in Sinnoh," Steven said sharply. "How bad?"

"He was being overwhelmed."

"Was?" Mellanie asked.

Lance nodded as he turned towards her. "Yes, was. Apparently, a Sceptile appeared and dispatched his attackers. By itself."

There was a long silence before Mellanie nodded. "Ash."

"But where is he?" Steven demanded.

Mellanie looked at him with a slightly sad expression on her face. "He won't be here."

"How do you know that?"

"It is quite simple," she said. "Ash is doing what he does best. He'll clear up as many of the problems as he can, then he will come to us. Not before."

Ash closed the door behind him, leaving Butch unconscious in a chair, securely tied. As he strode for the elevator down, he heard a Pokémon land next to him and follow.

"Espeon."

"We've secured this building, and the others in this city. The majority of Johto and Hoenn cities have repelled the attacks. Alakazam is coordinating the final push now."

"You've done well," Ash said as the entered the elevator, feeling it descend. "Where are we keeping the captives?"

"We moved them to the island."

Ash glanced down at his Pokémon in surprise but she met his gaze calmly. "Why?"

"Because nobody can get on or off that island without my agreement. They are secure there, and well restrained."

Ash nodded. "Very well. Your judgement call."

"It is."

The elevator continued to descend as a silence fell between the two of them, before Ash sighed and looked down at his Pokémon.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Ash laughed. "There is no way that you can get away with that. What is it?"

"How did you know?"

"How did I know what?"

Ash grinned as Espeon's tail flicked out against his hand.

"You know what."

"I had a hunch," Ash admitted. "The riots in Sinnoh didn't make much sense in isolation, but as a cover for an attempt to run coups in two regions, it is incredibly daring. It almost succeeded. I'm almost curious to know who thinks they can pull it off."

"You don't know?"

"Not yet. But I will find out," Ash promised.

"What comes next?" Espeon asked.

"We finish rounding up Hoenn and Johto," Ash said. "And then I think it is time that we paid a visit to Sunnyshore City."

The door swung open, and the resident of the room turned to look at his visitor. The woman strode in, her confidence apparent in the way she held herself.

"Report."

The woman deliberately left the door open as she selected a chair and swung it around, to sit on it the wrong way around, her legs wrapping around the backrest as she leaned forwards against it. The gloom from the outside world illuminated her blonde hair as it fell forwards framing her face.

"You could afford to be a little politer."

"You lost me an Elite," the man said, his voice betraying his anger.

"So maybe you didn't need a report after all," the woman said cheerily, ignoring the way that her words caused an intake of breath in the shadows in front of her. "Since you already knew what was…"

"Don't test me," the man growled. "Remember, I rescued you."

"I suppose you did," the woman said. "Fine. We've secured the city, grunts in deployment to fight against any attacks. Our backup plan is well underway, with large buildings already rigged. There is no police force and we are confiscating Pokémon throughout the city. We can hold off almost any attack through the weight of numbers."

"And what happened in Johto and Hoenn?"

For the first time, the woman's peppy look faded. "I was rather hoping you knew. That has put us under huge pressure to deliver quickly. We wanted to secure Sinnoh, we only got one city."

"There is only one thing that I believe has happened," the man said softly. "Champion has entered the fight."

"Champion? But he wouldn't support the Pokémon League…"

"Don't underestimate him," the man's voice was sharp. "Anybody who has is promptly beaten. He is utterly ruthless, and will think of nothing of taking on an army."

"You know a lot about him."

"I do. I have history." The man didn't elaborate any further and the woman began to lean her chair forwards.

"If he attacks with all of his Pokémon, we may struggle to hold him off," she warned. "I've not seen his Pokémon in action, but they are said to be fearsome."

"They are, but we have them sorted. If he relies on his Pokémon to defeat us, he will lose. He may, however, choose to attack us himself. He is a fearsome fighter, even without his Pokémon."

"I have unfinished business with Ketchum and I would enjoy bringing down a legend," the woman said as the chair tilted alarmingly forwards, now only held in place by her lean muscles tensing.

"As would I," the man said. "But it would take both of us. If he attacks, you do not reveal yourself until either I order you, or until I engage him. Do you understand?"

There was a clatter as the chair fell to the floor, the woman rolling into a crouch in a smooth movement. She stood peered into the darkness, struggling to make out the face of her superior before nodding. "I understand. We will triumph."

She spun, rising to her full height as she strode for the door, athletic grace suddenly evident in her movements. The man watching her leave allowed a smile to flicker across his face in the darkness. He was ready.

Alicia rolled off the back of her Arcanine, landing on the ground and staggering. She was exhausted, and she hadn't been the one who had been fighting. How her Pokémon was still on his feet, she wasn't entirely sure.

Arcanine yowled as she looked more closely at his injuries. He had clearly been fighting very hard but stood proud. She reached up and scratched him below his jaw, causing him to turn and look down at her with a smile on his face.

"Thank you," Alicia whispered. "You got us out of there."

Arcanine nodded before lying down in the dirt by the side of the road. He licked at his wounds for a moment before turning his attention back to his shattered trainer.

"No…" Alicia muttered, climbing to her feet and standing over him. "You rest Arcanine."

Her Pokémon nuzzled her arm before nodding tiredly and accepting the Pokéball that was held above him. Alicia replaced it on her belt and looked around. She wasn't entirely sure where she was, but she knew she was alone. She had no Pokémon left that were in a state to fight and she was somewhere in Sinnoh, with nobody knowing where she was.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile phone, staring at its dark screen. Keeping her phone with charge had been difficult, and she wasn't surprised to see it dead. Shoving it back into her pocket in frustration, Alicia reached for the bag that had flown away as Arcanine came to a stop. Deciding to focus on what she did have instead of what she didn't, Alicia spilled the contents out onto the ground and began to take stock. A few moments later she began to wish she had let herself break down in tears. A pad of paper, a small bottle of water, enough food to sustain her for a day and her change of clothes. A map completed the set, but with no idea as to where she was, the map was taunting her. She looked up into the sky and saw the lack of clouds, before looking sadly at the bottle of water. Whilst rain wouldn't be exactly pleasant, the heat that she was facing wasn't ideal either.

She looked back at the tracks that Arcanine had left in his desperation to escape and tried to think of something that she could have done differently. She knew she had fought harder than anybody could have expected, holding her own after her supporting trainers had been beaten. She had started the day with a dozen supporting trainers, but they had all fallen by the wayside as she fought relentlessly. The attacks had been far worse than she could have expected. And she still had no idea where Lucian was. Ultimately, she had failed.

Failure was something that didn't come naturally to the Elite Four that Sam had put together. When he had won his title, he had been aware of the incredible media focus on his age. The youngest ever regional leader, defeating a legend in Lance, the Dragon Master. The world had watched and waited for him to embarrass himself. When that hadn't happened, they had assumed that Sam was getting advice from somebody older. The expectation had caused Sam to do the opposite, deliberately surrounding himself with young trainers. Alicia herself had struggled to find her way in a competitive world as a young woman, ignored for her gender. Derided by her opponents, her career had stagnated. She had retreated to Cinnabar Island to become one of the strongest trainers in the islands gym, but stopped entering tournaments. Sam had found her, recruited her and she never looked back. She had the highest win percentage of the any of the opening members of the Elite Four. She never failed. Despite the loss in Sunnyshore City, she needed to get back to Indigo Plateau. The Pokémon League needed to know what had happened, and she suspected she was the only one who would be telling them.

Feeling somewhat more motivated, Alicia pulled the map out once again, before looking back at Arcanine's tracks. She knew that her Pokémon would not have taken her towards the ocean, and she knew where they had come from. Thinking back to which way they had fled the city, Alicia tried to work out how close she would be to Route 222. It had been a long time since she had been in Sinnoh, but she could see a forest in the distance. Slowly, she began to find more features that she recognized to gain a rough idea of where she was. If she was right, she had ten miles to hike before she reached a route that she might recognize. Quickly gathering up her belongings and packing them into her bag, she squared her shoulders and started to walk.

Ash crouched down on the roof of the building, keeping himself as low as possible. In the square far beneath him, it seemed surprisingly peaceful. For a city that had just been the scene of a host of riots and what could only amount to a coup against the Pokémon League, Ash had been expecting a lot worse. As it was, he looked down on the square where it had all happened and it looked remarkably clean.

Espeon nosed at his arm as he shuffled back from the edge and turned to her.

"Where is the damage?"

"This is worse than we were expecting," Ash said quietly. "Riots and a coup is one thing, but this looks closer to an attempt to actually take the city over completely. What we stopped in Johto and Hoenn they have done here successfully."

"We can push them back again," Espeon said confidently. "They won with numbers, that won't work against us."

Ash shook his head. "Not yet. For one thing, we don't know where anybody from the Pokémon League still is. We will need to go to Indigo Plateau before we do anything here."

Espeon nodded and turned to move away but she felt a hand on her head that made her turn back.

"Speak to Alakazam. Whilst the plane from Johto went down, Kanto and Hoenn got through. That is a lot of powerful trainers to just vanish. Find out where they went and find out who the most powerful trainers are. Some must have gotten away."

Espeon flicked her tail as she shut her eyes. Ash shuffled forwards again, looking down on the square below him once again. There were some people walking across it, almost as if they didn't have a care in the world. He frowned slightly, something was very wrong. Something occurred to him as Espeon opened her eyes once again.

"They were captured," Espeon said. "Alakazam has found most of them in cells throughout the city."

"Any missing?" Ash asked.

"One. Alicia, the first member of the Kanto Elite Four."

"Alicia…" Ash said quietly, mulling over the word. "She escaped."

"It would appear so."

"Find her," Ash said. "That is their top priority."

"I'll instruct the scouts. What will we do?"

Ash smiled slightly as he rose to his full height and stepped away from the edge of the roof.

"I'm going to pay a visit to the person who is sitting in Lucian's office. I want to know who the woman that organised this whole thing is."

"How do you know that she will be in there?" Espeon asked. Ash glanced down at her.

"Because this was not just an attempt to cause problems, or even a protest. This was a fully-fledged revolution. And the Pokémon League is the centre of the cities infrastructure. It would be symbolic; they've thrown the Pokémon League out and are taking the seat of their power. She is the leader, she will be there."

Before Espeon could say anything else, Ash took several steps across the roof, standing over a vent that led down into the building. The top had a grill welded to the exit, designed to prevent anybody doing what Ash was about to. Espeon arrived at his side as he looked at the grill almost pityingly.

"I suppose this was never designed to keep somebody like me out," Ash remarked as he reached down and tugged. There was a snapping noise and the entire grill came away, leaving an open hole for him to drop down into. He grinned at Espeon before vaulting inside, falling rapidly. His Pokémon sighed as she watched him drop.

About a third of the way down, Espeon reached out and caught him with Psychic. He looked up and gave her a thumb up that made her purr with amusement despite herself. Her trainer really was a unique person. Ash reached out with his hand and struck the edge of the vent, splitting it instantly. His fist passed straight through the wall around it, causing a puff of dust to drift into the vent and fall. A moment later he vanished into the hole that he had created in the wall before his arms reappeared reaching into the vent. Espeon sighed as she stepped forwards, dropping into his arms. Ash put her down on the floor next to him before looking around at a whole group of workers sat in the office floor that they had extricated themselves into.

"Good afternoon," Ash said as he looked at the stunned workers before glancing back to the hole in their wall behind him. "Sorry about that. I'll be on my way, but I'm sure somebody will fix it."

"Why?"

Ash stopped, halfway towards the door that led out of the room, turning around to look at the office worker who had spoken to him. "Sorry?"

"Why are you here?"

"My name is Ash Ketchum. I was once the Pokémon Master. I'm here to work out what has happened."

"That is pretty easy to tell you," the man said. "We have a new leader."

Ash cocked his head slightly. "You aren't new staff here, are you?"

The man nodded. "Good guess. We've been here for years. And we've now finally got a leader who cares about the region more than looking good in the eyes of the Pokémon League."

"Interesting," Ash said. "You work for the Pokémon League."

"Worked."

Ash looked around to see hostility beginning to break out on the faces of those around him, surprised at how much there was.

"Would it make you happier if I said I wasn't here to overthrow her this time?" Ash asked.

"Wait… you're not?" the man asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Ash nodded. "I'm not. I want to talk, discuss what happened. I'm sure that you are aware that the revolution was illegal, but I promise that I'll not do anything to harm the woman in charge this time."

The man nodded slowly. "Very well. Go."

Ash turned and strode out of the door, with Espeon padding along beside him.

"Why did you debate with them? We can't afford that much time."

Ash glanced down at Espeon. "Because that attitude landed us in this problem. We cannot just ignore the opinions of regular people, they care about what happens in their region. They want to know that they are valued, they want to know that their region is looked after. When Cynthia became Pokémon Master first time, they would have been proud to have her ruling the world. But that was a long time ago. It has been a very long time since the Sinnoh Champion actually seemed to spend time in her region. That isn't going to make the Pokémon League very popular around here."

"You're trying to reverse the trend?"

"Yes," Ash said simply as they stepped into the elevator. "No matter what happens, I was once still Pokémon Master. Looking after issues like this comes with the job."

Espeon didn't say anything as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Ash strode forwards, heading straight for the door that traditionally led to the office for the leader of Sinnoh. At his touch, the door swung open, revealing a woman sat behind a desk, skimming a file that was open on her desk.

"I don't recall saying come in," the woman said, not looking up.

"I do apologise," Ash said, slightly sarcastically. "It's been a habit I've picked up recently, dramatic entries. You should be happy I actually used the door."

The woman's head snapped up to see Ash stood there calmly waiting. She smirked at him before carefully placing the file away in a drawer and making a steeple with her fingers on the desk.

"Ash Ketchum."

"Well that puts me at a disadvantage," Ash said conversationally. "Because I don't know your name."

"My name isn't important."

"Ash, she has a disguise," Espeon said suddenly.

Ash didn't react as he stepped towards a chair, lounging in it.

"Can you break it?" Ash asked.

"Probably. Give me a moment."

"It would still be nice to know who I'm talking to," Ash said as he leaned forwards.

"The leader of Sinnoh."

Ash inclined his head. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow that."

"We took the region, therefore I become the leader. It is quite simple."

"Oh, I agree, it would be quite simple," Ash said. "Except you didn't take the region. You took the city. So I suppose I could call you the leader of Sunnyshore?"

"Ready," Espeon said.

"Although I would rather just find out who you really are," Ash continued. "So… Espeon?"

There was a flash from across the desk, and the woman shouted in anger. As the light faded, Ash looked into a completely different face. Shoulder length blonde hair framed her face, her violet eyes gazing at Ash in fury. Ash lounged back in his chair, contemplating the person sat in front of him.

"I've seen you before," Ash mused. "Not recently, but a long time ago."

The woman rose from her chair, shaking with anger. "What are you here for?"

Ash ignored her, instead leaning forwards to get a closer look at her face. "I think I do know you…" he said quietly. "Although… I thought I left you in prison?"

The woman flipped her hair, glaring down at him with hatred. "You left me tied up outside a police station. Technically you didn't leave me in the prison."

Ash nodded as he leaned back once again. "Domino. The Black Tulip, 009. Once the hottest agent of Team Rocket, until I tore the organisation apart. I'm curious, how did you escape?"

Domino shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. I wasn't the Black Tulip for nothing."

Ash nodded. "There is that. I'm aware of your capabilities, although I did think you wouldn't want to face me again."

"I've grown harder to beat since we last met."

"And I've grown far stronger than you could ever hope to beat," Ash retorted. "Even without my Pokémon, you have no chance against me."

Domino lunged forwards, but Ash was already moving, sliding out of his chair and to one side as his opponent flew through the spot where he had been a moment earlier. Domino hit the ground rolling, coming up to face Ash, a black tulip held in her hand. Ash sighed as she flung the tulip at him, snatching it out of the air and slamming it into the desk. Domino leapt forwards again, her foot flying out to try to strike her opponent. Ash spun away, letting her strike pass him by before his arms closed around her wrists in a steely grip.

"I didn't come here to fight you," Ash said, but Domino ignored him. Despite her arms being held in place, she twisted her lower body to allow her to kick out. Ash let the kick catch him in the side, ignoring the blow as he raised Domino into the air with casual strength. He rounded the desk, placing her firmly back in the chair before leaning back as her feet swung back around in an aggressive kick.

Ash leapt backwards, easily clearing the desk as Domino struck at him again before glancing down at Espeon who was watching with an amused expression. As he landed, his eyes glowed an electric blue, freezing Domino in place.

"As I said, I didn't come here to fight," Ash said. "I gave my word to somebody that I wouldn't hurt you, but you are making it difficult."

"Then why are you here?" Domino asked through gritted teeth, straining against the force holding her in place.

Ash looked at the furious woman in front of him.

"I came to find out who I was facing. Next time we meet, it'll be as enemies."

Domino felt the force holding her in place vanish, and she lunged forward but Ash was already gone, vanishing into the air.

Alicia felt herself stumble and let herself fall to the ground. She lay there for a moment, exhaustion rendering her motionless. Her muscles trembled, and she felt tears beginning to come on. After a long moment, she managed to raise her head to look around to see if she recognized where she was. Nothing around her looked even vaguely familiar to the routes that she had travelled years ago. Alicia let her head fall to the ground once again, this time the tears flowing freely. She was utterly lost, and nobody would be able to find her.

She reached to her belt and held a Pokéball in her hand, before wearily returning it to her belt. Her team was still shattered. She knew that they would recover enough to help her in a day or so, but that was too late. Whatever had happened in Sunnyshore City was too big to leave that long. The Pokémon League needed to know, which meant that she needed to get in contact with Indigo Plateau.

Footsteps caused her to leap up, ignoring the screaming from her muscles as they strained to keep her upright. Stood in front of her was a man that she recognized. Ash Ketchum.

"You," Alicia blurted.

Ash smiled slightly. "Indeed. Let's get you out of here."

Alicia tried to take a step, but her legs gave way once again. Before she hit the ground, Ash stepped forwards, sweeping her up into his arms, and laying her down gently. He pressed a hand to her forehead, wincing slightly when he felt how warm it was. Alicia's eyes closed, and she lay in front of him trembling.

Ash turned to Espeon and Alakazam.

"Get us to Indigo Plateau. It is time to report back to the Pokémon League, and we need to get her to a doctor."

A/N

Well, this is a slightly slower chapter than some of the previous ones. And Butch survived without being completely murdered which is probably called getting off easily when Ash catches you trying to overthrow a region. And we put a name to the woman who is causing problems. Perhaps even more surprising, its a character you might recognize!

To answer a couple of questions from the last few chapters:

L – It is interesting that you think the government system is inefficient. I spent a fair bit of time trying to have a reasonable system of governance that might at least survive a reasonable period whilst incorporating it into a world where everybody is obsessed with battles. You are correct, the meritocracy that I settled on is slightly better than the hereditary systems that were used throughout much of history, but it is not without its flaws. Having somebody like Mellanie become Pokémon Master where her only qualification is that she can command Pokémon better than anybody else suggests an inherently flawed system. I especially liked your reference to historical monarchies, as this is the kind of issues that could be faced where you have a weak selection policy. The best example I can give would be King John of England who was quite frankly an awful King. By the end of his reign, his nobles rebelled and forced him to sign the Magna Carta (look it up, it is quite an interesting document). My point in this is that when you have a good leader, such a system works well, but when you have a bad leader, the others who hold power usually find a way to prevent the leader doing too much damage. Definitely a good point though (not least this is a very long response!), and definitely not what I'd consider flaming. I never pretended that the system of governance works well, although I suppose when you have the right people in charge, it is as effective as any other method. If you want to debate further, send me a PM and I'll happily chat about political systems for as long as you want!

Tisumi & jujugol – To be fair, Ash closed Norman's gym quite a long time ago. Nine years have passed since then, so you'd like to hope that he got over it. I'm planning on adding more details around minor characters at some point in future (spin-off stories that cover each of them, etc.) but effectively Norman's complaints died when Ash faced down the worlds legendary Pokémon and won. Nobody is stupid enough to try and complain against somebody that can do that!

Mirayessa10 – Always good to hear your feedback! Throughout the series, I've tried to portray Steven as the most politically astute of the three original regional leaders. Ultimately, politically astute people aren't necessarily nice people, but Steven is good at what he does. I completely get why you may not be a fan of his portrayal, but at the very top of politics, the longest survivors tend to be those who can split their personal opinion from their politically expedient one!

H5r4 – Thank you! Glad you've been enjoying the catch-up.

As always guys and girls and those who are neither, I hope you enjoyed the read. If you have any thoughts/comments/criticisms/slander/stories that you want to share, please pop it into a review or a PM. I read every single one (might be why I don't update on time!), so it is always appreciated. My intention is to get the next chapter out next Friday, especially in my slightly quieter months of the summer. Unfortunately, it is only an intention and as they say, the road to hell and all that…

Until next time!

Iama2p