Mellanie threw herself into the chair behind her desk as exhaustion started to overwhelm her. She had been stuck in the command centre for the best part of eighteen hours before being able to finally leave to get some rest. But instead of heading home, she had gone straight up to her office. All she could think about was how fast events had overtaken her.

"We've just lost contact with the plane from Johto."

Lance's words were burned into her mind. An entire plane's worth of trainers, missing because of an order she gave. Four hundred and eighty people. The worst part of it was that they still didn't know. They didn't know what had caused the plane to drop out of communication. Had the plane crashed? Had it simply had a technical fault and had to land? Was there something more sinister at work? There was no way of knowing.

Mellanie put her head into her arms on the desk in front of her and sighed, letting her eyes droop shut. She knew she was incredibly tired and yet she didn't want to go home. She didn't want to be alone to deal with the consequences of decisions she had made.

A quiet knock on the door made her look up, bleary-eyed. "Come in," she called.

Sam opened the door, stepping inside and pushing it shut behind him silently.

"I thought I'd find you here," he said.

"Well congratulations," Mellanie said, her voice thick. "You found me."

Sam sat on the edge of the desk, his legs hanging over the corner, so he could look at Mellanie.

"You need to go and sleep Mellanie."

Mellanie raised her eyes to the concerned gaze of her oldest friend. "It's my fault."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"That plane. Those people. It is my fault that it is gone. It was my order to send reinforcements into Sinnoh that meant the plane was even needed."

"It was the right decision," Sam argued. "We've begun to restore order to Sunnyshore. About half the city has been reclaimed thanks to the trainers that the other regions sent. You gave the police authorisation to quarantine the rest"

It had been quite an impressive operation. Rock-Pokémon had been brought in to speed it up, but a wall of boulders surrounded large areas of the city. The protestors were trapped and had settled down to wait out the police blockade.

"And why were they needed?" Mellanie asked. "Why did the regions need to send trainers to Sinnoh?"

"Because of the unrest…" Sam started, but Mellanie cut him off.

"Precisely! Because of the unrest that I'm responsible for! If I hadn't pushed for Cynthia to be impeached, this wouldn't have happened!"

Sam didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what he could even say to Mellanie's self-deprecating vitriol. Instead, he reached out and rested his hand on her arm. She looked up at him, a mournful expression on her face.

"How did Ash do it?" she asked. "How has anybody dealt with crises as the Pokémon Master?"

"The worst crisis Ash faced was when he had to face down Team Rocket," Sam said quietly. "And I wasn't one of his tutees then. But if I know him like I think I do, he would do what he knew was right at any given moment, for as long as it was the right thing to do."

Mellanie considered the statement. "So, what is the right thing to do now?"

"Easy," Sam said. "Get some sleep. You don't want to be dealing with tomorrow on no sleep."

Mellanie nodded and slowly rose to her feet. She took a step and felt herself stumble slightly before Sam's hand caught her arm.

"Mellanie, when did you last sleep properly?" Sam asked, his voice full of concern.

"Not for a while," she admitted. "I was too stressed about trying to keep Ash happy while removing Cynthia."

"Right," Sam said decisively. "I'm driving you home. No complaints."

"I… Okay," Mellanie said meekly as Sam led her out of the room. "Thanks, Sam."

"My pleasure," the Kanto Leader said. "It isn't exactly far."

"No, not for that," Mellanie said as they entered the elevator at the end of the corridor. "You came. You knew I'd need you to come and talk to me.

Ash stood in the wreckage of the plane, his body language calm, but internally he was seething. In front of him, Pikachu was picking his way through the remnants of what had once been the largest model of plane that the Johto region could produce. Alakazam had found out about the vanished plane when those still in the ground in Johto and Hoenn didn't take off. Curious, Ash had ordered further investigation, and the full scale of the tragedy was slowly unveiled.

Ash slowly moved forwards, picking his way over metal that had been twisted out of all recognition by the impact with the ground. Whatever had happened to the plane had been far worse than he had expected. He found what looked like the remains of one of the engines and knelt next to it. The turbines were misshapen, almost as if something had smashed into it. Ash rose, and moved further forwards, finding a second engine. This one was covered in scorch marks. Across the debris field, Ash could see part of the fuselage of the plane, blackened and scarred. The biggest giveaway for Ash was not what he could see, but what he couldn't. There were no bodies.

"Alakazam. Espeon."

The two summoned Pokémon appeared instantly as Ash turned away from the scene in front of him.

"What happened here?" Ash asked softly.

"Preliminary assessment indicates that the aircraft was brought down by external action," Alakazam said, much more briefly than usual. "There is evidence of direct damage to the exterior."

"It was attacked?" Ash said.

"That is a logical conclusion. There are, however, others. The aircraft could have suffered a technical malfunction that would bring it down."

Ash bowed his head. "Thank you Alakazam."

He turned to Espeon and waited for Pikachu to join them.

"This is not an isolated incident."

"You think it is associated with the troubles in Sinnoh?" Espeon asked.

"I know it is. Alakazam is right, the plane being attacked is only one of a series of possible conclusions, but I know it was."

"How do you know?"

"There are no bodies. Even if there were survivors, they wouldn't go far. They would see that we are here and come and seek help. If there were no survivors, the bodies should be where they landed in the crash."

Pikachu looked around at the scattered debris, a doubtful expression on his face. "You think there would be any survivors from this?"

"No," Ash said heavily. "Plane crashes are notorious for their low survivability."

"I don't understand," Espeon said after a moment. "Some planes got through, some didn't. Why would they only bring down one plane?"

"Maybe they couldn't attack them all at once?" Pikachu offered, but Ash shook his head.

"Unlikely. I'm with Espeon, there is some benefit to whoever did this of having the planes in Johto and Hoenn grounded."

"Those regions are now less vulnerable," Espeon said. "They would have had huge numbers of trainers away, that number is reduced."

"But the number of trainers in Sunnyshore is also reduced." Ash mused. "Which means that they wanted some but not all of the trainers away."

He turned back to Alakazam. "Get me back to the regions and return to your missions. I have a suspicion you're going to be very busy very soon."

The door to the room creaked open causing the sole resident to look up. In front of him stood a pair of Rattata. Curiosity piqued, the man inside stood up.

"How did you find me here?" he asked, kneeling down in front of the two Normal-types.

"It wasn't too difficult."

The man whirled, power flashing from his hands as he sent a wave of energy through the room. There was a loud crash before a chuckle emerged from the gloom.

"You missed me."

The man didn't say anything, but stood with his hands out, ready for a fight. The chuckle echoed again.

"I'm not here to fight you."

"Then why are you here?"

"You know me?" the voice emanating from the shadows sounded intrigued.

"I do."

"I admit, I'm curious. How?"

The man shrugged, barely visible in the gloom. "I've been away for some time. You learn things in the interim."

There was another chuckle. "You've not been away for long. You've just been in hiding. Last time you went public, you lost badly."

"And you've been following me?" the man's voice was calm, a pleasant tone at odds with his body language.

"I followed you last time."

"I thought as much," the man spun his chair around to face towards his visitor and sat down in it. "How?"

The man could have sworn there was a glimmer of movement in the gloom as his visitor shrugged.

"I have a lot of money," the voice explained. "It is easy when you are that wealthy."

"And to what end?"

The voice was pleasant when it answered. "You and I want similar things, but neither of us has had much success. I want to change that."

The man's voice was disbelieving. "You want what I want?"

"Not entirely," the voice said. "But our goals can be aligned. Soon I will come to you ready to support you. I'm sure you will want my assistance."

The man rose from the chair, edging across the room towards a corner away from the voice. "You think I need your help?"

The voice chuckled. "I know you do. I know what you want, and I know what I want. But only with my help will you have the power that you need for the victory that you so desire. So yes, you need my help."

"I might consider it. If I know I could trust you."

"We shall have to wait and see in that regard," the voice said. "Now, I bid you farewell. Until next time we meet."

The man spun, light bursting out from the flashlight in his hand, but he was too slow. His guest was gone and the door to his room swung open as the two Rattata vanished into the evening gloom.

"It has been three days since the announcement of the removal of Cynthia Shirona from the position of Sinnoh Champion. Immediately after the announcement, the civil unrest in Sinnoh that had appeared to be under control flared up once again, focused in Sunnyshore City. The Pokémon League reacted quickly, and the problems have been brought under control. Johto, Hoenn and Kanto offered support to the beleaguered region, with trainers being led by their respective Elite Fours arriving in Sunnyshore City to bring order to the city. Despite containing the unrest into specific areas in the city, the situation is still precarious, and there is no knowledge as to the whereabouts of the interim Sinnoh leader, Lucian. Pokémon Master Mellanie Rigger has been invoking her authority, in an attempt to solve the crisis, but the trainers from the Pokémon League who she sent into Sinnoh have struggled greatly. She is coming under greater pressure to release the police who are on duty in other Sinnoh Cities or to send reinforcements from other regions to end the suffering of those in the sealed off regions of Sunnyshore City.

Mellanie threw the newspaper across the room, getting a certain sense of satisfaction from the look on Steven's face as it crashed into the wall and fell to the ground. She glared at the leader of Hoenn who was still looking after it with a slightly disheartened expression, whilst ignoring Lance who was watching with a slightly amused expression.

"Something to say, Steven?"

"Just that they might have a point," he said cautiously. "You have refused to release any more support, and they are still struggling in Sunnyshore. They need more help."

"Tell me," Mellanie said icily, "where is the plane from Johto that crashed? Have you found out what happened to it yet?"

"No, but…"

"But nothing Steven," Mellanie snapped. "Nearly five hundred trainers were lost when that plane went down. Five hundred trainers that were only there on my order. I will not send anybody else to Sinnoh until we know what happened so we can stop it happening again."

"And the police forces in other Sinnoh cities?" Steven asked.

"For all we know, those police are the only thing stopping the Sunnyshore crisis from spreading across the entirety of Sinnoh," Mellanie said. "They do not move. If you have any other suggestions, I'm happy to entertain them, but the Sinnoh police stays where it is, and all Pokémon League planes are grounded."

Steven turned to Lance. "You can't agree with this? We are effectively doing nothing."

"Actually, I do," Lance said quietly, drawing surprised looks from Mellanie and Steven. "You forget Steven, action cost us the lives of nearly five hundred innocents. The police and trainers in Sunnyshore will restore the peace to the city eventually."

Steven shook his head. "I never thought I'd be the one counselling action, but I understand."

"Do you have any other suggestions?" Mellanie asked.

Steven shook his head. "None I'm afraid, aside from what we have already done."

"Then we wait," Mellanie said. "The police in Sunnyshore can continue to reclaim parts of the city, while we wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For Ash," Mellanie said simply. "His Pokémon are strong enough to make a difference. He can move us without needing planes. He can turn the tide."

"Still no sign of him?" Lance asked.

"No," Mellanie admitted. It was hard. No matter what she had said to him, she never thought that Ash would abandon her the way he had. She needed him, and he was nowhere to be found. "Sam is looking for him, amongst other things."

"Then we wait," Steven said in agreement. "And I still cannot return to Hoenn?"

"I'm sorry," Mellanie said. "All Pokémon League planes are grounded until we find out what happened to the one that crashed."

"Very well," Steven said, rising from his chair and striding for the door. "I'll tend to my region from afar."

Mellanie watched him go with a slightly sad expression. "He still doesn't like me."

Lance shrugged. "Steven spent years learning the rules of high politics, learning how to maximise his influence. There are few in the world who have more influence than him. Then you came along and tore up the rulebook. He hates not being able to influence anything, but this is the way that it is."

Mellanie blinked. "That was very… honest."

Lance rose from his chair and stepped in front of Mellanie, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and he could see the stress and worry inside.

"You are the Pokémon Master," Lance said simply. "People often seem to think that makes you strong, but I still remember you when you first burst onto the scene. I know that Ash was your mentor and the one you always looked up to, and I know that something has happened between you. I still remember when I became the leader of Kanto, the expectations that fall on public figures. I can only assume that it is worse for the Pokémon Master."

Lance took a deep breath and smiled down at the shorter trainer.

"What I'm trying to say is that one of my traits is loyalty," Lance said simply. "I'll do anything I can to help you."

Mellanie smiled back at him slightly. "Thank you, Lance."

He nodded, pulling his hand back and looking slightly awkward. "I'd do the same for any Pokémon Master."

"Except for Ash."

Lance froze, before looking down to see Mellanie smiling at him. She was joking. He laughed weakly.

"I found that he never really needed help. And I'm sure that a lot of the time you won't. But there is too much going on for you to be worrying about the loyalty of your regional leaders. I'm loyal, no matter what."

He turned and left the room, leaving Mellanie looking after him thoughtfully.

Sam felt his stomach vanish somewhere behind him as Pidgeot banked sharply and accelerated down towards New Bark Town. Whilst Pidgeot loved flying at such high speeds, he didn't usually do it with somebody on his back. Sam knew it wasn't good for him, but he didn't care.

Pidgeot spread his wings and decelerated quickly, coming down for a hard landing outside the laboratory. Before his Pokémon had even hit the ground, Sam was rolling off Pidgeot's back, hitting the ground with a roll and coming up, striding towards the laboratory. He reached the door and raised his fist, hammering loudly.

The door swung open to reveal Professor Rose, stood there with a tired expression.

"Sam Fernandez," she said softly. "It has been some time since you were here."

"I need to ask you some questions," Sam said brusquely, cutting off any further pleasantries.

"I'll save you the time," Rose said quietly. "I know why you are here."

"You do?" Sam asked, his cold focus knocked-off by her quiet, sad demeanour.

"You want to know if Ash Ketchum has been here."

"I know he has," Sam said, aggression returning. "I want to know what you wanted him for and more importantly, where is he now?"

"I can answer one of those," Rose said. "Would you like to come in? It won't take long."

Sam looked at her to see the darkness beneath her eyes that revealed her exhaustion and shook his head. "No. The quick story please."

"Very well. I asked to see Ash because I wanted him to protect my daughter from the madness that is going on."

"She is completely safe," Sam said testily. "Although how you know so much about it interests me a great deal."

"I read, I study, I listen." Professor Rose said dismissively. "You should try it. Now, for your second question,"

Sam stopped himself from interrupting as Professor Rose took a deep breath.

"Where is he now? I don't know. He headed out the door and disappeared."

"Very well," Sam growled. "What do you suspect?"

"I do not know as much about Ash Ketchum as you do," Professor Rose said slowly. "Although he has formed a part of my research. But what I do know from looking at him when he was Pokémon Master is that he doesn't rush his decisions. That implies that he looks for information before he makes his final decision. I suspect that he is doing that now."

Sam froze, before nodding. "Thank you, Professor," he turned on his heel and headed straight back for Pidgeot. As his Pokémon climbed into the sky, Sam pulled out a phone.

"Hold the speed down for a moment," Sam murmured to Pidgeot who gave a loud squawk of agreement. Sam dialled a number and spoke into the phone quickly.

"Mellanie, I know you won't pick this up yet, but I think I know where Ash might be. He's gone to find out what happened at the plane crash. I'm heading back to Indigo, if I'm right he'll come to us soon."

Officer Jenny slumped against the wall, exhaustion overtaking her. She couldn't believe how bad the riots had grown, They had been fighting them for the better part of a week, but they had made so little progress. The latest reports showed that they had contained the rioters in parts of the city. But they were less like rioters and more like organised forces now. Trying to push them back proved to be extremely difficult, even with the reinforcements that she had been given. In fact, it was only because of the thousand or so reinforcements from Kanto and Hoenn that they had managed the containment.

Jenny pushed herself away from the wall and strode into the command tent she had left briefly. As she walked in, all faces turned to look at her. She sighed. She knew what they wanted. The Pokémon Master had made her decision. Full martial law was declared in Sinnoh. The last time a Pokémon Master had invoked that part of the constitution had been in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Silver Stadium, nearly ten years previously. The significance was not lost on Officer Jenny.

"We can deploy them if you…" another Jenny started, but she was silenced by a glare from her superior. Jenny strode up to the map and studied it carefully. They had reclaimed parts of the city over the last few days, but it was hard. Her officers and their supporting trainers were struggling. Even the members of other regions Elite Fours were finding it hard going, although Jenny had a new appreciation for their ability. One of the Kanto Elite Four, Alicia had been cut off when there was a counter-attack in her sector. She had not only held onto her position, her Pokémon had successfully rescued more than a dozen police officers, before driving their opposition back. By the time Jenny herself had arrived with reinforcements, Alicia had actually managed to reclaim another three streets and was only being stopped by the huge weight of numbers.

It wasn't enough though. The further they pushed, the more they condensed their opposition, making it harder to push on. And Jenny was conscious that pushing too far would leave them vulnerable to a solid attempt to break out of the containment. If they broke into the city again, all their hard work and struggling would be completely undone. She had a weapon that could force the decisive breakthrough. It would enable her to arrest the rioters instead of simply driving them back. If she got it right, she would end the fighting. But it had a risk. A risk that the Pokémon Master knew. Which is why the final decision had been left to the officer on the ground. Her. The only advice she had been given by the Pokémon Master was that it was to be used only in a situation of absolutely last resort. And Jenny wasn't sure they were there yet.

"We won't deploy them," Jenny said quietly, her voice determined. "I'll not turn such dangerous attacks against the population."

"But…" the dissenting voice was cut off by a single glare from Officer Jenny, who turned to the team leaders that she been briefing before the declaration of martial law came through.

"Continue to push where you can. We need to take as much of the city back as possible."

"Yes Ma'am," Alicia said, smiling through her dirt-streaked face. "We'll make as much progress as possible."

"I know you will," Jenny said with a warm smile. "Let's go. I want us to…"

There was a loud crackle coming from the radio at Jenny's hip that made everybody freeze. In a smooth movement, the radio was brought up.

"Officer Jenny speaking. Report."

"They are attacking us, Ma'am!" The voice sounded panicked. "We can't contain them!"

"Where are you?"

"Commercial district, sector twelve."

Jenny felt a panic rising in her as she spun to see the map. Sector twelve hadn't been discussed for a couple of days. It wasn't at the front of the containment any more. Which could only mean…

"I'm dispatching reinforcements," Jenny said down the radio. "Hold on as long as you can."

Alicia stepped forwards. "Isn't that in the rear of our positions?"

"Yes," Jenny growled. "They got out. Take your squad, reinforce them. We can't let them break through, or they'll be able to surround us."

Alicia nodded and turned, sprinting out the flap at the front of the tent. As she went, Jenny could hear her shouting orders and a moment later she heard the sound of Pokémon appearing. She allowed herself to relax slightly. If anybody could stop the breakthrough, it would be the fiery Kanto Elite. They still had to find out how their opponents had broken through the containment, but they could at least stop them breaking through and making it worse. A moment later, the radio buzzed once again.

"Attacks Ma'am, all along the line."

Jenny started barking orders as more reports of attacks came in. She rapidly realised what was going on, and it scared her. They were in danger of being completely overwhelmed. Jenny strode out of the command tent as the last of her reserves were committed to the fight.

The man sat quietly in a café in Silver Town, a smile on his face as he looked down the street at a large building. The home of the Johto Pokémon League. At least, that is what enormous sign on the front said it was. The man smirked to himself. That may be what they thought it was, but it wouldn't be that way for much longer. He glanced down at his phone, scrolling through the long list of messages that he had received over the last hour. Nearly everybody was in position. The plan was on schedule, it was just waiting for his go ahead.

The man leaned back slightly in his chair and took a moment to appreciate what he had managed. What they had managed. It amused him that the spark for everything that they were doing had been provided by the Pokémon League itself. Mellanie Rigger, the Pokémon Master and Cynthia Shirona, her predecessor. Their feud was going to cost them for more than they ever thought possible. Although it should have been easier.

He had felt a flutter of uncertainty when the Johto plane went down. That had never been part of the plan, they needed as many trainers as possible outside of the regions. The Pokémon League's response had been swift and predictable. All other planes had been grounded. It did mean that Sinnoh was falling into their hands far quicker than anticipated but it made his job harder.

The phone in his hand rang a loud trilling noise that brought his attention back to the world around him. He quickly accepted the call, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Cassidy?"

"Butch." His old partner, and now one of the few who could rival him for success. When they had been offered the jobs they were, it had been of immense pride to both of them.

"How is Hoenn?" Butch asked.

"I'd say it is looking pretty good," Cassidy answered down the phone. "And the view in Johto?"

"Just about ready to be improved," Butch answered, the glee evident in his tone. "I guess we did get there in the end."

"Careful," Cassidy warned. "He warned us against over-confidence."

"I know, I know," Butch said, his voice menacingly quiet. "But how can we be stopped? Anybody who could is in the wrong place. The only one who could is completely estranged from the Pokémon League. By the time he reacts, we'll have won."

"Yes, there is that," Cassidy said, the note of triumph in her voice clear. It had been a huge morale boost when Ash Ketchum had spoken out against the Pokémon League. The only problem with the conflict between Mellanie Rigger and Cynthia Shirona was that it had brought him back. Yet he had excluded himself from the Pokémon League, opposed his former tutee and was currently completely missing. They could never have hoped for such an outcome. By the time he knew what had happened, it would be too late. And his input into the Pokémon League's moves was evident in its absence.

"Shall we proceed?"

Butch let a chuckle escape his lips. "I'm ready. I'm sure you are as well."

"Then let's change history."

The call ended and Butch immediately opened an unsent message on his phone. The message that had been waiting to be sent ever since he had sat down in the café. A single word. Butch smiled down at his phone before jamming his thumb on the 'Send' icon. The message shot away, passing to the leaders of the squads that were positioned all over Johto.

Butch rose from his seat, stepping outside as the first shout echoed down the street. In front of the Pokémon League building, more than two dozen of his men had released Pokémon and were advancing. Passers-by screamed as the first attacks crashed into the building. Butch had ordered an extreme show of force to start and he was certainly getting what he ordered.

Tinkling could be heard over the shouts and screams as glass shattered under the impact of Pokémon attacking. His men stormed into the building as more grunts appeared, their Pokémon being released as they surrounded the building. There wouldn't be enough trainers inside to stop them, but the third wave moved in to make certain. Nothing had been left to chance.

Alicia bellowed her frustration as she saw her most powerful Pokémon, a ferocious Arcanine get driven back by the weight of attacks. Arcanine yowled his pain as he took more than a dozen hits before rearing up on his hind legs and unleashing a devastating Flamethrower attack down the street.

Swearing could be heard from their opponents as they dived for cover. Alicia stepped forwards as the attack died out before diving back for cover as the retaliation came. Attacks streaked down the street, forcing Arcanine to bound for cover behind a building. Alicia crouched behind an overturned car watching attacks land all around her. A small part of her brain was confused at the number of poison strikes that were landing. Who used so many Poison-types?

After a moment the attacks seemed to die out and Alicia peered around the car. A woman was stood in the street, her arms held high above her head. Pokémon flew down from the sky, more bursting out of the ground to surround her. Arcanine moaned slightly in pain as he padded out from behind the building, coming to stand at her side.

"You've fought well," the woman called, as the horde of Pokémon behind her continued to grow. Rioters came to stand next to her, showing their support and Alicia realised what they had been facing all this time.

"You did this," she accused. "You brought these trainers here. This was all planned."

The woman laughed. "I did."

"Why?"

"Because when you are here, you aren't elsewhere," the woman explained calmly. "Now, in recognition of how well you've fought, I'll let you surrender. We've wiped out the rest of your squad, and if you try to fight us we'll be forced to hurt you. This city is ours now."

Alicia looked around, seeing her friends on the ground. The lucky ones were out cold, two of her squad were clearly in pain as they watched the exchange. One looked to have a broken leg, the other had several large gashes. Alicia looked down at her Pokémon belt. She'd fought by herself for… she had no idea. All she knew was that she had held out longer than anybody could have expected. The sheer weight of numbers was all that had beaten her.

"Come now," the woman said, stepping forwards. "You know you can't win. Your forces are dispersed, most of the police are in flight. You must concede we have the city."

Alicia looked up at Arcanine who met her gaze calmly. Her Pokémon knew what she was about to do.

"You're right," Alicia started, standing tall with her arm on Arcanine. "I can't beat you. You brought a hundred helpers. But I'll not surrender."

Alicia swung herself onto Arcanine who exploded into motion. The woman screamed in fury, attacks racing out but it was too late. Few Pokémon in the world could keep up with Arcanine in terms of raw power of acceleration, and that was without him using ExtremeSpeed. In less than a second, Alicia was gone.

Butch strode forwards, sweeping through the line of his grunts. They saluted as he passed, a salute which he returned casually. He smiled to himself as he moved into the ruined lobby. The receptionist was on the floor, cowering as a grunt stood over her. Butch returned his salute as well, before reaching the elevator that led up to Lance's office. The seat of the Dragon Master, the seat that ruled Johto. The seat that had been promised to Butch.

As the elevator moved up the building, Butch felt his triumph rising. The plan had been so simple. With the Pokémon League in disarray after the crisis in Sinnoh, Johto and Hoenn were vulnerable. As soon as the Pokémon League sent trainers to support Sinnoh, Butch was ready to act. Kanto would be harder to take, especially with the presence of the Pokémon Master. Once the regional leaders were trapped there as well, any plans to target the final region were shelved. But it didn't matter. Three out of four regions in their hands would leave Kanto isolated. It couldn't stand forever. If it came to a straight war, they would win. Sheer numbers of Pokémon in their three regions would be enough to beat Kanto into the ground.

As the lift reached the top floor, the doors dinged and opened. Butch strode forwards, heading straight for the door at the end of the corridor. The door to Lance Waturu's office, the room where Johto was ruled from. It opened at his touch and swung inwards. There was a chair waiting for him, behind the desk. A chair that when he took would be where he would rule Johto from. A chair that he only just had to sit in to complete the first stage of the plan. The chair that already had somebody in it.

"What the…" the Butch started, but the door behind him swung shut as Ash Ketchum rose from the seat to meet him, an expression of pure fury on his face.

A/N

Again, my apologies for this taking three weeks. The World Cup eats into my writing time and unfortunately, there haven't been that many bad games. Every time I try to write in front of one I get hooked. It is nearly over, so I will get some time back.

This chapter also was tricky. I wasn't happy with it for long periods and it has been changed so many times, but we finally got there. I'm not sure it is my best, but I at least don't hate it like I have when writing it.

The next chapter is planned to come out in two weeks, after which I will try to drag myself back onto a weekly updating schedule. Emphasis on the try…

Until next time,

Iama2p