Sam slammed his hand down on the table, unable to restrain his fury any longer. Across the room, Lance and Mellanie watched him glare at Steven, who was doing a remarkable job of looking unflustered.

"That is my Elite!" Sam bellowed at his colleague. "I'll not have you say that she doesn't matter!"

"That's not what I'm trying to say," Steven said placatingly. "I'm saying that whatever we had in Sunnyshore was defeated, including Ali…"

Steven ducked as a glass flew at his head, smashing on the wall behind him.

"Sam!" Lance snapped, but he completely ignored the Dragon Master.

"Listen to me, you cretin," Sam growled as he advanced on Steven. "Alicia went to Sinnoh to try and help people. She has been written off so many times in her life, and even now, when she is doing something for others, you still write her off. I don't know what is going on in Sinnoh, but Alicia will come through. She always does. She will do whatever it takes because that is what loyalty is. One day perhaps you'd like to try to find out what it is because you clearly don't understand it."

"Then where is she?" Steven said as he backed away from the raging Kanto leader. "Believe me, I'd love her to come through for us, but whatever happened in Sinnoh is over. She was on the ground, she was our eyes in Sinnoh, but she lost. And now, when we need her, she is out of contact. I'm being realistic."

"You know, that's your problem," Sam sneered. "You spend so long trying to 'play the game' you forget that some people don't always follow the rules. Alicia is one of those people."

"That is enough Sam." Mellanie barked, but when her friend turned to look at her, she could see that he was on the verge of another rant. "We are gaining nothing from this."

"No Mellanie, it isn't enough," Sam said, disgusted. "I guarantee, Steven wouldn't be so blasé if it was one of his Elites missing in Sinnoh."

"We're all concerned for Alicia," Mellanie said, trying to calm him down. "But until she gets here, we have no choice but to look at the facts, and those are sadly lacking. We need to know what is going on in Sinnoh, so we can plan what to do."

"Mellanie is right," Lance said before Sam could say anything else. "We need to respond to Sinnoh with the best information that we have."

"Which isn't enough," Steven said, looking cautiously at Sam. "We can't plan anything, we don't know what's happening."

"Then allow me to fill in some gaps."

All four of the leaders spun to see Ash stood in the doorway, watching. He swept past Lance and Mellanie, standing at the head of the table and looking around the room.

"Alicia is fine Sam," Ash said soothingly. "I took her to the hospital, she escaped Sunnyshore. By all accounts, they couldn't beat her, no matter how hard they tried, but she was eventually overcome with numbers and fled."

"What happened out there?" Lance demanded.

Ash gestured for them to take seats as he claimed the head of the table. A moment later they sat, and he looked around.

"Firstly, the woman," Ash said. "The one that sparked the riots that led to this problem in Sunnyshore City. She had a disguise on, but Espeon broke it. Her name is Domino, but she is better known as the Black Tulip. She once worked for Team Rocket and was arrested when the organisation vanished years ago."

"When you destroyed them?" Steven asked.

"Technically yes, but not in the way you're thinking," Ash said. "I broke the organisation once but didn't capture Giovanni. That was when Domino was arrested. It was four years after that when I finally caught him, in the aftermath of the attack on Silver Stadium. But she escaped from prison. That in itself doesn't surprise me; she was one of Team Rocket's most capable agents. What does surprise me is the way that she brought Sunnyshore down, and nearly was able to run coups in Johto and Hoenn. They targeted all the Gyms as well as striking at the heart of the Pokémon League in each office, especially in the absence of the regional leaders."

Steven opened his mouth, but Ash turned his gaze onto the Hoenn Champion who decided against talking.

"I put the coups down, but Sunnyshore has fallen completely. Domino is now running the city as an alternative to the Pokémon League."

"What do you mean, an alternative?" Mellanie asked, her voice quiet.

"The Pokémon League wasn't always the government," Steven said. "It has been for more than three centuries, but a long time ago, the regions were split apart. Wars were common, as the victors looked to impose economic punishments on the losers. With four regions, nobody could ever gain a dominant advantage. If a region lost a war, they would build an alliance with another region and win the next one."

Ash looked hard at Steven who seemed to shrink away, quailing under the intensity of the gaze.

"The Pokémon League is not perfect," Ash said. "And I was not a perfect Pokémon Master, but it is better than the alternative. Domino is looking to build a separate kingdom, under new governance, a governance based around her authority and nothing else. My Pokémon have stopped her from having two more regions and leaving Kanto isolated, but we need to push back soon."

"How?" Mellanie asked.

"It is time to stop playing around Mellanie," Ash said softly, turning his attention onto his first ever student. "A long time ago, when you first started training with me, I explained that sometimes you need to use more powerful attacks to defeat more powerful Pokémon. It is a lesson that you have learned well; when to attack hard and when to be more cautious. This is not a time for caution; you need to get a grip and win."

"Last time I did that, we lost an entire plane worth of trainers from Johto." Mellanie said. "I won't let anything like that happen again."

Ash nodded. "Your attempt to defend people is admirable but let me ask you something. If you could stop a full-blown war between Sinnoh and the other regions, what price would you be willing to pay?"

Mellanie looked at Ash, before shaking her head. "No, I won't sanction jeopardizing others live. Planes stay grounded."

Ash glared at Mellanie, a look that made her retreat back into her chair.

"This is not the time to lose your spine Mellanie," he said, his exasperation clear. "We need the Mellanie who shouted at me for being too dismissive of her. That Mellanie would have acted decisively."

"But…"

"Your decisions affect people," Ash barked. "That comes with the job. If you want it, you need to accept that. I can't take the city back by myself."

"You don't have the power?" Lance asked.

"I'm not sure," Ash said. "My Pokémon are ferocious, and beating them would take some doing, but that isn't the point. I cannot overthrow one tyranny by myself, it would not address the root cause of the problem. I will not use my Pokémon in this way, acting by myself."

Mellanie looked at Ash, a canny look in her eye. "But you could use them to protect anybody travelling?"

Ash took a moment, before nodding. "Alakazam can bring trainers to Sinnoh, although there can't be many. He is strong, but even he has his limits."

"How many?"

"Over that distance, we are looking at no more than ten," Ash said. "The distance between the regions is huge, and he is still tired from putting down the coups. He will need time to recover, but we cannot spare the kind of time he will need right now."

"But you'd prefer him to move less?"

"Yes."

Mellanie turned to the three regional leaders. "Your Elites are now in charge of defending your regions. Brief them on the threat but warn them that you will be unable to return. We'll go to Sinnoh as a unit of the most powerful trainers that the Pokémon League has." She turned back to Ash. "Happy with that number?"

"It is better."

"But…" Lance started, only to stop when Mellanie flashed him a look of pure authority. Mellanie was fired up, giving orders and instructions quickly.

"If they have attacked the other regions before, they might do so again," Mellanie continued. "Liaise with your gym leaders and be ready to defend. Nominate an Elite to lead your regions defence instead." She turned her attention to Ash, who inclined his head as she looked at him.

"Where is Cynthia?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "I've been a little busy to keep track of her, but I will send the scouts out while you assemble the trainers that you're bringing."

"How long do we have?" Lance asked.

"Not long," Ash said. "We need to move as quickly as possible, but I understand that you need to get trainers together."

"This evening," Mellanie said. "Ash, get your Pokémon ready. I'd rather not fight, but if we have to, they will need to keep us protected. I want us to strike for their leadership, and your Pokémon will need to protect us if we are to move fast."

"Understood," Ash said, rising from his chair. "I'll try to find Cynthia in the interim."

He strode for the door, closely followed by Mellanie, leaving Lance, Steven and Sam behind them.

"What just happened?" Steven asked. "They went from indecisive arguing to rapid-fire decisions in a heartbeat."

Sam shook his head in amusement. "They just connected in a way that they haven't done for years. Mellanie has always been the one who knows Ash the best. It may have been crazy to watch, but our chances of winning just went up by a significant margin. When they work together, you'd be amazed what they can do."

"What part of 'do not reveal yourself until I order you to do so" was difficult to understand?"

Domino glared at her superior as she stood in his dark room, feeling his fury.

"It wasn't through choice," she snapped. "He broke into my office and next thing I know he's smashed apart the illusion."

"Yes, he does do that," the man said, anger apparently forgotten. "Although I expected a more direct approach."

Domino scoffed. "He came straight for who he thought was the leader of the revolution against the Pokémon League. I'd call that direct."

The man shook his head, the outline just visible through the darkness. "And then he walked away, leaving you unscathed."

"I could have fought him…" Domino started, but another voice cut across her.

"You wouldn't have stood a chance. He is far stronger than you could fight."

Domino spun, glaring into a different dark part of the room where the new voice came from. "What the hell?" she demanded.

Her superior laughed, the sound chilling her.

"You haven't met our ally yet, have you?"

"Let me guess, he won't come out of the shadow's either?" Domino growled.

"Let's just say that I'd prefer to be hidden until it is safe for me to appear," the voice said, amusement laced through it. "Especially since you've done such a wonderful job of keeping him focused on you."

"So, I take all the risk,"

"And all the reward my dear."

Domino glared at her superior who flicked his hand at her dismissively. "Leave us Domino. Continue to manage the city until the Pokémon League strikes back. It will be soon."

Domino turned, storming out of the door. No matter how angry she was, she knew better than to fight against the man who had led her through the whole revolution.

"She seems angry," the voice remarked from the darkness. The man chuckled.

"She faced Ketchum and lost badly. She'll fight harder next time."

"And you can defeat him?"

"Without his Pokémon, Ketchum is significantly weaker. I can bring him down if you can hold up your end of the bargain."

"Of course, I can," the voice seemed almost affronted at the insinuation. "Ketchum's Pokémon will be a marvellous addition to my collection. And with him out of the way I can go after other targets."

"You have other targets?"

"Of course. Now is not the time though my friend."

The man rose from his chair slightly. "We are not friends."

"No, but we are brothers in arms through necessity."

"Doesn't make us friends"

The voice chuckled. "Very well. I shall see you when Ketchum returns."

Sam stepped into the hospital ward, looking down at the figure lying in the bed in front of him. As she saw who stood over her, Alicia struggled to sit up.

"No, rest," Sam said. "You've earned it."

"I'm sorry…" Alicia said quietly as Sam found a chair and pulled it up alongside her bed. "I failed you."

Sam shook his head. "You didn't fail me," he said soothingly. "You did more than I could ever ask of you."

"But I wasn't able to restore Sunnyshore…" Alicia started, forcing herself to sit back up, but she stopped talking as she felt Sam take her hand in both of his own.

"I've just come from a meeting of all the regional leaders," Sam said. "We were joined by Ash Ketchum. Even with all of his Pokémon he has sought out our help to restore peace to the city. He is the strongest trainer in the world. I could never ask you to do what he cannot. Now lie back and rest, you need to recover."

Alicia sighed as she finally let herself lie back down, resting on her side so she could still see Sam sat next to her.

"What happens next?" she asked.

"We are going back," Sam said. "Mellanie, Lance, Steven and myself. And Ash. We're hoping to take out the leadership so that we can find out what happened to the plane from Johto. Once we know we'll be able to bring the entire power of the Pokémon League to bear on Sinnoh."

"More fighting…" Alicia said sadly. "I can't believe that it has come to this."

"Hey," Sam said softly, stroking Alicia's hand gently. "We aren't the ones who forced this fight, but if I know Ash we will be the ones who end it. You can rest, and when you are ready to join the rest of the Elites, you'll be able to assist in the defence of Kanto."

"Defence?" Alicia asked, trying to push herself up once more, but this time Sam had had enough. He pushed her back down onto her bed, a stern look on his face.

"It is a precaution," he said, trying to soothe Alicia once again. "With the regional leaders heading to Sinnoh, we want the regions to be protected. In your absence, there were attacks on Hoenn and Johto and we don't want to risk leaving ourselves vulnerable to a follow-up."

Alicia fought for a moment against Sam pushing her back down for a long moment, before eventually relenting and lying down again with a groan.

"You need to rest Alicia," Sam said.

"No, I need to be doing my job."

"You did your job," Sam said quietly. "You did more than you needed to."

"But I failed…" Alicia started, but Sam cut her off.

"Listen to me Alicia," he said, his voice firm. "We lost communication with the police in Sinnoh more than a day before Ash found you. He followed your tracks from where you rode Arcanine. How long did you hold out for in Sunnyshore City?"

"I don't know" Alicia admitted. "A long time. I ran through all my antidotes, all my potions, everything I'd usually carry. I think I was one of the last trainers still standing in Sunnyshore."

"There you go," Sam said. "You held on longer than anybody else, you would have been facing an entire city of opponents. You need to recover because I need you at your best if they come to Kanto."

"But…"

"But nothing. I need the strongest Alicia I can get, the Alicia who has beaten off so many challengers of my Elite Four, the Alicia who was able to defeat more opponents than anybody else. I need you at your best, and right now this isn't it."

Alicia looked down as Sam reached for her hand once again. "You really know how to make a girl feel good, you know that?"

Sam laughed. "I know. And when you are ready, Misty will be expecting you. But until then, rest and recover. That's an order, understand?"

"Fine," Alicia said sulkily as she rolled to lie on her back. She heard Sam push his chair back as he rose to his feet and rolled back again. "Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for coming to see me."

Sam grinned down at her before reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. "You are very welcome. I look forward to coming back and seeing you back on your feet."

Alakazam shut his eyes for a long moment before forcing them open. He had been pushed to the limit in the last few days, orchestrating the defence of two entire regions. He knew he had done well, but their trials weren't over. Ash still needed him to continue to move them across regions, needed the flexibility that his Teleports gave them. It meant that they could cover an awesome amount of ground, despite only having fourteen Pokémon.

"How are you holding up?"

Alakazam inclined his head to Meganium as she approached him. With her being the most motherly of the team, he had expected a visit from her before too long.

"My strength is holding," Alakazam said. "I will endure."

Meganium wrapped her vines around Alakazam, transferring energy to her teammate. He smiled at her slightly as he felt some of his strength begin to return, straightening up to his full height.

"You have my thanks, Meganium."

"It is the least that we can do for each other" Meganium said. "You've saved me a lot of pain walking over the last few days"

Alakazam looked at her, a slightly confused expression on his face. "Please rectify my misinterpretation, but are you endeavouring for comedic value?"

"I was," Meganium said as she withdrew her vines. "Was I successful?"

"Your experiment was unsuccessful"

Meganium snorted as she moved away. "You'll always be more amusing than I can ever manage"

Before Alakazam could respond, he felt something in the back of his mind.

"Cynthia"

Meganium stopped, turning to face him. "My name is Meganium, or have you forgotten?"

"I am aware of your moniker," Alakazam said, oblivious to the sarcasm. "Ninetales has successfully unveiled the location of Cynthia Shirona"

"I had guessed," Meganium said. "We need to tell Ash"

Alakazam nodded and crossed his spoons. A moment later the two of them appeared in a training area under Indigo Plateau. In front of them was Ash, chatting to Machamp, Espeon by his side to translate. As soon as they appeared, Ash broke off his conversation, turning to face the leader of his scouts.

"Alakazam."

"Cynthia Shirona's location has been verified."

"Good work," Ash said. "Can you take us there?"

Alakazam nodded, crossing his spoons once again. This time he felt the drain as he teleported further, appearing in a building that Ash recognized well. The tall colonnades surrounded the darkness that had once hidden one of the most fearsome of trainers. Now the two torches at one end burned brightly, casting further light into the gloom. Stood facing away from Ash at the end of the room, facing the plinth between the torches stood Cynthia, easily recognizable from behind. Between the two torches sat Sabrina.

"She was in Saffron City?" Ash asked, baffled. Alakazam nodded before gesturing to Sabrina who had risen from her seat on the plinth, floating gently down the stairs towards him.

"Champion," Sabrina said, her voice easily carrying the distance of the room. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've not been called Champion for some time," Ash said quietly. "And I am here for Cynthia, not for you."

"You will always be Champion to me," Sabrina said as she touched down to the ground in front of Ash. "I was sorry to hear the way that you lost your title. If you had come to me, I may have been able to assist you."

Ash looked at her, surprise causing him to hesitate. "I… did not consider that Sabrina. Thank you for your kind words, but I think the standard response is to say that what is in the past is done."

"Indeed," Sabrina said before turning back to Cynthia who had been watching the exchange in silence. "Cynthia, whilst I appreciate you thinking that I could have valuable input into what you should do next, I feel that Champion is in a better position to aid you. My advice, however, remains unchanged. Do not go to Sinnoh. There are forces at work there which would benefit from you making such a mistake."

Sabrina vanished into the darkness, leaving Cynthia and Ash alone. Ash watched Cynthia take a step towards him before faltering.

"Why are you here?" Ash asked.

Cynthia shrugged. "When I became the Pokémon Master again, Sabrina came to Indigo Plateau. She was not happy with me, but I explained what had happened."

Cynthia paused when she saw Ash raise an eyebrow.

"The truth," Cynthia clarified. "I explained the truth of what I did to you. She was surprisingly understanding. She said she knew what it was like to have psychic strength cloud your mind."

Ash chuckled, the sound escaping before he could stop himself. "That is an understatement."

"She is highly intelligent and one of the strongest psychics in the world," Cynthia continued, ignoring the interruption. "I know that my region is in chaos, and Sabrina is one of the few I could go to."

Ash nodded slowly. "That actually does make some sense. However, I'm afraid that we need you at Indigo Plateau."

Cynthia shook her head. "No. I'm no longer Sinnoh Champion. I want no part in trying to prop up Mellanie's failing regime."

Ash took a step forward. It was not the most threatening of moves but Cynthia stepped back regardless.

"I was not asking," Ash said. "I have more important things to do than chase you across the four regions. I agree with Sabrina that you should not go to Sinnoh, but we need you somewhere safe."

"I'm safe here…" Cynthia started, but Ash cut over her.

"You are safe here, but in Indigo Plateau we can keep an eye on you."

"You don't trust me."

"I don't, although that is not the problem," Ash said. "The problem is that something very wrong is going on in Sinnoh, and I don't want you anywhere near it. At Indigo you are protected, we can keep an eye on you and we can make sure that nothing like three years ago happens again."

Cynthia bowed her head. "I'm sorry…" she started again, but Ash sighed.

"Look, as I said to Sabrina, what is in the past is done. That said, I would like to avoid a repeat. Will you come with me to Indigo?"

Slowly, Cynthia nodded.

Mellanie led Lance, Steven and Sam into the training facilities where Ash waited. As they entered, they saw Ash talking quietly to one of his Pokémon. He turned as they arrived.

"Are you all ready?" Ash asked, forgoing any niceties. When he received four nods from those in front of him, he turned to Mellanie.

"We'll initially teleport to the outskirts of Sunnyshore City. I know that Domino hasn't had long but the way that they struck for Hoenn and Johto suggests that a lot of planning went into this revolution. I'm hoping to avoid an all-out war, but there might be a standing army of her followers in Sunnyshore. If that is the case, we need to work out their weaknesses before we strike for the city itself."

"And Cynthia?" Steven asked loudly, breaking into the conversation. "Did you find her?"

Ash turned his gaze onto the Hoenn Champion who seemed to diminish under the intensity. "She will remain in Indigo Plateau. Ultimately, we will need some continuity of the Pokémon League leadership if the worst happens, and while she was impeached, she knows the way the league works better than anybody other than us. She is our reserve."

Steven nodded before paling as Ash stepped towards him.

"What you need to understand Steven is that I am here to preserve the peace. I am not here to deal with your damaged ego from being pushed aside by me."

"I'm not…"

Ash's eyes flashed a vibrant blue that caused Steven's words to catch in his throat.

"I promised to protect your region, and that is what I did," Ash said firmly. "But when it comes to striking back at the revolutionaries, you need to follow my orders without question. That includes accepting that there are some things that you won't know because you don't need to."

"That is what cost you last time Champion…" Steven started, but Ash was already shaking his head.

"I accept that you are not used to not knowing everything, but this is one occasion where you will have to accept it. Can you do that?"

"Why can't you just be honest and open with us?" Steven asked.

Ash took a deep breath. "Very well. If that is truly how you feel. We are going to Sinnoh to try and prevent this revolution from spreading any further. Cynthia will be here because she cannot go to Sinnoh, and I want her protected. If she were to come to Sinnoh, the return of a leader who has caused such anger may be enough to relight the fire of revolution that we are trying to stamp out. The people of Sinnoh feel left behind by the Pokémon League, largely due to Cynthia being their leader but never in the region. I didn't initially tell you this because she is your friend, but she is responsible for the troubles that we now face. And because of the way that you returned her to the tile of Pokémon Master, you are partly to blame as well. I can face my share of the blame for what we face, but are you big enough to do the same?"

Steven swallowed his words as Ash turned away, striding to stand next to Alakazam.

"Are we all ready?" he asked. When he received nods from those around him, even Steven who still looked shaken, Ash turned back to Alakazam.

"Take us to Sinnoh."

A/N

Okay, I know I said Friday and that it is Saturday, but I did also say that it was only an intention. And I'm only one day late. Frankly, by my standards this is a miracle. For anybody who has been here since Lost Master, there were some month long breaks (and some much, much longer!)

ThyOtherSide – Nope, it wasn't a typo. I'm not entirely sure for the word for it, but I'm sure there is one.

Notsofrilly – A bit like Norman, the original Rocket trio fell out of the story between Lost Master and World Divided because they had no real place in World Divided. I have considered writing a bit more for them in a spin-off as I do bits for some of the more minor characters. What I will say is that they left Team Rocket after Pikachu came back from Ash vanishing before Lost Master. Pikachu was the reason they left, James becoming a trainer and Jessie becoming a highly successful fashionista. So no, neither of the mysteriously confident gentlemen is James.

Jujugol – Finally, somebody else who really appreciates the politics of the Star Wars prequels (which I admit, is pretty much the only decent part of a very poor trilogy of films). I suppose there are similarities here, although this was not based on Star Wars!

Guest – I'm not sure that Alicia truly fell into Ash's arms, more collapsed from exhaustion. And no, Alicia won't fall in love with Ash.

Mirayessa – I think the scene between Sam and Alicia answered this one for you. She most definitely did have potions, antidotes etc with her because as you correctly say, no elite trainer would be caught without them. The expectation for the entire city to collapse was not there, but she was prepared for what she thought was all realistic eventualities. She was wrong.

Tisumi – Interesting that you like the minor characters having more backstory. I'm seriously considering writing a bunch of spin-offs around several of them, probably a few chapters for each, especially if some people would be interested in reading it!

There almost certainly won't be a chapter next week. I've got the wedding of a very close friend next weekend which will be otherwise distracting me. If I get some miraculous extra writing time I will see what I can do, but otherwise you'll have to wait an extra week. Sorry! However, I'm confident in saying that you would rather have the break now instead of after the next chapter. Consider that a bit of a teaser…

Until next time!

Iama2p