Crossfire

by xXSchneefuchsXx

Summary:

It was supposed to be the most exciting event of Ash’s life. Every three years, the Pokémon World Championship was held in Wyndon, and this time he was finally part of it. For the first time, he would be battling against friends and old rivals alike for the title of the World Champion.

But Ash and fate had always had a rocky relationship, and soon dark clouds started looming over the horizon, threatening the lives of humans and pokémon all over the planet. Leaving Ash and his friends once again in charge to stop Team Rainbow Rocket and save the world.

Notes:

Hey! So, this is my first attempt at posting a story here and the first time ever posting in english. This is a bit of an older story I started writing at the beginning of Journeys/when the topic of the World Championship first came up. I always liked the thought of it and decided to write my own, with my favorite characters, and a darker twist (and some creative liberties regarding canon lol). Maybe someone else will like it too :)
Since this is my first time, I hope I tagged decently for trigger warnings, I apologize if I missed anything. Please let me know if you see something I should tag!

Chapter 1: The Invitation

Invitation to the final tournaments of the World Championship, it said in fancy, ornate writing on the letter Ash held in his hands, which were shaking with excitement.

 

The best 64.

 

He really made it into the top 64 trainers in the world, and would soon be in the massive Wyndon Stadium, performing in front of over 150,000 people – finally able to show everyone what him and his pokémon were capable of. The tickets had already sold out months ago, not even a day after being posted online. This was the event for pokémon trainers and fans all over the world.

 

This was big. Really big.

 

And Ash would be a part of it.

 

He felt slightly nauseous, and didn’t even really know if it was from excitement or anxiety.

 

He read the letter from the Pokémon League Association over and over again. Additionally to his own invitation, he had been given two VIP tickets. Whoever he decided his two VIPs to be were allowed to be in the preparation room with him before the battle, and then stay in the lounge from which you had the best view of the arena.

 

Ash had gotten the letter days ago, and still wasn’t sure who to pick. He had made so many friends during his travels across the globe, it almost seemed impossible to decide for two people and exclude the rest – if the rest was even available, and not already picked by someone else. He didn’t want to risk offending or hurting anyone. At one point he thought about picking nobody, simply doing it alone.

 

But the thought of being in that preparation room all by himself, trapped with his thoughts and worries, was terrifying. He let go of that thought pretty quickly. Of course, he still had Pikachu, and the little one had always been his biggest hype man. But it still would be nice to...have some human company and reassurance too, once in a while.

 

“Hey Ash, the list of participants just went online. Do you want to take a look?”

 

Gary’s voice pulled Ash out of his thoughts. He immediately jumped up from his seat and walked over to his best friend. Gary was sitting at his desk, supposed to be writing a report for Professor Rowan, but was obviously more interested in updating the World Cup website every other second. Which was probably the only reason he still wasn’t done, because he usually worked like a supercomputer when it came to his research stuff.

 

Ash rested one arm on Gary’s shoulder and took the mouse away with his free hand, which was acknowledged with an indignant snort. He ignored it.

 

“The pairs for the first round have already been decided? Seriously?” Ash asked, astonished.

 

Well, this was certainly different from the league conferences he attended before. In the usual league tournaments, the computer in the Pokémon Center rolled out who would compete against whom. Right on the spot, with barely any time to prepare.

 

This time, he would be able to know who his opponent was before, and could prepare accordingly. Maybe that was the point? To give the trainers time to build up strategies, making the tournament even more difficult and exciting for the spectators?

 

Ash continued to scroll down the lineup when the door generously swung open, banging against the opposing wall and flying back again, almost hitting the intruder straight in the face.

 

“Hey Tweedledee and Tweedledum,” Gary’s older brother Green greeted them, charmingly as ever and not one bit bothered by the fact that he almost broke his own nose, and slammed the door against the lock a little harder than necessary. Ash flinched at the sudden loud noise, but Gary seemed completely unfazed.

 

He probably was already used to this kind of performance.

 

“This is why Gramps doesn’t like you”, he murmured unperturbed, never taking his eyes off the screen.

 

Ash looked over at Green, who didn’t seem deterred by the little dig in the slightest, and just planted himself on Gary’s left side.

 

“I just got the notification that the list went online, but my phone died two seconds later, so now I’m here. I wanna have a look.“

 

“And why barge into my room for that? What happened to your laptop?“ Gary asked, one eyebrow slightly raised and finally looking at his brother.

 

“Ahhh, funny story. Blastoise helped me clean the gym and he mistook the laptop for dirt, and cleaned up with his Hydro Pump. If I try to turn it on, all it does is let out an ungodly squeak and electrocute me. If I wanted that, I would go and annoy Pika.“

 

Gary rolled his eyes and shook his head, but immediately after, he excitedly pointed at something on the screen and shrugged the shoulder Ash was leaning on to get his attention.

 

“There you are, look! You’re battling Crystal in the first round.“

 

“And me? And me??“ Green asked, moving closer to Gary and the computer.

 

“I’ll check if you stop pestering me like that. Get lost.“

 

While the two brothers continued their bickering and Gary searched for Green on his list, Ash pulled out his phone and searched the trainer directory for Crystal. He had heard of her, she was from Johto and apparently quite the capable trainer. But that was pretty much all he knew about her.

 

She had a lot of powerful pokémon registered under her name, of every type there was. That meant she didn’t specialize in one type, and he couldn't predict anything at all about her, starting at which pokémon she’d choose for the tournament. Shoot.

 

“You’re going up against Nessa,“ Gary said, and caught Ash’s attention again at the mention of that name, “she’s a Gym Leader in Galar, as far as I know, and specializes mainly in water type pokémon. Do you want to battle with Exeggutor? He’d be strong against her. But she’ll probably be expecting that. Actually, she’ll be expecting any of your Gym Pokémon. I would advise against taking them with you.”

 

“Thanks, clown,” Green huffed, “then which pokémon do you think I should take? My Gym Pokémon are by far my strongest, in case you forgot.”

 

“What about Jolteon? You’ll fare just as well with an electric type as with a grass type, I’d say. For the most part. I’m sure she’d be happy to battle again. And” Gary tried to suppress a laugh, only half succeeding, “what if you ask Red to lend you Pika? He’s not taking part, after all.”

 

Green laughed and flopped down on the bean bag that Ash had been sitting on until a few minutes ago.

 

“You’re incredibly funny today. You know full well that stupid fat rat hates me to the core. That’s not a pokémon, that’s a demon. He’d rather die than listen to what I’m telling him.”

 

With a strong sigh, Green picked up Ash’s Pikachu, who was curled up on the floor next to the bean bag and immediately started chattering happily as he got pulled into Green’s lap.

 

“Why can’t Pika be as nice as you, Pikachu? You like me, don’t you?”

 

Pikachu let out a squeal that was most likely a ‘yes’.

 

“You can’t have him,” Ash muttered while looking at the roster of the other contestants. Leon against Alain, Mallow against Barry. “I need my buddy if I want to stand a chance.”

 

“Crystal is an impressive trainer, but sometimes a bit too hasty and impetuous. Once her adrenaline gets too high, she is prone to make small, but stupid mistakes. You could take advantage of that if you observe her battling style a bit,” Green interjected.

 

Ah, of course. They knew each other, after all. Just like her best friend Ethan, Crystal had competed in all the Gyms in Kanto, and that included the Viridian Gym, which Green had been running for several years now.

 

Ash shook his head, smiling affectionately as he watched Green make ridiculous faces at Pikachu, who laughed uncontrollably, holding his stomach with his paws.

 

“Observation isn’t really Ashy’s thing,” Gary chipped in.

 

“Hey, I’m very observant!”

 

“But I think you can still beat her if you try hard. By the way, Blue is up against your friend Lillie. Hasn’t she also become champion a while ago?”

 

“Yep, last fall,” Ash nodded, “I’m looking forward to the battle. Lillie has become a great trainer after she left Alola, she’s even able to give her older brother Gladion a run for his money nowadays. But I know how strong Blue is and how hard she can fight. It’s not gonna be easy for both of them. Let me take a look again – oh. Ohhhh. Trip is up against Alder right in the first round, and Paul is up against Steven Stone. Two battles of champs against former champs. That’s gonna be so great!”

 

Gary thoughtfully chewed on the band of his necklace. He always did that when lost in thought. Ash had seen him do it a thousand times by now.

 

“Paulie against Steven, huh? I know Steven is strong, but I can’t imagine him winning, if I’m being honest. He wasn’t able to beat Cynthia the last time they battled, and she’s been trying to reclaim her championship for four years now, without success. Paul has become incredibly strong.”

 

“Him and his pokémon have always been great,” Ash grumbled, scrolling through Paul’s trainer page on his phone. He already knew a few of his pokémon, like Torterra and Weavile of course, but he seemed to have gotten around and picked up some new ones too. He would most certainly have a carefully selected team that would have as many type advantages against his opponent as possible. If Ash had to face him at some point during the tournament, he’d have to think of a really good strategy.

 

But it was still too early for such speculation. First of all he had to win against Crystal, otherwise thinking about any other possible battle would be pointless, and arrogant. There was no way he could already lose his first round, especially when all of his friends and rivals were there, watching him, cheering him on. He couldn’t disappoint them.

 

“You too. You have a lot of strong and fantastically trained pokémon, don’t forget that. You should also think about whether you prefer to use Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Dynamax. Everything is allowed, but you can only use one of the three per battle. I’d either take Pikachu and your Z-Ring,” the little Mouse Pokémon looked up at Gary curiously when he heard his name, “or Greninja. While Pikachu is stronger, his electric attacks are only effective against water and flying type pokémon, ineffective against electric, dragon and grass type pokémon, and useless against ground types. While water is weak against other water types and against grass and dragon types, there are no types that are completely immune to water.”

 

Gary clicked around on his computer while he rambled, not looking at either Ash or Green.

 

“You also shouldn’t forget that Z-Moves are very powerful, but they can only be used once in the whole battle. If your opponent uses Protect or Detect, you might only do minor damage and waste your attack, while Mega Evolution lasts around fifteen minutes. Depending on the strength of the trainer and his pokémon of course. Crystal also has a pretty strong Mismagius. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t let it battle. Then a dark type would be a good choice, or at least one that isn’t impressed by Mean Look or some other stupid ghost trick. Crystal’s Mismagius also has maximum level. Misdreavus learns Perish Song at level 46, so if she hadn’t evolved it by then, beware of that attack because it’ll inevitably knock out any pokémon sooner or later. Do you have a pokémon with the Soundproof ability? That would make it immune to that. Wait, I’ll check your database.”

 

Ash blinked slowly and exchanged a glance with Green, who looked at Ash for a moment just as shocked and confused, but then burst out laughing.

 

“Arceus, Gary, do you ever breathe? You’re such a nerd. How the hell do you know all that by heart?”

 

“You’ve been a trainer for sixteen years and a Gym Leader for fourteen, how the hell do you not?” Gary retorted nonchalantly.

 

“Can you not start arguing now?” Ask asked, seeing Green furrowing his eyebrows from the corner of his eye, already launching his counterattack, “I think I’ll do Mega Evolution with Greninja. Pikachu’s attacks are pretty strong even without any additives.”

 

“Good plan. Now to your other pokémon-”

 

And once again, Gary dived into a monologue that was in no way inferior to those of his grandfather. Ash really tried to listen and take in all the information, but that proved to be almost impossible. If only because of the insane speed at which Gary rattled off absolutely everything he knew. Which was, after all his years as a researcher now, quite a bit.

 

However...yes, actually. Not a bad idea.

 

“Hey Gary, you wanna be my VIP? I could use you smartass for some last minute combat tips and strategy.”

 

Gary leaned back in his chair so that Ash lost his footing on his shoulder, and crossed his arms behind his head.

 

“Sure, why not. Let’s face it, without my expert support you don’t stand a chance against someone like Cynthia or Paul anyway, should it come down to it – ow! Sorry Ashy, I know the truth hurts.”

 

Gary grinned happily at Ash and exaggeratedly rubbed the back of his head where Ash had given him a little smack.

 

“Forget it. You’re uninvited.”

 

“Too late.”

 

“Hey, and what about me?” Green asked, crossing his arms and huffing indignantly, “the nerd should be my joker, I’m family after all.”

 

“How bold of you to assume that I would willingly help you at all. Besides, you’ve got Red with you, don’t you? Let him help you. Or does that hurt your fragile little ego? And now go away, you’ve seen what you wanted to see. You’re annoying.”

 

Green sighed dramatically and put a hand to his chest.

 

“Ow, Gary. That’s so cold. What did I ever do to deserve my own brother treating me this way?”

 

Gary waited until Green put a now dozing Pikachu on the bean bag and gave them his famous smug Oak grin before slipping out of the room. Ash also exchanged a grin with his rather exhausted looking friend.

 

“Sometimes I regret coming back to Kanto. What you just experienced is my life. All day, every day.”

 

“Oh shut up, Gary. You love being here. Unless of course you miss being in Sinnoh so much, having our little sunshine Paul as your only company, all day, every day? I thought so. So what’s your suggestion for my team in the first round? You’ve already thought it all through anyway.”

 

An ominous grin appeared on Gary’s face. He turned back to his computer, where he opened a spreadsheet listing all of Ash’s pokémon, along with their stats and special abilities, ranked from least to most eligible to compete in the championship.

 

Of course he had done that.

Chapter 2: Kyurem

“So, do you already know which pokémon you’re going to use for your first battle?” Delia asked her son while pushing another pancake onto his plate.

 

“Hmmm,” Ash replied, mouth full, “Gary and I spent a whole hour yesterday putting together my final team. It was exhausting, but I think we made a good choice. I’ll take Pikachu, Greninja, Lucario, Charizard, Gengar and Sceptile.”

 

Delia smiled warmly.

 

“That sounds like a powerful team if you ask me. I’m so glad you and Gary are getting along the way you used to when you were little. You boys always had so much fun when you went on your little adventures together. Why is Gary not competing in the championship? Surely he would get far, he’s always been such a talented trainer.”

 

Though he hadn’t eaten much yet, Ash’s appetite completely vanished at his mother’s question, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t eat another bite. Instead, anger accumulated in his stomach, the warmth of which he could soon feel throughout his entire body.

 

That damn Giovanni. It was all his fault.

 

That maybe Gary could never take part in battles like that again, because the trauma from back then was still sitting deep.

 

It no longer made Ash angry to be the constant target of criminal organizations that wanted either his Pikachu or himself, thanks to his friendly relationship with far more legendary pokémon than a human should ever have. He’d more or less gotten used to it by now, not even needing his pokémon to protect himself against a few pathetic grunts anymore. He had found out that most of these goons were very surprised and would go down immediately if given a single, well-aimed uppercut.

 

But he just hated it when his friends got hurt.

 

“He...has his reasons. But I don’t think he would like it if I went around and told it to the world. Maybe he’ll tell you himself, one day,” he finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

 

Delia’s smile didn’t break, instead she nodded in understanding. “Of course. I don’t need to know, I was just curious. But I hope Gary knows that if he needs any advice or wants to talk about anything, he can always come to me.”

 

Ash managed a faint smile of his own now and squeezed his mom’s hand for a moment. Her silent request to tell Gary exactly that at their next meeting hadn't gone unnoticed. He knew his mother, after all.

 

"He knows that."

 

It was strange anyway that Gary hadn’t told Delia already. Ash knew they were close. Delia had actually always been something of a mom to Gary, ever since his parents had died when he had been about to start school. It wasn’t like him to have secrets from her, especially when they weighed so heavily on him. Apparently Ash, Misty and Brock seemed to be the only people who knew about it.

 

What Mewtwo had done to Gary under Giovanni’s command back then. How it attacked him with his psychokinetic attacks, knocking him unconscious. He’d only been eleven years old, a damn child. Of course that had shaped him, of course it still was painful to think about.

 

Ash closed his hands into fists and involuntarily gripped his fork and knife tighter.

 

He would never forget that sight when they had entered the gym back then. Never the goosebumps he’d had. Never that dreadful feeling of dizziness and nausea that had settled in his body in the few minutes he had thought that Gary was dead.

 

Ash knew it was no coincidence that Gary’s Eevee evolved into an Umbreon. A pokémon immune to psychic moves. It helped with the nightmares, Gary had told him, but he still couldn't battle opponents with strong psychic types without freezing in fear. Just watching battles like that presented more of a challenge than he would ever admit. Participating in the World Cup would be an absolute disaster for him.

 

“Ash, are you alright? Did my cutlery do anything to you?” Delia’s voice wavered between amusement and concern.

 

Oh. Right. He was still sitting at the kitchen table, clutching the cutlery so tightly his knuckles were already turning white. Both his mother and Pikachu eyed him skeptically. Pikachu even put a paw on his arm, just like he’d learned from his human friends over the years.

 

“Uh yeah, sure. I was just thinking. I think I’ll go out and train for a bit. Pikachu, are you coming with me?”

 

"Already? But you haven't even finished eating yet," Delia called after her son, but Ash was already halfway out the door and just called out to her that she should put the pancakes in the fridge - he would eat them later. Now he had to get his thoughts in order, and the best way to do that was to train with his pokémon.

 

It was a cool late summer day and Ash was shivering a little in the cold breeze coming from the sea as he trotted over to the Oak laboratory. Strange, he didn't usually get cold that quickly. Maybe he should have at least put on a hoodie over his t-shirt. Everything seemed as usual - the sun was just breaking through the treetops of the forest separating Pallet Town from Ise-wan, he could hear the calls of Butterfree and Pidgey, in the distance the rushing and breaking of the waves on the shore – and yet Ash felt strange this morning. Something was in the air, but he couldn't make out what it was for the life of him.

 

Like... something was watching him.

 

He stopped and looked around, frowning, but couldn't see anything. Of course not. If something was in his immediate vicinity, Pikachu would have alerted him to it long ago. After all, the pokémon had much keener senses than he did. And as he had thought, his companion just looked at him questioningly.

 

He cocked his head as Ash shook his. He took a few steps towards the forest and critically observed it, in which still nothing was stirring, before he turned around and continued on his way.

 

"It's okay, Pikachu. I thought something was watching us, but I must’ve been wrong. Stay here," he said softly, just as Pikachu was already laying back his ears and heading toward the forest, "it was probably nothing."

 

Still, the feeling didn't go away. Ash simply guessed that paranoia had finally caught up with him after all the surprise attacks and his very own stalkers from Team Rocket. Then Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare...he'd lost track of everyone that wanted him dead. A shiver ran through him, causing him to quicken his pace a little.

 

Yes, he would a thousand times rather put up with being hunted and hurt himself if that meant his friends were being left in peace. But that didn't mean he wasn't struggling with what had already happened to him. The many times he'd only barely or miraculously survived. The few times he hadn't, only being brought back by accident or the goodness in the heart of one of the gods. If he was completely honest with himself, he shouldn't even be here today.

 

Luckily he had finally reached the lab and was able to put the weird feeling out of his mind, at least for the moment. Two familiar voices reached him as he stepped through the glass doors and he caught a glimpse of a shock of red hair. Just a second later he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

 

"You did it! Best 64, Ash! My best friend is competing in the Pokémon World Cup! I'm so prouuud!” came Misty's voice, muffled by her face pressed against Ash's shirt. None of their friends had thought it possible, but Ash had actually managed to outgrow Misty after all, and now she finally had to look up at him and not the other way around.

 

Ash loved to remind her that her time of giving him headlocks had finally passed.

 

"If you haven't smothered him before, he might even be able to compete!" Gary seemed to be in the best of spirits as well, Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and Ash felt the tension from just now finally melting away. He was with his friends. No one would dare attack him here, not with Gary, Misty, Green, and probably also Red all in close proximity. He was safe.

 

"It's called a hug, Oak. You should try it too. Helps the serotonin and stuff like that. Although I doubt that you are even human and that there are such things as hormones in your body.”

 

Ash smirked. He was so glad to have his two best friends back. Now only Brock was missing, but he was too busy to visit him now. He really wanted to have some time off for the championship to watch Ash and volunteer to help tend to the injured pokémon, so he was currently working overtime and doing all his paperwork in advance before taking his vacation and flying to Galar.

 

Just the fact that all of his friends would be there with him made Ash extremely excited for the tournament, whatever the outcome. Of course he still hoped to win – and that's why he was here.

 

"Gary?" Gary stopped his bickering with Misty for a moment, raised an eyebrow and swung his swivel chair in Ash's direction in an almost comedic way.

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm here because I wanted to ask if we could battle a bit," Ash began, "Greninja and I haven't battled in a while and I'd like to get our teamwork back on track. Do you happen to have one we could battle against?”

 

Gary grinned, a challenging fire blazing in his eyes. One Ash hadn't seen in a long time, and one that gave his stomach a familiar, pleasant tingle.

 

"Sure. I have just the thing for you.”

 

"I'll be the referee! To make sure that no one starts cheating like they did at my birthday party at billiards,” Misty murmured, giving Gary a piercing look. He just laughed and raised his hands as he got up and walked outside toward the reserve.

 

"How was I supposed to cheat? It's not my fault you and Brock played so pathetically. Especially since I even had Ashy on the team as a handicap. You really should have won.”

 

"Hey!" Ash announced, walking a bit behind his friends, "There will be a rematch at the next birthday party!"

 

"Sure, if you really want to lose again."

 

"Stomp him into the ground, Ash. I beg you. He hasn't lost a pokémon battle in way too long, it seems. Someone needs a little lesson in humility."

 

Ash watched as Gary hopped over the enclosure fence, whistled and waved at something in the sky above. Moments later, with a shrill, happy cry, his Skarmory came swooping down and landed gracefully in front of them. So he wanted to match Greninja’s speed with that of Skarmory.

 

Fine by him. He would not lose this battle.

 

"Hey guys?" Misty asked when they were almost at the battlegrounds, "doesn't it seem strangely cold to you too?"

 

"It's autumn, Misty. It gets cold sometimes. Maybe you wouldn't be so cold if you bought at least one pair of long pants."

 

It was true that Misty was only wearing her usual shorts - a hoodie over her shirt, but still - but today that just wasn't a question Ash had wanted to hear. The uneasy feeling came over him again, this time a lot worse than before. He tried to follow his friends' conversation and keep his mouth shut, but he barely understood a word of what they were saying. All his attention was on the surrounding forest and sky, without really being able to control it. Like... like something was about to happen.

 

"Okay Gary, what do you say to that now? Is that snow? What the hell is going on here?” Misty asked. She seemed a lot more confused than worried though.

 

Ash closed his eyes and silently counted to ten as he felt a surge of panic. Pikachu tugged at his sleeve.

 

"Forget your snow, you'd better look what's there on Mt. Silver," Gary suddenly whispered.

 

The awe in his voice made Ash open his eyes again and follow his friend's gaze. When he found what Gary had seen, he froze. Bright yellow eyes stared back at him, even more fearsome and fierce than he remembered. He might be wrong - he hoped he was wrong - but it seemed like those eyes were fixed right on him.

 

No, they were fixed on him. No doubt.

 

"Is that-" Misty asked breathlessly.

 

"Kyurem," Gary replied.

 

“Well, at least that explains the snow. But what is it doing here? Isn't Kyurem one of the legendary dragons from Unova? I thought legendary pokémon rarely left their homes,” Misty pondered, looking back and forth between Ash and Gary questioningly.

 

"Basically never," Ash muttered, gritting his teeth, "there must be an important reason for it being here."

 

“Whatever that reason is, it doesn't look like it wants to have a friendly chat with us. We better stand prepared in case it attacks.”

 

Skarmory growled in agreement and stood in front of its trainer and his friends, wings spread widely. It let out a piercing scream, which Kyurem returned at ten times the volume. The dragon's cry echoed darkly on the cliffs of the mountain range that separated Kanto from Johto. It pushed off the small ledge it had been standing on, spread its massive wings, and dived. It opened its mouth, in which the beginning of a dragon's pulse was already forming.

 

"Skarmory, Steel Wing!"

 

Ash also fumbled for a poké ball. Greninja would probably have to wait a little longer for his training.

 

"Flare Blitz!" he yelled as the ball opened and his Charizard appeared in blue and red sparks with a determined roar. The fire pokémon and Skarmory rushed towards Kyurem together. While Ash had great faith in the abilities of his and Gary's pokémon, his knees felt a bit weak just from the size difference. Charizard and Skarmory were already over two meters tall, but Kyurem towered over them like a giant.

 

Ash hoped that at least Skarmory’s aerodynamics could give them a small advantage. It slipped under Kyurem's wing with ease and went into a vertical position to hit it with its own hardened wing. Kyurem screeched as Skarmory cut a wound in its wing, making it lose its footing, and for a moment it looked like it was about to fall - right into the reserve, where the other pokémon were watching the battle curiously. Not at all seeming to grasp the seriousness of the situation and continuing to chew on their breakfast, staring up at the sky with clueless looks on their faces.

 

"Togekiss, help us! Circle it and then cast Dazzling Gleam from behind!”

 

Ash gaped at the speck of white that shot out of its poké ball and toward Kyurem at breakneck speed.

 

“Is that our little Togepi – Togetic? I thought-"

 

"I was visiting May in Hoenn," said Misty, hands on hips and a proud grin on her face, "and then we met again. The other Togepi had all already evolved and were capable of protecting themselves, so it was dying to come back home with me!"

 

Ash clicked his tongue and grinned. Legendary pokémon or not, coming up against three strong pokémon that all had a type advantage would take a lot from Kyurem. He still didn't understand what exactly was going on here and why on earth they were being attacked, but at the moment it was only important that they survived this fight.

 

Gary would worry about everything else afterwards anyway, after all he didn't study the legendary pokémon for nothing.

 

While Kyurem managed to dodge Charizard's Flare Blitz, it hadn't expected the speed of Togekiss, who, following Misty's instruction, threw a glowing pink energy ball at the dragon.

 

Charizard immediately followed up with a Slash in Kyurem's stomach, on which a silvery-red shimmering stain formed only a few seconds later. Blood. That had been a heavy hit.

 

Ash could feel a shock go through his shoulder and held Pikachu back, whose cheeks were already charging with electricity.

 

"Your electric attacks aren't very effective against Kyurem, buddy, you might wanna sit this one out" he explained, and Pikachu grunted in disappointment.

 

Gary's eyes darted to them briefly, then he whistled at Skarmory to come back to him. "Skarmory, put Pikachu on your back and get him close enough to Kyurem to use Iron Tail!"

 

Pikachu happily agreed and jumped onto the steel pokémon's back before Skarmory had even stopped. Ash grumbled and crossed his arms. He should have known.

 

"Don't be offended," Gary grinned while watching Skarmory and timing for a suitable moment to give the next command to his pokémon, "I copied this way of battling from you. You are creative, even if the rest up there leaves a bit to be desired sometimes.”

 

"You think I'm creative?" Ash raised his eyebrows, now also grinning.

 

"Is that really all you got from that?" Misty asked, rolling her eyes. She sidestepped a few steps to get a better look at her Togekiss, who seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with Kyurem - and apparently having way too much fun doing it.

 

"No,” Ash retorted, “I just decided to ignore the rest. I had to learn that over time with you two. Charizard, Hurricane! Pikachu, now, Iron Tail!"

 

"Skarmory, Iron Defense!" Gary's pokémon wrapped itself up in this defensive attack just in time, as the dragon, enraged by Pikachu's punch, whipped around and ruthlessly slammed its paws at Skarmory. That had to be Outrage. Charizard tried to intervene, but was then hit by the attack himself and howled in pain.

 

Ash ground his teeth together. Despite the fact that Kyurem was up against four pokémon at once, it didn't seem to be showing any signs of giving up. He knew about the tremendous power reserves legendary pokémon had from his own experience often enough.

 

They had to be careful. Especially Pikachu, who was hopping from back to back of the flying pokémon up there at dizzying heights. If he fell and no one caught him in time, it was over. And Ash would never be able to forgive himself for that.

 

One blow after another hit Kyurem, and each time it grew more angry, more desperate. Shortly after a Play Rough attack from Togekiss, it spun around and smashed its teeth into Togekiss's white feathers, throwing it toward the ground. Charizard reacted quickly and caught it as it fell, but Togekiss was already unconscious.

 

Misty's lips were pressed into a thin line and her face was almost snow white. Ash had rarely seen her so angry. It wasn't something he really needed to see more often, either.

 

"Oh, you're going down," she murmured, and threw another poké ball.

 

"Gyarados, Dragon Pulse! Show that bastard what a real dragon attack looks like!”

 

"Ash, give Skarmory its orders for a moment. I'll check on Togekiss," Gary instructed, giving him no time to say anything before running over to the fairy type pokémon and fishing in his lab coat for some berries and potions that would help it get back on its feet.

 

Ash found that coordinating three pokémon at once wasn't all that easy. Well, two, considering that Charizard was still very independent and sometimes just seemed to like his own ideas better than his trainer's. At least he pulled himself together in the official battles and didn't do his own thing anymore, that's all Ash could ask for.

 

When Ash saw a thunderstorm looming over Mt. Silver caused by Kyurem's messing around with the weather, he had an idea. One that might decide this battle. Hopefully Charizard would play along.

 

"Charizard, fly Pikachu up until you're close enough to the storm clouds over there. Wait for a bolt of lightning, and when there is one, boost it up and send it down to us, Pikachu! Hit Kyurem directly if you can!”

 

Just because electric-type moves weren't effective against ice type pokémon, it didn't mean they weren't doing anything. And a force of nature like a thunderstorm and the lightning that inevitably accompanied it was not easy food for any living thing to digest. Not even for a deity.

 

As long as his own pokémon were gone and climbing higher and higher, Ash continued to battle with Skarmory. He was happy to admit it without any resentment—it was always a pleasure to command Gary's pokémon. They were all so well behaved and skilled in battle. He'd battled with them so many times before—he and Gary would often swap teams during their practice matches to see how well they could handle unfamiliar pokémon—and knew all of their moves inside out.

 

Maybe he would really accept Gary's offer to loan out Umbreon for the championship. He actually still lacked a strong dark type pokémon, aside from Greninja.

 

The thunder grew louder and louder. It couldn't be long before Pikachu and Charizard found a bolt of lightning to redirect. Ash scanned the sky, looking for them, but couldn't spot them through the dark clouds. Just as he was beginning to worry, he was blinded by a blazing light and although they jumped out of the way, he and Misty were thrown backwards just from the force of the impact.

 

Judging by Kyurem's angry scream, Pikachu had hit. Ash straightened up just in time to see a silvery gray something darting towards him out of a dark cloud of smoke, spreading its long claws and apparently intending to grab him. Ash thought at first he'd reflexively leapt out of the way himself, but when the shock of the moment wore off, he felt someone pinning him to the ground.

 

Kyurem missed him by a hair, and a bolt of light that looked suspiciously like a Hyper Beam hit it in the chest full force. With an almost pathetic howl, it flew away, flapping unevenly. Their pokémon had apparently done quite a bit of damage to its right wing. Ash closed his eyes and put a hand on his chest, his heart pounding like a jackhammer.

 

That had been too damn close. He was open to new things, but knowing what it was like to be carried aloft in the sharp talons of a legendary dragon wasn't on his bucket list. The fiasco with Aerodactyl several years ago had been enough for a lifetime.

 

"Everything okay? Can you stand up?" The familiar, yet rarely heard voice confused Ash for a moment before he nodded and opened his eyes.

 

After a brief moment of sitting on the ground and staring in the direction Kyurem had disappeared in, he took Red's outstretched hand and let him help him up. The Snorlax that had delivered the decisive blow mimicked the worried look of his trainer while Green crossed his arms and also scanned the sky. After a few minutes he sighed and shook his head.

 

"Doesn't look like it's coming back." He turned his gaze to Ash, Gary and Misty and grinned in disbelief. "Can't leave you disaster trio alone for a few minutes, can you? Barely back together, and you're already messing with a legendary pokémon."

 

"I'd really like to know what that was," Gary said, holding a Togekiss who was now cooing happily again, "Ash, you have friends in Unova, don't you? Maybe they know what's going on. Legendary pokémon don't attack humans just like that. I hope nothing happened over there.”

 

Ash nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket with shaking hands, which had thankfully survived Red's tackle. He checked his contacts for Virgil's number. After all, he was a ranger in Unova, one of the most capable at that. Should anything be wrong with the legendary pokémon, he would be the first to be informed after the champ.

 

And the champion himself...well, he and Ash weren't really in touch. It had never seemed like he wanted them to be, so Ash had let it go. Over the years, Ash had learned that trying to force your friendship on someone was no good. He still saw him as a friend, but he didn’t push it. Maybe Trip would come around one day, but until then – so he would have to ask Iris for his number first to then be able to contact him and – yeah, it came down to Virgil. That was simply easier for the moment.

 

He waited while it rang, trying in vain to shoo away his four curious friends, who were breathing down his neck and peering over his shoulder - and one curious Snorlax.

 

"Hey Ash, what's up?" Virgil asked. He sounded stressed, but that didn't necessarily mean something bad. Ash had helped out with ranger work a few times before, it really wasn't a walk in the park.

 

"Virgil, hey. I have to ask you something. I'll put you on speaker, yeah? My friends are listening.” Ash bit his lower lip, realizing how shaky his voice was.

 

"Sure, what happened? You sound weird."

 

"I'm in Pallet Town right now. We were attacked by Kyurem a few minutes ago, barely managed to scare it away, and we're okay. But do you have any idea why it's here? Is something wrong with Reshiram and Zekrom?”

 

Silence on the other end.

 

"...What? Kyurem you say? No, I don’t know, I didn't even know it was gone. Reshiram is still with N, following him like the most faithful Lillipup. If anything was wrong, he would have let us know for sure. And Zekrom should be sleeping peacefully in the dream world. At least the sensors show that everything is calm there. I'll look into the matter immediately. I hope Kyurem flies straight back home, it must be hurt, right?”

 

Ash rubbed his head in shame. "We had no other choice, to be honest. It was absolutely savage, I don't remember it ever being so aggressive. If we hadn't defended ourselves-"

 

"Don’t worry. Your safety is most important, it will survive its injuries. I'm going to talk to Trip right away, have him search the dream world for Zekrom and see if our devices haven't malfunctioned somehow. I'll get back to you if I find out anything new before the championship. Otherwise I will see you there, yes?”

 

"Okay, yes. Thank you Virgil. See you."

 

Well, this conversation had answered fewer questions than Ash had hoped. It only remained to be seen if Virgil and Trip could find out what happened. Surely everything was easy to explain, even if Kyurem's behavior had really been highly unusual.

 

"Still open to a practice match? Skarmory is too tired to battle Greninja anymore, but," Gary tossed a poké ball in his hand and grinned like he'd already won the battle, "I have someone else here who would love to battle again." He opened the poké ball and it revealed a massive beast that grumbled darkly but kindly when it saw the humans.

 

"So, Venusaur, yes? Good, let's go!"

Notes:

I know Charizard is not actually over 2 meters tall, but I just can't make peace with the fact that it's only supposed to be 6 centimeters taller than I am. I just can't lol
Let me have my huge dragons Pokeani!!

Also I can't believe I forgot to tag Iris even tho she's one of the more important characters, my poor girl ;_;

Next update will take a little longer since I'll be on vacation! :)

Chapter 3: Old Rivals, New Problems

The day of the opening for the World Cup had finally come – and the crowd was absolutely overwhelming.

 

Ash didn’t know where to look first. There were so many food stands, people selling merchandise like scarfs, flags and little plush mascots of the competing trainers and their pokémon. And so, so many people strolling around the big plaza, enjoying the day or checking into the hotels.

 

It made his palms all warm and sweaty, and had him feeling almost lightheaded.

 

He was used to battling in front of an audience, but never such a massive one. It seemed as if half of the Galarian population was in attendance, plus many tourists from the other regions, and for the rest of the world the World Cup was being streamed live directly to their homes. If the reporters were to be believed, the participation and ratings lived up to all expectations.

 

It really was like the whole world was watching.

 

The whole world would see his every mistake. Would see if he failed.

 

Oh Arceus.

 

"Hey Ash, don't lose your mind already before the battles have even started. You can do it. You didn't make it into this tournament for nothing. Have the same faith in yourself that your pokémon have.”

 

It was a blessing that Brock was finally here. He had taken a later flight than Ash, Misty and Gary, and they had met up with him about half an hour ago. While Gary and Misty had walked off to go look for something to eat, he had lured Ash into a more or less quiet corner to try and calm him down.

 

He'd become like a big brother to Ash over the years of their journey together (not that Brock needed another little brother, but he still accepted him as one), and somehow always managed to give him encouragement no matter the situation. Maybe it was because he had so many younger siblings and just intuitively said the right things.

 

A few words of encouragement from Brock, a kick in the butt from Gary and Misty, and every goal suddenly didn’t seem so unreachable anymore. It had always been like this.

 

But on top of the whole championship, the Kyurem thing still weighed on him. Virgil hadn't called back since their phone call, which probably meant he hadn't found out more yet.

 

Ash needed to know how Kyurem was doing. It had never been his intention to hurt it. They just had to defend themselves somehow, otherwise who knows what would have happened. But that didn't turn off his guilty conscience. And instead of being able to look for him, he had to sit here and wait for his registration to be completed, which in his opinion was taking far too long anyway. He had told the woman at the counter his name, presented his ID and trainer card, and filled out the form for which pokémon he would take to the first battle.

 

So what were they doing for over ten minutes now? Sure, he should have seen it coming, since it had taken Shauna, who had signed up right before him, about twenty minutes. But still.

 

Ash looked around. He could make out a few familiar faces, but apart from Shauna and Ritchie, who had come over and chatted with them for a few minutes, none of his friends or better known acquaintances were there. He had heard from Shauna that Serena, Bonnie and Clemont were still unpacking, Alain had wandered off somewhere with Calem, and Tierno and Trevor went to check out the plaza. Lana had texted him an hour ago that they just landed, so it would still be a while before they arrived here. He hadn’t heard of the others yet.

 

But then he suddenly saw a familiar shock of dirty-blond hair among the masses. Leaving a confused Brock behind - he would have to apologize to him later for just leaving him like this - he sprinted in Trip’s direction before he had a chance to disappear again. At least him being here meant things couldn't be too bad with the legendary pokémon.

 

Or so he hoped.

 

"Trip! Please wait! Hey!”

 

Both the Unova champion and the man he was talking to now turned to Ash, whose eyes lit up immediately after taking a moment's breath from his brief sprint. He'd known that Reggie, who had returned to part-time training some time ago, had also made the top 64, but to see him right here was still a surprise. As far as Ash knew, he was up against Drake, the champ of the Orange League, in the first round.

 

"Hey Reggie! It’s great to see you! How are you doing? Is Paul here already?” he burst out in a barrage of questions before he could stop himself.

 

The moment Trip’s mouth curled into a highly amused smirk and "Reggie" scowled and looked Ash up and down in derogatory disbelief with cold, violet eyes, he realized his mistake - but it was already too late. Now all he could do was wish the ground would swallow him whole.

 

Maybe now wasn't such a bad time for some legendary pokémon to burst through the ceiling and take him with it after all.

 

"He's standing in front of you," Paul – apparently – snapped at him.

 

"Oh gosh I’m so sorry, Paul," Ash mumbled, feeling his whole face threatening to burst into flames with embarrassment, "I really didn't recognize you at first. You've changed a lot."

 

Paul snorted, "Obviously not for the better, considering I'm being mistaken for my fucking brother now."

 

"The confusion goes away as soon as you open your horrible mouth, don't worry," interjected Trip and crossed his arms.

 

Paul only acknowledged this with a snort and a roll of his eyes, while Trip turned to Ash.

 

"You wanted something from me?” he asked, “Is it about Kyurem? I’m gonna have to disappoint you. It's back home and Virgil has already patched it up and nursed it back to health, but we don't know why it left and flew all the way to Kanto. The only two possibilities we see right now is that one of you made it pretty mad for some reason, ooor..."

 

Trip hesitated, likely unsure if he should say it.

 

Ash felt his pulse quicken.

 

Or what?

 

Trip lowered his voice after making sure there weren't any cameras nearby that could pick up his words, which would without a doubt end up on every tabloid and news show tomorrow.

 

"It was controlled by someone. Wouldn't be the first time that someone in Unova tried to get the legendary pokémon under their control to take over the world with them or some nonsense. Remember?"

 

“Ghetsis? You think he’s back? But he was defeated, he is dead! I was there! Selene and the others even defeated the Ghetsis of the parallel world, dammit,” Ash hissed back, also in a whisper.

 

No, he didn't want to believe that. This bastard, just like Giovanni, could stay the hell away from him and his friends. Actually, they could stay away from anyone on this planet. He never, ever wanted to see that horrible man's ugly face again. He's had enough.

 

Enough, enough, enough. No more parallel worlds, no organizations, he didn't want to hear any of it.

 

"It doesn't have to be Ghetsis himself, obviously, but he had a lot of strong allies, and many of them still believe the ridiculous bullshit he preached to them. But that's all just speculation at the moment. I'll take care of it after the tournament, talk to Looker and ask N to have a chat with Kyurem.”

 

"Does N know about all this?"

 

Trip shook his head and stared at the people walking around, apparently lost in his own thoughts for a moment. He looked nervous, and frankly, Ash felt a little sorry for him. He was the youngest and newest of them, having been champion for just under a year, and more had happened in that one year than in the previous four. More trouble with the dragons, growing insecurity and anger in the people. More attacks of Team Rocket and underlings, more messing with wild pokémon.

 

It was way more than one person could possibly handle alone. And yet people expected as much from their top trainers. They were always supposed to know everything, to fight everything and protect everyone. Save everyone. Because they were the strongest trainers in the world, right? It was their job.

 

And of course they should be waving at the cameras with a smile on their lips and giving interviews after everything, no matter if they just went through hell and back.

 

Ash had seen it first hand with the ultra beasts, and the whole thing hadn't been pretty.

 

"No,” Trip finally said, “I didn't want to upset him. He just about agreed to watch his friends compete in the championship and the twins would kill me with their bare hands if I gave him a reason to run away now.”

 

That brought a grin to Ash's face. Of course, the famous twins from Nuvema, of which the brother - Hilbert - had been the one Trip had pushed off the throne of the Unova League last winter.

 

He wasn't the scarier one of the two, though, but rather his three-minute older sister, Hilda. Ash only knew because she didn’t get tired of mentioning it to everyone she met. Yeah, he wouldn't want to mess with her either.

 

"Yeah, understandable. Can’t even call you a coward for that. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Have you guys already signed up? I didn’t even know you two knew each other. How come?”

 

“Every champion should at least be familiar with the champions of the other regions. To be able to communicate properly when something goes wrong,” Paul said while looking around the hall with a frown, apparently looking for someone.

 

“Yup. You’re a champ yourself and don’t even know such basic stuff?” Trip added with a sly grin that only got wider when Ash rolled his eyes and sighed.

 

“Of course. I’m so sorry I asked. On that note-”

 

Trip eyed him knowingly and then, without a word, pulled his phone out of his pocket and let Ash type in his number. Paul did the same with his beaten up and old phone, and for some reason the action from both of them made Ash feel way more excited than he needed to be.

 

“Alright, I guess I’ll see you tonight at the opening party, we can catch up properly then! You're coming... right?"

 

"...if I had any choice," Paul mumbled just loud enough for Ash to hear.

 

"Yes, but I won't be staying too long. I have to battle the old man at nine tomorrow, and I want to be well rested. I'll probably just listen to the speech and then leave," Trip said, shrugging.

 

"Paauuulll!" A cheerful female voice suddenly rang out before Ash could reply and Paul flinched.

 

"Oh Arceus please no." He was already trying to slip away, but Dawn was faster than him and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that he couldn't free himself without making a huge scene. Even Ash knew that was the last thing Paul wanted. Unnecessarily attracting attention, especially from the press. Sooner or later they would all get enough prodding from them anyway. And Paul in particular had made one or the other unfavorable headline in the past, maybe one or another too many.

 

However, Trip obviously saw his chance for a tactical retreat now and before Ash could properly say goodbye, he had already slipped away through a wave of people. In the next moment he was gone without a trace. Surely sometimes being just a little over 1,60 meters tall had its perks.

 

"Didn't expect to see you here, man," came another voice, this time a male one, "don't you have to ruin Christmas or something? I'm sure there are already hundreds of photos of you without a single one of you smiling.” Barry sneaked around Paul, pinching his cheek and giving him a sloppy kiss on the other. "What a shame. You can smile so nicely if you want."

 

Indeed, Paul was smiling now, but nothing about it looked remotely nice. He grabbed Barry's shirt collar, which only seemed to bother Barry moderately and didn't even wipe the typically provocative grin off his face.

 

"Do that one more time and I'll have Torterra shoot you to the moon.”

 

"Aw, aren’t you charming as usual" said Dawn and raised her eyebrows.

 

Ash couldn't help but laugh. There really was nothing quite like watching someone like Paul get teased by his friends for always being so damn grumpy. How he had ever managed to be drawn into this circle of friends remained a mystery to Ash, but Dawn and Barry were known to be a chaotic force of nature together, incredibly difficult to get away from.

 

"He doesn’t even let me kiss him, Lucas, I'm so hurt," Barry sighed exaggeratedly pathetically and threw himself backwards into Lucas' arms, who had already stretched them out in wise foresight.

 

"Barry seems particularly excited today. We don’t know what’s wrong with him," he explained with an apologetic smile.

 

"You're acting as if this isn’t his usual behavior," Paul replied.

 

He sighed as if this conversation was draining him of all his precious sanity, but – oh? What was that on his face? Was that actually the beginning, just the faintest touch, of an honest smile?

 

Of course it was gone as quickly as it had come, giving way to his usual stoic expression. Nothing more was to be expected from a strange character like Paul.

 

"Ash, my friend, how are you? You're so quiet,” Barry asked, putting an arm around his shoulders, after Lucas pushed him back up on his feet. Ash felt that it didn't matter how much he grew, Barry would always be at least a head taller than him. He was still quite lanky, like before, but in giant now.

 

"Because no one has the time to get a word out once you start talking," Paul said, "good luck with them, Ash. You will need it. I'm going to my room now."

 

"Doing loner stuff again?" Dawn chided.

 

"Getting dolled up for the party tonight, of course," Paul replied with a wink, and he even managed to make that wink look sarcastic.

 

Dawn let out an amused snort. "Oh là là. Have fun then."

 

"Hey, if you're here," Paul said and turned to Ash again, "I'm sure Oak isn't far, is he? You two are almost inseparable, after all. Can you tell him to come and see me when he's free? Room 416. I brought him the calcium he wanted from Snowpoint Temple.”

 

With these words he also finally disappeared without even waiting for Ash to say anything. Who wouldn't let him talk now? Well, he could probably let that go. It wasn't a please or a thank you, but at least it was a question and not an order.

 

Considering the way Paul had treated him back when they were kids, that was progress.

 

More or less.

 

"Ash Ketchum," a voice came out of the speaker, "the registration process is complete. Please go to the reception desk.”

 

Well finally.

Notes:

Hey! I'm back from my vacation (I found some Barry merch and I still can't believe it I'm so happy ahhh ;_;), so updates should be more regular again!
Thank you all for reading and leaving Kudos, that means a lot to me! :)

Chapter 4: A Grave Decision

Notes:

I'm sick as hell so I'll keep this short lol, sorry if I missed anything while proofreading, hope you enjoy! I love those three idiots so much <3

"Well that was pathetic. Is this really all this Kyurem can do? With all your boasting I expected better, Master Ghetsis. How incredibly disappointing. Defeated and ran out of town by some mediocre pokémon just like that. If all your plans go up in smoke like this, we'll never reach our goal of a new, perfect world. And now that little maggot knows we're after him."

"I'm still waiting for a better idea from you, Lysandre. Or, to be honest, for any idea at all. Giovanni and I are the only ones actively working for our goal, it seems."

"Now, now, gentlemen. Don’t start this again. The thing with Kyurem was obviously too big of a gamble, but that mistake can easily be rectified. My agents are in the process of calibrating the last radio towers, and then all these legendary beasts will be at our command. Even if the Ketchum boy understood that Kyurem wanted to kidnap him - which I can't imagine, if I might say so - he won't have a chance to fight."

James hadn't planned to eavesdrop. He really hadn’t. But Archer made him sweep the hallways of the whole building after a little accident in the agency kitchen, and he'd happened to pass the boss's meeting room, and... well. He was allowed to be a little curious, right? After all, it was about the boy - young man now - whom he, Jessie, and Meowth had been stalking for years.

He felt like he had a right to know what the boss wanted from him now. And the other two strange men who had entered the headquarters with him earlier. He looked around to make sure no supervisor could sneak around and catch him (because that would mean finally saying goodbye to his job for good), then pressed his ear to the crack in the door.

"What do we need him for anyway? He'll only get in our way. He's just a stupid kid," this Ghetsis man interjected, "kids always get in the way. I've already experienced that with my own."

"Your problem, dear Ghetsis, is that you were arrogant enough to think you could manipulate N all his life. You let him slip through your fingers and be talked over to the other side by those two trainers he calls friends now. You gave him too many liberties. But we won't give Ash that option."

That was Giovanni again.

"You two of all people should know how righteous and stubborn he is. He will never obey us by free will. The only option we have is to break that will entirely. Make him our slave to do what we ask of him. Without any objection. We need him because he is a special young man. Why else would he still be alive, weren't you following the news? He has been mortally wounded several times, but strangely enough he got up a short time later as if nothing had happened. Doesn't that strike you as odd? As if he had a personal guardian angel among our ruler pokémon? Maybe several? He's the key to creating the new world you two want so badly, I guarantee you that. He is a chosen one of Arceus, and we have enough reason to assume he is one of those we call Aura Guardians. That is why he is our most important target. Him and your son, Ghetsis. His ability to talk to, and understand all pokémon could be of utmost importance to our endeavours."

"As I just told you, the little bastard turned his back on me,” Ghetsis hissed, “he's now determined to live his ‘own life’ and sees this weird bunch from Unova as his friends."

"Oh, but my friend, I can be very persuasive."

James could hear the grin just from Giovanni's tone of voice. He knew that grin all too well. It was sadistic, cruel, smug.

He had always hated it.

"Like I said, all we have to do is to break their will. The head is a man's greatest weapon and greatest weakness. If we hurt them - or their dear, cute pokémon friends who they adore so pathetically - just enough, one by one, they're going to collapse like a cardboard box. So, shall we go to the control room and see how far Domino has come? I am sure we are very close to being able to start the operation.”

James rushed away from the door and grabbed his mop. He whistled unobtrusively and quickly stuffed his headphones into his ears. Just in time, because in the next moment the door flew open. Giovanni was the first to come out, followed by a man whose red hair was shaped like a Pyroar’s mane and a strange guy with an empty eye socket on one side who was hobbling a bit when walking, leaning heavily onto his cane.

Giovanni eyed James with a skeptical twinkle, but apparently he looked innocent enough because he said nothing and gave a lazy wave of his hand, at which James immediately jumped out of the way.

When the three were out of sight, he let out the breath he had subconsciously been holding and weakly sank down the cool wall. What the hell had he been listening to? Sure, he hadn't been naive enough to think of Giovanni as a nice man. Of course not, he was the head of one of the largest criminal organizations in the world.

But what? He just wanted to torture Ash and the other boy, or their pokémon, into doing what he said? Had he always been such a monster?

James' stomach churned at the thought. He was a pickpocket, had relieved several trainers of some of their pokémon, had even turned violent. He wasn't a good person by any means, he knew that. But even he had his limits. And Giovanni had now far surpassed those limits. There was no way he wanted to be a part of something like this.

James just left the cleaning cart where it was and headed back to the agents' quarters. Damnit, damnit, damnit. Why couldn't he have curbed his stupid curiosity and not eavesdropped? Ever since they stopped following Ash and tried to steal his Pikachu, he, Jessie and Meowth had become increasingly successful – wonder why - and had even actually garnered some promotions over the years.

They were no longer earning so poorly that they had to share their meals, and were highly regarded by the lower-ranking Team Rocket members – or Rainbow Rocket, whatever the hell they were calling themselves now. He would throw that all away now. But he had no choice if he didn't want to throw every last bit of humanity he had left in his soul out the window as well.

He huffed as he arrived at the suite he shared with his teammates after sprinting over the whole courtyard of the facility. Meowth was watching some documentary on TV and Jessie was doing yoga in front of the picture window, but she kept nagging Meowth about turning down his show because it was blocking her chakras.

Everything as always.

They both looked up as James entered and Jessie immediately raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What's up?” she asked, “You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I need to talk to you guys. Now." He'd never thought this would happen one day, but Jessie immediately stopped her exercise, sat cross-legged on the floor and looked at him expectantly, and Meowth even turned off the television. They seemed to sense that what he had to say was serious for once.

And so James told everything he overheard and announced to them that he was leaving Team Rocket. He waited for his partner to throw a tantrum, but that never happened. When he opened his eyes, which he had already closed in expectation of her going off, she stared at him wordlessly and then looked out the window.

"You don't have to come with me,” James said quietly, “I know once I leave, Archer will have me followed and probably killed. But I...I can't do this anymore. The kid might be a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t deserve that. None of them do."

"Do you want to warn him?” Jessie asked.

James nodded slowly. Jessie exchanged a look with Meowth. Then she smiled. As she stood up, she pulled her hair tie out of her hair, which she had tied up in a bun so that it now fell down her back.

"Well then we better start packing right away, huh? Let me take a quick shower, then we can go.”

James felt his heart skip a beat and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. When Meowth smiled back at him, he grabbed him and pulled him into a hug along with Jessie.

"Are you really coming?"

"Tz," Jessie let out snidely, but he could clearly hear the caring note in her voice that she would forever deny, "do you really think I'd let you muppet go out there all by yourself? Somebody has to keep your clumsy ass alive.”

"Meowth? Is that okay with you too? You always wanted to be Giovanni's right hand, and we were so close now-"

"Shut up, you loser," Meowth replied with tears in his big eyes, "you two are much more important to me than this ungrateful boss could ever be. After all, you were always there for me while he was all too chummy with Persian and that Alolan Meowth. I've always got your back, Jimmy. Never believe anything else, you understand me?”

Jessie nodded. "All for one and one for all, remember?"

"I-I just thought because loyalty was always the most important thing to you both-"

"We are," Jessie and Meowth said together, before Jessie continued, "we are loyal. Towards you. That's what we've always been, right? It always ended up coming back to the three of us when the boss dropped us for a failed mission. Cut off our expenses, let us go hungry for weeks. Giovanni doesn't give a shit about us. We only owe loyalty to each other, at least that's how I see it. If you think this is the right thing, I’ll support you. You too, right, Meowth?”

Meowth nodded resolutely and crossed his arms. James' grin widened even further. He'd never been called a loser and a muppet so nicely, and even felt so good afterwards.

While Jessie hopped into the shower they had in their shared little apartment one last time, James grabbed the most important of their belongings and stuffed them into two backpacks. Meowth packed his own. There wasn't much they could take with them because as soon as they were out of here and one of the executives got wind that they had "quit”, they would be hunted down.

Giovanni wasn't exactly gentle with ex-employees, out of concern that someone might spill something.

Which, to be fair, was exactly what James was planning. They would have to hide for a start, live very abstemiously for a while, but that was nothing new. James didn't trust the authorities, and they didn't have any proof either. Barging into a police station with wild accusations would only land them in jail, but wouldn't stop Giovanni.

When it came to their (soon-to-be-former) boss, the police in general had always been overwhelmed. Otherwise organizations like his couldn't have survived for years without ever having had at least something like a raid.

Even when this boy Red had defeated the boss back then and single-handedly dissolved almost the entire Team Rocket, everything had changed back to the old with his disappearance. Except that Giovanni had become a bit more wary of him, any kids poking their noses into his affairs in general.

No, the only ones he trusted to do anything about Giovanni, Ghetsis and whatever the last one was called, were Ash and the champions of the other regions. They just had to get to him in time before...no, James didn't want to think about that now.

They would make it. They just had to.

"The main twerp shouldn't be that hard to find," Meowth piped up while packing some snacks into his backpack, "they're all at this World Cup and as far as I know he's one of the participants."

"Hmmm, finding him isn't the problem," James murmured, glancing out the window down at the training course, where he saw a couple of beginners stumbling over the obstacle course under Attila's barking commands. The blond muscle mountain really knew absolutely no mercy.

James grimaced. Hopefully Giovanni wouldn't send him of all people after them. Although Hun, if he was honest, was even scarier. What Attila’s partner lacked in physical strength, he made up for in intelligence and manipulative malice. He was someone James didn't really want as an enemy.

"James?" Meowth's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"It's just getting to him before the boss does," James continued. "They've been talking about taking control of the other legendary pokémon too, and it seems Domino is already close to achieve that. And we have to be careful. We can’t let ourselves be caught, otherwise we'll see the kid next time when we're being tortured right next to him. That will be the biggest challenge.”

"We'll manage," came Jessie's voice. She was tying her still damp hair back together and took the backpack that James was holding out to her. "We've already done way more difficult things."

"I know. I just don't want you two to get hurt."

Jessie grinned and kissed his cheek, sending blood to James' ears and cheeks. "God, you were always too gentle for this job anyway, you big softie. Don't worry too much, we'll make sure nothing happens to either of us. So, shall we go then? We have a kid to warn, don't we?"

She stomped out of the door ahead, Meowth following, and James paused for a moment before following them. Jessie was right. They would be fine.

Somehow.

Chapter 5: Festive Reunions

Notes:

This chapter contains the self-harm, between Gary and Paul's conversation and at the end, so please tread carefully!
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

"ASH!"

 

"MALLOW!"

 

Gary fished the champagne glass out of Ash's hand just in time before he could tip it all over Mallow in his excitement. He hugged her so fiercely that he almost knocked them both to the ground.

 

Tsareena and Pikachu also squeaked in delight and rubbed their heads together in greeting. The great ballroom they were in was filled to bursting with attendees, friends, and the like. They had only been here for half an hour and every three minutes - not that Gary was counting - Ash met another old friend.

 

Gary had already tried to sneak off during the last two reunions, but Ash's pouty look had stopped him. Him and his stupid Deerling eyes that apparently saw everything. So far every reunion had gotten wilder and weirder and Gary wondered just where Ash found all those people.

 

His personal favorite in terms of his own amusement had been the trio from Kalos, which included a part-time pokémon performer and trainer called Shauna, a guy called Trevor who was almost as obsessed with completing the Pokédex as Goh, and Tierno, who loved to dance.

 

Really, really loved to dance.

 

He had immediately shown them a few of his “sick moves” and had almost bumped into a poor waiter who was walking around with a tray full of finger food.

 

It had been an absolutely hilarious sight. At least to Gary. Not to the waiter, who then organized an involuntary dance of his own so as to not lose the food. And...not to poor Tierno either. From time to time Gary would see him running after the other two, still bright red in the face, looking absolutely mortified.

 

Ash had just finished greeting all of his friends from the Trainer School in Alola, as well as Hau and Lillie’s brother Gladion, when a soft voice sounded from close by.

 

„Hello! My name is Bonnie. Would you perhaps be interested in dating my brother Clemont?“

 

Gary and Ash both turned their heads, just in time to see the teenage girl being grabbed by the wrist and yanked away from the confused looking man by a horrified looking guy, which Gary guessed was the brother in question.

 

„Bonnie, we talked about this!“ he hissed, „You promised not to do this!“

 

„No, you made me promise not to ask random women to date you. You never said a word about men,“ said Bonnie, crossing her arms and pouting at Clemont, „it’s not my fault you weren’t specific.“

 

„Of course men were included in that statement! Everyone is included! Obviously!“

 

„You did not saaaay that.“

 

„Stop fighting now, you two. We came here to say hi to Ash, didn’t we?“ the woman who accompanied them said with a soft smile on her face. Gary recognized her as Serena, as she had starred in quite a few Kalosian musicals that Misty and Ash forced him to watch. And next to her was Alain, which Gary knew from the Kalos League finals a few years ago.

 

Not that he had religiously watched every single League match Ash had been in ever since the Silver Conference. Of course not. He had just been curious about this one. Yes.

 

„Guys! I’m so glad to see you all, you look great!“ Ash exclaimed and looked to the one guy that Gary didn’t know. „You must be Calem. Serena told me all about you and your battle against Alain for the champ title, it’s so cool to finally meet you!“

 

„Likewise,“ Calem said, „it’s an honor to meet the first and undefeated champion of Alola.“

 

Ash was stunned for a short moment, still not quite grasping the fact that he was also a champion now and not just a little fanboy anymore, but immediately started introducing them all to each other after he caught himself.

 

„You look better,“ Ash quietly said to Alain once Gladion and Hau were chatting with Calem, and Lillie and Serena were gushing over each other’s evening gowns. „I’m glad.“

 

Alain gave Ash a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and nodded. „Thank you. You too. The others and Mairin helped a lot after...everything.“

 

While Ash was busy listening to what had happened on Alola and in Kalos while he was away, Gary wandered a little further where he could make out a cluster of people in front of a little podium. Judging by the nature of the conversation... oh oh. The press. Of course. Who else.

 

"Champion Trip, can you tell us what happened in the Giant Chasm two days ago? There were a lot of rangers present, as well as you and the entire Elite Four of Unova. Isn't that where Kyurem, the legendary pokémon, usually stays to rest?"

 

"Is something wrong with our patron saint? Shouldn't the citizens of Unova be informed of this?"

 

"Why is this all being shielded from the people out there?"

 

"Is there anything to hide?"

 

"Of course not. Kyurem is fine and we're not hiding anything. I've already told the reporters on the spot that we can't say anything concrete yet because we're still investigating why it left the chasm and Unova and we don't want to scare people unnecessarily with speculations-"

 

"What speculations? Can you tell us more about what you think could be the reason? After all, Unova has been subject to Team Plasma's terror once before, when it took control of our three legendary pokémon! Will anything be done to ensure that our safety as citizens is guaranteed this time?”

 

„If you would have just let me finish my sentence I maybe would have told you already.“

 

Gary felt hot anger rise up in his throat and face. These reporters were getting bolder and more disrespectful by the day. How could they ask such...accusing questions without even pulling a face in shame or self-reflection? These people had to poke their noses into absolutely everything in order to have the next "sensation" in their mediocre gossip paper - preferably right next to the inevitable advice of any self-proclaimed expert on how to spice up your boring relationship.

 

He could already imagine the headline.

 

Legendary pokémon rampage s across the globe, possibly the greatest threat in over two hundred years - also , have you tried this new lipstick yet? It's guaranteed to blow your man away!

 

Gary sipped on his sixth (seventh?) glass of champagne, nose wrinkled. Those magazines were all the same. Trash talking and selling stuff in the same breath. And the beauty products they praised weren’t even good. Just trash you got in the grocery store for about 500 Pokédollars. Especially the hair care stuff.

 

...What point was he trying to make with this?

 

"What is a genius like the famous Professor Oak Junior thinking about at such an elite event?" asked Sinnoh's notorious champion, who, as always, had suddenly appeared next to him from out of nowhere.

 

"Conditioner," Gary answered truthfully.

 

"...Ah" Paul eyed the alcohol in Gary's hand skeptically.

 

"I'm not drunk, don't worry," Gary said, which was...more or less true, "I was actually thinking about those idiots over there, and then kind of drifted off."

 

Paul nodded, although Gary was sure that still didn't explain anything to him. He was a little glad he didn't ask. Instead, he grimaced and stared somberly in the direction where said reporters were standing, still barking at poor Trip. Somehow they looked more like a horde of angry Granbull than civilized humans.

 

And Trip seemed to get more nervous with each question, occasionally stumbling over a word or two and scratching his wrists, which had already turned a bright red from all the abuse.

 

"He shouldn't even be answering them,” hissed Paul, “he’s not responsible for making them happy. After saying that Kyurem and the other two are fine, the conversation should have ended. Why doesn't he just leave?"

 

"Because not everyone is like you," Gary chuckled, "some people actually care about their reputations, believe it or not, Mr. Unlikable. I don't think Trip wants to make headlines à la Paul Rebolledo right now, he's far too new as a champ for that. They'd eat him alive."

 

Paul just snorted derisively, but didn't seem to have a suitable counterargument to that. Instead, he scanned the celebrating crowd, then nodded in Ash's direction. At least Gary suspected it was Ash's direction, since he was one of the few other than his close friends that Paul showed any sort of interest in at all. While he'd rather die than admit it openly, Ash had made a huge impression on him back in the Sinnoh League, and to this day Paul saw him as one of the biggest obstacles in his journey to become the world's strongest trainer. Not without reason, which Gary had had the pleasure to realize a long, long time ago.

 

"Who's that? The blonde with the piercings and the undercut standing next to Ketchum?”

 

"Gladion," Gary replied without even having to look, "one of Ash's rivals from Alola, you know him." He could almost hear the gears rattling in Paul's head, but his face remained expressionless. “The one he battled for the champ title in the finals? You have met him, hello??”

 

"Ahhh." Well finally. "He looks different without the torn clothes and the different haircut. Maybe he fixed his attitude too. Was a rude little shit back then."

 

„Because you were rude to him? With all due respect Paulie, I don’t think you of all people should be the one to tell people to fix their attitude. You were making fun of him for his style, as far as I remember it. I think him calling you an arrogant brat was more than fair. You could say something nice to him today, you know? I know this will come as a shock for you now, but sometimes, when you’re not an asshole to people, people won’t even be assholes back! He looks good, doesn’t he? You have to admit that.“

 

"It's definitely better than the loser next to him who seems to think wearing a cap with a suit is a fashion statement,” Paul said, dryly.

 

Gary slapped a hand over his mouth, just barely hiding the inelegant grunt of laughter that escaped him. To be fair, he had wasted half an hour of his precious life trying to convince Ash to just leave his stupid cap in the room.

 

And he'd almost, ALMOST had it, when the idiot called Ethan had sauntered around the corner in his usual bravado, wearing the ugliest suit Gary had ever had the misfortune to see, and his gold and black cap, which had already been past its prime when he had bought it.

 

From then on he'd known he'd lost that fight. If G old could and so on. It hadn't even taken Ash three full seconds to sprint away and come back shortly after with his cap on his head.

 

"He likes to hide under it,” Gary explained, “you know how much he hates doing interviews and having to look people in the eye. It makes him nervous that he might say the wrong thing.”

 

"Hmm, I know. Speaking of which," Paul said, and Gary noticed that his attention already wasn't on Gladion and Ash anymore, "I think I need to intervene before Trip reaches his bones with his scratching. Wait a minute."

 

Before Gary could react, he was handed a glass of champagne and watched as Paul stalked off towards Trip.

 

"Gary, hey! It's so nice to see you- oh good Arceus what is Paul doing.”

 

As quickly as Dawn’s cheer and her hand on Gary's back had come, both were gone as she gazed in horror after her friend, who was making his way through the stubborn reporters with a scowl on his face and a few light shoves.

 

"Saving Trip. I think."

 

"Uggghh, why does that idiot always have to decide to be a good friend at the most inopportune moments? It took the press two months to relax after he called them a horde of neanderthals at the last Lily of the Valley conference. Who says that on camera, Gary, who?!"

 

It was a rhetorical question and she didn't expect an answer to it. After all, it was obvious who exactly said something like that in front of a camera.

 

The same man who now stood in front of the reporters, hands in pockets, and saying, far too calmly for the nature of his words:

 

"What we champs and the Elite Four do in our spare time and what our affairs are with the legendary pokémon is none of your damn business. You should consider yourselves lucky that we exist and that we deign to jump in and risk our lives to help the region whenever there is a problem, otherwise you would have completely different problems and would not even have the time to ask such stupid questions. And yet, at every fucking opportunity, you come at us and treat us like we're criminals, you fucking hypocrites. You always want to know everything, but then can't deal with the truth. I want to see one of you guys look a pokémon like Kyurem, Groudon, or Dialga in the eye without shitting your pants and booking it. Before you can do that, stay out of this and let us do what we think is right. And since Trip here is clearly far too well-mannered to tell you, I'll do it now: Fuck off and leave us alone."

 

Gary could almost watch as Dawn’s soul left her body when she let out a soft, indefinable squeak.

 

Fuck off and leave us alone - there they had their headline for tomorrow. At least Paul could be counted on to always cause some kind of scandal, no matter what kind. Mostly the "insult reporters" kind. He had, Gary remembered, even broken a local record for the most swearing in an interview.

 

Some things probably never changed.

 

"Don't stare at me like a Stantler in the headlights, Dawn," Paul said with a slight grin on his face as he walked away from the more or less speechless reporters (also leaving Trip behind who looked like he wasn’t sure if he should thank or murder Paul) and gave Dawn a nudge with his shoulder, who then looked at him like a mother reprimanding her naughty child.

 

Well, their friendship was probably something like that anyway.

 

"Y-You can't always just start talking without even thinking about it for one second," she blurted out, waving her arms wildly and almost hitting Ash with them when he nosily creeped up behind her.

 

"The past has proven often enough that I can and will."

 

“And once again, Paul saves the day,” Trip said dryly after walking down the podium and joining them, “are you aware that if I needed your help, I would’ve asked for it?”

 

Paul raised his eyebrows and turned to him. "Disinfect that," he said simply, "or it'll inflame."

 

Gary squirmed a little as he looked at Trip’s wrists, from which thick strands of blood were oozing. It had to sting terribly, but Trip gave no sign of being in pain as he examined the wounds himself with a straight face.

 

“I could’ve dealt with them myself. It would have just taken a bit longer,” he said, wiping off the blood with a handkerchief that Dawn had given him.

 

“Have you seen your audience?” Paul scoffed, “Half of them would’ve died of old age before you would’ve been done with explaining.”

 

Trip cockily raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. Gary slowly took a sip from his glass and watched the whole thing unfold with growing interest. “Including you? Is that why you hurried so much?”

 

“I’m twenty-five you little shit, you’re not that much younger-”

 

"Hey Paul, do you want to know something funny?" Ash – much to Gary’s dismay – interrupted their little quarrel, scrolling on his phone and seeming terribly amused by something.

 

"Hmph."

 

"Someone here did a live stream. You shot up to third place on the Twitter trends with your performance. Reggie will kill you.”

 

"Fantastic."

Chapter 6: Gloomy Nights

The common room was dimly lit when Ash returned from the shower rooms. He wondered who was up so late the night before the first round, so he was all the more surprised to see it was Trip. He was sitting on the couch with his knees drawn up to his chest and just a small lamp on one of the side tables switched on while he stared at his phone.

 

Didn’t he say his battle against Alder would be the first in the morning and that he wanted to be well rested for it?

 

"Can't sleep?" Ash asked, rubbing his still damp hair with a towel. Apparently Trip hadn't heard him come in, because he flinched briefly before turning his gaze to Ash and shaking his head.

 

"Not really."

 

"How are your wounds?"

 

"Better. Iris bandaged them. She was already looking for you by the way, but I guess you’ll see each other tomorrow anyway."

 

Ash nodded slowly. He debated whether he should just go and leave him alone, or stay here and - yes, what? Comfort him? Ash didn’t know him as well as some of his other rivals, but enough to know that he certainly didn't want a...what did they call it in Unova...pity party?

 

But leaving him sitting here alone just wasn't Ash's style, so he sat down in one of the chairs some distance away and stayed still for a while until Trip looked up from his phone in irritation.

 

"Can...I help you?"

 

'Can I help you?' Ash wanted to say, but instead he said, "You’re reading the articles they wrote about tonight, don't you? You know these people have nothing better to do than drag us through the mud. I can't ignore it either, but-"

 

"But they're right." Trip ran a hand through his hair, a few strands of which had fallen over his face, and sighed. He didn't say anything more for a while and only the steady ticking of the clock could be heard. Half past midnight.

 

"What do you mean?" Ash finally asked, "What are they right about?"

 

"We cannot guarantee the people’s safety. We have no idea what was or still is going on with Kyurem, we don't know if it might pose a threat and we don’t know if the same thing will happen to Zekrom. After all, Kyurem has attacked you, who's to say it won't get destructive again and charge at someone who might not be able to defend themselves as well as you? What if next time it seriously hurts or even kills someone?”

 

Ash frowned. He was worrying so much about that that it kept him awake?

 

"You are not Kyurem's trainer, and you are not responsible for its actions. It's a legendary pokémon, a deity. Even if you were its trainer, you could never completely bend its will. And Paul was...right about what he said too. As much as I hate to admit it."

 

"You were listening?"

 

"I don't think there was anyone at the party who wasn't listening. I would have... used other words, but it's true. You must have heard what happened to the president of Aether Paradise, Lusamine, on Alola a few years ago. The woman that... died when trying to fuse herself with an Ultra Beast."

 

Ash realized his own expression must have turned dark as Trip frowned and eyed him curiously.

 

"I was blamed for the appearance of UB-01 because I told them all the beasts had been sent back to the Ultra Dimension and the portals had been closed. They didn't care that it was Lusamine herself who secretly opened a new portal because she didn’t know when to stop. What I'm saying is... people are always looking for a scapegoat to explain suffering. And that's not fair, but it will always be like this. So we might as well ignore it and just keep doing what we think is right. We just have to stand our ground for those who really need our help.”

 

Trip snorted, and for a moment Ash could see genuine sympathy and gratitude spread across his face. Just for a moment. But that was enough to tell Ash what he needed to know.

 

"Tsk, such wise words and that from your mouth? You're the same Ash Ketchum that just a few years ago needed the help of a beginner to figure out that his Oshawott was afraid to open its eyes underwater?” he finally scoffed.

 

Ash grinned and theatrically leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes. "I'm afraid that in the end, unfortunately, my many clever friends rubbed off on me after all. Seriously, I probably wouldn't have gotten it for quite a while without your help. Thanks."

 

Trip chuckled and Ash opened his left eye happily, peering at him. Now that was better.

 

"You're welcome. And thank you. It's kind of good to know that someone has my back. The Elite Four, they...don't really like me, I guess? They think I'm too young to be Unova's champion. Shauntal is the only exception, she treats me differently. Grimsley – he doesn’t make a big secret out of the fact that he’d rather have Hilbert back. So, yeah.”

 

"Of course. I always have your back. That’s what friends are for, right?”

 

Trip looked surprised for a moment.

 

"Friends?"

 

"Yes, of course. We're friends, aren't we?" said Ash and smiled as Trip wrinkled his forehead in thought.

 

"Hmm," he mused, "yes. Sounds good. ...Friends. I guess I'll go to bed now, try to sleep again. I need to be at least reasonably rested for tomorrow. I don't think losing to Alder right in the first round would do my already tarnished reputation any good."

 

"Just imagine it's Grimsley," Ash said with a wink, "sometimes spite is the strongest push you need. But I didn't say that."

 

„Speaking from experience?“

 

„Why would you ever think that?“

 

"Ha, of course. How stupid of me. Night, Ash."

 

"Good night Trip." Ash stayed seated until he heard the sound of the elevator doors and then got up to go to bed too. It wasn't his turn until the afternoon, but he wanted to watch the early battles and cheer on his friends. However, just as he stretched and walked past the window, he saw a flash of light outside. Since it was a clear night, it could only be a pokémon.

 

Ash's curiosity got the better of him and he headed outside where the cool night air blew in his face. When he saw which pokémon had triggered the attack, he was amazed. And even more about who his trainer was, who stood by and smiled contentedly. He was dressed in just black sweatpants and a t-shirt, which already made Ash shiver by just looking at him.

 

"Well done. Now Dragon Rush on that tree over there,” Paul said, his eyes wandering over to Ash for a second before turning back to the Dragapult.

 

"Since when do you have a Dragapult?" And...why are you only wearing a t-shirt? It's not even five degrees, you’re gonna get sick."

 

"Tch, we are in Galar. I grew up in Veilstone for half my life, the temperatures here are almost tropical. I'm surprised your first question wasn't what I'm even doing out here at this time."

 

"Nah," Ash retorted, "isn't the first time I've found you training in the middle of the night."

 

„Fair.“

 

Nonetheless, Paul took a thin sweatshirt from a nearby log just a few moments later and pulled it over his chest. He whistled for his Dragapult, which stared curiously at Ash with its lizard eyes and hissed gently as it landed next to its trainer.

 

“I caught it the last time I was here in Galar, wandering around the wild area. It's one of my strongest pokémon, almost stronger than Torterra."

 

Dragapult raised its nose and grumbled in satisfaction. Paul gave it a quick scratch on the chin and grinned proudly.

 

"You're going to battle Steven tomorrow with it, aren't you?"

 

"As a backup. Stone likes steel types, so I have a team full of fire, fighting, and ground types. And, of course, a back-up plan in case he brought a surprise with him. What’s your plan? Crystal is a dex carrier, so she'll probably have a balanced team from the start. If she is any good as a trainer.”

 

"I'm prepared for anything."

 

"If she’s smart, she'll definitely have a ground type pokémon ready. Everyone knows you almost never have a full battle without your famous Pikachu."

 

Ash sat on a fallen tree stump and watched Paul as he dug some pokémon skin care oil out of his pocket and began rubbing the liquid all over Dragapult’s body. The Pokémon lay down on the ground with its eyes closed and seemed to enjoy the impromptu wellness treatment a lot.

 

"Got me," Ash admitted, "but I've got two that can take on any ground type. We'll be fine, don't worry."

 

"I know that."

 

Ash looked up at the same time as Paul - caramel brown eyes met violet blue.

 

"If we face each other sooner or later in this tournament, I won't make the same old mistake of underestimating you again. So give me the battle of my life, understand?” Paul raised an eyebrow and Ash hastened to nod.

 

"Ha, you can bet! This World Champ title is everything I ever wanted. And I'm not going to give it to you or anyone else that easily. I beat you before and I'll do it again."

 

"Yeah, yeah. We’ll see."

 

Ash braced his hands on the tree stump and looked up at the sky, where a few stars shone through between many clouds. Galar wasn't exactly known for its beautiful weather (and the clear Alolan nights he spent gazing up at the sky and a sea of stars overhead couldn't be topped anyway), but it had a charm of its own.

 

It was quiet except for the contented purrs that Dragapult was making and a few Kricketots and Kricketunes that probably lived nearby. Ash relaxed, but then he had to get something off his chest, something that slightly bothered, or rather, confused him since he spoke to Trip.

 

His reaction to Ash calling them friends...Ash saw every rival as his friend. But apparently Trip really had been none the wiser about it. Was he just not obvious enough? That had never been one of his problems before.

 

"Hey Paul?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"We...are friends, right?"

 

“Uh...I guess so? Why are you asking me that?”

 

"Oh, just because. I just wanted to make sure. I'm glad we're friends."

 

Paul frowned. "You're really weird sometimes, you know that?"

 

Ash laughed before another cool breeze made him shudder. He could feel Paul's cool, calculating eyes on him.

 

"You should go inside or you'll catch a cold. I don't accept a win against you just because you’re spreading snot all over the stadium and can’t think straight."

 

"Okay okay, mom," Ash yawned, getting up from the stump.

 

Paul recalled Dragapult to its poké ball and followed him back to the rooms. Neither said anything, but it was a comfortable silence. For the first time since they'd met, Ash felt like he was at least somewhat on the same wavelength as Paul, and it felt really damn good.

 

When he was finally in his room, the clock in his room read almost two. Pikachu was sprawled on Ash's bed on all fours and fast asleep with a peaceful expression on his face. Careful not to wake him, Ash pushed him aside a little and then flopped down on the bed next to him. Only now did he realize how drained and dead tired he actually was. No wonder, really, since he'd been up since six and hadn't done anything since then but running around and exchanging old stories with all sorts of people. It had been a good day, but now he was just glad to finally be in bed with Pikachu as his only company. He'd have to get up in a few hours anyway, and then things would already start to get serious.

 

But he forced himself not to think about it any further now, because then he could forget about sleep anyway. He wrapped his arm around Pikachu, who was babbling enthusiastically in his sleep as usual, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would get his first win against Crystal. He wouldn't lose. He couldn’t.

 

Gary was counting on him, Misty was counting on him, and Paul would probably bite his head off if he got kicked out in the first round. Ash grinned to himself. No, he would not disappoint them all. He was well-prepared for this fight, and could handle anything Crystal threw at him.

 

This was the year in which the world would finally call him the greatest pokémon trainer of all.

Notes:

can you tell I wished Ash would've had more interactions with his rivals? :')

Chapter 7: Agent Domino

Notes:

Sorry for the delay! Time management is my passion.

Snowpoint.

What a bleak, cold, hideous city. The last time she had been here, it had been with her parents, which only reinforced how long ago it must have been. Twenty years at least, maybe even a few more. There was ice everywhere, snow, and the city was surrounded by these bare, dead mountains with more snow on them.

Boring, boring, boring.

It was about time they got their plan rolling and brought some life to this dull place. A wild, dangerous pokémon rampaging and tearing down everything it could get hold of sounded like a nice change of pace, didn't it? Surely the people here wouldn’t mind a little architectural change designed by Regigigas.

Not that they had much of a choice if they did.

Domino hopped out of the helicopter before it had even fully landed. The wind coming from the rotors ruffled her hair and she pursed her lips in anger as she pulled her cloak tighter around her. Damn, it was cold here.

"So, remember," she said to her team once they had finally made it out of the helicopter as well, "we're temporary workers from Johto and we're here to repair the radio system that's been having trouble for a while. Joseph, Adrian, you're responsible for installing the jammer on the cell tower. Mondo, you're distracting the CEO. You’re the best of all of us at senseless smalltalk, after all. Meanwhile, Hun and I will be going to the control room and recalibrate the system with the corrupted data. If everything works, the boss will be able to wake up Regigigas and it will wreak havoc here. Once the mission is complete, Joseph goes back to the helicopter, the rest of us split up and flee in different directions. A pursuit back to HQ has to be avoided at all costs. If anyone gets caught, they're on their own. Did everyone understand that? Good. Let's go."

"Understood, boss!" everyone chorused back except for Hun, who only gave the subordinates a scrutinizing look and then, with a few quick hand movements, tied his snow-white hair into a ponytail. Joseph and Adrian went first, and when exactly five minutes had passed, the other three followed.

"You look so hot with those fake glasses, you know that?" Domino purred softly once they had left Mondo with the radio tower boss and were being led towards the control room by a staff member.

"And you look awful with that wig. Brunette doesn't suit you,” Hun whispered back, his expression unchanged and stoic. Domino giggled. Hun's bluntness was truly his most charming quality, if at times his most exhausting as well. Too bad he completely ignored Domino's every advance (and every other person's, to be honest, which had patched up Domino's ego at least a little bit after her first failed attempt).

Maybe he just didn't understand it. She wasn't so sure about that.

In any case, he strictly separated work and private life from each other, the damned bore. Domino knew when she had a chance to knit and bend things her way—and when she didn't. Hun was most certainly in the second group. Truly a pity.

"You’re right. We should hurry so I can get out of this thing quickly. And out of these silly clothes too, while we're at it," she whistled, wrapping one of her long, brown strands of hair around her index finger.

They reached the control room and Hun listened to an explanation of how the whole system worked while Domino looked around. Of course they had already sent their scouts to get an overview of the situation. So they knew exactly how everything worked here and they already had experience with radio towers anyway.

But if they didn't want anyone to suspect anything, they had to play along while they could. As soon as the clerk left, they got to work. From her coat pocket, Domino pulled out the small blinking box their new colleague Zero had tinkered for this mission. The functionality was similar to that of a master ball, except that the radio waves, which the master ball only emitted for a few moments during the catching process, were permanent here. Since it put the pokémon under extreme stress - after all, they were forcibly bending its will in the process -, applications lasting longer than two to three seconds were highly illegal.

Just a few final touches, and Regigigas, along with all the other legendary pokémon around the world, would be under Team Rocket's command. Domino was itching to watch the whole mess unfold.

"Done!” she chirped.

Hun straightened up, brushed the nonexistent dust off his clothes, and nodded.

"Good. I hope the others are ready too.”

He pulled his walkie-talkie from his pocket while Domino slipped the original connector into her pocket.

"Cassidy," sounded Hun's soft voice shortly afterwards, "are you and Bill finished in Hearthome?"

Domino barely stifled a giggle when she, even over the static noise of the walkie-talkie, heard Butch nagging in the background that that wasn't his fucking name.

Of course everyone knew his name by now, but it had become a running gag around HQ to just call him any name that started with 'B'. And his tantrums were, to be honest, way too entertaining to stop.

Domino's personal favorite was 'Bessie'. Especially because Butch had tried to fight Attila over it, and it took James and two grunts to get them away from each other.

Even Hun showed a rare grin as he let go of the button and nodded for Domino to follow him. They collected Mondo back from the CEO's office, a red-cheeked little man who shook their hands with his sweaty, chubby ones profusely, thanking them for their repair work and then happily said goodbye to them.

Oh you're welcome, Sir. You're so welcome.

Once they were outside, Hun turned to Domino again.
"Tell Zero that everything is ready and he can start the machines. I don't think anyone suspected us, but no one's going straight back to HQ regardless, got it? Wait for the legendary pokémon to wake up, then people will be too busy to take care of us anyway.”

"At it."

As agreed, Domino saw Joseph sauntering back towards the helicopter, which was still parked hidden in that little clearing in the forest, and sent a message to HQ that everything was settled. The boss would be so happy that everything went smoothly.

Domino smiled and hopped onto her Dragonite’s back, who immediately took off, taking her away from Snowpoint. When she was halfway to Lavender Town, where she had planned to make her stopover, her phone rang. She almost dropped it in shock when she saw who was calling her.

"Boss? What's going on, are there problems?"

"Indeed," came Giovanni's voice. There was so much suppressed anger in it that even Domino shivered, and that rarely happened to her as Giovanni's favorite agent.

"Agents 243, 278 and 450 have left the base without permission and there is reason to believe they will commit treason against the organization. They are to be found and eliminated immediately. Agent 009, please meet Agents 226 and 242 in Jubilife City immediately and pursue the traitors. I am counting on you that not a single word of our plans will reach the public and certainly not the targets.”

Giovanni hung up without another word. Almost automatically, Domino patted Dragonite on the neck and motioned for him to turn around and fly towards Jubilife. It wasn’t often that she was speechless, but that? She'd never thought highly of Jessie, James, and Meowth, but always assumed that the three would stay with Team Rocket for life.

What else would they do? Giovanni had always kept them because it would be too expensive and time consuming to shut them up if he kicked them out. And killing his subordinates without good reason had never been his style.

And they weren't good for anything else anyway. So why would they just run off like that? The boss told her to make sure their targets weren’t alerted of their plan. That meant he assumed they were going to talk. But what would they get out of it? Their only allegiance had always been with Team Rocket.

Unless... Domino snorted derisively. She bet her best pokémon that it was James' misplaced good nature once again that got them into this mess in the first place. The boy had never been able to decide whether he wanted to be a criminal or not. He must have heard something he shouldn't have heard, and pity gripped him. It was the only logical explanation. But that Jessie and Meowth were stupid enough to go along with it? Well, their personal problem.

Domino certainly wasn't going to let these three clowns sabotage their plan and ruin what Team Rocket had been working towards for years now. If they wanted to die for their beliefs, fine.

It was already dark when she reached Jubilife. The coordinates Cassidy had sent her led her to a small diner at the very end of town. It was dimly lit, a bit shabby and not very busy. At least nobody would overhear what they had to say then. Domino tossed some coins into the jukebox as she passed it so the music would drown out their conversation.

Butch and Cassidy sat opposite each other in one of the booths, whispering furiously until Domino stood right in front of them and cleared her throat.

"No flirting during working hours, lovebirds," she trilled with a wink. At least Cassidy had enough shame to blush while Butch just rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

"Be thankful Domino, this was advertised to me as one of the top ten romantic places to plan a murder with your friends" he said, gesturing around the diner that couldn't possibly deserve the term 'romantic' any less.

Cassidy smiled coyly and made room for Domino to sit next to her in the booth. She waited for the waitress to pick up their order and bring their drinks, then leaned across the table and propped herself up on her elbows.

"So, any idea where the three underachievers are currently headed?" she asked, sipping on her strawberry milkshake.

"I can tell you where they're going," Butch replied, staring out the window for a moment. "You remember that Ketchum boy they've been chasing for years trying to steal his Pikachu?"

"Who doesn't," Domino sighed, "little demon."

"You know what Giovanni wants to do with him, right?" He didn't wait for her nod before continuing, "I think they want to warn him because they've grown too fond of him and can’t handle the thought of him getting kidnapped and used for Giovanni’s plans. "

"They must be on their way to Wyndon because there's this stupid World Cup and Ketchum's one of the contestants," Cassidy said. Her voice was unusually somber, but Domino couldn't worry about that now.

"So they don't even know the plan is to split them all up and then catch Ketchum on Alola?"

Cassidy and Butch shook their heads at the same time. Domino frowned and looked around the diner as she collected her thoughts. That sounded so typical of the three that it wasn't so hard to imagine anymore. They knew roughly half of the facts and charged off with no real plan. It was doomed to fail, but that didn't stop them from never learning from their mistakes.

"All right then. I'd say we start looking around at the headquarters, where they had their suite. Have my Zoroark pick up their scent and then we'll give chase. They're good at disappearing, I'll give them that, but...we're better. Take your guns with you. As soon as we see them, we'll shoot them. No time to dwell on pokémon battles and captures. Giovanni doesn't want them anymore."

The two agents nodded, but remained silent. Domino almost managed to smile sympathetically; it had been a long time since they had had to resort to such means, and Butch and Cassidy certainly never had to do it before.

The last person Domino had to hunt down and kill when she was very new at Team Rocket was...oh, what a macabre coincidence.

Domino looked away and ran her fingers through her now, thankfully, natural blonde curls.

It had been Miyamoto, on the orders of old Madame Boss. Well, the apple really didn't fall far from the tree after all.

Like mother like daughter.

Chapter 8: The Tournament Begins

"Ladies and gentlemen! Hello and welcome to Wyndon Stadium! Here, today, the biggest event the pokémon sports world has ever seen will begin! In just a few days, one of these determined trainers will be crowned World Champion, the greatest of all pokémon trainers!” boomed the commentator's voice through the massive arena's many loudspeakers.

"I still can't believe you invited her to be your second VIP. Ash, if you still hate me this much, just tell me."

Ash and Misty both rolled their eyes at the same time and Ash had to hold back a laugh. Misty turned to Gary, still keeping up with Ash by walking backwards. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a horrible drama queen?"

"Yes, you. But since you never stop talking anyway, I've decided to just ignore certain things that come out of your mouth."

"Please just try not to kill each other while I'm not around. I don't care about anything else,” Ash sighed but had a smile on his face and didn't bother to hide his good mood. If the two of them stopped bickering over the most trivial of things one day, he'd probably have to worry that some imposter (or a very, very talented Ditto) had taken his best friends’ places.

The VIP area was already full of trainers and their companions. Dawn, Lucas and Barry sat in a corner and seemed to be philosophizing excitedly with each other, while Paul sat wedged in their midst and looked like suffering personified – like he always did when Barry and Dawn were chattering non-stop.

Ash continued to gaze at the Johto group, with Ethan being the loudest of them all as usual, to the Alolan clique chatting animatedly about their battle strategies. Lillie seemed particularly nervous, while Kiawe and Gladion both looked quite confident.

It was an amazing feeling to be here. This was bigger than anything Ash had been through before. The conferences were nothing against it. This was the World Cup, the thing. And so many familiar faces, friends were here. Battling in that arena was the best thing that could ever happen to him.

"Hey Ash," someone called, and Ash turned around to find the Kanto quartet's four pairs of eyes looking at him, and they were all grinning. Well, at least three out of four grinned - one was stoic as usual. Yellow, who was the one to call Ash, waved him over.

Ash obeyed. He hadn't had too much to do with the four of them before, but he was naturally curious as to what they might want from him. Yellow and Blue gave him friendly smiles as he stopped in front of them. Green, as always, had stuck his freckled nose a little too high and eyed him cockily, and Red - also as always – almost hid behind Green and didn't really seem to notice him walking over. Or he just didn't care.

"Well, nervous?" Blue asked, one hand on her hip while the other held a glass of questionable liquid. Probably the free champagne again. Blue was first on everything when it was free, as was well known in all of Pallet and most of Viridian.

"A little," Ash replied, glancing unobtrusively (or so he hoped) at the Johto squad. Crystal listened to Ethan's debauchery with a polite smile, but seemed to catch Ash's gaze (not so subtle after all apparently, oops) and gave him a cheeky wink before turning back to her friend. She didn't look the least bit nervous. Great.

"Oh, you’ll beat Crystal just fine," Green said and then pursed his lips a little into a pout, which even elicited a small smile from Red, "you should watch out for Gold, the little bastard. He looks dumber than he actually is. Has a disgusting trick or two up his sleeve that I'd keep a close eye on if I were you."

Blue snorted and teasingly put an arm around Green's shoulder.

"Still not over how Gold made a fool out of you in your own gym, huh?" She turned to Ash and grinned even wider. "You should have seen that. Our self-proclaimed trainer luminary here nearly burst into tears when Gold sauntered into the arena with his Typhlosion and wiped the floor with all six of Greenie's award-winning pokémon.”

"I didn't almost burst into tears, shut up. I was just...surprised.”

"Oh, you were. I thought you'd wipe the floor again right away with your jaw, it had fallen so low. Oh boy, I hope you have to battle him at some point in this tournament. What I would give to see you throw a tantrum like that again. It was wonderful."

"Don't be so mean, Blue," Yellow chimed in again in a soft voice, giving Blue a light nudge with her elbow. She was ignored, however, as Blue only had (nasty twinkling) eyes for Green, who glared back at her.

Would you look at that. There were more of them. Maybe he actually had less to worry about Gary and Misty murdering each other than these two.

"I hope Lillie destroys you."

"Maybe you two have to battle each other too," Ash said, laughing when Green and Blue both gave a disparaging snort at the same time, "but first you have to get past Nessa and Lillie."

"You're good friends with her, aren't you? What’s Lillie like in battle?” asked Blue, her attention now fully focused on Ash.

Ash shrugged.

"It's been ages since I've had a match against her myself, so I can hardly speak from personal experience. But her reputation precedes her. Considering she didn’t even touch pokémon a few years ago, it's amazing how far she's come in such a short amount of time. She’s a champion after all, she won’t be easy to defeat."

"Fantastic," Blue mumbled, making a sour face, "that sounds promising. Well, if I get kicked out today, at least I'll have enough time to relax afterwards for the rest of the tournament."

A little life actually came to Red now, who straightened up and stared at Blue with raised eyebrows. He scratched Pika's head, who sat on his lap and bared his teeth as soon as Green dared to take a step too close in his direction or looked at him for too long. Ash hadn’t believed it, but maybe Green hadn’t been exaggerating that much when he said that Pika really couldn't stand him.

"I didn't train with you just for you getting drunk for days."

"Well then, you're up to take my place, great master."

"No." Ash looked the former Kanto champ up and down. It sure would have been fantastic to have Red in the championship, maybe even battle him. He was what most people in the world imagined a true Pokémon Master to be. A mere shadow at that, a legend. A faceless human, at least to most who hadn't seen him since he disappeared more than a decade ago. It would be a sensation if he entered the battle arena below.

And that's exactly what Red didn't want under any circumstances. He found all the admiration exaggerated. Hated being the center of attention more than anything. Fame had never been for him, which is why he fled to Mt. Silver in such a hurry in the first place and hid from the world for five years. That and...maybe the guilt he'd carried around after beating Green. It had all been quite a mess, and Gary had told Ash that what had happened back then still weighed on both his brother and Red.

It didn't really help either, how the whole world treated them about it. That they called Green the "Phantom Champion" because Red defeated him so quickly. It was unfair to his efforts to say such a thing, even if it might not even mean any harm. All of that had been the reason Red had run away. It couldn't be ruled out that he would do it again, if provoked. It would have to be enough that he was here at all.

Luckily, hardly anyone recognized him unless he was strolling around too conspicuously with Pika – how could he? The only thing that remained of his appearance back then and by which one could clearly recognize him were his piercing red eyes, which he almost always had lowered to the ground anyway.

"Ohhh, here we go! Ash, look!” Misty grabbed his shoulder and Ash turned to the window that overlooked the entire arena. In addition, there were two large television screens in their separate box room, which showed the two trainer sides in close-up. On the left, Alder emerged from the large doors of the tunnel that led to the preparation rooms on his side.

As cheerful as ever, he lifted a hand from beneath his poncho and gave the crowd a friendly wave. Though it had been some time since he'd been the Unova Champion, acting like one still seemed to be in his blood. Warm and always with a smile on his face.

And on the other side, armed with a poker face and his hands on one of the poké balls clipped on his belt, stood the actual champ of the Unova region. In the close-up on the monitors Ash could clearly see the deep, bluish circles under his eyes. He probably hadn't been able to fall asleep for a while, even after their conversation.

Ash would bet any money that the poké ball he was clutching was Serperior’s, Trip’s first and most powerful pokémon, which had accompanied him since his journey began so many years ago.

Alder wore his poké balls loosely hung around his neck on a chain, as usual.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed the commentator again, “now watch the first battle of our tournament! Under the banner of the sword, the mark of our keeper Zacian, stands the former champion of the Unova region, Alder! Still a highly respected trainer, and rightly so! He started-"

As the host monologued Alder’s life story, Ash walked over to Cilan, Iris, and the other Unova trainers, who had their eyes glued to the battlefield in front of them already. Iris and Cilan however jumped up when they saw him, and he gave each of them a strong hug.

“I’m so happy to see you two”, Ash laughed, “it’s a shame you couldn’t make it in time for the party yesterday. How are you doing? Everything going well for Unova’s Dragon Master and Top Connoisseur? How’s Striaton, and Chili, and Cress? Are they here too? And is everything fine in the Dragon Village? They must be so proud of you, Iris!”

“Oh joy, he still doesn’t ever shut up”, muttered Georgia, who Ash knew also came to compete, right from her seat next to Burgundy, who gave a small chuckle.

“Don’t mind her, she’s sour because she hasn’t been getting the attention she wanted so far”, Iris said with a bright smile on her face. “Everything’s going well, the village is blooming with the new found interest for it ever since I became a Dragon Master. Sometimes the tourists are getting a bit much, but my family is very happy.”

“And Chili and Cress are doing well too, Chili is around here somewhere actually. Cress didn’t want to close the restaurant, so he stayed home with the kitchen aids, but he wants to watch from there.”

“So, whose side are we cheering for? This feels quite conflicting.”

“Not to me,” Iris said, “I admire Alder, but Trip’s my best friend. I’m cheering for him.”

“Honestly, I think even Alder is lowkey cheering for Trip,” Stephan said, a small smile adorning his face. “He always had a soft spot for him. But he’s certainly not gonna make it easy for him still.”

Ash smiled and nodded. He would probably be neutral if it wasn't for the thing in the common room last night. The people of Unova should know they had a capable champion who could protect them when it mattered.

If Trip won this battle, they had to accept that he was more than the kid they called him. He knew from personal experience how frustrating it was not being taken seriously.

"On the other side beneath the banner of the shield, with the blessing of our protector Zamazenta, stands the trainer currently at the top of Unova, Trip! After losing in his first league to Kanto’s star Ash Ketchum in the preliminary round, he showed his teeth at the Ever Grande League the following year and became the conference champ! But instead of challenging the Elite Four and the region's champ, he returned to Unova to prepare for his home region’s next league. After earning his second conference title, he worked with Unova's top ranger Virgil Wayland as a ranger at the Marea City base for four years."

Ash looked over at Virgil, who had his head in his hands and blushed slightly, embarrassedly, at the mention of his name, but nonetheless his mouth curled up into a soft smile.

"At this point we would all like to thank the rangers once again for their efforts, who stopped the Mistralton crisis two years ago and thus prevented a mass extinction of the Boldore living there! You're one of the most important parts of our lives with the pokémon, so I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, thank you so much.”

The audience gave a thunderous round of applause, and Alder also clapped with a deep nod.

“Then Trip returned to full-time training a little over a year ago, sweeping through Unova's Elite Four like a tornado and then, in December of last year, managed to take the title of Unova Champion from Hilbert Hastings! And today he is standing here in front of his childhood idol. I think I can safely say that this is going to be a very emotional battle! And now – let us begin!”

The referee stepped onto the field and raised both hands. He looked first at Trip, then at Alder, who both nodded firmly, then he stepped back and blew his whistle to begin.

Two poké balls were thrown at the same time. Alder’s Braviary swept out of one with a shriek, and on the other, as Ash had guessed, Serperior. For the tiniest split second, Ash could see Trip’s mouth twist a bit when he spotted his opponent's pokémon and realized Serperior had the type disadvantage. But as quickly as the dissatisfied expression had appeared, it had vanished again and was replaced by a confident smile. Surely almost no one else had noticed.

"Serperior," he called out to his pokémon, "Giga Impact!"

It began.

Chapter 9: Trip vs. Alder

Notes:

I hope I got all the english attack names right in this, if a name sounds off let me know lol
Next chapter will probably take a bit longer again bc there's some minor changes I wanna do.
Hope you enjoy my not at all self indulgent little pokémon battle ^_^

With almost obscene speed, Serperior darted off at his master's command, pushing himself off the ground and catapulting his entire body in Braviary’s direction. Alder’s pokémon flapped its long wings patiently, waiting for Serperior’s tail to glow and swing, then dived away gracefully.

The attack missed by a hair.

"Oh, a great start!", exclaimed the commentator, "Serperior certainly didn't expect that! It is definitely taken aback by such a liligant evasive manoeuvre, I hope it won’t throw a tyrantrum now, ha ha!”

"Oh my goodness," Misty murmured, burying her face in her hands. Oh Misty. She'd known them for so long and she should know better by now than to be so open about it in front of Gary and Ash when she thought a joke was dumb. She could hardly give them a better invitation.

"Oh, didn't you like the joke? Was it only slightly bad? Or would you actually say it was crabominable?” Gary chirped with the dirtiest grin he could muster.

"I thought it was espurrfect. You just don’t know what humour is. Didn't we raise you better?” Ash added cheerfully. He looked over at his best friend, who looked like she was about to rip her hair off her head. It was still way, way too easy to piss her off. Even easier if he and Gary worked together, as he had found out.

"Stop! These are the worst pokémon puns I've ever heard in my life, stop!"

"Actually, I think you’re indeedee correct, Misty"

"Gary, shut up, I swear by all I hold sacred-"

"Are you gonna start a crabrawl if I don’t - okay, okay! I'm quiet, I’m quiet!” Gary said between fits of laughter as Misty was about to jump up and do exactly what he had suggested.

Ash couldn't help but giggle too, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Blue shaking her head, the corners of her mouth twitching. Clearly not wanting to laugh, but barely able to hold back. He turned back to the action in the arena below when Gary and Misty finally calmed down next to him.

Braviary had just dodged another attack from Serperior and Alder seemed to coming out of his defense now.

"Very good, Braviary! Brave Bird, now!”

"Catch it and use Wring Out!"

Realizing what Serperior was planning, Braviary tried another escape maneuver, but this time Serperior was faster. Ash could see the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes that was practically his trainer's trademark.

He wrapped his body around Braviary like a Sandaconda around its prey and squeezed it hard a few times. The flying pokémon tried to free itself, but Serperior was a good fifty pounds heavier, making him much stronger when using his entire body. Finally, at Alder’s command, Braviary started Superpower. The move had a downside, as it drained the flying pokémon’s powers enormously, but it might have been the only way to get out of Serperior’s clutches before it was too late.

Braviary took advantage of the tiny moment when Serperior’s grip relaxed just a little bit to dig its claws into the royal pokémon’s skin and flap its wings vigorously to free itself.

"Ouch! That must have hurt a lot on both sides! Alder still seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve to win this first battle! What will Trip do now?”

Braviary flew high into the air and swung gracefully back for another attempt on his earlier failed Brave Bird attack. Trip and Serperior probably wouldn't fool it that easily this time, as it was expecting it now. One of its wings, however, looked a bit battered and no longer as strong as the other, judging by the slightly askew flight it made.

Still, the attack hit full force and Serperior was thrown back to the ground roughly, where he lay dazed for a second, snorting in disgust. But it wasn't over yet, far from it. A simple attack like that didn't defeat Trip’s pokémon that easily.

Serperior’s red eyes lit up with anticipation as Braviary flew towards him to do a U-turn. Trip frowned in concentration. He seemed to be waiting for something.

"Giga Drain, now!" he called out when the daring pokémon almost reached them. Tendrils from Serperior’s body flew toward Braviary and latched onto it, pulling it closer no matter how hard it struggled.

Trip grinned contentedly. What a little devil. Ash almost found himself standing in Alder’s place on the battlefield, remembering what it had been like to be exposed to Trip’s insidiousness in battle. That sly little grin that had Ash sweating bullets during their battle at the junior cup back in Unova, when Trip had completely showed up him and poor Pignite.

"Well, someone is brave to use a plant attack against a flying pokémon! Has he run out of ideas and just used the strongest move his pokémon knows?”

Trip’s grin widened, victorious. Run out of ideas, hah. As if. He clenched his hands into fists, causing Ash's eyes to fall on the bandages around his wrists again. Hopefully the reporters who had grilled him yesterday at least had the decency not to make this into a huge story and stress him out even more.

However, what caught Ash's eye even more was the bracelet wrapped around his right wrist. A slot for a Z-Crystal, but Ash couldn't make out which one from where he was. This made it clear which of the three battle tools he had chosen.

"And now Giga Impact. Finish it quickly.”

It was several seconds too late to get out of the way. The powerful attack hit Braviary, who was still in the grass type pokémon's claws, square in the chest, sending it flying through the air roughly before hitting the sandy ground and falling unconscious.

"Braviary is unable to battle!" came the referee's voice. With that, Serperior had won the first round. Trip called him back and briefly smiled and held the ball in his hand before clipping it back to his belt. Certainly not a bad decision to let Serperior rest for now.

"Look at that, there it was, the ace up the sleeve, the Giga Impact we saw at the beginning, all over again in full force! A nice attack, really very nice! And so Alder’s first Pokemon is knocked out! Which pokémon will he choose next?”

Alder called Reuniclus as his second pokémon, and Trip switched to Chandelure. This time Trip had the type advantage, and if things were going as smooth as the first time, the second win was already his. Ash had a hard time not being overly optimistic, and from Misty's grin it was pretty obvious how much he cared.

"Reuniclus, use Psychic!" Ash could almost feel the air next to him grow colder as the powerful attack swept through the stadium with a loud booming sound, and Chandelure was subjected to the psychic type pokémon's will. It was pushed wildly through the air before being thrown against the wall behind Trip.

Oh oh.

Without taking his eyes off the battle, he felt for Gary's hand and took it into his own. He heard him exhale shakily before squeezing Ash's hand back. A silent thank you so no one else in the room would know. Through the rustling next to him, he heard how Misty had also slid a little closer on Gary's other side. The corners of his mouth twitched up involuntarily. No matter how much they complained about each other, at the end of the day, they were best friends who cared a lot about each other.

Predictably, despite its overwhelming attack power, Reuniclus didn't stand a chance against Chandelure, which had a significant type advantage and was one of the most cunning pokémon in existence. While the Psychic attack was able to throw it off course a bit, it quickly recovered and darted back onto the battlefield, eagerly following the commands of its master and made life very difficult for Reuniclus with its nasty ghost attacks.

With that, Trip had defeated two of Alder’s pokémon in a very short time, and still had all six of his own. Of course, that didn't say anything about the actual outcome of the battle, but it was a really, really good start. And then Alder called out his own Chandelure.

"I have to say, I love being a commentator on these competitions," the speaker mused, "it's always an event to watch two living chandeliers battle each other!"

"Your pokémon are fantastically trained as always, young man," said Alder, the smile not leaving his face for a second, "Keep up the good work!"

Trip gave him a curt nod, but didn't let himself be distracted from the battle. Not even a smile crept onto his lips now, instead he eyed the opposing Chandelure skeptically and seemed already lost in thoughts of the upcoming battle.

"Flamethrower!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Both Chandelure swung back and threw their attacks at each other. Ghost attacks like Shadow Ball always left a spooky feeling in the air, while Flamethrower briefly enveloped the arena in hot, crackling air. You couldn't see who hit, whether both or neither, but shortly after, both pokémon reappeared from the fog and flew in circles around each other.

It almost looked like a dance. A very grotesque dance. The flames on their four arms and on their head blazed higher than Ash had ever seen in any specimen of this pokémon.

"Use Shadow Ball too!", Alder shouted, "And then an Energy Ball!"

Due to the curse Trip’s Chandelure put on itself while battling Reuniclus, it struggled a lot with the attack. If Trip didn’t come up with something quick, this could mean the end of this round.

"Memento!" he ordered in the next moment.

"He’s sacrificing it," Gary commented, resting his chin on his hand, arms on his knees. His green eyes lit up from under his huge glasses and it was clear he had been obsessively analyzing and assessing the battle in his head the entire time. The trainer in him would never go away completely, even if he spent all his time researching these days.

"Not a bad idea. The attack defeats it anyway,” came a murmured voice from an unexpected source. Red seemed surprised himself that he'd made his comment out loud and immediately pulled his cap lower over his face when confused eyes found their way to him.

He was right though. Chandelure staggered after the first attack hit, wrapping himself in a dark purple mist with the last of his strength and attacking Alder’s Chandelure with Memento before the second attack could hit. And so it ended up being the first of Trip’s pokémon to go down.

"Chandelure defeated Chandelure, alright! Trip still has a one pokémon lead, but that could change any moment if Chandelure keeps up the good work! What's in store for us now, Trip? Show us your third Pokemon!”

Trip’s third Pokemon was Beartic, and Chandelure’s groundwork made it easy for the Frozen Pokémon to weaken its opponent's attack power and defeating it after what could only have been a few minutes.

Shortly thereafter, however, it was brought down by Volcarona’s fire attacks before being defeated by Trip’s Hawlucha. As a result, the battle went fairly evenly until Alder finally brought out his last Pokémon, Conkeldurr.

It was five to four for Trip. Don't make a mistake now. Modesty is the path to the goal.

Trip’s hand briefly slid over two of his poké balls as if he couldn't decide. One of them was that of the not yet reinstated Serperior, the other...Ash had no idea. But he was about to find out because Trip decided against Serperior and threw the other poké ball.

The colourful, haughty Unfezant that came out was the one Ash had known as Tranquill. "Unfezant, agility!"

It was almost unnoticeable as the pokémon soared through the air, and Conkeldurr seemed to be having trouble following it, too. Ash heard the announcer's voice, softer this time, that he felt sick just watching. Well, if he had to throw up, he would at least shut up for five minutes.

"Unfezant was with us on the ranger team for a while as a scout," Ash heard Virgil explain to the others, "that's where he learned to move with that incredible speed and skill. Conkeldurr has a lot more power, but the speed will probably gonna cause him some serious problems.”

Before Conkeldurr could make its first attack, Unfezant had already hit it with a hurricane that sent it off balance. But then it used Stone Edge, a move everyone knew was dangerous to flying types, and it immediately showed. One of the stones hit Unfezant squarely in the head and he fell, momentarily unconscious, towards the ground.

Trip flinched sharply at the impact, but Unfezant didn't give up yet. He caught himself just short of the ground, landing gracefully on his legs. He shuddered, fluffed his feathers, and returned to a fighting stance.

"I think it's time," Alder said cheerfully. He still didn't seem to be able to become nervous, even if the situation didn't seem to look ideal for him. He pressed a button on the device strapped to his wrist. It wasn't a Z-ring, and Conkeldurr didn't mega evolve. That meant...

He recovered his Conkeldurr in the poké ball, which expanded three times in size in his hands, then threw it onto the battlefield behind him before moving out of the way to avoid being trampled. The whole arena shook like an earthquake, as Conkeldurr reappeared, first ten meters, then twenty, and finally about thirty meters tall. It didn't need a special Gigantamax shape to be terrifying at this size.

Unfezant seemed undeterred, however, and soared into the air despite now facing a pokémon nearly thirty times his size.

"Well, if that's the case, then-" Trip said. He, too, now activated the stone on his wrist. So it was a Flyinium-Z. Had he somehow guessed that it would end up like this? It was unusual that he didn't use Grassium Z. After all, as with almost every trainer, Serperior was, as his starter, by far Trip's strongest pokémon.

"Well, now things are getting moving! Alder has been using Dynamax and Conkeldurr has grown to massive proportions, and if I'm not mistaken, Trip is preparing for a Z-Move! I'm not being biased or anything just because the Dynamax phenomenon comes from our beautiful Galar - no, no! Z-Moves have a beauty all of their own, which we're about to be presented with!"

A brilliant golden light formed around Unfezant and Trip alike, almost like a blazing fire. Of course, the power of this attack no longer depended solely on Unfezant, but also on Trip. He still looked a little battered and pale from his sleepless night, but it was clear that he was putting all the power at his disposal into this attack to give his pokémon the best possible support.

"Max Rockfall!" cried Alder.

"He can forget that! Supersonic Skystrike!” Trip yelled against the deafening hail of rocks, thrusting his hand forward. At the same moment, Unfezant lunged forward, thrusted himself towards the sky with a few powerful flaps, then veered and dived at his opponent.

The huge chunks of rock that Conkeldurr threw at him shattered against the Z-force's outer shell surrounding Unfezant, and the bird smoothly flew around those that were too large to break. Beads of sweat formed on Trip’s forehead, either from the exertion or from the heat of the dive. Ash wasn't sure. His hand was shaking as he clenched and unclenched his fist. That, on the other hand, was certainly a sign of how exhausting this Z-move was for him, as were his wobbly legs.

Unfezant and Conkeldurr clashed. The force knocked the Dynamaxed pokémon over with a deafening boom, but Unfezant was also thrown backwards from the impact. Conkeldurr got to its feet again, but was already quite unsteady on them, swaying from side to side in an attempt to regain control of its massive body.

"Sky Attack!" Trip croaked, clutching his pants with his fingers. This had to be the last attack. That was all they had left. Unfezant had lost as much power from the Z-move as his master, and he was breathing heavily as he launched his final attack.

Sky Attack was powerful. Both Trip and Alder put an arm over their eyes to keep the sand swirling around in the arena from their eyes. Ash stared spellbound at the spot where the two pokémon had disappeared into the sandstorm. Was it enough?

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle! Unfezant won! And so the winner of the first battle is Champion Trip!”

Yes!

Unfezant did a somersault in the air triumphantly. Stephan pumped a fist in the air, Iris invented some new, very endearing curses to try to punctuate this triumph, and Alder bowed deeply and then clapped loudly.

“Ohh, that was an amazing battle! So beautiful to look at! They were both so strong!” Bianca exclaimed, clasping her hands together in delight. Hilbert leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, grinning. He seemed content. It would probably have offended him if it had turned out differently – no former champ liked having to believe they'd lost their title to a weakling, or worse, because of bad luck.

"Really, really well done, young man," exclaimed Alder, "you really deserved this win! I'm not sad that I lost at alll! Thank you for this battle, champion! It has been an honor!"

"The honor is all mine," Trip replied, bowing deeply as well. He only smiled a little with his mouth closed, but the light rosy color of his cheeks indicated how much he was touched by the cheers and shouts of the crowd, and especially such high praise of his idol. He put his hands on his chest and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Ash hoped that in a few hours he could be just as satisfied.

Chapter 10: Lana vs. Lance

Notes:

whoops this took longer than I expected, anyway, enjoy some Alola squad^-^

After the break, Cynthia and Jon Dickson competed against each other. As was to be expected, Cynthia quickly ended the whole thing with her Garchomp – and maybe a little help from her Gastrodon. While Jon was a good trainer, he was no match for the longtime former Sinnoh champ.

Just like Lucas lost to Olivia, Kahuna of Akala Island, Dawn was defeated by Calem after a hard battle. Kiawe defeated Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite Four – Gary had conveniently gone to get them drinks and food during the battle against the psychic type trainer – and Turtonator was so happy he almost became a living volcano.

Luckily Kiawe, like Ash, didn't really mind burns anymore.

Even during Kiawe's battle, Lana had been nervously wringing her hands before she finally left the room shortly before the end with Lance in tow, who seemed to give her a few more tips for the battle. He maybe was a bit of an eccentric, but one couldn't say he wasn't a fair player. Even after his defea, he had continued to be a mentor and friend to Ethan, his successor, and was always available to offer advice to anyone who needed his help.

"What do you think, will he show off his three Dragonite right away? Does he even have any other pokémon?” Ethan joked, grinning and crossing his arms behind his head. His rocking back and forth with the chair looked dangerous even by Ash's standards. It was only a matter of time before he hit the ground, either through his own ineptitude or when Silver finally had enough and gave him the necessary nudge. Ethan already received a glance from him that threatened as much, but didn't seem to have noticed it yet.

Turns out, Lance actually did own other pokémon than Dragonite. But instead of the usual Charizard, he now led with a Kommo-o, which made Iris almost explode with excitement. She eagerly told Trip, who had just walked through the door and sat down between his friends, all about the strengths and weaknesses of a Kommo-o, and how neat its scales looked in the sunlight streaming through the arena's open roof, almost twinkling like stars.

"Kommo-o, Boomburst!"

"Lance leaves no doubt about his resolve and starts with a powerful attack! And Primarina takes a direct hit, ouch!” the commentator roared enthusiastically.

Ash rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his palms, immediately earning a comment from Green that he and Gary were "almost like twins." Ironically, given that Gary and Green (apart from the hair color and the many freckles on Green's nose and cheeks) looked like they had been cloned.

Lana looked determined, but it was obvious that she was a little afraid of Lance's tremendous fighting power. Hopefully she made a good decision now. Losing Primarina early on would be her doom.

"Does Primarina know any fairy attacks?" Gary asked, finally back from his pilgrimage to the toilet and food stalls and now shamelessly helping himself to the nachos he had brought Ash. Ash gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"No, I don’t think so."

"It doesn't have to," said Lillie, who must have overheard, "Lana has another pokémon that knows fairy attacks." She smiled reluctantly and Ash tilted his head questioningly. Did he miss something? Had Lana acquired a new pokémon without him knowing?

He didn't have to wait long for an explanation, which came in the form of Lana’s decision to return Primarina to its poké ball and switch it in for a different one instead. From the poké ball she threw, a Sylveon emerged with a yelp, standing in front of the much larger pokémon with its legs apart and snarling belligerently.

Ash stared at it in awe, before he turned to Lillie again.

"Wait - is that Sandy?!"

Lillie grinned and nodded. She sat on Ash's free side and clutched her bag, where she kept her own poké balls.

"He evolved a while ago. Lana already knew she wanted to participate in the World Cup, so she didn't announce it and just updated her trainer profile. If you'd taken a look at that, you'd know,” she teased, giving him a slight nudge with her shoulder.

Ash scratched the back of his neck guiltily.

"Yeah, I guess I missed that, I was too concentrated on finding out everything about Crystal. It's cool that he evolved into Sylveon. I've only seen Serena’s so far, I really want to say hello to Sandy afterwards."

"Use Psych Up!" Lana’s voice interrupted their conversation, and both Lillie and Ash's eyes snapped back to her and her pokémon.

"A good attack to start with, isn't it?" Lillie asked and Ash could feel her gaze resting on him. He nodded.

"Lance's Kommo-o certainly has a high level and good stats, which Sandy is now taking for himself. That's certainly an advantage for Lana. And besides, Sylveon is a pure fairy type, which means dragon attacks have no effect on it. If she doesn't make a mistake now, I'm sure she can easily defeat Kommo-o."

"Kommo-o, come back!"

"Unless... Lance does this."

Lance threw a second poké ball and everyone in the audience sighed audibly as a Duraludon emerged from it, staring down at the little fairy type pokémon like a predator. Steel. One of only two weaknesses of a fairy. Lance certainly knew in advance that Lana would use one against him. After all, he was known everywhere as a dragon trainer, which, for an experienced trainer like him, did not necessarily mean an advantage, and certainly not an easy win.

Ash had learned that...the hard way once or twice, fighting Lance. And Raihan, who was also present as one of the participants and was talking quietly to Leon, never taking his eyes off the battlefield for even a second.

Looking at the two Postwick siblings, Gloria and Victor, and their friends Hop, Bede and Marnie, Ash wondered when Goh would show up. He had already announced that he would be late and would not make it quite on time, but Ash hoped that he would at least be there in time to watch his first battle.

"Metal Sound, and then immediately Flash cannon!" Lance shouted. Duraludon might be slow and ponderous, but what it lost in speed it easily made up for in stamina and endurance. Metal Sound—unlike Screech—didn't bother a human, but by the way Sandy dropped his ears, shook his head, and pounded all four legs into the ground, it was easy to tell how painful it was for him .

"Dodge!" Lana’s voice boomed across the battlefield. And the Sylveon dodged, with an elegant step to the side when the Flash Cannon hit. The attack hit the wall behind Lana, leaving a few smoking trails in its wake.

"Light Screen! We won't go down that easily!" Sandy enveloped himself in a pale pink mist, and stood proud as Duraludon threw another Flash Cannon, this time landing a hit. With Kommo-o's stats, it would take quite a bit more to knock him off his feet.

"Stealth Rock," Lance said calmly, interrupting the attack pattern for a moment. Sharp stones formed in the ground around Sandy and he hissed as he took a cautious step back. They disappeared shortly thereafter, but the next pokémon Lana chose would inevitably injure itself. They were deceptive things, those sneaky little stones.

"Draining Kiss!"

"Breaking Swipe!"

"Quick, under him and then Moonblast from behind!" It all happened so quickly that an untrained eye would surely have trouble filtering out what was going on. Duraludon lunged at Sylveon with all its body weight, but the latter again performed a clever evasion. It was running between the legs of the steel dragon and jumped up not a meter behind it, throwing the Moonblast at it. Duraludon staggered.

"She did well!" Mallow exclaimed happily. She glanced at Gladion, almost as if to make sure he agreed. And by the looks of it he did, for he nodded and even smiled a little while playing with his lip piercing with his fingers.

According to Lillie, he'd been smiling more often again in the past few months. At first it had seemed so obvious that it would have been Lillie who had taken Lusamine’s death harder. But time had shown them that all along Gladion had suffered from it in his own quiet way, having become very withdrawn over time.

At least towards his father and sister, he seemed to be slowly opening up again. That was a start.

Luckily they had at least Mohn back.

The little dance on the battlefield continued. Sandy was able to land a lot of hits, but Duraludon's powerful attacks slowly left their mark on the Intertwining Pokémon. Lance seemed to be holding back on purpose, but he wasn't the type to let her win out of pity – which Lana would absolutely loathe anyway. Surely he was waiting for Light Screen to wear off so he could deal enough damage with one of his steel attacks that Sandy couldn’t recover anymore.

"One more Draining Kiss!"

Sandy lunged forward, but stumbled with his front right paw for a reason Ash couldn't figure out, giving Duraludon enough time to charge up his own attack and throw it at him. He was hit directly - a critical hit.

Sandy lay sideways on the ground and a worried Lana ran onto the battlefield to her pokémon. She carefully lifted him into her arms and seemed to be examining his leg which had failed him. It did seem a little crooked too.

"Looks like the leg is broken," Gary murmured, "that hurts, but he’ll get better soon. Umbreon also broke some of her bones when she thought she could hop off the roof of our house, but she stopped limping a few days after the treatment. The Eeveelutions are tough.”

"Oh, I hope so, poor thing," Lillie murmured, one hand over her mouth, but the tension in her shoulders eased a little at Gary's words. In fact, Sandy was awake again a short time later, glancing around in irritation before dropping his ears in disappointment when he learned that he had lost the battle.

Lana patted his head with a smile and thanked him for his help before taking him back into the poké ball where he could rest until Nurse Joy and Brock took care of him and treated his injuries.

"Okay Pangoro, are you ready? Let's show Duraludon we can be rough too!"

Pangoro was even larger than Duraludon in its normal form, and slammed its left fist into its open palm, ready to throw some punches. It really deserved its categorization “Aggressive Pokémon” – with the bamboo sprout in its mouth and the wicked grin on its face, it did look a bit like a crook indeed.

It didn't even flinch as the Stealth Rocks reappeared and dug into its feet. Supported by a fighting weight of 300 pounds, Pangoro threw itself into battle with a Hammer Arm that would surely have knocked Duraludon's teeth out if it had any. It was a nasty move that Paul's bully of an Ursaring had practiced enough times on one of Ash's Pokémon back then.

"Oh yeah, smack that ruffian in the face," Mallow whispered, fists clenched and a wild grin on her face. Kiawe gave her a startled look before he laughed and Lillie and Sophocles joined.

"Sure you're not taking this a bit too seriously?" Kiawe asked, grinning and putting a hand on Mallow’s shoulder, who just puffed out her cheeks and shook her head.

“There is nothing like being too serious, this is the World Cup! Only the strong and ruthless survive here!”

"Oh hey Paul, is that your soul mate?" came the inevitable comment from the Sinnoh corner.

"I swear to god, Barry, if I have to hear just one more word out of your stupid mouth today-" was the second comment from the Sinnoh corner.

"That would be bad for you though, wouldn't it, Barry?" Kenny murmured. He had come along only because Dawn asked him to, and he already seemed to have formed a “This is actually none of our concern”-club with May, Drew, Harley and Zoey. The five had already been huddled together at the opening party, preferring to talk about the next coordinator competitions and shows way more than the championships they were at. Ash couldn't really blame them, he'd probably be the same if it were the other way around.

"What do you mean?"

“Well, you battle her in the first round. If you were actually dealing with someone like Paul, you'd get a hard kick in the ass before you could say 'Holy moley.'”

He mimicked Barry's voice so well that even the usual peacemaker, Dawn, couldn't hide her grin.

"Pft, as if. I'll let you know I've beaten Paul twice now!"

"Hmmm, when Dragapult was six months old and just started battling. You did a great job.” Paul rolled his eyes and stood up, and Barry immediately craned his neck.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

"Aww. Can I come with you? Too late, I'm already following you!"

Paul let out a defeated sigh and slammed the door in Barry's face as he left the room, who, as usual, wasn’t bothered in the slightest. Still in the best possible mood, he simply opened the door again and slipped out behind him.

Mallow watched the whole performance with a dumbstruck face. "...Do I automatically advance to the next round if my opponent is murdered before battle?"

A loud bang on the battlefield made them turn all their attention back to Lana and Lance instead of answering Mallow’s not entirely unjustified question. Pangoro had used Vital Throw, and the bang had been Duraludon, hitting the ground.

"Duraludon is unable to battle! Pangoro won!”

Lance wordlessly retrieved his pokémon. His hand briefly brushed over two poké balls, selected one and threw it. And out came the expected Dragonite.

Yep, he really didn't go easy on Lana.

It seemed almost an unfair battle, with Pangoro unable to throw any punches at the Dragonite hovering in the air above it. But Lana didn’t give up that easily.

"Pangoro, use Brick Break on the ground, use one of the Stealth Rocks to knock him out of the sky!"

"And now Lana uses Lance’s own weapons against him!" boomed the commentator. "Will this innovative tactic work?"

Pangoro slammed the ground and hurled the Stealth Rocks laid by Duraludon skyward. Lance ordered Dragonite to dodge the attack, but the rocks shot through the air like cannonballs and the rather slow Pokémon was hit and knocked down like Lana had hoped.

She immediately ordered Pangoro to attack again, but it wasn’t enough. Lance’s pokémon may have taken a hit, but it was still too strong to be defeated by just one attack. One mighty outrage later, and Pangoro was unable to battle.

And also Lana’s next pokémon, Stoutland, had to give in rather quickly to Lance’s Tyrantrum, which had he exchanged for the still fuming Dragonite. She managed to get a bit of a lead with Mimikyu again, after Tyrantrum charged for it at full speed and fell for the costume trick, which left it confused long enough for Lana to land a few hard hits with the little ghost pokémon.

„Play Rough!“

Mimikyu lunged at the opposing pokémon and wrapped its long, black mist arms around Tyrantrum, pulling it into a strong "hug" and rubbing its entire body against Tyrantrum’s, who roared in pain as the fairy energy surged through it.

"Play Rough actually looks so cute. Unbelievable what damage it can do. Especially on dragons," Misty said, munching on a nacho. Wait, since when did she have- since when were Ash's nachos on Gary's lap and not his? With an angry grunt, he retrieved his food and decided to guard it with eagle eyes from now on.

You really couldn't trust anyone here.

"One more Play Rough, right after!"

"Try to shake it off!"

Not even five seconds after Lance gave that command, Tyrantrum fell to the ground, unconscious. So much to that.

Lana tried the same tactic with the following Hydreigon, but what it lacked in strength, Hydreigon made up for in speed, and now it was Mimikyu who had a hard time keeping up. The dragon landed a few heavy hits, leaving the little pokémon quite battered and breathing heavily.

"Is it still holding up?" Lance asked, but unlike a few years ago, there was no hint of arrogance in his voice at this question, just curiosity.

That rude awakening when he'd been practically stomped into the ground by first Green, then Red, and as if that wasn't enough humiliation already, finally Ethan in the Kanto-Johto league battle, had humbled him quite a bit over the years.

"Of course! Try again with Play Rough! He can't avoid us forever!”

"Are you sure? Tri Attack!”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Mimikyu did defeat Hydreigon shortly after, but it went down in the next round after an unforgiving battle with Flapple, Lance’s next pokémon.

Thinking, like everyone else, that Lance would’ve for sure brought Charizard for this battle, Lana only brought her Waterium-Z and not the ice equivalent, which would’ve been way more effective on a grass type like Flapple.

Primarina gave them a fantastic show with a powerful Oceanic Operetta against the gigantamaxed Flapple, making it lose it’s balance on its big, round body. Lana directly continued with Icy Wind to not give Lance any time to counter, but as Ash had feared, Lance and Flapple were faster.

With a Grassy Glide and a Max Overgrowth, Lance had brought Primarina to its knees, who just managed to throw that last Icy Wind at them, hitting Flapple once more. Just a little bit too weak, a little bit too late.

Lana quietly thanked Primarina for the fantastic battle and clasped her last poké ball in her hands. She took a deep breath, and threw it.

"Okay, Liligant, you're my last chance. We can do it!"

"A grass type and Lance still has Flapple and his Dragonite, which is a flying type, and Kommo-o. I hate to say it, but this doesn't look good,” Lillie murmured, exchanging a look with Ash, who nodded thoughtfully. Yes, unfortunately she wasn't wrong. Liligant probably didn't stand too much of a chance. If Lana still had Sandy...

Liligant knew she was the last pokémon standing upright and gave everything she had. The Leaf Storm she created finished off Flapple and also did a fair amount of damage to the reinstated Dragonite, but the battle was already over.

Dragonite used Hurricane once more and Liligant was caught in the wind, thrown around until it finally hit the ground with a thud, unable to get up.

"Liligant is unable to battle! And so the winner of this round is Lance!”

"Oh man," Mallow murmured and made a face, "she trained so hard for this."

"And she was really good, too. Going so strong against Lance isn't easy and she did a fantastic job. After all, he only had two pokémon left, and Dragonite doesn’t look too well anymore either. Just look at it. To be able to hold her own against a trainer like Lance, that's something she should be really proud of," said Blue, which brought a smile back to Mallow’s face. She nodded.

"Yes that's right, she was amazing. I’m proud of her too."

"Who's next?" Ash asked curiously, looking at the chart Gary was holding in his hands.

"We have a break now. After that, it’s Barry and Mallow’s turn, if Barry is still alive, then Wallace and Gordie, Max and Iris, Paul and Steven, and finally Blue and Lillie. Then it’s lunch break.”

And after lunch it was Ash's turn. Or at least, after Gloria’s and Reggie’s battles, it was his turn. After all the amazing battles they'd seen so far, he couldn't wait any longer, and he knew for a fact that his pokémon, who were currently resting and being cuddled and spoiled by Brock, felt the same way.

Chapter 11: A Show to Remember

Notes:

Whoops someone laid it on thick with the contestshipping here. I recently watched Advanced, for the first time in forever. I had always remembered it as one of my least favorite arcs, but when I rewatched it I was reminded of how much I love these idiots <3
So, I decided to put this little chapter in. Hope you enjoy (the fun part while it lasts bc the breakdown is inching closer and closer)!

“Oh come ooooon, what are you so afraid of? You did hundreds of shows, Serena. You’ll be fine.”

May put her hands in Serena’s and gave them a good squeeze. She had already seen the sheer panic in her friend’s eyes before she had even opened her mouth. Never would she have thought that this simple show during the break had the power to make the Kalos Queen wring her hands and stare at the crowd like this was her very first showcase.

“I know, but never in front of so many people,” Serena retorted in little more than a whisper, while she continued to peek outside the curtains behind the stage they currently hid behind. “If I make a mistake, everyone’s going to see it. I don’t know if I can do this, May. Delphox has trained so hard for this and I just don’t want to let her down.”

“Of course you can. You, Chloe and Lisia are gonna be amazing. Just look at the crowd! Piers, Roxie and Riyuki are doing a damn fine job at getting them excited. They’ll love you, I promise. And you never let Delphox down, you know that. You two are a perfect team.”

Chloe walked up to them and gave an enthusiastic nod.

“Don’t get cold feet now, Serena. You were the one that got me into contests in the first place, remember? You and Lisia were my very first idols and I can’t wait to get onto that stage with you and show you and those people out there how far we’ve come since back then. We’re gonna make this a tournament that everyone’s going to remember, okay?”

Serena looked from May to Chloe and back again, and smiled.

“You know what? You’re right. I’m just being stupid. Everything’s gonna be fine.” She glanced at the curtain again and took a deep breath. “That’s their last song, isn’t it? We have to get ready. Lisia?”

“Coming!” came Lisia’s voice from the backroom shortly before she emerged and joined them. She was the only one that didn’t look nervous in the slightest. May guessed that with an uncle like Wallace, being in the spotlight and performing just had to be in her genes. She loved every second of it, never looked the slightest bit worried. She always walked onto the stage and did her thing, no matter what anyone might say.

Sometimes, when she sat in the preparation room before a big, important contest, being just as nervous as Serena was right now – May envied Lisia’s impenetrable composure a little bit.

“Alright, I should probably leave now if I want to make it back in time. I hope Drew and Harley managed to be useful for once and got me some food. I’m starving,” May said and left the backstage area with a little wave of her hand.

She went back through the stands, maneuvering through a horde of dedicated fans who almost threw themselves over the railing, screaming the name of their favorite musician in every pitch and volume known to man.

And it wasn’t like May was a stranger to this kind of behavior. After all, she had dragged Drew and Solidad to several festivals and concerts over the last couple of years (even having formed an unlikely alliance with Harley for this endeavor). But she knew why she never went to a concert on an empty stomach, and right now she deeply regretted having overslept and missed breakfast today.

And only a few moments later, she was also graced with the regret of having allowed that Brendan invited Harley into the VIP room. Which she had only done because she knew he would never let them forget if they didn’t. Neither her nor Brendan had the patience for that.

“Oh be careful, Drew, it’s coming. It’s walking straight towards us. Throw it, just throw it. They usually calm down once they get fed.”

May snatched the sandwich out of Drew’s hands once she was close enough, and gave Harley a dismissive hand wave.

“Leave.”

Harley gasped like she had just cursed his firstborn and crossed his arms.

“Hate to tell you, Buttercup, but you have no power here. Unless they hired you as the bouncer, and I sincerely doubt that. With all due respect.”

Indeed they had not. And that was the biggest problem about it.

Nonetheless, Harley eventually managed to gather the strength to move to the side so May could sit down between them. Right in time too, because the lights on the stage went out in this very moment while Serena, Chloe and Lisia walked to their designated spots.

“Hey,” said Drew as May started eating, “would you mind cherishing your sandwich a little bit more? I stood in a line that went all the way back to Hoenn just to get it, I had to stop Harley from getting arrested twice on the way back, and you’re inhaling it like a vacuum cleaner.”

May put a hand on her chest in mock pity.

“Fate just has been too cruel to you, Drew. I honestly don’t know how you can still be standing after all you’ve been through. You’re an inspiration to us all. I am so, so proud of you.”

When the lights on the stage finally went back on, there was no sign of worry on Serena’s face anymore. No, she was smiling from ear to ear, beaming, looking like nothing in the world could stop her.

“She’s so beautiful, isn’t she?” May whispered, clasping her hands together.

The way her and Delphox spun around, fire from the pokémon’s wand engulfing them, dancing with them, was mesmerizing. May couldn’t take her eyes off the stage for even a second. Over the years she had seen so many beautiful performances, but it always felt a little bit like being the little, ten year old girl again who had been so eager to become a Top Coordinator. It was a sparkling, colorful world that never became gray or dark, like reality tended to become way too often.

“Is she now?” Drew asked and crossed his arms, that irksome grin on his face that May had hated so much when they were nothing but mere rivals. So long ago. “Don’t make me jealous, May.”

May rolled her eyes and gave him a little shove.

“Idiot. You know what I mean. Also, we are not a couple. You have nothing to be jealous of.”

“Oh, ouch. That was a rough one,” Harley tutted, giving Drew a mischievous side glance. All those years, and he still couldn’t manage to stay out of their business. No matter how many times May had already told them that she didn’t want to rush things. Didn’t want to ruin the best friendship she’s ever had.

Drew respected that.

Harley did not.

He felt the need to make them “see” that they “belong together” and a lot of other nonsense that May didn’t bother to listen to anymore. She usually just nodded along. Harley was happy as long as he was hearing himself talk, anyway.

Nonetheless, Drew did get a little bit sulky after her comment, and she playfully ruffled through his soft locks.

“Come on, don’t be grumpy now. You know I love you.”

Drew chuckled quietly. “Yeah. I know. Love you too, May.”

“You two are really the most pathetic pair I have ever had the displeasure to see in my entire life”, Harley sighed and shook his head. “If you could only hear yourselves.”

“Leave them alone, Harley,” Brendan intervened from his place next to Wally and gave him a nudge, “don’t try to play Cupid, you’re absolutely awful at it.”

Harley looked actually offended now, and as grateful as May was to Brendan for stepping in, she kinda wished he would just back down for the sake of peace.

“Me? Awful at something? No, sweetie, you got it all wrong. I’m perfect at playing Cupid. I’m perfect at doing anything, in fact. I will just pretend to not have heard that.”

“You heard me loud and clear.”

May gave Brendan a pleading look, and he sat back in his chair, arms crossed and rolling his eyes – but thankfully not saying anything else. May agreed with everything he said, but the last thing she wanted here was a pissed off Harley. Because that Harley was even more exhausting than his normal, over-the-top happy self.

Also, she didn’t want to miss the show down there for Brendan and Harley’s daily dose of bickering. They could do that on every other day in the year, but not this one.

Right now the three pokémon were creating a silvery veil from Eevee’s Swift and Altaria’s Cotton Guard, while Delphox’ little Will-O-Wisps were dancing through it in perfect synchronisation, taking in the whole area in front of the stage. It looked almost haunting, hypnotic. The whole stadium had suddenly gone so quiet, everyone completely drawn in by the three women that emerged from the fog, each carrying a little flame in her hands.

“They look almost like some sort of forest witches,” Drew mused. It was clear to see in his eyes that even if he didn’t outright say it, the performance caught him just as much as everyone else, if not more. It was rare to see such admiration in his eyes.

“That was the plan!” May explained, “Serena started to experiment with her imitating her pokémon. For this one it was Delphox’ turn, and Chloe and Lisia loved the theme and jumped straight on the train too. Dawn and me helped design their dresses. Do you like them?”

“They look gorgeous. You did well,” Drew said and gave her a soft smile.

May’s heart jumped a bit when he said that, but she caught herself quickly and grinned brightly. She was especially fond of the dress Serena wore, black and red with golden ornaments. It really made her look a little bit like Delphox. The five of them had sat all night on the design, and this dress was worth every minute they spent on it.

Chloe and Lisia’s dresses were also stunning, each adorned with their own decorations and patterns, just like they had asked for. Dawn really was a genius when it came to this. May looked over her way to see if she was feeling the same excitement, and for a moment Dawn’s eyes met hers, and she was smiling from ear to ear, giving May a thumbs-up.

“So, Harley,” May asked and turned to her sworn frenemy, “what does Mr. Eternally Skeptical think of their performance? You can admit it’s flawless and you’re floored, you know?”

“What I think? I think that you should get back to training, little May. If Serena ever competes against you in a contest, you’re toast. They could easily win a Grand Festival with that performance too.”

May wanted to give a good comeback, but she couldn’t. Because for once, Harley was right. If she wanted to keep up with a performance as high class as this, she had to step up her game big time. But for now, she wasn’t here to be worried about her upcoming contests, she wanted to watch and enjoy herself.

Chapter 12: Mallow vs. Barry

Dawn just didn't understand where Barry got his infinite energy from.

"He's just a kid," everyone had always said back when she had traveled Sinnoh with Ash and Brock, "you'll see it’ll all settle down when he's older."

Would that "older" come soon, or would that only start in his thirties? Of course, he was nervous. After the battle Lana just had displayed against Lance, it was understandable that he had great respect for the Alolan trainers. But running a half marathon in the prep room wouldn't help him win his battle either.

It only made his Staraptor, which would be sweating by now if it could, even more nervous. Especially when Barry told it for the twentieth time that it would be the pokémon he was counting on the most today due to its type advantage over Mallow’s grass types.

Dawn graciously refrained from commenting that he pulled quite the Cameron with the fact that he didn't bring a single fire type into a match against a well-known grass trainer, instead parading around with two water types in his ensemble.

At least his Empoleon knew Drill Peck and wasn't as vulnerable to plant attacks as Floatzel. But that was the only bright spot in this whole tragedy.

"Barry, you're walking a hole into the ground. Can you just sit down and keep still for the last five minutes at least? You're just driving both of you insane."

"I can’t! Be! Calm! Dawn! This is an important battle! If I win this battle, my name will be known all over the world and more sponsors will fund my battles and I need that money if I want to open my own Battle Tower! You understand that, don't you? You also want to open your own tailoring shop, you know that you need funds for something like that!”

Dawn sighed and nodded. Yes, of course she understood that. And she had the privilege that her parents were willing to help her with a loan to help her achieve her dream. Barry's father vehemently claimed that he thought it was better if Barry fought it out himself (that would strengthen the character, or some nonsense) and his mother comfortably stayed out of anything pokémon related. He had to do everything himself, so it was no wonder he was under so much pressure.

"Why don’t you audition for commercials about energy drinks. You could market that stuff without even having to act,” murmured Paul, who had pulled the hood of his jacket down over his face and buried his hands in his pockets. Dawn was sure he had fallen asleep, and judging by the fact that he sat up a little straighter and yawned, she probably hadn’t been that wrong.

"But she's right. You're a good trainer. You wouldn't be here if you weren’t. As long as you stick to what we discussed, your chances of winning are decent enough.”

Staraptor closed its eyes and let out a content coo as Paul shuffled over to them, crouched in front of it and scratched its forehead.

“Staraptor is definitely in great shape. Did you practice Brave Bird like Honchkrow showed you? So you hurt yourself less?"

The raptor stretched out its massive wings and nodded eagerly. Paul grinned.

"Good. Then don’t mess it up and you’ll be fine. Are we going, Dawn? Or do you wanna stay in here?”

„I’m coming.“

Dawn patted Barry on the back one last time before he and Mallow were called onto the battlefield.

He took a deep breath and called Staraptor back into its poké ball before jogging through the sliding doors and into the tunnel.

"Do you really think he'll win, or was that just well-intentioned optimism?" Dawn asked as they headed towards the elevator that would take them back to the VIP area. She grimaced as the words she'd said settled into her head. Two things that no sane person would ever associate with Paul of all people – and yet here she was.

"We've known each other for twelve years and you still think I'd tell flowery lies to my friends just to avoid hurting your feelings?"

He snorted and pulled the hood off his head. His eyes almost seemed to bore through Dawn’s head, and she almost wished he would hide his face again and stare at the ground.

"If I say something, I mean it."

Dawn rolled her eyes and grinned. "Right. My mistake. But it's nice to see you supporting him. One could almost think you had something like a heart.”

Paul snorted in amusement.

"Is that so, yes? Don't worry, I'll try harder to avoid such impressions in the future."

"Don't you dare. Or I'll tell everyone I know that you get more emotional than me and Barry when it comes to sad movies."

Faster than his Ninjask could, Paul's head snapped around to face her and he gave her a warning look. Oh, how she loved to tease such reactions out of him. It was his own fault, he should never have allowed her to collect so much blackmail material about him. Would it really kill him if the world knew he wasn't as cold and callous as he always acted whenever a camera or stranger was around?

"You would not dare."

"Oh Paulie, you’d lose that bet."

With an eye roll, he pushed open the doors to the VIP area and, without turning to her, mumbled, "Why am I still hanging out with you?"

"Because you like me, of course," Dawn piped and gave him a gentle nudge with her arm. He made a face, but gave no word of contradiction.

Kenny and Lucas were already standing right at the window and staring down into the arena, where Mallow was being introduced. Dawn let her eyes wander over the crowd and was once again overwhelmed by how many people turned out to see them all battle. Well, she herself had already made her appearance. Sure, it was a little disappointing that she had lost in the first round already, but she had already more or less expected that result when she first read that she was going to face Calem.

She had watched a couple of the soul crushing Kalos Champion League finals in which he had shattered his challengers' dreams with that pretty smile on his face one after another. And in the Hoenn League show match the year before he even gave Paul a run for his money.

Many people brought flags of their home countries and homemade signs with the name of the contestant they were cheering for. A crowd in the left stands roared their support for Mallow, followed by an opposing roar from Dawn’s countrymen on the other side, cheering for Barry.

"Empoleon, show them what you've got!" Barry shouted as the starting whistle sounded.

The mighty Emperor pokémon positioned itself in front of its trainer on the battlefield and defiantly called out its name when Mallow pulled out her first pokémon from its ball, an equally strong looking Lurantis.

"Lurantis, Sunny Day!"

"Empoleon, Drill Peck, quick!"

Dawn crossed her arms and watched as Empoleon quickly lunged forward and used the central, pointed prong on its head to bore into Lurantis instead of its actual beak, which was far too short to attack another pokémon with.

Mallow gave the order to dodge, but all that running around with Barry seemed to give his starter a huge lead in terms of speed - it hit Lurantis square in the shoulder, which immediately let out an indignant hiss.

"Are you okay, Lurantis?" Mallow called to her pokémon. Lurantis chirped affirmatively.

"Excellent! Then Solar Blade, now!”

"If that hits, it could be a one-hit knockout. That's a heavy attack," Lucas murmured, concern for Empoleon clearly written on his face.

Barry, on the other hand, looked like he already had a plan for this scenario.

"Empoleon, hide in Mist and try to dodge!" Empoleon spread its great wings and opened its beak, creating a heavy, milky mist. It flapped its wings vigorously and the fog spread around it until it was completely gone from their sights.

"Lurantis, lure it in with your scent, then strike with Slash!"

Lurantis closed its eyes. Even through the glass into the VIP lounge, one could still smell the pleasant floral scent it was spreading. Since pokémon were generally much better at smelling than humans, Empoleon was probably having a hard time resisting that scent.

"Flash Cannon, Empoleon!" Barry shouted. He now seemed to be leaning more towards wide range attacks as a precaution, as deliberately sending Empoleon in the direction of danger could quickly cost him the victory. That was good, he seemed to be thinking for once.

A bright beam shot out of the fog and struck the surprised Lurantis head-on. It was thrown through the air and was motionless for a moment. The referee was about to declare the match decided, but the Flower Sickle Pokémon straightened up and let out a determined hiss. The battle wasn't over yet.

"Amazing, Lurantis!" Mallow yelled and threw her fist in the air, "they asked for it! Use Endure and then jump into the mist and slash it!”

"She's clever," Paul murmured as Lurantis dived through the fog with lightning speed, clearing it with its movements so skillfully that Empoleon had trouble keeping up. "If he loses Empoleon early on, he's in trouble."

Dawn crossed her arms. Paul was right, but she doubted Barry would make it that easy for Mallow. His battling style could easily be described as "more luck than good judgement", but it had brought him many, many victories so far – or he wouldn't be down there today. His wild ideas, which he usually had mid-battle, were sometimes even more chaotic than Ash's, making him unpredictable to his opponent.

"Empoleon, when I say 'now', smash away the mist and then Flash Cannon! Understood?"

Dawn frowned in confusion.

"Why would he want to destroy his own cover?"

"He's probably figured out that Lurantis will do it one way or another sooner or later, so he's making sure he stays in control of what happens to his cover, not Mallow. Smart. I'm almost impressed,” Paul said, the small grin on his face emphasizing his words.

"Now!"

With a vigorous flap of its wings, Empoleon blasted the mist away, and for a split second they could see the two pokémon face to face, Lurantis with claws outstretched, ready to strike. But Empoleon had already charged its Flash Cannon, and in a blast of light and churning sand, it threw Lurantis across the arena, past Mallow, who watched, eyes wide, immobile from shock.

"That was awesome, Empoleon! Well done!” Barry called out to his pokémon seconds before the referee declared Lurantis unable to battle, this time for real. Empoleon flapped its wings together with a loud, metallic clang and cocked its head proudly.

Grinding her teeth, Mallow thanked Lurantis and threw the next poké ball. Out came a pokémon with long, purple legs, white armor plates around its center that looked like flower petals, and long, green leaves cascading down its back like long hair. It wore a small crown, a still-closed flower on its head, and looked incredibly proud and well trained.

"Ash, what kind of pokémon is that? I've never seen one like this before," said Dawn. Ash's brows were furrowed in concentration and he didn't react until Gary elbowed him.

"Huh? What? Oh that? This is Tsareena, the final evolution of Bounsweet and Steenee. An Alola pokémon. Mallow’s had her since forever, hasn't she?”

Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles and Lillie nodded in agreement.

"It's her strongest pokémon. Her 'starter' if you will," Kiawe added.

"Okay Tsareena, we'll finish this quickly! High Jump Kick, go!” A fighting type attack, one of the few types superior to a steel type like Empoleon. If Empoleon managed to dodge this attack, Tsareena would hurt herself badly, but if it hit and broke through Empoleon's armor, it wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

Barry seemed to know that too, but Empoleon was already so weakened by the battle against Lurantis that it was no longer possible to even think of evading in time. Tsareena kicked the large pokémon square in the face with her powerful leg outstretched, knocking Empoleon unconscious with just one attack. Its body slammed heavily to the ground, and Barry winced at the violent impact himself, before reluctantly pulling out his poké ball and giving Empoleon its well-deserved rest.

It was even again.

Barry called Heracross. Generally not a bad choice against Tsareena, which seemed to be mainly a grass type, but Heracross was not particularly strong. And it only knew a single, not particularly strong bug attack - Dawn didn't bother to ask Barry why.

Despite her type disadvantage, Tsareena also wrestled Heracross to the ground, and Dawn could clearly see Barry getting nervous. No wonder - this pokémon really seemed incredibly strong. And Mallow didn’t give him any time to really ponder, she managed to build up a lot of pressure on both Barry and his pokémon.

Heracross had only been able to fire a few attacks, and even fewer of them had hit. If he wanted to win, he had to come up with something. But Dawn knew he still had Staraptor and Snorlax, and everyone knew how much a Snorlax could take and dish out.

The fight between Staraptor and Tsareena was a long and bitter one, punctuated by the two times Tsareena’s High Jump Lick missed, injuring herself, and the flawless Brave Bird dives Paul and Honchkrow had practiced with Staraptor.

Mallow picked Talonflame next, and at least now Barry scored well with his Floatzel. The sea weasel managed to knock out Talonflame with little effort, but was defeated by Mallow’s Comfey’s sneaky and quick fairy attacks. When Comfey was then defeated by Staraptor and avenged by Mallow’s Toucannon, who also fell to the ground shortly thereafter, only their last two pokémon were left to face each other.

"Oh oh," Dawn murmured as Mallow’s last pokémon appeared in the arena. So much for the secret weapon Snorlax. Trevenant wouldn't even care about its normal moves, and the Dozing Pokémon only knew one steel type move, which was very draining. Was it over now?

"Okay Trevenant, that's a normal type, we can do this! Finish him off, Wood Hammer!”

"Belly Drum, Snorlax!"

What was he up to? Was he trying to take out Trevenant with just one hit? Heavy Slam was powerful, but was that enough? Mallow’s pokémon were all massive powerhouses that seemed to have pretty darn good defenses. She had prepared really well.

Trevenant scored a hit but was injured in the recoil and thrown back.

"Good Trevenant, Forest’s Curse! We won't let him hit!"

While Snorlax was pounding its stomach with full force and thereby strengthening its attack power, dark trees and bushes sprouted from the ground. Snorlax was now covered with moss and branches, and thus took on the plant type.

"Snorlax, Hammer Arm!"

"What the fuck is he doing?!" Paul asked and clasped his hands over his head. Ash burst out laughing at the look of desperation on his former rival's face. This was probably the most emotion he had ever seen Paul have since he’s known him.

“It's called creativity, Paul. You should try it sometimes."

"Trevenant is a ghost, you cretin. Ever attacked a ghost pokémon with fighting moves?”

Dawn cautiously peered out at the battlefield between her fingers cupped to her face. What the hell was he thinking? Even the commentator and Mallow seemed beyond confused as to exactly what Barry's plan seemed to be. If he even had one.

But why was he grinning like that...? Did he, for the first time in his life, really have a plan?

"Okay, now full power on the ground!"

The...ground? Dawn’s mouth dropped as she finally understood what Barry's intention had been all along. Snorlax slammed its fist into the arena floor with full force, causing such a blast that Trevenant was thrown backwards and Mallow herself almost fell. The bushes and trees that had sprouted from the ground throughout the arena due to Trevenant’s Forest Curse were disengaged, giving the Old Tree Pokémon no chance to hide between them.

"Okay Trevenant, then we have to go on the offensive now! Shadow Claw!”

"Snorlax, end it now with Heavy Slam!"

Trevenant’s attack hit Snorlax head-on with full force, but the massive, otherwise sleepy pokémon was now wide awake and ready to fight. It didn't give Trevenant a chance to dodge before using its full 1,000-pound body weight and steel-hardened arms to lunge at the ghost pokémon. They both crash-landed into the ground, but when Snorlax got up again after a short time, the battle was decided.

Trevenant lay stunned on the floor and didn't get up again.

"Trevenant is unable to battle, Snorlax won! So the winner of this battle is Barry from Twinleaf Town!”

Dawn, Lucas, Zoey and Kenny jumped up and cheered. Paul stared in disbelief at the battlefield, not being able to process what just happened. Dawn wasn’t even disappointed anymore that her and Lucas didn’t make it to the second round. Barry's happy grin was comfort enough. And the next time she saw Calem, she was going to give him a good beating. After she...had practiced a little more.

It was almost lost in all the loud cheering, but Dawn could still make out Ash's smug voice from behind them.

"Well, Paul? Who is the cretin now?”

Chapter 13: Bad News

Notes:

I wanted to upload this on friday already whoops, but anyway have it now!

Ash and Kiawe met Lana after Mallow’s battle, just as she was giving her pokémon to Nurse Joy, who immediately took care of Sandy and brought him to the treatment room.

"Hey Lana! That was a great battle!" Ash called out to her from a distance, and his voice seemed to make someone in the back prick their ears, because shortly afterwards there was a surprised scream from Brock and something rattled before Pikachu came out and tackled Ash directly in the belly. He was barely able to catch him in time. Pikachu didn’t seem to have noticed that he had only been seconds away from crashing into the ground, he just squealed in delight and rubbed his head on his trainer’s chest.

"Oof, oh hey, someone has a lot of energy, huh? I hope you'll use that later in battle," Ash laughed, scratching his pokémon behind the ear. Pikachu squeaked and closed his eyes. Lana turned to them and smiled at the interaction.

"I lost Sandy way too soon. That was a stupid mistake. I didn't stand a chance without him. Mimikyu tried so hard, but it wasn't enough. I need to apologize to all of them later,” she then sighed and patted Pikachu’s back too.

"There you are, you little runaway," came Brock’s voice and he emerged from the back room, hands on his hips and with a glare on his face aimed at Pikachu.

The pokémon brightly smiled back at him.

"Come on, you haven't even finished eating yet. You and Ash will have all the time in the world afterwards, I promise.”

Pikachu willingly hopped back into Brock's arms when Ash loosened his grip on him and let Brock lead him back to the others.

"Lance is an incredibly skilled trainer," Ash said, leaning against the small clinic's counter on Lana’s left while Kiawe did the same on the other side, "and he's been battling with dragon types all his life. He knows exactly how to deal with pokémon that have a type advantage against his own. He wasn't Kanto's champion for years for nothing. You held up well, really well.”

Kiawe nodded in agreement, but Lana didn't look convinced.

"Really? But-"

"Listen to him," came Lance's voice from the entrance, footsteps quickly coming closer, "if Ash says you fought well, then you fought well. No one is born a master. I think you just lack experience, because you clearly have a lot of talent, Lana.”

"Do you really think so?" Lana asked, blushing and looking up at Lance, clearly a bit intimidated.

Ash understood that only too well. He'd always adored Lance as a kid, hoarded every kind of merchandise and trading cards, and whatever else was on the market back then, like a madman. There even was a sticker album, signed by Lance, lying around his mother's house. It had been a birthday gift from Gary for his fifth birthday.

It still felt like a dream when Lance met him on the Indigo Plateau for the first time after Ash became Alola's champion, shook his hand, telling him how proud he was of him. It was still a bit strange to see your idol as an equal after all these years of admiration.

“I really liked the trick with the Stealth Rocks. How you used my own attack against me. You are creative, take advantage of that. If you want, we can train a bit together on the two resting days, then I'll show you a few more tricks to make your pokémon stronger. And if you want some special fairy training, one of the fairy pokémon trainers here can surely help you out. Valerie for example, she’s a gym leader in Kalos. Or young Bede, who’s a gym leader here in Galar.”

"Bede? Is that the blonde with the curly hair? He didn't strike me as particularly open to strangers. He always gives me an angry look when I walk by,” Lana murmured, putting her index finger to her lip thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Ash felt a weight on his shoulders that turned out to be an elbow and a voice right next to his head. "He may have somewhat of a hard shell, but he's actually quite nice if you get to know him better. And he loves to share his knowledge. If you want, I can introduce you later.”

"Typical," Ash pouted and turned his head to the right, where Goh's blue eyes stared at him innocently as usual, "first arriving way too late and then immediately using me as an armrest without even greeting me properly. I'm hurt."

"Aw, did you miss me so much, Ash? How clingy. Have I become such an important part of your life that every minute without me is painful?”

Ash snorted. "Oh boy. I see you're spending way too much time with Gary these days."

Still, Ash of course didn't need to be asked twice when Goh beamed and held out his arms. After all, they hadn't seen each other in person for more than half a year. While they'd kept "in touch" through their phones, Goh was a lousy texter and it could sometimes take weeks for him to actually type two sentences.

How could it be otherwise, as he was regularly searching his phone for days because he had left it Arceus knows where during some hasty attempt to catch a pokémon. Which was also why Ash had already video chatted with a wild, very confused Smeargle once.

"I missed you, Goh," Ash murmured into Goh's shoulder, "I'm glad you made it."

“I left as fast as I could, but there have been a few…complications. I'll tell you about it later," he said. The "when we're alone" went unspoken, but Ash knew Goh well enough that that wasn't necessary. For a moment concern flickered across Goh’s face and Ash felt a queasy feeling rising up inside him, but then Goh smiled again and turned to Lana for a proper greeting.

"Hey guys. So yes, if you want me to introduce you to Bede, I'm more than happy to do that, no problem."

Lana beamed and nodded.

"Yes Goh, that would be great. Thank you so much."

Lance grinned and patted an unassuming Lana on the back so hard that the petite young woman nearly fell over from the force. Kiawe, Ash and Goh of course did their absolute best not to laugh.

"I'm sure he'll be able to teach you a thing or two. I should go now, Cynthia, Alder and Steven are already waiting for me.”

Lance also gave his pokémon to Nurse Joy for examination and waved at them before disappearing through the doors. Lana stayed in the center, to be there when she was allowed to see her pokémon again. Kiawe went to go look for Sophocles, Mallow, and Lillie, and Ash and Goh went for a walk. Ash was way too curious to start the conversation, which they had to have, to wait any longer.

A short time later they found themselves under the large chestnut trees that shrouded the entire courtyard in shades. Cinderace leisurely trotted alongside them, playing football with some rocks it found along the way.

"So what were these complications?"

Goh tucked his hands in his hoodie's pocket and kicked a rock that Cinderace just lost back to it. He frowned thoughtfully.

"I was in Hoenn, as you know. And well, apparently Kyurem isn't the only pokémon going through a weird...phase right now. Groudon did not attack humans directly, but it caused an earthquake near Lavaridge. There were a few injuries and a lot of property damage, including the airport. So I had to fly here with Pidgeot, Flygon and Aerodactyl, which of course took quite a while."

"The next legendary pokémon to go berserk? Does Brendan know about this already?”

"Yes, I saw him fly away with a little green-haired guy on an Altaria when I arrived, the direction was right too. I really hope this isn't some kind of virus or something that's spreading and making all the pokémon go nuts. That would be bad.”

"Oh how I missed your boundless optimism," sighed Ash, "don't knock on the devil’s door for too long, okay?"

Goh laughed.

"I’m sorry. Well, sometimes the legendary pokémon just have their whims. Maybe we worry too much about all this.”

Ash nodded. He was trying to tell himself that the whole time, which had been a lot easier when it had only affected Kyurem. But now also Groudon? No. Something was wrong. Again.

"Did Kyogre behave strangely, too?"

“No, the seas were all calm. If anything had happened, I would have noticed, I flew right over it."

"You should tell Gary about it. He started researching these behaviors after the Kyurem thing, and anything you could tell him about Groudon would be helpful. Not a virus, but maybe there is indeed some connection between the two incidents.”

"Yeah, I was going to tell him anyway. Still nothing new on Kyurem? So weird. Cinderace, come back, we have to go back to the stadium. And please don't play football with any stones there, okay? I don't want anyone getting a laceration because of you again."

Ash grinned at the pouting pokémon before they finally climbed the steps to the stands. Goh had been around Galar for a long time, forming deep friendships with the trainers here, so he didn't want to miss Gordie's battle, and Ash was curious to see how Wallace’s battling style had changed over time. He hadn't seen the eccentric ex-champion battle in ages.

"Are you also allowed in the VIP area?"

"Yep, thanks to Gloria. Because as you might remember, someone else completely forgot about me.” Goh lifted his nose in mock offense and looked away from Ash.

"Aww, I'm sorry about that. Am I that important to you? How clingy you are.”

Goh gaped at him for a moment, then laughed out loud and Ash joined in a moment later. Well, he had messed with the wrong guy. If Ash had learned anything in the twenty-three years he'd known Gary, it was how to beat a sarcastic smartass at his own game.

They arrived just in time for the announcer to tell the audience who Gordie was. Goh moved to the Galar group first thing once they entered the lounge and chatted with Bede for a moment, who was sitting between Marnie and Victor with his arms crossed. He raised his eyebrows at Goh's words. Then he nodded, which Ash took as a good sign.

And then - much to the surprise of not only Ash, but also Gloria, Victor and Hop - he got up and walked over to Lana. Hands buried in the pockets of his gigantic pink jacket and face half-hidden as well, but his demeanor seemed friendly enough and Lana visibly relaxed after talking to him for a while.

Ash turned back to face forward and grinned contentedly. Goh had been right about him. Maybe he really wasn't that bad after all. Or maybe the old lady Opal had just beat a few manners into him with her cane. Both Goh and himself had experienced first-hand how many scruples this woman had— which were none.

The referee's whistle sounded and Gordie's battle against Wallace began. Gordie was strong, and so were his rock types, but the combined power of Wallace’s water pokémon and his battling experience eventually defeated him.

Immediately afterwards it was Max and Iris’ turn. May almost pressed her nose to the window, ecstatic as she was about seeing her brother batttle. It was also the first time Drew had shown to be anything like remotely enthusiastic about one of the battles. The Unova corner wasn’t quiet either, with Georgia proclaiming loudly that Iris better not lose before she could make her lose, and Cilan on the edge of his seat during the whole battle. Ash was sure that Trip would have red marks all over his shoulder from the death grip Cilan had on him.

Max, in the eight years he's been an active trainer now, had established himself as one of the most promising young trainers of his age with his analytical and level-headed approach, and his battle clearly showed that.

Yet, Iris was a fantastic trainer with a lot of knowledge and her dragons were strong, and while Max had some sly tricks, it wasn't enough to match Iris’ experience and strength. Despite this, May almost blew up with pride when Max managed to knock out Iris’ Haxorus, her strongest pokémon, with his Swampert.

And then it was time. The battle Ash has been waiting for since the tournament had started this morning. No, actually, since way before. Steven Stone was arguably one of the strongest champions Hoenn had ever had, and his Metagross was a nightmare for many challengers.

Ash couldn't wait to finally see his once fiercest rival in a match that would maybe challenge him more than the battles over the Sinnoh champion title did. Surely he wouldn’t be able to crush Steven like he always crushed the few hopeful kids a year who even made it to him.

Chapter 14: Lillie vs. Blue

As it turned out, Gary had been right from the start. Steven didn’t stand a chance against Paul’s team. Ash had expected a lot, but not necessarily Paul sweeping over Steven's pokémon like a steamroller, barking out command after command, hardly giving the former champion of Hoenn any chance to retaliate.

Even Steven himself seemed a little taken aback by the overwhelming power of Paul's pokémon as he shook his hand after the match and congratulated him on his victory. It was stunning how Steven's last pokémon had been fighting with all its might, while down there on the field Weavile still bounced up and down with energy, looking like it was ready to take on the next opponent.

Ash swallowed. And he had to defeat that if he wanted to become world champion? That seemingly invincible team full of pokémon just bursting with strength and talent? They hadn't even seen Dragapult battle, which Paul had specifically named as his second strongest pokémon.

Maybe he should be hoping someone else kicked Paul out of the tournament before they could even face each other on the field? But then he had to defeat the person who defeated Paul? That sounded even more impossible.

Ash felt his adrenaline pumping just thinking about it, but he shook off the thoughts and focused on what was happening below. Because first of all it was Blue and Lillie’s turn. And who knows? Maybe it was someone else entirely that he had to worry about. If the rumors of how strong Lillie had gotten were true, she would be a difficult opponent too.

On top of that, Gladion looked pretty confident as he leaned against the windowsill and looked down at the arena where his sister just came out of the tunnel, waving at the audience. He had a subtle, but happy twinkle in his eyes and if Ash saw right, he was holding both his thumbs tightly in his fists.

On the other side came Blue, looking uncharacteristically nervous, struggling to keep her usual calm and confident facade.

They both threw their poké balls at the same time. Emerging from Lillie’s was a fabulously beautiful Milotic, who gracefully leaped into the pool in front of it and reappeared with an intimidating scream. The many small drops of water that rolled off its body as it emerged caught the light of the sun over the arena and created a colorful play that left the spectators breathless.

"That was beautiful," May whispered and almost pressed her nose against the pane to be even closer to the action. Drew nodded, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape in amazement.

"She would make a fantastic coordinator," he said, and May nodded eagerly.

"Oh wow, what a performance! Lillie sends one of the most elegant and beautiful pokémon in the world into the ring, a stunning Milotic! And on the other hand, Blue shows off her Rapidash, who also seems to be bursting with strength! This is sure to be an exciting match!” exclaimed the commentator as Blue's pokémon also manifested.

The fire unicorn danced around in front of Milotic's pool, nostrils inflated and a fire blazing in its dark eyes. Its burning hooves left small, black marks on the hard floor of the arena. It was obviously dying to prove it could easily take on a Milotic.

But it was Lillie who opened the battle.

"Okay Milotic, surround yourself with a water ring right now! And then use Aqua Tail!”

"Rapidash, back out!"

Blue’s Rapidash was quick, but Milotic was even quicker, and that first attack hit the Fire Horse square in the flank, which buckled with a groan, but got up as quickly as it fell. The flames on its body had gone out for a second, but Rapidash whinnied in anger and pain, letting its flames burn even higher than before.

"Aqua Tail again, Milotic!"

"Gallop around the pool! Full power, make Milotic tired!” shouted Blue.

Rapidash ground its hooves and started sprinting from a standing position, just in time to evade Milotic's second, perhaps already devastating, attack. Its flaming mane flared higher and higher as it picked up on speed. Ash thought back to that race with Lara's Ponyta, who had also evolved into a Rapidash mid-race.

Back then, they had reached a speed of about 180 kilometers per hour, but Blue's pokémon seemed to be able to run the full 240 a Rapidash could run, as it swept through the arena. It was so fast, one couldn't even see its moving hooves anymore.

"Okay, let's time it and then try Aqua Tail again! Don’t let them intimidate you! Hide under the water so it doesn't see you coming!"

Milotic chirped in agreement and dove into the water. Blue's eyes immediately darted around the pool, trying to locate Milotic, since her pokémon certainly didn't have time to think about where its opponent might be right now.

"Now!" Milotic shot out of the water just a few meters in front of Rapidash.

"Rapidash, turn around, quick!" Blue called almost simultaneously.

Rapidash slammed its hooves into the ground and swerved just as Milotic appeared in front of it and tried to use its Aqua Tail. Sand whirled up in the arena and the water type shook its head wildly. It must have gotten some sand in its eyes.

"Good!"

Oh yes, that was a fantastic dodge from Rapidash - wait, was that the wrong voice? Why did Lillie say...?

"Now Blizzard, Milotic!"

Ice type moves normally weren’t very effective against fire type pokémon, but Milotic's attack was so overwhelming that Rapidash didn't stand a chance against it. The ice encased all four of its legs, and no matter how hard Rapidash flared its nostrils and shook its head, it couldn't free itself from the ice. But Blizzard should never have been so strong, what…?

"Oh wow, that was good. That was really good. Your friend is really talented, I'm sure that's exactly what she had planned all along,” Gary breathed enthusiastically.

"Would you enlighten us on what the hell just happened, Professor?" Ash asked, still dumbfounded.

"Lillie definitely has Milotic's ability ‘Competitive’ to thank for this heavy impact of Blizzard. It is activated when the pokémon is affected by a negative status change. While not an official attack, what Rapidash did had the same effect as Sand Attack. This has dropped Milotic's accuracy but increased his Special Attack by two stages. While it was risky using Blizzard since it's not a very accurate move in the first place, it hit bull's eye and was able to freeze Rapidash."

And any next push with a water type move would have knocked out Rapidash, but Blue knew that too, and called it back before that could happen.

"You fought great. Rest, Rapidash. Okay, Beedrill, it's your turn!"

Gladion eyed the relatively unfamiliar pokémon curiously, while Misty let out a soft "iew." All these years and she still hadn't made peace with bug types. Although Ash had to admit that Beedrill wasn't one of his favorite pokémon either.

They weren't particularly pleasant guys to live with, and he'd been hunted by one swarm or another a little too often to really like them. He preferred Butterfree and related species a thousand times over.

But, it was undisputable, that it was a strong and stubborn pokémon. With the help of its mega evolution and a Fell Stinger like Ash had never seen before, it brought down Milotic, giving Blue the first win of this battle.

It even managed to hold its ground against Lillie’s mega evolved Gallade during their impromptu sword fight caused by X-Scissor and Psycho Cut, both pokémon at each others throats with Gallades sharp blade-like arms and Beedrills stinger.

It almost looked like Blue would win this round too, but Lillie stopped the duel with Close Combat and managed to make the score even again. In the end, both pokémon went down at the same time, the referee evaluating them as both unable to battle.

Lillie smiled and held Gallade's poké ball tightly in her hands after retrieving him.

"You were fantastic, Gallade. Thank you so much. Alright Delphox! Show me what you've got!"

"Nido, we can do it!"

Blue and Nidoqueen couldn’t do it.

Delphox was a powerful psychic type with a nasty Future Sight attack that Nidoqueen was particularly weak against, although its ground type gave it an inherent advantage over the Fox Pokémon. Delphox wasn't considered one of the most dangerous psychic pokémon in the world for nothing, along with Alakazam and Hatterene.

Ash would disagree of course, but none of those who rated this had ever met Mewtwo. They couldn’t know what they were talking about.

With a Dig attack, which Blue had skilfully and sneakily threaded into the fight, Nidoqueen was at least able to damage its opponent a little bit, even if it was not enough to win the battle.

"Well would you look at that," Green joked, "I wouldn't have thought our Blue capable of something so deceitful."

“Well, she used to be a scammer. Reading people and then taking advantage of them is sort of her thing,” Yellow replied.

"Maybe so, but her victims back then were just random losers who could easily be ripped off."

Red blushed deeply at Green’s words and pulled his cap lower over his face while muttering, "Could’ve happened to anyone."

Next came Blasty, which unsurprisingly turned out to be Blue's starter pokémon, Blastoise. The toad lady had quite the power in her and after a hard, tiring fight she finally managed to take down Lillie’s Delphox and claim this round. And while she suffered from the burns left by Delphox' fire attacks, she defeated Leafeon right after.

The small Eeveelution may have had the type advantage over Blastoise, but a Body Press was enough to knock it out. No wonder, after all, Blastoise weighed a good ninety kilos, and such a small pokémon couldn’t deal with such a full-body attack, coming at it full force.

When Blasty rolled off Leafeon, the Fresh Verdure Pokémon just staggered around disoriented and the referee declared the match lost. However, this battle had also taken a toll on Blasty, leaving Blue with little choice but to recall her to her poké ball for now.

"Uh oh, Lillie only has two pokémon left and Blue still has four. That doesn't look good," Mallow murmured worriedly, almost squeezing Lana’s hand blue at this point.

“Yes, but these two are heavy hitters. Nothing is decided yet, she kept her best for last” Gladion replied. He looked so relaxed that Ash had a feeling Blue was in for a few surprises.

"Snowy, it's your turn!"

Out of the ball emerged Ninetails, its sleek white fur shining brightly and a determined look on its face. Its Snow Cloak ability activated immediately, and glittering snowflakes fell to the ground around it. The snow glistened in the arena's sunlight and elicited a few amazed cheers from the crowd.

"Okay, we can do that too! Go Ditty!”

The misshapen little purple speck that popped out of the poké ball was by far the happiest pokémon Ash had seen in the tournament so far. Or at least the most attention-grabbing. Not having proper arms and hands, it used its entire body to wave at the audience when it realized all the attention was on it.

Oh man, Duplica would absolutely love this little Ditto. Maybe she was sitting somewhere in the crowd and watching as well?

"Ditty, hey, focus, yeah? Transform!”

Ditto paused as it walked the imaginary red carpet and eyed the pokémon in front of it before transforming into an exact replica of Snowy with a happy coo, proudly rearing its tail.

Ditto mimicked all of Snowy’s attacks so closely that it almost seemed like Lillie’s pokémon was fighting a mirror. Still, it was easy to see that Ditto simply lacked the experience to battle as Ninetails, always limping behind a few seconds whenever Lillie ordered an attack.

While Blue had certainly combed through the database and memorized all of the moves that Lillie’s pokémon knew, it wasn't easy for her to call them out perfectly either. Ultimately, it wasn't enough for Ditto to win when Ninetails attacked with a powerful Dazzling Gleam, and Blue was down a pokémon again.

It was now three to two. Gladion had been right, nothing was decided yet.

Blue sent her Rapidash back into the ring, who had since recovered a bit from the battle against Milotic.

"Fire Blast, Rapidash!"

A fire type attack, generally very effective against an ice type like Ninetails, but due to the Aurora Veil Lillie had used in the battle against Ditto, it wasn't enough to finish Snowy. With another Dazzling Gleam, Lillie hit back and finally brought Rapidash down as well. Now they each had one healthy pokémon and one very down pokémon. That would definitely be a close call.

"Okay Clefy, use Healing Wish and help Blasty please!"

Clefable obeyed without hesitation, holding the weakened Blastoise’s poké ball, which began to glow.

Lillie frowned and crossed her arms as this happened. It wasn't allowed to attack a pokémon during a move like this, and she knew what Healing Wish did. Blasty was back to normal in no time and ready to take on her pokémon again, while her own was already quite battered. But it was a clean and fair move, so she would have to deal with it.

Clefable’s appearance in the match was short, but Blasty roared her will to win throughout the stadium as she was called back onto the field. The two cannons on her back were ready to fire, and Snowy only barely managed to stay afloat with a couple of tight evasive maneuvers. After about ten minutes of this little dance, Snowy had to admit defeat.

"Gladion?" Mallow asked, "Lillie’s last pokémon isn't-"

Lillie’s brother grinned and nodded. "It is."

Ash looked at him curiously, but then shifted his gaze back to Lillie. He would probably find out soon. She gave the poké ball a gentle kiss before throwing it onto the battlefield. Out came something that probably no one in this arena, apart from Lillie’s challengers and friends, had ever seen.

"And Lillie sends Magearna into battle! An extremely rare pokémon, ladies and gentlemen, in fact it is the only one of its kind! Man-made by a scientist more than five hundred years ago, it can mimic, and even feel, the emotions of pokémon and humans alike through a construct in its chest called the Soul-Heart! A truly impressive pokémon that has been used in Lillie’s champion battles and is a great honor to see it live in action here today!"

Ash whistled in delight and crossed his arms.

"So Magearna, eh? Surely the PLA didn’t just approve that right away, did they?”

Gladion shook his head.

“No, there was quite a bit of back-and-forth with the examiners, but they finally approved it. Magearna is incredibly strong, but not inherently stronger than a regular pokémon could be. It's definitely not Legendary Pokémon level, so it's okay. Like me and my Silvally.”

Ash snickered.

"Please don't tell me you two showed up there together and registered your pokémon. What must they’ve been thinking? The two weird champion siblings and their two super weird man-made pokémon.”

A small grin graced Gladion's lips and he shrugged. "Yeah, I guess they won't forget us for a while. It was probably Silvally who convinced them. They were a bit afraid of Magearna's blank stare, I think. But when Silvally threw itself on the ground in front of them and asked for a belly rub – they decided both of them are close enough to real pokémon.”

„And how embarrassing was that experience for you?“

„Very.“

Ash laughed. He would have loved to see that, especially Gladion hiding his face behind his hand, as usual when Silvally proved it was basically just an oversized Lillipup and would never say no to a round of belly rubs and back scratches. To be fair, Silvally had been created by adding actual pokémon genes into the process, while Magearna was really just a machine with a heart of sorts built into it. It was no wonder Silvally was acting more like a real pokémon.

"Blasty, Hydro Pump!" And so it began, the last round of this match.

Blasty's hydropump struck Magearna head-on, who was especially slow to move. The water certainly didn't do any good to the machinery inside, but Magearna shook itself and went back into position.

"Zap Cannon!"

"Blasty, dodge!"

Blastoise dove onto her side and only got a grazing shot, but she howled in pain and suddenly moved terribly slowly and awkwardly. The electric attack must have paralyzed her. She was seemingly able to break through it, but only very slowly and probably with some effort that cost her a lot of strength.

"Okay, Shell Smash and then another Hydro Pump!" Blasty slipped out of her shell, which was incredibly discomforting to watch, and charged at the opponent. Magearna tried to defend itself with a Fleur Cannon – but the sudden loss of weight had turned Blasty into an unstoppable missile.

Although the cannons that Blastoise always carried around were attached to the tank and thus left behind, Blasty opened her jaws and catapulted Magearna to the ground with a powerful attack.

"Magearna, Pain Split!"

Magearna raised its arm with a stoic, blank stare and sent an energetic blast toward Blasty. The exchange only lasted a few seconds, but Magearna was clearly feeling better after that, while Blasty was starting to pant heavily.

"Okay, Flash Cannon again, full power! While it's so close!”

Again, as in its first attack, Magearna extended the barrel of the cannon on its arm and let out a huge, blinding bolt of light that struck Blasty square in the chest. Blue gritted her teeth. She knew that in the state Blasty was in, she should have avoided letting an attack from Lillie hit. Magearna's attacks were just way too powerful for that, and that was ultimately the point that decided the match.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Magearna won, so the winner of this battle is Lillie!”

Ash let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. As he had thought before - maybe it really was Lillie and her Magearna he should be afraid of.

Chapter 15: The Cafeteria

Notes:

before editing this, I never knew that there are actually two Drakes in the english dub, it was quite the surprise when I tried looking for the Orange Islands Drake on bulbagarden and the site for the elite four member opened :')

At lunch in the big cafeteria next to the stadium, Ash finally met Reggie – and fortunately, this time it really was him.

Of course, Paul had snitched on Ash confusing him with his brother. Reggie, of course, promptly introduced himself as Paul, struggling to put on an expression that would’ve made that at least slightly believable.

With him were Veilstone’s gym leader Maylene, and a little boy whom he introduced to them as their son Noah. He was apparently a very curious little boy, and really, really excited about Pikachu - much to his parents' chagrin.

"He's got way too much energy," Reggie sighed, smiling as he watched Noah playing catch with Pikachu and Gengar. And kind of Maylene, but she took part rather involuntarily so that Noah - or Gengar - wouldn't run in front of some poor strangers' feet.

"Seems to be quite a handful," Dawn grinned while munching on her rice ball, "but you've got experience with difficult brats, haven't you?"

"And I'm very successful at taming them, I'd say," Reggie laughed, "Paul's only bitten me three times so far!"

Ash stopped just as he was about to take a bite of his cheeseburger and frowned.

...So far?

"Where did the man of the hour run off to, anyway? I haven't seen him since he defeated Steven. Is he hiding from the paparazzi? Or Barry?” Dawn thoughtfully tapped her chin with her chopsticks.

"Or from someone else entirely," Reggie muttered under his breath. He looked thoughtful, if not downright unhappy, and also a little bitter. It was all too obvious how Dawn wanted to ask Reggie who he was talking about, only holding back out of politeness. Reggie already seemed to be regretting he'd let that slip, because he tightened his lips and stared out the window with a look that was in no way inferior to the scowl Paul usually gave.

Dawn immediately changed the subject and smoothly guided Reggie's mind to all the pokémon he'd been raising lately, while Ash looked around the cafeteria. At one of the tables further away, Goh, Gary and Sonia sat, engulfed in a heated discussion - certainly about what Goh had told Ash earlier in the gardens. Gary had even brought his laptop, which he carried around absolutely everywhere, and was typing away on the keyboard like a savage.

Ash was about to get up and walk over to them, but just as he was collecting Pikachu and turning to the trash can to throw away the leftovers, someone crashed into him with full force, knocking them both down.

Dishware and cutlery rattled and fell to the floor with a deafening clash. Ash grumbled and heard Pikachu doing the same. His cheeks were already crackling, ready to unleash a mighty Thunderbolt at the fiend.

It was utter chaos and Ash didn't even have to look up to know who had just waltzed into him.

"Damn it, Barry," he muttered as he sat up, quickly pulling his pokémon out of the range of fire before Barry was shocked as well.

"Sorry," Barry groaned, holding his head, "I didn't see you there."

"Can you please tell me why you're always in such a hurry?"

Barry blinked at him briefly, then it seemed to hit him and he threw his hands in the air.

"Oh yes! I have to go to Dawn. Have you seen her?"

Ash nodded his head in the direction of the table where Dawn and Reggie were still sitting, watching the crash with curiosity - just like everyone else in the cafeteria, apparently. A few had already jumped up to help, but those who knew Barry or had heard of him just smiled awkwardly and slowly went back to eating and talking to each other.

Meanwhile, Dawn got up and quickly walked over to them.

"I figured I’d get to you before Barry sprints over and causes a second accident. What is it?”

"Really bad thing. Apparently Regigigas has woken up and is now terrorizing Snowpoint. Houses are being torn down and people are being evacuated, but there are already a few injured and missing. Paul is on the way there, but he has no chance against this beast by himself. That's why Lucas and I will be flying after him, and I thought you might want to come too. The more strong trainers we have with us, the better.”

Dawn’s eyes darkened and she nodded.

"Of course I'll come with you. He really wants to fight Regigigas alone? What is he thinking? Does Cynthia know about this?”

"Yes, she's on her way as well, but someone has to take care of the injured and those who still need to be rescued, and I guess she'll take care of that," Barry explained while Ash waved Gary over, who was clearly trying hard to listen in to what they were talking about.

"Do you want me to come too?" Ash asked, crossing his arms.

"You have your match later," said Dawn, "it's alright, no worries. With Cynthia, who can also intervene if necessary, there are five of us. That should at least push him back. But do you have a flying pokémon I could borrow that you don't need for your battle against Crystal? I don't have one that could fly distances that big with me on its back."

Ash wasn't entirely comfortable letting them go off on their own, but he nodded. Dawn was right, they could handle themselves.

"You can borrow Dragonite. She has enough stamina and should be able to do it easily.”

"I'll accompany you," Gary announced, "I've got Aerodactyl and Charizard, those two should easily make the way from here to Sinnoh, too. Is that okay? I'll tell Misty to cheer for you in my stead." Ash smiled weakly and nodded while squeezing Gary's hand that was resting on his shoulder.

"Sure. Just make sure Regigigas is stopped. And be careful.”

Before he could finish speaking, Barry waved his hand goodbye and bolted towards the exit, nearly tripping over Noah and Gengar. Dawn and Gary both looked after him with a frown.

"Maybe you two should make sure Barry doesn't have a horrible accident before he even arrives in Snowpoint," Ash murmured.

His friends laughed (in Gary's case) or rolled their eyes (Dawn) and, after a hug and a proper goodbye, also left.

"Say what you like," Goh said, Pikachu happily sticking out his paw at him as he appeared next to them, "but there are too many parallels for this to be simply a big coincidence. Something’s wrong.”

Ash pursed his lips and didn't answer, but he feared that Goh was probably right about that. Sure, there were times before in which one of the legendary pokémon felt it had to establish itself as king of the world and threw a tantrum about it, but three in a row in such a short time? That was pretty suspicious. And there was nothing Ash hated more than waiting and watching his friends put themselves in danger.

But maybe he was overreacting - Paul, Lucas, Barry, Dawn, Gary, Cynthia, they were all exceptionally strong trainers and more than capable of taking care of themselves. Not even Regigigas would be able to compete against that.

Hopefully.

Sonia walked up to them and seemed to want to put her hands on their shoulders in the sisterly way she used to, before realizing that the two of them now towered over her by a head. In Goh’s case, even and a head and a half. She patted them on their backs instead.

"Come on boys, Gloria is next. We should definitely not miss her match.”

Ash gladly took the admittedly weak attempt of a distraction, and Goh seemed happy about the change of topic as well.

"I heard she trained like crazy. Bede said his pokémon just flatly refuse to battle her and her team anymore because they were tired of being defeated all the time”, he replied with a grin and Sonia agreed with a laugh.

"Not just them, I heard the same thing from Victor and Hop. The only ones left willingly battling her are Raihan and Lee. Gloria is like a tornado. A tiny tornado that never made it past 1,60 in height, but there's a lot of fire in that little body. You really shouldn't underestimate them if you know what's good for you.”

* * *

And Sonia was absolutely right about that. It had been obvious that this world championship would be a showdown of exceptional skills and power, but this were still only the preliminary rounds and if the battles continued to go like this, someone would blow up the arena sooner or later.

Goh's Cinderace was a tough one in battle, but it was nothing compared to what Gloria's starter put to show. With a Pyro Ball, which looked more like a cannonball as it sped towards Tyson's Metagross, she emerged from the match as a proud winner.

To make matters worse, Hop explained to them that Gloria's Cinderace could gigantamax itself, so that wasn't even half the power it could have used.

Shortly after Gloria and Tyson shook hands and left the arena, Maylene and a happily chattering Noah walked in.

"Dad will definitely win! Why is Uncle Paul not here yet? He has to watch!”

"He's got something very important to do right now," Maylene sighed, "I'm sure he'll be back as soon as he can."

Ash made room next to him so Maylene could sit down.

"Does he have to do champion stuff? How boring!"

Maylene let out a tired sigh and a laugh. Ash wasn't entirely sure if "boring" was really the right word for what was going on, but the little one didn't need to know that.

While Ash pulled his phone out of his pocket every second and waited for one of his friends to give him an update on the situation (which was silly, he knew, given that they had only just left and it would be several hours before they arrived in Sinnoh), Noah fervently ran around the room with his Turtwig plushie in hand, telling everyone that the person battling now was his dad.

Reggie was always so composed and modest about battling that even Ash was baffled every time he did see him battle. His Drapion defeated Drake's Gengar and his Ditto easily and with a terrifying tranquility.

Drake managed to do some damage control with his incredibly strong and famous Dragonite, but even that couldn’t help him anymore when Reggie brought the dragon down from the sky with his Luxray and knocked it out with just two hits.

"Did he win? Did he win?!” Noah asked as Drake's last pokémon fell and the stadium erupted in celebration. The Sinnoh people went completely nuts, understandably.

First their champion had put up one of the strongest battles so far, then Barry followed suit with his victory and now Reggie too.

Oh man, if Paul had seen that battle, Ash was sure he'd admire his brother again, like he used to.

Noah, at least, was absolutely blown away when Maylene told him that yes, his father had won, and entertained everyone present with his excitement. He then immediately reaffirmed his displeasure about his uncle's absence, but soon became much more interested in going downstairs with his mother and picking up Reggie.

Ash rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants. Ten minutes break and then it was time. He nodded to Misty, who already looked at him expectantly, and she walked with him downstairs toward the prep room.

"Hey Reggie! Great battle!” Ash shouted from afar when he saw him walking towards them with Noah on his arm. Reggie grinned from ear to ear and nodded.

"Thanks Ash! I wish you the best of luck with yours, but I'm sure you won’t need it. Brock is waiting downstairs, your Pikachu is very excited to see you."

"Yes Ash, good luck!"

"Thanks, you two. I’ll do my best,” Ash said, knowing that he gave ‘his best’ plenty of times and it still hadn’t been enough.

But today it would be enough.

Crystal was going down.

Chapter 16: Ash vs. Crystal

Notes:

It's like six a.m. and I just proofread this so I hope I didn't miss anything ^^'

"PIKA-PI!"

"Oof."

Ash laughed as he entered the prep room and all he could see was Pikachu using Brock’s face as a springboard, leaping towards his trainer. He reached out and caught his fluffy best friend safely in his arms. Misty made fun of Brock, who did look a little dazed, while Ash walked over to his other pokémon. They were already eyeing him expectantly but weren’t quite as over the top energetic as Pikachu, it seemed.

Ash looked at them and smiled. All of them - Greninja, Sceptile, Charizard, Lucario and Gengar were bursting with strength and anticipation of battle. Adrenaline surged through Ash as he heard the enthusiastic cheers of the spectators beyond the long corridor he was about to walk down in a few minutes.

Just a few more minutes.

Crystal certainly wasn't going to hold back, but he had trained hard and his pokémon were ready to do their best for him today. And he had to do the same to live up to them. He would be a trainer they could be proud of – after so many failures, after so much disappointment.

"Okay guys, are you all ready to show them what we've got?" They were all loudly shouting over each other, which Ash just generally took as "yes." He clenched his fist resolutely and smiled. No matter what happened today, it was definitely going to be a battle everyone would remember. He would make sure of it.

"Everything good now? I have to say, I like this Ash a lot better. All the self doubt doesn’t suit you,” said Misty as she put her hands on Ash's shoulders from behind and squeezed. Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I’m good. We’re ready. We will beat Crystal today.”

"That's the spirit!" Brock exclaimed happily, "we'll both cheer for you! But speaking of which, where is-"

Ash heard a thump, and since Brock stopped speaking suddenly, he assumed he had gotten Misty's elbow into his side. He sighed. As hard as it was, he couldn't let himself be distracted now. Gary and the others would be fine, but he still wished that things had turned out differently, that his best friend could be here now.

The chime sounded for Ash to enter the arena, and after taking another deep breath, he called his pokémon back to their balls. Except for Pikachu, of course.

“You can do it. We believe in you. Gary does too”, Misty said, and Ash just nodded, slowly taking one step in front of the other. As he entered the long hallway, his steps quickened and became more confident, he felt Pikachu straighten up on his shoulder and push electricity out of his cheeks.

"Misty's right, buddy. We can do it."

The crowd went wild as he entered the arena. The sun's light blinded him and he pulled his cap lower over his face. He could see Crystal emerging from the other side, stepping forward with big, proud strides.

Ash lifted his head a little higher, straightening himself out. He glanced up at the VIP lounge from the corner of his eye. He couldn't see who was standing by the glass, but he knew his friends were up there, cheering him on.

"Are you ready?" the referee asked him, handing him the microphone to plug into his jacket. Ash nodded, and the referee moved across the field to ask Crystal the same question. He positioned himself back in his seat on the side, and Ash clutched his first poké ball.

His heart was pounding heavily in his chest. Even the first decision could sometimes be fatal, but he was certain that he had made a good choice. The whistle blew and Ash threw the ball at the same time Crystal threw hers.

Sceptile and Meganium came out. It was too early to celebrate, but Ash knew he had a huge advantage, maybe not in type, but certainly in terms of speed.

"And off we go! Ash sends Sceptile into battle while Crystal has chosen Meganium!"

Ash blocked out the commenter as best he could. He focused on his pokémon in front of him, which was standing in a fighting stance, waiting for his first command.

"Sceptile, X-Scissor!"

"Meganium, Petal Blizzard!"

Ash narrowed his eyes as Meganium attacked. Its Petal Blizzard had a slight twist to the left. An imperfection they could exploit.

"Sceptile, dodge to the left!" The grass type pokémon pushed off the ground with its powerful feet and made a sharp left turn. Meganium took a step back in surprise, turned in Sceptile’s direction, and let out another blizzard. By the time it could’ve hit though, Sceptile had long since reached it, stabbing at it with the razor-sharp leaves on its arms. Meganium squeaked in pain, then opened its eyes again, looking around intently.

"Sceptile, hit it from behind! X-Scissor again!”

As Ash had already suspected, Meganium just couldn't keep up with Sceptile’s immense speed. He'd always been quick, ever since he’d been that cheeky little Treecko that Ash found in the woods. They attacked from behind, from above, or viciously from the side. Meganium had enormous reserves of power and single attacks didn't hurt it much, but their strength lay in the number of attacks.

"Meganium, use Sweet Scent! That should be the end of this little hide-and-seek game!” Crystal yelled. Ash gritted his teeth. That's what he had feared.

"Do not let anything distract you! Go on!"

A useless instruction, Ash knew himself. The stronger the pokémon, the harder it was to counter the sweet attracting scent of a grass type pokémon with sheer willpower. Especially if your own
pokémon was of the plant type itself.

"Okay, now Solar Beam!"

"Dodge!" Despite his slowed reflexes, Sceptile managed to dodge the powerful attack, which didn't make Crystal happy. She summoned Meganium back to its poké ball without another word. Ash wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and patiently waited for her second pokémon to be revealed. He might have backed her into a corner there just a little bit, but it was way too early to celebrate anything.

"Scizor, it's your turn, go! X-Scissor! An eye for an eye!” Oh no.

Sceptile and Scizor were both incredibly fast, but with Meganium’s scent still floating around the arena, Scizor had a slight advantage over Sceptile. It swept through the arena like a flash of red, and Ash noticed with concern that his pokémon didn't like the way the battle was going at all, becoming increasingly aggressive.

Don't lose your head, Ash thought. That had so often cost him everything. They hit back with full force, but then Scizor used Focus Energy, landing one direct hit after another. Ash watched helplessly as Sceptile was repeatedly thrown onto the hard arena floor. When he saw his pokémon having trouble getting back up, he retrieved it in his poké ball.

"Thank you, Sceptile. You fought great. Charizard, it's your turn! Overheat!”

"Oh Arceus," Ash heard Crystal's voice and a small grin escaped him as Charizard shot out of his poké ball with a deafening roar, a red swirl of flames immediately forming around him. He went into a nosedive and Crystal didn't even have time to give an order before they collided.

The attack left a cloud of smoke on the field. When the cloud vanished, Crystal just stared at her Scizor in bewilderment, who was knocked out on the floor. Even Ash was a bit taken aback. He had hoped that Charizard wouldn't take long to defeat the bug type, but he hadn't thought it would go that well.

"Scizor, come back." Crystal sounded shocked and defeated, but she quickly recovered. Frowning, she eyed Charizard above her, boisterous and arrogant as he was, doing hooks and pirouettes in the air.

Damn braggart. Ash snorted. He better didn’t see this as a challenge to do whatever he wanted now.

"Mismagius! Teach that braggart a lesson!” Crystal shouted, laughing and Ash grinned too. He was glad that she didn't seem to take Scizor’s early demise too harshly.

But then the grin left his face. He hadn't forgotten what Gary had told him about this Mismagius. An incredibly strong pokémon, and Charizard had never really been good with ghosts.

"Phantom Force!" Ash could feel his pokémon getting nervous as Mismagius immediately disappeared before his eyes. Ghosts were nearly impossible to detect when using Phantom- or Shadow Force, as they made no sound and left no tracks.

The only ones that could track them down after that were dark type pokémon, but Ash didn't have any of those with him right now. Krookodile or Incineroar would’ve made short work of this Phantom Force.

"Stay calm! You can do this, Charizard!”

Ash hadn't dared looking at the clock, but it couldn't have been five minutes before Charizard went down without landing a single hit. Crystal had taken revenge for Scizor and Mismagius hadn't given them a single chance to fight back. Not even Charizard's famous Overheat had been able to get them out of this misery.

"Well done, Charizard. Sorry, I know how much you hate ghosts."

Ash clipped the poké ball back to his belt and ran his fingers over the next one. He still had an ace up his sleeve for such situations, and even though it was very vulnerable to Mismagius’ attacks itself, it was at least able to defend itself too.

"Go, Gengar!"

"Hmmm Gengar. Another ghost. A good choice, Ketchum. But can it take on my Little Miss?” Crystal asked with a mockingly thoughtful finger on her chin. Ash grinned back.

"You bet! Gengar, Night Shade! Show Crystal what you got!”

The Night Shade was so powerful that it covered almost the entire arena. Even Ash couldn't see where Crystal and Mismagius had gone, let alone the spectators. But, judging by their enthusiastic shouts, they didn't seem to be too displeased by him trapping them in an inky veil. It wouldn't take long anyway once this worked out the way Ash had envisioned it.

If this worked the way Ash had envisioned it.

"Careful!" Ash shouted when he heard Mismagius’ hiss. Unnecessarily, because his pokémon had certainly sensed Mismagius long before she made herself known. He had no choice but to blindly trust Gengar. And he did.

Gengar has been one of his closest friends ever since he took it in after it had been dumped by its previous trainer. It always fought body and soul and knew exactly what Ash wanted without him even having to say it. They had battled many times before, but never on such a scale.

Of all his pokémon, Gengar had been the most nervous about today's battle. Had practiced alone at night when everyone else was asleep and worked so hard that Ash had to hit the brakes at one point. Certainly out of fear Ash might also classify it as useless or cursed and leave it behind.

As if he could ever do that. As if he wasn't the proudest person in the world watching his pokémon, his friends, battle like this.

Through the fog, the two pokémon could be seen jumping and flying around each other. Mismagius launched an attack, and Gengar skilfully hopped aside. Gengar spat out patches after patches of fog at Little Miss, but she deftly twisted out of the line of fire and took advantage of the dense fog on the battlefield.

"Gengar, the next time you see Mismagius, use Hypnosis immediately!"

The plan worked, fortunately. Crystal called out to Mismagius to dodge, but Gengar was a tad faster. Now they had them.

"Great Gengar! Dream Eater, now!” Ash exclaimed when he saw the opposing pokémon lying on the ground asleep.

Crystal gritted her teeth when she heard this, and yelled over and over for her pokémon to wake up. Pointless. A sleep attack was different than a pokémon's natural sleep. Her calls would do absolutely nothing here. Mismagius would wake up on her own, but until then-

"Very good, go on! We're almost there!”

"And that's it!", came the commentator's voice, "through a well-aimed Hypnosis and the really nasty Dream Eater attack, Gengar was able to wrestle Mismagius to the ground! It's now two to one for Ash! Can Crystal turn things around?!”

"Thank you, Little Miss! Come back and rest!”

With a smile on her face, Crystal aimed at the battlefield and retrieved Mismagius into her poké ball. She was fiddling with her belt, and Ash braced himself for anything.

"Machamp, go!"

What?

The four armed pokémon landed heavily on the arena floor with a thud and punched itself in the chest pugnaciously. Gengar hissed back, and while Crystal had a triumphant grin on her face, more and more question marks formed in Ash's mind.

What was her plan? Machamp was a fighting type. Its attacks would do absolutely nothing against Gengar. Did she think he would exchange Gengar for one of the others? Yes, Gengar had lost a lot of power, but for an opponent who couldn't attack, it would easily do.

What did he miss?

"Gengar," he began cautiously, "Nigth Shade again. Let's end this quickly.”

"That's right, let's end this quickly! Machamp, escape Gengar's Night Shade! Get as close to him as you can!”

Machamp pushed itself off the ground with its strong legs and jumped into the air. Gengar paused in surprise, but then continued its attack without being disturbed. Meanwhile, Ash tried to do the same. What could Crystal do? Weaken Gengar with status attacks, maybe. But that was about it.

"Okay Machamp! Darkest Lariat, now!”

Or...she could probably do that.

Ash knew the move, he had seen Professor Kukui and his own pokémon use it many times, but he hadn't known that Machamp could also learn this move. He had only known it as Incineroar’s special attack.

"You're stunned, aren't you? We learned this attack on Alola! You're not the only one who's gathered experience all over the world!” Crystal shouted at him over the sounds of the battle between them. Ash couldn't focus on her words as his focus was on Gengar, who was hit with full force by the dark attack.

Such a stupid mistake. Of course he should have known she had some ace up her sleeve. Crystal wasn't stupid. Why hadn't he figured out right away that Machamp had to have some kind of attack that could be dangerous for them?

"Gengar, come back. Sorry, buddy. I let you down." Ash sighed and sent his next pokémon into battle. He would have to apologize more profusely to Gengar later. For not thinking, and for being petrified at the last moment.

"Pikachu? Are you ready?"

"Pika!!"

Pikachu defeated Machamp without much trouble. If Crystal could pull a feint, then so could Ash. The electric attacks didn't bother Machamp that much, but Crystal had looked just as dumb as Ash had earlier with Darkest Lariat when Pikachu used a Play Rough, knocking the mighty fighter off its feet and knocking it out.

On the next turn, Crystal used her Vileplume and poisoned Pikachu. Ash had no choice but to get him back. Pikachu didn't even sit on his shoulder as usual and instead lay dazed on the ground. Ash quickly pulled a Pecha Berry from his jacket pocket and gave it to Pikachu, who lazily nibbled on it.

"Okay my friend, are you ready? This time we’ll win this thing.”

He threw his poké ball and Greninja landed gracefully on the battlefield. Greninja was at a disadvantage as a water type, so they had to work with Aerial Ace and Double Team. Not that easy, but due to Greninja’s unmatched speed, it was ultimately easy to finally defeat Vileplume as well.

And now Ash had reached the point he had waited for. Greninja closed his eyes and was surrounded by a waterspout that spread almost to the top of the arena. Ash felt Greninja’s heartbeat, felt their minds merging. And Greninja transformed. Trying to block out everything around him, Ash barely overheard the commentator raving about how he never thought he'd be able to see this unique phenomenon live.

"Did you hear that, Greninja? Now we really have to work hard and win this.”

Greninja let out an affirmative croak and lunged at Meganium, which had just been brought back into battle by Crystal. Ash counted his opponent's pokémon on his hand. He had already defeated four. All that was missing was Meganium, and one that hadn't shown itself yet.

He'd only lost Charizard and Gengar so far, which in itself wasn't a bad record, but Pikachu was still reeling from the effects of the poison, and Sceptile was nearly knocked out by the fight with Scizor. His concentration couldn't let up now, otherwise Crystal could quickly gain the upper hand again.

"Meganium, Solar Beam!" Meganium had quickly recovered from its skepticism about Greninja and determinedly narrowed its eyes, opened its mouth and fired a Solar Beam at Greninja. Since it was a clear day outside and the sun was shining brightly in the arena, Meganium was able to attack immediately.

It was a disadvantage for them, but they certainly wouldn't let that intimidate them.

"Okay Greninja, Double Team!"

Dozens of Greninja’s doppelgangers formed in a circle around Meganium, who looked around in confusion and briefly seemed concerned, but then smashed the doppelgangers away with frightening precision, hitting Greninja head-on, who was thrown across the arena and straightened himself up, gasping.

Ash gritted his teeth. Damnit. He should have ordered him to dodge. It was a water type, and being hit by such a powerful grass type move really wasn't ideal.

Concentrate, Ash. Don't embarrass yourself.

But Greninja gave everything for him, as always. After Ash decided to focus on dodging and only using his attacks at a few more convenient moments, the tide seemed to be turning in their direction again. They couldn't dodge every attack, that was impossible, but Greninja also did significant damage to Meganium. Neither of them would be able to hold out much longer.

Shortly thereafter, Ash's suspicion that Meganium’s fighting power was ending was confirmed when he saw tendrils from its body gnawing into the ground and absorbing energy. He knew it from his own pokémon, the Overgrow ability. This made their attacks stronger, so now they had to be even more careful.

"Greninja, can you still go?" Ash asked his pokémon, who turned around to him and nodded, panting heavily.

"Meganium, we have to give everything now! End it with Petal Blizzard!”

So Petal Blizzard again. A move that even a pokémon like Greninja had trouble to dodge. Ash rattled his brain about what else he could do now. He had to prevent Meganium from defeating his Greninja now, because then he would only have Lucario, and like he had counted before, Crystal also had a single pokémon left that hadn't even been on the battlefield yet.

That's it!

"Greninja, smash the flower vortex with your Water Shuriken!"

"Uh, what?" Crystal asked from the other side, raising her eyebrows in disbelief, but Ash just grinned, sure that this would work.

Greninja spun his fingers, creating hundreds of the pointy little throwing stars, which he sent towards the sharp petals of Meganium that would surely have meant his end. With a soft hiss, each petal was cut down the middle, halting its momentum and letting it fall to the ground like leaves.

"Now Aerial Ace, blast those petals back their way, quick!"

Greninja jumped high into the air and whirled the stopped petals up again from above. Meganium, of course, hadn't expected its own attack to come its way again, and apparently neither had Crystal. He had overwhelmed her for the moment, and now he had to take advantage of that before she could recover.

Meganium shook its head as it was surrounded by the petals and unable to see. And Greninja used Aerial Ace again, bursting through the torrent of buds and heading straight for Meganium, who couldn't fight back, let alone dodge.

The two pokémon hit each other hard, kicking up the sand in the arena for a moment, and then it was decided. Greninja was only on shaky legs, but Meganium lay in front of him and had its eyes closed, unconscious. Crystal just stared at the battlefield, motionless, before pulling Meganium back with a shake of her head.

"I'm sorry Meganium. I let you down. Have a good rest.”

"Greninja, you come back too. You deserve a break, that was fantastic. Lucario, it's your turn!”

"Wigglytuff, now it's up to you! Give everything you can!”

A fairy pokémon, then. That meant they had the advantage with Meteor Mash. That was good. For a brief moment, the arena was quiet. Crystal collected herself. She had reached her last pokémon, now it was all or nothing. Ash didn't want to celebrate in a hurry, but he knew he had a really good shot at winning this battle. If he didn’t make any stupid mistakes now.

"It was a mistake to switch out Greninja, Ash. Wigglytuff, Stealth Rocks!" Ash frowned. That was a really smart tactic. Due to the fact that both Greninja and Sceptile were almost knocked out, he couldn't use them anymore because the Stealth Rock would immediately damage and defeat them.

She had practically put a stop to him, made sure he had only one pokémon left as well. Pikachu didn't have much strength left either, and was still struggling with Vileplume’s poison. It was up to Lucario now.

"Okay Lucario, we have to end this quickly! Meteor Mash!”

Lucario lunged at Wigglytuff and landed a hit. That had stuck. One more hit like that, and Wigglytuff wouldn't be able to stand much longer. While these little pokémon were sneaky and really dangerous to dragon and fighting types, most of the time they weren't very good at withstanding heavy steel type attacks. Luckily he had chosen Meteor Mash when he had to report his four attacks for Lucario.

"Lucario, Meteor Mash again! We're almost there!”

"Wigglytuff, Sing, hurry up!"

Oh oh.

"Lucario, try not to let it lull you-"

Too late. Lucario had been right in Wigglytuff's line of fire, and Ash could still see his eyes fluttering before his pokémon made contact with the ground and lay there, blissfully asleep.

"Great!" Crystal cheered, "and now Play Rough until Lucario is down!"

Ash clenched his fists. He knew there was no point in yelling at Lucario to wake up. It was payback time for Crystal, she hit them with the same mean trick that he had used on her earlier. He watched helplessly as Wigglytuff landed hit after hit at Lucario, who woke up at the last moment and threw another punch before sinking to the ground, powerless.

Shit. This was exactly what Ash had feared. What now?

"Pika, Pikachu!!” came a soft squeal from down at his legs.

"You can go? Okay, we'll do this then. You're my last chance, buddy."

Pikachu hopped out determinedly and placed himself back on the battlefield. Shortly thereafter, the Stealth Rocks did their thing and Pikachu whimpered as the sharp rocks pierced his fur. But he didn't give up. He would never give up.

"Okay Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Wigglytuff, Play Rough!"

Ash was probably right in thinking that was the only attack move Wigglytuff could use. He was able to cross two of the others off the list with Sing and Stealth Rock, leaving only one. And Crystal would certainly have used that if she was going to do any damage.

Pikachu yelped softly. He was already hanging his ears, and a queasy feeling spread in Ash's stomach. They couldn't lose now. He had got off to such a good start. His pokémon gave everything for him. This wasn’t the end, right?

Please, please no.

"Wigglytuff, go ahead- oh, what's going on? Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no.”

Pikachu noticed at the same moment Ash did, and his ears shot up. Ash felt a warm surge of joy rise up inside him. Wigglytuff crouched on its side of the battlefield, being hit by small electric shocks over and over again, eyes clenched and not moving an inch.

"It's paralyzed! This is our chance! Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

With the last of his strength, Pikachu pushed himself off the ground and sprinted towards Wigglytuff. Crystal yelled at her pokémon over and over to dodge, but she knew it was impossible. Wigglytuff tried to crawl away, but Pikachu was going too fast, way too fast. His tail began to glow, and with one final leap, one final half-twist, he gave the fairy type pokémon the one final swipe they needed.

And decided the battle. The words of salvation that Ash so desperately wanted to hear finally came.

"Wigglytuff is unable to battle, Pikachu won! And with that, the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!”

Crystal retrieved her Wigglytuff with a disappointed smile while Pikachu ran back to Ash and jumped into his arms. He laughed and let him lick all over his face as he walked to the center of the battlefield.

"You did fantastic! You were great!” he said over and over laughing. Eventually he and Crystal both got to the middle. He held out his hand and she shook it, nodding appreciatively.

"That was impressive, Ketchum. I have to admit I didn't know you were that good. But I guess I'm a bit rusty. Next time we battle, I won’t lose though. Understood?"

Ash grinned and nodded.

“You won’t, but I'm looking forward to it! Let's have a rematch soon!"

"It’s a deal. Now make sure you win here, okay? You're battling for my honor now too."

Ash saluted and Crystal gave him a laughing wink before they both left the arena to thunderous applause. Ash's heart was still pounding way too loud and he still couldn’t quite believe his victory. Not even when he came back into the prep room and Misty fell into his arms, laughing.

"You better believe it," Brock told him a few minutes later when they went to the Pokémon Center, "we watched everything. It was really fantastic. You can be proud of yourself."

After delivering his pokémon to Nurse Joy and giving himself a little food break, Ash rejoined his friends. Next up were Shauna and Gladion, and as expected, Gladio had the upper hand from the start, winning the match decisively by a six-to-two.

And then came Ethan, the man Green had been so sour about. Ash had only seen him battle a few times, so he'd been keen to follow the battle meticulously should he ever have to face the trainer who had once defeated Red.

Well, and after that battle, Ash no longer wondered how Ethan had pulled that off. His Nidoking and Samurott were already terrifying, but none of them came close to the power his Typhlosion displayed in battle. Hau didn't stand a chance, even though his pokémon gave their all.

Before this battle, Ash was sure that he had already singled out the dangerous trainers and had a strategy for them. But now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Wasn't at all sure anymore if it was even possible. To defeat someone like Gold.

Chapter 17: Rage of a Giant

Notes:

uploading this today bc I would probably forget it tomorrow :)

From this chapter on, the tone changes quite a bit. So buckle up!

Snowpoint burned.

Dawn heard screams, from humans and pokémon alike, desperately trying to get to safety. Houses were falling or hanging from the last remnants of their retaining walls, the streets were devastated, and amidst it all they heard the roar of two pokémon. One clearly Paul’s Torterra, the other Regigigas.

The origin of all this.

They landed in the middle of the former shopping mall, which was barely more than a pile of rubble now. Gary hopped off Aerodactyl with ease and reached out to catch Dawn as she slowly slid off Dragonite.

Something colorful fell into Dawn’s field of vision and before she could think better of it, her eyes searched for the source. Her breath hitched and she clutched her fingers in Gary's shoulders. An icy cold shiver went down her spine and she had to close her eyes for a second, getting dizzy.

She had known that she would probably see several dead bodies. She had known, and yet, nothing could’ve ever prepared her for the actual sight awaiting her here.

"Don't look. You can't do anything for her anyway,” Gary said quietly, gently but firmly pushing her in the other direction – the one where the fighting sounds were coming from.

Right. She would have plenty of time to mourn later. Now, they had to help their friend, who was alive, while he was still alive.

Dawn called Dragonite back to its poké ball and followed her friends. Barry had already run ahead and was talking to someone a little further down the road. Dawn recognized the blond head of hair immediately and it calmed her rumbling stomach a little. There was something special about Cynthia – something Dawn had never been able to fully grasp – but it always made her feel somewhat safe, even in the worst moments.

"I only need one person to help me here, preferably Lucas," Cynthia was saying when Dawn joined them, "the rest of you rather help Paul push Regigigas back into the cave. The quicker that happens, the easier my work here will be. So you help me more with that.”

The person Cynthia was helping currently was Candice, Snowpoint’s gym leader. She looked dazed, a big open wound on her forehead. She didn’t look up once, not even when they stood right in front of her. Almost as if she wasn’t really here.

“She’ll be okay,” Cynthia explained when she noticed Dawn staring, “she was hit by some debris when the gym came down, but her Abomasnow prevented the worst. Now go.”

"Okay, understood. Do you have your pokémon ready?” Barry asked, turning to face them. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn saw Gary nodding grimly. After taking a deep breath, she also agreed with a determined nod, and ran after Barry, who had already taken off.

She clutched Lopunny’s poké ball tightly. She hated fighting in situations like this and putting the lives of her pokémon in danger, but she had no choice. If they didn't stop Regigigas, many innocent people and pokémon would die. She couldn't allow that.

"Watch out!"

Barry owed some proper gratitude to the many chaotic training sessions they had had over the years, since it was only thanks to them that Dawn reflexively reacted to Paul's shout and pulled Barry aside, just seconds before the Hyper Beam slammed against the wall behind them.

Large boulders fell with a deafening crash. Luckily there was no one around who they could have hit. Torterra turned to his trainer, who had thrown himself on the ground as well, and grumbled in concern. Seeing that Paul was getting up again and that he was okay, he turned back to Regigigas and let out a menacing, low growl.

"Leaf Storm!" Paul ordered. The attack hit the colossus head-on, but seemed to have done little. Hell, the many centuries underground must have made it even stronger and more resilient than it ever had been.

Barry's Empoleon was able to force it back with its Hydro Pump, but Regigigas just let out another shriek and stomped towards them. Even without a face, it looked really damn angry.

"Hey Dawn, doesn't Regigigas seem a bit...disoriented to you too?" Gary asked, "I mean, it's strong, sure, but-"

The pokémon really appeared to be staggering rather than actually walking, but that didn't make it any less dangerous – quite the opposite, actually, because it made its movements unpredictable.

"You're right, it's behaving strangely. Maybe it's just not quite up to speed after sleeping for so long?"

If so, hopefully it wouldn't get used to fighting again too quickly. That was probably the only advantage they had.

"Do you two just want to stand around and philosophize, or maybe get your pokémon out and help us here?!" Barry shouted at them from next to Paul, who continued to yell orders.

The poké ball that Gary threw revealed his Blastoise, and Dawn chose Mamoswine. Out of all their pokémon, it had the most power, and would be able to use its tusks to push the giant back. At least, that’s what Dawn hoped.

Unfortunately, all of their pokémon except Gary's were still tired from the tournament, so they weren't nearly able to use their full power. Torterra in particular was getting weaker by the minute, and when his front legs started to buckle underneath him, Paul called it quits and retrieved him back into his ball, despite the pokémon's loud, desperate protests.

"You're only supposed to fight it, not sacrifice yourself," Paul murmured, clipping the poké ball back to his belt before throwing the next one, "Aggron, get ready to fight!"

Dawn felt a little confidence returning to her as she looked at the four gigantic pokémon standing between them and Regigigas, ready to defend their trainers with all their might. Maybe they had a chance after all.

"Blastoise, Hdyro Pump!"

"You too, Empoleon!"

The two water attacks connected in the middle and flew at Regigigas together. The giant stumbled from the force. It seemed to have realized that its opponents were not to be underestimated and crossed its arms in front of its body in a defensive stance. Its arms lit up and its whole body seemed to be enveloped in some sort of veil.

"Aggron, Heavy Slam! Break its cover! Dawn, get Mamoswine ready!”

"Okay!" Dawn replied, but she didn't have to give a command - Mamoswine had already figured out what it had to do, and started running. Just as Aggron’s attack forced Regigigas to give up its shield to regain its footing, Mamoswine slammed its head into the legendary pokémon's stomach and pushed it back towards the cave entrance with all its power.

"Very good Mamoswine, keep it up!" Dawn cheered on her pokémon. Her chest swelled with pride as she saw how hard her pokémon was trying, to not disappoint her. Unfortunately, she was so fixated on the two that she didn't notice how something was approaching them from the other side.

"Shit, there's Regirock!" Gary called out, but the rock type pokémon had already started its attack and hit Mamoswine in the head with a heavy rock, full force. Mamoswine fell on its side with a groan. It was lying there completely motionless.

Dawn let out a high-pitched scream and was about to run to Mamoswine, but Paul and Barry grabbed her arms and yanked her back.

“No one approaches Regigigas. Get it back in his poké ball, it's safe in there for now," Paul instructed, and Dawn did as he said without a word as Regirock's next attack hit the ground. She felt sick to her stomach as she watched. If they hadn’t stopped her, that attack would have crushed her.

Dawn grabbed Mamoswine’s poké ball with shaky hands and called it back.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, praying that it wasn’t too late.

"Dragapult, take care of Regirock!"

"You too, Empoleon! Snorlax, help us with Regigigas!”

Paul's and Barry's voices sounded far away in the pounding in Dawn’s ears, but she knew she couldn't let her concern for her pokémon blind her now. Mamoswine would get through this somehow. It had to. She wouldn’t know what to do, if one of her pokémon didn’t make it.

"Lopunny, help us!"

Dawn’s Lopunny jumped out of the ball and stomped on the floor, expectantly looking around, while Barry's Snorlax grumbled indignantly at being woken up so rudely. A metallic crunch echoed in the city, which left a painful ringing in Dawn’s ears.

"Oh oh-"

"Is that-"

"Registeel!" croaked the legendary steel giant behind them.

Paul looked as if he was about to pop a vein.

"Are you kidding me" he snarled.

Dawn caught her eyes drifting back to him after giving Lopunny her instructions. It was impressive how he, seemingly effortlessly, coordinated both of his pokémon, which had to attack and dodge in all directions because Regigigas, Registeel, and Regirock had surrounded them. With his swiftness and skill in commanding his pokémon, it was no wonder that only few could even match him in battle.

But would that be enough this time?

Some time later, Aggron had taken down Regirock, and Gary's Arcanine blasted firestorm after firestorm at Registeel, allowing their other pokémon to deal with Regigigas without distraction. Together they managed to force it back into the half-ruined temple and Dawn had to pull herself together not to celebrate prematurely.

Paul called Aggron back and immediately gave chase, and of course Barry didn't hesitate to follow.

"Come on, we’re going after them!" Dawn called out to Lopunny.

Regigigas appeared to have done quite a bit of damage when it had broken out of its centuries-old home. Almost all of the figures that had once adorned the temple had been destroyed, laying on the ground in pieces. Figures of Dialga, Palkia and Arceus. Of course, an unconscious monster like Regigigas had no interest in maintaining the statues of the gods. But it still was devastasting that all that history was ruined.

"I hope this thing doesn't collapse. The ceiling doesn't really look stable anymore”, Gary murmured, who was the only one who hadn't run ahead, for which Dawn was very grateful. He occasionally cast a worried look back outside where he had been forced to leave Arcanine behind.

"I don't even want to think about that now," Dawn replied bitterly.

They advanced to the core where Regigigas had retreated, presumably to regain strength. Now all they had to do was to retain it down here again and everything would be fine. As long as everything could be fine again after what it had done.

"Dawn, Gary, quick!" Barry's panicked voice suddenly rang out from somewhere, "we've got a really bad problem here!" And for once, he wasn't exaggerating a bit. The one time Dawn wished he'd made a big drama out of nothing.

When Gary and Dawn arrived out of breath in the hall where Regigigas had been imprisoned, not only the giant appeared before them, but also the two guardians of time and space. Dialga and Palkia - and a black veil, a kind of portal , indicated Giratina's arrival as well.

Dawn’s heart leapt into her throat - they couldn't beat such power. Never.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gary croaked, clearly equally as scared.

"You've meddled in things that don't concern you, that's what's going on here. You should have stayed home and minded your own business. Now that you're here, we'll have to get rid of you."

A figure in a black, velvet-draped, red-embroidered and hooded cloak that hid their whole face emerged from the shadows, alongside a few others in less noble but equally black garb.

"Torterra, unfortunately I need you one more time," Dawn heard Paul murmur, "and you too." A moment later, all six of Paul's pokémon he was carrying with him stood in front of him. Dawn swallowed and called out her entire team as well. Now they had to be even more careful - one hit from Dialga or Palkia and they were gone - maybe even the whole universe.

"Listen, I can't keep an eye on all six of you all the time. But I know you'll be fine. Bring those weird guys' pokémon down first, then we'll take care of Dialga and Palkia," Paul said.

Torterra grunted in agreement, Aggron let out an angry battle cry, and the others were already pouncing on their opponents.

"Lopunny, take care of Regigigas with your fighting attacks! You others, help Paul's pokémon!"

"Ridiculous. We don't have time to waste on something like this. Shoot them and all of their pathetic pokémon except for the champion. You know what you have to do with him," said the one with the overly decorated cloak coldly and withdrew themself again. Like the obnoxious coward that one had to be to be the commander, or even leader, of a criminal organization.

It wasn't long before pistol shots rang out through the cave, sending shivers down Dawn’s spine.

"Guys, be careful-" she began, but was roughly interrupted - by a female voice, muffled by a mask that covered everything but her eyes, and by Paul.

"You damned bastard! Die already!", she screamed, voice hoarse with rage.

"Don't you dare, you piece of shit-"

A shot rang out, which Honchkrow barely dodged with a side dive, and Paul, the absolute clown, threw himself blindly at the attackers with rage. What did he think he was going to do, beat her up with his bare hands?!

"Regigigas, Crush Grip, but don't kill him! Just stop him,” the woman commanded.

So Regigigas was under their control. They should have guessed. This couldn't be normal - and neither could it be normal that Dialga, Palkia and Giratina were joining this whole mess. Where the hell was Arceus when they needed him for once?

Regigigas grabbed Paul, who didn't stand a chance to roll or otherwise dodge, and squeezed so hard he cried out in agony.

"Lopunny, free him, quick!" Dawn called out to her pokémon, which was already panting heavily, but obeyed the command without hesitation. It did a jump kick right at Regigigas' hand that squeezed Paul. He fell to the ground, gasping for air, but seeming fine for the most part.

"You're going to regret that," Barry hissed in anger and sent his Staraptor forward, making Regigigas stumble with a Brave Bird.

"Venusaur, tie it up with a Vine Whip and get Paul out of there!" Gary shouted.

"That’s enough now. Giratina, use Shadow Force! We'll take what we need and get out of here."

Giratina also obeyed this woman's command and a few moments later the whole hall was shrouded in a dark fog. Dawn felt dizzy from this and barely heard Barry yell at Empoleon to counter the Shadow Force with Mist.

She heard the panicked call of her Lopunny, while Pachirisu and Piplup were already running towards her.

"Lopunny, I'm here! It’s okay!"

"Ice Beam at that Lopunny, Aurorus!"

Dawn heard her Lopunny gasp in shock and shortly after a large, brown ball of fur flew straight at her and threw her back. Her head snapped back from the fall and she hit the hard stone floor. She thought she heard someone calling her name and someone yelling some kind of attack, but she felt herself quickly losing consciousness.

"Lopunny, you okay?", she slurred, and then the corners of her eyes flickered before everything around her went black.

* * *

When she woke up, all she knew was that she was definitely not in the temple anymore. She felt a bright light burn against her closed lids. She clutched her chest and took as deep a breath as she could, then opened her eyes.

She looked around. Barry was just picked up off the floor by Cynthia. He groaned and held his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Blood trickled from his forehead down the side of his face and Cynthia mumbled something about a laceration. Dawn was relieved and hoped it wasn't anything worse.

Gary ran back and forth between their pokémon, giving them all food and healing elixirs they really needed after that fight. Dawn sniffled when she saw how battered Lopunny and Mamoswine looked. But Mamoswine lifted its head and carefully took the potion from Gary, and that gave her heart a little bit of rest. They’d be okay.

At the sound of her crying, Gary immediately turned and walked towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder and it was only then that Dawn noticed that he was shaking all over, and how glazed and lifeless his eyes stared, almost looking right through her.

"Are you alright Dawn? Does anything hurt or do you feel dizzy? Do you need an ambulance?” he rattled off monotonously, as if his thoughts weren't really there. Dawn shook her head and slowly sat up. Nothing was wrong with her. And even if Gary seemed skeptical, she was sure that she had gotten away with the shock and a throbbing head.

But even if she was more or less fine, something about this situation clearly wasn’t. She looked around confused and then looked back at Gary, who was visibly tensing up. Cynthia, Lucas and Barry were also looking at her strangely.

"Where's Paul?"

Chapter 18: Of Gods of Sun and Moon

Maybe Ash didn't understand most interpersonal stuff like romance or the like, but over the years he had developed a sense of knowing immediately when something wasn't quite right. That's why he already felt sick to his stomach when Reggie's phone started ringing, before Reggie had even greeted Cynthia.

Almost like in slow motion, he watched as Reggie went more and more pale the longer the conversation went. Maylene just barely caught his phone as it slipped from his hand. She continued to whisper to Cynthia, holding Noah tight while her husband turned on his heel and fled the room.

Ash jumped up and ran after him, with Kenny right on his heels.

"Reggie, what's going on? What happened?” Kenny asked after they finally caught up with the distraught pokémon breeder. Reggie had his hands over his mouth, breathing raggedly.

Kenny gave Ash an uncertain look, and Ash pulled himself together. It was obvious that something bad had happened, it was also obvious who it was about. Otherwise Cynthia wouldn't have called Reggie directly. Maybe it was just the overprotective brother in Reggie that had taken over – it would make sense. Ash didn't want to read too much into the situation.

If the devastating blow came out of Reggie’s mouth in a few seconds, then it would come, there was nothing to be done about that now. And yet, Ash couldn't turn off the one sentence that was playing in his head over and over again, like a broken tape.

Please don’t be dead.

"Reggie, please," he said, pulling Reggie's right hand away from his face to squeeze it, "did something happen to Paul? Please talk to us.”

"He's missing," Reggie finally croaked, "someone - someone kidnapped him. Cynthia says Barry saw it happening, but he couldn't do anything, and he - Regigigas hit him, with an attack, and they say he stopped moving, didn't fight back, and they don't know if he – if he was still alive and-”

„Breathe, Reggie, breathe,“ Kenny chimed in, softly rubbing Reggie’s back.

Ash swallowed hard. He knew his rival, and he knew that as long as there was any strength left in him, Paul would’ve fought back. He would’ve never just given up. Reggie’s words almost made him suspect the worst, but - maybe, hopefully, he'd just been unconscious. But that didn't change the fact that he was gone. And that they didn't know what his kidnappers planned to do to him, what they actually wanted from him.

"Did Barry see who kidnapped him?", he asked, looking up at Reggie again, but Reggie shook his head.

"They wore black uniforms, no sign on them or anything, and they didn’t show their faces. He can't remember anything else."

Ash clenched his fists and Kenny looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Don't say anything stupid now,” stood clearly written on the coordinator’s face.

Yeah well, sorry, Kenny.

"I'll find him, Reggie. I promise I'll bring him back. I've been involved with some criminal gangs before. Whoever it was, we'll bring them to their knees like everyone else. It’s gonna be okay. Paul’s gonna be okay."

Before Reggie could say anything and before Kenny could chide him for his empty promises, Ash stalked off towards the VIP room again. He might have been determined, but not stupid enough to think he could do this on his own. Not anymore, anyway.

Green was already up from his seat when he came in. Certainly, as his brother, he had been one of the first whom Gary had updated on the situation. Misty had Ash's phone in her hand and looked at him in shock. So he must have gotten a call as well.

He opened his mouth, but then remembered that Noah was still in the room. The little one did not need to know what happened. Most of them, judging by their facial expressions, seemed to already know anyway. Perhaps Maylene had said something. It didn’t matter.

"Ash." Kiawe walked towards him. "Professor Kukui just called me. Something is not right at all, now Solgaleo and Lunala are going crazy too.”

"Both? Oh no, are the professors and Lei okay? Has anything happened?”

Ash felt Goh's hand on his back, which Ash was very grateful for, because he felt like his knees would have buckled without his support. His head started spinning and his heart was racing. Kukui and Burnet hadn't been able to come in person because Lei was still too young to even fly, let alone that far. They had promised to watch his battles at home. What if they were in danger now? He couldn't do anything, he was thousands of kilometers away.

"They’re fine, yes. But Solgaleo is terrorizing Hau’oli, and Lunala has gone for Akala. It’s probably only a matter of time until there will be victims. The Kahuna who stayed on Alola are doing their best, but they need us. And their champ.”

Ash looked at Hau, who was fighting back tears and holding onto Selene, whose eyes were gleaming with rage and worry alike.

Shit. He couldn't let Reggie down, not after the promise he'd made. But he couldn't stand by and watch as the people of Alola, the islands he was supposed to protect, were slaughtered and destroyed by two deities gone berserk!

"We're going to Alola. We'll work this out, even if we have to lock Solgaleo and Lunala in the ultra dimension for a while until we figure out what's going on. We'll save Alola, and then we'll look for Paul, and bring him home. Alright, Ash? We’ll sort it out. Together,” Gladion said, stepping up to them, putting a hand on Ash's shoulder.

So they did know.

Ash felt mildly reassured, but only for a second before Ethan looked his way. The famous champ of the Johto and Kanto regions, who otherwise never let his smile fall even for a second, now looked at least as serious as Silver. Everything steadily crumbled in Ash’s head as Ethan said something about Lugia and Ho-Oh, and then Serena jumped in with news about Yveltal, telling him they had to make their way to Kalos.

Every single legendary pokémon?

Why did Goh have to be right about this whole thing? All of this... it was too much, far too much to be considered a coincidence.

Don't be an idiot. Of course it wasn't a coincidence. It never is. You should have known better.

The crowd in the room thinned out more and more. N dashed out of the room past Ash, his face grim and eyes glistening with unshed tears, and Ash blinked after him in confusion until he felt a shoulder nudge his upper arm.

"We're all walking straight into some kind of trap, you know that, right?" Trip whispered after Ash had bent down to him a little. "Someone controls all these pokémon, they certainly don't act on their own free will. And at this point, I wouldn't bet all my money that Ghetsis actually died back then. We've had this before."

An ice cold shiver ran down Ash's spine, and Goh seemed to notice as he gripped him a little tighter immediately. Yes. Everything that was happening right now pointed uncomfortably clearly to the one person for whom it had been easy to get Reshiram and Zekrom under his control before. Now N’s awful mood made sense too.

It was all just a little bit too familiar.

Ash hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he had to face the facts if he was going to stand a realistic fight. It wouldn't help anyone if they let themselves be hurt or kidnapped as well. Suddenly he also realized what happened back in Pallet, with Kyurem’s strange behavior.

It had already almost happened. He should’ve been the first. Not Paul.

Which raised the question – who else, how many more of them did they want? Were they all in danger? Did they take Paul to lure in Ash? Or was there more to it? And how in the world were they supposed to fight against a threat they didn’t even know the extent of?

“Probably,” he finally answered, “We’ll have to be more on alert than usual. I really hope you’re wrong, though, about Ghetsis. No offense.”

Trip’s lips curled into a weary smile for a moment, gone as quick as it came.

“Me too. But it’s always better to be prepared. Ghetsis is a smart man, you know that. And if he wants you, he'll stop at nothing to get you. Take care."

Ash sighed and nodded.

"You too," he said feebly, before Iris silently tugged at Trip’s sleeve and they set out with Hilbert, Hilda, and the others to protect Unova from Zekrom and Kyurem.

Ash turned to Goh. "Are you coming? Or will you stay here in case anything happens?”

"I’ll come with you. Nothing has happened so far, right? Everything okay with your pokémon?”

Gloria and Hop nodded, both holding Zacian and Zamazenta's poké balls. Maybe it really only affected the legendary pokémon that didn't have a trainer? But why? Even Eternatus seemed to remain calm, the poké ball in Gloria's hand didn't even twitch. She always had it with her, just to be on the safe side.

“We will stay here and monitor the situation in case something happens. Hopefully whatever this is won’t cause the Pokémon to dynamax wildly like they did back then with Rose," Bede interjected, and Gloria nodded grimly.

"But we'll manage. You go with them to Alola, Goh. Good luck to you and be careful.”

* * *

"Dad! Is everything ok?! Where are Burnet and Lei?”

A relieved smile spread across Kukui's face as Goh and Ash jumped off Charizard and ran towards him. "They are in Kahuna Hala's house, safe for now. But we have to hurry. I just don't understand what's going on here."

As if on command, Solgaleo roared and threw a Giga Impact into the streets, from which anguished screams were heard. The islanders and tourists, who had not yet been evacuated, tried to flee in a panic, nearly knocking each other over.

"We suspect that someone is controlling them," Goh said, "it's not just Solgaleo and Lunala. The same thing happens everywhere else in the world. We have to be careful, especially Ash. We have reason to believe they may be trying to take him.”

Kukui didn't ask any questions, just nodded resolutely. Ash looked out at the ocean. The otherwise calm, turquoise-blue water smashed against the coast in stormy, gigantic waves, lightning flashed across the dark sky and earthquakes shook the city. If the waves got any bigger, they would soon flood the harbor. Then the people wouldn’t stand a chance.

"I hope the Wela doesn't erupt. That would be an absolute disaster,” Kiawe said, gritting his teeth. While his family was safe in Wyndon, their home would be destroyed for good. Akala wasn't big, and an eruption of the volcano would level the whole island. Most likely even all of Alola.

"We'll stop them first. You guys get the people under control! They’re gonna trample each other if they keep this up! Pikachu, maybe we can talk some sense into Solgaleo, after all it helped us before, didn't it?"

"Pika!"

With his best friend's approval, Ash ran, despite shouts of protest from his friends. He fought his way through the crowds, unfortunately in the wrong direction, which made things much more difficult. A few people thankfully recognized him and made way for him with hopeful smiles. Ash ground his teeth across his bottom lip. Hopefully he could live up to their expectations. He didn't even really know himself what he was doing. All he could do was try to talk to Solgaleo - and hope that was enough.

The closer he got to the circle of the sun pokémon, the angrier it got, it’s roar louder and eyes flaring up. It stood on one of the rooftops and glared down at Ash. It looked hostile. Not at all like the Solgaleo that had once led them through the Ultra Wormholes on its back to fight the Ultra Beasts. Now it more looked like a beast itself.

"Solgaleo! Can you hear me? Please stop! Stop attacking us! It's all good, we're your friends!” he called against the wind. Solgaleo either didn't hear him or didn’t give a damn about Ash's words, because moments later, a Solar Beam came flying straight at Ash.

The bright light blinded him and he knew he didn't have time to order an attack anyway. So he grabbed Pikachu, shielded his small body with his arms, and threw himself sideways just before the beam ripped through the ground only centimeters from them.

Ash put his hand in front of Pikachu's head so he wouldn't get hit by the broken bits of asphalt. One hit his hand and Ash hissed in pain, but he didn't loosen his grip.

"Okay, then there's probably no other way. We have to weaken it first or we won't have a chance to even talk to it."

"Silvally, Multi-Attack!" Someone beat him to it. The powerful, artificially created pokémon swung to attack. Its normally white crest and tail had turned into a shimmering red color, and as it attacked, flames erupted from its mouth, causing Ash to sweat even from where he sat.

"Lillie, don't go any closer," Gladio scolded his younger sister, but she didn't listen and trudged closer to the house with a furious expression on her face.

"Nebby, you're coming down here right now, is that clear?!" she yelled. She stomped one foot on the ground for emphasis and pointed next to her with her index finger. "You can’t behave like that! If you're not down here in ten seconds, I'll come up and drag you down by the ears, my friend!"

Gladion and Ash both flinched at the unfamiliar tone of command, and even Solgaleo seemed to pause for a moment, but the spell, or whatever was enslaving it, was too powerful. It reared up on its hind legs, shaking the entire building as it landed back on its front paws with full force.

An attempt at intimidation maybe? That was good because it meant it was starting to feel cornered. Then it was all the more dangerous, but also all the easier to get to it.

"Okay, that's enough-"

"Lillie, stay here. It's obviously not listening to you,” Gladion said, grabbing his sister by her arm. “You would only give it a reason to really hurt you. We need a different strategy.”

"But that's my Nebby! I've taken care of it for so long, if it will listen to anyone, it's me! Or do you want to kill it?!"

Gladion sighed and shook his head.

"No, of course not. But we have to weaken it or we won't have a chance to get it under control. Ash, are you ready? With Charizard and Silvally we can do it. And then we'll leave everything else to Lillie."

Ash nodded silently and looked at Charizard who hovered a few meters behind him and snorted his approval.

"Combine your firepower! And dodge his attacks at all costs! We can't afford many hits!” Ash shouted at his pokémon, even though he knew Charizard had the situation under control. After all, he was one of Ash's oldest and strongest pokémon, having proven time and time again in battle that he could handle any situation. Hopefully this one too.

Silvally and Charizard's attacks combined in an almost beautiful play of licking flames that danced and swirled in the air, caused by Charizard’s powerful wing beats. Solgaleo used Giga Impact after Giga Impact, but the attack was draining, and it showed. With each fire type move that hit the steel pokémon, it howled more desperately, and Arceus, how Ash wished he could put a stop to it. But then Solgaleo would probably kill them all - for now, all that mattered was that it was stopped. No matter the cost.

"Enough! Stop it!” Lillie yelled as Solgaleo groaned, legs sagging and falling to the ground, stunned. She started running immediately, but before she could even reach the house, let alone run up the fire stairs, some kind of portal opened and Lunala came out of it.

Ash glanced at Charizard whose eyes were glistening tiredly. No, he wouldn't be able to fight another legendary pokémon. Certainly not.

"Pikachu, are you-" he began, but was cut off by Lillie’s scream. His head snapped back to Lunala, which wrapped its long, crescent-shaped wings around the girl and floated backwards towards the portal.

"Lillie! No!"

Gladion started running and Ash followed, but he was soon knocked down by a blast of energy, leaving him momentarily dazed and with a sharp pain in his chest. He heard Pikachu shout his name in indignation and then unleash a Thunderbolt at the pokémon that hit him. When Ash heard the scream of this pokémon, he froze.

Sure, he should have known, given their luck. But even the patron saints…?

While Pikachu was fighting Tapu Koko, Ash tried to get up. He had to help his best friend, he couldn't let him down... He barely heard Charizard's angry scream, only felt teeth suddenly grabbing him and his whole body touching something wet and soft. With the last of his strength he tried to free himself, but shortly afterwards he got the reward for that in the form of another sharp pain, this time in his back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Solgaleo's blank eyes, his pokémon rushing at them, and Gladion and Silvally fighting Lunala. Gladion had wrapped both hands tightly around his little sister's arm, trying desperately to pull her back out of the portal, in which she was already half gone.

Solgaleo carried him away in his mouth and began to gallop. Lillie’s screams grew quieter. Ash wasn't struggling anymore - he definitely wasn't sure anymore if Solgaleo wouldn't just bite down for good if he did.

A trap. A trap.

"ASH!"

Goh. Ash turned around one last time to the place him and Solgaleo were leaving behind. He saw something yellow shoot towards them at extreme speed. But Pikachu would be too slow, not strong enough. Not strong enough for Solgaleo. Ash looked the other way - there was the second portal. So that's where the pokémon took him.

"Thank you, Solgaleo. You did well."

This voice… All of a sudden, Ash was wide awake again. A numbing feeling of horror spread through him. Memories came flooding back to him, memories of fire, torture, pain, fear. Memories of a man with flaming red hair.

Pikachu called out for him.

"Stay away, Pikachu!" His pleading was heard - Goh grabbed Pikachu and was shocked a few times by the angry pokémon, but didn't let go, didn’t let him go after Ash.

He was finally let out of Solgaleo's mouth, who bowed in front of the man that controlled it, whimpering. Immediately Lysandre's cold hands grabbed him and pulled him through the portal. The broken form of the legendary pokémon in front of him gave Ash new strength. He was so angry, so so angry. That filthy bastard wasn't going to judge, kill and torture as he pleased again.

Unfortunately, Lysandre seemed to have expected his refusal, of course. Ash felt something cold, metallic against his forehead and he stopped struggling immediately.

"You wouldn't kill me. Your whole drama here wouldn’t have made sense if you did,” he hissed, hoping that his heart, which was beating way too fast and way too loud, wasn't giving him away.

Lysandre just laughed softly. It was a warm laugh, almost friendly if Ash didn't know better. But he knew better, and to him, it just sounded cruel.

"So you think I'm bluffing? Do you really want to risk trying it? No? I thought so. Then don't do any antics and come with me. Do not worry, my boy. Everything will be fine. As long as you cooperate.”

Ash bit his lip.

"And what if I don't?"

"Then...it's going to be unpleasant. For you and your little blonde friend over there. You wouldn’t want to make us hurt her, would you? It’s time to say farewell to your friends, Ash. I would do it, if I were you. I doubt you will ever gonna see them again.”

Chapter 19: The Nuvema Incident

Those damn reporters.

Iris was so fed up with the exaggerated media presence and the sensationalism occuring right now. Of course, the country was under attack and those idiots only thought about how to get the most out of it, how to make even more money from suffering and destruction.

Soon people from New York City to Los Angeles would know what was happening in the unassuming little town of Nuvema in the supposedly safe state of Unova, and it would create a huge sensation as if it were all a TV show.

There was no sign of Zekrom, but Kyurem flew over the city, wreaking havoc wherever it could. People screamed, cried, ran for their lives while Kyurem destroyed homes and public buildings alike. But the thunderstorm in the sky and the lightning that stroke every other second suggested that the third member of the Tao Trio also had his claws in play. It was probably hiding in the dream world and directing events from there, at a safe distance.

“Reshiram, please take us to your brother. I'm sure there's an explanation for all of this. Surely he has no bad intentions,” N said, patting the head of the giant white dragon that had flown them here. Reshiram softly blew air through its nostrils and lowered its head to allow N to climb up its neck onto its back.

N pulled Hilda and Hilbert up as well and looked at Iris and the others questioningly.

"We’re staying here. Someone has to stop Kyurem, we can't leave the people here on their own,” Trip said, nodding his head at the culprit.

"Good, alright. Trip? May I borrow your Serperior? I promise we'll hurry, but I might need him to help open the portal to Zekrom’s hiding spot.”

While he didn't look too thrilled, Trip reluctantly nodded and grabbed Serperior’s poké ball from his belt, tossing it up at N.

"Just take good care of him."

"Of course, you have my word."

N stroked Reshiram's neck and gave him the command to take off, and moments later the trio and dragon disappeared over the horizon.

"And I will take care of the injured,” Virgil said, “if you need me and my team’s help, let one of your pokémon shoot a flash of light into the air. We'll come as soon as we can. And don't get too close to Kyurem. Understood? Good. Burgundy, Cameron, will you two come with me? I could use some help."

Burgundy and Cameron nodded and followed Virgil, whose Eevee had already jumped off his shoulder and was now running ahead, full of energy. Iris nodded at Trip, Stephan and Georgia and they ran in the direction from which Kyurem's roar could be heard.

"Any ideas? We won't be able to get rid of it with normal attacks,” Georgia asked, already hovering her hand over her poké balls, not really able to decide on which pokémon to use against something as gigantic and strong as Kyurem.

"I'll try Garchomp's Mega Evolution!"

Iris fished Garchomp's poké ball out of her bag and immediately activated her mega ring.

Trip grumbled something about really needing to search for pokémon that could mega evolve. Iris also knew pretty well that he didn't have a fairy type pokémon. But he did have his Goodra, which he called out now.

“Dragon Pulse!", he yelled when his pokémon came out of the ball.

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"

„Trip, we don’t have any dragon or fairy types“, Stephan called out against the strong wind of the attacks, „does Kyurem have any other weaknesses?“

„It’s an ice dragon, so I’d say probably a fighting type, or steel would be good!“

Stephan grinned triumphantly, and Iris remembered all to well why he suddenly was so confident.

„That’s perfect! Sawk, go! Superpower!“

Georgia, for once, also listened to Trip’s advice and called out her Bisharp to help. They were doing some damage, but Kyurem dodged a lot of their attacks and became increasingly angry with every passing minute they spent keeping it from destroying the town.

"We have to get closer, our attacks don't stand a chance from here!"

"Uh, hey Trip? Do you remember what Virgil said to us about ten minutes ago? Don't do that!"

"Have you got a better idea?"

And off he went, followed closely by Stephan. Iris felt like ripping her hair out. Who did those two think they were, some sort of superheroes? She would have expected something this thoughtless and stupid from Ash, or even herself, but not from them. Maybe she had been a little bit too much of a bad influence on them after all.

Or they had watched too many movies.

Trip began running up the fire stairs of one of the houses, and Goodra followed as fast as her short, chubby legs let her. With Stephan picking up on speed as well, Sawk took Goodra by the paw and dragged her up with them, which made them at least a little bit faster.

Iris let Garchomp continue to attack and called out Dragonite to bring her and Georgia onto the roof of the house as well. Kyurem glared at her with its malevolent eyes and threw itself down, claws spread straight at them.

Iris managed to dive out of the way and take Georgia with her, and so did Stephan, but Trip was way too close to Kyurem - because of course, why on earth would he listen to a ranger who knew what he was talking about?

"Oh oh, that's not good."

"Trip! For fuck’s sake, you moron, that's because you never listen to me!” Iris yelled, immediately taking chase on Dragonite as Kyurem took to the skies with Trip in its claws. He cursed like a sailor and pounded his fists on the claws holding him, which Kyurem seemed to take little to no interest in. Maybe that was for the better anyway, because the knucklehead would certainly not survive a fall from this height.

"Dragonite, we have to hurry a bit more, can you go any faster?"

Although Kyurem was obviously faster than Dragonite could ever be, Iris’ dragon pushed to the limit and nestled behind Kyurem to catch up.

"Goodra, Thunder!" Trip yelled at his pokémon, "don't worry about me, just do it!"

The pokémon made an uncertain-sounding noise, but did as instructed. Trip received a small shock, but the attack had the desired effect and Kyurem released him.

"Dragonite, quick!"

As Kyurem tried to gather itself from the attack, Dragonite began to dive. Iris reached out and grabbed Trip and pulled him onto Dragonite’s back. It was a hard landing, but he was safe.

"I knew it was a good idea to come along with you. Aren’t you lucky that the brave knight Iris is here to save her damsel in distress once more."

"Oh shut up," Trip muttered. Iris laughed, but stopped as a dark shadow passed over her. She felt her hitchhiker straighten up behind her.

"Virizion? What's it doing here?" he asked.

“I think – I think it’s helping us. Look!"

Virizion jumped from rooftop to rooftop and engaged in a fierce battle with Kyurem. Iris struggled to maneuver Dragonite through the many attacks, while also trying not to lose Trip.

"Okay, I'm about to land! Try not to fall and break your neck!” Iris yelled against the wind.

"Thanks for the instruction! I would have just jumped and experienced what it feels like to fall from about two hundred feet!”

"One more stupid comment and you'll find out!"

Iris smirked as Trip wrapped his arms around her tightly and didn't say another word until they were safely on the ground. He looked a little pale around the nose, and Iris only felt a little bit guilty for the bumpy landing she'd just made.

"Thank you, Dragonite. Rest," she said, putting him back in his poké ball. They had landed near the outskirts, where mostly the middle class of Nuvema lived. Kyurem was hit by a Sacred Sword from Virizion and slid back on one of the rooftops. Its claws picked up a few bricks before it came to a halt and then, with a piercing scream, launched itself at Virizion.

"But why does it help us? Why isn't it affected by what has come over Zekrom and Kyurem?” Iris asked. The whole thing was making less and less sense, and more and more things were happening that no one could explain.

"Well, it's part of the Swords of Justice. Maybe it's immune to whatever...evil spirit came over the others. You know, positive energy and stuff. Might also explain why Reshiram stayed normal, with N as its trainer.”

"Hm. Might be. Come on. I don't think Virizion can defeat Kyurem alone, no matter how determined. We have to step in and help it. And we have to go find the others.”

In fact, it seemed like Kyurem recovered quickly from the initial shock and now hit back with full force, quickly putting the grass type pokémon in a bad situation. They were almost there when Kyurem began a reckless dive and flew toward Virizion, who was thrown to the ground by the impact. But before it fell all the way, it rammed its head into the dragon's belly, throwing it completely off balance.

Kyurem fell, taking down several houses with its wing before crashing to the ground in a daze. Iris held her breath and covered her mouth with her hands. The houses were now just a pile of jumbled rocks, and when she turned to Trip for advice on what to do, she saw that he had gone white as a sheet.

And then she realized - they were in Nuvema. Not just Hilbert and Hilda’s hometown, but his as well. And that meant one of those houses might have been...

"My family," he whispered, confirming her fears. He began running and Iris followed him. There was no way she could leave him alone now. Not with what he might be about to see.

He fell to his knees in front of the rubble heap of what must have been his parents' house and began removing stones and broken bricks with his bare hands.

Without a word, Iris pulled Haxorus and Druddigon out of their poké balls and gestured for them to help, before lowering herself down as well. She didn't try to stop Trip because it would only lead to a fight and he would do it anyway.

She knew him.

He was breathing heavily and aggressively wiping over his eyes again and again. His fingers were already bloody from the many small and rough particles he scraped his hands over, but he didn't slow his digging. They removed stone after stone together, almost mechanically, until finally a small opening appeared that looked as if it would lead into the interior of the barely standing house.

Trip took a poké ball from his belt and pressed the button.

"Conkeldurr, I need your help. Can you please lift those beams and hold them out of the way? I have to go in there.”

The pokémon looked more than skeptical as it surveyed the rubble. It glanced at Iris, who could do nothing but shrug helplessly. She knew the chances of finding his parents or little sister alive in that pile of rubble were slim to none, but if she were him, logic wouldn't stop her either. He would never find peace again if he felt he hadn't done everything to save them.

Still, it was dangerous to go in there now. Something could collapse at any time and maybe kill him as well.

Conkeldurr grumbled in concern as Iris also ran past it and ducked to avoid the low beam. The pokémon seemed to sense its trainer's fragile state, and it took a toll on its own mind as well. Haxorus and Druddigon switched positions of their own accord and also helped holding the load-bearing retaining walls in place.

"H-Here's the living room," Iris heard Trip’s disturbed, at the moment so childlike-sounding voice a little further ahead, "maybe-"

The next moment Iris heard a choked, tortured gasp and she squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe she should have gone ahead. But would he have even let her?

"MOM!"

Iris knelt beside him as he began removing bits of wall and broken decorations, candlesticks and other clutter. She put a hand on his shoulder – she had let him do what he wanted up to this point, but now she had to end it. To keep him from even more pain at least.

"Trip. Don't... don't do that. Rescue workers will be here in a few minutes and they will free her. You should leave it to them.”

"It might be too late by then!" he snapped at her. His gray eyes glistened with unshed tears and showed a panicked, haunted expression in them.

Iris’ heart ached horribly at the sight. She pressed her lips together, fighting back the tears that were pooling in her eyes. The bloodied, motionless arm that poked out of the rubble and apparently belonged to Trip’s mother's body would likely haunt her in her nightmares forever. But if she wasn't the pillar for both of them now, then who was? Trip was breaking apart right before her eyes, she couldn't do the same now.

"I think...I think it's already too late, Trip. She's dead. I'm so sorry."

"You don't know that, maybe she's – Mom, please say something, anything! It's gonna be fine, okay? I'll get you out of here, and Dad, and Aileen, they'll take you to the hospital and you'll be fine and-"

"Darling-" an unfamiliar voice croaked and Iris felt a chill run down her spine. Trip’s eyes widened and he lunged forward.

"Dad! Dad, can you hear me? You're alive, I told her you're alive, I'll be right there, do you hear? I will-"

"Trip, darling. Your mom is dead. And I think it's too late for me too, one of the beams hit me badly. Pierced my lungs, I think. But your sister wasn't in the house, you hear? She's out there somewhere. Take care of her and your brother, okay? They need you. Will you do that for me and Mom?”

Trip’s father coughed, gasping for air that wasn’t there anymore. Trip swallowed and nodded, even though his father couldn’t see it. The will to fight seemed to have left him completely, and almost as if in a trance he listened to his father on what would probably be his last words.

Iris put an arm around his waist and supported him when she noticed him sway a little.

"Of course, Dad," he replied in a husky voice.

"Good, that's good." The voice trailed off. "Your mom and I are so incredibly proud of you, champ. Never forget that, do you understand?”

"I won't. I...I love you Dad."

Iris bit her lower lip. For a moment she was afraid that it was too late and that Trip would never hear an answer to that, but then his father gasped for air one last time.

"I love you too, Trip. And your mom does too.”

A moment later there was silence. Cold, eerie silence. From outside, Iris heard the sirens of the fire department and ambulance, but right now it only sounded like they were mocking them. There was no one left in here to save. She had to go upstairs and tell them. They should rather search the other houses for survivors, for whom it might not be too late yet.

She slowly stood up and gently took Trip’s hand in her own. At first he didn't move, just stared into space, as if he wasn't really aware of what was happening. He turned his head slightly and looked at the remains of the stairs, then back again.

"Come on," she said quietly, "we have to get out of here. Us two can't get them out. We’ll get Jenny to help.”

After what seemed like hours to Iris, but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, he gripped her hand tighter and let her pull him up. He kept his head down and his blond hair fell over his face as he let her take him back through the ruins.

Just before they reached the light that marked the exit, where a large shadow of a restless pokémon awaited them, Iris felt a slight tug on her hand. She turned to Trip, who didn't look up but took a deep breath as if to say something.

"Trip?" she asked. He didn't answer right away, but wrapped his arms around Iris and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Thanks for being here," he finally whispered.

Iris only nodded, because she had a big lump in her throat and felt like she was going to burst into tears with every word she said now - and neither of them needed that right now. All she could do was hold him. And hope that it somehow helped at least a little.

Conkeldurr let out a cry of relief as they came back out. Also around the corner was Serperior, which meant N must have rejoined them. Like Conkeldurr, he seemed to sense immediately that something was deeply wrong and slithered toward them before letting out a worried yelp.

Iris decided to give Trip a moment alone with his pokémon, while running over to where the fire chief and Jenny were already standing. She quickly explained to Jenny what had happened, who promised to send someone in to recover the bodies as soon as possible.

Iris went back to Trip, who was sitting on the ground, leaning against his Serperior. The pokémon was gently coiled around him, as if he wanted to protect him from the world.

It wasn't long before Jenny came up to them and started asking questions. Questions all of which Iris answered as best she could, for Trip made no sound, just stared at the ground.

"Trip?” came N's soft voice, and when Trip looked up, a little life returned into him immediately.

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled over to N, who was holding a little girl. She couldn't have been more than five years old.

"Aileen! You're okay, thank Arceus you're okay.”

N picked the girl off his waist and lifted her into Trip’s arms, who hugged her tightly, like he was afraid she would disappear right before his eyes. After everything that had happened today, Iris could understand that very well.

"I'm scared," Aileen whispered, clinging to her brother, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

Trip almost choked on his own words as he took her a few steps away from the house and tried to explain to his little sister what had happened. Iris didn't hear too much of the conversation, because the others had now caught up with them and also had to be updated.

As expected, it didn’t go over very well. Virgil and Burgundy were clearly fighting back tears; Stephan, Cameron and Georgia just stared in shock, not knowing what to say. N closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. It had to be horrifying - to think that perhaps it was one's own father who was responsible for all this suffering.

After a while, when Aileen seemed to have fallen asleep, Trip walked over to them again.

"Virgil, would you do me a big favor?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

“My aunt lives in Blue Springs, Missouri. Could you bring Aileen to her? She's not safe staying with me and I can't leave right now. Not until the dragons have been stopped."

Virgil nodded and took Aileen from Trip. Wasting no time, he immediately called out his Altaria and placed the girl on the pokémon before placing himself behind her. Trip scribbled the address on a piece of paper Jenny gave him and handed it to Virgil.

"Thank you."

"Nothing to thank for. You just take care of yourselves. See you."

He squeezed Trip’s shoulder and stroked Altaria's neck, who soon rose into the air until the little troop was just a tiny little black dot on the horizon.

Trip turned and gave N an ice-cold look.

"Don't even think about stopping me."

N swallowed hard and looked away, but as Trip strode towards the dragon, who was still trying to get off the ground and failing miserably, he turned on his heel and ran after him. Iris recalled Druddigon and Haxorus and followed as well.

N put a hand on Trip’s shoulder, but unlike Virgil’s, it was only roughly shaken off.

"Please don't do it. Kyurem is not acting of his own free will. My friend is very scared and confused, I can feel that.”

"N, I’m sorry, but I can’t even begin to describe how much I do not care. You may not give a shit about the dead and injured people, but I do. Kyurem is dangerous and should have been stopped much sooner, and it's only because I listened to you and Virgil that all of this happened. How many more, N? How many more do you want to sacrifice for that damn pokémon?"

N stopped, clearly hurt by Trip’s words. Iris caught up with N and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, like she always did when she was nervous.

"He didn't mean it like that, N."

"You and I both know that’s a lie. He meant it exactly like that. Kyurem is innocent. Why can’t he see that?"

Iris sighed.

„Because he’s hurt, N. You would be too.“

What should she do now? Could she do anything at all? She didn't want to take sides. Logically N was probably right, after all Trip himself had said that he suspected that Zekrom and Kyurem were being controlled, or at least influenced by someone. But where did logic and understanding have a place when he had just lost his parents, his home?

N clenched his fists, not in anger but in helplessness. He always understood the pokémon perfectly, but now Iris felt like he was finally trying to understand the human side as well. Deflated, he bowed his head and made one last attempt, just as Trip called out Serperior. The pokémon was towering in front of Kyurem with a cold, angry look in his red eyes. Ready to avenge his trainer’s family with no hesitation.

Kyurem’s condition was miserable. It probably wouldn't take much more than one attack to kill it.

"It won't change anything," he began, and Trip paused. His cold, gray eyes turned to N.

He seemed so, so angry. But he listened.

"You might feel better for a moment after you've killed the pokémon that... caused your parents' deaths. But one day, when the pain begins to subside and the anger dissipates, you will remember this moment and regret not having found a more peaceful solution.”

Tears shone in N's eyes and his voice trembled as he continued.

"Please believe me, I don't want to dismiss your pain as unimportant. It is not my intention to hurt you. Or anyone. And I do care about the people. I'd just rather help hold whoever is actually behind all of this accountable. Can't you understand that? Please let me speak to Kyurem, I'm sure there is an explanation for all of this."

Trip pressed his lips together in a thin line. His eyes were shining, angry and cold, and for a moment it looked like he was about to throw N's words to the wind and order his Serperior the killing blow, but then he grabbed his poké ball and called him back. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't.

That just wasn’t him.

"Do what you want," he said, and walked away in the other direction without another word.

Iris began walking after him, but Trip noticed and shook his head, not slowing his pace. He didn’t want company right now, and although it pained Iris to leave him wandering off alone, she stayed where she was.

„I’m here if you need me. You’re not alone anymore. Don’t forget that,“ Iris said quietly, but still loud enough to make sure he still heard her.

Once Trip had left her line of sight, she looked in front of her and watched as N carefully moved towards Kyurem and crouched down in front of it. Hopefully he didn't make a mistake there - Kyurem looked genuinely hostile and ready to gobble him up in one bite should it get the chance.

As N reached out, it snapped at him and fell back with a gasp of pain. The stupid thing had hurt itself really badly in its killing spree.

"It's all good, my friend. I don't want to hurt you, I just want to talk to you. Do you see that, Iris? Kyurem’s eyes are very dull. Something’s not right.”

Iris cautiously took a few steps closer and eyed the dragon skeptically. It had been a while since she had been this close to a legendary pokémon. Its gaze actually made it seem far, far away and its body a mere soulless shell.

"Kyurem, do you know who did this to you? Who manipulated you?”

The dragon made no sound, just continued to stare at N with hostility. Iris had never seen a pokémon look at N like this before. After a while of asking various questions and probably appearing like a madman to any outsider, N sighed and stood up again.

"It’s no use," he said, "Kyurem can't think straight, just like Zekrom. I think they’re hurting, both of them. Not only from the fight - also mentally. We should-"

A bang interrupted them, throwing them both to the ground. As Iris got to her feet and called Haxorus out of his poké ball again, she heard N scream.

"Let go of me! Who are you, what do you want from me?!” he shouted, as he was being held and chained by two men in black clothes who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Haxorus was already opening his mouth, but one of the two men raised his hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Any attack you throw at us will inevitably hurt your little friend here as well.”

Haxorus let his Dragon Pulse disappear again and looked at his trainer for help, who gritted her teeth and tried to think of a plan.

"Come on, you bastard. Make yourself useful,” the second man snapped.

N probably would have killed them both, were he not immobilized and on his knees, as the guy pointed at Kyurem with a weird kind of taser. The dragon cried out in pain before – through sheer force of will – getting back up and spreading its wings. It took a few more house walls with it in the process.

At least not enough to collapse anything this time. Iris loved dragons, yes, but - goddamn, what an idiot of a pokémon.

"Kyurem, please! Please don't do it!” N yelled weakly before he too took a hit from the taser and his head lolled motionless.

"Haxorus, we have to attack but try and not hit N, okay?”

"Throat Chop, Hawlucha!" Iris heard Trip yell, his footsteps quickly coming closer again. He must’ve heard the commotion.

The Wrestling Pokémon leapt and spread its claws before kicking one man's neck with full force, which snapped backwards grotesquely, and knocked him to the ground.

"Get up you damn loser," growled the first to speak earlier, kicking his colleague, who was very clearly not going to get up again.

Before Trip could give his Hawlucha another command, the stranger pressed a button on the ribbon on his wrist, and both he and N vanished on the spot. Trip skidded to a halt in front of them, panting and staring in disbelief at where their mutual friend had been just a second ago.

That had to be the same guys who kidnapped Paul. But what kind of pattern was that? Paul and N couldn't be more different, Paul was a powerful, no-nonsense fighter and N was an eccentric pacifist who could talk to pokémon. It made no sense.

"Shit," Trip muttered. Meanwhile, Kyurem and Haxorus engaged in a heated battle, and Serperior got himself out of his poké ball to help them. Kyurem pushed them all to the outskirts of the city, and there was still no sign of Reshiram and Zekrom in the sky.

"They're coming back!" Iris looked at where Trip was pointing, and sure enough, a portal of sorts opened, and a few figures emerged again – okay, several – okay, a lot. There had to be at least ten of those guys. Apparently word of their co-worker's death had already spread, and now they were probably playing it safe.

"There's the champ. Get him,” a dark voice said, and Iris exchanged a nervous look with Trip. Well, that did parallel Paul. So they actually wanted to kidnap the champions? But why? And what did N have to do with all this?

"Run!" Iris called to her friend. "They have N, they can't get you too! They want you, not me! I'll be fine, just get to safety!"

Iris clenched her fist and watched out of the corner of her eye as the black-clad figures approached.

"I won't-"

"Trip, don't you dare argue with me right now! Leave, or do I have to force you?! Believe me, if it saves your life, I'll gladly have Haxorus catapult you up to Canada!"

"...Call me once you're safe."

Iris opened her mouth to rebuke him again, but then she realized what he had said. She smiled and nodded, but when she turned in his direction, she saw that he was already booking it towards the forest.

At least from time to time, he obviously had something like a brain. In the forest he had a good chance of losing them. And she would give him a head start.

Iris spun around and exchanged a determined look with her Haxorus.

"Ready? Dragon Pulse!”

Notes:

My brother and I were watching JJK - The Shibuya Incident today, and he said that if something is just called the "incident", you know it's gonna be messed up. And then I thought, you KNOW what would be funny! Anyway, sorry Trip. The tragic fate of being one of my favorite characters, they're always being put through all the horrors :')

I don't know how frequent updates from here on will be. I'll do my best and I have most of the chapters finished so they only need to be proofread / polished a little, but I'll probably be very busy with uni for the next months! :)

Chapter 20: Numbing Darkness

Notes:

It's been a while but I finally got around to proofread this!
Did I say I love my faves suffering? Round two :)
Hope you enjoy!

It was pitch black in the room when Paul woke up.

At least that’s what he hoped, because the alternative would be that his own eyes were failing him, and he didn't even want to think about that right now. It was quiet, eerily quiet. The only thing he heard was his hastened but steady heartbeat.

Where the hell was he here? What happened? The last thing he remembered was Regigigas' terrifying, deafening roar and Gary's distraught face as it swung its giant arm and aimed in Paul's direction. After that only silence, darkness.

Did the asshole knock him out? With the force it had apparently put into the punch, it should have easily shattered his head. He was still alive, so what was going on? He hardly felt any pain, other than a slight tweak in his right hip and left leg, but what he felt very strongly instead was an odd light-headedness. Almost like being drunk, but to the point where it wasn't fun anymore.

Something liquid ran down his face. Was he bleeding?

As he reached up with his hand and wiped his face, something rattled and his wrist got yanked back painfully. So someone had chained him up. This was getting better and better. As far as he could manage, he crouched his body more inward to feel more with his hands. At least that was how he got to his arms, and he hissed when the chains almost caught on something that jabbed into his skin. Some sort of IV tube? That would explain the drowsiness.

So some assholes had drugged him, chained him up here, and then left him. But for what purpose? And what had happened to the others after he got knocked out? Were they just as helpless in a dark room, alone, without really understanding what had happened to them? Or did they manage to escape?

Paul closed his eyes again - it didn't make any difference anyway. He could still remember that just before Regigigas' attack on one of the stalagmites, his phone had completely shattered into its individual pieces. Probably whoever brought him here would have took it anyway, so there was no point in getting angry about the fact that no one would come and save him.

The darkness and the almost sickening, crushing silence began to wrap around him tighter and tighter with every passing minute. The last time he had been this scared, he had still been a child. When his mother had still been alive and his father had still been with them.

Shit, was that a long time ago.

A fire had broken out at the neighbor's house and the smoke had spread into theirs. He'd barely had time to comprehend what was happening, but he remembered his mother pulling him out of bed and carrying him downstairs through the house, which had been pitch-black with clouds of smoke. He had started to cry, unable to understand the darkness and why it was getting so difficult to breathe.

Reggie had held him the whole time while his parents had rushed over to the neighbors, called the fire department and helped where they could. The gratitude he felt toward his brother, and the way he had clung to first his mother, then him, were pale shadows of the last really strong feelings Paul could remember having once had – except maybe for the anger and disappointment when his father and Reggie had fought for the last time before he left them for good.

Since then, ever since his father left, he'd always tried to suppress everything. Not feel anything anymore, no disappointment, no anger, no fear, no joy. He didn't want to know any more of all this, because even joy had always only been a fleeting sensation. Something that passed for a moment before it was snatched from him again.

Feelings had become just an obstacle for him. So he had vowed never to be afraid again, to be strong enough to never be afraid again. Never again having to hear from his father that he was too jumpy and that he would never get anywhere if he didn't get rid of his shyness and fear. With the powerful pokémon at his side, that hadn't been a problem. Nobody could harm him when Torterra stood tall next to him.

Gasping for air, he ran his hand over his belt where his poké balls used to be. Gone. All of them. He should have guessed it, but it still felt like a punch in the gut. There was no Torterra that could help him now, one that sent shivers down the spine of his opponent just by looking at them.

There wasn't a Dragapult that heroically threw itself into a legendary pokémon's attack to protect its trainer. No Weavile, no Ursaring...he hoped they were okay. He was on his own now, tied up, half dead and without a clue where he was or why he was here, what they wanted from him.

He clenched his fists and opened them again, breathing in, breathing out, but nothing could stop the panic rising in his stomach, which slithered into his head like a Huntail and settled there. His fingers itched to pluck the needle from his arm and he slapped at the chains, desperately hoping he could somehow open them on his own.

Just as he was trying to remove the IV with his teeth, a door slammed open and bright light filled the room, forcing his eyes to shut. It hurt. How long had he been sitting here in the dark?

"Ahhh, you're awake. How nice. Brain dead, as if. I told Lysandre that your stubborn skull isn't that easy to crack."

The man who had spoken appeared only as a black silhouette against the blindingly white glow of the hallway that was outside of the small cell. But that voice...Paul had heard it before. It was a dull, faint memory - on TV? For some reason he linked it to Trip, but why?

Think about it Paul, dammit.

It all played out in his head like a disturbing movie. That slimy, feigned-friendly voice... Trip, frowning, mouth set in a grim line—shit. That couldn't be true.

Ghetsis. He was still alive. Ghetsis was alive. Ghetsis was alive.

True, nowadays he looked more like a grotesque caricature of himself, as Paul realized when he finally got a clear view of the man looming over him – his long green hair was falling in ugly, unkempt strands down his back and chest, across his empty right eye socket was a deep, greenish-yellow shimmering scar from a wound that had evidently been patched up poorly, and he leaned even more crookedly on his cane, which featured a symbol Paul didn't recognize.

Two men spread out beside him, probably members of his organization. They had machine guns in their hands, aimed them and held them in Paul's face. As if they thought he was a wild pokémon that would attack their boss at any moment. As if he weren't smart enough to know it was useless. Even if he hadn't been chained and nearly immobilized anyway.

Ghetsis looked more like an old man, just from the ridiculous guarding, than the proud aristocrat he had once been, but Paul would be stupid to underestimate him for that. He knew what he had done to N for years, how manipulative he was. He knew he'd nearly killed Hilda and Hilbert when they got in his way, and he'd seen on TV how Ash was completely petrified when asked about Ghetsis and the attacks in Unova and on Alola.

Ash, who always seemed to take whatever was thrown at him with a huge smile on his face. Who always selflessly put himself in danger, and never showed an ounce of fear, even when he was staring death straight in the eye.

Ash had been shaking. Had been so scared of this man he couldn't get a word out. The man standing before him was the devil incarnate. Intelligent and conniving, and absolutely ruthless at that. A man who only saw people as toys. Who didn't give a damn if he dropped dead in the next second.

And yes, Paul had vowed never to be afraid again, never to show weakness in front of his opponent, because that would give him the upper hand. He had not forgotten his father's mantra. But all those resolutions were gone when Ghetsis leaned down with a sleazy grin on his face and Paul saw all the little scars on his face, inflicted by people who were undoubtedly much stronger than himself.

His life was in the hands of that monster, and that thought alone took his breath away. Ghetsis reached out to him. Paul envisioned the hand that could easily strangle him if Ghetsis so decided. He could feel the wall behind him and the chains making it impossible for him to move, let alone resist what this man was trying to do to him.

He wasn't just afraid. He was paralyzed with fear.

Ghetsis barked out a laugh. Was he making fun of him?

"And suddenly he's all quiet and subdued, the big, bad Sinnoh champion that everyone fears so much. Have you lost your tongue, my boy? You usually have such a big mouth. I have to say, I really enjoyed your little stunt at the opening party of your cute little tournament. How you took those nosy reporters for a ride. You would certainly look fantastic as a representative of our organization. You are so... different from the others. Almost a waste, but what can you do..."

The man's voice was as soft as butter, almost whispering. His left eye, holding the unsettling color of freshly dried blood, glared at him in amusement, almost gleefully. Paul didn't want to ask. He knew it was a mistake to ask.

He asked.

"What do you mean by waste? What are you going to do to me?” he croaked, at least in his head. It was painful for him to speak and he choked on some of his syllables and words, probably another effect of the anesthetic. He felt miserable. Weak. Useless.

"Well, that we have to kill you, of course. Didn't you realize that when you found yourself here? I admire your optimism, but Ketchum and my ungrateful son are the only ones of our captives who need to stay alive. We need you for... other purposes.”

Paul felt his heart pounding against his chest, so loud that Ghetsis’ next words were a dull sound on his eardrum, he didn't understand a single thing.

Kill you. Kill.

He would die.

"I don't understand-" Paul choked back a sob that wouldn't help his situation in the least, only humiliate him further, "if you...if you want to kill me, then how come I'm still alive? Do you want to see me suffer, you sick freaks? Is this some kind of pastime for you maniacs? And what do you want from Ash and N?”

He didn't know where he got the strength and courage to talk to Ghetsis like that, but it didn't even seem to upset him. He still seemed to be amused by his captive's position, and leaned onto his cane with a contented sigh before answering.

"Au contraire. In fact, I think you should thank us. I don't think it would be that comfortable to be awake during surgery. You're only alive because Giovanni wants to ask you, and the others, a few more questions. It's easier than letting our psychic types drain your memories when you're dead, but should you give us any trouble, we won't hesitate to kill you right away and do just that. So keep that in that smart mind of yours. And what we do with your friends, let that be our concern. You don't have to worry about that anymore. It’s all over tomorrow anyway, and then you won't have to care about anything anymore.”

He laughed out loud. Or at least it sounded loud in this empty, sad little room.

"Good night, champion."

Paul could almost feel the color draining from his face. The dizziness that had been with him all along was getting worse, and something was pressing on his chest as if his windpipe was being choked off. He kept trying to breathe in, but just couldn't get enough air into his lungs. His breathing became gasps.

He was hyperventilating and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He was completely at Ghetsis’ mercy. What a joke. A surgery? They wanted to kill him and then cut him open? Why, why, why?!

"Surgery?" he asked, so quietly that he'd be surprised if Ghetsis could even hear him. If he did, he ignored him. Instead, he straightened up and hobbled out of the room, followed by the two lackeys. The door slammed and Paul found himself in darkness again. Alone.

"Fuck," he hissed with the last bit of his strength and slammed his fist against the floor. He couldn't even be angry anymore. He was confused, scared, and he'd probably be dead by tomorrow. It was pointless.

A few choked sobs escaped his parched throat. Tears were now running down his face, along with what he still assumed was blood. A pathetic sight he had to be, head split open, crying, drugged to keep him quiet, and chained to the wall with only inches to move. Like a wild beast.

If he was going to stand a chance of ever seeing a sunrise again, of keeping on living, he had to get out of here. But any attempt to loosen the chains in any way ended only in chafing his wrists and injuring himself further. It certainly wasn't the only precaution Ghetsis had taken, either. The door was probably equipped with an alarm, should he even think about opening it from the inside.

What on earth was he supposed to do now? He wasn't ready to die yet. He couldn't even say goodbye. It had only been a relatively normal mission. How could it have ended like this? If he had known... he would have gone anyway, of course. But he wouldn't have involved Gary, nor Barry, nor Dawn, would have been more careful, wouldn't have let himself be knocked unconscious and taken prisoner like an idiot.

All he could do was hope that the three of them somehow made it out of the cave and didn't share his fate. That wouldn't be... that wouldn't be fair. None of them deserved that. They, especially Barry, got on his nerves sometimes, yes. But he didn't even have to dig very deep into his heart to know he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. They were the best people he knew.

Barry still had the dream of one day battling and defeating his father, becoming the leader of his own Battle Tower, and he was getting closer and closer. He had scraped together money with side jobs and the help of his victories and his sponsors – instead of demanding wild penalties from other trainers, he thankfully gave that up years ago –, trained harder than any of them, and had finally even worked up the courage to call his father at least once to talk to him about his inferiority complex.

Things were finally looking up for him, and Paul always felt a tinge of pride and happiness when looking at him. Hearing his laugh that finally didn’t sound so hollow anymore. They couldn't just take that away from him like that. They weren't allowed to.

Dawn had only recently taken up actual pokémon battles to pass the time during the wait between the contests, and she was just beginning to really enjoy it. She would probably never be able to ask him to train with her in the backyard of her mother's house, show her some of his tricks, ever again. He would never see her bright, contagious smile again.

And Gary had worked so, so hard to step out of his grandfather's shadow and was so close to finally getting his PhD. Paul could still remember the nights in Sinnoh just before his exams when he was doing his bachelor's degree. They had stayed up all night until Gary's fear of failure was finally calmed – after he'd recited almost the entire library by heart for the fifth time and Paul had assured him that he was more than well prepared.

The hole those three would leave behind was almost unimaginable.

With a faint groan, he began his senseless struggle against the shackles again. They didn't even have a lock for him to try to pick. He was stranded. If he couldn't even free himself from the chains, he didn't have to worry about getting any further.

Angry and drained, he leaned his head against the cool concrete wall. He wasn't strong enough, once again. Another lost fight. Failed again. Not enough. Not enough.

Pathetic.

He could see his father's disappointed, reprimanding face blurred in his mind's eye.

“What are you fighting for, Paul? And why don't you fight for it like you mean it? You will never achieve anything if you always give up so easily!”

I can't take it anymore, Papa. I'm sorry.

His head and stomach churned as he slumped forward against the rattling chains and he knew the feeling of having to throw up all too well, but he could only choke dry, which only made his stomach angrier. When was the last time he ate and drank something? Yesterday afternoon? What time was it anyway? He had no idea. No wonder there was nothing in his body that it could get rid of.

The door slammed open again and one of the grunts burst in with a grim expression on his face and a syringe in his hand.

"You're unbearably loud, you know that?" he hissed, which was Paul's only explanation for what was coming. Of course he had somehow seen it coming, but the sudden pain as the grunt rammed the sharp needle of the syringe right into his neck made him gasp anyway.

"What's that?" he croaked.

"Call it a sleep medicine. Should at least keep you quiet for the night.” He grinned, showing his yellow and crooked teeth. "If you survive, that is. Sweet Dreams."

Paul doubted he would have anything but nightmares that night, even if whatever the grunt gave him put him in some kind of sleep or comatose state. A thousand questions swirled around in his head.

Where were his pokémon? What were they planning to do with the others? What would it be like to die? Would it hurt a lot?

He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip so hard he could feel blood in his mouth. He wouldn't start crying again. He was stronger than that. And if he had to die tomorrow, at least he would have what dignity he had left intact. No matter how little that was.

It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He fell heavily onto the arm where the IV tube was attached, but he didn't feel the pain he was supposed to feel.

He didn't feel...anything.

Chapter 21: The Experiment

Notes:

I'm back with a quick chapter and some Gladion & Paul friendship because I love them <3
It's been a while, but since I got vacation (more or less) for two weeks now, I hope the next two chapters will come sooner again!

"Come on...come on...breathe...please, breathe-"

Paul could feel his consciousness coming and going. Something – no, someone – hit him against his chest, over and over again. He wanted to thrash around, relieve the uncomfortable pressure, but he wasn't sure he'd even manage to raise his arms.

Because of his blurred vision, he could only make out little. Everything spun in circles, all the colors he could see blended into one another in an indistinct mass. But there was something bright in front of him. A contrast to the darkness that still engulfed him.

He tried to defend himself with words against the beatings - were they even beatings? No idea - to fight back, but only a pitiful, high-pitched whine came from his throat, during which the bright spot of color evaporated for a moment and turned into something bright green.

"Paul! You are... oh thank goodness. Stay with me, okay? Stay with me."

Time had been an alien construct ever since he had entered Snowpoint Temple, so Paul didn't know how much of it passed before it finally began to take form again, to become reality. The voice still speaking to him no longer sounded as if it came from far away. He could smell again, the previously undefinable blob of light color became a mop of white blond, tousled hair and the green became two eyes staring at him worriedly. The hands that had been on his chest were now on his cheeks and turning his head around.

Ugh.

And just as Paul wanted to raise a complaint about the rude treatment, the sound of a harsh slap echoed in the room and his cheek started burning.

"Hey, what the hell, Gladion?!"

He was surprised at the power of that exclamation, and Gladion backed away for a moment before a grin spread across his face. Paul bared his teeth. So he thought that was funny?

"Sorry. That was my best idea to bring you back to consciousness. It did work, apparently.”

He wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead and the grin left his face as quickly as it had come.

"Shit, you gave me a scare." His voice was shaking and his eyes were suspiciously glazed over. Paul straightened up a little. He flexed his fingers, which were slowly losing their numbness, and held his head.

"What happened? How the hell did you get in here anyway? Why are you here anyway? Did they really...get all of you?”

"Not everyone. I was able to save Lillie, thankfully, and I got brought here instead. No idea about the others though. I was able to overpower the guys who locked me up just as they were about to chain me to the wall. Knocked them out and took their guns. I heard Ghetsis talking about you in the hallway, so I immediately set off to free you. It wasn't that hard to find you, but-"

Paul turned the pistol in his hands that Gladion had given him. The unspoken still hung in the air between them. Gladion couldn't even look him in the eyes as he spoke. Normally Paul took that as a sign of weakness, but this time he could understand, even relate. He couldn’t even look up from the gun in his hand when he asked. It would be hypocritical.

"...I was dead, wasn't I?"

Gladion ground his teeth across his bottom lip and nodded slowly. It was obvious that he was trying very hard to maintain his stoic facade, which was crumbling more and more with every passing minute.

"I think so. You...you were lying there, covered in blood, pale as snow...your – your heart had stopped beating. It was like when my mom-"

Paul grabbed Gladion's wrist with his hand, squeezed it a little to silence him, and twisted his mouth into what he hoped was a smile of encouragement. It wasn't exactly something he did often or had much practice in. But he still knew vaguely from Gary's stories how much Gladion had suffered (and apparently still did) from seeing his mother die, and that he had not been able to save her. This had to be hard for him.

"You saved my life. I owe you one.”

"Forget it, don't even start. I'm just glad it worked. Now we have to get out of here. Do you know if they have anyone else-"

"Ash. And N.”

Paul could see Gladion go paler than he already was. Did that really come as a surprise to him?

"I don't think either of them is in immediate mortal danger, Ghetsis told me they needed them alive. But-"

"That doesn't mean they can't hurt them. Good Arceus. Any idea where they might be?”

Paul shook his head and Gladion dropped his shoulders. It looked bleak, there was no use denying that. But they had to do something. If Ghetsis caught more of them, they didn't even need to wait for a rescue. Unfortunately, Jenny and her squad only ever showed up when everything was already over. One could not hope for help from her in this world. They had to help themselves.

"How do you feel? Good enough to search with me for Ash, N, and maybe others? Otherwise you'll find a way out and-"

"Are you stupid?" Paul hissed. "You want us to split up? You might as well speed things up and shoot us both with those things.”

"I have experience with that. It was similar back when I smuggled Silvally out of Aether Paradise.”

"Gladion, with all due respect, firstly, you had your pokémon with you back then, and secondly, your mother would never have let her employees kill you, no matter how crappy she was at the time. If anyone out there catches us, they'll open fire without hesitation. Our lives don't matter to them, Ghetsis said that to my face."

Gladion gritted his teeth and frowned.

"You're right. Okay, let's go together then. Can you stand up?"

The attempt was a whole performance in itself, but with an iron will (and so many colorful curses that even Gladion turned red), Paul finally managed to keep himself on shaky feet. That had to do. It was very limiting, but if he stayed here and didn't even try, he was going to die anyway. After everything that Gladion had taken upon himself to free him, that wouldn't be fair to him.

"As long as we can avoid it, we shouldn't use the guns. One shot and the whole place knows something's wrong,” Gladion whispered as he opened the door and cautiously peeked out.

Apparently there were no guards outside the door. They either patrolled because they thought the cells were safe enough, or they didn't take their job too seriously. The way Paul remembered Giovanni's people... option number two probably wasn't that far off the mark.

"You don’t say. Did Ghetsis say anything else? He was talking about a Giovanni earlier, and I'd bet every poké dollar I have that he meant the Team Rocket boss “Giovanni”. If that's true, then we've got this whole squad glued to our asses too.”

"No, he said nothing of the like. Unfortunately."

Gladion put his index finger to his lips and led the way out, Paul hot on his heels. The anesthetics slowly wore off, which was good on the one hand because it allowed him to think a lot clearer, but it made every movement that much more difficult. Paul couldn't make out where the pain was coming from - his whole body felt like it was on fire. So he was doing more of a crawl-limping after Gladion, but he was fine with anything to get out of here.

Gladion pointed to a corner of the large, sterile hallway they were in. A surveillance camera. Not surprising, but still frustrating. How were they supposed to get past that? And the probably thousands of others hanging in this building, just waiting to foil their escape attempt? They were lucky enough that the cells didn't have cameras, but out here? No chance.

At least here, Gladion's adventures in Aether Paradise seemed to help, as he moved smoothly and practiced around the anticipated angle of the camera and motioned for Paul to follow him. But before long they were faced with a problem - a hallway that was guarded by two cameras and there was no way to get past it without being seen. They were trapped. And now?

Paul felt his heart pounding in his throat as he heard muffled voices behind a heavy metal door.

"I have an idea," Gladion whispered. He moved toward the metal door. Did that idea involve completely losing your mind?

"What-"

Gladion waved him over as he pressed his ear against the door and frowned. He raised two fingers on his hand. "Two voices," he whispered, looking at Paul's probably rather irritated face. "We must try to overpower them and grab their uniforms. It will be easier to remain undetected.”

Paul nodded and waited until Gladion had pushed the door open a crack. He crawled in ahead and Paul followed. That was slowly becoming routine.

The small room they were in was probably one of the control centers that showed the surveillance videos. However, there was certainly still a main computer and a main center that showed the whole building. Unplugging here was a risky proposition, it could set off an alarm. And then they'd be even more screwed than they already were.

The grunts had their backs to them and carefully watched the surveillance footage. Apparently they had avoided the cameras very cleverly, otherwise the two would certainly have noticed.

"And what does the boss want with the other roaches now? Seems like a waste of resources keeping these locked up. Do they serve any purpose or are they just collateral damage?”

With every passing minute there was a greater risk that one of them might turn and spot them, but Paul motioned for Gladion to pause anyway. Ghetsis hadn't answered him earlier, it might be useful to know what they had planned to do with them in the first place. After all, their escape—if they managed to escape at all—wouldn't have been everything. Ghetsis wasn't one to give up easily.

"I just heard what Giovanni discussed with Archer when I brought him the blood samples. Apparently they want to transplant human brains into the bodies of legendary pokémon. Something about creating a superior race of pokémon with the intelligence of a human being under the command of Team Rocket, I don't know. The ones we dragged here are the test subjects, so to speak, because Lysandre’s and Namba's research results are not fully grown yet. Giovanni said that he won’t put any of us in danger, so they first experiment on people outside the organization who are easily interchangeable. On top of that, the champs are out of the way, which is causing panic and chaos in the regions. Two birds with one stone."

Paul wasn't entirely sure what sound he was making (judging by the way he's feeling right now, it must have been a mixture of a disbelieving snort and a laugh at the sheer absurdity of such a statement), but it was enough to get the two grunts to stop and turn around.

Their eyes widened when they saw the two intruders. Gladion took a moment to glare at him, then jumped up, grabbed the first heavy object that came his way, and threw it over the head of the grunt who was standing closer to the control board.

Paul didn't hesitate (being murdered by his blond ally was definitely not on his list of things he wanted to do today), wrapped an arm around the other grunt’s neck and slammed his free hand over his mouth to keep him from making even the slightest telltale noise as he squeezed with his arm.

Immediately the grunt thrashed wildly and clawed his barely-there fingernails into Paul's arms, but he seemed to quickly realize for himself that Paul was a great deal stronger than he was, despite his - and he didn't even have the nerve to put it in any flowery terms – absolutely miserable condition. Only when the wild waving of his arms had died down and his body became heavy and motionless did Paul lower him to the floor.

"Unconscious?" Paul snorted and knelt down to check his pulse, then nodded. "Good, mine too. Sorry guys,” Gladion said, and it couldn't sound less like he was actually sorry.

He began to pull the top of the uniform over the grunt’s head and Paul reluctantly did the same. Well, sure, getting out of his sweaty and blood-soaked clothes was a bit of an improvement, but the smelly, horrible uniform with the silver sign on the chest wasn't exactly amazing either. He examined it, and realized it was probably some merged logo of Team Rocket, Plasma and Flare.

How tacky.

While he was able to remove his half-torn sweater fairly easily, his top had become fused with the blood on his body over the course of his short-lived captivity and he was unable to pull it off without reopening every single wound on his back. He just put the uniform over it and decided that was a problem for future Paul, if he even existed.

He was able to hide his hair - although it was so dirty it probably wouldn't matter anyway - under the ridiculous hat.

There had been worse plans in the history of plans. However...there had also certainly been better ones.

"What are we doing with our new friends? If we just leave them here, it will be a dead giveaway that we're walking around instead of them."

Gladio seemed to think for a moment, then nodded in the direction of a relatively roomy-looking closet.

"That closet? At least they are hidden in there for a while. And they’ll get out again once they wake up.”

Gladion dragged the first grunt toward the closet and unceremoniously stuffed him in, then came back to help Paul with the other. The chokehold had drained him of a non-existent amount of strength and had pushed him to the edge of his physical abilities, even though he would rather die than admit it.

He didn't have to either, unfortunately Gladion wasn't that stupid. He'd seen through him at the first grimace. While Gladion stowed away the second grunt, Paul took a look around the small room to maybe find something else they could use to defend themselves that was more subtle than a gun.

Maybe this whole action wasn't as hopeless as he thought.

Chapter 22: Marshadow

Notes:

alright, last chapter before my vacation ends :') Hope you enjoy!

In one of the drawers, Paul found a dagger with a small silver sign, the same as on the uniform, engraved on the handle. That would have to do.

They made their way through the base's intertwined corridors and smaller engineering rooms, always careful to keep their heads slightly bowed in case anyone recognized their faces. Don’t stand out at any price, avoid every altercation. That was the only way they had the chance to get out of here.

"You okay?" Gladion whispered, glancing at Paul out of the corner of his eye, who just nodded. He would have returned a scathing comment, but he saved his breath. Who knew how much longer they had to walk. How much strength he still had to spend before they were finally safe and he could rest.

He wanted to scream as they rounded another of the seemingly endless corners and a huge metal door now blocked their way. This damn maze.

"No need to worry, just give me a minute. The lock looks simple. Do you have-"

Paul pulled a hairpin from his hair and handed it to Gladion. He had originally started carrying these things around because Dawn had a special talent for losing hers all the time, anywhere, or forgetting them at home in the first place. But over time, as his own hair had grown longer, it had proven surprisingly useful when it didn't stay where it was supposed to.

Or when you had to pick locks in a secret base of a crime organization because you had been kidnapped there out of the blue to be the prototype for a new, overpowered pokémon race. The usual.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Paul turned around quickly, his head responding immediately with a dizzy spell, and stared into the eyes of a man who was also a grunt, judging by the uniform. The grunt wrinkled his forehead into many little furrows, and then he seemed to realize what was happening. A sadistic little grin spread across his face.

"Well what do you know, our prisoners are trying to escape. You're Paul, aren't you? We have orders to kill you if you try to escape, don't you know that? How courteous of you to run straight into my arms.”

His hand went to his belt, which held a pistol. Before he had time to think about it, Paul lunged at him. If that shot rang out, they could surrender even if it didn't hit. He would alarm the whole building.

He pulled the dagger from his belt and thrust it into the grunt’s chest as hard as he could. The grunt dropped the gun and gasped, only to end up spitting blood all over Paul's uniform and face. Disgusted, Paul wiped himself with his sleeve and let the still slightly twitching but otherwise lifeless man sink to the floor. Apparently he hit the target well.

"Shit," he murmured.

He stared at the corpse. The corpse he had just produced. He had killed a human. In self-defense, maybe, but it was his fault he wasn't alive anymore.

It was difficult, but he forced himself to look away. He turned back to Gladion, who was staring at him, wide-eyed and mouth slightly open, before swallowing hard and going back to work on the lock with trembling fingers.

Paul watched him in silence. Was he imagining it, or did the air between them suddenly feel colder?

"Okay, open. Now all we have to do is – ASH!” The desperation coupled with the relief in his voice brought new life to Paul and he ran after Gladion.

The room they were in was filled with machines and large jars containing a strange, greenish liquid. Presumably they carried out their experiments on cloning here, Giovanni had a history with that after all. And presumably this was also the lab they were supposed to be taken to if they wanted to do their...weird merging thing with them.

Ash was chained to a metal table in the center of the room, unmoving. He was connected to some kind of machine and a monitor showed his heart rate and other things that Paul couldn't make sense of. It looked like he was caught in some kind of trance.

Paul swallowed. He had never really had any respect for Ash when they first met. Neither for the way he trained his pokémon, nor for him as a person. But when he looked at this, and remembered the horror stories Dawn had told him about Team Rocket, Team Galactic and apparently every other evil organization in this world, he couldn't help but admire him.

What this guy had been through... did he even want to imagine?

Ash's torso was bare, revealing all the scars he had sustained over the years. A few were small and probably just the result of another stupid idea from these three talentless Team Rocket henchmen, but some looked like it had really, really hurt to get them.

"Good Arceus, Ash. What the hell... we have to wake him up. Do you think it's safe to turn off the devices?” Gladion whispered. He didn't look at Paul, but his voice told Paul how disturbed he was.

"We don't have much of a choice, do we? But we should be aware that someone will come sprinting over here as soon as the machines stop giving signals. So we have to hurry, and if he's awake, let's get out of here. Even...if he's not awake. Then we’ll just have to carry him.”

Gladion nodded thoughtfully. He glanced at the computers and the tubes going in and out of Ash. One by one he began unpinning them. Hoping it wouldn’t kill him. It looked like some of that equipment was forcing him into that state. Didn't look like he was in a coma, but didn't look like he was just sleeping either. Admittedly, it was fucking creepy.

Paul's eyes fell on a reddish shimmering wound on Ash's collarbone. A burn, a strong one. He must have gotten it recently. He unplugged another computer and suddenly Ash gasped and shot up, looking around in confusion.

"What- Lucario, Sir Aaron, I have to help you-"

„What in the world are you talking about?“ Paul asked, but Gladion shushed him.

"Ash, it's us. Paul and Gladion. About Sir Aaron and Lucario... that happened many years ago. you have already helped. It’s just a bad dream. Come on, wake up."

Gladion had grabbed his shoulders and after a few minutes of Ash staring at him in disbelief, he finally seemed to calm down. His eyes, which had an odd blue tinge to them, returned to their normal caramel brown and he let out a squeak of relief. Gladion pulled him off the table and hugged him.

"Gladion! I’m so glad nothing happened to you. And", Ash's gaze turned to him, as if he only now noticed that there was someone else in the room, "...Paul! You're alive! We thought...we thought-"

"Still standing. Just about,” Paul replied. He didn't fight back as Ash pulled him into a bone crushing hug too and sobbed into his shoulder. Maybe...maybe that it even felt a tiny bit good. To know that they did care.

"We have to get out of here," he urged anyway, pushing Ash away from him, "this place will soon be swarmed with Team Flare, Team Rocket and Team Plasma idiots. Any idea? Did you see anything when they brought you here?”

Ash frowned, then his expression brightened and he nodded.

"Yes, I think I can find my way out. They blindfolded me when they brought me here, but I was able to activate my aura and see it in my mind. Sort of.”

Paul nodded as if he understood what the hell Ash was talking about. The important part was that he got them out of here, he could always ask questions later.

"You two go. I'll sneak through here and try to find and free the others. There's probably a lot of people and pokémon trapped here, we can't just leave them behind. But you take the quickest way out of here, understand? Do you understand, Ash?”

"But-"

"No buts. You're both in bad shape, you'd just be dead weight to me. And you both need a doctor. Urgently."

Paul grimaced a little at that statement, but he couldn't deny it either. Whenever they had encountered difficulties before, it had been his fault. Almost certainly Gladion was better off without him. Actually, so was Ash, but... well. Paul wouldn't have much of a chance of making it out of here without him. He was far too scared of dying to not be selfish for once.

"Please be careful, Gladion," Ash said, swallowing the tears that had already pooled in his eyes, "we'll get help as soon as we get out of here."

Gladion nodded frantically and looked around. Voices could already be heard, getting louder and louder. They would be here soon. It was only a matter of minutes. Maybe only a few at first, but once they found the body in the hallway...they had to hurry.

"Go."

Ash seemed to have learned something over the years - in any case, he didn't need another invitation, just pointed to another door.

“We came from there. We just have to somehow get to the first floor and use one of the back exits from there. Then we have a chance.”

"Lead the way," Paul murmured.

They left Gladion, Ash with his hand on Paul's wrist. They weren't paying attention to security cameras and being as quiet as possible like before. They would be discovered now one way or another. All that mattered was to flee. As quickly as possible. Maybe they could even distract the grunts from whatever Gladion was doing.

"What even happened, how did they get you?" Paul gasped. Another corner, another door. It was like it would never end. It was only to be hoped that Ash knew what the hell he was doing. And man, did Paul hope that Ash knew what he was doing.

"Cynthia called Reggie and told him what happened. That they kidnapped you. And shortly after that everything fell apart. Everywhere the legendary pokémon were going crazy, in every region. So we've all gone to stop them. Then these people showed up. I was trying to protect my friends and realized too late that they were after me. And after Gladion, and Lillie. They obviously wanted the champions. They overpowered us, caught us, and dragged us here through some kind of portal. I just hope the others...I hope they managed to escape. Trip did warn me, but what should we have done-"

"I don't know about Trip, but apparently N didn’t escape. Ghetsis paid me a visit, he told me they have him.”

Ash gave him an alarmed look.

"They are...maybe all here. We have to hurry to get help.”

Paul nodded, although his condition was getting worse by the minute and he had the nauseous, cruel feeling that he probably wouldn't make it if they didn't get out of here and back to civilization soon. The grip on his wrist tightened and he forced himself to look at Ash's worried face.

"Paul? Hold on... hold on, okay? We don't have that far anymore. All we have to do is go through this room, then down the stairs, and then we're outside. We almost made it. Don't you dare die on me now."

"O-okay."

Just one more room, then the stairs. Paul said it over and over in his head like a mantra. It was the only thing that kept him going. That, and the pride that still kept him from showing his weaknesses in front of Ash. But it was getting harder and harder to do that.

"Ah, here are the stairs! You see, I was right! There's even a window here.”

He opened said window and leaned out. "Below us is a river, maybe we could jump...but from this height-"

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

The blood in Paul's veins froze. Lacking better judgement, he turned to the unfamiliar voice and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ash do the same. In front of them was a pokémon, small and black, apparently made of smoke because its body squirmed a bit in the mild breeze that swept through the open doors. Its orange eyes, glowing like fire, looked at them blankly and it cocked its head as if actually waiting for an answer from them.

"That's Marshadow," Ash whispered, "so it really does exist."

"You wanted to escape. I'm afraid I can't allow that.” Marshadow seemed to use some sort of telepathy to speak to them. It was the first time Paul experienced something like this, but Ash didn’t seem too surprised. Figures.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you obeying Lysandre, Giovanni and Ghetsis? They’re bad men, Marshadow. You shouldn't carry out their orders."

Marshadow's body flared up for a moment, the wisps of smoke or mist from which it was formed flickered wildly, licking high into the air. It apparently didn't like Ash's words. Not at all.

"You filthy human will not tell me what to do and what not to do. You are worthless, a worthless part of this disease that has taken over our world. Master Lysandre will set us all free, create a new world, a better world. Where there is no disease. You will be the machine that brings the new world to life. You will not stop us."

"You don't really think so, do you? What's better in a world run by the likes of Lysandre, Ghetsis and Giovanni? You seem to hate humans, so why are you teaming up with the absolute worst of us?” Paul hissed.

"They understand me."

"They're using you, you stupid candle!"

"Why would you have a say in this, murderer?!", the voice became shrill and loud, like it was screeching. "You have no right, no right to judge, after what you have done. I know you, Paul Rebolledo. You are the worst thing that walks this earth. You are arrogant, disrespectful, vindictive and a monster. A monster! You killed him! One of my friends!”

"If I hadn't, your friend would have killed me! I was just defending myself!”

"Oh, do you actually think so? And you still have the audacity to say I am the naive one? You should ask your friend Gladion if he sees it the same way you do!"

"Stop spitting poison," Ash growled. Paul had never seen such a scowl on his face, let alone towards a pokémon. "You are wrong and you know it, and everything you say to us is nothing but a desperate attempt to justify your point of view. But it won't do you any good, so hold your breath."

"It does not matter if you share my point of view or not," Marshadow informed them quietly, "it only matters which of us is stronger."

There was no great doubt about who was stronger. No human could match the power of a pokémon unless it was a total weakling. This pokémon, small as it was, didn't look weak at all. Ash seemed to know that too, because his eyes darted around nervously, probably looking for an escape route. They didn't have that. Not both of them. Marshadow would be faster.

Ash gave him a weird look.

"One of us has to stay here so the other has a chance to escape and get help," he whispered. "Please forgive me. And please...don't die."

Paul had exactly one second to realize what Ash was up to, and before he could protest, Ash had pushed him out the window and he was in free fall, heading straight for the raging river that ran past the building. It all happened so fast he didn't even have time to really realize and react that Ash had just thrown him out a fucking window.

The freezing cold water squeezed the air out of his lungs and the next moment he found himself below the surface. It felt like a thousand little needles were stabbing his body. His nose, eyes and throat were burning like fire. He couldn't see anything, the current was way too strong and he kept hitting hard objects, probably branches and stones that had landed in the river during a storm.

Great plan, Ash. Now we both die.

Chapter 23: To Denounce the Evils of Truth and Love

Jessie was fuming when she got back to camp, and that usually only could mean one of two things: Either someone had dared to question her abilities as a pokémon trainer, or she'd crossed paths with her longtime enemy, Cassidy.

Since they were currently in hiding and couldn’t show themselves or any of their famous alter egos publicly, James ruled out the former. He just didn't know if he should find the second option that much more enjoyable.

Cassidy nearby - that had never meant anything good.

Meowth, the little traitor, seemed to have sensed her anger immediately and had long since disappeared somewhere, leaving James sitting by their campfire alone, preparing their dinner for tonight. It wasn’t a lot, which James was used to by now, but it still hurt a little to go back to this. Back to surviving, after years of finally living.

Jessie dropped to the ground in front of the fire, which James was currently poking around in to keep it going, and crossed her arms with a huff. James already knew the game - she was waiting for him to talk to her, ask her what had spoiled her precious mood today. And he would always drag out the silence as long as possible to annoy her. It was silly, but it amused him to see her face getting redder by the second.

Sooner or later she would always start talking anyway. Patience had never been her strong suit after all.

"You won't believe whose ugly face I just had the misfortune to see. Apparently the boss sent her and that Hutch back to Sinnoh for grunt work again. They’re back on their pokémon day care scheme. You should’ve seen the ridiculous disguises they wore, I can’t fathom how anyone with half a brain wouldn’t be able to see right through that. The people here should know their faces well enough by now, right?"

And there it was. That was quick, even for Jessie.

"I hope she didn't see you?" James asked, raising his eyebrows. If Cassidy knew they were here, it wouldn't be long before Giovanni found out, and then they were screwed. Majorly.

"Oh, she did. That's why we were always the more successful team. We know how to properly spy on targets and then corner them. Using ‘ridiculous disguises’ to trick the simple-minded into feeling safe. It always works, right, Jess?”

Cassidy's sweet but venomous voice startled James, and Jessie spun around as well. James surveyed the situation, already planning an escape route. They were in the middle of the forest. It was doable to outrun the two huge pokémon that manifested in front of Butch and Cassidy, but there was no doubt that if they started to run, their ex-colleagues would take chase or shoot them right away. The risk was way too big.

Apparently Giovanni had provided them with some strong specimens – James doubted that those two would catch and raise such a huge and strong looking Tyranitar, and an even bigger Tyrantrum. Close behind were Raticate and Hitmontop, the first two pokémon Giovanni gave them after they started working for him.

And in the middle stood Butch and Cassidy, glaring at them in a way that even James had never seen on their faces before. They certainly hadn't come here to visit some old friends.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Meowth asked, having just returned. James shook his head and pushed him behind his back. Meowth understood that it was about to get very ugly and nervously clutched James' denim jacket. Even Wobbuffet, who usually wasn't the brightest creature, withdrew in fear.

"What are you two doing here?" Jessie asked coldly, "Did Giovanni send you? Are you his death squad?”

"Can we outrun them?" Meowth whispered.

James furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't want to say it, but he knew Butch would be quicker to pull the trigger of that gun on his belt before he would be able to even get on his feet properly. They had been too careless, had taken just a little break to catch their breath, and now they were paying the price. James clenched his fists. And he had put his teammates in this situation in the first place.

It was his fault.

"Correct. Us and Domino, to be precise.”

Of course. Who else.

Jessie laughed snidely.

"And I thought you two losers couldn't sink any lower. Working together with Domino? That’s pathetic. Sadly I have to disappoint you this time, Cass. You won’t bring a trophy back to Giovanni. You know I've always been the better agent of the two of us. Even Giovanni said so. Don’t you remember?"

So fast that James couldn't even comprehend what was happening, Jessie jumped to her feet, lunged at Cassidy, who let out a surprised yelp, and put Cassidy’s own gun to her former best friend's temple. Tyranitar seemed to have sensed what was going to happen and had already started an attack, but a big flash came from behind James and Meowth and Tyranitar stumbled back a few steps from its own attack hitting it.

Wobbuffet let out an upset cry and came waddling towards them, looking more determined and angry than James had ever seen.

Butch, who, as James had expected, had drawn his gun in the blink of an eye and was now pointing it at Jessie, froze.

"What are you waiting for, you dunce," Cassidy breathlessly hissed in Jessie's grip, "shoot them all! We have orders-"

"And now I'm giving you orders to shut up," Jessie interjected. "If I were you, I'd think this over very carefully, grasshead. If you or one of your pokémon lays a hand on me or my friends, my finger will slip and you'll be saying goodbye to your Cassidy forever. Surely you lovesick fool wouldn't let that happen, would you?"

James looked back and forth between the two, breathless. Cassidy’s face was flushed with anger, but the cold iron on her head seemed to frighten her too much to resist Jessie's tight grip. It was quiet in the big forest, almost as if all of them had suddenly stopped breathing.

Butch's hand was shaking and his eyes darted over to James for a moment, as if considering, but then he lowered the gun, put it back in its holder and shook his head.

"I won't shoot. Let her go.”

Jessie narrowed her eyes.

"What, so you can attack us once she’s free? How stupid do you think I am? No, dear Cassidy will join us for a while. Once we're sure that you’re not following us, we’ll set her free. She'll find her way back to you, Romeo, I’m sure. James, Meowth, pack up. Pronto."

Still bewildered at what his partner had just pulled off, but eager, James did what was asked of him. He'd always preached how much respect he had for Jessie and that he knew she was very good at taking care of herself. But it had been a while since he'd laid eyes on that proud woman, that amazing agent he'd met so many years ago at Team Rocket training camp.

Only a few minutes later they were on their way. Butch dutifully did what Jessie ordered him. James felt a tiny bit guilty when he saw him bow his head and run a hand through his hair in desperation. He would feel the same if he were in his place. And he probably would have made the same decision.

But Giovanni wouldn't like this.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" hissed Cassidy, stumbling ahead with Jessie in their hasty escape through the woods. "Do you really think you can outrun Domino? You may have just overpowered me, but she's not Giovanni's best agent for nothing. You will pay for your betrayal, if now or a week later makes no difference. Butch and I would’ve made it quick, at least. You idiots, you stupid, dumb idiots.”

"You're not going to worry about what Domino is going to do to us, are you?" Jessie asked teasingly.

It was clearly a rhetorical question, but Cassidy let out a yelp of frustration and turned to Jessie, her face contorted in anger.

"I never wanted you to die, you dumb cow! Back when we started Team Rocket, Giovanni told us that once we were in, there was no way out except death! And we both agreed, remember?! And now are you doing this? Pulling such a moronic move?!”

"Yes, and we should have done it much sooner. We're all thieves, liars, crooks, Cass. But each of us has limits somewhere. Wanna know what mine are? Genocide, torture, genetic experiments on humans. The Giovanni who teamed up with these two lunatics isn't the Giovanni I started working for. We both know that very well, and I've known you since we were teenagers. So don't tell me you've never thought of dropping everything and walking away."

"...Of course I did," Cassidy said, more quietly now, hesitantly.

"Then don't judge us for doing what you and Butch were too cowardly to do."

Cassidy pressed her lips together and said nothing. What could be going on inside her head? Jessie seemed to have hit the nail on the head, she had to hate that. But maybe, just maybe something about Jessie’s words made her think, and get away before it really was too late. James never liked the two of them a whole lot, but they deserved better than being used by Giovanni until their dying day.

Everyone of them did.

They walked and walked long into the night until Jessie finally stopped. She exchanged a few quiet words with her hostage, which were probably not intended for James and Meowth's ears. He respected that - he trusted her, always.

She pushed Cassidy away from her, keeping the gun pointed at her as Cassidy slowly stepped backwards toward the trees, hands up in the air. She was almost gone when she raised her head again.

"Domino's no joke, Jess. Keep your heads down. Don't let yourselves get caught that easily again. She likes to attack at night, and she has a Houndoom that can quickly pick up your scent. So best get some pokémon that can neutralize your scent if you don't already have one."

Before they could say anything, say thank you for the advice, she had turned and for a few moments the only sound being heard was the crunch of her footsteps in the undergrowth before the night fell silent again.

"Do you think she'll betray us?" James asked. He tore his gaze away from the black void and looked at Jessie, who was shaking her head grimly.

"I don’t think so. If there was anyone in the whole organization that Cassidy disliked even more than me, it was Princess Domino. Nobody liked her, the way she always threw herself at the boss. Still does, actually. Also, tell her they found us but messed up their mission? That would be their death sentence. She's not that stupid."

"We should get out of here, we're still too close to HQ," Meowth said. James could only agree, and Jessie nodded as well.

“We'll make up a few more kilometers, then we'll rest and then – we'll see. While I'm afraid we've lost far too much time with all this hiding and running crap, maybe...there's still something we can do to help.”

Without waiting for an answer (when would she ever have), Jessie ran ahead again. They came to a river that Meowth unhesitatingly identified as Mu-kawa, one of the longest and largest rivers that ran through Sinnoh. On its shore somewhere to the northeast lay Team Rockets headquarters, and they could use it to get themselves to the nearest town.

They still had no idea how to find a flying pokémon that would take them to Galar, but they had to go step by step anyway, and for now, be careful not to run right into Domino's waiting and deadly arms.

The current of the river guided them and they walked and walked until the sun was already rising on the horizon. They were exhausted, tired and drained. James had already put Meowth on his shoulders a few hours ago, as the little guy would never have been able to walk that far on his own short legs. Finally Jessie stopped.

"Okay, we'll stay here for a few hours. James, you and me will make the fire, Meowth, get some water from the river. Here.”

She threw Meowth an empty plastic bottle, which they usually filled with water to boil so they would have something to drink. Meowth walked away and Jessie watched him skeptically.

"Do you think he's okay? He's so silent. I can’t remember him ever being like that."

James looked up briefly before continuing to collect scattered twigs and branches for their fire.

"I think he's very scared. He doesn't understand what’s happening. He's adapted to us more or less, but he's still a pokémon. He thinks differently, he sees other people differently. The fact that Giovanni would let us be killed like this is just too much for him, I think.”

Jessie sighed.

"Poor guy. Maybe... we should talk to him again. Make it clear to him that we would never allow-"

"James, Jessie! Come quickly!” Both of them pricked up their ears at the agitated sound of Meowth's voice. He was gone for only a few minutes, he couldn't have gotten himself in trouble in that short time, right?

They jumped up and ran in the direction from which Meowth's calls had come. Halfway he met them, frantically pointing in the direction of the river.

"There's someone in there! There, on the river bank! I think he's still alive!"

James exchanged a look with Jessie, who shrugged and walked ahead. James scrambled down the embankment after Meowth, and sure enough there was someone lying there. It looked as if he had only just escaped the torrential currents of Mu-kawa and somehow pulled himself to shore, but then his strength had failed him.

James felt his pulse, which was weak but still there, and then gently rolled the man from his stomach to his back. He was ashen and ice cold, the uniform he wore scratched up and bloody. His face was also full of open wounds that needed to be treated to keep them from becoming infected.

"Hey, is that one of our – Giovanni's people? He's wearing the uniform,” Jessie asked from up where she stood. Meowth and James exchanged a look, then James shook his head.

"No, Jess. I...I know who that is."

Notes:

ah, yes, my favorite morons <3 Am I still a little bit mad at what they did to Cassidy and Butch in Journeys? Maybe. They could'nt run that café or bakery together? No? Oh well.
Also, big cliffhanger at the end, I know. Now who on earth could THAT be. Now they have to deal with the twerp that rampaged through their motto so rudely when they first met smh
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, till next time :)

Chapter 24: Escape Into the Unknown

Notes:

It's finally ooveeeerr ;_; I realized I didn't update this since before the first exams, and it's been A WHILE.
Since I'm free for a few months now (well, working but no studying every day yaaay) updates should come more regularly again.

For now, I hope you like this chapter!

Run, run, run. If they get you, it was all for nothing.

Trip tried to ignore the fact that his chest felt like it was on fire and continued to put one foot in front of the other. He couldn't let up now. The people of Unova surely already knew that he just wasn’t cut out to be a champion – they needed someone to protect them, someone who won battles instead of running away from them. Getting caught now would be the final nail in the coffin, and Trip wasn’t sure if he could handle that humiliation.

At least, if it happened, he wouldn’t have to worry about going back home anyway.

But as much as he fought it, as much as he tried, he knew he couldn’t go on like this much longer.

It was now the third day of his escape. He had already seen the sun set twice, resting during the day whenever he had found a good enough hiding spot and gaining ground in the deep shadows of the night. At some point during all this, his phone seemed to have decided it had to go its own way now and disappeared without a trace, so even if there had been a slight chance of calling for help, it was gone now. Which, of course, wasn’t a terrifying thought at all.

Especially because slowly, the hunger and the thirst became unbearable. He had stopped once when he found a little spring that seemed clean enough, but that had been yesterday morning and he hadn’t found another one. And slowly but surely, the pain in his throat was becoming unbearable.

But he ignored it once more, and tried to run faster again, despite his whole body begging him not to. Never ever, swore Trip to himself, would he run again by his own free will once this was over.

There was a sudden noise way too close for comfort, and Trip turned around, afraid that his pursuers had finally caught up with him. Unfortunately, panic was never a good advisor, and while his heart did probably stop for a moment, his feet did not. The next thing he knew was his left foot getting stuck on something – probably a root – and just a moment later he found himself making an involuntary excursion to the ground.

And of course it had been ridiculous to think that was all Mother Nature had in store for him.

Only half an inch further back, and he could probably still have caught himself. But it wasn’t half an inch further back, and he only had a chance to see the steep slope for a second before he crashed down. His attempt to catch himself with his hands on a lower plane didn't prove wise either, as he landed on his left hand with his entire weight and a sharp pain shot through his arm – and then he continued falling. It felt like an eternity until he finally landed on a plane from which he could fall no further. He stayed face down in the dirt for a moment to catch his breath, hearing only the faint, familiar sound of a poké ball opening next to the blood rushing through his ears.

The soft but panicked hiss of Serperior brought him back to the present. If not that, the disgusting sensation of a reptilian tongue on his ear would’ve probably done the trick. His pokémon gently nudged him and he managed to roll onto his back after a moment. Unfortunately, Serperior seemed to see this as a success of his methods and was now happily licking Trip’s whole face.

"Would you kindly stop that? It’s disgusting,” he muttered, gently but firmly pushing the pokémon’s head away from him. Serperior didn't seem bothered in the slightest, just delighted that his trainer was talking to him.

Trip wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Well, he guessed it could have been worse. If it had been Goodra, he'd have goo and slime all over himself now. And Hawlucha would probably have kicked him back onto his feet for lack of better ideas.

Trying to get up proved even more difficult than he had feared, but with Serperior’s help, Trip managed to stand on wobbly feet a few minutes later.

"Okay, let's go. Return, Serperior. ...That wasn't a request, Sir. I don’t have any healing supplies any more, so you’re going to stay in your poké ball and rest until I call you. Understood?"

Serperior glared at him and shook his head vigorously. Another attempt to get him back into the ball failed, and Trip grudgingly admitted defeat. Cilan might have been right about what he had said about him and his starter being one of the most stubborn duos that ever walked Unova’s paths after all.

The pokémon hissed angrily, looking up at where Trip had started his departure into the air and then back at him.

“Well, at least our pursuers won’t just jump down here. I think we’ve lost them for a while. So it was actually a good tactic, right?”

Serperior still looked disbelieving, if not downright appalled, and if his ribs didn’t hurt so much from the impact, Trip might have even laughed.

"I know promising you that I'll be more careful from now on won't change your mind. Alright then, Your Majesty. Show the way.”

Snout raised, Serperior slithered forward, pausing occasionally to turn to face his trainer, who was struggling to keep up. Their progress was sluggish, and even after hours of walking, there was still no way out of this cursed forest. All Trip could do was hope they hadn't been running in circles the whole time.

"Wait a moment," he huffed as a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness overcame him and the trees around him tripled in size. There was no point in going on like this, so he leaned his shoulder against a tree and closed his eyes, hoping it would be over soon. He felt absolutely miserable.

One thing he was sure of: He would never, ever take anything in his life for granted again after this adventure. Eating, drinking, sleeping, not feeling like your next cough will force up all of your organs-

His pokémon only worriedly called out for him instead of coming back, and Trip took a deep breath.

Good Arceus, what is it now?

Determination was key, and also all he had left, as he pushed his protesting body off the tree and caught up with Serperior, who frantically kept trying to get his attention. Only when Serperior’s calls were joined by another pokémon's hoarse whine, Trip rushed over.

Serperior nodded at some tiny pink thing that was lying in the thick moss making the suffering sounds. Trip blinked a few times to really make sure his brain wasn't playing tricks on him.

That was impossible. Hardly anyone had ever seen this pokémon, and now it was here, in the middle of the forest in the middle of nowhere, right in front of his feet? Yes, of course. Hunger and dehydration were getting to him, that had to be it. This couldn't be what he thought it was. ...Or could it?

Trip stepped closer to the whimpering pokémon and grimaced. He had long since used whatever tonics and cures he had with him for his own pokémon. There wasn't a last remnant left. But he had to do something, he couldn't just abandon the poor thing in front of him and leave it to its fate, whether it was actually the legendary Mew or not.

He would never let her know, but Iris’ many lessons about berries and their natural healing abilities didn’t seem so useless and boring suddenly. He had to find sitrus berries, cheri berries, and rawst berries, boil them, and stir in herbs to generate the desired effect of a Full Restore. If he did it right, it could work.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was - he'd been walking for days, after all, so they might have left Unova a long while ago and ended up in Pennsylvania already. He didn't know if and where berries grew here and where the nearest town was. He would probably have to search first, and he couldn't do it without help.

"Unfezant, come out," he said, opening his flying pokémon's poké ball.

"We need sitrus berries. Can you search from the air? Those are the yellow ones that look a bit like lemons, they grow far up in the treetops. If you find any, come back and take me there, please. I'll be looking for herbs and the other berries from the ground, so keep an eye out for me. Oh, and look out for towns or cities. Any kind of civilization would help, really."

Unfezant nodded, proud to have been chosen for an important task and disappeared between the treetops with powerful wing beats. Trip only hoped that their enemies didn’t see him flying around.

"Good. Conkeldurr, Goodra, please look for some firewood and something we can cook in. Can you two do that? When you're done, let Chandelure help you make a fire.”

The dragon type pokémon chirped happily, and hopped away with Conkeldurr in tow. Chandelure, who had also already left its poké ball, looked at Trip questioningly whether to follow them. He shook his head.

"I need you to take care of the little one here and keep it warm, okay? We’ll be right back, don’t worry. There shouldn’t be a lot of wild pokémon around. And if you see those guys in the black suits, send a signal into the sky.“

Chandelure’s lights flickered up in affirmation. Trip did another count and decided he should have everything he needed, and his pokémon all had a purpose—save for Serperior and Hawlucha, but he needed those two with him. If something or someone attacked him and his lights finally went out, they all had a problem no matter how smart his pokémon were.

Pulling his fleece jacket off his shoulders, he made a Mew-burrito out of the groaning pokémon before carefully laying it on the ground next to a tree and placing it in Chandelure’s watchful care. He wasn’t exactly keen on spending even more time in this forest, but by the time he would get to the nearest Pokémon Center, the little one could be done for. It needed help now.

Trip and Hawlucha let Serperior’s senses guide them through the undergrowth, luckily not encountering any strange pokémon. At least none that didn't flee as soon as they got closer. A few curious Patrat and Watchog were always around, but they immediately noticed that Trip had nothing of value to them with him and quickly took off as soon as Serperior bent down to them or Hawlucha banged its fists aggressively.

"I hope Iris is okay," Trip muttered, more to himself than his pokémon, but they gave their confident affirmation anyway.

Sure, since they were after him, it seemed logical that pursuing him, rather than keep hanging out with her was their primary goal. But he also knew that Iris had probably done everything to stop them from going after him and... he had seen how rough they had been with N. After everything that had happened in Nuvema a few days ago, he didn't even want to think about all the awful things they could’ve done to her.

He also didn't know what had happened to Ash and the others. Whether they had been as lucky as him, or less so, like Paul. Where they had taken N, what they were planning to do with him. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to end well. Someone had to stop them, quickly.

He kicked away a pine cone lying on the ground, a bit rougher that he had intended to. It startled Hawlucha, who had just been looking for berries near a bush. Trip knelt down and stroked its head.

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you."

Pull yourself together. Anger doesn't get you anywhere.

He straightened up and they continued their search. A bird pokémon's cry sounded from above – so Unfezant seemed to have found something too. After a while, Trip and Hawlucha had a decent selection of berries in their arms and returned to Mew and Chandelure.

Goodra held a bent piece of tin under Trip’s nose with a questioning expression on her face. He had no idea where she got it from, but maybe it was a good thing for once that people just threw their rubbish away here. It would certainly make this a lot easier.

"That will do fine, Goodra. Thanks."

Trip shook his head with a smile as Goodra eagerly waddled back to her place next to Conkeldurr, who already seemed mildly annoyed by her antics. He wondered what he had to do to be as happy as this pokémon all the time.

With some help from Conkeldurr, Trip formed a small bowl from the piece of tin, which he then placed on the fire. A very temporary, but the only solution. He cut up the berries with the pocket knife he had borrowed from Stephan once and threw them into the "pot" one after the other. Then the herbs. As the brew simmered, he carved a small mug out of a thicker piece of wood that his two pokémon had found. Or... something vaguely reminiscent of a mug.

His pokémon had all gathered in a circle around him by now and were watching him with interest. Trip snorted. They probably couldn't believe their eyes. Their trainer, born and raised as a city boy and usually fussy through and through, now abandoned in the wild and actually able to flex a little bit of creativity and survival instincts.

If someone had told him that a week ago, he would probably have laughed himself.

"Some sight of a champion am I, huh?" he asked quietly. There was no sound save the scrape of the knife on the wood and the quiet crackle of the fire. "I just ran away. Like a coward.”

The words tasted like poison on his tongue, but he knew they were true. He should have argued more, shouldn’t have let her fight this whole team alone. Had she even had a chance all on her own, against so many of them? If something had happened to her just because he hadn't stayed and helped... he didn't know if he could ever forgive himself.

Another failure. Another person gone.

She was his best friend. His...first friend, actually, save for his pokémon. Losing her too -

Various noises of anger from his pokémon met him before his mind could wander any further and Trip looked up, meeting their stern gazes. Conkeldurr began waving its arms in exasperation and let out a whole sermon in pokémon speech, and the others nodded in agreement.

Trip blinked at it in irritation, then grinned.

"You know I don’t have the faintest idea what you're trying to tell me right now," he said, "but I take it you want me to stop feeling sorry for myself, huh?"

Conkeldurr hesitated, then nodded in embarrassment, but at the same time waved his arms defensively as if to say, "yes, but I get it."

Trip sighed.

"I understand. It was probably for the best, I know she can take care of herself. I just hope she's okay. After what happened to my parents-"

He bit back the tears he felt rising in his throat. He couldn't let this make him emotional right now. There was no room for grief, not when someone was still counting on him functioning and keeping a clear head.

After a look at the brew, he decided that it had cooked enough and carefully pushed it off the fire with his shoe so that it could cool down a bit. In the meantime the sun had already started to set, and it was getting colder. Weak rays shone through the tree tops still, but they didn’t help much.

Tomorrow was day four. Tomorrow he had to finally find civilization or at least water, or he was doomed. Eating some of the berries proved to have been a mistake, because although they had filled him for the moment, his stomach ache was all the greater now. At least his pokémon seemed to be fine. They were way tougher than humans, after all.

Trip carefully dipped his index finger into the brew to see if it had cooled enough to be safe to drink.

"Okay, that should do it. Come here, little one.”

He picked up the pokémon with his jacket and cradled it in his arms. He sat cross-legged in front of the fire and scooped some of the cooled down berry brew into his homemade wooden mug.

"You guys drink something too," he said to his other pokémon while holding the cup to Mew's mouth to encourage it to drink. "It certainly won’t harm you and you will need the strength. We don't know where the next Pokémon Center is."

It fell silent except for the slurping of the pokémon and Mew's soft swallowing sounds. Once the whole cup was finally empty, the sun had completely disappeared and dusk had set in. It started to cool down significantly now.

Trip hugged the pokémon, still rolled up in his jacket, closer to his chest and leaned against the thick log behind him. At least he was wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt, but it was still getting awfully chilly.

Something hissed close to his ear. He felt the warm body of his starter pokémon curl around him, and he leaned in gratefully. His other pokémon were getting ready for the night as well, snuggling up to fight the freezing temperatures. Chandelure, the only one not needing sleep, hovered a few inches above them and helped a little with the small flames on its arms.

Trip took one last look at the small team before closing his eyes and resting his head on Serperior’s neck.

"We can do this, right? The two of us... still managed to do... everything together”, he murmured sluggishly, since he was already tired and he reckoned it wouldn't be long before he dozed off. All he could hear was Serperior softly agreeing, before he finally fell asleep.

And to his great relief the next morning, he dreamed of absolutely nothing.

Chapter 25: Mega Connection

Notes:

no offense to all green tea enjoyers, I just hate it so Gary has to hate it too lol

"Here. Drink this.”

Gary averted his eyes from the sterile white wall and instead stared into what had to be the most disgusting drink ever created on Arceus' good soil.

Green tea.

"Thanks," he muttered anyway, hoping that his brother would leave him alone if he didn’t engage further. Of course, however, Green did not get the hint and instead sat down on the chair opposite to Gary’s.

For a while he kept quiet and Gary sipped at his tea in silence. It gave him a sadistic sort of satisfaction to watch his brother fidget nervously, his usually huge mouth closed tightly, unsure of how to go forward.

"How are you feeling?"

Ah. Wasn’t able to hold it in after all. Gary thought about it for a moment, but then decided to answer after all. Giving him the silent treatment wouldn't improve his mood, and the whole thing wasn’t Green’s fault anyway.

"I still can't believe what happened” he said, “we failed as bad as one could possibly fail. Almost all of our friends have been taken. It was bad enough when it was just Paul, but with Ash and the others gone as well now, we’re knee-deep in shit.”

Gary ran his fingers through his hair. The events of Snowpoint played over and over again in an endless loop in his mind. He had watched as Palkia had grabbed Paul and dragged him into that strange portal. He had watched, but not helped, because he had been petrified. Sure, he had started to run... but it had been too late. Way too late. What if his stupid hesitation had sentenced Paul to death? And what if the last thing he’d ever said to his best friend, his Ash, was a lousy, "See you later"?

"They took you by surprise. That wasn't your fault” Green answered softly, “even Ethan got taken, and neither Silver, nor Lyra and Crystal were able to stop it, and they’ve been fighting Team Rocket for half their lives now. Whoever our enemies are, they knew perfectly how to outsmart us. Red and I didn't get a chance to track them down. The only thing left for us is to think about what to do now. We have to rescue them if they are still alive.”

"Thanks Sherlock. And how are we supposed to do that?” Gary eyed his brother skeptically, and when he got only silence for answer, he nodded. "Yeah, that’s what I thought."

It wasn't as if he hadn't been worrying about that ever since they had left Regigigas' temple. The cave was still being investigated, but the local police force's psychic pokémon had yet to find any residue from the portals that could give them even the slightest clue about the whereabouts of their enemies - and friends. And everything else was like looking for a needle in a haystack. They could be anywhere in the world, and searching for them in every single country would take a while.

There was a knock on the door and the two Oak brothers looked up. Clemont stood in the doorway, smiling sympathetically, holding his laptop in his hands. Goh was next to him, leaning against the door frame and holding a pokémon that Gary had to turn away from when he saw it, even more so when it let out a happy squeal.

Gary had spent enough time with Ash and Pikachu to know that the sound Pikachu was making was supposed to be his name. He managed a weak smile and picked up the pokémon that had jumped out of Goh’s arms and was now running toward him, climbing onto his lap. Pikachu looked happy enough to see him, but the pain of losing Ash was clearly visible in his eyes.

"He really wanted to see you. I hope that's okay,” Goh explained with a soft but pained smile on his face. He probably still felt guilty for not being able to save Ash, just as Gary felt bad for letting Paul down.

"Yes. Sure. No problem. What's up, Clemont? Everything okay? How are Serena and Bonnie holding up?”

"A bit better. Bonnie has already declared war, that's why I'm here.” He sighed and shook his head. "She thinks she has an idea how we can track down our friends. But we need your help for that.”

"What can I do?" Gary asked eagerly, straightening up. Anything was fine with him, he'd do what he could if it meant giving their friends a chance.

Clemont sat down and opened his laptop.

„Well, one of them might have given us a little bit of help. We don’t know if it was an accident, or if Calem knew what he was doing, but we found his Mega Ring. Mawile should be carrying its stone. I’ve already started working on a software that would make it possible to locate a pokémon with a Mega Stone and a Mega Ring a while ago, but I failed and didn't try again. I thought that maybe your research on Mega Evolution can help us, you know the subject better than I do. I also asked Professor Sycamore for his papers. They are all on my laptop, it would be great if you could take a look. He said he'll also be back later to help us, but he's still busy trying to defuse the situation in Lumiose."

Gary nodded. It had honestly been a while since he last looked into the topic of Mega Evolutions, as for the last few years his research into legendary pokémon had taken up far too much of his time to focus on anything else. But if he could be of use somehow, he’d try. He’d try everything to get their friends back home.

"Is that even possible?" Green didn’t look convinced.

"Yes, theoretically," Goh said, dropping into the chair next to Gary, "when Mega Evolution is used, it activates vibrations in both the ring and the stone that align with each other. When the trainer connects with their pokémon, it's as if they are one. So if there's any way we can generate the same energy from the power ring that Calem would normally use to bond with Mawile, we should be able to find it. And, hopefully, him too."

It was so easy to say, but putting it into practice was a lot more difficult. Gary absolutely hated admitting that he was stumped, but he really had no idea how they were supposed to do it. Hopefully Sycamore would be back soon.

Green nodded slowly. He still looked about as confident in this as Gary felt, but when their eyes met, he forced a reassuring smile on his face.

"Well, at least we have a plan, that’s better than nothing. It’s all we can do really. I’m gonna go find Red now. If you need anything, let me know.”

He closed the door uncharacteristically gently behind him, leaving them alone. Gary could sense that Goh had something on his mind, that he desperately wanted to say something or ask a question, but his mouth was closed tight and he was fidgeting in his chair.

"What is it?" Gary finally asked to relieve him. Goh gave a little jump as if he'd been caught doing something illegal, but then he scratched Pikachu behind the ears and looked Gary straight in the eyes.

"What do you think they want from them? Did anyone recognize those guys?”

"Not as far as I know. Those who took Paul were only wearing black suits without any sign on them. Must be smarter than the criminal organizations we've dealt with before."

"Or...they've learned. There are so many who want to kill Ash because he ruined their plans in the past. That doesn't really narrow it down. But the others? What do they have to do with it?”

"By the pattern, apart from N, they've only kidnapped the champs so far. It was certainly their plan to unsettle and confuse people by taking away their strongest trainers, their protectors. And it worked perfectly. Protests and riots are already beginning in the cities because everyone is afraid that these attacks are just the beginning and that any location could be the next target. Apparently here have been a lot of casualties in Nuvema, and the fact that Trip has disappeared since the attack doesn't help calm things down. We must act as soon as possible.”

The sound of a poké ball made Gary look up. Moments later, something soft snuggled around his legs, purring, before Umbreon hopped onto his lap too and snuggled up to Pikachu. Gary watched them silently for a while.

If anything happened to Ash, if he never got to came back... what would happen to Pikachu? Would he even be able to take it?

"Don’t - don't say that," Goh whispered, and only then did Gary realize he'd spoken aloud. His eyes wandered over to his fellow researcher and then to Clemont, who continued to type wildly on his laptop and pretended not to have noticed. His cheeks were flushed and he blinked back a few tears, though, so Gary was sure he'd been listening.

"Sorry. I don't want to be a pessimist, but I can't get it out of my head. I mean, no one has asked for ransom money, we haven't heard a single word from our opponents. That's...not a good sign, is it?"

"No, it's not," Clemont spoke up, "it's quite possible that Ash is no longer alive."

Always straight to the point. Despite speaking quietly, Pikachu's ears twitched in his direction, but Umbreon gently pushed him back down with her head as he tried to get up.

"...But that's what we thought when Lysandre captured and tortured him, and yet he somehow managed to escape. He’s going to be okay. I’m sure.”

Goh and Gary nodded. Gary wasn't feeling particularly hopeful, but he didn't want to bring the others down with him. Goh's reaction just now had been enough.

A few seconds later he got the laptop pushed to him anyway. He pulled his glasses out of their case and leaned forward to read with more concentration. He had read Professor Sycamore’s essays a long time ago - although skimming through them would probably be more accurate. He'd always been interested in Mega Evolution, but never enough to call himself an expert in the field.

Clemont and Goh were already quietly discussing the possible technical implementation of such software. Gary wondered if it would ever come to that.

Stop being such a damn pessimist. Ash needs you. They all need you.

The Mega Evolution. Part of a special bond between a trainer and their pokémon, it was only recently discovered in its current form, although similar phenomena must have been around since pokémon first appeared on this world. Lead researcher was Professor Sycamore from Lumiose City in the Kalos region. He had revolutionized the coexistence of pokémon and humans, had found stones with which the special evolution could be triggered and created matching bracelets. But how were they supposed to create a software that mimicked a phenomenon that couldn't really be explained in a scientific way? It sounded ridiculous.

Gary had long lost track of time when the Alolans joined them. While Sophocles and Clemont were mulling over a possible connection between Mega Evolution and their Z-moves, and whether there was a correlation between the two bracelet systems they could use to their advantage, Goh and Gary had been video chatting with Sycamore, and luckily made a little bit of progress already.

Clemont’s research on the subject and the professor's analysis of the science behind the mega bond gave Gary renewed encouragement that they might actually be able to pull this off, as far fetched as the idea sounded.

"So this system would deflect within a five hundred kilometer radius," Goh said, pointing his pen at the image of the prototype Clemont had created on the laptop. "If we activate it and it reacts, then we can insert the Mega Ring and the stronger the glow of the stone, the closer we are to Mawile."

Clemont tore his hair in frustration. "So it would work. If we knew the approximate location. Which we don’t. So we're actually stumbling around in the dark again. We can't just hope for some miracle or aimlessly search anywhere. Sophocles, how are you getting on with the Z-Rings?”

"Fine," Sophocles muttered, eyes glued to his screen, "the technology is actually quite similar to that of the Mega Rings. Kiawe, give me your bracelet."

Kiawe didn't look very enthusiastic, but he obeyed and slipped his bracelet off his wrist. He eyed Sophocles like a hawk as he twirled it in his fingers and typed away on his laptop.

"Don't break it. Otherwise you owe me an Island Challenge and a new one”, he murmured and folded his arms.

"Yeah yeah, stop whining. I know what I’m doing."

"How are we supposed to get information about where the headquarters might be located? Do you think we can extend the radius even further?” Goh asked with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Not by much,” Clemont shook his head, “what we have here actually pretty much exhausts the possibilities. Any more power would probably blow it up in this state. We don't even know if we can actually build this part. Maybe Sophocles will find a solution. Otherwise, all we really can do is rely on the police and their investigations.”

"If we put their lives into Jenny’s hands, they will all die," Mallow mumbled dryly, but then snapped her fingers. “But what if we hack into their system? The police’s, I mean? Soph, you can do that, right? Then we'd have access to their security cameras and-"

"Illegal, Mallow."

"So what? It's about our friends, isn't it? I think that in this case it probably justifies an exception.”

"I honestly doubt it'll do anything, even if we did try that”, Gary said, “unfortunately. They knew what they were doing. They're definitely not on any database, and there weren't any security cameras where they snatched Paul from us. I'm assuming it wasn't any different for the others. Our opponents are not that stupid.”

"And... what do we do then?" Lana asked, frowning.

Gary shrugged. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness. It had him in a chokehold, and it just wouldn’t let go.

“For now, let's build this locator. And search the locations in Kanto, Johto and Unova where Team Rocket used to be located. Giovanni is the only enemy we know of that we know is still out there somewhere. He's suspect number one. Perhaps there is some clue in the former headquarters or outposts. That's all we can do at the moment."

Clemont nodded in agreement.

“Giovanni is our best lead. Even if he's not involved directly, he knows something. He always does. If we actually somehow managed to get to him, we could possibly bribe him for information. But first, like Gary said, the locator. Get to work guys.”

Chapter 26: Runaways

When Paul woke up, the sun was shining directly in his face. It didn’t help the throbbing pain in his head or the nausea, but he told himself it felt good. Because it meant they hadn't found him and taken him back to the cell. He had somehow managed to escape.

Speaking of...what even happened?

He lazily opened one eye and tried to survey his surroundings. He was in a forest, one with tall but not too dense trees, the sunlight shining through the tops and warming his face. The last thing he remembered was the freezing river, the shortness of breath, the...

He took a deep breath. He really couldn’t panic right now, not until he knew where he was and what happened. If he was even alone, and safe. He heard a crunching noise and automatically tensed his shoulders, although he perfectly knew he wouldn’t be able to fight if he had to, nor flee. His body didn’t even let him move his head around without feeling sick. He could only hope that whoever had found him meant well.

"What the hell happened?" he asked. His own voice sounded completely alien to him, and his throat felt like sandpaper as he swallowed.

"We pulled you out of Mu-kawa, kid. You almost drowned.”

He knew that voice. It had been a while since he'd last heard it, but a pokémon that could speak like a human was still a rarity, and he'd recognize Meowth's voice anywhere. Just his luck that he ran into Team Rocket of all people.

He mulled over Meowth's words. Mu-kawa? He knew that river. That meant the headquarters were in Sinnoh. And he hadn’t had any idea. What kind of champion was he? ...Well, one that needed to be rescued by this bunch of buffoons, apparently.

"Ha. Maybe you guys aren't as pathetic as I thought after all."

"Oh, thank you so much," the woman replied dryly, "I wasn't expecting any flattery from the asshole twerp."

Paul laughed and slowly tried to pick himself up off the ground. At least somewhat. He felt a hand supporting him, and since he was sure the red-haired fury wouldn't stoop as low as to helping a 'twerp', it had to be the poor, whiny fellow who had been assigned as her partner. What was his name again? James?

Yes, James. Their stupid motto.

"Asshole twerp? I didn't know I had my very own title on Team Rocket. And such a creative one. I'm honored. You are aware that the twerp is probably taller than you by now, right?”

„Once a twerp, always a twerp. It’s a mindset. Height has got nothing to do with it.“

Paul attempted to use his hands to hoist his striking body into a sitting position, but quickly regretted it as a stab of pain shot up his right arm.

"Fuck”, he huffed.

"We're not Team Rocket anymore. We quit, ran away, whatever you want to call it,” James' soft, quiet voice came from next to him. "And you should be careful, your arm is probably broken. You have a fever too. As soon as that's gone down a bit, we'll take you to the nearest hospital."

Paul just nodded. To be honest, he really didn't care what they were up to. They seemed sincere enough and likely wouldn't hand him over to Giovanni again. He was curious as to what could have prompted them to do this, but he was way too tired to question them.

He didn't know how much time passed. He lost consciousness, regained consciousness, lost consciousness again. Every now and then he heard and felt one of the Rockets sitting next to him, dabbing at his burning forehead with a cool, damp cloth. He also thought he had once heard the noise of a battle, but he was sure he had imagined it, probably a fever dream.

That’s because he was also 99 percent sure that his Torterra had not flown across the sky directly in front of him. After all, Torterra couldn’t even learn Fly.

A little later – or much later, because nobody had yet bothered to tell Paul what time or day it was – it turned out that the noise of the battle had been very real after all. A few of the Team Rocket, Plasma or whatever idiots seemed to have found and attacked them.

Paul listened with genuine interest as Jessie and Meowth boasted about their staggering victory over the grunts. While he was still convinced that the three of them were absolutely lousy pokémon trainers, it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that they had saved his life twice now.

In the evening Paul was a little more awake and voluntarily slid a little closer to the soothing warmth of the fire. The Wobbuffet of the squad offered him a bottle of water, which he accepted, giving the pokémon a polite nod. Wobbuffet happily hopped off again and began playing some sort of game a little further away with the rest of James’ and Jessie's pokémon.

Paul watched them stoically for a while. The way the pokémon played and laughed with each other was so reminiscent of Ash's pokémon that it made his chest tighten. He pressed his lips together and stared back into the fire. That idiot. Hopefully he still had more luck than sense and had somehow escaped Marshadow.

How could he just so naively trust that Paul would survive the fall into the raging river and then get help? If he had jumped himself, help might already be on the way right now. Ash had saved him, one guy, and maybe sacrificed everyone else for it. Just because he couldn’t let Marshadow kill him. Moron. He would never change.

"I need to go somewhere that has a phone right now and talk to someone," he told Team Rocket - or whatever he was supposed to call them now. "Ash and the others are still trapped at the headquarters and your former bosses will stop at nothing to get them to cooperate. As I’m sure you could tell.” He gestured to himself.

"We'll be on our way first thing in the morning, I promise," James replied. "It's too dangerous at night. So don't even try to run away if you don't want to break both your legs or get mauled by a wild pokémon. Or both."

Paul felt his face heating up because James was addressing exactly what he had already planned in his head. But he was probably right. Of course he could try, but in the end it would probably come down to someone having to save him again. And he was really, really getting tired of that.

"Those guys from Team Rocket, were they here for me or for you guys?" he croaked. His voice was barely more than a whisper, but they were so quiet that they could still easily hear him. It was hard to believe at first, but even Jessie and Meowth actually managed to finally shut up for once.

It was now Jessie who answered him. "For you, but they were delighted to have walked into us. Wanted to kill two birds with one stone.”

Paul didn't really want to ask, but his curiosity subdued his uneasiness.

"What happened to them?"

"Well, we couldn't risk them running back and tell Giovanni we were hiding here with you, could we? We did it...quickly. Nobody had to suffer.”

Except for themselves, judging by their faces. Paul suppressed a derogatory snort. How could they become part of a criminal organization led by one of the worst men in this country, and then be so utterly dejected when they had to kill someone? Were they really that naive, or had Giovanni just been persuasive and manipulative enough? Probably a mix of both. Couple that with the desperation of teenagers and young adults who didn't know what to do with their lives and you had the perfect recipe for disaster.

"They used unfamiliar pokémon by the way. Strong ones. Might have been some of yours, maybe some of your friends’ too. We took them. Here, you can take a look if...one of yours is here."

Paul's eyes widened, but he was careful not to let anyone see it. He grabbed the poké balls in James' hand and examined them. With a frown, he activated one and tossed it a little bit to the side. An enraged, flaming beast rose from the ball immediately and cried out in anger when it couldn't see its master anywhere.

Paul knew this pokémon. Ash had always been so proud to show him off.

"Hey Charizard," Paul sighed, "sorry, but you won't find Ash here. He's...I have no idea where he is. But it's good that you're here. We might need your help to find and free him."

Charizard stared at him skeptically, but the flames on his body slowly died until they went out completely. The pokémon slumped down in front of them and howled miserably.

Paul twirled the next poké ball in his hands. It did look familiar, but he was far too sluggish and tired to worry about whether it really had one of his pokémon inside. Besides, he didn't want to get his hopes up and be disappointed again.

He threw it. And as the glowing, shadowy form in front of him became a living being, it felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his chest. Not caring too much about what former Team Rocket would say or think of him, he lunged forward just as Weavile jumped into his arms.

Weavile squealed happily, cuddling into her trainer's rare hug. Paul took a shaky breath and stroked over her head. He had never been so worried about his pokémon before. He'd trained them, been strict with them so they could defend themselves against anything. And they could do that... at least against other pokémon. But guns? He hadn't been able to prepare them for that, he had never thought that he would have to one day.

So it was a relief to see Weavile alive and well - Paul hoped the others were too. He wished he knew who had taken his Torterra. He would wring the bastard's neck himself, if Torterra hadn't done something to them already. But, they did seem to have methods to make the pokémon obey. Charizard was just as stubborn and loyal as Toreterra, he would never have listened to any of their commands if he wasn’t forced to.

The rest of the poké balls were from other people's pokémon. Possibly those of a champion, but Paul wasn't sure. The only one he recognized was a Serperior, but not Trip’s. Maybe Hilda’s.

"Do you have any idea where the others are? Have you seen any of them?”, he asked his pokémon.

Weavile sadly shook her head. Paul ground his teeth together. It wouldn't have done any good anyway, even if she knew. It wasn't like he could just walk back there and pick them up.

After the unfamiliar pokémon were stowed back in their balls, it was quiet around the fire again. Charizard had straight out refused to go back into his poké ball, and Paul had already started taunting Ash's pathetic upbringing – right up until he tried to call back Weavile, which ended in having a hissing pokémon clinging to his leg for ten minutes. He gave up.

When this was all over, he would clearly need to work on her discipline, but right now he didn’t even mind that she was lying on his lap, dozing off with blissful serenity. Reggie would never let him forget if he saw this.

...Reggie.

He had to be going crazy. Was probably tearing apart all the authorities trying to find him. Paul knew his brother better than anyone, and no matter how gentle he usually was – when it came to his family, he could get nasty.

Just a few more hours, Reggie. I’ll come back home.

"How are you feeling now?" James asked after the other two had gone to sleep. Charizard seemed to have finally fallen asleep too. After her little nap earlier, Weavile was in great shape again and stared into the slowly dying campfire, mesmerized. She had her paw on Paul's knee and was more relaxed than he had ever seen her.

"Still awful."

"What did they-"

"You do not want to know that. Trust me."

James bowed his head and nodded. Paul hoped that was the end of this. "Probably.”

It was not.

“I heard the bosses talk about it. About wanting to create a new world. One according to their ideas.”

Paul looked up, now suddenly interested in the conversation.

"And they need Ash for that?"

"Hm. Apparently he's supposed to be very special... considering what we've witnessed while chasing him and his Pikachu, I don't think that's too far-fetched, actually. They call him 'the chosen one'. No idea what exactly they mean by that, but it is clear is that they must be stopped at all costs. Whether they go through with it or not, Ash will die in the end. And all of us too. ...Paul? What's wrong?"

Paul would have been surprised that James remembered his name and even called him by it, but his head suddenly felt so heavy and sluggish that he couldn't even get a word out. Couldn't even open his mouth.

James looked at him in alarm and Weavile also turned to him with a worried face. Paul caught himself just before he fell forward, putting his hand directly into the fire in the process. But he didn't cry out, he couldn't.

Small, black dots formed before his eyes. He already knew what that meant. The last thing he saw was James appearing over him, slapping a hand onto his forehead.

Seems like third time really is the charm, Paul thought, and then the lights went out once more.

Chapter 27: Was It All For Nothing?

Notes:

I could try and find an excuse on why this update is so late, but I don't really have one except the concept of time expecting too much from me lol
Hope you enjoy anyway!
Next up is Paul finally finding his way to a goddamn hospital!

"Ashhhyyy. Do you want to play hide and seek with me?” Ash heard Marshadow's sweet and unfathomable creepy voice. "You will hide and I will look for you. I will find you and then I will hurt you."

Its giggles echoed down the stairwell, which Ash threw himself down blindly. He'd known from the start that as a simple human, he didn't stand a chance against a pokémon in a one-on-one battle, especially one like this. But he had no choice. Paul couldn't even have run away in his current condition, leaving him here would have meant his certain death. At least this way he had a chance, albeit a small one.

Ash could only pray he made it, that he hadn't just enthusiastically murdered one of his friends. His chest felt like someone was hammering a nail into it over and over again, but he clamped his mouth even tighter, refusing to breathe properly. Any noise was one too many and could send Marshadow back after him. He had to find an exit or a hiding place quickly.

The alarm had gone off, he heard more and more footsteps and the yelling of the employees, all looking for him.

"You have nowhere to go," Marshadow's voice whispered as if it were right next to his ear, and Ash spun around, startled, but saw nothing. That did not make it better. He shook his head, ignoring the fear, and kept running. He ran through one corridor after another, randomly pushing open doors and crossing rooms. It didn’t matter, the main thing was to get away from this thing.

He was just turning around another corner when he bumped into someone. Without hesitating, he grabbed the person by the collar and clenched his fist, ready to knock them out. It was only at the last moment that the image in front of his eyes became clear again and he recognized the blue eyes staring at him in surprise and the bushy brown hair that tumbled out of her ponytail.

"Hilda?!" He immediately let go of her and stared at her stupidly.

"Am I already being mistaken for one of those clowns or what? The nerve”, Hilda grinned and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sorry. I only saw blurred. I ran away. How did you get out?”

"Gladion. He picked the lock on my cell door, but he was gone as quickly as he came. He told me to find a way out. That's what I was planning to do, but not without my pokémon. Any idea where they might be holding them?”

Ash shook his head grimly. He was worried about his friends, very worried. The only thing that gave his heart a little peace was the knowledge that at least Pikachu was safe, with Goh. If... they hadn't caught him and done something to him.

Please, please no.

"Crap. I'll tell you one thing, I won't go anywhere without my Amanda, or the rest of my team.”

“I certainly won't leave my friends here either. They have to be somewhere. Were you down in the basement in one of the cells?”

"Yes, there was nothing that could’ve held them."

"Well, I was on the top two floors, there wasn't a storage room or a laboratory or anything like that. So it's just this one and the one below us. Come on, we have to hurry.”

They scanned room after room - Ash wanted to scream in frustration, but he didn't want to alarm anyone unnecessarily.

Hilda displayed actual fighting skills against the grunts trying to stop her, while Ash dug his way through them by brute force, throwing them to the ground before knocking them out with a punch to the face. But with every punch he noticed how much weaker he got. He wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, and then? He couldn't be a dead weight to her. Gladion had been right.

"Now hold your breath," said Hilda when he told her exactly that, "you're not a dead weight at all. We both get out of here together. I won't let you down. Come on, go now.”

Ash knew better than to argue with her. They kept running.

"Do you know," Ash gasped, "who else they caught? Did Gladion say anything? Paul said they captured N. Did you see him?"

Hilda turned pale. She shook her head frantically.

"No. What? Shit. I last saw him when he, Hilbert and I went to Zekrom in the dream world just after Kyurem attacked Nuvema. He's gone back to calm it down and talk to it, and my brother and I stayed behind trying to figure out what was wrong with Zekrom. And then they overpowered us. We didn't stand a chance. All I can remember is a taser and a hit on the head. Then I woke up here.”

She rubbed a spot on the back of her head to clarify. Ash only now noticed that her hair was darker there and matted with dried blood. He ground his teeth together in anger. So much pain and suffering, and for what? For a better world. One in the hands of Giovanni. How laughable.

"There's a door ahead! Let's see what's behind it." Hilda ran ahead and rattled the doorknob. Locked. Of course. However, that meant maybe there was actually something worthwhile hiding behind it. "Do you think we'll manage to get them to open if we throw ourselves at them? I think it’s not a reinforced door."

"Yes. Let's try it."

Throbbing pain shot through Ash's whole body as he threw himself against the door with all his weight over and over again at the same time as Hilda. But he had already heard something cracking, so they continued. Hilda bit her lower lip so hard that blood spurted out, but she didn't back down either.

"Okay, one last time, then we got it, I think. One, two, three!"

With a squeak and the sound of rock particles falling to the floor, the door was taken off the hinges and crashed to the ground. It was incredibly loud and Ash's heart stopped for a moment. There was no way nobody heard that. Quick.

They were searching the shelves for their pokémon, and Hilda was already holding a few in her arms. There were stickers attached with the names of her pokémon. But her expression was sour and dissatisfied. Ash didn't get around to asking because she was already turning to him, her hands shaking.

"That's...she isn't here. There's Solly’s poké ball, and Barbara’s, but Amanda isn't here! What have those bastards done to her?!” she yelled, face red with anger.

She didn't give him a chance to answer but dropped to her knees and snatched the balls from the lower shelves, searching around to see if Serperior’s poké ball might have slipped into any corner. But she had no luck.

Meanwhile, Ash was also frantically looking for his friends' poké balls, and he wished he had tagged them somehow, like Hilda, and not counted on the fact that he "always had them with him anyway".

What an absolute idiot he was.

"Shit, shit, shit," he murmured, tearing his hair, blinking away the tears that were pooling at the rims of his eyes.

"There are our two little runaways!"

"Ash, watch out!" Hilda’s scream was muffled by a hand that pressed to her mouth. Another knocked her poké balls out of her hands. Her blue eyes sparkled with murderous rage that Ash could empathize with. With a powerful, well-aimed kick, she brought the grunt who was holding her to his knees. The moment he released her, moaning in pain, she bit his hand and kicked him, knocking him out.

"Okay, let’s-" Before she could finish speaking, however, her eyes widened and at the same moment Ash felt cold fingers digging into his skin and pinning him down.

"Get that brat, she can't get out of here alive."

"Run!" Ash yelled, struggling desperately for freedom in Giovanni's grip, but the former Team Rocket Boss had a hell of a lot of strength. He heard the metallic click of Ghetsis' cane on the tiled floor and could sense that Lysandre was in the room as well. He scratched Giovanni's hands, which increased the pressure around his neck.

"Run! They'll kill you!” he yelled again, and Hilda cast an uncertain look at the ten people surrounding her. She had to realize that they didn't stand a chance. Not when Giovanni, Ghetsis and Lysandre were here.

She did.

With a nimble hook, she dodged the grunt who was trying to grab her and dove around the corner as a shot rang out. The grunts immediately gave chase, and Ash watched them breathlessly. Once again he stayed behind. Giovanni pressed his fingers into his collarbone and a sharp pain that made him cry out jerked through his body.

It burned. He had to get out, he had to get out of here. In his mind's eye he remembered everything that had happened to him before Gladion and Paul showed up. The experiments, the injections, the sadistic grin of Xerosic, the nightmares and the visions artificially generated by his aura abilities. Visions of death, suffering and sorrow, of the world Team Rocket was working toward.

The world that he should help create with his aura. So, so much pain.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, but it sounded more like a pathetic sob, even to his own ears. He also knew it made no sense. Giovanni would do what he wanted with him, no begging or crying in the world would change that. It did not matter for someone whose mind was so crowded with lust and greed for power it drowned out everything else, every form of empathy.

"Stupid boy," came Lysandre's derogatory voice, "if you had joined us from the start and not fought so hard, you would have been spared all these things."

"Never! I would never willingly help you to carry out your disgusting plans! You are sick, disgusting-"

"Excuse him," Giovanni interrupted his outburst. Ash could see the smug grin of the Rocket Boss in his head without even having to look Giovanni's face. "He's always been so emotional. He got that from his mother.”

"What do you know about my mother," Ash hissed, "you have no idea! I know you guys used to work together when you weren't such a screwed up creep, but that doesn't give you the right to judge anything about her! You don't know us!"

Giovanni laughed.

"Of course not, please excuse my rudeness. It wasn't my place."

They pulled him back into the room he had just escaped from. Ash squeezed his eyes shut and tried in vain to hold back the tears. It couldn't have been... all for nothing. The whole escape, the hope that they had almost made it. And now he should die?

"It's not fair," he whispered, but no one heard him. The strange machine was coming toward him again, slowly but menacingly. Everything was like before, just like before. He heard Xerosic say that he should relax and then things wouldn't be so bad. A lie, of course. He squeezed his eyes shut as the red light, heralding the agony, lit up.

Please, for heaven's sake Paul, if you're still alive: hurry up.

Chapter 28: The Kind of Love...

The smell of freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate wafted through the house when Dawn entered the kitchen. Pachirisu immediately hopped off her shoulder and sprinted towards Johanna, who was just getting the tray out of the oven.

"Oh my goodness," she exclaimed and almost stumbled when she the electric pokémon's bushy tail tickled her legs. Luckily she didn't drop the baking sheet, and Dawn grabbed Pachirisu quickly before the little troublemaker could cause any other accidents. She lifted him up to stare him right in the eyes with what she hoped was a stern expression.

"I said we don’t run around in the house like that. You're going to break something in here, so no stunts like that one again, okay?”

Pachirisu chirped happily, as if he wasn’t already planning his next coup.

"How are you?" Johanna asked after she had successfully silenced Pachirisu with a few poffins and sat down at the kitchen table. Except for the cracking sound Pachirisu made as he ate, there was brief silence in the kitchen. Dawn shrugged and sat down as well.

"I’m okay. I think. It’s just so hard to grasp what happened. What we saw back in Snowpoint. All the fear and the pain. Everything feels so – so hopeless, with the others gone as well now. Barry isn’t doing well at all. Paul is his best friend and it drives him crazy that there is nothing he can do. Lucas and me were trying to cheer him up, but it’s no use.”

Johanna let out a deep sigh and stared into the tea she had made for herself. It was rare, and scary for Dawn to see even her mom look so lost and helpless. Usually she had a solution for every one of Dawn’s worries, if it was as simple as finding a misplaced necklace again or as big as her entire future as a coordinator. Her mom always knew the right things to say, to do.

But this was something she couldn’t ever have prepared for. No one could’ve.

"I can imagine. He's always been such a sensitive boy.”

"Does his dad know what happened?"

"Palmer is on his way here, yes. I called him as soon as I found out you guys were in Snowpoint. He wanted to come help you, but there was that big storm over Eterna. He would have had to either go right through it or fly around it, wasting too much time. I told him to let it go for Barry's sake and wait for the storm to pass. He couldn't have done anything anyway after what you told me, except putting himself in danger as well."

"We should have brought Cynthia in with us. Maybe she could have done something. Could have prevented-"

Dawn stared into the mug of hot chocolate her mother had pushed towards her, blinking back the tears that formed in her eyes. She had been strong, calm and collected the whole time. She hadn’t wanted to do that to Lucas, since Barry had already been crying his eyes out ever since they left Snowpoint. But now that she was sitting here, facing her mother, everything she had been holding back was coming to the surface. She felt like a little girl again.

"I," she choked out, swallowing a sob that rose up in her throat, "I'm so scared, Mom. That they’ll kill him. Without him...it would never be the same again. I don’t want to lose my friend."

"Oh darling," Johanna said quietly. She rose from her seat across from Dawn, sat down next to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't lose hope so easily. Maybe those bandits just want ransom money."

Dawn slowly shook her head.

"I doubt that...why him then? Money from whom? Reggie isn't rich, he has just enough to keep his family and the many pokémon afloat. If they wanted money, they would have kidnapped me, or Gary. Not him. And what about Ash and the others? This is a mass kidnapping. There’s more to it than that, I’m sure.”

Johanna didn't seem to know how to answer that, so she said nothing. Dawn didn't blame her - she hardly knew what to say or think herself. But she knew that this was way more than a simple ransom money issue. But Dawn wasn’t sure if she could handle to know what it really was.

"I’ll...go back upstairs. Otherwise the hot chocolate will get cold.”

She felt her mother's eyes bore into her back as she grabbed the three cups and headed back to her room.

There was dead silence in Dawn’s room when she entered. Barry was sitting in her desk chair and stared out the window, completely motionless. Dawn swallowed down the lump in her throat. Not so long ago she had wondered if this boy could ever sit still, the way he always seemed to burst with excitement. She kind of regretted that thought now. No matter how tiring his endless energy could be sometimes, it would be a lot better than seeing him so lifeless.

Lucas sat on her bed cross-legged and scribbled something into his notebook. He looked up when he heard her come in and gave her an encouraging smile. It was enough for Dawn to smile back, even though she didn’t feel like it.

"I brought you something to drink. The best hot chocolate in the world, here you go. But be careful, it’s still very hot.”

"Thanks," Barry murmured as she placed the mug down in front of him. He pushed his phone around on the desk but didn't look up. "Kenny asked about you. Maybe you should give him a quick call or text, he's worried. Here, you can use my phone.”

"Okay, yes, I'll do that. Thank you, Barry.”

She only managed to exchange a few text messages with her Kenny before Barry’s phone started ringing, making her almost fall off her bed by the sudden noise. It took Dawn a moment to realize that she wasn't moving and clutched the phone like Ash clutched the last slice of pizza when Gary was around. She tossed it at Barry, who just about managed to put his cup down and give her a funny look before catching it awkwardly. He turned away when he accepted the call and ran a hand through his hair.

"Reggie? What's up?"

He sounded so tired. Dawn exchanged a concerned look with Lucas. What would they do with him if the news weren’t good? What if the worst happened?

"Okay. I understand. Yes, we're coming as soon as we can. Pastoria, you say? Good. See you then, Reggie. Take care."

"What's going on?" Lucas asked and closed his notebook. Out of the corner of her eyes, Dawn could see his finger tips turning white from his strong grip on the book.

"They...found Paul. Reggie doesn't know a lot more than that, except that he's doing very badly and they took him straight to surgery, in the clinic in Pastoria. Apparently someone fished him out of Mu-kawa, he must have almost drowned. Reggie will fly over on his Staraptor right away, he wants to meet us at the hospital.”

Barry stared at his phone, then at Lucas and Dawn, and took a deep breath. No new tears followed, but his unhappy gaze spoke volumes.

Those weren’t good news.

* * *

Dawn’s heart was pounding like a jackhammer the whole way to Pastoria. She had imagined that when the news broke that Paul had somehow escaped, they would all brim with joy. That they would all hug him and everything would be fine. She had never considered this scenario – that he’d come back but would maybe have to die anyway.

"We're here," Palmer said softly as he parked the car in one of the free spaces in front of the hospital. Immediately after he had arrived at Johanna’s house, Barry had demanded that he take them to the hospital in Pastoria. And after a quick stop at Barry's house, where they had packed clothes for him and Lucas, they had finally set off.

The whole time Dawn hadn't let Piplup and Pachirisu out of her arms. Even the cheeky electric squirrel finally seemed to have realized the seriousness of the situation and, for the first time in his life, had remained perfectly still and calm for the entire drive.

The hospital loomed before them, big and terrifying. What would await them in there? Was it perhaps already too late? And if he woke up again...would he still be the Paul they knew?

"We'll go check in at the hotel. Just call one of us if you need anything. We'll be right there.” Johanna put her hand on Dawn’s leg and squeezed briefly.

Dawn looked up and gave a blunt nod before struggling to get out of the car on Lucas' side and following him towards the entrance.

"Reggie will be here shortly. We should wait for him, they won't tell us anything anyway”, Barry said and looked at the sky, as if Reggie would pop up there on call. Piplup squirmed out of Dawn’s arms and stalked over to the anxious man, tugging at Barry’s pant leg to be picked up.

"Piplup," Dawn said sternly, but Barry shook his head.

"It's okay. What is it, Piplup?” he asked, lifting him to his chest. Dawn bit down on her bottom lip as Piplup wrapped his little flippers around Barry's neck and rubbed his head against him.

"Everything will be fine," Lucas said quietly, "I’m sure. If they...didn't see a chance, they would have told Reggie. And he would have told us.”

Barry nodded silently as he gently stroked Piplup’s head. He lifted his head and some life returned to his eyes when they heard the familiar call of a Staraptor. Moments later, Reggie jumped off next to them.

"Hey. Have you three been waiting long?”

He smiled, but all of them could see how fake it was. Forced. He looked awfully tired, even worse than Barry. Surely he hadn't had a quiet moment since Paul's disappearance and had desperately tried to find him. He was his little brother after all, and for all the time Dawn knew them, before he and Maylene had their own little family, it had just been the two of them. To lose him like this must’ve torn him apart.

"No, we've only just arrived. Did everything go well on the flight?” asked Lucas.

"Yes. Kenny also knows what’s going on, he’ll also be here later.” He walked ahead inside, and they hurriedly followed him. "I told Gary too, but he said he can’t come right now. His brother told me that him, Clemont, Sophocles and Goh are trying to figure out a way to track down our enemies and free the others once we know where they're hiding them. …I hope they know what they’re doing.”

"They do, trust me. They’re some of the smartest people I know.” Dawn tried to smile as confidently as she could.

Reggie nodded and turned to the woman at the front desk. Dawn listened with one ear as she looked around. Many in the room gave her weird looks, others were just sympathetic. Of course, they were all very well known here, and even more well known was their friendship with Paul. Luckily there were no paparazzi around. Not even outside the hospital. Dawn wasn’t sure how they had managed to fight them off, but she was glad they did. The last thing they needed was a nosy reporter sticking a microphone in their faces.

The receptionist called a nurse, who walked over to them, clipboard in hand, and stopped in front of Reggie.

"Can I help you?"

"Hopefully. I'm Reggie Rebolledo. Paul is my little brother. Can you tell me what exactly is going on and what will happen now?”

Dawn held Pachirisu tightly in her arms and looked at Reggie in concern as the nurse examined the clipboard in her hands and frowned. Paul's brother was as pale as a ghost and she feared he might faint at any moment, despite Dawn’s whispered reassurances that everything would be fine.

“Your brother was brought in for emergency surgery about three hours ago. We can't say anything more about his condition at this time, but I can assure you that the doctors are doing everything in their power."

"Everything in your power? What does this mean? That he might die?!"

"Reggie," Dawn said softly, "calm down. Please.”

She put a hand on Reggie's arm, but he jerked away from her. Very unlike Reggie usually, but in the current situation, Dawn couldn't blame him. She didn't want to imagine how he had to be feeling right now.

Barry's mood had also reached a new low at those news. Lucas steered him a little bit away onto one of the cheap plastic chairs in the waiting room and Barry chose to continue staring grimly at his shoes without saying a word. Floatzel had freed itself from its poké ball and was sitting on the ground next to him, looking sadly at its trainer while patting his thigh. When it got no reaction, it looked to Lucas for help, who attempted a smile and gently stroked its head.

“We will inform you immediately if there is anything new. Unfortunately there is nothing else I can do at the moment, other than asking you to wait. However, one of his pokémon was brought here, a Weavile. She's in the pokémon Center next door for treatment right now if you want to check on the little one."

Reggie gripped the counter with his hands so hard his knuckles turned white and hung his head in defeat.

"Paul is the most stubborn person I know" Dawn said, putting a hand on his shoulder. This time he let her. "If anyone can get through this, it's him."

Reggie wiped away a few tears that had made their way down his cheeks. "I hope so. He's... he's my little brother, Dawn. I can't lose him."

"And you won't lose him." Dawn also brought him to one of the chairs and sat down next to him, softly rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

And so the next few hours passed. Dawn was getting snacks and something to drink for everyone. She had also gone visiting Weavile, but hadn’t stayed long because the pokémon had not been in a good state physically, and also understandably upset. Maybe it would be a little better later.

She was glad that at least Lucas was there talking to her, because she knew she would’ve long gone insane if she had to be alone with the other two. People they didn't know kept coming and going. Doctors and nurses, but also visitors. Kenny arrived a little while later, announcing that Maylene and Noah were already on the plane after a short stop in Veilstone.

After eleven hours, something changed for the first time. A doctor came in and looked around, and when his gaze fell on the miserable gang on the chairs he smiled sympathetically. Dawn pressed her lips together. They didn't need his pity, just good news about their friend. They were tired, scared, and, to be honest, absolutely fed up with the whole situation.

"Will he make it?" Reggie's voice was so low that Dawn barely heard it and she was surprised that the doctor did.

His gaze immediately made her heart sink. Couldn't he just smile and say yes? Couldn't something just go well for once?

"Unfortunately, I can't promise that just yet, and I don't want to give anyone false hope. His body has been through a lot. But he’s fighting.”

Dawn clenched her fists and stared at her knees. He was fighting. Of course he was, it wouldn’t be Paul if he didn’t. And as long as he hadn't given up on himself, they definitely wouldn't give up on him. Or they shouldn’t call themselves his friends, right?

"When can we see him?" Barry spoke up for the first time as well. Kenny and Lucas raised their heads and also gave the doctor a questioning look.

"That's why I'm here. We took him to one of the rooms and you can visit him there, but he won't be awake. I still can't say when and, in the worst case, if he will wake up again. His condition is currently very critical.”

"I see," Reggie said stiffly, "thank you."

Dawn held her breath as they entered the room the nurse had shown them. Paul, who had always had a strong build and an air around him like Arceus itself couldn’t hurt him, looked so small in the hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and covered with IV tubes. As if he would break apart at the slightest touch.

Dawn’s eyes welled up and from the way Reggie tensed, he was probably thinking the same thing. It was impossible to see anything except for Paul's pallid skin, the closed eyes under which deep, dark circles had formed, and the ventilator that almost completely covered the lower half of his face. Dawn’s stomach churned at the thought of what he must have been through.

Reggie was immediately at his brother's side, sitting in the chair Barry pushed out for him and taking Paul's limp hand in his. Dawn’s chest hurt at the sight. Maybe it would have been more appropriate if they'd given Reggie time alone with him for a while, but Reggie didn't seem to mind too much and besides, she didn't know how long she could have endured not seeing him.

Barry placed a trembling hand in Dawn’s.

"He’s gonna make it," Dawn whispered, not quite sure which of them she was trying to convince.

She stared into Paul's face, wishing nothing more than for his cold, violet eyes to look at her again, making one of his notorious snide comments. But his eyes remained closed, his features soft and still.

He’s gonna make it. He has to.

Chapter 29: ...That Shatters You

"Still no changes?"

"No. He doesn't respond to anything. It’s not looking good."

Maylene and Reggie's voices were muffled through the closed door. Dawn was sitting on the small couch in the room next to Kenny, with Noah on her lap, while Barry was now hogging the chair next to Paul’s bed. He had finally fallen asleep about half an hour ago and Dawn noticed with increasing irritation that he had already drooled on the white bed sheet.

"Dawn?" Noah asked quietly, tugging at the sleeve of her cardigan, "when will Uncle Paul be okay?"

"We, um, we don't know, Noah. We hope he’ll get better soon but he...was hurt really badly, you know?”

"Is that why he’s sleeping so long?"

Dawn swallowed and nodded. "Yes. That's why he’s sleeping so long."

And the nurses didn't exactly have any uplifting news to share with them whenever they showed up, so who knew for how much longer it would go on like this. Dawn sighed and leaned her head against Kenny's, who was also dozing a little. At some point, the crowd of people had become too much for Lucas’ introverted nature, and he had since retreated to some place where he could be alone for a while.

And so only Dawn remained awake in the little hospital room, apart from the little boy in her lap and his parents outside the door. She probably wasn't allowed to get a nap anyway, she had given that up long ago. She was so tired, but at the same time she just couldn't fall asleep. She was too scared that she would wake up and Paul would be gone. That she wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. Maybe it was irrational, but it affected her enough to keep her awake.

Noah tugged at her sleeve again and Dawn looked down to him. "Can you play something with me?"

"Sure. What do you want to play? Does your mom have any games with her?”

Of course mom did. As soon as Dawn let him down, Noah waddled over to Maylene’s travel bag and rummaged through some plushies, Capri Suns and snacks until he found some Uno and memory cards, which he took back to Dawn. They agreed on Uno and – after Dawn had managed to wrestle a sleeping Kenny off her – played for quite a while.

Once they came back into the room, they also played a few rounds with Maylene and Reggie, who, after losing five rounds consecutively, somehow wasn’t too keen on playing any more. At least Noah thought it was absolutely hilarious to put yet another +4 card on the table for his dad, and the happy child’s laugh clearly lifted the spirits in the otherwise so dreary hospital room.

"I'll go downstairs and get us some coffee. Do you want one too, Dawn?”

Dawn shook her head in thanks and Maylene disappeared outside. Noah was sitting on Reggie's lap, now peacefully asleep. The thrill of Uno had knocked him straight out. Reggie gently stroked his head and stared at his brother, who still showed no sign of life, and at Barry, who seemed to have grabbed Paul's hand in his sleep, now sleeping surprisingly calmly.

"Have you heard from Ash and the others?" Reggie asked quietly.

"No, nothing. We-" Before Dawn could finish her sentence, however, the door opened and Maylene frantically stuck her head in.

"Reggie, SOS. Brandon is here.”

"...What? You’re joking. Now he's suddenly interested in his sons or what?" Reggie's eyes sparkled angrily and Dawn’s own eyes went wide when she registered what he’d just said.

Of course, why hadn't she realized that much earlier? She had joked with Ash about it, back when they had watched Paul's battle against Brandon in Snowpoint. About how alike they looked and if they didn't know better, they would assume Brandon was related to Reggie and Paul somehow. How angry Paul had gotten, how irrationally and desperately he had acted, had been so strange. But out of sight, out of mind, as they say. They had never thought about it again.

“Or he's hiding from someone else entirely.”

"Do you want me to send him away?" Maylene asked softly.

"No," Reggie said, shaking his head, "you don't have to. He's my father, I'll kick him out. Can you take Noah?”

He put their son in his wife’s arms and stomped out the door. Maylene sat down on the vacant chair and watched the door close after him, brows furrowed and eyes shining glumly. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn could see that Kenny was already awake and that Barry was rubbing his eyes and looking around between them to find out the reason for the commotion. Only Noah continued to sleep blissfully.

Dawn pulled her cardigan tighter around her, almost wanting to hide in it, as Reggie's voice outside grew louder and louder until he was practically shouting at Brandon. They were probably right in front of the door. They could hear every single word Reggie said. Wonderful.

"Now you are here? Now?!? Suddenly you’re the acting like some caring father, despite not giving a damn about us for the past twenty years? After you almost ran him into the ground with your neverending greed for strength?! Forget it, you won't see him! Go away! That's what you've always been best at anyway!"

Brandon spoke in a lower voice than Reggie and Dawn couldn't hear what he was saying. She shot an uncertain look at Paul, who of course didn't wake up. It was probably better that way. She didn’t want him to hear this. She didn’t know what Paul thought of Brandon, but judging by Reggie’s outburst, their relationship was still broken, the wounds not yet healed at all.

"He did everything for you! Begged you to love and be proud of him! And you never cared! Does he seriously have to almost die for you to finally show up for him?!”

"Did you know that?" Kenny asked in a whisper, as if he didn't dare speak any louder, "that the Pyramid King is Reggie and Paul's father?"

Barry nodded slowly while Dawn shook her head.

"Paul told me. A few years ago,” Barry answered, head bowed. His eyes flickered to Paul and back to the floor. "I promised him not to mention it, though. To no one.”

"I never figured it out. I mean, the clues were there, but…" Dawn shrugged.

Maylene cleared her throat. She had shifted her weight in the chair so her arm was over Noah's ear, presumably so he wouldn't hear his father yelling outside. To be honest, Dawn had never seen Reggie so upset before. It worried her a little.

It was no longer a secret to Barry and herself that, a long time ago, Reggie had not been so different from Paul. Anger issues, abrasive attitude and constantly being in a bad mood, all that. And that from time to time, he still fell into old behavior patterns if his patience was stretched too long. Like now.

She knew he had worked hard to be the kind, loving and open person he was now. And she could only hope that having to confront his father, maybe even having to deal with his little brother’s...death, wouldn’t make him stumble again.

They all lifted their heads to Maylene when she started talking. Her voice was shaky, and she ran her fingers through Noah’s hair in gentle strokes. Almost as if she was trying to hold him as close as she could.

“Everything was so different when their mother was still alive. While I can't remember everything because I was too young, they always seemed like a very happy family, even though Brandon was busy with his pyramid and rarely home. His mom always came over with Reggie so we could play and she could spend time with my parents. She was a wonderful woman. Then she...got sick and passed when Paul was two or three.”

Barry clenched his teeth and tensed his shoulders, squeezing Paul’s hand a little harder. Dawn had known about their mom being gone, but Paul had never really confided in her about the loss, and she had never pushed him. But Barry clearly knew more than her. She was glad that Paul apparently at least talked to him about all this. She understood. Barry’s mom was a touchy subject too, after all. Maybe – maybe it made him feel a little bit less alone.

“Her death must have hit Brandon so hard that it changed something in him. He couldn't seem to look at them anymore without thinking about their mother, and I assume that's why he ended up pushing them away from him. It went on like that for a little longer, until he disappeared completely. The only chance they had to regain his approval was through the pokémon. Brandon's always been a bit too obsessed with battling – the only people he gave his undivided attention to were those who managed to defeat him in battle. That's why Reggie challenged the Battle Frontier back then. To get Brandon back. And when he failed to defeat him, he gave up, because everything suddenly felt so pointless. At least that's what he told me. Paul hasn't gotten over it for... quite a while."

Barry nodded. "That's why he always trained so incredibly hard, before. He only stopped chasing his approval once he became the Sinnoh Champion and Brandon’s reaction was…still lackluster at best. It was sort of a wake-up call, I guess. But...I think he's still a little hurt. It’s not so easy to forget what happened."

No wonder Paul had told no one but his best friend. That must have upset him immensely. That someone he looked up to rejected him like that. Considered him too weak. Paul had always been too proud for his own good - such humiliation must have been hard for him to stomach.

"But...their own father?" Kenny asked.

"At this point I don’t think he deserves a title like that" came a cold voice from the door. Reggie seemed to have gotten rid of Brandon because he was alone. And pissed off. "To be called a father you have to act like one. I can't believe he actually has the audacity to show up here, after everything he's done. Telling me he’s so worried, and he wants to see his boy. His boy?! Which one of us has been raising Paul all these years?! Him or me?!"

"Regg, not so loud. Do you want them to kick you out?” Maylene snapped at him. "I understand that you're angry, but this is still a hospital. So pull yourself together a little, please.”

Reggie frowned but went silent. He walked over to the window and looked out for a while, not saying anything, not looking at anyone. Whatever Paul's current relationship with Brandon was, his brother seemed to be long done with forgiving. His voice was a lot softer, almost inaudible, when he talked again.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell like that. I’m just so done with him. With everything. I just want this to be over and go home. I don’t care about listening to his sob stories about why he abandoned us. It doesn’t matter to me. The only thing I know is that he did. Back then, when we had just lost Mom and really needed him, he didn't give a damn what became of us. And now he’s back. Twenty years too late. If Paul wants to forgive him, I won't interfere. It’s not my business. But as long as he can't fight back, I'm going to keep Brandon away from him. That’s not...wrong of me, is it?”

Maylene stood up with Noah on her arm and placed her free hand on Reggie's lower back, rubbing it gently.

“No, my love. It’s not,” she said, “you’re just trying to protect him. Like you always did.”

She pulled him closer to her when his shoulders started shaking a little, brushing her hand over his left arm. Dawn sunk down a little in her seat. Hearing Reggie cry was probably one of the worst sounds she had ever heard. She wondered just how much he had suffered over the years under the enormous burden Brandon had placed on him, never saying a word. Always being the strong one, always acting like nothing could drag him down.

No wonder he was exhausted.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, get something to eat," she announced, because she decided that the family really needed some time to themselves now. "Come on, Barry, move."

With her two drowsy friends in tow, she sat down in the hospital cafeteria and got herself a small, really sad looking side salad. She was sure she wouldn’t get anything bigger down right now anyway, but she kinda wished she would’ve ordered something that looked at least a little bit less pathetic.

Kenny had gotten fries, probably not so much for himself as to make sure that Barry finally ate something. Nothing had worked before, but if Barry was to be tricked with anything, it was finger food he could quickly steal off someone's plate. That was probably already running under his muscle memory. And it worked – it didn’t take long until Barry was somewhat happily munching on the fries that Kenny oh so sneakily pushed over to him so he could reach it better.

Dawn raised her brows at Kenny in a “I know what you’re doing” manner, but Kenny just grinned smugly. Then his smile fell again, and he sighed.

"I feel so damn bad for Reggie," he said, breaking their silence. "How old was he anyway when Brandon left them? If Paul was that young-"

"Fourteen," Barry replied flatly, "from that age he was able to become Paul's legal guardian, here in Sinnoh. Brandon gave them the house Reggie still lives in, but that's about it. I doubt Reggie ever got a “thank you” or an apology from Brandon. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't even asked how he's doing."

Dawn grimaced. Certainly not. Reggie hadn't been good enough as a trainer, and that was all that mattered to Brandon. He obviously had more hope for Paul, but when Reggie gave up battling to become a breeder, it must have meant not only the end of his career as a trainer, but also the final nail in the coffin regarding the relationship between him and his father. At least he now had a real family, people around him who really valued him. Those who wouldn’t just leave him behind.

He never deserved that.

A startled gasp at the next table made all three of them sit up straight and Dawn followed the line of sight of the woman who had made the noise. She stared at the flat screen TV that was showing the news. With all the turmoil and Paul's condition, she had almost forgotten about what was actually still going on out there. Almost.

The news showed images from the Sinnoh region, which continued to be attacked by the legendary pokémon. Cynthia appeared to be in Sunyshore at the moment, fighting Giratina there. But her pokémon, strong as they were, wouldn't last forever. And with Paul knocked out and his pokémon gone except for Weavile and a few of the others who were in Veilstone at Reggie's farm, things weren't looking good.

They all stared at the screen in horror. The scenes in Snowpoint played out before Dawn’s eyes, over and over again. She felt her face heat up and sweat beads forming on her forehead, and noticed how her heart started beating faster too. Kenny and Barry grabbed her hands before she could even think of moving.

Now the TV showed Oreburgh. Palkia ramped and raged, tearing down the buildings and razing the entire city to the ground. People fled, screaming and crying, into the mine and towards the Oreburgh gate, pushing and hitting each other. Dawn saw people getting pushed over and she begged silently that they got saved before the others trampled them to death.

Dawn had to think of Roark – he had to be okay. He just had to. And hopefully Pastoria wasn't their next destination. Of course it had been kept a secret from the media that Paul was here, otherwise it would only be a matter of time before they would be attacked here. But Dawn didn't feel safe here regardless. The attacks, the kidnappings, it all seemed so...random.

Just what is going on here?

The image changed to Sunyshore again and a headline flickered at the bottom of the screen, making Dawn’s stomach tighten. Tears formed in her eyes and she couldn’t stifle the sob that came out of her mouth. She heard Kenny whimper, and Barry letting out a soft “no”.

Several dead in a killing spree by the legendary Pokémon Giratina, including Elite Four member Flint.

That... that couldn't be. This had to be a nightmare.

No.

No.

No!

Notes:

If there's a Flint fan here: I'm sorry.

Chapter 30: Waking Up

Notes:

so it's only been three (or four? I can't even remember) weeks of uni and I'm somehow already behind on everything but I wanted to get at least this chapter out lol
next one will take a little longer, probably until after my exams in december!
Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

It was the third time he woke up in an unfamiliar environment.

Please let it be the last time. I’m so tired of this.

Even though his eyes were closed, Paul didn’t need long to figure out where he was. His mother had been in and out of the hospital so often that he knew the typical sounds of the machines all too well. He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

Now was not the time to dwell on long passed griefs.

His head was throbbing painfully and his eyelids were so heavy it took him a few tries before he was finally able to open them. At first he only saw blurred outlines in front of him, heard noises that vaguely resembled a conversation between people but really only sounded like gibberish to him. He didn’t recognize any of the voices either.

But then he heard something familiar.

His...his name.

Someone was talking to him, although it was impossible to concentrate on what the person was saying. The warm, smooth voice and the modest smell of Jasmine flowers and honey felt comfortable, even soothing somehow. He had known both since childhood.

„Reggie?“ he croaked, grimacing.

As familiar as Reggie’s voice had been to his ears, as foreign his very own sounded. So weak, so pathetic. Raspy and tired, breaking apart at the slightest effort he put into his desire to speak. He clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration until something warm and soft surrounded his left hand. Carefully but firmly, he squeezed. His consciousness started to return. The colors became clearer, the silhouettes as well. No one was speaking anymore, instead Paul could only hear the calm beeping of an ECG and the steady ticking of a clock.

He blinked again, opened his eyes once more – and finally felt the surge of relief engulfing him that he had been so desperately waiting for ever since he woke up in that dreadful cell.

The warmth he felt in his hand were indeed Reggie’s hands, clutching his. Beneath his eyes were deep, dark circles, making him look like he hadn’t slept in days. And yet they seemed as bright as ever when he looked at Paul. No, even more. He was beaming.

A little further to the right, gathered in front of the bed, were Barry, Dawn, Kenny and Lucas. And even further back he recognized Maylene. She was holding Noah, who was tightly gripping her shirt and looking around with big, confused eyes. His eyes fell back on his friends when he heard a quiet sniffle. Barry’s lower lip trembled and he vigorously wiped his red, swollen eyes. His cheeks were pale and blotchy, as were Dawn’s.

“You guys look like shit” he informed them.

Barry let out what Paul could only describe as a mix of a sob and a laugh, then lunged forward and threw himself onto him, wrapping his arms around him so tightly that Paul briefly worried about his upper body snapping in half. Still, he decided to embrace the gesture for once, letting his best friend’s familiar touch calm his tense nerves for a moment. It gave his brain the chance to finally catch up.

You’re alright now. They didn’t capture you again. You’re in the hospital. Your friends are here. Reggie is here.

You’re safe.

It’s okay.

"We thought you were dead!" Barry bawled right into his ear.

Paul bit back the "me too" that was lingering on his lips and instead said, "I'm okay. What the hell happened? How did I even get here?”

"If we only knew," Reggie answered, "the receptionist told me that a man with blue hair and a mask over his face brought you here, but he didn’t give her his name. He just left you here and disappeared without a trace right after. The hospital took care of the rest. You were unconscious for the last few days. That’s all we really know about it.”

Paul stared at the ceiling, trying to gear up his brain, and slowly he started to remember what had happened before he had passed out. He had been talking to James, the Team Rocket renegade, and then keeled over right in front of him. His right hand was bandaged. Yes, he also remembered that, very vividly even. He had fallen right into their campfire, trying to catch himself with it. It must’ve been burned in the process, but Paul was glad it had only been his hand, and not his face.

Well, maybe it was better not to tell the others about his short lived camaraderie with the two felons – or three, if one counted the pokémon – for now. There were enough other problems to deal with first.

"Where's Weavile? Is she okay?”

Reggie nodded. He had started to softly stroke over Paul’s head, and while it felt a little demeaning, Paul didn’t object or push his hand away. In a way, the gentle touch even felt somewhat nice. Like it could erase all the bad memories in a heartbeat. Like everything would be alright again.

Because he wasn’t on his own anymore.

"Weavile is still being looked after at the Pokémon Center next door, just to be safe. The poor thing had quite the shock, she was really worried about you. The staff said they could barely get her away from you so they could treat her. Would one of you guys go and get her? And please tell someone that he’s awake.”

Both Kenny and Dawn nodded, exchanging a quick look before heading out. Maylene took their spot next to the bed as soon as they were gone. Paul unsuccessfully fought back a smile as Noah gave him a hesitant wave.

"Hey, little man. Everything okay?"

Noah nodded and a smile flashed across his face. Paul knew that what happened hadn’t been his fault, and yet he felt a scorching sting of guilt about worrying Noah to the point he looked actually relieved now.

He was only four years old. Roughly the same age Paul had been when his mother passed. And while he barely remembered her as she had been, he still remembered the pain. The confusion. It had burned itself deep into his heart, and the last thing he wanted for his nephew was to start his childhood with those same memories, that same uncertainty, the same overwhelming fear.

"Well I was sad because no one would tell me where you are and why you didn’t watch papa’s battle and then you came back but you just slept the whole time. But Mommy bought me new pokémon cards so we can play together! Mommy, get them!”

"Is that a request or an order? What's the magic word?" Maylene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mommy, can you get them pleaseeeee," Noah groaned, clearly inconvenienced by the unnecessary pleasantries.

Paul bit his lower lip to suppress his grin. He was a well behaved, sweet boy most of the time, yet sometimes it almost felt as if Paul was looking into a mirror of himself as a child when he looked at him. He had developed some sort of courtesy by the time he had started his pokémon journey – he doubted he would’ve gotten out of Lt. Surge’s gym in one piece if he hadn’t fixed his attitude at least somewhat – but he couldn’t deny that he had been a real brat in the years before that. No matter how many times Reggie had scolded him for being impolite, or even downright rude. Often, when some of these qualities came through in Noah as well, Reggie muttered something about not remembering to have ordered a second little Paul.

Noah was put on the bed to Paul’s right, where he sat cross-legged and started to unwrap his much praised cards. They looked surprisingly good and new still, despite the evident inspection of small, dirty children’s hands. It seemed to be one of the special limited editions from Galar that they sold only during the championship.

Noah immediately started to explain how each card worked, how special it was, and how to play with it. Paul felt like he deserved an award for his believable portrayal of surprise and astonishment, as if he had absolutely no idea how to play with pokémon cards. As if he hadn’t spent almost five years of his life absolutely destroying the other kids in kindergarten and elementary school with his superior card game skills. Maylene used the time to get something to eat and stretch her legs for a bit or something. It was hard to focus on what she was saying and her son’s excited chatter at the same time.

Shortly after the Sinnoh Champion had received his explanation of what a shiny pokémon was, Noah apparently got overwhelmed by all the commotion and his own talking. He kept nodding his head downward as his eyes fell shut, right before shooting up again and continuing to talk, with every sentence getting more incomprehensible than the last. He obviously tried not to fall asleep in fear of missing anything, but it didn’t take more than a few soft, coaxing words from Reggie until he was out cold.

Paul’s chest served as his pillow, and Paul silently stroked over his head for a while as Reggie had done with him before. Now that Noah’s jabbering was no longer distracting him, his own thoughts came flooding back with force. He turned to look at Reggie, who instantly tensed. He already knew what was coming, knowing his little brother well enough.

"What about my other pokémon? Torterra, and Aggron-”

"We will find them. Don’t worry."

"And what about Ash? And Gladion? The headquarters are located here in Sinnoh. Somewhere on the shore of Mu-kawa. We have to-"

"We will find them too. But you don't have to do anything, you understand me? Except rest and get well. I know you hate relying on others, but you really can't help anyone in your condition, Paul. We...we are glad you woke up at all. Don’t make us go through this again."

Paul pressed his lips tightly shut. He hadn’t wanted to worry anyone. But he also didn’t want to do nothing while his friends were still trapped in there, probably getting tortured, perhaps even killed. It made bile and hatred rise in his throat. If at Team Rocket or himself, he wasn’t so sure. He hated being useless. Hated it more than anything. He was tired of being a mere spectator in his life and watch with his hands tied while destiny continued to destroy what little happiness he had.

"Is Charizard with Weavile?" he asked, because Reggie couldn’t know any of these thoughts. Not right now, at least.

"What Charizard?"

"Ash's. It was with me when I passed out.”

Reggie frowned.

"It’s not here. Nobody spoke of a Charizard, and I’d reckon a pokémon like that would have been noticed.”

Well, and he couldn’t exactly call Jessie and James and ask. He could only hope that the stubborn beast didn't try to find and free his trainer on his own. Even if Charizard was strong, that wouldn’t end well. Ash would be heartbroken if any of his pokémon got hurt, and Paul knew that Charizard had been with him for a very, very long time now.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Barry sitting down in one of the chairs to his right. He gave Reggie a questioning look, and Reggie nodded hesitantly. Paul furrowed bis brows and turned to Barry sharply, almost as if challenging him to talk. But Barry didn’t return the fiery look, and instead just gave him a gentle smile. It gave Paul a stomach ache whenever Barry looked at him like that. As if he were personally responsible for the sun rising every day.

As if he’d ever done anything to deserve that.

“So, do you want the situation report? Or do you want to be left alone?”

As fast as he could, Paul shook his head.

"No, I want to know what happened. I know Ash and Gladion have been captured. It's thanks to them that I'm even here now. And they have N too, I heard. But that's all I know. So whatever you know, tell me."

"Okay. So...things are pretty fucked."

If there was one thing Paul loved about Barry, it was his ruthless honesty. Whenever Reggie started telling stories, he tended to sugarcoat and downplay things like he was getting paid for it. But Paul didn’t want or need that right now. He needed the truth. The whole truth.

„The only ones that were able to escape are Lillie and Trip, allegedly. Lillie is in shock because of what happened to her brother, but other than that, she’s doing okay. She’s back in Wyndon with her father. Trip however – he disappeared after the attack on Nuvema a week ago. We don’t know if he’s okay. No one was able to reach him so far. The Elite Four of Unova, Alder, the special forces and his friends are all looking for him in the areas surrounding Nuvema, but so far none of them have any lead. It’s like he completely vanished. We can only hope that they didn’t get him too. And that...well.“

Paul felt all the color draining from his face. Barry didn’t need to continue, he was able to construct the rest of the sentence himself. One week. Without access to drinkable water, one week was plenty enough time to kill him. The thought of him dying out there, alone and scared, made Paul shiver.

“Are you serious? How big can these surrounding areas be? Surely those great special forces must have drones or something to find him quickly, right?”

"Bianca said they’re using every equipment at their disposal, but in the big forests it’s difficult, even with the drones. And they have to be careful not to accidentally lead the enemy to him. Iris stopped most of them, but some got away. She thinks he threw away his phone so they wouldn’t be able to use it to track him down. He must be somewhere between Unova and Pennsylvania, he can’t have gone much further on foot. But that’s all they have. They’re starting to get pretty desperate.”

Of course they are getting desperate, their friend could be lying dead in a ditch and none of us would know.

Nausea rose in Paul, along with blind, hot anger. How in the world could something like this happen? How many times had Trip told him that Grimsley, Caitlin and Marshal still treated him like a child, didn’t let him out of their sight even for a second when training because they didn’t see him fit to lead them as their champion? As if he had to be watched so he didn’t hurt himself?

This time he really needed you. And where were you, Elite trainers?

Where?

"Paul, calm down. I'm sure it’s alright. You know him and his pokémon. He’s smart, you know that. I’m sure he figured something out. And his pokémon are incredibly powerful and would never let anything happen to their trainer. Everything sounds pretty grim, I know. But we need to have a little faith in him.”

Barry took Paul's bandaged hand in his and it was only then that Paul realized he was shaking and clenching his hands into fists again. He let his head drop back onto the pillow and closed his eyes, letting out a short, frustrated sigh. Barry was right. There was no point getting upset now. There was nothing he could do anyway. He could only hope that they would bring him back, safe and sound. Otherwise someone would pay for this. Dearly.

"Fine. What else?"

Barry looked like he was fighting back tears as he answered this time. Paul grimaced. How did it seem to get worse with every new information? He started to regret having wanted the whole truth, but he couldn’t back down now. Better get it over with immediately, they could worry about picking up the pieces later.

“G-Giratina attacked Sunyshore. The fight must have been pretty fierce. Almost everything was destroyed and...Flint...was killed."

Paul could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he stared at Barry in disbelief. Flint? No, that... that couldn't be. It had only been a few days ago that he had spoken to him about the World Cup and the Sinnoh League. He'd been overflowing with ideas for a new building and had basically already enlisted Volkner to help them with the work. He had been so energetic and happy. It...wasn't possible that he was gone. It just wasn’t.

Paul wanted to scream. He felt a hand on his head and looked at Reggie, who was smiling at him sadly, eyes moist and glistening with unshed tears. Paul finally croaked out a single question.

"How's Volkner?"

Before Barry could answer his question, however, a doctor walked in and interrupted Paul's private newscast. She asked a lot of questions, did a few check-ups and explained to him, much to his annoyance, that he wasn't going to get rid of the oxygen mask right away. Not until they were able to make sure he was able to breathe on his own on a sustained basis. Already having to endure the stern looks from Reggie and Barry, he put up with it for now. Nevertheless, he rolled his eyes demonstratively. They should know how ridiculous this was.

He was breathing, wasn't he?

She was just leaving the room when Dawn and Kenny came back. Paul sighed. Hopefully he would get his answer at some point. Right now, seeing his pokémon was more important to him than anything else.

"Hey, we're back. Look who's there, Weavile.”

Dawn held Weavile in her arms the same way she usually did with Piplup or Pachirisu, which looked absolutely goofy. Paul told her so many times that his pokémon weren’t little stuffed animals and should not be carried this way, but Dawn was widely known not to care about or even listen to what he said. And of course, her Royal Highness Weavile seemed to have settled into her new throne quite well, enjoying this comfortable mode of transportation.

“Careful,” Reggie warned, “don’t let her go before Paul has grabbed her. She might rip some of the tubes out and I’d rather not have that right now.”

Dawn nodded and carefully placed Weavile onto Paul's stomach. Weavile purred happily and rubbed her head against his before settling on his chest, making herself comfortable. He found everyone staring at him in bafflement as he took his hand out of Reggie's and pet her head with it. Reggie blinked, but then started to grin.

"Someone is getting soft in his old age, huh?"

"Shut up. We’ve been through some pretty bad shit. We deserve this.”

Weavile meowed in agreement and Reggie laughed.

"That is true. You really do.”

Chapter 31: A Small Hope

"Mew, Mew, Mew!"

Trip frowned as he watched Mew do somersaults in the air in front of him, looking like it couldn’t possibly be in a better mood. Obviously his potion had done something, although he didn’t know what had happened to Mew’s external wounds that had seemed to disappear overnight. Maybe the berry brew had given Mew enough strength to heal itself.

That was fine by him. One less thing to worry about.

“I’m glad someone’s in high spirits again. Does that mean we can go now? I don’t mean to rush you of course, but unfortunately our schedule is kinda tight.”

Mew chirped happily and so they continued their unguided tour through this seemingly endless forest, Serperior still faithfully by Trip’s side and Mew gently floating in front of them. Trip watched it curiously and wondered what it was still doing here. It was obviously doing better now and could leave whenever it pleased. It could hardly be mere gratitude – not from a pokémon as mysterious and elusive as Mew that usually avoided people as much as possible. For now, though, it seemed quite happy with him leading the way, so it didn't matter.

There were other issues on his mind anyway. He was so hungry his whole body was beginning to cramp, and by now he had reached a part of the forest so deep that there weren't even any berries left. Only moss, wood and pine needles. Everything was cold, cloudy and boring.

"I really wish you could tell me what happened to you, you know," he told Mew. The pokémon turned to him briefly and cocked its head, then flew back into the air with a happy squeak. Trip sighed. Well, he guessed he should’ve known his conversation partner wasn’t really one for long, thought provoking dialogues. But it was still better than talking to no one at all.

"Hey, look. The trees are thinning up over there.”

Trip didn't want to get his hopes up too high just to be disappointed once again, but his heart was starting to race at the thought that he might finally make a breakthrough and see something other than this cursed forest. He stumbled forward with Serperior helping by grabbing him with his tail and lifting him over larger rocks and fallen logs until he finally reached the clearing.

If it weren't so beneath him, Trip would probably have burst into tears at the sight of the beautiful asphalt road stretching out in front of him. Finally. Civilization.

An impartial outsider would probably describe what he was doing as a wobbly limp at best, but Trip felt like he was giving the olympic athletes a run for their money with how fast he was sprinting towards the street sign at the small intersection just up ahead. In a minute he would finally know where he was. He could finally-

The deafening sound of a car horn honked him right out of his thoughts and before he could process what had happened, he found himself laying on the hard ground with Serperior calling out for him in worry. He hadn't been hit by the car – just stumbled while trying to dive out of the way, like someone with superiour survival skills would. Holding his aching head, he grumbled sullenly.

What kind of idiot was driving so fast here that they wouldn't see him standing in the middle of the road from a mile away?

"What is wrong with you?!?" He heard a female voice yell. One that really sounded awfully familiar. "See what you did! You can't just honk at him like that!"

Oh, yeah. That made sense.

Trip rolled over and sat up on the road, trying not to lie there like roadkill. He tiredly smiled at Shauntal who was already charging at him and at Alder, who almost tripped over his own legs while getting out of the car.

"Gosh, boy, how lucky you are that we found you." Shauntal shook her head, wiping her eyes furtively. Of all the Elite Four members of Unova, Trip had always liked her best – she was the only one who didn't squint at him whenever he was called Champion, didn’t raise her brows or called him a stubborn kid. As a result, Shauntal had almost become something like a big sister to him. He let her pull him into a crushing hug and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was so, so glad to see the both of them.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me here?” Trip asked while the two lifted him up and steered him into the car. Seeing that he was okay, Serperior finally agreed to go back into his poké ball for the time being until they reached the next Pokémon Center. As Trip got into the backseat, he felt an unfamiliar, moving weight in the hood of his jacket. Well, that clarified where Mew was. It seemed to be hiding from the strangers and had apparently chosen him as its accomplice. Ironic, given that until yesterday he'd only been a stranger too.

“Alder’s daughter lives here with her family. We wanted to ask them if they might have seen you around somewhere, but that's obviously needless now”, Shauntal answered before Alder had the chance.

Probably because she knew that the old man liked to forget that he was behind the wheel when he started one of his long-winded stories. Really, anything was better than roaming the wilderness alone and disoriented, but under normal circumstances Trip preferred to avoid sitting in a car driven by Alder. He wasn’t quite done with life yet.

"We're going to the nearest hospital now so they can examine you there. And I'm sure you could use a bit of sleep and something to eat, too."

That was hardly anything to object to.

"What about the others? Is everyone...alive?” Trip asked after a moment of hesitation. He hoped the two would have told him straight away if anything had happened, but you never knew with them. They often liked to keep things from him if they thought he wouldn't be able to cope with the truth.

Trip felt he'd proven enough times that he could swallow anything, sort of. Just because he wasn't particularly tall and muscular like Ash or Paul didn’t mean he would break apart at the slightest bit of tough news.

"Yes, your friends are fine. A few wounds and bruised egos, but nothing that a little bit of caring can't mend,” Shauntal replied, however, with a genuine smile on her face. Trip let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Thank god," he whispered, leaning his forehead against the front seat and closing his eyes. That meant Iris was okay. Ha. Of course she was. He was still here, and she was so much stronger and braver than he could ever hope to be.

She was alright.

He was later told that he had fallen asleep in the car less than five minutes later and woke up just before dusk in a hospital bed. The exhaustion must have numbed him so effectively that he'd just been knocked out in a black void. No dreams, and fortunately no nightmares either.

Someone had put a glass of water on the table next to his bed and Shauntal immediately rushed to get him something to eat from the cafeteria as soon as she noticed his awakening.

"Your pokémon are in the center for monitoring. How do you feel now? A little better?” she asked when she came back with a bowl of chicken soup and bread and flopped down onto the chair next to him. Apart from her and the Audino, who was busy typing something on a tablet and smiling happily at them every now and then, they were alone.

Even Alder was nowhere to be found. Shauntal said he had just wandered off without a word, as usual, and hadn’t come back in a few hours. Trip knew they both quietly hoped that he wasn’t the next person to get lost. He was even more of an expert in getting himself into trouble than Trip and his friends were.

"Depends on what you mean by that," Trip sighed, breaking off a piece of bread and putting it into his mouth thoughtfully. "physically? Yeah. Mentally? No idea. I...still can't believe what happened in Nuvema...how aggressive and cruel the pokémon were, and what happened to my parents-"

He faltered and didn't speak further. Shauntal reached out to him, trying to put her hand on his arm. But before she could do anything of the sort, Trip’s mind came to a screeching halt when the word "pokémon" hit him. He shot upright and almost knocked over the soup bowl, and Shauntal flinched in surprise.

"Trip? What is going on-"

"Mew!"

"Mew?"

"Where is it?"

"What?"

"Mew!"

"The mythical pokémon Mew?"

Was he having a stroke?

"Yes," he continued, this time more calmly, because Shauntal looked as if she thought he had finally completely lost his mind, "it was with me. I found it in the forest and it followed me until you found me. It must have slipped out of my hood somehow while I was sleeping and you guys brought me in here. But I think it wanted...or needed something from me.”

“Huh, unfortunately I didn't see it, and neither did Alder. Are you sure it was Mew? Maybe you got it mixed up, or maybe your head was playing tricks on you. I don't mean to offend you," she immediately said with her hands in the air when Trip glared at her, "but Mew is said to be a very, very shy pokémon. And it's supposedly strictly keeping away from people, which is why hardly anyone has ever seen it. You’ve been through a lot, Trip. It’s just-"

"I'll go look for it-"

"You will sit. And eat. After that, you can do whatever you want, if it’s so urgent. But now it's time to eat. Do you really think I ran down all the way to the cafeteria for fun and got you the soup just so you could nibble on the bread twice and call it a day?”

Her gaze was so stern that Trip silently pulled back the covers he had already thrown off and ate the soup without objection. There were people he could easily mess with, but Shauntal, when she was in mom mode, wasn't one of them.

The soup was lukewarm and only a little bit disgusting, so Trip wolfed it down greedily once he realized how hungry he was.

"Slow down, you'll get a stomach ache."

Then it shall be like that.

A little later he was finally on his way to the Pokémon Center. Maybe Mew was hiding out with its own kind, surely it felt safer there. It didn't seem to trust humans very much. Probably a smart move, seeing how everyone and their mother had been trying to find it since the beginning of time.

As soon as he stepped into the Pokémon Center, he heard a wild flapping of wings and found himself on his butt on the floor. Unfezant crowed happily and rubbed his head against him. His other pokémon also came out of the back room upon noticing the commotion, followed by a confused-looking and exhausted Nurse Joy.

"I take it you must be their trainer," Joy said with a stricken smile on her face, "good to see you're back on your feet. You all must have been through a lot, at least that's what the man who brought them to me said.”

Trip just nodded, but wasn't in the mood to talk to a complete stranger about what had happened in the last few days. As long as it wasn't important to get his pokémon back on their feet, anyway – and it obviously wasn't, as they all seemed to be fine and excited to see him.

Chandelure’s flames on its arms flickered on and off as the pokémon spun from left to right, while Goodra gleefully bounced up and down. Hawlucha and Conkeldurr stayed at a distance, but relief was also visible on their faces. Serperior briefly pressed his nose to Trip’s cheek, but then politely held back.

"Have you seen another pokémon around here?" Trip asked, trying to heave his very stubborn bird off him so he could at least stand up, "small and pink. Can fly and is pretty fast.”

Joy frowned and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. Your six friends here are all the pokémon I’ve seen today. Although I have to say that I had my hands full with them," she laughed and rubbed her neck in embarrassment, "maybe I didn't notice. Is it hurt? Does it need treatment?”

"I don't think so. But I have to find it. If you see it, please let me know. And would you please get off me now? Thank you very much."

Careful not to pluck his feathers, Trip grabbed Unfezant and finally managed to lift the sixty-pound chunk off his lap. Nurse Joy seemed really, really relieved when he and his entourage left the center. At the nearby supermarket, he bought Pokéblocks and Poké Puffs as he had promised. The Mocha Puffs Deluxe were Chandelure’s favorite, so he bought two packs.

"Have any of you seen our patient flying around anywhere?" He asked as his pokémon munched on the treats. They all looked up, but then shook their heads. Trip shrugged.

"Well then it probably had no real reason to follow me after all. Don’t worry about it, it’s not that important."

More important was that he got in touch with his friends and asked if they knew anything about Ash and the others. Though he had to admit he was a little bit disappointed. Had Mew just looked for a pastime or used him as a GPS? But then it wouldn't have let him take it towards civilization, would it? Actually, its goal seemed to be exactly the opposite. He would have liked to at least take a photo of it. Because no one would believe him, that much was certain, if the situation with Shauntal before was an indicator.

Serperior suddenly hissed excitedly. His nose was up and his eyes darted around intently. He seemed to have smelled something.

"Meeewww!"

Oh.

Trip turned around, and sure enough it was floating there right in front of him.

"There you are. And I thought you just left us without even saying goodbye."

Mew snorted happily and shook its head. It was once again doing somersaults and waving its short arms wildly while uttering something in pokémon-speak. Serperior listened carefully, but cocked his head as if even he didn't quite understand what the little one wanted. However, the way Mew behaved it seemed to be important.

And sadly, there was no N here to translate.

Trip got up, put his hands in his jacket pockets, and made his way back to the hospital. Maybe Alder knew what to do. He felt Mew slip back into his hood and sighed - hopefully it wouldn't get used to that. It was already worn out enough.

“Boy! There you are!“

Speak of the devil.

“Hey, Alder. I was looking for you. I need to talk to you.“

“Oh? Go on, what’s wrong?“

“Do you know anyone that can speak to pokémon? Apart from N? I could really need some translation services. It’s important, I think.“

Alder cocked his head and seemed to be in deep thought. After a few minutes of silence, Trip began to grow impatient and was already opening his mouth to to tell Alder to forget it, but Alder suddenly snapped his fingers.

“Actually, I do think I know someone! I have heard of a woman that could speak to pokémon ever since she was a little girl. She’s from Kanto, one of gym leader Green’s friends. Her name is Yellow, as far as I know. You should find Green’s phone number in the gym leader database. Go on and give him a call. And I will give your friend Iris a call and tell her that you are alright.“

Trip smiled.

“Sounds like a plan.“

He did find Green’s number easily after he had sat down in front of one of the computers. He started a video call and started playing with his thumbs anxiously. He hated having to talk to people he didn’t really know, but this was vital. If Mew had any information, he needed to know.

“Yes? What’s up?“ Green asked and eyed him curiously. “Wait, aren’t you the guy who-“

“Got lost? Yeah. It’s a long story that I would rather skip right now because I really need your help.“

Green furrowed his brows and nodded.

“Of course. Go on.“

“Alder told me that one of your friends can talk to pokémon. Do you know where I can find her? There’s a pokémon here that seems to be in distress and I think we might need to know what it wants to tell me. Do you think she can translate?“

“You mean Yellow? Sure, she’s right here. Hey, Yellow, can you come over for a second? We need your special powers.“

Green stood up from the chair and a few moments later, Trip found a petite woman with blond hair sitting in front of him. He realized he had seen her at the tournament, which felt like it was ages ago when in reality, it had only been a few days. She smiled, and Trip immediately felt a little more at ease with her.

“Hi, I’m Yellow. Show me the pokémon, I’m sure we can figure out what it wants to tell you.“

Trip knew the consequences of what he was about to do, but he didn’t have a choice. He nudged the little lump in his hood and Mew hesitantly climbed out.

He heard a faint “What the fuck?“ from the background behind Yellow, which had arguably been Green. Even the quiet guy that was always hanging around with them seemed to be curious about the pokémon and came closer to the screen.

Yellow didn’t seem that much impressed.

“Hello, my friend,“ she simply said when Mew pushed its nose against the screen, obviously reasonably confused about the fact that the person talking to it was trapped inside this weird rectangle. “You can talk to me. I understand you. Tell me what’s wrong.“

Mew still looked skeptical, but it did seem to understand what she was saying. Trip couldn’t follow their conversation obviously, but from what he gathered, it seemed that Yellow was struggling too. She had to tell Mew to calm down multiple times, but it seemed of no use. That explained why Serperior had trouble understanding it as well. Trip tried to stroke over Mew’s back softly, which the pokémon even allowed, but it did in fact nothing to calm it down.

“Mew is really scared and anxious. It’s worried about Arceus, apparently it is...missing? Or has left? I can’t quite figure it out, I’m sorry. I think Mew doesn’t even know. But it needs you to come with it to Sinnoh. It wants to show you something there. Whatever you’ll find there will help stop the evil that hurt all of us. Is that right, Mew?“

Mew nodded eagerly and looked back at Trip, who bit down on his tongue. Great. What was this pokémon thinking? He was not a hero. Far from it, actually. That was Ash’s whole thing, not his. He was fine with what he had achieved in his life so far and he needed nothing more. There was only one thing he wanted regarding the incident in Nuvema, and he highly doubted that Mew would stay by his side any longer if it knew what that was.

Stop the evil, she said. Huh.

Yellow gave him a soft smile.

“Mew is a lot smarter than you might think,“ she told him, “it chooses the people it trusts wisely. I can see it in your face, that you think you’re a bad person, and not good enough for this task. But Mew thinks otherwise. Trust it. And do what you can to help.“

Trip clenched his teeth but nodded eventually. Bad person or not. He couldn’t let Mew down, or the others for that matter. He hadn’t asked about what happened to Ash and the others, and he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know. But giving up and retreating was simply not an option.

“Of course. I will leave for Sinnoh as soon as I can. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime. If you need anything, just call me again.“

“I will. Bye, Yellow.”

“Goodbye, Trip. And good luck.“

* * *

"Insaisissable! You would think the poor boy would be informed, non? After all, he's the brother! Where will Cilan take him once he finds him? After all, nobody knows where Trip is at the moment. And home...well, his home doesn’t exist anymore!"

Iris sighed and scooped some whipped cream off her ice cream cone. Herself, Bianca, Cameron, Stephan, and even Burgundy and Georgia had met up here to share their progress in finding Trip. Unfortunately none of them had succeeded.

There was no sign of life from him. None.

Their only hope was the Elite Four and Alder. If they didn't find him...Iris narrowed her eyes and tried to ignore the lump building in her throat. No. She shouldn’t even think of that. He was going to be fine, he had to. For Nathan and Aileen’s sake at least. There was no way he was gone. He wouldn’t dare leave her like this.

Iris sighed. She was starting to sound ridiculous, even to hear own ears. She tried to drown out the voices in her head that were slowly becoming more and more of a dark fog of despair, and instead focused on Stephan, who patiently answered every single one of Burgundy’s many, many questions.

"Don't make that face, Iris. That little prick will be back sooner or later. After all, he's our champ, isn't he? He's got some skills, so don't write him off that quickly. And he’d never let anyone take away his chance at being annoying as hell about this” Georgia’s voice cut through the air like a sharp knife.

Her face was calm and indifferent, as always, and she had crossed her arms, tapping her index finger on her upper arm impatiently. Still, Iris could see that she was worried, too, despite her words that always seemed so uncaring and cold. She knew it was easier for Georgia. An easy way around admitting how scared and hurt she was. Her and Trip actually were a lot alike in that regard, Iris mused – a lot more than they would ever admit.

"Of course he’s strong, but we still don't know what we're actually dealing with here. And after what happened to Ash and the others..." mumbled Cameron, who was sitting next to Bianca. The both of them had been uncharacteristically silent, barely haven spoken a word until now.

"Speaking of the others, how is your cousin, Bianca? Has he called back about how Paul is doing?” Bianca winced when she realized Stephan had spoken to her, then shook her head. Her voice was little more than a whisper as she answered.

"No, Barry last texted me the day before yesterday. He told me that Paul is stable for now, but he's not showing any signs of waking up. I just hope he somehow manages to get through this. It would break Barry's heart if he died."

Iris frowned. Barry wasn't one of her best friends, she actually barely knew him, and only through Dawn and Bianca. But if she knew something – if someone knew anything about Barry – it was how much he admired Paul and how close they were, even if Paul couldn’t show it well. There was no way Barry would be able to cope with his death.

As if she was one to talk. How would she ever be able to take it if Trip didn't come back alive, and Ash, N, Hilda...she looked out the window. Hilbert had sat at their table a while ago too, but had since retreated outside to be alone. Iris couldn’t blame him. He had lost not only his best friend but also his twin sister in the attack, and no one knew if they were still alive. She could barely imagine the pain he had to be in.

A warm hand wrapped itself around hers and when she looked up in surprise, she saw Stephan’s friendly, encouraging smile. Without really being able to control it, she smiled as well and squeezed his hand. Over the last few days, the gesture had become their quiet way of telling each other that somehow everything was going to be okay. Even if they didn't really believe it yet.

The silence was broken abruptly as the beginning of Iris’ favorite song echoed up to them from the floor far too loudly.

"Oh no, is that your ringtone, dragon lady? I wanna throw up.”

"My music taste is none of your business," Iris snapped at Georgia while frantically fumbling in her bag for her phone. Her heart almost stopped when she finally found it and saw the caller ID. Of course, the others noticed her shock and were now gaping at her expectantly. Iris rushed to take the call.

"Hello?”

"Lost and found office, Alder speaking!" Usually Iris would have rolled her eyes at that greeting, but now only a huge wave of relief spread over her.

“You mean-“

"Indeed! We found him near Hazleton in the forest. Passed out right in the car, but they've since checked him out at the hospital and found he doesn’t have any serious injuries. A sprained wrist only, I'd like to know how that happened... and hunger and dehydration, of course. But apart from that, everything is fine, Iris! He’s in an important call right now, but I'll tell him to call one of you as soon as he gets back, alright?"

“This is wonderful news, Alder. Thank you so much. I tell the others. See you soon."

She kept the conversation short on purpose to keep him from chattering, and hung up. Many pairs of eyes stared at her curiously. Iris let out a shaky laugh and quickly wiped away the tears of joy that had somehow found their way onto her cheeks.

"Trip is alright. Alder and Shauntal found him. He'll be in touch with one of us soon.”

There was a big, collective sigh of relief, Cameron even jumping out of his chair. It was as if the news that Trip was alive had brought them all back to life as well. This were the first really good news they'd had received since the fateful day of Paul's disappearance. Even Burgundy had a big smile on her face, something Iris wasn't used to from her at all.

It didn’t mean everything would just be fine and go back to what it was, but it was a start in the right direction. The only negative about this was, that no matter how hard they tried to continue their conversations and be patient, it absolutely didn't work. They were all way too excited. And so they all just sat huddled around Iris’ phone and waited for something to happen.

The obvious thing to do was for him to call her, Iris assumed.
They were the closest. Maybe he called Cilan first to find out where his brother was, in case Alder had enlightened him on the situation. But right after Cilan-

When the time finally came and a strange number called her, everyone gathered even closer around Iris so they could all look at her tiny phone screen. Iris held her phone in shaky hands and held a hand over her tightly closed lips as she swiped to the right and found her best friend's tired but smiling face in front of her.

"Iris! Hey, you guys are there too – woah.”

"Hey! You, mister champion! Do you have ANY idea how worried we were about you?!” Georgia yelled into the phone, her face almost pressed against the screen, before anyone else had a chance to speak.

Iris couldn't help but grin at Trip’s abashed, guilty expression. Well, that was typical Georgia. Rather than admitting that the whole thing had indeed affected her quite a bit, she used anger as an outlet. And how dare Trip make her worried of all people. The nerve.

Trip cleared his throat after he had seemingly recovered from that outburst. He seemed to be on one of the video phones in the hospital, the sterile room behind him looked like it. That explained the weird number. So he really didn’t have his phone on him anymore.

"So sorry to be an inconvenience, Your Grace. There...has been a little incident.”

Everyone stared at the screen in shock and amazement as something small and pink climbed out of Trip’s hood onto his shoulder and also curiously stared straight at the screen, right back at them. Iris’ breath got caught in her throat. Could that really be possible...? What in the world?

"Is that-" she asked, and Trip nodded. "I found it in the forest, badly injured and very weak. I gave it a healing potion with sitrus berries, and since it’s gotten better it’s been following me around. I was talking to Yellow on the phone, you know, the woman from Kanto who can speak to pokémon. Mew wasn’t being too clear, but she could tell that it wants to go to Sinnoh. And wants to show me something there. It seems to be important for us.”

"Injured you say?" Stephan asked. He exchanged a look with Iris, who already suspected they were both having the same thought. "I think we can rule out that this is a coincidence. It must have fallen victim to the same people as Paul, Ash and the others.”

Trip suddenly went pale, visible despite the modest quality of the video call. So Alder and Shauntal had told him absolutely nothing. Just perfect.

"They...so they got them all? No one escaped?” he asked, his voice cracking a little bit.

"No one except you and Lillie. Lillie is fine, and we just found you again. And...Paul has reappeared too.”

"Really? What? And what happened? How is he-" Trip stopped talking as he studied the faces of his friends, all of whom stared at the table dejectedly.

"We don’t know. He is in a coma at the moment, no one has been able to speak to him yet. It’s still unclear whether he will survive. At least that was the situation two days ago, since then none of them have contacted us.”

Trip ground his teeth across his bottom lip and seemed to consider. Finally he nodded.

“I obviously have to go to Sinnoh anyway. Which hospital?”

"Pastoria."

"Okay. I'll take the next plane. Iris…?”

"I'll be there. See you."

It was left unsaid that Iris would be the only one who would see Trip in person again for now, although it was obvious how much Cameron would love to come along. But they couldn't all storm the hospital in Pastoria, most of them didn't even really know Paul and his friends.

Apart from Bianca, who was related to Barry, Iris was the only exception. Also, Iris had gotten a bad feeling from the look in Trip’s eyes. It was certainly better if, after everything that had happened, he wasn't immediately bombarded with Bianca’s or Cameron's loud and physical affection.

"Okay, I'm going to the airport. I'll text you guys as soon as new things come up, okay? And you do the same, please."

"Sure. We're flying back to Wyndon, Bianca and me," explained Stephan, "checking out the situation there. Take care, all of you.”

"And Burgundy and me will be holding the fort here. Who knows when the next attack will hit us. We better be ready.”

Iris gave Georgia a determined smile and nodded, and after saying goodbye, she ran out of the café. While running, she called Dragonite out of his ball so that he could take her to the airport. Of course, the dragon snorted indignantly, since he too was able to fly her to Sinnoh, but Iris refused. Dragonite was fast, but she was still a lot faster with a plane. If she couldn’t get any flight today, she could still switch to traveling via pokémon.

Just as Dragonite took off, her phone beeped again, this time with a text message from Dawn. Iris opened it and stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Hey Iris! Sorry for not reporting sooner. We had a little family crisis here, but now everything is fine. More or less. Paul woke up! He's not quite back on track yet, but he'll survive, the doctors say. Please get in touch as soon as you can so I know everything is okay.”

The message ended a smiling emoji and two hearts that Dawn always put at the end of her texts. Iris smiled and typed back that she was already on her way. She leaned forward and Dragonite picked up speed.

Maybe their luck was finally starting to turn.

Notes:

So my exams are finally over. And after I spent the weekend processing and staring into the void I'm finally back with the new chapter.
Hope you liked it!

My headcanon for this is that in the other US states aside from New York (which Unova is supposedly based on) and the rest of the unfeatured world do have pokémon, but they're not much into battling and only have them as pets or in shows. So the pokémon there are generally not evolved and usually small and cute, so rip poor Nurse Joy from that little town in Pennsylvania who's only used to treating Purrloins and Lillipups and now suddenly had to care for six gigantic battle pokémon lol

Chapter 32: The Temple of Arceus

Iris tapped her fingers on the windowsill with ever-growing impatience, staring out at the gloomy sky. The weather had been like this ever since she had arrived in Sinnoh. Elder had always said that whenever it stormed, Zekrom was angry. And while Iris of course knew by now that there was more to it than that, she also knew that there was truth in her words. Zekrom had to be fuming right now, and it was only a matter of time before everything would come to a head.

She turned to look at the only clock in the room once more. Trip’s plane had landed in Hearthome City about an hour ago, and from there it was a two-hour drive to Pastoria. That meant that he would soon arrive, hopefully – sitting around and waiting was driving her crazy. Even more so because she had to wait in a hospital, one of the places Iris dreaded the most. Like most big buildings, she found it to be confining and oppressive. If Dawn hadn’t hugged her so desperately when she arrived, she would’ve long made a run for the forest and waited there. It was always so much easier to breathe out there.

But her friend needed her here, and Trip had insisted on seeing Paul before they were doing anything else, so she had no choice but to stay.

Iris took a look around the little room. Barry and Kenny had started playing a card game a while ago and were now arguing about whether or not Barry had cheated, Reggie, Maylene, Noah and Lucas were out getting dinner for everyone and poor Dawn was being pestered nonstop by Paul to search for information about Mew on her laptop, using the hospital’s shabby Wi-Fi.

Goh had sent them some of his documents upon Paul’s not so humble request, but they hadn’t found anything so far that could help them with their current case. Even Goh said that Mew’s behavior was quite new and strange. But like with every situation in his life, Paul had to prove that he was at least as stubborn as a Mudbray, if not more, and simply refused to give up.

Dawn was sitting cross-legged on his bed right next to him and occasionally lifted her head to look at Iris, obviously worried but too polite, or unsure, to say anything.

And it was better this way – she was tired of saying “I’m fine” all the time. It had come to a point at which Iris didn’t even know what she meant by that anymore. Did she really mean it? Did she try to convince herself that she meant it? Or did she just say it because it was a lot easier than talking about what happened in Nuvema, reliving this horrible nightmare again and again?

The Sinnohans were all very polite about it, didn’t doubt her, didn’t ask invasive questions. Yet Iris could feel the itch on their tongues, the desire to help. She could see how much they cared.

Sure, she would talk about it eventually. Having been with Ash and Cilan for so long, she had learned how nice it could be to have someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on. And afterwards, when she was travelling alone for a while, she was reminded of how hard it was to be lonely. She knew if she could share her pain with someone, cry it out, it would get a little easier. But not today.

Certainly not in front of Trip.

"I just hope Mew has something worthwhile to contribute to this cause," Kenny muttered suddenly, apparently listening to Dawn and Paul's quiet conversation with one ear, "and we don't waste valuable time."

He didn't say it, but they all thought it: They didn't even know if it wasn't already too late. From what Paul had told them about their enemy, their friends could already be dead, the nefarious plan of Lysandre, Ghetsis and Giovanni irrevocably set in motion.

But Ash was still Ash, and he had already managed to get himself out of bad situations more times than Iris could count. And Hilda, N and all the others were strong trainers and even stronger people. They knew how to fight. It was only a small glimmer of hope, but it was burning nonetheless.

And they had to cling to it for as long as they could. In the end, they had nothing else.

"I think Mew knows what's going on and what's at stake," Dawn replied, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen in front of her, "it wouldn't mislead us just for the sake of having fun. As soon as Trip gets here, we'll find out more. We’ll just have to be patient.”

Patience. Yes. The only question was how much patience they could afford before it was too late.

A little while later Reggie came with the food and although Iris wasn’t hungry at all, she at least shared a portion of katsudon with Dawn to not worry them even more. The others got sushi, even Noah got some kid friendly pieces without fish. Paul, who was not yet allowed to eat solid food, looked over at them with obvious envy, but was quickly back at shooing mother hen Reggie away from him.

"You better help your son with his sushi," he said, "he’s disassembling everything over there."

After dinner, Iris looked at the clock again. Trip had to be here any moment now. She checked her phone, but neither Cilan, nor Stephan or Bianca had texted her. She was waiting for information from Cilan on whether he had already located Trip’s younger brother, and for an update from the latter two on the infiltration plan that Gary and the others were plotting.

Dawn had briefed Gary on what Paul had been able to tell them about the headquarters' location, but he hadn't spoken to them since. Iris hoped that he was simply busy with the plan, and that everything was okay at Wyndon. Another tragedy was really not what anyone needed.

Iris was on her feet immediately when the door opened. Her whole body was overcome with relief and her knees were even shaking a little. Trip’s eyes found hers and for a moment they silently stared at each other. He pressed his lips together tightly, clenched his hands into fists and tried to choke back the tears with all his strength. But when Iris threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could, all his determination was of no avail. His uncontrolled sobs were the only sound in the otherwise dead quiet hospital room.

"'’m sorry," he hiccuped, "I'm just-"

"Please don’t apologize," Iris replied softly.

"I'm so glad you're okay," they both finally said at the same time.

Iris blinked at him in surprise. He had been worried about her? When he was the one who had been swallowed up by the face of the earth over the last few days? She didn't want to imagine what could have happened to him. Especially after she had failed to get all of them and a small group of the attackers managed to follow him into the forest. She had almost assumed that everything had been for nothing and that they had taken him with them.

"I was afraid that...they would do something to you. There were so many and-" he began to explain, but then stopped mid-sentence and shrugged. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket and smiled weakly. "But you're okay."

"Of course I am. We're both tougher than them." Iris smiled as well and softly squeezed his arm.

Dawn walked over to them and put one hand on each of their shoulders.

"I know you two don't want to tell us what happened in Nuvema. That's okay, I understand that it might hurt too much. But we’re all here for you if you need it. You know that, right?” she asked before hugging Trip as well.

He nodded and closed his eyes. Iris swallowed. Sooner or later they would have to talk about it, they couldn't just avoid it forever. At least with each other. Just ignoring everything would just make the pain worse eventually.

But for now...it was the only way to keep sane. And when Trip nodded at her, eyes shining with grim determination, Iris knew that they would be okay, somehow. He wiped the last traces of tears from his cheeks and took a deep breath. He walked over to the bed and lightly bumped his fist into Paul's.

"Damn Paulie, you look like death himself," Trip greeted him.

Paul snorted indignantly, albeit with a small grin on his face.

"Still better than you, asshole. Heard you went on quite the adventure.”

"You could say so. Alder still drives like a madman. I think we hit ten potholes at top speed and ran three red lights. At least. I’ve never been so scared for my life."

Warmth spread through Iris’ chest and her stomach. It felt so good to hear him joke, to see him smile. His cheeks were still blotchy and his eyes were red from crying, but they had regained a little spark of life that Iris hadn't seen since before the World Cup. There was still a long way to go back to normality, if that was even possible - but it was a start.

"You liar," she teased, "Alder told us that you fell asleep after five minutes and only woke up in the hospital hours later."

"True, but what about that refutes my statement? You know how many traffic rules that man can break within five minutes or less,” Trip retorted without a shred of hesitation.

Iris laughed. Well – she couldn't argue with that.

“So, what is this about Mew now? Where is it?” Paul asked, earning only a shrug from Trip.

“Hiding somewhere, I’m assuming. But it will show itself when there’s less people around. It was really excited when we got here. I'm sure whatever it wants to show us is very close," Trip explained.

"There is a temple of Arceus near here, a pretty famous one in fact. It's not open to the public though," Reggie explained, shrugging.

"Ts, maybe not for you simple peasants," Lucas replied with a grin and took his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled out an ID and held it up to them. "I knew that studying history would prove to be useful at some point and that I didn't endure all this suffering for nothing."

Dawn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Oh you poor, poor man. Do you seriously expect pity for what you have brought upon yourself?”

"A little would be nice, yes. But joking aside, this pass allows me to look around in all the temples here in Sinnoh for research purposes. So if you want to go in there, I'm your man."

"I'll come with you," Iris said, "someone has to take care of you both so you don't hurt yourself."

She smiled brightly at Trip when he raised an eyebrow and nodded toward his bandaged wrist. He grumbled but said nothing more.

"I'm coming too."

"And I think you're out of your mind." Reggie stared at his brother, dumbfounded. "You're not going anywhere."

"You're not my boss, Reggie."

"Paul, shut up. I've got my Switch and some controllers with me, we can play Mario Kart until the three of them get back. Barry, what do you think?” Dawn asked and turned to Barry, who tilted his chair back and folded his arms behind his head.

"You sure that's a good idea? We wouldn’t want the nurses come waltzing in here because a certain someone who’s hooked up to the ECG is throwing a tantrum once he inevitably fails.”

Iris decided it was now safe to retreat without Paul ripping all the tubes out of his arms and following them. She walked out of the room with Trip and Lucas in tow. The last thing she heard was Paul mumbling something about "whoever gets six red shells and one blue shell in a row should be disqualified".

* * *

The Temple of Arceus was already impressive from the outside. The only thing that resembled a temple in Unova was Relic Castle, and it was reduced to ruins. The temples in Sinnoh, on the other hand, were largely well-preserved to this day, and offered impressions of the history of their earth that were not available anywhere else.

Mew eagerly took the lead, which probably meant they were in the right place. In fact, the entrance was heavily guarded, but as Lucas had promised, he was let in without a problem. And so here they were, inside a temple that only the world's top scientists had ever entered. It was exciting, and a bit scary too, Iris had to admit.

"Have you been in here before, Lucas?" asked Trip, running a little ahead of them, hot on the heels of the primal-pokémon floating ahead, swinging from side to side.

"No, never. So far I've only hit the library, practical work is actually only announced for the next semester. So I have no idea what to expect here either.”

So that was a great prospect. And even better, Mew never took the larger, friendly path at each turn, but rather the ones that got smaller and narrower, until they finally arrived in a part of the cave where nothing even remotely resembled a temple.

"Arceus, where is it going?" Iris groaned as they squeezed through a crevice in the rocks.

"Probably somewhere that’s not supposed to be easily accessible to strangers," replied Trip, who was already climbing through the next gap. “No one would walk this long voluntarily if they didn't know where they were going. Done. Woah... guys. Take a look at this. I think we found something here.”

Iris hurried to climb the small rise, which wasn't a difficult task for her. After all, she had climbed trees, rocks and all sorts of things all her life. This was no different. When she arrived, she could hardly believe her eyes. Before them stretched a long corridor that looked very different from what they had wandered around in before.

The floor was solid and covered with patterned, shiny tiles, lit by the faint light falling on them from the side pillars. The light came from a series of plaques draped on the pillars. Eighteen in total. Eighteen different pokémon types. As Iris looked more closely, she could make out a few of the signs. Yes, they clearly were. The sign for water, the sign for fire...just what was this place?

"What are those plaques?" she heard Trip ask.

"Oh, I’ve read about those! They are closely related to Arceus," Lucas explained with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. "Legend has it that the complete set should be able to awaken Arceus' original form. Although, no one has actually managed to do this before as far as the ancient scripts say, so no one knows if that’s really true. These plaques were also considered lost until now. We must be the first to see them for centuries.”

"Don't touch those," Iris warned Trip, who stood in front of one of the plaques, wide-eyed and already reaching out for it. It had the mark of the ground type. "I don’t want to be buried alive in here just because you can't keep your grabby little hands in check."

She could almost feel him parroting her silently behind her back, and she rolled her eyes. Why did boys, no matter what age, always have to be such little kids?

"At least I'm not trampling around like a Copperajah, unlike someone else. I wouldn't be surprised if you wake anything up here."

"Stop arguing. You sound like an old married couple,” Lucas interjected with a smile before Iris could give that rude little brat a retort.

Iris snorted and crossed her arms. The audacity. As if she’d be trampling.

"Hey look, Mew is stopping. What is that? A shrine?” Trip tilted his head and gestured at what stretched out before them.

They were now in a larger bulge of the cave. Two small streams with turquoise mountain water flowed past them on the left and right, reflecting in the rock crystals that had formed in the wall and on the rocks in the ground. It was so bright that they could now see without the help of Lucas' flashlight.

Ahead of them, on a small rise behind a flight of stairs, rose a mighty altar upon which Mew had perched. Behind it, on the wall, was a cave painting. It showed a huge, white and gold monster with twelve arms and some sort of halo over its head.

"This is Arceus' original form. Or at least what people probably imagined back then. That little ball in front of it, see? This was the earth when he just created it. Hey, and there’s you, little friend.” Lucas laughed and patted Mew on the head, who proudly stuck up its nose and looked at the small, pink creature floating next to Arceus in the painting.

"But why did it bring us here? I’d say it’s highly unlikely that it would just want to teach us the history of our planet, or radicalize us for religion," Iris said.

And it really didn't. Mew turned to face the image and its whole body began to glow. Where the picture was, an illusion was created. It now showed Arceus, in its present form, in front of a group of people, who held up all eighteen of its plaques.

As Lucas had said, Arceus transformed into its original form before their eyes. It didn't have twelve arms, but it grew to proportions any gigantamax pokémon would be jealous of. All the elements, types that the Pokemon had today seemed to come together in Arceus.

"What is this scene? Lucas?" Iris asked breathlessly.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think this is supposed to be the apocalypse. According to the stories, our world was thrown into chaos about six thousand years ago when an ancient king seized Arceus, held it prisoner and used its power for himself. How he managed to do that is not known. It's just a myth, after all. Arceus' disappearance upset the world, caused floods, huge forest fires and stuff like that, and a group of Sinnohans – the ones in the picture, I assume – went out to restore the order. With the help of the plaques, Arceus was able to regain his true power and break free, restoring earth alongside Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina.”

Iris got a queasy feeling in her stomach. Why did Mew show them this...?

"Hey, who is that dude with the green hair? I know him from somewhere,” Lucas exclaimed in surprise when the picture changed to that of a conference room in which three men sat, arguing about something. Iris and Trip exchanged a quick look.

"That would be Ghetsis. Former boss of Team Plasma,” Trip replied, nodding as Lucas furrowed his eyebrows with a thoughtful expression. "The one who held Paul captive and still has the others, yes. The other must be that Giovanni and Lysandre that Paul was talking about.”

Mew’s illusion didn't support audio, unfortunately, but it was easy to tell that the three at that conference table didn’t exactly discuss world peace. Then the scene changed again. Arceus seemed to have gotten involved in a fight against the three and their pokémon.

Ghetsis held his weird looking crutch at the Creation Pokémon, and an ice-blue ray came out of it. Arceus fell to its knees, and when Yveltal followed up with a powerful attack at Lysandre's command, it dropped to the ground, motionless. The men chained it up and lowered it on a stretcher into a deep, dark room, then sealed it tightly with their pokémon's powers.

Trip raised his eyebrows.

"Oh great, so the grandpa is a fucking wizard now too? What in the world was that?”

"It seems like he's even more dangerous than we initially thought," Lucas murmured. Concern was clearly written all over his face, and Iris suddenly didn't feel comfortable about this at all anymore.

"Well, at least we know what Mew wants from us now," Trip continued, catching the pokémon that happily dived back into his arms. "We are supposed to save Arceus with the plaques, like these people did back then. Otherwise our world will perish. Basic tuesday activity.”

"Okay," Lucas said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, "then we'll grab the plaques and then let's get out of here. I don't want to stay in this place a minute longer than necessary.”

Notes:

it's not Barry's fault actually Paul just sucks ass at Mario Kart and his ego can't take that lol
also it's almost 1 in the morning so if you see any mistakes no you didn't

Chapter 33: Calm before the Storm

Notes:

sorry for the long delay! The last few months have been an absolute mess. Why did I ever decide it was a good idea to get this degree. Just why. Lol.

Anyway! Last little chapter before they have their final clash with their enemies! Hope you enjoy it :)

"I’ve seen those plaques before, when I was traveling with Ash and Brock. But back then, Arceus had them with it, on its body,” said Dawn, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

Lucas shrugged.

"Perhaps Arceus discards them while it is in the temple. Or they are something like counterparts to them. Ghetsis and the others must have taken it by surprise. Otherwise they would never have been able to overpower such a pokémon so easily. Without anyone even noticing, I mean. Arceus surely would’ve put up a fight. Right?"

Trip looked back and forth between the two Sinnohans. He was sitting in the chair next to Paul's bed, one leg dangling and the other pulled up to use his knee as a support for his chin. Lucas had been philosophizing about the origin of Arceus and the Pastoria Temple for roughly half an hour now, and slowly it was really starting to get a bit tiring.

"So we assume that wherever our friends are being held, Arceus is, too?" Barry asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"Of course they could have it hidden anywhere, but I'm assuming they have it close at hand. If it tries to escape, it’s easier for them to stop it with all of their power combined, rather than letting some goons try to handle it. We really need to get Arceus out of there. The balance of the earth is already disturbed enough, without its power everything here will most likely fall into chaos. Also, we still don't know what's going on with the other legendary pokémon. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Arceus is no longer active.”

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Trip snorted derisively, "are we just gonna run in and say 'hey, here we are, give us back our friends and Arceus, or else'? Matter of fact is, they have a lot of power if they even managed to capture the pokémon that’s supposed to be our creator. Our pokémon can't keep up with that, no matter how hard we try to tell ourselves they will."

"We're going to storm the headquarters, yes. You got that right.” Lucas gave him a carefree grin, as if he were chatting about the weather.

Haha, what.

"Sooo a suicide squad? Nice. Always wanted to be a part of something like that.” Trip now rested his forehead on his knee instead of his chin, and closed his eyes. Of course, he also wanted to get Ash and the others out of there as quickly as possible, preferably alive and healthy. But based on their odds at the moment, the only way this great mission would end was with Jenny having to scrape them all off the floor together afterwards.

"Of course we won't run in there without any plan, don’t worry. Dawn, are you still in contact with Conway? He's always been a fairly decent tactician, even as a child. Do you think he can put together a plan for us?”

Dawn looked up in surprise. "Conway? Uh, yeah, I have his number. But are we really going to get more people involved, Lucas?”

"Everyone's already involved," Kenny answered before Lucas could, "if we don't act now, the attacks on the cities will never stop. So it's everyone's business and we should take any help we can get. And he would do anything for you, anyway.”

He only murmured the last sentence, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, but Trip knew bitterness when he heard it. He grinned and exchanged a quick glance with Paul, who shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Was he sensing some desperate jealousy and rivalry here? Oh Kenny, Kenny. One would at least try to not make it this painfully obvious, right?

"Yes, you're probably right," Dawn answered quietly and got up, "I'll call him."

Huh. She apparently hadn’t noticed.

Or...didn’t want to notice.

* * *

Kenny might have been a little too stuck in his opinion of his supposed rival as far as Dawn was concerned, but he had hit the mark with his prediction about Conway dropping everything to come to her aid. Less than two hours after Dawn had walked out and called him, he was at the door and introducing himself to Iris and Trip with a quick bow.

Out of the corner of his eye, Trip saw Paul scrunch up his nose, which could mean that Conway was either an annoying guy, or a nice one, either a lousy pokémon trainer, or someone Paul respected.

That was always difficult to say with Paul.

Conway, Lucas and Dawn had sat down at the small table for almost half an hour, discussing possible strategies on how to get into the building and out again as quickly and unscathed as possible. The sun had set by now, and only the streetlights lit up the area around the hospital outside.

"Paul, what can you tell me about the interior of the building? Is it easy to get lost in there?”

"How should I know," Paul snapped, way more sharply than necessary. "Most of the time I spent there, I was just being pulled along or limping after someone. In case you forgot."

"I did not forget," Conway said, calmly and slowly, "that’s why I worded the question as simply as possible. Surely you can still remember something, right? I don't need a detailed room layout. I just need to know what to expect, and unfortunately you're the only one who's gotten out of there so far. Believe me, we would both prefer it if I could talk to literally anyone else right now.”

Trip pressed his lips together to suppress the grin rising inside him. Conway was just sliding up his scale from "forgotten as soon as he leaves the room" to "actually quite likeable".

Paul, on the other hand, looked even saltier than before.

"Hmph. Don't be so condescending. It...well, everything looked pretty much the same. Gray hallways, gray doors. The same on every floor with a few exceptions. I don't know how many stairwells there are, but one of them must be right by the river. Don't know if that one has an entrance. I used a different 'exit'. But...Ash said something about a door.”

“There you go”, Conway smiled friendly and not so condescendingly, “I knew you could do it. All right, how many people should we take? Remember that too many are difficult to coordinate. We should also split into groups. If something goes wrong, it's better if we aren’t all piled up in one place."

"Well, we all go in, I guess. Except for Paul, of course. Right?” Iris asked, looking around. Everyone nodded silently. "Then our friends will surely come too. Surely everyone who is missing a friend or family member in there will come along. How about we just make a quick call and ask?”

Iris took it upon herself to inform Stephan and the others about the situation and to ask them if they wanted to join their fun little adventure, Dawn called May, and since Yellow had already told Trip that he should call her if he needed anything again, he took on the Kanto group, as well as Hilbert. Luckily, with everyone on alert, it didn't take long before they got through to all of them.

"Well then, I'll read out who we have: Group 1 is Trip, Iris, Georgia, Stephan and Bianca, with Trip as the leader and Iris as the second-in-command. Okay?”

Trip and Iris looked at each other for a moment and nodded determinedly at the same time. Trip felt a little queasy when he heard the word "leader," but he suppressed his pessimistic thoughts. He was champion of the Unova region. Maybe it was time to behave accordingly. Gone were the days of being run over and looked past. People throughout Unova looked up to him, depended on him. Now it was up to him to prove that he deserved this position.

"Good. Second group, Barry, Lucas, Dawn, Kenny and myself. You've already decided that I should lead the whole thing. So...I guess I will. Lucas, you are my second-in-command.”

"You can count on me!"

"As long as you keep a close eye on Captain Chaos during the whole thing, you’ll be fine. Otherwise you'll be in trouble, I guarantee you," murmured Paul, who didn't seem to like being left out like that at all. As if the experience he had already had wasn't enough? If Trip were in his place, he was sure he'd be happy to finally get some rest.

"Hey, I heard that!" Barry puffed out his cheeks indignantly, "I'm quite capable of making a good contribution to our team! I always know what I’m doing!”

He got no further before Paul interrupted him again.

"Yes, of course, and how many times have I driven you to the emergency room because you knew what you were doing?"

"Next group, Conway, quick. Or they’ll argue for the next hour”, Dawn sighed exhaustedly, holding her head in her hands. Trip suddenly felt a deep sympathy for the woman, if she really had to put up with this every single day.

"Uh...yes."

After the last groups were set up and informed, it became quiet in the room.

So that was it. The plan sounded good, at least in theory. They could only calculate how many high ranking members this organization had, after all they didn't have a psychic working with them. They had listed those they knew from before, who were still alive and hadn't turned their backs on the organization. It was no secret that the Team Rocket executives would do anything for Giovanni as long as the pay was right.

"Do you think we can do it?" Dawn asked at some point. Her voice was soft and quiet. She sounded as scared as the rest of them probably all felt.

"If not, you can hardly call yourselves the strongest trainers in the world," Paul replied, sensitive as ever. But it seemed to be having an effect, as a confident grin spread across Dawn’s face.

"You’re right. We're not the top coordinators and trainers for nothing, right?"

She looked at Trip, who nodded decisively, then at Iris, who did the same, and the others. Fighting spirit flickered on their faces.

They would make Ghetsis, Giovanni and Lysandre regret ever targeting them.

Dawn’s phone rang and she made a strange sound of surprise. "It’s Gary!"

She quickly picked up and put the phone on speaker so everyone could listen in on the conversation. It was dead quiet in the room because everyone wanted to know if their masterminds had found out something.

"Hey, what's up? Is everything alright with you?"

"Hmmm, everything's fine," Gary's voice came through the speaker, "better than fine, to be honest. We've located their headquarters and are pretty sure that we can hack into their computer system. Clemont is in the process of trying just that. I'll send you the coordinates as soon as I hang up. Goh said you already have an infiltration plan. If all goes well, maybe we can somehow maneuver you in without triggering the alarm system and keep an eye on you through the security cameras.”

That was... quite impressive, Trip had to admit, and reassuring. While there wasn't much Gary, Sophocles and Clemont could do from Wyndon should things get dicey, at least they might be able to avoid some of those very situations before they even arose.

Maybe their chances of things turning out well again were not so bad anymore.

"That's great, Gary! Thank you so, so much, also to the other two. You really are a huge help to us.”

"I'll tell them. Let me know when you're near the headquarters so we can sort out the entrance situation. I'll get in touch with Green."

"Okay, we’ll do that. See you then, Gary.”

"See you then, Dawn. Take care, all of you.”

After waiting for the brief general murmur of agreement, Dawn hung up. Shortly thereafter, she was typing wildly on her phone again.

"I'll tell the others that we'll meet at Lake Valor and from there we'll go to the headquarters together. It's safer, the forest around Mu-kawa is pretty big and dangerous if you don't know your way around,” she explained without looking up.

After that it was time to wait again, with minimally greater pressure and discomfort. They all brought their strongest pokémon to the center for one final patch up for the fight that was to come.

Trip had a league employee send him his Jellicent, Bisharp, and Scolipede. Now he actually carried too many pokémon with him than actually legal, but this was an exceptional situation after all. If the League was going to come after him for this, he would gladly give up his title. Iris called Drayden and did the same, and Barry and Lucas also seemed to have a few pokémon at home that they added to their team.

When evening finally came, news kept pouring in that the first people had arrived in Sinnoh and would head to Lake Valor immediately. So it was time for them to leave too. Trip hadn't realized he'd started scratching his wrists again until Barry grabbed his hand and held it tightly.

"Okay, we're ready then. Reggie, Maylene, Paul... see you later”, Dawn said with a soft smile on his face.

The unsaid “hopefully” was still up in the air, but fortunately nobody picked it up. Reggie and Maylene nodded at them, serious but confident. Paul had been staring out the window and ignoring them the entire time they'd packed up everything they needed and discussed what to expect, but now he turned back to them.

He pressed his lips together and clutched the covers in his hands. He was trying so damn hard to pretend he didn't care. How stupid that made him look, when it was so obvious.

"Just come back, okay? ...Good luck."