Hey Guys! Welcome to the big two-zero; Chapter 20, of the Chosen One's Wrath! If you're new to this story, I urge you to follow and favorite the story, as well as myself if you find that my writing isn't so bad! This chapter will hopefully put the story over the one hundred and seventy thousand mark, and we still got a ton to go! To those who have followed the story and favorited since I last posted a chapter, thank you so much for your support! If any of you have questions, feel free to contact me through PM!

As per usual, let's talk, shall we? I am beginning this chapter just a day after I posted the chapter called "Power Play," so here's hoping that it doesn't take me a quarter of a year to post something eh? Assuming I do get it out in a timely manner, I don't expect this to be a monstrous 12k+ chapter in terms of total words. I always go for larger than 8k, and 12k is kinda where I start drawing the line, but at this rate I guess it can go larger.

Also, the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on as of now, (and assuming I get this out on time, I assume that everything will still be going full swing, so stay safe out there people.) I work fairly consistently, but with some good luck, I can keep up a consistent upload rate.

Now onto chapter business: Last one was a doozy, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend doing so. It is the largest chapter I've ever typed: Over twelve thousand words! Ash told off the Pokémon league for acting irresponsible, he showed his true identity to Gary and Paul, he revealed the secret tape Meowth had given him, and he revealed the targets that would shine some light on the incident that damned him forever. Now, how will May react when she finds out Ghost is leaving her for a week's time to go to Kanto? Of the three targets, who, if any, will pan out with important information? Will Ash find out why he was betrayed? Keep reading to find out.

That's it for the slightly extended intro guys! Please enjoy, and I'll give my final thoughts at the end of this chapter!

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 20

Last Chapter…

"Very well Ghost. I grant you your request. You have one week from tomorrow to return home from your mission. We will not contact you in any way, but, you must grant my request that I have."

Ghost looked at the older man with an unreadable glance. "Name it."

"It is a few of them, to be specific. The first is that either way, you must promise me that you will not break off from the league, at least now until the end of this tournament."

Ghost shrugged. "Done."

"The next request I have is a simple one: Notify us of when you return; that isn't much of a challenge is it?"

Lance muttered under his breath. "He has no idea what he's talking about…"

Ghost shot him a look, to which Lance sent back a sheepish smirk. He then turned back to Mr. Goodshow and nodded fiercely. "Agreed. Is there anything else?"

Mr. Goodshow nodded. "And only one." He paused briefly before speaking. "After this tournament has come to an end, after everything has been concluded, and after we complete business here with the tournament, its competitors, and your own business in Kanto, there is something you must do for me."

He walked up to Ghost, a surprising amount of determination laced into his features.

"You must reveal your identity to myself, and the rest of the champions by the tournament's close."

Ghost froze for a split second, seriously beginning to grasp that he would have to show the world that Ash Ketchum did not die that night. He bit his lip, so harshly in fact that he drew blood. He suddenly felt the black band that had been wrapped around his arm at all times begin to gnaw away at the already ruined flesh. It was a sign everyday of why he did what he did; why he fought, why he battled, and why he served.

Ghost looked Mr. Goodshow in the eye and said to him.

"You have my word."

XXXXXXXXXX

Gary was deep in thought, as if trying to place together the pieces that had been presented. Suddenly, words tore through his state of mind before he knew what was happening. Paul was the one who spoke. "Hey… I could've sworn you had blue eyes… what happened? Did I just imagine it?"

Gary suddenly began remembering every Pokémon that Ghost had, and gasped aloud. He remembered who Ghost had put as some of his Pokémon entrees. There was no doubt in his mind that Ghost had a Pikachu…

Gary froze entirely. In one more instant, Paul let out a gasp. The two looked at one another, each thinking the same thing. Gary whispered. "No… it… it can't be…"

Paul's eyes were wide as could be. "It's… n-not possible…"

"Gentlemen…" The duo looked at Ghost, who was standing out overlooking the pier, wearing his standard attire. Paul and Gary got up from their seats and slowly walked over to the edge of the pier in a state of utter bewilderment. Gary managed to get out a single word, which was laced with disbelief.

"…Ash?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash groaned and punched his shoulder.

Gary blinked. "Wait, does May know that…"

Paul suddenly caught wind of what Gary was talking about and turned to Ash with wide eyes. Ash bit his lip and shook his head back and forth. Gary's jaw dropped. "She doesn't know you're alive?! B-but your death devastated her! How could you not tell her?" Ash sighed and explained.

"The reason is because I spent years thinking she backstabbed me the worst in comparison to every traitor. I spent every month thinking she hated me. I spent every week believing that she was in bed with that green-haired asshole. And I…" He closed his eyes to prevent the tears from flowing out. "I spent every day knowing she would never be mine…"

Gary placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you'll do it soon mate, just… don't keep her waiting, right?"

Ash nodded. "Right." He hesitated again. "So… are you guys in?"

Ash watched as Gary and Paul exchanged looks before grinning back at the champion of Alola.

"Where do we sign up?"

Present…

Ash found himself attempting to relax in a forest, and also found himself failing miserably at it. He knew that in the back of his mind, if his most recent battle against Erika hadn't been on the earlier side, there was a very good chance he wouldn't have been in Kanto at the moment. It had bought him time to answer questions from the media, and then the time to plan out what he would do was elaborate. However, he had made more than a few mistakes in his planning process.

The first one was almost the worst-case scenario. Ash, in his rush to formulate the plan, instinctively had forgotten that Jesse and Rocket had been travelling in Unova for contests. Why was this such a bad thing? Because if memory served Ash correctly, Drew had been battling against Jesse in contests as of late. That also meant Drew was likely to be Unova, and not Kanto.

However, fortune appeared to bless him and his newly acquired sidekicks. A quick ring to James and Ash had all the information he needed to know. Apparently, the Kanto grand festival was around the corner, and Drew had opted to spend extra time in Kanto training, while Rocket felt as though their strategies and strengths were enough to win the tournament. Instead, they opted to try and get a head start in Unova, which was the next Grand Festival.

When Ash told them of his plan and who he had recruited for assistance, they approved, mostly because they were out of reach in a far-away region; it meant they couldn't be relied on for assistance. Ash told them to be on Standby, but would call them unless absolutely necessary.

His second mistake had been to nearly forget to say goodbye to May in person before he left for a week. Thankfully, Gary had questioned him about it while they were gearing up to leave, and Ash promptly went back to say goodbye.

His third mistake was forgetting that the paparazzi could have a field day if he and his Pokémon were seen leaving the region on a plane. They had been given a private jet by Aether Paradise, and Ash had stupidly not thought of the consequences of leaving the region unannounced with two random people and his Pokémon. He knew the Pokémon league may receive a small amount of flack as a result of this, but then he realized that their PR team could definitely handle it. After all, if Diantha was still going strong despite her only advantage being a rock around her neck, then they could definitely handle a little paparazzi.

His fourth and, thankfully, final mistake had been assigning tasks to his elites while he was away. He did that on the plane, but a sinking feeling in his gut told him it would've been a much smarter move to do it in person.

The plane ride over had been peaceful enough. Ash had debriefed his plan to his friends, who understood that if they wanted to be associated with him, they needed to do this. Ash explained that Paul's job was to find Drew and place him in a convenient location for Ash to do his line of questioning. Gary was skeptical of the idea at first, after all, why would Drew talk about what happened to Ash all those years ago, and on top of it, how would Ash explain his line of questioning and pass it off as something realistic?

Ash had a solution to that though. Drew was very much aware of May and Serena, and though they were obviously not friends, Ash had little doubt in his mind Drew had a way to contact them if he needed to. Therefore, his line of questioning would come off as Ghost, not Ash. People didn't know Ash was alive, but people did know Ghost was alive and kicking, and they certainly knew about Ghost's reputation. Ash's questions would seem odd, but Ghost's would not.

Gary's assignment was to give Ash a distraction long enough for him to investigate the lab. When Paul had asked why Gary was the distraction, the answer was simple enough: Gary was still on speaking-ish terms with ol' Gramps and therefore it wouldn't seem ridiculously odd for him to come and talk with his grandfather. Plus, Gary also had a great way with words, so Ash's hope was that he was more than capable of distracting the good professor for as long as possible.

Of course, these things weren't the only bullet points on Ash's hit list. He also wanted to visit his mother as Ghost, because he, to this day, did not know of her role, if anything, in the betrayal. Like the plan with Professor Oak, Ash was banking on his Ghost persona and May/Serena's alibi's to get the answers he needed from his mom.

Still, the more and more Ash thought, the fewer and fewer pieces fell into place. Things were getting cloudier, daunting, and more confusing than ever. Ash was getting more questions than answers at this rate. Was his mother involved? Was Professor Oak involved? What was the true motive of everyone's involvement? Money? Power? Who else knew more than they were letting in on?

The flight landed in Viridian City after a good few hours of travel. Ash got them checked into an over-the-top hotel and gave the men room keys. "Gentlemen, tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we begin." Ash continued. "Enjoy the room service as well, to a certain extent. Tell them it's compliments of the G."

Gary opened his mouth. "As—" Ash cocked his head slightly forward and to the side as if to say, "Watch your mouth." Gary, thankfully, caught wind of what Ash was trying to say, and nodded his confirmation. The two went off to their rooms, while Ash went into his. He barely even thought about what the room looked like, how everything was laid out, or what was even in it; he was too deep into thought to care.

He sat down on his queen-sized bed and allowed his thoughts to run free.

"Pika?" A voice broke through his train of thought. He turned and saw his faithful partner looking at him curiously. He sighed a little and then scratched the rodent's ears, earning an approving "Chaaa…" for his efforts.

Ash was silent for a moment before speaking. "Something isn't adding up here buddy. I still can't figure out what kind of motives Professor Oak or my…" He hesitated. "My mother… would get from this. I was the guy who was blessed by lady luck, the guy who could capture Legendries if I wanted to. I was the loving son to her, and hell, both of them. Why would they have wanted to kill me buddy?"

His partner hopped up onto his leg and pointed at him. "Pika Pika Pipipi Kachu!" Ash nodded. "I guess you're right buddy; there's a chance that neither of them were involved and that it explains why it doesn't make sense why they hadn't done this: they hadn't done this."

Pikachu seemed to scold him. "Pika Pi! Pi Pi Pika-Chi!" He frowned. "You're right about that too, Drew could've had something to do with this. If he used May to send me over the edge, then he needs to pay. I hope Paul is able to do what I assigned him to do."

Pikachu tapped his foot a few times, then got an enlightened look on his face. "Chu! Chi Chi PikaPika Chi!"

"What do you mean, it'll make you feel better?"

Ash opened his mouth again to speak, but was cut off by his partner. "Pika Chu! Chuuu… Pika Chi!" Ash bit his lip roughly. "Why would visiting the grave of my close friend make me feel better? It's my fault he—"

Ash grimaced and gritted his teeth together tightly and Pikachu released a light thunderbolt head onto him, as if to say, "It was not your fault, so stop blaming yourself!"

Ash fell back onto the bed, a light shade of gray. When he came to his senses a second later, he grumbled softly. "Okay okay… not my fault…" Pikachu huffed and crossed his arms in front of his master. Ash pushed himself up and dusted himself off. "Still, I don't like the idea of visiting his grave. It's going to emerge old feelings from me. I….I don't know if this is such a great idea…"

Pikachu argued. "Pika Pi! Pika Pika Pi Chu Chi!" Ash hesitated for a second, thinking about what his partner of many years had recommended to him. He repeated what his partner had said. "You… you think Ghost was an alternative persona I created to try and bury the feelings of the betrayal… and this?"

"Pi PikaChi!?" Pikachu fired back at him. Ash's eyes widened a little as the rodent continued. "ChuPi Pichu Pika Pi Pi Pikachi!"

Ash bit his lip. He couldn't argue what his partner was saying at him. "I… I… You can't…" Ash sighed after a small sputter or two and then rubbed his temples in discomfort. "Fine. You may be right buddy. I may have trouble admitting this. I haven't even talked about this with my own elites."

Ash shook his head. "I haven't told my own elites, my closest friends, that I am the reason I couldn't save Tracy."

XXXXXXXXXX

After a short amount of time, Ash and Gary found themselves walking into Pallet Town with identical looks of discomfort plastered on their faces. They walked in, Ghost wearing his old hooded outfit and cape to match, while Gary wore a light magenta sweatshirt, as odd as it was, and a pair of khakis. Maybe apart they didn't look all that odd, but together they looked like Jekyll and Hyde.

Gary looked around and saw people looking at them oddly and Ash let out a small chuckle. "Feels weird to be the center of attention eh?" Gary chuckled back; a bit nervous. "You're used to it though right? Always stuck performing and acting for the good public of Alola?"

Ash joked. "You think I actually enjoy giving interviews? I see your sense of humor hasn't gotten any better, and you've had six years to work on it." He started to laugh at his own joke, and Gary fired back. "Your sense of humor is as horrible as your fashion sense, and in case you needed a reminder…" He gestured to Ash's black cloak, black hat, and overall, complete black attire.

Ash gave him a look of incredulous disbelief. "Did you expect me to roll in wearing swim trunks?"

Gary grinned. "I would've been much more happy with a pool party than trying to distract my grandfather away so that my not-actually-dead friend can investigate some of my grandfather's life's work and possibly find evidence that he was part of conspirators that betrayed my friend over half a decade ago." Ash frowned as they continued their march towards their destination. "Why did you stop talking with Professor Oak anyways? The general opinion is that you two are inseparable."

Gary gave Ash a look that he got a lot from Zandra: questionable sarcasm. "Answer this: how often do you see the Alola media report things correctly when they don't ask first?" Ash bit his lip and grumbled back a little dejectedly. "Fair point you got there…"

Gary nodded and walked forward a bit more, as if trying to avoid the conversation. The old Ash would've bought it, but…

"You still didn't answer my question Gare-bear."

Gary bit his lip and kept walking, ignoring Ash entirely. Ash smirked, now knowing Gary had something to hide. He said in a quiet yet sing-song voice. "I have the golden ticket…" Gary cast him a look that screamed, "Are you freaking serious man?"

Gary frowned at him. "Look man, I understand you're curious, I really do, but look at it from my perspective; you just came back from the dead, you're the champion of an entire region, and now I'm on a hunt to find clues to why that very same champion was betrayed all those years ago and cast for dead. On top of it, I think you can see why I'm more than just a little hesitant to spill my secrets to the guy who's been bottling them up for years."

Ash opened his mouth to counter, but then closed it. Everything Gary had said was true. He nodded to himself more than anyone and sighed. "Well, I guess you got me there Gary. I'm a magnet for secrets. Even the fashion attire is a dead giveaway." He joked.

Gary responded with a legitimate laugh and punched his friend on the shoulder. They began their approach to the good Professor's house. Ash felt his nerves ever so slightly kick into gear, and he found himself slipping further and further out of Ghost's mantra and into Ash Ketchum again. He bit his lip hard to try and regain his focus. Fortunately for him, Gary appeared to either not notice it, or just opted to stay in his own array of thoughts.

Unfortunately, someone else did notice his change.

"Pika Pi! Pi Pi ChaChi!" Pikachu had appeared from under his cloak. Gary jumped a little and stared at Pikachu. He commented. "You did a damn good job of keeping this guy here under wraps; if you let him out more often for battles people would certainly be catching on. I would give Serena an over and under of fourteen… no… ten days if it was revealed that Pikachu was your partner. She's very intelligent."

Something about the way Gary had spoken made Ash freeze for the splittest of seconds. He turned to Gary and raised an eyebrow but then was turned back to Pikachu, who was still ranting at him. Ash spluttered. "I-I am not nervous!"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to convince us or yourself? Either way, you're not doing either right now."

Ash groaned. "Look, I'll be fine as long as we stick to the plan."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "That's a fair point; what the hell is our plan? Walk in there and say, "Hey Gramps! It's me Gary and Ash Ketchum! Yeah, I know neither one of us have really been on speaking terms with you for different reasons—" Ash snorted at this. "—But I need to catch up with you, like asap. Wanna go and grab some grub? Oh and while you're at it, leave the front door unlocked?"

Pikachu cut in. "Pikachi! Pikachu!"

"He was being sarcastic buddy."

Pikachu's ears drooped. "Chaaa…"

Ash sighed. "Look, I'll relay the plan right now then, okay?" Gary nodded and muttered. "That'd be appreciated." Ash ignored him. "Look, our plan has a few parts. Paul is out getting Drew back here using "any means possible." That's one part that's taken care of. The second part is that I need you to get the good Professor out of town—"

"Yeah yeah I know; get him out to a meal to buy you enough time to get you to break into the lab and steal whatever information you need."

Ash bit the inside of his lip. "Welllllll… actually… there's been a change of plans."

Gary looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Well, as it turns out, I have no idea how to break into the Professor's lab without setting off all the security."

Gary's jaw dropped. "You don't know how to get in? That's the entire point of why we're here!"

Ash put his hands out in front of him to try and calm Gary down. "Relax Gary… that was a lie. I have an idea of how to get in, but it's going to take time for me to do. Soooo… I need you to keep him overnight in Viridian City while I take care of business."

Gary couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So… let me get this straight: you want me to distract my grandfather, whom which I haven't been on speaking terms with in years, for more than a day, so you can test a theory to how to get into his lab which just so happens to be armed with state-of-the art-security systems? Don't you think it would've been nice to hear this ahead of time?"

Ash waved it off. "Relax Gary, I'll be paying for everything."

Gary cut in. "That's not the—"

"Look, do whatever you can to keep him in Viridian, if you can't, warn me. I have a good idea of how to get in, but I need to confirm it. That will take some time."

Gary shook his head. "You just told me you had no idea how to get in, now you magically have a solution to it?"

Ash grinned. "It's a perk to being a champion: when shit goes south, always have the ability to improvise."

Gary shook his head, and a moment later, they were at the front of Professor Oak's lab. Gary grumbled. "You best be doing all the talking."

Ash chuckled. "Quite the opposite. You're the man in charge."

Gary's eyes widened again. "You're not serious! I've only just been briefed on the plan five minutes ago. What am I supposed to say when he recognizes you? How am I supposed to explain why you're here?"

Ash sighed. "Fine, I'll explain why I'm here. Your reason for being here is that you want to try and mend bridges with you Gramps before he kicks the bucket. You heard I was going to Pallet to try and solve the disappearance of Ash Ketchum, as I've been handed a special note that told me the general public may not know everything to the story of Ash Ketchum and his disappearance."

Gary blinked in bewilderment. "You're going to tell him the truth of why you're here? What good will that accomplish? He's going to take action against you!"

Ash smirked at him. Gary breathed out in realization.

"You're counting on it."

Ash nodded. "I'm going to give the mouse a little cheese, and see if it takes the bait. It's a gamble, yes, but I have a foolproof plan. Either way, as long as we keep our identities intact, I will undoubtedly gain a vast amount of information from this visit."

Gary nodded slowly. "If you say so."

Ash grinned. "Now, I believe we've kept the good Professor waiting long enough. Let's re-introduce ourselves, shall we?"

Gary agreed and they walked up to the lab, not entirely sure what to expect. Ash was about to knock when the door opened, and out he walked. Ash felt his blood boiling in a mere instant. The man had clearly aged since he had last seen him, but that being said, he could've sworn he aged rather… gracefully. The man narrowed his eyes slightly at Ghost, as if calculating his next move. However, the instant he laid eyes on his companion, they lit up as though he was seeing color for the first time.

"I always wondered if you would come back, begging for forgiveness." Ash fought the urge to sock that man's smirk right off his face. "Gary! It's good to see you my boy!"

Gary reluctantly closed the gap between the two of them and hugged his grandfather, wrapping his arms around the older man. He put a decent amount of force behind it as well, making sure it seemed perfectly authentic. "It's… good to see you too Gramps."

"Indeed indeed!" The professor broke the hug and looked at his companion curiously. "I know I haven't met you before… wait… have we?" Ash bit his lip from underneath his hat. "No… I know we haven't met before. You would most certainly remember me." The professor cocked his head to one side, his calculating gaze back on once more.

"Who… who are you?" The older man asked.

Gary grinned. "Really gramps? I'm honestly shocked you don't recognize him." The Professor looked back and forth between the two before Ash decided to end the charade. "My name is Ghost; I am the Champion of the Alola region."

The Professor's eyes widened in surprise. It was authentic, and it was unmistakable that the Professor had no idea he was talking to Ghost. He opened his mouth to speak, but appeared unable to form coherent words. Eventually though, he found his voice. "I… I… I-I do SAY! This is a true honor to meet such a legendary trainer! Your success has travelled even to all the way out here in Kanto!"

Ash shook his head, fully in Ghost-mode now. "Please, the honor is all mine. 'Tis the truest honor to meet the Professor Oak in person! Creator of the Pokedex! The greatest Pokémon researcher to ever grace the grounds of the regions! Many people would kill to be in my shoes right now, and I had to tremendous fortune to meet your Grandson back in Alola!"

The Professor's eyes widened and seemed to praise Gary. "Is that so? This is a conversation I will certainly enjoy having! How did the two of you meet? I have many questions! But now that I think about it… having such a meaningful conversation just wouldn't do out here!"

He turned back to Gary. "Please please, come in, come in! We must have a nice chat!" Gary followed his grandfather inside, while Ash tailed behind him for some reason. The Professor sat down at his couch and television, and the two men followed suit and sat down. Oak began eagerly. "So then! Let's hear it! How did you two become acquitted with one another while in Alola?"

Ghost began with a small grin. "So, to begin with, do you know what it is we as champions must do?"

Oak frowned. "No, I don't know the specifics."

Ghost explained as simply as he could. "So, outside of my duties as a champion, I also open myself up to the public when solving issues. I pride myself on being able to help my people in any way I can. This includes solving disputes, criminals, gangs, disappearances, murders, etc. I always set time aside to try and assist everyone I can. While the tournament was going on, I got an anonymous tip that a person that had believed to have died by a tragic accident, actually died from a murder."

Oak's eyes widened. "W-why that's horrible! Who would do such a heinous thing?"

Ghost nodded bitterly. "I know. It's unreal to think that some people and Pokémon can be so cruel to kill innocents. But, I suppose that point is moot. What really confused me was that they wanted me to investigate people associated with the victim, not the actual crime itself. It was very ridiculous, but as I said before, I try to make time for each and every tip I get."

Gary added. "So, the champions are all on break as all the competitors as well are on a bye week in order to rest, relax, and prepare for the rounds of sub-32. Ghost recognized me at a restaurant and remembered I was from Pallet Town, and began to ask me questions about it."

Oak held up his hand. "I must have missed something; What does you being from Pallet town have to do with the murder Ghost here is investigating?"

Ghost nodded. "Ah yes! That would be because the deceased individual I'm investigating is named Ash Ketchum." Gary watched his grandfather closely, as Ash couldn't really afford to do so or else look suspicious. He looked as nonchalant as possible while continuing. "I discovered that Ash Ketchum was known in Pallet Town as a hero, and that he and his friends mourned his death when it happened. However, I'm trying to learn the full story, as I believe I don't currently have it."

Oak appeared to be keeping his cool on the outside. "I see… so is that why you are here?"

Ghost looked confused. "Is that why I am here? As in, here in this building, or here in this town?"

Oak bit his lip for the briefest of seconds before answering. "Both."

Ash fought the urge to laugh. He feigned confusion before acting understanding. "Oh! No no Mr. Oak! I'm simply here because I wanted to meet you in person before I headed out to my target's house. And in fact…" He stood up and checked his wrist watch. "It's time I went out there anyway. Gary, Professor, perhaps I shall see you in the near future." He made to leave, but then Professor Oak called out to him.

"Call me curious, but who exactly is your target?"

The Ghost smirked, back still facing the two Oak's.

"Delia Ketchum."

He then tipped his hat to Oak and made to walk out. The Professor stood up from his chair and said. "Ah! Hold up one moment!" Ghost turned back and watched as Oak swiftly walked past him in order to unlock the door. The Professor placed his hand on the front panel, and it beeped twice before glowing green and opening. The good Professor sighed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "My apologies. I always have believed security is of the utmost importance, even if it is a bit overboard."

'I got you, you son of a bitch.' Ash thought. There was no doubt about it now; Professor Samuel Oak was hiding something important.

Gary seemed to send him the same look as he walked out of the room, but not before saying. "Not a problem. It was an honor to meet you Professor." He held his hand to Samuel, who looked at it before shaking it firmly. Gary raised an eyebrow in bewilderment towards the champion at the use of the friendly gesture.

He then turned to Gary and gave him a nod with a small salute. "Till the next one."

Gary nodded dumbly at Ash, not really knowing what else he could say or do. It was now up to him to distract his grandfather enough for Ash to get the information he needed. The Professor looked at the retreating figure of Ghost with an unreadable expression on his face. After a minute, Gary decided to speak.

"He's a character, right gramps?"

The older man shut the door and turned to his son. The persona that Gary had gotten used to for years came back out and hit him full force. "What did you tell the Ghost?"

Gary scoffed. "About what?"

"About myself." The Professor said sternly.

Gary gave him a legitimately confused look. "What do you mean? I told him that you are my grandfather, world-renowned Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak, and that you happened to be the person I had been going to see." Gary suddenly flipped his mind into gear of how he could get his grandfather out of this lab and buy Ash the time he needed.

He threw his hands up and stood up as well. "And trying to mend my relationship with." That seemed to catch the attention of the good Professor, who stared at him in surprise. "After all this time, you want to get back in my life? What's the catch? There's obviously one, because you swore to me that until I—"

Gary cut him off. "Look. Ghost helped open my eyes in many ways in the short time I knew him. His father… his father left him in a very discomforting way. His mother isn't on speaking terms with him. He has friends; powerful allies, those that will defend him until their dying breath. But…" Gary bit his lip roughly, and continued in a broken voice.

"He reminded me that family is precious. And that, even though things may look impossible to mend, it's worth trying." Samuel Oak looked at his grandson with a calculating glance. Gary kept his gaze as normal and basic as possible. He learned a key trick: believing in the lie yourself was a key component in making the lie believable to everyone else. Silence continued to greet him.

The Professor finally sighed and rubbed his temple. "Fine. We can do this now I suppose, it'll give me some company for this event…"

Gary frowned. "What event?"

The Professor let out another sigh. "I'm sorry, you caught me at a rather busy time. I have to make a journey out to Saffron City tomorrow to meet with Steven Stone, the champion of Hoenn. I'm sure you know him. He's talking about possibly investing in a new form of pokedex, and to have his funds combined with his support from the Hoenn Region, this is an opportunity I cannot let pass."

Gary wasn't sure what to make of the situation at the exact moment. He said carefully. "So… where does that leave us?"

Samuel told his grandson. "Well, if you're serious about mending relationships… then you'll come with me to Saffron. You'll get a taste of the financial side of what I do for a living, and what it is I hope for you to become years from now."

"Is it an… overnight thing? Do I need to get my bags from the hotel room I was staying at?" Gary tried not to sound too hopeful.

"I'm afraid so. Hopefully you weren't planning to stay in town long. Well, unless you're not coming."

Gary plastered a smile on his handsome face. "On the contrary, it would be my pleasure."

The Professor nodded, a small grin appearing on his face as well. "Very well then! We leave at noon tomorrow. You're welcome to gather your things now and return here to rest, or we can meet up tomorrow here. Your call."

Gary smiled at him. "I'll be back in a couple hours with my things."

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Ash continued to look around his old hometown with the slightest of smiles on his face. It warmed his heart to see that Pallet Town hadn't changed in nearly a decade since he began his journey. Still, that exact feeling brought him immense discomfort. It was like he was back on the day he was betrayed, and that he never left in the first place. He bit his lip. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he knew he had to act quickly. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he was hoping for good news from his informants.

As he walked towards his house, night had begun to fall. Now was the time to do what he had been fearing for quite some time. He now had to confront the only person he had ever knew as a parent. Ash desperately wanted to believe his mother had nothing to do with betrayal, but he knew he couldn't promise himself that; not when it seemed increasingly likely.

He felt Pikachu's eyes roaming him, as if studying him for any reads: anything that would help him figure out what was going through the mind of his longtime trainer.

A soft buzzing sound broke him from his thoughts. It was coming from his pocket. He pulled his cell phone from his cloak and looked at it curiously.

"It's G. Don't text back. We're in luck with target alpha. Show up any time after 3 in the afternoon tomorrow, and you should be safe. We'll be out at noon, on route to Saffron City. It's an overnight affair with Steven Stone that relate to investing in a new form of Pokedex. As far as I know, target doesn't suspect a thing. I'll keep you posted. We will be back the day after tomorrow. Gives you time to get what you need, but I hope you've got an idea to get past his security. I'm sure clueless in that retrospect. Hope you find what you're looking for champ. Meet at rendezvous at normal time."

Ash felt a wave of relief hit him. There had been multiple reasons that he had opted into going to see the Professor, but there were two true reasons. The first was that he wanted to see the reaction of Professor Oak when he had mentioned why he had been in Pallet in the first place. While his initial reaction hadn't given him much in terms of information, he slipped up by giving him a white lie when he spoke about his security.

For many years, the Professor just allowed random people to walk in and out of the laboratory at will and as they pleased. It was easy to assume that the Professor was hiding something as a result of this mistake.

Regardless though, Ash knew there was more than one problem with the laboratory. It was said security measures that the Professor had spoken of. There was a keypad that had numbers and letters, though it was only four spaces long. Meaning, the password was only 4 total characters. Of course, that didn't count the fact that there was a second failsafe: the handprint identifier. He knew that Aether Paradise had a way around one of them, fortunately or unfortunately, Ash already figured a way around it. The other one though, was tricky. He'd need to find a way around it by the time the Oak duo left the lab.

For now though, his target was getting closer and closer: his mother. His plan was simple: question her about himself, but from the point of view of Ghost: someone who had absolutely no idea that Ash Ketchum had been murdered, not tragically killed. Someone who had absolutely no idea of any sort of relationships between him and his parent. And of course, Someone who had no idea who was heartless enough to betray him.

Ash Ketchum himself, though, didn't even know who he could trust in Kanto. Everyone was a suspect. Who was the mastermind behind the plan? Was it Oak? Was it his mother? Was it Drew? All of them could have motives for all he knew. What he did know, though, was that he was one of the most powerful trainers to ever walk the regions. He was the champion of the most surging region of the seven. He was the bringer of justice. He had a reputation to uphold, and he would be damned if he was going to let anyone walk all over him.

Still though, he couldn't help but feel his nerves begin to kick in as he approached the place he had lived for over a decade. He was mentally pleading with himself that his mother had nothing to do with the act that deemed him ineligible to live. He frowned and pulled the hat further down on his face. He approached the house and knew there was no going back now. He motioned to Pikachu and said quietly. "Time to hide buddy."

He walked up to the door and knocked three times. The moment he did, he suddenly felt panic hit him with the force of a dump truck. He had completely forgotten about one very key portion of his mothers home. The door swung open and revealed one of the two house inhabitants.

"Mime?" The Pokémon said in confusion at the sight of a cloaked man. Ash wasn't sure what he was going to expect by the end of this conversation, but he feared that he would be found out. He had totally forgotten about the Psychic type Pokémon. He had been with Mr. Mime for a decade; if anyone or anything was going to realize his true identity, it would be Mr. Mime.

And to put the cherry on top, he was unsure of their loyalties. They could reveal him. He'd need to either deal with Mr. Mime, make a run for it now, finesse his way through, or, the most likely option, get ridiculously lucky and make it through.

"Hello. I'm here to speak to a Delia Ketchum. Is she present?" The Pokémon looked confused before replying. "Mimey Mime, mime-me?"

"Trust me, she'll want to speak with me. Is she here? It's urgent." The Pokémon looked very surprised that a human was responding to it with full understanding. Ash noticed the look and grinned underneath the hat. "I can speak with all Pokémon. It's a perk of being the—"

"Mimey? Who's at the door?" He heard the voice, and although his posture or grin didn't change, he felt his heartbeat increase ever so slightly. This was it.

The woman came to the door that he had been expecting, and Ash couldn't help but be legitimately surprised. His mother looked like she hadn't aged a day. Her auburn hair and captivating eyes looked the same usual. Thankfully, he could tell she didn't recognize him. Her look of confusion passed over her face after a moment or two.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Ash cleared his throat and prepared himself for the conversation that could inevitably cost him his identity.

"Hello mam. Do I have the pleasure of speaking to one Delia Ketchum?"

His mother nodded. "Um, yes? Who are you?"

"Forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Ghost. I'm the champion of the Alola region, and I must talk to you Mrs. Ketchum."

Her jaw slackened in surprise. "The C-Champion of Alola? All the way out here? Why? Is it truly that urgent?"

"I'm afraid so. Time is of the essence. May I please come in? There's no subtle or simple way to explain what I'm about to explain to you." The woman still didn't look so convinced. "Forgive me if I don't jump at the choice to let you into my home. What reason could you have to want to talk with me, or make the journey all the way here when you can just call?"

Ghost grimaced. "I don't think you'll want me to explain this whole situation out here? Fine. I'm here because I need to talk to you about your son's disappearance."

The look of irritation left his mother's face and was replaced by a look of pain and horror. She had a look of realization following it, as if she just found out why Ghost was talking to her about this in person. She bit her lip before sighing and saying quietly. "I suppose you made the right decision coming all the way here then. As you can probably guess, my…" She sighed. "…dead son, is a straining topic for me. He left my life so suddenly, and I'll never be able to tell him the many things I wished I could say to him."

Ghost frowned. "Well, will you at least let me come in now?"

Mrs. Ketchum nodded. "Let them through Mimey."

The Pokémon's eyes glowed blue for a moment or two before they returned to normal. Ash walked through the doorframe and frowned again. "Call me curious if you want to, but what exactly happened there?"

His mom gave a small smile at him. "It's a security measure I have. Mr. Mime can probe the minds of anyone who enters this house without my permission." Ash tried not to feel immense relief at the revelation. He nodded curtly. "An impressive feat, to say the least. I won't pry for any more details."

"Thank you." His mother said, and then added. "Would you like some Tea? Water?"

"Water would be good, thank you." He responded. She handed him a tray that had a single glass of water along with a pitcher of water. He filled it up himself and took a sip. His mother looked at him. "Well, I suppose we should get this over with. What is it you wish to know about my son?"

Ghost began. "Mrs. Ketchum, as the champion of a region, it's my duty to leave my doors open to my citizens and my visitors to help in any way possible. This relates from internal matters in my own region, as well as those outside, so long as it within my legal boundaries. A person who chose to stay anonymous came to me with some very disturbing news: that Ash Ketchum was not tragically killed by nature like everyone thought.

Delia's eyes widened in shock, as did Mr. Mime's. "No… don't do this. I've only just gotten o-over his death… I-I've only just came to t-terms with it… now you tell me he's alive? H-have you no honor?"

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was his mother hiding something too? He sprung the trap. "I never said he was alive, Mrs. Ketchum. I only said that he didn't die the way people thought he did."

The woman paled a little. "O-oh, I see. Forgive me… I-I just assumed since you said he didn't die—"

Ash countered her. "One should never assume, especially in the terms of life and death. I need to speak with you about a select group of people. According to my various reports that I have here, Ash Ketchum was with this select group when he was presumed dead. The subjects names are Trip, Iris, Max, May, Serena, Misty, Drew—"

"I know who you are speaking of. They are some of Ash's old rivals, travelling companions, and friends. Why? Do you believe that they caused his disappearance?" Ash smirked at his mother. He was correct in his first prediction: she too did know something.

"What did I say about making assumptions Mrs. Ketchum? I only want to get information on this group of people. But something tells me you know more than you're willing to tell me, am I correct in this assumption?" He hissed out the word.

Mr. Mime stepped in front of Delia, and then suddenly it fainted, collapsing on the ground in front of Ghost. "M-Mimey!" Delia cried out in horror. Ghost had no visible reaction, so she lashed out at him. "W-what did you do!?"

Ghost grinned. "I didn't do anything. Though I may have a thought on what did happen, I'll choose to keep this information to myself."

He smirked and held out his hand which had a blue pill. "I'm going to explain this now and as simply as I can. I need all the information I can get on this group of people. And you're going to tell me everything I need to know." He added sarcastically. "It's for the greater good."

Delia growled a little. "Why on earth would I tell you what I know?"

Ghost smirked. This was too easy. "Thank you for confirming that you do have information on the subjects."

Delia's angry demeanor vanished and was replaced by a bewildered one. "What are you talking about? I never gave you any information."

"Are you so sure? You just gave me information on the language of your words. You said, "Would I tell you what I know." That implies you do know something of great importance. So? Let's hear it." Ash, of course, knew his mother was lying through her teeth either way, since he was her lost son.

She scoffed. "I'm not just going to tell someone random about the people Ash travelled with."

Ash sighed. This had happened to the best of people in Pallet Town when he was deemed dead. People changed for the worse. It was sad. What was even more sad was the tactic Ash was going to use in order to get the information he needed. He never wanted to resort to the Aether Special, but this required special treatment. He spoke while rubbing his temples and then in a flash, called out his Delveon. The Pokémon trilled before taking a hostile stance towards Delia, who scrambled back in surprise.

"I'll make this simple too." He held out the blue pill once more. "I'm going to give you a choice. This blue pill here will be given to you and Mr. Mime here. It was erase your memories of the past twelve hours. You will not remember I have been here. It will, however, cure Mr. Mime from what Ail's it right now." He motioned to the unmoving Psychic type.

He held out his other hand which had a green pill. "Your other choice: This pill. It is a mind-decimating pill that will do exactly as it sounds: Attack your mind. Until I administrate the antidote, your pain won't stop. That does not mention that Mr. Mime will not be cured. So… we can do this the easy way…" He held out the blue pill. "…or the hard way." He held out the green pill.

Delia bit her lip. "What if I chose neither?"

Ash smirked. "Then I contact Grand Champion Lance and the Kanto Authorities and let them know I've made a breakthrough in the Ash Ketchum case, but a potential witness is defending and shielding the possible culprits to murder, which, as it stands…" He leaned close to her, close enough to where Delia could almost see his eyes underneath his hat. "… is a felony."

Delia realized how few options she had and then stared back at the pills. If this had been anyone else, she would be likely calling the police themselves to get the "intruder" out, but if this man truly was a champion, he would hold legitimate sway with the Kanto champion and she would be charged.

She looked down at the two pills. She slowly took the blue pill from Ghost's gloved hands and looked at it with budding curiosity. She asked quietly.

"Let's say for arguments sake… that I was considering taking this pill. How would the… interrogation process work?"

Ghost grinned. "First, I would give this pill to Mr. Mime, and he'd regain consciousness in approximately twelve hours. I keep this pill in my pocket until we finish our little chat." He pulled out another pokeball and it opened up to reveal his faithful psychic. "I will give you fair warning: if you are lying, my Pokémon will detect it. If you omit details to any question I have, my Pokémon will detect it. If you choose to answer differently to any question I have… my Pokémon will detect it. Am I understood Mrs. Ketchum?"

The woman nodded, though the hesitance was clearly there. As he prepared himself to take the plunge, Ash realized he had been calling her Mrs. Ketchum the entire time, and felt a little bit guilty. Whatever happened to his father, she didn't deserve the pain and suffering, well, unless she took out her bottled up anger on him and possibly caused, or at least aided, his betrayal.

He motioned to Espeon, who rolled Mr. Mime over on its back. It was still clearly passed out and unmoving, with the lone exception of its chest slowing heaving up and down. He gently jarred the Pokémon's mouth open and popped the pill inside. The Pokémon swallowed it whole. He watched it for a moment before the breathing pattern of the Pokémon slightly changed. Ash knew it had worked.

He cleared his throat and sighed. "Now… let's begin…"

He looked the older woman straight in the eye and asked the million dollar question with all the seriousness in the world.

"Were you guilty in helping murder your son, Ash Ketchum?"

AN: Andddd done! Took too long, nearly two months to knock this chapter off. As per usual, sorry for the long delay ya'll. I would give my excuses, alibi's, etc, but you probably don't want to hear them. This chapter eclipsed 9,000 words, so more than average, but I had to leave it on a good cliffhanger.

Also, thanks to user Fawkes Kleiffen for letting me know that the entire chapter had been entirely bolded out.

Also, Happy Two-Zero baby! A fifth of a way to a hundo, but I seriously doubt it's happening to get that far. I anticipate this story is just about halfway through. Send all your questions, I'll get to them as soon as I can. To those on the front lines battling COVID and defending our country, thank you so much for your service! It's because of you all that we can continue living our lives.

Next Chapter will feature the Interrogation of Delia Ketchum, Ash breaking into the lab, and the confrontation with Drew. But the question remains: while we know what Ash is hoping to find, what exactly

will he find? Is Oak the culprit? Is his own mother the culprit? Is Drew the culprit? Are they all involved? Come back next time to find out.

Thanks for reading everyone. Please follow, favorite, and review! I hope to have one more update out before I go back to college in mid-August.

Till Next time everyone!

LegionZ