Alright, second story, let's see how this goes. I'm trying out a new style that a lot of other people use, we have a class called Writing Workshop at the end of every Tuesday that works on this stuff. Maybe it'll do me some good, or it won't, we'll see I guess. I'm hoping you all will enjoy this and with luck, I'll have some of my old reviewers and followers from my last story. Anyway, thanks for giving my story a chance and I hope you enjoy.

I'm only saying this once I don't own Pokemon or any of the ideas I'm using. This is also rated M for a reason, there's gong to be some violence and language, maybe some death.

Chapter 1: Havoc

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is in front of them, glory and danger alike, and yet not withstanding, go out and meet it"

-Thucydides

I had a dream last night. There was a boy who was running on an uphill slope. Behind him, shadows seemed to be chasing him up the hill, grasping at his legs and feet. His eyes held nothing but anger and determination, as he sprinted though. But I was not fooled, he needed my help.

Don't Trust Anyone

Everyday Ash woke up with that thought in his mind. That was Rule #1 in his Dad's list of rules. As Rule #1, it was most important of them all. Following it was easy, Ash's mind had been wired at this point to follow every rule that had been set out for him. But why? Why was this the most important rule of them all? And why did he have all these rules in the first place?

Ash rolled out of bed and stretched. He grabbed his Xtransceiver off his bedside table and checked the time 6:01. He strapped it around his wrist, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before mentally picturing his schedule for the day.

-Go out for a run

-Day forty-seven of sophomore year

-Workout

Okay. Lots of Novocain for his brain today, approximately seven hours worth. Taking another breath in, Ash ran a hand through his raven haired locks. No tests, no games, no stress clouding his head, a normal day today. 'So why do I feel like I'm facing a firing squad?'

He raked over his schedule again, then a third time, and a fourth, but couldn't find a reason. He threw on a pair of sweat pants before opening his blinds, illuminating his room with the morning sun barely cresting over the horizon. One of Kalos's most beautiful assets: the greatest weather there is.

He looked at the mountains, cloaked with snow from a slightly early winter storm that had passed through the night before. With the sun behind them, the mountains seemed to be sharper and more "high-def". He turned his head at the sound of Pidgey making its morning calls from a branch just outside his window. It peered in at him, head tilted to one side, fearless and curious.

'I'm fine. Everything is fine'

So why did he feel this sense of impending doom? The aftereffect of a forgotten nightmare? A restless sleep he was all too familiar with? 'This storm brought more than snow' he thought grimly

He shook the thoughts form his head, the more he think about it the farther away it seemed. He ran through his morning, saving the usual shower until after his run, before jumping his way down the stairs to the kitchen where his Mom sat, tending to her second cup of coffee with the newspaper spread out on the table. He took a quick glance at the paper, trying his best to memorize everything he saw before turning his attention back on his mother.

"Told you it would snow" he said

"Hmm, we can't all be psychic" she said, bringing her mug to her lips and taking a generous sip. She got out of her chair and wrapped his arms around him as he grabbed a power bar from the fridge. She never passed up the chance to give him a hug, not even in public, much to Ash's mortification.

"Long day?" she asked

"The usual, you?"

"Nothing horribly special, but I'll be out when you get back form your run" she said

"Okay, later Mom"

"Bye Ash, have a good day. Love you always and forever"

"Love you too" he said, no shame in his voice

Later, and not much later, he'd wish that he would've stopped, gone back, and held her, and never let go.

He jogged down the front steps and shook out his legs, taking the first breath of the crisp, cold morning air before healing the frosty billow, ready to run. This was one of his favorite times of the day... then the feeling of dread came over him once again.

#18: START EACH DAY THINKING IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD ONE. EVEN IF IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT, SAYING IT OUT LOUD MAKES IT MORE LIKELY THAT YOU WILL

He repeated the phrase in his head, 'It's going to be a good day, it's going to be a good day, it's going to be a good day'

Right now, #18 seemed like the stupidest rule on Dad's list. He tried to blame it on the creak on his muscles from yesterday's workout, the restless night he just had, the low temperature and damp air, but still felt it was that morning dread. 'I'm just bent out of shape today, once I'm on the road I'll be fine'

#19: IF #18 DOESN'T WORK, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Ash hit the stopwatch on his Xtransceiver and began his steady trot. Blessings huh? Let's start out with Mom and Dad. Most kids complained about their parents, but Ash never did. He was extremely lucky to have the parents he did. They were smart, fair, and honest, not like those who preached about values before going against the very words they just said. His parents cared about how he felt, always considered his point of view, but never rolled over when he tried to test the limits. Their ruled were clear, balanced, and protective, not overbearing.

Then there were the weird things about them. They were odd and secretive, almost broke of cash, and moved to a new region ever year, taking him along with them. It made it impossible to make friends or feel connected to one of his "homes".

'Count your blessings, worked like a charm' Ash thought dryly

At this point he was at the halfway point in his run. His endorphins perked his nervous system and kept this blood pumping. Having little else to do, he opened his senses to the world around him, just like he was taught. He took in the tang of wild sage and the musty smell of crops from the orchards lining the streets a few blocks away. A dog barked, a car started, and he caught a glimpse of the ocean view Ambrette permitted.

Ash cruised towards his house, passing the ranch-like houses that seemed to group together the further he got. He liked Ambrette, it was comfortable and easy, a refuge for even the strangest of families.

Ash knew his family would soon move from the the quant town, but preferred to not think about it. He had learned long ago to never get attached to places or people.

A black sedan drove by the street ahead of him, tinted windows on the side. It slowed around the area and drove lazily throughout the streets. 'They're looking for an address they can't find' Ash thought before getting interrupted by a message form his Dad that illuminated: HOW'S YOUR TIME?

Ash couldn't help but grin, his father always somehow manage to hit the caps-lock button. Ash texted back: Two miles in under twenty-one minutes. How's Saffron? How's the conference going?

He could text while running, hell, he could text while riding a bike down a flight of stairs. As Ash reached the stairs he reset his Xtransceiver and checked his pulse, it was no different from when he breathed normally. Just as he pushed the door to his house open, he heard the rasp of rubber against pavement. The black sedan, shrouded by exhaust, throttle rumbling in idle, stationed just across the street. A late model four-door, possibly a Ram, no logos, trim, or identifying marks. There was no front license plate, causing an eyebrow to raise on Ash's head.

But he turned back and went inside his house, ignoring it as he had most of things this morning. He went into the bathroom and took a quick shower before stepping out and looking in the mirror.

At first glance Ash was unnoticeable, just another face in the crowd. But if you really looked at him, you'd be surpassed at what you saw. The most eye widening feature would be his mismatched eyes. One was a deep brown that seemed to hold a sort of malicious glint to it, the other was a glowing blue that held the depths of his unknown power.

That's right, Ash Ketchum had powers, the cost resulted in his blue eye, which hadn't always been blue. it had turned blue when he was three, fortunately it was a few days before they were moving so no one raised any questions. Ash had the strange ability to create fields. Not physical, well, yeah, he could create a barrier in front of someone so they could smack into it, but it couldn't be big and the one time he did it, his parents reprimanded him for it and contemplated moving from the town despite the fact that he did it in their home. He could create a field and post an image on it that could fool others to believe a knife they had just put way was still on the counter, or a pan they had just washed was still dirty.

When his parents first discovered this they encouraged him to play pranks around the house, making a spoon appear more to the right than it was, or changing the time to appear like it was two hours ahead, but after a year, and the eventual and inevitable move, they told him to stop, and he had yet to do it since. He had heard them one night though, his father mentioned something about it stemming from that of an aura flower

His raven locks were wild and untamed, yet still took form. For a while he had two tufts that seems to stick out from his head, but after a while his father got them trimmed, leaving only a few bangs hanging around his eyes.

He had powerful muscles that rippled under bronze skin, despite his rather slow run time and the lower number of pounds he lifted at the gym. He was strong and lean, his muscles flexing and straining with undeniable power, yet never used to their fullest. But it was all in accordance to Rule #4: NEVER LET YOUR TRUE ABILITIES SHINE

He entered his room once again and put on a pair of loose jeans and a black t-shirt before covering it with his regular black and red zip-up hoodie, the words RANGERS printed on the right bicep. He slipped on a black and grey, single-strap backpack before tying the laces of his running shoes. Checking his Xtransceiver for a reply form his father, he stepped outside of his house and locked to the door behind him and turned around, walking out to the street, and facing the black sedan, still idling across the street.

He couldn't see anyone behind the tinted glass, something he immediately recognized as illegal, but he knew someone was inside, looking at him. He narrowed his eyes, honing his senses again. Sounds faded, time stopped.

He felt a small vibration come from his wrist, breaking the silence. Another text from Dad: RUN, ASH

Without looking up, Ash slipped the hoodie over his head and waved an apology to the windshield, discreetly taking a picture with his Xtransceiver before casually breaking into stride. 'Make it look like you're going on a run to school, not running away' Ash thought 'And don't look back'

He trotted along, listening the engine hum with strain as it turned off and peeled away.

He swore he heard someone say "Fits description. Possible visual contact"

Ash's heart thumped against his chest, with his condition he had a resting pulse of fifty-two, never in his life had he hit triple digits and right now it felt north of a hundred. First question: 'Did Dad tell me to run from the car, or does he want me to keep up a pace? Maybe he-'

He heard the sedan a block away, stomping through the gearbox, accelerating rapidly. Tires screamed, they were coming back.

Ash cut into an unpaved alley. Behind him, the sedan burst back onto the street he'd just left. He hopped a fence just as they car began to pass the alley and ran through a backyard littered with toys and Halloween decorations. He vaulted another chain-link fence into a narrow concrete alley along the side of the house.

The second he touched down on the other side, the head of a Houndoom poked it way through a dog door and sprinted towards him. He leaped onto the gate at the end of the alley and scrambled over, just avoiding the snapping jaws of the Pokemon.

Ah yes, Pokemon. They were not necessarily rare, but they weren't all too common either. You'd see a flock of Pidgey here and there, a few pets, maybe the remains of a meal in the woods, but other than that, nothing. Not to mention the Pokemon that you saw, were typically the only ones you saw. If you were lucky, you'd have five different Pokemon in your town, and that's if you were lucky. Most people just had a Houdoom, a Pidgey, an Oddish, and some others.

Half a block away, Ash heard the yowl of the tires as the car raced to the next corner. He peeked his head around the hedge at the corner and sprinted across the street when he saw it was all clear. He raced towards a wooden fence raised six feet into the air. He adjusted his steps and pushed himself off the ground, almost running on the side of the house before clearing the top of the fence.

Landing lightly in another alley, he looked up to see a started woman juggling her keys to a Volvo. She leaped back like she'd just been tasered, her coffee mug hitting the ground and rolling little, leaking her morning latte.

"Sorry" Ash said as he raced past her, jumping into another alley and raced through two more yards, conscious of the fact that the sedan was rumbling somewhere nearby all the while. He paused against the side of a garage and as he adrenaline began to diminish, he felt a ridiculous. His head and his instincts fought and argued in his head,

'You're perfectly safe'. NO, YOU'RE IN DANGER. 'It's just a random car'. YOU HEARD WHAT THEY SAID. PAY ATTENTION YOU MORON

He felt his wrist shake again, showing another text from Dad on the screen: DON'T STOP ASH

He motored down the open streets through the outskirts of the business district. He'd get to the school, go to the bathroom and call his Dad, but he realized that he didn't need to, he had everything his father could tell him already.

#7: WHEN THERE'S TROUBLE, THINK AND ACT DECISIVELY

He pulled up behind a church and peeked around, the school was just a few blocks away. He checked the time and his jaw dropped, there was no way that could be right: He'd just covered the 2.4 miles from home, racing through backyards and alleyways in under five minutes.

Behind him, the snarling engine roared to life. He turned and saw the black car charging straight at him. He broke for the school, the sedan cornered hard behind him, swung around, and skidded to a halt.

Ash was already two blocks away. He flipped down his hood as he round the corner to the school gates where all the kids had gathered.

"Check this out dude" said Thomas Cyre

A tricked-out hot rod sat at the curb. It was like nothing any of them had seen before, a matte black and blue Corvette Stingray slung long and low on a custom chassis, with a slanted front grille and wheels gleaming with chrome. Bumpers jammed out like the muscles of a body builder. The manifolds of a monster V-8 hurts out of the hood, oozing latent power. Blue steam punk lines, rafted with sharp, finely etched venting, lined the the body. A stranger's ride for sure, no local could have kept this hellacious wheels under wraps.

Ash felt eyes find him from behind a diner window across the street. They hit hard, like somebody was poking him in the chest, goading him into a fight. he looked up but couldn't see into the window, the sun had just crested the hills behind him, glaring off the glass.

"Don't touch my ride"

Will heard a low voice in his head and knew it came from whoever was watching. It was gravelly, spiky, and bristling with menace

"Don't touch it!" Ash snapped

Startled, Thomas snapped his hand away

Inside the sedan, the bald driver was shaking with excitement at this new discovery. He tabbed the picture of the boy and his family and brought up a new one that held a picture of the car. There was no doubt, this was the "Guardian's". The first sighting there had been in decades. Hands shaking, the man lifted his wrist mic and called it in, immediately getting revised action. This was a historic opportunity, the boy could wait.

His partner picked up the Ride Along canister and eased down his window before shooting it just to the right of the back tire.

Ash watched as something shot out of the window of the sedan, catching a bald man holding something akin to a tranquilizer gun. He waited till the sedan was out of sight before bring a hand to his wrist, preparing to send a text to his father. Then the diner door swung open. A massive pair of buckled, battered, black military boots etched with faded licks of flame stepped into view below the door.

'Yeah, not taking any part of this guy either' Ash thought immediately before turning into the school

The driver swung himself over the Corvette door and started it up while the small piece of metal on the rode sprang to life and crawled up the side of the car. It crawled its way along the side of the car, heading towards the driver, sprouting and inch long spike from its snout and launched into the air towards the back of the driver's neck.

Just as he reached a corner, the driver swung the Corvette into a controlled skid. He tracked the airborne bug into his sights before extending a single finger and firing off a silent blue beam of energy. The bug puckered, fried, and crumbled to a blackened cinder on the road before blowing away as ash.

The driver calmly completed his 360-degree spin and kept going

Ash hustled through the halls and slipped into his seat a minute before the start of history class. He checked his message one last time. Nothing. Dad was out for a meeting, or on a run. Classmates trudged in with sleep depraved facing and a cranky demeanor. No one paid attention to him, no ever paid attention to him. Ash made sure of that. He had learned long ago to hide what he felt, giving everyone only a bland mask

Rule #38: IF STRANGERS KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FEELING, YOU GIVE THEM AN ADVANTAGE

Ash was the quiet kid at the back of the class, slumping forward to minimize his height. The way he dressed, the way he talked, the way he moved, it was all quiet, contained, invisible. Exactly the way his parents taught him.

Rule #3: NEVER DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF

This was a crucial rule. Ash could outrun a Pidgeot using Ariel Ace if he wanted. But when he told his parents about his discovery, they, once again, bottled it up and told him to never outrun a person again.

Even though he hadn't even broken a sweat through the entire ordeal, there was still a punning baseline of worry in his chest. Dad's texts, their timing was just too perfect

Rule #16: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A COINCIDENCE

Mrs. Collins began her daily drone of the Pokemon wars and the mass genocide of various Pokemon that happened during it resulting in why there are so few today. Yesterday, it was why almost all Pokemon lost the ability to do type-moves. Personally, I found the annoying buzz of the intercom more interesting. I wasn't the only one, I saw multiple wake0up jolts as chins slipped off propped-up hands

The door opened, revealing the school psychologist. He made a quick exaggerated effort to not be noticed like a teenager trying to sneak out of the house. Ash remembered him vaguely, he conducted the survey he had to take to get into the school. Mr. Rorschach, he had a pear-shaped face, was tall, and had the fringe of a beard visible. He whispered to Mrs. Collins as the class stirred to life, grateful to be spared even a few seconds of her lecture.

The two scanned the class before their eyes landed on me "Ash Ketchum?" he asked with a slightly disturbed smile "Would you please come with me?"

Alarm shot through like a bullet. This was not good, this would definitely bring attention his way. "Bring your things" he said as I walked towards the door.

"What kind of tousle am I in?" Ash asked as they walked down the hallway

"Trouble? Oh, no, no, no, no. Everything's all good" he said with a grin

'Oh my fucking god. Did he really just try to use slang?"

"But I feel where you're coming from. It's all pretty awesome and amazing, you'll see" he said, offering a fist-bump

Ash was half tempted to smack his hand away and slap him across the face for the atrocity he just heard, but resigned to remain expressionless and gave Mr. Rorschach a fist-bump.

As they passed the counters outside the principal's office, the staff behind them sent Ash smiles and even a thumbs-up. 'Okay something's wrong. Something is horribly wrong'

The principal jumped out of his office and pumped Ash's hand up and down, breathless and buoyant, as if Ash had just won the lottery. "Mr. Kethcum, come in, come in. Great to see you, how are you today?"

'Okay close to panicking here'

Mr. Briggs, the principal, wouldn't be able to to pick him out of a three kid line-up with Siamese twins. Ash always made a point to miss the school photo day. "Good" Ash said, deciding sort and concise was best given the current situation.

"Great! That's great" he said as he steered him into his office, closing the door behind them. A woman stood up from a chair in front of Briggs' desk and extended her hand. She was as tall as Ash, athletic and lithe, wearing a dark tailored suit. She had long black hair that was pulled into a crisp ponytail. A leather briefcase lay against the chair she had been sitting on only moments ago.

"Ash, this is Ms. Drasna" Briggs said

"Really nice to meet you, Ash" she said. Her grip was strong and her eyes hidden behind their lids by a never ending smile. He would've smiled at her reaction to his mismatched eyes had he not been extremely worried about what was going on

"Ms. Drasna is here with some extremely exciting news Ash" Briggs said

"You're a facts and numbers guy, aren't you Ash?"

"As opposed to..."

"A sucker who falls for every marketing deal and subliminal advertising designed to paralyze your conscious mind and shut down all rationality in your brain by stimulating its lower part"

Ash paused, choosing his words carefully "Depends on what's being sold"

Ms. Drasna smiled and picked up the leather briefcase. She slipped out a sleek black metallic laptop and set it Briggs' desk, opening it. The screen lit up with a waterfall of data that arranged artfully into animated graphs. Principal Briggs sat behind his desk "Ash, do you remember the standardization test you and your classmates took in September?" he asked

Ash nodded

"The test is conducted one every tenth grader in the world" Ms. Drasna said, pointing to a a graph on her computer "These are the worldwide averages collected over the last ten years" she punched a key; the image zoomed to the top of the graph "These are the top national scholars scores. the top two percent of the database" she punched another key and the image moved to a single red dot at the top of the graph. Alone

'Oh shit'

"This" she said "is you. One in, to be precise, 2.3567 billion" she cocked her head to the side and smiled sympathetically

Ash remained emotionless, his mask was one of his greatest weapons, and he'd be damned if he'd give it up that easily. 'How did this happen? I always make sure to get below an eighty-eight percent on all my tests'

"Ash?"

He waved a hand, dismissing the worry. "Sorry, I'm just surprised"

"Perfectly understandable, we can go over the specifics if you'd like-" a buzzer on Briggs' console interrupted her and the door opened. Ash's mother walked in wearing a scarf around her neck and her big sunglasses. Ash looked for some indication of disappointment. he had screwed up big-time and completely blown his anonymity, but his mother just smiled at him. "Isn't it exciting?" she said "I came as soon as I got Ms. Drasna's call.

Something's wrong. Why is she wearing sunglasses indoors? Was she acting all excited for the benefit of the others in the room? She had to be furious with him. Will's wrist buzzed. It was a text from Dad: Congratulations son!

No caps-lock? Strange. Delia exchanged greetings with everyone in the room before Ms. Drasna took charge again "If you'd indulge me, Ash and if everyone would excuse us, i'd like to preform one other quick, simple test"

"What for?"

"Curiosity. When someone scores the only perfect one-hundred percent score on a worldwide test ever, scientific minds crave confirmation. What do you say?"

"What's the worst that could happen?" Ash said cautiously

She smiled another dazzling smile before leading him out the door and down the hall to an empty office with a small tale and two chairs. A black tablet computer the size of a two-inch square rested on the table. Ms. Drasna sat on one side and silently offered Ash the other. She tapped on the tablet as soon as he was seated and it powered up with a small hum. Using her fingers, she stretched the dimensions of the square, extending it to nearly the size of the table.

"May I ask what this is?" Ash asked curiously

"You may, but I'm not inclined to answer" she said playfully "Put your hands here please" the glowing outlines of a pair of hands appeared on the screen. Ash set his hands just inside the designated lines. The instant his hands are contact, the screen thrummed with energy. The lines grew brighter before fading away, leaving his hands on the cold metal surface.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. Feel free to answer any way you like. There are no wrong answers" Ms. Drasna said

"What if you ask me the wrong questions?"

She smiled at his question, but ignored it "What's your name?"

"Ash Riley Ketchum"

"Riley. That's you father's name?"

"Yes"

A pleasant heat washed over his hands for a moment before disappearing "How old are you Ash?"

"Sixteen"

"When's your birthday?"

'Fuck'. Another one of his parent's quirks. They never celebrated, nor told Ash his birthday. A swirling riot of colors erupted from under his hands before he could respond "Is this some sort of lie detector?"

"Would it make you more comfortable if it were?"

Is that a test question, or are you really asking me?"

"Does it make a difference to you?"

"You're failing at distracting me" Ash said suddenly, kicking up his defenses a notch.

She narrowed her eyes but smiled "What's your favorite color?"

"Cerulean Blue"

"Where were you born?"

"Kanto"

Shapes, obscure mathmatical symbols, or some archaic language he couldn't decipher swam around below him in complex patterns "What's your father's name?" Drasna asked

"Riley Ketchum"

"What does he do for a living?"

"He's a serial killer"

"Hmm" she said, chewing her lip "I think that might of been a lie"

"Really? What gave it away?"

"You can't fool the machine Ash".

'So it can detect lies' Ash thought, storing the thought for later. "Fine, he's an academic researcher"

"What field?"

"Neurobiology"

What's you mother's name?"

"Delia Ketchum"

"What does she do?"

"She works as a doctor"

"Where is her family from?"

"Orre"

"Are your grandparents still living?"

"No"

"Did you know any of them?"

"No"

"Where else has your family lived since besides Kanto?"

"Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, the Orange Islands, Kanto, Unova"

"Why do your parent move around so much?"

'Good Question' Ash thought "What is this really about?"

"Sorry for the mumbo jumbo, You'll understand eventually. Or you won't"

"Thanks for clearing that up. How'd I do on your test?"

"I don't know" she said, smiling like she had a secret "Why don't you ask the Mystic Eight Ball? She held up the black tablet in front of him. An image of an eight ball appeared on the screen. "Go ahead"

"Did I pass the test?"

Drasna gave the tablet a shake. The "eight ball" rolled and revealed a small window in the other side, a miniature white tile floated into view: "Looking Good"

"There you go" she said, sliding the tablet back into her bag. "I have one last question of my own, it has nothing to do with the test"

"Shoot"

"Aren't you bored to the edge of living death high school?"

"Yes ma'am"

She smiled "Let's go talk to Mom"

I represent the most academically accomplished college preparatory academy in the world" said Drasna as she typed commands into her laptop "That you've never heard of"

"Why haven't we heard of you?" asked Delia

"I'll address that in a moment Mrs. Ketchum, I think you'll appreciate the answer"

Drasna opened her laptop until it lay flat on Briggs' desk. A multidimensional image of a thick cloud cover projected into the air about three feet above the screen, like an impossibly detailed children's pop-up book. As they all watched, the point of view circled above the clouds and then descended into them. As the clouds thinned, a stately array of buildings on vast green lawns surrounded by thick woods appeared. They floated lower towards the incredibly realistic world before leveling off. They flew towards the campus above a long, straight entrance road lined with towering trees. They passed a gate and a guard house, the words: THE CENTER FOR INTEGRATED LEARNING engraved into the stone gate

"We're offering Ash a full scholarship, completely on merits. We'll include travel, living expenses, textbooks and supplies. This won't cost your family a penny" Drasna said

"Where's the school?" Ash asked

"In Hoenn, close to Mt. Pyre"

The simulation glided by classic ivy-covered stone halls connected by wide symmetrical walkways. Beyond the central campus, they passed over a massive retro-syle field house, an outdoor all-purpose stadium, stables and riding fields, a golf course, and fields for a variety of sports.

"What's the catch?" Ash asked, knowing nothing this good came free

"There's only one Ash, you have to want this. The Center opened it doors in 1915, you haven't heard of us because we value privacy. We never look for or encourage publicity, it's one of the ways in which we protect our students and our reputation. But I assure you that all the best colleges and universities know who we are, our graduate placement into those institutions has no equal. We have countless alumni that have gone on to be business and industry leader to Pokemon Champions and Elite Four members"

The tour continued over a large lake tucked into some nearby woods. Trees were ablaze with spectacular fall colors, a rustic boathouse sat on the shore. A tall, twisted gothic looking structure, almost a castle, occupied the center of the lake. Then the camera lifted itself back into the clouds and the image faded.

"No one applies to the Center, you have to be invited" She pulled an oversized packet from her briefcase and handed it to Delia "We think you'll find everything your family needs to know to make an informed decision in here. Take your time, we know you have a lot to think about"

Briggs chimed in "You can certainly be excused from class for the rest of the day to get started, Ash"

"I think that's a good idea" Ash said

"All of my contact information is in there, but here's my card just in case" she said, giving Ash a white business card with her contact information on it "As you go through the process, please don't hesitate to call with any questions or concerns you might have" she said, shaking Ash's hand before heading out

After a few minutes of predictable fawning from Briggs, Ash and Delia left the office. Drasna was right, he had a lot of things to think about, hundreds of questions piling up, but none were more troubling than the one that had snared his soul the moment his Mom walked through Briggs' door. He'd initially tried to dismiss it as an off-kilter head trip cooked up by the compounding weirdness of the day. But now that they were alone, it was worse.

He glanced at his mother, still wearing that smile and those sunglasses. She saw him look at her and gave his hand am excited little squeeze

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Why did he feel like this wasn't the person he'd said goodbye to barely two hours ago? 'What's so different about her that makes me feel this way?'. It was a subtle feeling, but it gripped him like a Seviper using Wrap.

"Well I just don't know what to say Ash" she said, hangs lightly gripping the steering wheel "I mean, this is the most amazing thing ever" It certainly sounded like Mom, but that is not what Mom would say. She would'd asked why he'd went against their instructions and drawn attention to himself.

#14: ASK ALL QUESTIONS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

"Are you alright?" he asked

"Just excited" she said "The principal called when I got to work and put Ms. Drasna on the line. I called Dad as soon as I hung up, he's leaving the conference and coming home tonight, he pretty jazzed up" Delia said

'Dad would have a lot of reactions, but "jazzed up" would not be one of them'. Although he kept it hidden, his terror increased when he saw a specific black sedan parked across the street from their house.

"We do have a lot to talk about" Ash said, glancing at his "mother", catching a glimpse of her eyes for the first time. They looked, vacant, glassy even. Like a student zoning out during a lecture.

"You don't sound excited Ashy" Delia said

"Just trying to take things one step at a time" Ash said, trying to keep calm

#20: THERE MUST ALWAYS BE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EVIDENCE AND CONCLUSION

"You know, you're right, we need to take this slow and careful" she said, parking in their driveway. Ash quickly, but noticeably so, entered their house ahead of her before entering the house and sprinted upstairs, breaking yet another record today. Fighting to stay calm, he clung to what he knew: Open his senses, clear his mind, observe everything

#9: WATCH, LOOK, AND LISTEN, OR YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING

"Honey, I have to go back to work, but when your father gets here we'll all sit down and go over everything tonight okay? Delia said, calling up from the front door. He waited till he heard the smack of the front door closing before racing to the window and watching her drive off. She turned a corner, where he'd seen the black sedan and rolled down her window before disappearing out of sight

He raced downstairs to the living room, where he could see both cars, stopped beside each other, driver to driver.

'She's talking to them'

Ash locked the doors and tried calling his Dad, but only got his voicemail. Seconds later, his wrist began to shake, indicating a call.

"Dad? Dad?" he heard a hollow whistling before static, then silence. He hung up, not bothering to call. He needed to stay focused, ground himself in facts. Analize, arrange, manage, keep a orderly mind.

He took off his hoodie, letting cool air in and opened the packet to and paged through some forms before coming across a magazine-sized rectangle with the words "touch here" printed on it. He lightly tapped his finger on the area and was rewarded with more words appearing in a simple, elegant font

The Center for Integrated Learning

The school's crest took shape below it, a coat of arms, an ornate shield in navy blue and shining silver, divided into three horizontal sections, each with an image. On top, Arceus "held" a book and a sword, in the middle, Mew appeared, as if circling below the Arceus. On the bottom, a warrior of some sort, bearing a long brimmed hat that flipped up at one end and garbed in blue and black robes with a staff and a sword and a Lucario standing at his side had the tip of his blade pointed at a vanquished enemy lying on the ground. A scroll unfurled beneath the crest and the school motto appeared letter by letter: Knowledge Is the Path, Wisdom Is the Purpose.

Photographs of campus filled the screen and quotes about the school's credentials and distinguished faculty roved across the surface. An audio track of students an faculty began playing, praising the glory and faming the experience they had there. A video began to play of students in a classroom listening to lectures and working on labs, hanging out in a coffee shop, a bowling alley, preforming plays and concerts, riding horses, playing dozens of different sports.

All their faces were bright and eager, they all wore clothes of the Center's colors, navy blue and grey. Voices began playing, talking about the stereotypical bullshit you'd expect in an advertising campaign "I made friends I instantly knew would be mine forever ... I gained confidence and a feeling of belonging that's stayed with me my whole life ... There are life changing opportunities at every corner" it took a lot of self control not to cringe... or throw up.

It was advertising to the fullest, weird how Ms. Drasna was taking about him not falling for mind-numbing advertisements the second she met and then hands him one not long afterwards.

The screen shifted to a video of the school choir singing in a candlelit jewel-box shaped chapel. The beauty of the song did not escape him, it was a slow, celestial melody that continued as the screen shifted to heart warming images of graduation. Parents embracing their kids, pride evident on their faces, this was supposed to be the closing deal, what was supposed to hook him into going to the school

They might have actually convinced him it was a perfect place to go... if it hadn't seemed too perfect. He opened up the web browser on his Xtransceiver and looked up the mailing address the Center had given and sure enough, it was all there, just as it had in Drasna's 3-D preview.

Ash's parents had no connection or money, they trained him to leave no traces, so he reigned in everything he did. He posed as a B to B- student while secretly studying in his room, learning far more than even a college student would know. He taught himself calculus and precalculus in under a month, that was during middle school.

It was all in accordance to Rule #3: NEVER DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF

But now he had the attention of the best high school in the world, and they wanted him to join their prestigious ranks.

Ash glanced at the clock, just past twelve, Mom would be home form work soon. He made himself a sandwich, having no time to make himself something intricate, and wolfed it down as he prowled the house. He looked at their meager possessions, a small TV that only got eighteen different news networks and some foreign channel to which Ash basically self-taught himself the language. They never even used the TV, all they did with their free time was read. Shelves lined every wall, stacked with scientific, medical, legal, business, and historical texts. Ash had read all 417 books at the very least three times, if not more.

Rule #73: WITHOUT A LIFE OF THE MIND, YOU'LL HAVE A MINDLESS LIFE

He glanced at a picture of Delia and Riley on their wedding day, happy and smiling, full of laughter. Nothing compared the those almost soulless eyes he'd seen on his mother not long ago.

He heard a car door shut and peeked out the window. The black sedan had multiplied, three of them had stopped in front of his house with men in black jackets heading for his house, one was pointing and giving orders.

His chest tightened and time seemed to slow, RUN WILL. He fled out the back door, hopped the fence, and headed north. The Pidgey lifted off the fence and settled in a tree. Three hours till Dad came home, Dad will know what to do

He reached the trail beyond the last house at the end of the street and followed it up a slope to a locked gate at the base of the fire road. Slipping through the gap between posts, he headed up the fire road. The sun dipped low in the west, painting the slopes above him in vibrant crystalline light. The road ran flat along a ridge before grading up again, the sharp sunlight faded to dusk around him.

What a shitty day. Ms. Drasna shows up after the black sedan, the guy with the Corvette, and then my soulless mother. but if there's a connection, and according to Rule #16 there had to be, so what is it?

The test. That had to be it. It must've raised some red flags with some other people as well, not just the Center's. What if that had set in motion whatever happened to his mom?

Ash heard an odd noise, faint and scratchy. Something was moving through the underbrush near him, he heard branches cracking, it was a Rattata, they weren't uncommon around these hills. Then there was more shuffling off to the other side of the road, and it was louder.

Ash stopped, and so did the noise. He picked up his pace, and so did the noise. He stopped again, but this time the movement continued, on both sides, edging towards him. He heard a low, guttural snarl, and slowly bent down to pick up a branch on the side of the road. They were on either side of the path now, snarling and growling at him again.

If these things cut off the route away, then the only way down from here is...

Ash spun around and sprinted down the hill. An instant later, he heard them crash after him with a whooping yowl. Without breaking stride, Ash swing the branch and smacked one of his pursuers. The branch shattered against whatever it it hit, which snarled in pain.

While the swing did nothing, the impact broke his stride. He had to pivot to avoid falling, pushed himself off the ground, and kept his legs churning. Whatever he just hit was already back on him, and his partner was uncomfortably close. He felt something hot against his neck before something sharp sliced through his shirt and raked across his back. The spike of pain spurred him even faster down the winding road.

He saw sharp turn coming and planted his left turn to turn right, but he hit a patch of mud and skidded. He lost his balance and landed on his left side, before using his hand to push himself off the ground mid-tumble.

He regained his bearings and ran on, with a noticeable limp. He heard nauseating yelping noises coming from behind him, they weren't thirty yards away and closing fast. There was a quarter mile till the end of the path, there was no way he could make it before they caught him.

Farther down the road, the blinding headlights and deafening throttle hurtled towards him, torque screaming. Ash threw himself to the side of the road as it passed, the heat of the engine warping the air. His eyes could only make out the outline of the Corvette he seen outside the diner earlier and its hulking driver behind the wheel.

Flames erupted from the twin exhaust with a deafening roar. A wall of fire shot into the rod behind it, and right into the whatever was chasing Ash. Their howls turned into revolting yelps of pain, their writhing masses thrashing around, outlined in fire. Houndoom

The door to the passenger seat opened "Get in" growled the driver. Ash threw himself into the passenger seat as the driver gunned the Corvette down the road and reached the flats of the road. They weaved through sharp turns at what seemed like impossible speeds, the driver leaned back in his seat, relaxing. Then, in a strip of darkness, the Corvette skidded to a stop

"Out" the driver said

Ash leaped out of the car and backed away. The driver remained in shadow, motionlessly staring at him behind a pair of aviator shades.

"Why were there Houndoom chasing me?"

"Can't tell you"

"But-"

"Stow it, no matter how good you think you are, unless you want an early grave, don't be a moron"

"Sorry"

The driver leaned forward into the light and lowered his shades. He had fierce black brows above piercing and deadly blue eyes. He held up an index finger "That's one" the man said. Then he stomped on the gas and sped around a corner, the sounds of the engine quickly fading into the night.

Ash looked around. He was standing fifty feet from the back door of his house. Music drifted through an open window across the street and an old woman's voice backed by an old fashioned orchestration sang:

"If you go out in the woods tonight

You in for a big surprise...

If you go out in the woods tonight

You better go in disguise..."

Ash peered around the side of his house, the black cars were gone. He hurried to the back door and entered silently. Someone was in the kitchen, he caught a whiff of his Mom's perfume and cookies. His mother was pacing back and forth, her cellphone to her ear, scratching her neck every now and again

Then she spoke with a monotone voice he hardly recognized "He's not back ... I don't know where he went ... yes, I'll let you know if he ..." Ash back down the hall. But with his luck, he hit a creaky floorboard

"Ash? Are you home?"

Fuck

"Hi" he said, reopening the back door as if he'd just come in.

"Come to the kitchen, I made cookies!"

"One sec, I got mud on my shoes" he wanted to run again, but Dad would be home soon, but he just couldn't face her. He followed a faint trail of music to the living room. He pressed pause, ending the quiet play of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck". An odd song to be playing at night, but he was much more aquatinted with this type of music than most other kids

Rule #83: THERE'S A REASON THE CLASSICS ARE CLASSICS: THEY'RE CLASSIC

"Oatmeal cookie?" she asked, as she held out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. Ash stared at the milk, was it just him, or was the milk glowing slightly? "Where'd you go?" she asked

"For a run"

"Looks like you fell, did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine"

"Come help with dinner"

He followed her to the kitchen, trying not to limp. He broke off half the cookie and dumped it in the umbrella stand along with half the milk, then pretended to chew as he walked after her. She stood over the stove, tending pots, one of them pouring steam into the air

"How's the cookie?"

"Good" he said, raising the half of it that remained

"Did you look through the stuff from the school?" she'd emptied the packet on the table, the electronic brochure, a small pamphlet, and a stack of official forms and paperwork.

"Most of it"

"So what do you think?"

His Xtransceiver dinged on his wrist. A unfamiliar app popped up on his lock page, which was a picture of flickering green and red flames. A feather quill pen poised over an old-fashioned parchment. The title below read Universal Translator

"Seems pretty interesting"

"I'm a little worried over this whole boarding thing. I mean, when would we ever see you?" she stepped past him and reached to an upper held for pasta. Her hair parted for a moment and Ash caught a glimpse of a gnarled knob of flesh on the side of her neck just behind her left ear. It looked like an inflamed insect bite, and it was twitching

What the fuck?

As she turned back, Ash looked away, masking his fright. He gathered the contents form the table "Can I take a quick shower before dinner?"

"Twelve minutes" she said, looking at her wristwatch. She poured a whole box of spaghetti into the pot of boiling water, then shoved the tops in the water with a spoon. 'Mom always breaks the spaghetti in half before she drops it in the water'

Ash walked out of the room and up the stairs, fighting the urge to sprint out of the house

Rule #1: TRUST NO ONE

He tossed the cookie out the back window and closed the door quietly. It had no lock, so he tilted his desk chair and wedged the top half under the knob. he started the stopwatch on his Xtransceiver. Eleven Minutes. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower so she'd hear the water moving through the pipes. He peeled off his shirt and checked the road rash on his hip. It was red and raw but nothing that wouldn't heal with two, three nights of rest. He cleaned it with a washcloth then splashed on hydrogen peroxide. The three scratches on his back looked nasty and inflamed, the middle of the three almost peaking his left shoulder and the lowest almost wrapping around his right hip. He poured peroxide on it, staring himself in his mismatched eyes as he felt the burn.

He moved to his bureau and got dressed in a black t-shirt and dressed himself in some black sweat pants. He tapped the new application on his Xtransceiver. A moment later the app opened into a black grey page, no menu or insructions on how to use it.

He slid the app to the side for later examination and logged into his email on his laptop. A new message was waiting from Dad that came at 8:18 that morning. He double clicked it, only a blank page opened, no text. But it carried an attachment. He clicked on it repeatedly but couldn't open it. Six minutes left.

Then he noticed the subject tag on the email: Translated. He opened a secondary tab and activated the app again after wirelessly sending the application to his laptop, this time, a pull-down menu appeared. On the menu, there were two options: Translate and Delete. He clicked translate. A video graphic pooped up along with the triangular "play" button. He clicked on the arrow and the video began to play.

A generic hotel room came into view, illuminated by the pale morning light.

"Ash"

A moment later Riley Ketchum sat down in front of the camera, presumably the built in camera on his laptop. Relief flooded through him at the sight of his father, but it didn't stick around. Dad's face was drenched in sweat, and there was a sense of urgency in his eyes. Dad looked terrified.

"Pay attention Ash, I'm in room 12-0-9 at the Hyatt Hotel. He held up the day's newspaper, showing the date. Tuesday, November 16th. The Dad held up his phone to the screen. 8:17 a.m.

Riley leaned in close to the camera and spoke in low, hushed tones "Son, I'm betting you're going to be able to open this: I've always put my money on you. From what's been happening, I won't have much time, and neither will you. I know how strange this sounds, but the first thing you have to know is that none of what's happening, or might happen, is your fault. We're responsible for this. And knowing that something we did would bring you pain and sorrow is the worst feeling you mom and I have ever known. We always hoped this day would never come and tired to prevent it, tired to prepare you for if it ever did. I hope you'll be able to forgive us for never telling you why-"

A startling bang rocked the screen. Ash recoiled along with his father. The camera shook as Riley looked to his left, something powerful had crashed through the door. He turned back to the lens, his eyes frantic

"Ash, we love you more than anything in life. Always and forever. Tell no one about this or our family, no matter who they are. These people will stop at nothing, Be the person I know you are, use my rules and everything we taught you, hold nothing back, do whatever you need to stay alive. I'll come for you, I don't know when, but I'll go through hell and back to find you-"

Another explosion shook the camera. The hotel room was immediately filled with a cloud of dust and debris. The image spun as the laptop flew threw the air before landing on the ground at an awkward angle. Ash could see the massive skyscraper in the background. Dark figures rushed into view, a hand reached to the keyboard, Dad's hand, he hit the key that attached the email and sent the email

The screen went dead

Think, think. Start by asking the right questions: When did this happen? Tuesday, December 16th 8:17 a.m. Every text after 8:17 was either coerced or sent by the men I saw in Dad's room. They have to be working with the people who've been chasing me all day.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw movement in the back window. He grabbed a metal paperweight from his desk and pegged it at the window. It punched a hole throughout the glass and clipped something that spun and fluttered to the roof. He hurried to the window, lying on this singles outside, was the small Pidgey. It twitch once or twice, then lay still. He gathered the still-warm bird in his hands and brought it inside

A puff of smoke rose from the center of the bird's chest, giving off an acrid smell. He noticed a small seem on the grid's chest that the smoke leaked from. He grabbed his Swiss Army knife from the desk and opened the blade, pressing against the seem until it gave way. He pried the seem apart and found wires and circuits-"

There was a knock at his door "Ash, are you okay? I heard something break" Delia asked from just outside the door

"I dropped a glass, I'm just cleaning it up" he was motionless, waiting for her to try and open the door and raise hell when she found it barred.

She paused "As long as you're alright, dinner's ready"

He listened to her descending footsteps, then grabbed a towel from the bathroom and folded it around the bird. He heard and car outside and looked through the window to see a familiar set of headlights coming slowly down the street. Dad's car.

Ash firmed his resolve, they'd rehearsed the drill a hundred times: Two minutes to drop everything and run. Will threw a first-aid kit into his backpack, he dropped some clothes, his iPod, his sunglasses, his laptop, a book, and the bird in the towel. He grabbed his emergency money, a hundred and forty-three bucks, and stuffed his Swiss Army Knife in his pocket.

Rule #77: THE SWISS AMRY KNIFE DOESN'T AMOUNT TO MUCH, BUT NEVEE LEAVE HOME WITH IT

He added a worn notebook with a black marble cover, Dad's rule book. He stuffed Ms. Drasna's business card in his pocket after memorizing her number, he stuffed the packet into his backpack with his assort and zipped it shut.

Dad's Volvo rolled to a stop in front of the house, the passenger and back doors opened, and three men in black suits and caps with a red "R" on the right bicep stepped out. The driver's side door opened and Riley Ketchum stepped out. The Black Caps surrounded him as he looked up at the house.

'Now the question is: Is that my Dad, or is he like Mom?

One of the Black Caps shoved Riley towards the house. He turned around and pushed the man away, and that's when Ash knew he was still looking at his father. 'Whatever they did to Mom, they haven't done to him yet'

As he heard the front door open, Ash slung the one strap of his backpack around his shoulder, ignoring the sting of pain from the scratches and swung over edge of the roof and lower himself to the ground. He landed silently, and avoided the windows as he moved. He figured he had three minutes till the Black Caps forced his door open.

He ran out the back gate and into the welcome cover of darkness. He started his stopwatch and ran toward town for the second time that day. No limits. Faster than this morning. Faster than ever.

Rule #5: STAY FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND

They'd get into their cars and spread out to look for him. If they didn't find him, they'd notify the cops: Post and Amber Alert about a missing kid and you can roll out the army, navy, air force, marines, not just the local police. They might even set up road blocks. How long before that happened?

Half an hour at most. He might get out by then, but that was using the roads and if he stayed in the open, they'd eventually find him. But they had no idea who they were messing with. They had no idea how resourceful and determined Ash Ketchum could be.

He quickly punched in a number he memorized while running. She answered on the third ring "Lillian Drasna"

"Ms. Drasna, it's Ash Ketchum"

"Hello Ash, are you alright? You sound out of breath"

"Just out on a run"

Helps clear your head doesn't it?"

"Somedays more than others" Ash said

"How was the rest of your day?

"It was... uneventful. But you were right, I've had a lot to think about"

"So how can I help?"

"Are you out of Kalos already?"

"Yes I'm driving to the Center right now"

'So much for that idea'

How quickly do you think I could start"

"At the Center? Does that mean you're accepting?"

"Yes"

Ash reached the end of the road and turned down the slope toward town, picking up speed. "First Ash, let me say that I really pleased, and to properly answer your question, our next semester begins in January. We'd encourage you to transfer then"

"This is going to sound a little strange"

"Try me, Mr. Ketchum"

"I'd like to start tomorrow" he was met with silence for a moment "Told you it was going to sound strange"

"I've heard stranger, so you'd like to transfer effective immediately"

"Is it possible"

"Well, we have your transcripts and I assume your family is on board with this?"

"Couldn't wait to get me out of the house"

"So everything's signed and filled out?" The distant sound of a helicopter filed the night air, followed by sirens. Ash glanced down at the time, four minutes, that was fast. "You mentioned you'd pay my travel expenses?"

"Indeed I did"

"So if it's not too much trouble, could I catch a flight tonight"

She hesitated "Is everything alright on your side?"

Ash hesitated too "That needs to be part of the longer conversation you wanted us to have" he reached the edge of town in record time, skirting the north end of the business district and took a deep breath. Judging from her silence, she needed more convincing "You helped me today, you haloed me realize that I needed a really, really, really big change in my life. And you cam looking for me. What difference does it make if I start tomorrow or ten weeks from now?

"Ash, I don't know this is all..." she trailed off at the end

Time to bring out my trump card "By the way, that test in September? They gave us three hours to finish it, and I spent less then twenty minutes on it. And the truth is, I wasn't even trying. And what's up with the fingerprints an DNA scanning with your magic chalkboard? Mind telling me why the school needs that?"

"Is that what you think it was?"

"I don't care what it was. You want me there, and my answer is yes. I wouldn't be asking if I din't need this"

"Tell me exactly what you need"

"A plane ticket from the closest airport that'll get me there, right now"

"I want ot help Ash, but I'm going to have to call the headmaster's office about this, can I call you back in five?"

"Yeah"

She ended the call. Ash stopped across from the local taxi office, ams all company the serviced Ambrette and ran shuttles to the airports. Their storefront was lit up but empty. After debating a little bit, Ash ran across the street and into the taxi company. An old fashioned bell jingled as he entered. A tall brown haired man with equally dark-tinged skin walked out of the back room. His company polo shirt had a name rage pinned into it: Brock

Brock looked him up and down "How's it going?"

Channeling his inner best, chess club nerd, Ash said "Good, good. So, uh, how much is it for a ride to the airport?"

"South side is forty, North side is twenty. Which one do you need?"

Ash held up his wrist, showing his Xtransceiver "I'm waiting to find out. Would it be okay if we left now and I told you which one not the way?"

"Sorry, but they're in opposite directions, it's got to be one or the other"

"But I'll know before we have to decide which way to turn"

"If it's south side, I just quoted you the four person price. I'm supposed to wait till I have a full cabin"

"I could pay you sixty-five" almost half of his entire reserve

"Wouldn't even pay for the gas"

"But my dad just got in a really bad accident so I need to get out of here tonight to go meet him in the hospital. I'm just waiting for my Mom to call me about which airport"

Brock looked skeptical "So where is your dad now?"

"Intensive care, in Slateport. That's wear it happened"

"Sorry man, that sucks" Ash pretended to bury his face in his sleeve and hide a tear, turning away a little.

"You know what, my boss is out of town tonight, so fuck company policy. We got to get you to the airport" Brock grabbed keys form under the counter and led the way to the door. Ash followed him outside, scanning the street for pursuers. Brock slid open the minivan's side door, allowing Ash to hop into the back seat. Brock climbed behind the wheel and fired up the engine.

"What's you name?"

"Ash Ketchum"

"Well Ash, trying to help your dad out while he's messed up in a different region, that's fucking awesome. I respect that" Brock said with a smile

"Thanks Brock" and now Ash felt like shit

As they headed out of town and into the highway, two police cars raced by, sirens wailing. "What the hell is going on? The police are everywhere. I brought myself up here to get away from this shit"

"Where'd you come from?"

"Kanto, Pewter City. Compare to that place, this is paradise. They shot a movie here and made it look like a slice of heaven"

"They based that movie off the book Lost Horizon. My Dad told me about it when we moved here, the movie's called the same thing"

"You think it's on DVD now?"

Ash felt his wrist vibrate with a familiar pattern "I'm here" he answered

"There's a flight from the south Ambrette airport going to Ever Grande City at eight forty-five. that's the only flight that's headed out of the region. Can you make it?"

"Yes"

"There's a ticket waiting under your name at the counter"

"Thank you"

"It gets in at eleven. We're working on getting you from Ever Grande to Mauville but that'll be taken care of by the time you reach the airport. We'll send a car and a driver to meet you at the baggage claim. And Ash, the headmaster an I both want to discuss this, in detail, when you arrive"

I should be able to come up with something believable by then. "Of course, I'll see you then"

"Drasna ended the call, but for Brock's benefit he added "Love you Mom, always and forever". Disgustingly proud of myself right now

"Where we headed?"

"South side, eight forty-five flight"

"Got you covered"

"Ash leaned back and took a deep breath. He was starving, almost shaking with exhaustion and stress, but he couldn't afford to take a break now. There was a small ping from his Xtransceiver: a new voicemail. He plugged in his earbuds and hit play.

"We're really worried about you, son. This sin't like you, running off like this. But it's okay, we're not mad or upset with you. If it's because of the new school, we would never force anything on you. Your uncle went away to a school and had a great experience, but it has to be up to you. Just let us know you're okay" the message ended. Ash didn't have an uncle. That means Dad was still Dad and he was telling him to keep running.

"Hey Ash, you hungry? I got some water and some snacks in the console"

"That'd be great" Brock handed back a bag of trail mix and a bottle of cold water. Ash scarfed it down and chased it with water. Just then, brake lights up ahead showed a slow in traffic. 'Road block'

"Hey Ash, Highway Patrol's set up a checkpoint before the turn to south side, I don't know if that means anything to you"

Ash leaned forward, they were ten cars away from the three CHP cruiser turned sideways, blocking both lanes headed south.

"If we're going to make you flight we can't get caught up in this mess. On the floor behind you, see a black strap? Pull it up, hard. Then hop in"

Ash undid his seatbelt and grabbed the strap. The floor lifted on the first pull, revealing a storage well big enough to some suitcases, or him

Brock turned around and looked at him calmly "If I'm crazy and the cops aren't looking for you, then stay in you seat. I'm good either way" Brock said, noticing Ash's hesitation. Ash returned Brock's steady gaze and thought 'Can I trust you'

"Yes"

"Excuse me?"

"You'll fit with enough room for your bag. What's your number?"

Ash told him before putting his backpack in the bottom of the well before curling around it. It was tight, but he just squeezed in. "Pull down the strap and hold it, mute your Xtransceiver and put in your earbuds. I'm going to give you updates as we go" Ash pulled the hatch down and disappeared into darkness. His Xtransceiver filled the well with a faint white light before showing he had an incoming call.

"Four cars to go, I'm going to put this on speaker" Brock said when Ash answered

He heard Brock set the phone on the center console and turn on the game. Ash slowed his breathing and reached out with his senses. He heard the window being rolled down before their car rolled forward and stopped. He heard footsteps, then an authoritative male voice

"Where are you headed tonight?"

"Pickup at the south side airport, Officer"

"Would you roll down your rear windows, please?"

He assmued Brcok nodded because he could feel the gears whirring beneath and the steady hum of the windows retracting into the doors. He heard something being rolled underneath the van. Probably a wheeled security inspection device with angled mirrors. "Are you carrying a spare tonight?"

"Always do"

"I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the car sir"

Ash tensed, expecting a hand to rip the well door open. but the silence was shattered by a sound that made his eyes widen. A raucous, unmuffled, familiar V-8 roaring up behind them on the highway. It accelerated wildly as it raced towards them. There was a pause before a massive shattering crash. The eninge growled away, past the checkpoint

The Highway Patrol officers yanked the mirror from under the van, shouting in their radios. moments later, the cruisers peeled out, sirens wailing. "Hang tight, we're on the move, but you should've seen it, that was fucking awesome"

"A Corvette Stingray jumped the roadblock?"

"The guy went fucking Evil Knievel on them. He shot, like ten feet into the air, over all three cruiser and sticks the landing on a fourth. Then he just keeps riding down the highway... Alright, you can come out now"

Ash pushed the hatch open and stretched out a kink, settling back into his seat.

"Did you see that Corvette before?"

"Earlier in town today, yeah" Ash heard a ding in his earbud and looked down at his phone

GET AWAY. FAST. I'LL FIND YOU.

It wasn't a text, nor an email. Just big letters, by themselves on the screen. The Corvette guy?

"Who was that guy?"

"No idea" Ash mumbled "Do you think they'll look for me at the airport?"

"They're going to be chasing that Corvette for a while, he's probably halfway to Lumiose by now, o run a drive through for a burger" they shared a chuckle.

"Is that Xtransceiver the latest model?"

"I think so"

"Alright, slide out the secondary screen, go into settings, and activate call protection. That'll keep you form being tracked"

Ash began to fight the urge to close his eyes, refusing to sleep at such a critical time. As they were turning into the airport, Brock turned to look at Ash "When you get inside, but some new clothes and buy a duffel bag to stuff your backpack in. Just get some touristy crap and make sure you look different. You should be fine from this point on, unless they already got your name in the TSA system. If they do, you're kind of fucked"

Ash began taking out his wallet to pay "Put that away, I don't want it"

"But I need to pay you, you're going to get in trouble because of me"

"I got it covered, besides I doubt I could get into any more trouble than hiding you in my car. I can just grab some people coming out and charge them double". They laughed again as Brock slid to the curb of a terminal.

"Why did you help me Brock? You could've gotten yourself in a lot of trouble for it"

He shrugged "Just, when you came in, I felt a voice telling me you were important, and that I needed to step up and be a man. Now you better call me when you get there and tell me how your Dad is doing, okay?"

"I promise. Tell Forest and all your siblings they should be proud of you"

"When did I tell you about my family?"

Ash shrugged. Truth is, Brock didn't. In fact, Ash didn't know how he knew. Whatever, there's been enough weird things going on for him to forget about it, for now

Rule #28: LET PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE YOU. THAT WAY THEY'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF

Two minutes after Ash went inside and Brock left, a black sedan pulled to the curb

Believe it or not I'm basing that Principal Briggs thing off my own personal experience. I fucking hate how impassive school faculty are towards their students until they do something noteworthy. Also, the mismatched eye thing will come into play later, but I also did it a little because I wanted to write how people would react. When I first took off my shirt in the locker room all the guys just stared. It was so funny. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and come on, 12,000 words for me is a lot, I'm kind of proud of myself right now. Leave whatever you feel like putting in the comments, I think I'm going to continue answering the reviews/questions at the beginning of each chapter. My schools hours will leave gaps in my response PMs which will annoy me. I hope you enjoyed and there will be more, I don't know when that'll be however.

-novaking2832