Chapter 27:

Team Rocket's Revelation

"And it turned out they didn't pay for them! Can you believe that?! How many times can one group of people lie at once?" Jessie asked, slamming her cup onto the table.

"Are you seriously asking me that? You, of all people?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he's got a point there, Jessie," Meowth input.

"Yes, thank you Meowth, that was so helpful. They weren't even arrested either, just sent on their way. I can still see their smug faces!"

"At least our superior commended our effort," James said, flopping forwards onto the table. "But I'm beat. That's the most exercise I've done since coming to Alola."

"You guys seem to have some sort of war going on with Team Skull," Ash said.

"Somewhat," Jessie answered.

"We've caught a few of them vandalising and stealing; it's kind of like an ode to where we began as Rocket grunts. Strangely, they usually get off with a warning as with today. I'm not too sure why that is," James said. He sat back up, stretching out his back. "Anyway, enough about our mess of a day. Why did you call us, Ash?"

"So, it turns out Oak's trial is finally going ahead," Ash explained. "It's happening sometime next week. As the victim, I have to show up on a video call, and my mum said you guys are being asked for too, as witnesses."

Upon seeing their response, Ash doubled over in laughter at the sheer, ugly contortions that overtook the trio's expressions. It seemed they didn't like the idea of fraternising with the Kantonians after their rocky history.

James was the first to collect himself, coughing to clear his throat. "As much as I would love to be the one to put Oak away, won't it be a bit… awkward for us?"

"Apparently Blue — an ex-champion of Kanto — has negotiated with Lance and your pasts are being ignored for the time being."

"Look, I know we're law-enforcing citizens now, but won't the fuzz in Kanto be a little peeved?" Meowth asked.

"Yeah, probably," Ash said, shrugging.

"So, is this really a good idea?"

"Hmm… Yeah, probably."

"We are the only witnesses," James reasoned. "Well, the only ones not controlled by Oak."

"Eh, sounds annoying."

"Ignoring Jessie," James said, earning himself a hostile 'hey', "yes, we will attend. It is the least we can do."

"Thank you, James," Ash said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've taken leadership of this group lately."

"Oh, definitely not," James denied, waving him off.

"Good. At least you know that," Jessie said. Ash exchanged an amused glance with James. He was way too kind, always trying to appease Jessie's ego.

"Now that that's sorted, Ash, there's something we need to tell you," James said. "When do you think you can get Brock, Dawn, and Clemont together?

"Probably tomorrow night; Clemont's out right now. Why?"

"Excellent," James said. "We want to tell you the reason we left Team Rocket. We didn't say anything for a while because of your whole situation. We didn't want to burden you with more bad news. Now that that is somewhat sorted, we'd like to tell you about it."

"Alright," Ash said, nodding. "I'll mention it when I go upstairs. See you back here tomorrow evening?"

"It's a plan," Meowth said.

Following their talk, the trio headed to their rooms for the evening. Ash made to follow intending to relay their message when the lady at the front desk stopped him.

"May I have a moment of your time?"

"Yes, of course," Ash said, subconsciously righting his tone to fit hers.

"You are one of the occupants of rooms three-nineteen and three-twenty, yes?" Ash nodded. "I must inform you that your payment for the rooms only covers the end of this week. You have one day left, so would you like to pay for an extension?"

"Ah, no thank you," Ash said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. The hotel was spectacular, but it was much too fancy for his taste. Their group looked severely out of place among the refined yet pompous adults, and Ash could tell it made them uncomfortable. Lillie especially.

"Excellent! Thank you for your time," the lady said happily, turning to the papers on her desk.

Sound a bit happier why don't you, Ash thought, heading for the stairs. His focus was interrupted once more when he saw Mallow in the adjacent room — the one designated for the phone and computers.

"Hey, Mallow," Ash said, taking a seat on the stool beside her. "What you up to?"

"Oh, hi Ash!" Mallow said, pulling one earphone out. "I'm just checking over Poké-Vision. There's a new video out from Elesa. It's a collaboration with her best friend, Skyla."

"Oh, Elesa has a profile? Yeah, she would, wouldn't she, being a model and all."

"Yep! She's my second favourite. I just love her fashion shows, too. Not to mention she's a Gym Leader!" Mallow fawned to herself. She suddenly turned on Ash, leaning in close. "Wait, you travelled through Unova, right? Ooooh, you probably met her! I'm so jealous!"

"Hah, yeah, I have met her, Skyla too. Elesa's great, just as she seems. She's not one of those fake celebrities. Honestly, she's pretty fond of puns. I imagine she and Kukui would get along because of that, Samson too," Ash said.

He glanced at the screen, which displayed Mallow's favourites list and a video of Elesa playing in the corner. At the top of the list was Serena's name. Ash sharply inhaled.

"Has your favourite Visioner uploaded anything else recently?" Ash bravely asked. Brave to himself, at least. He could feel his voice wavering, but it seemed Mallow was too occupied to notice.

"Who, Serena?" Mallow asked absently, scrolling onto Serena's page. "No, she hasn't uploaded any new videos. Actually, she's taken down her latest video, the one mentioning her boyfriend and the friend she lost. She even apologised for the video, for some reason. Right now, her status says 'Away on Business'. It's kinda strange."

She deleted it? Ash wondered, his chest fluttering with some mixed, unidentifiable feeling. The video was about her coming to terms with his supposed death and living on, so what did that mean? And why did she apologise? "Right…"

"Hello Mallow, Ash," Lana said in a tired tone upon entering the hotel.

"Hallo!"

"Hey, Lana." Seeing her heading for the stairs, Mallow said, "Come over here!"

"Oh, no, I'll leave you to it," Lana said quickly, ducking up the stairs. Ash frowned. He had seen it when they went Mantine Surfing too. To him, it looked like Lana was avoiding Mallow, pushing her away, distancing herself from her. But then Lana had quickly dragged Mallow into a room when they were choosing, clearly wanting to stay with her. Something was going on there, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

"Don't stay up too late," Ash said to Mallow, saying goodnight and leaving for his room.

Ash informed Brock and Dawn of James' plan — he left Brock to relay the message to Clemont when he got back — then spent the rest of the evening in his room, waiting for Lillie to return from her jog.

Ash decided to check in on Litten, remembering his defeated expression after the battle. Immediately after letting him out of his Pokéball Ash knew something was wrong. Litten's large golden eyes were downcast, void of that twinkle that made them look electric, his head was bowed, his ears folded at the tips.

"Litten…" Ash breathed. He recognised the look in Litten's eyes: a jumble of shame and disappointment. He recognised it all too well. "What's up, buddy?"

For about a minute, Litten said nothing; the room became drenched in silence. Ash said nothing more, either. He merely looked Litten in the eye. He wouldn't speak until Litten was ready. Experience had taught him to do that. In the past, he had pried whenever somebody was upset, but now, he would offer an ear and wait for them to open up when they were ready. Although, if something was evidently killing somebody on the inside, he wouldn't hesitate to pry. He couldn't allow people to suffer so deeply if he knew of it. It didn't appear Litten was at that stage.

Another minute later, Litten meowed a few times.

"So, it is about the battle with Hau," Ash confirmed aloud. "Does it have something to do with your battle against Rowlet?"

Litten confirmed it immediately by the way he made excuses and berated himself. I shouldn't have lost. I should have been at a big advantage. I'm too weak. I failed.

Ash saw himself in Litten's words. He heard the voices that had slated him however many weeks ago — he had no idea how long had passed. Litten exuded that same insecurity Ash had experienced in the early stages of his journey whenever he lost, and after having his whole existence questioned. That feeling of being inferior, of being too weak. Litten was like his younger self, only just emerging into the world.

In actuality, Ash wasn't far wrong. All he knew of Litten's past was that he had been abandoned in that warehouse and lived there alone for some time. Naturally, that had to have affected him. Maybe whatever had happened in his past was heightening his feelings of worthlessness now.

Ash tried his best to console Litten by telling him everybody loses, that everybody experiences what he's feeling, but Litten retorted to everything like a stubborn child. He was in denial. He didn't believe anything Ash was saying. Again, just like a child. Ash quickly realised that was the problem. Litten's heart was still a child, yet to learn of the wider world. A child that only knows abandonment and dejection. Becoming immersed in battling was probably the first thing Litten had enjoyed in a long while, so feeling inadequate at it would affect him tremendously. Litten was almost a reflection of the person Ash had been when he arrived in Alola.

"Listen, Litten," Ash said, laying his hand gently on Litten's head. "What you're feeling is only natural. All of my Pokémon have felt it before. You know how strong Pikachu is. He only became this way because we fought through those feelings. We've lost countless times, but we've always come back stronger because of each one. You've even done it. You didn't get so dejected after fighting Salazzle."

All Litten said was That's different, before leaping from the bed and scurrying out the door.

"Litten!" Ash called, and then sighed because he realised it was in vain. Litten just needed time to calm down. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried. Ash grabbed two Pokéballs from his bag and went out to the balcony, sending out Staraptor and Talonflame in the dusk sky.

"Hey, guys. Can you keep an eye on Litten for me?" Ash asked, earning himself two quick chirps of confirmation. They whipped around and swooped away in tandem.

Ash spent a few minutes longer on the balcony, watching the night sky slowly rearing its head. He could see Lillie lightly jogging along the nearly vacant beachfront, and when he considered what an amazing view it was, the lady's words from earlier about their tenure being up came to his mind. He'd have to let the others know tomorrow, as well as think up another plan for where they were going to stay. He figured their best bet was the next Poké-Center they found. Hopefully, it would be quite close to his next trial location. He'd have to check with everyone first, of course.

Lillie returned a few minutes later. She immediately dived for the bathroom having looked in the direction of the mirror. When Ash asked what was wrong, she said she didn't want him seeing her looking like a tomato berry in a field of snow. Whatever that meant.

When Lillie exited the shower, all of her damp yet shining blonde hair loose down her back, they spent a short while on her phobia — during which time Ash told her about the need to find a new place to stay — before heading to sleep.

Once again, Ash didn't sleep immediately. He waited until he heard the creak of the door, for Litten to pad into the room and curl up in the corner. When Litten fell asleep, Ash opened the balcony doors and let Staraptor and Talonflame in, returning them with a 'thank you'. Only after locking all the doors and returning the smile Lillie gave him, who had one sleepy eye open while she watched, did he sleep.

"Nah, nah, nah! Ash, you've gotta make a Z with your arms and shoulders," Hau instructed, demonstrating the pose for Breakneck Blitz. "Your forearms are the top of the Z, and the rest of your arms and shoulders should kinda connect the two parts."

"Like this?" Ash asked, moving his arms to what he seemed to assume was the correct position. He turned towards Lillie, who had been given the job of judging Ash's stance.

"Hmm, not quite," she said. "Raise your top arm a little bit more." Ash did as she said. Lillie placed a hand to her lips, glancing between the two analytically, before nodding. "That seems about right."

"Awesome!" Ash said, sighing and dropping his arms. "We've been at this for hours. I wanna get to using the moves already…"

"Z-Moves are kinda like dance moves. You have to learn all the steps first, then you give it a go with the Z-Ring," Hau said. "It took me practising Breakneck Blitz loads of times for Rowlet and Pichu to learn it."

"Hau is right, Ash. There is no need to get impatient-pika," Pikala said.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Ash said. "I'm just determined!"

Pikachu made what Lillie could only make out as a snarky comment.

"Yes, that is how I'm gonna phrase it! Quiet, Pikachu!" Ash said, but he joined in with his partner's laughter anyway.

"How's about you try the movements together now-pika? Mine first!" Pikala asked.

"Sure," Ash said, taking his stance. "Let's do it, Pikachu."

Starting from an X in front of his face, Ash swung his arms outwards and to his sides, then punched them out in front of him, his left atop his right. He brought his hands together beside his head again and moved them downwards in a zigzag pattern, Pikachu mimicking him all the while. Ash's next movements brought a giggle to Lillie's lips, not because of the movements themselves but how unsuited they were to Ash. He swung his arms up beside his head like ears, then tweaked his hands twice beside his cheeks, this time mimicking Pikachu who charged his pouches. He ended with his arms beside his head like ears again, and Hau didn't even bother pretending that he wasn't laughing. He guffawed so obnoxiously it caused Ash to drop his head.

Ash glanced up at Pikala. "Are you sure they're the right movements?"

"Of course-pika! And you pulled them off perfectly! All you need to do is the punch when Pikachu charges up."

"Is that so?" Ash said, rubbing his chin. "Alright, well, I guess I'll just own it. No point brooding. Let's try again!"

Surprisingly, Lillie couldn't find any humour in Ash's movements the second time. He performed them more certainly, without embarrassment. How he had let go of his embarrassment so easily, Lillie didn't know. For a boy like Ash, performing a cute little dance was probably mortifying. He was so much more mature than Hau.

After practising the moves for Catastopika once more, then Breakneck Blitz three times, once with each of his Pokémon — Litten was very half-hearted — Ash flopped onto the grass. He stretched his arms out, rolling his shoulders, and thanked Pikala and Hau.

"Same thing tomorrow? We can get to work actually using the Z-Moves," Ash said.

"Sure-pika!"

"You got it, Ash."

Their Z-Move training for the day completed, the group dispersed. Lillie and Ash returned to their bags alone, grabbing a quick snack before they left the valley.

"Where are we heading next?" Lillie asked excitedly, like a child on a school trip.

"The route beyond Paniola Town! That's the next place to look for a trial. I hope you don't mind me dragging you all over the place."

"Not at all!" Lillie said. If anything, she enjoyed it. Ash's daily schedule was always random. He constantly delved into impromptu activities such as the battle with Hau and their Z-Move training. Spending the day with him was like having your life controlled by a never-ending wheel of fortune. It was quite fun to join in that uncertainty. It was freeing, even.

They exited the valley and entered Paniola Town, which was a spectacle of its own right. Unlike the lavish and clean stone Heahea City was built from, Paniola Town looked like it was ripped out of the past. The houses were built from wooden planks and pallets, with either roofed porches or fenced balconies. The streets were dusty and muddy dirt roads marked with indents of wheels that could only be carriages. A wooden fence ringed the town, and scattered around were wooden barrels and boxes, and bales of hay being munched on by small Mudbray. There was a water tower beside the entrance, and a large wooden windmill in the background, gently rotating in the breeze. The farmland laying beyond matched the town perfectly.

Lillie glanced in every direction as they passed through Paniola Town and into Paniola Ranch. Batches of pastures made into pens by wooden fences lined the path, holding Miltank, Tauros, Mudbray, breeders in dungarees and hay and barrels scattered around within. She absorbed as much of the sights as she could. The path forked left and right outside a small wooden hut, and they came to a stop.

"Hmm, which way to go…" Ash muttered.

"Umm, Rotom, do you know which way we should go?" Lillie asked. The red dex swooped out of her bag, knocking the zip open a little more than it had been.

"Ehh… so you do have things in your bag other than Nebby…" Ash muttered.

"O-Of course I do!" Lillie said, feeling herself involuntarily blushing. She was way too easily flustered.

"It seems that the route—" Rotom began.

"Alright, let's go left!" Ash said, cutting off Rotom and making his way forwards.

"Did you figure out which way we're supposed to be going?" Lillie asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I have no idea where I'm going," Ash said, laughing.

"What-zzt?!" Rotom shouted, an exclamation mark appearing on the screen.

"Yeah, how would I know where I'm going?" Ash asked, turning to them. "Something I've learned after countless adventures and loads of exploring is that it's better this way. If you have a destination in mind, you know the exact route and you stick to it, you can miss out on so much. You miss the small things: little adventures that can crop up from nowhere, Pokémon you may not see, people you may not meet. After all, the journey's no fun if you know where you're going."

How does he do it every time? Lillie wondered, watching Ash as he fought his way through Route 5. It was such a simple idea, and yet Lillie knew she would quote Ash on it forever. The way he turned such a trivial ordeal of checking a map into an important lesson — at least to her — without conscious effort was such a beautiful talent.

But that moment was not an anomaly. No matter the situation, Ash always surprised her, be it his words or his actions. He didn't conform to the methods of the masses, even in such simple situations as checking a map for their location. He deviated, created his own pathway, as she saw when he taught Rockruff Thunder Fang. He didn't follow the rudimentary style of battling but fashioned a style of his own, one so outlandish and unique it would be hard to copy.

Then there was Ash as a person. His compassion and kindness were so true and copious that he even stood out in Alola, where neighbours, even strangers living on different streets, were like family. Two traits so deep and loving that, even when he was personally in agony, he helped other people without a reason. She saw that when he saved her. His happiness and excitement were contagious, his determination admirable. He surprised her every day.

Yet, Lillie didn't know much about Ash in the grand scheme of things. She realised that after the unveiling of his hardships by Hala. She knew what they all knew, and that was what he had told them, but for a reason she couldn't decipher, a reason that had her heart quickening whenever she thought about it, Lillie wanted to know more about Ash. The reason for his dream, what keeps him motivated, how he thinks about different things. Despite her hesitance to explain anything about herself, she wanted to know everything.

"Hmm?" Ash asked, bringing her attention back to him about twenty minutes into the route. "Where's Nebby?"

"Ahh!" Lillie cried, grabbing her back and peering inside. The zip had been pried the whole way open and Nebby was gone. Frantically, Lillie looked up and began scanning the area in a panic. Nebby could have gotten so far in twenty minutes. Thankfully, she spotted Nebby hovering in the glass behind them with some Fomantis and Metapod, the two cloud-like extensions protruding from its body bobbing in delight. "Nebby! Get back in the bag!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Ash breathed in what Lillie could only attribute as frustration. His head was bowed slightly, his index finger and thumb rubbing the underneath of his eyes. They had just spent another two hours exploring Route 5, battling wild Pokémon and trainers alike. Having passed a Poké-Center a few minutes ago — outside of which Lillie suggested that be their new lodgings — they arrived at a canopy of leaves. Beside the clearing stood a signpost. Lillie poked her head around Ash and read the sign.

Brooklet Hill – Designated trial site for the island challenge.

"Wasn't Brooklet Hill the place Lana went fishing?" Lillie asked.

"Yep, and that must mean this is the Water-Type Trial…" Ash muttered, raising his head and pulling his bag on properly again. "Let's have a look, shall we?"

Through the canopy were some wooden steps leading down to a boardwalk across a lake. On the other side of the boardwalk was a small beach, on which rested two pillars identical to the ones outside of Ilima's trial. And, as expected, Lana stood in the centre, her arms folded.

"I was wondering when you'd arrive, Ash!" Lana said as they approached. She was smirking at Ash, then she softened to a smile when her gaze fell on Lillie. "Hiya, Lillie."

"Hello," Lillie greeted.

"So, this is the Water Trial, then?" Ash asked, scratching the back of his head. He wore a thinking face.

"It is indeed, should the small lake be any indication."

"Well, yeah, and you're here…"

"Point taken."

"Ash, are you going to take on the trial today?" Lillie asked. Ash shook his head.

"Nope, not today. There's… something I've gotta try to sort out beforehand," Ash said.

"That's probably for the best. I've still gotta put the final touches on my trial," Lana said.

"I see. Then, how about two days from now? That should give us both enough time to get ready, right? Plus, that'll let us move into rooms in the Poké-Center near here since we've gotta move soon," Ash suggested.

"Ah, yeah, they told me about that too. The earlier the better, I'd say. They're seriously giving us looks…" Lana said.

"They really are…" Lillie added.

"So, two days from now?" Ash reiterated.

"Hmm… How about three? I'm kind of having a bit of trouble, so I may need a little longer."

"Alright then, three days! I can't wait!" Ash shouted, punching the air. Lillie smiled, a consequence of his enthusiasm. Seeing him so happy made her happy.

They spoke with Lana for a short while longer before departing for Heahea City.

Upon re-entering the city, Lillie explained how she wanted to go and meet somebody at a nearby lab, so Ash escorted her. When they arrived, Lillie gave a bow and disappeared inside, content with the day she had had. As if he never tired, Ash said that he was going to train a little more and he headed for the hotel battlefields. Lillie couldn't believe how enthusiastic he was. That was just another aspect of Ash she wanted to know the origin of.

After his day training, Ash took a shower and headed downstairs to meet those that were already present for James' aforementioned news, Team Rocket's revelation. He gave his greetings and took a seat around the table, joining them in waiting for Clemont.

Currently, James and Brock, and Dawn and Jessie were talking to one another, the former pair about James' new job, the latter about the contests Dawn had competed in recently. If the steady, repetitive bouncing of her knee was any indication, Dawn was ruffled by Jessie's constant preaching about how she would have done even better had she continued as a coordinator.

Five minutes later, Clemont stumbled through the door, completely out of breath as per usual.

"Jeez, Clemont, you're so slow!" Ash said jokingly.

"Yes, thank… you… Bonnie," Clemont breathed. He lifted his head, confused. "Wait… Ash!"

A loud round of laughs filled the table — something Ash noticed made the other occupants of the room look restless — and Clemont took his seat.

"Alright, that's everyone," Ash said, turning to James. "So, what's up?"

James cleared his throat. "Well, as I told Ash, we want to explain the reason we left Team Rocket."

"Yes, I've been quite curious about that myself," Brock said.

"Me too. You followed Ash for so long. Something big must have happened for you to change your whole lives," Dawn added.

"Pretty much," Jessie said, seriously for once.

"As you know, we arrived home from Kalos and returned to the Rocket HQ. While there, we gave our report to our higher-ups to pass it on to Giovanni and then decided to head to our quarters," James explained.

"But, see, on the way there, we hatta go past one of the main briefing rooms. A light was on and we heard voices from inside. So, you know, Jessie being Jessie, she forcefully 'suggested we take a peek and see what's goin' on, get in on a big mission for once. She proceeded to push us towards the door despite James' complaints and we ended up eavesdropping," Meowth continued.

"Good job I did, too!" Jessie retorted, huffing as she swung back on her chair, the tips of her lengthy purple hair swiping the ground.

"Yes, we thank you wholeheartedly," Meowth said sarcastically.

Ash said nothing about the fact that they weren't staying focused in the slightest. He rather enjoyed the banter between them. It was refreshing to see that they were actually so close to one another and not just colleagues.

"In a sense, Jessie did indeed get us out of there," James interrupted. "Inside the room were two of the four Team Rocket Admins, Archer and Ariana. They were talking about the past when Team Rocket disbanded for a few years, back before we were recruited. They said a bunch of different things about how they rose from the ashes since, but then the conversation took a darker turn."

"According to them, Team Rocket is on their way down the road to disbandment again because of the continual failures of not only the grunts but the whole organisation. Behind Giovanni's back, they were worried that the whole organisation would soon collapse," Jessie explained.

"We're conniving, but not enough to talk like that behind Giovanni's back…" Meowth added.

"Indeed. So, we ended up overhearing their plan to rectify it. In their words, they were going to 'eliminate the cause of their decline'. In other words, they were planning to eliminate whatever group, faction, person, or Pokémon that was causing such damage to Team Rocket," James said.

"Eliminate?!" Ash loudly spoke, careful not to raise his voice too much to startle the other guests, but loud enough to show how horrified he was. Were they talking about murder?

"As in… kill them?" Clemont asked in a trembling voice.

"I thought you said you didn't know if it was bad or not!" Dawn hissed.

"We don't! Eliminate can mean two things," James said. "As you are suggesting, it can mean to kill the responsible party. However, it can also mean to take down the opposing party, thus eliminating them from causing Team Rocket any issues. However, at that moment, we took the former as the truth."

"It was only natural," Jessie said. "We have never wanted to kill anybody, even if we once used bombs to attack a party of Squirtle…"

"You did what?!" Dawn asked, shouting without a care for the other guests.

"We only planned to injure them, ok?!" Jessie defended.

Ash sighed. "Yeah, I remember that. The Squirtle Squad. Not one of your best moments, that's for sure."

"Hey, we were young grunts looking to impress the boss, ok!" Meowth said.

"I was ten and you threw bombs at me!" Ash countered.

"Oh yeah…"

"Getting back on topic," Jessie said, "we heard that they may be looking to 'eliminate' people and we fled, especially after they said they didn't care about any civilian casualties either and that Giovanni agreed. Before going, though, we did get a peek inside the room. Archer and Ariana were on a call with a bunch of different screens open. We couldn't see who they were talking to, though. Since then, we had a sort of revelation about whether what we were doing was right, if it was worth it. The whole situation with Ash made us realise we needed to change."

"Arceus…" Brock muttered, falling back into his chair.

"What on earth is going on with the world lately?" Clemont breathlessly asked.

Ash had to agree with Clemont on that point. There was his situation, shifty men lurking around Oak's ranch according to Brock, an unidentified Pokémon laying waste to Pallet Town, now the possibility of Team Rocket planning murder. Not to mention the Kalos crisis a few months back and the one with Unbound Hoopa, and the emergence of his Bond Phenomenon. Too many things were happening at once for it to be coincidental, but with no common thread connecting them.

"Do you have any idea who these unknown people could be?" Ash asked.

All three ex-Rocket members shook their heads in unison.

"Another team, maybe?" Dawn suggested.

"Unlikely," Jessie said. "If you take Cassidy and Butch and us as examples, even people within Team Rocket didn't get along. Cooperation with other teams would be even harder."

"What if they're the same people as the ones around Oak's ranch?" Brock asked.

Well, any common thread that wasn't completely farfetched. Ash considered that to be a bit of a reach. Nobody that would have been at the ranch could have done anything that warranted the need to have potential murderers watching them. Unless it was Oak.

"I don't know, Brock," Ash said, and he voiced his thoughts. "Maybe for Oak, at a stretch, but—"

"Yeah, I know it's a bit of a reach," Brock said.

"No, I don't think it has anything to do with your situation, Ash. We just wanted to let you know," James said. "Please don't worry too much. This is our mess to deal with."

"If you say so," Ash said, but he knew it would stick in his mind. It was such a large bombshell that he couldn't forget it even if he wanted to.

That night, Ash couldn't sleep for an entirely different reason.