Johan07: Surprise? So am I. For those who were wondering, no. I did not abandon this story. I'm going to work on it until it's finish, no question ask. Unfortunately, the updates for it will be at a slow pace. Sorry if you were hoping for fast updates. I will try my best to get at least one or two chapters posted for each month. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Pokémon or the OCS from other authors. However, I do own Ren (my OC) and a few others.

Rated: M

Word Count: 5,067

Pairing (s): Ash/Hunter J (eventually), slight Ash/harem, and multiple OC/OC pairings

Summary: They couldn't believe it. No one did. How can they? After nearly five years of believing he was dead by the hands of Pokémon Hunter J, no one, especially his former friends would have ever thought Ash would align himself with the same woman who kidnapped him years ago, Pokémon Hunter J. Now, the plot thickens. How will his former friends deal with the dark reality of him turning his back on everyone who once believed in him? And what is the deal with this mysterious girl by the name of Ren? What is her connection to Ash? And more importantly, who are these group of trainers by the name of Elite Force 13? Why are they here? And why are they helping Ash and J? Can Ash's former friends overcome the odds and bring back their once friend from the darkness? Or is it too late to save him? Stay tune and find out.

Black Raven Attacks

xxxxx

Miles and miles away from Professor Juniper's laboratory in Unova, there was a lonely gray aircraft with a black bird-like symbol in the sky. It was traveling at a high velocity rate. And from the looks of it, the mini airship was zooming in on a certain location. Most likely, it was heading towards Professor Juniper's laboratory with a sole purpose. What purpose that might be? Who knows? One can only assure that it can't be good, not for Unova and certainly not for Professor Juniper.

xxxxx

Onboard the speeding aircraft and waiting inside the ship's dispatching zone, there was a group of men in gray jumpsuits. They were all sitting around quietly in their respective seats. And by the looks of it, the men were all waiting patiently for their ship to reach its destination point. Once it does, therealfun can finally begin. Till then, all the men can do for now is play the waiting game and wait. The same ruling goes to everyone else who was onboard the ship.

Just you wait.

In the end, the entire wait will be worth it, but enough about that.

At the far edge corner, there was a young male figure, no older than eighteen years of age, sitting by himself. Unlike the older males, he was dawned in nothing, but black clothing and accessories, which consists of a black trench coat, pair of black pants, and pair of black boots. On the back of his trench coat, there was a white logo in a form of a bird, most likely a raven. Around his neck was some kind of a mechanical device with a red jewel-like center. On top of his messy black hair was a black newsboy cap, given to him by someone important. Last, but not least, he was wearing a fingerless black glove with a logo, similar to the one on his coat, over his right hand.

With all the pieces slowly coming together, one can assume that this young man is the leader of the pack, at best, the leader of the operation.

He could be.

Only time will tell.

Apart from his dark appearance, there was something mysterious about the young male. His face was shrouded in darkness, keeping all his enemies in suspense about his identity. Even now, when glancing down at his lap in deep thought while fidgeting around with a pair of goggles, similar to the ones Hunter J uses, in his hands, his true identity was still in the dark. Well, to most, that is.

From where it looks, all men in the gray jumpsuits were all keeping their distant away from their young commander and for good reason. The chilling atmosphere around the young male was giving them the heebie jeebies. They know better not to cross boundaries with him when he's like this. That would be a death wish. So it would be a wise choice if they just leave him alone for a while with his thoughts until they arrived at their destination. That way, tensions can be avoided. Smart move, right?

But even so, some can't help, but wonder what was on his mind.

Truth to be told, its best not to know

"Sir!" A voice called out to the young commander's attention, breaking the awkward silence among the group.

While most acknowledge the co-pilot and his approaching form, one did not. And that one happens to be the leader himself. Even now, when the co-pilot made his way over to the young leader's side, the young lad in black still refuses to acknowledge his presence, much less give him a second glance of awareness.

"Sir," The co-pilot called out again, in hopes the young leader would give him a second or two, this time around. There was something important that the male co-pilot wanted to inform the young male about.

"What?" The hat-wearing male asked in an icy cold tone while avoiding eye contact with the ship's co-pilot. "Can't you see I'm busy thinking?" His voice filled with venom.

The male co-pilot slightly flinched at the cold treatment. "Uh, well, yes, but…" He stuttered.

Annoyed, the young male barked angrily at the bumbling idiot before him. "Just get on with it already!" His patience was growing thin, especially when he had to work with stupid morons like this guy before him. Ugh, why must his life suck so much?

The co-pilot jumped in fright. "W-W-We're minutes away from our target, sir!" He reported. "Just wanting to let you know," And he was being very sincere about it, too.

After hearing that and collecting his composure, the young commander gave the frightened man a slight nod. "All right, then." All he said before dismissing the man back to his duties.

The co-pilot saluted before heading back to the cockpit.

With the news of them closing in on their location, it was time for the group to prepare themselves for the upcoming mission. But first, before anything could happen, the young leader needed to conceal his identity. It was very crucial if he did.

Once he placed his goggles over his face and got up from his seat, he turned his attention to his men who were all staring at him, in return. "Men, this is it. The time of reckoning is upon us. Our main goal is to achieve our objective. Failure is NOT an option. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!"

"I can't hear you!"

"YES, SIR!"

With their minds set, it's only a matter of time before they accomplish their goal.

xxxxx

Professor Juniper's Laboratory

"Professor!" Rushing into the lab was a young female in a white lab coat with glasses. And by the sound of her tone, she sounded a bit panicky about something. "Professor!"

Hearing that she was being called upon, a very familiar, brown-haired woman, in her early thirties, with a light blue lab coat over a white top and green skirt, turned her undivided attention to the other woman. So did, everyone else. They were all curious. What was up with the big commotion?

"Chloe, what's the matter?" One of the male scientists asked.

And just like that, the question was completely ignored by the young female as she made her way over to her mentor's side. Once Chloe took her time catching her breath from all the running she did and made sure everyone's eyes were on her, she took the opportunity to explain herself on why she was causing such a commotion. "Professor, are you expecting any guests today?" She asked.

The female professor known as Professor Juniper, blinked at the random question. That was out of the blue. Nevertheless, she still took the question under her thoughts.

After a little while of thinking it over and ruling out all possibilities that came to her mind, she came down to one conclusion. "Not that I think of, no." The female researcher finally responded to the question. "Why do you ask?" She asked, causing everyone to stare at Chloe.

"Well… I thought you were, Professor." The young female started while taking notice of all the stares around her. "Because when I was doing some research work outside, I spotted an aircraft heading this way." She further explained, causing the head researcher of the region to raise an eyebrow.

"An aircraft?" Chloe nodded.

"Yes." The female intern stated.

"Hmm…" Now Professor Juniper was getting more and more suspicious by the minute after hearing that. She cupped her chin and pondered for a moment. Why would a random aircraft be heading towards their direction? They weren't expecting anyone today. So what's the deal?

The more Juniper thought about it, the more she couldn't help, but get a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

And right on cue, something did.

*BOOM*

The loud explosion suddenly caught Juniper and her group's undivided attention as they turned their heads quickly to the right where they see a cloud of smoke pouring into the room from the once wall, now a big gap entrance. Taking no chances, the group stood their ground as much as possible. They all know the worst is yet to come and they were right. No sooner when the explosion died, things took the turn for the worst.

"Move in!" An unfamiliar voice barked.

Soon Professor Juniper and the other scientists would hear what it sounds like a stampede of footsteps inching closer to them and they were getting louder by the second. No sooner when the female professor and her group heard them, a group of figures burst through the thick smoke and surrounded them. Immediately, the Unova professor recognized the gray uniforms and knew right away, who these thugs were.

"You work for Hunter J and…"

Before she could even finish her sentence, one of the evil men caught her off by reaching to his belt and pulled out a Poké ball before tossing it. "Spinarak, String Shot!" He commanded.

Emerging from the bright light was a small green, spider-like Pokémon with six yellow legs, each having a black stripe on them. Following its master's orders, the green insect shot a strong silk of thread around each of the scientist, except for Juniper, from its mouth.

"I-I can't move." One of the trapped scientists gasped.

"Me neither!" One of the females cried, trying to wiggle free, but to no avail.

"What are you doing?" The brown-haired professor demanded with a hard glare at the evil group. "What do you want from us?"

Instead of getting an answer from one of the evil men, she got an unexpected response from an unexpected voice. "You know exactly what we came here for, Professor."

Upon hearing that, Juniper shot her undivided attention straight ahead to see a lonely figure in black exiting out from the thick smoke. Once the male figure made his presence known, he stood his ground and waited to see what kind of reaction he would get from the female professor and her group. Knowing his infamous reputation, there was no shout of a doubt that he will get one.

"Black Raven!"

See, I told you.

Unfazed by all the hatred around him, Black Raven stood there and took all the heat as if they were nothing. Ignoring all the angry looks, the young male stared at each one of his trapped captives before his attention fell right onto Professor Juniper. From there, he couldn't help, but get this nagging feeling within him. Was it because of Professor Juniper? Or was it because of something from his dying past? Whatever the case was, the young villain couldn't help, but get this off his chest.

"Long time no see, Professor." He started in a cold tone. "You haven't changed one bit." The female professor was taken aback by this.

"W-W-What?" She blinked in confusion. Long time no see? Haven't changed one bit? What the hell was Black Raven talking about? She doesn't know him. In fact, this is her first time seeing him in person and face-to-face. Really, it was. So what's the deal? Why was he saying all these things to her like he knew her? Was he playing mind games with her? There was a chance he was. If so, there was no way she can let him get to her.

"What are you talking about?" Juniper glared at the young man before her.

Black Raven shut his eyes for a brief second before shaking his head. "Nothing," He started, causing the brown-haired woman to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "It's nothing at all. Forget what I said." He told her in his icy cold tone. "The time for pointless chat is over."

The head researcher stood her ground. She knows what's coming next. "Fork over what we came here for."

Once again, Professor Juniper had no clue what the young criminal was talking about. "Fork what over?"

"Don't play games with me, Professor." Black Raven hissed with venom in his tone. "You know, and I repeat, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't…" The female professor argued.

"Really?" The boy in black asked as he still didn't buy into her lame answer.

"Yes, I have no clue what you are… talking… about…"

Just then, something and I mean something… clicked in the back of Juniper's mind. Wait! Does he mean…

Soon realization came to the female researcher as she turned her attention quickly to the left where there was a big glass case on a lonely stand. Inside, there were several old-looking rocks in a form of a purple shell on a soft cushion, hinting that these rocks were valuable and important. And by the looks of it, they were also targets to the eyes of Black Raven and his men. Oh, no!

"You can't!" Juniper quickly turned her attention to Black Raven and shouted, causing all members within her group to stare at her in confusion, as to why she was shouting at the young male. "Those Cover Fossils are very important to our research. You can't have them!" She growled, causing her group to gasp in surprise at the sudden news. So that's why Black Raven and his band of thugs were here. They came here to steal their fossils under their noses. Well, that explains everything. But there was no way they were going to let the young male and his group slip away with their recent finds now. That would be horrible. But as usual, Black Raven couldn't care less about other people's needs and wants. A mission is a mission. Nothing else really matters at this point.

"I couldn't care less about your research." The young criminal said in his cold tone. "Or anything else for that matter." He added. Juniper glared hardly at him. "Our client is very interested in adding those fossils to his collection. So step aside or face the consequences. It's your choice, Professor."

"I choose, neither!" The boy in black smirked a little.

So typical, Why do they always have to choose the hard way? It's best to give in than fight. Oh, well, like it matters anyway.

Before anyone could stop Juniper, the brown-haired woman ran over to a nearby counter and picked up three rounded objects off the table, which turns out to be Poké balls. "Tepig, Oshawott, Snivy, I need your help. Come on out!" She threw all three at once.

Popping out from the Poké balls were three small creatures. One was a Fire-type in a form of a small pig. One was a Water-type in a form of a bipedal sea otter. And one was a Grass-type in a form of a reptile, most likely a snake. These three were Juniper's only "hope" in saving the fossils. Can they do it? Who knows? It depends.

Just by glancing at the three little starters before him, it didn't seem like Black Raven was at least bit bothered by their presence. In fact, it didn't seem like he was taking the trio seriously enough. Sure, in the rule of the Pokémon world, you shouldn't judge or underestimate any sort of Pokémon by its appearance alone. One day, it will come back and bite you in the ass. Yes, the apprentice of Hunter J already knows that. But, come on. At least he gives him a worthy challenge. Facing those three small fries before him wouldn't be much a fight. But, oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. He will just have to deal with it.

As much as the young criminal was staring face-to-face with the three starters of Unova, he couldn't help, but smirk a little at the fact that he was now facing off against the three Pokémon he used to have back in the days when he was a naïve trainer. Kind of ironic, isn't it? How bits and bits of his former life are slowly coming together. I guess there are some things in his old life that cannot be forgotten and this was one of it.

Regardless, that won't stop him from moving on into the future, a future that he established for the likes of him and others who are following his example.

"Are you serious about using those three against me?" Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy all glared at Black Raven. What did he mean by, if she was serious about using them? Was he basically calling them weak? They thought so. As for Juniper, she was thinking that he was insulting the starters for being a poor choice to do battle since they were still inexperience in battling, but wasn't quite sure. Even if she was sure, that still doesn't give Black Raven the right to look down at Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy for being small and inexperience. She will show him a thing or two.

"Of course I'm using them." The female professor firmly stated, lighting up the trio's spirit. "I have faith in each one of them." A small frown tugged against the corner of Black Raven's lips when he heard this. "As trainers and researchers, we shouldn't judge or underestimate Pokémon…"

"By its appearance," The young male in black cut her off and finished her sentence. "Yes, I know. You don't need to remind me, Professor. I don't need a lecture from you." The Pokémon researcher glared at him. "But since you're asking for a fight," Soon the small frown on his face was replaced by a small smirk. "Then I have no choice, but to give you one."

Once he said that, the young male reached for his belt and detached a Poké ball from his waist. Soon he would toss it and out came a rock-like creature. Whatever it was, its stone-like blue body and head was covered in crystal-like features. The red crystals also covered its four legs, with two claws jutting out on each limb. It has red eyes, but in a form of some kind of a crest. With all the evidence adding together, this Pokémon was a Rock-type and goes by the name Gigalith, the final evolution of Roggenrola.

Now knowing what type of Pokémon she was up against, and now knowing what Pokémon it was, Juniper finds herself a little baffled on Black Raven's choice. For starters, why would he choose a Rock-type when she had a Water-type and a Grass-type out in the opening? Didn't he know that Rock-types are weak against Water and Grass-types and that he was at disadvantage? So why pick that one? Sure, Gigalith are known for power and strong defense. But there's a downside to all of that. They are very slow. So why pick a Gigalith? Was Black Raven toying with her? Or did he actually have a plan? Who knows? Only time will tell.

"You seem a bit surprised." The young male in black started, causing Juniper to snap out from her little daze. "Is my choice that much of a disadvantage?" He asked in a slight amused tone. "And here I thought you said not to judge a Pokémon by its appearance." The female professor glared at him. "I guess all of that was nothing, but a lie, then."

"It wasn't a lie!" The young criminal snorted.

"Whatever the case," Black Raven scoffed, causing the older woman to harden her glare. "Let's just get this little battle started already." Juniper had a strong feeling he would say something like that. "Let's see what your little starters are made of."

If it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he will get. The Unova professor had no problem accepting the challenge, even if it did felt like a trap to a bigger one. She will still accept his little challenge no matter what. Stakes were at risk. She must do what must be done.

"Fine!" The brown-haired woman shouted. "Tepig, Ember! Oshawott, Water Gun! Snivy, Vine Whip! Let's go!"

Following their direct orders, all three Pokémon quickly leaped up into the air and performed their respective moves.

Tepig shot out bits and bits of fire from its nostrils.

Oshawott shot out a blast of icy cold water from its mouth.

Snivy lashed out a pair of green vines from its shoulders.

All three attacks were accurate and they were all heading straight towards Black Raven's Gigalith.

As the attacks were locking in and inching closer to their target, one figure from all the rest, did not look too worry at all about the current situation before him and that was Black Raven. The young apprentice of Hunter J stood by with a calm composure. It was clear that he was 100%, no, 110% confident that nothing will happen to his Pokémon. Sure, you may call it arrogance or something like that down the line, but there's a reason as to why he was feeling this way. Over the years, the ex-Pokémon trainer established his reputation as a dominant force and it's going to stay that way for years to come. His skills and battle tactics are second to none. So there was no point for him to feel so worry about the overcome of the situation. The same goes with his Gigalith. Both trainer and Pokémon know that in the end, they will win.

*BOOM*

On impact, the Ember, the Water Gun, and the Vine Whip set off a small explosion causing a thick cloud of smoke to appear. For a brief second, no one could see Black Raven's Gigalith within the thick smoke. That is until it quickly faded away and disappeared.

In the midst of everything, Gigalith came out unscathed, which was no big surprise to Black Raven and his men while it was to Juniper and her group, including the three starters. They couldn't believe it. From all of those attacks, there was no sign of scratches on its body, not a single one.

This was bad.

And by the evil little smirk on the young criminal's face, he knows it.

"Hmph, it looks like it's my turn to attack now." Yes, it was.

Before anyone and I mean anyone could stop Black Raven, the hat-wearing male issued out his counterattack. "Giga Impact, now!" He commanded.

Not giving its opponents a chance to react, the Compressed Pokémon charged forward with great speed. At the pace it was going, it was surprising most people in the room, including Juniper. It was moving three times as fast than a normal one. Talk about being speedy.

That can't be good, especially for Tepig, Oshawott, and Snivy. They were in deep trouble now.

With its momentum building up, Gigalith finds its entire being slowly being engulfed in a ball of energy by its own power. Soon the ball of energy would take on a much bigger form as sparks of electricity would run their course all over it. And in a heartbeat, the Rock-type Pokémon made full contact with its poor victims.

*BAM*

The tremendous force of Gigalith's Giga Impact sends all three starters flying back in agony, causing them to crash right into Professor Juniper in the process. Soon all four bodies flew and slammed against a nearby wall before falling to the floor with a loud thud. "PROFESSOR!" All the scientists cried.

Ignoring their sad, pathetic little cries, Black Raven returned his Rock-type back to its respective Poké ball for a good long rest. "Good job." He muttered in a low tone.

Now that the young apprentice has taken care of Juniper, he can finally move forward with the operation. With a snap of his fingers, two grunts, each holding a black suitcase, ran past his side. They hurried over to the glass case. And without any sort of precaution whatsoever, one of the grunts smashed the glass with his bare fist, completely shattering it into tiny bits of pieces, with some falling onto the floor and scattering all over the place. Soon the two men would safely secure the Cover Fossils into the suitcases. Once all were counted for and safely inside, the two grunts would then run back to Black Raven and reported in.

"We have the fossils, sir!" One of the henchmen informed. "Mission complete," The young boy in black acknowledged his two men with a slight nod.

Mission complete, indeed.

Now that they have the Cover Fossils in their possession, there was no point for them to stick around any longer. They got what they wanted. Now it was their cue to take their leave before Officer Jenny arrives with backup. Or worse, more inconveniences. "Men!" Black Raven turned around and faced his other men who were now standing in attention. "Move out!" He ordered.

"Yes, sir!" They shouted as a unit before saluting to their young leader.

One by one, the grunts who were not carrying the black suitcases, filed out through the big crack, the same opening that the group first made upon their arrival. As Black Raven was about to make his own exit, one of the last two henchmen couldn't help, but ask him this question. "Sir, what about them?" The man nudged his head over to the scientists who were checking on Juniper who was still out cold.

The young apprentice of Hunter J took a brief pause. He stood still for a few seconds and without giving a second glance, he said. "Leave them." Both lackeys blinked at his response. "They are no threat to us." With that being said, he walked off, leaving the two men to give one another a quick glance before quickly following their young leader out the building.

Mission was a success.

Now it was time to head back to base and report in to the one and only Hunter J.

A/N: My original plan was to have Iris and Cilan make an appearance towards the end of the chapter and confront Black Raven. But after thinking it over, I decided not to go with that idea. It's too early and too soon. For now, let's move forward. As you may or might not know this, my computer sucks. Every time I tried to go to Bulbapedia and look up something like a Pokémon or an attack, it freezes up. Seriously, I need a new one. So… updates for this story will be somewhat slower than usual when it comes to adding Pokémon battles into the mix. Sorry… I wish I could something, but I can't. Anyway, I hope you guys like the first chapter. Please R & R! Thank you! Until next time, peace out!

P.S. - Give the proofreading and editing credit to my beta-reader, Final Heir.

Johan07