A/N: Well, well, well what do you know? After not updating this since 2012 I finally got big enough otp-feels to re-read all my old fics and thinking about continuing them (although I'm not sure if I want to continue the high-school one because it is so terrible). It only took me three days of frantic writing to finish the first chapter. I'm not sure why I couldn't finish it back in 2012 already (haha i hope it isn't too obvious where the 2012 text stops and the 2015 text begins). Also, un-beta'ed (for now) so grammar/language mistakes are definitely there. Try not to let them bother you too much!

CHAPTER 1

6 MONTHS EARLIER

They had been flying the whole day, or at least, that's how Ash felt. His bottom was hurting from all the sitting; the benches of this helicopter weren't the softest ones, not even when it was really expensive model. Of course, he could have stretched his muscles every once in a while and maybe walk around a little as the cabin they were staying wasn't exactly the smallest. But Ash knew he couldn't. He was sitting opposite of his father after all and to show Giovanni that he, his son, couldn't even take a few hours flight without feeling sore, was out of the question. You did not show your weakness to the boss of Team Rocket. He would remember. He probably would not do or say anything right away but there was no way he'd just forget. So Ash had swallowed the throbbing pain and sat still. He would stay strong in his father's eyes.

Even if Ash was in minor pain, it didn't mean his pikachu had to be. He had let his dear pokemon to run freely inside of the helicopter. He had gotten, as expected, a brief look from his father but it didn't matter. They have had this conversation million times before. No, Ash would not put Pikachu back to his pokeball as the yellow mouse pokemon did not like it a one bit. And no, he would not make Pikachu sit still and make it learn how to behave. Everyone in Team Rocket behaved so well. Executives, grunts, special agents, he himself, just everyone. Except Pikachu.

Giovanni had given Pikachu to Ash when he had been very young. Maybe 4 years old or something like that. He did not remember that time well. But he knew the reason why he had been given a new friend. His father, against his own promise to Ash's mother, had taken Ash away from his home in Pallet Town. Delia, Ash's mother, was still bitter about it after all these years. So maybe it was to make Ash like his newly found father more or maybe just to shut him up, to stop all the crying, but in the end his father had given him a pikachu. Something that could only be found in Viridian forest, as the Viridian City was now his new home. It was still close to Pallet Town though, so Ash could always visit his mother. Well, whenever it suited his father.

Ash didn't know too much about the two's relationship, actually, he didn't even know if he could call it a relationship at all. His mother openly hated Giovanni. It was a little surprising, as Delia wasn't really the type to hate anyone, but guess everyone had exceptions. His father didn't really care about Delia either. He let her be alone in Pallet Town, let Ash visit her (never the other way around), but Ash couldn't even remember if he had ever seen them talking to each other. Grunts always escorted him to Pallet Town and were around the house like some kind of bodyguards. There were many times when Ash had wanted to ask his mother about Giovanni and how the two had met, but he knew thinking about his father only got Delia angry, so he had let it slip by all these years.

His father would be angry if he knew his only son was thinking about such useless thoughts. He expected a lot from Ash, as he was someday to be leader of Team Rocket. Ash assumed that's why he had chosen to take him away from his mother 15 years ago; to train him. And Giovanni was doing a swell job indeed. Ash was strong and not just physically and mentally. He was a strong pokemon trainer as well. There was nobody in Team Rocket who could defeat him and his team (his father didn't count because he had never battled Ash and probably would not until the day he was ready to step down).

The team Ash was using had changed many times over the years. His father and most of the grunts and executives usually stuck with one team of six pokemon, but not Ash. He wanted more variety, more challenge, more... friends. Pikachu was the only one always staying by his side, others he rotated more often. He didn't catch his pokemon though. The were brought to him by the grunts. Well more like, his father had assigned these two grunts to always look for new pokemon for Ash, whenever he wanted so. So for this new region the grunts, Jessie and James, had brought him Turtwig (well it wasn't a mere turtwig anymore, Ash had long ago evolved it into a torterra), Buizel, Staraptor, Gliscor and Gible (now a gabite).

They were all Sinnoh pokemon, and not without a reason. They were moving. The whole organization, to a different region. Kanto was theirs, had been for a few years now. There had been couple of trainers trying to stop them (one very persistent kid with a pikachu especially, but he was long gone now) and maybe they wouldn't have succeed if Giovanni hadn't had Ash's on his side. They were powerful alone but when put together they were almost invincible. After Kanto Team Rocket had conquered Johto, the neighbor region. It had been a half test for Ash. This time his father was not by his side, it was up to him, the executives and half of the troops to take the region under control.

It had not been easy, one missing toe reminding Ash about not taking his opponents lightly, even when they were mere 13 years old kid with an obviously weaker typhlosion than his own one. But at least he was still alive, unlike that kid. Ash did not enjoy killing, especially killing kids was something that disgusted him, but sometimes it was necessary. And it had been that kid's own fault anyway. Ash had told him many times, not to interfere with their plans, told him it would cost him his life, just like it had cost that boy and his pikachu's life. But had the kid listened? Of course not. Ash doubted if the roles were switched he wouldn't have listened either. Besides, he had a big plan in his mind, a plan that needed to succeed, no matter how much it would cost him and his conscience. He needed more grunts, he needed control over various regions. Surely he wasn't going to back off now, not after all these years. Not just because some kid would not listen him no matter how much he had tried. Liar, he had called him. Bastard. Pretty much the last words ever heard from his mouth. Ash hadn't even ever learned the kid's name. Which was only good.

He did not think dead people often, if at all, that would drive any man crazy. So they were dead and maybe he was a murderer, along with the half of Team Rocket. But they were villains, he was used to this, he was trained to do this. Ash never told his mother any of this though. Maybe he wanted to keep Delia out of this mess, much like his father did, by barely mentioning her anymore. Only it wouldn't be a huge surprise if his mother actually knew what his son had done. Ash was pretty sure his gaze sometimes gave it away. He tried to act innocent whenever he was visiting Delia but it was getting harder every month. The dead haunted in his gaze and gave away all the dirty things he had been doing all these years. So far his mother hadn't mentioned any of it; she still tried desperately hold to that memory of the sweet baby boy of hers. But there was no innocent Ash anymore - there hadn't been one in years. Long gone were the days when he had played with wild pokemon blissfully ignorant about his future, maybe dreaming of the title of the champion occasionally.

He did not dream about that anymore. He had different dreams now, including big plans and more power. He dreamed of the day Giovanni was finally ready to step down and let Ash be the next leader. That's why it was important not to let his father down; he needed that title, he needed the grunts obeying his orders. Ash knew that if he made too many mistakes the executives would probably steal his place. But so far everything was good. He hadn't messed up badly in his nineteen years of life and he could sense his father was proud of him. And would be even more proud after they had Sinnoh. That would make three regions already and according to Ash's calculations, it was probably the most Team Rocket could handle without falling apart. So everything was due to begin after conquering this one last piece.

Subconsciously a small smile spread on Ash's face and of course it didn't go unnoticed by his father.

"I'm hoping you're smiling because we are finally here and not only because you can get out of the copter", Giovanni mused. Truth to be told, he was actually quite happy himself to be able to get out of the copter. His back had started to hurt again, a pain that came with the age. He guessed the long fly wasn't the most pleasurable for Ash either but so far his son hadn't complained at all, something Giovanni appreciated.

Ash gave his father a tiny smirk as an answer. He was, of course, happy to be able to get out of the copter, but there was a tiny tingle in his stomach that told him, there was more than that too. He was excited but at the same time, a little nervous (obviously he didn't want Giovanni to notice that). This time around Team Rocket wouldn't be the only crime organization in the region. His father had told them about the organization in Sinnoh; Team Galactic. According to his words they were bunch of freaks, badly organized, and nobody really knew what their plans or purpose in Sinnoh were. There had been cases of stolen pokemon here and there, but nothing as massive as what Team Rocket had back in Kanto and Johto. Maybe Team Galactic was just getting their business started or maybe there was something more into them, something their spies didn't know.

But no matter what Ash would, no, Team Rocket would destroy them. And the police forces at the same time. Then they'd have three regions for themselves. Then it would be Ash's time to act. The black haired young man smiled at the window, watching them getting closer to the dark ground. Their forces would get here fully in a span of two weeks. It would get way too much attention to transfer third of the Team Rocket's grunt at the same time. So Giovanni, Ash, executives and few grunts came first - rest of the gang would arrive later. Besides, Giovanni had said there was something coming up that only needed him and his son and the big plan would unwrap itself later on.

There hadn't been really much time to speculate what was the important mission that required only Ash and his father as Giovanni had only revealed the information this morning just before the copter took air. Ash guessed there had been some uncertainty whether they were able to do it or not. He was a bit curious of what it was, since it wasn't often he did missions only with his father. But Ash also knew better than that not to ask any details from his father. Giovanni would tell him when he needed to know. Ash's thoughts were interrupted by a slight bump when their copter finally hit the ground. They waited few moments for propels to stop and for the grunt to open the door. Cool air, mixed with the smell of kerosine came rushing to their faces and Ash thought he had never really thought how wonderful fresh air felt after a long flight.

They hadn't arrived with Giovanni's typical black TR -signed copter. The one they had used was just your typical, ordinary tourist copter you saw rich people using. After few days Team Rocket being in the town wouldn't be a secret anymore, but for now they were keeping a low profile.

The sun had already set and it was dark outside when Giovanni walked out of the copter and headed for the waving man, Ash being only couple of steps behind of him. The man dressed in black (he wasn't anyone from the Team Rocket, as far Ash knew) lead them to the limousine with black windows. Only Ash and Giovanni got in. Executives took another car, perhaps another destination too. Pikachu, faithfully following Ash, hopped in to the car right next to his trainer who scratched his precious pokemon behind the ear. Giovanni didn't give any instructions to the driver, so Ash assumed he already knew where they were heading to.

Indeed after a good ten minute ride, the car pulled off to the half full parking lot, stopping there. The building at the other end of the lot was huge, perhaps a hotel of some sort. Ash would have laughed if he were alone. This was so like his father, arrive all in secret and then rent a room from (probably) city's most expensive hotel. But of course Giovanni would never abandon his style and sleep in some cheap three star motel and it wasn't like Ash had anything against a soft, expensive bed after so many hours of flying. Faithfully he followed his father as they made their way to the hotel's lobby. Giovanni must have really kept this whole thing as a secret as they didn't have their usual bodyguards around them. Well, they did still have their pokemon if things were about to get serious all of a sudden. Giovanni hadn't been the eight gymleader in Kanto for nothing and Ash wasn't too far behind of him (maybe they were already equal, Ash wouldn't know). Pokemon were never needed, lobby was all peaceful and it was early night so there weren't that many people around. Someone had clearly already checked them in, since Ash's father didn't bother speak with the receptionist. Their driver lead them to the elevator and pushed the button for 11th floor. So they were staying pretty high up. If Ash hadn't known his father he wouldn't have though anything about it. But he was his father's son and room in the high ground only meant spying as seeing the whole city from your window had provided to be helpful more than once.

Once they got out of the elevator, Giovanni turned around and handed over the key to the hotel room.

"Be ready by ten in the morning", he said and then disappeared to his room, leaving Ash hanging with just that. No explanations, no plans, no anything. And it wasn't the first time this had happened. Ash mouth tightened little but he wasn't going to start pouting in the middle of the hallway. The key clicked and Ash pushed his door open. His father still didn't trust him. Ash was already 19 years old, he was no child anymore. He was more than ready to take responsibility, to help his father to conquer these regions. He was ready to hear all the secrets and plans his father shared with his closest executives. But no, he never heard anything until it was about five minutes before the plan was unfolding itself. Ash wasn't sure if his father was still babying him or Giovanni just didn't think Ash was worth of all his respect.

Whatever the reason was, it was going to change here. Ash would be next to the big boss before they were out of here, that was for sure. Even if he had to kill half of the Sinnoh, he would get the damn respect of his father and all rocket grunts. That was probably more necessarily than his life.

"And you'll help me right, Pikachu?" Ash smiled to his precious pokemon who was smelling the big red flower in the corner of their room. Upon hearing his friend talking, Pikachu stretched his ears a little, nodding then. Of course he would help Ash. Ash smiled as he saw Pikachu agreeing. His plan would be difficult, even with his great team of pokemon, but without them, it would be impossible.

It wasn't even that late of the night and yet after finishing his meal (delivered straight to his room as a sign for Ash not to wander outside) Ash felt oddly sleepy. Maybe it was the long helicopter ride but after stretching out on his bed Ash felt like just staying there and closing his eyes. He didn't set alarm off to wake him up as he knew Pikachu would not let him sleep beyond 8 o'clock anyway. It was nice wearing something more comfy than the tight suit and the bed was as soft as you would expect from the five start hotel. For a moment Ash tried to think what his father was planning but soon let it go when he felt sleep kicking in.

Like he had guessed Pikachu started making noise little before eight. The little guy wanted to go outside for a morning walk. Slowly Ash opened his eyes and for a moment just stared at the mirror ceiling. He found it creepy, something that belonged to the porn films only. It made otherwise the expensive looking room feel a bit cheap.

"Is the mirror telling me I should bring a girl here? That's what it's here for right, Pikachu?"

His yellow mouse pokemon only looked at Ash with the expression his trainer knew very well.

"Yeah, you're right, I'd probably bring a guy here rather than a lady... but that's our little secret so no telling father", Ash winked at his pokemon who let out an enthusiastic "pika".

Stretching his body, Ash slowly got out of the bed. Giovanni hadn't forbidden him of going outside so Ash saw no reason why he wasn't allowed to walk his pokemon outside. His father would come get him in two hours so there was plenty of time to get fresh air before that. From his suitcase Ash pulled out a black (when was the last time he had worn something else than black?) jersey and put it on. There was no way he was going for a jog in a damn suit. His father preferred private gyms to stay in shape but Ash had always been more of a outdoor person, probably thanks to Delia, so he often went outside to run with his pokemon. Besides it was good training exercise for his team as well, helped them building more body strength and speed.

Ash opened the door and ordered the elevator up. Soon he and Pikachu found themselves at the streets of Veilstone. Team Galatic was rumored to have headquarters somewhere in the city so Ash guessed that had been the reason why they were staying there as well. What he wasn't so sure was whether his father was going to let the whole team stay here or were they going to spread out more. He was either trying to conquer lots of cities and towns at the same time or take out the villain team first so he and Team Rocket could do their jobs more easily. The more Ash thought about his father's plans the more he kept wishing he would be included in them. Or more like in their planning sessions. He had already proven he had a strategic mind in those countless pokemon battles he had won. So what more proof did Giovanni need from his son? Hadn't he conquered Johto for his father? Hadn't he defeated all the enemies that had stood against the Team Rocket? He was almost twenty, it was time for him to have more responsibility.

Pikachu sensed his friend was in a foul mood again and nudged his leg with his red cheeks. Sometimes Pikachu missed the little boy that had laughed a lot even when he was forced to move away from his mother. Nowadays Ash's laugh almost never came. Sure he did laugh, but not wholeheartedly. It wasn't the laugh Pikachu was used to, it was shallow, like something had broken inside of Ash.

"Am I making you worry again, buddy?" Ash noticed Pikachu looking at him with the hint of sadness in his black eyes, "sorry, I just got stuck in my thoughts again. But hey, let's run now! Before Jessie comes after us to drag as back to our room."

"Pika", was the only answer Ash got before his favorite pokemon sprinted before him and he started to run as well to catch up with his friend.

In the end Pikachu had cheated and used quick attack just before their imaginary finish line.

"Not fair, buddy... not... fair..." Ash huffed, trying to catch his breath. He wasn't out of shape or anything, but when it came to running with his pokemon he always gave it to his all. That way his pokemon knew their trainer wasn't slacking either and took the training more seriously. They got back to the hotel and Ash took a shower to get rid of the sweat. Then with a sigh he put on his black formal suit, the one that didn't have huge TR letter in front of, telling everyone they were dealing with the mafia. Like a clockwork, there was a knock on his door right at 10 am. Ash finished putting on his business shoes and opened the door. James was behind it.

"Mister Giovanni is waiting for you in the car. You are to eat breakfast with him at your destination."

"Oh, okay. Hey Pikachu, you heard James, let's go!"

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's bed and ran to the elevator again. Before following him, Ash turned to look at the blue haired rocket grunt, "We're probably going to eat at some fancy place again which doesn't have-"

But James already knew what Ash was going to ask as he pulled a small bag of self-made pokemon food from behind his back, "I made this last night. I tried to spice up the old recipe a little, so it may taste a bit different, but I'm pretty sure Pikachu will like it anyway."

Ash snatched the bag from James's hands and ran to the elevator which Pikachu had somehow managed to call up, "Thanks James, you're the best!" Then he pressed the button that would take them to the first floor – it was not wise to keep Giovanni waiting.

James was probably the closest thing Ash had a friend in Team Rocket, his pokemon excluded. He was a few years older than Ash and had been in the organization since running away from home when James had turned fifteen. Most grunts didn't really care how they treated their pokemon but James had been and still was, different (and Ash didn't only mean his strange obsession with bottle caps). He had told Ash he had left his best friend, Growlithe, behind when joining Team Rocket and that he still missed the dog pokemon everyday. Something Ash could easily relate to; he had after all a lot of pokemon friends but unfortunately there was no way he was going to have them all with him. He had left most of them with his mom as there was enough yard to run around and fresh air to breathe.

When growing up in the crime organization James had been a little like a big brother to Ash. He was a nice guy, something that his grunt partner, Jessie, definitely wasn't. Ash remembered running away from the fierce red haired woman together with James when they were both younger. Also James was from the one of the richer families in Kanto so he knew about expectations and discipline like Ash did. Maybe that's why they had grown surprisingly close after all these years. Maybe now James was content enough to be a normal grunt and cooking for Ash's pokemon (something he really should learn how to do himself), but when Ash finally would secure the top dog's place he would made James his first executive, no questions asked.

"Pika", Pikachu informed Ash that it was time to get back to reality – elevator was at the floor one and Giovanni was waiting in the front of the hotel.

"Alright, I heard you. Let's go."

When Ash entered the back seat of the black limousine his father briefly looked at his golden watch but didn't say anything. Ash didn't apologize either – he wasn't that late. Maybe only a minute or two. Giovanni gave a small sign to the driver and the car started moving. They had arrived late last night so it had been dark outside and no chance for Ash to see the city properly from the skies. He looked at the huge buildings through the bulletproof glass and at the same time tried not to look too eager to check out the town. Pikachu on the other hand didn't even try to cover up his excitement, his head turning to right and left as he was as amazed by the size of the buildings.

"That gray building belongs to team Galactic", his father suddenly spoke and Ash realized what the purpose of this car-drive was. They were marking down the enemy locations. Giovanni, without a doubt, would expect Ash to remember all the buildings and their purposes after this trip. Good thing Ash was used to this kind of thing already. They drove past an ominous looking warehouse that, according to his father, was most likely the rival team's head quarters. Ash just hoped team Galactic wouldn't fancy teleports on the floor like Team Rocket did. That always made navigation hard as hell.

After driving around the town about half an hour, they stopped in front of the massive looking building.

"There's going to be masquerade here tonight. You and me are attending", Giovanni told his son. Ash raised his eyebrow, "As... us?"

"Of course not", Giovanni almost sounded amused, "we will have fake identities for tonight. Some millionaire and his son from Unova."

Ash didn't say anything and Giovanni didn't give him anymore details either. It wasn't like Ash needed to ask either, he wasn't stupid. Party was obviously either hosted by Team Galactic or their members or head of the organization was going to be there. There was no other reason for Giovanni and him to be attending. Relaxing at the party was out of the question as Ash was most likely expected to gather useful information about their enemies.

Just a little more, wipe out Team Galactic, conquer this region and you'll be good to go, Ash reminded himself of his goals. He could relax once he had fulfilled them.

They had breakfast at the expensive looking cafe and then headed back to the hotel. Or rather Ash did. After Giovanni had dropped Ash off, reminding him about the time he should be ready, he gave another signal to the driver and limousine drove off somewhere. Ash walked back inside with Pikachu and checked the clock on the wall – he still had six hours before they would leave for the party. Ash doubted there was enough space to train his pokemon in the city and he didn't feel like wandering off with his own again.

"So what do you wanna do?"

"Pika."

"Yeah, television sounds good." Ash smiled at his pokemon as they headed back to their hotel room together.

Six hours went by a lot quicker than Ash had expected and before he knew it he was standing in front of the party place in a ridiculous get-up and a black mask. Pikachu had been forced to stay at the hotel and the electric mouse hadn't been happy about the decision. Ash's costume was blue with a black cape and giant black hat. Apparently he was supposed to be some kind of ancient hero who had thing for chocolate. What his father's costume was trying to be, Ash had no idea, but his clothes at least looked more normal than Ash's weird hero get-up.

Giovanni stepped inside first and Ash followed him. They had fake id's with them just in case, Sakaki and his son Satoshi those said. Ash was still trying to get used to his new name although he doubted no one but his father would call him that tonight – after all this was a masquerade and nobody was supposed to know your identity. When they entered the main hall Ash couldn't stop a small gasp escaping his mouth. The room was extraordinary beautiful. Space was clearly the theme of the party as it felt like he had stepped off the Earth. It was rather dark and only light came from thousands of starts on the walls and ceiling that sparkled more visibly than ever real star on the sky ever did. There was no doubt the boss of Team Galactic was hosting this evening.

"At least he's not trying to hide himself", Giovanni commented and Ash nodded. They knew who the host was but identifying the said man was more than difficult. Room was full of people wearing clothes out of this world and masks that covered their faces. Unless Cyrus made a public speech tonight there was no way of telling where he was in the room. Ash looked at his father to see what he was thinking. To his surprise Giovanni was smiling.

"Go have fun, Satoshi", he simply said, "but keep your ears open."

"Yes, father", Ash replied. He knew this game. Make innocent looking small talk with the quests but at the same time try to pry into little things about Cyrus or Team Galactic. He had done this many times before when he had had to get closer to some target. Ash made his way to the main salon, took the glass of champagne he was offered to and wandered to the middle of people, blending to the crowd so nobody would really pay anymore attention to him more than was necessary.

Only problem was – nobody seemed to talk about anything involving Team Galactic or the host of the party. Growing a little frustrated Ash was looking around the hall trying to see if his father was succeeding better, but there was no sign of him. Giovanní had either found his way to the inner circle already or at least to the inner parts of the house. Having heard enough of rich women gossip about something Ash couldn't have cared less he finally gave up and stepped next to the wall, filling his plate with delicious looking food. If he wasn't succeeding right away at least he could eat well!

Munching the expensive chocolate cakes Ash was trying to find interesting people to talk to but it was hard since everyone was wearing masks. Back in Kanto or Johto this would have been easier; there he had connections. But here? Here he knew no one else but his father in this party. If Giovanni had included his son to his plans more often maybe Ash could have learned the names and faces of important people already but no, his father hadn't told him anything except Cyrus's name. And with that information what could Ash do? He couldn't just go around asking people what they thought about the main man without arousing the suspicion. Thinking about new tactics to use Ash walked even further away from the cheery (and obviously drunk) people, finding a more quiet spot to think. Leaning against the starry wall he didn't even notice someone walking next to him.

"Someone else hates this party too? Surprising", Ash suddenly heard a voice coming from his left side. Turning his head he saw a (young?) man next to him, leaning against the wall as well. He had hands in his pocket and his costumes was... actually Ash had no idea what the man was trying to present. His costume was a weird mix of black and red and some white puffy looking stuff around his neckline. The man also had a black mask so it was pretty much impossible to tell anything other about his looks than that he had a purple hair.

"What is your costume trying to be?" Ash found himself ignoring the man's question and asking rather rude question instead. This was not how his father had raised him, "I mean I don't-"

"So I'm not the only one who thinks it doesn't look like Darkrai at all", the man replied, his voice colder than the winter. Ash somehow sensed the man would rather be anywhere else than here tonight.

"Well at least you're not dressed like some ancient war hero, like I am. This is why I hate costume parties", Ash mused tugging his cape that was trying to strangle him all the time. How could have anyone stopped the war wearing these clothes?

"I hate all kind of parties, costumes or not. I don't see the point of wasting my time among these weaklings", the other man crossed his arms. Yeah, your body language tells that much, Ash thought when looking at the grumpy guy next to him.

"I wish they would even have pokemon battles or something like that for entertainment. I'd really enjoy battling against all these people", Ash said. Since he was finally having a conversation with someone he could start checking if the guy knew something important or not.

"You think you could actually win even a single battle?" The other guy snorted, but his voice as emotionless as ever. Ash had to bite his cheeks not to blurt out anything about who he was and how he could probably sweep the floor with only his pikachu.

"I'm pretty good you know", he said instead. Vague answer, but he wasn't going to pretend he wasn't skilled for the sake of his new fake identity. Purple haired guy turned to look at him, moving his gaze from toes to Ash's head, apparently trying to judge whether what Ash had said could be true or not.

"Big words from someone dressed in a cape and a silly hat", he sighed turning his head back to stare at the partying people at the center of the salon, "besides, I'd doubt you could even beat a single of my pokemon."

Ash couldn't stop himself; he laughed out loud. It attracted the attention to the other guy who turned back again to look at Ash, "what's so funny?"

Ash just smirked, "oh nothing. You're just underestimating me so badly it's almost funny."

"I let you know that I haven't lost a single battle in like seven years", Ash continued. He probably shouldn't be revealing this much truthful information about himself, but he still got his pride as a Team Rocket's heir. There was no way he was going to give this guy the impression that he was some kind of weak trainer.

"In seven years? Have you been battling preschoolers and such?" Other guy shot back, like it was impossible for him to believe Ash could own good battling skills.

Giovanni's son only rolled his eyes, "okay then. Name the strongest trainer here. I challenge them and win. Then you'll believe me, right?" He really shouldn't be saying this, maybe he had a little too much alcohol to drink. And if the battle was actually to occur, there was no way he could even use Pikachu, pretty much his trademark. He would have to do with his new team, he hadn't used yet in a real battle. Either way no doubt Giovanni would be disappointed at his son acting so rash.

"Cyrus", the purple haired man said with a distaste in his voice. For a second it made Ash lose his cool behind the black mask. What had he been doing? Boasting about his battling skills and making useless small-talk with a stranger, when he should have been getting information about the main man. Ash cursed himself inside his head, this was no way for a future leader of Team Rocket to act. He needed to get back in the game right now.

"Cyrus?" he asked, trying to sound like he had no idea who the other guy was talking about. Satoshi was a rich heir from overseas, he was probably bored with his life and didn't care about rich "business" men in Sinnoh. There was a big chance his character didn't even know who hosted this party, let along who the hell was Cyrus.

Purple haired guy looked at him, disbelief visible under his mask, "you fucking with me? How can you not know Cyrus?"

Ash raised his other hand defensively, "Chill, dude. I'm from Unova, we just flied here like yesterday so that fa... dad can make some business and drag me around parties making 'connections'. I haven't exactly had time to get to know any local celebrities. So I ask again, who's Cyrus? A local gymleader?"

Upon hearing the explanation, it was time for the other guy to laugh. Still his laugh sounded as hollow and cold as did his voice, "gymleader, yeah right. Alright, I'll tell you who Cyrus is. Full-time rich asshole, making business as a side-job. Probably the strongest trainer here, but he usually refuses to battle against anyone so it could be just a rumor as well."

Feeling like he had just won the jackpot, Ash struggled to keep his pokerface on. This guy obviously had something against Cyrus and from the experience Ash knew those kind of guys would talk more easily, "wow what a surprise, rich guy turns out to be an asshole."

"You really don't know anything, I see. There are assholes, and then there's Cyrus. You could literally kill all his family members and the guy wouldn't probably show any emotion at all. So if you don't want your life to get messed up, I'd advice your father to stay the hell away from that man", guy talked quietly clenching his fists. Ash held his breath – it was more than obvious that this guy had some major issues with Cyrus. Probably had done business with the guy and then something had gone wrong.

"You sound bitter. Guy's done something to you?" Maybe he could get the guy to join Team Rocket, if he hated Cyrus so much. Besides, there was something about this guy. He had this strange strong aura surrounding him that piqued Ash's interest. He was tempted to ask the guy for a pokemon battle just to see if his instincts were right.

Said guy turned to look Ash dead in the eye, and Ash could see cold black eyes... no maybe dark brown or something as nobody could actually have black eyes, staring at him.

"Nothing", the guy answered. His voice didn't sound bitter like it would have if he had been lying. In fact his voice didn't sound like anything at all, there was no feelings into it. It gave Ash goosebumps. He decided to move to lighter topic, but still keep talking about Cyrus.

"I still think I could beat him in a battle. If I ever got a chance", he went back to the topic of pokemon battles. Besides it had been too long since he had got to talk about battles with anyone else than rocket grunts. The other guy took a sip from his drink, "like I said before, I doubt you could even beat me in a battle."

Ash smirked, "you challenging me?"

"I could be if you were worthy of my time. Which I don't think you are", the guy replied. His words angered Ash just a bit. But not enough for it to be shown in any way. He stepped a little closer to the other guy anyway, "I can show you a battle that's plenty worth of it."

The man looked at him and maybe there was a hint of interest in his eyes, but before he could reply back, someone's voice carried out of the speakers, "Ladies and Gentleman, it's time for the introduction of tonight's host and a few words from him."

The man beside of him groaned, "I'm not listening to that bullcrap. I'm out of here." He made a move to leave but Ash quickly grabbed his right arm.

"What's your name? I'll find you and challenge you to a battle." It was probably useless, he would not have time to battle random strangers once their operation started for good. But... something told Ash this was just in case. Just in case he could spot that purple hair again somewhere.

The man freed his arm with one quick swing like he hated being touched. But he stayed nevertheless. For a few seconds he just stared at Ash's determined face before turning around. But not without mouthing the word 'Shinji'.

Ash smiled for no reason. "I'm A... Satoshi", he managed to say before the other guy blended into the crowd of people moving towards the guy holding a microphone and then disappearing altogether. Ash doubted he was ever going to see Shinji again, but if he did, he was going to show him there had been no reason to underestimate his battling skills. Finally pushing Shinji out of his mind, he moved closer to the center again. If Cyrus was going to have speech he wasn't going to miss any of it.

Ordinary looking man (still wearing a mask though) said a couple more words before doors opened and a blue haired man stepped into the room. His outfit was very minimal, and it was more like a gray suit complete with a mask. Ash was close enough to see that the man had dark small eyes. They looked almost like black, swallowing all the light into them. If they were to kill the man right now, wouldn't he be an easy target, Ash wondered. It seemed like he didn't have any bodyguards with him. But he had seen lots of men standing outside the building when they had entered it with Giovanni. Even if they managed to kill the boss now, escaping would probably be impossible with just the two of them. Ash didn't even have his pokemon with him, so he had no means to fight.

And it wouldn't be father's style just to kill someone with cheap tricks and unannounced. When we're going to destroy Cyrus he will know it was Team Rocket, Ash reminded himself when Cyrus finally started to talk. Ash was startled when he heard the man's voice – it was as cold and emotionless as Shinji's. No... actually Shinji's voice had sounded very emotional compared to this. It was like that the man speaking had no feelings left anymore inside of him, no emotions at all. Shinji had been right, Cyrus did look and sound like a man who wouldn't care less even if his family was killed right before his eyes. Man without emotions... he would be difficult to get rid of.

Finally Ash stopped analyzing the man's voice and started concentrating on the words that came out of his mouth:

"-In a newly created world... A world where only time flowed and space expanded-"

"-Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete-"

"-Bigger perspective-"

"-My name is Cyrus. I seek the power to create a new world, a world without strife."

After he was done talking there was grave silence in the salon. People, including Ash, were trying to make sense what had just been said. Then the applauds came and the cheers with them. People got the message: Cyrus would expand his business and create a better Veilstone. A better world. Ash didn't clap his hands. The speech hadn't sounded like it had anything to do with whatever Cyrus's cover-up business was. His mind was filled with uneasiness. Cyrus had sounded like he was going to annihilate the human race to give the world a fresh start. But that would be crazy, Ash reminded himself, not to mention pretty much impossible. He was sure the speech had just been about Team Galactic soon take actions and nothing more.

But what is Team Galactic's goal exactly?

"Have you seen enough?" There was a sudden voice right behind his left ear, making Ash jump.

"Father!" he yelped when he saw the man behind him. Giovanni was smiling, but he did not look happy. Maybe he had understood Cyrus's words better than Ash. His father uneasiness made Ash feeling ever more nervous. He had always pictured team Galactic as another petty crime organization, but now it seemed like they were dealing with something much more than a group of criminals wanting to control the pokemon markets.

Giovanni signaled Ash to follow him and together they left the partying people behind them (Cyrus had disappeared right after his speech back to the inner parts of the building) and entered the familiar black limousine waiting for them in the front.

"So what did you think about Cyrus and his speech?" His father asked Ash when they were sitting in the car on their way to the hotel. Ash pondered his words carefully.

"I think people thought it was about Cyrus enlarging his business but to me it sounded more like... like he was unhappy with the current state of the world and wanted to... start again. I know it doesn't make sense, I mean he sounded like he wanted to-"

"Get rid of the people?" Giovanni finished Ash's sentence for him. Ash looked at his father waiting for some signal that Giovanni was joking but there was none.

"B-but that's crazy?!" Ash couldn't believe what his father was telling him. Cyrus really wanted to wipe out the humankind? Giovanni shook his head, "that's what I thought too... but with the right tools... with the right pokemon to be more specific. In theory, you could do that. No need for mass-destruction weapons."

Ash didn't know what to say or think. Cyrus was mental, if all this was to be believed. If one were to destroy all the humans (and pokemon as well?) what was there to rule? Wild nature? That couldn't have been Cyrus's goal. For a moment there was silence between the two man in the car, but soon Ash remembered his father's words again.

"You said something about right tool, right pokemon?" He questioned Giovanni. It was obvious the man knew so much more than Ash and it pissed Ash off.

"Me and the executives have been looking into this Team Galactic business. He's after certain Sinnoh legendary pokemon. The connection between the pokemon and his goal is still a bit hazy as I do not know much of Sinnoh mythology yet, but still it seems those pokemon are necessary for his plan to work", Giovanni explained to his son who looked more and more angry with every passing second.

"So you knew", Ash spat, not even trying to speak quietly anymore, "that his goals are more than just controlling Sinnoh?"

"Yes", Giovanni simply replied. He had expected this.

"But you didn't", Ash was shaking, "feel need to inform me about any of this." He was furious. He hated this. Executives knew, his father had shared them the information, but not to him, his own son for fuck's sake! Ash was so sick of this, sick of being treated like he was ten and not capable of anything. His knuckles were turning white as his nails dug into his hands. He had naively thought things would be different after Johto. He had thought he had shown his father he could lead, he could act on his own, make his own big decisions and still succeed. He had thought his father would start putting his trust on his son and not on those four executives. But no, he had thought wrong he had-

"But I am informing you now", Giovanni spoke again catching Ash's attention, "what?"

"Son, I know you've been patient. And I know you've been angry with me for not letting you into things earlier. But I am telling you, you will be part of everything. Starting now."

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing, "f-father?"

"If we want to win against Team Galactic I need your help. More than ever. They have their own ace, and thus I will need my own."

"Ace, what ace?" Ash was confused, but oddly happy. Finally he was getting the recognition he deserved and needed. Giovanni looked at Ash with a serious look on his face:

"That man you talked to at the party."

"Huh?" Ash managed to get out. What did Shinji had to do with this? Was his father displeased he had been talking to him for so long? But he had gotten information about Cyrus! It hadn't been just mindless small-talk with some stranger. Besides, Shinji had seemed strong. He should mention this to his father, to see if he could get a permission to try to get Shinji to join them.

"He was, no doubt, Paul. Cyrus's son."

"W-what?!" Ash was too surprised to even breathe. Shinji was... no, Paul? His real name was Paul? And he was... he was... the son of Cyrus?! Ash looked at his father wanting, no, needing more information about the matter. Giovanni only put his hand on Ash's shoulder and looked into his son's eyes:

"And I want you to kill him."