Chapter 2

Ash punched the wall of his Team Rocket apartment in anger. Pain spread from his 
knuckles right into his hand. He punched again. The pain got steadily worse. He punched 
again. And again. And again.
   He was pretending he was punching Giovanni’s smug face. He was pretending he was 
making him bleed, suffer, like all the people Ash had had to hurt on his command. 
   He did this for a few minutes, before collapsing onto his bed, his knuckles bleeding 
heavily. Light erupted from one of the Pokeballs on his belt that lay on the other side of 
the room. Ash’s Ivysaur appeared, and walked over to his master. Seeing his knuckles, 
Ivysaur used his tendrils to wipe the blood away and lift Ash fully and comfortably onto 
the bed.
   “Thanks, Ivysaur.” Ash muttered, his eyes tightly shut.
   “Ivy.”
   There was another flash of light as Ivysaur returned to his Pokeball, and Ash was left 
alone. 
   Ash tried to sleep, but couldn’t. He was going back to Kanto. It had been two years. No 
contact had been made to his family or friends, apart from the quick transmission to 
Professor Oak. Ash smiled when he remembered it. The friendly face of his old friend 
had come onto the screen, and his eyes had widened in shock when he saw Ash.
    “Ash!” he had cried, “It’s you! Oh my- you look so much older and- Ash, what’s going 
on? Where are you? It’s been two years-”
    “I’m coming home soon Professor.” Ash had said, smiling warmly. “But for now I’d 
like you to stay calm. It’s not anything dangerous.”
    “Ash I- well- yes, that’s all very well, but-”
    Ash said goodbye to a blustered Prof Oak and switched off the screen.   
    He remembered that after the phone call with Oak, he had been sad that his friends 
hadn’t told anyone about where he was. No wonder. They hated him for joining Team 
Rocket. At the time, they had had no idea he had done it to save them, but Ash hadn’t 
told them They would have insisted on helping him, and he didn’t want them to be in 
danger. Of course, he hadn’t wanted Misty to come along, but she had found out, so came 
with Ash wherever he went out of guilt and friendship. And only a few months later….
    He had called his mum of course and told her he would be away for a long time. A 
squirming feeling entered his stomach, when the memory that he hadn’t called her for 
two years reached him. He had just been so busy. In all honesty this was the first night he 
had spent not being in the middle of an assignment for 16 months. 
   At this thought, he reached for his Pokenav that lay on his bedside. Switching it on, he 
entered his home number, pressed ‘CALL’, and listened to the rings of the other line. To 
Ash, every ring was a resounding eternity. Then Delia Ketchum picked up.
*
   “Hello?” Delia said when she picked up the phone.
   “…. Hi.”
   The voice on the other line was deep and unfamiliar. Delia raised an eyebrow. 
   “Is this a prank call?” she asked, scathingly.
   “No, no, it’s just I……”
   “Yes?” Delia waited, getting more and more irritated. Eventually, she was ready to 
slam the phone down, but then….
   “I’m coming home.”
   “What?”
   “I’m coming home.”
   Delia felt something inside her squirm. “Who is this?” No reply. “….Ash?”
   “I-I called Prof Oak. I take it he told you?”
   “Prof Oak’s been really busy looking after some Pokemon….” And then the tears burst 
from her. “Oh, Ash! Where have you been? I thought you were dead, oh my little boy! 
Ash!”
*
Ash smiled to himself, tears leaking from his eyes as well. 
    “Look, mum, I can’t talk right now, I’m getting ready, but I’ll be there sometime 
tomorrow.”
    He heard his mum take control of herself, and, sniffing, she said, “Okay. Just be quick. 
I’ll be wai- WAAAAAH!” And the tears started again. Ash sighed, said goodnight and 
severed the connection.
    He got up and packed everything he needed into his backpack, including more supplies 
that had been given to him. 
    After he was done, he took his Pokenav to Giovanni’s technicians like he had been 
told. Ash’s friend, Gale Frost, met him. The Team Rocket scientist was broad shouldered, 
had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He had been with Giovanni for three years, then met 
Ash a year into his profession. They hit it off right away, considering they both didn’t 
really enjoy working for the criminal organisation. 
    “Good to see you, dude.” Gale said, shaking hands and smiling. “Mission go alright?”
    “Well, we had a couple of minor hiccups, then several screw ups.” Ash replied, 
grinning.
    “Give it to me, then.” Gale said, and Ash handed over the Pokenav. Gale then led him 
into the Rocket Lab, showing him to his desk. 
    Sitting in his chair, Gale took out a screwdriver, some data chips, took up five minutes 
of Ash’s time and voila! Ash’s Pokenav could now track Stone Tables.
    “Thanks mate.” Ash said, taking it back. Then a thought struck him. “Say, Gale, do 
you know what the Stone Tablets are? Or even, what they do?”
   Gale shook his head. “Sorry man, that’s highly classified info!”
   “So you’re not going to tell me?” Ash asked.
   Gale laughed. “It’s not that man. My level of clearance is 4, and you have to be level 10 
to get at that.”
  Ash chuckled. “Right. Well, Better get some rest. Got a long walk tomorrow.”
  Gale burst out laughing. “You don’t actually think someone like you is going to walk to 
Kanto from here when Giovanni himself sends you, do you? He’s giving you-”
* * * *
     “A Jet.” Ash murmured in disbelief, seeing the machine’s huge yet sleek shape tower 
over him. 
     Despite himself, Ash burst out laughing. He may detest Giovanni, but he sure knew 
how to travel in style! Then, almost immediately, he shut himself up. No, he wouldn’t 
think that. He knew what Giovanni was trying to do. Bit by bit, the Team Rocket Boss 
was trying to convince Ash that this was the life for him. It was a career move, a life. 
Well, Ash knew that it was nothing of the kind.
    He walked slowly to the escalator that led up to the Jet’s door. He was met by a pretty 
girl with shoulder length brown hair, who asked him, “Ash Ketchum?” She wore a black 
leather suit with a small red ‘R’ on her chest. 
    Ash nodded, instantly disliking her. Her hair was perfectly straightened, her teeth 
straight and white as she smiled at him, her body one of perfection. Another trap set by 
Giovanni.
    “Welcome aboard.” she said, still smiling, “I’ll be your flight attendant, Crystal.”
    Not a surprise, Crystal, since I can see right through you! Ash thought coldly.
    “Would you like a refreshment?” Crystal asked in a sickly sweet voice, leading him to 
a big and comfy chair in the main body of the jet.
    “Oh, yes, that’d be great.” Ash replied, then he looked out of the window next to his 
seat. Crystal stood there for a few moments.
    “….Yes?” she asked,
    Ash turned back to her, a confused look on his face. “Sorry, why are you still here?” he 
asked politely, smiling.
   Taken aback, Crystal thought about this, then her eyes narrowed and she left him alone.
   Once she had gone, Ash pushed back his seat into the lying position, and he lay, his 
arms behind his head. “How refreshing!” he said loudly.
   In the cockpit, Crystal pushed the disgruntled pilot aside and grabbed the microphone 
on the main controls.
*
“I don’t see why you want him! Have you been listening? He’s a menace!”
    Giovanni laughed and he said, “Yes, I’ve been listening. He really is a charmer, isn’t 
he?”
    He heard Crystal curse quietly.
   “Calm down, Crystal.” 
   “Shut up, David!”
   “Don’t speak to the pilot like that.” Giovanni smiled.
   “Thanks, sir.” David said in an indignant tone. “I just hope Miss Pretty doesn’t chip a 
nail, then we’re in real trouble!”
   “SHUT IT!” Crystal roared. “Sir, I mean, come on, why do you really want him?”
   Giovanni shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He could almost picture the two of them 
leaning in, waiting for the answer of the question half of Team Rocket wanted to know.
   Then….
   “I don’t think he wants to tell you, do you?”
   Crystal shrieked in fright. “Ketchum! What’re you doi- ARE YOU EATING MY 
SANDWICH!?”
   “Yours? Whoops!”
   “Hey, good one!” David laughed.
  “Cheers.” Ash replied, his tone upbeat and cheerful.
   Giovanni laughed.
   “I don’t see why you’re laughing, Giovanni.” Ash said.
   “Why?” Giovanni asked, still giggling.
   “Because I’m going to break the connection between this Jet and your office.”
*
   “You can’t do that.” Giovanni crackled over the sudden static. Ash was taking out his 
Pokenav, which he had switched onto the ‘DISRUPT’ setting.
   “Oh, but I can!” Ash pressed a button, and the line went dead. “Gee,” he said to the 
shocked cockpit, “I sure am glad I’ve got a friend in the Technical Department.” 
Grinning broadly and munching loudly, Ash took his sandwich back to his seat.
    “Runway clear.” Air traffic control confirmed.
    “Erm, right.” David turned slowly to the controls in front of him, and prepared to lift 
off.
    Crystal walked to her seat and strapped herself in, glowering into space, her knuckles 
clenched.
    A few minutes later, they were in the air, and Ash was silent. He had his fun. Now he 
knew Giovanni wasn’t spying on him, like Gale had thought. So that meant, now, Ash 
could look forward to going home in peace.
*
Giovanni was staring into his T.V screen again. Finally, after half an hour, he said, “I’ve 
got to have him.