Chapter 3

 Serena whimpers softly before she slowly opens her eyes. It takes a moment before she remembers she is in the guest room in Ash's house. Serena sits up and stretches loudly before getting out of bed, changing from her pajamas to her regular clothes and starts walking downstairs. When she makes it to the ground floor, she hears the sound of Delia humming in the kitchen. Serena immediately freezes in place, realizing that Ash's mother is right there. Even though she spoke to her during video calls and briefly saw her last night before she and Ash went to bed, she has never had a one-on-one conversation with the mother of the boy she deeply cares for. She blushes slightly, feeling suddenly about going over and talk to her until she hears footsteps coming her way, entering the entryway to give Serena a welcoming smile.

  "Good morning, Serena," Delia greets warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

  Serena quickly brushes off her bashfulness in hopes of Delia not noticing and gives the woman her best friendly smile.

  "Yes, I slept wonderfully, Mrs. Ketchum. Thank you," she replies. 

  "I'm glad," Delia says cheerfully. "I was just on my way to call for you for breakfast."

  "Great," Serena says. "Is Ash up yet?"

  Delia chuckles with her mouth closed and answers, "No, and I doubt he will be for a while. If there's one thing I've come to expect from my boy whenever he comes home from a journey, it would be how much he tends to sleep most of the morning away once he's back in his bed."

  Serena can't help but giggle at Delia's answer before the two of them head back to the kitchen and start having breakfast. The two of them begin swapping stories about Ash and Pikachu as they eat, which results in them having several laughs.

  "Really? Pikachu is that addicted to ketchup?" Serena asks in mid-laughter.

  "Oh, you would be surprised," Delia giggles. "Have you really not noticed that during your journey in Kalos?"

  Serena thinks for a moment and says, "Now that you mention it, I can't recall a time when we had a meal that involved ketchup at all. Not even when Clemont was grilling something whenever we were on the road."

  "Well, I always keep a bottle or two in the house for whenever they're here, so you might get the chance to watch Pikachu eat a whole bottle," Delia says. 

  The two of them giggle again before they sigh and silently go back to their meal. They stay silent for a couple of minutes until Serena speaks again.

  "Ash really is an amazing person," she says. "It's incredible all the things he has done just while we were in Kalos to show his love for people and Pokemon."

  Delia nods in agreement before she frowns sadly. 

  "He is," she says softly. "But sometimes I worry about how much he gets into trouble. One day I might hear about him winning a badge or catching another Pokemon, and the next thing I know, I'll find out he's put himself in great danger."

  Serena's smile fades and looks at her food glumly.

  "I know what you mean," she says. "There were times in Kalos where I was really worried about his life whether he was trying to save a Pokemon, got lost in a blizzard or when Team Flare captured him. I'm proud of how brave and heroic he is, but I can't help but be afraid for him every now and then."

  Delia gives the honey blonde girl a sad smile, glad to see how much she understands.

  "It is hard, isn't it?" she says. "Seeing him risk his life, and you begin to worry that he might not make it out."

  Serena nods.

  "I still remember when I saw him on T.V. before I went on my journey," she says. "He was trying to help a rampaging Garchomp on top of Lumiose Tower and didn't hesitate to try to rescue Pikachu when it fell off even though he would have lost his life in the process. I didn't realize it was him until after he and Pikachu were rescued, but after some of the adventures we had, I get uneasy thinking about moments like that."

  "Yeah, I still think about how I almost lost him when he saved the world," Delia says. 

  Serena turns to Delia, her eyes widened.

  "What?" She asks, alarmed.

  "Oh, did Ash ever tell you?" Delia asks.

  Serena shakes her head, still shocked. 

  "I see," Delia says with another small smile. "It was about a couple of years ago while he and his friends went on a journey through the Orange Islands. I don't have the whole story, but apparently someone was trying to capture the three legendary bird Pokemon, which was threatening the whole world. Ash and his friends got caught up in the mixture of it. and it led to Ash being chosen to save the Pokemon."

  Serena scratches her chin in thought.

  "I think I remember seeing that on TV with my mom," she says. "The news was talking about lots of Pokemon coming to the Orange Islands to witness something huge involving Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Lugia, and a Pokemon trainer. Was that trainer really Ash?"

  "He sure was," Delia says with a smile, earning a "wow" from Serena that made her giggle before she turns serious again. "But back then. I wished he wasn't. The whole time it was happening, I tried to get a hold of him and take him out of the fighting so that he would be safe. And then sometime after the whole thing was over, I learned that Ash was knocked off of Lugia and fell into the ocean unconscious."

  Serena's face falls upon hearing this.

  "That's terrible," she says. "How did he survive?"

  "Misty saved him," Delia answers plainly. 

  Serena's frown disappears, and she tilts her head, confused.

  "Who is Misty?" She asks. 

  Delia looks at Serena, equally confused. 

  "You mean Ash has never told you about Misty?" She asks.

  "No, he hasn't," Serena answers before she looks down sadly. " I guess there's a lot of things about his past journeys we've never talked about."

  "That's strange. It isn't like Ash to not talk about his past adventures and old friends to his companions," Delia says quizzingly.

  Serena winces at those words, feeling hurt. Delia notices the honey blonde girl's reaction and gives her a reassuring smile.

  "I'm sure it's nothing personal at all, dear," she says. "After all, Ash probably was more focused on the Kalos league and all the adventures he was having with you, Clemont, and Bonnie."

  "I guess," Serena mutters before lifting her head to look at Ash's mother in the eye. "Are Misty and Ash close?"

  Delia notices the pain and fear dwelling in the girl's eyes. She looks at Serena, confused for a moment before she puts the pieces together. Even though Serena tried to ask the question in a calm, friendly way, it is clear to the woman that there is an answer to the question that Serena does not want to hear. Delia's eyes widen slightly upon realization of why she's acting this way before she snaps out of her thoughts and gives Serena a soft smile. 

  "As far as I know, they are the best of friends," she answers. 

  Serena feels a slight sense of relief at the answer. The word 'friends' makes her feel better, and she goes back to her breakfast satisfied. But as Serena eats, her heart slowly feels as heavy as before. She doesn't know what kind of person this Misty is, but she is still concerned that she might have something for Ash just like her. Somehow the fact that Misty was there to save Ash when he was in danger made Serena sad. She begins to remember all the times that Ash threw himself into danger from trying to stop Team Rocket or when Hoopa's darker self possessed him, and she did nothing. She stood there helpless while others dove in to help him out. She may have been there to support him with his training and getting some of his badges for the Kalos League. But when he was in the most danger, Serena did nothing but fear for his life. And yet it may not matter because, in the end, Ash is only friends with that Misty girl.

  "But so am I," Serena thinks glumly.

  **************************************************************

  Timothy moans as he opens his eyes. He realizes he's back in his old room, and he fell asleep with his clothes on last night when he and Electchu decided to lay down before unpacking and changing into his pajamas. He lifts his head and realizes he was drooling in his sleep before he gets up and changes his clothes. He looks at the clock and sees it's almost 1:00 in the afternoon.

  "Aw man, did we konk out," he mumbles before lightly shaking Electchu. "Come on, Electchu, it's past noon."

  "Rai...chu," Electchu moans before sitting up in Timothy's bed and letting out a loud squeaky yawn. 

  Timothy smiles and pets his partner in the head while saying, "Come on, pal. Let's go get some food."

  "Raichu," Electchu says happily while still half asleep. 

   The two of them exit Timothy's room and walk downstairs to the kitchen, where he sees a bowl of scrambled eggs and rice wrapped in plastic wrapping on the dining table with a note. He picks up the note, and it reads:

  Timothy,

  I figured you and Electchu wouldn't wake up until after Johnathan and I left for work, so here's a late breakfast for you. I can't wait to hear about your journey later tonight.

  Pop.

  Timothy smiles and unwraps his breakfast before heating it with the microwave. While the food heats up, he takes out a bag of Pokemon food and pours it into a bowl before laying it on the ground for Electchu. As the two of them eat, Timothy looks around the room, feeling nostalgic about the place he grew up in. He stops eating halfway through his meal to smell the familiar country air that makes him feel at home. He has been staying in his home so rarely after he became a trainer back that it's become a routine to look around the house and ultimately, the whole town so fondly.

  After they finish their late breakfast, Timothy lays his back against the chair, and Electchu lies down on its back, both satisfied with their meals until they hear a knock on the front door.

  "Now, who could that be?" Timothy asks as he stands up and starts walking to the entrance hall.

  "Raichu," Electchu replies, shrugging.

  Timothy walks to the door and pauses for a moment before he carefully undoes the lock and opens the door. The next thing he knows, an arm wraps around his neck and pulls him into a headlock before he feels a fist giving him a hard noogie on top of his head.

  "Atta boy, Timbo!" He hears a cheerful male voice say. "Three cheers for the new Johto champion!" 

  Timothy rolls his eyes before he frees himself from the headlock to face a tall, 30-year-old man with black, curly hair that reaches his shoulders and a goofy grin. The man is wearing a long, gray trench coat, black pants, a white buttoned shirt with a dark grey tie, and a backpack on his back. 

  "Hello, Coovers," Timothy says nonchalantly. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't accept the offer to be the new official champion."

  "You did, but the way I see it, you're the new champion anyway," Coovers replies in a giddy tone. "Lance is said to be unbeatable, and you proved everyone wrong. If that doesn't spell bonafide champion, I don't know what does."

  Timothy glares at Coovers for a moment before he smirks and rolls his eyes again. 

  "Well, I'll give you the 'said to be unbeatable' part, I guess," he says before he gestures his friend to come in. 

  The two of them and Electchu walk to the living room, where Coovers helps himself to a chair while Timothy and Electchu sit on a sofa.

  "So, level with me, Coovers," Timothy says. "Did you really come all the way from Unova just to give me a congratulations noogie?"

  "Of course, I came to do that, bro," Coovers says with a toothy grin. "But I didn't come here from my home region. I was in Hoenn when you called me to break the news." 

  "Hoenn? What were you doing over there?" Timothy asks quizzingly.

  "Oh, I was just traveling around there," Coovers answers. "But hey, before I left, Professor Birch gave me this."

  The black-haired man takes off his backpack and opens it to take out a blue and white egg inside a container. Timothy tilts his head in confusion as he stared at it.

  "He gave you an egg?" he asks, confused. 

  "Yeah, he found it abandoned in the woods with no sign of any Pokemon nearby," Coovers replies as he gives the container to his friend.

  "Seriously? It's a little disturbing how often we hear Pokemon eggs getting abandoned like that," Timothy says in a concerned voice as he looks at the egg. "So, is he hoping that you capture and raise the Pokemon once it hatches?"

  "I don't know," Coovers replies with a shrug. "Professor Birch just thought that since this egg was left behind, maybe I could find a nice home for this little guy in your home region since he knew I was coming here. He was saying something about trying to bring Hoenn to other regions or something."

  "Right," Timothy says nonchalantly. "He always was the oddest of all the Pokemon professors in my book."

  "Yeah, I guess so," Coovers says with a nod. "So, could you help me take care of it? I don't know what I'm going to do with it once it hatches."

  Timothy hesitates for a moment before he replies with a shrug. 

  "I'll see what I can do for this little guy. But there aren't many trainers around here in Pallet Town, and I don't know how long I'm going to stay in Kanto," he answers honestly.

  "Really?" Coovers asks curiously. "Have you been thinking about where to go next?"

  Timothy frowns and looks away sadly.

  "That's just it, Coovers. I don't know," he says. "Ever since I got Electchu and became a trainer, the only dream I ever had was to capture as many Pokemon as possible and defeat the champion of every single region. Now I'm 28 years old, and while I've captured and trained a few dozen Pokemon, I've only defeated one champion. I'm thrilled that I managed to defeat an opponent like Lance and everything, but it's making me concerned that I might never complete my dream. And even if I do, it'll take so long that I might be an old man by the time I complete my dream."

  Coovers looks at his friend, concerned for a moment, before he remembers something and scratches the back of his head with his face turning more serious.

  "Listen, Timothy, I have to be honest: there is another reason why I came to Kanto," he confesses.

  "Oh?" Timothy asks with a raised eyebrow. 

  Coovers hesitates for a moment before he continues.

  "Do you remember after we got my sister's Snubbull back from that poacher I said I wanted to find a means to take down all sorts of bad people like him?" He asks.

  "Of course," Timothy answers with a nod.

  "Well, the truth is I was in Hoenn for an assignment for my job," Coovers continues. "A couple of years ago, I met a man named Looker who offered me a job in the International Police. He and his superiors took notice of my work by tracking down other poachers over the last ten years, and so they wanted to recruit me to work for them. I've been spending my time since then to bring poachers and other bad people to justice."

  Timothy smiles and says, "That's great. I'm glad you found a job that helps you pursue your dream."

  "Thanks," Coovers says with a smile before he frowns. "Although, I should point out that I'm part of a particular division that has one ultimate goal." 

  "And what is that?" Timothy asks.

  "To take down Team Rocket," Coovers answers bluntly. 

  Timothy frowns at the mention of the name, and even Electchu becomes uneasy. The trainer looks away in thought. 

  "That's quite the goal," he says plainly. "But Team Rocket has been around for decades, and the authorities have never been able to track down their leader or find their secret base. Heck, they can rarely keep some of their best minions in jail for long."

  "I know, but it's become more important than ever to take the organization down over the last four years," Coovers says. "Especially because Looker and my other superiors are now worried that they will attempt to do something to obtain world domination."

  "How do they figure?" Timothy asks. 

  "Well, simply put, they're the only real crime organization left," Coovers answers. "Lately, all the other major crime organizations that were residing beyond Kanto and Johto have been taken down. Three years ago, Team Magma and Team Aqua disbanded after failing to control the legendary Pokemon, Kyogre and Groudon. A year after that, Team Galactic attempted to create a new world that would destroy ours using the Sinnoh legendaries, Palkia and Dialga, only to also have been foiled by Looker and a couple of trainers, which resulted in many of their higher-ups getting arrested and their leader has been missing and is currently presumed dead. In the Unova region, Team Phasma attempted to completely confirm the legendary Pokemon, Reshiram, after resurrecting it, only for Reshiram to break free with the help of a couple of trainers who were helping Looker, leading to the organization's arrest. And just recently, Team Flare did the most damage by trying to wipe out the world with a machine that destroyed a lot of Lumiose City in Kalos, only to be defeated by a large group of trainers, including all the region's gym leaders and the Kalos champion, Diantha."

  "Yeah, I heard about that one on the news," Timothy says. "And Team Flare's leader turned out to be the head of Lysandre Labs, right?"

  "Yes," Coovers confirms. "He even went as far as brainwashing two Zygarde and creating his own giant demonic version of one before the Zygarde broke free of his control and ultimately destroyed him." 

  Timothy hums in thought and asks, "And you and your superiors are getting the feeling that Team Rocket is not far from trying to top all of them and successfully take over the world?"

  "We're almost positive they are," Coovers says firmly. "As I said, it is the only crime organization left that not only has outlived all of the others but has proven to be the largest and the most powerful out of all of them. All of the other organizations, even Team Flare, only had a few dozen people in their force, but it's been confirmed for years that Team Rocket has members by the hundreds. And that's just the ones we are aware of. What's more, we have been analyzing some of their recent deeds, and they all point to them trying to learn information about a specific legendary Pokemon. One that is said to be the very first Pokemon ever to have lived, and many believe created the earth and all life."

  Timothy and Electchu look at their friend skeptically before the former asks, "You mean Arceus?"

  "Yes," Coovers answers seriously. "Team Rocket has already made attempts in the past to control other legendary Pokemon like the three Unova legendaries known as the Forces of Nature. It stands to reason that they will try to capture the most ancient of all Pokemon." 

  Timothy scoffs, having expected to hear nothing less concerning Team Rocket. 

  "This sounds well and good, but why are you telling me all of this?" He asks.

  Coovers gives his friend a small smile and says, "Because Looker has placed me on a special assignment that might prevent Team Rocket from capturing Arceus and more."

  "And that is?" Timothy asks.

  Coovers pauses for a moment before he says, "To find and retrieve the one thing on this earth that they can use to capture Arceus and use its power to take over the world. A shiny, round, white jewel that people believe to be a myth that can be used against Arceus itself: the Gieldanstone." 

  Timothy looks at Coovers, confused, and asks, "The Gieldenstone? What, is it some kind of item that can summon Arceus?"

  "No, not just simply summon Arceus," Coovers answers. "The person who holds the Gieldanstone can force Arceus to do their bidding without fail. Legends say that it was used to do terrible things in the Sinnoh region before it was hidden and never seen again. The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, only needs this jewel to control Arceus and use it to shape the world so that Team Rocket will rule everything and everyone."

  Timothy frowns at this explanation. He turns to Electchu, who looks afraid, and he pets the Raichu in hopes of comforting it.

  "If that happens, He wouldn't need his operations to steal Pokemon from other trainers like what happened to me," he says coldly before he turns to Coovers. "But if your assignment is to find this Gieldanstone, then does that mean it's been found?"

  Coovers frowns and reluctantly says, "It might soon be."

  "What do you mean?" Timothy asks.

  "There's this archaeologist named Brandon," Coovers begins. "He's known for traveling all over the globe to study ancient ruins in a flying pyramid."

  "A flying pyramid?" Timothy asks, dumbfounded. 

  "That's what Looker said," Coovers confirms. "For the last two years, he's been looking at long-forgotten ruins in the Sinnoh region. But a week ago, he announced to his higher-ups in the archaeologist community. He said he might have discovered the whereabouts of the Gieldenstone, and it might be here in the Kanto region."

  Timothy and Electchu look at each other in surprise before turning back to Coovers.

  "Here? In Kanto?" Timothy questions. "But isn't Arceus a Pokemon that resides in the Sinnoh region?"

  "Honestly, Timothy, Looker, and I are just as confused about it as you are," Coovers says. "But before the high members of the archaeologist community could ask more, Brandon left on his flying pyramid, and no one knows for sure where he is."

  "They can't find a flying pyramid?" Timothy asks, confused. 

  "I don't know the details, but apparently, the pyramid is built so that it can't be detected by normal radars," Coovers explains. "That's all the archeologists had to give the International Police when they reported what he said and that he might have gone to Kanto."

  "And you believe Brandon is trying to find the Gieldanstone," Timothy says. "Do you think he intends to use it for himself?"

  "Not likely," Coovers says. "Brandon is well known to be a person of respect and wisdom. He has no desire for power, only for finding knowledge lost to the ages." 

  "But while Brandon wants to preserve it, Team Rocket might try to take it if it's found," Timothy says.

  "Exactly," Coovers says. "And since Team Rocket has spies everywhere, Team Rocket might have also learned what Brandon knows and might try to find him and, therefore, the Gieldanstone. And that's if they don't know what Brandon might have discovered already."

  Timothy nods in understanding and says, "But that doesn't answer my question, Coovers. Why are you telling me all of this?"

  Coovers' serious look suddenly turns into a look of uneasiness and scratches the back of his head. 

  "Well, the blunt answer is I'm assigned to find the Gieldanstone, but I have to do so undercover," he says. "And after some convincing, Looker agreed to allow me to let you in on the mission as my partner."

  Timothy and Electchu look at each other again before Timothy asks, "Why?" 

  "Because you are one of the most powerful trainers who isn't officially a champion or a member of the Elite Four," Coovers says. "Your accomplishment in defeating Lance alone on top of winning the Johto League, as well as your deeds in stopping Team Rocket and hunting down the poacher we tracked down together, shows that you are a trainer who can aid me on my mission. There might be many dangers ahead, and if so, I need someone I can trust with my life, and there's no one I trust more than you."

  "Okay, that fits, but what does it matter if you're undercover?" Timothy asks. 

  "Because we want Team Rocket to be completely unaware of what we're doing," Coovers says. "There's a chance that they haven't learned yet that we are aware that they want to capture Arceus or even that Brandon may have found the whereabouts of the Gieldanstone. If that's the case, we need to make sure that it stays that way. We can't do that with someone as well known as Lance or someone from the Elite Four, but we can with you since you're a trainer trying to win every single Pokemon league in the world. So we will be looking for Brandon throughout Kanto like we are on a normal journey through the region, and if anyone asks, we can say you are traveling to train and catch new Pokemon before competing in the Indigo League again."

  Timothy stares at his friend with an unamused look.

  "You were really hoping I had nothing else to do than to train for the Indigo League specifically?" He asks.

  "Well, what I'm suggesting isn't without its benefits for you," Coovers claims.

  "How do you figure?" Timothy asks. "I've won all of my badges for the Kanto region years ago."

  "Yes, but maybe another journey in your home region is just what you need to become strong enough to win that particular league," Coovers points out. "Especially since that league is not far away."

  Timothy looks confused and asks, "Really?"

  "Yeah, I looked it up on my way here," Coovers answers. "The Unova League was a while ago, Kalos had their league last month, and the rest of the other leagues happened early this year. The Indigo League, on the other hand, is only five months away, which means more than enough time to keep training and make your Pokemon stronger while we travel. So not only will you be helping me find Brandon, but you'll be working to grow strong enough to win another league."

  Timothy thinks about it for a moment before nods and says, "That might work."

  Coovers smiles and asks, "So you'll help me?"

  Timothy thinks about it for a moment. Then he turns to Electchu, who merely smiles in support. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt sighs and looks at Coovers with a sincere smile. 

  "Of course, I'll help, Coovers," he says. "You're right when you say that Team Rocket must never find something as dangerous as this Gieldanstone. If we have to search every inch of Kanto to find Brandon and get him to help us keep it away from Team Rocket, then so be it."

  Coovers smiles brightly and says, "Thank you, Timothy. I think I can speak for Looker and the rest of my superiors when I say it means a lot that you will help me find the jewel."

  "You should save the thanks until we retrieve it," Timothy suggests. "If we don't even know exactly how much Team Rocket knows about the Gieldanstone, then time might be of the essence."