Chapter - 1

*Sinnoh League, Semi-Finals*

"Pikachu and Latios are both unable to battle. All six of Ash's Pokémon have been eliminated. So moving on to the finals is Tobias – the victor", the referee announced the decision. Again he had come so close to winning, he could almost taste victory. But again – like always – he had failed. He had been defeated. And that too by a person using Legendaries. Was that even allowed? It didn't matter anymore. He had lost. Ash Ketchum had lost another league.

Coming out of the gate he meets his friends. All tell him what a great battle it was. How great all of his Pokémon had tried. Ash forces a smile on his face. He'll try again next year. He always has.

*Unknown Location, same day*

"So, the situation has gotten so bad that you had to send legendaries to stop a little boy", the voice coming from a video screen hung on the wall asks. The owner of that voice is a man, half hidden in the shadows, wearing a beige suit, his faithful Persian by his side.

"The runt is following in his father's footsteps. You need to stop him before he becomes too much of a threat. Do you understand, Goodshow?" said Giovanni, the Team Rocket boss.

"Sir, he is a kid. Only a minor inconvenience-" The man now identified as Charles Goodshow, the founder of the Pokémon league, tried to speak but was cut off immediately.

"That kid managed to beat Team Rocket many times, disbanded Team Aqua and Magma, and more recently managed to beat two LEGENDARY Pokémon under the league's command – even after your constant dampening of his Pokémon's' abilities. I will hear no more on this matter. Ash Ketchum must be done for", said the now furious man.

"But, Mr Rocket –", Goodshow tried to speak something but was again cut off by the Rocket boss, anger seeping into his words.

"Enough. I give you a month at the very most. After that Ash Ketchum must never even come close to a Pokémon again. Otherwise our deal will be off. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir", was the only thing Charles Goodshow could utter before the line cut off from the other end. The Rocket boss rarely got furious with him, but when he did, it meant one thing, trouble. Quickly thinking of a plan, he called his best man stationed outside.

"Tobias, I have a mission for you. One that I believe you will like", said Goodshow, smiling wickedly.

*Pallet Town, Few days later…*

"Mom, I'm home!" shouted a 16-year old Ash Ketchum as he opened the door of his house and greeted his mom's favourite and only Pokémon-"Hey Mr. Mime, where's Mom?" Suddenly, someone took him in a crushing hug from behind.

"Oh Ash, I missed you so much!" said Delia Ketchum, a brown haired woman in her late thirties as she hugged him tight. Her son spent most of his time away from her, so such reunions were always great.

"Jeez! Mom, calm down, you're crushing me!" said Ash as a forgotten Pikachu sniggered at the side-lines. "And hello to you too Pikachu"-she said breaking the hug as Pikachu waved at her. "I hope Ash has been properly taking care of you". "Pika" said the powerful electric rodent nonchalantly as he continued smirking at Ash.

"Mom, I have to drop my Pokémon off at Professor Oak's Corral, I'll be back soon" said Ash as he ran out of the door, Pikachu following him, but not without a sigh.

"Just back and already away. Just like his father. Just like Richard", said Delia as she reminisced her times with Ash's father. The boy had taken after him in so many ways, the similarity was striking. She had no idea that a man, hidden in a red cloak, was watching their every move from his comfortable position in a tree.

"So he's the son of the previous Kanto champion, Richard "Red" Ketchum. Well no wonder the league is scared. Son of a champion AND an aura guardian. This boy could very well overthrow them. He needs to be broken – badly. Well, good thing they sent me. Ash Ketchum will no longer be threat. But for my plan to succeed, I will need some time. Enjoy your good days Ash Ketchum. There aren't many left." He then called his Darkrai from the pokeball, and with a gust of wind, Tobias was gone.

*Few days later, the fork between Pallet Town and Pewter City*

"So Brock, when are you going to start training at the Pokémon Med School", Ash asked, still trying to believe the fact that Brock won't be joining him in his quest in the next region.

"A few months' time, same as when you start your next journey", answered Brock. "That said, where do you plan to head off next?"

"I don't really know. Unova sounds cool, but then I also heard a new kind of phenomena called mega-evolution was discovered in Kalos. So it's a tie between those two regions", answered Ash, thinking hard about where to go but not getting a clear answer.

"Well, you still have time, better decide it later"

"Yeah. Well, here we are. I guess this is here where we go our ways. Bye Brock", Ash said to the older teen with a smile, one that was genuinely answered.

"Bye Ash. See ya", said Brock, waving and walking towards Pewter City. Ash stood there for a second and then turned towards the way leading to Pallet town. What stood there had Ash wondering.

Standing above Ash on a cliff was an Absol.

"Wow, I didn't know there were any Absol in Kanto. Well I guess they just keep on modifying the local gene pool", Ash mused. He had no idea what was lying in wait for him in Pallet town. If he did, he would know why the Absol was here. Because of the disaster happening in Pallet town.

*half-an-hour later, outskirts of Pallet Town*

"I hope Mom has made a big lunch for me. I feel I could eat the whole house right now. Want to race, Pikachu?" The boy asked his loyal and trusted partner.

"Pika Pikachu", said his partner. Ash was about to comment when he saw Pikachu's ear perk up and heard voices shouting.

"Huh? Let's go on top of that hill and see what's going on. I wonder if the Absol was here forecasting this. They are called the disaster Pokémon, right?" Ash said, more to himself than anyone, getting a bad feeling in his gut.

As soon as he reached the top of the hill, Pallet Town became visible. What he saw made his face pale. A house in Pallet Town was on fire. However, it wasn't the fire that made him pale, it was who the house belonged to. He easily recognised that this was the house he grew up in.

Abandoning all bad thoughts that seemed to cloud his mind, he ran down the hill and straight to Pallet Town. What he saw made his body go cold and numb. Professor Oak was there along with Gary talking to Officer Jenny.

"Officer. Professor. What happened? Where is mom? Is she alright?" he asked, barely catching his breath as Pikachu finally caught up to him. "Why are you all looking at me like this?" he asked, a little intimidated by the hostile look on their faces.

"Are you Ash Ketchum?" asked the officer in a serious tone. "Yes", Ash said, gaining a little confidence. "But where is my mom? What happened?"

"Ash Ketchum, you are under arrest for the murder of Delia Ketchum and later setting her house on fire" the lady officer said harshly, ignoring Ash's – in her opinion – false concerns.

"What?" Ash blurted out. "My mother….is dead?" asked Ash, unable to fathom her meaning even though he knew what the words meant. "But…..how can you even think I would kill her, she was my mother. Professor Oak, Gary, why don't you tell her she has the wrong person!" His shocked gaze was met by their stoic expressions.

"They have already told me how you are" she said harshly. "You are coming with me, Mr. Ketchum. Whatever you have to speak, will be said in court" she said, grabbing Ash by the collar. And she got a small thunder shock in return.

Looking down, she saw the sight of an angry Pikachu glaring at her, fangs bared and fur standing on edge.

"It's all right Pikachu, calm down", Ash said giving a sad glance to Pikachu. "Yes officer, I will come with you". Giving one last glance to an ashamed looking Oak and a sniggering Gary, Ash stepped into the policewoman's motorcycle and took Pikachu in his arms.

He took one last look at the burnt remains of what was once his home as the motorcycle sped off into the distance.

*The next day, Pewter City Gym*

Brock was skipping through channels on his old TV when a newsflash caught his eye. The attractively dressed woman spoke from her desk, "For those of you just joining us, we have received confirmation that a 'Delia Ketchum' has been found dead in the fire that broke out in Pallet Town yesterday". Brock's food went the wrong way and he broke in fits of cough. Recovering slightly, he turned up the volume of the TV.

"The policewoman stationed in the area confirmed her death and also told us that their forensic experts found Delia Ketchum was already dead when the fire broke out. Her son Ash Ketchum has been taken into custody as the prime suspect for the case. In other news…"

Brock turned off the TV unable to comprehend what he had just heard. "Mrs. Ketchum dead….Ash in custody…"he couldn't even think about it. Most of all he knew Ash couldn't even hurt anyone, at least not fatally. He immediately decided he had to call Dawn, but then his mother popped into the room.

"Brock, there is a Dawn Berlitz waiting for you on the phone. Come fast dear, she says it's important". Brock immediately hurried off to get the phone. This would need all the help he could get.

*Few moments earlier, Berlitz household*

Dawn had just woken up from a rather disturbed sleep. She hadn't been able to fall asleep easily since Ash and Brock left. She assumed it was because she had become accustomed to the travelling lifestyle they all had. Then she heard her mom shout from downstairs. Sensing the worry and disbelief in her mother's voice, she went immediately downstairs.

Johanna Berlitz, a middle aged woman with navy blue hair and a beauty that belied her appearance, was watching the TV with wide eyes. She turned to Dawn as she appeared but Dawn had already seen what was on the TV and gone pale faced.

"Ash arrested….no…NO", she screamed unable to believe what she had seen. She decided she should call Brock. The older teen would know what to do

*Present time, Pewter City Gym*

"Yes Dawn, it will be best if you come as soon as possible". Brock was speaking to someone on the phone – apparently Dawn – and was trying to calm her.

"No, I don't believe Ash would ever do this. It has to be a mistake, It has to be" Brock said after a pause.

"Yes, I will pick you up at the harbour tomorrow. Don't worry we'll get Ash out of this." Brock answered. "Bye, Take care Dawn" he finally said and cut the call.

*The next day, Vermillion city harbour*

Brock was waiting on the edge of the harbour, waiting for Dawn to arrive. She had taken the fastest ferry possible from Sinnoh to Kanto – The S.S. Kate. Then he saw the boat arriving. A small speck at first, it grew larger as it drew nearer. Finally it docked and people began to get off the boat. Brock expected her to be in front of the line rushing to meet him but she wasn't there. People continued to come but Dawn did not. Finally the line of people coming down ended, but there was no sign of Dawn.

Now Brock started to get worried. He knew that Dawn would have been the first in line to help whenever Ash needed any help so it was next to impossible that she hadn't bothered to come. He went to the captain who was now getting off the boat.

"Sir would you mind telling me whether a passenger by the name of Dawn Berlitz boarded the ferry or not" Brock asked politely. "What do you take me for? Go and ask the ferry services. Stop bothering me" the captain replied, seeming pretty irritated.

Brock was in no mood for games. He grabbed the captain by his collar and growled threateningly "You will tell me right now whether she boarded the ferry or not. Otherwise I'll make sure you never get on a boat again". Brock didn't get angry often, but when he did it was one hell of a show of wrath. Both Ash and Dawn had learnt to stay clear of him if he was in a rage.

"Ok…Ok calm down. Just wait a minute" the captain seemingly intimidated by the sudden change in the man's attitude said and called his subordinate and inquired something.

"Nope, she never boarded the ferry. Now if you allow me I've got to go" the captain said and Brock let go of his collar. "So Dawn never boarded the boat…..something is wrong here. I should talk to Johanna as soon as I get home" he thought to himself, walking towards the Bus Station to catch the bus to Pewter City.

*Two hours later, Pewter City Gym*

"I'm back" shouted Brock as he entered his home. "Welcome back dear, but weren't you going to bring a friend with you" his mother inquired. "Yes" Brock answered. "I'll tell you later, right now I have a phone call to make"

Brock went up to the videophone and dialled Johanna's number. She picked up almost immediately. "Ah Brock" she said in her ever calm voice. "I hope Dawn has reached without any trouble".

"Well, she didn't come with this ferry. I guess she must have missed it" Brock answered, and seeing Johanna's worried face, immediately added. "I'm sure she would be all right. She knows how to take care of herself. And she has her Pokémon with her".

Brock's words seemed to have calmed Johanna and after a quick farewell, she got off the phone.

"Ash in jail. Dawn missing. This is too much to be a coincidence" Brock thought, worry in his eyes. Suddenly the videophone rang, without an image this time. As Brock picked it up, a mysterious voice on the other end said, "Mr. Brock Harrison, I was hoping to have a good chat with you."

*Next evening, Viridian Police Station*

Ash sat wondering in his cell why nobody had come to see him. He had been hoping that Brock or Dawn or Misty would have definitely come to meet him. But no one had. In the end he had to just sit in the cell wondering why….WHY were all these things happening to him.

He sighed as Pikachu made another attempt to break the electricity resistant cage in which he was held up. The policemen had rid him of all his pokeballs and tried to take Pikachu away from him and tried to shock anyone who came too close. Finally the policemen had to use rubber gloves and an electricity resistant cage to keep him away from Ash though Pikachu had not given in without shocking quite a few of them.

So here he was…locked in a cell, without friends and his best partner locked in a cage and his pokeballs – his sinnoh team – confiscated. He was still wondering when a policeman came to him. "Mr. Ketchum" he said in a robust voice. "Your trial in court will be held in a weeks' time. Most of your close associates will be there" he said in the same tone and left.

A/N: Hi guys….this is my first attempt at Fanfiction so all reviews will be appreciated. Please tell me how you found this chapter. Ash will be getting most of his sinnoh team and a few of his older teams and many new Pokémon. I haven't decided which ones so leave your fan favourites. After reading many stories where Ash gets betrayed I tried to put my version as an explanation to why Ash never one a league. This story is set after the Sinnoh league and will have Megas and a few Kalos Pokémon. Be sure to review.