#Some readers told me that they would appreciate some warnings where there are 'Gore' parts. Okay. Wherever you see '#G#' this sign, brace yourself for a dark part of the story. But please, don't skip it. They are important part of the storyline you see.

It has been 3 days since the tournament of St. Anne had begun.

There had been many battles, fierce and unforgiving. Only the few trainers cut above the rest, the cream of the crop were selected into the quarterfinals. Even among those trainers a few prominent names rose above the rest.

Paul Shinji, Cynthia Shirona, Adam Milkovich, Corey Romelo, Madeleine Morgana and Ash Ketchum.

Each one of them was terrifying in their own rights. Paul Shinji with his Nidoking, Grotle, Gligar and Electabuzz had grown a reputation to be a cunning and ruthless adversary. Cynthia wasn't far behind with her Roselia, Gastrodon, Gabite and Spiritomb either. Adam Milkovich and Madeleine Morgana had developed a particularly notorious reputation for annoying their opponents to their defeats with tricky strategies. Corey Romelo meanwhile was a fiery opponent in every sense of the word. He had an all out offense team with his Magmar, Growlithe, Vulpix and Rapidash. And lastly was the most mysterious and heartless of them all, Ash Ketchum with his team of Luxray, Charmeleon and Kirlia.

Ash had fought two more people since his fight with Cole. He was forced to reveal Kirlia and Charmeleon. As much as he would not like to admit, the fights were tough. Tougher than he'd ever seen generic trainers on Routes.

He had come quite close to losing in his previous battle with a trainer with a Machoke. Machoke's Throat Chop attack had hit Charmeleon on his neck and the fire pokemon was not able to use Flamethrower because of that. Ash had switched Charmeleon to Kirlia and sent Machoke to la-la land with a single Psybeam.

Today was the day of the quarter finals. Ash was heading to the battle bay to see the battle placements. The silver haired trainer found it quite amusing that so many merchants were allowed aboard their ship. Merchants, selling exotic goods aboard St. Anne had actually prepared stalls of goods on the hall...

"YES! Yes! This is a magical miracle Karp! It lays 1000 eggs each season! Then those eggs hatch! And then those new fishes lay more eggs! You'll be millionaire before you know it!"

...And unfortunately those merchants included some uh...mentally challenged people who thought that it would be a good idea to make money by scamming through selling Magikarp.

(A/N : Remember? That man who sold James a Magikarp?)

Snorting in amusement Ash paid the harping merchant no attention and moved on. Although he was quite surprised to find a few people actually listening to the merchant selling Magikarp.

Oh well...There are smart phones, smart watches, smart TVs...Wonder when they'll start making smart people...

The silver haired trainer continued to walk, ignoring the buzzing stalls around him. When he reached the battle bay he was greeted by the sight of the massive spectator stands where many people were clapping at his arrival.

Ash's ruthless battling methods may not be everyone's cup of tea but they certainly respected the sheer power at his disposal.

When he reached the competitors box he was met by the sight of many other trains sitting in the room. Some of them spared him a glance of either wariness or competiveness while others continued to chat without paying him any attention –

"Morning asshole! How was your sleep? I hope Darkrai was roasting your ass with nightmares all night."

"Oh don't you worry Shirona. We are really good friends. Hell, we cracked a few beers on Newmoon Island just this weekend."

Ahh yes, there she was. See, the thing was Cynthia loved Ash. Really, really loved him. She loved him so much that she couldn't spend a single moment without being the pain in the ass of his life.

"Underage drinking Ketchum? Heh, what can we expect from a lawless delinquent like you anyway..." The tall blonde girl with long black hairclips and coat laughed mockingly at her rival.

The soon-to-be 14 year old trainer with long silver hair said nothing and took his seat near the smirking blonde bitch. Today was the day of quarterfinals. Chances were there that they'd have to fight each other. He'd show her then.

Cynthia mentally pouted when the blue eyed bastard didn't bicker with her. Aww, how was she supposed to spend the time?! The daily spats with Ketchum and calling her granny on the Pokedex were the only time passes she had on this boring ship.

Soon enough all the competitors were seated in the room and the announcers started to speak,

"Hello? Mike testing? Ok. Good morning to everyone present over here. Today we have gathered here to witness the quarterfinals of the 31st tournament of St. Anne. And there's a surprise! You know what I'm talking about?"

There was a moment of silence in the enormous stadium before someone from the spectators shouted out, "THE FIGHTS WILL BE BROADCASTED ON TV NOW!"

"Absolutely correct! Each year, the St. Anne broadcasts the rounds following the quarter finals on International TV. Meaning that all your fights will be witnessed by thousands across the regions. Buuuut! There's one more surprise this year!" The announcer said loudly.

The crowds looked hyped at this 'surprise'.

The lady on the large screen who was announcing spoke up once again, "The surprise is...This year the quarterfinal matches will be Double Battles! Meaning that every competitor will be paired up with another and then the pairs will have to battle each other. The only one winning pair will move onto the finals and then they will battle each other! Basically this is the semi-final round, not quarterfinal because only one pair will advance into the next round! BUT! Worry not challengers. You will be given one day to spend with your partners to get better at strategies!"

Ash's breath hitched in his throat.

He was good at single competitive battling. But double matches? With a paired partner?!

Fuck.

His teamworking skills were good as dirt. He could coordinate with his own pokemon. But to do it with someone else...

He took a deep breath in to calm himself. There was nothing he could do here. If he wanted to get into the finals then he'd have to get through this round. If not for himself then for his aunt...

He noticed the faces of other competitors. Some looked excited at the prospect while others looked nervous while some others, specifically a certain purple haired boy, was sneering in the most venomous way possible.

"Competitors are requested to look upon the screen to see who they have been paired with!"

Ash turned his aqua eyes at the big screen in the left corner of the stadium to see who he was paired with.

There on the rightmost upper corner was the photo of a long silver haired trainer with blue eyes wearing a red trimmed black coat paired with –

Ash choked and fell to the ground helplessly on his knees with his jaw hitting the floor as he shakily tried to form words.

Somewhere behind him another dull 'thud' echoed throughout the room as a girl with long platinum blonde hair that covered half her face and empty grey eyes wearing a black leather coat fell to the ground while pitifully crying, "Why Arceus...Just Whyyy...?"

The people around them looked either highly amused or freaked out.

Slowly Ash gathered himself together and stood up as he straightened himself, trying to regain some lost dignity. He coughed lightly into his gauntlet covered hand and turned to his paired partner with the most chivalrous and charming expression he could muster.

The broken expression on the long blonde haired girl's face was replaced in an instant with the most cheerfully pretty expression that could have brought her the Miss World Award 2021 as she turned to a certain bastard she knew.

"...My dearest lady Shirona..." Ash began in the most courteous tone as if he was talking to a princess.

"...Ketchum...My dear..." Cynthia began in an equally joyful tone as if she was reunited with her lover after decades of war.

"...Let's try not to kill each other by the end of this day, shall we?"

Every other competitor in the room sweatdropped when the duo echoed together in perfect symphony.

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"...So..."

"...Yes?"

"...How about we tell each other about our pokemon?"

"So that you can know all my moves and get an easy win in the finals? No thanks."

"...This is just hopeless..."

"I concur."

Cynthia wholeheartedly agreed with the silver haired teenager in front of her.

Currently we can see the grey eyed platinum blonde and our resident dark aura user sitting while facing each other in the empty cafeteria on a table.

Ash finally let out a deep sigh and looked straight into the grey eyes of the pretty girl in front of him,

"...Shirona. We both know quite well that we aren't exactly each other's most favorite people on earth." Here the girl across him let out a snort, "...But. There is not a thing we can do here. The pairings were preplanned. However, I will not miss the chance to get into the finals of one of the United Nations' greatest tournaments just because of some petty childhood rivalry. I think we both can agree to that right?"

(A/N : All the pokemon regions taken together are referred to as the United Nations okay? I felt that the anime was quite inadequate to explain the regional differences. I mean, how come anime Ash didn't know anything about other regions even existing until someone told him or he took a vacation that turned into a journey...Oh well...I've been writting this story to correct many things I disliked in the anime. This is one of them. Inter-regional politics and the proper grouping of regions into nations...)

Cynthia reluctantly nodded in positive. She had to get to the finals and win this! She promised her granny she'd win!

"Good." Ash nodded appreciatively, "How about this...We don't tell each other about our pokemon. We don't tell each our moves. We just choose 3, only 3 of our pokemon from our teams and devise a strategy which works for both of us only for these double matches."

The blonde girl frowned in thoughtfulness before she nodded curtly at him, "Fine. I can agree to that. From my team, I choose Gabite, Roselia and Gastrodon."

"...Fine. From my side, I choose Charmeleon, Mimikyu and...Vibrava."

Cynthia's eyes crinkled up in amusement as she asked, "A Vibrava? Damn, hiding that jewel for the finals were you?"

Ash grunted in reply and turned away.

"Whatever. I can see what you are trying to do anyway. You were thinking about paring Gabite with Vibrava. Gabite's ground type attacks won't hurt Vibrava due to Levitate. And Vibrava is faster than Gabite...Moreover...Does your Vibrava know Sandstorm?"

"...Smarty pants...Yes. I was planning of taking advantage of Gabite's Sand Veil with Sandstorm." Ash grunted in approval. Cynthia was one smart bitch. And he was agreeing to that with high reluctance.

The blonde girl laughed haughtily, "And you were planning to pair Roselia with Mimikyu weren't you? Has that cute little ghost got Hex in its moveset? That would go pretty nice with Roselia's Poison Point..."

"...I was planning on teaching him that." The blue eyed trainer responded neutrally.

Cynthia laughed out loud this time, "Hahaha! I like the way you think Ketchum."

"And I hate the way your ugly mug ruins my day Shirona. What's your damn point?"

Before Cynthia could have retorted to that a faint creepy echoing sound reached their ears coming from...Below the café?

Ash and Cynthia both went ramrod straight for a moment as they heard the sounds of something falling from a height and then a spooky sounding cackle.

Neither of them said anything for a moment and just let that eerie cackle to echo through the cafeteria. Thankfully the café staff was not there and nobody but them heard the ghostly cackle.

Ash and Cynthia slowly turned their heads at towards each other and gazed into each other's eyes for a long awkward moment. There was a nervous look in Cynthia's eyes and a slightly doubtful one in Ash's blue ones.

Slowly Cynthia gulped and her hand moved towards the belt fastened on the waist underneath the leather coat as she drew a pokeball. She looked at Ash for a moment. Ash understood that look in her eyes. To be quite honest, he was going to check out what that sound was too. But he didn't expect Cynthia to want to come with him.

Ash gave a curt nod at the blonde girl in front of her who returned it with a wordless nod of her own.

"...Ketchum...A few days ago...There was a mention of that murderer or something...You look like you know something about it...Something you wanna share?" The girl with grey eyes whispered to him with a frown.

Ash turned to look into her hazy smoke colored eyes for a long moment before he let out a sigh, "...I do know something. However...I feel like it would be the best if I don't tell you..."

Thankfully Cynthia understood that. She nodded a little warily, "...I see...Would that also have something to do with you being on this ship? The Ash Ketchum I knew wasn't exactly a fan of largely public tournaments that would be broadcasted on TV..." Cynthia whispered to him.

A cold frown became etched on the silver haired trainer's face as he opened his mouth to speak and whispered back, "...You are a smart girl Shirona. Way too smart for her own good...Smart and nosy I must say."

The long blonde haired girl let a small smirk tug at her lips, "...Whatever. You know something sketchy is going on in the cargo beneath this café. There was a mysterious murder just a few days ago. It would hurt my pride as an adventurer if I don't go investigate."

Ash smirked right back at her, "...I see you've still got that fetish for mysteries...Last time, 4 years ago, you went investigating the dormitory hallways for a creepy sound only to find that it was Mrs. Mason taking a late night bath –"

SMACK!

The blonde girl blushed in embarrassment, "Shut it! I was just curious...Whatever. Let's go down there and see what's going on..."

Ash let a small chuckle escape his mouth as he walked out of the café with Cynthia in tow; he turned back for a moment and whispered to her, "...What will happen and what you will see down there will be at your own volition. Do not expect me to have your back all the time. And I would appreciate if you warn me of any imminent danger. And don't stray too far away from me."

"Was that concern in your voice for little ol' me, Ketchum?"

"...Hn...Shirona...Never change you bitch...Never change..."

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After a bit of information gathering from the sailors and ship staff in the hallways about the cargo, Ash and Cynthia had found a few entrances to the cargo.

The first and most prominent one was always under lock and key. Keys which were lost at the Vermillion Harbor where the murder occurred.

The second one was accessible to those with the sailors permit.

And the third and the last one was well...Through the ventilators.

It was obvious which one they chose. No. It was not the ventilator one you cliché idiots.

"...Um, hey mister...I was wandering in the hallway when I got lost...Where this place is anyway?" Cynthia asked in the most innocently charming tone she could muster. A sailor who was in charge of guarding the cargo suddenly jerked awake from his half-asleep condition and looked at the pretty girl in front of him.

He rubbed his head sheepishly for having fallen asleep on duty and took a look at Cynthia. The girl was just gorgeous –

WHAM! THUD!

Before the sailor could have tried to flirt with the long blonde haired girl, a strong punch slammed into his temple and knocked him out to the realm of unconsciousness.

"Your ugly mug actually served some purpose...Color me impressed Shirona..." The silver haired boy muttered scathingly as he dragged the unconscious body of the sailor to a dark corner to search for the sailor's permit.

Cynthia huffed in irritation...Stinky bastard who didn't appreciate true beauty, hmph!

"Ah here it is." Ash muttered mostly to himself when he found the blue colored card in the knocked out trainer's right pocket.

He gazed at Cynthia for a moment as if asking for confirmation. When he saw nothing but curiosity and not an ounce of fear in those hazy grey orbs, Ash decided that his rival wasn't as pathetic and vain as she seemed.

They wandered around the area for a bit, planting their ears on the cargo walls to hear something, but to their disappointment they found nothing.

Ash went to the armored steel plated door of the cargo and slid the card in it. The metal door opened while making cranky sounds to reveal a massive dark room full of crates and baggage of all kinds.

Ash and Cynthia swiftly entered the room and closed the metal door behind with the card. Soon enough the only source of light in the room was also gone and the two stood like that in total silence and darkness.

Cynthia nervously tried to reach for something to grab on only to find a gauntlet covered hand. She held onto Ash's hand nervously to which the silver haired trainer deadpanned, "Don't tell me you're scared of the dark now..."

"...S-Shut up...I'm just cold..." If the darkness wasn't obscuring the blonde girl's face then the pink tint on her cheeks could have made a tomato scream in indignation.

The blue eyed trainer sighed and took out a pokeball. He threw the pokeball up and with an eerie echoing cackle a little pokemon with a tattered yellow cloak over it appeared.

"...Kekeke?" / "Where are we?"

'...This ship's cargo. I suspect that there is something fishy going on here. Go around Shadow Sneaking and report back to me when you find something. Go now...'

"Kekeke..." / "Acknowledged."

When Mimikyu had melted into the nearby shadows to scan the large cargo of the ship, Ash slowly turned to Cynthia who was crushing his hand in her grip...Girls were so troublesome...

"...Shirona...Try not to freak out."

As soon as he said that, a tennis ball sized wisp of purplish black flame appeared in between his right hand, the stone on his gauntlet glowing ethereally.

As the purple light started to dimly illuminate the surroundings many things around them became clear –

" – ACK!"

-- Including a bearded man with a black cloak with the insignia of 'R' who was holding Cynthia's by her waist with a sharp knife pointed at her throat just behind Ash.

"Don't. Move. A. Muscle...Or this girl is a goner for good."

-----------------------------------------------#G#--------------------------------------------------------

For the second time in his life...Ash Ketchum didn't know what to do.

When he had first heard the ghostly cackle from the cargo he had guessed that it was a pokemon. And that the people who may have been there had already escaped.

But what he