Part 20

Vaniville Town 7 PM

Later that night while Ash was home alone he thought about Barry for a moment. The kid seemed to admire him solely based on his battle style. He also thought of him as a good battling partner for the future. The future seemed bright for these two trainers certainly...

As he began zoning out the sound of his phone ringing snapped him right back into reality. Once again as he looked at the number he realized it was an unfamiliar one.

'Man, oh man. What is going on with these freaking spam calls,' He thought.

He answered the call and gave a simple 'hello' not really knowing what to expect.

"Is this Ash Ketchum?" A deep voice responded.

"Who is this?" Ash asked in suspicion.

...

"It's Cilan," He revealed.

...

"I'm sorry...?" He paused for a moment.

"Cilan. Your friend from Unova," He added.

Ash closed his eyes for a moment finally realizing who was calling him.

"Cilan... uhm Sorry about that. I don't know why I didn't... how long has it been?" He chuckled a bit nervously.

There was a short pause on the other end probably due to the fact that they were far away from each other. For all Ash knew Cilan was either in Hoenn or Unova.

"A long time... five years," He replied.

"Wow... so what's up? What's got you sounding so serious and calling me? Because this is a bit odd and kinda out of nowhere Cilan," Ash said.

"I wanted to talk to you about those crooks, Team Rocket..." Cilan said bitterly.

Ash's eyes widened slightly at the mention of those three. He hadn't heard from them or seen them in a very long time let alone the entire organization.

"Rocket? What about them? Aren't they like disbanded now?" Ash questioned.

"No, no. In fact, they've been operating here in Kalos for quite a while now. Bad things are happening," Cilan spoke.

Ash now looked visibly disturbed. He had hoped that wasn't the case considering how much he just didn't like dealing with those three.

"Y-Yeah but are they here now? I mean I don't- what if we can-

"They're attempting to do something very, very life changing for us all. And of course I don't mean that in a good way. Look Ash I think it's best that we meet in person right now because I don't trust these phones for shit," Cilan explained.

"Ah, I guess... but where do you wanna meet Cilan?" He inquired.

"Come meet me at my place. I'll send you the directions you'll need on your phone." Cilan suggested.

"Alright then, I'll see you soon," He sighed.

After he hung up Ash started pondering for several minutes. What could Team Rocket be up to that Cilan needed to meet with Ash so urgently? Those three were usually up to no good Sure, but Ash came to realize that over the years Team Rocket weren't the worst crooks in the world. Team Galactic, Plasma, Flare and the rest certainly took the spotlight.

Whatever it was it sounded serious so Ash immediately began getting ready to head over to his house. This would also be the first time he would be seeing Cilan since they departed in a Vermillion City all those years ago.

Ash also made sure to leave a note for his mother on the dinner table just in case she came home early. He took his reliable pal Pikachu with him and off they went to the nearest bus stop.

Ash took a look at the directions Cilan had sent him and he lived in Eastern Lumiose in the rich neighborhoods where the homes were sat on hills with nice views. As the bus slowly stopped at each stop and got closer to Cilan's place Ash began to grow anxious. He had a bad feeling about this entire Team Rocket situation.

Eventually the bus arrived at Ash's stop which happened to be right across Cilan's house conveniently enough. It was a modern home in Lumiose hills with two floors, a garage which occupied an expensive looking two door four seater car, presumably Cilan's. It also had an infinity pool in the backyard and Jacuzzi.

From What Ash could tell Cilan was living the dream. Must have been the perks of his successful Pokémon connoisseur career. At least it seemed for the time being...

He felt a bit eerie as he walked up to the front door to ring the doorbell. Ash was shaking a bit as he looked at his best buddy Pikachu. Pikachu just gave his partner a reassuring look. Few moments later the door opened revealing none other than Cilan, Ash's old traveling companion and friend.

"Ash! Ah it's great to see you again my friend. Pikachu, good to see you too," Cilan greeted in a friendly manner. "Please come inside you two."

"It's great to see you too Cilan," Ash nodded. "And thanks." He walked into his house and sat on the couch. In front of the couch was a fireplace and on the glass table in front of him was a mug filled with tea.

"Oh, and help yourself with some tea if you'd like. Sit back and relax Ash... we have a lot to talk about," Cilan said.

"I'm listening. I've been anxiously waiting the whole bus ride here. So tell me what happened," Ash urged.

Cilan closed his eyes and sighed. "Ash do you know what the Meteonite is? Or have you ever heard about it?"

"Unh-uh," Ash shook his head.

"Okay... uhm... remember when we first arrived in Castelia City in Unova all those years ago?" Cilan Asked.

"Of course," Ash nodded.

"What's the first thing that comes to your mind?" Cilan questioned.

"Hmm... well my gym battle of course... but also... that chaos we had to deal with because of that Venipede Stampede," Ash reminisced.

"Exactly. While Professor Juniper never actually found the exact reason for their behavior... I did, and man do I wish I hadn't. This has everything to do with Team  Rocket, but also Team Plasma," Cilan explained.

Ash nodded, intrigued by what he was hearing. It was true, they never found out why the Venipede were so angry and aggressive that day.

"So the Meteonite," Cilan continued. "Basically, in ancient times a giant Meteonite entered the planet's atmosphere and broke apart, making impact in pieces throughout the world, with the largest piece being somewhere in Unova."

Ash nodded. It was a lot to take in but he urged him to continue.

"Even in small pieces, it could conduct massive amounts of energy, such as the energy from the Dreamyard. Giovanni, their boss assigned the trio to seek it out, as he intended to use it to further Team Rocket's plan for world conquest," He continued.

"So Jessie, James, And Meowth were doing some stuff with the Meteonite which is why Giovanni sent them to Unova in the first place. The trio's interference with the Meteonite caused all the chaos with the Venipede which was right outside of Castelia in a place called the Desert Resort," Cilan finished.

"I don't get it thought. Apart from conquering the world, what else was he trying to get from all this?" Ash inquired.

"Apparently his plan was to take control of Unova by creating imbalances in the weather and energy flow of the planet using the Meteonite. In the end, Team Plasma ended up stealing it from Team Rocket to enact their evil plans, but it makes lots of Pokémon way stronger and they ended up destroying it," Cilan explained once more.

"What the hell?! Seriously??" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah. If it hadn't been for Team Plasma indirectly ruining their plans, the world could had ended right then and there. Fortunately neither of those two organizations has been able to locate the second biggest piece of the Meteonite in recent times."

This certainly brought light to the whole Venipede situation and Team Rocket being so serious in his Unova traveling days. But one question hung in his mind this entire time.

"But Cilan, why are you telling me this? And why now? I mean, this was years ago remember? There's no way that man Giovanni could still be after it," Ash said.

"Well that's exactly why I called you here Ash. I've received intel from one of my spies that Team Rocket have been making moves here in Kalos. If they're becoming active once more, I can't help but fear that they'll be after the Meteonite again. We cannot let them get their greedy hands on it, because if they do, we're all doomed," Cilan explained.

"But isn't the largest piece of it in Unova?" Ash questioned.

"Ash... it doesn't matter how big the piece is. If they find even the smallest bit, they'll conduct research on it and attempt to conquer the world yet again. We can't let this happen," Cilan wore the look of a determined man.

"Hey, What the hell does the Meteonite even do? It must be valuable for them to want to find it so much," Ash said.

"Oh it was served as an artificial sun for ancient people who used it to survive following a volcanic eruption. However, its power eventually grew uncontrollable, destroying the civilization. It was later sealed in the Relic castle following this, until Team Rocket discovered it one night and broke the seal," Cilan told.

"That's why I fear that they'll find it one of these days. Back then, Giovanni presented it to powerful figures in the Unovan underworld, intending to force them to join Team Rocket under the threat of manipulating the weather with it if they refused."

Ash was absolutely mind blown by this point. He didn't know how Cilan figured this all out but it did reveal one thing: Team Rocket's true intentions. Those guys clearly weren't messing about.

"That bastard was crazy," Cilan shook his head at the thought. "They were then attacked by Team Plasma, who stole the Meteonite so it could be used for their "hero's" benefit."

"Pfft Hero?" Ash scoffed." What kind of Evil organization has a hero?"

"Beats me," Cilan shrugged. "You know, ironically enough, that same hero ended up turning against Team Plasma, substantially weakening them. This is why Team Plasma has been quiet recently. As for Team Rocket, they just don't have the firepower to go into another war with them. Certainly a three-way war wouldn't be ideal for any of them involving Team Galactic."

"Wow, this is just crazy. And all those years ago I thought the only reason they were in Unova was because they were trying to capture my little buddy. They aren't any jokesters," Ash scoffed to himself.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Cilan then looked up at Ash. He knew Ash was the type of guy who took risks no matter the situation. He was the perfect recruit for this mission.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"S-swear it. Swear that... if they ever come back one day, and they find that god forsaken Meteonite, you'll be there with me. With me to be ready to fight back. There will be no telling what could happen if either Team Rocket or Plasma get their hands on that thing first," Cilan spoke angrily.

"Cilan woah... what are you saying?" Ash inquired.

"I'm saying that we need to get our hands on it, before anyone else can. Because if we don't, the world might just come to an end. I can almost guarantee it," Cilan said.

Ash put his hand on Cilan's shoulder

"I'll be there pal, backing you up. I don't care how many people they bring. This is our world, and they ain't taking it away from us," Ash said determinedly.

Cilan nodded in approval knowing he could always count on his old pal Ash Ketchum.

"Ah, That was a lot of yapping from me," Cilan rubbed his head. "I guess I just needed to get that off my chest."

"It's cool. You needed to share vital information so we can possibly save the world in the near future," Ash responded as he yawned.

"It's starting to get very late. Why don't you stay here for the night Ash. I have a guest room you can sleep in. And I'll take you to school in the morning," Cilan implied.

"Sure sounds great. I left a note for my mama back home anyway. Ah man, this'll be just like old times," He smiled.

A:N/ Very long chapter I know. It will all make sense once I begin introducing more and more of the story's plot so please bear with me. We've got a new character in Cilan who I don't believe will appear to often. Only in the important chapters. As always thanks for reading and have a blessed one!

To be continued...