New Beginning (Pearlshipping-AshxDawn)

Chapter Twenty-one

Ash stood there, staring at Serena, who was dressed in her Team Rocket uniform. He still couldn't get over the fact that she was there...involved with all of this. But why?

"Serena, Ash wants to know what your role in all of this is." Cyrus said, breaking the silence.

"I'll gladly explain it to you, Ash." Serena replied. "Let's just say that we found some common ground. They needed my help with part of their plans, and in return, they promised to keep me safe here in their base when they conquer the world, and give me what I want more than anything: you."

As she spoke the last word, Ash noticed that her eyes turned red. He also sensed the strange energy coming from her again. He looked down and saw a strange bracelet that was wrapped tightly around her wrist. It was made of dark red gems attached tightly together, with barely any space to see the chain that connected them.

That's odd... Ash thought as her eyes went back to their normal blue color.

"That bracelet," Cyrus stated, seeing that Ash was looking at it, "Is made of the same gems that I once used to control the Sinnoh Lake Guardians: the red chain. I just altered them a bit to work on humans. The gems' power can control someone, but it does so by playing on the deepest, darkest desires of the person's mind. By using what they truly want as a motive, I can make them obey my commands. Serena's deepest desire...was to be with you.

"She is, of course, the first person to try my new red chain and was an obvious choice, since I knew how deeply her feelings ran for you. How do I know this? Well, at the Twinleaf Festival, the spy that you battled also saw how she acted towards you when you two were together, so I told Lysandre to have one of our spies investigate her home in Kalos to learn more. That's where we found information from her journals about her history with you, from when you two were young, to your journey together.

"What she had written in her journal about how she felt about you...it was all so sickeningly sweet, but it allowed us to learn of her deep feelings for you. It made her the perfect candidate to wear the bracelet. Plus, we knew that on top of the pain of losing your family, it would hurt you even more to learn that one of your close friends is now an enemy. That was why we had Serena write those mysterious notes to you."

Ash faced Cyrus. "How did you manage to get more gems? I thought that they had all been destroyed years ago."

Cyrus laughed. "You didn't think that I wouldn't analyze them first to discover how to create more gems on my own in the future?"

Ash stared at Cyrus in shock.

To say that I'm hurt by this is an understatement. Finding out that one of my closest friends is behind this...it hurts. Team Rocket...it's all their fault! Ash thought as his fists clenched in anger. But there's one thing that doesn't add up...she wouldn't do this. She wouldn't willingly help Team Rocket.

"Even if Serena did want to be with me, she'd never stoop so low as to help criminals like you and Team Rocket! She'd never accept that bracelet!"

Cyrus smirked and looked at Ash. He loved seeing the Pokemon Master, the most powerful trainer in the world, distraught at the fact that one of his closest friends was behind all of this and that his family was captured.

"I secretly contacted her while she was on her Pokemon showcase tour across Sinnoh. I was pretending to be an agent of the International Police and didn't give my identity away. I asked her if she was aware of the disappearances happening around the world. She said yes and I mislead her by telling her that I was going to keep her safe and "give her what she really wants" if she cooperated with my orders. I knew that there was a chance that she may become suspicious, but I knew that her desire to stay safe with you would outweigh that feeling. Her demeanor began to change at the thought of being with the man that she loves."