jukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiio9999999999000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

A/N - Hmmmm... very interesting, did Aspen unlock the secret about Missingno?

My kitten walked up to my computer desk when I had this open in preparation for our next chapter and typed this intro all by herself. So I am keeping it; she truly is the epitome of storytelling and we both have a lot in common. Enjoy the chapter fellow readers. :P

Here is a pic of the culprit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking along the precipice of the Route heading toward the city. Red was carefully holding his Great Ball in hand with the fresh new catch. Eyeing his new friend with earnestness as the clear blue plastic showcased the mole like Pokémon in view. I followed alongside Red while Yellow and Blue were holding conversation behind us.

I watched as the boy turned the ball from side to side and the Pokémon inside the electronic plastic container smiled with those cute black beady eyes of his. The trainer smiled back toward him and began to reflect.

He is so good to his Pokémon. He may not be much of a talker, but I can sense it in his eyes. He's very happy about the new friend he has made that it seems like all other matters that have occurred don't seem to faze him.

"Hey Red, about my Father?" I inquired with softness.

"He came to see you last night?....." He asked nonchalant.

Surprised by his question, my eyes widened from the possibility that he may have seen him.

"You saw me battle him?" I inquired with shocked apprehension.

He nodded in answer to my question.

"Well, I want to know. Did he ever tell you how he rescued me?" I asked with a sincere glance.

The boy nodded his head gently and turned to face me with attentive purpose of my inquiry.

"..........He never told me all the details about what happened between you and him. I knew that when he explained that you were under his control. It made me quite upset about the fact these people could have destroyed you both if they had accomplished their goals. Ensign used you in order to get to Autumn. To me what happened in the past was an absolute injustice to you and him. Team Rocket and them remind me every single day that we have a problem. The problem is because of a lack of empathy against those who are innocent and are used as victims." Continued Red.

"Leaf, I was awake when you were battling with your Father. I didn't want to interfere, since you both were trying to work things out between each other. However, I understood why your Father didn't want you to continue on your adventure. Being a Pokémon Trainer is quite dangerous and results in others from getting hurt. It seems like your Father Autumn had learned that the hard way."

"You have a real problem with prying into people's personal matters." I furrowed.

There was so much that I couldn't understand about the way Red was addressing this to me? Why was he awake during this time? What are they and my Father trying to hide from me? It seemed that ever since I was abducted inside that UFO. Autumn had been collaborating with Red in order to prevent me from accomplishing my goals of adventuring as a Trainer.

"Yes, I battled and lost to him. Does that mean I should've just accepted that fate and went home?" I inquired with a serious look on my face.

"No..... In fact if he had taken you home we would have been figuring out a way to bring you back. Don't mistake me from trying to prevent you to do this. I am just concerned about what they can do to you again. They are quite influential and they'll use you to try and get to your Father. I don't want that to happen and I certainly don't like the outcome of what could happen if we aren't prepared." He said.

"Then we prepare, don't also mistake that I am ignorant of the threat Ensign poses on all of us Red. I am not going to give up after that man's power is completely eradicated from off the face of this region. That's why I am on this journey. So that I can plan to stop him from hurting others like you also."

"You have every right." He said.

"Then why the hesitancy, were you and my Dad trying to prevent me from doing this ever since you left on your adventure?" I asked while observing him with skeptical eyes.

The boy shook his head with a gentle sway. He knew his intention was to leave on his own adventure to become a strong Pokémon Trainer like me, so why the silence? Why the monitoring of what I was supposed to become?

"No, in fact, this is still my goal. To become a Pokémon Champion and I must do this in order to learn more about Pokémon and the world around me. Your goal from what you told me Leaf is to become a great Pokémon Trainer. Our goals are about the same."

"Let me tell you something that I experienced. Since I was the one eager enough to learn the details about you and what happened between you and your Father. Leaf you told others that I was once a chatterbox who would speak a lot and that I had the enthusiasm of a Trainer that had dreams and passions. I am still that Trainer with the dreams and passions part. The biggest issue that bit my enthusiasm was the family that was broken."

My face went from serious to sour after hearing this from him.

Did he just....... Lose someone?.... Is that why he has been this quiet all this time?

"My Father was a Police Officer of Cinnabar Island. He was investigating a fairly known threat in the region and Team Rocket was smuggling Pokémon in the docks of this town. He was attempting to find a Pokémon that was stolen from his Trainer. This Pokémon was a Ponyta. A Fire type Pokémon that looked like a horse with many flames dancing across his back. It was was last seen smuggled near that area with a big shipping container so my Father went to investigate."

"Did he have a lead?" I inquired with interest.

The boy nodded and then proceeded to tell his story to me.

"The Ponyta had been taken by a Regional Leader within the organization. My Dad boarded his ship. He had all six in his party at the time of the incident and attempted to battle the Rocketeer; he had defeated him resoundingly."

"Giovanni's forces had their ship on a stand still and my Father was completely surrounded as many ships continued to surround the vessel. The Ponyta was locked in a cage and couldn't get out, but with the onslaught of attacks he took from Team Rocket. Dad risked everything to try and free him. Petrel, Proton, and the Regional Leader were all present during the time he had been injured and as they attempted to capture him."

"He managed to jump ship and swim away with the Pokémon in his possession. The waves of the sea severely weakened him up to the point that my Dad had risked his life to save a random Pokémon from being sold into Team Rocket's hands. He had passed away along the beach of Cinnabar Island shortly after rescuing this random strangers Pokémon."

There were no words, just absolute silence. I didn't know that my poor friend had suffered such terrible loss. He would never tell me anything and yet; I always assumed that it was because he was just growing up. This boy had experienced a tragedy that was outside of the conflict me and Father were experiencing all those years before.

I had nothing, there was nothing that I could do to console him. I thought I understood true loss, but now that I learned that my Father was alive. There was nothing that blessed him with such a fortune like this.

"I envy you Leaf, I really do. That's because you still have your Father and mine is never coming back. Autumn was around when I met up with him in Viridian City and he informed me about how nervous he was to approach you. I encouraged him to keep reaching out. That was the only way he was going to be able to tell you the truth. I asked him to keep going, to try and be there for you and he agreed."

"Autumn knew I was going through a deep depression and yet he became the Father that I never had. He encouraged me to keep going, to keep my eye on my goal when I lost sight of it and that's what I am going to do." Said Red.

"That's easy for you to say; he didn't want me to reclaim my own goal originally." I said.

"He does now."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I motivated him to let you continue." He smiled.

My face blushed bright red from that response.

He...He encouraged my father?

What a good man Autumn was to go out of the way for his sake. He filled the gap for his missing parentage when the boy had nothing left but him and his own Mom. That made me feel so grateful to him to be there when he had no Dad in his life to wish him luck on his adventure.

"Can I ask you a question Red?"

My head bowed and my fists curled. I wanted to be sure of this, there was no way Red could have used a teleportation device like escape rope. Not unless he had escaped while he was inside the ship.

"When we were kidnapped on the Haunebu? Did my Dad save you?" I asked with curiousness.

"Yes, he was too late in being able to save you two which was one of his regrets. His Pidgeot had swiftly rescued me before they could even beam me up. Which was why he and I were on a hunt to try and figure out a way to bring you both back." He finished.

With all these confirmations before me. It was clear to me that my Dad was just trying to keep his distance. He felt guilty about the fact that I had experienced such trauma and was filled with regret.

My old man did all that he could to try and make amends. Knowing that it must have been hard for him to not tell the truth to me and my Mother that he was a spy. Red being his only alibi was also told to keep it a secret.

Now that I was assured that my Father was alive before I arrived at Bill's cottage. My best friend unfortunately went through the darkest tragedy that no child should ever have to experience and that was the event that had sacrificed his enthusiasm and motivation. Autumn provided that motivation to a timid young boy like him and shined a light where darkness was held all his life.