Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ A Midsummer Night's Scheme ❯ Learning New Things Every Day ( Chapter 5 )

Act V

"Learning New Things Everyday"

Ash and his friends started the final leg of their journey by standing in front of a very tall mountain, and then, by climbing it. They had already trekked through most of the continent on foot, after their rental car could take them no further, and it was at the base of this mountain where their travels eventually led them. It was a tall sucker, and brown as the earth below it, and it wasn't exactly an easy climb, either. There were plenty of footholds and passageways that wound up to the apex of the mountain, but most of the way up was a tough climb.

Still, since none of the five travelers had much of a choice, they began to scale the peak one by one. They started with running, and jogged in a steady pace up the path that had been worn out by eons of travelers before them. It wound around the lowest part of the base steadily, so much so that there was barely even a noticeable slope. Things turned vertical once the path came to a sudden stop and a series of footholds jutted out instead, and the group went up by hand.

Brock, Jessie, and James seemed to be fairly good climbers (it was no surprise on Brock's part, since he had a liking to earthy Pokemon), so they were the ones that first scaled the footholds. With gloves on to prevent blisters, they reached up one ledge at a time and pulled themselves up, grabbing with their arms and feet for a destination that seemed to grow higher and higher all the time. Misty and Ash used ropes to climb up, since they were not as skilled, and this upward battle lasted for quite awhile.

The footholds led to another area that had a definite path to it, but instead of barely rising up, it was more of a sharp inclination. The quintet had to crawl upward on their hands and knees, sometimes using grappling hooks to support themselves. They constantly disturbed dust and small pebbles, sending them tumbling down and even striking the people below. Ash cringed as a face-full of dust and dirt fell towards him, and asked the people climbing above to be more careful.

The mountain was tough at times and easy at others, and there could also be found several arbors with shade from time to time. Aside from those tiny groves that gave them rest, the mountain was bare and rocky, and quite imposing to most of the travelers. Jessie and James proved to be good companions during the journey up, and helped their younger associates scale the long tall reach. It was a warm day, so there was no snow to obscure their journey, but the day's heat began to oppress them in the stead of ice, which was almost just as bad.

"Let's hang in there for a bit longer!" encouraged Jessie during one of their periods of rest. "This mountain isn't going to go on forever! We've already climbed up a good distance!" The other four travelers took this time to look back down at where they had been, and indeed, quite a bit of space had already been put past them. The path ahead of them seemed shorter now, and less intimidating, though there was still a lot left over. Ash took a groaning sigh, and once he felt like he was rested enough, he started to climb up once again…

Below them, but approaching closer every second, were two very powerful and very crafty assassins…

Marion and Morrison climbed up the mountain like it was a path of stairs and not a mighty sentinel of rock. The female had her clawed gauntlets to easily scale the side, and used them to crawl up even the steepest of walls. Morrison had his abnormal physical strength, and he could grip hold of the mountain with just as much ease as his partner. Combined, the two shot up the mountain in almost half the time that their predecessors had, but they had the disadvantage of both time and space against them. It had taken them a bit longer to get to the mountain, but they were both greater than their incompetent forerunners in every way, and considered the delay insignificant.

The final leg of an intense race had begun, and the finish line was still up for grabs. On one hand, Ash had Misty and Brock to rely upon, and all three friends had to admit that Jessie and James were really starting to prove their worth. The two ex-Rockets were slowly but surely integrating themselves as friends, and this mountainside climb would probably seal their new relationship. They would need it, too, for it took a lot of trust and teamwork to scale such a height, and there was plenty left to challenge even the toughest among them.

But on the other hand, "the toughest among them" were in fact Marion and Morrison. Alone, they probably had might and skill equal to that of all five companions, but when they put their own abilities together, they were quite unstoppable. Marion was ferocious and merciless, Morrison was brutal and powerful, and they were easily the most threatening foes that Ash and his friends had ever faced. They had no fear, and worked solely for whoever had the biggest pockets, and loved fighting to great excess.

The mountain continued to dominate for some time, but a long and wide pathway made the climb easier. The five companions sprinted across the level plane as if they knew they were being pursued (which they did, but they never considered just how close their pursuers were), but found that the path only went on for so long. It ended up at a rope bridge, which seemed several times less reliable than Jessie and James had been when they first showed themselves to Ash after being fired. Tentatively, Misty tested the bridge first, and found it to be shaky but solid.

"It's okay!" she called out, but under her breath, she muttered, "I hope…" Carefully, Misty crept across the rope bridge, hoping that the planks below would be able to hold her and her companions. Her breath was in her lungs the entire time, and her heart was almost literally in her throat the whole time. Her pulse froze as a stray wind shook the bridge, and she let out a brief squeal as the world trembled. But she made it across, and breathed out the ultimate sigh of relief once the deed was done.

"Looks like I'm next!" stated Ash as he adjusted his hat. He stepped across the bridge bravely, but even his spirit faltered a little, and a bit of sickness welled up inside about midway across the rickety old thing. He dashed across at the last second, and gasped several breaths once he was on stable ground. Nervously, Jessie and James looked at each other, and wondered which of them would go first.

"I guess it's the gentleman's duty…" murmured Jessie.

"No, ladies first!" insisted James.

"I insist!"

"No, I insist!"

"You first!"

"No, you!"

"Will you two just shut up!" yelled Brock impatiently. "Why don't you both go across at the same time?" Jessie and James gave their friend a wary look, then turned the look to each other, and steeled their nerves before making the journey. They squeezed their eyes shut and their hands went over each other's as they sprinted across, and if they had ever been people of prayer, it had been during that time across the bridge. Once the duo was across, Brock pursed his lips and prepared to cross himself. He hated heights.

Okay, Brock, just… walk over this bridge, and… you'll be fine! he told himself. He kept on reassuring himself that everything was going to be okay as he crept across the rope-and-wood bridge, but midway across, the wood slowly began to creak beneath him. Brock froze, and stared below him in horror. The whole earth became wobbly, and a great sickness erupted in his stomach as the dizzying height struck him senseless. He was petrified from fear, and did not move even to sprint across.

"Come on, Brock!" yelled Ash. "You can do it! Just keep your eyes shut and run across!"

"Easy for you to say! You're on the other side!" he shouted back. Misty glared at him and tried to encourage him in her own way.

"Brock, you coward! Face up to that fear of yours like a real man! No wonder you never have any girlfriends! Do you think they'd fall all over you if they knew you were afraid of heights?!"

"I…… I…" Brock stuttered, but it still wasn't enough to get him over. Misty turned red from anger, but then Jessie and James stepped in to help.

"Hey, loser!" called James. "You just stay right over there! I think we've taken you far enough! Now it's time to perform a classical Team Rocket Double-Cross, and stab all of you in the back! Hahahahahaaaaa!"

"That's right!" sang Jessie victoriously. "We've been tricking you all this time! Now we're going to do something REALLY nasty, like… throw you over the cliff!"

"WHAT!!" Brock screamed at the traitorous duo, and sped across the bridge to throttle them both. "You back-stabbing lowlifes! You're worse than the dirtiest scum I've ever seen! You ought to be locked up in an insane asylum and have the key thrown away! I have half a mind to--"

"Yes, well, we're all glad you finally made it over," sighed James wearily. "Now if you're through ranting, we have a Pokemon Master to find." He and his longtime friend nodded their heads, and Ash and Misty agreed with them and went off to leave Brock by himself. The poor guy froze in ultimate confusion, his mouth gaping open just slightly.

"What… just happened?"

"A little trick we used to get you over," explained Jessie. "It looks like it worked. Wow, for a minute there, I thought that you almost trusted us. You sure sounded betrayed back then."

"…You mean… that was a…?"

"He sure catches on quickly," remarked James dryly. Misty couldn't agree more if she wanted to.

"Hurry up, Brock!" called out Ash. "Remember, we still have those people from Team Rocket chasing us! We wouldn't want you getting caught by them now, would we?"

"…Uh, no!" Brock scampered off after them, and as he pieced together what had just happened, he had to admit that Jessie and James certainly could be clever when they needed to.

Fifteen minutes later, Marion and Morrison crossed the same rope bride, without any fear or hesitation…

---------------

It took them about ninety minutes to get up the whole mountain, but when the group of five finally reached their destination, it had been worth all their efforts. Somewhere just below the peak of the mountain was an unusual construction that had been built into the mountain. It was a log cabin, quaint and homey, and it was here where the famed Legendary Pokemon Master resided, or so the rumors said. Jessie and James smiled proudly as they beheld the cabin, and dusted their hands off in satisfaction.

"Well, we made it!" exclaimed Jessie. "For awhile there, I didn't think that we would! I mean, we only had what we overheard from our boss to go on, but I guess that was enough. Well, friends, what do you think of the mean old Rockets now?"

"Oh, you two aren't with Team Rocket anymore!" exclaimed Misty with a cheerful smile. "I mean, you told us about a hundred times already! If you're still worried about us not trusting you, I think this little stunt proves that we can? Right, boys?"

"Yeah!" smiled Ash. "Now all we have to do is find the old Master! You think he's home?"

"A hermit usually doesn't stray far from their house," noted Brock as he caught up with everybody. "I'd say that the old man's still living there. I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm going to take a look!" With that bit of enthusiasm propelling him, Brock led the march towards the house, and knocked on the door several times. It opened automatically for him, but instead of an ancient man standing on the other side, a Mr. Mime was there instead.

"Greet Ings, Friends!" it announced in its broken language. "What do can for I you day to?"

"…Huh?"

"Can I do what for you to day?"

"Oh! Uh, we're here to see the Legendary Pokemon Master!"

"Leg End MASTER of Pokey Man?"

"That's right!" said Brock. "Does he live here, Mr. Mime?"

"Code 'MASTER' lives in house here," replied the creature with a nod of its head. "Visit Ors to day?"

"Yes, we'd like to visit your master!" replied Ash. "Do you think that we could talk with him?" The Mr. Mime froze briefly as it calculated this question, and revolved its head around to look behind it.

"Please Wait…" It lumbered away and left the door open, but told the five standing there to "In Ter." They squeezed through the door, and found themselves in a small, cozy, warm little house. It smelled of aged wood, probably cedar, and a roaring fire off in the corner augmented this delicious scent several times over. There was little decoration, except for the cloth over the mantle and the simple rugs over the floor, but there was plenty of furniture around.

The old man was off in a corner, reclining in a rocking chair and moving it back and forth every so often. He was a gray old mare, with a twinkle of ageless wisdom in his eyes and scarcely a hair on his head. He was wrinkled, and wore light clothes, and seemed as timeless as the Pokemon themselves. There was a great shelf of books near where he was rocking, probably the remnants of his research, and three Pokeballs had been gently placed on the mantle above the fireplace. It was a very cozy place, and everybody liked it instantly.

"MASTER wants you be comfort able," said the Mr. Mime as it bounded across the room. "MASTER likes when young peep ill him visit. Sit, peep ill, and MASTER will visit. WOULD YOU LIKE SOMETHING TO EAT OR DRINK?"

"Yes, we're all rather starved," replied James. "Just give us whatever you have and we'll be fine."

"Stood under!" saluted the Mr. Mime, and it waddled away to prepare something. The five companions sat in the silence, and watched as several other Pokemon wandered around the tiny cabin, cleaning the place up and performing small tasks. The old man in the corner took a deep breath, smiled, and craned his head over so that he was looking at his visitors.

"Well now, who might you be?" he wheezed in a crusty voice. The five companions introduced themselves, and the elder man smiled warmly. "Well, isn't that nice? People call me the old Legendary Pokemon Master, but I don't know why. I think they should call me by my real name, and not some fancy old title!"

"And what might that be, sir?" asked Misty. He smiled and looked into her young eyes.

"My name is Travis J. Melchior, but you can call me Old Man Mel. It makes me feel a little less serious!" The five companions understood and greeted Old Man Mel. Just then, the Mr. Mime came back with a large tray of food in its hands, and presented them to the guests.

"Inn joy," it said. "This food made was now just. Very hot, warm, good for travel errs. THANK YOU, YOU'RE WELCOME!" It bowed its head after disposing of the food, and waddled off to perform some other task. Old Man Mel laughed merrily at the creature, and turned his chair around so he was looking at the younger ones.

"That was Mr. Mime!" he exclaimed. "He helps me around the house a lot. I'm very grateful for him, because I'm an old man now, and I can't do all the things that I used to do when I was your age. I have all sorts of crazy critters in my little collection, but I'm especially proud of three of them!"

"Three?" mimed James. "What do you mean? Could you explain?"

"No, I don't think I could," replied the man in soft defeat. "Couldn't remember how I ever got possession of them. I read those books you see over there sometimes," he said as he indicated the shelves behind him, "but all they say is that the three critters I have now--Pokemon, their name is--all they are is just very rare, hard to come by critters. They can't be found anywhere else, or so I guess."

"So the rumors were true!" exclaimed Jessie. "Old Man--erm, Mel, what can you tell us about Pokemon? You're the Legendary Master, the leading figurehead of the subject, so surely you must know something!" Mel paused and seriously thought about it--sometimes humming to himself--but after awhile, he came up with nothing.

"Mmm… nope, can't think of a thing. If you wanna know something, check out the books right behind me. They'll tell you all the things you need to know, but as for me, I can barely keep track of their names!"

"So you're saying that you can't remember anything?!" squealed James in surprise. Old man Mel shook his head and smiled.

"Hardly anything. Yep, I've forgotten most everything, except that those books have a lot of knowledge." The five companions froze in surprise, and did not recover for awhile as they reckoned this new development. A Legendary Pokemon Master was before them, perhaps the last surviving member of his breed, and he had forgotten everything that made him so famous, even the very reason he was called Legendary! It was a great twist of irony, and it did not benefit any of the five travelers at all.

"…Oh…" murmured Ash at last. "So… uh… could you at least tell us about those rare Pokemon?"

"Well I certainly could, young man!" smiled Mel. He bade one of his serving Pokemon to retrieve the three Pokeballs on the mantle above the fireplace, and cradled each of them like they were his children. He tossed one down on the floor, and commanded the creature within to come out. In a flash of light, a shining creature came into the world, blinding everyone in the whole room. Old man Mel smiled and shielded his eyes from the glare, and quickly put the Pokemon back inside.

"…Wow! What was that!?" exclaimed an awestruck Jessie. Mel smiled.

"That was Serraf, the one-and-only Angel-Type Pokemon in existence. Its mere presence blinds anybody without protective eyewear, so I had to put it back quickly. I don't know how strong it is, but I'm sure it could win a few matches if it had to!"

"No kidding!" exclaimed Ash. "The power reading I got from that Pokemon was off the chart!" Old Man Mel's eyes twinkled merrily, and he introduced another one of his Pokemon.

"If you like that, then you'll love this one!" he said. The second Pokemon came out with a vicious screech, brandishing a total of six large arms, four muscular legs, and two heads: one with two horns, the other with one. It looked vaguely familiar, and Ash could've sworn that he had seen it before, somewhere…

"This is the Pokemon known as Mewthree," said Mel. "From what I could tell after reading up on those books, Mewthree is the 'grandchild' of Mew, and the offspring of Mewtwo. It's quite possibly the most powerful Psychic-type Pokemon in the world, and it's even more intelligent than most humans!"

"Mew… three?" whispered Misty in amazement. "Is that… possible?"

"You're looking at one now, I reckon!" chuckled Mel. He quietly dismissed the freakishly powerful Pokemon, and prepared for the final one. "Now this one," he said proudly, "is supposed to be my crowning achievement. All our hard work went into making this one Pokemon: a critter that had the combined DNA of every other Pokemon in existence, from the earliest to the newest hybrid. Every single one! That means that it has all of their strengths, and theoretically, none of their weaknesses."

"This is unbelievable!!" shrieked Jessie and James at the same time. "Wow! The old boss would turn purple if he heard about this!"

"Of course, we'll never tell that stuffed shirt!" snorted James. Jessie nodded her head.

"Right. This nice old man deserves to live in peace and quiet--and besides, I think he's too senile to help old man Giovanni."

"What?" murmured Mel. "Gio-who? Who am I supposed to help? Eh? Am I really senile?"

"No, they're just joking!" chuckled Ash weakly. "So anyway, what's this Super-Pokemon you were talking about?" The old man paused in thought, and brought out his third and final creation. The five comrades expected to see something fierce, or powerful, or intimidating come out, but the only thing that squirmed forth was a puny little thing that looked something like a large tadpole. It wriggled around on the ground, leaping about like a fish out of water, and slowly climbed up on the old man's bare head. He laughed as it tickled him, and perched it on his finger.

"Codename OMNI," he said proudly. "This little guy doesn't look impressive, but he's got lots of guts! Heh, heh… Look, he has the strength of an Onyx in him and the speed of a… of a… Well, gosh! The speed of something really fast!" The old man set his little creation on the floor, and in an instant, it vanished--but just long enough to bring a large wooden chair with it. Mel laughed and clapped at the little thing, and it squealed delightfully at the praise.

Ash, Brock, James, Jessie, and Misty stood in amazement, but none of it was out of awe.

"That thing…"

"Is the…"

"Ultimate Pokemon?"

"You have got to be…"

"Off your rocker!"

"It's the real deal all right!" assured old man Mel. "Just take a peek at its power rating, and every other statistic it might have! You'll find that it easily breaks the charts." Ash shrugged but did so, and was utterly amazed at how high the ratings for the little creature went. Without a doubt, it was definitely the most powerful Pokemon he had ever seen.

"Amazing!" he whispered. "It really gives you the shivers, thinking that something this strong is in the world! I'd hate to think of what Team Rocket would do if they caught this one!"

"And it looks like you won't have long to find out!" Ash and his friends jerked around and screeched as they saw the deadly glower of Marion and the stony gaze of Morrison burn back at them. Somehow, this nasty team had made it all the way up the mountain, and were now posing the greatest threat at the worst possible time imaginable!

"Oh, no!" growled Ash angrily. "Not you two! Not now!"

"Oh, yes!!" sang Marion wickedly. "We're here and we're ready to dispose of trash like you! Step away if you know what's good for you!"

"We will inflict no permanent injury if you cooperate with us," grumbled Morrison in a deadly voice. "All we want is the elderly gentleman and his research. None of you are involved anymore, unless you are foolish enough to stand in our way."

"You're the fools!" shouted Brock as he shielded the old man. "We outnumber you six to two, and you're forgetting that one of us is a Legendary Master of Pokemon, who has spent his whole life researching them!"

"That's right!" snapped Misty, who shielded the old man as well. "He has three powerful and rare Pokemon that can easily wipe you out! You expect us to just back away, what with the odds in our favor?"

"Actually, we do," grinned Morrison, showing off his steel teeth. "You see, I do not care what sort of arsenal you have in store, or who you have on your team. Marion and I are among the best in the business, and I'm proud to say that we've fought against much more challenging foes than you. It is barely even worth our time to bother with the likes of you."

"Well, that's just fine!" snarled Jessie as she stood in front of Mel. "We're used to fighting ourselves, James and I! You'd be surprised at how much of a fight we can put up!"

"This man is old and sweet and full of spirit, but he has lost all his memories!" declared Ash as he joined his friends. "There's no way that I'm allowing you to take him back to your headquarters! He wouldn't do you any good anyway, and we can always get rid of those books if we need to!"

"You wouldn't even have the nerve!" snarled Marion ferociously. James joined his four comrades, and together, they all protected the Legendary Pokemon Master from the deadliest members of Team Rocket.

"You can tell that old coot Giovanni that you just wasted your time getting here!" he exclaimed. "Old Man Mel truly has no memory, and his Pokemon have the ability to wipe you out! HA! What a bunch of fools!"

"I tire of this conversation!" roared Morrison as he slammed his fist into his palm. "I don't care what you say! We're going to take this old gentleman and all his research, but whether or not we keep you alive will depend on how much of a fight you put up! Last warning!"

"Go ahead!" shouted Ash boldly. "Make my day!"

"Famous last words, kid," hissed Marion evilly. The seven of them prepared to fight, when all of a sudden, old man Mel said the one thing that nobody expected.

"…I have no idea what's going on…" Marion and Morrison stared at him as if they were truly beginning to believe his senility, and turned their looks towards each other as they concocted another scheme. They smiled, nodded their heads, and smiled placidly.

"Listen," she said in a cool voice, "I'd never want to fight a former member of Team Rocket. What say we all call this a truce?"

"A truce?" parroted James. Morrison nodded his head.

"Yes. You know, before we got to this mountain, our boss told us that if you two were willing to cooperate with us, and bring the old gentleman in to him, you'd be forgiven of your past failures and would even be reinstated in the Team, with an increase in pay. How does that sound?"

"He… did?" they croaked. Jessie and James froze as they heard this "information", and a secret part of their selves yearned to return to Team Rocket, back to the place where they had purpose, and meaning, and prestige, and respect, and fear…

"What should we do, James?" asked Jessie desperately. He looked right into her eyes and saw the same confusion, and then turned his attention towards Ash, Brock, and Misty. They were all wondering the same thing--if Jessie and James truly would pull a Team Rocket Double-Cross--and looks of betrayal and mistrust were already on their faces. James didn't even need to consider his options once he saw their faces; he knew what he wanted to do.

"I'm sure it all sounds like a generous offer," he smiled faintly. "But you can tell the old geezer that Jessie and I are declining his offer. You see, we've had a purpose and a meaning to our life once we joined Ash and the others--but unlike Team Rocket, we've also had friends, real friends, people that have learned to slowly trust us over time. They're very valuable comrades, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here!"

"…James…" Jessie smiled dreamily, and the two former Rockets gazed at each other with love and honor and an unshakable pride. Ash, Misty, and even Brock had to smile as their former enemies refused the tempting offer, and their bond was solidified all the more on that day. With her partner's encouraging words, Jessie turned her dreadful gaze upon her enemies, and declared her own feelings.

"You must take us for the biggest fools in the world!" she shouted, pointing a mighty finger at them for good measure. "Do you really think we would fall for that? You're just trying to get us to betray our kind friends here! I'm sure that once we stabbed their backs, you were going to dispose of us anyway, right?" Marion and Morrison snarled, then chuckled darkly.

"It seems as if you're not quite as stupid as we thought you were," he remarked. "Well, all right. You've sealed your fate! Resign yourselves to a fate of misery and horror!"

"Bring it on, big guy!" cackled James wildly. He and his partner, and their "new" friends, each stood in wait for the two Rockets to attack, and a pair of deadly Pokemon emerged from their cloaks. An Onyx and a Charizard screamed a battle-cry, and the five Pokemon trainers each brought out their own faithful creature. Jessie's Arbok and Brock's Charmander concentrated their attacks on the large snakelike rock, and Pikachu, Wheezing, and Squirtle fought against Marion's fiery dragon.

"Arbok! Earthquake!" The large snake shattered the ground, creating a shockwave that tumbled the Onyx around, debilitating it briefly but not terribly much. Charmander blew a flame into its face, but the large creature was mostly immune to both attacks. Meanwhile, Squirtle was fighting off the Charizard pretty well on its own, with Pikachu blasting at it to increase the shock once the water had doused the lizard's flame. Wheezing clouded the entire are with smog, polluting and poisoning the dragon-like creature, and even sent Onyx coughing.

"This is no good," muttered Marion darkly. "I'd say that these people know what they're doing. We've been underestimating them."

"Then it's time to fight them ourselves!" stated Morrison. The two Rockets called their Pokemon back, and stood by themselves against the greater numbers. Ash, Brock, Jessie, James, and Misty stood waiting for the Rockets to attack, and kept their Pokemon prepared for anything. Morrison charged first, lumbering off after them like a wild bull. He slammed his body into the Wheezing and Arbok first, knocking them both with a powerful blow and sending them careening across the entire cabin, until they smashed into the wall.

"Arbok!!!"

"Wheezing! NO!!!" Jessie and James screamed after their Pokemon, but they had already fainted when they got there. Sadly, the former Rockets called their beloved creatures back, and swore revenge against the evil duo. But before they could return to the field of battle, Marion had joined her companion, and was slashing away at Pikachu, Charizard, and Squirtle, all at once.

With her mighty claws, the woman ripped the other Pokemon apart like they were made out of paper, and sent them crashing to the ground in torn shreds. Ash and his friends ran towards their heavily-injured friends, and wailed out to them as they barely wiggled to life.

"Pikachu!" The little yellow mouse groaned, and Ash shuddered as its life nearly left it. He called his friend back inside, and with a heavy but determined heart, he glared back at the woman that had caused them such pain. She merely laughed at him, her white cloak shivering as her shoulders were thrown back in a wicked cackle.

"Ah, what's the matter, boy?" she sang. "Did you expect us to be on the same incompetent level as your little friends here?"

"Jessie and James are not incompetent!" he shouted. "And I don't care how strong you are! We're going to beat you, even if it takes all our Pokemon to do it!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary!" laughed Old Man Mel suddenly. The five friends turned and stared at him, and he happily produced his OMNI. "Here, let OMNI show you what it's made of! I'll bet that this little critter can defeat these intruders! Hmph, but they really should have left an old man in peace…" Somewhat ignorant of its master's ramblings, the tiny little OMNI bounced towards Marion and Morrison, who couldn't help but snort at the insignificant thing.

"This is the Ultimate Pokemon??" grumbled Morrison. "Ha! Looks more like a little worm! Here, I'll crush it!" He raised his foot and stamped on the creature, but with a wave of its miniature hands, it easily threw the much-larger man off balance. He tumbled onto the floor, more shocked than injured, and laid there with a startled look on his face. Marion snarled, and began slashing at the creature with her claws. But even this attack was avoided, as the little OMNI was hard to hit and amazingly quick. It avoided the woman's insane attacks easily, and tackled her with a stunning blow to the forehead.

"WOW!" shouted the five friends as their enemies were defeated.

"That's a really powerful Pokemon!"

"Yes, I'm rather proud of it," smiled old man Mel. The OMNI easily dragged Marion and Morrison outside of the house, and threw them down the mountain, where they slipped and slid and stumbled down the long peak, until they came to a bruised and bloodied stop halfway down. They did not recover from their ordeal for a terribly long time, but when they did wake up, they were so injured that they could barely move. The long tumble down the mountain had seriously busted even their bodies up, and with a groan from each of them, they managed to stand up.

"Ugh, how humiliating!" snorted Marion as she dusted herself off. "Defeated by something even smaller than a worm! How degrading!"

"The elderly man must truly know his stuff," grunted Morrison. "That was no ordinary Pokemon. I think it might actually be safer for us to return to the boss empty-handed."

"You really think that's a good idea?" He shrugged.

"There's little else we can do. I'm beginning to believe them when they said that he was going senile. If he can't remember his studies, then he's useless to us. Those Pokemon are far too powerful for us to steal, and I'm even beginning to wonder if his records were of any good." Marion sighed, and rested on a large rock that she had miraculously avoided on the fall down. She produced her cell phone, and prepared to dial up Giovanni's number.

"So what do we tell him? That this mission was botched, or we failed?"

"Just tell him the truth," replied Morrison. "If Giovanni wants the Pokemon Master that badly, then he can get him himself." Marion nodded her head, and called Headquarters to file her report. She stated that the old man was senile, and had forgotten his research, and the entire mission's failure could not be posted on them. Giovanni was angry anyway, but he was wise enough to know that one loss, even from the best, did not mean utter defeat. Marion and Morrison would stay in Team Rocket's employment, perhaps indefinitely, and there would be other missions to go on, and other fights to have.

Indeed, there would most certainly be a "next time".

---------------

Smiling with satisfaction, the five friends bade Old Man Mel a fond farewell, and began the long descent down the mountain. They were all beaming, from one cause or another, and though their Pokemon were injured and their bodies were weary, they had never felt better in their lives. Ash, Brock, and Misty had finally found the greatest Pokemon expert ever, and though he no longer remembered his studies, it was still a wonderful experience just to meet him. They had documented three one-of-a-kind Pokemon, and had seen their capabilities against the fiercest of opponents.

Jessie and James smiled because they were truly beginning to feel like they had made a friendship with the younger ones. They had easily overcome the temptation to betray them, and stood by their friends even in the darkest hours. That act had probably solidified their bond, and from that moment on, they would be with Ash and his friends through every turn and every trouble that life had to offer them. Team Rocket could have its honor and its prestige--they valued the true relationship they had with Ash and Misty and Brock, and would not trade it in for all the praises in the world.

Of course, there would be times when their teamwork was tested, as Giovanni always had his eye out for the latest scheme, and Marion and Morrison were posing an eternal threat. They were serious enemies, unlike the loveable duo had once been, and would not stop until their goals were completed. But now that there were five traveling companions instead of just three, each one experienced and trusting of the other, odds seemed favorable.

With one adventure already behind them, the five friends continued to walk down the road, and wondered what new adventures would await them the next day. Only time would tell.

The End