Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Give Me Diamonds ❯ Chapter 32

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Don't Give Me Diamonds

Diamond 106: Give me Might

The six on six pokemon battle between Ash and Giovanni continued with both in command of their third pokemon. To battle against Ash's Primeape, Giovanni sent out Rhyperior. Seeing Primeape eager to charge forward, Giovanni called forth another earthquake to slow him down, followed by an attack of "mega horn!" Rhyperior dashed forward trying to stab Primeape with her horn.

The collision between the two pokemon was inevitable and thus dodging alone would be ineffective. "Quick Primeape, use focus punch!" Primeape reacted rapidly and his fist collided with the side of Rhyperior's face, but his opponent was no where near defeated.

Without pausing, Rhyperior retaliated with her horn. Primeape tried to protect himself, which resulted in the horn being stabbed painfully into his right paw. Freeing herself from the perforated appendage, Rhyperior continued the relentless mega horn attack, while Primeape used thrash, his reaction to most intense emotions, be it excitement or pain.

"Primeape, you have to concentrate, don't lose your cool, use brick break!" Ash watched his pokemon intensely, wondering if he should be recalled, he didn't want any permanent damage to come to him. Yet Primeape didn't look like he would go back into his pokeball even if Ash tried to call him back. The fighting pokemon was still immersed in the heat of battle, with no intensions of stopping the fight. Using his left hand instead, Primeape unleashed a powerful brick break attack, succeeding it with two more brick break attacks with the use of kicks.

Rhyperior shielded herself, the impact being mostly absorbed by her armored body, though she still felt the aftershock in significant discomfort. "Rhyperior, use hammer arm!" Following her trainer's order, Rhyperior performed a series of rapid hits hammering away at Primeape with her heavy arms. Primeape made a valiant effort, pushing Rhyperior to the limit with his own flurry of hits. With one last solid hammer arm attack, Primeape stumbled backwards unsteadily and fell to the ground knocked out.

"That was a great fight, return Primeape!" Ash finally called Primeape back into his pokeball. Rhyperior tried not to show it, but Ash could tell the fight did tire her out, though she would still be a dangerous opponent for which a different strategy would be required. "Staraptor, I choose you!" While Rhyperior had a tough armor, it might not be so easy to fight against a speedy flying opponent. "Use aerial ace!"

Staraptor began his attack, flying towards Rhyperior and trying to get a solid hit that would affect her despite her armored body. "Rhyperior, hit him with hammer arm!" Though the attack was powerful, the move turned out to be ineffective, as Staraptor quickly dodged all the hits.

"Staraptor, use steel wing!" Staraptor levitated in mid air flapping his wings strongly. His feathers turned metallic as they were launched like razors from his wings.

Rhyperior defended against the attack, but she could seemingly do little else than that, since Staraptor remained out of reach. Giovanni had a different strategy to try. If Staraptor didn't come down, Rhyperior would just have to knock him out of the sky. "Attack with rock wrecker!" The landscape at the edge of the forest-like area near the mountain was full of loose boulders that would make excellent projectiles to be thrown. Rhyperior hurried to pick one up and threw it at Staraptor like a cannon ball.

"Be careful Staraptor!" Ash urged his pokemon to watch out. Staraptor was dodging, but it didn't seem like Rhyperior would get tired of throwing boulders any time soon. Besides, a pokemon battle could not be won by dodging alone. "Use brave bird!"

Staraptor dove past the most recently thrown boulder, narrowly dodging it. He courageously collided with Rhyperior, just as Giovanni called out for a last minute, "mega horn attack!" Staraptor was able to get back in the air, only losing a few feathers in the encounter.

It looked like Rhyperior could no longer hide her fatigue. She was irritated, which might make her lose her concentration. The observation gave Ash an idea, "Staraptor, use uproar!"

The loud attack was most uncomfortable even for the trainers. Wanting to make Staraptor shut up just as badly as Rhyperior did, Giovanni called forth his only option to reach Staraptor in the air, "Rhyperior, keep using rock wrecker!"

Rhyperior gladly obeyed with her temper flaring. She tossed one boulder after another at Staraptor until she had to stop to catch her breath, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. "Now Staraptor, use steel wing and brave bird!"

Staraptor's metallic feathers collided with Rhyperior once more, their effect improved due to her defenses being lowered by exhaustion. "Rhyperior, use hammer arm!" Just as Staraptor dove in for the finishing blow, Rhyperior swung her heavy arm at the flying pokemon, but she missed and the momentum worked against her as Staraptor's attack collided with her directly. Due to the strong momentum and aftershock, Rhyperior spun around as she was pushed into unconsciousness. Her tail collided with Staraptor as she collapsed, though the hit was not particularly hard since it was driven by momentum without the contribution of willing muscle, it was just enough to make Staraptor stagger in his ascent.

Rhyperior's tail went down on Staraptor's tail feathers as the unconscious foe pulled her opponent into an uncomfortable sitting position on the ground with his tail feathers trapped under her heavy tail. Staraptor complained and pecked at Rhyperior's tail, trying to pull his tail feathers loose from their entrapment. Ash stared at the scene, his face twitching slightly to withhold the upcoming laughter. At last he could no longer hold it in and burst out in a fit of laughter, which Staraptor loudly protested to. "I'm sorry Staraptor," Ash managed to cease control of his expression, albeit still laughing a little. "You did great, don't worry, you'll be free in a moment." He glanced at Giovanni, waiting for him to recall Rhyperior into her pokeball.

Giovanni didn't move, "maybe I should leave that loud mouth pokemon trapped like that." His ears were still ringing from the uproar attack.

Ash pouted, further becoming caught up in the enjoyment of the pokemon battle and momentarily forgetting the reason for which it started. "That's not fair; you should call Rhyperior back to rest." Annoyed at his entrapment, Staraptor accentuated Ash's request with his own loud complaints in the shape of another uproar.

"Alright, fine, I'll call Rhyperior back if it'll make Staraptor shut up," Giovanni finally recalled Rhyperior into her pokeball, thus freeing Staraptor's tail feathers. The bird pokemon seemed to let out an undignified huff before returning to flying a few feet above the ground waiting for his next opponent. Giovanni released his next pokemon into battle, it was one of his newer ones, "Flygon, knock out that annoying bird, sand storm!" With the rapid flapping of his wings Flygon brought forth a massive sand storm from the land.

In a matter of seconds the visibility of the battle was lost. Ash coughed and covered his mouth and nose as best he could, his eyes now closed. "And you thought uproar was annoying? Staraptor, try using steel wing!" Staraptor obeyed, but the metallic feathers were lost in the storm becoming as normal feathers once more and being carried harmlessly by the wind.

"Hyper beam!" At Giovanni's order, Flygon let out a powerful beam of energy at his target.

"Be careful Staraptor, don't stop moving, use aerial ace!" The attack might, and probably would, miss Flygon, but it's purpose was to provide some defense for Staraptor by the constant movement that would hopefully allow him to dodge Flygon's attack despite the lack of visibility in the midst of the sand storm that Flygon continuously maintained between hyper beam attacks. With the sand storm making movement difficult, it was only a matter of time until Flygon's attack was effective in knocking out the target.

Staraptor's pained voice was heard and Flygon's sand storm relented to reveal the fainted opponent covered in sand on the ground. It was going to take some time and effort to get all that sand out of his feathers. "Staraptor return, that was a brave effort, well done." Both Ash and Giovanni had sand sticking to them, adding much more to the bits of dirt that had reached them before. Flygon was clearly very strong and Ash knew he needed one of his strongest pokemon to take him out. Saving Pikachu for the final round, Ash sent out another of his closest friends, "Charizard, I choose you!" With a mighty roar, the powerful fire pokemon emerged from the red beam of his pokeball.

"Flygon, use sand storm again!" The new round started off with a repetition of the previously effective strategy.

"Charizard, break through the storm with fire blast and charge in with air slash!" Ash was counting on his pokemon's skill and power to be able to overcome the obstacle that was before him. The strategy resulted effective as Charizard's powerful fire blast dissipated the sand leaving sparks to rain with some vegetation catching on fire, though it was ignored by the combatants. Charizard rapidly charged through the falling sparks slashing at Flygon in mid air.

Seeing as the battle would inevitably turn into a close combat, Giovanni countered the new turn of events. "Flygon, use dragon claw!" The two mighty pokemon continued slashing at each other with their claws in a massive display of power. They growled and batted their wings as they relentlessly searched for an opening to attack, one's claws often colliding with the other's.

Despite the close distance of the two pokemon, both trainers took a chance and called out for their next attack, "fire blast!" It once again turned out to be coincidentally the same, their voices echoing as one to be silenced by the loud roars of the two warring pokemon. The opposing blasts of fire collided between the two beasts, pushing them back with the force of the scorching energy. They pushed forward as they continued to breathe fire, with flames falling in every direction, spreading a growing fire among the vegetation.

Unwilling to wait for the two pokemon to exhaust themselves, Ash tried to think of a strategy that could work. At times a strong and fast offense was what was needed to tilt the battle in his favor and this was perhaps no exception, he had to bravely charge in. "Charizard, use flare blitz!" Allowing the fire to surround him, Charizard went on an unstoppable rampage landing one hit after another.

"Get out of the way Flygon, use dragon claw, then hyper beam!" Flygon tried to defend himself with dragon claw, but it was not sufficient to buy him enough time to back away and fire a hyper beam. Charizard didn't relent for a second until Flygon had been knocked out. "This battle is slowly coming to a close." Giovanni recalled his unconscious pokemon into his pokeball and eagerly sent out the next opponent, Garchomp.

"Intermission! Take a break while I fix the battle field." Delia arrived at the scene by surprise, having left her position watching from the window. Persian and Purry, who had been at the Viridian Rocket base, had been brought over to the mansion minutes before and curiously joined Delia at the window. They did not stay there for long, as she noticed the flames were growing dangerously. The mansion staff feared Giovanni's disapproval if they activated the security system to take action, rather than just to protect the structure. The Rocket boss would not be pleased if he ended up drenched in abundant water and more so if the process of putting out the fire that consumed the trees behind the mansion interfered with his battle.

Thus Delia resolved to take matters into her own hands and was followed by the two Persian. "Cloyster, Kingler, put out the flames with water gun!" The pair of water pokemon hastily jumped into action, giving it their all to drown out the fire that consumed the trees in the area behind the mansion. At least they didn't need to worry too much about it spreading in all directions since there was little to burn on the side which led to the rocky terrain at the edge of the forest area. "Honestly, if I leave you two unsupervised you'll burn the world into nothingness and not even realize it until after the battle is over."

Giovanni took a moment to examine his surroundings while Ash voiced an automatic and rather carefree sounding, "sorry about that," which clearly disregarded the danger as if it were not at all present.

The mansion wasn't very hidden anymore, but it didn't really matter to Giovanni. "It's alright, the fire hasn't spread too far and this area is better off without so many obstacles in the way, it can be a place to train and battle."

Ash took the opportunity to further reassure his mother, "yes, exactly, now it's better than before!" He looked at the battered land and smiled sheepishly, "if seen from a certain perspective." A lone frail tree was the only one in the immediate area that survived.

Delia let out a breath as Cloyster and Kingler finished getting the flames under control. "Thank you, you two have really saved the day." She gently caressed both pokemon in appreciation for their efforts before recalling them into their respective pokeballs. "Now that it's safe again, you can continue your battle. Don't even try to tell me to go back to the mansion because I'm not going back inside. I'll watch from a safe distance." Knowing that Ash and Giovanni understood that she would not change her mind, Delia ran off to give the battle some space. From her new distance, she could not only perceive the battle itself, but also get a better image of the atmosphere between the two trainers and their expressions. As the fight entered its last few rounds, the tension had lessened considerably, even if an urgent uncertainty hung in the air in relation to what the battle's outcome may bring.

Once Delia was at a safe distance, the battle continued with Giovanni commanding the opening move of the round, "Garchomp, dragon rush!" Making good use of his speed, Garchomp hurried to tackle Charizard, clearly eager for a fight.

Charizard was knocked back, fighting to keep his balance and withstand the powerful attack. "Use fire fang!" Ash quickly reacted, taking advantage of the close proximity of Garchomp to have Charizard take hold of him between his flaming fangs.

"Poison jab!" Garchomp defended himself fiercely against the pokemon whose scorching fangs pressed against his throat. He jabbed at Charizard repeatedly until he was released from the fiery bite.

Badly poisoned, Charizard was pushed back in anger. Ash knew that he couldn't wait before making another move and quickly directed Charizard, "fire blast!" Pushing himself to react quickly, Charizard unleashed a powerful flame.

Garchomp backed away and to the side trying to dodge, but despite his speed, the fire blast had been sent out at too much of a close range to be avoided. "Garchomp, use stone edge!" Despite his burns, Garchomp struggled to fight back, digging into the ground with his sharp fin-like appendages and throwing a rain of stones at his opponent.

The heated battle left no room for a pause, Ash responded rapidly, calling out for "fire blitz!" Against the avalanche of sharp rocks, Charizard allow the fire to cover him once more in a multitude of agile hits, making his way through the curtain of stones and towards his rival. "Don't stop, Charizard!"

"Garchomp, use dragon rush!" This was the second to last round and Giovanni knew the advantage could be obtained at any moment. The close combat continued with both pokemon fighting on the same level for the most part. However, Charizard's poisoned state kept worsening and it was taking its toll. In the midst of an intense exchange of fire blitz and dragon rush, Charizard finally fainted, leaving a dizzy Garchomp struggling to stay on his feet.

"Good job Charizard, come back and rest," Ash recalled his fallen pokemon and wasted no time in sending out his final ally. "Go Pikachu, let's finish this!"

Despite not being evolved, Giovanni knew that Ash's Pikachu was very powerful as he witnessed at the Viridian Stadium. "Garchomp, body slam!" The larger pokemon dashed forward threatening to flatten the smaller one.

"Pikachu, use thunder!" Before Garchomp could reach him, Pikachu unleashed his massive attack putting extra energy into it. This caused the already dizzy Garchomp to stumble in place and fall backwards with a loud thud.

This was the moment of truth; each combatant was down to his final pokemon. Before Giovanni could even say anything more, Persian rushed forward intent on fighting despite Purry's protests, or perhaps to annoy her. "Persian?" He had been acting oddly as of late, perhaps that female Persian's wild behavior was rubbing off on him. In spite of the fine ruby upon her forehead, she would be a bit difficult to properly train.

"I knew it," Ash exclaimed with excitement in his eyes. "I knew it would come down to this, my main pokemon versus your main pokemon." Caught up in the excitement of the battle, Ash was all too eager to begin the final round. "Pikachu, use volt tackle!"

'Are you just going to stand there? Go tear him apart! Fight like I would!' Purry paced around Giovanni in the sidelines, tempted to jump into the battle even if it was not her fight.

'Shut up!' Persian growled back in pokemon language, he found that he often bickered with Purry, but also couldn't simply ignore her when she ignited his competitive spirit.

The fight had already begun before Giovanni could even begin to voice that Persian was more so a show pokemon than anything else. None the less, he had witnessed many battles and knew how to fight, despite mostly sitting in the sidelines the majority of the time. Furthermore, there was simply no stopping the action that had started, plus Giovanni too was caught up in the battle and Persian's determination to fight was clear. "Use iron tail!"

Persian spun to bat Pikachu away with his tail, but was unable to get out of the way before the volt tackle reached him. The electric pokemon tripped over Persian's glowing tail, which caused both to roll several feet back in a tangled heap. That of course, didn't stop or even slow down the battle as Ash followed up with "thunder!" an attack that hit Persian hard.

"Use night slash, Persian!" Shaking away the dizziness, while his fur was still full of static, Persian went on the offensive with a series of repetitions of his night slash attack.

Ash knew he had to counter immediately, but Persian wouldn't let Pikachu get away from the rapidly succeeding slashes. "Fight back with wild charge!" Tackling right away under such a relentless attack would be close to impossible, but being covered in electricity would solve that problem. Attacking became more difficult for Persian as Pikachu was shielded by his own electricity; it was painful to further slash at him. Taking the opportunity to fight back, Pikachu tackled Persian.

"Get up Persian, retaliate!" Twitching from the electric shock, Persian stubbornly pushed himself to fight back, finding that perhaps battling wasn't so bad after all. He didn't like getting all messy, but he did like the rush of excitement that came with battle and thought that maybe he should do this more often. With such thoughts in mind, he fought back with everything he had.

"Be careful Pikachu!" Pikachu backed away trying to avoid Persian's attack. To fight close range with him would be risky, even if it might speed up the progress of the battle. "Use electro ball!" Gathering his electricity, Pikachu formed it into a sphere, which he threw at Persian. Ash correctly guessed that Persian would dodge the first one, but that could be changed if there were too many attacks to be dodged. "Keep going Pikachu, use electro ball again!" Following Ash's strategy, Pikachu continued throwing electro balls at Persian one after another as fast as he could.

At their current distance, Persian seemed to be at a disadvantage, "charge in and use night slash!" Giovanni knew he had to get close to effectively attack. Through the multitude of electro balls that filled the battle ground, Persian used his agility to dodge them and approach Pikachu. Close to the electric pokemon, an electro ball hit him and knocked him to the ground. He painfully pushed himself to get up and slash at Pikachu whose automatic response was to shock Persian without having to wait for Ash's instruction to do so. "Use last resort!" Giovanni urged Persian to react, which he did, standing on the power of stubbornness alone as most of his energy had been surrendered to the intense battle.

With Persian lashing out at him without rest, Pikachu resorted to releasing all his electricity as Ash called out "thunder!" The massive electric wave filled the area, shocking the opposing pokemon as well as the trainers. Bright light invaded the atmosphere and a line of yellow lightning took to the skies as if being drawn to the clouds above. When the light finally cleared, Persian was no longer moving, his consciousness lost to exhaustion. Pikachu followed a split second later, his energy having been drained away as it was released into the atmosphere. "Pikachu!" Ash called out to his favorite pokemon, but he did not respond. "It's... over..."

Recovering from the sparks of electricity that reached her, Delia took a deep breath and approached the battle ground where each trainer was walking towards the center of it where their respective pokemon lay. They each checked over their pokemon along with a concerned Delia who expressed, "both your teams will need a good rest to recover, but I'm sure they'll be fine."

Once again the two trainer's eyes met, their battle having ended, but before any words could be spoken, a loud noise made their heads turn to where a lone surviving tree stood. In excitement, anger or perhaps just battle-lust, Purry abused the poor tree into falling to the ground with a horn attack. She then made her way to where the group was and hissed as if wanting to pick a fight. "This one will really take a long time to train." Giovanni finally voiced. "The battle is over; I'll call you out to fight next time."

At hearing that, Persian's ears twitched in semi-alertness as he unsteadily got on his feet. Pikachu had since been picked up by Ash and awoke in his arms. Persian spoke something in pokemon language, to which Purry replied and an argument ensued which other than them, only Pikachu could understand.

Delia laughed, feeling as if the atmosphere had been significantly lightened by the battle. "Aw, those two make such a cute bickering couple." At her comment, both the male and female Persian turned red and hissed, which only cause Delia to laugh more.

For a blissful moment all seemed to be alright, but as the excitement of the battle faded into memories, the inevitable moment arrived. "About Mewtwo..." Giovanni began, pausing after bringing up the subject that was the cause of the battle in the first place.

Ash nodded, as if the uncertainty in the air, albeit still once more perceptible, no longer afflicted him. "I'll tell you about him."

"You don't have to," time seemed to stand still for a moment as Giovanni himself could hardly believe what he was saying. "Pikachu stayed awake for a second longer then Persian." None the less, despite the close loss, Giovanni somehow found that he did appreciate Persian's effort. "This battle is your victory; we'll battle again some time later. For now, you can go do what you wish, I won't give up on my goals, but I won't expect you to give me any information or stand aside."

Ash paused, taking in all that was said, "I still want to tell you, if not about Mewtwo, then more so about my adventure with him." It was something that would not reveal anything particularly useful towards the quest to find Mewtwo, but Ash felt that he wanted to tell the tale of those happenings either way. "Will you listen to my story?"

Giovanni couldn't hide his interest, though without realizing it, this was something more than just about Mewtwo. He wanted to know what Ash had done, "I will."

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 107: Give me Potential

Ash's story about his adventures with Mewtwo, detailed the feelings and conclusions he reached during that time. He told his father about all he could remember from New Island and even about the battle to recapture Mewtwo where they had both been present. Brock's Onix emerging from his pokeball just as Giovanni approached, had served as a coincidental obstacle for Giovanni and Ash not to see each other. It was a narration that Delia had heard before, but left her in deep thought every time she focused on it.

By then, both Ash and Giovanni had cleaned off the sand that once covered them and they, accompanied by Delia, talked in one of the mansion's many sitting rooms. The two Persian were also still at the mansion, with the male soaking in a bubble bath with some fancy shampoo that was perfect for his fur, while the female paced around red faced, looking for a way to spy on him in which she wouldn't get caught.

"What I'm trying to say is that Mewtwo is a living being, he thinks and feels, he's not just an experiment or a tool," Ash finished his revelations, emphasizing the vital conclusion.

Giovanni paused and closed his eyes for a moment, embracing his son's words with an open mind. "Even if I accept that, it doesn't change anything. Team Rocket has used many over time and for the sake of the ultimate goal it will continue to be done."

"That's... wrong..." Ash wasn't sure how to explain it, he was empathic, connecting with others easily as his mother did. Giovanni didn't seem to be like that at all, yet the memories of the feelings and images from that mysterious Persian filled Ash's mind once more. The world wasn't black and white; it was a mix of shades of gray, he recalled. One could care about many or few, yet that did not mean that the appreciation was any less true. There were no true heroes or villains, but people who had their own choices to make, which may not always fit together in perfect harmony with the expectations of those around them.

"Ash, I'm the leader of Team Rocket, a criminal organization with the goal of controlling the world," Giovanni spoke sincerely, his eyes locked on Ash's. "We're not a band of vigilantes or simple trouble makers. What you've seen so far is only the surface. Even if we have stopped other threats from invading Kanto and other regions, it is in protection of our own territory, our own power, not to serve as heroes. You need to understand that reality isn't always how you wish it were." After a short pause he added quietly, "sorry to disappoint you," sounding as if he really meant it.

"I see," Ash took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "What will you do if you take over the world? Will it not be your world to protect? Be it for territory or power, won't you protect it?"

"Don't try to twist things around to sound better, I'm not asking you to justify me," Giovanni voiced in all seriousness.

Ash nodded, "I understand," he stood and prepared to leave. Delia, who had been quiet the entire time, stood as well and stopped as if trying to say something. Ash smiled reassuringly, "everyone has to follow their own path and reach out for what they believe in, you taught me that, it's good advice. Stay here, please keep father company, I'll see you later."

"Be safe," Delia finally voiced, holding back tears. She allowed herself to fall back into a sitting position as Ash approached one of the balconies situated on the back side of the mansion, facing towards the recently rearranged terrain as a result of the battle. He released his Charizard, who had since received healing items along with his other pokemon. "I know you must still want to rest, but can you make it to Pallet Town?" Charizard nodded and allowed Ash to climb on his back.

A few seconds passed in silence and Giovanni approached the balcony, standing there for a second looking into the distance until the feeling of being watched caused him to look up. There was Ash on his Charizard, perched on the edge of the roof, as if taking a moment to organize his thoughts before heading to Pallet Town. The fire pokemon jumped off the roof, gliding next to the balcony, "just one more thing... do you... really..." Ash stopped himself and shook his head, "never mind." He knew the answer, he had sense that answer, he accomplished nothing by doubting it.

"You're welcome to join me if you change your mind," Giovanni finally offered, his offer serving as an answer to Ash's unfinished question.

"No, but thank you for offering," with those final words of an indefinite farewell, Ash flew off on Charizard into the distance in direction towards Pallet Town.

xoxox xox xoxox

Sometime later, Ash made it to Pallet Town and landed at the Oak research lab. At the time, Gary was outside examining some pokemon and taking notes. He set his electronic clipboard aside and approached Ash, searching his face for any signs of something unknown.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Ash greeted Gary in a completely casual way, though Gary could still tell there was something on his mind.

The young researcher crossed his arms and donned a serious expression. "I'm not letting you go without an explanation," he warned. I know there's something secret going on, those visitors from Team Rocket, your mother being kidnapped, you calling to say she was alright and hanging up soon after. You've been busy and I know Team Rocket is involved. I think grandpa knows something too but he won't tell me. I don't want to think you're actually with Team Rocket and your mother is suffering the consequences of that, because I know it's not like you. Ash, I've known you for my whole life and I always thought you were predictable outside of battle, for once you proved me wrong."

Sighing in exhaustion, realizing just how tired he really was, Ash could do little more than apologize, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Gary shouted in exasperation.

Samuel had overheard the argument and emerged from the laboratory to meet the two young men outside. "Ash, you seem tired, come inside, have something to eat and rest. I'm sure you'll be able to talk with us better once you've had a moment to collect your thoughts."

Frowning in disapproval, as he was tired of waiting, Gary said nothing and just followed the other two inside the house listening as Ash inquired about his pokemon and went to switch his current team.

A few refreshments later, Ash seemed to be just as quiet and distracted as before. Gary was done waiting and instead chose to resolve the matter in a way they were both familiar with, a pokemon battle.

Ash and Gary once again headed outside, with Samuel standing at a safe distance to watch the fight. The two young men were at the same place where Ash and Giovanni had fallen asleep because of Jigglypuff, thus causing them to postpone their battle. Though they did eventually battle, the circumstances were quite different. Forcing himself to focus on the present, Ash vaguely caught Gary declaring this a two on two double battle, which meant both pokemon would be sent out simultaneously.

Both trainers released their pokemon, who materialized from the red beams of their pokeballs. The battle would be Ash's Infernape and Crawdaunt versus Gary's Scizor and Electivire. Eager to get some answers, Gary made the opening move of the battle, "Scizor metal claw, Electivire thunder punch!"

With the two opposing pokemon rushing towards his on the attack, Ash quickly reacted with evasive maneuvers, "Infernape dig, Crawdaunt use bubble beam!" While Infernape disappeared below ground, Crawdaunt unleashed a powerful stream of bubbles that obstructed the path of the two opponents, slowing them down. Electivire wasn't held up for long, recovering first and continuing the attack on Crawdaunt. Just as the thunder punch was about to reach him, Infernape emerged from the ground on a surprise attack to Electivire. Scizor had followed his ally to attack Crawdaunt, while Infernape remained out of reach and was taken by surprise, thus creating an opening for Crawdaunt, which Ash took advantage of, "Crawdaunt, vice-grip on Scizor!"

Gary reacted quickly, calling out to Scizor, "Scizor, use metal claw again!" This caused the two clawed pokemon to become locked in a sort of arm wrestling match, so focused on each other that they were open for attacks from the opponent's team. However, Electivire and Infernape were also busy fighting each other, "Electivire, rolling kick!"

"Infernape, blaze kick!" As the two powerful kicks collided, ash glanced at the other part of the battle simultaneously taking place, in search of an opportunity. "Crawdaunt, use crunch!" Crawdaunt's grip on Scizor's claws tightened and he momentarily gained the advantage in their competition.

"Scizor, use iron head!" With his claws still wrestling Crawdaunt's, Scizor used his head to defend himself against the other pokemon, banging it against Crawdaunt's claw, which dissipated his recently acquired advantage. It looked like Crawdaunt and Scizor would take a while longer to show a clear advantage, but Gary knew he couldn't lower his guard in the other half of the battle either. "Electivire, use charge beam!"

As the beam of electric energy flew towards Infernape, Ash countered it, "flame thrower!" The beams of electricity and fire collided with each other, causing sparks and embers to fly in every direction.

With a look in his eyes that foretold of a strategy, Gary commanded, "Scizor, flash cannon!"

The distance was not ideal for the attack, thus Ash knew that Gary must be planning something and went on the attack to hopefully stop the strategy. "Crawdaunt use crab hammer, Infernape, flame wheel!" Infernape was covered in fire, rushing forward in a cartwheel of flames, while Crawdaunt tried to smash Scizor with his large pincers.

Gary put his plan into action, "Electivire use volt switch and thunder punch!" Surrounded by electricity, Electivire switched places with Scizor. Scizor then released his flash cannon into Infernape before the fire pokemon was close enough for the flame wheel to be truly effective. Infernape was pushed back harshly by the blast. Taken by surprise with the switch of opponents, Crawdaunt's crab hammer missed and he took the thunder punch head on. "Quickly Scizor, use X-Scissor!" Gary continued the relentless attack, determined to win. Unable to recover on time, Infernape took the hit.

Ash watched his pokemon for a moment drawing a blank, his mind focused on the possible consequences if he lost. He pushed himself to think only on the present once more and imagined it was just another occasional battle with Gary. 'I can still win,' he thought. "Crawdaunt, Infernape, don't give up!" Ash encouraged his pokemon. "Infernape, flame wheel on Scizor," before the attack was performed, Scizor was already getting ready to dodge by gaining altitude. "Crawdaunt, give him a boost and be ready!" Unexpectedly, Infernape jumped on Crawdaunt's strong pincer and was thrown into the air spinning while on fire like a boomerang of flames. He smashed right into Scizor, knocking him to the ground, where Crawdaunt received him with a continuous attack. "Crawdaunt crab hammer, Infernape, dig!"

Gary knew he couldn't use another volt switch in this situation, the attack was too relentless. "Electivire, go help Scizor, use thunder punch on Crawdaunt!" Gary knew that Infernape was waiting to attack, but if Scizor was knocked out, the battle would take a turn in Ash's favor, becoming two on one.

"Now Infernape!" The fire pokemon emerged from below ground to attack his electric adversary.

"Be careful Electivire, fight back with rolling kick!" Gary's command was effective in that Electivire could defend himself against Infernape, but it was too late for Scizor. The steel pokemon lay unconscious on the ground. Once Crawdaunt had confirmed that Scizor was knocked out, he joined his comrade to battle Electivire. "Scizor return, rest up, we'll take care of the battle."

"Infernape, Crawdaunt, let's finish this battle, attack together with crab hammer and blaze kick!" Ash commanded, almost tasting his victory.

Gary was not one to go down without a fight. "Don't give up Electivire, use a double thunder punch!" Electrivire attacked both opponents that were rushing towards him. His attack was effective on Crawdaunt, finally knocking him out. However, it was not enough to withstand the combined force of both opposing pokemon. Electrivire lost consciousness to the force of Infernape's attack, leaving the fire pokemon as the representative of the victor. "Electivire return, you put up a good fight." Gary recalled his fainted pokemon to rest in his pokeball.

"Infernape, Crawdaunt, well done, that was some great team work, you can rest now." Ash recalled his pokemon as well, further emphasizing the end of the battle.

"You won," Gary acknowledged, "does this mean that you're not going to explain things?" He inquired urgently, almost sounding reproachful. Interpreting Ash's silence, he added, "fine, don't tell me. I'll find out what's going on by myself."

"Don't!" Ash warned, "please, just let things be, it won't do any good if you get involved!"

"I think this secrecy has lasted long enough," Samuel, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, intervened. "Ash, if it would make you feel as a traitor to speak, then don't, I won't hold it against you, but I will speak, with Gary and Gary only."

"I would feel like a traitor for speaking," Ash admitted. "I also feel like a traitor if I don't. I'm not used to having secrets to keep."

"Team Rocket is close to taking over the world," Samuel announced, "I have been conducting a quiet investigation of my own, ever since I found out about Delia's... rekindled relationship. Apparently they're in the process of setting the stage and soon all the business groups that are seemingly unrelated will reveal themselves. This doesn't mean that it will happen suddenly, I think each industry will be revealed slowly to promote a sort of inevitable acceptance of Team Rocket as the new rule. By the time the majority truly notices the change; to take down Team Rocket would be nearly impossible."

"Then what are we waiting for? We should take them out now, while we can!" Gary insisted strongly.

"The consequences are already too great," Samuel sighed in resignation. "All we can do is hope that this new rule brings innovation and prosperity."

"I can't accept that!" Gary shouted.

"Gary," Ash quietly voiced, though he was certainly heard and all eyes were on him in an instant. "When I think of what would happen if Team Rocket is defeated, I feel a terrible darkness. The way things are set up, the world is placed to fall apart in their struggle. When I think of the future, I see light and darkness mixed into one, then finally there is light." He was reminded of that boy for some unknown reason, the unusual boy who traveled to Pallet Town with a mysterious Persian and Vulpix.

"Do you expect me to trust in some vague hunch you have about the future?" Gary was not satisfied.

"If he returned, would you not want to stand by his side no matter what?" Ash whispered in a barely audible voice. "If your father returned after you thought of him as dead for so long, would you not welcome him even if you had your differences?" Both Gary and Samuel remained silent for a moment, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry," Ash apologized, "I shouldn't have said that."

"He's your father?" Gary finally spoke after a moment of silence.

Ash nodded, "the leader of Team Rocket is my father, mom and I are both involved in this, Misty and her family too."

What Samuel had mentioned about Delia's relationship along with Ash's confirmation of a close involvement with Team Rocket, made Gary's expression show realization. "The Viridian City gym leader," Ash nodded quietly while many thoughts ran through Gary's head, "the antidote..."

"All thanks to Team Rocket," Ash quietly replied, "they're not all good and they do want to take over the world, by force if needed. They're not all bad either; I think that, in time, the world will be... alright. It's not worth all the pain; if people don't wish to fight..."

"It will all be in vain," Gary let out a hopeless breath. "Well, you know what they say," Gary looked unsure, yet determined, "if you can't beat them, join them."

"You don't mean to try to take them out from the inside?!" Ash's worried inquiry was further emphasized by Samuel's distressed expression.

"No, I'll just make sure that good things like the antidote and other scientific advancements outnumber the bad," Gary assured. "I won't take Team Rocket down, but I... everyone, can do their part in a process of change. You too Ash, don't slack off."

Ash smiled, feeling as if part of the weight he carried had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you."

The moment of trust, friendship and hope for the future was interrupted by a loud "bel!" Ash's unwillingly inherited Bellsprout rushed to him and wrapped her leaves around his leg in a tight hug, refusing to let go.

"Ouch, Belle, you're cutting my circulation!" Try as he did, Belle just wouldn't let him go until Gary and Samuel helped him pry her off between much needed laughs.

After a few more words of secrecy, hope and reassurance were spoken, Ash left towards Cerulean City riding on Unfezant.

xoxox xox xoxox

Late that night at Cerulean City, Ash and Misty had gone out, leaving the family to assume what they pleased about their possible reasons to stay out so late. Though she was teased in good humor by her sisters about going on a romantic midnight stroll along the beach, Misty knew that there would be no opportunity for that for some time.

At the roof of a tall apartment building in Cerulean City, its inhabitants unaware, Ash projected his aura ability, surrounded by a soft pale blue glow. He reasoned that if Mewtwo was in Kanto, being such a powerful psychic, he would sense the aura and investigate. Then perhaps, seeing Ash, he would understand he was being purposely called, then Ash could warn him of the dangers that were searching for him. Ash's plan was to repeat the action in different places, both in cities and the wilderness, until Mewtwo was found, hopefully before Team Rocket got to him.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Pallet Town, Samuel was fighting with his insomnia, a product of his worries. As he finally drifted off to sleep, he saw a somewhat familiar silhouette at the window next to his bed, but he was too close to slumber land to know if it was real or a dream. A small green being with big blue eyes and thin wings looked at him curiously before smiling and disappearing once more.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket executives, Archer, Ariana, Proton and Petrel, had been discussing the recent happenings in a private conference room at the Viridian Rocket base. "Ruby and Quartz have both reported errors upon examination that should be well below the performance of a PorygonZ. PorygonZ from other regions, specifically those connected to the larger servers have been having trouble as well and so far we can't point out the culprit," Archer reviewed.

"It's clear that whoever is behind this knows the vitality of a stable communication system to monitor all of Team Rocket's transactions throughout the world," Ariana added. "Furthermore, the report from the diagnosis of Pixel's PorygonZ is troubling. We can now confirm that she is another victim rather than the culprit, but that is still not a lot of progress to be made."

"Let me see if I understand this," Proton went over the details once more. "That girl's PorygonZ wasn't involved in any hacking and she wasn't used as a cover-up after all, that was all a misinterpretation. What really happened was that, due to her open communication link with Sapphire for sensor support to scan New Island, when Sapphire was suddenly attacked, the girl's PorygonZ used the communication channel as a portal to serve as Sapphire's shield, taking the hit."

"That's right," Archer confirmed. "The fact that the attack would have reached Sapphire is worrisome as it is, but to think that those consequences could have befallen Sapphire, or worse yet, Diamond."

"It's not going to be good if the big guns go off for no reason, especially if they're aimed at us," Petrel nodded. "It was a good thing that the PorygonZ, Prism was it? Was loyal enough to sacrifice herself."

"Does Pixel know of Prism's fate?" Ariana inquired.

"No," Petrel replied. "Prism was acting weird so Pixel took her to the nurse. Not sure of what to do, Laiki recommended sending Prism into a maintenance server and running a few scan programs. That's when the abnormalities were found. I sent her and Comet to train; I told them they would probably have a mission soon so they had to be ready. She looked like she didn't want to leave Prism in the server, but didn't refuse since it's a high ranked order and all. I don't think she knows anything anyway."

"I agree, if she knew, she would have spoken by now. Either way, I don't think there's a reason to hide this from her," Ariana expressed, then moved on to a general theory in relation to the situation. "I still keep thinking that this is internal."

Archer nodded, half closing his eyes in thought and determination. "The clean up was not completely effective after all. Perhaps Madame's list was incomplete. Who was the leader of Neo Rocket before they started working with Tempest? Was it really Madame or is that person still among us?"

"Maybe we should go ask her," Proton suggested.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, Pixel finished her training session with Comet, which had led to the evolution of Pyro from a Charmeleon into a Charizard. Pleased with the progress of her training, she went off to check on Prism and see if her condition had improved. The laboratory was dim in the corners with a bright holographic display lighting its center. The server at the base of the hologram had a few blinking lights, while on one side, a large screen displayed codes, which a few Rockets were examining.

Pixel walked around the hologram after looking at the pained Prism with concern. Comet stood in front of the hologram watching the pokemon, while Pixel examined the screen. "What's wrong with her?" Pixel demanded to know.

The tech Rockets were ordered by the executives to study that PorygonZ and to allow her trainer to take part in the investigation, thus they felt the obligation to answer. "Her code is coming undone with untraceable errors. Something vital has changed in her and it's causing a massive chain reaction. We don't even know how she hasn't disintegrated into packets of random data yet."

Pixel was no longer listening to the tech Rockets, instead staring intensely at the hologram of Prism. The PorygonZ emerged from the server uncalled and floated towards her trainer. This wasn't just a small error generated by strain; this was an unknown life threatening situation. If a PorygonZ or any of their previous evolutions could be called alive was questioned by some, but to Pixel, Prism was a precious friend. She extended her arms to the pokemon as if hugging her, but her fingers got lost in the translucent light touching nothing but static.

"Prism!" The PorygonZ fought with all her might and once again became semi-stable. Her transparent frame became more solidly visible and she let out a stream of electronic sounds. "There's nothing you can do for her here," Pixel realized. "I'll take Prism with me and take care of her myself."

"You can't do that!" One of the tech Rockets protested. "The executives ordered the sample to be kept here for further study!"

"That's enough," Archer, who had been quietly standing at the door unnoticed for a few seconds, finally revealed his presence, addressing the Rocket techs. "When this PorygonZ was restored to her trainer, she gained stability, we all witnessed it. I cannot explain it, but if we are to discover what the problem with the PorygonZ is on time to take effective action, this one cannot be lost." He then looked at Pixel, "keep her stable and report anything you learn."

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, At Cerulean City, the sun was beginning to rise as Ash and Misty made their way back to the Cerulean Gym. It would be more precise to say that a tired Misty was dragging an exhausted Ash along, while he leaned on her and muttered, "have to... find him..."

"We're almost there," Misty stopped in front of the main door to the Cerulean Gym. Even the avid partiers of the city were sleeping at the time. All alone in the deserted street, Misty shifted Ash's weight leaning on her and readjusted his arm around her shoulders. Their pokemon had stayed up all night and were sleeping in their pokeballs, except Pikachu who was slumbering on Ash's head.

Before Misty could make the motion to get her keys from her bag, a shadow was casted on the wall from behind them. The next thing they knew, they were gone.

xoxox xox xoxox

Diamond 108: Give Me Motivation

At Cerulean City, an unknown presence surprised Ash and Misty. They were in front of the Cerulean gym one minute and the next they were gone. Their surroundings changed in a swirl of colors that left Misty, the most aware of the group, somewhat dizzy. "What was that, where are we?"

The atmosphere was completely dark and disconcerting "Pika?" Pikachu was once again awake and alert.

The sudden release of energy had partially woken Ash, who yawned and tried to focus his vision in the dark surroundings. He held up his cell phone using its light to see the dim image of the legendary pokemon before them. "You were calling me," Mewtwo spoke. "We are now in a cave near Cerulean City, I teleported you here. We may talk freely in this place."

Surprised to have found Mewtwo so quickly, Ash and Misty didn't even know where to start. Misty was the only one of the Waterflowers aware of the Mewtwo situation. "Yes, I was calling you," Ash stated the obvious as he fought to organize his thoughts. As it often happened, he ended up blurting out the dilemma without sugar coating it, "you're in danger, Team Rocket is hunting you down!"

When Mewtwo noticed Ash's energy as if calling out to him, he assumed the boy from long ago, now a young man, might be in need of assistance, he didn't expect to be the one in peril. "Team Rocket should have forgotten me."

Ash bit his lip and tried to explain, "Giovanni remembers you, he recovered his memories after having a sort of out of body experience. It's hard to explain, I was there too and I remember everything from New Island." Upon mentioning the Rocket leader's name, many thoughts invaded Ash, reflected on his debating expression.

"I see..." Mewtwo contemplated for a moment before finally reaching a conclusion, "I will have to face him."

"You don't have to!" Ash insisted, not really giving his words much thought. He didn't want his father and Mewtwo to fight. From Ash's point of view, it was a lose-lose situation.

"Is there a way that a confrontation can be avoided?" Misty rephrased the request, though she didn't expect a positive answer.

"No," Mewtwo's tone left no room for doubt. "If I do not face him, he will not stop searching for me. Innocents may suffer the consequences if I hide. I have been thinking about where my place is. A friend told me that if I was unsure of where I wanted to be, I should go on a journey. That same friend taught me how to open the door so that my journey knows no limits. Perhaps if I show the Rocket leader he can never reach me..." Mewtwo closed his eyes in contemplation for a moment before changing the subject to address his curiosity. "When you called me, I thought you needed my help. Earlier I sensed the cries of pokemon in space, up there, where there are few, their cries ring out clearly. I thought you knew what afflicted them and wanted assistance in a sort of plan to help them. I cannot free them from their armor, yet that is not what pains them."

Ash and Misty were both confused by Mewtwo's words. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Pokemon in space need help?"

"They reside in human-made satellites baring the symbol of Team Rocket," Mewtwo revealed with bitterness. "They were crying out in pain, yet Team Rocket was not the root of their complaints. It was something else, they were somehow ill. I tried to free them, but they resisted and even tried to attack me albeit I was disguised as their own kind, PorygonZ. They are of Team Rocket and with Team Rocket, yet their troubles are something deeper. They would have no recollection of our meeting as I erased their memories before they could alert anyone of my presence. I don't understand their situation."

"I'm not sure what that's about either," Ash admitted, but if a pokemon was in pain he couldn't just ignore it. "I'll find out what's wrong with them and help them!" A pause followed as all those present contemplated their options. Ash considered asking his mother to find information, but realized that he simply couldn't ask her to do that. Perhaps he should inquire about the situation directly from his father, though he might, and most likely would, refuse to reveal anything.

"There may be a way," Mewtwo finally voiced. "I will use my psychic powers to amplify your aura. You should be able to see beyond what can be seen and gain a clue. However, this will be a straining process and you are already exhausted."

"It's okay, I'll do it," Ash immediately insisted, "there's no time to waste!"

"I guess I should be ready to carry you back. Don't strain yourself too much," Misty advised.

"I'll be alright, I'm more worried about those pokemon," Ash was determined to understand and help.

"Very well, close your eyes and focus on the enigma that you wish to solve," Mewtwo placed his right paw on Ash's forehead, emitting a soft glow. The glow surrounded Ash as several minutes passed in silence.

"I almost see it..." Ash whispered, he was seeing a vision, an image of something blurry. "A city... a building..." Ash focused on the building that stood out in his vision. "This place... it's..." he didn't know how, but the identity of the building was slowly surfacing in his mind. "Silph..." With that final word, Ash fainted.

Misty caught him before he fell down, "Ash?" He didn't respond in any way save for his breathing.

"He will need rest," Mewtwo also seemed to have been left tired by what had happened.

"Right, you should stay out of sight, Ash and I will investigate Silph tomorrow." Misty didn't know what to expect, but Silph had been the clue Ash and Mewtwo found.

"Very well, I will delay my plans to face the Rocket leader for as long as innocents are not involved. Hopefully, we will solve this mystery before then," Mewtwo agreed. "Allow me to teleport you home, focus on where you wish to be." Misty thought of her room at the Cerulean gym and in a flash, Mewtwo had teleported them there. "Rest well," the legendary pokemon disappeared again, teleporting away.

Misty placed Ash on her bed, listening to his sleepy mutterings of "Silph... Porygon..." as he tried to regain full consciousness against his exhaustion. Pikachu yawned and gave into sleep.

"We'll investigate soon, for now you need to rest," Misty spoke gently, kissing Ash and caressing his hair after removing his precious hat and placing it on her nightstand. His lips slightly moved as if to say something more, but no sounds came as he fell into a deep slumber. Misty lay down next to her fiance, listening to his even breaths, "I love you too."

xoxox xox xoxox

On the afternoon of the next day, Giovanni observed the blinking light on the map displayed on the screen. It was a map of Saffron City and that light was Ash. The Rocket leader had placed a tracking device on Ash's hat before returning it and had confirmed that he was indeed still wearing it. Ash had gone to visit Silph Co. reaching only the visitor permitted areas. However, he had also flown around the premises as if getting a better view of the building. Giovanni suspected that Ash didn't know of Team Rocket's control over Silph Co., but his sudden interest in the location was intriguing.

Furthermore, Silph Co. was the origin of Porygon, which made Giovanni wonder if Ash had found out anything about the situation the executives were investigating. If Ash wanted to go in, Giovanni could arrange it. Let him go take a look around and reveal what he knew.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Silph Co., the current president approached Ash. "Excuse me young man, aren't you Ash Ketchum, the Indigo League champion?"

For a moment, Ash was worried someone might be getting suspicious of him and Misty hanging around Silph Co. so much the entire afternoon. Yet his worries were soon pushed to the back of his mind as he was recognized. He smiled and cheerfully replied, "that's right," unintentionally sounding like Jessie and James' Meowth without realizing it.

"I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind," the president offered, motioning towards the elevator so they could speak in private.

Misty found the situation suspicious, but went along with Ash as the Silph president led them away from the shopping area of the building.

They arrived at a small conference room with simple furniture, including a table and chairs, were they sat. "I'm sure you must be wondering why I called you here," the president spoke. "This may seem sudden, but when I saw you the idea came to me. The truth is that I want to hire you," he told Ash.

"Hire me?" Ash was taken by surprise, his career consisted of pokemon training and going from one competition to another. It was in a sense a life like that of a professional athlete.

"As a pokemon trainer I mean," the president began to clarify. "Or maybe it would be more accurate to say as a guard. The truth is that I have reasons to believe that Team Rocket intends to invade this building tonight. I don't know what they're planning to do, but I cannot allow it. Please protect Silph Co., you will be rewarded for your services."

Ash was left in thought. He wanted to know more about what was going on, he wanted to interpret his blurry vision which seemed to reveal so little, yet it was the key to setting things in motion. There was no running away. "I'll do it."

xoxox xox xoxox

That night at the Silph Co. building... The Charizard flapped his wings and gained altitude. "Give us some cover Pyro," Pixel instructed. Pyro let out a stream of smoke and kept himself steady in the dark night sky. On his back he carried not only his trainer, but also Peachy, a laptop computer and a small satellite dish. The dish communicated with the Rocket satellite in the atmosphere amplifying the signal from the computer. Prism was contained in the laptop.

Pixel remembered when Giovanni assigned them this mission at the Viridian Headquarters. "You will be breaking into the Silph Co. building. Since both Pixel and Comet knew that Team Rocket secretly controlled Silph, the mission appeared unusual to them. "That is only an act," Giovanni elaborated, "but it will be real at the same time. The guards will try to stop you and you'll have to fight your way through if you get caught. Don't take it as a simulation or you will fail and I won't tolerate failure. As for your true mission..."

Pixel adjusted the earpiece she wore as her blue ponytail blew in the wind. "Motion sensors deactivated; first level electronic locks open. You might run into some locks you'll have to pick the old way. Don't touch the fences, they are constantly electrified and they have no mechanism to deactivate them wirelessly."

"No problem; I'm going in," several feet below outside the tall fences, Comet stayed in the back of the Silph Co. building where the lights didn't reach him. "Go Rykros," he released the strong bug pokemon from his pokeball and hopped on his back. "Let's go over the fence quickly." The Scyther flew over the fence, being able to carry his trainer easily after exercising with weights regularly. Comet hopped off on the other side and recalled his pokemon, "so far, so good."

"I'm in the camera system," Pixel's triumphant voice came from Comet's earpiece. She could see him, though anyone else accessing the system saw nothing but a still empty image. "From your position, move twenty feet to the right; that will lead you to the least guarded hallway via a back door, if you can pick the lock."

"Watch me," Comet grinned as he dashed towards the aforementioned back door, dodging the circles of rotating lights. He stayed close to the wall as he moved in, "looks like a double lock, there's the lock on the doorknob and an electronic one."

"I'm not detecting it," Pixel replied, "it must be a highly isolated electronic lock. Plug me in," she grinned, even if her wireless didn't reach that lock at first, she would get to it anyway.

Comet took a small card from his utility belt. It was a plain black card with nothing but a red R to identify it. It looked like a regular card without a use beyond decoration, but it was in fact a wireless transmitter. He inserted the card into the keycard space and got to work on the door knob's lock with a few other tools.

Pixel watched as her computer screen changed when the lock became accessible. The card Comet inserted into it could unlock just about anything given the proper use. "Let's do this, Prism," the PorygonZ on the screen looked eager, once again working with her trainer to unlock something else.

Comet heard the small number pad next to the keycard slot beep as numbers appeared on its tiny screen. "All done," he heard the click that indicated the door's physical lock was no longer an obstacle.

The final beep for the last digit was heard and the electronic lock was undone, "same here," Pixel voiced.

Comet proceeded inside, his footsteps speedy but inaudible. "You said the least guarded hallway," he whispered quietly.

"Yup," Pixel confirmed, "there is no unguarded route, but you don't sound disappointed. Whatever it is you're thinking, you'll get your chance now, because there's a guard going your way. I bet you can't avoid him."

Comet grinned, "I'm up for a fight, but I'll take that bet." He jumped and stretched out in the hallway. His hands and feet could barely reach the opposing walls left and right. He pushed on the walls, staying close to the ceiling and slipped away right above the guard.

Pixel followed Comet's signal on the screen. "The elevator is coming up, occupied," she opened the door.

Comet hurried towards it and hopped down to the floor. He looked into the elevator shaft as the elevator box went up. He stepped onto it rather than jump, so that he could get on as quietly as possible.

"Your floor's coming up," Pixel watched the images on the building's security cameras, "it's too heavily guarded, a confrontation is inevitable."

The elevator shaft door opened. Though the elevator was destined for the last floor, Comet's target was in the second to last floor. He jumped out catching the first guard by surprise, his fist harshly colliding with the other man's face. The guard was knocked out on impact. The room in the middle of the floor was surrounded by a hallway that went all around it, constantly packed with guards.

"We have an intruder! Send backup!" Another guard desperately called. Only one intruder had been spotted so far, but the red R on his chest warned that even one could be plenty of trouble. Plus for all they knew, others may be waiting to attack. A swift kick relived the guard of his gun a split second after it was taken from its holster, before he could even aim.

"Ten of them; take them out. Back up won't be coming," as an extra gift, aside from blocking the enemy's radio contact, Pixel sent out a loud screeching noise to the guards' earpieces.

Comet noticed right away what it was when he saw his next opponents cringe suddenly losing their focus. "Hey Pix, don't forget I won our bet back there," Comet skillfully fought, taking out one opponent after another.

"It was just dumb luck," Pixel scoffed, though she knew it was a lie. After a pause she added, "maybe I'll give you a reward later."

xoxox xox xoxox

Ash waited in the darkness of a room at the Silph Co. building. Misty wanted to be there as well, but the president had insisted that he couldn't have too many outsiders in such confidential areas and that only the champion would suffice as security. Ash convinced her to wait for him at the Saffron City Pokemon Center; she was probably pacing around impatiently.

The door was suddenly thrown open, followed by a flash of red light emerging from a pokeball. "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu attacked the figure that began to materialize, but the trainer rushed forward and was caught in the electricity instead, being thrown back. The red beam took shape and rushed towards Ash with the glimmer of sharp blades. The trainer that had been pushed back by Pikachu's shock dropped a pokeball, which caused another red beam to light the dark room. The second pokemon to emerge went on the attack immediately.

Finally, Comet stood up and turned on the lights. Rykros was holding his blades near the attacker's neck, who turned out to be Ash. Meteor, who had been released from his pokeball after Pikachu's attack, was trying to fight the electric pokemon. Pikachu didn't seem too eager to fight back, baby pokemon were his weakness. "It's okay Meteor, Rykros, return." Comet recalled Rykros into his pokeball and Meteor ran back to him, jumping into his arms. He decided to leave the young pokemon outside of his pokeball for a while, since the mission was at a calm point.

Pikachu returned to Ash's side and hopped on his shoulders. "So it was true, Team Rocket really was planning to break into Silph Co."

"How did you know?" Comet played along, pretending to be surprised to have run into Ash.

"The president asked me to protect Silph," Ash replied, still unsure about how Silph connected with the whole situation. That clue that he had gain through combining his aura with Mewtwo's power was vague at best. The vision had been cut short due to his exhaustion; maybe he could find Mewtwo and try again to gain a better understanding. "It's surprising to find you here, but I guess I should remember you're a Rocket. If it were someone else, would you have...?" Ash made a motion with his fingers over his neck, his eyes speaking of disappointment louder than words could.

The signal only caused Comet to laugh, "I'm a spy, not a hitman. There's no need to make a mess, knocking out the opposition is just as effective to get them out of the way, I'll be done and gone by the time they wake up anyway. Do I look like an assassin?"

Ash's imagination acted on its own. He saw Comet, his red hair brushed back neatly, making the predatory look in his blue eyes stand out as he silently made his way through the darkness. There were no red beams from pokeballs, only a loud noise and three fast small flashes as the trio of bullets left the three long barrels of the silver gun, with spikes at the end and a red R charm hanging from its handle. The expression didn't quite fit the look of deceiving innocence that Comet always seemed to have. "Not really." After a short pause where some of the tension in the air was lifted, Ash asked, "why are you here? What do you want with Silph?"

"I'm here probably for the same reason as you, the real reason," Comet hinted at something that was unknown even to him. "I know your reason for being at Silph Co. isn't just because you were asked to protect it."

Ash remembered his conversation with Mewtwo, the PorygonZ that were in trouble were not truly suffering because of Team Rocket. "I'm not sure about why I'm here. All I know is that Silph Co. is the key to solving the mystery of what's hurting the PorygonZ that were in satellites."

"Then you're looking for a way to help them?" Comet inquired, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, is that why you're here too? Those PorygonZ are Team Rocket's pokemon. The satellites... I don't fully understand, but this sounds important. Team Rocket must have plans for them that won't work unless what's weakening them is solved," Ash theorized. "I don't know what those plans may be and the consequences they may have, but those pokemon, their pain must have been... different."

It looked like Ash knew more than he should, but didn't know the answers Team Rocket was looking for. "Would it help if you saw one of the PorygonZ?" Comet inquired.

"Maybe, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a look," Ash wasn't sure what to expect, the clues were too vague, but that was all the more reason to keep looking.

Only Comet heard Pixel through his earpiece, "I can arrange that right now." Pixel agreed to let Ash take a look at Prism in hopes that he may reveal what he knew if he really was holding anything back.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, at the Saffron City Pokemon Center, Misty was feeling impatient. The entire situation seemed all too suspicious and she feared it was all somehow a trap. She thought about casually passing by Silph Co., no one said she couldn't walk down the street. She could take a look around and see if there was anything suspicious in the area yet. As she set out to do so, she saw three figures in trench coats leaving the Pokemon Center. She discreetly followed them, pretending to coincidentally walk their way down the street. She noticed that the smallest of the three had a tail, "Meowth?" That caused her to guess who the others were, "Jessie? James?"

"Misty? Why are you here?" Jessie inquired automatically, before realizing she probably should have just minded her own business and pretended not to notice her.

"Are prince twerp and the royal Pikachu here too?" James curiously asked, glancing back in the direction of the Pokemon Center, but no one else seemed to be coming.

"Ash is... busy, so I'm by myself right now. Why are you dressed like that?" Misty inquired curiously and suspiciously.

"No reason, it was just a bit chilly tonight so we decided to wear coats." Jessie made up an excuse, "it's getting late so we really should be going. Maybe you should go back to the Pokemon Center and get some rest."

"Sleep is important, it's as important as bottle caps!" James added with an insistent nod that only made everything more suspicious.

"That's right!" Meowth voiced eagerly, hopefully Misty would go away and not end up somehow involved in their special mission for tonight. It was their biggest mission since the traitor clean up that marked their return to Team Rocket and they wanted it to go perfectly.

Misty had no intentions of letting the trio leave without an explanation, "what are you three plotting?" She thought that maybe the Silph president was right about the building being attacked by Team Rocket. "Are you here to invade Silph Co.?"

Jessie and James exchanged confused looks and James finally replied, "I can honestly tell you we're not." It seemed that Misty was unaware that Silph was controlled by Team Rocket. They had their struggles in the past, but resistance was history.

"Must you be so suspicious?" Jessie made a sad face, "you hurt our feelings."

James panicked, unsure if Jessie was acting or having a mood swing. He tried to calm down and console her, either for real or to add to her act, he wasn't sure.

"Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Misty decided to play along, seeing that she wasn't going to get any direct information. "Do you mind if I hang out with you three?"

A moment of silence passed, "forget it, we're just going in circles like this." Jessie discarded her trench coat revealing her Team Rocket uniform, it was the black version. "Prepare for trouble!"

James automatically followed her lead taking off his coat to reveal his matching uniform. "Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" The talking pokemon finished the motto unable to resist as the trio stood without disguises.

A moment full of uncertainty passed as Jessie reached for something on her belt, but it wasn't a pokeball, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" She announced as she dropped a smoke bomb and ran away, followed by James and Meowth.

Misty coughed in the smoke; she couldn't see where the Rocket trio went, "come back here!" She wanted to know what in the world was going on and if it was related to Ash's situation, or maybe even the search for Mewtwo. Though Misty tried to chase them, Jessie, James and Meowth got away.

xoxox xox xoxox

Outside of the Silph Co. building, Ash, Comet and Pixel stayed out of sight in a dark corner. Prism, who was showing signs of exhaustion despite having rested before the mission, came out of the computer. "What can you tell us about her?" Pixel asked.

Ash looked at the PorygonZ, he didn't perceive anything out of the ordinary just by looking at her, but she did seem to be weak. "Try to show me what's wrong, I'll listen." Ash gently placed his right hand on the PorygonZ's head and focused his aura. A few moments passed in silence until he suddenly let go with a heavy breath, face pale. He took a moment to calm down before speaking again. "Something keeps telling her she's already dead, but she's fighting to live. Something is stopping her from being alive, but even with all that, she's here."

"PorygonZ are made of data," Pixel reminded, "they're not supposed to die in that sense, but..." She paused looking for a possible explanation that would make sense of Ash's words. "This is a good clue, I'll make sure to look into it right away, I'm going back."

"Sounds like you're on to something," Comet saw that Pixel had a look in her eyes, as if she was close to figuring out a puzzle thanks to Ash's clue.

"Maybe, I just need to run a simulation on something." Pixel replied, hoping that this really did constitute a step forward.

Sensing Prism's energy seemed to clarify Ash's memories about his vision of Silph Co. It was as if he had obtained something that was thrown to the back of his mind by exhaustion and he didn't even realize he had seen it. It was now surfacing. "Silph Co., they were there, mother, father and other people too, one looked like you," he referred to Comet. Ash closed his eyes tightly wanting to draw more of the hidden image he had obtained from combining his abilities with Mewtwo's power, but nothing more came. "That's all, I couldn't see anything else."

"Couldn't see?" Comet asked, "what do you mean by that? Some kind of vision?"

"Something like that," Ash tried not to talk about it too much, least he accidentally hint about Mewtwo.

Just as they went closer to solving the mystery, Prism's condition once again took a turn for the worse. She glowed and made electronic sounds of complaint. Her data seemed to be torn apart in the air appearing as something seen through a kaleidoscope. "Prism, hold on!" Pixel watched in worry, as the data shifted. Then suddenly, Prism seemed to become solid again. "This mission was too much of a strain after all. You'll have to rest until you're healed."

xoxox xox xoxox

Jessie, James and Meowth came to a stop in front of the Saffron cityhall. Misty was no longer following them, so they could continue with their plans, though after getting rid of their disguises, the element of surprise would no longer be in their favor. None the less, they were feeling motivated to have a successful mission. "The executives entrusted us with this mission for a reason." Jessie dramatically declared.

"Because they didn't have anyone else to send?" James asked, earning a glare from Jessie.

"No!" She growled.

"Because they drew our names out of a hat?" Meowth guessed.

"No!" Jessie reprimanded again. "It's because we're the best!" She was so happy to have been entrusted with an important mission that she felt completely invincible.

There was indeed a good reason as to why Jessie and James' team was sent on this mission, but they were as of yet unaware of it. It was something that they would soon discover. They remembered the instructions they received from Ariana. "Madame Boss, a mysterious lady of the mafia, is believed to have acquired a prominent position at cityhall. Your mission is to infiltrate cityhall and interrogate her in regards to the possible remnants of Neo Rocket."

"Let's not forget, aunty works here," Jessie reminded, "I don't want to cause her trouble, so we need to be in and out quickly before she hears about this and comes over. If anything, we're doing her a favor by uncovering this Madame Boss that has snuck into her staff." Without another minute to waste, Jessie rushed inside cityhall, followed by James and Meowth.

Despite being in their Team Rocket uniforms, no one tried to stop them as they made their way to the mayor's office. Though the executives' orders had been vague, they had their own theories and thought the mysterious Madame Boss could be acting as the mayor's secretary, not realizing that Madame and the mayor were the same person.

Upon finally arriving at the office covered in shades of crimson, they found a shadowy figure hidden in the darkness of the room behind the desk, unrecognizable without light. They could only tell the person was a woman because of her voice, "I've been expecting you."

"You let us come this far, you didn't even try to stop us." Jessie stated, reaching the office had been too easy. 'Who knows what kind of trouble she's setting up for aunty right now,' she thought.

"You would have come this far either way. There is no need to give you a test which I know you will pass. Let us move on to the real trial," the mysterious woman spoke in a commanding yet calm voice. She released two pokemon from pokeballs and before the red beams had even finished completely taking shape, she commanded, "smog," and the room was filled with dark gasses so thick that it was hard to breathe and impossible to see, even in the light that could be generated by an attack and the light emitted by certain pokemon. "Let the battle begin."

"Did you see what pokemon she called out?" James whispered to Jessie and Meowth.

"I can't even see my own whiskers." Meowth whispered back.

"Never mind, whatever she called out, we'll beat them." Jessie called out one of her own pokemon "go Swoobat!"

"Alright, we're going all the way to the top," once again James began to dream about advancing in Team Rocket. "Let's win this, Cacturne!"

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Pokemon. As in other battles, some creative license was used for the attacks. At the time in which I came up with the plot of this story, what would happen to Ash's Unova pokemon was not yet known. I'm assuming that the mentioned pokemon stayed with him and evolved. It may seem unusual for Team Rocket to name pokemon save for a few members. In this case naming the PorygonZ was a necessity because it would be difficult to remember which one is where if they were just numbered and they had to be differentiated somehow, hence they were given codenames. As a review, Diamond, the leader, is in the main defense satellite, Ruby in the Viridian HQ, Sapphire in the communication and spying satellite and Quartz at Giovanni's mansion. There are also many others codenamed after jewels in the other regions. The flash forward scene from Diamond 47 was continued here. Many thinks to Nafatali, whose story inspired me to give aura a place in this tale.