Hiding in the bushes made Max's face itchy, but it was towards a worthy cause: snagging a rare Pokemon for their boss. The young Team Rocket member and his sidekick (at least in his mind) Scarlett were hiding near a spot known to Pokemon Trainers as a spectacular battle opportunity. The duo had developed a most evil plan to rob a Trainer of an exceptional little monster.

"Scarlett, tell me our plan again," the stout boy demanded, "and why we have on this hideous outfits."

"Keep your voice to a minimum," whispered Scarlett. "Once a Trainer walks by here, we're going to surprise them, demand a battle, and then acquire their weakened Pokemon to take to the boss." Scarlett had worked hardest on this plan, as she usually did; Max was mostly for show.

"Oh, that sounds diabolical!" He cackled as softly as possible, but Scarlett still shushed him.

"Silence! Here come a couple of rats."

As a young couple approached, donning large hats and jackets, the evil team leaped in front of them. Max was disguised with a mustache, bowler hat, and velvet purple suit; Scarlett donned an elegant red dress and a bun- her favorite hairstyle for deception. They struck a fighting stance, ready to show their stuff.

"Hello there, travelers! We are a totally innocent couple of Pokemon trainers, and we would like to casually battle with you to show off our skills." Scarlett rolled her eyes at Max's terrible attempt at deception; he was so used to flaunting his "evil", he didn't know when to hide it.

The opposing lady smiled and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Fine by me," she said in a high voice.

"That sounds perfect," her partner agreed, withdrawing a Poke Ball of his own. They tossed them together, calling out the names:

"Kirlia, go!"

"Tauros, let's show them our grace!"

Out came the small green Pokemon, balancing on its toes, and the massive bull Pokemon, both appearing well groomed and fighting-ready.

"Scarlett, they look perfect for the boss!" Max whispered. "Let's get the hoverboard and net and snag 'em!"

"Wait until we enfeeble them, Max. They'll be less capable of defending themselves and we can capture them more easily." Scarlett pulled out a red ball of her own, Max pulling out a yellow Ultra Ball. They called their Pokemon as they released them from captivity:

"Alakazam, prepare for battle!"

"Destroy them, Cleffa!"

Scarlett grimaced as the tiny star-shaped monster joined her Alakazam on the battlefield. The opponents snickered. She whispered in his ear, "Max, Cleffa is not suitable for a professional battle yet! It's still very young."

"Hey! Have faith in it. Just because it's pink and celestial-themed does not mean it cannot grow cold and edgy in its heart!" The pink Pokemon bounced up and down. "Plus, it's adorable!" Max gushed.

Scarlett sighed. She wasn't going to argue right now. "Okay. Alakazam, use Psychic!" The mustachioed 'mon unleashed a wave of psychic energy, striking the opponents, but they shook off the damage.

"Kirlia, Confuse them!"

"Tauros, Tackle while they're fazed!"

After being hit with a different wave of psychic energy, Alakazam became confused, stumbling around the road and nearly falling on top of Cleffa. Max gasped in fear. Tauros then charged Alakazam, knocking it out for good.

The opposing girl smirked. "Looks like your Alakazam is unable to battle..." She and her partner then rushed past Scarlett and Max, and in one quick movement, her partner threw Alakazam into the back of a camouflaged van that Scarlett immediately recognized.

"Oh no...it's you!"

"Si!" Scarlett and Max's opponents revealed themselves to be even more than battle rivals: they were Alejandro and Heather, one of the most diabolical duos of Team Rocket and the bosses' favorites. They were always one-upping Max and Scarlett, so the tension between them was ever acute.

"I should have recognized those ugly Pokemon of yours, Heather and Al!" Max shouted.

"It's Alejandro, you idiota con cabello púrpura!" Alejandro responded with a twitch. He covered up his anger with a smirk. "But that's beside the point. Thank you for allowing us your Pokemon, by the way. So generous of you."

Max wanted to fight him, but Scarlett held him back, knowing better. "What a vile trick! I can't believe we fell for it."

"Yeah, that's our vile trick!" Max added from behind Scarlett's palm.

"Well, since our disguises are actually deceptive and attractive, I don't think you're the ones who should own such a trick."

"The only problem is that people won't be able to see how gorgeous we are," Alejandro piped in. Heather rolled her eyes at her partner's arrogance.

"Scarlett, we need to save your Alakazam!" Max searched for another Pokemon of his, but could not find any. "Drat! I don't have any more Pokemon on me!" He elbowed Scarlett. "I told you you should have let me purchase that special Magikarp!" Scarlett didn't respond and simply took out another Pokemon. It turned out to be the steel monster known as Metang.

"Metang, use Metal Claw on the van to release Alak-" She stopped in mid-command, realizing the van, and her rivals, had left. She growled and dragged Max over to their own mode of transportation: a hovercraft Scarlett had constructed herself. Even though the boss didn't like them enough to fund their transportation, Scarlett was good at making do.

"Let's hunt them down!" Max bellowed as the hovercraft started flying, nearly losing his balance before Scarlett reminded him to wear a seatbelt.

From the air, Scarlett could see the van as it sped down the route. That smug Alejandro was so confident, he was driving with his feet. Heather seemed to be laughing about their haul. Scarlett was determined to show them up, and get back her powerful Psychic Pokemon.

Suddenly, a Beedrill started swarming Max. He shrieked and jumped onto Scarlett. "Scarlett, help me! It's so big and buzzy and hurty anddangerous!"

"Get off of me, Max! I am manning the controls!" In her struggle, Scarlett lost control of the hovercraft, and it crashed right on top of the van, denting the top. Heather and Alejandro were spooked by the noise, then stunned by the sight of Scarlett and Max on the windshield. They also lost control and drove into the bushes nearby.

Heather groaned as she exited the wreck, Alejandro helping her up. She smacked him away, blushing, and confronted Scarlett and Max. "Ugh, you idiots!" she shouted. "We could have died!"

"Unfortunately, you didn't," Max responded, "and neither did Alakazam!" Heather and Alejandro turned to see Scarlett holding the Pokeball in her hand, Alakazam apparently in the ball rather than in the van.

Heather rolled her eyes again. "You know what? Keep that thing."

"Yes, we have bigger Whiscash to fry,"Alejandro supported. They ran off, eager to commit a crime away from Max and Scarlett's interference.

Max turned to Scarlett, his Cleffa on his shoulder. It had never gone back into its ball. "We did it! We succeeded!"

"No, Max, we failed! We don't have any new Pokemon to give to the boss!" She glared at the Cleffa. "I'd recommend giving away your pink blob, but I don't want to look even more injudicious."

Max petted his Cleffa, who was hurt by her comment. "You need to learn to respect your Pokemon better."

"Cleffa!" Cleffa piped up, beginning to waggle its fingers. Scarlett, knowing Pokemon behavior very well, recognized the move immediately.

"Your Cleffa knows...Metronome?"

Max shrugged. "I suppose."

Cleffa's tiny hands began to glow, then its entire body did. It then exploded, wrecking the van and blowing away Scarlett and Max.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"