Brock wiped sweat from his brow as he trekked up the path that led to the Indigo Plateau. Ever since starting his Pokemon Medical School training Brock had kept too busy to travel the way he'd used to. No longer were the days of backpacks, tents, cookware and all of the Pokemon supplies he'd carried across the earth.

A little bit of time down in the books and now this was all he was capable of?

He found himself missing his travel days much more than he'd thought he would.

Eventually, he made it to the meeting area. The solitary building with the poke ball tower looming overhead. The pinnacle of the Pokemon League. Ancient statues of Rhydon lined the final path, said to be the Pokemon used by the first Pokemon League Champion. A massive battle with Rhydon in the center centuries ago against an unknown foe was thought to be behind the formation of the Plateau.

The Pewter City gym was one of the nearest to the Indigo Plateau, and with it had come that ancient philosophy of how ground and rock-type Pokemon had shaped the land. Each gym close to the Plateau drew from the old stories in some way. For Pewter Gym, it was rock-types. For the Viridian Gym, it was, Brock had heard, ground-types. And for the Blackthorn Gym, it was dragon-types, the long-time holders of power and legend, even called divine.

The Blackthorn Gym must have their own knowledge and theories regarding the old stories, all coming down to dragon Pokemon.

"Only authorized individuals on League business may enter. Show your proof of engagement," the stout and shadowy guards flanking the front entrance announced as Brock approached. Brock flashed the Boulder Badge.

"I, Brock of the Pewter City official Pokemon Gym, certify that I am here today on official Pokemon League correspondence," he returned. The guards nodded and stood aside.

"You're a bit early. The meeting will commence in one hour in the front conference center." The guards waved him in.

The atrium was adorned sparingly, save for some furniture and a full-size statue of a Gengar in the center. Brock walked up to the dark stone statue in interest, finding a plaque at the base.

-The Pokemon League is proud to have been the summit of competition between Pokemon trainers across the land for untold generations. In all of that time, in one battle after another, no Pokemon has earned itself the elite status of Gengar, the only Pokemon to have seen play from trainers in the Pokemon League top sixteen teams in every single championship series. To Gengar, the master warrior that has endured countless style shifts and strategy changes, we give our utmost respect.-

A smaller plaque lay underneath. This one had space, as though it was added to periodically.

-Honorable mentions go out to the following Pokemon that have also demonstrated at-length excellence, but have not received the same prestige either due to rarity or imperfect records:-

-Alakazam

-Machamp

-Arcanine

-Kangaskhan

-Starmie

-Snorlax

-Dragonite

-Crobat

-Scizor

-Skarmory

-Blissey

-Tyranitar

-Time has proven these Pokemon to be the best of the best in Kanto, Johto, and more. The Pokemon League hopes to continue to see these Pokemon in amazing battles.-

Brock sighed at the Gengar statue, which was grinning cheekily and held out a victory sign as it stood over the names of all the Pokemon that had fallen to it over the years. The Pokemon League sure loved to lay it on thick. Brock grabbed a bottle of water from the front table and retreated to one of the sofas along the walls to wait out the period until the meeting.

Over the next thirty minutes Brock saw a few other gym leaders enter the building, each holding out their respective badge to the guards. Sabrina offered a nod in greeting and Lt. Surge gave a hearty wave. Erika gave him a pretty smile from her formal kimono, making him blush. He was about to get up and discuss the finer points of flowering plants with her when he overheard the guards.

"...Um… I, Violet of the Cerulean City official Pokemon Gym, certify that I am here today on official Pokemon League correspondence."

Brock's ears perked and he stood up towards the door. Violet had a worried look on her voice and glanced at the clock on the wall. Her face lit up in relief when she saw Brock, and hurried over.

"Brock! It's been so long!" she gave him a quick hug. Brock carefully returned it, holding his heartbeat at bay. Violet clearly had other things on her mind than romantic prospects.

Oh well.

"So… are you here for the meeting?" Violet asked him, wringing her hands in anticipation. "I thought you'd, like, made Forrest the official gym leader by now?"

"I did, but this sort of affair is still a little out of his league, so I came here in his stead," Brock said as they sat down across a side table. Violet swiftly looked at the door as the guards welcomed Blaine all the way from Cinnabar Island.

"You're taking classes for Pokemon pre-med, aren't you? Did you have to take time off?"

"Yes," Brock nodded, "but only for a short time, this meeting is very important. I'm guessing you took a shuttle up here?"

"Yes, I did..."

There was an awkward silence, as Violet went back to staring at her hands. Brock had a pretty good idea of what she was nervous about.

"Everything okay with the others?"

"Oh, um, well… you probably haven't heard from Misty since the last time?"

"No, not since she sent a message that she was heading to the Tohjo Falls to train last year..."

"Mm, Daisy got that too. That was awhile ago, and I read that area had some powerful wild Pokemon..."

"I'm sure she's okay," Brock said, "she still has that emergency alert that Daisy made her take, so we would have heard if something happened."

"Yes, I know..." Violet nodded. She looked at the clock again and then leaned forward. "Lily's been depressed lately," she whispered. "I noticed it a week ago, after Misty's birthday went by—she's sixteen now, can you believe it—but now that I think about it, it's been happening for awhile..."

"How can you tell? What does she do?" Brock said seriously.

"Well—nothing drastic, thankfully, it's just… she doesn't smile anymore, you know?" Brock nodded. "She only smiles when she has to for work or gym officials or something, and she's normally so energetic… I think that argument she had with Misty back then is starting to weigh on her heavily, I mean, it's been nearly three years since they spoke or even saw each other..."

"None of us has seen or heard from her really," Brock agreed. "Daisy has had some contact, but..."

"It's just been some scattered messages," Violet confirmed. "I told Daisy about this and she's with Lily right now while I'm the current gym leader but… I'm just worried. I don't know what I can do to make her feel better..."

"Well, maybe I can tell you one thing," Brock said, full-on doctor mode. "I know it's hard, but you need to stay positive. If Lily is depressed, you can let it get to you either. You seem very anxious about this, but try to stay calm. Lily wouldn't want her problems to start affecting everyone else, I'm sure."

"Yes, yes I see what you mean..." Violet took a deep breath. "Lily's headstrong like that… like Misty, actually. Or maybe, it's Misty who's headstrong like Lily..." Violet's gaze drifted off in distraction towards the entrance. "You know," she said, "before Misty really came into her own, Lily was the best at Pokemon battles. She should be the one here at this meeting, not me..."

"There's still plenty of time before everything goes into effect," Brock assured her, "Lily can get used to the high level of Pokemon battles before then."

"I hope she can..." Violet trailed off as a shiny black car rolled up to the entrance. Out stepped a sharply dressed man in a dark business suit with glistening poke ball cufflinks and greased back hair. He straightened his tie and walked up to the guards.

"Check out that car, is he a gym leader? I've never seen him before..." Violet said covertly to Brock. He said nothing, watching intently.

"…Name is… Acting representative of… here on official Pokemon League..." Brock tried hard to listen from the other side of the glass doors, but couldn't make out anything specific.

And then the representative flashed their badge, and he didn't need to anymore.

"The Earth Badge…! He's from the Viridian Gym!" Brock whispered back to Violet. She looked back at him.

"You hear so little about that gym… is that the gym leader?"

"I don't know, I've never seen the leader either, but..." Brock glanced around for prying ears, and then leaned close to Violet. "Awhile back, when Ash went to the Viridian Gym, we found something out. Keep quiet, but I think that gym is run by Team Rocket."

"T-Team Rocket?" Violet stammered, putting a hand to her mouth.

"I heard there was an investigation, but reportedly nothing turned up, somehow they've avoided all suspicion," Brock continued, "but we have no other proof, and Jessie and James can hardly be said to be… accurate representations of Team Rocket, I mean… we met the head of Team Rocket once."

"Then… is that him?" Brock looked over, considering her words.

"No, there are some similarities, but… how can I say it, I don't think their boss would put on such a charming public appearance. I don't know why they would bother running a Pokemon Gym either, let alone one that so rarely takes challengers..."

"Still, don't you think that guy is kind of… creepy?"

Brock looked again to the man, who had passed briskly through the door, ignoring everyone else and went through the open conference room doors. Brock found himself agreeing with her. His disarming smile was ever-present, and he somehow retained an oily appearance.

A few more minutes passed and Brock noted that almost all of the remaining official gyms in the Kanto region were accounted for. The Johto League gyms must have a separate conference, he thought. When it was about time for the meeting to begin, Brock and Violet stood up and walked through the doors to the conference hall, a large room with arching domed ceilings and squashy chairs lined up in front of a podium. Brock and Violet sat down near Koga, who gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment. They were, thankfully, on the other side of the room from the Viridian Gym representative.

The lights dimmed as Mr. Goodshow trekked past the seats in his usual casual attire. It might have been hard to imagine such a carefree individual managing something as serious as the Pokemon League, but Brock knew from prior experience that the man was not the pushover he appeared. He eyed the microphone which was just above his speaking level.

"Ah, I keep telling them to set it for me… the curse of my height, y'know?" Goodshow grumbled. A quiet laugh issued through the hall, easing the air, but Brock and Violet were too concerned over the mysterious Viridian representative to join in. The greasy man hadn't budged an inch, nor did the curl of his mouth change. After reaching up to pull down the microphone, Goodshow cleared his throat.

"Hello, hello! I see many familiar faces here, and many more that I've not had the chance to meet." Blaine gave a fast wave and Koga nodded, still ever serious. "As you may know, my name is Charles Goodshow, and I know I don't look like much, but I am the President of the Pokemon League. I called you all here to have our final discussion about changes in the gym regulations. This time, we meet in person rather than paper or electronic correspondence." He stepped off the podium and pressed a button on a remote in one hand, while his other grabbed the microphone. He fiddled with the device and a screen in the background flashed with eight of the Kanto badges.

"Kanto contains many fine gyms, and in the past many of them have gone officially recognized by us at the Pokemon League. Trainers who obtain eight of these badges are eligible to compete in their region's respective conferences. Ever since the release of the modern Poke Ball created by the Silph Company, however, training Pokemon has become more efficient and ubiquitous. The fact is, we've seen more and more qualified trainers than ever before. We at the League got to thinking. Why eight badges? What separates merely qualified trainers from exceptional ones?"

The screen flickered and a diagram reminiscent of a League battle display came up.

"For example, a fresh trainer just starting out will likely attempt the nearest Pokemon Gym to him or her. In the past, the gym leader decides their own terms of the battle, with whatever Pokemon they wished. This occasionally created a discrepancy. If the gym took it easy with a fresh opponent, the trainer might receive a battle that went well with the strength of their Pokemon. But other times, the trainer would simply be outmatched for an inordinately long time until their Pokemon grew stronger. This, we feel, has made trainer strength very inconsistent, and has divided up many of the gyms by their strength."

Violet shifted in her seat. Brock knew the Cerulean Gym had often been considered a weaker gym, and a target for trainers looking for an easy badge. From the sound of things, Lily would have to keep it together better than before.

"Our proposed gym regulations seek to resolve these inconsistencies, and may also affect the number of officially recognized gyms."

Violet fidgeted some more. She was no doubt worried how the gym would hold up when each of them had, at best, moderate battling and training capabilities.

"The first element of the new system shall be the mandate of, for starters, the use of a maximum of two Pokemon for challengers with zero to one badge. These Pokemon must also be of appropriate strength. Any trainers affiliated to the gym in addition to the leader must also follow these limits when handling challengers. The gym is further encouraged, though not required, to provide additional mental or physical challenges to test capabilities outside the battlefield. Of course, our increased traffic gives us additional funding for such..."

Brock tuned out Mr. Goodshow to look over the other leaders. Violet was not looking any less anxious than before. Sabrina's expression had not cracked a bit, and Lt. Surge was rubbing his hands together excitedly. Blaine and Koga looked eager to discuss whatever sorts of nasty tricks and trials they could come up with. The businessman from the Viridian Gym had his hands folded under his chin, face betraying nothing.

"...Ah, of course I should clarify that this system extends through the number of badges, so challengers with two or three badges may face three Pokemon, four or five, four Pokemon, and six or seven badges five Pokemon in battle. If you please, only those with eight or more, that is, those qualified for Major League competitions, will the Gym Leader be asked to use his or her full strength."

Mr. Goodshow took a drink of water and cleared his throat.

"I just have one more announcement. Our Indigo and Silver Conferences remain our premier Major League competitions. Due to the number of challengers already qualified, we are extending the number of preliminary contestants to one hundred and twenty-eight."

Brock listened intently. This was more than twice the previously established number.

"As before, winners of these tournaments are given a title and award. However, I am proud to say, once these revamped regulations are in place, the winners of these tournaments will automatically earn the right to challenge the Elite Four to become the Champion."

Violet's eyes widened, as did Sabrina's by a more modest amount. Mr. Goodshow paused for effect as the words sunk in.

"I know in the past the Elite Four have only taken challengers at their discretion, but we believe that anyone who makes it through the new scope of this gauntlet will have earned that right. The Elite Four have agreed, and will be making their own announcement in due time."

While the new information settled into the small crowd like a creeping shadow, Mr. Goodshow spent the next several minutes going over building costs and the use of gym trainees. He flipped his papers about in minute disdain, as though he cared more for Pokemon battles than legislature. Brock and Violet tuned much of it out, in part with assurance that the important information would be viewable in the future anyway and in part filled with anxieties, each their own.

Eventually, Mr. Goodshow tapped his papers in conclusion.

"Now that should just about do it… does anyone here have anything further they'd like to discuss?"

Brock looked around the seats. Blaine and Koga remained stoic. Surge looked ready to jolt for the door. Brock glanced twice at Sabrina, who to his amazement rested her elbow on the armrest and had her cheek mashed lazily into her palm.

Then Brock caught sight of the Viridian representative, who stood up in one smooth motion.

"I would merely like to say that we at the Viridian Gym are committed to a stronger Pokemon League, and offer our assurances of cooperation with your efforts," the stranger spoke softly, but with a deep base that carried well through the chamber.

"Ah yes, the Viridian Gym," Mr. Goodshow started, peering down at the man with scrutiny. "We're glad you were able to make it here."

"Our gym's leadership has been… inconsistent as of late," the man inclined his head acknowledgment, "however I am pleased to say that we have made great progress in our… organization, and are aiming to become the top-ranked gym in the region. Our leader sends his apologies that he could not be here today, he has been very busy with his preparations ever since the message in the post, and felt it would be best if he continued his work while I relay the events of today to him."

"So he's not the Gym Leader," Brock thought carefully. He saw Violet shiver next to him.

"Hrm yes, well, the Pokemon League appreciates your ambition," Goodshow nodded firmly, "aiming for the top is, of course, what we are all about, and that goes for everyone here too," he turned back to the audience. "This reorganization will almost surely eliminate some of the current gyms from the standings. Each of you must strive to be the best, but know that there is no shame in defeat. Each gym is a spirited competitor, win or lose, and we will not hold our differences against each other."

Brock somehow failed to catch sight of the stranger from Viridian City as the meeting was adjourned, but found that this was not a disappointment.

"You should get back to Lily now, and don't worry too much about Misty, she's a tough girl," Brock saw Violet off near the shuttle station. She smiled back at him.

"Thanks… you keep studying to be a Pokemon doctor, okay? I'm sure your brother will be a great Gym Leader." She hugged him, and scampered off. Brock sighed as his chest fluttered after her.

"Easy does it Brock, you've got other things to worry about. There will be others..."

As he made his way down the mountain, he mused to himself how this surely was the end of it, his final actions as a Pokemon Gym Leader. From now on he would no longer participate in battles, but would seek to restore the remains of those battles.

He pushed aside both the image of Violet and the Viridian representative, who he realized had never allowed him to hear his name.

Deep beneath the Viridian Forest, the League representative strode swiftly through a hidden research facility. The steel-lined walls reflected fuzzy images of his black suit, contrasting with the white coats that peppered the rooms. The man ignored them as he made his way to the rear-most chamber, where the commander of Team Rocket sat in a chair hooked up to a peculiar looking helmet. An Alakazam floated in a meditative pose with its spoons lazily drifting in a circle around the chair.

The League representative hesitated, not knowing whether or not to disturb his boss as he allowed Alakazam to comb his mind. He ruminated what sort of punishment Giovanni might hand out were he to interrupt such a critical time to give his report.

His wondering ceased as Giovanni grunted beneath the helmet and Alakazam was bathed in a blue glow.

"Ka… zam..." it said in slow concentration. It's spoons began to spin faster.

Giovanni issued a pained cry as Alakazam's eyes opened with a flash.

"S-Sir!" the representative shouted as he began to reach for the helmet.

"NO YOU FOOL, I AM CLOSE, I KNOW IT!" Giovanni bellowed. The representative watched his leader endure for nearly five, gut-wrenching minutes. Giovanni began to twist and clench his hands around the chair.

Eventually, there was an echoing bang. A psychic backlash blew the representative's tie straight off of its clip and Alakazam was thrown to the edge of the wall, where it cracked the stone tile before crumpling to the floor, bent spoons clattering with it.

"Ala… ka… zam..." it groaned in distress. The representative ignored it as he immediately reached to unclasp the helmed device. As soon as Giovanni's arms were free from the restraining cuffs they shot towards his underling's collar.

"B-boss..." he gasped, "are… you… alright?" he instinctively attempted to pry Giovanni's arms from his throat. The boss' eyes seemed to settle, and he released his hold.

"I see you have returned… Agent Trojan." Giovanni slowly rose from the chair as Trojan coughed air in.

"Y...yes sir," he wheezed, "the meeting went as expected," he quickly returned his tie to its clip.

"Anything you wish to report now?" Giovanni said candidly, ignoring his brief moment of chaos.

"The only notable information at the meeting is that the Elite Four has been revealed to be accepting any league champions that emerge from the new format as challengers," Trojan said warily, his gelled hair noticeably disheveled, "you will have my full report at eighteen-hundred hours." Giovanni straightened his own tie with much more composure.

"Those four have always coveted their lofty positions," he scoffed, "gracing the few they deemed worthy opponents with the right to challenge them… what arrogance! Still..." he continued, "this turn of events indicates a change… perhaps they are afraid their skills are becoming irrelevant and are seeking new blood to welcome into their fold… perhaps they intend to step into the light."

Giovanni smoothed his sleeves and made his way out of the room, Trojan trailing behind him. Neither paid a thought to the Alakazam collapsed against the wall.

"Sir..." Trojan began tentatively as Giovanni made his way to the Information Lab, "your efforts at recovering your memories..."

"It took some doing, but they were finally successful!" Giovanni said triumphantly, "of course, were it not for the files our scientists recovered from the drives, I would have never discovered what was absent from my mind, let us be thankful, Trojan."

"Yes, sir." Giovanni sat at a computer terminal prominently on display in the center of the lab and immediately began taking notes on what he'd recovered.

"I must record this immediately. The freshness of thoughts in one's mind is not to be underestimated. Trojan, compile your report, then stand by for further instructions."

"Sir?"

"Yes Trojan, we will begin preparing for our swift takeover of Kanto. The way to do so has finally been revealed to us." Giovanni typed ferociously, the expensive keyboard clicking loudly. Trojan immediately left the chamber to begin his work.

"Mark my words, my friend… you were created to fight for me, and I intend to make it happen. With what those scientists found, you will carve out a path to greatness for Team Rocket! A path to the heavens themselves! And it will be all thanks to your precious Berserk Gene… Mewtwo!

~Hey everyone, I know how long it's been, but I guess I had to sort some things in my life out. It's looking up, so I feel ready to present another chapter. I apologize if you were kept waiting, or if you just plain forgot about me. I really want to get more accustomed to writing, and I even want to add another story to the works while working on this one. A big part of my writing is trying to be efficient with the language. I don't want to write anything that doesn't want to be read, which means stuff that doesn't need to be there. There should be a purpose for every word, scene and dialogue you put in, and you shouldn't repeat things either. You readers, and your readers, are not goldfish. Most of them, anyway. That being said, I am concerned the last scene of this chapter didn't take things far enough. As you might imagine, it's an important scene for the plot, not so much for the characters. It was a difficult scene to conceive, and I may go back and edit it at some point. I'm also terrible at coming up with original names. I know the Japanese love to do theme naming, so i'll try to do the same. The TR operative who puts on the public persona then reports to Giovanni is named Trojan, which should be an obvious reference, but I also wanted it to be evocative of 'ship' imagery, because Team Rocket characters have been named as things related to rockets in the games, but this is a pretty loose tie between these two ideas. Oh well.

And if you wanted to use your shipping goggles for Bock/Violet... sorry, I was just being a tease, they're not hooking up. I just thought I couldn't ignore Brock's character traits, and I also wanted to give Violet some character that sets her aside from her sisters. I have other plans for Lily, but you needn't worry about her.

~Iggy