Team Rocket Ash

by cu

Ash's childhood hasn't been the best, especially since Gary and Professor Oak have taken every opportunity to suppress his skill as a Pokemon trainer. When Ash finds out that his father was a member of Team Rocket, he is conflicted about good and evil. Whether or not Ash joins Team Rocket, one thing's for certain: Ash will be a Pokemon master. (Ash/Sabrina). Will not be updated.

4. Chapter 4

AN:

Sorry for not posting in a while. I've been pretty busy, and I probably will be in the future too, so next chapter should be in around 2 weeks.

In the anime, Jessie James and Meowth is generally there for comic relief. I want to keep that aspect of them, but at the same time, keep them somewhat competent, since Ash is going to be joining them after all. They'll have moments of brilliance, and Meowth is a clever but weak Pokemon; at the same time, James won't really do much and Jessie will come up with stupid plans, just like the anime.

IV

"Gible, Dragon Claw," Ash ordered. Gible rushed forward to attack the enemy Nidoking. However, Ash didn't calculate his enemy's foot movement, and as such couldn't warn Gible to dodge in time. Gible was down for the count, which meant that Ash had lost!

In front of Ash was a tall dark-skinned man wearing tight, form-fitting clothes, entirely black. Ash figured that he was probably a goth, but it didn't matter too much to him. All he was trying to do was train, and get better for when he had to face Brock.

It was Ash's third day in Pewter, and he had yet to challenge Brock for the Boulder badge. Despite the fact that Brock was one of the weakest core 8 gym leaders (that title either went to Brock, a member of the Sensational Sisters, or Erika of Celadon City), Ash was no fool; he knew that Brock was a strong trainer. However, despite the fact that Ash had only been training for a few weeks, he already felt like his Pokemon and strategy outperformed most junior gym leaders. Still, it would do Ash well to stay far above the power curve of where he should be, and his Pokemon were much more powerful than those of all other beginning trainers, for the most part.

Ash had spent the last few days training in a makeshift field outside the Pokemon center. At times other trainers joined him for quick battles, most with only a couple of weak Pokemon, but a few with full teams of powerful Pokemon. Previously, Ash had managed to take out all of his opponents, making this his first defeat since his battle with Misty. Ash wasn't a small child though, he knew how to take defeats gracefully, and approached his opponent with a friendly handshake, as well as the necessary payment required after a loss. As he was walking over, Ash couldn't help but admire the ruthlessness with which the man systematically tore apart his Pokemon team. Ash resolved that sometime in the near future, he wanted to be like that man.

"Hey, you were pretty good," the other man said, as Ash finally approached him. "How far along are you in your journey. Must be a couple months right?"

"No, actually, it's only been three weeks," Ash replied, with nothing but respect for the man in front of him. Had it been any of the other trainers Ash had faced, Ash wouldn't have bothered making conversation, but since the man in front of him was so powerful, Ash felt obligated to speak with him.

"No way! I was nowhere near that good three weeks in. Plus your pokemon are really rare around these parts; both Combusken and Gible aren't indigenous to Kanto. So what, are your parents really rich or something?" the man excitedly asked.

"No, I started with a Torchic, and I traded a Pidgeotto for a Gible. The fool thought his dragon Pokemon was too weak, he didn't realize how powerful they could be with a competent trainer," Ash explained. That was his cover when people asked him about his Gible, as he knew he would be questioned about it.

"Well that's good and all, but you're nowhere near my level. In order to truly become a Pokemon master, you need to devote everything within reach toward that goal. Power, that should be all that matters to you, that's what it means to be a Pokemon master. You need to stop being friends with your Pokemon, and instead be their trainer and commander. They shouldn't think freely by themselves; rather you need to control exactly everything they do in and out of battle. I've noticed that you give your Pokemon certain liberties of decision making. End that immediately. You need to be ruthless in battle in order to accomplish your goals. And you need to beef up your Pokemon in whatever way possible. I can help you there," the man said in one continuous stream.

Ash hung on to every word, as it was obvious that the man knew what he was talking about, and his Pokemon were so powerful. He couldn't even take down a single one. But was what he was saying actually true? Befriending his Pokemon was something Ash hadn't expected to happen, and yet, he honestly couldn't say that it was a bad thing. Ash found his Pokemon to each have interesting and unique personalities, was he to disregard and suppress them? His Pokemon were capable of making their own battle decisions, allowing Ash the ability to not micro-manage everything his Pokemon did, was that a bad thing?

No! Of course not. The man in front of him was powerful, yes, but he would never know the meaning of true power. There were trainers, like Lance, Steven, and Cynthia, whose power stemmed from the tight bond they had with their Pokemon. And that was true power.

Although he was correct in some aspects. His Pokemon did need to get more powerful, exponentially more powerful if he were to take down some of the Elite gym leaders, such as Sabrina and Koga.

"Respectfully sir, I must disagree," Ash said. "Pokemon trainers who are truly powerful rely on tight bonds with their Pokemon, and although you are correct that my Pokemon do need to get stronger, I need to train my Pokemon to accomplish this."

"Hmm. That is an interesting argument, one I've heard before multiple times. I'm not going to waste time arguing with you about his, but I sense great potential in you. If you change my mind," here he flicked a small business card toward Ash, "contact me here."

The man studied Ash's reaction closely, and from his battle with Ash and their further conversation, he could tell that the boy had something so common in all members of Team Rocket: the search for revenge, for vengeance against some wrong. He could also tell that Ash was an incredibly potent trainer with a thirst to prove himself, and would go very far in Team Rocket, maybe even end up running the organization after Giovanni retired. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice people leaving the field around him in shock or fright.

"GO! GO! GO!" A group of three almost identical officers rushed into the field with three small, pitiful looking Growlithes in tow. It was truly a pathetic sight, and Ash found his interest piqued as how the man, who was clearly a Rocket based on the way he dressed and the speech he had just given, would carry himself against multiple opponents. Normally at this point, Ash would have simply left the scene of the crime, as he generally didn't want to be associated with the actions of any Rockets. However, this was a special case, as Ash knew that the upcoming battle would be extremely interesting.

"Surrender your Poke-balls, and come with us," the Jenny's spoke in unison. It actually would be quite creepy and intimidating if the Pokemon behind them weren't so weak. The Rocket he battled earlier just laughed before sending out all of his Pokemon at once. Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Houndoom, Wheezing, Crobat, Raticate, Ninetails, Arbok, and Persian. He clearly didn't follow the rules of battling with a maximum number of six Pokemon at a single time.

"Take out the trash," the man said, with a dramatic flourish, gesturing his Pokemon to take the field.

In response, the three Jenny's sent out the total combination of all their Pokemon: 3 Growlithes, 4 Pidgeotto's, 3 Paras's, and a Gastly. All in all, if Ash had to bet on the results of the battle, it was obvious which side he'd take. Ash felt that even he stood a strong chance against the collective group of 11 Pokemon with just Combusken and Gible.

As the Jenny's Pokemon charged the Rocket, his group of Pokemon seemed ill-at-ease with the crowded battlefield, and Ash got the feeling that the man's Pokemon were trained to handle 1v1 situations where he could guide his Pokemon's every step. With the Rocket's attention diverted into many simultaneous battles, his Pokemon were taking quite a few hits from the Jenny's. Ash knew that his Pokemon would never be so weak, and so unprepared. Though they battled better with Ash's instruction, they could certainly think for themselves and take action if necessary without Ash's intervention.

Still though, he seemed to be doing well enough against the weak Officer Jenny's.

"Backup! We need backup!" One of the Jenny's exclaimed to her walkie talkie. Within the next minute, the Jenny's Pokemon were systematically take apart, one at a time. The Rocket was about to take down the final Jenny when …

GYAOO! A roar of an unmistakably powerful Pokemon was heard in the distance. Ash squinted toward the horizon and could barely make out the figure of the approaching Pokemon. As it grew closer, it's figure grew more and more apparent, and Ash could make out details of its flight. The way its dark green wings glided through the twilight sky, in clear contrast to its light yellow body, the Pokemon had to be a Dragonite.

"HALT," the Pokemon's trainer yelled, still atop the rapidly approaching Dragonite. "Archer of Team Rocket, you are under arrest. Remain still, and I will not have to get involved."

At this point, Ash clearly recognized who the man was. It was Lance, leader of the Kanto Elite Four, and arguably the most powerful trainer in the world, save perhaps Cynthia. And he cut an incredibly imposing figure; Archer must have been quite an important Team Rocket member in order to bring out Lance.

It was a fairly open secret that the Pokemon League controlled the government of Kanto, and this included the police. All four members of the Elite Four had gone through missions in which they took down high-profile criminals, most of which were members of Team Rocket. However, no one was scarier than Lance.

The Rocket Executive threw out a Pokemon and commanded "Teleport", only to realize that it didn't work.

"That won't work here, there's no way your pathetic excuse for a Psychic Pokemon can teleport through Agatha's Alakazam's Barrier. Face it Archer, you're surrounded," Lance exclaimed.

Throughout the battle with the Jenny's, and throughout his conversation with Lance, the Rocket, Archer, wore the same expression on his face. One of subtle amusement, as if the entire situation was a simple, low-stakes game, which he was playing.

"Please," Archer spoke languidly. "While it may be true that my own Abra is now match for your Alakazam, there are things that Team Rocket can do that will literally blow your mind. Prepare for a true display of power, the epitome of the psychic type." As Archer spoke, his voice got more and more intense, and Ash could see the power and feel the intimidation behind his voice. This man certainly seemed to command the presence of a high ranking member of Team Rocket. "TELEPORT" he shouted as he was engulfed in an incredibly bright pink light, one too powerful to have come from a simple Abra.

"Flamethrower, Dragonite" Lance commanded, only to recoil in shock as his Dragonite's fire beam hit empty air. The Rocket had vanished without a trace!

Realizing that there was nothing he could do about the situation, the dragon-type Pokemon trainer schooled his expressions and returned to the confident, imposing figure that had managed to scare off one of the most powerful members of Team Rocket.

"It's a good thing I got here when I did," he addressed the Pewter police force brusquely. "Because your group seemed utterly incompetent, and clearly unable to handle such a delicate situation. I don't understand why they even bother giving you Pokemon, when it's obvious that they're poorly trained, and could easily be bested by any trainer working hard for two months at most."

As the three Jenny's hung their heads down in shame, Lance continued "I was tipped off by my contact in Team Rocket that they are planning something in Pewter. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I'll be staying in the area just in case. Arceus knows you three need all the help you can get."

Ash snaked away quietly; it wouldn't do him good to be caught at the scene of an incident like this. Besides, he had a battle with Brock coming up soon, and he needed to get ready for it.

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"My word! Was that League Champion Lance taking on Director Archer, our boss? I wonder what he's doing in Pewter."

The three Rocket members were currently squabbling over two pairs of binoculars as they floated above the action, on a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. Jessie had managed to secure her own by licking her pair, forcing the other two to fight over one single pair.

"It's mine!" James exclaimed.

"No. I've got it," Meowth said.

"Yes!" both shouted in apparent victory as each had managed to secure one side of the single pair of binoculars. Their victory was quickly dashed when they realized that since all of the holes were covered, they couldn't see anything through the binoculars. Well, at least for Meowth, who quickly realized what happened.

James on the other hand … "Hey, we're so far up that when I zoom in on the ground, all I see is darkness."

"Would you two quit it!" Jessie said. "Now, let's focus on our mission."

"You got it, boss," James interjected.

"Shut up James," Meowth and Jessie said together.

"Anyways, that kid, the one with the Gible. He's probably our guy, and if you see what I see, clearly Archer either already recruited him, or failed at it. Which means that, either way, we have to try to recruit the little twerp." Jessie explained.

"But do we though?" James asked. "I mean he looked kinda small, and I don't think he'd be that strong. What if he's not Team Rocket material."

"You wanna know what I think," Meowth said. "I think that if you're Team Rocket material, then anybody or anything has to be Team Rocket material. That kid, a Mareep, a Magikarp, …"

"Hey!" James interrupted, ending Meowth's obviously lengthy list of Pokemon more competent than James. "Are you calling me a Magikarp?"

"Anyways, I think the twerp would make an excellent Rocket member, if he's not already one. We know he hasn't faced Brock yet, so let's stay at the Pewter Gym for the next few days. That'll give us the chance to talk to him in person, after his match." Meowth concluded.

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"What do you think? Are you as worried about what's going to happen as I am?"

Few saw this side of Lance Wataru. Most just saw the champion of the Kanto League, the intimidating Pokemon master. But few realized just how powerful the bonds between Lance and his Pokemon were. Only in the presence of his Pokemon could Lance let his guard slip, and only in the company of his longtime friend, his first Dragonite, could Lance reclaim the child-like wonder, the innocence, and the faith he had in the workings of the universe that had once been integral parts of his personality. Lance truly wasn't Lance unless he was alone with Dragonite, and that was the only time when he let his powerful facade slip, revealing a man who simply didn't have all the answers, just like everybody else.

"Nite Nite-drag," Dragonite lightly roared, for Dragonites could only speak in roars regardless of the message they wanted to convey.

"Yes, you're probably right. It's not my place to worry about such things; in the event that Pewter City is attacked, I will do my best to defend it." Lance sagely spoke. "But what do you think about the boy."

"Drag, Dragonite?" Dragonite expressed its confusion, though Lance could immediately see through it.

"Come on, Drag, don't play dumb with me. We both know that Archer's Team Rocket recruits have all gone on to be at least admins, and some even executives. It's clear that Archer was trying to recruit the boy, so he must at least be powerful. The question is, is the boy mature enough to realize what Team Rocket truly is."

With a final glance at Dragonite, who looked deep in thought, Lance brought himself up from his sitting position on the floor, and walked out of the room.

"Well anyways, one thing's for sure. That kid is really good at remaining unseen and blending into his environment. If he ever joins the league, I think we'd have a pretty good ally," Lance concluded.

"Drag O Nite"

"Come Drag. We have a lot to prepare for."

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"The battle between Pewter City's gym leader, Brock the Rock, and Pallet Town's own Ash Ketchum, will now commence."

Ash was surprised as the commentator's voice washed over the small stadium. He was even more surprised when he looked to the stands and saw at least a hundred people eagerly watching the battle.

Usually gym matches were private affairs, with battle strategies held in confidence between the challenger and gym leader. In fact, most gym leaders didn't even battle in their large, public stadiums, but instead reserved that space for show matches between trainers of the gym, or demonstrations of the power of their chosen type of Pokemon.

So the fact that Brock had chosen to battle him in the large, spectator stadium with a commentator was surprising to Ash. But there was nothing Ash could do about it, short of withdrawing his challenge. The stadium seemed to be packed with Brock's supporters, some of whom bore a striking resemblance to the dark-skinned teenage boy. They must have been relatives, either siblings or cousins.

"Kick his ass Brock," one voice shouted out from the stands.

"Yeah, beat the noob," another voice said.

It was inevitable, when things were going excellently for Ash, one person took it to be his responsibility to mess them up. Gary Oak.

It was obvious that Gary had informed Brock that Ash was a member of Team Rocket, why Gary chose to slander Ash every step of the way, Ash had no idea. Ash was not a member of Team Rocket, but it was starting to be more appealing, if only to shut Gary up.

Judging by Brock's appearance, and the number of people in the stands, Ash knew that Brock believed Gary's false accusations. Brock must have had some interactions with Team Rocket before and known first hand their incompetence; after all Ash had seen how stupid Team Rocket's members could get. So Brock probably assumed Ash was a free win, and was trying to use this opportunity to publically humiliate him.

"Ash Ketchum. Normally, when a trainer is as unskilled as you, I go easy on them. After all, many trainers come here for their first badge. However, you are a special case. You see, I know what most people don't about you, and I'm here to prevent you from moving on. Your evil quest ends here," Brock said. "So without further ado, go Onix."

Ash didn't bother wasting time with the commentary, focusing instead on his own strategy. He knew that Brock had two Geodudes and an Onix, and since he had specifically requested a 2 on 2, he knew that the next Pokemon had to be a Geodude. Which meant that if he could take down Onix, he would have an easy time against Geodude. So Ash wordlessly threw out his strongest Pokemon, Combusken.

"Combusken, Swords Dance," Ash ordered. An aura surrounded Combusken as fiery red swords rotated around him, faster and faster, closer and closer, until he finally absorbed the energy. Brock took this time to make some sort of useless speech, probably expecting a free win.

Ash knew that one of Onix's biggest strengths, his huge bulk, was also his biggest weakness. It made him slow, and predictable, unlike Gyarados, a large but fast Pokemon. But his bulk was also a weakness to one of Combusken's most powerful fighting-type moves, Low Kick, which did greater damage the heavier the target was.

"And you see, you, Ash Ketchum, will never amount to anything. Onix, Bind," Brock said, as he finished his soliloquy. Onix slowly and lethargically made his way toward Ash, who just waited. At the perfect time, he commanded, "Combusken, Low Kick."

It was a rather comical sight, the large Onix unbalancing itself from the power of Combusken's kick, and falling on the ground in one hit. With a further Low Kick from Combusken while the snake-like rock Pokemon was down, and Ash had secured the first win for himself.

"No! There's no way you took out my Onix with your Pokemon! There's no way that Combusken is yours, you must have stolen it!" Brock spat out.

"I would suggest not making such claims in a large public setting, or I could sue you for slander. It is common knowledge in Pallet Town that I was gifted Torchic for winning the Pokemon simulator tournament. Do you really think that I would steal a Combusken when I had Torchic readily available?" Ash said, the cold inflection in his voice surprising even himself. It wasn't possible to sue Brock over information that trivial, but he didn't need to know that. Perhaps if Ash made a large enough threat, the other boy would simply shut up.

Brock, clearly enraged and not thinking straight, yelled out, "Go! Geodudes attack," as he threw out two more Poke-balls. Even though a double battle was against the preconceived rules, and Ash could have stopped the battle right there and taken his badge, he decided to take the older boy down a peg.

"Well I wasn't planning on a double battle, but if you insist," Ash lead, as he threw out his other Pokeball, sending Gible on the field.

"Gible, Combusken, take the battle to them. Both of you use Dragon Claw and Blaze Kick on the left Geodude. We'll take out the right one next." Ash said.

In perfect harmony, the two Pokemon rushed together, ignoring the weak Rock Blast sent by one of the Geodudes, and coordinated an attack on the left one. Combusken rushed behind the Geodude, in order to kick the small but heavy rock Pokemon closer to Gible, who used his own Dragon Claw to take him out for the count. They next focused their efforts on the other rock Pokemon, who was quaking in fear, literally making small Earthquakes and shaking the stadium. After a moment, Brock was completely out, having been destroyed and humiliated by a new trainer many years younger than him.

"And the winner is the challenger, Ash Ketchum," the announcer said. "Brock must now forfeit two thousand dollars as well as the boulder badge to Ketchum."

"No! I refuse to give up to that Rocket scum," Brock wildly proclaimed, a manic glint in his eyes. Clamoring broke out through the stands, some agreeing with Brock, but most siding with the challenger who clearly deserved his badge. One voice clearly broke through though, as a man in the crowd took off his disguise.

"Brock. Cease this stupid behavior this instance, and give the boy the badge he deserves," the middle-aged man said.

Brock turned to the man, and immediately recoiled in shock. "YOU! You miserable old bat. I can't believe you would show up here of all places. First you leave and force me to give up my dreams to raise your kids, and then you come back just to side with my enemy? You've made my life miserable."

As Ash watched the soap opera in front of him, his only regret was that he didn't have popcorn.

"I've made your life miserable? Need I remind you that it was you who turned my own children against me, feeding them lies about how I murdered your mother. It was you who threw me out of my own gym, stealing my Pokemon and forcing them to obey you. And when they didn't, trading them away for those worthless rocks. You really haven't changed Brock, not in the slightest." the older man admonished.

Ash could have stayed for the rest of the show, but he had places to be and things to do, and the two taking up the stage were boring him. Try as he might, he honestly couldn't bring himself to care about the familial problems the two were having, although both their arguments seemed a bit preposterous, and it was likely that neither was right. Ash had gotten very good at remaining unseen while walking over the years, and he could simply walk over and take a badge from where a pile of them were lying. While the money would have been nice, Ash had enough for now from trainer battles, and didn't exactly need it.

As Ash was making his way out of the gym, he was stopped by an old man and a confections seller with a small baby in a stroller, or at least that's what they were trying to be. Ash saw through their disguise easily, and knew exactly who they were. They were the members of Team Rocket who he saw in Viridian.

"Hello esteemed colleagues," Ash said, guiding the trio outside, away from prying ears.

"Colleagues? Why did he call us colleagues?" Ash heard the Meowth talk from inside the stroller.

"Yeah, this is the guy right?" Jessie said. "The guy we've been looking for. Is it possible that he's already -"

"Shut up," Ash interrupted. "There are too many people here. Let's go somewhere private.

The three humans, and one poorly disguised Pokemon, made their way to a small alley between two buildings.

"Greetings fellow Team Rocket members. I have news that you probably wish to hear. The boss has not been very impressed with your lack of results," Ash intoned. "But fortunately, he is willing to give you a second chance."

"Say no more," James said. "What do we have to do."

"Your task is something that only those of your caliber can accomplish. The boss wants you to head back to Viridian forest. There is a tree in the forest, which houses the ancient legendary Pokemon Celebi. Your task is to go through every tree, until you find the legendary Pokemon," Ash said, with a poker face.

"You got it! We won't let the boss down." the trio synchronously said. It would take them a while to realize they'd been had, probably days later, as they realized there was no legendary Pokemon in the forest.

Or at least, that was as far as Ash knew. Perhaps there did exist legendary Pokemon in the Viridian Forest, that only revealed themselves to the three Team Rocket members. Maybe the Pokemon would let the trio capture it. Who knows?

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It had been a good stay at Pewter, Ash mused as he made his way to Mt. Moon, out of Pewter. His Pokemon had gotten significantly stronger through constant practice, plus he got to take down and humiliate the Pewter Gym Leader. All in all, he was becoming one of the strongest new trainers.

As he was just about to take a fork in the road that lead to Mt. Moon, a large group of Officer Jenny's rushed past him, one yelling into her walkie-talkie, "THE MUSEUM. THEY'RE AT THE MUSEUM."

Ash didn't really have anywhere to be in Cerulean, so he figured he might as well stop by the museum to see what was going on. After all, if Team Rocket was up to something, it had to be important.

Ash followed at a slower pace. Having been in Pewter for a full week, Ash already knew the general layout of the city, so he didn't need the Jenny's to tell him where to go. He finally made it to the museum just as the Jenny's were walking in.

The museum was an old, decrepit building which seemed to embody the spirit of Pewter Town. It was made of pure stone, and it seemed like one good Pokemon battle in the museum could tear the entire place apart.

Ash noticed a group of Pokemon trainers, all rather young like him, arguing about how if they were allowed in, Team Rocket would be destroyed. One young boy even had the gall to say that Team Rocket was weak. As if! Team Rocket was the strongest criminal organization in the world, and it would do well to have some respect for that undeniable fact.

From the sounds inside the museum, it seemed like Team Rocket agreed with Ash. The Jenny's just stood no chance against the powerful Team Rocket members, each of whom could probably take down 3 Jenny's single-handedly. And that wasn't even counting the Admins and Executives. It was obvious that the police force needed help, and quickly too.

GYAOO! A roar pierced through the idle chatter of Pokemon trainers, and most watched in awe as Lance swooped in on his Dragonite, landing easily on the ground in front of the museum. He quickly surveyed the scene, and his eyes widened as he noticed Ash.

"You, come with me," he gruffly ordered. Ash was surprised; perhaps he suspected that Ash had some affiliation to Team Rocket. The crowd, however, was less surprised as they recognized Ash from his battle with Brock.

"Ash is the best," one trainer said.

"Yeah go Ash," another followed.

"Destroy the Rockets," the crowd cheered on.

Ash made his way up the stairs and turned to face Lance. The man was imposing, with scars running along his face and incredibly piercing eyes, seemingly searching through Ash's own visage.

"You are going to come with me, and we will destroy those Rockets!" Lance yelled. Ash knew he was only doing it for his public image; it would certainly help to have a large group of young trainers respect and admire you.

Immediately the crowd rushed into cheers as Ash made his way inside with Lance. Lance turned to Ash and said "I know you're not what you seem Ketchum. There are a lot of rumors thrown around, that you're one of the Rockets, but I can't decide whose side you're on. Maybe that's because you haven't chosen a side. But know this, if you are a Rocket, or you join the Rockets, I will personally track you down, and deliver justice to you myself."

Ash gulped. This man looked very frightening, and this certainly dissuaded him from ever joining Team Rocket. "Understood, Lance. Do you still want me to fight?"

"Yes, the reason I called you here is to secure the Old Amber. The Old Amber is necessary to resuscitate one of the most powerful and ancient Pokemon, and it cannot fall in the wrong hands. I have noticed your ability to walk through undetected; don't think I didn't place you at the encounter with Archer. Your job is to walk through the back room and swipe the Old Amber; it is probably in the hands of Rocket right now." Lance ordered.

"Disperse," he yelled.

Ash rushed through the museum, just as Lance released Dragonite who roared, gathering the attention of everybody present. Rocket or Officer likewise stopped their battles to notice the potent Dragonite roar. As Lance launched into a speech of how Team Rocket would rue the day, obviously attempting to garner attention, Ash noted the devastation all around him. Pillars had fallen, exhibits smashed through, and all in all, the museum seemed unfixable after this. Ash didn't know whether to thank Team Rocket for tearing down such an ugly building, or condemn them for ruining the piece of history. But he didn't have time to think about that. He had an amber to save.

He quickly snuck into the back room, and was greeted with an argument between Brock and a member of Team Rocket.

"YOU! YOU FILTHY ROCKET!" Brock yelled as soon as he saw Ash. "You're probably helping this poor excuse for a human being to steal the amber aren't you."

Ash didn't bother responding; rather, he sent out both of his Pokemon and told them to knock out the two trainers in front of him. Both the Rocket and Brock fell in front of him. It would be pretty funny if Brock were proven to be a member of Team Rocket, after publicly calling him out for being a Rocket.

So without any hesitation, Ash took the Rocket mask off of the Team Rocket member, and placed it firmly on Brock's head.

Finally, Ash took the amber, just as he heard Archer yell "Rockets out!" Lance obviously proved to be too much for the Rockets to handle, and they must have assumed that the amber was secure already. The Rocket in front of Ash vanished, leaving Ash, Brock, and the amber that Ash was safely holding in the room.

Lance rushed into the room, and surveyed the scene, shocked that one of his own gym leaders would betray him to join Team Rocket. Ash handed the amber to Lance, and walked away, not willing to deal with the aftermath of the events.