Intro: Hello again. Another large chapter coming your way. So go make yourself a sandwich and get a soda or something and settle in with the story. I hope you enjoy it! As per the usual, I do not own Pokemon or it's characters.

Hybrids: Third Iteration

Strand 2: Frustration

The cool lake water that surrounded Ash's body felt comforting against his sun-baked skin. He sighed and floated lazily on his back, soaking up the moment to relax. Closing his eyes, he could almost imagine that he was the only one around. His friends were back at the campsite, of course, but they didn't want to come to the lake. Fine enough for him; that means he didn't have to wear his bathing suit.

A slight splashing sound from the shoreline caused Ash to right himself and stare ahead. There were some water ripples, but nothing else. It was then that Ash noticed something else by his clothes on the rocks. Namely, another set of clothing. He squinted to try and make out whose clothes they were, but it wasn't necessary. A second later, a girl's head surfaced from underwater right next to him. She had red hair that floated alongside her and a shy grin.

"Hey Ash." Misty said with a giggle. Ash blushed and momentarily considered covering himself with his hands. He couldn't make out more than a dim outline of her body through the cloudy water, but from underwater, she could probably have seen more then enough of him. He wondered how she managed to get underwater and swim close to him so quickly, but chalked it up to her time in the Cerulean Gym.

"Errr…hey, Mist." Ash said, his voice unsteady. "What are you doing…here?"

"It was getting hot by the campsite, so I decided to come down for a dip." She treaded the water lightly, managing to keep everything below her neck submerged. "I'm not intruding on anything, am I?"

"No…" Ash said slowly. This was a situation he never quite imagined he'd get into, and thusly, had very few remarks.

"Good. I'd hate to think I was making you…uncomfortable." She smiled. There was something about the way she said that that made Ash wonder what she was getting at. "So I was surprised to see your clothes in a pile by the shore." Misty continued. "Do you skinny-dip often, Ash?" The mischievous smile never left her face.

"Only when I think I'm alone." Ash responded, his mind still trying to catch up with the events that were unfolding in front of him.

"I never thought you'd be the kind of guy who would do that." Misty said. "You always seemed a little reserved. At first I though about taking your clothes back to the camp so you'd have to stay in the lake all day or come back naked." She laughed lightly and Ash blushed harder. "But then I had a better idea. I thought I'd come out and greet you. That way I wouldn't have to wait to see you." She dipped underwater for a moment, and then returned, her hair drooping down in front of her face. "And I'm very glad I did."

"Misty? Why are you doing this?" Ash asked. Her actions not only confused him, they completely blew his mind. "Are you just trying to embarrass me or…"

"Embarrass you?" Misty asked. "Why would you think that?" She inched closer to him. "Ash, if I wanted to embarrass you, I could have done it a hundred other ways. Besides, why would I go through all the trouble if I'm the only one around to see it?" She reached out and put her hand against his bare chest. Ash shivered from the contact. "I'm doing this, Ash Ketchum, because I am tired of beating around the bush. I'm tired of spending my days lusting after you and never getting to do anything about it."

"Wait…lusting?" Ash asked quietly. His brain once again fell several steps behind the conversation.

"I want you, Ash." Misty continued. "Plain and simple." She found some solid ground and stood up. Like Ash, the water level was now at her torso, and her bare chest was now out in the open. Ash felt his gaze being drawn down like his head was on a winch. His eyes widened and his mouth suddenly felt very dry. He took in every detail, even the small clusters of freckles. "If you feel the same way about me, then take me in your arms, right now."

Not even a raging Gyrados could stop him at that point. He stepped forward and curled one arm around her body, drawing her close to him. Misty let out a purr in approval and pushed her lips against his. He desperately pressed her body to his own, savoring the touch of her soft skin against him. Her right leg entwined with his left as her hands started to roam against his back. She broke away from the kiss momentarily for air and Ash took advantage of the moment to move onto the side of neck. She giggled as Ash began to kiss her, and then switched to frenzied gasps. Ash soaked in the assault on his senses. Her skin felt like silk against his lips. Her noises were like symphonic music to his ears. Her hair smelled like…smelled like…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ash opened his eyes suddenly. The warm water from the shower pounded down on his back as reality shifted back into focus. He frowned in anger. He couldn't remember what her hair smelled like. He could have made something up, of course, but the mere fact he forgot something he dwelled on so often shocked him back to Earth and completely ruined his daydream. Dammit. Ash thought. So much for that fantasy. He looked down, groaned, and switched the faucet to cold water. After a few minutes, he shut the shower off completely and stepped out into the hotel bathroom. The mirror by the sink was fogged up and Ash wiped away the condensation with his hand. He stared at his green reflection and sighed. He still couldn't get used to looking at himself. The green pigment had gotten visibly darker in the last few days and he could notice some new blue patches on his skin. He was regressing even further and it scared him.

Suddenly, a queasy feeling washed over him. He felt his stomach churning and quickly moved to the toilet. He dropped to his knees while lifting the porcelain seat. He placed his head over the bowl and proceeded to vomit violently. His retching continued for several moments until the contents of his stomach were completely ejected. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and shakily got to his feet. He flushed the mess down the tubes before moving back to the sink. He cleaned himself off and splashed some cold water on his face. He threw his clothes back on then opened up the bathroom door.

The hotel room was simple, with only one bed and one dresser. A lone TV sat on the dresser with several cracks on the wall behind it. Next to it was a makeshift chemistry set as well as a few other laboratory tools. Sitting on the bed, a thin man with curly green hair and a fancy burgundy suit was tapping away at a laptop furiously. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Well, well. That was a long shower." He smiled for a second, and then turned serious. "I heard you puking your guts out in there. Are you feeling all right?"

"I've felt better, Bill." Ash said testily. "I've felt a hell of a lot better."

"Understandable." Bill said, raising his hands. "Bad choice of words, I know."

"No, I'm sorry." Ash sighed, closing his eyes. "You don't deserve that." He groaned unhappily. "I think I'm losing it, Bill. I don't know what's going on with me anymore." He opened his eyes and looked up. "Please tell me you have some good news for me."

"Well I do have good news, but I have bad news too." Bill looked at him sheepishly. "Which do you want first?"

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bad, I guess."

"This 'antidote' formula you found is an absolute crock. Whoever wrote this down is not the same person who made this virus because it shows a complete lack of genetic knowledge whatsoever. This recipe would be more likely to get you chocolate-chip cookies than an antidote."

"Are you fucking serious?" Ash groaned. "Dammit! I thought we had something here!"

"Well, not all is lost." Bill said with a grin. "The good news is that you have me working for you. While this paper might not be correct, it did give me some ideas and I think I might be able to create something for you." He turned his laptop around so Ash could see the screen. There were two pictures of double helixes. Several numbers and words flashed by as the different pieces were being scanned. "As you can see here…this is a diagram of a normal human DNA strand; mine. On the right, we have your DNA. I've taken the initiative of assigning different colors to show you were your structure differs from mine. Now, if I can engineer something that resembles the ribosomes the virus feeds on, but features some neutralizing agents, we can effectively render the viral intruders sterile and unable to reproduce. You will still be part Pokemon, but at least you won't get any worse."

"How long will it take?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Well, that's more of the bad news, I'm afraid." Bill scratched the back of his head. "By myself, even I work day and night, I can't hypothesize having it done in less than a few weeks. Maybe a month to be sure."

"Bill, I don't have that much time! We've been pushing our luck since day one. I could be too far gone for it to matter tomorrow, let alone in a month. I'm holding on by a thread as it is, James even less so."

"I'll devote myself to it, Ash. You know I will. I'm just giving you a realistic timeframe." He bit his lip. "Although, if everything goes perfectly and I'm right on the first try…maybe two weeks. But that's going to be the best-case scenario. Don't expect it."

"Thanks. I really owe you for coming down here, trusting me even though I'm public enemy number one and teaming up with a former member of Team Rocket, for getting this hotel room that we can hide out at. You're a saint."

"It is my pleasure." Bill said. "I'm glad my life's research of Pokemon genetics is going to be a real practical help rather than just textbook material."

"While we're on the subject," Ash said. "Any idea why I can't seem to keep anything I eat down without throwing it right back up?"

"Actually yes." Bill nodded. "What did you eat this morning?"

"Err…some stuff James snuck out from the continental breakfast at the hotel lobby. Donuts, frozen waffles and some cereal."

"And when was the last time you fed those things to your Bulbasaur?"

"I…" Ash started, then shut his mouth, His face screwed up in disgust. "Are you trying to tell me that I need to eat Pokemon food?"

"Not yet. But you might fare better eating some more organic food. Vegetables, grains, and very few processed foods. If the virus has already spread to your digestive system, rich foods might be too much for you to handle. You might also want to chew some grass."

"You're fucking with me."

"I'm afraid not." Bill shook his head and shrugged. "It might help settle your stomach."

"Grass…" Ash mused for a while. He sat down on the ground and picked at some rug threads. "Say, Bill…" Ash said after a moment of silence. "Do you think it's possible to create a complete antidote that will return me to normal?"

"Well…it's possible." Bill said, choosing his words carefully. "We could design another virus from one of your undamaged DNA pieces that would have the alternate effect of your current one, feeding on your Pokemon parts and replacing it with specifically coded human bits. But even if I had a large team of devoted individuals and unlimited resources and funding, it would take years to accomplish."

"…And by yourself with no funding?" Ash asked wearily.

"At least two lifetimes." Bill shook his head. "Sorry Ash, but whoever designed this Pokemon hybrid virus must have spent their life doing so. I couldn't even hope to scratch the surface of this thing before I die."

"Oh." Ash said dejectedly. Another awkward silence settled in the air before Bill cleared his throat.

"This may not be the most appropriate time to bring this up, but I must know." He shifted excitedly. "What is it like to be part Pokemon, Ash? I've studied Pokemon for so long and I have always dreamed on what it is like to be one with the Pokemon world. What does it feel like?"

Ash was silent for a moment before speaking up. "Bill, do you remember the day we met at your lighthouse?"

"Of course I do! You helped me out of my Kabuto costume and then we got a glimpse of the rare Dragonite! It was truly a momentous day. Why?"

"Because I don't. I can remember that we went to see you. I remembered you and I remember your lighthouse." Ash stared glumly at the wall, zoning out. "But I don't recall the day at all. It's like it was torn away from me, leaving a gaping hole in my mind. Like my memories are a giant puzzle and someone's slowly removing the pieces one by one." Bill's smile disappeared and his brow knotted up in sorrow. "I once met a boy who loved to take pictures of Pokemon. We even adventured together for a while. Yet, I can't recall his name, or what he really looked like. Just blackness where a memory used to be." He turned slowly to stare at Bill. "I'm disappearing, Bill. Piece by piece. Soon, there won't be much more left that's genuinely me. These memories…I've lost them for good. I will never get them back. I could wake up tomorrow and not even know who you are or what you're doing here. Do you know how much that scares me? There's already a good chance that I don't have a future…but I'm going to be robbed of my past as well." Ash started to shake and he dropped his head into his hands. Several isolated tears streamed down his cheeks. "All my friends…all my Pokemon…all my journeys. I don't want to forget them Bill!"

"Ash…I'm sorry…I didn't realize…"

"I don't care if this disease takes my body…I just don't want to lose my mind." Ash wiped his face, getting rid of the teardrops. "But I am. More and more every day."

"Ash…I…" Bill started, but couldn't find any words to comfort the boy. Ash slowly reached behind himself and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a folded up piece of paper and held it out to Bill.

"I want you to hold onto this." He said. "Before I forget that I even wrote it."

"What is it?" Bill asked as he took the paper. He began to unfold it until Ash hissed.

"Don't read it. Please." He sighed. "Just…if something happens to me, if…if you're too late to save me, could you give that to Misty? You remember her, right?" Bill nodded numbly. "So you can do this for me?"

"Of course." Bill said.

"Thanks." Ash said. The two were silent for a while longer, an awkward tension filling the air until the door to the hotel room opened.

"Okay, I've got some things here…" James began as he walked into the room, then he stopped in his tracks. He looked down at Ash on the floor, then Bill who was leaning forward, still holding the note. "What the hell's going on in here?"

"Nothing." Ash said quickly. "Nothing's going on. Bill's just explaining some things to me."

James shrugged and closed the door. He set the paper bag down on the floor. "If you insist. I don't really want to know anyway." He reached into the bag and threw a handful of black clothes at Ash. The boy caught the wad of clothing before unraveling each separate garment.

"Huh?" Ash asked holding out what looked like a sweatshirt.

"If we're really going to do this espionage thing, we need to take it seriously. No more breaking in wearing trainer clothes with no gear other than our wallets." He pulled out some smaller bags. "We got damn lucky back in Garnet City and I don't want to press our luck any further."

"So you bought black clothes? I'm so glad you're making good use of my money. Is this going to make us super spies now?"

"No, but it's going to make us harder to see at night, and that will make all the difference for our next objective." James reached into a small bag and tossed a small sphere at Ash. He grabbed it from the air and opened his hand. The object was wrapped in colorful red and green paper and smelled sweet.

"A Rare Candy?" Ash asked.

"If we're going to suffer the problems of being part Pokemon, we might as well reap the benefits too." James grinned wildly. "Eat up."

Ash glanced down at the candy, shrugged, and unwrapped it. He popped the red candy in his mouth and chomped down. A surge of energy rushed through his body and Ash could feel all his aches and pains temporarily going away. The feeling of power circulating inside of him caused his mind to go slack with a comforting numbness. "Oh, wow." Was all he said.

"Yeah, I felt the same way too when I ate one." James said and he turned to Bill. "Okay, I managed to pick up some of the science junk you wanted, Pointdexter. I hope you can make use of it."

"Well, I should think so." Bill sighed and turned back to his laptop.

"We've given you several days now. Have you made any progress, or are you just taking up space?"

"Don't trivialize my abilities." Bill scoffed. "I'll have you know that, even though the formula you found is utter rubbish, I have come up with a solid hypothesis on how to create a virus neutralizer. No need to thank me or anything."

"Keep fishing for compliments. You will get my respect when you can show me some actual work." He picked up one of the paper bags and dropped it on the bed next to Bill. Bill sighed and began to rummage through the equipment. James then turned back to Ash. He grabbed the boy by the head and shook his vigorously. It seemed to knock Ash out of his trance.

"Hey! What the fuck?" Ash growled. "I was enjoying the feeling."

"Don't get too complacent, kid." James said. He reached into the main bag and picked out a folded up brochure. Ash could make out that it was a map of the town. "We've got a lot ahead of us if we want to prepare for tonight."

"Fine, fine." Ash said, getting to his feet. "Are you going to tell me where this secret base is now?"

"Yeah." James unfolded the map and then refolded it so a section of the city by the shore was showing. James held it out to Ash, who took it. James pointed to a place on the water's edge. "There. At an abandoned loading dock."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Why an abandoned loading dock?" Ash asked. His back was pressed firmly against the leaves of the bush he and James were hiding behind. James didn't reply at first; he was busy peeking out through the shrubbery with a pair of binoculars. Ash shifted uncomfortably in his black turtleneck. It was a muggy night and he was sweating like crazy in the outfit James had bought. He didn't understand how James could sit so perfectly still.

"It's a great place for storage." James finally spoke up. "It's not a big laboratory like in Garnet City, but the Port Sapphire base is where most of the equipment and supplies for the other bases scattered across the Violet Islands. Crashing this party will set them back quite a bit."

"Jeez. Even in a rundown shack like this." Ash peered through the bushes as well. There was a large, ramshackle warehouse a good distance away next to a long pier with several large metal containers next to it. Several motorboats were tied up at the docks. A few people seemed to be working there, loading and unloading crates from the metal containers. "Just how many secret bases does Team Rocket have, anyway?"

"Kid, if I told you half of them, you'd shit your pants."

"How is it the police never check these things?"

"Oh, they do, on occasion. That's why it helps to have some dirty cops on the inside."

"You mean some of the policemen are also Rockets?" Ash asked incredulously.

"What? You didn't think there were any?" James asked. "How else do you think Team Rocket gets away with stuff all the time?"

"That just blows my mind."

"The seedy underground is a lot bigger than you think." James never took his eyes away from the binoculars. "Now where is your damn bird?"

"He'll be along soon." Ash said. He glanced around nervously. "I'm feeling a little exposed here, man. We're hiding behind a freaking bush a couple hundred yards away from the base."

"No one knows we're here." James said. "No one saw us sneak up and no one saw us set up behind the bush. Now stop making me so goddamn nervous."

Ash was about to retort when a Spearow swooped down from the air and landed next to him. "Spear spear!" It squawked.

Ash put a finger on his lips to get the bird pokemon to hush. "Good, good." He whispered. "Now how many guards did you see?"

"Spearow! Spear, spear, spear, spear." It nodded it's head with each sound.

"Four?" Ash verified.

"Spearow!" It responded with a nod.

"How many in the trees?" James asked.

"Spear spear!" It nodded it's head in two separate directions.

"Two." James grunted. "Looks like we have some snipers."

"Snipers?" Ash asked worriedly. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Get rid of the bird." James said, going back to looking through the binoculars. Ash gulped and fumbled for a Pokeball at his belt.

"Good job, Spearow." He said and the bird turned into a beam of red light, returning to it's ball. Ash reattached it to his belt and moved as close as he could to the bush. "Now when you say snipers, do you mean…"

"Guns, yeah." James said unemotionally. "Probably tranquilizers. Probably."

"That makes me feel better." Ash responded. He was sweating some more and this time it wasn't because of the heat. "I know we've faced guns before, but it was never at this great of a distance from this far away. And from such an unknown location."

"Well, thankfully for you, you have a former member of Team Rocket with you. I assume your Spearow was pointing out the general direction of our targets. In that case, it's just going to be a matter of bait and switch."

"Bait and…?" Ash asked, and then it dawned on him. "You want me to be a distraction?"

"Have a problem with that?"

"Besides that I don't like being shot?"

"Don't worry. You weren't my idea for a distraction anyway." James said. He reached to his belt and pulled a Pokeball out. He held it out in front of him. "Go Weezing." The two-headed purple Pokemon appeared in front of them.

"Weezing!" It coughed.

"All right, Weezing. I want you to go into the open and use smoke screen. Understand?"

"Weeze." It responded despondently.

"You're going to sacrifice your own Pokemon?" Ash hissed angrily.

"They won't shoot it, not if it's on its own. It will just draw their attention." He watched his Weezing travel out into the open. "Now, if you want to just wait here, that's fine. I'm going to go take care of our problem." With that, James ducked down and slunk off toward the nearest set of trees. Ash pressed his back against the bush and kept silent. At first, he heard a "Weezing" from James' Pokemon, followed a few minutes later by a low grunt and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. A few moments after, there was an almost silent "snikt" noise followed by a second loud thump. Ash ventured a look over the top of the shrubbery. The Weezing was still in the center of the tree clusters, the smog around him dissipating. Two bodies were lying on the ground a few yards away in two opposite directions. Ash couldn't make too much out, but one of them was missing a large chunk of their abdomen.

"Are you just going to keep staring?" A voice from behind Ash said. The boy jumped and flipped around. James had returned, and he had blood splattered across his face and shirt. His claws were still dripping wet. One hand held a bloody sniper rifle.

"Dammit!" Ash growled. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Don't dilly-dally." James said plainly. He dropped the gun into the bush. "We have to get moving." He walked out to his Weezing and recalled it. Ash got to his feet and hurried afterward.

"What about the bodies?" Ash asked as he got nearer to James.

"What about them?" James asked. "The people at the dock can't see them and by the time anyone else finds them, we should be long gone."

"That seems reckless to me." Ash griped, but didn't press the matter. He merely followed James as his partner snuck off toward the boat house. They stayed to the shadows, trying to sneak up on the unsuspecting Rockets working at the dock. As they neared the rundown building, James stopped Ash and pulled him down to the ground.

"Stop here." He hissed. "I'm going to see if there is a way to get in from the roof, like a skylight or something."

"You don't want me to come along?" Ash asked.

"Just wait here and stay out of trouble." James said. He crawled across the grass until he reached the boat house. He extended his claws again and began to climb up the side of the building. Ash glared at him from a distance.

"Stay out of trouble, my ass." He grumbled. "Does he think I'm still a stupid kid?" He watched James's silhouette until it disappeared from view onto the roof. He looked up at the dock and watched a Rocket in a black outfit with a red "R" on the chest patrolling the wooden pier dutifully.

Goddamn Rockets. Ash's mind started to churn uncontrollably, torturous memories surfacing and stagnating. Just looking at them makes my blood boil. Every fucking one of them deserves to die. His fists started to shake, but he didn't seem to notice. All he could concentrate on was his raising ire. It felt so good to kill those Rockets back in Garnet City. God, I want to feel that good again. I want to feel that righteous justification again.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ash was standing up and beginning to walk toward the pier. His fists were balled so tightly, he was beginning to loose feeling. Rage was flowing so freely through his mind, all he could see was red and all he could concentrate on was revenge.

The Rocket had just turned his back when Ash came up behind him and wrapped his arm around the man's neck. He dropped his flashlight and tried to yell out in surprise. However, Ash was holding him so tightly; no sounds left his mouth other than a pained gurgled. Ash pressed the palm of his left hand against the back of the man and unleashed a rain of razor leaves into him. Several shots of blood spurted out from the fresh wounds and the Rocket thrashed violently until the leaves tore his insides up enough for him to slip into death.

Ash smiled as he felt the man go limp as his life left him. It felt like a great injustice in him was satisfied and a gentle peace settled in his mind. This lifted the fog of anger, and Ash saw exactly what he had done. His eyes widened and he immediately dropped the body from his grip. The dead body fell to the side, tumbling off the dock and landing in the water with a loud splash. Two other sets of flashlights turned on him.

"Hey kid! What are you doing here?" One of the Rockets at the large metal container shouted. His light beam shifted to the body in the water and he gasped. "What the hell? He killed Barry! Get him!"

Ash was still looking straight ahead like a Stantler staring at a pair of headlights. His mind was reeling, not able to keep up with what had happened. He remembered getting up and killing the Rocket, but as if he had watched himself from a third-person perspective. He held up his hands to block the bright lights, his brain still not back in the real world yet. The light reflected off the translucent blood that covered his left hand.

Then a shot rang out in the air and Ash felt a sharp sting of pain as a bullet grazed his arm. A burning sensation surged through his body and it brought him back into reality. He immediately dove down to the ground into a somersault as some more shots rang out, bullets whizzing by where his body used to be.

Ash ended his roll into a crouching position, looking back at the dock. There were four Rockets, two with flashlights and all four with handguns. The entire group was running toward him, aiming their guns at him. With a rush of energy, two vines pierced through Ash's skin and burst free from his back. They extended forward rapidly, causing the Rockets to come to screeching halt in surprise and fear. One vine wrapped around a man's hand and twisted. With a loud crack, his wrist broke and the gun fell harmlessly to the wooden floorboards. The other vine wrapped around the ankle of a Rocket wielding a flashlight. A sudden sharp yank sent the man hurtling over the dock edge, hitting the water hard. The other two broke free from their spell of shock and began to fire at Ash again. Another shot barley missed him, leaving a long burn mark along his leg and cutting his pants.

Gripped by fear, Ash recalled his vines, got to his feet, and ran to the side of the ramshackle building. The two men followed suit, reloading their weapons as they gave chase. Once his back was against the boat house, Ash raised his hands up and let loose a stream of razor leaves. The Rockets yelled and immediately raised their arms to protect their face. They whizzed by the men, cutting them and drawing blood, but failing to kill them or even stop them. Angrily, the Rockets lifted their guns to fire at Ash again.

From above, a shadowy figure descended on the two men, claws at the ready. Before he got the chance to react, the man with the flashlight felt the crushing weight of James as he landed on top of him, dragging him to the ground. The other Rocket swung his gun around and pointed it in James' face, but the purple haired man swung his claws around and cut the barrel of the gun off, leaving the gun inoperable. The man dropped the weapon in shock and surprise, but before he cold turn and run, James shoved his claws into the man's neck, severing his carotid artery. A spray of blood gushed out from the man's neck and mouth before he crumpled to the ground. The man beneath James groaned in pain and James quickly drove the claws on his other hand into the back of the man's head, splitting it like a ripe cantaloupe.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief as his shoulders went slack. That was a close call, he thought. James stood up, dusted his pants off and walked over to Ash. Ash was about to thank him, when he noticed the anger in the other man's eyes. James reached out and grabbed Ash's throat, slamming his body against the wooden wall. Ash coughed and choked in surprise, unprepared for James' strike. His claws were dangerously close to the back of Ash's neck and Ash could smell fresh blood on them.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" James growled. "I told you to stay the fuck put!"

"You're…choking me…" Ash tried to intervene, prying at James' fingers, but the older man wasn't paying the pleas any attention.

"Good! Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right here." His scowl was getting even deeper. "You blew our cover and gave away the element of surprise! I should kill you just for that! When I agreed to work with you, it was because I thought you could handle yourself. Now that I see you can't, you're nothing but a hindrance to me." His grip tightened. "You're dead weight, Ketchum."

"It was…a momentary…relapse…" Ash managed to squeak out, his face turning white. "Won't happen…again…"

"It better not." James let the boy go, and Ash slumped to the ground, coughing loudly and rubbing his neck. James wiped the blood and brain particles off his claws with his pants. "No more being an idiot, are we clear?"

"Crystal." Ash managed to say, still coughing. He stumbled to his feet, trying to get his balance.

"Well, fuck making any secret entrances." James said. "Who knows who heard the gunshots. Guess we'll have to get in and get out as quick as possible." He walked over to the large double doors to the boat house. Grabbing both handles, he pulled the doors open, revealing the large open warehouse in front of them. Empty crates, metal barrels and fishing equipment was scattered throughout the room. There was a staircase in the back leading to a catwalk and office room twelve feet above the ground. The room was still dark in the far corners, with no lights on at all. It appeared to be empty.

"I kinda expected more people." Ash said, walking up next to James.

"Something doesn't smell right." James said cautiously. "Like this is some kind of…"

"Some kind of trap?" A voice asked from the back corner of the room. "Is that what you were going to say James?"

"Klaus?" James asked, striking a fighting stance. Ash quickly followed suit.

"I see your mind isn't that far gone, Trainer James." The man said. "At least you can remember my name."

"Klaus?" Ash asked.

"He's a Rocket Captain. He used to run with a biker gang I was part of when I was younger." He looked around the room, trying to spot the man. "He joined Team Rocket before I did and rose in rank quickly due to his especially cruel mannerisms."

"You flatter me, James." The voice continued. "And here I am without any words of praise for you."

"You could always come out and show yourself." James said into the dark. "I miss your ugly face."

"Oh James…I'm sorry, but I've changed." Klaus stepped out from the darkness in the back of the room. He was a tall man with blonde hair and piercing eyes. He was wearing a black Team Rocket outfit with a cap and a suit with a red "R". His skin, however, was a deep forest green and he had large bug-style wings sprouting from his upper back. His arms ended not in hands, but long, sharp, scythe-like blades. He gave the duo a maniacal grin that shone in the light from the moon, pouring in through the doorway. Ash and James both took a step back in shock.

"Hello James." Klaus pointed one of his scythes at them, his eyes narrowing and focusing on them like a predator staring down his prey. "It's been a while."

To Be Continued…


Question: Does ending the chapter on a cliffhanger like this make me a bastard? Answer: Yes.

I'll try and not make you wait too long for the next installment so you're not on the edge of your seats for too long. Please review and tell me what you thought. I love hearing back from the readers so don't be shy about giving me your feedback.

Thanks all and I'll see you again soon with the next chapter!

- T.E.