"Progress report?" a Team Rocket admin asked through their communicator.

"We are two miles outside of Moonlight Village," a woman's voice said in return. "The young trainers have just earned their second badge. I would imagine they will stay overnight in the hotel before setting out for their next destination."

"You are clear on your instructions?"

"Crystal. We will trap them with the new technology provided by Samuel, and use an indirect method to procure Pikachu. We will only battle if we must, and will use the Pokemon provided to us by Samuel."

"Good, be sure not to screw this one up, Jesse. You three are on your last leg."

Jesse switched her communicator off. James and Meowth stood behind her with worried looks in their eyes. All they could think about was the new Team Rocket leader, Samuel, and his threat to permanently remove them from the Team Rocket ranks if they screwed even one more mission up.

"We need to hurry," Jesse told the other two. "We'll set the trap up tonight about two miles down the road from Moonlight Village. That should be enough of a gap between us and the town so no one can hear cries for help."

"I almost wish we could use these new Pokemon," James said as he held a pokeball. "They look so cool!"

"Enough. We'll get to use them soon enough, but for now, we need to follow our instructions. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get kicked out of the organization."

James nodded in agreement, then quickly began to follow behind Jesse. Meowth walked in between the two, thinking deeply about his own position within the team. He knew that if he got kicked out of Team Rocket, he'd be lost. People didn't have much use for a talking Meowth that didn't possess much battling ability.

"Once we have Pikachu, we'll radio Samuel directly," James said as they walked down the path. "Samuel claims he can be to our position within just a few minutes, then he'll take over the mission from there."

"This Samuel makes me angry," Jesse said through gritted teeth. "Giovanni is arrested, and he just steps in and takes over like he deserved it. No one even knows who he is or where he's from!"

"But he can beat any of us in a Pokemon battle without even breaking a sweat. Besides, he seems much smarter than Giovanni when it comes to planning. Team Rocket's success has almost doubled since he took over. Even we've had a few successful ops lately."

"And he doesn't have that stupid Persian with him all the time," Meowth chimed in with a hint of jealousy.

The team reached their destination and began to set up their trap. A large crate was already sitting next to a tree, dropped off by Team Rocket agents. As the sun went down, they turned small lights on, and cracked the crate open. Multiple metal bars laid inside it, along with all the necessary supplies to assemble a large cage. The three quickly began working on the construction as they discussed the entire plan with each other to ensure they wouldn't miss a single step.

"You look distracted," Misty said as she walked up to Ash. Ash sat on a bench overlooking a small lake on the west end of the lake. The sun was slowly setting as he turned just in time to see Misty sit down next to her.

"Nah, just thinking about that last battle," Ash said.

"Victoria really showed something today."

"Yeah she did. What did you think of the battle as a whole?"

Misty turned her head to face the water. "I think we need to keep working on how we approach each battle. If we can get to a point where each of us can knock out one Pokemon, then you won't have to worry as much about defeating multiple Pokemon. You may have to face two at the most then."

"Yeah, but the issue is the different strategies the gym leaders use. Clover used an unusual strategy with her willingness to sacrifice her own Pokemon to take out her opponent's. Everyone's shown promise fortunately."

"Then why don't you sound to sure?"

Misty studied Ash's face. He had a worried look, and his voice sound unsure. It was a familiar look to Misty. She traveled with Ash long enough in the past to know how to read him, and the years since then had not changed how he acted.

Ash turned towards Misty. "You always knew how to read me."

Misty smiled, hoping she wasn't blushing. "And if I had to guess, you're worried about overworking your own Pokemon."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, I figured I would have to bare a lot of the load in this league, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."

"We all need to be considerate of that. I think we've all though at one point or another that if we don't do so well, you'd be there to back us up. That kind of complacency could cost us."

Ash nodded, then realized Misty was feeling bad. "But I do trust all of you! I fully believe you're the best choices I could have made as my teammates!"

"No, it's ok," Misty said with a small smile. "I think as long as we cooperate as a team, we'll make it all the way. You've been working for too hard and for too long not to make it through."

Ash smiled and put his hand on top of Misty's. She flinched in surprise, then made every attempt not to blush. They continued to look into each others' eyes until Pikachu suddenly jumped onto the bench. Ash jumped a little, then quickly pulled his hand away.

"You ready to get some rest Pikachu?" Ash asked as he pet his Pokemon. Pikachu responded ecclesiastically, then started to run toward the hotel. The sun had fully set, and only a few street lights and the moon provided light to the dim town. Ash faced Misty and let another smile loose. "Let's get some rest Misty. We should leave as early as the sun allows tomorrow."

Misty nodded and stood up from the bench. Ash did the same, and they walked together back to the hotel. Upon entering, Misty went into a room around the corner from the lobby, and Ash proceeded to the far end of the hotel where his room was. Gary was already sleeping, the tv playing the evening news. Ash and Pikachu relaxed on the bed as the news anchor began to give a new report.

"The notorious mob gang known as Team Rocket is still moving throughout the Legacy Region," the reporter began. Ash's attention immediately drew to the report. "The current report states that two different groups have been spotted in different areas. One of the groups is said to be led by the leader of the gang, a man known as Samuel. His last name and background is unknown at this time. The only clue to the man's existence is due to a Pokemon battle between him and the well-known trainer, Ash Ketchum. Many believe Team Rocket's presence is solely due to Ash's travels as he competes in the Legacy League. The second group that has been spotted is known for chasing Ash around the world in attempts to steal his Pikachu. The group consists of just two member, a male and female, traveling with a Meowth that reportedly knows how to speak like a human. Authorities request immediate notification should any suspicious characters be spotted. Investigations are ongoing and we will continue to update as more information is made available."

Ash flipped the tv off with the remote. Pikachu was fast asleep on the pillow next to him, and Ash laid himself down. Memories of his last encounter with Jesse and James flowed through his mind. The young trainer who lost three of his Pokemon to them gave up training shortly after the incident. Ash could feel the anger building up inside of him, but shook himself loose so he could get to sleep.

"Wake up already!" Gary shouted as he pounded on the girls' door.

Ash, Misty, and Iris all sat in the breakfast room, finishing off their breakfast. Victoria had yet to wake up, and the group was enjoying the entertainment of watching Gary yell through the door. They quickly learned through their short journey that Gary was an incredibly grumpy morning person.

"Maybe I should go wake her up," Misty said.

"Good idea," Ash laughed.

Misty walked to the door, and grabbed Gary. She turned him around and nudged him toward the breakfast room. He swatted at her hands grumpily before submitting and entering the breakfast room. He grabbed an orange and dumped some cereal in a bowl before slumping into his chair.

"Good morning," Iris said with a chuckle. Ash had to stop himself from letting out a laugh as Gary snarled at Iris before stuffing his spoon into this mouth.

"She's on her way out," Misty said upon return. "She's packing her bag up now."

"Good," Gary said through a stuffed mouth.

Misty shook her head as she sat down next to Ash. They looked at each other with a shy smile before returning to their food. Gary noticed, and let loose his first smile of the morning.

"What was that?" Gary asked the two.

"What was what?" Ash asked with no genuine clue.

Gary nudged him a little. "You know what I'm talking about."

Gary let a chuckle loose before returning to the breakfast bar for more food. Ash simply shrugged his shoulders, then returned to his own food. Shortly after, Victoria finally reached the breakfast room, unusually chipper.

"Good morning friends!" she exclaimed happily.

"Says the girl who slept a whole hour and a half longer than everyone else," Gary snapped grumpily.

"Hey! I was up later than normal. I had so much left over adrenalin from the battle!"

"It's alright, Victoria," Ash laughed. "We should get moving soon though. The next gym is only a few days walk from here, so the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."

"What's the name of the city?" Iris asked.

"It's not a city," Misty answered as she read the guidebook. "It's just a gym and Pokemon Center on the peak of a mountain. It's called Spike Mountain. According to the facts section, it's a mountain that stands alone, surrounded by large fields of wildflowers."

"Spike Mountain huh," Ash said. "Sounds like it'll be an interesting place to see."

"Yeah, but it's going to be an interesting challenge as well." Misty showed Ash a small section underneath the map. "According to this, we have to climb the mountain on the south end, and must use our Pokemon to help us climb."

"Is there something special about the south end of the mountain?" Victoria asked as she chewed her toast.

"It doesn't say anything in the guidebook."

"I'll bet they did that on purpose," Ash said. "They want to see how we are with thinking of a quick solution during challenging times."

"Probably so," Gary agreed. "Maybe we should get off our rears and start walking."

Ash shook his head in amusement to Gary's grumpiness. Everyone quickly finished their breakfast, hoping they could make good time with quick walking. Ash was the first to get up, and he approached the front desk attendant.

"Morning, sir," Ash greeted. The attendant smiled and nodded to him. "We're here to check out."

"No problem Mr. Ketchum," the attendant replied. "I can take your keys. The bill, of course, is covered by the Legacy League office, so you're good to go."

"Thank you, but I have one other question. Could you give me the location to the nearest town around Spike Mountain?"

The attendant thought for a few seconds before a light bulb lit up. He pulled a large map out of the counter drawer. "I'd say the nearest town would be Metaldon City. It's about ten miles west of Spike Mountain. There's a nice hotel there for you guys to stay in."

"Thank you very much!" Ash shook the attendants hand, then joined his friends as they started to leave the hotel.

"I'm starving!" James complained as the Team Rocket trio waited for their prey.

"Quiet!" Jesse snapped. "I can see the twerps now."

Ash and his friends walked down the dirt path, discussing random topics for fun. No one paid much attention to what was ahead of them. Team Rocket watched as the group neared their trap. After a few more seconds, the group stepped directly on top of the Team Rocket trap.

"Now!" Jesse shouted.

James pushed a button on a small device. Suddenly the cage they built the evening before dropped from above, trapping everyone inside it. Jess and James jumped out from behind the bushes they were in, laughing as the group tried to figure out what had happened.

"Team Rocket!" Iris shouted.

"The one and only!" Jesse exclaimed. "Now that we have you trapped, Pikachu will be ours for the taking!"

"You wish!" Ash snapped. He grabbed a pokeball, and released his Tauros. "Tauros, use headbutt!"

Tauros charged at the cage bars, ramming into them with extreme force. To everyone's surprise, the cage barely even shook from the impact. Jesse and James both laughed mockingly as Tauros struggled to regain its balance.

"What kind of cage is this?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that," James responded. He pulled his communicator out of his pocket and turned it on. "This is Rocket J, reporting a successful capture of the targets."

A woman responded through the communicator. "Very well then. Rocket L will arrive any time now."

Ash violently shook the bars of the cage, but it was too solid for any real damage to occur. Suddenly a small helicopter flew over the tree line, and landing not far from the cage. Ash's anger rose to new levels as the new Team Rocket leader, Samuel stepped out of it.

"It's great to see you again, Ash," Samuel greeted as if they were friends.

"You will let us out of this cage now!" Ash yelled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Samuel pulled a green and black pokeball from his pocket. "You see, I need to text out my new pokeball here. It's designed to bypass the restrictions that prevent someone from capturing an already captured Pokemon. It's still in the testing phases, so I needed a good test subject. What better subject than your Pikachu?"

Misty, Iris, and Gary all stepped in front of Ash and Pikachu. Misty glared at Samuel as she spoke up. "If you want Pikachu, you'll have to go through us first."

"Yeah!" Victoria chimed in as she stepped up as well.

"Not to worry," Samuel said. "You will all get tired eventually, and that's when I'll have the opportunity. I am a very patient man."

Jesse and James watched with amusement. Giovanni had never displayed that type of patience, nor had he brought Team Rocket to the kind of fame they had under Samuel's rule.

"This cage here is made from a reinforced steel engineered by the brightest Team Rocket scientists, and can withstand even the most powerful of attacks by your Pokemon," Samuel explained. "There's no escaping."

"I'll find a way!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'm afraid not." Samuel tossed the pokeball up and down in amusement. "Your all-powerful Pikachu will be mine."

Ash held Pikachu in his arms, ready to protect it from the pokeball. His friends formed a circle around him, refusing to give Samuel a clear shot to Pikachu. Samuel showed no concern, however, as he simply took sips from a bottle of water.

"I can wait all day," Samuel said as he swished the water around the bottle.

"That's not entirely true," a voice suddenly said from behind the Team Rocket helicopter. Samuel turned and saw Brock emerge, and the rest of his own group not far behind. "So you're that new Team Rocket leader, Samuel. I can't say I'm impressed."

"Ah, some do-gooders trying to save the lowly citizens," Samuel mocked. "I'm not in the mood to deal with it, so I'll leave you to my subordinates."

Jesse and James stepped up and held up their pokeballs. Jesse was the first to act by releasing a Garbodor. James followed behind with a Houndoom. Brock smirked, then released his Steelix from its pokeball.

"Garbodor, use sludge bomb!" Jesse ordered.

"And you use flamethrower, Houndoom!" James said.

"Use rock slide," Brock told his Steelix.

Steelix reacted immediately, and before the Team Rocket Pokemon even released their attacks, Steelix was hurdling rocks at them. The rocks bombarded them severely, and it only took seconds for both Pokemon to fall unconscious.

"What, you have to be kidding," Samuel said with frustration. "Very well, Brock. I will take care of you myself."

"You sure you want to do that?" Brock asked. "I won't let you get away if I beat you."

"As I would expect. However, I do not lose as easily as these pitiful Team Rocket grunts here."

"Be careful Brock!" Misty called. "He's better than you'd think."

Brock nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Misty. I'm a lot better these days too."

"Then with that said, I will send out my Ferrothorn!" Samuel said.

"And I'll return my Steelix, and bring forth Golem!"

Brock's Golem stomped on the ground, ready to attack. Samuel thought for a second to figure out why Brock sent a Pokemon with grass weakness out, but figured there had to be a reason.

"Ferrothorn, use stealth rock," Samuel ordered. Ferrothorn responded by possessing a group of rocks, but all they did was float around the two battling Pokemon.

"So you want to send an assault on every Pokemon I send into the battle?" Brock said. "Golem use rollout!"

Golem ran for a few feet, then jumped into a rolling attack. The attack hit Ferrothorn, but barely seemed to do anything. Samuel shook his head, and ordered an energy ball attack. Ferrothorn waited for Golem to wrap around for a second attack, and just as the rollout was about to hit, Ferrothorn blasted Golem with a massive energy blast. Golem stopped rolling, and stumbled back as it struggled to regain its baring.

"Golem, use earthquake!" Brock ordered.

Golem shook itself off, then slammed its feet into the ground. The ground violently broke apart, sending rocks and debris at Ferrothorn. The attack damaged Ferrothorn far more than the rollout, but Ferrothorn still stood strong.

"Quite impressive," Samuel praised. "I see why you're on one of the two teams competing to become Pokemon Masters."

"That's not even the best of what I have," Brock snapped.

Ash watched the battle ensue, observing Brock's actions. His battle strategy was far different than what it once was. In the past, Brock always battled to win, but still showed a hint of mercy out of compassion for the opposing Pokemon. Now, Brock only battled to knock the opposing Pokemon out as quickly and severely as possible.

"Finish with a bulldoze," Brock ordered.

Samuel could do nothing as Ferrothorn was too dazed from Brock's onslaught to react. Golem barreled toward Ferrothorn, sending pebbles and sticks straight into Ferrothorn, and ending with Golem slamming into Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn flew back, and hit the ground, unable to move.

"So that's your style, huh," Samuel said as he returned his Ferrothorn. "However, Ferrothorn served its purpose for this battle, and now Tyranitar will serve its own!"

Ash's eyes widened as his memory reverted back to his own battle against Samuel. He opened with Ferrothorn in their battle, then went with Tyranitar, just like now. If Samuel's strategy would stay the same, he would send out his Excadrill next.

"Brock!" Ash stepped up and called.

"I'm not interested in talking to you Ash," Brock called coldly. "I'm only here to stop this man. Pikachu doesn't deserve to be tortured by a pitiful person like Samuel."

"Just listen!" Ash grabbed the cage bars. "Samuel is a strategist! He gets stronger as the battle continues, so be careful!"

Brock didn't respond, but took heed to Ash's warning. Regardless of their personal issues with each other, Ash was still a smart trainer.

"Ash, are you guys ok?" Trip asked as the rest of Brock's team tried to figure out how to break the cage.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ash said. "But this cage is seemingly indestructible. Not even our Pokemon could break it."

"I'm gonna go back to town and call the police," Paul said. "You guys guard Ash and his friends until then. Brock can handle Samuel."

"You should listen to your friend," Samuel told Brock. "As I told him when we battled, I see a Pokemon battle much like a game of chess. You will never win by going head-first with one piece at a time. You have to use the weaker pieces to dwindle down your opponent's forces, and pave the way for your stronger pieces to take down the king."

Tyranitar roared loudly as a massive windstorm swept around the area. Golem didn't show much concern, due to its own ability to withstand sandstorms. Brock pulled a pair of goggles out of his pocket, and slipped them on to help with his vision.

"I'm a rock type trainer," Brock said. "I'm not concerned over your little sandstorm trick."

"Oh, but the sandstorm has nothing to do with Tyranitar," Samuel replied. "You will see the point to it soon enough. Now, Tyranitar, use ice beam!"

Brock flinched at the command. He was waiting for Samuel to take advantage of Tyranitar's massive physical power. He had never faced a rock type Pokemon that used special attacks. The ice beam flew from Tyranitar's mouth, connecting with Golem. Golem had no chance of withstanding the attack, and fell quickly.

"His battle strategy is different than anything I've ever seen," Ash told the group.

"What do you think?" Iris asked.

"Look at him closely," Gary said. "He looks like he's at least in his fifties. He's probably had more years to train than all of have been alive. It's only natural he'd be this good assuming he's been training Pokemon since he was a child like us."

"Return Golem," Brock said. "Thank you friend. "Samuel, you say battling is like a game of chess. If that's so, then you don't understand what Pokemon battles are about! We battle to challenge each other and our Pokemon. We don't sacrifice our Pokemon to make our other Pokemon stronger! Go Forretress!"

The steel-shelled bug Pokemon emerged onto the battlefield. Samuel watched as the Pokemon hovered over the ground, preparing for the battle. Its shell was perfectly shaped, and the sandstorm left no effect on it.

"So you have your own way of battle, and it differs from mine," Samuel said. "Far be it from me to judge how you battle, let alone you judge me."

"I am a proven gym leader!" Brock snapped. "It's my job to observe my opponents and point out their weaknesses so they can work on them."

"I'm well aware of the duties and responsibilities of a gym leader. You see, my full name is Samuel Somoto. Before the Legacy League's current champion took over, I was the champion of this very league."

Ash gasped as Samuel explained his past. Samuel proceeded to explain that he swept through the Legacy League within just six months, and help his position as the champion for almost thirty years before being dethroned.

"After I lost to that trainer, I chose to travel, hoping to grow even stronger," Samuel explained. "It wasn't long before I met Giovanni, who offered me a position within the Team Rocket elite. I couldn't say no to such a chance. I quickly grew in the ranks, and eventually became the second-in-command under Giovanni. I didn't stop there, though. The reason Giovanni got arrested and put in jail is because I tipped the authorities off on his location in exchange for a pardon on my own crimes."

"Obviously you decided not to turn over a new leaf after that," Brock said.

"All part of my genius plan. Just like in a Pokemon battle, I climbed my way to the top by using my weaker pieces to strengthen myself. I used a lot of pawns to reach my goal, but I reached it nonetheless."

"I can't believe he betrayed Giovanni," James said as the three Rocket agents watched and listened.

"It's outrageous!" Jesse snapped. "I refuse to be a member of Team Rocket as long as he is in charge!"

Samuel heard what Jesse said, but simply smiled with no reply. His attention quickly reverted back to the battle.

"Tyranitar, use fire blast!" Samuel ordered.

Brock's confusion rose even more as Tyranitar released its second special attack. He reacted quickly, though. "Forretress, use rapid spin!"

Forretress closed its shell completely, and began to spin quickly. It easily dodge the fire blast attack, and also knocked the floating rocks from the stealth rock attack. The rocks fell to the ground, and didn't come back up.

"Great job Forretress!" Brock called. "Now use gyro ball!"

Forretress opened its shell, and a small, silver energy ball flew from within it. The attack slammed into Tyranitar, and knocked it back a few feet. Tyranitar showed little damage from the attack, but it did appear more angry.

"Now use thunder," Samuel said.

Brock rolled his eyes in frustration as the special attacks continued to surprise him. Powerful bolts of electricity flew from Tyranitar's body, and covered Forretress. Forretress fell to the ground as the electricity continued to surge through its body. Once the attack was finished, Forretress was no longer moving.

"Return Forretress," Brock said. "Thank you. Your turn, Swampert!"

The Swampert appeared, and it was instantly ready for battle. Samuel observed Brock's Pokemon, taken slightly by surprise at the lack of rock typing Swampert had. It became obvious that Brock changed his party a little to accommodate the many different strategies of the Legacy League.

"You have a few surprises of your own in store," Samuel said.

"More than a few," Brock responded. "Swampert, use waterfall!"

Swampert charged at Tyranitar, and released a stream of water from its mouth. The water quickly flowed toward Tyranitar, and drenched it from head to toe with great forced. Tyranitar barely held on as the water attack ended.

"Tyranitar, use crunch," Samuel ordered.

"Use superpower," Brock called.

Tyranitar bit down on Swampert, causing Swampert to cry out in pain. It worked through the pain, and landed the superpower attack on Tyranitar's body. Tyranitar released its jaw from Swampert's body, and clinched in pain. Brock quickly called for another waterfall attack, and with the force of water, Tyranitar gave in, and fell to the ground.

"You don't like to play nice," Samuel mocked. "You would make an excellent Team Rocket admin."

"Don't ever compare me to your lowly henchmen!" Brock snapped. "I live for Pokemon, and Team Rocket is a threat to all Pokemon! I especially feel sorry for your own Pokemon. They do what you tell them to out of love for their trainer, but I have no doubt they are hurting inside over what you've become!"

"My Pokemons' well-being is not what you should concern yourself with. You should focus more on the power they have! Come out, Excadrill!"

"He's doing everything exactly like he did when I battled him," Ash said. "That Excadrill becomes more agile in sandstorms thanks to its ability."

Samuel eyed Brock, whose own anger was continuing to rise. "Excadrill, use swords dance."

Excadrill stood still, and a slight glow emanated around it. After a few seconds, the glow disappeared. Brock knew that swords dance raises the attack of the Pokemon that used it, so he had to be extra careful.

"Swampert, use waterfall!" Brock ordered.

"Excadrill, use brick break," Samuel ordered.

Swampert sent its waterfall attack directly at Excadrill. Excadrill easily dodged the attack from its greater speed, then moved close to Swampert and ran both fists into its body. Swampert stumbled back, then regained its balance.

"Perfect, now use earthquake," Samuel continued.

Excadrill drove its drills into the ground, and they began to spin. Swampert struggled to stay standing as the ground shook violently, throwing rocks into it from all directions. Once the attack ended, Samuel immediately ordered for another brick break. Brock called for Swampert to dodge, but Excadrill was far too fast, and landed the attack perfectly again. Swampert failed to withstand the attack, and gave in for good.

"Return Swampert," Brock said. "You did great. Go Toxicroak!"

Toxicroak came from its pokeball, and punched its fists together. Ash was slightly surprised from Brock's Pokemon. Last time he had seen it, it was still a Croagunk. It was apparent Brock did some intense training since their friendship had broken up.

"Excadrill, use earthquake," Samuel ordered.

Excadrill dug its drills into the ground, and began its attack. Toxicroak swiftly dodged each flying rock, then landed only feet from Excadrill. Brock immediately called for a drain punch, and Toxicroak wasted no time in slamming its fist into Excadrill's back.

"Use rock slide," Samuel ordered quickly.

"Protect!" Brock called.

Excadrill began to throw rocks at Toxicroak. Toxicroak responded by holding its hands out, and a barrier formed in front of it. The rocks bombarded the barrier, but none could break through.

"Now finish with sucker punch!" Brock ordered. Toxicroak darted toward Excadrill, and within seconds, the punch was slamming into Excadrill's side. Excadrill writhed in pain before falling to the ground. Toxicroak jumped back to Brock and readied for the next Pokemon. Brock quickly noticed that Toxicroak was receiving slight damage as the sandstorm continued to rage over the battlefield.

"I must say, you are a worthy opponent," Samuel said as he returned his Pokemon. "However, now that you have beaten my Excadrill, the game will change."

Ash studied Samuel as he began to back away from the battlefield. He immediately realized what was about to happen. "Brock! He's about to try and get away!"

Brock heard Ash's warning, and quickly released his Steelix from its pokeball. Steelix charged at Samuel, and wrapped its massive body around him. Samuel grunted as Steelix tightened its grip, making it impossible for him to either escape or send out a Pokemon.

"Sorry, Samuel," Brock said. "You aren't getting away this time. I saw the news after your battle with Ash. You destroyed his house just so you could escape. You knew you couldn't win, so had to get away quickly."

"Get them, you stupid buffoons!" Samuel shouted at Jesse and James.

"I'm sorry, sir," James said with a mocking respect. "We aren't able to do that."

"We hereby resign from our positions as Team Rocket agents," Jesse continued. "Good luck with your future endeavors, assuming you ever leave a jail cell!"

Jesse, James, and Meowth quickly ran behind a large bush. A motorcycle revved up, and suddenly they re-emerged and sped down the road. Trip was about to send a Pokemon after them, but Brock held his hand up, signaling not to worry about it.

"It's alright, Trip," Brock said. "We have the leader. Without him, Team Rocket won't be able to do much if anything at all."

Within a minute after, Paul and two police cars came speeding down the trail. One of the cars was being driven by Rick, who quickly jumped out of his car. He approached Samuel, and Steelix released its grip. Rick placed cuffs on Samuel's wrists.

"Samuel, leader of Team Rocket," Rick began. "You're under arrest, and for your own good, I suggest you don't try anything."

"Sir, we can't figure out how to get the trainers out of the cage," another officer said.

Rick passed Samuel off to the officer, then approached the cage. He studied it closely, then shook his head. He grabbed one of the pokeballs from his belt and held it out. A Dragonite emerged from it.

"Step back," Rick told the captive trainers. "Dragonite, get this cage off them."

Dragonite roared, then grabbed the base of the cage. With just one flap of its wings, it lifted off into the air, lifting the cage with it. The trainers all quickly left the area, then Dragonite dropped the cage back to the ground, breaking it into pieces.

"Thank you," Ash said.

"No, I should thank you kids," Rick said. "I see no massive damage to the immediate area, and Samuel is now in our custody."

"Thank Brock for that. He's the one who stopped him."

Rick turned to Brock and his group. They were all standing around each other, talking about the battle Brock just had.

"Brock is it?" Rick said as he shook Brock's hand. "I owe you a debt of gratitude for beating Samuel while preserving the surroundings."

"I was only doing what I thought was right," Brock responded.

"Nevertheless, thank you again. If you're in the area, am I correct in assuming you were on your way into Moonlight Village for your next gym battle?"

"Yeah, we were hoping to challenge the gym yet today, but never expected to come across Team Rocket in the process."

Ash walked toward the car that Samuel was sitting in. He glared at Samuel, then knelt down to look him straight in the eye. Samuel showed no emotion, and refused to look at Ash.

"You're going to tell me something," Ash said sternly. "Team Rocket stole three Pokemon from a young trainer in the Unova Region. I want to know where they are."

"Giovanni would be the one to answer that question," Samuel replied calmly. "I never bothered with mindless stealing of trainers' Pokemon. That is mere child's play."

Ash turned and walked away before he did something he'd regret. He noticed Rick had already finished talking to Brock and was back in his own car. Brock walked toward Ash, and they connected eyes for a few seconds.

"Is everyone alright?" Brock asked. He had a slight coldness in his tone, but Ash could still tell he was concerned.

"Yeah, everyone's fine. Thank you Brock," Ash answered.

"We're going to get moving again. We need to get some rest for our gym battle tomorrow."

"Sure, we should do the same. Good luck."

Brock nodded, then walked away. Ash shuddered a little as he brushed the awkwardness off. Misty walked up to him, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ash answered with a sigh. "We should get going. We've lost a lot of time already."

Misty nodded, then turned to the rest of the team. She motioned for them to get moving, so everyone said their goodbye's, then went their separate ways.

"Brock, we'll see each other again," Ash said to himself. "Old friend."