It was a bright and sunny day. The gang was taking a break from their recent adventures, which included Dawn winning her first Ribbon and their encounter with the legendary Suincine. At the moment the girls were sitting in Jack's portable living room gabbing about different stuff or doing their personal hobbies while the boys were in the kitchen doing the same thing. Dojo and the other Pokemon were by the campfire where he was corrupting them by teaching them poker and using poffin treats for chips.

"So I see your three poffins and raise you two," Dojo said tossing in the poffins. He had really grown to like these treats, but his favorites were the ones Callie had baked.

"Chu, Chu pacha chu," Pachrishu said raising the stakes by adding six poffins to the pot. She was determined to win that pot, which was quite large.

"Buneray," Buneray said folding her cards. There was no way her two of kind was going to win and she only had three poffins left. The rest of the gang soon folded and now it was down to Dojo and Pachrishu.

"Sorry to disappoint you Pachrishu, but I haven't lost a poker game yet. Read it and weep squirrel girl. A full house oh yeah!" Dojo hooted.

"Pacha chu chu pacha!" Pachrishu gloated revealing her royal flush. All the Pokemon cheered while Dojo keeled over in surprise. Ignoring the antics of the little dragon she clamed her prize of 50 poffin treats all to herself.

Oblivious to what the Pokemon were up to the girls were still chatting away about Dawn's contest win, adventures for the monks, about their hobbies, and of course boys.

"I'm so thrilled with my first ribbon. Look at it! Isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen in your entire life?" Dawn gushed as she looked at her ribbon case again.

"Its very pretty Dawn and you should be proud of yourself, but shouldn't you be concentrating on how to get your next ribbon? The judges aren't going to impressed if you use the same routine again. Maybe we could help you out with some new combinations or even help you with your outfit. I know I have a dress that would look great on you," Kimiko remarked from her hammock she had made with the Silk Spitter. Currently she was focusing hard on winning Goo Zombies Infinity, but helping a friend out was more important so she saved the game.

"I know that Kimiko really I do. I'm really trying to keep absolute focus, but my mind is racing with a thousand different thoughts. I keep thinking about how to perfect my poffin recipe, ideas for new combinations, what Pokemon I want to capture, and of course my crush on a never mind," she quickly said blushing furiously.

"Crush? You have a crush? On who? Spill girl or I'll use the Mind Reader Conch to pry the information out of you," Kimiko threatened. All the girls leaned in wondering who Dawn had a crush on.

Dawn was cornered with no way out so she just blurted it out. "I like Ash okay! Oh man this is so embarrassing. You must think I'm a real idiot for crushing on a guy whose pushing his sixteenth birthday when I'm only ten and half."

"Dawn relax girl its normal for a person your age to crush on older guys and who knows where it could lead. I mean stranger couples have happened. Take a look at Jack and me. You would never guess in a million years we had anything in common or that we would become an item. I mean when we first met he was trying to take over the world and he kidnapped me! Now look at him; he's the greatest robotics expert and future director of the movie world. You just have to follow your heart and see where it leads you. Have you told Ash how you feel?"

"No way! It would be so embarrassing and besides what would happen if he didn't like me back? Traveling through the Sinnoh Region after you guys are gone would get pretty awkward."

"You've made an excellent point, but sometimes you have to take a risk otherwise you'll always have regrets," Auara pointed out.

"Yeah well boys are idiots and thick headed when it comes to love. Take a look at our guys; Raimundo couldn't form a single coherent sentence when we first met. I think if Dawn's ever going to get Ash to notice her or the courage to tell him how she feels we need to help her with her contest troubles. Otherwise I'm just going to use the Shard of Lightening and slip next to him long enough to see what he's feeling with the Xiaowmei Bracelet," Lu remarked.

"Lu you can't use the power of a Shen Gong Wu like that! That's irresponsible for a leader, but you do make an excellent point about contest seeing as how the domino effects in work," Crystal said.

Dawn looked her confused until she explained it meant how one thing affected something else like a row of dominos. Dawn nodded in agreement and asked them to help her with her contest moves as well as give her advice on boys.

"Well first off you need to be a little more extreme Dawn. You're too safe with your entrances. I mean how many times can the same opening for water Pokemon impress a judge? Next time try using something unusual for your entrance such as fire for Piplup's entrance," Lu informed her. She dipped another jalapeno pepper into some chocolate and munched on it while she waited for Dawn to respond.

"Fire? Are you crazy those two are exact opposites! What if I hurt Piplup using one?"

"Your not if you do it right! Okay picture this in your mind. You release your ball capsule and the fire creates a spinning inferno. Right in the midst of it Piplup uses Whirlpool merging the two together before Pecking it to nothing! It would be the greatest thing ever! Boys like it when girls do something unexpected. I mean Raimundo really liked it when I bungee jumped off the Temple Vault or that time I kicked some biker dudes in the balls so he give up his ride. Trust me boys like it when you show off a bit."

"Lu makes an excellent point Dawn, but don't forget to take your crushes good points with his bad points," Crystal said.

"What do you mean? Yeah I know Ash can be a little clueless about Sinnoh Region stuff and he doesn't always think before he acts, but that's what makes him so likable. I mean I bet Omi has some other annoying qualities that you deal with besides him being a perfectionist and egotistical."

"Well yes Omi is a bit egotistical, he's arrogant a lot of the time, and he holds a grudge for the longest time, but he's also brave, loyal to a t and he's always eager to learn. Omi and I have been on some crazy adventures helping out one another like the time I took those ice blades for him when his Heylin half attacked us or the time he faced Hannibal all by himself to free me from his spell. You take the good with the bad and hope your lover appreciates you. It's the same for a contest in a way. The judges are looking to see if you can make your Pokemon overcome their faults with your talent. In the first round I suggest that you and your Pokemon work together to show off a talent you four share. Maybe you and Buneray could do a special cheer seeing as how both of you are so good at cheering."

"Hmm I never thought about it, but I am a pretty good cheerleader! I'll try it! Hey Stacey what advice do you have for me in my love life or contest dreams?"

"I'm not sure if you should ask me about love. You saw from our adventures how I almost made the mistake of marrying Atul. I was just lucky my family wasn't like most Indian couples and didn't throw me out on the street or accepted a dowry for me," Stacey began as she used the Bands of Shiva to multitask. One set of arms was preparing for her pray offerings while the other pair of arms was doing a sketch and combing her hair using the Tangle Web Comb. Noticing Dawn's face she removed the Bands and her extra arms disappeared. "Sorry about that. Now where was I? Oh yeah I was telling you about love. Well if your crush on Ash develops into full blown feelings make sure he shares some of your interest and that he likes you for you. Jermaine liked me because he enjoyed my art and he understood how important religion was to me. That's how he saved me from Chase and when that mermaid Dyris attacked him I was ready to do anything to save him. Ash and you would make a great couple, but you have to appreciate whom your lover is no matter what happens. As for your contest problems well in my expericance with art contest the judges look for something that is alive. Take a look at this sketch I made of you and Pachrishu. Notice the attention to detail and how the coloring is a little off to suggest that its nighttime? In your contest you need a way to make Piplup, Buneray, and Pachrishu look like they're living pieces of art, that they're here to tell a story."

"Wow you sure are insightful when it comes to people and their feelings. Auara what's your advice? I mean you're the one with the most experiences when it comes to performing," Dawn questioned the young dancer/actress.

Auara put down the Lotus Twister and Sphere of Yun she had been polishing and turned to look at Dawn. She thought for a few moments about what she was going to say before she spoke " 'To this truth above all others, to be true to thy own self' It's a quote from a play by William Shakespeare one of the greatest play writers ever. Basically what Shakespeare was trying to say is no matter what happens in life you must be true to yourself. When I dance or perform on stage yes I'm performing for others enjoyment, but I'm also doing so because it makes me happy. If Ash and you are meant to be it will happen in its own time, until then remember to be true to yourself. That's how Dagwood and I got together because both of us were true to ourselves. The same goes for contest especially the appeal battle. You and your Pokemon have to be yourselves and not try become something else to impress the judges unless you came up with it yourself understand?"

"I think so. All your advice has been great so far and I can't wait to tryout some of your suggestions. Do you really think this will help me win another contest and get Ash?"

"It will if you're determined and our willing to fight for it. Remember love is sometimes a battlefield because there are so many players involved. If you want to come out on top you have to fight for what you want. For example when we ran into Clay's sister Jessie I had to prove myself worthy of being the girlfriend of a fine specimen of Texas man. You have to prove not only do you deserve another ribbon, but also you deserve to be Ash's girlfriend got it? Good now do you want to go spy on the boys with my Shen Gong Wu or enjoy the rest of my fine cooking?" Callie asked offering the Shroud of Shadows, Shadow Slicer, and the Cannon Blaster.

"Nah that's okay really! I think I need time to sort out all the information you downloaded into my head. Let's just enjoy some snacks and do each others hair," Dawn suggested giggling and laughing. The other girls joined in tossing around make up suggestions clueless to the fact the boys were talking about the same thing only a few feet away.

"I can't wait until we get to Eterna City! That Gym Badge is mine!" Ash exclaimed happily. He reached across the table and snagged another chocolate chip cookie from the plate. Brock had just made them and they tasted delicious.

"Easy there partner try not to get ahead of yourself. From what we witnessed on TV your gym battles are harder then trying to rustle up raging bulls in the downpour during a cattle drive," Clay remarked.

"He means there difficult. In fact they're almost as challenging as being in a Xiaolin Showdown. Believe me you don't want to be involved in one unless you're absolutely ready," Raimundo told him.

"Come on they can't be that hard! I know there's all sorts of surprises involved, but I think I can handled it. I've come far in my training and I've mastered my Shen Gong Wu. Let's have a Showdown right now and I'll prove to you how good I am."

"Easy Ash there's no reason to get upset. I think Rai was just comparing the two to show you they've had to win their Shen Gong Wu like you've earned your badges. It is a similar process and he has a point that you might not be ready. In almost all your gym battles except in the Orange Islands your Pokemon have done the fighting not you. In a Showdown you would be the one fighting and that makes it a lot harder," Brock told him.

"I guess your right. I'm sorry about that Rai. Are we still friends?"

"Sure dude no problems. Hey let's change the subject and talk about something else such as girls. From what I've seen you're quite the ladies man."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about!"

"Dawg stop denying it. You've got the ladies falling all over you. There was that chick Misty, the dame May, a few other crushes like Duplica and Casey, and let's not forgot the lovely Latias while were at it. Face it Ash man the chicks dig you," Jermaine informed the blushing boy.

"Yeah maybe Brock should take a leaf out of your book. Then maybe he would actually get a girlfriend and would stop pinning over Nurse Joy's and Officer Jenny's," Dagwood suggested.

"If it's a book you need on woman I have the perfect one. Here Brock this book was most helpful when I first met Kimiko. Its full of fascinating information about girls that I think you will find most helpful," Omi said handing the fuming Brock the book titled "The Fourteenth Century Ancient Guide to Females."

"Chrome Dome you are not trying to sell Brock that piece of junk are you? Take it from me Brock that book is so out of date that if a girl caught you with it she would pummel you within an inch of your life. Its idea of a perfect female is a sub miss handmaiden. If you want some real advice on girl's here some solid information. Treat a girl with respect and act sensitive. It worked for me," Jack told the boy snatching back the book and shoving it in Omi's arms.

"You really think that would help me? I admit I'm a little girl crazy, but if I did act a little more sensitive maybe I would finally get the girl! I'm going to try it on the next gorgeous babe I see! Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny just you wait because there's a new Brock Slate in town oh yeah!"

"Kind of kooky isn't he?" Raimundo whispered to Ash.

"You have no idea. Hey what's wrong? Brock come over here and help me ah!" Ash started to say before clutching his head. All over the camp site everyone human, mystical dragon, and Pokemon alike were experiencing a serious pain throughout their bodies. It felt like they're head was going to split in two and that their blood was on fire. They all collapsed on the ground screaming in pain.

"Crogunk cro!" screeched the toxic mouth Pokemon. He was in so much pain that he started spraying poison uncontrollably from his fingertips. Nearby Sudawoodo was flailing about crying fake tears.

"What in the name of Dashi is going on?" Dojo asked withering about.

"I don't know, but whatever it is it's activating my dormant Heylin powers," Raimundo panted as he desperately tried to contain his Heylin side. It was a loosing battle as his brown hair was already turning bright red and his ears were getting pointy. Nearby Lu was also transforming, her skin tanning and marking appearing under her eyes. The other monks were having more success keeping in their darker sides, but then again they didn't have Royal Heylin blood running through their veins.

After a few minutes they stopped withering, but the damage had already been done. As the monks helped Ash and friends to their feet they gazed warily at Raimundo and Lu who been transformed into the old Heylin selves. "Rai? Lu? Are you okay?"

"That's Prince Rai to you Xiaolin losers. You brats are going to pay for what you did. Do you have any idea what the process of rejoining was like for us? How painful it was to be forcibly reunited with your Xiaolin half and then to be ignored? Well do you?"

"Once were finished dealing with you and those wannabe warriors we're going to go look up the idiots who freed us and thank them. Then were going to start taking over this world in the name of Empress Valonia."

"That's not going to happen Lu! We're going to stop you and turn you back to your old self or die trying!" Jack shouted.

"Um I don't think you should have said that. Run!" Dawn shouted as the two fired a powerful Heylin Flame/Energy Blast at the group scattering them apart.

"Now where are you running off to? Why don't you stick around for awhile?" Lu cackled warping the reality around them until everything was twisted and distorted. "You Xiaolin warriors aren't afraid to fight me? Or are you two chicken to take me on?"

"I'm not sure what a chicken is, but I know I'm not afraid of you! Buneray Dizzy Punch, Pachrishu use discharge, Piplup Bubble Beam let's go!"

The three Pokemon quickly leapt into action aiming their attacks at Lu who just stood their smiling. Right before their attacks hit she pulled out something from behind her back. "Shard of Lightening!" In a flash she was gone.

"Where'd she go? Where is she?" Dawn shrieked.

"She's still here, but moving at the speed of light," Brock warned scanning for some sign of her.

"Yeah, but she can only do so for a brief moment. We have to be ready for her attack hey!" Ash exclaimed as he found himself tied up to Dawn and Brock. All their Pokemon had been tied up as well up able to attack. As he struggled to break free Lu appeared again. "Lu stop this right now! Your not evil!"

"Typical male response. Twerp you better get use to bowing before me, because soon the Heylin side will control this Earth."

"Your friends aren't going to let that happen!"

"Oh really? Take a look for yourselves. I think my Prince is giving them a run for their money don't you?" Lu inquired stepping aside to reveal the battle.

Raimundo had duplicated himself and each Raimundo was using a different Shen Gong Wu to battle. The Raimundo who was kicking the boys butt was using the Serpents Tail to avoid Dagwood's attempts to put him asleep using the Hypnoses Dreamcatcher. "Is that the best you can do? Man I must have been a pretty bad leader if you can't catch me. Ah no fair using your weapons on me boys if I can't either. Crest of the Condor, Blade of the Nebula Wind!"

Nearby the other Raimundo was using the Fancy Feet to run at super fast speeds among the girls. The girls growled and launched attack after attack, but nothing worked. Finally exhausted the two Raimundo's recombined and snapped their fingers. A trail of emerald green flames appeared and wrapped themselves tightly around the two groups firmly holding them in place. "That was to easy. You Xiaolin losers have gotten soft in your age. Your efforts to stop us were pitiful. Once all of you've been eliminated there will be nothing standing in our way of total domination!"

"What's the matter with you hommies? You two are the ones acting strange not us. The real Heylin gangbangers wouldn't have been acting like a couple of hyper active three year olds in a toy store yo," Jermaine stated.

"What are you talking about city slicker? Of course were acting different we're evil!" Lu screeched joining Raimundo.

"No you're out of control attacking at random with no plan and no thought to the consequences of your actions. You don't care what you do as long as something destroyed. That's not how Heylin people operate," Stacey commented.

"Valonia, Wuya, and Meribor were always in control of their emotions, strategically, and precise. They were manipulative and lied when they had to, but they were never cruel, destructive, or dishonorable. They showed their enemies respect and never picked a fight to show their superiority. You're not acting like your old Heylin self. Right now it just seems like your letting your darker emotions rule you while you struggle to figure out your next step," Dagwood said.

"Brock what are they doing?" Dawn whispered.

"Yeah how is reminding them of how evil suppose to act help turn them normal again?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe they're trying some psychological reasoning we don't know about. Whatever it is I hope it works because those two look like they're experience a Rage attack."

"I don't have to stand here and listen to the ranting of a lying f of a b of Xiaolin Dragon such as you!" Lu snapped startling everyone with her mouth. "I'm going to shut you up permanently! Zeus Order, Thunderbird Sais Lightening!" she shrieked sucking the electrical power right from Pikachu, Pachrishu, and Ash and then flinging it at her friends.

"Watch out!"

"I can't watch!

"Reversing Mirror!"

"Silk Spitter!"

Raimundo and Lu only had a split second to dive out of the way as the attack was sent back at them curtsey of Jack. He had managed to free his arm enough to pull the Shen Gong Wu out of his pocket and use it. Meanwhile Kimiko had managed to partially tie up the two Heylin members with the gooey spider thread. "If you think we're going to sit back and let our friends ruin their lives because of this your wrong! I don't know how, but were going to knock some sense into you. Kimiko get us free now!"

"Wudai Mars Fire!" Kimiko called out as flames engulfed her entire body. Focusing her energy she directed the flames into Heylin ones holding them. They crackled and burned for a few seconds before finally being extinguished. "Oh yeah I've still got it!"

"Hold on guys I'll get you free. Wudai Asteroid Metal!" Jack said using his powers to break the chains holding them. After making sure that everyone was okay the turn to face Raimundo and Lu who had managed to detangle themselves. "Rai, Lu please listen to us. Your not acting like yourself. Let us help you."

"Were your friends no matter what happens. If you just calm down I'm sure we can figure out what's causing you to act so strange."

"Your goody goody attitude is starting to bug me Spicer. If I have to hear your friendship speech one more time Tomomeko your going to zapped into next week!"

"Why are we bothering being diplomatic? We should just destroy them now and be done with it. Heylin Neutron Star Wind!"

"Heylin Thunderstorm Jupiter Lightening!"

Jack and Kimiko stood their ground ready to counter the attack. Right before the attack hit something amazing happened. Their Soul Pendants glowed brightly and shot out two bright colored red and purple lights stopping the attack. It didn't stop there everyone watched in disbelief as the lights start changing shape until the formed the outline of something. In a blaze of fire and dazzling sparkle of metal the shapes filled in and there standing protectively in front of the two warriors with a faint glow around them were a Ponyta and Sizor.

"What trickery is this?!"

"Look's like Jack and Kimiko got their soul beasts," Dojo commented tears of joy falling from his face.

"Well I always wanted a pony growing up. Guess I got my wish."

"My soul beast is my favorite Pokemon? There really is a God oh thank you thank you!"

"Enough of your babbling Spicer. You think my consort and I are afraid of a mangy pony and over sized bug? If you believe that you're even dumber then you look pretty boy. I don't give a damn that their soul beasts I'm still going to destroy you."

"Not this time Raimundo. Your going back to the way you were and you too Lu. Ponyta use Fire Spin!"

"Sizor Metal Claw!"

"Those two are good trainers don't you think?" Dawn whispered as everyone watched the battle between the soul beasts and Heylin agents unfold. Rai and Lu did their best to counter the attacks, but Kimiko and Jack just came back at them with Stomp and Steel Wings.

"I guess watching every episode of our show gave them an advantage," Brock commented.

"Yeah and it doesn't hurt they've been training with us for a few weeks now. Man that Ponyta has a great Flamethrower. Jack's Sizor is pretty strong with that Swift attack," Ash said.

A few minutes later the Soul Beast managed to knock out Rai and Lu. After confirming the two transformed warriors were out they returned inside the Soul Pendants and the group raced over to check on Rai and Lu. As they were taking their pulse the Heylin features vanished and the two leaders woke up.

"Man I feel like someone used my head for a soccer ball while it was still attached to my head."

"Please tell me you know why we pulled a Dr. Jeykell and Mr. Hyde routine?"

"Sorry we don't, but it has to do with why we all experienced that excruciating pain in our heads. Whatever it was affected all of us. If only we knew what it was."

"Pika pika Pikachu pi pika Pikachu," Pikachu quickly explained.

"Buneray, bun bun bun!" Buneray added her own two sense.

"Dojo can you translate?"

"According to the Pokemon they all heard an ultra sonic sound and Pikachu said that there was some kind of electromagnetic signal transmitted in the sound. I'm guessing that would explain our pain and the behavioral differences."

"You think someone's transmitting a signal for what purpose?" Ash asked.

"I think I have an idea. Callie, you're a shawoman. Do you sense anything different with our spirits?" Jack asked.

"Yeah I do and I know where you're going with this. That signal was designed to affect the different parts of the brain that control behavior, personality, and emotional control in a Pokemon. The reason it affected all of us is because were all connected to an elemental chi making us susceptible to the signal."

"So that means there are some no good rustlers trying to steal some prized Pokemon using unlawful means. That makes me so angry I want to kick them with my spurs."

"Well first we'd have to find them dawg and that could pose a problem. This forest is huge and we have no idea of the range of that signal yo. We could be tramping around these woods for months and still have no idea where the signal's being transmitted from," Jermaine interjected.

"Maybe I could help. If I focus on the core of my powers I might be able to scan the forests and find out where the culprits are," Dagwood suggested.

"Go for it, it's not like the rest of us have any helpful suggestions," Ash stated.

Dagwood nodded and sat down in a meditation pose. Taking a deep breath he focused on the core of his powers tapping into it. Almost at once he could feel all the trees and plant life around him. He felt a stab of anger when he sensed their pain. The signal was causing the Pokemon to behave so erratically they were causing destruction to their own home. Several seconds passed before he opened his eyes. "I have their location. The bad guys are in a hidden clearing about three and half miles from here."

"Could you tell us who the bad guys are?" Dawn asked. Dagwood shook his head no. "Oh we really could have used that info to come up with a plan."

"Will worry about that later right now we need to get moving if were going to prevent another disaster. Clay pack up camp, Dojo super size, you three recall your Pokemon. Come on people let's move it," Lu commanded and within a few minutes the camp was packed up curtsey to the Glove of Jisaku, the Pokemon back in their pokeballs, and they were all clinging to Dojo as they flew off in the direction of the thieves.

The landed about twenty feet away from the clearing and crept the rest of the way there hiding behind some trees and bushes. As they peered through they weren't all surprised to see Team Rocket. The trio seemed to be celebrating something. A few feet away did Serviper and Cacnea guard some sort of computer tower with a mini satellite on top. On the opposite side of the clearing were rows upon rows of caged Pokemon who looked like they were going out of their minds. Carnavine and Dustox were patrolling the area around here making sure that no one tried to rescue these Pokemon.

"This was our best idea yet. Who knew you could create a ready to use army by messing with someone's head?" Jessie exclaimed.

"All it took was some stolen lab equipment, a scan of Meowth's brain, and my own ingenuity and bam! We've got a transmitter capable of controlling any Pokemon with in five-mile radius! Cheers to success!" James added.

"Won't the boss be happy when we deliver this army to him? He'll probably forgive all our debt and give us promotions. The best part is those twerps aren't anywhere nearby to stop us. Yeah things are finally looking up for us!" Meowth said.

"Wobba Wobbafett!"

"Mime mime mime!"

"What are we waiting for? We should go out there and free those Pokemon right now!" Ash whispered.

"Easy Ash we can't just go barging in without a plan."

"Yes a warrior never reacts rashly even when facing a foe weaker then himself. We have no idea if this Team Rocket has any other activities down their pant legs," Omi said.

"Yeah its tricks up their sleeve Omi, but he's right we need a plan. The first thing we need to do is get the trio away from the clearing. Ash, Brock, Dawn, Crystal and Omi will create a distraction causing Jessie and James to follow you. When your far enough away take care of them. Lu and I will do the same with Meowth, Wobbafett, and Mime Jr. Meanwhile Callie and Clay will sneak over and free those Pokemon while Stacey and Jermaine keep Carnavine and Dustox busy. Dagwood, I know you don't like snakes, but I need you and Auara to keep Serviper and Cacnea busy so Jack and Kimiko can put the kibosh on that machine? Think you're up to it good."

"What do you want me to do?" Dojo asked feeling left out.

"Your going to keep track of the battle from the air and make sure nothing goes wrong. If you spot trouble then fly down and help. Okay everyone know what he or she is supposed to do? Good then let's get to it."

Group one crept slowly around Team Rocket passed the cages until they were at the other end of the clearing. Lu and Rai split heading off a little ways so they could intercept Meowth and co in a little bit. Rai gave the signal for the rest of the group to start the distraction.

"Okay, let's do this. Hey Team Rocket what do you think your doing with those Pokemon!" Ash shouted startling the three thieves who turned to see some of the twerp gang standing at the end of the clearing.

"You better release those Pokemon right now or else!" Dawn threatened.

"Or else what twerp? You going to use your silly kung fu on us?" Jessie snarled.

"We don't need to use martial arts to defeat the likes of you. That would be making things to easy," Brock mocked.

"What's that's suppose to mean twerp?" James demanded.

"He means that we could beat you with one hand tied behind our backs and blindfolded, right Omi?"

"Yes, but if you really want to prove you can beat us then try to catch us losers," Omi called out. Then without warning he used his Wudai Neptune Water attack to drenched them. "I hope I didn't drown you, well bye!" and he took off running with the rest of the gang.

Team Rocket didn't hesitate for more then a second. After calling out instructions to the other Pokemon the Trio, Wobbafett, and Meowth took off to get their revenge. That was all the room the other's needed to make their move.

Using the Shroud of Shadows Clay and Callie quickly slipped past Dustox and Carnavine's noses. "Those two are more clueless then a ram after butting heads," Clay whispered.

"Shh! They might hear you! Oh great they did! I hope this fools them long enough for Jermaine and Stacey to get their butts over here and protect us. Shadow Slicer!" Callie whispered projecting a hologram of her and Clay a few feet from their position. Dustox and Carnavine immediately went after the holograms giving Clay and Callie a chance to get on with the mission.

"Dustox!" Dustox cried out releasing a powerful Psybeam.

"Carnavine!" Carnavine shouted firing Bullet Seed at the hologram. Both Pokemon were confused when the holograms flickered and disappeared. Was this some kind of Double Team that humans did?

"Yo I bet your confused right now hommies? My girl and I would be happy to clear up some things for you. That is if you agree to surrender," Jermaine said lazily as he and Stacey stepped out from the bushes.

"It would save you two the embarrassment of losing to us again," Stacey remarked. She smiled as the two Pokemon reacted to her insult by launching the same attack at them. "You two need to learn some new moves because I've seen all this before. Wudai Supernova Flare!"

"Wudai Blackhole Gravity! Oh yeah I still got the moves. What the ah Mantis Flip Coin! Man I've never seen a bug or a fly trap move so fast dawg," Jermaine said from his tree branch.

"Tangle Web Comb! Man these two can dodge! Hey you are not going to bite me on the head!" Stacey said tossing Carnavine over her shoulder. She looked up in time to see Dustox use a Gust attack to prevent Jermaine from using the Golden Finger to freeze him for a few seconds in time. "I think we need to call out the big guns!"

"I hear you Stacey. Soul of hey what the?" Jermaine asked puzzled as a silver beam shot out of his Soul Pedant. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a surprised Stacey gawking as an orange light pulsated from her own Soul Pedant. Dustox and Carnavine stopped attacking long enough to watch as the silver light solidified in the shape of an Ampom and the orange into a Dragonite. "I don't believe it. We got our Soul Beasts!"

"Then let's use them to send these two blasting off! Dragonite use Hyper beam!"

"Ampom use Focus Punch!"

"Ampom!" Ampom chatted both tails lightening up with a double Focus Punch. With superior speed and agility it struck Dustox knocking him out for the count.

"Dragonite!" Dragonite took a deep breath gathering power before letting loose a powerful Hyperbeam engulfing Carnavine. When the light show ended Carnavine was out like a light. "I can't believe how powerful our soul beasts are. They took out Carnavine and Dustox with one shot."

"Yeah well right now I'm concerned how Clay and Callie are doing. One wrong move and those crazed Pokemon will be rioting all over them so let's move it girlfriend."

Clay and Callie were having certain difficulties dealing with the rage filled Pokemon. The first difficulty they had was just getting the cages open to free them. They were electronically sealed and neither of them had the expertise to crack the code. "We should try the Cannon Blaster. Maybe the force of us colliding with the cages will open them," Callie suggested.

"Bad idea Callie. We just be scaring the poor critters more then they are now and weakening ourselves. Can't you use your shawoman abilities to calm them down so they can free themselves?"

"Not with that transmitter still operating at peak efficiency. As long as that machine is working I won't be able to get past their rage long enough to touch their souls. Shall we try opening it up the old fashion way?"

"You read my mind girl. Wudai Crater Earth!"

"Wudai Eclipse Darkness!" Darkness and earth merged together and obliterated the cage doors setting the Pokemon free. Unfortunately they were all still in a state of rage so they swarmed the two warriors attacking them in an attempt to get rid of their uncontrollable rage.

"Look out! Aw man this is worse then my family's cattle stampeding during a drive!" Clay shouted defending himself from a Graveler, Sandshrew, and a Bidoof all at the same time.

"We can't give up! There must be someway to calm their raging spirits!" Callie shouted as she ducked under a Snezal, sweep kick a Quagmire, and chopped a Primape in half. "There's just to many of them! We need some help hey what the my Soul Pendants is acting up!"

"Mine to and take a look at what we've got for soul beasts! A mighty Onix for me and a powerful Houndor for you. I reckon we use these beasts to calm down our friends. Onix use Double Edge!"

"Houndor use Bite!"

"Not good enough. Okay Onix use Rock Throw and Bind!"

"Houndor use Shadow Ball and Flamethrower together! All right I think that broke the spell! You're free now, return to the forest and leave it to us to ensure the ones who made you suffer pay. Your welcome!" Callie called out to the Pokemon as they vanished into the trees along with their soul beasts. "That was intense."

"Yeah, but I hope you can keep your promise to them about making Team Rocket pay," Clay commented looking across the clearing to see Dagwood and Auara battling.

"Snakes, it had to be snakes! I hate snakes!" Dagwood shouted as he used his Wudai Planet Wood attack against Serviper who used Poison Tail to block it.

"I know, but your powers wouldn't do much against Cacnea! Wudai Sun Light! I'm starting to think we should have brought the Moonstone Locusts with us!" Auara said as she bended out of the way of Cacnea's Pin Missile via the Lotus Twister.

"What we need is some serious help otherwise they're going to overrun us! I could use a little help from a soul beast right now. Ah!" Dagwood shrieked as Serviper came in to bite his head off. At the same time Cacnea sent a blinding Sandstorm at Auara chocking the girl.

Seconds before they could succumb to the attack their soul beast appeared ready to defend their charges. A powerful Razor Leaf pushed back Serviper and a Zap Cannon obliterated the Sandstorm. When Dagwood and Auara looked up they couldn't believe what their soul beasts were.

"Bulbasaur use Vine Whip on Serviper!"

"Espon use confusion on Cacnea!"

"Bulbasaur use Solar Beam to finish up Serviper!"

"Espon use Tackle! Oh yeah we did it! We beat them!"

"You can do your victory dance later. Right now we have to check on the others. Sphere of Yun! There that should hold them if they wake up come on."

At the transmitter tensions were running high as Kimiko desperately tried to hack through the transmitter electronic defenses with her PDA while Jack used his expertise to try and disarm the transmitter. It wasn't going to well and the two of them were at each other's throats. "Can't you disarm this thing any faster? It doesn't take nearly as long as the blow up your Jackbot's!"

"Well excuse me aren't you the one who said you could reprogram any computer in under two minutes! Get me those access codes so I can get into the central mechanism and shut this baby down now!"

"Keep your goggles on I'm working as fast as I can. All right I'm in the central mainframe and downloading the schematics and few other tidbits of info that could come in handy. I'm transferring them and the codes to your watch now."

"Got them thanks. Okay I disconnected the red wire, snip the blue, flick these switches off and yes its not functioning anymore! Oh yeah I'm good I'm good I'm oh no!"

"What? What is it?" Kimiko demanded as Dojo came to a rest next to them with everyone else on his back and all of Team Rocket's Pokemon in the Sphere of Yun.

"According to these readouts I only disarmed the central transmitter. It turns out there are three portable transmitter's still operational and three guesses whose carrying them?"

"No time for guessing hop on you two. We need to find Omi and the others ASAP," Dojo said.

Meanwhile trouble was brewing for the others. Rai and Lu had managed to separate Meowth and the other Pokemon from Jessie and James using a wind attack, but were still struggling to scratch cat down.

"You mangy flea ridden cat don't you know when to stay down?" growled Lu as she blocked a series of Fury Swipes.

"You're really starting to bug me twerp. Maybe I should try controlling you instead," Meowth hissed bringing out his portable transmitter and activated it.

"Ah not again!" Lu shrieked.

"We have to stay strong Lu! Ha ha stop tickling me. Get off of me you blue blob," Rai managed to say as Wobbafett held him down so Mime Jr. could attack him.

"I'm not going evil again and neither are you! Hey what the?"

"Ah what are you two twerps up to?!"

"Wobbafett!"

"Mime Mime!"

"Hey Meowth looks like your dealing with our soul beasts now think you can handle that? I'll take care of Meowth you handle Blob boy and Le Mime all right? Shinx use Spark on Meowth!"

"Swellow use Wing Attack!"

"Awwwwwww! Okay that does it your Shinx is going to suffer from my Scratch Attack!"

"I don't think so. Shinx dodge it and then use Thunder Fang on Meowth."

"Swellow dodge Wobbafett's counter and avoid Mime Jr. Tickle attack and use Aerial Ace full power now!"

"This doesn't look to good for us!" Meowth screeched as both attacks hit their mark. When the smoke cleared the three were out like a light. Rai and Lu were high fiving themselves when Dojo arrived with the bad news. After securing the three in the Sphere of Yun they took off looking for the others.

The others were in dire need of some help. After some hard core battling against Team Rocket Jessie and James had pulled out the transmitters and now the group was withering on the ground in agony.

"This is my favorite sport watching twerps squirming about."

"Yes this is better then any daytime talk show on TV."

"Try to hold on Pikachu I'll protect you," Ash grunted cradling the withering Pokemon in his arms.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out releasing another Thunder Shock attack. Ash winced, but refuse to let go.

"We have… to.. destroy… that transmitter or.. Its all over for us." Brock gasped.

"How? I'm in so much pain I can't focus on my powers right now!" Dawn screeched before letting loose a blood curling wail.

"You have to ignore the pain and push through it. Imagine that it's not happening. Team Rocket I warn you to stop what your doing or prepare for a humiliating defeat," Omi said as he rose to his feet.

"Like were going to take advice from a Pikachu colored twerp."

"Yes get a new line already you've worn that one out!"

"I will defeat you no matter what. Ah what the? Oh yes my soul beast is about to appear. Tremble in fear Team Rocket because you are no match for my… Piplup? No this cannot be my soul beast is a tiny little Piplup? Hey stop pecking me!"

"Omi, stop whining and start battling!" Dawn barked.

"Right. Piplup use Bubble Beam on James!"

"Hey quit it!"

"Now use Peck on Jessie."

"Quit it bird brain!"

"Finish it up with Water Gun!"

"Ah Gazoots my transmitter is broke," James wailed.

"Well mine is working just fine. In fact I think I'll crank it up to maximum."

"Ahh enough! I won't allow this to continue anymore. You two are going to pay for harming my friends and the Pokemon! My soul beast is appearing!" Crystal said just as Dojo and the others landed releasing their prisoners

When the indigo colored light finally solidified everyone was stunned by what Pokemon had taken shape. "No way it can't be," whispered Ash.

"I don't believe my eyes," Jack said.

"It can't be real can it? How in the world did a blasted twerp get that Pokemon for a soul beast? There's no way this twerp has an," Jessie said in awe.

"Articuno. You're my soul beast? Wow. Articuno use Ice Beam and destroy that transmitter!"

"Cuno!" Articuno unleashed a powerful Ice Beam obliterating the transmitter.

"Now use Icy Wind and blow all of Team Rocket away!"

"Articuno!" The Titan of Ice did as she asked turning all of Team Rocket into a giant ball of hail and sending the off to parts unknown. Once done the giant bird bowed to Crystal before vanishing back into her Soul Pedant. "I can't believe it. I got a legendary Pokemon for my Soul Beast!"

"That's awesome Crystal! You deserve it!" Dawn cheered.

"All of you do. I can't believe all of you got your soul beasts," Brock commented.

"Maybe now we can have a real battle!"

"I doubt it. If my recollection is right the Soul Beast only appear in dire situations to protect their charges and they only stick around until the danger has passed. Still it's quite an accomplishment for all of you. I'm so proud of you I wish Fungi Poo was here to see this. Wah!" Dojo cried into a tissue.

The monks all laughed, but inside they felt giddy. They had come so far in their quest in this world. Who knew what was going to happen next?