Trepidation

"Alright, they just opened the vents." Shin pointed out. "Glint and Nite, get into your positions. Everyone else, keep a look out to make sure none of the Rockets know what's going on."

After the orders were given out, all the pokémon in the enclosure moved to their positions and awaited for the go ahead from Shin.

"…Go."

Suddenly the network of pokémon sprang into action. Glint picked Nite up under the arms and brought him to the vent covering. Nite gave it one good shot and part of it broke away leaving an opening just big enough for the Marowak to slide through.

"Can you make it?" Glint asked.

"Gimme a sec…" Nite responded before sliding slowly through. "Got it." he replied before continuing down the duct.

As he traveled down the air vent, Nite began to hear voices. He then noticed a vent opening down quite a ways and decided to check it out and see what the talk was about, maybe he could find out something valuable. He continued onward before stopping just shy of the vent and listening in on what was being said down below.

"So, someone with the boss just sent in a message saying that 01 will be caught soon."

"Really? Man, the boss is amazing in the field when he really wants something."

"You got that right, now let's start preparing Enclosure 3 for his arrival."

"Right, let's go."

"Sounds like we'll be having another new arrival," Nite thought before turning around to head back. "01…"

"He's coming back." Glint announced to everyone before flying closer to the vent opening and pulling Nite out.

"Did you find anything?" Zan called from down below as all the pokémon gathered around them when they landed.

"Well, I heard two Rocket guys talking in a room down a hallway."

"And?" Shin's voice calls out from behind him.

"Um, well they said something about their boss going out into the fields to get a pokémon himself. They said it's name was 01 or some number like that." Nite explained.

At the mention of the codename '01' Shin's eyes widen and a large grin begins to spread across his face.

"01?" he asked the Marowak.

"Yeah."

"They're bringing her here? You're sure?"

"Yeah, I heard them say that number."

"You heard of that pokémon, Shin?" Zan asked him which was met with silence. "Shin?" he called out before turning the Raichu and noticing the look on his face.

"Yes," Shin responded before motioning to Nite. "When did they say that pokémon would be here?"

"They didn't they just said that their boss would have the pokémon soon. So I'm guessing that they should bring the pokémon they're talking about by sometime tomorrow or the day after."

"…"

"Shin?" called Zan again as he walks to his side.

"Remember that battle I told you about?" Shin asked him.

"What, the one where you were with the Gold Unit?"

"Yeah, that one." Shin responds before slowly rubbing his paws together.

"Yeah, the one that you said you met up with this really powerful pokémon in the battle that you had with a group of escapees." Zan explains.

"The pokémon that they call '01' was the one that wiped out the whole unit." Shin told him, a look of disgust in his eyes.

"That's the Ninetails that wiped you and your unit out?!" Zan yelled out which caught everyone else's attention. "That's the pokémon you said can evolve and de-evolve on command?" he asked after quieting down a bit.

"Yeah, according to what a Raticate told me. She's normally a Vulpix until she gets really angry." He explains before going into detail. "She was in here at one point and I'm guessing Giovanni tampered with her like he did to us. I'm not sure though, but whenever she gets angry enough, she transforms."

"Wow… and that pokémon is coming here…" Zan thought out loud, "I'd like to meet the pokémon that took out Shi-"

Before he can finish, Shin slams him against a wall which spooks everyone and alarms Ro and Nite.

"The minute she steps foot in here I will Kill her! There will be no pleasantries exchanged!" Shin yelled at him, his eyes filled with pent up frustration and rage.

"Shin! Calm down!" Zan yelled back, trying to get him to calm down.

Soon afterwards, Shin begins to calm down and lets Zan go before turning his back to him and facing the others.

"Um, everything alright?" Ro asked from ten feet away. She had taken a few steps towards them once Shin had Zan pinned to the wall.

"We're fine, Ro." Zan told her before clearing his throat. "Shin's just a little… worked up."

"Worked up… My ass." Ro replied which garnered Shin's attention as he turned his gaze to him.

"You have a problem, Lucario?" he asked Ro.

"I just don't like the way you're bullying everybody around is all, Shin." he replied a little nervously.

"If you don't like it, then just do something about it."

"Maybe I will." Ro replied, suddenly feeling a bit confident.

"Make your move then…"

"Stop it already!" Zan yelled before stepping between them. "This is going too far, Shin. Ever since you got here you've been picking on all of us here and trying to start fights but that shit ends right here and now!"

The outburst from Zan caught Shin off-guard. He didn't expect Zan to stand up to him so firmly like that. On one hand it pissed him off, but on the other hand… He respected Zan because of it.

"Alright then. Fine, I'll lay off of them." Shin agreed which also caught Zan off-guard.

"W-what?"

"I said I'll lay off of your guys." Shin repeated before walking off.

"That was… easier than I thought it would be."

"Why didn't you let me fight him, Zan?" Ro asked.

"Ro, he could've killed you without breaking a sweat. I've seen him fight, he's no joke." Zan explained, "He may not be the strongest, but he's crafty…"

"Seriously?" Nite asked, now interested in the conversation.

"C'mon guys, you can look at him and see that fighting him wouldn't be any laughing matter."

"But he's just a Raichu, Zan…" Ro bluntly added.

"You know what, if you want to test him, go right on ahead. I'll just sit back and watch the fireworks." he told Ro before throwing his hands up in defeat and walking off.

Hearing those words from Zan made Ro believe that maybe Zan wasn't exaggerating. Maybe this Raichu wasn't someone to mess with. After thinking things over for a few seconds in his mind, he decided that it might be in his best interest to steer clear of fighting with Shin.

******Post-fight******

"Oh my god, she's…" Rei thought to herself after hearing Firefly give herself up for the safety of her family and friends. When all of her friends and family began to gather around her, Rei chose to stand back and let them say their goodbyes. She wanted to fight on instead of watching someone surrender themselves, but she understood and knew that she had no say in the matter since these weren't her mates.

"This reminds me… of that day…" she began to think. The day she was referring to was the day that those two trainers took away her family. In a way she felt that the same thing was happening here, and it was beginning to bring her to tears since she was now seeing things from a different angle. And in her eyes, this angle wasn't any better…

She watched as, what looked like baby pokémon came up with tear-filled eyes. She couldn't make out what they were saying completely, but she didn't have to. She knew that they were wondering what was wrong and that they were going to be completely heartbroken and possibly unable to fully grasp the situation at hand.

"I… I can't watch this…" she said aloud, not really paying attention or caring whether someone heard her as she spun on her heels and hurried away. She ended up settling on a rock next to a tree roughly 20 feet away from Firefly's group. She had started to cry over the situation and the fact that, to her, it felt like déjà vu and there was nothing she could do to keep it from happening to those baby pokémon like it did to her…

"Wait… I can… I can stop this." She told herself as she raised her head and gazed back to all of them as they continued saying their goodbyes.

"This isn't right. She… they don't deserve to go through this… and it's all because of him…" She glared at Giovanni. If looks could kill the leader of Team Rocket would have been dead ten times over by now with the look Rei was giving him.

"I won't let him do to them what those trainers did to me!" With a loud yell she lunged at Giovanni.

"Stop that Mawile, Machamp!" one of the Rockets ordered. Before Rei could get close enough to strike Giovanni the Machamp cut her off and struck her down with a devastating Cross Chop, knocking the Steel type to the ground.

"Gah!"

"Rei!" Indigo shouted. By the time the others looked the Machamp was preparing to deliver the finishing blow.

"Leave her alone!" the Growlithe barked. He took flight and hit the Machamp with Extremespeed, knocking him away from the Mawile.

"You'll pay for that!" the Rocket declared. "Machamp, use…"

"Stop!" All eyes were on Firefly after her outburst.

"You've got what you want, there's no need to keep fighting," Firefly said. Giovanni looked at her.

"And why should I stop after that Mawile tried to attack me?" he questioned.

"Because if you don't… I'll make sure you pay for it," she warned.

"And what makes you think you'll be able to harm me? Or have you forgotten all the Pokémon I have at my disposal?" he said. To reinforce his point all of the Rocket's Pokémon let out growls.

"What makes you think they'll be able to stop me?" Firefly questioned. "Especially if I happen to call on… a certain someone…"

"You wouldn't dare," Giovanni said.

"You want to try me?" Firefly challenged. The two of them were locked in an intense stare-down where the first to blink would be at a disadvantage. After a few seconds Giovanni spoke up.

"Recall the Pokémon," he announced.

"Excuse me?" a Rocket asked.

"I said recall the Pokémon!" Giovanni yelled. No one else questioned him as they recalled all their Pokémon. Soon, only Giovanni's Persian was left as the only Rocket Pokémon on the field. Firefly let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll… be fine," the Mawile replied. She looked up at Firefly and saw her smiling back at her.

"I'm glad you're okay," Firefly said. Rei managed to smile, but there was a bit of sadness behind it.

"Thanks, but you're the one that I'm worried about," Rei told her. "I just… I don't think it's fair that you have to give yourself up to him."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm not the one anyone should be worrying about," Firefly explained.

"If not you, then who?" Rei asked, not really understanding what she was referring to.

"If you need to be concerned about anyone it's the three of them," she answered after turning to look at the three baby pokémon standing next to them with tears streaming down their eyes.

"They need as many positive influences in their young lives as possible." Rei looked at the three young Pokémon. Though she originally had no intention of getting involved in their lives, she couldn't turn a blind eye to them.

"I've… felt the pain of being torn away from loved ones. I couldn't stand the thought of sitting by and watching it unfold again without doing anything to stop it…" As Firefly listened she could feel the pain in Rei's voice.

"Rei, right?" Firefly asked, getting a nod from her. "I have… a request."

"Um ok," Rei responded.

"Would you please… help look after the young ones in my absence," Firefly asked. "I know the others can raise them while I'm gone, but…"

"Don't worry, you don't need to say anything else. I'll be happy to help look after them until you come back," Rei said.

"Thank you," Firefly said.

Rei nodded to her before turning and walking away to let them say their goodbyes. In truth, she couldn't stand with them and hear what was being said because it would only serve as a reminder of what happened to her and her family. So she chose to stand back at the mouth of the cave and await what was about to transpire.

"Wait, Shin!" She yelled to herself and spun around on her heels, ready to try to get his location out of Giovanni once more.

Before opening her mouth though, she thought about the fact that she had nothing to get him to say anything… And that it wouldn't help matters to get into another yelling match while Firefly and her friends were saying goodbye.