This chapter is dedicated to:

Typhlosion8

MeliaAntiqua

PocketMonstersDaisuki

BannanGodis

biginferno

Acekiller28

The Detective of South-East

Five guests who call themselves Guest, Guest, Guest, Remisolleke, and Red.

Why? BECAUSE THEY REVIEWED! :)

And now, a big I'm-sorry-but-not-really for the lie I told in my last author's note. I said I would reveal Giovanni's plan... but I didn't! So I decided, since y'all are update-crazy, to post something real quick last night. Now, here's the rest of what I wanted to be that good ol' chapter 9 in a NEW chapter!

Disclaimer: Ego non ago habeo Pokémon. Ego non ago dicit in Anglice.

...

The Black Hands of Team Rocket. That handprint...

Steven stood up from the table.

"Lance," he began. "I've seen that symbol before. A contest was sabotaged once, about five or six years ago. Another soon followed, and then another. After every attack, the G-Men and I discovered a strange black handprint, like that one. The attacks stopped soon after we found out - it was like they were only trying to get a message out. They wanted me to find out about them; sabotaging the contests was a way to get my attention."

Lance's frown deepened. "This will take a lot more investigation than I anticipated."

That was when the phone rang.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call! Phone call! Ring ring ring, ring ring -

Lance picked up the receiver and spoke into it. "Yes?"

An image materialized on the screen. It was Daniel Rogers, one of Lance's head G-Men agents. Lance immediately became alert. Why would Agent Rogers be calling now?

"Lance, sir, there has been another attack. Two, actually. One at the recently reopened Viridian Gym, and another at the Rustboro Gym." Agent Rogers watched Lance, his face revealing nothing.

Lance, meanwhile, gripped the table with his hand, his knuckles white. "What?! Was anyone hurt?!"

Rogers looked away. "Y-yes. Two people, actually. Children. They... they were killed."

Children. Killed. Lance's blood ran cold. No. It wasn't. It couldn't be.

"Who?!" Lance hissed.

As Agent Rogers spoke the names, this time it was Steven who felt his blood chill. His face turned stark white. He knew those names. Both of them.

"Max Maple and Gary Oak."

...

A 27-year-old, brown-haired Samuel Oak is racing through a grassy field. A six-year-old boy, with brown, spiky hair sticking out in all directions, is running with him. "Catch me, Dad!" The little boy laughs.

"I bet you I will!" Samuel replies. His voice is deep and strong, and his face shows affection beyond words. After his wife, Amelia, died in a burning building, their son Jon became Samuel's world, his pride and joy.

Samuel grabs Jon by the arms and swings him around before pulling him into a hug. Jon shrieks with laughter, and Samuel feels like he had never been happier.

About eighteen short years later, 24-year-old Jon and his lovely wife, Melissa, are sitting in Samuel's living room. He's a professor now, and the place is a bit messy with all of his papers and gadgets and things to do, but now he's a grandfather, too.

Jon gently passes the newborn baby boy into his father's arms. "His name is Gary."

Samuel stares into the baby's brown eyes and feels his heart welling up with pride, and his eyes with tears.

Two years after that, Jon is talking to Samuel. He's about to go out to dinner with Melissa.

"Can you watch Gary?" Jon pleads. Of course, Samuel agrees. He turns on the radio and settles back into a comfortable spot on the couch while watching little Gary play with Pokémon toys and building blocks.

He feels perfectly content, perfectly whole, but that doesn't last long.

A breaking news announcement abruptly interrupts the song that was playing. There has been a car crash on some big highway, and two people have been proclaimed dead.

The names are Jon and Melissa Oak.

Professor Oak is devastated by this. He is now Gary's legal guardian, though, and so he watches Gary and plays with him, holds him right and reads stories to him. Just like with Jon. Professor Oak watches his grandson growing up, and finds happiness in Gary.

Now, the scene changes again. Gary, looking bold and defiant, but ever calm. Then an explosion, and fire, and people screaming. A devastating realization, and Professor Oak's grief-induced fury. Then he falls to the ground, and everything goes black.

Professor Oak woke up in a cold sweat. He was breathing hard and fast. Looking around, he realized where he was. He was in his bed at his house.

Delia walked in nd gave Professor Oak a weak smile. "You passed out. I brought you here. Do you... want some tea?"

Professor Oak nodded, grateful for what she had done, and took a sip of the tea, but he didn't have the energy to smile back. He just couldn't. Gary was gone.

Gary was gone.

Professor Oak drew in a sharp breath. His hands shook and his tea spilled. Delia gently took the cup from his hands.

Angry tears welled up in the Professor's eyes. He gritted his teeth and fought them back, but they came anyway.

"Gary," Samuel muttered, his voice hoarse with grief. "Oh, Arceus, why?"

...

May clutched the badge tightly in her fist. "No. No. No." She whispered. She couldn't stop saying that. No. It was impossible. She wouldn't believe it. Max couldn't be gone.

But he was.

Her knuckles were white, as was her face. Her entire body shook. No, no, no! This wasn't right. It couldn't happen!

May let out a cry of distress, and felt Drew's arm tighten around her. He was holding her close, and had been that whole day, while they sat restlessly on the bed in the Pokémon Center.

May reached out with both hands and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace, and May felt tears dripping from her cheeks into his shoulder, but he didn't care. He just kept holding her.

"It'll be okay, May," he whispered. It didn't matter if it was true or not. "I promise. And I'm here for you, no matter what."

...

Giovanni's smile was cold. So was his voice, and his demeanor. His very attitude toward life was cold. He, himself, was cold - next to "cold" in the dictionary, you would find a picture of Giovanni himself.

Okay, not really. I made that up. You might just find a picture of some ice or something. But still, Giovanni was pretty cold!

He spoke into the microphone with that cold voice of his. The microphone connected to an intercom, so the two captives cod hear him.

"You will listen to me." He began. "You have been kidnapped, obviously. Your friends and family and the rest of the world believe you to be dead, so they will not be coming to rescue you." Giovanni smiled cruelly. He was so clever.

Giovanni continued. "I have a plan to take over every region in the Napaj nation. Team Rocket will control every person and Pokémon, Legendaries included. And i will control Team Rocket. Do you see where this is going?"

"What does that have to do with us?!" Giovanni heard the black-haired boy yell. Giovanni's smile widened. In other words, it just got creepier.

"Of course, you would not understand." Giovanni replied, his voice cold and creepy as ever. "I plan to capture each and every one of your friends. You, Ash, have something most remarkable in you. You have a way with saving the world in one way or another, time and time again. Not only this, but you have an ability: the ability of aura. And your bond with your Pokémon is the most remarkable thing about you."

Giovanni let the information sink in before continuing. "This ability is something you have also passed on to your friends. You have helped and influenced them in many ways. In this way, all of you are dangerous, but could certainly help me in a very big way."

"What do you mean?" The girl's voice was shaky. Perfect, Giovanni thought. He was frightening her. Probably the boy, too.

"If I can control you, I can gain amazing abilities. I can extract your power and use all your aura and life energy to fuel my plan. Your power is exactly what I need. Of course, the process of my controlling your power would likely kill you, and all your friends as well when I do it on them. But if you survive, I will kill you anyway. You are all a danger to me, but also a weapon I can use."

On the screen showing the captives' cell, Giovanni's creepy smile turn dark. He saw their fear, and their fury. He also saw their helplessness. Giovanni switched off the lights in their cell, and they were thrust into darkness.

Giovanni's plan was going to succeed. He was sure of it.

...

Oohhh! Cool, right? But bad. Very bad. But... cool! I'm pretty excited to keep writing this. I hope you're as excited as I am to read it! Ooh, and did you like that little ContestShipping scene? Knew ya would! And, must I say it? REVIEW!

Hint: I do not own Pokémon. I will not say this in English.

(By the way, guys, wow! 25 reviews! That's a lot, I know maybe it isn't really, but it feels like it! It makes me happy! Thank you!)