Good afternoon/evening for some of you! It's been quite a ride so far. Ten chapters in, and now Tadashi has badge number three. He's becoming quite the contender now so watch out Team Flare! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the previous chapter because I'm bringing you another one. Sit back, relax, grab some popcorn and drinks because it's show time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.

Chapter 11: Into the Flames Part 1

Tadashi awoke early that morning, his eyes fluttering open slowly. At first his vision was blurry but as things came back into focus he began to see things clearly, including...Trinity.

"What the he-" he was cut off when Trinity put her hand over his mouth.

"Shhhh...don't yell they'll hear you" Trinity said, and by them she meant Victor and Clarice who had yet to wake up.

Tadashi breathed heavily after Trinity took her hand away and shot her an annoyed glance.

"What are you doing in here?" Tadashi demanded sharply.

"You left the door unlocked...you must have been so tired you forgot to lock it" Trinity lied.

"That's strange...I could have sworn I locked it last night..." Tadashi mumbled, rubbing his head as he sat up.

"Nice pajamas by the way" Trinity giggled, showing off her own Eeveeloution pajamas.

"Thanks...as you probably guessed, Charizard is my favorite" Tadashi said as he glanced over at her.

"So...you still didn't answer my question. Why are you in here?" Tadashi asked again.

"Well, since you asked...I was going to wake you up and see what yours and everyone else's plans were for today" Trinity said with a smirk.

"That and you're cute when you sleep" Trinity said with a sly grin.

"You were watching me sleep?!" Tadashi nearly exclaimed had it not been for Trinity covering his mouth with her hand again he might have woken up the others.

"Only for like five minutes, don't get so worked up" Trinity laughed.

Tadashi was getting more annoyed by the second, though he would keep his volume level down. Nothing could compare to how irate Clarice would be if she were woken up rudely. Sighing he turned to Trinity and frowned.

"I need you go leave the room...I need to get dressed," Tadashi mumbled as he pulled himself out of bed.

"Can I watch?" Trinity asked.

"No..." Tadashi grumbled, shooting her a glare that was on par with Clarice's.

"Relax, I was just joking, I'm out, I'm out" Trinity laughed nervously, walking out of the room so he could have some privacy.

Tadashi sighed softly as he looked around the room. His Pokemon seemed to all be fast asleep still, save for one, Lucario.

'That was interesting to watch...' Lucario said as he stood up, a tired look on his visage.

'Yeah...I still don't know how she got in here...I swear I locked it...didn't I?' Tadashi replied.

'Search me...I was asleep...and unfortunately I think Tyrunt tried to chew on my ears in his sleep...it seems he dreams about biting things a lot...' Lucario responded.

'Well that helps a lot...' Tadashi mumbled.

His other Pokemon slowly started to wake up. Tyrunt was drooling in his sleep before he woke up. Cubone slowly got up and looked over at Tyrunt who sleeping with his tail up. Cubone poked Tyrunt with his bone, trying to wake him up. Tyrunt awoke in an unpleasant mood and bit Cubone on the tail, causing him to jump in surprise and start crying in pain as he tried to shake Tyrunt off. Due to how powerful his jaws were, Tyrunt wasn't going to let go.

Tadashi sighed, turning around to glare at Tyrunt. The little terror looked like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Tyrunt released his grip on Cubone and stepped away from him. Tadashi smiled, liking the fact that he didn't need to verbally communicate his disapproval of Tyrunt's actions. He returned them to their pokeballs, along with the other four and made his way out of the room.

Tadashi closed the door and turned around to head downstairs. He figured the others needed to get ready so he'd wait for them there. As he stepped into the lounge he saw a peculiar sight. There was a middle-aged man with short brown hair, wearing a tan trench with a green suit and black shoes standing at the front desk of the Pokemon Center.

"Excuse me nurse, I'm looking for a group of trainers that was said to have arrived her last night. I have something I wish to discuss with them," The man said as he glanced towards Tadashi who had just seated himself at a table nearby.

"Well, that's one of them over there," the nurse said, directing the man's attention to Tadashi.

"Thank you, that will do nurse," he said as he walked over towards Tadashi.

"May I help you?" Tadashi said as he looked up at the man staring down at him.

"Yes actually, you can young man," the man said as he sat across from Tadashi.

"My name is...Looker, and I've been in search of a group that calls themselves Team Flare. They've been attacking more frequently as of late. I learned that there were a group of trainers that seemed to have gotten in their way so I sought them out. I assume you to be one of them. Am I right?" Looker asked curiously.

Tadashi simply looked at the man for a while. He didn't know what to make of him but judging by his appearance he was a detective of sorts. How did he get information on them? Something didn't add up. Regardless, Tadashi nodded.

"Yes, I am one of them...the others are still getting ready for the day" Tadashi stated, his gaze going over Looker's shoulder to see Clarice, Victor and Trinity heading down the stairs. A panicked look came over Trinity's face as she saw Looker. She'd encountered the man before though she wasn't dressed this way at the time. She was wearing a body suit that enhanced her senses. It was a prototype that was being worked on and she tested it out to see how it worked. Yes, she knew who this man was and it spelled trouble for Team Flare if he got involved.

"These must be your friends," Looker said as he glanced over to where Tadashi was looking to see the trio behind him.

"Yep, that's Victor, and the preppy looking one is Clarice, and the one next to her is Trinity" Tadashi introduced, getting a glare from Clarice as per usual "And I'm Tadashi" he finished.

"I am not preppy!" Clarice snapped.

"Relax, I meant nothing by it..." Tadashi said with a chuckle.

"Like I believe that..." Clarice grumbled.

Victor rolled his eyes and walked over to the table and slid in next to Tadashi, mainly to keep Clarice from inflicting bodily harm. Looker got up so Trinity and Clarice could sit in the booth together. Trinity pouted as she had hoped to sit by Tadashi. Mainly so she could work her magic and continue to annoy Clarice.

She seemed to be one of the strongest links in the chain and breaking that would be the start she needed to break the group apart. If she could accomplish this, she could solve the problem Team Flare would eventually have with the trio before it even began. This would take time however, considering Tadashi seemed very strong willed. Victor was going to be the toughest nut to crack because nothing seemed to bother him. Clarice was already too easy.

"Listen up you four. My name is Looker, and as I finished telling your friend over here, I'm looking for Team Flare. Several incidents have happened as of late, one in Glittering Cave and the other near Geosenge Town. Reports of their activity are all over and they eventually wind up in my hands. I have been asked to round them up but obviously I can't do that alone now can I?" Looker explained.

"No, you most certainly can't" Clarice piped up, crossing one leg over the other, crossing her arms as well.

"So what you're saying is, you want us to aide you in taking them down?" Tadashi inquired, raising a brow as Looker nodded.

"Very perceptive of you, Tadashi was it?" Looker said as he placed his chin between his thumb and forefinger, stroking his non-existent facial hair.

"Well, I don't really care much for a bunch of pyromaniacs running around wearing obnoxious red suits. However there's one problem...we're on a journey together and we have made that our prime objective," Tadashi said as he crossed his arms and glanced at Looker who seemed disappointed.

"However...if we run into them along our journey, which we probably will...again...we will update you on our findings," Tadashi said with a faint smile, getting a sigh of relief from Looker.

"Good, why don't you register me into your holo caster...that will be a more fitting way to contact you," Looker stated. Tadashi nodded and quickly registered him in his holo caster.

"I look forward to hearing from you all, now if you'll excuse me I must be going" Looker said as he walked out of the Pokemon Center.

'I've got to report this to Celosia...' Trinity thought to herself as she stood up from the table.

"I'll be right back, need to use the bathroom" Trinity said as she stood up and hurried up the stairs.

"She must have had to go pretty bad..." Victor said as he watched her take off.

"Well, we ladies can't hold it as long as men can, when we need to go we don't waste time..." Clarice stated firmly.

"Thanks...I really needed to know that..." Tadashi mumbled, picking up a menu to order from.

Meanwhile, Trinity was upstairs tending to other matters. She took out her holo caster and quickly messaged Celosia. The woman was in the middle of an important meeting when her holo caster went off. The image of an irritated Celosia appeared in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently.

"This better be good Trinity, you're interrupting a meeting and you know how our leader hates when this happens" Celosia stated, narrowing her eyes behind the visor.

"Well then I'll make this short. One word: Looker" Trinity stated, causing Celosia to recoil a bit.

"Don't tell me...he found you out?" Celosia asked in a panicked state.

"No...luckily he doesn't remember that he ran into me when I was in my suit. He never got a look at my face or heard me speak so there's that. He's also got the group we've been tracking on his side now...but they don't intend to go looking for you unless they run into you so you don't have too much to worry about" Trinity said, getting a slight sigh of relief from Celosia.

"At least he hasn't found anything else out yet. If he ever found our base of operations...well we'd have to deal with the authorities and THAT woman," Celosia said distastefully.

"You mean...her? Yeah...if she ever stuck her nose in our business that wouldn't be good. She may be a typical actress...but her Pokemon are ridiculously strong..." Trinity stated, remembering seeing how powerful the woman's Pokemon were.

"Eh...I only liked a few of her movies, the rest were just blah..." Celosia grumbled.

"Don't hate because she's successful," Trinity snickered.

"Look, just make sure you avoid that man and keep that bunch of brats in line. We're moving forward with our plans and we do not want to be disrupted" Celosia said with a grimace.

"Yes your highness..." Trinity muttered, shaking her head.

"By the way, I have a little task for you. In order to help you gain their trust, I've tasked several underlings with the mission of causing a little disruption along the route you all will no doubt be taking" Celosia said with a playful smirk.

"And what's that got to do with me?" Trinity inquired, quirking a brow.

"My darling Trinity, don't you see? You've run into Looker...an unforseen circumstance no doubt. He needs to be on board the ship that says you're an ally. That will keep you under the radar. Catch my drift?" Celosia smirked.

"I'm guessing you want me to fight against my own team? Won't that count as betrayal?" Trinity replied.

"Betrayal? Hardly. The lower ranks have never had the pleasure of meeting the members of the Inferno Branch. They won't suspect a thing so you can have all the fun you want. Besides, these are the one's I've been put in charge of disciplining. You see they've been failing as of late and need to be re-educated. And who better to do that than you and that group? By the way, Tyson will be there too...I want you to teach him a lesson. His group has been a constant disappointment. Think of it as a little harmless fun among friends" Celosia grinned.

"Well, if it's up for knocking the heads of the incompetent, I'm in," Trinity smirked, I never really liked Tyson anyway so this will be fun."

"Good girl, now I must get back to the meeting or our leader is going to be knocking my head..." Celosia said, winking out.

She soon got up and actually went to the bathroom. She had used it as an excuse before but this time she really had to go. Flushing, she'd come out and close the door to her room and make her way down the hall and then down the stairs to see that the group was now eating.

"That took you quite a bit, is everything okay?" Tadashi asked curiously, taking a bite of a biscuit smothered in turkey sausage gravy.

"Yeah, I just really had to go. Gotta love those urges..." she laughed nervously.

Tadashi simply shrugged and continued eating. Clarice rolled her eyes and also resumed her meal. Victor leaned back and took a sip of his juice before setting it down.

Spotting the cart that was wheeled over to the table, she saw various foods on it. There were pancakes, waffles, eggs, tofu, sausage, turkey and pork, along with other delectable delicacies. She loaded up her plate with several waffles and pancakes, smothered them in syrup and piled on some biscuits with gravy along with eggs to go with it.

Tadashi and the others stared at her plate. She ate though she were a marathon runner or something. Her plate was loaded with calories.

"What? I work out a lot!" Trinity said as she felt eyes on her.

Tadashi and the others simply shrugged and continued their meal until they were done. Soon they were out the door and headed towards the route to Coumarine City. It was about a few days journey considering there was another town in-between.

"Well guys, shall we go?" Tadashi inquired, getting a nod from the group.

"Let's get to it then" Tadashi said as they all walked through the station to the next route.

Trinity walked beside Tadashi, making sure to stay as close to him as possible. Clarice once again seemed visibly flustered which Victor noticed rather easily.

"Somebody's jealous..." Victor said quietly, earning a scowl from Clarice.

"Victor?" Clarice said calmly.

"Yes Clarice?" Victor asked, suddenly doubling over as Clarice rammed her knee into his family jewels.

Tadashi and Trinity looked back to see Victor bent over and Clarice with a satisfied smirk.

"She did it again...didn't she?" Tadashi grimaced, getting a nod from Victor who slowly straightened himself, walking funny for a bit before he finally could walk normally.

Victor looked over at Clarice who had suddenly stopped walking. He raised a brow and looked where she was staring, his eyes going wide at what he saw. Fire was spreading over the trail. Trees were burning and there were a group of trainers tied up in the midst of a ring of fire.

Tadashi's eyes were wide as saucers at this point. His body was trembling at what he saw. His heart was beating at a rapid pace. His eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth, his fists clenching tightly. He was furious.

Not too far from where he was stood a group of Team Flare grunts along with a very familiar man in a white suit. The Mega Houndoom was standing at his side and it turned around to growl at the oncoming group.

"Looks like Celosia was right about you all coming this way..." Tyson smirked, turning around to gaze upon the oncoming group.

"You...asinine...heartless monster..." Tadashi spat.

"Ah, do you like what I've done with the place? I admit I may have gone a bit overboard here but when you've got a job to do, you do it right?" Tyson said with a chuckle. His underlings gathering around him with their pokeballs at the ready.

"Victor...Clarice...take care of the wounded" Tadashi said firmly.

"When did you become the boss of me?" Clarice snapped.

"I said do it!" Tadashi replied harshly, catching Clarice by surprise.

She saw unimaginable anger in his eyes, something she thought she'd never see. He was usually calm, even when she did piss him off he never once gave her a look like that. She gulped and swallowed her pride this time. Even Trinity was taken aback by it. Victor saw it as no surprise considering he'd noticed Tadashi's sense of justice long before anyone else had. If it hadn't been made clear back by Geosenge then it would never be.

Clarice grabbed Frogadier and Wartortle's pokeball and Victor grabbed Corphish. The two sent their pokemon out and darted for the people tied up beneath a tree with flaming branches. One of the branches fell and was headed straight down to land atop the trainers.

"Wartortle, Frogadier, use water pulse!" Clarice ordered.

Her pokemon obeyed and put out the fire quickly while at the same time sending the branch far away from the trainers.

"Cut them loose Corphish" Victor called out, watching as his lobster-like pokemon cut through the ropes that bound the trainers.

Trinity stood by Tadashi as they were surrounded by a few Houndour, and some Houndooms as well. Some of the grunts Pokemon had evolved since they last met which put the odds slightly in their favor. There were about eight in total, nine counting Tyson.

"It seems you've brought along another, fascinating...she'll be joining you as I send you to hell..." Tyson stated as he activated his mega ring, transforming Houndoom into Mega Houndoom.

Trinity and Tadashi looked at each other and nodded as they chose their Pokemon. Clarice and Victor joined them quickly.

"Burn them!" Tyson's voice echoed out.

And so ends part one of two! Yes, I left it at a cliffy, so what? Don't worry, the next chapter and second part will be up soon. I hope you're all enjoying it so far. I know some of you might have been expecting Looker to appear at some point right? I figured it would be a good place to add him in. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Until the next chapter, Mango out!