(A/N: Another somewhat filler chapter, though it does introduce a new rival to Gio's Johto Journey whom has made an appearance in the Anime episode: 'Mild N' Wooly'. Also, there's a surprise ending for Kyden. The title is a reference to Memphis and you will see why. Also, the area where Kyden's story takes place, Bloomingvale, is the location that was first seen in 'Grin to win'.)

Blessed Defiance - Chapter 14: The Grim Mareeper

Fingers hovering over the 'Bounty Plagues' control board, J sat atop the command bridge of the cockpit with a lustful appetite for fulfillment. Memphis had issued their hunt for Giovanni and she was obediently following through. Two encounters with the trainer already had helped her comprehend the severity of the situation. Although this was all just one scheme that in reality, binded to another. An unidentified client of Memphis was yearning for the death of the Torino Leader, whose identity also remained unknown to the thespian eyes of the public. The key to crossing paths with such a secretive crime lord . . . was through Giovanni's capture. Torino wanted the annoying trainer in their clutches, and J knew oh so well that beating them to the cut would be no easy chore.

Then Memphis entered the control room from behind, spreading fear and aversion into the presence of the stationed henchman below the bridge. The cloaked Pokemon Hunter loomed over his female subordinate like a nosy stranger. "J. Report.", His deep mechanical voice reviled.

After a few clicks on the control pad, J grinned maliciously. "Well lucky for you, I just picked up something interesting."

"What is it?", Memphis insisted like an eager child. "Have you located Giovanni?"

"I have.", J replied in short. But another plan was concocting in her head. "And he's positioned near a mountain ranch, approximately 39.3 miles away."

A sensation of indulgence then filled the rare smile the concealed hidden within his black hood. "Excellent! Boost the engine thrusters and set coordinates!"

"Affirmative!", The henchman below recited concurrently.

"Just a second.", J held up. "I have an-"

"Idea?", Memphis growled at her in annoyance. He couldn't handle another one just yet. "Forget it, J. Erase it from your mind and get back to work."

"It involves kidnapping a bunch of Pokemon!", She told him, taunting him with an unrefusable offer.

He slowly turned around, trying to diminish his interest. "What kind of Pokemon?"

She leaned back comfortably. "Try a whole herd of Mareep."

"A whole herd?" Now his interest was exposed entirely. Having spent so many years in the Sinnoh Region, he had encountered dozens of farmers and mountain ranchers who would have loved to get ahold of such Pokemon. Not to mention the fleece sellers that would have love to get their hands on fresh, pure, Mareep wool for the game of profit. "Captivating. And since Giovanni is local, we'll undoubtfully have something by the end of the day."

J was at the edge of her seat, awaiting an answer. "So we have plan then?"

After another moment of thought, the Hunter nodded in agreement. "Yes. We have a plan. But you had better be right about this, J."

…...

Miles away in a grassy meadow surrounded by a cold mountain terrain, Delia and Gio were engaging in a fierce Pokemon Battle in hopes of improving their training. Gio would need it especially what with his next Gym Match approaching rapidly.

"Ariados, Night Shade!"

"Aria!" The arachnid compliantly fired heart-pulsing crimson beams from it's horn, directly at Delia's Pokemon.

"Gloom, Dodge it!"

But Gloom just wasn't quick enough and as a result, the intake of the opposing energy swept the Mushroom opponent into the air.

"Oh no!", Delia gasped. "Gloom!"

From the right, Spencer watched the battle diligently while nurturing Faith in his arms. It was quite a sigh to see, observing two well trained Poison-Type Pokemon being pitted against each other. The outcome was unpredictable. "Who do you think will win, Meowth?"

Beside him, the feline meowed. "Merrrow!"

The junior researcher laughed. "I . . . assume you said Gio."

Meanwhile, Gloom was helplessly trying to rebound itself. "Glooooom . . ."

But Gio refused to show sympathy. Yes, Delia was his girlfriend, but this was a battle to be taken with seriousness, similar to that of his battle with her back in Pallet Town. The very same battle that degraded him to shame. "Ariados, Spider Web!"

As instructed, the eight legged insect began to shower Gloom with thick webbing like captivating prey. "Aria!"

Delia, however, was remotivated with a strategy of her own. "Gloom, Acid!"

Gloom caught onto Delia's plan immediately and began to conjure a synthetic corroding orb that easily singed through the web like fire through paper. Free from the web entanglements, Gloom charged at Ariados.

Gio grinned. He was admittedly impressed with his love. Nevertheless, he would not allow defeat. "Ariados, dodge and use Fury Swipes!"

Ariados hunched back before leaping into the air with an extremely elevated bounce. Landing behind Gloom, the large Spider Pokemon lashed out at the enemy with relentless slashes.

Delia watched as her precious Gloom became bombarded by the unavoidable spider leg blows. She was fully incapable to interfering any further. And so, she had to hand the battle over to Gio. "Oh well. I did my best." She exalted Gloom's Pokeball from the bag and reclaimed her fighter. "Alright Gio! You win. I admit it."

With nothing to reply but the sweet smile of victory, Gio recalled his Johto accomplice and approached Delia with open arms. "You need a shoulder to cry on?"

"Oh, be quiet." She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him.

Regardless, he reached his arms around her and began to kiss her earlobes with his head resting upon her shoulder.

After much resisting, she finally begin to giggle aloud at the tickling sensation. "Gio, stop!"

"Yes.", Spencer concurred, trying to look away. "Please stop. You're in the presence of a child." He was referring to Faith of course, rather than Gio.

"Chu!", Faith yelped for attention. "Chu! Chu!"

"Sorry." After finally prying Gio's arms off of her, Delia made her way to tend to Faith. "I'm here, honey!"

"Pi! Pichu!"

"Aww come on Delia.", Gio groaned, holding out another Pokeball. "Let's have another battle. Maybe I'll let you win this time."

"You finally won one battle against me and you're so full of yourself.", Delia laughed at him though not intending to mock.

Gio shook his head, maintaining the smile of a jerk. "During our travels in Kanto, I've beaten you plenty of times."

"Oh?", Delia questioned while feeding Faith some Pokebites. "What about our battle to decide who would keep Shinx?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, that's not one I regret."

Spencer was now chuckling. Though he hated to agree with Gio, this was now Delia's best argument. "I'm sorry Delia but if you haven't noticed, Luxio has become a vicious killing machine."

She sighed in response. "All the more reason I'm done battling you, Gio. Luxio is too aggressive and Gloom needs to rest."

"Well . . . there's always Faith?", Gio recommended. He was the only one of their group to first recognize the tiny Pichu's fighting potential, despite Delia's dismay. "Why not give her a chance?"

Delia remained unsure of this decision. Yes, Faith had been unexpectedly helpful in many past cases: Trampling Tank and his posse at Oak's Lab, Decimating Difo's Electrivire at the Pallet Town Lake, and overpowering J back in New Bark Town. But the idea of risking Faith to such an indeterminable future seemed anomalous. "I'd . . . rather not, Gio."

Instead of starting an unnecessary debate, Gio diverted his attention to his other friend. "What about you Spence? You up for a batt-" He abruptly stopped speaking . . . because something large was approaching from the right. He squinted for a better look as his friends and Meowth joined him. Aside from the rumbling ground, a dust cloud appeared to be nearing. "You don't suppose it's Norrington being chased by another pack of Onix, do you?", Gio joked.

Both Delia and Spencer rolled their eyes. "Don't even joke about that! ", They berated in a vital tone. Their encounter with the insolent hiker days ago was already on the verge of blending among repressed memories.

"Baaaa!" But whatever was approaching, was no longer distant. And suddenly, the group found themselves surrounded by dozens of sheep Pokemon, frantically hopping and scurrying around them. They had no self control whatsoever! "Baaaa!"

"What . . . aghh . . .are these things?", Gio hollered for his voice to be heard as he struggled to grab his Pokedex.

"MAREEP, THE WOOL POKEMON. THEY TEND TO APPEAR IN FLOCKS AND HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN BATTLE BECAUSE OF THEIR MILD DISPOSITIONS. MAREEP STORE STATIC ELECTRCITY WITHIN THEIR WOOL COAT AND WILL DISHARGE IT WHEN ENDENGERED."

"That's comforting!", Spencer grunted, backing away from the Mareep that were excitedly gathering around his legs.

"What do you think you are doing?", A voice harshly scolded up ahead. A fifteen year old girl was approaching. By looks, she was pretty yet presented an angry expression. She wore a blue short-sleeved dress covered by a green apron and red vest. She had palish-pink skin, brown hair tied back into a ponytail, and dark blue eyes. Her voice pertained to a rather strict and uptight tone. "You had better explain yourselves!"

"We didn't do anything!", Spencer proclaimed.

"No, not you.", Ellen reassured, scrambling over to the Mareep that were circling Gio. "Break it up! All of you!"

But the Mareep refused to listen. "Baaaa!"

"I said break it up!", She repeated, trying avoid her embarrassment in the presence of the newcomers. "Listen to me!"

But when the Mareep ignored her yet again, Delia took charge. "Meowth, save Gio!"

"Meow!" Meowth assented to her wishes and unleashed a deafening screech attack. "MEEEOWWWW!"

"Baaa!" Unwelcomed by the breaking sound-waves, the flock of Mareep scrambled back into the direction they derived. They could not bear Meowth's secret but tiring weapon.

Once Meowth had enough, he culminated his cry of distress.

"Yeah, that's right!", The girl howled at her withdrawing herd. "Go back to the ranch and stay there!" After a deep sigh, she turned to to finally meet the face of Meowth's owner . . . but only to become unexpectedly . . . dazzled. "Oh . . . well hello."

Gio stood up in a daze, but finally shook hands with the blushing girl. "Hey there.", He groaned, rubbing his head with his other hand. "I'm Giovanni."

"I'm Ellen.", She spoke while blushing. "Very nice to meet you . . . err . . .can I call you Gio?"

It didn't even take sixty seconds for Delia to realize what was happening. She had lived this before and would not go through it again. She didn't hesitate to break Gio's handshake with the arrival and extend her own hand out instead. "Actually, he only goes by 'Gio' with CLOSE FRIENDS."

Ellen glared at Delia with a puzzled look. "And you are-"

"Delia.", She blurted out a bit too quickly. "I'm Gio's girlfriend."

"And I'm Spencer.", Their left out friend called over despite Ellen paying of no mind. Instead, she seemed to be visually feuding with Delia.

And finally, Gio was assimilating the ordeal. Though it didn't take him long upon noticing Delia's face flushed with fuming jealousy. "Oh no . . . here we go again."

After an awkward pause, Ellen finally parted from her exchange of intimidating glances with Delia and turned her attention to Meowth. "Thank you, brave one. Those Mareep wont listen for the life of me."

"Do you take care of those Mareep, Ellen?" At last, Spencer got a word in. It was for the sole purpose of ending such awkwardness rather than stealing attention.

"I cant say that I don't.", Ellen explained, despondent over that separate crisis. "They live with me back at my ranch. Unfortunately, it's a long story." She turned to Gio. "Gio, would you and your . . . friends like to rest at my cabin? There's plenty to eat."

Delia's crude streak was settling in. "Actually, we should be leaving-"

"Are you kidding?", Gio cut her off, more attracted to the idea of fulfilling his appetite rather than Ellen. "I'm starving so lead the way!"

"Meow! Meow!"i

Again, Ellen blushed before starting towards the mountain terrain. "Alright then lets get moving."

…...

The Bloomingvale Town Museum fell into a state of panic in only a matter of seconds. Tourists screamed in horror, backing away fearfully as a squadron of Torino soldiers violently raptured through the building's large glass windows, infecting fear into the souls of the petrified civilians. "Everyone on the ground!", Tank bellowed as if chief of the invasion force. "Any rare Pokemon or items? If so, hand them over or face our wrath!"

"Enough!", General Crissela scowled at the preposterous fool while slowly entering through the infringed passage. While Tank and a couple of troops dispersed the area, she took a quick glance around before noticing a scared little girl, ducking at her feet, hugging a Sunflora doll. Crissela smiled evilly and kneeled down. "Such a beautiful little girl."

The whispers of the deceitful woman sent chills through the girl's body. "Please . . .", She weeped hysterically. "Don't hurt me-"

"Shhhhh.", Crissela soothed while fondling the girls curly brown hair. "You don't have to repulse the torment, little one.", She explained. Her methods of obtaining what she wanted had already been calculated. "I envy youth.", She whispered into the child's ear. "Children, the offspring of the foolish. They struggle not, to accept the fear that penetrates their naked souls. And so, their fate will seal . . . painlessly."

Those words instantly impelled the small girl to sob uncontrollably. "Mommy, don't let her hurt me!"

"I wont, honey!", The mother consoled only a few feet away. The woman was also drenched in tears. Her daughter's life was in mortal danger. "Please, General. Take what you want . . . just don't hurt my daughter!"

Crissela jested the begging like a pun. It was hopeless. It was useless. Other's pain was her amusement. Nothing could change that. "Torino needs to be feared.", She addressed the mother, signaling her forces to aim their weapons at the helpless girl. "These are dark times. Times where Torino's brutality will finally be reprieved." Her cold hands resting on the shoulders of the adolescent could feel the girl's heartbeat accelerate, her breath receding into small terror-stricken huffs, and the internal fear expand into emotional decay. "Can you feel it?", Crissela murmured into her ear. She loved victimizing the weak. She loved how the fear of others would empower her. This was the moment. "Can you feel the adrenaline rush eating away at your soul?" Satisfied, she stood up and walked into the Museum's artifact chamber while listening to the sudden gunfire from behind . . . followed by the mother's afflicting shriek of dread. Crissela . . . could only smirk. "Yes. Torino will be feared."

Just then, Tank appeared before her. Apparently, the coward couldn't handle a live execution yet he was managing to exert a proud face.

She snarled at the moronic inferior. "What are you smiling about?"

"Our forces managed to find something interesting.", He reported casually . . . like he would actually receive a promotion from one single achievement. "It could be worth a lot!"

"We'll soon see.", She countered and followed him onwards to the site.

…...

Ellen's ranch cabin was practically heaven to Gio. They hadn't stop to rest somewhere for a long while and they were a bit scarce on food. Delia could only cook so much at a time. Besides, they couldn't allow their slacking off to cut into their schedule. But now it was offered to them gladly, thanks to Ellen's unwanted attraction to Gio.

As promised, Ellen was explaining details about the Mareep as they all clustered around the living room table. "It's frustrating really. They wont listen to a thing I say. I guess I shouldn't even call myself a shepherdess."

As oppose to Delia who assumed Ellen was bragging, Spencer raised a second question. "Why do you do it then?"

"Because it was a responsibility that my father left to me before he died.", She grieved. "But after months of trying, the Mareep don't even react to anything I say anymore. I should consider myself lucky that they haven't abandoned the ranch yet."

"Well maybe you should have thought about becoming a Pokemon Trainer instead.", Delia remarked somewhat impolitely with her arms crossed.

"Oh but that's just the thing!", Ellen enlightened the suggestion. "I do want to be a Pokemon Trainer! . . . But I cant abandon the Mareep. That's why I entered the 'Herdcrosscountry' competition."

"Herdcrosscountry.", They all asked, estranged.

"It's a special event being hosted at the Mareep Festival.", She explained. "Unlike the other events being held at the pageant, this one isn't tradition. It's a once and a lifetime chance! A bunch of the valley's ranchers compete to herd their flock across Johto and back without loosing a Mareep."

Gio laughed at her absurdity. And he thought Norrington was unusual. "What does any of this have to do with Pokemon Training?"

Ellen smiled at him charmingly and continued on. "Well, handsome, I'll tell you." She ignored Delia's flaring eyes and proceeded. "Herding across the Johto Region is also the perfect opportunity for me to compete in the Johto League. Not only will I be fulfilling my dream of becoming a Pokemon Trainer, but I'll also be honoring my father's legacy by participating in the festival event."

Spencer could now link her story to her present issue. "And you cant accomplish either of those things because the Mareep wont listen to you, right?"

"I'm afraid so.", She said discouraged, before shockingly deciding to rest her head on Gio's shoulder. "It's time's like this where I need someone to comfort-"

Delia was now full of rage. She stood up and pounded her fists upon the table. "Alright, that's enough!"

Frightened, Meowth and Faith cowered beneath the table.

Gio shook Ellen off of him and stood up. "Delia, calm down-"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Her face was glowing red. It was almost a deathly sight to watch.

"Ironic, isn't it?", Spencer snickered to himself while finishing his soup. "She's the one complaining and he's the one telling her to calm-"

"SHUT UP!", Both Gio and Delia snapped to their intrusive friend.

And he did just that.

Delia then refocused herself on Gio. "This is Lola all over again!"

"What? No it isn't!" For once, he was making a valid rebuttal. He was actually crazy for Lola at one time. Romantically, he couldn't care less for Ellen. "If anything, I'm like Lola and Ellen's like me a year ago!"

"Now there's an image I wanted in my head.", Spencer impulsively uttered in sarcasm.

"SPENCER, SHUT UP!"

Ellen sat confused. She was clueless as to what the two were bickering over. "Wait a second. Lola? Gio has another girlfriend?"

"No!", Gio exclaimed. This was one day he regretted waking up to.

"And don't call him Gio!", Delia clamored. "Only I can call him that!"

"And me.", Spencer added though regretfully.

"SPENCER, SHUT UP!"

At that moment, Faith began to bounce up and down repeatedly, pointing towards the front door. "Pi! Chu!"

After a minute of silence, the teenagers cooperated and suspiciously rushed to the front door. Something wasn't right at all. They were correct. Looming from the doorway, Gio found that the Mareep were going berserk. From afar, a dozen of Memphis' Battle Vans were approaching rapidly, grazing over the ranch as the sound of the engines blistered the Mareep's refuge. "We've got trouble!" Gio darted out the door while latching onto a Pokeball. Meowth tailed closed behind.

Ellen then followed. She was unaware as to what was occurring now. Whatever the danger was, it was scattering the Mareep worse than before. "What's going on?"

"Pokemon Hunters.", Delia replied harshly as she sprinted past her to join her boyfriend.

This was appalling. Ellen had never thought such an enemy would threaten her home. "Pokemon Hunters? In Johto?"

The vehicles were advancing closer, and by the time they were about two yards away, they began to diffuse several abduction nets at the frenzied Mareep collection.

"No!", Ellen yelled. "The Mareep!" But she was leaning towards the angry side rather than frightened. "Gio, take those boneheads out! For me?"

Gio tried hard to ignore her. As long as Delia remained passive, he would as well. Besides, it was time to concentrate on an approximating battle. The Mareep had already been captured and pulled into the lead Battle Van, but because of his past experience with the villain's kind, he wasn't in the least surprised that they were continuing to course towards them.

Delia gouged Faith into her arms. "Don't worry, Faith. DADDY will handle this." She had hoped to debase Ellen by emphasizing 'DADDY'.

But Faith was struggling restlessly and was reaching her tiny arms out to join Gio and Meowth on the front lines. "Pi! Chu! Pi!"

"Huh?" Delia was speechless. Almost never would Faith refuse her affection. The Pichu's behavior, however, was no rejection. Delia had soon realized that she merely wanted to partake in the fight. "Faith . . . wants to fight? Should I . . . let her?" But the thought was immediately desisted. Wiping her mind from any close call decisions, Delia placed Faith into the bag. "You'll be safer this way, Faith. I'm sorry."

Back on the range, time seemed to have froze. The Lead Battle Van made it's halt only 30 feet from Gio's bearing. The other vehicles underwent a most peculiar informality. As oppose to excelling their procedures by assembling a precisely coordinated attack pattern, the vans reverted their course and started to retreat back into the mountains.

The enemy's conspicuous act left Gio puzzled. In fact, the desertion was almost like a slap in the face. He wanted a challenge for the sake of his training and yet he was left unopposed. Unless of course . . . the lead battle van contained-

At last, Memphis' lethal cohort, J, appeared. Rising upon the levered platform of the Van's hood, the 13 year old Pokemon Hunter in training braced her wrist cannon at Giovanni. "Unfortunately, those Mareep weren't the only targets on my given list."

This came as no shock and Gio could not deny it. An opponent such as herself only justified his existence to a point where she could prosper from it. And just like that, he felt acknowledged again. If it wasn't already obvious that the other henchman had fled the scene out of fear of loosing the Mareep to his appetite for heroism, then what other reason applied?

Ellen involved herself right then. She was asserting her oppressive bitterness. "Those Mareep don't belong to the likes of you thieves! You'd better rally those steam engines of yours and hand them back!"

"Your Mareep wont be harmed.", J enlightened even though she was in no position to do so. "Protecting our investments is an important aspect that comes with this job, unfortunately."

Gio growled rancorously while his hand glided at the first Pokeball hanging from his belt. "Well 'unfortunately' for you, you've hunted your last Pokemon!" He tossed the capsule forward to engender the pivoting battle. "Ariados, do this!"

Ariados appeared. "Aria!"

The countenance displayed on the young hunter's face introduced a new contrivance of heinous intentions. The Ariados used to faze her was truthfully astounding her with fascination. "That Ariados is my type of Pokemon.", She gruffed as she aimed the wrist cannon at the spider.

Delia squealed the moment J fired.

"Aria!" But Ariados revolted with it's rouge-staggering beam of Night Shade!

The opposing forces clashed and J was knocked backward. "Ahh! Pitiful Spider!"

"Pitiful?", Gio asked sarcastically. "I thought you wanted Ariados."

"Pitiful under your care.", She corrected while standing back up. "But if I wish to secure my capture thoroughly, I guess I'll have to play old school!" Her next move happened in the blink of an eye. With a Pokeball in tow, she released her own partner.

A . . . Drapion appeared? "Draaaroah!"

All three teenagers gasped . . . except Gio. He wasn't about to surrender. "New Pokemon?"

"Evolved from Skorupi just yesterday, actually." But would this keep her brilliant plans from falling apart . . . again? J had confidence that mirrored his own. She was not about to give up either. A newly evolved Drapion was shedding light on her occurring operation. "This seems like the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it's power!" She pointed forward. "Drapion, weaken that Ariados and show these fools whose boss!"

As the two venomous giants commenced their brawl, Spencer stood silently aghast. J's reluctance to use her technology to capture Gio and his Pokemon stunned him . . . but not until he had put the pieces together in his mind and realized that J was no fool. Having failed at this same situation before, the young Pokemon Hunter in training was understanding her own intelligence more clearly. The capabilities of Gio and his Pokemon had proven superior to J's petty warfare in the past. Now she was going to play by his rules voluntarily rather than as a last resort, careful not to risk the previous mistakes again. And with a Pokemon transformed into it's finest, J felt fearless, borderline unstoppable! "Gio, be on your guard! She's not going to stop until you and Ariados are powerless!"

But Gio resented Spencer's negative brainstorming. "If I'm going down then she's going down with me! Ariados, use Agility!"

Ariados speedily blitzed from one position to another and then to another and then to another to another to another, each time avoiding Drapoion's long range attacks and gaining closer grounds to the scorpion beast.

J smirked at the feeble move. "Clever but luckily my new Pokemon comes with a complete set of new tricks! Drapion, Toxic Spikes!"

"Drooooaaaar!" Drapion hastily conjured a purple orb from inside it's mouth and then is fired it into the air, creating a stream of purple power! The orb then detonated and divided into multiple spikes covered in dark purple energy which then fell to the grass surface.

The ground's spreading acidic virus immediately incapacitated Ariados at first contact, shrouding it's body with a tainted energy and draining it's power rapidly. "Aria! Aria!"

"Ariados!", Gio shouted. "Stay focused!"

But Ariados was too distracted by the searing pain that was depleting it's consciousness. The toxic would surely subdue the spider soon enough.

And that's where Drapion seized the moment and slammed it's mighty tail into Ariados, sending the eight-legged captive spiraling into the skies.

Spencer shook his head in the panicked Gio's direction. "It doesn't seem like she's going down with you-"

"SPENCER, SHUT UP!", Ellen yelled at him for the first time among the two participants whom had already ridiculed his comments. "This battle isn't about you!"

Then Delia countered Ellen. "And it's not about you either!"

Meowth rolled his eyes. "Meow." He was never one for human arguments. While Pokemon commonly settled their differences with their powers, Humans tended to hurt with words. Meowth never understood the logic. The only constructive words that should have came out of a human's mouth should have always been motivational support for the Pokemon. "Mreeeowww."

Meanwhile, Gio was in a bit of a pickle. Ariados had landed but was weakening expeditiously from the outcome of the Toxic Spike's fusing into it's body like an unnatural chemical compost. "Ariados, get up and fight!"

"You're making this too easy!", J mocked. Drapion was undoubtedly her most successful Pokemon yet. "Drapion, Tackle it!"

As Drapion began it's closing onset, Ariados was left to prep an attack of surprise. Not even bothering to take commands from Gio, the Arachnid ejected a Night Shade attack from it's horn. It was a matter of survival now. Gio was no longer serving that option as well as he could have.

To much luck for the young trainer, The crimson firepower had caught the massive scorpion off guard. Though it had not been hit, it had lost it's balance while attempting to evade. Gio felt a moment of relief. It lasted only briefly though. "Ariados, ignore the pain and get Drapion while it's down!"

Ariados' legs wobbled as if they were crippled. The poor Spider barely had enough strength to lift itself from the ground. But with all perseverance, the attempt was long-lasted. "Ari . . .Aria . . . Ar . . ." It used the last of it's energy to whack at Drapion repeatedly with it's front legs.

This only annoyed Drapion. The scorpion sprang up, knocking Ariados over once again and crossed it's claws into an X formation before unleashing a powerful blast of violet energy.

This sent Ariados lifting off the ground once again, but this time pummeling into Gio and knocking both of them unconscious on the ground.

"No!", Delia pouted with her hands cupping her mouth. Her boyfriend would never recover unless she tended to him immediately. "Gio! I'm coming! Please be-"

But J wouldn't have it. "Move and you get his same treatment!"

Delia compliantly stood frozen upon that threat. Everyone did, resulting in dead silence.

Now J had recalled Drapion and was readying her Wrist Cannon again. The boy's friends would put up no struggle against her usual weaponry and Meowth was not about to risk his master's life by imitating his defiance. "With Giovanni and Ariados disable, the last memories of the forgotten hero will be all but washed away in just a moment." She raised her weapon at the boy she had longed to turn into stone. "Finally, the moment has-" The last word never made it's debut. She had been abruptly discontinued by a flashing red light within her shady goggles. Memphis was trying to establish contact. She initiated the built-in radio and spoke into the tiny microphone attached to her right earphone. "Yes?"

Memphis' blustering voice shattered the moment. "Why didn't you report back to base with the rest of our forces!"

His scolding didn't even make her flinch. "Oh I'm pretty sure you know why."

"You've found Giovanni!", He assumed with a loud bark.

"I have both he and his Pokemon disenabled.", She reported. "And his friends are motionless hostages. I was about to capture the targets . . . but then you called."

His final words were in the least inspiring. "Well get done with it already!"

Delia personally shuddered at the sound of the voice's mechanical savageness. It disturbed her greatly in certain ways that she almost wanted to puke. "So that's Memphis . . ." She noticed J ascending her weapon again and began to shudder at a new yet familiar fear. "Gio! No!" But as always, there was something else to delay the moment. Although this interruption was very diverse from the others.

From Delia's backside, Faith was bucking from the bag. "Chu! Pi!"

J turned her attention to Delia. She was struggling to keep Faith in the bag. It was a rather comical sight.

"Delia . . . you're going to kill us all!", Spencer thought.

Ellen was thinking alike. "Is she really putting her own boyfriend's life in jeopardy?"

"No Faith, you cant fight!", Delia hollered in whisper though it wasn't doing any good. "Stay put!" Finally, Delia lost hold of the bag while trying to restrain Faith and one of her Pokeballs spilled out.

Luxio appeared. "Lux!"

"Oh no!" Now Delia was really feeling fear.

J was daunted by this sudden confrontation. "A Luxio! In Kanto? What in the-"

But Luxio ignored her criticism and furiously catapulted it's electric-charged body into her Battle Van. "Luxiooo!"

This maneuver knocked J into the cockpit. "Ahhh!"

Delia found herself dazzled. She had forgotten how dominant Luxio was over it's enemies like it had been during the raid of Professor Wade's laboratory. "Umm . . . good job Luxio?"

"Luxio!" The lion Pokemon roared triumphantly and then discharged a powerful Thunderbolt from it's internal hold.

While the Battle Van seemed virtually indestructible, the pressure of the electrical attack had easily propelled the vehicle far into the distance, until it could no longer be seen visibly.

Delia was cheering gleefully. Now Gio was safe and sound thanks to her accidental helper. "Luxio, that was such a great job!"

Luxio turned it's head and gave her a nasty stare.

Without hesitating, she picked up Luxio's Pokeball and recalled it. "I . . . guess you're still not ready to get along."

"I don't think Luxio is the only one whose lost interest in friendship.", Spencer said, fingering behind her.

She turned over to find a very upset Faith, refusing to rejoin her upon hearing her call. "Faith, whats wrong dear?"

"Chu! Pichu!", She shrilled with much displeasure. Following this, the tiny Pichu scurried into the cabin.

Delia drew in a sharp breath. Faith had never repudiated her. "Faith . . .", She whispered, almost crying. "What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't let her battle.", Spencer answered. He was right of course.

"You saw the kind of danger we were in! I just couldn't allow it, Spencer!"

"Who are you trying to convince.", He calmly inquired as if he were a therapist of some sort. "Me or her?"

"Well I took care of J, didn't I?", She argued with him. She was working hard to protect her title as a mother. "We're all safe now because of me!" Such a Gio comment.

"Only because you accidentally dropped Luxio's Pokeball when resenting Faith!" It was a valid but cruel point of him to make. "If you want to be a good mother, start thinking about what's in the best interest of-"

"Enough of this!", Ellen silenced them both. "None of that matters anymore! Those thieves have kidnapped all of my Mareep!"

Sitting up and rubbing his head, Gio grumbled angrily while reclaiming Ariados. J had really done a number on both them. "Those bounty creeps can't go unpunished for this!"

And then Delia felt a new passion of acrimony building up insider her. "Believe me, Gio. They wont!"

…...

In the grassy outskirts of Bloomingvale where the jolly Sunflora roamed about, Kyden was securing the outside of the Transport Drill. The last of Crissela's strike team was returning from their museum raid. He waited a solid 4 minutes for Crissela to cross paths with him, being the last one in line.

He looked up at her. "Fun mission?"

"Just what I needed to complete my day", She sighed like a daydreaming school girl. "These kinds of missions are always thrilling."

Not exactly glamorous, but he couldn't honestly confirmed that there was no blood involved regarding her assignment. After all, she had a policy to never kill someone personally unless it were at the hands of either her Pokemon or troops . . . or as she liked to call them both her dear 'babies.' Even so, she had to have gained something valuable from the campaign and he needed to take his mind off of Eevee. "So what did you find at the museum?"

She grinned and withdrew two oddly colored shards from a wooden case. "A Sun Shard and a Moon Shard. According to the description, they withhold unique powers. The Museum Owner obtained it from an Orre Region Merchant. It must be worth a good price to be kept behind glass."

Kyden nodded, trying to be supportive . . . but the emotional scar in his heart was still flashing Crissela's discerning eyes.

She shook her head and folded her arms. Another talk was about to begin between them. "You look awful, Kyden."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot." But rather than just leaving off at a simple reply such as that, he carried on. "I . . . didn't get much sleep last night."

"Along with every other night since you and Eevee split apart.", She reminded him. It was only depressing him more though so she needed to uplift his spirits as best she could. "Cheer up, Kyden. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"Not one like Eevee.", He bellowed.

Now she was determined to pull him away from his melancholy. It was in her style to boast that she was right about these sort of things, but Kyden wasn't just any mere Torino soldier who she could humiliate. "Well . . . I could always hook you up with on of my Pokemon."

Kyden cringed his face. The conversation's subject was closely resembling to that of a male to female breakup in the world of human interaction . . . and it was freaking him out. "No . . . I'd rather not."

She continued with her analogy, despite not being aware of it. "Well trust me Kyden, when you find that special one . . . you'll know-"

"Okay, this conversation is officially over!" He turned away and began to climb the latter back to Drill's top hatch. "I'll . . . see you later, Crissi."

Once he was gone, Crissela remained in her spot . . . pondering deeply. "Poor little boy . . ." She couldn't even tell if she was thinking sarcastically. It mattered not. She was feeling sorrow for sure. Kyden was drifting away into a state of despair. And more and more she was understanding . . . just how much that one Eevee had meant to him.

…...

Later that night while everyone was sleeping, Delia's mind was made up. She was having mixed feelings of both guilt and anger. The only way to rid of those pestering emotions was to redeem her mistakes from earlier. Taking advantage of everyone's sleeping, Delia's plans were to find wander into the mountain domain, locate Memphis' Airship, and liberate the Mareep from their imprisonment. Why? Well it was certainly not because she wanted to help Ellen, the girl that was currently hitting on her boyfriend. Neither was it to avenge Gio for J's cruel means of battling. No, she had other plans in store.

"Faith?", Delia whispered to her tiny Pichu, whom had decided to sleep in the corner of the bedroom . . . away from her. "Faith, wake up sweetie."

The tiny Pichu refused to respond.

"Faith . . . I'm sorry I wouldn't let you fight earlier." She was finally admitting to her mistakes. "Gio was right about you having great potential. I guess I was just acting like an overprotective mother because I didn't want to see you get hurt."

Finally, Faith rolled to her side to face her. "Pi?"

Delia then began to explain the objective. "I want to make it up to you. I want you to come with me so we can search for the stolen Mareep and catch those mean Pokemon Hunters off guard." To show how serious she was being, Delia rolled her other Pokeballs away. "Just you and me, sweetheart. What do you say?"

"Pi!", Faith chanted nosily. "Chu! Chu!"

"Shhh!", Delia shushed as she picked her up and concealed her within her arms. "We have to be quiet."

As they headed for the front door of the cabin, Delia noticed Meowth had been awakened by their clumsy outbursts. "Oh . . . Meowth. Faith and I are . . . going to spend some bonding time together."

"Meow? Meow?"

Delia nodded. "Just . . . act like you don't know anything if Gio wakes up. I don't want to worry him." As she opened the door, she remembered one final duty for the feline. "Oh and Meowth? Make sure Ellen doesn't pull a stunt on Gio. The last thing I want is to come back and find my boyfriend cuddled up with an indignant shepherdess. So . . . don't hesitate to use one of your Thunderbolts if that happens." And with that, she and Faith departed.

…...

After finally straying from Ellen's ranch and spending a few hours of deviating through the mountain woodlands, Delia felt like throwing in the towel and calling the whole errand off. Their search had led them in circles. If they continued at such a reckless pace, they would end up lost. "I'm sorry, Faith. I guess we should head back. You'd think that even in a place like this, we would be able to spot a stadium sized airship."

"Chu?"

Delia sighed. "Yeah, maybe the ship did take off. Who knows? Maybe the ship was never here to begin with and J had already thought ahead to leave us stranded in a-"

But Faith wasn't making suggestions. Instead, she had picked up an interesting scent and was trying to acquire her attention. "Chu! Pi!" The little rodent Pokemon took off into a patch of large bushes. "Pi!"

Delia anxiously chased after her Pokechild through the torrent of branches. "Faith, where are you going-" But her problems had been solved. Sitting a yard from them was the ginormous Airship they had been exploring for. Faith had probably picked up the scent of the smoke from J's damaged Battle Van that was ensconced within the open hangar ahead, undergoing repairs from some of the ship's technicians. "Memphis must have quite a budget." J most likely wanted to stick around a while longer so she could make another attempt at apprehending Gio.

"Chu! Pi!"

Among all of the open hangars, the one nearest to the ground seemed to be the only one accessible. But the problem was sneaking inside without Memphis' henchman noticing.

No cogitating was necessary. Faith was already storming towards the docking bay while brewing a stunning electrical pulsation from within. "Chu! Chu! Chu!"

"Faith, dont!", Delia called to her. She envied Faith's desire for action but not to a condition in which they would both pay the price mercilessly.

"Pi . . ." But before the two artificers could even react to the ambush, Faith had already disclosed a heart-pulsing Thunder attack that instantly knocked them into a paralyzed unconsciousness. "CHU!"

"Oh . . . my goodness.", Were the only words that uttered from the teen's mouth. The view was magnificent from where she had watched. "And to think I was discluding you all this time!"

Faith simpered at the compliment. "Pi!" Together, the duo silently infiltrated into the Airship's corridors.

…...

The tension in the Airship's Control Room, however, was only just beginning. The area was empty aside from Memphis and J. She had been avoiding him ever since her painful return to the ship. Now it was time to face the music. "Memphis, I failed. I confessed. What more do you want from me?"

The hooded villain's response exploded with turbulence. "How about success for a change!"

She looked away in silence.

He was far from finished. "After convincing me to approve of every 'ingenious' plan of yours, you always manage to screw them all up!"

"I captured the Mareep, didn't I?", She aggressively defied his authority over the ordeal. "That was the plan anyway and I accomplished it!" She then moved on to a new suggestion. "Why don't we just find a client to sell those cashmere vermin to and save Giovanni for later?"

"Because if we don't capture Giovanni soon then Torino will!"

She laughed at the slanderous acclaim. "Oh please! If Giovanni can outlast our wrath, he'll have no trouble dealing with Torino. We have nothing to fear!"

Memphis sat still, reviewing her opinion. She was wrong. There was much to fear. After encountering Torino's ruthless General Crissela back in Catallia City, he had to rethink who he was up against. Yes, Giovanni would belong to Torino eventually . . . but the goal was to get to him first. After all, the boy was the key to the assassination of the Torino Leader. "My client is growing impatient." His words were softening.

She beamed into his hood. "Oh? The one who wants the Torino leader dead? The one who you still refuse to tell me about?"

"J.", He whispered. "Don't get on my bad side or-" The Alarms were now sirening, forcing his sentence to subside.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

Memphis raced to his feet with J close behind. "Come along! It could be Giovanni! Scatter the forces to cut him off from all of the Airship's exits!"

…...

For Delia, the good news was that she had found her way to the higher levels of the Airship. The bad news was that the security alarm was distressing. "Faith, we need to hide before someone finds us!" Having to choose among all of the surrounding doors, Delia randomly scurried into the one beside her with Faith toddling at her feet. She activated the lock, and the door slid shut behind her. "Phew.", She sighed in relief. "That was a close one."

"Pi! Pichu!"

Delia swerved around to find that again, they had reached their destination completely by chance. They were in a cargo hold filled with shelves of embezzled Pokemon, all of which were stone trophies. She gasped at the horrifying sight. "How could anyone live with themselves for doing this . . ."

But Faith's attention was gathered in the corner of the room. "Pichu! Pi!"

Delia looked over to see what the commotion was about. It was the netted Mareep and Faith had found them. "Good job, honey!" She hasted to Faith and the Mareep. She attempted to tear the net open, but her hands instantly felt a painful electric shock billow at her veins. "Ouch!" It was minor but hurt, nonetheless. The net was pure electric wire. It could not be budged by human hands. That's where an idea arose to her preference. "Faith, you're an electric Pokemon so the shock shouldn't bother you. Can you try to tear the net apart with your teeth?"

"Chu!" Faith obliged but unfortunately the attempt was futile. Her tiny little teeth were not potent enough to rift the wire.

Feeling hopeless was now a primary urge of Delia's. Unless they could find a strong-toothed Electric Pokemon to break the wires jailing the whiny Mareep, then nothing could be done. "If Gio and Meowth were in our position, they'd have thought of something by now."

Faith hadn't given up yet though. She was now extending her arms out to the shelf above her mother's head. "Chu! Pichu!"

"Huh?" Delia tilted her head up to find a Stone Trophy Pikachu, encased in glass. That was just the type of Pokemon they required. "Faith, you've done it again my darling!" She reached for the Pikachu's glass case and placed it on the violet-marbled floor. Now the objective was to free the poor thing from it's confinement. "Err . . . lets see now." She lightly began to push down on a strange looking lever that resided on the trophy's platform. Once her finger could descend no lower, the Pikachu was no longer frozen. "Oh!"

"Pika!" The evolved Pichu was so pleased that it had been saved. It attached itself to Delia with a heartwarming hug. "Pika! Chu! Pika!"

She blushed and giggled. "Oh, it was no trouble." But the moment she had feared was now at hand. The Airship's security force was now banging on the outside of the entwined entrance, demanding and shouting all sorts of curses. She remembered what needed to be done once the Mareep began to panic again. Pikachu, I need a favor please!"

"Pika!" The Rodent Pokemon was more than willing to lend a hand as a token of gratitude for the rescue.

She began instruction. "I need you to tear open this wire net!"

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu piled onto the Mareep and began to viciously impair the bindings with it's sharp teeth. In no time at all, the Mareep were successfully emancipated.

"Baaaaa!", The flock cried with joy. But this was chaotic joy of course. As they had in the usual manner, the Mareep were scattering all over the room and refusing to listen to instructions.

"Stick together or we'll never get out of here!", Delia yelled. It was useless. Her voice was both ignored and neglected. "Oh please listen!"

Pikachu was now recognizing her worry and decided to act. After a moment of pervading it's might, the Electric Mouse emitted an array of furious Thunder Shock, followed by a penuriously frightening cry. "PIKAAAAAAAAAA!"

The Mareep were so shaken up and terrified by the outburst, that they compliantly silenced themselves and hastily submitted into an orderly line.

"Pichu!", Faith applauded her older form. "Pi!"

Delia was tingling beyond disbelief. Everything was working out so smoothly. No wonder Gio liked the thrill of adventure. "Pikachu, that was electrifying . . . literally!"

At last, the Airship's security had breached the cargo hold's entrance. "Hold it right there! Don't move!"

Minds thinking alike, both Faith and Pikachu combined their electrical talents and cleared a passage through the entrance using a double-teamed Thunderbolt. It was time for a getaway.

Delia had one last request though. "Pikachu, do you think you could help me lead these Mareep to the hangar bay on the bottom level?"

"Pika!", It saluted back.

Delia smiled and readied to fight her way through the corridors. "Then lets go!" The trio and herd bolted out of the door, practically wiping out every approaching henchman. With Pikachu leading the flock and Faith keeping the Henchman at bay with some exalting long-ranged attacks, the three seemed unbeatable! She had to give Faith most of the credit though. Without her Pichu's aid, Delia wouldn't even have made it as far as finding the Airship. Gio was right all along. Applying Faith's skills turned out to be a exhilarating experience for the both of them. And after another good 20 minutes of mentally honoring her former infant, the team had successfully reached the Hangar Bay. "We did it!", Delia cheered as they sprinted their way to the broad opening in which they entered. "We're almost-"

"Not there!" In the blink of an eye, J dropped from the ceiling and onto the course set before them, landing on both feet. While blocking their path, she looked up. "No one's going anywhere, I'm afraid!"

Sparks began to erupt from Pikachu's cheeks but Delia signaled her finger otherwise once dozens of Henchman filled the perimeter from behind. There were too many of them to handle at once.

J shook her head judgmentally. "I never expected this from you."

The moment only worsened. Memphis was now cleansing his way through the mob of henchman so that he could meet the intruder face to face. "Who is it?", He exclaimed restlessly. "Is it Giovan-" But when she turned around to face him . . . his breath fell short. He was . . . speechless.

Delia glared spitefully. She had never come across someone . . . or something like this. A hooded face, cloaked body, and an unstable presence. "So you're Hunter Memphis.", She choked on her words.

J wasn't too forgetful. It just had never occurred to her that the two acquainting would be of any importance. "Ahh Memphis. You haven't met Giovanni's girlfriend yet, have you?"

But the Master Hunter was unresponsive to anything J was saying. His hidden eyes were only staring at Delia blankly, as if he had just witnessed a gruesome murder.

J grew weary of his quietness. "Memphis?"

Again, he said nothing. The 'man' was traumatized for some odd reason.

J scorned his wimpy drama and set her wrist cannon to disintegration mode. She then aimed it at Delia. "Well anyway, good knowing you-"

"Don't fire!", Memphis howled at his student, stomping forward.

J raised up her goggles to reveal a deranged gaze. What was going through his mind? "Don't fire? And why would I do that Memphis?"

Even Delia whom was panting with fear at that moment found herself suddenly flattered by someone she assumed was her enemy.

"Because those were my orders!" The Bounty Hunter was not giving away anything but a harsh attitude and unknown intents.

But J was not about to be made the 'bad guy'. "No!", She rebelled against him, hoisting her weapon without second thoughts. "You want to see me accomplish something for once? Well you're about to get your wish!"

"No!" Memphis clutched Delia shoulders violently, speedily switched positions, and hauled his body over hers like a shield . . . but halfway through, the shot had already been fired!

After a long moment, Delia reopened her eyes to find a stream of flesh pouring down on her from part of Memphis' shoulder, which had been completely annihilated of both clothing and skin. She screamed in horror and pushed Memphis away.

J's attention dropped from Delia to Memphis. The hooded man was now on the floor, screaming in agony at the severed clavicle of his shoulder. "What . . . have I done?", J said to herself.

The ship's henchman were now all gathering around their superior with affliction. Even after the way Memphis treated them, they remained loyal and were no longer paying of any attention to Delia. "Sir, please stay awake! Don't loose consciousness!"

"Someone summon the medics immediately!", J ordered as she kneeled down beside her master. "What were you thinking?", She grumbled. "And you call me the stupid one?"

Memphis' screaming only drowned out J's insults. The severe discomfort was too much to handle . . . and he was blanking out. But he needed to be sure of one thing before he drifted into unconsciousness. He peeked over behind J to find that Delia and the Mareep were no longer there. They had escaped. Content with the result, the narcotic serum being injected into his body soothed the pain and submerged his wake mind into a haven of sleep.

…...

Morning came like it had every other day. Outside the transport, Kyden was fueling the storage hatch with supplies that Crissela had intercepted. They were about to embark on some other heedless mission . . . and he would be left to mope out because of his emotional twinge: Eevee's empty place in his life.

Crissela greeted him from behind. "Loading some cargo?"

He nodded with a noticeable frown.

She didn't want to repeat the same conversation again. He was better off left with some snappy advice. "Kyden, Eevee's not coming back so you just need to get over it."

"I know.", He completely agreed with her. "It was my decision to let him go. And I know that as long as he's happy, I'll have no place in his life anymore. Like I said, it's for the best."

She shrugged at his anecdote. "But it's still bothering you. I can see it clearly." When he said nothing more, she began to climb the steel latter. "The troops are boarded. So lets get a move on."

He nodded and followed after her. But as he started up the latter, he began to here a frantic but excited cry from behind . . . A Pokemon's call. "No.", He thought. "It couldn't be, could it?" He refused to turn around, afraid that the distress may have gotten to his brain.

"What's wrong now, Kyden?", Crissela asked from above.

He motioned his head in angles. "Nothing . . . I just thought I heard something."

Crissela was now sitting atop of the drill but could see a clear view as to what Kyden was referring to. She smirked maliciously with her eyebrows twinging. "Oh, I think you did hear something."

His eyes widened, his heart was throbbing, and his skin was plundered with goosebumps. He slowly rotated his head around and was playfully attacked by two very familiar faces. He fell from the latter and onto the grassy ground as his face became harassed with licking and nudging. "Eevee!", He skeptically gasped. "How did you-"

"Vee!" His old friend was embracing him to the fullest, refusing to detach. "Vee!"

Kyden wiped away a tear that had managed to drip from his eye. What was happening was like a child's dream come true. "You came . . . all this way to be with me again?" So it was true. Eevee was happy with him. And to his right, the other Eevee joyously rubbing her head against his scalp. "And Marlee? You came to?"

"Vwee! Vwee!"

"Apparently the two have found a common interest.", Crissela cackled from her seated position on the drill. But truth be told, the two Eevee's had found a common happiness. Marlee and Eevee shared a romance that completed the other half of each other. The relationship with a devoted Pokemon trainer, however, was the original half. When the halves blend together . . . you have a whole.

"Welcome to my team, Marlee.", Kyden ratified the decision. He turned back to Eevee next. "And Eevee . . . I think it's time I name you."

Crissela grunted at this. "Now you're naming it . . . err . . . I mean him?"

"Dexter.", Kyden spoke in a serious mannered tone. "Don't ask why . . . but it seems to fit."

"Vee!" Eevee . . . or rather Dexter, was more than enthusiastic about the identity change. It signified that the bond the two shared was now basing at a mutual level. And with two Eevee at his side, the possibilities of his future Pokemon training was endless.

Crissela remained frigid to Eevee's unexpected return. But she was finally coming to terms with the fact that Eevee was a major influence in his life as not only his first Pokemon but his best friend. "Oh Kyden!", Crissela suddenly remembered. She opened up the museum case and tossed him the Sun and Moon Shards. "It seems we have a match.", She teased.

Kyden held the shards tightly in his hands. He knew what would happen if he presented those sacred items to his Pokemon. "Dexter. Marlee." He grinned at them. "I think it's time we 'evolve' our team's potential." He held out the shards and the two Eevee eagerly began to sniff it . . . and then abruptly, a ray of light smothered the clone's eyes. There was no turning back.

…...

That same early morning, Gio darted out of the cabin to see the unbelievable. Delia was approaching the cabin along with Faith and a Pikachu. Behind her, the Mareep flock were following. "Delia!" Once he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and drove his mouth into hers.

The moment lasted briefly once she parted. "Calm down, lover boy."

He was affronted, angry, and startled but all in which pertained to blissful passion. "Where the hell were you?" He noticed a blood stain across her blouse. "Did . . . did you kill someone?"

She laughed uncontrollably as the Mareep returned to the ranch. "No, dummy! I simply went out and took the Mareep back from J and Memphis."

His hands morphed into shaming fists. "You did what?"

She then held up Faith. "Well Faith did most of the work!"

Ellen was now on the scene. A humongous smile was tract on her face. "Delia and Faith? You both did this?"

Delia shook her head. "As far as herding the Mareep away from danger goes, i'd like to introduce someone to you." She stepped aside to reveal Pikachu.

"Pika! Pikachu!"

Ellen kneeled beside the Electric Mouse and scratched it's pointy ears with much sincerity. "Pikachu, I am indebted to you! Not joking!"

"Well here's some more good news for you Ellen." Delia was just full of surprises. "On the way back to the ranch, Pikachu agreed to helping you herd your Mareep flock across Johto."

Ellen was appalled that Delia was suddenly treating her with such kindness. "Rea . . . Really? Gosh Delia. I don't know what to say!"

"Just say you'll stop hitting on my boyfriend." Of course that was the catch.

"You got yourself a deal!", Ellen granted her terms. Her mind was far from Gio . . . and back to thinking about her dreams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer. Not only would her new Pikachu help her direct her flock but would also make a worthy companion once she began to compete in the Johto League. "Sorry Gio. Looks like we'll have to start a relationship as rivals instead!"

Gio was glad to hear this. A rival would only arouse his determination even more. "How about we have our first rival battle then?"

"That's going to have to wait.", Ellen explained as she watched her new Pikachu bustle away to gather the Mareep. "Pikachu and I have yet to train yet so . . . I think you're better off battling me when I'm a bit more prepared."

"Besides, you'll already have your hands tied what with herding the Mareep and all.", Delia pointed, suspending the idea of staying any longer.

"You know me so well already!", Ellen called to them a final time as she ran to join her Pokemon.

Delia looked down to see that Faith had fallen asleep in her arms. "Aww, Faith must be exhausted."

Gio began his bragging. "Which also means that I was right about her!"

"I already said you were right.", She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her again. "I conquered my phobia of Faith being in battles. I think she's ready."

"So . . . are we not going to talk about what happened last night at all?"

This was the last thing she wanted. Her tormenting encounter with Memphis was a nightmare. "I'd rather just move on with our journey as soon as possible."

"Good." He removed his hold on her and began walking to the cabin. "I'm going to wake up Spencer and Meowth so we can get the hell outta here."

She forced a smile . . . but once he vanished into the cabin, she gradually turned her body so that she was facing the faraway mountain woodlands where her life had almost been taken if it weren't for . . . him. With a perplexed grin, she compulsed a whisper. "Thank you."

…...

'The Bounty Plague' had already taken to the skies again. Giovanni and his friends were no longer local . . . so the desperate hunters left to recoil to their formalities. The Airship was on autopilot, and while the crew scattered about the ship, Memphis affixed himself within the control room's command seat upon the bridge. Despite being hostile . . . and after hours of medical treatment, J was re-bandaging her master's pierced shoulder-blade wound.

He flinched at the pain and shrilled. "Agghhh!"

"If you'd sit still, this wouldn't hurt.", She sighed. His childish reactions were very annoying.

But he had his own smarty counterstrike. "This wouldn't hurt if I hadn't been fired upon in the first place!"

She was one step ahead of him. "You wouldn't have been fired upon in the first place if you hadn't gotten in the way!"

He proceeded the endless loop. "I wouldn't have gotten in the way if you had just listened to my orders when I said 'don't fire!'"

"And now I'm left to wonder why those were your orders in the first place!" She was wailing at him now. No longer would she be a pawn in his charades of mystery.

Memphis said nothing in exactly the same fashion he had the night before.

"I didn't think so.", J laughed rudely to his face.

After considering his list of options to settle J down, he muttered the first excuse that popped into his head. "I . . . wanted to keep her alive so we could use her as bait for Giovanni."

J's facial expression was impassive. Deep down though, she was amused. "Why don't I buy that?" It was a rhetorical question which only furthered his reticence. She shrugged off any hopes of him replying to her insinuations. "Forget it. With you, everything is a mystery."

"That's not true!"

She chortled. "But it is, Memphis. You're practically the lord of secrecy. Your identity is a secret, your past is a secret, your latest client is a secret . . . and after the stunt you pulled last night, it became clear to me that you are just a walking riddle that can't be solved." She continued to bandage as she spoke. "Nevertheless, I manage to respect your privacy."

"Nonsense!", He bawled. "You constantly question me! You have no respect at all!"

"Oh don't I?", She whispered into his darkness. "Well maybe you'd like to know that while you were unconscious last night, I had the perfect opportunity to lift up that hood of yours and see that face that's been shaded from me all these years! But you know what? I didn't."

This little insight sprung up a single question in his mind. After an awkward silence, he let out with it. "Well why didn't you?"

She shook her head composedly. "Because it makes no difference to me. Yes, i'd like to know what you're hiding . . . but manage to stay away just for your comfort. I move on with my life as best I can . . . but still have suspicions."

He approved of her generous notion. "You're best keeping those suspicions to yourself, J." And that was the end of that interesting chat.

She went along with it. Once she finished covering the last of his wounds, she faced him candidly. "It's going to be some time before you fully recover."

"If I can live with eternal remorse, I can live with pain.", He maundered.

"That's one way to go.", She consented with much sarcasm. " But . . . with you out of commission, I suppose I'll be taking over the Giovanni hunt."

"Over my dead body!" , Memphis chuckled like he had on other rare occasions. At least he was making omens with her.

She folded her hands shrewdly and leaned back in her own seat. "It wont be long before I finally have Giovanni and his Pokemon powerless . . . and then you'll be promoting me."

"J, the day you meet the rank of Pokemon Hunter is the day I loose command of this ship." It was only partially a joke. Once her plans would actually start to thrive, he may consider her for elevation from her classification.

Above the bridge, the control room's communications screen began to blink rapidly. J identified the signal from the control pad she was leaning on. "Unknown caller from Sinnoh wishes to establish contact."

"Please leave the room.", Memphis calmly apprised his subordinate.

Casually though truthfully bothered by his caprice, J stood up and exited the room, sealing the doors behind her.

Once she had left, Memphis activated visual contact.

An unknown figure appeared on the screen. But Memphis knew this person perfectly well: The 'client' he had been suppressing from J. He was guised in a black cloak just like himself and hailing from his subterranean hideout. He spoke in whisper only. "Say nothing, brother Memphis. Just answer me this. Are you close to completing your assignment? The coalition grows worried."

Following instructions, Memphis addressed his fellow ally crisp and clear. "I was close to abandoning the assignment until I encountered someone special last night. Now, I have a new inspiration to double my efforts. The Torino Crime Lord will soon be disposed of as we had planned. I guarantee it."

The respectful client nodded his head and then closed the communications.

TO BE CONTINUED . . . . .