Review Responses:

Bored321: Well, not every chapter can be filled with progress. After such a huge event like the St. Anne, there's bound to be a more toned down chapter to illustrate the "payout and fallout". Them's the breaks.

Also, LOL to your last note. That's pretty much how it is in canon, except it's "Looks like we're blasting off agaaaaain!"

Snoozing Lurker: See above for my answer to the first part of your review. Sorry, I don't feel like writing it twice.

In rebuttal to your teleporting Magmar counterpoint, Team Rocket is based in both Kanto and Johto. They know about both Dark-types, so therefore could create a signal based on their immunity to psychics that would jam teleportation, and they know about moves like Mean Look and Spider Web which prevent Pokémons' escape. Also, in the Kalos anime, James has a scanner (presumably given by Giovanni) that could give Inkay's information, such as type and quite likely all of the moves they know, like how Paul scanned each Pokémon he caught for superior strength and movepools. If Team Rocket has such scanners, then they could check what moves it knows and plan accordingly.

True that a Pokémon could play nice to get Team Rocket to try using them and letting them out of their cell, but there's going to be something shown later that'll show how Team Rocket could take preventative measures to their escape.

Also, true to that last point, even if a Pokémon managed to escape Team Rocket, unless they could fly or stowaway to wherever they came from (if from a different region) and their Trainer waited a long time for them to come back, the two would likely never meet again.

The King of Ranting: Yeah, Team Rocket's luck just turns sour the instant they decide to go after Pikachu, doesn't it? Funny thing about that, you'll see in this chapter what difference a little competence can make in that regard.

Qatzol: I don't know if you were referencing the song (kudos if so), but I intend to. :)

Proxenx: I'm honestly not sure at this point. They came close a few times in canon when they were half (and that's being generous) the villains they are in here. My version of Team Rocket is less about the giant mechas (which is why they aren't flat broke) and more about wielded gadgets.

In short, when I can think of absolutely zero counters or escapes for Ash to use, then Team Rocket will catch Pikachu. The longer it takes, the less likely that it'll happen, as Ash will get stronger and smarter.

On with the story!

Chapter 14: The Call to Duty

James lowered his arm after firing the signal, regarding the woman in front of him. She wore a belt over her hip, as it didn't fit properly around her waist, and it had five Poké Balls attached to it.

"So, who are you and why do you have the twerp's Pokémon?" he asked.

"My name is Delia Ketchum," she answered. "And my son has told me about you."

Pikachu moved from underneath Kingler as fast as his injuries allowed and hid behind Delia's legs, away from James. He knew from experience that the blue-haired teen didn't need Pokémon to be dangerous.

"Always something…" James said with a sigh while hooking the Zap Sapper to the outside of his belt, habitually pulling out an empty Zap Cap to switch into the gun. But instead of slipping the filled one into his belt, he discreetly slid it up his sleeve with a sleight of hand. Then he took a step forward and politely held out his frontmost hand, "If you could just hand Pikachu over, miss, I'd really prefer to not drag a civilian into this if it can be avoided." Even as he spoke, he mentally catalogued the amount and types of explosives he had on his person.

"This Pikachu is my son's and his closest friend," Delia answered resolutely. "I'm not letting you take him."

The agent sighed once more. "I tried…" he said with a shake of his head as he slipped a smoke bomb from his sleeve into the hand behind his back. While his right sleeve was always free to hold something, his left always held an extra smoke bomb in case Weezing got knocked out.

James threw it to the ground, releasing a black cloud onto the beach. It didn't reach Delia, but moments after, a Poké Ball flew towards the group. Only Bulbasaur and Pikachu recognized the danger, the former shouting a warning to Kingler. The three Pokémon shut their eyes.

Unfortunately, Delia couldn't speak Pokémon, so she got blinded by the disguised flash grenade. She held her hands to her eyes and James rushed forward out of the smoke towards Kingler, having used the smoke to mask him shutting his own eyes. Moving the Zap Cap from his sleeve back to his right hand, he slid a tab that made two tiny metal points emerge at the top.

By this time, Kingler opened his eyes again and aimed to hit James with a Crabhammer from his large claw. The agent slid under on the sand, barely avoiding the attack and losing a few strands of his hair when tilting his head to avoid the following Vicegrip from the smaller pincer. In position, he thrust the cartridge up, prodding the Pincer Pokémon with the points before pressing the same tab into the cartridge. The crustacean got shocked by the device's payload, being lit up with Pikachu's electricity before passing out.

Bulbasaur tried to grab James with Vine Whip, but James swept Kingler's legs out from under him and heaved him to topple over the Seed Pokémon's vines, pinning them to the ground.

Pikachu climbed up Delia and hit the other three Poké Balls, enlarging them and making them release their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, James threw a standard bomb towards Bulbasaur, who was still pinned down because of his vines. But the Seed Pokémon was far from tired out like last time, so he simply took a breath and blew the lit bomb back towards the thrower. Rather than risk a game of exploding hot potato, James snatched the live explosive and threw it out over the ocean. It still exploded in the sea due to the new waterproofing he'd given his explosives.

Butterfree, Pidgeotto and Squirtle had emerged right when Delia managed to clear her eyes. The blue-haired agent knew he couldn't dodge forever. Bulbasaur had already worked his vines through the sand to pull them out from under Kingler, so he was mobile again, and Pikachu was at the back of the group, guarded by all of Ash's Pokémon.

Suddenly, stars shot past him, which Bulbasaur and Squirtle shot down with their own projectile attacks, Razor Leaf and Bubble Beam, respectively. James chanced a glance back and saw Jessie and Meowth running towards him with all of their Pokémon, sans Ekans and Gyarados, of course.

Jessie stopped right beside him and said, "You had one job, James."

"Relax, Jess," Meowth reassured. "It's five-on-four; Pikachu's in no shape ta fight back. We can still pull out a win."

James took out his standard red rose, pointing forward, "Weezing, Smog attack, now."

The poisonous gas didn't get far before Butterfree and Pidgeotto blew it away with a whirlwind. But it did its job of allowing a few seconds of obscurity. Team Rocket and their Pokémon had split up to take on their opponents with Weezing going for Butterfree, Meowth going for Squirtle, Mankey going for Bulbasaur, and Jessie's Pokémon double teaming Pidgeotto.

Delia recalled Kingler and kept Pikachu close, trying to keep track of all the commotion. While she'd studied under Professor Oak when she was younger, it was more battle theory than in practice.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!"

The Seed Pokémon shot the blue powder from his bulb, but Mankey wasn't fazed. It spread out behind the Fighting-type to go towards Fearow and Beedrill in the air, but Fearow spotted it and dispersed it with a Whirlwind.

"Excellent, Fearow!" Jessie praised. "Now, Mirror Move!"

While Beedrill kept Pidgeotto engaged, Fearow used Mirror Move to create an apparition of Bulbasaur and shot Sleep Powder at Delia. She knew that taking out the Trainer would be the smart thing to do.

But what she didn't see was that Beedrill used a Twineedle attack on Pidgeotto, only for the stingers to go right through the bird as Ash's Pokémon hovered in mid-air as if paused. After the image disappeared, Pidgeotto appeared in front of Delia with a burst of Agility and blew the Sleep Powder back at Fearow with Whirlwind.

The Beak Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise, but she breathed in the sleeping agent and fell from the sky to the sand, unconscious.

"What da?!" Meowth said, getting distracted. "Da twoip's bird learned Double- Gack!"

He got interrupted as Squirtle rushed him and landed a Mega Kick. Meowth bounced once, but landed on all fours while shaking his head. Squirtle blew a Bubble Beam to follow up and the feline agent was on the defensive now.

Pidgeotto created more illusory doubles and Beedrill formed more to match, each trying to draw the other into striking a copy and creating an opening.

Delia let her attention draw away from the aerial battle, and checked on Bulbasaur and Butterfree. It was pretty even between the Grass-type and the Fighting-type, the Seed Pokémon trying different powders now that he knew Sleep Powder wouldn't work, which Mankey dodged with nimble footwork, but Bulbasaur's vines ensured that he couldn't get too close. Butterfree, meanwhile, avoided using physical attacks that wouldn't affect Weezing's light body and stuck to blowing wind that could knock him away and spore attacks that Weezing countered with Smog.

Squirtle managed to push Meowth back, the feline agent panting. His Swift attack couldn't get past Squirtle's Bubble Beam, the denser bubbles much more powerful than the standard. And Squirtle had grown much better in close combat.

He glanced at Mankey, who got captured by a vine that Bulbasaur had snuck under the sand and he rushed over on all fours. Jumping up, Meowth readied Scratch and cut the vine, making Bulbasaur cry out and let go of the Fighting Pokémon to retract his wounded appendage.

"Trade ya?" Meowth asked as Mankey pulled himself up.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon nodded and ran off to engage Squirtle. Bulbasaur growled at Meowth and took a breath before blowing sand in his face. Meowth covered his eyes to avoid the airborne particles, and listened carefully. He heard the footfalls and readied his claws.

Mankey had an easier time with Squirtle, dodging the water attacks and moving in close to begin fighting. While the Water-type had Mega Punch and Mega Kick, he wasn't that well-versed in actual close combat, merely knowing the two moves. He managed to catch Mankey off guard by pulling his head in to dodge an attack and spraying the Fighting-type with water, giving him some breathing room.

James' Pokémon looked ready to retaliate, but a small puff of sand appeared behind him and Pikachu emerged from the ground to grab his leg. Mankey gave a grunt of surprise and looked at the half-buried Pokémon already sparking before his eyes widened.

"CHUUUU!"

Mankey screeched as the electricity was helped by the fact that he was wet. The sand crystallized around the two Pokémon, and after the shock cut off Mankey passed out.

Squirtle nodded, "[Thanks for the assist.]" His sunglasses gleamed as he turned to Meowth, who noticed that Mankey had fallen with Pikachu's intervention. "[Now, where were we?]"

"Hey, no fair!" Meowth protested as he looked around. "Ya got me outnumbered!"

Pikachu heard a crackle of electricity and pushed Squirtle out of the way as a bolt crystallized the spot he'd stood on. He turned and saw James with the Zap Sapper ready and a bomb in his hand. He threw it, forcing the Pokémon (including Meowth) to scatter, and recalled Mankey.

Meowth retreated to Jessie's side, panting, "This ain't goin' well, Jess. Da twoip's trained his Pokémon good."

"Then we start getting bad," Jessie answered.

She took out a set of steel heels with toe coverings. James had fashioned them from some of the metal they possessed in light of him having his bombs and Jessie wanting a weapon. The male agent had made them as a bit of a joke, him and Meowth saying that she'd always had a mean kick and that the coverings would augment them. Surprisingly to James, she'd actually liked them and kept them since their last resupplying. She hadn't used them on the St. Anne, both because she didn't want something new slowing her down and didn't want to lose them.

Jessie dropped the heels onto the ground and slipped her feet into them, the contours made to fit and hold onto her boots with some clips that she fastened. They made her a little slower and her steps a bit awkward since they were a recent addition to her wardrobe, but she felt they would help even the odds.

With those attached, she ran into the battlefield and made to punt Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon dodged, surprised at first, but reaching out with his vines to restrain Jessie.

Meanwhile, James engaged Squirtle, Pikachu unable to contribute much with him holding the Zap Sapper. While throwing bombs and shooting bolts of electricity, the criminal also took occasional potshots at Butterfree, which Delia had to warn to avoid.

The distraction, though, proved to be his undoing as Weezing managed to land a Sludge attack and finally ground Butterfree. Delia recalled the Butterfly Pokémon as Weezing left to go assist James against Squirtle.

With Squirtle and Bulbasaur occupied, Meowth had snuck back in and started shooting Swift at Pidgeotto in an effort to take the bird down, combing through the illusory doubles of him battling against the copies of Beedrill. Unfortunately for him, since he was focused on directing his stars to Pidgeotto, Pikachu managed to sneak up on him from underground and shock him the same as he'd shocked Mankey.

"Gahhhhh!" Meowth shouted. Once it wore off, he was still standing, but aching all over, so he growled at Pikachu and scratched him across the face. The Electric Pokémon winced, but burrowed back underground to wait for another opportunity.

Jessie picked up Meowth since she only needed her feet to attack and called, "James, Pikachu's sneaking through the ground! Do something about this sand!"

James started firing bolts of electricity and hardening the sand all around them, making a layer that Pikachu couldn't get through and forcing the Electric Pokémon to come out of one of the holes already made.

Ash's mother could only watch as Team Rocket battled with complete disregard for any rules in their bid to catch Pikachu and how Ash's Pokémon fought back, as if they expected it. She'd hardly needed to give any direction to them.

'Ash does this sort of thing all the time?' she wondered. 'And he's grown so accustomed to it that he's trained his Pokémon to fight these people on their own? What's happened to my baby boy?'

Pidgeotto wasn't faring so well with having to dodge both Beedrill and James. Using a Gust, he managed to find the real Beedrill and hit him with a Wing Attack, not having enough room for a Clothesline Dash. He surveyed the battlefield in the window of opportunity and saw that things were going south. Squirtle couldn't handle both James and Weezing at the same time, and Jessie already had rubber gloves on to grab Pikachu if he tried to attack her while dodging Bulbasaur's attacks and trying to kick him.

He managed to knock Beedrill to the ground with a Whirlwind, but he couldn't ignore what his eyes saw.

'What if we lose?' he thought with slight fear. 'Ash will be devastated.'

Something started bubbling up at that feeling, and Pidgeotto shook his head, focusing back on the battle with Beedrill, using Quick Attack. He had to dodge another bolt at Delia's warning, and concentrated on his desire to protect rather than the fear of loss.

'I won't lose! I can't lose!' Pidgeotto internally vowed as he rammed into Beedrill, cracking the layer of fulgurite. 'I'll protect Pikachu! I'll protect Ash!'

He regained some distance, shooting up before hovering in the air. He let out a trilling battle cry and flashed white, causing the Pokémon and humans battling to stop in shock. Beedrill barely managed to pull himself up, a bruise forming on his thorax.

"No…" Jessie uttered in shock as Pidgeotto started to change and grow. "NO! James, shoot it down before it's too late!"

James quickly took out the cartridge he was using and put in a full one to ensure that he could fire long enough to knock the evolving Pokémon out. Pikachu noticed and called out to Squirtle, "[Give me a boost!]"

Right as the blue-haired agent took aim at the evolving Pokémon, Pikachu ran up to Squirtle's cupped hands.

James fired and the Water Pokémon threw his teammate into the air, on a course to intercept. Pikachu cried out from the shock, but forced his body to take in the electricity, even as he felt overloaded. The criminal rapidly stopped the attack, and Pikachu fell to the ground with the residual sparks dancing across his fur.

He fired it back, forcing James to hold the gadget to absorb the incoming attack or get shocked. Jessie cursed and pointed, "Weezing, Beedrill, attack! Take that bird down before-"

The two Pokémon charged, but the glow faded as Pidgeotto completed his transformation into Pidgeot. His formerly pink crest had grown longer and turned yellow with orange highlights on both sides, along with his tail feathers changing to be all orange instead of pink and beige. Aside from that, the only change seemed to be his size, having grown over a foot taller and with an impressive wingspan to match.

He looked down at his two current opponents and blinked out of sight with Agility. Team Rocket's Pokémon only had time to look stunned before Pidgeot caught them both with a Clothesline Dash, sending them crashing back to Team Rocket. It hit so fast and so hard that Weezing didn't even have any time to ride the preceding wave of force to dodge. He got hit and his faces dented before his back was flattened against the hardened surface when he crashed. His body went back to its previously spherical shape, but he was clearly unconscious along with Beedrill.

"[Everybody get back!]" Pidgeot called to his allies.

Bulbasaur grabbed Pikachu with Vine Whip after the Electric Mouse Pokémon stopped his attack and Squirtle, surprisingly, kicked Delia to the ground before hefting her up over his head at the waist. With that done, they ran off while Pidgeot stayed behind.

Meowth picked up the message as well and warned, "Jessie, James, maybe we'd better get going while da going's good!" His fear was even more pronounced when Pidgeot zoomed towards them.

James aimed the Zap Sapper at the approaching Bird Pokémon, but blinked in surprise when he turned to go around them instead.

At least until Pidgeot continued flying around them in a circle, picking up speed all the while.

As the strengthening winds picked up sand from the beach around the mineral portion, all three agents' expressions turned resigned as Jessie and James recalled their unconscious Pokémon.

James fixed the Zap Sapper to his belt, so as to not lose it, while muttering, "I'm beginning to question if chasing Pikachu is best for our careers. I mean, look at what's happened whenever we try."

The wind started to look more substantial, appearing as a funnel.

"We fail…" Jessie grumbled while stuffing her hair down the back of her blazer so it wouldn't get as messed up.

Team Rocket got picked up by the new tornado, looking extremely bored as they crossed their arms and began to spin around through the air as it sent them spiraling upward.

"And end up blastin' off…" Meowth deadpanned, "whether forced ta run or sent flyin' wit' da twoip's help." Then he waggled a claw in a circle, as if to move on, "Welp, should we say our tagline? I think we're movin' out over da ocean now."

"Let's," the other two agents agreed.

All three cleared their throat.

"H-how…" Misty panted, "did Team Rocket run… this far… that fast… like it was nothing…?"

Brock was in slightly better condition, but not by much, "I just- hah… I just hope Pikachu was able to hold out."

They pushed themselves to keep running and exited the forest to reach the shore, but they stopped as they heard a roar of wind and felt a powerful suction. The two Gym Leaders held onto the trees as they saw a giant tornado move over the ocean, trading its sand for water as a familiar trio of voices shouted, "Looks like we're blasting off agaaaaain!"

The cyclone moved out towards the horizon and they looked at the beach to see a large stretch of crystallized sand and a Pidgeot hovering in the air above it. The bird didn't seem to notice them, only confirming Team Rocket's departure before flying off towards the town.

"What was that?" Misty asked. "Did a wild Pokémon send Team Rocket packing?"

"I highly doubt it was wild if it's heading towards town," Brock answered. "But we should probably check to make sure Ash and Pikachu are safe before we figure out the details."

They speed-walked the rest of the way across the beach and the Pewter Gym Leader picked up a shard of the fulgurite while he was at it to send to his siblings back home. It wasn't every day that you could find "petrified lightning".

Ash waited in bed, anxious that he couldn't go out and help. He believed in his Pokémon being able to fend off Team Rocket, but the young Trainer wanted to see to make sure that his mom and Pikachu were all right. Even when he looked through the window, it was too far away to get a clear image of what was happening since Gyarados got recalled, so he sat back in his bed to wait while pondering what he'd have to do to counter the leviathan Pokémon.

'Okay, it got recalled, so one of the moves I have should be good for at least countering it,' he mused. 'Maybe Poison Leech? Probably, yeah, if it was out of the water. And if Pikachu could get onto its back or tail, then he could shock it directly without Team Rocket interfering with that Zap Sapper. Kingler could probably put up a good fight underwater, but he'd be at a huge size disadvantage… But if it comes to that, I should win the first time since I have a rebreather and Team Rocket doesn't know that yet, so I could command Kingler more effectively. But only the first time, since Gyarados' Trainer will probably get one after that.'

His strategizing was cut short when he heard a tap on the window. Ash turned to look and balked when he saw Pidgeot carrying a battered Pikachu in one claw and pecking at the glass to be let in. Forgetting his illness for now, the Pallet Trainer rushed to open the window and Pidgeot landed on the sill with his free foot, having to fold his wings to fit in the opening.

Ash took his starter from Pidgeot, cradling him and worrying over his injured state, "Pikachu! Are you okay?"

"[I am now…]" Pikachu answered as he held onto Ash's shirt and clung closer, relieved to be back with him.

The Trainer immediately rushed to his backpack and pulled out a Super Potion before setting his Pokémon on the bed, looking over Pikachu to spray the worst injuries. Pidgeot waited patiently, and once Ash made sure that Pikachu was recovering, he turned to the bird.

"Thanks for bringing Pikachu back, Pidgeot…to?" He blinked as he really got a close look at Pidgeot now. The Flying-type stood around as tall as Ash now and his features had changed. In fact, the boy would wager that Pidgeot could fly carrying him on his back. "You look… wait, did you evolve? That's amazing!"

He fished Dexter from his jacket pocket and couldn't help but point the device at Pidgeot from habit, both to identify his new form and get some information on it.

"Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto. It can fly at twice the speed of sound at an altitude of nearly one mile."

Ash closed the Pokédex, "You evolved to fight Team Rocket off?" Pidgeot nodded in answer, and the Trainer hugged the Bird Pokémon, "Thank you. Thank you for protecting my mom and Pikachu."

Pidgeot was slightly surprised by the hug, but didn't find it at all unpleasant, so he rested his head on Ash's shoulder before the Trainer pulled away. Remembering the other reason for the trip, Pidgeot spoke while lifting one of his legs.

Ash looked down and noticed a napkin with some writing on it fastened to Pidgeot's leg with a hair tie. He took it off and read it to find a message.

"Dear Ash,

"As you may have guessed from Pidgeot's appearance and bringing Pikachu, your Pokémon and I managed to defeat Team Rocket. I'm taking your other Pokémon to the Poké Center, but I figured that you wanted to see Pikachu to make sure he was fine. Pidgeot should be fine to stand guard. He's in the best condition of your six Pokémon.

"Be sure to thank Pidgeot properly, we wouldn't have won without his evolving and new power. After your Pokémon are healed, I'll come back with some lunch. Get some rest until then.

"Mom"

Ash smiled at the message and patted Pidgeot, who quietly trilled at the affection. Then he yawned and decided to follow his mom's advice and sleep. Taking another dose of his cold medicine and drinking the rest of the water, Ash got back into bed next to Pikachu and pulled the sleeping electric mouse closer before passing out. Pidgeot stood guard near the wall, eyes closed, but listening for any intruders.

Misty and Brock came out of the elevator and immediately made their way to their hotel room. Brock noticed that the door was still locked and took that as a good sign before using his key to open it.

The two Gym Leaders looked inside to see Ash asleep with Pikachu and Pidgeot standing near the wall with his eyes open to regard them before closing them again.

Brock let out a quiet sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. That Pidgeot must've been Ash's. It looks like his Pidgeotto evolved." He turned to Misty, "He seems to be fine, let's take our own Pokémon to the Pokémon Center."

The sound of the ocean waves slamming against the shore were the only company of a Slowpoke fishing with their tail. When the splashing of the water changed, he just looked as he saw a Gyarados practically crash against the shore along with two humans and a Meowth. The Dopey Pokémon paid them no mind and went back to fishing.

James was the first to get up, rushing to some bushes, uncovering their beached boat to get an Antidote. He found one and ran it back to Gyarados, who was quivering from the poison still in his system, "Open wide."

The leviathan did so and James sprayed twice into Gyarados' mouth, the sea serpent closing his mouth around the mist before making a disgusted face from the flavor. Regardless, the purple blush disappeared and he let out a sigh of relief.

The male agent patted Gyarados while touching his forehead to the sea serpent's crest, "Thank you for getting us back to shore, Gyarados." The Atrocious Pokémon's release had been enough to break the cyclone from him releasing his own Dragon Rage to counter the spin of the Gust. After that, the water managed to make him last long enough to get them to the side of the island with Pokémon Land, where they'd left their boat.

James took out his golden Poké Ball, "You take a nice long rest now and recover. You've earned it." He recalled Gyarados and the ocean water filled the imprint the massive Pokémon had left in the sand.

Jessie wrung the saltwater out of her hair with a growl, not giving any further comment. Meowth also got on all fours to shake his fur dry.

"Well dat went about as well as usual when we try ta catch Pikachu," he snarked. "Seriously, we've captured a horde of Beedrill, da Moon Stone, Pokémon Tech's Pokémon, da Squirtle Squad, but da instant we try takin' dat one Pikachu, our luck turns bad. Da twoip wasn't even there, and he still managed ta get in da way!"

"Still, we wouldn't have found half of those targets if not for tailing him," James added. Then he held up a finger in suggestion, "Maybe it doesn't have to be about Pikachu if we just follow him and target any rare and powerful Pokémon he comes across."

Jessie growled as her hair still looked messy and drooped from the heaviness of the saltwater, "We will catch that Pikachu and show the twerp that nobody messes with us!" Fire seemed to ignite in her eyes, "It stopped being about Team Rocket long ago, we'll make him pay for humiliating us over and over!"

"Jessie, seriously, we need to consider our jobs," James tried to reason. "If we spent all of our resources trying to catch Pikachu, imagine where that would land us. Not even Meowth's favor with the Boss's Persian would save us from his anger."

His partner growled, but he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, "We'll get Pikachu, eventually. But we should plan our attempts carefully. 'Measure twice, and cut once,' as they say, okay? We need to cover our bases and pay our dues."

While the two human agents conversed, Meowth went to the boat to get some medicine for his burns and some food. But as he went through the bags, the communicator tied down at the back of the boat started beeping.

The feline agent's eyes widened and he called, "Hey, you two work out Pikachu later! We got a call from da Boss!"

Those words made them stop their discussion instantly and dash over to land in the boat behind Meowth, despite their disheveled state. They sat on their legs as Meowth pressed the button to answer.

"Greetings, sir," Meowth politely started.

Giovanni actually seemed somewhat surprised at their state, Persian tilting his head in curiosity as well. His voice disguised, the leader asked, "What on earth happened to you three?"

"Another attempt to steal Pikachu gone wrong, unfortunately," Jessie answered with a slightly furrowed brow.

James held up a finger, "Silver lining, we didn't need to spend any money for this try, so we didn't lose anything."

"Send me the report later," Giovanni dismissed. "I have an important assignment for you three. Rumor has it that there's an underground tournament going on at Gringey City tomorrow evening. I want you to enter, win the prize money and scout for potential recruits."

"Prize money?" Meowth asked with a gleam in his eye.

"The assignment is twofold," the boss explained. "First, it provides the chance to see if your battle skills are up to par and get some Pokémon and recruits. Your repeated losses against this child give me cause to doubt your ability. Second, I recall you saying that you'd lost quite a few of your supplies along with your balloon. This should help even out your financial losses from replacing them, if you can win. I've already locked in on your new communicator and sent the balloon, along with instructions to get to the tournament."

The trio bowed their heads, Meowth saying, "We thank ya for your generosity, Boss."

"Rest assured," Jessie added as they raised their heads again, "we'll win and show you why we're still the top team."

James nodded, "If it's the rank and file Trainers in the tournament, there should be no doubt that we'll be victorious."

"And we'll make sure ta scout da best battlers for Team Rocket, Boss," Meowth finished with a grin.

Persian meowed something, and the feline agent raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is dat a dare, top cat? Alright, I'll enter too. I am a Pokémon, after all; I can battle for myself!"

Giovanni chuckled, "Excellent, the more of you that compete, the better the odds of you winning, but one should stay out of the competition to comb the Trainers that fight well, but lose. As for you, Meowth, I've included something in the balloon that perhaps you should've received when you first came here. It's something that I had fashioned for the Squirtle Squad, but should suit you as well. Wouldn't want one of the competitors to get any ideas to catch you, would we?"

"Thanks again, Boss," Meowth nodded.

"Now, I believe your balloon should be arriving via airmail any moment now," the Rocket leader informed as his eyes checked another monitor. "Report in the day after the tournament. That is all."

"Yes, Boss," the trio replied in unison.

With their Pokémon freshly healed, Misty and Brock returned to their hotel room to see Ash awake now and checking his Pokédex with Pikachu sitting next to him on the bed. Pidgeot opened his eyes to check that it was them before closing them again. His Poké Ball was with Delia, so he just stood guard.

"Hey, Ash," Brock greeted. "Feeling better?"

Ash nodded without looking up from Dexter, "Yeah, I took a nap and I feel much better than this morning. A hot shower and a good night's sleep should have me good as new tomorrow. Team Rocket attacked today, right?"

The two Gym Leaders blinked at the abrupt change of subject and the Pallet Trainer continued, "And they have a Gyarados now. I could see that Pokémon from my window, so I decided to look it up and try to find some weaknesses. Brock, it turns out that while it's a Water-type, it's also a Flying Pokémon and weak to Rock-type moves, so that'll be good to keep in mind."

"It… didn't look like it could fly," Misty commented bemusedly.

Ash shook his head, "I wouldn't put it past Team Rocket to teach it somehow."

"You're not mad that we nearly lost Pikachu?" Brock cautiously asked, cutting to the center of the issue.

"He's still here, isn't he? And I'm definitely going to be more careful in the future, so no. There's no point in getting mad about something like that. A Gyarados is nothing to sneeze at. If Team Rocket was packing that kind of power, then it's no wonder that it was a close call."

"If Pikachu hadn't run away, then we might've been able to take down that Gyarados ourselves," the redhead pointed out with her hands on her hips. Pikachu's ears drooped a bit in guilt.

Ash pulled the sad Electric-type closer and glared at Misty, shutting his Pokédex, "Don't blame Pikachu! Besides, you know what would've happened if Pikachu attacked Gyarados? One of Team Rocket would just absorb the bolt with that electricity absorbing gun."

The Cerulean Leader blinked as she honestly hadn't considered and couldn't argue that. Ash pressed his advantage, "Yes, Pikachu might've been able to make a difference, but what if he had stayed and you two lost? He'd never be able to outrun all of Team Rocket's Pokémon at the same time. Your Pokémon would be down, and Team Rocket would win."

"Personally, I'm glad Pikachu tried to come get me, since I could send my Pokémon ahead with my mom to save him," the Pallet Trainer reassured his Pokémon as he patted him on the head.

Brock blinked, "Your mom? You mean you didn't leave to save Pikachu?"

"She wouldn't let me," Ash answered.

There was a polite knock before the lock to the door clicked and the two Gym Leaders turned to see who entered, their eyes widening as they saw Delia. Her hair was down, as she had used her own hair tie to get her message to Ash, but they still recognized her. She carried a tray with a steaming bowl on it.

"Ash, I brought you some…" she paused for a moment as she saw Misty and Brock, "soup."

"Thanks, mom."

They sweated a bit as Ash's mother passed right by them, realizing that they'd just told her earlier about leaving Ash in the hotel room when he was sick. She stood back up after handing him the tray and said, "Ash, aren't you going to introduce me to these people?"

"Oh, sorry," Ash said as he blew on a spoonful of the food. "Mom, this is Misty and Brock, my friends. Misty, Brock, my mom."

"Delia Ketchum," she politely supplied with an incline of her head. "You know, you two should really get your Pokémon checked at the Poké Center. I appreciate your concern for Ash, but you should get your Pokémon healed after they fought so hard against Team Rocket."

"But we already- oof!" Misty was cut off as Brock elbowed her and she noted that Delia had a beaming smile on her face that seemed to say she wouldn't take no for an answer.

The redhead glared slightly at Brock while rubbing her side, "Yeah, I guess we should. Glad to see you're okay, Ash. We'll be right back."

The two Gym Leaders left and waited outside in the hallway, not needing to make the trip to the Pokémon Center.

Ash felt that his mom had something specific to say when she sat down, so he set aside his food to give her his full attention.

"Yeah, mom?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Ash… You said that those criminals don't always target Pikachu, right?" Delia asked.

Ash nodded, having a feeling where she was going with this, "Yeah, they've gone after other Pokémon too."

"…I know that I'm being selfish to ask this, but why do you try to stop them?" she asked. "They're very dangerous, and while I can understand protecting Pikachu since he's your Pokémon, do you have to keep putting yourself in danger?"

Delia looked sad as she spoke, but Ash sighed, "I didn't tell you this before, but the third time that I met them, the time with the Beedrill hive, they nearly won." His mom gasped, and he continued, "All of my Pokémon except Pikachu were weak and they still had three left, including Meowth."

Ash smiled a bit at Pidgeot still near the wall, "Actually, it was Pidgeot that saved us that time, too. He was still Pidgeotto back then, but his Sand Attack gave us the cover to run away." Delia looked and the Bird Pokémon nodded in confirmation.

"That taught me that Team Rocket would keep getting stronger to try beating me," Ash explained. "I started training really seriously from then on, and managed to fend them off outside Pewter City, and even have the advantage before the match got interrupted by Officer Jenny coming."

Delia nodded to show that she understood, "I see, and then…?"

"Then, when Team Rocket took the Moon Stone, that taught me another hard lesson," the Pallet Trainer sighed, seeming very tired suddenly. "If I don't stop them, then who can? It's my fault, and I have to take responsibility, since they're growing stronger to beat me."

Ash petted Pikachu, "And today I learned that I need to always be on watch so that I can protect Pikachu. Getting sick today almost got him captured."

Delia frowned from him blaming himself. Her son didn't notice before her expression turned neutral again and she nodded with a sigh of her own, "I understand. Try to finish your soup before it gets cold, I should really go find my tour group." She stood up and left the room key and his belt of Poké Balls on the chair she'd been sitting on.

"Maybe we could spend the day together tomorrow," Ash offered as he took his tray off the night stand. It wasn't steaming anymore, but it was still warm. "Would you like that?"

She smiled, touched by the offer, "Yes, I would. I'll meet you outside the hotel tomorrow morning, okay?"

Brock and Misty waited until Delia walked out of the room. But before they could say anything, she grabbed them both by the wrists and dragged them down the corridor.

"Wha- hey!" Misty protested.

Delia continued dragging the two Gym Leaders and took them down the hall, away from Ash's room. Once she felt they were far enough away, she let them go and turned around, looking quite angry with them.

Brock wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and let Delia vent, since he knew no rational defense would work on him if one of his younger siblings was endangered or left alone while sick. True, Ash was older than most of said children and knew how to take the medicine, but that was no excuse, especially in light of a Team Rocket attack—and even more so, an attack that they couldn't protect Pikachu from.

Sadly, though, Misty was short-tempered and the youngest of her family, so she had no such foreknowledge and asked, "What's the big idea?"

"Well, to start, you two left Ash alone when he was sick," Delia curtly answered with a disapproving expression.

Misty felt a slight twinge of guilt, but answered, "I did ask if we should stay, but he insisted that we go out."

"And you listened to him?" Delia asked, not appeased in the slightest. The two winced as she continued, "I love Ash, but he doesn't pay enough attention to his own health or safety."

She looked down sadly, "Do you know that today is the first time I've heard about those Team Rocket criminals chasing him?"

"He's been fighting them off really well," Brock reassured.

Delia glared at him, "He shouldn't have to! You two are older than him aren't you? You're supposed to keep him safe, not the other way around! And if today's events are your idea of 'protection', if it were up to me, he'd be going back to Pallet Town with me this instant!"

Now the Pokémon breeder could see why Ash's mom had dragged them all the way down the hall. 'She doesn't want him to feel pressured to quit his journey for her sake.'

"But it's not, since it's his dream to become a Pokémon Master," she continued. "And now he feels he has an obligation to head off those crooks' plans whenever he can. But that's not what really bothers me."

She glared at both of them before turning to leave, "What bothers me is that he blames the threat to Pikachu on himself for getting sick instead of you two for being unable to protect Pikachu."

"Pikachu ran away," Misty defended.

"With good reason if you couldn't even stop the other two from catching up to help the third one!" Delia fiercely countered over her shoulder. Then she pressed the button for the elevator, "I hope you two shape up. Otherwise, if my son comes back a broken person, I'll know who to blame."

The doors opened with a ding and she stepped inside without another word before they closed.

Brock started heading back to the room with Misty following behind. The redhead quietly fumed at Delia's words.

'What does she know about battling? If it was a water battle, then-' She blinked. 'Then… Gyarados would've totally destroyed my Pokémon.' Then she shook her head, 'That's what Pikachu's supposed to be there for. But Pikachu's not my Pokémon, even if he does like me…'

Misty realized just how much she relied on Ash, and she didn't like it one bit. 'Anybody can use type advantage; I'm still a more experienced Trainer!'

So like most things she didn't like, she denied it.

Team Rocket floated in their new balloon, leaving the speedboat behind, as they could always steal another one and leave their balloon from their departure point to keep their supplies safe. James looked at the map and saw where Gringey City was located before directing them in its direction.

"We won't be able to go after the twerps for a while," Jessie grumbled.

James shrugged, "Can't be helped. It's a direct order from the Boss. Besides, this'll give us some time to plot our next move against them and let you get used to those iron heels."

"In da meantime, let's plan out which of yous battles and which scouts out da losers," Meowth suggested as he held onto the side of the basket to look over the horizon.

James nodded and Jessie begrudgingly put aside her thoughts of vengeance for the time being.

And that's the chapter! No notes today, and there's nothing much to say about its swift posting other than the fact that I already had most of this chapter planned out and it didn't take me long to fill in the gaps. You may have noticed that this follows no episode, which is because Ash and Team Rocket managed to avoid both the Pokémon Shipwreck and the Island of the Giant Pokémon. There's a little bit of a gap because of that, so I filled it in.

With that said, see you when I see you.

-AJ203