Disclaimer: I have to go and raise the bail money needed to get my team out of jail… that's going to take a while…

A/N: – Double-checks calendar – Wow, I'm impressed with myself. It's been a little over a month since my last update, and I've triumphantly returned! I know that I happen to very… irregular with updates, but I really am trying to make it up to you guys. I really appreciate everyone who has stuck with me, so I dedicate this chapter to each and every one of you. Enjoy!

"…": Characters talking

'…': Characters thinking to themselves

"…": Pokédex speaking or recounting information to trainers

(…): Extra facts about the story

((…)): My opinions

Chapter 21: Trapped in a Net

3:25 PM, May 16, 2005; Paddock, Oak Homestead, Pallet Town, Kanto Region

As Gary raced behind the dust cloud that was the Tauros stampede, he could hear the cries of numerous Pokémon that he knew lived just behind the Tauros' paddock. Prior to contrary belief, all of the Pokémon stored at the Oak Laboratory lived in the confines of the paddock, which extended to encase acres and acres of the property, with smaller barriers existing within the larger one. Frowning darkly, Gary continued sprinting towards where he could hear the Pokémon crying in pain, his thoughts rampant. 'What the hell is going on?! Ash's Tauros have always been a little wild, but it's in their nature, and they'd never stampede unless something really spooked them…'

As the ground was eaten up underneath Gary's boots, he could hear the cries getting louder, his mind instantly flashing back to when the Phoenix Pokémon Hunters had attacked Terri and him, and how he had watched as all but one of Terri's Pokémon were attacked and tortured until they died. 'I can't let that happen here; I won't let that happen.' Gary told himself, hoping inside that it would be true.

After a few minutes, Gary reached another smaller paddock and, like he had done earlier he vaulted over the fence, landing in what he recognized as the Grass Pokémon habitat, where Ash's Bulbasaur was supposed to be playing peacemaker. As he looked around, he didn't see any of the area's usual inhabitants, or even Ash's Bulbasaur; in fact, the place looked like it had been abandoned.

"What's going on here?" Gary muttered, his eyes looking around for any traps that might surround him. His eyes caught a movement to his left, and swinging his head around Gary thought he saw a flash of brown fur.

"What the hell," Gary whispered and, bending down, cocked his head to try to get a better view of the bush where he had thought the creature had been. However, on seeing nothing, he stood up and mentally berated himself for being so stupid as to think that the flash of brown could have been a creature when brown tree trunks surrounded him. Then again, May did always say that insanity was an inherited trait in their family; on occasion, that is.

Gary shook his head and on affirming that no one – human or Pokémon – was around, turned around to go to another paddock and continue looking for what had spooked the Tauros when a thought struck him.

"Where'd the Tauros go? I followed the dust cloud they created, which led to this area of the lab, but the fence wasn't broken, meaning that they really didn't come in here. So that means… it's a trap!" Gary's head shot up when he heard maniacal laughing erupt from behind him, but as he reached for a Pokéball on his belt he felt a net fall on him, a sticky material covering the inside of said net that he belatedly realized to be from a String Shot.

"Damn it!" Gary shouted, moving around to try to grab Magmar's Pokéball from his belt and release the volcano Pokémon, which would let him destroy the net, but he couldn't reach his belt; hell, he couldn't move his hand at all!

Gary's mind raced; how could he have allowed himself to fall into such an easy trap?! Honestly, he was a world-renowned Pokémon researcher, grandson to the famous Professor Samuel Oak, and yet here he was trapped in a net as if he was ten years old again. The trap had all of the markings of a Pokémon thief, and having faced Team Rocket over the years in various forms Gary assumed that the trap's masters were indeed the infamous organization, with operatives hiding somewhere around him. Deciding to get them out in the open, Gary yelled, "Alright, you Team Rocket losers, get out here so I can kick your asses!"

Butch and Cassidy, who were watching the young man struggle, shot each other confused looks when Oak mentioned "Team Rocket". Raticate, too, was curious, her head tilted at an odd angle in an attempt to try to understand the meaning of the phrase, which sounded so familiar to her.

Butch was the first to respond to the threat and, taking a deep breath, jumped out of the tree he and Cassidy were hiding in, landing on his feet. Standing up straight, he looked down at the man in the net, noting that the man's eyes were now wide open, filled with an emotion he couldn't quite identify. Moving so that he was in front of the man Butch allowed a smirk to make its way onto his face and, kneeling so that he was closer to eye level with his captive said, "So, this is the infamous Gary Oak. You don't seem too special to me, if how easily you fell into our trap is any indication."

Gary was silent for a moment, his eyes darkened with rage, and then he quietly responded, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you'd better let me go right now." He lifted his head and Butch's eyes narrowed when he saw the calm but dangerous look directed his way.

Butch opened his mouth to reply when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that Cassidy's garnet eyes were burning with hatred. Smirking, he stood up and nodded at Cassidy, effectively giving her free rein to pounce on the victim.

"So, Mr. Oak, you think that you can boss us around?" Cassidy questioned her voice frigid. Butch had one ear on the conversation and the other was on the lookout for anything else that might be heading their way.

Gary smirked, replying, "Of course; after all, a filthy Pokémon hunter like you can't get rid of someone like me that easily." Then, without warning, Gary let out two short whistles, followed by a long one. Butch spun around, cursing, and Gary's smirk widened at seeing the small hint of fear that had entered the man's eyes.

Cassidy growled; how dare this man think that he could outwit her?! She wasn't a key Phoenix Pokémon Hunter for nothing. Reaching behind her, she pulled out a Nightmare ball and threw it in the air, taking pleasure in seeing the prisoner's eyes widening a bit in fear when the Pokémon materialized in a burst of black and red light.

"Doom!" came the cry of Cassidy's Houndoom, the dark and fire-type dog howling in anticipation of a battle. As Gary's eyes moved over the Pokémon, he noticed that while the dog's coat colors were the same, its eyes were purple; those same eyes were currently glaring at him, and Gary knew that if his call for help didn't respond soon there wouldn't be anything left of him.

Butch, noticing that Cassidy had called out her Houndoom, nodded to Raticate to come out of the tree, and once the rat Pokémon had done so, whispered what he wanted her to do. Rather than retorting back, Raticate nodded in agreement and, jumping over Gary and Houndoom, ran towards the fence of the paddock, making sure that she was ready to attack if any Pokémon came from that direction to try to help the man in the net.

Cassidy, meanwhile, had begun taunting Gary, her Houndoom's eyes watching both her trainer's movements and the prisoner in front of her. "Oak. What does it feel like to be useless while staring into the eyes of death? Oh, that's right; you've never been in this kind of situation before, have you? Always had your family's money to get you out of trouble, or that reputation of yours to worm your way out of any bad situations. You've never really had to face reality before… am I right?"

Gary's eyes smoldered, and not caring about keeping his temper in check anymore shouted, "Shut up, you bitch! You don't know a damn thing about me, so don't go shooting off your mouth as if you do. I, on the other hand, can honestly say that you are one of the most disgusting people I have met in my entire life. At least when you were with Team Rocket, Cassidy, your actions had something of a noble, if not twisted ring to them. Now, however, you are nothing but an evil bitch that cares for nothing but causing people pain and suffering!"

Cassidy stepped back; how dare this man accuse of her of not being loyal to the Master Elder?! He had practically raised her! He was more of a father to her than her real father had been, and for that, she supported his plans one hundred and thirty percent. Growling, Cassidy made to take a step towards Gary when a loud screech reached her ears, causing her eyes to widen as she desperately tried to find the source of the sound. Butch, too, was now panicking, the screech causing him to flail for a Nightmare Ball on his waist, eyes desperately searching the area in front of him. Raticate had her ears pricked towards the sky behind her while her eyes searched the area in front of her, cursing her trainers for their stupidity in trying to implement what to her seemed a simple plan.

Gary watched his captives' actions and smirked, knowing that help was on the way. His eyes looked to the skies, and on seeing a black speck approaching, allowed the smirk on his face to grow larger. Deciding to try to send another signal to his savior, Gary whistled again, this time two short whistles, drawing Cassidy and her Houndoom's attention to him. Okay, so maybe that hadn't been the smartest move in the world, but what else was he supposed to do?

"What the hell did you do?!" Cassidy demanded, not at all pleased with what was going on.

Gary didn't respond, choosing instead to keep his eyes locked onto Cassidy's, a lopsided grin taking over his face. Cassidy turned her head, determined not to lose her temper to this insolent twerp, but she was finding it extremely taxing to do so. Her eyes glanced at Butch, who had his Hitmontop's Nightmare Ball in his hand, prepared to throw it if he spotted an incoming enemy. She took note of her partner's body language, which signaled that he was nervous as hell, deathly afraid of letting down the Master Elder; something she knew from personal experience never ended up good.

Gary's eyes kept flicking up towards the sky, and upon noticing that the speck had gone unnoticed smirked; time to act. "Attack with Steel Wing!" Gary yelled, startling the Pokémon and humans, so much so that Butch dropped his Nightmare Ball, which released his Hitmontop, the latter's yellow eyes glowing with rage and anger.

The speck in the sky – now revealed as a Pokémon – gave an imperceptible nod to her trainer and, with wings glowing silver, swooped down on the enemies below, her wings clipping both Hitmontop and Houndoom. This sent the two Pokémon flying into trees, leaving indentations in their wake. It then landed and, swinging her tail, knocked the golden-haired woman off her feet and towards the blunette; she made sure to be rough, her actions implying that the prisoner was off limits.

Gary grinned at the Pokémon, and when said Pokémon noticed the net, she reached for it with her teeth and pulled off the net, throwing it off to the side. Gary got to his feet, testing his muscles, and when he found that nothing was broken, grinned at the Pokémon. The Pokémon lowered her head, inviting her trainer to climb aboard. Gary leapt on the Pokémon's back and, almost as if the two were connected, the Pokémon took to the air, using her wings to hover above the petrified Pokémon Hunters.

Butch was the first to recover, and when he did, it was to discover that the Pokémon above him was supposed to be extinct. "How in the hell do you have an Aerodactyl, Oak?!"

Gary smirked and, calling down to the ground, replied, "Let's just say that she's a gift from an old friend." Indeed, Gary's Aerodactyl was something to look at, complete with a solid black body and light hazel eyes, making stealth operations at night a piece of cake.

"Now that the introductions are done with, shall we fight?" Gary asked, his eyes dancing with glee, looking forward to getting revenge on the Pokémon Hunters for not only his embarrassment, but also for what they had done to Terri months ago. Without waiting for a response, Gary gave a silent signal, to which Aerodactyl responded by swooping down once more on the two humans and their Pokémon, her wings glowing, both ready to end the fight in one move.