VulpixTrainer: Okay, I am having a slight homework overload, so this will be slower on being updated. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Also, Pokemon is owned by Nintendo and Game Freaks Inc. I am only a writer that wants to get better in writing.

Early Morning Surprises

The shadows came closer to them, seeming to grow larger. Matt then caught a scent that he had grown to hate. "Shadow Moon," Matt growled out in disgust, but his mind was a little confused. Why would he run when she was coming this way?

However, she seemed to be followed by someone else, a human by the scent, and a male, too. They both seemed to be walking with purpose and resolve, almost like they planned on doing something and knew they would be successful.

"Get ready for whatever comes next," Matt whispered. Already he was standing over Ethan, and Firestorm was over by Eve. Ruth was over by Matthew and Becky, who had released the rest of their teammates. Now they were ready for the Rockets that were coming their way. "Get ready for anything," Matthew commanded to the bunch that was near him, echoing the warning that Matt had growled to those in the left and right flank. The shadows then have reached the corner of the street and for a second it seemed as if time had stopped, just to rub in the face of the group that they didn't know what was to come next. Of course the Pokemon knew that the only way for the shadows to continue was to come this way and right into a semi-trap, with Pokemon on the left side and right side and some in the middle of the street. Well, they would soon be holed in. Flare was next to Matt, along with Strips and Sir Thief. Flyer and Ruth were with Firestorm, and finally Drake was in between Matthew and Becky, all of them watching the shadows approach the corner. Closer and closer still they came, till one came around the corner.

"Well," Shadow Moon yelped in a happy tone of voice, "looks like we just came in after a nice battle." She turned her head sideways and called out, "Boss, it's them. Its project Clear Bell, all the subjects are here." She then turned around and stepped forward, smirking and hiding her paws behind her back. For some reason, however, her fur seemed to be more groomed than normal. The black stripes that are on a Mightyena were more pronounced on her face and muzzle, and her ears were more set on top of her head, looking more wolf than human. Her hair had also become the grayish color of a Mightyena. All this significance was lost on the group she faced.

"Excellent work, Dark Moon, excellent work indeed," a cold voice that held no emotion in it responded as the second and last shadow appeared. It turned out to be man who had a taste for black. A black trench coat was upon his shoulders, with black pants showing where the trench coat stopped. He was also wearing black loafers, expensive looking too. He smirked at seeing the Pokemon gather around. "Well now, looks like these Pokemon want to join us. What do you say, Shadow Moon?"

"My thoughts exactly, Boss," she said as she sneered at the Pokemon in front of her. Just then, she sent a ball of dark energy right at the three fire-types standing in the middle of the street. The ball of dark energy however hits a break wall of a ware house. The three fire-types had jumped out of the way, however the brick wall was demolished and a gaping hole now stood where their once was brick.

"My, my, fast, aren't we?" The man spoke again, "But I must say, why run from your father? I mean, all I want to give you is a warm roof to live under. Of course you will be helping daddy with his work." He said this with a cold and empty tone of voice that he showed in his face, something that unnerved the group around them.

Flare, however, being angry at that potshot against his trainer, and the way he was acting like Matthew was just a cog in a wheel for a plan decides to try and use his own justice and so he sends off a Flamethrower directed at the man that was called boss by Shadow Moon, only to have it stop in midair before being moved to the left and into the side of a brick wall.

"No one touches Master while I'm on duty," a Xatu called out as it walked out from a darker part of the street. Sira only laughed at this before talking again to the two Ninetales at the end of the street.

"Give it up, children. I will have you with me. After all, with you at my side I can show Team Rocket that they have created an ultimate weapon." He then muttered to himself, but due to Pokemon hearing they all heard it. "Oh, they will feel my wrath they mocked me and told me that I was crazy even for a Rocket. Thought they could get away with that humiliation, did they think I'll let it go? No! I will not."

"Uh, Boss, you're doing that again," Shadow Moon called back, keeping an eye on the Pokemon. They were all growling and threatening to attack. She seemed concerned about her boss's mumbling.

"Does it matter? I will have my family complete soon, and then we concentrate more on locating those traitors of the Morph division." Sira said as he snapped his fingers. A Gengar fades into existence next to him, and he pointed his hand at Matt the Vulpix. The Gengar only smiled and went forward, and without any flare of show or fancy work he sticks one of his ghost hands through Matt's head. Matt's eyes just rolled upward and he shivers a short time. His brain having been disrupted by the ghost's low trick Matt buckles, and then collapses into the void of the fainted. The Gengar only laughs at the effect he had caused Matt, as well as Firestorm tried to attack, only to have the Gengar disappear; the fire attack hits Flare, who right away started looking for the troublesome Gengar, only to suddenly go rigid having looked into the Gengar's eyes, was now, it seemed to be fighting off a bunch of unseen foes. Soon the Gengar appears again grinning evilly and then put his right hand through the head of Flare.

Flare was confused and he couldn't afford to be. Magma had found him and it seemed that the Rocket's had fled. But they had already taken out his new master. Matthew was laying in a heap, looking limp and lifeless, the fire in his Ninetales eyes gone. Suddenly a blast of cold water hit him and he snapped at the Pokemon, only to find no one there. He would avenge what they did to Matthew, he knew Magma was out their in the shadows; he could feel them, sense them, but he could not see them. He tried to use Inferno, but before he could, he felt something cold and icy go right through his mind, and then everything went black.

"Don't you love Nightmares?" The man asked as he saw the remaining Pokemon glare at him, but he only laughed, which sounded even more unnerving then his emotionless voice, "No? That's too bad, for you all will have one tonight." He then laughed again as he snapped his fingers. The Gengar had taken to float behind the man in black during this question, but once again he disappears into the night.

The Xatu smiles with malice in his eyes. He held Strips in place, though the Furret was able to get off a Swift attack before the Gengar did the same thing to him. This time, however, he seemed to cower and whine and stutter uncontrollably, which was completely and utterly different then what Flare had done. The Gengar it seemed was enjoying this nightmare more because he toyed longer with Strips than with Flare. However, in the end he also sent him to a faint the same way. A slowly becoming more and more dramatic thrust of his wispy hand into the mind of the unprepared.

Strips' mind was completely and resolutely confused. He seemed to be in a forest, and he didn't understand how he had gotten their, it was night so it must still be the same evening but when he looked around he couldn't see any of Matthew's Pokemon or Matthew himself. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared, and Strips let out a cry of fear and anger, "What did you do to Matthew?" But the figure only laughed evilly.

"So, you thought you could get away and not fulfill the plan? I thought I told you, Worthless, to lure that Wartordile away so I could catch it. Now you are truly worthless." The shadow then gave Strips a swift and painful kick. "Not only because you let the Wortordile get away, but to add insult to injury, you end up with a pair of Vulpix. Why didn't you help me out? Do you realize how much a Vulpix would fetch on the market these days?" He then sent out a Pokemon. "Take care of Worthless for me, would you?" With that, he faded away. The Pokemon was a Gengar who only smiled before flying through all of Strips. The last thought was, but I thought I got away from him?

The Xatu had already chosen the next victim, Sir Thief., Firestorm at seeing the Rattata being slowly picked up into the air tries to attack the Xatu, only to be knocked away by some invisible thing.

"Careful, I think he has a Kecleon, so watch out for you back." Matthew called out as a warning, the first words that he had uttered; he had been trying to think up a way to defeat this group of Pokemon, and still help his own pack.

Sir Thief saw the Gengar look at him, and suddenly he was in a room, a room full of people and Pokemon, all eating apples. He began to run around, trying to get one, but he seemed to never get one, or when he did, some mean Pikachu would take it from him. The Gengar was completely taken aback. This was not only the stupidest Nightmare he had ever tasted, But their was no way he could manipulate it, so he ends the Nightmare faster then he had wanted with a swift jab into the head of the Rattata, so now there were three Pokemon out like a light thanks to the Haunter and the others just as vulnerable.

"Good, Kecleon, protect Shadow Moon. I want those three loaded up and ready for transport." He was actually smiling, as if he found it a pleasure in seeing Pokemon fall under the move Nightmare. Suddenly, he stopped chuckling and nearly yelled into thin air, "WHAT? ARE YOU SURE?" A smirk now grew on his face, which made him look even darker and more frightening then before. He was also holding his ear in a way that told those watching that he had an ear piece for communication.

"What, what is it, Boss?" Shadow Moon stopped as she was about to pick up Flare. Firestorm was being kept busy by the Kecleon and she was getting now where fast, the two had not stopped their fight. However, both the Xatu and Gengar stopped and looked at their trainer, a semi-knowing look on their faces.

"They found that traitor, he is in between Regions, but no matter, soon we shall be starting Plan Alpha, but right now..." He smiled which still looked very frightening on him. He then directs his next words to the Xatu, "Teleport us back to Jhoto, then I'll tell you where to go, now!" He then turned to Shadow Moon. "As of this moment, you are in charge of the Kanto Branch. Expect instructions soon on how to continue." But the way he said this, Matthew and Becky felt that he was not referring to Team Rocket. Gengar and then Kecleon fell back to him and he smiled. "I hope to see you children at home when I check in next time. Adios." With those words and a big giant smirk, he disappeared in the light of teleporting Pokemon.

Shadow Moon turned back, a grin on her muzzle, "You are lucky, you see I have some plans that I need to execute now, and I hope to see you soon as well." With that she steps back and melts into the Shadows, a second later, four separate Flame Throwers hit the spot in the wall, scorching it black, but she was gone, to where none of them knew. But now that was done they needed to get going. Already sounds, faint but getting closer, were that of sirens of all sorts of emergency vehicles.

Matthew and Becky both looked at each other, nodded their Ninetales faces, and went human. Unfortunately, Becky's hair had changed during the battle. She had used a few attacks to help Firestorm, and anyway her hair was now a slight cream color of tan-like gold.

"Uh, Becky, I think the stress got to you," Matthew commented, a sly smile on his face at seeing Becky's hair. Not knowing that his own hair was now a little longer than before, down to his shoulders.

"Well, looks like you let yours grow a little as well," Becky called back as she returned her Pokemon. Matthew was also returning his but stopped and looked at Becky. Though they were joking, they both realized that maybe their DNA was not as stable as it was before. This could in the future present some problems, but right now, they had bigger problems at the moment, mainly getting to a Pokmeon Center.

Oh, well, thought Becky, I could always say that I either dyed it, or that it's due to stress like Matthew said. However, they both were worried and concerned over what had just transpired. It seemed as if the doctor that was captured was not the real head of the Pokemorph division, but that man who had left in a hurry was the real boss, of course this could have been a ruse to lead them off the right track, but somehow, they knew something bigger would transpire before the night was done.

They were so wrapped up in their thoughts that they failed to notice two large, glowing eyes from another alley. However, this pair of eyes showed concern and worry for the two human/pokemon that the eyes saw as they began their trek back to the Pokemon Center, Ruth on Becky's head and Firestorm walking behind Matthew, looking a little dazed that Matt, her future mate, was not next to her. Both Matthew and Becky were carrying an Umbreon each.

"I sure hope we don't spend the night in a jail cell. After all, we are holding an Umbreon that was supposed to be healed at the Center." Matthew said worried about what may come next to them.