Chapter 45: Team Rocket VS Team Plasma! Pt. 1

The morning sun rose up in the sky as the Dire Wolves' helicopter flew to where the strong energy flow was coming from at the Desert Resort. "We're getting closer... It should be a few moments until we reach it." Pierce said, as he picked up speed for the helicopter. Sarah kept a close eye out to see if anything was out of ordinary in the desert. "I don't see anything right now..." Sarah said, until Mana gasped.

"Ah! Pierce, look out!" Mana shrieked. Pierce widened his eyes under the mask to see that something was coming straight at the helicopter! He swerved to dodge it, only for the attack to hit the rotating blades! The helicopter started to teeter and totter in the air, as Pierce lost control of the chopper's controls. "Argh! Damnit! We've been hit! Emergency landing, coming through!" Pierce grunted angrily.

Mana held on to dear life on her seat as Sarah tried to maintain control of the attacked helicopter only for it to be futile, as the three Dire Wolves member crashed onto the ground. The crash wasn't hard, so no one was hurt. The three got out of their crashed helicopter, before they turned to see a group of men in black suits and a red R on their shirts. "Tch... Team Rocket." Pierce scoffed.

"What are you brats doing here? This isn't some kind of playground for you to play in." One of the grunts sneered as he took out a Pokéball. The other two took out their Pokéballs as well to prepare for battle. Pierce and Sarah prepared to counterattack, until Mana stepped up, stopping her two comrades. "You two... Please, let me handle this one." Mana requested, leaving Pierce shocked at her request.

"Mana, are you crazy!? You can't think you can handle them alone-" Pierce started, until Sarah interrupted him. "Leave her, Pierce. This is something we can't interfere on." Sarah said harshly, causing Pierce to flinch as he glared back at her. "But, Sarah!?" Pierce snapped, until Mana spoke up. "Just go on ahead! I can do this, even if it's the three of them." Mana assured, catching the young teen by surprise.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance, before he sighed. "Alright then... Be careful." Pierce warned, as the nine year old girl nodded, allowing her two older comrades to run past her and the grunts. "Gah! Hold it right there, you brats! Raticate, strike them!" The first grunt called. "Grimer, let's go!" "Koffing, you too!" The other two grunts called, as they summoned their Kanto based Pokémon to stop the enemies.

The giant rat came out, along with a purple gas ball and with a purple sludge. Pierce and Sarah stopped to see that the three Pokémon surrounded them, leaving them nowhere to run. "Don't count on it... Mika! Marie! And Hina! Come on out, you three!" Mana called, as she summoned her three Pokémon out for battle. The grunts turned in surprise to see the young girl and her three Pokémon.

A Riolu named Mika appeared, along with Marie, the Gothorita, and Hina, the Munna. The three struck the Kanto based Pokémon, allowing both Pierce and Sarah to escape from the three grunts. "Hey! Come back here, you two!" The second grunt snapped, until he felt something sharp pass him, cutting his cheek a little as he widened his eyes in shock, before he turned to see who it was.

Mana had thrown one of her small daggers, which was split apart from the metal flute that had the snowflake pictures. "Ah... Why, you little brat..." The second grunt hissed as Mana remained silent, before she glared at her three enemies. "Watch your mouth, old man... Because even if I don't like to fight, I am strong... Strong enough to defeat the three of you all at the same time." Mana assured.

This left the three grunts insulted as they all glared dirtily at the nine year old girl. "We'll make you eat those words, you little brat... So, get ready!" The second grunt snapped angrily. He turned to his two comrades, who nodded at his look before the three made their attacks. "Squash her!" The second grunt bellowed angrily. "RIGHT!" The first and the third cried out in agreement.


(Pokémon BW Opening (Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Opening 4 Lyrics) (English Subbed))

(Many Pokéballs pass by, coming from the bright light)

Now is the time, hold up your trump card.

This future is yours to take!

(Takeru catches one of them and summons his Pokémon)

(The Best Wishes opening title shows with Takeru, Ash, Iris, and Cilan's four faces showing)

Burging brightly.

Like you're still watching an unending dream

(Takeru walks on a path at night with a serious expression on his face, with Riolu at his side)

Your body yearns for it.

A place where those who are strong are.

(Ash stands at a battlefield, with Pikachu on his shoulder, as they prepare to face their opponent)

Shaky, wavering.

What you're looking for it nowhere to be found.

(Cilan and Pansage are preparing supper, until they see a shooting star up on the evening sky)

But you're still seeking it.

A place overwhelming with power.

(Iris and Axew watches the forest on a high branch of a giant tree)

The next battle is waiting for me.

(Team Rocket and Team Plasma stand in opposition, ready to fight)

(Jessie, James, and Meowth stand above the Team Rocket organization)

(Aldith and Barrett stand above the Team Plasma organization)

(Giovanni and Ghetsis stand big and tall as each organization's leader)

I can hear the sign of new days coming.

(Shade turns, offering a hand, with Ryuu and Chikage behind him)

(Takeru, Iris, Ash, Cilan, Nate, Rosa, and Hugh prepares to fight against their enemies)

(Riolu, Axew, Pikachu, Pansage, Pignite, Servine, and Dewott stands behind their trainers)

Now is the time, hold up your trump card.

This future is yours to take!

(Takeru summons all eight of his Pokémon; Riolu, Tranquill, Pignite, Joltik, Deino, Zorua, Darmanitan, and Petilil)

(Ash summons his Pokémon; Pikachu, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Tranquill, Swadloon, and Scraggy)

Whether your smile can shake this world is all up to you.

(Iris summons her Pokémon; Axew, Emolga and Excadrill)

(Cilan summons his Pokémon; Pansage, Dwebble, and Stunfisk)

Write a new chapter in this story.

After all, aren't you the hero?

(Zekrom and Reshiram roars together in opposition)

(Takeru and Zekrom merges together, making Takeru a different person)

(Takeru, Ash, Cilan, and Iris all stand together with all their current Pokémon)

(Opening ends)


Another helicopter flew by, as it was also headed for the high energy flow in the Desert Resort. Inside the helicopter was Takeru, Ash, Iris, Shade, Cilan, Prof. Juniper, and Officer Jenny. "What's the current status, Professor?" Shade asked seriously, as the Unova Professor checked her data pad. "The energy level is growing stronger... It seems that we're getting close to the source." Prof. Juniper answered.

"So that would mean we're close to the cause of the Venipede invasion, right?" Iris asked. "Yes, that's right." Prof. Juniper agreed as Officer Jenny picked up speed for the helicopter. Takeru watched out the window to see the sun rising up at the desert, as it seemed to be normal at the moment. "Big brother... Is something wrong?" Riolu asked, catching the Nuvema boy's attention as he turned to his partner.

"Hm? Oh... No, nothing is wrong, Riolu... I'm just thinking about what just happened yesterday." Takeru explained, as he recalled on the Venipede attacking Castelia City, and on how Prof. Juniper explained about the reasons the Venipede invaded the city. But what didn't make sense to him was Shade. He gave a glance at the Shadow Demon, who was folding his arms, focusing on his mission.

When Shade had passed him yesterday, he felt a strange feeling coming up to him for a moment, until it went away. And when the Unova Professor had arrived, she seemed to have known Shade for years, despite of her not telling him about the Shadow Demon. "Just what was Prof. Juniper hiding from me? Does this have to do with me being linked to him?" Takeru thought, as he started to feel doubtful of himself.

But just then, the Emanation Pokémon felt something off as he widened his eyes, as his ears tensed by a strange aura coming from the desert. Ryuu seem to have felt it too, as it also felt the strange aura coming from outside of the helicopter. "Rio! Ri! Riolu!" Ryuu barked to Shade, catching his surprise as he bit his lips. "Something's watching us?" Shade asked, catching everyone else by surprise.

"What's watching us?" Ash asked. The curiosity grew the better of him as he opened the helicopter doors, much to both Cilan and Iris' surprise. "Ash!?" Cilan gasped. "Hey, Ash! What are you doing!?" Iris shrieked in shock. "Close the doors! It's too dangerous right now to open them!" Officer Jenny ordered as the Nuvema boy peeked out as well, to see something below them!

"Hey... I see some people down there! Three of them, to be exact!" Takeru pointed out, pointing at the figures on the ground. "What!?" Officer Jenny gasped, until something was off. Shade also looked to see one figure pointing at them, or most likely, the helicopter! The hooded figure sent out a purple leopard looking Pokémon, and ordered an attack. "Ah! Everyone! Brace yourselves for impact!" Shade bellowed in warning.

Everyone held onto something as an attack came by, destroying the rotors of the helicopter! The tail was blown off as well, causing the helicopter to be shooting down to the ground. Everyone screamed as they were falling, causing the officer to resist the fall. "Argh! We're going down! The control on the helicopter isn't working! I can't get us to slow down!" Officer Jenny grunted as she gritted her teeth.

"Hang on, everyone!" Prof. Juniper yelled as the helicopter landed on the ground, hard. It skidded across the desert ground, spinning in the process. Everyone had to hold on for dear life as the spinning finally stopped. The windows were smashed, and the helicopter was completely busted! Now it could no longer be used for flight anymore. "Argh... Is everyone alright?" Prof. Juniper asked.

"Ngh... Yeah, I think so..." Ash answered, getting up with a groan. "Pika..." Pikachu groaned along. "My head hurts a little..." Iris answered, holding her head to keep herself from spinning. "I think I'm fine..." Cilan said as he stood up. Officer Jenny got out of the driver's seat before she noticed the three figures and their Pokémon walking towards them! Shade and Takeru came out in time to see the three in front of them!

They seemed to be a group of men cloaked with desert robes as the officer glared at them with anger. "Alright, who are you!? Do you have any idea how much chaos you could've created by shooting us down like that!? I should arrest you all for your foolish and unacceptable actions!" Officer Jenny snapped, as she pointed at the three men. The purple leopard looking Pokémon growled as Ash took out his Pokédex.

"Who's that Pokémon...?" Ash asked, as he scanned it. "Liepard, the Cruel Pokémon, and the evolved form of Purrloin. Stealthily, Liepard can sneak up to its target, striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react." Ash's Pokédex buzzed. At the sight of the Pokédex, one of the men grunted with annoyance. "So... You all must be Pokémon Trainers... Trainers who uses Pokédex to make Pokémon their servants." The man scoffed.

"What was that!?" Ash snapped as the man scoffed again. "I will ask you all to not get in our way. We are currently on a mission to retrieve the Meteonite for our own personal gains. Having you people and trainers in the way would simply make things worse for us and all the Pokémon in this world." The man warned, as his words left both Iris and Cilan confused. "Worse for Pokémon?" Cilan repeated.

"What do you mean by that?" Iris asked as the second man interrupted her. "We don't need to answer your questions, little girl. We're just asking you to stay out of our way." The second man snapped. That was when Shade stepped up, clenching his fists. "I don't see any reason why we should listen to your warnings! They could be just empty, especially when you're standing around, doing nothing to us now!" Shade snapped.

The third man gritted his teeth as he was about to attack with his Pokémon, until the first man stopped him. "Don't." The first said, as the second complained. "But those brats are challenging us! Are we to just run away and leave those foolish children go unpunished!?" The second snapped as Prof. Juniper stepped up, glaring at the three. "Explain yourselves! Who are you people!?" The Unova Professor asked.

"Ah... Prof. Juniper... The one who had designed the Pokédex, and the reason for the Trainers to capture Pokémon for their slaves." The first man scoffed, annoyed by seeing the Professor. "What do you mean by slaves!? Not every people are like that!? Some of us love our Pokemon to be part of the family, or to become our friends!? You have no right to accuse us of handling our Pokémon!" Takeru snapped.

"That may be so, but we believe that Pokémon will never be free unless they are liberated from humans like you, ignorant trainers." The third one snapped. At the mention of 'liberate', Shade widened his eyes under his mask as he realized on who these people are. His eyes began to glow red under his mask, both filled with such rage. It started to grow slits, like a savage, hunting for his prey.

His haunting, smiling fang-like mask seemed to be begging for a bloodbath. His aura was dark as a shadow like a fog misted off of his body, but yet attached to him at the same time. He looked exactly like his name, the Shadow Demon. "Ryuu... Aura Sphere! And Chikage, Night Daze!" Shade snapped, pointing at the three. Everyone turned to the Shadow Demon by surprise as his two main Pokémon attacked with their best moves.

"Shade! What are you doing!?" Prof. Juniper gasped as the first man countered with Liepard. "Counter those attacks with Hyper Beam, Liepard!" The first man called. At the order, the Cruel Pokémon blocked both Night Daze and Aura Sphere with its Hyper Beam attack, negating both attacks! "No way!?" Ash gasped. "Pika!?" The Electric Type cried along in shock.

"That Hyper Beam stopped both of Shade's attacks!" Cilan pointed out in surprise. "Hmph. So you want to do this, eh? You will regret challenging us." The first scoffed as Shade snapped back. "No... I don't think I'll regret it! I've waited long years for this... This is for you bastards torturing me for so long!" Shade snapped. The way the Shadow Demon spoke left the group surprised, along with Officer Jenny and Prof. Juniper.

"Shade... What are you talking about...?" Takeru started to ask, until the Shadow Demon stopped him. "Answers can come later... Right now, I need to settle the score with these three..." Shade hissed as Ryuu and Chikage were ready to fight, as the first one scoffed in disinterest. "We don't have time for this... The Meteonite will belong to us, the heroes, no matter what the cost is!" The first man snapped.

As he prepared to leave, the shuffling from turning around revealed one part of his uniform. The uniform had a P sign, with a cross on it, causing Shade to widen his eyes, before he clenched his fists. "Where are you going!? Ryuu! Aura Sphere!" Shade yelled, pointing at the first man. "Shade, wait!" Prof. Juniper started, as the first man turned, countering Shade's sneak attack.

"Tch... Brat... Liepard, Hyper Beam!" The first man yelled, as the Cruel Pokémon did so. It shot another Hyper Beam attack at the Aura Sphere, negating it while aiming to hit the group at the same time! "Everyone, look out!" Officer Jenny yelled, causing everyone to widen their eyes and gasp at the incoming attack. But then, Shade quickly took action and held out his hands, as if he was preparing to block the attack!

In the process of his blocking, dark aura surrounded his hands, as it looked like he was about to do something crazy. "Shade!? What are you doing!? Get out of there, now!" Takeru yelled loudly as he tried to pull Shade out of the way, until the leader of the Dire Wolves glared at him under his mask. "Stay out of this! We'll be fine! Just stay back!" Shade assured as he kept his blocking position.

The other two widened their eyes at the Shadow Demon's attempt to block Hyper Beam. "Is that kid a fool!? He'll take major damage from the Hyper Beam!" The second one yelled as the third one just gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Death's Judgement!" Shade bellowed as the Hyper Beam came closer until it was absorbed, as the energy started to turn into a glowing ball!

"What the...!?" The second one gasped as the group gaped at Shade's power. "Did he just... absorb the Hyper Beam attack!?" Iris shrieked in shock. "But how...!?" Cilan asked along. "He's not a normal person, that's for sure!" Ash pointed out. "Pika..." Pikachu said in amazement. The Nuvema boy widened his eyes in shock as he began to sweat. "What...? How...? How is he...?" Takeru stuttered in shock.

The first one stepped back in surprise as Liepard stopped its attack in shock. It was shocked to see that its attack was absorbed by a mere human! But the Shadow Demon proved himself to be more than a normal human as he focused his aura powers to shoot it right back. "Take this! Your own attack... Right back at you!" Shade yelled as he blasted the absorbed Hyper Beam towards the three men.

Unlike what Liepard had shot, this Hyper Beam seemed to be four times bigger and powerful than a normal one! The energy caused a huge explosion, knocking the three men and Liepard, while knocking the four trainers, Prof. Juniper, and Officer Jenny at the same time! "AAARRRGHHH!" Shade screamed as he tried to restrain himself from pushing his powers too hard, only for it to backfire.

The strain from using Death's Judgement caused him to fall to his knees as he panted, feeling exhausted. Most of his aura was used to deflect the attack back at his enemies, causing him to feel very fatigued. But as the smoke cleared, he noticed that the Team Plasma members were struggling to get up as they gritted their teeth in annoyance. "Tch... damn brat... To think he has this much power..." The first grunted.

The second and third men were struck with fear however, as they turned to their first teammate. "H-Hey... We should just... get out of here! This kid is crazy! If we stay here any longer, then we'll be blasted apart!" The second one babbled fearfully. "Plus... We need to regroup with the others to obtain the Meteonite, remember!?" The third one reminded, as the first one grunted in annoyance.

"Tch... Fine. Let's move!" The first one grunted as he returned Liepard back to its Pokéball. As they were leaving, Shade managed to stand and glare at his retreating enemies. "Cowardly bastards...! Come back here!" Shade snapped, until he realized he couldn't run, causing him to fall to his knees again. By the time they were gone, everyone else recovered from the blow of Shade's Death Judgement attack.

"Ugh... Oh man, what happened?" Ash asked, holding his head as he groaned in pain. "I think... We discovered one of Shade's dangerous powers of manipulating the shadows." Takeru grunted as he stood up, seeing Shade on his knees. Iris and Cilan all got up to see that the attack the Shadow Demon had launched created a sand crater, making it look like a huge meteor had fallen in the sand.

Officer Jenny and Prof. Juniper had also recovered from the attack as the she looked at the Dire Wolves leader in worry. "Oh Shade... Just what happened to you in the past years?" Prof. Juniper thought in fright, believing that the teen had changed completely from the Shade that she had known. Officer Jenny only frowned, seeing that the boy was dangerous, despite of him being helpful with police cases.

"Prof. Juniper... I believe this is now something that we have to do ourselves." Officer Jenny said, catching everyone by surprise. "Wait, Officer Jenny! What are you saying?" Iris asked. "I'm saying that this is getting too dangerous for you kids to be a part of. We were shot down by those three... They could be from the mysterious organization that the Unova Police was serching about." Officer Jenny explained.

"Mysterious organization?" Ash repeated in confusion. The officer frowned, before she continued her explanation. "Yes... There have been reports about a mysterious organization that claims to be on the Pokémon's side, but..." Officer Jenny started, before she stopped, raising the group's questions and curiosity as the Connoisseur made the question. "But what, Officer?" Cilan asked.

"It turns out... Those people actually steal other people's Pokémon, while saying they want to liberate them from humans." Officer Jenny answered. "They steal Pokémon!?" Iris gasped. "But, what do they mean by liberating them from other people?" Cilan asked in confusion.

"That's something we're trying to find out about... What they do makes no sense to us for some reason... But, I believe... That this organization is doing whatever they can to prevent people from bonding with their Pokémon, by taking them away from them, forcing to release them when they can." Officer Jenny explained.

"That's just wrong! Why would they do something like that!? What good will come out of it, separating the people and Pokémon from each other, when there are some who love each other as friends and family!?" Ash snapped, angry at hearing this mysterious organization. The officer was unsure on how to respond, as Takeru kept his face darkened, while Riolu remained silent at this question.

Iris and Cilan looked at their Kanto friend, worried of how he might react to this. Ryuu and Chikage, on the other hand, just comforted their weakened trainer, ignoring the protests from the Kanto trainer. Prof. Juniper sighed as she cleared her throat. "In any case, I believe Officer Jenny is right. I think it'll be best if she and I handle this alone for a while." Prof. Juniper explained.

"And what...? Just the two of you would be too easy for them to handle." Shade warned, catching the officer and the professor by surprise. "Shade? What are you saying?" Prof. Juniper asked. "I'm saying that the two of you can't solve this case on your own... The three that we faced before... I believe those guys are part of the organization that you're talking about... and the one that I'm hunting down." Shade explained.

He stood up, dusting himself off as he turned on his Xtransciever to contact his comrades. "Pierce! Do you hear me!? Pierce!" Shade called as his comrade's face appeared on the screen. "Yeah! I can hear you perfectly!" Pierce called. The Shadow Demon sighed in relief, before he explained the situation to him. "Pierce, we've been shot down by a mysterious organization's attack. We need some backup, right away!" Shade called.

"That's just what I was going to do! We were shot down, too! By Team Rocket!" Pierce explained annoyingly, catching everyone and Shade by surprise. "Team Rocket...!? They shot down Shade's friends!?" Ash gasped. "I should've known they had something to do with this!" Iris snapped angrily. "Axew ew!" "Pika!" Both Axew and Pikachu agreed in annoyance, as they recalled their old enemies.

"Tch... Those guys too, huh? Alright then... I need you to send a few more people to us! Call for some backup as fast as you can! And wait... where's Mana? I thought she was with you and Sarah?" Pierce asked, catching the Nuvema boy by surprise. "Mana...? Does he mean... my little sister!?" Takeru thought as he quickly stood up, before grabbing Shade's Xtransciever wrist as he glared at Pierce.

Shade yelped from the sudden yank as the Nuvema boy glared at the plain masked boy. "You... Do you know where my sister is!? Do you!? Where is she!?" Takeru snapped, much to Pierce's surprise, until Shade yanked his arm away from the eleven year old. "Hey! Back off! I'm the one asking the questions here, kid, so butt out!" Shade snapped, as Takeru glared back with annoyance.

"No, I won't! You said Mana, right!? Mana Yamada, my sister, you mean!?" Takeru snapped, catching Ash and Iris by surprise. "Mana...?" Ash repeated. "Takeru's sister?" Iris repeated along. Then, the two widened their eyes in shock as they were bewildered to hear that their friend had a little sister. "WHAT!?" The two yelled together. "PIKA!?" "AXEW EW!?" Even Pikachu and Axew were shocked at the news.

Both Cilan and Riolu sweat dropped, as they realized that they had never told Ash, Iris, Pikachu, and Axew about Takeru having a little sister in his family. "Oh my..." Prof. Juniper said as she remembered that young Mana worked with the Dire Wolves, which her older brother never knew at all. "Yes, I mean your sister! And there's nothing for you to worry about, kid. She's safe. Perfectly." Shade assured.

This didn't satisfy the Nuvema boy as he kept his glaring face at the leader of the Dire Wolves. "You... Did you... drag her into this!? Did you drag her into your little organization, and force her into this task!?" Takeru demanded, which Pierce denied frantically. "No, no, no! It wasn't our idea, kid! It was her own idea! Her own desire to join the Dire Wolves! It was her decision!" Pierce exclaimed.

Then, Sarah's picture came into the Xtransciever, as she confirmed it with an agreement. "That's right. Your little sister asked to join us so that she could become stronger, and to bond with the Pokémon that have been abused by trainers and other people." Sarah explained, as the Nuvema boy was still angry about Mana being part of the Dire Wolves organization.

"That still doesn't explain why she is on this mission of yours! She could be just nine years old! An age not even suitable enough for a Pokémon Trainer!" Takeru retorted, as Shade gritted his teeth in annoyance. He punched Takeru away hard, knocking him onto the sand, much to his shock and pain. "Gah-!" Takeru gasped as he lost some of his breath, causing Riolu to panic.

"No! Brother Takeru!" Riolu wailed as he ran to his human brother frantically, while surprising Shade and his other two Pokémon as well. "Brother...? I see... The kid bonded with this Riolu, just like Mana did, huh." Shade thought as he quickly calmed down, before the Nuvema boy recovered from the sudden punch. Sarah on the other hand sighed as she spoke with her leader about the current situation.

"We don't have time to talk, Shade. We're heading to the high energy source in the Desert Resort. We'll call backup as soon as we can." Sarah assured as her screen disappeared, leaving only Pierce to contact Shade. "Y-Yeah. What she said!" Pierce agreed as he turned the connection off, leaving Shade to stare at his now black and empty Xtransciever screen.

"You..." Takeru hissed as Shade sighed. "Your sister is safe with us, kid. I can promise you, that even when she is too young, she is strong, and strong enough to defeat all those that come near her, even when she is outnumbered." Shade assured, as the Nuvema boy kept his glare at him. Ash, Iris, and Cilan kept their eyes on Shade and Takeru's conversation and glaring, until Takeru spoke up.

"If she... If she gets hurt or put in any danger... I'll never forgive you and your friends... even if she gets a scratch." Takeru warned dangerously, his left eye pupil glowing red for a moment, causing Riolu to flinch as he never saw his human brother being this angry, especially towards someone else, except his enemies. Shade said nothing as he turned to Officer Jenny and Prof. Juniper.

"We might as well get going. Pierce and Sarah should be ahead, waiting for us. Mana, too..." Shade said, as he began to walk off. Officer Jenny frowned, before she began to follow as she turned to warn the group about the crisis that could be dangerous for them. "Everyone... Please head back to Castelia City." Officer Jenny requested as she turned to Prof. Juniper to follow.

The Unova Professor understood as she began to follow as well, until Takeru stopped her. "Professor..." Takeru called, catching Prof. Juniper's attention. "Yes?" Prof. Juniper asked, as Takeru's face was darkened. "Did you... Did you know all this? Did you know who Shade was, and where my little sister was...? Did you also know the Dire Wolves, too?" Takeru asked shakily, his fists trembling with fear and little anger.

Prof. Juniper watched sadly as she sighed, before making her answer. "I did not know Shade completely or the Dire Wolves as well. But, I did know about your sister being part of this organization." Prof. Juniper answered, causing Takeru to widen his eyes as he kept his eyes on the ground. With no other words to say, the Professor left with Officer Jenny and Shade, leaving the group next to the destroyed helicopter.

Once they were gone, Ash, Iris, and Cilan kept their eyes on the Nuvema boy, who seemed shocked and depressed of this news. "Takeru..." Ash said in concern. "Mm... It must be hard, being informed of all this and accepting it at the same time..." Iris said, feeling bad for the Nuvema boy. "Pikachu..." "Axew..." Both Pikachu and Axew were concerned about this, too as Cilan sighed.

"He never heard of his sister for about two years, so it would be no surprise if he was shocked at this news... A bitter taste, in my opinion." Cilan reminded the others, before he frowned. For Takeru, he remained silent as Riolu watched, before he tried to nuzzle his human brother, even giving him a hug for comfort. "Brother... Are you... feeling alright?" Riolu asked, now deeply concerned.

"Am I alright...? No, Riolu... I'm not. To suddenly hear about this... It's... It's just so hard to just accept these news..." Takeru said, while laughing nervously a little. Riolu had tears welling up in his eyes as he tightened the hug on his human brother, until something made him perk his ears up a little. "Hm...? S-Something's... coming this way!" Riolu stuttered, before he gasped.

Takeru blinked, before he felt something coming as a huge energy wave passed him, knocking him down a little. "GAH! What the...!?" Takeru gasped as the energy wave knocked the others back, too! "What was that!? It suddenly came out of nowhere!" Ash gasped in shock. "I don't know... But, my senses are telling me that it's not good!" Iris stuttered, as she began to feel nervous a pit this.

"I think it's best that we heed Officer Jenny's words and head back to Castelia City!" Cilan grunted as he stood up, as the others stood up, too. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Ash agreed before he turned to his Electric Type Pokémon. "Pikachu, are you ready to- Ah! Pikachu, behind you!" Ash gasped, pointing to a figure that's behind Pikachu. The Electric Type blinked before he turned to see who was behind him!

The figure was taller than him, and it had a pair of sunglasses! It was Krokorok! The same Desert Croc Pokémon that trailed the group to battle both Pikachu and Riolu! "Huh!? You!? You're that same Krokorok from before!" Takeru yelped in shock as the evolved Dark-Ground Type nodded in confirmation. "Krokorok! Krok! Krokorok!" Krokorok smirked as he explained his reasons for being here.

Riolu face palmed as he knew that this was time for a battle. "He followed us all the way here, just so he could have a rematch with me and Pikachu again!" Riolu complained, causing Takeru to glare at the selfish Pokémon. "Argh! How many times do we have to go over this!? There will be some time when we won't want to battle you! And this is really a horrible time to do so!" Takeru snapped.

That was when Ash held his hand up, blocking Takeru's way, catching the Nuvema boy by surprise. "Ash...? What are you doing!?" Takeru snapped as the Kanto trainer narrowed his eyes. "I don't think Krokorok is going to let us through unless we battle him... So, please... Help me on this one, Takeru!" Ash pleaded as he turned to Pikachu, who looked ready to fight.

The request bewildered Takeru, Iris, and Cilan as the wild girl scolded Ash for his decisions. "Ash!? Are you serious!? Like Takeru said, this is no time to have a Pokémon battle with Krokorok! We have to get back to Castelia City as Officer Jenny had told us to do! You're such a little kid, you know that!?" Iris scolded angrily, as Cilan tried to help her by reasoning with the Kanto trainer.

"She's right! Getting back to Castelia City sounds more safer, and it will take less time, too!" Cilan agreed. But that didn't change Ash's mind as he was still itching to battle with Krokorok again. "Sorry, guys... But this is something we can't just run away from! Krokorok came all this way to battle us, and I'll be giving him a battle that he wants! Right, Pikachu?" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Once again, Iris fumed on the Kanto trainer's selfish wishes this time, until both the Nuvema boy and the Emanation Pokémon stepped up. "Takeru? Are you going to help us, too?" Ash asked, feeling hopeful. The Nuvema boy gritted his teeth in annoyance before he quickly calmed down, making his answer. "I'm only joining in, so we could end this quicker. You alone would take too much time." Takeru answered.

Ash sweat dropped at his response, but accepted it as the two boys faced Krokorok for a battle. Iris was in disbelief that Takeru would join in, but the Connoisseur understood the Nuvema boy's intentions as the battle began.

Krokorok VS Ash / Takeru: Pikachu / Riolu

"Alright, Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!" "Riolu, start this off with Blaze Kick!" The two boys shouted out together. Both starters charged to strike at Krokorok, only for the evolved Dark-Ground Type to dig underground, dodging both attacks! "Ah! Krokorok is using Dig! Be careful, Pikachu!" Ash warned as the Quick Attack stopped, as Blaze Kick stopped as well.

Both Pokémon looked around, to see if there were any signs of Krokorok. Takeru remained calm, but serious. This was something he had to end quickly! This is no time for games for them! "If you won't come out fast enough, Krokorok, then we'll force you to come out to end this! Riolu, use Aura Sphere at the hole!" Takeru yelled, pointing at the hole. "Alright!" Riolu barked with a nod.

The young Emanation Pokémon shot the sphere at the hole, causing a small explosion! The explosion knocked Krokorok out of the hole, much to his shock and pain, as he tried to regain his balance. "I won't let you! Riolu, hit him with Aura Sphere!" Takeru yelled, punching his fist in the air. Once again, with no hesitation, Riolu blasted Krokorok away hard with the super effective attack.

Krokorok yelled in pain as he fell and skidded on the ground, before he quickly got up in annoyance. He summoned pointed stones around him and launched it at both Pikachu and Riolu! "That's Stone Edge!" Cilan pointed out. "Pikachu, deflect them with Electro Ball!" Ash yelled. At the order, the Electric Type summoned his ball of electricity and threw it at the flying pointed stones!

The ball knocked them all away, until Krokorok appeared in front of it! "What the...!?" Ash gasped as Krokorok bit onto the Electro Ball, before negating it. "No way! It ate the Electro Ball!?" Ash gasped. "Pika!?" Even Pikachu was shocked at this, as Takeru kept attacking. "Focus on winning, Ash! Riolu, Aura Sphere!" Takeru yelled. "I'm on it!" Riolu cried as he launched another Aura Sphere at Krokorok.

Omce again, the Desert Croc Pokémon tried to bite on it like with Electro Ball, only for the force to be too strong! It blasted him away, causing him to skid on the ground again. "Looks like the Aura Sphere was too hot and spicy for Krokorok to handle!" Cilan pointed out, with a frown. "If this keeps up, then both Ash and Takeru will win for sure!" Iris reminded the Connoisseur as she smiled at their upcoming victory.

"Alright! Let's do this, Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!" "Riolu, strike him hard with Blaze Kick!" The boys shouted together. Once again, the two starters shot towards Krokorok, who was ready to strike back, until something stopped Pikachu and Riolu from attacking! Another energy wave passed the group, startling them all as they felt as the wave was stronger than the last one they felt!

"There's that energy wave again!" Ash yelped as he turned to see where it had come from. Unfortunately, as Ash was distracted by the strong energy wave, Krokorok used this chance to attack Riolu and Pikachu, catching the Nuvema boy's surprise. "Ah!? Both of you, look out!" Takeru yelled. Both starters turned, but it was too late to dodge or counter as Krokorok crunched on the two with Crunch!

Both starters screamed in pain, catching Ash's attention as he gasped to see the starters in peril. "Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash gasped, as Takeru gritted his teeth. "Argh! Knock him away with Blaze Kick, Riolu!" Takeru yelled. At the order, Riolu attempted to stop Krokorok with Blaze Kick, only for the Desert Croc Pokémon to shake him and Pikchu wildly, causing him to lose focus of his attack!

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Riolu screamed as he was shaken wildly by Crunch attack. "PIIIKKAAAA!" Pikachu screamed as well, leaving the Kanto trainer with little options to strike back! "No choice! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Krokorok!" Ash yelled. That shocked the Nuvema boy as he tried to stop his Kanto friend from letting his Electric Type starter attack, fearing for Riolu's safety.

"Ash, no! If you use Thunderbolt, you'll shock Riolu! And an Electric Type attack won't work on a Ground Type like Krokorok!" Takeru yelled, only for his warning to be too late. The Thunderbolt was shot, shocking both Riolu and Krokorok, as the Desert Croc Pokémon resisted the attack, while the shock hurt Riolu badly. "AAAARRRGHHH! DID YOU HAVE TO USE THUNDERBOLT ON ME!?" Riolu screamed loudly.

But with enough power, the Electric Type attack started to affect Krokorok too as an explosion occurred on the three! Takeru, Ash, Iris, and Cilan gasped to see the smoke clearing, with Pikachu and Riolu unconscious by the explosion. As for Krokorok, he we sent flying high into the air! The Desert Croc Pokémon yelled in shock to see that he was being blown away once again by his rivals.

He disappeared into the now orange sky, similar to when Team Rocket had been blasted off in the previous regions. Once he was gone, the two boys ran over to their injured starters, picking them up in their arms. "Oh no... Pikachu! Are you okay?" Ash asked, holding his starter up. "P-Pika..." Pikachu groaned as he weakly looked at his human friend, while Takeru asked the same thing to Riolu.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay, Riolu?" Takeru asked, as he cradled his injured Fighting Type. Riolu moaned before opening his eyes to see his human brother holding him. "I'm... I'm fine... Brother... Couldn't get any worse than this... right?" Riolu coughed weakly, grinning weakly as well. The Nuvema boy smiled weakly as he hugged his Emanation Pokémon softly, before whispering into his ear.

"Yeah... Thanks for fighting hard..." Takeru thanked silently until Cilan and Iris came over. "We really need to get Pikachu and Riolu back at the Pokémon Center! Then, we can find out what happened to Shade, Prof. Juniper, and Officer Jenny!" Cilan suggested, as the two boys nodded in agreement. With that agreed, the four trainers ran out of the Desert Resort to head back to Castelia City.

Meanwhile...

"Argh... Damn you... You little brat." The Rocket grunt groaned as he fell down, unconscious from being defeated. The three Rocket grunts were finally defeated, as Mana panted. She did expect them to resist hard, but not THIS hard. Mika, Marie, and Hina were all exhausted from that battle. She was tired too, even if she didn't get a scratch from the Pokémon or the Team Rocket members.

"Hina and Marie... Both of you, return." Mana called, as she returned them to their Pokéballs. She took out Mika's Pokéball to return her too, until Mika shook her head in refusal. "Rio! Lu! Rio!" Mika protested firmly, catching the nine year old by surprise. "H-Huh? But why...?" Mana asked in confusion until Mika ran over to her and hugged one of her legs, holding onto it tightly.

Mana widened her eyes in shock to see that her Riolu would act like this. It was like she wanted stay with her trainer, rather than being trapped inside the Pokéball. The nine year old sighed as she smiled softly, before she picked Mika up and hugged her back. "Mm... I'm sorry, for not understanding, Mika." Mana apologized as she rubbed Mika's back, which seemed to have made the female Emanation Pokémon feel much better.

Carrying Mika in her arms, the nine year old Yamada girl continued to walk to where Sarah and Pierce headed off to, believing that they're continuing their way to find the source of the energy waves. But just then, the Xtransciever rung, catching the little girl by surprise as she picked it up, before answering it. "Yes?" Mana called, as Sarah's voice came out, answering her call.

"Mana, are you there? Are you alright!?" Sarah asked desperately. "Um, yeah! I'm fine... Why do you ask?" Mana asked, surprised by Sarah's tone. Pierce then came over, giving a sigh of relief. "Well... The truth is... We need to head back to Castelia City, right now. We were just wondering if you were safe or not." Pierce said bluntly, only to receive a punch on his head by Sarah.

"Idiot..." Sarah mumbled under her breath as Mana laughed nervously at the two. "Um... By the way, why do we need to head back to the city? I thought the strong energy sources were coming from here." Mana asked. "We thought so, too... But, somehow it's leaving the desert and heading for Castelia City... We're guessing that Team Rocket must've already collected the source of the energy waves." Sarah explained.

"Team Rocket...? Are you sure?" Mana asked in worry. "Ngh... Y-Yeah... We saw a big helicopter passing above us when we were getting there... It had the R sign symbol on it, so we assumed that it was them..." Pierce groaned as he recovered from Sarah's hard punch. "So... What should we do now...? Does that mean we failed to stop them?" Mana asked, feeling worried about their mission now.

"No... There is still a chance. Pierce and I called for some backup, some already in Castelia City. We're guessing that if Team Rocket were to be showing the source's powers, then it has to be in a famous city, like in Castelia." Sarah explained, as Pierce popped in, explaining more about their plan. "We also heard that there was going to be a masquerade party at Castelia, so it's more likely Team Rocket would show their plans there." Pierce added.

"So that would mean... We're going to head there and infiltrate the party?" Mana asked, feeling unsure about this idea. "That's the plan. With the masks we have on right now, I think we'll have no problem getting in there." Sarah assured, feeling serious about this task. The young fighter sighed in relief, until she realized of the problem she had right now: being stranded in the Desert Resort.

"Wait... How am I supposed to get back to the city when it's a bit far from here? It's going to get dark before-" Mana started to ask until she felt something blowing her hair and the area, as there was a sound; a helicopter sound, to be exact. "I think your answer is right there." Pierce teased, pointing to the helicopter behind her as the little girl sighed in relief, as some of the Dire Wolves members called to her.

"Hey! You're Mana, right!? Grab onto the ladder!" One of the members shouted, before he threw down the helicopter ladder for Mana to catch. She turned to Mika, who nodded with a smile. The nine year old nodded back before she caught the ladder and got onto the ladder for a wild ride. "Hang on, Mika! I think this ride is going to be wild!" Mana warned as the helicopter moved around, heading back for Castelia City.

Back to Takeru and the others...

It was getting dark, as the sky was starting to become the night sky. The four trainers were hurrying back to Castelia City so that they could get to the Pokémon Center, all believing that Nurse Joy could treat Pikachu and Riolu's wounds. As they were running back however, they noticed a few helicopters flying above them, passing them as they all stopped to see them flying ahead towards Castelia City!

"What's with the helicopters?" Ash asked, startled by the sudden appearance of them. Cilan then noticed something up ahead as he widened his eyes. "Look! There's something attached onto that helicopter!" Cilan pointed out, pointing at something glowing under one of the helicopters. It seemed to be a glowing meteorite, only to be trapped in a glowing cube, like it was trapped in a force field.

"Something tells me that that stone on the helicopters is not a good sign." Iris guessed as she shivered at the sight of it. "Axew..." Axew whimpered along, as he hid inside Iris' hair. Riolu groaned and squirmed in Takeru's arms, catching the Nuvema boy by surprise as he tried to calm the Emanation Pokémon down. "Riolu!? What is it!? What's wrong!?" Takeru asked in surprise.

Pikachu started to do the same, as he squirmed around Ash's arms, much to the Kanto trainer's shock. "Ah! Pikachu!? Buddy, what's the matter?" Ash asked, feeling confused on the Electric Type's conditions. "It must have something to do with the stone that the helicopters carried off with!" Cilan pointed out, as Iris frowned. "But, could that really be it...?" Iris asked in confusion.

Suddenly, something screeched behind them, causing the group to see a jeep stopping right in front of them! "WHOA!?" Ash yelped as he took a step back from surprise. "What are you four still doing here!? I thought I asked you to head for Castelia City!" Officer Jenny cried out, catching the group's attention. The group noticed that Shade, Prof. Juniper, and Officer Jenny were the ones in the jeep!

Not only that, someone else was with them, too! "Oh my... Ash, is that you?" The man asked, catching the Kanto trainer's surprise. "It's Looker! From the International Police!" Ash said in surprise. Cilan, Iris, and Takeru glanced at their Kanto friend in surprise, seeing that he knew one of the new faces of Unova. "What...? Do you know Officer Looker, Ash?" Prof. Juniper asked in surprise.

"Yeah! We met in the Sinnoh region once!" Ash explained as Shade frowned under his mask. "What happened to your four? And what's with Pikachu and Riolu?" Shade asked seriously. "I don't know... They were like this when we were distracted by a certain rival of ours... And then suddenly, after those helicopters passed us, they started to squirm and feel weird..." Takeru explained.

"The helicopters... Tch... This is starting to become even more troublesome..." Shade grunted as Prof. Junipers explained. "Those helicopters belonged to Team Rocket! They've collected the energy sources from the Desert Resort! I believe they called it... the Meteonite!" Prof. Juniper explained, catching the Nuvema boy's surprise as he recalled of what the three nodded men said earlier.

"Meteonite... Could that be the reason why these two are like this...?" Takeru thought as he took notice of Pikachu and Riolu still squirming in their arms. "We can talk about this later! Right now, Team Rocket is headed straight for Castelia City! They're planning to use the Meteonite to do something there!" Looker explained as he gestured the four trainers to get in the keep. "Get in! We need to go as fast as we can!" Looker ordered.

"Right!" The four trainers agreed as they got in the jeep. Once they were all in, the International Police member began to rev up his engine and drive after the organization's helicopters as fast as he could. As they were driving, the Nuvema boy turned to Shade, who was right next to him. "Hey... What happened to my sister?" Takeru demanded, as the Shadow Demon sighed, before glaring at the Nuvema boy with assurance.

"She's safe. Our backup helicopter picked her up just in time, allowing her to move on to the next phase of our mission. Sarah and Pierce are still investigating the Resort right now, hoping to keep track of what Team Rocket is planning to do." Shade answered, leaving Takeru to glare back at the masked boy. The glares soon stopped as they hit a bump on the road, as they were near to the city.

"Alright, everyone! Hang on tight! This is going to get rough!" Looker warned, causing everyone to brace themselves for impact. And they were right to do so, as the road got bumpy, which caused the jeep to skid for a moment, as everyone held on tight, until the road became smooth again, showing that they had arrived back at Castelia City. The helicopter was there too, landing on top of a high building.

"They're landing over there... At that high building!" Iris pointed out, as Officer Jenny frowned at this. "That's where a masquerade party is about to take place tonight!" Officer Jenny pointed out in worry. "A masquerade party...?" Ash repeated in confusion as he looked up at the building. "But, why would they Team Rocket stop there?" Ash asked, confused with their methods.

"Its more likely to show the people of Castelia City on how serious they are to take over the world... And if I'm right, they're going to use the Meteonite to make an example of that... by demonstrating its powers to them." Looker explained as Shade scoffed. "Officer Looker... You said this was a masquerade party, correct?" Shade asked, catching Looker and everyone else's attention.

"Why... Yes, I did." Looker confirmed as Shade gave a small smile. "Then, I guess it's time for us to prepare some masks. Because we need to see for sure if they would demonstrate that kind of power in there." Shade smirked, as Looker and Officer Jenny knew what he meant. "You mean to say, we should infiltrate the party...? But that's..." Officer Jenny started, until Cilan spoke up.

"I agree with it, Officer Jenny. If we just stay down here while they reveal their plan, then the whole city might be in danger again!" Cilan agreed. "He's right! We need to see if what they're doing is danger to the other people and to this city!" Iris agreed. "Axew ew!" Axew agreed. Takeru frowned at this idea, believing that this could be risky, especially with Pikachu and Riolu squirming in their arms, still.

They looked as if they were in a lot of pain, making it look as if the Meteonite was the cause of their suffering. Plus, the wounds from their battle with Krokorok hasn't fully recovered yet, making their pain even more unbearable. He was about to object to the idea when Ash spoke up. "I think we should do it..." Ash said, catching everyone's attention, as the Kanto trainer explained.

"It's like what Cilan had said... We need to find a way to know what they're planning, and stop them before they can accomplish that plan! We need to do it... for the sake of Castelia City... and for the sake of the Unova region!" Ash explained. Pikachu weakly opened his eyes to see his human friend wanting to be part of this plan. Prof. Juniper and Looker both smiled at his explanation, before they both nodded to each other.

"And what about you, Takeru? What do you think of this...?" Prof. Juniper asked, causing all eyes to go to the Nuvema boy, who blinked before he bit his lips. He looked at Riolu, who kept squirming in his arms, gritting his teeth, like he was being tortured by something. "I... I... I'll do it... What Ash said... For the sake of this city, and for the Unova region, too." Takeru answered, before he made a serious expression on his face.

His three friends nodded in agreement, while Shade only gave a curt nod. Prof. Juniper and Looker understood his decision as Officer Jenny sighed, before giving in to their choices. "Alright then... But, I ask that you all be careful. We don't want a repeat of what happened when our helicopter got shot down... Understood?" Officer Jenny asked. "Right!" The four trainers agreed, with Shade and Prof. Juniper nodding in agreement.

"Officer Looker, I leave them all in your care." Officer Jenny said as she stepped off the jeep to head to the police station. "I'll do my best, Officer Jenny." Looker assured as he got off of his jeep, too. With the agreement settled, Officer Jenny headed back to the police station, where she would call for some backup, just in case if trouble would occur around the city.

Meanwhile, everyone that is involved in the infiltration started to get to work.

Later...

Shade was still in his combat outfit and his half-face mask, but he wore a cloak to hidden his outfit, so he could look mysterious to the party guests. Cilan had his Connoisseur outfit on, but with a lime green half-face mask on. Prof. Juniper wore an elegant dress, while wearing a mask that looked colorful, with feathers at the sides. Looker wore the same outfit, but with a cloak and a black-white half-face mask as well.

Takeru received some combat clothes from Shade to hide himself in the party crowd. He now wore black combat boots, black trench coat, black leather pants, long-sleeved black shirt, and black fingerless gloves. Simply put, he looked like he was ready for a burial ceremony! He wore a black half-face mask to cover his face too, except his mouth and nose. "Black, huh... Reminds me of Zekrom." Takeru thought with a chuckle.

He turned to Riolu, who was hidden inside his trench coat. The Emanation Pokémon struggled to open his eyes and see his human brother, who was now wearing a mask. "B-Big... bro...?" Riolu said weakly, as Takeru gaped a little before he embraced his Pokémon brother. "Shh... This will be over soon, Riolu... I promise." Takeru assured, softening his hug, as Riolu weakly hugged back, before nodding.

"Mm hm... I know that, because... I trust you... Takeru." Riolu said weakly, before he fell back asleep. Takeru smiled back softly, despite of feeling hurt as this didn't go unnoticed by Shade, as he witnessed the two sharing their brotherly moments together. He bit his lips, before turning back to the building to focus on the mission. Ash and Iris didn't wear anything, as they would sneak inside the building while trying not to get caught.

"Are you two sure about this?" Cilan asked, still unsure of their decision to sneak in. "Yeah... Don't worry about us, Cilan! We'll be fine!" Ash assured. "Yeah! You just leave the stealth part to us!" Iris assured. "Axew ew!" Axew agreed with a smile. Looker nodded in agreement as he turned to Takeru, Cilan, Shade, and Prof. Juniper. "Alright then... Let's go!" Looker called. "Right!" The four all agreed together.

So, with everything prepared, the operation to stop Team Rocket began.

Soon, the five wearing their masks and outfits made it to the party room, where the room was crowded, and people were talking to each other. Everyone wore masks on their faces, which proved to be a true masquerade party. Cilan gulped, feeling nervous about this. "Are you sure this is going to work, Officer Looker? How do we know if Team Rocket would ever show up?" Cilan asked, now unsure about the idea.

"We saw their helicopter on top of their building, so we can be rest assured that they would crash in this party." Looker assured, as Shade looked around. He focused his aura to find any malicious aura around, until he found a few, far back near the glass windows. "I found them..." Shade hissed as he pointed to the way. Cilan, Takeru, Prof. Juniper, and Looker turned their attention to where Shade was pointing and nodded together.

They stealthily moved to where they were and noticed who had crashed rhe party. Jessie, James, and Meowth were there! An old looking professor was there too, along with a long haired man that seemed to be allies with the evil trio. And last but not least, there was a serious looking man who seemed to be taking charge of the group. Shade immediately knew who this was. "Giovanni... The leader of Team Rocket..." Shade pointed out.

"There is no mistake, then... They should be revealing their plans soon." Looker said silently. And he was right, as Giovanni began to walk up to the stage podium. He cleared his throat, before he caught everyone's attention as he gave off an evil smirk. "Greetings, people of the Unova region! I am Giovanni, leader of the Kanto region based organization called Team Rocket!" Giovanni said out loud.

Everyone then began to talk to one another, as most of them were puzzled of who Team Rocket was. Takeru, Shade, Cilan, Prof. Juniper, and Looker only glared at the Team Rocket boss as Giovanni continued on with his speech. "We are here to inform you of this... to declare that we, Team Rocket, have plans to take over the Unova region!" Giovanni snapped, causing gasps from other people as they now started to get worried.

"Take over Unova...?" One wealthy man repeated in confusion. "What could he mean...? And how does he plan to do that...!?" A wealthy woman shrieked silently, until Giovanni continued on. "We have a way to do so... with this! The legendary discovery we have made from the Desert Resort! The Meteonite!" Giovanni declared as part of the floor opened up to reveal the case of the glowing Meteonite.

Everyone gasped to see the glowing stone as they were more worried words and murmurs, causing Giovanni to smirk. Takeru on the other hand, clenched his fists, until he felt something squirming inside his coat. He looked to see Riolu gasping and moaning, but quiet enough to not get any unwanted attention. The Nuvema boy widened his eyes as he tried to comfort his Fighting Type partner.

"Riolu... Shhh! Shhh! What's going on!? What's wrong!?" Takeru asked silently, as Riolu struggled to speak properly. "It's... It's that... Meteonite... big bro... It's... It's hurting my head and body somehow!" Riolu groaned loudly, but enough to get unwanted attention. Takeru widened his eyes under his half-face mask as Shade noticed the two struggling to keep quiet as he gritted his teeth.

"Tch... This is not good... If that Meteonite is the reason for both Pikachu and Riolu's struggles... then it'll give us away! But... what kind of power does that Meteonite have to cause so much pain!?" Shade thought angrily as he glared to where Giovanni kept talking. For Takeru, he tried to keep Riolu down, until he felt someone bumping into him from behind, causing the Nuvema boy to turn to see a girl that was shorter than him.

She had a light-blue mask, with small snowflakes pictures on them. She looked younger than Takeru, as she seemed to be in a hurry. "Eek! Ah... Sorry... I... I wasn't watching where I was going..." The girl shrieked silently, as the Nuvema boy stopped. His eyes widened under the mask as he opened his mouth in shock. He knew whose voice that was... even when it was a few years ago. "M-M-Mana...? Is that... you?" Takeru stuttered.

Stunned by the person knowing her name, the nine year old girl frowned under her mask as she confirmed it with a nod. "Um... Yes? How do you know..." Mana started, until she widened her eyes, before she realized on who she was talking to. "N-No way... Big brother... Takeru...!?" Mana gasped silently, which Takeru nodded on. "Y-Yeah... it's me..." Takeru confirmed silently, which caught Riolu's surprise.

The Emanation Pokémon weakly turned to see the masked girl, as he scanned her with his aura. Sure enough, to his surprise, this was Mana Yamada. Takeru's little sister. Shade noticed this as he gasped under his breath. "Mana...!? What is she...!?" Shade gasped, until the lights blinked off all of a sudden. Everyone looked up in shock to see that the lights was off as Giovanni seemed stunned, too.

Before anyone could react, a flash of light appeared from the glass windows, catching everyone's attention as they turned to see a helicopter flying right next to them! "Argh! What the!?" Looker gasped as he noticed the symbol on the helicopter. It had a P with a cross on the letter. "It's them!" Shade snapped angrily as an unknown grunt took out a Pokéball. "Go, Liepard! Use Hyper Beam!" The grunt called.

As soon as the Cruel Pokémon came out, it shot a Hyper Beam attack at the party room, causing the windows to shatter and the people to scream as they all tried to dodge the surprise attack. "MANA! RIOLU! GET DOWN!" Takeru bellowed as he took his little sister and Emanation Pokémon down to the ground to evade the Hyper Beam attack. "EEEEK!" Mana screamed as she was forced down by her older brother.

Once the Hyper Beam was finished, the smoke cleared to show that the glass windows were completely destroyed with the roof being destroyed as well, leaving the captured Meteonite wide open! At that moment, the helicopter went up, until several hooks came by to snatch the Meteonite away! Giovanni groaned as he stood up, recovering from the sudden attack! "Boss!" Jessie, James, and Meowth called in shock.

They ran over to their boss as Giovanni stood up to see the Meteonite being stolen from him! "ARGH! NO! I must have the Meteonite to have whatever is necessary to take over Unova!" Giovanni bellowed angrily. As he yelled, the same grunt peeked out of the helicopter doors, before he smirked. "This Meteonite has no need for you, but for us, Team Plasma!" The grunt declared arrogantly.

"What!? Team Plasma!?" Giovanni repeated in shock as the helicopter began to fly away. "Argh, no! The Meteonite! We cannot let them get away with that!" Giovanni snapped as he turned to the evil trio. "You three! I'm counting you all to retrieve the Meteonite back from those buffoons! We cannot let our plan to rule the Unova region be defeated!" Giovanni ordered angrily, as the three nodded in understanding.

"Sir!" The three cried out as they took out their jetpacks to flee the destroyed ball room. By that time, the old professor and the ally of Team Rocket reached Giovanni, urging him to escape with them, despite of the boss' reluctance. "If we stay here any longer, then it'll cause unwanted attention! We must leave, Giovanni!" The old professor ordered with reason. "Giovanni, sir!" The ally called along, feeling serious about this situation.

The boss of Team Rocket gritted his teeth in anger, before he finally gave in. "Argh... Very well... We shall retreat, and leave the Meteonite retrieval to those three!" Giovanni snapped as he hurried out of the destroyed room. With that said, the old professor and the ally followed, leaving everyone in the destroyed party room to slowly recover from the surprise attack.

Cilan, Looker, and Prof. Juniper stood up, recovering from the attack as their masks were destroyed from the blast. Shade managed to get up, all scratched up, but normal for a moment. "Urgh... Is everyone alright!?" Looker asked, looking around. As he asked, the people that were in the party all recovered from the blast, showing that none of them were ever hurt. But two weren't okay at all.

"Ngh..." Takeru groaned as he struggled to get up, as he had Mana and Riolu in his arms still. "Mana!" Shade snapped as he ran over to Takeru's little sister. "Takeru!? Are you alright!?" "Takeru!" Prof. Juniper and Cilan yelled together as the three ran over to the two unconscious siblings. "Mm... Mm..." Mana grunted as she opened her eyes to see that her mask was destroyed, allowing her to see perfectly.

Takeru slowly took off his mask to see that the room was destroyed, along with the windows and the roof. He was about to answer, until he felt Riolu gasping in pain even more. "Argh... Ah... Ngh..." Riolu panted as he squirmed in his human brother's arms. "Ah!? Mana... Riolu!? Are you two..." Takeru started, until Riolu gasped even more. "Riolu!? Riolu!? Answer me!" Takeru snapped desperately as Riolu could only gasp and twitch in pain.

To be continued...


Takeru's Team:

Riolu: (M): (Aura Sphere, Blaze Kick, ThunderPunch, Dig)

Deino: (M): (Dragon Rage, Headbutt, Bite, Incinerate)

Tranquill: (M): (Air Cutter, Gust, Roost, Aerial Ace)

Tepig: (M): (Flamethrower, Smog, Flame Charge, Rollout)

Zorua: (F): (Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, ?)

Darmanitan: (M): (Psychic, Bulk Up, Fire Punch, Flamethrower)

With Prof. Juniper:

Petilil: (F): (Magical Leaf, Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder)

Joltik: (M): (Electro Ball, Electroweb, String Shot, Signal Beam)

Next chapters:

Chapter 46: Team Rocket VS Team Plasma! Pt. 2

Chapter 47: Aura VS Art! Takeru's Promise!

Chapter 48: Swadloon VS Leavanny! Ash's Art!

Chapter 49: A Fishing Competition! Meet Rosa!

Chapter 50: A Fishing Scam for a Fishing Steal!

Next chapter preview:

Giovanni: Why, you pathetic fools! That Meteonite does not belong to you! I need it to conquer the Unova region!

Ash: Pikachu, please stay strong! We're going to get rid of that thing for you so you can get back to normal!

Mana: Oh... My big brother... Please stay safe! I don't... I don't want anyone to get hurt by this Meteonite crisis!

Takeru: Mana... Little sis. Alright. Riolu, we're going after them! No more holding back! Tao Form Transformation, GO!

Plasma Grunt: We will not allow you to use the Meteonite when it's our needs to liberate the Pokémon!

Shade: Liberate, my foot! That Meteonite will be destroyed even if it means by force...! Huh? This white necklace!?