Author's Note: Hello readers! I have no idea if there is still interest in this story, but here I am, updating after an 8 year hiatus. I always planned to finish this story, but life got in the way. Anyway, if you are here reading, I appreciate you and hope you are enjoying the story. I always appreciate feedback, and please let me know if you find any mistakes. This story is unbeta'd and "hot-off-the-press."

Cheers,

TheFrogFromHell

12

Domino lay in the cool grass, forcing herself to take deep breaths. One of the guards' bullets had caught her in her right side, and she could feel the warm blood escaping her body, pooling and caking on her silk nightgown.

Fucking idiots, she thought. What were they thinking, firing a gun into a cloud of smoke? Not to mention the two bastards were so caught up in their pursuit of the fugitives that they'd either failed to notice she was hurt, or had simply left her to die alone.

Giovanni's prized persian, Ruby, stood by her side, mewling in distress and licking her face. It was mildly comforting. Domino tried to reach up and pet her, but the pain was too excruciating.

She had lost a lot of blood.

It was ironic that after all the dangerous missions she'd done with Team Rocket, this was the closest she'd ever come to death. She had always imagined she would die in a fierce battle for Team Rocket's ultimate goals, unrivaled strength and power. But now she wasn't sure if those pursuits had ever truly interested her, or if she had picked them up from Giovanni.

Her mind was now at war with itself. Half of her prayed that someone would discover her in time, and half of her looked forward to the end of her pain. Not only the physical pain she was in, but the incessant emotional pain of living a joyless and unfulfilling life with the monster of a man she had once loved. It was only the thought of her son Silver being raised by Giovanni alone that kept her holding out hope.

...

Clair was running as fast as she could, huffing and puffing, down the pink cobblestone road to the nearest Pokemon Center. She thought she remembered seeing it near the casino, but the town was practically like a maze. Picking out landmarks was practically impossible with the many buildings looking practically identical to one another.

She was relieved to find that her memory had not let her down; she found the Pokemon Center was right behind the Game Corner. She ran right up to the motion-sensing sliding doors that were always the same at every Pokemon Center.

THUNK! She crashed right into the door at top speed, stunned as she ricocheted off and fell to the ground.

"Owwwwww," she cried, wincing and bringing her cool hands to her forehead. Examining her fingers, she found she was bleeding. What the hell? she thought. Why is the Pokemon Center closed? It's supposed to be open twenty-four seven!

She painfully got to her feet, noticing something disturbing she hadn't seen at first glance. The architecture of the building clearly indicated it was once a Pokemon Center, but the familiar logo had been replaced with Rocket Inc.'s insignia. Beneath it, in smaller print, the sign read:

Rocket Inc. Pokemon Rejuvenation Station

Basic Rejuvenation...$25

Heal up to 3 Pokemon

No special items or enhancements

Premium Rejuvenation...$50

Heal up to 5 Pokemon

30 min Pokemon DNA Treatment

Ultimate Rejuvenation...$125

Heal up to 6 Pokemon

1 hr Pokemon DNA Treatment

2 Rare candies

Your choice of IRON, CARBOS, or PROTEIN

Membership discounts available!

BUSINESS HOURS

9 am - 6 pm Monday through Friday

10 am - 4 pm Saturday

Closed Sunday

Clair was outraged. They're closed, and you have to pay to heal your pokemon here?! Her heart pounded. What am I going to do? she thought desperately. I can't just let my pokemon die!

She peered through the glass (Plexiglass, she now gathered, since it hadn't broken when she ran into it full force.)

The pokemon healing machine was still in the same place it always was. From the outside, it didn't appear that there'd been any drastic changes to the layout of the place, though Clair assumed that behind the scenes it was a different story.

Then, something caught her eye. There was a person sitting behind the counter! They appeared to be reading through a thick stack of papers. Upon closer look, Clair recognized the signature looped hairstyle of Nurse Joy.

Maybe there's still hope, Clair thought. She pounded on the Plexiglass with her fist.

Nurse Joy looked up and frowned. She looked at Clair for a moment, but then returned to her reading.

"Please let me in, I have to heal my Pokemon!" Claire cried. "It's an emergency!"

Joy, looking stressed, flopped the stack of papers down on the counter and walked towards the door.

"We're closed!" she yelled, though it was hard to hear her through the thick barrier. Clair continued to pound on the glass.

"Nurse Joy, please! My pokemon will die! You have to let me in!"

Nurse Joy looked uneasily back and forth between Clair and the stack of papers on her desk. After a tense moment, she walked up to the doors, allowing them to slide open, but only a crack.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." Joy said. She sounded truly apologetic.

"Can you make an exception?" Clair pleaded. "Nurse Joy, please. I'm Clair, the gym leader in Blackthorn City. My pokemon have been attacked and they're in critical condition. They won't survive unless I heal them right away."

Joy looked sympathetic, but she still hesitated.

"Again, I'm so sorry, but the last time I made an exception, I faced... serious consequences. I'm on thin ice with Rocket Inc. now, and I'll lose my job if I let you in."

"So your job is more important than my pokemons' life?"

Joy opened her mouth, then appeared to think for a moment. Sighing, she hung her head and stepped back, allowing the sliding doors to open enough for Clair to enter.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Clair said, rushing over to the machine and loading her pokemon into it. Nurse Joy hurried over to assist her. Once Clair's pokeballs were bathed in the machine's soft healing light, she turned to Nurse Joy.

"If you lose your job, I can help you," she said. "You can come and work in Blackthorn City. I will even give you a place to stay until you get on your feet."

Joy smiled sadly. "Thank you, but it's not that simple."

Clair was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Joy seemed anxious. "I wish I could tell you, but I signed a contract. If I break it, they could..." she trailed off.

"Joy," Clair said, touching the nurse's shoulder and making eye contact. "Please tell me. My cousin Lance, the former Elite Four champion, and I are trying to do something about Rocket Inc. We are both dragon masters, and two of the most powerful trainers in the world. We will protect you. But the more we know about Rocket Inc., the better chance we have of taking them down."

"Maybe you were one of the most powerful trainers in the world," Joy snapped, pulling away. "But you came to me because your pokemon were close to death. I know what Rocket Inc. is capable of, and ordinary pokemon are no match for their shadow pokemon!"

"Shadow pokemon..." Claire repeated. That's what Ariana and Archer's pokemon must have been. That's why they were so much stronger.

"I'm not even supposed to use that term," Joy said remorsefully. "I wish I could help you, I really do. But Rocket Inc. is just too strong. I left Kanto to escape them, but now they're taking over Johto too. The only thing we can do is comply with their orders, so that we can at least protect our own families and our pokemon."

"But Joy," Clair argued, "What about all the innocent people and pokemon who are getting caught in the crossfire? I'll admit, tonight was my first battle with Rocket, Inc., and it didn't go so well. But next time, I'll be prepared. And even if I fail again next time, I'll at least be glad I tried to do something."

Joy shrugged. Clair decided to try one more angle. "Besides, you said you're already going to be punished for letting me in here. You might as well help me out with some more information."

Joy looked at Clair with fear in her eyes. She cupped her face in her hands for a few moments before replying. "Okay. Fine. If I give you what you're asking for, will you help me find somewhere to hide?"

"Of course," said Clair gratefully.

Joy took a deep breath. "Alright," she said. "I once worked at the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. It used to be a small, peaceful and quiet town. All the locals knew each other by name."

Clair understood and could empathize; things were similar in Blackthorn.

"It was practically the perfect town. We didn't even mind all the the Elite Four challengers coming through on their way to Indigo Plateau; in fact, local businesses always offered discounts for the trainers. But there was always a shadow over Viridian that nobody liked to talk about - the gym leader, Giovanni."

Clair recognized the name. She had heard it from Jessie and James - it was the name of their old boss, the CEO of Rocket, Inc.

"Strange things happened at that gym. Trainers would come out of there mentally disturbed. Rumors circulated that Giovanni was running experiments on pokemon. Strange noises - gun shots and explosions - came out of that place at odd hours, but most people were afraid to go to the authorities. There was a man who complained to Officer Jenny about the noise, but he died shortly after that."

"Died of what?"

"Old age, supposedly." Joy frowned. "But he always seemed in perfectly good health to me. You could find him on any given morning, showing new trainers how to catch pokemon."

Joy closed her eyes and pursed her lips as if she was holding back tears. Recovering, she continued her story.

"The strangest thing about Giovanni was that he would up and disappear, sometimes for months. Trainers would get frustrated, since they couldn't challenge the Elite Four without the Earth Badge. If he was any other gym leader, he would have been fired for all those absences, but not Giovanni."

She shook her head. "Anyway, it must have been five... actually, more like ten years ago now, but the Viridian gym was the first to become a Rocket, Inc. gym. I guess it was the most convenient, since Giovanni already owned the place. Viridian's gym badge already had the reputation of being one of the most difficult to win, but around this time, Giovanni became known as undefeatable. It was all over the news. Indigo Plateau started losing revenue, because they had no challengers."

"I remember that," said Clair. "Lance was champion back then. But I had no idea it was because of Rocket, Inc."

Joy nodded. "For a few months, the whole Pokemon League Challenge system was in shambles. On top of that, I was treating all the pokemon who battled at Viridian gym, and it was..." she shuddered. "It was just awful. I had never seen such severe battle injuries. Before that point, I'd never had any pokemon die as a result of battle injuries, but in those few months there were dozens."

Clair thought about how that must have felt - how she would have felt, being in Joy's place.

"I'm so sorry," she said. She looked over at her pokeballs, still bathed in the warm light of the machine. Under ordinary circumstances, it only took seconds to heal pokemon. But she knew her pokemons' injuries were serious. Please be okay, she prayed.

"Thank you," said Joy, as if she'd heard the sentiment many times. Continuing with her story, she said, "Then, just when things were at their worst, Rocket Inc. offered their first training course in Viridian City. They made big promises to trainers, that if they paid the money and joined the course, their pokemon would become incredibly strong. It was a far-fetched claim - and I don't mean the bird pokemon."

Clair chuckled.

"But after the first Rocket Inc. retreat, trainers came out saying it had changed their lives. They were able to win the Earth Badge and moved on to Indigo Plateau. There, every single one of the trainers defeated the Elite Four. The Champion was defeated by the first of the trainers he faced."

Clair's jaw dropped. "How many trainers were there?" she asked.

"Five," Joy replied.

Clair found it odd she had never heard about this. She had only been a gym leader for the last three years, so she wouldn't have been as informed about the affairs of Indigo Plateau back then, but even so...

Then, something occurred to her. That was around the same time that Lance left Indigo Plateau! She remembered Lance refusing to talk about why he had left his position. Knowing Lance, he wouldn't have been thrilled about admitting he lost to some first-time challenger. Especially if they were cheating with shadow pokemon.

"It happened fast," said Joy, "but soon, everyone in Kanto saw the Rocket, Inc. retreats as the key to winning the Earth Badge and ultimately Indigo Plateau. It was a new era of Pokemon training in Kanto. Most people were thrilled... but some felt differently."

Joy stood up, walking closer to the machine's monitor to check on the pokemon. The concerned expression on the nurse's face did nothing to calm Clair's nerves.

"How are they doing?" Clair asked.

"At least one of them will make a full recovery," said Joy.

Shango, most likely, Clair figured. Shango's injuries had not been much worse than they would have been after an ordinary, if intense, trainer battle.

"...But as for the other two, I don't know. They need more time."

If only we had more time, thought Clair. I might have to leave my pokemon here to give them the best chances of recovery.

"So what happened next with Rocket Inc.?" Clair asked, in part to get her mind off her worries.

"They started expanding to other cities," Joy explained. "Some cities were more receptive than others. But at the same time, rumors started spreading that Rocket Inc.'s ethics were questionable, that they were exploiting and abusing pokemon. However, nobody seriously tried to interfere Rocket Inc. until the incident in Cerulean City."

"There was an 'incident' in Cerulean City? Why didn't I hear about any of this?" Clair asked. "It's not like Kanto and Johto are that far apart, and I never saw any of this in the news."

"I'm sure Rocket, Inc. made sure of that," said Joy. "Cerulean City was a turning point, though. Being on the other side of Mt. Moon and all, I didn't personally see what happened, but I heard by word of mouth that there was a huge confrontation between Rocket Inc. and Cerulean's gym leader, Misty. After the incident, no one ever saw her again. Some even claimed she was murdered. But none of this was reported in the official news."

A few hours ago, Clair would have been shocked by these accusations. But now that she'd seen Rocket Inc.'s executives' ruthless nature, especially their cold indifference about whether pokemon lived or died, she wouldn't be surprised if they'd be willing to take the life of someone who got in their way.

"That was about the time I left Kanto. I couldn't handle having to treat those poor pokemons' horrible injuries anymore. I wish I could blame everything on Rocket Inc., but the worst part was that most trainers just went right along with it! They were so desperate to become stronger trainers, win the league, and make money that they didn't even care if their pokemon were suffering. My whole life, I always tried to see the best in everyone, but Rocket Inc. wouldn't have gotten as far as they have if people hadn't been so compliant." Joy sighed. "I suppose I'm just a hypocrite though. Once Rocket Inc. caught up with me here in Goldenrod City, I just signed their stupid contracts and did everything they asked me to do. It was selfish, and I should have left while I still had the chance. I just didn't want them to go after my family, or my pokemon."

Clair remembered being a young dragon trainer and how impatient she was to become as strong as Lance. She'd thought that if her pokemon were more powerful, she wouldn't have to live in her cousin's shadow anymore.

"Most new trainers are young and stupid. Honestly, I can't say that if Rocket Inc. had existed back when I went on my pokemon journey, that I wouldn't have done the same thing. Especially if I didn't really understand what I was getting into. And as for you, well... it sounds like you were just doing what you had to to survive."

"Thank you," said Joy with a sad smile. "You're right, most trainers are naive. But when pokemon are made into shadow pokemon... I don't mean to be superstitious, but whatever horrific 'enhancements' Rocket Inc. is giving them also seem to take away their personalities and essential nature."

Clair didn't like the sound of that, but she thought she knew what Joy meant. Archer and Ariana's pokemon had blood lust in their eyes. They wouldn't hesitate to kill other pokemon; in fact, they might even enjoy doing so.

"Shadow pokemon may gain power, but they lose... their souls," Joy finished.

Some unexpected movement caught Clair's eye. She looked out the window, and to her horror she saw Ariana, Archer, and two other Rocket executives approaching.

Shit.

Joy's expression turned somber as she noticed them too. Swiftly, she switched off the machine, handing the the three pokeballs to Clair.

"Get out of here, now," she said. "Head towards the back. I'll distract them."

"But what about you?" Clair asked.

"Just don't worry about it," said Joy. "Let me help you. I knew when I let you in here that something like this might happen, and I chose to take the risk."

"Thank you so much, Joy," said Clair, "and I'm sorry. But do you think my pokemon had enough time in the machine? Will they survive?"

"I honestly don't know," said Joy. "But you have to go now. There's a stash of potions, revives and other items back there - take as many as you can, and exit through the back door."

The Rockets were closing in now. Clair didn't feel good about leaving Joy, but she knew that she and her pokemon were done for if she stayed. She followed Joy's advice and ran for the back before they noticed her.

To the left of the back exit, there was a store room stocked full of items as Joy had promised. Clair began stuffing as many as she could into her bag. Adrenaline kicked in when she heard sliding glass doors opening, footsteps, and then voices.

Without hesitating, she slipped out the back door, closing it as delicately as she possibly could. She thought she heard someone ask, "What was that?" but she hoped she had just imagined it.

Clair wished she could lay low somewhere and check on her pokemon, but she knew it was her best bet to head to the Underground and meet up with Lance and the others. Even if, individually, their pokemon were no match for Rocket Inc.'s, they would have more of a chance if they all fought together as a team. She ran at top speed, trying to stay in the shadows in case there were surveillance cameras watching her.

She could only hope that her pokemon had received enough treatment to survive, let alone battle again.

...

Lance, James, and Meowth turned around slowly.

"I said, freeze!" yelled the guard, who was standing next to a second guard. They were both holding guns.

The trio held up their arms in surrender.

"Who are you?" demanded the first guard.

James opened his mouth and tried to think up a story, but thankfully Lance had it covered.

"Hey, sorry man. We didn't mean any trouble. We're in a band, Flareon Army. You may have heard of us. Anyway, we had a gig tonight and just came down here to blow off some steam."

"Meowth," said Meowth affirmatively.

"Sounds like a load of crap," said the first guard.

"Wait a minute though. Flareon Army, huh?" asked the second guard. "That does sound kind of familiar, and you are dressed for the part. Are you like an 80's hair band tribute or something?"

"Well, obviously," James said as he combed his fingers through his hair.

"I bet you'd recognize our best song," said Lance.

James swallowed. I hope singing is not part of the plan.

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely. It's called... THUNDER WAVE!"

"You mean 'Thunderstruck'?"

Dragonite darted out of her hiding place, striking the two guards with a paralyzing electric attack before they had time to react. They sunk to the ground, quivering, with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Grab their guns, and find their keys!" Lance instructed. He and James each grabbed a gun, and they searched the guards' pockets until Meowth located a key ring with roughly a dozen keys jangling on it.

"Guys, this might take a while."

"Then we'd better hurry," said Lance. "Those two won't stay paralyzed forever."

They headed swiftly to the door at the end of the hallway, leaving the guards behind. The guard's gun felt cool and heavy in James's hand. He may have once considered himself a criminal, but holding an assumedly loaded weapon still felt extreme.

"Nice work there, Dragonite," Meowth said to his fellow pokemon. "I think you can open a lot of doors for us!"

Dragonite snorted.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Meowth held up the keys and frowned. "This seems like a job for opposable thumbs," he conceded, passing them to James.

Fumbling a little, James inserted the first key into the lock. No luck. His second attempt was also unsuccessful. Then, the keys slipped out of his sweaty palms and hit the floor with a metallic "clink."

"Maybe you should just try picking the lock. Might be faster, with you being an ex Rocket and all," said Lance. James could tell he was just trying to speed things up, but his impatient tone and intense gaze made James nervous.

"Going as fast as I can!" James assured Lance, the pitch of his voice climbing higher.

Luckily, the next key James tried was the one. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door swung open.

"Good job," said Lance, and as they stepped inside the door he gave James a clap on the back and a smile.

He's less intimidating when he smiles, James thought, but his face still felt hot, and he awkwardly turned away from the dragon master's gaze. Clearing his throat, he squeaked, "Thanks."

Ahead of the group was another dark corridor. Moving quickly, the group walked down and turned a corner only to encounter a second door.

James was exasperated to see that this one required a combination to unlock. The others clearly shared his sentiment.

"Shit," said Lance. James almost chuckled; he'd never heard the man curse before. Dragonite cried out forlornly.

"What are we gonna do now, guys?" asked Meowth.

"Well, there's always Dragonite's Hyper Beam," said Lance, "but that's a last resort. We don't want to risk setting off an alarm if we can avoid it, and it could be dangerous if Jessie is right inside the door."

"Hmm," said James. He tried to think of a better plan, but nothing was coming to mind.

"Do yous hear something?" asked Meowth. Lance and James quieted down.

James could hardly decipher the noise, but sounded like a muffled "MMMMPH!" from inside the locked door. "Sounds like there's someone being held captive in there, but it's not Jessie," he remarked. Meowth nodded in agreement.

The group froze when they heard footsteps approaching.

"Be ready for a pokemon battle... Or worse," Lance warned. James clutched his pokeballs in one hand and the guard's gun in the other.

He heard the door down the hall swing open.

"You didn't lock it behind us?" asked Lance.

James gulped. "G-guess not," he replied.

A tall figure emerged from the darkness. "Who's there?" she demanded, though James picked up a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Clair, it's us!" Lance called out. She stepped forward, and James noticed her blue locks shining in the dim light.

"Thank god," said Clair, running to join the others. "The last thing I need is to battle another Rocket. Lance, you wouldn't believe - "

"Intruder alert!" someone yelled from behind her.

James' heart sunk as he realized he recognized the voice - it was one of The Boss's henchmen who'd been pursuing him and Meowth.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" said the second grunt.

Even in the circumstances, James couldn't help but get offended. "Hey! That's my line, you thief!"

The grunt laughed. "What do you expect? We're criminals. Don't be so sensitive!"

"Well, at least we were criminals with class!" James retorted.

"Meowth, that's right!"

"As important as this argument is," Lance said sarcastically, "we have more pressing matters to worry about!" He turned to the two henchmen. "Well, how do you want to handle this? There are three of us and two of you. Clair and I are both dragon masters. We'll battle you if we have to, but that wouldn't be in your best interest."

"Also, we have guns," said James. The phrase hadn't come out as intimidating as it had sounded in his head.

"Us too," one of the grunts replied defensively.

The other grunt chuckled. "If only you knew the power of Rocket, Inc."

"Wait a minute! You stole that line, too!" James protested.

"Guys," Clair said under her breath, "be careful. These aren't normal pokemon. We don't want to get into a battle with them."

Lance looked at Clair incredulously. "Since when do you back out of a challenge?"

"Since tonight," she replied. It was evident from the tone of her voice and her distraught appearance that something sinister had happened to her at the Radio Tower. "Trust me."

Just when James thought things couldn't get any worse, he heard more footsteps.

"This way," a smug female voice called out from down the hall. The three trainers and two pokemon all exchanged nervous glances.

Then, one by one, a total of six Rocket Inc. members filed in - four executives, and the two guards Lance's dragonite had taken out earlier. They were mobile now and clearly livid.

The eight Rockets stood next to each other, completely blocking off their end of the hallway. Their leader, a woman with an angular face, sky high heels and an unflattering red hairstyle, grinned smugly.

"Ready, Archer? This is going to be fun."

"Ariana, I've never been more ready in my life," said the woman's associate gleefully.

"This is it," said Clair softly. Although James wasn't quite ready to give up, he agreed that things looked bleak. They were outnumbered, and James doubted he would be much help to Clair and Lance in a pokemon battle.

It's going to take something supernatural to get us out of this one.

Fortunately, the supernatural was closer than he thought.