Dashing away from the swiftly opened gates of the ninja fortress, Ash, Dawn, Aya, and two reliable warriors who had taken it upon themselves to act as Aya's bodyguards followed the dust kicked up by the mysteriously drawn poison types. There was an air of desperation in Aya's movements. There was little wonder why, though; her and her people's Pokémon were primarily poison types! With them gone, her two would-be bodyguards could only rely upon their own strength.

"We must hurry!" Aya urged as they darted under branches, noting the trail blazed by the crowd of creatures. The soft, moist earth here was filled with puddle-pooling paw prints and long blades of grasses were bent in the direction their previous trespassers had traveled. It was lucky for them that there was such a fresh trail.

And, their luck would continue.

Ash paused as they came to a mighty river. This was the same one that roared loudly under the cliffs of Koga's lordly estate.

"How are we gonna cross that?!" he lamented, head swiveling to and fro.

Dawn, with her sharp eyes, quickly spotted some gnarled vines which might serve them well. Pointing towards them, she tried to alert the rest of the group. "Hey, if we get some momentum going, then maybe…!"

"No need," one of the guards said.

The other gestured to the river. "There's no way some of them could have crossed this. Furthermore, look at the other bank: there's no marks from anything climbing up. The mud is undisturbed."

Aya nodded. "The grass is thick here… But, look! It's slick this way! That's where they went." She trailed off, furrowing her brows. "They went downstream… That heads back to the village, under a cliff but not to our cliffs," she explained. "Near the swamp."

"It's a nightmare traversing that," a bodyguard lamented.

"Then, let's go!" Ash urged, leading the trail by dashing off in the way he now knew his precious Muk had fled to.

The others, inspired by Ash and still worried about the Pokémon, hastily followed Ash. It was a short travel until they left the shelter of the drizzly woods bordering Fuschia Town and hiding the ninja stronghold, but it ended in rolling hills just above a thick, tree choked swamp. As they approached, Aya ordered them all to stop.

She'd spotted something. Kneeling down so that the high, flood-fostered grasses would conceal her, she scanned the unnaturally dark breaks in the treeline. Thankfully, her bodyguards knew to also drop to their knees. It only took Ash and Dawn a moment to follow suit.

After a moment, all of their eyes noticed a vague purple fog in the air. Following it down into the treeline, they spotted it: a hideous, silent machine. It was a matte black so dark that not a trace of sunlight reflected from it. Truly, its shadows were lighter than its dastardly form. Ever exhaling, the terrible metal invention released that curious cloud of purple which quickly dissipated on the wind.

However, if that foreboding machine were not enough, the terrible sight beneath it, standing guard like Beedrill before a hive was a platoon of Team Rocket grunts, all decked in black and sullied with mud.

Between these grunts and the rescue party was a field which might, come summer, boast the most beautiful flowers north of Cinnabar Island. However, now it was the picking grounds of Team Rocket. Sprawling across it were all of the Pokémon lulled by something… Most likely, our heroes realized, that harrowing purple fog.

Ash's blood boiled at the sight of it. Of course it would be Team Rocket! His arms tensed and he lifted himself into a crouching position only for Aya to put her arm out.

"Not yet," she warned. She wanted to see what these grunts had in mind for all of these Pokémon. It was the ninja way to wait in the shadows and strike once the opportunity was right.

And, so, Ash waited. But, he did not like it.


Shaded beneath the shadow cast by their clever contraption, Jessie watched in eager anticipation. James was beside her, taking tally of the Pokémon species present. He wondered if they had prepared enough. They might have underestimated how abundant Fuschia's forests were in poison types.

"Dose scientists sure are a bunch'a wizzes," Meowth muttered. "I knew Sinnoh's habit o' lurin' Pokémon with honey was gonna pay off, but dey took it up to a whole new level!" He boasted, more than proud of their own reports bearing fruit. "Now, we got a concoction dat'll bring in enough poison types to have us rollin' in dough!"

After all, even with the failures at the Celadon Game Corner, as their no-pay client was closed, Team Rocket was free to claim the gambling market, even if it was underground this time. Poison types were perfect for weakening really valuable Pokémon, so they'd need tons of them as fodder for their objectives!

"But, of course!" Jessie purred. "Team Rocket only employees the best."

Both boys were silent, neither willing to argue with Jessie nor depreciate themselves today.

Instead, James noted the distance of their targets from the grunts. "Alright, begin!" he ordered, voice booming with a surprising amount of confidence from a man usually so meek and gentle.

In almost perfect synchronization, a wave of black-painted Pokéballs were launched forward. They hit the front most Pokémon who were all wild and mostly small and lithe. Because of this, they did not resist capture, contented by the scent of the poison.

"Great!" James cheered, pleased by their success. "Next round, go!"

Again, the specialized "Rocket Balls" were thrown forward. This time, their success was more questionable. Larger Pokémon began to pop out of Pokéballs, shrugging off their imprisonment with little effort.

While the majority were still caught, this was enough to cause some of the grunts' confidence to waver.

"Hey, what gives! We were told this was gonna be a piece of cake!"

"Beats the hell outta me. Looks like we've gotta work for it if we wanna snag 'em!" One of the more rugged, rebellious grunts gripped a Pokéball. "Time to rough 'em up!"

Soon enough, a couple of the others were also reaching for their belts.

"Them grunts sure is eager," Meowth noted. "James, take a note, would ya? The Boss likes them proactive types, don't he?"

Jessie, however, seemed to see the grunts' zealousness as a flaw rather than a perk. "Put those away!" she yelled, voice more authoritative than Meowth's or James's could ever be. "Do you want them to run away?! Just let them stay relaxed. What we can't catch after a few Pokéballs, we'll cage in the trucks. We didn't bring those big mud riders for nothing, you know!"

Obedient, the grunts who had gotten out Pokéballs quickly put them away.

James turned to part of the platoon. "Row Three, ready the trucks for loading. Rows Two and One, continue catching as you can!"

Maybe this would go right, for once.


Flashes of red consumed one Pokémon whole after another, practically taunting the group that hid amongst the flora. Ash in particular, was seething. "Aw, come on… We can't just sit here while they take in those innocent Pokémon!" Failing to suppress a growl, he reached for his belt.

"Ash-" Aya started, only to be cut off.

"You can play it safe if you want, but my Muk's out there, and hell if I'm gonna let him get captured!" Canines bared, he grabbed a Pokéball, chucking it into the air. "Go, Gliscor!"

The sphere popped open, setting the Fang Scorp Pokémon free.

"Gli~!" He cried, taking to a nearby wind current to soar. His enthusiasm didn't last long, though, eyes weary and his flight losing its gusto. "Scor…" He panted, swerving down to land before the mucky swamp.

Needless to say, he hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Hey, was that a Pokéball?"

"That's not even a poison type, is it?"

"Looks like someone's snoopin' on us.'

"Crap," Ash exhaled, regret overcoming him. "Gliscor must not be fully healed yet… Which means the others aren't fresh either. I guess we're kinda outnumbered here…" So much for his heroism.

"Intruders already?" Jessie's brows furrowed. "Someone needs to learn to mind their own business." No chance in hell were they letting this operation flop. For once, things were actually running in their favor.

"Yea, but who do ya think'd barge in on us all the way out here? It's not exactly a carnival out here." Meowth pondered, attempting to peer into the maze of bushes and trees.

"Who do you think?" James deadpanned, nearly sulking at the thought of them screwing up another one of their perfectly good operations. "If it's the twerps, better to deal with them now than later."

"You! Come with us," Jessie commanded, pointing to a group of four grunts nearby before leaping towards the intruders in quite an acrobatic feat. Dashing over, she, along with James and Meowth, was soon to spot the small crowd hiding behind the scenes. "Why am I not surprised? You just can't help but barge in on our plans, can you, twerps?"

"And you…!" James started, pointing towards the emerald-haired woman. "...I feel like I've seen you before, somewhere."

"I know I haven't forgotten you three," Aya spat. "You invaded the Fuschia Gym the last time Ash came here for a gym battle." She looked to the trainer, then. "You certainly have a knack for attracting troublemakers."

"You have no idea." Ash deadpanned.

"In any case, we'll never forgive you for disturbing our village!" Aya barked, pointing a finger towards the trio and their cohorts. "You'll pay for meddling where you don't belong."

"We could say the same for you couple o' pests," Meowth shrugged, nonchalant as ever.

"Look who's talking," Ash growled. "I guess I'll have to rely on Pikachu and Primeape, here…" Ash muttered, reaching for the latter's Pokéball. 'I'll keep Rosa out of it, if I can get away with it.'

"I hope you don't think you're fighting this alone," Aya interjected. "Go, Sneasel!" She chanted, seemingly pulling a Pokéball from nowhere, tossing it forward. The dark/ice type quickly emerged, its feline-like eyes narrowing upon the intruders.

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Ash remarked, tossing his own sphere. "Go, Primeape!"

The Pig Monkey appeared in a flash, the vein on his forehead becoming more prominent at the sight of the three thieves. "Pri! Pri!" He snorted. If he had his way, he'd beat the tar out of them again. Partly for old time's sake, but mostly for giving his trainer even more of a hassle. It was enough for have him hopping about in fury.

"In that case… Nidoking, Magneton! Take care of this twerp!" James called out.

The poison/ground type and electric/steel type both made their appearance, snarling and buzzing at Ash and his team respectively.

"And we haven't forgot you," Jessie barked at Aya, tossing two Pokéballs of her own. "Nidoqueen, Yanmega, show no mercy!"

"Man… It'd be nice to have Gliscor right now," Ash muttered. Overall, the type matchups weren't exactly in his favor. "If we can't have the advantage the easy way, then we'll just power through!" Ash commanded, throwing a hand outward towards. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Magneton! Primeape, attack Nidoking with Mega Kick!"

"Chu!" Pikachu chanted, launching off his hind legs in a silver stream, aiming for Magneton.

"Pri, Pri!" The Pig Monkey vaulted forward as well, aiming to devastate Nidoking with a well-placed kick.

"Magneton, Magnet Bomb!" James ordered. "And Nidoking, fight back with Double Kick!"

Before the Magnet Pokémon could so much as make a move, it was smashed head-on by a full body tackle from Pikachu. Rattled and disoriented by the speedy rodent, Magneton struggled to regain composure, all three of its ever-observing eyes narrowing in irritation. A silver orb began to charge between the three segments, fueled by electromagnetic sparks seeping from the magnets attached to its body.

Nidoking, meanwhile, delivered a reckless swing of his knee, smashing the armored extremity into the incoming ape's foot. Cringing from the pain Primeape delivered to his leg, the Drill Pokémon only became more furious, howling out as his other foot swung around to slam into Primeape.

The fighting type was sent reeling.

Meanwhile, Ash tuned in to the other half of the battle. "Quick Attack, again!"

The command sounded before Pikachu even hit the ground, allowing the mouse to quickly put a halt to his landing, swinging his hips around to ground himself before launching off again. "Pika!" He cried, moving with such speed that a faint gust was left in his wake.

"Ton…" Magneton hissed, ready to launch its attack at the incoming enemy. Alas, before it could properly attack its target, another brutal attack smashed into the cluster's underside, sending it recoiling and the attack sky-high. Frankly, he was lucky that his typing resisted Pikachu's merciless attacks.

"Good job," Ash praised. "Now, Primeape, Close Combat!" With that call, he punched forward.

He needn't be told twice.

Primeape launched back into the fray with a punch ready, striking Nidoking with a fierce right hook. His assault didn't end there, following with a slew of expertly thrown kicks and jabs.

Nidoking could hardly defend himself, snorting in fury after each painful, irritating blow struck. As much as he wanted to pound that Primeape into the dirt, he found himself helpless.

Not if James could help it, though. "Nidoking, Flamethrower! Magneton, Thunderbolt!"

"Magnetonnn…!" The Magnet Pokémon fumed, whether one watching could tell or not. Growing impatient of the mouse, he unleashed a brutal flash of electricity.

"Dodge it!"

"Chu!" Pikachu made a second landing, leaping well out of Thunderbolt's range.

By now, James's teeth were grinding. "That's it! Magneton, Lock-on!"

"Uh-oh…" A bead of sweat dropped from Ash's forehead. He knew what was next.

Not to mention, Primeape had finally emerged from the flames. Charred, but not deterred, he huffed.

"Toxic, Nidoking!"

Still rather close, Nidoking spat out toxic goo.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered.

Quick to obey, Primeape made a leap backwards.

A gleam appeared in James' eye. "Now, Megahorn! And Magneton, Zap Cannon!"

The latter took action, charging a crackling green orb of compacted electricity, launching it towards the mouse. Guided by the red target laid upon Pikachu, it homed in, no matter where he tried to run.

Nidoking made his move next, launching toward a retreating Primeape with his head lowered and sharp horny ready. The attack connected, painfully launching the fighting type into the air.

"Primeape…!" Ash grit his teeth. "Pikachu, knock that back with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu was face to face with the snarling, powerful orb, only moments away from taking significant damage. Happy to follow his trainer's orders, though, he clad his tail in metal, swinging it around to smash the Zap Cannon, much like the batter would a ball.

It was launched back towards Magneton, assaulting it with a potent blast of electricity.

Surprisingly, a gleam appeared in James' eye. "Now, Nidoking, Toxic!"

With Primeape still reeling, the Drill Pokémon grinned, spitting out another round of purple goo.

Ash's eyes grew wide. "Quick, Pikachu! Knock that off with Electro Ball!"

Free of Magneton's pestering, Pikachu twisted his body, sparking a golden orb of electricity that quickly grew on the tip of his tail. "Pika Pika Pika… Chu-pi!"

The condensed orb of electricity shot across the battlefield, swinging by just in time to incinerate the toxic goo heading to poison Primeape. Soaring on still, it crashed into a nearby tree, leaving the nearby inhabitants with a booming explosion. Smoke drifted over the battlefield, forcing Ash to cover his mouth.

James scoffed. "You're just as much of a pest as ever, twerp!"

"Trust me, I'm just getting started!" Ash grimaced, adjusting the brim of his cap.


Meanwhile, Jessie and Aya were likewise locked in combat. Just as Ash and James had been battling, so had the girls. And, to Jessie's chagrin, Aya's Sneasel was able to successfully hold off both her Nidoqueen and her Yanmega.

"Stop running away, you coward!" Jessie yelled as Aya's Sneasel finished its Quick Attack to dodge under Nidoqueen's Superpower and use said poison type to block Yanmega's Steel Wing.

Aya snarled in response. "If your lack of coordination is your undoing, all the better for me to witness it! Sneasel, scoop up Nidoqueen's Toxic Spikes with Metal Claw and use Aerial Ace to deliver them unto Yanmega."

"Sneee!" the little ninja-weasel cheered, long claws coated in silver. Quickly grabbing up a cluster of Nidoqueen's scattered Toxic Spikes.

"Not so fast! Earth Power!" Jessie cried.

Aya bent her knees as she rode out the earth trembling attack, watching her Sneasel avoid it by flying through the air and latching onto Yanmega. The little black Pokémon used Aerial Ace to kick off Yanmega while the bug dealt with Nidoqueen's attempted entry hazard.

The ninja matriarch lifted her chin. "You shall taste defeat this day," she swore.


Of course, with Aya and Ash busy and Aya's bodyguard's Pokémon-less, that left dear ole Dawn to deal with the grunts.

"I guess it's a good thing we never battled. Everyone, come out!"

Quickly assembled, Empoleon, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava and Clefairy formed an arc before Dawn and the two bodyguards, clearly ready to get into a fray with the Rocket grunts. And, lucky for Dawn, between the four of them, there were only six Pokémon. Considering Jessie and James were only carrying two themselves, it seemed, these underlings probably weren't all privileged enough to have a full team.

However, she could already see the coordination issues.

"Doduo, start us off with a Quick Attack!" one grunt commanded.

Another nodded. "Yeah, Skarmory, you get in on that, too, with Swift!"

Two flying types? One was steel, too? Dawn threw up her arms, coordinating the assault through directions. "Pachirisu, give that Doduo a shock with Spark! Quilava, keep Skarmory away! Flamethrower!"

There was no time for her to rest on her laurels, though. Just as Pachirisu's racing pace met Doduo with a Spark strong enough to freeze it up temporarily and Quilava's flames were racing towards Skarmory's wave of stars, she had more grunts to deal with.

"Rhydon, use Megahorn!" he called.

Dawn's eyes widened. "Empoleon!" she cried. "Metal Claw! Keep him off us!"

Never one to leave his trainer wanting in her time of need, Empoleon lunged forward to meet with the titanic rock type. Catching Rhydon's twirling drill-horn, Empoleon was at first pushed back a bit, but very quickly he found his footing and found himself locked into a test of strength with the bigger Pokémon.

Naturally, things only continued to get worse.

"Eh… Can't get close with that fire type. That's fine! Skarmory, bomb 'em with some Spikes!"

Dawn's eyes widened. Were they serious!? The only Pokémon who could safely scoop those up was Empoleon with his Metal Claw move, but he was busy right now. "Uh… Watch your feet, everyone! Buneary, use Jump Kick on that Graveler!"

No sooner had she said it than had Buneary carefully leaped across the small clearing between the heroes and the grunts, forcefully rocking the Graveler onto its back.

"Buneary!" the rabbit victoriously yelled.

"Tough girl, huh? Let's see how well you do with a Disable. Drowzee, go!"

"Darn it!" Dawn hissed in frustration. Buneary faced her new opponent, careful to keep an eye on the Graveler as it struggle to its feet.

Unfortunately, she was so caught up in the current affairs that she didn't notice that Doduo had unfrozen and was trying to use Double Hit on Pachirisu. She only realized it when the little electric type was sent back to their side of the field, landing uncomfortable amongst the Spikes. "Pachirisu!" Dawn cried out in worry.

Balling her fists, the girl tried to figure out the most proactive way to take the battle, now. "Graveler's getting up… Clefairy, use Magical Leaf!"

"Clefa!" she answered before doing so. A medley of rainbow hued leaves assaulted Graveler, thankfully distracting the creature from getting involved in Buneary and Drowzee's fight.

"Now, Buneary, use Dizzy Punch on that long nosed jerk!" Dawn ordered. Her hair whipped around her as she forcefully commanded the match, working up a bit of a sweat from looking to and fro. She was getting very into it; after all, this wasn't just a battle for fun.

Once again, Buneary delivered a mighty blow onto her opponent. The Drowzee fell onto its back from the force of it. "Neary…" she seethed.

"Hey! That little fuzz bucket is strong! We gotta take it out! Drowzee, use Poison Gas!"

"Bun…" Buneary whined, coughing and hacking from the noxious gas before springing out of its range. Much to her dismay, though, the poison had taken effect, leaving a blue streak across her features.

"Buneary…!" Dawn frowned, her concern for her companion showing. "Hang in there!"

However, some of her luck was turning up. She looked back to where Empoleon was still locked into combat with Rhydon. She smiled. "He's winning…! Okay, Empoleon, use Bubble Beam!"

"Empo!" he agreed before spitting out the attack at his opponent, sending the Rhydon stumbling.

"Ugh, this is getting on my nerves… Tauros, take out the trainer with Horn Attack!"

However, Dawn didn't hear this. She had her eyes on the Skarmory circling above. "Quilava, I need you to use Flame Wheel powered up with Flamethrower like before. That Skarmory has got to- Ah!"

Thankfully, she was not hit. Dawn and the bodyguards, who had thus far been tensely waiting under the protection of Dawn's Pokémon, both looked at Mamoswine, who had taken it upon himself to use Ice Fang to hold off the Tauros.

"Mamoswine…"

"Mamo," he grunted.

"Right! I'll make this quick so we can rest easy!" She looked back up, pointing at Skarmory. "Quilava, you know what to do!"

As the little fire type began circling to build up energy and momentum, Dawn turned to the rest of the battle. Thankfully, Doduo was too scared of Pachirisu to come closer. However, that Graveler was starting to look rather bold.

"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice!"

"Cleeeeee!" she sang.

Thankfully, this was a direct blow. Between the moves used by Buneary and Clefairy, it sent the rocky giant tumbling down.

The coordinator finally let out a sigh of relief. "That's how strong they are. We can do this, then." Confidence renewed, she looked up happily as Quilava shot up and scored a direct hit on Skarmory, bringing the steel type down to their level. The fewer surprises, the better.

"Ugh, crap, all of 'em are strong. Tauros, come back here!" one of the grunts called.

"Oh no, you don't! Mamoswine, use Hidden Power! Buneary's still over there! We have to give her time to get out of there!" Dawn ordered.

Mamoswine did as told, forcing Tauros to divert his attention and dodge. As this occurred, Buneary raced back over to its companions.

Dawn balled her fists up as her team stayed by her side, watching their enemies with coiled muscles. This would be tough, but she had plenty of training! Furthermore, the fact that the match was now 5 to 6 was testament of her likelihood to win.

She looked back at Aya's bodyguards. "Help me look after my Pokémon, okay?"

Much reminded of Aya's fierce protectiveness of the ninja clan members by this whole ordeal, they nodded. "Yes, Dawn!"


Back on Ash's end, things were going a bit better.

James was growing increasingly frustrated, with Nidoking losing steam after an expertly-dealt beating by Primeape, while Magneton found itself unable to do any significant damage to the older, stronger, and more agile Pikachu. "I see you weren't just goofing off up on that mountain, twerp! I've got to give you credit. You're even more stubborn than before… If that's even possible."

"Just give it up already!" Ash bit back. "You're not gonna win. Just leave these Pokémon and… Oh no!" The reality of the situation hit him like a Hyper Beam, his eyes turning to the swamp. At least some fraction of the Pokémon crowding to the Rockets had been captured, and many more were oblivious to their coming fate. Some of the stronger ones proved stubborn, but it was probably only a matter of time.

"All those Pokémon are getting caught…" Ash clutched a fist painfully tight, his eyes obscured by the brim of his cap. Shame kept his eyes toward the ground, brows tightly furrowed. "I've gotta stop it! Pikachu, I need you to do me a favor."

"Pika?" He looked to Ash, tilting his head. Whatever it was, he'd be happy to help.

"I need you to get into that crowd of poison types!" Block as many Pokéballs as you can!"

"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu cried with newfound determination, zipping off the battlefield with haste towards the swamp.

"Oh no, you don't! Magneton, Zap Cannon!"

"Magneton…!" The Magnet Pokémon forced out yet another blast, aiming for the fleeing mouse.

"Rosa! Aura Sphere, now!" Ash ordered, tossing another Pokéball forward.

"Rio!" The Emanation Pokémon cried, an arm winded back right as she appeared from the flash of light. Charging a brilliant teal Aura Sphere, lobbed the attack towards Zap Cannon.

The latter was intercepted by the blast of energy, stopped in a brilliant explosion.

Pikachu was free to move onward.


Hopping from the leaf of a Victreebel, Pikachu looked for his next perch. The Haunter was definitely not a good idea, but that Gloom would do well! As he hopped across, he noticed Pokéballs being sent his way. Or, more properly, towards the poison types. Snorting, he used an Iron Tail to knock them away.

In the distance, he could hear the loud mouth Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Why are yous guys always doin' this?! This ain't got nothin' t'do with ya!" Meowth screeched. "Row one, right section, get that no good, meddling-!"

"... Um, Meowth… He's gone," One of the grunts pointed out. True enough, while Meowth was talking, Pikachu had disappeared into the sea of purple.

"... Give me a breaaaaak!" the cat cried.

Meanwhile, Pikachu remained among the crowd of poison types, using Agility to swiftly move from cluster to cluster. He popped up whenever he heard or saw Pokéballs approaching to bat them away with an Iron Tail, but what he was really seeking out was Ash's Muk.

Thankfully, though, he finally found the big blob.

"Pikachu!" the electric type cried, running over to the poison type and walking alongside him. "Pika! Pi pikapi pika! … Pi? Pikachu?"

Muk, however, remained unresponsive, marching on towards the treeline.

Pikachu's tail dropped anxiously. "Pikapi!" he yelled, looking around for the nearest solid Pokémon. A Crobat, perhaps Aya's, was nearby. Pikachu jumped onto its back. "Pikapi!" he yelled again, throwing off some sparks to catch Ash's attention.


Dawn held her ground, fists balled at her side. Only two of her opponents' Pokémon remained whereas she had only lost Buneary. The Skarmory and Drowzee lingered opposite her remaining team of five. Carefully watching for signs of movement, Dawn saw her opportunity. "Quilava, use Swift. Clefairy, you need a rest… Moonlight!" Dawn ordered.

Quilava released the starry move while Clefairy closed her eyes and lifted her arms, healing herself and forming an artificial moon above.

"Heh, there's our opening!" a grunt snapped. "Skarmory, use Metal Sound to distract that Quilava before swooping in with Steel Wing on the Clefairy!"

While the Swift hit the Drowzee and finally took it down, Skarmory dodged it. With Quilava distracted and no other Pokémon moving quick enough to deliver a defensive move, Dawn could only watch with delayed reaction as Skarmory flew towards Clefairy.

However, it never actually landed. Suddenly, the artificial moon that Clefairy had been restoring herself with… Dropped down on Skarmory.

"What just… No time, Quilava, use Flamethrower!"

And, with that, Skarmory was promptly roasted. The match was over.

"Ah, crap… Retreat! We gotta go tell the heads what happened!" one of the grunts ordered, returning his Skarmory before fleeing.

Dawn, exhausted mentally and emotionally by the battle, dropped to her knees. The whole time, she'd been holding the fainted Buneary in her arms. "Alright, good job everyone…! Now, time to get Buneary healed. … Clefairy, what was that move you used?" Dawn asked as she dug through her bag in search of some potions and antidotes.

"Cle… Clefairy," the fairy type gently said.

After the Buneary was doused in medicine, she jumped back up, looking none the worse for the wear.

Dawn pursed her lips, getting her PokéDex out. "Let's see… Oh! It's called Moonblast! You forgot Disarming Voice for it… Eh. That'll be fine, right?"

Judging by the way Clefairy's eyes twinkled, it definitely was fine.

"Hehe, you really like the night sky, huh?" Dawn teased.

"Miss Dawn, what should we do now?" one of the bodyguards asked.

Dawn looked over to where Aya and Ash were… Or, to where they had been. "There still some Pokémon over that way, plus I know Ash and Aya are over there. What do you say we-"

She paused. As she was about to stand back up, she spotted something in the swamp below. She hadn't been able to see it before since the trees blocked it at her standing angle, but now she could see below the canopy's cover. There were large black shapes. She squinted, trying to make them out.

"There's trucks down there."

The bodyguards exchanged look before getting down on their knees as well, looking with her. They had keener eyesight, being ninja, and frowned.

"They're trucks," one said, "for hauling big loads."

"The already captured Pokémon, most likely," the other deduced.

"We've got to stop them!" she cried, standing up.

"But, we must also stop the other grunts, or they'll overwhelm Ash and Aya!" one bodyguard pointed out.

"You leave the grunts to me. Empoleon, use Ice Beam to get a beginning trail going," Dawn ordered. She looked to Mamoswine. "Its Freight Train time again," she explained. "Help these guys get down to the trucks, and listen to what they tell you. Pachirisu, you go with him. If worse comes to worst, use Ice Chandelier to distract them before running off, okay? Don't get captured, no matter what!"

All four nodded at Dawn's orders. The two bodyguards quickly clambered on top of Mamoswine along with Pachirisu. Soon, the big mammoth was sliding down the slope, into the actual swamp on the ice trail Empoleon had laid out for them.

Smiling down at Buneary, Clefairy, and Quilava, Dawn spoke once more. "Alright, guys. Empoleon's going to defend against the big Pokémon. Clefairy is going to provide fire cover. So, Quilava, Buneary, I need you two to actually take out any of the grunts' Pokémon we're about to approach. Got it?"

"Bun!" "Empo." "Cle…!" "Quila!"


Things were getting a little hairy. While Primeape was doing his best, little Rosa just wasn't quite bulky enough to tango with Nidoking nor could she quite tolerate Magneton's electric output like her bigger teammate could. While Ash knew Primeape would be able to defend himself against one of them if Ash ran to go see about Muk, leaving both behind was unthinkable with Rosa's current way of faring.

Thankfully, just then, a bellowing trumpet of a roar caught everyone's attention. Ash, James, Rosa, Primeape, Magneton, and Nidoking both scrambled to get out of the way of the sliding behemoth headed towards them.

However, Magneton was the fortunate sacrificial lamb for this escapade.

Ash looked up, having barely dodged Dawn's Mamoswine as it slid down the hill with companions on board.

"Mamo!" the ice type called, bidding farewell. His passengers waved goodbye as well.

"... Was that Pachirisu and Aya's guys on top?" Ash question. Why had Dawn sent them off to the swamp?

Regardless, Ash now had his chance. "Hey! Primeape! You handle Nidoking! Me and Rosa are gonna see about Muk!"

"Prime!" the fighting type agreed.

"How insulting!" James barked. "You're acting as if this… this monkey could handle me without a trainer!"

"He handled you fine before!" Ash snapped before running off.

With that, Primeape squared up, glaring at Nidoking once more. "Prime…"

Meanwhile, Ash scooped up Rosa, using his longer legs to quickly carry them towards where Pikachu still cried out from the horde of poison types. Carefully picking his way through prickly pins, harsh fumes, and noxious sights, the trainer reached his starter… And, the still lulled Muk.

Ash's heart broke a little. "Buddy… Buddy, come on. I'm here. You've gotta wake up."

Just as Ash was about to touch his beloved companion, a voice cried out in warning: "Ash, behind you!"

Luckily, the trainer did look up. Unfortunately, Muk was too drunk on the poison-luring odor to dodge. For that, the poison type took the Steel Wing that Yanmega had originally meant to strike Ash with.

"Hey!" Ash snapped. "That could have…!"

"I know," Jessie snarled. "I would have finally knocked enough sense into that thick skull of yours for you to butt out of our business!"

However, the blow seemed to have done the trick. As Jessie approached, Muk stopped following the crowd, much to Ash's relief.

Though still on his machine perch, Meowth's voice carried all the way over to where Ash stared Jessie down. "Don't tell me ya helped him snap his dang Muk outta that stupor, Jessie!" Hearing no response from the decidedly guilty woman, the cat continued. "Foine! I guess we're gettin' desperate. All rows: don't hold back no more! Get what ya can!"

Around him, the field descended into a bevy of chaos. Numerous battles began with grunts against wild Pokémon while a symphony of Pokéballs went off, some failing and some succeeding in captures. Already captured Pokémon were battled and herded towards the trucks.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out. "Take care of the Pokémon! Don't let anyone get- Ah!"

Cut off mid-sentence, Ash was forced to dodge a Superpower attack from Jessie's Nidoqueen. He and Rosa looked up, their aura senses going wild. Jessie wasn't messing around anymore.

"I told you to leave," she growled.

However, no sooner was that said then was Nidoqueen pelted with a bunch of Ice Shards. Shortly after, Sneasel flew over it, using Quick Attack to knock the big ground type over. Aya ran in after the dark type.

"How dare you run away from me!" the ninja exclaimed. "How dare you attack my friend!" Aya turned to Ash. "Quickly, let us overwhelm her before she can do further harm!"

"I'm with ya," Ash muttered, standing back up. "Hey… I've got an idea. Rosa knows Aura Sphere. Let's try combining it with your Ice Shard."

"I do not know if that will-"

"Sonicboom!" Jessie ordered.

"Dodge!" Ash and Aya ordered in unison.

Sneasel swiftly rolled to the side while Rosa jumped back. Their alternate schools of training were making themselves very clear.

"Fine, let us try," Aya relented. "Sneasel, join with the Riolu!"

Rushing to each other's side, the two female Pokémon put their paws together. A chunk of frozen energy began to appear at the tips of Sneasel's claws, ripe for powering up further by the other.

Or, so they thought.

Rosa tensed, trying her best to flood the shard with aura energy, much the same way she made a sphere. Sadly, acting on a physical object was much more difficult.

Sneasel faltered, eyes shutting tight in the face of the overwhelmingly bright combination. With no real experience in handling fighting type energy, she lost focus, losing control of the Ice Shard.

The attack shone and bubbled until exploding, catching both Pokémon in a small cloud of smoke.

"Rosa!"

"Sneasel!"

"My bad…" Ash apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I thought that would work for sure." It wasn't the first time he'd attempted to stack an Aura Sphere on top of another move, after all.

"It was worth a shot," the ninja dismissed. "But, we don't have time to worry about that right now… You need to stop them. I'll handle these two and fend her off, and you can destroy that abomination!"

"Right," Ash affirmed, looking to his Pokémon that emerged from the smoke. "Rosa, are you alright? I'm gonna leave you under Aya's orders. Trust me, she'll handle you guys just fine!"

"Rio!" The pup barked, singed and a little dazed, but far from out of commission.

"Alright. Pikachu? Let's go!" With that, he dashed off towards the heart of the problem.


After meeting back up with Pikachu, Ash made a beeline for the machine that Meowth was running… Only for Primeape to be hurdled at it.

Ever loyal, Ash ran faster just to catch his freshly tossed Pokémon. They collapsed in a thud.

James walked over, trailed by his Nidoking. "I figured you'd head here," he explained. "It's the most important part of our operation, so of course you're going to try to ruin it," he continued, emphasizing the word try.

There was a moment of tension, Ash staring at James from where he lay under Primeape's weight and James staring down at Ash. Ash whispered something to Primeape…

Then the monkey bolted up, headed straight for the purple haired man.

"Bleaugh!" James screamed, not expecting a direct attack. That was dirty, like something Jessie would do!

While James was distracted and Nidoking was trying to help his trainer, Ash ran up the steps of the machine with Pikachu trailing him.

"No, get the twerps!" James ordered, having fallen to his knees. Primeape continued to beat him up and James continued to squeal about it.

Not particularly attached to James, Nidoking did as told, charging at the stairs and running up them. With one swift toss of his head, Nidoking rammed Ash and Pikachu, throwing them to the railing. Ash coughed, feeling a nasty bruise forming along his ribs.

"Pika…" the electric type sniffed, likewise shaken.

The sight left Primeape frozen for a second. The next, though, all consuming fury overwhelmed him. "Primeeeee!" he yelled, stomping over to where Nidoking was. While it was often said that the pig-monkey was fuming, this time he really was. Stomping his feet in a furious succession, Primeape hissed, his body temperature soaring. Shrieking, he unleashed his wrath in a scalding flame from his nostrils.

Hating the heat expelled by the fighting type, Nidoking lurched back, his weight rocking the very device they stood upon.

James ducked for cover, shrieking at the sudden burst of fire.

Standing on shaky legs, Ash could hear his PokéDex going off in his coat pocket. "Overheat has been learned," Dexter said.

"I guess Primeape was really fired up, this time," Ash joked, though that was his only explanation. Could a fighting type really get so furious that it brought a fire type move on?

Putting the thought aside, he smiled regardless. "Thanks, buddy."

On the machine, Meowth was freaking out. "Wha?! It's too dry! Where'd all the humidity go?! Why's it so hot all da sudden?! The machine ain't workin'..." he lamented. "The fumes is all boint up, it looks like…"

"Time to crisp it then," Ash spoke, catching the cat's attention. At his feet, Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

"Ya better not, Twoip!" Meowth's voice cracked, his threat about as empty as one could get.

"Pikachu," Ash began.

"Don't! I mean it!"

"Use Thunder!"

Jumping into the air, the electric type flexed his body. "Pika-CHU!" A bolt of thunder was called down, leading to a terrific crashing noise as it collided with the machine. Parts of it burst from the whole while short-lived fires raged in others. In the end, the machine let of a putrid smoke; harmless, though.

Meowth looked as if he'd burst a blood vessel. "This was our only version o'this tech!" he yowled.


Back on Aya's front, the battle had been going for quite a while. Sneasel, Rosa, and Nidoqueen all huffed alike, each growing weary in a painstaking, small versus large, two-on-one battle.

The three had clashed in a triad of Force Palm, Night Slash, and Superpower, forcing both sides back in a rattling collision that left a good deal of space between both sides.

"Both of you, dodge!" Aya called, spotting a concussive orb of wind coming their way.

Sneasel and Rosa hopped up once more, the latter landing on one leg. This amount of conflict was way more than what she was used to. Wincing, the Riolu tried to stay strong. Even in the face of Nidoqueen's power and Yanmega's aerial attacks.

"This is getting too close for comfort… We better finish this," the ninja noted aloud. "Riolu, Sneasel! Let's try Ash's idea one more time. This time, stay focused, and don't lose your composure!"

The two cried in unison, coming together with both hands and claws ready. Solid ice and life energy began to merge between them, each forcing themselves to keep a steady hand.

The Ice Shard became brilliant, this time staying steady.

"Now, fire!"

Both Pokémon shrieked, throwing their limbs forward. The 'Aura Shard' shot across the battlefield with all the swiftness of the Ice Shard, striking Yanmega with all the explosive force of an Aura Sphere.

Falling from the smoke and frost, the bug type had been knocked unconscious.

"Yanmega…!" Jessie sputtered, her face falling, before her teeth grit together. Fury on the woman's features. "Time to cut our losses," she concluded. "Come on, Nidoqueen!"

With that, the Rocket began to flee, and her poison type with her.

"Come back here!" The ninja barked. "It's almost over, you two," she assured to the two tiring Pokémon. "Now, let's chase them out of here."

"Sneasel!"

"Rio!"


Further up the hill, even Dawn was getting involved. Rushing through the chaotic flurry, she did her best to click open any Pokéballs she saw and permanently release the Pokémon within, but her efforts were mostly in vain. Furthermore, one Rocket grunt had a rather burly Growlithe and it was gaining on her fast.

Of course, neither Quilava nor Empoleon would allow that to happen. Sliding down the hill with enough force to keep himself and the Growlithe sliding, the big water type's silent defense made it clear: touching the girl was a bad idea. Remaining at Dawn's side, Quilava was on the defensive.

In the distance, Buneary took down another grunt's Pokémon, clearly amping up with all of her excitement and success.

Above, Clefairy tried to Moonblast the largest of their opponents.

Dawn breathed heavily. "Quilava, I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. Buneary's doing alright, but Empoleon's wearing himself out. Clefairy looks scared."

"Quil," the fire type chirped, nuzzling against Dawn during the brief interlude from violence.

"Yeah. We've gotta keep going. Now, use Flamethrower on that Raticate!"


After the initial boom of Pikachu's Thunder, there was an echoing crashing noise in the distance. Ash looked down to the swamp, squinting his eyes. Barely discernable among the trees, he could see Mamoswine standing before a flipped truck, still crackling with electricity. Aya's body guards look at it proudly while two Pokémon - most likely their own, judging from the fond way the two men petted the Pokémon - stood beside them, freshly freed.

"... That's where they're herding the Pokémon. Pikachu, go see what you can do to help."

"Pika…?" the electric type asked. Things were risky right now. He didn't want Ash to be alone.

The trainer jerked this thumb towards Primeape, who was now punching at Nidoking while the poison type tried to jab at him with his horn. "I've got company. Now, go for it."

Nodding, Pikachu, used Agility again to give himself a speed boost before running off.

And, seeing his opportunity, Meowth pounced on Ash. "I told ya! I told ya, I told ya, I told ya!" He used scratch, raking his claws down Ash's arm.

The trainer grabbed Meowth's tail, yanking the cat off himself. "Damnit! That hurt!"

"It's gonna hoit a lot more!" Meowth warned, fangs bared.

Standing up, Ash balled his fists. "Are you seriously gonna fight me?"

The normal type raised a paw, claws still out and slightly stained red with Ash's blood. "I ain't gonna let ya get away with this no more."


Jessie, meanwhile, was ready to collapse, hands resting on her knees while she tried to catch her breath. "Those rotten twerps are going to…" In midst of her threat, she'd caught quite a horrifying sight out of the corner of her eye. One that prompted a shrill shout.

Two nobodies, as far as she was concerned, had left one of the trucks in shambles, allowing a myriad of clueless poison types to wander out into sunlight. Free of their captors at last.

"Argh… Call off the mission!" She barked at the grunts who remained. "Let's cut our losses and get out!"

"But, Jessie…!" One of them started.

"I said move it! Take the wild Pokémon you've caught and we'll leave with what we have."

"...Yes, ma'am." The protesting Rocket, along with the remainder who'd overheard began to round up the others and spread the word.

"Now, to put this embarrassment to an end," she growled, dashing towards the vehicle at the front of their bee-line. With all the wild Pokémon, there was really no need to divulge exactly what had happened… Then again, all the damaged equipment, they'd have to come up with some sort of excuse.

It was hard to believe things could get much worse.


"You've been a real pain in the rear for way too long, twoip! My Fury Swipes are gonna teach ya a lesson you'll nevah foiget!" Meowth hissed, lunging at the offending trainer with bared claws.

"Takes one to know one!" Ash blurted, putting his sense of precognition to work. Leaping out of Meowth's intended path once, then twice, he narrowly avoided the Scratch Cat's attacks. "...And, I'm gonna keep getting in your way as long as you're trying to get at innocent Pokémon!"

His words were topped off with a successful grab at Meowth's foreleg, dangling the feline well above ground. "Besides, you're a Pokémon, yourself! Doesn't hoarding your own like that bother you just a little?" He spat, eyeing his arch-pain-in-the-rear.

"Lemme go, ya brute!" He hissed, beginning to swing in Ash's grip. "I may be a Meowth, but my loyalty goes right to Team Rocket! Somethin' youse pea-brain twerps'll nevah understand!"

With that, he used his momentum to swing in a loop, sinking his fangs into Ash's arm.

"Aagh!" Ash shouted in pain, shaking the cat off. "I really don't like fighting Pokémon myself… But, if that's how ya feel, then you're in for it!" Gritting his teeth, he cupped both of his hands at his side. A blue glow emanated from between his gloves, gradually growing until it was released as a sphere towards Meowth.

"Aaagh!" The cat shrieked, leaping up just quick enough to let the orb strike the ground, sending him tumbling before landing on his all fours. "If you keep dat up, you might as well start calling yaself a Pokémon!" With that, he leapt at his adversary, stopping just short of a ready-to-flee Ash. With a devious cheshire grin, he clapped both of his paws together, setting off a small shockwave that startled Ash out of his wits.

"Was that Fake-Out!?" The trainer blurted, stumbling back. By time the words left his mouth, he was displeased to find a pair of paws gripping his shoulder blades. "Since when could you use any other attacks!?"

"When we said we went through an upgrade, we meant it! You're still lookin' at the new 'n improved Team Rocket!" Meowth boasted, holding a secure grip on an increasingly irritated Ash.


Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed leader of the trio stumbled towards her destination, only to be marked with a look of horror.

Looking up, Jessie spotted to very bright, very small creatures on top of the center truck. The two were talking amongst each other, a quick chatter of "Pachipachipachi" interupted occasionally by "Pika." After a moment, the two nodded and took tense positions Jessie knew all to well.

The two of them? Together? About to use an electric attack? She wanted no part of it.

"I'm having no part in that Pika-Pachi-palooza!" Jessie shouted, looking around desperately for a place to hide. She realized Aya was still hot on her trail, though the woman slowed when she saw Jessie looking so desperate. Both women then grew frantic.

Aya grabbed Rosa, diving behind a series of bushes. Jessie, similarly panicked, jumped into a small, muddy ditch. In the distance, Mamoswine stood confidently before Aya's bodyguards, certain he wouldn't be shocked accidentally with his ground type immunity.

Meanwhile, the two electric types stood cheek to cheek. Pachirisu's pale blue sparks danced amongst Pikachu's bright yellow static. However, those sparks turned into a full on Thunder attack as he called down a massive amount of energy, many times more than Pachirisu could create on her own. The Sinnoh squirrel, however, was not hurt by this. She dispersed it with Discharge, sending out a wave of electronic disrupting pulses among the trucks. This triggered an override on the cages in the back of them, releasing all of the Pokémon held within.

"Pachi!" the white Pokémon cheered. "Risu!"

"Pikachu!" he likewise shouted.

Looking up from her muddy sanctuary, Jessie look up at the chaos. All of those powerful, pre-trained Pokémon: free! "Get in your trucks!" she once again ordered, running to her own.

Meanwhile, Aya stood in awe of what Pachirisu and Pikachu had done. "That must be the cleverest set of electric types I've ever seen…"


Hearing Jessie's call, James hastily returned his Nidoking as Primeape pulled back for more space after their latest exchange of blows. Without a word, the man ran off, not leaving Ash or Primeape a chance to stop him.

Likewise, Meowth, who had previously been working over Ash's back while the teen tried bashing the two of them back into the metal tower, scrambled free of Ash's hold - leaving a few last claw marks for good measure.

With his arms stinging from the scratches and his clothing pretty well worn from Meowth's attacks, Ash didn't find it in himself to go running after them just yet. Instead, he ran over to where Primeape was, ignoring the pain from moving his sliced skin.

"Primeape! Are you alright?!"

"Ape…," the Pokémon answered, finally bowing down onto one knee in exhaustion.

"You were great," Ash beamed, placing a hand on the fuzzy Pokémon's shoulder.


By now, Dawn's team was down to three. Clefairy had been knocked out by the well timed attack of a grunt's Golbat. Dawn, meanwhile, found herself actually going toe to toe with a grunt far larger than she was… And, losing. All he had to do was put both arms around her, and lift her off the ground. Though she kept kicking at him, the brute wouldn't let her go. Quilava was desperately trying to help Dawn, but with two Raticates between the fire type and her beloved trainer, the poor Johto starter was having a hard time of it.

That didn't even begin to cover the situations Buneary and Empoleon faced, also out numbered.

However, just as Dawn was beginning to feel as if the grunt were going to squeeze her so hard she'd break a rib, he dropped her. Air rushed back into her lungs while his Raticates followed after him. Soon, all the grunts were gone. Quilava rushed to Dawn's side first. Buneary and Empoleon followed shortly after. Dawn looked around and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

There were no wild Pokémon left in the field. Team Rocket had taken them all.

"Empo…" the steel type mumbled, offering his flipper to help his trainer up.

Taking it gratefully, Dawn looked over to where Clefairy had fallen. She walked over to her, followed by the rest of the party. Dawn scooped her up, smiling sadly. "She's alright… Just, needs some rest." She returned the fairy type. "Thank you." She turned to the rest of her party. "Thank you all. But we've gotta check out those trucks!"

Empoleon laid down, looking to Quilava, Buneary, and Dawn. "Leon!" He'd be the quickest way down, after all.

"Empoleon… Thank you." Gratefully, the three girls got onto Empoleon's back and slid down the hill. While going, Empoleon steered himself towards where he spotted Mamoswine's mammoth form. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn saw Ash and Primeape making their way down the hill and into the swamp as well.

The water type's slide ended where the mud began.

There, Aya stood with a small menagerie of poison types. Her own were among them. She and her bodyguards watched as the trucks disappeared into the swamps.

"Your Pokémon did well," she finally said, speaking up as she heard Ash approach, his heaving breaths giving him away. The gym leader turned around. She looked overly composed, much like how she had back at the gym when Dawn first met her. On the inside, she was hurting. But, right now, she knew she had to act as a leader. "We recovered all of the Pokémon stolen from our clan. I think some of the locals' Pokémon from Fuschia are among them. I shall watch after them until I can arrange for a Nurse Joy to come and identify them and return them to their trainers."

After that, it was deathly quiet for a moment. Ash and Dawn couldn't help but notice those were the only Pokémon Aya said they recovered.

The silence was disturbed by the distance splish-splash of feet in the swamp. Without hesitation, all eyes turned to the noise. There, two Rocket grunts could be seen, looking rather sheepish. Wordlessly, Aya's bodyguards made their ninja skills known.

It was by far the quickest take down Ash had ever seen. In short order, the two ninja men were upon the grunts, first holding them down and then producing wire out of nowhere. It was only when the ninja dragged them closer that Ash realized they had made do with wild vines.

With that, Aya finally snapped, slapping one of the grunts. "Ariados, wrap them!" No sooner had she ordered it than did her freshly recovered spider do as she bid. "Do you fools know what you have done?! The ecosystem of this place, it is ruined! These lands needed those poison types! They are a part of this place! Now," she yelled, voice wavering, "It is all wrong!" Her shoulders trembled.

Just before angry, bitter tears could slip down her cheeks, the familiar purple body of Venomoth landed on her shoulder. Aya straightened, but put her hand on one of Venomoth's comforting legs.

Looking away from the scene, Ash covered his eyes with his hat, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him. Likewise, Dawn swallowed thickly, lacing her hands together, looking around and hoping beyond hope that some fortunate escape would appear, whether it just be a wayward Oddish or a clueless Zubat.

But, none did. And, Dawn found that she, for one, could not hold back her tears. She had been here so briefly, but she recalled how nice the forest had been when she and Ash were walking here from Fuschia. She had come quickly to love the scenery.

"Until an officer arrives, these are our prisoners," Aya said crisply. The grunts look frightened, to which the leader showed no sympathy. "Let us move out. Sunset shall arrive within the hour and I am too weary to travel in the dark."

So, they did set out, quietly, meekly, almost filled with shame at their near-failure.


There was no talking on the way back. The recovered Pokémon quietly huddled around their rescue party, willingly being led back to the village. Likewise, the grunts nervously shuffled before Aya's bodyguards, terrified of upsetting their already furious captors. Save for the sparse flutter of wings and stomps of feet within the party, the forest was almost silent. The occasional Pidgey called out, but that was all.

The dreary walk was, thankfully, at its end, though. It was marked by a clamor that might have been celebratory to a less miserable returning party.

"It's Aya!" one resident called out.

"Aya has returned!"

"Our Pokémon!"

"Aunta Aya!" Janine praised, opening the gate. "You have returned our Pokémon!" Running out, Janine greeted a Zubat with vigor.

Soon, the whole compound was pouring out, greeting their Pokémon. Ash and Dawn watch as they stepped to the side. Some of the older ninja helped lead the Fuschia City Pokémon to a safe holding area, while others glared at the grunts as Aya's bodyguards led them to their holding cells.

Aya looked sadly out at the forest again as things quieted down once more.

Suddenly, Ash lit up, having come up with at least a partial remedy. "Hey, Aya! Why don't you give my friend Brock a call?"

As if she wasn't fatigued enough. The ninja's face fell, a shiver of disdain running down her spine. "If you're trying to give me a pick-me-up, that's not the best way to go about it, but thanks."

"No, not that…" Ash trailed off, and he would've laughed any other time. He remembered well how his elder friend acted the last time they'd met, and Dawn barely had to guess. "He used to want to be a Pokémon breeder before he decided to be a doctor. If you talked to him, I'm sure he could give you some tips on how to bring back more Pokémon in the area! He really knows his stuff."

Relieved, if only just a little, Aya nodded along. The faintest of smiles forming. "Thanks, Ash. I guess I'll have to. We'll need all the help that we can get."

Ash lit up in return, only for the gloom to dominate his mood again, once she'd moved on to check on the others. Between Dawn and himself, that uncomfortable silence dominated. They had no lost Pokémon except Muk to return to. Little good news to give. In all but returning Pokémon that already had companions, and causing Team Rocket a load of grief… One might argue that they'd failed.

Fighting a hitch in her breath, Dawn managed to break the silence. "Hey… Do you think we did well enough today?" Her glassy blue orbs dared to make eye contact with Ash's own.

Ash exhaled. He was pretty sure he wasn't the only one feeling insecure, but that put it in stone. Reaching over, he allowed his hand to give Dawn a gentle, comforting grip on her shoulder. "It has to be enough… We did our best. Everyone did." Their poor Pokémon were exhausted, all of them now being tended to by the grateful residents of the gym.

"...Besides, every Pokémon that had a trainer is back with them. Maybe the wild ones won't know the difference with getting caught." Maybe some grunts weren't all that horrible.

His own words deserved a smack in the face, he thought. But, wishful thinking was all they had, right then. "...We won't let it happen again." Dark brows dipped, his copper hues turning from Dawn to the sunset. "I swear we won't."

The two were filled with a protective energy. From now on, their training would get a lot tougher on each other, no doubt. Today had served as a lesson. They were strong, but there was only two of them. They'd have to be stronger than just making it one on one.

But, their lonely resolution was broken by Aya's approach.

"Ash, Dawn," she spoke, voice still tender with today's turmoil. "Stay with us for the night. Our warriors are all returning home due to this… unfortunate situation. You may rest safely here. Our medics will see to you and your Pokémon."

On cue, Ash touched his arms where Meowth had scratched him and recalled the scabs already formed on his back. Dawn, likewise, brought a hand to her ribs where she'd been squeezed so roughly.

"That sounds good," Dawn answered. "Thank you."

Ash finally relented into trying to lighten the mood by hamming up his injuries. "I guess the medics are gonna see what the cat dragged in, huh?"

It worked well enough. Aya smiled and cocked her head. "Let's hurry along then."


After a visit to the medical station for both trainers and Pokémon and a quick stop by the bathhouse for all, Ash and Dawn's Pokémon were turned out into a garden overlooked by the ornate master dining room in Koga and, by extension, Aya and Janine's house.

The group had settled in around the large dinner table, wrought with emotions of some shade or another, as well as exhaustion. A nice, filling meal was going to be more than welcome.

Before anyone could dig into the dishes laid before them, though, a single voice spoke up.

The voice of Janine, the young ninja-in-training. "Everyone? I have an announcement to make… In a few days, my father will return for a short while. We've reached him, and he can afford to leave his league post long enough to check in and help us get things in order."

A few mutters of approval could be heard, however restrained they might have been. It was proof enough that the gym would be happy to have him back among their ranks.

Aya spoke up next. "I'm sure that's for the best. This gym is what it is because of Koga, after all. I'm sure he'll restore confidence and bring us closer to the path we seek to follow." Her confidence bolstered just a bit, she looked to their guests, next. "Speaking of that path… I'd like to give you something, Dawn." Fortunately, she was seated next to the bluenette, reaching to hand her a small object.

Speechless, Dawn took the offering, now getting a closer look. "A hairpin?"

"I'll call it a sign of our friendship. You really proved your mettle today; I see Ash has a good hand in picking companions." With that praise, she went on. "It also doubles as a lock pick. It's sturdy as could be, and should be foolproof, should you ever fall into a situation where it's needed."

"Wow… Thanks, Aya. I'll definitely hold onto it!" Dawn beamed, forming her first genuine smile of the night.

"And, Ash," Aya continued, holding out to him what looked to be a blue, segmented ankle weight. "This is for you."

Taking the heavy object into his hands, he peered down at it, brows raised. "Wow, thanks!"

After a momentary pause, he let the obvious question slip. "...What is it?"

"It's a power anklet. A Pokémon can wear it to increase their gains in strength and agility while training or battling. I figured it'd make a fitting gift for your Riolu. She made for quite the fighter earlier today, even when her fear was evident." To fight despite fear was the mark of a warrior, wasn't it?

Now, it was Ash's turn to light up. "She's a real hard worker," he agreed. "Thanks! We'll definitely make good use of it."

Smiling in approval of his promise, Aya turned to her high warriors. "Well, let us begin our meal."

And, dig in they did. There was a slight tension in the air. Ash supposed it wasn't so heavy. The returning warriors seem friendly enough. They spoke in hushed tones with Aya's bodyguards while a few looked knowingly upon Ash. Only Janine spoke up, doing a decent job of trying to liven the mood. Though Aya remained as reserved and commanding looking as a leader should, by the mid-point of the meal, the warriors and their guests had relaxed into talking about old battles as well as praising those who had fought that day on their efforts.

"You should really invest in ranged weaponry at your size," one of the elder ninja sagely advised. "This lad here can take on an opponent by himself at his size, but you're built a little like Janine. Keep your Pokémon on you more, hm?" The elder turned to look at Aya's bodyguards. "They used you, you know. They could have fought on their own."

One of the bodyguards tried to cover for their revealed trickery. "A ninja does not put themselves needlessly in danger."

"A ninja who betrays their ally, however minutely, is not fit to be in this clan," the elder quipped back.

As the discussion turned to the ethical duty of ninja, Ash looked to Dawn, leaning an elbow on the table.

"You know, you have gotten a lot stronger. You and your Pokémon." Trying to keep the mood light, he grinned cheesily. "Must be from keeping up with me all the time!"

Rolling her eyes, Dawn poked Ash's cheek. "Yeah, you're outpacing me with your stupid long legs now. I've gotta hustle. No, but seriously, training with you has been good for me. And, we'll keep pushing each other towards our goals, like we promised back at your house!"

"And, next time, we'll really whoop Team Rocket's -"

"I can tolerate your elbows on my table, Ash, but foul language is not to enter this room," Aya suddenly cut in, looking over at Ash from above Dawn's head. The gym leader took a swig of her drink after giving that curt instruction. "You have the right idea, though."

Taking his elbow off the table and rubbing the back of his head, Ash did as asked.

From there, the mood only got lighter. The group had come to terms with the reality of the day. They, much like their enemies, had to cut their losses and grow stronger from it. Just as tomorrow as a new day for Ash and Dawn, the swamps and forests around the ninja clan would also one day blossom with new opportunities.