Last chapter, Brayden challenged Lt. Surge, the Electric-type Gym Leader of Vermilion City. As the battle progressed, however, Brayden accused Surge of working with Team Rocket. As their argument spiraled out of control, Team Rocket launched a vicious attack on the S.S. Anne! Can our heroes repel Team Rocket and save the city?!

Smoke filled the air around the Vermilion City Harbor as countless people ran screaming from the S.S. Anne. Gym Leader Lt. Surge stood nearby and watched this with utmost shock.

"Surge, wait up!" Brayden called out as he ran up to the Gym Leader. Wartortle was hot on his heels, while Mankey came a few seconds later.

"It's not looking good, kid," Surge said grimly, without looking at Brayden. "No sign of any of the grunts outside the ship, and everyone who was inside is clearing out. That means every single one of those Rocketers is inside right now! No telling how many we might be up against!"

Brayden clenched his fists and growled.

"It doesn't matter how many there are! I'll stop them all!"

At this moment, Trace finally caught up to them.

"Uh, are you guys actually going to fight Team Rocket?" he asked anxiously.

"Of course I am! I can't just watch those jerks make people and Pokémon suffer!" Brayden said fearlessly.

"And as this city's Gym Leader, it's my duty to protect the civilians!" Surge said proudly.

"Wait…aren't you going to help us?" Brayden asked Trace, puzzled.

Trace flinched.

"U-uh, m-me, f-fight Team Rocket?" the boy asked, completely petrified. Charmeleon hid behind Trace and clutched his legs, cowering in fear.

Brayden was truly astonished. After previously teaming up with Misty, he had thought that Trainers weren't scared to fight bad guys. It had never occurred to him that Trace might not have the courage to stand and fight.

Pikachu, however, did not seem to share his Trainer's fear. Showing sad disappointment in Trace and Charmeleon, he stepped forward courageously and raised his tiny fist to the sky.

"Pika, Pika! Pikachu!"

("I'm not scared! I'll help!")

Lt. Surge flashed a grin.

"Ha! You're a gutsy little Pikachu! That's what I like to see! Gimme five!"

Surge crouched down and held out his left palm. Pikachu grinned back and slapped his hand into Surge's.

"Wait, guys, I—" Trace started, but was cut off by Surge clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid. Your friend and I will take care of this. We'll make sure nothing happens to your Pikachu, too!" the Gym Leader said reassuringly.

Brayden gave Trace a thumbs-up. Then, he, Surge and their Pokémon ran into the ship's open hatch. Pikachu and Brayden took one last look back at Trace before heading inside and vanishing from Trace's view.

"Guys… don't you dare lose…" Trace muttered.

Inside the S.S. Anne, at the Bridge…

"Aha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Taking control of this ship was far too easy! Now we have more than enough supplies to fuel our return to power!" a long haired woman gloated.

She turned to the Grunts stationed at the ship's controls.

"Tell me, are we ready to make our getaway? Have all the former workers here made their exit?"

The male grunt furthest from her flinched as he noticed a young boy, the Gym Leader and several Pokémon running down a hallway on one of the monitors.

"Miss Ariana, we have intruders!" he snarled, pointing at the screen.

"The city's Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, is heading here, taking down all our troops! And there's a kid helping him!"

Ariana did not take this news well. She flared up with rage.

"ExCUSE me?! Why didn't one of those idiots shut the hatch door after the workers ran out?!"

"Idiots! Idiots!" Ariana's Murkrow mimicked.

Ariana watched the screen as the child's Wartortle washed away four Grunts using Surf. She noticed something familiar about the young Trainer.

"Oh? Could that be…?"

A haughty smile appeared on Ariana's face.

The Grunt who had shown her the monitor felt a chill run down his spine.

"Miss Ariana..? What are your orders?" he asked cautiously.

Ariana laughed softly.

"All of you, stop what you're doing and escort the Gym Leader out.

"Let the boy come to me."

The Grunts began to clear out, but one of them asked, "Are you sure?"

The other Grunts froze. They knew Ariana's orders were absolute. They knew exactly what would happen if she was questioned.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY ORDERS!" Ariana screamed. "Perhaps you need a little motivation!"

Arbok hissed menacingly as the Grunts ran out of the room screaming in horror.

Elsewhere in the ship…

"Keep it up, kid! We're closing in on the bridge!" Surge shouted to Brayden as he threw a Grunt overboard.

"Just how many people were stupid enough to join Team Rocket anyway?!" Brayden yelled as Mankey kicked a Grunt's Rattata into the Grunts' face. Near him, Pikachu used Thundershock on a Grimer.

As if to answer his question, several more Grunts showed up and swarmed Surge.

"Get him! Ariana wants him out of here!" Brayden heard some of them say.

That suggested to Brayden that Surge was not part of Team Rocket, or at least, wasn't anymore.

Brayden had half a mind to help Surge, but this was also his chance to confront the one in charge.

"Go on without me, kid! I can handle these chumps!" Surge called out.

"Okay then! Wartortle, Mankey, Pikachu, let's go!" Brayden said.

"Tortle! War!"

"Man Man key!"

"Pika!"

As the four of them drew closer to the top of the S.S. Anne, Brayden wondered who awaited him.

"Could it be Proton again? Wait. Proton said he was one of four Rocket Executives, so maybe it's one of the other three! Well, whoever they are, they're going DOWN!"

Finally, they stepped through an open door. Suddenly, a ball of Acid was shot right at Brayden's face. Acting quickly, Mankey knocked Brayden over just as the Acid shot past and splattered on the wall behind them. Looking up, Brayden saw a woman with long red hair with an unmistakable red R on her dress, and next to her, the Pokémon that obviously had launched the Acid at him: an Arbok.

"HEY! You nearly melted my face off! What's wrong with you people?!" Brayden shouted at the woman.

"Aha Ha Ha Ha! What did you expect?!" the woman scoffed. "We are Team Rocket, after all. We have a reputation to uphold. We want the power to rule the world, and nothing will stop us!"

"Nothing will stop us! Nothing!" the dark-feathered bird Pokémon on her shoulder mimicked.

"What is THAT Pokémon? I've never seen it before!" Brayden said as he pulled out the Pokédex.

"Murkrow. The Darkness Pokémon. A Dark- and Flying-type. Murkrow can learn to mimic human speech. It has seen stealing shiny objects from people and Pokémon alike, and in the past was viewed as a bringer of misfortune."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you came," the lady continued. "Proton told me all about how you ruined his plan to recruit Cerulean's Poké Maniac."

"Then you're one of them, aren't you? One of Team Rocket's four Executives!" Brayden deduced.

"That's right! I am Ariana, Rocket Executive and interim boss in place of the great Giovanni!" Ariana proclaimed.

Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity as he leered at Ariana. Wartortle assumed his battle pose, and Mankey tapped his foot impatiently.

"So what do you want this boat for?!" Brayden demanded.

"Lots of things!" Ariana said gleefully as she spread out her arms.

"The cargo on board will both fund our activities and keep our troops well fed! The boat itself is useful as well, for we can convert it into the ultimate battleship! And…"

Ariana pointed at a large sealed box that was strapped down in the corner, then grinned evilly at Brayden.

"The Pokémon the passengers and workers had on board are rare and valuable! They are the most important of our spoils! Aha ha ha ha ha ha!" Ariana laughed mockingly.

Brayden and his Pokémon flared up with rage.

"YOU CREEPS! Those Pokémon don't belong to you! You don't have the right to treat them like tools for your own gain!" Brayden screamed at the Rocket Executive.

His Pokémon allies also voiced their outrage.

"WARTORTLE!"

"PIKA! PIKA PIKACHU!"

"MANKEY MANKEY!"

Ariana laughed again.

"So? What are you going to do about it? You don't really think you can defeat us, do you?"

"You bet I do!" Brayden shouted. "Wartortle, Water Pulse! Mankey, Mega Kick!"

Wartortle launched a water ball at Murkrow as Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock for Arbok. Mankey, however, lunged for Ariana with a flying kick.

Ariana threw out a ball and snapped her fingers to signal her Pokémon to attack.

Several Floors Below…

Surge wiped sweat from his brow. The Grunts were beginning to overwhelm him, but he refused to falter.

"Okay, you idiots may have more strength in numbers than I gave you credit for, but there's no WAY I'm letting you steal this ship! It's integral to this town's economy, and nobody is taking that away on my watch! Give 'em another Shock Wave, Electabuzz!" he cried as he punched a Grunt out cold.

"Electa BUZZ!"

The Electric Pokémon generated an electrical beam and shocked a number of Grunts and their Pokémon.

"Darn it! There's just too many of them! I don't think I can keep this up much longer. If only that other kid had come along!" Surge thought.

At the bridge…

Wartortle, Mankey and Pikachu collapsed to the floor and struggled to get up. Ariana's Arbok, Murkrow and Umbreon were proving to be tough opponents.

"No! We can't lose this! Those Pokémon are counting on us!" Brayden thought in anguish. "If only Trace had come along!"

Ariana once again laughed haughtily.

"What's wrong? Where's that spirit that defeated Proton, little boy? Are you going to cry like the child you are because you're helpless against an adult?!" she asked in a sadistic tone.

Brayden and Pikachu both screamed with angry defiance.

At the docks…

Trace and Charmeleon heard Brayden's and Pikachu's screams loud and clear. They stopped quivering at once.

"Brayden?! Pikachu?!"

"Char?!"

Trace had never heard Brayden so angry. But that combined with Pikachu's scream had to mean things were going horribly wrong.

"They're in trouble, Charmeleon! Our friends need help, and we're the only ones who can!" Trace said worriedly.

Charmeleon placed his claws on the sides of his head.

"Char…meleon!"

They were both still quite scared, but knew they had to do something fast.

Gathering what little courage he had, Trace grabbed Charmeleon by the arm and ran inside.

"C'mon, buddy! We have to save them somehow!"

"Chaaaarrrrrrr!" the Flame Pokémon cried out nervously as Trace dragged him in.

The bridge…

"I'd say you're completely outmatched, brat!" Ariana gloated. "By now, my troops should have disposed of that meddlesome Gym Leader. Very soon we'll be on our way back to our new hideout with all of our new supplies, and YOU will never try to stand in our again!"

"That's what YOU think!" Brayden retorted.

"Still, we aren't getting anywhere by fighting all three of Ariana's Pokémon at once!" Brayden thought.

"Maybe if we tried doing the opposite…"

He smiled, and Ariana's eye twitched.

"Pikachu, get on top of Wartortle's shell! And Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!"

Though Pikachu and Wartortle were unsure of Brayden's strategy, they did as they were told. Pikachu held on tightly as Wartortle revved up and soared into the air, aiming at Arbok.

"What are you hoping to accomplish with that?!" Ariana demanded.

"It won't work! Arbok, Sludge Bomb! And Murkrow, Dark Pulse!"

Arbok spat out a large ball of venom, and Murkrow launched a sphere of dark energy, but Wartortle evaded both attacks and began circling around the room.

Ariana trembled with frustration. "Fine then! Umbreon, Hyper Beam that Mankey!"

As Umbreon charged up for its attack, Brayden gave Mankey a command.

"Mankey, Rock—"

But Mankey was already using Rock Tomb, much to Brayden's surprise. Boulders materialized around Arbok and Umbreon, cutting off Umbreon's Hyper Beam.

"What's going on?!" Ariana shouted in disbelief.

"This is!" Brayden exclaimed. "Attack Murkrow, Wartortle!"

Pikachu jumped off Wartortle right as the Turtle Pokémon slammed into Murkrow, leaving the Dark-type dazed.

"Now's your chance, Pikachu! Give it a Thunder Shock!" Brayden cried.

"Pika…CHHUUUUU!"

The Mouse Pokémon struck Murkrow with several volts of electricity, and after the Darkness Pokémon cried out in pain, it collapsed right to the floor, knocked out. Wartortle whirled back to Brayden's side of the room.

"YEAH! That's one down!" Brayden grinned.

Pikachu and Wartortle cheered.

Ariana had completely lost her composure at this point.

"YOU WILL NOT WIN THAT EASILY!" the Rocket Executive screamed as she stomped her foot down. As she did so, Brayden heard Arbok shout from behind the rocks, and a moment later, it had smashed itself and Umbreon out with Iron Tail.

"You think you're smart because you managed to hang up on my Murkrow?! Then how's THIS for a smart move?!" she uttered through an angry grin as she waved her arm at Pikachu.

"Pika?!" Pikachu cried out in fear as Arbok and Umbreon converged on him.

"Oh no! Pikachu, get away from them!" Brayden shouted.

"Wartortle!" Wartortle panicked.

Mankey's eyes went wide.

"Arbok, Iron Tail! Umbreon, Feint Attack!" Ariana ordered with great relish.

Brayden watched in horror as his friends' Pikachu was struck by two powerful blows and sent flying helplessly into the wall on Brayden's right, where he proceeded to fall to the floor.

"PIKACHU!" Brayden screamed.

"If you think I'm done with that little rat, you're sorely mistaken!" Ariana declared. "Arbok, Sludge Bomb!"

Brayden knew he had to fight, that he had to rescue Pikachu and keep his promise to Trace, but was if his body was frozen from shock.

Arbok spat another ball of explosive venom at Pikachu, but it wound up hitting a different target instead.

To everyone's surprise, Wartortle had used his increased speed to shield Pikachu using his own shell.

He faced Ariana and stretched out his arms in defense of his fallen ally.

"Wartortle tortle tortle!" he said courageously.

"Whew! Good work, Wartortle." Brayden said, relieved.

Wartortle grinned, but suddenly, he groaned in pain. His body was glowing purple.

Brayden realized the horrible truth.

"No! You've been poisoned!"

"Aha Ha Ha! Serves you right!" Ariana laughed triumphantly. "Now you've only got one Pokémon left! You may as well give up!"

"What?" Brayden wondered. He looked at his Poké Ball belt, and remembered that Butterfree and Pidgeotto had been left at the Gym! Oddish was there as well, because she had been knocked out during the battle with Surge!

Wartortle was low on energy due to his protection of Pikachu. Mankey truly was his last hope.

Pushing aside any doubts, Brayden resolved to keep fighting.

"Mankey, use Karate Chop on Umbreon!"

The Pig Monkey lunged at Umbreon, but Ariana had another nasty surprise for them.

"Use Psychic!"

Intense psychic waves bombarded Mankey and thrust him back to the floor in front of Brayden.

"Agh! Let's try Rock Tomb!" Brayden said.

Mankey glanced at him momentarily, then made his move. But it was not the one Brayden had called for.

Mankey's entire body shook with fury, tensing up his muscles.

"MAAAAANNNNKEEEEY!" he screamed as he rapidly beat his chest.

"What?! Why are you using Rage?!" Brayden shouted, utterly confused. "Use Rock Tomb instead!"

Mankey seemed too angry to listen. He charged right at Umbreon with Mega Kick.

"Arbok, Iron Tail!" Ariana commanded.

Arbok's tail became as tough as iron, and with a large sweep it batted Mankey away with minimal effort, smiling as it did so.

"No…why didn't you listen to me, Mankey?!" Brayden yelled in despair as Mankey collapsed.

"Too bad! You've lost, as you were destined to! Now wallow in despair as we escape with YOUR Pokémon added to our collection!" Ariana mocked as she laughed cruelly.

Was this truly happening?

Had Brayden really lost?

What would happen to those poor stolen Pokémon now?

Would they be sold on the black market?

Would they be subjected to cruel experiments, as he had heard from many rumors?

Brayden couldn't even bear to imagine what Team Rocket would likely do to Trace's Pikachu, and to Wartortle and Mankey. And all of this was going to happen because of him! Because he wasn't strong enough to save them!

Brayden shut his eyes as he awaited whatever fate Ariana had in store for him.

But then…

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

Brayden's eyes shot open as a massive burst of flame engulfed Ariana's Umbreon, causing it to faint.

Ariana couldn't believe her eyes.

"WHAT?! Who did that?!"

Brayden's spirits went from rock bottom to sky high as he saw Trace and Charmeleon standing in the doorway with Lt. Surge right behind them.

"Leave my friends alone!" Trace shouted at Ariana.

"TRACE! SURGE!" Brayden shouted. To say he was relieved was quite the understatement.

Surge seemed worse for wear, but threw a ball towards Wartortle and Pikachu. From it, a Magnemite appeared and created a barrier around itself, Wartortle, and Pikachu.

"That's Protect! They're safe now, kid! Now get back on your feet and put that crazy woman in her place! That's an order, soldier!" Surge said very seriously.

Brayden looked at Trace. There didn't seem to be a hint of fear on his friends' face, just a determined smile.

Brayden smiled back, then got to his feet to find that Mankey was doing the same. They still had a chance!

Ariana was looking rather paranoid.

"You had ANOTHER accomplice?! Where is your sense of dignity?!" she shouted.

Arbok hissed at Brayden, Trace and Surge.

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Ariana!" Brayden said, confidence restored. "Ready, Trace?"

"Let's do it!" Trace replied.

"Mankey, use Mega Kick!"

"Charmeleon, Metal Claw!"

This time, Mankey was happy to listen. He flew at Arbok foot first while Charmeleon sprinted by his side, his claws as sharp as knives.

Both attacks struck Arbok with such force that it was hurled into Ariana, and both of them fell out of the S.S. Anne, all while Ariana was shrieking shrilly.

"We… we did it!" Trace exclaimed.

"All right!" Brayden jumped in jubilation.

"To be honest, Charmeleon and I were absolutely terrified," Trace admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"But when I heard you and Pikachu, I knew we had to at least try to help."

At that moment, Brayden knew he had found a true friend. He smiled.

"You made all the difference, Trace. Thanks!" Brayden said.

He and Trace high-fived.

In the corner, Pikachu and Wartortle breathed a sigh of relief. Mankey was showboating while Charmeleon hugged Trace. All Surge could do was fold his arms and smile.

Hours later, at the docks…

"We simply cannot thank you boys enough for saving our liner and all those Pokémon from Team Rocket!" the Captain of the S.S. Anne said gratefully to Brayden and Trace. "Please accept these Lifetime Passes! You may now board the S.S. Anne free of charge whenever you desire! It's the least we can do after all you've done!"

Brayden and Trace accepted the passes without hesitation.

"Wow, these are for us? Thank you!" Trace beamed.

"Heh, we only did what any Trainer would've done!" Brayden said.

As the Captain began walking away, he looked back and said, "By the way, if, in the future, you boys wish to bring along plus ones, you're more than welcome to do so! No extra charge!"

Surge placed a hand on each boys' shoulder and grinned.

"You kids fought like bravest of men back there! I want to give you my thanks as well."

"No problem, dude!" Brayden said.

Trace was still grinning from ear to ear due to the free passes.

"Yeah!" was all he could muster.

"Well, there's still some light left." Surge said, noting the setting sun.

"Shall we head back to the Gym and finish our battle, Brayden?"

"You bet!" Brayden nodded.

As the three of them walked back to the Vermilion Gym, Trace spoke up again.

"It's great that all the Rocket Grunts got arrested, but I wonder what happened to that scary lady?"

Surge furrowed his brow.

"Knowing how higher-ups work, I'd say she managed to escape. Must've had some other lackeys on stand-by in case things went south. The battle may have been won, but the war is likely just beginning." he said seriously.

After how close he had come to defeat, Brayden certainly hoped he would never have to fight Ariana again.

Somewhere out at sea, inside a dark-colored submarine…

"Not once, but twice that accursed brat has stood in our way and ruined everything!" Ariana growled.

"And this time it was quite a substantial loss. No less than 100 of our troopers have been captured, and we don't have one thing to show for it! So help me, if that twerp shows his face to me again, I'll make him wish he'd never been BORN!"

A jingle was heard.

"Miss Ariana, I hate to interrupt your vows for revenge, but the other Executives are on the line." A female Grunt said.

Three medium sized screens flickered on, and on them, three men appeared. One of them was Proton.

"I would guess by your being in the getaway submarine and not the S.S. Anne that the operation was a failure?" Proton asked, looking quite disappointed.

"It wasn't my fault! It was that stupid kid who stomped you, Proton!" Ariana snapped at him.

A gloomy-looking man's already sour-looking expression went darker.

"Oh my. It's Red all over again. Should we give up for now and hope he goes off to another region or something?"

"Absolutely not! What would Giovanni think, Petrel?!" Ariana protested.

A sinister-looking man narrowed his eyes.

"Ariana is correct. We brought our organization back from the brink, and we will not fail our leader."

The male Grunt piloting the submarine addressed the Executive who had just spoke.

"Sir! Shall we return to base and await further orders?"

The man smiled evilly.

"Yes. Do so. And remember, everyone…"

Everyone paid him attention.

"We still have many, many more schemes left in our arsenal. Proton, Petrel, resume your current duties.

And should the child named Brayden attempt to interfere, you know what to do."

With that, the screens flickered off.

Brayden may have been victorious over Team Rocket again, but it seems that his battle with them will continue for some time. But as for next chapter, Brayden vs. Lt. Surge finally resumes!