A Second Chance

by Starmist

A new disease is decimating the population and an organization emerges that's even more deadly than Team Rocket. It's all up to our heros to save the world...

2. Chapter 1: The Reunion

A/N: Ok, here's the next part of my story. In case you didn't read my prologue (shame on you! It was a good prologue too!), I'll give you a quick summary, but I'm only going to do this once: Ash is 15, Misty is 16 and Brock is 19 in the prologue. They are in Pallet town, actually Ash's house, where Ash has become a pokemon master (finally!). They were all going to go out when Ash forgot his hat and ran upstairs. Outside, a Rocket guy was waiting in ambush and shot Misty, Brock and Mrs. Ketchum when they walked outside. Ash is really sad and stuff that this happened and Officer Jenny walks into the scene. Ash then runs off in the woods… and that about covers it. However, please read the prologue, cuz it's really good and I suck at summaries! I sure hope you enjoy this chapter (it took FOREVER to do). Oh, and please write reviews! Thanks.

A Second Chance

Chapter 1: The Reunion

*~*~*~*~*~*

Six years later…

A room… blackness. That's all I can see at the moment. It appears that I'm located in a room. Yes, there are four walls, definitely a room. However, the color black masks any other object in the room… if there is any other object in the room. Wait… there is. A chair… a table… a weird-looking sphere on the tale… and a capsule? What is going on here? Soft lights… how did they appear so suddenly? The capsule… something is wrong with it. Wait a sec! It's moving! IT'S MOVING! An outline… a figure… a creature? What is a creature doing inside of a capsule? Is it human? No, perhaps a pokemon? If so, it's a new species. Maybe I should just leave… the thing… it's coming out of the capsule! What's going on here? I've got to get out of here! Where's a door? A door? Help! It's coming! It's coming! HELPPPPPPP!!!!!!

"Insignificant being." A voice echoed from the darkness. Still hiding within the shadows, it's clear that the owner of the wicked voice is towering over a dead man drenched in blood. "These human fools think that they can recapture me." Floating away from the gory scene, the figure becomes clearer. A head, a body and a tail… definitely a pokemon. Pink and purple engulf the creature as it stands upright like a human. Cat-like, to say the least, a wicked aura surrounds this creature and yet, it seems wise… like it knows something that no one else knows. Like it is playing a game, in which it refuses to part with some unknown secret.

The pokemon glides over to a table, still engulfed in the darkness. Its eyes flash a silvery blue; a sign that it is using a psychic move. Blinding light enters the room and the small sphere on the table starts to glow. The pokemon sits in a nearby chair and examines the object more closely as its eyes return to its normal black color. Now, the sphere changes, showing a dark scene; a shady room dotted with the glow of dozens of candles. In the middle of the room, a young adult appears to be training. He holds a sinister sword in one hand and lashes it against the air, like he's battling an unseen force. In the distance, a yellowish creature rests in the corner as it crackles with electricity.

The pokemon smiles devilishly. "It's time young Ash. It's time."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night…

There it is… the Pokemon Center.

He stands curiously still, examining the building. This is a place for sick pokemon, the place where they are healed and taken care of; the place where they are brought back from the brink of death. This is a hospital for pokemon, not a place to deliver papers that could change the fate of mankind and pokemon alike.

"AK, what are you doing here?" A young boy asks, running over to his side. AK quickly hides the contents, previously held in his hands, and stuffs them into a hidden jacket pocket.

"What do you want? You're not supposed to be out here. It's dangerous." AK glared at the boy who had a "R" on his shirt. He was clearly part of one of the most dangerous criminal organizations on the planet, yet he was walking down the street without a care in the world.

"I suppose that I should ask the same of you." The boy watched his older peer. Unlike the boy, AK didn't have a "R" on his shirt. Instead, he was draped in black. Black shirt, black jeans and a even black jacket… he blended in perfectly with the dark background. "You're not wearing your wristband."

AK simply nodded. He hated wearing the elite band, the wristband showing that he was one of the elite Team Rocket members. It was like a siren to everyone that he was a criminal. He really hated that band. "I'm meeting someone, undercover."

"At a Pokemon Center?" the boy asked. He couldn't believe that someone was actually disobeying the boss' orders by not wearing either a Team Rocket shirt or a wristband, depending on what rank you were. "You should wear it at all times."

AK shook his head. The young recruits… they were always so innocent. He remembered when he was also a young recruit. One thing was for sure, at that age, he never thought that he would be here… never. "Look, success depends on surprise. The fact that this person doesn't know who I am is essential. Keep quiet about this. If the word leaks to the other members, things could get tricky. Now, go!"

The young boy gave him a queer look before hurrying away from the area. AK sighed. He really did hate lying and he had been doing it so much lately. However, the fate of the planet lies in his hands and a few lies here and there won't count that much in the long run.

He quickly smoothed back his hair and tried to look as normal as possible. He walked into the center and was greeted by Nurse Joy. She, like all of her identical sisters and cousins, smiled without a care in the world. "Can I help you?"

AK shook his head. "Just need to deliver something."

"Oh, then go down the hall and make a turn on your first right." Nurse Joy grinned and pointed down a long hallway.

"Thanks." With that, AK raced into the area and saw the machines. There were about 5 transporting machines; all were empty.

"(Hey, let me out! I can't breathe in here!)" A muffled voice echoed from his jacket. He sighed and pulled out a very unhappy pokemon.

"Sorry, about that Pikachu, but if anyone saw you, they would know that it was me. That's the last thing we want." AK grinned and petted Pikachu. Pikachu smiled in content, its anger already vanished. Glancing back at the machines, AK sighed. "Now, back to business."

He approached the nearest machine and turned it on. It boomed with life and lighted the room with its glow. AK placed some papers on a platform. Above it, a silver rod, with a pointed tip, awaited the moment when it would be needed. He then walked over to the main section of the machine; it was a screen with a jumble of buttons that was situated right below it. AK pressed a few of these buttons and a mechanical voice spoke. "Please type in the name of the city for transportation and building/residence." AK did so and the machine paused for a few moments, analyzing the new information. "Location found. Oak Laboratories in Pallet town. Please press 'Y' if correct and 'N' if not correct." AK pushed the "Y" button and waited a few more moments. "Sending." AK turned around and saw the metal rod glow in a white light, engulfing the papers on the platform. When the light disappeared, the papers did so accordingly as the voice once again spoke. "Transportation complete."

AK sighed and shut down the machine. Pikachu watched the whole process from his shoulders in curiosity. "(Why did you alert Oak of our situation?)"

AK smiled and turned back to his pokemon. "Hopefully, for help in saving the world."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Professor Oak rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. He could never get used to waking up at 6:00 in the morning and driving over to Oak Laboratories. It was just too exhausting. His brittle bones couldn't take the strain every single day. He was just getting too old for this.

"Hi, Grandpa." A young man in his early 20's turned to Prof. Oak. Prof. Oak smiled at Gary, remembering what an arrogant brat he was six years ago, that was before the shootings. At least one good thing came out of that horrid event. Gary even decided to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a scientist.

"Hello Gary. Anything new?" Professor Oak walked into the building and sat down in his favorite chair.

Gary nodded. "Actually yes. Some papers were teleported to the lab around 2:00 am."

"2:00 am? Who would send me something at that hour?" Prof. Oak asked.

Gary shrugged his shoulders. "You got me. All I know is that it was from Viridian City." Gary then shoved some papers in his lap. "Here they are. I'm going to the 3^rd floor to continue our experiment on that strange group of Butterfree we found last week."

"Ok, Gary, I'll meet you there in a few minutes." Prof. Oak mumbled as Gary left the room. He picked up the papers in his lap and started reading them. His eyes darted back and forth across the first page of the document. He soon stopped, fear radiating from his face. He never thought that this day would come… he never thought that it would happen…ever. He never thought that he would see Armageddon in his lifetime.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Dewgong, ice beam attack!" A giant seal pokemon jumped from its peaceful slumber at its trainer's command. The pure white pokemon raised its head back in preparation of the attack. An icy blue ball of sheer energy formed inside its mouth. With one heavy pant, Dewgong released the energy ball. A sizzle of cold petrified the air as the water changed its form to ice at the touch of the frosty ball of power known as an ice beam.

A girl, obviously it's trainer, smiled. "Dewgong, return." She held out a red and white pokeball, while the slippery pokemon changed into red light and floated back to its home. Touching a certain button, the ball shrank in size and fit comfortably on her belt. Her delicate fingers slipped to another tiny pokeball and pulled it off of her belt. After enlarging it, she threw it down into some nearby water that wasn't affected by the ice beam. "Go Seaking!"

A colorful fish materialized. Blotches of small black dots interrupted the cool white that covered its fins. Its main body glowed a deep red. Two large eyes gazed at its trainer, awaiting her every command while a deadly horn bellowed from the top of its head. "Seaking, horn drill that ice." She pointed to the nearby ice patch that was frozen earlier. The bloated fish nodded and raced towards the ice. Its horn twirled like a drill as it lowered its head for the upcoming attack. Mounds of ice flew into the sky as the deadly horn met its match.

The young trainer produced a glass cup, filled with liquid, and held it into the air. Ice rained into the cup and splashed all over the beach that she was standing on. The beautiful woman examined the cup and smiled. She pulled Seaking's pokeball out and shouted. "Return, Seaking." The pokemon did so and disappeared. She shrunk the ball and replaced it back on her belt. "Ah, the things I do for ice-cold lemonade." She sipped the glass, now cold with the blocks of ice swimming in it.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!

The enchanting trainer groaned at this new disturbance. She left her spot on the scenic beach and hurried inland. Brushing against palm tree after palm tree, she raced through the vegetation until she reached her destination. A small, crudely built beach house rested peacefully a few yards away.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!

"I'm coming!" the woman shouted to no one in particular as she climbed up the steps. After brushing off the sand particles that covered her feet, she dashed into the house, still holding her precious glass of cold lemonade. The place was relatively empty; there was a small kitchen, a couch and a videophone, her only source of communication with the outside world.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone ca…

"Hello?" she quickly picked up the phone. After a few brief moments, the screen changed showing an old man. His white hair and wrinkled skin made him appear at least 65. Noticing his white lab coat, the young woman gasped in confusion. Why would a scientist call her?

"Misty, long time no see. It's Professor Oak." Misty peered a little closer at the man. Sparks of recognition gleamed in her eyes when she noticed his familiar face. Her glass of lemonade slid out of her hand and shattered on the floor, but Misty didn't even notice. She just continued to stare at the man. Through all those years, his eyes still held that curious gaze that she remembered so long ago.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Misty was still confused by the strange phone call. Of all people, the last person that she would have expected to call her was Professor Oak.

Professor Oak nodded. "I'm afraid there is my dear. Come to my lab in Pallet, immediately, and bring a few changes of clothes and other things like that. We have a serious problem on our hands."

Misty raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What type of problem? And what's with the rush?"

"I can't answer that on the phone. Come quickly and don't tell a soul about this." The screen went blank leaving a shocked Misty on the other line. She had never seen Prof. Oak so anxious before. True, she hadn't seen him in a while, but there was something unnerving in his voice. What was going on?

Misty hurried to another room, careful to avoid the broken glass, and quickly stuffed her few belongings inside of a small bag. She then quickly sprinted outside to the beach she had been only moments beforehand. "Go Dewgong!" She cried and released the giant creature.

The pokemon stared at her in confusion. Even it could tell that something wasn't right. "Dewgong, we have an emergency on our hands." She then climbed on the pokemon's back. "Full speed ahead to Pallet town!" The aquatic creature dived into the water, careful not to drown its trainer, and started swimming towards an unknown adventure.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Dewgong, return!" The faithful pokemon scuttled back to its pokeball. After setting it back on her belt, Misty started walking. She had barely been moving for 5 minutes before she reached her destination. Misty looked around the area. Pallet town… the little place hadn't changed a bit. With all the changes that have taken place within the last few years, it's nice to know that some things always stay the same.

Misty walked into town and scanned the area. Now, where was the Oak laboratory? It had to be around here somewhere. Maybe she should ask someone. Strange… the streets were deserted; not a soul could be seen, even though it was close to noon.

Luck! A tall man walked onto the street. Misty darted over to him. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't know where the Oak laboratories are, would you?" The man gave her a strange look. He was clearly older and taller than she was. He was quite muscular and looked very familiar with dark spiky hair and squinty eyes. Misty started feeling awkward under his constant stare. "Um, why are you staring me?"

The man shook his head. "Sorry about that, it's just that you look exactly like a girl I used to know. Actually, I'm also going to the Oak lab myself. Why don't we walk there together?"

Misty never was the type to walk off with total strangers, but this person seemed so familiar, like she had known him for years. "Sure. So, why are you visiting the lab?"

"Well, it was all very weird. I was running my gym back home when I got this weird phone call from Prof. Oak. He asked me to come here as soon as possible and that he'd explain everything when I got there." The man started walking and motioned for Misty to follow.

"That's really weird. I got a similar call from him." Misty sighed and hurried to catch up to him.

The man slowed down and spoke. "Yes, I wonder what he wants with us."

Misty nodded. "Same here." After a moment's pause, Misty exclaimed. "Oh, by the way, I'm Misty."

The man stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her once again. The eyes, the hair, the smile… there was no mistaking it. She may have grown from a scrawny tomboy into a stunning model, but it was Misty all right. "Misty… MISTY! Oh my God! I can't believe it's you! I can't believe it!"

The man gave her a big friendly bear hug while Misty squirmed under his grasp. "What are you doing? Do I have to use my mallet on you?"

The man immediately let her go, remembering the painful experience of getting hit by her mallet. "Misty! It's me, Brock!"

"Brock? W… what?" Misty gasped and smiled. "I can't believe it! I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?"

Brock grinned at her. "I've been great. Look, after we talk to Prof. Oak, you have to tell me how you have been doing these last 5 years."

"6 years." Misty corrected him. She then noticed that during their conversation, they managed to wander to Oak lab. Changing her tone ever so slightly, Misty asked. "Brock, why do you think that Prof. Oak called us here in the first place?"

Brock shrugged his shoulders. "Wish I knew, but I have a feeling that it isn't good news."

Misty sighed. "I'm starting to get that feeling too."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Good, you two made it." Prof. Oak smiled as Misty and Brock approached the building. "Follow me, the others have already arrived."

Slightly startled by the word "others" the two followed him into the building and down a long corridor. After a few moments, they entered a room lined with a few couches, a table and even a TV.

Three people were seated in the room. One was a young boy with glossy blond hair. He had large blue eyes and a childish look on his face. The boy was probably around 21, a year younger than Misty and 4 years younger than Brock, yet he barely looked 18. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and black dress shoes. It was clear that he had been somewhere formal when he was called by Oak.

The interest of this blond child was a female sitting in the corner trying to get the TV to work. The girl was stunningly beautiful with pitch-black hair flowing down her back and dark silky brown eyes. She looked incredibly mature for her age of around 22, most would estimate that she was at least over 30. She wore a very short mini skirt that was barely long enough to suit her. Her shirt was kind of tacky, a dark blue shirt covered with little hot pink stars. Globs of make-up covered her face including deep plum purple eye shadow, and rosy pink lipstick. Basically, she was the typical valley girl that cared for dresses and make-up more than anything else in the world.

The last person was a dressed in a lab coat similar to that of Prof. Oak. His wild and spiky brown hair shifted in all directions, unlike Brock's which was neatly pointed to the sky. He had dark sleek eyes that held a stubborn air to them. He appeared to have been in the room the longest for he was starting to drift off to sleep.

"Misty, Brock, I'd like for you to meet Joe and Giselle." Prof. Oak pointed to the blond-haired boy and the valley girl, accordingly. "And, I believe that you already know Gary."

"Gary?" the two yelled in sync. They couldn't believe the change. How could the arrogant teenager of yesterday turn into a highly well respected scientist of tomorrow?

"Brock! Misty! Long time no see!" Gary grinned. "I remember the days when I used to tease you all when you hung out with Ash."

Everyone respectfully stopped their activities and became silent. It seemed that whenever the name "Ash" was mentioned to anyone that knew him or his mother, there was a period of sad silence that followed. After all these years, it was still hard to forget what happened.

"Yes, those were the days." Brock whispered.

Misty nodded. "Indeed."

Even Joe and Giselle became quiet. They had met Ash only once but he taught them a very valuable lesson about pokemon and about themselves. Finally, Prof. Oak broke the mood by saying. "Misty, Brock, take a seat and I'll explain to everyone why they're here."

Misty and Brock did so accordingly, and glanced back at the Professor. "So, what was so important that couldn't be said over the phone?" Misty asked.

"Yesterday, late last night, some papers were teleported into the Oak lab." He soon produced the small pile of papers from his coat pocket. "Here they are. Gary actually showed them to me this morning. It was because of the information presented inside these documents that I called all of you here."

"What's so important about those papers?" Giselle asked, busily filing her nails.

Prof. Oak sighed. She really didn't get it at all. "They were official documents from the Team Rocket headquarters. An official seal is posted on them, so I have no doubt that these papers are genuine. It is a top-secret report, given only to the Elite members of Team Rocket. Whoever sent this information to me is an incredibly high rank in the criminal corporation, in fact, this person's rank is probably second only to the boss of Team Rocket."

He let these words sink in for a moment before continuing. "It details a project done by the Rocket scientists." He hesitated before continuing. "The project involves genetically-engineering a lethal microbe to… to become the world's deadliest epidemic in the history of man."

"What?" Misty, Brock, Giselle and Joe all asked in unison.

Only Gary remained silent out of the five. His face transformed into a pale white color. His eyes glowed in fear and surprise. It was like he had seen a ghost… no more like a hundred ghosts. His hands shook wildly as terrified voice echoed from his lips. "Please… please say your joking."

Professor Oak slowly shook his head as Gary stopped breathing on the spot. It took all of his energy to allow soft, life-giving oxygen to enter his lungs a few moments later. Oak then turned back to the others. "This microbe causes a disease that is so fatal, it could result in the destruction of pokemon and even mankind itself."

"WHAT!" the others chanted in disbelief. Could a disease be this lethal? Enough to doom all life on the planet?

"Unbelievable, isn't it? What's even more incredible is that this disease is supposed to cause the victims to become extremely aggressive, enough to attack and even kill others. Team Rocket is preparing to release it to the general public. They must be stopped." Prof. Oak moaned and glanced pleadingly at the others.

"But, why would Team Rocket want to kill all pokemon and decimate mankind? They would be endangering themselves!" Joe shouted stubbornly. He was still in shock at the news, though.

"For, what else? Power. The gun was created in order to destroy enemies and aid allies. The same is true with this life-threatening microbe. Giovanni, Team Rocket's boss, just wants a new weapon to play with. However, there is one good piece of news, and hope, presented in these documents." Professor Oak grinned and pointed to the notorious pile of papers.

"And what's that?" Giselle asked irritably, her arrogant and egotistical attitude now disappeared to dust.

"This report mentions that this disease is caused by bacteria. If that's true, then we can fight it with antibiotics, a drug that kills bacteria. Normally, antibiotics take years to create but we don't have to worry about that. It turns out that Team Rocket created a drug a few years ago." Professor Oak sighed before continuing. "However, if this disease spreads and becomes an epidemic, there won't be enough of this antibiotic drug to go around. Also, if we overuse this drug in the future, the bacteria might become resistant and our immune system will be totally vulnerable. Then… they win."

"In other words, we all die." Gary shouted angrily. The shock that paralyzed him only moments before now disappeared.

Professor Oak nodded. "I'm afraid that you're right. That's why we have to stop it before it becomes that serious. Humans and pokemon's lives are at stake."

"So, why did you call us here?" Misty asked, frightened by the new information that she just received.

Professor Oak looked at all of them and gave a weak smile. "Because, you are the best of the best. Joe, your experience with computers, mainly hacking into them, will be a great asset in shutting down this conspiracy. Also, you have an amazing knack in the science field. However, Gary, you will be the top scientist in this mission. You are one of the brightest scientists known and you are very well aquatinted with bacteria and other deadly diseases. Giselle, your experience as a doctor not to mention a whiz in other areas can be quite useful as well. Misty, Brock, you both are our pokemon trainers. I know that the others also have pokemon, but you two are the strongest trainers in ice/water and rock pokemon, accordingly. Also, I understand that you have been training them continually for over 6 years making them some of the strongest in the field."

For a brief moment, the five smiled as their accomplishments were being listed, forgetting the whole dilemma that they were currently faced with. Brock, however, snapped out of it quickly and turned to the Professor. "So, what exactly is our mission?"

Professor Oak smiled. "Your mission is to head to Viridian City and find the person from Team Rocket who is helping us. Try to get this person to join the team as well. They should be located in the Rocket Headquarters. The Rockets will probably be keeping the bacteria and the antibiotic also within headquarters. Obtain a sample of both if you can. I'll keep you posted for further information and mission details."

"But, how do we find the Rocket Headquarters and this person? The building could be anywhere and the person could be anyone!" Misty shouted.

"Calm down, Misty." Professor Oak soothingly replied. "Headquarters shouldn't be too difficult to find, just look for a heavily guarded building in the area. Finding this person is a little bit tricky, though. You're going to have to find an Elite Rocket member and see if they know anything about the Rebels."

"The Rebels?" Brock asked.

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes, the Rebels, us. The last page of the article refers to members that try to stop Team Rocket as a rebel group."

"Well, won't all the Elite members know about it?" Giselle questioned, for once sounding smart.

Professor Oak shook his head. "No, it's a hand-written piece." He quickly shifted through the papers and pulled out the last page. "Ok, here it is. It says: The microbe is stored within the Rocket Headquarters. I'm counting on you to help destroy it. Beware, Team Rocket will try to kill you on the spot. This deadly procedure has been going on for too long; it has to stop, once and for all. I wish you luck, for you are the Rebels against the evil plaguing the world. Fight, and never give in, for you are the Rebels trying to battle a lethal process that has been going on for years. Revolt against the danger that is presented against you and everyone shall know that wrath of the Rebels."

"Wow, that was beautiful." Misty sighed. "It was poetry… at least we know that this person loves writing poetry."

Gary shook his head. "That wasn't so much as poetry as it was inspirational. Whoever this person is, they were a born leader and know how to encourage people to fight."

"I agree with Gary." Professor Oak turned to his grandson. "This person does seem like a leader. They knew that we were going to have a lot of work to do in order to stop this. These words are similar to what a general in a war would say to his soldiers in order to motivate them for battle. This person seems so familiar… somehow…"

"Sir," Joe whispered. "We have a problem."

"Already? What is it?" Professor Oak groaned.

Joe dropped his head to the ground. "I can't go."

"What! Why not? You have to go! The world is at stake!" Gary cried jumping to his feet. His anger subsided with one look from the Professor, though. Gary sat back down, still glaring at poor Joe.

"Is something wrong, Joe?" Professor Oak gently asked.

Joe nodded. "You see, I broke my leg three days ago." He then pulled up the fabric that surrounded his leg, revealing a cast to the group. "If I go, I'll just slow the whole team down. I'll just leave." Joe started to limp out of the room when Brock stopped him.

"Wait a second, Joe. Couldn't you just stay here with the Professor and help us out by obtaining information?" Brock ushered him back into the room.

Joe lifted his head and gasped. He could do that and it would benefit the team a great deal. "That's a great idea, Brock!" Joe turned to the Professor, with a pleadingly look in his eyes. "Is that all right with you?"

Professor grinned. "That's more than all right. In fact, it'll be nice to have someone other than myself around here."

"Excellent!" Joe jumped in the air happily.

Professor Oak turned to the other four. "As for the rest of you, you guys can load up on supplies in the lab. Good luck on your mission. Remember, succeeding is the only possibility. As our source said, let the world know the wrath of the Rebels."

*~*~*~*~*~*

AK sighed when he saw the door. Five guards all packing heat eyed him cautiously for a moment until he showed them his wristband. "I'm Agent 035829, also known as AK. Giovanni sent for me a quarter of an hour ago."

The guards nodded and allowed him to pass. One of them, who clearly knew him, whispered to AK. "Be careful. The Boss is in a very bad mood."

AK turned to the guard and smiled weakly. "Isn't he always?" He then disappeared behind a door.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Boss, AK is here to see you." A voice echoed in a dark room covered with shadows.

A man starts to move, at the sound of the voice, to what appears to be a table and a chair. Half concealed by the darkness, he leans over the desk and searches for a small machine. He presses a button and bends over even further until his face is inches away from the device. "Send him right in."

The man coolly walked over to the chair and sat down in it. An angry cry erupted from underneath him as an agile figure leaped out of the chair that it was momentarily enjoying. "Persian, I told you not to sit in my chair." The man growled threateningly as the enormous cat slipped into the shadows.

The door creaked open as a young man walked into the black room. He blended in well with the scene because of his choice of dark clothes. In fact, he would have been impossible to see if it wasn't for the help of a pokemon that sat on his shoulders, a Pikachu. The yellow rodent sparkled with deadly electricity momentarily filling the room with light. "You know, you really ought to install some lights in here."

The man nodded and pressed a button as bright sunlight bounced into the room. An unsuspecting fool would have shielded their eyes at the sudden burst of light, but not AK. He knew the Boss' tricks and simply produced a pair of sunglasses for himself and Pikachu.

"Is that better, AK?" The man asked sarcastically.

"Much, Giovanni." AK replied giving him one of those award-winning smiles.

However, Giovanni didn't see anything amusing in his statement. "Don't call me that." He snarled.

"Fine, Boss. Why am I here?" AK asked.

Giovanni cracked a smile. "A group of morons is coming here, trying to interfere with our operations on the Stellar microbe."

AK snickered. "Where do I come in?"

Giovanni's evil grin increased in size. "To do what you do best: kill and destroy."

AK raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I only do that when it comes to the Serpent Clan."

"Well, now you will change to meddling pests." Giovanni petted his pet Persian that clambered up to his side.

AK grinned devilishly. "This group of rebels probably hasn't even reached Viridian City yet you already want them destroyed. Do I sense fear in your voice?"

Giovanni glared angrily at the stubborn young adult. "Is THAT what you think?" Calming down, he added. "I've learned from experience that it is better to kill fast and quick before the enemy has a chance to think than wait for them to have a chance to retaliate."

"Still, shouldn't we be on lookout for the Serpents? They are planning a raid on headquarters soon." AK faced him definitely.

"That is being taken care of as we speak. The other Rocket members are scouting ahead and are acting as guards around the outer perimeter." Giovanni stepped away from his chair and desk and approached AK. The light engrossed him and every feature of his face could be seen as clear as day, a rare sight within Team Rocket. "As, for you, AK, you will go to Viridian, find these people and destroy them. Visit the old abandoned building at the edge of town first, though."

"You mean our old headquarters?" AK questioned.

Giovanni nodded. "Exactly."

"But that's the place where the Serpents are most likely to attack. They don't even know that we've moved." AK commented.

"I doubt that even the Serpents are stupid enough not to know that we have changed positions." Giovanni carelessly dismissed the thought from his head, however, he added. "But, kill any on sight, if you see them. I will be dispatching a group of 10 of the finest sharpshooters to help you on your mission. They will meet you at the old headquarters."

AK narrowed his eyes. "I work alone."

Giovanni nodded. "I know, but I can't risk sending only one man to kill a group. The sharpshooters will meet you there in an hour."

AK petted Pikachu barely even listening to the Boss's words. He responded with the automatic response, "Fine, sir." And started walking out of the room.

"This mission is important. Don't fail me. You know the consequences, Ash." Giovanni threatened.

Ash stopped and turned around to meet Giovanni's deadly stare. "The name is AK. Ash is no more."

Giovanni grinned malevolently. "If you fail this mission, I'll make sure that you'll be turned into ash, permanently."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are we there yet?" Giselle whined while the rest of the group groaned. Why did the Professor send this annoying brat on the mission anyway?

"For the hundredth time, no! If we were at Viridian, then we'd see buildings, streets and other people! Grow a brain, Giselle." Gary moaned as the others silently agreed, but were too considerate to say so.

Giselle gasped in horror. Everyone always treated her like a queen, why was it different with Gary and the rest of the group? Don't they know whom they're traveling with? "Shut up Gary! If I'd had known that we were doing all of this walking, I wouldn't have wore high heels."

"You're wearing high heels? On a hike through the woods?" Misty asked in shock. Then she started giggling and had difficulty stopping. "What kind of idiot wears high heels on a hike?"

"For your information, Misty, I didn't know that we were going on a hike. However, I wouldn't except a brainless dope, like yourself, to understand good fashion, since you clearly don't have it." Giselle taunted.

Misty narrowed her eyes. No one gets away with insulting her. "Why, you little pompous stuck-up arrogant bimbo! I oughta bash your head in so hard that…"

"HOLD IT!" Brock cried running in between the two girls. He knew that he shouldn't get in the middle of a catfight, but they seriously didn't have time for that now. "Stop arguing! We're trying to save mankind and pokemon from a virtually incurable disease! This disease, whatever it is, will kill hundreds of people and pokemon, if it hasn't already done so. We need to stay focused."

The two girls shut up, still glaring at one another, though. Gary, on the other hand, sighed in disappointment. He wanted to see this catfight. However, he turned his attention ahead of him and yelled. "Guys, come here quick! I think we've reached Viridian!"

The others raced to his side and smiled. The beautiful city lay before them, seemingly awaiting their arrival. After a few minutes, the group entered the area.

Misty smiled and shouted in glee "We're on the road to Viridian City! We're on the road to Viridian City!"

"No we aren't. We are in Viridian City!" Gary snickered.

Misty shrugged her shoulders. "I knew that, but doesn't that phrase have a great beat to it? It would make a really good song, if you ask me."

"The day that they make a song entitled 'Viridian City' is the day they make a song about you." Giselle groaned. Misty was really starting to get on her nerves.

Misty, however, didn't take it as a joke. "A song about me? That would be cool! They would call it Misty's Song! It would be a romantic piece about…"

"Oh, brother!" Gary and Giselle moaned under their breaths.

Misty scowled at the two. "I heard that."

"Ok, what's first on the agenda?" Brock asked as the three stared blankly back at him. "I figured that no one would have a plan, so, I thought of one. We should ask the police if they have any ideas on the Rocket's hideout."

"But the police won't know anything!" Gary exclaimed.

Misty shrugged. "At least it's a start."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Misty. They might even be able to give us an idea of where to begin looking." Giselle sighed.

"So, then it's agreed. We visit the police station." Brock stated.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Officer Jenny, do you have any other information that might be useful to us?" Misty asked. She looked over at Brock, drooling like a dog over Jenny. Why he falls for every single Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy in every city is a complete mystery. All the Jenny's look exactly alike along with all the Joy's. Misty shook her head. She'll never understand guys.

"No, I'm afraid not." Officer Jenny answered. She was starting to get uncomfortable by Brock who had this goofy look on his face.

"Thanks anyway." Gary commented as the group exited out of the police station. "Well, that was a total waste of time."

"Just being with Officer Jenny makes my day…" Brock trailed off in a strange, inhuman voice.

Giselle sweatdropped at Brock's ridiculous behavior and turned to Misty and Gary. "Actually, it wasn't a total waste of time. We did find their headquarters."

"You mean their old headquarters from like 6 months ago." Misty corrected and stared at Brock. Just as she thought… still in dreamland.

Gary sighed. "Still, that leads us nowhere. It's not like their going to leave us directions to their hideout in that old building."

"Well, still, we might be able to find a clue." Misty remarked.

"Yea right. The Rockets wouldn't leave anything that might incriminate them. They are too smart for that." Gary groaned.

Giselle whispered. "Well, at least it's a place to start…"

"That's what you said about the police station!" Gary yelled angrily. He then turned to Brock. "Brock… it's time to wake up. Snap out of it! We need your opinion!"

"Allow me." Misty politely spoke and even did a cute curtsy. She then whipped her mallet out and banged Brock out of his perverted fantasies.

Brock awoke with a start to find himself on the ground with a very bad headache. "What?"

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Gary asked.

"We might want to check out the Rocket's old headquarters." Brock stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I guess that I'm outnumbered but, still, isn't there anything else that…" Gary's voice trailed off when he saw Officer Jenny race out of the police station.

"All officers in the area! Repeat! We have an emergency over at the Pokemon Center! Reports of strange affairs noted! Pokemon are turning on their trainers! There are rumors that this could be the work of a disease, so keep your guard up!" Officer Jenny panted into her microphone as she started running past the group.

"Looks like trouble." Brock testified, this time not going crazy over the blue-haired woman.

"No kidding." Gary agreed as he watched the lady run past him. "Ok, Brock and Misty, since you two are so set on checking out that old building, then go while Giselle and I see what's going on in the Pokemon Center. Meet back here in an hour."

"Right." Brock and Misty both chimed as the group split up.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Memories… terrible memories.

Ash sighed as he entered the old building. It was painted black as night and made him shiver not in fear but of foreboding. Something was going to happen here… he just knew it… somehow.

"(This place has changed.)" Pikachu gasped when he saw the burn marks on the building and the broken doors and windows. It's so hard to believe that this place used to hold the dangerous group of criminals known as Team Rocket. Now, all it holds is dust.

"No kidding, pal." By now, Ash and Pikachu had entered a dark room, lighted only by a couple cracks in the walls in which sunlight spewed out of. The room was nothing more than four walls, six if you include the floor and ceiling. Nothing besides dust and dirt lay around the room.

Ash grinned when he looked at Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Through all these horrible years, only one good thing occurred: a strong bond with his pokemon. With every new pokemon that he received during the years, he always bonded with them and they learned to respect him and admire him. The nicest part was that he could now talk to Pikachu like a regular human. The only nice memories over the past six years have been talking to Pikachu and training his pokemon. He cared deeply for his pokemon. At least he hadn't changed in that respect. "Pikachu, use your flash."

Pikachu's body began to glow, blinding Ash in the process. However, it gave him a chance to look around. He could now make out a few empty crates, a couple of steel chains and… a person? Ash knew better than to yell out and gain attention from the person, but the person already knew that he was here thanks to Pikachu. "Pikachu, stop your flash." He whispered.

The strong light dissipated. Darkness once again ruled the room as Ash stealthily approached the man. Pikachu sniffed its nose at the foreign smell and jumped off of Ash's shoulders, ready for battle.

"Looking for someone?" A strange voice echoed from the darkness. It was close… too close.

Ash jumped around and found that he was in the arms of a husky fellow. Although he could barely see, Ash was able to make out a snake-like tattoo imprinted on the guy's shoulder. "A Serpent?"

"A Rocket? An Elite Rocket!" The man shouted angrily and moved his arms slightly until he was holding Ash by the neck. He eyed Ash's ominous wristband, which had a bright red "R" situated on it. "Prepare to die."

Ash groaned at his stupid mistake. He totally fell into this trap. Worse yet, he didn't take off his wristband. Drat! Why didn't he take off his wristband? He could have easily convinced this guy that he was just a wandering pokemon trainer, but no, he just had to wear the damn wristband, didn't he?

As the man's grip tightened, Ash calmly scanned the area for Pikachu. This man was stupid to underestimate Pikachu by not capturing it first. "Pikachu, electric paralysis!"

The man glanced in horror below him as he saw a tiny yellow pokemon crackling with energy, charging up for its next attack. He accidentally loosened his grip on Ash. Ash took advantage of the moment and tackled him out of his vice-grip. Ash then dived out of the way, knowing what was coming. It was not a moment to soon, for Pikachu began to unleashed his powerful attack. A glowing yellow ball formed around its body. The room lit up brightly as the ball increased in magnitude. Finally, the rodent released his attack, aiming it at the man who was still woozy from Ash's tackle. The sparkling mass of pure energy slammed straight into the man. His body glowed and he screamed in pain as he felt the full force of the attack hit him. The electricity was so massive that even after the attack was long finished, his body still sizzled with sparks of electricity.

Pikachu grinned proudly. He was still pumped with energy even after using so much power. In fact, Pikachu regained power as the sparks of electricity returned to him, as if by magic, making him even more charged than he was before.

Ash smiled devilishly at the scene. Pikachu sure packs quite a punch. He loved that attack the best for it paralyzed the victim but didn't kill them. He hated killing people, even if it was someone from the Serpents, a group even more wicked than Team Rocket. The man would now be out cold for days or weeks, depending on how much energy Pikachu put into the attack.

"Onix go!" Ash turned around and wasn't surprised to see a giant stone snake known as an Onix. What surprised him, though, was the group of a dozen people that started to emerge from the shadows. They must have been through the other areas of the compound and came when they heard the commotion from the room. One of them pulled the man that Pikachu paralyzed away from the scene and disappeared into the darkness.

"More Serpent slim to crush, Pikachu." Ash grinned.

One of the members from the group, obviously the leader and trainer of the rock snake, yelled. "For killing a member from our clan, time to face the consequences: death. Onix go!"

The rock hard pokemon roared in terror as it approached Ash. It licked its lips; it could almost taste the blood. Onix dived towards Ash, who simply jumped out of the way. The pokemon slammed its agile body against the floor and tried again, but Ash sprang out of its way. Once again, the pokemon tried to smash Ash into a million pieces, but it didn't work.

"You can't keep this up forever, Rocket scum!" The leader cried angrily while the rest of the group chanted in agreement. "Onix, use your tail!"

Angrily, the rock creature whipped its massive tail over its head and pounded the ground again and again, but Ash was just too quick for it. Finally, it saw an opening; Ash was catching his breath for a moment. Smiling slyly; Onix laid its tail on the ground and slid it across the floor towards Ash. Once again, Ash avoided it by jumping insanely high in the air, but this time, he grabbed the tail of the massive Onix. The Onix snarled in anger at the pest that was now attached to him. Lifting its massive jaws towards the intruder, Onix swirled around and starting charging towards him. Ash simply waited for the right moment and jumped off of Onix's tail and onto his upper back. Onix, who never noticed this, clamped down on the area that Ash had been moments before, but instead, squealed in pain when he crunch into the rocky skin of his own tail. The snake howled, confused to say the least. This gave Ash enough time to climb up to the top of its head.

"Onix! Watch out! He's on your head!" The leader shouted in surprise. He never realized how hard it was to kill a Rocket.

However, the warning came too late, for Ash blinded Onix by covering its eyes with his hands. Bellowing and clearly agitated, the snake creature turned its head from side to side, trying to shake off this parasite. Ash held on to dear life, yet continued to blind Onix with his hands. Ash knew that he couldn't keep this up, and started searching around the room. Ahead of him was a steel chain attached to the roof with a few crates below it sitting right next to a wall. It would be risky… but it was worth a shot.

"Be careful! There's a Blastoise behind you!" Ash whispered to the creature. Onix shook in alarm at the statement. It was now so disoriented that it actually believed him. Ash smiled as he saw the rock pokemon slide forward. Rock pokemon are naturally afraid of water pokemon, like Blastoise, for they can easily be killed with enough water; good thing Ash remembered this.

Just before Onix smashed into the crates and the wall, Ash leaped off the pokemon and grabbed the steel chains that swung from the wall. When Onix finally got its vision back, it gasped in shock as saw that it was heading at top speed towards a wall. It tried to stop, but it was going way too fast. Bracing itself for impact, Onix smashed against the wall, head on, shaking the building to its very core.

Ash hurriedly climbed down the chain as the wall crumbled. Onix lay motionless outside, in the grass, covered with debris from the collapsed wall. Blood tricked from its rocky shell as the leader sobbed. "Onix! Oh no! Are you ok?"

Onix moved its head slightly at the sound of its trainer's voice. It smiled and then blacked out. "How can this be. Onix return!" The pokemon flew back into its pokeball. Surprise was etched on the leader's otherwise stone face.

Pikachu grinned at the scene. He watched from the sidelines, knowing full well that Ash could easily take care of himself. He also knew that Ash could have easily clobbered Onix with his pokemon, but he chose not to. Ash was just that type of person. With fortunate luck on his side, Ash could probably win against a dozen Onixs without even touching his pokeballs.

Pikachu scurried up to Ash's shoulder. "Well, that was a good workout." Ash commented, mocking the life-and-death struggle that took place before as simply a training exercise.

"You devil! There is no way someone can beat an Onix single-handedly!" The leader growled accusingly.

Ash stared at the man in amusement. "Yet you just witnessed it first hand."

The man drew a pistol from his pocket. "It ends here, Rocket."

Most would have quivered at the sight of the deadly weapon, but Ash never even broke a sweat. He had seen it so many times that it didn't even scare him any more. "The name is AK. And if you still want to battle, then so be it."

The leader laughed like an insane lunatic. "Battle? I want to blow your brains out, fool!"

Ash simply smiled. "Sorry, I prefer my brains in my skull, if you don't mind."

"Enough of this small talk! Die!" The leader pressed the pistol as the bullet swirled straight towards them.

"Pikachu, lightning shield!" Ash cried, but Pikachu instinctively formed the attack before Ash even spoke. A ball of yellowish light engulfed the two as the bullet plunged forward. Instead of drawing blood, the bullet sputtered with electricity and disappeared to dust.

"What! This can not be! I said die!" The leader barked and shot several more times, but all of the bullets were disintegrated the moment they touched the shield made out of sheer electricity.

Ash, who was now crouched on the ground, smiled when he saw that his plan worked. "Now, reflect. Lightning bullet attack!"

Still keeping the shield up, Pikachu concentrated and a little bullet of pure energy headed straight towards the horrified leader. It hit him and he screamed in pain. The attack fried his body and it exploded with electricity. The spectators in the room had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the attack. When the light faded, it was easy to see the result: death.

The other people from the Serpent Clan all screamed and raced out of the room. Ash smiled at his little pokemon, who was now exhausted from the attack. "Good job, Pikachu. You're always able to pull off the newest and coolest attacks."

Pikachu huffed, tired but happy. Anyone who tried to kill his trainer like that deserved that utter torture released from the attack.

Ash cringed when he saw the body of the man, blood gushing from his wounds like a river. He hated killing people, he really did.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"What's going on here?" Gary asked, baffled at the sight that approached his eyes. People and pokemon… pokemon and people… all were running around the area in panic. This couldn't be a Pokemon Center, could it?

"Is THIS the effects of the disease? Pokemon acting like wild wolves trying to kill each other and their trainers?" Giselle gasped, forgetting what the Professor had told her earlier. She was in sheer shock at the scene. The pokemon looked like bloodthirsty killers, aggressive to say the least. People were screaming in horror as blood trickled from their numerous wounds.

"You mean that this crisis really is caused by a disease?" Officer Jenny stared at the horrible sight, not wanting to believe it for a moment. "It's like all the pokemon have gone crazy!"

"No kidding." Giselle and Gary sighed in unison. How were they going to stop this?

"We need to contain these pokemon and get these people out of here." Officer Jenny stated and turned to the two. "Do you guys want to help?"

"Of course!" the two nodded.

"Can we get them into their pokeballs?" Gary asked.

Officer Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "I think we can get most of them in, but we won't be able to find all the trainers and ask for them to recall their pokemon."

Giselle climbed over the front desk and sat in the chair normally occupied by Nurse Joy. She found a speaker nearby and spoke into it. "Everyone! These pokemon are probably infected with a disease, so avoid their bites. Try to get them back in their pokeballs so that this problem can be dealt with properly. Please, recall all your pokemon back into their pokeballs!"

Dozens of voices thundered in the building and shouts of "return" could be heard echoing from all over the center. Gary sighed. "Let's hope this works. Who knows these pokemon can do if they get into the city."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Brock, we've been wandering for 10 minutes. Viridian City isn't that big and we've passed by the police station three times! Did you get us lost again?" Misty whined, noticing the confused look on Brock's face.

"I know where I'm going, Misty! 7^th street is probably two or three blocks down." Brock insisted, although he really had no idea where he was going.

"Brock, look at that street sign there." Misty pointed to a nearby sign.

Brock looked at it. "Yea, it says 1^st street, so what?"

Misty turned to Brock. "No, it says 7^th street."

"Misty, you sure are seeing things today. It says 1^st street." Brock stated.

"Brock! There is no 1^st street!" Misty exclaimed.

Brock lowered his head. "Oh, then we've been wandering on it all this time."

Misty face-faulted. "Gosh, and I thought that Ash had a bad sense of direction."

Boom! The loud sound shook the very ground that they were standing on. Misty and Brock both lost their balance and hit the pavement.

"What was that?" Brock asked.

Misty searched the area as something caught her eye. "There straight ahead. On the end on 7^th street, towards the edge of town." In that area, a dark building appeared to have suffered some major damage. Its old and threatening appearance was lost on the two when they noticed a hole in the side of the building and a head sticking out of it.

"Is that an Onix?" Brock questioned, jumping to his feet.

"I think so." Misty whispered and starting running towards the building. "I have a feeling that our search is over."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash scratched his little pokemon beyond the ears. Pikachu, although tired, grinned in happiness. It loved it when Ash did that.

Ash smiled as he watched the expression on Pikachu's face change to a peaceful one. He panted and started examining the area. Something… no someone… someone was coming.

Ash immediately stopped and stared at the only entrance in the building. Yes… he could actually hear footsteps. He motioned Pikachu to be quiet and they both moved behind one of the few crates that wasn't shattered by Onix.

Light poured in as the door opened and Ash could barely make out two figures. One was a guy dressed in a loose shirt and sweatpants. The girl was cast in an aqua blue shirt and tight fitting shorts. They certainly didn't look like members of the Serpent Clan, but one can never be too sure about these things. They might be just covering their tattoos under their long-sleeved shirts. Ash decided to watch the pair a little longer before he made his move.

"The place is deserted. I can't even see where we're going." The girl remarked. She shivered as she glanced around the room. It was like someone was watching her.

The guy, obviously older than the girl, nodded. "You're right. But, I swear I saw the head of an Onix poking through that hole."

The girl simply shrugged. "May be whoever they were left and that Onix is now in a pokeball."

Ash sighed. They didn't know about the raid on the building. They were probably curious bystanders that happened to be in the area. However, he couldn't leave until they left… well, unless he wanted to face them. But, Pikachu was exhausted and he wasn't exactly in the best shape. Waiting seemed like a good idea at the present moment.

"Do you think that they might have left any clues around here?" The guy asked and turned to his female companion.

"Let's check out the area by the hole in the wall." The girl suggested and the duo walked to the wall which was extremely close to Ash and Pikachu's hideout. "Oh my! This man is dead!"

The guy gasped in terror when he saw the dead man on the floor. "You're right!" He then took a closer look at him. "That's weird, he appears to have been electrocuted, but it also looks like he was shot. I don't get it!"

After noticing the gun, the woman suggested. "Maybe he shot himself or maybe it was the work of a pokemon."

The man shook his head. "I don't think that he shot himself and I seriously doubt that a pokemon could have the power to induce such a powerful attack. Not even a Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu and one of the most powerful electric pokemon in the world, could ever make this sort of damage."

Ash smiled under his breath and glanced down at Pikachu proudly. He really had done an excellent job of raising it, even if he did say so himself.

Pikachu, on the other hand, glanced at the boy and girl and felt strange. It was like he had known them for years… it was like they were some of his best friends. Pikachu soon dismissed the thought, though. They hadn't had friends in years.

The guy stood by the hole and examined it properly. "It looks like the work of an Onix, but I never knew that an Onix could damage a wall so severely."

"Maybe it rammed into it at full speed." The girl commented.

Ash was starting to get restless. He was pretty sure that these people weren't from the Serpents, or at least didn't know of the raid that they were planning on this building, yet they simply weren't just innocent bystanders. They knew a lot about pokemon, so they were probably pokemon trainers, yet that just didn't fit. It was almost like they were investigating the area like detectives… like they were on a mission to search the building.

"Pikachu, what do you say? Should we wait them out, confront them or make a run for it?" Ash whispered softly to his pokemon. Unfortunately, it wasn't quiet enough.

"Did you just hear something?" the girl turned around.

The guy shook his head. "No, your probably just imaging things again, Mis…"

"No! I'm positive that I heard something… over there." The girl interrupted and pointed to some nearby crates; the same crates where Ash and Pikachu were hiding.

"(We're in trouble now.)" Pikachu whispered into Ash's ear. Ash simply nodded. They were going to have to confront them after all.

The pair suspiciously eyed the crates and started walking towards them. Pikachu scampered away from the area and the two watched it. "A Pikachu? What's it doing around here?" the guy questioned. He then turned to the girl and quickly added. "Do you think that its trainer is nearby?"

The girl tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the opposite side of the crate where a dark man was standing, dressed from top to bottom in a black. He was enveloped in a dark coat, the hood covering his face, making it impossible to make out his features. "I think that he is here."

"Who are you?" the man asked Ash, clearly frightened by his sudden appearance.

Ash sighed. He remembered the days when he would fall for an innocent question like that by answering it truthfully. Normally, he was attacked and threatened for such stupid behavior. Now, he knew better than to willingly exchange information with strangers, even if they didn't look like a threat. "I was about to ask the same question."

The guy cleared his breath and started speaking. "Well, we are from the Re…"

The girl covered his month with her hands and ordered him to be quiet. "Shut up! We can't revel that information just yet until we find out who this guy is."

Ash ignored them for the time-being and motioned Pikachu to sit on his shoulder. The electric rat scuttled up his body and jumped onto the comfortable spot. "May I at least ask what you guys are doing here?"

Once again, the guy tried to answer the question. "Well, we're here to investigate…" but was cut off by the girl.

"Can you stay quiet for a moment and let me do the talking?" she interrupted and added. "He could just as easily be from Team Rocket."

"And what's wrong with the Rockets?" Ash questioned, crossing his hands over his chest. He really looked frightening as black shadows circled his body.

"Um, nothing. We just need to find them." The girl promptly answered.

"And why is that?" Ash asked gently. He loved playing with people that were oblivious to the gruesome life lead by Team Rocket.

The girl stopped for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. If she said anything stupid, she knew that this guy could probably kill her in a flash of an eye. "We need some information from them… we need to talk to one of the Elite members… yea, that's right."

The boy elbowed her in the ribs, motioning for her not to speak. She had stated too much information, at least in his opinion. "Something like that, yes."

Ash looked over the pair once again. What exactly did they want with Team Rocket? And what was with all this Elite business? After all, they were only four Elite members, himself included. Could they be trying to kill the top agents of Team Rocket in order to stop the organization once and for all? They certainly didn't look like that; they didn't have the murderous attitude that those henchmen usually had. But, why else would they want an Elite member of Team Rocket? Ash quickly slipped his wristband off, remembering the trouble that it caused beforehand, and shoved it in his coat pocket. He then turned to them and grinned devilishly. "I see. What's so great about the Elite members? They are usually arrogant pompous jerks that kill for fun. Besides, the four members are rarely ever seen, especially in the middle of the day."

The guy and girl both turned to each other. They were equally confused and surprised by this person's statement. If this Elite person had such a bad attitude, then why was this person trying to help them in the first place? And how are they going to find them if they are hardly ever seen? "Really?" The girl gasped.

Ash smiled at the looks on the faces of the two people. He loved using that speech because no one would ever guess that he was an Elite member. However, he was equally surprised. If they didn't even know that there were four Elite members and that they are usually next-to-impossible to find, then they couldn't be henchmen let alone criminals for that matter. That information about the Elite members was a well-known fact in the underworld of crime. Ash decided that they were clearly no threat to him and walked away from the shadows that covered his body. He then removed his hood and Pikachu jumped off of him, standing next to his feet protectively. "Yes, there are only four members and I know them all."

The guy heaved a sigh of relief. Their search might not be as hard as they originally had thought. "You know all of them?"

"You do?" The girl gasped gratefully. They were finally getting somewhere. She then glanced at this dark figure's face. His rich black spiky hair was quite short and messy. Clearly, it hadn't been combed in days. His fair skin seemed to pale in the light and his deep brown eyes glowed in intensity. He seemed to be well associated with the workings of criminal world. However, there also appeared an air of sadness about him; like he had lost something… something very important in his life… something that made him whole.

"Yes, I do. In fact, I know one of them extremely well in particular. I guess you could call him a close friend." Ash smiled at his own little joke that only Pikachu and he could understand. In fact, Pikachu started giggling at the statement, but he managed to hide it a moment later. The innocence of these people was almost unconceivable in Ash's eyes. He realized that his first impression was indeed correct, there was no way that these two could ever be criminals, even if they tried. "Call me AK."

"Ok then, AK. Can you tell us where to find these four?" the girl asked politely, getting the impression that he was starting to trust them. Perhaps they could even use this to their advantage.

Ash simply shook his head. "I'm sorry but that information is classified."

"So, in other words, you don't know." The girl harshly spoke.

Ash cringed at the statement. He almost blurted out his secret, but all those ruthless years of training didn't go to waste. However, he was surprised that she managed to get under his skin like that and increase his anger. Not many people could do that, nowadays. "No, lady, don't get me wrong or anything. I do in fact know all of their locations, even at the present moment. But that's only for me to know and for you to find out. If you don't believe me, then so be it."

The girl snarled in anger. How did this guy manage to avoid her trap? Most people would have hotly yelled out the information before they even realized what had happened. But, this guy was good. He seemed to know her tricks and countered-acted them without even breaking a sweat. He was clearly no fool. "Are we getting a little defensive now? I just asked a simple question and you jumped down my throat. What's with that? Do we have something to hide?"

Ash sighed. This girl wasn't going to give up easily. Well, he certainly didn't have time for this. The 10 sharpshooters that Giovanni hired should be coming any minute. Let them deal with these pests. The sharpshooters… his brain changed its train of thought on them. Those fools… it wasn't like he needed them in the first place. Why did the boss want him to work with them, anyway? He could easily fake that stupid mission Giovanni sent him on without all those airheads slowing him down. Turning his attention back to the pair, Ash spoke. "Well, it has been a pleasure talking with you all, but I have more important matters to attend to. Perhaps we shall meet again." Ash and Pikachu started walking towards the door as the two stared at the retreating figure.

"See, look what you've done, Misty!" the guy whispered and shoved Misty as she glared angrily at him.

"Well, you couldn't have done any better, Brock!" Misty murmured back. By now, Ash was approaching the door, far out of listening range of the quiet conversation. Misty noticed this and racked her brains for some sort of excuse to make this guy stay. "I challenge you to a pokemon match!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Ash, who was barely five feet from the door, stopped and turned around. A pokemon match? He hadn't experienced one of those in ages! He always used his pokemon in serious battles in which they could be killed. "Sorry, but I really don't have time for that. My pokemon are at such a high level, they could easily clobber yours."

"Are you willing to put your money where your month is?" Misty shot back defensively.

Ash was cheerfully shocked. This girl was quite a fighter. Her stubborn air was strangely familiar. Perhaps she may be worth some of his valuable time. After all, it's not like he has anything particularly important to attend to; it wasn't like he was going to complete that mission, anyway. "What do you suggest?"

Brock gasped in shock at Misty and was doubly surprised by the dark figure. It was one thing that Misty yelled a challenge at the weirdest possible moment but it was totally another thing that this man accepted. He really never excepted that a criminal would ever have a passion towards pokemon battles like this guy seemed to possess.

"A two-on-two match against me and my friend here. If we win, then you have to tell us the location of those four Elite members of Team Rocket." Misty called.

Ash completely turned around and shouted. "Two against one? Isn't that a little unfair?"

Misty sighed. He was right. "Fine, just me then."

Ash shook his head. It would be fun humiliating these two in battle. "Actually, that's fine… both of you against me. That will make it a little bit more interesting."

Brock screamed. "Ok then. Shall we battle?"

"And what's in it for me?" Ash questioned.

Misty racked her brains trying to think of a good answer. "We'll tell you who we are and why we want to question Team Rocket."

Ash waved his hand in the air and shook his head. "No deal. Things like that don't interest me."

"Then what does interest you?" Misty asked frantically.

Ash pondered this thought in silence. He knew what "interested" him… he knew what he wanted, his old life back. The simple days before he joined this horrid organization… the days before Misty, Brock and his mom died… all he wanted was to relive those blessed days once again. "Let's just say that what I really want can never be attained."

"Well, we'll give up all of our pokemon if you win." Brock shouted frantically.

Once again, Ash shook his head. These two really were a funny pair. "You can keep your pokemon. I'm not that type of person. I may be an outlaw, but I don't make those types of deals. I'm just trying to get by in this world."

"How about money?" Misty suggested.

"Money does not make happiness." Ash simply stated.

"Gosh, you certainly don't sound like a criminal." Brock sighed.

"You know, in a way, you're right." Ash moaned. He never really didn't have the desire to steal, cheat or kill like his other peers.

"AK, give us a break. We need this information. It's a life-and-death matter involving hundreds of people and pokemon." Misty groaned.

Ash walked over to the two and cupped a pokeball in his hands. "How about we battle for the fun of it then?"

"WHAT!" Misty and Brock cried in unison. They never expected that answer.

"If you win, I'll tell you what you want. If I win, I get nothing in return. Frankly, pokemon shouldn't be used for bets." Ash declared.

Misty and Brock both felt like they were three inches tall. He was right; pokemon battles were meant to raise the skill and level of a pokemon and to improve a pokemon and even a trainer's ability to battle. It was never meant for betting.

"Well, are we going to battle?" Ash impatiently groaned.

"Sure!" the two cried.

"Ok, I'll battle both of you and if one of you can beat me in a match, then I'll give you the information that you want." Ash stated.

"That's fine with us. Let's just have a good, clean pokemon battle." Misty grinned. This was going to be a good match.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Round 1: Brock vs. Ash

(Author's note: Remember, Brock and Misty don't know that they are talking or battling with Ash. The same is true with Ash; he doesn't know that these two people are Brock and Misty. I hope that this doesn't confuse people.)

"All right, this is a two-on-two match. Only one pokemon allowed to battle at a time. No time limit. Let the battle begin!" Misty shouted.

"Go Vulpix!" Brock exclaimed and threw down a pokeball. It opened and a cute, red fiery fox with a beautiful tail and glossy silver eyes materialized.

"Haunter, I choose you!" Ash screamed and a ghost pokemon appeared. Composed of only a purple head and two claw-like hands, Haunter opened its month, exposing its tongue and seemed to laugh at its opponent.

"A GHOST POKEMON! How in God's name did you get a ghost pokemon!" Brock shivered, clearly frightened at the appearance of Haunter. He remembered the last time he had seen such a gruesome creature; he was only 14, then, exploring a creepy towers with his friends, Ash and Misty. However, the experience shook him up and almost killed Ash. It was then that he learned that such monsters could never be caught for they were just too powerful.

Ash smiled at the commotion Haunter was making. "I told you that my pokemon were extremely powerful."

"Still, how did you manage to catch one?" Misty inquired.

Ash shrugged. "When you have a Pikachu that performs unique and seemingly impossible attacks, anything is possible."

Pikachu smiled proudly at this statement, while Misty and Brock cowered back in fear. What kind of attacks is he talking about? Were they actually powerful enough to defeat a ghost pokemon?

Brock sighed. "Ok, Vulpix, this is going to be a tough battle, but we can do it. Flamethrower attack!"

The cute fox pokemon nodded and let a stream of fire spew towards Haunter. However, the hot flames just passed through the pokemon without affecting it one bit. "Haunter, confuse ray." Ash ordered.

The ghost pokemon obeyed and shot a ray of yellowish-white light towards the creature. The pretty pokemon dived out of the way and the attack missed. "Good job, Vulpix! Give it your swift attack!"

Vulpix concentrated and tiny, numerous yellow stars shot straight towards Haunter. The few that did hit drained some of its energy, but not by much. Ash grinned. "Nice tactic, but its not going to work. Haunter, lick."

Haunter threateningly approached the beauty queen pokemon and let its tongue hang from its month. Vulpix tried to dodge the attack, but Haunter was just too quick for it. It released its pink tongue and licked the unfortunate pokemon. This attack not only served to gross the pokemon out; it also paralyzed it. Vulpix fell like a log for it was totally knocked out from the single attack.

"Oh no! Vulpix return!" Brock shouted and the creature disappeared in a flash of red light. "Go get them, Rhydon!" 265 pounds of pure rock emerged from the pokeball. The creature roared; its menacing horn beckoned from the top of its skull. The huge dinosaur pokemon, with its jagged teeth, blood-shot eyes and claws on its feet and hands, definitely defined the phrase "big and mean". "Rhydon, dig underground!"

Ash gasped in surprise. Dig attack could wipe out Haunter, unless he used strategy. "Haunter, create a substitute to take the full force of the blast!"

Haunter magically formed into a tiny little figure that looked like a toy, however, it really was protection against the upcoming attack. "Ok, Rhydon, crush that substitute with your dig attack!"

The beast emerged from underground and pounded the tiny toy senseless. The attack was strong enough to break the substitute and to tire Haunter out considerably. Ash knew that he had one shot before Haunter was knocked out; he had to make it a good one. "Ok, Haunter, good job! Now, I know you're beat, but try your new attack. Shadow bolt at ¼ power!"

"Shadow bolt?" Misty yelped in confusion from the sidelines.

"What kind of attack is that?" Brock moaned.

Ash answered both questions by simply saying. "Just wait and see."

Haunter took in a deep breath of air and prepared for its most powerful attack. Turning into a ray of pure shadow, Haunter flew towards its opponent and entered its head. The lizard-creature screamed in agony as black swirls raced around its head. Ash started to get worried at the degree of pain on the pokemon's face. "Haunter! I said ¼ power! Don't kill it, just knock it out!"

"You mean that shadow bolt can kill a pokemon!" Misty gasped in horror. She never knew that such powerful attacks existed.

Ash nodded. "Yes, but only at full power."

The pokemon continued to yelp in pain until the attack finally stopped. The black shadow that was previously circling Rhydon's head formed back into Haunter. Rhydon hit the floor, and to everyone's relief, it was still breathing. "Oh, are you ok, Rhydon?" Brock asked and returned the beast back into its pokeball.

"(Round one goes to Ash.)" Pikachu smiled. Ash grinned while the other two just had blank expressions on their faces.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Round 2: Ash vs. Misty

"You may have won the last match, AK, but I'm not going to be as easy to beat. Go Staryu!" Misty cried as she released her pokemon. A creature that resembled a star materialized. Five orange arms shot from its body while a beautiful reddish-pink jewel glowed from its center.

"A water type? Interesting. I'll just have to use my newest pokemon, then. Caterpie, I choose you!" A giant caterpillar emerged from the pokeball. Its green body and large eyes were primed for battle. Its sweet appearance, however, was just a cover. This pokemon knew how to inflict some serious damage.

"A Caterpie! A bug pokemon! Get it away from me! Get it away!" Misty screamed in terror as she backed into a nearby wall.

Ash stopped in confusion for a moment. This girl was that afraid of bugs? It was so strangely familiar. It couldn't be… no, she was long gone now. "What! Backing out of a match so quickly? Why are you so afraid of Caterpies? The first pokemon I ever caught was a Caterpie!"

"Bugs… I hate them! There are three things that I hate the most in life: carrots, peppers and bugs!" Misty screamed.

"WHAT!" Ash gasped in surprise. Now he knew exactly one person who hated all those things… it couldn't be… but it was too much of a coincidence. "Misty?" He then turned to Brock. "And Brock?"

"Yea, how did you know our names?" Brock exclaimed in confusion.

Misty stopped her shrieking and turned to face Ash. "Do we know you?"

Ash dropped to his knees and started rambling. "Misty… Brock… alive? No, it couldn't be! You two are supposed to be dead! Dead! This is impossible! How? Why? Why didn't I know about this? It would have changed everything! I would have never run away in the first place! No! You guys are supposed to be dead! You are supposed to be… dead."

Pikachu hit the ground, headfirst. Misty and Brock? After all these years! They survived the shots! They're still alive? He then turned back to Ash, who was literally going crazy. Pikachu, after getting over his initial shock, raced over to Ash's side. "(Ash, are you ok?)"

"Do I look ok, Pikachu? Everything… six years… gone to waste and fate tortures me by showing me them once more!" Ash sobbed.

Misty and Brock were horrified by AK's actions. How did he know them? What was going on? Misty recalled Staryu and walked over to AK. "AK, are you alright?"

"AK… oh yea, that stupid nickname." Ash groaned as he returned Caterpie back to its pokeball. For some reason, Professor Oak flashed threw his mind. If they were still alive, Professor Oak would have sent them on that dangerous mission he told him about. "Were you two sent by Professor Oak? Are you guys the Rebels?"

Misty gasped in surprise. "You mean, you're our source? You sent us those papers? Then that must mean…"

"… yea, I'm one of those arrogant morons from the Elite group." Ash whispered.

"AK, can you come with us then? We could really use an expert pokemon trainer like yourself." Brock gently spoke and stretched out an arm in order to pull Ash to his feet.

"Expert pokemon trainer? More like expert criminal… and why do you keep calling me AK?" Ash moaned, forgetting that he always used that nickname now, in order to hide his true identity. He then stood on his legs, with the help of Brock.

"Because, that's what you told us to call you." Misty answered the seemingly rhetorical question.

"My name isn't AK, it's A…" Ash's voice trailed off when he heard something outside. In a deadly quiet voice, Ash murmured. "Be quiet. Someone's outside." He then tiptoed over to one of the cracks in the wall and peered through it. After a moment, he turned around, his face, deadly white. "Oh my God! The sharpshooters are here! You guys have to get out of here!" Ash then raced to the middle of the room and placed his fingers on the ground. "It's around here… somewhere… yes! They didn't seal it off!" Ash motioned the others to come to his side, which they did. They saw a trapdoor on the floor that Ash had apparently opened.

"A trapdoor?" Misty inquired.

Ash nodded. "Yes, its an underground tunnel that leads into the Viridian Forest, just a little ways away from the city. Quickly, you guys have to go through it!"

"Aren't you coming with us?" Brock asked.

Ash shook his head. "No, they won't kill me; they'll kill you two, though."

"But, we need you to join our group!" Misty whined as Brock plunged into the tunnel. The footsteps started getting louder outside.

Ash smiled. "Don't worry, I'll find you again." Misty now jumped into the tunnel and Ash added. "Misty, Brock, be careful of the Stellar microbe. It's far deadly than you'll ever know." With that, Ash closed the trapdoor. Utter darkness reigned once again.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ash hurriedly put on his wristband and glanced once more back at the tunnel entrance, double-checking that it was closed. It was not a moment too soon, for a group of ten devious looking men entered the building and surrounded Ash with guns. "Don't you know a fellow Rocket when you see one?" Ash flashed his wristband at the group and they immediately relaxed.

"So, you must be AK. I've never met an Elite Rocket before." The leader of the group spoke.

Ash grinned devilishly. "Then you probably have never seen the destruction in the wake of an Elite Rocket." He motioned towards the gaping hole in the wall and the dead man near it.

The leader gasped in surprise. "You mean that you did that all by yourself?"

"Of course, but Pikachu also helped out." Ash picked up his tiny pokemon and placed it on his shoulder where it growled threateningly.

"What happened here?" One of the others inquired.

Ash shrugged. "The usual. Battles and death. The Serpents attacked."

"What!" the ten shouted in astonishment.

The leader shook his head. "But the Boss said that they were going to attack headquarters."

"I guess they never knew that we moved." Ash commented.

"What about the pests meddling with our plans?" someone else asked.

Ash grinned. "They have been dealt with. Like I told the Boss, I work alone."

"Amazing… truly amazing." The leader sighed. He wished that he was that powerful.

"I guess it's time to inform the Boss." Ash stated.

The others nodded in agreement. "Back to headquarters."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"I really hate tunnels." Misty whispered as the two wandered through a dark tunnel that just barely rose above their head. They had been walking for a few minutes in silence, each too shocked to speak.

"Same here." Brock muttered in a soft voice; he was afraid that those people back at the old building could still hear them. Brock continued to walk, not even able to see Misty behind him. Then, he stopped. "Ouch, what did I just hit?" He felt the air around him, like a blind man for a moment. He then found the thing that he had just rammed into. "It's a ladder!"

"Cool. I can't wait to get out of here." Misty called excitedly.

Brock started scaling the ladder and finally reached the top. "Shoot, it's stuck."

"Can I help?" Misty questioned from below.

"Doubt it. It won't budge." Brock climbed back down.

"Here, let me try." Misty offered and jumped onto the ladder.

Brock shook his head. "No offense Misty, but you? A girl? Not even I could move it! What makes you think that you can?"

Misty steamed with anger. Comments like that just weren't acceptable. "The typical attitude of an ignorant guy. Brock, I never thought that you could say such sexist things like that! Well, these past six years haven't been lost on me. Just watch what a skinny beautiful girl can do that a stupid, egotistical jerk, like yourself, couldn't do."

Brock growled in rage. He really had been kind of snappy, but Misty didn't have to shove it down his throat. He was just tired, that's all.

Misty reached the top and tried her own strength. Like Brock said, it was tightly sealed. A pitiful expression spread across her face as she started to descend back to the ground. However, she stopped as a cool idea entered her brain. Misty pushed the release button on one of her pokeballs and a red light swirled in the air just above her. It soon formed Staryu, one of her favorite pokemon. The star creature landed on Misty's outstretched arm, waiting for its next command. "Staryu, tackle attack that trapdoor!"

Staryu replied with an energetic nod and positioned itself for attack. It jumped off of Misty's arm and spun through the air until it reached its destination. Staryu's powerful tackle unsealed the entrance and the door that was blocking it flew into the air and landed nearby. Sunlight poured into the tunnel, blinding both Brock and Misty in the process. When she finally got adjusted to the strong burst of light, Misty crawled up the ladder and into a forest. Shrubs, trees and other vegetation surrounded her. Misty smiled at the scene and glanced back at the tunnel, after recalling Staryu back into its pokeball. "Brock, never underestimate the power of a woman."

Brock climbed out of the deep hole and grinned back at her. "Trust me, I won't." After regaining his senses, Brock asked. "Ok, do you have any idea of what just happened back there?"

Misty shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. AK has a lot of explaining to do."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Gary restlessly paced along the sidewalk. They should have come back… one hour was already gone. Now, he and Giselle had been waiting for 15 minutes. Waiting… for them to show up.

"Gary, look!" Giselle called and pointed in the distance. Two figures, one a boy and the other a girl was running towards them. When they finally reached the police station where Gary and Giselle were waiting, it was clear that it was Brock and Misty… out of breath. "What took you guys so long?"

"Yea, we've been waiting here for a ¼ of an hour!" Gary shouted angrily.

Misty, who still was tired, huffed. "We… we're… so… sorry."

"I guess it's ok." Giselle said. She then regained her usual smug attitude and added. "We have quite a story to tell you two."

"What happened?" Brock asked.

"Well, we just managed to save a Pokemon Center from a new disease that hit a ton of the pokemon there. It's the same one that Professor Oak told us about." Gary grinned.

Misty turned to face him, now relaxed and breathing with ease. "The disease hit the Pokemon Center? How did you stop it? What exactly were the symptoms of the disease? Are you sure that it was the disease that we're looking for and not some other freaky disease?"

Giselle sighed. "We are quite positive that this was the disease. Remember, Prof. Oak told us that pokemon turned incredibly aggressive when inflicted with it. These were the same symptoms of the pokemon at the Center. Anyway, Gary here with his brilliant idea about putting all the diseased pokemon in their pokeballs, really saved the day."

Gary smiled. "Well, Giselle, you were the one who grabbed that microphone and calmed down all the trainers and managed to get the place under control."

Giselle shook her head. "No, you were the big hero."

"No, you were." Gary playfully argued back.

Brock and Misty groaned at the cute scene. Were they going to have to put up with this throughout the whole trip?

Gary noticed the expressions on Brock and Misty's faces and immediately stopped it. "We didn't learn much, though. Basically, everything that the professor said was true; this bacteria affects the brain and makes the pokemon aggressive enough to attack their trainers and other pokemon. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a sample of the deadly bacteria."

"Why not?" Misty and Brock both questioned.

"Well, when we placed the contaminated pokemon in cages, in order to study them without getting hurt, they died about 10 minutes later, all 20 of them." Gary answered as a tear slipped down his cheek. "We couldn't do a single thing to save them."

"Yea, that part was horrible. Then, when we tried to gain a sample, other people came in and took away the bodies. They were saying that this was some sort of health crisis and that everyone should evacuate the building until further testing could be done. They won't even let us near the Pokemon Center now." Giselle moaned.

Brock and Misty both lowered their heads, as a silent moment for the unfortunate pokemon that were lost today, passed. They then told their story, about visiting the old headquarters, battling AK, the strange things that he told them, and finally walking through a hidden tunnel and emerging into the Viridian Forest.

"Wow! You guys had quite an adventure!" Gary exclaimed. In a slightly bored tone, he asked. "Well, what should we do now?"

"I think that we should try to find this AK person." Giselle declared.

Misty shook her head. "Impossible. We don't even know where to look for him. Also, he said that he'd find us."

Brock soon spoke in a sheepish voice. "How about we call Prof. Oak and Joe back in Pallet and tell them what's been going on so far?"

"That's a great idea!" The others chanted and they soon started wandering around the city looking for a free videophone.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, AK is our source?" Joe asked after listening through two long stories told by his friends. Prof. Oak took a deep breath, trying to process all the information that they had gathered for him.

"Yep, but we don't know one thing about him. He seems to know Misty and Brock, from his reactions towards them." Gary commented. He then stopped for a moment, in deep thought, and added. "Joe, can you do us a favor? Can you break into Team Rocket's computer system and access some information on this AK person?"

"Come on, Gary! Challenge me! I'll do it right now. Stay on the line." Joe ordered and started busily typing on a computer back in Pallet. The other four waited patiently, watching him work over the videophone. They were all hoping that this would work. "Ok, I'm in!"

"How did you get in so fast, Joe?" Prof. Oak questioned and stepped up to examine the computer screen.

Joe smiled. "Easy, I simply went to their web page. They, of course, had a password system, so I just used my Codebreaker program to break it, which I designed myself."

Prof. Oak then looked at his watch. "Oh shoot! I have to leave! Tell me what happens when I come back Joe." Without even waiting for a response, he hurriedly left the room.

Back in Viridian, Giselle eagerly spoke. "So, what have you found so far?"

Joe quickly eyeballed the page and after a few clicks, he slammed his fist into a nearby desk. "Shoot. They're requesting another password and my program isn't working. They must have set up a really high-tech security system. I'm afraid we're stuck. I can't get in without the password."

"Gosh, this guy must be really important." Giselle whispered. "Should we try to guess what the password is?"

Joe nodded. "I think that's our only choice."

"How about Giovanni, Team Rocket's boss?" Brock suggested.

A few anxious moments of typing passed until Joe shook his head. "It doesn't work."

"Try pokemon." Gary shouted.

"Or stealing." Giselle yelled.

"What about criminal?" Brock called.

"Nope, nope and nope. None of those work." Joe remarked sadly.

Misty, who had remained quiet all this time, spoke. "AK mentioned the word 'Stellar'. Does that work?"

Joe shrugged his shoulders. "Stellar? That's a weird word to use as a password, but it's worth a shot. Let's see… S… t… e… l… l… a… r." Joe remained silent for a moment and shouted in glee. "Cool! It works! It works!"

"Good work Joe." Brock grinned and then turned to Misty. "And nice thinking Misty."

Misty blushed. "It was a wild guess."

"But a good one!" Gary exclaimed and then focused in on the screen. "Joe, have you found it yet?"

"Hold on! Hold on! Ok… member profiles… Elite members… there are only four Elite members?" Joe stopped in confusion and then turned back to the computer screen. "I would have thought that there were at least a dozen. Ok, here it is, AK." Joe skimmed the information for a moment then continued. "It says that he joined when he was 15, born it Pallet… ok, we don't need to know all of that… let's see… he was a rookie for years… he was even considered an outcast in Team Rocket? That's weird!"

"Why was he considered an outcast?" Gary questioned.

Joe continued to read and finally turned back to the group. "It appears that he was very stubborn and wouldn't steal pokemon from innocent people."

"That doesn't sound like a criminal!" Misty gasped.

"Why would he want to join Team Rocket in the first place?" Brock asked

Joe sighed. "It doesn't say. Interesting… it does say that even when he was assigned to missions to pilfer pokemon, he never stole a single pokemon in his life."

"Then how did he reach Elite status?" Giselle inquired.

"Ok… before he became an Elite member, he was a Rocket scientist… rather good one by the looks of it… oh, here it is. He became an Elite member during something called the Serpent raid. Because of his amazing training and self-defense abilities, AK wiped out a whole army. It then talks about how he killed hundreds more people, all in this group called the Serpents." Joe explained.

Misty shivered at the gruesome thought. "So this guy is a murderer? He really didn't seem like that to me."

Joe shook his head. "No, I don't think that he's a murderer. I think that it was in self-defense… It also says that he has very powerful pokemon, including a Pikachu which he almost never puts in a pokeball…"

"Well, that's true." Brock sighed.

Joe continued. "It appears that AK isn't his real name, but they don't say what his real name is."

"Drat. If we knew that, then, maybe we could figure out how this guy knows us." Misty groaned.

Joe then smiled. "They have two pictures of him. One is a recent photo while the other was taken when he first joined. I'll fax the pictures to you. Here is the recent photo. The other one is still downloading."

A nearby fax machine buzzed with life and started printing. The four watched the picture form and stared at it for a few moments. "Well, that's definitely him." Brock stated, after it had printed while Misty simply nodded her head in agreement.

"Ok, the next pic… Oh my God! This has to be a mistake! There is no way…" Joe's voice trailed off as an expression of utter surprise was painted on his face.

"Joe, are you ok?" Gary asked and walked over to the screen along with Brock and Giselle.

Joe turned to face them, his face now a pale white. "You guys are not going to believe this next picture."

Misty cocked her head in confusion. "Why?"

Joe gulped and spoke in a raspy voice. "See for yourself." He then turned around and started to fax it to them.

The fax machine started printing once again. Misty held her breath when she grabbed the printed document from the machine. Misty gasped in astonishment. "It can't be… it can't be…"

"Who is it?" Brock gently asked.

Misty looked at the rest of the group while shivering uncontrollably. In a soft whisper, Misty spoke. "It's… Ash."

Like it? Hate it? If you have any opinions on it what so ever, then please review. Last time I only got 2 reviews L and over 100 people read it! That's not right people! Come on…. Just say something small for a review and I'll be very happy! The more reviews I get, the faster I post the next part, which is really good! Bye then!