- 12 -

May and Roxanne stared at each other for several seconds, numb, before coming back to their senses. They run after the duo, the pokemon following close behind them. Thorne and Kayley looked at them before quickly getting into the vehicle that had stopped in front of them.

"No way..." May said softly, as the car's engines roared as it sped off, "No...This can't be happening..."

Roxanne frowned, feeling just as scared and worried at the other. Amber's ears bent backwards, as she whined quietly. "How could they do this?" the gym leader asked.

Balling her hands into fists, May glared in the direction the car went. She wasn't going to let them get away with taking her husband! All of her determination returned, she looked at Roxanne and the pokemon. "I swear it," she said, "I'm going to get him back."

Smiling, Roxanne nods. "And I'll help you do it."

There was a crashing sound, before May and Roxanne glanced at each other, then back at the gym. A small group of the students where in a pile at the door, struggling to get back up. "We'll help!" they said, straightening themselves.

"Great!" Roxanne clapped her hands together, and smiled at the group. "We'll get him back from Team Magma in no time!"

Each student introduced himself or herself to May, before they went into planning what they would do. At the same time, a creature far below the crust of the Earth shifted uneasily. It had felt the presence of what was known to all the Legendary Pokemon as the Chosen One, and could sense the danger that loomed close to him.

With a cry, the pokemon hurried to get to the surface, knowing that it needed to help. The students yelped and jumped back when the ground between May, Roxanne, and the group started cracking and the red pokemon pulled itself up out of the ground.

The group of students panicked, having never seen a Legendary before, let alone up close. "That...that's Groudon!" some of them where whispering to each other excitedly, peeking nervously at the pokemon. Groudon ignored the group and Roxanne, seemingly more interested in May.

May looked around uneasily, before turning her glance back to the Legendary. She couldn't talk to a pokemon and understand them yet...she had always had Ash translate.

Groudon knew full well that of all the ones he needed to stay near and help, was the one in front of him. Roxanne and her students worried about Ash, but not as much as May did.

She bit her lip, wincing when she tasted blood in her mouth. They all looked at her when she giggled, the metallic tasting red liquid reminding her about what Ash had complained about. It had consisted of May biting her lip again, bleeding, then him kissing her and having the taste of it in his mouth. Every time, it was the same complaint: "MAY! Would you stop making yourself bleed?! Unlike mosquitoes, I don't like the taste of blood!" which would start up the teasing again.

Reality crashed back down, when Groudon made an impatient noise. "Sorry..." May said, going red, "Um...would you...do you...want to help us?"

Groudon nodded, yelling out in reply. Shocked again, the students looked at each other, once again excited. The plans where being made and set, and soon after they started on the journey to find the Magma Headquarters.

Thorne ignored the shocked looks several of Kayley's and his comrades where giving them, leading the way to their boss's office. Kayley, on the other hand, smirked at them. Unlike Thorne and her, they had not managed to capture the Pokemon Master!

When they came up to the door to the office, she knocked politely. Waiting for the muffled reply from inside, she opened the door and let Thorne go in first, before entering herself. He, purposely not being gentle about it, put Ash in one of the chairs sitting in front of the desk. Both Kayley and Thorne stepped back, when Maxie, their boss and leader of Team Magma, got up and walked around the desk.

"You have done well," he said, carefully looking over the unconscious Ash. Forming the plans and ideas mentally, he continued the same for several minutes, before going to sit down. "Take him to his cell. There has been one set up especially for him."

"Yes sir," they said. Thorne once again lifted up, this time with some more struggles since he was tired from the first time, Ash, who didn't even react. Nodding her head respectfully, Kayley let Thorne go and followed.

"A special cell? I wonder just how bad it is," Thorne commented, wincing from having to carry such a burden. Kayley didn't reply, as she walked along side him, her eyes slightly unfocused in thought. She shook her head to clear the thoughts, so that she could open the door to the cell for Thorne, and stepped back.

Thorne froze, staring in total amazement. Getting aggravated, Kayley pushed him the rest of the way in, before taking a shocked look at the 'cell'. It had been made up to be more like a room for royalty, then for a prisoner. "It seems the boss wants him to be as comfortable as Team Magma can make him," Kayley said, her eyes still widened.

Rolling his eyes, Thorne unceremonially dropped Ash on the fixed up bed, before turning to look at Kayley. "As long as we get rewarded for our trouble, I don't care what they do with or to him," he replied, "Just so you know, the boss wants his mind intact, and also healthy so don't get him to the edge of death or insanity."

Kayley looked slyly at Thorne. "Who? Me?"

"Yes, you. Because I'm leaving you here. You can watch him, I have better things to do." He eyed the Magma woman, weighing in his mind whether or not she could handle it.

"I can take care of him fine. I won't murder him; I value my life more then that," Kayley said. Thorne nodded stiffly, before taking his leave. She smirked, and licked her lips, delight making her eyes sparkle. "...doesn't mean I can't have any fun though."

This is chapter 12! Gomen for it taking so long! I'm trying to get it done as fast as I can without the chapter sucking horribly –snicker- Anyway! I might end up replacing this chapter with a beta'ed version later on, but all that would be changed is grammar and spelling anyway. I've also given up on replying to reviews, since I just repeat myself normally anyway .;;