Just wait until you read this last chapter, all of your anxiousness and questions will be solved. I don't own Pokemon except my character and plot, enjoy!

Chapter 5: Escape Epilogue

Tracey, Jessie, and Angelina were flat against the wall as they could hear voice around the corner. Tracey was pale with fear, Jessie tried to still her own breathing in case it gave them away, and Angelina was petrified in stillness.

"No, I haven't seen them. Maybe Team Rocket has taken them prisoner." Misty said.

"Yeah, or they are part of the conspiracy." Ritchie had contempt in his voice, he wanted someone to blame for the escaped prisoner fiasco which had been made scapegoat for.

There was a roar from the flat-roof above them. Tracey looked up and saw two figures jumping off it. Misty screamed as one landed on her. Ritchie yelled as the other landed on him. There was the noise of a struggle before the two were eventually silenced.

"Who….?" Tracey began in a low whisper, before the answer was revealed, as Misty and Ritchie were pushed around the corner, tied with ropes and gagged. Now holding their guns and grinning were Butch and Cassidy.

Butch saluted to Angelina jauntily.

"Mmmmff!" Misty exclaimed to Tracey.

"Sorry Misty, but someone has to stop Ash." Tracey hung his head.

Ritchie glared at Tracey with the satisfaction that the escape of Team Rocket hadn't been his fault after all. His pleasure was short lived, as Cassidy proceeded to slap him around the head because she felt like it.

"So what's the plan then?" Butch turned to Angelina and grinned.

Angelina frowned, she considered to hate Butch, she may be a secret Rocket and Pokemon trainer, but when guys look down upon her…. It's not just for help.

Tracey began to rummage in Ritchie's pockets and produced a key. "Here, this will unlock the cells. Let Giovanni's guards out and lock these two in."

Now without fear of being caught; Jessie, Angelina, and Tracey raced to the fuse box. Tracey crouched down and began to connect the wires while Jessie and Angelina stood back and watched.

Suddenly, Tracey cried in pain and the lights came back on. A moment later, Brock and James appeared.

"Well done!" Brock commended Tracey, who was still whimpering and nursing his injured hand.

Jessie spoke up, "And Misty and Ritchie have been taken care of. Cassidy and Butch are putting them into cells right now."

James hugged his partner and exclaimed, "We've done it! We've won! Ooh, that feels weird to say!"

"It's not over yet. We have to get to Ash!" Tracey reminded.

"I think we'll be able to handle one twerp." Jessie said.

"No offence or anything," James added, remembering that Brock and Tracey were members of Team Twerp.

Brock commented, "A twerp with a gun."

"But Butch and Cassidy are freeing Giovanni's guards, so we won't be alone." Angelina asserted.

"Come on, let's go." Tracey was anxious.

They entered the main building and found their way to the office. The place was surrounded by guards, who kept trying to attack Brock and Tracey until each time Angelina, Jessie, and James explained the situation. When they reached the office itself, they found several guards on either side of the door with their backs against the walls. Butch and Cassidy were also waiting for something to happen.

"What's going on?" Jessie whispered to Cassidy.

"The boy is still in there, he has Giovanni hostage."

Brock inched towards the door. "Ash, it's me, Brock. Look Ash, this is crazy. Put down the gun and come out of there."

"No," Ash said flatly.

"But why are you doing this? You've got Pikachu back- what more do you want?"

"I want all the rest of the Pokemon here." Ash answered.

"What? But Ash, you can't become a Pokemon Master with stolen Pokemon!"

"I don't care! I'm going to take them all!"

Brock looked at everyone with shock and fear in his countenance.

"Ashton Jerome Ketchum!" Angelina yelled. "Get your ass out here this instant!"

"Make me!" Ash countered.

"Oh, I'll make him." Angelina grits her teeth and made her way toward the door.

Brock pulled Angelina back. "Do you want to get killed! He has a gun!"

Angelina was about to snap, but Tracey suddenly interrupted, "I think I know what's going on. Does anyone have a fire-type Pokemon?"

"What?" Jessie, James, Brock, and Angelina said in unison.

"Don't ask questions now; just give me a fire type."

"I…. I have a Vulpix." Brock stammered, producing a Pokeball.

"Order a Flamethrower attack in the room."

Brock shrugged and threw his Pokeball, "Vulpix, Flamethrower!"

"Vuuuuulpix!" Vulpix whined and breathed out a jet of flame.

"Aggggghhhhhh!" came the shrieks of Ash and Giovanni.

"Huh?" Ash said, he came out of the door; a little charred and no longer holding a gun. "What happened?"

"Yeah Tracey, what happened?" Brock asked.

"Ash, Misty, and Ritchie have been under hypnosis! When we came inside, before they started becoming homicidal, they went downstairs into the room where all the stolen Pokemon are kept in cages to check them out, while Brock and I stayed upstairs, looking out for guards. Then when they came up, Ash told us the plan and how we would get guns and all the rest…. One of the Pokemon down there must have hypnotized him!"

"Yeah! That's the last thing I remember, being in a room with all the Pokemon!" Ash enthused.

"But a Pokemon couldn't make him go crazy like that. Someone has to be controlling him." Jessie butted in.

"But who would do that?" Ash asked, bewildered.

Butch and Cassidy looked at each other and nodded.

Butch said, "I think I know…." But before he could finish the sentence, they heard the sound of distant sirens and a click and whirr from the office.

They rushed into Giovanni's office, except for Angelina. She ran off back to the hot air balloon and quickly changed clothes. Then she took out her Pichu. She wasn't far from Giovanni's office, she heard an engine rev and screeching; figuring that Giovanni had escaped through his secret trap-door.

There was next the sound of swift footsteps along the corridor and a whistle being blown.

"Stop, in the name of the law!" cried an Officer Jenny, Angelina saw her round the corner and decided to follow unnoticing.

"Where's Giovanni? What happened here?" Officer Jenny demanded.

"Well, I'm not sure yet, but I'll make it my business to find out for you, Miss…." Brock said in a goofy-dopey way.

Angelina rolled her eyes and held back a laugh at the sound of a sharp slap; she knew Brock deserved that, which straightened him up immediately.

"I'm confused!" James whined for an explanation.

"Giovanni has escaped. He drove away moments ago. He has been controlling this boy and two of his friends, no doubt using some sort of hypnotic Pokemon, such as a Drowzee or Exeggutor…." Butch explained.

"An Exeggutor! I remember now…." Ash cried.

'Yeah,' Angelina now realized. 'My Gengar, no wonder!'

"None of us called the police, so I assume that someone else tipped them off that he's been hiding stolen Pokemon here." Butch continued and had ignored Ash.

'A likely story,' Angelina shook her head. 'I hope Jenny believes it, though.'

"He knew the police would be on their way, and needed someone to pin the blame on." Cassidy cut in. "Quite an ingenious scheme- he'd even looked like the victim of these young hooligans who took him hostage in order to stop the police from arresting them and finding their stolen Pokemon!"

"What were you kids doing here?" Jenny asked suspiciously.

'Ha!' Angelina grinned. 'Liked to see you guys get outta this one!'

"Umm…. We work for Giovanni. We were dropping off…. Something we've been working on…." Cassidy offered.

"Yeah, my Pikachu! I came to get it back!" Ash snapped.

'BUSTED!' Angelina smiled like a Cheshire-cat.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu added. (And they almost got away with it, too)

"Goodness, that's your Pikachu…. We had no idea!" Jessie said in a sugary tone.

'Sure, blame amnesia for trying to steal Pikachu for almost two years.' Angelina thought sadly, even if she hoped Ash wouldn't rad them out. She decided to take matters into her own hands and stepped in. "Um, hi! Sorry I'm late, my aunt fell ill, but I came soon as I got the message."

Everyone turned to see Angelina step into Giovanni's office. She held Pichu and was dressed in a purple tank-top, blue-jean knee-length skirt, brown heeled sandals, and a blue backpack.

"That's fine; I've got things under control here." Jenny assured. "Giovanni escaped, tried to blame these Pokemon trainers for the stolen Pokemon here."

"Oh really? It's figures, but I'm not surprised for something like this to happen." Angelina smirked.

"All right, let's get you all down to the station to sort this all out." Jenny replied in a worried tone.

The Rockets declined the kind offer and snuck out the back door. Angelina was about to follow and sneak up on Butch and Cassidy, but she thought better of it. She wanted to say goodbye to Jessie and James, hoping they'd find better careers than the low-life in Team Rocket.

Angelina caught up with Officer Jenny; they waited for Ash, Brock, and Tracey to rescue Misty and Ritchie in the cells. She was relieved that Ash and Misty were back to normal, until they started to bicker over earlier's attack.

There wasn't much to say down at the police station, Officer Jenny let off Ash and friends as they went off to the Pokemon Center for the night.

Ash and Ritchie were talking, catching up on what they've done on their journeys so far. Misty was soothing her Togepi to sleep, lulling Pikachu and Pichu also. Angelina was discussing earlier's event with Tracey and Brock.

"So it was Giovanni the whole time?" Angelina asked.

"That's what Butch and Cassidy said earlier." Brock replied.

"Then again, what about those stolen Pokemon that Ash, Misty, and Ritchie went to check on?" Tracey reminded. "We know it was a psychic Pokemon that hypnotized Ash-"

"Like a Gengar." Angelina interrupted. "Ash hinted that it wasn't an Exeggutor…."

"How'd you know Ash said that?" Brock asked.

"You really think Giovanni wouldn't control a Pokemon to use hypnosis just to blame them for his hostage and finding stolen Pokemon?" Angelina questioned.

"Right," Brock agreed. "But what makes you think Giovanni controlled a Gengar?"

"I'm positively sure on that because I had a Gengar." Angelina admitted. "But…. It was stolen, by Team Rocket!"

"Jessie and James? Are you sure it was them?" Brock stared unsurely. "They can't even steal Ash's Pikachu let alone others."

"Unless," Tracey added. "When we had fallen into Jessie and James' pitfall trap earlier…. Butch and Cassidy interfered…. I know Butch called out a Gengar…."

"Yeah," Angelina nodded, tears in her eyes. "My Gengar. That day they were on Mandarin Island with that mind-control scheme…. Turning all Pokemon against their trainers…. I was there when Pichu turned on me…. I followed, and found Cassidy and Butch…. They threatened to hurt me, but I had to bargain my best Pokemon for my life and Pichu…."

"You did that before we even got there?" Ash asked.

Angelina realized that her story had called upon Ash and Ritchie's attention, even Misty's too. She was about to explain more, but Nurse Joy showed up saying it was time for bed.

The next day after breakfast, it was time to say goodbye. Brock was heading back to Valencia Island to finish his studies with Professor Ivy, and Ritchie went off on his journey. Ash, Misty, and Tracey headed back into the Orange Archipelago to finish the Orange League.

Half-way down the road, Angelina didn't feel like walking, so she took out her Charizard and flew the rest of the way. Lucky her, she snuck upon Team Rocket's hot air balloon and heard talking from inside.

"Well, looks like we're out of a job, Jess." James said.

Angelina didn't see Meowth, she guessed it was napping on the floor; she did see Jessie and James drinking green tea.

"I wouldn't bet on it, James." Jessie smiled. "They haven't caught Giovanni yet."

"You don't think he'll be mad at us?"

"Well, if we had known we were working against him, we wouldn't have helped the twerps, would we?"

"We were trying to save him. He should be grateful."

"So what?- He never liked us anyway." Jessie took out her binoculars. "Let's see what the twerps are up to."

"I still say fashion is where we are needed," James sighed, as he stood up to join her.

Angelina smiled; Team Rocket was back to their usual troublemaking for Ash and Pikachu. She couldn't wait to hear the many stories of unsuccessfulness in the future from either Ash or Team Rocket. She turned to her Pokemon, "Okay Charcoal, fly!"

Charizard roared and flapped his wings, flying toward Angelina's destination.

Angelina wasn't worried nor scared of what's to come later in the future. Though she was pretty lucky to get out of all those lies.

Well, that's mostly everything I've been through, and I know I've just completely filled up my diary because this is the last page.

Goodbye for now,

Angelina Murakami

The young strawberry-blonde now closed her completely filled diary; she placed it on the shelf containing other journals containing adventures and journeys.

Angelina looks over at her digital clock, 1:00 A.M. It took her four hours to write a three-month story. She yawned and decided to get some sleep, there was a lot to be done while she was in Pallet Town, and a good nights' rest was well needed.

§THE END§

Yep, this story is finished and there's no sequel either. I hope you liked it; all comments and suggestions are welcomed! Don't forget to continue reading "Steps In Paradise", thanks!