Crystal awoke, stiff and sore all over. As she searched herself, she was in for a shock - they had taken all of her possessions! Worse, she was tied up – rope wrapped around her, arms bound behind her back – and she had been locked in a cage barely large enough for her. Crystal previously remembered that Team Rocket had seized her and Spike for espionage. "Mmph!" Crystal tried to cry out for help, but a piece of cloth tied over her mouth prevented this. Crystal couldn't move or make a sound. She saw Spike in another cage across from her, trying to bust the door open in vain.
---
"I'm warning you, you'd better stop what you're doing," warned Lance.
Conner scoffed. "We're going to continue, even if you don't like it! Since disbanding Team Rocket a year a ago, Giovanni's been in training."
Sandy continued, "And he'll come back to assume command again. We won't let anyone stop us again!" exclaimed Sandy. "As the leaders in place of Giovanni, we'll teach you a lesson in respect!"
"Go, Arbok!" Sandy yelled.
"Go, Muk!" Conner ordered.
"Go, Dragonite!" Lance tossed the PokeBall.
"Go, Ampharos!" Clair followed suit.
Realizing that he had the chance to escape, Duncan immediately scurried away to Blackthorn City. "So long!"
"Hey!" shouted Sandy. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Sandy, we've got bigger problems to focus on!"
---
Kamon had watched the entire scene from the side of a run-down building. Those guys got Gold, he realized. He was both happy and upset at the same time. He was happy because Duncan managed to escape Conner and Sandy's clutches. But he was upset when he found out the Rocket Admins were bad guys all along. "I've got to tell Bill about this, and get out of here!" He quickly ran off back to the house so as not to become an innocent bystander.
---
In the living room, Bill was amazed when he heard Kamon's story. "They tried to kidnap Gold and Crystal?"
"Yeah! But I saw Gold get away from them!" lamented Kamon. "We've got to do something." He then realized that there was only one way out of here – they would have to run away. "I know what – we're running away! But where?"
"I saw Gold run off to Blackthorn City," said Bill. "We should go there and tell him everything!"
"Good idea!" Just then, the front door opened, and Conner and Sandy came in. Then he whispered to Bill, "But we'll have to do it when they're not here. I'll call him through his PokeGear."
---
Duncan panted as his heart shook rapidly. He was just outside the Blackthorn City gates. "Those guys got Crystal," he murmured to himself. Suddenly, his PokeGear rang. He answered it. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Gold! It's me, Silver," a familiar teenage voice cried out. It was Kamon! He was all right! Duncan felt intense relief wash all over him.
"Silver? What's going on? What are they doing to you?"
"They're treating me like royalty."
"Really? How's that?" Duncan was curious.
"I'll explain all that later," said Kamon. "Look, I just saw you escape from Team Rocket."
"And Crystal's been captured by Team Rocket as well!" exclaimed Duncan in surprise.
"Oh, man! That's awful!" Kamon cried out, upset. "Well, I'll try to get her out, and we'll go to Blackthorn together."
"All right, I'll wait for you here. I just came to the city."
"See you soon."
---
Kamon put the cordless receiver back into its set in triumph. He knew that he had to release Crystal from her imprisonment, knowing he had full access in the headquarters, and then they would go to Blackthorn. But what would that be for? Duncan probably would tell him when he gets there!
---
"You... you beat us!" cried out a surprised Conner.
"That's right," said Lance. "Now where is Kamon Stelldox?"
"We don't need to tell you," said Sandy. "We've got the right to remain silent."
Clair realized that this would be harder than they expected.
Becky's Hypno emitted a beam of energy on Conner and Sandy, and they vanished in a flash of light.
---
"Here's your salad, Kamon," said Courtney, as she served him a plate of lettuce, mixed with croutons, dressing, and tomato. "You look determined now," seeing Kamon's triumphant expression on his face.
"Thanks," praised Kamon.
"What's on your mind?"
"Well, it's really a secret," said Kamon.
"Well, I won't rat you out, cutie."
Kamon frowned at being called "cutie", but quickly dismissed it.
After dinner, he packed all of his belongings and brought Bill and Axel to the hideout, entering through a secret entrance, in which they didn't even need to leave the house for! The entrance was located in the basement, and in a private room with a sign marked "No Entry" on the door. When Kamon opened the door, Conner and Sandy noticed him.
Sandy then asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I'd like you to release a prisoner here..." thinking that since he was Giovanni's son, this would influence them.
"What's the person's name?" asked Conner.
"Crystal Caliduct."
Sandy, realizing that this girl was an apprentice to Lance Envimorph, lied to him, "There's no one by that name in our records."
Well, that didn't work, thought Kamon suspiciously. He knew Crystal was here. He changed the subject. "Never mind, Bill and I were just going to explore the place."
"Well, just don't get into trouble," said Conner.
"We won't," said Bill. That was close!
Kamon and Axel set off to find Crystal, while Bill entered the lab to obtain information about Team Rocket's next hit.
---
Crystal was not having a good time, however. She was more terrified than furious at Team Rocket. How dare they lock her up? She was just an apprentice who doesn't know anything!
All of a sudden, she heard footsteps moving towards her! Crystal prepared for the worst to happen...
Only it was the friendly red-haired teen, her knight in shining armor! She attempted to cry out for help, but the gag prevented this from happening. Smiling, Kamon pulled the cloth off of her mouth.
"Silver! You're all right!" Crystal was so happy and joyous to see that Kamon was unharmed and rescuing her. Kamon then unlocked the cage door, pulled Crystal out, and untied her. Immediately, she sprung up, free as a Pidgey, and squeezed him in her arms.
"This is no time for love, Kris! We've got to get out of here, and go to Blackthorn City!"
"Oh, yes!" said Crystal, giddy as a schoolgirl.
Kamon then unlocked the cage that contained Spike, and gave him to Crystal. "I know a shortcut out of here."
"That's great!"
"Unfortunately, it's at the boss' office." He couldn't bring a prisoner that Conner and Sandy refused to release into the office without attracting attention. Unless they were distracted somehow...
---
In the lab, Bill had compiled a database of plans to attack the Radio Tower in Goldenrod City and the formula to the poison the Pokemon had been infected with. He then saved it on his USB flash drive. No one seemed to be paying attention, which was good, because if they did notice him, he could possibly face a furious Conner and Sandy Drayan. Bill, knowing the dangers of leaking such information, walked out, and back to the entrance to the boss' office.
Kamon, Crystal, Axel, and Spike had all made it as well. "All right, Bill, talk to Conner and Sandy, and keep them occupied!"
"You got it!" Bill then pushed the button, opening the door. Crystal immediately ducked out of sight. "Hey, you two, I'd like a few words with you!"
As Bill started the conversation about their favorite Pokemon, Conner and Sandy seemed too distracted to notice that Kamon and Crystal sneaked through the office, and out the door into the Drayans' basement, but Bill saw them, and as they left, he then interrupted the conversation, telling them, "Wait, uh, I think I'd better go now."
As Bill exit through the basement door, Sandy began to grow suspicious of his and Kamon's actions. "Something doesn't seem right..."
---
"...Something doesn't seem right..."
Kamon could hear Sandy's voice from behind the door. "Kris, we'd better get out of here, now!" he whispered. They ran upstairs, through the living room, and out the front door.
Parked on the road was a lavender 4-door sedan. Lance exit the car and beckoned the three teenagers and two Pokemon to enter the vehicle.
"Come on, guys, we'd better get to Blackthorn City as soon as we can!"
"Good idea," said Kamon, out of breath. "Team Rocket's getting suspicious!"
"And I've got the plans," said Bill.
"I'd really like to go home," whined Crystal.
"Don't worry, Crystal," assured Kamon. "There's nothing to be afraid of as long as we're with powerful Pokemon Trainers."
As they entered the car, Lance started it up, and drove off right away.
At that moment Kamon knew he could no longer trust Team Rocket. They betrayed him! The nerve! He had passed the point of no return, and pushed this journey to the limit. Now his safety was not guaranteed, and neither was the safety of Duncan, Crystal, or even Lance.