Last Time, Ash, and the gang challenged the Driftveil City Gym, Ash almost loses, but Sandile evolved into Krokorok, and deafeated Clay's Excadrill, and earned him the Quake Badge, but now since Oshawott, and Krokorok are no longer the same strength, their rivalry has become even stronger than before, however that's not the only thing our heroes have to worry about now.

Somewhere in a cave on Milos Island…

"Wonder when Missile's gonna come back?" Meowth asked while eating a donut.

"He's been gone for the past two days now" James said, watching TV.

"Probably off training or something, he did say he was gonna up his game" Jessie said, not doing anything.

'Heh heh, maybe he's embarrassed about losing so much!' Woobat joked.

'I'd be ashamed too after two loses in a row' Yamask said depressingly.

"Well, whatever's he's doing, he'd better be back soon, the next meeting's in a couple days" Jessie said.

"Meanwhile though, we can just unwind, and relax" James said.

"You bet, now who wants to play" Meowth said. "Now who wants to play a game of cards?"

"We do!"

In the forest during the afternoon…

"Bisharp! Cut those trees faster! Eelektross! Flamethrower until that rock is turned into dust! Gothitelle! Keep on telekinetically lifting that boulder! Volcarona! You fire those Solar Beams faster! Druddigon! Fire those Draco Meteors til you drop! Mienshao! Stop missing your Hi Jump Kicks!" Missile ordered, he, and his mons were really upping their game, next time they weren't gonna lose.

Bisharp cut through many trees, ferns, and saplings, Eelektross Rock Smashed some rocks, and burned down some plants.

'You think this is a little overkill?' Eelektross said to his long time partner.

'Pfft, nothing at all, although I've never seen Derik train this intensely before' Bisharp said, cutting down another tree.

'I'd rather have spent the last two days sleeping, not training' Eelektross said, smashing another rock.

'Remember while he is rude, he is still our trainer' Gothitelle said, coming in. 'After all it was he who saved you from becoming sashimi'

'You've got a point there, I just wish he wasn't so hard on us all the time' Eelektross said.

"Break Time!" Derik called from across the forest.

'Well, I guess he isn't that bad' Eelektross said.

'Come on let's head back to camp' Bisharp said, he, Eelektross, and Gothitelle headed back to camp, where all the others were.

"Take the rest of the evening off, we begin again at sunset" Derik said to all his mons, he then flew off.

'I don't get it you know' Druddigon said to Mienshao, and Volcarona. 'I've been here for a couple years, and I just don't see why Derik treats us so badly'

'He doesn't treat us that badly' Volcarona said. 'He gives us plenty of items, and food'

'Yeah, but he doesn't ever seem to care about us' Druddigon said. 'Not to mention he pushes us way too hard sometimes'

'But he does that so we can accomplish our goals' Mienshao then said. 'It's hard being part of Team Rocket'

'Why'd he even join Team Rocket in the first place?' Druddigon said, he was the only one caught after Snivy left, so he didn't know any of it.

'Well, it's kind of a long story, but basically he had a Snivy once' Mienshao said. 'And she left'

'That traitor, why if I could meet her again, I'd give her a taste of my Fire Blast!' Volcarona said, flames erupting from her wings.

'I wouldn't blame her though' Mienshao said. 'Derik's wasn't as tough as he is now, but he was a lot more, say, obsessive'

'What do you mean?' Druddigon asked.

'He would never leave her alone' Volcarona elaborated. 'He would always be doing something, obscene'

There was a brief pause, but then Gothitelle, Eelektross, and Bisharp came in.

'What have you three been talking about?' Eelektross asked.

'Snivy' Mienshao replied, a bit of sorrow filling her voice.

'Hmm, did not expect to hear that name today' Gothitelle said. 'It's been so long, I could hardly remember her face'

'That one, it hurt me to see her run away like that, although I could understand why' Bisharp said. 'At least we still have each other'

'Bisharp, you've been with Derik for the longest right?' Druddigon asked.

'Yeah, I was his second ever pokemon, caught right after Snivy' Bisharp explained.

'What was he like when he caught you?' Druddigon asked.

'Heh, well that was nine years ago, but I still remember it to this day' Bisharp said, his memories coming into fruition.

*flashback*

'Please, stop it!' A Pawniard said, he was cornered by two Plasma grunts, and their Patrats.

"Ha, look at this guy, it's so weak!"

"It's better off hanging out in the PC!"

"Stop that! Snivy Tackle!"

A young boy, and his Snivy fought against the two Plasma grunts, and they soon fled.

'Please don't hurt me!' Pawniard said scared.

'Don't worry we're here to help' Snivy said to the poor pokemon.

"Come on, let's get you to a pokemon center" The boy said, picking up the injured pokemon, and booking it to the nearest pokemon center.

*flashback end*

'That's how me, and Derik first met' Bisharp continued. 'He was always one to stand up for the weak, as no one had done for him'

'He saved us, all of us' Mienshao said. 'From all those horrible lives we lived back then'

'But now he's turned to the dark side' Gothitelle said. 'And while we may not fully agree with what he's doing, we are still loyal til the end'

'Hey you know, it's been a while since Derik's been back' Eelektross said suddenly. 'The sun's nearly down, maybe we should go check on him'

'Yeah, you're right, it is nearly down' Druddigon said. 'He could be in danger'

'Well, what are we waiting for then!?' Volcarona then said invigorated. 'Come on let's go!'

Somewhere else in the forest, a couple minutes ago…

*glug* *glug* "Nothing beats Oran berry wine after a nice day of training" Derik said, as he tossed his fifth bottle into the nearby river. "Well, it's getting late, better head back to continue training" Derik got up, ready to take off, but then he heard something, no someone.

"Alright, Team Pla…"

"Huh, what was that? Better investigate it" Derik got closer to the source of the sound, only to find a little outpost of Team Plasma.

"Hey dude wanna hear a joke?" One the guarding grunts asked.

"Sure, I guess?" The other guard asked back.

"My ex Scizor still misses me, but it's accuracy's getting better!" The grunt said, smiling like a goon. "You see it's funny because X-scissor, and ex Scizor are said the same"

"That's a lame joke"

"Hmm, Team Plasma grunts, there must be some reason this outpost is out here, come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a single Team Plasma base, maybe this could tell me it's whereabouts, but how to get in?" Derik got behind a nearby rock, and "accidentally" dropped a coin.

"Huh, what's that?" One of the grunts said. "Hold on I'm gonna go investigate"

"But don't you wanna hear another joke?" The other said desperately.

One of the grunts went over to the rock Derik was standing behind, and was subsequently knocked out with a single punch.

"Huh, hey dude! What's going on over there?" The other grunt went over, and also got subsequently knocked out.

"Well, that deals with that" Derik saw a key card, and took it" Hmm, I'll be taking that thank you very much" He then entered the outpost with the keycard, and infiltrated it, slowly but surely getting to the mainframe, which had a big computer screen, and was filled with storage devices. "Great now just to hack into this, and find the info" Derik saw a hard drive, and took it, but before he could anything else.

"Oh no no, I don't think so"

"Huh!?" Derik swiftly turned around to find a blond, scientist guy was behind him.

"I see you are trying to infiltrate us now are you?" The man said, in a polite tone.

"Hmm, I guess I am, what ticked you off?" Derik asked.

"Well, I've seen you on the cams, making your way towards here"

Damn it forgot about those, who is this guy anyway?!

"Also you're wearing a Team Rocket uniform" The man said. "I am Colress by the way, and I simply can not allow to simply steal intellect, so I'll have to ask you to cease" Colress then sent out his Klinklang.

"Whoa now, you don't have to do this" Derik then said. "I can just leave ever so calmly, just don't attack" Derik said raising his hands into the air.

"Hmm, glad we could come to a peaceful agreement" Colress said, coming closer. "We are all about not using pokemon for malicious means, just between you, and me though, I'm just in it for the science" Colress said, now within whispering distance.

"That's good to KNOW!" Derik suddenly shot a smoke bomb right in Colress' face, poking his eye, and make it perfect for Derik to escape.

"Get him!" Colress ordered his Klinklang. "All grunts out front, we have an intruder!"

Derik ran through the building, several attacks of grunts' pokemon whizzing by him.

"He's over there! Venipede get him!" A Venipede started Rollouting towards Derik, but he kept on running.

"Golett, block his path!" A Golett appeared in the way, and Venipede was still chasing him, Derik hopped over the incoming Venipede, and it rolled into Golett, knocking it over, Derik then ran past.

"Blitzle, on the chase now!" Derik was far too slow to out run it, was this the end?

A Seismitoad appeared in the way, it tried to grab Derik, but he slid underneath, the Blitzle slammed into Seismitoad, and it was blocked.

Derik got out of the building, but waiting for him was Klinklang, and Colress.

"Well, well, well" Colress said. "I never expect a single rocket agent, with no pokemon to make it this far, but you did, so I congratulate you"

"Thanks, it was nothing" Derik said back.

"Yeah, well, I guess we'll have to put you in our custody now"

"Hmm, I guess I'm under the, Guillotine now" Derik said.

"That's a rather odd way to say it" Colress said, confused, but then all of a sudden Bisharp came in, and Guillotined Klingklang. "What!?"

"Heh, was wondering when you'd show up" Derik said, referring to his Pokémon, Eelektross, Gothitelle, Volcarona, Druddigon, and Mienshao came in too.

"What is this shenanigans!?" Colress said, terrified.

"A message, team destroy this place" Derik sent all of his mons to wreak havoc on the outpost, they destroyed it in mere seconds. "Let it be known that Team Rocket will emerge victorious, no matter how much you try, be grateful that I have let you breathe for another day, for now I bid you adieu" Derik returned his pokemon, and flew off back to camp, hard drive in hand ready to get all of it's secrets.

Back in the Team Rocket hideout…

"Booyah!" Meowth said. "I won, give me that sandwich"

*sigh* "You're so good that we ran out of money to bet, and have to use food" James said, disappointingly handing over his half eaten sandwich to Meowth.

"You're not going to eat that right?" Jessie said, slightly grossed out.

"Of course I am, food's food" Meowth said, eating the whole thing in one bite.

Derik came in all of a sudden. "I've got it!" He said, more excited than usual.

"Got what?" James asked.

"This" Derik pulled out that hard drive from earlier.

"Where'd you get that from" Meowth asked.

"Team Plasma's outpost" Derik said.

"You got it from there?" Jessie asked.

"I think we should extract this, there could be some useful info" Derik suggested. "Then we send it to the boss"

"And you think that'll help us get a promotion?" James said.

"And clear your name?" Jessie said.

"Pretty much, we've just scored a big one" Derik said.

"Well, what are we waiting for then, let's do it!" Meowth said.

Later…

The computer turned on.

"Hmm, you have done well"

"Thank you sir" Missile said.

"The files you sent us contained important data, we now know what they've been up to for the past few weeks, nothing much it seems"

"As expected, those buffoons"

"Other than that we have what seems like a catalog for some of their pokemon, a list of some of the officials, but most importantly the coordinates to what seems like their biggest base"

"So what do you want us to do now?"

"Simple head over there, we will do another attack"

"Right, we go over there, and destroy everything"

"Not so fast, those officer files, they imply something strange"

"How come?"

"You know that N character, in these files he's listed as a 'puppet leader', you know what that means"

"There's someone else behind this?"

"Why yes, there is, I want to know the identity of the true leader, head to Mistralton City, wait until we attack, then in all the commotion, infiltrate the base, and steal everything, understand"

"Understand"

"Good, you are dismissed"

The computer shut off.

"Hehe, I told you I would up my game" Derik said.

"Indeed you did" Jessie said. "But now we have to move out tomorrow"

"Welp, I'm going to sleep early tonight" Meowth said.

"Yeah, don't wanna be late" James said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I've got stuff to do" Derik said, leaving abruptly.

"Doesn't that guy ever rest?" Meowth said, more of a statement, than a question.

Out in the forest…

Derik released all of his pokemon. "Go train some more, if you feel like it"

Derik's mons walked away to go do their own things.

*flashback*

Nacrene City, 9 years ago…

"Hey Pawniard, how you feeling?"

'Great, all thanks to you!'

'It was nothing really'

'I want to help others just like you too'

"Huh, you want to join us?"

'Yeah sure!'

"Well alright then"

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Nimbasa City, 8 years ago…

*cries* 'No one wants to be my friend'

'We can be your friend though'

'Yeah! We got your back'

"Hey Gothita, it's okay, we're here for you"

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Mistralton City, 7 years ago…

"Hey bud you better pay for that!"

"You can't just eat this poor thing, Gothita Psychic!"

"Dah! Not my Tynamo!"

"I got you now"

'Thanks Mr.'

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Iccirus City, 6 years ago…

'So cold'

"Eelitrik, Flamethrower!"

'Don't worry we'll keep you warm Larvesta'

'Fire so warm'

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Opelucid City, 5 years ago…

'Stop bullying me'

'Fat chance!'

'Yeah, you're too weak!'

"Larvesta Fire Blast"

'Ooh, hot hot!"

'Runaway!'

"It's okay Mienfoo, they're gone now"

'Wow, you're so strong'

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Undella Town, 3 years ago…

"Guys, we gotta help this Druddigon"

'Here eat this'

"Thanks Mienfoo"

'I feel better now'

'That's great to hear'

'Thank you'

"If only Snivy were here to see this"

*flashback end*

*flashback*

Striaton City, 4 years ago…

"She just left me, just like that"

'It's okay, we can find her'

'Yeah, she couldn't have gone that far'

'We can look, but it make take a while'

'I'll hunt her down easily!'

'I just hope she'll come back'

"There's no point, there's no point anymore, Bisharp, Gothorita, Eeliktrik, Volcarona, Mienfoo, return"

…

"I'll find you, I'll make you come back, you have my word"

*flashback end*

"I will, I will, this is my great comeback, be prepared, you will BE MINE!"

…

"You will…"