"Battle Tower should be just ahead." Ash said, looking at the map. "Do you have a plan?"
"No more than I usually do." Brendan said. "I don't even know what I'll be up against this time."
"Hasn't stopped you before." Wally said. "You still have a lot of powerful Pokemon that haven't gotten much use yet."
"Yeah, I think Rhyperior is itching for a big battle like this one." Brendan said.
"Not to mention Hypno and Hitmonlee." Wally listed.
"Also Aggron hasn't been used since he was a Lairon." Ash reminded.
"No, he was used, you were locked in the broom closet and blind at that time." Wally pointed out.
"Yeah I'm still not over what you guys did that time." Ash said.
"We apologized." Brendan said.
"You did, Wally hasn't." Ash said. "Anyways, I wouldn't recommend bringing both anyways."
"What's your reasoning this time?" Brendan asked.
"They're both too heavy." Flannery realized. "If you went up against fast or flying Pokemon you would struggle to hit them."
"Brendan, boys, and one girl… good to see you!" Scott said, rolling up to them. "Glad to see you've made it this far."
"Hey Scott, I guess this means we're close." Brendan said.
"Yes, and no." Scott said.
"That doesn't make sense." Flannery commented.
"Well, you're near the Battle Tower, but it isn't open today." Scott said, letting them get in.
"The facility isn't open? Then why are you giving us a ride." Wally asked.
"Because, I'm taking you to where the Salon Maiden is." Scott said. "She's the frontier brain in charge of the Battle Tower."
"We're being taken to her on her day off?" Ash asked.
"She's getting lunch at a new noodle restaurant nearby." Scott said. "And she wanted to support the business so she closed the tower to enjoy her time."
"Must be some really good noodles." Wally said.
"The owner makes them all himself from scratch." Scott said. "Just opened recently too. Ahh, there it is."
"Well, we could use some lunch." Brendan said.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, rushing in.
"Pikachu hold on!" Ash said, rushing after the electric type.
"Twer! Hello customer!" A guy with shoulder length purple hair said. "What can I get for you today?"
"Mrow." A Meowth purred from the corner.
"Ash, Pikachu, what's going… Team Rocket!" Brendan exclaimed, Swampert coming out on instinct.
"Team Rocket? Where!" Flannery said, rushing in with Blaziken.
"Haha." The man said nervously. "Team Rocket, no my name is Jameson, I'm just a humble noodle chef."
"Guys, stand down." Scott said. "He's done nothing wrong."
"He's from Team Rocket!" Brendan argued. "We've been fighting them for weeks, they tried killing us."
"I'm sorry about this sir." Scott apologized. "I was just trying to introduce them to your food."
"Not a problem, here I'm more than happy to show them around to prove I'm not a threat to them." Jameson said.
"Go on, I'll take a seat." Scott said.
"Maybe check on Wally, you'd think he'd be in here by now." Ash said, as the three and their Pokemon were lead back.
"Okay, see it's just a regular kitchen." Jameson said.
"Guys! I'm here!" Wally said, crashing through the back door. "James?"
"Ohhhhh." Jameson sighed, falling to the ground. "Fine you guys got me. I was a member of Team Rocket, but I left."
"Left, you were a member not that long ago!" Brendan argued.
"He ran away when Jessie went crazy." Ash realized.
"Yes, we ran from Seven Island shortly after you showed up." James said, as Meowth walked over.
"What's wrong with him?" Ash asked.
"When Jessie was taking power from everything, she took something from Meowth, and he hasn't spoken or walked on two legs since." James admitted.
"And you ran here. Middle of nowhere, close to a strong trainer, no one would suspect you to be a Team Rocket member." Flannery said.
"Actually they know." James sighed. "Annabelle, the frontier brain, she already knows, that's why she's here today."
"Why would she be here if you quit?" Wally asked.
"Because he didn't quit, he ran away." Ash realized. "And they're coming for you."
"Yes, they are sending an admin after me to take care of me." James said in fear. "Please twerp, you have to help."
"Okay." Ash said.
"Really, we have every right to turn him in." Flannery said. "To Team Rocket or the authorities."
"He also asked for our help." Ash said.
"Also he saved me when Brendan was kidnapped." Wally remembered.
"So what's the plan?" Brendan asked. "Are you even sure that they'll be here today?"
"I saw Arianna yesterday, she never forgets a face, she went to get more members and is on her way back." James said.
"Okay, then let's just act casually about this." Ash said. "We'll let Scott know that we're in on this."
"Thank you all." James said, as he recomposed himself.
It was a few hours later of waiting as the group was still sitting in booths waiting for someone to show up, the only exception was Scott and Wally who were in Scott's truck a ways off.
"Guys, I see movement, and a lot of it, be ready." Scott said. "Three trucks heading your way."
"Copy that." Ash said. "Flannery go in the back with James, we'll handle things up here. And Wally, stay safe and get Scott out if things get messy."
"Okay, Blaziken let's go." Flannery said.
"Copy Sensei." Wally said, flicking his wrist to send out Gallade.
"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly.
"Swampert, let's do this." Brendan said.
"Espeon let's do what we can." Anabele said.
Ash, Brendan, and Anabele walked out to see the three trucks skid to a stop, surrounding the road out.
"You don't have to get hurt, we just want the deserter." A grunt said angrily.
"Deserter? I don't think there's one here." Brendan said.
"Nope, no one here but us three." Ash lied.
"Oh please, we know he's in there." A woman said, walking out of the center truck. "Turn him over and things won't get messy."
"Oh I think they already are." Brendan said. "Swampert use Rollout!"
Swampert rushed forward, slamming into a truck, knocking it over in a single hit.
"Vileplume use Mega Drain." Ariana said, pointing at Brendan's Swampert.
"Espeon use Quick Attack to intercept!" Anabele commanded.
Espeon rushed between Swampert and Vileplume, being pulled in by Vileplume's attack instead of Swampert.
"Pikachu use Iron Tail!" Ash called out.
Pikachu leapt forward, slamming his tail down on Vileplume's flower, causing the grass type to fall over.
"Swampert use Rollout again!" Brendan called out, as Swampert slammed into the second truck.
"Vileplume use Sleep Powder! Murkrow use Pursuit! Arbok use Poison Sting!"
Green spores shot out from Vileplume's flower, coating Pikachu in them, putting the electric type to sleep. A Murkrow shot down from the sky, swiping at Espeon, causing the psychic type to wince in pain. Finally an Arbok uncoiled out of the second truck, sending a poisonous attack down on Swampert.
"New plan. Quilava come out and use Flamethrower!" Ash called out. "Sceptile grab Pikachu!"
The two starter Pokemon rushed forward, Sceptile speeding ahead and grabbing Pikachu just as Vileplume was engulfed in flames.
"Espeon use Zap Cannon!" Anabele called out.
An intense bolt of lightning shot out from Espeon's gem, dropping Murkrow to the ground in a single hit.
"Swampert it's time to use that move Phanpy taught us! Use Earthquake!" Brendan called out.
Swampert slammed his fists into the truck, sending it crashing into the other two, knocking out all three of Ariana's Pokemon at once.
"It doesn't matter, there are hundreds of us, we'll come back in hundreds." Ariana said.
"Or you would if you hadn't passed our friends a mile back." Brendan said, as Officer Jenny's surrounded the Team Rocket members.
"I'm surprised he didn't show up." Anabele said. "I figured Scott would have called the big guns for this one."
A bit later, after Team Rocket had been rounded up, and the field had been cleaned up
"Thanks again for not abandoning me twerp." James said.
"It's no problem, you don't deserve whatever they were planning, the two of you have suffered enough." Ash said. "Stay safe."
"With that out of the way, I think it's time for a battle." Scott said.
"Let's wait until tomorrow, we'll need some time to heal up our Pokemon." Anabele said.
Brendan's Current Team and their moves
Swampert: Ice Beam - Rollout - Hydro Cannon - Earthquake
Shiftry: Nasty Plot - Dark Pulse - Leaf Storm - Extrasensory
Aggron: Double Edge - Earthquake - Rock Tomb - Metal Claw
Rhyperior: Mega Horn - Crush Claw - Aqua Tail - Rock Blast
