AUTHOR'S NOTE

As promised, here's the second installment! I'll just come right out and say it, Team Rocket's plan doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I wrote it and I still don't know what they're actually trying to do - I do know, however, that what I wrote is uh, not quite how these things work. I decided to operate off Pokemon logic, not real life logic, to magic away all the technical and scientific explanations. Just throwing that out there. Hopefully you enjoy this one anyway!

CHAPTER 17
Third Time's The Charm! (Part Two)

"You can do it!" Ash yelled, watching his Hawlucha glide through the air. However, he was not speaking to his Pokemon; rather, he was encouraging the girl who stood across from him.

"Thanks, Ash," she said, her eyes fixed on her own Pokemon. Though Whimsicott was not a flying type, it was high in the air, a paraglider strapped around its arms and a tether keeping it tied to the ground and to a machine that blew air upwards, similar to the natural breeze of Kalos Canyon.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "Hawlucha, Karate Chop!"

With dazzling speed, Hawlucha swooped towards Whimsicott, carefully aimed punches hitting only fluffy mane. This had been Ash's direction when they started the battle - since Whimsicott was not accustomed to battling, and had not used the Sky Battle Simulator before, he didn't want to overwhelm it. He was also being careful to use mainly Fighting-type moves, since as a Grass-type, it was weak to Flying-type moves.

"Whimsicott!" Sable called, racking her brain for a move. "Use, um…Gust!" But Whimsicott only stared at her blankly, her eyes growing wide and sorrowful at the name of a move she had not yet learned.

"Whimsicott won't learn Gust until you battle a bit more," Ash reminded her.

"It was something that begins with a 'G'!" she argued with him. "If it isn't Gust, what else could it be?"

Ash crossed his arms and smirked at her. He knew the answer, of course, but he wasn't going to give it to her. She glared back at him, and finally, she spit out, "Growth."

"Right!" He nodded, then looked at her. "And?"

"And?" Sable repeated helplessly. "And what?"

"And, tell me why Growth would have been a bad move to use in this case."

"Because it doesn't do damage," she admitted. "But none of her moves are going to do damage when she's tethered to that...thing!"

Ash gazed at the machine, not really knowing what to say. Like all of Clemont's inventions, it amazed him from the moment he first showed it to him, and he had proudly carried it to Sable's lesson without stopping to think that perhaps she would not love it as much as he did. It did serve its purpose well - it allowed Pokemon without wings to fly, or at the very least glide, over the battlefield - but for most Pokemon who would need to use it, their attacks would not be as effective from the air, or the necessary hardware of the device would impede them.

"Hawlucha. Thanks for helping out today. Return." Hawlucha was recalled to his Pokeball, and Ash smiled sadly at Sable. "I suppose you're right. This might need a little work before it can be used in a real battle." He tugged at the line connecting the machine and paraglider, bringing Whimsicott back to the safety of the ground before shutting the machine off.

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up in understanding, and she took Whimsicott from Ash as he sighed and started folding the paraglider. "It's still useful, I don't mean any offense to your friend, um..."

"Clemont," he supplied helpfully, and Sable's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Ash and nearby Prism Tower. She had not been paying attention when he first explained the invention, but now that she was, she recognized the name.

"You don't mean...the Gym Leader?" she asked, sounding impressed.

"The one and only!" he said with pride. "Uh, well, not really, I guess, because more people battle his robot than him, but..."

During their lessons, Sable had only heard him ramble about Pokemon before, and she covered her mouth to hide a giggle as he continued to explain how having assistance with battling did not make Clemont any less of a Gym Leader.

"I get it," she said at last, cutting him off before he could repeat himself. "So...this was our last lesson." She had been dreading this moment all day. As much as she hated to admit it, training with Ash had given her a very different perspective on Pokemon than anything she had learned from her parents, and she was not eager to go back to her old ways.

"It doesn't have to be," Ash offered. She had challenged him more than most of his clients, and if there was one thing he liked, it was a good challenge. "But!" He held up one finger and slowly lowered it to point at Sable. "Only under one condition. You have to be honest with your parents."

"What? I...I can't do that!" She glared at him, angry that he would suggest such a thing. "Anything else, I can do. But not that."

Ash shrugged. "That's your choice. I'm not going to force you to tell them anything. But I think you're going to find telling them the truth will make lots of things easier for you. So that's my price. Think about it. You don't need to decide right now." He held out his hand, and Sable took it, her grip firmer than he would have expected.

"I have something for you," she said curtly, reminded of it by his insistence on her speaking with her parents.

"What is it?" Ash asked, surprised. He received checks from his clients, of course, but never usually anything else.

"Uh...here," she said, pulling out two scraps of paper from the front pocket of her dress and handing them to him, her head turned away and an angry scowl on her face. "They're not from me, they're from...them." Ash knew she was referring to her parents, and took the papers curiously, blanching as he noticed that they were tickets to a dance.

"Is this a good time to mention I don't dance?" He tried to hand the tickets back to her, but she didn't take them.

"I didn't get the feeling your attendance was optional." Her attendance was also not optional, and she was more than a little sour about it. "It's tomorrow night, at Battle Chateau."

"Tomorrow?" Ash yelped. "That's really short notice!"

"That's not my fault," Sable told him, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "See you there." She turned, intending to leave, but Ash stopped her.

"Wait a minute." He stared down at the tickets, only just now registering that there were indeed two of them. "Why did you give me two?"

"One for you, one for your date," she said in a falsely sweet voice, and she smirked as Ash went into a coughing fit.

"I don't have one of those," he said nervously. Well, unless he asked...he gulped, suddenly remembering that he was supposed to be having dinner with Clemont, and that he was probably running late.

"Then you have until tomorrow night to find one," Sable said wickedly, but then she caught sight of Ash's expression and her tone switched to one of concern. "What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?" he asked, and she twisted her digital watch towards him, the time flashing 6:40 in large numbers. His reaction was immediate; he grabbed hold of everything he had brought to their lesson, sparing only a quick glance in her direction as he took off for Prism Tower. "Thank you!" he called over his shoulder. Maybe he could get back to Prism Tower and get ready before 7:00, but he doubted it. Hopefully Clemont didn't mind if he was a few minutes late.

"No date, huh," Sable whispered, laughing as he ran off. "As if there was anything else one could be running late for on a Friday night."

People on the streets of Lumiose City stopped and stared as a man walked down the street, a Meowth wearing a leash and collar walking alongside him. It was not so much the odd gait of the Meowth that drew their attention as it was the mismatched appearance of the man's clothing; sunglasses so close to nighttime, and a jacket clearly too heavy for this time of year.

He appeared unphased by the attention he was receiving; in fact, he seemed somewhat to revel in it, nodding at passerby when the mood struck him. "Stop foolin' around," one little girl could have sworn she heard the Meowth mutter, but her mother did not believe her when she mentioned it, and the man had not acted like he heard it.

It was early evening in Kalos, right before the standard closing time for most businesses, including the Lumiose Gym, but he seemed undaunted by the time as he strode towards Prism Tower, opening the door and gesturing for his Meowth to take the lead. His eyes lit up as he spied the help center present in most Kalos establishments, and he made his way towards it, a spring in his step.

"Excuse me, miss," the man said as he approached the desk, making eye contact with the woman that sat there and giving her a wide smile. "Might I be able to challenge the Lumiose Gym?"

"We're closed," she replied. "Come back tomorrow." She shifted her gaze back to a pile of paperwork she had been sorting through, and he frowned.

"But I won't be in town tomorrow!" he exclaimed dramatically. "My Meowth and I were so looking forward to challenging the Gym Leader."

"Meow," supplied Meowth helpfully as the woman glanced at him. If she was surprised about the abnormal sound of Meowth's voice, she did not show it.

"I'm sorry," she said, not letting her annoyance at the pair in front of her break her mask of professionalism. "We can't take any more challengers today."

"But you have to!" he wailed, and threw himself forward, wincing slightly as his knees made contact with the marble floor. "This is my last chance, you see." He wiped away a tear, thankful for his ability to cry on command, and launched into a story he had spent hours practicing. Throughout it, the woman sighed and shifted in her seat, finally peering at him over the top of her glasses as he stood back up.

"If I let you go, will you promise to never bother me again?"

"I promise!" he said, leaning forwards and placing a hand on the desk.

"Then go ahead." She gestured towards the elevators as she turned her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. "It makes no difference to me whether you get turned down here or there."

"Oh, thank you!" he cried in relief, running towards the elevator. "I can't wait for my battle!" The doors opened almost immediately, and he jumped through them, dropping the facade once the doors closed again.

"What in da world was dat?" Meowth scolded him instantly, crossing his arms. "Ya couldn't have gotten us here wit'out da fake sob story?"

"You don't have to be so critical all the time!" James said to him, looking affronted. "I'll have you know that fake sob story was the only reason we got in."

"Da goal was t' ditch da hired help!" Meowth said, glaring at him. "She didn't look like she was leavin' anytime soon."

The elevator dinged as they arrived at their destination, and James shook his finger at Meowth, smiling tolerantly. "Now, now. You must not have been watching me. As we speak, there may or may not be a stink bomb underneath that poor lady's desk. When we want her to leave, all we have to do is detonate it." He pulled a small remote out from seemingly nowhere, and waved it in front of Meowth.

"Nice work!" He smirked at the shock James showed at the rare compliment, then held out his paw. "Let me see it."

"What? No!" James held the remote protectively. 'I was the one that placed it, so I should get to detonate it." He pouted, but Meowth wasn't listening.

"Yeah, yeah." He made a swipe for it, but James only stepped further back out of his reach. "Ya always get t' have all the fun! First Jessie gets t' handle da twerpette, now ya get t' detonate da bomb. What do I get t' do?"

"Watch us," James said with a smirk, but then he yelled as Meowth lunged forward, intent on grabbing the remote from him. "Meowth, let go! You're close to the - no!"

There was no sound, or even smell that floated up to them, but they knew the button had been pressed, and they both stood frozen as they looked from the remote to the elevator, and then at each other. After several minutes, Meowth whispered: "Do ya think she left?"

"That bomb smells like boiled cabbage and old gym socks," James whispered back. "She's definitely gone."

They stayed there in silence for a while, looking around at the tubes of electricity while they wondered what they should do now. Their plan was to go in steps; first they would wait for the electrical disturbance that indicated Jessie was safely in the building; then they would detonate the stink bomb. From there, they would dispatch anyone that was waiting at the Gym, and join her down in Prism Tower's server room, otherwise known as the basement. But there had been no electrical disturbance yet, nor did they see anyone that had come to greet them, so there was nothing to do but wait.

"Do ya think those tubes do anythin'?" Meowth asked, gesturing around them. "Dey look kinda...important."

Team Rocket had found that they had a greater understanding of science and technology than most people. Computers did not intimidate them; electricity was just another tool in their minds. But this seemed to only apply to inventions of their own creation, only half of which worked - when it came to things that had been set up by others, they found themselves as clueless as everyone else. So it was with some confusion that James walked over to one of the tubes, surveying it closely.

"It could just be for decoration," he said, watching the bolts dance inside their prison. He reached out a cautious hand, and with a deep breath, he placed it on the smooth surface in front of him. Immediately there was a change in the pattern as the electricity responded to his hand, but it was not hot or painful to the touch, so he continued to move his hand around the tube, watching with delight as the bolts followed him.

"Well?" Meowth asked impatiently. He was a bit too short to reach the tubes himself, but he did draw closer, watching the lightning show with interest.

"I think they may be independent power supplies," James breathed out in wonder.

"Dat sounds...useful," Meowth said, and from the tone of his voice James could tell he had a new plan. "We should take dem!"

"What? You can't be serious." He shook his head, crossing his arms and staring down at his friend. "Do you know what might happen to this building if we remove them?"

"Exactly," the Scratch Cat Pokemon replied with a smirk.

He did not need to be told twice. Grabbing onto the closest tube with both hands, he tugged at it, straining with all his might. "It won't come off," he complained.

"Let me try," Meowth growled, and James held him up so that he could wrap his paws around the tube. This, too, had poor results, and in frustration, Meowth attacked the bottom of one of the tubes and the column which held it up, noticing that with his last blow, the tube now rattled in its holder. "Lift me up higher!" he ordered James. "We've got some work t' do."

Far above the devious pair, and oblivious to the happenings in the Lumiose Gym, Ash stood in front of the mirror, holding his baseball cap with a frown. On one hand, he wore it pretty much everywhere when he wasn't home. On the other, he didn't feel like it would go over well inside a somewhat fancy cafe on a Friday night. "I don't know," he mused. "What do you think, Pikachu?"

He was late, he knew that. He had watched the clock creep closer and closer to 7:00 as he put the invention away and changed out of his sweaty training clothes. But he just had to make this small decision, and then he could finally leave - or at least, Pikachu had to make the decision.

The Mouse Pokemon had just been about to answer when the lights flickered overhead, and they both looked up in alarm, shooting each other confused looks. "Anything?" asked Ash, knowing that his partner could sense most electrical problems.

"Pika-chu," he replied, cocking his head as if trying to listen to something. Another flicker occurred, and he started running for the elevator. "Pika pika!" he called, and Ash followed him. Guess I'll need the hat after all, he thought, putting it on as he ran after him.

The first thing he noticed was that Pikachu did not go for the elevator as he had expected; rather, he ran towards the emergency staircase that was located beside it. Ash pushed against the door with his shoulder and started running down the steps two at a time, hoping he wouldn't trip. It would be a long way down if he fell from here.

"Where are we going?" he asked his friend, but Pikachu's short response told him no more than that they had not arrived yet. They had gone down what Ash felt must have been at least 30 flights of stairs before Pikachu stopped in front of a door. "The...Gym?" he asked, feeling a pain in his chest as he gasped for air. He wondered if that was what Clemont felt like after he ran down even one flight.

"Pika!" the electric mouse waited patiently for Ash to catch his breath, and as soon as he opened the door, Pikachu shot ahead, calling for him from somewhere inside.

The back of house for the Lumiose Gym resembled a factory; the hallways lined with doors that hid various automated machinery. Ash had been given the grand tour on multiple occasions, but he never could remember quite where everything was or why so much room was needed in the first place. He did, however, remember that on previous visits, it had been rather noisy, and it did not seem to be now.

"I wonder what happened?" Ash wondered aloud. But he did not have to wonder for much longer, for as he walked closer to the end of the hallway and entrance to the battlefield, he could just make Clembot, with Pikachu standing beside him.

"Sir!" Clembot implored, his hands outstretched. "Thank goodness you're here. I was on my way to greet a new challenger when the lights began flickering! My sensors detect a disturbance in the Gym's energy field."

"A disturbance, huh? Is that why you're not battling right now?" If there was a new challenger, then surely they would be expecting to be in a battle about now.

"No one entered the battlefield," the robot replied. "I am wondering if the same thing that caused the disturbance would have sent a false signal. We are near to closing time, after all."

"You would know better than me," Ash told him honestly. "But I'm going to check just in case." He would suspect foul play over a technical malfunction anyway, and his worst fears were confirmed when he reached the other end of the darkened battlefield, peering through the door to see the pair fighting over a tube of electricity on the other side. "Team Rocket," he muttered.

"Are you sure?" asked Clembot, sounding rather confused. "They would not be welcome here."

"Positive." Ash kept watching them, and then asked: "Clembot? If someone wanted to hurt the Lumiose Gym - or maybe all of Prism Tower - how would they do it?"

The robot paused, his processor running as he ran through all the ways the building could be damaged, taking factors out of their control such as natural disasters out of the equation. "I suppose they would need to access the mainframe."

"Mainframe?" Ash asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"A large computer," Clembot recited. "One that is capable of supporting numerous systems. The mainframe of Prism Tower serves as the central processing unit and is the primary point of communication for all electronics and programs throughout the building."

"So...if someone were to access it...what would happen?"

"The outcome would be less than desirable," Clembot replied. "It takes the system a certain amount of time to shut down, during which a secondary system is brought online to continue the normal operation of the building until the mainframe can be rebooted. If this process is interrupted, both systems could become corrupt."

"Where is it located?" Ash asked urgently. Somehow, he was sure that was what Team Rocket was after - especially with one member of their trio missing from the scene in front of him.

"In the basement," Clembot replied. "Why?"

"There's no time to explain. Just get down there, as fast as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" Clembot said. "Right away!"

Once he was sure Clembot had exited the battlefield, Ash opened the other door, striding into the hallway to interrupt Team Rocket. "You're more trouble than you're worth," he told them bitterly, almost feeling pleased by how startled they were to see him. "What do you want this time? Pikachu? The Gym? Whatever it is, you're not going to get it."

"I thought you said he wasn't going to be here," James whispered urgently to Meowth.

"Dat's what I thought, too!" Meowth said, glaring at Ash. "Hey, twerp! Ain't ya supposed t' be somewhere?"

"No way," Ash said, crossing his arms. "If the Lumiose Gym is in danger, this is exactly where I need to be."

"It's not in danger," James told him, trying to hide the tube of electricity behind his back.

"Yeah," said Meowth with a smirk. "We'll take real good care a' it." James kicked him lightly in the leg, and he glared at him.

"We're just here to, ah...challenge the gym!" James continued, knowing that Ash wasn't falling for it. But at this point, he was simply stalling for time. With five of the electric tubes stuffed in his oversized jacket, and one more in his hands, he felt sure they had obtained enough power to help Jessie with her part of the plan.

"Really?" Ash asked skeptically. "In that case...Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu ran forward and got into an attack pose, but all James could do was stare. "Since when did you get the authority to battle as a Gym Leader?"

"Since you walked in," he replied grimly. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" He did not care that James had not taken out his own Pokemon and had no means to defend himself. It wasn't meant to be a real battle anyway, and if Team Rocket won, he would lose a lot more than a Voltage Badge.

Throwing the tube aside, James reached down for his Pokeballs. "Go! Inkay!" The Revolving Pokemon burst out, floating in the air as he waited for an order from his partner. "Use Psybeam!"

The battle went on for quite some time, both Pokemon becoming adept at dodging even though they were fighting in the narrow hallway, rather than the official battlefield that lay just beyond the door. The trainers each grinned at each other, enjoying the battle despite the circumstances, and being so absorbed in the action it took them a moment to realize that something was wrong.

"What -" Ash started to ask, feeling the floor shake, but before he could finish the ground gave way beneath them. He found himself thrown against rough metal, hurtling downwards with alarming speed, and though it all seemed to happen in a fraction of a second he noticed that it was not only him falling; but Pikachu and Team Rocket as well. It all felt very familiar, and as he progressed further through the metal chute, he could think only one thing.

Not again.

"Watch where you're going!" High in the sky, Jessie lurched forward as the basket of Team Rocket's Meowth balloon grazed the top of a building, and she snarled in frustration. "I want to get there in one piece!"

"Wob-buffet!" The Patient Pokemon had been waiting on standby with the balloon, and now that Jessie had successfully obtained the supplies they needed, they were on their way towards Prism Tower.

"And remember," she told him, glaring. "Drop me off around the back of the building! I need to be able to get in that door without anyone seeing me."

Like with many large buildings in the area, a second, service door was there in addition to the main entrance. Using floor plans they had requested from the city under the guise of professional architects, Team Rocket had traced a perfect path from that door to the basement, which had been given special structural support and additional cooling units indicating that a large number of computers or servers were likely housed there. Making that assumption without scoping out the rest of the building was a risk, of course, but one they were willing to take.

It was not long before Jessie was descending towards that service entrance, holding on tight to the ladder as she climbed down. "You're to wait for me right here, got it?" It was more of an order than a request, and Wobbuffet saluted in response. "Good," she said, and made the final jump from the last rung to the ground.

Getting in the door was the easy part - with security more relaxed than it ever should be, it had been left unlocked, with no one guarding it. It was navigating through the hallways to find the staircase for the basement that was the hard part - especially when factoring in the stink bomb that had deployed early.

"Ugh!" she cried, covering her mouth and nose. "Those two idiots can't do anything right!" Her eyes narrowing in suspicion, she pulled a detonator from her pocket, inspecting it. While she had told the brat she was responsible for an electronic disruption at Prism Tower, in fact the detonator she had held was originally going to spring a trap in the warehouse. Must have gotten damaged with that Thundershock, she thought. But a part of her wondered if she had gotten the detonators mixed up by mistake, and so she pressed this one, hoping for the best. The lights flickered within moments, and she smiled. "Ha! I knew it."

The disrupter seemed to knock out the lights, but it did not have much impact on anything else, leaving Jessie to inspect the mainframe carefully once she found it. The goal was to turn it off without damaging it, for they still needed it to work once they had overwritten its memory with their own programming. Pulling a cord would not do, nor would manually turning it off via a button do it either. But eventually, she found a traditional monitor, keyboard, and mouse set up in the corner, and she sat down in front of it, navigating her way through menu screens until she found the Shut Down command.

"What?" She peered at the screen as it went to black with white text, reading the message blinking at her. "Sixteen minutes until shut down?! That's ridiculous!" She clicked the mouse furiously, and when that did nothing, she begin typing on the keyboard, careful jabs at it turning into mashing multiple keys. "You." Bang. "Stupid." Bang. "Machine." Bang. "Just shut down already!"

As if responding to her request, the screen suddenly went dark, and Jessie beamed at it. "Now, was that so -" she stopped abruptly as the screen turned blue in front of her, a message about some fatal error popping up for all of a second before the machine shut off.

If she had not been working against the clock, she would have thrown something at the monitor, for all the irritation the display had caused her. But as things stood, she was not sure how much time she would have before the system rebooted, and so she pulled out a flash drive, plugging it into the only available USB port.

"Good enough," she said, surveying her work before running back out to the balloon. It was obvious that James and Meowth had no intention of coming down to her after all, so it was going to be up to her to find them.

"I do appreciate the company, but you realize you don't have to walk me to the Pokemon Center. I'm sure I can find my own way this time."

Serena and Calem had arrived in Lumiose City several minutes ago, returning now that Calem had gotten his Fairy Badge. Ideally, he would have gone onto Anistar City next for the Psychic Badge, but Serena had insisted he come back to Lumiose City with her so they could attend a dance at the Battle Chateau together, and he had been so pleased with the invite he was willing to take a detour.

"Silly!" She smiled up at him. "It just so happens that the Pokemon Center is on my way." In actuality, it was Prism Tower that was on the way to the Pokemon Center, but technicalities like that hardly mattered when they would both arrive at their destinations shortly anyway.

She stared ahead at the place she called home, wondering if anything would be different. She hadn't been gone all that long, really; just a week or so, but already she felt disconnected from Lumiose City in a way she had not expected. The city; the tower; the gym, they had all been such an integral part of her life when she left. But now she was remembering the thrill of being out on the road and not being sure where exactly her journey was taking her, things she had dreaded at first but had come to love. Not that there wasn't a certain charm to this area of Kalos, she thought to herself as she looked at how the rapidly fading sunlight winked off the exterior of the tall building. It was nice to have a place to return to, where she knew she would always be among friends.

It was at that moment Serena saw something move on the side of Prism Tower, and she squinted at it, trying to make it out. The tower was not that far away now, but it was difficult to see that high up. "Did you see that?" she asked Calem, but even without his answer she knew he had from the way he had stopped walking, his eyes firmly fixed on that point in the sky.

"Does it normally -" he began to ask, and then more movement caught his eye; movement that made them both gasp. They could clearly see a person falling from the top of the building, followed by more shapes that looked like people and Pokemon, one of whom looked suspiciously like...

"Ash!" Serena was running before she even realized what was happening. She would recognize him anywhere; the way he rolled in midair and moved his arms and legs as if he could slow down his fall. He was trying to get to Pikachu; she was sure of it. "Damn it!" She cursed all women's footwear as her heel rubbed painfully against the back of her boot with every step, slowing her down. And then Calem was there, running past her with a burst of speed she did not feel capable of. Even then, he was too slow, and he called for help.

"Greninja! Ahead of us! Save those people!" The Ninja Pokemon was off, moving faster than either of them could ever hope to. Still, they did not stop running, watching intently as Greninja continued his way towards the tower. None of them were going to make it in time, they knew that, and yet they couldn't just give up.

They were so close to the ground now. Serena closed her eyes and stopped running, her hands coming up to cover her face. She could not stand there and watch a tragedy unfold in front of her no more than she could stop said tragedy from happening. Tears fell down her cheeks as she battled with herself. This can't be real, she told herself. He can't really be...

And then Calem was by her side, tugging at her hands and laughing. "Look!" he shouted, and Serena opened her eyes, following his gaze, where she saw a large balloon, and Ash was on it, hanging over the edge and looking rather exhausted, but he was certainly still alive. She did not think she had ever been happier to see Team Rocket's balloon before, and holding onto Calem's hand, they ran towards Prism Tower together.

"Ash!" she shouted as she got closer. "You're okay!"

"Serena?" he asked in amazement, and he lifted himself from the side of the balloon, beaming down at her. "When did you get back? It's good to see you!"

"I could say the same thing!" she told him, waving. "I thought you were a goner!"

"Me? Never," he said proudly, and then as if remembering something, he turned to face James. "I guess a 'thank you' is in order."

"Don't mention it," James replied with a sweeping bow. "Team Rocket doesn't believe in murder. Or untimely accidental death."

"Speak for yourself!" They suddenly realized that someone else was standing on the ground, staring up at the balloon with her hands on her hips. "Wobbuffet. Land that balloon!" The Patient Pokemon saluted, and she then turned her attention to her partner. "And you," she said acidly. "Don't just stand there looking pleased with yourself! Grab that Pikachu!"

"But Jessie!" James whined, looking over at Ash, who held Pikachu protectively in his arms. "That was a scary fall! Can't it wait?"

"She's right," Meowth said, taking a small step forward with a menacing expression on his face. "Hand 'im over, twerp. Just because we ain't gonna let ya die doesn't mean we don't want your Pikachu!"

"What?" Calem asked, staring at the scene unfolding in front of him. "Serena, do you know what's going on here? Who are those people?"

"They're Team Rocket," she whispered back to him. "They're mean people that are always trying to steal other people's Pokemon!" But the explanation did no good, for hearing the question, Jessie's eyes glinted, and she decided to answer the question her own way - in style.

"Prepare for trouble; Team Rocket is back!"
"And make it double; you'll soon be under attack!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare for one electrifying fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"

"So...not the good guys," Calem clarified, not entirely sure after their introduction.

"Right," Serena said grimly.

"But what about..." Calem watched with curiosity as Ash and Jessie seemed almost to switch places; she lunged forward and tried to grab Pikachu even as he dodged out of her way and jumped out of the balloon. She recovered quickly, standing inside the balloon and pointing at him.

"Go get that Pikachu!" she ordered no one in particular.

"Forget it!" Ash yelled, now a safe distance from them. "You're not getting him." James grabbed Jessie's elbow, whispering in her ear and pointing somewhere off in the distance, but no one on the ground saw anything.

"Fine, twerp," Jessie spit out. "We have more important plans anyway." The balloon began to rise again, and she laughed at the confused expressions she was receiving.

"More important?" Serena asked, feeling nervous.

"Don't we need to stop them?" Calem asked. "Those important plans probably aren't good."

"Nah." Ash had finally joined them. "Let them get a bit higher first. If we attack them now, we might risk hurting Prism Tower. Hi, by the way." He grinned, and held out his hand. "I'm Ash."

"Calem. I'm a...friend, of Serena's," he said, smiling at her in a way that told her he wished to be more than simply friends, and she blushed.

"Any friend of Serena's is a friend of mine!" Ash boasted. "Hey," he said suddenly, peering around them. "Isn't that...Bonnie? And Todd?"

They turned around, seeing the pair running towards them as fast as they could. "Ash! Serena!" She pointed up at the balloon, looking angry. "Team Rocket is after the Gym!"

"Well, look at that." Jessie smirked, staring down at Bonnie. "Looks like the little troublemaker has found her way out. Proud of yourself?" she asked, with surprising genuity.

"As a matter of fact, I am." Bonnie put her hands on her hips and grinned triumphantly at Jessie. Never mind that just moments before Todd had rescued her, she felt completely helpless - Team Rocket didn't need to know about that.

"Good," Jessie replied, and then in one fluid motion, she pointed at Bonnie, lifting up her yellow bag with her other hand. "Because I have an important message for all of you. You have her to thank for what happens next!"

She drew out Bonnie's yellow bag, and the group gasped; everyone, that is, except Calem, who had not seen the bag before. Jessie threw her head back, laughing as she opened the flap, and she looked inside. But that was when her expression changed - it went from triumphant to confused as she looked at the contents.

This was not how Bonnie had pictured taking Team Rocket down - but it would work, and time was of the essence. "Dedenne, would you like to do the honors?" Bonnie asked, and the Antennae Pokemon nodded.

Jessie had only a moment to look up before the attack hit, and she looked both scared and angry. She did not even try to defend herself - she knew there was no point. The attack was not likely to miss. It struck the basket of the balloon, and Bonnie's bag went flying up, the contents falling out and raining down on Team Rocket - all except for one item. The hairspray. It flew further towards the top of the balloon, the aerosol can coming in contact with the flame that kept them afloat. "Uh oh," she whispered, and closed her eyes.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Wow!" Todd said, looking at Bonnie with respect and awe even as Team Rocket and their balloon were thrown far in the distance. "How did you know that would happen?"

"It's a talent," she said, looking pleased. She actually had no idea that would happen - her goal was to get her bag back, and hopefully scare Team Rocket off in the process. And now, clutching her bag as it floated back down to her in the aftermath of the explosion, she felt like she had done even more.

"That was incredible," Ash told her, patting her on the shoulder. "You really saved the day!" Both Serena and Calem chimed in with words of praise as well, and Bonnie smiled at them, hugging Dedenne. "But...what are those?"

They stared up at the remaining items falling from the sky; several tubes of what looked like pure electricity crackling brightly in the growing darkness, in stark contrast to the unlit Prism Tower. "I know!" Bonnie said, staring at them. "They're plasma lamps! But the only place we have those..."

"...is at the entrance of the Gym," Ash said, recognizing them now that Bonnie had said something. Those were the tubes that he had caught James and Meowth stealing.

"Plasma?" Serena asked, sounding nervous. "That sounds really dangerous!"

"It's completely harmless," Bonnie assured her. "But the glass..."

"I'm on it!" Calem said, to everyone's surprise. "Greninja! Dark Pulse!"

"I'll help!" Serena pulled out a Pokeball, throwing it forward and releasing Braixen. By performing at showcases with both Braixen and Pancham, she had learned a lot about how Fire and Dark-type moves worked together, and she was sure both were required in this case. "Braixen! Help Greninja! Fire Blast!"

The combined attack hit the plasma lamps in midair, and they exploded, colors lighting the sky in lightning patterns that kept recurring, resembling fireworks more each time it happened.

"That might be going on for a while," Bonnie said, noticing that Todd had taken out his camera, snapping pictures of the fireworks show at every chance he got. "We did it, Dedenne," she said happily. "We really did it."

"Not quite," Ash said, suddenly remembering something. "I sent Clembot down to check on the mainframe! I have to make sure Team Rocket didn't get to it first." It had not gone unnoticed by the group that Prism Tower, normally brightly lit on every floor, seemed to have no power.

"Take the stairs!" Bonnie yelled after him, and he showed her a quick thumbs up before disappearing into the building. "So..." she said, looking over at Serena and Calem with interest. "You must be Calem." She smirked, ignoring Serena's signals to her to stop talking.

"And you must be Bonnie," Calem said with a smile. "Serena has told me so much about you!" Bonnie took a few steps towards him, and then to his surprise, she slid down onto one knee, holding her hand towards him. Serena groaned, covering her face with her hands. She was almost too scared to look. Though Bonnie had never done this for her before, only for Clemont, she knew what came next, and there was no stopping her.

"Calem, you're a keeper!" He blinked in confusion, and looked down at her. He didn't think anyone had ever called him that before. "Will you take care of Serena? Please?"

"Bonnie!" she hissed, reaching down and trying to pull her away from Calem. "Don't do that!" But Calem had already smiled at her, placing his hand over his heart.

"I always will," he said gently. "That's a promise. I think the real question here is...will she let me?"

He looked at Serena, and she blushed. Her heart fluttered in a familiar and yet not-so-familiar way, and she compared them once more in her mind; Ash and Calem. There was a time in her life when she thought Ash would be the only man she could ever love. He was kind and selfless, always throwing his heart and soul into helping others. But now, she had met Calem, and he too focused equally on his friends and his goals, seeking to combine them whenever possible. Ever since they had first spoken, shortly after his Gym Battle with Clemont, her heart had been split between the two of them. But while she could spend her whole life waiting for Ash to return her feelings, she didn't have to wait for Calem.

"Yes," she said quietly, and with a shy smile, she held Calem's hand. Bonnie got up off the ground, looking pleased with herself. For once, that question had worked, and she couldn't be happier about it. "I guess you really are a keeper."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Goodbye, Team Rocket! I really hope I don't need to write any more dialogue for Meowth now that I've finished this chapter. It's a pain to have to comb through everything he says with my "English to Meowth" speech pattern guide. Anyway, the next chapter, as you might guess, focuses on Clemont. I feel it's a pretty controversial one, and suspect you'll either love it or hate it - but either way, it is one I think you've all been waiting for.

Stay tuned for Chapter 18 / Part Three, and thank you for reading / following / favoriting / reviewing!