Alright guys, this is where things start to get REALLY exciting! Know why? Here comes the big villain arc of the story! What exactly is it that Team Rocket has been up to? We're about to find out...

LAST TIME: Michelle competes in the Cyan Town Pokémon Contest to try and win her fifth and final ribbon. There, she meets up with one of her rivals, Zella, who is not exactly partial to Michelle. The girls end up meeting in the finals, where Michelle gets the edge on Zella and ends up winning her fifth ribbon, granting her entry into the Grand Festival!

Chapter 56: A City in Peril

"Eight badges…five ribbons. You two are all set!"

Aiden and Michelle beamed at Professor Oak, who was sitting across from them at the dining room table. They had just returned from Cyan Town, and Misty had invited Delia and Professor Oak over to celebrate the twins' successes.

"Oh, I'm so proud of my grandbabies!" Delia squealed, clasping her hands together. "It seems like only yesterday you two were just little babies crawling around on my living room floor. Now you're both trainers about to enter your first championships! Time certainly has gone by quickly!"

"Grammy…" Aiden chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Misty, who sat at the head of the table in what was usually Ash's chair, smiled at the conversation going on before her. She hadn't really contributed; she was just listening and watching. Delia was right; time had gone by so quickly. The twins certainly weren't little kids anymore. They had been on this journey for months now, nearing a year, in fact, and they had both grown into wonderfully talented Pokémon trainers. Misty was immensely proud of them. They were both realizing their dreams, and that was all a mother ever wanted for her children. Still, it was now really hitting her that they weren't babies anymore. They didn't need her nearly as much as they had when they were younger.

Still deep in thought, Misty suddenly felt something on her foot. Looking down, she realized that Elizabeth was bouncing Teddi up and down on the top of her foot, pretending that the stuffed bear was talking to a stuffed Azurill. Smiling, Misty bent over and lifted the little girl up, sitting the child on her lap.

"Lizzie," Misty began softly, "promise me you won't grow up so fast, okay?"

Elizabeth glanced up at her mother and giggled airily. "Okay, Mommy. Promise!"

Misty smiled and brushed a finger against her youngest child's cheek, raising her eyes to put her focus back on the other people sitting at the table.

"So you two, when do these big tournaments start?" Delia asked.

"I'm not sure," Michelle admitted.

"Do you know where they'll be?" Delia tried.

"Nope, don't know that either…" Aiden sighed.

At this, Misty's eyes widened. "What?! Didn't either of you think to ask that question?"

"…no…" the twins admitted quietly.

"Oh, just like your father," Misty sighed, hanging her head.

"Not to worry, Misty," Professor Oak chuckled. "I can help these two out!"

Misty picked her head up, and Aiden and Michelle leaned forward in interest.

"What do you know, Professor?!" Aiden asked excitedly.

"Yeah, tell us!" Michelle prodded.

"The Kanto Grand Festival will take place in exactly one month, and the Indigo League in two," Professor Oak elucidated. "They will both be taking place at the Indigo Plateau."

"Wow, the Indigo Plateau!" Aiden crowed. "Where Mom and Dad go to work!"

"Not all the time," Misty giggled, gently blushing. "Your father goes there more than me! But it's very beautiful up there. And of course their facilities are state-of-the-art! Those events are going to be wonderful."

Michelle was staring down at the table, eyes blinking hard every few seconds. "The Grand Festival is in just a month…?"

"That's pretty soon," Brandon commented, nodding his head.

"You know what that means?" Aiden asked, a smile etching itself onto his lips.

"I do," Michelle replied, looking up and beaming. "It's time to start some special training!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Aiden cheered, jumping out of his seat and sending the chair skidding across the floor.

"Aiden," Misty groaned.

"I can't help it, Mom!" Aiden chuckled. "This is so exciting!"

"I know," Misty assured. "But it would be nice if your excitement didn't result in the destruction of our house."

"It'll be fine," Aiden assured before turning his attention onto his sister. "Michelle, ready to start training together?"

"Together?" Michelle repeated.

"Yeah!" Aiden replied. "You and I both have big competitions coming up. Why not work together to get ready?"

"That's a great idea!" Michelle breathed, jumping to her feet and sending her own chair skidding. Misty groaned at the sound and winced as though she were in physical pain. Delia caught sight of this and giggled, knowing exactly what Misty was experiencing.

"You are going to be doing this special training outside, right?" Misty asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Aiden chirped. "Come on, guys! Brandon, could you be our referee?"

"You know it," Brandon chuckled, getting up far more carefully than his two friends had.

"Oh, thank you," Misty sighed out of relief, earning a smile from Brandon.

"No problem," he chuckled.

"Come on!" Aiden urged, waving his sister and best friend on. They quickly followed after him, running through the house towards the back door. Even from the dining room, the remaining guests could hear the door slide open and then slam shut.

"It must be nice to have your hands full again, Misty," Professor Oak noted.

Misty smirked at this. "You know, it's funny. They were gone for so long that I almost forgot just how much energy those two have!"

"I bet you missed that," Delia giggled. "I know I always did when Ash was gone!"

"The house has been so quiet without those two…without all three of them," Misty corrected, thoughts of her husband filling her head. "It's really just been Elizabeth and I. Right, sweetheart?"

Elizabeth beamed and nodded her head. "I have fun with Mommy!"

Misty smiled and hugged her daughter more tightly against her. "I sure am a lucky mommy to have such a sweet little girl like you, Lizzie. You always know how to make me feel better."

Professor Oak and Delia giggled delightfully at Misty and Elizabeth's exchange, especially when Elizabeth turned around to hold onto Misty's face and give her a big kiss.

As the adults continued to laugh, the phone in the kitchen started to ring. Raising an eyebrow, Misty glanced down at Elizabeth and smiled at the girl. "I have to go answer that. Can you stay here with Grammy and Professor Oak?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped.

Misty smiled and stood up, placing the little girl on the chair she had just left vacant. "Behave for them!"

"I'm always good!" Elizabeth cried, leading Misty to smirk as she walked away.

Misty walked into the kitchen, leaning over the desk as she hit the button on the video phone to answer the call. She wasn't sure who she had been expecting, but she certainly hadn't been expecting who showed up on the other end.

"Officer Jenny?" Misty answered in obvious surprise.

"Misty," Officer Jenny rushed out in a serious manner, "thank goodness you're home."

"Is something wrong?" Misty asked, furrowing her brow.

"Yes," Officer Jenny replied, nodding her head.

Misty tried to think of what it could possibly be, when a horrible thought popped into her head. Face paling, Misty leaned in closer and hurriedly asked, "it's not my husband, is it?!"

"No, not about him," Officer Jenny refuted.

"Oh thank gods," Misty breathed out heavily, pressing a hand against her heart. "I was so scared…I thought…"

"This isn't so much a personal call as it is one on behalf of the entire city," Officer Jenny explained.

"What do you mean?"

"We received word not too long ago that Team Rocket is planning an ambush downtown," Officer Jenny continued.

"Team Rocket?!" Misty spat.

"Yes. Our intel informed us that Team Rocket has been attacking cities all across Kanto like this, and now they're planning one on Cerulean."

"Those bastards," Misty hissed under her breath. "What do you need me to do?"

"We need you to help us out. Our officers can battle, but none of us are as strong or as skilled as you are. We need your help if we want to protect the city."

"You've got it," Misty breathed, nodding her head. "I'll be right there."

She hung the phone up and went striding back into the dining room. Little did she know, however, that one of the windows in the kitchen was open, and the twins and Brandon had heard every word of her conversation.

"Team Rocket is back?" Michelle groaned.

"Yeah, and now they're going to attack our hometown," Aiden seethed. "I can't stand those jerks!"

"Hopefully Mom can stop them," Michelle sighed.

"What do you mean Mom?" Aiden stormed. "She can't go out there alone!"

"Aiden…" Michelle warned.

"Don't suggest what I think you're about to suggest," Brandon muttered.

"We've got to go with her," Aiden urged.

"There it is," Michelle grumbled, shaking her head.

"Aiden, we've dealt with Team Rocket in the past," Brandon reasoned with the raven haired boy. "You know how dangerous they are."

"Which is exactly why Mom shouldn't be going alone!" Aiden hissed.

"She won't be alone, she has the police to back her up," Michelle replied.

"None of those people have experienced Team Rocket like we have," Aiden pressed. "They don't know what they're up against."

Michelle and Brandon looked at one another, their faces reflecting serious concern.

"If you two want to stay back here, that's fine," Aiden piped up. "But I'm going."

And with that, the young boy turned and stormed towards the front of the house, leaving behind a stunned Michelle and Brandon. After a few seconds of silence, Michelle turned towards Brandon and sagged her shoulders.

"Brandon…what do we do?"

XXX

"I'm so sorry, but could you guys watch Elizabeth for a little while?"

Delia and Professor Oak looked up at Misty in concern.

"Misty, dear, is everything okay?" Delia asked.

"It will be," Misty replied. "I just have something very important I need to do, and Elizabeth has to stay here."

Elizabeth sat up on the chair on her knees, staring up at Misty with wide eyes. "Mommy?"

Misty smiled at her young daughter and toyed with her bangs. "It's okay, sweetie. Grammy and Professor Oak will take good care of you while I'm gone!"

Elizabeth looked awfully upset. It was already bad enough that her daddy was never around, but now her mommy was leaving too. Elizabeth was used to almost always having at least one of them there, and this entire situation was quickly becoming very upsetting for her. Misty knew this was the problem, but she couldn't dwell on it. If she did…she would never leave the house.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Misty assured the child, picking her up and giving her a kiss before handing her off to the waiting Delia. "I promise, sweetie."

Elizabeth frowned, and Delia held the child closer to her, stroking her dark red hair. She smiled encouragingly at Misty, but the gym leader wasn't feeling too good about herself at the moment. Running a hand through her hair, Misty turned on a heel and hurried to the front door, wanting to get through Team Rocket as quickly as possible so she could be reunited with her children.

"Vaporeon," Misty ordered as she placed her hand on the doorknob. The water type, who had been dozing off on the couch, picked her head up and looked over at her trainer. "We've got a very important mission. Come on."

The bubble jet Pokémon mewled and leapt off the couch, brushing up to Misty's legs. The gym leader pushed open the door and walked out, Vaporeon following along loyally. The minute they stepped out the door, however, Vaporeon hissed, her tail straightening out and back arching sharply.

"What is it?" Misty breathed, eyes shifting back and forth. "Is it Team Rocket?"

Vaporeon strode over to the nearby bushes and began growling at it. Fear rising in her chest, Misty moved closer to the bushes, and soon realized that they were rustling.

Not on my watch, you don't.

"Vaporeon, use-"

"No!"

Misty's eyes snapped open as her son popped out of the shrub, his face full of fear.

"Aiden!" Misty hissed.

"Mom, you almost sent Vaporeon after me!" Aiden gasped.

"Yeah, because I thought you were…" Misty stopped herself and scowled. "What are you doing hiding in the bushes?"

Biting his lower lip, Aiden admitted, "I heard your phone call with Officer Jenny."

At this, Misty's face paled. "Aiden, what have I told you about eavesdropping?!"

"I wasn't!" Aiden cried. "Not really…the window was open, Mom. And I heard everything. I want to help you, Mom."

"Absolutely not," Misty bit.

"Mom!"

"Aiden, this is way too dangerous for you," Misty argued. "I cannot let you come with me and put you in harm's way. If anything happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself. Please, stay here with everyone else."

"But Mom-"

"No buts, Aiden!" Misty cut him off. "You are staying here and that's final."

Aiden ground his teeth as his mother turned around and stormed off, Vaporeon trailing along. As she ran off, Brandon and Michelle ran around from the back of the house, blinking when they saw Aiden in the bushes.

"What are you doing?" Michelle deadpanned.

"I tried going with Mom, but she wouldn't let me," Aiden grumbled.

At this, Michelle blinked. "So you're just going to listen to her?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "What are you-"

"You were right," Michelle cut him off. "We can't let Mom do this on her own. She needs our help."

"But, she caught me…"

"Who cares?!" Michelle stormed. "You hardly ever listen to Mom when she tells you what to do, and now definitely is not the time to start!"

Aiden's eyes, which had widened during Michelle's impassioned speech, quickly switched instead to a narrowed state. "You're right. She doesn't get it. She needs us."

Michelle breathed out softly and gave Aiden a single nod.

"Let's go," Brandon chimed in, looking between the twins, "before she gets too far ahead."

XXX

When Misty and Vaporeon made it to downtown Cerulean, they were greeted by the sight of a barricade of police officers. The duo began to walk closer to them, but was soon stopped in their tracks by Officer Jenny.

"I'm so glad to see you here, Misty," Officer Jenny greeted.

"Of course, you know I'll do anything to protect my city," Misty replied. "What on Earth is Team Rocket up to now? I thought we eradicated those creeps years ago."

"We all did," Officer Jenny sighed. "But it turns out they've just been working in the shadows for the past few years. Now they're ready to come back in full force, and apparently, they're a lot stronger than they were before."

"What kind of an attack are they planning here?" Misty asked. "Up to their usual tricks of trying to steal people's Pokémon?"

"Surprisingly, no," Officer Jenny murmured. "Their new plan has nothing to do with stealing Pokémon."

"What?" Misty breathed. "But…that was always their MO."

"I know, we were confused about that as well. What they're planning on doing is actually a lot more shocking than just stealing Pokémon."

"More shocking than that?"

"Yes. Misty…their plan is to ambush the orphanage and kidnap as many children as they possibly can."

Misty just stared back at Officer Jenny, unable to find the words to respond to her. Kidnapping children? Now that was an entirely new low for Team Rocket. As a mother, it made Misty's heart ache. But…the more Misty thought about it…the less surprising it became.

"That's…that's their whole mission?" Misty muttered.

"According to our intel, yes," Officer Jenny sighed.

Misty's breath hitched as her eyes shifted back and forth, terror filling the bright green orbs.

"Misty, is something wrong?"

The gym leader swallowed thickly and squeezed her eyes shut. "I thought it was just us…I thought it was just those three. If I had known…"

"Known what?" Officer Jenny pressed.

Before Misty could respond, a loud explosion caught the attention of both women. They whipped around and saw a massive cloud of dark smoke rising into the air. The officers prepared to attack, but Misty knew she couldn't leave them to fend for themselves.

"Vaporeon, let's go!" Misty ordered, running ahead with her partner.

When they got there, Misty's eyes narrowed. An entire horde of Team Rocket grunts was standing in the middle of the street, with two young operatives standing in front of them. What was most sickening to Misty was that the two leaders seemed hardly older than Aiden and Michelle.

Those are just kids…I wonder…could that be what Team Rocket has been doing? Are those kids two of their victims?

Although Misty felt bad for them, she knew that they were still a part of Team Rocket, and they needed to be stopped.

The officers surrounding her were commanding a number of Growlithe, ordering attacks like flamethrower and tackle. Although she was too far away to hear their exact words, Misty could tell that the two young operatives were barking orders at their grunts, who seemed to only possess Zubat.

"Vay?" Vaporeon purred, looking up at her trainer for an order.

Misty scowled, not taking her eyes off of Team Rocket for a second. "We need to go after the two in charge. The officers have those grunts under control, but I know the leaders are going to be more powerful."

Vaporeon mewled in agreement and swung her tail side-to-side. Clenching her jaw, Misty tightened her fists at her sides and kept moving towards Team Rocket, Vaporeon following along loyally. The two operatives, one was a girl with loose purple curls and golden eyes and the other a boy with shaggy brown hair and light green eyes, were too busy talking to one another to realize that Misty was coming towards them. As the gym leader got closer, she realized the girl had a hand floating towards her waist, obviously preparing to pluck a poke ball. Narrowing her eyes, Misty glanced down at Vaporeon, who gave her trainer a knowing nod.

Without any further command, Vaporeon unleashed her hydro pump attack, making direct contact with the female operative's hand and successfully swatting it away from her waist. The girl scowled, while the boy next to her looked up as well, his own hand flying up to his waist.

"Why don't you take your worthless little grunts and get out of my city?" Misty stormed, her emerald eyes clouding over with rage.

"How cute," the girl purred with a snarl. "The gym leader thinks she's strong enough to stop us."

"I know I am," Misty bit back. "And I know what you're planning, so the game is over."

"Game?" The boy asked teasingly. "This is no game, Miss Gym Leader. This is our livelihood! Sydney, why don't we show her who the real bosses are around here?"

The purple haired girl smirked and finally managed to retrieve her poke ball. "With pleasure, Alex."

"Gulpin, let's go!" Alex ordered, throwing his ball.

"You too, Houndour!" Sydney cried, following Alex's action.

Misty growled as the two Pokémon were released in front of her. "Two against one isn't exactly fair, but I wouldn't expect anything less out of Team Rocket."

"A brilliant deduction," Sydney drawled.

Misty smirked at the girl. "Luckily for me, I happen to have an extra Pokémon on hand! Corsola, I choose you!"

The pink and white Pokémon materialized before her trainer, standing right next to a growling Vaporeon.

"Commanding two Pokémon by yourself against two trainers?" Alex quipped. "Interesting. Let's see how strong of a gym leader you really are!"

Misty chuckled to herself. She was always up for a challenge, especially against people who were dumb enough to question her talent as a trainer.

"Vaporeon, ice beam!" She called. "Corsola, spike cannon!"

The bubble jet Pokémon fired off her ice beam attack, while Corsola's entire body glowing white as bright spikes went flying off its body.

"Dodge it!" Sydney and Alex called simultaneously.

Their two Pokémon got out of the way easily, causing the two attacks to collide at the operatives' feet. The ice beam froze the spike cannon, creating a barrier of icy spikes around both Sydney and Alex.

"Glad you fell for it," Misty teased, earning horrified gasps from the operatives.

"What?!" Sydney shrieked. "We didn't fall for anything! You totally missed our Pokémon!"

"And who said I was aiming for your Pokémon?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow. "I accomplished exactly what I wanted: creating a fence around you two to keep you back."

Sydney and Alex looked at one another, their jaws dropped in astonishment.

"You both clearly have a lot to learn about battling techniques," Misty continued, placing her hands on her hips. "Do you really think that's something Team Rocket can give to you?"

The young operatives managed to tear their eyes away from one another, rapidly shaking their heads as though trying to shake off Misty's question.

"Team Rocket gives us everything we need and then some!" Sydney fumed.

"Yeah, never question the organization!" Alex yelled.

Misty sighed and closed her eyes. She knew they were members of Team Rocket, but they were just kids. They didn't know any better. More than anything, Misty wanted to save them from being further brainwashed.

"I just want to help you two," Misty continued softly. "There are much better things out there for you both than Team Rocket! Don't you want a better chance?"

Sydney and Alex actually seemed to ponder this for a moment. Misty smiled gently, realizing that perhaps she'd actually gotten through to them.

"Houndour, flamethrower!"

"Gulpin, gunk shot!"

Misty gasped as the two attacks came out rapid fire, striking down both Vaporeon and Corsola. The gym leader glanced up at the two young operatives in horror, which only grew once she realized they were both smirking at her.

"Nice try," Sydney drawled. "But we won't be falling for anymore of your tricks!"

"It's not a trick!" Misty snapped. "But if that's how you want to see it, then fine. I don't have any other choice. It's my job to protect this city and you two are standing in the way of that. Vaporeon, aurora beam! Corsola, shadow ball!"

Vaporeon aimed her aurora beam at Houndour, while Corsola fired off her shadow ball at Gulpin, this time with the intention of actually hitting them. The villians' Pokémon couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and both were hit, sent skidding back towards their trainers until they both hit the icy barricade Vaporeon and Corsola had already created.

"She is pretty strong…" Alex muttered.

"Now is not the time to be impressed!" Sydney seethed, whacking her pattern upside the head.

"Great work, you two," Misty complimented her Pokémon. "We've got them right where we want them! Now, Vaporeon, use-!"

Misty let out a strangled choking sound as something wrapped itself tightly around her neck. The gym leader began to flail desperately, trying to escape from whatever had grabbed her. She pulled her hands up, desperately clawing towards her neck. Her fingers grappled with a stiff material, and it didn't take long for Misty to realize that it was an arm wrapped around her neck.

"It's about time you idiots realized what we were dealing with!" Sydney snapped. Two more grunts came running in and threw cages over the unsuspecting Vaporeon and Corsola, who were too worried about their trainer to realize someone was sneaking up on them.

"Sorry, miss."

Misty managed to turn her head just enough to see the grunt who was constricting her. Narrowing her eyes, Misty continued to struggle, stomping her feet to try and pound on one of the grunt's.

"Let…go…of…me!" Misty managed to choke out, still struggling against him.

"Not a chance," the grunt hissed, tightening his grip. Misty cried out in pain, once again reaching for the grunt's arm. This time, another grunt stepped in, roughly yanking her arms behind her back and securing a pair of high-tech handcuffs around her wrists.

"That should teach her a lesson about messing with Team Rocket," Sydney grumbled. Alex, on the other hand, nervously shifted his eyes between his angered partner and the captured gym leader.

The police officers, having caught on to what was happening, where now sending all of their Growlithe after the two grunts who had a hold on Misty. Unfortunately, the other grunts had caught on as well, and were fending off the officers together, leaving all of them unable to get to Misty, including a horrified and infuriated Officer Jenny.

"MOM!"

Despite the raging battle going on all around her, Misty's entire world seemed to freeze at that moment. Although it was a struggle, she managed to turn her head to the side, and her heart dropped the minute she saw Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon standing just yards away from her.

Her face reflected sheer terror as she repeatedly mouthed the words go and run to the children over and over again. Unfortunately, they just kept moving closer to her, and Aiden's previous cry had captured Sydney and Alex's attention, as well as the two grunts holding onto her.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," Sydney drawled.

"Guys, get out of here!" Misty managed to cry before the grunt tightened his grip on her neck once again. Misty yelped, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she struggled against the chokehold.

"Let my mom go!" Aiden stormed, finally breaking out into a sprint.

"Aiden!" Michelle gasped.

"Look out!" Brandon cried just as two grunts managed to grab onto Aiden's arms. The boy growled and tried fighting against the grunts to free himself, but they were stronger than he was, and had a firm hold on him.

"Aiden…" Misty breathed, slowly becoming tired from her struggle.

"Let my mom go!" Aiden repeated, still thrashing angrily against the grunts. The boy was beginning to become so unruly that they were struggling to hold onto him.

Michelle and Brandon made a move towards Aiden, but Sydney and Alex effortlessly slid in front of him.

"And where do you think you two are going?" Sydney hummed.

"Quit going after my family!" Michelle barked. "Let them go!"

"We can't do that," Sydney purred.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu spat, her cheeks sparking.

"We're not scared of you," Brandon threatened, getting a hold of one of his poke balls.

"What, you want a battle?" Alex finally spoke, leaning his body forward.

"Brandon and I can take you two clowns on," Michelle scoffed. "Like he said, we're not scared of you."

"Pi!" Pichu added, her cheeks still sparking.

"Fine with me," Sydney sighed. "We'll make sure you two regret ever getting in our way."

With Sydney and Alex totally distracted, they didn't see Aiden still struggling against the grunts behind them. Aiden was becoming so unmanageable that he finally managed to slip out of the grunts' hold. As soon as he was free, Aiden snatched a poke ball off his waist and held it out threateningly towards the grunts. They both backed away with their hands up, indicating to Aiden that they didn't have any Pokémon to fight back with. Feeling a bit more satisfied, Aiden turned towards the grunts who still had a hold of his mother.

"Let her go," Aiden repeated, still holding the ball out. "You don't want her. I know who you want; you want me. That's fine. Take me. But you have to let my mom go."

"Aiden!" Misty hissed. She continued to struggle against the grunts, not so much for her freedom, but because she wanted to go and kill her son for what he was doing.

"Alright," one grunt, the one with his arm around Misty's neck, slowly replied. "We'll take you."

Before Aiden could say anything, one of the grunts who he had just fended off came up behind him, handcuffing him exactly like they'd done to Misty.

"But no deal on your mommy," the grunt teased, smirking as the boy's eyes filled with fire.

"WHAT?!" Aiden screamed. "You jerks! That isn't what I said! I told you you had to let her go! LET HER GO!"

"We never agreed to your terms," the grunt standing behind Aiden gruffly replied, yanking on the boy's bound arms and causing him to yelp. "You're both coming with us."

Aiden tried to bite back at the grunt, but a loud explosion cut him off. The boy looked up at the sky and allowed his eyes to widen as a large cloud of dark smoke appeared. A Dragonite flew through the smog, letting out a hyper beam attack at a hoard of Golbat. On the ground, two figures ran through the smoke as well.

Lance and Ash.

Aiden's wide eyed stare was going nowhere, and within a matter of seconds, his smoldering brown eyes locked with Ash's identical ones. Lance caught sight of Aiden too, and when he looked over at Ash, he realized that the Pokémon Master was frozen in place. Ash finally managed to tear his eyes away from Aiden, and instead moved them just slightly over, where he realized Misty had been captured as well.

"Ash…" Lance breathed, taking a small step forward. "Don't react. Don't do anything that will jeopardize the mission. We will rescue them, but you have to-"

Ash let out a nearly feral growl, one that came all the way down from his chest. It was so loud and so roaring that it caught the attention of the grunts, both the ones who were holding Aiden and Misty hostage, and the one who had been busy battling the police officers. Sydney and Alex looked over their shoulders, distracted from their battle with Michelle and Brandon, and the young trainers looked over too, their own eyes widening at the sight of Ash.

And then, before Lance could say another word, Ash went ballistic.

That's never a good thing, is it?

Oh, you still want to know exactly what Team Rocket is up to? You're not going to find out right away, of course! We've still got some action to get through before its fully revealed what they've been up to.

Stay tuned for next time, in which Ash completely loses his mind...