With all the water Pokémon playing in the water I let Dratini come out to play as well but she seemed a little down. She curled up on the bank and didn't join in the fun, preferring to bathe in the sun which was very unlike her. "Hey Dratini, are you alright?" I asked, kneeling down by her side and she looked up at me with a sad face. "What's the matter?"

"Driiiii…" Feeling a little concerned for her I lifted her up and placed her in my lap.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"Driii…." She answered, lifting her head to rub into my cheek before snuggling down. I began to do some health checks on her, checking her temperature, her eyes and tried to find anything obviously wrong but I didn't find anything.

"Hey Brock?" I called, standing up with Dratini in my arms. "Something's wrong with Dratini, I don't think she's feeling right." I told him, walking over as he finished packing things away ready to set off again.

"Let's have a look shall we?" He said with a smile, turning around then began to look over Dratini as she sat very still for him. "Hmm…"

"Is everything okay?" I asked with worry as Brock completed his analysis.

"Well I can't find anything wrong, Dratini looks a little tired so maybe all she needs is a little rest." He said to me so I nodded my head.

"Okay. Dratini return." I said and let her back into the Pokéball. "Don't worry, you just take a long rest and you'll be feeling fine soon." I promised before looking up. Misty had just called back all her Pokémon and Totodile was safely in his Pokéball so I guess that meant it was time to move on.

I grabbed my stuff then joined the others as we head into the woods on our way to Goldenrod City. It was a two shaded sort of forest, with both light and dark patches which only added to its mysterious nature however the further we went in, the darker it got. I saw a couple of Nidoran off the track but they quickly dove into their burrows when they saw us humans coming.

"Pika? Pika Pi!" Pikachu suddenly called, pointing up into a tree and we all stopped.

"You see something Pikachu?" Ash questioned then looked around to where Pikachu was pointing and we all saw a bird house nestled up in the boughs of the tree, shaded by the canopy above and blended perfectly into the tree bark.

"I bet that's where flying Pokémon go to roost." Misty desiphered as we all looked at the interesting object. It was strange to see a bird house all the way out here, especially in the woods. I thought people only put them up in their backyards or something.

"Yeah but I wonder what kind." Ash replied as Brock held his chin in thought.

"It's hard to say for sure just by looking. It may be too big for a small Pidgeotto and too small for a big Pidgey." Brock concluded and I smacked my face. Why are guys so dense and…senseless? "But…on the other hand the reverse could be true." Suddenly a bird Pokémon flew down to nestle on the branch then looked curiously at the house, inspecting it closely.

"Hey, there's one now!" Ash called rather loudly so I clapped my hand down on his mouth and smacked him upside the head.

"Quiet genius! Or you'll scare it away. Come on, let's hide so we don't scare it off." With that we all dove into the bushes and crouched down there where we could still see the Pokémon but it couldn't see us. Ash rummaged around in his pocket before bringing out Dexter to tell us a little about the bird Pokémon.

"Noctowl, the owl Pokémon, the evolved form of Hoothoot. This highly intelligent Pokémon often twists its head one hundred eighty degrees when it is thinking. Noctowl is a nocturnal Pokémon." That's interesting, I bet it looks really cute when it turns its head like that!

"Hey guys, nocturnal means it moves around at night, but here it is in the afternoon." Brock pointed out smartly as we all watched the Noctowl continue to sit peacefully on the branch.

"Maybe because this forest is so dark, the Noctowl think it's night time even though it's day." Misty suggested and I guessed her to be right. It was pretty dark in here after all. Suddenly a branch stuck out of the trunk and began to flap at the Noctowl, making it spread its wings and coo in confusion as the tree began to talk.

"Go! Shoo! You're not the Noctowl I want. Now beat it!" What on earth…how did that tree just talk?

"Did that Noctowl just get chased away by a tree branch?" Ash questioned and I nodded my head.

"Don't worry, we're all seeing the same crazy thing. It's not just you this time Ash." I assured him quietly, watching as the Noctowl flew away only to be replaced by another, though there was something different about this one. It was smaller and the colours of its feathers were brighter than the other we had just seen.

"Hey look, that one's a different colour." Brock noted, sitting up a little straighter to see this new specimen of Noctowl a little better. Suddenly the branch withdrew then came back, only this time it was filled with ripe looking berries which the Noctowl looked at curiously, twisting its head around and I was right. It did look cute!

Suddenly the Noctowl smacked the offerings away then rose up to smash its head into the tree, making a camouflage sheet fall down to reveal a man who teetered on the branch he was standing on, crying out in shock before he fell backwards but somehow managed to snag hold of the branch and hung on for dear life.

The Noctowl fluttered down then hovered just above the man's hand, glaring slightly before pecking at his fingers until he let go and dropped to the ground with a crash. Okay. What is going on here? All at once we leaped out of our hiding place and raced over to the guy who groaned in agony on the ground.

"Hey are you okay?" Ash asked as we reached him.

"Is there anything we can do to help mister?" Misty questioned with a sympathetic and pitying tone but the mister only sat bolt upright and corrected her snappily.

"Not mister! It's Dr Wiseman!" He shoved his glasses further up his nose and I saw a crack gleam in one of the lenses from where he had crash landed.

"We're sorry but at first you looked like a mister." Brock explained to him simply. "Anyway what were you doing up in that tree doctor?"

"I was attempting once again to capture that unusually coloured Noctowl. Once again it outsmarted me." He told us with a sniff, turning his face away and lifted his nose with a proud air about him.

"A Noctowl huh? It sure would be great if I could catch a rare Pokémon like that." Ash mused thoughtfully aloud, that determined expression that we were so familiar with rising to his face.

"You won't cut that Noctowl." The doctor said proudly as he got up. "It will outsmart you too! Noctowl are known for their intelligence but this one seems to like nothing better than to think up ways to avoid me capturing it." He said as the Noctowl landed on the tree behind him, giving a gentle hoot as he turned his head around to the side.

"That's too bad. But hey! Look at its head turn!" At this Doctor Wiseman turned around and nodded his head, looking up rather proudly at it.

"It's actually a lot smaller than the average Noctowl but its remarkable colouring and brain power make it an exceptionally rare and valuable Pokémon." He explained to us as another Noctowl stopped in the tree, this one much bigger than the tricky Noctowl our doctor knew. At least twice as big!

"Now I want to capture it even more Doctor Wiseman!" Ash announced as he gazed up at the Noctowl and the doctor blinked.

"Oh?" Ash raced forwards with an excited laugh, Pikachu on his shoulder but Doctor Wiseman called out after him, though Ash didn't listen. "Hey! Wait!" Ash stopped directly in front of the Noctowl, looking up at it intently before drawing out a spare Pokéball.

"Pokéball, go!" Ash threw it at the Noctowl who didn't even move an inch, watching it fly closer before kicking it back with one of its feet, smacking Ash on the head and I couldn't hold back a laugh and the Noctowl chirped as well, as it too found this whole situation amusing. "Quit laughing! It's not funny!" Ash yelled up at the Noctowl but I shook my head.

"No of course not, it's hilarious!" Suddenly I saw Noctowl's eyes begin to glow red as it faced Ash, focusing in on him and slim rings began to pulse outward from it and beam around Ash who stared for a moment until he spun around to face a rock.

"Come on let's go Pikachu! Let's catch that Noctowl!" Ash said determinedly to the rock but then blinked. "Huh? Come on Pikachu, what's the matter buddy? Why're you just standing there?" He demanded with worry, trying to shift the rock all by himself.

"Hey Misty why do you think Ash is talking to a rock?" Brock asked quietly as I sighed and shook my head. It's happened. Ash has finally gone crazy.

"I don't know." She answered but thankfully, the doctor gave us the answer.

"Because he's been hypnotised by that Noctowl." Oh that explains a lot.

"He's been hypnotised?"

"Oh I get it. Ash thinks that rock is Pikachu and he can't get a rock to battle so Noctowl won't get captured." Brock said as Ash started trying to pick up the rock.

"Well, I know how to handle this." I said, placing one hand on my hip then walked over to Ash, eyes closed as I took a deep breath before smacking him hard on the back of the head. "Wake up genius!" I yelled and Ash leaped back in fear, falling on his back as he blinked up at me in confusion.

"Ow…that hurt…" Ash whimpered so I helped him to his feet and brushed him off.

"You just got zapped by that Noctowl's Hypnosis. You were talking to that rock there thinking it was Pikachu." I said, pointing to said rock as it sat innocently on the ground but Ash growled.

"Aw man! Now Noctowl is gone!" He went to kick the rock with all his might but I snagged the back of his jacket and held him away with one hand, keeping him from injuring himself. It's a good thing Ash has all of us to watch his back, because I don't think he'd last a single minute out here on his own.

"How about we go back to my cabin? I'll make you a cup of tea that will help clear the after effects of Noctowl's little trick." Doctor Wiseman said as I supported a now slumped Ash as he groaned and muttered under his breath.

"Great idea." I nodded in agreement as Brock and Misty hurried over to help me. So we followed the doctor, sat Ash down and we all had a cup of tea as he looked at us all pretty smugly as he talked about how he had dedicated his life to catching that Noctowl because he liked to collect rare Pokémon. I'm not too fond of Pokémon collectors, just so you know. I hate how they think Pokémon are only meant to be displayed as if they were prizes.

"I warned you." He trilled so I folded my arms, shooting him a sharp glare. "That Noctowl is clever."

"Oh yeah?" Ash challenged, still looking upset and annoyed that he'd been showed up by a Pokémon. "Well I'm pretty clever too you know."

"I wouldn't count on it Ash." I replied with a dainty sip of my tea. Hmm…peppermint. My favourite. "I may call you genius but it doesn't really mean that you are one." He glared at me.

"Yeah? Well I'm going to catch that Noctowl and then you'll see how smart I really am!" He answered back, standing up and lifted his fists up in an unrelenting and unstoppable pose. "I'm going to catch that Noctowl and when I do, I'm going to be the one who gets the last laugh."

"Oh please. You won't even be able to find that Noctowl again." I said to Ash, putting down my tea. "It'll be long gone by now if it really has any sense and this forest is huge! It'll take you weeks to find it again." Ash then turned to me, smirking a little.

"Yeah you're right, but I have a secret weapon!" He declared and I blinked at him.

"You do?" Suddenly his hand darted forwards and grabbed my bag which I had set at my feet. "Hey! Give that back Ash Ketchum!" I demanded, leaping to my feet as Ash quickly raced to the door, rifling through it before he drew out my flute. Oh no…he wouldn't. He wouldn't' dare! "You get back here! Ketchum! Don't you dare use that!" I leaped onto the table, scattering cups as I leaped after Ash and grabbed my bag as he tossed it over his shoulder. "I'll strangle you for this Ketchum! You're in BIG trouble now!"

He ran into the trees and for a moment I lost him until I heard this ugly sound coming from not far away, Pikachu at my heels. "Pika?" He lifted his head then hid behind my legs, giving a soft whine as he pulled his ears down to try block out the noise.

"I know Pikachu. It's painful. Let's go put a stop to this torture." I sighed as the other three came running out after us. I pushed my way through the bushes, following the sound of ghastly sound of Ash's playing.

"Come on! Stupid thing, why won't you work?" Ash complained, fiddling with the flute as I stepped into the clearing he had found. "Is it broken?"

"No genius, you just don't know how to play it." I told him, walking forwards with Pikachu then swiped it from his grasp. "And for your information, this is one thing that you can't touch that's mine, got it? If you had broken this then I would have had your neck in a noose!" I seethed as Ash stood up and folded his arms.

"Why? Because Gary gave it to you?" He asked with a cheeky drawl which made my blood boil.

"No! Because it's a valuable instrument that I love to play and because it's very delicate! In the hands of a complete buffoon like you then it'll snap into splinters within the minute!" I yelled back, standing my ground but inwardly I felt a little uncomfortable. It was sort of the truth I guess, this flute did mean a lot to me because it was given to me by Gary but let's not stress over the details.

"So if you're so smart, why don't you show us how you'd capture that Noctowl?" Ash suggested. "Go on, I bet you could lure it in with that broken stick of yours." I growled, trying to get a hold of myself so I took a deep and calming breath.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll lure in Noctowl then you try to capture it. If not then you let it go and we'll just say that I won, okay?"

"Fine with me. Get ready Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded his head as I sat down cross legged on the floor and wiped Ash's spit from my flute. Stupid Ash, he could have damaged it and then he'd be sorry he was ever born. Anyway, focus Ruby. Focus on the task at hand so you can watch Ash make a bitter fool of himself.

I drew in a deep breath as Ash hid in the bushes with the others then began to play. A high pitched melody sang out, bright but smooth, flowing from note to note as I drew in any Pokémon that was nearby, however judging by the interest that Noctowl had in humans and humiliating them, I could safely guess that it'll be the first to arrive.

Sure enough hardly a few beats into the song I heard a soft hoot and looked up to see it watching me, so I inclined my head, closed my eyes then continued to play. Suddenly Ash leaped out of the bushes and pointed up to the branch where Noctowl perched.

"Alright Pikachu, use your Thunder…what is that?" A sudden wind had sprung into life, slapping against us and I instantly curled up with a yell, holding my flute close to me as it whipped through my ponytail.

"Where did this wind come from?" Misty demanded tightly as she struggled to remain put and I crawled over to them, holding out my hand to Brock who pulled me in close to help shield me from the wind.

"Hey look there!" Ash said and we all looked up to see a giant Noctowl robot with huge sucker things, which turned out to be giant balloons blowing out air. Suddenly I could hear laughter and judging by the extravagance and dramatic entrance of this new peril, I guessed there was only one answer to this oddity. Team Rocket.

The moment the wind stopped the robot landed and the ground trembled, knocking the Noctowl out of the tree and to the ground as we all stood up. "That's not a real Noctowl!" Ash called out and I shot him a look before lightly smacking his head.

"You think?!" That's when the torture started. Oh, did I say torture? I'm sorry, I meant the good old fashioned Team Rocket motto!

"Prepare for trouble we're on the prowl…"

"Make it double we're in the big owl." Well. Here we go. Again.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" And they appeared, rising up slowly from within the Noctowl head as they introduced themselves to us for what must be the hundredth time.

"Jessie…"

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" Suddenly Meowth sprang up and spread its hands…I mean paws…with a goofy but kind of sweet smile.

"Meowth that's right! And we're going to capture that little Noctowl no matter what you twerps got to say about it!" In unison we all glared up at Team Rocket, our usual standoff beginning to take place as we yelled up together.

"No you won't!" Doctor Wiseman stepped forwards, craning his neck to look up at Team Rocket as they sneered down at us.

"You! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Do you have so little regard for your own Pokémon capturing skills that you needed to create this monstrous contraption just to catch one little Noctowl?! It's outrageous!" Wow…go Doctor Wiseman.

"For your information we didn't build this monstrosity we bought it." James told us, their faces unbothered by the doctor's smart little smack at their pride.

"But the box didn't include any instructions on how to be ashamed of anything." Jessie added before they giggled.

"They never play fair." Ash growled as Brock shouted up at them.

"What about the rules? Decent, honourable trainers only use their Pokémon to catch new ones."

"Yeah that's right!" Misty shouted up as well.

"Pika Pika!"

"Uh…guys? You do realise this is Team Rocket you're talking to? The three dirty trick professionals? Probably never done anything honest in all their life?" I reminded them and Team Rocket laughed in agreement.

"Those goody-goody two shoe rules don't apply to us!" Meowth announced from within the robot, his voice amped up on loudspeaker.

"Precisely. The only rule we follow is to do whatever we want to get whatever we want." Jessie continued in a sickly sweet tone that made my skin crawl.

"Now enough of this honourable stuff and let's get catching!" James called as the robot began to set into motion.

"Now we're going to grab that Noctowl and there's nothing you honourable twerps can do about it because we don't give two hoots about what you say!" He crowed but Ash wasn't about to give up that easily.

"You're not going to grab anything, Thunderbolt Pikachu!" He directed and Pikachu leaped forwards, growling out his name as he send a strong bolt up at the Noctowl and hit it squarely in the chest however it failed to do a thing against it, in fact it only reflected the attack and showered us with bolts of lightning! Oh great, we really need to start rethinking our tactics.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Pikachu's attacks aren't going to shock this baby!" Meowth told us and I could just feel him smirking which only made me see red. Okay, time to turn up the heat and put in some real firepower!

"They're not going to get Noctowl! Totodile, Cyndaquil! Go!" Ash yelled as he sent out his two Pokémon so I grabbed mine to.

"Charizard! Let's lend a hand! Go!" Charizard flew out of his Pokéball with a roar, landing behind the two much smaller Pokémon with his eyes trained on the massive Noctowl machine without fear. "Alright Team Rocket, now you're in for it!" I thundered up at them.

"Oh yeah?" Meowth returned. "Well we've got something that'll shut you up you little whinge-bag!" Two pumps extended from the side of the robot Noctowl's head, attaching to the rims of the balloons then began to pump them up at a fast rate.

"Hurry Charizard, fly up there and burst their bubble!" I directed and Charizard lifted off into the sky with a growl, shooting towards the balloons and blasted a Flamethrower at them. "Wait a minute, where's Doctor Wiseman?" I asked, looking around to find that the man had disappeared. And so had Noctowl!

"Gotcha!" Jessie suddenly crowed and I turned to see that the giant machine had reached out with a talon and picked something up into the air. Doctor Wiseman! And he's got Noctowl!

"That creep tried to run away with Noctowl when it was knocked out by the fall!" Misty said with a sharp edge to her tone.

"How careless can someone get?" Brock demanded. "All he can think about is capturing that Noctowl when there are more pressing things at hand!"

"You said it Brock. I don't like him at all." I replied before shouting up at the sky. "Go Charizard! Wing Attack!" He roared and dove at the second balloon, the first one now successfully melted but Team Rocket now had a hold of Noctowl and were trying to lift off.

"I gotta get Noctowl back. We can't let Team Rocket take it away like this!" Ash suddenly announced then ran to a tree, climbing up into the branches then disappeared from sight.

"Ash! Where're you going?" Misty yelled as both Totodile and Cyndaquil looked around in confusion.

"It's alright guys, just stick with me. Totodile, aim your Water Gun at the left eye and Cyndaquil, you aim for the right with Flamethrower! Let's try and block their vision to give Ash some cover!" I told them and they nodded their heads, before carrying out my plan strategy.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks upwards as Charizard slashed, blasted and tore at the last balloon until it finally popped, letting go of all the air it had managed to take in before rising up above it and shot down a fiery plume to help try and melt through.

"Will you twerps stop that? If we don't return this monstrocity in one piece then we can't get our deposit back!" Jessie screeched as Ash leaped onto the claw then began to wrestle with it, trying to free Noctowl.

"Charizard, help Ash out buddy!" I called and Charizard swept down, grabbing the single talon with Ash then pulled, lifting it up slightly so that Noctowl had enough room to wriggle forwards then fly away with a chirp. "Now grab Ash, quick!" Before the claw could try to shake Ash off he jumped onto Charizard's back and my Pokémon carried him out of harm's way as Noctowl flew down and began to address the other Pokémon with loud, frantic hoots.

"Hey I think Noctowl is planning something with the other Pokémon." Brock said as Charizard landed and Ash leaped off, letting me race over to hug Charizard's head.

"Great work buddy." I smiled to him, resting my head against his as he growled softly.

"Look! Cyndaquil is super heating the metal!" Misty said and I looked up before turning to Charizard who nodded his head in understanding. He walked over to Cyndaquil's side then blasted a powerful, hot Flamethrower at the point where Cyndaquil was aiming, helping to heat it up even further before Totodile leaped forwards, kicking its leg with excitement and began to cool down the metal as both fire type Pokémon stepped back and allowed him the spotlight.

"Alright! Noctowl is a genius! They're spraying cold water onto the hot metal coating!" Brock realised and Misty gasped with a bright smile.

"The expanding and contracting is making that thing crack up!"

"Hey, maybe now we have a chance to get Team Rocket!" Ash cheered before running over with a laugh. "Okay hold it Totodile!" Ash called out then turned to Pikachu. "Your turn Pikachu, aim a Thunderbolt attack right where it's cracked!"

Pikachu jumped into the air with a familiar battle cry, sending all his energy into the attack which passed straight through the crack and even I could hear Team Rocket yelling in shock despite not being on loudspeaker.

Without warning the robot exploded and Charizard whirled around, spreading his wings with a flash and held me too him whilst protecting the others as well with a growl, tucking in his head against me to keep me safe as the smoke shot over us and the explosion rang in our ears.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!" The echo sounded and I giggled as Charizard stepped back, folding back his wings then nodded his head in proud satisfaction as everyone assembled themselves, beaming proudly upwards as Ash walked forwards.

"You guys were all great. Thanks to you Team Rocket won't be bothering this forest anymore." He told them as Brock and Misty followed up behind him.

"True they were great, but we couldn't have done it without Noctowl." Brock reminded everyone as the Pokémon himself came flying into view, hooting chirpily as it landed on the branch above us then began to twist its head at us, flapping its wings still.

"What's it doing?"

"I'm not sure but it looks like it's trying to tell us something." Brock answered Ash as the doctor came forwards.

"You're right Brock. I believe Noctowl is saying it wants to challenge you Ash." Ash blinked in surprise as I climbed up onto Charizard's shoulder and sat there, watching with interest as Ash turned to face the doctor.

"But you want it." Wiseman nodded his head, however he seemed far more relaxed than when I had first met him, like a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"True but I've had my chance to try and capture it, and I've had no such luck. It's just too smart for me. Now it's your turn, and maybe you'll have better luck with it." He said with a chuckle. "Give it your best shot." Ash nodded his head then walked towards Noctowl as it waited patiently.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Ash called up then pointed outward with a finger. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Instantly Pikachu leaped forwards and up into the air, preparing to curl up and send out a bolt but Noctowl's eyes began to glow, staring intently at Pikachu whose eyes turned glassy and unfocused as he landed on the floor.

"Pika…Pikachu…Pika Pi…" He murmured in a daze, bolts of electricity shooting everywhere as Noctowl laughed in amusement. Hm, a playful one isn't it? Strong too, though it'll need more than that to be able to beat Ash Ketchum when he's got his eye on something.

Suddenly a bolt struck Pikachu and he jerked awake, shaking his head before grinning. "Pika!"

"Alright! That bolt shocked Pikachu out of its Hypnosis!" Noctowl dove down from the tree without warning, forcing Pikachu to quickly hit the deck before he bounded away towards a tree then turned to face Noctowl again as it swerved back around. "Pikachu, don't look into Noctowl's eyes! Use your ears to listen to its wing beats to aim your attack!" Ash advised, speaking loudly over to Pikachu who instantly closed his eyes and listened intently to the soft wing beat of Noctowl as it flew.

I waited with my breath caught in my throat, leaning forwards as Charizard watched with interest until finally, Pikachu took his shot. It was a direct hit, taking out Noctowl with one blast and it collapsed to the ground so Ash moved swiftly. "Pokéball go!"

The Pokéball spun around in an expert strike, drawing Noctowl into the Pokéball where it then snapped shut and dropped onto the ground, wriggling with the centre flashing and we all watched with great anticipation? Was this it? The moment someone finally outsmarted Noctowl?

Ping. Yup, it's that moment.

"We did it!" Ash cheered as he picked up the Pokéball then spun around proudly, holding it out to show us. "We just caught a Noctowl! Yeah!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered, jumping up as well and I giggled.

"You're really something, aren't you Ash?" I murmured softly, watching as he celebrated with Pikachu by spinning around with him. Charizard gave a soft growl, giving me an unimpressed look so I giggled. "Don't you worry, you have nothing to worry about with me falling for someone." I told him and he blinked. "Oh I know your game, you don't want me dating anyone because you want me all to yourself." Charizard blushed, growling with slight embarrassment as I gave a little laugh then flung my arms around him. "But don't worry, no matter how many boys I may date, or even when I get married, I'll always carry you in a very special place in my heart, and nothing nor no one can take you away from there." I told him, placing a kiss on his head and Charizard blushed further although he smiled happily, flicking out his wings as I chuckled and hugged him tightly.