Yes. Yes! YES! It's finally here, and ready for all of you to loyal fans to read. Now before I let you go out on your own there are some things I want to say. First, thanks to the 30 favorites and 45 follows, this shows me that you guys support this story and that you all want more.

Speaking of more, after this chapter was posted the story has reached +55,000 words! What's more, this is my second most reviewed and second most viewed story after "The Gift of a Fairy's Life" and "A Pokemon's Destiny", respectively. That's about a difference of 40-some reviews and about 1,500 views, so eventually this is going to be my most popular story of all time.

Finally, a thanks to "the new Mew" for submitting another child of a legendary, a daughter of Ho-Oh. Currently I am debating on whether I should put these OC submissions in side chapters, away from the main story plot, or if I should add them in to the main story line.

Until then though, R&R, PM, and Enjoy!

Chapter 22

(Jason's POV)

"Urgh, what a nightmare," I said as I woke up. I held a hand up to my head as I sat up and tried to get myself awake. I felt around with my other hand trying to find the edge of the bed, but instead I felt soil and grass. I opened my eyes and looked around; to my surprise I wasn't in bed, but sitting on top of some sort of hill. I noticed Typhon sleeping next to me and I shook him awake, "Typhon, get up!"

Typhon groaned as he woke up as well, yawning as he stood up. He shook himself and looked around, only to give a similar reaction to when I woke up. "Dad? Where are we? The last thing I remember you and I were..."

His voice drifted off and I stood up. As we both looked around our breath was suddenly taken away. Before us there was a beautiful expanse of land. It was like a painting had been placed right in front of us and I said, "Typhon, I don't think we're in Johto anymore." As I looked around I saw an ocean with a beach, so maybe we were in Hoenn?

"Dad."

I turned around and noticed that there were people with Pokemon approaching, but I could sense they weren't here to welcome us. One in particular, a girl riding a Swanna, landed right in front of him and dismounted the swan Pokemon. She had orange hair and although she was young she had an air of authority around her.

"You there," she said, "What are you doing here?"

I held my hands up in front of me, "I'm not here to cause trouble." I looked to Typhon, and he nodded at me, "But I will defend myself if I have to."

The girl, as well as the others, began laughing at what I said and she replied, "Take a look around you." I did and I noticed that I was completely surrounded. What was worse, everyone except for me had a Water-type Pokemon. I reached for Victor's Poke Ball but remembered I left everyone except for Typhon with Meema. I swore under my breath and the girl said, "I see you finally understand the situation. Your Quilava is no match for our Water Pokemon."

"I guess you're right," I said, figuring there was nothing that either of us could do. I looked to Typhon again and he looked to me. He nodded, and I understood. I looked to the girl, who seemed to be watching us.

"That doesn't mean I can't try. Eruption!" Typhon unleashed his best attack, as crimson flames and molten rocks came out from his back. The warriors called out several Water-type attacks, all of them aimed at the molten rocks raining down on them. Their attacks cooled the rocks and they dodged the incoming debris. "Now use Quick Attack, and use the rocks to your advantage!"

Typhon stopped his attack and began moving quickly across the field. Typhon used the rocks that were strewn across the field to jump around the field quickly and give himself more speed and momentum when he attacked.

"Don't just stand there, attack!" the girl shouted. "Swanna, use Water Pulse!"

"I'm on it."

The Swanna took off into the air, and I shouted to Typhon, "Watch out Typhon!" Typhon noticed the Swanna and stopped to catch his breath. The Swanna attacked with a blast of water, and Typhon dodged using Quick Attack.

"Impossible!"

"Now go, Quick Attack!" Typhon reappeared on another rock and jumped up to Swanna using Quick Attack to propel itself.

"Now Flame Wheel, and add in Flamethrowers!" Typhon curled into a wheel and began spinning, using Flamethrower to build up its power and propel itself faster.

"Swanna, counter it!" The Swanna began using Water Gun in order to extinguish Typhon's flames, but they evaporated before they even reached him and the Swanna and girl were caught off guard as Typhon crashed into the Swanna. The other trainers looked on in awe as Typhon's Flame Wheel exploded and both Pokemon fell to the ground. Typhon landed on his feet, but the Swanna crashed to the ground, fainted.

I smiled at our victory, but winced as I felt a sudden pain in my shoulder. I held on to my shoulder, and said, "Alright, who's next?" I looked to the others, but they backed away. I looked to the girl, who was approaching me, and I stood up straight. My hand remained on my shoulder, although I had no idea why I had this pain. She stopped in front of me and removed my hand, causing me to wince. She pulled my shirt down over my shoulder and we both saw a bruise below my collarbone. She then went over to Typhon next, who moved back but I reassured him that it was okay.

She knelt down, and noticed there was a bruise on Typhon's shoulder as well. She stood and turned to me, "I take it you aren't from around here?" I nodded, unsure of what she was getting at. She walked over to her Swanna, who was starting to wake up, and she pulled out a Sitrus Berry which she fed to the Swanna. The Swanna stood up, stretching its wings as the berry restored its health. "Whether or not you're from here," she said, turning to me again, "you possess a very strong bond with your Quilava. However, it's not as strong as it can be."

I looked to Typhon, thinking he might know something, but it looked like his guess could have been as good as mine. "Come," the girl said. "It isn't safe for us to be out here in the open." She mounted her Swanna again and flew off, the other Water-type users leading me away. As we began moving, I decided to see if I couldn't contact Meema.

"Meema? Can you hear me? Please, Meema, answer me." I tried contacting her for ten straight minutes, but she never replied. I gave up when the girl flew down and everyone stopped moving. We had stopped in front of a lake, and soon it began to drain itself to reveal a hidden passage that led below the lake. Typhon and I were led down inside as the opening closed behind us.

"Pretty cool hiding spot you have," I said to the girl, who was walking behind me.

"This base definitely keeps us safe, what with the war going on."

"War?" I asked, turning to her. She didn't answer me, and we reached the bottom of the stairs. I was impressed by the way it was designed: the entire base was made of stone and glass, the floor and ceiling made of stone and the glass walls revealing the aquatic Pokemon that dwelled in the lake. There were members of the Finneon, Chinchou, and Clampearl line, as well as Relicanth and Luvdisc.

The girl stepped in front of me, "This is the base of the Water Warriors." I looked around and noticed there were others already in the base, all of them having a Water-type Pokemon.

"Drifty," a girl slightly older than I was said, walking up to the girl. "Who is this? You know there's a war going on and we can't just let people into our base."

"At ease," she said, "he's obviously not like the mainlanders. He's one of us."

"Okay, hold up for one second," I said, catching their attention. "How about you explain to me what's going on? I woke up in that field and all of a sudden you and your 'Water Warriors' surround me like poachers."

Drifty sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you what's going on. What's going on is that we are at war." She walked towards me slowly as she continued, "Our people, those of the Ransei region, are at war with the mainlanders, those of the Kanto and Johto regions. The mainlanders and our people are fighting because of a group known as Team Rocket." I sharply inhaled when she said that name, and Drifty noticed it. "You know something about this Team Rocket?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I encountered them before. Unfortunately I don't know that much about them."

"Well," Drifty said, "here's what we know. These people came to our land after we received word that the mainlanders had waged war on us. The mainlanders, as well as Team Rocket, use devices that capture and enslave Pokemon. Devices that they refer to as Apricorn Balls, or as Team Rocket calls them Poke Balls. Team Rocket came to our shores and offered us a means to defeat the invaders."

Drifty shook her head and walked over to the glass wall. "They brought Pokemon with them...strange Pokemon that are unnatural." She covered her mouth and I could tell she was both scared and disturbed. She took a deep breath and turned to me. "Can we trust you?" she asked me. Everyone began looking to me and she asked me the same question again, louder this time.

"You can," I replied, nodding.

"Good, because I need you to do something. It could mean risking your life, but we need you to help us."

"And what would that be?" She led me to the back of the base and began explaining the situation to me.

"Team Rocket has been supplying the Ransei region with some sort of power that is giving them an advantage in this war. We are members of a resistance; we fought against them in an attempt to drive them out but their Pokemon were too strong and they forced us into hiding. Because of our fighting with Team Rocket, we learned that the mainlanders were coming to stop the fighting. Team Rocket lied to our people and we tried to reveal the truth to them. Unfortunately, Team Rocket has convinced our people that the mainlanders have invaded our home in an act of war."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to be a spy for us. If you can infiltrate the tower that Team Rocket has made their base in and learn as much as you can, we can end this war right now."

"Okay, but there's just one problem. Typhon-Quilava, is my only Pokemon on hand."

"With the bond you and...Typhon possess, he's the only Pokemon you need." We walked around the base a little more, "You and Typhon share a bond that is similar to the way that we connect our hearts to our Pokemon. When we connect our hearts, we can bring out the true strength of our Pokemon. The mainlanders use their capturing devices because they cannot create a link with their Pokemon, and as a result their Pokemon only use a fraction of their power."

"Well then you have a lot to learn," I said. She looked at me and I pulled out Typhon's Poke Ball. I returned Typhon and she gasped in surprise. I let him out again and I said, "You have the wrong idea about them. From where I'm from, we use Poke Balls to better connect with our Pokemon. Think about this: what if you go on a trip and you decide to bring your Pokemon with you, but it's a big Pokemon like...a Steelix, or a Snorlax. Obviously it would be too big or too slow to keep up with you and it would take longer if you walked alongside the Pokemon. I'll admit, it doesn't connect a person's heart to a Pokemon's like you do, but how many Pokemon can you link your heart to?"

"Just one," she said, obviously confused at what I was getting at.

"Poke Balls and Apricorn Balls may not be able to create a strong link like what you and your people can do, but they allow us to create bonds with multiple Pokemon." She looked at me, shocked, and looked to her Swanna. "I'm not saying it's better than what you and your people can do, but for people like me-people who can't do what you can do-this is how we create our bonds." I noticed that the others in the base were listening to my speech.

"Yes, there are people like Team Rocket who would take advantage of this and use Pokemon for their own selfish desires. But there are also people like me, people who are willing to stand up against people like Team Rocket and show them the error of their ways." Once I finished, I was breathing heavily, and everyone was looking at me, shocked.

Drifty stepped forward, "So will you help us?" She held out her hand and I took it without hesitation.

"I will." The others cheered and Drifty led me out of the base.

Typhon and I followed Drifty and her Swanna to a nearby town. We hid behind a bush that was about a hundred feet from the town, which was fenced off and the only entrance was guarded. "Okay, how do we get in?" I asked.

"Unfortunately this is where you must take over," Drifty said. "Since I'm a leader of one of the resistances, they'll spot me instantly. You must continue on your own." I sighed, trying to figure something out. "One last thing," she said. I turned to her and she asked for my name.

"It's Jason."

"Then I wish you the best of luck Jason." She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I looked at her as she left.

I let out the breath I held in, and thought to myself, 'Well, at least Janice wasn't here to see that kiss.' I decided to try and contact Meema again, and I focused all of my psychic energy on contacting her.

"Meema, can you hear me?"

My voice echoed in my own head and I shouted, "Meema, if you can hear me, please answer me!"

My voice continued to echo, and I shouted once more, "Meema!"

"Hello there." I jumped a little as I opened my eyes to see a pink feline floating in front of me. The feline giggled and twirled in the air as I took my time to regain my senses.

"Mew?"

The pink feline giggled again and said, "The one and only. My, my, I didn't expect to see you here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She continued giggling and I was starting to get annoyed by it.

"Okay, don't get hot under the collar, Jason."

"How do you know my name?"

"That isn't important right now. What is important is that I help you get inside that base."

"Okay, now I have to know what you're up to. Spill, how are you going to get me inside?"

Mew began to giggle once again, but stopped when I gave her a hard look. She only laughed a little, and replied, "Okay, first we'll need some help from your Meema."

"I've been trying to contact her, but so far I've only been able to contact you."

"Don't worry, that's because Celebi's been talking with someone else."

"Who?"

Mew didn't reply, but instead I heard Meema's voice say, "I was speaking with her child." Meema appeared next to Mew, and I felt relieved once she was here.

"Glad you finally answered me, Meema."

Meema hugged me and replied, "I'm sorry, Jason. I would have gotten here sooner but," she gave Mew a cross look, "someone was having a little too much fun to be of much help." Mew's laughing slowed to a halt, as her previously happy face turned sad.

"I'm sorry," Mew said, slowly turning her back to us. "Really, I am. Not just about this, but for...everything." Meema sighed, and flew over to face Mew.

"Mew, you know you can trust me as a friend, right?" Mew didn't respond, but slightly nodded her head.

"It's just," she began, "I wish I could take it all back. Everything that I said."

"Mew, you and I both know that we can't change the past, even with my ability to time travel it will always turn out the same. Now quit being so droopy and help us now."

Mew looked up at Meema and she replied, "Okay, I'll do it."

"I'm sorry," I said in a sarcastic tone, "but can we focus on the problem that's happening right now!? I need to get inside that base, and Mew said we'd need your help, Meema."

She sighed, "I know what she means, Jason. She wants you to use us as your ticket to get inside the base."}

I was very doubtful of this plan, but Mew said, "It's okay, if anything goes wrong you can count on your Auntie Mew."

"Mew!"

"Sorry. But seriously, I can get us in no problem."

I sighed, "I hope you're right." Mew nodded, smiling, and we emerged from the bush. I began walking towards the gate, Meema and Mew hiding behind me.

"Okay, Jason, once they ask their question, just say what I tell you to."

As soon as I approached them, they blocked my way in and the one on the left said, "Hold it right there, kid. State your business."

Meema began telling me what to say and I repeated them exactly to the guards, "I'm here to join the cause. I have very powerful Pokemon I think the higher ups will find...useful."

Meema congratulated me on adding that last pause, and the guard replied, "Well then, let's see these powerful Pokemon."

Meema and Mew flew out from behind me, surprising the two guards, and I said, "How about it? Mind giving me an escort?" The guards nodded and I looked to Meema.

"That was perfect, Jason. Okay, now we just need to hide."

"I can do you one better," Mew said. She suddenly transformed into a Meowth and sat on my shoulder saying, "There, now I can hide in plain sight." Meema went into my bag as the guards led me to the tower. They knocked and another guard answered the door.

"We have a new recruit for the army," one of the guards said. He then whispered something into the guard's ear and he let us in. The guards led me through the tower and I looked around as much as possible. We stopped in front of a door and one of the guards turned to me and said, "You stay right here, we'll let you inside once we've addressed the bosses."

'Bosses? As in more than one?'

The guards entered and Mew said to me, "So what now? Do we start snooping around?"

"No," Meema replied, "If Jason starts running around now, the guards will notice he's gone and will most likely go searching for him." Mew acknowledged that point, and one of the guards called me in. We went inside and I noticed the two bosses behind a desk. One was a man and the other a woman. The man had raven-blue hair and the woman had long blonde hair, but both wore the same black uniform with the red "R" on the front.

"So, is this him then?" the man asked.

The guard nodded and the woman added, "He certainly doesn't look like he's in possession of a Mew and Celebi. All I see is that Meowth on his shoulder." I turned to Mew and nodded, and she transformed back into her Mew form as Celebi flew out of my bag.

They both gasped in surprise and the man said, "Well, isn't this a surprise. Looks like you buffoons were telling the truth after all."

"Leave us," the woman commanded, and the guards left the room. They smiled greedily at Meema and Mew, and the woman said, "So, you want to join Team Rocket?"

Meema told me what to say and I replied, "Yes, but on the condition that I keep Celebi and Mew. They only listen to me."

"We'll see about that," the man said. He grabbed something from behind the desk and threw something at Mew. Mew's eyes glowed blue as she used Psychic to stop the object mid-air, an oddly colored ball, and she levitated it over to me. I grabbed it and examined it shortly: the red was replaced by purple with a white "M" on the front, two pink circles on either side.

"Nice try, but with two legendary Psychic-types you hold no surprises for me." The man grunted in both surprise and fear, and the woman calmed him down.

"Don't worry Butch, as long as the kid plays nice he can keep these two." The woman walked over to me as Meema flew closer to me. "So, what can you offer us in return for your services?"

I was almost caught off guard by her question, and she continued, "If you won't hand over those two, then what can you offer us in exchange for joining us?" My mind began racing but I made sure to make it seem like I was only thinking.

"I can offer you the location of a rebel base," I finally said. She looked at me with intrigue and I continued, "It's located underground in the forest to the west of here."

She crossed her arms, apparently skeptical.

"They use both Rock and Ground-type Pokemon, and I don't mean just Geodudes, Graveller and Golem. I mean Ryhorn, Nidoqueen and King, Excadrill, pretty much anything that can learn Earthquake or Magnitude."

She began to smile.

"They plan to use their Pokemon to create an Earthquake centered around this tower and to make it crumble."

Her smile grew more and more. Once I finished, she walked over to a locker and pulled something out. She turned to me, a big grin on her face.

"Kid," she tossed me a small package and I saw it was a folded black uniform with a big red "R". "Welcome to Team Rocket."

The story continues in the next chapter. As always, R&R, PM, and I'll see you guys next time!