Wohoo! Another chapter! And pretty soon, too. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

Magus Black: Thank you, sir Oracle of Blades. It is good to be back.

Darkpokemaster: Don't count on it.

Mastermind: I have to agree with you on that.

H1tm0nl33: I'm glad that I can inspire such feelings in other people. It makes me feel good about my writing

Ipride21: Really? Could you please show me where? Regardless, for this story, Piplup is female. And it IS a pokeshipping story. Everyone already knows who's going to win. But don't worry your little head about it; I know what I'm doing. Just wait and see.

Mike: Thank you. I try to be awesome.

Hedgi: Allow me to direct you to this picture.

.com/albums/pp1/Penguin_King/POKEMON__Misty_versus_Dawn_by_

Now, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Ace Ventura, or the Super Friends. Those belong to Nintendo, Warner Bros., and DC (which is part of Warner Bros., oddly enough, but I digress). I do own characters outside the canon and this plot line. That is all.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice….. Just kidding. Outside the Gym….

May was lost in thought as she walked along the pathways of Cerulean City. She didn't really know where she was going, just wandering aimlessly through the city. Walking helped her think, clear her mind. Things were NOT going as she had planned them to, and that irked her to no end. She had been so sure that things would turn out how she had imagined them to. So sure that Ash would be with her. But now…

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. No, she could still get things to turn out how she had planned them to. She just had to think. Maybe bounce her ideas off of an impartial third party. Unfortunately, she didn't know anyone in Kanto. Brock wasn't a good person to ask. Dawn and Misty were definitely NOT impartial. Who did that leave?

May hit her forehead with her palm. Duh! Her mom! If anyone could give her advice on how to handle a thick headed guy, it was her. With that in mind, May started for the Pokecenter. She didn't get very far, however, before she heard running footsteps behind her. "May! Wait up!" A voice called behind her. May turned around, confused, to find Dawn running after her. What does she want? May thought to herself as she waited for the running girl to catch up. When Dawn was almost next to her, May started walking again, and Dawn slowed her pace to match.

"Thanks for waiting," Dawn said, only a little out of breath.

"No problem," May replied, suspicion coloring her voice slightly. "What's up?"

"I need your help for something." Dawn was blushing a little, but May put that to the run.

What could she possibly need from me? "Yeah, sure. What do you need help with?"

Dawn looked down, away from May, and started fiddling with her hands. Now that's odd, May thought speculatively. Did her face get a little redder?

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing, but I can't really ask anyone else."

May waited a minute, but Dawn didn't say anything after that. "Go on," she said.

"It's about Ash. And Misty."

"What about them?"

"I kind of have an idea that might make Misty really mad at Ash." She said it all in a rush, and then blushed again.

This girl sure blushes a lot. May turned a corner to take them to the Pokecenter. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Well, because Misty's competition."

May tried to look surprised. "Competition for what?" May asked incredulously.

Dawn looked down at her hands again. She mumbled something, but May couldn't quite make out what she said.

"Could you say that a little louder? I couldn't hear you."

"Ash," Dawn said. "Competition for Ash."

May stopped suddenly, surprising Dawn. She didn't say anything. She just stared at Dawn for a while. "So am I," she said finally.

"I know," she said meekly, looking unsure of herself. "But neither of us has much of a shot with Misty in the picture."

"True," May admitted, continuing on her walk. "Let's go grab some coffee, and we can talk about your plan, see if it has any merit to it."

Dawn smiled, following May. "Sounds good to me," she said. Gullible fool, she thought. Let's see if I can pull this off.

Max woke to find himself in darkness, on a hard, uncomfortable bed. "Hello?" he asked, afraid. "Is anyone there?" There was no response. Just an eerie quiet.

Abruptly, the room filled with lights. Max raised his arm to protect his eyes from the light. They were really bright. "Hello?" With the lights on, Max had a better look at the room, but everything was blurry without his glasses. He groped around the bed to find a small table. On them were his glasses. Max put them on, and could see better.

It was a very small room, no more than ten by ten. The only furniture was his bed, the small table, and a single chair. On the wall was a medium sized mirror. "Hello?" he asked again, louder. He was really starting to get afraid now. "Mom? Dad? Where are you!?" He curled himself up into a ball on the bed.

There was the sound of hissing air off to the side. Max looked up, startled by the sound. It looked like a section of the wall was moving into the room. It stopped, and out stepped a woman in a lab coat holding a clipboard. She was pretty, with long legs and shoulder length strawberry-blonde hair, but Max didn't take any notice of that. She smiled at him and headed for the chair. The wall section moved back into the wall to blend seamlessly into nothing.

"Hello," the woman said, bringing the chair closer to the bed Max was still sitting on. She sat on the chair and crossed her legs. "My name is Brigitte. What's your name?"

Max looked at the Brigitte suspiciously, still afraid. "Where am I?"

"You're someplace safe."

"Where are my mom and dad?"

"Safe."

"What about my Pokémon?"

Brigitte chuckled. "They're all safe, dear. You don't need to worry about them."

"I want to see them."

"In time, you can. Now, how about you tell me your name?"

Max was still cautious, and rightly so. He had been abducted from his room for crying out loud! Why was he going to answer this woman's questions? "No," he said in response, turning his back on the woman.

"Alright," Brigitte said. Max heard her stand up and walk away, the panel of wall hissing as it protruded from the wall. "I'll be back in a few hours with lunch. Anything in particular you want?" No response. "Alright. Bye," she said pleasantly. Her footsteps disappeared behind the panel as it hissed closed. Then he was alone.

"Where am I?" he asked the empty room, tears forming in his eyes.

"I see the interview went well," Giovanni said to Brigitte as she returned to the control room.

She shrugged. "It went about how I expected. In time he'll open up to me. I am going to be the only one he'll see for a good long while."

Giovanni looked through the one way glass on his side. It looked like a mirror to Max. The child had gotten up off the bed and gone to inspect the wall where the door was. He couldn't find the seam, no matter how hard he looked. He tried pounding on it, to see if it might bounce out a little, but to no avail. Giovanni turned on his heel and walked out of Max's control room and into a hallway. "How are the others?"

Brigitte looked at her clipboard. "Norman is furious, wanting to know about his wife and kids. His wife is the same. The Slate parents are only worried about their children. The children are all upset. The Waterflower sisters are crying. Johanna is worried about her daughter. And I was just about to go talk to Delia. She's right over this way." Brigitte led the way down a hall off to the left. They went a short way and stopped. She indicated a door. "You can wait in the control room if you'd like, sir."

Giovanni waved away the suggestion. "Actually, I think I'll conduct this one."

"Sir?" Brigitte asked.

"I'll talk to her." He went to a keypad next to the wall and entered a code. A section of the wall moved out and Giovanni walked behind it. He was in another room, the Waypoint. The wall closed in behind him with a hiss and a thunk.

"Voice recognition," a computerized voice said.

"Giovanni."

"Voice confirmed. Heartbeat sensor confirmed one visitor. Please step forward for retinal scanning." Giovanni stepped forward. There was a bright light, and the voice came up again. "Match confirmed."

The wall in front of him slid forward into the next room. Giovanni stepped out from behind the panel, waiting for it to close before he proceeded any further into the room. He heard the hissing stop and took a few steps forward. Delia Ketchum was sitting in the chair, facing him. She seemed unconcerned and unsurprised. Giovanni stood in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back. "Hello, Delia."

"Hello Giovanni. How have you been?"

He shrugged. "I've been alright. And you? It's been…what, sixteen years?"

Delia nodded. "Yeah, something like that. I've been alright. There's been surprisingly little to do since Ash left the house. Mostly I clean. You know, be the normal house wife. I entertain friends too. One of them has probably reported me missing by now."

Giovanni nodded. "Yes, Professor Oak reported you missing yesterday, but the police said to call at forty-eight hours. That will be…" He looked at his watch. "In about an hour."

Delia laughed. "I always thought that was a funny rule. In forty-eight hours, you could be on the other side of the world. Which, knowing you, I probably am."

Giovanni nodded. "True. So, you're probably wondering why you're here."

She smiled. "The thought had crossed my mind."

"Would you believe me if I said it's because of your son?"

Delia sighed. "I've told that boy to be careful. But does he ever listen to his mother? No. He goes and sticks his nose in places it doesn't belong. Just like his father."

"In more ways than one, apparently. Your son has gone a long way towards messing up my plans."

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"No, I guess it doesn't."

The two said nothing for a while, just looking at each other. "You know," Delia started, "you broke your promise."

Giovanni smiled. "Yes, I'm aware of that.

"I'm just saying; don't be surprised when he shows up."

"Oh, I designed this place with him in mind. I'm confident that we can stop him from getting inside."

"It's not like you to underestimate your opponents, Giovanni. Your age must be making you forgetful."

He shook his head. "I'm not underestimating him. I just think that I finally got the defenses down, that's all."

"If you say so." Delia looked around the room. "So, am I the only one you decided to kidnap?"

"Nope. Your son has involved quite a lot of people in his adventures. Nineteen is the count, I believe."

"Wow. You've sure outdone yourself."

"Actually, it was pretty easy. I have long arms, Delia."

"I know, I know. I haven't forgotten. Not long enough, however, to catch my husband. He'll hear about this, don't you doubt it. And he won't be happy."

"No, I don't suppose he will." Giovanni looked into the mirror for a bit. "Still, I can't do nothing. Like I said, your son has done a great deal of damage to my organization. Almost as much as your husband."

Delia smiled. "That will make him proud."

"Your son has a weakness that his father doesn't, though."

"Oh? And what is that?"

Giovanni held up a finger. "He doesn't know I'm coming for him. It was nice to see you again, Delia. Maybe next time, it won't be under such dire circumstances." Giovanni turned to the wall and started walking. The panel started to open up.

"Giovanni."

He stopped and half turned to look at Delia. "Yes?"

"You'd do well not to underestimate my son, either."

Giovanni turned back to the panel. "See you later, Delia," he said as he disappeared behind the closing panel. Once it was closed, he went through the Waypoint process again before emerging from the other side. Brigitte was there waiting for him.

"Sir? How do you know her?"

Giovanni headed toward the exit of the holding complex. "That is above your pay grade, dear."

"Then what about the man you were talking about? Her husband?"

"Also, above your pay grade. Be at ease knowing that the people who need to know of it know of it, and that all precautions have been taken."

Brigitte was going to question that, but decided she liked her job too much. "Yes sir," she said, falling into step behind him, their footsteps echoing around them in the hallways of the silent complex.

Dawn took a sip from her cup of coffee, enjoying the flavor of it. Her mom never let her have coffee at home. But, since she wasn't here to tell Dawn off for it, she thought she would splurge a little. "So, what do you think?" Dawn asked May. Dawn just finished outlining her plan for May. Well, part of her plan. The part that included her.

"Let's see if I got this down." May put down her cup and put her hands on the table. "We're trying to get Misty mad at Ash. But to do that, she has to be mad at me?"

Dawn nodded. "Yup."

"And we're going to do that by having me try to kiss Ash?"

"Uh huh."

"Explain to me how that makes sense?"

"Well, if she's mad at you, she'll kick you out. But she'd do it right in front of Ash. What do you think he would do if Misty kicked you out for what is, to him, not such a big deal? He'll leap to your defense, that's what. Putting him on your side, and against Misty. So not only will she be mad at you for trying to steal him, but she'll be mad at him for defending you trying to steal him."

May picked up her cup again and took a sip. "It sounds like you really thought this out."

Dawn nodded, proud of her plan.

"No. I don't like it."

Dawn frowned. "Why not?"

"I think you've thought this out a little too well. If you can think a way for Misty to get mad like that, then what's to make me think you don't have a similar plan in place for me?"

Dawn looked at her in wide-eyed surprise. "What do you mean? I don't know you that well. Ash doesn't really talk about you, so I can't guess at what you would do."

May cocked an eyebrow. "He doesn't talk about me?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, not really. I mean, he'll mention you in passing sometimes, but he talks about Misty more."

May looked at Dawn in a flat stare. She's lying, I know she is. She has a plan for me, I just know it. So let's put a wrench in her plans. She shook her head. "No. It's too risky. Ash will be mad at me afterwards." She thought about it for a while, than snapped her fingers. "I got it. Why don't you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Try to kiss Ash."

Dawn blushed. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"But you thought it was a good idea for me?"

"Ash has known you longer than me. He might be a little more receptive if it was you."

May shook her head. "No. I think we should switch roles. You're the one who's spent the most time with him recently. You try to kiss Ash, and I'll make sure Misty is there."

Dawn looked into her coffee. "If you really think that will work better..."

"I do."

Dawn shrugged. "Okay. I just hope nothing is happening back at the Gym."

May shook her head. "I don't think we have much to worry about. Brock is back there. They won't do anything with him watching over them. "

"What about me?" Brock sat down at the table with May and Dawn, taking a sip from his cup. The two looked at him as if he had grown an extra head, and then it said something unimaginably rude. "Is something wrong?"

May reached out with both hands and grabbed Brock by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Why aren't you back at the gym?!"

"I-I-I thought it would be nice for Ash and Misty to have some alone time."

"No!"

"But Ash practically killed himself getting here, and they don't want me hanging around every second."

May let go of Brock and stood up, turning to Dawn. "We have to get back there now. Who knows what's happened."

"Right, let's go." Dawn stood up, and the two took off back towards the gym, leaving Brock at the table.

Brock sighed, and took another sip of his drink before following them at a walk. This was not going to be pretty.

Piplup was still firmly attached to Ash's neck when he got out of the pool. Misty followed suit, wrapping her towel around herself. "Alright Piplup. Time to get off." Ash reached up and grabbed Piplup. He tried to pull the little penguin off of him, but she just didn't want to let go.

Misty laughed at the sight of the two struggling against each other. "You guys go get dressed. I'll meet you in the living room in a bit."

Ash sighed as he resigned from his struggles with the blue bird. "You know, you're making things really difficult here." She didn't seem to care. Accepting that he wouldn't be free of Piplup until Dawn got back, he headed to his room to get changed into his regular clothes. I wonder how long those guys are going to be anyways. It's odd that they're all gone at the same time like this. He shrugged it off as an odd coincidence as he walked into his room. It was then that Piplup decided to let go of him and wander outside. "Great," he muttered after her. "NOW you decide to let go of me. Why couldn't you have decided that ten minutes ago?" Shaking his head in frustration, he changed back into his jeans, shirt, and cap. Checking his pocket to be sure the lure was still there, he walked outside to try and find Misty. He didn't go five steps before Ash felt Piplup latch onto his ankle. He looked down at her in disbelief. She just looked back up at him with an innocent face. "Plup?"

"I don't believe it."Ash continued walking, with Piplup squeaking in delight every time he lifted the leg she was holding onto. "Is it going to be like this every time Dawn is gone?" Piplup didn't answer. Not that he expected her to. Ash walked into the living room and sat down on the left end of the couch. To keep Piplup happy, he lifted his leg up and down in the air, lifting the Pokémon up and down. He smiled at the little penguin having fun.

"Oh, that's so cute."

Ash turned to see Misty at the entryway of the living room. He smiled at her and patted the seat next to him. Misty was walking over to sit there when Glaceon jumped up onto the couch and lay down on that spot, with her head on Ash's lap. Misty laughed again. "Those Pokémon really like you, don't they Ash?"

He nodded. "I guess so. I didn't know they liked me this much."

"It must be because you're a great trainer. They can sense that, you know." Misty sat down next to Glaceon on the couch, petting her. She must have rubbed her the wrong way, because the Glaceon's fur prickled under her hand, scratching her palm. She shook her hand in the air. "Ow. That hurt Glaceon." The Pokémon didn't respond. "So, was there anything in particular you wanted to watch?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Have any good movies?"

Misty nodded. "A couple. What do you feel in the mood for?"

"I don't know. You pick. Something you like."

Misty stood back up. "Alright. I'll be right back." Misty walked into what looked like a little closet and turned on the lights. It was about the size of the guest rooms, and all four walls were filled with DVDs, sorted by genre and then alphabetically. "Let's see, let's see, what to watch…" Misty wandered over to the romance section. "Maybe an old one, a classic." Her hand hovered above Gone with the Wind, about to pick it, when she heard the front door opening.

"Hello! We're back! Where are you guys?"

"In the living room!" Ash called back.

Great. They had to come back now, of all times. Misty left the romance section and walked to the comedy section. She looked over the rows before coming to a rest on Ace Ventura: Pokémon Detective. "Alllllllllllrighty then," she said as she turned off the light and entered the living room again. "Hey guys. Feel up to a movie?"

May was on the couch next to her Glaceon, stroking the Pokémon's fur. "Sure. Is it something good?"

Dawn was on the chair closest to Ash, Piplup in her lap. "Is it funny?"

Misty kept her face from betraying the feelings of anger she had. "Yes to both," she said, walking over to the DVD player. She turned on the TV, put the DVD in, and sat down on the only open spot, the other chair in the room. The one that was as far away as possible to be from Ash. Why didn't he save my spot? she asked herself sullenly as she pushed play on the remote. We were having such a good time too…

Night had fallen on the Snowpoint Base. All was quiet, save for the wind across the frozen ground. The lookouts were told that they had to watch out for anything that might be suspicious. There were persons of interest being held in the base, and there was a possibility that someone might try to break them out. The head watchman was looking through night vision binoculars, scouring the flat land around them for signs of anything unusual.

"Sir!" one of the junior watchmen called. "There's something out over on the west side. It looks like someone just started a fire."

Turning to the west, the head watchman looked out to it. Yup. There was a fire. It hadn't been there a moment ago when he last looked. Someone had just started that fire. When it was already dark. In a frozen land constantly plagued by unpredictable weather. Oh yeah, something was up. "Lieutenant!" the man called.

"Yes Captain?" the lieutenant responded to his right.

"I want you to assemble a scouting party. I think you should go for a Zulu arrangement."

"Zulu, sir?" Zulu was code. Not only did it mean Z when they were spelling, but it was also what they called a group of Pokémon with high offensive and defensive capabilities. It was almost the equivalent of sending a group of tanks. Almost, because a Zulu was more effective.

"Yes, Zulu. Quickly. I don't want to take any chances."

The lieutenant saluted. "Right away sir."

A few minutes later, the lieutenant was on a snowmobile with five other men behind him. They were all chosen because of the Pokémon they worked with. However, because of the difficulty in working with that Pokémon, they only had one, with the exception of the lieutenant, who had two. All in all, there were seven Pokémon: A Dragonite, Salamence, Metagross, Tyranitar, Garchomp, Golem, and an Alakazam.

The team sped across the ground towards the fire. Even without binoculars, the glare against the darkness was a telltale sign of where to go. It was a matter of minutes before they were close to the spot. They stopped a ways away, so as not to alert the person who had made his camp there. The lieutenant used the radio on the snowmobile before they left. "Captain, we're proceeding on foot. We will let you know what it was when we return."

The voice that came back was garbled, barely recognizable. "Very good lieutenant. Proceed."

The lieutenant hung the radio back on the receiver and turned to his men. "Alright, let's go. Quietly. Keep your Pokémon at the ready."

The men nodded at him, taking out their Pokéballs, and followed him across the plain. It wasn't long before they reached the fire. It was on the edge of the evergreen forest that surrounded the Snowpoint base. Some people don't care if they start a forest fire, the lieutenant thought as he went to go put out the fire.

He was about to kick some snow over the flames when a voice came from the trees. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

Everyone jerked to the source of the noise. There, just inside the glow of the fire, was a man. He was sitting on the branch of a tree, his back to the trunk. He was wearing a green parka and a cap, pulled down over his eyes. "It can get pretty cold out here," he continued. "Last thing you want is to be caught outside without a fire to keep you warm."

On the lieutenant's signal, everyone released their Pokémon. "Sir, you're going to have to come with us. This is private property, and you are trespassing. Please come down from that tree."

The man in the tree lifted up his cap and looked at the assembly of Pokémon. He sighed, shaking his head. "I swear, you guys need to learn more about your Pokémon. Honestly, who would bring dragon Pokémon out into a frozen wasteland like this? Everyone knows that dragons don't do well with ice."

"Sir! Come down from that tree, now," the lieutenant said more firmly. "Or, we will make you."

"Calm down, calm down, no need to get all snippy. What will happen if I do come down?"

"We will escort you to the edge of the premises and leave you there."

"You see, that doesn't suit me too well. I need to get in your base, actually."

The lieutenant let out a small chuckle. "I don't think that will be happening anytime soon."

The man shrugged. "Sooner than you think."

Nodding to his Garchomp user, the lieutenant said "Get him down from there."

The man in the tree said one word. "Weavile."

A shadow parted from a branch of one of the trees. With incredible speed, the shadow closed with the Garchomp and landed two quick strikes to its midsection, the ends of its fists glowing blue, before jumping up and giving it an uppercut. The combination sent the Pokémon reeling, starting to fall backwards. The shadow continued with the motion of the strike to do a full back flip. Landing both its feet on the falling Garchomp, the shadow pushed off with incredible force, launching itself to the other side of the fire from the group, the ends of its fists still glowing blue. There was a mighty thud as the Garchomp fell on its back, shaking the ground with the force of its impact. The Pokémon was clearly unconscious from the onslaught it had received.

Now that the shadow was still, the lieutenant could see that it really was a Weavile. The fastest Weavile he had ever seen. It wasn't even breathing hard from its recent exertion. He turned to the Garchomp handler. "Take your Pokémon and head back to base. Radio that we found a hostile and are engaging. Now."

"I'm afraid you're a little too late for that," the man in the tree said. "You'll find that your radio is beyond repair, and your batteries drained. You're stuck here."

"Go!" the lieutenant urged. The Garchomp handler returned the Pokémon to its ball and ran to the snowmobiles. He turned back to the man in the tree. "You got lucky on that one. Garchomp was weak, especially against those ice punches I'm sure your Weavile was using."

The man clapped his hands. "Bravo. So you do have a brain. So I'm sure you can guess what's going to happen to those other Pokémon you brought."

"Yup. They're going to cream that Weavile. Even with its speed, there's no way it can take out all six of the other Pokémon before one of them takes it down."

The man laughed once. "Maybe you don't have a brain. Look at your Pokémon. If we don't count Garchomp, three of the others are weak against ice, and Weavile's just getting warmed up."

"That still leaves us with three others who aren't weak against it."

The man gasped. "He can do math. Amazing!"

The lieutenant had just about had enough of this. "Men, attack. It's just one Pokémon."

As if on cue, two other Pokémon stepped out from the shadows of trees and into the firelight. The first one was a Gallade. It stood up straight, bowed towards the opponent Pokémon, and took up a fighting stance. The other was an Infernape. It had been keeping its head-flame low while it was hiding. But now that a fight was on the way, it let the fire roar. And roar it did as the Infernape took up its fighting position also. "What kind of trainer do you think I'd be if I only had one Pokémon?" the man in the tree asked. He shook his head and jumped down from the tree branch. "It's amazing how little brain power you need to be an officer these days." He took his cap and turned it backwards so the bill wouldn't obstruct his view. The man had short, spiky black hair and penetrating green eyes. He smiled slightly at the prospect of the coming battle.

"Men, attack!" All of the trainers yelled commands at their Pokémon, expecting to crush the team before they had a chance to attack. They had all picked their targets according to type advantages. Alakazam and Metagross were eyeing Infernape for a double Psychic blast, while Tyranitar started a charge at Gallade, roaring as it closed. Dragonite and Salamence took off into the air to provide aerial cover, watching out for any long range attacks from the Weavile while Golem did a rollout at the small Pokémon.

The man saw what was going on. "Weavile, run Psychic cover for Infernape!" The Pokémon was a shadow across the ground as it ran in front of the fighting Pokémon, jumping in the air to take the full concentration of the attacks, which were rendered ineffective against the dark Pokémon. Infernape reached out and grabbed the Weavile as it flew in front of him so he didn't go jumping into a nearby tree.

"Gallade, dodge the Tyranitar, and watch for the aerials. Infernape, throw Weavile at Alakazam." Gallade wasn't the fastest of Pokémon, but he was nimble. The Tyranitar came charging in, mouth open, preparing a hyper beam. Gallade ran straight towards the Tyranitar. At the last moment before the huge Pokémon released its hyper beam, Gallade took a single step to the left. Expecting the foe Pokémon to try to run that way, Tyranitar threw its head to try and follow it. It hadn't expected the Gallade to turn a circle and move off to the right. Unable to stop, Tyranitar shot its attack into the trees. The sound of cracking wood, and the ensuing explosion of the attack, filled the still night air. Gallade skidded to a stop just behind the Tyranitar. He ran at the back of the recharging Pokémon, running up its spine, and then jumping into the air towards the circling flying Pokémon. At the moment Gallade went into the air, there was a roar in the air around it as a flamethrower and a dragon rage were launched at where Gallade had been a moment before, on Tyranitar. The two attacks missed Gallade, but did hit their ally. The result of the combined attack was deafening, but the force launched Gallade up higher and faster. The flying Pokémon hadn't expected this, and Gallade flew right at Salamence, lashing out with a Psycho Cutter as the two passed each other in the air.

At the same time, Infernape hurled Weavile at the foe Alakazam. The Pokémon couldn't get out of the way fast enough to avoid the dark Pokémon, its claws leaving a black trail from using Night Slash. Futilely, Alakazam tried to use Psychic to slow the oncoming Weavile, but it had no effect. Weavile struck it in the chest, bringing it to a halt while propelling Alakazam backwards with frightening force before it was brought to a stop by the tree behind it.

Meanwhile, Golem had turned around and was now aiming for Infernape. The monkey Pokémon jumped into the air, dodging the oncoming attack, somersaulting so that it faced the rock Pokémon as it turned for another attack. Infernape was too distracted by the Golem to notice that Metagross was preparing another Psychic attack. Infernape just jumped into the air again, and Metagross was about to attack, when a blur crossed its vision. Standing in front of Metagross was a large, yellow and black furred Pokémon, one arm drawn back to strike. Recognizing the danger it was in, Metagross unleashed its attack on its new opponent at the same time it was struck with an incredibly fast, strong, thunder punch. The attacks slid their targets backwards a few feet before they stopped, leaving them facing each other.

"It's about time, Electivire. Was there not as much juice in those batteries as we thought?" The striped Pokémon shook its head, staying facing its new opponent. "Alright. Hold on a minute and Infernape will give you a boost."

Up above them, Salamence was tumbling through the air towards the ground, its flight pattern messed up from the unexpected attack from Gallade. Dragonite turned in the air to bring the now helpless Pokémon into its sights. The trainer yelled out commands for his Pokémon. "Infernape, close combat, Weavile ice punch straight after, then Infernape launch Weavile into the Dragonite. Quick, now! Electivire, keep Metagross busy. Don't let it aim a shot at anyone."

The Golem had turned around and was coming again for another try at Infernape. Instead of jumping around like it had been, Infernape held its ground, getting into a deep stance, his right arm pulled back, his left hand covering the right fist. Right when it looked like Infernape was going to be run over, the monkey Pokémon stepped forward with his front foot and brought his right elbow whipping around, catching the rolling rock Pokémon dead in the center. The concussion of the attack sent a whump through the air, and brought the Pokémon to a complete stop. Not a split second after that, Weavile flitted across the field and struck the Golem with a quick succession of two ice punches, making the large Pokémon roll backwards. Infernape bent down, scooped up Weavile, and threw it with all of its strength at the Dragonite.

Just as it was about to shoot its own hyper beam at Gallade, Dragonite was caught in the jaw by the launched Weaviles ice punch. The hyper beam shot above Gallade harmlessly. The Dragonite incapacitated, Gallade oriented itself in the air so it was directly above the Metagross, while Weavile crawled around Dragonite and launched itself toward Salamence, who had landed to recover and was about to take off again.

"Infernape, thunder punch Electivire!" Satisfied that Golem wouldn't be rolling around for another go, Infernape charged at Electivire, who was having his hands full trying to hold off Metagross. The foe Pokémon saw he was coming, and tried to use Psychic on Infernape while using metal claw at Electivire. Infernape scooted out of the way of the mental blast and jumped at Electivire, pulling back his fist to strike the Pokémon in the back. Infernapes thunder punch connected with the outlet design on Electivires back at the same time Gallade came streaking down from the air, elbow blades black from Night Slash, landing on Metagross, causing the steel Pokémon to collapse, its four legs splayed outwards.

On the other side of the clearing, Weavile also hurtled through the air, blue-white streaking off of its claws, towards the grounded Salamence. The dark Pokémon landed a huge hit dead center on the back of the foe as it was about to take off, effectively grounding it for the remainder of the battle at the same time Dragonite fell from the air, landing in a cloud of snow. Streaking across the battlefield, claws dragging across the ice, Weavile focused on the last remaining opponent.

Gallade jumped off of Metagross's back as the psychic Pokémon started to levitate in the air. Electivire, charged up from Infernapes thunder punch, quickly moved around behind the enemy, bringing both fists down in a double thunder punch. Metagross flinched from the attack, but continued rising up until it could get its legs underneath it. The trainer saw Weavile coming in for a finishing blow, and started the prep for a combo. "Infernape, flip and blaze kick. Gallade, night slash. Electivire, intercept after crush claw and giga-impact. Go!" Jumping high into the air, Infernape made a full front flip, coming straight down in an ax blaze kick. The flaming kick caught Metagross right above the eyes, causing the front two legs to collapse again. Gallade hooked across the exposed underside with a night slash, lifting the now helpless steel Pokémon up onto its side. Weavile came in, left claw drawn back, and hit Metagross with crush claw, sending the foe flying. Electivire seemed to disappear from where it was and reappear in the path of the oncoming Metagross. The electric Pokémon ended the fight with a show-stopping giga-impact, stopping Metagross midflight, bringing it crashing to the ground.

With all foes defeated, the trainer turned back to the tree he had been sitting in and pulled out a length of cord from behind it. "Now," he said to the Team Rocket goons in front of him. "I'm going to tie you up and leave you by this fire you tried to put out. Are you going to come easy, or am I going to have to get my friends to make you?" Infernape cracked his knuckles, seeming to smile in anticipation.

The lieutenant stared at the man in awe. "You beat us, all of us, and you only have four Pokémon? Who are you?"

The man smiled. "My name doesn't really matter. And I actually have six. My other two just don't like the cold. So, what's it going to be?"

The lieutenant was about to make the decision for the group when the Garchomp handler returned from the snowmobiles. "Guys, I saw a yellow yeti! It ate our snowmobiles!" He saw Electivire, and jumped backwards. "That's it! That's it! Someone get it! Quick!" It was at that moment he saw the field was littered with unconscious Pokémon. "What happened here?"

"We surrender."

Trading his parka with a Team Rocket one, the trainer approached the snowmobiles. "Electivire, could you juice up one of these things for me?" Electivire did a thundershock, and the snowmobile started up. "Thanks. Everyone, return!" The trainer held out four Pokéballs, returning the Pokémon to their respective balls. Jumping on the snowmobile, the trainer made his way back to the Team Rocket base.

He drove the snowmobile up to the gate. "Someone, open up! We've got an emergency!" The gates opened up and he drove inside.

He was confronted by an important looking man. "Soldier, report!" the man demanded.

The trainer threw a salute. "Sir, we arrived close to the fire and proceeded on foot. There were four men waiting by the fire. Sir, they were Echo commandos. They've located the base. We couldn't get a radio signal through, so the lieutenant sent me back for reinforcements while everyone else tried to keep them contained."

The captain cursed. "Everyone that can drive a snowmobile, get one! If you can't drive, ride with someone! This is an emergency people!" The captain turned to the trainer. "I need you to get to Giovanni and tell him what's going on.

"Sir, I don't have clearance to get that far into the building."

The captain impatiently shoved his clearance card into the trainers' hands. "Now you do. Now run!"

The trainer saluted and ran into the building, swiping the clearance card as he did so. He entered a long corridor with various hallways leading off of them. There were signs that showed the paths to where everything was, and labels outside the rooms to show what was in them. A flood of people were running outside while the trainer ran counter to the current. Abruptly, there was an end to the people.

The trainer unzipped his parka and threw it to the ground. It was too warm inside for it. Pulling his cap out of his back pocket, he put it back on his head, bill forward. Taking one last look to make sure there was no one nearby, he reached his hands to his belt, pulling out six Pokéballs. "Alright everyone, come on out!" When the red flash cleared, six Pokémon stood facing him. He looked up at the signs, and gave orders. "Electivire, Infernape, Gallade, Scyther, and Leafeon, go down this hall and follow the signs for the containment cells. Find any cells with the names Slate, Hikari, Haruka, Waterflower, or Ketchum. Once you find them all, make your way up to the roof. Weavile, you're with me. Everyone got it?" All the Pokémon cried in the affirmative. "Alright, let's go guys. Break!" Five Pokémon ran one way, while Weavile and the trainer ran another.

It wasn't long before the trainer reached the door he was looking for: Giovanni's office. He looked at the clearance card in his hand, and then tossed it aside. "Weavile, open the door please." Weavile slashed the door to pieces, and let the trainer step across the splinters into the room. "Giovanni," the trainer said to the man behind the desk. The back of the chair was facing him, but it was squeaking slightly. There was someone there. "It's been a while."

"It certainly has been," Giovanni replied, turning the chair around. Giovanni smiled. "Old friend."

"I don't feel very friendly at the moment, Giovanni. You broke our promise. You said you'd leave my family alone if I left you alone. That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"Almost. The deal was I'd leave your family alone if your family left me alone."

"Semantics, Giovanni."

"No, not in the least. You see, you've left me alone, but your son… He's a different matter entirely."

"What do you mean?"

Giovanni feigned surprise. "What, you mean you haven't been keeping tabs on your own son, Ketchum?"

"I have been. He's been making a good name for himself as a trainer. Keeps good company too."

"But he's gone a good ways towards ruining me."

The trainer scoffed at that. "You seriously want me to believe my son has almost ruined you?"

"I was just as reluctant to believe as you. But not a week ago someone brought some reports to my attention."

"And my son was the object of these reports? How many are we talking here? Four? Five tops?"

Giovanni shook his head. "He had boxes of reports. Boxes! Even you don't have a full box, and you've done more harm than anyone else. Granted, most of that was in a few fell swoops, but nonetheless…"

"It doesn't matter. You broke the truce. Now, I'm going to be coming for you. This is a warning, in honor of our past. And this is the only one you get. After tonight, I'm going to bring it, and bring it hard."

"I wouldn't expect anything less. However… you may have a problem with that."

The trainer had started to leave, but stopped. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Well, there's two reasons. Firstly, as soon as you're gone, I'm going to make some phone calls. You and my prisoners are going to be grounded here indefinitely. Sure, you may be gone from the facility, but you'll be stuck here in Sinnoh. And seeing as we only have a couple bases here in Sinnoh, you won't be able to do that much damage."

"And the second thing?"

"I have Patrick and Jane working on your son."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not. Remember, boxes… I'll see you around, Ketchum."

Giovanni turned the chair back around and the trainer left.

All nineteen people, along with the five Pokémon, were waiting on the roof, shivering, when the Trainer got there with Weavile. Delia jumped into his arms as soon as she saw him. "Oh, honey! It's so good to see you again!" She leaned back a little, cupping his face in her hand, looking at him sweetly. Then she slapped him. "Where have you been?! I haven't seen you since before Ash left!"

"I know, dear, I know. I'm sorry. But you know how it is for me. I have to go where they tell me. I haven't had a day off since I saw you last."

"Then how did you get here, huh?"

"Because you were in trouble."

"This is all very touching and all," Norman cut in, "But we're freezing here. Why are we up here anyways?"

The trainer indicated the runway on the roof. "Because we're flying out of here."

Norman looked around, than saw the hanger. "Got it. Everyone, follow me!" Norman led the way to the hanger, the trainer bringing up the rear.

Delia wasn't done talking yet though. "You and I are going to have a very long talk when we get back on the ground, sir."

The trainer sighed. "I know, dear. I know." He followed Delia into the plane and made his way to the cockpit. Norman was in the co-pilots chair, doing the start up work. "Just like riding a bike, ey Norman?"

The gym leader laughed and nodded. "Sure is. I remember doing stuff like this all the time when I was in Echo. Has it changed much?"

The trainer shook his head. "No, not really. We do the same stuff that we did when you left." He took his place in the pilot's seat. "You didn't happen to do a walk around, did you?"

Norman shook his head. "Nope. No time. I figure we only have a minute or two left until all those goons get back."

The trainer took a deep breath. "Let's just hope there's no water in the fuel. Almost ready?"

"Yup. Give me another few seconds. You prep the passengers." He started up the plane, the small jet engines starting to spin to speed.

"Will do." He reached up and took the intercom handset from its cradle. "This is your captain speaking. We are about to take off. Everyone make sure your trays are in the upright and lock position and make sure your seatbelts are buckled, as we will most definitely be having a rough take off. We will be taking off in ten…nine…eight…sev-NOWNOWNOW!!"

Norman hit the throttle forward just as the first Rocket goon poked his head out the hanger door. He saw the plane coming and dived to the side, out of the way. The small plane rocketed forward, taking off just as it reached the end of the roofs runway. The trainer took control of the stick, guiding the plane to higher altitude, checking the fuel, oil pressure, and so on at the same time. Everything seemed fine. "You know, Giovanni's not going to like me very much after this. I think this is his private plane."

Norman gave the man a look. "He liked you before?"

"Mmm, that depends on how far back you go. But in the immediate past, now, he didn't."

Norman shrugged. "So then nothing new."

"Nope." They were silent for a minute. "So, do you have any idea where we're going to land this thing?"

AN II: Oh that was soooooo much fun to write. I'm glad I got it all down before the idea decided to leave my brain. And, it's my longest chapter yet! 8000+ words! Yeah, sure, that includes the notes, but who cares? That's a lot of words! For me anyways. So, yeah. Please review! Penguin King, out~