Chapter 11

Trapped

After rearranging Julia's personal effects to the way they were, Miyamoto carefully made her way outside as the door closed behind her on her way out. She was still shaken and emotionally overwhelmed from the truth she had just discovered, but resolved to first ensure Jessie, James and Meowth's safety before she could do something about Julia.

She walked around in a fairly occupied manner, pretending to search for Julia as she turned her head to and fro to look down different corridors. Then, after barely a minute of searching, she was indeed met by Julia who was leaning against the wall on her side, her arms and legs crossed as she tilted her head sideways.

"Looking for something?" Julia asked, her deep blue eyes concentrating solely on her mother whom she never knew.

"Yes. I was looking for you, Domino," Miyamoto replied coolly, remembering to call her daughter by her alias, although it pained her to do so. "I've finished observing the Galactics, and I've been waiting for my next task. There have been no sinister movements by them up to this point."

"Alright, then. The boss is expecting us to give him a report in his office. We should go immediately," Julia stated as she began to turn around, before Miyamoto spoke to her.

"By the way…where have you been these last few minutes? I went straight to the communications department after observing the Galactics, but you weren't there, like you said you'd be! So I came back out here and started looking for you. Just where were you?" she lied. She then slowly turned her eyes towards several defects in Julia's appearance: a small amount of frizz was formed in the side of her hair, and minor, yet clearly visible portions of her uniform were out of order with fold marks. She had obviously forgotten to check herself in the mirror after her encounter with Silver.

At that moment, a flicker of panic came onto Julia as she stammered in response, consciously re-adjusting her uniform and hair. "Uhh…I was, uhh…"

Miyamoto chuckled. "Never mind – I won't ask about it. Now, shall we get going?"

"No. Not yet. There are some documents I have to check on, in my quarters. Wait for me here – I'll be back shortly," Julia said, and then quickly sped off down the corridor.

Miyamoto smirked as she saw her daughter disappear past a corner, finding humor in her flustered reaction. But then, another wave of sadness came over her as she realized just how much time had gone by, during which she had no contact at all with either of her daughters. Her former dreams of remaining in Team Rocket only until her family could live together in a worry-free life were now gone, replaced by the constant anxiety that their lives could be destroyed altogether if their plan failed.

Her heart heavy, she hung her head down as she leaned against the metal wall, placing her hand up against it. The only thing she wanted to do at this very moment was to take both her daughters as well as James and Meowth away from the place they would be confined in for at least the next six days, and begin their lives anew. She wanted to hold her beloved daughter whom she hadn't seen since the day after her birth, and give her all the love she had failed to give for the many years that had passed.

Summoning the courage to stop weeping, Miyamoto wiped her tears away with her uniform sleeve. Soon after, Julia re-emerged, walking to the left of her and gave a small tilt of her head to tell Miyamoto that they would now be heading to Giovanni's office. Miyamoto turned her back to Julia and looked over her shoulder, beginning to walk as the two of them were in line.

As they made their way towards the main reception where Giovanni's secretary was situated, Miyamoto found it harder and harder to keep the information she had just discovered about Julia to herself. To test whether Julia would be open to discussion about it at all, Miyamoto spoke to her. "I'm just curious, but…how exactly did you come to be here?"

Julia briefly glanced at her, then looked forward again as she replied. "I've always been here, since the day of my birth. My parents were both Elite Officers as well. Let's leave it at that."

"So you don't remember them or their faces at all? Or what's become of them?" Miyamoto asked, pretending to be oblivious to the information she herself knew.

"No," Julia flatly said, a hint of frustration creeping into her tone. "And as I have just said, we will leave it at that. Why are you so persistent in asking me about it?"

Although Julia tried to conceal her sadness and frustration at the fact that she didn't even know what became of her parents with simple irritation, Miyamoto knew better: a mother could always tell. Deciding not to push her questions further to the point of a mild interrogation, Miyamoto smiled weakly and looked forward as well. "…Nothing…let's just go, then."

As they approached the reception desk, the secretary looked up from her computer monitor to greet them. "Ah, Elite Officers Domino and Miyamoto. How may I help you?"

"The boss told us to report in at his office after our surveillance tasks had been completed. We're here to see him now," Julia replied.

"Very well. You can go see him now – he's been waiting for you," the receptionist said, then resumed her duties. The mother and daughter then walked to Giovanni's office, Julia opening the door and Miyamoto entering after her. Inside was Giovanni leaning back against his office chair, his hands gathered on top of his desk.

"It is good to know that you have carried out your assignments. Now, I'd like to hear your individual reports on the matter," he said, looking at the two.

"Everything is going as planned, sir," Julia said. "External security has been heightened after a…disciplinary exercise, and the scientists are well on their way on completing the radio wavelengths. However, we have no way of knowing what progress has been made by Dr. Fuji on the-"

"Fuji has completed his work," Giovanni cut her off unexpectedly. "He reported back to me personally in a rather uncouth manner, might I add."

"Where is he now, sir?" Julia asked, surprised that Fuji had finished the unique wavelength so soon after she had left the lab.

"I gave him clearance to use the genetics lab in the lower levels of this facility. He is now continuing his vain experiments of cloning his deceased daughter. He is not to be disturbed," Giovanni uttered, stressing the importance behind his words.

"Understood, sir," Julia replied, taking a while to grasp the new turn of events before responding.

"And you, Miyamoto? What operations have you been carrying out?" Giovanni turned his attention to her, putting her slightly at unease.

"I've been observing the Galactics personally, watching their movements and looking for any suspicious activity or hidden motives, sir. There have been no noticeable developments so far."

"Good. As the only senior-ranking agent in this facility whom the Galactics have not encountered on a regular basis, it is up to you to discover anything you can about their plans. Continue your operations, and pay close attention to any conversations between Galactic personnel, particularly their lower-ranking agents and grunts. One of those fools, at least, will likely let useful information slip from their tongues. That will be all, Miyamoto – you are now dismissed. I have…specific details which I must discuss with Domino," he said, and looked at the younger Officer. Taking her cue to leave, Miyamoto departed the office and left promptly towards the communications department, to spend what little time she could with Jessie, James and Meowth.

(Ash & Misty house, Seafoam Islands)

(Ash's POV)

As we suddenly heard the ring of the doorbell, Misty and I were jolted awake on the couch. Bored out of our minds, the two of us were asleep together on the couch, our heads touching as we leaned against one another. Claire was also now wide awake, after napping on Misty's lap. Pikachu and Marill rushed towards the door with delight, as they recognized the four distinct, cheery rings of the doorbell which they knew all too well.

"Kapika!" Pikachu cried out joyfully, leaping into the arms of Sabrina after he had opened the door with the help of Marill.

"Hey, Pikachu! Did ya miss me? Cos' I sure missed you!" Sabrina laughed as she hugged him and kissed him on the forehead. She then let him back down on the ground as she embraced Marill as well.

"Sabrina! What are you doing here?" Misty asked in a surprised voice after walking out the living room and greeting her at the front entrance.

"Oh, come on! I came by to see you – isn't that obvious?" Sabrina beamed back.

"Yeah, but…all these chips around the house installed by Team Rocket! Aren't you afraid that…y'know?" Misty murmured as she walked towards her.

"It's alright, Mist. They installed those chips so they can intercept any calls specifically between you and the Pokémon League HQ. It's not like they wanna hear our everyday conversations!" Sabrina chuckled.

Misty smiled. "Well, I guess you're right, Sabs. Aah, it's so good to see you in person again!" The two of them hugged and kissed each other on the cheek.

"Hi there, Sabrina," I yawned, coming off the couch to greet her along with Claire. Sabrina started giggling at me and my half-asleep stance. "Hey, come on! It's not that funny, is it?" I chuckled.

"Oh, Ash! I forgot to tell you – I have a surprise for you!" Sabrina smiled, putting her hands behind her back as she approached me.

"Ooh…is it some of your chocolate brownies? You know I love them!" I grinned, walking forward. Given that Sabrina was such a strong psychic, I thought that maybe she had some brownies levitating behind her like she occasionally did. I was ultimately disappointed. Instead of her delicious brownies, a cheeky Ghost Pokémon I knew all too well shimmered in out of thin air right in front of me and gave me a big lick across the face. "…I should've known. Very funny, Sabrina…"

"Hahaha! Lighten up, Ash, don't be such a drag! It's not like you had a smoke bomb go off against your face!" Sabrina mocked, bringing back memories of the past. "…Gee, come to think of it, that actually took a while to wash out of my face…"

Claire didn't seem to be frightened or even that surprised from Haunter's sudden appearance, as she was quite used to seeing him make such entrances. She smiled at the naughty ghost before running enthusiastically towards Sabrina. "Aunt Sabrina!" she laughed as the psychic trainer took her up in her arms.

"How's my darling Claire? I've sure missed you!" Sabrina replied in a slightly comical voice, grinning as she rubbed her nose against Claire's and kissed her on the cheek.

"Would you like some tea, sis?" Misty called Sabrina by the nickname they had for each other – though I personally didn't know why. "It's just past 4pm, so maybe it'd be nice to have some."

"That sounds great! Thanks, sis!" Sabrina responded brightly, coming with us into the kitchen. Being a very considerate person – sometimes too considerate, I might add – she helped us make the tea, before we all went into the living room together. Claire had some biscuits, before she, Pikachu and Marill played with Haunter.

"So, uhh, Sabs," Misty started, speaking after she took a sip of tea, "have you and Brock contacted all the other gym leaders?"

"Yep, we sure have," Sabrina answered. "We've called all the gym leaders in Kanto, and the ones with connections to the leaders in Johto will contact them in turn. We also thought it would've been a good idea to contact the Frontier Brains, as well."

"Oh, right…I should've given Anabel a call, maybe…" I chuckled at my own forgetfulness, before Misty jabbed me in the side with her elbow and jokingly glared at me from the corner of her eye, holding her fist up close to her face.

"Don't worry, Mist – after all, Brock's the one who came up with the idea," Sabrina smiled, before her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "After he recalled Lucy…"

"Well, boys will be boys, Sabs – there's nothing more or less that can be said about them," Misty joked. "They're either driven by hormones, or…well…hormones, actually."

The two of them then started laughing with each other as I rolled my eyes, folding my arms as I gave a single puff of breath. Changing the topic, I decided to ask Sabrina a question. "So, uhh…did you actually manage to contact you-know-who during the day?"

"Oh. Erika?" Sabrina's eyes flashed. I nodded. "We actually did. Fancy that! It was probably all due to the fact that we called her last. That was because…well…you know how Erika normally is. You just simply can't imagine how much she naps during the day! I always tell her to keep an eye on her pokemon, but she never listens. Just how much Sleep Powder she's exposed to during the course of a day, nobody can quite tell. Some people have even started calling her gym, 'The Sleep Powder-don Gym'!"

"Better to be surrounded by Sleep Powder than all that perfume – Brock was a virtual zombie for the whole day because of it!" I kidded.

"…You still don't appreciate fine things at all, do you?" Misty sighed, poking me in the side. I poked my tongue out at her in response.

"By the way…" Sabrina asked us, "…where's Ethan? Isn't he with you?"

Misty and I looked at each other worryingly, and Claire also looked up at us, worried for her brother. After a few seconds of silence, Misty decided to talk to her about him. "Ethan's upstairs. In his room, most likely. He hardly ever talks to any of us – it breaks my heart every day. We're…losing hope for him. We just don't know what to do about him anymore…"

Sabrina, sharing our pain, looked over at Misty in a caring way, giving her whatever emotional help she could through her psychic telepathy skills, as she couldn't comfort her with words. Misty smiled tearfully at her in response, thankful for her support.

"I wish I could give the two of you more help than I already have. I really do. But…Ethan's different to any other person I've ever seen. Not even Alakazam would be able to truly read his mind and thoughts and figure out how to help him. Ethan's mind is simply impenetrable. I'm sure the two of you have already tried, yourselves," Sabrina said.

"We have. Just how many times we've tried, I've lost count of," I replied grimly. "All the things which once brought him happiness after he and Misty returned to me have failed to make him even smile, after we…" I stopped, not wanting to state the reason in front of Claire. For she was the reason.

"What happened to Ethan is neither of your faults," Sabrina assured us. "He was exposed to a great evil so soon after his birth. You had no way of controlling the situation that ultimately lead to his change."

I grasped my head in my hands, as an excess of thoughts flooded my mind. The crisis with Team Rocket at the present was enough to keep my hands full, but knowing that I must expect an eventual conflict with Apothes again to end things once and for all…it was overwhelming.

"Honey…are you alright?" Misty said to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It's ok, Mist. We'll get through this all…somehow," I brought my head up, squeezing her hand.

"You don't have to feel like you're alone in all this, Ash," Sabrina told me. "Remember – Brock and I will always be there to help you, no matter what. The same goes for your parents and your sisters, Misty. Professor Oak, Tracey, and all your other friends will be there, as well…Even Gary."

The last part of her sentence made the two of us lightly chuckle, for we knew it was true, regardless of how ridiculous it sounded.

After a few more minutes of conversation after finishing our tea, Sabrina told us that she had to go back now to help Brock make dinner. We all walked to the front entrance, but one thing was still bugging me in my mind…

"Hey Sabrina, I was just wondering, but…why do you have to go to the front door when you leave? Can't you just…y'know…teleport away?" I asked her.

"Duh, Ash! Do you think that it's good etiquette to just shimmer away when you're in someone else's house?" Misty flicked me on the side of my head.

"But…it's quicker and easier for her!" I insisted, stammering.

"Ash, you know how polite and empathetic Sabrina is. She'd never do something like that in someone else's house. So why would you even bother wondering?" Misty rolled her eyes at me.

"Hehehe…it's alright, sis," Sabrina laughed, then winked at her. "Boys will be boys, after all!"

"Got that right, Sabs," Misty grinned back. "Well, it's always a real pleasure having you around. Oh, let's make sure to all catch up in Pallet Town sometime after all of this with Team Rocket is over, 'kay?"

"Sure! I'd love to!" Sabrina smiled, and the two of them hugged and kissed each other on the cheek in the same way as they did when she first came over. After doing the same with me, Sabrina then crouched down to Claire's level and hugged her warmly. "Bye, Claire. Kiss your aunt Sabrina goodbye?"

Claire beamed at her and the two of them kissed each other on the cheek. Then, Haunter shimmered below Claire and made her levitate in the air as she laughed. Giggling as Haunter licked her across the cheek, she waved goodbye to him and Sabrina as they exited the door, teleporting away after taking a few steps.

(Team Rocket HQ, midnight)

(3rd-person narrative)

Stealthily and quietly, Julia crept towards the private room occupied by Jessie, James and Meowth, to ensure that they were asleep. Silently opening the door, she saw that they indeed were, Meowth sleeping alone in one of the three single beds inside, whilst Jessie and James were interestingly snuggled up together in another, leaving one bed vacant. Smirking, Julia crept inside and took out of her pocket one of two tiny portable audio and video surveillance devices the size of a pin, given to her by Giovanni after he dismissed Miyamoto from his office.

Planting it on the lower surface of a desk to the side of the vacant bed, Julia then made her way to the trio's station in the communications department, taking great care not to let any signs of tampering remain. After making sure that she was unseen by the few personnel who were working the night shift, Julia crept into the station occupied by the three during the day, and threw the device like a dart at the ceiling. With a tiny clicking sound upon impact, the magnetic point of the device ensured that it stuck to the steel surface securely, and the small size of it made it hardly noticeable – if at all. Although she and Giovanni had allowed the trio to carry out their actions discretely without much interference, they could no longer afford to take any more risks, now that the satellite launch was barely under five days away.

Her task finished, Julia sped off down the corridor silently, detected by no-one. She directly returned to her own private quarters, thinking that nobody could've witnessed the actions she had just carried out. She was mistaken. Observing her all the way was Miyamoto, who bit her lip at the fact that she was now utterly unable to directly help Jessie, James and Meowth in any way without arousing suspicion towards them or herself.

After making sure that Julia returned to her own quarters, Miyamoto hastily took out a pen and a piece of paper from her uniform. She quickly scribbled a note for Jessie to read and placed it on top of the table inside their room, on the right side. Luckily, the table had solid wooden sides and was placed against the wall which the door was adjacent to, giving Miyamoto some peace of mind as she thought for certain that the device was the type which contained a 360-degree camera.

Returning to her own chambers, Miyamoto threw herself against her bed and wept, feeling crushed as she knew that her dreams of a reunited family with Jessie and Julia were now quickly fading into nothingness.

The next morning, Jessie was the first to wake out of the three, chuckling softly as she saw James sleeping like a baby next to her with his arm over her side. Placing his arm gently on the mattress to avoid waking him, Jessie sat up on the bed and stretched her arms and legs out. But just as she finished doing so, her eyes caught sight of the piece of paper that her mother had left on the desk the previous night. Silently, she went over to the desk, unfolded the note and read its contents.

To my dearest Jessie,

Do not utter a single word whilst you are reading this note, and make sure that your husband and friend do not react in a noticeable way to it, as well. Be aware that the three of you are now being more closely watched than ever: Domino has placed portable surveillance devices both on the lower surface of this desk, and on the ceiling above your work station in the communications department.

Whatever you do, you must not send messages to your friends while you are in those areas. It is now close to impossible for me to ever contact you in person. The satellite launch will take place in five days' time. I know this, as I've managed to infiltrate Domino's private quarters and look through her personal effects. There is also something very important which I must tell you, but not now – doing so will only distract you.

Remain ever vigilant, my darling, and please stay safe.

I love you.

Your mother.

Jessie bit her lip in nervousness as she folded the note again and put it into her skirt pocket. As much as she wanted to check for herself that there was indeed a camera underneath their desk, she couldn't: it was a standard desk, after all, and checking for it would only lead to deep trouble for them.

She then turned to look at James as her husband yawned awake, rubbing the other half of the bed which she had occupied to find that she was already up. "Wha? Why are you up so early today, Jess?" he moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, just hurry up and get out of bed! Both of you!" Jessie replied snappily, waking up Meowth in the process. "Come on – we're going down to the mess hall. We're making an early start today!" she lied, so that the planted device wouldn't pick up anything suspicious. James and Meowth shrugged at each other, and followed her out the room.

"What's da' matter wid' you today, Jess?" Meowth asked as he scratched the back of his head. "You're usually sleepin' like an Abra, right up until just barely half an hour before our morning shift starts!"

"Just come with me to the mess hall. I've got something to show you that Mom dropped off on our desk during the night. It's very important," she explained in a serious tone. James and Meowth looked at each other confusedly, but nodded and followed behind her. As they entered the mess hall, collected their morning meal and sat together at a section of one of the long tables, Jessie took out the piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to James under the table. James in turn held it between himself and Meowth, as they both read Miyamoto's note and shuddered at its contents.

"If they're watching our every move like this, we won't even be able to contact our friends!" James whispered.

"That's right, James. I can't help but feel that we're backed into a corner now," Jessie said, biting her lower lip.

"So what do we do?" Meowth wondered. "We can't just sit around 'ere doin' nothing while all this is going on! We gotta tell em' something!"

"If Mom is right about the locations Domino planted the surveillance devices, the only places we should worry about being caught are in our own room and in our workstation in the comm. department. If we manage to send out messages to Ash from other areas, we should be fine," Jessie said.

"I hope you're right, Jess," James murmured. "Things are only going to get worse from here on, so we'd better watch our backs…"

(At Team Rocket's board meeting room, 9am)

"I am glad to see that you are all here, ladies and gentlemen," Giovanni said, seated at the head of the long meeting table. The four Rocket executives sat on either side of the table, and Julia and Silver facing opposite each other beside the executives. "Now, let us discuss the matter at hand. I have called you all here to inform you that there will be a change in plans – or rather, 'unofficial changes'."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" asked an intrigued executive as all of them looked at him with curious eyes.

"The day of the satellite launch is drawing near, and we can no longer take any more risks, either with Team Galactic or the suspected moles within our ranks. The only way to deal with them simultaneously…" he paused, "…is to hasten the launch of the satellite by two days."

"But sir! Doing so may cause major disruptions in our operations! We are yet to acquire the final radio broadcasting stations on our list, and our operatives need time to properly set their frequencies to receive the master signal from the satellite!" insisted another executive.

"Hahaha…how gullible you all truly are," Giovanni smirked, causing their faces to be riddled with puzzled expressions. "Do you see how easily you have just been fooled by a simple ruse? That is what I intend to use in order to disorient our adversaries: confusion. The actual launch date for the satellite, in fact, will not be altered in any way." He then leaned back into his chair for a brief pause, as all the executives began murmuring amongst themselves. Julia and Silver, meanwhile, sat patiently in silence, waiting for Giovanni to resume his explanation.

"Please explain to us, sir…what is it that you intend to do, and what is it that you hope to achieve from this confusion?" asked the female executive.

"Following the conclusion of this meeting, I will order my secretary to make an announcement over the p.a. system, to all personnel in the headquarters. She will spread the false information, that the satellite launch will be held in three days' time, and that all personnel must make haste in their duties to meet the demand involved. The benefits which will be gained through this little act is four-fold: first, we will see greater short-term performance levels from all personnel as a result of the announcement. Secondly, it will cause the Galactics to act in a more frantic manner, thus enabling us to gain more intelligence regarding their schemes through our agents. The final two benefits go in tandem with one another: as you know, we are suspecting a few of our agents to be leaking intelligence to outside sources, namely a boy who has foiled our plans one too many times, through whom the information is getting through to the Indigo Plateau. The suspected agents are currently being monitored and tracked. Should they fall for the ruse, they will inevitably make contact with those outside sources whilst under the surveillance of the special devices I have had Elite Officer Domino to deploy nine hours ago, at midnight. And once that information has reached the Indigo Plateau, there is no doubt that the authorities in the region will also make haste in their movements. Once our undercover agents report such changes in movements to us, we will know for certain that the suspected agents are behind the plot."

The executives, amazed by Giovanni's insight, sat back in stunned silence while Silver and Julia simply smirked. After further deliberation, the executives agreed that Giovanni's plan of action was the best course to take, and each nodded in agreement.

"Good. I see that you all have a single voice in the matter," Giovanni concluded. "I will see to it that my secretary carries out my instructions immediately. Good day to you all." After all the others left the board room one by one, he pressed a button underneath the table and contacted his secretary in private. "…Announce this message throughout the entire headquarters immediately…"

(Moments later, in the communications department)

"Attention all personnel. There has been a major change in the schedule for the commencement of the project. The project's execution date has been shifted by two days. As a result, it will now take place in exactly three days. All personnel are expected to redouble their efforts to ensure that the operation is able to commence by that time. Your co-operation is appreciated."

As Jessie, James and Meowth heard the secretary make this announcement, a wave of fear came over them. As much as they all trusted the intelligence which Miyamoto provided, they simply couldn't decide on what course of action to take. Things were only made worse, as they knew that they couldn't discuss the pressing matter with each other whilst under the surveillance devices. Helpless, the only thing they could do was to exchange worried glances with each other. Knowing their speech and actions were being tracked, they continued their assigned tasks until moments later, Jessie rose from her seat to leave the station.

"Where are you goin', Jess?" Meowth asked as James turned to look at her as well.

"I…have to use the bathroom for a moment. I'll be right back," she replied. With all three of them secretly knowing that she was going to contact Ash, James and Meowth nodded at her as she left. The latter two continued to work at their consoles, as Jessie hastily walked into the female restroom at the far end of the hallway and entered one of the cubicles.

After quickly writing and sending a message to Ash, she left the restroom and promptly returned to her workstation. James and Meowth pretended not to take much notice, occupied with the scheduled list of agents who were to report in their progress and completed tasks for the day. But at the back of their minds, all three of them couldn't help but think…did they do the right thing?

(Ash & Misty's house)

(Ash's POV)

It was currently about 9:35am, and Misty and I were out on the beach with Claire and Ethan, as well as a couple of our Pokémon. Misty and I would occasionally have mock battles against one another or let our Pokémon out of their Pokéballs for sparring exercises, so that our kids could watch and learn for when they become trainers themselves. Or sometimes we'd do it out of sheer boredom. Claire looked on enthusiastically from her beach chair, while Ethan observed in a more passive and lukewarm manner.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" I cried out, and Bulbasaur shot a flurry of leaves at Misty's Starmie after he dodged an incoming Water Gun attack which hit the ground where he stood.

"Starmie, use your Rapid Spin and Water Gun attacks together to ward off those leaves!" Misty yelled. Starmie immediately leapt into the air, twirling around with great speed while unleashing a rush of water in a spiralling motion. Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf attack stopped just as Starmie landed again, assuming a stationary stance.

"Ha! Ash, you always struggle to win against Water Pokémon trainers, despite constantly resorting to use Pokémon who have a type advantage like Bulbasaur, Bayleef and Pikachu!" Misty mocked me.

"Hey! I get along just fine, thank you very much!" I answered. "You should just be careful not to get your butt kicked, instead!"

"Oh yeah? We'll just see about that!" Misty laughed.

"Why don't you ever use Pikachu against mommy, daddy? Don't electric types have an advantage against Water Pokémon?" Claire asked me in the middle of our battle.

"Yeah, Ash, why don't you send Pikachu out?" Misty touted, putting her fists against her sides and leaning forward to me in a teasing way.

"You know Pikachu hates battling against you, Mist," I sighed, slumping my shoulders as I looked down at him.

"Cha~~" Pikachu gritted his teeth and made a glum face, clearly not wanting to battle any of Misty's Pokémon.

"Anyway, it's time to go again!" I smiled, raising my arm and pointing at Starmie. "Bulbasaur, get up close for a tackle atta-" I was cut off, as I felt the vibrating of my Pokégear in my pocket. "Hey…it looks like it's from Jess!" I said, taking it out. Bulbasaur held back his attack in disappointment, eager to continue the battle.

"Good work, Starmie. Have a rest now," Misty said, patting her Pokémon as she walked past it and came to me. "What did she write, Ash?"

"Uh…oh…" I exhaled, reading the message. "Things have taken a turn for the worst, Mist…it seems that Team Rocket are now trying to carry out the satellite launch even sooner…by two days."

"But…but that means…we only have three days left! We have to tell Lance and the others!" Misty panicked, groping my arm. I nodded in agreement, and immediately dialled the number for the Indigo Plateau.

(Team Rocket HQ)

(3rd-person narrative)

Approximately three hours had passed since Jessie had contacted Ash, and the trio were continuing their nervous work under tight surveillance. But all of a sudden, their heartbeat quickened as they heard a clatter of numerous footsteps coming in their direction from the hallway. In a matter of seconds, they swung their heads around to see, to their horror, the one they knew as Domino with her arms crossed, looking squarely at them along with Butch and Cassidy. Behind them was an entire squad of grunts forming a wall, all bearing arms in grim fashion.

"What's going on here?" Jessie asked in frustration, demanding to know what was happening as she, James and Meowth got out of their seats. The Rockets working in the other stations adjacent to theirs simply worked on, pretending not to take heed of what was going on.

"Oh…I think you have more than an idea of what will happen…don't you?" Julia grinned wickedly. "If not, then allow me to show you firsthand…" She then stepped aside and waved her fingers at the grunts. Three of them who formed the front line moved a few feet away, revealing Miyamoto who was bound by chains, looking dejected and devoid of energy as she stared at the ground.

"Mom!" Jessie cried out in horror, not thinking twice before starting to run towards her. Without even any orders or movement from Julia, the grunts around her moved immediately to seize Jessie, then James and Meowth who stood still behind her, before starting to struggle against the strong grip of the grunts.

After the trio were also cast in irons, Cassidy walked over to Jessie, snidely mocking her. "I knew you weren't cut out to be a proper agent the moment I first saw you. Guess I was right all along."

Jessie said nothing but scowled at her, then looked at Julia as she began to speak. "You really are fools, indeed. Did you really think that you'd even have a chance of succeeding in this little plot of yours? The two-day so-called 'hastening' of the project was merely a hoax: to expose you, once and for all."

"You…you truly believe that this is where you belong…don't you?" Miyamoto said weakly, her sadness evident in her voice.

"…what do you mean by that?" Julia quickly turned to her, giving her a menacing glare.

"You…don't know…where you truly belong…Julia…" Miyamoto continued, almost barely able to speak. At the sound of the mention of her true name, Julia gasped slightly as her eyes widened. How could Miyamoto ever possibly have found out her real name?

"How do you know my name?" she growled. "Answer me! Who are you, to ever possibly know such facts about me?"

"I…infiltrated your…private quarters, while you were away…So is this your choice, Julia? …would you betray…and destroy your own, true family for…such a terrible organization?" Miyamoto murmured, no longer able to hold back her tears.

"Spit it out! How can you possibly know anything about me, or my family? How! You're telling me nothing but lies to confuse me!" Julia screamed at her, slapping her hard across the cheek.

"Because…" Miyamoto wept, before using all the energy she could muster to cry out the words which she wanted to say for so long. "…because I am your mother!"

Julia then froze in shock, as her entire world seemed to fall apart around her. Miyamoto looked at her daughter's face which seemed to suddenly go pale, before losing consciousness and slumping to the floor. Jessie, James and Meowth also stood looking on blankly, Jessie being the most shaken of all as their eyes averted from the fainted Miyamoto to Julia, then Miyamoto again. Overwhelmed, Julia stepped away from her mother until her back was against the wall, from which she looked down blankly at the cold, steel floor.

Butch and Cassidy, seeing that Julia was in no state to give orders at present, gave a small jerk of their heads to signal the grunts to move out with the prisoners as they also began walking. Julia couldn't even summon up the courage to bring her head up to look Jessie in the eye as her older sister stared at her whilst they were being taken away.

Moments after the squad had disappeared around the corner, Julia finally collapsed onto her knees, tears raining from her eyes. The family which she had secretly longed for, and yearned to find for so many years, was now at risk of being destroyed forever…by her own hands…

(End of Chapter 11)

A/N: I was thinking of writing out the private conversations held between Giovanni & Julia, Giovanni & the secretary as well as Ash & Lance, but decided against it because their contents would have been predictable and their consequences are already detailed in the later sections of the chapter.

I know things sort of happened a little too quickly and altogether in this chapter, but I really wanted to get things moving faster so that I can touch onto book IV.

Things are getting quite hectic for me in terms of uni work now that the exam periods are getting closer and we're getting bombarded with assignments, so I may not be able to upload a new chapter for a few weeks. Please stay patient until then.

Please leave your reviews. : )