Misty stepped out of the hot springs' modest building, feeling much better. She nearly ran into Rudy at the latter's sudden appearance from the crowd. Calmly, Rudy announced to her, "Our brother has had a little accident, Sis. He slipped and broke his leg. C'mon; the hospital is this way."

She was almost as grateful for Rudy's reminders about how to react, in character, to this unexpected news as she was for changing out of her bikini back in the hot springs. Misty's swimwear, encased in her shoulder bag, bounced against her side as she reflexively checked her wig. Her disguise still intact, Misty called upon memories of fights with her older sisters to inject the required mixture of sibling concern and irritation when she said, "Trust him to ruin our vacation. Okay, let's go."

Her heart kept jumping a little with concern as she and Rudy started off through the milling crowd. Rudy was so calm; surely that meant Ash was really undamaged. Unless he was just maintaining a poker face out in public…

She couldn't wait. Misty spotted a break in the crowd that allowed her to walk side-by-side with Rudy; she sidled up very close to whisper a question to him. All that effort didn't get her very far as a familiar scratchy voice arose behind them. "Hey, I know dose two!"

Rudy and Misty automatically stiffened at being recognized. His training kept Rudy going for a couple more steps; but Misty has stopped. The Interpol agent had no choice but to halt and turn around too. By this time Meowth had caught up, much to the curious stares of several onlookers at the talking Pokémon. "What's da big idea?" the Normal-Type demanded up at them, "Ya too big in da woild now ta speak to a lowly little Meowth?"

To Misty's silent alarm, the Pokémon was trailed by a woman in uniform. Not a police or military garment but a very unwelcome sight nonetheless. The woman, sensing her and Rudy's reluctance, was regarding them suspiciously already. At least Misty could console herself a little in that it wasn't that big-mouth Jessie.

Not that it made that much a difference with the even bigger-mouthed Meowth. Rudy, spotting the woman also, was improvising quickly and smoothly. "Ah, sorry, I thought that call was from the Chatot that has been following me all day, mocking me," he explained, "I'm afraid her brother's had a little accident and we're hurrying to see him in the hospital. Why don't you come along?"

Meowth's canny gaze took in Rudy's unfamiliar face and Misty's disguise alike. Seeing his reasonable hesitation, Misty warmly reassured, "We didn't know you were here too! We'd appreciate it if Jessie and James came by the hospital later too. After that, let's all get together for dinner tonight, okay?"

This convinced Meowth that Misty wasn't being forced to follow the stranger. The scratch cat turned back to reassure Rosa the hostess in turn, "Don't worry, doll; dese two are old friends o' mine. I'll get back to da hotel wit dem."

The hostess wasn't entirely convinced; something about Rudy's demeanor left her cold. But a glance at her watch showed it was getting close to time for her to catch the next tour group leaving for Machu Picchu. She made a point of catching Misty and Rudy's gaze first when she said, "Okay, I'll check with your humans to make sure you got home safely later. Thanks for helping me with my tour again, little one." Then she reluctantly left, pushing her way through the crowd. Some of them were already taking pictures and making requests of the talking Pokémon.

Rudy quickly tired of the exposure. He gestured Meowth up onto his shoulder. Meowth took the request, careful not to break through the agent's clothing to his skin with his claws. Once they'd pushed past the curious and into relative anonymity once more, Misty literally put all their heads together as she leaned in close again to whisper, "Meowth, how did you recognize us?"

Meowth paused to preen a little before whispering back, "'Cause I'm a Pokémon, Little Miss Red, not a human. Try lookin' at how yer friends walk n' talk, not just what dere faces look like; you'll be surprised at how much ya learn." The scratch cat shifted his balance; his claws dug into Rudy's shoulder briefly after all. Rudy swallowed his grimace of pain as Meowth continued, "Can't say I ain't surprised ta see ya here, on da udder hand. What's yer name, buddy?"

Rudy's response was polite but distant. "As promised, we'll take you to your hotel, little one. Are you staying at Gringo Bill's too?"

Misty shot Rudy a glance before pointing out softly, "We might be able to use the Morgans' help, Rudy. Ash trusts James; so I do too. Meowth, we're here to rescue Delia. Ash's mom, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I like dat lady; she's always generous wit da Pokémon treats," Meowth recalled.

Rudy pointed out, "As you wish, Misty. Wait until we get some privacy; then we can talk all we want." Misty and Meowth complied. Rudy led them through the streets normally at first. Then, in a quieter side street, he stepped down an alleyway and drew her in after him. Rudy paused to check his Pokénav quickly. "This way," he announced, gently peeling Meowth off his shoulder at the same time, "Both of you keep up so we aren't followed."

Rudy's pace was quicker now, but he wasn't exactly bolting, so Misty and Meowth had no trouble following him out of civilization and directly into the jungle. Misty was amazed at how quickly the thick foliage limited visibility. Only ten meters from the village and she couldn't see any buildings at all. Which also kept the mid-size tent, hastily erected in the lee of a large tree, well camouflaged unless the viewer was right on top of it also.

"Ash?" Misty called out softly.

Pikachu bound out of the tent to meet her, closely followed by her love. Once the new arrivals settled into the tent, a released Togetic joined Pikachu at the entrance flap on guard duty. Meowth sat with the humans, helping Misty explain how they'd ended up together. Misty asked at the end of the short tale, "So why are we roughing it now?"

Ash explained, "Lawrence's Army and the local police started rounding up everybody our age in the hotel. I saw 'em coming just in time to grab the camping gear and get out. Hey, Rudy, we owe you big time. Without these disguises, Lawrence III would've known right where to go to find us. And this secure Pokégear let me text you to go get Misty. I can't thank you enough for saving her when I couldn't; Lawrence's Army was crawling all over the way to the hot springs."

Rudy dismissed the thanks nonchalantly before turning to look down at Meowth. "It's just my job, think nothing of it. Now that I think about it, I'm glad we ran into you, little one; I was wondering what had made Lawrence III so sure Ash was here all of a sudden."

Ash mused aloud, "Still, what are the odds that you and the Morgans picked this place for a vacation at the same time? That's incredible."

To Ash and Misty's surprise, the normally talkative Meowth debated his next words for a moment. Finally, Meowth sighed, "Awright, look, don't ya dare tell Jess I said any'ting 'bout dis to yas, got it?" Receiving their nods, Meowth went on to explain his family's presence there. Soon Meowth finished, "…and dat's how it happened. Kinda funny; Jess is here for info on her mom n' yours bein' here too, kiddo. So none o' youse seen either of dem, den?"

"No, Meowth. I'm sorry," Misty said, "About that and Giovanni's mind games. Trust me; your family isn't the only one he's played with lately."

Ash was scratching the side of his false beard in absent thought. "Mew," he murmured, "She's come up a lot these last couple of months. Too much to be coincidence this time too."

Meowth pointed out, "I tink ya gots sometin' dere, kiddo. Tonight's dat Noche del Maullar festival; ya heard 'bout dat, right?"

Both Ash and Misty nodded. She added, "Yeah, it was in every commercial break on TV today."

Meowth winked, "Bet Lawrence III wants youse two as da guests o' honor tonight."

Ash, still pondering, had to agree, "I think you're right, Meowth. Say, tell me something else I've been wondering; how did you and the Morgans show up with Mew at Sternbreak Island two months ago?"

The little Pokémon blinked a few times at the unexpected avenue of inquiry. "Why, we was teleported dere by Mew herself, n' she showed up with…Togetic! Yer Togetic, Red!"

Misty's jaw dropped as all three turned toward the entrance. Togetic, looking sheepish, turned back. His mistress was the first to recover. Earnestly, she entreated her Pokémon, "Togetic, you've been holding out on us. We could use some answers, and we could use them now."

Togetic began chirping back eagerly at her words. But while her Pokémon could easily understand human speech (and her accusation), Misty was grateful for Meowth's presence to clear the other side of the language gap. "He says," Meowth began, "No, I ain't nevah held back from ya. Ya see, when I left ya for awhile to guard da Mirage Kingdom in da Hoenn region, Mew made annual visits dere. I knew her next trip was comin' up n' I went back to da Mirage Kingdom ta get her aid. I barely caught her checkin' Mirage before takin' off fer Sternbreak. Bringin' da Morgans was Mew's idea; I dunno why." Meowth's face joined the humans in falling as he finished translating, "I ain't gots no way to contact Mew whenever, I'm so sorry."

Misty gently reached out to ruffle Togetic's feathers right at the base of his neck; Togetic's favorite spot. He chirped happily and snuggled against her grip as she apologized for her insult.

Ash's sorrowful expression had changed to an ominous one as he continued pondering. Aloud, he realized, "But Lawrence III thinks he can summon Mew-or any legendary Pokémon-whenever he wants. With the Hurricane-Maker."

Misty was forced to confirm, "He might be right. Celebi also came to Sternbreak Island."

Meowth's wide eyes searched their faces as he realized, "Hey, youse guys ain't been up to da ruins yet, have ya? Dere's technicians settin' up stuff all over dat joint!"

Misty pointed out, "Hurricanes can't form over land. Period."

Ash countered, "Not natural ones. Man-made ones, though…" His voice trailed off at the horrible vision in his mind. The mental image was so frightening that Ash forced it into words to help distance himself from it when he said, "Hurricanes can be hundreds of miles wide. If Lawrence III triggers one at Machu Picchu, he won't just wipe out the village down here; he'll easily reach all the way to Cuzco City. He'll destroy millions of people and Pokémon throughout Peru in a moment!" The youth's fists clenched, drawing Pikachu back sharply to his side. Ash gulped heavily before swearing, "This is bigger than my mother. We've got to get up there and take his new Hurricane-Maker apart, now!"

"Oh, Ash," Misty whispered; her blood ran cold even as her heart glowed with pride at his sacrifice.

Meowth observed pragmatically, "Too bad we gots no proof o' dis. Den da local police would be on our side n' not Lawrence III's; fer sure."

But Rudy was shaking his head. With a disarming smile, Rudy explained, "Cool your jets, Ash. I was coming to tell you I've had some success at our mission here. I've wormed my way into Lawrence's Army as a last-minute replacement technician. Seems some of his crew suddenly came down with food poisoning. Gee, I wonder how that happened." He paused to wink at his own joke before continuing, "I have seen the apparatus they're building. It's just a giant electrical capacitor; not a Hurricane-Maker."

Reasonably, Ash pointed out, "But how would you know? The one at Sternbreak was damaged and fell into the volcano. Nobody got to study it afterwards. Are you sure that's all this is?"

Rudy, forcing himself to be reasonable as well, considered briefly. "I'm an agent, not a scientist," he admitted, "But I have some technical knowledge and this device I do recognize. This capacitor will collect and store energy but there's no way to transmit it."

"Yet," Ash countered, "Or should I say, 'Until the transmitting dish goes up.' We can't take that chance, Rudy. Too many lives could pay the price."

Misty agreed, "We've got to check it out, at least. Why don't you get all of us in as techs?"

It was Rudy's turn to swallow hard. "That's exactly what I'll do-at nine o'clock tonight."

All three of his watchers gasped, "Nine!"

"The Noche del Maullar starts at ten," Rudy explained, "We'll make it in plenty of time. Now that he knows you're nearby, Lawrence III won't hesitate to spring his big plan for the festival. He won't be expecting an attack from behind; we'll snatch Mrs. Ketchum right out from under his nose."

"Too risky," Ash countered, "We've got to shut down his device now. And keep looking for Mom too; it's almost half a day until the festival starts. Look, Rudy, I trust my instincts. That's what led me to be one of the youngest Pokémon Masters in history."

Misty, afraid her suspicions were confirmed, pointed out with some heat, "You're the one who said we needed to keep off the path Lawrence III wants us on, Rudy. Why are you so eager to do what he expects us to now?"

The younger man could only spread his hands in rueful surrender. "Okay, okay. At least let my Pokémon lead the way. Gengar, Crobat, c'mon out."

Ash started to wonder, "Why do they need to-" and got his answer as Rudy ordered, "Crobat, Mean Look. Gengar, Hypnosis."

Pikachu was already in motion; the charge of a Thunderbolt was generating up and down his spine. Gengar turned an eerily calm hypnotic gaze onto him first. Pikachu went still, allowing his charge to dissipate as harmless static. As Crobat's Mean Look temporarily froze the humans in place, preventing their escape, Meowth actually stepped up to the plate.

"Wait'll ya gets a load o' my furious Fury Swipes!" he bellowed and launched himself at Gengar. Unfortunately, the Ghost-Type simply turned himself intangible momentarily, making himself immune to the Normal-Type attack. All Meowth accomplished was tipping forward onto his face through his opponent's body. Gengar backed up a step, resuming his solidity, and claiming Meowth within his hypnotic embrace as well. Even the Pokémon still sealed within Ash and Misty's Pokéballs fell under this spell.

In the hands of a wild or trained Pokémon alike, a Hypnosis Attack usually sent its target directly into sleep. In the hands of a Pokémon trained by Interpol, far more intricate effects could be achieved. Humans and Pokémon alike simply stared blankly straight ahead, rocking back and forth slightly where they stood or sat, as the trance kept them waiting for input. Rudy's combination of training and experience also told him that, unlike what the movies said, it was impossible for hypnosis to make somebody do something they absolutely wouldn't do under normal circumstances. Like jump off a building just because you said so.

The trick was using the trance to make people think circumstances were different than in reality and turn what you wanted them to do into what they wanted to do after all. Like convincing them there was a pool, not a sidewalk, that they'd love to dive into at the foot of the building.

Rudy didn't bother trying to make any of them catch his eyes as he recalled his Pokémon. It was enough that they could easily hear his carefully modulated voice. "Everyone, you know the people aren't in danger. Trust me. I've seen it myself; that's not a Hurricane-Maker they're building up there. Right?"

A ripple of uncertainty passed over his victims' faces. Ash voiced their mutual concern slowly, "But…you don't know that…"

Rudy found it necessary to modify his instructions, "Ash, it's a signal device. They're trying to call Mew for the ceremony. A harmless light show. I've seen it; I know that's what it is. I'm a seasoned Interpol agent. Trust me."

Ash actually brightened a little at this thought, even through his trance. Slowly, he replied, "Yes…it's a signal…Mom's safe…."

"That's right," Rudy soothed, "All of you are just going to stick to the schedule. Wait right here until nine o'clock tonight, local time; as I said before. I'll come and get all of you; we'll go up the mountain and save the day. There's nothing to worry about and nothing else to do until then. Trust me. Do you all agree?"

As Rudy received everyone's murmured confirmation, he studied their mannerisms closely. Experience told him they were firmly in his power. It was time to release them. Rudy ordered, "On the count of three, all of you will awaken refreshed. You'll remember nothing of our little talk since my Pokémon appeared. One, two, three." He snapped his fingers, bringing his charges back to reality. More or less. Rudy smiled ruefully, "So it's agreed. I'll see you all tonight, barring unforeseen complications."

Everyone else blinked in confusion. Misty recovered first; or at least thought she did. "Yeah…yeah, we will. It's the best plan," she confirmed. All of them were regaining themselves and nodding along with her. Satisfied, Rudy politely took his leave.

Sharp ears hidden inside what Rudy's Gengar had mistaken for an empty Pokéball at Ash's waist waited until their owner could no longer hear Rudy picking his way through the jungle. Then Sneasel used her internal safety catch to exit her Pokéball, much to everyone's surprise. Their surprise only increased as the scratch weasel began hopping up and down. Now that she had their attention, Sneasel went into a quick pantomime of Gengar's Hypnosis assault, complete with lowering her voice to snarl, "Snea-sel", instead of , "Gen-gar".

Nobody got it. Sneasel grabbed the long frills coming from her own ears, her claws nearly shearing them off in her frustration.

"Slow down," Meowth finally said, "I can'ts unnerstand ya."

Sneasel did. Barely.

"Hypnosis? All o' us at once?" Meowth scoffed.

"Wait, Meowth!" Ash countered, "Hypnosis is a Psychic-Type move."

Misty supplied, "And Sneasel's half Dark-Type. She's immune to direct Psychic attack."

The realization shattered Rudy's hastily erected barrier for the entire group. Ash was first on his feet, followed closely by Pikachu. As they streamed out of the tent, Ash looked to his little buddy. "Can you track Rudy, Pikachu?" Pikachu's response was bounding ahead on Rudy's trail, stopping to wave his companions on.

As they embarked, Misty couldn't keep from smirking, "I told you so."

"You heard Lance," Ash pointed out angrily, "We phoned him before we left; just like you wanted. He vouched for Rudy."

"Well, you're not the only one who trusts their gut," Misty replied.

Ash's angry response was cut off by Pikachu's stern warning cry, "Pikaaa!" His trainer knew the Electric-Type was right; Rudy might be close enough to hear a shouting match. Ash did his best to ignore Misty's continuing self-satisfied smirk as they hastened after Pikachu.

Shortly the group was peeking into a window at the outskirts of Machu Picchu Village. Ash wasn't sure if the little warehouse was unoccupied; the lights were off but a few stacks of supplies barred his view through the window. He decided to roll the dice. "Sneasel," he whispered, "Use Thief to get in. Pikachu, go with her for a look around." In less than a minute, both Pokémon returned with an all-clear sign. Ash, Misty, Togetic, and Meowth clambered through the window after them.

It didn't take long to find some work coveralls, complete with Lawrence's Army ID badges, in the storage lockers. Ash and Misty began exchanging their current clothing disguise for the new one. As they pulled their latest disguises on, Ash called out, "Pikachu, Sneasel; see if you can find a knapsack to carry Meowth in, since we don't have his Pokéball to work with. Sorry, Meowth."

"No offense taken," Meowth assured, "Say, tell me sometin'. What is it wit' youse humans n' your need fer clothing anyways? Can't ya just be proud o' what yer mudda gave ya, like us Pokémon?"

Ash and Misty suddenly felt a lot more self-conscious about stripping to their undies and changing in front of Meowth. It was different for Togetic and Pikachu; they couldn't comment on what they saw. Intelligibly, anyway. The couple was spared answering as Pikachu sent out an alarm cry from across the little building, "Pi-pikachu!"

Rudy had appeared in his own tech's disguise, barring the way to the warehouse's double doors. He sighed heavily, "Ah, Sneasel. A Dark-Type. That's a rookie mistake for me. How embarrassing."

Ash stared gravely back. "How long have you been lying to us, Rudy? Are we really related at all?"

Rudy stared back in a calm, measured way. "Everything you've seen and heard was true, Ash. I was just as surprised to learn I had a brother as you."

Ash threw up his hands, "Which makes betraying me so much better!"

"It certainly made it harder," Rudy conceded, "I didn't lie to you until I tried to stop you from doing this foolish thing a few minutes ago. Now I'm asking again. There's too much at stake to allow you to blow the operation early."

"I can't afford to believe you, after pulling that stunt," Ash shook his head.

Misty stepped up beside him. "We can't afford it," she pointed out carefully.

Rudy's eyes actually lit up notably at their challenge. "Ah, a Double Battle, then."

"No," Ash replied, making Rudy and Misty gape slightly. He continued, "I see your plan. You'll take out Sneasel and leave us all vulnerable to Hypnosis."

Rudy's eyebrows flew up in a way far too reminiscent of Giovanni when he was impressed. "You're very astute. Seriously, have you ever considered a career in Interpol?"

"Worry about your own career first, once Lance hears about this," Ash countered.

Rudy looked even more like their father when he shook his head sadly. "Grow up, Ash. This is no video game; nothing is black and white."

The reminder of Giovanni only fueled Ash's fire. "I know what justice is!" he roared back, "And if you're not out of my way in five seconds, I'll be glad to teach you!"

Feraligatr and Magnetzone appeared from Rudy's Pokéballs so swiftly that Ash didn't even see the other man move. Ash hurried to catch up, ordering, "Pikachu, Sneasel, do what Misty tells you! But save Rudy for me!"

To the surprise of all Pokémon present, Ash charged across their makeshift battlefield himself, fists clenched and eyes blazing. Rudy had enough time to call out his Weavile and Alakazam too, charging all four of his Pokémon with, "Restrain the others, but stay out of Ketchum's way! Wild Battle, now!" At their master's command, Rudy's team charged around the oncoming Ash. As Misty unleashed her Dewgong to stand alongside Pikachu, Togetic, and Sneasel, the Wild Battle was joined in the background.

But as Ash himself had directed and even Rudy had permitted, he had a straight shot at Rudy himself. The agent balanced on the balls of his feet, waiting. Ash tried to sucker Rudy with a left feint followed by a right hook. Rudy saw through it and grabbed that hook, twisting and flipping Ash over Rudy's back to land on his own. Ash rolled over and back to his feet, trying to reclaim his breath and losing his wig at the same time.

Rudy observed, "Don't hurt yourself. I've got years of training and experience." His own feint caught Ash off guard; Rudy stunned Ash with a jab to the gut and slipped behind him, trying to pin Ash's arms. Ash bucked backwards with his butt and threw Rudy off-balance, pitching both forward. Then he rammed the back of his head against Rudy's chin on the way back up and broke Rudy's grip.

Whirling, Ash knocked Rudy to the ground with a straight right to Rudy's freshly wounded jaw. Rudy paused, looking in wonder at his own blood on his own fingers. Rudy's fake goatee and mustache were hanging half off his face from the impact as well. Ash, rubbing his sore belly a little, snapped, "You think a boy growing up without a dad doesn't know how to fight? I'm the older brother; remember that when you're talking about years of experience."

The moment's shock passed, Rudy leapt to his feet. Another feigned punch; this time a sharp kick to Ash's temple came behind. Ash was ready this time and blocked it with his arm, closing for another punch. Rudy stepped in and forced Ash to join him in a grapple. The men struggled back and forth in a brief yet intimate dance, trying to upend each other's feet, as Misty tried to break free of the Wild Battle raging all around her. She wasn't being deliberately aimed for by either side, but two attempts to cross the savage lines already had gotten her doused with a Hydro Pump and torn her coveralls with a Slash Attack.

Just then the warehouse's double doors flew open. No less than three techs and five guards in Lawrence's Army, attracted by the noise, peered in wonder at the large amount of people and Pokémon frozen in the light they'd admitted. The newcomers' many Pokémon, already out and battle-ready, joined their masters in frowning heavily at the intruders. All of whom realized pieces of their disguises were missing even if they could've somehow bluffed at this point.

The resulting battle was short and very one-sided. In the end, even Meowth's hiding place was discovered and the entire troupe was bundled up for presentation to Lawrence III at his private villa in the Inkaterra Hotel.

Sitting in his high-backed leather chair, Lawrence III was all evil smiles at the Christmas come so early. Flanking him at polite attention, Annie and Oakley looked on passively as Ash, Misty, Rudy, and Meowth were led shuffling in. All four prisoners were handcuffed at wrists and ankles. Only Meowth's lack of a Pokéball had kept him from being stuffed into still another restraint collar like all the other Pokémon.

Lawrence III's glee did not dim a bit as he returned the hard stares of Ash and Misty. Meowth, frightened, looked away and whimpered at his old teammate, Butch, in hopes of sympathy. He received none. Butch merely bent forward to check the cat's restraints again; his fur was fluffed up so much with fright it was difficult to see if the cuffs were still on. Rudy once again revealed shades of Giovanni by remaining studiously impassive. He merely watched and waited for a chance to act.

The commander-in-chief of Lawrence's Army mulled things over unvoiced, letting his prisoners stew for a moment. Finally he casually cupped his chin with his palm, leaning onto his armrest, to observe, "Very, very unprofessional, Mr. Ketchum. What, I wonder, caused that little row between you after so much effort to sneak into Machu Picchu Village?"

Naturally Ash did not reply. Lawrence III's casual gaze took in the rank-and-file guards. "Leave us, and take the other boy and the cat with you."

To Oakley, Lawrence III quickly whispered an aside, "Find out who that boy is."

"Already on it," Oakley assured him quietly.

The exit of the guards with Rudy and Meowth was interrupted as the doors flew open before they could touch them. To the prisoner's mutual disappointment, it wasn't Giovanni leading a rescue charge. It was Cassidy; now completely dry but her hairdo still undone along with her badly wrinkled uniform.

Nobody was more surprised to see her than Butch. Just as Jessie had warned.

Cassidy couldn't help noticing a split-second's worth of hesitation in Butch joining the rest of Lawrence's Army's relief in her safety. Her partner covered himself by running over and embracing her, stating quietly, "I don't believe it! You're all right!" Cassidy returned his hug stiffly, her mind still whirling.

Politely, Lawrence III expounded, "A very great pleasure to see you hale and hearty, my dear. I should've known an able-bodied trainer such as yourself could not be dispatched so easily. Please, regale us with your escape." Butch's release of her left Cassidy meeting her coworkers' curious gazes unprepared. She gulped; she couldn't admit Jessie was her salvation; especially not in front of what had to be Jessie's Meowth.

Cassidy lied, "I, uh, I called out Tentacruel as I fell. Wanted him to use Wrap to grab us onto something. He did; but we smacked into the mountainside. I think." She paused to touch her temple and sway; hoping Butch would mistake the genuine cause of her honest distress at his actions for what she was saying it was. If Butch saw through her acting now as she had finally seen through his…

If he did, Butch held his tongue in front of their boss as Cassidy continued, "I…sort of remember wandering through the jungle… Next thing I know, Tentacruel was fishing me out of the river."

Lawrence III observed, "Ah. Why don't you report to my physician first, then get cleaned up a bit, my dear. You've had a trying day; get some rest for the Noche del Maullar tonight. Butch, you may go with her."

Butch, still smiling warmly at his old friend, gently took Cassidy's elbow to lead her along. "Don't talk," he advised her, "You must've taken a nasty knock to the head; you're lucky if all you've got is a concussion." Cassidy, playing along, stumbled a bit and weakly accepted Butch's guidance as the duo joined the guards taking Rudy and Meowth from the room.

But something had occurred to Ash during Cassidy's interruption. He stepped forward slightly, making his restraints jingle, with a look of quiet determination replacing his earlier cold anger. Ash offered calmly, "Look, we all know it's me you want. Well, you've got what you wanted, Sir Talbot. You can let Misty and Mom go; this is between you and me."

Lawrence III's fingers steepled before him. "A noble offer of self-sacrifice; I'd have expected no less from an Elite Four member," the old man observed, "Yet I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Your family is not just bait; they are an integral part of my plan for revenge. Against you." His smile was slow, wide, and not at all pleasant.

Ash's frustration forced him to snap, "You want me to play your little game, huh? Fine! Let me loose and we'll settle this with a Pokémon battle! What are your terms?"

"Terms?" Lawrence III returned mildly, "My conditions are very simple, Mr. Ketchum. You are going to suffer as you have never suffered before. Didn't your loved one there educate you about my interest after our little discussion on Sternbreak Island?"

A mixture of anger and indignance fought to rule Ash and Misty's faces. He replied for her, "Of course she did. This is about when we first met ten years ago."

Their host raised a single declarative finger. "Ah, yes. Now you begin to understand. Let me take you back to that glorious time. You had a little over a year under your belt on your Pokémon journey. As for me, my life's work was finally coming to fruition. My life's work, Mr. Ketchum. My riches and genius in mechanical design had given birth to a mighty airship, the Stratovarius. Her maiden voyage would unravel an ancient legend of the Whirl Islands and allow me to capture not one, not two or even three, but four legendary Pokémon: Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Lugia. And that was only the beginning."

Just as she had on Sternbreak Island, Misty charged angrily, "If by 'unravel a legend' you mean disrupt the ocean currents of the islands so much that the whole area's ecosystem was endangered!"

Ash added, "If we hadn't teamed up with Lugia to destroy your precious airship and free his Pokémon friends, the imbalance of nature could've spread for hundreds, thousands of miles! Maybe even the whole world! You had to see what was happening from up there; how could you just let that happen? All you had to do was release those Pokémon and restore the balance."

Lawrence III's voice remained wistful but acquired a harder edge as he continued, "Thanks to you I had only acquired two of the legendary Pokémon. Capturing Articuno would have nullified the disruption of nature; Lugia was the bonus prize."

Ash replied, "And you were absolutely sure of all that. So sure you hid up on high in your airship while the world below took the risk for you. How brave of you."

The old man offered a dry chuckle, "Yes, the Stratovarius. Such a loss. I never expected an external attack. Trainers capture Pokémon all the time; who would bother me? Ahh, so much effort, time, money-and not only was she unique in and of herself, so was the collection aboard her. Paintings, sculptures, scrolls; countless priceless and irreplaceable artifacts about Pokémon from around the globe. Almost all of it destroyed when the ship went down."

The slow, sad shake of Misty's head brought Lawrence III's attention fully back to the couple. She added, "You told me that before too. Things can be remade. If you feel so strongly for empty objects, you need more people in your life; I almost feel sorry for you."

A bit defensively, Lawrence III reached out to gently clasp Oakley's waist. She responded by sitting on his armrest, leaning both protectively and possessively against him for good measure. Her man added, "I do have people in my life now, Ms. Williams, rest assured."

Releasing Oakley, Lawrence III undermined his speech with strong gestures to help get his point across. "Neither of you understands fully yet," he continued, "the Stratovarius was my new home, Mr. Ketchum. Everything I ever wanted, dreamt of-loved was destroyed that day. My home, sir."

Ash could only smile a brittle smile, "Do you think the people of the Whirl Islands felt the same way when the currents washed their homes away? Or took their families? I've known a lot of rich people, but you are without a doubt the most shallow, selfish, empty, and petty creature I've ever seen in my life."

For a long moment the tableau was frozen; the warm ambiance of the open-air suite doing absolutely nothing to break the tension holding all five in their place.

Finally, just the barest peek of a crimson flush of rage appeared just above Lawrence III's collar. His volcanic anger, and the effort to contain the eruption, was far more evident in his suddenly rough voice as he repeated incredulously, "Petty, Mr. Ketchum? Petty, you say?" Lawrence III stood, kicking his heavy chair backwards. Ash's arms may have been restrained behind his back, but he stepped forward angrily to meet Lawrence III anyway. Annie and Oakley instantly intercepted Ash and Misty, holding them firmly from behind.

Already wheezing from his effort, Lawrence III was forced to lean heavily on one armrest of his chair after all as he stood, glaring, at his guests. His anger couldn't help but bubble over some more as he explained, "Perhaps one little fact about that day escaped your enlightened, middle-class notice, sir! My wonderful Stratovarius was powered by a nuclear reactor!" His free hand curved into a clawed grip facing back at him; the other still propped him up on the chair. Lawrence III clenched that grip as he continued, "My brilliant designs stopped a full meltdown, a full explosion, but not all of the radiation was contained when she crashed. Look at me."

Ash and Misty glared hard enough to melt stone yet remained silent.

When the couple did not otherwise respond to his withered form, Lawrence III continued in a tone far calmer but just as deadly. "Do you imagine I am an old man, Mr. Ketchum? I regret to inform you that I am only thirty-five. Of all the things I can thank you for on that day, I can appreciate the cancer, the accelerated aging; the long, lingering death sentence, most of all." Now he smiled a smile just as brittle and angry as Ash had before. "I will do unto you as you have done unto me. You too will see the loss of everything you love. First, your mother. Then your Pokémon. Finally, your Misty. You will live and breathe that emptiness, long and truly well, for the rest of your life."

The medical monitors built into Lawrence III's suit began blaring their alarms again. The effort had cost him dearly; Lawrence III sagged weakly into his chair, trembling and coughing. Oakley and Annie could not administer to him this time; they were too busy struggling with Ash and Misty as the latter seized this distraction. With a desperate whirl, Ash swept Oakley off her feet and into her sister. "Run, Misty!" he ordered, "I'll hold them!"

But the best he could do with his ankles still chained was throw himself bodily upon the sisters and entangle them a little; the best Misty could do was shuffle awkwardly away in her own restraints. Even as the guards outside poured in from the noise and caught Misty, Annie pinned Ash easily. As Oakley flew to his side, Lawrence III found the strength to bark out, "Restraints only! No drugs!"

The prisoners were swiftly dragged away, kicking but not screaming. Oakley's hands tore open Lawrence III's shirt while Annie prepared another injection. The man's weak grip found Oakley's wrist. Even she was shocked as the depth of his hatred forced Lawrence III to remind her in a hoarse whisper, "Promise me; you won't let them slip away. Watch them personally…"

"I will," she swore, "Now shut up and let me stabilize you."

Lawrence III's skull-like visage was stuck in a death's head grin as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2011 Keith E. Kimball. This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Tatsunoko Productions, GameFreak, The Pokémon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, etc.