Chapter 3

Change of Plans

A/N: I would like to say a few things before I start. PLEASE READ THESE!!!

Why is nobody reviewing this story? It's gotten more than a hundred hits so far, but only a handful of reviews. Come on, people. I'm begging you. Even if it's negative. If you think my story deserves a flame, I'll break out the marshmallows myself. Don't leave me hanging. (Please note, this does not refer to those that ARE leaving reviews. To those people, thank you very much and keep it up.)

2) If you have yet to do so, please go to my profile and vote in the poll. And you know what, tell a couple friends that don't even read the story and have them vote. I don't care. I just need more input. I have gone ahead and decided that if I don't get enough votes to make a definitive decision, I'll have to use my own choice of Legendary, and I don't think anyone will like who I've chosen.

OK, my rants are over. You may read now.

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"What?!"

Braun froze, and slowly did a double take. The dead-end alley, where a trapped Eevee should be, held nothing. But what was that blue light?

The rest of the Rockets turned the corner not a second later. They too were expecting an easy target. Only there was nothing.

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Except for that fateful day with Feuer, Sam couldn't remember ever being more afraid.

Everything around her had gone black and white. A mysterious wind seemed to sweep the colors together, creating a surreal, almost horrific world that gave her chills. It was cold.

And before her stood the strange creature that had appeared only seconds ago. Besides her, he was the only things that remained in color and unaffected by the strange wind.

Her body seemed to suddenly find her legs. She backed towards the large red wall behind her.

"No," the Riolu-morph grunted through clenched teeth. "Stay still. I can't make the sphere any bigger." His whole body glowed with a blue aura. Every muscle in his body was pulled taught, straining against some invisible force.

She didn't know what to do. Here was someone that she didn't know telling her to trust him. He could be one of them for all she knew.

And speaking of them, they flew around the corner just then. It was hard for her to see with all of the swirling black and white, but she could easily see that they were somehow confused. And then it hit her. They were all looking through her. As if they didn't see her.

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One of the squad sergeants quickly took charge. "Three mile search from this spot! Go until Recon gives any intel. Move!" The men on the ground quickly dispersed.

Braun sat, looking at the spot. Something was off. But what?

"Orders, sir?"

He looked up at the three other Recons. They all looked at him.

Before answering, he checking his suit's readings. "My suit's dry. Search pattern Gamma. I'm heading back." They turned to move out. "And 2!" One of them stopped while the others jumped off. "Meet me the moment you get back to base." As soon as it was spoken, the man was off.

He looked back down. There were only three ways out of that alley. The most obvious would be back through the other alleys. But he had easily blocked them off and the others had been filled with men. One could climb the walls, but she wouldn't have been able to in her form. A Pokemon could teleport out. That was a distinct possibility; their target was a Shaiya. But she hadn't transformed yet, and he highly doubted she would for whatever reason.

So how had she done it?

He would dwell on this later. But just to be certain, he pulled a small clear capsule from a thick, padded pocket and flicked it into the alley. It flew towards the back and shattered onto the ground. Perhaps she had found a cubbyhole that he had missed. Highly unlikely after all of his training, but all humans erred.

Now, he had to return, report, and make a demand.

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The blue light faded from around his body and the color returned to the world around them. Then he suddenly collapsed to his seat.

Sam, being the kind soul, quickly rushed to him. "Are you alright?"

He touched her shoulder. The blue fur faded, and he returned to a normal human form. "I'm fine." With her help, he rose to his feet. "We should go."

He picked her up and, using the buildings, leapt over the wall.

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Twenty minutes later, Braun pushed through the back door to the massive Silph Tower. No one took a second glance at him as he walked through the back halls, even though he was more than a sore thumb amidst the suits of businessmen. Five months of stationing here and they had already learned to ignore it.

He went to a service elevator and stepped inside. He waited for the doors to close before reaching for the panel. He quickly hit the button sequence that served as a password, whispering the numbers under his breath in time. "11, 3, 12, 52, B." At the same time, he pulled off his helmet, letting cool air over his cropped dark-blonde hair.

A panel opened on the back wall as he spun. He placed his hand lightly on the revealed green panel. The scanner moved up and down once before beeping softly. The door slid down as the elevator began to move.

"Welcome back, Braun. Suit dry?" a voice asked from a speaker above him.

"I'm almost empty. Have Phil meet me down below."

"He's already on his way."

Braun nodded. Unlike his Recon unit, the base operators knew what they were doing. And Phil seemed to always keep a tab on him.

The elevator finally stopped seven hundred feet below the surface. As the door slid open, the sounds of the base rushed over him. Someone talking about a rookie. He was asking her about supplies. A drill team marching through the halls in perfect formation. It was all too noisy. He much preferred the quiet of a good hunt.

But he forced himself past it and walked through the grey halls of the underground base. It was one of two in the world. If the entire base were to be removed, half of the city above would sink into the ground. And the other base, on the other side of the globe, was still bigger.

He went into a side hall and stepped into another elevator, taking him down deeper into the complex. Braun couldn't quite figure out what the uppers were doing expect for Roth. Anyone spending a few minutes with him could have him figured out.

The door opened to the armory. A server quickly stepped forward. "Welcome back." His lithe hands immediately went for Braun's vest.

But Braun quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it nearly forty-five degrees, causing the smaller man to yelp. "Hands off. Only I touch my gear." He threw the man into a weapons locker and walked on. He could hear several people helping the other man up, but he ignored them with a shake of his head. "Newbies."

Braun had always believed in the quote of his master. "Take care of your equipment and your equipment will take care of you." Ever since his first pistol, he had never let another lay hands on his gear. Any maintenance required was done with his own hands.

Phil approached from the other side just as he began to open his private weapons locker. "Welcome back, Braun. How was the hunt?"

"Atrocious." He undid his vest and let it slide off. "I assume you were listening."

"Yes, sir."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'sir'?" The vest went over a rack on the side.

"Forgive me. Force of habit."

He couldn't fathom why Phil had insisted he stay with Braun as new equipment went into the empty vest pouches. Normally, assistants were only assigned to high-level Hunters, which Braun had once been. When he was demoted to Recon, Phil had managed to stay with him. In Braun's eyes, it was almost like he had taken it on himself to watch over his superior. That brought a light chuckle to Braun's throat. If he was weaker, he would almost call that friendship.

"Recon 2 will be coming in shortly."

"I will have him wait in the usual place."

He pulled off the belt, placed it in the bottom of the locker, and patted Phil on the back. "Good man."

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A Growlithe was thrown into a perfect white room. A pane of glass allowed viewing from a control room, where Dr. Roth stood.

Most people wouldn't consider Roth a mad genius just by looking at him. By most standards, he was quite attractive. A small chin, high cheekbones, and a straight hair cut of graying hair showed a face that looked much younger than his years. Come to think of it, Braun wasn't sure how old Roth was. He only knew that the scientist had been with Team Rocket for many years. And that he was good.

"Administer the mixture," Roth spoke to his workers, who were placed at computers around the room.

Jets in the testing room sprayed a mist into the air. The Growlithe looked around curiously before beginning to cough.

"Mixture is beginning to take effect."

The creature fell to its side. A clear fluid began to fly out with every cough. The coughs gradually got softer, until a steady pitch from a nearby computer replaced them.

"Subject's heart has failed."

Roth sighed. He walked to his own computer and pressed a button on the keyboard. "Mixture 217935: Marked Failure. Early hypothesis is same result of death as previous mixtures. Will test to confirm." He hit another button and walked out, leaving his helpers to clean everything up.

Braun joined him as he walked by. "Still can't find the right blend?"

"You better have good news for me."

"She got away."

The man stopped, his face growing tight. After a second he threw a fist into the wall. "I need that girl, Braun! She is the key to all of this!"

"I am aware of that, sir. But I may have a way to catch her."

Roth examined his eyes. He hated that. The man's eyes were like daggers, somehow able to see everything. One deep look sent ice through even Braun's veins. "You want a solo. Not after what happened last time." He continued walking.

"Sir, with respect, my failure last time was a technicality."

"Failure is failure, regardless of the circumstances."

"I believe I can bring her in. You know I work best alone."

The scientist gave him another glance as they walked. "Sadly, that is true." He stopped at the next intersection. "Very well. You will be raised to Hunter for one week. Fail this time, and you won't get off with just Recon."

"Thank you, sir." Braun gave a salute.

Roth turned and left without returning it.