(Tall, scary young man with dark eyes steps onto the stage dragging chapter, glares at the author, drops chapter and stalks off) Hi! I'm back and you have that scary fellow just now to thank for it. He's one of my sci-fi muses and I suppose he got tired of my constant head bashing against this chapter because he dragged my Pokemon muses out and threatened them until they talked to me. Anyway, I have finally finished a chapter and also rediscovered my long lost mental storyline notes! I really should write them down more often ... it might help prevent this sort of thing from happening again...

Review Response: Dear Shadow Snivy, hello again! Aw but messing with peoples heads is an author's specialty! Oh well, keep working on figuring out the plot, you've been very good at it so far. The event I referenced in Sekani's past was actually the earthquake in the first chapter. If you will recall, Sekani was buried alive in there for a while, an experience that is bound to lead to some post-truamatic stress. However, there might have been an earlier incident that helped form his skittish outlook on life, I'm not entirely sure. Blazing fury versus cold calculation is always fun to write, though usually I write the hero as the one with the cold calculation ... it was fun to write it the other way for once. Cassandra's boss makes an appearance in this chapter by the way and I'd like to see if you can guess who it is because it isn't Jack. Did you really think I would reveal Jack so soon? (shakes head deviously and winks slyly) Jack will show up later, for now, lets see how you like the new characters I'm introducing. Thank you so much for being so compassionate about my writer's block! I always freeze up when I feel pressured, but your reviews always make me want to write more instead. Hope you enjoy this chapter, watch out for grammar hiccups because this is a little bit rough, and I'll see you next time!

Dear Deathpony, hi! She has experienced something of both actually, but I can't go into anymore detail than that. Nice to meet you by the way and I hope you like this chapter!

Author's Note: Okay, I now have a vague idea where I am going with this story again (I lost track of that earlier but hey, better late than never) and I will try to get at least one more chapter out by the end of the month but I can make no promises. Real life has me firmly by the ankles and simply won't let go. In fact, the only reason I've been able to update my Transformers story every week is because they are all prewritten, so rest assured I'm not ignoring this story intentionally. On a different note, has anyone noticed that my names for many of the Island locations are Japanese? Or that they have meanings relating to the location the represent? Just thought I would point that out in case no one noticed because if you want a hint on the bad guys, look up their name (it is also this chapter's name). I spent several hours trying to find a relevant name for them and I will admit to being proud of the one I chose. Anyway, enjoy chapter sixteen!

Chapter Sixteen: The Jakusha

Castor frowned, his mind struggling to line up the few facts he knew and come to a logical conclusion, "So … you want us to return you to your den, but you can't tell us where your den is?"

A naive nod. Castor sighed and rubbed the area between his eyes in exasperation, "If we escort you, can you take us there?"

Hibiki, the little fox-Pokemon they had found in the tunnels with the wartortle, seemed to consider this, "I think so. Follow me!" With an excited bounce in his step, Hibiki started to dart away.

From behind him, Castor heard Caspian Wartortle shout, "Hold it!" Hibiki, Castor, and all of his friends turned to face the Captain. Caspian placed his paws on his hips and said sternly, "Sorry everyone, only Rescue Teams are authorized to escort non-family minors to unspecified locations."

Sekani scratched his head, "Come again?"

Mira flattened her ears irritably, "He means that we need to be a Rescue Team to help the cub home. Which, by the way, is the most ridiculous thing I've heard yet. It isn't like we can't protect him if something happens."

Caspian removed his paws from his hips to move them in a placating manner, "I know that, and I apologize, but those are the rules of the Island. Hibiki is far too young to go on a Discovering and as such must be escorted by either a clan member or a Rescue Team member." He looked truly apologetic, "My team and I need to take these criminals back to Doragon City for trial. Hibiki will have to come with us until we can return him to his den."

Hibiki's ears drooped, "How long will that be?"

Caspian frowned, "At least a few weeks, sorry cub."

The look on Hibiki's face was heartbreaking, his eyes were large and pathetic, his tail lowering to the ground dejectedly as he started to sniffle, "But … I wanna go home…"

Castor bit his lip, he couldn't let the cub wait weeks just so protocol could be satisfied, Hibiki's parents were probably sick with worry already. If only there was a way around the law, if only- "But we are a Rescue Team!" Castor looked up, huh?

Ahanu was fidgeting under the sudden scrutiny as he repeated, "We, uh, we are a Rescue Team! So, uh, we're perfectly fit to, you know, take Hibiki home!"

Caspian narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why didn't you say so before? What is your team name?"

Ahanu floundered, wobbuffets were notoriously bad liars, "Well … uh…"

Castor's mind raced, Ahanu's excuse might work, but they needed to act like an actual rescue team, and for that, they needed an official name. Arashi, the word flitted through his mind, Arashi … like Arashi cliffs … where we all first met! Stepping forward he said, "Arashi, we're the Arashi Rescue Team."

Caspian raised an eye ridge, "Unusual name."

Castor smiled tightly, "Unusual name for an unusual team. It isn't like we can call ourselves by a Pokemon type or clan. We were forged in a storm and so a storm we are called." Wow, that sounded a lot more … inspiring in my head than out loud. Maybe it's because my voice is shaking?

Caspian Wartortle studied Castor intently for what seemed like an age before smiling knowingly and saying, "Well, that's all right then. I'm going to guess that you haven't gotten your official badges forged yet but … I've seen you fight, you work like a team."

Hibiki looked up at him hopefully, "So?"

Caspian sighed resignedly, "So they can escort you home."

Hibiki jumped in the air gleefully, "Yay! Yay! Yay!" Castor heard the rest of his friends breath out a united sigh of relief.

Sekani, who had gotten over his fear of Hibiki, gleefully cried out, "Onward then! To your home den!"

Caspian looked more amused than anything else, "Are you sure you'll be okay? I thought you said most of your supplies were trashed in the fight." It was true, the traps and the battle had successfully decimated their bags … again.

Dale just shrugged, "I grew up in this forest, foraging for our supper shouldn't be a problem."

Caspian was finally convinced, even if the knowing look he shot Castor hinted that the Wartortle knew they were lying about being a rescue team, and both groups bid each other farewell before going their separate ways.

Hibiki bounded off in a north, north-east direction, chatting on happily about any subject that came to mind as they trekked through the forest. Castor couldn't help but shake his head in bemusement, how could anyone hurt such a friendly little cub? Hibiki had told them his story of how he'd come to be in the cave.

Apparently, he had wandered away from the den out of curiosity and had been kidnapped by the Glaceon Mira had fought in the cave. The Glaceon had taken him away to the Kuro Cave. Naturally, he had tried to escape, but the only thing he got for his trouble was a severe beating by the Machoke when the brutish fighting-type had caught him in the act. It made Castor's blood boil at the thought of anyone harming such an innocent Pokemon, let alone nearly killing him.

Ahead of him, Hibiki suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, "Uncle?"

Castor looked around, searching for the Pokemon Hibiki seemed to have scented. Lifting his own nose, he sniffed inquisitively, wondering if they were going to find Hibiki's family less than a few hours into their journey. The scent of newly cut grass strung his nostrils lightly, and Castor wondered where it had come from. Before he could ask if Hibiki's den was really this close by, vines grew out of the earth from nowhere and entrapped him and his friends, separating them from Hibiki with a wall of writhing green.

"Hey!" Castor breathed fire on the vines, hoping to burn an opening so they could rejoin Hibiki and see what was going on. Much to his shock, the vines remained unharmed, they weren't even singed, "What in the-?" All around him was chaos, Sekani was shrieking in terror, Ahanu was flailing his blue arms wildly in panic, Mira was attempting to smash through the wall of vines with Iron Tail to little effect, Leal was punching the wall with his small paws, Cora was pummeling the vines with Headbutt, and Dale was attacking it with Swift.

None of their attacks made so much as a dent, instead, more vines grew up and wrapped around them tightly, pulling them to the ground and immobilizing them despite their best efforts. Castor tried Flamethrower again, only to have the same discouraging results, what's going on? From outside their green prison, Castor could faintly hear Hibiki yelling and deeper voices of strange Pokemon. Fear clutched at Castor's heart, were the Grass-types attacking them planning to harm Hibiki?

Wiggling against his bonds, Castor yelled, "Hibiki! Hibiki!"

Far away from the current location of the newly formed Arashi Rescue Team, a delicate looking Roserade was quietly making her way down the long passage to the den of her master. Stepping inside the spacious, well lit chamber overlooking the bustling hive of Doragon City, she bowed and spoke in a soft whispery voice, "Sir. A report from Meiro Woods, the Pokemon cub you sought was rescued by the Pikachu and her companions. Our operatives in that area were also captured and will no doubt be brought to the city. Your command?"

Her master remained where he was, seemingly unaware of her presence or her report. She knew better, she knew that he was actually calculating a thousand different plans and deciding which was the best one to act upon. Finally, his deep voice rolled over her, calm and unemotional, "Let the Queen deal as she sees fit with the failures. She will no doubt have them placed in jail for their crimes and from there it will be easy to extract them. For now, make sure that my other plans go unnoticed and unhindered."

The Roserade moved to stand at his massive side and stared out the window at the streets below, "And the Pikachu?"

Her master's red eyes glittered briefly, "Let her and her friends be for now. They will be kept busy enough trying to explain themselves to the 'guardians' of this island." A tiny smile curled across her master's mouth, "By the time they all stop bickering and figure out what is going on, this island and all who inhabit it will belong to Team Jakusha."

The Roserade bowed deeply again, "As you command, sir." Turning, she left her master's chambers, her gaze studiously blank and unreadable to even the most scrutinizing gaze as she exited his hidden den and entered the streets of Doragon City.

The City was by far the largest on the island, a hub of activity carved into the base of Kōken'nin Mountain, the tallest mountain on the island. A mountain that was also so revered it was practically sacred. All around her, Pokemon over every Type and size scurried, trotted, lumbered, slithered, or flew to and fro on everyday business. Ambipoms shouted to passersby about the joys of their nuts, all of which were neatly organized by flavor, size, type, and whether they were roasted or not, while Machoke and Machamps offered themselves as bodyguards for hire to traveling caravans.

The Roserade both ignored and observed all of these things, mentally blocking out any useless information while keeping a keen eye out for trouble as she headed towards her destination. Fighting down irritation at how slowly she was making progress, being busy dodging the lumbering passage of a pack of the nomadic Tyranitar clan, she darted down an alleyway.

Unlike most cities on the island, the various buildings and dens were not just tall mounds of dirt with a spacious inside, the entrances to the buildings here were single floor affairs constructed of clean white stone. For stores, it was this ground level floor that housed their wares while stairs led down to a much larger underground living area for the storekeeper. The entire city, if seen from an underground perspective, was a honeycomb of tunnels and chambers. From above, the city was a cluttered maze of large perches and nests, some made in the bows of the tall trees cropping up everywhere in Doragon, some made on top of the stone buildings previously described.

All in all, it was an easy place to get lost in if you were new. As three Tyrogue leaped down from above and surrounded her, she dryly noted to herself that it was also an easy place to be ambushed. The Roserade made no move to attack or defend, she simply stood there and waited for the inevitable battle challenge. As expected, one of the three Tyrogue bowed slightly at the waist and said, "Prithee, what is your level, fair Roserade?"

Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, she rapidly estimated the Tyrogue's level, if he was challenging an opponent to whom he would receive neutral damage, that meant he was most likely very close to leveling up and didn't want to accidentally alter his stats and evolve into the wrong form. That would put the Tyrogue somewhere just under level twenty, "I am too high a level for you. I advise you seek another opponent."

The Tyrogue looked at first surprised, then angered. Dropping to formal speech normally required for a pre-evolution battle, he cried, "How would you possibly know my level? Accept my challenge and I shall teach you a lesson about snubbing your nose at others!"

Internally, she had to smile at such fire. Here was a Pokemon who fought for a purpose, not one who simply wanted to mindlessly brawl, "Very well. Name the battleground."

The other two tyrogues retreated slightly, allowing more room in the narrow alley. Her challenger smiled, his eyes alight with excitement, "Here and now! I am Matthew Tyrogue of the Hitmon clan and I will defeat you this day!"

The Roserade dipped her head softly, but said nothing in response. She was preoccupied watching the Tyrogue's movements as they slowly began to circle each other. Her eyes ran up and down Matthew's body with a practiced gaze, even stance, slight rolling on the balls of his feet. His front paws are splayed out to his sides as if he's about to start spinning. Legs and arms evenly developed, he must be trying to evolve into a Hitmontop. Choice is most likely based on having both a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan as a parent, he wishes to be different. Hitmon Attacks likely from him are Tackle, Mach Punch, Endure, or High Jump Kick.

Matthew suddenly threw his weight forward, leading with his left foot, the paw on that side clenching into a fist. His left fist lit with a blue/white aura as he swung at her with all of his speed and strength. The Roserade felt something kick into action in her mind, her thoughts falling into place with an almost unnatural logic. Move: Inbred Mach Punch. Power: 40% damage relative to user's attack stat. Speed: Approximately 53% maximum potential between level's one and fifty. Dodge required in 0.03 seconds.

She leaned to her right and out of the way, watching unblinkingly as the Mach Punch seared the air just past her face. Matthew gave a yelp of surprise as he staggered forward a few steps, caught off balance because of not having landed the Punch. The Roserade waited patiently for her opponent to regain his footing and attack her again with a growl. Again and again he tried to hit her. First with Mach Punch, then High Jump Kick, then Tackle. Again and again she used her superior speed to dodge the attacks.

Finally, Matthew Tyrogue was panting heavily, eyes blazing anger at her as he wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead, "Stand and fight me!"

Inwardly shaking her head at his naivety she said, "The purpose of this battle is for you to gain experience is it not? You will not gain experience if I knock you out."

Matthew puffed up again and growled irately at her, "How dare you! I'm almost level twenty! How can you be so much faster than-?" Before he could finish his sentence, the Roserade darted forward and slammed the smaller Pokemon against the alley wall, one bouquet shaped paw pressed under her opponent's neck, the tips of her thorn 'claws' dripping poison.

The Tyrogue's eyes widened in surprise and instinctive fear as she murmured in her usual, near-whisper, "level fifty."

She almost casually used Poison Jab on Matthew's leg, knocking him out almost instantly. Stepping back and letting the unconscious Tyrogue fall to the ground, she turned to his stunned companions, "I suggest a healer. I expect that he will evolve shortly after being healed. Good day." She brushed past them quietly, intent on continuing her mission.

From behind, one of the tyrogues called desperately, "Wait! We never got your name!" She didn't answer, she simply kept walking. As she continued down the many alleyways, undisturbed by the secretive loiterers partially hidden in the shadows, she mused on the Tyrogue's shout. A pity I could not answer him. But it cannot be helped. Stepping up to the back entrance she was looking for, she knocked quietly, after all, we cannot all remember our names and lives from Before, can we?

The door opened for her and she slipped inside, nodding absently to the blank faced Emolga that closed the door behind her. At a low table in the corner, her contact waved casually to her. As the Roserade sat down silently on the other side of the dirt table, her contact, a Rattata, smiled toothily and asked, "Cha, so what's the boss say? Ya talk to him?"

She nodded, "We are to continue as we are for now. We are not to attract attention of any kind until he decrees it."

The Rattata, Jabari 'Jabber' Rattata of the Raticate clan snorted irritably, "Cha! Again with the 'laying low'! Wanna get my paws dirty with something other than digging for once." He eyed her pleadingly, as though she could change the nature of his orders, "Sure we can't even make a little jail break fo' the newbies when they arrive?"

The Roserade didn't even bother to ask how he knew that the new recruits had been captured, knowing was his job. The 'digging' he had just mentioned consisted of finding reliable information for Team Jakusha from any sources, usually illegal ones. Instead, she simply blinked at him once, her version of the phrase 'you know the answer to that'. Jabari sighed and clicked his large front teeth together, "Yea, yea, I know the answer to that. Don't get all emotional about it or nothin' Shanti."

The Roserade, Shanti was what Jabari called her, which was fine as she had no other name, shifted ever so slightly in her seat. The motion caused only the barest rustle of her leaf cloak, but the ever sharp eyed Jabari spotted it immediately. His eyes widened in surprise and he suddenly leaned in close to whisper worriedly, "Cha, Shanti, you ain't worried are you? What's with the fidgeting?"

Shanti said nothing, only averting her eyes to the tabletop, it would not have been proper to express her doubts over the Master's plan. Jabari cocked his head to one side in concern, his large purple ears flicking softly in an instinctive attempt to search out more information on his partner's problem. Finally, he cocked his head to the other side and whispered shrewdly, "It's that Pikachu thats got ya worried ain't it?"

Shanti nodded and Jabari twitched his whiskers, "She was a Jakusha weren't she? Like us? That what got ya bothered?"

Shanti finally relented and admitted to what was bothering her, "It is not the … physical enhancements bequeathed to her via the Project that worry me."

Jabari smirked bemusedly, "So what is it?"

Shanti looked around subtly, making sure that none of the other Jakusha members could overhear her before continuing, "The Pikachu's name is Mira, I was one of her regular sparring partners during the Project. She is … different, concerning. Her mind is fast, faster than she lets on, faster than I believe the Master gives her credit for."

Jabari nodded slowly, "Ya think she's gonna find out about our plans afore the Master wants her too and stop us?" Shanti nodded silently. Jabari considered this for several minutes before asking, "But she won't be able to find enough clues right? No matter how fast she thinks, if she don't have the clues to guide her thoughts, she'll be just as in the dark as everyone else until it's too late."

Shanti lifted her right flower paw onto the table, the angle she was currently holding it in making her scar clearly visible. The scar itself was barely noticeable, a small U shaped line running along the side of one of her flower bud 'fingers'. Jabari hissed sympathetically, he had worked with the Grass-type long enough to recognize the outline of where one of the sensitive flower petals used to be.

Shanti glared at the scar and murmured "For Mira, nothing is ever 'too late' and no task is 'impossible'. Not if she sets her mind to it."

Jabari shook his head, "She can't be that powerful…"

Shanti locked eyes with Jabari, "She is strong enough to remember her trainer and life from Before."

Jabari went stock still, his red eyes showing the depths of shock that he couldn't begin to have expressed aloud. Finally, he asked, "How many times she meet with Doc Forget?"

Shanti pressed her lips together thinly as she placed her paw back in her lap, "I wouldn't know. But I do know that she went to him more than once and yet she still remembers."

Jabari sat back, hissing between his teeth to make an unusual whistling sound unique to bucktoothed Pokemon, "How can any Pokemon hold out through Doc Forget's sessions? I mean, I never had to go, being wild an all Before, but still…"

Shanti nodded, glad that her teammate and partner was finally beginning to understand the source of her anxiety, "She 'held out' because she refuses to give up. I remember every sparring practice I had with her, she had no hope against the Bouquet I was in and yet she would take us down. Usually it was only one of us, sometimes two, but somehow, someway, she would find a way to not be the only Pokemon carried off the field by the end of the match. She did the same when pitted against the Digger Squads."

Jabari reached over and lightly patted Shanti's arm, "Well, not much we can really do about it without the Boss knowing. But if it really worries you that much, I might do a little … investigating in Meiro Woods. See how she's doing? Maybe, see an 'accident' happen while I'm there?"

Shanti considered his offer, then shook her head, "No, remain on your assignment. We can't have the Master think that we are disloyal to him. Besides, if she received any impression that someone was following her, that would only give her a clue that something is wrong. Possibly even that we are on the Island as well."

Jabari shrugged and settled back in his seat, "Cha, you're a shrewd one. If you say so, I'll just keep digging my merry way here in the city."

Shanti nodded, "I do. Besides, there is information here in Doragon that I need you to find…"

After Jabari had left to complete his new assignment, Shanti remained seated at the table, her thoughts far away. The Master is underestimating her. He hasn't seen her power. He doesn't understand just what is at stake with her here. Shanti's mind drifted back to the one of the most memorable fights she'd had with the Pikachu known as Mira, the fight that had ended with the loss of one of her flower petals.

Flashback:

Roserade 027 circled her opponent carefully, wary of the Pikachu who had given them such a surprising amount of trouble. Tangela 055 glanced her way before calling to the Pikachu, "I would advise surrender, Pikachu 002, one more hit from us and you're done for."

The Pikachu glared at them from her corner. She was panting heavily, one eye screwed shut from the black eye a Vine Whip attack had delivered, her body littered with a multitude of other bruises and injuries that should have already brought her down. The Pikachu snarled quietly at them in between pants, "Go … jump on a … magcargo if … you're too afraid … to come at me."

The leader of training Bouquet 202, a male Carnivine designated 099, scowled, "We don't want to damage you any more than necessary 002, stand down."

The Pikachu closed her one good eye briefly and sank to the ground. Roserade 027 relaxed slightly. Their opponent was giving up, good. The surprisingly sturdy Electric-type had managed to knock out both Sunflora 627 and Cherrim 025, a feat which none of the other electric-types they'd been assigned to train had even come close to doing.

The Pikachu murmured something in a low tone that sounded almost like, "I'm not 002…" Roserade 027 lowered her defensive stance in confusion and stepped forward to hear better. She shouldn't have lowered her guard, the moment she and the other Grass-types relaxed, the Pikachu's eye snapped open again and with a yell, she lunged into the air, tail glowing a bright silver, "My name is Mira!"

Roserade 027 barely had enough time to dodge. However, despite her speedy leap to one side, the stinging sensation of one of her petals being sliced off by the Iron Tail attack told her she hadn't been fast enough. Landing on her back with a surprised wail of pain, the Roserade nursed her throbbing paw and watched in shock as the Pikachu, Mira, charged Carnivine 099 and tackled him with a yowl of defiance.

The Carnivine staggered back uncontrollably, caught off guard by the sudden attack. The Pikachu shouted again, "If I'm going down … I'm taking you with me!" Electricity seared the air as the Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt directly into the Carnivine she was clutching. Carnivine 099 shrieked, his eyes widening in shock before he flopped to the ground, knocked unconscious by the close range blast.

Roserade 027 and the other members of the Bouquet froze, wondering what to make of this unprecedented attack. The Pikachu reared up on her hind paws, glaring defiantly at them as she hissed, "I … never … surrender…" Her body shuddered and with a tiny sigh, the Pikachu fell over, exhaustion finally overpowering her will to fight.

End Flashback

Shanti shook her head to clear it of her reminiscing, the past was the past and she had work to do. Standing up, she left the building to quietly resume her duties. But even as she did so, a nagging doubt in the back of her mind told her that something was going to wrong with the plan. Something would ruin everything. She also had a strong suspicion that that something was named Mira Pikachu.