Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Good night, this is a long one! I got a bit carried away, methinks. Ah, well, it's all in good fun! I would like to put out a little request, though...if you're keeping up with this and enjoying it, would you leave a review? I feel like these fics aren't getting that many hits lately, and while I will keep updating (don't worry, guys) I would like an idea of who actually does read my newer chapters. Okay, on with the show!

Lightning crackled, sharp bolts of white-hot electricity frying the very air; across the arena, the defeated Persian sank to the floor with an agonized howl, the fight slipping out of it in an instant and its eyes slipping shut.

"No!" Its trainer flew to its side, stroking the fallen feline's flanks with fingers that shook. "Persian!"

Paton shook his head. "Jolteon, return," he called tiredly, drawing the foxlike Pokémon back to him in a red streak. Passing a hand through his shaggy black hair, he crossed the arena to where his challenger knelt in defeat. "You battled well," he complemented.

"Not well enough," the young man said ruefully, withdrawing his Pokémon and tucking the Pokeball away. "Your gym is the fiercest in the region for a reason, Mr. Yewbeam."

Paton shrugged one shoulder at the praise, his posture indicating how little this status meant to him. "So they say," he remarked mildly. "Shall I see you out?"

"Nah, I've got it," the youth waved the offer aside, pushing himself to his feet. "I have to get to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible, anyway."

Paton made a noise of assent, thoughts already on a different plane, and drifted away. He gave the young man a cursory final nod and then swept from the arena into the inner workings of the gym, discarding his trademark black trench coat on a waiting rack as he passed through the heavy door.

Combined with his dark hair and eyes, the long coat and his traditional black shirt and pants painted him an intimidating figure and offset the electric yellow coats of the majority of his Pokémon team. "Paton Yewbeam and his team of enigmatic electrics," he muttered, fingering the Pokeballs belted at his waist. "Bane of trainers everywhere." He dropped back into an armchair, kicking his feet up on an ottoman. "Not as scintillating as it sounds."

"Well, you do have other options."

Paton was on his feet in the blink of an eye, Pokeball in hand and his Electabuzz before him in an instant.

His sister held up a placating hand. "Such a welcome, brother dear," Venetia mocked, lips twitching as she eyed the bristling Pokémon and her brother's aggressive stance. She stood in the door way, clad in in the black, R-emblazoned outfit of a Team Rocket executive, her posture indicating absolute superiority and an obvious lack of worry.

"Venetia," he replied, posture not changing in the slightest, "To what do I owe the inconvenience?"

Pursing her lips, she gave him a long stare. "Just…dropping by," she demurred.

Static crackled around Electabuzz's fists as the Pokémon growled; Paton bared his teeth in the mockery of a smile as he saw her recoil and then try to hide it. "You never 'just' anything," he countered. "Drop the act."

All pretenses of niceties faded from her face. "Very well," she snarled. "I am looking for your nephew."

"Charlie? He's your nephew as much as mine." Paton tried not to let the worry he felt at her words show on his face. The boy was a beginning trainer, and though he held lofty goals and a dedicated team of partners, he was still a rookie and had quite a penchant for getting in trouble; Paton did his best to watch out for his nephew whenever he had the chance.

Venetia's eyes narrowed. "Don't stall me with schematics, Paton," she hissed. "More often than not this is where he flees when he's been meddling in the affairs of his betters; he must be held accountable for his actions."

"I haven't seen him in over three weeks," Paton replied coolly, "and even if I had I wouldn't be likely to tell you. I do try to hinder Team Rocket rather than help them, you'll remember."

"And as ever you remain the fool," she snarled. "Very well, I take my leave." She slowly withdrew from the room, pausing to give him one final glare. "But you, Paton," she threw over her shoulder, eyes narrowed, "you need to be aware of your enemies—and beware of them as well."

"Oh, I am," he whispered, voice carrying through the other-wise silent room. "Believe me."

Venetia bared her teeth and departed.

Scowling, Paton waited until he heard the click of the outer doors, then spun on his heel and gave the room an appraising look. "Charlie," he said, resignation tinting his words, "You can come out now."

The wavy black drapes in the corner rustled and then shifted to allow a small slip of a boy to squeeze through. "How'd you know I was here?" he complained, running a hand through his already messy hair.

Paton raised an eyebrow. "Because Team Rocket is much more well-informed than I and if they had a reason to suspect your being here than you likely were."

A growl from Electabuzz had Paton jumping to attention once more. "What is it?" he asked. Crackling with ill-suppressed electricity, the Pokémon looked toward Charlie's corner of the room. Paton frowned, and then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You can come out now as well," he said, trying to sound as encouraging as possible.

The second, previously unnoticed lump in the curtains shifted and then bulged outward as the other party detached itself from the wall, the slight girl with light skin and hair drawing slowly out of her refuge.

"Hello," Paton said gently. "And who are you?"

"Uncle P, this is Emma!" Charlie said, adopting what Paton had come to refer to as his nephew's 'please adopt this seemingly hopeless case I've taken on' look. "Team Rocket kidnapped her aunt and stole her Pokémon!"

Paton frowned. "Her aunt's Pokémon or her own?" he asked, only partly interested in the answer as he turned over this new, very open act by his sisters' organization.

"Both!" Charlie exclaimed. "She managed to get away with her Pidgey, but they got all the others."

Emma let out a soft little sob, and Paton felt his harsh demeanor slipping. No matter how irritated he became with his sisters' nefarious plots, he could not allow his aggravation to carry over to the ones they affected—that, and he could never stand to see a woman upset. Kneeling before the girl, he took her hands in his and gave them a soothing squeeze. "Calm down, dear girl," he soothed, keeping his voice soft and level. The position put him half a head above her still, so he angled his face so that his eyes met hers. "You know who I am?" he asked.

Biting her trembling lip, Emma nodded.

"Then you know I despise Team Rocket and everything they stand for. I promise I will do everything in my power to rescue your aunt and Pokémon. To do that, though, I need you to answer some questions. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Emma started to nod, then caught herself and said, "Yes," in a very soft voice.

"Excellent. Now, first: why did Team Rocket kidnap your aunt?"

"She lives here in town," Emma began, "and runs a bookshop; I help her with it. We have a lot of rare books on legendary Pokémon and Team Rocket showed up yesterday wanting to buy one, but Auntie said no, she doesn't deal with Pokémon thieves."

Paton's eyebrows rose, and he felt a surge of admiration for this aunt he had never met. It took guts to stand up to his sisters; they had a combination of cruelties that combined to break even the staunchest of spirits.

"They came back today with reinforcements," Emma continued in a small voice, "and caught Aunt Julia when she was stocking the back room and had her Dragonair in the other room in its Pokeball. They knocked her out, got Dragonair and the book and all of my Pokeballs, and shoved me into a shelf. I only have Pidgey because I had let it outside to stretch its wings. "

"But why take your aunt?" Paton asked, confused. "If they have the book, then they shouldn't need…" his voice trailed off. "It must need to be translated!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "That's the only explanation. Emma, I take it your Aunt can speak other languages?"

Emma nodded. "Oh yes."

"So then," Paton began to pace, "where would they take them? My sisters are always prepared for every eventuality, so where would they go…" He strode back and forth, lost in thought.

Charlie, meanwhile went to Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder. "See, Em?" he said confidently, "Uncle P will set everything right."

Paton suddenly stopped in his tracks. "I'll bet you anything they're hiding out at the old Bloor manor on the outskirts of town!" he exclaimed. "Some of my recent challengers have mentioned some unusual activity out that way, and I bet that's why."

"Right!" Charlie was all but vibrating with excitement. "Let's go!"

Quick as lightning, Paton reached out a hand and caught his nephew's shoulder. "Hold on, Charlie," he cautioned.

"You aren't leaving us behind!" the boy protested, chin jutting out defiantly.

"No," Paton agreed. "You are both trainers in your own rights. However," he added solemnly as the bright glow returned to Charlie's eyes, "I can and will stipulate that you do everything I say. If I deem the situation too dangerous, you will leave and alert the authorities—whom, since you came ot me, I assume disregarded you initially."

At Charlie's not he sighed and retrieved his coat, reaching to pluck a silver lightning bolt from inside an dinner pocket. "Foolish of them to ignore youth, he said, shaking his head. "Here." He offered the badge to Charlie, dropping the iridescent token into his nephew's tentatively outstretched palm. "Show them this should anything happen and they'll know you were with me."

Looking slightly awed, for no one had been given and Illuminations badge in nearly two years, Charlie carefully tucked the token inside his pack.

"And I expect that back, after all of this," Paton said with a smile in his eyes. "You'll have to win it fair and square in order to keep it.

Charlie grinned. "Yes, sir!"

Seriousness stole once more across Paton's features, and he flung his coat about his shoulders in a swift movement. "Now," he declared, "let's go remind my sisters why they fear me."

The trio made it to the estate in no time at all, keeping to the town's outskirts and travelling along the edge of the surrounding forest. Though dusk was falling, their way was lit by Paton's Jolteon, who strode along before them bristling with electricity—literally a walking light.

The mansion itself was quite intimidating to behold, a towering structure of three main stories but also in possession of three towers, ornate gothic architecture, and a twelve-foot steel grey cinderblock wall enclosing the grounds. Long abandoned by its original inhabitants, it was official a ruin and unofficially served as a well-known refuge for Team Rocket members.

"Right," said Charlie, biting his lip and staring up at the wall. "Now what?"

"Blocked so early, Charlie?" Paton asked, giving Emma a nod as she snickered involuntarily at the pun. "You have to learn to think creatively." Unclipping a Pokeball from his belt, he tossed it into the air, releasing his Marowak. "What?" he asked, noticing the other trainers' apparent confusion. "Just because I specialize in one type doesn't mean I can't have others as well." He grinned. "Marowak just loves to Dig, don't you?"

The Pokémon made a noise of assent and began burrowing under the wall, creating a tunnel just large enough for them to file through one by one. Emerging on the other side of the wall, Paton brushed a copious amount of dirt from his shoulders and surveyed his surroundings. Viewed up close, the manor was rather derelict, but this did nothing to take away from its grandeur; indeed, the chipped stone edifice and worn wrought iron only served to enhance its age and majesty.

Lights shone in one of the towers, a golden gleam against the evening sky. "Emma," Paton asked, keeping his voice hushed, "can your Pidgey see well enough in the dark to fly up there and take a look?"

"It can, Mr. Yewbeam," she affirmed, releasing it from its Pokeball. "Pidgey, fly up there and see if you can see Aunt Julia!" There were a few long moments of anxious silence as they awaited the Pokémon's return, the two youths fidgeting where they stood, Paton tall and still and silent. Finally the feathered figure returned, cheeping urgently. "Is she there?" Emma exclaimed, and the Flying Pokémon made a noise of assent.

"Is there anyone else with her?" Paton asked urgently. He did not fancy storming the tower only to be outnumbered by a barrage of Team Rocket grunts and their superiors. The Pokémon shook its head and Paton relaxed. "Excellent," he said, drawing the two younger trainers closer. "Here's what we're going to do…"

High up in the tower, Julia Ingledew sat on the hard concrete floor with her hands chained behind her trying not to think of how uncomfortable she was. "At least I'm not tied to a chair," she muttered ruefully, having experienced that situation much earlier on in her career as a trainer (courtesy of a prior run-in with the Rockets) and not enjoying it one bit. As it was, this wasn't much better, and the shackles were beginning to chafe her wrists. Between that, the hard stone floor, and the various bruises and lacerations serving as mementos of her abuse at Team Rocket's hands, she was rather unhappy on the whole.

They had tried "asking nicely" (their words, not hers) for a translation of the tome they had taken, but when that failed had resorted to much more primitive means of coercion. She had taken a bit of a beating at the hands of their Pokémon (and their hands in general), but as yet had not folded to their cruelty. Fidgeting, Julia tested the bounds of her restraints. They refused to budge, chain scraping loudly against the stone wall behind her. Relaxing before the noise summoned whoever stood on guard outside, Julia closed her eyes and inhaled.

Her biggest worry at the moment was not for herself, but rather for Emma. Knowing her neice had escaped and knowing that she was safe were two very different things; from eavesdropping on her captors, Julia knew that Emma was as of yet at large, and fervently hoped her neice was resourceful enough to continue to evade capture. It was much easier for her to resist Team Rocket's demands when they were not using the only family she had left as leverage.

A series of loud noises on the spiraling staircase had her napping to attention, ears straining for any sound that might forewarn her as to who or what approached. The heavy wooden door swung open with a mighty creak, and an incredibly tall man swept through, two smaller figures trailing in his wake.

Thought the man was no one Julia had ever met in person, she knew just as well as anyone else in town that this dark and intimidating (and handsome, her treacherous mind added) stranger was Paton Yewbeam, Roirue's one and only undefeated and remarkably reclusive gym leader. Eyes shifting to his two accomplices, Julia heaved a huge sigh of relief as she recognized both of them. "Emma!" she exclaimed. "I am so very glad you're safe!"

Emma ran to her aunt's side, looking horrified as she traced a purpling bruise along Julia's cheek. "What have they done to you, Auntie?"

"Oh, this is nothing," Julia brushed aside her niece's worry. "Very tame by Rocket standards." She gave Charlie a nod, for she was quite familiar with the boy who frequently lurked about her shop with her niece and their group of friends. "Charlie Bone!" she exclaimed with a small smile. "I might have known; whenever there's trouble, there you are at its heart." She shifted uncomfortable, shackles clicking. "I seem to recall that you have a Machoke," she hinted, quirking an eyebrow. "Perhaps you might do me the favor of getting me away from this wall?"

Charlie stared blankly at her for a moment until comprehension dawned in his eyes. "Oh, right! Machoke," he called, tossing a Pokeball in the air, "break Miss Ingledew's shackles!" The muscular Pokémon snapped through the thick chains like they were paper, freeing Julia from the wall; with careful precision, it broke the manacles apart so that her arms were no longer bound behind her back.

"Thank you," she said, nodding first to Pokémon then to trainer. "My arms were getting quite stiff."

"Those manacles still can't be comfortable," Paton said from where he stood watch by the door.

Jumping, for he was so quiet that she had quite forgotten that he was there, Julia gave the shackles still encircling her wrists an irritated frown. "No, they aren't," she agreed. "Still, I'm not chained to a wall anymore." She smiled crookedly. "Counts for something."

Shaking his head at her tenacity, Paton abandoned his post, indicating to Charlie with a sharp nod that he should take his place, and stepped over to her side. "May I?" he asked, nodding at her arms. At her noise of assent, he gently took one of her wrists in his hands, tracing the lock with one long finger. Reaching into an inside poscket of his coat, he withdrew a set of lockpicks and set to work on the cuff.

Julia's eyebrows shot skyward. "A man of many talents, I see," she said, wincing as the movement of the pick caused the metal to rub against her raw skin.

"I'm sorry," Paton apologized, empathy in his eyes. "They'll be off in just a moment." He tinkered away for a few minutes longer, Charlie and Emma peering anxiously down the darkened staircase, until with a soft click the manacles opened and fell away from her wrists.

"Thank you!" Julia exclaimed, relief evident in her eyes. She looked down to where he still held her hands, fingers curled around her wrists and soothing the chafed skin.

Burning a fiery red, Paton let go. "Ahem…" He looked away for a moment, then turned back to her and gave a slight bow. "I haven't introduced myself properly yet," he said, still a bit pink. "Forgive me. I'm Paton Yewbeam, and I see you already know my nephew Charlie. He brought Emma to my gym after everything transpired."

"I'm Julia Ingledew," she said, smiling at his sudden bashfulness. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Mr. Yewbeam."

"Just Paton," he corrected with a shake of his head.

"Paton, then," she said, smile widening.

Standing there staring into her honeyed brown eyes, Paton thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight than the tall woman with the cascading chestnut hair standing before him. Coughing self-consciously, he broke their gaze. "Right, well…time to go?"

Feeling extremely daring, for she was typically never so forward but found herself inexplicably drawn to the man, Julia reached out and snagged his hand. "Time to go!" she agreed, drawing him toward the exit. "Oh!" she released him for a moment and darted back to grab her Pokémon. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Should we do anything about Team Rocket?" Charlie asked, looking perplexed by the sudden, passive turn of events. Adolescent boy that he was, he had understandably been looking forward to some sort of dramatic altercation—and it seemed he was to get his wish after all.

"And just where do you think you're going?" A tall woman with a long, steel grey braid appeared at the top of the stairs, flanked by a pair of young Rocket grunts.

"Ah, Grizelda," Paton stared down his nose, "how delightful."

She made a sharp motion with her hand and the two grunts stepped forward, each summoning a Golbat and a Machoke.

Rolling his eyes, Paton tossed a Pokeball in the air and brought out his Jolteon. "Jolteon, Thunder!" he commanded, and the room turned a brilliant white-blue as an immense bolt of electricity shot through, branching out with impeccable precision to strike each of the four Pokémon and their two trainers. They immediately keeled over, unconscious. "Now will you move?" he asked Grizelda, frowning. "You've done enough damage for one day.

Her answer was instantaneous. One moment she was by the door, the next she was rushing Paton, a Pokeball already in her fist.

He was ready for it, though, jumping aside as she sent out her Gengar and lunged for him.
"Nice try, sister dear," he taunted. "Too slow!"

Without turning, she made a sharp motion and Gengar struck, its eyes glowing red and holding Paton immobile. "Now who's too slow?" she snarled.

"Uncle P!" Charlie exclaimed. He jumped forward and threw out a Pokeball. "Wartortle, come on out! Use Water Gun!" The Pokémon burst forth and immediately turned a torrent of water on the Gengar. Barely batting an eye, and keeping Paton locked in place, the Ghost Pokémon blinked, its eyes flashing red, and sent Charlie's Wartortle flying into the opposite wall. "No!" he cried, running over to his Pokémon's side. "Are you okay? Get up!"

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the rest, Julia had crept off to the side and sorted through her Pokeballs. Finding the two she sought, she opened it into the hallway, out of sight of those in the room. "Pigeot, she said softly, "when I give the word, Dragonair is going to use Dragon Rage. I want you to get Charlie and Emma out to safety. Take them back to the bookstore—actually, wait. Take them to Paton's gym. Dragonair, we're going to bring this infernal building down once and for all." She waited a breath and then nodded. "Okay, now!"

As one, the two Pokémon burst forth into the room, the great bird seizing Charlie and Emma in its claws and soaring out the open window into the night as Dragonair glowed a brilliant blue.

The walls began to shake, snapping Gengar from its trance and making Grizelda jerk her head around to stare at Julia. "What have you done?!" she howled. "You'll kill us all!"

"Highly unlikely," Paton drawled, breaking free of Gengar's hypnotic glare. "Just you, if we're lucky." He extended an arm to Julia as a great, jagged crack split the floor. "Coming, my dear?"

"Of course!" she replied, already sprinting down the stone stairway. "Dragonair, you know what to do!"

The Pokémon gave a great cry and the tower split apart, the heavy turrets crashing down to the ground below. They felt the building shake as the dragon's attack grew in might, and increased their speed, dashing through hallways until finally they burst through the front entrance.

"Over here!" Paton directed her to the front gate, not bothering with the stealth of their entry hole, and together they ran out into the night.

From high atop a nearby hill, they watched as the old building gave one final shudder and then collapsed in upon itself, sending a great cloud of rubble skyward. Not long after, Dragonair appeared, sailing through the air and looking quite pleased with itself. "Excellent job," Julia complemented, giving it a caress before returning it to its Pokeball. Looking up, she found Paton staring at her as though he had never seen her like. "What?"

"Do you make a habit of this?" he asked, dark eyebrows nearly touching his hair.

"What?" she queried. "Getting kidnapped by Team Rocket and helping to bring down one of their fortresses in a great cloud of debris?" She gave him a small, mischievous smile. "Not in an incredibly long time."

"Don't be so modest," Paton said, giving her a true grin. "That building was all you." Taking her hand in his, he laced their fingers together. "I know we just met," he began tentatively, "but I find you a wonderfully intelligent, breathtaking woman, and would very much like to take you to dinner. This makes for one hell of a first date, and optimistically the next will have far fewer explosions, but..." He trailed off and looked at her hopefully form under long lashes.

"When you put it that way," she said radiantly, "what else could I say but yes?"