The red Gyarados is sitting in a pen, in the Team Rocket laboratory where it soon seems that the evolution wave has another purpose. Professor Sebastion discovers that the wave can be used as a weapon that gives Pokémon an almost sick like disposition. It keeps Pokémon immobilized for a short time until the ray wears off. The tests are slow, but thorough as they want to learn all they can to make the evolution wave a full success. The Team Rocket rejects are eating yet again with Ash sitting at the table with them. He asks them, "So how are you enjoying your meals? Is it everything I promised?" They do indeed love it and do begin to think that Ash may not be a bad guy as they once were lead to believe. Ash is glad to hear that, but also tells them that if they want to stay in the lap of luxury then they have one more job that they need to do.
The trio want to know what it is and so Ash tells them that there is a spy here and that Ash wants Jessi, James, and Meowth to find him. The three get up, salute, and promise to find the spy at all cost and all Ash does is have this menacing smirk on his face. The three leave at once to find the spy and so Ash then regroups with Tyson and Ritchie. They have to ask if putting those three buffoons in charge of finding the spy is a good idea. He tells them, "Of course it isn't, I only said that to get them out of our hair, while we find the real spy. Those three morons will be on a wild Pidgey chase, while we get the real work done." No one can argue with that and so then Ash points to a few Team Rocket grunts. He wants those specific grunts to look for the spy, but not to tell anyone here at the base about it. It could make the spy nervous and quite possibly make him escape before being found.
The grunts do understand, but no one is the wiser as one of the grunts is Lance in disguise as a Team Rocket grunt. He realizes that in order to keep his identity a secret, he'll have to go along with the search. He can hopefully get himself off the trail by making it seem one of the other grunts is the spy. Ash got a good look at Lance and something is putting him on edge, so he talks to Tyson. He tells Tyson about the grunt with the almost pink colored hair and wonders how long he's been here. Tyson says he's been here for a few weeks, but wonders why Ash wants to know so bad. There is something about him that Ash doesn't like so he tells Ritchie to keep an eye on him. Ritchie shall oblige and goes to follow that grunt who is really Lance in disguise.
After what Lance just heard, it's time for him to make himself scarce and then alert the local authorities about what he learned. So then Lance removes his hat and sunglasses, then pulls a communicator from his pocket. He alerts Officer Jenny about what is going on here in the base and about the red Gyarados. However as he tells her about it, Lance is interrupted by Ritchie. He says, "So you're the spy that Tyson has been looking for? Give up now and I might go easy on you!" Lance isn't going to go down without a fight so then he summons forth his very powerful Dragonite. Ritchie summons forth his Vaporeon and commands it to attack with ice beam attack. Dragonite is ordered to dodge the attack and is ordered to use its thunderbolt attack against Vaporeon. It's a direct hit and Vaporeon is out like a light, but before Ritchie can summon another Pokémon, Dragonite is commanded to use its gust attack. Ritchie is flung into the wall, Lance jumps on Dragonite's back, and then escapes through the roof of the building.
An explosion is heard and so Ash hurries to see what happened and can see Ritchie out on the ground. He wakes Ritchie up then asks what happened and Ritchie says, "I found the spy Ash. He's Lance of the Elite Four and he escaped to tell Officer Jenny of what is going on here." That's not good, so Ash commands that the red Gyarados needs to be moved and unfortunately the lab needs to be destroyed. They can't risk having the authorities getting their hands on the research here. So then Professor Sebastion needs to save as much research as they can and then he can continue to study the red Gyarados in secret to then perfect the Pokémon evolution project. While Tyson doesn't like it, it looks like there is no choice, so he commands all personnel to evacuate. All staff leave at once and Professor Sebastion downloads what research he has and begins to evacuate as well. He is put on the first chopper out of town and heads towards a more secure facility.
Ash and Ritchie tell Tyson he needs to have the red Gyarados moved out of here instantly and so he takes it by helicopter as well. Ritchie and Ash will try to intercept Lance to prevent him from alerting the authorities. The group seperate and soon the laboratory is being destroyed in the process. They know he is travelling by air, so then Ash summons a Skarmory so he can hop on top along with Ritchie who go after Lance and attempt to stop him.
As Lance is heading towards town, he is being chased by Ash and Ritchie, who summons a Charizard to attack Lance. Ritchie commands it to use its flamethrower attack, but Dragonite dodges every blast. So then Ash summons forth his Gengar and commands it to use its confusion attack on Dragonite. Dragonite takes the full blow of the attack and begins to fall into a nose dive with Lance going with it. However in the last moment, Lance is saved by a giant net that is hooked up to a helicopter. It's one of Officer Jenny's police officers who was sent to aid Lance as his message did indeed get through to her. The police officer sends out an Alakazam that gives it an advantage over Gengar. Alakazam use its psychic attack against Gengar, which is very effective. Ash is forced to recall his Gengar, but then Alakazam is uses its hyper beam attack and uses it against Ash's Skarmory.
The explosion takes out Skarmory, but also does the unthinkable, as both Ash and Ritchie begin soaring through the air with the knocked out Skarmory. Ash then states, "So this is what it's like to go blasting off huh?" Which then Ritchie retorts back, "Now I know how those three losers felt!" Then at the same time, they both say how they're blasting off for the first time. Lance and Dragonite are okay now and so they get out of the net and go to free the red Gyarados from Team Rocket. Who is still in the net that Team Rocket trapped it in, but it begins to wake up. It is in a very ferocious rage and struggles to free itself from the net that the two helicopters have it in. It struggles and struggles, but it then manages to get free from the net and falls into the river that leads into the next town. Tyson and his grunts swim to shore, however they are greeted by Officer Jenny and her squad.
That may not matter as the red Gyarados begins to swim towards the city and begins firing its hyper beam attack. The people in the city run in droves and then Lance commands for Dragonite to attack it. He needs to stop Gyarados and save the town, but intends to help tame it so it loses its rage. He commands Dragonite to use its thunderbolt attack and it is a direct hit. He them commands Dragonite to use its hyper beam and it is another direct attack. Gyarados is growing weaker and so Lance commands for one final thunderbolt attack and the Gyarados is down. He then lands on the ground, takes out a Poké Ball, then attempts to try and catch it. However he is soon stopped by Ash who did return and is using a Venusaur and commanded it to use its vine whip to trap both Lance and Dragonite. Ash then tosses his own Poké Ball and uses it to try and capture the Gyarados instead. As the ball wiggles now, Ash and Ritchie watch as they hope it's a successful capture.
It works and now Ash is in command of the red Gyarados, much to Lance's shock. However Ash then repays Lance by making Venusaur use its sleep powder to put Lance and Dragonite to sleep. Then Ash and Ritchie run away to avoid being detained by the police. Both are proud of how the mission turned out, but hated many of the results, such as losing the lab, blasting off by that cop, and nearly losing to Lance. However Ash then says, "It doesn't matter now, as the red Gyarados is mine and no one is going to use its destructive power but me. I have huge plans for it and the rest of the Pokémon of the Johto Region and no one is going to stop me!"
TO BE CONTINUED...