Oshawott gulped nervously, unable to believe his friends are making him do this. Pikachu and Buneary were hiding out in a bush near where he was going to talk to Snivy. If he needed any help or was about to say something stupid, they will do something to get his nerves together. Sadly, they didn't tell him what they would be doing to do that, which was part of the reason he was nervous.

With one last gulp, he walked over to Snivy, who was talking to Scraggy and Axew. "Listen you two, I want you to play somewhere safer. I won't always be around to pull you out of something. Okay?"

"Yes Snivy." They said with their heads down.

"Alright, now go run along and play." Scraggy and Axew lifted their heads and ran off towards the open fields.

Snivy sighed lightly and turned around, but ended up bumping into Oshawott on accident. "Oh, Oshawott. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Oshawott was doing his best to stay calm, considering how close they were. He backed up a bit. He chuckled nervously. "Oh, it's fine. No harm done, after all."

Snivy smiled. "I guess. So, is there a reason you're over here?"

Oshawott was about to answer, but started to feel his nerves acting up again. "Um…well, I…uh…you see…meh…um…" He just couldn't speak to her. What the heck is wrong with me?! I sound like an idiot! Just say something! He would have kept this up, but he felt a small sting on his back. "Ow." He turns around, but doesn't see anything. The sting felt like it came from an…electric shock. So, that's what they're doing.

"You alright, Oshawott?" Snivy asked in concern.

Oshawott looked back at her with a nervous grin. "Oh yeah, I'm fine." He swallowed his nervousness and said, "What I was trying to say was that I just wanted to chat with you. It's been awhile since we talked with each other…alone…with no one else around."

Snivy was curious by his behavior, but shrugged it off. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

I didn't think that far ahead! Oshawott quickly tried to think up a conversation topic. "Um, well…just, you know, how you're doing…and stuff."

Snivy raised a brow. And I thought Buneary was acting strange. She sighs, but smiles nonetheless. "I'm doing fine. Though, it does get a little tiresome having to keep Scraggy and Axew out of trouble."

Oshawott chuckled. "I know what you mean. They aren't easy to handle, but you are capable of doing it."

"Thanks." Snivy looked up at the sky. "So Oshawott, what's new with you?"

"Um, well, I…uh…well…" He felt an electric shock hit him in the back again. He covers his mouth to not yell. He breathes deeply and said, "Well, not much really. I'm getting along with Piplup a lot better than before. I've been improving on my attacks, like Razor Shell. Always trying to get stronger to prove my worth. After all, it feels like I keep messing everything up." He looks down with a saddened look.

Snivy narrowed her eyes worriedly. "What makes you think that?"

He rubbed his arm. "Well, I just somehow end up getting into trouble at the worst of times. Like accidentally stealing food from some group of Pokémon, facing a strong opponent that I could never beat, or being labeled as stupid and gullible."

"Who said that?"

"…mostly Emolga. I just never understand what I do that is so wrong. I try to help her get food, help her when she's in danger, or just some tedious task. Yet, it seems she takes all that hard work I do for granted. I've gotten over my crush on her, but I still try to help out. Pignite thinks I only think with my stomach, Piplup thinks I'm a love-struck mess with every girl I see, and some of the others think I don't provide much for the team. On top of that, I occasionally need to be rescued when I get in trouble, mostly by you."

She places her hand on his shoulder. "Oshawott, you aren't worthless. You saved all of us when we got poisoned, you've defeated many strong Pokémon, and you do find some way to get out of trouble. Don't let thoughts like that inside your head."

Oshawott smiled a little. "Thanks…but still. I wish there was some way I can prove to everyone that I'm capable of defending myself and never mess everything up."

"You don't mess everything up."

"I ate food from wild Pokémon, fell in love with a male Purrloin by accident, sometimes chicken out on a fight, and got beaten by strong Pokémon that were too tough for me to handle. I get into so much trouble, I could write a book about it."

Snivy hugged him, shocking him a bit. "You want to talk about it?"

He blushed a little. "I…guess. Where do I begin? Well, when I joined Ash on his journey…"

As he kept talking, Pikachu and Buneary were watching from the bush. Buneary narrowed her eyes in concern for Oshawott. "I never realized that he felt like that."

Pikachu nodded with the same concern. "At first, I thought he was always getting into my battles because he wanted to prove he was better than me. Then, I learned that he wanted to show that he was a worthy as a Pokémon. I would encourage him to do my battles to motivate him."

"That's really sweet of you." Her ears perked up. "What the…?"

"Something wrong Buneary?" Pikachu asked curiously.

Buneary looked around, a small glare on her. "Yeah. I could've sworn I heard…no, that's ridiculous." She saw the confusion on her mate's face. "Well, it's just that I thought I heard Team Rocket. But, they went back to Kanto, so that's not likely."

Pikachu narrowed his eyes a bit. "I don't know…" He looks up at the sky in thought. "You never know…"

Back with the gang's Pokémon, Togekiss kept Pikachu and Buneary's egg close to her. They asked her to watch it while they were doing something. What they were up to, she didn't know. But, she respected their privacy and didn't ask for any details.

Piplup and Pignite were talking with each other. "I still don't get why Oshawott stormed off like that. We were only teasing."

Pignite rubbed his head. "Well, he is a bit sensitive about discussing his love life. Poor guy gets shot down pretty quickly when he expresses his feelings to a girl. Though, I am quite curious about something."

"What?" Piplup asked.

"Well, in all the time I've known Oshawott, I've never seen him flirt with Snivy once. He always just greeted her the same way he would greet me or anyone else."

Piplup shrugged. "She was probably not his type. She just sits around, watching everyone while Oshawott is usually seen goofing off. I doubt he has any romantic interest in her."

"Yeah, good point."

On top of the trees, the four figures from before were eyeing the brown and yellow striped egg. "There it is, the offspring of Pikachu." The voice belonged to a woman.

"Good. By capturing it and raising it ourselves, it'll be a strong ally." This voice belong to a man.

"And Pikachu won't have the heart to attack his own child, making it easier to capture him. Laura, fire the grappler." The talking Pokémon ordered.

"Hehe, gotcha Meowth!" Laura aimed a device and fired a claw at the egg.

Togekiss never had time to notice as the claw latched onto the egg and swiped it away from her. "Oh no, the egg!" She yelled out, grabbing the attention of everyone, including the trainers.

"Oh no, the egg!"

The shouts managed to reach Oshawott, Snivy, Pikachu, and Buneary. The couple jumped out of the bushes in panic. "Our egg?!"

Snivy looked at them in shock. "What were you two doing in there?!"

"It doesn't matter, something's going on!" Pikachu shouted as he ran off with Buneary.

"Oshawott, let's hurry!" He nodded and they ran after their friends.

They made it to the area with the others, just in time to see the figures in the trees. "Alright, what's going on?!" Ash yelled angrily.

The figures jumped down from the trees and revealed themselves.

"A foolish question to come, indeed."

"The answer to come as we feel the need."

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future."

"Thrusting the Hammer of Justice down onto the black darkness of the universe."

"Carving our names into the Rock of Eternity."

"And bringing all of time to a sinister halt." A certain member added.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!"

"And with thunderous emotion, I am James!"

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!"

"Mistress of trickery and deceit, I am Laura!"

"Now gather under the name of Team Rocket!" They finished together.

"Not you guys again!" Iris shouted angrily.

As you can see, Laura, the android Pikachu, was still a member of Team Rocket. Last we saw her, she blew up in pieces at the hands of Ryder. She retained her appearance as a Pikachu, having grown attached to the look. She still had the same pink bow from before, wrapped around her left ear. She laughed evilly. "We figured you twerps thought we went back to Kanto, so we decided to use that as a little sneak attack."

Cilan glared at them. "What do you plan to do with that egg?!"

"Oh, you mean this one?" She held up the egg, making Pikachu and Buneary growl at her.

Meowth began to speak. "We could never capture Pikachu because of how strong he is. Being the strongest Pikachu ever, we would never give up in capturing him. However, when we found out that those two have been busy," This made Pikachu and Buneary blush with embarrassment, "we saw that they had an egg in their possession."

Jessie smirked sinisterly. "We plan to take it back with us to Team Rocket HQ and raise it as a full on member. Once it grows old enough, it'll be just as powerful as its daddy."

James nodded. "And, Pikachu won't have the heart to attack the little thing because it's his child, allowing us to capture him with ease."

Dawn glared at them with such hatred. "You four are sick and twisted!"

"Why thank you, we try our best." Laura laughed wickedly. "Now comes the hardest question of all. Do you try to attack us while risking the eggs safety or allow us to get away with the egg perfectly intact and unharmed?"

Buneary still had her past hatred towards Laura, so she was definitely the most angered at her. "Laura, if you don't give me back our egg, I'll make sure you come out of this in pieces."

She waved her off. "Big talk from such a weak, little rabbit. What could you possibly do to stop me? After all, your precious egg is in my hands. I could easily break this with one swift punch." Buneary stepped back a bit, but was still glaring threateningly.

Meowth laughed. "That's Laura for you! Always making things complicated!"

Jessie pulled out a remote. "Now, if you don't mind, we must get our egg back to HQ and wait for it to hatch. We have a lot of training to do." She presses a button and their air balloon came floating out of the trees.

Dawn started to panic. "Oh man, what do we do?!"

Oshawott glared at Laura. She would put a poor, defenseless egg in danger just as an escape plan?! I thought she was despicable before, but this is madness! If only there was a way to attack her without hurting the egg…wait!

"Well, it's been fun, but we must be going now!" Laura exclaimed mockingly. Team Rocket was about to make their escape when a Hydro Pump crashed into them, making Laura lose her grip on the egg. The attack wasn't that strong and, since it was water, didn't cause any harm to the egg.

Oshawott slid to where the egg was falling and manages to catch it gently. He sighs with relief. "That was close."

Buneary happily bounced over and took the egg, hugging it close to her body. "Oh, my sweet, little child! I'm so glad you're safe!" She hands it to Pikachu, who hugs it with relief. Buneary then grabbed Oshawott and hugged him. "Thank you Oshawott!"

Oshawott chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "It was no problem."

They heard groaning coming from Team Rocket. "Well, that happened." James commented.

Pikachu gives the egg back to Buneary and gets on all fours, growling. Ash stepped up. "You four have gone too far! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi…ka…CHUUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu fired the strong Electric-Type move at them.

Meowth pull out a metal dish that had an antennae in it. "I don't think so." The Thunderbolt was absorbed into the dish. "HA, our Electric Absorber works like a dream. This baby will keep all those nasty electric attacks away from us."

"Alright Woobat, you're on!" Jessie threw out a Pokeball, releasing the Bat Pokémon.

"Come on out, Yamask!" James released it from its ball as well.

Laura stepped up and slammed her fist into her palm. "I'm so going to enjoy."

The gang's Pokémon got into battle stances. Ash clenched his fist. "You won't win!"

Jessie laughed. "We'll see about that. Woobat, use Air Slash!" Woobat's wings glowed blue and released several buzz saw shaped blades of energy.

"Crustle, use Protect!" Cilan commanded. Crustle got in front of the attack and withdrew into his shell. A bluish-green energy engulfed the shell and endured the attack, dealing no damage.

"Yamask, Night Shade!" James called out. Yamask's eyes glowed and he released waves of ghost like energy. Almost everyone stumbled back in pain.

"Now I'll be taking that egg back!" Laura yelled as she lunged at Buneary.

Since Buneary was a Normal-Type, she wasn't hurt by the Night Shade. "Back off, Drain Punch!" Her right ear becomes surrounded by a green orb of energy. She thrust the attack at Laura and punched her in the face.

"Little brat." She mumbled as she grabbed hold of her ear and flung her into the sky. She jumped up after her. "Take this!" She swiped the egg away from her and punched her back down to the ground.

"Buneary!" Pikachu slid over and caught her just in the nick of time. "You alright?"

"I will be once we get our egg back!" She glared at Laura, who landed back on the ground.

"Heh, nice try." She commented sarcastically. Emolga jumped on her head and took the egg away from her. She glided away from her. "Hey, give that back!"

Emolga stuck her tongue out at her. "Can't catch me!"

"Yamask, Shadow Ball!" James ordered. Yamask threw the attack directly at her.

"Oh crud! Heads up, Togekiss!" She shouted before throwing the egg to her. She got hit by the Shadow Ball.

Togekiss caught the egg. "Got it!" She flew up, away from Team Rocket.

Jessie growled. "Woobat, go after it!" Woobat nodded and soared after her.

Togekiss saw him coming. "Aura Sphere!" She fired the attack at him.

"Air Slash!" Woobat fired his attack and canceled out the Aura Sphere. Togekiss tried to stay out of his tail.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Fang on Laura!" Dawn called out. Mamoswine's tusks glowed light blue and became larger, then were turned to ice. He started to charge directly at the android.

Laura stopped him by pushing against his tusks. Ice was starting to form around her arms, but ignored it as she lifted him into the air and slammed him into the ground. She shook the ice off. "Heh, pathetic attempt."

"Stunfisk, use Mud Bomb!" Cilan commanded. Stunfisk flopped into the air and fired the attack. Laura sidestepped out of the way.

"Oh, so close." She mocked. Her shoulder opened up and a miniature missile launcher rose out of it. Her eyes glowed red as she started to lock on to Stunfisk with her targeting system. "Bye-bye!" She fired a missile at him, exploding on impact. Stunfisk hit the ground, completely unconscious.

"Stunfisk, return." Cilan returned him to his Pokeball. "You put up a good fight."

"Krookodile, use Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded. Krookodile came running at her, claws glowing blue. Laura fired another missile, but he slashed at it without taking too much damage. He lunged at her and delivered a painful swipe.

Laura slid against the ground, still standing. "Not bad, but still not impressed!" She removed a chuck of the earth from the ground and threw it at him. Krookodile crossed his arms and endured the hit.

"Yamask, use Shadow Ball!" James commanded. Yamask threw the attack at him, nailing him in the face. Laura ran at him and threw a strong punch into his stomach, sending him into a tree.

"Krookodile, you did well. Take a nice, long rest." Ash said as he returned him to his Pokeball.

Togekiss was still trying to evade Woobat while also keeping the egg safe and making sure she doesn't drop it. Woobat used Gust in hopes of making her unbalanced in her flying. She managed to resist the attack just enough to fire her Air Slash. Woobat took the hit but was still flying after her.

Togekiss groaned. "He just won't quit." She fired multiple Aura Spheres at him, but he would cancel them out with his Air Slashes.

Buneary finally recovered and got up. "Okay, I'm ready." She tried to walk, but winced when she tried to.

Pikachu held her. "Buneary, you took a pretty bad hit. Stay still."

"Yeah, you should stay still." They saw Laura charging right at them with her tail sword in hand. "Gives me a better chance of hitting you!" She jumped up and brought her blade down on them. However, it was stopped by Oshawott's Razor Shell. "Little pest."

Oshawott growled and pushed her away. Piplup came up and fired Bubble Beam at her, making her recoil in pain. Piplup looked at Pikachu. "Get Buneary somewhere safe! We'll take care of Laura!" Pikachu nodded and helped Buneary walk away. "Alright Laura, bring it on!"

Laura smirked for a moment before putting on an adorable face. "Aww, do you want to hurt cute, little me?" Piplup recoiled in surprise, but Oshawott's mood didn't change. "You know, I always thought you were pretty cute, Piplup."

Piplup immediately forgot she was the enemy and that they were in the middle of a battle. "Really?!" Hearts formed in his eyes.

Laura nodded. "Oh yes, I could never stop thinking about you. I don't know why I was ever interested in Pikachu. You're much cuter than him."

Piplup blushed bashfully. "Why thank-" Oshawott hits him over the head with his scalchop. "OWW, what the heck?!"

Oshawott glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, Casanova, she is a member of Team Rocket!" Piplup was about to argue back, but, after thinking it over and remembering what was going on, he dropped his head in shame. He rolled his eyes and reactivated his Razor Shell. "I'll take care of Laura."

Laura chuckled a bit. "I'm a little surprised, Oshawott. When we first met, you immediately tried to ask me out on a date. Now, it seems you forgotten all about that." She raised her weapon.

Oshawott raised his as well. "Well, times change." He rushed at her and swung his Razor Shell at her. She blocked it with her blade. Their weapons repeatedly traded blows with each other as they collided. She tried to trip him over with her blade, but he jumped over it in time and slammed his Razor Shell onto her head. She backed up a bit and fired several missiles at him. "Oh crud!"

He was pulled out of the way by Snivy, thanks to her Vine Whip. "Try to be more careful." She sets him down and uses one of the vines to whip Laura's tail sword out of her hand. Snivy then runs at her, using Leaf Blade. "Time to end this." She spins in the air and brings the attack down on her.

Laura purposely lets her nail her with the attack. "Thanks for moving closer." She brought her fist back and delivers a swift punch into her, sending skidding against the ground. She runs back to grab her tail sword.

Oshawott runs over to Snivy. "Snivy, are you alright?" He asked with worry.

Snivy got up, but was a bit off-balance. "I'll be fine, just let me catch my breath."

Oshawott growled a bit and started running after Laura, who had retrieved her weapon. She saw Oshawott's Razor Shell activated and aimed right at her, making her immediately block it. "Persistent, you are." She said before pushing him off and slashing at him with the blade again. Thankfully, he manages to block it.

Buneary was resting against a tree, looking worriedly at the sky. "Oh, I hope Togekiss keeps our egg safe." She said to Pikachu.

"Don't worry, she will." Pikachu got up and started to run off. "But just in case…"

Woobat fired another round of Air Slashes at Togekiss, hitting her in the wing. She winced at the pain. Woobat laughed. "Might as well hand over the egg if you know what's good for you."

"Thunderbolt!" All of a sudden, a streak of lightning came from ground level and nails Woobat. He screamed in pain before plummeting towards the ground. Togekiss looked down and saw Pikachu, who gave her a thumbs up.

Yamask fired a round of Will-O-Wisp at Pachirisu and Scraggy, who were running for their lives. "Hehe, that's right you fools! Keep running!"

Axew ran over. "I don't think so! Dragon Rage!" He fires the blue draconian energy at Yamask, hitting him with much power. He looks at his friends. "You two alright?"

Scraggy sighed. "Just barely. Thanks." Meowth suddenly appeared next to them and used Fury Swipes. The three manage to get out of the way in time. "Oh great, it's you."

Meowth chuckled sinisterly. "Hehe, you three should be easy to take down. You are the youngest bunch after all!"

That set something off in Scraggy's head. "What did you say?! High Jump Kick!" He jumps up into the air and comes down at him with his knee glowing a red-orange color. Meowth couldn't dodge in time and was kicked right into a tree. He was dazed and had imaginary Torchic running around his head. "Heh, that showed him."

Laura and Oshawott continued to match each other with their blades. "Heh, you aren't that bad a fighter." Laura complimented.

Oshawott smirked. "Thanks, you're not bad yourself. However, you won't be the one winning!" He pushed against her and fires a Hydro Pump into her face, sending her flying into the sky.

Laura regains her balance in midair. She deactivates her tail and reattaches it back to herself. "Wrong move, otter." She said to herself before rocketing back to the ground at an alarming speed. She pulls her fist back and, right before she hits the ground, punches it, sending a massive shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.

Pikachu gets up and runs right at her. "You're going to pay, Laura!"

Laura sidesteps and delivers a roundhouse kick into his side. "Buzz off, rat. I have other matters to attend to." She aimed a missile at Togekiss' unharmed wing. She fires it and makes impact with the wing, making Togekiss start to plummet towards the ground. Laura jumped up, swiped the egg away, and punched her into the ground. "Ha, got it!"

"Oh no you don't!" Feeling her instincts starting to kick in and her rage building up, Buneary bounced right over to her and throws a painful Dizzy Punch into her face. "No one is taking my child away from me, especially a deceiving trickster like you!" She throws another Dizzy Punch into her face, leaving Laura temporarily disoriented. Buneary takes the egg back and bounces away before Laura could recover.

"Nice job, Buneary!" Pikachu praised as he ran over to her. He examines the egg closely. He sighs with relief. "Good, no harm was done to it." He winces and gets down on one knee. The kick he got from Laura was starting to hurt.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?" Buneary asked with concern.

Pikachu smiled through the pain. "Yeah, I'll be fine." Buneary helped him up. "We better get back to the trainers."

Laura shook her head and came to her senses. "Alright, that's it!" She started to run right at them. "I'm taking that egg with me!"

Buneary used Ice Beam on her, but it didn't slow her down the slightest. She was about to take a severe punch, but Pikachu pushed Buneary out of the way and took the punch instead. He was sent flying towards the edge of the cliff and fell over.

"Pikachu!" She tried to run over to him, but Laura grabbed the scruff of her neck and lifted her up. "Let me go, I need to see if Pikachu is alright!"

"Oh, you can. All I ask for is that egg and I'll let you go." She said slyly.

Cilan saw the situation. "Pansage, use Bullet Seed on Laura!" Pansage fired a barrage of seeds at Laura. She recoiled in pain and releases her grip on Buneary.

Pansage ran over. "You alright?"

Buneary hands him the egg. "Forget about me, get this egg over to the trainers."

Laura got up and glared. "I don't think so." She was about to attack, but was picked up by Dragonite and carried into the air. "Hey, let me go!"

Pansage takes the egg and runs back over to Cilan. Buneary bounces over to the edge of the cliff and looks down. To her great relief, Pikachu was hanging on the side, but barely. "Pikachu, you're alright!"

"For now, help me up! I won't be able to hold on for much longer!" He pleaded desperately. Buneary nodded and reached down to grab him. He was just inches away from her grasp.

As for Dragonite, he kept a tight hold on the squirming android. "Good job, Dragonite! Now take her out!" Iris called out to him.

Dragonite nodded and started to charge up a Flamethrower. Laura scoffed. "As if someone like you could take me out." To prove her point, she elbows him harshly in the ribs, canceling his attack and releasing his hold on her. She flips around him until she lands on his back. "Can't fly without these things!" She grabs his wings and bends them in odd and uncomfortable ways. Dragonite roared in pain as she maliciously broke his wings. He slowly started to descend. "Oh, let me make the trip down quicker for you." She 'generously' did as she said by punching him with so much power that it slammed him into a crater when he impacted the ground.

Laura found herself falling with nothing keeping her in the air. But a paw grabs hers just in time. It was Meowth, who was in the balloon with the others. "Nice work out there, Laura." He pulls her in.

Laura's face heated up in embarrassment. "Oh stop it, you're making me blush." She then gave an evil smile. "Now, for the egg!"

"Oh no you don't! Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded. Snivy created a storm of leaves and fired them at Team Rocket. They got down in the basket to avoid taking damage. "It's over Team Rocket, you lose again!"

Jessie got up and glared. "Not this time, twerp. Laura, teach that Snivy a lesson!"

Laura chuckled darkly. "With pleasure." She stood on top of the basket and activated her missile launcher.

Buneary kept reaching for Pikachu. "Almost…there…" She stretched even farther until she got a hold of his arms. "I got you!"

Pikachu smiled with relief. "Good, now help me up." She nodded and tried to pull him up. However, she wasn't that strong, so it was going to take a moment.

Laura started to lock on to Snivy. "Hehe, so long, Snivy."

Oshawott saw how the missile would be aimed directly at Snivy. No, I won't let Laura hurt her! "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed hold of his scalchop and threw it at Laura like a Frisbee.

Laura smirked wickedly. "Now perish!" Everyone ducked in terror. However, before Laura could fire, the scalchop nailed her in the face. She became off-balanced and spun around. The missile fired out of her…towards Buneary!

The missile didn't directly hit her, but the force of the explosion was enough to push her off the cliff with Pikachu. "AAHHH!" They both screamed as they fell over. Fortunately, Buneary was hanging on the edge by her feet. Bad news, however, was that she was starting to slip. She still had a tight grip on Pikachu and kept him from falling.

Rubble came loose from the cliff and fell into the dark forest just below them. They were very high up from it. Surviving the fall was very unlikely, especially with the condition they were in. Buneary began to panic. "Oh no, this is bad! What do we do?!"

Pikachu went over their options. All the Flying-Types were severely injured and wouldn't be able to fly them out of this. The others wouldn't be able to get to them, knowing Laura would probably blast them if they tried. Buneary wasn't strong enough to pull them both back up and Pikachu was in no condition to do anything. On top of that, if they both fell and didn't survive, their egg would end up hatching without parents. He couldn't let it be raised without at least one parent by its side. Both of them getting out of this mess would be very unlikely. But…one of them can make it. With an uneasy gulp, Pikachu said…

"Let go."

Buneary's eyes widen in shock. She never expected Pikachu to say that. "L…let you go?" She mumbled quietly. He gave a hesitant nod. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "I…I can't just…P-Pikachu…"

"Buneary…" He lightly interrupted. "I want you to stop crying and listen to me, very carefully…alright?"

She sniffled a bit and blinked the remaining tears in her eyes away. "Okay…"

Pikachu nodded. "Look, I doubt I'll be able to get out of this myself. You, on the other hand, can. Just let me go and you can make it out of this. Now, before you start protesting about it, let me remind you that our child is up there, still in its egg. We can't let it grow up without its mother. It'll be better if you do it on your own. It's the only way to insure your safety and our child's happiness. So, I want you to let me go right now and get back up there. I can't be saved."

New tears started to form in her eyes. She can't believe what he was requesting. She couldn't just let him plummet to his death. "No…I won't drop let go. I love you too much to do something like that! The trainers will be able to get over here any minute and save us!" The sounds from the battling didn't help prove her point.

Buneary's feet were beginning to slip more off the edge, dangerously close to losing their hold on it. Pikachu narrowed his eyes sadly. "Buneary, it's the only way you can be saved."

"But I can't live without you! If you go, I'm going with you! Just please don't leave me!" She started to cry even more, the tears falling on her mate's face.

He sighed melancholy. He was afraid he had to do this, but there was no other option. "Buneary…" She opens her eyes lightly. Using the last of his strength, he pulls himself up just enough to place a passionate kiss on her lips. "I love you too…and I'm sorry."

"S…s-sorry for what?" She saw that electricity was starting to crackle on his cheeks. Her eyes widened in fear. "Pikachu…what are you-"

"Forgive me! Thunderbolt!" He released a massive amount of electricity at her. She screamed in pain and lost her grip on him. The force of the attack flung her back on top of the cliff. She came to her senses almost immediately and looked over the edge, just in time to see Pikachu fall to his doom and disappear through the thick forest.

"PIKACHU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing everyone to stop battling and look in her direction.

"Meowth, what happen?" James asked in worry.

Meowth didn't know what to say, but found the right words eventually. "P…Pikachu…fell…over the…cliff…" He mustered out with great struggle.

Ash was able to hear him from their balloon. He had a look of horror on his face. "W-w-w-WHAT?!"

Buneary kept staring over the edge with a look similar to Ash's. However, those hurt emotions started to turn into anger…anger directed at Team Rocket. She stood up and slowly turns at their balloon, giving off the scariest glare they have ever seen. They jumped back in terror, even Laura started to shiver. The trainers and their Pokémon stared in shock. Never in their lives have they seen Buneary this furious before.

"YOU!" She shouted at Team Rocket angrily. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU COME HERE JUST TO TAKE MY EGG AWAY FROM PIKACHU AND ME AND, BECAUSE OF YOU, HE'S GONE NOW! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" With incredible power, she bounced into the air, on a collision course for them.

Jessie started to panic. "Oh no, we're in trouble!"

James cowered behind her. "There's no way we can survive a hit from her!"

Meowth started to shake Laura desperately. "Come on Laura! Blast her or something!"

She pushed him off. "Don't have to tell me twice!" She quickly activated the missile launcher and fired one directly at Buneary.

"THAT WON'T WORK, DRAIN PUNCH!" She roared frighteningly, the green orb forming around her ear. She slammed it right into the missile, exploding on impact. Team Rocket sighed in relief for a moment, but it didn't last long as Buneary flew out of the smoke, her speed not decreasing at all. "TAKE THIS!" She thrust the punch at their burner, causing it to flash brightly.

"OH NO!" Team Rocket screamed as it started to glow brighter until the whole balloon exploded, sending them flying. Buneary landed on the ground, breathing heavily and angrily.

"Looks like we're blasting off-" Meowth and Laura opened their eyes and saw that they were flying solo…into the forest! They looked at the sky and saw Jessie and James were flying into the sky without them. They instantly noticed.

"Laura!" Jessie called out.

"Meowth!" James yelled. The two disappeared into the sky.

"Jessie!" Meowth shouted.

"James!" Laura shouted as well. They both fell into a random part of the forest.

Piplup cautiously walked up to Buneary, who was still breathing heavily. "B-Buneary? Are you…okay?"

Buneary glared at him, making him flinch. However, after a few seconds, she dropped the glare and started to cry. "Oh Piplup!" She hugged him for comfort and sobbed on his shoulder, which he didn't mind. He hugged her back, crying a little himself.

Ash dropped down to his knees and looked at the ground with the same horrified expression. "No…h-he can't be…" Tears dripped off his face. "Pikachu…" Dawn crouched down next to him and rubbed his back, crying herself. Iris and Cilan felt themselves tearing up as well, along with the other Pokémon.

Oshawott puts his paws up to his face and cried into them. He whispered to himself, "This…this can't be happening. He's…really gone…" Snivy pulls him into a hug. Even she couldn't hold her tears in at the loss of one of her friends.

Buneary continued to cry into Piplup's shoulder. Pikachu sacrificed himself to protect her. And now, she may never see him again. She took in a deep breath and, at the top of her lungs, screamed with sorrow…

"PIKACHU!"