The group slowly followed Ryder through the dark, silent forest, afraid of what might jump out at them. The tiniest sounds were enough to make them squeak in fear. Thankfully, their eyes were adjusting well to the dark, so they could at least see where they are.

They were in a condensed part of the forest. Judging by the scenery, not a lot of creatures lived here. It looked as if it was left untouched. The lack of noise made them nervous, but they could tell by Ryder's focused look that it was safe. They relaxed a bit and tried their best to act brave.

Buneary hugged the container that housed her egg. She was starting to regret bringing it here. It was nearly destroyed by her doppelganger, all because of her poor sense of judgment. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to keep tears from leaking out. She was a terrible mother.

She felt Ryder stop her in her tracks, making her jump. "Careful," he said as he pointed down at the ground. She looked and saw she nearly stepped on a bright pink flower. "Those flowers can poison you with a deadly neurotoxin."

Buneary gulped. "S-Sorry…" Figures, she nearly endangered her baby twice.

Ryder saw the distraught look on her face. He could tell she had something else on her mind. He'll have to ask later. "We're almost at my hideout. We should be able to recuperate there." They nodded and continued their trek.

Eventually, they came upon a small patch of gray dirt. Ryder felt around the patch and pulled a handle. He opened up a secret passage way, leaving the group to gaze in awe. He gestured them to follow as he jumped down. They went down one by one, with Oshawott going last and closing the hatch.

They covered their eyes upon entering, as a bright light washed over them. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they found themselves inside a metal room that looked surprisingly cozy. One section of the room had a resting area, with a mat laid out. To the side of it was a cabinet with several cans of unopened Poke Food. Down the very end of the room was a computer system, which had various screens monitoring the forest. The group was in awe at the new environment.

"This is my hideout. It is specially designed to be untraceable by the Darkmon and acts as my living quarters. I've lived in here for roughly five years," Ryder explained as he went to the computers.

"Five years…" Oshawott mumbled in disbelief.

Ryder reached into a hidden compartment and pulled out a first aid kit. He gestured everyone to sit down as he patched them up. They took some severe damage from their fight with their Darkmon counterparts. He was still surprised they held out for so long.

Oshawott winced as he sprayed disinfectant of his wounds. "I still can't believe those guys beat us so easily."

"I can't believe HE took THEM out so easily," Snivy added.

Ryder shook his head. "I've studied many forms of combat over the years. No offense to you guys, but your fighting styles were very predictable."

"Hey!" exclaimed everybody but Buneary, who was still keeping a tight grip on her egg container.

Ryder shrugged. "Sorry, but it's true. You all are Pokémon who fight in regular battles. I, on the other hand, have to deal with those who use different tactics and styles in battle. Martial arts, weapons, you name it. I have to adapt to them all." He began to wrap gauze around Snivy's chest. "When you touched those thorns, you gave more than just your blood.

"You gave them your identity, your skills, your moves, everything. The only difference being that they are superior in power." He wrapped more gauze over her right shoulder before moving on to Piplup. "That's what make the Darkmon difficult to defeat. It requires one to change up their attack strategy on the fly. I'll give you some credit, though. You four should have been killed before I got there." This made them gulp. "But, if I didn't come, you would've met a fate worse than death."

"W-Worse than death?!" Oshawott exclaimed.

Ryder nodded. "Lord Dark has a unique ability. This forest drains away any natural life force if its roots were connected to it. Being the prime Darkmon, Dark can tap into the power and drain away that energy. The central bulb, however, is worse." He finished up Piplup's foot and went over to Buneary.

"Central bulb?" Snivy questioned.

"This forest was created by one plant bulb that has yet to bloom. If it collects enough life force energy, it will bloom if full view. To do this, it'll need to connect itself to a living organism and take all its energy away without mercy." They shivered. "Without a sustainable life force to keep the organism balanced, it will eventually die in agony."

"That's…that's terrible!" Buneary gasped in terror, then cringed as Ryder applied the disinfectant to her arm and placed it into a sling.

"My thoughts exactly." He finished her off by wrapping her ear up, then reaching for her egg. She held it tightly. Ryder gave her a stern, but comforting glance, trying to plead with her. She gave in and handed it over. He took it over to his computer and started to scan it for any damage.

"So…they just steal life force energy and leave Pokémon for death like wild savages?" Piplup asked angrily.

"Not just Pokémon, but plants and humans as well." He took the egg out of the container to get a closer look at it. He narrowed his eyes. "And that's not the only reason they do it." Their eyes widened. "Like I said, that bulb created this whole forest. One was capable of creating a labyrinth sized forest. Imagine what more could do."

"What…what do you mean?" Dawn asked with worry.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Hank was giving the kids an explanation on the situation like Ryder. This was the part they weren't going to enjoy. "Like a dandelion, this bulb can spread like a weed. Once it collects enough energy, it will not only bloom, but release a powerful smog in the air. That smog will contain millions of little seeds that will rain from the sky once their fully matured, like a quick rain shower. Eventually, those forests will spread their seeds, then the forests before them, then the forests before them, and so on. It won't stop until the entire planet has transformed into a one single forest. No human, Pokémon, or natural plant would be able to survive."

"And our Pokémon are risking their lives?!" Ash shouted.

"I warned your Pokémon to be careful. They made this choice on their own accord."

"Still, we can't just let them handle this without our help!" Ash began to storm out.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to save Pikachu!"

Hank narrowed his eyes. "If you do that, you'll only wind up dead."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" The doors slid open in front of him and he was about one foot out.

The old agent sighed. "Very well, go." The other three looked at him in surprise. Ash nodded and started to leave again, but was stopped when Hank spoke once more. "But consider this. Assume you did find Pikachu. Then what? The creatures that live in that forest were designed to kill Pokémon. They'll know every tactic they'll throw at them. There's nothing you can do."

Ash looked down and clenched his fist. "You don't know the things I've done!"

"Let me take a guess, Ketchum." Ash's eyes widened. He never told him his last name. "You've defeated many of Team Rocket's plans on multiple occasions, helped many Legendary Pokémon with worldwide disasters, stopped multiple other regional teams such as Magma, Aqua, and Galactic, and even survived situations that would surely bring upon death."

Ash stood there in other surprise. He slowly backed into the building and faced him. "How?"

Hank crossed his arms. "That agent I mentioned before…you've met him."

"Looker?"

He shook his head. "Think back very carefully. Have you met anyone unusual in your journeys? Someone who you've questioned about his origins? Someone who was…a Pokémon?"

Ash blinked in thought. That's when everything clicked. Back in Sinnoh, the fight with Laura, it all came back. "Ryder?!"

"Ah, so you do remember."

"H-He was…an agent?!" Dawn shouted in shock, having met the Charmeleon before as well.

Hank sighed and sat himself down. "My boss would fire me if he knew I was giving away this information…" He looked them all in the eye, especially Ash and Dawn. "Yes, it's true. Ryder is an elite agent of the International Police. He's part of a special task force called the Shadow Agents. Their specialty is breaking and entering. They've been trained in many forms of combat. Ryder…is the best."

"Well, can't you contact him so we can see if they're alright?" Cilan asked, full of hope.

"I wish I could. But those blasted monsters did something to communications last night. They must have snuck past us and made sure we couldn't contact each other." They looked down sadly, but he offered them a warm smile. "But don't worry. I'm sure that Ryder will do his best to protect them."

Dawn looked at him. "So, are you Ryder's trainer?"

"No. He belongs to my grandson." He took out his phone and showed a picture of Ryan and Ryder sitting together under a tree. "This is him." He chuckled. "That grandson of mine is…one of a kind. I gave him some martial art training when he was younger. Who would have guessed he would have rose to this kind of status?"

"Where is he?" Iris asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "I wish I knew…"

They stared at him with concern. "Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay…it's just something I prefer not to talk about…"

Ash decided to change the conversation to the previous one. "So…there's nothing we can do?"

Hank shook his head. "All you can do is pray for their safety." They sat down next to him and looked outside the Pokémon Center. Who knows what might happen?

"…that's pretty much my background."

The Pokémon sat in the corner, trying to rest. They were quite surprised, especially Buneary. "An international spy?!"

"Yep. Been one for seven years…you can see where five of those years have been spent." He finished his check up on Buneary's egg and gave it back to her. "You'll be happy to know your egg is in perfect condition."

She squealed and hugged it close, letting her warmth comfort it. Snivy smiled a bit before frowning. "So, why are you the only one here?"

"I have a personal grudge against Dark," he answered with a hint of venom. They were taken back by this. He saw their worried expressions. "I mean…that's a story for another time. Our main concern is locating your friends." He activated the computer and started to perform a sonic scan of the land.

"I hope they're okay," Piplup said.

Oshawott patted his back. "I'm sure they are. We need to put some faith in them."

Buneary hobbled over to Ryder and sat down next to him. "I'm…really glad to see you again."

He smiled a bit. "Same here…"

She smiled back and rubbed the top of her egg. "It's kind of sad that you live out here on your own." He shrugged in response. "Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Hank keeps me company time from time."

"I mean like friends to talk to. Other people or Pokémon."

He sighed and turned towards her. "Look Buneary…" He shook his head. "Yes, it's true I miss interacting with my old friends." He narrowed his eyes sadly. "I haven't seen then ever since we separated."

"Why did you leave them then?" she asked sympathetically.

"I…rather not say." He turned back to his computer and widened his search.

She gave a stern look at him. "Ryder, you're my friend. I want to know what's wrong." She saw his eyes droop a bit. Her eyes widened. "Have you been staying up without sleep?"

"That's not important right now…" he responded with a yawn.

"Ryder, you need to sleep!" she yelled in concern.

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can't…I'm worried about the central bulb. I think it's close to bursting."

"So, can't you just blow it up or something?"

"No…with Dark and his entire army nearby, even I won't be able to stop them." He reached into another compartment and pulled out a Lum berry and ate it. His eyes widened a bit and he felt a bit more energized. "Look, I've learned to take short naps. I just didn't get much sleep last night. I use these Lum berries to help a little."

"Still…"

He pulled her into a hug. "Buneary, I'll get some sleep later. Just let me work on finding your friends."

She looked at him with a worried expression. She knew she could trust him, but she worried greatly about his health, just like she worried for Pikachu. She sighed and hugged him back. "You promise?"

"On my life," he assured.

The computer beeped madly, alarming everyone. Ryder turned back to it and began to identify the signatures. His eyes widened a bit upon what he found. The others hobbled over. "What is it?!" Piplup asked in panic.

"Is it our friends?!" Snivy added.

"I think, but it's only one signature. And it's being chased."

"But we told them all to wait in groups! Who else could it…" Buneary stopped talking when something came up. She set her egg down gently and limped over to the exit.

"Buneary, what are you doing?!" Oshawott shouted.

She pushed the hatch up and looked around. She pulled herself out just in time to hear an evil cackle slice through the air. She heard rustling in the trees, along with the sound of fighting. If whoever she was thinking of was up, she hoped he was alright.

Ryder came out and slammed the hatch shut. "Buneary, it's dangerous to be up here in your condition!"

"But I think-" She was interrupted when something was slammed into the ground. She gasped in both joy and fear upon seeing the figure. "Pikachu!"

Pikachu, angrily, pushed himself off the ground. He glared towards his attacker in the trees before giving a mocking smirk. "Come on, you stupid cat! That the best you got?"

Jumping down from the trees was Dark Meowth and he was steamed. "I don't know how you escaped, rat, but I'm taking you back by force!"

"Ooh, the big bad cat thinks he can take me, huh? Thunderbolt!" He fired the attack straight at him.

Dark Meowth sidestepped and dashed at him like a blur. "Fury Swipes!" He slashed madly at the electric rodent, who dodged with ease.

Ryder watched the two battle with narrowed eyes. A Meowth Darkmon? Did another group get in? He studied the Darkmon's attack patterns, beginning to recognize the familiar manner of fighting from another Meowth. Team Rocket's Meowth…so, they're stuck in the forest as well. Figures…

Pikachu dodged once more and delivered an Iron Tail to the jaw. Dark Meowth flew up and nailed his head on a tree branch. Growling, he removed the branch and slammed it down on him. Pikachu stopped it just barely and used Quick Attack to zigzag behind him. He turned around just in time to deliver a swift kick to the oncoming attack. Pikachu bounced back to fire an Electro Ball, followed up with a Thunderbolt. Dark Meowth sliced right through it, but took the Thunderbolt soon after.

Pikachu snickered. "Too easy."

Dark Meowth grabbed a strange plant and threw it into Pikachu's face. He cringed and coughed as he dropped to his knees. He panted heavily, which began to scare Buneary. "Pikachu!"

Ryder dashed over to him, but was blocked by the Darkmon. "Not so fast, Ryder." He pulled out a thorny vine. "Lord Dark will be pleased when he sees I've captured you." He used the vine like a whip at him.

Ryder caught it, with some blood trickling out, and wrapped the vine around his neck. Dark Meowth choked vigorously as he tried to remove the vine. He unsheathed his claws, but Ryder used Slash with his other hand. He pulled on the vines tighter and tighter. Eventually, he decapitated the Darkmon, letting his body and head plop on the ground.

Buneary was horrified by the sight, but Ryder said, "Don't worry, I didn't kill him. These things can regenerate pretty easily." He aimed an Inferno on the body parts and scorched it to ash. "We won't have to worry about him for a while."

She sighed, then smiled at Pikachu who was getting up. "Pika!" She bounced over and wrapped her arms around him, surprising him. She pulled him into a kiss, happy to see he was alive. She pulled back and nuzzled him. "I'm so happy you're alright!"

"Yeah…good to see you to…" he replied half-heartedly

She looked at him a little disheartened. "I thought you would be happy to see me…"

"Sorry, I've had a pretty long day. That freak of nature was chasing me for a while," he explained with a little smile.

Ryder walked over. "I'm surprised to see you haven't acquired any other injuries."

Pikachu raised a brow in confusion. "How so?"

He was a bit surprised Pikachu didn't react to seeing him, but didn't question it for now. "From what your friends told me, you fell off the cliff over there. You should have suffered a lot more injuries than that. Instead, all of your injuries are claw marks."

Pikachu observed himself, then shrugged. "I landed in some soft bushes, nothing to worry about." Ryder crossed his arms, almost suspicious. Pikachu placed his arm around Buneary's waist and pulled her close. "I'm serious. You believe me, right BunBun?" He gave her a quick, passionate kiss.

She giggled bashfully. "Of course I believe you." She snuggled him. "Come on, the others will be happy to see you."

"I'm sure they will." She led him to the secret hideout.

Ryder could only narrow his eyes at Pikachu. He wasn't lying and he didn't show any signs of mind control. But there was something off about him. I better keep an eye on him. He headed back inside.

Dark sat in his throne, eating one of his specially made berries. "Mmm, delicious. Want one?" he asked to his captives, who only glared at him. He shrugged in response and took another bite.

"Let us go, Dark. We hate Ryder just as much as you. We can help," Laura pleaded.

He simply shook his head and chuckled, much to her annoyance. "My dear, I just don't see any other use for you or your friend." He pointed at Meowth. "When I was poking around in his head, I saw that Ryder destroyed you. He gets stronger and stronger each day. You wouldn't last a minute."

Meowth clenched his teeth. "And you think YOU have the right to act smug?! You haven't beaten him either!"

Dark chuckled lightly, then went into a hysterical cackle, freaking the cat out. "Oh, I've beat him. Physically…and emotionally." He flew down to their level and smirked with delight. "I've done terrible things to him. Things that have turned him into the Charmeleon he is today."

Laura was surprised, maybe even a little scared. "What…did you do?"

He smirked wider and flew over to her face. He placed his hand under her chin and rubbed it. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She tried to bite his hand, but he moved it just in time with a teasing grin. He ran his hand down her side, both aggravating Laura and making her nervous. "I never met someone who acted so hostile and threatening towards me. I like that."

"P-Please stop…" she begged quietly.

"Why? Too much?" he whispered into her ear.

Meowth glared. "Hey! She said buzz off!"

Dark rolled his eyes and flew over to him. "As you wish." He flicked his forehead, making him wince. He flew back to his throne. "I wonder if my soldier is done with his mission."

Just was he said that, a dark furred Meowth arm was dragging itself over to him. It was slowly regenerating a new body. It grew a new pair of legs and stood up. The head finally started to form, finishing off with Dark Meowth's devilish smirk. "Mission complete, my lord."

Meowth narrowed his eyes. "What mission?"

Dark clasped his hands together with an evil grin. "Pikachu is going to help me capture those pathetic Pokémon and Ryder. Then everything will be set in motion."

"As much as I despise that no good Pikachu, there is no way he'll help you!" Meowth shouted.

"Oh, he's going to help me. He just won't realize it." He looked down at his subject. "You did well at setting him up. Now we just wait for the trap to be sprung."

"Yes, my lord," Dark Meowth said with a bow. He leaped into the trees and scampered off.

Dark whistled and his servant ran out. "Check on our other captive and make sure he's still imprisoned." He nodded and ran off into the forest.

Laura could feel some of her power returning. She tried to activate her tail sword and cut through the vines. The vines sensed this and struck the back of her neck, making her wince. She felt her energy being sapped away again.

"Naughty little android," the Darkmon lord disappointingly. "Those vines can sense energy. If your strength comes back, they'll suck it away without hesitation." He grinned teasingly at her. "I don't want you leaving anytime soon."

Laura looked at Meowth, hoping he had an escape planned out. He looked at her with a defeated expression. He didn't know what to do. She looked down and sighed. They only had one hope left…and they weren't going to like it.

Dark's servant ran through the forest, searching for where the captive was hidden away. He came up to a large tree with a hollowed out hole. He smirked and climbed up the tree. He found a small, dark object laying tied up at the bottom. He was about to leave when a thought came to him.

"I know Lord Dark said to keep the captive alive, but…" He looked back down the hole and licked his lips. "Maybe one little taste wouldn't hurt." With a hungry grin, he lunged down and sunk his teeth into the object. He shook it violently and tore the arm off.

He chewed it with a satisfied grin when his eyes bulged in shock. He spat it out and glared. "That isn't flesh!" His eyes glowed purple, activating his night vision. What he thought was the captive was really a log covered in leaves and twigs. His eyes widen in worry. "What?! Where did he go?!" He began to dig down the trunk and found a misplaced vine. "What is this?" He sliced it and it recoiled upwards. He looked up, only to find his vision obscured by tons of mud and dirt. The weight was too much for him to lift. "Who is responsible for this?!"

Outside the tree was a yellow furred creature with his face and paws covered in mud. He climbed down and sat against it. "Man, that was close." He winced and rubbed his head. "That fall did a number on me." He looked up into the trees with a worried expression. "Buneary…"

FLASHBACK

His eyes opened slowly. He tried to yawn, but his mouth was gagged. He found that his arms were restrained as well. He struggled to move, but he was too weak to do so. He looked around and saw that it was incredibly dark. Despite the darkness, he could tell he was in a tree. He mentally sighed in pain. His entire body was sore from head to toe.

"These all look like Pikachu's footprints. How or why did he go in three separate directions?"

His eyes widened in surprise. Was that Krookodile?!

"Whatever took him must be trying to throw us off track. We need to split up if we want to make any progress in our search."

His heart stopped. Buneary. He could hear everyone devising a plan to search for him. He banged his head against the tree, trying to alert them with a sound. He desperately tried to scream. He cursed the gag over his mouth.

"So it's decided. Alright, we meet back here tomorrow. Don't lose your way." Pikachu struggled with a panicked expression.

Buneary! Buneary, don't go! I'm over here! He mentally screamed. He banged his head against the tree as hard as possible, but no one heard him. Tears dripped down his face. BUNEARY!

FLASHBACK ENDS

Pikachu sniffled sadly. "Buneary…" He heard the Darkmon roaring as it tried to escape its trap. He narrowed his eyes and climbed up into the trees. "I need to find her and the others. But I'll stick out like a sore thumb here." He held his sore arm. "And my condition doesn't make it easier." He looked at the trees.

One of these plants must have some healing properties. With his good arm, he ripped off a piece of bark. He stuck his tongue out when he saw slime peeling off it. Next, he grabbed a nearby vine and tore it off. He cringed when it screeched and fell limp. …I am SO going to regret this. He placed the bark on his arm and wrapped the vine around it. He waited for a minute, then screamed when it started burning his arm. He waved it frantically.

After another minute, the burning stopped. He blinked and looked at his arm. He moved it around. His arm felt good as new. In fact, he actually felt…stronger. He clenched his fist and punched the tree, leaving a deep impression in it.

He stared at his fist in awe. He looked back at the tree and smirked. "Hang on Buneary…I'm coming to find you."