I feel as if there's a lot in this chapter I could have rewritten, but I couldn't find anything to rewrite. Even the title seems dull in my opinion. I think it's probably just confusing to me is all. I don't know…

The Team Rocket members stared out toward the otherwise defenseless tent sitting completely out in the open. It was the most basic shelter humans could manage to construct and right now it was somehow an inconceivable threat for them and their mission. There weren't any wild Pokémon around that would be attacking them for infringing on their territory because the tents had been safely set up. There were no other Pokémon nearby that could receive commands from the three trainers and there were no humans in the area either. Niklos was gone, the three trainers were asleep, Machop had come back with its energy drained, and Chris hadn't been in the tent for very long either so what could it be?

"Wait a minute Chris, send out Machop again," Kyle told his underling. "There might be an explanation after all." When Chris had done so, Kyle commanded Machop to use its foresight on the area around the tents. Kyle also noted that while it was still drained, it also seemed healthier again. As Machop's gaze passed over the campground a face suddenly appeared within a dark cloud. "A Gastly!" Kyle exclaimed. He tossed a poké ball of his own revealing a black creature with yellow markings on its athletic body.

"Umbreon, faint attack!" Kyle told it. Umbreon leaped toward Gastly and struck it hard causing Gastly to dash in the opposite direction. "It's trying to escape! Use pursuit!" Umbreon charged quickly toward Gastly again at a speed that was too fast to avoid. It swept past Gastly while striking with an attack that was unseen. "Faint attack once more now!"

"Confuse it!"

As Umbreon leapt toward Gastly the ghost Pokémon's eyes flashed a bright white beam toward Umbreon which stopped the move from succeeding. The bright light was intensified even more in the darkness and Kyle could briefly see where the command had come from. The hunter had appeared at the entrance to the tent and didn't seem to have had an unplanned awakening from the battle. Emerging from the tent behind him was the boy who also seemed wide awake. Sadly the light gave Kyle a headache since he was still wearing the night vision goggles, causing him to be briefly disoriented.

"The hunter!" Kyle exclaimed while waiting for his vision to return. "You were awake all along, weren't you?"

"Dog it," the hunter said to his Pokémon. Gastly came closer to Umbreon and licked it across the face. Umbreon fell over in paralysis forcing Kyle to switch it out. The hunter in turn also pulled Gastly from battle and replaced it with a fierce Houndoom.

Having the advantage of knowing what Pokémon his opponent would be battling with, Kyle sent out a real battle tank of a Pokémon. Fighting for his team was a towering gray Pokémon with a rock body which stood upright and had a large pointed horn on its face. This was intended to be his trump card, but he couldn't afford to let the battle draw out. Kyle needed to incapacitate the trainer and his Pokémon at the same time.

"Rhydon, stone edge!" he ordered. His Pokémon charged the hunter's Houndoom with an impressive speed for a Pokémon built as it was. It tore up a large pointed rock from the ground as it closed the distance intending to impale Houndoom on the spot, but at the last minute the Houndoom evaded on an order from its trainer. "Hammer arm!" Rhydon dropped the weapon to swing its whole arm in a wide arc at Houndoom. The attack struck Houndoom's side, sending it flying an impressive distance. "Now use a rock blast!" Kyle yelled with excitement. For a dangerous trainer, the hunter seemed to be losing this battle spectacularly. Rhydon grabbed the rock again and lofted it toward the fallen Houndoom then grabbed two more nearby rocks and tossed them as well. Unable to evade the strikes, Houndoom was struck with all three. Given that each rock broke on impact, the damage must have been considerable. "This is too easy. Finish that Houndoom with your horn drill!" Rhydon roared and charged the fallen Houndoom. As it ran, its main horn began to spin at increasing speeds until a high pitched whine could be heard. When this attack connected, Houndoom would be unable to battle for days if not permanently. He looked toward the hunter with a wide grin even though the other trainer couldn't see him. He expected to see a look of desperation, but instead he saw confidence and as Rhydon closed the distance a victorious smile of his own came into view. Kyle looked back at the Houndoom and saw that it didn't appear as injured as he had originally thought. In fact it was watching and analyzing his Rhydon's movements as was the hunter. Then he noted that they hadn't attacked since the battle started. They'd been analyzing Rhydon's every movement and attack from the beginning! Kyle called out for Rhydon to stop, but it was too late. From that distance and the shrieking sound of the horn drill Rhydon could not hear its trainer.

The hunter swept an arm to the side which was Houndoom's cue to move. It dodged the attack effortlessly while Rhydon's horn drilled into the ground and got stuck. "Bite the leg!" the hunter commanded now that his voice could be heard. Houndoom easily reached Rhydon's leg and bit into it hard from behind. Rhydon fell to its knees. "On the back!" Houndoom leapt onto Rhydon's back and bit down again. This time the attack was a fire fang strike which left a dangerous burn. Rhydon tore its horn from the ground and began to try shaking Houndoom loose from its back since it couldn't stand up from the leg injury. In response Houndoom clung to the side of Rhydon's head and used a point blank flamethrower on Rhydon's face. Rhydon roared in pain but reached out to grab Houndoom and then threw it to the ground. The attacks had lessened Rhydon's effectiveness and the pain from the burn had lowered Rhydon's attacking power as well. However it was still a strong battler, able to match and defeat Houndoom even in its weakened state. "Okay Houndoom, get some help now. Use your beat up attack!" Houndoom moved quickly before Rhydon or Kyle could react. It struck Rhydon in the chest, then ran to the side and struck again. As it did, Kyle could see a brief flash of another Pokémon's face. He recognized it as the hunter's Infernape.

This unique move called on the trainer's entire Pokémon team to boost an otherwise weak attack. The ending damage would be multiplied by the number of Pokémon the trainer was carrying at the time and each Pokémon's face could be briefly seen around Houndoom each time the user struck as their strength was added. The attack had a downside however. When it was used, the entire trainer's team could be seen as well as revealing how many Pokémon they carried. If the hunter was indeed carrying one of Bill's rare Pokémon and Kyle hadn't seen it, he would find out what it was this time. It would probably be the last one shown so Kyle paid close attention to the Pokémon he saw while Houndoom's attack continued.

After Infernape was a small pink Cleffa, then the Gastly from before bringing the count to four. After that came a Dugtrio and the sixth attack was a lowly Fearow. Kyle was disappointed that he didn't have the Pokémon he wanted after all, but strangely Houndoom's attack continued! The next strike was a Totodile, probably the one he had seen in the tent which gave Houndoom a total of seven attacks. Kyle was sure that was the end of it, but there was one more attack still to come. Houndoom's final strike was nothing short of brutal and it drove Rhydon back two paces. And the Pokémon's face associated with the impossible attack power? Kyle didn't recognize it. It was safe to say though that whatever that final Pokémon was, it was a good thing the hunter hadn't used it in this battle. The face of that Pokémon was terrible enough alone, but the violent and bloodthirsty expression it added to the mix was enough for Kyle to feel a wave of horror rush through his body. It also told him that it would be a very very bad idea to let this battle draw out to the point where the hunter would use whatever Pokémon that was.

Seeing that the attack was over Kyle called out, "Okay Rhydon, finish this now. Earthquake attack!" Rhydon rose up so it could stomp both feet, then pounded the ground with both arms. The attack was widely known as the ultimate ground type move, and was a sure ending to almost any battle. The attack sent tremors through the ground that were unavoidable unless the opponent was in the air. Halfway through the attack the hunter returned Houndoom to its poké ball in an attempt to minimize the damage received. Based on the fact that the other trainer could visually identify his Pokémon in the darkness, Kyle assumed his eyes had adjusted considerably in the dark. Before Kyle could turn Rhydon on the hunter a new Pokémon was already sent out. This time it was the Dugtrio and not the Infernape he was expecting.

"Dugtrio, sand attack now!" the hunter commanded before Kyle could devise a strategy. Sand was expertly tossed up into Rhydon's eyes from ground level, though how Dugtrio managed it without any hands was anyone's guess. As Rhydon struggled with the loss of vision the hunter attacked again. "Finish the battle now! Fissure strike!"

Kyle felt his blood drain from his face. Rhydon was too occupied with the effects of sand attack to evade the next hit and Dugtrio's attacks were so fast that he wouldn't have time to recall his Pokémon before the hit. With Rhydon unable to move out of the way he was about to lose his best fighter.

Dugtrio's heads vanished underground faster than could be seen. Immediately after that a tremor could be felt which resulted in a crack in the ground rapidly moving toward Rhydon. As the fissure went underfoot, the ground around his Pokémon broke apart to drop Rhydon into a perfectly sized hole. After it had fallen halfway inside the crack the ground snapped shut, crushing Rhydon's body. Though the attack was simple enough, the damage done to Rhydon was so severe that it was knocked out immediately. Fissure was an attack that guaranteed an instant victory if it succeeded. The damage was comparable to the horn drill attack Rhydon had used earlier, but they both had the disadvantage of painfully low accuracy. With Rhydon unable to move away in time, the fissure attack was a perfect choice for the situation. Frustrated, Kyle returned Rhydon to the poké ball it came from. He was about to send out a new attacker when he looked in the hunter's direction to see Infernape speeding toward him with fist extended. The mach punch knocked him out cleanly.

With the second intruder fallen, Akuma knew there was only one more left. Gastly had awakened him earlier to warn him of three intruders closing in on the camp. As they had approached the tent he pretended to be talking in his sleep in order to instruct Gastly to use its curse attack on them as they entered as well as steal a healing potion or berry to stay healthy. While they were away from the tent Akuma used those potions and berries as well as his own to keep Gastly in good health. When one of them had taken a poké ball from Chad, he knew that the effects were taking a heavier toll on the body from constant exposure to the curse based on the man's condition. From a distance the hold would break so the effects were only inside the tent although side effects might continue for a short while anyway. When the intruder had fallen down, Akuma couldn't let him regain him senses and get away with Chad's poké ball. He had quickly rushed over and knocked him out with a strike to the back of the head, then hid him under his own blanket in the corner and under the tent opening where no one would notice. After the first one had come in, Akuma had awakened Chad and warned him of what was happening so he could have backup in case he needed it. After the poké ball thief was knocked down, Akuma had Chad pocket the poké ball instead of returning it to his belt. After receiving potions, Gastly would go outside to let them know when the intruders were coming back. When they had heard sounds of battle they ran out quickly. By this time their eyes had adjusted significantly to the dark so they could recognize where the enemy was, but not good enough that they could spot the third attacker. Not wanting his Pokémon out in the open without knowing where the last enemy was, Akuma recalled them to their respective poké balls.

"Over here," came a voice from their left.

Akuma turned to see the shape of the last of the trio standing beside Akashi's tent. Beside him was a larger creature he couldn't identify without sufficient lighting.

"Let's not make things any more difficult than they already are. I want the poké ball given to you by the collector, Bill. If you don't cooperate, I will use my Camerupt's flames to burn down the tent with your comrade still inside as well as all your provisions. I also want the third member of our group returned to us if possible. I assume since you've obviously been awake all this time you would know where he is."

"Okay boy, listen carefully," Akuma whispered to Chad as he slipped Dugtrio's poké ball into the other's hand. "He can't see the entrance of the tent from where he is. Act like you're going into the tent, but go behind it and release Dugtrio. Tell it to burrow under Camerupt and wait for my signal." Then more loudly he said, "Go get him what he wants, Chad. The poké ball is resting beside Totodile. Also see if you can drag out his partner too while you're at it. Come get me if you need help." Under his breath he added, "Come back after you release Dugtrio to ask for my help. Have Elekid's poké ball in your hand to replace the illusion of Dugtrio's poké ball." Chad quickly rushed around to the rear of the tent and out of sight.

"He's a little young to be traveling with someone as notorious as you, isn't he?" the other man asked Akuma after Chad had disappeared.

"He's a perfectly capable trainer," Akuma replied. He's a prodigy when it comes to learning about and raising Pokémon. I'm helping to teach the child how to become the best just like he wants to be. He is making great progress in a short period of time."

"Does he know who he's learning from?"

"He's learning from me obviously. Haven't we already established that?"

"I meant from someone with your reputation and background. You've got quite a record back at headquarters for your work here in the Kanto region. We weren't sure what to think when you vanished for a few years. Where were you by the way?"

"I was traveling and training myself in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions if you must know. There is much knowledge and experience to be gained by leaving a territory you are familiar with. You could learn many things by going out of your way to learn somewhere by yourself among different cultures and new varieties of Pokémon. The Kanto region doesn't have enough in it to teach everyone to become the person they were meant to be."

"What about the Johto region? You never mentioned it."

"Johto is a different place where my travels have not yet led me to go. When the time is right I will set out for new challenges there. For the time being, however, I am needed here."

"I got the poké ball, but I can't take the man out of the tent on my own," Chad said as he reappeared from around the corner. "He's too big for me to drag out without hurting my shoulder. I'll need some help getting him out here."

"Any chance you'd let me disappear for a while?" Akuma asked.

"Not a chance. The boy has Pokémon of his own. He can use their help."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Chad said while laughing at himself. "Sorry about being absentminded. I'll go back in and bring him out again."

"Hold that thought, boy. You might want to see something," Akuma said knowing Dugtrio was in place. "There's a Pokémon move that you might want to see. It's a difficult one to teach and pull off due to variations in Pokémon who can learn it, but this showing is unique to the one who has learned it I believe."

"What are you planning?" the man said with a suspicious tone.

"Nothing at all, to be honest; quite the opposite in fact. You're the one holding our teammate hostage and there's nothing we can do about it from here," Akuma said quite simply. "By the time I could reach for the poké balls on my chest you will have already commanded Camerupt to burn down the tent. I only know that in half a moment there will be a Pokémon attack that looks quite interesting because of the one who is using it. I want the boy to, as best he can in this lighting, witness it for what it is. It's also very entertaining as long as you aren't the one being attacked. It's a rock type move that not only inflicts damage, but lowers the opponent's speed as well. A most handy attack for anyone, don't you agree? The attack is named, rock tomb!"

As Akuma finished the words a jagged rock jutted out of the ground in front of Camerupt. The creature jumped in surprise and backed up into another rock tearing up from the ground. Two more came up from either side trapping it in place. The rocks then squeezed in tightly around Camerupt while it tried gasping for air. The attack took no more than two or three seconds. The man jumped away from his Pokémon in surprise. Before Akuma could grab Infernape's poké ball for another fast knockout, a slender form lashed out from Kurishimi's tent at the man. He fell to the ground allowing Akuma and Chad to run over. Wrapped around him was an Ekans. They looked toward the other tent to see the third member of their team sitting inside the tent lifting up the flap to look out.

"You boys are too loud out here. How's a girl to get any sleep?"