We walked along a rocky path. The walls on either side of us went pretty high and rocks were along the edges. I knew that this is where my dad had an interesting encounter with one of his Pokemon. Primeape, to be exact.

My dad met the Pokemon when it was still a Mankey and it had stolen his hat. After some time of chasing it, the Mankey evolved into Primeape. My dad was able to get his hat back and he also caught Primeape.

After a little while, I heard started hearing some voices. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like people are talking." Michelle said.

"Let's go see." said Jason.

We walked to the ridge and looked down. There was a truck that had six wheels and was black with a red "R" on it, and three people looking around the truck with Team Rocket uniforms on.

"They're Team Rocket, but what's with the truck?" Michelle asked quietly.

"That truck...it triggers a memory of something my dad told me." I said.

"Hunter J. She always traveled on a Salamence and had a ship and trucks. I had quite a few encounters with her while in Sinnoh."

"Those are grunts and they're working for a Pokemon Hunter." I said.

"How did you figure that?" Jason asked.

"I just remembered a line from a story my dad told me. We have to move, now! They're looking for Pokemon to capture for the hunter."

"We're not about to let that happen!" Michelle said.

We jumped up and slid down to where the three grunts were.

"Oh, look. It's some brats." one of the grunts said, causing the other two to face us.

"We can't have three brats messing up our plans. Nidoran, take care of these brats!" the only girl grunt cried, tossing a Pokeball.

"Golbat, go!"

"Venonat, go!"

"Nido!" Nidoran, cried landing. The Nidoran was blue, meaning it was a girl.

"Golbat!" Golbat cried flapping in the air.

"Veno!" Venonat cried.

"Showtime, Growlithe!" Michelle cried.

"Charmeleon, lets show 'em!" I cried.

"Charmeleon, go!" Jason cried.

"Growl!" Growlithe cried.

"Char! Charmeleon!" both cried.

"A Fire trio. Oh, how cute." the girl grunt said mockingly.

"Flamethrower!" Michelle cried.

"Fire Fang!" Jason cried.

"Flamethrower!" I cried.

All three moves hit the targets, the Flamethrowers hit Nidoran and Venonat while Fire Fang got Golbat.

"Use Toxic Spikes, Nidoran!" The spikes landed on the ground making it difficult for both sides to move.

"Use Swift, Golbat!"

"Growlithe, counter with Bite!" Michelle cried.

"Slash the stars with Metal Claw!" I cried.

"Flamethrower!" Jason cried.

Our attacks successfully caused Swift to not even touch our Pokemon. We were battling in perfect sync!

"Venonat, use Psychic!"

Venonat lifted our Pokemon into the air. Both Charmeleons were slammed into each other and then Growlithe was slammed into the ground, causing dust to stir up.

When the dust settled, our Pokemon were getting up and were still okay. I looked at Team Rocket's Pokemon, which were breathing heavily.

"Time to end this! Charmeleon, Smoke Screen!" I cried. Smoke covered the area.

"Flamethrower!" Michelle cried.

"Fire Fang!" Jason cried.

Our Pokemon attacked and they all hit their marks!

"No!" the Grunts yelled.

The smoke cleared and our Pokemon stood while Team Rocket's Pokemon had fainted.

"These brats beat us!" the girl cried, returning her Pokemon.

"Uh oh..." Michelle said, looking up. "Here come reinforcements!"

Three more trucks pulled up and flying in the sky was a Dragonite with the Pokemon Hunter standing on it. The Pokemon Hunter was bald and he was bulky...strong. He wore a long black coat over a red jumpsuit and I spotted the cannon strapped to his arm. Those cannons caused so much trouble. Innocent Pokemon could be frozen to stone...sometimes humans, too.

"Hunter Oliver!" one of the grunts cried.

So he was Pokemon Hunter Oliver. His dark eyes scanned the area and saw our Pokemon and us.

"Distract their Pokemon so I can shoot them." he said darkly.

"Return!" we cried and ran, knowing that we couldn't take all of them on at once.

We were running for a while but Michelle tripped and fell, with us not knowing.

"Eevee! No!" Michelle cried.

I stopped and turned around. Michelle was far behind us and Eevee was turned to stone. We had unknowingly left Michelle behind. Oliver then stood over a terrified Michelle, smirked, and shot her, turning her to stone.

"No!" I cried, starting to run back.

"No!" Jason cried, grabbing my arm and holding me back. "We can't go back! We go back, and we'll be captured, too! We can't save her if we get captured! We have to run! We can help her only by staying free ourselves!" he cried.

I sighed and we ran from where Michelle and Eevee were. We finally lost Team Rocket and were catching our breath as we hid behind some boulders. After I caught my breath, I looked at Jason with anger.

"We could have saved her!" I yelled.

Jason looked back at me and saw my anger. Anger was visible in his eyes, too. "There wouldn't have been enough time, Adam!" he yelled back.

I tried to calm down, but couldn't. "We have to find her, and fast! We have to find her before something bad happens!"

"How do you expect us to do that? Huh, Adam?! How?! We don't even know where she is or where they've taken her!"

"I...we..." He had me there.

"We need a plan. We can't just go charging in blindly! We're outnumbered and we would just get caught, too! Think for once."

He had lowered his voice at the last sentence, but I still heard it. He probably didn't think I heard him, but I did. I didn't speak to him. Instead, I was thinking.

"Jason?" I spoke, after thinking for a few minutes.

"Yes?" Judging by his voice, he was either calming down or he was still angry and the anger was turning to annoyance.

"Can you drive a truck?"

Normal POV

A huge black ship was resting on the ground. It was identical to the one that the late Pokemon Hunter J used. Inside one of the rooms was Michelle, Eevee, and two more Pokemon who had been captured earlier by Oliver. Michelle was in a glass dome, still as stone like the other two Pokemon, while Eevee was in a cage and not stone anymore.

The door opened and Hunter Oliver walked in with a Raichu by his side. He walked over to where Michelle was and slid the lever down on Michelle's dome, only enough so she could move her head.

Michelle looked at Hunter Oliver and tried to move, only to find that she couldn't. She looked down to see that she was frozen like a stone statue.

"W-What did y-y-you do t-t-t-to me?" she asked in a terrified voice.

"You are just stone, child. Nothing to worry about."

She then looked for Eevee and found Eevee in front of her in the cage, not as stone. "Eevee! Why is she in a cage?" Michelle asked.

"Full of questions, aren't you? Listen here, child. You are going to be a good little girl and answer all of the questions that I'm going to ask."

Michelle laughed rudely. "Ha! Like I would ever tell you anything."

"Raichu, if you would."

Raichu used Thunder on Eevee, who cried out in pain.

"Eevee!" Michelle cried. She glared at Hunter Oliver.

"If you don't cooperate...Raichu will use Thunder on your precious Eevee again. Oh, and if your precious Eevee 'accidentally' dies from the torture, Raichu will be using its Thunder on you instead! So I would watch your mouth if I were you, child."

Michelle paled and looked at the hunter with fear visible in her eyes.

He's sick! He's cruel, too! Would he really hurt me? she thought.

He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You know what? I think I'll let you experience what would happen and what your precious Eevee just went through." he said, smirking.

Michelle paled and she watched as her body slowly went back to normal. He stopped at her feet and Michelle was scared.

No...no...no, he wouldn't...

"Raichu, get ready." he said.

He's serious! No!

He slowly lowered the lever even more and soon Michelle wasn't stone anymore. The glass dome disappeared, but even if Michelle wanted to, she couldn't run. The Thunder hit her quickly and she cried out in pain. Sparks still lingered on her body and she was turned back to stone again, minus her head.

"So, how did that feel?" he asked her. "You'd better get used to it, because you'll be feeling it a lot if you don't cooperate with me.

"Now, time for the questions. How many times have you and your friends encountered Team Rocket? What do you know of our plans? And do you know what the hat-wearing boy is searching for? Answer me or Eevee gets shocked again." Hunter Oliver asked.

Adam's POV

Jason and I walked and came across one of the trucks with two grunts looking around for us.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on them to knock 'em out." I said. Pikachu ran out and used two quick Iron Tails and they were knocked out.

Jason and I ran out from behind the rocks and got into the truck. I took notice that the windows were mirrored and there was a G.P.S. There was a green dot that wasn't moving. That must've been their ship.

"There's the ship. Think you can get there?" I asked.

Jason looked at the steering wheel and the rest of the truck. "I can't do this, I don't know how." he said.

I quickly gave him a small run through of what I figured out and told him, "Figure the rest out as you go."

Soon we were zooming towards the green dot.

"Jason, slow down! We're close to the ship!" I cried.

The speed decreased quickly and he drove at a calmer and slower pace. We arrived where the ship had landed and many people were standing around, guarding it.

"Just keep going." I said. "As far as they're concerned, we're just another patrol unit."

Thankfully, our trick worked and we got into the ship without any problems. We got out of the truck and looked around.

"We'll split up and look for Michelle. It's a big ship and it'll be quicker. That okay?" I said.

"Well, it's good to see that you're using your head this time." Jason replied.

Jason went right and I decided to go straight. I walked through the halls, staying alert, should anyone see me. I was shocked that there weren't any grunts in the halls, patrolling. They must've all been outside guarding the ship or looking for Jason and I. I opened a few doors, hoping to find Michelle, but with no luck.

"I'll find her...even if I have to deal with that hunter all on my own." I muttered. My dad never abandoned his friends on his journey, and I wasn't going to do it to mine!

I opened the last door that was on the left to see Eevee in a cage. I opened the door more to see Michelle and two more Pokemon; a Machoke and a Graveler. I stepped in and the door closed rather loudly. Luckily, nobody came rushing in after me, so I assumed I was safe...for now.

Michelle's head was the only thing that wasn't stone. She looked towards me and her eyes widened. "Adam!" she cried happily.

I looked at the lever on Michelle's cage, knowing that's what kept her as stone. I glanced at Eevee's cage, which looked weak.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to break the cage!" I cried.

I slid the lever down and the dome vanished, freeing Michelle. She tackled me into a hug, but when she hugged me she shocked me. It was like she had static electricity clinging to her body. What had happened to her?

"Thank you, Adam!" she cried.

I hugged her back. "You're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't notice that you had tripped and fallen." I said.

She stayed there, hugging me for a little while longer, but she broke away and scooped up Eevee, who was now free.

"Eevee, I'm so sorry!" she cried, hugging her Pokemon.

I looked at Eevee to see that she had a burn mark on her front paw. I then looked at Michelle and realized her hair was sticking up slightly. I would have to ask what had happened to them when we got out of here.

The door opened and we jumped back in alarm, but it was only Jason. He stepped into the room. "Now that we have Michelle, we can get out of here." he said.

We stepped towards the door, but an alarm started to go off. Jason pulled on the handle, but the door wouldn't open.

"It's locked!" he cried.

We were all trapped in this room. The loud roaring of the engines signaled we were beginning to go into the air.

"Ha ha ha! You fell right into my trap, boys. I was just using the girl as bait. Knowing that you would come to rescue her, I decided to catch you all in one fell swoop! Now you're all going to be taken to Team Rocket's base as prisoners! Oh, and don't bother trying to break down the door. It's attack-proof." Hunter Oliver's voice said from a hidden speaker in the room.

Michelle looked down. "This is all my fault." she muttered sadly.

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here." I said, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She looked up and nodded her head.

"The only way out is the window." Jason said. "But we're too high in the air to get out. The fall would kill us."

We sat on the floor. You could feel the sense of dread in the room.

"We're stuck between a rock and a hard place here." Michelle muttered. "We either live the rest of our lives as prisoners or choose to die and jump out of the ship."

"Which fate is worse?" Jason wondered aloud.

"No! Don't talk like that! We aren't trapped!" I cried, standing up. After losing my battle with Paul, I swore to myself I'd never lose hope or let my spirits get down.

I could get out of this, and I had a plan of how to do it! It would be dangerous, but it was our only shot! I tossed out Pidgey's Pokeball.

"Jason, call out Spearow. I have an idea." I said.

Jason released Spearow. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Pidgey and Spearow are too small to fly us out of here." Michelle said.

"I know, but that's not my plan. It's going to be risky and very dangerous. I'm not even sure myself if it'll work, but it's our only option. You guys are gonna have to trust me on this.

"Here's the plan: We'll break open the window and jump. While we're falling, Pidgey and Spearow will use Gust and Whirlwind together and create an updraft of air to cushion our fall." I explained.

"Are you sure they're even strong enough to pull it off?" Jason asked.

"Well, we're about to find out!" said Michelle. "We should take the Machoke and Graveler, too. Team Rocket are undoubtedly going to use them for their own selfish deeds."

Jason and I grabbed the two stone Pokemon in their glass domes. Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder as Eevee jumped onto Michelle's head. They held on tight as Pikachu used Thunderbolt to shatter the window...and we jumped!

We fell to the ground at breakneck speeds as Pidgey and Spearow used their attacks, but it wasn't enough. We were still falling too fast towards the ground.

"Give it more power!" Jason and I yelled.

The two Flying Pokemon began to speed up the attacks faster and faster, until suddenly, they started to glow. And in an instant, they had evolved into Fearow and Pidgeotto! With their newfound strength gained from evolving, they were able to give it more power and we landed safely on the ground.

"Good job, Pidgeotto." I said, returning Pidgeotto.

"Good job, Fearow." Jason said, returning Fearow.

Jason and I placed the two Pokemon on the ground and lowered the levers, changing them back and dissolving their glass domes.

"You're free to go now." we said to the two Pokemon.

But Machoke and Graveler refused to move, and they looked at us.

"I think they want to stay with you." Michelle noticed. "I guess it's a way to say thanks for saving them."

"Well Machoke, welcome to the team." I said, tapping a Pokeball against it.

"Welcome, Graveler." Jason said, doing the same.

The Pokeballs stopped wiggling and we had caught the two. I tossed Machoke and Pidgeotto back out and took out my Pokedex.

"Good idea." Jason said, doing the same to his new Pokemon.

"Pidgeotto, the evolved form of Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be more dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."

"Fearow, the Beak Pokemon and the evolved form of Spearow. Its large, powerful wings allow it to fly for an entire day without resting. It fights by using its sharp beak."

"Machoke, the Superpower Pokemon and the evolved form of Machop. With enough strength to lift a giant truck with one hand, Machoke are often used for extremely heavy work. Its boundless power is very dangerous, so it wears a belt to suppress its energy."

"Graveler, the Rock Pokemon and the evolved form of Geodude. Being a slow walker, Graveler rolls along the ground to move around. Once it builds enough momentum, no Pokemon can stop it."

"Hey guys, look!" Michelle cried.

I glanced up and I could see Celadon City in the distance.

"Celadon City! We made it!" Jason cried.

We returned our Pokemon and Jason glanced at Michelle.

"Hey Michelle, what's up with your hair?" he asked.

So he had noticed that her hair was sticking up, too.

"What do you mean?" she said running her hands through her hair.

"It's sticking up."

"I don't know." she said, not really wanting to talk about it.

He shrugged and started walking. Michelle glanced at me. She seemed confused, since I wasn't really talking to Jason.

"What happened?" we asked at the same time.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When you hugged me, I was shocked. Like an electric shock." I explained. "Eevee has a burn on her front paw, too."

"Oh...well, Eevee was attacked with Thunder by Hunter Oliver's Raichu..."

"What else?"

"Thunder was used on me, too..."

"What?!" I cried.

"I'm fine," she said. "What happened between you two?"

"Oh you know, an argument."

"What?"

"Yeah, I got mad because he stopped me from running back to help you when you were captured." I said.

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

She thought for a few minutes. "So how did you two get into the ship?" Michelle asked loud enough so Jason would hear.

"That would be Adam. He came up with the idea to knock out the two grunts who were by one of the trucks. I drove it after he explained how to work those stupid trucks. Adam came up with all of the plans today." Jason explained.

"Adam, did you hear what I muttered at the end when I blew up at you?" he asked me.

"Yeah...I did. You told me to think for once."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I was just mad."

"I'm sorry, too. But Michelle's back, safe and sound." I said.

Michelle looked at me and gave a small smile. "You saved my life. Thank you, Adam. I'll never forget this."

"Don't mention it. After all, you'd do the same for me, right?"

Michelle walked between Jason and I and put an arm around each of our shoulders and said, "Of course I would. I'd do it for both of you!"

And so we walked down the path to Celadon City side by side with our arms around each others' shoulders. Each of us was happy to be alive and safe after such a dangerous experience, and glad to know that we could count on each other to be there for one another, even in times of danger.

We could trust each other with our lives.

Author's Note: Adam and the others have their most dangerous experience yet as they encounter a Pokemon Hunter and have a brush with death! But thanks to Adam's plan, they were able to escape and gain some new Pokemon along the way.

And with the knowledge that the three of them can now trust each other with their very lives, their friendship has grown stronger than ever! Even if they do still argue sometimes.

What new adventures await them in Celadon City?

Find out next time on Pokemon NG!