After battling Blaine, the Gym Leader informed Summer about the Legend Guardians, a role he held until six years ago. They then headed back to Cinnabar Island, unaware that their allies had been captured by Team Rocket. Because of this, Giovanni obtained Zapdos and its Legend Guardian. Giddy about his approaching victory, he waited for his former favorite scientist to come with the last piece of his plan. Will Summer and Blaine be ambushed as well once they return, and what will unfold in Saffron City?

Chapter 40: Sneaking Around Silph

"M-MY LAAAABBBBBBB!" Blaine screeched as we returned to the Pokémon Laboratory. The building was emitting white smoke from several open windows, and the exterior was covered with grime and soot. I'd never seen Blaine so emotional; he was trying to pull out hair he no longer had.

"Blaine!" I shouted, shaking his left arm. "You should be more worried about the people in your lab!"

"Y-you're right…" He took a few deep breaths, and we slowly opened the glass doors.

We could barely make out the doors in the hallway as more smoke exited from the building.

"We should be careful anyway," I analyzed.

"Yes, you definitely should."

The three of us whipped around, and to our shock, Raven and Boulder were standing behind us.

"Team Rocket!" Blaine shouted, stomping on the ground. "What happened here?!"

"None of your concern, old man," Boulder retorted.

Raven offered an outstretched hand. "Hand us those items, sweetie, and we'll be on our way."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused. Blaine was even more puzzled.

"Don't lie to me!" the female Grunt shouted. "We didn't wait here for ten hours in the hot sun just to not get what we want! I know you have them!"

I nodded to Lightning, and she jumped off my shoulder, ready to battle. "I don't know what's going on, but I won't let you hurt us!"

Lightning nodded and emitted some strong electrical sparks.

Raven crossed her arms. "Fine, have it your way. Ready, Boulder?"

Before Boulder could respond, a thick black smoke crept over us. We all coughed, and then I heard two heavy things collapse onto the ground. When the smoke cleared, the two Grunts were asleep, each from a blow dart sticking out of their right arms.

"That was easier than I thought. And they're the ones that ambushed me in the Safari Zone," a male voice said from the roof of the Laboratory. We looked up and saw Koga leap over us. He landed gracefully while Nekode floated towards us, laughing at his achievement.

"KOGA!" Blaine roared, stomping the ground once more. "What was that for?! And what's going on?!"

Koga bluntly replied, "You're welcome, Blaine...And what do you think happened?! We were ambushed by Team Rocket. They took everyone, including Weldon and Samir."

"But if Boulder and Raven were here, you could've been replaced by a Team Rocket Grunt. How do we know you're actually Koga?" I questioned.

Koga sighed, then smiled. He showed me an open hand. "Summer, take out your Soul Badge and place it on my hand."

I immediately became suspicious. "Why…?"

"I promise you that I am Koga, and the Soul Badge will prove it."

"Okay…" I cautiously took out my badge from its case and placed it on his outstretched hand. To my astonishment, the pink heart-shaped badge levitated and spun around in circles. After a few seconds, it gently landed back on Koga's palm and flashed green.

Blaine saw my surprised face and explained, "Our badges also function as identification tools for the Pokémon League. It's proof that Trainers didn't forge them in order to participate in the regional tournaments. As an added safety measure, these badges can also recognize the Gym Leader in charge of them to ensure their authenticity."

"So you are, Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City?" I slowly surmised. The ninja nodded and returned my badge. I smiled and relaxed after seeing the shuriken he usually hid in his left sleeve. "Then how did you escape?"

Blaine chuckled. "You used the secret panel, didn't you?"

"You know me too well, my old friend." Koga took out some purple fans and whipped them into the damaged building. The smoke was driven out through the open windows, making the interior more visible. He then led us upstairs to the top floor.

"We expected this would happen," Koga explained. "After you two left last night, Erika had suspicions that Giovanni would send his Grunts after us. We decided to make sure our special items were in safe hands. As part of this strategy, the Lieutenant told Weldon to give our treasures to you."

Although this answered my question of why he was outside my room this morning, I asked, "He did? I didn't see them inside my backpack earlier."

"He placed it in a pocket you don't use often."

When we entered the conference room, I rummaged through my backpack and saw my Key Items pocket was slightly unfastened. When I opened it, I found a medium drawstring bag, which contained five mushrooms, Articuno's feather, and Zapdos's feather.

Koga further explained, "I used this drawstring bag during my missions. It's made of a special material that allows it to hold a large amount of items despite its size."

"What happened to the rest of the mushrooms?" I asked, hoping I was finally going to receive an answer about the mysterious fungi.

"I used most of them to prepare something in advance. When grinded and mixed with Sleep Powder and water, the combination makes an effective sleeping drug that instantly puts the target to sleep. I have saved the rest in my canteen designed for this purpose."

"So that's what the mushrooms are for…!" I realized.

Koga slightly turned away. "It is not the only use these mushrooms have. But I will explain that later."

I took out the feather I received from Moltres in my backpack and placed it with the others. The three feathers briefly glowed white, as if they were having a mini reunion.

Koga nodded. "We have everything we need to start our attack against Giovanni."

"But what about the brown bird?" I asked.

Blaine replied, "I think it'll arrive soon enough. Besides, the feathers are more important than ever since Giovanni now has two of the Legendary Birds."

Koga nodded. "We need to continue to safeguard these feathers. I do not want to know what could happen if Giovanni found out we have them."

"I can let my Pokémon hold them," I offered. I let out Blaze and Swirls and handed them Moltres's and Articuno's feathers.

"We shall guard them will all of our power," Blaze promised.

"Totally, Dudette!" Swirls agreed.

I then looked at Lightning, who respectfully took Zapdos's feather. "I'll take care of it, Summer. I don't mind staying in my Pokéball."

"Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it." I returned everyone and looked at the two Gym Leaders.

"Now, for the most difficult part," Koga said. "We need to infiltrate Saffron City and the Silph Company building."

Blaine giggled and revealed, "If you're talking about disguises, I know just how to get them!"

I looked at the sleeping Grunts and made a weird face.

Koga saw me and laughed. "Blaine, we are not doing the whole 'steal disguises from unconscious people' tactic. I have uniforms hidden in the Laboratory."

"How did you get them?" Blaine asked, slightly disappointed.

"I stole them during the ambush. Also part of the plan."

After Koga handed me a Grunt uniform, I went into the bathroom and put it on. I adjusted the cap in front of the mirror and tied up my hair so it'd be harder for the enemy to recognize me. I sighed disappointedly.

This uniform is so baggy and black... And people say black makes you look slimmer… At least they're comfortable…

Someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, Koga and Blaine were waiting, also dressed as Team Rocket Grunts. Their clothes fit them better, but the men also looked uncomfortable.

Koga sadly exhaled. "To think I have to wear these after all these years."

"That was a few months ago for you, Koga..." Blaine bluntly pointed out.

Koga became annoyed but didn't let it bother him. "Anyway. Are we ready to depart?"

"When and how are we getting to Saffron City?" I inquired.

The ninja watched the sun setting outside the windows. "When we ninjas move best: under the cover of darkness. Yatate and Errol should suffice for the two of us."

Blaine pondered a bit. "I guess I can use Ollie. He can run over the ocean posts until we reach Fuchsia City. It'll be easy travels from there." He then paused. "Going back to face the man who almost killed me...I don't know if I can take it!" He panicked again, but the deep breathing wasn't helping.

"Hey, Blaine," I calmly said. "Think of a riddle to calm yourself down."

The old man slowly chuckled and regained his composure. "Very well!" After some thought, he asked us, "Give it air and it will live. Give it water and it will die. What is-"

"- Fire," Koga quickly responded.

Blaine was surprised and annoyed. "That's just like you, Koga. Ever since I've known you, you know every answer to my riddles…"

"Actually, I have the same riddles book you do. It is getting late. We must now depart."

Koga quietly dashed out of the building, then Blaine, who was muttering under his breath. I put my Pokéballs into my backpack, then that into the drawstring bag. I stored the sack under the shirt of the uniform, and exited the Lab. The two Gym Leaders, Yatate, and a large lion-looking Pokémon awaited me. The new Pokémon had the same coloring as Growlithe, which made me believe this was its evolved form.

[Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon and the evolved form of Growlithe. This fleet-footed Pokémon is said to run of 6,200 miles in a single day and night. The fire that blazes wildly within its body is its source of power.]

After being introduced to Ollie, I let Errol out and climbed into his back. He eagerly took off, wanting to redeem himself from his performance earlier in the week. Once Koga and Yatate caught up to us, and Blaine mounted his majestic Arcanine, we left Cinnabar Island behind.

The two Grunts, who were still lying on the ground started to stir when Ollie sprinted past them. "Wh-what happened?" Boulder groggily asked.

Raven rubbed her eyes and surveyed the scene. She felt the dart on her neck and slowly became furious. "Koga! He escaped the ambush and attacked us!"

"But how was that possible?!" Boulder grunted, removing his dart. "I thought he was captured along with everyone else!"

Raven did the same and stood up, worried about the unexpected turn of events. "It doesn't matter now. We need to go back to HQ."

Boulder nodded, and the two used their Nidoking and Nidoqueen to swim back to the mainland.

"So what's the plan, Koga?" Blaine asked as we spied on the south gate to Saffron City from the western hills. Two mean-looking Grunts and their Arbok guarded the small building. Through the glass doors, two more Grunts were inside, though not as physically fit.

Koga grinned. "Typical defense strategy. I will handle this."

Yatate smiled as well and followed his master. The two quietly inched towards the guards, and when they were close enough, Koga threw a pebble on the opposite side of the road. The Grunts heard the soft clink and went to investigate where the pebble landed. Koga put some of the sleeping draught onto Yatate's wings, then pointed to the distracted men. Yatate softly laughed and took off, striking the men and their Pokémon with Wing Attack. Before the four realized what just happened, they collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

"What was that?" The two Grunts ran outside and saw their comrades on the floor. One of them touched his radio and about to communicate to their superiors when Yatate slammed into them with his wings. Afterwards, Blaine and I helped Koga carry the sleeping Grunts and Arbok into some nearby bushes.

"That was really cool, Koga!" I whispered. "I didn't think the sleeping draught would work like that."

Koga gave me a soft smile. "Yatate has much practice with this application. He knows how to administer the draught quickly."

Blaine adjusted his glasses and cap. "Now, onto Silph Co.!"

"What exactly is the Silph Co.?" I asked.

Blaine played with his mustache. "It's a company that makes new technology that helps with Pokémon relationships. Kind of like the Devon Corporation in your region."

"I see. That makes sense."

We calmly walked through the south gate and entered a city filled with Grunts patrolling the streets. Koga motioned us to an alley, and we used them to silently make our way towards an eleven-story building with a Pokéball motif on top of the entryway. A strange dark red light illuminated the rooftop, proving Team Rocket was doing something sinister up there. Blaine, Koga, and I spied on the three glass doors of the building's entrance. To our surprise, no one was guarding the doors and the first floor lobby. We slowly entered the Silph Co. headquarters and found a door. We quickly made our way inside, which turned out to be a storage closet.

"Alright, here is the plan," Koga laid out. "Because we are in disguise, it should not cause much suspicion. Blaine, go find Samir. I am sure he is in great danger."

Blaine gave a thumbs up. "Shouldn't be too hard. After all...he is my successor."

Koga nodded. "Summer, you and I will try to find our friends and colleagues. I am not sure where they are, but we should separate to cover more ground. If you get captured, it would be best not to cause a ruckus."

"You…mean… I should let them capture me?" I nervously pointed out.

Koga smiled, putting me slightly at ease. "Do not worry. Despite the circumstances, you would be able to free them because you have your backpack in the drawstring bag. Speaking of bags, I think it would be best to have Blaze, Swirls, and Lightning's Pokéballs on your person. If you are captured, they will most likely confiscate them. Team Rocket most likely separated our comrades from their Pokéballs, so your Pokémon would assist them immensely with the escape. Can you do this dangerous task?"

I was reluctant, since I never had my Pokémon stolen before. But I couldn't say no. "Of course." I took out the Pokéballs and clipped them to my belt.

"Thank you, Summer."

Blaine nodded and said, "I'll leave first. Good luck you too." He waved goodbye and left the room. Hearing his footsteps disappear meant he headed up the stairs.

Koga scanned the room and motioned it was safe to leave. We walked out, and he said, "I will search the upper floors."

I nodded. "Then I'll do the lower floors."

"Good luck, Summer." The ninja calmly walked to a red elevator in the middle of the room and used it to reach the upper floors. The room became eerily quiet except for the large fountain bubbling in the center.

All right...time to be sneaky…

I silently made my way upstairs to the second floor. The white walls, tropical potted plants, and lime green tiles made it a bright and cheery looking floor, despite the situation. The gray dividers throughout the floor indicated this was used as office space.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps approached my location. I ducked behind the nearest potted plant and watched a Grunt walking towards where I was earlier.

That looks like that green-haired Grunt. I wonder what he's doing…

The man walked past me, making me really nervous. Luckily he didn't notice me and stepped on an orange tile. He instantly disappeared, and I gasped.

A warp tile! I didn't know these existed outside of Secret Bases.

I glanced towards my left, making sure no one else was coming, then tiptoed to the strange panel. The instant I stepped on it, I was immediately transported to another floor. My head started to throb from the sudden movement, but it recovered when I heard something further down the hallway. I inched over, hid behind another potted plant, and heard two familiar voices.

"How're the prisoners?" Archer asked.

"Fine, I guess," the green-haired Grunt shrugged. "They should be waking up soon, but they'll be too groggy to do anything."

"Did you move them to the new spot?"

"Yeah, in the seventh floor supply closet. Who knew that room was so huge?"

"Yeah," Archer agreed. "Anyway, Boss is almost ready for the summoning. We're just waiting for those two to come and hand us Moltres."

The green-haired Grunt snickered. "Finally! I'll get my revenge on her."

"Calm down. They haven't arrived yet. Let's check the gates to see if anything happened."

They walked down the stairs, unknowingly passing by the person they were waiting for. I left my hiding spot once I no longer heard their footsteps.

So they're on the seventh floor. I should get down there and try to free them before I get captured.

I warily walked downstairs and saw that this floor was used as a laboratory. The Silph Co. scientists stood behind worktables filled with expensive chemistry equipment, forced by several Team Rocket Grunts to do their work.

"Hey!" a female Grunt shouted. I nervously turned to my right and saw Ariana and her Arbok glaring at me. "Who are you?!"

"I-I'm a new Grunt," I answered in a high-pitched tone, hoping she wouldn't recognize me.

Arbok sniffed the air with her tongue and hissed, "Liar!"

Her Trainer scoffed. "Nice try, I know who you are. Where's Moltres?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." I continued with my false voice.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way. Arbok, Glare!"

The Cobra Pokémon paralyzed me with her sharp glare before I could react. I helplessly watched Ariana take my three Pokéballs. Arbok then dragged me to a door across the hallway and threw me inside. The door clicked from the outside, and I heard them leave.

I slowly regained movement when I heard Misty's groggy voice, "Summer, is that you?"

I turned around and realized I found the supply closet with the other Gym Leaders and Weldon, who were starting to recover from their attack.

Pokémon: Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Foresight, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Doubleslap

Lightning (Pikachu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Sweet Kiss

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Onix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Throw, Slam, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Questions for the Chapter:

Will Summer succeed in freeing her friends?

Will Koga and Blaine be able to complete their roles of the plan?