Ha! Finally completed this chapter!
I spent almost all day yesterday trying to think of how end it. It was driving me nuts, and I'm still not too satisfied with it, but eh.

And to a recent review: yeah, I'm still alive! XD

Chapter 23
Team Rocket's Revival

Earlier on that day, when the sun was closer to touching the eastern horizon in Azalea, people busily trotted down the streets rather than hang about and chit-chat. A black PokéGear reflected a dull shimmer, and its owner clenched it as if he were wringing someone's neck; yet his voice contained nothing but restraint.

"I said goodbye," he forced out, pressing the phone's button without allowing another second to pass afterward. His PokéGear creaked under the pressure of his clenched hand.

"It seems quieter, doesn't it?"

At once, the redhead let up and held the phone loosely. The new voice, only vague in its familiarity, reached him without much of a response from him. He had the assumption that the speaker was talking to a random person other than him, and he refused to move from his leaning position against the metal streetlight.

"I'm talking to you, you know...Uh, heh, what was your name again? You battled me with your rival the other day."

Silver shifted his eye adjacent to him, but could see nothing but his long crimson locks. He lifted his head, scowling furiously soon after. "What the hell do you want, you weak and girly excuse for a Gym Leader?"

Bugsy nearly shuddered, but forced a grin. "Well, that wasn't too nice."

"What are you doing here? You are a Gym Leader, right?" Silver growled. "Stay in your Gym where you belong."

Bugsy nervously laughed. "Yes, well, I can always go back to the Gym when I get a challenger."

"I know," he muttered, glaring.

"Eh...heh. And also—." Bugsy averted his gaze, pretending to be interested in the horizon. He seemed extremely unnerved by the boy's rotten attitude. "I do more than sit around twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for challengers. I don't know how other Gym Leaders can manage doing just that."

Silver's glare lingered, as if experimenting to see whether doing just that would scare the Gym Leader away. But Bugsy sighed and, turning with a pensive and profound stare, looked right at him.

"If you want to find out about that Poké Ball, you might want to go to Kurt near the gate leading to Ilex Forest," he said.

It was momentarily silent. Silver lowered his PokéGear. "Humph," he looked away with a scowl, "What are you talking about?"

"Kurt makes great custom Poké Balls from Apricorns. Before Poké Balls, everyone used Apricorns. So, he might know about ancient ones too."

"Custom Poké Balls?" Silver raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he cracked a smirk. "Then I'll just go ask the man to make some that'll help me catch stronger Pokémon."

"And ask about that green ball of hers. See if it's actually a Poké Ball or not."

Silver's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "...Something tells me that you actually know about it more than he would," he retorted.

"Nope, I just know you're thinking about it. Human curiosity and all." Bugsy, shrugging, crossed his arms and began to walk away.

"Hold it," Silver snapped. The purple-haired boy paused. "Are you even Bugsy? Last time I heard, the actual Azalea Gym Leader had eyes that matched his hair color."

"Hm." Bugsy looked over his shoulder, grinning as he glanced with his cool scarlet irises. "That's a common misconception, actually."

"Humph. Whatever, I couldn't care less anyways."

"I know." After a moment, Bugsy added with a friendly laugh, "And going to the Slowpoke Well will help you blow off some steam. You looked really pissed off."

At that, he turned and strolled down the street toward his Gym. Silver's eyes bore into his back. Silver put away his PokéGear and cast one more paranoid glance before heading westbound toward Kurt's house...

Mud squished underneath Silver's feet as he traveled through the cavern of Slowpoke Well. His arms folded, he kept his senses clear and acutely observant. The lamps hanging on the dirt wall beside him, giving him his only source of light, were unscathed and without the wear of age. With a brief glance to the floor, the wet soil showed signs of fresh footprints; not just that, but the patterns imprinted were similar, if not exact. A group of people trekked through this cavern, all wearing the same brand of shoe, like a uniform. No doubt it was like the black garb that Team Rocket grunt from earlier.

Silver paused. Echoing reached his ears, and he peered ahead, spying two shadows moving away from his sight at the end of the passage. He huffed. "Well, the prissy Gym Leader was right," he muttered, throwing on a smirk. "Looks like I will have something to take my anger out on."

The boy listened silently, unmoving. Reckless laughing and chatter could be heard without straining himself as he was. Slowly, he moved his hand to grab a Poké Ball.

"Slooooooooooooooooooooooooow..."

A faint, lazy yawn went on for at least a minute, catching him off-guard. But the inhuman sounds made him click his tongue in disinterest. "Just the dumb Slowpoke," he muttered. "Surprised they didn't just kill them already."

His thoughts were cut short as he heard fast-paced footsteps behind him. At once, Silver whirled around. He again scowled in annoyance as Kenta's silhouette became clearer, and the hat-wearing boy slowed to a stop a few feet in front of him.

"What do you want?" Silver asked. Then, for good measure, he added wryly, "You wimp."

Kenta glared, one that the red-haired boy returned with just as much distaste.

"You're wasting my time," Silver accused, "Leave." He continued down the cavern.

"Hey," Kenta called. He followed him, though not necessarily close. They were reaching the end of the passage, and the area ahead appeared to open up from the narrow path the two Trainers were following. Kenta, puzzled, watched Silver lead. "How—?"

"Shut up," Silver interrupted, "They'll hear us."

"You mean...Team Rocket?" Kenta asked roughly, though nonetheless quieter.

Silver nodded. "If you're going to tag along, the least you can do is not blow my cover."

"I'm not 'tagging along'," Kenta shot back in an angry whisper, "I'm going to fight, too."

"Humph. Suit yourself. But if you lose, don't come crying to me."

"I won't lose."

"Just shut up already." As Silver said this, they were leaving the passage, but he had turned around to glare at Kenta, who had lost his remaining patience.

"You shut up!" Kenta exclaimed.

"Hey! Brats!" A voice nearby called out, interrupting them.

The boys turned their heads. Two adults, a male and a female, stood a short distance away from them and stared at them strangely. Both wore a black uniform similar to the man who had attempted to guard the well's entrance, though the girl wore a miniskirt rather than pants. Nonetheless, each prominently displayed the large red "R" on their chests.

Silver gritted his teeth, instantly grabbing a red and white sphere from his jacket. "Screw this."

"That's really Team Rocket?" Kenta murmured to himself. He glanced at Silver, whose iron-cold eyes now stabbed into the pair before them.

Both of the adults pulled out their own Poké Balls, but they remained content. The woman sneered. "You better leave, kiddies. We're busy here."

"You're the ones that should leave," Kenta said. "Quit cutting off Slowpoke tails!"

"Slowpoke tails grow back fast! What's wrong with selling them?" she returned, placing a hand on her hip.

"You're hurting them!"

"They're just lousy Slowpoke."

Her partner smirked. "Yeah. If we listened to you, Team Rocket's rep would be ruined!"

"Fine!" exclaimed Kenta. He pulled out his own Poké Ball and clasped the red and white sphere tightly. "If you won't listen, then I'll make you leave!"

Silver huffed. "Don't expect me to help you."

Kenta scowled at him. "I still don't like you, nor do I trust you."

"Humph, like I care," Silver said. He threw the Poké Ball to release his Houndour, which barked readily as it made its appearance.

For just a moment, Kenta stared at it in surprise. The eruption of Pokémon cries pulled him from this gawking, and the two Team Rocket grunts had sent out a Zubat and Rattata. He hurled the sphere in his hand. "Go, Spear!" he called.

Spear, his Beedrill, rose into the air with its long, thin pointers ready. Silver merely cast a glance at it before focusing on the opponents before him. "Ember, now!"

"Spear, Fury Attack!" Kenta ordered.

The pair in black smirked as they commanded their own Pokémon to attack. It was the first battle, but certainly it wouldn't be the last.

Deep in Ilex Forest resided a lake, and its existence was little known. The pond was clear and pure, glittering peacefully at its surroundings, which complimented the picture-perfect reservoir with utmost brilliance. A few Pokémon basked in the sunlight in the distant banks, but other than that the area was shrouded in a simple and valuable peace often seen by environments left untouched by human hands.

Farfetch'd popped out of the woods in a sprint, and its eyes brightened with joy at the sight of the lake. Despite its exhaustion from running away from a certain tenacious girl, it carried a fervent stride and skipped toward it.

Quaking in delight, it slowly waddled toward the water, snickering perhaps at the idea of swimming to the other side to further entice a reaction from its pursuer.

The resonance of a bell suddenly chimed throughout the area, causing Farfetch'd to halt. It looked around, its feathers flicking at the peculiar wind that gusted across the lake, disturbing the smooth glass-like surface. An orb of neon green light formed high above the center of the water, and the Pokémon watched with an open bill as the winds continued in quick drafts from the glow.

A harmonic, mysterious sound arose once more, echoing throughout the forest. Trees from all around shone in response, their leaves glittering with an aura of light azure.

"Ka?" Farfetch'd queried, unsure of whether to be amazed or afraid at the occurrence. From within the swirling green illumination, a small entity appeared. Farfetch'd dropped its stick the moment the fairy met its sky blue eyes with the duck Pokémon.

"Farfetch'd? Farfetch'd?" Marina called. Even when no reply came, not even the twitter of other Pokémon, she continued. Her eyes shifted worryingly around her at the thick tree trunks and waist-high grass, which were all that she could see. She paused again, taking a deep breath to calm her body that slightly trembled.

I really shouldn't have gone off the trail...I hope I can find my way back...else... The girl shook her head, nervously adjusting her bandana. No, don't think of that just yet. I should find Farfetch'd first...

But now I completely lost sight of it. She had not heard the familiar laugh-like squawking of the bird Pokémon for quite some time. So what now?

Leaning on the closest tree to her, Marina rested on it quietly. She blinked as a leaf intricately fell in front of her face, and she craned her neck upward. The sun's rays were strong now, shedding more light through the canopy. Her evergreen eyes traversed around her, noting the various sizes of plants that coexisted side-by-side; the green moss and long strings of lively vines growing on the bark, and some trees bore fruits while others had large gaping holes within their trunks, from which a few small Pokémon peeked out at her curiously.

Marina smiled slightly at the scenery. "This really isn't that bad."

I remember I used to hate forests for a while, she thought. But I can't remember why… Maybe I got lost one time.

A light wind tickled her cheek, and leaves whispered in the breeze's caress. Marina looked up again as a peaceful, almost holy sound reached her ears. She gasped and pushed herself back to standing position, staring at the river of transparent blue light that shimmered in the canopy.

"What's...going on?" she wondered. She turned toward the headwind, where a faint light glistened like a gentle lantern. Curious, Marina sprinted toward it, but the light show above faded with a divine echo just as she reached a large clearing.

Again, she was taken by surprise as she gazed upon the lake that sparkled with silent elegance, as if welcoming her. But as she looked at the bank, her face brightened the moment she spotted the duck Pokémon sitting beside a spherical yellow object.

"Farfetch'd! There you are!" she said in relief as she reached it.

The duck stared blankly at the air above the water, and quietly turned to her.

Almost hesitant, Marina bent down beside it, looking at the large egg beside it. "Is that...your egg?" she asked.

With a jolt, Farfetch'd retrieved its dropped leek and pointed at the sky. Though Marina followed its gaze, she saw nothing peculiar.

"I don't see anything, but...I guess I can't just leave it here by itself." She looked around, being sure that no other Pokémon were present before gently picking up the canary yellow egg, which was also decorated in a few soft red spots.

Professor Elm would probably be ecstatic to see it, she thought. She stood, easily bearing the lightweight egg, looking down at Farfetch'd.

"Hey, Farfetch'd?"

"Ka?" It turned to her.

"Can you please take me back to the trail so we can return you to the person taking care of you?" she asked, hopeful to persuade the now calm Pokémon.

The bird stared at Marina's friendly face and manipulated its own to appear in deep thought, somewhat understanding her words. But Farfetch'd nodded and turned on a dime. It marched away from the lake boldly, the green stick held high above its head.

"Thank you!" Marina said gratefully, following the Pokémon at an even pace for the first time. She glanced back at the beautiful lake, grinning at it before focusing on keeping pace with Farfetch'd.

As they treaded further, the blue-eyed fairy Pokémon poked its head from behind a tree. It made a small smile and giggled serenely as it soared through the trees freely away from them.

Kenta and Silver walked in silence as they strode deeper into the well. The floor gradually grew wetter with smelly, sitting water, making footing more difficult. Kenta scanned around them, sharply on the lookout in case another Team Rocket member was to ambush them. Since the first battle, both kept good distance from one another and avoided eye contact. Though they fought the few battles together, neither thought to bother wasting breath on each other.

"I don't get you two."

"Huh?" Surprised the boy said something to him, Kenta turned to Silver, who had stopped.

The red-haired boy shifted his head a bit, his narrow gray eyes watching him. He turned away and continued onward. "Never mind. We're wasting time."

Kenta stared after him, puzzled yet annoyed. He took another step forward, and his foot caught on something. He waved his arms as he tripped, grabbing onto the wet cavern wall before he hit the ground.

"Humph, klutz," Silver ridiculed with a sneer.

"It's dark," Kenta snapped.

"Slooooooooooooooow..."

Upon hearing the low yawn at their feet, they looked down and Kenta took a step away from the pink creature lying on the ground. It slowly raised its head and looked up at them. With eyes half-closed and feeble, the Pokémon made another yawn.

"Sloooow," it murmured drowsily.

"A Slowpoke," Kenta exclaimed.

"Obviously," replied Silver, rolling his eyes.

Kenta glared at him and took out his Pokédex, which instantly spoke as the screen viewed a picture of the Pokémon.

"Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokémon. Type: Water/Psychic
Slowpoke tend to laze around vacantly near water. It is always so absent-minded that it won't react; even if its flavorful tail is bitten, it won't notice for a whole day. A sweet sap leaks from its tail's tip and, although not nutritious, the tail is pleasant to chew."

A frown twisted on Kenta's face. "You can't be serious," he said, skeptical. The other boy observed the single Slowpoke as Kenta put away the Pokédex.

"Cut clean," he muttered.

"What?" Kenta followed his stare. The Slowpoke's tail was indeed gone, left only a stub that oozed crimson liquid into the thin layer of well water. "What the...? They've actually been cutting off and selling tails?"

"Why else would these idiots be down here?" Silver responded. "Slowpoke are famous for inhabiting the streets of Azalea. But recently they've all disappeared, and they're all here because Team Rocket is rounding them up.

"I don't care what they do to the stupid Slowpoke, of course," he added to Kenta, who shot him another glower.

"Clever boy, you are..."

The two of them turned toward the very end of the passage, where a young man approached them. He passed by the other Slowpoke left scattered about the room. The same black uniform, like all other grunts, covered his figure.

"Slowpoke regenerate their tails fairly quickly, and we can make a good profit selling them," he stated with a grin. "We need the money for Team Rocket's triumphant resurrection."

The man released a laugh. "That's why we're down here cutting off Slowpoke tails. It's not easy being a Rocket!"

"So you're just making a pathetic attempt to bring back what's dead," replied Silver with a dark frown. "How do you expect to rise without your leader?"

Stopping his laughter, he eyed both of the young Trainers, who glared at him with Poké Balls in hand. Looking at his belt, he grabbed his own sphere, tossing it in the air a few times. "You'll see. We've been continuing our activities underground, all this time. We're cooking up a good plan, and no twerp is going to ruin it for us again!"

"Humph." Silver intensely glared at the boy beside him. "I'm going to battle."

"But—!"

"I hate the weak," Silver replied ruthlessly. "Pokémon, Trainers, it doesn't matter who or what. I'm going to be strong and wipe out the weak, and that goes for Team Rocket too. They act big and tough in the group, but get them alone and they're just pathetic weaklings."

The boy clenched his Poké Ball tightly. "I hate them all... So you stay out of my way!" He threw the sphere, his Croconaw bursting out with a loud snap of its jaws.

That's... Kenta eyed the two-legged crocodile, his expression turning grave.

"Who said I was going to fight?" laughed the Team Rocket member. He sent out a round, purple Pokémon that wore a toxin symbol in yellow below its goofy grin. It seemed to laugh in a scratchy tone, spewing smoke out of the many holes around its small floating body.

"You're going to run already?" Silver asked with a disapproving scowl.

"I consider it a strategic retreat," he laughed once more, "We got enough profit, and you've already missed our temporary leader; I'm nothing more than a grunt!" He raised a hand covered in a gray glove, snapping his fingers with a wide smile nearly matching that of his Pokémon. "Koffing, Self-Destruct!"

The boy's tensed as Koffing's body shone white. It let out a haughty laugh and a violent blast erupted from the Pokémon, sending wind, smoke, and water flying their way. Kenta covered his mouth with his sleeve as he, Silver, and Silver's Croconaw braced the attack. Within moments, as fast as the attack had come, the smoke—as well as the Team Rocket grunt and his Koffing—had vanished.

"They got away," Kenta said as he looked around stubbornly, unhappy to admit it. The tailless Slowpoke lazed around without notice of the explosion or of the shattered lanterns nearby. He felt a bit of relief that they did not seem to be in pain, and he reminded himself to help Kurt on their way out of the well. Bracing himself for the redhead's rotten attitude, he turned to tell him this.

He relaxed his shoulders, however, as he found himself standing alone. In the darkness, he could just barely make out Silver's silhouette before the boy blended into the shadows. Kenta readily decided against calling him out.

What's with that guy? He frowned slightly. He hates Team Rocket? Not that I don't feel the same way, but with the way he is… What does he have against them?