Cynthia was stood on the platform in the same room that she had first addressed all the trainers on the first day of the training camp. Once again, behind her were the specialists that she had managed to assemble. 'Champion' had, surprisingly, not commented on their use, and she suspected he enjoyed the idea as much as she did. At least she hoped so. In front of her were the trainers, assembled as they had been three days previously. The only difference was that stood next to her was the Pokémon Master, in his standard black clothes. The man who she had spent more than two months trying to understand and get to know, and failed miserably in both tasks. Unlike last time, when she had done the talking, Cynthia stood and listened as 'Champion' stepped forwards to address the thirty trainers in front of him.
"Cynthia has prevailed on me to spend a day helping with the training. That day is today. I will make something clear from the start. I do not have time to deal with those who aren't willing to listen. I will not repeat things. And if I suspect that you are wasting my time, you will regret it. Questions?"
There was a silence so complete that it was deafening. Nobody moved, not wanting to be the one to disturb the greatest Pokémon Trainer in living memory. 'Champion' waited a moment, before starting to talk once again.
"Proceed to the mixed fields."
Cynthia winced slightly at the commanding tone, but nobody complained or even looked like they were considering it. Every trainer that she had invited to the camp had been eager at the opportunity to learn under her; a trainer that everybody had considered the best of a generation until 'Champion' taken her title. Coupled with the chance to train under specialists who understood their type perfectly, and it was hard to say no. However, she knew that this was what they had all truly hoped for; the chance to train with the Pokémon Master. Misty in particular looked absolutely thrilled, having experienced first-hand how skilled he was. Pikachu, who had insisted on coming today was looking equally eager, but he also had a hidden idea, to try to work out why the Pokémon Master seemed so familiar.
As they reached the field, they found the four regions set up with four different types; Water, Fire, Rock and a standard battlefield. The water field was a simple pool without any platforms, whilst the rock was equally standard across the majority of stadiums. The fire field was field of hot coals which had platforms suspended over it. 'Champion' stood waiting for the trainers as they stood on the edge of the battle area. As the last one arrived, 'Champion' gave a simple command.
"Those of you that have one, release a Water Pokémon."
Of the thirty trainers, only nine didn't have a Water-type, and soon the water field was busy with Pokémon. Misty felt 'Champions' eye on her as she fingered her Pokéballs, and she chose to release her Dewgong into the water. As the last of the Pokémon materialized, 'Champion' held up his hand, a Pokéball in it, and released his Sharpedo onto the edge of the Rock field next to the Water field. All the water Pokémon instantly turned to face the Brutal Pokémon, but Sharpedo scanned them until he saw Misty's Dewgong. As the two Pokémon locked eyes, Sharpedo smiled at the Sea Lion Pokémon. Not the smirk it had on its face whilst battling, but a smile which was one between two comrades. Dewgong blinked, then smiled back, before her attention was sent back to 'Champion' who was talking again.
"Water is fluid, and ever changing, whilst possessing great power. Water Pokémon are among the most versatile when used properly, in particular their amphibious abilities giving them a whole new area to dodge into. However, the concept of an ever-changing machine is one that can be incorporated into battling. Particularly in the ability to dodge attacks, but fluidity is vital in moving from attack to defense and stringing attacks together. Observe." He then turned to Cynthia and nodded, causing the ex-master to turn to her Milotic that she had released.
"Milotic, Hydro Pump followed by Aqua Tail."
The Tender Pokémon raised its head before firing a torrent of water at Sharpedo. Sharpedo lurched to the side, to avoid the water before firing his own attack straight back catching Milotic before she could use Aqua Tail. Struggling through the impact of Sharpedo's Water Gun, Milotic surged forwards, only to find that Sharpedo had dived into the water, using a weak Crunch on Milotic as she passed overhead. Sharpedo then spun away from Milotics second Hydro Pump, firing another Water Gun at point-blank range sending Milotic crashing back into the water. Cynthia then called out for her Pokémon to use recover, and to stop the fight as Sharpedo regained his original position.
"So, there you saw Sharpedos fluidity. He dodged an attack before firing his own whilst still having enough time to dodge and attack again." 'Champion' said. "Sharpedo was holding his attacks back there, but you saw how hard it is for Milotic to fight back. The crucial part is when your Pokémon dodge is that they can then get an attack in before their opponent can recover. If they come out facing the wrong way, you have gained nothing. And when done properly, you will see that your fights become more visually inspiring, something of importance to both trainers and coordinators. A Pokémon fighting with the fluidity of water is a sight to behold as well as being very hard to defeat. You will be able to practice this later, but now your Pokémon have seen and heard, recall them."
The trainers did as he ordered, their faces showing their concentration as they listened to 'Champion'. He moved away from the water field after recalling Sharpedo, and stepped towards the Fire field. As the trainers assembled around it, they were ordered to release the fire types that they had. Once the Fire Pokémon were stood on the hot coals, 'Champion' released his Charizard, who stood at the center of the field, tall and proud. 'Champion' then turned back to the trainers.
"Fire itself is dangerous, possessing incredible power but can be hard to control. Trying to get fire to do what you want can be a long, difficult task. Fire Pokémon are similar in nature, often capable of the most powerful attacks, but Fire types are notoriously hard to control. With these Pokémon trust is vital to being able to use them effectively. Once you have Pokémon their trust, you need to work on timing. If you are able to have them strike at the right moment, they can be devastating, but at the wrong moment and it is wasted. Observe."
This time it was Cynthia's Garchomp that had been chosen to help with the demonstration, and at a command from Cynthia he fired a Flamethrower at Charizard, who dodged with a smooth turn. As Garchomp continued to try to hit Charizard, 'Champion' turned back to the trainers.
"At the moment Charizard is merely dodging to try to get no advantage. This is useful at times, but works best when your Pokémon are able to dodge using the least possible effort, like Charizard is now. The lesson from the water can then be applied, and Charizard can dodge and strike back with devastating force from a position where he won't miss. For this example, Charizard will strike an area to the side of Garchomp, as the intention of the lesson is not to injure Cynthia's Pokémon."
Turning back to his Pokémon who was still dodging, 'Champion' gave a command. As the next Flamethrower streaked in, Charizard suddenly jumped, allowing it to pass immediately under him. Before the attack even reached where he had been, Charizard struck back, a devastatingly powerful Blast Burn attack scorching an area ten meters to the side of Garchomp who couldn't move since he was still attacking. Despite the distance, the power of the attack could be felt across the room, and Garchomp visibly reeled backwards at the impact of it. Charizard then settled back to the ground as if he hadn't moved, whilst 'Champion' turned back to the watching trainers.
"Here you saw Charizard not get hit once whilst he struck back with overwhelming force as when the chance presented itself. The concept of a devastating strike comes most naturally to fire Pokémon so I am demonstrating it with them, but with sufficient work any Pokémon is capable of it. And dodging is something that any Pokémon is capable of doing, even one as large as Charizard. He didn't use his wings once, and yet dodged some twenty Flamethrowers. Now, recall your Fire Pokémon."
As the trainers did so, 'Champion' recalled Charizard and stepped over to the Rock field, letting the trainers follow. 'Champion' told them to release Rock or Ground types which they did, before releasing his Onix. As the Rock Snake Pokémon reared his head, 'Champion' turned to the trainers once again.
"Rock itself is unyielding, never giving way and being resolutely stubborn. Rock Pokémon are notorious for their ability to endure attacks. This, once again is something that can be taught to all Pokémon, regardless of type, although this is one of the harder things to teach. However, the hidden strength of the Rock-type is in the ability to strike multiple times whilst enduring a hit. If you attack Onix and he dodges and strikes back he gets in one attack which you might not be able to dodge. Yet if Onix knows that your attack won't hurt him at all, he will endure it and strike back two or three times if he is quick enough. Once again, observe."
Cynthia had sent Garchomp across to face up against Onix. The Pokémon had volunteered to do as much of the training as possible, simply because he wanted to prove to the trainer who had beaten him that he was powerful. 'Champion' had agreed, since Garchomp was capable of most of what he needed. As Garchomp faced up to Onix, Cynthia called out another attack.
"Garchomp, Mud Shot."
As the stream of mud fired from Garchomp, Onix fired off a Rock Throw before using Earthquake. Garchomp was unable to dodge either as he was still using his own attack, and since he couldn't dodge, found himself hit by both. Getting back up, he looked at Onix, the Pokémon unfazed by the hit he had taken.
"There Onix demonstrated that by taking a hit, he can get in two of his own. Garchomp was unable to dodge because he was still attacking. Proceed to the last field."
Recalling Onix, and gesturing for the other trainers to do the same for their Pokémon, 'Champion' strode over to the final field, the standard field. Turning to the trainers, he released his Altaria, and then gave instruction for them to release any Flying Pokémon that they had.
"The last aspect that I will cover is simple; dodging. If you are up against a stronger opponent, a good strategy is to wait for him to make a mistake. Whilst you do that, you cannot let him hit your Pokémon. The best Pokémon at dodging are flying types, simply due to their extra dimension in which to move; the sky. Whilst the other aspects are vital, being able to dodge is crucial in both maximizing the usefulness of the water's fluidity and the fires' power. If you can dodge effectively, you can use the fluidity of water to move between attack and defense as well as the raw power of fire to make each attack count. Observe."
Garchomp started firing Flamethrowers up at Altaria who dodged with ease. Cynthia released her Milotic once again, and soon water attacks interspersed the fire attacks racing into the sky. Altaria dodged them all with ease, barely doing more than slipping side to side. Turning to the trainers, 'Champion' ordered them all to release a Pokémon that was capable of long range attacks, and to move their flying types out of the way. They quickly did so, leaving Altaria still dodging Garchomp and Altaria, whilst a flock of flying Pokémon watched from the side, and thirty more Pokémon stood watching from the ground, with the specialists not releasing any of theirs.
"Now order your Pokémon to attack Altaria." 'Champion' said. "Tell them to keep attacking until I order them to stop, and then watch."
Misty blanched at the instruction, realizing that Altaria was going to be forced to dodge more than thirty Pokémon attacking at different times, with different attacks. They might collide and explode, and other things that could be problematic. Feeling a weight leave her shoulder, Misty glanced down to see Pikachu watching Altaria, his cheeks sparking and a look of determination in his eye. He glanced back at Misty, with a smile, before focusing on the dodging Pokémon above him. Suddenly, all the other Pokémon except Pikachu who were on the ground started firing attacks up.
"Left, swerve up, dive, spiral up, loop down, race right" 'Champion' started calling up to Altaria, who followed his instructions to the letter. As time wore on, the trainers stood in awe of Altaria, as she successfully dodged the attacks minute after minute. As she got close to the ground, Pikachu fired his own electric attack up, which 'Champion' was able to give a command to dodge, much to the electric Pokémons annoyance. After nearly ten minutes of dodging, 'Champion' called a stop to the attacks. Altaria floated up in the sky, before descending to the center of the ring of Pokémon that had tried to knock her out of the sky. Barely breathing heavily at all, Altaria looked around at the Pokémon who had clearly felt the strain of such constant attacking. As the trainers stared in disbelief, 'Champion' spoke once again.
"What you just saw is a Pokémon who is good at dodging. When your Pokémon trust you to be able to guide them to the extent Altaria does with me, it is very hard to hit. The problem being with endurance, which is the second to last thing that I shall discuss with you. Your Pokémon must be physically fit, or they will struggle to be able to use all aspects of their fighting abilities to the greatest extent. For example, my Pokémon are capable of running long distance as well as firing attacks at a faster rate than yours were and for far, far longer. If you are unable to get your Pokémon to be as fit as they can be, then you will struggle to emulate what I have taught you here. As for how to teach this to your Pokémon, that is going to have to be for you to work out. I will say however, that some Pokémon are naturally good at certain aspects of what I have shown you, so you may wish to work with that type of Pokémon. The final thing to consider in battling is strategy. This is something that certain trainers excel at, such as Cynthia. If you want an example from my own fights, watch how Miss Waterflowers Gyarados was defeated when she challenged me."
'Champion' stopped speaking, and recalled his Altaria before striding away from the room. Cynthia recalled her Garchomp and Milotic before starting to talk once again.
"I think 'Champion' has just shown you something very valuable, not to say impressive. He will be around for the rest of the day, although he may not choose to make another appearance. His suggestion was that each of you go and train in the way that you wish for today. The specialists will not be instructing today, and I intend to take my Pokémon for an intense training session particularly with respect to what I've just been shown. I suggest that you do the same."
"So you see May, two of your friends have chosen to go against me and help out the Pokémon League that removed me from my job."
"Look Dad, I don't care what you think at the moment. Firstly, Misty and Dawn went to go help Cynthia, the person that maintained your post as Petalburg Gym Leader. Secondly, in his inauguration speech 'Champion' did state that he would be expecting Gyms to train young trainers. There is no reason why you couldn't, yet you didn't. Thirdly, I would have thought that you would have seen that he was serious when he had Pryce thrown out of his Gym."
May was getting exasperated. This was the third time in a week that her father had called her to try to get her to agree with him that he was wrongfully dismissed from his post. Equally, he had called Max twice in the same period to try to get him to agree. This time had been to tell her that her friends Misty and Dawn had gone to spend two weeks working for Cynthia at the Pokémon League. It would have surprised May if they hadn't both spoken to her after their arrival, to make sure that he was alright with it given that the Pokémon League had replaced her father. May was a little upset that he had been replaced, but she felt that perhaps he did somewhat deserve it. Over the last few years Norman had gotten more and more complacent in his role as Gym Leader, and May had heard mutterings around Petalburg City that he was neglecting some of his responsibilities. When she had first heard it, the Princess of Hoenn had been furious, but when she had looked around the city she realized that the stories might be right. There were some very poor regions in Petalburg, and Norman hadn't done much to help out. When May had spoken to her father about it, it had led to the worst argument that she had ever had with her parents, and eventually she had stormed out of the house. It had been two weeks before she spoke to her mother again, and nearly a month before she agreed to talk to her father. Before 'Champions' inspection of the Gym, she had known that a large section of the city was a breeding ground for dissent as there was high unemployment coupled with poor infrastructure. It wasn't like the city authorities, i.e. Norman didn't have the money available, he had merely focused on his gym at the expense of the city. And from what May had heard, when 'Champion' came calling, he had destroyed Norman's two most powerful Pokémon with a single attack, exposing the folly on which his arrogance was built. So whilst May was upset that Norman had been removed from his position as Gym Leader, she was also very grateful that the reason given was that he had not been teaching other trainers, and that there had been no mention in the papers that he might have been responsible for the decline of parts of Petalburg City. There had been rumors that Erika had been removed from Celadon after she had simply failed to manage the cities affairs sufficiently well, and May had feared that something similar would happen to Norman. There had been a considerable backlash against Erika, despite the lack of a confirmed rumor, and May was grateful that her family had avoided something similar. The fact that there wasn't she thought was enough, she didn't need her father constantly trying to persuade her to take an anti-league stance.
"But May, surely you can see that I have been mistreated? I should never have been replaced, it's…" Norman persisted, before being interrupted by his daughter.
"DAD!" May shouted, finally losing her temper. "I told you the first time, and I'll tell you for the tenth time, I will not support you in this. Drew and I are staying out of things at the moment, and frankly, when I warned you that you needed to devote more time to your other responsibilities you blew up in my face. Face the facts. You alone are responsible for this."
Norman suddenly looked upset.
"Is that really what you think May?" he asked.
"Yes Dad. I'm really sorry that you were replaced, but I think that to an extent you brought it upon yourself."
"Very well May. I'm sorry you think that, but it's clear that you've made your choice" Norman said, before hanging up.
May threw her hands up in exasperation. Her father could be so irritating when he felt aggrieved. As she settled back in her chair, she felt hands start to massage her shoulders. Sighing in relief, she relaxed as Drew continued to massage out the stress that invariably came with a call from her father.
"Are you alright?" her concerned boyfriend asked.
"Yeah. I think he's got the point now." May replied with a small smile. "At the moment I see no reason to join his crusade against the Pokémon Master."
"Good" Drew enthused. "Because your little brother is insisting that you go out and battle him He seems to be under the impression that you promised him the chance and if you are considering rejoining contests you could use the practice."
May grinned, before standing up, and giving Drew a quick kiss before they headed out to the field just outside their house in Littleroot Town. She had taken the decision to train for contests once again after her and Drew had gotten fed up of Dawn's bragging. Drew had commented with their Pokémon being as healthy as they could make them as they had had little else to do since they had dropped out of the circuit, she would stand a good chance. A bit of training would get them contest ready once again, and May could then compete with Dawn and see if she really was as good as she said she was, or was just lacking some competition. They suspected that Dawn really was that good, but May and Drew had a few tricks that they had developed, so felt quietly confident that May might be able to cause an upset.
"Totodile, dodge left and then Water Gun." Mellanie called.
"Quilava, Flamethrower." Sam countered, a smile on his face.
The stream of water from Totodile was engulfed by the larger fire attack, causing the room to fill with steam. Totodile remained alert, and dived to the side to dodge the Flame Wheel that Quilava had attacked with. As the Big Jaw Pokémon dodged, he turned and fired another Water Gun after his opponent. As the steam cleared, it was evident that Totodile had missed with his attack, as Quilava looked totally unhurt. The two youngsters had spent nearly two hours working with their starters on how to dodge. Mellanie had found it far easier, with her Totodile being an excellent dodger already. Sam had a much harder time of it, with Quilava not being anywhere near as skilled at dodging. Totodile seemed to take a kind of pleasure from dodging the attacks of his counterpart, whilst Quilava seemed far more inclined to simply attack. However, with the effort that the trainers were putting in, Quilava was improving, but the style jarred against Sam's own way of battling. They were now testing their results against each other in one of the training rooms where they were alone since most of the other trainers were in one of the main rooms. During the battle however, Sam had used the fact that Quilava had greater power than Totodile to block Mellanies attacks and frustrate her, with a great deal of success.
"Totodile, close the distance"
"Quilava, end it"
As Totodile ran at Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon reared up on its heels and fired a huge torrent of fire at Totodile. The Big Jaw Pokémon suddenly dived to the side, but Quilava was able to redirect his flame and land a heavy hit on Totodile, sending him reeling backwards. The Water type struggled back to his feet, only for a voice to ring out.
"Stay there Totodile"
'Champion' was striding across the room towards the two youngsters, a magenta cat padding along beside him. As he reached Totodile he put a hand on the Pokémons head. Under the eyes of the two trainers, Totodiles injuries faded away and he quickly got up with a grin. 'Champion' turned around to face the two stunned trainers.
"What you just say was a simple healing of a Pokémon. Do not discuss that with anybody else. Understood?" When Sam and Mellanie nodded, 'Champion' started talking again.
"Good. Mellanie, what were you doing when you had Totodile charge in there?"
"Sir?"
"When you attacked, you were charging at a Pokémon which clearly has a great deal of firepower. Why?"
"I… err…"
Mellanie was lost for words. Throughout the battle she had struggled to get a clear hit on Quilava, so when she was trying to carve out an opportunity. Before she could stammer anything else, Sam stepped in.
"Sir, knowing her style as I do, I think she was trying to force Quilava to attack and leave an opening for Totodile. The way that he dodged when Quilava attacked nearly worked, but Quilava and I have trained for him to be able to sustain his most powerful attacks for a little bit longer in case opponents try to dodge them."
Sam fell silent as 'Champion' focused on him. Stepping past Sam he stood in front of Quilava who rubbed his head against 'Champions' leg, remembering the man that had been kind to him before he joined Sam. As he petted the Volcano Pokémon, 'Champion' sent his aura into the Pokémon to see if what Sam said was true. What he found was an unusually large ability to hold quantities of energy, which did indeed mean that Quilava would be able to sustain his attacks for longer. Turning back to the two trainers, 'Champion' started to talk once again.
"From what I saw, you've been working on dodging. May I ask why?"
"From what you showed us today, it seemed to fit Totodile the best" Mellanie said. "He has always enjoyed dodging, he treats it like a game."
"I see." 'Champion' said. "And Sam?"
"I thought the way your Charizard was able to dodge was awesome. Quilava thought the same, so we agreed to work with Mel on it."
"So you both do it because your Pokémon enjoy it?"
"Well… yes" Sam said. "Isn't that the point? You said it yourself, respect the Pokémon."
'Champion' tilted his head slightly, to look at Sam. He then turned and strode across the room, to stand in the trainer's box facing the two young trainers. Realizing what he wanted, the Sam and Mellanie looked at each other in fear. Quilava and Totodile glanced at their trainers, and then at each other before taking a stance facing 'Champion'.
"Totodile, are you sure about this?" Mellanie asked, only for the Big Jaw Pokémon to nod at her.
Watching from across the battlefield, 'Champion' looked over his shoulder.
"Espeon, this one is yours" he said, before raising his voice to talk to the two trainers on the other side as the cat padded out into the field. "This isn't a battle, don't worry. I'm testing to see how good you are at dodging, and even fighting back if you get the chance. Espeon won't fight at full strength, and her attacks will be held back. See how well you do."
As his opponents registered what he was actually doing, the gem on Espeon's head glowed, and a small beam fired out of it. Totodile instinctively dived out of the way, but the beam followed him, catching him and sending the Water type sprawling across the floor.
"Quilava, Flamethrower" Sam ordered. As the Pokémon fired a fire attack at Espeon, the Sun Pokémon just lazily looked at him, before firing her own attack that collided, stopping the stream of flames in its tracks. As Sam reacted to this attack, another weak Psybeam fired at Totodile who had regained his feet.
"Totodile, dodge left" Mellanie commanded.
"Quilava, help Totodile by attacking Espeon." Sam ordered.
As the two Pokémon followed their trainers instructions, the Psybeam flying at Totodile suddenly changed direction to target Quilava, as two more flew from Espeon arcing around to hit Quilava. Sam however, was very quick to react to the incoming strikes.
"Quilava, Flame Wheel backwards" he called, with his Pokémon reacting instantly, and the Psybeams missing the target. As Quilava arced around, Espeon's Psychic threw him across the field. The battle continued in this way for a few more minutes, with neither Totodile nor Quilava able to get a clear shot at Espeon, who was toying with the, as she had been ordered. Mellanie and Sam were able to keep their Pokémon away from most of the attacks, but the occasional one came through. After a while, 'Champion' called a halt, allowing Sam and Mellanie a break from having to coordinate their Pokémon so closely. Watching them carefully, 'Champion' could see that they were tired, and their Pokémon had begun to struggle at the start. Striding across the field, he put a hand on each of their Pokémon to restore the energy that they had lost, before approaching the trainers.
"Not bad at all. You should be proud, your Pokémon are well trained, and clearly trust you. You have both been trainers for just a few weeks and yet you both have three badges and Pokémon who trust you. I think that these two will help you for today."
As he finished speaking he took out two Pokéballs, handing one to each of the trainers in front of him. He then walked past them, Espeon at his side as he left the room, leaving the two youngsters staring at the Pokéballs in their hands. With a shrug, Mellanie released the Pokémon in hers, before Sam did the same. They watched with awe as 'Champions' Charizard and Sceptile appeared. Before the trainers could do anything, Sceptile stepped forwards and started to talk quickly to Totodile and Quilava.
"I see you passed. We were left with you to teach you what we can." Sceptile said.
"Passed?" Quilava asked.
"The fighting you were just doing was a test. Between us, Charizard and myself will teach you what you were shown this morning. We are capable of all of the aspects that your trainers were shown"
As the Forest Pokémon stopped talking, Totodile and Quilava turned back to their trainers. Over the time they had been together they had found that the best way to get a message across to their trainers was to talk whilst miming the motions. After a few minutes of this, Mellanie and Sam had gotten the idea, and released the remainder of their Pokémon, who lined up in front of their two instructors.
"Right" said Charizard, speaking for the first time. "Who thinks they can hit as hard as me?"
James arrived late at night with Meowth in tow, after 'Champion' had left for Goldenrod City. They was directed straight up to Cynthia's office, where the ex-Pokémon Master greeted them.
"Thank you for coming James. I appreciate it." Cynthia started.
"It's not every day that somebody like you requests me to visit, and especially not in with the criteria. May I know why I couldn't arrive earlier?" James said.
"If you had, 'Champion' would know. He still might, but he won't be able to do anything about it."
"So what don't you want him to know?"
"He is attacking a Team Rocket base."
James and Meowth shared a stunned glance. As far as they knew, Team Rocket had collapsed years ago; they had been among the few to notice the sharp decline in crime. They had gone with Jessie to the old headquarters and found them deserted. To hear that the organization had resurfaced was shocking. James face sharpened in realization as he worked out what Cynthia wanted, something that she didn't miss.
"Yes James." She said. "I know you are an ex-Rocket, and so I need information. What we discuss here is not to be talked about anywhere else, understood? You too Meowth." They both nodded. "Good. This is all classified, but three weeks ago Gym Leader Falkner in Violet City, Johto, found a cadre of Team Rocket grunts stealing Pokémon. He took them into custody and alerted us that the organization has resurfaced. Since then we have hidden the information from the world as we try to deal with them quietly. Two weeks ago, 'Champion' found a recruitment station in Celadon City, which gave him the information he needed to launch an attack on a base on the edge of Kanto, taken the whole base captive. From that base, he found the location of their main headquarters, and has just left to assault it. What I need to know is simple. Is there any chance that Team Rocket could know he is coming and set a trap?"
James sat quietly for a long moment, before turning to Meowth.
"Meowth, I have an idea, but you were closer to the boss than I ever was. Do you know of anything like this happening before?"
"Nope." The Scratch Cat Pokémon replied. "Nobody attacks Rocket."
"Clearly somebody does" James said drily. "My thoughts would be that if Giovanni knows that the recruitment base was attacked, he would be able to work it out. And if he knows that, he is smart enough to set a trap for any would be attacker"
"So the worst case scenario is that he not only knows that there is an attack coming, he will be able to plan for it, and potentially catch the attacker?" Cynthia persisted.
"Yes. All I can say is that 'Champion' has some good back-up. In fact, I would've thought he would take you. Why hasn't he?"
"He is attacking alone." Cynthia said bluntly.
James visibly paled at this news. He knew just how well guarded the Rocket headquarters was. Whilst an intruder might be able to get inside, they would surely be overrun by the guards.
"If he is attacking by himself, he will most likely be overrun by Rockets." James said.
"No he won't. He took out some six hundred Rockets at the training base without any problems. If all he has to face is Rockets, I think he will win. Do you know if there will be anything else he has to fight against?" Cynthia asked.
"Sorry, nothing we are aware of."
"Very well. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask you to remain nearby until we know for certain."
"Of course. May I know where the headquarters are?"
"Goldenrod City."
"Thank you."
Standing up, James shook Cynthia's hand, and turned towards the door, beckoning for Meowth to follow him. As they walked out, he started to mentally plan how to get his own source of information from Jessie who was still in Goldenrod. He didn't want to tell Cynthia, but perhaps he could find out some more about the elusive 'Champion' whilst still keeping his ear close to the ground to find out about the demise of Team Rocket.
Ash stood watching the building. This was behavior that would be odd for anybody at four in the morning, but it was especially strange given his lack of movement. That coupled with the way that the shadows around him meant that he was virtually invisible, just looking around a wall, and the Rockets inside would have been very interested to know that he was there. Beside him, but around the corner, there was a flash Alakazam, Beautifly and Ninetales appeared. Turning to look at his Pokémon, Ash raised an eyebrow at Alakazam.
"Twelve floors above ground, sixteen below. Minimal guards upstairs, heavy security down" the Psi Pokémon said. Ash nodded calmly. Beautifly then fluttered to his shoulder and started to mutter into his ear. When the Butterfly Pokémon was finished, Ash looked down at Ninetales.
"Smell of Pokémon and human, nothing else" the Fox Pokémon said, whilst stretching.
"No traps?" Ash asked, with all his Pokémon shaking their heads at him.
Ash nodded again before turning on his heel and striding away, the Pokémon following him. He had been watching the building that Team Rocket had hidden their base under, and had sent the scouts in. To his surprise, they hadn't been able to find a trap which he took to mean that it was hidden beyond their capabilities to find. That alone surprised him; his scouts were among the best in discovering traps, but he couldn't believe that Giovanni hadn't set one. As the group reached a small park, he turned back to his scouts.
"Right. Giovanni, is he there?" Alakazam nodded. "And no sign of a trap?" Another nod. "Only smells of Pokémon and humans?" This time it was Ninetales who nodded. "This is odd. Espeon?"
At his command, the Sun Pokémon slunk out from where she had waited. She moved up alongside him, and fixed her gaze on Alakazam. Thoughts started to flicker between the two of them at lightning speed, with Espeon opening her end to Ash.
"Something feels odd" Espeon started.
"A lot of Pokémon were there." Alakazam said. "They could have hidden something in the crowd, even we can't pick out anything special."
" Pokémon won't be able to stand up against us" Espeon said.
"Enough numbers? Split us up?"
"I don't know. Did you find evidence about them knowing about Kanto?"
"Yes. One of the executives was thinking about a way to replace the losses there. Apparently they needed the recruits we captured."
"Really?" Espeon asked. "Did he say what for?"
"Some plan they had. He didn't know the details."
"Giovanni would, but we can't reach him."
"Tomorrow" Alakazam said.
"Indeed. Anything suspicious? I don't want to have to go in again."
"I'm afraid not" Alakazam said.
Suddenly Ash's cut across the two Psychic types. "Nobody is going back in tonight" he said firmly. "Tomorrow we will spring the trap, and as long as you're ready we will be fine. Alakazam, whatever happens, you must stay with me, that is the only way you will know when to flee."
The Psi Pokémon looked at Ash, not particularly happy with the plan. Ash just chuckled.
"I know you disagree, but this is non-negotiable. You all know that I can break out when I want, and you will the one bringing everybody back in when the time is right. We will succeed this time."
Giovanni was sat in his dark room when the door behind him opened. As his chair swung around, the Agent who was in charge of catching the Pokémon Master stepped in.
"He is in the city Sir" the Agent said.
"No scouts found him?"
"No sir. We only know because of him"
"I see. How did he get in?"
"We don't know Sir."
"Guess."
"On foot? Maybe underground? Honestly sir, if it is the Pokémon Master, it could be any way at all."
"Are you ready for him?"
"Yes. However, I must request you have a way out if he breaks through sir, we can't lose you."
"I do. Dismissed Agent."
Giovanni swung his chair back around to face the screens in front of him. They were showing him the security cameras from the whole building. When 'Champion' broke in, he would know about it instantly. There was no way that he could be taken by surprise. And the trap was ready. However strong the Pokémon Master was, Giovanni knew he wouldn't be ready for what was prepared for him. Smiling to himself he whispered into the silence.
"I'm ready for you 'Champion' . You will regret ever attacking me."
Ash was back in front of the building. The sky was beginning to brighten, but he didn't take any notice. He turned back around the corner, nodding to the Pokémon who were there. Alakazam's eyes flashed for a moment, and then all the Pokémon vanished, except Alakazam. Ash then strode forwards, reaching the entrance to the door that opened in front of him. Inside it looked like a standard office. Ash nodded to the receptionist as he strode past, before she suddenly slumped onto her desk. He raised an eyebrow at Alakazam who remained stonily impassive. As they moved through the relatively small ground floor, few men who were around collapsed as Alakazam used a psychic attack to overwhelm them. As they finished, Espeon the lift doors opened and Espeon stepped out.
"We are bringing down the twelve people upstairs" she said, bringing a nod from Ash. Within ten minutes, all the people captured upstairs were arranged on the ground floor, tied up and knocked out. Ash strode back towards the lift, seeing that there was one button to level -1. He turned back to his Pokémon.
"Well done so far, but they will know we are here. When we get downstairs, you know what to do. Any Rockets we see knock out and we'll deal with later. Stay close where possible, but listen for orders."
His Pokémon nodding their agreement, Ash recalled all his Pokémon, and then strode into the left. As it descended, he was ready to release his team and have the fun begin.
"He is here."
"Yes sir. I expect him to take the lift down."
"Intercept him as soon as possible. Minimal damage."
"Yes sir. Grunts will deploy whilst I get him ready."
Giovanni nodded, and turned to regard the screens once again. He was impressed at the audacity of the Pokémon Master, to simply stride in, and knock out the few people he had upstairs. As he watched the lift that his opponent was in descend he permitted himself a small smile. He was right, the man attacking was the Pokémon Master, and his Pokémon were almost the same team that had nearly ruined everything four years back just with a few additions. His instincts were still good, and this time he had a weapon to make sure that he was victorious in the struggle. On his screens he watched a force of nearly a dozen rockets sprint down the corridor and take up position facing the lift. They all released Pokémon, ready to attack when the doors opened. As he watched, the lift came to a stop, and the doors slowly slid open. The surrounding Pokémon all fired in attacks, and the room was filled with smoke. Suddenly a series of beams flew out, hitting the Pokémon surrounding the lift. Many of them were sent reeling backwards. The last thing Giovanni saw was the silhouettes of Pokémon materializing in the smoke before the feed from the camera died.
Ash stepped over the prone bodies of the Rockets. His Pokémon were all out and they had easily dealt with the Pokémon who were waiting for them. Glancing down the corridor he saw another group of Rockets start to move towards him. Nodding to Rapidash, Ash let the Fire Horse Pokémon go racing towards them. The speed of the incoming Pokémon left the Rockets no chance to try to avoid the attack, and sent them flying. Gathering his aura around him, Ash started to run down the corridor, his Pokémon firing attacks into every room they passed before catching up again. They moved through the first floor with incredible speed, Ash not bothering to slow down as his Pokémon systematically knocked out every Rocket that they came across, whilst dealing with all the cameras. As he reached a set of stairs leading down a level, Ash came to a stop. Within moments his Pokémon had appeared behind him once again. On the floor behind him were the stricken bodies of nearly a hundred Rocket grunts. Ash gestured to Alakazam who tried to teleport to where Giovanni was hidden, but the Psi Pokémon shook his head once again. Whatever interference Giovanni had, it was too strong for Alakazam to break through without something to focus on. Ash then leaped forwards, dropping down the entire flight of stairs in two bounds, and hitting the floor at the bottom and rolling before coming to his feet. In front of him was a shocked Rocket grunt who had clearly been about to lead the squad behind him up the stairs. As his jaw dropped at the sight of the figure in front of him, the Pokémon Master's hat still in place, he didn't see the fist flying towards him to send him flying through the air, taking out two of his men in the process. As the remainder desperately fumbled for Pokéballs, Ash stepped forwards, his Pokémon fanning out behind him.
Giovanni watched the invaders progress, no emotion on his face. Inside his head on the other hand, he was terrified. Last time this had happened, he hadn't a chance to watch the progress. This time he had a map of the facility on one of his screens and he was watching sections of it turn red as the cameras were taken out. Whenever 'Champion' appeared on the cameras, the feed appeared on a different screen, but it rarely lasted more than a few moments. What was evident however, was that 'Champion' was a master of battling, not just with Pokémon but by himself. Giovanni had watched more than a dozen Rockets think that they could take him in a fight, only to be sent flying within moments. The man's movement was inhumanely fast, his strength staggering. Coupled with the sheer power of the Pokémon backing him up, and Giovanni was very grateful that he had been able to set a trap. Even now he was wondering if it would be enough to stop the onslaught. As he watched 'Champion' charge straight down another flight of stairs, down to the ninth floor of the basement, a voice crackled in the speaker behind him.
"Sir, the trap is ready. He will be taken on the tenth floor."
Giovanni nodded to himself before speaking out loud, letting the speakers built into the room pick up the noise and send it back to the agent. "Very good Agent. Have you been tracking his progress?"
"Yes sir. And I'm glad we have this asset, or we would be in serious trouble."
Giovanni didn't bother answering, as he watched a huge section of the ninth floor turn red on the floor plan. Suddenly he saw the camera's pick up a figure moving straight towards the stairs down another level. Behind him were half a dozen Pokémon. Giovanni wondered idly why the camera's in this section hadn't been knocked out, as well as wondering why the invader was moving ahead without half of his Pokémon as they were still clearing the eighth and ninth floors. And as the man leaped down the stairs, and came up rolling, all the cameras covering the entirety of the tenth floor and above suddenly cut out, leaving Giovanni in the dark.
Ash came out of the roll, as his Pokémon landed beside him. Espeon and Alakazam both looked at him, they knew that this was it. Espeon's Psychic had just knocked out all the camera's on the floor, and there were nearly twenty terrified looking Rockets in front of them. Aggron and Charizard stepped forwards, both firing off huge attacks. Had Ash not been prepared, he might very well have been hit when the two attacks suddenly reversed straight back at him, but he dived out-of-the-way just in time. Coming back up, Ash was suddenly jerked forwards by a powerful force. Espeon growled and he started to slide back towards her. As the conflicting forces pulled him, Ash gritted his teeth against the pain before he looked Espeon in the eye.
"Espeon, get out of here. There is nothing else you can do. Get out of here and come back to save me."
As the words came out of his mouth, Espeon relinquished her hold, despite nearly winning the psychic battle and looked at Alakazam who crossed his spoons before all of Ash's Pokémon in the facility vanished. Know without any support, Ash started to slide towards the Rockets, before he came to a stop at a junction in the corridor. A shadow passed over him, blocking out the lights from the ceiling. As Ash looked up, he saw tall figure towering above him, standing at two meters tall. The figure was heavily armored, with only one part of him not covered. It was his tail. Behind the helmet, the figures eyes glowed blue, and Ash was jerked to his feet to look into the armored face of a Pokémon he thought he had seen the last of four years previously. Mewtwo.