Giovanni shut his eyes as he waited for the crack of the gunshot. A crack that never came. He looked down in surprise. His pulling of the trigger hadn't seemed to do anything. He released it, before trying again. Nothing happened. Cursing he raised the rifle above his head, intending to crash it down on Mewtwo's head, only to find it wrenched from his grasp. The Rocket boss spun to face the man in front of him. 'Champion' was there, already the rifle in his hand as he threw it across the room, before catching the arm that Giovanni tried to lash out with. He spun Giovanni around and forced him to his knees. The two Rockets who had been watching made a move forwards, causing 'Champion' to lash out. They were caught by the blast of force and sent flying into the wall, where they slumped to the floor, out cold.

Ignoring Giovanni, 'Champion' sank to his knees next to Mewtwo, before placing a hand on the injured Pokémons head. Sending out his energy he began to seal internal wounds, shocked at the condition Mewtwo was in. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life, and 'Champion' suspected that if he hadn't arrived to help, Mewtwo may have died. As he treated, he sent out a message to Espeon.

"I need Meganium."

"We are nearly finished up here. The last few are still fighting and trying to stop us getting their armour off. We are trying not to hurt them anymore."

"Good. Send her to me. Use Alakazam."

"Understood."

As the mental conversation ended, there was a flash of light. Alakazam appeared with Meganium at his side. She took one look at 'Champion' kneeling next to Mewtwo and nodded, stepping forwards. Vines came out and wrapped around Mewtwo, and she started transferring energy. 'Champion' continued to treat the remaining internal injuries before standing up. He felt drained; it had taken a lot of strength. He turned back to Giovanni, who had edged away, but stopped moving as 'Champion' fixed his gaze upon him.

"You are under arrest Giovanni."

Giovanni surged to his feet and started to run, but he hadn't even gone two steps when he felt himself lifted into the air. As he looked around, he saw Alakazam glaring at him, his spoons crossed and his eyes glowing blue.

"Take him to the others and begin rounding them up." 'Champion' said.

"Champion!" Giovanni shouted. "You are making a mistake! Agent will escape and you will never find him!"

'Champion' faced Giovanni. "You think I am not aware of the risk?" he said coldly. "Alakazam, send Espeon down when you are done."

Alakazam nodded and vanished in a flash of light, taking Giovanni with him.

'Champion' turned back to Mewtwo who was stirring in Meganiums vines. He knelt next to the Genetic Pokémon and reached out with his hand to touch the side of Mewtwo's head.

"Ash…" Mewtwo said. "Thank you."

'Champion' smiled under his hat, knowing that Mewtwo would see.

"I had to warn you. I couldn't let you make the same mistake." Mewtwo said, his voice gaining in strength as Meganium transferred more and more energy, regaining her own from the lights above. "I trusted him. I thought he had changed, thought he was ready to admit he was wrong. He was using me."

"You are a Pokémon with limited experience of interaction with humans." 'Champion' said quietly, his smile fading. "I'm not surprised you fell for it. This is what I meant when I warned you about interactions with humans. You helping Cynthia led to both of your capture, and your attempt to work with Giovanni led to your state here. I said this before, and I'll say it again. When interacting with humans, there are always hidden circumstances that you can't always predict. I had hoped you would learn this. As I said, as a Pokémon you are beyond my jurisdiction. I have given you the benefit of the doubt twice now. Do not test my patience a third time. And do not presume that because you fell for a trick that I would do the same thing."

'Champion' continued to look at Mewtwo, before he realized that Meganium was giving him a hard look. He sighed, before continuing.

"I apologize Mewtwo. I am being overly critical. I am relieved to see that you are still alive." He paused again, thinking. "Do you know where Cynthia is?"

"No." Mewtwo said, his voice getting stronger the longer that Meganium transferred energy to him. He had climbed back to his feet, still evidently exhausted but now functioning. "I haven't known since she was captured."

"How did that happen?" 'Champion asked.

"Agent. I didn't sense him the entire time he was sneaking up on us. He is a phenomenally strong psychic. He captured Cynthia and used her to ensure my compliance."

'Champion' nodded, before looking around to see Espeon pad into the room. She flicked her tail as she approached, and Meganium released her vines from around Mewtwo, tired from her exertions. 'Champion' knelt next to his partner and looked up at Mewtwo.

"You need to get out of here now."

"I can help."

"No." 'Champion' said.

"I can. I owe you that, you've saved me so many times. Let me help."

"Mewtwo, you need to leave and you need to start avoiding humans. I may have proved that not all of us are impossible to trust, but Giovanni has proved that plenty are untrustworthy. You struggle to judge who are and who aren't."

"Ash…" Mewtwo started slowly before he gathered his thoughts and tried again. "Ash, I can help. And I need somebody to teach me how to deal with humans. Who better than the one I know I can trust?"

"No." 'Champion' said, looking away.

"Why not?"

"I'm hardly a great example of how to deal with humans now."

"Yet you know when to trust, and when to not. You can help."

"I…"

"Let him" came a new voice. Both 'Champion' and Mewtwo turned to see Espeon gazing at the pair of them. "Let him stay with us." Espeon continued. "We are strong, but we cannot keep a permanent watch on Mewtwo; he needs to learn. And in return he can help Alakazam and I get even stronger. Isn't that what you want?" Espeon asked, directing her questions to her master.

"I do want you stronger." 'Champion' said defensively. "That is why we trained so long, to get you as perfect as possible. But…"

"Then let Mewtwo come." Espeon said, cutting across 'Champion' once again. "You instilled in us the desire for strength, you made me proud to be one of your Pokémon. We know we are the strongest, but we still want to be stronger. We can learn from Mewtwo, and he can learn from us. Let him come."

"I…" 'Champion' faltered, before catching himself. "Are you sure?" Espeon just nodded. "Very well. Mewtwo, you can stay with us. Alakazam will show you where after we are done here."

"Thank you." Mewtwo said, but 'Champion' wasn't finished.

"On some conditions. You will join us in all our routines, and we won't slow for you. It will be tougher than what you are used to."

"Understood."

"You will also keep my identity secret unless told otherwise."

"I understand." Mewtwo said. "Thank you."

'Champion' just nodded to the Genetic Pokémon as he led the way out of the gym towards the lift that he had broken on his way down. It was time to rescue the prisoners.

Aaron had been dozing on his bed when he had heard the crash. He had jerked upright and moved to the door, peering out of the grill. He saw a guard slump to the ground and a man step past, and head down the corridor. A few minutes later the man went back the other way, and jogged past and out of sight. Aaron watched him go, before trying to see as much of the rest of the corridor as he could. As far as it was possible to see, the corridor was empty, except for the guard slumped on the floor. Aaron then tried to look into any of the other cells. He couldn't see anybody there, so turned around and leaned on his own door.

He absent-mindedly rubbed his arm where he had been tackled by the Rockets during the capture. The smoke had made it hard to see but he had seen Mellanie recall her Flaaffy and so did the same with his Absol. It was then that he saw one of them reach Mellanie and hold a cloth to her face, causing her to slump. Aaron had tried to release his Absol again but hadn't been fast enough. A grunt had dived into him, knocking him off his feet, and sending the Pokéball rolling out of his hand. A series of blows to his stomach had made Aaron struggle to breathe, and then he blacked out. He woke up in the cell and hadn't been given anything to eat since. However, he had found a small jug of water that he had struggled to conserve, before eventually finishing it. He looked around, trying to see if there was anything that could help him escape, but the cell was bare. Whoever put them in here had clearly designed their cells well.

He walked back to the door and looked back out again. The corridor was dark and quiet once again. Aaron sighed. Whoever that man had been, he had clearly been important. Aaron didn't want to know what warranted a guard on their door. He crossed back to his bed and sat down. Hopefully rescue was coming soon. Or food. Right now he didn't know which he wanted more.

"Where are we?" Lance asked. Nobody had an answer for him. They were inside a large room, which had one corridor leading away from it. There were no lights, so the room was illuminated by whatever the trainers had on them. Several had lit torches, and one had released a Typhlosion, whose flames were lit, lighting a reasonable chunk of the room. Looking around, Lance noticed that the walls looked rough. Striding over to the nearest one, followed by Dragonite he touched it. The wall was earth. Dragonite growled slightly, raising his paw to point to a different part. There were claw marks. Almost like a Pokémon had scooped out the dirt. Lance shook his head in wonder. There had been no sign of the incredible amount of dirt moved near the hill; whoever had done it had clearly moved it a long way away. Probably to avoid attracting the attention of any nearby Pokémon, like the Ursaring they had just faced. Turning back to face the room, Lance saw that many of the trainers were watching him, their Pokémon having been treated.

"I want ten people to stay here, and watch that door." Lance ordered. "I will lead a squad down the tunnel to see where it goes. We will use a relay system; there will not be a gap larger than thirty metres till we get to the end. Volunteers for guards?"

Most of the trainers raised their hands, and Lance quickly pointed to several of them. He then looked around again.

"Anybody who hasn't finished treating their Pokémon, stay here as well. I'll bring another ten with me down the tunnel until we see where it goes. I want another group ready to come if the message comes back up the line that I need more trainers."

More hands were raised, and Lance started pointing and calling out a role for those he had chosen. As his ten appeared around him, he ordered Dragonite out in front, before leading them down the tunnel, with only a few torches to penetrate the darkness.

'Champion' strode into the prison corridor. His boots rang out on the metal floor as he moved down it, ignoring all the doors, and stepping over the unconscious guard. Espeon and Mewtwo were by his side, neither saying anything. Meganium had retreated into her Pokéball, exhausted from the effort of treating Mewtwo. As he reached the office at the end, 'Champion' found a computer, a chair and a rack of Pokéball belts. On the screen was a list of prisoners. Names that he recognized, but one more than any stood out. Agent. He had been a prisoner of Team Rocket. Although 'Champion' guessed that he had been in the cell that had been left open and had a guard in front of it. Agent had escaped once again. 'Champion' turned to Mewtwo.

"I'm going to open all the cells but one. I will have a quick word with those, and then you will teleport them to the surface. If the battle is still going on up there, end it. The armour has to be removed before they will feel their injuries. If you could avoid killing any it would be greatly appreciated; it isn't their fault Giovanni pulled them into the battle." Mewtwo nodded, but 'Champion' carried on. "The final cell holds Mellanie Rigger" the Pokémon Master said to Espeon. "Mewtwo will teleport you inside, and you will look after her until I have dealt with the others. She will need more comforting I suspect."

Espeon nodded, and Mewtwo looked at 'Champion' quizzically.

"The cell with the young girl in it Mewtwo. There is only one."

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue, and Espeon vanished. 'Champion' had already started moving, turning to the corridor, and exerting his strength. All the doors unlocked and opened. 'Champion' then called down the corridor.

"Please exit your cells, and come towards me at the end of the corridor. I will have you escorted to safety once your Pokémon are returned to you."

The first person to appear was Aaron, who looked at the Pokémon Master with relief etched across his face. The other six trainers exited their cells, relief showing as soon as they saw who was there. Although they had all recognized his voice, it was relieving to see the most powerful trainer as their rescuer. If anybody could keep them safe, it would be him. As each came up to him, 'Champion' wordlessly handed them all Pokéball belts, each containing their Pokémon. Each strapped it around their waist, visibly straightening afterwards, despite the grimaces that most wore on their faces.

"You are all safe." 'Champion' assured them. "Mewtwo will take you to the top of the base where my Pokémon are clearing up. Please do not try to enter any fights going on, my Pokémon work best alone and will attack any Pokémon not part of their team."

"'Champion', is there any food that we can have?" Aaron asked, his words reflecting the desires of every prisoner.

"Food?"

"We haven't been fed…" Aaron's voice trailed off.

"You were here for nearly four days and weren't given any food at all?" 'Champion' asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"No…" Aaron said. "We were given water, but that's it. Although I don't feel like I haven't eaten for that long… perhaps half the time…" A chorus of agreements met his words.

"Mewtwo." 'Champions' said. "Take them to the cafeteria. Let them eat a reasonable amount each, but not too much. It could kill them if they eat too much."

"I understand." Mewtwo said. "I have also dealt with starvation. I assume people are similar to Pokémon in this respect."

"Thank you." 'Champion' said. "I apologize for passing you off so quickly, but I have no choice. This area is still not completely secure, and a terrorist is still at large. I have other responsibilities."

"Thank you for saving us." said one of the trainers at the back, a sentiment quickly echoed. 'Champion' inclined his head, and they vanished. In their place a moment later, a small plate of food appeared. 'Champion' smiled at Mewtwo's sentiment, knowing that he had remembered about Mellanie. The food looked like it had been partly eaten, probably by a Rocket who had been called out to the front of the base during his meal. He picked up the plate and walked to the only remaining door that was shut. It opened silently in front of him. Inside, Espeon was sat quietly, having put a barrier in place to stop noise entering, to keep Mellanie calm. 'Champion' walked in, before he realized where Mellanie was. She was curled up on the bed, asleep.

Lance stopped suddenly, the three men and a woman with him stopping around him. The torch in front had illuminated a door. He looked around, to check that those behind him had Pokéballs in hand. He turned back to the door, and gestured to Dragonite. The Pokémon stepped forwards and smashed into the door. Hard. Lance winced slightly as the door crashed down the corridor. The clang echoed, before eventually fading. Lance had his hand by his Pokéball belt, ready to call out more Pokémon or order Dragonite into the attack. Looking down the corridor, Lance's first reaction was one of bright light. The corridor was well-lit, but completely deserted. Lance stepped forwards, looking around. There were four doors along the corridor at regular intervals, two on each side. At the end there was a left turning at the end. A quick look showed the complete lack of habitation; no security cameras or anything. The next thing that caught Lance's eye was the fact that the corridor was made of metal. Unlike the tunnel he had moved up, the corridor had been built, not dug. And as far as Lance was aware, there was only one group around that might have done so.

Lance stepped into the corridor, before striding down as his footsteps echoed on the metal, the trainers behind him following closely. As he reached the first pair of doors, he turned to open them. Both opened silently, revealing reasonable size rooms, with no furniture. Each could conceivably hold thirty-odd people comfortably. A quick check showed that the next two were identical. Lance weighed up his options then turned to the trainers.

"I'll wait here. Go back down the tunnel and bring everybody down here. We will use the rooms here; they are lit."

"Yes Sir" came the response. The trainers turned away, except for one.

"Use the rooms for what sir?" she asked.

Lance flashed her a direct look, but she stood her ground and met his gaze. "It is obvious that this was built by somebody. That somebody is almost certainly Team Rocket. We clearly can't wait above ground anymore, so we need to find somewhere we can wait. 'Champion' will find us if he needs us. I highly doubt that he doesn't know we are here, he always knows everything." Lance broke off, but still noted a slightly curious look in the trainer's eyes. "Once we are all here, I will look to scout further ahead."

The woman nodded, before turning and leading the way back down the tunnel. As he waited for the first trainers to arrive, Lance looked down the corridor. He burned to know what was there, but knew he couldn't go yet. Once those with him were looked after, he could move on himself.

'Champion' walked up to the bed. He crouched next to it, quickly looking over the girl who was sleeping, facing the wall. He glanced at Espeon who looked back, her eyes baleful. 'Champion' wondered if she was responsible for Mellanie being asleep. He briefly considered it, but eventually decided it was unlikely, although he suspected Espeon was the reason she hadn't woken up. Mellanie had probably taken a while to fall asleep, being alone and scared. A quick glance at the bed showed him a slight damp patch next to her face. 'Champion' felt his heart go out to the girl who had clearly cried herself to sleep, alone in her cell. He turned to Espeon who simply nodded. The Sun Pokémon had noticed everything that had happened to Mellanie, just like he had. On instinct he reached up and removed his hat, quietly placing it on the floor next to the door. 'Champion' leant against the wall and waited. Espeon flicked her tail, and her eyes glowed slightly. And on the bed Mellanie started to shift.

Sleep fell away from Mellanie quickly as she opened her eyes to see the wall in front of her. It was lit more than she remembered, something that she noticed quickly having spent hours staring at it, before she fell asleep. She sat up, contemplating the wall, before she turned to follow the light. She turned slowly to see the open cell door which the light was coming through. But there was a figure next to the door. Mellanie's heart leapt as she recognized the figure of 'Champion' next to the door. The man stepped forwards slowly, as Mellanie climbed off the bed, still clutching the blanket around her for warmth. As he came fully into the light, Mellanie realized that 'Champion' wasn't wearing his hat. For the first time, Mellanie looked into the eyes of the Pokémon Master.

"Sir?" She asked tentatively, tears trickling down her face once again.

'Champion' slowly knelt to the ground, bringing himself down to the height of the child in front of him. A snap decision was made in his head as he spoke, holding his arms out.

"Call me Ash, Mellanie."

Mellanie threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest and sobbing. Ash gently rubbed her back, slowly but surely calming her down.

"You're safe now." He murmured to her. "You are safe."

Lance moved down the corridor. It was the fourth he had reached since he had begun moving out. Behind him hurried ten trainers, James among them. The layout was simple enough to not get lost, and he had given orders for the entire group to come if they needed help. He decided it was unlikely, but had also said he would be back within the hour. As he reached a turning, he looked down to see that this corridor also had doors. It was the third like it that they had found, including the one where the other trainers were waiting. As he reached each of the doors, Lance pulled them open. It was the third door that finally revealed something different. It was locked. Lance gestured to Dragonite who slammed a paw into the area by the lock. There was a loud crack, and when Lance tried it again, the door swung open. As he eyes adjusted to the gloom inside, Lance suddenly turned to the trainers who still hadn't seen in, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"Go back to the others, and tell them that we will be returning shortly. James stay here."

One or two considered questioning, but a look at Lance's eyes told them to obey. They turned and headed back the way they had come. As their footsteps faded away, James finally spoke up.

"What is in there?"

Lance looked at him, the anger in his eyes replaced by a flash of triumph. "Cynthia."

Lance quickly released his Dragonite, leaving it just outside the door, before opening it and leading James in. As soon as he was inside James' Pichu leapt off his shoulder to the light that was swinging from the ceiling. A spark from the Pokémon caused the light to turn on brightly. At a quick word from James, Pichu lowered the power on his charge, plunging the room into a state similar to dusk. In the corner Cynthia climbed to her feet, looking at the two men who had entered.

"Lance?" she whispered. "James?"

Lance nodded, as he reached his colleague, and hugged her close. Cynthia let herself relax for a moment, before straightening once again. Given how neither of the two trainers particularly enjoyed physical contact, the moment meant a great deal to her.

"How are you here?" she asked, her words gaining in strength once she had realized that she wasn't hallucinating.

"It's a long story." Lance said. "Are you alright?"

"I'll survive" Cynthia said, although her shaking from being upright was obvious. "I'm weak, but I haven't starved. Agent has at least ensured that I've been fed."

"Agent?" James asked, an edge of concern.

"That's the name he gave me." Cynthia said, as she gave into the inevitable and sat back down again, her legs struggling to support her weight. "Lance, he captured Mewtwo."

"I know." The Dragon Master said. "You've been out of the picture for a while Cynthia, there is a lot to update you on."

"Who is Agent?" James asked, his voice betraying the concern he felt.

"I don't know." Cynthia said tiredly. "He is a member of Team Rocket, and responsible for my capture. And the attack on Silver Stadium."

James gasped, while Lance raised his eyebrows. "You know of that?" he asked.

"Agent made me watch it." Cynthia said, sighing. "On the TV over there."

Lance and James turned to where she was gesturing. Sure enough there was a television sitting there, turned off. They turned back to Cynthia.

"You seem remarkably calm given our sudden appearance." Lance observed, which drew a short bark of laughter from Cynthia.

"Do not think I am some lazy weakling Lance." She said, a smile on her face. "I may have been malnourished, but I am still used to surprises, and hardship. I am a good battler simply because I can adjust to surprises quickly. Anyway, I heard you coming. I guess that was Dragonite that caused the crash?"

Lance chuckled as he turned to the door, but before he could answer, the trio froze. A sound emanated from outside the door, one that was very recognizable. It was the sound of Dragonite roaring.

"Stay here." Lance ordered as he leapt for the door. "I'll come back when it's safe."

Before either could move, Lance had slammed the door behind him. As he turned to look down the corridor, his heart sunk. Facing him and Dragonite was a Salamence. But it wasn't the Pokémon that worried Lance. It was the man next to it, one that he recognized very easily from pictures shown to him by 'Champion'. It was Agent. Agent looking furious as he ordered Salamence to attack once again.

Ash hadn't moved for coming up on ten minutes. The girl clinging to him wouldn't let him, and he had no intention of pushing her away. He blamed himself that she had been sucked into the whole affair. He should have protected her better; she was so young. A girl, barely old enough to train had been caught up in things that she should never have to deal with. He tried to think about what he had done at her age. The odd clash with Team Rocket, nothing else. Certainly nothing like this. Eventually he felt a movement from her, and after giving her a final squeeze, relaxed his grip so Mellanie could step away. Looking at her, he saw a lot in her expression. Fear; fear of where she was, although reduced by his presence. And fear of something else. Fear of somebody leaving. Then it was obvious. Fear of him leaving her alone again. Loneliness as well. Although this was something that ran further than the events here. Almost like she had been lonely for a while. Ash made a mental note to ask about it in the future. Her expression also held a hardness that he had only seen in a few. Mellanie would not be broken by her experience.

Ash slowly rose to his feet, and held out a Pokéball belt for Mellanie to strap back around her waist. As she did so she subtly straightened again, before smiling weakly back at him. "How did you find me?" she asked quietly.

Ash didn't answer for a moment, but crossed the room to the bed. He patted the space next to her and Mellanie quickly sat. Espeon padded up, a bowl of food floating next to her. Mellanie smiled at the Sun Pokémon before taking the food and started to eat, slowly at first then a lot quicker as she realized how hungry she was. Espeon mewed quietly and then moved back to the corner and sat, alert.

"I have known where this base is for a while. I was waiting until the end of the Silver Conference because otherwise I would be missed. As soon as I realized what had happened we came here. It wasn't easy, but Team Rocket should no longer be a threat." There was a moment of silence where Ash silently cursed himself. His entire time as 'Champion' he had managed by being an aloof figure, somebody nobody was close to. He could deal with that. Yet he couldn't do that here. Mellanie was a child, one that had gone through a traumatic experience. He couldn't be distant now.

"The others are safe." Ash said. Mellanie looked at him quizzically. "The others they captured. There was a group of you."

"I'm glad." Mellanie said, her voice still quiet. More silence. "What now?"

"Now?" Ash asked. "We have to leave." Mellanie looked up, and Ash met her eyes. "I'm not finished here, but you will stay with me." Ash said.

Mellanie nodded gratefully. The Pokémon Master emanated strength and she didn't want to be without that feeling of security.

As Ash stood up again, before moving across the room Espeon stood up. As Ash reached the door she mewed. Ash turned and looked at her, confusing Mellanie.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"Alakazam has found something." Mellanie said, speaking into the heads of both of them. "They have finished off the last Pokémon, but there is evidence of a large battle on a hill nearby. And he senses that there is still fighting going on underground somewhere."

"Fighting? Who fighting?" Ash asked, his voice level.

"He's not sure. He can sense Psychic attacks, but not a psychic Pokémon"

"Tell him to take Sceptile and find who it is. Bring them back to the rest of the Rockets."

Espeon nodded and flicked her tail. Ash turned to Mellanie. "Come on. I think it's time we got you out of here."

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam" Lance snapped. His Pokémon roared before twisting out-of-the-way of Salamence's Dragonbreath. Lance cursed as he dropped to the ground as the attack passed over him. There was no space to fight here, and attacks risked hitting the trainers as well as the Pokémon. Salamence struggled to get out-of-the-way and was clipped by Dragonite's attack. Agent cursed as he had to leap backwards to avoid his Pokémon as it slid. Lance raised his eyebrow at how far Agent seemed to have thrown himself, but put it out of his mind. As Salamence regained his feet, Lance barked another order and Dragonite leapt forwards, landing with its feet on Salamence's throat. Agent reached for another Pokéball, but then seemed to decide against it. He couldn't use more than one in such an enclosed area.

"Surrender Agent." Lance said. "You won't be able to defeat me in a fight."

Agent didn't answer, just looked balefully at Lance. Lance stared straight back, his gaze challenging. Suddenly he heard a roar of surprise from Dragonite, and looked across to see his Pokémon falling backwards. Salamence rolled to his feet and darted forwards again. Lance didn't bother issuing a command, just trusted his Dragonite to know what to do.

Dragonite pirouetted on one leg and let his tail crash into Salamence, knocking his opponent back once again. As Salamence settled, Dragonite opened his mouth and an icy blue beam started to form. Salamence's wings started to glow silver. As Dragonite fired his Ice Beam, Lance saw Agent's eyes glow blue. The Ice Beam never hit Salamence. It swung up before arcing back around to hit a very surprised Dragonite. Before Lance could react Salamence's Steel Wing crashed into Dragonite, causing the Dragon Master to have to dive out-of-the-way of his own Pokémon as it fell backwards.

As he climbed to his feet, Lance saw Agent moving towards the door where James and Cynthia were waiting. Clearly Agent knew Cynthia was in there. Lance felt a fury boil inside him. In front of him was the man who had attacked his region, his league, his stadium. A man who had killed thousands. And was clearly planning on using Cynthia for leverage. In his years Lance had faced against many dangerous opponents, but it was rare that he came face to face with evil.

"Dragonite, Ice Beam again." Lance ordered. Agent had to leap back as the attack froze the door he had been about to go through.

"You shouldn't have done that." Agent said quietly. His eyes started to glow blue again, but this time Lance was ready for him.

"Thunder Wave." Lance ordered.

Agent cursed as he dived out-of-the-way of the paralyzing attack, with Salamence having already moved out-of-the-way. As he rolled up he heard Lance ordering again.

"Dragon Rush into Flamethrower."

Salamence got caught in Dragonite's forward charge, with his claws making an awful screeching noise as he tried to stop himself being thrown backwards. Agent's eyes glowed blue again as he climbed to his feet, but the Flamethrower was aimed at him, forcing him to deflect it. He did so at the door, melting the ice there, and causing Lance to grind his teeth.

"Hyper Beam."

At point blank range and with Agent distracted by the flamethrower, Salamence couldn't escape. The Hyper Beam sent him flying down the corridor before he crashed into the far wall behind Agent. There was a resounding clang as the Pokémon fell to the steel floor, with both men knowing that he wasn't going to be getting up. Agent immediately reached down to his belt and threw another Pokéball, before throwing himself forwards. As the Nidoking appeared and lurched forwards, Agent's eyes glowed. Lance felt himself pulled forwards, unable to move as he reached Agent. Dragonite found himself struggling to open his mouth to fire attacks, and Lance couldn't move to help him.

As Lance stopped in front of his attacker, Agent pulled out a knife and struck forwards. Before it made contact a small flash of orange surged out and crashed into the Rocket. The door next to the two men was open and James was stood there. His Growlithe rolled off Agent, before opening his mouth and unleashing a burst of fire. Agent roared, before a surge of energy flashed out, throwing Growlie backwards, and sending James and Lance to the ground. As Agent climbed to his feet once again, there was another flash. Lance and James were lifted clean off the ground, pressed against the ceiling by Agents strength. Dragonite roared as he therw Nidoking, before charging at Agent. Agent held up a hand, throwing his entire strength against the charging Pokémon. The strain was apparent, but Dragonite slowed, before almost stopping. Nidoking threw himself forwards, hitting Dragonite and sending the two Pokémon sliding down the hall. Agent reached down and swept up his knife, and turned to face Lance and James. Another flash of flight and all three of them looked around, before Agent was punched off his feet by a Psychic attack stronger than any he had ever known. James and Lance fell from the ceiling and hit the floor hard. Agent's Nidoking roared in surprise as he was sent toppling by a devastating series of blows. As the Nidoking settled on the ground, clearly knocked out, and Agent was forced up against a wall, glowing blue, Lance and James gingerly climbed to their feet. Looking around they saw two new Pokémon. An Alakazam was advancing past the two trainers, its spoons glowing as it pushed against Agent. A Sceptile was stood next to the Nidoking, clearly responsible for its defeat. Both Pokémon showed signs of intense battling. Lance recalled his Dragonite before looking at the Sceptile again. A voice from behind them made Sceptile look up.

"What is 'Champion's' Sceptile doing here?" Cynthia asked, leaning against the door frame and surveying the devastation of the corridor.

Ash strode out of the Rocket base. At his side, Mellanie stayed as close to him as possible. On the way up, Alakazam had relayed details of the capture of Agent, the final dangerous member of Team Rocket to escape. Outside, 'Champion's' Pokémon had rounded up all the Rocket grunts. They were sat in a large area, not doing anything but warily watching the Pokémon around them. Giovanni was slumped, looking utterly deflated, near the centre. Mewtwo and the other trainers were a short way off. There were ten of Ash's Pokémon watching the two groups, spread out in pairs. They all showed the marks of battle, with three looking ready to collapse. Nobody seemed to be even contemplating running from the grim looking Pokémon, who met every look with a glare. Ash quickly surveyed the scene, before walking towards Mewtwo and the trainers.

"I soon I will have you taken back to Indigo." Ash said, addressing the trainers. "There will be space there for you to stay for a short while. I appreciate that you will want to get away from this, but I must insist you stay under the protection of the Pokémon League for the immediate future."

Nobody answered, so Ash turned away again, Mellanie still following.

"How come she gets to follow him?" came a voice from behind him. Ash stopped, but didn't turn around.

"You need to ask?" he asked, his voice emotionless. Silence came from behind him so he turned around again to face the trainers. "Miss Rigger is ten. She is with me for this reason only. It is not my policy to allow children into areas such as this. Since she was brought here, I am ensuring her safety until we leave. I assure you that you are all safe, although if you feel you will be safer near me you are welcome to follow me. Miss Rigger is here simply because the general consensus is that children should be protected."

Ash turned and strode away, leaving the trainer behind him staring after him while Mellanie hurried to keep up. Ash returned to looking out over the area in front of the Rocket base. His Pokémon looked tired, but defiant. They knew that they had done everything that they needed to.

There was a flash, and a huge group of people suddenly appeared. Ash strode forwards, to meet Alakazam and Sceptile moving away from the group. Next to them was a man with red hair and a cloak to match Ash's, although the inside was a deep red instead of black. He moved favouring his left leg, and showed the marks of a battle. On their other side a man dressed in the Team Rocket trousers and undershirt, but not their over-shirt floated along, glowing slightly blue. The final member of their group was a woman with long blonde hair, and black trousers and shirt. Both her hair and clothes showed signs of dirt, as if they hadn't been washed for a long time. She was carrying a belt of Pokéballs in her hands, as if she was scared to lose them. Ash stopped a short distance away and let them approach.

"Lance. This is unexpected." 'Champion' said as the Dragon Master stopped.

Lance felt unbelievably nervous, although he did recognize the irony given where he had been a mere fifteen minutes before. He hoped that there was something good in the fact that 'Champion' was using his first name showed he wasn't in trouble. Although having Cynthia there did remind him of the last time he had been in this situation. A time when 'Champion' hadn't been happy. Lance straightened slightly. He knew he had done the right thing, even if 'Champion' didn't think so.

"You didn't know I was here?" Lance asked. "You seem to know everything else."

There was a hint of a smile on the lips of 'Champion', just visible under the shadow of his hat. "Not everything clearly." He turned to look at Cynthia. "I am pleased to find you alive Cynthia."

"I may not be without Lance's help." She said. "Agent was coming for me when Lance faced him."

'Champion' nodded, before turning to face Agent. The man glared at him with loathing, although 'Champion' suspected that was partly due to the Alakazam holding him in place. 'Champion' looked at him for a long, silent minute before turning back to Lance and Cynthia. "It's over. Time to go home."