Alfgar awoke and found himself in a sterile, white room. His head pounded as he looked around and tried to sit up from the bed he was lying in. As he pushed himself to a sitting position, he guessed that he was in the hospital. He struggled to recall what had happened after Odin's tail had knocked him out. I saw something arrive... What happened to Cynthia? How am I still alive?

After a few seconds the door to his room opened and Gary walked in. Gary pulled up a chair and sat down next to Alfgar's bed.

"How're you feeling?" He asked.

"Alright," Alfgar replied. "Though my head hurts." He reached up and saw that the hospital had bandaged his wound.

"Yeah, you took a pretty hard hit. You were out for an entire day," Gary said as he smiled, but Alfgar could tell that it was forced.

Suddenly he remembered his pokemon. "Where are my pokemon? What happened to them?"

Gary averted his gaze, suddenly finding the blank white wall of the room very interesting. "Your charizard, tyrantrum, and luxray are fine. I can get the nurse to return them to you now, if you want."

Alfgar's brown eyes hardened. "And my other pokemon?" His stomach churned as he knew what was coming.

Gary grimaced. "Your glaceon's dead, and your kecleon had his legs cut off from above the knees."

Alfgar cringed internally as he remembered the sickening crunch of the aura spheres slamming into Evenfall's body. He balled his fists as he saw Charlotte slice at Randy, his mind replaying the horrifying events of his battle with Cynthia.

"... What happened to Cynthia?" He finally asked.

"She escaped shortly after I arrived. She knew she couldn't beat me. Don't worry, though, I'm sure we'll find that bitch soon enough."

Alfgar grit his teeth and almost bit his tongue. Cynthia would pay for this, he had no doubt of that.

"I'll get the rest of your pokemon for you," Gary said awkwardly as he got up and left the room. He didn't quite know how to deal with these types of situations.

Alfgar snapped himself out of his murderous thoughts as he got up and picked up his clothes which were lying on a nearby chair. Gary walked back into the room with a small plastic bag as Alfgar finished putting his clothes back on.

"Uh... Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Gary asked as he handed Alfgar his pokemon back.

The black-haired trainer took the bag and clipped the three pokeballs back to his belt. "I'm fine. Where are Randy and Evenfall?"

Gary sighed. "The nurse at the Pokemon Center has them but - hey!"

Alfgar pushed past Gary and walked out of the hospital. The warm Undella breeze attempted to soothe his feelings as he stormed over to the Pokemon Center next door. He entered the center and asked for his two pokemon back.

The nurse expressed her condolences as she handed over the two pokeballs, and Alfgar gave a curt thanks before he left the center and headed towards the beach. When he made it to a relatively isolated spot in the sand, he released Randy.

The kecleon sat on the sand and squawked with surprise when he saw Alfgar. Alfgar knelt down to Randy's level and examined him. The kecleon looked fine save for his legs, which now solely consisted of two short stumps. He won't be able to battle in this condition.

"How are you feeling?" He asked Randy tentatively.

"I'm alright! But my legs... Can they fix my legs, Master?"

Alfgar's face fell and his eyes darkened. "I don't know. They could give you prosthetics, but it won't be the real thing. I'm afraid you're done with battling."

Randy squawked sadly as he looked down at the golden sand. "... That's what I thought. What will happen now?"

"I don't know" Alfgar sat down on the sand across from Randy. "Evenfall's dead. We were too weak, and we paid the price for it. Some of us more than others." He glanced at the kecleon's stumps sadly.

"I'm going to get revenge," he continued, "and I haven't given up on our original mission. We do need to get stronger, though, and you can't battle. I can't bring you along."

Randy squawked in alarm. "Wha-what will I do then?"

"I'm going to Kanto next. You remember Professor Oak, right? You can stay with him. I'll pick you up when this is all over." He hated to leave Randy behind, but he had no choice.

Though Randy had been on his team the longest out of any of his pokemon, the kecleon could no longer battle. If he brought Randy along, Alfgar would only endanger him and the rest of the team. He explained all this to Randy, and the kecleon hung his head in sadness.

"Alright. I will stay with Professor Oak. You will come back for me, you promise?"

Alfgar nodded. "I promise." He then patted the kecleon on the head before recalling him. He sent out his other three living pokemon.

Apollo, Luce, and Odin all emerged out of their balls and onto the sand of the Undella beach. Apollo and Odin were surprisingly quiet as they eyed their trainer, and for once Luce didn't have anything sarcastic or bitter to say.

"Evenfall is dead. Randy will never battle again," Alfgar began. "All this because we couldn't defeat Cynthia. We were too weak."

His pokemon remained silent as they stared at their trainer.

"We're going to gather the legendaries, and we will have our revenge. I know I've neglected to train you guys like we did when we traveled around on our own. That's going to change. From now on, we won't be playing around. We either destroy or we be destroyed, and I think you all know what path we will choose."

He paused and took a deep breath. "We're going to Kanto next to meet up with someone. I'm sure you'll all remember him when you see him. After that, we should be able to complete our goal more easily."

Alfgar stopped when he heard someone approaching. He turned around and saw Gary jogging over with his umbreon by his side. "There you are! You can't just run off like that!"

"Sorry. I don't like hospitals."

Gary glared at him. "So? You didn't even bother to check out!" His expression softened. "What are you going to do now?"

"I was hoping to go to Kanto," Alfgar replied.

"Kanto? What could you possibly want from there?"

"I need to meet with someone," he said simply.

Gary's blue eyes narrowed. "Meet with who?"

"What will you do now?" Alfgar asked Gary in order to change the subject.

"Uh... I don't know. I guess I can go back to Kanto with you for a bit. I'll figure it out from there."

Alfgar nodded. "Alright, then. We should leave as soon as possible. We just have one more thing to do here..."

The sun sank below the horizon as the light from the flames bathed the group of people and pokemon on the beach. The group gazed at the burning pyre, and Gary's umbreon mewled sadly as she watched her sister's corpse burn.

Alfgar stared solemnly at the pyre. I'm sorry, Evenfall. Cynthia was right; it was his fault that the glaceon died. His carelessness cost Evenfall her life. It won't happen again.

The dark-haired trainer shifted his pack and felt the heat from the Red Orb emanate from inside it.

This Orb will be the first step to revenge. To redemption.

Alfgar yawned as he stepped out of the sleek, black sportscar. He blinked before taking in his surroundings. He was in Pallet Town now, home to Champion Red and the famous Professor Oak. Pallet was quaint and quiet, and only a single paved road ran through the center of the town.

He glanced at the large building atop the hill. Windmills lined the pathway up to Oak's lab, and the long flight of stairs that ran up the hill seemed to have been freshly repainted.

Gary shut the engine off before stepping out of the driver's seat of his car. He stretched and let out Penelope, his umbreon. The black eeveelution mewled in delight at seeing Professor Oak's lab.

"There it is," Gary declared. "I think it's about time we paid Gramps a visit."

Alfgar, Gary, and Penelope walked up the hill as they made their way to Professor Oak's lab. When they opened the door and strode into the main lobby of the lab, they were surprised to hear Professor Oak's voice talking to someone.

"Huh?" Gary said as he scratched his head. "Gramps said he'd meet us here. He said he cleared his schedule for today."

"Sounds like he's back there," Alfgar observed as he glanced down the hallway which lead to the Professor's office. "We'll wait for him here."

"Hell no," Gary scoffed. "I'm going in."

Alfgar sighed before he followed Gary and his umbreon down the hallway. The trio entered a medium-sized room littered with papers and test tubes. A large, outdated computer sat on a desk towards the end of the room, and Professor Oak stood beside it as he spoke to someone. The other man had on a red jacket, blue jeans, and a red hat atop messy, black hair. The man turned around and looked at Alfgar and Gary with a pair of striking red eyes.

"Oh! I completely forgot you two were coming," Professor Oak said as he walked over to Alfgar and Gary. "I'm sure you both remember Red?"

"Yeah. Red, good to see you," Gary greeted unenthusiastically.

"Nice to see you again," Alfgar said as he waved.

Red nodded to the two trainers. "Alfgar. Gary."

Professor Oak cleared his throat before he spoke, interrupting the tense silence. "Red here was telling me about the war between Unova and Hoenn. He's going to make sure that Kanto and Johto stay out of it, which I completely agree with. However, because he was attacked at a conference in Lilycove, a lot of the warhawks in Parliament are pushing him to enter the war as revenge."

"I thought you said you cleared your schedule, Gramps," Gary said gruffly.

Oak rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Er... I know I said that, but it's not everyday that the Champion shows up at your lab!" He clapped Red on the back, and the red-eyed champion jumped in surprise.

Alfgar turned his attention to Red. "You were at that meeting?" He had seen the news reports on it, but they didn't mention that the Indigo Champion was there.

"Yeah. It was supposed to be a meeting to keep the peace, but it ended up starting the war. Funny how things work out." His voice was quiet but strong, exactly how Alfgar had remembered it.

"And now Sinnoh has joined... A shame," Professor Oak said, his eyes clouded with worry. "Hopefully we can stay out of it from now on. Alfgar, you said you had a pokemon for me?"

Alfgar unclipped Randy's ball before handing it to Oak. "We've already said our goodbyes."

Professor Oak nodded as he took the ball. "He will be well-cared for here. Prosthetics have advanced greatly in the last few years."

"Thank you. I should be leaving now." Alfgar turned to leave, but Professor Oak called out to him.

"Wait! What do you plan on doing now?"

"... I need to meet with someone." Alfgar's gaze remained fixed on the door.

"With who? Surely you don't mean... Alfgar, you shouldn't."

"I have no choice, Professor. I need to do this." He walked out the door and left the laboratory.

Oak sighed. "He doesn't know what he's getting into..."

"I think he can handle himself," Red replied. "I don't think he ever truly agreed with them anyway."

"Yes, but they've changed... They're far more powerful now. I just hope... Never mind. He's had a difficult time as a trainer, hasn't he?" Oak pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned to Gary.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my grandson again?" He asked with a hint of bitterness. "You're not one to visit just to check up on me."

Gray shrugged. "I don't know. I'm still figuring out what to do next."

"I've been telling you for years that I need you to take over the lab after I die. You showed promise as a researcher, you could go back to that?" Oak offered, though he knew it was futile.

Gary groaned. "Research is boring. I want to something that's exciting and useful."

"And research isn't useful?" Red broke in.

Gray glared at him. "You know what isn't useful? When the champion sits on top of a mountain for a couple years, doing absolutely nothing."

Red's crimson eyes hardened. "It's better than just running away from my problems, isn't it? At least I know I have responsibilities."

Professor Oak stepped in before Gary could form a retort. "Look at you two. Is this how friends treat one another? Just because you haven't seen each other in a while doesn't mean you need to fight."

Gary rolled his eyes. "I'm going for a walk." He left Oak's lab as well, his umbreon following closely behind.

Professor Oak sighed. "I'm sorry about Gary. Ever since the battle... He just hasn't been the same."

Red's gaze softened. "I know what it feels like, but now's not the time to fight amongst ourselves. If war does come to us, we need to be prepared. Things could get out of hand quickly, and we're going to need Gary's help if it comes to that."

Professor Oak rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. "Let's hope it doesn't."

Alfgar entered the large lobby of the Viridian Gym. The floors and walls of the lobby were made of black stone, and the sole light source was an ornate chandelier which hung from the ceiling. The gym was completely empty, and no trainers or pokemon practiced on the dirt battlefields located towards the back of the gym.

A lone receptionist sat at the welcome desk. She had long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail and bright blue eyes. She gasped and looked up from her magazine as Alfgar approached.

"Y-you can't be in here! The gym is closed, can't you read?"

"I saw the sign. I need to talk to Giovanni." Alfgar stared into the woman's blue orbs with his own dark ones. The receptionist flinched under his gaze.

"He m-made it clear that h-he didn't want any visitors," she stuttered out.

"I'm an old friend," Alfgar insisted. "I'm sure he'll make an exception for me." He began walking away from the welcome desk and towards the back of the gym where the door to Giovanni's office was. He ignored the receptionist as she feebly cried for him to stop.

He got to the black door at the end of the gym and hesitated before knocking.

"... Come in," a deep, silky voice spoke from behind the door.

Alfgar pushed the door open and found himself in a dark but spacious room. The walls and floor of the room were also made of black stone, and the office was lit by a bright lamp that sat on the mahogany desk next to a computer.

A man dressed in an expensive, crisp, black suit sat at the desk, his smooth face illuminated by the light of the lamp. His cold brown eyes held no warmth even as the light fell upon them, and he blinked in surprise as he saw Alfgar. His black hair was nearly slicked back, and smoke trailed out of the cigar he held in his hand. A persian sat curled up under the man's desk, and the cat pokemon mewled in amusement as it noticed the visitor.

"Well... I didn't expect you here," Giovanni said bluntly. He put out his cigarette as he gestured to the seat across from his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Alfgar sat down and cautiously eyed the persian. Its eyes glinted in the darkness threateningly.

"Not happy to see me?" Alfgar questioned.

"To be honest, I thought you were dead. After I heard your mission failed and you crashed in the Hoennese jungle, I just assumed that you had died."

Alfgar blinked in surprise. "How did you know about Operation Iridescent? That was classified information."

Giovanni smirked. "I have my ways. Anyway, I'm sure you've intruded on my rest for a good reason. Spit it out."

Alfgar shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he prepared himself for what he was about to say. "I'd like to rejoin Team Rocket."

Giovanni laughed, and his persian purred. "Is that so? The military man has decided to come back to us. Tell me, why should I even take you back? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now."

"I may have left Team Rocket before, but I never gave away any trade secrets. You know I'm useful, and you know I'm one of the best admins you ever had. There's three good reasons."

"You flatter yourself too much." Giovanni slowly tapped his fingers on the mahogany desk. "You are powerful, I admit, and useful as well, but those reasons aren't good enough. Why do you suddenly want to join Team Rocket again?"

"We have common goals," Alfgar lied. He was only planning on using Team Rocket for power while he collected the legendaries. He would abandon them the first chance he got.

"Really? And what are these 'goals'?"

"You want the legendaries, I want power and revenge. You know why I joined in the first place."

Giovanni leaned back in his plush, black chair. "Yes. I suppose so. But why did you leave if we are so essential to completing your goals?"

"Team Rocket was much weaker back then. Now that you've started collecting the legendaries, I know you have the power to help."

Giovanni leaned forward and gripped the desk. "How do you know about the legendaries?"

Alfgar decided that it was best if he didn't tell Giovanni about his own personal search for the legendaries. "Unovan intelligence. They know you're working with the Hoennese government to collect the legendaries."

Giovanni relaxed his grip and chuckled. "Is that what you think? That we're working with Hoenn? You're mistaken there, I'm afraid. We're collecting them for ourselves, Alfgar." He leaned back in his chair again. "Team Rocket's final plan is unfolding. We will control the legendaries, and then the whole world."

Alfgar was shocked by this revelation. Huh. Seems like they have gotten a lot stronger. "Even more the reason for me to rejoin. I can help you."

"... I suppose you can. You were very useful in the past, and I'm sure you can be useful again."

Alfgar let out a mental sigh of relief. "I know I can... One slight problem, though. I lost some of my pokemon, and I only have three left. I need one of Team Rocket's."

Giovanni glared at him darkly. "So you're only at half strength, is that what you're saying?"

"Not necessarily," Alfgar said as he tried to backpedal. He couldn't risk Giovanni declining his offer. "The three pokemon that I have right now are extremely powerful. I just need to borrow a couple of Team Rocket's pokemon to augment my strength."

Giovanni remained silent for a few seconds. "... Alright, I can lend you a few pokemon if you are willing to help us. I hope you know that the pokemon I can give you will not be as powerful as the ones you already have, though."

Alfgar nodded. "I know. There is one pokemon I'd like to request, though... Do you still have Atlas?"

"You want him? I suppose that would make sense, since you two did work together for a while. Here." Giovanni reached into his suit and pulled out a pokeball and rolled it across the desk.

Alfgar caught grabbed the ball off the desk and looked up in surprise. "Wait, you had him?"

"Yes. When you left and he stayed, I noticed that Atlas was much more powerful than he was before you started training him, so I thought I'd keep him for a while. He's like his father in many regards."

Alfgar stared at the worn-out pokeball he held in his hand. Atlas was a nidoking, and Giovanni had given him to Alfgar when he had first joined Team Rocket. Alfgar trained Atlas up from a nidoran to a nidoking, and the two had grown close over time, but when Alfgar decided to leave Team Rocket, Atlas chose to stay. Atlas' father was Giovanni's own nidoking.

He clipped the pokeball to his belt and got up from the chair. "Alright, then. What do you want me to do? I've had experience in the Hoenn region, and I know a lot about the militaries of Hoenn and Unova, so I think I'd be perfect for collecting the Hoenn legendaries."

Giovanni smiled darkly. "Always so blunt. I suppose we do need a new admin in Hoenn, as Marco died while attempting to capture Rayquaza, but... You'll need to prove your loyalty first before I give you the assignment you want. I want you to go to Alto Mare and help Admin Hera finish her assignment first. Then we'll see about sending you to Hoenn."

Alfgar grit his teeth. He needed to be back in Hoenn as soon as possible. "And just what is this assignment?"

"I sent Admin Hera and Admin Archer to Alto Mare in order to harness the power of the legendary pokemon Latios and Latias. Admin Archer was apparently killed, and I promised Hera that I would send reinforcements. You are those reinforcements."

Latios and Latias? Sounds difficult. He had no choice but to accept. He needed Team Rocket's resources and power to complete his own goals. "Fine. I'll go."

Giovanni smirked. "I will inform Admin Hera of your arrival. You can procure your own means of transport, I hope?"

He nodded. Alto Mare was an island located to the south of Johto, and he could easily catch a ferry in Olivine City.

"Then you should get going," Giovanni said. "Also, you'll be needing a uniform. When you walk out of my office, you should see a room to your right. Pick one out from there."

Alfgar left the office and went into the room which held the uniforms. As he browsed through the black, red, and silver clothing looking for a size that fit him, he sighed.

He was a Rocket again.

Dex entry #034: nidoking

"It happens all the time during battle. It's not my nidoking's fault that my opponent was weak." - Excerpt from Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni Guttoso's interview after his nidoking had all killed three of his challenger's pokemon

Nidoking are large, muscular pokemon found in forests and mountains across the world. These pokemon are quick to anger and can be very fierce in battle, especially during mating season. Nidoking are able to produce a potent venom from their horn and jaws, and this poison can kill humans and other pokemon if left untreated. Nidoking are also capable of producing large earthquakes, and they are considered to be very dangerous because of their abilities and their temperament. Though nidoran are common pokemon, it is rare to see a nidoking in the wild because only the strongest are capable of evolution. Nidoking are considered a level four threat on the Pokemon Threat Scale.