Hey Everybody! Well, it was three and a half weeks in the making, but I proudly present the next chapter in our little epic…number 44! I'm sorry for the delay, but I'd like to say now that what it lacked in punctuality I think is made up for in substance. Granted, there will be more to come, but I think this chapter covers quite a bit of action, and I'm happy to say that we're really getting into the meat and bones of the Team Rocket arc after all this time (the arc started when Mallory met Brock in chapter four, remember?). Welp, can't say much more without giving the good stuff away, so go ahead and check out the chapter for yourself!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.

Characters' Ages:

Ash: 17

Brock: 22

Misty: 18

Delia: 41

Oak: 56

Ash's bag hit the marbled floor with a dull thud.

For a moment, the only sound was the echo of the duffel against rock. A thousand questions instantly surrounded him. Was this a joke? Did he hear Lance wrong? Was there another girl named Misty Team Rocket had a vested interest in?

Finally, he managed to clear his mind just enough to form a comprehensive inquiry.

"W-what do you mean it's Misty?"

Lance took a deep breath. "Just come in here for a moment." He motioned to the room beneath the dual-sided staircase. "I think it's easier to show than tell."

Without another thought, Ash ran over and into the room, Pikachu clinging tightly to his shoulder. Though the rodent Pokémon didn't quite understand the specifics, the sudden change in his master's attitude was enough for him to understand something was amiss.

Entering the room, he could see the other three were already waiting for him.

"I've been working all morning on finding where Giovanni's been," Lance began, "and I finally got in contact with one of our agents who works as his limo driver." He pointed to a large computer screen opposite the four trainers and Pokémon. On the screen was a map of the entire Kanto region, and a red dot was blinking repeatedly in the northern sector. "He told me they had stopped in front of the Cerulean Gym."

More emotions walled Ash. He felt as if his brain simply couldn't handle everything it was being told to process at once, and he again found himself staring dumbfounded, focusing on the blinking red that he assumed was Misty's gym.

"Ash, are you alright?" Cynthia asked softly, noting the stricken expression across the former champion's face. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he flinched in surprise.

Shaking his head, he managed a new question. "Where did they take her?" His voice was already growing hoarse from worry.

"I…don't know yet," Lance answered honestly, looking down in shame. "Apparently Giovanni just drove off after they came back out of the gym and ditched our guy…he must be really nervous to cover his tracks so well."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes tightly, forced back all emotion, and tried to maintain a cool head. As inappropriate as it seemed, he couldn't help but relate this experience as similar to his battles. He'd learned long ago that losing one's cool is the last thing anyone should do when put under pressure.

Exhaling a few shaky breaths, he calmly looked back up and gave Lance a hard stare. "Why didn't the driver just take him out when he had the chance?"

"No good. Giovanni constantly has guards with him. We can't get close. Also, the driver didn't have any weapons or Pokémon on him."

Inadvertently gritting his teeth, he felt the tenuous grasp on his feelings begin to loosen as frustration and anger seethed in his heart. "Then…then what do we do?"

Lance looked at Steven, and then Cynthia. "Well, we do have a plan for this. We have two operatives in Cerulean, and one of them is an expert tracker. She used to work on the police force, but now she just raises Pokémon and works for our group. Hopefully, we'll find Misty soon."

"The other," Steven interjected, "is actually an old student of mine. He's been in a few scraps, and he's never failed us before. Once we track where Misty is, he should be able to get her back, no problem."

"The good news is that Misty really holds no intrinsic value to Team Rocket," Lance continued. "I doubt she's in trouble. The only reason they would have to kidnap her is so that they could get to you."

Is that supposed to make me feel better? The frustration was growing as he felt his pulse quicken and his head begin to hurt.

He was sick of this. Sick of all the problems that seemed to be following him. He didn't have any troubles, or at least none this serious, before he'd become the Sinnoh Champion, but since his inauguration nothing but bad news had seemed to plague him. He'd been hospitalized by the police, forced to leave Brock, lost Dawn in a sea of awkward emotions, watched Paul turn into a villain, been kidnapped by Team Rocket, and finally lost his status after working his whole life to acquire it.

One of the only good things to happen has been Misty, and now they're trying to take that away from me too! The anger built up further, and he felt his fingernails begin to dig into the skin of his palm as he clenched his fist.

"I know this must be rough on you, Ash." It was Cynthia. She sounded truly sorrowful in her tone, but he could tell she wasn't done. "A lot's happened really fast…and obviously it hasn't been good. But right now isn't the time to contemplate how hard life's been. We need to all focus on how to get Misty back."

Lance nodded in agreement as Ash looked up again. "They must be planning on some way to lure you to the gym if they really kidnapped Misty. Have you gotten any letters or messages from her recently that seemed out of place?"

He took another breath and cleared his head. He knew that now wasn't the time to bemoan his own troubles while Misty remained in the hands of his hated enemy.

Out of place…wait a minute!

"The text!" Ash's eyes sparked in memory, remembering the odd message from a few minutes before. He reached into his pocket. "Misty's phone sent me this message telling me to meet her at the gym. I called her, and she didn't answer, and then I texted and she never wrote back."

Lance grabbed the phone from his hand and sped through the short message, passing it over to Cynthia afterwards. "This might be the break we're looking for! When did you get that message?"

"Like fifteen minutes ago," Ash affirmed, getting excited at Lance's jumpiness. "Is that good?"

"The car pulled up to the gym last night. That was definitely not her…and that can only mean Team Rocket's waiting for you at the Cerulean Gym."

"But Giovanni already took off," Cynthia reminded.

"Which means some operative must be the one actually waiting," Steven concluded.

Ash tightened his fist, now from determination. "I bet I know which one."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Why Giovanni won't just let me finish you now is beyond me," the blond said, carelessly chewing on an apple. The three former Team Rocket members sat across from her in the dingy gym basement, tied together. "I hope he's not losing his touch."

She paused, and then gave the trio a wicked smile. "Of course, maybe he just doesn't wanna take you out of your misery yet, huh? Does it still hurt, James?"

The purple-haired former operative simply winced in reply. The rope constricted around their bodies was pressing directly against his severely wounded shoulder.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you had to amputate…it has to be infected by now." She began cackling, but the three were incapable of speaking. In her right hand rested the apple, in the other a pistol.

As the laughter died down, she gave them another dark smirk. "Actually, amputation's probably preferable to what's gonna happen…Giovanni's Sharpedo hasn't eaten in days, after all."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Fully over the shock, Ash had begun contributing the brain-storming session occurring in the small office concerning Misty's rescue.

"Why don't we call the police?" he suggested. "Tell them we know some Team Rocket members are in the gym."

Lance dismissed the idea. "We can't let Team Rocket know we're onto them. We're in the perfect position to strike. They think you don't know what's going on, and that you're just going to fall for their trap. If we send the police to the gym, all that will happen will be that Giovanni finds out we know his plans, and he…well, it just doesn't end well for us. The police aren't smart enough to take down Team Rocket, anyway. They haven't done it in over fifty years and I doubt they'll have any better luck now."

"It's been thirty minutes. I'm gonna call Chris," Steven said, leaving the room for a moment. "He told me he might have some more info ready by now."

"Good idea," Lance answered, looking back to the screen. "After you're done, pack your things quickly. We should get to Cerulean as soon as possible."

Cynthia began to leave too. "I'll go get my Pokémon and we can be on our way."

"Ash, you may want to contact Oak and get some partners together," Lance mentioned, still staring at the map, but now zooming the picture in on the streets of Cerulean. "I'm not sure it'll be necessary with Chris on the scene, but we may still have some role to play in helping rescue your girlfriend. We're no longer part of the Pokémon League, so feel free to grab as many as you think you'll need. I have a video phone and teleporter in my main office."

Nodding, Ash quickly followed Steven and Cynthia out the doorway. Finding the large office, he entered and quickly punched in the lab's number. After a few rings, the elderly man picked up.

"He-Ash!" he cried, eyes widening in surprise. "I'm so happy to see you! I heard about what happened between you three and Goodshow!"

"Professor, I'd really like to talk about that, but I can't right now. Misty's in trouble and I need some of my Pokémon to go and help her."

"Huh?" The professor's mood darkened instantly. "What do you mean she's in trouble?"

"I-I dunno, but Team Rocket has her, and we're going to Cerulean to try and save her before it's too late."

His eyes widened, and he held his hand up in exclamation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Team Rocket's kidnapped Misty? What are you talking about? Why would they do that?"

Ash rolled his eyes in frustration. "Professor, I really don't know, and I don't have time to explain it all right now. Can I just please have some of my Pokémon? I promise I'll tell the whole story later, but right now it's kinda urgent."

The grey-haired scholar nodded quickly, understanding the immediacy of the situation. "Just tell me which Pokémon to send over and Tracey and I will get them there as soon as we can."

In a matter of minutes, Ash's belt was completely covered by about thirty different pokéballs, and Pikachu remained on his shoulder. Thanking the Professor, he turned the phone off and ran back into the main entrance, where the others were waiting.

"Are you ready?" Steven asked as he approached.

"I've got everyone I'll need to take Giovanni and Mallory down," Ash affirmed, motioning to his loaded belt. "They won't know what hit 'em."

Lance frowned. "Well, if all goes right you won't have to use them at all. Remember, we're mostly relying on Chris to save Misty for us. The rest of us just have our Pokémon in case of a real emergency."

"Speaking of an emergency," Cynthia suddenly interjected. "Lance, did you get a hold of him?"

The redheaded dragon tamer shook his head. "I can never get him to talk to me, but I left a message…though I doubt it'll do any good."

"You never know."

"I know enough after all the times we've requested help in the past and he's stayed holed up in that stupid mountain. What makes you think he'll change his mind now?"

She shrugged as they rushed out the door. "You just never know…I mean he stopped Team Rocket once before, right?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"How's our little patient doing?" Giovanni asked with a smirk. The redhead in the middle of the room remained still; dead asleep as a fiendish Gengar maintained a constant Hypnosis over her neural systems.

"Everything's stable," replied the grunt behind a small computer in the corner of the room. "She's nowhere near waking up."

The boss nodded. "Make sure she stays that way until our guest gets here."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So far nothing's come up," reported a retired Officer Jenny from the private plane's videophone. "Arcanine can't find any scent of Giovanni, and since we can't go into the gym, it's pretty much impossible for us to find a way to trace Waterflower."

"Then go into the gym!"

Lance shook his head at his younger counterpart. "Don't do that, Jen. Ash is just upset, but if who we think is waiting in there is actually there, you'll need some back-up before trying to break into the building."

"Right. I'll call back if anything comes up. Over and out." The screen faded to black, and the ex-champions looked across the table at one another.

"We need to prepare for the invasion," Cynthia reminded. "What're we gonna do once we break into the gym? We don't know how many Team Rocket members are waiting for Ash."

Steven shook his head. "Couldn't be many. Chris said he used an infrared lens to look inside and only saw a few bodies. I'd say Ash is right about Mallory, and Giovanni probably gave her a couple of grunts to help out if she needed it. Besides, I don't think the rest of us will even need to be there, remember?"

"Well, if he does need some back-up, she definitely won't be expecting to see all of us," Lance noted, "which is a good thing. We can use the element of surprise to our advantage."

"I wonder if the operatives that are waiting have any secret weapons?" Cynthia asked. "You know, just in case they were afraid things got out of hand."

"We already know they have an Entei," Ash noted, thinking back to his battle with Paul. "Who knows what else they've got?"

"Not to mention regular weapons," Steven reminded. "I mean, it isn't like this is gonna just be some Pokémon battle. She's surely armed in case of a real struggle."

Cynthia looked over at the steel trainer. "Does Chris have any…you know, guns?"

Despite the situation, Steven gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I imagine he has quite a few after all the stuff he's done. I've never seen him with one, but the missions he's been a part of have sometimes required them as a precautionary measure."

"Speaking of Chris, who is this guy?" Lance questioned. "I mean, you've talked about him before, but I don't think we've ever met."

Steven cleared his throat. "Well, he was a trainer for a few years, and he technically still is. Actually, he's one of the best I've seen, and he's only eighteen years old. He was eleven when he first won the Hoenn League Conference, and he was thirteen when he finally managed to challenge me."

"I'm guessing he lost?"

Steven nodded. "But barely. Anyway, after I saw how strong he was, I offered to make him a member when he got a little older. I don't know what he did after that, but when he was fifteen he showed up at my doorstep and asked to join the G-Men. I challenged him to a match to see his skill…and he beat me. I knew he was strong enough, so I let him, and for the last few years he's done more missions than most members do their entire life."

Cynthia gave her friend a questioning glance. "You know, I don't know that much about him myself. Do you know why he hasn't taken the League challenge again if he was able to beat you?"

Steven shook his head. "The truth is he's kinda a mystery to me too. I mean, I only know he really doesn't like the Team syndicates of the different regions, but his past is a little hazy, and he's never around long enough for me to talk with him about it. I know he trains a lot. You know that island we used to help train Ash? He actually owns that entire facility."

Lance gave a low whistle. "Must've run into money at some point."

"He's won a lot of competitions, I guess," Steven answered with a shrug.

"You said he's from Hoenn?" Cynthia questioned. "Then why is he in Cerulean?"

"Different mission. Lance probably knows about it."

The dragon trainer nodded. "Yeah, apparently the Rockets have a few underground drug rings within the city, so we sent an envoy to try and break 'em up. Chris is on that?"

"I put him in charge."

"Well, I guess it was a lucky thing you did."

"We're about to land in Cerulean," informed the pilot from the overhead. "Just give me a couple of minutes."

Ash suddenly gripped the arm rests of his chair in anticipation as the pilot's voice snapped him back to reality. The commentary between the other ex-champions had fallen into background noise as he focused on only one thing; getting Misty back. He knew this was going to be difficult. Giovanni clearly didn't like him, and the large amount of time between their last encounter and the present apparently hadn't deterred his disdain for the young trainer, nor had it tempered his desire for revenge.

"Seriously, Ash, don't worry," Steven said, noticing the young man's tense posture. "Chris is one of the best around. He'll have Misty back like that." He snapped to get the point across, but Ash couldn't help but feel skeptical at the claim.

"You guys said not to worry about Goodshow too, remember?"

Looking slightly taken aback, Lance was the first to respond. "That was a miscalculation on our part, but I agree with Steven. There's nothing to worry about as far as Misty is concerned. We know where they're waiting for us, we know why they took her, and together we can overcome anything Giovanni can throw at us."

The plane's nose dipped toward the ground as the vehicle started its descent.

"I really hope you're right, but I won't stop worrying until I have Misty back in my arms."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It's good to see you again, Steven."

"It's been a while, Chris."

The two shook hands. Turning, the powerful G-Men member held his arm out for Ash's hand. "And you're Ketchum, right?"

The ex-champion answered with a simple "yeah" as the two shook. Ash noted that though they were about the same age, Chris looked to almost be in his thirties. His shaggy blond hair covered most of his forehead, but gave way to hazel eyes. Dark circles under his eyes betrayed his youthful appearance, as did the various cuts and bruises that Ash noticed lined his arms. In addition, he was quite tall, and for the first time in a long time, the raven-haired trainer felt short in comparison.

"So I guess you're pretty anxious about all of this, huh?" He raised a questioning eyebrow, and Ash nodded again. "Well, don't worry. I've done many of these rescue missions before, and haven't had a hitch yet. Me and my Pokémon are specially trained for this kind of thing."

"That's good to hear," Ash responded, managing to find his voice despite the growing worry that every second not spent looking for Misty was another she remained endangered. "So are you going to the Cerulean Gym now?"

Chris nodded. "I'm about to head out."

"So what's the plan for getting her back?" Steven asked.

"Come in and I'll show you." Chris backed away from the door so that the four humans and Pikachu could enter the small, cheap motel room. In the corner, there was a small wooden desk with papers strewn across.

"Here it is," he noted, picking up a particular pink sheet. He laid the sheet down, and Ash instantly recognized the inside of the Cerulean Gym outlined before him. "I've been studying the structure of the gym. From what Jenny told me, there's three goons in the basement, but that's all. However, she also told me that there are security cameras all around the entrance, and whoever's inside is probably watching them like a hawk."

"So how do you plan on breaking in?"

"Well, that's where it gets a little complicated. See, there was a reason I waited until you all arrived before heading over." He looked at Ash. "I need you to come with me."

Though surprised, the ex-champion didn't hesitate for a moment. "Of course!"

"Wait, why does he need to go with you?" Cynthia questioned, looking concerned. "I thought this was something you could do on your own?"

Chris shook his head, his hair swaying back and forth with the movement. "I can get in, but I need a distraction. As soon as they see Ash approaching, they'll leave the cameras and then I can jump in."

"He won't be in any danger, will he?" Lance asked, concern seeping through his voice too. "He hasn't ever been on a mission before. He's not prepared to be in that kind of situation."

"Well-"

"Not prepared?" Ash gave the redhead a curious glare. "What do you mean I'm not prepared for a dangerous situation? Don't you remember when I helped you stop Kyogre and Groudon? What about all the times you guys weren't there, and I saved the world?"

He looked at Chris. "I'm more than ready to do anything to save Misty."

"We're just worried for you is all," Cynthia cautioned. "It's a different situation than what you're used to. This isn't some Pokémon going berserk; it's an evil corporation willing to get rid of whoever it has to in order to obtain power."

"I don't care. I just want Misty back."

There was a moment of silence, but Steven soon broke it with another question. "Why can't you just teleport into the gym with a psychic Pokémon? Didn't you say you caught a Bronzong in the Sinnoh mountains?"

Shaking his head, Chris explained. "I already thought of that, but apparently some dark type is protecting the entire gym with a Mean Look. Teleporting into the building is impossible."

"You could try attacking the gym from the outside."

"I thought of that too, but there's two problems. First, in addition to the Mean Look, the building's being protected by a Barrier and a Light Screen. Any attack would be deflected and would give whoever's in there a chance to strike back. Also, even if I did break the barrier with a Brick Break or something and managed to attack the gym, that would cause a huge scene. Remember, the gym isn't our target; Giovanni's secret hideout is. We destroy the gym, police will be there in no time, and we risk hurting or killing the grunts inside who have the info we need. Trust me, the best way to deal with this is by playing along and letting them think Ash has no idea what's going on."

"Then let's go," Ash answered, already heading for the door with Pikachu hot on his heels. "There's no time to lose!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What's this?" Mallory leaned closer to one of the security screens as a small dot appeared on the horizon. Someone was approaching the gym. Looking over at the Rocket trio, she smiled. "It looks like it's time for the operation to begin. Too bad you won't be able to watch, but I promise to tell you what's happened when it's over."

The three began to protest, but a quick motion to her pistol instantly silenced the former members. "Now you just wait here."

Hurriedly, she ran up the stairs, cocking the pistol once again as she approached the entrance.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Okay Ash, I've got a lock on you," Chris whispered into the small microphone. He was hiding behind a thicket of bushes near the entrance, and was speaking to Ash through a small ear speaker implanted in the former champion. "Just walk up to the door, and when they open, I'll take care of the rest."

Ash continued to walk in slow, measured steps, silently preparing himself for what might be awaiting his arrival. He'd been warned not to appear to be in too great a hurry to arrive in order to avoid suspicion by the Team Rocket members watching, but he couldn't help feeling almost angry at himself for his slow pace. He needed Misty back now.

A Pidgey chirped in a tree along the path to the gym, and the raven-haired teen almost jumped out of his skin, barely stopping himself. Instead, he quickly turned to face the Pokémon, giving it a hard glare before breathing a sigh of relief and continuing on his way.

"Pika, pikachu," assured his friend from his shoulder. The Pokémon knew his master was nervous, and was trying his best to calm those nerves to keep him prepared for whatever was about to happen.

The teen gave his Pokémon a small smile. "You're right. Nothing to worry about."

After what felt like a lifetime, he finally reached the front entrance to the gym. Taking one last breath, he knocked on the locked sliding glass door.

"M-Misty, are you there?"

Silence rang in his ears.

"Just wait a minute and stay calm," cautioned the blond from the bushes. "They'll be at the door any second."

Feeling as if his chest was about to explode from anticipation, he was almost relieved when he finally saw a dark silhouette forming from the inner-recesses of the dimmed gym building. Slowly, but surely a smirking Mallory came into full view, a gun extended from her right hand, and a pokéball in the left.

His eyes widened, a little shocked to see that he'd guessed correctly at who was awaiting his arrival, but he quickly flooded the shock with feelings of pure hate and scorn for the operative as she approached. The doors slid open, and she motioned for him to enter.

"Before I change my mind and take you out right here."

Ash gave a quick glance back towards the bushes, wondering where his counterpart was, before obliging the woman and stepping inside. He felt several small sparks snap against his cheeks as Pikachu instantly recognized their enemy.

"Keep that rat calm, or I'll do it for you." She shifted the focus of the pistol away from Ash temporarily to point it at his best friend.

"Pikachu, c-calm down, buddy," he croaked, not taking his eyes off of his enemy.

"W-where's Misty?" he demanded in as firm a tone as he could muster as the barrel pointed towards him once again.

The agent gave the former champion a lopsided grin. "Oh, don't worry. You'll see her soon enough."

"Why did you take her away?" He began to feel more confident as the anger continued to rise from within him.

"To get to you, of course. Giovanni wasn't very happy about you turning down his offer and then ending his chances, at least for the moment, of taking over the League, you know?" She continued to smile. "He's not very pleasant when he's angry, but I think seeing you again should finally break him out of this bad mood he's been in."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Thank goodness," Jessie sighed. "I don't know if I could've gone another minute listening to her prattle on about Giovanni's plans."

"I know. She sure does like to talk, huh?" Meowth asked. "James, how are ya feelin' buddy?" The feline turned to his teammate with a concerned look on his face.

The purple-haired operative gave the cat-like Pokémon a small smile despite the pale and gaunt appearance his face had taken. "N-never b-better." Blood continued to trickle down the ropes which held them together, and Jessie was beginning to grow worried for her friend.

"We need to find a way out of here, you two."

Meowth nodded. "And I know just how we can do it."

"How, Meowth?" James questioned, wincing slightly as he turned to face the Pokémon.

"My Fury Swipes can handle dis rope in no time." He gave the two a devilish grin. "I didn't wanna use it while she had dat gun pointing at our faces, but now it's no problem."

"Well then what are you waiting for?" Jessie asked, glee in her tone. "Rip these things apart!"

"Alright. Watch dis!" Between the small spacing of the ropes, light could be seen as Meowth's claws grew in size and luminosity. "Yah!" With a small flick of his paw, he ripped through the thick cords, and all three instantly jumped to their feet, celebrating.

"Way to go Meowth!" Jessie cried happily, picking him up and giving him a tight hug. "I knew there was a reason we kept you around."

Even James began to look instantly better without the binding. "Excellent work." He grabbed his limp arm and looked at the staircase. "But before we go, there's something we need to take care of."

"You're right," Jessie and Meowth agreed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I can't believe this," Chris muttered angrily. As soon as Ash had been let in, he'd run to the back door to sneak up behind the Rocket operative. Unfortunately, though, it looked as if he were already too late. Somehow, in less than ten seconds after letting him in, the psychic Pokémon holding up the Barrier and Light Screen picked up where they'd left off, giving the blond trainer no way to enter.

Reaching to his belt, he grabbed a pokéball. "Guess I'll just have to break them, then. Go Starfire!"

His Blaziken instantly materialized.

"Take out these two shields with a Brick Break!"

"Blaze!" complied his Pokémon, quickly taking a fighting stance against the invisible shields. With two swift punches, the shields appeared and then shattered.

"Uh-oh." The sound was impossible to miss, and he knew he needed to hurry before the grunts got away with Ash.

"Let's go!" he shouted to his fire and fighting type, who kicked in the backdoor entrance.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kazam!" cried the angry psychic type, blocking the three from climbing the stairs.

An Umbreon quickly took to his side, snarling at the ex-Team Rocket members as they tried to get up the stairs.

"Oops, forgot about you two," Jessie remarked, reaching for one of her pokéballs. "Let's see if you can handle Seviper. Go!"

"Viper!" The snake-like Pokémon emerged in a flash of light and wasted no time. In an instant, he latched his body around the Umbreon, who began yelping in pain.

"Zam!" The psychic type responded to his partner's pleas for help with a Psybeam, causing Seviper to recoil in pain.

Uh-oh, poison's weak to psychic attacks…but psychic's weak to bug types!

Reaching for her next pokéball, she brought her Yanmega into the frenzy. "Hit the Alakazam with a Silver Wind!"

Flapping its wings wildly, the bug type created silver crescents which began pounding down upon the psychic Pokémon. Confused and injured, the Alakazam ended his assault on Seviper, and instead launched himself at the flying Pokémon, who simply hovered higher to avoid the assault before continuing the Silver Wind. Realizing it was free from the psychic blast, Seviper regained his hold on the Umbreon.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It seems we have company," remarked Mallory, dropping her smile in favor of a scowl as the sound of glass breaking surrounded the building. She hadn't anticipated the raven-haired trainer to bring friends. "No problem, though." In one swift motion, she grabbed the trainer by the neck and pulled him in front of herself, positioning the gun to his temple.

"If they want me, they'll have to go through you first," she whispered malevolently into his ear.

"Pika!" The small mouse jumped from Ash's shoulder and looked up at the woman with as menacing a pose as he could muster, sparks flying wildly in every direction as he prepared to attack.

"Attack me and Ash is dead," Mallory responded simply, pushing the barrel a little deeper into the teen's cranium.

"Pikachu," mumbled the creature, still sounding angry, but slowly lessening his small electrical assault on the surroundings.

"Now let's go see who we have, hm?" She practically drug the ex-champion through the gym to the back. There was a door at the end of the hallway that she quickly opened. Behind the door was a supply room, and at the back was a door that had been ripped from its hinges. However, all of this fell into the background as Chris and his Blaziken suddenly appeared from behind one of the shelves.

"Brave B-"

The trainer cut off his command as he saw Ash's position. His eyes went wide in surprise, as did his Pokémon's.

"You seem a little shocked. You didn't think I wouldn't hear the Barrier being broken, did you?" Her smug look appeared once again as she felt herself re-taking control of the situation. Everyone was at her disposal.

"Now then, I don't know who you are, but I'm guessing you're some little friend of Ketchum here, right?"

Slowly, Chris nodded.

"And I guess you thought you were going to capture me, huh?"

Another nod.

"Well, as you can see, my gun's a little preoccupied at the moment, so I need you to take the initiative and wait here for me to be free. We have a van coming by in a few minutes to pick up our little friend, and after that I can take care of you."

"That's not happening!"

All three turned their heads in surprise at the declaration.

"Sonicboom!"

Yanmega suddenly appeared from outside the storage room, its wings glowing brightly. Flapping them together hard, a silver shockwave instantly appeared and hit Mallory's hand, consequently knocking the weapon from her grip.

"What?" she cried. The Weapon no longer in her hand, Ash quickly wrestled himself free and fell on top of the pistol to prevent her from getting it back.

"Bet you didn't expect to see us, huh?" Jessie mocked, stepping into the room, her Seviper and two friends following closely.

"Why you little…" She enlarged the pokéball in her other hand and began to release it.

"Grab it Star!"

In the blink of an eye, the Blaziken was suddenly on the other side of the room, the enlarged pokéball trapped within his beak. He looked back at the Rocket agent, who stood stunned for a moment, her hand still high.

Chris smiled to himself at his good luck. For the slightest second, he'd been worried.

"Now what was it you were telling me about a van?"

The blond girl looked back at him and shot a hateful glare. "You're a bigger idiot than you look if you think you're going to get any information out of me."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay then." He grabbed some wire from one of the shelves. "Starfire, take care of our little friend over there."

"Blaze!" The Pokémon quickly tied the agent's arms together in a tight knot. Her ankles soon followed.

"We'll be sure to let the police know where you are," he remarked, smirking. "Good luck with all that."

"You think I'm intimidated by the idea of going to jail?" The woman gave him another smug look. "Trust me, I'll be out in a couple of days with Giovanni's help. You can't scare me."

Frowning, Chris went over to Ash and helped him up. "You alright, man?"

"Yeah," he replied, clinging to the gun tightly. "I grabbed this before she could get it back." He made to hand it off to the blond young man, but Chris shook his head.

"I think you should hang onto that for a little while, at least. We're not out of the woods yet."

Ash's eyes widened. "But I don't know how to use a gun!"

Chris smiled again. "It's already loaded. You just have to pull the trigger…trust me, you'll wanna hang onto it for now."

Hesitating for a second, Ash silently nodded as he awkwardly gripped the handle of the weapon.

"Um, excuse me?" Jessie suddenly interrupted from the entrance. "Aren't you two forgetting something?"

In the adrenaline-pumping heat of the moment, Ash had failed to realize just who his savior had turned out to be. However, as he turned to see Jessie and her Pokémon, along with Meowth and an injured James, curiosity caught him once again.

Squinting, he suspiciously asked, "Why are you three here?"

"Pikachu!" demanded the small mouse Pokémon, running into the room from behind the trio and taking a protective stance in front of his best friend.

"It's not like dat at all!" Meowth reassured the electric type, putting his paws high in the air. "See? I don't wanna hurt nobody!"

"That's right," Jessie agreed. "We came here to help you out, twerp."

"Yeah, right." Despite the seriousness of the situation, he rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "You guys have always been such great help in the past, after all."

Jessie scowled. "If we weren't here to help, then why do you think I just saved your life, you ungrateful brat?"

Though ended with an insult, Ash silently acknowledged that the point she made was accurate.

After a quiet moment, he decided to ask another question. "How did you guys know where I was gonna be?"

"We were assigned to trapping da twerpette, but we decided that we couldn't do dat," Meowth answered. Ash looked a little surprised, as did Pikachu. "I mean, we're still bad guys…but we're not dat bad."

"Yeah, we're more of the thieving type," Jessie elaborated. "Murder isn't really our thing."

Chris was the first to pick up on the last statement. "What do you mean, murder?"

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Ash asked worriedly, suddenly realizing the implications of Jessie's words.

"Oh, right. You didn't know about that, did you?" Jessie answered, beginning to look a little concerned as the raven-haired trainer appeared ready to pass out. "She's not dead yet, but Giovanni wanted us to trap her, and then he wanted to trap you so that he could…" She trailed off, but Ash instantly understood.

More questions, more frustration.

"Why would he do that? Why doesn't he just go after me?"

The red-headed thief was about to answer, but Chris interrupted.

"Ash, I know there are a lot of questions, but right now the most important thing is that we find out where Giovanni is hiding. We know a van is coming to pick you up, and we need to let them do it so you can get to the secret location."

Sighing, Ash gave a nod and a quiet "alright". There was so much he still didn't know, but he did know that Chris was right. All the information in the world was useless if he didn't save Misty.

"Now, I have a plan, but we need to get to work quickly for it to come together…and I'm gonna need you." He pointed to Jessie and Meowth.

"Actually, we need to get James to a hospital," Jessie remarked, motioning to her friend whose breathing was growing more labored by the minute. "We've done all we can to help the twerp out."

Grabbing the purple-haired former Rocket and leaning him against their frames, Jessie and Meowth slowly began to walk out of the building.

"What happened to him?" Ash asked, finally registering the fact that James' uniform was dyed in crimson.

Jessie turned and gave a sarcastic smile. "Little Mallory over there happened."

The blond woman simply turned her head at the mention of her name, and Jessie and Meowth continued on their way out of the building.

"Well, we don't have a lot of time. What we need to do is get you tied up." Chris grabbed some more rope from the shelf. "I have a locater I can attach to the inside of your hat so we can trace your location, but that still leaves the matter of the van that's coming to pick you up."

Blaziken began knotting the rope tightly around his arms, and Ash cringed slightly.

"Sorry, but we have to make it look authentic," Chris apologized. "Star, make sure to cover the pokéballs on his belt."

"Blaze," agreed his Pokémon, lowering the bondage material slightly.

Ash looked back over at Chris. "Why are you worried about the van? They'll just come and throw me in, I'm sure."

The G-Men member shook his head. "They'll be suspicious if they don't see Mallory or anyone else here…wait a minute!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone.

"Steven, we need you guys over here. We took out the operative, but now we need someone disguised as a Team Rocket member. Maybe Cynthia could use the uniform from the operative we just apprehended, or-"

Ash couldn't quite make out what Steven said after interrupting, but whatever it was seemed to instantly brighten his companion's mood.

"He does? Really? Perfect!" The blond smiled and gave Ash a thumbs-up. "Get him over here as quickly as possible. There's not much time." He hung up and beamed at the raven-haired trainer, who was now sitting as the fire and fighting type bound his legs together.

"Turns out Lance has an old Team Rocket uniform that he carries around."

"Oh yeah," Ash remarked, remembering that the former Kanto Champion had worn it when they first met in Johto. "I think he has a uniform from every team."

"Well Steven said he brought it with him just in case. He's on his way over right now."

"Pika-pika?" questioned the small mouse as Blaziken finished his work. Now Ash had his arms tied to his torso, and his legs bound together as well.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm fine," he assured with a smile. "Blaziken is helping out."

"I almost forgot about Pikachu," Chris said, suddenly noticing the small rodent at his feet. "They're not going to take him with you if he's out like that. You better return him to his pokéball for now."

Ash shook his head. "I don't have it with me. I never keep him in a pokéball unless I have to."

Frowning, Chris remained pensive for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I've got it. I'll hold onto Pikachu while they take you away. That way he's safe and out of the way."

"I don't know…"

"Don't worry, Ash. It's not like you're gonna need him anyway. I'll be doing all the work, and if you leave him out in the open, the grunts that come to pick you up might try to kidnap him or something. It's just safer to keep him hidden from view."

Ash gave his friend an apologetic look. "I think he's right, buddy. You better stay with Chris until after we get Misty back, okay?"

"Pika," replied the Pokémon, shaking his head. "Pikachu-chu, pika."

Ash smiled at his Pokémon's loyalty. "I know you wanna help Misty too, but right now the best thing you can do is wait here. I'm not really going to be in danger, so you don't need to worry about me at all."

"…pika," relented the yellow mouse after a moment. He reluctantly stepped away from Ash and towards Chris.

"Don't worry Pikachu," assured the blond. "You're in good hands…and so is Ash!" He petted the top of the Pokémon's head in comfort.

Looking over at Ash, he thanked Blaziken. "Good work, Starfire. I-uh-oh."

"What now?"

He pointed to the gun, which Ash still held onto with a feverish grip. "That can't be seen. Here," he got down on one knee and took the weapon from Ash's hand.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," he apologized, "but if we wanna hide the gun, we have to put it between your body and the rope so they can't see it."

"It hurts, though," Ash cringed as the metal object was shoved into his side by the binding rope. "Like I said before, why don't you keep the gun? I've never used one before."

"It's semi-automatic. Just pull the trigger and go to town," he replied simply, pulling his hand out from under the rope. "Like I said before, you might need it."

Ash looked down at his bound body. "How could I use it even if I wanted to, though? It's not like my hands are free."

"I already planned for that. Take this." He took out a small pocket knife with sharp, rigged teeth. "Hide this inside your glove," he took the champion's right hand and slipped in the object, "with the handle against your palm. If something happens and you need to get out quickly, just cut through the rope with this. It'll take a little while to do, but I've found adrenaline really helps you get any job done faster." He gave the former champion a smirk, but Ash was beginning to feel sick.

"Guns? Knives? Chris, I'm not some super secret agent like you. I don't know how to do all this stuff." He squirmed uncomfortably in the rope.

The G-Men member gave him a smile and nodded. "I know it's kinda happening fast, but just try doing what I do before a big mission."

Ash gave him an inquisitive glance. "What's that?"

"Remember why you're fighting. Why you're about to go and risk your life. I do that before every mission, and it instantly calms me down. It helps me realize that I don't care if I get hurt, or even if I don't make it back…it doesn't matter because why I'm fighting is more important than any possible consequence."

A small bellow was suddenly heard from outside the back door. Getting up and looking out, Chris smiled. "Looks like our Team Rocket member is here."

A moment later, Dragonite and Lance stepped in. The former Kanto Champion was wearing a black Rocket Grunt uniform, dark sunglasses, and a dark hat that covered his flaming hair. The first thing he saw upon entering was Ash tied up on the floor, and he quickly turned to Chris.

"So tell me why we're handing Ash to the Rockets peaceably?"

"They're sending a van over right now to pick him up and take him to the location. I figured it'd just be easier to attach a locater chip to the inside of his hat and follow the van's route rather than wait for Jenny's Arcanine to pick up a reliable scent."

Lance frowned. "It's also a lot more dangerous. How do you know they won't just take Ash out the second he gets to the location?"

"Because Ash isn't the target," he answered simply. "According to this other grunt that helped us out earlier, Waterflower's the one who's going to be…you know. Apparently they just want Ash there to watch it happen."

Lance furrowed his brow. "That's sick! Why would they do something like that? Why aren't they just taking Ash out?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say as a warning. Think about it. They kill Ash, someone else just takes his place as Champion and maybe Master and tries to take down Team Rocket again. But if they keep Ash, but scare him so badly that he doesn't interfere again, then they've guaranteed for themselves decades of inactivity from the Pokémon League."

"Hmm, I guess it makes sense." Lance rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So then the new mission is what?"

"Get to the hideout using the tracing device, save Ketchum and Waterflower, and capture Giovanni along with some evidence. We play our cards right, we could actually get him this time."

Lance nodded. "Sounds good. You okay with it, Ash?"

The trainer nodded, more determined than ever after taking Chris's advice. "Just don't let anything happen to her."

"We won't," Chris assured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You got the goods?" questioned one of the grunts through a rolled-down window.

Lance nodded. "Inside. Open the back and we'll bring him out."

"One sec," stopped the grunt, peering down at the redhead. "I was told Mallory was gonna be here to drop off the goods. Where is she?"

"Emergency in Viridian," answered the faux member coolly.

The grunt in the vehicle eyed him skeptically for a moment. "Musta been a pretty big emergency to call her away from this. The boss said getting the goods was his top priority…can't think of any emergencies that woulda been bigger than that."

"Well, I don't know much about it, but I heard there was an attempted coup at the Viridian base late last night," he lied. He'd disguised himself as a member of Team Rocket more times than he could count, and he now found lying to the low-level grunts beyond easy. "You know how it is, though. They never tell us anything really interesting."

The man nodded and rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. I don't even know what the goods we're transporting are. I heard it's a body, but you can't trust gossip, you know?"

"Yeah, it's a body," he affirmed, completely free now that he'd gained the driver's trust. "Some kid. Don't know why the boss is making such a big deal about it, but I guess he must be somewhat important for him to care so much."

Shrugging, the driver agreed. "My friend'll open the back there, and you can throw 'im in."

The other grunt in the passenger seat got out and moved to the back.

Smiling as he turned, Lance hurried back into the gym.

"They bought it," he smiled at Chris and Ash, who smiled back. "I told them you were just some guy, so hopefully they won't give you a hard time. To be on the safe side though, act like you're passed out as we put you in. They won't bother you if they think there's no fun in it."

He scooped the champion up and carried him back out the door.

"That him?"

Lance resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark to the obviously less-than-bright grunt. Instead he simply nodded as the back was opened.

"Too bad he's passed out. We like to rough up the passengers a little when we get 'em," he mentioned casually as Lance dropped the teen into the vehicle.

"Well, maybe he'll wake up before you get there."

The door was shut, and Lance went back up to the driver. "Alright, you're all set. Good luck…with whatever's gonna happen."

"Yeah, thanks. Talk to ya later, pal." The grunt waved him off as the van sped back down the road and away from the gym.

"Looks like they bought it," Chris noted happily, stepping out of the gym. He held a small electronic device in his grip. "And the locator's working perfectly. Let's get back to the hotel and grab Steve and Cynthia."

"Right," Lance agreed.

Author's Notes: Like I said, a lot more action to come, but I think this gets the ball rolling fairly well, don't you? Well, rather you do or don't be sure to let me know what you think in a REVIEW PLEASE! I think I've answered all my reviewers from the last chapter (as promised), and I'll do my best to get back to all who review this chapter to, but whether I'm able to or not, don't think for a second that your feedback ever goes unappreciated by me. The fact that we're now 44 chapters into this story should be proof positive for all you out there that your reviews and thoughts have been successful in keeping me motivated to continue with this marathon of a fic, and as we go through the next few chapters (which are especially difficult to write for several reasons), I'll need all the motivation and criticism I can get to make sure I deliver you, the readers, the best possible story I can.

By the way, I wanted to mention that Chris, from this story, is actually an OC created by one of my good reviewers, Mike Prower the Fox. He gave me that character and his Pokémon team when I was planning this chapter last September. So, even though it took a while to finally get to use Chris, I wanted everyone to know that he and his team were not my invention alone.

Also, as a side note, I would like to take this time to mention that one of my loyal reviewers of over a year now, Pokemon-Princess.8, has started a new fanfic of her own which is exceptionally well-written entitled "Black Balloon". It takes place when the original trio was traveling through Johto, and it covers what would have happened if Team Rocket had successfully taken Pikachu. PP8 is an exceptional author, and I highly suggest that all of you take a minute to check it out. She's only on chapter one right now, and she needs all the support and help she can get, so please take a few moments to read and review her story too!

Well, that's all for today. See you in two weeks!