Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Telepathy"
Author Notes: And guess what? Here's chapter 3 of A New Chance For Adventure!
As usual, I'd like to thank my great friend Ri2 for all the help he gives me, from idea bouncing to suggestions and editing and beta-reading. Thanks a lot! Also, I'd like to thank Shakari for additional help given for several elements of the fic's immediate continuity.
Now on to the chapter we go!
Chapter 3 - Back To Basics
The walk through the woods to get to Oldale town was fairly calm and peaceful for the group, especially since their usual troublemakers Team Rocket had been blasted off earlier that day to who knows where. The sun was slowly nearing the mountains in the distant horizon and casting a beautiful orange afterglow across the sky that made the group smile at the sight of it, just a few hours before sunset. The group was very thankful to have May as a guide, considering their tendency to get lost on almost every trip that didn't have an expert in navigation like their friend Brock. So far May was a wonderful temporary addition to the team.
"Oldale Town should be just a hill away," May announced to the group as she recognized the landscape they were going through as the one she had passed by just this morning, though she had done it much faster back then considering that she was alone and could ride her bike at full speed. Right now she had to drag it and adjust to the collective group's walking speed.
Bianca sighed in relief, pleased to hear that they were getting close to the next town. Walking around for several hours was something she definitely was not used to, though she hoped she got used to the traveling soon considering she'd be doing that from now on. She had considered asking Latios to carry her for a bit so she could rest but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to trouble the Eon Dragon. "That's great to hear," she said, her tone laden with relief.
"Nice!" Ash shouted, grinning happily. "Pokémon League registration, here I come!" he exclaimed vividly, thrusting a fist dramatically and almost causing Pikachu to fall off his shoulder had he not reacted quickly enough and gotten a better grip.
May stared at him perplexedly for a second, affirming her thoughts on how weird the group she'd gotten mixed up with was. At least their company was reassuring and she could also learn from them. Ash had very interesting Pokémon and from what she saw in his battle with those three thieves and their Pikachu-robot, he was also a very strong trainer. She looked at the human form Latias for a second curiously, then to Pikachu, and then… she just stared up, not knowing where Latios was. Invisibility was indeed a nice ability. "Hey Ash," she began quietly, getting the cap-wearing trainer's attention.
"Yes?" Ash queried, turning slightly to look at her.
"Why do you keep half of your team outside their Pokéballs? I mean, aren't Pokémon supposed to stay inside them?" May wondered curiously. That had been on her mind for a while now ever since meeting him.
"Well, Pikachu's been outside his Pokéball since day one. He doesn't like Pokéballs in the least and enjoys being outside with me," Ash answered, rubbing Pikachu's chin tenderly.
"That's interesting," May said, looking at the Electric-type as he smiled in contentment from Ash's touch. She walked closer to Ash and extended an arm, lightly petting Pikachu. Knowing that she didn't mean any harm and was just being nice, Pikachu allowed himself to be touched. "And what about the other two? How were they called…La-uhh…"
Ash chuckled. "Latias and Latios?"
May nodded. "Yes, them."
"Well, Latios I captured a few months ago and kept in a Pokéball at first but he started to dislike it too as time passed. Now I just put him in the Pokéball if there's no space for him where we are," Ash told her. "As for Latias, she traveled with us freely for a few months so I don't see why I should keep her in a ball when she's used to being outside," Ash explained.
"Ohh, so that's why…" May muttered. She took out Torchic's Pokéball and held if before her, looking at it intently for a few seconds with a frown on her face. "I wonder… should I do the same with Torchic? I haven't gotten any complaints from him yet."
"Depends on the Pokémon's choice," Ash answered her. "Most don't really mind being in the Pokéball, while some hate it. For example, my other three Pokémon don't really have any problem with being inside them."
May nodded and continued to look at Torchic's Pokéball. "I know so little about him…"
"Well, look him up in your PokéDex," Ash suggested. "That's what it's for."
"Oh right," May muttered, taking out her PokéDex and flipping it open. "Let's see…" she mumbled, pushing a button a few times until she reached Torchic's entry and began to read the information in it.
As they neared the summit of the hill, Ash noticed what seemed to be an odd formation of rocks on the far side of the road to the right. They were a series of large pillars that sprouted from the ground and rose for about a dozen feet in the air with numerous old-looking stone structures all around them. They looked like walls, most of them partially collapsed except for a large one in the center. "Wow, what's that?" Ash wondered aloud, walking closer to the rocks.
"A bunch of plain old rocks?" May answered in a tone that clearly implied she was guessing. She walked after him to get a closer look.
"I have n-" Bianca began to say, but she wasn't able to finish.
"They are way more than just plain old rocks!" A man bellowed, jumping from behind one of the collapsed walls beside Ash's group, holding a brush and a magnifying glass in his hands, causing Ash's group to jump and scream in terror, except for Latias and Latios, who had sensed his presence and thus weren't even remotely surprised.
"Uh, I'm sorry?" May apologized a bit uneasily at the sudden appearance of the scary man.
The scary man laughed. "Don't worry, its all okay. I'm Professor Alden. I am an archeologist and in case you were wondering these here are the Oldale ruins," he informed them, spreading his arms to motion to the ruins all around them.
"Oh, ancient ruins, no wonder," Bianca commented, looking around and getting a better picture of the place now that she knew what it was. "You were right about them being old, May."
Professor Alden huffed as May giggled. "But they aren't just plain! They are unique ruins!"
"And what exactly are you looking for here?" Ash asked curiously, wondering what could be in some ancient ruins that could be valuable. Maybe ancient Pokémon? He shivered, remembering when he almost became the breakfast of one in a previous adventure, and while everyone said that adventure had been a dream caused by Jigglypuff, deep down Ash knew it had been real.
"Many things," Professor Alden answered cryptically. "There are many, many legends centering on these ruins, and I seek the truth of the secrets that lay in them." He began to walk to the center of the ruins slowly as Ash's group followed him curiously.
"So, what kinds of things?" May asked inquisitively. Ash nodded, walking closer to Professor Alden to listen more carefully while Bianca looked around while trying to imagine how this place must have looked when it was in its glory.
"It is said that this place is a bridge between the ancient world and the modern world, that somewhere here is a way to see the Pokémon of the past, not in fossils but in the flesh, and learn what life was like long ago," Professor Alden explained. "It is said that hidden here is a place where you can see actual living ancient Pokémon, species that have not changed a single bit through thousands and thousands of years. The answer of how the past was is hidden here."
"Wow, that's amazing…" Ash muttered in amazement, clearly interested in the topic.
"And kinda hard to believe…" Pikachu added skeptically.
"Wasn't Ash almost eaten alive by ancient Pokémon at one point in the past?" Latios asked, recalling that adventure Ash had told him of back in Johto when he had started telling stories about his travels to him and Latias.
Ash shivered again at that particular memory. "Yeah… not so hard to believe then…"
Pikachu shrugged. "I guess so. Let's hope the ones here don't try to eat people too."
"It is said that the portal is behind his door," Professor Alden said, motioning to a door made of some kind of odd steel with several very old runes running through it. Four indentations the size of pebbles in a triangle formation with one at the center were on the upper part of the door. "However, to open it, I need the four ancient keys…" the archeologist explained, pointing at the indentations. "Sadly, over the centuries, those keys are believed to be long lost."
"Can't you just smash the door down?" Ash asked, looking over the door intently, wondering if Latios could smash it down with a well-aimed Luster Purge.
"No!" Professor Alden yelled, getting between Ash and the door. "This chamber entrance has gotten very weak over the passage of time, one attempt to forcefully open it and this whole place would come crashing down!"
"Aww…" Ash moaned in disappointment. "I really wanted to see what a bridge to the world of the past was…"
"I don't know, that sounds dangerous…" Pikachu commented, not wanting to get into yet another hazardous adventure that could get Ash hurt, again.
Ash shrugged. "It doesn't seem very different from most of our regular adventures."
"Oh well… if you say so," Pikachu muttered. "Hey Latios, you're pretty old, tell Ash what the ancient world was like."
Ash's face lit up. "You could do that, Latios?" he said eagerly.
Latios face-faulted at the proposition the Electric-type had made. "Pikachu, I'm not that old! I'm just a bit over a century." Ash pouted in disappointment.
Latias giggled. "Well, Ho-Oh's far older than us, she probably knows more about the past."
"Yeah, and back on Kanto she told us she was coming here to Hoenn didn't she?" Ash asked, recalling that meeting with the rainbow Legendary, definitely one of the most magical moments in his life.
Latios nodded. "Yes, but I don't think it'd be very nice of us to search for her just to ask her what the ancient world was like."
"She's probably old enough to know how the world was before the ancient world," Pikachu joked. Latios glared at him and gave him a headache. "Oww…" Pikachu moaned, slumping down on Ash's shoulder.
Professor Alden looked at Ash with a dumbfounded expression, seeing him talking to his Pikachu and…thin air? What an odd boy indeed. Writing Ash off as a crazy person—which wasn't too far from the truth-he turned to the door, looking at it intently as he thought of what could lay behind it. "One day I hope to see what truly is behind this door…" Professor Alden muttered. "Well kids, I'll go back to my work. I'll let you two continue on to your destination."
Ash's group nodded. "Okay, it was a pleasure meeting you!" Ash said.
Bianca smiled. "Good luck with the ruins. This place must have been wonderful in its prime."
Professor Alden nodded while giving a warm smile, glad to see that she seemed to be genuinely interested in the past of the ruins. "I bet it was…"
Ash's group parted ways with the archeologist, walking back to the road. Oldale town was visible down the hill, but after a couple dozen steps something else caught their attention. A small rustle in the bushes beside them made them turn around to look at them, and to their surprise a small Pokémon came out of the bush, looking around as if searching for something. It was a small blue round Pokémon with a pair of mouse-like ears, an equally round tail tip that was bigger than its body, and two white spots on the checks, reminding the group of Pikachu's cheeks. "It's adorable!" Bianca commented, looking down at the small blue Pokémon.
"I agree, it's so cute!" May followed, nodding in agreement.
"He's so cute and cuddly!" Latias agreed cheerfully.
"Yeah, I agree Latias," Ash mused, looking down at the Pokémon.
"But what is it? I've never seen anything like it before," May asked in curiosity.
"Well, use your PokéDex again, that's what it's for," Ash suggested.
May nodded and took out her PokéDex. The machine beeped as it was pointed in direction of the Pokémon. "Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon. Azurill's tail is large and bouncy. It is packed full of the nutrients this Pokémon needs to grow. Azurill can be seen bouncing and playing on its big, rubbery tail," it said in its usual mechanical voice.
"I want it!" May squealed happily.
"Well, try to catch it, then," Ash encouraged her. Bianca, seeing that this was going to be another delay, just leaned against a tree to watch.
May nodded. "Okay, so I just grab a Pokéball and hurl it!" She said, taking out an empty Pokéball from the yellow bag strapped to her waist and tossed it at the Azurril.
Ash frowned as he saw what she was doing. "Wait not like that!" he said, but it was too late.
The Pokéball hit the Azurill in the head and popped open, sucking the Pokémon inside. Not even two seconds later the Azurill burst it open, freeing himself and glaring at May in annoyance fashion. "Hey what gives?" she yelled. "I should already have my first captured Pokémon!"
"It doesn't work like that, May," Ash told her, getting her attention.
May turned around to look at him. "But what did I do wrong? I tossed an empty Pokéball!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"First, you have to battle the wild Pokémon so you can weaken it, or else they will never stay inside the Pokéball," Ash explained. "You're never going to catch anything like that."
Pikachu chuckled. "Hey Latios, Latias, if you're still curious as to how Ash was when he started, imagine Ash was like May, just ten times worse," he said, looking at Ash playfully. Latias and Latios stifled a laugh. Ash wisely ignored the trio.
May nodded and grabbed her only used Pokéball, thankfully not understanding Pikachu's comment. "Go Torchic!" she yelled, releasing the small chick Pokémon, who stood at attention. She looked clueless. "Uh… what was that attack again…"
The Azurill laughed at them and wagged his overgrown tail at Torchic. "Na-na-na-na-na-na, bet you can't catch me!" he taunted before jumping on top of his tail and using it to bounce away.
An angry look flashed through Torchic's eyes as he charged forwards. Azurill stuck out his tongue and kept bouncing away. "Wait! Torchic!" May called, running after both of them.
Pikachu sweatdropped and stared at the scene for several seconds. "Scratch ten times worse, make it just five times."
Azurill kept bouncing around as Torchic chased after him, failing each time he tried to attack the Polka Dot Pokémon. Azurlil bounced until he was facing a sturdy tree. He turned and saw Torchic incoming. The small blue Pokémon grinned and bounced a few times to gain momentum before taking an impressive forward leap and spinning to the front, causing his tail to whip back and hit Torchic's back, flinging the Fire-type into the tree rather forcefully. May winced at the blow. "Torchic!" she cried, running over to the very dizzy and almost knocked-out starter Pokémon.
Ash sighed when he saw that. "That was bad…" he mumbled.
Pikachu nodded. "Its not like you were any better, mister rock-beats-Spearow. At least May is using her Pokémon," Pikachu commented.
Ash facepalmed. "You wouldn't listen to me! If you had I wouldn't have had to use the rock!"
Pikachu smiled at him. "Hey, but now I do," he said softly. Ash chuckled and petted him.
May crouched down to Torchic, feeling genuinely worried over the wellbeing of the small Fire-type, which Latias sensed with her empathy, making her smile slightly at May's growing affection towards Torchic. "Oh, next time wait until I say something, okay?" May said, gently picking the Fire-type up and cradling him in her arms. Torchic looked at her sadly and nodded.
"Uh… May, Azurill is escaping," Ash informed her, pointing to Azurill, who was bouncing away deeper into the woods.
"Get back here!" May screamed as she ran after him. Torchic jumped out of her arms to follow. The Azurill turned, an annoyed look on his face. "Torchic, use… uhh… what was that attack?" she paused and took out her PokéDex, causing the Azurill to stare at her in confusion as she looked for Torchic's attacks. "Right, use Peck!" she ordered once she had found the attack list.
Torchic lunged at Azurril with a battle cry. Azurill simply bounced to the side, causing Torchic to start pecking a tree instead. "Hahaha! Pathetic!" Azurril commented, bouncing and laughing at him.
A vein of irritation appeared on Torchic's forehead. "Take that back!" he screeched, chasing Azurill around again.
"Hey Torchic! Wait! I hadn't told you an attack yet!" May cried desperately, running after them.
"They really need to talk to get in sync…" Latias noted as she and the group followed after them.
"It's not like me or Ash was any better compared to this when we started out," Pikachu muttered. "This brings back so many memories."
"Yeah, I agree," Ash said, nodding. "I hope May and Torchic get better soon."
Bianca kept staring at the scene. "Training Pokémon is far more difficult then it seems…"
Ash nodded in agreement. "It is…you have no idea."
Azurill bounced up and over a pair of bushes, grinning as he evaded Torchic yet again. Completely pissed off about the Azurill mocking him again and again, Torchic opened his beak and fired a barrage of small flame spheres in the form of an Ember attack towards the bushes. Torchic leaped in joy when he heard several cries of pain. "Take that!" he said triumphantly as May and the others neared.
Suddenly an Azumarril, a Marril and the same Azurill appeared from the bushes, all of them covered in several light burns with very angry looks on their faces. "You are so busted…" the Azurill sneered darkly.
"Oops?" Torchic muttered in fear at the three Pokémon looming over him. He was promptly blasted by a triple Water Gun that pushed him back and knocked him out instantly, leaving him unconscious on the ground with a big puddle all around him. Not satisfied with that, all three of them charged forward towards the already defeated Torchic.
"No!" May cried worriedly, seeing the three Pokémon go in for another attack at her defeated Fire-type.
"Pikachu, stop them!" Ash said, deciding to intervene to prevent any further injuries for Torchic.
Pikachu leaped from his shoulder, his tail shining brightly as he powered up an Iron Tail. He landed between Torchic and the three Pokémon, spinning his hardened tail as he did so, causing it to carve a firm line in the dirt in front of him. He took a few steps back and glared. "I dare you to cross that line," he said with a smug smirk as his cheeks sparked with electricity.
The Azumarill glared at him. Pikachu glared back. The Azumarill looked at the line and then back at Pikachu. The glare changed to an uncertain look. The Pikachu seemed very strong and well-trained unlike the Torchic. Knowing that if they tried attacking they'd be defeated fairly easily, they decided to back off and retreat back into the bushes. A splash told the others that they had jumped into a body of water, probably a river just beyond the bushes.
Seeing the danger was over, May bent down to pick up the unconscious Torchic, a worried look on her face. "Torchic…" she muttered sadly. "Ash, what should I do now?"
"You said the Pokémon Center was close didn't you? Well, let's take Torchic there to get him healed," Ash advised as May nodded in agreement. The group departed towards the Pokémon Center at a more hurried pace.
They arrived at the Pokémon Center quickly. After placing the bike in the bike rack and Ash returned Latios back to his Pokéball, May hurried over to the counter where Nurse Joy was. "Hello, how may I help you?" the nurse asked kindly. Seeing the distressed girl gave her a very good idea of what was up.
May leaned over the counter, showing Nurse Joy Torchic's Pokéball. "Please help me, my Torchic was hurt during a battle," she said worriedly.
Ash smiled slightly at seeing May so worried over Torchic's condition. 'That means she's starting to like him right?' he thought.
"She's warming up to Torchic, but while she doesn't like Pokémon yet, she understands that caring for Torchic is a great responsibility and that she shouldn't neglect him," Latias answered, sensing May's feelings as she gave Nurse Joy the injured Pokémon.
"At least her start with Torchic wasn't as rough as ours, just some mild coordination problems," Pikachu commented. "Right Ash?"
"Yep, I'll agree to that," Ash said, nodding. "At least they don't fight each other. Yet."
Nurse Joy placed the Pokéball in a machine behind her and initiated an analysis. Several charts appeared on the screen after a few seconds. While Ash, May and Bianca didn't understand them, Nurse Joy understood them perfectly. "Torchic's going to be okay. There's nothing serious, a long rest will suffice."
May sighed in relief. "That's good to know."
Nurse Joy took the Pokéball. "I'll take place it in the healing room so his recovery can be more stable. You can pick it up tomorrow morning."
May nodded. "Okay," she said as Nurse Joy walked to a back room.
"Torchic's fine. That's a relief. Poor little guy," Bianca commented softly.
"Yeah, at least Torchic will be okay, I was worried about him," Ash agreed. "Don't worry May, you'll do better next time." He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her warmly.
May looked at Ash meekly and nodded. "I hope so too… at least you were there to prevent Torchic from getting hurt further. Thank you."
Ash grinned cheerily at her. "No problem, May."
Bianca looked around. "Hey Ash, I'll go sit and rest for a bit," she told him.
"Oh, alright," Ash replied.
Bianca nodded back at him and walked towards a door to the side of the lobby heading to the lounge. She had been feeling tired as she was not really used to walking around for half a day. Ash seemed normal but then again, he'd been traveling for two years already and was most likely used to this.
She looked around. The lounge was a large room lined with sofas and tables for the use of Pokémon trainers resting over the course of their journeys. There were at least five or six people about, and Bianca presumed they must all be trainers. She spotted an empty table with a sofa and headed there. She took at seat and relaxed, finally enjoying a break after so much walking.
Ash turned to the counter as Nurse Joy walked back to it, having already put Torchic in a healer. "Hey, I'd also like a room for the night. Also, I'd like to register for the Hoenn League, please," Ash announced to her, especially eager about the last part.
Nurse Joy nodded, smiling at the boy's enthusiasm. "Let me check…" she muttered, rummaging through something behind the counter. "Yes, I have a spare room," she said, handing Ash a key.
Ash took the key. "Thanks!"
"Now, may I have your Pokédex?" the Pokémon nurse asked kindly.
Ash took out the little red machine and handed it to the Nurse. She took it and inserted it into a slot in her computer and began pressing some keys on the keyboard. "Okay, trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, twelve years old…" Nurse Joy read aloud. "And…done! You are now registered to participate in the Hoenn League. Good luck getting the eight badges to qualify!"
Ash grinned happily. "Thanks, I will get those badges!"
Nurse Joy giggled slightly. The boy's over enthusiasm never stopped amusing her. "With your record in the Silver Conference, I know you will. That's quite an impressive team you've got there, do any of them need treatment?" she asked nicely.
Ash shook his head. "No thanks, none of them have had any tough battles recently."
Nurse Joy nodded and went back to her duties. May looked around. "Hey Ash, now that we're here, why don't you show me how Pokémon Centers work? I've never been in one before."
Ash nodded. "Sure. As you saw this is the lobby, where Nurse Joy usually is and where she checks up your Pokémon and heals them if necessary," he explained. He began to walk to the side and up some stairs to a corridor lined with suites, with May and Latias following him. He searched for the room Nurse Joy had giving him a key for, and once he had found it he opened it. "And these are the bedrooms, where trainers can stay for the night during their travels."
"Wow, it's really neat!" May commented, looking inside. The room had two double beds and some furniture. Overall it looked very comfortable.
Ash closed the door and walked back down the stairs, this time to the Lounge. "And this is the lounge. Here is were trainers can relax and take rests from their travels, or just talk with each other and share information or challenge each other to battles," he explained. Just like the room Ash had showed May earlier the lounge looked very neat and comfy. At one of the tables on the side she could see Bianca. She was leaning back while flipping pages through a sketchbook, and aside from her, there were at least five or so other trainers in the room.
May nodded. "Alright…" Both Ash and May's stomachs rumbled. They paused and looked at each other. May scratched the back of her head Mareepishly. "And what's there to eat?"
"Let's see," Ash said, walking towards the cafeteria to get something to eat.
After getting some food, Ash and May walked to the table Bianca was seated at to have their meal. "Wow, this is delicious," May commented once she had begun to eat.
"Yeah, I know!" Ash agreed happily, enjoying his favorite part of the day, lunch (and any other time that involved eating).
"Indeed, Pokémon Centers serve good stuff," Bianca followed, taking a bite out of the food the other two had generously gotten for her.
"Indeed!" Pikachu agreed, talking slurps from a ketchup bottle that Latias was kind enough to sneak out of the kitchen for him while no one was looking. Bianca and May stared at him oddly.
"Umm Ash… your Pikachu is…" May started, staring at the Electric-type in confusion.
"Eating ketchup? Just like that?" Bianca finished, equally perplexed.
Ash sweatdropped and Pikachu didn't even pay attention. "He has a very weird love for Ketchup…it's his absolute favorite."
"And all of this is for free?" May wondered.
Ash nodded. "Yes, so long as you're a Pokémon trainer."
May grinned. "I'm starting to really like Pokémon Centers!"
"Yeah, they're a big help for trainers. They've saved me and my friends on our travels more times than I can count," Ash said. The group kept eating and chatting among themselves.
"Well, well, if it isn't my traveling friends! Hello again!" Prof. Alden greeted them warmly, giving the group a smile as he walked over to their table, holding his own plate of food.
"Oh, hello professor!" Ash replied. "How's your ruin-looking stuff going?"
Alden sighed as he sat down with the group. "Not as good as I'd hope it to go, I still can't find anything to open the chamber."
"Oh hey, what are you doing here professor?" May asked curiously. The professor didn't seem like a Pokémon trainer.
"Well, Nurse Joy was generous enough to let me use a room here as an office and resting place during my investigation of the Oldale ruins. I came here to take a break," he answered.
"That was really nice of her," Bianca commented.
"It was, it's been a big help for giving me stability for the investigation of the ruins," the archeologist said. He took a bite out of his food. "Delicious!"
"Agreed!" Ash said happily as he and the others continued to eat while chatting among themselves and enjoying the meal. They mostly centered discussion on Professor Alden's research in the Oldale Ruins.
After eating and resting for several minutes, Ash stood up from the table, moderately surprising everyone. "Hey, I'm going outside," he announced.
Bianca and May stared at him in unconcealed surprise. "Why?" Bianca asked curiously.
"I want to go and train a bit with my team," Ash answered casually.
Bianca stared at him dumbfounded. "Ash, the sun's almost set," she pointed out.
"I know, I want to give my team a workout before sleeping, and I want to try something," Ash replied. "I'll be back soon, so don't worry. You coming?"
Bianca shook her head. "No thanks, I'd like to say here and rest for a bit."
May shrugged. "I think I'll stay and wander around to get to know the Pokémon Center better."
Ash nodded. "Alright, I'll be back soon." He stood up and began to walk outside.
Latias stood up and began to follow Ash, Bianca stared at her quizzically. "You're going too?"
"Yeah, I'll just be there for a bit. I want some fresh air. I'll probably be back in a bit as unlike Ash, I really don't want to train in the night," Latias told Bianca.
"Okay!" Bianca shouted from the table, prompting Professor Alden to stare at her in confusion as he hadn't heard the girl's apparent twin even say a word. He shrugged and walked to his own office, reasonably concluding that she was insane as well… those people talk to themselves…. Bianca, seeing that everyone had left, took out her sketchbook and began to draw to relax and pass the time.
After walking outside the Pokémon Center towards the outskirts of town, making sure to be far enough from it so as to not to bother anyone with his training while still keeping in sight of it. He looked at the horizon. The sky was beginning to darken as the sun was setting. The Pokémon Center's exterior lights had already been lit, along with those of most of the town. "It's a nice night," Ash commented as he gazed at the almost-set sun.
"Indeed, and refreshing. The night breeze feels good," Pikachu commented, closing his eyes as he felt the cool air blowing calmly.
Ash grabbed all as of his Pokéballs and released his Pokémon from them. Latios, Pidgeot, Phanpy and Larvitar appeared in bright flashes of light. "Hi everyone!" All his Pokémon returned the greeting with a smile.
Latios cocked his head. "Isn't it a bit late to train?" he asked.
Ash shook his head. "It's never late to improve!" he said vigorously.
Latias laughed as she came by, now back to her Pokémon form. "I guess it's not."
"So, any special reason for the little bit of night training?" Pikachu asked curiously.
Ash nodded. "Yep. Pidgeot," he answered, looking at the avian Pokémon with a smile.
Pidgeot blinked in surprise. "Me?"
"Well, it's been a very long time since I last battled with you, and I want to use you in my next Gym battle!" Ash answered, giving her a broad grin. "May said Petalburg city was clo-" Ash continued, but he didn't get a chance to continue any further as Pidgeot glomped him from the excitement of finally fighting alongside her beloved trainer in an official gym battle again. He fell on his back with the larger avian Pokémon on top of him.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She squealed in delight, literally bursting with joy as she nuzzled Ash gently and carefully so as not to injure him with her sharp beak. Everyone on Ash's team chuckled in amusement at how overexcited Pidgeot got, despite being usually a calm and level-headed Pokémon. But considering that she had been away for over a year, they all understood her excitement pretty well.
Ash smiled and hugged Pidgeot back. "Haha, I guess that got you excited. Well, I'm just as excited to once again fight with you," Ash told her, petting her gently.
Pidgeot nuzzled him. "Thank you! I promise I'll do my best!"
Ash grinned at her cheerfully. "I know you will."
Pidgeot nodded. She laughed nervously when she realized she was on top of him and jumped off him. "Sorry about that. I just got kinda excited at the prospect of fighting alongside you again."
Ash laughed as he stood up. "Oh don't worry, its okay, girl."
"So, how will we train? And…why at nightfall?" Pidgeot asked curiously.
"As I was saying before you interrupted me," Ash began. "May said Petalburg city was close. I want to train now even if its night so we can get used to battling again and still let you get a good night's rest before the gym battle at Petalburg City, which should be tomorrow."
Pidgeot nodded in understanding. "I won't let you down!"
Ash hummed. "Latios, you can fly too, so you'll spar with Pidgeot. Can you handle yourself? I'll command Pidgeot," Ash requested, turning towards the Eon Dragon.
Latios nodded. "Sure Ash, I'll gladly help."
"Hey Pidgeot, how much have you changed since you fought that Fearow back when you evolved?" Ash asked curiously, wanting to get an update on her abilities.
"Lots!" Pidgeot answered instantly. "I knew one day you'd come for me, even if you took over a year," she began, causing Ash to fidget guiltily. "So even when I was leader of the flock I made a special time every day where I trained to get stronger to better protect the flock, and because I knew your other Pokémon would keep training as you went to another tournament, so I didn't want to be left behind."
Ash grinned. "That's great to hear, Pidgeot!" he said cheerfully before adopting a more somber mood. "And sorry for taking so long to go back for you…" he apologized.
Pidgeot hugged him by wrapping her great wings around him. "Its okay, I already forgave you."
"Thanks," Ash replied with a small smile.
Latios floated over to the other end of the clearing. "I'm ready."
Pidgeot let go of Ash and stood before him. "Me too!"
"I'm not," Ash said Mareepishly. Latios and Pidgeot sweatdropped. "I don't know all your attacks, Pidgeot," he explained, chuckling nervously.
"Why didn't you say so before?" the flying-type muttered. She turned to Ash and whispered to him all the attacks she knew.
Latios blinked. "Why so secretive?" he asked in curiosity.
"I don't know your moves either, I want to take you by surprise," Pidgeot answered.
Latios grinned. "Alright."
Ash turned to Pikachu, Larvitar and Phanpy, who had been watching the entire exchange with interest. "While I focus on Pidgeot, why don't you three train on your own?"
Pikachu nodded and motioned to the two kids. "Come on kids, let's get out of Daddy's way," he told them, leading them away so as not to get in the way Pidgeot and Latios' battle.
"Yes Uncle Pikachu!" Phanpy said cheerfully, following after him. Larvitar followed along wordlessly. "Hey, we have a type advantage over you, how will you beat us?" he asked.
Pikachu chuckled. "I'll think of something. Remember, I'm more experienced than you two." Phanpy nodded, eager to show off to his uncle that he was strong too. Larvitar just shrugged and went along.
"What about you, Latias?" Ash asked, turning to look at her.
She sighed. "I'll pass. I'm just going to watch. Maybe I'll go back to keep Bianca company."
Ash smiled, letting her be. "Alright, but we've got to start training with you soon too."
Latias nodded. "I know, I know, but not in the night." She turned and glided towards a tree, shifted to her Human form, and sat down under it with her legs crossed to watch.
Ash and Pidgeot stared intently at Latios, ready to begin their sparring. Latios grinned at them. "Your move," he called out to Ash and Pidgeot.
Ash smirked, actually looking forward to fighting Latios. "Pidgeot, take to the sky!" he ordered, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia at once again using Pidgeot for a battle. She obediently flapped her wings and began to ascend. Latios followed, rising up to meet Pidgeot's height. But he still waited for Ash to start the battle, not moving an inch as he observed both of them. Ash knew Latios was awaiting their first move so he could counterattack accordingly, so he ordered a move that he knew he couldn't counter. "Pidgeot, start this with Aerial Ace!" he shouted.
Pidgeot quickly flapped her wings and dived forward. With a particularly powerful flap of her great wings she launched herself at Latios, her body parting the wind and causing many streaks of white wind blades to run past her from the sheer speed she was moving at.
Despite being an extremely fast Pokémon himself, Latios was surprised at Pidgeot's speed and Ash's aggressively offensive start of the battle. That valuable second of surprise was long enough for Pidgeot to smash into him forcefully, sending him back from the force of the blow. It took Latios a few seconds to regain his balance from the impact. "Wow, you're fast," he complemented, clutching where Pidgeot had hit. "And strong!"
"Well, I was using Aerial Ace, a speedy move," Pidgeot admitted. "Don't get confident! Even without it I'm still fast!"
Latios grinned. "Yeah, but so am I. My turn!" he said confidently as he reared back slightly.
Ash, knowing Latios was going to use his great speed to ram Pidgeot, quickly issued her an order so she'd have time to do something before Latios attacked her. "Quick, don't let him attack you, use Air Slash!" he ordered.
Pidgeot spread her wings wide and gave a mighty flap, sending two large white wind blades at the Eon Dragon. Latios saw the attack and was forced to dodge to the side instead of charging forward lest he take them head-on. "Keep it up Pidgeot!" Ash called out. Pidgeot nodded and keep attacking with Air Slash, flapping her wings continuously with great force, sending many wind blades towards the dragon.
Latios kept flying sideways, avoiding the flying-type's attacks and looking for an opportunity to strike at her. Deciding enough was enough, he quickly took off downwards and then sped upwards in the direction of Pidgeot. The change of direction had been so fast Pidgeot didn't have time to adjust her body and aim to fire an Air Slash at Latios. The dragon took a deep breath, preparing a DragonBreath attack. 'Got you!' He thought to himself.
"Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace to dodge!" Ash shouted.
Latios' eyes widened. 'Using Aerial Ace to dodge?' He thought to himself in shock. 'But that's an offensive move!' Hoping to hit Pidgeot before she disappeared, he fired the DragonBreath attack, spitting a large stream of green fire upwards in Pidgeot's direction.
"Seems you're on the wrong end of Ash's unique battle quirks that we question sometimes," Latias commented mirthfully, giggling at the situation as she leaned against the tree.
"Apparently!" Latios shouted back telepathically, eyes narrowing as Pidgeot disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving many wind streaks behind and dodging his DragonBreath. He looked around, expecting Pidgeot to ram into him but she didn't, which openly surprised him. He closed his eyes, spreading his mental senses to pinpoint the Flying-type.
"Air Slash!" Ash shouted as Pidgeot suddenly appeared at Latios' side. She flapped her wings once, sending another pair of wind blades towards Latios. "Now, Steel Wing!" Ash commanded.
Latios' eyes glowed as he used his psychic powers, firing a powerful psychic wave that clashed against the dual wind blades and canceled them out in a bright flash of light. However, Pidgeot suddenly broke through his psychic wave with her wings shining brightly, both hardened to metallic properties. Latios gasped. 'The Aerial Ace and Air Slash weren't the attacks, they were diversions!' He realized. All this time Latios had seen Ash use unorthodox tactics on many opponents and he sometimes questioned them, but now that he was fighting those tactics, he realized just how good they were. He grinned. Even if Ash was this good it was going to take more than that to defeat him. Latios' body glowed in a light shade of blue as he turned invisible.
By the time Pidgeot reached where he was, he was gone. She looked around in surprise, trying to find him. She squawked as the invisible Latios rammed into her. Before she could retaliate, he flew to a different location. It took Pidgeot a few seconds to regain her balance. "Where is he?" she wondered, still looking around.
Ash closed his eyes, spreading his own developing senses to find the dragon, but couldn't located him. "Hey, what gives!" he growled.
Latios chuckled in his mind. "Sorry, I'm not gonna let you find me that easily. I'm jamming your senses so you can't see me. Tough luck!"
Latias grinned and telepathically implanted the knowledge of where Latios was into Ash's mind. 'Thanks!' Ash thought to her in gratitude. "Pidgeot, he's to your right and slightly above you, hit him with Air Slash, and then follow up with Aerial Ace!"
Pidgeot quickly turned and flapped her wings with exceptional force several times, firing multiple wind blasts before Latios had time to move away. The first two missed as Latios dodged them, but the third smashed into him, disrupting his invisibility. "Hey sis! Which side are you on?" Latios demanded Latias telepathically.
Latias grinned. "On Ash's," she answered, giggling happily.
"Why didn't I see that coming?" Latios wondered idly to himself.
Latias' grin widened. "Uh brother, you should be more focused on seeing Pidgeot coming."
"Oh damn…"Latios muttered as he turned around, too late to do anything as Pidgeot smashed into him with an Aerial Ace. He cried out as he was forced back by the blow.
"Got you!" Ash shouted, jumping and pumping his fist. "We make a good team, Pidgeot!"
"That we do," Pidgeot agreed, feeling elated at once again fighting under Ash's command.
Latios narrowed his eyes. "Ready for round two?"
Pidgeot smirked. "Always," she said as both of them charged at each other.
Latias smiled to herself, seeing and feeling how good this small training battle was making Pidgeot feel. It was definitely a good morale boost for the Petalburg City Gym. Ash had been right about coming out to train here despite the time.
She looked to the side, seeing Phanpy and Larvitar struggling to keep up and hit Pikachu. The much more experienced, older and stronger Electric-type was fairing well against both of them, easily dodging their attacks and hitting them at every opportunity, despite the disadvantage.
"Hey Ash, I'll go back to the Pokémon Center to keep Bianca company, she must be lonely," Latias said, standing up and stretching.
Ash nodded. 'Sure Latias, go ahead, we'll be back in a bit when the training's done. Just remember we need to start with you soon enough as well.'
"I know," Latias replied. She gave the training groups one final gaze before walking back to the town, going in the direction of the Pokémon center.
…
Bianca relaxed against the sofa she was sitting on in the lounge of the Pokémon center. She was currently drawing as that was something that immensely relaxed and soothed her. This rest was like heaven after the walk here, she really needed to get into shape for this kind of traveling.
She smiled as she looked at her current drawing. She was making a drawing of her best friend Latias in a battle against Pikachu. Despite having no visual of them she was capturing them pretty well. To add challenge and 'taste' to the drawing, she was making them both in very stylish poses and adding a sense of flash to their respective attacks.
She continued drawing for a few minutes undisturbed, adding details to her picture bit by bit as time passed, making sure to add as much life and details as she could. She was so concentrated in her drawing that she didn't notice someone had sat beside her, peeking interestedly at her picture. It was a young-looking girl with short, light brown hair and green eyes, wearing a yellow blouse and a mid-length pink skirt. "Nice drawing you've got here," the girl said.
Bianca gave a small start, but calmed down quickly. "Sorry about that," Bianca apologized. "I didn't see you, and thanks for the compliment."
"You're welcome," the girl said cheerfully. "I'm Janet. You?"
Bianca smiled. "I'm Bianca, pleased to meet you."
Janet peered closer at the drawing, greatly interested by it. "You've got good skill at drawing, these look amazing!" she commented. "The way they are drawn, the poses, the attacks…I'd guess you're a coordinator, right?"
Bianca blinked. "Oh?"
"You seem like one. The way you're drawing them makes me think that you're using your drawings to help you see how those moves would look in an actual contest," Janet guessed. "I'm a coordinator, too!"
"Um… I'm not a coordinator…" Bianca said Mareepishly, scratching the back of her head.
"Oh, I thought you would be," Janet said in a surprised tone. "If you aren't, what are you doing in a Pokémon center in such a small town?"
"Oh, I travel with a friend, he's a trainer competing in the Hoenn League," Bianca answered. "What about you? I don't think there are any contests near here."
"I just came here for an errand I have to do in Littleroot, after that I'll be going back to my home city," Janet answered. "Where's your friend, by the way?" she asked, looking around.
Bianca laughed. "As odd as it may sound, he went out to train a little."
Janet looked at her in puzzlement. "In the night? That is odd."
Bianca nodded. "He's not the most traditional trainer around."
Janet laughed. "I look forward to meeting him…oh hey, I have to go ask Nurse Joy if my Pokémon are ready, and I might to go my room after that. Bye!" Janet told her, standing up and offering her hand.
Bianca shook her had and gave a friendly smile. "Pleased to have met you."
Janet gave a final grin and walked toward the reception where Nurse Joy was, leaving Bianca alone once more. But, now a lingering idea was firmly fixed in her mind. Janet had thought of her as a coordinator. Bianca stared at her drawing for a few seconds, considering the possibility.
Bianca knew very well what a Pokémon coordinator was. She often watched contests and Grand Festivals on television back at Alto Mare, she was an artist after all, and to her a Pokémon contest was the finest representation of art applied to Pokémon. It was a way to turn battles and Pokémon training into something artistic, something that sought true appeal and beauty instead of brute force. Something she liked.
Bianca sighed, her imagination still running wild on the coordinator topic. She looked at her picture and smiled. She grabbed an eraser and began to erase part of the background details she had added, and once she was done she began to re-draw that section of the picture, now adding herself as if she was commanding Latias against Pikachu, her and Latias as a coordinator and her Pokémon. The young artist nodded in approval, the picture making her brim with happiness and new motivation as she began to change the setting towards that of a contest.
…
While Ash's group trained on the outskirts of the town, on the other side of it, at the small range of the woods facing the Pokémon center, a group of eight people waited calmly, hidden by the darkness of the falling night as well as the vegetation. All of them were dressed in the same uniform, with gray boots, pants and undershirt, with gray skirts for the women, red socks and gray and black gloves, and their most distinctive piece of clothing was a dark red half-hoodie shirt that had a small gray sphere and two gray horns on the top of the hood. They all had visors concealing the upper part of their faces. On the center of the shirt was their insignia, a dark gray logo composed of three upward facing spikes resembling mountains with a sphere in the bottom, resembling the magma chamber for a volcano.
One of them, a woman, reached up for her shades and slid a small switch on the side of it. The visor began to glow red as a thermal sensor activated. "Sixteen people in the Pokémon Center," she reported. "Professor Alden located."
The leader, a tall male, chuckled. "Perfect. Do any of them have any Pokémon outside?"
The woman shook her head. "Negative sir, however, there is one odd human in the group that seems to have too low a body temperature…I doubt it's anything to worry about."
"We will have to move with caution and perfect coordination. Remember the plan," the leader told the rest of the strangers.
One of them scoffed. "Heh, why should we be so careful? It's just a bunch of trainers that don't have any Pokémon ready, and even so, due to the closeness to Littleroot, they're all probably newbie trainers. Why not just storm in and take Professor Alden to save trouble? It's not like they can do anything to us," he said confidently.
"We shouldn't get overconfident. What if there's actually a very strong trainer in there?" a female agent speculated. "We could get into a rather difficult battle."
"Meh, there won't be any good trainers in there," the first one said offhandedly, an arrogant and smug tone in his voice.
"You two just jinxed us, now we'll find a powerful trainer in there…" a third superstitious male said, eyes narrowing and looking around in a paranoid fashion.
The leader facepalmed and almost caused his shades to fall off. "Would you three cut it out?"
"Yes Field Commander Tabitha!" they said firmly.
One of them couldn't help but chuckle, the confident one. "That's such a girly name…" he muttered to himself.
A vein appeared on Tabitha's head from anger. That was a common thing the entire organization bugged him about. "Don't make fun of my name!" he hissed angrily. "For that, you'll be in charge of locking all the people in there in storage."
He shrugged. "Eh, it's not like I'll have any problem, what do you think I'll find in there? A trainer with a Legendary Pokémon that'll kick my ass?" he said mockingly.
The superstitious one looked very worried. "You just jinxed us again, now we'll run into a trainer with a Legendary in there. Never, ever tempt fate."
The confident one rolled his eyes. "Sure, like there's anything that can stop us in there."
The woman sighed. "Jinxed or not, let's just get this over with."
Tabitha nodded. "You three along with you," he commanded, pointing at the three that were arguing and a fourth one behind them. "You four will cut the power supply of the Pokémon Center, round up everyone and lock them away. They'll be good bargaining chips to convince Professor Alden to open the ruins of Oldale for us. Remember the plan."
The four nodded. "Yes Field Commander Tabitha!" they said, saluting. Some of them stifled laughs at his name.
"Me and the rest will take the professor to open the chamber in the Oldale Ruins," Tabitha continued, motioning to the three grunts behind him. "Hopefully in those ruins we shall find more information that shall lead us to the location of the great god, Lord Groudon!"
"Yeah!" all the grunts said excitedly at hearing the name of their deity.
"Move out!" Tabitha ordered. All of the seven grunts nodded.
The four tasked to round up and take hostages and two of the grunts with Tabitha's group each took out a Pokéball. "Houndoom, come out!" they said almost in unison. Six very large demonic black dog-like Pokémon with devil horns appeared in bright flashes of light that briefly illuminated their area of the woods. All of them wore a golden-colored armor that ran down their sides, hanging just where the legs started to enhance protection while still keeping mobility. On the chest was a large plate to protect from frontal attacks which was tied together with the two side armors with a lock resembling a skull. They also wore gold-colored helmets especially designed for their species. On the side of the armor was the insignia on the hoodies.
All eight grunts spread out, their respective Houndoom following them obediently, moving silently through the dark night.
…
Meanwhile in a phone booth somewhere in Oldale town…
"What? You three are in the Hoenn Region?" a voice said incredulously through the phone line.
Jessie, James and Meowth nodded at the same time, not that the person they were calling could see that. "Yes Boss!" they chorused in unison. "The one and only!"
Giovanni hummed to himself. This was interesting but still unnecessary as these were the three dopes that constantly kept reporting negative results. "And since you've taken the liberty of calling me on my private line, I assume you have some good news, it's been a long time since you three have done anything even remotely useful," Giovanni said over the phone, then wondered to himself if there ever was anything useful for them to start with.
Jessie, James and Meowth paused. "Uh, well… I don't think there is any…" James muttered.
"Useless idiots!" Giovanni roared over the phone.
Team Rocket flinched. "We've been following that rare Pikachu of that twerp Ash Ketchum we've been telling you so much about! And of course, two Legendary Pokémon, a Latias and Latios also belong to him," Meowth said quickly to calm down their enraged leader.
Thankfully for the trio, that did the trick. "What? You mean the trainer Ash Ketchum from the Silver Conference?" Giovanni asked. He paused slightly, remembering that this trio had been chasing this Pikachu for a long time...how had he forgotten he had three agents tagging along with this trainer? Maybe because he trashed most of their reports before even reading them... "Perhaps that might be good news. What else?"
"Well… we've been followin' him, tryin' to steal his Pokémon, but we've failed a lot, so... Uhh…" Meowth continued, unsure how to say what he wanted to ask next. He pressed a paw into the phone so Giovanni didn't hear him and turned to James. "You say it!"
James bristled. "What? Me? No fair!" Meowth released his paw from the phone. James looked nervous for a second before continuing. "We'd like to see if we could get some funds to…get better machines and increase our chances to catch them…"
"No!" Giovanni said angrily. "You three aren't getting more money! Work under your usual income and pay for yourselves!"
Jessie, James and Meowth cringed visibly, and then sighed in dismay. "Okay…"
"However," Giovanni began, causing the Rocket trio to perk up in hope. "There is something I am interested in regarding you three. It seems you've finally reported something good to me. You said something about a Latias, and from what I saw in the Silver Conference, that stupid trainer only had a Latios, not a Latias. Explain now."
"Oh, you see, after the Silver Conference, we attacked the twerp to steal his Pokémon but to our surprise he also had a Latias, not just a Latios," Jessie explained. "So, he had two Legendary Pokémon…and we lost."
"Good, I may have a job opportunity for you three. Follow Ash Ketchum and don't lose sight of him. Keep trying to steal his Legendary Pokémon and Pikachu. I don't care if you fail constantly, just don't let him leave your sight. That's your mission. I want information on where Ash Ketchum is at all times; don't lose track of him no matter how much you fail at stealing his Pokémon," Giovanni ordered. "If you three can do that correctly, then I might consider giving you access to more resources."
Without saying anything more he hung, ending the call. Team Rocket looked happy. "The boss…actually…gave us a mission!" Jessie squealed.
"Awesome! We're being taken into account for something!" James added, his eyes twinkling with hope.
"One step closer to being top feline!" Meowth gushed.
"We're getting a promotion!" they chorused happily.
Elsewhere…back in Kanto…
Giovanni hung the phone, staring at it for several seconds while thinking profoundly. This was a very interesting piece of information. He had seen that trainer in the Silver Conference and his Legendary Pokémon Latios. The thought of sending a special unit to attack him and retrieve his Latios had crossed his mind several times, but with him being in a Pokémon league, that was nearly impossible. Security was too good, plus there was the presence of the Elite Four and Champion in the vicinity. With Project Incarceration's imminent start fast approaching, he couldn't risk being discovered just for that.
But it wasn't just that, he knew who Ash was, very well. That trainer had foiled many of his plans and plots, many of them. Giovanni's hand tightened into a fist from anger just thinking about it. He would not allow it to happen ever again.
Now he had gained very valuable information. That kid had a Latias too, and he was in the Hoenn Region. He had tasked the two agents who had the Hoenn Legendary Pokémon as their targets for Project Incarceration to speed things up, and now he could inform them of Ash Ketchum's presence in Hoenn and possibly have him dealt with, or be one step ahead of him. 'With those three useless agents tailing him all the time, I will always know where Ash is. That way I can have my operations run more smoothly without being worried about him showing up and ruining things. This is a very good opportunity,' Giovanni thought, grinning sinisterly.
A beep came from a small voicebox on Giovanni's table. The Team Rocket Leader pressed a button on it. "Master Giovanni, agents Iron-Masked Marauder, Tyson, and Dr Namza reporting," Giovanni's secretary said. Promptly a loud annoyed correction from Namba echoed, though it went ignored by both the leader and his secretary.
"Let them in," Giovanni said simply, releasing the button. His Persian meowed and sat down beside him as he adjusted his swivel chair to face the doorway to his office directly.
Seconds later, the door of Giovanni's office slid open. The three aforementioned Rocket agents walked in and stood in front of Giovanni's desk.
"We've finished with your orders to speed up this particular team's assignment, and I have the plans ready," Doctor Namba began. "And I'd like to report some other things."
Giovanni nodded. "Go ahead. What's the procedure you will take?"
"This team's five targets for the Prison Ball all reside in the Hoenn region. As such; this team will be dispatched there to begin gathering information on any of them. Also, I took into consideration your request for information on the two rival criminal teams of the Hoenn Region," Doctor Namba started his report, his tone calm and steady.
Giovanni nodded. "Indeed, I do wish to learn what Team Aqua and Team Magma's plans fully entail, and if they will pose a possible threat to us."
Tyson stepped forward. "The Marauder and I will set out for Hoenn immediately. Once there, each one of us will seek to enroll ourselves within one of the teams. I will enter Team Aqua and Marauder will enlist in Team Magma. We will ascend through the ranks as fast as possible to gain access to much more information," he explained resolutely.
The Marauder nodded in agreement. "The only thing we have knowledge of is that they seek to capture and control the Legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre, but how they plan to do that or for what goals we do not know. We will seek to acquire as much information as possible and attempt to sabotage any operations that would put Team Rocket's plans in danger."
Doctor Namba grinned wickedly. "Also, by infiltrating the teams, both of our agents will have closer access to knowing the locations and more detailed abilities of Kyogre and Groudon. With that we may get closer to capturing either of them."
"Indeed," Giovanni agreed, nodding while seemingly pleased with the team's plans. "Groudon and Kyogre are powerful beings. I want to know all that Team Aqua and Magma know about them and how they plan to find them, capture them, and what role they have in their plans and how those plans may pose a threat to our own. I want to know everything. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" Both Tyson and the Iron-Masked Marauder answered while saluting.
"I want a report every two weeks on their activities and all other information you may gather. If an event of great importance happens, I want to know of it immediately," Giovanni added. Both agents nodded. The Team Rocket Leader turned to look directly at Namba. "What of Rayquaza?"
Doctor Namba hummed in thought. "Rayquaza is a mighty Pokémon commonly associated with Groudon and Kyogre. The operations and movements of Team Magma and Aqua may eventually make them take Rayquaza into consideration. Our information is scarce regarding that Pokémon, but Team Aqua and Magma may have more data on it," he suggested. "As for the next two targets, Latias and Latios, we know that they are considerably weaker than Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. We'll leave them as final resorts should we be unable to get the first three."
Giovanni nodded. "Very well, but still make the strongest of the five the top priority. Anything else to report?"
Doctor Namba nodded back at him "Yes. Tyson and the Marauder will not take their Prison Balls in their initial travels across Hoenn."
"Hmm?" Giovanni muttered, raising an eyebrow a little at the unexpected news. "Why not?"
"When initial enlisting with Teams Aqua and Magma is done, they may make inspections and constant supervision of our two agents while they are in the lower ranks. If they were to discover their Prison Balls, it would be disastrous for Team Rocket," Namba explained. "We cannot afford that at any cost."
"Indeed, good forethought," Giovanni agreed. "I feel there is more to it, though…"
"There is. Professor Sebastian and I wish to do further research and field tests for the Prison Ball," Namba began. "Just because they are very powerful now doesn't mean they are at their strongest yet. We will do more tests to gather more data and more accurate measurements on its power than those we already have, and also test its effects on a larger variety of Pokémon. Also, we'll see if we can make any upgrades or modifications to the Prison Ball to increase its power, viability and performance."
Giovanni closed his eyes and sighed to himself for a few seconds. "You say there might be ways to make the Prison Ball better?"
"Yes, that's what we want to figure out. We will use them more efficiently, plus, should they have a problem, we can correct it before real field use where the smallest mistake could cause disastrous results, and also see if we can find ways to improve them. Now is our best opportunity, we can use the Prison Balls of Tyson and the Marauder for that purpose while they are in Teams Aqua and Magma," Namba answered. "It's not like they'll need them just yet."
Tyson stepped up. "Once they're all ready, they will be delivered to us immediately. By then we should have the trust of the leaders of Aqua and Magma so carrying them won't be a danger. Also, we will be closer to Groudon and Kyogre, and maybe even Rayquaza."
"Doctor Namba, I assume you realize you can't have such tests here," Giovanni stated darkly, already knowing what the scientist had in mind. "We are too close to a populated region."
"I know, the lab centers and base here in Viridian City simply won't cut it. That's why the first ever live test, the one with the Weavile, was done in the main Team Rocket HQ in the mountains, its natural isolation makes it perfect for such tests to go unnoticed. Professor Sebastian and I have already issued the order to all personnel for relocation there," Professor Namba replied, nodding curtly.
"Very well, because you aren't the only ones," Giovanni told them. They frowned.
"We're not?" Namba asked skeptically.
"The Pokémon League is seeking to reactivate the Viridian City Gym and will rebuild it and also place a new Leader in charge. The increased Pokémon League activity here will make covert operations too dangerous and our risk of exposure too high. I will soon order the Viridian Team Rocket center to disband and all personnel and equipment will be shipped to the main headquarters," Giovanni explained. "I trust you will be out by then?"
Namba nodded. "We will."
"Weren't you the Gym Leader of Viridian, boss?" Tyson asked.
"Yes I was, but I didn't reapply for leadership because being a Gym Leader no longer fits my plans. I have different focuses at the moment. Nanza, I-" Giovanni started.
"It's… Namba…" the scientist said, shaking in anger at the recurring problem of people getting his name wrong. Just how hardwas it to memorize the name Namba?
"Whatever," Giovanni continued, not caring about the scientist's name. "I expect good results on the Prison Ball. If you have success I'll give you and Sebastian any funds necessary, even if we put our numbers in the red. It doesn't matter as long as Project Incarceration succeeds."
"Alright, that should be all for now Leader Giovanni. We'll make our leave," the Marauder said as he, Tyson and Namba turned to leave the office. They had a long task ahead of them, after all.
"Wait, I have one last thing to tell you," Giovanni said as the three men halted.
"What is it?" Tyson asked, curious as to what else the leader could have missed.
Giovanni closed his eyes for a second and sighed wearily. "I have an important piece of information for you three. Do you know of a Pokémon trainer by the name of Ash Ketchum?" Tyson, Doctor Namba and the Iron-Mask Marauder cringed visibly at hearing that accursed name. Giovanni grunted. "I thought so, just checking," he mumbled. The three men's reactions were more than enough to tell him the answer.
Tyson growled. "That kid… defeated and stopped me at the Lake of Rage and foiled Project R…"
"He defeated me when I gained control of Celebi with my Dark Ball… he made that Pokémon somehow release itself!" the Marauder muttered angrily, wisely omitting the fact that he had wanted to take over Team Rocket with Dark Celebi, and that the same thought had already crossed his mind regarding the Prison Ball.
"That kid beat me and released the two Lugia I captured at the Whirl Islands!" Doctor Namba followed sadly. He frowned. "Wait, he's messed with and beaten all of us?"
Giovanni nodded sadly. "Not just you three, he's defeated agents Annie and Oakley, and apparently he's beaten me and agent Domino too, though I can't remember it thanks to Mewtwo's mind erasing. However, I have video footage and several records from one of the helicopters that suggests Ash's involvement there."
"How come a big bad evil organization like us keeps losing to a kid that's not even thirteen years old yet?" Tyson wondered idly. "He looks like he's ten or something!"
"I have no idea how that is possible, and I don't intend to let it happen ever again," Giovanni began to say as his tone rose with each passing word, trembling from barely controlled ire. "The information I have to give you is that I have visual confirmation that Ash Ketchum is in the Hoenn Region."
"Dammit!" the Iron-Mask Marauder swore.
"Oh crap, he's where we're going?" Tyson growled, hands tightening into fists.
Giovanni nodded. "Yes, and they reported that he has two Legendary Pokémon in his possession, a Latias and Latios, two of our possible targets. However, they are already captured. Doctor Number, can you and Professor Sebastian make it so that the Prison Balls can override regular Pokéball systems and capture already captured Pokémon?"
Doctor Namba facepalmed, but didn't make any attempt to correct the Team Rocket leader seeing as it would be no use. He decided to go straight to answering his question. "I am not sure, but I believe it might be possible. I'd need to do further study for that. I can stage it to be a future upgrade for the Prison Ball."
"Alright, back to Ash. I have ordered three low-ranking Team Rocket operatives to keep following him. They are agents Jessie, James and their pathetic talking Meowth. Should you need to know where Ash is at any given moment, contact them," Giovanni informed them.
Tyson and Iron Mask nodded, the thought of revenge crossing both their minds. "Alright," the Marauder said. "I look forward to meeting him again…"
Giovanni sighed. "As much as I'm sure you three want payback, remember, Ash Ketchum placed third in the Silver Conference and has two Legendary Pokémon tagging along with his group. Should you run into him, evaluate your situation very carefully. If you feel the slightest doubt on the possibility of victory, DO NOT engage him in battle and retreat. You two are no use to me defeated. If you feel you can destroy him then you are free to do so," the Team Rocket Leader told them sternly. "Don't let pride get in the way, do not fight him unless victory is one hundred percent assured, and if you can, I want him dealt with permanently." Both men nodded, the emphasis on the last word telling them exactly what Giovanni meant.
Tyson frowned. "Both of us have a full six Elite Pokémon Team from the organization's reserves. You still advise that much caution?"
Iron-Mask Marauder grunted at his proposal. "I had a Celebi and still got defeated by him, so I question the use of six Pokémon…" He muttered. He looked at his vest. Of course he wouldn't keep those six Pokémon in their regular Pokéballs, the second he had picked his six Pokémon from the reserves, he had released them and re-captured them with his custom Dark Balls. Even so, would that be enough? 'I hope so, that kid owes me one, and I'll make him pay for it!'
"Yes, as young as that brat is, he is no person to joke with. Do not engage unless victory is assured, got it?" Giovanni ordered firmly.
Both Tyson and Iron Mask saluted. "Yes sir!"
"Dismissed," Giovanni ordered, turning his back on them with his swivel chair while petting his Persian slowly, giving a final dark chuckle as he contemplated his plans to rule the world…
Author Notes: And with this, chapter 3 of A New Chance for Adventure comes to a close! I hope you all liked it!