Note: Again, though this may be reminiscent of Chronicles, the intent is different. It's more of an introduction than a side story, to Cassidy and Butch as more than mostly minor characters and Ritchie as more than victim of the week. (Or...?) Yeah, all three of these assholes slowly become more important moving forward.

41: Cassidy and Butch vs. Ritchie

Though they'd been caught up with various tasks and discussing ongoing missions, everyone in the crowded lobby of the rocket headquarters turned as the two agents opened the door and shouted in unison. "Prepare for trouble!" Jessie declared, holding up a net with a snake-like pokemon inside.

"And make it double!" James added, holding up another net with one, no, two more of the pokemon species than Jessie had just displayed.

"Hey! Don't just stand there! Get the boss!" Jessie ordered a random grunt.

"And Mondo!" Meowth added, stepping out from behind its human accomplices. "Someone's gotta take care of our prizes," it added.

Though they'd ought to keep preparing for their group mission, many other rockets gathered around. "What are these? They've gotta be rare!" one commented.

"They are super rare," Jessie bragged, tilting her chin up as she moved around, letting everyone see the pokemon in the net.

"And we've got three!" James added, also lifting up his net to show off the catch.

"Calm down, you guys," Meowth said, patting the currently restrained pokemon. "We'll get you taken care of, and then you'll be part of the rocket elite."

"Do you even know what species it is? Or did you just grab it without thinking?"

Jessie turned her head and noted Cassidy and Butch had arrived to rain on their parade. Cassidy's arms were folded, glaring at Jessie as she asked the question. Jessie smirked, turning up her nose. "Of course I know. The species is dratini," she said.

"It used to be thought to be an imaginary pokemon, but they've been discovered more and more as of late," James informed.

"Team Rocket doesn't - Well, didn't have any. But now we do!" Jessie said.

"They're already powerful, and then they evolve twice!" James's voice went high in his excitement. He exchanged glances with Jessie, the two of them grinning widely at each other.

"Master Meowth's group is back!" Mondo exclaimed as he ran in through the front door behind them. "Look at those rare pokemon! If anyone could have gotten them, it was you all!"

Others came to admire the sight before Giovanni made his way into the lobby. "What's going on?" he asked with some irritation. His underlings made room for him, letting Jessie and James reveal the captured rare pokemon. "Dratini," Giovanni said with a smile. "I'd been hoping to acquire at least one. Splendid job."

As the fanfare started to die down, Cassidy and Butch made their way out. Cassidy found the empty desk, slumping over. In her hand was a crumpled up article from the paper detailing a monster sea snake sighting. She took another look and then tossed it to the side. Butch picked it up. "Want me to go try and find out if they went there?" he asked.

"Forget it," Cassidy said. "It doesn't matter. After they already found one - multiple dratini, no one will care for a minute if we show up with another."

"They stole our thunder, huh? Think they've been spying on you?"

Cassidy sat up, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know," she said. On second thought, she added, "There's no reason to think that."

"But what about that other thing?" Butch asked.

Cassidy shook her head. "We can't blame them for missing out then," she said. They'd gone all the way to Cinnabar Island in search of information. Hearing the researcher's home had burned down, they'd just left without investigating more. Then Jessie and her group had actually gone through the ruins, striking the jackpot with notes packed with information the boss wanted. Could the successful party be blamed for one's own oversight?

"So there goes our plans," Butch said. "Should we just go along with everyone else?"

"I don't feel like sinking to that today," Cassidy snapped. That would have been announcing they had nothing better to do, though it would also be keeping them good with the boss by actually doing something. Then again, they didn't want to get locked into regular grunt tasks, regular grunt status and money, and then be forgotten when it came to important missions. Catching a dratini was supposed to catch them some attention, but now that wouldn't be enough.

"Those two are so obnoxious. Ran away with their tails between their legs after what happened with the local pokemon center, then there was that St. Anne thing. Do they really think they've made up for their failures now?" Butch commented, pulling over a chair.

"I don't know what the boss thinks, but maybe," Cassidy said. Those notes, that porygon, all of their previous captures which had dispersed pokemon to the team, that combined with that day's acquisitions, maybe those successes had written over anything else. It wasn't like Team Rocket hadn't had any other spectacular failures in the past. "We'll just have to outshine them," she said, reaching for the pokemon reference book on the desk.

"You've got another idea?" Butch smiled, guessing she did.

"Maybe. Maybe they did us a favor by showing up with those pokemon. Dratini have been appearing more and more, but there's other pokemon out there that are exceptionally rare." Cassidy flipped to the back of the book titled 'A Quick Index of Pocket Monsters', where the rarest pokemon were listed.

"Mew," Butch read the last one.

"You know how much we've all been looking for that one," Cassidy said. And she'd keep on that project, though she needed something more immediate for the time being. "Dratini is found. And even if we could find an evolution of it, we'd have trouble containing it." She flipped away from those pages. "There's also these." Cassidy turned the book around for her partner to see.

"Birds," Butch said. "Hmph. Giant monster birds. We just saw those dratini, but are these bird things even real?"

"They are," Cassidy assured, taking back the book. "And they're so rare that some think there may well be only one of each. Acquiring Mew is the top priority, but you know why that's stalled. After it, these would be the most impressive catch."

"You sound confident that we might," Butch said.

"It's not for sure, but I have leads. I've been keeping up with sightings of them as well."

"How big are they, anyway?" Butch took the book and flipped through it, squinting at the pictures. Just from those, it was difficult to tell.

"Quite large from what I've heard, but if we find their watering holes, I'm sure the boss would make a special mission just for us with all the resources we need." Cassidy took the book back, studying the short entries one more time before snapping the book shut. "These are the prizes we need to continue to be seen as top agents, with the spotlight back on us."

"How do those two end up getting lucky?" Butch mused. "I guess you give enough monkeys pickaxes and they'll eventually strike gold."

"Hmph." Cassidy smiled in amusement before tossing her hair over her shoulder, smoothing out her expression before shaking her head with disapproval. "That's enough of that," she said. "I already know we're the best Team Rocket has to offer. Everyone has their setbacks and lulls. We just need to move forward. There's no need to spend too much time begrudging anyone we already know is below us."

Butch shrugged, silently agreeing.

Cassidy took out a map. "Let's get ready to leave tomorrow."

"The Orange Islands?" Butch frowned.

"Yes. Unlike most pokemon, it seems the 'giant monster birds' prefer more sparsely populated areas," Cassidy informed.

"Yeah, I believe you." Butch still didn't change his expression. "It's just, how long are you gonna be gone? Won't that mean you neglect things back here?"

Cassidy sharply glared from his map back at her partner, pursing her lips. "I hope you're not implying that I'd neglect anything from any aspect of my life. I know what my priorities are. I just can't give attention to absolutely everything at once." The man quieted, so Cassidy decided to drop the topic herself. "This is important. I'll be able to spend time on other things once we've affirmed our high status." She sighed. "What about you? Are there any priorities that would prevent you from going?"

"No. This is my priority." Butch spoke seriously.

"Good." Cassidy relaxed as she opened the drawer, rummaging through her other papers. "You go talk to Mondo about supplies while I make a plan to show the boss."

A budget boat ride was enough to get the rockets to the island where the giant bird-like pokemon had been spotted. Though there was a chill in the air, the winter weather really seemed more pleasant than the mainland, so they took off their jackets, just wandering around in uniforms. The town was indeed tiny, so it was easy enough to ask around. However, the consensus seemed to be that the large, blue bird of a pokemon had been spotted, but was hardly there at all.

"You two are far from the first legendary hunters to come searching," the man serving them at the counter informed.

"Hunters? We're talking about pokemon," Butch said. "There's no hunting those things."

"Ah, there would be something wrong with that interpretation of 'hunter'," the man said as he placed out the drinks they'd ordered. "But 'hunters' here refers to people seeking to spot them, or even trainers seeking to battle them!"

"Guess that's us," Butch said as he took a sip.

"How about anyone trying to catch them?" Cassidy asked, staring intently at the one offering them information.

The man laughed. "There has to be those types as well, huh? I doubt they'd succeed. We're impressed enough with this one hunter's story about defeating one! I wouldn't believe it, but another hunter I've known for a while was a witness. Zapdos soon recovered and flew away even then, though. The victor's over there, so you might ask him about it."

The man motioned to the corner before moving away to talk to other patrons. At a table sat a young boy with a hat, alone except for a pikachu that sat on the table next to him. "What the hell?" Butch said, raising an eyebrow. "That's the successful legendary hunter?"

"Based on the pokemon there, he's a trainer, and I don't think he meant anyone else," Cassidy said.

"A kid that young?" Butch asked.

"They give out licenses starting at ten," Cassidy informed, nudging his shoulder so it wasn't so obvious they were observing the younger trainer.

"He must be ten then, or younger and lying somehow," Butch muttered as he turned around. "So his parents just let him run around in the tropical island wilderness?"

"That's their worry," Cassidy declared. "Him being young and impressionable just makes it easier for us to get the information we need, doesn't it?" Her partner nodded in response, understanding their next move.

Moltres, Zapdos, and now, hopefully on this island, Articuno. Ritchie had been taking on the legendary birds one at a time. He needed something to do to train before entering the league. Other first year trainers were probably still earning their badges, but he'd earned them quickly after looking in detail into which gyms would be best for him to challenge. Now, the legendary birds provided opportunities for bringing his skills up to par.

However, finding them was difficult. It involved looking through local newspapers and then traveling to the islands and talking to a lot of locals. That day he'd spoken to mostly everyone in town. Now, with his notebook out, Ritchie poured over the map, marking exact sightings first before going over the landmarks to try and find what matched more vague descriptions.

"Pika?" Sparky called questioningly, breaking his concentration. A man and a woman stood in front of the table, staring down at the map.

Ritchie nodded at them. "Hello," he greeted. He hadn't seen them earlier, and the stiff outfits they wore didn't exactly match the locals. Now up close, he saw the bright patch of red was the emblem 'R'. Though the uniforms didn't exactly match the previous two he'd met, were they part of Team Rocket?

"Good evening," the woman said.

"Hey kid, we heard you needed help with your homework," the man followed with a smirk. "Just kidding," he quickly added. "We heard rumors you were a talented trainer."

"I am a trainer," Ritchie said, tapping his pokemon. "This is my pikachu."

"Pikachu," Sparky called out in confirmation.

They apparently took him speaking to them as an invitation to sit down, the chairs squeezing as they did. "Charmed to meet another trainer," the woman said. "I'm Cassidy of Goldenrod City. I am as well."

"Butch of Viridian," the man followed.

"Ritchie, also of Viridian," Ritchie introduced himself by habit, despite the uneasy feeling he had about these two. He closed his book and then went to fold up his map, noting the various people chatting around them.

"Are you trying to enter the league?" Cassidy asked.

"I will. I have the badges to do so," Ritchie said.

"You won all eight already?" Butch asked. "That's a little more than impressive."

Ritchie swallowed and looked down upon hearing the man's question. People wouldn't be so impressed if they knew the truth. "I did win all eight I needed. But I lost six gym challenges as well," he informed. Even picking what he'd thought would be the easiest gyms early on, he'd lost twice. Then he'd wanted to beat Sabrina the same as Ash had, but hadn't managed to until his fifth try.

"Hey, most trainers don't have any badges. I don't," Butch said.

Cassidy quickly followed with her own comment. "Don't sell yourself short. It sounds like you're an up and coming trainer," she assured.

"Yeah," Butch agreed. "We heard you're really accomplished as a legendary hunter, too. You beat one of the legendary birds?"

"I did beat Zapdos. That was after I lost to Moltres," Ritchie informed, not wanting to misrepresent himself as some masterful trainer.

"How magnificent," Cassidy said.

"You'll be one of the greats," Butch added.

Ritchie sat up as put away his map, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as they praised him. "Yeah," he spoke tentatively. "But what do you guys want?"

"Just to chat as fellow legendary hunters," the uniformed woman continued, hand on her chin.

"Zapdos and Moltres, huh? How'd you manage to find both? You must be doing something right that we're not," the man who also had a suspicious uniform continued.

Steering the conversation in this direction definitely gave Ritchie some pause. The restaurant was crowded, so he was sure they wouldn't start trouble, but he didn't want to be talking to them at all. "So you haven't seen any of the legendary pokemon yet? Most legendary hunters here in the Orange Islands have at least gotten a peek," he decided to say.

The woman scowled, pursuing her lips before she put on a pleasant expression for the next comment. "It's our first time here. We've been busy with other aspects of our job," she said.

"If only we could be a kid like you with nothing in our way," the man said, a suspicious smile pasted on his face. "You've been able to get farther than us, but we've been on the job. Why don't we just swap stories?"

Job. Them both mentioning it gave an opening to why Ritchie wasn't about to share. "You're from Viridian," he said, turning to Butch.

"Yeah, so we're both-"

"You must be working for Team Rocket, with those uniforms," Ritchie asserted.

There was a moment of pause before Cassidy spoke. "Yes, that's correct. We're working for the future advancement of pokemon and pokemon technologies in society," she said.

"Team Rocket's a criminal group," Ritchie said, shaking his head without acknowledgement of what she'd said.

"Team Rocket is a legitimate organization. We're heavily involved in pokemon science. Our advancements will benefit all trainers." Cassidy's demeanor had definitely turned cold as she spoke.

"Team Rocket just steals pokemon," Ritchie said. "You're working for all pokemon to be yours, right?" As one of them opened their mouths to respond, he shook his head. "Don't bother lying to me. Team Rocket's even stolen my pokemon before I got them back. I know all about them - about you."

The two were stunned for a response. Being so direct felt satisfying. It was like when Ash had shouted at the Team Rocket agents to give back Ritchie's pokemon, then eventually gotten them. Ritchie didn't feel as brave, but like he was getting there, with this conversation.

Finally, Cassidy spoke. "I'm sorry. You must have run into the counterfeits," she said. "It's been difficult for us as well, having that group running around. Stealing pokemon is wrong." The darkly-dressed woman glared at him as if insisting he believe the charade.

"No," Ritchie said plainly. "The people who say they're in Team Rocket are. They aren't fake." Misty had been pretty clear about that. Though the people who had stolen Ritchie's pokemon were the ones described in the paper as 'counterfeit', they were part of Team Rocket. Misty had clearly explained that saying they weren't was just part of a front. "Since you guys admitted you're part of them, you're criminals too. So can you go please?"

Without another word, the two rocket agents stood and left. Ritchie smiled to himself before starting on his work again. Standing up to them, even in this short conversation, had been satisfying. He turned his attention to the cheerful townspeople and actually legitimate legendary hunters, discussing both his recent win and various other stories about the elusive pokemon. When he went to return to the pokemon center, it had gotten dark, and he felt a moment of anxiety as he stepped out to make his way to the local pokemon center. Despite his apprehension, those rocket agents were nowhere to be found. He'd stood up to them on his own this time, so of course they wouldn't be.

"Pikachu?" Sparky called to Ritchie, who had been standing still and observing the area.

"It's fine," Ritchie said. Without any other hesitation, they ran to their destination.

The next day, the 'legendary hunt' was on. Though finding the pokemon that some dubbed as 'legendary' was both exciting and had gotten acclaim, especially upon victory, the ultimate goal was to get his team some competitive practice. They'd have to battle a variety of pokemon of various sizes in the league. Of course, gaining stamina by battling the few local wild pokemon as well as trainers, fellow 'legendary hunters' was also part of the challenge. As he went deeper into the woods, getting close to the area where he suspected the legendary ice type pokemon had been roosting, the wild pokemon became sparser and sparser, and there weren't many signs of other humans, either.

Ritchie purposefully hadn't shared where he'd strongly suspected Articuno was. It was one thing to share concrete information, such as sightings, and another to give up where the pokemon likely was after coming to that conclusion. Any worthy legendary hunter would be able to reach their own conclusions in order to see the magnificent monsters. However, it didn't seem anyone was following the same leads that particular day. Was it just that they were getting into the cooler months, less people willing to camp out to spot them, or had Ritchie picked up on a lead no one else had?

Of course, it could just as easily be that he was off track, and others were elsewhere, because Articuno was about to appear somewhere else. Even with those doubts in mind, Ritchie kept to the plan he'd decided based on his own prediction. Articuno would likely appear at a higher elevation before anywhere else in the island. Though not the highest elevation, this particular place was an area Ritchie thought would be better for the large pokemon to hide from others unbothered before going on its way. So even though there were less sightings around here, he was still fairly sure that it would be appearing soon.

"Pika!" Sparky called out loudly in its excitement. Ritchie followed its captivated gaze, then noted the sight himself. There was the large pokemon he'd sought, just over the next hill. A sparkling mist of ice followed Articuno as it gracefully swooped down, landing out of sight.

"We've found it!" Ritchie said, quickly taking out his notebook to quickly note some details of the sighting. He'd map it later, but now was time to pursue it for a battle. "You ready, Spar-" Ritchie stopped before finishing his pokemon's nickname, seeing the two that had snuck up behind him as he'd made the notes.

"Pikachu?" Sparky called questioningly. It went down on its four limbs, glaring at the people that had unsettled its trainer.

"I think I saw it," Cassidy said.

"I definitely did," Butch said.

"You two followed me!" Ritchie realized.

"Take it as a compliment," Cassidy said, briefly paying him mind. "I saw the others heading away from here. I had a hunch you knew more than they did. Looks like I was right."

As the two rocket agents turned to head the direction Articuno had gone, Ritchie ran in front of their path, then holding out his arms wide to block their way. "Look at our tiny hero," Butch mocked.

"You two are planning to poach Articuno, aren't you?" Ritchie demanded.

"Poach? Excuse me?" Cassidy said, slowly blinking her eyes. "Any wild pokemon's free for any trainer to catch, isn't that right?"

So the answer was yes. Ritchie held firm, ready to fight them. "Out of the way," Butch said, pushing him. Though the man hadn't even given his full strength, Ritchie fell down to the ground, hard.

"Pikapi!" Sparky called, hustling over to its trainer as the rockets walked by.

"Get ready, Sparky. We're going to stop them," Ritchie declared, standing up before running after them. He caught up just as Articuno came within sight of all of them. The large pokemon had stopped at a stream for a drink, the water freezing over after it took its fill. It called out loudly, reaching out its wings as it noticed the humans before flying away. "We missed it," Ritchie said to Sparky. "But at least they won't get it." He glared at the rockets. "Articuno's leaving the island for now," he said.

The woman glared at him. "You're certainly a perceptive one," she observed. "Maybe even a little more than that. You know who's the villain and who's not, and when and where legendary pokemon will appear."

Ritchie's eyes went wide as he realized he'd blabbed about how Articuno was most likely about to leave given its previous patterns. If he hadn't, maybe they would have spent time here instead of possibly chasing it. But now they had the hint that Articuno was leaving.

"So," Cassidy continued. "Where will it be next?" she asked plainly.

Who did they think he was? Of course he wasn't going to tell! "You won't find it," Ritchie declared, shaking his head and frowning.

"Why bother, when you've found it for us?" the man leaned down to mock him with a grin.

"Don't make this difficult for us. Butch, go ahead," the woman spoke coldly.

Ritchie shouted in surprise as the man grabbed his arms, putting him in a hold and limiting his movement.

"Pika!" Sparky called harshly. It ran to Butch, pushing against his leg. "Pikachu!" it warned again.

"Cass." Butch looked to his partner worriedly.

"Go, Raticate!" Cassidy sent out her pokemon to battle. "Bite attack!"

"Sparky, thunderbolt!" Ritchie ordered, able to give directions though his movement was restricted.

His pokemon called upon the large amounts of electricity, encasing the rodent-like pokemon with the attack. Raticate called out harshly, biting down on Sparky as it squeaked in fright. "Pikapi..." Sparky could hardly concentrate on the battle, looking toward its distressed trainer.

"Don't worry about me, Sparky. Try thundershock this time!" Ritchie encouraged.

"Raticate, quick attack!" Cassidy said. This time her pokemon hit first, though it was soon knocked out by Sparky's thunderbolt. She quickly returned Raticate to its pokeball.

"Pika!" Sparky ran back over to its trainer.

"Go, Primeape!" Cassidy sent out Butch's pokemon this time. "Thrash!" Sparky wasn't even able to turn around in time before being hit repeatedly by the powerful attack. "Again, thrash!" Cassidy ordered.

"Stop!" Ritchie shouted as his pokemon was unfairly hit again and again. Sparky was a powerful pokemon, but they weren't playing fair, holding its trainer hostage while hitting it from behind. There was no way Sparky could properly concentrate like this.

"So you concede?" Cassidy asked coldly. "Looks like your pokemon doesn't agree," she noted as Sparky brought itself to its feet, its cheeks sparking in preparation for an attack. "Thrash!" Cassidy ordered Primeape to continue before the small electric type had gotten its bearings.

"Please, just let me go. I'll return it," Ritchie said.

"How do we know that?" Butch asked. "Maybe you'll just send out another. Don't you kind of trainers have a crazy amount of pokemon? Better knock this one out."

"No! Just leave it alone! Its pokeball is in my left pocket," Ritchie said.

Butch was able to reach it without letting his captor go. "You must think we're dumb," he said before dropping it on the ground. The pokeball had been adorned with a flame sticker. It was backup, not a way to encase the pokemon that was now attempting to shock the rocket's own. Butch pushed the little boy forward. He fell before Butch picked him up again, bringing him to Cassidy to search. She found the pokeball with a cute little lightning bolt sticker, returning the kid's pokemon. By that point in time, the pikachu was nearly knocked out anyway.

It likely didn't have the energy to let itself out again. The fact that his pokemon wasn't in danger was a momentary relief for Ritchie before he realized that he was still in a bad spot himself. "Now that that ruckus is over, you can get to explaining where exactly the pokemon is going next," the intimidating woman ordered.

"Back to mainland somewhere," Ritchie said before being shoved to the ground again.

"Don't think you can lie," Butch said, taking out some rope and starting to tie up the boy.

"Right. I've been investigating things myself. I just haven't been as accurate as you," Cassidy informed. "But mainland? They've never been spotted there. That's an obvious lie. Don't test us."

"Then I don't know." Ritchie said, now tied up, the two adults towering over him. There were silent a moment, but that only increased his anxiety. Would they let him go? The answer seemed to be no. They instead went through his backpack, finding his other four pokeballs. They didn't let his pokemon out. Would they steal Ritchie's team all over again?

"You don't know?" Cassidy finally repeated. "I wonder how you knew it was leaving, if you don't even know where it's headed."

Ritchie had no answer to that, and it wasn't even a question, so he didn't say anything. "Are you gonna hurt me?" he asked, his lip sticking out as he spoke as his eyes welled up with tears.

"The kid's defence mechanism is looking pathetic," Butch noted as he turned to Cassidy. "The answer's yes, anyway."

Feeling the man kick him, Ritchie hunched forward. His eyes did start to fill with tears. He noted the woman threatening him look away. "That's right. If you stand in our way, you should expect to be hurt," she said.

"Or worse," the man added.

Imagining what 'worse' could be incited even more anxiety. Ritchie thought of reaching for his pokeballs by reflex. Even if he hadn't been restrained, they were of course out of his pockets and bag, and instead in the possession of the villains in front of him. Yet again, he wasn't able to be defended by his pokemon, and this time the Team Rocket members were threatening him instead of just running off with them. He was at their mercy, nothing to defend him.

"Right, don't make it too difficult," Cassidy said. "Let's just talk."

But was he really thinking of himself? Articuno was in danger, maybe the other legendary pokemon as well, and his own team was captured. They could be at the mercy of villains as well in the future. Ash knew why they needed to stand up to this group, and did so brazenly. Why should now be different? "I'm not going to talk to you about anything!" Ritchie declared.

He was kicked again, lighter this time, though it still hurt. He tried to curl up in a more defensive position before he was kicked again, harder. This time, it dislodged his notebook from his front pocket, spilling it onto the ground. "You want to just tell you where they are?" Ritchie asked, staring from the book to the rockets and back again. "Any legendary hunter with any pride could figure it out alone with the right information!"

Butch went to kick him again, but Cassidy held up her hand. She'd taken Ritchie's cue, and picked up the notebook on the ground. After reading it a few minutes, she snapped it shut, nodding. "Right. With the necessary information, I'm sure to find what I need without help from a child," she said.

Hearing the rocket woman's calm statement, Ritchie realized his mistake. Maybe he could make the excuse he hadn't really given anything or anyone up, but he had, hadn't he? She knew, and so did the other rocket agent. They all knew Ritchie had given them a clear message in order to save his own skin. "We're done," Cassidy said, and Butch hoisted Ritchie up to his feet, untying the boy before shoving the young trainer back on the ground again. With that, the rockets started on their way.

"Will that brat even be able to make it back?" Butch asked, glancing back briefly as they walked away.

"He's got his wits and he can still walk. He'll be fine," Cassidy said.

"Yeah, you're right. He should just go home if he can't handle it out here, anyway," Butch added.

As the rocket agents went further into the distance, Ritchie's fear faded, only to be replaced by guilt and sorrow. But the rockets were still on the island. He could still report them and have them arrested, and ought to hurry if he were to do so. Ritchie started on his way back to town, going as fast as he could while ignoring all his pains. Closest to the path he'd taken was the pokemon center. "Nurse!" Ritchie exclaimed right when he opened the door.

"Oh, Ritchie," the nurse spoke pleasantly, perhaps missing his urgent tone. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

Ritchie looked down guiltily, before looking back up, shaking his head. "No. I'm fine," he insisted. His pokemon were in much more danger anyway, so he should concentrate on telling about what happened to them. "My pokemon-" he began.

"Oh!" the nurse interjected with a smile. "You must have been worried. Some hikers stopped by with some lost pokeballs. I recognized them right away as yours! Are you really alright? No need to worry about your pokemon, I checked them over and they're all fine."

They're all fine? Ritchie felt a chill along with his relief. There was no reason not to believe the nurse, but he was still dumbfounded as he picked up his familiar pokeballs from the counter.

"Though how did you lose them all at once? It does seem irresponsible." The nurse shook her head.

It was irresponsible. How had he let himself get into that situation? And now he was thinking about reporting the people that had attacked him. What would he say, to the nurse along with any law enforcement? Would he explain how cowardly and reckless he'd been? How he'd let his pikachu get hurt for him? How Team Rocket agents now had all the information they needed in order to find and capture the legendaries that this island was known for because of him?

He couldn't imagine explaining any of that to anyone. Instead, Ritchie grabbed his pokeballs, thanked the nurse, and went and went to the dorm area to shower off.

A few months later, Cassidy and Butch had a personal chauffeur back from their latest visit to the islands. Mondo picked them up at the dock, driving them back to the base in his jeep, happily chattering along the way. They were tired, and the boy eventually figured out when to stop. But as they reached the base and entered the main building, he was their fanfare, leading the way before belting out his announcement, "Miss Cassidy has returned!"

Jessie and James were there in the lobby, turning their attention to those arriving. "So?" Jessie said.

"Hadn't you heard? Thanks to Miss Cassidy's plans, two of the legendary birds were captured!" Mondo said. "And now, the third is as well! It's amazing! The legendary pokemon are all amazing!"

"Oh," was all Jessie had to say, but the other agents soon crowded around them, cheering, asking questions, and overall congratulating them, cheering on Team Rocket's progress in general. Despite any fatigue, this was a nice homecoming.

The boss soon descended from his office and joined them. "You were successful again? Good job. I didn't expect anything less. You two are my most valuable agents."

After talking more to the boss about their completed mission and who and when would be returning with the final legendary pokemon, Cassidy couldn't help but smirk toward Jessie. There was no need for anything petty, but this series of successes in capturing legendary pokemon clearly established who the superior agents were. Finding her way back to the desk she'd been assigned, Cassidy opened it up, locking up any notes she'd had related to the mission. She sighed in relief as her partner approached her. "I think we're good for now."

"No missions, either. At least not yet," Butch pointed out.

"We just got back," Cassidy said, closing her eyes. "For now there's time for other important things. I'll be leaving tomorrow. Not that I'm trying to monopolize your time, but you come with me if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'll go too. There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you," Butch said.

Cassidy nodded, smirking at his enthusiasm. On top of their success, she'd have more company on her excursion. All together, she could finally relax and concentrate on what was really important. Without worrying about the next pokemon she'd catch for the group, she closed her eyes.

"I saw pikachu boy outside the pokemon center yesterday. Guess he made it down the mountain okay," Butch said.

Cassidy opened her eyes. "I wasn't ever worried he wouldn't," she said.

"Yeah." Butch paused. "Hey, do you think his pikachu is the one that Jessie and James keep going on about?" he asked.

Cassidy shrugged. "It was impressive, at least for being unevolved and belonging to a first year trainer. The trainer in general is above average as well. But of course, they're mistaken if they think they can replicate the trainer's results with just his pokemon." She stood up, brushing off her uniform. "Let's forget about any of that for now. Time to enjoy our time as we'd like."

Butch nodded before they both got ready and left.

End notes: Love these three, even though I'm quite mean to them.

Though I've been trying to have different, interesting takes than my other published fic along with canon, this is very reminiscent of a different fic of mine - the first I got the nerve to publish on this account, actually. There's plenty of differences too, but sorry to anyone who's ready and feels it's too rehashy. Rest assured the events here are actually important for the story over all. I am going somewhere.

Next chapter: Brock vs. Forrest