Chapter 12: A Battle With The Boss

The Rocket Grunts were nervous. They had every right to be. There was an intruder with a Zamazenta still loose in the building! What could they do to stop a trainer like that?!

This particular batch of grunts had been stationed on the tenth floor, essentially making them the last line of defence before anyone could get to the boss. They'd been lucky for Ruby and Ash had just slipped past them on their way up to Giovanni, not wanting to waste any time trying to fight their way through them. But Hop was still around and the grunts knew they wouldn't last five seconds against him.

Ray and Eevee were with the grunts. Ever since June and Trace's capture, they'd been taken and stuffed into cages so Team Rocket could take them back to base when this heist was over. Ray had been finding it hard to keep calm as being locked up like this only brought back memories of his previous capture at Team Rocket's hands. But he noticed the grunts looking nervous and began to relax. Surely that meant help was on its way. Eevee looked to Ray curiously.

"I sense it too buddy." Ray concurred, "They're scared witless! I wonder what's got them so spooked?"

The answer came shortly afterwards when Hop and Zamazenta suddenly arrived on the tenth floor. Ray's eyes lit up with joy as the Pokémon professor made his entrance. The grunts stepped back, all of them too afraid to even challenge him. All of them were sweating buckets and some even whimpered nervously. Hop smirked mockingly at the grunts. Sometimes it was fun when people were afraid of you.

"Hello there." he said casually as if he was just popping in for a visit, "I believe you have two very precious Pokémon belonging to June and Trace."

One of the terrified grunts picked up their cages and handed the two over to him. Hop took the cages and opened them up to set Ray and Eevee free. The two Pokémon jumped out and sat on his shoulders. Hop patted them both.

"I'm glad you two are alright." he said jovially, "I hope these grunts haven't mistreated you too much."

"Aside from stuffing us in cages? Not too badly I guess." Ray shrugged, "But the cages were still bad enough!"

"Eevee, vee!" Eevee cried angrily.

"I agree on that, mates." Hop said grimly, "So despite your cooperation, I'm still going to kick your asses. Zamazenta, you know what to do." he said casually.

Zamazenta's mane formed into a shield again and he charged into the Rocket Grunts with Behemoth Bash. Just like with all the others, they were knocked down onto the floor and rendered unconscious upon impact. A chorus of groans filled the room as all the grunts were knocked down. Zamazenta huffed, feeling as if the whole thing was barely even worth the effort in the end. He returned to Hop.

"I believe we've dealt with all of them now." he boomed.

"I think so too." Hop agreed, "So now I have Ray and Eevee back and Giovanni has no back-up to call for, we can join my wife and Ash in taking the boss down."

He returned Zamazenta to his Master Ball and ran off up the stairs to the 11th floor. Ray and Eevee hung on tight to his shoulders. Hop wondered if Ruby and Ash had already taken Giovanni down by now…


"Bugs, you're up first!" Ruby cried out.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash commanded.

"Gyarados, this is for our mother!" Tricia yelled.

The three Pokémon appeared in a row of flashing lights before Giovanni's Pokémon. Bugs, Pikachu and Gyarados glared angrily at Rhyperior and Kangaskhan. The two didn't flinch, showing no signs of fear or intimidation from the opposition. June held her breath. Trace clenched his fists anxiously. Tricia turned to Ruby and Ash.

"I understand that circumstances may force your hand, but if you can help it, please don't hurt my mom's Kangaskhan." she requested.

"No problem." Ruby said confidently, "We just have to break that collar around her neck and she won't be forced to obey Giovanni."

"We can do that!" Ash offered, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to zap that collar off!"

Pikachu tensed his body up and fired a thunderbolt straight towards Kangaskhan's neck. It should've been a clean hit but then suddenly, it veered away and went straight towards Rhyperior's horn. Everyone stared in shock as Rhyperior's horn absorbed the electricity from Pikachu's attack. Kangaskhan remained untouched. Ash frowned in annoyance.

"Damn! It has the Lightning Rod ability! Pikachu's electric attacks are useless!" he groaned.

"Exactly." Giovanni crowed, "I always find it extremely useful to have Rhyperior around when dealing with pests like your Pikachu. You won't be breaking Kangaskhan's collar that easily."

"Maybe Ash can't do it, but Bugs can!" Ruby cut in, "Bugs, use High Jump Kick!"

"No, don't do that! You'll take her head off!" Tricia protested.

But it was too late to stop him. Bugs was already in the air and sailing towards Kangaskhan. His foot aimed directly for Kangaskhan's neck. He was confident he would break the collar without hurting her too much as he had perfect control over his own strength. But once again, Rhyperior intervened.

"Intercept with Stone Edge!" Giovanni barked.

Rhyperior launched a volley of sharp rocks at Bugs and knocked him down onto the floor. The rocks cut into him, leaving some nasty cuts across his body. Bugs groaned but he wasn't down for long. He stood up again and brushed himself off.

"Looks like that Rhyperior's going to be troublesome for us." Ruby muttered, "We should take it down first and THEN save Kangaskhan."

"Lucky me I have the perfect Pokémon…" Tricia crowed, "Gyarados, use Liquidation!"

"Good call!" June cheered from the side-lines, "Rhyperior will fold like paper against a Water attack!"

Gyarados conjured up huge watery missiles and swiped with its tail, throwing the missiles directly towards Rhyperior. But now it was Kangaskhan's turn to protect her partner for Giovanni commanded her to stand in the way and fire a Hyper Beam at the Liquidation. Kangaskhan blasted the water missiles into tiny raindrops and the Hyper Beam kept going until it hit Gyarados. Tricia screamed and ducked down quickly as Gyarados hurled towards her and nearly crashed into her. It hit the wall at the other side of the room and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Trace watched worriedly.

"This is so bad…mom's Kangaskhan has always been crazy strong!" he exclaimed, "Strong enough to nearly conquer the Elite Four even! They're really gonna struggle!"

"Hold on, she's strong enough to fight the ELITE FOUR?!" June exclaimed, "How strong a trainer is your mother?!"

"Very." Trace and Tricia replied in unison.

"How very?" Ruby said, rolling her eyes, "Strong enough to nearly become Champion, I take it?"

"Yes. She cleared the Gym Challenge and made it all the way to Lance of the Elite Four before finally being defeated." Tricia explained, "Her Mega Evolving Kangaskhan was her ace. It's because of that as to why after dad died, I wanted to follow in her footsteps and aim to be Champion just as she did."

"Well this does explain why Giovanni went to the effort to steal the poor girl." Ruby muttered, "And just our bloody luck to be fighting against it. But we'll free her from Giovanni's control no matter what! Bugs, use Pyro Ball!"

Bugs kicked a huge fireball directly towards Kangaskhan, again hoping to break the collar around her neck. Thanks to Hyper Beam's drawback, she was immobilized so Bugs couldn't possibly miss. But Rhyperior stood in the way and blocked the attack. The Pyro Ball broke away uselessly against its stony body. It then retaliated by using Stone Edge. This time, Bugs was ready for it and he used Iron Head to smash through the stones. While Rhyperior was distracted, Ash seized his chance and ordered Pikachu to use Iron Tail. With his electric attacks unusable now, Iron Tail and Quick Attack was all he could use. Pikachu sprinted past Rhyperior, somersaulted towards Kangaskhan and walloped the collar with his iron-coated tail. It had been a powerful hit, but unfortunately not enough to break it. The collar was much stronger than it seemed. Ash could see it would take a few Iron Tails to finally break it off.

Pikachu tried another Iron Tail but Kangaskhan recovered from Hyper Beam's drawback just in time and countered with Dizzy Punch. She socked Pikachu with a massive uppercut that nearly tore his head off its shoulders. Pikachu crashed down onto his back and lay there. He smiled dopily, becoming confused as a result of the attack. Rhyperior then tried to use Drill Run on Pikachu to take advantage of his confused state but Bugs jumped in and kicked it aside with High Jump Kick. The heavy Pokémon crashed into a nearby wall, completely obliterating it for it couldn't withstand Rhyperior's enormous weight. June and Trace were relieved it hadn't come anywhere near them! They watched Gyarados pick itself up and join back in the battle. With Rhyperior out the way, Tricia had a shot at breaking Kangaskhan's control collar. Gyarados flew towards the kangaroo/dinosaur creature and walloped the side of her neck with its powerful tail. It managed to dent the collar but it still hadn't broken yet. Hopefully one more hit would do the trick!

"This battle is proving to be very entertaining." Giovanni crooned, "But I think we should kick it up a notch…"

He then reached into his suit pocket and pulled something out. Tricia wasn't surprised to see he had her mother's Key Stone in his hand. He'd naturally stolen the Kangaskhanite and her mother's Key Stone along with Kangaskhan that day. The trainers watched as Giovanni slipped the Key Stone around his wrist. Ruby wasn't worried.

"You think that's going to work?" she sneered, "Mega Evolution ONLY works if trainer and Pokémon have a particularly strong bond and I seriously doubt that Kangaskhan is particularly close to you."

"That control collar binds it to my will. That's enough of a strong bond for me to use the power of Mega Evolution." Giovanni retorted, "Team Rocket have long since found loopholes around that pesky specification."

"Oh no…" Ash balked, "So that means…"

"I'm afraid so mate." Ruby murmured, "Our battle just got a lot harder."

"Don't you dare!" Tricia growled.

But Giovanni did dare. His twisted smile showed no hesitation as he raised the Key Stone up high and tapped into its power. A luminous glow shone brightly from the stone and surges of energy radiated around his hand.

"And now Kangaskhan, by orders of your boss…MEGA EVOLVE!" he bellowed.

Kangaskhan's body was engulfed by the bright light as the Mega Stone she wore on her wrist glowed in tandem with Giovanni's Key Stone. Within seconds, the transformation was complete and Mega Kangaskhan stood before her opponents. Kangaskhan herself hadn't actually changed but the baby in her pouch had. It had grown in size from infant to child and was out of her pouch. It had a fierce expression on its face and a clear determination to pummel its opponents into the dirt. As a result of Mega Evolution, this one Pokémon had become two. Trace's fists shook with rage. It hurt him to see his mother's Mega Evolved Pokémon being used like this. June held a hand close to her heart in worry.

"This is bad! I've read that Mega Kangaskhan are very powerful!" she cried, "She now has the Parental Bond ability…"

"…which means both mother and child attack at once." Tricia finished, "I've lost count how many times mom has ended a battle with the power of Mega Kangaskhan. But if Giovanni's gonna use Mega Evolution, so will I!"

She held out her own Key Stone and Mega Evolved her Gyarados. Now the playing field had been evened out with both sides in control of a Mega Pokémon. But whose was stronger? June and Trace watched, almost afraid to find out.

"Show the Champion and her friends your true power." Giovanni demanded, "Kangaskhan, use Dizzy Punch! Rhyperior, use Drill Run!"

Mega Kangaskhan sprinted towards Bugs, Pikachu and Mega Gyarados and Rhyperior launched itself like a torpedo across the room with its drill horn pointed dead ahead. Mega Gyarados attacked first, using Liquidation to bombard Rhyperior with water missiles. Rhyperior was stopped and brought out of Drill Run by the attack. It crashed onto the floor and skidded to a halt. Mega Kangaskhan was more successful with the mother hitting Bugs and her child hitting Pikachu. Both opponents reeled backwards and were left confused by the punch. But Bugs shook it off quickly. He'd been trained to deal with Confusion and he showed it now by smacking the sides of his face. He did the same to Pikachu to shake him out of confusion too. Pikachu was up on his feet again instantly and he retaliated with a powerful Iron Tail. He tried to hit Mega Kangaskhan's collar but the child intervened by taking the blow for its mother. Pikachu gasped as he hammered the child into a nearby wall with Iron Tail. He felt guilty but he clamped down on his emotions. He could worry about that later!

Rhyperior stood back up and hurled another Stone Edge attack towards Mega Gyarados. Normally the attack would've been super-effective but Mega Gyarados was no longer a Flying-type so it wasn't. The stones hit Mega Gyarados but they didn't do much damage to it. Mega Gyarados shrugged off the pain and launched itself towards Rhyperior. It came in fast in a straight line as if fired from a gun and sank its teeth into Rhyperior's shoulder with Crunch. Rhyperior howled in pain and tried to shake off Mega Gyarados but its jaws were too strong. Then Mega Gyarados let go and used Liquidation a second time. At this close distance, it was impossible to miss. Rhyperior was bombarded and soaked at the same time and it collapsed down onto its back. It barely had any strength left to fight. Ruby saw an opportunity to finish the fight and took it by ordering Bugs to use High Jump Kick. Bugs came rushing in and he landed a powerful kick to Rhyperior that took away the last remnants of its strength. It lay still and didn't get up again. Ruby and Tricia looked to each other and shook hands in congratulations.

"Nice shot! Your Cinderace is ace by name and ace by nature!" Tricia praised.

"And that Mega Gyarados is truly a powerful fighter." Ruby complimented, "I'm so glad to be fighting aside it inside of against it. Bet Giovanni wishes he wasn't against it right now!" she taunted, sneering mockingly at the Rocket boss.

"And now Rhyperior's down, Pikachu can use its electric attacks again!" Ash said excitedly, "Let's try it! Use Thunderbolt on Kangaskhan's collar!"

Pikachu took aim and fired at Mega Kangaskhan. The thunderbolt leapt towards her collar but once again, it failed to hit its target as Giovanni threw another Pokéball and summoned another Pokémon to block the attack. He'd chosen Steelix, a Ground/Steel type Pokémon that evolved from Onix, to take Rhyperior's place. Steelix was enormous with a snake like body, a large shovel-shaped jaw, square teeth and red eyes. Its half-Ground typing rendered Pikachu's Thunderbolt useless once more. Steelix let out a deep bellow that made the room shake. June and Trace had to cover their ears for it was too much for them. Ruby, Ash and Tricia regarded their new opponent with nothing more than a determined look on their faces. Steelix was just another opponent. They could beat it!

"Try as you might, I will not be letting you free Kangaskhan from my control!" Giovanni declared, "I'll use as many Pokémon as it takes to keep the collar intact! And once this battle is over Tricia, your mother's Kangaskhan is going to be sold off just as I warned you! By betraying me, you've lost your mother's Pokémon forever and you only have yourself to blame."

"No I don't!" Tricia snapped angrily, "You're the one who's going to be selling her off so that's on YOU! But you're never going to get the chance because the three of us will defeat you and drag you kicking and screaming into the nearest jail cell we find!"

"You may try, but you'll fail just as any who stand in my way have done." Giovanni sneered, "Steelix, use Earthquake! Mega Kangaskhan, Hyper Beam!"

Steelix raised its huge tail and slammed it on the office floor. The floor cracked and the room shook violently as if some giant had grabbed hold of the building and started shaking it. Everybody wobbled around and fought for balance. God, Giovanni would bring the whole bloody skyscraper to the ground if he did that again! The Earthquake hit Pikachu and Mega Gyarados, dealing super-effective damage to Pikachu, but Bugs was able to dodge by using Acrobatics. His Libero ability changed him into a Flying-type so the Earthquake didn't affect him. Mega Kangaskhan aimed both Hyper Beams directly at the fire rabbit but his Acrobatics helped him dodge the attack. Bugs was the only Pokémon still standing afterwards so he made the next move by charging into Steelix and using High Jump Kick. His foot slammed hard into Steelix's huge chin and it reeled backwards from the blow. Steelix tumbled over and crashed against the wall, leaving a huge imprint in it. Now Steelix was down, Bugs was free to take another shot at Mega Kangaskhan. She couldn't move because of Hyper Beam, leaving it helpless to stop Bugs as he ran towards her and barged into her with Iron Head. His attack heavily cracked the control collar. It was still functional but it wouldn't hold much longer. Bugs charged towards her again with Iron Head to land one final blow and break the collar. But unfortunately, Steelix recovered at the last second and ambushed Bugs from behind with Stone Edge. The impact of the rocks crashing into Bugs caused him to stumble and fall onto the floor.

Now he was down, Mega Kangaskhan retaliated by using Drain Punch. Both mother and child socked Bugs in the face with a double onslaught that did damage and healed up some of their health too. Bugs crashed down onto his back just as Pikachu and Mega Gyarados got back up. Steelix then tried to use Stone Edge on all three opponents but Mega Gyarados shielded Bugs and Pikachu with Protect. The stones broke to pieces against the impenetrable barrier. Once that was done, Mega Gyarados used Liquidation once again. A volley of aquatic projectiles hit Steelix and soaked it completely. Bugs stood up again and used Pyro Ball, scoring a direct bullseye and scorching the metal snake Pokémon. Mega Kangaskhan intercepted with Drain Punch, the mother punching Mega Gyarados and the child punching Bugs. But then Pikachu chipped in by zapping her with Thunderbolt. Mega Kangaskhan stumbled backwards and winced. Giovanni's eyes narrowed. His Pokémon were beginning to get fatigued. Even Mega Kangaskhan and her power wouldn't hold out forever. He was about to call another attack until somebody spoke to him through the microphone on his suit.

"Boss? This is the chopper crew. We're ready for take-off. Is the mission complete?"

"No. We have to abort." Giovanni explained, "I'm still in the president's office. Fly up here and break the window so I may escape with you."

"Understood boss." said the Rocket grunt.

Giovanni knew that winning this fight wouldn't be possible. So he just had to stall for time until the chopper arrived.

"This has all been very entertaining, but the fun must come to an end." Giovanni declared, "Mega Kangaskhan, one more Hyper Beam now!"

The Mega Evolved Pokémon opened their mouths and energy built up in their throats. Bugs, Pikachu and Mega Gyarados braced themselves, ready to dodge or intercept depending what their trainers said. But before anything else could happen, a huge red and gold shape shot out from the office entrance and barged straight into Mega Kangaskhan! The Hyper Beam died in their throats, the control collar was smashed to pieces and the kangaroo/dinosaur creature was hurled aside like a tree uprooted in a storm. She fell down onto her side and grimaced. Everyone gasped and turned to see that it had been Hop and Zamazenta who had done it. The Pokémon professor smiled coolly and his Legendary Pokémon howled in triumph.

"I was worried I'd miss the fun. Glad to see I was just in time." Hop said casually.

"Hop…have I told you I love you?" Ruby said happily, her face radiating pleasure.

"Hmm, maybe." Hop teased, "And I got a little something for you two." he added, turning to June and Trace.

He knelt down so Ray and Eevee could jump off his shoulders and into their trainer's arms. June and Trace hugged them with relief.

"Ray! Thank goodness dad got you back!" June cheered.

"You OK Eevee? Those monsters didn't hurt you, did they?" Trace asked.

Eevee shook its head.

"I was terrified to be locked in a cage again but your dad saved us so we're fine." Ray said casually.

"I can see! Thank you so much dad!" June cried gratefully.

"Especially from ME!" Tricia added, "Your Zamazenta's just broken that control collar on mom's Kangaskhan!"

"No doubt Giovanni was using that to make her fight you." Hop muttered, glaring at the horrified Rocket Boss, "Typical of you scoundrels to turn what's pure and good against others…"

Giovanni was in a state of shock. For the moment he was struggling to take in what had just happened. When he eventually did snap out of his stunned state, he whipped out Kangaskhan's Pokéball and tried to return her so he could keep true to his word that Tricia would never see her again. But Zamazenta stepped in and snatched the ball out of his hand with his mouth. Giovanni recoiled and retreated back. Zamazenta threw the ball over to Hop. He caught it and handed it to Tricia. Tricia smiled gratefully to him and she returned Mega Kangaskhan. She was back in her possession at last! June and Trace ran up to her happily.

"Hooray! You've got her back!" June cried, "Now Giovanni can never blackmail you again!"

"Mom's gonna be so thrilled to see her Kangaskhan again!" Trace celebrated, "I can already see the look on her face now!"

"Oh I can too…" Tricia said with pleasure, her eyes twinkling with delight.

But her mother could wait. They still had Giovanni to deal with. All eyes were on him as he stepped towards a nearby window. His Steelix slithered over to him, hurt but clearly willing to keep on fighting despite the overwhelming odds. Ruby folded her arms and smiled confidently.

"It's all over Giovanni. You have no bargaining chips left, the Master Ball project remains with Silph Co., pretty much all of your grunts are in jail and your hideout's been ransacked. You've got nowhere to run and you're hopelessly outnumbered." the Champion announced, "Your only option now is to surrender and come quietly. We may be able to make this easier for you if you cooperate."

"I am more than willing to accept I have truly been beaten for the time being." Giovanni said, his voice reasonable and accepting of what had occurred, "And I would be a fool to carry on fighting at this point. But what you must know about me is that I do NOT give up so easily…"

Right on cute, a huge black helicopter with the Team Rocket logo printed on the sides and underbelly roared into view with its propellers beating against the air as they spun rapidly. Everyone jumped in surprise having not expected the surprise appearance of the helicopter. There were five grunts in the chopper, two female and three male, and one of the male grunts was holding a rocket launcher. He fired at the window and a large metallic capsule smashed through the glass. The capsule landed on the floor and broke open, unleashing a cloud of smoke that filled the whole office. Nobody could see anything and they broke into fits of coughing as the smoke danced around their faces. While nobody could see him, Giovanni returned his Steelix, ran towards the window and leapt into the open hatch of the helicopter. Once he was aboard, the pilot wrenched the joystick to one side and the helicopter soared away. By the time the smoke cleared, Giovanni was long gone and Ruby, Hop, Tricia, June and Trace were left to lament on his escape. Ruby was the first to react, kicking the president's desk in a moment of rage.

"DAMN IT!" she screamed furiously, "We had him right there and the bastard got away! How could we have let him slip away at the last minute?!"

"Babe, please, don't get so upset about it." Hop said, trying to comfort his wife, "We didn't see that coming so we couldn't have prepared for such a possibility."

"It was my fault." Tricia said apologetically, "In our haste to save June and Trace, I forgot to warn you two that Giovanni had ordered a helicopter to be prepared so Team Rocket could make a quick getaway. I should've told you two but it slipped my mind at the time…I'm so sorry I allowed him to get away." she said solemnly.

"Aww sis, don't beat yourself up." Trace said reassuringly, "It's easy to forget things when you have a lot on your mind."

"You wanted to make sure we were safe above all else." June added, "And I'm so grateful to you for helping us out! You helped my parents stop Team Rocket and set us free! I can't thank you enough for that!"

She hugged Tricia in gratitude. Tricia blushed. She was more surprised by the hug than anything else. The purple-haired teen just smiled appreciatively and patted June on the back.

"Well…I guess I'll take that. You're very welcome." she said meekly.

"June and Trace are right on one thing." Ruby put in, "It may be bad that Giovanni escaped, but the most important thing is everyone's safe and we stopped their mission. With Team Rocket as badly crippled as they are now, I doubt we'll have much trouble finding the rest of them and rounding them up."

"Quite so." Hop concurred, "Giovanni will likely have few places to hide. His hideout's been compromised so he'll be forced to find somewhere else, and hopefully that'll slow him down enough for us to catch up to him."

"Quite so love." Ruby murmured, "He can run…but he won't be able to hide."

The teens could only agree. It would be a matter of time before Giovanni was caught and brought to justice…


Sometime later, construction workers and the police had arrived at Silph Co. to clean up the damages done to the battle and to tend to all the office staff in the building. Witness statements were given and the whole story on what went down with Team Rocket's heist was shared. Any grunts still in the building had been quickly arrested and bundled into police vans. The president of Silph Co.'s office had taken the most damage and would take a while to repair, even with Pokémon aiding the construction workers, but overall nobody had been badly hurt and the situation had been contained. Silph Co. would hopefully be back in operation in a day or two. Ruby apologized heavily for getting Reaper to cut the power lines but the president had understood her intentions. He was more grateful that the heist had been ruined and none of their files ended up stolen in the end, that was all that mattered.

"In the end, everything works out well for us." the president said kindly, "We all made it out with our lives, the skyscraper is still in one piece with not too much damage done, Team Rocket weren't able to steal anything and at least most of them are now in police custody. Their boss may have escaped, but I'd say the positives outweigh the negatives in this case."

"You sure know how to look on the bright side." Ruby chuckled.

"That's how you run a successful company my dear." the president said briskly, "No one got anywhere by drowning in woe. I cannot thank you enough for coming to us and putting a stop to Team Rocket's mad scheme." he said, his voice full of gratitude.

"No need to thank me sir, just doing my duty as a protector of the people." Ruby said modestly, "As Galar's current Champion, my duties don't stop at Galar's shores. EVERY region is worthy of my protection."

"And besides, we shouldn't be the ones you're thanking." Hop added, "It's June and Trace who deserve all the credit."

"What, US?" Trace gasped incredulously.

"Of course!" June giggled, "Remember, we helped Officer Jenny arrest those grunts in Vermilion City. Mum got them to talk and they broke into their hideout and arrested everyone there. Then they came here to get the remaining members and so they saved Silph Co. as well! That's all thanks to us!"

"Whoa…when you put it like that, I guess we're the real heroes!" Trace said, sounding utterly star struck, "We saved the Silph Co.! Hooray for us!"

"Don't let it get to your head, OK?" Tricia teased.

"If I may also add, June's pretty much the one that deserves the most credit." Ruby added, "You see, we're only in Kanto because she asked for it. She wanted to begin her journey here, and so we brought her here. If we hadn't, then Team Rocket likely would've gotten away with it. So I say June deserves your thanks most of all, sir." she said, her voice full of pride and admiration for her daughter.

"Oh p-please mum, I d-don't deserve m-most of it." June said bashfully.

"Aww, humble child I see." the president said with a smile, "Well young lady, I still give you my thanks anyway. You may not have brought your parents here with the intention of stopping Team Rocket, but the fact you chose to come here came at the right time for us all. If there's anything the Silph Company can do to repay you, please let us know."

June only blushed with pleasure and hid shyly behind her mother. Tricia couldn't keep the smile off her face. Why did that girl look so cute when she was shy like this? Ruby chuckled.

"Bless her. She's not used to getting so much praise." she said sympathetically.

"I understand." the president said kindly, "Though I do have one way I can repay you all…"

He gestured to one of the office staff to come to him. A woman in a smart suit approached the Silverlocks and handed something to June. June took it and gasped. Sitting in the palm of her hand…was a Master Ball! Its M logo and purple top half were unmistakeable! She was actually holding the genuine article!

"Y-y-you're g-giving me a Master Ball?!" June exclaimed.

"So you had that this whole time?" Hop said in astonishment, "How did you hide it from Team Rocket?"

"Heh, that would be telling." the president said mischievously, "I've always kept our first manufactured Master Ball secret to keep from thieves who may try to steal it. Luckily for me, Giovanni didn't suspect I had one hidden in secret so he never searched my office. He only thought stealing the plans to make the Master Ball would be enough."

"Maybe now you have it June, you could catch the Legendary Mewtwo with it instead of Team Rocket!" Trace said excitedly.

"And as long as you keep it hidden, Giovanni won't ever suspect you have it." Tricia said brightly, "He'll be hurriedly working on a backup plan while you can foil whatever he comes up with by just catching Mewtwo with a Master Ball he never knew you had!"

"W-wow…I guess I could…" June murmured, her voice a whisper of wonder.

"The question is, where is Mewtwo?" Ruby said thoughtfully, "I doubt it'll be easy to find…"

"Knowing our luck, we'll stumble across it on our travels." Hop joked, "Speaking of travels, we best be on our way. With Giovanni still at large, our job isn't done yet."

"Of course." the president agreed, "I best not hold you up any longer. I must attend to my staff and the repairs of my company HQ. Thanks once again for everything and I wish you all the best in your ventures."

He shook hands with everyone and turned to join the office staff. The adults and teens left the scene and headed on further into Saffron City. Worn out from their battle with Giovanni, they decided a good place to rest and recuperate would be the local Pokémon Centre. Bugs, Pikachu, Gyarados and Kangaskhan were given to Nurse Joy to rest up and Ruby, Hop, Ash, June, Trace and Tricia sat down in the café together to enjoy a peaceful moment and a drink together. Ruby and Hop had tea while the rest drank sodas. After the intensity of the Rocket heist, this moment was just what they needed to wind down.

"Ah…I wish we could just do this for the rest of the journey." Ruby sighed contently.

"We can do once Team Rocket's boss has been caught." Ash noted, "Once we're ready, we'll go out and look for him! He won't get away a second time!"

"I sure hope not." Hop agreed, "So kids, how about you?" he asked, looking to June, Trace and Tricia, "No doubt you two will want to get your next Gym badge." he said, addressing June and Trace.

"I do, but I'm gonna go home for a while." Trace replied, "Now we have mom's Kangaskhan back, I just wanna take it home to her and see her for a bit before I go on."

"I do as well." Tricia put in, "Having left her for so long to pursue a job that can solve our financial troubles, I haven't seen her in years! I want to see her too, and also get out of this damn Rocket uniform." she muttered, glaring at it as if it were a blemish she had to scrub away rather than a uniform, "I feel dirty just wearing these clothes!"

"I bet you'll look much prettier in something else…" June mumbled aloud.

Tricia smiled, flattered by the comment. June put a hand over her mouth, unable to believe she'd said that out loud. Trace only stared at her as if she'd turned into an Oddish.

"June, did you just hit on my sister?" he asked.

"NO! No, definitely not! I 100% did not just hit on your sister!" June babbled frantically, "That would've been super awkward now, wouldn't it?"

"You're making it super awkward by denying it young lady." Ruby retorted dryly, "We all heard what you said."

June shrank down in her seat and pulled her cap down over her face, trying to hide her burning pink cheeks from everybody. Quickly changing the subject, Hop cut in.

"How about you June? You still going to continue your journey?" he asked.

June lifted her cap back up and breathed out heavily to ease her nerves. She cleared her throat.

"I am. I've started this journey, now I must see it through." the girl in yellow answered, "I have to continue getting stronger. I have to complete the Gym Challenge and I have to get to the Pokémon League. Otherwise, I'll never obtain my goal. Also I NEVER want to be kidnapped and used as a hostage again. It was so scary being Giovanni's prisoner like that!" she cried, hugging herself in worry, "I have to be stronger so it'll never happen again!"

"I'm afraid no matter how strong you get, you may still end up getting caught and tied up in some situations." Ruby said grimly, "Even as adults, me and your father have to rescue each other from some crazy villain who may kidnap us. As Champion of Galar especially, I'm a VERY popular target for kidnappers!" she exclaimed, "But I do admire how you want to carry on getting strong June. If you keep at it, you'll be Kanto's new Champion in no time…" she added supportively.

"Speaking of Champions, who is Kanto's current Champion?" Hop asked, "I never thought to look into that."

"So far, it's Lance." Ash answered, "He once conquered the Johto region but after some guy named Ethan beat him, he came back to Kanto and reclaimed his position as leader of Kanto's Elite Four. With no Champion currently crowned, he's pretty much the head honcho of this region until someone defeats him. Then we'll have a new Champion."

"And that's going to be me!" June cried optimistically, "With Ray and the others by my side, I'll be Kanto's new Champion!"

"Aw yeah!" Ray cried enthusiastically, "And with us at the top, Team Rocket won't dare mess with us again!"

Ruby, Hop and Ash just smiled at June's determination.

"We're with you all the way sweetheart." Ruby said kindly.

"Keep it up my girl and you'll be Champion in no time!" Hop cried.

"Me and Pikachu will be cheering for you!" Ash put in.

June beamed appreciatively. She drank some more of her soda. The cool, sweet beverage came as a godsend for her after everything that had happened. Despite her experiences with Team Rocket, she felt positive about her future. She'd played a large part in saving Tricia and Silph Co. from Team Rocket and helping her parents arrest them, thus making her Kanto's biggest hero. She now owned Silph Co's Master Ball and would be able to catch Mewtwo if she got lucky and there were still five Gyms left to conquer. She was feeling very good about herself and June felt as if things were only going to get better for her…


Giovanni may have escaped but our heroes won't stop looking for him. They'll find him and they'll take him down for good. For now, Tricia and Trace have a Pokemon to deliver back to their mother and June has another Gym Badge to claim. Join me next time for a breather chapter as we have a Mini-Chapter that'll show Trace and Tricia returning to their mother and June training for her battle against Sabrina...

Trivia: You guys may have noticed something different about this chapter. Well, a talk with one of my readers led me to see that my biggest problem as a writer is over-detailing the prose. I seem to bog my stories down with words and he helped me see that I need to tone it down a bit. So here I am. I'm trying to make my stories less over-detailed to help with pacing and to make them easier to read. I hope I've succeeded in that regard. ^^ I'll be making sure any and all stories I write in the future will be written like this.

Also Giovanni never uses a Steelix in the games. I made that up to give him another powerful Ground-type outside of Kanto to use.

I must add though that Tricia using a Mega Gyarados to fight Giovanni comes off as HILARIOUSLY ironic. Why? I ended up discovering on Giovanni's Bulbapedia page that Giovanni himself uses a Mega Gyarados in the Battle Agency in the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon games. Talk about an accidental reference! I really had no idea of that when I started writing this fic! XD