Surmount

by HDK315

Although they travel down a long, merciless road that has overwhelmed all but the very strongest to eventually throw in the towel, they do so with unrivaled resolve and convictions. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his beloved family of Pokemon, and how they became the greatest of all time. Cover by Atenburgh.

25. Prodigy of Terrorism: Part 2

Blood sprayed from Silver's nose as the object collided with his face, knocking him backwards and out of the chair he was seated in. Air shot out of his mouth as his back painfully collided with the hard floor, his eyes granted with a view of the dimly lit ceiling. It was a reminder that the mission was over. That the eleven year old boy was back in the oppressive safety of the underground bunker.

Trying to sit up, he didn't bother attempting to stand, knowing his injured knee (further aggravated by the fall) wouldn't support him. He did not get a look at the object that struck him, as the Rocket officer had already discarded it.

"Rookie…" his superior lightly snarled. "You're lucky to be alive right now. If only some of the more useful people in our squad had the same fortune as you. Why the hell did you keep on going?!"

Instinctively, Silver grabbed at his belt, but felt nothing. Neptune and the others were currently being cared for regarding the debacle that the mission had ended in. The Croconaw's support had been the only thing to ensure that the boy had made it back to the base alive on his broken knee.

Resting his palm on the floor, he suddenly felt naked, his voice unsteady. "The… the plan was to-"

"The plan wasn't working properly!" The officer's tone left Silver surprised he hadn't been smacked again. "Careless brat. What kind of drone are you? You might as well have been mindlessly trying to electrocute a ground type after failure for the first fifty attempts. Do you know nothing about adapting? Thinking? Is that brain resting in your skull just for show? You were approaching that operation with the mentality of a five year old who wouldn't take his damn hand off the stove!" the man huffed. "You should consider yourself the luckiest human alive that a shattered knee was the most you got for this botched mission. Over half our squad perished despite the majority being far smarter than you!"

It was no exaggeration. He had been certain he was doomed after his knee had forced him to collapse. Even now, his memory of the incident was foggy at best. It was as though his mind had completely shut off, only to wake up inside of the underground base mere moments later. But he knew he had been conscious the whole time. But his recollection of the events following the ear-piercing cry he had let out was borderline nonexistent.

Although a few tears were leaking from his eyes following the blow to his face, his nose now in a state of impossible to ignore pain of its own, his expression still remained somewhat blank as he gazed up at the taller man, whose own expression continued to be a mixture of shaken and angry.

How had they survived this mission? And how had they even been in any danger to begin with? The League shouldn't have known what was going on. They shouldn't have known what they were doing, what they were trying to do, and what their plan for doing so actually was. And yet it was as though they had. It had felt like the League had responded to everything that they did in the exact manner that they had needed too, as though they had read an entire script of Team Rocket's strategy and rehearsed it just a few hours prior. None of it had made any sense.

But what else could he have done? He had followed the plan perfectly. He had resorted to the backups and contingencies put in place. But none of it had ever worked. What was one supposed to do when everything they had prepared for had meant nothing? How do you take matters into your own hands then?

He voiced none of this, however, continuing to silently gaze up at his superior with his palms pressed against the floor. The contact was cold and dull, the room bleak and uninteresting. But it was where they were safe. The untouchable environment that they had been sheltered by both before and after their botched mission had exposed them to the beautiful, gorgeous, breathtaking, life-threatening outside world.

The man made a gruff snort before turning away. 'If I were you, I'd consider what you believe your worth is, and how much you wish to prove such a thing. If this is your first impression, and everything else follows identical, you're little more than useless to the cause. The Indigo League is invincible. Throwing frail pegs like you at them accomplishes nothing. The door remained open as he exited the room.

Once he was alone, Silver slowly brought a hand up to his nose, wincing as his fingers lightly gripped it, the tears speeding up a bit before letting go.

He still needed to get looked at by the medical staff, but he couldn't leave the room on his own. Not when his body wouldn't allow him to walk. He'd have to wait for them to arrive and carry him out themselves.

With passive stoicism, he inwardly cursed the memory of the mission. Everything had been supposed to go right, only to completely go wrong. He had made no mistakes. The squad had made no mistakes. But it had all meant nothing, for the League had seemingly played them all like a massive series of instruments.

His fingers brushed a strand of dark-red hair back behind his ear. He wondered what she would have done in such a situation. Surely she would have found a more dignifying way out. And how was she doing for the moment? It was enviable to be out there, in a dangerous world that wasn't nearly as dangerous if you were not living the life that he was. A life that could be stolen from you at any turn. A life that was only protected by the cold, damp, oppressive atmosphere of these deep bunkers…

/

The third story of the museum was no longer that. Nothing about the location mattered anymore, apart from being the site of the current spectacle unfolding. All participants had borderline forgotten where they were. Forgotten that they were fighting in a place never built for such a thing. It was the reality of the current situation.

Already, multiple walls had been torn apart. Some with giant holes in them, others almost collapsing completely. Large dents in the ceiling and floor spreading out across the third floor of the museum threatened to expose the action that was also taking place both above and below.

Although he felt little fear, Silver was never not to be reminded of how fragile his body was. One stray attack, from any direction, could cleave through his bones on a good day, and obliterate his body entirely on a bad one.

Being a soldier was not like being a professional. He wasn't protected by some tournament-sanctioned barrier that isolated trainers, referee, and audience alike from the carnage that unfolded. He needed to be able to keep an eye on the action, call out orders when needed, all the while keeping himself safe. Ducking behind cover wasn't even a guarantee, given the strongest attacks could rip through the surroundings regardless.

The name of the game was to know where to hide, when to move, and how to ensure that your attention never left the battle raging on. All without getting splattered yourself. He knew Erika was thinking and doing the same, on the opposite end, protecting herself while ensuring that she knew where both Greenwood and Neptune were at all times.

Sliding behind a now dislodged piece of the museum wall, his hand deftly unclipped a Poke Ball from his belt, releasing a quadruped with pale cream-colored fur and pink feet, ears, and tail. A Sylveon.

As she grinned up at her trainer, Silver felt his nerves ease from the soothing aura emitted by her feelers. The knowledge of how vulnerable he was in such a situation weighed on him just a little bit less. Beneath his mask, the tension in his face gradually smoothed out.

"Calliope, ready your barriers when needed." He paid attention to her just long enough to see her nod, before his focus was right back on the battle.

An eruption of dark-blue water raced out of Neptune's throat as Greenwood ducked under the Feraligatr's Hydro Pump. The blast of water tore through the wall behind the Meganium, leaving a clear view into the room beyond as the head of a colorful sculpture was torn off, and a painting at the end of the wall broke apart and collided with the floor.

Large vines sprouted from Greenwood's sides as her mouth opened up to reveal a growing orb of emerald aura. She lashed out with Vine Whip just as the Energy Ball fired.

Just as she did, Neptune's massive jaw opened to make way for a torrent of ice that collided with both attacks. Glass windows on either side of the hallway (both sides leading to different rooms) instantaneously shattered as the shockwaves spread out across the surroundings. Minor dents formed in the walls and floor, exacerbating that of already affected areas. With Greenwood's offense intercepted, the Feraligatr turned his head to the ceiling. The roar that escaped his throat was like a guttural thunderclap, a deafening noise that would have immediately turned away a lesser combatant as the big jaw Pokemon's claws turned metallic, before suddenly freezing over with icy energy.

Head lowering, and eyes set on his prey, Neptune barreled across the hallway, his feet colliding with the damaged floor as he sprinted his way to the grass type ahead on the other side. In no time, he had closed the distance, but the herb Pokemon had already reacted.

Her muscles tensing, Greenwood growled in the face of her rapidly advancing assailant as her feet grinded against the floor, and her body's exterior began to glow with a progressively deep orange coating. As the Endure spread out across her body, her skin hardened like a natural, biological form of armor, just in time for Neptune's icy pair of claws to strike.

The cold impact hurt, and for a moment, it felt as though her skin might cut open. Even as she cried out in pain, however, all her body did was slide a few meters across the floor. Undeterred, her glaring eyes soon found themselves locked with Neptune's as the Feraligatr retreated backwards a few steps.

'Greenwood, Erika's first ever partner.' Silver eyed the Meganium with a hint of acknowledgement obscured by his mask. 'Her ability is Leaf Guard, which allows her to draw on the power of the sunlight to heighten her resistance to status conditions, making her much less likely to be hindered. Although we're not outside right now, the sunlight is still seeping in. No doubt she's fairly protected. Poisoning her or freezing her won't be easy. But Neptune's ability is Sheer Force. It allows him to nullify any secondary effects to his own moves, and instead apply it to increasing the raw power of his attacks. If it will be more difficult than normal to inflict a status ailment on Greenwood, then we won't even try. We'll just overwhelm her, as planned ahead of time. Our ability is a fairly fitting answer to their own.'

"Neptune!" With their position given away by the sound of her trainer's voice, Calliope quickly erected a golden barrier in front of his silver as he called out to his starter. "Aerial Ace into Ice Fang!"

Eyes tightening into acknowledgement, but never leaving the Meganium, Neptune wrapped his body in a thin, pale aura as his legs tightened up and buckled, prepared to ascend. He'd launch himself into the grass type faster than ever, with all the momentum in the world for his teeth to carve through the flesh of her throat and neck.

"Power Launch!" Just as Neptune was about to take off into the air, Erika's voice filled the hallway, doing her best to be heard over the aggressive roar of their mutual attacker. As the big jaw Pokemon rose overhead and readied himself to dive, his jaws opening to reveal the nuclear arsenal of teeth now in the process of being coated in wintry energy, Greenwood's body returned to its orange state as four giant vines emerged from her sides. The floor threatened to crumble as they pressed downward, suddenly slingshotting her upwards just as her attacker dove.

The two met almost halfway, although Neptune had cleared a slightly greater amount of distance. As they approached, Greenwood re-angled her body to aim her shoulder at the Feraligatr's chest. His fangs couldn't get the proper grip on her that he wanted them too, colliding with her Endure-protected shoulder instead of her neck, the momentum of her Body Slam pushing back.

Blood leaked from where Neptune's teeth had struck her, even as her momentum carried her forward, shoulder-first into her opponent. Although the water type had gravity working in his favor, the grass type had weaponized the durability of her Endure-reinforced body, and overtook him.

The floor shook as Neptune landed side-first, Greenwood landing upright. Capitalizing on the advantage, Erika continued to shout.

"Lethal Garden!"

"Blizzard!"

The Meganium's eyes turned a deep, blinding pink as a spiral of pink, glowing petals emerged around her body, growing into a beautiful floral storm. It wasn't long, however, before a sickly, dark purple began to coat the Petal Blizzard with what was sure to be deadly venom.

Left claw massaging his notably bruised jaw, Neptune rose to his feet. Ignoring the aching, he opened his maw as a snowy ball of glowing, bright whitish-blue aura expanded by the second, soon overtaking the size of his own head.

Greenwood lunged forward, hurling the mass of fatal vegetation surrounding her. The Lethal Garden combo tore through the hallway, both of the surrounding walls finally collapsing in full, the nearby rooms guarded by them exposed and unprotected from the devastation that was soon to leave them and their respective exhibits in shambles.

Neptune's defiant roar sounded over the howl of the venomous Petal Blizzard, the ball in his mouth erupting into a hurricane of ice and snow that geysered out of his throat. The walls, ceiling, and floor that the Blizzard passed through instantaneously froze over as the colossal ice type attack merged with the Lethal Garden roughly halfway through. The venom-drenched petals froze over as well, an ominous purple glow faintly seeping through from the ice encasing them.

An emerald barrier coated Greenwood's exterior as the remnants of the somewhat hindered Blizzard passed over her. A frigid sensation passed over her, prompting her to grind her teeth in discomfort. Normally it would have only been mildly painful, yet far from unbearable, but she hadn't much time to prepare her Protect. She knew that Erika was being shielded in full by a different teammate somewhere behind her, most likely off to the side. With the freedom of not being distracted by her concern for her trainer, her narrowing eyes remained laser-focused on Neptune.

The Feraligatr in question had defensively crossed his arms-temporarily frozen over in a protective, icy aura, over his head whilst ducking downward. The frozen petals had lost much momentum from the Blizzard's interception, but many still found their way over to him, albeit with not nearly as much of a deadly pace. They all descended around him, those that made contact bouncing right off of his frozen arms.

As Neptune rose upright, Greenwood's mouth was already open once more. The decimated area that now lay between them was now largely frozen over from her adversary's wintry counterattack, but Erika's partner paid little mind to the soon-to-be-increased carnage as a blinding, dark-pink orb of light emerged from her jaws and began growing at a rapid pace.

Neptune had begun to allow the icy protection covering his arms to fizzle out as he locked eyes with Greenwood once more, only to immediately return them as he saw what she was doing. As the wintry coating returned to his arms in full, his claws turned metallic for a second time, now crossed in front of his face. A green aura drenched and nearly obscured his claws, and as it spread out, glazed across his frozen arms.

Greenwood let out a roar of her own as the pink orb in her mouth expanded into a barreling blast of the same color. Neptune's feet grinded into the scarred floor beneath him, fighting to remain upright as the Hyper Beam hit its mark.

As the blast collided with his fully-shielded claws, the ensuing explosion surely would have blown away the surrounding walls had they not already been destroyed. Shockwaves decimated the rooms on either side, but nobody was paying attention. As the beam approached, just moments away from striking, Neptune had begun to swing his claws upward, directing a decent majority of the explosive aftermath towards the ceiling and away from the floor. As the shockwaves traveled above, the worst affected parts of the ceiling burst open, a dashing Rocket passing by above reacting as quickly as his instincts allowed, eyes widening in surprise as he stopped just short of being punctured by the shockwaves, before resuming his run and leaping over the hole.

Although Neptune staggered backwards, his momentum was quickly halted as he slapped a metallic tail down onto the shambled floor, a small, brief Aerial Ace propelling forward once more before he slipped into a run, quickly at top speed. Ducking under the barrage of blowing seeds fired off by his grass type opponent, the water type closed the distance and swung the Iron Tail right into the herb Pokemon's jaw.

Greenwood's body was glowing orange again, however, and although the impact of the strike echoed through the destroyed hallway, her feet remained planted firmly into the floor as the metallic tail pushed her face to the side. Growling, she pushed back, grinding her Endure-reinforced cheek against the momentum of the Iron Tail.

Abruptly, Neptune's eyes seared in agony as a blinding pulse of blue filled his vision. As her opponent instinctively staggered backwards, Greenwood fully righted herself and lashed out at the compromised reptile with a vine.

But even with the pain in his eyes, Neptune's instincts had already dictated him to duck. Eyes clenched shut, the crocodile rose to his full height while rearing back an icy fist. Moments later he swung, catching Greenwood square on the nose and forcing her backwards.

In an area just beyond Silver and Neptune's vision, Erika peaked from behind a damaged wall. In front of her stood a small, brown, bipedal Pokemon with a mane of cotton-like fluff covering its back, neck, and forehead. The Pokemon had just gotten done lowering her Light Screen barrier from the vicious Blizzard.

Erika jerked back behind the wall as her watch began to lightly beep. "Whimsicott, keep an eye on the battle." her partner nodded, a serious expression accompanying the grass/fairy type as the Gym Leader pressed a button. "Yes?"

"Leader Erika!" a male voice sounded from the watch's communicator. "It's Team Rocket, they're in the Gym!"

The blue-haired woman's eyes widened, shock briefly expressed in her pupils before her composure returned moments later, as though it were never lost. "What!? How is that possible?" There was no way Team Rocket could've gotten through the Gym's security without any resistance. Despite her current absence, the Gym had more than enough to go around, to ensure that something like this didn't happen.

"We don't know yet. It was like they just showed up. No signs of teleportation usage, or that the systems in place to prevent it were compromised."

"This is no coincidence…" Erika trailed off, her face forming into a frown. "They're after it. The prototype Professor Oak wanted us to test. I don't know how they even know that we have it, but it's gotta be that." Glaring, her face stiffened. "Worry about how they got in later. Take them out, make sure none of them leave the Gym. Especially with the prototype."

Switching off her watch's communicator, her attention returned to the brawl between the two starter Pokemon. Greenwood had Neptune's shoulders binded in a full nelson, with two pairs of thick vines wrapped around the Feraligatr from behind in a sickening squeeze. Though she couldn't see it herself, the water type's expression was beyond strained as he fought against the hold, attempting to drag his opponent forward and free himself from her grip. He was only able to make slow, agonizing steps as Greenwood pulled back with all her vicious might, and Erika was rather impressed the Feraligatr was even able to move at all.

With any luck, the decreased blood flow would soon weaken the Rocket Pokemon's resistance and force him to succumb, but she knew that the big jaw Pokemon could just as likely find a breakthrough and miraculously muscle his way free.

Thankfully, it seemed as though neither outcome would be taking place, as Greenwood's maw was already opening to reveal an emerald orb, aimed right for the restrained Feraligatr-

A purple blur smashed into the large Meganium's side, toppling over her as the grass type's grip on Neptune subsided. As the water type tore his way free, the strain in his expression almost immediately gone and replaced with his usual readiness, Erika and Whimsicott lightly glared up at the figure now hovering in the air over Greenwood, while the grass type proceeded to pick herself up.

A Crobat.

From behind his cover, Silver tucked his Poke Ball back onto his belt. By now, Erika had most likely received word regarding the invasion of the Celadon Gym, but it mattered very little at this point.

Ensuring that the Gym Leader was drawn away before the infiltration was crucial, but it hardly would have been enough. The League was far from naive enough to have their Gyms' respective security strengths wholly reliant on the presence of the Gym Leaders themselves. Even with Erika and a portion of her forces responding to the attack on the museum, a direct invasion of Celadon Gym was more likely to fail than not.

But that was where the plan of attack had come into play. Celadon's underground network had been a blindspot not yet addressed, and one that would most certainly be noticed after all of this was over. It had taken a good deal of time crunch to map out prior to the deadline, but he and his division had successfully figured out how and where the network connected to the Gym itself, enabling them to enter and attack from underneath. By utilizing this strategy, they had been able to break into the museum with unprecedented ease, before blindsiding the Gym the same way, once Erika was no longer there to act as the ace in the hole.

Now, they had the element of surprise, and the benefit of Erika not being at the Gym, and they would need both to ensure success. The Gym Leader was likely faithful that her remaining forces could manage the surprise infiltration, just as he was faithful that they would not.

/

Ash could hear the sounds of a battle beginning as he, Janine, and the group rapidly approached the door leading to the staircase. With the floor somewhat shaking, he knew it had to be Erika and that masked Rocket.

On their way down the hall, the group had been ambushed by four charging Rocket soldiers. Thanks to Pikachu's quick reaction and movement, the four were all electrocuted point blank by the dashing mouse before they could even send out a Pokemon. The two who had managed to get a Poke Ball off of their belts had dropped the balls a sthey collapsed onto the floor in a heap, the mechanical orbs rolling out of their hands as they did so.

For added assurance, Janine had released her Toxtricity mid-run afterwards, while Pikachu, Valiant, Eevee, and Beedrill all remained out.

The purple-haired girl pulled ahead and grasped the door handle, stopping just long enough to look back and ensure that everybody was accounted for. "We have to move." she continued as she pulled the door open, Ash and the others following her in. "We'll get downstairs and reach one of the squad members to get us out of here-"

She stopped talking as the group halted in front of the railings. A large staircase spiraled vertically both above and below them. Just above them they could make out several Rocket soldiers, a few of whom were looking down and noticed them, notifying their comrades.

Flashes of light filled the air above them as numerous Zubat, Spearow, and a few Murkrow began to appear. Without a word, Janine's hand raced to her belt, and Golbat appeared by her side moments later.

Almost as fast, Ash gripped Nebula's Poke Ball, his hand sweating. His mind wasn't moving as fast as his body, still struggling to process the turn of events. They had just been hanging out at the museum to wind down for the day. They had just been about to leave, as well. When had Team Rocket shown up? Why were they here? Why was all of this happening again!?

He had no time to try and find an answer, however, and quickly released Nebula in front of him. She and Golbat hovered in the air, looking around in clear surprise at the situation before turning to their respective trainers.

With a hardened gaze, Janine locked eyes with her poison/flying type partner and pointed upward. The bat ascended immediately.

"It's Team Rocket." Ash struggled to keep his voice even and his face colored as he nodded at Nebula. "Clear the way for us, Nebula." Her expression shifted into one of somewhat fearful understanding, but she nodded back nonetheless. Just as she turned around to rise up higher into the air, a yellow blur collided with her back. After taking a moment to adjust to Pikachu's weight, the Staravia took off with the electric type in tow. Beedrill followed them up.

Golbat's upward arrival was met with a series of ranged attacks that halted the poisonous flier. The bat ceased his momentum and weaved away from the projectiles, batting away a few with Steel Wing. Nebula stopped next to him, Beedrill remaining slightly under. The Staravia shared a brief nod with Golbat before the two ascended upwards together, Pikachu still clinging to the starling Pokemon's back on their way up.

As they approached their targets, the two fliers turned their backs to one another, a barrage of blades of air firing from their wings. Some of the fliers tried to dodge the Air Cutters, while others attempted to fight back. Those who went on the offensive were overwhelmed and struck, their aerial balance compromised as both fliers continued to rise into the air and meet their opponents head on.

Kicking off of Nebula's back, Pikachu grasped onto a startled Spearow, who's body began descending, wings flapping furiously in an attempt to uphold the unexpected weight. Moments alter, Pikachu's cheeks were crackling with electricity, preceding an agonized shriek as Spearow's feathers lit up with lightning. As the now limp bird began free fall, Pikachu kicked off once again, Nebula catching him on her back just after batting away a Zubat and another Spearow with her temporarily metallic wings. As Beedrill made an upwards rush to drive her purple, glowing stinger into the chest of a Murkrow, Nebula carried Pikachu further upwards, dodging a series of attacks before she finally rose above all combatants.

When Pikachu leapt off of her back, Nebula saw some of the Rockets reaching for their Poke Balls, a few of them even beginning to rush down the spiraling staircase, no doubt towards where Ash and the others were currently waiting. Swooping downwards, she batted her wings at the startled, yelping soldiers as her movements produced a gale of wind that knocked them over, a couple even going over the rails in a long fall to the floor. Below, Ash mildly grimaced as the duo fell past them.

After kicking off Nebula's back once more, Pikachu, now higher than anyone else in the area, spread his body out as his cheeks lit up once more. Performing a front flip, his tail exploded with lighting as the electric mouse fired a series of Thunder Wave down at the enemy fliers. His allies managed to avoid the electricity, but the majority of those he aimed for were hit, falling out of the air as Nebula caught him in her talons and angled herself to let him climb atop her back.

Throat locked up, Ash's gaze remained vertical as he and Janine watched the chaos rage on for a few more minutes. Beside them, Valiant, Eevee, and Toxtricity had taken to addressing the Rockets that had just entered from the lower floor, and were now making their way up the staircase towards them.

After what felt like an eternity, yet likely wasn't even five minutes, the fliers returned to them with Pikachu in toe, and the staircase and lower floor leading to it was home to a few unconscious Rockets and numerous enemy fliers tha thad fallen from the upper floors. The staircases above them also contained quite a few unconscious fliers, and a couple of Rockets, while some of the other soldiers had retreated.

Ash's body was snapped out of its frozen state as Janine grasped his shoulder and pulled him forward. "We can't stay here, let's go!"

His momentum became more natural as he processed her words, his feet beginning to move voluntarily. They most likely only had a small window of time before the staircase was flooded once more, and although the League forces could just as easily arrive, they could not take that chance. They needed to move.

The group blazed down the stairs and through the door, now finding themselves in the hallway of the second story. Immediately, Ash's ears were filled with the echoing noises of shouts and explosions, and a mild sense of vibration.

How did they get to the lobby from here? How far was it?

"Who's there!?" Just as the group was about to start running, an adult male voice sounded through the hallway. For the briefest of moments, Ash had hope that it was a police officer. Those hopes were immediately dashed as three figures, two male and one female, with black uniforms and the familiar red "R" came running out from the corner turn.

"Rockets!" Janine stepped back as Beedrill and Toxtricity positioned themselves in front of her.

The trio of terrorists ceased running and grabbed away at their belts. "Hold it right there you two," the woman began. "Stop and-"

Pikachu was already upon them, lightning coating his fur as he cleared the distance in a blur. The Rockets barely had time to yelp in surprise before they were zapped, collapsing awkwardly onto the floor.

One Rocket had successfully managed to remove a Poke Ball from his belt. Unlike the previous floor, when this ball rolled off of his hand, it opened, a Machop rising into a standing position from a bright flash of white light.

However, the fighting type barely had time to register the confusion before letting out a startled shout as Golbat dove for him, Poison Fang clenching tightly down onto the Rocket Pokemon's head. Machop's cries of pain were muffled by the toxic flier's grip.

With deft timing, Golbat released the Machop just as Eevee blazed towards them. As the fighting type stumbled forward, hands desperately clutching at his head, the evolution Pokemon mercilessly barreled into him, Iron Tail driving into his midsection as the normal type tackled him to the floor.

"Quickly!" Ash called out as the group raced past the dazed fighting type, not even taking the time to see if he would be getting up. As the rounded the corner, however, they're movements froze.

Good portions of the walls were destroyed, making the rooms beyond them almost seem like extended portions of the hallways themselves. Exhibits and furniture were in shambles, and they could see the chaos unfolding just up ahead. Stray attacks flying about, Pokemon running and flying every which way, orders being shouted out…

The group quickly moved to the side, passing through a giant hole in the wall next to them. They paid no attention to the destroyed objects in the room as they ducked behind the wall for cover. Nebula and Golbat perched themselves on a half destroyed table, Beedrill hovering in front of them. Everyone else joined the two trainers at the wall. Toxtricity was the closest to the end, crouched stealthily as he peaked through the opening. Pikachu and Eevee remained huddled up close with Valiant positioned in front of them.

"Now what do we do…?" Ash's words were automatic as he and Janine turned their heads to one another. "We need to get to the authorities so they can get us out of here, but we can't run through that…"

One stray attack could be the end for either trainer. Ash had no idea how the League or Team Rocket did something like this. Tournaments and Gym battles protected participants and spectators with barriers for a reason, but warzones like this had none of those…

Janine opened her mouth to respond, but a particular loud boom startled the group and prompted both children to cover their ears. Her face somewhat pale, she removed her hands from the head (but didn't lower them, clearly prepared to cover her ears once more the moment it proved necessary) and made shaky eye contact.

"We have to try and be… stealthy about it…" her voice was laced with clear hesitance. "We could try weaving through any openings, but just one mistake…" as she trailed off, the began chewing on her lower lip. "But if we just take the safe route and stay here, we'll be gambling on whichever side finds us first."

"And someone's definitely gonna find us…" Ash's tone was a mixture between a frustrated grumble and a fearful croak. So far, outside of that masked Rocket, they'd been lucky enough not to run into any Pokemon too powerful for them to handle. But that had only been luck. If every other Rocket in the museum had only brought teams strong enough for two rookies with only three badges to dismantle, the League would've already eaten them alive by now.

"I'm… trying…" Valiant gripped his head as Pikachu and Eevee eyed him in concern. "I can't distinguish any of the surrounding emotions from one another…"

"Save your energy, Valiant." Ash quickly piped up. "Don't talk to us."

"Your senses won't do much good in this situation anyway." said Janine with a sympathetic frown. "Even if you did have more practice with them, everyone here is hostile, including the League. We won't be able to tell friend from foe like that, so we still don't know what the safest path is."

As Valiant lowered his hands, a less intense boom sounded off from the distance. Poking her head out from the opening in the wall next to Toxtricity, Janine's face began to scrunch up. "I… think we should go, but…"

Ash grinded his teeth. He feared what would happen if they went out there, but he didn't trust their luck enough to stay where they currently were and leave it to chance. What if they got cornered where they were hiding right now? At least if they were on the move, near the greater action, someone from the League force was likely to quickly notice them.

It made him wonder how all of the other guests were doing. Had any of them died? Had the police force retrieved them in time-

He stopped himself. He couldn't worry about that right now.

"We're taking a big risk no matter what." his team eyed him as he rose to his feet, the girl turned to look at him. "But… we'll have a bit more agency if we run."

Janine's face formed into a light, non-hostile glare. "We need to move now, then."

"Come on everyone," his pounding heart begging him not to, Ash moved in front of the poison specialist as he prepared to make his way through the hole. "We'll bounce from room to room. Opening to opening. This place is huge, and I don't know how far we'll need to go."

As they took off, Ash desperately hoped that they would run into a police officer right away. Or a staff member. Or even another guest. Anyone who was on their side. He knew they were there, but where were they!?

He felt his shoe step into a puddle as they began racing down the hallway. The result of a water type move, no doubt. He just hoped that there was no ice nearby.

A few patches of fire here and there, as well. As the group quickly ducked into another hole leading into a different room in hopes of not being noticed by the wrong people. This likely only lasted for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity when-

"ASH!"

The noise that emerged from Janine's throat was guttural, desperate, and deafening as the startled boy suddenly felt her arms shooting out and yanking him downward, his cap (which he hadn't until now realized had been coming loose from all of the running) coming off in the process. As they painfully collided with the floor, a stream of fire passed over them, exactly where he had just been, engulfing his airborne cap and setting a cracked painting ablaze. The cindered remains of the cap descended to the floor.

Had it been any other situation, Ash probably would have cried over the destruction of his beloved cap, but right now, his blood was running too cold for him to even register.

"You okay?!" kneeling over him on her knees, Janine's tone was shaking, as though her voice itself was threatening to crumble apart over what just almost happened.

'I almost died…' he was struck by the reality. 'And because I didn't want to take my chances by waiting for help…'

"I'm…" lifting his head, he began pushing his hands on the floor, trying to stand up. "I think I'm fine-"

"YOU!"

Startled, just as Ash tried to stand, he stumbled backward, and would have collapsed into the table behind him had it not been for Janine catching him. As the group turned their gazes towards the sources of the voice, his own eyes widened in horrified recognition.

A blue haired boy in a standard Team Rocket uniform. A Charmeleon in front of him. A Noctowl hovering just above his head. An Abra to his side.

The Rocket boy's expression was dark with rage, his face reddened like his bloodstream was made of magma. His teeth ground together as though they were working on raw beef.

"D-Damian…" Against his own will, his eyes rested on the Charmeleon.

Adam ambushing them and taking half the team.

CHILD SOLDIERS.

The squad of children ganging up on him and Paul.

Charmeleon's Blaze ability. Fire everywhere.

Pikachu diving into a wall of flame…

The air left his lungs as all of the memories came flooding back. Memories from just a few days prior.

"Ash, get a hold of yourself." Janine gripped him for a moment as the Pokemon in the group assumed fighting stances.

Damian's snarling face altered into an angry sneer. "Ash… I was hoping you'd be here." his fist clenched, as though it were trying to crush something, despite holding nothing.

"You know him?" As Janine hostiley frowned at the young terrorist, Ash was surprised that was her first question. Apart from a quick start, she didn't even seem to react much to the fact that a kid their age was wearing a Team Rocket uniform.

'Does she already know…?' The franticity of the situation, and his own thoughts, only allowed Ash to wonder for a brief moment before the blue-haired boy continued.

"You didn't forget me already, did you?! You and that Paul prick humiliated me!"

"What are you talking about?" Ash found his voice as Janine's eyes briefly angled towards him in confusion, although the girl didn't dare turn away from their assailants. "You attacked us first! You spent who knows how long spying on us just so you could set up an ambush!" mild anger began seeping through his panic as he remembered the sight of Adam running off with three of his Poke Balls. A small part of him began to forget the danger he was in. Who did this jerk think he was, spinning himself as the victim? "Let us through!"

The snarling Damian was unfazed. "Like hell I will. You're already dying in this museum one way or another, and I'm gonna correct whatever mistake I made last time. Charmeleon, cook him!"

Neither Ash nor Janine had time to register the disturbing bluntness in Damian's words before Charmeleon stepped forward and unleashed a second stream of fire, aimed directly at Ash.

Valiant was in front of his trainer in less than an instant, although Ash didn't have time to suppress his yelp. His mental instincts working overtime, the Kirlia spawned a fully-powered Light Screen, which the Flamethrower smashed into without mercy.

Even just behind the Light Screen, Ash and Janine could feel the heat from the fire seeping through. In front of them, Valiant clenched his eyes and teeth, feeling a hot, mildly burning sensation in his hands as his feet began to slide back.

Hurriedly, Ash and Janine raced to the back of the room and crouched behind cover as the rest of their teams sprang into action. Eevee tried to catch Charmeleon with an Iron Tail to the side of the skull while he was still occupied with trying to overpower Valiant, but was snatched in midair by Noctowl's talons. As Nebula began to charge for the owl, the Staravia altered her course to avoid a blast from Abra, just before a group of stray Rocket Pokemon began piling in: Two Growlithe, numerous Spearow, a Machop and two Mankey.

As Charmeleon's flames finally dissipated, Valiant lowered his Light Screen, eyes boiling with rage as he stared down the fire type. Quickly, however, he teleported, retreating to the back of the room next to his trainer, as Ash and Janine's hands both made their way to their respective belts.

"That Chameleon's strong." Ash eyed his psychic friend's mildly charred hands in concern as he gripped his Poke Ball.

Janine hummed with mild frustration as her ball enlarged. "There's nowhere to go until we find a way through them." she sighed as she looked out to the battle unfolding. Damian was on the other end of the room, Abra in front of him while the Rocket boy began rapidly screaming orders to his team. Eevee had freed herself from Noctowl's grip with a Swift just in time for Pikachu to take aim at the owl with a Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, the Rocket flier swerved to the side, leaving a window to explode from the electrical impact instead. Shards of glass, some laced with static, rained down on the nearby area.

In a flash of light, a new Pokemon emerged in front of the poison specialist. A bulky, blue jellyfish with red orbs on its head. The Tentacruel was understandably not fully grown, and therefore smaller than the average size of her species, but was fairly imposing up close. The jellyfish's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the battle.

"I'm sorry Tentacruel, a lot of bad things have happened." her face mournful, janine bit her lip. "I need you to protect us, okay?" she gestured towards Ash and Valiant.

The water/poison type's shaken expression clashed with her intimidating appearance, although Ash didn't blame her for a moment. After briefly registering Ash and the Kirlia, Tentacruel nodded back at her trainer, before positioning herself in front of the group, vigilant eyes fixated on the brawl ahead.

Ash and Valiant turned to one another as the boy enlarged his own Poke Ball. "You too, alright buddy?" Nodding, the psychic's eyes formed into a steel glare before he turned around and emerged from the cover, positioning himself next to Tentacruel. The two Pokemon briefly exchanged looks, a glint of understanding found in the jellyfish's eyes as they nodded at one another.

Quickly, Ash activated the ball in his hand. After shielding his eyes for a moment, the boy saw Tempest clicking his pincers, back facing him and Janine as the Krabby eyed the chaos.

"Tempest." Ash could see the ecstatic hunger in his aquatic partner's eyes as the river crab turned to address him. "Team Rocket's attacking. That Damian boy from before is here with them. I need you to help." Although Ash was trying to keep a steady voice, the water type held no such visible difficulty, and Tempest's trainer barely had time to point ahead before the Krabby was already charging forward and into the fray.

As Beedrill hovered overhead to avoid a swing from his flaming tail, Charmeleon caught sight of the newcomer, and, on instinct, let loose a stream of fire in Tempest's direction. Temporarily halting his run, the Krabby crossed his pincers together to shield his face from the forceful Flamethrower. As the blast struck, the impact briefly caught him off guard, beginning to force his feet backward, but the water type quickly regained his bearings, powering through the hot sensation in his pincers before rushing ahead as the flames died down.

As Charmeleon leapt backwards to dodge Tempest's Razor Shell, Ash leaned his back against the wall, releasing a deep breath held in his chest before turning to Janine. Her body's composure seemed a bit better, but her facial expression masked nothing.

"You sure you're okay?" the girl didn't take her eyes off the fighting as she asked.

"... Yeah, I think so." Ash knew she'd see through the lie pretty easily, but they didn't have time to focus on what had almost happened to him. Not when they weren't out of the woods.

She didn't object, her analytical gaze too fixated on the battle. "They're doing fine for now, but we need to keep an eye out. Tentacruel and Valiant can fend off any stray attacks that might reach us." Indeed, she was positioned right at the edge of the cover, enough to where she could see the battle almost in full, whilst still benign within Tentacruel's range of guard. Ash couldn't hear her somewhat heavy breathing over the fighting.

Compulsively, Ash's hand rubbed the top of his head, but he felt no cap making contact, his palm instead sinking into his hair. "You're right, I'll do that." Quickly, he scooted over to his end of the cover, Valiant briefly eying him from behind before refocusing on the action ahead. The young Kirlia was very clearly ready to erect a barrier at a moment's notice. After briefly giving his partner a grateful nod of acknowledgement, he peered beyond the psychic.

Although the fliers weren't without room, they lacked the freedom of outdoor combat. Aerial chaos dominated the upper walls and area close to the ceiling as Nebula, Golbat and Beedrill brawled relentlessly with Noctowl and the Spearow. Fearing friendly fire, neither member of the trio had wanted to resort to long ranged attacks that could easily shower the allies beneath them, but their hands had been forced fairly early on, especially with their opponents holding no such concerns.

With shrill squawks and cries filling the air above them, Pikachu dodged a blast of fire from one of the Growlithe, only to be forced to sidestep a punch from one of the Mankey the moment his paws touched the floor. Not even seconds later, Eevee was upon the fighting type, driving an Iron Tail into its side and propelling it away. Not even affording the irreplaceable time it would take to spare Pikachu a quick glance, her gaze, as if by accident, found its way to Damian and Abra. Eyes narrowing, she kicked off the floor and began charging, the young psychic bracing itself as the Rocket boy's eyes widened.

Just as a Shadow Ball formed in the evolution Pokemon's jaws, the Machop appeared in the quadruped's view. After dodging the fighting type's kick to the side, Eevee instead fired the Shadow Ball at him. The unconscious body of a Spearow landed in between them, however, intercepting the ghost type move. As the explosion (now closer to Eevee than she had bargained for) forcefully pushed the normal type back, Machop kicked off and raised a glowing fist, which Eevee barely regained her composure in time to dodge.

On the other side of the room, Toxtricity fended off a mutual attack from the other Mankey and Growlithe within the Rocket group. Although his offense forced his assailants to carefully back away, the punk Pokemon was abruptly blindsided when a second unconscious Spearow landed on his head. As the electric/poison type staggered forwards towards them, the two Rocket Pokemon saw their chance and pounced, bowling him over onto his back.

Having just batted away his own Growlithe assailant, Pikachu rushed across the room, momentarily cloaked in Agility before sparks of lightning suddenly covered Growlithe and Mankey's fur as the mouse passed by. His bearing regained, Toxtricity tossed the stunned attackers off of him as he forced himself up, before lunging at Mankey and burying a Poison Jab into the fighting type's gut.

From behind his cover, Ash spared a split second to gaze across the room towards Damian and Abra.

'He wants to kill me.' Somewhere down the line, the realization had set in. It wasn't the first time someone from Team Rocket had attempted to end his life. Those two from pewter had certainly been planning too, and the Marauder especially. But those were both by circumstance, in the moment. Damian… was targeting him specifically.

As his breath caught in his throat, Ash's eyes landed on Charmeleon, still locked in combat with Tempest. The Krabby had zeroed in on the fire type immediately, and the feeling seemed to have quickly grown mutual. Just looking at the lizard reminded Ash of what the flame Pokemon had done in their first encounter, and the boy suddenly realized with widened eyes what would happen if they couldn't knock him out before Blaze took effect.

The Charmeleon in question swerved to the side to avoid the streams of glowing bubbles erupting from Tempest's pincers, which instead bowled over a nearby table while leaving numerous holes in the wood. Just before Tempest had even stopped firing, the fire type was already charging him, rearing back an electrical fist before lashing out.

Tempest's left pincer clenched and turned metallic as the Krabby intercepted the static blow. Pushing the arm of his attacker away, the water type took a swing at Charmeleon with his other, open pincer, even as boiling water sprayed out.

Leaping diagonally backwards, Charmeleon narrowly avoided the offense as a purplish-blue orb appeared in his open jaws. Moments later, Tempest frantically crossed dual Metal Claws in front of his face as the Dragon Pulse exploded against him. As the Krabby staggered back, the fire lizard landed on his feet and rushed him with raised claws.

Just as Damian's partner lashed out, however, the flame Pokemon let loose a roar of agony as Tempest's pincer gnashed down onto Charmeleon's claw. Just as the Krabby was about to feel the fire type's bones crumble from within the Vise Grip. The lizard's claw turned metal, and the river crab's grip was met with resistance.

In frustration, Tempest hurled Charmeleon over his head. As the fire type soared behind him, Ash's partner turned in time to raise his pincers and block a downward blast of fire, just before Charmeleon landed on his feet, sliding backwards a bit before coming to a halt and standing back upright. For a moment, the two of them locked gazes, but-

"Charmeleon!" through cupped hands, Damian's voice carried across the room. "Ash is right behind you!"

Realizing his mistake a moment too late, Tempest's eyes bulged as the fire type turned his head to see a panicked Ash retreating behind his cover in full, suddenly struggling to keep his breathing in line. In front of him, Valiant glowered at the flaming lizard, eyes beginning to glow as Tenctacruel raised her two front tentacles in defense.

Roaring with vigor, Tempest rushed madly for the fiery reptile, but just as his pincers opened to fire off the bubbles, three figures dive bombed into him from above. The next moment, he was desperately swinging away as the talons of three Spearow swiped relentlessly at him. Towards the other end of the room, a stunned Beedrill floated by the side of the wall, rubbing her head while Nebula and Golbat continued the aerial brawl.

Behind the cover, Ash hugged his knees against his chest. The longer this went on, the more he realized how fragile humans were in unsanctioned battles. The human body was vulnerable to what a Pokemon was capable of, with no barriers, or rules, to compensate for the danger.

With the convenience of Tempest now forcibly occupied, Charmeleon licked his lips whilst staring down Valiant and Tentacruel. Opening wide, his mouth filled with fire, just as static began to spark across Valiant's hands, and Tentacruel's two raised tentacles began to brightly glow purple-

A brown blur smashed head first into Charmeleon's side. Bowling over, the fire lizard felt his now-incomplete Flamethrower forcibly exiting his mouth and igniting the nearby table that Tempest's Bubble Beam had just knocked over. Catching himself with his claws, Damian's partner quickly broke his fall before flipping himself onto his feet. Rubbing his bruised side, a low rumble emitted from the glowering beast's throat as his gaze locked with Eevee's.

There was no love lost.

Ash started As Janine suddenly sprang up. "Stay here, Ash!" He barely had time to process her words as she raced past him and beyond the cover.

"Wait! What are you-"

The now-enlarged Poke Ball shot out of her hand, landing several feet behind Charmeleon as it burst open. Ivysaur emerged from the light moments later.

"Ivysaur, Strangle!"

Before Charmeleon could even turn around, two vines coated with purple poison shot out from the seed Pokemon's large, pink bud. As quickly as they had emerged, the vines wrapped around the flame Pokemon's neck, just about where his throat should be, several times over. As the multiple layers coiled, the grip of the vines tightened with all of Ivysaur's effort.

The skin on Ash's face turned into a white sheet as all of the air left the Rocket fire type, who's claws desperately grasped at the toxic vines in an effort to fight back. The majority of the effort had already left Charmeleon, however, as Ivysaur doubled down and fought back against his resistance, pulling the vines backwards in the opposite direction as his grip continued to clench down on the fire lizard's throat.

A horrific, wheeze-like noise filled Ash's ears and quickened his heart. Just in front of Charmeleon, Eevee's body froze as her eyes bulged, just before Damian's voice filled the room again.

"NOOO!" The desperation in his posture was impossible to mask. "Noctowl, break them up now!"

From across the room, Noctowl let out a shrill shriek as the owl raced downward with his beak aimed straight at Ivysaur. Abruptly, Nebula's metallic wings smashed into his ribcage. Pushing downwards, the Staravia drove the owl straight into the floor, ascending back upwards just in time for Pikachu and Toxtricity to deftly approach the downed flier from either side.

As Noctowl's feathers lit up with lightning, Charmeleon's legs slowly began to buckle, the crimson complexion gradually leaving his face as the fire lizard collapsed onto his knees, still desperately gripping away at the vines. Behind him, the flame of his tail was starting to shrink.

"Release him, Ivysaur." Janine's voice was cold.

As her starter's vines retracted back into his bud, Ash watched the fire type collapse onto his side, claws still clutching his throat as his mouth desperately fought to suck in the air around him. Just as his consciousness fully faded, he and Noctowl were swept up in beams of red light that retreated back into Damian's two Poke Balls.

Lowering his arms to their side, the blue-haired boy's body was practically vibrating, his pupils resembling a wildfire as his teeth rattled in panic.

"You… piece of shit bitch, I'm gonna…" As his voice trailed off, Janine didn't take her gaze off of the boy. The perfect posture in her body language hid the desperate vulnerability in her own eyes.

"That's enough." her voice was shaky for a moment, before seemingly straightening. "You've lost."

Standing up from his cover, Ash eyed the girl for just long enough to take in her expression. She almost felt like a different person, like the trainer he had been hanging out with all morning had suddenly vanished and got replaced. The sight prevented his heart rate from slowing.

Looking around the room, the last of the Rocket Pokemon were sprawled out across, either unconscious or too injured to pick themselves up. Tempest had forced the trio of Spearow to part from him, leaving them open to an enraged Scald and a Poison Fang from Golbat. The bat in question had a sizable amount of blood leaking from his left wing, and was now perched on the remains of a split table. Beside him, Beedrill leaned against the wood, a gash in her head.

"No!" Before Ash could check on his own teammates, Damian's shout brought him back into the exchange, the Rocket boy seemingly trying to rip the blue hair off of his head. "I… I did not lose… not again, I'll…. Kill you…!"

Her fists clenching, Janine's face turned slightly pained (just barely enough for Ash to notice, at any rate) as her eyes angled somewhat downward. "...What have… what have they done to you…" shaking it off, she looked him in the eye again. "I said you lost. It's over. We're leaving."

"Shut up." The Rocket boy snarled at the duo one final time before a deep sigh escaped his throat. After a moment's hesitation, and a somewhat pined expression of his own, he turned to Abra, who floated in front of him with sweat rolling down his face as Pikachu, Eevee, and Tempest lined up to corner them. "Abra, get my out of-"

A noise behind him caught everybody's attention.

"What's going on here?!" For the briefest of moments, Ash and Janine's eyes collectively lit up, hoping that they'd been found by the police. It didn't take long for their hearts to sink when they saw the familiar uniform on the man and woman that entered the room.

'Shit, more of them…' Ash's heart sped up.

The two Rocket soldiers were flanking a duo of creatures that he recognized on the spot.

A tall, bidepal, green insectoid with two pairs of cream-colored wings extending from the back, and a signature pair of large, white scythes at the end of its arms.

Part of what made Scyther so coveted, to go along with their relative rarity, was that they were among the Pokemon that were known to be commonly capable of high-level competition without even having to evolve. Although Scizor (which were even more rare) had an acclaimed reputation, Scyther themselves were well-recognized, and unlike a great deal of other unevolved Pokemon, watching them fight at Conference level wasn't considered too much of a surprise. Members of the species had even performed quite well in the prestigious six-on-six rounds from the top sixteen onwards.

Ash didn't know what level this Scyther was at, but the clean shine in its blades and the predatory look in its eyes did nothing to reassure him.

The other was a purple, bipedal canine creature with a notably enormous jaw. This was a Granbull. Unlike the Scyther next to it, the bulldog didn't seem as ready to maul them on sight, but it's imposing stature didn't lighten the mood.

Biting his lip, Ash looked between his team. 'Damnit, can we take them…?'

As Janine backed away with an unsure expression, the Rocket woman walked past Damian and Abra with Scyther in toe. "Damian, wasn't it? We'll take it from here, kid." Ash's blood ran cold as Scyther began sharpening its scythes together.

The younger Rocket scowled. "I was-"

"Stop it now!"

A new male voice fille their ears, and before Ash had time to process, a streak of fire had collided with Abra's back, eliciting an angry shout from Scyther as the mantis Pokemon and Granbull turned to the direction of the new attacker.

The male Rocket's fists tightened. "Police. Get ready, Granbull!"

Grabbing Janine, Ash took just enough time to call out to their teams as he yanked her behind the cover. "Everyone, find some place to hide!"

The team scrambled as two police officers came running towards the scene, accompanied by a Houndoom and an Ampharos. Damian barely had enough time to recall his unconscious Abra before his feet started moving involuntarily. Both Rockets began shouting orders to their respective Pokemon, but Ash found it progressively more difficult to make them out as the chaos evolved.

Ducking behind the cover in full, Ash and Janine held their ears as loud explosions began shaking the surrounding area, a few hitting too close for comfort. The color in his face drained in full, Ash continued to chew his lip as his racing mind desperately wondered if their teams had made it to safety.

After a couple of minutes that felt like eternity, the noises had subsided, and they heard a voice calling out. "Hey, kids! You there?"

Almost gulping, Ash turned his head to Janine, greeted with immediate eye contact. With mutual uncertainty, no words were spoken between the two.

"It's the police! You can come out now!" the voice continued.

Was it really the police? Ash couldn't remember who's voice had been who's.

Still though… if they didn't reveal themselves now, the source of the voice would simply search himself. Janine seemed to understand that as well.

Taking a deep breath, the duo stood, relief immediately washing over them at the sight of the two police officers and their bruised (but still in decent shape) Pokemon. The Rockets and their teammates were unconscious.

Janine's exhale probably could have echoed across the building as the rest of their team emerged from hiding themselves. "Thank the guardian Mew, I thought I was done for."

Ash's heart rate didn't completely steady just yet, the noises he could hear from elsewhere a reminder of where they still were. But just the sight of the officers was enough to ease his nerves.

Surveying the Rockets, he realized that Damian was nowhere in sight. Must have fled in the chaos, the boy realized.

The disturbing memory of the Rocket boy's expression and words resurrected the queasy feeling in Ash's stomach, prompting him to banish the thought from his mind entirely.

'It's over.' he told himself. 'Don't worry about him.'

As one of the officers began cuffing the fallen Rockets, his partner approached the two trainers. "Are you two alright?" His tone of voice seemed to drop just enough of the harsh, professional demeanor to sound empathetic, although it was clear as day he was still on high alert.

Quickly exchanging glances, the two rookies nodded.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Ash's voice nervously shook halfway through his sentence. "You really saved us."

The officer spared just enough time to glance back at Houndoom and Ampharos, who were respectively standing over the unconscious Granbull and Scyther, clearly ready to retaliate at the first sign of movement.

"We'll contact the rest of the squad to send some psychics to teleport you all out. To the Pokemon Center." he pointed to the wall behind them. "Just sit tight for now, okay?" they nodded, making their way to where he had pointed as the officer walked off talking into his communicator.

As their respective teams began grouping around them, a sighing Ash felt Janine's hand on his shoulder.

"Yes…?" he asked, turning to address her. For some reason he was beginning to feel out of it. The stress had not remotely left the back of his mind, yet the absence of action had suddenly left him feeling spent.

She bit her lip. "Sorry, I…" turning away, she eyed the unconscious Rocket Pokemon. "I just wanted to make sure you were really alright."

"I will be once we're out of here." he had said that hoping it would ease her, but the moment it slipped from his lips, he realized it might not have been the best response. "I mean, Uh…"

"It's fine, I agree." she chimed in, surveying their teammates, who had begun grouping together as a unit. "We just need to wait for them to get here."

Ash nodded. The paranoia in his head refused to leave, but perhaps that was just natural. Despite everything, he allowed a small smile to adorn his face as she looked between the Pokemon in front of them. This had not been what they signed up for, but thankfully they had made it through-

…Wait…

The queasy pit in his stomach returned, the sweat in his hands suddenly feeling cold and sickening.

It was probably just an oversight, he told himself. But then why did he not see… even after double and triple checking…

"Pikachu," he tried his best to mask his franticity as he got his starter's attention. "Where's Tempest?"

The mouse's ears shot up, the question bringing the quiet, idle chatter amongst Ash's Pokemon to a halt. In turn, Janine's team quieted as well, upon noticing.

As the mouse turned back to look at his friends, Nebula seemed somewhat startled. Realization passed over Valiant's eyes. Eevee was nervously shuffling. Tyrunt was in his Poke Ball, secure and ignorant. Safe and sound.

There was no sign of the river crab.

"Tempest…?" Janine blinked for a second, surveying the room. Slowly, the color began to drain from her face. "Your Krabby…?"

'What's going on…?!' Ash's mind was racing even faster now. 'Did they take him? He shouldn't be-'

He wished the realization hadn't dawned on him. He felt as though his heart had stopped, but it was actually just beating faster. He felt his back against the wall, the only thing preventing him from losing his footing as the nausea built up in his mouth.

"Ash…?" Janine's worried expression was perfectly visible, but he could barely hear her voice.

"He went after Damian." Every present member of his team had the same horrific understanding pass over their faces as he spoke.

In his state, he could just barely process the confusion in the poison specialist's tone. "What-"

"Of course he did!" Normally he would have immediately apologized for his outburst, but his mind was entirely focused on piloting his mouth. "Tempest is obsessed. He fights all the time, and I let him out in the middle of a…"

His vision began to white, he could barely hear the sound of Pikachu's voice. He felt Janine grasping his shoulders and turning his body to face her in full.

"Ash, hold on! You need to-"

"I CAN'T!" his head aching, the boy easily left her grip as he abruptly broke into a sprint.

"Hey, kid! What the Hell are you-"

"ASH-"

The sounds of the police officer, Janine, and their Pokemon were all collectively drowned out by the chaos he charged straight into.

/

Damian staggered as the floor beneath him shook from a nearby explosion. Above him, bits of the ceiling had begun falling, although for the moment it mostly amounted to dust particles rather than full on chunks.

Where had he gone wrong? He had been doing fine. This was supposed to overwrite that botched affair from a few days prior. His first real mission was supposed to be a triumph. Now, with Abra unconscious, he was left struggling to navigate the battlefield defenseless as he made his way out.

'This… this is their fault.' The bitter words flowed through the boy's mind as his teeth gnashed together. 'They keep humiliating me. Those worthless pieces of…'

Charmeleon's suffocated image flashed into his mind. Noctowl's fried physique a few moments later.

Yes… this was their fault. That damn Ash had dared embarrass him a second time. And that girl with him had been no better.

He suddenly found it hard to think as he stopped in front of a wall, panting as his palm pushed against it for support. How long had he been running? How fast had he been running? How long had he been out of breath?

Turning around in full so his back could lean against the wall, Damian realized that he had entered an empty area. One that had already been ravaged from the carnage, but wasn't currently a part of it for the moment.

'I can afford to rest here.' the moment the thought vindicated him, he felt his body involuntarily sliding downward into a sitting position. His lungs continued to suck in the air that he had lost.

Though he was in a safe area, his ears were far from secure. He could still hear the sounds of clashes and explosions shaking the building, whilst seeing blasts of fire, electricity, ice, and other attacks being hurled back and forth from further away. Briefly, the ceiling shook, but just when he was about to force himself back up, it stopped.

'It wouldn't be like this back at the hideout.' The thought was automatic. Memories came flooding back. Mom kissing him goodbye, and dad patting his back as the two headed off for their latest assignment. Where he would be secure in the underground base, wrapped in a blanket with a bag of chips while they, directly above him, would be exposed to all the dangers the hideouts shielded him from.

But he wasn't wandering those hallways anymore. Whether it be the underground bunkers or the remote above-ground bases that he constantly bounced to and fro. It was the first time his involvement in an assault wasn't "Stay here". It was a naked feeling, realizing he could be hit by any stray attack that he used to be out of reach from.

Finally managing a deep, satisfying breath, his mind began to function more properly once more… right, he'd have to get moving pretty soon. Retreat protocol for this mission stated that-

A noise in front of him jolted his attention away from his mind as a figure entered his view. Trying to scramble upwards, he quickly made out the newcomer.

A… Krabby?

/

Tempest wasn't sure he had it in him as he ran across the ongoing devastation. He knew he wasn't the fastest, even if he liked to think he could move more swiftly than of his species. Perhaps his racing blood had been carrying his legs?

The river crab had been summoned into a goldmine. He had barely even processed what was going on everywhere. He could pick any direction he wanted, and just go. He didn't need to find carnage, and it didn't need to find him. He was dead set in the middle of it.

But the best thing to do would be to finish what had been started, running in the direction of the retreating boy that had wanted to torch his trainer. Taking in the adrenaline of batting aside any Growlithe, Rattata, or Pidgey tried to halt him in his pursuit, Tempest hoped this Damian scumbag had more left in his arsenal than just the Charmeleon those Spearow had robbed him of dealing with.

Eyes glowering, the Krabby recalled just a few days prior as he stared down the boy. Back when Damian and the other kids had assaulted them. What a glorious battle that had been, had it not been for that Adam loser pickpocketing Ash with that ambush, or the close call with Pikachu and Sneasel the water type had been rendered incapable of preventing. The blue-haired boy had already gotten away once, but Tempest would not allow a second fight to go unconcluded. That wasn't how it worked.

Feeling his heart rate quicken, the river crab began clicking his pincers as the boy rose to his feet.

"You…" perhaps it was just the snarl, but he didn't like listening to this person's voice. Maybe it was all just in his head. The boy's face twisted. "You're that bastard's crab from before… get away from me!"

As Tempest's amusement turned to frustration, taking his first few steps towards the Rocket boy, Damian tried to mask the breath threatening to lock up in his throat with an even further raised voice.

"I said get away from me you…!" trying to back away, Damian was quickly reminded of the wall's presence, just before his hand raced to his belt.

'Shit… I'm out of good ones. Guess I'll have to improvise.'

"Eat rats, piece of shit!" Damian's holler was accompanied by a duo of charging Rattata that emerged from the dual bursts of bright, white light. The rodents bared their fangs as they pounced in the Krabby's direction, only for two metallic pincers to be swung in their path.

Tempest winced in mild dissatisfaction as he felt their faces cave in, just before flying off in opposite directions, almost certainly limp from the blows. Did this pompous boy have nothing left? He had gotten a taste of his Charmeleon twice now. Was an appetizer all he'd ever be able to get?!

Damian's teeth gnashed at his lower lip as Tempest resumed approaching him. "D-Damnit, I…"

The Krabby's disappointed snarl trailed off as his mind went to work. After a moment, he raised an open pincer-

Another flash of light filled his vision, prompting the river crab to clench his eyes for a moment. The next instant, Damian was gone. The water type's wide eyes began blinking as he turned his head every which way. The Rattata were still here, albeit unmoving. Apart from that, he was suddenly alone…

Confusion and frustration laced the grumble that escaped his throat.

/

Damian's bottom collapsed onto the hard floor of the museum basement, the world around him suddenly turning far more dark and dimly lit than the floor he had just been on. His mind somewhat off balance, the young boy instinctively shot a hand up to his head, palm collapsing through the blue hair and rubbing the scalp as he opened his eyes and glared up at the newcomer.

"What's wrong with you? I was-"

"You were about to get obliterated, junior." the figure in front of him responded with a dismissive, yet amused tone whilst absentmindedly patting the kid's head. "You're lucky I happened to see it."

The Rocket boy grimaced. "Don't call me that! I could've-"

"Taken care of yourself? I'm helping you do exactly that. I'm assuming things are all wrapped up for you, right? Remember the retreat protocol. I'll take care of business here."

Before Damian could respond or even get up, another flash of light took the figure away.

"Ugh, Damn! That thing has no boundaries."

/

Tempest groaned. He supposed it might not have mattered that Damian had vanished, not when the boy clearly had nothing left to offer. But something about the way the child grunt had vanished into thin air at the last second made the Krabby's blood boil.

Turning back to where he had come from, his mind began to leave that point, however. He didn't need to be frustrated. There was plenty more going on. Perhaps a good adrenaline rush could lift his spirits before he-

A pair of feet landed behind him after another flash of light. Instinctively, the water type whirled around and aimed his pincer like a gun, a barrage of glowing, blue bubbles erupting outwards. The aquatic projectiles quickly found their path intercepted by a golden barrier. To Tempest's astonishment, this Light Screen (he assumed that's what it was, at any rate) was nothing like Valaint's. Just looking at it forced his eyes to squint in pain, and his head to slightly turn away. So bright…

"How rude! A violent goodbye coupled with a violent greeting!" Tempest started. There was something off about how this newcomer talked, but he couldn't quite place it…

As the Light Screen faded away, the river crab was finally given the chance to look at the new figure confronting him. Though he was humanoid, he was very clearly not a human. He seemed roughly above four and a half feet in height, with a round, white body and a spot of magenta in the middle.

Something about his appearance made the young Krabby's skin crawl beneath his shell. From the goofy, yet oddly focused facial expression, to his complexion and aesthetic, it just looked… wrong…

Irritation laced his pupils as the Mr. Mime extended an arm and wagged a finger. "Nah, I bet you're just frustrated I jumped in and interfered with earlier, aren't you? Well maybe I'm frustrated you tried to give me bullet holes on sight, so who's really the inconsiderate one?"

Normally, Tempest would've tried to bash the Mr. Mime's forehead open for the derisive attempt at chastising him, but the Krabby's eyes couldn't help but widen upon realizing that the psychic fairy's mouth wasn't moving. How was that possib-

It abruptly dawned on the water type that the voice was… in his head. He was speaking to him the way Valiant talked to Ash.

But… why…? He was a Pokemon. He didn't need telepathy to communicate with him. Was he just doing it for fun? What the hell was the point?!

The confusion of the situation alone was enough to resurrect the river crab's frustration, which he expressed with two blasts of boiling water from his raised pincers.

Instinctively, Tempest clenched his eyes in preparation for another potential Light Screen, only for Mr. Mime to instead kick off of the damaged floor, sailing over the Krabby's head and flipping in midair, landing cleanly behind him.

A strange sounding cackle escaped the psychic's throat as Tempest whirled around to face the insufferably amused newcomer.

"And now you assault me in the middle of a perfectly peaceful conversation? Oh, I know! Maybe that's how you talk! So, would a blast of ice mean you disagree with me, or is that what you were trying to say with the water? You gotta clue me in on your language if this is gonna work."

Eyes flaring, Tempest barreled forward, easily closing the distance between the two as his now clenched pincer turned a deep layer of metal. As he swung forward with an aggressive punch, Mr. Mime's eyes glowed blue, one of his hands calmly extending outward.

Without warning, Tempest felt his own body resisting as an identical blue glow began to outline his shell. It was as though his own muscles were resisting movement. Straining himself, he continued forward, thrusting the metallic punch aimed for Mr. Mime's face.

But the momentum slowed rapidly, until the Metal Claw hung in the air, just centimeters from its target, like a low hanging fruit a child barely couldn't reach. Still clenched shut, the metallic pincer shook and vibrated in midair as Tempest desperately fought against the psychic hold, but no part of his body, be it his feet, pincers or face, could take that final step forward.

Without a word, Mr. Mime calmly reached out and pushed the metallic pincer downward with both hands. Moments later, one of his hands was in front of Tempest's progressively unsure face, a shiny golden glow beginning to take form into sparking lightning.

/

Silver dismounted the back of his Corbat as his feet touched upon the concrete. The fight with Erika had transferred to the streets surrounding the museum as of recently. The building practically didn't even have a third story anymore, with the majority of the walls and even the floor in certain parts essentially no longer existing.

"Keep going, Pinion." As he patted the Crobat's head, the toxic flier nodded before lifting off into the sky, sights set on the Tropius that Erika had recently sent out. He saw Calliope making her way towards him once more, slightly bruised from a brief scuffle with the large flier.

As Pinion ripped through the air diagonally, locked onto the fruit Pokemon like a homing missile, his fangs bared and glowed an ominous, dark purple. Tropius showed little fear, however, his flapping wings increasing in speed as the air surrounding him began to rotate.

Just as Pinion felt was closing in, his body smashed face-first into felt like a barrier made out of spinning wind. A couple of parked cars beneath him lifted off the ground as the tornado picked up speed.

Eyes widening, Pinion could suddenly see several blades of air forming within the cyclone. He felt the wind against his body, suddenly dragging him in. Attempting to go in the opposite direction was met with resistance. Realizing he was now trapped, he swerved the other way, just before the barrage of air blades could cleave his body in half. After that the tornado took him, and it felt as though his flight had lost all free will as his world began to spin.

Glowering, he began flapping his wings as well. Although he could not control his flight, he could still rotate his body as his own gale of wind began erupting outward. Soon, a tornado formed within a tornado, forcing the winds of Tropius' cyclone to part as Pinion's own cyclone burst outward, pushing away the storm of aerial blades and leaving them all to fly out in just about every possible direction, a great few smashing into buildings. Below, Silver and Erika both found themselves encased in barriers that intercepted the assault.

As Tropius reared back in surprise, Pinion turned back to face the giant flier. Head lowering, the bat's body began to take on a white glow, just as his head began to burst with bright blue, psychic energy. Mere moments later, he ripped forward like a bullet, embedding himself into the wheezing fruit Pokemon's abdomen.

Elsewhere, Greenwood's Energy Ball exploded against Neptune's defensively crossed Metal Claws. The reptile's feet grinded against the pavement as he forcefully skidded back a foot or so, a blast of ice erupting from his throat and intercepting the dual vines trying to lash out at him. As the vines froze over and crumbled, a pink cloud suddenly shot out into him, and for just a moment, he could feel his focus faltering-

Greenwood's vines smashed against the road and slingshotted her shoulder-first into the Feraligatr's abdomen, her body glowing orange just as she propelled herself.

With the air sucked out of his lungs, Neptune toppled backwards, pinned to the icy concrete behind him (frozen over from a previous attack that he had used) as the glowering Greenwood stamped her forelegs onto his shoulders. The Meganium leaned downward and applied additional pressure on the forceful hold, a familiar pink orb forming in her mouth.

Fight or flight instincts kicking into overdrive, Neptune opened his mouth just before Greenwood's vines had the chance to wrap around his jaws and forceful clench them shut. A blast of icy air quickly collided with the pink orb. A painful impact bombarded his snout as the orb exploded against the wind, forcing Greenwood's body upwards and on her hind legs.

Instinctively, Neptune's tail turned to metal, rising upwards before jamming back down onto the concrete. Using the impact and stability to force himself back onto his feet, the big jaw Pokemon lunged for Greenwood, who growled in displeasure as his icy, metallic claws violently latched onto her sides before she had the chance to return to all fours. Straining his muscles, the water type hoisted her overhead, suplexing the quadruped face-first through the icy-layered concrete behind them. Although she successfully wrapped herself in Endure just in time for the impact, she hadn't done so fully.

Having found some elevation to observe the combat from the best of their ability (which Silver was certain that Erika had done as well) the masked agent and Calliope ducked behind some cover before the teen peered out. Just before he could make a comment, his communicator sounded.

"Sir! We've just received word that the squad sent to Celadon Gym has gotten a hold of the prototype. Your orders?"

Nodding at Calliope to signal for her to keep watch, Silver kneeled down and spoke into the communicator. "Excellent. Commence withdrawal according to this mission's retreat protocol. As planned, we'll be arriving at the nearest base outside of the city. Have a team return to the underground layer we were using and clear it out. It won't take the League long to realize that we exploited the city's underground network, so make sure nothing important or worth looking at is left behind."

"Understood, sir."

As the communication ended, Silver leaned back upward and peered out to where he believed Erika to be.

'Mission's over. Now we just need to keep the Gym Leader busy long enough for everyone else to pull out.'

/

Although Ash's legs carried him on their own, the boy was reminded to cover his ears as the noisy explosions filled his hearing. It was probably the only thing keeping his jumbled mind intact.

Along with the sight of a stray attack that had nearly grazed him. He didn't have the focus to make out what it had been, instead briefly ducking behind cover to catch his failing breath before bolting once more.

What was he doing?! They had been safe, or about to be at least. Why had he run off alone into-

Tempest.

His mind began to cloud again. Squeezing his eyes shut, the boy shook his head violently while leaning against a partially destroyed wall. His head was pounding. His ears were pounding from his surroundings. His heart was pounding. He needed to…

Trying to suck in a breath of air, the young rookie observed his surroundings. In front of him was a shambled room, if it could even be called one anymore. The very structure of the museum seemed nonexistent at this point. Looking around, he seemed to be a bit away from the fighting. Maybe he could rest in here-?

No! He couldn't rest. He still needed to find Tempest. Why had that Krabby-

'Of course he did.' the voice told him. 'You let him out of his ball when intense fighting was taking place everywhere. You knew what he would do.'

He did know. Or should have, at any rate. Tempest had no self control in situations like this. He was too focused on trying to get away to realize who he had been sending out. Now, the crab was out there somewhere, free to run into an opponent out of their league at any minute-or maybe he already had?!

A familiar cry pierced his clouded cognition. Turning around, Ash saw a small yellow figure running towards him. The world around him was blurry, but this…

"...Pikachu?" he spoke somewhat hopefully as the mouse stopped in front of him. His starter gazed up at him with frowning, concerned eyes that locked onto the rookie's delirious gaze.

Slowly, clearness returned to his surroundings as the electric type tugged on his leg. Letting out another deep breath, Ash brought his hand up to his cap, only to feel hair instead.

'Right…'

"Hey, buddy." guilt suddenly passed over Ash's features. "Sorry that I-"

Another cry stole their attention. Ash perked up as he saw Eevee running in their direction, Pikachu's ears standing tall as the electric type waved her over.

"Ash!" Just as the normal type stopped in front of them, Janine came into view, flanked by Nebula, Valiant, and Toxtricity. The realization placed a pit in his chest as the girl stopped in front him, lightly panting, but not as out of breath as him.

"What were… what were you thinking?!" When she looked at him, he wanted to turn away to avoid the frustration in her eyes, but couldn't bring himself to.

"I… I'm sorry, I-" he cut himself off. There was no talking his way out of this.

Janine allowed her face to soften just barely as she looked back where they came. "I… don't think those two officers were able to follow us. They must have gotten attacked by a Rocket and held up." A grimace shot through his face as she looked back at him. "You haven't found him yet?"

"No…" he shook his head before peering back into the room, trying his best not to face the girl. "I don't know where he-"

"Hey! I was using this room just a moment ago, who said you could come in?!"

The group froze at the sudden, unrecognizable voice, heads turning every which way.

"Who was…?" Ash trailed off as his eyes frantically took everything into view. Apart from the fighting going on just a bit away, nobody else was… "Janine, you see anything?"

"No, I…" the girl bit her lip as she and Ash observed their teammates. Ash's eyes suddenly fell on Valiant, whose body was tense.

"Wait a minute, Valiant, was that a psychic?" his blood ran cold as the glaring Kirlia nodded at him.

Janine's hand grasped her mouth. "And we can all hear it. If it's that strong… guys, we can't-"

"Uh, helloooo? You gonna respond? I want to be a part of this conversation too!"

"GET OUT OF THEIR HEADS!" screamed Valiant.

In the room ahead, a bright flash suddenly found the group shielding their faces. Moments later, Ash lowered his arm, and his throat locked up.

A creature he quickly registered as a Mr. Mime stood a few meters away, hand outstretched and eyes glowing blue. Floating in front of him was a Krabby.

Tempest's eyes were clenched shut as his body struggled against the psychic grip, like a prisoner attempting to break off the ropes binding them to a chair. His outer shell was lined with burn marks and bruises. The Mr. Mime was unscathed.

Moments later, just as Ash had finally registered the sight in front of him, the glow in Mr. Mime's eyes flashed brighter. As if the psychic fairy had thrown him, the Krabby abruptly began rushing through the air, face-first into a wall. A large dent was left in his wake as the water type fell to the floor.

"TEMPEST!"

"Ash, wait!" Panicked, Janine reached out as Ash bolted, but his shirt slipped from her grip.

BONK!

Just as Ash neared the Krabby, his momentum halted as suddenly as Mr. Mime had appeared. An unbearable pain overtook his face, feeling a sensation of impact as though he had sprinted straight into a wall. Nothing was there, but he didn't have time to process his confusion, collapsing onto his bottom. Tears leaked down his face as his hand shot up to his bloodied nose. He heard Janine shouting his name again.

In front of him, Tempest lifted himself up, some blood on his face as well. With wide eyes, the Krabby ran towards his trainer, but just as he had begun to move, a bright flash behind the boy halted him.

Suddenly, all the muscles in Ash's limbs locked up as his body forced itself into a standing position, now floating slightly above the floor. Involuntarily, Ash tried to open his mouth to yelp, but his mouth couldn't move. He felt frozen, as though something inside of him was doing the binding.

Then, a mild burning. His uncovered hair shot upwards as an unbearable sensation of heat stopped just in front of him. He could see the sparks in Mr. Mime's hand in front of him, brushing against his skin.

'It-it hurts, I can't…!' He wanted to scream, wince, flinch-anything that would express the pain. But for a moment his mouth didn't move. His face was frozen in a startled state.

A few seconds later, he felt the tightening in his face fade away, as the bindings in the rest of his body grew more stable. As though the key to the lock had been thrown away.

"Aaaggh…!" his teeth grinded together.

Mr. Mime's hand crackled with lightning as the river crab's terrified glare bore into his chest.

"Hold it now." Mr. Mime moved his hand just enough to where Ash was no longer in pain, but the boy could still feel the heat from the sparks. "Humans are very breakable." As Tempest's eyes shifted over to Ash's terrified expression, the psychic turned his head to the rest of the group. "Is there anything you want to add?"

Eyes trembling, Janine's face was a sheet. Her hands curled, progressively shaking as they became unbearably tight.

Beside her, she could see Pikachu, Valiant, and Eevee locked in place. An unreadable combination of expressions making up their features as the trio stared obsessively at the grinning psychic. She didn't think to look behind her, but Nebula was doing the same.

"G-Guys…" for a moment, her voice stopped as she looked back at Ash and Mr. Mime. Quickly tearing her eyes away from the image, she sent a pleading gaze towards the three while shaking her head. "Don't."

Lightning leaked from Pikachu's cheeks, rolling along his fur as his ears and tail stood on end. An uncharacteristically low rumble radiated from the electric type's throat. Beside him, Valiant's arms vibrated as the Kirlia's eyes bore directly into Mr Mime's own. The enemy psychic showed no signs of faltering at the look the emotion Pokemon was sending his way. Next to Valiant, Eevee's growl was much more undeniable, the quadruped's front legs bending forward and her back arching upwards as the growl grew louder. Behind them, a snarling Nebula spread her wings out, face contorting as though her eyes could flash crimson at any moment.

Without a word, Mr. Mime momentarily moved his hand back to its previous position. As another pained yelp escaped their trainer, the group's expressions briefly intensified further… before they finally forced themselves to relax. Janine didn't let herself sigh in relief.

Appearing satisfied, Mr. Mime turned his attention back to Tempest, eye quirking at the Krabby's raised pincers. A light glow emitted from the openings inside them, as though he were in the midst of charging an attack, but still had yet to fully commit to it.

"Well now, Mr. "I can only talk by punching things in the face", what's your decision?"

Tempest's eyes blazed with fury. The glow inside of his pincers began to intensify as the psychic's hand began to wiggle in place.

Then the glow subsided, and the river crab lowered his limbs.

Mr. Mime nodded in approval. "Good."

Barely even an instant later, his hand shot outward. The blast of lightning cleanly nailed the Krabby, smacking him back-first into the wall. Without a noise, the river crab slumped forward, collapsing onto his face as static rolled across his outer shell.

"NO!" Ash struggled and strained against the psychic hold, but only received a brief moment of painful, excessive binding in response.

Mr. Mime spared the kid a brief glance before his eyes landed back on the unconscious water type. "Hmmm… was that the right answer? I suppose we'll leave that up to the people at home." Raising his hand towards the Krabby once more, another set of electricity began to spark. "Now then, for the finishing touch-"

The Shadow Ball exploded against his back.

Almost instantaneously, Ash felt his invisible binds vanish entirely as Mr. Mime staggered forward. The boy's body hit the floor with a light thud and only mild pain (he was too surprised to catch himself, but wasn't that high up).

The next instant, two blurs rocketed at mr. Mime from behind, Pikachu and Eevee simultaneously driving Iron Tails into the back of his head. A CRACK! Filled the nearby air as the enemy psychic sailed face-first into the wall behind Tempest's fallen body.

In almost an instant, Janine's hands shot to her belt, removing two orbs that quickly burst open to reveal Ivysaur and Tentacruel. "Don't wait, we have to capitalize now!"

Jolted back to reality, Ash's hand raced for his own belt before pulling out Tempest's Poke Ball as he rose to his feet. Backing away as fast as he could, the trainer quickly returned the Krabby as his team sprang into action.

A flash of light quickly caused Mr. Mime to vanish from the path of the Energy Ball, Scald, and Air Cutter sent his way. He did not go far, quickly reappearing nearby, hand rubbing the back of his head. His unsettlingly goofy expression was replaced with a glare that made Ash's skin crawl beneath the surface.

'Psychic attacks are mentally produced by the user. Head damage could compromise them if significant enough, but what if the gap between us and him is too big for it to matter?' Janine was right; the fact that this Mr. Mime could talk to all of them at once (and more easily than Valiant could talk to even a single party, from what it seemed) was not a good sign.

Appearing at his side, the poison specialist shouted hurriedly, as though trying to prevent her throat from locking under the pressure. "Ivysaur, Infection Blast! Tentacruel, Sludge Bomb!"

Both Pokemon complied without hesitance. The familiar seeds laced with bright, purple powder exploded from her starter's bud, while the jellyfish let loose a glob of thick, dark purple liquid.

Pikachu and Eevee circled around the clown-like Pokemon, lightning coating the mouse's tail and a ball of distortion filling the evolution Pokemon's jaws. Both fired from behind.

A platinum, glass-like sphere formed around Mr. Mime as the enemy psychic ducked his head. As the barrier appeared, all present parties felt their eyes widening involuntarily, shielding their faces from the abrupt flash that accompanied it. It was as though somebody had used the sun to take a picture.

All four attacks collided with the spherical shield encasing their target. Just after the exploded against the defense, another flash sparked, and Mr. Mime appeared a few feet in front of Ivysaur and Tentacruel. Ignoring the throb in his head, the barrier Pokemon's eyes widened with a blue flash, a wave of energy smashing into the duo of poison type's.

"NO!" Janine's cry was quickly accompanied by the sound of crackling lightning as Mr. Mime turned to see Valiant hurling a Thunderbolt at him. High above the Kirlia's head, Nebula's furious wings produced a barrage of Air Cutter aimed diagonally downward.

With stunning acrobatics, Mr. Mime flipped himself sideways, his elevating body rotating through the air as he cleanly removed himself from the path of the projectiles. Just before he landed, Pikachu, coated in Agility, was upon him, Iron Tail overflowing with electricity. As Janine took the opportunity to recall her fallen partners, the barrier Pokemon's hand curled into an orange-glowing fist, driving the Brick Break straight into the Zap Tail.

The impact sounded throughout the room. Although Pikachu's momentum sent the psychic skidding away, the mouse let out a cry of pain as the punch pierced the metal coating of his tail. Above him, a shrill, spine-freezing cry escaped Nebula's throat as the Staravia, now wrapped in the crimson aura of Reckless, began to glow with the familiar, pale shine of Double-Edge.

Ignoring the minor singe in his fist, Mr. Mime looked up at the Staravia just in time to see her dive-bombing towards him. Quickly raising both hands, bathed in lightning, a large Thunderbolt erupted outward, intercepting the murderous flier. The bloodlust in her cry quickly turned to agony as the electricity bathed her feathers.

Even as Ash cried out his aerial partner's name, Mr. Mime didn't have time to lower his hands as a familiar brown blur closed the distance between them. Snarling in discomfort as the electricity singed her, Eevee drove the Iron Tail straight into his abdomen, halting the Thunderbolt and propelling him back-first into the wall just a few feet behind him. With burn marks in her fur, Eevee's eyes narrowed in hunger as another Shadow Ball formed between her teeth.

Another bright flash flared in her eyes, her lost concentration forcibly dissipating the orb as Mr. Mime vanished yet again.

Bright, unbearable flashes flooded the room as the enemy psychic continuously teleported with rapid aggression. Pikachu was forced to ignore his aching tail as his paws shot up to his eyes, everyone else quickly shielding their own as the flashes continued without reprieve.

'How is he doing that?!' Ash's mind raced as his eyes involuntarily squeezed shut.

After what felt like a hundred consecutive flashes, a sharp blow plunged into the back of Pikachu's head, face-planting the now-limp form of Ash's starter into the floor. An instant later, Valiant rose up behind Mr. Mime, having used Shadow Sneak to evade the painfully bright flashes.

Mr. Mime rolled out of the way from Valiant's Thunder Punch. Without thinking, Eevee was already charging another Shadow Ball. As she fired, she began to rush forward, cloaking her tail in metal.

Suddenly, Valiant's body became outlined in blue, and a quick motion of Mr. Mime's hand left the Kirlia levitating directly in front of him. The startled emotion Pokemon had no time to raise a barrier before Eevee's Shadow Ball smashed into his chest. The quadruped's horrified eyes looked like they were going to bulge through her head as her legs locked up, and her sprinting ceased…

Now grinning again, Mr. Mime was in front of her, a Brick Break to the back of the head turning her world black.

Almost automatically, Ash's hand raced for Tyrunt's Poke Ball before stopping himself. 'No, it won't help.' Beside him, Janine's hand was also clutching a ball on her belt, with similar hesitance.

Up ahead, Valiant slowly rose to his feet, balance shaking as the ghostly energy coursed through his system. He quickly collapsed as an impact to the back of his head sent him to the floor. Mr. Mime appeared between the Kirlia's unconscious body and the two trainers, who could both suddenly feel their bodies locking up-

An enormous blast of fire nailed the enemy psychic in the back. A shrill cry of pain escaped the barrier Pokemon's throat as the Fire Blast hurled him across the room. He vanished in a flash of light before his body could land.

In the direction the flames had come from, a flame-like blur passed by Ash and Janine, and a gigantic canine that Ash immediately registered as an Arcanine skidded to a stop in front of them. Slobber rolling out of its jaws, the snarling fire type gazed around the room with vigilance.

Hearing shouting behind them, the two rookies turned to see Officer Jenny sprinting in their direction, flanked by two other police officers and two more Arcanines.

The Mr. Mime did not reappear.

/

Silver's communicator went off again. "Sir, the withdrawal is complete."

"Good." was his only response before shutting the watch off. Another Poke Ball appeared in his hand, bursting open to reveal a peculiar winged creature with a spherical body and a single eye on its head. The masked teen and Calliope gazed up at the creature as the Mr. Mime appeared behind them.

"Hermes, send a message to Neptune and Pinion to pull back. Our mission is complete."

The Sigilyph nodded as its single eye flashed…

/

With the museum vacated of Rockets, the explosions had ceased. The hollering had halted. The exchanges of attacks had subsided. Even with the voices of the police talking to one another and into their communicators, the atmosphere seemed eerily silent compared to just a few minutes prior, giving everyone still present a moment to take in what those events had left behind. The destruction spread throughout the building no longer a backdrop, but a reality.

No floor, room, or hallway failed to remind anyone present of what had occurred. Collapsed ceilings, decimated walls, and the rubble of furniture and exhibits were present no matter where one looked. Dust from the debris filled the air throughout the building, eliciting a cough from anybody who inhaled too deeply.

What was once an aesthetically pleasing environment, and the monuments of history housed within, was now simple, vanilla, collateral damage.

A flash of light shone in one of the rubble filled rooms, fading away to reveal the Mr. Mime. Stepping over the shattered wooden remains of a table, the barrier Pokemon grinned curiously at the painting above him.

A depiction of the Moon Stone, with the Clefairy line praying to it. For all the destruction to have plagued the museum throughout the attack, this painting had miraculously come out unscathed.

With a light chuckle, the psychic reached out with both arms and gripped the frame. There was no real use for the exhibit, but perhaps the commander would be interested in turning to the black market. If not, it would look good in the president's office.

Another flash of light caught the attention of two police officers passing by. Just as the duo had the chance to peer in, there was nothing left in sight.

/

Erika's elbows sank into her desk, her eyes vacant as her hands gripped either side of her head. Outside her window, the sky was black and filled with shining stars. It had been numerous hours since Team Rocket had retreated from the museum, and the full reports were beginning to come in.

Officer Jenny stood in front of her desk, beside a young adult male in a Gym Trainer uniform, roughly eighteen years of age. The former's expression was steel and professionally unreadable, the latter feeling increasingly shaken as his eyes landed on the Gym Leader, prompting him to slightly avert his gaze.

"A-A few of…" the Gym Trainer mentally cursed himself for stuttering, briefly squeezing his eyes before starting over. "A few of the Rockets who broke into the Gym were captured on their way out, but most escaped. Of the arrested four, all have been interrogated, and one began to talk. So far, he has only given us enough information to confirm how they acquired entry."

"Yes…?" Although her voice trailed off, some of the life returned to the Gym Leader's face as she moved her elbows and allowed her arms to fall to her sides. She realized a deep breath upon leaning back in her chair, before sitting more upright and gesturing for her protege to continue.

"From underground…" the trainer responded with a bit lip. "As we've suspected, the assault on the museum was a diversion to ensure that you'd be elsewhere when the Gym's security forces were taken by surprise. It seems like the branch of Rockets that commenced this attack had the city's entire network mapped out, and used it as a blind spot. Both in the museum and in the Gym, they came up from the basement. Possibly even beneath the basements themselves."

Officer Jenny chimed in. "The prisoner claimed that their hideout of choice was an area located beneath the Game Corner. We've searched that location, but couldn't find anything of evidence. He warned us that they would have likely cleaned the place out ahead of time." her arms crossed in front of her chest. "However, our party picked up a Game Corner employee who claims to have been held hostage by the Rocket branch in that exact area for the past couple of days. He is the same man who was reported missing recently." as her arms fell back to her sides, she quickly added. "We are still searching the rest of Celadon's underground. If they have everything mapped out, we cannot trust that the Game Corner is the only location that they've touched."

The professionalism gradually returning to her, Erika nodded with a steel glare. "Do not stop looking until every corner is examined." a hand brushed across her blue hair. "If they were using the underground as a collection of passageways, who knows what they might have thought of? They could have taken routes that we have not considered." Satisfied with the other woman's prompt salute, the Gym Leader's gaze softened once more as dread built in her throat. "What…" the woman looked between the two. "What casualties have been confirmed…?"

Jenny's expression turned solemn, with a visible effort to maintain her stoicism. Beside her, the Gym Trainer's face fell, with no attempt to mask anything.

"Eleven are confirmed dead, at this current point." the leader of the police force suppressed the voice crack that nearly betrayed her true emotions. "Two of them are police officers, nine civilians. One death is a twelve year old boy, the others young adults. Two of the adult deaths are confirmed museum staff. Numerous injuries of varying degrees, although none in critical condition. No Pokemon have been confirmed dead for the moment. No Rockets either, although many in our custody are injured."

"...Understood…" the Gym Leader shifted uncomfortably before turning to the Gym Trainer. "Tyler, I know you were at the museum, so you weren't present for the infiltration, but was anything else stolen?"

The Gym Trainer, Tyler, shook his head. "No. We can confirm that it was a focused effort. Only the Master Ball prototype and a copy of its blueprints were taken. No Pokemon, or any other equipment. All else is accounted for."

The grass specialist leaned back in her seat once more as another deep sigh escaped her mouth. "That's technically good news, but not with the full picture." Another pause. "Something isn't right… we haven't had that prototype for a while, yet fully mapping out Celadon's underground would take far longer. At least if they were planning to use it as a reliable means of attack. In agreement?" both nodded. "Testing out the prototype has been planned in advance since before Samuel finished working on it. Initially, it was supposed to be Koga, and the plans changed right around the time…" her teeth nibbled away at her lip as she trailed off. After Fuchsia's Gym Leader had anticipated a need to pass the project onto somebody else, the Pewter and Celadon Gyms were decided upon as replacements to test the device. Brock had chosen to voluntarily give the assignmentent to her Gym, which she had accepted. But given the timeframe, unless she was underestimating the Rockets (the thought of subconsciously downplaying them terrified her), they would have had to catch wind of the situation with little time to spare in order to plan everything efficiently.

Crossing his arms, Tyler grimaced. "It's… unsettling."

"Any ideas how they could have found out?" Jenny inquired.

"If only." Erika responded honestly. "And there's too much going on with the aftermath for us to give it enough focus. I'll have to put a word in with Lance and the Elite Four."

Even beyond all of that, there was the obvious matter: The implications of WHAT the terrorists have stolen. Now the Master Ball project was kicked back to its first stage. They still had the blueprints themselves to go off of, but Oak would still have to take the time to remake the prototype from scratch. Meanwhile, Team Rocket had both the original prototype, and the copy of the blueprints for context. They could utilize and advance the project in whatever way they saw fit for themselves.

For now, she switched subjects. "Not that I don't already know, but… collateral damage?"

Once again Jenny spoke up. "The surrounding block around the museum has been impacted notably. Two of the confirmed deaths took place here, along with a good portion of the injuries. As for the museum…" she shifted a bit. "Just about anything you could imagine. The structure itself is just short of total collapse. And the exhibits, many of which are over a century old… apart from three, all are either damaged or destroyed. The Moon Stone painting has vanished without a trace."

"As expected…" Erika's hands folded across her desk. "No doubt they saw that as an added bonus. Making a statement against us." Locking eyes with Jenny, the two women exchanged nods. "There's a lot… I'll have to go over everything. Casualties, repair efforts, reports from interrogations and witness accounts… keep me notified on all developments on your end. You're dismissed for now." Officer Jenny saluted her, before turning and exiting the office, leaving Erika and Tyler the only one's present. A silence fell between Gym Leader and Gym Trainer as the former gazed absentmindedly at the papers on her desk, soon to be stacked, and the latter ran a hand across his hair.

'That boy with the mask…' she recalled to herself. 'He's definitely on level with their higher-ups, given how everything played out. I can't even guarantee I would've won.' her fingers drummed against the wooden surface. 'He called himself Silver, but that's obviously an alias.'

"Leader Erika…?" she perked up as Tyler's hand rested on her shoulder. The trainer flinched upon realizing the unprofessional contact, muttering a quick "Sorry," but a reassuring, even thankful smile calmed his nerves. The expression carried a warmth that lifted every trainer in the Gym's school.

"Don't apologize to me, Tyler. We can all use some of that right now." A casual, comforting tone not normally becoming of her position leaked through the authoritative professionalism and into the woman's words. "What were you saying?"

The light red in his cheeks fading, Tyler replied. "I was wondering if my assignment is still unchanged."

A nod. "Yes. Keep collecting accounts from the other staff and students regarding the attack, and ensure that every morsel of info finds its way here." her index finger tapped the desk. "The Gym is closed to challengers until further notice."

He responded with a quick dip of the head. "I understand, thank you." turning to leave, he halted to look back at her. "Anything else you need?"

"Yes, a cot and some standard bedding. I'm going to be spending the next few days in this room."

"I'll inform the staff immediately."

As Tyler closed the door behind him, Erika, the only person left in the office, dropped the composure entirely. Her head leaned back, her shoulders sagged, her hands rested, and her face fell. She must have had her eyes closed for a couple of minutes before rotating her chair to face the window behind her.

In front of her was a decently elevated view of the city, the nighttime skyline lit up just beneath the starry sky itself. Her vacant eyes stared out as time lost all meaning.

/

Silver strode through the hallways of the hideout, the corner of his eye taking in the star-filled sky revealed by the window he passed. His mask was no longer present, but had nothing to hide, his expression unreadable to the various Rockets he passed by.

In his hand was a Poke Ball with a bright purple upper half. A white "M" decorated the center of the purple area. Absent-mindedly, he lightly tossed the orb up and down as his other hand instinctively rubbed the bag around his shoulders, containing an essay's worth of reports and design blueprints.

Every adult soldier he walked past offered either a respectful nod or an acknowledging salute. Among the grown-ups were the occasional children in the same uniforms, (most of whom had already been stationed at this particular base prior to his arrival), who would freeze at the sight of him if alone, or cling to whatever adult soldier they were accompanying.

'It wasn't even half a decade ago when I was the bite-sized grunt spending the time in between missions scrubbing the floors or organizing Proton's pantry. And now, this is how they see me.'

Stopping at a door, his hand turned the knob, walking in without a word or a knock. The room he entered had one small window looking into the other side of the wallway, a rectangular table with a few chairs, and a kitchen-like shelf with a few snacks and utensils.

Damian sat at the end of the table away from the door. His body was relaxed, his expression neutral as his fingers drummed absentmindedly against the surface. He had looked up upon hearing the door open, before returning his attention to nothing.

"So this is where you've been." Silver pulled a nearby chair along with him to sit down beside the eleven-year old. "Took a bit to find you."

"Find me for what?" Damian's voice didn't hold the usual, dismissive aggression, which could be good or worrying, as far as the teenaged Rocket was concerned.

Brushing a strand of dark-red hair behind his ear, Silver was nonetheless unfazed. "I came to look in on you. Done so already for the other three children in the squad. They all made it out unscathed."

"That's nice." Silver's brow furrowed as the blue-haired boy's tone didn't change.

"Given what happened the last time you four went on a mission, I figured you'd be a bit more relieved that none of them were captured." Before Damian could respond, the red-haired teen continued on. "That's not why I'm here. This was your first real mission as much as it was theirs. You seem physically fine, but how are you feeling?" For a moment, no response, but the agent's patience persevered. "You're under my authority right now, kid. As a part of my branch, I have responsibilities towards you and the others." Silver's expression remained as unchanged as Damian's. "The only responsibility you have towards me for the moment is to be honest. And to respond when spoken to by those of higher rank."

Silence for a moment, but Silver gave the boy a bit longer to gather his response. Moments later, a deep sigh was heaved by the child, followed by a couple more moments of silence before his lips finally moved.

"I spent my whole life in places like these," he began. Finally meeting Silver's eyes, it seemed as though he was waiting for his superior to respond. When the teen did nothing, Damian continued. "My parents would always take me from base to base, whenever their station changed. Remote hideouts like this building, underground hideouts like the one we used beneath the Game Corner. I was on the water a couple of times." pausing, he shifted in his seat a bit, as though he couldn't put effort into talking if he wanted to perform the movement. "The routine was what it was: I'd be trained and schooled for the things we did today, and whenever my parents had a mission, they'd leave me here, where I'd be untouched. It's like I was walking around in a building-sized suit of armor. I know what they do whenever they leave, yet I'm protected from all of it." his brow wrinkled. "I was. I knew for years it would change. It's what I was freaking training for." For a brief moment, that signature frustration that Silver had gotten to know seeped into the younger Rocket's speech. "Places like these… they're comfortable. They're dark, dim, closed off… and…"

"Unexposed?" Silver interjected.

"...Yes…" annoyance momentarily flashed in Damian's eyes before he continued. "I… I knew that wasn't… permanent. Sooner or later I'd be out there, just like mom and dad. I kept telling myself over and over again, kept repeating what my parents and instructors always warned me. So why…" after trailing off, he didn't continue.

"Why what?" Silver pressed.

"...Why didn't it work…?" the boy finally asked. His eyes were walked with Silver's again, and not due to any obligations. After a moment or two, he broke contact again. "I felt so naked…"

Silver's fingers consciously drummed the surface of the table as a silence hung between the two. Finally, "You can tell yourself something ten thousand times for as many years. Your mind can only interpret. But once it actually happens, you can't just command yourself to feel a certain way. Or to not. Reality will always be there to puncture holes in your imagination." Giving the boy a moment to process it, he continued. "You were as prepared as you were ever going to be. You didn't need more time, and you weren't too late, either. This was always how you were going to react." he leaned back in his seat. "I looked a Gym Leader in the eyes today. On my first mission? The sight of a police officer turned my bloodstream to ice. Before he noticed me." Damian was looking at him again. "I've said it in the past, Damian. Your ego is misplaced. You know how much bigger this is than your imagination, and yet you never processed it. You left enough room in your mind for smaller things, like a pointless vendetta against people who "embarrassed" you." a hint of bitterness appeared in the younger boy's eyes, but no interruption came. "And that feeling you have now won't go away. Not in just two or three more assignments, that is. I felt it in me for a long time, that's why I said I was in your shoes. You and the other three. And it'd be preferable if history didn't repeat. That's why I wish you'd pay a bit more attention to me."

Damian sighed as his posture straightened a bit. For a moment, Silver thought his subordinate was going to say something. When he did not, the agent continued. "These walls around you…" he gestured his hand to nowhere in particular, simply acknowledging the surroundings of the room. "Or that underground? They're not going away. They'll always be that safe area that you come back to. And find as much comfort in them as you'd like. It won't be a problem. That's not what getting used to this is about. Your training was never meant to ensure you'd be invulnerable to what's going on on the outside. It was just there to ensure that you'd survive it. Getting used to it? Knowing it? Learning it? That all comes from firsthand experience that you apply your practice too. And as someone who was your age when he first learned what it felt like to freeze up-yes, I felt naked to- I'd like to help ensure you'll be prepared to do so. Along with your fellow underage grunts. Whether or not you let me is up to you, but you're my responsibility either way."

A frown passed over Damian's features for a moment, but the resistance in his eyes soon faded. "...I…" he still couldn't keep eye contact for long. "I'm not gonna stop you, I guess."

It was… progress. A broadened perspective, at the very least.

For a moment, Silver considered putting things on hold for now. Although he had already given the commander his report, there was still much else to do before acknowledging the late hour. However, Damian soon spoke again.

"I ran into him."

"Come again?" raising a brow, Silver suspected he knew what Damian was talking about.

"That Ash guy from before." Some fury laced Damian's eyes, although the rest of his expression remained subdued. "That prick beat me again. He had a girl with him, and they both…"

As Damian trailed off, Silver picked up the slack. "Yeah, I figured. I saw them too. And between him, her, and Paul, I take it you want all three of them dead now?" as the blue-haired boy looked away, the teen's hand reached back to brush another strand of hair. "Well, it's like I said before. Think about what's bigger than your imagination, and think about the smaller things taking up room. I'm no stranger to wanting to kill someone-still out there, in fact- but if your response to your pride getting compromised is to set the offender on fire, you might as well pray for Moltres to scorch the Earth and be done with it." Standing up, he prepared to turn away. "Besides, even smaller things can be bigger than you think. Ash and Paul are nobodies, but that girl is a different story." He stopped talking a she approached the door, but after placing his hand on the knob, the teen paused and took a moment to look back. "Damian… What is Team Rocket's mission?"

Damian's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why-"

"I want to hear it from you."

After a moment or two, Damian extended his chest. "Team Rocket's goal is to end the reign of the Indigo League, and the unnatural "order and unity" that they have spent four centuries perpetuating. And to return the status quo to its natural, untouched state."

Silver nodded. "Where the lands aren't monopolized, and status quo is as chaotically unpredictable as human nature is supposed to be." his hand leaving the knob, he crossed his arms against his chest. "So, what do you think?"

"...Of the mission?"

"Yes?"

"I… it's my life. I always have it in my mind when training."

"I see." Turning to open the door, Silver looked back. "Don't stay in here too much longer. You need to sleep. "You've had dinner, right?"

"Some of it."

"Hmmm… don't neglect breakfast, then."

Closing the door and leaving the younger boy to his thoughts, Silver stepped back into the hallway and turned to see Mr. Mime absentmindedly grinning in his direction. "You were listening, weren't you, Necro?"

The barrier Pokemon shrugged. "Come now, you know I enjoy curiosity. It's not like it was anything too private."

Silver allowed himself a minor eye roll as the two began walking in pace with one another. 'Whatever you say. I trust your recreational activity means you got your report done as well?"

"Of course. I'm not negligent. I assure you I was placed here for a reason. Doesn't mean I can't take advantage of my free time."

"I suggest you keep it that way."

"Why? Concerned I'm better at having fun?"

As the two stopped, Silver turned to face the psychic. "I should remind you, I'm the one in charge of testing out the prototype. And I have a fair amount of freedom for what I can test it on."

In mock surrender, Necro thrust his arms upward. "Fine, fine, you win, I'll drop it."

"Heh." The duo resumed walking as Silver continued. "Well, luckily for you, Ariana is going to want to study the device and its blueprints before anything else is done with it. By then, you'll have been moved to your next station."

For a moment, Necro giggled before straightening himself out. "I imagine the League must be fuming at the thought that our side has pulled ahead of them with that. Both sides have the plans, but we're the ones with the ball! And we'll make better use of it! More Meaningful!"

"Don't be cocky, Necro."

"I'm just calling it as it is! You know, like you do." Abruptly, he jumped in front of Silver, stopping the teen in his tracks as the Mr. Mime turned to face him. "Oh yeah, somewhere else I wanna be before turning in. Bye~!"

A startling flash flared in Silver's eyes as the psychic vanished, prompting the teenaged agent to cover his face for a few moments. Grimacing as he lowered his arm, Silver briefly clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head to regain his bearings.

"That woman's recommendation better have been worth it."

/

For the remainder of the day, time once more seemed like a separate dimension to Ash, but for a different, less comforting reason than before.

Following the attack, he and Janine were almost immediately brought back to the Pokemon Center, along with the others that the League forces had rounded up. Apart from Tyrunt, who had not participated in any of the fighting, everyone on his team was placed in medical care. He would later be reassured that none of the injuries were severe after assessment, but it would take a bit longer than overnight for Nebula or Tempest to be back in shape. A whole day, advised to pick them up the morning after tomorrow to ensure two full nights in the Center's care, and the rest were recommended to be kept just as long just in case.

He and Janine had been separated rather quickly, each giving their individual accounts to the police, Ash himself doing so as Nurse Joy applied ointment for the burns the Mr. Mime's electrical hand had left behind.

By late afternoon, he had no appetite to go along with his hunger, feeling as though anything that he put in his mouth would come back out long before it reached his stomach. When the sun had gone down, and he finally felt some semblance of a mood, his body felt too heavy to make the journey out of his room, and he had called to order room service for himself and Tyrunt.

It had been nearing midnight when he finally positioned himself under his covers. An hour longer before his eyes were closed. Whenever he had closed them, the images were always the same.

Tempest's battered body. Mr. Mime's lightning-filled hand in front of his face. The Flamethrower of Damian's Charmeleon nearly setting him ablaze. The explosive surroundings, destruction of the walls-

At some point or another, the fatigue had grown too great for any of it to keep him conscious. He was barely startled when he was greeted with "11:09 AM" on the digital clock when his eyes finally opened once more.

After another quick call, room service had arrived a half hour later.

Tyrunt sat on the table in front of Ash, eyes often traveling between his trainer and his bowl of food. Occasionally, the royal heir Pokemon would drift his gaze around the otherwise unoccupied room.

Chewing on his banana, Ash watched his friend sink his teeth into the food in his bowl. Tyrunt wasn't eating nearly as fast (or messily) as normal. The boy understood the feeling; it felt as though whatever he put in his mouth took forever to chew and swallow.

Eventually, Ash realized that Tyrunt's eyes had wandered to the top of his head. Instinctively, the boy raised a hand, resting down on his head, feeling hair instead of what was usually covering it. A small, weak, feeble smile graced his lips. "Heh, feels weird seeing me without a cap on, right? When we're not going to bed?" the dinosaur blinked for a moment, before nodding, returning to his food, but not averting his gaze from his trainer. Lowering his hand, Ash took another bike. "I can… get another one eventually. I've had that one forever, but…" frowning, he shook his head. "It was a cap." heaving a sigh after a few moments, he looked around the room. "I told you before, but… the others will be fine. You don't have to worry. They'll all be back tomorrow morning. Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, Eevee, Temp-" Involuntarily, his voice stopped, an image reentering his mind. "The… the point is!... They're going to be fine. The staff already confirmed it. We just need to give them the time to rest." Tyrunt's expression was dowcast as Ash talked, and watching the youngest member of the team look around, the boy could feel the loneliness radiating from the dinosaur.

Just two months ago, it had been perfectly normal to be alone in a room with one teammate. It was the way it was, in fact. But now… it was like he had no clothes on his back.

As if out of nowhere, Ash suddenly became agitated with the motion of his foot tapping down onto the carpet. The acknowledgement only triggered the action further, however. Finally fed up with the increasing speed, he raised his legs and sat cross-legged on the chair as he continued his meal.

Just as he and his partner were finally nearing the end of their breakfast, a knock on the door stole their attention away from the remaining morsels of food.

Even just the sound of knuckles rapping the outside triggered some form of whiplash, jolting the boy out of his nonexistent thoughts as his head rapidly turned in the direction of the door he hadn't stepped through for numerous hours.

After a few more moments of knocking, Ash regained some semblance of focus, standing up and turning to address Tyrunt. "Finish up, I'll go see." After an absentminded nod from the young dinosaur, he made his way to the door. Opening it revealed a woman with black pigtails. She looked like she could be no older than eighteen or nineteen. Ash immediately recognized the uniform.

"You're Ash Ketchum, correct?" Although somewhat gentle, her voice was primarily authoritative, almost demanding, as she raised a hand in front of his face, giving him a view of the badge she was holding up.

"Yes?"

"Leader Erika wants to see you." the Gym trainer lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, but it has to be now."

Blinking for a moment, Ash suddenly regained all of his awareness as he nodded back at her. "Right." turning back to Tyrunt, he shuffled for his Poke Balls. "You want to stay here or come with me, buddy?" A gesture of the head towards the doorway gave him Tyrunt's answer. He figured. "Alright, come on." After quickly returning the young dinosaur to his ball, Ash stepped through the doorway and followed the woman down the hall.

Although he stayed behind her, he soon found himself quickening to match her pace. "Is… Erika here at the Center?" He knew that there were still League personnel occupying the place, interviewing rescued witnesses for their accounts on the previous day, and overall trying to settle the oppressively anxious mood that hung in the air. He had been told that they'd be here for a day or two.

"No, unfortunately." The Gym Trainer frowned as her gaze remained ahead. "Preferably, she would have come to you, but she has not left her office since getting back to the Gym yesterday. We will be going there." her head turned slightly, just enough to get a view of him following her as she continued. "She understands that you have already been involved in an incident earlier in the week." her expression turned apologetic for a moment-had his expression changed without realizing it?- before turning back around, stopping in front of the elevator as she pressed a button.

"I have." he responded. A few moments later, the doors to the elevator opened, and she gestured him in.

At first, the newfound silence between the two had felt uncomfortable, but it didn't take long for Ash to appreciate it. Still, after stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby, a thought abruptly popped into his mind as they approached the exit. "Umm… do you know how Janine's team is doing? I haven't seen her since…" he didn't need to elaborate.

"I don't have that info, sorry." she shook her head. "But you'll be able to ask her yourself." she added reassuringly.

He blinked. "Huh-"

As the doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of two more figures: One was a man in a different League uniform, who looked about in his mid-twenties. The other was Janine.

"Ash!' he perked up as the girl raced over to him. "I was going to ask Nurse Joy where your room was so I could visit you, but she's been busy, and then an officer stopped me in the hallway saying he was looking for me." she nodded over to the man.

Before Ash could respond, the man himself spoke up. "You've both been called over, so feel free to catch up on the way." Leading the two ahead, he stopped in front of an expensive-looking car. "We can't dawdle, though, so get in the back seat. She expects us in fifteen minutes."

The two kids nodded, quickly heading inside the car as the woman opened the door for them. Although there was enough room to fit four people in the back, the two rookies deliberately sat next to each other. Almost immediately, Ash felt a sensation of relief as he sank into the cool, gentle cushion, even more so after he buckled his seatbelt and finally allowed himself to lean back.

With their escorts in the front, the man gripped the steering wheel and began to drive at a reasonable pace, the gigantic Pokemon Center quickly shrinking behind them.

As a hand gently rested on his shoulder, Ash turned his head to find a concerned pair of purple eyes staring at him.

"How are you?" Janine asked.

Not able to hide anything, he heaved a deep sigh. "Took forever to sleep last night. Breakfast tasted bland. Tempest and Nebula need another full day to be medically cleared, and apart from Tyrunt the others are with them. You…?"

Her sympathetic frown hung for a moment or two before she looked ahead. A set of glass separated them from the adults in the front, although the presence of a microphone told Ash that their conversation wasn't private. "Golbat and Beedrill were given back to me this morning. Toxtricity last night. They just needed rest. Ivysaur and Tentacruel…" she bit her lip. "That Mr. Mime's blast had more than enough power to knock them out, according to the staff's estimation. They'll need more time, like your friends." Ash gave her a moment to speak again, but she did not.

"And… you?" he pressed.

Her hand rubbed the front of her hair. "I… may not have gotten the best sleep either." she finally replied. "Or the best tasting breakfast." her head turned again, once again revealing her eyes. "I'm… sorry."

He blinked. "For what?"

"It was my idea to go there yesterday. I just wanted to hang out, but instead…" huffing a bit, she looked away again.

Before she could speak anymore, Ash cut her off. "No. Look, I got where you're coming from, but all that stuff that happened after Damian was my fault. The rest before that wasn't up to you. You didn't know. I did."

Now with a more coherent mind, Ash must have inwardly cursed himself thousands of consecutive times back in the room that morning. He led his teammates, and a new friend and her teammates, into a deathbox.

'Actually, this is his fault.' A bitter voice in the back of his mind left him inwardly flinching, although he was thankfully able to outwardly repress it.

Yes… it was Tempest's fault… wasn't it? If he hadn't run out in the first place, then he-

'But you let him out.' the voice continued. 'And you chose what to do after. You put him and them on the chopping block.'

"My… my uh, friend Tempest…" he suddenly found it difficult to speak once more.

"Yes?" Janine's voice was gentle and encouraging.

"He… he's obsessed with fighting. I ran off after him, knowing that going out there might be suicide, but I also let him out in the first place. I should have known better. He'd see all the fighting going on around him, and, well…" he looked away. "That's exactly how it happened, right?"

The silence hung for a moment before Janine shifted in her seat, gaze returning to the front. "I'm… sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's easy to make that mistake with everything going on. Are you going to talk to him?"

… Right. The thought had been in Ash's mind for a while, but her words had brought him to reality. He had been trying to ignore it up until now.

"I… I have to." he admitted. Shifting in his own seat, his eyes turned dull. "I… am still thinking of what to say."

"If anything like this ever happens again, I'm releasing you."

…How much had he meant that?

After another moment of silence, he almost asked her what she would do, but held his tongue. This was his problem. Back in Viridian, Janine had given him advice for an issue that he should have been obligated to fix on his own. Continuing that would get him nowhere. This was his journey, and the other trainers had their own things to worry about.

"I have a day," he finally said. "I might need longer, but I won't procrastinate too much. Before I leave this city, I'm speaking to him in private."

Her lips curved up a bit, although she was still solemn. "Good."

'You should release him.' the bitter voice was back. 'You gave him a warning and said that was it. If you back out on it, you'll just be enabling him.'

'But you need to own up to your own responsibilities.' suddenly it changed tone. 'Are you going to just kick him off the team and pass off all the blame? You'll just keep making mistakes.'

He was grimacing again. 'Stop. Don't think about it now. If you rush the answer you'll regret whatever choice you make.' That sounded like something a wiser person would say, right?

Silencing those thoughts for now, he looked back at Janine, who was staring ahead again. Deciding not to fill the void with small talk, he sat back and did the same.

A few moments later, the car stopped. The glass window in front of them rolled down as the woman turned her head to face them.

"Alright you two, we're here."

/

"I don't have the time to spend too long on this, because with all due respect, there are a lot more important things for me to worry about right now. But there was a disturbing detail regarding you two in the report I read last night, and I needed to address it in person."

He and Janine were seated side by side in a fairly sizable office. Sitting across the desk was the grass type Gym Leader herself, hands folded over the surface with a stack of papers pushed to the side near a computer monitor. The large window behind her offered an attractive view of the daytime skyline.

Erika's facial expression was somewhat forced, a fatigue in her eyes just barely unnoticed by Ash (but not by Janine) as a mug of hot coffee steamed beside her arms. Nevertheless, her gaze bore right into them, with no signs of her breaking concentration anytime soon.

It was Janine who spoke first. "Leader Erika, we-"

"I, Janine." the Gym Leader interrupted. "You two are professionals now. Neither of you will speak for the other." The purple haired girl suppressed a flinch, offering a submissive nod to the grass specialist before straightening her posture a bit further. Although Erika's usual exotic scent filled his nose as the woman leaned forward a bit, Ash was too focused on her tone of voice and body language to enjoy it. "I ran into the two of you personally yesterday." she reminded. "And I told you to get to my forces immediately. You remember that, don't you?" a nod from both. "...I'm sure you can understand why it was troubling to read that you fled from police custody in the middle of a warzone."

Ash gulped a bit. The casually soothing, newcomer friendly aura that the woman usually gave off was gone now. Instead, he was reminded of the way his mother had talked to him after finding the remnants of the decoration he had accidentally broken hidden beneath the couch.

"It was me." he quickly stated, hoping to get Janine out of a scolding, but remembering to speak only for himself as the Gym Leader ordered. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Look me in the eye, Ash." Jolting, Ash hadn't realized his gaze had been traveling downward.

"S-Sorry! I.-" he stopped himself. Mercifully, Erika gave him a chance to catch his breath before he continued. Although Janine remained still, her eyes briefly moved to him, but she said nothing before locking eyes with Erika once more. "I'm the one at fault. Your report probably says this already, but one of my teammates ran off while the police were in the middle of rescuing us. I realized he was gone and went after him."

Sympathy passed over Erika's features, but the sternness in her voice didn't subside. "Yes, it did say that. I'm sorry about what happened." she leaned a little bit further again. "Tell me, Ash: Would you have had a better chance at rescuing your friend by going off alone, or telling the authorities that are trained for this?"

Ash didn't respond. The scoldings he'd received from Delia had taught him all about rhetorical questions.

"That goes for you too, Janine." Erika's eyes zeroed in on his friend. "Were you making a difference following after Ash? Or were you just giving the League forces another innocent they needed to rescue?" As Janine's eyes began to travel downward, the Gym Leader's finger trapped at the desk. "I'm up here." Quickly, the girl muttered an apology as she forced her gaze upwards again. "I want to make something perfectly clear, you two." she looked between them. "I expect all three of you to take responsibility for this. Ash's teammate, and both of you. It doesn't matter where the domino was, your reactions let the row keep falling." her fingers drummed the desk. "Team Rocket has been a poisonous thorn digging into Indigo's side for years now. We may have always had the upper hand, but it's required everything to maintain that, and they've still claimed no shortage of victims despite everything. Our responsibility during these incidents is to put a stop to the enemy while keeping all bystanders as safe as humanly possible, and when the two of you go off and make that second part more difficult for us, you risk compromising something that's far bigger than both of you combined. And in this case, you disobeyed a direct order from a Gym Leader." her eyes turned to Ash. "Professor Oak, who to my knowledge you are somewhat associated with, is already important to this for reasons I cannot disclose to you. I'm going to have to talk to him anyway, and if I wanted to, I could easily bring you up as well." Ash's heart rate increased. The mention of the Professor's name very briefly brought discomfort to him, as she remembered his realization regarding Gary, but the current situation drowned it out almost immediately. She turned to Janine next. "You are no different, Janine. Your father and I may not be-" abruptly, she cut herself off, finally breaking eye contact as she pushed a strand of hair behind her, but the reprieve was miniscule, and soon her gaze was locked with the poison specialist again. "The point is, he's still one phone call away."

Janine's face instantly lost every shade of color to it, her widening eyes freezing in place, fading of life. After sparing as quick of a glance as he could from the corner of his eye, Ash almost turned to her in worry as her body began to tremble.

A raised hand from Erika settled them both, although the purple-haired girl still took a deep breath as the complexion gradually returned to her. "Look…" she allowed her expression to minisculely soften, and her voice seemed to be doing something of similarity. "I know why you two did what you did. Your mind doesn't work right when you're in a panic, and you do things that you would've realized were out of the question under any other circumstances. I don't want either of you to think that I don't understand that." with mercy, she leaned back a bit, but not entirely. "But if that's going to be prevented in the future, then you both need to hear it from somebody as soon as possible. That's why I needed to see you in person. Do you both understand me?" Trying to keep straight faces, the two children nodded back at the Gym Leader. At the adult. "Are you sure?" she persisted. Two more nods. After a few moments of silence, she nodded in satisfaction, leaning back in full. "Good. That's all the time we have, then. The two that brought you here will bring you back to the Pokemon Center. I wish you both well."

After reciprocating her words, the two stood and left.

/

"I suppose I should've expected that." Janine stared at the table they were seated at in the Center's cafeteria. The area was decently populated with other guests, much talk of the attack on the museum echoing throughout, but the duo had managed to acquire a spot at the far end. Toxtricity was near their table, alternating between pacing around and sitting, but didn't make a sound. Beside her was a small creature she had identified to Ash as Skrelp, a poison/water type native to Kalos. The mock kelp was currently digging into a small bowl of food on the table.

Ash sat across from them, Tyrunt seated on the table beside him. The dinosaur occasionally looked between Toxtricity and Skrelp, as though he wanted to start a chat, but wasn't in the mood to try. "I… definitely wasn't thinking about it when it happened," he confessed. "I'm just glad she didn't penalize us." she probably would have had the right to.

Janine sipped the water in her hand. "Well… It's over with. We knew what we did wrong." Setting the glass down, she decided to change the subject. As expected, the museum attack had been flooding the news when they had arrived in the lobby. The talk in the cafeteria didn't help. Anything else would do at this point. "So… when are you leaving? I'm probably going to go in two days. Give Ivysaur and Tentacruel a day off once they recover."

He nodded. "I… think I'm doing the same, actually." he scratched his head. "Truth be told, I was originally going to leave today, but that's obviously not going to happen now. And aside from Tyrunt, everyone on my team is still in care. I can't drag them away without any time to recuperate." technically, they would have gotten plenty of rest at the Center already, but he didn't like the thought of going back to business immediately after, without any additional time. Nurse Joy had advised him to put the incident behind him and try to move on, and although he obviously needed to do it, there was no way he'd be able to force it overnight. No doubt she'd agree. They needed to put some distance between the attack and resuming their routine.

…Routine… that would be changing soon.

It felt like forever ago that he had gone to the Department Store with Pikachu and Valiant. He had planned a decent deal when over there, purchasing new TMs and coming up with moves that he planned to teach them without the machines. They hadn't gotten started on any of that yet, and although that would still change, Ash suddenly realized that the manner he approached it with would be different than before.

Tempest's electrified body flashed into his mind. Something needed to be different. The ride back to the Center had been fairly silent, and it had granted the opportunity for the gears to turn in his head. 'Be proactive.' He had remembered telling himself from before.

Maybe if he had done so earlier, this never would have happened? Either things would've gotten better or now, or, if not possible, the moment they boiled over would have been gotten over with?

'Should I have even tried in the first place-' Ash silenced the thought. If there was a right answer, it definitely wasn't that.

Either way, he was going to make sure he found the answer soon. And he wasn't going to wait for it to come to him. Not with the upcoming stage of their journey ahead of them. The battle with Sabrina would be a threshold for things to come. The rematch with Surge that needed to happen at some point, and the eastern side of Kanto, where the harsh wilds of Fuchsia territory would test them as a team and as travelers. They weren't going to be ready if he kept carrying around unanswered questions from before.

"Ash?" blinking, he looked up to see Janine and Tyrunt staring at him. Skrelp was still occupied with her food.

"Sorry, I spaced out." he placed a hand on Tyrunt's head. The dinosaur leaned into his touch, a bit less absentminded than before. That was a good sign. "I guess I'm just thinking of everything to come. We've both gotten through all of the beginner friendly Gyms. I'm not entirely sure what to expect beyond this point, so my mind keeps running."

Janine smiled apologetically. "In that case, I'm sorry I interrupted you. It's a better thing to dwell on."

"Are you thinking about it too?"

She patted. "Hard not to. Most first years aren't going to be at an uncertain point like this already. It makes me wonder if I moved too fast for my own good, but then I'd just be scolding myself for not taking a leap." she sipped her water again. "At the very least, the immediate future is a bit easier to see. Head over to Saffron, and make sure I'm ready for the rest before leaving." setting her glass down, she added. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if my team will be ready for a psychic specialist this early on. That's the obvious downside to being a specialist this early on, but battling her will still benefit me a lot. I need the experience, and I can gauge myself for when I leave Saffron behind."

"So if you lose, you're not going to rematch her right away?" her words immediately made him realize the obvious: that her situation was different than his. He was going after a Gym Leader who wouldn't be as lenient as the previous three that he defeated, while she was facing an opponent that, at her current level of experience, could exploit the obvious type advantage in crippling ways.

"Depends on how I do, I guess. If I come close to winning I'll obviously try again after some regrouping, but if there seems to be a gap, then I'll pocket the experience for later. The main priority is making sure I'm ready for Fuchsia. I'm going there after Saffron either way, even if I don't know which direction I'll take yet.

Right… she could take the long way to Lavender Town, to have more time to train, but also be on the road for a lot longer as a result. Or she could go through Vermillion. Less time on the road, not a smooch time to prepare, but an excellent opportunity to test her progress against Surge, and maybe even get an additional badge out of it. He'd be facing that same question once he got to Sabrina's turf.

"Hey…" as if out of nowhere, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Although she gave him her attention, he suddenly felt his breath in his throat. 'What are you so nervous about? Just ask.' Pushing it down, he continued. "We're both leaving at the same time, and going to the same place, right?" She nodded. The apparent understanding in her features was encouraging. "Would it be alright if my team and I tagged along with you? Just for the time being?" He was pleasantly surprised at how naturally the question had slipped through his lips.

Janine's grin was back. "Sure!"

/

"Have you no shame?!" Despite the unnecessary (and taxing) nature of it, Valiant couldn't resist the mental shout as he lunged forward. Nebula's wings, holding him back from going any further, were the only things keeping him from throttling the Krabby in front of him as the rest of the team looked on.

They had been medically cleared not too long ago, and were placed inside of a white room waiting for their trainer to pick them up. Most were happy to see one another, but there had been an exception.

Valiant struggled against Nebula's grip, but was reminded of the Staravia's physical superiority with every strain. Eevee stood behind, watching her best friend in concern after briefly sending the water type a dirty look. Pikachu was closer to Tempest, ready to jump in if the river crab attempted anything.

In front of Valiant, the Krabby's expression was hard to follow. Clear irritation lined the water type's eyes as Valiant resorted to yelling instead of attacking, but his gaze kept shifting between a glare and a frown. For a moment, he held his pincers up, only to lower them soon after. Not even bothering to look around, the Krabby knew he had no allies. Just additional enemies with better restraint.

"Enough, both of you!"

Turning to the familiar voice, nobody had noticed that the door had opened as Ash walked in. Biting his lip, he took in the scene that was very similar to the one he imagined, before turning to Nebula and Valiant. "Nebula, let go of him. Don't do anything, Valiant."

Four Pokemon and a Krabby.

As the Staravia lowered her wings, Valiant's expression sagged. Although Eevee stayed put, Pikachu quickly raced to his trainer. The smile on the mouse was contagious as Ash reached down to pet his starter.

"Hey there buddy, missed you." Looking up at the rest of the group, he added. "All of you. I'm really glad that you're safe. Tyrunt's still sleeping up in the room, but he shares the thought." expressing how happy he was to see them. That was the easy part. Looking between the group, his face turned serious before his eyes landed on Tempest for a moment. The mixture of expressions on the Krabby's face was unreadable. "Look… I know your emotions are high right now." his eyes shifted to Valiant for a moment, before his attention became more neutral. "But that's enough. You've made your point. I know I keep saying it, but I mean it most now. I need you to leave this to me." he could tell that Valiant was about to protest, so his eyes formed into a glare. "I'm the trainer here. Let me do what I'm supposed to, Valiant. If you pick a fight, you'll just get a quick bit of catharsis and another trip to Nurse Joy moments after getting cleared. I'm telling you to stand down, and I mean it."

His heart shattered as the Kirlia flinched at his tone. Was this how Delia always felt when scolding him? He must have given her more practice than he realized.

His expression softened just enough to remain neutral as he looked between the team. "Listen, all of you. I know what Tempest did. I know what it led to. I'm not going to tell a soul here not to be mad at him. But this can't continue. And I've made a mistake letting it. The other day taught me that. Frankly, you should be mad at me as well. I've trained you all to reach the point we've gotten too, and I'll always be proud of that, but I've been a poor leader. My indecisiveness is just as responsible for what happened as anything Tempest could have done." At his feet, Pikachu's ears drooped, but the electric type said nothing. "That's part of why I don't want any of you doing anything rash with him." Tempest's posture shifted as Ash's eyes briefly fell on him. "The other reason is… well, I can't keep being like that. I want things to change, and I need to make them." he took a moment for his words to sink in. "We'll be taking the day off, leaving tomorrow. We won't be alone; Janine's going to be with us for a while." that got a few of them to perk up. "Apart from Tempest, you all remember when we were with Misty. Until further notice, there's going to be a whole other team of six on the road with us. I expect you to get along with them. And that means each other." sighing for a moment, he gestured towards the door. "Tempest, stay here. The rest of you wait outside. A nurse is out there too, she'll tell me if any of you tried to listen in."

Without argument, the four Pokemon exited the room in a single file. Frowning, Valiant lingered behind for a moment. Locking eyes with Ash, he followed the others after a nod from his trainer.

Closing the door behind him, a deep sigh he hadn't fully realized he'd been holding in escaped Ash. The mood didn't approve as he turned his gaze to one remaining occupant.

Tempest hadn't said a word as his trainer approached. Rather than crouching down, Ash sat cross-legged on the floor, locking eyes with his teammate. What had once been a burnt and bruised outer shell just less than two days ago was now perfectly clean, as though nothing had ever happened. The sight of the Krabby's pupils staring back into his made his throat lock up for a moment, and it took a lot longer for him to start talking than he wanted.

"There are some things that I probably shouldn't even need to say, but I'm going to anyway." Ash did his best to keep himself stern, as though a single voice crack would knock over a stack of blocks. "You and I almost got everybody killed. I'm not going to make an excuse for myself, so I better not hear you talk." Slowly, Tempest's gaze began to shift. "My eyes are over here." It might have been Erika speaking in the back of his mind. Ash almost regretted saying it as Tempest reaffirmed his gaze. This was so much easier when their gazes weren't locked.

"Tempest… do you want to be a part of this team?" A confused gurgle escaped the river crab's throat, as though Ash had asked a ridiculous question. Almost faltering, the rookie continued. "I did not say "do you want to travel with me". I said, do you want to be on our team? Are you even? You've always thought about what you wanted, and I've tried to give you it, but how much am I taking from everybody else." The Krabby's silence was taken as an indication to continue. "Nobody wants you here right now." he struggled to lower the sternness of his voice without sacrificing it, and might have slipped up. "I know what everybody out there is thinking." briefly, he pointed to the door. "Pikachu wants me to release you. Nebula wants me to release you. Eevee wants me to release you. Valiant wishes I never caught you in the first place. Like I said, I shouldn't need to say some of this. You already know, don't you?"

The signature dismissiveness that he had come to associate with the water type had not fully dissipated. Ash could see that clearly. But Tempest was showing something that he had thought mutually exclusive to the Krabby. He couldn't tell if it was guilt, but it was the kind of frown he would have seen from anybody else on the team.

"So…" he forced himself to press. "How does that make you feel? You don't care, right? You never came here to interact with them anyway. You're a tagalong who likes to fight. You never came to share meals with anyone. Or practice with anyone. Or strike up a conversation before bedtime. You train on your own, you learn new moves on your own, you use them on our opponents. All on your own. That's what you've always thought, right?" The krabby's expression grew a bit more even, both the frown and the dismissiveness having evaporated. There was no aggression, or frustration. "So, it's like I've asked before. Are you their teammate? Are you contributing to this group in any way other than helping us win our battles, and then going off in your own world in between bouts?" he chewed his lip for a moment. He needed a break, but didn't give himself as much time as he felt he wanted. He couldn't pause for too long. "Or is it how it's been since the start? Since the way I've let it be?" Tempest's gaze shifted downward. This time, Ash let him.

The boy's hand rested on the Krabby's head. "I don't want to feel the way everyone else does. I don't want the others to keep feeling that way, either. But what place do I have telling them to change their minds? More importantly, what reason do I even have? They were never the problem. We were." his hand slid off as Tempest looked back up at him. "One way or another, I need to get an answer out of you. Or I'll have to determine the answer for myself. I've let things continue the way they've been for a good while now, hoping to let nature run its course. And that's why I've been a poor leader. I wanted to run from a choice I didn't want to deal with. Thinking that if I waited long enough, I eventually wouldn't have to worry about my options. That whatever problems that were currently present would either magically go away, or fix themselves." he shook his head. "I won't do things the easy way anymore. I'll leave you be today. But tomorrow, when we're finally back on the road, ready to make that museum a memory, things are going to change. I am warning you now, so that you can't say I didn't. I've had a whole day to think it over, and I already know what I'm going to do. I know how the others are going to react, too. How you respond is going to be what gives me your answer. And that's how I'll make my decision. Do you understand, Tempest?"

It took a moment, and Ash almost repeated the question with more strength in his voice, when the Krabby finally nodded. As the boy stood up, the river crab took it as a sign to focus on the exit, although he didn't move immediately.

"It's like I said before. I'm the trainer here. You're my responsibility, and I'm responsible for every mistake you make. I'm also responsible for how I correct them. Keep that in mind."

He tried to steady his quickening heart as he led Tempest out of the room.

/

Ash's muscles relaxed as Suzie's hand rested on his shoulder. The last day had come and gone uneventfully, the team relaxing and engaging in small talk while avoiding the news on television. Ash and Janine had both wanted to pay the breeder one last visit before heading off in the morning.

"I've already asked Janine this, but are you sure you're doing fine?" her concerned voice had a warming tone to it. It certainly helped.

Ash looked up at the woman after briefly observing Valiant and Eevee chatting with Vulpix. "It's not easy," he confessed. "But I think I'm going to be. I'm sorry if you were worried."

She shook her head. "The fact that you're all in one piece is enough for me. You'll visit next time you're in town, right?"

He beamed. "Definitely. I wouldn't consider otherwise." looking back at his two teammates, he added. "And I'll make sure Valiant is taken care of too. Along with everyone else. I've made mistakes, but I'm going to keep them in good hands from now on."

As she thanked him, the Kirlia in question appeared in front of her, leaning into her touch as she patted his head one last time. "Make sure you do this same for him, okay Valiant?" As Eevee looked on, more cheerful than before, Ash knew he couldn't hear whatever response Valiant gave the woman. He also knew he didn't need to.

"Alright, you two." he looked between the Kirlia and the evolution Pokemon. "There's still plenty more of the world out there. If the road gets too rocky, we'll punch it smooth." Valiant simply nodded at him, but Eevee's eyes were flaring.

Nobody had forgotten what happened here, but normalcy hadn't been fully lost. It just needed some time to recover.

Janine perked up as he led the two Pokemon outside. Although her expression was somewhat easygoing, and had made room for a small grin, there was still a certain seriousness to her. Whether it had gone as planned or not, the break was over, and business was resuming.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked while looking between the trio. Beside her, Ivysaur rose from his sitting position.

Mimicking her expression, Ash looked her in the eye and nodded. "More than ever."

Her grin widened just enough to convey a reaction. "Good." closing a bit of the distance between them, she extended a hand. "Then we're partners for now." As Ash accepted her hand, the poison specialist's grip turned firm. Tight. No aggression, no leniency. It took him a moment or two, but he mirrored that as well.

Of all things that he had gone through in Celadon, the biggest had been retrospect. Realizations that should have already been made, but lost time that he was going to make up for from here on out. New context that he hadn't had any way of having before, but could never forget now. A line was drawn between the first two months of his career, and the remainder of the Season. A remainder that would feel like an eternity, with how much there was still left to do, and the places he and his family still needed to go.

And when they got to Saffron, Sabrina would find out how they had gotten as far as they had, and how they were going to go even further.

/

Silver's dark hood hid his hair as his foot sank into the grass. ALmost completely cloaked by his outfit, he was barely visible under the shrouded night sky. Hermes floated behind him as the agent locked eyes with the Gardevoir.

"Thanks for coming, as always." he nodded politely. Returning the gesture, the psychic reached out, and he accepted the dark-crimson folder in her hand. An air of serenity in his chest, the teen reached out his other arm, placing a hand on her head. "I'll return the message as soon as I'm able." With a satisfied nod, she vanished from sight.

For a moment or two, he and Hermes remained still. The surrounding darkness would have been unnerving for most, but the quiet was comforting. The faint sounds of nature the only things they heard, he almost remained for even longer.

Nonetheless, his calmness uncompromised, he looked at the Sigilyph and nodded. "Let's go back."