Essence

by vincentgrey21

Ash has always wanted to be a pokemon master. When the time comes for him to pick out his first pokemon, he shocks Professor Oak with a peculiar request. One thing leads to another, and he ends up with a loyal Growlithe. How will this unique situation affect the boy's destiny?

10. Kanto 10

A/N: Here's Kanto 10. It's rather transitional and a lot shorter than my other chapters, sitting around 25k, but it gets the job done. Keep in mind that this is the first time that I have managed to post two chapters in one month, so I'm pretty thrilled about it! Also, in order to get this chapter out to you faster, I edited it one less time than normal, so if you see any typos or silly mistakes just PM me. I'd like to know about them as fast as possible, so I can fix them.

Anyways, Enjoy Kanto 10: the Celadon Arc begins!

Kanto 10: Essence

"There they are," whispered Ash in a vengeful manner as he peaked around the corner of a thick, raspy hedge.

He couldn't help but scowl when he got a good look at them. Eating lunch, in the middle of a small clearing, were three rough looking men wearing familiar black jumpsuits. The moment Ash saw the red "R" on their chests, memories of the SS Anne and Saffron exploded within his mind.

It was them.

Team Rocket was responsible for beating up Skylar and stealing her eevee. Even before he had confirmed it, Ash had a feeling that it was them. At this point, he had been around Team Rocket enough to understand that this was the kind of thing that they were capable of. A heartless crime like injuring a little girl and stealing her pokemon had Team Rocket's name written all over it.

Holding a finger up to his lips, Ash turned around and beckoned Growlithe and Clefairy to stay quiet. The Rockets appeared to be in the middle of a conversation. Maybe, if he listened carefully, he could pick up some important information.

…It was worth a shot.

"Damn, this shit's good!" blurted the largest of the Rockets, digging into a juicy slab of meat. "Better thank the leader when we get back to base. Tauros' meat is the friggin' best."

"Psht, once the leader sees what we've got for him, he should be the one thanking us," snorted one of the other Rockets.

This one looked significantly younger than the others. If Ash had to guess, he would say that he was probably in his late teens.

"Shut the hell up, boy!" hissed the third and most rugged looking Rocket. "Petrel doesn't have to thank us for shit!"

Out of all three of them, he stood out the most. Judging by his craggy and weather-beaten face, Ash assumed that he was the oldest out of all of them. He had long, shaggy, brown hair that looked like it had never been combed, and his eyes were cold and devilish. Ash didn't know how, but he could tell that the man could kill at a moment's notice.

"Yeah," added the heavy Rocket as he used his sleeve to wipe his face, "he'd kill you if he knew you'd said that. Executive Petrel may seem chill, but he's a friggin' monster when you make him mad."

He paused as he gestured toward the coarsest of the three Rockets, "Ask Reggie. He's been a part of Petrel's division since way before Team Rocket went into hiding. He could tell you some real messed up stories about the leader, stuff that'll make the shit we did to that girl sound like child's play."

Ash clenched his fists in anger. He didn't like the way that the Rockets were talking so casually about what they had done to Skylar. He wanted to knock them all out then and there, but he knew that wouldn't be a good idea.

Right now, they were talking about a Team Rocket executive. If this Petrel was even half as dangerous as Ariana, Ash's decision to listen in on the grunts' conversation could become extremely beneficial to the League…

"Really!?" questioned the young Rocket with excitement in his voice. "Is he really that ruthless!?"

"Dammit, Fargus…" groaned the Rocket known as Reggie, "just because I told you thosestories, doesn't mean I have to share them with a brat as green as this little shit."

"Ahh, come on, Reg, what's the harm?" questioned the heavyset Rocket. "Like it or not, the kid's one of us."

"One of us, eh?" queried Reggie. "You sure about that?"

He paused as he gave the youngest Rocket a menacing glare, "He looks like a stupid, sadistic little twat to me. In my opinion, none of these new recruits have the brains to be real Rockets."

"Hey!" scoffed the teenager, clearly offended, "I may be sadistic, but I'm not stupid. Do you think Executive Petrel would have handpicked me to be a part of your squad if I was retarded?"

"What the hell are you bragging about?" asked Reggie with one eyebrow raised. "We're friggin' grunts: henchmen of the executives and fodder to the Boss. We do the dirty work while the higher-ups reap the benefits. Kid, you don't know a damn thing about this organization, do you?"

"Sure I do," retorted the teen. "I wouldn't have joined Team Rocket if I didn't know anything about them."

"Really…is that what you think?" laughed Reggie as he turned his attention back over to Fargus. "Did you here that, Fargus? The little bastard still thinks that he chose to be a part of Team Rocket. What a friggin' joke!"

Fargus let out a burst of laughter before he responded. "Give the kid a break, Reg. We all thought that at one point."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" asked the young Rocket in a confused manner.

Ash had to admit, he was equally interested in hearing what the eldest Rocket had to say.

"Eh, you'll find out eventually," retorted Reggie with an agitated expression on his face. "This is a topic that I don't like talking about—never have, never will. However, I will enlighten you about something, you little twat…"

"What is it?"

"You're lucky that you ended up in Petrel's division," said Reggie as he took a bite out of the half eaten apple that he had been holding since Ash arrived at the scene. "As long as you don't do anything to cross Petrel, it's the best place for people like us to be. Out of all of the executives, Petrel gives his subordinates the most freedom. Sure, we get orders every once in a while, but most of the time, we're free to wreak havoc as we please."

He paused, "Petrel is nothing like that brainwashing bitch Ariana. He'll let you be an individual as long as you know your place. So, respect him, and you'll be fine. If you don't, I promise you that you'll end up dead. I don't know how he does it, but Petrel always weeds out the little punks that think they're hot shit."

Ash gulped as he listened to the Rocket talk about Petrel. At first, he didn't sound quite as bad as Ariana, but he had a really bad feeling about him. Ash was under the impression that Petrel was rather easy going when unprovoked, but if you got on his bad side, he would crush you without a hint of hesitation.

"I-I understand," stammered the teenager with apprehension in his voice. "I'll make sure to thank Petrel for hooking us up with this meal."

"There you go, Nico!" exclaimed Fargus as he patted him on the back. "I'm glad Reggie was able to talk some sense into you."

"Me too," retorted the young Rocket, known as Nico, as he wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead. "If I died, I wouldn't be able to kill people anymore. That would friggin' suck."

"You really are a twisted little shit, aren't you!?" blurted Reggie, in between laughter, as he pulled a shrunken pokeball out of one of his pockets. "Anyways, we should get going soon. It's about time we got back to the base. Like I said, Petrel doesn't give us orders often. So, when he does, they're always important. I don't know why he wants this eevee so bad, but we better not keep him waiting."

"Gotcha'," said Fargus, standing up from his spot, "I'm done."

"Alright," added Nico, "I'm ready, too."

"Good," retorted Reggie as he stood up and tossed his mostly eaten apple into a nearby bush, "let's go then!"

Ash wasn't surprised when they made no effort to clean up after themselves. Team Rocket was known for having zero regard for the environment. At the moment, it didn't bother him, though. Even if it did, he was already enraged about what they had done to Skylar. They would have to do something utterly atrocious in order to make him any angrier than he already was.

The moment that Ash had come across Skylar's beaten body, Reggie, Fargus and Nico's demise was set in stone. By the end of the day, they would be rotting away in a jail cell. Wherever their base was, they would never make it there. He would make sure of it.

Ash detached Pidgeotto's pokeball from his belt as he started to feel Haunter's presence surge to the surface of his shadow. Simultaneously, he pivoted his attention over to Growlithe and Clefairy, signaling to them that it was time to strike.

For a second, he thought about attempting to have Haunter and Clefairy take them all out at once with Hypnosis and Sing, but he decided against it. Chances were pretty high that they had at least rudimentary level mental barriers.

Moreover, Ash wanted them to get a good look at his face as he wiped the floor with them. He didn't just want to beat them, but he wanted to completely humiliate them. He wanted them to sit in a jail cell, knowing and understanding that they had been put away by a ten-year-old kid. If that put him at a higher risk then so be it. Right now, he didn't really care. The only thing that mattered to him was making them pay for what they did to Skylar.

"Now!" bellowed Ash as he darted out into the open, immediately grabbing the attention of the three Rockets.

He launched Pidgeotto's pokeball at the group of flustered criminals, causing them to shield their eyes from the sudden eruption of bright light.

"Shit!" screamed Nico as the light subsided and Pidgeotto emerged, flapping his wings with vigor.

The massive avian let out a frightening squawk, causing all three of the Rockets to falter backwards in fear.

"Release your pokemon!" yelled Reggie in a state of panic, trying to be heard over Pidgeotto's loud battle cry. "We're under attack!"

"Pidgeotto, Growlithe, Clefairy!" shouted Ash venomously, "take care of whatever pokemon they release! Haunter, use Mean Look on the Rockets! Make sure they can't escape!"

Ash watched as all three of the Rockets tossed out two pokeballs each. When the pokemon were released, he surveyed them carefully.

The young Rocket, Nico, released a raticate and a spearow. At first glance, both of them appeared to be rather unimpressive specimens. His friends wouldn't have a difficult time with either of them.

The overweight Rocket, Fargus, let out an ekans and a beedrill. Both of them looked like they could end up being problematic if they weren't taken care of immediately. Even though they weren't too intimidating, Ash didn't want to have to deal with the potential of them using status moves to weaken his friends, especially since they were outnumbered.

Last but not least, the roughest looking Rocket, Reggie, released a drowzee and a fearow. They were definitely the two most impressive Rocket pokemon. However, Ash wasn't too worried about them. The drowzee could be taken care of quickly by Haunter, and Pidgeotto would fly circles around the fearow. It was nothing compared to Austin's powerful bird of prey.

All of a sudden, Ash's attention was stolen away by Haunter who emerged from his shadow and emitted a ray of dark purple energy into the sky. It settled above them before expanding into what looked like a large sphere of purple gas. The gas then solidified, gradually sculpting itself into a solitary, closed eye.

If Ash hadn't been the one that had summoned it, he would be mortified. Once the eye had become complete, its purple eyelid snapped open, unveiling a dark purple pupil surrounded by a golden yellow iris and a pitch-black sclera. The eye looked at Ash for a split-second before rotating toward the Rockets and leering down at them.

Mean look was complete. The Rockets weren't going anywhere.

"Dammit!" blustered Fargus amidst the battle that was beginning to unfold. "That kid has a friggin' Haunter!"

"And it used Mean Look!" howled Reggie. "If we want to leave, we have to beat this little bastard! We don't have any other choice!"

"That shouldn't be a problem!" hissed Nico. "He's just a little kid! I'll kill him!"

A smirk crossed Ash's face as he registered the Rocket's threat. His pokemon weren't strong enough for Ash to take him seriously.

Ash's line of sight was drawn away from the Rockets when he felt a surge of heat emerge from his left. What he saw put a smile on his face. Growlithe had already barreled over Nico's raticate with Flame Wheel prior to finishing it off with a devastating Bite/Ember combination.

One down.

Over in the same direction, Clefairy was locked in a battle with Fargus' ekans. She was careful not to get hit by the snake pokemon's repetitive use of Poison Sting as she tried to get in close enough to use one of her physical attacks.

Ash watched as she used Minimize to avoid the purple snake's Bite before winding her fist back and unloading a powerful Pound attack. Once the ekans was knocked off balance, she followed up her Pound with a quick-hitting Double Slap. At this point, Ash pivoted his glance away from Clefairy, she had things under control. He would check on her again in a little bit.

Straight ahead, a one-sided aerial battle was taking place as Pidgeotto was using Agility to toy with Reggie's fearow. If Pidgeotto wanted to, he could end the battle at any moment. However, Ash could tell that he was enjoying himself too much to finish things in a hurry. He hadn't had very many opportunities to battle against other flying-types since leaving Saffron, so regardless of the fearow's mediocrity, Pidgeotto was taking full advantage of the moment.

Ash also noticed that the spearow that Nico had released was grounded and unconscious right below the battle between flying-types. If Ash were to take a guess, he would say that the spearow had tried to interfere in the evolved flying-types' battle, so Pidgeotto had quickly knocked it out while the ten-year-old boy was watching Growlithe and Clefairy.

Whatever the case may be, it didn't really matter to Ash. Both of Nico's pokemon had fallen.

Two down.

Over to his right, Haunter was taking on Fargus' beedrill and Reggie's drowzee at the same time. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered, Ash wasn't worried. Haunter was a stronger specimen than the drowzee, and he had the type-advantage, whereas the beedrill didn't appear to have any attacks that he would consider effective against a ghost-type.

Ash's eyes lit up when he watched Haunter phase out of the corporeal world for a split-second before reappearing directly in front of the drowzee. In concurrence with Haunter's reappearance, the psychic pokemon's typical weary eyes jolted with consternation right before Haunter used one of his fists to deliver a Sucker Punch straight into the drowzee's mug.

Ash winced as the drowzee let out a jarring cry while being sent flying across the clearing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the psychic-type was done for. Ash's hypothesis was confirmed when Reggie's drowzee landed limp and lifeless over by where Growlithe had defeated the raticate. It was apparent that it had been knocked into comatose.

Three down.

In subsequence to the drowzee's defeat, Ash chimed back into the battle between Clefairy and the ekans. A small frown breached Ash's countenance when he noticed a couple of stingers from the ekans' Poison Sting protruding from Clefairy's side.

However, his expression quickly changed as he watched an array of sparkling energy erupt from Clefairy's body, tossing the snake pokemon into a nearby assemblage of shrubbery. The ekans lay battered and unconscious, falling prey to Clefairy's Stored Power.

Four down.

Now that Clefairy's battle with the ekans had subsided, Ash followed her with his eyes as she briskly skipped back over to him. At the same time, he noticed that Growlithe had already returned to his side. The puppy pokemon was watching attentively as Pidgeotto and Haunter engaged in combat against the remaining two Rocket pokemon.

"Dammit!" cursed Reggie, catching Ash's attention.

He surveyed the Rockets. It was obvious that all three of them were aware of their predicament. Nico was trembling with what looked like a combination of fear and fury, whereas Fargus and Reggie were angry and frustrated. They knew that their defeat was imminent. Ash could see it in their eyes.

"Where the hell did this kid come from!?" blustered Fargus. "He's destroying our pokemon!"

"I don't friggin' know!" hissed Reggie, boiling over with anger, "but if we don't do something soon, we're screwed!"

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" screamed Nico as he pulled on his tattered hair with both of his hands. "What the hell are we going to do!? We're done for!"

Ash watched their expressions turn even uglier when he heard a nasty shrill coming from his right. The dark-haired boy shifted his line of sight over to where he had last seen Haunter. The apparition was currently letting out a discordant array of ghoulish laughter as he blasted the beedrill with a wave of ghostly energy, forcing it to the ground and sending it into a coma.

Five down.

"What the hell is that!?" bellowed Fargus.

The ten-year-old boy didn't have to think hard to figure out what the Rocket was afraid of. The moment he heard the sound of the wind howling unnaturally above him, he knew what was going on. Leave it to Pidgeotto to use Twin Tempest in a situation like this.

He shook his head and laughed as he looked down at Growlithe and Clefairy. "Someone's having a little too much fun, eh?"

Growlithe and Clefairy both nodded in an exasperated manner as they looked up at the two swirling, purple twisters.

Following Growlithe and Clefairy's lead, Ash shifted his glance toward the sky. Soaring overhead was Pidgeotto who was using his wings to conjure two average-sized tornados.

Ash had seen bigger, so at least his avian was showing a little bit of restraint, although he wouldn't be mad if he didn't. If any pokemon deserved to experience the full might of Pidgeotto's Twin Tempest, it was one of Team Rockets' debased specimens, albeit the pokemon belonging to Ariana's squad were way more corrupt.

Hovering above the ground, directly below Pidgeotto, was Reggie's fearow. Due to its present positioning, Ash wasn't able to see the look of fear in its eyes as it stared up at the two draconically infused cyclones. However, he didn't have a tough time picturing it in his head. He had witnessed enough pokemon tremble before Pidgeotto's Twin Tempest to easily visualize the fearow's mortified countenance.

"Throw it!" bellowed Ash.

Hearing Ash above the sound of the vicious, hissing winds, Pidgeotto thrusted both of his wings downward, releasing the two pillars of destruction.

"Fearow, get out of there!" yelled Reggie as the tempests began to gain momentum.

Ash sighed as the fearow flapped its wings at an expeditious rate, trying its hardest to get out of the way of Pidgeotto's attack. It didn't have a chance. Its demise was inevitable. A pokemon of its level wasn't strong enough to escape the vacuum-like air current that Twin Tempest produced. It would have to be somewhere close to Pidgeotto's level in order to be capable of something like that, and it definitely wasn't.

When the two Twisters collided with Fearow, Ash winced as he heard a momentary shriek. It lasted for a fraction of a second prior to being drowned out by the sound of the raging wind. After touching the ground, the attack stretched on for a couple of seconds before eventually coming to a stop.

Left in its wake was an unconscious fearow. It lay motionless on the ground with its wingspan sprawled out. The flying-type was encompassed by a surplus of feathers that must have been uprooted from its plumage when it was hit by the cyclones.

Ash felt a slight hint of guilt as he stared at the fearow's immobile body.

Even though it was a Rocket pokemon, it was still a pokemon, and there was no way that it had escaped Pidgeotto's Twin Tempest without taking a considerable amount of damage. Ash doubted that it had accumulated any permanent injuries, but he would still let the Celadon Police Department know that one of his pokemon had beaten it up pretty good. That way, it could get the treatment that it needed in order to make a full recovery.

Six down.

Ash listened to the three Rockets curse amongst themselves as he felt Haunter return to his shadow and watched Pidgeotto land on a patch of dirt next to the Rockets. It was obvious to Ash that Pidgeotto had landed in close proximity to the Rockets in order to intimidate them.

Judging by their trembling appearances, it had worked.

The avian had the king's nature after all. Standing in the presence of such an astonishing beast was overwhelming, especially when you saw what he was capable of in battle. If Ash was in their situation, he would be frightened as well.

...Luckily, he wasn't—

"Hey, kid…" muttered Reggie, catching Ash's attention. "What do you want from us?"

Ash noticed the rugged Rocket's eyes fidgeting like crazy as they anxiously shifted focus between Ash, Pidgeotto and Haunter's Mean Look. The other two Rockets stayed quiet, although Ash could tell that they were just as curious about Ash's motive as Reggie.

"I saw what you guys did to that girl," said Ash, lowering his brow. "I came after you to get her eevee back. She was pretty upset that you took it from her, and there's no way that I am going to let a bunch of scumbags like you get away with something like that."

"I knew we should have killed that little bitch!" hissed Nico, unable to control his animosity.

The other two Rockets ignored him as they wisely continued to focus their attention on Ash

"Ah, I see…" drawled Reggie in a contemplative manner as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a standard pokeball, "so this is what you're after."

"Yup," retorted Ash, nodding his head, "that's it."

An amused smile formed on his face as he witnessed all three of the Rockets jolt when Pidgeotto let out a loud, pressuring squawk. Even though the concept of interrogation didn't bode well with him, Ash had to admit, if he were ever in a position in which he absolutely had to get information, Pidgeotto would be the perfect pokemon to have at his side.

"H-how about this then…" stammered Reggie as his eyes darted back and forth between Ash and Pidgeotto, "if you let us go, I'll hand over the eevee—"

"But, Reg!" blurted Fargus. "That eevee is for Petr—"

"Shut it, Fargus!" interrupted Reggie. "We don't have a choice. You saw what that kid did to our pokemon. He's obviously not an ordinary trainer."

Fargus looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, listening to Reggie.

"I don't really think you're in a position to decide what happens from here on out," inserted Ash adamantly. "I'll be taking the eevee, but I'll also be handing you guys over to the Celadon Police Department. After what you did to Skylar, I can't just let you go free. That wouldn't be right."

"You little shi—!" managed Reggie, taking a compulsive step forward before experiencing a protective outburst from Ash's pokemon.

The Rocket froze in a heartbeat, folding under the pressure of Growlithe's intimidating growl, Clefairy's defensive snarl, Pidgeotto's nefarious squawk and Haunter who had reemerged from Ash's shadow bearing blood-thirsty eyes.

"Kid, I don't think you get it," said Reggie as he tried his best to calm himself down. "I'm trying to do you a favor. "Have you ever heard of an organization called Team Rocket?"

Ash sighed; he could see where this was going.

"Um…yeah," answered the dark-haired boy with a hint of unrest in his voice, "everyone knows about Team Rocket. What's your point?"

"Well, just in case you haven't noticed," said Reggie as he pointed to the red 'R' on his chest, "we're a part of Team Rocket."

"I know…" uttered Ash, scratching the back of his head. "I recognized the black jumpsuits right away. After everything I've been through, grunts like you don't scare me."

All three of the Rockets looked at Ash with incredulous expressions.

"Kid, have you watched the friggin' news lately?!" retorted Reggie, raising his voice. "Haven't you heard about what we did to the SS Anne and Saffron!?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I've watched the news," answered Ash with a frown, "but I do know what happened. I was there…"

"You were…" started Reggie.

"There…" finished Fargus and Nico.

"I was," answered Ash as he adjusted his cap, "and I don't need you three pricks to remind me about what happened."

He paused as he furrowed his brow, "Anyways, if you're trying to scare me into changing my mind, it's not going to work. I know full well what Team Rocket is capable of, but I also know that your leaders won't bat an eye after losing a few grunts."

Reggie scowled as he listened to Ash's words before focusing his eyes back on the pokeball in his hand. "That might be true, but the same thing can't be said about what's in here. Stealing this eevee was a priority mission given to us by our leader. When he finds out that we failed to retain it, he's going to go after it again."

"That may be true," said Ash, "but it doesn't change the fact that it doesn't belong to you. That eevee is Skylar's, so I'm going to return it to her no matter what. At the moment, whatever happens after that is irrelevant to me. I'll worry about it later."

Reggie cursed under his breath as he processed Ash's words. "Shit…I hate righteous bastards like you."

Ash smirked.

"And I hate evil pricks like you."

He glanced down at Haunter. He'd had enough of this, "Haunter, use Hypnosis. Make sure that they don't wake up for a while."

All three of the Rockets took a couple of steps backward before being enveloped in a shroud of ghostly energy. At the same time, Ash noticed that the large, purple eye floating above them was also cloaked in the same shadowy energy. Apparently, a couple of steps was all that Haunter's Mean Look was willing to allow before triggering and stopping them in their tracks.

Subsequently, Haunter let out a burst of cacophonous laughter as he wriggled his fingers, emitting a cluster of bright purple energy. The hypnotic rays drifted across the clearing in the direction of the Rockets, causing their bodies to tremble with terror. Up until the very last second, Ash could see the look of fear in their eyes as the Hypnosis approached them.

When Hypnosis made contact, the Rockets went limp before falling heedlessly to the ground. Ash winced as he heard the thumping sound of their unconscious bodies hit the earth's surface.

"Well, I guess that's that," said Ash to his friends before walking over to Reggie's sleeping body and picking up the lone pokeball that lay next to him.

"It's time I got you back to your trainer," said Ash, directing his words toward the capture-device.

Using his xtransceiver, he called the number to the Celadon Police Department. There was no way that he would be able to get all three of the Rockets to Celadon without help. After all, he was still about a half day's walk from the city. They would need to send a psychic-type with Teleport in order to move all of them at once.

He had a feeling that they would be upset that he went after Team Rocket on his own, but they would get over it when they found out that he had recovered Skylar's eevee.

If he wouldn't have acted, her eevee would have been lost to Team Rocket.

"Ring…"

"Ring…"

"Ring…"

"Click."

XXX

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that what you did wasn't helpful," said Officer Jenny as she leant back in her swivel chair, "but I have no problem saying that what you did was stupid. I remember specifically telling you when we picked up Ms. Worthington to leave the rest to us."

She paused as she let out a deep sigh, "I knew something was off when you didn't accept our offer to teleport you straight to the Pokemon Center."

Ash had to admit, when he made the call about Skylar, he hadn't expected the Chief Jenny of the Celadon Police Department to show up. Moreover, until just a few moments ago, he had no idea that Skylar was the daughter of some big-shot eevee breeder in Celadon.

Apparently, the police had been searching for Skylar for a couple of days before Ash found her. She was the youngest daughter of Ruphus Worthington: one of the richest men in all of Celadon. Ash had never heard of him before now, but according to Officer Jenny, his name was well-known throughout all of Kanto.

In addition to the fact that Skylar was the daughter of a famous breeder, Ash was also surprised to find out that she wasn't a legitimate pokemon trainer. Despite all of the trainer gear that he had found at her ruined campsite, she was just a girl that had ran away from home because her family was overprotective, and she wanted to see the world.

When she ran away, she took the only offspring of her family's two most impressive and acclaimed eevee with her, hoping that she could raise it to become her starter.

Ash figured that the moment Team Rocket found out that she had gone missing, they made her their target, strategically using the unusual circumstances as an opportunity to steal a rare pokemon with extraordinary genes…

"Maybe it was stupid," retorted Ash in a serious manner, "but if I hadn't done what I did, Team Rocket would have gotten away with that eevee. There's no way that I was going to sit back and let that happen."

"Do you honestly believe that?" questioned Jenny, folding her arms.

She shifted her line of sight over to Growlithe who sat loyally by his trainer's side before giving Ash a dirty look, "He's a fine looking pup, kid, but you're not the only person with a Growlithe. We would have tracked them down eventually."

"…Eventually would have been too late," replied Ash with a frown as he surveyed Officer Jenny's tidy desk.

It reminded him a lot of his favorite Officer Jenny's desk. Other than a chrome nameplate, the only other thing sitting on top of it was a framed photograph, consisting of the same family picture that he had seen resting on top of the other Jenny's desk.

The rest of her office was nearly identical to his favorite Jenny's as well. It was a lot bigger, probably due to the fact that she was stationed in a major city. However, there were minimal pieces of décor, and overall it had the same businesslike feel.

Ash had to admit, sitting across from Officer Jenny felt nostalgic. When they first started talking, he half expected her to tell him a heartfelt story about a squirtle that had been abandoned by his trainer, causing him to hate humans and take out his deeply suppressed anger on the citizens of the town that he had been deserted in…

"What do you mean?" asked Jenny as she rested her elbows on her desk.

"I listened in on a conversation they were having before I attacked them," said Ash as he reached down and softly ran his fingers through Growlithe's tuft. "They were about to take Skylar's eevee back to their base. Apparently, they were under strict orders to get it back to their leader as soon as possible."

Jenny's eyebrows raised as she appeared to be intrigued about something he had said.

"Did you happen to catch their leader's name?" queried Jenny, folding her hands.

"I did," said Ash with a smirk as he sat up in his chair, triggering an expression out of Jenny that portrayed that she was interested.

He paused as he quickly thought over how much he should share.

"How much do you know about Team Rocket's structure and ranks?" questioned Ash, taking control of the conversation.

Jenny's eyes widened. It was evident that she was shocked by Ash's question.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," repeated Jenny in a serious manner. "This conversation just took a strange turn. Who the hell are you? And why do I get the feeling that you know more about Team Rocket than I do?"

"I'm not some secret League agent if that's what you're thinking," said Ash in between laughter. "I'm just a pokemon trainer that's had an extremely interesting first year."

Ash paused as Jenny breathed a large sigh of relief. He was under the impression that she had just had a moment of apprehension. She probably thought he was some sort of League inspector, checking to see if the Celadon Police Department was running smoothly.

"Anyways, how much do you know about Team Rocket?" asked Ash. "What has the League revealed to the Kanto Police?"

She sat back in her chair as she took a moment to think, "Why should I discuss Rocket related matters with a kid? If you're not a part of the League, how do you know so much?"

Ash shrugged. He didn't mind sharing a little bit about what he had been through over the past couple of months. Granted, he wouldn't tell Jenny that much, just enough to push the conversation in the direction that he wanted it to go.

"I was in Saffron when everything with Team Rocket went down," said Ash. "I learned a lot about them while I was there."

"Oh…" drawled Jenny with a frown, "I understand. I'm sorry to hear that. A kid your age should never be exposed to a catastrophe like that one."

"It is what it is," retorted Ash with a straight face.

There was a moment of silence as Jenny appeared to be deciding whether or not to trust him.

"To answer your question from earlier," said Jenny, electing to at least temporarily comply with Ash. "The Kanto Police learns more about Team Rocket every day. At the moment, I'm aware that the Boss and his/her executives are the members that we really need to worry about. There are a multitude of lesser ranks, but the League typically just refers to them as grunts."

"Sounds about right," answered Ash with a slight nod. "The reason why I asked you that was because I wanted you to understand exactly what kind of leader the group of Rockets that I dealt with was talking about."

"And...?"

"They called him Executive Petrel," spat Ash with a scowl. "According to one of the Rockets, he leads an entire division of grunts. I witnessed the strength of an executive while I was in Saffron. They're nothing like grunts. Their Pokemon are way more corrupt, and they are formidable enough to go toe-to-toe with most gym leaders' true teams."

The moment Ash said the name Petrel, Officer Jenny's countenance changed. It went from intrigued to appalled in the blink of an eye.

"P-petrel," stammered Jenny, "D-did you say Petrel?"

Ash nodded his head. It was apparent that Officer Jenny was familiar with the name.

"I knew something was weird about that guy," said Jenny, "but never in a million years would I have guessed that he was a Team Rocket executive."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash in a curious manner. "How do you know him?"

"I've known Petrel for a while," replied Officer Jenny with a sour expression on her face. "He's been the manager over at the Game Corner for nearly five years. Ever since he took over, the place has been just as big of an attraction as the Department Store."

She paused as she placed her hand on her forehead, clearly frustrated, "However, since he's been here, the crime rate in Celadon has skyrocketed. For the longest time, I thought it was just a coincidence, but lately there's been some really strange activity throughout the city, especially within the Game Corner."

"Like what?" asked Ash as he leaned forward in his chair.

"All kinds of bizarre stuff," said Officer Jenny exasperatedly. "There's been rumors that League money has been laundered by the Game Corner. Petrel has been raffling off incredibly rare pokemon and items. The workers have become more aggressive. And, a lot of pokemon trainers have reported their pokemon having been stolen in the area."

She shook her head, "I've been trying to get a search warrant for months, but the League has yet to issue me one."

"Well, what do you have to do to get one?" asked Ash impatiently, "because there's a good chance that there is a Team Rocket hideout somewhere in the Game Corner. After listening to everything that you just told me, it makes perfect sense."

"Dammit," cursed Officer Jenny under her breath, "it does, doesn't it?"

She paused as she cleared her throat, "In order to get a search warrant, we would need a League Official with the authority of a Gym Leader or higher to give us approval to do an official investigation."

"That doesn't sound that difficult," said Ash. "Why don't you just ask for Erika's approval?"

She let out a sigh that oozed annoyance.

"Trust me, I've tried," groaned Officer Jenny, "but Erika thinks I'm just being paranoid. You see, the Game Corner's staggering success brings in a lot of revenue for the city. Much like the Celadon Department Store, the city relies a lot on the tourists that the Game Corner brings in. No matter how corrupt Petrel is, there's no denying that since he started running the Game Corner, we've seen a massive boost in our economy."

"Okay…" drawled Ash, "but what does all of that have to do with getting a search warrant."

"Well," replied Officer Jenny with a sigh, "our beloved gym leader thinks that searching the Game Corner would be stepping on Petrel's toes. And if we don't find anything, not only will it be embarrassing for Celadon as a whole, but it will tarnish her reputation."

She took a breath, "Also, she thinks that it could destroy the city's relationship with Petrel, which would make the issues in Celadon even worse. If you ask me, I'd say she's just being a coward, but it's not like what I think matters in this situation. I don't have the power to override a gym leader's jurisdiction."

"What about another gym leader?" queried Ash, "have you asked anyone else?"

"I've tried talking to a couple other gym leaders," retorted Jenny, "but I didn't have any luck. The Waterflower sisters in Cerulean didn't feel comfortable opposing Erika. Apparently, there's some bad blood between the Waterflower and Mori families."

She paused, "Koga, from Fuchsia, didn't feel like getting involved. Ever since he got destroyed by J.R. Tanner, and missed out on his opportunity to become a part of the Elite Four, Koga's been a real hard-ass. Apparently, it's gotten so bad that nobody's been able to get his badge all season. There's been rumors that he has gone as far as using everstones on his League registered team in order to cheat the system."

Ash gulped; he had been planning on going to Fuchsia after Celadon for a while now. However, if what Officer Jenny said was true, maybe he would have to rethink things. Koga was dangerous enough with a level head. Ash could only imagine what it was like battling him when he was vexed—

Ash shook himself free of his wandering thoughts. He could worry about Koga later. Right now, he was having an important conversation about Team Rocket.

"I've tried calling Blaine on Cinnabar Island multiple times," continued Jenny, "but nobody's answered. And don't even get me started with Giovanni from Viridian. That guy told me that if I ever ask him to belittle another gym leader's authority again, he would make sure that I was stripped of my badge. I swear, there's something wrong with that man. If the word prick had a picture next to it in the dictionary, it would be a portrait of his face."

Ash disregarded Jenny's rant, regarding all of the gym leaders that had chosen not to comply with her request, when an easy solution popped into his head.

"What about Sabrina?" asked Ash with a small smile on his face, "have you tried calling the Saffron Gym?"

"I thought about it," Officer Jenny retorted with a frown, "but I chose not to. I've heard rumors from legitimate sources that Sabrina doesn't deal with issues outside of her jurisdiction, so I figured it would be a waste of time. Besides, I feel like she has her hands full right now cleaning up the mess that Team Rocket made in Saffron."

"Fair enough…" drawled Ash, still smiling. "Under normal circumstances, I would completely agree with you. But, when Team Rocket kidnapped Robert Montgomery and attacked Saffron, they declared war on all of Kanto. Even Sabrina is able to see that. She'll issue us a search warrant, I promise."

"You sound pretty confident, kid," said Officer Jenny in a skeptical manner. "What makes you so sure?"

"Sabrina may be a bit odd," retorted Ash matter-of-factly, "but she's not the monster that everyone makes her out to be. I guarantee you that she'll help us out. We just have to ask nicely."

"I never said she was a monster," replied Officer Jenny. "What I said is that her priority is Saffron, and she doesn't have much interest in the rest of Kanto. Why are you so adamant about asking Sabrina, anyways? Do you know her or something?"

"I do," answered Ash with a smirk. "As a matter of fact, we're good friends."

"Friends…" muttered Officer Jenny, obviously surprised, "with Sabrina Marvil, really?"

Yeah," said Ash, facetiously, unsurprised by her response, "Believe it or not, I'm friends with Sabrina Marvil."

He paused for a second to let her soak it in.

"Anyways, even if Sabrina didn't feel like helping us for the sake of Celadon," said Ash as he scratched Growlithe behind the ears, "I have confidence that I could at least convince her to hook you up with a warrant."

Ash watched Jenny physically shake off the surprised look on her face before she responded.

"If that's the case," said Jenny, "go ahead and give her a call. I guess, we have nothing to lose."

"I will," answered Ash with a nod, "but before I do that, I want to go see Skylar at the Pokemon Center. If you don't mind, I'd like to deliver eevee's pokeball to her myself. I don't know why, but something is telling me that I should."

Officer Jenny hesitated for a second before reaching into her pocket and pulling out Eevee's standard pokeball.

"Typically, I wouldn't allow something like this," said Jenny as she let out a sigh and handed the pokeball over to Ash, "but I guess I can make an exception just this once. Even though it was stupid for you to go after Team Rocket by yourself, I can't deny the fact that you have helped us out quite a bit."

She paused for a second as her eyes glanced over at the black, analog clock on the wall, "Besides, those Rockets should be waking up from Hypnosis pretty soon. I'll let you take care of things at the Pokemon Center, and do whatever else there is that you need to do, while I go ask the Rockets some questions. How about you come back again tomorrow around the same time?"

"Are you sure?" queried Ash. "If the Pokemon Center's nearby, I shouldn't be too long. I could probably be back later today if you want."

"There's no need," said Jenny, dismissing Ash with the wave of her hand. "We're not in a rush. I highly doubt that Petrel will do anything drastic within the next twenty-four hours. Go deliver that eevee to Ms. Worthington. When you finish up at the Pokemon Center, go check out the city. Despite all of the crap that we just talked about, Celadon truly is a phenomenal city."

She flashed Ash an outstretched grin, "They don't call it 'The City of Rainbow Colors' for nothing."

Ash nodded before reciprocating her smile.

"You're right," said Ash as he shifted his attention toward Growlithe, who had been rather quiet ever since they entered Jenny's office. "Are you ready for a trip to the Pokemon Center, bud?"

Growlithe let out an affirmative yip as his countenance immediately brightened up.

Ash had a feeling that the reason for Growlithe's quietness was related to fatigue. He'd been busy during their trip to Celadon. Between the battle against the three grunts, Willow's test, his intensive training, and the grind of being on the road for nearly two weeks, it only made sense that he would be exhausted.

Just because the trip to Celadon had provided them with some much needed mental rest, didn't mean that it hadn't been physically exhausting.

"Alrighty then," said Ash as he stood up from his seat and placed the eevee's pokeball in his coat pocket, "I'll be on my way then."

"See you tomorrow, kid," answered Officer Jenny, standing up from her chair in order to shake Ash's hand. "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it," retorted Ash.

After shaking Jenny's hand and uttering another goodbye, Ash locked eyes with his pup.

"Come on, Growlithe. Let's go."

XXX

The trip to the Pokemon Center was short and enjoyable.

On account of all of the chaos that had ensued earlier in the day, Ash hadn't really gotten an opportunity to soak in the beautiful, sunny weather. Moreover, although he had only gotten a chance to see a small section of Celadon's northeastern district, Ash had already come to the conclusion that it was a pleasant place.

It was busy, but the people were friendly, and Ash thought that the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. It wasn't quite as alluring as Cerulean which in Ash's opinion was still the most captivating city he had been to. However, after taking into account its size and unmatched population, its artistry was rather impressive.

The architecture that he had walked by was grand, modern and intricate, whereas the streets were immaculate and well designed. Obviously, during his short walk, he had only seen a minimal portion of the city. But, based off of his first impression, he could see why so many people chose to live in Celadon.

Everywhere he looked, Ash saw fun, entertaining things to do. On just about every block, there was an enthralling park that was full to the brim with lush greenery, and although they weren't in the heart of Celadon, there were tons of interesting shops and appetizing restaurants.

Unlike Saffron, the traffic in the streets was well managed. At no point did Ash ever feel overwhelmed, which said a lot. He liked cities, but often times their immensity and bustling atmosphere got the best of him.

Celadon was different, though. Even Growlithe seemed to be relaxed. Granted, his social anxiety wasn't what it used to be, but just because his angst had diminished didn't mean that he was comfortable in large cities with heavy populations.

The city's appeal and Growlithe's composed disposition almost made Ash forget that Team Rocket operated within the city's shadows.

The looming thought of Team Rocket's presence in the city left a part of him unsettled. He didn't quite know how to explain it. It kind of felt like a good dream that he knew was going to abruptly end in the near future. Ash had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that his outlook on Celadon was going to eventually take a turn for the worst. It was just a matter of time…

Anyhow, now that Ash and Growlithe had reached the Pokemon Center, the dark-haired boy's nerves had started to kick in. He wasn't quite sure what kind of scene he would be walking into. At this point, he was sure that Skylar's family had been notified that the Police Department had found her, so it was highly likely that there was a dramatic spectacle unfolding in the Medical Wing.

Ash had spent enough time at the pokemon center in Saffron – after the devastating battle against Team Rocket – to know that a pokemon center's medical wing was a place where emotions flew high. Of course, a lot more people were affected by the events in Saffron, so he doubted that Celadon's medical wing would be that crazy. Nevertheless, a sliver of him couldn't help but be apprehensive.

Before Ash entered Celadon's pokemon center, he couldn't help but file through his memory bank and compare it to the other centers that he had been to. It had become a habit of his ever since his journey had begun. Pokemon centers were one of the few constants that every major city in Kanto shared. In Ash's opinion, the unique variances in each centers' appearance said a lot about the city that they were in.

"What do you think?" Ash asked Growlithe as he surveyed the Center's exterior. "It kind of reminds me of the pokemon center in Saffron, only way bigger."

Growlithe nodded as his eyes pivoted back and forth, examining the Pokemon Center's humongous size.

Ash wasn't in the least bit shocked by how big Celadon's pokemon center was. It made perfect sense. They were in Celadon: the most populous city in all of Kanto. It was inevitable that the Pokemon Center was abnormally large. It had to be in order to accommodate for the vast amount of people that filtered in and out of it.

Still, although he had expected something of the sort, it didn't change the fact that it was impressive. In terms of size, the rest of the centers he had visited paled in comparison. Ash couldn't even begin to estimate how much money it must have costed the city to build a pokemon center as large as Celadon's.

As he approached one of the multiple sets of large, glass, automatic doors, Ash examined some of the Center's finer external details.

Its design was fairly similar to the pokemon center in Saffron. It was modern and built in the shape of an oversized cube. The two most notable features were its large pink roof that staggered upward into what looked like an artificial plateau and the plethora of large, gleaming windows that wrapped around the whole building.

Overall, its design wasn't anything out of the ordinary. If it weren't for the Center's gargantuan size, Ash wouldn't have spent nearly as much time looking it over. Once he was finished checking out the outside of the Center, Ash passed through the automated doors and into the building.

Upon entrance, he was excited to find that the Center wasn't that busy. Based off of its size and the city's population, he was expecting it to be a madhouse. Luckily, it wasn't. Maybe he had just shown up at a good time.

Even though it wasn't as busy as he had expected, it was by no means empty. There were still plenty of trainers scattered about the lobby, using the Center's standard, assorted amenities.

He saw a large group of trainers hanging out in the lounge, watching something on the large flat-screen TV that was suspended on the wall in front of them. There was another heap of people using the PC's over to the left of the front desk, while there was a small group of trainers utilizing the video phones on the right side of the front desk.

As he ambulated over to the Center's front desk, Growlithe following him at his hip, one of the things that stood out to Ash the most were the multiple, large directional signs that hung from the ceiling, guiding visitors to the different parts of the Center that they needed to get to. It wasn't unusual for pokemon centers to use a system such as cascading signs to direct traffic, but the sheer abundance of them is what caught Ash's attention.

Excluding the medical wing, most pokemon centers had maybe three or four wings that were freely accessible to all visiting trainers. Those wings didn't tend to differ too much.

All pokemon centers were required to have a cafeteria wing, a trading wing and a lodging wing. Sometimes, depending on the city, a pokemon center could have a recreational wing – full of games, movies and other fun things for trainers to do during their free time – or a fitness wing, where trainers could use state of the art equipment to exercise.

However, from what Ash could tell by surveying all of the Center's signs, there were at least twice as many wings as usual, branching off from the main lobby.

There were two of everything. Ash saw two signs that led the way to two different cafeteria wings—one labeled Cafeteria A and one labeled Cafeteria B. Likewise, there were two lodging wings and two trading wings. Surprisingly, there were even two recreational wings and two fitness wings.

In Ash's opinion, it was overkill. Despite Celadon's enormous population, Ash had a tough time believing that it was necessary for the Pokemon Center to have duplicate wings. He could maybe justify the need for two lodging wings and two cafeteria wings when things were really busy, but two recreational wings, well...that just seemed like a waste.

"I feel like I'm at a resort," said Ash to Growlithe as they got in back of the short line to see Celadon's Nurse Joy. "It kind of reminds me of a less fancy SS Anne."

The puppy pokemon let out a quiet, affirmative bark as he looked up at Ash with agreeable eyes.

It only took about five minutes for Ash to get through the line to the front desk. Waiting for him was a smiling Nurse Joy and a couple of chansey who looked at him with welcoming expressions on their faces.

"Welcome," said Nurse Joy in a soft, sweet tone of voice. "How may I help you?"

"I've got to deliver something to one of your patients," retorted Ash with a friendly smile as he reached into his back pocket, grabbing his pokedex before placing it on the counter. "Also, I need a room, and I have a couple of pokemon that I would like to have treated by a restoration machine."

"What's the patient's name?" asked Nurse Joy as she took his pokedex and placed it in the dock that was connected to the front desk's computer.

"Skylar Worthington," answered Ash as he sifted through the pokeballs on his belt, trying to decide who needed medical attention.

"Ah, yes, Ash Ketchum…" drawled Nurse Joy, using the keyboard to type something into the computer, "I've been expecting you."

"You have?" asked Ash in a curious manner.

"Mhm…" answered Joy as she reached into a drawer and removed a room key, "the Chief Jenny at the police department called the Center to let us know that you would be coming. Ms. Worthington's hospital room is being guarded by security, so Officer Jenny had to ask permission to let you in."

"Oh, okay," said Ash, nodding his head, "that makes sense. I figured that the Center would provide security after what happened."

"Yup," replied Joy with a smile. "By the way, Officer Jenny told me what you did. It was really stupid…but brave. Thank you, Kanto's had enough tragedies as of late. If it weren't for you, Ms. Worthington may have lost her life. Her injuries were brutal. If you wouldn't have found her when you did—"

"It was nothing," said Ash, cutting her off. "I just did what I though was right."

He didn't want to hear her finish. Death wasn't something that he liked to talk about, especially as of late. For a kid his age, he had been exposed to way too much of it.

Most ten-year-olds were under the assumption that they were immortal. Death was a concept that they were so far removed from that it almost didn't seem real.

That wasn't the case for Ash, though. To him, death was a very real thing. Sid, Reid, Jack...Chance Chapman—all names of people he had once known whose lives were snatched away from them like it was nothing.

"Is something wrong?" asked Nurse Joy. "Did I say something that bothered you? You look a little flushed."

"Oh, no, I'm fine," lied Ash as he detached Ivysaur, Pidgeotto and Clefairy's pokeballs from his belt and handed them over. "Anyways, I'm going to check in these three and..."

He paused as he removed Growlithe's empty pokeball from his belt before shifting his attention towards his pup, "I'm going to check you in as well. I think it would be good for you, since you've been so tired today."

Growlithe hesitated for a second before nodding. Even though he liked the pokemon centers' restoration machines, he was never a fan of leaving Ash's side. Ash knew it; he could see the reluctance in his eyes.

"Don't worry," said Ash with a smile. "It won't be long. Besides, I'll still have Haunter, Wartortle and Charmeleon with me. They'll look out for me while you're gone."

Growlithe seemed to relax a bit right before Ash returned him. The dark-haired boy had to admit, Growlithe's loyalty was always reassuring. He couldn't explain how nice it was to have a friend that was so hell-bent on being there to protect him.

"Aww…" drawled Nurse Joy, "that was adorable. What a loyal Growlithe, I can tell you take good care of him."

"Thanks," said Ash as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head prior to handing Growlithe's pokeball over to Nurse Joy.

Ash watched as Nurse Joy took the four pokeballs that he had given her and placed them in a metal tray with six slots—enough for a full team. Once they were all secure, she handed them over to one of the two assistant chansey who smiled before shuffling through the door to the Medical Wing.

The second Ash took his eyes off of the chansey and focused them back on Nurse Joy, she placed the room key on the counter.

"Here's the key to your room," said Nurse Joy with a smile. "Your room number is A53."

She paused as she gestured toward the other chansey, "Now that we have taken care of all of that, I'll have Lucky take you back to see Ms. Worthington."

"Okay, sounds good," said Ash, walking around the front desk in preparation to follow the jolly looking chansey named Lucky.

"I'll buzz security to let them know that you're here," added Jenny as she reached for the phone on her desk. "Lead the way, Lucky."

Lucky flashed Ash a pleasant grin before turning around and heading straight through the door to the Medical Wing.

Ash let out an exasperated sigh before whispering something under his breath.

"Well, this should be interesting."

And on that note, he followed Lucky.

XXX

"Words cannot describe how thankful I am for what you did!" exclaimed the blonde, thin, elegantly dressed woman as she wrapped Ash up in a suffocating hug.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the woman was Skylar's mother. Despite the fact that Skylar's face had been swollen and bruised when Ash had found her, he could still make out several of her features. Her face was cute and delicate. Even with all of the injuries that she had sustained, he could tell that she was a gorgeous girl.

The woman that was embracing him looked acutely similar to Skylar. Not only were their facial features comparable, but she had the same long, blonde hair that Skylar had. Furthermore, their eyes were the same color: sky-blue. Even though Skylar's eyes had only been open for a little while, he remembered them clearly.

How could he forget? The look of fear in her eyes when he approached her sent shivers down his spine. To think that someone could impose that kind of despair in another human-being was abominable.

"Y-you're welcome," managed Ash, trying his best to get the words out while being squeezed to death.

The woman's embrace reminded him of his mother's hugs. It was comforting, but at the same time excruciatingly painful. Now, he wouldn't quite say that Skylar's mom's hug was quite as agonizing as his mother's. When his mom hugged him, he felt like his ribs were going to cave in and his lungs were going to implode, whereas Skylar's mom just made it difficult to breathe.

"Honey, you're crushing the poor boy," said a smooth, cultured, male voice that Ash assumed belonged to Skylar's father. "Please, let go of him. He's turning pale."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Skylar's mother as she frantically let go of Ash and placed both of her hands on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ash! I guess I just got carried away."

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Ash observed his surroundings. Now that she had pulled away from him, he was able to see the tears in her eyes as they cascaded down her face, smearing her makeup. He couldn't tell if they were tears of joy or tears of relief. Most likely, they were a combination of both.

Whatever the case may be, it warmed Ash's heart. He couldn't imagine the kind of stress and apprehension she had been experiencing while her daughter was missing. He filled his own mother's head with worry felt thoughts every day, and she knew that he was on a journey with pokemon to protect him. Skylar's mother hadn't known where she was. For all she knew, her daughter could have been—

He shook his mind free of his current train of thought. After the past couple of months, his psyche had darkened. He needed to stop thinking such morbid thoughts. It was beginning to take a toll on him.

Ash's eyes shifted from Skylar's mother to the man – Ash assumed to be her father – when he put his arm around her. Ash could see a slight glimmer in his eyes as well. If he were to guess, he would say that the man was trying his best to hold back tears of his own.

After taking in the man's appearance, Ash could see some similarities between Skylar and him. They had the same short, thin nose, and their slender, arching eyebrows were nearly identical. Ash had to say, he was rather feminine looking. His light-brown hair was just as long as his wife's, and his physique was dainty.

He wore a charcoal grey sweater-vest over a lavender, long-sleeved button up shirt. The man had on long, black pants that were way too tight on him, and his shoes were derby-style and made out brown leather. Overall, Ash thought he was well-dressed, coming off as wealthy and eccentric. The man kind of reminded Ash of Bill or maybe even Wallace…

While looking around the room, Ash also saw Skylar who was sleeping in a hospital bed behind her parents. From what he could tell, it looked like the medical staff had already treated her external wounds. Her skin was void of any cuts or bruises, and there was minimal scarring.

The medical staff must have used some kind of concoction like the one his favorite Nurse Joy had used on him when he burned his hand. Since scarring had already occurred, her healing must have been accelerated at a tremendous rate. Unless the scars were from a set of previous injuries, which Ash doubted...

"She still hasn't woken up," said the man as he shifted his glance between Ash and Skylar. "The doctors think that she'll sleep through the rest of the day. Her injuries were serious, and the potion they used put a significant strain on her body. If you've come here to speak with her, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, alright…" said Ash with a nod, "that's fine. I'll be staying at the Pokemon Center while I'm in Celadon, so I can stop by later."

"We're both happy that you came, though," retorted the woman as she flashed Ash a massive grin while wiping the tears from her eyes. "Nurse Joy told us the story about how you found her. What you did for Skylar…well, let's just say that we owe you. You've been a miracle to our family."

At this point, he was absolutely positive that the man and woman in front of him were Skylar's parents. There was no need to ask for clarification.

"Thanks," said Ash, turning red from the praise, "but you don't owe me anything. Any decent person would have done what I did."

"Any decent person may have tried to help," said Skylar's dad as he grasped Ash's shoulder, "but there is no guarantee that they would have known what to do. No matter how modest you are, the truth of the matter is, you saved my daughter. And for that, my wife and I are in your debt."

"No, honestly," replied Ash, "it's not that big of a dea—"

"Oh, hush!" blustered Skylar's mom, smiling from cheek to cheek. "My husband is right, no matter how you view what you did. It doesn't change how we feel about it."

She paused as she grabbed Ash's hand and held it in her own, "Now, please, let us introduce ourselves."

While holding Ash's hand, she used her free hand to gesture toward her husband, "This is my husband and Skylar's father: Ruphus."

"Nice to meet you," muttered Ash as Skylar's mother awkwardly joined Ash's hand with her husband's."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ash," said Ruphus with a knowing smirk before setting his eyes on his wife. "Now, honey, I'm sure Ash is more than capable of shaking hands on his own."

It was apparent to Ash that Ruphus was well aware of his wife's outlandish and perky personality.

Much like how she had responded when Ruphus pointed out that she was suffocating him with her embrace, Skylar's mother immediately let go of Ash's hands before placing both of her hands on her cheeks, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, Ash, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I've gotten carried away again! My apologies!"

"It's okay," retorted Ash, trying hard not to laugh. "Don't worry about."

"My goodness, you are such a sweet boy," said Skylar's mom with a hint of giddiness in her voice. "Anyways, my name's Ellen. I'm Skylar's mother and Rufus' wife."

"It's nice to meet you, Ellen," said Ash as he reached out and shook her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ash," replied Ellen with another heartfelt smile.

"So, Ash…" said Ruphus in a curious tone of voice, catching the dark-haired boy's attention, "did you come here just to see how Skylar was doing, or is there something else?"

"There's one other thing," retorted Ash with a nod as he reached into his coat pocket in order to retrieve the eevee's pokeball. "I was planning on giving this back to Skylar, but since she's resting, I'll just give it to you."

He paused as he took out the pokeball, "Officer Jenny told me that it belongs to you anyways. When I first found Skylar, I thought that she was a pokemon trainer, so I was under the impression that it was hers. Officer Jenny corrected me, though. She said Skylar was just pretending to be a trainer and that she was actually the daughter of a famous eevee breeder. That's you, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," retorted Ruphus with wide eyes as he slowly took Eevee's pokeball from Ash's hand. "Is this...?"

"Yeah," said Ash with a smile, "it is."

"But, how?" questioned Ruphus in a confused manner. "Nurse Joy told us that the Police Department had yet to go after the people that attacked my daughter and stole the newborn."

"Wait a second Ruphus!" interrupted Ellen. "Is that her pokeball!?"

Ruphus nodded to his wife before placing his eyes back on Ash.

"I can't believe this," said Ruphus—tears welling up in his eyes. "We were lucky enough to get Skylar back, but this…well, it's unbelievable."

"Oh…" drawled Ash, surprised, "I take it Nurse Joy hasn't filled you in on what happened after the Celadon Police recovered your daughter?"

"She hasn't," answered Ruphus, sniffling throughout the process. "Last we heard, Officer Jenny was preparing to send out a search unit to track down whoever hurt Skylar."

"I see," replied Ash with a small smile, "well, I guess that makes sense. I don't think Nurse Joy found out that I got your eevee back until recently, and it's possible that Officer Jenny told her not to say anything until I got to the Pokemon Center."

"Hold on a second…" muttered Ruphus. "Did you just say that you got Eevee back?"

"Well, yeah," said Ash in between blinks, "that's why I have it. When I found Skylar, she was still barely conscious. While I was trying to help her, she mumbled something about an eevee, so I figured that whoever attacked her must have taken one from her."

He paused before realizing that Ruphus and Ellen wanted to hear the rest of the story, "I waited with your daughter until Officer Jenny showed up with a group of paramedics and a few other policemen in order to pick Skylar up. Once they teleported her to the Pokemon Center, I had my Growlithe pick up the scent of the people that attacked Skylar, and we followed it."

"Then what happened!?" asked Ellen.

"Well," said Ash with a scowl as he pictured what happened next, "it turned out that the people that attacked your daughter were from Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket!" exclaimed Ruphus and Ellen at the same time.

"Shh!" shushed Ash, pressing a lone finger up against his lips. "I'm not sure if I was supposed to tell you that."

"Oh-" blurted Ellen before covering her mouth with both of her hands.

"I understand," retorted Ruphus, folding his arms in a contemplative manner.

Ash had to admit, he was getting a kick out of Skylar's parents. The way that they interacted with him and each other was entertaining. They were like two little kids in adult bodies. In a way, their behavior and mannerisms reminded him of the Montgomery family.

"Anyways," continued Ash, "once I found them, I defeated all of their pokemon with mine and had my haunter put them to sleep. I took back your eevee's pokeball and called the Celadon Police Department so that they could take the Rockets into custody. Officer Jenny was a bit irritated that I handled things on my own, but she got over it."

"Wow…" retorted Ruphus, "I don't know what to say."

"How about thank you," quipped Ellen before wrapping Ash up in another dreadfully painful hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, you're our little hero."

"Honey, you're doing it again," said Ruphus as he tried to pull his wife off of Ash. "He can't breathe."

Once again, Ellen let go of Ash and instantly put her hands on her cheeks. "Goodness! What has gotten into me?! I'm so sorry, Ash!"

"I-it's okay," stammered Ash, taking a big breath in order to recover. "I'm used to it. My mom does the same thing."

"Oh, I'm sure she does," said Ellen with a smile, forgiving herself in the blink of an eye. "We mothers have a lot in common, especially when it comes to showing affection for our children."

"I can definitely see the truth in that," replied Ash with a laugh.

All of a sudden, his countenance flopped when a serious thought crossed his mind: Executive Petrel. He needed to warn them. He needed to let them know that a Rocket executive wanted the eevee that they were so happy to get back. Skylar's assault wasn't a random act of violence. It was planned in hope of capturing the genetically gifted specimen.

"Is something wrong, Ash?" asked Ruphus, raising an eyebrow. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Um…yeah," muttered Ash, trying to find the right words to convey his thoughts, "When I was battling against Team Rocket, one of the guys that hurt Skylar said something that bothered me."

"What did he say?" asked Ruphus with an edge in his voice.

"He said that they were sent by their leader to steal your eevee," retorted Ash with a frown as he pointed at Eevee's pokeball which was in Ruphus' hand. "A Team Rocket executive wants that eevee, and his men were willing to beat your daughter to within an inch of her life to get it. I can't be sure, but I think there's a good chance that they'll go after it again."

For the first time, Ash saw anger on Ruphus' face. He wasn't sure if it was triggered by his paternal instinct to protect Skylar or if he was frustrated that his eevee was being targeted by Team Rocket. He hadn't known the man long enough to make an accurate guess about what he was thinking. Nonetheless, it was apparent that he was infuriated, and Ash couldn't blame him.

"What is the executive's name?" asked Ruphus, squinting his eyes.

"I don't know," lied Ash, realizing that he had already said enough.

Nothing good would come out of Ash revealing Petrel's name. Information like that was better kept amongst people that were in a position to help. Ruphus was an eevee breeder, not a League official. No matter how personal Ruphus' grudge against Team Rocket had become, Ash couldn't disclose that information. It wouldn't help anyone.

"Are you sure?" queried Ruphus suspiciously.

Ash's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't been expecting Ruphus to question him any further. However, now that he thought about it, he was an idiot for assuming that Ruphus would instantly believe him.

After all, they had just met. No matter how well they were getting along, it didn't change the fact that Team Rocket had hurt his daughter in order to steal his eevee, and he wanted vengeance.

"Ruphus!" scoffed Ellen, smacking him on the back of the head. "Are you already forgetting what Ash has done for us!? Even if he does know the name of the Rocket that sent out the order to capture eevee, I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for keeping it to himself."

Ruphus took a breath as he shook off the blow that his wife had delivered.

"You're right…" said Ruphus before shifting his attention to Ash. "I'm sorry, Ash. That was uncalled for."

"It's okay," replied Ash, shaking his head and waving it off. "I completely understand. If I were you, I would want to know more, too."

"Yeah..." drawled Ruphus as he grasped Eevee's pokeball and transferred his eyes over to Skylar, "it's just frustrating. I wish I could do more. I'm her father, and I wasn't there to protect her. The least I could do is make sure that the person responsible for her pain is punished."

"…And they will be," said Ash, clenching his fist. "The three Rockets that carried out the order are behind bars, and it's only a matter of time before their leader is too. The executive responsible for this will come face to face with justice. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," retorted Ruphus with a half-hearted smile.

While Ash was thinking of an appropriate response, Ellen interjected, likely sensing the need to change the focus of the conversation.

"Rather than revenge," said Ellen with a hint of disgust in her voice, "we should be focusing on the fact that Skylar and Eevee are back."

She paused as she focused her attention on Ash, "Now, Ash, I'm sure you have other matters that you would like to attend to. Since Skylar probably won't be waking up today, why don't you come back tomorrow? That way, you can talk to Skylar, and it gives Ruphus and I an opportunity to discuss a way to repay you."

"Okay," said Ash, "I can do that. There's someplace I've got to be early tomorrow afternoon, but I can stop by before or after. Do you care what time I come?"

"It doesn't matter to me," replied Ellen with a smile. "We'll be here all day tomorrow. There's no way I'm leaving my baby's side, and it'll be a couple of days before she is well enough to go home.

"Likewise," added Ruphus.

"Gotcha'," retorted Ash, nodding his head. "I'll be on my way then.

He paused while adjusting his cap, "By the way, you really don't owe me anything. There's no need for you to go out of your way to repay me."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"If that was an attempt to change our minds," said Ruphus with a smirk, "you failed miserably."

"Yeah," added Ellen with a chuckle, "we're Worthingtons, and Worthingtons always repay those that assist them. You're not going to talk your way out of this one, Ash. Believe it or not, it will be doing us a favor by accepting whatever reward we come up with."

Ash let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. Like the Montgomerys, it appeared as though he had just made friends with another wealthy and insistent family.

"Okay, then," said Ash as he shook his head, "since I don't have a choice in the matter. I'll just be sure to thank you for whatever you come up with."

"That's better," retorted Ellen, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, was that so hard?"

Ash couldn't help but laugh before answering, "Actually, yes…it was."

XXX

After getting a bite to eat at Cafeteria A and picking up his pokemon from Nurse Joy, Ash went to his room to get settled in before his xtransceiver started to ring.

"Ring..."

"Ring…"

Ash couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the name that popped up on his xtransceiver.

It read: Sabrina Marvil.

He should have known that she would get a hold of him first. After all, Sabrina was the greatest human psychic in the world.

"Ring…"

"Click."

The moment Ash pressed the receive button, Sabrina's fair face popped up onscreen. Despite the fact that her last couple of weeks had doubtlessly been jam packed with a multitude of tedious matters, she flashed him a small smile, revealing to him a rare hint of emotion.

"Hey, Sabrina," said Ash with a massive grin on his face. "What's up?"

"Greetings, Ash Ketchum," retorted Sabrina, speaking in her typical monotonous voice. "I've been looking forward to this conversation since shortly after you left Saffron. I take it you're at the pokemon center in Celadon?"

"Yeah, I'm at the Pokemon Center," answered Ash, unsurprised by Sabrina's comment. "How did you know?"

"I had a vision right before you left Saffron," said Sabrina matter-of-factly. "Destiny told me that I needed to call you at this specific moment in time. Moreover, I've been supernaturally informed that you would have imperative information. The rest is a blur, but I assume that you will enlighten me."

Ash let out a deep sigh. Destiny, again…he should have guessed.

"Are you alone?" continued Sabrina. "The vision didn't clarify that you would be, but I believe this will end up being a conversation that should not be listened in on."

"It's just Growlithe and I," said Ash, turning the face of his xtransceiver in the direction of his pup – who was lounging comfortably on the room's twin-sized bed – so that Sabrina could get a good look at him. "And, yeah, you're right. This won't be a conversation that we can afford to have eavesdropped on.

"Salutations, Growlithe," articulated Sabrina. "You look stronger since the last time I saw you. I see Ash Ketchum has trained you well over the past few weeks."

Due to the angle of his xtransceiver, Ash couldn't see her countenance. However, he could hear a tiny sliver of jovial emotion in her voice as she praised Growlithe.

Despite the fact that Sabrina rarely showed any emotion, she seemed to have a strange inclination to act out of character with Ash and his pokemon. He couldn't even begin to explain why. It was just the way things were. Ever since they had gotten to know each other in Saffron, Sabrina had taken an odd liking to him and his friends.

It was as if she had adopted them into the small, select group of people and pokemon that she considered her family…

In subsequence to Sabrina's acknowledgement and praise of Growlithe, the pup responded with a benign yip. Regardless of the psychic's irregular personality, Growlithe had always liked her. He was just as happy to see Sabrina's pretty face as Ash was.

"Since it's just the two of you, how about we begin our discussion," said Sabrina as Ash angled his xtransceiver back towards his anticipatory mug. "Ash Ketchum, why has destiny deemed it necessary for me to make this call?"

"Team Rocket," spat Ash, deciding not to beat around the bush. "I have some important information about Team Rocket."

"I see," replied Sabrina with a bit of malice in her voice. "Does this have to do with Ariana and what happened in Saffron?"

"Probably," replied Ash, "but not directly…at least that's what I think. This has more to do with Celadon."

"Elaborate..." muttered Sabrina.

At this point, it was obvious that Sabrina was more than interested in what he had to say. Because of Team Rocket, her home had been turned into a war zone, and the man she looked up to more than anyone else in the world, Robert Montgomery, had been temporarily kidnapped. It was safe to say that there was presently nothing on the planet that she despised more than Team Rocket.

Thus, she was all ears...

"Well…" drawled Ash, "it all started earlier today. I wasn't too far away from Celadon when Growlithe picked up a strange scent. His reaction was wild and instinctual, similar to how he responded to the horrible atrocities that happened aboard the SS Anne."

He paused as he recalled the memory in his head, "Of course, we followed it. It took about thirty minutes to reach the location that the scent was coming from. When we got there, what we found was awful. There was a girl, around my age, beaten to a pulp and tied to a large stone. All around her was a massive mess; the people that had attacked her and tied her up had trashed all of her stuff.

"So, once you found her, I'm assuming that you contacted the Celadon Police Department," said Sabrina, following Ash's story. "Am I correct?"

"More or less," retorted Ash. "I did everything I could to help her first. She was still barely conscious when I found her, so in order for me to calm her down enough so that Growlithe could bite through the rope that constrained her, I had to get her to trust me. It was during that time that I found out that she had been attacked by three people and that they had stolen an eevee from her."

He took a moment to think about everything that had happened before continuing, "After Growlithe gnawed through the rope, and Clefairy laid her down carefully, I called the Celadon Police Department. It didn't take too long for them to show up, probably about ten minutes because of the abra that teleported them."

"The Celadon Police Department has an abra…" said Sabrina with a hint of surprise in her eyes. "At least they're doing something right in that city. Interesting…I must say that my outlook on Celadon has become slightly less negative."

She paused, "Speaking of abra, Ash Ketchum, did you have any luck finding one on Route Seven? I can't get a good read on you and your pokemon from this distance. Unfortunately, my psionic prowess is limited by range. I have an empathy link with you, but it is restricted to knowing only your current state of emotions. Unless I get a vision, your present and future is a blur to me. As long as you are outside of Saffron, we will have to rely on traditional conversation to catch up."

The moment Sabrina asked if he found an abra, he frowned. Despite the fact that he really wanted one, his luck fell short. Over the past couple of weeks – prior to coming across Skylar – his friends had gotten a lot stronger, and he had run into some rather intriguing wild pokemon. Almost everything had gone his way except for the fact that he had never come across an abra.

He had even had Growlithe reach out with his aromatic awareness multiple times, but it was to no avail. Every time his friend picked up a scent that belonged to a member of the species, it was several miles away. Ash and his friends had tried tracking one down at one point. However, as soon as they got to within a two-mile radius, it teleported way beyond reach.

Basically, it got to the point where trying to capture an abra was a waste of time. He didn't know what it was, but it almost felt like destiny didn't want him to have one. Maybe he was overreacting a little bit, but that's just how it felt.

"Unfortunately," said Ash with disappointment in his voice, "I never ran into one. I guess it wasn't meant to be."

He paused before responding to the rest of what Sabrina had to say, "In regard to your powers, I figured as much."

"I'm sorry that I got your hopes up about the abra," articulated Sabrina, "but I wouldn't rule out the possibility yet. Sometimes, we get what we want…other times we don't. And sometimes we get what want through means that we never would have imagined. Destiny is a mysterious thing. We can make guesses, but there's no way to know exactly how it is going to unfold."

"I guess you're right," retorted Ash with a sigh. "Anyways, how about I finish my story. It's a lot more important than the fact that I failed to catch an abra."

"We're in agreement," answered Sabrina with amused eyes.

It was obvious to Ash that she was entertained by his frustration. Sabrina had an outrageous sense of pride when it came to the abra line. He could tell that, even though he hadn't captured an abra, Sabrina liked the fact that it was near the top of his list of pokemon that he wanted to catch…

"Continue please, Ash Ketchum," said Sabrina, pursing her lips.

Ash took a moment to remember the last thing that he had said before speaking.

"So…the head Officer Jenny of the Celadon Police Department arrived at the scene, along with a couple other officers and some paramedics," said Ash, resuming from where he left off. "As soon as I found out that the Officer Jenny that had shown up was the department's chief, I became suspicious. In situations like this, lesser ranked officers would have been sent, right?"

"Most of the time," answered Sabrina as she habitually ran her fingers through her hair. "Typically, a chief Jenny only deploys herself into the field during an emergency or an extremely important matter. In this case, I would have been thinking along the same lines as you. Either the girl that was assaulted was important to Celadon, or the attackers were already on the Police Department's radar."

"That's what I thought," said Ash with a nod.

"So, which was it?" asked Sabrina, raising an eyebrow. "Was the girl significant to Celadon, or were the assailants already being targeted?"

"Well, there is a little more to it than that," replied Ash, scratching the back of his neck. "The girl, Skylar, is definitely significant. I wouldn't necessarily say that she is important to the city, but she is the daughter of Ruphus Worthington: a famous eevee bree—"

"I know Ruphus Worthington," interrupted Sabrina. "He's a good friend of the Montgomerys. They've been getting their pet eevee from the Worthington family for years."

"Oh, really?" asked Ash, interested.

"Yes…" retorted Sabrina, "really."

"I'll have to ask you more about that later then," said Ash, trying not to get off topic. "Anyhow, Skylar Worthington had been missing for three days, so the Police Department had already been searching for her when I found her. At the time, they had no idea who had attacked her, so the head Jenny's reason for showing up solely had to do with Skylar. Apparently, the safety of a Worthington warrants the attention of an entire police department. The Worthingtons are that influential."

"Well, yeah," replied Sabrina. "They're one of the richest families in all of Kanto. Of course the disappearance of a Worthington would warrant that kind of attention. You saw how the public reacted to Robert's disappearance."

"Good point," said Ash, nodding his head.

"Well, right before they teleported Skylar to the Pokemon Center," continued Ash, "Officer Jenny offered me a ride to the Center as well. I said no."

Sabrina shook her head, already knowing where Ash's story was about to go.

"Ash Ketchum, you went after the eevee that the perpetrators stole from the Worthington girl, didn't you?"

"Err…yeah," answered Ash, fully aware that he was about to get scolded, "I couldn't let them get away with what they did. Come on now, Sabrina. You would have done the same thing."

"That may be true," retorted Sabrina with an edge in her voice, "but I have the power and authority to do so. Did Officer Jenny send you to go after the attackers? I highly doubt it."

Ash gulped. He didn't know what to say to her.

"That's what I thought," added Sabrina, responding to his silence. "Dammit, Ash Ketchum, didn't we tell you before you left Saffron not to do anything moronic?"

"Err…maybe," stammered Ash, "but you didn't see what they did to Skylar. I couldn't just let them get away with it. Besides, if I hadn't done what I did, Team Rocket would have gotten away with the eevee!"

Sabrina let out an exasperated sigh. Ash could tell that she was clearly disappointed in him.

"You have allies, Ash Ketchum," scolded Sabrina. "You could have called me, and I would have teleported to your location at a moment's notice. You're not supposed to take on Team Rocket alone.

"Well…" drawled Ash, "at the time, I didn't know that it was Team Rocket that attacked her."

"You may not have known for sure," retorted Sabrina, "but I'm sure you had a pretty good idea that it was them. A scene like that has Team Rocket's name written all over it. Have you forgotten what they did to the SS Anne and Saffron?"

"I could never forget that!" blurted Ash, raising his voice. "You're right! I knew it was Team Rocket!"

Tears welled up in his eyes as the volume of his voice dropped, "Sabrina, after everything I've been through, I couldn't stop myself. I had to do it…"

"Listen, Ash Ketchum," said Sabrina, capturing his full attention, "I understand why you did what you did. Trust me…I do. However, it doesn't change the fact that Team Rocket is beyond dangerous. You, more than anyone, should know that."

"I know," said Ash, "but—"

"No more buts," interjected Sabrina. "You will not go after Team Rocket on your own again. Now, please, finish the rest of your story."

Ash wiped away the small buildup of tears that had accumulated in the corners of his eyes before he responded.

"Fine," retorted Ash, "I won't go after Team Rocket by myself again. But, I can't promise that if I run into them by chance – and they are doing something suspicious – that I won't do something to stop them."

"That's understandable," said Sabrina, nodding her head. "If destiny chooses to place Team Rocket in your path, then there is nothing you can do but fight. All I ask is that you do not continue to seek out situations such as this most recent one. I commend you for helping out the Worthington girl, but you should have left the Rockets and the eevee to the Celadon Police Department."

Ash nodded his head. There was no point in arguing with her; she wasn't going to budge. Besides, deep down inside, Ash knew that she was right.

"Anyways…" drawled Ash, sitting down on the foot of the bed as he tried his best to calm down, "back to the story."

He paused, recounting where he left off, "After Officer Jenny left with Skylar, I had Growlithe follow the attackers' scents. Along with Haunter and Clefairy, we tracked them down. They weren't too far away from Skylar's ruined campsite. When we found them, they were having lunch in the middle of a small clearing. The conversation they were having sounded interesting, so I decided to eavesdrop before I attacked."

"Is this where you picked up the information?"

"Yeah," said Ash with a nod, attempting to remember the entirety of the Rockets' conversation. "A lot of what I heard was just typical conversation, but then they started talking about their ranks and something about how Team Rocket chose its members."

"Did any of that stand out to you?" asked Sabrina.

"Bits and pieces," said Ash with a shrug. "All of the stuff that we don't already know was rather confusing, though."

His eyes intensified as he thought about what happened next, "That is…until they started talking about their leader."

"Their leader?" queried Sabrina, perking up onscreen, "as in—"

"Not the leader of the entire organization," interrupted Ash. "That person is called the Boss. They were referring to another—"

"Executive," finished Sabrina monotonously. "That's what I was going to say before you cut me off."

"Oh…" muttered Ash, "how'd you know?"

"Up to this point, we've interrogated hundreds of grunts in Saffron," answered Sabrina. "Not a single one of them knows the identity of the Boss. Moreover, all information regarding the executives and the organization's plans is locked inside impregnable mental barriers. Everyday it's becoming more and more apparent that the abomination has safeguarded each and every Rockets' mind."

She paused, "The mental barriers that have been put up over the Rockets' psyches go beyond anything I have ever seen before, especially the one guarding Ariana's mind. Even Midna and Kaz haven't had any luck with the majority of her mental barrier."

"Damn…" drawled Ash, "that isn't good news."

"I know," retorted Sabrina, "but it's what we're dealing with. Anyways, continue…I am eager to find out what the Rockets you captured said about the executive."

"Alright," replied Ash, "the first thing I found out about the executive was his name."

Sabrina's pink eyes widened. Apparently, Ash had caught her by surprise.

"Wait a second, Ash Ketchum," answered Sabrina with a hint of astonishment in her voice. "Any details would have been nice, but you managed to get a name."

Ash smirked.

"The executive's name is just the tip of the iceberg," crowed Ash. "I've learned a lot of interesting things today, Sabrina."

"Tell me…" demanded Sabrina, "now."

Ash gulped; Sabrina could be scary when she wanted something. By now, he had spent enough time around her to know that much.

"The executive's name is Petrel," blurted Ash as he felt Growlithe lean up against him. "He leads an entire division of Rockets. I'm assuming that he is on the same level as Ariana."

"Petrel…" drawled Sabrina, "I don't recognize the name. What else did you find out?"

"Well," said Ash, "after they talked about Petrel for a little bit. They mentioned the fact that they needed to hurry up and get back to their base. Apparently, Petrel gave them orders to steal the eevee from Skylar and bring it to him."

"I see," retorted Sabrina, "so there must be a Team Rocket hideout in or near Celadon. At least, that's what makes the most sense given the information you've shared with me."

"I'm pretty sure I know where it is," answered Ash, causing Sabrina's eyes to widen once again.

"Where?"

"I'll tell you in a second," answered Ash. "Let me finish my story first."

"Very well…" said Sabrina, "this time I will not interject until you are finished."

"Perfect."

He took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through Growlithe's tuft, "Right before they were about to leave, I attacked. Growlithe, Haunter, Pidgeotto and Clefairy made quick work of their pokemon before I had Haunter use Hypnosis on the grunts."

"After that, it was just a matter of calling back Officer Jenny to have her pickup the unconscious Rockets. This time, I chose to tag along. I accomplished everything I wanted too on Route Seven – except for catching an abra – so there was no reason for me to decline her offer to take me with her to the station."

Sabrina nodded with attentive eyes, letting Ash know that she was still following him.

"When we got to the station, Officer Jenny locked up the Rockets before she took me into her office for questioning. She scolded me for a bit for going after Team Rocket on my own—"

"As she should have," inserted Sabrina with an edge in her voice.

"I thought you said you were going to stop interrupting me.

"My apologies," retorted Sabrina. "I couldn't resist."

There was a moment of silence as Ash waited for the smirk on Sabrina's face to go away.

"Are you satisfied?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," said Sabrina. "Yes, I am."

Ash let out a deep, exasperated sigh before continuing.

"So…" muttered Ash, "once Officer Jenny was done giving me a hard time, we talked about what had happened. I asked her how much she knew about Team Rocket's ranks; she had a pretty good idea."

All of a sudden, Ash noticed Sabrina's glowering eyes. It was rather obvious why she was staring at him so intensely.

"Don't worry," said Ash, "I didn't tell her any information that you would deem classified. I only brought up the fact that I overheard the Rockets and that they mentioned the name of their leader."

Her gaze lightened up, letting Ash know that his response was satisfactory.

"Next, I gave her Executive Petrel's name," continued Ash, "and I'm glad I did because she knew him."

Ash watched as Sabrina sat up in her chair. It was clear that she was even more focused than she had been before.

"It turns out that Petrel is the name of the manager at the Game Corner," said Ash, causing Sabrina to once again break her agreement not to interrupt him.

"Are you sure that the Petrel at the Game Corner and Team Rocket's Petrel are one in the same?"

"How many people do you know named Petrel?" queried Ash sarcastically.

"Fair enough," retorted Sabrina.

"Besides," said Ash in a serious tone of voice, "according to Officer Jenny, she's been suspicious of him for a while now, although she never guessed that he could be a Rocket executive."

He paused, "Officer Jenny and I are convinced that there is a Rocket hideout somewhere in the Game Corner. If we're right, it would answer a lot of the questions surrounding Celadon's crime rate and the flourishing success of the Game Corner."

"It's a solid hypothesis," answered Sabrina. "After listening to what you have to say, I have a feeling the two of you are right. Did you discuss a plan of action?"

"Well, not really," said Ash. "She's been trying to get a warrant to search the Game Corner for a couple of months, but hasn't had any luck. Erika won't allow it, and the other gym leaders aren't interested in getting involved. Now that she's positive that Petrel is a part of Team Rocket, though, she's determined to get one. I told her I'd ask you, since we're friends. So, she wanted me to talk to you before I meet with her tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," articulated Sabrina, "so destiny wasn't kidding when it said that you had something important to tell me."

"Nope," retorted Ash, "it definitely wasn't."

"Well, I suppose it is what it is," said Sabrina with a blank face. "Is there anything else that you need to tell me?"

"I think that's everything," answered Ash.

"Alright then," said Sabrina monotonously, "so you're, without a doubt, speaking with Officer Jenny tomorrow, correct?"

"Mhmm…" murmured Ash, nodding his head.

"Can you deliver a message to her for me, then?" asked Sabrina.

"Of course."

He paused, raising an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Tell her that there is no need for me to issue her a warrant," said Sabrina, causing Ash to look at her in a highly confused manner.

"What are you saying?" questioned Ash.

"I'm saying that it isn't necessary to give Officer Jenny a warrant," said Sabrina, "because she will not be searching the Game Corner."

"She won't?" asked Ash. "I don't understand. Why not?"

"The reason that she will not be searching the Game Corner," said Sabrina, "is because, from here on out, I will be handling the situation. After I get off of the phone with you, I'm going to make a few calls. With everything that is going on in Saffron, I can't go to Celadon myself, but I plan on getting in contact with the ACE Corps and League headquarters. This job is too big for the Kanto Police. It requires someone that can go toe-to-toe with a Team Rocket executive."

"I see," retorted Ash, breathing a massive sigh of relief. "For a second, I thought you were trying to say that you were going to leave the Game Corner alone."

"There is nothing to worry about, Ash Ketchum," articulated Sabrina. "I would never leave a situation such as this one unattended."

"That's why I was so surprised," said Ash as he lifted his hat and scratched the top of his head. "Anyways, why don't you contact Kent? Wouldn't he be the perfect person to handle something like this?"

"Yes, I am planning on relaying everything we have talked about to Kent," said Sabrina. "However, it is unlikely that he will be able to go to the Game Corner himself. He has been a major help to me in Saffron, handling the aftermath of the battle against Ariana. I can't afford to let him go yet."

She paused, "Besides, he is under direct orders from the Champion to stay in Saffron. Until Lance says that he is permitted to leave, he won't be going anywhere."

"Wouldn't Lance understand, though," replied Ash. "I mean, the League has an opportunity to take down another executive. Shouldn't he be all over a chance like that?"

"Yes, he should be," said Sabrina monotonously. "But, whether he is or isn't, there is no need to remove Kent from his current objective. Kent isn't the only first-class ACE trainer, Ash Ketchum, and there's always the Elite Four."

"There are other ACE trainers as strong as Kent?" asked Ash, flabbergasted. "I saw Kent battle in person. I kind of find that hard to believe."

"Whether you believe it or not, I speak the truth," retorted Sabrina. "Anyways, just pass my message on to Officer Jenny, and stay away from the Game Corner. Assuming there is a Rocket hideout, it is way too dangerous for you to be snooping around."

"But, I was going to try and win someth—"

"Ash Ketchum, I swear to Mew…" drawled Sabrina in a cold tone of voice, "if you so much as take one step inside of that putrid place, I will hunt you down, suspend your license, and send you home to your mother until Team Rocket is terminated."

Ash gulped.

"D-don't you think that's a little excessive?" queried Ash, grabbing onto Growlithe for support.

"If excessive is what it takes to protect you," articulated Sabrina, gazing at him with her ominous pink eyes, "then I won't hesitate for a second. It was different when you were in Saffron. You were never alone, and I could always keep an eye on you with my clairvoyance. This time, it's different. You are much more vulnerable."

Ash had to admit, she did have a point. As much as he didn't like it, it would be stupid to go to the Game Corner. He wasn't strong enough to protect himself from an executive. Going to that place, knowing what he knew about Team Rocket, was just asking for trouble.

This time, he would obey Sabrina. He could check it out another time—once the League had rid it of the debased, scum that it was infested with.

"Alright…" muttered Ash, "I'll stay away from the Game Corner."

"You better," retorted Sabrina, running her fingers through her hair.

She paused, "Anyhow, I should get going. I need to make a few phone calls. This situation needs to be handled as soon as possible."

"Okay," said Ash, "I'll let you go then."

He smiled and waved at the screen, "Bye, Sabrina. Let me know how everything goes."

"Farewell, Ash Ketchum," retorted Sabrina with a small smile on her face. "Stay out of trouble."

"Click."

The screen read "Call Ended" before fading to black.

Ash shifted his attention over to Growlithe, "Well, that was interesting…"

The puppy pokemon let out a quiet bark, signifying that he agreed with his trainer.

Ash took a deep breath before falling backward onto the bed's firm, albeit comfortable, mattress, "Looks like we're not going to the Game Corner anymore."

Growlithe disembogued a soft murmur, picking up the disappointment in his trainer's voice. He knew how much Ash wanted to see everything that Celadon had to offer.

"Hmm…I guess we're going to have to switch up our plans for tomorrow," said Ash as he thought about an alternative option.

"I wanted to go to the Game Corner after we visited Skylar and talked with Officer Jenny," continued Ash. "However, now that that plan is up in flames, maybe we'll go to the Department Store instead. It's in the city's northwestern district, so it can't be more than an hour away if we take a taxi…"

He paused as he looked Growlithe in the eyes, "How does that sound?"

Growlithe nodded. As long as Ash was okay with it, he was okay with it.

"Alrighty then," said Ash, "I guess it's decided. Tomorrow, we're hitting up the Department Store."

Hopefully, he'd walk away with some noteworthy things.

XXX

After a good night's rest, a couple of early morning training sessions, and a hearty breakfast, Ash stood out front of Skylar's hospital room, waiting for Nurse Joy's chansey, Lucky, to let him inside.

As Lucky opened the door, Ash couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. This would be the first time since he saved Skylar that he would be able to talk to her.

At the front desk, Nurse Joy had let him know that Skylar had finally woken up. Apparently, she had regained consciousness about an hour before Ash arrived to see her. Nurse Joy warned him that she was still a bit addled, but she was responsive enough to hold a conversation.

When he walked through the doorway, he barely took a couple of steps before he was bombarded by an overjoyed Ellen. While she wrapped Ash up in an oppressively tight hug, he noticed that she was wearing the same elegant clothes as the day before, signifying that she had stayed at the Pokemon Center overnight.

"Ash!" exclaimed Ellen, strangling the ten-year-boy with affection. "My baby girl is finally awake!"

"C-can't b-breath," managed Ash as he desperately tried to get air.

This time, Ellen's embrace was on the same level as his mother's. He felt like his ribs were going to snap and his lungs were going to fold as she inadvertently tried to murder him with endearment.

"Mom," said a faint, young, female voice, catching Ash's fading attention, "let go of him. He's about to pass out."

Ellen immediately let go of Ash before throwing both of her hands in the air like she was about to get arrested.

"Oh, no, I've done it again!" cried the outlandish, blonde-haired woman, turning red from embarrassment. "Ash, I'm sorry!"

Ash gasped, drawing in as much air as he could in attempt to reestablish his breath.

"I-it's okay," stammered Ash. "There's no need to apologize. I-I'll be fine."

Once his breathing had gone back to normal, he surveyed his surroundings. Other than himself, the only two people in the room were Ellen and Skylar. Ellen was still standing as straight as a board with her hands in the air, whereas Skylar sat up in the Pokemon Center's inclined hospital bed, staring at her mother in an exasperated manner.

"What in the world are you doing, Mom?" queried Skylar with her hand on her forehead. "You're embarrassing me.

Ellen quickly dropped her hands to her side, realizing that she looked like a criminal. Subsequently, she turned her attention away from Ash and toward her daughter before oddly pressing a lone finger up against her lips.

"Don't tell your father about this!" blurted Ellen in a loud whisper.

"Don't tell me about what?" asked a smooth, male voice, coming from directly behind Ash.

He turned around to find Ruphus strolling through the doorway, carrying a large, plain, plastic bag. Ash was curious about its content until he smelt the unmistakable scent of breakfast food oozing out of it.

"Oh, nothing, honey!" shouted Ellen, waving her hands back and forth vigorously. "It's not like I squeezed Ash too hard again! I wouldn't do that, especially after you told me to try my best not to!"

Ash couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. Mrs. Worthington was quite possibly the worst liar he had ever met in his entire life. Even when she wanted to hide something, she was the type of person that came clean all on her own.

"A shoddy liar as always," retorted Ruphus with a smirk as he placed the bag of food on the hospital room's small counter. "I told you that knowing full well that you wouldn't be able to contain yourself. How long have we been married, Ellen…twenty-three years? At this point, I know you better than you know yourself."

"It'll be twenty-four next month," answered Ellen with a defeated sigh, "and I know. It was silly for me to think that I could keep a secret from you. After all these years, I've never been able to get away with lying to you. You always figure me out."

Ruphus let out a light chuckle.

"It's kind of hard not to," said Ruphus. "Never once have you failed to come clean on your own."

Although Ash had managed to stop laughing externally, he couldn't help but surge with internal laughter.

All of this over a hug.

With every minute that went by, the Worthingtons were beginning to remind him more and more of the Montgomery family. To say that they were entertaining would be an understatement.

"Can you two please stop?" queried Skylar.

Ash turned around to find Skylar's pretty face as red as Charmeleon's scales. It was obvious that her parents were embarrassing her, which was something that Ash completely understood.

His mother always had a knack for making him feel like he was about to die from humiliation. Between shamelessly demanding in public that he needed to change his underwear and calling him Ashy – which was the catalyst for the nickname Gary had given him, "Ashy-boy" – Ash had felt his fair share of parent induced awkwardness.

Needless to say, Skylar wasn't the only kid that had to endure moments like this. Ash had been in her shoes hundreds of times. He knew what it was like.

Speaking of his mother, he needed to give her a call soon. He had only spoken to her once while he was on the road, and he had yet to let her know that he had safely arrived in Celadon.

Maybe he'd call her after he met with Officer Jenny. After getting scolded for neglecting her for the first month of his journey, he had promised her that he would be better about giving her regular updates involving his whereabouts.

The last thing he wanted to do was let her down again—

Ash mentally jolted when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. It was Ruphus.

"Good to see you again, Ash," said Ruphus, breaking him free of his rumination. "I wasn't expecting you to visit until a little bit later. If I would have known, I would have picked up breakfast earlier."

He gestured toward the bag of food on the counter before continuing, "I got plenty, so you're welcome to help yourself if you want. Cafeteria B's buffet table is top-notch, so I just picked up a bunch of stuff that looked good."

"Thanks," retorted Ash with a smile, "but I'm good for now. I just ate a little while ago."

"Very well," replied Ruphus as he walked over to the bag. "Well then, if you don't mind, my wife and I are going to have a quick bite to eat. I'm sure Skylar would like an opportunity to talk to you one-on-one."

He turned his attention to Ellen as he picked the food back up off of the counter, "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go eat in the lobby."

"But, I thought the whole point of you getting the food to go was so that we wouldn't have to leave Skylar alone," answered Mrs. Worthington with a puzzled expression.

"Plans have changed," said Ruphus, giving Ash a wink. "Ash is here now. He can look after her while we eat."

"Why can't we all jus—"

Unwilling to give his wife an opportunity to finish her sentence, Ruphus grabbed a hold of her wrist before dragging the confused Ellen out of the room.

Ash sighed. He had to admit, he would have rather had Ruphus and Ellen stay in the room with him. The only one-on-one time that he had spent with Skylar had been when he saved her, so he wasn't quite sure what they would talk about. Originally, he had visited her just to make sure that she was okay. Now that he had, and he knew that she was fine, Ash wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

Should he ask her questions about what happened? Should he try and get to know her?

But, what if it was too soon for her to talk about what happened? Maybe she didn't want him to know anything about her? What if—

Ash disconnected himself from his current train of thought before focusing on what was going on around him. He was overthinking things. There was no need to contemplate what it is that they would talk about. The conversation would occur, and awkward or not, it would unfold the way that it was meant to unfold…

"Sorry about that," said Skylar, breaking the ice. "They can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.

"Don't worry about it," replied Ash, turning around and showing Skylar a light smile. "I like them a lot. They remind me of some really good friends of mine."

"Well, that's relieving," said Skylar, using her index finger to twirl the end of her long, blonde hair. "I never know how someone is going to react to my parents. They're a little too energetic for a lot of people, especially my mom."

"I get where you're coming from," said Ash, "but it doesn't bother me. Anyways, Nurse Joy told me you just woke up. How are you feeling?"

"I feel alright," retorted Skylar as a small smile formed on her face. "My mind is still a bit hazy, and my body's sore. But, I'll be fine."

"Good," answered Ash, "I'm glad that you're going to be alright. I was really worried when I found you."

"Was it that bad?" queried Skylar in a curious manner. "I remember bits and pieces, but at some point, I blacked out. Next thing I knew, you were standing over me."

She paused for a moment before frowning, "Sorry for being so difficult…I wasn't exactly thinking straight."

Ash's eyes widened with surprise. He wasn't expecting her to recollect what happened when he saved her.

"Don't worry about it," said Ash, looking Skylar in the eyes. "After what happened, it was completely understandable."

He scratched the back of his head and grinned, trying his best to come off as personable as possible, "Anyways, I'm surprised you remember something like that. I was under the impression that you wouldn't recognize me, let alone remember what happened."

"The attack is mostly a blur," retorted Skylar with an empty expression. "Like I said, I remember some minor details. But, for the most part, the only thing I can think of when I try to remember what happened is an overwhelming sense of helplessness. I was scared. I thought I was going to..."

She took a deep breath as a bright smile stretched across her face, "However, I could never forget the moment you saved me. I can picture it vividly in my head. It was like a dream. Just when I had lost all hope, you showed up."

Ash's cheeks turned red. When Skylar recounted things from her perspective, she made it sound like he was some sort of hero. But, from Ash's point of view, he had only done what any decent person would have done.

If anyone was a hero, it was Growlithe. He was the one that had sensed that something was wrong with his aromatic awareness. If it weren't for his starter…well, he didn't really want to think about what might have happened.

"I just did what I thought was right," said Ash matter-of-factly.

"Don't be modest," answered Skylar, tears forming in her eyes, "Ash, you saved my life. If you wouldn't have shown up when you did, I would have—"

A bloody image of Chance Chapman's dead body flashed within his head.

Death…he didn't want to talk about it.

"Don't say it," retorted Ash with earnest eyes. "Please, don't say it. The fact of the matter is, you're here. You're alive. There's no need to dwell on what might have happened. Trust me…nothing good will come out of it."

There was a moment of silence before she burst out into tears. It was as if every last drop of bottled up emotion was pouring out all at once.

"I-I was so scared!" cried Skylar, "I d-didn't know what was going to happen! It hurt! They wouldn't stop! I was so scared, Ash! So scared! I thought it was…I thought it was all ov—"

Without thinking, Ash reflexively grabbed her hand in order to comfort her.

"Shhhh…it's okay," said Ash. "You're safe now. There's nothing to worry about."

"B-but what if they come back?!" wailed Skylar, starting to panic. "What if—"

"They're not coming back, Skylar," reassured Ash. "I promise. They'll never hurt you again."

"How do you—"

"Because they've been caught," retorted Ash, attempting to calm her down. "After you told me about Eevee being stolen, I went after them. I beat them and handed them over to Officer Jenny. They're behind bars as we speak."

Skylar's breathing began to calm down. She was still in disarray, but it appeared as though what Ash had said was helping.

"D-do you promise?" questioned Skylar as she wiped the tears from her sky-blue eyes.

"Yes," said Ash with a small smile, "I promise. It's been all taken care of."

All of a sudden, her eyes brightened. It appeared as though something had just clicked in her head.

"Wait a second!" blurted Skylar. "Does that mean…does that mean you rescued Eevee?"

"Yup," said Ash, "I—"

Skylar didn't give Ash an opportunity to answer, pulling him closer to her before wrapping him up in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Not knowing how to respond, Ash just let her hold him. He blushed as she tightly squeezed him, continuously repeating "thank you" like she was a broken record.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she let go, allowing Ash to stand back up.

Despite the duration of the hug, it wasn't until Ash looked her in the eyes that she realized what she had done. Her face abruptly turned red as she looked away from him in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry about that," stammered Skylar. "I don't know what came over me. I was just so happy that you saved Eevee that—"

"You don't need to apologize," said Ash with a wink, trying to lighten the mood. "I guess it just runs in the family."

"Stop it!" blurted Skylar in between laughter. "That's my worst nightmare!"

Ash couldn't help but laugh; Skylar's reaction was priceless. At the same time, he was curious as to why Skylar ran away from home. Even though her parents embarrassed her, she didn't seem to dislike them. Something didn't quite add up about the story Officer Jenny had told him.

Mr. and Mrs. Worthington didn't come off as being over controlling to him. There had to more to it. He had a tough time believing that she ran away just because her parents were overbearing.

Ash waited for Skylar to stop laughing as he worked up the courage to ask her the question that he was so anxious to hear the answer to.

"Hey, Skylar, can I ask you something?" said Ash, catching her attention.

She looked at him with intrigued eyes as she habitually twirled her hair.

"What is it?"

"Why'd you run away?"

Skylar's shoulders dropped, and her facial expression went from happy to disconcerted in the blink of an eye. Ash wasn't sure, but it looked as if she was ashamed. Maybe, she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry," said Ash. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just cur—"

"It's okay," interjected Skylar. "You saved my life. It's only right that you know what happened."

Ash nodded his head, waiting for her to initiate whatever it was that she was about to tell him.

"I ran away from home because of Eevee," stated Skylar, causing Ash's curiosity to heighten.

"Huh?" questioned Ash. "What do you mean?"

She paused for a second as she came up with an answer.

"Ash…" drawled Skylar, resting her head on her pillow, "before I continue, I need to know, how much do you already know about Eevee?"

"Not too much," retorted Ash. "I know that Eevee belongs to your father, and Officer Jenny told me that Eevee is the offspring of your family's two most prized eevee. Err…that's pretty much it."

Right before Skylar was about to respond, he interrupted as another piece of information crossed his mind, "Oh, wait, and I know that Eevee is a girl. Your dad mentioned that when I gave Eevee's pokeball back to him."

"Gotcha'," answered Skylar. "So, going off of what you've told me, I'm assuming that you haven't actually met Eevee, right?"

"Right," answered Ash. "I didn't want to scare her, so I didn't release her at all before I gave the pokeball to your dad. I was hoping that he would introduce me to her after I handed her pokeball over to him, but he didn't."

"That doesn't surprise me," said Skylar with a sigh. "My dad probably didn't introduce you to Eevee because he didn't want you to get the wrong idea. First impressions are a big deal to him, so it makes sense that he wouldn't release Eevee around you."

A bewildered expression breached Ash's countenance.

"I don't understand. You make it sound like your dad's ashamed of Eevee."

"Well, I wouldn't say that he is ashamed of her," said Skylar. "However, you're not far off. If I were to describe their relationship in one word it would be 'dysfunctional'. They simply don't get along."

"Why?" questioned Ash. "I don't know your dad too well, but even I can tell that he is a good guy. I can't see him being a bad trainer."

"Oh, my dad is a phenomenal trainer," answered Skylar, "and an even better person. It has nothing to do with his character or ability."

"Then what is it?" asked Ash.

"They're just not compatible," said Skylar, looking Ash in the eyes. "Have you ever heard of a pokemon coordinator?"

Ash nodded his head as an image of Wallace permeated his thoughts.

"Yeah," replied Ash, "I have a really good friend that's a coordinator. What about it?"

"Given what you've told me, I think it's safe to say that you are fully aware that my family makes a living off of eevee breeding, right?"

"Yeah," said Ash, "Officer Jenny told me."

"Did she tell you that my dad is also a world class pokemon coordinator?" asked Skylar with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Nope," said Ash, letting out a light chuckle, "she definitely failed to mention that."

"It's to be expected," said Skylar. "It's been a while since he has competed, but there was a time when he won the Kanto Grand Festival three years in a row and was widely recognized as the number one coordinator in all of Kanto."

Ash had to admit, he was surprised. Winning a Grand Festival was just as big of an accomplishment as winning a League tournament. For Ruphus to have done that three years in a row meant that he was more than just a good trainer. He was elite…maybe even a master.

"Three times in a row…" retorted Ash with a look of astonishment. "Are you kidding? That's beyond impressive. What kind of problem could Eevee have with a trainer like that?"

"There are actually two major issues that Eevee has with my dad," said Skylar with a frown.

She paused as she disembogued another deep sigh, "The first reason is that my dad doesn't take training seriously anymore. The majority of his pokemon are already ridiculously powerful, so it doesn't take that much effort to keep them in shape. For the most part, his pokemon handle their training on their own."

"However, he can't do that with the young eevee kits that he breeds. My dad doesn't have the time or patience to give them the kind of attention they need. Normally, it doesn't matter. Being a famous breeder, my dad's eevee typically sell for a large sum of money while they are still eggs or immediately after they hatch…"

Ash listened attentively, trying his best to comprehend everything that Skylar was telling him.

"But, the Eevee you saved is special. My dad couldn't sell her."

"Why not?" asked Ash, interrupting. "Doesn't she have incredible genes or something like that? I feel like she would sell in a heartbeat."

"Your misunderstanding," retorted Skylar. "It's not that nobody would buy her. My dad didn't sell Eevee because he couldn't bring himself to do it. She's that extraordinary of a specimen."

"Yeah, like I said, Officer Jenny told me about that," said Ash.

"Mhmm...But, it goes beyond the fact that she's the daughter of my dad's two most treasured eevee," said Skylar with a nod. "That's just the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot more to her than that."

"…Like?" questioned Ash with intrigued eyes.

"You'll see when you meet her," said Skylar with a wink. "Until then, it'll be better if it stays a surprise."

"Well, when am I going to meet her?" asked Ash.

"Whenever my parents get back," said Skylar, with a grin. "Now that you two have gotten a chance to get to know each other, my dad shouldn't have a problem introducing you to Eevee."

"Are you sure?" asked Ash. "I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable if I don't have to."

"It won't be a big deal," said Skylar, waving him off. "Anyways, the point that I was originally trying to make is that Eevee holds a grudge against my father because he has never been able to give her the kind of attention she needs. Her potential is through the roof, but my father doesn't have the time to help her realize it."

She paused, "It's actually kind of sad."

"Yeah, it is," said Ash with a frown. "I can see why Eevee's upset. She wants your dad to train her like he trained his other powerful pokemon."

He paused, "but at the same time, I can understand where your dad is coming from. He has a lot of other responsibilities, and Eevee wants more from him than he's willing to give at this point in his life."

"Exactly," said Skylar. "Neither is wrong, yet neither of them in necessarily right."

"I can see how that would be frustrating for both of them," said Ash as a thought jumped out at him.

He scratched the back of his head while asking a question, "What does all of that have to do with your dad being a pokemon coordinator, though?"

"Well," answered Skylar with a frown, "the fact that my dad is a pokemon coordinator is the other reason why Eevee and my dad don't get along."

"Why is that?" asked Ash.

"Once you meet Eevee, it's pretty self-explanatory," said Skylar with a bit of amusement in her voice, "but since she's not here, I guess I'll just explain."

She let out a sigh while simultaneously readjusting her pillow, "Unlike the rest of my dad's pokemon, Eevee has an uncanny thirst for battle."

"Don't pokemon contests involve battling, though?" asked Ash.

"They do," retorted Skylar with a nod. "Pokemon contests have a battle round."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Pokemon contest battles are a lot different than traditional battles," explained Skylar. "They're less about flat-out defeating your opponent and more about showing off your pokemon's style and skill."

She paused, making sure Ash was following what she was saying.

"Despite the fact that Eevee is an absolutely gorgeous specimen, her personality doesn't match-up well with a coordinator. She's a complete firecracker that couldn't care less about things like style and appeal."

"When Eevee battles, she wants to dismantle her opponent. Her battle style's tenacious, and she has a vigorous spirit. Simply put, she's not cut-out to compete in contests. And, even though my dad is a skilled trainer, he's not cut-out to deal with a pokemon like Eevee. She needs a trainer that desires battle just as much as her. She needs a traditional trainer…not a coordinator."

"I see…" drawled Ash, "so that's why you ran away with Eevee. You think you can be the trainer that Eevee needs."

"Unfortunately," said Skylar, lowering her eyebrows "you're wrong. I may have ran away with Eevee, for Eevee's sake, but it's not because I think I could do a better job training her than my dad."

She shook her head, "Just like my dad, my dream is to become a world renowned pokemon coordinator someday. Although Eevee and I get along, I'm afraid that we would eventually prove to be incompatible as well."

"But, Officer Jenny said that you wanted to make Eevee your starter," replied Ash.

"Officer Jenny must have misunderstood," said Skylar. "My parents probably did as well. I've never had any intention to make Eevee my starter."

"Then, why?" asked Ash, confused. "Why did you run away with Eevee? I don't get it."

"I was looking for a suitable trainer," retorted Skylar matter-of-factly.

"Oh…" murmured Ash.

He froze for a second, "although I don't quite understand why you had to leave Celadon for something like that?"

"Believe me," said Skylar, "I tried looking for someone in Celadon, but I couldn't find anyone. I mean, I came across plenty of powerful trainers, however, none of them seemed like the right choice."

"What do you mean?" queried Ash. "I thought all you cared about was whether or not they were a traditional trainer and had a strong thirst for battle?"

"Come on, Ash," replied Skylar. "It's not like I would just hand Eevee over to anyone. It would have to be someone that I trust."

"Fair enough," said Ash. "Just thought I'd ask."

She shook her head before continuing, "Anyways, I'm glad I was picky because I got pretty close to giving Eevee away to this guy named Petrel when—"

"Wait a second!" interrupted Ash. "You were going to give Eevee to Exe—I mean the manager of the Game Corner!"

Skylar's eyes widened the second Ash mentioned the Game Corner.

"Petrel works for the Game Corner?" questioned Skylar with a look of disgust. "No wonder Eevee hated him."

"Hold on," said Ash, trying his best to calm down. "How did you meet Petrel?"

"Err…let's see," said Skylar, "I believe I was over by the Department Store when I saw him battling against a couple of strong looking trainers. Even though the trainers he was up against were clearly experienced, his hypno wiped the floor with them in a matter of seconds. I'd never seen anything quite like it."

She paused, "After the battle was over, I introduced myself to Petrel. He seemed like a decent guy, so I asked him if he would be interested in training Eevee. He agreed, and I released Eevee."

"And?" questioned Ash.

"Well, let's just say Eevee really didn't like him," said Skylar. "I mean, Eevee's not always the friendliest pokemon. But, the moment I released her, she was on edge. It was bizarre. I thought she was going to attack him."

Ash gulped. Petrel must have given off a nasty vibe to garner that kind of reaction.

"As soon as I saw the way Eevee acted around him," continued Skylar, "I immediately changed my mind."

"How did he respond?" asked Ash .

"Well, he wasn't very happy," said Skylar. "As soon as he saw Eevee, I could tell that he was fixated on the idea of training her. However, he didn't seem too mad. Then again, we were in public, so it's not like he would have done anything outrageous."

Ash had to admit, Skylar did have a point. From what he had heard about Petrel, he knew that he was smart enough to suppress an emotional outburst. It was more likely that someone like Petrel would wait for a more opportunistic time to take Eevee rather than do something to garner unwanted attention.

"You have a good point," said Ash.

"How do you know Petrel?" asked Skylar, cocking her head curiously.

"I don't know him personally," replied Ash. "I've just heard some bad things about him."

"Like?"

"Just some strange stuff about how he runs the Game Corner," lied Ash. "Nothing too big; he just sounds like a shady guy."

"Oh, I see..." drawled Skylar. "I'm glad I didn't give Eevee to him then."

"I'm glad you didn't either," said Ash, thinking about his battle against the three Rocket grunts.

It was apparent that Petrel sent his men after Skylar as soon as she left Celadon. He probably waited until Skylar was isolated to make his move. That way, there wouldn't be any witnesses. It was a smart plan. If Ash hadn't been there, he likely would have gotten away with it too. Luckily, he was at the right place at the right time.

"Anyways," said Ash, trying to change the subject, "What are you going to do after you get released from the Pokemon Center? You're not going to run away again, are you?"

"I wasn't planning on it," said Skylar, shaking her head. "I learned my lesson. Besides, there's no need for me to leave again. At least, until I go on my own proper journey."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash. "What about Eevee?"

"Well, I've got one last idea about what to do with Eevee," retorted Skylar with a shrug. "If it doesn't work out, I'm afraid things are just going to have to stay how they are."

"What's your idea?"

Skylar smirked as she looked Ash in the eyes.

Ash looked at Skylar with an astonished expression while using his index finger to point at himself.

"M-me," stammered Ash, "but why?"

"Isn't that obvious," said Skylar with a smile. "You saved my life, and you were strong enough to get Eevee back from those thugs. If anyone can draw out her potential it's you."

She paused, "Besides, right before you arrived, my parents were debating a way to repay you for what you did. I can't think of a better reward."

"That would be unbelievable," replied Ash, trying his best not to get his hopes up, "but what makes you think that your dad would go for it? Isn't it his decision to make?"

"I know that…" groaned Skylar with a frown, "that's why I said, if it doesn't work out things will have to stay the way they are."

She let out a sigh as she pointed at Ash's waist, "If it were up to me, Eevee's pokeball would already be attached to your belt."

"I'm flattered that you think I'm capable of training Eevee," said Ash, "but I don't think that I can ask that of your dad. Eevee's his. He chose not to sell her, so it's obvious to me that she holds a special place in his heart."

He paused as he thought about his next words carefully, "I can see why you tried to find a suitable trainer for Eevee, but that doesn't mean it was the right thing to do. Regardless of whether or not they get along, Eevee is your dad's partner. I couldn't possibly ask to come between the two of them."

Skylar looked at him with a blank expression.

"Fine," said Skylar.

"So, you see where I'm coming from?" asked Ash. "As much as I would have loved to train Eevee, it just isn't righ—"

"Then, I'll ask him," interjected Skylar with another smirk.

Ash blinked.

"That's not the point!" shouted Ash, causing Skylar to burst out into laughter.

"Relax, Ash," said Skylar in between laughter. "What's the worst thing that could happen? Even if the request came from you, it's not like he would be offended."

"You may be right," retorted Ash, "but—"

"Besides…" said Skylar, interrupting Ash once again "I have a feeling my dad's going to say—"

"Yes!" exclaimed a voice, coming directly behind Ash.

Ash didn't even have to turn around to know that the voice belonged to Ruphus.

"My answer is yes," said Ruphus as Ash turned around to face him and Ellen, who were standing just inside of the hospital room's doorway.

"Huh?" questioned Ash with an incredulous look on his face. "What do you mean, yes? I-I can train your eevee?"

"Well," retorted Ruphus, "depending on whether or not Eevee is okay with it, yes, you may train my eevee. Although, at that point, she would no longer be mine but yours."

"But, why?" asked Ash, stunned.

"Didn't we tell you that we would find a proper way to repay you for what you have done for this family?" inserted Ellen as she walked over to Ash and crouched down to his level.

"Trust me," added Ruphus, gesturing toward Ellen, "neither my wife nor I are happy that Skylar took things into her own hands. But, like you, we can understand why she did what she did. My relationship with Eevee is a complicated one—filled with a lot of pain and disappointment. Even though I don't think that it is beyond repair, it would be better for her to be with a young trainer that can help her realize her dreams."

He paused as a frown crept across his face, "Unfortunately, I cannot be what she needs. Fifteen years ago, I could have, but not now. I've already sailed way past my prime. She needs someone like you: someone who's just getting started, someone whose drive and potential rival her own."

Ash looked back at Skylar who flashed him a sparkling grin in return. He smiled as he watched her mouth the words "I told you" without using her voice.

"Ash," said Ruphus, taking back the dark-haired boy's attention as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a shrunken pokeball.

The head of the Worthington family enlarged Eevee's pokeball before continuing, "Would you like to meet her?"

Ash took a moment to respond, having been caught in the marvel of the moment.

After taking a couple of seconds to process what was going on, he nodded.

Ruphus smiled as he pressed the release button, unleashing a radiance of white light. It lasted for a brief moment before fading away, leaving a small kit in its stead.

Ash's jaw dropped when he saw the specimen.

No wonder Ruphus couldn't find it in his heart to sell her.

No wonder Skylar pushed the fact that there was more to Eevee than just her lineage.

No wonder Petrel wanted her so bad.

…Her burnished, silver coat was absolutely stunning.

XXX

To be continued…

XXX

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the scenes with the Worthingtons. Like I said in the earlier author note, this was my first time giving you two chapters in one month. I thought it would be a great way to begin 2016. Things should pick up a lot next chapter. I'm not willing to guarantee that I finish the Celadon Arc in Kanto 11, but I should make a lot of progress. Anyways, don't forget to favorite and review! Moreover, remember to check my profile periodically in between chapters, I try and let you know weekly regarding the status of the upcoming chapter!

Thanks for Reading!

Much love, vincentgrey21.