"Thanks again for getting me out of there," said Ellie. "It wasn't like Pryce abused me or anything, but he made sure I never got to leave the house, and my feeding schedule wasn't exactly regular."

"No problem, seriously." Dragonite was heavily bandaged - those Ice-type attacks had hit him hard, and he was still suffering from some effects of frostbite, but he cut an impressive figure nonetheless. "It's good to see you again, Ellie."

"Same to you, Dragonite." Ellie smiled. "That still feels a little weird to say, seeing as you were only a Dratini last time I saw you…anyway! What does Drake do nowadays? Has he won any Leagues yet? Is he Champion? Please tell me he's Champion!"

Dragonite glanced over at Haunter and Ditto. Ditto promptly transformed into Haunter, and both of them flitted away as fast as they could. Dragonite swallowed and turned back to Ellie. "So…this might come as a bit of a surprise to you, but we're…uh…kind of part of a criminal organization?"

"WHAT?"

"So," said Ash, "I'm pretty sure I just saw a pack of Bulbasaur wandering through the woods nearby."

"Fascinating," Cyrus murmured. "Bulbasaur are quite rare in the wild - to see a full pack is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event."

"Wonder where they're going?" Ash mused.

"Probably someplace private, if I had to guess," said Clay. "Best not to disturb them - they may be a sight to see, but they're also pretty territorial from what I know."

"Yeah, makes sense," said Ash. "So, what's the next town like?"

Cyrus tapped his Pokedex a few times. "From what I can tell, it is called O-Hina Town," he said. "Apparently it is currently hosting the Princess Festival, a holiday themed entirely around and exclusively for women."

Clay grunted. "Last I checked, none of us were women."

"That is true," said Cyrus. "Perhaps we should simply bypass this town, then."

"Good idea," Ash affirmed, then glanced over to the unofficial (and temporary) fourth member of their group. "Hey, Jigglypuff, you all right?"

"Puff." Jigglypuff looked away from him, arms crossed. "Jiggly puff puff puff."

"I think," said Clay, "she's unhappy that her musical partner's not traveling with us."

Ash resisted the urge to facepalm - he'd completely forgotten that Kricketune had apparently been educating Jigglypuff on her musical talents, and now he'd just shipped him off to Professor Archie's ranch without even considering that. "Sorry, Jigglypuff," he said. "Look - next Pokemon Center we find, I promise I'll transfer him back, okay?"

"Puff." Jigglypuff nodded shortly.

"Speaking of partners," said Ash, "where's Togepi?"

"In her Pokeball right now," Clay answered. "Believe me, I'd rather keep her out here, but it's been too long since Team Rocket showed up. I'm anticipating an attack any minute now."

"Fair." Ash winced. "Guess it's a good thing I've got all my Zygarde with me, huh?"

Clay nodded - Ash had changed around his team slightly before departing the last town, swapping Pyroar and Kubfu out for Scizor and Primeape, but had kept the trio of Zygarde.

"You know," said Cyrus, "it is likely that there is an angry mob of hotel guests hunting your Zygarde down. You might want to keep them in their Pokeballs until we are further away."

Ash chuckled. "Relax, Cyrus! Yeah, I know we made some people mad, but come on! It's a civilized world - it's not like they're gonna come after us with torches and pitchforks."

"All right, everyone, light those torches and sharpen those pitchforks!" Nurse Tabitha roared. "Today is the day we hunt down that kid and his monsters and wipe them off the face of the earth in a fiery blaze!"

"Huh, that guy's surprisingly intimidating for a nurse," one man remarked.

Another man coughed. "Um…look, I get that we're supposed to be an angry mob and all, but…are the torches and pitchforks really necessary? I feel kinda like a caricature right now."

Low murmurs arose from the rest of the mob. "Yeah, he's right," said a woman. "Besides, I've got kids to feed…"

"And I've got a Gym Battle scheduled tomorrow," a teenager remarked, "so I kinda need to get to Cinnabar."

"Where did we even get these torches and pitchforks anyway?" another woman asked, examining her pitchfork suspiciously as the crowd began to melt away.

Nurse Tabitha sighed. "I never get to do anything fun…"

Having passed a school ("First Women's Day, now Kid's Day. What's next, Old People's Day?") and a police academy ("No, Ash, you can't enter Hisui into the training class. He's too advanced for that, and besides, he won't fit in the obstacle course.") Ash and his friends continued down the road, the former riding upon Hisui while the other two walked alongside him.

"So, from what I can tell, it's not too far from here to Cinnabar," said Clay. "Man, it feels like it's been forever since you challenged a Gym."

"Yeah, it has," Ash admitted. "I can't wait for the seventh Gym - after Miette, I'm sure my Pokemon are ready!"

"I'm sure they would be ready even if you did not have an army of Legendaries at your beck and call," Cyrus remarked.

"Yeah, that's true," said Ash. "And I did promise Genesect I'd use him for this one - he's been kinda down lately, so I hope this'll cheer him up!"

"Right, he has mentioned wanting to be used more often." Clay smiled. "Good on you for keepin' track of your Pokemon like that."

"I cannot help but wish I had an army of Legendaries at my back," Cyrus murmured. "Such power would be greatly useful for achieving my perfect-"

"Hey, who's that?" Ash interrupted.

All eyes turned to what Ash had just seen - a flamboyantly-dressed man, clad in a fine white and teal-colored suit, standing in the path with a wide smile on his face, a camera in his hands, and a slender Milotic curving around his body.

"Hello, my friends!" said the flamboyant-looking man. "My name is Wallace, Pokemon photographer and master of Water-types! My sole goal is to create the most artful photography presentations known to humanity! To that end, might I request that you pose for a photograph?"

Cyrus looked away. "I am not interested in such frivolities."

"That's quite a fine Milotic you've got there," Clay observed.

"Why, thank you!" Wallace's smile grew wider.

"Tic!" Milotic's voice was melodious as she nodded along with her Trainer.

"Hey, want to battle?" Ash asked. "You look pretty strong!"

Wallace chuckled. "I would be willing to perhaps trade a battle for a photograph."

"Deal," said Ash immediately.

"I did not agree to this," Cyrus muttered as he was brought in for the group photo.

Once the photo had been taken, in accordance with their deal, Ash and Wallace moved to a point opposite one another as Clay, Cyrus, and their teams quickly shifted out of the way.

"This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash and Wallace," Clay announced. "I believe you've already announced your Pokemon, Wallace?"

Wallace dipped his head. "Milotic would never forgive me if I didn't use her."

"Then I've got just the Pokemon to use against her!" Ash cried. "Primeape, you're up!"

A few confused glances were passed along the sidelines as the burly Fighting-type materialized on the path. Instantly spying his opponent, he stomped on the ground and bellowed a challenge; Milotic answered with merely a silent haughty glance.

"Battlers, begin!" Clay called.

"Get in there!" Ash yelled immediately.

"Aqua Ring, my dear," Wallace ordered calmly. "And block with your tail."

Milotic shifted; as Primeape rushed her, one first drawn back, Milotic's tail rose up to defend. Primeape's fist met the appendage. To Ash's surprise, Milotic held against Primeape's punch, and even as the surprised-looking Primeape strained to overcome Milotic's defense, an aquamarine glow began to flow across Milotic's body.

"Now toss it away with Hydro Pump," Wallace declared.

"Out of the way!" Ash cried as Milotic twisted, opening her mouth. Primeape sprang to the side as a colossal torrent of water collided with the ground where he'd been standing, sending up a spray of wettened earth. "Now-" Ash began, but before he could call out any more, Milotic spun and cracked her tail like a whip straight into Primeape's nose.

"Dragon Pulse," Wallace told Milotic as Primeape tumbled across the ground.

"Up, Primeape!" Ash yelled, already regretting his choice of Pokemon. He'd expected the slender Water-type to be overpowered instantly by Primeape's raw strength, not for him to be matched and even exceeded. As Primeape launched himself out of the way of a Dragon Pulse that tore another furrow in the ground, Ash realized he'd have to try a different approach.

"Get in again, Primeape!" he yelled. "Aim for the head this time!"

Feet skidding across the ground, Primeape sprang forwards. Two more Dragon Pulses blasted holes in the earth as he dodged them both, still sprinting. "Twister," Wallace ordered, committing his fourth move.

Milotic cracked her tail again; from the appendage burst a wave of swirling draconic power that Ash instantly realized would not be dodged. "Go through it!" he cried; Primeape gritted his teeth and launched himself forwards, surrounding himself with the energy of what Ash instantly recognized as Thrash. "Wait, Primeape-" he called, but Primeape had already slammed into the oncoming Twister. Energy flew everywhere as the attack shattered; Primeape let out an animalistic howl and hurled himself at Milotic's face, engrossed in the throes of Thrash.

Ash had been planning to have him use Seismic Toss, but that was impossible now. He'd never be able to reach Primeape while the Fighting-type was in the midst of Thrash. And Wallace clearly knew that, for his eyes were lit up as he spoke his next orders. "Trip it and Hydro Pump."

Trip it? Ash's eyes widened as Milotic twisted again, readying her tail for another whip-crack. "Primeape, dodge!" he shouted, but the order fell upon deaf ears as the roaring Primeape surged towards his opponent.

Milotic's tail swept outwards, striking Primeape right in the ankles. Primeape fell to the ground face-first; at the exact same time, Milotic rose up, looked down, and unleashed a Hydro Pump directly into the Fighting-type's back.

"Primeape!" Ash cried.

And then Primeape flung himself out of the Hydro Pump, roaring furiously.

Where Thrash had been a burden, now it was a boon - where Primeape might have normally been pinned beneath the powerful Hydro Pump, Thrash had given him the strength he needed to break away. For the first time in the fight, Wallace looked surprised. "Twister!" he commanded, more forcefully than earlier, but Primeape was on Milotic before she could obey.

An energy-wreathed fist sank into Milotic's face; spit flew from her mouth as she was sent reeling, trying to stay upright in the face of Primeape's power. Ash saw the embers of Thrash beginning to fade as Primeape dropped to the ground, and grinned. "Now, Primeape! Grab the tail and use Seismic Toss!"

Primeape matched Ash's grin as the order reached his ears. Even as Milotic fought to recover, Primeape stepped forwards and wrapped both arms around the Water-type's tail. A grunt of effort left Primeape's mouth as he drew upon all of his strength; Milotic let out a shocked cry as Primeape lifted her bodily off the ground, roared, and swung her over his head and back onto the ground on his opposite side.

Then he did it again. And again, and again.

"Twister at the ground!" Wallace called swiftly as Primeape readied for a fifth swing. Milotic snapped to attention in an instant despite the obvious pain and dizziness; a blast of draconic power exploded against the ground, flinging both herself and Primeape away. Both landed just in front of their Trainers; both rose, bodies marked with bruises but still ready to fight.

"You're pretty strong for a photographer," Ash remarked.

"Thank you!" said Wallace. "You're not too bad yourself."

Ash was about to respond, but then suddenly noticed that some of Milotic's injuries seemed to be disappearing - that would be the Aqua Ring, he realized. "Primeape, you have to take her out quick before she heals up!" Ash told his Pokemon. "Get back in, and use-"

He never got the chance to finish the command.

One Minute Earlier

"Okay, let's go over the plan one more time," Liza whispered. "Haunter, you're knocking the kid out with Hypnosis immediately."

"Sounds good!" Haunter grinned wickedly.

"Lunatone, Aron, Ditto, you'll be taking out the group of Pokemon on the sidelines with Rock Tombs. Stun and trip up."

"Dat's right!" Aron murmured excitedly.

"Dragonite," Drake chimed in, "you're gonna be blasting the Primeape. Ellie, the Milotic."

Dragonite nodded silently. So did Ellie, for entirely different reasons.

"And then we've got these small bombs to cause chaos and destruction." Liza smirked as she held one up in each hand. "Sure was nice of the boss to let us search through the garbage dump again."

"Who even throws bombs into da garbage?" Aron asked.

Drake shrugged. "Team Rocket Grunts, I reckon."

Just outside the bushes the group were hiding in, the Milotic blasted the ground with a Twister, sending both herself and the Primeape flying in different directions.

"So is everyone ready?" Liza asked.

Ellie nodded along with the rest of them, but in her mind it was a very different story. She stared out at the kid who Drake and Liza had said was their target - he couldn't have been older than 10. And yet Drake - her Trainer - spoke vehemently and remorselessly about assaulting him, hurting him, and stealing his Pokemon.

It was wrong. Ellie knew with every fiber of her being that it was wrong. But what was she supposed to do - tell Drake what she thought? What would he think of…

It was at that moment, when she realized she was scared of her own Trainer, that Liza hissed "Now!"

Haunter darted forwards, claws outstretched, and flung out a stream of Psychic power straight into the side of the boy - Ash, Ellie recalled his name was. Ash dropped mid-order; at the same time, Aron, Lunatone, and Ditto (who had transformed into Lunatone) launched a trio of Rock Tombs at the collection of Pokemon arranged on the sidelines of the battle. A Sneasel fell instantly, while a Zubat dropped with one wing bent awkwardly; the rest scattered, stumbling from injuries dealt by the flung rocks. A second later, several small bombs joined the rocks, and the entire pathway erupted in a cavalcade of miniature explosions.

Ellie heard a cry of "Team Rocket!" from the large man wearing the wide-brimmed hat - she was pretty sure he was called Clay. The severe-looking man with pale blue hair - Cyrus - started giving orders, but before he could a bomb exploded right in front of him and he stumbled, coughing. Drake swooped in from above, riding atop Dragonite. "Hyper Beam, now!" he commanded; Ash's Primeape was turning to face the oncoming group streaming out of the woods, and didn't see the attack coming until it was too late. The Hyper Beam slammed into him and sent him flying - after the beating Primeape had already taken from his fight with the Milotic, Ellie wasn't sure if he was getting up from that.

Right, the Milotic. That's…that's my job.

Indeed, she could see the serpentine Water-type now, flinching backwards from another explosion and curving protectively in front of her Trainer. She remembered his name was Wallace - he was apparently an unknown, but Electric-type attacks were good against Water-types. A single Thunderbolt would likely bring this Milotic down after all the damage it had taken from Primeape. Ellie tore her gaze away from Ash's unconscious body, ignored the brawl between her teammates and Clay and Cyrus's Pokemon on her right, and focused on the Water-type, feeling electricity beginning to ripple outwards from her form.

Milotic locked eyes with her.

Ellie didn't know how the Water-type had seen her in all the chaos, half-camouflaged as she was by the bushes, but as their eyes met, Milotic's burned with a simple question. Why?

Ellie hesitated.

And in that moment, Wallace moved. Another Pokeball opened, and a huge Swampert materialized just as Ellie finally fired off her Thunderbolt. The Electric-type attack fizzled out against the Water/Ground-type; behind the new arrival, the Milotic rose, opened her mouth, and unleashed a Dragon Pulse straight into Dragonite's side, still wreathed in bandages.

Dragonite roared in pain as he was blasted out of the sky with Drake still on top of him. The two slammed into the ground; Ellie covered her mouth in shock as she heard a loud crack and realized that one of them, if not both, had at least one bone broken. Wallace smiled. "Now, Milotic, Swampert, let us make some waves!"

Swampert reared, as did Milotic, and a combined Muddy Water and Surf exploded out from both their bodies, forming a titanic wave that swept towards Drake, Liza, and their still-standing Pokemon.

Cyrus and Clay's Pokemon - those that were still standing - scrambled away as fast as they could. At what was likely a telepathic order from Liza, Lunatone unleashed a Confusion in retaliation. Ditto, still transformed into the Rock/Psychic-type, fired off one of his own. But to Ellie's shock, their combined attack was unable to stand against Wallace's; she saw both of their eyes widen just before the wave slammed into them and their Trainers behind them. Drake, Liza, and Aron's yells of shock disappeared into the distance as the wave literally washed them away.

Drake had somehow managed to recall Dragonite before being swept into the forest; now Ellie was left alone, staring down the two powerful Water-types, their Trainer, and the trio who had been the initial victims of the assault, all of whom looked rather unamused.

Facing a fight she hadn't wanted and knew she didn't have a chance in Distortion of winning, Ellie turned and fled into the forest as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Are you sure you ain't some sorta Elite Four member in disguise?" Clay asked.

Wallace shook his head. "I am just a humble photographer. The skill of my Pokemon is merely the byproduct of multiple rather dangerous journeys to capture the most breathtaking photographs possible."

"…right," said Cyrus. "Be that as it may, your aid was quite useful and deserving of gratitude."

"It was nothing," said Wallace. "Just teaching some ruffians a well-deserved lesson. Let us hope they take those teachings to heart."

"That'd be the day," Clay muttered.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to finish our battle," said Ash. "Hey, I've got an idea - why don't you come with us to the next town! Once we heal up our Pokemon, we can have another battle!"

"Eager, aren't you?" Wallace smiled. "I can understand that. Very well, I shall travel with you as far as the next town. If I may offer some training suggestions? Your Primeape is quite strong, but a little more versatility could pay dividends."

"Of course!" Ash fell to listening with a ready ear as the group - now with one extra member - set off again down the path.

"Ya know," said Aron, "on one hand, losing sucks, and I ain't gonna get all dis water outta my armor for hours." He shook himself to emphasize the words, sending a few droplets of water flying in various directions. "On da other hand…da fact dat we're only usin' stuff from da garbage dump means we ain't actually costin' Team Rocket any resources. So dat edict of yours is workin' out pretty well, all things considered."

"Indeed," said the voice of Team Rocket's boss. "However…" Drake, Liza, and Aron all cringed. "It would have been smarter to wait until the photographer was away. I would have thought you'd know better than to fail to take into account unknown variables."

"I know, boss," Liza murmured. "After Pryce…we were a little impatient."

"See that your impatience does not hinder you again." The boss of Team Rocket cleared their throat. "Now, speaking of Pryce, I have decided that between his assaults on my operatives and his hiring of practically every non-Rocket-affiliated mercenary in Kanto, he represents a threat to this organization. As such…let us just say he has been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" Drake asked. "How?"

"Let's just say…it doubled as a very useful trial run for Project M."

"You know, sir," said a mercenary, "we would've performed better if we didn't have snow warning."

"Can you blame us for freezing up?" another mercenary asked.

"Silence," Pryce growled, eyeing the mansion and the house beside it. It had taken a lot of convincing, promises, and even begging to get Drake's parents to agree to allow him and his mercenaries to remain on their property after his actions the other day, and even then he was not allowed anywhere near the same freedoms he had previously enjoyed. As such, he was thoroughly not in the mood to listen to his minions.

"Ouch," said the first mercenary. "That's cold."

Pryce rounded on the mercenary, raising his cane. "I have had enough-" he began, and then a chill abruptly ran down his spine.

He didn't know why, but something made him turn around and look up even before the startled gasps broke out behind him. Silhouetted against the sun was a figure, a shadow, its shape impossible to make out through Pryce's half-closed eyes. But though Pryce couldn't see it clearly, he could feel it - it radiated a presence so extreme, so all-consuming, that he knew at once this was beyond him.

And then it spoke.

"You have assaulted members of Team Rocket," it said, its voice radiating throughout Pryce's mind like an echo in a cave. "You have interfered with our operations and complicated our plans. As such, you have chosen death, and I have come to bring that death."

"Who do you think you are?" Pryce snarled, raising his cane in defiance even as he released his team onto the ground beside him.

"An interesting choice for your last words." The creature sounded almost amused. "It will look good on your tombstone, at least, compared to all the others marked 'AAAAHHHH' and 'please don't kill me'."

"AAAAHHHH!" one of the mercenaries behind Pryce cried.

"Please don't kill me!" the other yelled.

A sigh, and a murmur of "Humans." And then the creature raised an arm, and Pryce's world became light and heat and pain.

The call had ended, and Team Rocket had resumed trying to dry themselves off. Ellie, who had not gotten wet, was sitting by herself on the edge of the clearing they had chosen to hide out in, head bowed and not looking at any of her teammates.

Especially not at Drake's sling-bound arm, a perfect match for Dragonite's bandaged side. That's my fault, Ellie thought. Had been thinking ever since they'd met back up after the fiasco of a battle.

But even as guilt tore her apart, rationalization coursed through her mind. She knew exactly why she'd hesitated. Why she hadn't been able to bring herself to take out that Milotic before it shot Drake out of the sky.

"Did you hear that, Ellie?" Dragonite's booming voice sounded from right beside her as the Dragon/Flying-type strode up to her. "The boss took care of Pryce! We never have to worry about that cold-hearted…" He stopped. "Ellie, you all right?"

Ellie looked up at Dragonite. "Do I look all right?"

Dragonite sighed. "Look, I get that our career choice is a bit of a departure from what you might have expected. But you have to understand-"

"I've been trying and trying to understand!" Ellie cried. "But I just can't! I finally get to see my Trainer again after decades, and…" She shook her head. "And he's just as bad as Pryce."

"Now, hold on-"

"Stealing Pokemon?" Ellie growled. "Assaulting innocents? Hurting kids? That boy was barely in his teens, Dragonite. Perhaps not even that! How can you possibly be okay with this?"

"Team Rocket has made sure we will never be hurt again!" Dragonite snarled.

"Yeah," said Ellie. "Because now you're the ones doing the hurting."

She looked away from Dragonite as she continued to speak. "You're not the Dratini I once knew," she whispered. "And Drake isn't the Trainer I once knew either. I'm staying because I have nowhere else to go. But tell Drake that if he wants to engage in this Team Rocket crap…then he shouldn't bother sending me out."

Ellie looked back down and resumed her silence, not even watching as Dragonite slowly nodded, turned, and walked away.

Well, I did say Pryce would be coming back later, didn't I?

Think of this as another consequence of Pryce replacing Jessebelle. Yes, he's older, smarter, and a lot more powerful…but that also means he's more dangerous. And while Giovanni might have brushed off Jessebelle as a non-threat in canon, I couldn't really see the leader of Team Rocket doing the same with Pryce here, especially with the clear threat he's presented.