Rookie

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Pokedex"

-[-

A thirty-something woman in a black skirt suit with red pantyhose and sensible heels sat behind her desk inside her expansive office. She had scarlet hair that reached her shoulders, its end fanning outwards in a crescent shape. Two locks of hair framed her face while a third shaped like a flame rose from her head. Though her clothing screamed quality, only a few would realize her outfit cost more than most people's homes. The same applied to her hardwood desk, her chair, and any of the decorations around her office. From a necklace made from Grumpig pearls to a perfectly detailed Corviknight statue, this woman both had incredible amounts of wealth and loved to flaunt it. The same even applied to the Pokémon lounging on its own chaise nearby. Absol were impossible to find within Kanto, and hers had impossibly luxurious fur along with being noticeably larger than average.

"Madame Boss, your 4 o'clock is here," her intercom buzzed.

"Send them in," Ariana aka Madame Boss of Team Rocket replied. A moment later, the door to her office opened to allow a group of three to enter the well-lit room (contrary to popular media, mafia bosses do not work in poorly lit rooms that could easily conceal an enemy agent). The first was the woman who believed herself the leader of their little group and was certainly the most assertive of them. Boasting long magenta hair that swooped backwards, Jessie certainly made for a striking figure even before accounting for her personalized Team Rocket uniform. Rather than merely wearing the typical white uniform afforded to elite agents, Jessie had modified her top to bare her stomach and a portion of her black sports bra, noticeably shortened her skirt, and considerably lengthened her boots and gloves. When she was in a less generous mood, Ariana likened Jessie's uniform to a stripper parody of a Team Rocket uniform. On the other hand, Jessie's partner, the periwinkle-haired Jaime, simply wore the men's version of the elite agent uniform. It certainly fitted with her generally being more of a follower than a leader, especially in regard to her partner Jessie. Last was their third member, a Galarian Meowth. If his local cousins were Pokémon of grace and beauty, a Meowth from Galar was a creature of violence, anger, and possibly rabies.

They were a motley crew, but they rarely failed her. In fact, a few more successful missions and she'd be promoting them, possibly all the way up to Admins. "Squad 33 reporting for duty, ma'am!" The trio snapped off picture perfect salutes, even Meowth.

"At ease." With a click of a handy remote on her desk, the lights dimmed and the projector built into her ceiling turned on. The first image projected on the wall behind her desk was of a tanned woman with wild sandy blonde hair, a lab coat with a fur lined collar, and clothing that wouldn't look out of place on a cavewoman. "This, as I'm sure you all know, is Professor Sada. She has a laboratory and Pokémon ranch on the outskirts of Pallet Town, which is the target of your next mission." Another click showed an overview of the dozens of square miles Sada's property took up. "Specifically, you will be stealing a batch of eggs created from Pokémon fossils." A third click brought up an image of a generic Pokémon egg, one that an expert would recognize as a Pidgey egg. "While she also has several fossils available and undoubtedly countless rare Pokémon, Sada is also known for her incredibly powerful Pokémon." Yet another click showed an unusually large Tyrantrum pinning a Tyranitar in place with one foot. The three agents all gasped at the power implied in said image. "From our intel, there's a fifteen-minute gap in her Pokémon's patrols where none of them are close enough to respond to a break-in at the laboratory itself. You will use that time to infiltrate her lab, steal as many eggs as possible, and get out. Anything else is a useful bonus but those should be your priority."

With her presentation concluded, Ariana pressed a button, turning off the projector and brightening the room once more. She gestured towards her desk, upon which sat a Great Ball. "For the duration of this mission, you will be granted usage of a Drowzee, which knows Teleport, Thunder Wave, and Hypnosis. It is not meant for battle. Use it only to disable witnesses and teleport you out in case of emergency." That they weren't to kill said witnesses didn't need to be said. Team Rocket as a whole didn't deal in murder; it was messy and too much trouble to dispose of all the evidence unless planned with the utmost care.

Jessie took the offered Great Ball and placed it on her belt. With that, Ariana turned back to her work and the trio sharply saluted her once more before leaving.

-[-

Fifteen-year-old Ash Ketchum ran towards the Pokémon Lab on the edge of town, almost stumbling a time or two in his haste. The black-haired teen didn't care about the occasional person chuckling at him as he rushed through town. He'd been waiting for this day for months! Ever since he finally became old enough, he'd ached to head out on his Pokémon journey. Sadly, his birthday came less than two months after the previous admission deadline, forcing him to wait an extra six months after everyone else had already left. Still, it wasn't all bad. The Quick Ball resting on his waist was certainly something he wouldn't have had if he'd left when the others from town had.

It didn't take him long to reach the lab, though lab was a bit of a misnomer. There were actually half a dozen buildings strictly for research purposes, not just one. Pallet was a small town and would barely even be on maps at all if not for Professor Sada's presence. In fact, Ash was pretty sure her property was larger than Pallet Town itself was. The teen reached the well-worn dirt path to the main building just as a large shadow passed overhead. He shaded his eyes with one hand, while cursing that he left his hat at home, and looked up in time to see Sada's Aerodactyl pass lazily overhead. Though he wasn't an expert, Ash had been around that particular prehistoric Pokémon enough to realize it was just enjoying a morning flight rather than hunting. Despite having seen it countless times in his life, he couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle at the sight.

Turning his attention back to his destination, Ash almost tripped over a number of Oddish crossing the path between the fences surrounding Pallet Town and the Pokémon Lab. One of them gave an annoyed cry, but otherwise they all simply continued on their way. "Sorry, I'll pay more attention," Ash called after the grass type Pokémon. He would too. Ash had asked once why the fences had an almost half mile gap between them and why they bothered with the fences at all since any Pokémon that couldn't easily go under or over them could certainly go right through the wooden planks.

Flashback

"It's a matter of respecting boundaries, Ash," Delia Ketchum explained to her son.

A ten-year-old Ash tilted his head in confusion. "What's that mean?"

Delia chuckled and patted his head. "Pokémon are more than intelligent enough to know it might cause problems if they caused trouble in human towns, just as people know not to stumble into a wild Pokémon's den. So we set up fences around the town to mark its borders. Everyone stays on their side of the fence and nobody has any trouble."

"Well, why the gap then?"

"For the same reason cities have side streets: To get around easier. It'd be awfully rude to make Pokémon go around both the town and the Professor's lab to get to the other side. A large space where they can pass through is simple courtesy," Was her explanation.

Flashback End

As he approached the main building, Ash saw Professor Sada waiting for him by the door. Her richly tanned skin and visibly muscled frame were the most obvious indicators of just how much time she spent working outdoors. He couldn't help but smile dopily at seeing her. As someone who loved Pokémon, Sada was something of a hero to him. But as a red-blooded teenager, he had just a little bit of a crush on her. Maybe more than a little. "Hey Ash, ready to head out with your first Pokémon?" She called once he got close enough. Then she spotted the Quick Ball on his waist, "Oh my. Caught a Pokémon already?"

"Hey Professor! And not exactly. Mom found a Joltik sucking electricity from one of our outlets and caught it. But she retired from battling so she gave it to me as a gift." As he explained, Ash called out the Joltik in question. The tiny, fuzzy bug type looked around briefly before quickly skittering up her trainer's pantleg, not stopping until she was perched atop his head.

Sada leaned in close to inspect the Pokémon, even as it tried to hide in Ash's hair. "Well, I can tell you she's a female, very young, and healthy. But let's check what the Pokedex has to say." From within her lab coat, the Professor pulled out a Pokedex and held it so the scanner picked up Joltik. After a moment, its robotic voice announced, "Joltik. The Attaching Pokémon. As they cannot generate electricity on their own, they frequently cling to others in order to absorb static electricity. This Joltik is female and knows the moves Absorb, Electro Web, Poison Sting, and Pin Missile."

Sada rubbed her chin at that information. "Poison Sting and Pin Missile? It must have a Beedrill or Ariados somewhere in its family tree to know those moves. Oh! Did you give her a nickname?" She asked Ash.

"No, Joltik didn't like any of the ones I came up with like Thunderfury or Electroshocker," Ash replied.

Inwardly, Sada cringed a little at Ash's proposed nicknames. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised given he suggested equally terrible names for his official Starter Pokémon. "Anyway, let's go get you officially registered and introduce Joltik to your first Pokémon."

-[-

In a secluded corner of the ranch, Team Rocket prepared their heist. "Alright, you two know what to do?" Jessie questioned. Both Koffing and Mimikyu nodded. Or rather, the floating ball bobbed up and down in the air once while the head of Mimikyu's costume jerked forward and back sharply. "Alright, as soon as they're done, you'll need to teleport us closer to the lab, Drowzee." The psychic Pokémon saluted her.

"Jessie," Jaime hesitantly started, "You know I don't like making Koffing self-destruct. It's not fun for him and it'll leave him unable to fight for the rest of the day."

"I know, Jaime," Jessie comforted her. "But with the payday from this job, we'll ALL be able to enjoy a five-star spa day! That'll make it up to him! Besides, if we end up in a fight, we've messed up."

The other woman gave a sigh of resignation. "I guess you're right, Jessie. Okay Koffing, it's go time!"

Koffing began spewing large amounts of gas from its vents, a combination of Smokescreen and Poison Gas. Once a nearby crash of Rhyhorn noticed the advancing cloud and started moving, it was Mimikyu's turn. From within the cloud, a volley of purple fireballs flew, each aimed at a Rhyhorn. A few missed and struck the ground harmlessly, but most found their mark and hit the flank of one of the rocky Pokémon. As the group bellowed in surprise and pain, Koffing glowed brightly within its cloud before detonating explosively, setting off the mixture of gases with. The resulting explosion was loud, flashy, and extremely upsetting to the various nearby Pokémon, particularly the already upset crash of Rhyhorn. The result was a stampede of panicked and angry Pokémon.

Jessie and Jaime hurriedly recalled their Pokémon before grabbing hold of Drowzee along with Meowth. "Okay, let's move!"

-[-

Inside her main office, Professor Sada handed Ash a pokeball. "Here he is, Ash."

The teen took the ball from her, a wide smile on his face. "Oh boy! I've been waiting for this ever since he hatched!" Feeling Joltik shift forward, Ash held up the pokeball towards her so she could get a good look at it. "Take a good look, buddy! This here's my first ever Pokémon! I took care of his egg for weeks before he finally hatched."

Watching him with a fond smile, Sada asked, "Well? Aren't you going to introduce them properly?"

"You're right! Come on out, Tyrunt!" Ash called as he tossed the pokeball upwards. The ball burst open and let out a beam of light which formed itself into his Starter Pokémon. Unlike most of his brethren, including his mother, Sada's own Tyrantrum, Ash's Tyrunt was a rich blue color with white highlights. He was also just a little larger than average, but time would tell if that would change one way or another. Joltik scurried down off Ash's body to take a good look at Tyrunt. For his part, the small Royal Heir Pokémon crowed happily at seeing his trainer. Joltik got closer, tentatively moving forward until it was close enough to poke the other Pokémon with one leg. Tyrunt startled, having not noticed Joltik's approach. "Hey, Tyrunt; this is Joltik, my second Pokémon. You two are gonna be partners from now on," Ash introduced the pair.

Tyrunt leaned down to sniff at Joltik curiously. The spider Pokémon trembled a little, seeing as Tyrunt was large enough to eat her in one bite. After a few inspecting sniffs, Tyrunt gave a sound of approval and bumped Joltik lightly with his head.

Sada hated to interrupt the moment. "Alright Ash, let the two get to know each other. We've got some last-minute work to get you fully registered." A sound reached her ears. A distant explosion, followed by a slight but constant tremor in the ground. "Oh not again! Give me a few minutes, Ash. It sounds like the Rhyhorn and Graveler are fighting again. I have to stop them before they wreck the place."

"Uh, sure I guess. Suppose I'll just wait here?" Ash replied uncertainly.

Sada ran for the door and called over her shoulder, "Thanks Ash! Won't take long with Nibbles' help!"

"I can't believe she calls a 12ft Tyrantrum 'Nibbles'," Ash muttered to himself. Tyrunt proved it was listening by giving a light growl to remind Ash of what he tried to name him. The teen flushed in embarrassment, but privately, he felt that Giga Bite was a great name. After a minute or so, Ash looked at his two Pokémon and got an idea. "C'mon guys. I'll show you some of the fossils the professor has." Both Pokémon gave signs of acknowledgement and followed after their trainer as he led them away out of the office.

-[-

Balanced on a windowsill, Meowth closed his eyes and smashed his forehead into the windowpane. The glass easily shattered, allowing him to reach in and undo the latch. "Couldn't you have cut a circle in the glass so we didn't make as much noise?" Jaime questioned as Jessie pulled the now unlocked window open.

"You been watching too many movies," Meowth retorted, "Cutting a perfect circle in glass requires you apply pressure from both sides. Besides, we're on a time crunch. Best to be loud and fast than get caught by one of the Professor's monsters."

"I guess that makes sense," Jaime agreed as she climbed through, only to flush in embarrassment as she was partway through the window. "Uh, Jessie? A little help?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Jessie grumbled. She quickly took hold of her best friend's hands and pulled. Once, twice, three times to finally get her through. "I swear, Jaime, if you're going to smuggle Voltorb under your shirt, you need to start wearing a proper sports bra."

"I can't find them in my size, Jessie! Either they're way too tight or they're sized for a Snorlax dressing up as a woman!" Jaime defended herself, her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

Meowth cut into the duo rehashing their age-old argument. "If you two are done talking about Jaime's Miltank udders," The woman in question squawked at how he referred to her chest, "We got shit to steal!"

-[-

Ash carried Tyrunt in his arms and let Joltik perch in his hair again as he showed them around. "And this is a Tyrantrum skull," He declared excitedly as he showed them the fossilized skull that was bigger than his torso, mounted in a place of pride among Sada's wide collection. "This is actually the very skull your mother was cloned from, Tyrunt!" Both Pokémon stared at the skull with wide eyes, albeit for different reasons. For Tyrunt, the fossil was the remains of a family member, in a roundabout way. Joltik, on the other hand, was considering that Tyrantrum's teeth were considerably larger than itself.

After a solid minute of admiring the fossil, voices caught their attention. 'That's weird. Sada's aides are just supposed to help her with caring for the Pokémon. Didn't she say she preferred they stay out of the lab?' Ash thought to himself. Out loud, he proved his naivety by calling out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

Rather than answer him, a voice ordered, "Drowzee, Thunder Wave!"

A weak burst of electricity shot from the far side of the hall towards Ash, only to get absorbed by Joltik. "What the heck?!" Ash cried out in surprise. Tyrunt gave an angry roar at the attack on his trainer, though it was far less impressive than his mother's would have been.

"C'mon Jaime, it's just some baby trainer! Let's beat him quickly, take his Pokémon, and get on with the mission!" A redheaded woman declared as she came into view. She immediately put deeds to words as she threw a pokeball, releasing an Ekans. The purple snake Pokémon hissed threateningly at Ash and his own Pokémon.

"Meowth, grab the loot," Jaime called as she threw a Luxury Ball, from which came a Growlithe. Like Ekans, it made a show of threatening them, puffing out small wisps of flame as it growled. "Growlithe, use Bite!"

"Ekans, Poison Sting!" As the striped puppy Pokémon ran forward, intent on biting into one of Ash's Pokémon, or possibly the trainer himself, Ekans opened its mouth wide and shot out countless needles of poison energy. The two Pokémon proved their experience working together as each of Ekans' needles missed Growlithe, sometimes by millimeters.

Ash let Tyrunt drop to the floor, the young Pokémon's rocky body causing the tile beneath it to crack. "Tyrunt, Rock Polish then Thunder Fang! Joltik, Pin Missile!" Tyrunt's body glowed briefly before it shot forward an incredible burst of speed. Joltik's fur lit up and launched countless needles of bug energy at Ekans.

Tyrunt's teeth sank into Growlithe's side, discharging the electricity built up in its teeth. But a shout of "Double Kick!" caused it to smash its legs into Tyrunt, kicking it away. Meanwhile, Ekans slithered out of the way of Joltik's attack. A harsh glare caused Joltik to freeze up in fear. "Ekans, use Wrap!" The snake moved forward with alarming speed, seeking to wrap up both Pokémon and trainer in its coils.

"Wait, you absorbed that electric attack earlier! Joltik, use Electroweb! Tyrunt, Rock Smash!" The tiny spider Pokémon reared back and spat out a large web that sparked with electricity. Despite its efforts, Ekans was struck and found its momentum halted as it twitched violently. Tyrunt slammed its tail into Growlithe, earning a pained yelp.

"Growlithe, no! Sandshrew, use Defense Curl then hit them with a Rollout!" Jaime shouted in dismay. From another pokeball, the yellow mouse Pokémon appeared and immediately curled into a ball. Its form glowed briefly before it rolled towards Tyrunt at high speed. Tyrunt didn't even have time to react before Sandshrew smashed into him.

Jessie followed her partner's example and called out another Pokémon. "Ekans, Scary Glare! Pidgey, Quick Attack!" The combination attack made of Glare and Scary Face caused Joltik to completely freeze in place, too afraid to move, which made it easy prey for the bird Pokémon slamming into it at high speeds and knocking it away.

Ash despaired when Joltik didn't get back up, forcing him to recall her. He should've known. She was young, low-leveled; she wasn't ready for a real battle like this. But that sadly meant Tyrunt was facing four enemies on his own. Ash didn't think he'd be able to pull out a miracle win in this situation. "Just give it up, twerp," Jessie insisted, "You can just pretend you never saw us and we'll be on our merry way."

"Never! This place is Professor Sada's life! I won't let you ruin it!" Ash roared in defiance, Tyrunt matching him with a roar of his own.

Jaime looked down in shame at the declaration. She didn't like victimizing other people, but after she'd burnt her bridges with her family, her options were rather limited. Jessie, having always had to fight and scrape for whatever she could get, was less sympathetic. "Fine, brat! Maybe you can start your journey in a wheelchair!" Ash tensed as Team Rocket's Pokémon rushed towards Tyrunt. Even as he opened his mouth to give a command, Ekans slithered around the side and moved right for him.

With an almighty crash, the battle was loudly interrupted when two forms divebombed in through the glass ceiling, both managing to arrest their momentum almost instantly. Everyone present immediately recognized the draconic Pokémon, and while Ash felt relief, Team Rocket was filled with dread. "Ash! I came as quickly as I could! Are you alright?!" Professor Sada shouted from atop her Mega Aerodactyl as it, along with Roaring Moon, glared down at the criminals. Sada hopped down off her Pokémon's back to check on Ash. "Get rid of them," She told her two prehistoric Pokémon.

"Drowzee, get us out of here!" Jessie shouted in panic as she tossed its Great Ball even while she and Jaime were recalling their Pokémon. The normally tired looking Pokémon gaped before teleporting away as fast as it could. With a cry of alarm, Meowth dropped his bag of loot and sprinted towards his cohorts. Jessie, Jaime, and Meowth barely had time to grab on before Aerodactyl smashed straight into the fleeing psychic type with Pursuit. Though the teleport succeeded, they certainly weren't going to be using that Drowzee again without a lengthy stay at a Pokémon Center.

Sada ran a hand through her hair as she let out a tsk of annoyance. "They got away. You two, search the area with the others. If they're not within the town limits, let them go. Otherwise, bring them back here," She told her two Pokémon. The pair nodded in agreement before flying back out of the broken skylight. Sada looked back at Ash and his Pokémon, her face softening. "How are you and your Pokémon, Ash?" She asked them in concern.

Giving his Pokémon a once over and receiving a noise of confirmation from Tyrunt, Ash replied, "They'll be okay after some healing and rest. I'm glad you showed up when you did. I don't think we'd have held out much longer."

"Don't sell yourself short. You did amazing for a new trainer. C'mon, we'll get your Pokémon healed up in no time."

Ash recalled Tyrunt back into his pokeball as Sada moved over to a healing machine akin to those in Pokémon Centers. "What about the ceiling?" Ash asked her, handing over his Pokémon to be healed.

"Hm? Oh don't worry about that," Sada assured him. Tossing out an Ultra Ball, she called, "Golurk, give me a hand." The nine-foot-tall mechanical golem of a Pokémon appeared from its ball in a flash. Its eyes started glowing bright green, causing an aura of the same color to form around the broken glass scattered around the laboratory. Within seconds, each shard lifted into the air and started fitting themselves together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. As each piece fit together, the shards fused together seamlessly. Ash stared in awe at the attention to detail needed as Golurk easily reformed the ceiling of the laboratory, leaving it looking as though it had never been broken.

Ash's attention was drawn away from the glass neatly refitting itself back into place by Sada's voice, "Well Ash, if you don't mind delaying your departure a little, I'd like to give you a more thorough examination. Just to make sure you aren't injured." The Pokémon professor walked towards the door as her lab coat slid off her body seemingly without her noticing. That notion was quickly disproven when she pulled off her ragged orange top. Covering her chest with one arm, Sada turned back towards Ash and casually tossed her shirt in his direction. "Besides," She continued, "I owe you a personal thank you for saving my research." She turned her back on him and resumed walking out of the laboratory before pausing outside the door. Just before the door swung shut behind her, Ash caught a glimpse of Sada's shorts beginning to drop as she loosened her belt. Ash stared at the closed door for a solid three seconds before his brain caught up and he sprinted after the older woman.

An hour later, Ash stumbled out of the laboratory, adjusting his clothing as he went. Despite being very proud of holding off Team Rocket and overwhelmingly satisfied with the thanks he received, he still winced whenever his shirt brushed against one of the new scratches or bite marks he acquired. 'Tyrunt didn't bite this much when he was freshly hatched,' He thought to himself, 'Certainly not as hard either.'

-[-

Within her office, Ariana stared at the fidgeting agents on the other side of her desk. Their mission had been a risky one, that was true. But she expected any failures to come from something like bad intel or one of Sada's Pokémon making a surprise appearance. Yet, to hear them tell it. "I want to be sure I understood your report," She spoke quietly, yet no less menacing for her apparent calm. "Did you three say that you were foiled by some wet behind the ears brat too young to shave?"

"Er, yes ma'am," Jaime offered. "But his Tyrunt was really strong and-"

"He's a fucking child!" Ariana shouted over her. The violette immediately stopped talking, quailing under her boss's anger. In response to his trainer's agitation, Ariana's Absol began pacing, eyes locked on the unfortunate trio. "A child who, by your own admittance, only had two Pokémon to your six. A child who was a brand-new rookie trainer! THAT is who caused this mission to be a complete failure?!"

"Actually boss, I wouldn't say it was a complete failure," Jessie contradicted her superior, sounding entirely too self-assured in Ariana's opinion. "After all," the young woman reached into her voluminous hair and rummaged around for a second before pulling out a stone, "I managed to snag this!" Jessie held up the rock proudly.

Quick as a flash, Absol grabbed the stone in its mouth, ignoring Jessie's shocked cry, and deposited it on Ariana's desk. The woman grabbed the stone and held it under her desk lamp as she inspected it closely. Up close, she could see it contained some kind of body part, but she couldn't tell what exactly. Possibly a skull or maybe a shell? "This is a fossil alright. Though we'll need our scientists to determine what kind exactly." When she looked back up, Ariana saw that Jaime was holding what looked like some kind of horn or claw. "Another one? Where were you hiding that?"

The more timid of the duo looked away awkwardly and said, "Please don't ask." Out of her line of sight, Meowth made a cupping motion in front of his chest, clueing Ariana in.

A disgusted frown crossed Ariana's face at realizing the moisture on said fossil was the Grunt's sweat. She pressed a button on her desk, one of the base's countless nameless Grunts arriving within seconds of her summoning. "You, take those down to the labs and have them analyzed immediately." The Grunt did as ordered, holding both fossils securely close to his chest. Ariana turned her attention back to the two. "Well, I can't say I'm entirely pleased about how your mission went, but that you gathered two intact fossils at least will be a boon for our cause. I will decide further once the boys down in the labs tell me what exactly you managed to steal. For now, I want more information on this kid. Tell me everything."

-[-

As he trudged through Mt. Moon, Ash found himself wondering not for the first time where all the Zubats were. Sure, he'd run into a couple so far, but the way everyone in Pewter City spoke of the place, he expected to have been swarmed by dozens of them within minutes of stepping foot into the cave system. So far, the Pokémon to give him the most trouble was random Geodude that he'd stumble over when his flashlight would miss them (or he'd have mistaken them for ordinary rocks). Joltik and Nidoran had been more than enough to handle them and whatever other wild Pokémon he'd come across so far. He'd wanted to give Starly more training too, but the tight spaces of the caves weren't exactly ideal for a diurnal raptor like him.

More concerning were the members of Team Rocket he had faced so far. Maybe it was because he was more experienced now, but none of them seemed to compare to the ones he had fought on his first day as a trainer. It certainly didn't help that they all seemed to field just a Rattata and one other Pokémon at best. He'd seen a Geodude, a couple Spearow, and an Oddish so far. Far from impressive. If not for their numbers, they'd be nothing.

"That's as far as you go, twerp!" An unwelcome voice shouted. Ash looked around and saw he'd entered a much larger cavern than the previous tunnels. A large hole in the ceiling allowed for much better illumination as well. More importantly, Jessie and Jaime were tying some kind of giant luminescent boulder to what looked like a hot air balloon of all things. "We won't have you interfering with us this time! Jaime, finish up while I handle this twerp!" Jessie yelled. She palmed and threw a pokeball, calling, "Go Pidgey!"

"Joltik, I choose you!"

However, even as Ash threw his pokeball, Jessie and Jaime each threw another. "Go Ekans!"

"Sandshrew, help her out!"

"Three on one?! You cowards!" Ash shouted in indignation. "Joltik, use Electro Web!"

Team Rocket's bearded Meowth leapt into the fray, grabbing the electrified webbing as Joltik spat it out, flinching only slightly before throwing the webbing away. "Four on one! And get used to it, you wanker! We're crooks!"

Ash quickly released the rest of his team. Starly quickly engaged in an aerial battle with Pidgey. Nidoran and Sandshrew were furiously scratching at one another, trying to get through their enemy's thick hides. Joltik struggled to stay ahead of the much larger Ekans. Finally, Tyrunt had bitten into Meowth's metallic fur, the latter furiously clawing at Tyrunt's stony hide. It was a struggle for either side to keep up with all their Pokémon. "Starly, use Wing Attack! Joltik, slow it down with String Shot!"

"Pidgey, Steel Wing! Ekans, Poison Sting! Meowth, try Metal Claw!"

The two birds collided in midair, their wings glowing with their attacks. They briefly locked, before each veered off and swooped around for another attempt. Ash tore his eyes away to pay attention to the other fights going on. "Nidoran, use Chip Away! Tyrunt, Fire Fang! Joltik, trap it with Electro-shot! Starly, evade with Double Team!"

Nidoran slammed her shoulder into Sandshrew, sending him bouncing away. At the same time, Meowth let out a pained yell as the teeth digging into him became burning hot. Joltik's combination of String Shot and Electroweb tangled up Ekans, slowing its movement to a crawl. However, a shout of "Pidgey, Feint Attack!" saw it ignoring the numerous speed clones of Starly and slamming into him from behind.

"Starly, quick, use Air Cutter!" Starly flipped over so it was facing Pidgey and flapped its wings, sending cutting blades of energy towards the other Pokémon. The other bird made to evade, but some of the attacks landed anyway, causing it to cry out. Another cry got Ash's attention as he saw Sandshrew pop out of the ground and slam its claws into Nidoran's underside. "Nidoran! Joltik, Poison Missile on Sandshrew!" Joltik chirped seriously before sending a barrage of needles filled with poison and bug type energy at the ground type. The attack forced Sandshrew away and gave Nidoran time to recover.

But that's when things went wrong. A bright light engulfing Pidgey signified the tides turning against Ash completely. When Pidgey finished evolving, it was three times as large and decorated with colorful pink and yellow plumage. With a single strike of its wings, it knocked Starly out of the air. "Starly, return!"

With aerial superiority secured, Pidgeotto swooped down and struck Tyrunt with a Steel Wing, forcing it off Meowth and sending it crashing into a wall. However, rather than order it to keep attacking, Jessie shouted, "Pidgeotto, we're good to go! Use Whirlwind to cover our escape!" A few powerful flaps of its wings kicked up an inordinate amount of dirt and rock. Within moments, it was impossible to see anything.

When the winds died down and Ash could see once more, there was no sign of Team Rocket or the Moon Stone. "Darn it!" Ash growled as he punched the ground. "We couldn't stop them again!" His team gathered around, looking as frustrated as he felt. "It's not your fault, guys. We'll get them next time," Ash reassured them. He returned all three to their pokeballs then gritted his teeth at what happened. 'We'll be stronger when we see them again. I know it.'

"Fairy," A small but angry voice said. Ash looked to the side in confusion and saw a Clefairy glaring at where the Moon Stone used to be. The small fairy type was shaking with what Ash could only assume was rage. "CLEFAIRY!" It shouted, causing Ash to wince at both the volume and tone. He might not understand the exact words but he definitely knew a curse when he heard it. Clefairy seemingly took notice of Ash, who bowed his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them," He apologized. The Pokémon made a series of inquisitive noises to him. After taking a few seconds to parse the question, Ash answered, "I'm going to stop them. They can't keep getting away with their crimes." Clefairy nodded, then tapped Starly's pokeball before pointing at itself. "You want to come with us?" Nods and violent gestures were his answer. "You want to help us stop Team Rocket." Another nod. "Alright, welcome to the team, Clefairy." Ash lightly bopped it on the head with a pokeball. Clefairy didn't fight it, causing the pokeball to signify its capture without even shaking once. Ash held the pokeball to his forehead and whispered, "Next time, Clefairy. Next time, we'll beat them."

-[-

"Well done, you three," Ariana's attitude was a complete one-eighty from their last debriefing. She was sat casually behind her desk, giving the returning Jessie, Jaime, and Meowth an approving smile. Her Absol was snoozing on its custom-made bed rather than pacing menacingly. To be fair, the results of their mission were also a complete one-eighty from before. "The Zubat colony you captured will be distributed among the grunts, much like that Beedrill hive from two weeks ago." Unlike this mission, the trio managing to capture a few dozen Beedrill through clever usage of Koffing's smokescreen and Pidgey's gust hadn't earned them a meeting with The Boss. Instead, one of Team Rocket's various Admins had simply taken their report and sent them on their way with the standard bonus for successful captures/thefts. "More importantly, that giant Moon Stone you hauled off is worth millions, minimum."

'Thank Arceus. I thought I was going to break my back moving that thing,' Jaime thought to herself. That rock was the size of a Golem and probably weighed about the same.

But Ariana wasn't finished. "And the scientists have finished analyzing those two fossils you brought back from Professor Sada's. Suffice to say, they're extremely rare Pokémon." And wasn't that an understatement? Carracosta was a Pokémon whose fossilized remains hadn't been found anywhere within the country before, generally only found all the way in Unova. But the other fossil was apparently the same species as Sada's primordial Donphan-like Pokémon that she called Great Tusk. That alone made the mission a resounding success in her eyes. And more importantly, in the eyes of her boss. "As such, you can consider your promotions confirmed. Congratulations, Admins."

Decorum couldn't hold back their joy as the two whooped with glee. "Did you hear that, Jaime?! We're officially Admins now! We're moving on up in the world, just like I always said!"

"I know, Jessie! I can't remember being this happy before!"

Ariana allowed them exactly ten seconds of cry-laughing as they hugged before she interrupted. "Of course, now that you're proper leaders among Team Rocket, it's time to meet The Boss."

The trio sprung apart at her words. They could hear the capitalization in her words, but as far as they knew, Ariana was The Boss of Team Rocket. Everyone knew that, even random twerps in Celadon knew that. Before they could ask anything, the screen behind Ariana's desk flickered to life, revealing possibly the last person they ever expected. "Good afternoon, ladies."

"Wait, but you're…"

-[-

Ash stumbled into the Saffron City Gym a mere fifteen minutes before closing. "Man, and I thought Vermillion was a huge city. Why are there even two gyms in town anyway?" He muttered to himself. Once he caught his breath, he noticed the receptionist, an unremarkable brunette man in his early twenties, watching him with a quirked eyebrow. Despite not saying anything, the somewhat older man gave the same feeling all retail workers do when a customer comes into their store last minute. "Ehehe, I'm not too late am I?" Ash asked sheepishly as he rubbed his head.

The receptionist pointedly glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed there was still another fourteen minutes until eight pm, before answering, "No sir, you are not. Will you be challenging the gym leader today?" Ash winced a little as he recognized the man's tone. It was the same one his mother had when she thought she'd get to close the diner early, only for a large table to show up right before she could lock the doors.

"Yes, please. Sorry. I accidentally found myself at the other gym then got lost on my way here."

"They really need to take down their sign," The receptionist irritably muttered, annoyed that the old fighting gym continued to act like it was anything more than a glorified dojo after Sabrina had ruthlessly crushed them years ago. Louder, he said, "Alright, I'll just need to see your trainer ID so you can get registered." As it was the fourth time he'd gone through the process, Ash had everything ready and managed to get squared away quickly. Once he was registered, the other man quickly sent him through, "Well, you're all set. I'd hurry up if I were you. Miss Sabrina never stays late." Another glance at the clock showed eleven minutes left.

"Thanks, gotta go!" Ash called over his shoulder as he ran through the doors towards the gym proper.

He barely made it two steps into the arena when a woman's voice called out to him, "Welcome Ash Ketchum." The voice was crisp and expectant, sounding more like Ash had made an appointment rather than rushing in at the last minute. He looked over and saw a tall woman with long black hair and pink eyes waiting on the far side of the battlefield. She wore what looked like a deep maroon turtleneck dress over a black bodysuit. He quickly recognized her as Sabrina, Saffron's Gym Leader and an alleged psychic. The young woman didn't allow him to speak and instead nodded towards the challenger's position, causing Ash to hurry over to it. "I'm afraid I have plans for tonight so I'll be brief," Sabrina explained. "As such, this will be a one-on-one match."

"Er, okay." Not what he expected, but Ash had already admitted how late he was. He could hardly fault his opponent for wanting to go home after a long day. Though it still felt weird. Even Forrest in Pewter City had been a two-on-two match. "Hm, who should I choose?" Ash pondered as he went over his options. Tyrunt was arguably still his strongest Pokémon. Joltik though would have an advantage against psychic types. Nidorina was automatically out as she had a distinct disadvantage against psychics. Staravia was fast and could fly. However, before he could choose, one ball broke open on its own. From within his great ball, Primeape appeared, coincidentally landing on the field. "Wait, Primeape! I didn't choose you!"

However, it seemed that neither Primeape nor Sabrina was in the mood. The perpetually angry ape Pokémon strode forwards into the battlefield while Sabrina nodded, "Very well. Go, Mr. Mime." From Sabrina's pokeball came a humanoid Pokémon with a white and pink torso, scrawny limbs, and a smile that was just a little too wide to be comforting. Its smile stayed in place even as Primeape furiously glared at it and stalked forward. Sabrina's eyes flashed with a red light and a psychic barrier surrounded the field. "If you are ready, we will begin."

"Darnit," Ash cursed. Primeape would be doubly weak against a fairy/psychic like Mr. Mime. Had he known Sabrina was going to use that, he'd have sent in Nidorina so they'd at least be mutually disadvantaged. "Primeape, use Assurance!" Primeape's fist glowed with a dark energy as she swung a haymaker at Mr. Mime but the psychic type merely waved a hand and a transparent barrier stopped the attack cold. Mr. Mime suddenly glowed orange then Primeape was sent hurtling away. It took Ash a moment to realize what happened. "It combined Barrier and Counter together. Primeape, use Bulk Up! Then hit it with Mega Punch!"

Primeape flexed her muscles as she was surrounded by a crimson aura that caused her arms to momentarily bulge. Immediately afterwards, her fist glowed white as she tried once again to knock out her opponent. Another barrier, this one rainbow colored, flashed into existence and halted Primeape's punch. Then a bright flash of light emanated from Mr. Mime's fingertips as it waved its hands energetically. "Damn, Reflect," Ash muttered. He had thought Surge and his Raichu were strong but this Mr. Mime was making a fool out of Primeape with ease. Worse, it was making Primeape increasingly furious. "Wait, that's it! Primeape, try using Taunt! Then it won't be able to block you!"

Sadly, Primeape only sort of obeyed him at the best of times. When she was howling mad was hardly the best of times. Rather than listen to its trainer, Primeape shouted her rage and threw punch after punch towards Mr. Mime, determined to wipe that insufferable grin right off its face.

On her side of the field, Sabrina's eyebrows raised. It wasn't too unusual to see a trainer who couldn't control their Pokémon. Far too many lucked into capturing a particularly strong Pokémon that didn't respect them then spent weeks or months trying to get them to obey. But what surprised her was the sheer breadth of Primeape's rage. Each blow was stronger than the one before, yet she kept failing to breach her Pokémon's defensive techniques. Even more surprising, she was ignoring Mr. Mime's attacks. She was still being hurt, but it didn't react to them in the slightest.

'This is going too far,' Sabrina decided. Before she could open her mouth to call the match, for Primeape's sake if nothing else, it suddenly ended. Primeape screamed in absolute fury, its bloodshot eyes shining red with its rage, when suddenly she stopped. Without preamble, Primeape simply fell right over. All her anger evaporated into nothing to Sabrina's senses. Both trainers and Mr. Mime were stunned into inaction by what they just saw. 'Did- did it really become so enraged that its heart gave out?'

"Primeape? …Buddy?" Ash's voice was small as he stared at his Pokémon's unmoving form.

Sabrina winced in sympathy. "I'm sorry, Ash," She offered. "I meant to stop things-" She was cut off as a bright light engulfed Primeape. The seemingly deceased Pokémon stood up as the shackles on her wrists broke, one of them clattering to the ground. The light faded and revealed the new and improved Primeape. Her fur was dark gray, her eyes glowed red, and the fur atop her head waved in a nonexistent breeze as she stood taller than ever.

Within her head, Sabrina heard a single question from her own Pokémon. 'Mistress, why do I hear boss music?'

The newly evolved Annihilape's right arm filled with an unholy power as she threw the mother of all haymakers. Mr. Mime hastily threw up both Barrier and Reflect, only for Annihilape's fist to smash straight through both without slowing down. The punch struck Mr. Mime directly in its cheek and sent it hurtling into, and through, the barriers around the field. Sabrina stared after her Pokémon in shock before Annihilape's victorious howl brought her back to her senses. "Well then… I guess that makes you the winner, Ash Ketchum." She was going to need so much tea after this.

-[-

As he sat down at a slot machine at the Celadon Game Corner (read: Casino), Ash was reasonably sure his mother wouldn't approve of him gambling. But he had a plan; he'd only spent a tenth of his money on coins for the slot machines. When those ran out or he ended up with more than he started with, he'd simply leave. Nice and simple, and with no chance of leaving him too broke to afford dinner. Besides, he was pretty sure the stories of people losing everything at the casino were exaggerated. Why would people keep returning to a place where they only ever lost money?

An hour later, Ash was starting to think the stories weren't exaggerated. Sure, he'd won small amounts of coins a few times, but his supply steadily depleted nonetheless. Soon enough, he was down to his last coin. "Last play," He muttered as he loaded it into the slot. Ash regretfully wondered if he should've gone with something like blackjack or Voltorb flip instead before dismissing the idea. He'd never played either and even he knew both relied more on skill than luck, something he'd completely lack as a newcomer. One by one, the spinning wheels came to a stop, each one landing on a Luxury Ball. Lights above the machine flashed wildly as a loud siren blared. "What the heck?!" Ash nearly shouted as he covered his ears while confetti rained down from the ceiling.

"Congratulations, young man!" A man in a suit announced as he walked up to him. The noise cut out thankfully. "You've won this month's grand prize! A very special Beldum! Now, would you like to take a gamble and try for a Shiny Beldum?!"

The man's voice was clearly pitched so the entire casino heard him, but Ash was more interested in the idea of a shiny Beldum. Pokémon of an unusual color, or shiny as people usually called them, were incredibly rare. Most ended up stronger than their more mundane counterparts due to losing the natural camouflage (dazzling or otherwise) that they typically enjoyed. Thus making it harder to survive to adulthood. Ash knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but want to gamble one last time. "Yeah, I think I would," He answered the manager much more confidently than he truly felt.

"You heard him, folks! Let's see if this young man will get lucky again!" At his words, two attractive attendants in bunnysuits and fishnets, one with red hair and the other with pink and brown hair, brought over a giant wheel. Between their uniforms and that both women were clearly hired for their figures, it took Ash a few seconds to actually look at the wheel itself. Marked on it were countless red X's and a single spot labeled Jackpot. "Now folks, our young winner here will spin the wheel. Should it land on an X, he'll leave here empty-handed. But if he scores the jackpot, he'll earn himself a shiny Beldum!"

Those watching cheered as Ash reached out and spun the wheel as hard as he could. Even if none of them won personally, they certainly wanted to see someone score big, if for no other reason than to reassure them it was possible. Eventually, the wheel slowed down, ticking through X after X before it came to a stop. And with one final tick, it just barely made it into the Jackpot spot. Cheers erupted from the patrons at his success. Ash was so excited, he only glanced at the bouncing and cheering attendants a couple times.

A minute later, a man who couldn't look any more like a bouncer if he tried walked over with a suitcase in hand. He opened it up to reveal a Premier Ball, which the manager took from him. The manager tossed it up, releasing the Pokémon inside. Ash would forever deny he squeed at seeing the silvery Beldum. "Congratulations once again, young man! This baby not only has a super rare coloration, it also knows Iron Head and Zen Headbutt! Truly, a magnificent prize!" He recalled the Beldum and handed Ash the Premier Ball. "It's all yours, son! You just need to follow our lovely Neo here to fill out a few forms to transfer ownership and you're good to go." The short woman with two-toned hair gestured Ash to follow her as she walked towards one of the doors marked "Employees Only."

Once everyone had gone back to their gambling, the manager headed towards his office, the redheaded woman following him. "April, make sure we've got a reporter ready to interview him before he leaves," He told her once the door closed behind them.

"Already done, boss," April answered, showing she was a step ahead.

He nodded, "Good, good. The influx of suckers convinced they can make it big will offset the two million that kid just lost us." Arceus, did he hate big winners. Sure, they had to happen from time to time or people would stop coming, but damn did they ever eat into that month's profits. 'At least Ariana shouldn't ride my ass about this.' Like all of the casino's employees, he knew full well who they really worked for. Heck, it was practically an open secret that Team Rocket ran the place; half the employees were actual members while the other half were people like him: willing to look the other way for a good paycheck. But between the Gym Leader's hesitance to actually do anything and Team Rocket keeping any competition out of town, no one was actually willing to try to oust them. Especially not with the sheer amount of money the largest casino in Kanto brought in.

April interrupted his thoughts, "Neo and I could always just rob him," She suggested. "Either a quick mugging or seduce him then take all he has while he's asleep."

"Not my call, but you know the boss doesn't like things like that," The manager refuted, "Too obvious for the kid to lose his winnings the same day. I reckon that if she does anything, it'll be in a month or two, once people have forgotten about the kid."

-[-

"I just wanted to visit Sabrina!" Ash angrily grumbled to himself as he recalled Metang back to its Premier Ball, having defeated yet another member of Team Rocket. It had been so simple: Pop in, see if he could get any advice on raising a psychic type (Metang's psychic abilities being far greater than Beldum's), then a quick stop home in Pallet before riding Lapras south to Cinnabar Island for his next badge. Instead, he arrived to find the entirety of Saffron City under siege by Team Rocket! It had only taken defeating a couple of the grunts patrolling the streets to learn they were apparently attacking Silph Co. specifically. Now, here he was, doing something that he knew his mother was going to tan his hide over. He was storming Silph Co. to stop Team Rocket from accomplishing… whatever they were trying to accomplish. None of the grunts had actually known what the plan was. All they knew was that their boss was meeting with the president of the company. Thankfully, he was almost to the top floor where the president's office was. However, he had just stepped onto the next floor when a pair of very unwelcome voices greeted him.

"That's far enough, twerp!"

"Yeah, we won't let you interrupt the boss's meeting!"

"You've gotta be kidding me," Ash muttered in disbelief. But it was true, despite Ash's wishes. That same trio of Team Rocket grunts from back when he was just starting out stood before him, though they had noticeably different uniforms than before. Rather than white, their uniforms were now black with gold trim. The red R no longer dominated the entire front of their uniforms and was instead a much smaller emblem on the left side of their chest. Meowth had also changed. Or, more accurately, evolved. Now a Perrserker, he was nearly twice as tall as before and his fur had hardened to form a horned helmet and bushy beard.

"Sorry, twerp," Jessie declared, not looking or sounding sorry in the slightest, "But this is as far as you go! Pidgeot, Kabutops, I choose you!"

At the same time, Jaime threw a pair of pokeballs as well, "Beedrill, Gyarados, go!"

With Perrserker joining them, Ash had five Pokémon arrayed against him at once. But rather than intimidated, he just felt confident. "Clefable, I choose you!" He knew if he'd chosen anyone else, Clefable would never forgive him. The fairy type was burning for revenge on Team Rocket for what they'd done back on Mt. Moon.

"What's that stupid fairy gonna do?" Perrserker scoffed, "Let's see how he likes my Metal Claw!" Three claws on his right paw extended then came together to form a dagger which shined with steel type energy. The steel cat rushed forward, the others joining his charge as backup.

"Clefable, Icy Wind then Fairy Voice!" Ash shouted. The evolved fairy Pokémon held up one palm towards the approaching pack and fired a gust of frozen wind. All of Team Rocket's Pokémon winced as the biting wind slowed them down, especially the airborne Pidgeot and Beedrill, who had nothing to hold onto unlike their teammates. Just as the attack let up, Clefable took a deep breath and screamed. The combination move formed from Disarming Voice and Hyper Voice slammed into all five of the enemy team like a solid wall of sound. Perrserker collapsed, attempting to cover his ears.

"Return! We surrender, twerp! You win!" Jessie shouted as the pair frantically recalled their devastated Pokémon. Both she and Jaime could barely believe how strong the kid who could barely hold them back had become in just half a year. He was clearly some kind of prodigious freak. "Just… go fight the boss or something!" The redhead insisted as though they weren't running away from him.

-[-

Ariana considered the teen across from her. According to reports, he was the one who had interfered at Sada's laboratory and Mt. Moon, on top of winning one of their valuable shiny Pokémon. Now, he was ruining the biggest job in Team Rocket's history. The plan had been simple: Blitz the entire city, take control of Silph Co. and steal the prototype Master Ball then leave before reinforcements could show up. Archer was busy making sure Sabrina didn't ruin things and the Boss was on standby one town over. If word got out of what Team Rocket was up to, she'd be the first to swoop in and "stop" them, claiming the Master Ball was destroyed in the conflict and coming out smelling like roses.

'So how did this brat arrive before anyone else and smash his way through every Admin in our organization?! That Annihilape was ridiculously powerful!' She furiously wondered. Her face showed nothing of what she was thinking, however. Winning a battle was as much psyching out your opponent as it was defeating them in combat. "Not bad, young trainer," She complimented, "Have you ever considered joining Team Rocket? With skills like yours, you could be an Admin from day one. No time spent as a lowly grunt. Heck, you're only a rookie trainer right? At the rate you're going, you'd be my righthand man within a year." She doubted he'd go for it. The kid seemed far too much of the straight and narrow sort. But she'd been wrong before, and he really would go far if he signed up. The Boss rewarded talent and talent like his didn't come around often.

Ash's response wasn't exactly surprising, in tone anyway; the actual wording was new. "I'd sooner Kalos kiss a Muk."

Ariana hid a shudder at that mental image, more the immediate aftermath than the act itself, even if both were frankly disgusting. "Too bad," She shrugged casually, "Team Rocket tries to avoid this sort of thing, bad for business to gain that kind of reputation you see, but I'm afraid this mission is bigger than you can imagine." In a single graceful move, she palmed and threw a pair of Ultra Balls and a Luxury Ball. From the first two burst forth a Kleavor and a Sneasler, Pokémon that Ash had only ever seen in history books. He thought they were extinct. From the Luxury Ball came an incredibly large Absol. "For what it's worth, you'll die braver than most, Ash Ketchum." One of her earrings radiated a golden light as a rainbow-colored light shone from around Absol's neck. The light brightened until it was blinding and when it faded, Ash found himself facing down Ariana's Mega Absol. "Take him out." All three charged, almost faster than he could see.

Ash threw his last three pokeballs, calling out the last of his team that were fighting fit. Kleavor's axe swing was blocked by Tyrantrum as the dragon smashed its stone skull into the giant bug. Mega Absol's glowing horn was blocked by Rapidash's own horn, the fiery horse Pokémon neighing furiously at the one that'd dare harm her trainer. Sneasler got the closest; its poison coated claws reached for Ash just before a glowing fist smashed into its face as Nidoqueen batted away with a Sucker Punch.

Far more used to keeping track of multiple Pokémon at once, Ash threw out three quick commands to his Pokémon, "Queen's Punch, Yellow! Burning Hoof! Dragon Speed!" All three Pokémon immediately obeyed and utilized their various combination moves. When Sneasler tried to slash at Nidoqueen with a combination of Dire Claw and Night Slash, she found her attack countered by a glowing fist. Sneasler's claws only held for a moment before snapping with a pained yowl under the combination of Sucker Punch, Mega Punch, and Thunder Punch. The electricity from the attack caused its muscles to spasm for a moment. Kleavor swung its axes, launching several blades of energy in a mix of Vacuum Wave and Air Cutter. But a swirl of purple and white energy engulfed Tyrantrum's body before it disappeared from sight, moving faster than Kleavor could follow. Lastly, Absol combined Quick Attack and Night Slash to duck under the combination of Stomp and Flame Charge from Rapidash, slashing her belly and earning a pained and enraged neigh. Absol's victory was short-lived though. A moment after its attack landed, Tyrantrum smacked it into a wall with Dragon Tail.

"Damnit," Ariana growled. "Sneasler, Masamune! Frozen Hell support!" Absol and Kleavor leapt back and unleashed a combination of Tailwind and Blizzard, creating hurricane level winds that pelted Ash and his team with hail and snow. Sneasler utilized the cover offered by the combo attack to close in, its remaining claws shining with incredible power.

Wincing as he was pelted with ice, Ash shouted, "Burn it away!" Though not one of their combination moves, all three understood. Tyrantrum roared as the sun suddenly shined brightly within the conference room despite the late hour. Rapidash swung its mane and breathed out a massive burning kanji for the word fire, which Nidoqueen enhanced with her own Flamethrower. The heat of the attack flash boiled all of the ice and snow, creating a shockwave of burning hot steam. Rapidash ignored the heat entirely while Tyrantrum and Nidoqueen braced themselves to weather it.

When the steam cleared, Sneasler was collapsed on the ground while both Kleavor and Absol were covered in burns. The mega evolved Pokémon looked utterly furious. "Absol! No playing games, kill him!" Ariana shrieked, unable to believe a child was beating her. Absol yowled, its horn glowing with an unspeakable amount of energy as it prepared to end Ash's life.

"Hyper beam!" At Ash's shout, all three of his Pokémon roared as they fired massive yellow and orange beams of power at Absol. The three attacks combined into one and blasted ahead, destroying anything caught in their way before they slammed into Absol. The mega evolution threw up a hasty Protect. The green barrier held for all of five seconds before it gave out, but it likely saved Absol's life as the remaining power washed over it and blew out the entire wall opposite Ash and his Pokémon.

When the attack faded, Ariana stared in disbelief from where she had tripped backwards onto the floor, shocked at both the power some rookie had attained and that she was still unharmed afterwards. However, then she noticed her hands were empty. "Wait, where is it? Where is it, where is it?!" She frantically repeated as she searched. After several seconds, she spotted something. Picking it up, Ariana realized it was a piece of ceramic with a white M engraved on it. "No…" Despite her denials, her eyes caught countless other shards of purple and white on the floor. The Master Ball prototype had been destroyed by that last attack. "No. No! No! Nonono!" Ariana raged. "Absol, murder hi- …Absol?"

Her beloved partner was on the floor, badly injured and burnt, unmoving. Ariana recalled her injured Pokémon and glared at Ash. "Give it up, lady! You've lost!" Ash insisted. Though his own Pokémon were dead on their feet and barely able to move from hours of battling and that final Hyper Beam, they were still on their feet, unlike Ariana's.

Ariana stared blankly at Ash for several seconds, before reaching for her leg under her slitted dress. To his shock, the leader of Team Rocket pulled out a snub-nosed revolver. "I might have lost, Ash Ketchum," She admitted in a tone that was menacing in its sheer calmness, "But you haven't won. I'm done playing games with some child who won't stop interfering with our plans. All you had to do was look the other way. You didn't even have to do it for free." She was monologuing but the gun pointed directly at his chest kept him from acting. Tyrantrum growled, only to back down when Ariana twitched her trigger finger with a warning, "Ah bup bup. Don't try it." Once Tyrantrum and the others backed away, Ariana continued, "As I was saying, you could have just about named your price. Rare Pokémon? I could have gotten you a Latios. Money? I'd have asked how many zeroes you wanted on the check. Sex? I'd have had a dozen women naked and on their backs for you in seconds. But you had to play the hero. So now, you get to die the hero." Her finger began to tighten on the trigger. The world slowed down for Ash as he watched, his Pokémon struggling to reach him in time.

A third voice neither was expecting called out, "Go!" Faster than anyone present could see, two forms appeared. One, a specter that rose from the shadows on the ground directly in front of Ash and shielded him with its body of stone and shadow. The other, a dragon that moved at incredible speeds and sliced apart Ariana's revolver, leaving her holding nothing but the handle. From the entrance walked in a forty-something woman in a red suit with luscious black hair and a confident smirk on her face. The two Pokémon, now no longer moving at such high speeds, resolved themselves in Runerigus and Garchomp respectively. "Give it up, Rocket. This young man already tore through your organization before I arrived. What do you hope to do against me and the other gym leaders?" The newcomer, Lucrezia, the Viridian City Gym Leader, boasted.

Just then, a Hypno teleported into the room right next to Ariana. "This isn't over, brat," Ariana growled as she put her hand on Hypno's shoulder. The pair teleported out moments before Garchomp reached them, eliciting a tsk of annoyance from Lucrezia.

-[-

Lucrezia stood up from the chaise she had been lounging on as she considered the young man before her. Ash Ketchum, a rookie who had managed to get seven badges in a touch over eight months. Of all the rookie trainers who went for the "Main Eight" as the strongest gyms in a given region were known, approximately half managed to earn three badges in their first year, and one in ten managed six badges. The rest either wash out or choose to challenge the "lesser" gyms. All of the latter inevitably fall in the first round or two of the Pokémon League Conference. So for Ash to get seven of the "Main Eight" so quickly spoke very highly of his ability. And of course, there was his interference with her other business, what she would consider her main business. Once was circumstance. Twice was happenstance. Thrice was enemy action. And frankly, Ash Ketchum had proven himself to be a rather troublesome enemy of Team Rocket indeed. But eliminating him here was out of the question. While all of her staff were informed of her other life, people knew Ash had come here. Her best spies kept a close eye on him since the disaster at Silph Co and knew he was being watched ever since Ariana unwisely pulled a gun on him. 'If only she had simply shot him rather than monologuing.'

Then, the secret mob boss had an idea. 'Yes, that could work. It'll take time, but if done right, the boy will be on my side rather than opposing me.' Out loud, she greeted Ash, "Rather than the usual gym battle, I'd like to propose something a little more… high stakes." Something about the way Lucrezia said the term gave Ash chills. Despite the cordial tone, it felt like someone sharpening a knife. "A six-on-six triple battle between your team and my strongest Pokémon. Should you win, you'll earn more than just a badge and a TM voucher."

"What do you mean exactly? What are the stakes?" Ash asked cautiously. Lucrezia had saved his life about a month ago, but he wasn't agreeing to anything without knowing the details.

His questions earned him a sharp smile, one that highlighted both how beautiful and how intimidating the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto was. "I was thinking that if you won, rather than one of those silly vouchers for a single use TM, you'd get one for an infinite use TM, an egg recently laid by my strongest Pokémon, and a fossil that found its way into my collection. But if you lose, you have to work for me for a year."

"That's awfully tempting, but why would you want me to work for you?" It was more than tempting. A powerful new partner, an infinite use TM, and a fossil Pokémon. 'Or,' Ash's treacherous brain supplied, 'A gift for the Professor. How appreciative would she be if we gave her a fossil she hadn't seen before?' He cut off that particular fantasy before he got too distracted.

Lucrezia shrugged, then held back a smirk when she saw Ash's eyes glance down for a moment. "You intrigue me, Ash Ketchum. How many could say they've fought Team Rocket and won? How many could say they beat dozens of members of Team Rocket, including their leaders, and won? Who knows, perhaps under my tutelage, you could become the next Cynthia." Even before he opened his mouth, she knew she had him. Ariana might rage about how Ash Ketchum wanted to be a hero, but Lucrezia could tell that what he really wanted to be was the best. While plenty of people debated who the strongest Champion was, that Cynthia was the youngest to become Champion was an indisputable fact. Every young trainer sought to emulate her prodigious rise to the top.

"You're on!" Ash loudly declared.

"Very well, if you'll take your position?" The Viridian Gym Leader requested. No sooner had each taken their spots on the edges of the field than Lucrezia started. A trio of Ultra Balls flew through the air and burst open. From one came a lithe white and purple form that immediately began spewing smoke, leaving Ash barely enough time to recognize it as an unusually large and pale Salazzle before it disappeared within the smog. Two more forms appeared within the purple smoke, but he couldn't get a good look at either.

"C'mon out, you guys!" Ash called as he threw three balls. From within burst Galvantula, Annihilape, and Staraptor. The two ground bound Pokémon stood side by side while Staraptor hovered above them.

"Then we shall begin," Lucrezia stated before calling out, "Iron Bird! Empower!"

"Electro-spider!" Ash commanded, "Focus Up! Whirlwind! Blow their cover away!" Galvantula spat out electrified webbing, which quickly covered a significant portion of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Annihilape shimmered with crimson energy as she combined Bulk Up and Focus Energy. However, Staraptor barely got started when a silvery form blurred out of the smokescreen and slammed into it. "A shiny Corviknight," Ash gasped in awe at the larger bird before shaking himself, "Shadow Swipes!" Annihilape leapt at the enemy Corviknight, landing on its back, and began clawing at it with hands infused with ghostly power.

A thin beam of energy lanced out of the smokescreen and struck Annihilape, nearly forcing it off its prey. At the same time, a veritable wave of poison flowed out, seeking to engulf Ash's entire half of the field. "Focus Blast the wave; Charge Beam it! Staraptor, Missile!" Annihilape hurled a sphere of power towards the Sludge Wave, then Galvantula's Charge Beam struck it just before impact, detonating the Focus Blast and sending the wave in every direction but towards them. Simultaneously, Staraptor used one of his strongest combination moves, combining Agility with Brave Bird and Double Edge. Corviknight attempted to dodge, but Annihilape held tightly, slowing it down. The high-speed missile with feathers struck Annihilape's back… then went straight through and hit Corviknight.

The impact had the effect of blowing away Salazzle's cover, revealing Lucrezia's third Pokémon, a purple and black Hydreigon. "Well done," Lucrecia sincerely complimented him. "Corviknight, Empower." The metallic bird glowed with a rainbow of lights as it utilized every stat improving move it knew. "Fire dragon, Battlecry." Salazzle grabbed scales from its belly and started flinging them at Ash's team while using an unknown move to set them on fire while Hydreigon's three heads all roared, blasting Ash's entire team at once with sound.

"Gah!" Ash cried out from the sheer noise. "Hypersonic! Ghost Rampage! Electric Missile!" Thankfully, his Pokémon could hear him over the racket. Staraptor performed an enhanced version of its previous attack, adding Close Combat which further improved the damage, but also the cost to him. Annihilape also utilized Close Combat, but combined with Outrage, Thrash, and Shadow Punch. All four moves combined to create an attack that only became stronger the more damage she took, but also left her too berserk to defend. By contrast, Galvantula's combination of Thunderbolt and Pin Missile seemed almost boring, but it had the advantage of covering a massive area.

Hydreigon and Corviknight managed to dodge the first pass due to the speed boosts they had gotten, but then Galvantuala's wide area attack struck all three enemies. Only Salazzle took notable damage, having already been frail even before it used Scale Shot. But the electricity coursing through the trio slowed all of them down. Which was exactly what Ash's team needed. Staraptor slammed into Hydreigon like a hypersonic missile, taking both out of the fight instantly. A moment later, Annihilape was once more on Corviknight's back and pummeling it relentlessly. Though injured, Salazzle managed to rush forward and smack the rampaging ape with a hand covered in flames and ghostly energy. Annihilape punched her in retaliation only to wince as Salazzle spat poison in her face with the last of her strength.

Both trainers took a moment to return their injured Pokémon, until only Galvantula remained on the field of the original six combatants. "Careful Ash, a tie still counts as my victory according to League rules," the sharp-dressed woman warned. A Friend Ball, a Heavy Ball, and an Ultra Ball were tossed in this time. From within them came a Garchomp, a Gigalith, and a Heliolisk. Ash couldn't help but notice Garchomp was the only non-shiny Pokémon Lucrezia had fielded. As soon as Gigalith appeared, it whipped up a massive sandstorm that was almost impossible to see through. Even still, Ash caught the shining light he had come to associate with Mega Evolution. "That's gotta be her Garchomp then." Ash threw in two pokeballs of his own, and sent in Tyrantrum and Clefable.

"I won't lose!" Ash boldly yelled. With that, the battle was rejoined.

-[-

"Hello, Professor Sada sp- Ash?! How are you?!" Sada's expression on the video call changed entirely once she realized who was calling her, going from professional to casually friendly in a heartbeat. "You need to call more! I haven't heard from you since you were heading to Cinnabar!"

Ash chuckled in embarrassment as he spoke on one of the Pokémon Center's phones, "Sorry about that. I just get busy sometimes. Besides, I figured you'd be busy with your work and would hear everything from Mom anyway." Not to mention, he didn't really think recounting yet another day of traveling and training would be terribly interesting to the Professor. He wasn't catching a lot of Pokémon or discovering new species or anything all that special. At least, he didn't think so.

"You didn't end up fighting the mafia again, did you?" Sada's voice was only half teasing.

"I only did that twice!" Came his immediate protest.

Sada shot down his argument in a heartbeat. "It was three times, Ash. And a teenager shouldn't be fighting them at all." Softer, she added, "Your mother doesn't want to see you in the news like that again. Neither do I." Ash winced at her tone. Though both had been proud when he visited home after the whole fiasco in Saffron City, neither had been remotely happy to learn he'd almost been killed by Team Rocket. Neither had wanted to let him out of their sight after that. Even once he convinced them to let him continue his journey, Ash pretended he didn't notice the Professor's Relicanth and his mother's Poliwrath following him to Cinnabar Island.

"Sorry," Ash quietly apologized. Then he brightened up and reached into his bag, "Oh, but I do have something I think you'll want to see. Where is it, where is it? Ah, got it!" He dug out a rock and held it up for the Professor to see clearly.

Sada perked right up as she went into 'Scholar Mode' as Ash thought of it. "Oh my. I don't recognize the species this fossil came from," She admitted, "It looks a little like the sail of an Aurorus at a glance but the shape seems off. Perhaps it's a wing?" As she spoke, Sada got closer and closer to the screen until her face was nearly pressed right against it. "Oooh, I can't wait to get my hands on it! How soon can you get it here, Ash?"

Ash glanced at the clock before answering. "I'm in Viridian City now, but it's pretty late and my Pokémon are still healing after that last gym battle. So I think I'll stay the night and fly in on Staraptor tomorrow."

Sada sat back down in her chair with a sigh of mild disappointment. "Okay, I guess I can wait until then. But make sure you bring it over to the lab as soon as possible, young man. While you're here," Sada said leadingly. Her free hand tugged her shirt down as she leaned forward a little, showing off her cleavage. "Maybe I can think of some way to have you visit more often?" Ash's face went as red as a Charmeleon at the implication. "Sweet dreams, Ash~ I'll see you tomorrow~"

-[-

AN: This whole thing is three ideas or so smacked together (Professor Sada in Pallet and specializing in ancient Pokémon, Ash having a shiny Tyrunt starter, Team Rocket being more generally competent but not grimdark Knights of Cerberus, and the leader of Team Rocket actually keeping their identity a secret). It also reinforced my desire to never write an actual Pokémon fic as writing the battle style is a total bother. At least one good thing about Pokémon fics is it gives an opportunity to utilize Pokémon you really like but that are honestly pretty terrible (such as Sandslash and Rapidash). Lucrezia is NOT a genderswap of Giovanni. She's his mother, who in the series is simply known as Madame Boss. I gave her the name Lucrezia, which is (allegedly) an Italian variation of the name Lucretia which means profit/wealth. Which she shows off by having five shiny Pokémon (Hydreigon is purple instead of green cuz one, too many green shinies. Two, it makes me think of Maleficent), one of whom is a Totem Pokémon at that.

Like many fanfic writers, I'm of the belief that any trainer who reaches a certain level starts combining moves. I try to make it clear which ones are being combined, either in description or in the name.

For reference:

Ash's team:

Tyrunt - Tyrantrum, male, shiny. Starter Pokémon he hatched from an egg laid by Sada's Tyrunt.

Joltik - Galvantula, female. Gift from his mother after she found it in the attic.

Nidoran - Nidorina - Nidoqueen, female. Caught outside Viridian City, first Pokémon Ash caught himself.

Starly - Staravia - Staraptor, male. Caught on the outskirts of Pewter City

Clefairy - Clefable, male. Caught within Mt. Moon

Mankey - Primeape - Annihilape, female. Caught on Route 6 on the way to Vermillion City

Beldum - Metang - Metagross, shiny. Won at Celadon Game Corner. 1/100 roulette to get a "shiny" one rather than standard.

Ponyta - Rapidash, female. Caught outside Celadon City on the way to Fuchsia City

Lapras, male. Fished up from Safari Zone

Deino, male. Gifted from Lucrezia as an egg for beating her.

Jessie and Jaime's Pokémon:

Ekans - Arbok, female. A gift from when she was a child. Jessie's first Pokémon.

Pidgey - Pidgeotto - Pidgeot, male. Jessie's mega evolution should she ever get one

Mimikyu, male. A Pokémon Jessie bonded with over both being "unwanted/unpopular" compared to a rival.

Kabutops, female. Caught at Grampa Canyon during "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon".

Capsakid - Scovillain, male.

Growlithe - Arcanine, male. Jaime's first ever Pokémon.

Koffing - Weezing, male. The first Pokémon Jaime ever caught for herself

Beedrill, female. One of many Jessie and Jaime caught in Viridian Forest. Jaime's mega evolution should she ever get one.

Sandshrew - Sandslash, female.

Magikarp - Gyarados, male. A painted Magikarp Jaime was tricked into purchasing, believing it to be much rarer than it actually was.

Galarian Meowth - Perrserker, male. Team Rocket's third member, an immigrant from Galar who grew to hate Persian after a Meowth he was trying to court left him for one.