Because I only have two prereaders, as such, for this, I'm going to send it
to the FFML and the prereaders simultaneously.

Fair warning: this chapter is a bit intense, and doesn't afford much in the
way of humor. However, there is one particularly bad joke in the middle of
this beast. The next chapter, however, is going to be almost pure comedy.

Hope you enjoy. C&C would be greatly appreciated.

******


"You have done well, boy," the Boss rumbled, admiring the rather unhappy
egg Pokemon sitting on his desk. "I am impressed."

"So we're in?" Ash asked.

The Boss chuckled. "Yes, you're in. But in order to achieve rank, you must
pass one more small test."

"What kind of test?" Ash asked.

The Boss held up a wanted poster. "I believe you know these two."

Ash grimaced. "You bet I do."

"Eliminate them, and you'll be in good standing."

"Eliminate--?"

"Do you want access to the research division, or don't you?" the Boss
asked.

Ash swallowed. "Al--alright. We'll do it."


******


Episode 3: Team Rocket Showdown!


******


"Is she...okay?" Nurse Joy asked of Brock, as Misty sat in the waiting
lobby of the Celadon City Pokemon Center, knees drawn up to her chest and
head down.

Brock was so concerned about his friend that he failed to react in his
usual manner to the pretty nurse. "A friend of ours took off on us a while
back," Brock said, electing to leave out certain details. "She took it
pretty hard."

"Was this friend a boy?" Joy asked. At Brock's nod, she appeared
thoughtful. "Hmmm..." She nodded. "It's never easy when someone you have a
crush on goes away."

Brock blinked. Having it stated so bluntly brought the reality of the
situation home.

"Well, if it's any consolation," Joy said a bit more loudly, so as to
attract Misty's attention, "Your Onix is recovered, and your Psyduck's rope
burns are healing nicely." She frowned. "How did a Psyduck get rope burns?"

"Team Rocket," Brock replied.

"I...see," Joy said. She frowned; at the mention of Team Rocket, the girl
had broken down in tears, and the craggy-faced older boy's scowl had
deepened.


******


"Where *did* that worthless feline run off to?" Jessie demanded.

"Your guess is as good as mine," James replied, shrugging. The two were
sitting in the Rocket Cafeteria in downtown Celadon, eating a modest lunch.
"And to be honest, I'm not sure I care."

"Hmmm..." Jessie mused. "You're right. Things are much more peaceful
without that annoying Meowth around."

The two sat in silence for a while, eating and eavesdropping on the
conversations going on around them. Various Rockets were discussing
assignments to raid Pokemon gyms, ambush Pokemon trainers on the road, and
so forth. One discussion in particular caught Jessie's interest.

"I just...I don't know. I mean...killing? Isn't that going a little too
far?"

She couldn't hear the reply, but the first voice, which seemed awfully
familiar, continued, "I mean, it's not like they deserve it..."

Another inaudible reply.

"Maybe we can fake it? Make it look like we killed them, but without really
doing it?"

A pause.

"Yeah, that's how we'll have to do it. I feel bad enough as it is. I'll be
glad when this is all over."

Jessie blinked. That was definitely strange. "Hey James, did you hear
that?"

"Hear what?" her partner asked around a mouthful of shrimp.

"Someone's letting their conscience get in the way of an assignment,"
Jessie said, a note of amusement in her voice.

"Oh, really," James replied, drolly. "How unfortunate for them, should the
Boss find out." Both snickered.

Jessie took a sip of her drink, and nearly spit it out as she saw a rather
short Rocket leaving the cafeteria. "Funny," she said, "that looked
like..."


******


"Come on, Pikachu," Ash said. "We've got something we need to do before we
go look for Jessie and James."

"Pika?"

"We're gonna steal Togepi back from the Boss," Ash whispered. "I can't
stand leaving it in the hands of Team Rocket."

"Pi pika," Pikachu agreed.


******


It was late afternoon, and Brock was roaming the streets of Celadon,
looking for a shop where he could find something that might cheer Misty up.
He couldn't take seeing her so miserable and depressed.

He wondered what reasons Ash might have had for turning against them. It
just didn't make any sense. Ash hated Team Rocket, and he'd never force his
Pokemon to do something that was wrong.

And what about Pikachu? Pikachu seemed just as willing as Ash was. Maybe
even more. Bulbasaur had been hesitant to fight against Onix; Brock had
seen that. But Pikachu...

Brock shook his head, and sighed wearily. It just didn't make any sense...


******


The door to the office opened silently. Ash and Pikachu tiptoed into the
darkened room. "No sign of him," Ash whispered.

The pair snuck over to the desk. The familiar shape of the egg Pokemon
rocked back and forth there, snoring softly. "Pika," Pikachu said quietly.

Ash quietly removed a Pokeball from his belt, and expanded it. Sneaking up
to the desk, he pressed the button on the ball, and gently tapped it
against Togepi's head. The infant Pokemon's eyes opened. "Prrrrriiii?" it
said drowzily, just as the crimson light sucked it into the Pokeball.

"Okay, let's go," Ash whispered. The pair turned to leave...and were frozen
in their tracks by a low, rumbling laugh.

The chair behind the desk turned, to reveal the Boss, cloaked in shadow as
always, stroking his Persian, which glowered at Ash and Pikachu menacingly.
"You have guts, boy," the Boss said. "I like that."

Ash and Pikachu trembled. The Boss laughed. "Relax, relax," he said. "It's
not every day that new recruits show the kind of initiative you two have."
He set Persian down on the desk, and it hissed at Pikachu. "As a reward for
your courage, I will spare you, and allow you to keep the miserable egg.
It's completely worthless to me anyway." He paused, then his voice took on
a note of warning. "But I expect you to carry out your assignment without
fail. Do not disappoint me, boy." With that, the Boss turned away again.
Ash and Pikachu made their escape quickly.


******


Brock emerged from the Celadon Department Store, holding a fluffy toy
Jigglypuff. Shopping had, to his surprise, lifted his spirits somewhat, and
he enjoyed the warm, sunny afternoon as he made his way down the road to
the Pokemon Center.

His mood quickly soured when Jessie and James popped up right in front of
him, unexpectedly.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie said.

"Make it double," James added.

"Give it a rest," Brock groaned. "I don't have any Pokemon on me."

"OHOHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Jessie. "We don't care about your pathetic
Pokemon, brat. All we want is to know where your little friend with the
Pikachu is."

Brock glared. "Why are you asking me? Don't all you Rockets hang out
together?"

Jessie and James blinked. "What are you talking about?" Jessie asked.

"And more importantly..." James added, wrinkling his nose, "what...is that
horrendous stench?"

The others frowned, then sniffed the air...and almost gagged.

An evil chuckle ripped through the air. The trio glanced around, and
spotted a silhouetted figure, stirring a cast-iron cauldron. A spotlight
from nowhere illuminated the cauldron. A Gloom drooled into the boiling
water, not seeming to be in any kind of discomfort; its stench wafted into
the breeze. Ash stood behind the cauldron, stirring it with a long, wooden
spoon. He looked up, and grinned wickedly. "Do you smell what Team Rocket's
cookin'?" he asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed, popping up in front of the cauldron, paw extended
in the V-sign.

Brock, Jessie, and James facefaulted.

Jessie recovered, and stared. "It WAS you!" she exclaimed, pointing at Ash.
"What were you doing in the Rocket cafeteria?"

Ash smirked. "Didn't you know? Pikachu 'n me are in Team Rocket now. In
fact, we're here on business now."

Brock glared at Ash. "What kind of 'business' is it this time? Haven't you
done enough damage, Ash?"

Ash winced slightly, but recovered, and chuckled. "Actually, Brock, this
doesn't concern you. Our business is with these two losers."

Jessie and James got in Ash's face. "Who are you calling losers, you little
twit?"

"What sort of business do you have with us?" James asked.

Ash smiled evilly. "The Boss sent us to eliminate you two," he said.

The two Rockets stared at length...then laughed. "Oh, that's rich!" Jessie
snorted.

"Eliminate us?" James asked in a disbelieving tone. "And just how do you
intend to do that?"

Ash smirked. "Pikachu, thunder."

"Piiii..." Pikachu said, eyes flashing evilly as its cheeks began to spark.
The sky began to darken.

Brock stared in horror. Ash wouldn't really...would he?

"Kaaaaaaaa......" Arc of electricity danced around the yellow rodent,
leaping from the ground towards the gathering clouds.

Jessie and James shared an expression of disbelief and shock, before
preparing to take off running.

"CHUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" A bolt of lightning stabbed down from the heavens,
striking the Pokemon, who redirected it into the two Rockets. They
screamed, writhing and twitching as the electric attack scrambled their
nervous systems. The light show finally died down, and Jessie and James
fell to the ground, smoldering.

"Good work, Pikachu," Ash said. "Now, let's collect evidence for the Boss."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied.

Brock stared numbly as Ash removed the outer articles of Jessie's uniform,
and took the everpresent rose from James' jacket. He walked over, and knelt
beside the fallen Rockets. He checked their pulses. "They're..."

Suddenly, Ash was in his face, thrusting a Pokeball at him. "Take it," Ash
said.

Brock blinked. "Ash, what?"

"Take it," Ash insisted. "Give it to Misty. Tell her...I'm sorry," he said.
Forcing the ball into Brock's hands, he stood, and ran off. "Pikachu, let's
go."

As Ash and Pikachu disappeared into the shadows, Brock stared at the
Pokeball, and at the bodies of the two Rockets. *How could Ash do this...?*
he wondered.

Still numb from the shock of what had happened, Brock stood, and trudged
back towards the Pokemon Center.


******


She stirred groggily, and found herself staring at a harsh white ceiling.
"Wh...where...?"

"Easy now," a gentle voice said. "You're at Celadon General Hospital."

"Hospital...? What...?"

"You and your friend were apparently struck by lightning. You're lucky to
be alive. Now lie still...you need to rest and recover your strength."

Jessie, still disoriented, obeyed the young doctor. She couldn't remember
exactly what had happened, but she supposed it was fortunate that she was
alive. She had a horrendous headache, though...maybe a bit of rest would be
a good idea. She closed her eyes, and dozed off.


******

To be continued...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What kind of Pokemon are you?
How do you do the things you do?
Share with me your secrets deep inside...
What kind of Pokemon are you?
Are you loyal through and through?
And do you have a heart that's true?
What kind of Pokemon are you?

The Eternal Lost Lurker
(The Pokemon under the skirt of the girl...)
lurkerdrome@megami.net

"Pokemon, getto daze!"