The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Story Written by Freedom Fighter

Gotta keep going... almost at the halfway point...

You'd better be paying attention, because the first two parts are 
presented at breakneck speed.  That includes the first appearance in 
this series, regulars of "The Adventures Series," of two familiar 
faces in Part 1, and then a first-timer in Part 2!  And then, in 
Parts 3 & 4, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

Or, it should be.  What could possibly ruin the holidays for our 
heroes?  Heh... like I'm gonna tell you now!  You're just going to 
have to keep reading on to find out!

It's Christmastime again... in whatever month this is!

Disclaimer:  All characters and places featured in the Pokémon anime 
series and other productions belong to Nintendo and Pokémon USA!  
As for those original characters like Cassie Banks, Arius McFly, and 
many, many others, they are my creations.  Don't dare use them 
without my permission... or NO SOUP FOR YOU!  Oh, wait, I mean... 
A LUMP OF COAL FOR YOU!

This fanfic is only posted at two places: my place, which contains the 
full-length chapters in one piece, and Fanfiction.net, which has the 
same story, but split up into smaller pieces.  It should not be posted 
anywhere else without my permission.

******

The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: December (04.14.07)

******

Many mysteries still surround the legend of five Pokémon trainers 
who have the ability to somehow temporarily possess the bodies of 
their favorite Pokémon.  For example, can the trainers actually 
control where and when they're able to use their powers?  Is there 
a limit to their power, or how often they can access it?  More 
importantly, who are the identities of these mysterious five?

Previously on "The Year of Rocket's Revenge," Erika and her 
assistant, Maria, continued their research on the subject by 
making a trip to Germany, where they talked to Professor Geissler.  
They had hoped that he could answer some of their questions.  But 
alas, there wasn't much he could do for them.  However, Erika has 
managed to pare down the list of possible candidates to a group of 
twenty.  Are the chosen five among them?

We know one of them is the world's first-ever Pokémon Junior 
Master in Marco Pereira.  Unfortunately, it seems that Team Rocket 
has gotten to him, and he is revealed to be their newest recruit!

Another is our lead hero, Ash Ketchum, who had finally chased down 
former Pokémon Trainers' Association members Cassie Banks and Arius 
McFly.  He told them of how he knew what Marco's powers were and, 
to their shock, revealed that he was just like him!

The final participant of that first Junior Master Tournament, Gary 
Oak, had recently arrived in the Johto Region.  But he had no time 
to think about what had happened in Evergrande City... especially 
when he had enough to deal with between the smitten-with-him 
Stephanie, call-in-life-searching Amber, and a chance meeting with 
an enthusiastic Electabuzz baseball fan in Casey.

Meanwhile, in Cerulean City, Misty felt bored about being unable to 
travel with Ash.  After all, if they're a couple, shouldn't they 
always be together?  Her eldest sister Daisy, though, provided her 
with a way to fight the blues.  By going out on a blind date!  A 
blind... play date with an old friend, 10-year old Mikey!

Our heroes have spent some time going their own ways after the 
Junior Master Tournament.  But with the holiday season approaching, 
will they do something that's very rare for traveling trainers?

Returning home to spend Christmas and New Year's with family and 
friends?

******

Wednesday, December 5th, Fallarbor Town

"I had no idea... this was your hometown."

Cassie was standing in the midst of a graveyard on a blustery 
mid-afternoon, holding a small bouquet of three daisies and one lone 
white carnation.  Standing next to her was Arius, who had placed a 
comforting hand on her shoulder.  Cassie was doing her best to keep 
her emotions in check and she read aloud the inscription on the 
tombstone in front of her.

"Franklin... Mosley," she uttered slowly.  "1984-2001.  Died doing 
what he loved best... researching... Pokémon."

"Wow..." Arius gasped.  "If they only knew the truth..."

"It's... it's better this way.  I hope his family never finds out 
the truth... it would devastate them!"

"Frank died doing his job, Cassie.  Just like the others who died 
that day..."

======

Monday, July 3rd, one year ago, Pokémon Trainers' Association HQ

Crews of trainers and Pokémon were running all over the base, 
trying to gain control over the raging fires some of the buildings 
were engulfed in.  There were many dead lying in and around the 
place, many in the remains of buildings already burnt to the ground, 
several were in pieces.  All of the damage was centered in the 
research sectors of the base, particularly around the laboratories.

At that moment, Arius and Cassie came running in towards what was 
left of Building R-9, which was still partially on fire.

"Has anyone seen Agent Mosley?" Cassie asked, yelling at anyone 
around the building she could get the attention of.  "Does anyone 
know if he's okay?  Has he come out yet?"

"I'm sure he's fine..." Arius reassured her.

Suddenly, Cassie perked up when she saw a familiar face.  A 
brown-haired man in his 30s who was sitting on the ground.  The 
lab coat that he wore over his dress shirt and pants had burn 
marks on its backside, some deep enough to have created a few 
holes.

"Professor Mirando!" Cassie shouted as she ran over to him, with 
Arius following close behind.  "Thank goodness!"

"Cassie?  Oh, it was horrible in there!  I'm lucky to be alive, 
given everything that happened."

"Have you seen Agent Mosley?  Franklin?  Where is he?"

The professor glanced down at the ground beneath him, sighing 
deeply as he shook his head.  Cassie's happiness quickly 
disappeared, as she was starting to get the feeling that the worst 
had occurred.

"No... please don't..."

"I didn't see it, but I heard it.  There were gunshots.  Many of 
them."

"No..."

"He got at least one.  I won't get into the gruesome details... 
but... I'm afraid..."

Cassie couldn't hold back any longer.  She burst into tears, falling 
to her knees in sorrow over the loss of her friend.  A very good 
friend.  Maybe one closer than Arius would ever know.

======

"And to think..." Cassie thought.  "That was the day that I... that 
I... that I..."

"Cassie..." Arius interrupted.

"Huh?"

"We have to get going.  Getting to Lavaridge Town isn't easy, you 
know.  We do have to go through the Jagged Pass."

"Which isn't easy," Cassie sighed.  "I know, I know."

"Well... good luck with that!" Arius yelled as he waved goodbye and 
started to run off.

"Hey!  I thought you were gonna..."

Before she knew it, Arius had run out of the graveyard and was 
already bolting towards the town's outskirts.  Cassie scratched her 
head in confusion.

"What?  First, he tells me we have to... then he... oooohhh!"

Cassie growled as she started to stomp off.  Then, realizing she 
was still holding her bouquet, she turned about and placed it on 
the tombstone.  She bowed in respect for her fallen friend, then 
she returned to her growling and stomping as she exited the 
graveyard.

======

Arius had made his way to the Fallarbor Town Contest Arena grounds, 
where a green-haired boy wearing an orange long sleeve sweater and 
a pair of blue jeans was waiting.  Besides him was his number one 
Pokémon, Sandslash!

"About time you showed up!" the teen exclaimed.  "I don't like to 
be kept waiting!"

"Slash!" nodded Sandslash in agreement.

"Sorry, we... uh, Cassie, was visiting an old friend."

"Where is she?  It's been quite awhile since I've seen the gal."

He and Sandslash looked about the empty grounds, seeing no one 
else around.

"Then again, I wasn't expecting her to drop out of the Pokémon 
Trainers' Association.  Of course, I wasn't expecting to find myself 
as a member of it, either."

"You know my girl?"

The trainer smirked as he stated his reply.

"We've only met twice, but both times she proved herself to be a 
pretty good trainer.  But naturally, pretty good don't mean much 
when you lose to me, the next kid destined to become Pokémon Junior 
Master!"

"She lost to you?  Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm surprised you've never heard of me.  I'm the one, the only, AJ 
Kamensky!  I'm a Pokémon League member... Novice Class, First 
Level!  Plus, I'm a three-time League Tournament semi-finalist!  
Matter o' fact, Cassie was the trainer I beat to get to my first ever 
Tournament semi-finals!"

======

Thursday, November 2nd, two years ago, Indigo Stadium
Pokémon League Novice Tournament, Fall 1999, Quarter-Final Round

"Each trainer is down to their final Pokémon in this 3-on-3 match!" 
the announcer bellowed over the PA system.  "This will determine 
which of these two will gain a spot for the Final Four!"

"Ready to go, Cassie?" AJ asked.

Cassie nodded.  "Yep!  Meowth, I choose you!"

"Meowth!" purred Cassie's cat Pokémon.

"Against your Meowth, I'll choose... the one and only, Sandslash!"

"Slash!" greeted Sandslash, his claws drawn and ready to battle.

"Oh my!" the announcer exclaimed.  "We all knew it was coming, 
folks!  Sandslash has not been beaten yet in this tournament, 
and that's even after competing in every one of AJ's matches here!  
Cassie will have to do something spectacular to pull this one out!"

"I know," Cassie thought, "but I have no other choice!"

"Ready..." the field judge stated, "and GO!"

"Meowth, Pay Day!"

"Sandslash, Scratch!"

Meowth generated a massive amount of coins and flinged them at 
Sandslash.  But the ground-type avoided every single one, and leapt 
in, hurting Meowth a lot with just one scratch across the face.

"End it now, Sandslash!  Poison Sting!"

Sandslash fired a blast of poison barbs right at Meowth.

"Quick, Meowth, Fury Swipes!"

Cassie was attempting to have Meowth blow through the barrage.  But 
it didn't work.  The barbs hit their mark, poisoning Meowth 
instantly and knocking it out in the process.

"Meowth!  No!"

The field judge quickly declared the match over.

"Meowth is unable to battle!  The victory goes to AJ and Sandslash!"

"There you have it!" the announcer shouted over the rejoiceful 
crowd.  "AJ and Sandslash do it again, sending Cassie and her team 
home while they move one step closer to a Novice Tournament crown!  
Can anyone stop these two?"

======

"She's good, no doubt, but she's not better than me!"

"Wait, you said three-time semi-finalist.  You mean you've never 
got into a championship match?  Or much less win one?"

"IT'S AN OVERSIGHT I PLAN TO CORRECT REAL SOON!" AJ yelled.

"Really?  How?"

AJ pulled out a badge case from his pants pocket, and revealed 
that he had picked up five Hoenn League badges so far.

"Five badges?  Impressive."

"Ha!  That's nothing.  Getting the final three will be a cinch!  
Then I'll have enough to qualify for the Hoenn League Tournament 
in April!  And in just enough time to attend the annual Pokémon 
League Advanced Tournament the month before that!"

"The what now?"

"The Pokémon League Advanced Tournament!  Just like the Novice 
Tournament, it's a tournament where trainers compete to upgrade 
to the next League level... in this case, the Advanced!  But 
unlike the Novice, which takes place once every three months, 
the Advanced takes place only once a year.  Even more unique, 
it's several tournaments at once!  A whole week!"

"Week?"

"Right.  Seven one-day tournaments, once a day, starting on a 
Sunday.  Only 32 entrants are allowed per day, first come, first 
serve, but the good thing is, one can enter up to three of them.  
If you win one of one-day tournaments, you're rewarded with a 
promotion to the Advanced Level.  Plus, you don't have to compete 
in any of the other days, assuring that seven different people in 
the end will earn the promotion every year."

"Wow..."

"And the Saturday tournament is the craziest, because that one has 
64 spots for entrants and you have to use a different Pokémon in 
every single match!  That means to earn that final promotion 
reward, you have to win six matches in a row with six different 
Pokémon.  It really test your skills as a trainer!  Plus, while 
all of the other six winners go to Advanced Class, Third Level, 
the winner of the Saturday tournament jumps straight to Advanced 
Class, Second Level!  Thus bypassing a whole six months of waiting!"

"Sounds great!  Where can Cassie and I sign up?"

"Well, first off, you have to be a Novice Class, First Level 
trainer.  And second, it has to have been, of course, six months 
since your advancement."

"Crap.  I'm still at Novice Second, and Cassie just got hers, so 
she won't be at six months by March."

"Too bad," AJ shrugged.  "Hopefully, you two'll get there next 
year."

"Whatever.  Look, we're not here to talk about the Pokémon 
League!"

AJ smiled.  "So we aren't."

He put away his badge case and then reached into his other pocket 
to pull out a photo of Marco with his Absol.

"Say... this is the guy who's the current Pokémon Junior Master, 
right?"

"Uh huh.  The same one who also disappeared shortly thereafter, 
and the one I hear the League wants to dump, resulting in the 
naming of the runner-up as the new Junior Master!"

"What's that have to do with Cassie and I?  She finished as the 
third runner-up!"

"We want you to find him.  Let's just say... we want him playing 
for our team.  Forget the League... whether he loses his title or 
not isn't important to the PTA.  We just want him, before Team 
Rocket gets him."

"I see your point.  If he beat Cassie, plus Ash and that other guy 
from Pallet, then he must be really talented."

"Humph!  He wouldn't have won it if I was there!"

"And why weren't you?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!  Now, just do the job!"

"This is kinda deep for a freelancer agent like myself.  Why can't 
they get a full-timer to do this?"

"At least you're getting jobs!  I've been a freelancer for three 
months, and the only jobs I've had are to deliver jobs for other 
freelancers!  Makes me wonder why I signed up in the first place..."

"I'm sure you'll get a job eventually..."

"Speaking of... if you're still so intent on working for the PTA, 
why did you get out of the full-time gig?"

Arius sighed.  "She thinks there's some conspiracy behind it all, 
like just because the founders of the organization were ex-members 
of Team Rocket..."

"They're ex-Rockets?" AJ started to freak.

"No need to worry.  I've worked with one of them on a mission 
before, and I assure you, they're on the up and up now!"

"Well... if you say so.  Then again, maybe you shouldn't have told 
me..."

"You mean you actually believe my girlfriend's conspiracy theories?"

"If you still want her to be your girl, I'd at least humor her.  
Then again..."

AJ reached into his pocket and pulled out another photograph.  This 
one has Cassie in it, with Franklin sitting next to her on the 
grass.  And they were..."

"KISSING?  THEY'RE KISSING?"

"I know it looks suspicious, but..."

Arius growled at AJ, thinking he had the photo doctored...

"I swear!" AJ defended, realizing what Arius was thinking.  "I 
haven't doctored it at all!  They'd know if I did, you know.  
Besides, I'm just the deliverer.  I don't know how, when, or where 
that scandalous shot came from."

"And I suppose you don't know if this was doctored at all!"

AJ panicked.  "Look, man, I ain't trying to get into trouble!  
Let's not assume stuff we can't prove here!  Look, I got my 
own worries.  Whether you wanna believe that or not, that's your 
own problem!  Let's go, Sandslash!"

Sandslash nodded, and then the two ran for the hills, disappearing 
down the path.  Once they were gone, Arius stared menacingly at 
the photo once more, then pocketed it and headed back into town.

======

A little while later, Arius was waiting inside the Pokémon Center.  
He was in the process of transferring potions and food from three 
paper bags that were on a bench into his and Cassie's backpacks, 
which were placed next to them.  Cassie was at the desk, waiting 
for Nurse Joy to return her Pokémon to her.  Arius quickly wrapped 
things up and took a seat on the bench.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the photograph that AJ 
had handed to him.  He went over every inch of it again, as if he 
was asking it to give him more information about itself.  Did this 
actually happen?  If so, who made the first move?  And did Cassie 
really have feelings for Franklin?  Ones even stronger than hers 
for him?

Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere, Arius gave up and buried 
the photo among the stuff in his backpack.  Just in time, too, as 
Cassie was walking back, happy as can be with her revitalized 
Pokémon.

"I heard that the Jagged Pass puts electric Pokémon at a huge 
disadvantage, so I made a substitution for that Electrike I had 
caught just after we left Mauville City."

Cassie threw out a Pokéball to reveal the latest trade-in to the 
team... a Sandslash.

"Sandslash!  Slash!"

"Oh, I know it's been awhile Sandslash, but we get to travel 
together for the first time!"

"I swear, you keep catching Pokémon when I'm not looking!  And 
how'd you get this one?  Aren't already evolved Pokémon hard to 
catch in the wild?"

"In the wild, yes.  But not if you get it as a gift!"

"As a gift?  From whom?"

======

Friday, June 30th, one year ago, Pokémon Trainers' Association HQ
Inside Laboratory Room 1, Building R-9

Franklin was carrying a box full of folders to be filed in a nearby 
storage room as he headed for the room exit.  Just as he was about 
to turn around and push the swinging doors open with his back, 
someone else pulled them open.

It was Cassie.

"Cassie, you're just the girl I wanted to see!"

"Me?" she asked sheepishly, pointing at herself.

Franklin walked through the doorway and put the box down on a 
nearby table outside.  He then reached into his lab coat and 
pulled out of his lab coat a Pokéball with a pink ribbon tied on 
it.

"What's that?"

"Open it!  It's for you."

Cassie took the Pokéball and threw it softly to the ground.  The 
Pokéball opened immediately, and the Pokémon inside emerged... 
to Cassie's delight.

"Oh my... it's a Sandslash!"

"Sandslash!" it greeted.  "Slash!"

"This is Sandslash, whom I caught about two years ago.  Unfortunately, 
my work here has given me little time to care for all of my Pokémon, 
and I've kinda been neglecting Sandslash a bit."

"That's terrible!"

"I love Sandslash so much, yet I can't bear to watch him suffer 
because of me.  So I'm hoping giving it to a trainer who has the 
time to love and care for it will prove beneficial to him in the 
long run.  And Cassie, that trainer is you!"

Cassie gasped.  "Really?  You're giving me your Sandslash?"

Franklin eyes grew teary-eyed as he clasped Cassie's hands within 
his.

"I do this as a token of my gratitude for how kind you've been to 
me these last few weeks, assisting me on my research and all."

"I appreciate it... but, I'm not sure I'm the right person..."

"Please!  I insist!  Something to remember me by..."

"Something to..."

Franklin released his grip on Cassie and turned away, lowering 
his head in sadness.

"I know you and Arius have been together for awhile, and I know 
that you deeply care about each other!  But the thing is... I 
love you too, Cassie Banks!"

Cassie stood there, her mouth hanging wide open, stunned beyond 
belief.

"But I could never come between you and Arius.  It's just not 
right!  So, I'm giving you Sandslash as a token of our friendship.  
And of remembrance.  For you see... in order to risk not driving a 
wedge between you and Arius, I feel it's best that we not see each 
other anymore."

"I... I understand where you're coming from, but, not seeing each 
other anymore?  Isn't that a little harsh?"

"I'm sorry, Cassie!" he choked as tears starting running down his 
cheeks.  "But I must do this for the good of us all!"

With that, he took of running down the hall, wailing with tears 
and never looking back.

"Franklin!"

Cassie debated whether to chase after him, but she thought better of 
it.  Or rather, maybe she saw something in their relationship that 
she was only catching onto now.  Regardless, there was still a 
Sandslash standing before her, and Cassie had been left to care for 
a new Pokémon.

"Slash?" Sandslash asked, taking his first good look at his new 
trainer.  "Sandslash, slash?"

Cassie knelt down to Sandslash's eye level and stared into his 
eyes quietly, as if she was trying to analyze him.

"Well, I guess I have no choice.  Sandslash, welcome to my team!  
I promise that I'll make sure you'll be taken good care of!"

Sandslash seemed stumped over the sequence of events that 
resulted in him becoming Cassie's newest Pokémon, but he accepted 
what had happened in stride.  He nodded in agreement, then walked 
towards Cassie and stuck his paw out to shake, as a gesture of 
friendship.

"A Pokémon with good manners!  Outstanding!  You're gonna be a 
fine addition to the team!"

She added a nod of determination, then stuck her hand out to shake 
with Sandslash.  The two smiled as they exchanged pleasantries 
and began their new lives together.

======

"That... was the last time I saw him alive."

Arius gasped as a new line of thought raced through his head.

"If that's so, then maybe this photo really is fake!  If she only 
then spotted that Franklin liked her that way..."

Arius breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess I have nothing to worry about."

"Huh?" Cassie asked, shooting a glare at Arius.  "Worry about?  You 
never explained where you were while I was doing all the grunt work, 
buying supplies and stuff!"

"How dare you!  For your information, I was Christmas shopping... 
for you!"

"Christmas... shopping?"

"Well, it is a few weeks before Christmas..."

Arius was doing his best to pull off this bluff.  He couldn't tell 
her that he had recently gotten back with the PTA as a freelancer.  
Then again, he didn't have to tell her.  He knew that Cassie could 
read his mind at a moment's notice, and the jig would be up.

And that's exactly what she was doing, as she continued to glare 
straight into Arius' eyes.

"Come on!  You don't believe me?"

Cassie closed her eyes, as she tried to clear her mind so that she 
could reach into her boyfriend's.  But she stopped just a few 
seconds later, when she started to develop some pain in her head.

"Owww... not again!" Cassie whined as she took a seat on the 
bench next to Arius.

Arius quietly cheered a little inside as he moved the bags on the 
other side of him so he could scoot over to be beside Cassie.

"Those headaches again?"

Cassie nodded.  "It's like every time I try to use my psychic 
powers, I get a headache!  Is there something wrong with me?"

"Maybe... maybe we should see a doctor."

"That's not necessary!  I mean, maybe it's just related to my 
psychic abilities only.  Growing pains, or something like that.  I 
might be fine as long as I don't try to tap into them.  Heh heh..."

Arius thought to himself.  "Maybe she's hiding something from me 
too, and it's hurting her inside.  Maybe... maybe she did lie to 
me... and her and Franklin were together at one point or another!  
But that photo is the closest thing I have to definitive proof.  I 
need something more."

"Maybe we should put off leaving until tomorrow," Cassie suggested 
as she leaned against Arius' right shoulder.

Arius blushed, and nodded in response.

"Yes... let's wait 'til tomorrow."

Cassie smiled as she continued to lean on her boyfriend.

"I can figure that out later.  I'd better figure out how to find 
this Marco kid first..."

======

Thursday, December 6th, Viridian Forest

"Gimme back my Cyndaquil, you thief!" yelled a Hiker.

"Sorry!" Marco yelled as he ran away, his Absol following close 
behind.  "Your property is now the property of Team Rocket!"

"Absol, sol!" Absol chimed in.

"I never realized stealing Pokémon was so fun!"

Marco and Absol vanished into the thick forest as he stuffed 
his latest capture into his backpack and ran off to find another 
unsuspecting victim.

======

Saturday, December 8th, ?

In some unknown location, Jessie, James, and Persian were trudging 
slowly along a dirt path.  Dying of hunger and thirst, they seemed 
to be at the end of their rope as they decided to plop down right 
there and then and take a break.

"We've never been this low," Jessie muttered.

"Maybe we should end it now," James suggested.  "This running is 
killing us!"

"Not eatin' is da thing dat's killin' us!" explained Persian.

"Wait... I see something..."

Jessie pointed a few hundred feet ahead, where a pair of leather 
boots were sticking out of a Oran Berry bush.

"If I remember right," James stated, "I hear leather is quite 
edible when cooked over a campfire."

"Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to get dumber!" 
argued Jessie.

"At dis point, Persian's willing to take da chance!"

Persian willed himself to his feet and ran over to the boots.  
Realizing that any chance was better than none, Jessie and James 
also get to their feet and try to beat him to the bush.  With, 
apparently, all three focused on the boots rather than the berries 
that hanged over them.

"Those shoes are mine!" they screamed as they all reached at the 
same time.

But upon grabbing the boots, the trio came to a sudden realization.  
Somebody was still wearing them.  A ill look developed on their 
faces.

"This couldn't..."

They grabbed hold of the legs and slowly pulled the rest of the body 
out of the bush to its sideway.  They became even more surprised 
when they realized they had a familiar face lying unconscious in 
front of them.

"The brat?" Jessie stated.

"The snob?" James corrected.

"It's dat Techie girl!" Persian concluded.

Sure enough, Pokémon Tech graduate Giselle Gravelpot laid before 
them, unaware of whom she was surrounded by.  Her arms were lazily 
spread out and extended all the way out above her head.  Other than 
some dirt and small scratches from the Oran Berry bush on her, she 
looked perfectly fine otherwise.

"She's out like a light!"

"Do you think she's dead?"

"Who cares?  Let's take dis opportunity to steal all her Pokémon!"

Jessie smiled.  "And she's bound to have some food."

"And plenty of refreshing spring water!" added James.

Jessie, James, and Persian quickly scanned the area, looking for 
any sign of a campsite or just Giselle's bags.

"Dere!" Persian said, spotting a blue suitcase and a fanny pack 
lying next to a nearby tree.  "Dat must be it!"

"Finder's keepers, loser's weepers!" Jessie and James cried as they 
ran over to collect their 'treasure.'

Out of nowhere, a Bonemerang came flying in, clocking Persian upside 
the head and sending him flying right into Jessie and James.  The 
three landed in a pile just to left of Giselle's belongings.

"What the heck was dat?" Persian asked as he got up.

Persian followed the Bonemerang as it returned to its owner... a 
Marowak.

"Marowak!" it shouted as it trotted over to Giselle's body and then 
stood in front of it.

"That's right!" Jessie grimaced as she remembered.  "That Marowak 
belongs to her!  And it's her best Pokémon!"

"We're in no condition to fight!" pleaded James, waving his arms 
about in a wild fashion.  "You can't even let us take ONE morsel of 
food?"

Marowak gritted his teeth before proceeding to roar as loud as his 
lungs could muster.

"What's he doing?" Jessie screamed, covering her ears with her hands.

"He's not trying to wake HER, is she?" James asked in fear.

"He doesn't need her!" Persian exclaimed.

"Why not?"

Marowak smirked, then charged towards the trio at high speed, with 
his arms swinging and winding up to dish out some punishment.  
Before the ex-Rockets knew it, Marowak was on top of them, sparking 
up a dust cloud and beating them senseless before they knew it.  
It didn't take much before they decided that they had had enough.  
Sprinting out of the cloud, Jessie, James, and Persian ran away down 
the dirt path as fast as they could, leaving Marowak to plainly 
observe as the trio left the scene.

"Yaaaawwnnnn!" Giselle yawned as she slowly sat up, awaking from her 
supposed slumber.  "Where am I?"

Marowak ran back over to his Master... and clubbed her on the head 
with his Bonemerang!

"Owwwww!" she screamed.  "Marowak, what in the..."

"Marowak, maro maro wak, Marowak!"

Giselle gasped as she listened to what Marowak was telling her.

"It happened again, didn't it?"

"Maro!" her Pokémon nodded in confirmation.

She sighed as she walked over to her bags and put them on.

"I knew I wasn't cut out for this 'walking around and earning badges 
the hard way' bit!  When we reach the next town with an airport, I'm 
booking a flight to the next Pokémon gym!"

With that, Giselle and Marowak resumed their travels on foot, heading 
for their next destination.  Hopefully after this, no more walking 
will be involved.  After all, that's no way for a girl as rich as 
Giselle to get around!

"Oh, and next time, could you try to be a little gentler?"

"Maro..." Marowak responded apologetically.

======

Tuesday, December 11th, Olivine City Library, Main Branch

"I'm sorry, but Miss Erika will not be answering questions at this 
time!"

Maria was trying to shoo away the paparazzi as she and Erika, the 
Celadon City Gym Leader, were leaving the library.  Apparently, 
they were researching another lead in their quest to figure out 
the identities of five young individuals who had the ability to, 
temporarily, embody their Pokémon and utilize their powers.  Erika 
had so far succeeded in identifying two of the five... Marco 
Pereira and Ash Ketchum.

Unfortunately, her presence in Olivine City has caused such a 
buzz that she can't get any research done!

======

Wednesday, December 12th

"Sorry, still not answering!"

Another day, another sequence of Erika and Maria being chased out 
of the library by the paparazzi.

======

Thursday, December 13th

And yet again...

"The answer's still no!"

======

Seaside Motel

"Why don't they go away?" Maria whined as she plopped down on one 
of the room's twin-sized beds.  "Isn't there some other famous 
celebrity they can pester for a few days?"

"I'm beginning to think coming here was a mistake," admitted Erika, 
sitting on a wooden chair by the window.

"Oh, come on!  We've made so many side trips here and there over 
the past few months!  They can't ALL be mistakes!"

"Then why haven't we found any definitive proof yet, Maria?  Sigh... 
maybe I'm just not getting it."

Suddenly, the chair gave way, and Erika fell to the floor as a leg 
on the piece of furniture disappeared.

"Miss Erika!"

Maria jumped up from her bed and ran over to help Erika up.  It 
was then that she spotted a small group of termites emerge from the 
remnants of the broken chair leg.

"Oh, and Maria... could you please tell me why you've booked us in 
this despicable dump of a motel tonight?"

"Our research funds have run dry," Maria sighed, pulling out an 
envelope and shaking it while holding it upside down.  "We could 
tap into our gym's personal funds, but we barely have enough for 
our plane trip home and to cover staff's payroll for this month."

Erika got up from the floor, outraged.

"Impossible!  Given our profits from the perfume shop and the healthy 
amount of donations we receive every month, we should have plenty... 
never mind!  There's more important things to worry about right now!"

Erika was cut off from saying something further by the sound of 
knocking at the door.  The gym leader quickly moved away from the 
door and headed to the back of the room while Maria went to the 
door.  Once Erika was at a safe distance, Maria unlocked the door and 
opened it ever so slightly.

"Yes?" she asked, peering through the small crack in the door frame.

"I'm here to see Erika."

The man at the door flashed his credentials... a Boulder Badge.

"You're the... Pewter City Gym Leader, right?"

"The name's Brock, and my, don't you look lovely tonight!"

"Uh..." Maria stammered.

"Hey Erika, are you in there?" Brock shouted into the room.

"Let him in, Maria."

Maria opened the door wide and let Brock come in.  She immediately 
shut it behind him and locked it.

"Brock!" Erika exclaimed.  "What are you doing here?"

"The month-long Gym Leader Retreat, remember?"

"Ah, yes... that explains why there's so many photographers roaming 
around the city..."

"I thought you backed out because you had some matters with the 
Pokémon League to take care of.  How'd you end up here?  And in... 
such a dump of a motel?"

Erika took a seat on one of the beds and beckoned Brock to join 
her.  He did so without hesitation.

"So, allow me to explain what Maria and I are up to..."

Brock sat quietly as Erika told him about all of the research she 
and Maria had done up to that point.  He was just trying to take all 
the information in, as all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind.

"And that's basically it, Brock," Erika finished.  "It would help 
if we could find out who the other three are.  Or any information 
on how their powers work, or where they come from, or the like."

Maria sighed.  "There's still so much we don't know."

Brock hesitated for a second.  "Uh... so, what are you gonna do 
when you find one of them?  I mean, you already know about Misty 
and Marco, yet you're not chasing after those two..."

"I talked to Misty many months ago," Erika said.  "She promised me 
that she'd call me if she learned anything else.  I trust her."

"And... what about Marco?"

"Well, all I know about HIM is that we're out looking for him.  
Just like everyone else.  To be blunt, it'll be up to the Pokémon 
League to decide if any action should be taken."

"I see.  Hmmm..."

"Hmmm?  Brock, is there something you know that we don't?"

"Well... uh... I thought Misty would tell you since you two are so 
close, but..."

"But?  But what?"

"We, as in myself, Ash, and Misty, know of two others who also 
possess that ability."

Erika squealed with delight.  "That's great!  You don't know how 
much that means to me!  So, could you, pretty please... tell me 
who they are?"

"Anything for a pretty lady," Brock swooned.

"Tell us already!" demanded Maria.  "The suspense is killing me!"

"Alright, alright!  Okay... how should I put this?  The other two 
'legendaries' are... Ash and I!"

Erika and Maria gasped in shock.  "You and Ash?"

"That's remarkable!" Erika added.  "Three of the five, traveling 
together across the world!  How convenient!"

"Actually," Brock corrected, "we haven't been together since the 
Pokémon Junior Master Tournament three months ago..."

"But why wouldn't Misty tell you that, Miss Erika?" asked Maria.

"Yes... apparently, that is a bit strange..."

"Misty's had a lot on her plate for awhile," Brock told them.  "So 
you can excuse her for forgetting to tell you."

"When did you all learn you had these... abilities?"

"About that... remember the Viridian City gym explosion about... a 
year and a half ago?"

"That..." Erika gasped again, "that was you guys?"

Brock nodded.  "That was the first and only time, as far as I know, 
that we exhibited these 'abilities,' as you call them.  Then again, 
since we haven't spent much time together recently, I can only vouch 
for myself.  Even stranger... we don't know how to tap into them at 
all.  Or if we ever can again."

"Wow!" Maria shouted.  "That's more information about this whole 
'legendary' legend than we've gotten from all of the libraries we've 
visited!"

"True," Erika agreed, "but we still haven't answered all the big 
questions.  Who's the fifth?  How does one obtain these abilities?  
And what if there's a limit to your powers?"

"I'd like to help, Erika.  I'm just as curious in finding out what 
this all means.  You make it sound as if it's possible that those 
abilities might resurface again one day."

"Well... we won't be getting any further unless we can get the 
press of our backs!"

"Yeah... and some sleep!" Maria tacked on as she jumped onto her 
bed... and kicked up a cloud of dust in the process.

The trio quickly ran out of room, hacking and coughing as the 
dust bunnies flew all around the enclosed space.

"That's it!" Maria declared.  "I'm going back to the front desk 
and asking for our money back!"

As Maria headed for the front desk, Brock offered Erika a proposal.

"Say... why don't you guys spend the night over with me at the 
apartment complex?  That's where all the gym leaders for the retreat 
are staying."

"We couldn't... we wouldn't want to intrude, and we hardly have the 
money for..."

"Nonsense!  I insist that you stay with me!"

Erika blushed.  "Really?  That's... kind of you..."

======

After getting a refund, the trio took a taxi to the Grand Olivine 
Apartments, which turned out to be a huge multi-floor skyscraper 
that overlooked the nearby Olivine Bay.

"So that's how the Pokémon League spends their money... giving out 
lavish apartments on what pretty much amounts to a seaside resort!" 
gasped Maria.

"I do admit..." Erika sighed, "it is a bit much..."

======

"This really IS much!"

Erika and Maria were stunned at how lavishly decorated Brock's 
apartment was.  Completely furnished from head to toe, along with a 
full kitchen, a 45" TV, and a balcony view of the bay.

"Only rich people and celebrities can afford all this!" gawked 
Maria.

"We were all surprised ourselves when we saw the rooms.  I still 
don't know where Jasmine, the Olivine gym leader, got the money to 
help finance it with the League."

Brock then went all heart-eyed.

"She really knows how to treat a guy!"

"I guess this is okay," relented Erika.  "For tonight, anyway.  
Tomorrow, we'll figure out how Maria and I are going to get home."

"Nonsense!  You guys can crash here as long as you need to in order 
to get your work at the library done!  And I'll pay the expenses, no 
problem!  Of course... you'll have to figure out some non-monetary 
way to pay me back."

Erika blushed.  "Oh... well... I'm not sure... if we..."

Suddenly realizing what Erika was thinking he meant, Brock's face 
also blushed beet red as he tried to explain himself.

"Of course... not.  Nothing... like... that.  Unless you want... 
to..."

"Sorry to break up the act, but this isn't a honeymoon!" yelled 
Maria.

Erika quickly came to her senses.  "You're right.  We have to figure 
out how to get into that library tomorrow without attracting the 
paparazzi!"

"Just leave that to me!" Brock told her.  "Tomorrow, they won't even 
be anywhere near you!  I've got the perfect plan!"

"Really?  Wow... I'm thankful you found us tonight, Brock!"

"And it gets even better!" Brock proclaimed joyfully, leading the 
two towards a door.  "There's a bedroom!"

"Dust and lint and termite-free, I hope, I hope!" hoped Maria.

"But Brock..." Erika wondered, ever thoughtful, "if Maria and I are 
sharing the bed, where are you going to sleep?"

"On the couch!" Brock declared, pulling a comfy pillow and a blanket 
out of nowhere and placing them down there.  "It's where any good 
gentleman sleeps!"

Erika opened her mouth to object, but Brock quickly hushed her by 
placing one of his fingers over it.

"Sorry, my fair Erika... but I won't take no for an answer."

Erika showed her graciousness by bowing before Brock.  Maria did the 
same before gleefully running into the room and leaping onto the 
bed.

"So warmmmmmmm..." she drooled, quickly dozing off in the center of 
the bed.

Erika smiled, then turned to Brock and bowed once again.

"I really will find a way to thank you for all this some day, 
Brock.  Thank you."

"It's my pleasure!"

Erika quickly dragged her and Maria's suitcases inside the room, 
then closed the door behind her, waving good night to Brock as she 
did.  Brock waved back in response, and continued to do so for quite 
awhile after the door had been closed.

Then waterfalls started flowing from his eyes.

"Why do I always have to be the nice guy?  Why don't I ever get 
lucky?"

======

Friday, December 14th

The next morning, Erika emerged from the bedroom refreshed and ready 
to make another attempt at getting into the library.  But, to her 
surprise, Brock wasn't in the living room.  Or anywhere in the 
apartment, for that matter.  But there was something sitting on the 
dining room table.  It was a note from Brock.  Erika read it aloud.

"Erika... there's some disguises in the coat closet for you and 
Maria to wear.  I'm already taking care of the photographers.  
Love... uh, I mean, Sincerely, Brock!"

Erika smiled, then walked back to the bedroom to wake up Maria.

======

A few hundred feet from the library, Brock was dressed in a 
flamboyant Spanish dancer outfit, shaking Pokéball-shaped maracas 
as a large group of paparazzi gathered around him, taking photos as 
if there was no tomorrow.

"So la la la, this is my paradise to live onnnnnn!" he sang.

As he distracted the photographers, a taxi cab pulled away from the 
library's entranceway, leaving behind two... glasses-and-fuku-wearing 
schoolgirls?

"I wonder how Brock got uniforms that were EXACTLY our size?" Erika 
pondered out loud.

"Just because I'm wearing glasses doesn't mean I know all the 
answers," quipped Maria.

======

The two made their way inside, where they quickly shed their outfits 
for their more traditional wear... Erika in a yukata and Maria in a 
uniform more suited for a Safari Zone worker... and proceeded to get 
to the front desk.  That's where the head librarian was waiting for 
them.

"Ah, you're finally here!" he exclaimed.  "I was beginning to think 
you weren't going to show up at all!"

"I apologize for any trouble our delayed arrival has caused us," 
Erika said.  "Getting in the door was one thing.  But getting past 
those photographers was another..."

"I should be the one apologizing, Miss Erika.  Apparently, our lax 
security wasn't prepared for that.  Anyway, the second floor is all 
set and ready for you."

"The... second floor?"

======

Proceeding past a door locked with a randomly-generated key code, the 
head librarian led Erika and Maria up to the second floor.  Like the 
main floor, it was filled with shelves full of books and documents... 
though these on average were much older and fragile.

"Some of the world's oldest books and documents, many out of print 
and exclusively rare, can only be found here in the Main Branch of 
the Olivine City Library!  I've been informed of your search by Lance 
of the Elite Four.  If there's anything about to this 'legend' of 
yours, you can find it here!"

"Amazing!" exclaimed Maria.

"Please be careful, though!  Some of these books are ancient, and may 
tear or crumble with the slightest pull or push in the wrong 
direction!  If you need any help, feel free to ring the front desk."

He pointed out a phone next to the staircase leading back down.  He 
then directed the ladies' attention to the far side of the floor.

"There's a small little cubby on the other side.  Small kitchen, 
bathroom with a shower, and a bedroom.  Feel free to stay as long as 
you need to... it's stocked enough for two people to live here for a 
month!  Heh heh... though even with all these books here, it won't 
take you that long to get through them all."

"So we can... basically call this our living quarters?"

"Yes, Miss Erika.  As I said, ring the front desk if you need 
anything!"

With that, the head librarian headed back down the stairs, leaving 
Erika and Maria alone in a sea of bookshelves.

"So... I guess we should get started..."

======

Wandering aimlessly somewhere...

Giselle was fiddling with the Poké-Com device on her Pokédex, which 
had apparently stopped working.  Which she was just learning at that 
exact moment, as she walked along a path in the midst of a grassy 
plain.

"For a gadget that's supposedly top dollar, this Pokédex sure breaks 
a lot."

Suddenly, she looked ahead and saw a pay-videophone.  She made her 
way over and started to dial a number.

"Well, at least I can always get my daily advice from Professor 
Oak!  And maybe... maybe HE'LL be there!"

Giselle giggled as she heard a ring tone indicating the phone was 
ringing on the other end.

======

Professor Oak's Laboratory, Pallet Town

RING RING RING!  RING RING RING!  PHONE CALL!  PHONE CALL!

"I'm coming, I'm coming!  Stupid lousy machine... I don't know why 
the Professor likes leaving the volume all the way up."

The grumbling was coming from Professor Oak's assistant, Tracey, who 
ran into the lab to answer the videophone call.

"Uh... hello?" Tracey said as he answered the phone.

"Hello?  Who is this?"

Tracey gasped and smiled goofily as a melting sensation came over him.

"It's you!"

"Wha... what?"

"IT'S REALLY YOU!"

Tracey reached down and pressed the 'Voice Only' feature to turn it 
off so he could see if his hunch was correct.  Seconds later, 
Giselle appeared on the screen in front of Tracey, everything from 
the waist up visible in the camera.

"You're not the Professor..." Giselle said, disgusted.

"You're even more beautiful on-screen!" squealed Tracey.  "It's 
settled... I JUST HAVE TO MEET YOU!"

Surprised by Tracey's declaration, Giselle quickly hung up the 
phone.  But despite the apparent rejection, Tracey ran back to the 
keypad and tried to get the phone to redial the number that she 
had called from.

"Come on... I'm not the Professor, but I'm just as knowledgeable as 
he is!" he said aloud, exaggerating slightly.  "I just wanna talk 
to you..."

======

RING RING RING!  RING RING RING!  PHONE CALL!  PHONE CALL!

The pay-videophone was ringing off the hook, but Giselle was already 
a good distance away, having decided that she could go without any 
advice for one day.

Oh, and that she abhorred incessant fanboys.

"Freak..."

======

Fallarbor Town

Ash was at the town's open-air market, searching for Christmas 
gifts.  Naturally, finding something for Misty wasn't going to be 
easy.

"What do I do?" Ash asked himself out loud.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, pointing out a display case in front of 
them that had Blue Pokéblock (12-pack, costs 300), a jar of Energy 
Powder (costs 500), and a bottle of rare Sea Incense (costs 5,000).

"I don't know..." Ash said as he fumbled through his pockets in 
search of money.

Meanwhile, a few stalls down...

"Hey, kid!  Wanna know a secret?  Chicks DIG Magikarp!"

A spiky orange-haired boy turned his head at attention when he heard 
that, and he stood there and listened to the Magikarp salesman's 
sales pitch...

======

Sunday, December 16th

Two days had passed since Erika and Maria holed up on the library's 
second floor, and in that short time they had managed to take a good 
amount of books off the shelves.  Books were strewn all over the 
place.  Some were in neat, vertical piles, while others were in 
messy heaps.  The more fragile and ancient parchments, naturally, 
were stacked in the neat piles.

But it all looked like a big mess to Brock, who was standing in 
front of the steel gate that blocked off access to the second floor.

"Hello?  Erika?  Are you in there?"

Brock shook the gates, making a lot of noise in hopes of drawing out 
where the Celadon gym leader was.

"I hope you don't mind me bringing you and Maria some dinner.  
Don't worry... I bought chicken salads from the fast food restaurant 
a block away!"

Suddenly, Maria appeared from a far-away aisle, sprinting for the 
keypad that would unlock the gate so Brock would come in.

"Sorry about that!" she apologized.  "We thought you wouldn't be 
here for another half hour."

"Where's Erika?"

"Last time I saw her... buried in 19th-Century non-fiction."

Once the gate was unlocked, Brock stepped in and followed Maria deep 
into the aisles, closing it behind him.  But they were unaware that 
a couple of shadows had followed Brock to the library, and they were 
trying to find their own way past the gate.

======

Brock and Maria found Erika in the process of doing a little clean 
up, as she employed the help of her Pokémon to do so.  Tangela and 
Weepinbell were putting the books back in the shelves as Erika 
brought them over to them on a cart.  Gloom was also out, but she 
was off snoring in the background.

"Done for the day already?" asked Brock.

"Yes," Erika nodded.  "I figure that if Maria and I went to the 
trouble of taking the books out, we should at least put them out."

"Oh!  Let me help!"

Brock placed his backpack on the ground and then started gathering 
books from one of the piles there.  As Brock and Erika worked side 
by side, Maria wandered over to a nearby empty shelf.

Empty save for one hardcover book with a slightly askew cover.

"Hmmm..." Maria uttered curiously as she picked it up and read the 
book's title aloud.  "'The Mystery of Olivine City.'  Sounds 
self-explanatory."

She opened the book and quickly scanned through it.  Leafing through 
page after page, none of it seemed to interest her at all.  That is, 
until she came across a weird passage about two-thirds of the way 
through.

"Uh... Miss Erika?  You might want to take a look at this..."

Erika stopped what she was doing and walked over to where Maria was.  
Once she got over there, Maria handed the book over and pointed out 
the passage in question to her.

"This... this... this is IT!"

Brock looked up from what he was doing to see what the hubbub was 
all about.  Erika ran out of the aisle and plopped the book down on 
a nearby table.  Brock dropped his things ran over to check it out.  
In seconds, both Brock and Maria were standing over Erika as she sat 
down and began to read the passage aloud.

"It was August 21st, 1898, when my friend Kei realized that he had 
developed a condition that had only been documented twice before.  
The first two occurrences, though, were 33 years ago!  The condition 
involved the ability for one to, at random, be able to inhibit the 
body of one of his own Pokémon!  It was a strange phenomenon... one 
with, apparently no cure.  Old medical records showed that the first 
two to exhibit the condition died within minutes after returning to 
their bodies following the third time they pulled off the so-called 
trick."

"So... there's no cure?" Brock said worriedly.  "And one dies after 
doing it for the third time?"

"Thankfully, you've only exhibited the symptoms once," Erika 
stated.  "If it had already been twice, we might actually start to 
worry about you."

"Ooh, ooh, there's more!" Maria pointed out on the next page.

"On January 4th, 1930, 15-year old Saria Sugosa became the ninth 
documented case in the past three months!  She and eight others, 
all ranging from ten to 17 in age, have exhibited the ability to 
take over their favorite Pokémon's body for a few minutes at a 
time.  It was once thought to occur at random, but recent studies 
suggest it may triggered by the subject being caught in a life or 
death situation.  For example, Saria was observed initiating the 
state when she nearly got into a fight with a fellow student and 
fell into the school's pool.  Apparently, she had never learned 
how to swim, and neither had the girl she was fighting with.  But 
somehow, she was able to inhibit her Dewgong long enough to use it 
to get her out of the pool, thus saving her life."

Erika continued through to the next few pages, and spotted 
several more similar entries.  What made it weird, though, was that 
each one was separated by several paragraphs.

"I don't know what to make of this," Erika said to them.  "These 
sound like honest-to-goodness testimonials... but the fact that 
they're scattered in the midst of a story of how Olivine City was 
founded... it... it just doesn't make any sense!"

"Could it be some sort of code?" Brock wondered.  "Or are we 
supposed to ignore everything BUT what we want to see?"

"I don't know," stated an apprehensive Maria.  "Maybe someone knew 
we were coming, and like, planted all of this to throw us off the 
trail."

"But that doesn't make any sense, Maria!  Who would go to those 
lengths?"

"I think we need to give this book a thorough look through," Erika 
suggested.  "Brock, Maria... check the piles and see if there are 
any other copies."

Brock and Maria followed Erika's orders and began to search.  In a 
matter of minutes, each of them discovered their own copy of 
'Mystery.'  They then all sat down at the same table, gathered some 
pen and paper, and started to take notes.

But it didn't take long for Brock to spot something out of the 
ordinary.

"Uh, Erika... what page was that very first passage on?"

"I believe it was... page 142."

"That's what I thought," Brock said, showing that page in his copy 
to Erika.  "I don't see that passage anywhere in here."

"It's not in here, either," stated Maria as she presented her book.

"Now it seems even more that these pages are fake!"

As Erika, Brock, and Maria debated the validity of the passages in 
the book, they were unaware that a group of Team Rocket Grunts had 
made their way in and were preparing to pounce.  The two gym leaders 
and her assistant had no idea the trouble that they were about to 
become enveloped in.

"Why would information on such a volatile topic be sandwiched within 
the pages of one single book?  And only in one copy?"

Erika pondered that thought as Brock and Maria flipped through their 
copies, trying to see if any of the other passages in Erika's copy 
were in theirs.

"Come on, come on..." Brock mumbled.

"No, that's not it..." Maria said as she flipped to a new page.

While they did that, Erika left the table to retrieve something from 
her mounds of research in the floor's makeshift bedroom.  Once she 
disappeared from sight, the Grunts decided to move in.

"Alpha Team, go, go, GO!"

Pokéballs were thrown in the air, and Brock and Maria jumped up in 
surprise as Murkrow, Granbull, Delibird, Porygon2, and Hitmontop all 
appeared before them.

"It's an ambush!" Brock shouted.

"Very observant," noted the Grunt Leader as he jumped down from his 
hiding place.

Maria quickly ran to hide behind Brock as four other Grunts appeared 
on either side of them.  Brock started to reach for a Pokéball on 
his belt, but he lost his concentration when Murkrow cawed loudly at 
him.

"If you value your life... or the life of the girl using you as a 
shield... I wouldn't dare try that again."

Maria frightfully peered around Brock to get a brief look at the 
Grunt Leader before quickly ducking back into 'hiding.'

"Go get the other one," the Leader signaled to one of the Grunts.

A Grunt nodded before he and his Granbull walked towards the bedroom.  
They made their way to the door, and, after a moment of hesitation, 
opened the door and rushed in.  The Rocket Grunts and Brock and Maria 
watched and waited for the inevitable... to see Erika be dragged out.

"So, why are you here?" Brock asked.

"You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!  For that, our 
boss requires an audience of you and that other gym leader.  She's 
been a quite a thorn in our side."

"Just how much does Team Rocket know?"

"Not everything.  To be fair, you all probably know about as much as 
we do."

"Which isn't very much..."

"Which IS more than enough!  Enough that we have to step in and stop 
you."

"Let Erika go!  I know just as much as she does... you only need one 
of us!  And Maria here is just here as a matter of circumstance!  She 
doesn't really understand any of this!"

"How dumb do you think I am?  Even the apprentice knows too much for 
her own good!  And you see... we just can't allow that."

The Grunt Leader then turned his attention towards the bedroom door, 
which hadn't opened since he sent that Grunt in there to get Erika.

"It's taking too long," he said as he motioned to two more of the 
Grunts.  "You two... go see what's up."

The two Grunts and their Pokémon, Delibird and Porygon2, left the 
group and walked carefully over towards the door.  The Grunt Leader 
and the remaining Grunt kept an eye on Brock and Maria, with help 
from Hitmontop and Murkrow.

======

Delibird and Porygon2 stepped into the room after the Grunts opened 
the door.  One Grunt followed them in while the other stood in the 
doorway to observe.  The two Pokémon did a quick search of the room, 
which was completely empty save for one bag full of clean clothing.

"What's going on?" the Grunt who was Delibird's trainer asked.

He then reached for a locker-shaped closet and opened it.  But just 
as he did, the unconscious body of the first Grunt fell out, and he 
was taken down by the KO'ed Grunt.

"Get this lug off me!"

The other Grunt ran into the room to help, but got a shock when he 
became wrapped up in vines that originated from behind the door.  
As he tried to break free, more vines appeared from the other side of 
the room to ensnare Porygon2.  Sensing imminent danger, Delibird went 
to try and free his trainer from under the unconscious Grunt.  But 
then, out of the blue, Vileplume appeared with a smile.

"Vileplume?  Vile vile!  Vile... PLUUUUUUUUUME!"

Vileplume released her defensive maneuver, a horrid stench that had 
the power to overwhelm one's senses and knock them out.  And here she 
was again, going to work to protect her trainer.  It didn't take long 
for the two Grunts and their Pokémon to faint from the smell.

Once they were out, Vileplume stopped emitting her stench.  Erika 
then emerged from the other side of the bed, with a handkerchief held 
over her nose and mouth.  She waited for a few seconds to make sure 
the smell was completely gone, and then she lowered the handkerchief 
from her face.

"Sorry..." she apologized under her breath.

Tangela came out from behind the door and released her grip on 
Porygon2 and his trainer, and the duo dropped to the floor.  Erika 
then recalled Tangela to her Pokéball and pulled another Pokéball 
from her yukata.

"Weepinbell, I need you!"

She threw it up in the air, and Weepinbell emerged from it on the 
way down.  With Weepinbell and Vileplume at her side, she was 
prepared to take on anyone else who might be waiting outside the 
room.

======

The Grunt Leader was keeping one eye on Brock and Maria and the 
other on the door.  Now with three of his lackeys having gone in 
but not come out, he was beginning to realize the obvious.  His 
fear was confirmed when Erika stepped out with her two Pokémon.  
At that same moment, Erika recognized how dire the situation was, 
with Brock and Maria unable to mount an offensive against their 
captors.

"You've surprised me," the Grunt Leader said to Erika.  "Taking out 
three of my best men all by yourself.  Apparently, we underestimated 
you."

"You're outnumbered, three to two!" Erika responded as she glanced 
over at Brock and Maria.  "I suggest you surrender quietly.  Um... 
pretty please?"

He smiled.  "Quaint."

Out of the blue, a Magmar and a Magcargo appeared and used 
Flamethrower to box Erika and her Pokémon in between the doorway 
and a nearby table.  Before she knew it, a new Grunt had gotten 
behind her and tied up her arms with some rope he had on hand.

"Stick to making perfumes and looking like a goddess," the Leader 
said to Erika.  "You're not exactly the type to make intimidating 
demands."

A second agent came up and took Erika's Pokéballs away from her.  He 
then proceeded to call back Vileplume and Weepinbell, who had no 
choice but to obey the order.  Once Erika had been secured, she was 
led over to Brock and Maria, who were being tied up at that moment 
by two other agents that had just appeared.

"Thank you, Bravo Team.  When we get back, I'll put in a good word 
for you to the boss.  Maybe you'll become the new Alpha Team."

"But... what about me?" asked the lone Alpha member still standing.  
"I'm still here."

"And that means diddly squat to me.  Now, go find Charlie Team and 
help them keep an eye on the perimeter.  If you're lucky, maybe 
they'll give you something to do."

The Alpha Team Grunt didn't seem happy about being pulled out of his 
place, but he complied and immediately headed for the stairs.  The 
Grunt Leader then turned his attention back to his captives, who 
now had their arms bound as they stood before him.

"I suppose that since we know too much," suggested Brock, "that 
you're gonna get us out of the way.  Permanently."

Maria gasped at this and began to cry as her life began to flash 
before her eyes.

"No... please..."

"Don't worry, Maria," Erika said calmingly.  "We're going to be just 
fine."

"For the time being, yes," stated the Grunt Leader.  "For how long 
depends on how the boss man feels."

He then looked at Bravo Team and cocked his head towards the stairs.

"Get 'em outta here.  And be quick about it!  With all of those other 
gym leaders in town, there's a swarm of police about!"

The Grunts nodded, then they each grabbed a captive by the arm and 
pulled them towards the exit.  The Leader then turned to the last 
remaining Grunt and his Magmar.

"You know what to do.  Don't leave a trace."

He then followed the others out, leaving the last Grunt and his 
Magmar to start burning all of the books that Erika and the others 
had been looking at.

"What are we gonna do?" Erika whispered to Brock.

"I'll think of something," Brock whispered back.

As they approached the stairs, they noticed a large cloud of smoke 
rising up towards them.  In seconds, the second floor quickly filled 
up with smoke, blinding everyone almost instantly.

"What the..."

"USE SLUDGE, WEEZING!" somebody yelled from the stairwell.

"Weezing weeze!"

Weezing fired Sludge at one of the Grunts, getting him right in the 
eyes.

"Aaahhh!  I can't see!"

"GLIGAR!" shouted a second man.  "SAND ATTACK!"

Shortly thereafter, another Grunt was complaining of losing his sight.

"Yaaah!  It burns!"

"Does somebody have a hold of the hostages?" the Grunt Leader yelled.

Somebody did... but it wasn't one of the Team Rocket operatives.  
Maria felt a hand grab her... a different one than the one that had 
just been holding her, and she was about to let out a scream.  But 
then she felt a second hand cover her mouth... and someone whisper 
into her ear.

"We're here to save you."

Maria was then pulled away from Brock and Erika... or what she 
thought was them, seeing as the smoke made it hard to see anything 
but their figures.

"SOMEBODY ANSWER ME!" yelled the Leader again.

All of a sudden, a strange person appeared out of nowhere, got 
behind the Rocket Grunt Leader, and held up a knife to his throat.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't gut you where you stand," the 
knife handler said.

"Because I know you.  You won't kill someone who does what you want 
them to.  I may be of Team Rocket, and you may be of the Pokémon 
Trainers' Association.  But most importantly..."

"Yes?"

"Brothers may fight... but they never betray each other's trust."

The PTA operative smiled, yet he continued to hold the knife up to 
his brother's neck.

"We could never agree which evil organization to join... could we, 
Jude?"

"I was thinking the same thing... Joel.  What are you doing here, 
bro?"

"We know that you know that they know."

"Ah," Rocket Operative Jude nodded.  "So you guys want them dead 
too."

"The simplest answer doesn't always mean killing those who know 
something they shouldn't," scolded PTA Operative Joel.

"You and the silly ideals of your organization.  So if you're not 
trying to kill them... what are you going to do with them?"

"Nothing... nothing yet, anyway."

"So the old 'I do something for you, like save your life, and now 
I want you to do something for me.'"

"Basically.  Only... not exactly."

"Uh huh... you want her to find the last one, don't you?"

"I've already said so much... I might have no choice but to kill you."

"I know how much I would have to push you to get you to kill me 
without objection.  I'm the older one, after all."

"Like that gives you any moral right..."

"Let's not talk about that!  Besides, what are you gonna do to me and 
my team?  Kill us?  I'm sure those two gym leaders you're rescuing 
will find THAT justifiable."

"I have no intention of killing you or your team.  Why should you 
have the privilege of a quick and powerful death when you could rot 
in jail for the rest of your life?"

The smoke that had come from the stairwell was starting to clear a 
little bit... enough just to be able to tell who was still there.  
Jude saw three other young men and a lone woman, all dressed in 
black.  But there was no 'R' on their shirts, signifying that none 
of them were part of his squad.

"Your men are all tied up, so don't even think about being rescued."

"You've always been one to account for loose ends," Jude said to his 
brother.

"Thanks for the compliment," thanked Joel.

Then, out of the blue, Joel was hit in the back of the head with a 
very thick book, causing the PTA operative to drop the knife and lose 
his concentration.  Jude took the opportunity to knee his brother in 
the chest and then elbow him in the back, dropping Joel to the 
floor.  The other PTA agents quickly moved towards them, but Jude 
glanced at his man, who turned to his Magmar.

"Flamethrower!"

Magmar used Flamethrower to light the carpet in front of them, 
preventing the PTA agents from getting to them from that direction.
TR Operative Jude and his agent then ran the opposite way, in an 
attempt to find another way out of the library.  As they did, the 
fire alarm started to go off, apparently set off by the flames 
leaping up to the smoke detectors on the ceiling.

======

"Koff koff koff!"

Brock, Erika, and Maria, all with their arms now free of their bonds, 
and a few PTA agents accompanied them as they exited the library.  
Once they got a few feet away from the building, Maria wrapped her 
arms around Erika's waist, still shivering in fear over what had just 
happened.

"We're okay now," Erika shushed Maria.  "Everything's going to be 
okay."

Brock, though, was more concerned about the fight inside, and he 
reached for a Pokéball from his belt and started to head for the 
door.  But two of the agents who had come out with them went to stop 
him.

"You're agents of the Pokémon Trainers' Association, aren't you?  
Don't tell me your after Erika's research as well!"

"You should be grateful that we saved your lives!" one of the agents 
said to Brock.  "And you're here asking why?"

"Whatever's going on in there has something to do with what Erika's 
researching.  And something tells me that you know just as much as 
Team Rocket does about it."

"This is no longer her concern!  Or yours!  I suggest you step back 
before we decide to use force!"

Brock growled in anger, but decided it best not to push the agents.  
He walked back to Erika and Maria, who had watched the scene unfold 
from where they had been standing.

"Brock!" Erika shouted.  "Could you kindly please explain what's 
going on between you and them?  They just saved us from Team Rocket!  
They're the good guys!"

Brock took another look back at the PTA agents, with the one whom he 
had just talked with glaring back at him, and then sighed a reply 
to Erika's question.

"Yeah... they're the good guys..."

======

Twenty minutes later, fire squadrons of human and Pokémon alike were 
on the scene putting out the blaze, which had mostly been contained 
on the second floor.  Meanwhile, the local police force was assisting 
the PTA as the rounded up Team Rocket members were whisked into paddy 
wagons to be taken down to the station.  PTA Operative Joel, having 
been safely pulled out after he had been knocked out, was wrapping 
things up with the last of his men as Officer Jenny approached him 
from behind.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone," he complimented his team.  
"Let's pack it up and head on home."

"Not so fast!" interjected Jenny.  "As much as we appreciate help in 
rounding up a notorious organization like Team Rocket, I won't have 
vigilantes trying to burn down city property in the process!"

"I can assure you, Officer, that they initiated the conflict by 
setting the building on fire from the inside.  My men and I were 
trying to put the fire out..."

"How come I don't believe you?" she questioned.  "Don't you think 
it's odd that you and your 'friends' act as if you're professionals?  
Something stinks here, and until I get to the bottom of this, none 
of you are leaving this crime scene without handcuffs!"

"I'm willing to answer any and all questions you may have!  But I 
swear... bring any of my men into this, and I've got an army of 
lawyers ready to come down on this ragtag team of misfits you call a 
police force!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"If the shoe fits, ma'am..."

"Okay, THAT'S IT!  Boys, take him away!"

Two officers walked over, handcuffed Joel, and guided him towards a 
nearby patrol car.  Jenny then cursed under her breath before looking 
at the rest of the PTA operatives.

"And you all better get the heck out of here before I CHANGE MY MIND!"

With that, the rest of them ran to their vehicles and quickly exited 
the scene.  With the riff-raff gone and the vans holding the Team 
Rocket agents preparing to depart as well, Jenny only had one bit of 
business to deal with before calling it a night.

And that was questioning Brock, Erika, and Maria, who were all 
sitting on the back step of an ambulance, with blankets draped over 
them.  Jenny composed herself as she trotted towards them.

"Are you all alright?"

Seeing Jenny coming, Brock jumped up and ran over to her.

"I am now, thanks to you!" he said, grabbing her hand and going down 
on one knee in front of her.

"Uh..." Jenny stammered, stunned for a second before regaining her 
composure and having an anger relapse.  "I'M NOT IN THE MOOD!"

She pulled Brock's hand off of hers and then threw him to the side.  
Brock fell to the ground, twitching as he looked up to the sky.

"Could you please explain what you were doing in the library after 
closing time?" she asked Erika.

"The head librarian, Mr. Washington, let me and my assistant take 
residence on the second floor for a few days.  I'm here on official 
Pokémon League business."

Erika reached into her yukata and pulled out her certified research 
grants as proof.  She handed them to Jenny, who quickly looked them 
over and then gave them back, satisfied with what she saw.

"What about him?" Jenny asked, pointing at the still-twitching Brock.

"Oh, Brock?  We ran into him yesterday, and he offered to help me.  
He's a gym leader, just like me... I'm pretty sure verifying it won't 
be too much trouble."

"I know who he is.  I'm just verifying that he was working under 
your direction."

Erika nodded.  "Brock is very trustworthy, Officer Jenny.  I assure, 
despite his... his..."

"Horrible flirtation techniques?"

"Yeah... those... I assure you, without him, who knows what might've 
happened to Maria and myself in there.  We owe him our lives."

"What about those vigilantes that saved you from Team Rocket?"

"Not sure if I'd call them vigilantes... but they did save us."

"Uh huh," added Maria.  "Team Rocket probably would've gotten away 
with kidnapping us if it weren't for those rescuers."

"So... you can confirm it was Team Rocket that started all this?"

"Without a doubt.  They're horrible people."

Jenny smiled.  "Thank you, Miss Erika.  This'll help us close this 
case."

"Um, excuse me?" Erika wondered out loud as Jenny was about to walk 
away.  "What's going to happen to him?"

She pointed to Joel, who was sitting in the back of a nearby squad 
car, waiting to be taken downtown.

"It's kind of suspicious that he and his 'team' happened to come 
across the library and know you were in trouble.  He's got a lot 
of explaining to do."

"Could you please let him go?  Like Maria said, if it wasn't for him 
and his team, we'd be in Team Rocket's clutches, and who knows what 
they would've done to us.  So please?"

Jenny looked over at the car, and then began to think about it...

======

With the fire put out and a few other police officers checking the 
scene for any more evidence, the rest of the squadron, including 
Officer Jenny, left the library's parking lot.  Brock, who had since 
gotten back up, Erika, Maria, and Joel watched them leave.

"Thank you," Erika said, bowing before Joel.

"No, I should be thanking you!" Joel said in return.  "That Officer 
was determined to give me the 5th Degree!"

As Erika and Maria gushed over their savior, Brock, on the other 
hand, didn't seem all that happy.

"I'm curious..." Brock said to Joel.  "How DID you know we were in 
there?"

"Brock," Erika cut in, putting a hand on Brock's arm.  "Why are you 
questioning him?  He helped saved our lives?  I'd appreciate it if 
you stopped being so apprehensive towards him!"

Brock sighed.  He just couldn't ignore a request from a beautiful 
woman.

"Sorry," he apologized to Joel.  "I'm just..."

"Curious," finished Joel.  "And I'm just doing my job."

Suddenly, one of the cars that had left earlier pulled into the 
parking lot.  The driver beeped the horn, signifying that it was 
time to go.

"Maybe I'll see you all again someday..."

"Yes," Erika nodded.  "Thank you, once again."

Joel then ran towards the car and got in.  It then sped off back 
towards the highway, leaving Brock, Erika, and Maria to walk back 
to the nearby Grand Olivine Apartment Complex.

======

The next morning, Olivine City International Airport

Erika and Maria were waiting for boarding to begin for the flight 
back home to Celadon City.  They were standing behind Brock, who was 
talking to Misty via videophone from Cerulean City.

"I'm really sorry about not telling you about Ash and Brock," Misty 
apologized.

"I understand," Erika pardoned her.  "Running a Pokémon gym by 
yourself is not an easy task."

"It wouldn't be so hard if DAISY WOULD ACTUALLY DO SOME WORK!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Daisy yelled off-screen.

Misty shifted the phone's camera to her left, where Daisy was sitting 
at the receptionist desk filing her nails while phones rang off the 
hook.

"AND VIOLET AND LILY WOULD STOP TAKING FOUR-HOUR LUNCH BREAKS!"

Misty turned the camera to her other side, where her other two 
sisters were about to step out, each armed with five credit cards 
apiece.

"We're headin' to lunch!" Violet and Lily exclaimed.

"IT'S ONLY NINE THIRTY!" Misty yelled at them.

Before they had a chance to explain themselves, Violet and Lily 
bolted out the door.  Misty sighed as she turned the camera back on 
her.  On the other end, Brock, Erika, and Maria sweatdropped in 
disbelief.

"And I thought running the Pewter Gym was bad... sigh... but at 
least your sisters still look HOT!"

"Please, Brock," pleaded Erika.  "Mind your manners."

"Oh... sorry."

"Say, while I have you..." Misty resumed, in a happier tone.  "Would 
you like to come to our New Year's Party, Erika?  We'd love to have 
you and the rest of the Celadon Gym crew down here!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to 
decline.  I'm the official ball dropper for Celadon's New Year's 
bash the year."

"Congratulations!  That's being televised, right?  I'll make sure 
we have it on during the party."

Suddenly, a voice came on over the PA system in the airport.

"Attention!  Indigo Airlines Flight 104, non-stop to Celadon City, 
is now boarding at Gate Three.  All passengers, please..."

"We'd better go," Erika said.  "Please promise to keep me informed 
if you find out anything else!"

"I will," Misty reassured her, with phones still ringing in the 
background.  "Even if it kills... DAISY, WILL YOU ANSWER THE DAMN 
PHONES!"

"Okay, okay!" she was heard saying in the background.  "Good morning, 
like, thanks for holding..."

"Man... it's going to be one of those days..."

As Erika and Maria left, Misty was about to hang up when...

"Hold on, Misty!"

"Hold on?" Misty wondered.  "Don't you want to see Erika and Maria 
off at that gate?  I know you want to..."

"Forget about Erika for a second!"

"Wow... forgetting about a pretty girl?  This MUST be important!"

"Of course it is!" Brock exclaimed.  "Listen, Erika told you that it 
was Team Rocket that attacked us.  What she didn't tell you is whom 
exactly we were saved by."

"Who?"

"The Pokémon Trainers' Association."

Misty gasped.  "WHAT?"

Brock nodded.  "Yep.  They said they saved us because they wanted to 
stop Team Rocket.  But I believe they're up to something else."

"You mean... Erika's research on our powers?"

"Precisely!  Even though they showed no signs of wanting to take us 
in for themselves, I have this suspicion that they've been watching 
us."

"Hmmm... I don't like this.  Not one bit.  Maybe we should try and 
get in contact with Cassie on this."

======

Arius and Cassie were trotting along a path as they passed a sign 
that said... Lavaridge Town, 3 miles.  A feeling of relief swept 
over Cassie as she looked up at her boyfriend, who was just happy 
that she was happy.

======

"But how?  We have no way to reach them!  Besides, Cassie swore she 
wanted nothing to do with the PTA."

"I know.  But I just wanted to know if she knows anything about 
this.  I mean, what if this would be their assignment if they hadn't 
quit?"

"I'm sure if she knew anything about it, she would've told us.  So 
relax!"

"I just hope you're right..."

"Look... the Gym Leader Retreat ends on Thursday.  Once that's done, 
I'll be going home for Christmas.  Then I'm coming over to your place 
for New Year's.  I assume Ash is going to be there too?"

"Well, yeah!  I just got off the phone with him, and he assured me 
he'll be here!"

"Good.  We'll talk about it then.  Right now, we just have to hope 
that neither Team Rocket or the PTA have another move left this year."

"Okay.  Be careful 'til then."

"You too."

With that, Brock hung up the phone.

"Don't worry, Erika," he said under his breath.  "I'll make sure you 
don't get involved any further in this."

He then got up and ran to see if he could catch Erika at the gate to 
wish her off.

======

Monday, December 31st, Cerulean City Gym

Night had already fallen in Cerulean City, as the hours ticked down 
to the start of a brand new year.  There were many parties going on 
throughout the city, but none was more exclusive than the one being 
held at the Cerulean Gym, home to the fabulous Sensational Sisters.  
In fact, the invitee list was limited to just family, friends, and a 
few special guests.  But the small, intimate setting didn't mean 
that the party was a drag.  In fact, it was far from it, given the 
loud dance music that could be heard from what seemed like miles 
away.

At the gym entrance, someone was waiting to be let in.  That person 
was greeted by two burly men, who were acting as security for the 
night.

"Uh..." that someone, who turned out to be Brock, hesitated, "I have 
an invitation..."

Brock searched the pockets of his pewter brown tuxedo, trying to 
remember where he had placed it.  Suddenly, the door opened, and 
Daisy, the eldest of the Sensational Sisters, popped her head out to 
see what was going on.  She giggled as she saw Brock reach down, turn 
around, and do all sorts of other weird motions as he tried to find 
his invitation.

"Like, stop foolin' around, Brock!  We've been waiting for you, like, 
forever!  Mist was about to call the police to organize a search 
party."

"I'll be right in... as soon... as I find... that invitation."

Daisy giggled again, walked out past the guards, and reached behind 
Brock.  It turned out that his invitation was, oddly, taped to the 
back of his tuxedo.  She grabbed it and showed it to the two guards.  
They nodded, then opened the doors for them.

She stepped towards them, but then stopped in the doorway, noticing 
she didn't hear Brock following her.  She looked back and saw him 
gawking at her outfit.  Daisy was dressed in a flashy sequin red 
dress that extended all the way down to her ankles, where it matched 
up with her ruby red high heels.  Brock was blinded in awe over 
Daisy's stunning dress... maybe even literally, given how much it 
sparkled just from the light coming from inside the gym.

"I know, I know," Daisy blushed, trying to blow off the dress as 
nothing special.  "The invitation said semi-formal, but... I just 
couldn't resist a challenge!"

"Anything on you is a-ok with me!" Brock raised his thumbs up in 
approval.

"Thanks, Brock... but, really... I'm not THAT desperate."

Brock cried a little on the inside, as he wondered what it would take 
for Daisy to actually accept his love for her.  Or any other girl, 
for that matter.  But as he gathered himself, he saw Daisy had 
already walked in.  He quickly followed.

======

Celadon City Business District

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, crowds were already gathering 
for Celadon's annual First Night celebration.  Many were already 
adorned with party hats, noisemakers, and homemade signs, ready to 
celebrate the arrival of yet another new year.  There was even more 
excitement than usual, given that this would be the first year that 
the event was going to be televised nationally.

And no one could feel the building excitement more than Erika, who 
was overlooking the area where the festivities were being held from 
her penthouse suite on the 20th Floor of the Zisty Hotel.

"Look at all of them down there," Erika said aloud.  "There's 
probably thousands of them here to celebrate the New Year!  And to 
think... there's still five hours until the ball drops!"

"Miss Erika?" Zuniga, one of her assistants, tapped her on the 
shoulder.

Erika drew her attention away from the window and to Zuniga, who 
sighed with worry as Maria and Lisa appeared behind her, holding up 
a brand new kimono, decorated with a firework-style print.

"We have to start getting you ready.  Remember, you're supposed to 
be down there when the TV network goes live at ten o'clock!"

"Of course," Erika smiled as she got up from her seat.  "Let's go."

======

Cerulean City Gym

Daisy led Brock to the main battle arena, where the party was being 
held.  The pool was covered over by a retractable metal gate, which 
enabled the space to be used partially as a dance floor and as a 
place to have extra dining tables for all the guests.  Speaking of 
guests, many of them were already present, from Professor Oak to 
Nurse Joy, and everyone in between.  Daisy, in particular, glanced 
over to Lily, who was dressed in a tie dye short sleeve blouse, a 
floral print skirt, and leather knee-high boots.

"What are you wearing?" Daisy asked, trying to contain her laughter.  
"It looks like you just walked out of a time machine!"

"Wowwwwwww!" Brock said in amazement, grabbing Lily by the hand and 
kneeling before her.  "Anything on you is a-ok with me!"

"You just told ME that two minutes ago!" Daisy shouted, getting a 
hold of Brock by the neck and tossing him aside.

"My new boyfriend's a '70s freak!" Lily exclaimed.  "It turns him on 
to be with someone that dresses like someone from that era!"

"You mean... that boyfriend?"

Daisy pointed to a brown-haired guy who was walking in the door with 
a girl wrapped around his arm.  A girl that was wearing a petticoat 
dress with a pink halter top and a neon fishnet belt around her waist.

"Sure looks like an '80s lover to me," smirked Daisy.

"That two-timing... oohhhhh!" Lily growled as she picked up her 
leather jacket from a nearby chair and stomped towards her about-to-be 
ex-boyfriend.

As Lily left Daisy and Brock, they were joined by Ash and Pikachu, 
the latter of which had a bow tie on.

"Hey Brock!" greeted Ash, who was holding a cup with soda in it.  
"Glad to see you made it!"

"You too!" returned Brock.  "So, is the story Misty told me about 
your harrowing time trapped at an airport because of a blizzard 
true?"

"Yep," Ash nodded.

"And that's my cue to leave," cut in Daisy, who excused herself from 
the conversation.

"Well, Brock, it all started the day before the day before 
Christmas..."

======

Sunday, December 23rd, Mitchell Manson Airport, Petalburg City

Ash and Pikachu stepped out into the terminal, heading to the 
luggage pick-up area where they would get their things and then 
proceed to the waiting area.

"In order to save money, I set my tickets up so that, from 
Fallarbor Town, I'd have to stop in both Petalburg City and 
Vermillion City before arriving in Cerulean City on Christmas Eve 
morning."

As they emerged into the general waiting area, Pikachu pointed out 
a nearby window overlooking the west-end runway.

"Pika pi, pika!"

Ash followed Pikachu's gaze and cheered in excitement when he saw 
snow flurries falling.  They ran over to the window and stared out 
it for what seemed like hours as the snow started to cover the 
ground.

"Isn't it amazing, Pikachu?"

"Pika... CHA!"

Then, all of a sudden, the snow began to pick up, as well as the 
wind.  Ash and Pikachu watched as the runways became covered with 
snow, and planes stopped coming in and out of the airport.

"Attention!  Attention!" a female voice rang out over the PA system.  
"Due to current weather conditions, all outgoing flights are being 
delayed until further notice.  We are doing our best to keep at 
least one runway open to allow flights to leave.  We ask that you 
please be patient as we work to rectify the situation."

Ash pulled his plane ticket for the portion of his trip from here 
to Vermillion City.  He read that the departure time was scheduled 
for 5:13 and that a nearby clock read 4:35.

"Pikachu, I think it's time to check-in," Ash said to his friend.

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered, as he saw a lot of people in the airport 
sitting on chairs and the heavy winds outside blowing snow all over 
the place.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!  Pi pika, pi pikachu pika!"

"Nonsense!" Ash reassured him.  "We'll get out of here on time."

======

"Wha?  What do you mean we can't board?"

"Can't you read the sign, young man?" the young girl at the ticket 
counter yelled at Ash.  "Flight 409 has been delayed!"

"That just means we can't get on yet, right?  So... when can we?"

"Don't you have eyes?  The weatherman's predicting the worst 
snowstorm to hit Petalburg City in 43 years, and you're asking me 
when you can get on?"

"Attention!  Attention!" the voice of Officer Jenny boomed over the 
PA system.  "Because of current weather conditions, it has been 
determined that this airport is now closed!"

"CLOSED?" Ash freaked out.

"Until further notice, all incoming and outgoing flights are being 
cancelled.  We apologize for the inconvenience, and in the meantime, 
the airport staff will do their best to assist you."

"But... but... I have to get out of here!  I'm staying with my 
girlfriend's family for Christmas.  SHE EXPECTS ME TO BE THERE!"

"You're not the only one with needs!" scolded the counter girl.  
"There's hundreds, if not thousands, of others here in the same 
boat as you!  So why don't you take a seat and wait it out like 
the rest of us?"

"Awwww..." Ash stepped back in disappointment.

======

"We waited for what seemed like days and days, as the snow kept 
falling, and it didn't look like I was ever going to get out of 
there."

Ash and Pikachu were snuggled up under one blanket, lying over a 
couple of chairs, as many others had done all around them.  A lot 
of people were getting tired of the routine, and just wanted to 
get out of there.

"Naturally, I kept in touch with Misty, who was sad that Pikachu 
and I couldn't be there with her."

Ash was seen chatting on the videophone with Misty, while her 
sisters were throwing a Christmas party with a few friends in the 
background.

======

"Pika!  Pika pi!"

"Attention!  Attention!" Officer Jenny announced.  "Willington 
Airlines has just put up the availability of a new flight.  The 
flight, Willington Airlines Flight 2, will be departing at 11:43 
this morning, on a non-stop trip to Cerulean City."

Ash, stirred awake by Pikachu, rubbed his eyes as the announcement 
ran through his ears.

"Only those with tickets from previous cancelled flights bound for 
Cerulean may purchase these tickets.  They are first come, first 
serve, with limited standby availability.  Remember, most airlines 
are accepting tickets from other carriers.  Some exceptions may 
apply.  Check at the ticket counter for details!"

"We've gotta get on the flight!" shouted Ash.

Ash and Pikachu bolted for the line for Willington Airlines, but 
was shocked when he saw several hundred people already in a very 
long line that snaked back and forth throughout the terminal.

"Aww, man!  At this rate, we're NEVER gonna get on!"

And sure enough, the flight sold out in less than half an hour.  And 
Ash and Pikachu weren't anywhere close to the front of the line.

"That sort of thing went on for hours," Ash recalled.

Ash and Pikachu, amongst many others, scrambled to and from different 
ticket counters, trying to book any available flight out.  But they 
weren't having any luck at all.

======

"Face it, Pikachu," Ash sighed in defeat as he sat just outside Gate 
Five with his head buried his knees.  "We're spending another night 
here."

Pikachu glanced out the window, where he couldn't see anything but 
the lights off the mostly clear runways and about a foot of snow 
elsewhere in the surrounding area, all because of the darkness.  
Pikachu then looked up at a nearby clock and saw that it read 11:59 
pm.  Pikachu reached for Ash's backpack and unzipped, getting Ash's 
attention as he searched for something.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?  Are you hungry?  It's midnight!"

After a few seconds of rummaging, Pikachu emerged from the bag 
wearing a red Santa's hat.

"Pi pikachu, Pikachu!"

Ash smiled and said in response.  "Merry Christmas to you too, 
Pikachu."

"Ash?" a man yelled from a nearby gate entrance.  "Is there someone 
named Ash here?"

"Huh?" Ash said, getting up and raising his hand.  "I'm Ash!"

Ash walked over to the counter to see what was up.  The man responded 
by producing a plane ticket for him.

"Wha?"

"You asked to be put on standby for the 12:20 to Cerulean via Indigo 
Airlines Flight 33, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So... here you go.  A seat opened up."

Ash took the ticket.  It read 'Indigo 33 to Cerulean City.  Departs 
12:20 am on December 25th.  Arrives 8:47 am on December 25th.'"

"If you don't want, there's plenty of people who do..."

"Oh, right, let me get my stuff!  Pikachu, we're going to see Misty 
in time for Christmas after all!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded with glee.

======

"So you were only stuck there for 30 hours?" Brock asked.  "Wow... 
Misty made it sound as if it were a whole lot more."

"Oh..." Ash scratched the back of his head, chuckling.  "Because 
that's what it felt like to her."

======

Tuesday, December 25th, Cerulean City Gym, approximately 10 am

Ash knocked at the front door, with Pikachu on his back, as well as 
his backpack.  Violet answered the door and, smiling nicely, she 
whispered something to him.

"If I were you, I'd start running."

"Huh?  Why?"

"HOW DARE YOU ALMOST MISS CHRISTMAS, ASH KETCHUM!"

Misty shoved Violet aside, angrily brandishing a metal mallet that 
apparently one of her sisters had gotten her for Christmas.  Sensing 
what was about to happen, Ash and Pikachu started bolting for the 
side of the gym, with Misty giving chase.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me!" Ash shouted as he ran for his 
life.

"Stand still and I'll show you how happy I am!  How dare you keep me 
up all night waiting for you!"

"I'll never understand girls, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Violet got to her feet as Daisy and Lily joined her at the door, 
watching as Misty chased Ash and Pikachu around and around the gym's 
exterior.

"I told ya that you shouldn't have bought her that mallet," chided 
Lily.

"Well," Daisy responded, with a big sweatdrop on her face, "I was 
expecting her to use it on boys OTHER than Ash."

======

"Misty chased me for about an hour before we both got tired," Ash 
remembered.  "We then kinda made up and spent the rest of the day 
together catching up."

"So you spent time together, huh," Brock smirked.

"Yeah.  Us and Pikachu."

Brock facefaulted.  "You just ruined the dream there..."

"The princess is coming!" Tracey yelled as he ran into the room.  
"The princess is coming!"

"Princess?" Brock asked out loud.  "We've got royalty here?"

Everyone turned their eyes towards the 'ballroom' entrance, where 
Violet and Duplica, both in twin strapless dresses... matching their 
respective hair colors, of course... introduced the princess.

"She's the runt turned crown jewel," Violet grinned.

"The pauperess turned princess... that's right!" winked Duplica.

"Ladies and gentleman," they said together, "put your hands together 
for our princess and yours... the gym leader of Cerulean City, 
Misty Waterflower!"

Misty walked into the room wearing a light blue shoulder-strap gown, 
complete with a poofy bottom portion that, at its lowest point just 
above her ankles, extended about six inches out all around.  She also 
had her hair all the way down, something she did only for occasions 
such as this.  The partygoers all applauded her entrance as family 
and friends started to gather around her and check her out.

"You look beautiful!" Daisy complimented, letting a tear flow from 
her eye.  "Our youngest sister has finally become a woman!"

"Like it?" Violet asked the crowd.  "Misty here's wearing what I hope 
to be the first release in the brand spanking new Sensational Sisters 
Evening Gown collection!  I hope to start taking pre-orders by the 
end of next month..."

As Misty talked to some of the guests while simultaneously modeling 
off her dress, she caught out of the corner of her eye Ash, Brock, 
Tracey, and Duplica watching the scene from afar.

"You approve, Ashy-boy?" Duplica asked, coyly sliding up next to Ash.

"Wow..." Ash remarked, stunned.  "She's never looked that good 
before!"

"I helped pick out the fabric for her dress as well as mine!  After 
all, being a costume designer... well, I know what brings out the 
best in a girl's features!"

"I'll say," Tracey yammered, also admiring Misty.

"It's a good thing you've already got her," Brock said to Ash.  
"Otherwise, she'd probably have boys climbing all over her by now."

"Yeah..." nodded Ash, still focusing on his girl.

Eventually, Misty made her way over to Ash and the others.  Professor 
Oak and Delia were accompanying her.

"From the look on your face," Misty deduced as he saw Ash still hadn't 
moved from where he was when she had entered, "you must be loving 
this dress as much as me!"

"You... look... incredible!"

"Thanks," Misty blushed.

"Isn't that sweet," Delia cooed.

"The princess has met her prince indeed," added Professor Oak.

"C'mon, Ash," Misty said as she grabbed Ash and finally knocked him 
out of his stupor.  "We're sitting at the head table with my sisters!  
You too, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

Misty pulled Ash there, as Brock and the others headed towards one 
of the tables near the front.

"So... how does it feel to be the new Pokémon Junior Master?" Misty 
asked as they got to the table.

"I don't know..." Ash responded.  "I don't officially get the title 
until President Goodshow gets here on Thursday."

"Still..." Misty wondered as she motioned for Ash to pull out her 
chair for her.  "I can't believe Marco's with Team Rocket now."

Once Misty was seated, Ash pushed her in under the table.

"I mean, sure, he didn't have that great of an attitude, but... I 
don't think even I expected he would become part of Team Rocket."

"Uh huh..." nodded Ash, taking his seat to Misty's right.

"If the League could've seen that coming, they would've disqualified 
him and awarded you the title up front," Misty said with a sigh.

"Uh huh..."

"All this mess with Team Rocket lately... it's like they're really 
up to something big.  But no one can figure out what."

"Uh huh..."

Misty realized that Ash wasn't paying attention to what she was 
saying.  Instead, he seemed to still be gazing dumbfounded at 
Misty's beautiful gown.

"Ash?"

"I just can't stop looking at you.  Misty, you're just so... so... 
what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Gorgeous?"

"Yeah... that's it!  Gor... whatever you said!"

Misty laughed.  "Ash Ketchum... you've never been one for romantic 
words.  I guess we'll have to work on that, won't we?"

"Look at them!" Tracey pointed out from the others' table.  "They're 
so in love up there!  But... argh... why is it Ash up there and not 
me?  I'm around more than he is!"

"They've known each other longer," Brock told him.  "They were 
together before you came along.  It'll take a miracle for them to 
break up."

"But come on!  Don't you think I look better with Misty than Ash?"

"I didn't know you were into her like that."

"Oh, just because you people ignore me all the time doesn't mean I 
don't have feelings too!"

As Tracey and Brock continued to argue, Duplica was also gazing upon 
Ash and Misty, sighing sadly.  Especially as she watched Ash stare 
longingly at Misty and her dress.

"Ashy-boy... no..."

======

Celadon City Business District

Party revelers were at a fever pitch as a digital countdown clock 
above the district's center square was at five minutes and counting.  
Erika was standing by at the switch to starting bringing down the 
crystal ball from above, dressed in her festive New Year's kimono.

"Time grows short on 2001," stated DJ Mary, on loan from Goldenrod 
City, "as we are just five minutes away from beginning a brand new 
year of beginnings, beginning in just five minutes, it begin... who 
wrote this?  Did you even consider using a thesaurus?"

======

Cerulean City Gym

"Sigh..." DJ Mary sighed live on the air, as the partygoers at the 
Cerulean gym watched with wine and soda glasses ready to toast.  
"Well, anyway, let me just say that other than that, I'm happy to be 
a part of this country's first-ever nationwide television broadcast 
of a New Year's Eve party!"

"Is everyone here?" Daisy yelled out over the enthusiastic crowd.

Daisy walked up a few rungs of the westside bleachers and scanned 
the room.  As she did, she spotted Misty walk out the door, lifting 
her gown slightly so she didn't trip over it as she moved.

"Misty?" Daisy asked herself.  "Where are you going?"

Having a theory, Daisy did a once over of the room and quickly 
realized at least one other person was missing.

"Ah... I see..." she smirked.

======

Ash walked up a set of stairs and found himself on a recently built 
balcony located on the northern end of the gym.  He saw Duplica 
standing at the other end, sobbing as she peered over the edge.

"Duplica?  What are you doing out here?  Aren't you gonna come down 
with the rest of us and celebrate the new year?"

"Why?" Duplica sniffled.  "Why should I?"

"What do you mean 'why should I?'  Because we want you!"

"You don't want me.  You already have Misty!"

"Misty?  What does she have to do with this?"

"Like you don't know!"

Confused, as Ash always tended to be with girl issues, the young man 
walked over to talk to Duplica.

"I know I should be supportive of you and Misty, but... but..."

"But?"

"I can't help myself!" Duplica said as she turned to look at him.  
"I still love you.  I want to be with you, Ash."

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"I've always loved you, Ash!  You just haven't seen me showing an 
interest in you all that much.  Well, okay, you have... but Misty 
kept cutting me off.  It's like she had already claimed you when you 
still hadn't been spoken for!"

"I... I don't know what to say.  This kind of stuff... is usually 
Brock's thing.  What do you want me to do?"

Duplica looked up at Ash, trying to coax the answer out of him 
without saying a word, hoping he would catch on.

======

"Erika presses the button... and were now less than a minute away, 
folks!" DJ Mary said, to the joy of everyone downstairs watching on 
TV.

======

"Misty and I... there's always been something between us.  Sure, it 
didn't seem that way at first, but... I think I love her."

"You think?  Or you do?"

"Do.  I... guess..."

"You shouldn't lead Misty along, Ashy-boy.  Us girls don't like 
things done halfway.  If you don't love Misty one hundred percent, 
maybe it's time to take a step back and think things over.  After 
all, you two really haven't been spending that much time together 
lately."

"I'd bring her on my journeys, but she seems to insist that she has 
to stay here at the gym."

"That's all well and good, but... if you're truly in love, wouldn't 
she pick you over the gym?"

"Well..."

======

"Down to thirty..." continued DJ Mary.

======

"I had pretty much given up on you months ago," Duplica told Ash.  
"Out of respect for Misty.  But then I noticed... she didn't think 
about you as much.  She got too wrapped up in her work.  She even 
saw another boy."

"She did what?"

"I know," Duplica sighed.  "Without you around, she had no one 
wrapped around her, supporting her every day.  Without you, she 
needed to find someone to take your place."

"But Misty... Misty wouldn't."

"I thought she wouldn't either.  But obviously her love for you is 
wavering.  Maybe you two weren't made to be together after all."

"Then what do I do?  Tell me, Duplica!"

Duplica smiled.  "I'll show you a technique that'll REALLY wow her!"

======

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three..."

======

Duplica rose up on her toes, wrapped her arms around the back of 
Ash's neck, leaned in, and gave him an open-mouthed kiss.  Ash 
willingly played along, letting Duplica do all the work as she let 
her tongue dance all inside his mouth.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" came the loud cries from downstairs, as fireworks 
could be heard being shot in the air from the city limits nearby.

Unknown to either of them, though, Misty was standing in the balcony 
doorway.  It was her turn to look on with stunned silence, as she 
stood there watching Ash and Duplica kiss under the moonlight.

======

Celadon City Business District

Meanwhile, the ball had just completed its drop, signifying the start 
of the new year, as confetti was released from above down into the 
square and thousands of noisemakers and hollers of 'Happy New Year' 
rang throughout the block.  Erika had just been joined on stage by 
her assistants Maria, Lisa, and Zuniga.

"This is the best New Year's..."

Maria never got to finish her statement, as a series of explosions 
rocked the square, including several around the stage.  Cheers of 
joy turned to screams of fear as stage debris and bodies were blown 
every which way, some not even completely intact.  As the revelers ran 
for cover, large fires quickly sprung up around where the stage had 
been, and panic and chaos spread amongst those still able to move.

All the while, there was somebody smiling from atop one of the 
nearby skyscrapers as he watched the madness unfold below.  It was a 
blue-haired young man sporting a black Team Rocket uniform.  But more 
surprising was the Pokémon standing next to him.  Unlike any Pokémon 
in existence, it was hard to tell what it looked like with the limited 
amount of light up there.  From what could be seen, though, it seemed 
to have two sets of wings... one from a Charizard and the other from 
a Skarmory.

Suddenly, a police helicopter, which had been hovering over the 
square, aimed its search beacon towards that spot.  But when it lit 
up the building's roof, there was nothing there at all.  The 
helicopter moved on, continuing its search for suspicious characters.  
Those inside were unaware, though, that they had just missed the 
perpetrators, as police officers and fire and rescue crew down on 
the ground moved towards Ground Zero...


******


End Session: December
Storyline to be continued in Session: January!


******


Author's Notes for 'Session: December':
We're starting off this month's session by welcoming back two anime 
characters who had some pretty big roles in the "Adventures Series."  
So now I've gotta catch all of you guys who didn't read that fanfic 
up so you're prepared for what's happened to them so far.

AJ and Giselle served as fellow competitors in the Novice Tournaments 
of Ash and Misty, respectively.  Strangely enough, they were also 
roommates in the dormitories during those tournaments.  And both AJ 
and Giselle had their 'feature' Pokémon evolve there as well!  Dang... 
I never realized how similar I wrote their stores were until now.  
Thankfully, one thing they don't have in common is how far they got 
in said tournament.  Giselle got edged out by Misty herself in the 
quarter-finals, while AJ beat Cassie (as mentioned in the flashback 
shown above) on his way to the semi-finals.

AJ does know a little about the Pokémon Trainers' Association and 
what they are because of the fall-out there between Cassie and 
Duplica.  Though he doesn't know the whole deal like Ash and the 
others do.  Which is why you now see him working for the PTA as a 
freelance agent... just like Arius.  But when did they sign up for 
it all?  Who knows... I might cover that in a future session.

In Brock's distraction scene, he's dancing to "Takeshi's Paradise," 
the 10th ending theme to the anime series in Japan.  Granted, we 
don't get the EDs in the American version, but Brock has used it on 
numerous occasions in the actual show for time-wasting/entertainment 
purposes.  This is the first, and probably only, time I'll ever use 
it.

Obviously, Lily is basing her party outfit off of '70s American 
fashion, while the girl she sees around her 'boyfriend' is '80s 
American, naturally.

Also, Ash's adventures at the airport in Petalburg City were supposed 
to take up a lot more real estate in this session.  Unfortunately, it 
had to be relegated to an extended flashback after the events at the 
Olivine City Library took a lot longer to unfold than I thought they 
would.

Halfway home!  Stay tuned for the preview of 'Session: January.'

******

'Session: January' Trailer:
A new year begins, and the world has undergone drastic changes.  In 
Ash's role as the new Pokémon Junior Master, he is called upon to 
stop what amounts to be a gang war between Team Rocket and the Pokémon 
Trainers' Association.  In the process, will the Kanto region be 
quickly mourning the loss of a second gym leader in as many months?  
Plus, one character makes a shocking discovery about another.

The adventure will begin anew as 'Session: January' arrives.