Jason Creight awoke on the back of his Charizard.

And his first thought was, *I really hate this.*

Nor was it hard to see why. Although riding on a Charizard's back could be a rather comfortable experience, trying to sleep on it was an entirely different matter. Charizards were perpetually warm, cold-blooded lizards though they were, by the power of fire granted to them. However, as lizards, their bones had a tendency to jut out. Fearows, with their furry backs, were much better suited to the task, as they were masters of flight with heavy loads, cooler, and much less bony. Or, that was how it was in the case of Jason's Fearow.

Such were the thoughts that swam through his clouded mind as they approached Trovita Island. He could see it in the distance, and it looked almost paradisical from this angle. The waves splashing against its shores were crystal blue, and the lush greenery covering the island shone emerald. Even the rock formations had their own mesmerizing appearance, and Jason was mystified by the sight.

*The island's a paradise... and, as reported by many females, so is the gym leader. Charismatic type. Probably rude to guys. Slowly convinces them that they can't win, because he's got a personality that makes you believe it...*

Jason shook his head. *That won't happen here. I know I can do it, it's just a matter of how fast.*

"You doing all right, Charizard?" he asked.

Charizard grunted. It had taken full advantage of the rest Jason had provided it with during their short time on Navel Island, but as that had not nearly been enough, it was still very tired and worn out.

Jason rubbed its back sympathetically. "Just a little further. You're doing a great job. Just get us to that island and you can have a good long sleep back at Professor Oak's lab. Faster we get there, the faster you can start sleeping."

It bobbed its head and flapped its tired wings harder. It flattened itself out, making less wind resistance to fight, and pushed as hard as it could.

*Just a little further, and we'll have one less obstacle to worry about.*

That's all that Rudy was to Jason. An obstacle, and one to be taken care of posthaste.

Kelly's life counted on how quickly Jason could move through the islands.

He didn't care about seeing his old home, or finding old acquaintances... in fact, those had been the last things he'd wanted to do from the very beginning of all this trouble nine years ago.

He scratched his cheek absently. His fingers passed across itchy stubble. Now having hit adulthood, his facial hair was growing rapidly, but he wasn't really inclined to do much about it. He only hoped his beard wouldn't have time to grow all the way out during this romp through his old home.

*"He said he loved me, and you don't *know* whether he did or not?"*

The memory was random, and Jason remembered instantly what conversation the question had come from. Kelly had been the one who'd asked that question, when he and she were in the Selto marina. He'd just explained to her what had happened during the incident with Creight.

*"No. I don't."*

*"Then I'll ask you flat out."*

Jason clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the memory.

*"Do you love me?"*

Jason remembered the pause, the silence that had resounded throughout the room as he tried desperately to find a response.

*"Yes."*

His response had been a lie.

*But would it be a lie now?* he wondered. *Would it? I've been spouting off to myself about how I care so much about her, how I'd do anything in my power to help her... how I want to stay with her, and how I want her to stay with me... is that love?*

*Would I be lying now if I said I loved her?*

*Maybe... maybe I do. Maybe I really do love her.*

Jason didn't know. He'd heard so much about love, but the definition he was trying to wrap his brain around was not exactly the kind of love his family had shown him. They'd been far too busy with their work to really spend time with each other... give each other a basis for loving each other.

His father had been a workaholic.

His mother had been a submissive work hand.

His brother had been, and still was, a cynical, vengeful member of the working class.

Jason realized that the concepts of love that he'd heard about, versus the ones he'd experienced, versus the one he had in his mind now, were so radically different that no sane person could objectively call them related.

But he had no time to think on it now.

Trovita Island was looming ahead.

And he had work to do.

***

"Split!" Adam hissed, as the Rocket grunt began moving in their direction from the hall they'd just vacated.

Adam went up the left while Amanda went down the right. The grunt ran into the intersection, glanced in both directions, saw the fleeing pair, and shouted, "Hey!"

An idea flashed through Adam's mind, and it had barely completed itself before he was already acting on it. He yanked a capture ball from his belt and tossed it behind him. "Espeon, don't let him alert anyone!"

Espeon was acting the instant it solidified; a Psybeam blasted form the jewel on its forehead and struck the Rocket in the middle of his body. He shouted a brief protest, then went silent as the beam insinuated its energy into his mind and shut down his lower brain functions. The higher functions were left intact, however; Espeon was not a murderer, nor was its master.

Adam had been crouching behind Espeon the moment it had come out of its ball; he now crept forward along with his Pokemon to where the grunt lay. For a few moments, he searched the grunt for any useful items; however, he found none.

Then another idea popped into his head. "Espeon, can you get inside this guy's head and find out where an elevator is? A general layout of the place might be nice to have, too."

Espeon bobbed its head, then urned to the grunt. The red jewel in the center of its forehead glowed more brightly as it used its immense power to invade the man's mind and search for the information Adam had requested. For a few moments, silence reigned in the halls.

Then Espeon yelped: success.

Adam leaned in closer. "Can you show me?"

Espeon didn't vocally respond; instead, it simply entered Adam's mind and guided him to where it had found the information they were searching for. Along the way, they found vague memories of childhood, how he'd joined Team Rocket, his adventures and trials and triumphs and failures...

Adam didn't really care about any of it. They pushed through those memories to the real prize: a layout of the area, as seen through the eyes of this guy. He had memorized this floor and three floors below to the fullest extent; he knew where the Rocket quarters were, where elevators were, what places to avoid and shortcuts to take, where people were at what time...

Espeon was about to pull out of his mind, but Adam said, "Wait. When he saw us, he realized that we were intruders. I'll bet he was thinking about hitting some sort of alarm, and if he was, he'd have to know where an alarm is. Find out where one might be."

Espeon took them from his long-term memory to his rapidly fading short-term, where they heard/felt his opinions on the ineffectiveness of team strategy when it came to raids, complaints about how much his feet hurt and how much he needed to go to the bathroom...

*Intruders! Hit the alarm!"*

The thought rose up in front of Espeon and Adam like a concrete wall, and they delved into it. They found, much to their dismay and relief at the same time, that an alarm terminal was situated not three meters away from where they were, mounted on the wall in the corridor behind them.

"Does he know any way to disable the system?" Adam asked.

Their thoughts flowed along with the memories of the grunt, seeing him getting chewed out time and time again for hitting the alarm, only to have it proven a needless worry.

"Guess not," Adam muttered. *Typical Rocket alarm. Don't tell the grunts how to turn it off so that the superiors have to do it, then have good cause to yell at them. No wonder these guys have such sour attitudes all the time.*

They finally pulled out of the grunt's mind. Adam closed his eyes and shook his head rapidly; the sensation had been strange, to say the least. On the upside, he and Espeon had absorbed the ingrained memories of the place's layout for four floors, so they knew what to expect now.

Adam looked down the hall. Amanda was gone; she'd veered away form the dead end to the left, where there was an adjacent hallway.

He groaned. That hallway had Rocket quarters on both sides.

And all of them were occupied at the moment.

"Espeon, go after Amanda. I'll be fine for a few moments."

Espeon nodded and raced off after Adam's fiancée.

Adam glanced over at the alarm terminal and looked at it for a moment. He pulled out a capture ball. "Jolteon."

The electrically charged evolution of Eevee popped out of the ball, ready for whatever action presented itself. Adam grinned at Jolteon's "battle readiness." *Glad there are some things I can always count on.*

"Jolteon, that's an alarm system over there. We need to keep a low profile, so I want you to disable it. Think you can handle it?"

"Jolt-jolt." Jolteon bounded over to the station and looked at the controls for a long moment. It then sent mild charges into the system, testing its defenses, finding its access points and its nerve center, located two floors below.

Then it let loose a Thunderbolt directly into the monitors. The attack hit the entire system, blowing the nerve center to bits and frying every other terminal in the complex.

It turned to Adam proudly. "Jolt!"

Adam grinned. "Great job."

He was about to return the volatile Pokemon when a great flash of light burst in the corridor Amanda and Espeon had taken. An instant later, Amanda and Espeon raced out of it, running from several grunts. As Amanda continued to run at full speed, Espeon twisted around just long enough to let loose one, then two Psybeams into the horde.

"Let's get out of here," Adam muttered to Jolteon. He got to his feet and ran alongside Amanda while Jolteon and Espeon stayed on their heels, firing off attacks at the grunts, keeping their enemies at bay.

All Adam could think was, *It's gonna be a lot harder to get out.*

***

Jason arched his back, and promptly, several of his vertebrae popped. Almost instantly, the discomfort that had been making his back tingle was reduced by half. He sighed in pleasure and laid back down against Charizard.

"I'll bet you're wishing you could do that about now, right?" Jason asked.

Charizard grunted, then arched its own back and popped several of its own backbones. It repeated the action, popping several more. Jason sank down into the depression in Charizard's back each time, making him feel for a moment as though he were riding a bucking Tauros, although the ride was, in reality, much smoother than a Tauros would offer.

Jason smiled. "I stand corrected."

Charizard grunted again. It wanted to focus on their destination, and it didn't exactly sound as if it were comfortable.

It was easy for Jason to see that. While it was no picnic for him to be riding Charizard for this long, he imagined that it was even less of one for Charizard to be carrying him all over the place, and under so much pressure, so much demand.

Fortunately, the grueling torture that Charizard was being subjected to would only last for a few more moments. They were descending upon the docks of Trovita Island.

Moments later, Charizard landed hard on the wooden dock. Jason unhitched the wheelchair from Charizard's neck, climbed down, and settled himself into the chair. "Charizard, I couldn't have asked for any better. You've done a great job. Let's send you back."

He recalled the fire-imbued lizard to its capture ball and minimized the ball.

*Now it's on to meet rude Rudy.*

Jason's wheels clacked across the planks of the dock, breaking the silence of the area. He looked around, and saw a Pokemon Center off to the left and a short distance away.

He sighed with relief and took off for it. For a few moments, he'd been afraid that his promise to Charizard wouldn't hold up.

As he moved along the dirt path, his wheelchair bouncing under him, he heard a rustling in the bushed to his right. He continued to move along, but he kept his ears and eyes open. He surreptitiously glanced over at the bushes, but didn't find anything or anyone.

He trained his eyes back on the path and moved a bit faster.

The rustling came back, and it was a bit louder.

Jason hit the brake on one wheel and used his free hand to pull out a capture ball. His chair ground to a halt at a slight angle to the path and toward the bushes, and he enlarged the ball, ready to toss at an instant's notice.

"Whoever or whatever you are," he called out, "I don't like being spied on. Come out."

There was more rustling. Then, timidly, it came out of the bushes.

It was a little girl. She couldn't be any older than eight. Her brown hair was tied back into two pigtails, and she wore a yellow shirt and red overalls. She wasn't wearing a capture ball belt, of course, but she gripped a single Poke ball in her right hand like a lifeline.

Jason relaxed and minimized the ball he'd been ready to throw. "Well, hello, there."

She looked intimidated. She didn't respond.

Jason put the ball away and moved closer to her. He put on a polite, nonthreatening smile. "Hi, there. What's your name?"

"Marie," she responded.

Briefly, Jason had a flashback, recalling the Atlantis League gym leader by the same name. He found himself wondering where she was now.

"Hello, Marie. My name's Jason," he said. He slowly extended a hand. "It's all right. You've got nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes, I do," she answered.

"Then what is it?"

"You."

Jason frowned just slightly. "What?"

"I have you to be afraid of."

"Why would you be afraid of me, Marie?"

"Because you'll leave, just like Misty."

"Misty?"

The crunching of the path's scattered gravel underfoot made Jason and Marie look up. Coming down the path was a well-dressed gentleman with carefully maintained reddish-brown hair, a white vest, black clothes, and a capture ball belt carrying only one Poke ball.

Jason knew who he was. *Rudy.*

Rudy smiled apologetically at Jason. "I'm afraid you'll have to forgive my little sister. She has a tendency to greet company in rather unusual manners..." Rudy trained a firm look on Marie. "Marie, please go back home. It's not nice to spy on people like that. You shouldn't be out here anyway, not after what happened last time. And the time before that."

"Why do you have to ground me for so long?!" Marie wailed.

"So you'll learn a lesson," Rudy responded, not unkindly. "Now please, go home."

Marie grumbled as she made her way up the path, presumably back to their house. Rudy turned back to Jason. "I'm one to talk about my sister's lack of manners... where are mine?" He extended his hand, and Jason took it firmly. "My name is Rudy. Welcome to Trovita Island. Anything I can help you with?"

"In a little bit, yes," said Jason, matter-of-factly. "I understand you've been given a computer disk by a resident of the Islands. I'm here to collect it, and I'm aware that I have to challenge you, as the gym leader of Trovita."

Rudy eyed Jason suspiciously. "Yes, I've been given a disk. I don't know why, though. Perhaps you could fill me in?"

"It's a game," Jason responded. "Each disk I collect gives me a clue to finding a big surprise at the end of my tour of the Orange Islands. But the surprise is only good for a week, so I have to move quickly."

"Okay, then. You know I have the disk, but can you tell me who?"

Jason frowned. "Is this a test, or do you not know?"

"I asked you first."

"Fine. Daniel Creight gave you the disk."

Rudy nodded. "All right. That proves it. And since you obviously already know I'm the gym leader here... when do you want to get started?"

"Right after I change my Pokemon team a little bit. Gotta be ready for whatever you throw at me."

"Fine. I'm ready anytime. I'll have to issue a little test to your Pokemon, though, before I accept your challenge."

"I'll be ready." Jason knew what the test entailed... nothing more than simple target practice.

*Oh yeah, I'll be ready. Ready to clean your clock before you even realize it was dirty.*

Rudy made his way up the path, and Jason followed for a minute or so before his destination required him to turn to the left.

He glanced one more time at Rudy. *You've changed. Hopefully it's for the better.*

He headed into the Pokemon Center.

***

Jolteon and Espeon performed attack after attack, each blast burying itself in the midsection of Rocket grunts and incapacitating them. Adam and Amanda were ahead of the retreating Pokemon, making their way to the nearest elevator.

"How do you know where you're going?!" she asked.

"Trust me!" It was the shortest reply he could think of. This was hardly the time to discuss how he'd obtained the information.

They raced through hallway after hallway, and Amanda began to wonder how big this complex could possibly be. Her hopes, at an abysmal low, began to rise when she saw that Adam was leading down a hallway with an elevator at the far end.

Adam rushed up to the door and slammed his fist into the "down" button. It took precious seconds for the elevator system to respond... the car was one floor below.

As it moved oh so slowly upward, the Rockets seemed to increase in number, and now their own Pokemon were entering the fray. A horde of bad guys, human and Pokemon, raced for their prey, a pair of each.

An idea pounded into Amanda's brain with the force of a sledgehammer. "Adam, can Espeon use Night Shade?"

Adam didn't even need to respond; Espeon did. A curtain of darkness fell between predators and prey, confusing the Rockets and their Pokemon for a few moments and buying Adam and Amanda a few moments.

A few moments were all they needed. The elevator doors opened, and they pushed their way into it as quickly as possible. Adam banged on the button that would take them to the lowest floor, and the doors closed for what seemed an eternity...

The Rockets and their Pokemon burst through the illusion of darkness...

The door closed and the elevator began to move down.

Adam and Amanda slumped against the elevator wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

Adam turned to Amanda. "You know that we'll have to wade through all that on our way out."

She smiled grimly. "Why do you think I brought my Pokemon? Good looks?"

"Actually, I was under the impression that that was why *you* came along."

"How sweet. But what good will flattery do when we're about to die?"

Adam snorted. "Ever the pessimist."

*Ding!*

The elevator stopped moving and the doors yawned open.

Adam, Amanda, Jolteon, and Espeon stepped through, ready for whatever would come.

And they stepped into total darkness.

***

Jason had passed the target practice test with flying colors, utilizing Gyarados' Hydro Pump, Ampharos's Swift, and Gengar's Psybeam. Now he and Rudy stood atop a flat peak where Pokemon gym boundaries had been painted.

Rudy flipped his hair dramatically. "You did well with the target practice, but can you handle me head to head?"

"I've handled everyone else. You're no different," Jason responded.

Rudy shrugged. "Fine, but I think it's only fair to let you know you don't have a chance of winning."

"If I've got no chance, you've got even less."

Rudy abruptly lost his cool expression and openly glared at Jason.

Jason smiled grimly. *That got his attention.*

Rudy suddenly pulled out a capture ball. "Electric types first. Let's see what you've really got."

With that, he hurled the ball into the makeshift arena. An Electabuzz exited the ball.

*Too easy.* "Ampharos, go!"

Ampharos stood taller than Electabuzz, and Jason knew there was a very good chance its level was much higher, as well.

Rudy paid no attention to either of these factors. "Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

Sparks flew from its fist as the blow connected, sending Ampharos stumbling backward.

But it was far, far from gone.

"My turn," said Jason. "Ampharos, Thunder Punch!"

Ampharos complied. Where Electabuzz had merely had sparks, Ampharos had blue arcs of electricity zapping from one side of its fist to the other as it thrust its claws forward. Electabuzz protested loudly, sounding for all the world as if its face were constantly shuddering.

It was sent flying across the ring. It landed limply on the ground, and visibly struggled to get to its feet.

"Ampharos, Swift attack!"

Ampharos sent dozens of glowing spikes straight at Electabuzz, spikes the humanoid Pokemon couldn't evade. It was pummeled and stung left and right by the mystical darts.

It toppled face first to the ground and didn't get up.

Rudy growled as he recalled his Electabuzz, by this time realizing how badly he had underestimated Jason. "Fine. But try this on for size!"

He tossed his next capture ball into the ring.

Jason swore to himself that his own second Pokemon would be the last one required of this match.

Rudy's ball revealed a Starmie.

*Ah. Water types next. No doubt he's got some strategy behind this. He always has.* Jason recalled Ampharos and threw out his Water type selection.

As with many times before, his choice was Gyarados.

"Starmie, Water Gun!"

Jason scoffed. "Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"

Starmie's Water Gun was thrown straight back to it against the force of Gyarados's Hydro Pump attack. Starmie made a strange squeaking noise as it was hit by the merciless blast of water, a hundred times more powerful than the one it had sent toward its opponent.

Starmie skidded across the dirt.

It got back up.

Rudy was losing his cool. "Turn on the music! Starmie, start dancing!"

Jason stared disbelievingly at his opponent. This was his strategy?

A faceless referee overseeing the battle atop a Pidgeot complied with Rudy's order, bringing out a boombox and activating it. Fast-paced, "action and attitude" music emanated from it, and Starmie actually began dancing to it, spinning on one of its many points.

"Spin yourself into a Thunderbolt!"

Jason scoffed again. *Nice try. Apparently you didn't pay enough attention when learning about type differences.*

Gyarados was savaged with a Thunderbolt attack, but the power of it was at cost, rather than multiplied by any weakness to electricity.

Rudy looked confused. "But... it's a Water type..."

Jason shook his head. "Wrong. It's a Dragon type. Its weakness is grass, not lightning. Gyarados, Crunch!"

Gyarados snaked up to Starmie and curled around it, trapping it within a loop of its own body before arching its neck down and clamping its massive jaws over Starmie's body.

Starmie again made that strange squeaking noise, but the sound subsided and was reduced to a high note followed by a low note. As if synchronized, the light in its jewel faded in and out in time with the notes.

Rudy groaned. "Starmie, return." He looked up at Jason. "You're ruthless. I never thought you capable of that. Certainly not when you were ten."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "So, you figured it out."

"Not quite. I don't know how you managed to survive, much less how you managed to make it all these years. And something tells me I don't want to know how you ended up in *that.*" Rudy nodded at Jason's wheelchair.

"It's something I prefer not to talk about," Jason responded. "As for the rest...let's just say I'm one to beat out the odds."

"Is your Gyarados that same one...?"

"Yes. Yes, it's the same one." There was no need for either of them to relate the incident. Both of them had been there to witness the fall of the marina at Tangelo Island, as well as the freeing of the Pokemon soon after.

But it was a tangent. "I need that disk, Rudy. The badge, too. Forget the money if you want, but I need those two things."

Rudy shook his head. "No, the money is part of the deal. You won fair and square."

"About time you acknowledged that."

"You should be glad I ever bothered."

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Rudy scoffed. "Those times are long gone, Jason."

"Indeed they are. I don't want anything to do with the Islands once I'm finished here."

Rudy pulled the disk and badge out of his vest pocket. He handed both to Jason, then removed a credit bag from anoher pocket and handed that to his boyhood rival, as well.

"What's the real story behind the disk, Jason?"

Jason sighed. "I don't have the time or the patience to tell you, Rudy. If I feel like it later on, I'll let you know. But right now, I need to get going. Suffice it to say it's a matter of life and death."

"With your brother, I wouldn't doubt it."

"I've got no brother anymore." Jason called out his Fearow and climbed atop it. He secured the collapsed wheelchair across its huge back, just below his position. He took one final look at Rudy. "In the meantime, when did you ever find the time for a sister?"

Rudy smiled faintly. "If I feel like it later on, I'll let you know."

Jason snorted. "Touché."

Fearow lifted off the ground and took Jason toward his next destination.

Jason began to wonder how he could possibly begin to explain all this to Rudy in a single letter.

He imagined he'd have to write several.

But he would worry about that later.

He needed to sleep.

He laid himself across Fearow's back and secured himself next to the wheelchair.

Perhaps boyhood rivals could reconcile their differences later on.

But for the moment...

Jason Creight drifted on.



To Be Continued