Chapter One
 Deep in the Turcott Park woods, a boy prepares to make his first Pokémon catch.
 "Caterpie, you're mine!" he shouted. "Poké Ball, go!"
 The ball struck the bug Pokémon just as it looked up from it's dinner to see what the noise was. Within seconds the little caterpillar had gone from munching leaves to sitting inside a Poké Ball.
 "Come on, work," the boy said to the ball as it wobbled back and forth. Soon, though, it was still. Caterpie was his!
 "YES!!" he shouted. He ran to pick up his new Pokémon. He had been trying for the past week to catch a Paras or a Venonat, but they were too strong for the Poké Balls. Without his own Pokémon to weaken them, they broke free and escaped time after time- except one obnoxious Venonat which had given him a thrashing before running off. One of the trainers at the Turcott Gym suggested trying to find a Caterpie. They were very easy to catch and train.
 "I've finally got a Pokémon! I have to see it again. Caterpie, come out!" With a flourish he commanded the Poké Ball to release his Caterpie, which appeared on the forest floor next to him. "Hi, Caterpie!" he greeted. "My name's Uiru. I'm your new trainer!" Caterpie took an instant liking to the boy's friendly attitude. It climbed up on his shoulder.
 "You're a cute one, aren't you Caterpie?" Uiru said. He scratched it's head. He knew that although Caterpies weren't exceptionally strong, they were very easy to get along with. Just the thing to get him some Pokémon to battle with. "All right, now we gotta find something for you to battle," Uiru told it. "Get your power up. Maybe you'll evolve! The guys at the Gym said that some Pokémon evolve after they fight a lot." Caterpie chimed it's agreement.
 Soon it pointed at something farther down the path. "No, no, you can't fight that," Uiru said. "That's a Pidgey. Pidgey's a bird. You're a bug. It wouldn't work out." Caterpie nodded.
 A short time later, they came across a Kakuna lying on the ground. It glared up at them as they approached. "Now look, there's something you can fight, if you're really careful," Uiru said to Caterpie. "It's really slow, but can't be defeated easily by normal attacks. It can also poison you if it cuts you." Caterpie nodded again. Uiru set him on the ground. "All right, Caterpie! Get ready!"
 The Kakuna realized it was being attacked. It tried to stand up on it's claws, but soon gave up and tried to crawl away. Caterpie slammed into it with a Tackle attack! It went flying.
 The sunshine-yellow Kakuna glowed a brillient white. Caterpie braced itself against an attack... and none came. "Maybe it's just showing off. Hit it again!" Uiru shouted.
 Caterpie charged at Kakuna again. CLONK! This time it barely wobbled. "Huh? What's the deal?" Uiru asked. "Didn't you hit it hard enough?" The ache in Caterpie's head told it that it had hit Kakuna quite hard enough.  "Well then, try String Shot!" Caterpie reared back and fired a string of sticky gloop at Kakuna. Nearly incapable of moving under normal circumstances, it was now completely immobile. Caterpie again charged at Kakuna, aiming for it's tender underbelly. Kakuna had had it.
 "All right!" Uiru shouted. "Good job Caterpie!" Caterpie did a back flip, and then returned to Uiru's shoulder.

 A few hours and many Kakuna later, Uiru decided it was time to call it a day. Caterpie was tired and needed a break. Uiru was hungry too.
 On the way back to Turcott Park, they came across another beginning Pokémon trainer.
 "Weedle, you're mine!" the girl shouted. "Poké Ball, go!" Uiru felt Caterpie stiffen at the sight of the Weedle. "What's wrong Caterpie?" Uiru asked.
 "YEAH! I got it!" The girl grabbed her new Pokémon and called it out. "Hey, who are you?" She finally saw Uiru and Caterpie.
 "My name's Uiru. I just caught this Caterpie this afternoon. I've been training it." Uiru thought for a minute. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."
 Ignoring his question, the girl looked at Caterpie. "I know what Caterpies are. They're cute little things, but aren't very strong."
 Caterpie jumped to the ground and shrilled. "I think it wants to battle," Uiru guessed. "Hey, wanna battle my Caterpie?"
 "Sure," the girl agreed. "I don't know very much about Pokémon yet, but I do know that Weedles are Poison types. Do you know what that means?"
 "Yeah, it means they're strong against Bug types... Uh oh." Uiru knelt and whispered to Caterpie. "Are you sure you wanna fight Weedle?" he asked. Caterpie nodded angrily.
 "Your Caterpie looks really mad," the girl stated. Her new Weedle didn't seem very interested in what was going on.
 "Well why shouldn't it be? Weedles pick on Caterpies." Uiru knelt again. "Listen, Caterpie. Weedle's got two stingers, on it's head and on it's tail. If you can cover them with String Shot, they'll be useless. Then you just cream it. Okay?"
 Caterpie looked at Uiru and nodded. It was a good plan.

 "Weedle, I choose you!"
 "Caterpie, go!"
 "Weedle, go for the underside with Poison Sting!" Weedle reared back and dashed at Caterpie, the stinger on it's head shining. Caterpie fired a blot of String Shot but missed, hitting the bug's head instead. It stopped, and whipped around with it's tail. Caterpie braced it's scales against the assault, then rammed Weedle's midsection.
 "Good shot Caterpie! Use String Shot now!" Caterpie fired it's Shot again, covering it's head stinger with sticky gloop.
 "Oh no! Wipe it off, quick!" the girl ordered. Weedle began scraping the stinger against the ground. Caterpie gave it a mighty Tackle, followed by a blast of String Shot that tangled Weedle's body.
 "Call it back, it can't fight in this state!" Uiru shouted.
 "Oh... um... Weedle, return!" The girl called back Weedle, leaving nothing but a pile of goo in it's wake. "You jerk! I'm going to get you for this." With that, the girl stormed off.
 Uiru picked up Caterpie. "Great job!" he congradulated. "You really showed her." He looked down the path. "She's headed back to town. I wonder who she is?" Caterpie chirped at him. "No idea, huh? Well, let's get back."
 Caterpie had something it had to do first. It began shooting String Shot right up in the air! "What are you doing, Caterpie? You're going to get covered if you do that." In a moment, Uiru realized that was exactly what Caterpie wanted.
 The goop hardened into a protective shell. Caterpie had evolved into Metapod!
 "Of course! This is how bugs transform. First the baby stage, then a cocoon, then the final form. I wonder what you'll become?" Uiru picked Metapod up. "At any rate, I'm going home!"

 As soon as he got back to town, Uiru went to the Gym to watch the battles. He carried Metapod with him.
 The Turcott Park Gym didn't have a Leader- it was just a place where trainers went to practice. There was no specific type of Pokémon the Gym favored either- trainers mainly used the bug, ground and occasional Grass type Pokémon found in the area.
 "Hey Matt!" Uiru shouted when he got to the Gym. "Look what I got!" He looked around. "Huh? Where's Matt?" He couldn't see him anywhere.
 "He's in a battle," another trainer told him. "Up there!"
 Matt was battling someone's Diglett with his Bellsprout. Since Grass types like Bellsprout are strong against Ground types like Diglett, Matt quickly overcame his opponent.
 "Another win," Matt declared. "Isn't there ANYONE here who can beat me?" The Gym laughed. Sometimes Matt acted cocky but it was just that- an act. Two more trainers entered the ring to battle.
 "Win again?" Uiru asked.
 "Oh, hey Uiru. Yeah, again. Hey, you got a Metapod!" Matt and Uiru headed outside. Bellsprout plodded after them. "You must have been hiding a Caterpie for the past few days. Where'd you keep it?"
 "I didn't hide it!" Uiru answered. "I caught a Caterpie right after lunch and we were hunting Kakunas all day! Then this psycho girl challenged me with her Weedle and after Caterpie beat it, it evolved!"
 "You got a Metapod in one day?" Matt asked. Uiru and Metapod laughed. "It must have been a very strong Caterpie. It might evolve again soon."
 "How will I get it to evolve?"
 "Hmm..." Matt thought for a while. "Metapod and Kakuna are two very special types of Pokémon. They can't really attack very well but they can after they evolve."
 "Oh. If it can't attack, how will it evolve?"
 "Metapod and Kakuna evolve over time. You can battle them to speed up the process but it's hard. Leave it for a few days and it'll evolve."
 "So, that's how you do it!" Uiru and Matt turned to see the girl who had attacked Uiru before. She was holding a Kakuna. "Weedle evolved after I beat the hell out of a bunch of puny Caterpies. And I know what my Pokémon will become. A Beedrill! And when it does, I'll be back to kick your tail, Uiru."
 "Beedrill?" Uiru asked. "Whatever Metapod becomes, it has to be better then that. And even if it isn't, my Pokémon will win!"
 "If that's what you want to believe, go right ahead! I'm going to go get another Pokémon to train while I wait for Kakuna to evolve. See ya!" With a wave, the girl departed.
 Matt looked from the girl to Uiru several times. "Nice girl. When'd you meet her?"
 "Just this afternoon. I beat her Weedle and she's mad about it." Uiru jumped up. "I'm not gonna let her beat me! I'm going to get a new Pokémon right now!"
 "But it's getting late!" Matt replied. "Some dangerous Pokémon come out at night. Spearow, Ekans, Sandshrew, Nidoran. They're fierce Pokémon that aren't easily beaten."
 "Then I'll catch one of them! That'll show her!"
 Matt laughed. "You've been at this a day and you've already got a rival. I don't know if you're making progress or not."
 "Hey... I don't even know her name. Oh well, I'll find out later. I'm going to the caves to find a Sandshrew."
 "You're nuts! All you've got is a Metapod that just evolved. You'll be defenceless!" Matt shook his head. "But I know you're gonna go anyway. If you wait fifteen minutes for me to get some supper I'll go with you."
 "Okay, cool!" Uiru's stomach rumbled. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm starving!"

 Twenty minutes later, Uiru and Matt were heading into the caves south of the town. Although it was littered with 'DO NOT ENTER' signs, trainers just happened to not see them. There were good Pokémon in the caves. They flipped their flashlights on.
 "I think Metapod wants to battle these bat things," Uiru stated after Metapod began wiggling.
 "Hmm. Zubats are Poison type Pokémon. I don't think it's a good idea."
 "But Weedle and Kakuna are Poison types and Caterpie had no problem against them!"
 "All right, try it. But my Bulbasaur will guard it. Bulbasaur, come out!" Matt summoned his best Pokémon, Bulbasaur, to defend Metapod.
 Uiru put Metapod on the ground. Bulbasaur used it's Vine Whips to disturb a group of Zubat, then kept all but a few of them away while Metapod battled them.
 Metapod swung it's tail around and clonked a Zubat on the head. Then it crunched down and sprang at another, knocking it out cold.
 "This Metapod is surprisingly agile," Matt remarked.
 "It shouldn't be long before it evolves!" Uiru shouted.
 "Don't shout! You'll wake up all the cranky Pokémon that live here." A loud scuttling on the ground told them it was too late. "Oh, great," Matt groaned. "We're probably going to have to fight our way out. Bellsprout, Paras, come out!"
 Uiru grabbed Metapod and the two ran, Matt's Pokémon following them. The group of angry Zubat gave chase, but they soon had bigger problems to deal with.
 Uiru bumped into something. "OW! Watch it Matt! Don't stop like that!"
 "What? I didn't stop!"
 Uiru slowly raised his flashlight... right into the face of a Pincir! It snapped it's huge pincir open and shut several times.
 Uiru wordlessly scrambled away from it. "Matt, tell me your Grass types are strong on this thing."
 "They aren't," Matt replied. "This thing is a Bug type. Bugs are strong against Grass types!"
 Pincir charged right at the trio of freaking Pokémon, sending them flying. Bulbasaur countered with it's Leech Seed attack, which could drain Pincir's energy, but it wouldn't slow it down much. Paras opened up with Stun Spore and Bellsprout used Vine Whip. Nothing seemed to work on it!
 "Use physical attacks!" Matt shouted. "Bulbasaur, Take Down! Paras, Slash! Bellsprout, Double Edge!"
 Physical attacks had a better effect on Pincir, but it wasn't beat yet. Pincir Tackled Paras, sending it flying, and then flung Bellsprout into the wall. Then it grabbed Bulbasaur!
 "Oh no! Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur tried to use Vine Whip but Pincir's pincir prevented it from working properly.
 "Damn! It's gonna crush Bulbasaur!" Matt shouted. Bulbasaur began focusing on the Leech Seed power, and began draining it's life! Although it wasn't squeezing it any more, Pincir still had a good grip on Bulbasaur.
 Uiru suddenly knew what to do. "Metapod, go!"
 "Huh? What are you doing?" Matt asked.
 "Metapod, Tackle attack!" Uiru ordered. Metapod geared up and nailed Pincir right in the stomach. It dropped Bulbasaur. "Return!" Matt shouted.
 Pincir grabbed Metapod with it's pincir and began putting the squeeze on it! "Metapod, Harden!" Uiru shouted.
 Pincir soon found itself holding an extremely hard piece of Pokémon. It tried again and again to crush Metapod but it wasn't working!
 Bellsprout and Paras recovered and charged Pincir again. "Metapod, use the Bide power!" Uiru ordered.
 "Bide? What's that?" Matt asked.
 "It's a very special power. Watch!" Uiru replied.
 Pincir tried to crush Metapod a few more times, then gave up and swung it around at the wall. Metapod began to vibrate and then flung itself full force at Pincir! Catching it straight between the eyes, Pincir was knocked out cold!
  "All right! Poké Ball, go!" Uiru shouted. The Poké Ball flew... and bounced off Pincir.
 "What the?! Why didn't it work?" Uiru asked.
 "Pincir is knocked completely unconscious. You can't capture an unconscious Pokémon.  Whatever that Bide attack is, it's very strong." Matt recalled Paras and Bellsprout.
 "Nuts. Pincir would show that little witch who's the better trainer!" Uiru kicked the ground. "Would have made a great new Pokémon too."
 Matt laughed. "What's so funny?" Uiru asked.
 "Pincir is way too ferocious for young trainers like you. But you ARE going to have a new Pokémon..."
 "What do you mean?" Uiru looked around. "I don't see any new Pokémon..." A loud cracking sound caused Uiru to turn to Metapod. "What? What's happening?! Metapod is breaking apart!"
 "No it's not, Uiru," Matt replied. "It's evolving!"
 The shell cracked, and from it rose a butterfly! Metapod had evolved into Butterfree!
 "YES!! It'll be a week before that girl's Kakuna evolves! I'm way ahead of her already!" Butterfree landed on his shoulder. "How are you, Butterfree? You're just as cute as Caterpie and Metapod were!"
 "We'd better get out of here," Matt warned. "My Pokémon are weakened, and Butterfree might not be up to battling yet." Uiru agreed, and they started heading out of the cave.
 Uiru heard something plodding after them. "What's that noise?" He shone his flashlight on the creature that was following them- a Sandshrew!
 "It's a Sandshrew," Matt declared. "Normally, they're tricky to catch, but your Butterfree should have no problems."
 "Why not?"
 "There's two reasons. First of all, Bug types like Butterfree are strong against Ground types like Sandshrew. And second, Butterfree is also a Flying type. Sandshrew's Ground attacks shouldn't hit it at all. If Butterfree is fast, it should be able to weaken Sandshrew without getting hit."
 "Okay! I said I was gonna get a Sandshrew and this one'll be it! Butterfree, I choose you!" Uiru shouted. "Tackle attack, now!"
 Butterfree charged Sandshrew, sending it flying. It got up and used it's Scratch attack, nailing Butterfree with it's claws.
 "Tackle it again!" Butterfree hit Sandshrew. "Now use String Shot to slow it down!" Butterfree fired String Shot at it, but missed. Sandshrew had a few surprises in store, however. It spun around and sent a cloud of sand at Butterfree!
 "This is it's Sand Attack," Matt announced. "It'll lower Butterfree's accuracy, and make it easier to hit."
 Sandshrew attacked from behind, Tackling Butterfree. Butterfree spun and charged at Sandshrew, but Sandshrew stepped aside. Butterfree finally nailed it with String Shot, and gave it a mighty Tackle.
 "That should do it! Poké Ball, go!" It hit Sandshrew right on the nose, and sucked it in!
 The ball wobbled... and wobbled... and wobbled... and was still. Uiru had caught Sandshrew!
 "YES!!" Uiru shouted again.
 "Is that the word of the day or something? Keep it down, will you?" Matt laughed. "The Pokémon Center awaits. I hope they're still open!"

Chapter Two
 In the days to come, Uiru would begin batting in the Turcott Park gym. His Sandshrew and Butterfree proved to be very skilled combatants. Butterfree began learning the different Powder attacks, and Sandshrew's skills increased and became more powerful.
 "I wonder where that girl went?" Uiru asked one day. "I bet she heard about all my great victories and ran." Uiru laughed.
 "You? Great victories? Give me a break!" Uiru turned to see the girl near the ring. She quickly entered it. "I'm gonna wipe you off the map!"
 "This should be good!" Uiru declared. "Hey Matt, come here! The little banshee's back!"
 Matt and some of his buddies ran to the ring. "I don't wanna miss this," Matt said to his friends. "These two fight like they've been married 20 years."
 By now the entire gym was watching. "Which two Pokémon are you gonna use for my 20th win?" Uiru asked.
 "You'll find out what my new Pokémon is- that is if you can beat Beedrill! Go, Beedrill!"
 "Butterfree, I choose you!" Beedrill and Butterfree entered the ring. While Butterfree was cute and seemed harmless and friendly, Beedrill was viscious. It's large venomous stingers on it's forelegs and tail gave it a much more menacing appearance.
 "Beedrill, Fury Attack!" the girl shouted.
 "Butterfree, Poison Powder!" Uiru ordered. Beedrill dove at Butterfree, jabbing with it's stingers. Butterfree flew above it and deposited a clump of purple powder on Beedrill's head.
 "You moron!" the girl yelled at him. "Beedrill IS a Poison type! Poison attacks won't hurt it! But they'll hurt you! Focus Energy and Twineedle attack!" Beedrill concentrated for a second, then stabbed Butterfree with both stingers! It got poisoned!
 "Oh no! Butterfree! Return!" Uiru recalled Butterfree. "Now you asked for it! Sandshrew, ATTACK!! Give it the Slash!" Sandshrew leapt up in the air and clawed right through Beedrill's Poison Sting counterattack. Sandshrew knocked Beedrill to the ground and proceeded to pound it.
 "Blast! Beedrill, return! Mankey, I choose you!"
 The trainers gasped. Around Turcott, Mankey was one of the rarest Pokémon around. A Mankey hadn't been caught in the town's history, and they're hardly ever seen.
 "Whoever this girl is, she's got talent as a trainer," Matt stated. "Catching a Mankey with only a Beedrill is quite a feat."
 "Either that's a really strong Beedrill or it's a really weak Mankey," Uiru replied. "Either way, my Sandshrew just took down Beedrill and Mankey's next! Sandshrew, Slash attack!"
 "Karate Chop, Mankey!" the girl ordered. Sandshrew and Mankey started pounding away at each other. Mankey's incredibly aggressive attacks were matched by Sandshrew's calm offencive and defencive maneovers. Even though Mankey was taking a lot of damage, it's rage was building with every hit. It suddenly jumped over Sandshrew, grabbed it by the tail and threw it!
 "Sandshrew!" Uiru shouted.
 "Call it back, Uiru!" Matt shouted. "Sandshrew's hurt it's head! Mankey'll pound it!"
 "Sandshrew... Return!" Uiru tried to recall Sandshrew, but it jumped out of the way and shook it's head. It was gonna finish the battle!
 "You're a lousy trainer, Uiru!" the girl shouted. "It won't even obey you!"
 "Sandshrew is even more hardheaded then you are, Uiru!" Matt added.
 "Oh shut up. All right Sandshrew, give it the Fury Swipes!"
 "Mankey, Fury Attack!"
 Mankey was too late. Sandshrew gave it an incredible slashing with it's claws, then Tackled it back to the girl. It was unconscious. The gym cheered.
 "Return!" the girl growled. "I swear, Uiru, I'm gonna take you down big time!"
 "Just like you took me down this time?" Uiru answered. "Consecutive victory number 20! Yeah!"
 The girl glowered at him, then left the gym.
 "I'd better get to the Center," Uiru said. "Butterfree's hurt."
 Matt went with him. "You know, Uiru," Matt said.
 "Yeah?"
 "You're doing an incredible job. In less then a week, you've got two incredible Pokémon and a CVN rating of 20."
 "Thanks, Matt," Uiru answered.
 "You've already reached the pinnacle of your skills," Matt continued, "that is if you stay here. There's nothing the Pokémon of Turcott Park have to teach you."
 Uiru stopped. "Are you saying I should leave?"
 "Yeah. You got potential to be a Pokémon Master."
 "Really? A Pokémon Master? Me?" Uiru liked the sound of this.
 "Yeah. I think it's about time I leave too. I've collected all the Grass type Pokémon around here."
 "We can travel together, then!" Uiru declared.
 "Yes."
 "Great! This is going to rock!" They walked along in silence for a while. "I guess our first stop will be Persimmon City, right?"
 "You got it. I hear there's a special kind of Grass type Pokémon there."
 "What is it with you and Grass Pokémon? You wanna make your entire team out of them?"
 "Yeah, I do. I don't know why, I've just always liked Grass types."
 "An entire team of Grass types... That'd be powerful! But, wouldn't it be weak against Fire and Ice attacks? You wouldn't be able to get the Volcanobadge."
 "Poison, Flying and Bug attacks, too," Matt answered. "I'd have to train really hard to beat them."
 "Yeah," Uiru agreed. They reached the Pokémon Center. "I was thinking. There are 15 types of Pokémon, right?" Matt nodded. "I want to know if it's possible to choose six different Pokémon that are strong against them all. You know, no matter what I'm being attacked with, I'll have a Pokémon that's strong against it."
 "It's possible," Matt replied. "Your Butterfree is strong against Grass, Fighting, Ground and Bug attacks. Your Sandshrew is strong against Electric, Poison and Rock. That's half the types covered right there!"
 Uiru handed his two Poké Balls to the nurse. "Great! I'm gonna create a team that's strong against all 15 types, and become a Pokémon Master!"

 Persimmon City was about a week's walk from Turcott Park. It was a well-traveled path, and there were a couple Pokémon Centers set up along the way to help trainers. Uiru and Matt were two days into it when they had quite an unpleasant surprise.
 "All right Uiru! This is it!"
 "Look who it is. Havn't you had enough humiliation yet?" It was Uiru's old rival, the girl. "I still don't know your name."
 "I'll tell you- after my new Pokémon blows you off the planet! Kabuto, I choose you!"
 "Butterfree, attack!" Uiru responded.
 "First a Mankey and now a Kabuto? Where does this girl get her Pokémon?" Matt mused.
 "Butterfree, Tackle!" Uiru shouted. Butterfree wound up, charged, and bounced right off Kabuto's rocky shell.
 "Kabuto is a Rock type," Matt warned. "Physical attacks aren't going to work on it!"
 "Kabuto, Harden! Scratch attack!" the girl ordered. Kabuto glowed brown and then leapt up in the air and clobbered Butterfree!
 "Butterfree, give it the Confusion!" Uiru shouted. Butterfree blasted Kabuto with psychic waves of energy. It wasn't enough though- Kabuto leapt up and Body Slamed Butterfree!
 "Damn! Butterfree, return! Sandshrew, I choose you!"
 "Absorb attack, Kabuto! Drain Sandshrew's energy!"
 "Sandshrew, Dig underground!"
 Sandshrew dug underground, narrowly missing the blast of Grass type power which would heavily damage it. It came up right under Kabuto, sending it flying. It came down on it's shell, but flipped over and charged again.
 Sandshrew whipped up a Sand Attack to blind it, then dug underground again. By this time, the effects of Butterfree's Confusion attack were starting to sink in. When the girl ordered Kabuto to use Absorb, it hit itself with it! It took quite a bit of damage but instantly recovered it. Then Sandshrew blasted it from underground again.
 "Sandshrew, Poison Sting!" Uiru shouted. "Go for the underside!"
 "Kabuto, Harden!"
 Kabuto, still momentarily Confused, did nothing. Sandshrew pelted it in the gut with it's Poison Sting attack, which poisoned it! But Kabuto countered with Absorb! Sandshrew collapsed!
 "Oh no! Sandshrew, return!" Uiru had lost!
 "YES!! I win!" the girl shouted. "In your face Uiru!"
 "All right, fine, you beat me," Uiru replied. "Don't let it go to your head though! I'll find something that's strong against Kabuto, and then I'll win!"
 "By the time you find something strong against Kabuto I'll have two more Pokémon that can beat whatever you have to throw at me!"
 All this time Matt had stood out of the way, letting the fight go on. "You know, young lady, every Pokémon has a weakness. Kabuto is a Rock type. Rock is weak against Grass. If I were to let Uiru borrow my Bulbasaur, he could still win the match." Matt tossed Uiru the Poké Ball with Bulbasaur in it.
 "He could not!" the girl shouted. "Kabuto is all powerful. Besides, I still have Beedrill and Mankey. They could take down Bulbasaur easily!"
 Uiru tossed Matt the ball. "Thanks, but I want to beat her with my own Pokémon."
 Matt nodded. "You're the type who would never trade a Pokémon, aren't you?"
 "Trade my Pokémon?" Uiru had never thought of that before. "Why would I do that?"
 "To get stronger ones, obviously!" the girl inturrupted. "Now if you'll excuse me, my Kabuto requires medical attention. Train hard, Uiru, because I don't want to beat you that easily again!"
 "Wait a second! Who are you?" Matt asked.
 "My name is Allison, from Charteruse City! I'm going to be a Pokémon Master, and I fully intend to step on Uiru every step of the way!" With that, she left.
 "What an ambitious trainer," Uiru commented. "If all she focuses on is fighting her Pokémon instead of raising them, she'll fail."
 "She's cute though," Matt commented. "I wonder if she's my type?"
 "Yeah, if you like fire and brimstone," Uiru replied. "Let's get moving, I need a Pokémon that can take down Kabuto."
 Matt and Uiru headed for the nearest Pokémon Center, which was pretty close.
 "You know, I've heard some pretty wierd things about Kabuto," Matt stated after they handed over their Pokémon to be cured.
 "Like what?"
 "Well, it's a Rock type Pokémon, but it takes heavy damage from electricity. It also learns Grass type and Water type attacks."
 "Maybe it's a Rock-Water type," Uiru suggested.
 "That's what some people think, but Rock is weak against Water. Shouldn't it destroy itself?"
 "Well normal Rock type Pokémon like Graveler and Onix aren't affected at all by electricity."
 "That's because they're part Ground type. It's the Ground in a Pokémon that gives it the defence against electricity."
 "They've got quite a few Pokémon books here," Uiru observed. "Let's check some of them out."

 As Matt and Uiru collected their Pokémon, an older trainer came into the Center. He went up to the nurse and handed her a single Poké Ball. "Can you take this Pokémon? I don't want it anymore."
 "Why not?" the nurse asked.
 "I've tried everything I could to make the little bugger evolve, and it can't. My other five Pokémon all evolved ages ago, but this one is too weak. I didn't want to abandon it, so I'd like you to find it a good home."
 "Well, I guess so," the nurse answered.
 "Hey, I'll take it!" Uiru spoke up. "I'm just starting, I could use a new Pokémon!"
 "You want it?" the man asked. "I'll battle you for it. What Pokémon do you have already?"
 "Butterfree and Sandshrew," Uiru answered.
 "Never mind then," the man said. "It could never beat a Sandshrew, even if it was thirty levels higher then it. Take it, kid, and take good care of it."
 "Do you have a Pokédex?" the nurse asked them.
 "No. What's a Pokédex?"
  "Nah, I never bothered with one."
 "Oh, it doesn't matter then. If either of you had one, you'd have to trade the Pokémon so your Pokédexes would update. Since you don't, there's no problem."
 "All right, let's see what I got! Pokémon, come out!" Uiru summoned out his new Pokémon- Pikachu!
 "Wow! It's a Pikachu!" Matt gasped. "They're really strong!"
 "It's so cute!" Uiru added.
 "Compared to my other Pokémon, it's weak," the man replied. He knelt near Pikachu. "This kid's your trainer now, okay Pikachu? Try not to shock him too much."
 "Shock me?"
 "Do you know how tempramental Pikachu get? Why do you think my hair's such a mess?" He laughed. "I got a feeling you'll be a great trainer for Pikachu. You might even get it to evolve someday." He headed for the door. "See ya, Pikachu. Good luck, kid." Pikachu waved, then turned to Uiru.
 "You're so cute! Here, meet my other Pokémon." Uiru called out Butterfree and Sandshrew. "Meet my new Pikachu, guys!"
 Butterfree and Sandshrew made friends with Pikachu instantly. While they talked to each other in their own language, Matt came over to look at Pikachu.
 "You know, if that guy's been trying for a long time to make his Pikachu evolve, it's probably at a really high level. It'll be just the thing to take down Kabuto."
 "Great! I wonder when we'll run into Allison again? She is SO dead!" Uiru recalled his three Pokémon. "Come on guys, we got work to do!"

 Uiru and Matt made it to Persimmon City without incident. Sandshrew had learned a new ability called Swift, and was working on perfecting it. Butterfree was learning how to Confuse enemy Pokémon with it's Confusion and Supersonic attacks. Pikachu was working on it's Agility. Matt's Pokémon were doing well too. Bulbasaur had learned Razor Leaf fighting the Pokémon they met on the path. Bellsprout was beginning to learn the Powder attacks. And Paras was mastering the Spore power.
 "What's that special Grass type you wanted to catch?" Uiru asked as they headed into the city.
 "It's a very strange Pokémon that looks like a clump of eggs," Matt answered. "It's got Psychic powers as well as Grass. I think it's called Exeggcute."
 "Exeggcute? That's the wierdest name I've ever heard. Where do we find it?"
 "In the forest west of town," Matt replied. "Let's head out right now, okay?"
 After curing up their Pokémon, Uiru and Matt didn't make it three steps out when they were challenged by a trainer.
 "You guys trainers?" the girl asked. It wasn't Allison, but it was- in Uiru's opinion- someone much cuter.
 "Yeah, we are," Matt replied. "You wanna fight us?"
 "I wanna fight him," she replied, pointing at Uiru.
 "All right, fine. How many Pokémon?" he asked.
 "Two on two works for me," she replied.
 "Okay. I have three, but I can still win with two! Sandshrew, I choose you!"
 "All right, fine! Cubone, go!"
 Sandshrew opened up with a Swift attack. Dozens of tiny stars fired from Sandshrew's body and flew at Cubone. Cubone spun it's bone club, blocking all the stars!
 "What? It can't do that! Swift ALWAYS hits!" Uiru shouted.
 "It did hit, but it didn't hurt," Matt told him. "Try another strategy."
 "Cubone, Bonemerang!"
 "Sandshrew, Dig!"
 Sandshrew dug underground and blasted Cubone from underneath. Unfortunately, the Bonemerang came back and hit Sandshrew right in the back of the head!
 Sandshrew collapsed. It tried to get up but couldn't. "Return! Pikachu, go!"
 "I'll show you my other Pokémon now! Cubone, come back! Machop, go!"
 "It's a good thing she recalled Cubone," Matt announced. "Pikachu can't touch Cubone."
 "It's a Ground type, right?" Uiru asked. Matt nodded. "All right! Pikachu, Thundershock!"
 Machop dodged the electric bolt and hit Pikachu with a Karate Chop! It countered with a Thunder Punch, then gave Machop a supershock.
 "Yeah, that's the way!" Uiru cheered. "Quick Attack!" Machop tried to Chop Pikachu again, but Pikachu whipped around and kicked it first. Machop jumped up and hit Pikachu with it's Low Kick attack!  "Machop, Submission!" the girl ordered. Machop grabbed Pikachu and used a submission hold! It dropped Pikachu to the ground.
 "Oh damn! Pikachu!"
 "One more Karate Chop," the girl declared.
 Machop wound up for a super chop!
 In the blink of an eye, something appeared next to Pikachu, grabbed it and vanished! Then Pikachu appeared next to Uiru. A flash later, and there was something else battling Machop!
 It took a few seconds for the events to register. "Huh? How did Pikachu get over here?" Uiru asked. He picked Pikachu up.
 "HEY! You cheater! It's only two on two!" the girl shouted.
 "I only have three Pokémon, and that one isn't one of them!" Uiru replied.
 "It's an Abra!" Matt announced. "And... it's fighting hand-to-hand with Machop?"
 "Aren't Abra Psychic types?" Uiru asked. "I thought they didn't like to physically fight."
 "This one does," Matt replied. Abra matched Machop at every kick, hit and chop.
 "I beat you," the girl declared. "This Abra just happened to attack me. I'll catch it after Machop weakens it!"
 "You don't actually expect Machop to win, do you?" Matt replied. "Machop is weak against Abra."
 "Besides, I want the Abra!" Uiru added.
 "Everyone be quiet. I'll just try to catch it now! Poké Ball, go!" The girl threw a Poké Ball at Abra. Abra teleported out of the way! It reappeared next to Uiru. Like a small child, Abra grabbed Uiru's pant leg, then looked pointedly at the girl.
 "You want to come with me?" Uiru asked. Abra nodded. "All right! Hop aboard!" Abra willfully entered Uiru's Poké Ball.
 "So Abra happens to like you," the girl announced. "I still won the battle."
 "I know. You're a good trainer," Uiru replied. "What's your name?"
 Before the girl could answer, someone shouted a challenge. "Uiru!"
 "Did you hear that Matt?" Uiru asked. "It sounded like the wind blowing."
 "No, not the wind," Matt answered. "But something with a lot of hot air."
 "YOU shut up!" Allison shouted. She approached Uiru and Matt from the Pokémon Center. "So, you just got whipped, eh? Figures. You're a crap trainer, Uiru!"
 "I did not get whipped! I lost one fight and got an Abra during it. Give me five seconds to cure my Pokémon and I'll kick your head in."
 "You know her?" the girl asked Uiru.
 "Yeah. Of all the people I know, she's the biggest pain in the-"
 "Uiru!" Allison inturrupted. "Let's play a game. Me and her against you two."
 "Between us, we have seven Pokémon," Matt declared. "You two only have five, unless you caught another one."
 "No, not yet," Allison admitted. "But I will, soon."
 "I want to cure my Pokémon first," the girl stated. "Then we'll battle."
 "I need to cure mine too," Uiru added. "You, Matt?"
 "Nah, mine are in good shape," Matt replied.

  A moment later, Uiru and the new girl came out of the Center with fully powered up Pokémon. Always the gentleman, Uiru held the door for the lady.
 "So what are we gonna do about our two-Pokémon advantage?" Matt asked Uiru.
 "Don't worry about that," the girl grinned. "I actually have three Pokémon, and trust me- it'll make up the difference."
 "You sure about that?" Allison asked. The girl nodded.
 "So how are we gonna run this? Tag team? Or two VS two?" Matt asked.
 "Two VS two," the three answered in unison.
 "All right, let's get it on! Butterfree, I choose you!" Uiru began.
 "Bellsprout, I choose you!" Matt declared.
 "Cubone, come out!" the girl shouted.
 "Mankey, go!" Allison announced.
 "I'll take Mankey, you deal with Cubone! Butterfree, Confusion!" Uiru knew that in this first round, he and Matt had a large advantage.
 Butterfree geared up and fired a blast of PSY power at Mankey, damaging it heavily. But Mankey wasn't gonna give up that easily. It charged Butterfree and attacked with Karate Chop, which Butterfree barely dodged.
 Bellsprout got belted by Cubone's Bone Club attack, but retaliated by capturing Cubone with Vine Whip and blasting it with Absorb. Cubone couldn't stand up to the assault and fainted. Bellsprout replenished it's HP from the Absorb attack. "Cubone, return! Machop, I choose you!"
 Although none of the trainers were advanced enough to know this, Bellsprout still had the advantage as Fighting type attacks are ineffective on Poison Pokémon.
 Butterfree blasted Mankey from behind with a powerful Tackle, which finally knocked it unconscious. Only Butterfree's amazing agility kept it from being squashed. "Mankey, return! Kabuto, attack!"
 "Damn, it's that Kabuto thing again! Butterfree, return! Pikachu, I choose you!"
 "Bellsprout, Vine Whip Kabuto!" Matt shouted. Bellsprout attacked Kabuto with the same tactic it used on Cubone- trap it and drain it's HP. However, Kabuto was a lot more powerful then Cubone was. And at that moment, Machop gave Bellsprout a furious thrashing that sent it back to Matt's Poké Ball. Kabuto, still spinning from Bellsprout's pummeling, soon got blasted sky-high by Pikachu's mighty Thunderbolt. But it was still kicking, and retaliated with a viscious Slash attack.
 "Bulbasaur, help Pikachu!" Matt shouted. Bulbasaur appeared and began giving Kabuto a lashing from afar with Vine Whip. Kabuto finally had it. "Return! Beedrill, go!"
 "Machop, Mega Punch!" the new girl ordered. Machop wound up and gave Pikachu a mighty blast, sending it to dreamland before it hit the ground. "Pikachu, return! Abra, go!"
 Again, Abra and Machop began their fighting match. Bulbasaur, on the other hand, had it's hands full dealing with the Bug-Poison Beedrill. Vine Whip and Razor Leaf were apparently ineffective, and it's Twineedle attack was sapping Bulbasaur's strength.
 "I don't think Bulbasaur can win that battle!" Uiru shouted.
 "You're damn right it can't!" Allison shouted. "Beedrill, Pin Missile!"
 "Better switch tactics," Matt decided as Bulbasaur got hit with dozens of tiny spears. "Bulbasaur, return! Paras, I choose you!"
 "You know, I'd love to know where that Abra learned to fight like that," the girl mentioned to Uiru.
 "Yeah, me too. It's good, isn't it?"
 "If I didn't know what it was, I'd swear it was a Fighting type."
 "Well, Abra don't learn any of their Psychic attacks until they evolve, so this one must have learned to battle while it waited to evolve," Uiru speculated. "Even when it does evolve, the combination of incredible fighting and mental ability will make it a force to behold."
 "Will you two shut up and fight?" Allison shouted.
 Uiru and the girl pointed at Abra and Machop. "We're not getting in the middle of that," they both answered at once. Allison sighed. "Beedrill, Agility! Fury Attack!"
 "Paras, Leech Life!"
 Paras got nailed by Beedrill's furious stinging rampage, but healed some of the damage by draining Beedrill's HP with Leech Life. Then, when Beedrill was preparing for it's final charge, Paras unleashed it's secret power- Spore!
 Beedrill got hit with the cloud of sleep spores while it was charging, and instantly fell asleep. It then crashed into the ground. "DAMN!! Return!" Allison was out, but if the girl could beat them she wouldn't lose to Uiru and Matt.
 Abra finally struck Machop with a Seismic Toss attack. The worn-out Pokémon returned to it's Poké Ball.
 "So, what's your secret Pokémon?" Matt asked.
 "I'll give you a hint! My name is Jessica, from Turquoise Lake!"
 "And that should mean what...?" Uiru asked.
 A terrified look crossed Matt's face. "You don't mean... Turquoise Lake? Where all the ghosts are?"
 "You got it!" Jessica laughed. "Gastly, I choose you!"
 "What's that thing?" Uiru asked. "It looks like a cloud with a ball."
 "That THING is a Ghost type Pokémon!" Matt shouted. "It's got NO weaknesses!"
 Uiru looked at him. "No weaknesses?" Abra gave Gastly the same fearless glare it gave all it's opponents, and prepared to attack! Gastly laughed.
 "All right! Go blow him off the planet Jessica!" Allison cheered.
 "Paras, Spore!" Matt shouted. "Put it to sleep, quick!" Paras fired it's cloud of sleep powder at Gastly. It had no effect!
 "Gastly, show Paras how it's done! Hypnosis!" Gastly used it's Psychic power to lull Paras into a deep sleep. Paras was out, and so was Matt.
 Abra charged Gastly and attacked with Double Kick! The attack went straight through Gastly! Abra crashed to the ground.
 "Without Psychic power, Abra can't even touch Gastly," Uiru realized. "Abra, return! Sandshrew- I choose you!"
 This was it. Uiru VS Jessica. Sandshrew VS Gastly.
 "Gastly, Night Shade!" Sandshrew was covered in an eerie black light that exploded and sent it flying! It landed on it's feet and charged, attacking with a powerful Slash attack! Like Abra before it, Sandshrew went through Gastly like there was nothing in it's way. Sandshrew whipped around and charged again.
 "This isn't working! You've got to be able to hit this thing with SOMETHING!" Uiru complained.
 "Physical attacks won't touch a Ghost type, but other kinds of attacks will!" Matt suggested.
 "All right then, Sandshrew! Use Dig attack!"
 Jessica knew what type Dig was, and she also knew how it would affect Gastly's hidden weak point. "Gastly, evade!" she shouted.
 Too late.
 Sandshrew blasted up from the earth, nailing Gastly with a supercharged blast of Ground power. Gastly's second type- Poison- was weak against Ground type maneovers. Gastly started to fade!
 "Oh no... Gastly, return!"
 "All right!" Uiru shouted. "We beat them!"
 "Incredible teamwork!" Matt agreed.
 "Now we need to heal our Pokémon AGAIN," Uiru announced. The four turned to the Pokémon Center, and were greeted by the sight of video cameras.
 "What's all this?" Allison asked.
 "Are they taping us?" Matt asked.
 "Hey, you guys!" Uiru shouted. "What are you doing?"
 "We're from The Pokémon Report," one of the cameramen answered. "We got your entire battle start to finish on tape! With your permission, we'd like to use it on our show this week."
 The four looked at each other. "Sure, I guess," Uiru answered.
 "Great! Bye!" The two cameramen ran off.
 Matt shrugged. "Oh well. It's getting late. We should stay at the Center tonight," Matt suggested.
 Allison nodded. "I won't bother you tonight Uiru, but tomorrow morning I'm leaving. And when I find you again, I'll beat you."
 "Okay, truce for tonight. There's time for war tomorrow." Uiru held the door as they entered. They gave their Pokémon to the nurse and then went to get something to eat.

Chapter Three
 Meanwhile...

 In the clichéd abandoned warehouse district of Persimmon, a peculier meeting was taking place.
 "Check this out Booster," a woman with wavy blue hair named Showers began. "There are some powerful young trainers just leaving town."
 "We caught them on tape having a big battle," a man with a shock of bright yellow hair named Thunders added. "They're young, and they only have baby Pokémon, but they've got talent." Thunders put the tape in the VCR and Booster, a tall man with short puffy red hair, observed Uiru and Matt battling Jessica and Allison.
 "A Kabuto? Where did that girl get a Kabuto?" Booster asked.
 "We don't know," Showers answered. "I thought Kabuto were extinct."
 "They are," Thunders stated.
 "Interesting. This girl may be of use to us. Bring her here, tonight."
 "Yes sir!" Showers and Thunders replied.
 Booster leaned back in his chair. "The Boss would like to have this girl in the ranks," he muttered to himself. "These other three trainers are talented, as well. See if you can't get the four of them here."
 "We won't fail, sir!" Thunders promised. With that, they departed.
 Booster held up the Poké Ball that contained his favorite Pokémon- Flareon. "A few new recruits for the Boss's army... I think he'd like that a lot."

 "Then Metapod slammed Pincir right between the eyes!" Uiru shouted. The four were still up, telling tales of their short but promising journeys.
 "Why didn't you CAPTURE it?!" Allison shouted. "Pincir are really strong!"
 "I tried, but Metapod hit it a little too hard," Uiru explained. "You can't catch fainted Pokémon."
 "My Cubone took down a Mr. Mime once," Jessica began. "Stupid thing. It thought it was in a box. Cubone nearly put it in a casket."
 "Mr. Mimes have great defencive powers, but their attacks suck," Matt stated. "I think all it can do is DoubleSlap you."
 "Isn't it a Psychic type like my Abra?" Uiru asked.
 "It is," Allison confirmed. "Call Abra out, Uiru. It's cute."
 "Okay. Abra, come out!" Uiru shouted. In a flash of light, the psycho fighter Abra had appeared.
 "It's so cute!" Jessica stated. "I never noticed before."
 "That's because it was kicking the crap out of Machop," Allison explained. "Isn't it adorable!"
 Abra was enjoying the attention it was getting.
 Matt grinned at Uiru. "Your Abra is a babe magnet."
 "Oh shut up!"
 The nurse came in and clapped her hands. "All right everybody, it's cerfew. Time to go to sleep."
 Some of the other trainers in the lounge headed for the sleeping area. Uiru recalled Abra.
 "How big are the dorms here?" Uiru asked. "There sure are a lot of trainers."
 "Yeah. It would be a shame if we had to share," Matt cracked. Allison hit him. "Ow!"
 "Don't worry, there's more then enough room," the nurse replied.
 Matt grinned and snapped his fingers. Allison hit him again.
 "You know, he's doing that on purpose," Jessica muttered to her.
  "I know," Allison replied. "And he'd better stop it too. Or he'll get HURT."
 Uiru and Matt laughed.
 The nurse clapped her hands again. "Enough! Get to bed now!" she scolded. "You trainers are all the same. Stay up all night, then at the crack of dawn head out again. You need to sleep or you'll get eaten by something." The four filed into the dorm area. "Good. Good night, everyone." The nurse headed out to the front desk to await the night shift replacement.
 The dorms consisted of little more then a bunch of bunk beds thrown in a large room, with enough space for trainers to get in and out of them. Uiru and company got two bunks in the corner.
 "I get the top!" the four cried at once. After a short but furious shoving match, Uiru made it to the top of one bunk and Jessica to the other. They got settled in.
 "This is like camp," Matt declared.
 "Yeah, but the food's better," Allison stated.
 "Will you guys be quiet, I want to sleep," Jessica muttered.
 "The nurse still has our Pokémon, right?" Uiru asked.
 "Yeah," Jessica yawned. "She put them all in this wierd machine that keeps them energized overnight."
 "Like a giant battery charger," Allison suggested.
 "I'm going to sleep. Good night everybody." Matt rolled over and instantly fell asleep.
 Uiru looked across to the other bunk. "Anata wa kawaii desu," he muttered under his breath. In English, 'You're cute'. Jessica opened an eye and winked at him. Uiru slammed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. Oh crap! She heard me!

 Matt awoke a few hours later to the sound of someone moving down the hall. Curious, he got up. He noticed Allison wasn't in bed. Must be in the john.
 He was incorrect. The person walking down the hall was the man known as Thunders, and in his arms was the unconscious form of Allison!
 "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Matt shouted. At the sound of his voice, Thunders started to run. Matt chased after him, pausing only to nail the big red button on the front desk marked 'EMERGENCY'. Within four seconds the entire Pokémon Center was wide awake.
 Thunders ran past the room where the nurse was checking up on the Pokémon. Matt dodged in, grabbed his three Poké Balls and resumed the chase. "Call the cops!" he shouted over his shoulder.
 Meanwhile, Uiru and Jessica were back in the dorm, which was full of complaining trainers.
 "Something's up! Come on!" Uiru said. They went to the nurse's office.
 "What's going on? Why did the alarm go off?" Jessica asked.
 "Your friend just tore out of here after he grabbed his Poké Balls," the nurse answered. "Some guy with yellow hair was kidnapping someone, I think. I've called the police-"
 "Must be Allison," Uiru declared. He grabbed his Pokémon and tossed Jessica's to her. "I'll hang onto Allison's," Jessica decided.

 Outside...
 "To hell with the Pokémon- I'm gonna tear you apart myself!" Matt shouted.
 "You? Tear ME apart?" Thunders laughed. "Go back to bed, boy, before you get hurt."
 Matt had chased Thunders to his rather expensive looking getaway vehicle. Thunders put Allison in the back seat and laughed at Matt again. "What are you gonna do, huh?"
 "Thunders, be quiet," came a female voice.
 "Thunders? That's the stupidest name I've ever heard!" Matt taunted.
 "I'm going to teach this kid a lesson, Showers," Thunders snapped at his partner.
 "Showers? Who named you people?" Matt asked. "Whoever they are, they deserve a beating almost as much as you two do. Let Allison go!" Matt was ready to rumble. Thunders was getting annoyed.
 "Come on then, boy," Thunders declared. "Give it all you've got, because you're going to need it."

 "There they are!" Uiru pointed. "Who're the wierdos with the hair?"
 "Matt's in trouble! Cubone, I choose you!"
 "Sandshrew, attack!"
 Showers saw them coming and calmly pulled out a Vaporeon! "Use the Bubblebeam, Vaporeon!" Showers shouted.
 Cubone and Sandshrew were out even before they reached the battlefield. "Return!"
 "I've got just the thing for that! Pikachu, open fire with Thunder Bolt!"
 While Uiru fought Showers and Matt fought Thunders, Jessica snuck around the battles and tended to Allison. "Are you okay? Are you awake?" she asked. She shook her slightly. "Come on, dammit, wake up!"
 "Where..." Allison began. "Where... am I?"
 "The back seat of some guy's car," Jessica answered. "Wait, I should rephrase that."
 "Where are my Pokémon?" Allison asked. Jessica handed them to her.
 "Come on, the boys need some help," Jessica stated as she helped Allison up.
 At that moment, Thunders threw a clump of powder in Matt's face, then whipped around and dumped some in Allison's! Both fell unconscious... again.
 "What is that stuff?" Jessica asked.
 "Parasect spores," Thunders answered. "Very dangerous. Notice I'm wearing the proper safety gloves."
 "You're so smart," Jessica deadpanned.
 Showers recalled her beat Vaporeon and jumped into the car. "Come on Thunders, grab the kid and let's go!"
 Thunders belted Jessica across the face, and while she was down, grabbed Matt and put him in the back of the car with Allison. Jessica looked up through tears to see Uiru smash Thunders in the gut, then whip around and nail him in the face with his elbow. Cursing all the way, Uiru proceeded to pound him.
 "We don't need this many distractions!" Showers muttered to herself. "Poliwrath, go!" Poliwrath knocked Uiru off Thunders and they both dove into the car. "We'll be back for you two later!" Showers shouted over her shoulder as they drove off.
 "Damn..." Uiru cursed as he watched the car drive off. He turned to Jessica. "Hey, are you okay?"
 "I'll be fine," she said softly. "He only hit me. But... what will we do about Matt and Allison?"
 "The nurse said she called the police. They must be there by now. We should go back to the Pokémon Center and tell them what happened," Uiru suggested. He helped her up.
 "That was... quite a thrashing you gave Thunders," Jessica stated on their way back to the Center. "Thanks."
 "For what?" Uiru asked.
 "For helping me... When he hit me, I saw you charge over and hit him like a freight train."
 "Oh, that..." Uiru turned a light shade of red.
 The mood was completely shattered when the nurse hailed them. "Hey you two!" she shouted. "Are you okay? Where's your friends?"

Chapter Four
 Uiru and Jessica told the police about Matt and Allison's abduction. Within moments the police cars were crusing down the road towards Persimmion City. In a little while, things seemed to calm down. Trainers who were awakened by the alarm offered to help, and after a while the police decided to let them.
 "Let us go!" Uiru demanded of the nurse.
 "No way!" The nurse was adamant. "You two have seen enough action for one night."
 "Our friends are in big trouble!" Jessica shouted at her.
 "I understand that, but I can tell your energy is almost gone. As soon as the adreneline wears off you'll both collapse anyway. You'd be putting yourselves and maybe others in danger. Now go to bed, and in the morning, if the police havn't found your friends, you can help. But I think they'll be found soon, the Persimmon Police Force are very good." The nurse looked at the red mark on Jessica's face. "Where did that come from?"
 Uiru used liberal amounts of colorful language to describe Thunders. Jessica just said, "Thunders hit me, and then Uiru hit him. Hard. Repeatedly."
 The nurse laughed. "Chivalry is not dead yet, then?" Uiru shrugged. "Now go to bed, the both of you. That awful mark should be gone by tomorrow." Uiru and Jessica knew it was pointless to resist. They allowed themselves to be marched back to the dorm.
 "You know," Uiru said as soon as the nurse had left, "I think that nurse is used to getting her own way."
 "Yeah," Jessica agreed. "She knows what's best. That's what makes a nurse a good nurse." She yawned. "Ow, that still hurts. And she's right, now I feel totally drained."
 Uiru yawned too. "Good night."
 "Good night."

 Matt awoke to find himself in a room with Thunders, Showers, and Allison. Within seconds of regaining consciousness, he charged Thunders. "Come on, Thunders, make my day!" Thunders simply pulled a revolver and pointed it at Matt. "On second thought... we can make that some other day..." Matt said slowly as he slowly sat down again.
 "Where are we?" Allison asked.
 "Persimmon," Showers answered. "Where exactly, we can't tell you. Somewhere well hidden, obviously."
 "What do you want us for?" Matt asked.
 "We'd like your Pokémon," Thunders started. Matt noticed he was holding his stomach.
 "Something happen to your gut?" Matt asked with sarcastic concern.
 "No," Thunders snapped.
 "You're going to steal our Pokémon? Why did you kidnap us, then?" Allison asked.
 "You're very inquisitive, you know that?" Showers commented.
 "Well, since SOMEBODY isn't enough of a man to fight hand to hand, there isn't much TO do, is there?" Matt glared at Thunders.
 "We don't like having to retrain Pokémon to obey new owners, so we like to get the trainer to help us as well," Showers explained.
 "Help you do what?" Allison asked.
 "Our boss will explain it all to you. He should be here in a few minutes." Thunders and Showers left.
 Allison checked to see if she still had her Pokémon. "Those morons! They didn't take our Pokémon!"
 "There's no sence trying to battle our way out," Matt replied. "There could be an army of trainers in here for all we know."
 "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do," Allison grinned. "Beedrill, come out!"
 "What are you going to do with Beedrill?" Matt asked.
 "Beedrill, punch out that window up there!" Allison ordered. Beedrill flew high up and found the window. With a single poke, the glass shattered. "Now go find Uiru and Jessica!" Allison said. "Tell them where we are!" Beedrill nodded and flew out the window.
 "Pretty good," Matt declared. "I wonder how long it'll take it to find them?"
 "Give it time," Allison replied.
 The conversation was cut short as the door swung open, to reveal the imposing form of Booster. "Allison, Matt. I'm happy to make your aquaintance."
 "Booster, I presume?" Matt asked.
 "Yes, I am Booster," he answered.
 "What do you want with us?" Allison asked again.
 "I'm just getting to that." Booster took out a Poké Ball and called out his Flareon. "In another part of the world, one that you've never heard of, there is a large war going on. My commander is in charge of defending a certain part of that continent. The invaders favor Fire type Pokémon, and my commander's troops don't have anything strong against Fire."
 "And what does this have to do with us?" Matt asked.
 "Simple. We want your help, or at least, your Pokémon."
 Matt laughed. "My three Pokémon are Grass types. They won't be of any help to you."
 "And you're not getting my Kabuto," Allison declared. "I caught it myself with only a Mankey. If you want one, go catch your own."
 "We aren't interested in taking your Kabuto," Booster started. "Myself, Thunders and Showers... We are not heartless trainers. We understand the bond between a Pokémon and it's trainer. We aren't the bad guys here."
 "You kidnapped us," Matt replied. "So don't act innocent."
 "We kidnapped you because we can't risk wasting time. Our people need the help of any trainer they can, right now. The invaders are the evil ones. They use their Pokémon to inflict pain and suffering on our people." Booster's fists clenched. "You two, and your friends, I can see you're all very skilled trainers. There'll be a chopper coming tomorrow at noon to pick up the new recruits. You two will stay here until then. I'll have Showers bring you something to eat in a little while."
 There was silence for a long time. "Hey Allison... Are you okay?" Matt noticed she looked very upset.
 "I wonder... I wonder if they've taken Charteruse yet..."
 "Charteruse, your hometown? What about it?"
 Allison looked straight at him. "Do you even know where Charteruse is?"
 "No, I..." Matt gasped. "Is Charteruse under attack?"
 Allison nodded. "It must be by now. My parents sent me to Turcott Park when they heard the invaders were on their way. I decided then and there that I was gonna be a trainer, so I could go back and fight for my town." She was quiet for a minute, then went on. "I was so mad, I'd attack anything that got in my way, to power up my Pokémon. I actually had Kabuto before I caught that Weedle, I just told Uiru Beedrill was my first. I don't hate him or anything, I just wanted my Pokémon to win so they'd get stronger."
 "I see..." Matt said.
 "Matt, I... I know I'm not ready, but I'm going to fight. Will you... come with me?"
 "Allison... I'll help you."
 Allison smiled at him. Then she laughed.
 "What's so funny?" Matt asked.
 "If Beedrill finds Uiru and Jessica, they're going to flatten this place," Allison answered. "Do you think we should tell Booster?"
 "Yeah," Matt agreed. "They should still be at the Pokémon Center. That nurse would never let them leave before they got some sleep." Matt grinned. "Booster should send that nurse to the front lines. She'd teach those invaders a lesson."
 Allison laughed. "Where's Showers? I'm hungry now."

 Ring ring ring, ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!
 The nurse yawned. "Who could be calling this early in the morning?" she asked herself. She picked up the reciever. "Hello, Pokémon Center. How may I help you?"
 "Hello, nurse?" Matt asked. "Is Uiru still there?"
 "Huh...? Oh, it's you, Matt!" Her fatique and irritation at being woken up disappeared. "Where are you, Matt? The city is in a spin!"
 "Don't worry, me and Allison are all right. I really need to speak to Uiru, if he's still there."
 "Hang on, I'll go get him," the nurse replied. A moment later, a groggy Uiru appeared. "Yes?"
 "You look like hell in the morning," Matt cracked.
 "Shut up."
 "Now listen, Uiru. Those guys that kidnapped us, they're on our side! Well, they're on Allison's side, but... It's a long story. Is Jessica still there?"
 "She should be," Uiru yawned.
 "Wake up Uiru, this is important!" Matt shouted. "Get Jessica and come down to this address." An address flashed on the bottom of the screen. "Me and Allison will be there."
 "Okay, I got it," Uiru replied, writing it down. He yawned.
 "By the way, if you see Beedrill, bring it with you, okay?" Matt asked. "We sent Beedrill out to find you, but that was before we got the full story."
 "Yeah, yeah, we're on our way," Uiru muttered. He hung up the phone as Jessica ran back into the Center.
 "Hey Uiru, look! It's Allison's Beedrill! I found it outside."
 Uiru sighed. "At least we don't have to look for it."
 "Pardon?"
 "Get your stuff, I'll explain on the way." Uiru yawned.

 Although the sun was shining, Uiru felt a fair bit of apprehension walking through the clichéd abandoned warehouse district.
 "Where did Matt say to meet us?" Jessica asked.
 "Right here," Uiru answered.
 "You don't think this is a trap, do you?" Jessica asked, looking around. "Uiru! It's Thunders!"
 Uiru spun and faced him, ready for a brawl in an instant. "What are you doing here? Where's Matt?"
 "He's here," Thunders answered. "We're all here. Come out, guys." Booster and Showers appeared, along with Matt and Allison.
 "My name is Booster," he began. "First of all, we apoligize for kidnapping your friends. As you can see, they're all right."
 "Guys, can I talk to Uiru alone?" Matt asked.
 Booster nodded. "We'll be at the Helipad. We've got a few hours before our ride comes." Booster, Showers and Thunders departed.
 "What's going on? What ride?" Uiru asked.
 "Uiru, this is gonna sound wierd, but those guys need our help," Matt replied.
 Matt and Allison told Uiru and Jessica all about what was happening.
 "So Charteruse might be under attack," Uiru stated after the lengthy explanation was over.
 "Yeah," Allison answered. "Can you help us Uiru? You'd be such a great help."
 "I... I guess so," Uiru decided. "Oh, that's right. We got you something Matt." He tossed him a Poké Ball. "We found an Exeggcute on the way, and I decided to catch it for you."
 "Hey, thanks!" Matt replied.
 "You owe me a Poké Ball."
 Matt grinned and tossed him one of his empty Poké Balls.
 "Will you come too Jessica?" Uiru asked.
 "All right," she agreed. "This could be looked at as a great Pokémon learning experience."
 "There's sure to be new Pokémon where we're going," Uiru added.
 "That's right! I never thought of that," Allison realized.
 "Let's go to the Helipad, guys," Matt suggested. "We're leaving in a few hours and we might be able to get some more information out of Booster."

 There were a few more trainers gathered at the Helipad when they arrived. Patrick was a Bug trainer, Nick was a Water trainer and Curtis was a Rock trainer.
 Uiru and company introduced themselves. It wasn't long before a seven-way Pokémon battle erupted. Uiru's Abra was doing great until Geodude attacked it. Then Geodude got beaten in by Cubone, who in turn fell to Tentacool. Pikachu took down Tentacool and was put to sleep by Paras, who was beaten by Machop.
 Booster, Showers and Thunders appeared on the scene. "Good, good!" Booster cheered. "You've all got such talent."
 "How about you take on our Pokémon?" Showers suggested. "Each of you pick one Pokémon to battle with. Vaporeon, go!"
 "Flareon, go!"
 "Jolteon, go!"
 "Sandshrew, I choose you!"
  "Bulbasaur, go!"
 "Mankey, attack!"
 "Time for battle, Gastly!"
 "Go, Venonat!"
 "I choose you, Psyduck!"
 "Go, Omanyte!"
 Much to the despair of the seven young trainers, the three Eons creamed them. They were much stronger then they were, and had more powerful attacks. Flareon took out Venonat and Bulbasaur with Flame Thrower, then Vaporeon attacked with Hydro Pump, which heavily damaged Sandshrew. Then Jolteon struck with Thunder, wounding Omanyte and Psyduck. Mankey and Gastly couldn't take any more after the triple elemental blast.
 Booster roared with laughter. "That's the real way to win!" he announced. "Teaming up Pokémon's abilities! Works every time!"
 "You cheap @%!$," Matt cursed. "And now our Pokémon are weakened."
 "We'll be stopping in Turquoise Lake first," Showers announced.
 "That's where I'm from!" Jessica exclaimed. "I havn't been home in a while..."
 "You'll have a little while to look around," Showers told her. "When we get there, we'll be boarding a ship that will take us to the battle."
 "There'll be a ton of trainers there," Thunders added. "After healing your Pokémon in Turquoise Lake, try not to get in any duels that will weaken your Pokémon. There won't be a chance to heal them when we enter enemy territory."
 "Our first target will be Charteruse City," Booster declared. "We'll be attacking in units. You seven, and us three, will be Fire Strike unit, under my leadership. Our first job will be to clean out the Flame Force from Charteruse City, and defend it from further attack."
 Showers pointed. "The chopper!"
 "All right, everyone! I hope you all used the can because it's a few hours to Turquoise." They waited until the chopper landed, then they all filed in. Before Uiru boarded the helicopter, he turned to Thunders.
 "For now, we're allies," he stated. "But you lay a hand on her or any of my friends again, and I don't care if we're in the pits of hell- I'll beat you to a bloody pulp."
 "Hey, I'm sorry about that," Thunders apoligized. "I won't do it again."
 "You didn't hit me," Uiru replied curtly.
 Thunders laughed. "You're right. You're an honorable kid, you know that?" He went to apoligise to Jessica.

Chapter Five
 Due to the noise in the chopper, there wasn't much chance for conversation. Uiru got Matt's attention and pointed. They were flying over Turcott Park.
 A few hours later, they landed in Turquoise Lake, the city renowned for it's Water, Electric and Ghost type Pokémon.
 "All right everyone, listen up. The ship's gonna be here in an hour, so don't go anywhere," Booster announced. Showers came up to him and whispered something in his ear. "What? Damn! I knew that idiot would screw up somehow." He turned to the trainers. "All right, never mind. The ship's busted, it won't be here until tomorrow evening. Be back here tomorrow afternoon, got it?" The trainers nodded.
 "I havn't caught a new Pokémon in a while," Uiru said to himself. "Besides Exeggcute, but that wasn't for me."
 "Let's go look for some new ones," Jessica suggested.
 "I'll come too," Allison decided. "Matt?"
 Matt was busy chatting with Patrick and Curtis. "He just got a new Pokémon, he won't want a new one for a while," Uiru said. "Besides, there's no Grass types around here, and that's all he's interested in."
 "Okay," Allison decided. "Where should we go, Jessica?"
 "Yeah, where are some good Pokémon?" Uiru added.
 "The Sea Caves are the best spot," Jessica told them. "It's got a few types of Water Pokémon, as well as a few Magnemites."
 "I already have an Electric Pokémon," Uiru said to himself. "But I could use a Water one."
 "I already have a Water type," Allison said. "I'll look for a Magnemite."
 "I'll get a Water type too, it'll help in the battle," Jessica decided.

 When they reached the Sea Caves, they were presented with a comical scene. A Magnemite was bullying a Staryu and a Squirtle. The two Water Pokémon tried to battle it but the water washed right off Magnemite's shell.
 "Aww, aren't they all so cute? Kabuto, I choose you!" Allison summoned her Kabuto.
 "Kabuto is weak against electricity," Uiru warned. "Why are you using it?"
 "Because I happen to know a few things about Electric Pokémon. One is that Magnemite does not learn any Electric attacks until it's almost ready to evolve. Kabuto, Scratch attack!"
 Magnemite tried to dodge it but Kabuto got it with it's claws. Magnemite then attempted to Tackle it, to no avail.
 The Squirtle and the Staryu tried to run, but Uiru and Jessica stopped them. "Hold up for just a second," Uiru declared. "Pikachu, go! Thundershock!"
 Pikachu blasted the two Water types with a jolt of electricity. "Now we capture them! Poké Ball, go!" Uiru caught Squirtle! Jessica caught Staryu!
 Meanwhile, Kabuto had sufficiently weakened Magnemite. Allison threw a Poké Ball, and caught it!
 "We're done! Let's go back to the others," Jessica decided. "And heal our new Pokémon."

 "Water types? Good plan!" Booster said when they told him what they were up to. "Your Sandshrew and Cubone are strong against Fire too."
 Booster had gotten them some lodgings at a nearby hotel, and the trainers were gathered in the lounge.
 "Hey, Booster," Patrick shouted. "What are me and Matt gonna do? All our Pokémon are weak against Fire."
 "I've been thinking of that," Booster said. "The Flame Force isn't stupid, they know someone might show up with a ton of Ground type Pokémon."
 "What about Water?" Nick asked.
 "There aren't any Water type Pokémon where we're going, so they don't consider them a concern. However, there are a lot of Ground and Rock types. So, they're bound to have a few units with Water types that they imported from other parts of the world in their ranks. And your Grass and Bug types are just the thing to deal with them."
 "Good plan!" Thunders piped up.
 "So battle your Pokémon conservatively until they appear, then go for them," Booster suggested.
 By now it was evening. Jessica stepped outside to get some air. Uiru took a deep breath, smoothed down his hair and followed her.
 "You know, I'm starting to get tired of all this talk about battles and fighting," Uiru said.
 "Yeah, me too," she agreed. "How did we get involved in this anyway?"
 "We're helping Allison," Uiru replied. Jessica nodded. "You hungry?" he asked.
 "Kinda," she answered. "We never did get any dinner, did we?"
 "Let's go get something to eat."
 Jessica grinned. "Uiru... Are you asking me out?"
 "Depends. Do I have to pay for it?"
 "Yes."
 "Oh, forget it then."
 She knew he was joking. "Come on," she said, taking his hand. "I know where we can go."
 From the window, Matt laughed.
 "What's so funny?" Nick asked.
 "Isn't that sweet. Uiru's taking Jessica out," Matt replied.
 "You mean that little cutie? Damn," Curtis swore. "I was gonna ask her out later on. What's the other's name? Allison?"
 "You stay away from her," Matt fake-warned. "Or my Grass Pokémon'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."
 "Okay, I hear you," Curtis laughed.
 "I'm sure they've got girls wherever the hell it is we're going," Patrick spoke up.
 "Yeah, but we'll be too busy fighting," Nick replied.
 "You never know. We might boot the Flame Force out of Charteruse really quick," Curtis stated.
 Showers and Allison came into the room. "All right people, hit the sack. Tomorrow's a big day," Showers announced.
 "Where's Uiru and Jessica?" Allison asked.
 "Out," Matt answered.
 "Where?"
 "OUT."
  "Oh..."

 An hour and a half later... Uiru and Jessica were heading back to the hotel.
 "Don't you want to visit your family?" Uiru suddenly asked.
 "Pardon?"
 "This is your hometown, isn't it?" Uiru asked. "Don't you want to see your family before we leave?"
 Jessica looked down. "No... Not really..."
 "Oh... I'm sorry, should I not have asked that?"
 "No, it's all right."
 They walked along in silence for a while.
 "I hate them," Jessica suddenly blurted.
 "Hate who?"
 "My... family..." she answered. "I hate them."
 "...May I ask why?"
 "Sure, go ahead."
 Uiru grinned. "Okay. Why?"
 "Because. My idiot parents are the types who think that little girls should wear dresses and have long hair and cook and clean and above all, stay as far away from Pokémon as they can."
 "Why do I get the feeling you would have none of that?"
 "I hate dresses, my hair's staying the way it is and I can't cook toast. And I'm going to keep training for as long as I like." She grinned. "You should have seen them freak out when they found out I had spent all my money on my Gastly."
 "You bought it?"
 "You didn't think I caught it, did you?" she asked. "No, some salesman was selling Pokémon and I said I wanted something cool. He said 'I normally don't sell these, but for p500 you can have this Ghost Pokémon I found a while ago'. I said 'Gimme' and I got my Gastly."
 "How long ago was that?"
 "About a year. When my parents found it, they tried to make me get rid of it, but I told Gastly to vanish and not reappear until they left me alone. They gave up after that."
 "Ah."
 "Then one day, they had company over. They had a boy a few years younger then me. He had a Charmander. I brought him out back and challenged him to a match. He lost. Big time. He ran to his mommy crying 'Mommy, mommy, that girl's nasty Ghost Pokémon hurt my Charmander'. I didn't even do that much to it. Gastly only Licked it and used Night Shade. It must have been a lot weaker then I thought."
 Uiru nodded. "Night Shade does damage equal to the user's EXP level," Uiru said. "If Gastly was at a much higher level then that Charmander, one Night Shade would probably finish it."
 "It finished it all right," Jessica replied. "Anyway, my parents' friends were upset, so my parents are like 'Jessica, we thought we told you to get rid of that awful Pokémon' and I said 'Yeah, and I thought I said no' and then they completely flipped out and went off like 'Get it out of our house this instant!' and I said 'Fine! I'll take it out, and go with it!' and left."
 "Did they ask you to come back?"
 "They ordered me a few times, but I ignored them."
 "And you don't miss them at all?"
 "Nope. All they did was crab at how 'unladylike' I was. It was miserable. Training Gastly was the only fun I had, and they tried really hard to stop that. I've been having a blast with you and Allison and Matt though."
 "That's good. You sound like you deserve a good time."
 "Well... I've been having a good time tonight." She took his hand. He turned red. She smiled, and blushed slightly as well.
 "I'm having fun too," Uiru answered.
 "Good. Oh damn, we're almost at the hotel. I'm not done talking yet."
 "We can walk around the block."
 "This is a big city. It'll take us half an hour to get around the block."
 "Fine with me."
 "Me too." She smiled again. "So I took off towards Persimmon. I passed through Turcott Park, but only stayed long enough to heal my Gastly. I looked in a cave and found a Cubone there, so I caught it. And when I reached Persimmon, I found a Machop that someone had abandoned. I caught it, took it to the Center and cured it. I hung around Persimmon for a while, learning more about Pokémon and training my three. Then I decided to go to Cobalton, and I ran into a young trainer and his buddy, whom I soundly trounced." She laughed. "And then an Abra showed up and saved that young trainer's Pikachu, and when I tried to catch it, that trainer took it instead."
 "Oh, you mean ME," Uiru laughed.
 "Yes, you," Jessica replied.
 "Ah. Just checking," he grinned. "Some guy gave me that Pikachu. He couldn't get it to evolve, so when he tried to leave it at the Pokémon Center I offered to take it. I found a Caterpie and in one day it turned into a Metapod and then a Butterfree. It's a real fighter. And after it evolved- by beating Pincir, which I told you about already- I found a Sandshrew."
 "Ah." They walked in silence for a few minutes. "Uiru..."
 "Yes?"
 "What happens... What happens if something happens to us at this battle? I think it's a lot more serious then any of us realize."
 "Hmm, I think you're right," Uiru stated.
 "I mean, Fire Pokémon are dangerous, and if their trainers are as bad as Booster's been saying... None of us even has a full compliment of Pokémon yet, and we're going to fight in a war?"
 "Don't worry... We won't be alone. We're in Fire Strike unit, right? Booster says there'll be at least two dozen units like ours working to take back Charteruse City. And he said we won't even be on point, we'll be helping defend territory taken by other, more powerful units."
 "Oh... That's a little different, but it'll still be really dangerous," Jessica replied.
 "Booster's got this all planned out. When units land, their choppers are going to stay, and if the unit gets in trouble they can hop in and leave. The Flame Force has no air offence or defence. Then the chopper flies to the small base they've already got set up, the Pokémon are cured and trainers who can still fight are back in action in 15 minutes."
 "Well, I'm still a bit edgy. It IS a war, after all."
 "It is, but don't worry. Remember, we've got the mighty Fighting Abra to protect us." They laughed. "Oh, we're back again. I think we should head in now," Uiru said.
 "Yeah," Jessica agreed. "We must do this again."
 "Yes, we must."

Chapter Six
 By noon, the Fire Strike unit was assembled at the docks. Other trainers were beginning to drift in. In a couple of hours, there were easily three hundred trainers assembled. Higher-ranking officials started handing out supplements.
 "What are these?" Matt asked.
 "Feed them to your Pokémon," the officer replied. "They'll increase their power slightly. A small but crucial edge."
 "How many do you have?" an officer asked Uiru.
 "Five," he answered.
 "All right, here you are." He gave him 20 suppliments. "One of each color for each."
 Jessica tapped Uiru on the shoulder. "How do you feed a Staryu?"
 Allison looked at her 16 suppliments. "Are these things safe?"
 "Yeah, they've been tested by the Pokémon Health Board for years," the officer replied.
 "Hey, that's my Krabby," Nick complained.
 "Sorry," the trainer apoligized. "It looks like my Krabby."
 "That's okay."
 A megaphone boomed. "All right everyone, your ship's about to come in." It was the voice of Booster. "In an hour or so, we'll be departing to Charteruse City. When you get on the ship, stay with your Unit Leader. Some of you will be attacking Charteruse, some of you will have other duties. Your Unit Leader will explain your exact mission to you, if they havn't already. Now remember, we're going to be assaulted with mostly Fire type Pokémon, so if you've got more then six choose your team wisely. If your Pokémon are weak against Fire, it would probably be best to stay out of the way until something of another element comes along. We are expecting a few Water type Pokémon, but not many. And most importantly, THIS IS WAR. Your Pokémon fight until they faint. Don't be afraid to get physical with other trainers, if nessessary. And listen to your Unit Leader." Booster paused to take a swig of water, then continued. "You've all been chosen to fight in this war because you're talented trainers. We're expecting the best out there. Are we gonna get it?!"
 There was a resounding 'YEAH' from the assembled trainers.
 "You ready to blast the Flame Force off the planet?!"
 Another resounding 'YEAH', even louder then before.
 "Are your Pokémon going to kick ass until they evolve, then kick more ass?!"
 A third 'YEAH' rocked the docks.
 "Are you going to give me all your money?!"
 The crowd got out half a 'YEAH' before they realized what he had said. They booed.
 Booster cracked up laughing. "All right, fine, be cheap. Give 'em hell like I know you can!"
 The trainers cheered.

 The boat was no luxury liner. Thunders came on the PA system and told everyone to get something to eat and to go to sleep.
 "I... don't... feel... well..." Matt groaned.
 "Seasick?" Uiru asked.
 "Shut up..."
 Uiru laughed. "I don't get seasick unless I eat something."
 "I don't get seasick at all," Allison piped up.
 "Hey guys, Booster wants to talk to us," Nick announced. "Follow me." They followed him to where the rest of Fire Strike was assembled.
 "All right, guys, this is it," Booster announced. "Our orders have been finalized. Our first target will be the Pokémon Center in Charteruse. Two other units will defend us while we take back the Center. We're going to fly in on heli and land right on the Center. After we take the Pokémon Center our job will be to guard it until further notice. If the Flame Force can't get at the Center, they'll be at one hell of a disadvantage. Other units will be taking the Poké Marts."
 "Get some rest now," Showers suggested. "We'll be arriving at the base in a few hours."
 "And make sure you use the john first!" Thunders added.

 The chopper flew high over the land. The seven young trainers saw what should have been grassland- plains of burned devistation. Nothing moved. Everything was red or black.
 "What's happened here?" Nick shouted after a painful silence.
 "The Flame Force," Booster replied. "Unbelieveable, isn't it?"
 "The destruction of nature is only part of it," Showers announced. "Hundreds of people and Pokémon were killed in the battles."
 "Killed?!" Matt was starting to have second thoughts about this.
 "The Flame Force is vicious. We have to be equally aggressive," Thunders declared.
 "Hey, look over there!" Uiru pointed at Charteruse. A row of Blastoise's fired their hydro cannons at the Chateruse guards and their Fire Pokémon.
 "Well, now they know we're coming," Showers said. "Hopefully the main force will be out to meet those Blastoise's so the rest of us can get in."
 "Remember- they fight until they faint," Booster stressed again. "If your Pokémon gets hurt, switch it. When we retake the Center, we'll heal them. Got it?"
 "Got it!" they shouted.

 Three helicopters landed on the Pokémon Center grounds- one on top of the Center itself. The Fire Pokémon that ran out to meet them were assailed by numerous Water Pokémon attacks. Fire Strike unit entered the Pokémon Center.
 Booster looked around. There were two ways to go in the Center. "All right, split up into two groups. Uiru, Nick, Matt and Jessica with me!"
 "Good luck!" Allison shouted.
 There were a few Flame Force guards in the Center, but they were easily defeated. "What do we do with them?" Nick asked.
 "Tie 'em up!" Booster shouted. "We don't need them running around getting in our way." Bulbasaur restrained the guards while Booster tied them up.
 "We'll put them all in one place later," Booster decided. "For now, we've got to take out the rest them."
 "More coming this way!" Nick shouted. "Psyduck, Krabby, go!"
 "Staryu, attack!"
 "Squirtle, go!"
 The enemies threw Poké Ball after Poké Ball at them, but they couldn't get through the Water defence. They knew they couldn't win.
 "Let's get out of here!" one of the guards shouted. They tried to run, but Staryu hovered after them and clonked them in the head. Then Bulbasaur caught them with it's Vine Whips.
 On the other side...
 "Paras, attack!" Patrick summoned his Bug-Grass type, Paras, to battle the Water Pokémon they were being assailed by.
 "Jolteon, go!" Thunders ordered.
 "I choose you, Magnemite!"
 Paras sent a cloud of Stun Spore over the enemy party, which affected some of the Pokémon but most of the trainers. Jolteon sent a huge bolt of Thunder through Magnemite, who rerouted the energy into a Thunder Spray, hitting all the enemies and some of the trainers. Those who weren't Paralyzed before, were now.
 "Great shot Magnemite!" Allison congradulated. They quickly tied them up and put them out of the way. They charged down the hall. Allison heard something coming from a side room. She looked in.
 "Look at this weak thing," a Flame Force soldier sneered. "I heard it lost to a Grass type."
 "A Grass type? This Growlithe must really suck if a Grass type beat it." He kicked it. It whelped and growled at him. "Ha! Look at it. Have you ever seen such a wussy Pokémon?"
 "Hey, leave it alone!" Allison shouted. "Kabuto, I choose you! Slash attack!" Kabuto blasted the soldiers with it's Slash. They ran, bleeding from multiple slash wounds. "You poor thing, are you okay?" Allison asked. The Growlithe whimpered. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Come with me and I'll get you all cured up, after I finish kicking these soldier's heads in." Growlithe nodded and barked. "Great! Come on then!" Growlithe jumped into her Poké Ball.
 "Hey, Allison? What's going on in here? We just caught two soliders who said they got ripped apart by a rock with claws." Showers entered the room.
 "They were being mean to a Growlithe," Allison answered. "I scared them away and now Growlithe is mine!"
 "Great! Come on then," Showers said. "We've got to finish cleaning out this place."

 It wasn't long before the Pokémon Center was theirs. Uiru decided to give Squirtle a break and started using Sandshrew to beat the Fire trainers.
 "Booster!" It was one of the defending Unit Leaders. "They're starting to overwhelm us. We need some help while we cure our Pokémon!"
 "All right. Showers, Uiru, Nick, Jessica. Go out and back them up!"
 "Right!" they replied.
 They ran outside. Vaporeon fired it's Hydro Pump at the invaders, while Krabby fired Bubbles that bounced over the defenders and struck the Flame Force. Staryu flew over them spraying Water Guns from each of it's points. It looked like a flying lawn sprinkler. Some of the guards who needed help ran into the Pokémon Center to heal up and rejoined the battle moments later.
 Uiru suddenly noticed a peculier sight. A Charmeleon was battling with three Sandshrew, and unfortunately, the Charmeleon was winning. Uiru's Sandshrew suddenly noticed this, and attacked!
 Charmeleon got belted right upside the head by Sandshrew. It went flying, but was back up in an instant. Sandshrew rallied the other three back into fighting shape, and they charged!
 Charmeleon launched a Flame Thrower attack at the four Sandshrew. Uiru's Sandshrew pushed two out of the way. These two attacked from the sides while the two hit by the fire recovered.
 "Sandshrew, use your Dig attack!" Uiru shouted. In unison, the four Sandshrew drilled into the earth. A moment later, they charged the Charmeleon from all sides. It fell!
 "Good shot Sandshrew!" Uiru cheered. "You're all doing great!"
 Charmeleon wasn't beat yet though. Glowering at the four Sandshrew, it began to glow!
 "Uh oh..." Uiru muttered. Charmeleon evolved into Charizard! "Oh crap!"
 Charizard launched another, much more powerful Flame Thrower at the Sandshrew brigade. Three of them collapsed. Uiru's Sandshrew was getting very angry at this point. It began to glow!
 Uiru gasped. "Sandshrew... is evolving!"
 Sandshrew evolved into Sandslash! Sandshrew was unusually large for a Pokémon, but Sandslash was gigantic. It was four and a half feet tall, had big spikes on it's back and it's claws were huge. When the other Sandshrew saw Sandslash, they were inspired to keep fighting. Again, they struggled to their feet.
 "Sandslash, Sandshrew!" Uiru shouted. "Use the Rock Slide!"
 The three Sandshrew stood around Sandslash and combined their power. Around them, chunks of solid concrete exploded. Trainers and Pokémon on both sides moved away and watched the show. Charizard flew up and circled around, preparing to dive at Sandslash. Some huge blocks of stone floated up into the air, then suddenly flew straight at Charizard!
 Charizard was blasted by the huge blocks of rock. It fell to the ground, totally unconscious.
 A quick moment of silence fell. "That's MY Sandslash!" Uiru shouted. "Who's next?!"
 The defenders cheered, and attacked anew with their Water and Ground type Pokémon. Some of the attackers ran.
 Three trainers went up to Uiru. "So, this is where our Sandshrew went!" they said. "Your Sandslash is amazing!"
 "Thanks!" Uiru shouted. "Your Sandshrew are real fighters, give them a Potion and they'll be ready to rumble!"
 "Can you teach our Sandshrew how to use Rock Slide?" a trainer asked. He picked up his Sandshrew.
 "They already know," Uiru replied. "My Sandslash's Rock Slide wouldn't have been as powerful if your Sandshrews weren't helping it." Sandslash came up to Uiru. "Hey, Sandslash! Congradulations!" Uiru hugged it- carefully.
 The other trainers congradulated Sandslash too. Their Sandshrews were ripping to get back to the battle, but their trainers took them inside to heal them first. Uiru decided to heal Sandslash too.
 "Hey, Booster! Check out what I got!" Uiru shouted.
 "Wow! So your Sandshrew evolved, huh?" Booster patted it on the head. "It looks really strong!"
 "It is! It and a few Sandshrew just took down a Charizard!"
 Jessica burst into the Center. "Uiru, help!" she shouted. "Machop's in big trouble! I can't recall it!"
 They ran out to the scene. A Magmar was holding Machop's arms while another pummeled it. "Staryu's watering the Pokémon over there and Cubone fainted. Help it!"
 "Sandslash, attack!" Uiru shouted. Sandslash bashed first the Magmar that was punching Machop and then the one holding it. Machop ran to Jessica. She picked it up. "Don't worry, it's okay," she said.
 Sandslash blasted one of the Magmar into oblivion. It fainted! The other, however, wouldn't fall so easily. It attacked with the ghostly power of Confuse Ray!
 It struck Sandslash! Although it did no damage, Sandslash was now totally confused!
 "In that state, it might hurt itself or someone on our side," Uiru moaned.
 The Magmar flew at Sandslash with a Fire Punch. It retaliated with a Slash, but missed.
 "Uiru, in that state, Sandslash wouldn't know if it's standing on it's head or not," Jessica warned. "It can't battle anymore until you cure it!"
 Machop was getting mad. When Magmar hit Sandslash with another Fire Punch, it jumped out of Jessica's arms and flew at it with a Jump Kick!
 "Machop, come back, you're injured!" Jessica shouted. "Oh, where's that damn Poké Ball?" She started searching her pockets for it.
 Meanwhile, Machop was giving Magmar a severe thrashing. Now that the other Magmar was unconscious, Machop had no problem beating it into a coma.
 Sandslash shook off it's confusion, then looked around for the Magmar. At the sight of Sandslash looking around for it's rival, Uiru laughed. "Machop took care of it, Sandslash," Uiru told it. "You better go cure your Pokémon."
 "I know. Thanks a lot!" Jessica took her Machop and Cubone in to get cured.

Chapter Seven
 "How goes the battle?" Booster asked his superiors.
 "We're doing fine," his commanding officer replied. "I heard about the Sandslash scaring half the troops away from the Pokémon Center."
 "Yeah, I found that kid myself."
 "We've totally barricaded the three Poké Marts from the Flame Force. A lot of them have either ran or have been captured."
 "By the way, sir, what do we do with the prisoners?" Booster had an impressive pileup in the Pokémon Center.
 "Release their Pokémon," Booster's CO answered. "Preferably into the woods. Then hold the trainers until we come to arrest them. Oh, hold on a second." Someone had to tell the CO something. "All right, there's a chopper with wounded trainers coming your way. Don't have that Sandslash knock it down or anything." The two laughed. "When you get the trainers off it, load the prisoners onto it. We'll deal with them."
 "Should we remove their Pokémon?" Booster asked.
 "No, we'll handle that."
 "Yes sir." The conversation was over.

 "Incoming chopper!" Curtis shouted.
 "Leave it! They're on our side!" Showers replied. By this time, the Flame Force had been beaten off the Pokémon Center grounds entirely. When the helicopter landed, the trainers helped the wounded into the Pokémon Center, then marched the prisoners out into it.
 "You'll have to come back for the rest," Thunders told the helicopter pilot.
 He nodded. "I'll be back with another load."
 "Okay." Thunders sent him on his way.
 Allison and Uiru were on the roof, looking over the city. "How're you holding up?" Uiru asked.
 "I'm fine," Allison replied. "We're winning, aren't we?"
 "We sure are," Uiru answered. "The Flame Force never saw it coming."
 Allison pointed at the helicopter. "What's that pilot doing?" she asked.
 "Huh...?" The chopper was changing direction! That meant only one thing. "Hey Thunders!" Uiru shouted down to him. "The captured trainers have taken over the helicopter!"
 "What? Damn! I better tell Booster!" He ran inside.
 "Butterfree, go!" Uiru shouted.
 "Beedrill, I choose you!" Allison added.
 "Hey Staryu, come here!" Uiru shouted. It floated over to him. "You three go up and help that helicopter pilot, okay?" They nodded and flew up.
 Butterfree assailed the entire thing with it's Confusion attack. Beedrill blasted open the door and Staryu floated up to the pilot. While the prisoners were confused, he jumped out onto Staryu. It effortlessly floated out of the way while Beedrill fired it's Pin Missile into the chopper. Butterfree combined it's Stun Spore and it's Whirlwind moves to blow the paralyzing powder over the prisoners. Then Staryu returned the pilot and he resumed course.
 "Yeah!" Allison shouted. "Look! Butterfree, Beedrill and Staryu are escorting the heli the rest of the way!"
 Booster ran out into the plaza. "Okay, what's going on?!" he shouted.
 "Don't worry!" Uiru shouted. "We took care of it!"
 Booster shook his head and laughed. "You kids are something else, you know that?"

 Later that night...
 "We got a call from the Flame Force," Booster's CO informed him. "They said, and I quote, 'You can have Charteruse, but we'll be back to wipe you off the map.'"
 "Idle threats," Booster replied. "What's our next move?"
 "Some new rebel faction called the Rock Brigade are on their way to a town not far from Charteruse," the CO replied. "I want Fire Strike over there to defend it tomorrow evening."
 "Just Fire Strike unit?" Booster asked.
 "The Rock Brigade is a lot smaller then the Flame Force. But, take a few other units with you. Not many, though. We need to defend Charteruse."
 "I'll take five."
 "Yes, five should do."
 "How are we doing elsewhere?" Booster inquired.
 The general sighed. "We're doing all right. The Flame Force is being really stubborn but we're starting to regain control. They assaulted our base twice this week and we beat them back, but they're getting stronger all the time. And the Rock Brigade is really being annoying."
 "I'll take my squad over to Sapphire City right now," Booster declared. "We might get there before the Rock Brigade does."
 "You do that Booster. Good luck."

 Patrick yawned. "Can't wait to hit the sack," he said to himself. The young members of Fire Strike were hanging around the Pokémon Center. Allison and Jessica were admiring Allison's new Growlithe.
 "No time for that," Booster announced. "We're on the move again."
 "What? Why?" Nick asked.
 "Sapphire City is about to be invaded," Booster replied. "Fire Strike and a few other units are going to defend it."
 "By Flame Force?" Matt asked.
 "No, by a new legion called the Rock Brigade."
 "Great! My Grass types are strong on Rock types."
 "Good. Now come on! We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
 "What? We just finished one battle and we're going to fight another?" Curtis complained.
 "We're going to prevent another," Booster replied. "It's a few hours by heli so you can sleep on the way. Heal your Pokémon and come straight to the pad."
 "But-" they protested.
 "That's an order!" he shouted. "Showers! Thunders! Where the hell did you go to?" He stomped down the hall, searching for his subordinates.
 "Ah, damn," Matt complained. "At least my Grass Pokémon can fight this time."

 Fifteen minutes later- Booster made sure it was fifteen minutes later- the helicopters took off.
 "Get to sleep, if you can sleep with all this noise," Booster shouted. "We'll be there in a few hours."
 Uiru, Matt, Allison and Jessica were crunched together in the back. "Why can't they make these things a little bigger?" Jessica muttered.
 "Pardon?" Uiru asked.
 "I said, why can't they make these things bigger?"
 "They should work on making them quieter!" Uiru looked at Matt and Allison. They were asleep. "How the hell can they sleep? This thing is loud enough to wake the dead!"
 "It's an old chopper," Booster shouted from the front.
 "We're going to have the entire city up, you know that, right?" Uiru shouted.
 Matt hit him. "You've got ME up," he muttered. "Now shut up."
 Uiru plugged his ears and lay back. Might as well enjoy the ride, even if it deafens me.

 Eventually, the whirring of the rotor blades lulled them to sleep. When they landed, Booster woke them up and dragged them out of the 'copter.
 "Okay, it's a few hours 'til dawn," Booster said.
 "It's FREEZING here!" Allison complained.
 "Can we go inside?" Patrick asked.
 "It is a bit chilly," Booster admitted. "Okay, go to the Pokémon Center and go to sleep. But be ready to fight at any moment, got it?"
 "Yeah, yeah, we got it," Curtis replied. "Center's this way guys."
 On the roof of a nearby house, a local Pokémon trainer watched the proceedings. "Fight? What fight?"

 "Isn't it a bit late for you trainers to be out?" the nurse at the Center asked them.
 "It's a long story," Uiru complained. "We just got into town, and we're freezing."
 "Right this way." The nurse took them to the dorms.
 They all climbed into the bunks. Most of them fell asleep right away.
 "Would it kill them to put the heat up a little?" Nick complained.
 "They must be used to these low temperatures," Allison replied. "Go to sleep, you won't notice the cold then."
 Uiru lay awake for a little while. It wasn't the cold that was bothering him, it was the fact that they had another fight in a few hours. Rock types... I've heard Psychic powers work well on them, so Butterfree would be a good idea... Squirtle and Sandslash... Pikachu would be no good... Abra, no, probably not... He lay there planning his strategy for the coming battle for a while- that is, until someone slid into bed next to him.
 "I'm frozen," was Jessica's explanation. "You don't mind, do you?"
 Mind?!

 "Matt! Matt!" Nick whispered. "Matt! Wake up! You have to see this!"
 "What is it...?" Matt moaned. He sat up. "This better be good."
 Nick pointed. "Check THAT out."
 Matt rubbed his eyes and looked again. "Wow. Quiet, aren't they?"
 "You think?" Nick asked.
 "No!" Matt snapped. "I was being sarcastic."
 "What's the noise for," Allison moaned as she woke up.
 "Look under you," Nick said.
 Allison looked. "So?" she asked. "Jessica probably just got cold."
 Uiru opened an eye and saw Allison, Matt and Nick looking back at him. "What...?" he asked.
 "Never mind, Uiru," Matt said. "Go back to sleep."

 Booster charged into the dorms like a train. "All right, Fire Strike. UP."
 It was midday. Most of the trainers were awake. Booster went over to a few who weren't, and tapped them on the shoulder.
 "What...?" Uiru complained. He opened his eyes... and looked right into Booster's disapproving frown. He woke up pretty quick. "Oh damn! I bet this looks a lot worse then it is..."
 "What the hell are you doing Uiru?" Booster asked.
 "Nothing!" Uiru answered. "The emphasis is on NOTHING, believe me."
 "Good," Booster replied. "Then wake up and come on." He turned to the other trainers. "Rock Brigade are on the horizon. They'll be here soon, so get ready!"
 Ten minutes later, the trainers grabbed their Pokémon and found Booster outside. "The others are taking up defencive positions now," he said. "Our job will be to meet the main force. Keep in mind they're using Rock type Pokémon, so Fire, Electric, and Bug type attacks won't hurt them, but Water, Grass, Ground, and Ice will."
 "None of us have Ice attacks," Patrick shouted.
 "Well never mind then," Booster replied. "My Pokémon are useless against Rock types, I'll be running the defence. You kids think you can manage by yourselves?"
 "We'll be fine," Uiru replied. "If we don't die of hypothermia first."
 "Good. I'm counting on you Uiru!" Booster left.

 "Ice on Rock? Excellent..." The mysterious local trainer was observing the proceedings from a nearby rooftop. "This could be interesting."

Chapter Eight
 A small number of Rock trainers broke through the defence and attempted to assail the gates. But Uiru and his crew were waiting for them!
 "Graveler, go!"
 "Omastar, go!"
 "Marowak, go!"
 "Dugtrio, go!"
 "Rhydon, go!"
 "Onix, go!"
 Allison stepped behind Matt. "Those... are really big, you know that?"
 Curtis laughed. "They're still Pokémon, and all Pokémon have weaknesses. Grass and Water, specifically."
 "Yeah," Matt replied. "Call out your Kabuto. Bulbasaur, Paras, Bellsprout, go!"
 "Sandslash, Dig!" Uiru shouted. "Slow down that Onix!"
 "Uiru!" Nick shouted. "Omastar is part Water type! My Pokémon can't- Krabby, return!- can't fight it!"
 "I got it," Uiru replied. "Go, Pikachu! Thunderbolt Omastar!"
  With Nick's Tentacool and Psyduck backing it up, Pikachu shocked Omastar until it fainted. Knowing the rest were all part Ground, Uiru recalled Pikachu.
 "Staryu, use the Surf power!" Jessica ordered. Staryu wound up and delivered a gigantic blast of water right in Rhydon's face.
 Sandslash had been aggrivating Onix for some time now, but Onix struck it with a counterattack! "Sandslash, return! Squirtle, go!"
 "Bellsprout, Vine Whip!" Marowak now had to contend with Grass-type lashes from the diminuitive Bellsprout. It tried to use Bonemerang, but Bellsprout caught it with a Whip!
 Dugtrio, master of the Dig ability, tunneled underground and then blasted Kabuto from below. Weakened, Kabuto countered with Absorb, sapping it's strength and replenishing it's own. "Do it again!" Allison shouted. Soon Dugtrio was out of it.
 "Is there something wrong with your Bellsprout?" Nick asked Matt.
 "I don't think so..."
 "It's glowing."
 "Oh... It's gonna evolve now! Bulbasaur, protect Bellsprout while it evolves!"
 Bulbasaur took over Bellsprout's Vine Whipping duties as it evolved into Weepinbell! "Bulbasaur, Weepinbell! Double Razor Leaf!" Using their needle-sharp leaves of fury, Weepinbell and Bulbasaur knocked out the already weakened Rhydon and Marowak. Staryu geared up and launched a huge stream of water at Graveler, who fainted because of it.
 "Now it's only Onix," Uiru shouted.
 "You think we only have one Pokémon?" the Rock trainers shouted. Another wave of Ground and Rock types were sent to the front lines, but Weepinbell and Bulbasaur kept them at bay.
 "Rhyhorn, attack!" Curtis sent out the unevolved form of Rhydon to battle Onix. "Rhyhorn, Rock Throw!" Rhyhorn jumped up in the air and crashed into Onix's rocky hide. It bounced off Onix and landed with an incredible crash, but not without doing some damage first.
 Squirtle jumped on Staryu and they hovered up to Onix's head to spray it with Water Gun. But Onix let out a deafening roar that paralyzed them with fear! Staryu slowly floated to the ground behind Bulbasaur.
 "Bulbasaur and Weepinbell are running out of energy!" Matt shouted.
 "Call them back!" a voice shouted. "Fire Strike! Call all your Pokémon back!"
 "What? Who are you?" Uiru asked, looking around.
 A young man about Uiru's age came out to the front lines. "Call your Pokémon back. My Ice types may damage them by accident. Jynx, Starmie, go!"
 "A Starmie?" Jessica asked. "Is that evolved from a Staryu?" Nick nodded.
 "Jynx, Blizzard! Starmie, Hydro Pump!"
 Not only did the superpowerful attacks take down Onix, they literally washed the Rock trainers down the street and almost out of Sapphire City entirely. Uiru turned to the Ice type trainer.
 "Wow, you really showed them! What's your name?" he asked.
 "My name's Alex," he replied. "Jynx, Starmie, return."
 "Let's chat after we clean up this mess," Uiru decided. "Booster might need our help at the front lines."

 As it turned out, the Rock Brigade got whipped. Fire Strike dumped them all in one spot. Curtis, Patrick and Nick got stuck with guard duty.
 "So, your name's Alex," Booster said. "Thanks for helping out my squad today."
 "No problem," Alex replied.
 "What's your affiliation, soldier?" Booster asked.
 "Freelance. I fight anything dumb enough to attack my town."
 "Fair enough," Booster replied. "Your Pokémon seem to have extraordinary skills. We could use a trainer like you."
 "I'm not sure I want to join an army."
 Just then Curtis came in. "Sorry to barge in, but the Rock Brigade leader insists on talking to you."
 "Hm. I wonder what he has to say. What do you two think?" Uiru and Alex shrugged. "All right, send him in."
 The Rock Brigade leader was a tall, thin man. He glared at Booster, Uiru and Alex. "Who do you people think you are? Invading Charteruse and now Sapphire?"
 "We didn't invade either!" Uiru shouted. "We liberated Charteruse and we came to Sapphire to defend it from you!"
 "Liberated Charteruse? Who are you?" the Rock leader demanded.
 "We are Fire Strike unit of the Pokémon Liberation movement," Booster replied grandly.
 "We're here to clean up trash like Flame Force," Uiru added.
 "And anything that threatens Sapphire," Alex finished.
 "You mean you're fighting AGAINST Flame Force?"
 "Yeah, what did you think?" Uiru asked.
 "So you were... And we were... ARRGH! Those idiots screwed up big this time!"
 "What do you mean?" Booster asked. "You're the ones who screwed up."
 "Not us, our management. They're all morons. None of them can tell up from down. When they heard a group called 'Fire Strike' was headed for Sapphire, they assumed it was part of Flame Force and sent us to deal with it. That's why all our Pokémon are Ground and Rock type, we were expecting Fire resistance!"
 Uiru looked at Booster. Booster returned the glance. "So you guys are fighting the Flame Force," Booster asked. "In that case, I'll cut you a deal! If Rock Brigade joins the PLM, we won't arrest you and release all your Pokémon."
 "Are you sure about that?" Alex asked.
 "Hey, I thought you weren't interested in joining," Booster replied.
 "Yeah, well, now I am," Alex answered.
 "Can I discuss this with my troops?" the Rock leader requested.
 "Go right ahead," Booster answered. "You have until tomorrow to decide." Curtis took him back to the holding area.
 "I want to join Fire Strike," Alex declared. "I want to beat the enemy before they attack my town, instead of waiting for them to come."
 "Good plan," Booster replied. Behind him, the phone started to ring. "You know, I really hate the noise these things make. Booster," he stated when he picked up the reciever. "Yeah boss, we beat them. Actually, there was a bit of a mixup, and they joined us." Uiru and Alex could hear shouting. "I'm getting to that. They didn't mean to attack us, they were battling the Flame Force and thought we were them." More shouting. "I know it was stupid, but we're all on the same side and we can use all the help we can get." The boss must have been calming down, because Uiru and Matt couldn't hear him anymore. "Right, boss. What's our next move?" A pause. "Back to Charteruse? All right, we're on our way." He hung up. "Uiru, go tell the troops we're heading out. Alex, I hope you don't get airsick, because that's just what we need."

 Curtis decided he was gonna join up with Rock Brigade. "What can I say? I'm a Rock trainer. I want to run with my own crowd."
 Rock Brigade became a seperate unit under the PLM. Their leader, John, contacted the Boss and worked everything out. The Boss wanted to keep them close by for a while, so he ordered them to return to base and aid with the defence. Although small, Rock Brigade was full of powerful Pokémon and highly skilled trainers. They returned to their own base and prepared to move it all over to PLM HQ.
 "See you Curtis!" Allison waved.
 "Give 'em hell!" Matt shouted.
 "Good luck!" Nick added.
 "I had a blast with you guys. Keep it up! See ya!" Curtis and the Rock Brigade headed out.

 Fire Strike and the other units headed back to Charteruse. The Boss reported that the whole area around Charteruse and Sapphire had been wiped of the Flame Force, so they could take a break.
 "Hey Booster, doesn't that mean we won't be fighting for a while?" Alex asked.
 Booster shook his head. "The Boss likes Fire Strike. I'm sure pretty soon he'll call us up to go bail him out, so don't worry. Enjoy this little break while you can, troops."
 Uiru and the others headed to the Pokémon Center to recuperate. Thunders and Showers came in. "So, boss. How was your trip?" they asked.