Jake yelped in pain as he dropped to his knees. His hat rolled away 
into a bush. 
       “Ya coulda warned me!” He grumbled as Rascal charged up for a Thunder 
Wave attack. He jumped up before Rascal could attack and snatched the piece 
of hickory away before the girl could cause anymore brain damage. 
       Jake raised his fist to strike his assailant, but stopped when he 
realized it was a girl about his age. “That’s a dangerous game you’re playin’ 
there, miss.” He said as he lowered his hand. Jake looked around. “You ain’t 
alone are ya?” He could see that she had been crying. He turned and saw the 
remains of a pocket radio that she had apparently slammed into the ground.
       The girl started sobbing uncontrollably.
       “Miss its ok I think you can buy a new one.” Jake tried to console 
her. 
       “She’s dead!” The girl dropped to her knees and continued to cry.
       Jake became worried. “Who? Who’s dead?”
       “Sabrina!” The girl wailed.
       “You mean the gym leader: Sabrina?” Jake felt numb.
       The girl nodded, “Team Rocket did it!” 
       Jake stood up and took a couple steps back. “I knew they were cruel, 
but to resort to…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
       “Jake!” Cable’s voice came from down the trail. “Where are you?” 
       The girl reached for the hickory that Jake had foolishly left lying 
beside her. Before she could start brandishing it again, Jake tore it away 
from her hand, and said “That’s my brother; he’s one of the good guys.” 
       As he helped her to her feet, he noticed that Rascal had rescued 
Jake’s hat from its bushy fate. “Thanks partner.” He said as he placed it on 
his head, grimacing as it made contact with the whelp that was forming on his 
head.
       “Darlin’, you sure played a number on my head.” Jake said while the 
girl dusted herself off. 
       “I’m so sorry; I thought you were a Rocket.” She said trying not to 
burst into tears again. A Manectric came out of the bushes and nuzzled her 
leg. The girl placed her hand on its head and patted it. “My name is Kim, and 
this is Static.” She gestured to the Manectric that was trying to console 
her. 
       “Pleased to meet you. I’m Jake Brooks and this is Rascal.” Jake nudged 
Rascal who was gnawing at the fur on his own foreleg. “That ain’t polite ya 
know.” He said to the Luxray. 
	Rascal looked up and noticed everyone was staring at him. Looked at 
Jake as if to say “What?”
	“JAKE!” Cable yelled at the top of his lungs impatiently.
	“I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME DAMNIT!” Jake yelled at the top of his own 
lungs mimicking Cable’s impatience. 
       Cable stepped through the bushes. “Why’d you run off like that?”
       “Well Rascal wasn’t around, so I went n’ looked for him.” Jake 
explained. “Then, I got bushwhacked by this girl right here.”
       “Did he hit you?” Cable asked the girl, after seeing the tears making 
their way down her face.
       “No.” The girl started sobbing again. 
       The expression on Jake’s face was solemn. “Team Rocket killed Sabrina, 
in Saffron City.” Jake looked at Kim who had buried her face in the fur of 
her Manectric. “I think she was friends with her. 
       “Why would they do that?” Cable became bewildered. 
       “I don’t know, but originally they were just kidnapping gym leaders.” 
Jake replied. 
       “They didn’t get Erika did they?” Cable was beyond the point of 
worried.
       “Not that I know of.” Jake could see the same look in Cable’s eyes 
that an animal would get when it was being hunted. 
       “I’ve gotta go and get her out of there.” Cable said as he took a 
pokeball out of the pocket of his leather jacket. 
       “Wait, I thought she said that she never wanted to see you again.” 
Jake warned, remembering the not so gentle way that she sent him packing the 
last time they were together. 
       “I don’t care; I won’t let those buzzards have her.” He answered as he 
sent out Pidgeot. “If I have to kidnap her myself to protect her, I will.” 
       Jake thought for a moment, the gears in his mind turned quickly. “I’m 
going with you.” 
       Cable looked at him with a surprised expression. “Jake.” He whispered.
       “The way I see it, there’s a better chance if it’s two against a 
thousand, instead of one against a thousand.” Jake said pulling out 
Sundance’s pokeball. Jake looked up and noticed a tear rolling down Cable’s 
face. “Well, don’t just stand there! Saddle up!” Jake commanded.
       “Thanks Jake. You’ve always been there for me, even when I wasn’t 
there for you.” Cable swung himself up onto his Pidgeot’s back.
       “Don’t worry about it. I know you would have backed me up if you’d 
been there.” Jake summoned Sundance.
       As he swung himself up onto the massive bird pokemon’s neck, they 
heard a shout come from the forest. “Wait!” the sound of the female voice 
sent shivers down Jake’s spine. 
       He turned slowly to see Bonnie, standing in the clearing where Kim 
sat. Jake got down off of Sundance’s back. 
       =Jake, is that…?= Sundance started.
       “Yeah.” Jake answered in a daze. 
       “Giovanni sent me to help you.” Bonnie said sternly. “That’s all.”
       “Bonnie, I’m so sorry.” Jake said trying to keep from running to her. 
       “Sorry for what? Running out on me? Pretending not to recognize me in 
New Bark Town?” She said. 
       “I didn’t recognize you. It’s been four years, and I didn’t think you 
would love me anymore if I was a loser.” Jake tried to justify his actions. 
“Why did you pretend not to recognize me?” 
       “Because, I was in front of a senior officer. If he knew that I knew 
you at one time, he would have made me battle you!” She shouted. “But if you 
had recognized me…” Some of the malice left her deep aqua blue eyes. They 
softened a little, to the point to where she looked about to cry. “…maybe I 
would be able to give it up.”
       “Why though?” Jake asked. 
       “Why what?” She asked angrily, though she knew the answer.
       “Why did you join Team Rocket?” he answered, her question.
       The malice and anger returned to her eyes. “Because you weren’t 
there…to stop me. To tell me that it was the wrong thing to do. So I ran 
away, just like you did.”
       “Bonnie I…” Jake couldn’t get the words out.
       “Jake, we’re losin’ time!” Cable said.
       “Bonnie I have to go now, but I’ll be back.” Jake said to Bonnie.
       She glared at him. “You haven’t changed. When you find out that you 
can’t beat them you’ll run away again.” She said to his back as he walked 
away.
       Jake stopped and turned. His gray eyes narrowed. “This time, they’ll 
have to kill me to beat me.” With that said, he swung himself up onto 
Sundance’s back again.
	“Let’s ride!” Jake shouted to Sundance, who kicked off of the ground 
and flapped his gigantic wings. 
       Cable and Pidgeot followed close behind. As Pidgeot flew up beside 
Sundance, Cable shouted over the wind, “You lied to me! You said there was 
nothing in this world that you were afraid of!”
       “What do you mean?” Jake yelled back.
       “I can see it in your eyes! You’re scared to death of her!” Cable 
replied with a grin.
       It was true. There were only two things that haunted Jake. The day he 
lost her, and the day he lost himself. 
       They flew the rest of the way in silence. Jake put his mind to the 
mission. If they had just attacked Saffron, then they couldn’t be more than 
twenty miles away from Celadon City by now. His mind raced, as he thought up 
a plan to get Erika and Cable out without getting caught by Team Rocket. Jake 
had been to Celadon once before with his brother, but it was very likely that 
it had changed since then. So he worked his plan out based on what he knew. 
       They finally reached Celadon City. All was quiet in the town. Pidgeot 
and Sundance landed twenty feet away from the gym. 
       “I think this might go off without a hitch.” Cable said triumphantly 
as he slid off of Pidgeot’s back, and returned him to his pokeball. 
       “Still, keep on your toes. They could show up any minute.” Jake said 
looking around with suspicion. He returned Sundance to his pokeball, and they 
entered the gym. Rascal walked beside Jake, eyeing the surroundings. As they 
went through the door, they were greeted by a multitude of plants and other 
organic things that Jake couldn’t name.
       “What are you doing here?” The soft voice came from somewhere in the 
jungle that was her gym. 
       “Erika, we’ve come to get you out of here.” Cable announced, trying to 
pinpoint her location. 
       “You’re the only one who needs to get out.” Erika replied from a 
different part of the gym. 
       “Now Erika, that’s no way to talk to the guy who’s been in love with 
you for half his life.” Jake said in defense of Cable.
       “Oh Jake, I didn’t notice that you came with him.” Erika seemed happy 
to hear Jake’s voice. 
       “Well, he is kinda my brother, and rather than lettin’ him get himself 
killed, I decided to come with him.” Jake answered as if Cable wasn’t even 
there.
       “What do you mean by ‘get himself killed’?” Erika asked with new 
curiosity.
       “We think Team Rocket is comin’ after you.” Jake said. “I couldn’t let 
him come get you out alone.” 
       “I’m not leaving.” Erika stepped out of the plants. “If Team Rocket 
comes, they will destroy my gym.” 
       “Erika,” Cable knelt in front of her and took her hand, “they’ll 
destroy your gym, with you out of the way or not.”
       She was taken aback by the dramatic approach, yet she didn’t budge. 
“I’m not leaving.”
       Suddenly, the earth began shaking below they’re feet. Cable stood up 
and pulled Erika in close, while Jake ran to the door. 
       What Jake saw was remarkable, even by Team Rocket’s standards. 
Hundreds of Team Rocket robots marched up the road in droves. Every time they 
came to a stray pokemon, it was scooped up by the giant vacuums that were 
strapped to their backs. 
       “It’s them.” Jake turned and said. “You’d better get outta here.”
       “But what about my gym?” Erika insisted, impatiently.
       A lopsided smile played across Jake’s face, and a look flickered in 
his gray eyes that spelled “trouble” in red letters. “Don’t worry about the 
gym. They’ll have enough trouble with me.”
       “Oh LORD!” Cable groaned. 
       “What?” Erika asked with a worried look.
       “He’s got that ‘Mauville Kid’ look in his eyes.” Cable replied 
dejectedly. “Trust me; this will not end well for Team Rocket.”
       Cable ushered Erika out side and put her on Pidgeot’s back. Then he 
climbed up behind her. 
       Jake handed him two pokeballs. “If you run into any trouble, use 
Cyndaquil and Rapidash.” 
       “Thanks, little brother.” Cable said, as he took them and tucked them 
into his pocket. 
       “What are you going to do?” Erika was getting more worried by the 
minute.
       “Sundance, Lucario, Rascal, and me, are all gonna play ourselves a 
game.” Jake replied with a thumbs up gesture.
       As they left Jake summoned Sundance and Lucario. “Alright guys. We’re 
gonna split up.” Jake pointed to Lucario. “You go with Sundance, and Rascal 
you come with me.”
       =Alright.= Lucario agreed.
       =That’s the plan?=Sundance asked in bewilderment. 
       “Yep.” Jake acknowledged.
       Rascal growled his reply.
       “Well, let’s get to it.” Jake ordered as they went their separate 
ways.
       
       Team Rocket Mobile Command Post
       Five miles outside of Celadon City
       
       General Trent stood on a grassy knoll, outside of the Command Post. In 
the distance, he could hear the chaos and battle cries of his army. It was 
music to his ears. But his proverbial concert was interrupted by a grunt, who 
snapped him a salute. 
       “General, we have the first reports.” The grunt reported. “We think 
they’ve put together a militia.”
       General Trent raised one eyebrow with new interest. “Take me to the 
command post.” He turned on one heel. “I want to see their pathetic attempt 
to protect their city.”
       “Right this way sir.” The grunt escorted General Trent to the mobile 
comm. post.
       When they got there they were greeted by one of the communicators 
screaming into a microphone. “Come in! Come In!”
       “What’s going on here?” General Trent demanded.
       “Sir, we’ve already lost twelve units, and they can’t seem to find 
Erika anywhere.” The communicator explained.
       “Bring up the footage.” Trent ordered. 
       The grunt brought up three panels on his screen. One showed a Lucario 
charging up a ball of blue energy, and hurling it at a robot. The camera went 
into static. Another panel was already losing its signal, but through the 
static they could make out a large bird. That camera also went into static. 
The last panel showed a young man in a cowboy hat, standing beside a Luxray. 
He muttered something, and the Luxray attacked the robot with the camera. The 
robot fell over, and now the only thing visible to the camera was the young 
cowboy’s feet. The feet strode up to the robot, and it was lifted upright, so 
the camera was face to face with the cowboy.
       “You’ve made a terrible mistake, and now you’ll all pay.” He said as 
if he knew that General Trent was watching. 
       
       In the city.
       
       Jake drew back his arm and slammed his fist into the robot’s face, and 
shattered the camera’s lens. 
       “Use Thunder Wave!” A voice shouted from behind him. Time slowed to a 
crawl. Jake turned and saw a Jolteon, faithfully obeying its master. 
       The wave of electricity hit Jake like a hammer. He spun around and 
fell. 
       =Sundance! Get us outta here…= The pain caused Jake to black out.
       
       Ever Grande City
       Four years ago
       
       Jake stood in the stadium locker room in Ever Grande City.
       He stared himself down in the mirror. “You can’t be beaten.” He told 
his reflection. “You and Rascal are one.” He paused for a minute. “You two 
are invincible.”
       Jake could hear the crowd in the arena going wild as the final second 
round battle took place outside.
       An announcement came over the intercom. “Would the trainers in the 
first third round match report to the arena.”
       Jake turned and picked up his hat. He placed it on his head as he 
walked to the arena. 
       “From the town of Littleroot. Brendan Birch!” The announcer screamed 
to the crowd. A skinny kid with silver hair walked out onto the arena floor, 
waving to the crowd as he went. 
       “And now, all the way from Mauville City. The Mauville Kid!”  Jake’s 
heart lurched into his throat at the sound of his own alias. 
       Jake slowly walked to the center of the arena to meet his opponent. 
They shook hands, and as they turned to go to their designated places, 
Brendan said “Good luck Kid”
       The battle happened so quickly. It had blurred by without Jake’s 
noticing. They were both suddenly down to their last pokemon. 
       It was Jake’s Luxio against Brendan’s Wailord. Rascal was already worn 
out from the go around that he had had with Brendan’s Swampert. 
       In one deft move Wailord slammed into Rascal, nearly crushing him. 
       After he got off of Rascal, Rascal tried to stand up. Jake ran to 
Rascal’s side. “Don’t do it partner.” He said as he put his hand on Rascal’s 
shoulder to keep him down. 
“Don’t kill yourself on my account.” Jake looked up at the referee and 
nodded. 
       The ref raised the flag that represented Wailord. “Luxio is no longer 
able to battle! Wailord is the winner!”
       Brendan returned his Wailord to its pokeball. He came to the center of 
the field as Jake picked Rascal up in his arms. “Your pokemon put up a 
valiant fight.” He said.
       Jake smiled sadly. “They sure did. I couldn’t be anymore proud of 
them.” He hardly noticed that the crowd was going insane. They were so upset 
that the person that they put all of their faith into had failed.
       The next day Jake headed back to Lilycove City and from there rode to 
Slateport City. 
       “She’ll never love me again.” He thought to himself as he rode.
       
       Celadon Apartment Store
       Top floor
       
       Jake bolted up. He was in a cold sweat, and had probably been lying on 
this picnic table for hours. He looked around and saw Lucario looking down 
into the street. 
       “Lucario?” Jake said groggily.
       =Oh, your up.= Lucario said in a casual tone.
       “Where’re Rascal and Sundance?” Jake asked as he looked around.
       =They’re down on the street making sure that the coast is clear. We 
were just getting ready to fly you back to Cherrygrove.= Lucario nodded 
toward the street. =You were lucky, Sundance heard your call. We caught a 
Rocket trying to load you and Rascal into a truck.=  
       “Where is Team Rocket?” Jake asked.
       Lucario shrugged. =They pulled out about an hour ago. I think they 
were mad because we got here first.=
       
       Cherrygrove City
       
       “I knew it.” Bonnie thought to herself angrily as she tested the 
handcuffs that held her to a chair. When Cable had returned without Jake, she 
knew he had run away like a little coward.  “But then…” She said to herself 
quietly. The last thing Jake said to her echoed in her thoughts.
       “They’ll have to kill me to stop me.”
       Bonnie shuddered. But why should she care? She had her own problems at 
the moment. “What are you going to do with me?” She asked Cable, who had been 
there almost four hours.
       “We’re going to trade you for Jake.” Cable growled. He was convinced 
that Jake had been captured. 
       Just then, the door slammed open. “No, you’re not.” Said the 
silhouetted stranger. He stepped into the light and revealed a brown cowboy 
hat. 
       Cable jumped out of his chair. “Jake! Are you alright?” 
       Jake hobbled in with his arm slung over Lucario’s shoulder.
       =He’ll be fine. He was hit by a Thunder Wave.= Lucario answered. 
       Lucario helped Jake sit down, and Rascal put his head in Jake’s lap.
       “Great, so we can turn her over to the police.” Cable said happily. 
       “Could you leave us alone?” Jake asked.
       “All of us?” Cable said.
       Jake nodded. Cable and the pokemon all filed out through the door.
       After they were gone Jake picked up the keys to the handcuffs. 
“Bonnie, I can’t justify what I did. I should have trusted you. I’m sorry.” 
He knelt behind her and unlocked the handcuffs. 
       “You’re just going to let me go?” Bonnie said skeptically. “What if I 
tell Giovanni, where Erika is at? What about your friends won’t they be mad?”
       “You won’t. I trust you now.” Jake said, and then he added “Don’t 
worry about my friends.”
       Bonnie stood up, and grabbed Jake by the collar, and kissed him on the 
lips. When she had let Jake go, he had turned a bright shade of red. Bonnie 
picked up a piece of hickory and swung it hitting Jake in the head. 
       The room started spinning. When Jake fell on the floor, Bonnie leaned 
in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want your 
friends to think you turned me loose.” 
       Jake blacked out again.