Prepare for a sequel, Better than it's prequel! To protect the WWW from devistation, To unite all peoples in every nation! To pronounce the power of truth and love, And extend God's truth to the stars above! Team Revelation blasts off at the speed of net! Hold onto your seat, cuz' it aint' over yet! Team Revelation DAY OF EVIL "Get Crystal Dagger in here immediately!" Giovanni thundered. The Persian on his desk hissed out a chuckle anticipating the pain Giovanni might inflict for a failure of this size. "Yes, Giovanni?" "Explain to me why you failed to capture the target Pokemon. It had better be good." "It won't happen again." "Tell me exactly ‘what won't happen again', and fast! My patience is running thin." "...I had them defeated, not a Pokemon left between them. Then that brat Devan somehow revived his Ghastly and defeated my last Pokemon." "You mean to tell me my prime assassin... underestimated her targets! Why would I send you after them if I didn't see exceptional potential and power in their Pokemon? I expect better of you in the future." "It won't happen again." Giovanni stood silent for a moment, deep in evil thoughts. Without even turning to face her, he spoke. "I trust you have a plan to avenge your loss?" "Yes, and it's fool proof. Even Jessie and James could pull this off, if they weren't so incompetent." Giovanni grunted angrily at the mention of those two names. "Don't mention those two in my presence. They've been nothing but a handicap to my entire operation. They can't even steal that simple Pikachu." He turned to face her. "Now, tell me about your plan." "It's a classic. Divide and conquer." "Very good. However, if I send you out to exact revenge, those kids will know what to expect and may defeat you yet again. I will be sending a group of my people this time, gangsters that have never fouled up." "You're replacing me with the Rocket Five? Those losers couldn't steal a Magikcarp if it was a dead Magikcarp." "They're the best TEAM we've got right now. If you'll remember, you and your previous partner were-" "You don't have to remind me of my past. Let the Rocket Five try. I'll be hosing away their remains inside a day." "Very well. Until the Rocket Five have finished their mission, success or failure, consider yourself on... vacation." Crystal Dagger left the room in silence. Then, another female voice behind Giovanni spoke. "Actually, I think she took that quite well, don't you?" Christian Rock, Rap, Ska, etc. blared inside the huge open air concert hall. Blazing lights exploded across the crowd as the on-stage band finished up a song. "Thank you, ladies and gents. Now, the SPIRIT INFERNO autumn concert is proud to welcome some very special guests. They're a modern legend, four sanctified soldiers for Christ,... prepare for trouble and make it double double, give it up for Team Revelation!" All the lights faded out, then as fog machines began running a single blue light shone across the sky, illuminating four slow moving hoverboards. High-energy music began to play as the crowds exploded into cheers. "Prepare for trouble!" "Double that trouble!" The music exploded suddenly into a low-key guitar solo. The light suddenly switched to neon green as the gravity defying heroes continued. "To protect the world from demonic power." "To rescue all people in their darkest hour." "To pronounce the power of our Creator's love!" "To extend His truth to the stars above!" The music began to build as the hoverboards swerved off in different directions. On cue, each rider was lighted with his or her representative color. "Ryan!" "Devan!" "Garrett!" "Jennifer!" "Team Revelation, sword defenders of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" "Surrender now, Satan, because our God has won the fight!" Applause from the crowds were intense. Team Revelation one by one landed their hoverboards on the stage and began sharing their personal testimonies with the masses. All this time, though, one shadowy individual had slowly been working his way behind the stage. His spiky purple hair and black rappers hat made him look like he belonged to one of the preforming bands. In reality, his mission was one of evil. His name was Jack. "Thank you, Celedon City! And now, Team Revelation would like to hand the rest of the night over to some personal friends of mine as well as long standing inspiration, give it up for the WORLD WIDE MESSAGE TRIBE!" The crowds thundered into applause as WWMT and the band started off their turn on stage with Lift It. Ryan and Garrett went behind stage to get their hoverboards while Devan and Jennifer did the ‘Autograph thing'. "Hey! Someone's been messing with my hoverboard!" On closer inspection, Ryan's worst fears were confirmed. "Oh, shoot! The gravity inhibitor's missing!" "That's not good. Without the ability to distort gravity fields, your hoverboard won't get one inch off the ground." "I'll call Professor Oak. He can build me a replacement piece, but I'll need to go and get it. No way we can risk shipping something like that in the mail. Meanwhile, I'd better make sure this theft has no connection to Team Rocket." "Don't forget, Ryan, we've got to get to Cinnabar Island soon. It's still hard to believe Cassidy and Butch want to spill Team Rocket secrets in exchange for a reduced sentence." "I always thought they'd be the last ones to talk. Anyway, I'll call the Professor, and you try to arrange some low-key transportation for me to Pallet Town." "I'm all over it." "Ryan, do you realize what could happen if Team Rocket get's a hold on Gravity-Manipulation technology?!" "Calm down, Professor. Don't forget, you bugged all the components just in case this ever happened." "I know that! But just because we can trace it doesn't mean they won't be able to use the technology!" "Professor, this could be just the break we've been waiting for. It's the perfect Trojan Horse! We could have Team Rocket beat within the course of a week!" "Oh, all right. But be careful! You kids take far too many risks." The computer phone flashed off. Garrett came up behind Ryan and tapped him on the shoulder. "Good news! I was able to get you a ride with a truck driver who was in the audience. He says he's going straight to Pallet with a bunch of starter Pokemon for new trainers there." "Sounds like just the ticket. What's his name?" "He calls himself ‘Jack'. How cliche is that, huh?" *Chapter 2* The truck driver drove most of the way in silence. His gell covered purple hair, black sunglasses, and rap-style hat seemed to almost cloak him in silent shadow. A pair of headphones casually rested over his ears, attached to a small walkman. Ryan was a little uneasy about being around someone so ominous. However, he eventually decided to trust Jack. Suddenly, Ryan realized he had to feed his Pokemon soon. "Weedle, time for dinner." Weedle jumped out of it's Pokeball and onto the dashboard of the truck. Ryan reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of Poke-crunchies. Weedle gladly muched down the Pokemon food, not even noticing the driver until he talked. "You've got a Weedle, huh?" The man held up one of his own Pokeballs. "I've got a Porygon. Maybe we can battle sometime?" "Maybe. By the way, thanks for giving me a ride." "The pleasure was all mine." Ryan wondered what he meant by that until the driver pulled out a small handgun. "Now, you're going to do exactly as I say, or you're going to die." "What do you want." Ryan said nervously. "Who are you?" "Like I said, my name is Jack. As for what I want, you'll just have to wait and see." As the truck pulled to a stop, Weedle crawled into Ryan's backpack unnoticed by Jack. Jack told Ryan at gunpoint to take all his stuff and get out of the truck. When Ryan stepped out though, he realized Jack wasn't the only one in on this. "So, Ryan Edgerton. We finally meet face to face." A red-headed woman carrying a mace said. The weapon glinted in the moonlight as Jack forced Ryan forward at gunpoint. "So, the notorious Bloody Mary and the Rocket Five have taken to kidnaping now. Why am I not surprised." "Looks like Jesus Freaks have a sense of humor after all." "You didn't bring me here just to insult my faith, Mary. What do you want." "Besides everything, not much. Just your Pokemon and your life." Suddenly, Weedle shot out of the backpack, stinging Jack in the hand. As soon as the gun hit the pavement, Ryan released his two remaining Pokemon. "Weedle, Charmander, Geodude, get outta here, now!" The three Pokemon hesitated, then ran off into the woods by the side of the road. Out of nowhere, Mary floored Ryan with a roundhouse kick. Jack grabbed his gun with his uninjured hand and aimed it squarely at Ryan. "Should I kill him? Please, let me kill this Christian scum!" Jack pleaded with Mary, his hand ever on the hairpin trigger. "He still knows valuable information. Don't worry, you'll get your chance." "You won't get any information outta me." Ryan boldly protested. "I have ways of getting you to talk." She swung her mace, stopping in mere inches from his head. "No, you don't, Bloody Mary." Mary looked extremely peeved. "Load this loserly scum into the back of the truck." She turned to face Ryan. "Let's see your God try and save you now." "He already has." The back of the truck was piled with cages, each containing a Pokemon. The air wreaked of foul odors and the floor was littered with garbage. Ryan's arms and legs were tied to the chair he sat on. In his mouth was a rancid old sock being used to gag him. Mary and her brothers, Tack, Mack, and Zack sat at a table on the other side of the room, engrossed in a game of Poker. Jack, of course, was busy at the wheel of this rig. "So, this is how Jesus felt as the soldiers threw dice for his clothing, just before the Cross." He thought to himself. He closed his eyes and silently prayed. Charmander, Geodude, and Weedle silently walked through the dark woods. They had never felt so alone, nor so scared. "What happened back there?" Geodude asked, speaking in Pokemon. "Who were those people that attacked Ryan?" Charmander inquired. "I think those trainers were Team Rocket. All I know is that Ryan needs help." Weedle interjected. "How can we help him? He's probably on the big truck." "We need to get to Professor Oak. He can help Ryan." "We can travel faster underground." Geodude stated. "Grab onto my back." The other two Pokemon did as instructed. Geodude plowed into the earth with it's dig-attack, leaving a small tunnel underground. They were Ryan's best chance at survival. Meanwhile, Garrett, Devan, and Jennifer sped across the hot desert sand, their hoverboards propelling them forward at increadible speed. Behind them huge sand waves flew up swiftly underneath a small cresent moon. The three heroes were blissfully unaware of their older brother's fate. Miles ahead of them, another trio waited and watched in silence. Their huge hot-air balloon wafted in the cold night winds. "I never thought Bloody Mary could actually be helpful. Without that leader of theirs, these Jesus Freaks are finished!" Jessie said in self-admiration. "And with our secret weapon, they won't have anywhere to run and hide!" James gloated. "Like mice in da' trap!" Meowth suddenly noticed a huge dust cloud coming up on the horizons. "Meowth! Here day' come now!" " Battle stations!" Jessie commanded, grabbing an armful of blasterballs. James did likewise as Meowth maneuvered the balloon into position. Propped up on the edge of the balloon stood two huge grenade launchers, each aimed squarely at the oncoming Team Revelation. Jessie and James loaded armful after armful of blasterballs into the metal cannons, then began firing rounds of ammo off at Team Revelation. "This is fun!" James squealed. "Activate stereo system!" Jessie ordered. "What the-!" Garrett exclaimed as huge explosions suddenly kicked up all around him. Then he saw the balloon. "You know us as Team Rocket and we fight for what is wrong, we're tired of our motto so we thought we'd try a song!" "Jessie!" "James!" "The speed of light, prepare to fight!" "Meowth... dat's right!" "What are they trying to do, make us barf before we die?" Devan sarcastically asked. "We want to capture Pikacu, we hope to do it soon, and when we do we'll be the new stars of this... cartoon!" Abandoning their beloved microphones, Team Rocket set themselves to the battle at hand. "And now those little creeps are about to get a taste of Team Rocket's revenge!" "Split up! They can't shoot all of us at once!" Devan called out. Huge pillars of sand shot up all around them as blasterballs exploded into the sand. Garrett, Devan, and Jennifer each swerved off in different directions as Jessie and James continued to pelt the landscape with bombs. *Chapter 3* "Ok, let's see what Ryan has to say on the issue." Mack joked, taking the gag out of Ryan's mouth. "Ok, Mr. ‘Charlie Church', tell me something. Ya' see, I say that Zack here looks like a preppy, short-haired girl-" Mack was cut off by a furious Zack. "I look absolutely nothing like a girl! So my hairs blond, so what?! Besides, what are you asking this scum for, anyway?" "Calm down... sister." Zack clenched his fists and gave Mack what Ryan believed was the dirtiest look in the universe. "I just wanted to hear what he had to say on the topic." He turned to face Ryan. "So, what about it, ‘Charlie'?" Ryan took a breath, gained what little composure he could, then faced the question. "He's exactly who God made him to be. Besides, God doesn't look at your outward appearance or what you've done with your life, he looks at who you are inside." Mack broke down in laughter. Determined, Ryan continued. "Besides, only someone under Satan's control would judge others based on their appearances." Mack sternly broke out of his fit of laughter. He wasted no time slugging Ryan across the face. Blood flowed out of the wound on the left side of his face. "Hey, cool it Mack!" Zack said as Mack wound up for another punch. "You asked for his opinion and he gave it. Besides, he dies and Mary finds out you did it, you'll be six feet under in ten seconds flat." "You little snitch. Is that all it takes to turn you against us, some lame compliments and religious mumbo-jumbo?!" Mack turned to face Ryan. "When Mary gives the word to kill you, you little (this word is censored out), I'll be the one who pulls the trigger." "You'd just be doing me a favor Mack. For me, life and death are win/win, for you it's win/lose." At that, Mack stuffed the gag back in his mouth. Ryan knew he was scared. His life could easily be ended without a moments notice. The only reason he was still alive was that Bloody Mary thought she could get information out of him. She would be sadly disappointed, though. But despite the facts, despite the fact that he was bleeding by the pint, despite the fact that the Rocket Five held his life in their twisted, evil hands, he felt oddly calm, like being in shock. Where was this peace coming from? "Der in position!" Meowth called out. "Use the secret weapon!" James yelled back. Out of the cannon on the underside of the balloon shot a huge, flat-point missel. Team Revelation never even saw it coming. At barely a foot above their heads, the misslel exploded, propelling a large net onto them. Devan and Jennifer were trapped. "Meowth, I can't believe you missed them!" Jessie screeched. "I didn't miss! Der's only one of dem left." Meowth retaliated. Garrett came under heavy blasterball attack, kicking up sand all around him. More than once he came within inches of being struck head-on. Suddenly, a pillar of sand exploded right underneath Garrett's hoverboard, sending him flying straight into the sand. Unfortunately, the impact knocked him unconscious. "Garrett!" Jenna called out to her injured brother. "No!" "We have to get out of here!" Devan called, grabbing his Pokeball with Abra in it. "We can't leave Garrett!" "We can't help him if we're caught, too. Abra, Teleport us to safety!" With a flash of light, Devan and Jennifer vanished. Team Rocket looked on in disbelief. "What da-! Where'd day' go!?!" Meowth screeched. "They just disappeared, like ghosts!" James wailed, clinging to Jessie in fear. "Da boss ain't' gonna be too happy when we come back empty handed...!" Meowth began to panic while Jessie pried James off of her. "Don't worry, we've still got that one." Jessie said, pointing to Garrett sprawled out on the sand below. "We'll load him and his flying surfboard on board and bring him back to the boss as a surprise gift." "We might even get a raise!" James beamed, dollar signs in his eyes. "I'll grab da brat, yous two get ready fer plan B." Meowth said. As the Rocket balloon, with Garrett tied up inside, floated off into the distance, Jessie and James made their way off across the desert. They were on a mission of vengeance and nothing was going to get in their way. Devan woke up with a mouthful of sand. Jennifer was on the ground next to him, spewing sand out of her mouth. The sun had risen, and morning was in the air. Devan began remembering what had happened and nearly broke down in tears, realizing that his twin brother Garrett could be in mortal danger or even dead. Jennifer cleaned herself of sand, then knelt by her brother. Together, sand mixing with tears, they prayed for their brother's safety. Mary glared across the room at the kidnaped Ryan. She hated that disgusting little ‘altar boy'. Almost everyone she had ever interrogated had told her everything she wanted to know when the threat of death was used once. Ryan had come within inches of death and not told her a thing. He was everything that she despised: bold, self-sacrificing, true to his cause when it had nothing to benefit him, and worse off, he had no fear of death. And, like this kid was a curse or something, he was also the one thing Mary hated most in the entire world. Christian! "I have a good mind to kill you right now, ‘altar boy'." She screamed. "A good mind? Ha! That's rich!" Ryan defiantly blurted out. "All you ever think about is evil." "Shut up! Now, I'll ask you one more time,... how do the hoverboards work? If you don't tell me, I will kill you." "And my last words will be ‘thank you'. You can't win, Mary. God already has a mansion picked out for me. Kill me, and I'll just get my reward sooner. You'd just be doing me a favor." "AAH! SHUT UP! I've had enough of you and your stupid Jesus talk! If I hear you say ‘Jesus' one more time I'll-" "You'll what? Threaten to feed me to your Garados again? Don't make me laugh!" Mary had had enough. Without so much as a second thought, she punched Ryan right in the stomach. Ryan groaned in pain, having lost the energy to scream hours ago. She hit him again, this time hitting his head. She beat him repeatedly, barely able to restrain from using the weapon at her side. When at last Ryan screamed out in pure agony, even Mack heard it loud and clear. Ryan slumped over on his side, unconscious. "Where's your God now, twerp?" Mary said, grinning in victory. Garrett's entire body ached. How long had he been out? He tried to move, but suddenly realized that his hands and feet were tied. "Morning, sunshine." Meowth said sarcastically. "Sleep well?" "Very funny, Meowth. Untie me right now!" Garrett screamed out the last two words. "Why do da good gusy's always say dat when it's obvious I'm not gonna untie ya?" "Untie me, now!" Garrett yelled. "Not a chance." Meowth yelled back, heading for the controls of the balloon. Garrett looked around, searching for his Pokeballs. There was one box in the corner that might contain his lost Pokemon. Unfortunately, the box was locked with a padlock. He had to find a way out of here. Meanwhile, Devan and Jennifer were jetting across open water, trying desperately to get to Cinnabar Island. Cassidy and Butch were there best chance of rescuing Garrett. Suddenly, their hoverboards began to lose altitude. Surfacing up out of the water, a huge Garados stared at them, not moving. Jutting out of it's back was a huge electro magnet. Even with their hoverboards plunging into the water it was obvious this wasn't a real Garados. The submarine sped towards them, it's mouth open in order to capture them. Jennifer struggled to keep Evee from drowning while Devan counter-attacked Team Rocket's imposing threat. "Haunter! Stop that submarine!" The Pokemon shot out of it's Pokeball and slipped unnoticed into the Garados-shaped sub. When it was almost about to over take them, the sub suddenly drifted to a stop. Laying flat on their hoverboards, Devan and Jenna paddled over to the sub. After opening the main hatch and going inside, they found Team Rocket asleep at the controls. Haunter floated in mid-air just to the left of them, looking very proud of itself. "Good job, Haunt-chan! We'll take things from here." Devan called Haunter back into it's Pokeball, then started dragging James away from the ship's main controls. "What are you doing?" Jennifer asked from behind him. James began to mumble in his sleep. "Grab Jessie and we'll put them both in the back. We can use this sub to get to Cinnabar until our hoverboards' power cells recharge. Then we can hand this sub and Team Rocket over to the authorities." "Did you think up this plan before, or after the sub surfaced." Jennifer joked. "Very funny. Now, grab Jessie and help me find some rope." *Chapter 4* A very far ways away, Ash, Misty, and Brock reached the Pokemon center in Rilian city. Rillian was a small, out-of-the-way type of place, so Ash never expected to receive a phone call from- "Professor Oak! How are you?" "Listen carefully, Ash. Do you remember what I told you about Team Revelation?" "Yeah, I remember." "Well, they're in a lot of trouble and it's far more than double!" "Not you too, Professor!" Ash said, remembering the hundreds, if not thousands of times he'd heard the Team Rocket motto over and over and over... "Never mind, Ash! The point is that all of Ryan's Pokemon just dug their way out of the ground and into the middle of my flower garden!" "Flower garden?" "I have to do something with my spare time, but that's not the point! The point is that Team Revelation is in trouble!" "Professor, we were over that five minutes ago." "I know that! Anyway, I have a feeling that Team Rocket is involved in all this. Garrett's passing through your area right now. Try to get in touch with him and find out what's going on." "How do you know he's here?" "Well, that's rather simple. Their Pokedex's are equipt with emergency tracking chips. Garrett's chip is active, meaning he might be in some kind of trouble. I haven't gotten a signal from Ryan yet, but the team's fate could very well be in your hands, Ash." "Hey, it's dat brat and da Pikachu!" Meowth said, leaning over the side of the balloon. That got Garrett's attention immediately. "Maybe I can use da blasterballs-" "ASH! HELP!" Garrett screamed at max volume. "What the-?" Brock searched the skies and saw the Rocket balloon descending upon them. "It's Team Rocket again!" "Team Rocket blasts of at da speed a light," Meowth said, doing his best Jessie impression. "Surrender now, or prepare ta fight." He switched over to James. "Meowth, dat's right!" He said, finally sounding like himself again. "It's just Meowth." Ash and friends relaxed, realizing they weren't in any real danger. Up in the balloon, Meowth got a little sweat-drop. "Why does dis seem familiar?" He wondered out loud. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash called out, Pokeball flying. "Go, Zubat!" Brock commanded. "Staru, go!" Si-duck popped out of a Pokeball in Misty's backpack. "Not you, Si-duck!" Si-duck looked disappointed and jumped back into the ball. "This time,-go, Staru!" Pidgeotto and Zubat soared up into the air towards the balloon. Meowth saw them coming and began firing off blasterballs towards the two air Pokemon. Pidgeotto darted in-between shots, aiming straight for the balloon, while Zubat slowed down and began screeching out Supersonic waves at Meowth. On the ground, Staru fired a pair of perfectly aimed waterguns up at the huge cannons. While Meowth was still confused from Supersonic, the water blasts went straight up the nozzle of the cannons, soaking the gunpowder and making the twin weapons useless. "Dat does it! Now Meowth's mad!" The evil Pokemon strapped himself into a hanglider and swooped down to intercept Pidgeotto in the air. The rage in his eyes was like an inferno! "I worked hard to build dose cannons an steal dat gunpowder and now yer gonna pay!" He went straight at Pidgeotto, aiming to hit it head-on. Pidgeotto met the charge full force. "Pidgeotto! What are you doing?!" Ash screamed. Pikachu bounced off his shoulder to watch the battle. "I'm gonna eradicate every one a ya!" Meowth screamed in rage. Pidgeotto niether swerved nor slowed to break out of it's course. At the last minute, Pidgeotto caught the wind going over the top of Meowth's hanglider, barely evading the collision head-on. "Huh?" Meowth, very confused, turned to see Pidgeotto gliding uninjured towards the balloon. He looked forward again just in time to see electricity shoot from Pikachu's cheeks. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhh!" Meowth screamed, anticipating the incoming Thunderbolt. Pidgeotto landed inside the basket of the balloon and looked around. It spotted Garrett very quickly and hopped over to him. "Pidgoo?" Pidgeotto just stood there staring at Garrett for a minute. "Um, Pidgeotto, could you do me a favor and get these ropes off?" Garrett asked. Pidgeotto hopped around behind Garrett and bit off the ropes around his arms. With his hands free now, Garrett reached over and untied his legs. "Wha..." The world around him slowly faded into view as Meowth struggled to remember what had happened. Staring down at him were Ash, Brock, and Garrett. And f course Pikachu. Now it was coming back to him. He tried to get up, only to discover his hands and feet were tied to the ground. Now it all came rushing back to him. "Let Meowth go! Untie Meowth, now!" He hollered, trying to shake free the posts that held the ropes to the ground. Garrett began to smirk. "Is this poetic justice or what?" Garrett said to no one in particular. Then he changed his voice to sound like Meowth. "‘Why do da bad guys always say dat when it's obvious I'm not gonna untie ya?' Sound familiar, Meowth?" "Dat ain't funny!" He screamed even louder than before. "It is from where I'm standing." Ash began to smirk, too. From somewhere Meowth couldn't see, Misty interrupted. "If I remember correctly, cats hate water. Starmie, Staru, Si-duck, go!" The sound of three Pokeballs opening was heard, followed by three different Pokemon calls. "Wwwha!" "Kia!" "Si, Si-duck!" Now Meowth REALLY started struggling. He HATED water, especially wet water! Worse, there was nowhere for him to run. "Listen up, Meowth. If you don't want to get drenched, I suggest you tell us everything." Brock prodded. *Chapter 5* Ryan felt ready to collapse. This kind of physical and mental abuse was starting to take it's toll on him. He desperately needed some fresh air. The sock in his mouth made him want to vomit. His entire body was constantly switching between totally numb and burningly sore. He'd been unable to move for almost a day. By now he probably had callouses on his arms from the rope. He was worried about Garrett, Devan, and Jennifer. When would this nightmare ever end. Mary had given up trying to intimidate Ryan and had decided on more subtle ways of interrogation. She sat at the table in the corner, drinking out of an ice cold water bottle and playing Poker with her brothers. Ryan, however, would not turn traitor. Nothing Mary could do to him would make him tell her anything. However, his fate seemed sealed. He thought of every possible means of escape and found it to be useless. The Rocket Five had covered all their bases. His chair was bolted to the floor, he couldn't reach his Pokedex no matter how hard he tried, and the ropes were extremely thick. His uniform was stained with his own blood, and he could barely hold his head up to look around. He barely had enough energy to pray. "Mary," Tack asked. "What are we gonna do if Ryan won't talk?" "Tack, Tack, Tack, it's really quite simple. If we can't make him talk, we'll make an example out of him. That's why we're heading back towards that outdoor concert." Mary explained. "Oh..." "Mary," Jack interjected. He and Mack had traded places a few hours ago, so now Jack was in the back with them. "What if we used ‘Bible boy' over there to draw the other three out into the open, then kill them all at once?" Mary considered the idea for a while. It had been some time since she'd fought a group of trainers to the death. And those had been Team Rocket members who wanted her job. Besides, this whole kidnaping rap was getting old, fast. "Jack, that's the best idea you've ever had. Tell Cassidy and Butch to send the two brats left back to the concert. I'll compensate them for the bombs and traps they got to knock them off, plus a little bonus. I think their choice of the spoils will be sufficient." Mary said with an evil grin. Jack pulled out a cell phone and began dialing. "Only two?" Zack inquired. "Apparently know-nothing Jessie got lucky. She and..." Mary said the next word with a hint of dreamyness in her voice. "...James...managed to nab one of the little twerps when they were on their way to Cinnabar. She finally managed to do something right." "Where have you been?" Cassidy questioned her partner. "You only got on that cell phone twenty minutes ago!" Butch grinned at her. She took that to mean it had been well worth it. "Bloody Mary wants to strike a deal with us. She want's Team Revelation all to herself." "I saw that coming." "She'll pay us the price of all our equipment, plus we each get our choice of one of their Pokemon." "We can keep the ammo, or not?" "Keep." "Tell her she has a deal." Cassidy grinned evily. "We can get rid of Team Revelation, and we get paid for it!" "And Mary's doing all the dirty work for us!" They high-fived each other, then went to work. "Hey! Let us out of here! This is OUR sub!" Jessie screamed while James just out and out whined. "You can't do this to us! We're Champion Team Rocket!" "Look, Jessie, I can't say this any nicer so forgive me if I offend you, but WOULD YOU PUT A CORK IN IT!" Devan said from the forward controls. "Don't make me duc-tape your mouths shut." "I dare you to come over here and try it!" Jessie challenged. Devan decided to ignore her. He and Jennifer still had a lot of peddling to do to get to Cinnabar. Besides, if they became a real nuisance he could put them back to sleep with Haunter's Hypnosis. Why in the world didn't Jessie and James install a motor in this contraption? After hours of peddling and a chat with Officer Jenny, Devan finally found the place where he was to meet with Cassidy and Butch. It was a really creepy old place, the burned out walls and crater-filled floor were both stained and covered in sut. It looked like a shadowy mountain against the setting sun. Gathering his courage, Devan stepped inside. Not only did the place look like it was falling apart, but it was also very poorly illuminated. And out of the shadows stepped two ominous, two-timing villains with both a taste for blood and an agenda all their own. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up." Butch casually stated. "Here's your sister? I was hoping she'd be here for this." Cassidy added. "She's out dealing with Jessie and James. I need your help-" Devan was cut off by a very vengeful Butch. "If you ever want to see your brothers alive again, I suggest you go back to that little concert of yours." "What the- what have you done with them?" "We've done nothing, little boy." Cassidy responded. "However, I hear the Rocket Five have a little agenda of their own." Devan turned to leave, but Cassidy called back to him "Don't keep Mary waiting. She has a very short fuse." Ryan struggled harder than ever before. He couldn't let the Rocket Five use him like bait to kill his family. There had to be a way, something he could do to get out of here. He searched the room, hoping to find something to break the ropes. A pile of assorted projectile weapons lay in a huge wooden box in the corner, away from the Rocket Five's line of sight. Too far to be of any use unless he could break free. Suddenly, Ryan spotted a potential break. A Metapod sat in the cage behind him. He remembered hearing somewhere that Metapod's can sometimes know Tackle and String Shot instead of Harden. If Metapod could get close enough to one of Ryan's Pokeballs, it could become energy, zap into the Pokeball, then jump back out again. Then, if it could move that well, it could get in between the ropes and the back of the chair and snap the rope out of sheer force. It was a plan based on assumption, and even if it worked it would be tight for a while in more ways than one, but it was his only shot. Besides, why would the Rocket Five have stolen a Metapod if they didn't think it was special? With some effort, Ryan spit the gag out of his mouth. "Metapod," Ryan whispered to the Pokemon. "If you can get me out of this, I'll try and get you out, too. Just touch my Pokeball and you'll be out of the cage." Ryan leaned as far as the ropes would allow towards Metapod. "Meta." The cocoon Pokemon responded, which Ryan could only hope meant ‘yes'. Slowly, but steadily, it moved to the edge of the cage. "Yes!" Ryan thought to himself. "That means it does know Tackle!". After touching the Pokeball twice it dematerialized inside. Ryan flinched when he heard how loud the sound was. Luckily, Mary and her brothers were too engrossed in their Poker game to notice. Metapod jumped out of the Pokeball and re-materialized, then inched it's way up to the back of Ryan's neck. It wedged between the ropes and began to Harden, very much to Ryan's surprise, it's shell pushing full force against the back of the metal chair. After anxious moments of waiting, the ropes snapped off in a huge crack. Ryan wasn't fortunate enough for the Rocket Five to ignore that. He barely had time to catch his breath before dodging out of sight. "What as that?" Asked Zack. Then he saw the empty chair and the broken ropes. "What the- the kid's lose!" "How in the world did the little freak get lose?" Mary yelled, pushing aside her chair and grabbing her mace. "Well don't just stand there, find him!" The truck was suddenly rocked by a huge explosion as smoke filled the cabin. A sound like a jet taking off was heard near the left wall. As the smoke cleared, Mary stared at the huge hole in the truck wall. The hoverboard and gravity inhibitor were nowhere to be seen, and just above the top of the tree line, growingmore distant by the second, was the shadowed form of a hoverboard, a rider, and a Metapod. Mary cursed loudly. "All right! So much for the Rocket Five!" Ryan yelled, adrenaline from the escape making him feel emotionally strong again. Then he spoke to the Metapod in his arms. "Thanks, Metapod. I owe you bigtime." "Meta." "So, what do you think of flying? Bet you can't wait to fly on your own." "Meta." "Not much of a talker, are you?" Suddenly, in place of the ‘Meta' he had expected, Ryan heard a huge roar from behind him. Looking back, Ryan saw, soaring over the trees with gravity-defying ease, a huge Garados roaring in rage. On it's head road the Queen of mean, Bloody Mary. Not far behind was an enormous Charizard. "What in the world!" Ryan grabbed his Pokedex and aimed the scanner at Garados. "Garados, a flying/dragon Pokemon. It's scales are as hard as steel and it's jaws can break stone. Handle with extreme caution." *Chapter 6* Garados's eyes glowed red as a blast of Hyper Beam shot from it's mouth. Ryan swerved to evade the glowing energy bolt, doing his best to put distance between himself and the glowing beams of death. Charizard roared once before shooting out a huge Fireblast. Trees caught on fire as the burning inferno shot past. Ryan swerved high left and barely missed the huge fireball. Now, if ever, was a time for speed. "Let's see if you animals can do 90. Metapod, return!" Ryan squatted down low on his hoverboard and quickly picked up speed. Garados and Charizard were getting a good distance behind him, but he wasn't out of the line of fire yet. Hyperbeams and miscellaneous blasts of fire still continued to destroy the landscape, sometimes barely missing Ryan. He had to get out of their line of sight, otherwise they'd follow him right back to the concert. Diving into the trees would prove fatal, what with the forest fire Charizard had started. Where was a nice canyon or a cave when you needed it most. "Wow, Team Rocket has a lot of artillery stored up in here." Ash said, starring at a crate full of blasterballs and gunpowder bags. "Where do they get all this stuff, anyway." "That's one question we've been trying to answer for a long time." Garrett said. "Rumor has it that Team Rocket has links in foreign countries. It makes sense when you think about it. Foreign labor is really cheap, and is easy to cover up." "So," Brock interjected from the helm of the balloon. "Who are the Rocket Five, anyway?" "One of the better known Rocket clans. Their entire family has a history of ruthlessness, murder, extortion, organized crime, it's like a generational curse, and they're known to get the job done. They're one of the oldest Rocket clans, too, with ancestors that supposedly laid the foundations for the Team Rocket crime empire. Right now, their best known member is also their leader, a crook that goes by the name of Bloody Mary." Dusk was falling and clouds were massing on the horizon. Garrett simply stared at it, all the time hoping in his heart that Ryan, Devan, and Jennifer were alright. Especially Ryan, who was probably in mortal danger he couldn't even comprehend. Just the thought of Ryan becoming just another tally mark on Bloody Mary's kill sheet brought tears to his eyes. Misty walked over and placed a hand on Garrett's shoulder. "I really hope your brother's ok, Garrett. I mean, I know that if I lost one of my sisters, or even Ash or Brock I would just collapse inside, ya know." "Misty, do you ever pray, like, to God and all?" "Sometimes, yeah." "Would you pray with me, for Ryan's safety?" "...Of course I will." Together they prayed. For a while, Garrett jus called out to God. Misty began to cry. And God was there with them, silently praying over both of them. Devan and Jennifer kicked up huge waves as their hoverboards flew over the water with blinding speed. They were dead-set and determined not to let Ryan become a casualty at the hands of the Rocket Five. They had gone through too much together to let it end this way. Truth be told, he and Ryan's friendship wasn't exactly Brady Bunch material, but regardless of the past, Ryan was still his brother and in some abstract way, his mentor. They'd been through thick and thin, both before and after they'd met Jesus Christ. They'd worked hard together to form Team Revelation; Ryan provided the vision and he produced the system. They'd trained together, battled together, and if it ever came down to it they'd die together. Team Revelation had his hard work finger-printed all over it, but he never could have started the fire if Ryan hadn't provided a spark. He couldn't let Ryan's dream die now. *Chapter 7* "Let's see if I can wear these monsters out." Ryan said to himself as he grabbed the edge of the hoverboard and U-turned in a sharp arch. Right ahead of him now were Garados and Charizard. "What is he doing?" Mary said, confused. "Garados, Charizard, Rage attack!" Garados lunged at the evasive hoverboard pilot, screaming in rage. But Ryan was too quick for the massive Pokemon dragon. Garados plowed into the ground head-first, sending trees snapping like twigs under it's weight and speed. Charizard tried to slash Ryan with it's claws, but to no avail. Garados took back to the air with Bloody Mary riding shotgun. It shot Hyperbeams from it's mouth with a vengeance, the effects of Rage having not yet worn off. Below the raging battle the forests burned and flames began to rise. It's light danced across the combatants and the smoke filled the sky. "Charizard! Blow that scum away with Firespin!" Ryan shot by Charizard just as it began to spew flames. Bloody Mary turned to track Ryan's hoverboard across the night sky, but was unable to find it. Where had he gone? "Garados, Charizard, find that creep, now!" The burnt out spot in the woods was perfect camouflage. With all the glowing flames, a dark spot like this was nearly invisible. Ryan heard a huge gust of wind up above him, probably Charizard or Garados searching for him. Unfortunately, this suit would probably never come out of his uniform. "So, we stalemate this time, ‘Altar boy'. But you have only one place to run, and I'll be there and ready for you..." Bloody Mary said to herself. She, Garados, and Charizard flew off in the direction they came, the smoke of the fire causing their forms to fade and eventually become lost against the smoke-coated night. The forest continued to burn down into cinders. Devan and Jennifer reached the concert just before nightfall. One thing that really surprised them is that one of the bands, CYBER CROSS was still there, apparently practicing. "You guys need to get out of here!" Jenna called to the band over the music they were playing. They stopped the song immediately. "Yo, dudes, can't you see we're fellowshiping here?" "You're all in serious danger! You need to get out while you can!" "Whoa, you don't think we're gonna let you guys take on those five Rocket dudes on your own, do ya?" Said another band member. "How do you..." Devan's question trailed off. "Like, your bro, Garrett got here a few minutes ago and told us the whole story. I say we stand up to those minions together, for Christ!" Stated the band leader, a beautiful girl by the name of Kayla. The band members echoed out several ‘amen' and ‘let's go' type expressions. "What's your plan?" An unknown voice said from behind the edge of the stage. Devan and Jenna turned to see their brother, Ryan, holding his chest nearby. His uniform was coated in sut and dried blood, the source of which was multiple open scars on his face and forehead. Only one Pokeball hung at his side and he was bruised and battered almost everywhere. "Ryan!" Devan and Jenna rushed over to their injured brother. "What happened?" "I'll survive. Right now, though, we need to get ready to deal with those backstabbing Rockets. Now, what's the plan?" "I was hoping you'd ask that, Ry-chan. You've certainly looked better." Kayla said, warmly shaking Ryan's hand as if they were old friends. "It's been a long time. I've missed you." (That answers that question.) "Huh?" Devan and Jennifer said in sync with each other.