TEAM REVELATION "Hand over the Pikachu, you little brat." Jessie exclaimed. James chimed in. "This time we've got you!" "Meowth! I told you guys this was gonna work." The feline Pokemon purred. Trapped in a deep hole with Pikachu by his side, Ash Catchem began to panic. At the last Pokemon Center he'd been to, Team Rocket had somehow gotten their hands on Ash's Pokeballs and replaced them with empties. To make matters worse, Misty and Brock were presently ensnared in a net hanging from a nearby tree, hopelessly entangled and unable to reach their Pokemon. Still worse, Jessie and James had on those annoying rubber suits. For the first time since the St. Anne, Ash thought he might actually lose to Team Rocket. "I'll never give up Pikachu!" Ash boldly protested. "You don't have a choice. Hand over Pikachu or we'll fill that hole with Acid and Sludge. Either way, we win." James gloated as he held up his trademark rose. Two seconds later, a fireball exploded from a nearby tree, setting the rose hopelessly on fire. James screamed and dropped the flower into the pit. After he recovered from the shock he'd received, James glared into the forests where the fireball originated, looking just about ready to kill someone. "Who did that!?!" James looked ready to cry. "Who torched my rose!?!" With that, the sound of a pokeball retrieving it's Pokemon could plainly be heard, then four figures stepped out of the woods. The one in the lead appeared to be wearing a silver jacket over a Team Rocket uniform. "Hey, look. It's team rocket-scientists." The leader of the team joked. One of the two boys behind him shook his head. "You guys just don't know when to throw in the towel, do you?" Then a young girl's voice chimed in. "I guess we'll just have to teach you to respect other people's property." Jessie, by now looked just about as boiled over as James. "Who do you think you are?! No one insults Team Rocket and get's away with it!" "Don't worry. We'll tell you who we are..." shortly after, theme music for Team Rocket began to play. "Hey!" Meowth thought out loud. "I thought I left the tape player in the balloon." "TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEMONIC POWER." The leader said. The younger one with a blue R on his uniform continued. "TO RESCUE PEOPLE IN THEIR DARKEST HOUR." "TO PRONOUNCE THE POWER OF OUR CREATOR'S LOVE!" Stated the third boy, who's R was bright green. "TO EXTEND THAT TRUTH TO THE STARS ABOVE!" Concluded the young girl, who's R was intense neon blue. "RYAN!" "DEVAN!" "GARRETT!" "And don't forget JENNIFER!" They had all stepped into the light now and their features were clearly defined. Ryan and Devan both had dark black hair and deep green/brown eyes. Garrett bore flashy blond hair and saffire blue eyes. Jenna's curly golden hair fell at her sides with notable length, and her shadowy brown eyes twinkled with excitement. They all had on Team Rocket uniforms with only one minor difference, that down the flat side of the R, in white letters, were the words "TEAM REVELATION". "WE ARE TEAM REVELATION, SWORN DEFENDERS OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST." Ryan and Devan stated collectively. "WE'LL MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU DON'T WIN THIS FIGHT!" Garrett and Jennifer finished the comprehensive motto with more spunk than you can shake an Onix at. For a few moments, Team Rocket just stared at their adversaries, then burst out in hysterical laughter. "Mind telling me what's so funny?" Garrett glared at Team Rocket angrily. "Don't tell me you twerps actually believe all that church stuff." James stated, still laughing. Jessie went on, saying. "These brats are dumber than Ash, Misty, and Brock put together!" "HEY!" The trio screamed in unison. "We'll teach you losers not to mess with, the-one-and-only, TEAM ROCKET!" Jessie and James hurtled their Pokeballs straight at Team Revelation, who were now reaching for their pokeballs as well. "Arbok! Weesing! Put these goodie-two-shoes out of commission!" "We'll show you!" Ryan commanded, his pokeball flying out of his hands. "Charmander! Show ‘em who's boss!" "Ghastly! Go!" "Staru! Do your stuff!" "I choose you, Pikachu!" *Chapter 2* "Weesing! Poison gas these showoffs!" James yelled, still a little peeved about the rose. "Arbok! Glare attack that Pikachu. It might be worth as much as the twerps Pikachu." Jessie added. The two poison Pokemon sped across the battlefield with fierce intensity, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Arbok's eyes began to glow as Weesing let out a blast of poison gas. "Charmander! Flame Thrower now!" "Ghastly! Hypnosis on Arbok now!" Charmander jumped out of the way of a huge gas cloud and ignited his flame thrower, aiming for the part of the cloud nearest Weesing. There was a huge explosion that sent Weesing flying into the pit. "Hey!" Ash screamed. "Watch where you're attacking! I almost got hit by a two-headed fart!" Misty let out a little giggle. Ghastly's hypnotic waves slowly faded into view as Arbok lunged at it. Of course, Arbok passed straight through the vapor Pokemon, getting a rock stuck in it's jaws. Weesing floated back out of the hole, only to be hit from behind by an air born Staru. James was unable to evade the collision with his huge Pokemon. Meanwhile, Jennifer was having the time of her life playing "Keep Meowth in the Air". Pikachu's thunderbolt blasted Meowth each time the Pokemon began to fall to the ground. "Charmander! Flame Thrower Jessie and James!" Flames erupted from Charmander's mouth, incinerating Jessie and James's electric-proof suits. "I told you we should have these suits fire proofed!" Jessie wailed when the blast stopped. The charred suits barely clung to their scorched corpses in small shreds. "Staru! Water Gun Attack!" The hydraulic pillar struck Team Rocket head-on, easily blowing away the remains of the Anti-Pikachu suits. It was a miracle that Jessie and James hadn't gone into shock. Then Meowth landed on Jessie's head, causing her huge mess of hair (or what was left of it) to stand straight up with static cling. From the ashes of the Anti-Pikachu suits, Ash located his four pokeballs. During the flame thrower attack, he had climbed up out of the pit, (a miracle he could only attribute to falling in holes so often,) and was now ready for action! "I'll take it from here. Pikachu, it's blast off time!" "Pi...Ka..." Sparks began to build on Pikachu's cheeks in preparation for a powerful Thunderbolt. "CHU!!" Electricity ripped across the open plane, sending Jessie, James, Meowth, Weesing and Arbok hurtling towards the sky. "We're blasting off again...!" Team aerospace collectively stated. *Chapter 3* "Who are you guys? Thanks for saving me and Pikachu, but I usually like to know who it was that saved my tail." Ash asked. Pikachu waved across the field at Jennifer's Pikachu, who sat there, blushing. "Wish we could stay and chat, Ash, but we gotta run. Talk to Professor Oak!" Ryan shouted out as the members of Team Revelation began to run off into the shadowy woods from whence they came. "Hey, Ash!" Misty wailed. " Get us down from here!" Ash, however, began to smirk. "I don't know, Misty... I kinda like you better this way." "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Misty screamed. After helping Misty and Brock down from the net, the trio resumed their journey. After about five days, they came to a small town deep in the forest. Ash remembered what Ryan had said and decided to call Prof. Oak. "Oh, hi Ash. How are things going?" Professor Oak said, tinkering with some kind of device at the bottom of the screen. "We're all doing fine, Professor. We picked up that Pokemon photographer ,Todd, in the last town, your new Pokedex upgrade is working fine,..." Ash continued to ramble off recent events. " Ash, is there any particular reason you're calling?" Oak interrupted. "Well, uh, I..." Ash mumbled. "Professor, what do you know about Team Revelation?" "You've met Team Revelation? Goodness, those kids are fast!" "So you do know about them!" Ash said, just a hint of eagerness in his voice. "Firstly, the reason I know who they are is because I trained them. The team's primary purpose is to counter Team Rocket, as well as discover the identity of Team Rocket's boss so we can shut them down. They're a family team, meaning they're all each other's siblings, and so far as I can tell, the only types of Pokemon they don't have are Ice and Fighting." "Professor, when I met them, they sounded like really into religion and stuff. What's up with that?" "I take it you heard their motto, in that case." Oak sighed. " I really don't understand them. They just have this obsession about Jesus and all." "I thought ever since Pokemon showed up, all that religion stuff became outdated." "Well... Ryan has this idea that people just used Pokemons' growing instantly as an excuse. He says that Pokemon don't evolve, they mature similar to people. He and I have butted heads on the issue a lot, but to be honest, he does have some very good points. His views are actually getting quite a following, or so I hear. There's even rumors of Christian Pokemon Trainer Support Groups popping up all over the place and it's causing quite a heated debate." "Wow! I didn't know church stuff could be so powerful." Miles away, a huge impact was heard in the deep of the forests. Pidgeys and Spearows quickly flew away from the maddeningly loud sound. When the dust cleared, several mutated, disfigured extraterrestrial beings climbed up out of the deep chasm in which they had landed. "Meeeowwth. I don't feel so good..." Acidic compounds then erupted from the creature's huge mouth, accompanied by many guttural moans. "You know," James said as he recovered at the edge of the pit. "You really oughta see a doctor about that." "If he doesn't stop soon, I'm the one who's gonna need a doctor." Jessie stared at the clumps, shades of green coming to her face. After Meowth and Jessie recovered from their uphill (or is that upchuck) battle with air sickness, Mondo found the team and began the long and strenuous process of putting everyone back together. After a few hours, the members of Team Rocket looked pretty well cleaned up. "I still can't believe we was dat close," Meowth indicated what he meant using two of his three fingers. "And we still didn't get that blasted Pikachu!" "Someone's going to pay for this!" Jessie screeched, her face turning red. "If it weren't for those meddling kids!" James screamed, thinking about his lost rose. " Hey, James," Meowth chimed in. "I think you got casted for the wrong TV show! Scooby-dooby-James! Ha,ha!" Meowth teased. James turned red as Meowth broke down in laughter. "It's not my fault! Go insult Ryan Edgerton, not me. He's the one writing this story!" James weakly retaliated. Suddenly, Jessie bashed them both over the head with her trademark mallet. (I love being the author-R.E.^_^ ) "Would you two clowns stop goofing off! We need to come up with a plan to get back at Team Revelation!" "That's right!" James boldly stated. "No one uses OUR theme music and get's away with it!" "And while we're at it, we'll steal all der Pokemon!" Meowth chorused. *Chapter 4* Not far away, out by the dusty roads leading into the city, a huge dust cloud began to form out by the horizon. Within the course of a minute the dusty storm had crossed over the road and was heading to the opposite horizon. What could possibly go so fast. What do you think this is, a Roadrunner cartoon? "Hey, Ryan!" Devan called to his older brother. "Where did you say we got these hoverboards?" "Professor Oak wanted us to field-test them. I promised I wouldn't scratch the paint, so be careful!" He called back. The four silver hoverboards glinted in the hot desert sun. "Hey, Ryan! What's our next objective?" Jennifer called out. "I don't know. The Professor said he'd call us when we reach the next town." Ryan turned to Garrett. "How's our supplies doing?" "I recommend we restock at the next town. Also, I hear there's a small-town gym there. Up for some action?" "You bet!" Ryan grinned. How long had it been since he'd faced a gym trainer? This was going to be fun! "Hey, Ash, isn't there a Pokemon gym in this town?" Misty asked. "Yeah, but it just got started up and they don't even have any badges." "What really surprises me about that gym is that they're also the only Pokemon center in town, too." Brock stated. "Talk about monopolizing!" Misty stated. Suddenly, Ash felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, Ash, Misty, Brock, Todd, and Pikachu came face to face with- "Team Revelation! How are you guys doing?" Ash welcomed the heroic quartet. Ryan and Ash exchanged high fives. "We're OK, how about you guys?" "We were just on our way to the Pokemon gym. Where are you headed?" "One in the same." Ryan said. "I can't wait to challenge that gym leader!" "Good luck! I'll be cheering you on." Misty said enthusiastically. Then she saw the hoverboards. "What are those? Surfboards?" "Professor Oak's latest toy." Ryan said, holding up the hoverboard. Then Garrett chimed in. "These bad boys can reach land speeds of 90 miles an hour!" "WOW!" Todd yelled. "Can I get a picture of you guys on those things?" Once the photo session completed, the eight friends headed straight for the Pokemon gym. On their way, Ash and Ryan fell into a deep conversation. "So..." Ash began. "You guys really believe all this Jesus stuff, don't you? "With all my heart. It's hard to explain, but God's just changed my life around so much." Ryan did his best to explain. "Think about Gary. That's the way I was before I met Jesus; greedy, self-serving, pushing others to the bottom so I could get to the top, need I say more?" "When you put it that way, I wish Gary would become Christian." Ash chuckled. "But seriously, becoming Christian makes that much of a difference?" "It makes a world of difference, Ash. It's not even about "becoming Christian", it's about finding a purpose, seeing what the entire world has chosen not to see since the beginning of time. It's about a completely open line of communication between you and God." "Whoa..." Ash exclaimed. "I always thought it was a set of rules that were supposed to get you into heaven." "People have a lot of misconceptions about Jesus. In some parts of the world, people are being killed, by their own governments, simply for owning a Bible." "Why doesn't God protect them?" "In lots of cases, He does. But keep in mind who spiritually owns the world right now." "So, it's the governments' faults?" "Yes, and no. When I said someone owns the world, I was talking about Satan. He's doing everything possible to either own people through sin, or kill them through his control over mankind. He hates us, Ash, because God made us to be His sons and daughters, children made in His image." "Why doesn't God just destroy Satan?" "Don't worry about that, his days are numbered." By this time they were within walking distance of the Pokemon gym. Misty decided to change the subject of the conversation. "Um, just curious, but does anyone know what kinds of Pokemon this gym trains?" Apparently, no one had any idea. Right outside of the door, the two teams of Pokemon trainers stopped. Above the door, in neon green letters hung a sign that said "Rock & Roll gym and Pokemon Center." The building itself was shaped like a huge, black, Pokeball. "Who designed this place?" Devan asked. Ryan began to wonder what kind of Pokemon maniacs waited for him inside. However, Ash and Ryan were determined to beat the gym leader. Passing by the front desk of the Pokemon center, Brock looked at the desk, then hung his head and sighed. Misty asked him what was wrong. "Nurse Joy doesn't work here. I feel cheated." Brock mumbled. *Chapter 5* "So, you all want to battle us?" The female gym leader asked. Between her wacky outfit, and the fact that all her Pokeballs had flowers painted on them, she looked more like a hippe than anyone Ash had ever seen. "Not us." Misty called, walking to the stands with Brock not far behind. "Ash here is your challenger." "Thanks for the support, Misty." Ash mumbled. "And if there's anything left of you guys when Ash gets through with you, Garrett and I want a match." Ryan stated. "Love the outfits, babe! Sure, we'll battle you." The middle aged "dude" on the gym leader's right said with a rough, heavy British accent. The match began. Ash and the female gym leader squared off, Pokeballs ready. The gym leader made the first move. "Go for it, Goldbat!" "Pidgeotto! I choose you!" The two aerial Pokemon swooped, darted, and attacked each other so fast Ash could barely see the battle unfold. "Pidgeotto! Attack from a distance with Gust!"As the powerful air waves hit, Goldbat crashed headfirst into one of the gym walls. Dazed, but still ready to fight, Goldbat once again took to the air. "Goldbat! Confuse Ray it now!" A flash of light erupted from Goldbat's eyes, stunning Pidgeotto. Two seconds later, Goldbat pummeled Pidgeotto to the ground with a vicious wing attack. Pidgeotto slumped to the ground, fainted. "Pidgeotto, return. Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" "Pika-!" Pikachu shot up into the air, sparks building at it's cheeks. "CHU!!" The defeated Goldbat collapsed. "Goldbat, return!" The gym leader held out her Pokeball to retrieve Goldbat. "Go, Raticate!" Suddenly, the lights in the entire gym went off. Misty, Brock, and Team Revelation immediately went on the alert. When one of the lights suddenly went on, who should step into the spotlight but... "Prepare for trouble..." "Make it double!" "To protect -" Jessie was rudely cut short by both gym leaders. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?!?!" They screamed in unison. Undaunted, Jessie confronted them. "We're Team Rocket and we're here to take all your Pokemon." "Are you two losers completely out of the loop?" The male gym leader asked. "Or maybe their just out of their minds!!" The other one suggested, heavily enraged. "What are you two yuppies talking about?" James questioned. "Do we have to spell it out! THIS GYM IS A TEAM ROCKET SHAM!" Cassidy and Butch threw off their disguises, revealing their black Team Rocket uniforms. "In that case, we're gonna shut you down!" Devan stepped forward, Pokeballs in hand. "What's this twerps problem?" Butch casually glared down at Devan. "You're my problem, and I think it's time to clean house!" Devan shouted, Pokeballs flying. "Squirtle! Ghastly! Abra! Attack Team Rocket!" "You don't stand a chance, you little brat. Pokeballs, go!" Cassidy and Butch hurtled four Pokeballs across the battlefield. Raticate, Drowsee, Goldbat, and Fearow materialized at the edge of the arena. Goldbat, however, flopped down on it's face. Cassidy called it back. "Arbok, Weesing, Lickatung, go!" Jessie and James threw their Pokeballs. Meowth casually walked over to the group, humming a theme song he'd heard on TV. Jessie and James got those little sweat drops. Now it was Team Revelation's turn. "Geodude, go!" Ryan yelled, releasing his Pokeball. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!" "Go, Pikachu!" The battle began with Raticate and Meowth simultaneously attacking Geodude, who did it's best to dispel the attacks with Defense Curl. Pikachu expertly aimed a Thunderbolt at Fearow, but was instantly struck with a mirror move Thunderbolt. Ghastly sent Arbok flying backwards into Lickatung with a powerful blast of Nightshade, while Abra drove Weesing crazy by Teleporting away every time Weesing attacked. Bulbasaur suddenly came to Geodude's aid, it's Vine Whip landing right on Meowth's butt. Raticate turned to face Bulbasaur, but was struck from behind by Geodude. Geodude thanked Bulbasaur in Pokemon language and resumed the battle. Out of nowhere, a blast of water struck Fearow straight in the face. While Fearow was being attacked by Squirtle, Pikachu took advantage of the situation. Charging up to full capacity, Pikachu let loose the full fury of an electric storm, sending Fearow straight to the ground. Just as Drowsee began sending out Hypnotic waves, Ghastly faded away into an invisible mist. Drowsee slowly looked around, trying to locate it's target. However, a quick lick on the face sent Drowsee into Paralysis. Once again visible, Ghastly's hypnotic powers went to work, putting Drowsee to sleep and out of the battle. All Charizard really had to do was hit Weesing with it's tail. The poison gas Pokemon was out within seconds. "All right! Charizard's finally listening to me!" Ash said ecstatically. Seconds later, a huge fire blast enveloped Ash, leaving one very crispy order of fried Pokemon trainer. "Or... I could be wrong." Ash said as he hacked up some smoke. "You guys ready to give up?" Jennifer asked. "NEVER!" Both Team Rockets said in unison. "Well, in case you guys couldn't figure it out," Jennifer boldly stated. "You've almost run out of Pokemon. You're past tense!" "This isn't over yet!" Cassidy glared down at them with hatred in her eyes. "You guys are done like dinner!" Devan shouted. "All right. Everyone, combine your attack power on Team Rocket!" Ryan called out. With that, Geodude, Bulbasaur, both Pikachu, Squirtle, and Ghastly let lose with Earthquake, RazorLeaf, Thunderbolt, Water Gun, and Nightshade. The combining of all these attacks at once was incredible, to say the least. Within seconds, the only reminder that Team Rocket had ever been in the room was the hole in the ceiling left by the combo attack power. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again...!" "This is your fault!" Cassidy yelled at Jessie. "SHUT UP!" Jessie and James yelled back. *Chapter 6* "Hopefully that's the last we'll see of them for a while." Jennifer hopefully stated. "I hope." Misty added. The gym lay in shambles. Almost every wall was either dripping, scorched, or had huge craters in it. This was one Team Rocket scheme that would never see another day. However, one surveillance camera, hidden in the shadows, remained intact. Looking at a video screen far far far away, Giovanni looked on in silent disgust. Who were these Team Rocket look-alikes that had fouled up his latest plan? Not to mention beaten up two of his Rocket Teams. The camera zoomed in on command, focusing for a second on the leader's shirt insignia. "Team Revelation. Hm..." Could these four kids be bought? Even if not, their Pokemon were obviously valuable. Perhaps this defeat had potential for a powerful victory. "Crystal Dagger, please report to Giovanni's office." The intercom requested. Mere moments later, an armor-clad woman dressed in black with the Team Rocket R outlined in red on her armor walked into Giovanni's office. Six Pokeballs hung at her sides, all painted black. A huge sword hung in it's scabbard on her back, the handle ornately decorated. "You called?" On the screen, Team Revelation's picture hung frozen on the huge computer screen. "My deadly assassin, these are your latest targets. They just shut down our covert gym operation, as well as defeated Jessie, James, Cassidy, and Butch. We're not sure whether or not they can be bought, so do try to ascertain that before doing anything..." "Rash?" The assassin interjected. "Quite. If they decide not to join our cause, then take their Pokemon by any means necessary." The assassin's visor flashed as she drew her sword from the scabbard half way. "Any means?" Giovanni seemed to consider this for a moment, then sat straight forward in his chair. "Any means." "As you wish." Noiselessly, the shadow warrior exited the room. "So," Ash asked. "Where are you guys headed from here?" "We'll be in town for a few days gathering supplies and checking that bogus gym for links to boss Rocket." Garrett said. Jennifer continued his thought. "You'll see us again soon enough." "We get around." Ryan added, saluting Ash. "See you guys soon." "See ya!" Misty said as the three friends walked off down the road. Once they were out of sight, Ryan addressed the group. "O.K., we've got a few different tasks that need to be divided up. Garrett, I need your computer skill to see if we can trace the gym's recent phone contacts back to T.R. headquarters. Devan, you and Jenna go buy some supplies. Remember, we need food, antidotes, potions, replacement parts for the hoverboards, and see if you can get a good deal on Pokeballs. Meet back at the gym, say... 8:00." "Oh, man." Devan complained. "We always get the boring jobs." After a second or two of consideration, Ryan added, "and after you guys get the supplies, see if there's any trainers you guys want to battle in this town. You deserve a little fun." "Thanks, Ry-chan!" Jennifer called back, already running down the sidewalk. "Hey! Wait for me!" Devan screamed, running after his sister. Garrett sat down at the computer phone, linked up his laptop, and began the delicate task of comparing recent phone calls to the main phone directory. If he found anything, such as a number that wasn't listed in the government phone archives, he could connect to the other computer phone's processor via the only licenced hacking equipment outside of the CIA. If it turned out that the phone had ever had contact with known Team Rocket members, he could hopefully trace the call back to it's point of origin. Most of the times this had been attempted had never gotten up to this point. Only one person had ever come close to tracking down Team Rocket headquarters. Garrett had traced a Rocket link to an abandoned theater in the heart of New York's most vile region. He should have realized things were too quiet. By the time he found the bomb and the note that read "Prepare for trouble", it had almost been too late. The only reason he'd gotten out alive was because God still had plans for him. Onix had died, sheltering it's beloved trainer from the explosion. He would never forget the spirit of self-sacrifice his Pokemon had shown him not so long ago. This had all taken place before Team Revelation had been formed. At this time in his life, Garrett was doing volunteer anti-crime hacking for the local police department. Team Revelation, even now, was actually a very new project that Professor Oak and the Police Force had co-ordinated in setting up. That was how Garrett had gotten involved in the planning stages of the team. He had heard through the grapevine that Prof. Oak was building an anti-Team Rocket team and that his oldest brother Ryan was involved. How Devan and Jennifer had decided to join when they were trying to make their way to the Pokemon League had been strictly an act of God. Now that he thought about it, God had had his hands in Garrett's joining the team, too. Things came together, people voiced ideas, and suddenly Team Revelation was born. It hadn't been easy leaving the Police Force, but looking back, he realized he'd made the right choice. Suddenly, his laptop beeped. He snapped from his daydream to see, on his computer screen, a dagger with a quartz handle stabbed through the middle of a Pokeball. Below it were the words: "Prepare for trouble." His computer instincts warned him immediately that he was dealing with a possibly fatal virus. What's worse, a Team Rocket virus, meaning they had picked up on his "secure" link. Something had gone wrong. Cleverly, he typed in "And make it double", hoping to trigger the virus's shut down program. He triggered something. The text disappeared, replaced by a timer counting down from 60. He had one minute to disarm this computer bomb or his computer and all the vital information on it would belong to Team Rocket. All their efforts would be for nothing. *Chapter 7* Garrett tried every part of the Team Rocket motto. No effect. He launched his own personalized virus-hunter programs. Neutralized within seconds. He had to think fast. He had only 28 seconds left. Garrett tried multiple descriptions of the computer graphic on his screen. 10 seconds. Panic overtook him. Then, like the wind whispering to him, a word formed in his head. Quickly, Garrett began typing "Revelation" into the computer. 7 seconds. 5 seconds. 3 seconds. The click of the Enter key was heard. The timer froze with two seconds left to go. Garrett heaved out a sigh of relief. This had been WAY too close. On the screen, two red eyes faded into focus where the Pokeball and dagger had been. Garrett stared in disbelief. The virus program was still active!? Text slowly scrolled across the screen: "You're more clever than I thought. This virus was a test. Meet me in Neon Town at the Silver Comet Arcade." As the text vanished, the entire virus screen de-materialized, revealing a warning window reading: "Internet connection deactivated. Please restart computer and run anti-virus programs." "Oh, shoot!" Garrett mumbled, forehead hitting the keyboard. "Here's your Potions and Antidotes. That'll be $23.50" Devan paid the clerk and walked out of the Pokemon pharmacy. Jennifer was waiting for him outside, a huge box of mechanical devices in her hand. "About time you got back. I've been holding this box for a half an hour!" Jennifer complained. "Sorry! Anyway, I found a really good deal on Revives and Ice Heal." "Well, I forgive you," Jennifer sighed out the words. "But you carry the spare parts to the gym. My back is killing me!" They exchanged boxes and walked back to the gym. On both sides of them their hoverboards were stacked with groceries, some in the cargo compartments, but most strapped down to the top of the hoverboards. Devan and Jennifer each held a large ring tied to a silver band which could be extended from the front of the hoverboards leash-style. It came very much in handy for times like this. When at last they got to the R&R gym, they all but dropped the heavy groceries on the main desk. Devan and Jennifer were out the gym doors inside five seconds. They couldn't wait to get out of the gym. Five minutes later, they were on their hoverboards and heading for the most notorious battling arena in town, a baseball field the locals had nicknamed "The Cage". Hand over the Evees, punk." The bike driver grinded his fist into his hand. "Don't worry,... we'll take good care of them." The other two bikers laughed on cue at their leader's joke. Sitting in the corner, a young boy cradled four infant Evees. The boy had a large cut down his forehead and was crying in fear. "There mine. You can't have them." "Listen to the greedy little brat. Didn't your mamma teach you to share?" Across the field, two shadowy figures suddenly stood on top of the bleachers. The older one spoke first. "Didn't your mamma tell you not to take without permission? This is really low, stealing Pokemon from a child." "What part of "Thou shalt not steal" don't you guys understand?" The gang leader turned to face the unidentified intruders with both surprise and annoyance in his voice. "You got a problem? Whoever you are, your in deep-" Music began to play. The members of the gang began whispering about Team Rocket. "Prepare for trouble!" "Make that double trouble!" Blinding light from the field lights behind the two heroes suddenly illuminated the field. "To protect the world from demonic power!" "To rescue all people in their darkest hour!" "To pronounce the power of Jesus's love!" "To extend His truth to the stars above!" "Devan!" "Jennifer!" "Team Revelation blasts off at the speed of light!" "Surrender now; you can't win this fight!" For a while, the bike gang just stood there. Finally, their leader broke the silence. "What are you clowns supposed to be, the Team Rocket blue squad?" All the bikers laughed. "You know, that's the second time that's happened to me this week," Devan stated, annoyed. "And it's really starting to bug me." "Leave the kid alone," Jennifer yelled from the top of the stands. "Unless you guys are in the mood for an all-out Pokemon war." "Bring it on, you prissy losers. Pokeballs, go!" After the entire group had sent out their Pokemon, only a Raichu, two Geodudes, and a Raticate stood on the field. "That's all you've got? Squirtle! Ghastly! Attack!" "Pikachu! Dratini! I choose you!" The two Geodudes immediately attacked Pikachu, who evaded the attacks with Agility. While the Geodudes were following Pikachu around, Dratini let lose with a powerful surf attack. Both Geodudes were swept away under the powerful current. Raticate and Squirtle squared off, water and claws flying. Finally, Squirtle jumped into the air, tucked into it's shell, and collided with Raticate head-on! By the time Raticate could react to the threat, it's double tooth had been cracked off. Raichu's Thunderbolt shot straight towards Ghastly. The electricity rippled around Ghastly's body, paralyzing it. Ghastly fought back with Hypnosis, and within moments the battle was over. "Looks like you just lost." Devan stated the obvious. "And now we're gonna take you guys to the station on harassment, assault and battery, and attempted robbery. I'm sure officer Jenny will be glad to give you a room there, with bars on the windows." The leader of the bike gang looked paralyzed with fear. So did the rest of the gang. The boy with the Evees had stopped crying now and, confident of his safety, smiled up at Devan and Jennifer. "Let's get out of here!" The bike gang jumped on their motorcycles and sped away. "Not so fast!" Devan said as he reached for his hoverboard. "Jenna, take care of the kid until I get back." With that he sped away after the bikers. Dodging buildings and road lights, Devan finally spotted the bike gang that had been terrorizing the little kid. Ryan was right. This WAS turning out to be fun! A good 12 or 15 feet below him were the bikers. They were riding down an empty stretch of road when Devan finally figured out how to stop them. "Squirtle! I choose you!" The Pokemon materialized just in front of Devan on the board. "Squirtle, I want you to hold onto the ring on the front of the board. I'm going to lower you down in front of those bikers." "Squirtle!" The Pokemon said, acknowledging the request. "We musta left those kids in the dust!" The leader said matter-of-factly. Without warning, Squirtle dropped down right in front of them. "What the-" Was all he managed to say before being hit by a powerful blast of Water Gun attack. The entire gang was knocked clear off their bikes. "Squirt! Squirtle!" The Pokemon said triumphantly. Within minutes, sirens were heard in the distance. "Are you O.K.?" The young boy nodded at Jennifer's inquiry. "Thanks for saving me and my Evees. You guys are the best!" "Aw, that was nothing." Jennifer said, doing her best to sound humble. "All part of the job description." Suddenly, she felt something brushing up against her leg. "Eeevee!" The Pokemon cooed. It was younger than the other ones and it's entire body was covered in thin, shiny, tan-colored fur. It affectionately rubbed up against Jennifer's leg as it's deep green eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "Would you take care of Evee for me? It was the runt of the litter and my family can't afford to take care of all four of them." The boy cried a little inside. "I'd feel a lot better knowing it was safe from those bikers." This kid was starting to tear Jenna's heart out. Besides, she had always wanted an Evee. "Of course I'll take care of him. Anything to keep those creeps off your tail. You wanna ride home?" She said, gesturing at her hoverboard. "On that...?" The kid seemed to consider it for a moment. "Sure! Evees, return!" The boy said as his three Evees entered their Pokeballs. Jennifer's new Evee jumped up into her arms. "Evee doesn't like being in Pokeballs." "Hang on tight!" Jenna called back to her passenger as the hoverboard raced towards the sky. *Chapter 8* "Hey, Garr. How goes the hunt?" Ryan asked, bringing a pair of Poke-colas into the room with him. He set one down in front of Garrett, who gladly gulped down several mouthfuls of soda before speaking. "I've got god news, and bad news. What do you want to hear first?" "Well, you might as well hit me with the bad news first, otherwise I always feel depressed after talking to you." Garrett slugged Ryan lightly on the arm, then went about retelling his cyber battle that had ended mere moments before. "The good news is, I've got something that looks like a lead, but feels like a trap. The hacker who sent it, whoever he is, told me to meet him at the Silver Comet Arcade in Neon Town." Ryan whistled in surprise. This was getting pretty deep down inside Team Rocket's defenses. Either they had a new ally, though that was doubtful, or Team Rocket was counter-attacking them. Either way, Team Revelation's next stop was Neon Town. An hour later, Devan and Jennifer walked through the doors of the gym. Ryan was there to greet them. "Where have you two been? You musta found some tough competition." "Sorta... turn on channel 11. You'll see what we mean." "Tonight on World Wide News, a young boy rescued from ruthless gangsters by counter-Team Rocket group." The news reporter said as Todd reloaded his camera. Suddenly, he heard the words ‘Team Revelation' and froze. "Hey, you guys! Check this out!" Todd called up the block to Ash, Misty, and Brock. Running back up the street, Ash found Todd staring intently at a TV in the store window. "What's up Todd?" Then Ash looked at the television himself. "Hey! That's Team Revelation!" "...Two brave members of this incredible group quickly came to the young boy's aid. According to eye-witnesses, the heroes were outnumbered two-to-one, but challenged the entire bike gang to a Pokemon battle. Amazingly, Team Revelation made short work of the assailants, sending them running." "Certain unverified eye-witness reports claim that one of the two heroes took off after the bikers on what was most commonly described as a hoverboard. Also, according to eye-witnesses, this, and a lone Squirtle, assisted in bringing the gangsters to justice. Now, back to Steve with news from the Pokemon League..." "These guys are just what the doctor ordered." Brock commented. "Hey, Todd. I was just thinking that if Team Revelation ends up becoming a big news deal, those pictures of yours will be invaluable." Misty suggested. Todd's eyes began to light up. "My photos could be posted in magazines, documentaries, maybe even the Internet!" Todd's head began spinning with the possibilities of being Team Revelation's star photographer. He'd be famous! Again! "I'm just glad someone's trying to shut down Team Rocket." Ash said. "I'm getting real tired of hearing that motto over and over and over." Pikachu nodded in approval. The next morning, Team Revelation loaded up their hoverboards with supplies and set off for Neon Town. It was a good day's journey, even by hoverboard. Finally, the lights and glows of Neon Town were within view. "Watch your step, guys. People in this town are really grumpy." Garrett warned. "And if we come across a Jigglypuff, I'm donating it to charity before it can cause any trouble. That little Pokemon's become a legend in this town, you know." They all had a good laugh over that. Gliding high above the city, the team quickly spotted the Silver Comet Arcade. The building was huge; a large video game area was the first part of the three-fold building, then an open-air battle arena in the center, topped off with a virtual reality layover maze. The place was somewhere around four or five acres long and two acres across. A huge haystack, but the needle was made of gold. They set down on the building's rooftop and made their way down to the entrance. They wouldn't have to worry about getting lost or finding their way around: Garrett had downloaded blueprints for the whole building from Professor Oak, so there was almost nowhere their target could hide. The inside of the arcade was almost unbearable. Shouting, sound effects, and bright lights turned the room into an ocean of confusion. One of the arcade workers motioned to the team to step outside where they could talk. "Are you Team Revelation?" Ryan nodded in answer to the question. "You've got a challenger out on the battlefield in the back. She says not to keep her waiting." "Her?" Devan asked, not sure he'd heard right. "That's all I can say. Now, if you people will excuse me, I have a job to do." The arcade worker headed back to the arcade, rudely pushing past Ryan and Garrett in a huff. "Real nice guy." Jenna sarcastically mused. "C'mon, let's go find our hacker." Ryan said. The team got through the videogames as fast as possible and was finally out on the battlefield. The area appeared to be completely devoid of life, even before Crystal Dagger stepped out of the shadows. "Allow me to introduce myself." The warrior said, throwing a dagger with a quartz handle into the middle of the battlefield. "That's my business card." "Charming. And your name would be..." Ryan inquired with a sarcastic tone. "Not that it's any of your business, but you can call me Crystal Dagger, also known as your worst nightmare. If I were you, I'd prepare to die right now." She spat, three Pokeballs in each hand. "Not today and not by you. Prepare for trouble!" Ryan called out. "Make that triple!" Devan, Garrett and Jennifer called out. "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!" "Ryan!" "Devan!" "Garrett!" "Jennifer!" "We are Team Revelation, sworn defenders of the gospel of Jesus Christ!" "Surrender now, Satan's legions, because our God has won the fight!" The shadowy warrior seemed extremely unamused. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, let the battle begin!" Six black Pokeballs shot out of her hands with incredible speed. After the light of the Pokeball's energy faded, Ryan stood awestruck at the opposing Pokemon armada. Glaring down at their challengers, Syther, Magmar, Electrabuzz, Jynx, Alakazam, and Machamp stood defiantly aggressive at the other side of the field. The six humanoid Pokemon stood barely shorter than the towering assassin who had trained them to be relentless killers. "Would you like to surrender now, or after you lose?" Crystal said matter-of-factly. "I have killed the lion and the bear, and this uncircumsized Philistine shall be as one of them, for he has dared to insult the armies of the living God; First Samuel 37." Ryan quoted. Crystal seemed caught off gaurd by such an unusual retaliation. This was when Team Revelation made their move. "Alright, guys. Maximum Power!" Almost instinctually, Ryan, Devan, Garrett, and Jennifer launched all their Pokemon across the battlefield and into the most dangerous and threatening battle they had ever confronted. *Chapter 9* Charmander, Geodude, Weedle, Squirtle, Ghastly, Abra, Bulbasaur, Staru, Ditto, Pikachu, Spearow, and Dratini prepared for battle while their evil opponents simply scoffed at the Pokemon that dared challenge them. "So, you've got decent Pokemon after all. How about you kids join Team Rocket? Then you can catch power Pokemon like these." The assassin gestured to the small army in front of her. "You mean steal. We'd never join demon-possessed creeps like you." Jennifer glared at Crystal. She actually thought they'd join Team Rocket? It was time to show this lady that Team Revelation was made of stronger stuff than that. "Your loss. Attack them, now!" Syther sped across the battlefield at Ditto, who instantly Transformed into a Kabutops and met Syther's charge blade to blade. Ghastly moved in to attack Machamp, but was sent to the ground by a two-fisted Thunder Punch. Alakazam snorted at the inferior Abra and raised it's arms to attack. Luckily, Weedle was able to get behind Alakazam and Poison-Sting it in the butt. Alakazam jumped 8 feet in the air as Weedle and Abra chuckled a little in Pokemon. Pikachu and Geodude squared off against Jynx, who screeched at the top of it's lungs at the two Pokemon. Pikachu held it's long ears, trying to block out the sound while Geodude hurtled itself straight at Jynx. The ice Pokemon saw Geodude coming and released a powerful arctic blast. Unfortunately for Jynx, it forgot to dodge the ice-coated Geodude. It's eyes began to spin as it tried desperately to push Geodude off. Meanwhile, Pikachu prepared to release a vicious Thunderbolt. Squirtle and Staru attacked Magmar and Electrabuzz with airborne Tackles which proved only to annoy the two colossal Pokemon. Meanwhile, Spearow circled above, preparing for a counter-attack. On Staru's signal, it attacked with Mirror-Move, mimicking the Ice Beam attack that it had seem Jynx do. Electrabuzz suddenly released a Thunderbolt at Spearow, but not in time to keep Magmar from becoming an ice cube. Spearow slumped to the ground, badly injured. However, it was enough of an edge for Squirtle and Staru to attack unforseen. Electrabuzz was soon being pelted from both sides by Watergun and BubbleBeam attacks. Suddenly Bulbasaur lashed out at Electrabuzz with Leech Seed and numerous Razor Leaf attacks. Electrabuzz, undaunted, retaliated with Thunder. The battle continued for an hour. Crystal Dagger's warrior Pokemon fought relentlessly but were slowly overwhelmed by Team Revelation's superior numbers and variety. Finally, only Syther, Alakazam, Staru, Charmander and Pikachu remained on the battlefield. Onlookers, arcade workers, and even one or two news crews had gathered around to watch the best Pokemon battle the Arcade had ever seen. Devan was off on the sidelines now, trying desperately to revive Ghastly, Squirtle, and Abra. Some of them were lucky to still be alive after the way they got thrashed out there. "Syther, Sky Attack now! Combine it with Alakazam's Si-Beam! Pick them off one by one if you have to." "Pikachu, Thundershock! Give it your all!" "Charmander, use your Firespin attack on Alakazam! I believe in you, Charmander! You can do it!" "Staru, intercept Syther with an airborne Double-Edge. On your way up, use Recover!" Syther pivoted into the air, eyes glowing in preparation for the attack. Bruised and hard-pressed for concentration, Alakazam struggled to it's feet. Battle-worn, Pikachu, Charmander, and Staru fought with the odds, with only the understanding of their trainers' devotion and love to fuel them, and somehow found the energy to continue battle. High above, Syther released a glowing barrage of glowing energy beams at the ground below. Pikachu and Charmander rolled out of the way of the attack, barely out of harms way, while Staru flew straight up through the fiery darts. More than once, Staru came within inches of being hit head-on. For a time, nothing could be seen of Staru. Out of nowhere, Staru came flying through the deadly storm, striking Syther square in the neck. The giant Mantis/Dinosaur Pokemon let out a blood-curdling roar. Struck in a weak spot, Syther was forced to give up the attack in order to keep itself aloft. On the ground, Pikachu shot the last of it's energy skyward, finally defeating the blood-bent Pokemon. Pikachu, unable to even stand after such a battle, fainted. Now it was up to Staru and Charmander to deal with the weakened Alakazam. "Dev, if you're gonna do something, now's the time!" Ryan called out to his brother. "I need two more minutes! Just two more minutes!" Devan screamed back. Charmander's Firespin ignited, barely missing Alakazam. Eyes glowing with rage, Alakazam's Si-beam exploded across the battlefield. The entire arena was engulfed in light. Charmander and Staru fell. "Game...set... match." Crystal Dagger drew out her sword and aimed from across the field straight at Ryan's chest. The crowds screamed and backed away in fear as the assassin walked to the center of the field. "Give me those Pokemon and I might let you live. Maybe." Silence ensued for what felt like hours. The crowds watched noiselessly from a distance. The tension hung like sweat on everyone's brow. Miles away, Ash, Misty, Brock and Todd along with a large crowd gathered around a store window, silently watching these events unfold on a television screen. Ash was so worried he could barely keep his eyes off the screen. Same thing with Pikachu. Even Brock and Togepi were worried for Team Revelation's sake. Misty silently prayed. "Or else what?" The question suddenly rung out in the silent darkness of the moment. All eyes immediately fixed on Devan. "What did you... say?" Crystal Dagger seemed shocked for barely a moment. These defeated, Pokemon-less Jesus Freaks still wanted to battle? The question was, with what? The infant Evee that trembled in fear behind Jennifer's leg? Surely they didn't intend to fight Giovanni's top killer in hand-to-hand combat? "I said, ‘or...else...what?' murderer." Devan raised a lone fist in challenge. "It's not over yet! I choose you..." *Chapter 10* "...Ghastly!" Devan's Pokeball, to all present, glowed with an almost supernatural hope. It shot through the air like the Phoenix of legend, and Ghastly shot out of it towards Alakazam with it's entire body glowing. "Evee, help Ghastly out!" The infant Pokemon ran out from behind Jennifer. The two fully powered Pokemon shot across the battlefield at their target with inspiring determination and speed. "Evee, Sand Attack! Aim for Alakazam's eyes!" The tiny furball skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of sand into Alakazam's face. The massive Pokemon staggered backward, sand stinging in it's eyes and wounds. "Ghastly! Finish it with Nightshade!" The black energy clouds shot out of Ghastly's eyes and easily overtook Alakazam, sending it to the ground. Team Revelation had emerged triumphant. "Don't mess with the army of the living Lord God," Devan stated victoriously. He and Jennifer stood back to back as Jenna finished Devan's thought. "Because He will deliver our enemies into our hands, and I don't mean first class." At this the crowd erupted into applause, cheering, and a few scattered ‘Amen's and various exclamations. Suddenly, the crowd quieted as Ghastly's body began to glow white. "It's growing into a Haunter!" Garrett exclaimed. While everyone's eyes were on Devan's glowing Pokemon, Crystal slipped away into the maze. Jennifer's Evee saw her leave and gave chase on the deadly assassin. "Hey, where's Evee?!" Jenna screamed. Then she spotted Evee running into the maze on Crystal Dagger's trail. "Crystal's getting away!" "After her!" Ryan charged into the maze. Devan, Haunter, and Jennifer were right behind him while Garrett rushed their Pokemon to the Pokemon Center. It wasn't over yet, not quite. The massive crowds rushed back into the arcade. There were TV monitors inside that showed the activity inside the maze. The maze was pitch-black. Gamers who came in here could see where they were going using the VR overlap of the maze with all the VR tricks and whistles added in. That is, if they had VR headsets. Unfortunately, Team Revelation didn't have that advantage. Their enemy, however, had a black outfit to match her blackened heart. Ryan reached for his mini-flashlight, but thought better of it. Black against black is completely invisible, no matter what light it's in. Besides which, the flashlight beam would make them even more visible then they already were. White against black is a recipe for trouble, and their uniforms were almost completely white. Crystal noiselessly ran down yet another hallway. She hoped to ambush Team Revelation, but was planning on a quick escape. That accursed ghost had foiled her plans in the battle and could easily Hypnotize her straight into her own private high security prison cell. Why had she gotten rid of Alakazam's Recover attack!?! That would have been all she'd needed to win the battle! Suddenly, she felt something clinging to her back, growling in her ear. Surprise subsided within seconds as she realized harmless little Evee was doing it's best to annoy her. She must have been so focused on being quiet herself that she hadn't heard it approach. That was one mistake that could be easily rectified. "Hey! You guys, I heard Evee!" Jennifer whispered back to the group. After rounding three corners, the group found Evee clinging to Crystal's back, biting her in the neck. The warrior threw the puppy Pokemon off, it's back colliding with an invisible wall. It let out a sharp, short squeal, then began crying in little puppy moans. "You creep! You couldn't beat us, so you decided to pick on harmless infants! That's low, and you're going down for it!" Jennifer yelled out, the assassin running down the shadowy corridor. "Haunter! Hypnosis attack now!" Devan commanded. By the time Haunter had released a series of hypnotic waves, the shadowy warrior had vanished once more. The team gave chase, only to discover an open ventilation panel. When Team Revelation had finally made it back outside, the only thing left was a dagger and a note that read: "This isn't over yet..."