This part was written by Annabelle Faline. Part I: Forbidden Truth James stood in the cage, trying furiously to break the bars. He was yelling for Jesse and Meowth. They were gone, they had left him.... to deal with the twerp. And now Ash was walking into the cage, a look of contempt on his face. "What have you done with Totodile?" James looked up. He had to play stupid, one of the things he was able to do perfectly. "What is a Totodile? Where is it?" Pikachu electrocuted James. Ash glowered. "I know you have Tododile! Give him back!" James whimpered. "I don't have your Tododile! Jessie and Meowth took it to the Boss! Aaaah!" he said, cowering in the corner. "Don't hurt me!" "Where were they taking him?" Ash asked. "I don't know!" Pikachu shocked James again. "Ah-ah-ah! They're at the old abandoned factory on the edge of Viridian City!" "Thank you," Ash said. He let out one of his pokemon. "Cyndaquil! Watch him!" Cyndaquil agreed, and Ash left the complex. Brock and Misty didn't want him to go after Team Rocket, but he knew he had to. He needed to find Team Rocket so he could get his pokemon back, and Totodile was one of his favorites. "Come on, Pikachu," he said, shaking his thoughts away. "Let's go save Totodile." Viridian City was five days away. On the first day they passed by a redhead who was waving a spoon around in a strange manner. A dirty blonde was muttering and shaking her head, and the dirty blonde had some pokemon he hadn't seen before. He resisted the urge to stop and chat. On the second day, Ash and Pikachu passed a Pleasure House and spent the night there. What they did is not suitable to mention in this fic, and both were reluctant to leave. On the third day, they passed a wheat field, a man and his scyther working furiously to chop it. On the fourth day he came to a forest filled with many kinds of pokemon. He would have caught them if he had any spare pokeballs, but he did not, so he couldn't catch any of the beautiful and exotic pokemon. On the fifth day, he could see Viridian City on the horizon... when he looked from the top of a tree. He was almost there, and he had misjudged its distance from the complex he had been training at. He could see the abandoned factory from there. By this time tomorrow, he would have his Totodyle back. ~~~~~~ Meanwhile, James was in his cage, pretending to sleep. The cyndaquil was watching him, and had been nodding off to sleep for several hours now. In just a few moments, it would be out cold. He looked at the small walkie-talkie-like device that Giovanni had given him. It had been only because of the plan that he had allowed himself to be trapped here, and he wouldn't be like this for long. The cyndaquil had fallen asleep, and looked like it would not awaken for a few hours. He pressed a button on the device. "James here. Over." "This is Giovanni. It better be important! Over." "Ash Ketchum departed for Viridian City four and a half days ago. He should arrive any time now. Over." "Excellent..." Giovanni said. "Good work, James. You might be useful for something after all. Over." "Thank you, Boss. Over." Giovanni hung up, cutting James off. James smiled as he shut the device off. Now Giovanni recognized him. He wasn't a failure! He had finally impressed the Boss! Now they wouldn't only have Pikachu, but Team Rocket would have a new member if it ended up the way Giovanni had planned. Imagine having the leader of Team Twerp on their side... He started picking the lock to his cage. The cyndaquil would be a good bonus to ensure that he was back at the top. Jesse and Meowth would get credit for helping him. Maybe he had finally impressed Jesse... But no, it was impossible. She never would acknowldege his intelligence. She always hurt him. He hated being hurt by her, and yet it was what kept the world going 'round for him. At least she noticed him... There! The lock was finally picked, and he could escape with his prise. It was easy to find something that would hold a fire pokemon, and it was even easier to get out if the twerps didn't interrupt. "Hey!" someone yelled. It was the redheaded girl, Misty, the water pokemon trainer. James looked at her and laughed. He was ready for her. He threw a net over her. She screamed, but she couldn't get out. He tied the end of it up and slung her over his shoulder. She didn't weigh very much. "Hey! What are you doing? Don't you know this is kidnapping? Hey, stop it! Where are you taking me?" "I'm sorry, did you say something?" he asked, then hit her over the head. She was knocked unconscious. Now he might impress the Boss more. He would have another member to add if they found a way to make the headstrong girl join. "Masquerade... I bet you didn't think I was this smart, did you?" he asked the unconscious girl. "Well, in the end, who is the stupid one?" He laughed evilly as he drew out the Boss's pokeball. Inside was a Dark Pigeot, which could fly him to Headquarters in less than a day. "At last we will reveal ourselves to the world... at last we shall rule... Team Rocket has the power." ~~~~~~ Ash was struck by the broken-down look of the factory. "Hey! There's a door there, and it's still standing!" he said about ten seconds after Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and pointed toward the door. "Pi-ka..." Pikachu said, imitating a faint as Ash opened the door. The inside was seemingly devoid of people. The bottom was mostly open, an ideal place to have a battle, but there were some obstacles. A wide staircase led up to a half of a floor, and a ladder led up to the roof. A balcony stretched above him, but he had no idea how to get to it. "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone there?" The door behind him slammed. Pikachu screamed. "PIKAPIKA!" Evil laughter revebrated through the abandoned factory. "Welcome, young Ketchum. I have been anxious to meet you." "Who are you? Where are you?" Ash asked. A man stood in the western end of the factory. He had brownish-looking hair and wore a suit. A red "R" was on the coat pocket. Ash and the man seemed to have a telepthic exchange, for they both said the same thing at the same time. "Giovanni," they said. One was saying what his name was, the other was saying who he though the man was. They both understood one other thing: a pokemon battle. "Nidoking, go!" Giovanni said. "Pikachu, go!" Ash yelled. "Use your thundershock!" The thundershock didn't even make the Nidoking blink. Then, Nidoking sped at Pikachu faster than the electric rat could see, and Pikachu flew through the air with a scream as Nidoking used his tackle attack. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled, running over to his favorite pokemon. Pikachu was bruised, but still wanted to fight. Nidoking hadn't injected any toxins into Pikachu's system. The battle continued like that for a long time, and Ash and Pikachu were gradually pushed to the flat roof. Pikachu was in really bad shape, almost hallucinating from the amount of blows s/he had sustained. "I am really tiring of this game," Giovanni said. "Nidoking, tackle attack. Both of them." Ash was horrified. Nidoking came barrelling at him at a tremendous speed, and he hardly had time to blink before he flew into the roof. The roof broke under him, and he fell onto the balcony, rolling over the edge. He grabbed on. Pikachu had fallen into a mass of old electric cords, and s/he was tangled beyond belief in the cords. Ash looked up at Giovanni and Nidoking, who had jumped down to the balcony. His eyes were full of hate. His hands were slipping. "Your mother never told you what happened to your father." "She told me enough," Ash replied menacingly. "She told me you killed him for his pokemon." Giovanni shook his head. "No, Ash. I am your father." "NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ash screamed. Pikachu was unconscious; s/he couldn't wail. "That's impossible!" Ash stared at Giovanni in disbelief. How could the head of Team Rocket be his father? That was impossible! "Search your feelings; you know it to be true," Giovanni said. "No..." Ash whispered. "Come with me, Son, and we can rule the world as Father and son. I have admired your talents. You could go far... come with me. Ash! Come with me." "No," Ash said. "NO!" He let go of the balcony, plunging to the floor and the waiting mattress below. The last words he heard before he fell into unconsciousness were: "You can't help it, my son. It's in the blood..." ~~~~~~ James had arrived. He looked at Giovanni. "I brought Misty, the girl, the one Ash secretly likes... and his Cyndaquil." "Excellent, James. You have done well. I will give you a raise." "Thank you, Boss." He looked at the two bound kids who lay in his big truck. They were on table- like cots. They wouldn't awaken for a few hours. The Pikachu was unconscious in a glass jar, and the cyndaquil was in a cage. He brushed some hair out of Ash's eyes. "We may have a way to turn you yet... you have feelings for this rogue beauty..." he laughed. "You will be mine."