"The Golden Badge Caper!"

	Ash and Misty were about to do something they had dreamed about since Ash had
began his Pokémon journey. Ash had finally gone far enough in the world of
Pokémon that he was considered a Pokémon master. He was the youngest ever at
only age twelve. He was going to get his own gym in his hometown of pallet. The
local Pokémon league had become so popular that they were going to have ten gyms
instead of just eight. 
	Misty was going to help him out around the gym, and give them a little
entertainment. As she put it, "Ash, you know that you're gym couldn't suffer
with a girl as beautiful and talented as I am!" To which Ash responded with,
"You're getting more like your sisters every day."
	Misty had then whacked him over the head with a large object.
	In addition to Misty, Brock was returning after a long stay on that island to
help Ash out. He too had accomplished his goals, and promised Ash that he would
help him out, at least for a while. 
	It was for this reason that Ash and Misty were waiting at Professor Oak's home.
Brock was going to get there at any moment.
	There were a lot of changes in Ash's tiny hometown of Pallet. For one,
Professor Oak's lab was much larger, with files on all the new Pokémon, and a
huge team of research learning everything about them for the now internationally
known Pokédex. 
	Ash's mom had opened a temporary Pokémon Center to serve as one while the new
one was being built. There was a new Pokémart, and another building that was up
for sale.
	It was a large building that was built to be an arcade. The man was the new
owner of The Game Corner after Team Rocket had been arrested for their rigged
machines. The man was a big business tycoon, and now owned more than just The
Game Corner. He wanted to put a new location of Pallet, and had paid for the
land and construction of the building. At the last minute, profits took a turn
for the worst, and he decided that he would make more money if he sold it all
and targeted all the customers to one Game Corner. 
	The same man was also paying for the new Pokémon center going up, as well as
two Pokémon museums. 
Ash was thinking about all of this while sitting on the bench in front of
Professor Oak's lab, playing with a piece of string he pulled off his shoe lace.
	Misty looked bored. She stroked Togipi as she hummed to herself, wondering
about the reuniting with Brock was going to be like. 
	"Hey Ash! Misty!"
	"Huh?" Ash said, and looked up. "Ha! Brock!" Ash jumped up and run to hug his
friend. "Brock, I missed you!"
	Misty hugged him too, wiping a little tear away. "Things haven't been the same
without you!"
	Brock laughed. "No time for sappy reunions. Let's get you that gym, Ash. You
have your Gym Leader's license, right?"
	Ash nodded.
	"Well, if I recall, they give you two months to get a building. So we better
hop to it!"
	"Actually, we only have ONE month. Ash blew it all…" Misty sighed.
	Brock laughed and shook his head. 
	The three friends walked in the direction of what was to be Ash's gym. 

	"Prepare for trouble!"
	"And make it double!"
	"To protect the world from devastation!"
	"To unite all people within our nation!"
	"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
	"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
	"Jessie!"
	"James!"
	"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
	"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
	Yep. You guessed it. It was Team Rocket, making their usual speech before
attempting a big plan. This time trying to bump off a small Pokémon medical shop
outside of the forest.
	"Hand over your Pokémon potions! All of them!" Jessie yelled.
	James nodded, and pointed his shotgun at who seemed to be in charge, a young
girl with black hair. "Yeah, and make it snappy!" 
	Looking at her Jessie had a feeling that they had seen this girl before…
	The girl put up her hands. "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"
	In the meantime her grandma was dialing the police. "Hello? I would like to
report a felony in progress?"
	"W…where's Meowth? I thought you two were super heroes!" Katrina stuttered.
	Sweat drop.
	"Uhhh…" said James. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Meowth was taken
away from them and temporary transferred to another team until they got their
act together.
	Jessie nudged him. "It's the girl that Meowth was in love with! I thought you
were supposed to research these things!"
	"Yes," Grandma whispered into the phone. "Their names are Jessie and James, and
they're members of Team Rocket. Come quickly!"

	Ash shook the hand of a large gentleman in a sharp pinstripe suit and hat. 
	"So, you're who I was going to meet? I kind of expected Mr. Ketchum to be at
least a teenager!" he laughed. 
My name is Dr. Flaco Alexander."
	Ash laughed too. "Yup! That's me, Ash Ketchum!"
	"Well, Mr. Ketchum, I think that we can certainly make a deal. Isn't it your
mother who is using her home as a temporary Pokémon center?"
	Ash nodded.
	"In that case we owe your family a favor anyway! Consider this deal… If you
advertise our museums and The Game Corner and other businesses at your center,
I'll give you the building."
	Ash's eyes sparkled. "Oh really?! Oh wow! Brock! Did you hear that! Oh wow oh
wow!" Ash jumped around. 
	Brock grinned. "Dr. Flaco Alexander, you've certainly made Ash happy!"

	Jessie and James walked down a road, heads down, backs stooped. 
	"Well that was a miserable failure…" James moaned.
	Jessie sighed. 
	About then, her Rocket beeper started to beep. She picked it out of her pocket,
and pressed the button?
	"Yes sir?" she said softly.
	"I might now be sir for long!" Giovanni's voice was in a sharp roar. 
	Jessie cringed.
	"I heard about your pathetic attempt at a robbery! Another stunt like that
could put the whole team in danger!"
	"I understand, sir…"
	"I also haven't seen anything from you too! No Pokémon, no supplies, no money!
How do you expect me to pay you people if I'm not making any money?"
	Jessie dragged her feet and answered his lecture with, "yes sir" and "of
course, sir", "you're always right!" "mm-hmm" and "I understand."
	"Let me talk to your partner."
	Jessie handed the beeper to James.
	"Yes sir! James here, sir! Sir!"
	"I know who you are!"
	"Oh, of course sir! You're right, sir! Sorry sir!"
	"Stop babbling like an idiot."
	"Sorry sir."
	"I just wanted to tell you because it would make a bigger impression on you… if
you don't do something for the team, you're FIRED!"
	"Eep!"
	"That's right."
	"But Boss, we've tried so hard to do bad right…"
	"Don't give me that. Other members of this team have accomplished more in a
week than you two do in your entire time of being MEMBERS! Ever heard of Jackie
and Julia? Mandy and Tony? Matt and CC?"
	"Only Jackie and Julia, sir… I haven't heard of the others yet, sir…"
	"Well you better hear this! If you were HALF as good as they were, you would at
least be able to win a gym battle! So here's what I'm offering. You go down to
that new gym opening in Pallet by that kid I told you two to track almost a YEAR
ago. If you don't come back with a badge, you're off the team!"
	Giovanni hung up. 
	James started crying.
	Jessie gulped. 
	They were in trouble.

	It was so exciting getting a gym together. It was one of the happiest times of
Ash's life. 
	Pikachu skipped around the floor of the gym, sliding here and there.
	Misty and Brock laughed as they watched him. 
	Ash lay back and began to plan how he was going to do everything. Call Richey,
clean the place up, and order the badges… The badges! They were more behind than
they thought they were…
	And only a month to get ready!

	"Go! One!" Jessie commanded.
	"Ugh!" James groaned.
	"Two!"
	"Uhn!"
	"Three!"
	"Eep!"
	"Stop wining like an itty bitty baby! Four!"
	"Ugh!"
	"Five!"
	"Jessie? Ugn…"
	"What? FIVE!"
	"Erm! Why… why do I have to be the one doing all the work?"
	"SIX! Shut up and get those so-called muscles working! SEVEN!"
	"Oh alright…Ugh!"
	Jessie smiled cruelly as she then forced her partner to do 100 left handed
push-ups, and then giggled with glee as he then did 100 on the right hand. He
was just so easy to manipulate. She knew James would probably be the one doing
all the work in any case, because he was the one who had to go back to
Jessebelle and his parents if he lost, making him seem half blind to reality. If
he wasn't in perfect shape, then she couldn't get him to catch new Pokémon,
train them, and get him to learn how to fight them well before the gym opened,
now could he? She laughed again. 
	"Alright now…" she jumped on his shoulders. "Let's go for a little run. Oh…
five miles."
	"But you're on my shoulders."
	"Exactly. Now run." 
	James started to walk. 
	"run."
	James went to a jog.
	"Run."
	James sprinted.
	"Run! Or I'll send you back to where you came from!"
	James ran as fast as he could. He wondered when Jessie got so heavy. 
	"STOP!" Jessie yelled suddenly. Her eyes gleamed as she peered into the grass. 
	James stopped immediately and collapsed, welcoming the break.
	"Oh well…" Jessie said, stepping over his head to get a closer look.
	The Clefairy Jessie had spied peeked out from behind the bush.
	"Go, Arbok!" Jessie threw her Pokéball.
	"Chaaaaarbok!"
	"Arbok, wrap attack!"
	"Chaaar!" The snake Pokémon hissed, and wrapped tightly around the innocent
Clefairy. 
	"Go, Pokéball!" Jessie tossed another Pokéball, and captured it. She giggled.
"Arbok, return!"
	Jessie grinned at the Pokéball in her hands. Maybe they were well on their way
to reaching a point where they could battle Ash and actually win. All they
needed was new Pokémon, and money for rare candy and stones they would need to
level them up… Ash would be caught completely off guard. 

Ash was mopping the floor. Misty was carrying boxes of supplies. Brock was
taking a lunch break. 
	There came a sharp knock at the door. 
	Through the glass door, Misty could see an older man in an old coat with
patches. "I've got it!" she said, and walked into the lobby.
	"Hmmm…" thought Misty to herself. She opened the door for him. And then she
gasped.
	"Dr. Flaco Alexander!" She said loudly. 
	"At your service…" he moaned. "We have business to talk about… where's Mr.
Ketchum?"
	"Right here sir," Ash said, entering the lobby as his name was being mentioned. 
	"Ash, my boy..." Dr. Alexander sighed. "The stock market took a dive. One of my
museums went out of business. This last two weeks has been hell for me. I'm in
financial trouble. I can't complete the new Pokémon center without a bigger
income! The budget isn't balanced anymore. The museum was supposed to take care
of it all, but now… I need money, Ash. We have to talk about our deal."
	"Oh?"
	"I'm sorry, but Pokémon centers come before Pokémon gyms.  I'm sure the league
can find another trainer in another city as their tenth badge. Pallet badly
needs a Pokémon center. I'm going to have to cut our deal"
	"What!?!" yelled Ash. "No! You can't!" He grabbed him by his collar and started
shaking. "It's been my dream my whole life's dream to become a Pokémon master,
and you can't take it away from me, you can't! Not when I'm this close!"
	Dr. Alexander was taken by shock.
	"Ash, take it easy!" yelled Misty. 
	"Maybe we can work a deal…" Alexander gasped. 
	Ash dropped him. "Okay."
	"I'll tell you what… in your first battle, if you win $3,000, that will be
enough to keep the museum running. You give the money to me, and then I'll have
enough to finish the Pokémon center. I'll get a profit, and we'll all be back in
business. And… and you can keep your gym."
	"What happens if he loses?" Misty asked softly. "And how is he going to get
$3,000? People will usually only pay about a third of that at the very most."
	Dr. Alexander sighed. "I guess he'll have to find a rich trainer then. Because
I need $3,000 dollars."
	"So either way… you get your money." Ash noted. 
	"I suppose that's one way to look at it."
	"It sound like a sour deal, Ash, I think you shouldn't take it! What if you
lost?" Misty whispered.
	"I won't lose!" Ash said confidently. "It's a deal!"
	Ash and Dr. Alexander shook hands.
	Just then, Brock walked in chewing the last bit of his sandwich. "Hey… what's
going on?"

	It had been about a month since Jessie and James were told they were going to
be kicked off Team Rocket. And finally, they were sure they were ready to fight.
Not only would winning the battle keep them in the team, but they would also get
Meowth back. 
	They had new Pokémon, and had trained them well.
James was in the best physical shape he had been in his life. 
	But most of all, they were confident that they were ready. And they new that
this was a battle they could not lose.

	It had been about a month since Ash and his friends first started work on their
own Pokémon gym. And finally, they were sure they were ready to fight. 
	Ash trained his Pokémon very hard for their first battle at the gym, and they
were powerful. The Pokémon gym was not complete and ready for battle. It was
spacious, and enjoyable, with its beautiful glass windows, and light shining in
from all directions. Ash was worried about who in their right minds would
challenge him in a Pokémon battle with $3,000 at stake. But he knew eventually,
someone would come. And then, after he won, he could play Dr. Flaco Alexander
for the gym, and it could officially be his own. 
	But most of all, he was confident he was ready. And he knew this was a battle
he could lose. 

	Brock proudly placed the sign on the door of Ash's gym. 
	"Open. First challenge will have $3,000 dollars at stake. Winners will receive
a special golden edition of the first ever Dream Badge. Future battles price
debatable, but for a normal dream badge."

	Today was the day. Or so they hoped. Who in their right mind would pay $3,000
got a match? Even for a golden Badge? 
	What Ash, Misty, and Brock didn't realize was that Team Rocket was never in
their right mind.
	To Ash's surprise the first battle was indeed that very day.
	The bell rang on the door.
	Misty opened it for them, dressed in a beautiful sparkling dress that reflected
the light that came in through the glass. It made her shine. "Uh oh…" she said
softly.
	Standing in the doorway was a southern couple, dressed in fancy clothes. 
	They looked familiar. 
	"Hey there, dumplin'." The lady said in a Southern accent. "My name is Mary-Sue
and this here is my husband," for some reason she paused here to either keep
from laughing or make a face, or both, and then finished her sentence, "Tex."
	"Nice to meet you. How may we help you?"
	"Well Hun," Tex said. "We is from down south. We struck oil! We thought we
would celebrate by being the first to battle at your gym. An' that golden thang
is mighty pretty!"
	"Oh." Misty said. "Well, follow me into the battle arena."
	Misty lead Mary-Sue and Tex to the arena, her hair bobbing against her
shoulders as she walked. Ash was waiting. 
	"Hey there, Sugar." Mary-Sue said. "We challenge you!"
	"Both of us!" added Tex. "Six on six!"
	"Ash, it's not a good idea, what if you lose?" Misty cautioned again.
	"I'm not going to lose! You're on!"
	"Me first, love!" Mart-Sue ran to the front, holding up her skirts. "Ponyta, I
chose you, dumpling!"
	"Okay then!" Ash said. "Fire is weak against water. Go Squirtle!"
	"Squirtle!" The turtle Pokémon said. Even it sounded confident. 
	"Ponyta! Ember!"
	"Poooonytaaaa!" The horse Pokémon sent a wave of fire at Squirtle. 
	After the smoke had cleared, Squirtle coughed. Hardly any damage had been done. 
	Ash laughed. "This will be easy! Water gun!"
	SPLASH
	The beautiful Ponyta fell to the ground. 
	"Grrrrr!" Mary-Sue was not discouraged though. "Go, Sycther!"
	"Alright, Charizard!"
	Sycther was no match for Charizard, Ash's most powerful pokémon. 
	"This is my last chance, so I'll make it good!" Mary-Sue said, "Go Seadra!"
	"Uhhh… Primeape!"
	Mary laughed. "Get'm Seadra!"
	"Seeeadra!" Seadra paralyzed Primeape.
	"Prime?!"
	"Gooooo!"
	"Seadra, finished Primeape off with a bubble beam. 
	"Hey!" Ash yelled. "Bring on Tex!"
	"Tex calls Voltorb!"
	Ash looked at Brock for advice. "Bulbasour."
	"Voltorb. Self destruct!"
	BOOM! Both the Pokémon fell on the ground.
	"There's no way around it now! We can't tie!" Tex laughed evilly. The laugh was
very familiar. It caught Misty's attention.
	"Ash that's…"
	But Ash wasn't paying attention. Tex looked like just some stupid cowboy, but
he had used a smart move. A very smart move. 
	"Muk." Ash decided. 
	"Go… Jigglypuff!"
	"Muk!" Muk jumped over Jigglypuff, but there came a voice from under Muk…
	An entrancing tune that was all too familiar. 
	"Jiggggglypuff… Jigggglypuff… Jigglypuff, Jigg-a-lyyyyPUFF!"
	Muk was asleep.
	"Hahahaha!" Tex laughed.
	Misty was sure of it now.
	"Arg! Muk, return!"
	Tex wore a confident smile on his face. "This is it, little boy." His eyes
darted around as he took out his last pokéball. "You have no idea what I went
through to get this Pokémon back! Let's go, Growlie!"
	"GROWLIE?" Brock, Misty, and Ash all said at once. 
	An older looking Growlithe was soon growling and on the attack.
	"Pikachu, it's up to you!"
	"Pika!"
	"Growlie, tackle that yellow rat!"
	"PIKA!" 
	Pikachu hit the ground with a thud. But Pikachu didn't want to give up. He
jumped on Growlie's back.
	Growlie whimpered. 
	But Pikachu was the one who was in trouble.
	Flames erupted on Growlie's back setting Pikachu on fire. 
	"Pika! PIKA!" The tiny mouse ran around trying not to cry. It was burned badly.
	"PIKACHU!" Ash yelled.
	"Pi…" Pikachu collapsed.
	Tex grinned triumphantly.
	"Oh no!" said Ash, Brock and Misty.
	"Pikkkka…" Pikachu struggled to get to his feet. "CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" One last
thunderbolt was all it took.
	It was like slow motion. "Growl?!" The Growlithe fainted.
	"GROLIE!" Tex fell to his knees, and held his head in his hands.
	He was in hysterics. He was only able to say a few words. Mary-Sue also had a
very disturbed look on her face, as she walked behind him, and tried to comfort
him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
	"No! Can't… happen! No! Bad! All that…! Jessebelle! Nonono! Growlie! T…
Rocket!… NO!"
	"I knew it!" said Misty, "It's those Rockets!"
	As if on cue, Tex's hat fell off revealing shining blue hair…
	"Blue hair! It's James!"
	"Yes… it is us…" Mary-Sue said taking off her wig. 
	"What's… What's James' problem, Jessie?" Ash asked timidly.
	James got up slowly, and took a deep breath. "I don't want to leave…"
	"What?"
	"If you twerps really want to know, because of you, we're getting kicked off
the team! Team Rocket is our life! James will have to go back to his family, he
has no other choice! I… I don't know what I'm going to do!" Jessie snapped.
	"Wait…" Brock said. "They aren't lying."
	"Does it look like we're lying?" She pointed to her hysterical partner. "DOES
IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE LIEING TO YOU, SQUINT BOY?"
	"Uh… no."
	"I don't understand… why are you getting kicked off?" Misty inquired
sympathetically. 
	"It was our last chance… they took Meowth away…. They took everything away… we
had to bring back a dream badge… or… this is the end! I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME,
DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! WE WORKED SO HARD!!" He broke down again.
	"Oh."
	Ash knew that Team Rocket had always been a thorn in his side. He knew that
Team Rocket was vain and selfish, and would probably never stoop low enough to
bother with a twerp like him. But right now, he didn't care.
	Team Rocket would always be Team Rocket. 
	He took the golden badge from his jacket.
	"Ash, what are you doing?!" Misty asked immediately.
	"Misty, they put on a better performance today than ever! And I don't want to
see anyone have to suffer, even if they are Team Rocket! I'm sure they couldn't
have paid the $3,000 anyway… and I've seen what they both go through. They can't
just be thrown out on the streets, can they?"
	Brock smiled a little, and nodded, encouraging Ash.
	Ash handed the badge to James.
	"Team Rocket, consider this your first victory!"