Chapter #4 I woke up in a jail cell.....or what looked like a jail cell. The last thing I remembered was turning toward Pikachu. Then I remember blacking out from a very large thwap on the head. I don't think Misty could have done better if she tried to knock me out on purpose. "Uhhhn!" My head was pounding! It felt like a whole herd of Tauros had jumped on my head while I was asleep. "So you're finally awake?" The voice wasn't the familar Jessie, James or Meowth from team rocket. I was pretty sure that it was team rocket that got me. Who else would do something like this other than team rocket? I was surprized that they actualy had the idea to sneak up on me. "Wha?" I asked in my dizzyness. Where was I? "Hmph! I can't believe that those jokes pulled this off." said another voice. I was right! It was team rocket that had me. I don't know anyone else who the voice would refer to as jokes. Wait! That means I've been kidnapped! My pokemon! "Don't move kid!" I had tried to sit up to find my pokeballs only to discover that my backpack was missing. I was swiftly restrained. I couldn't make out what was going on quite yet. Then I remembered that during the kidnapping when I turned to yell to Pikachu, my backpack was on one shoulder and it flew off because of my momentum into a nearby alley when I fell. Pikachu! "Where's Pikachu?" I managed to mumble out weakly. I was laying on a hard jail bed and had a female team rocket scientist poking at me while two rocket brutes held me down. "Your Pikachu wasn't the target this time kid. The catch of the day was you." growled one of the brutes. I was the target?! What could they want with a kid like me?!! Sure I beat team rocket most of the time but, I wasn't a real threat to team rocket was I? At least Pikachu was safe. "He's more resistant to the drugs than I thought he would be." said the scientist. A voice from somewhere else in the room ordered her to double the dosage. I felt a needle enter my left arm and I passed out from the dizzyness. Elsewhere.... "He's been gone too long. Brock there's something wrong. Ash would have been here by now. We have to go find him!" said Misty. Brock could see that she was really worried about Ash. To be truthful so was he. Ash may be a good pokemon trainer but he was still just a kid. Anything could have happened to him by now. "Pikachu's not out of the danger zone yet Misty. We have to stay with Pikachu untill it's out of danger. We can look for Ash later....Hellooooo Officer Jenny (hearts in his eyes). What brings a beautiful doll like yourself down here? Look as soon as I finish here maybe you an I could discuss this over dinner? OUCH!"Misty had removed herself from her perch to take ahold of Brocks ears. "Control your hormones Mr Heart Eyes. Pikachu's in trouble and so is Ash when he comes in!" Officer Jenny had a very concerned look on her face. "Did I just hear that a friend of yours is missing? Would you know his backpack if you saw it again?" she inquired. Officer Jenny held up a familar green bakpack. "THAT'S ASH'S! What are you doing with it?" demanned Misty. "I was afraid of this. It seems your friend Ash has gotten himself into some kind of trouble. We found this backpack in an alley not too far from here. It seems that noone saw what happened. I think we have to presume he's been kidnapped." Misty and Brock shared a look of absolute horror."I want you to tell me what happenned today. Everything! You understand?" The two kids nodded. "This is all my fault if I hadn't got into that argument with Ash this would have never happened." wailed Misty as soon as everything was explained. "No this is my fault. If I was paying attention things wouldn't have gotten out of hand and Ash wouldn't have stormed out of here." said Brock. "So you guys think that team rocket did this?" asked Officer Jenny. They both nodded. Just then Nurse Joy came out of the E.R. "Well?" asked Brock. "Pikachu's going to live but as I said before, it won't be conscious for a few days. It was lucky to survive at all. Is his trainer here yet?" The group before her was silent. "We think something happened to Ash...." Meanwhile.. When I awoke again I was fighting for my life. When I was semi-conscious, I heard what they were planning to do to me. Something about an experiment that they were going to se if I survived or not. Quite frankly, I wanted to live. I struggled as they stripped me of my jacket, pulled me towards the door, and as they tried to take my hat and finally suceeding at it. I would have to remember the guy that got me with such a dirty shot. He was going to pay for that. "Prepare to throw him into the vat." I heard the one called Giovonni order. Hands went through my hair. It was an wery unpleasent experience with the headache I now had. That's when I heard a familar voice. "What's with the goo?" It was James. It was all the familar team rocket that I had encountered from all of my adventures. They were watching this from below. It was Cassidy that anwered him. "All who wish to try the test must first enter with the blood of the marking, so if he be the one with the heart of metal; there will be no dispute for the crest shall be known to all." Cassidy? Cassidy and Butch were here as well! I could see it in the three rockets eyes. James, Jessie and Meowth thought that this was wrong but they couldn't do anything about it. "Real blood?" Meowth asked. It was obvious by his tone that he was very nervous. Cassidy snapped her reply. "Don't be stupid Meowth. There is an inscription on how to make 'blood of the marking'" I winced. I didn't want to know what they were doing to me. I saw the strangest thing happen next. All three of the rockets began to whisper. They weren't going to try and help me! I decided to make one last effort to reach them. "Let me go!"I yelled with as much strength I could muster. Then another thwap on the back of my head rendered me semi-conscious again. I could feel myself being dragged somewhere. Then I felt it for the first time; the silver liquid of the pond of pokemon. A little later... "Come on! We have to lead the twerps friends here. You two slowpokes stop waddling and hurry up!" snarled Jessie. All three of them were running in the maze of the warehouse. "Slow down Jessie. We're lost." stated James "Hmpfh! Figures! We only get lost at the worst possible times." puffed Meowth. "Ha! I found the exit!"gloated Jessie. It was a no brainer; in front of them was a red door that said 'EXIT'. Once outside the rockets had to come up with a plan. "So how are we going to do this Jess? How are we going to get the twerps friends into one of the most secret team rocket headquarters of all time?"asked James. "That's the simple part. Once they see us they'll assume that we have him. Then when we run they'll chase us." said Jessie "Yeah and with da twerps hat in postion like dis." Meowth interupted. He had just shoved the hat inbetween the EXIT they had just come out of. "They'll look into it. Meowh!" "Don't ever interupt me Meowth when I'm on a role."snapped Jessie. She let Meowth drop to the floor after stretching out his cheeks to ten times their normal size. "I get it. Brillaint! We don't get our hands dirty and still look like the bad guys." said James. "Now this will only work if we do this right."said Jessie. At the pokemon center five minutes later... "Prepare for trouble," "And make it double," you know the rest of it. "It's team rocket!" growled Brock. Misty immediaty lept from her seat and began to shake all three of the rockets by their collars. "What have you done to Ash?" "Meowth scratch attack." panted Meowth; scratching Misty's hands to get free of the deathgrip she had on all of their shirts. Before anyone else could attack a red pokeball was thrown into the fray. "Go Vulpix! Flamethrower attack!" shouted Brock. "Qiuck Misty! Get out your pokemon. They're after Pikachu while they have Ash out of the way." "Go Staru! Watergun!" a pokeball was thrown and a star shaped pokemon was flung out in a blur of red. "VULLL!" "HYA" "You kids can't do this alone. Growlithe! Ember!" shouted Officer Jenny. "GROWLLLLTH!" "Think we got their attention?"asked Meowth. "Oh shut up Meowth." snapped his partners. "Make sure that they follow us or this will be for nothing." "Roger!" "Team rocket retreat!" they all shouted suddenly. "Get back here!" shouted Misty. The group from the pokemon center ran after the rockets. Later... "Looks like we lost them." "No!" Misty was beating her fists against a nearby wall. "How could we let them get away?!! They knew where Ash was!" 'Look to your left you airhead redhead.' whispered Meowth. They had run all over town leading them to the rocket headquarters. They weren't going to let them just waste all that hard work for nothing. "Misty look! It's Ash's hat." Brock ran over to the EXIT door and yanked it open. "I bet he left it here for us to find." said Officer Jenny. "Then he has to be in there." Misty started to charge into the building. Before she could get through the door, Officer Jenny grabbed her. 'Alright, lets go before things get dicey.' whispered Jessie to her cohorts. They all nodded and krept through the underbrush untill they were a safe distance away. "No! If this place is run by team rocket, we need backup. I'll call the entire area for help. We could be over our heads if this is their headquarters." "But Ash could be in danger!" said Misty. "He'll be in more danger if we just charge in there without a plan." Officer Jenny snapped at Misty. " Wait here while I call for help." "Brock we go to do something!" Her eyes began to plead for his help. "Sorry Misty but, I agree with Officer Jenny on this one. We're over our heads on this one. Best wait for help and then charge in." Brock leaned against a wall. "I've got an idea! Let's use Ash's pokemon as our backup. They won't take this sitting down! Quick! Give me his backpack before Officer Jenny comes back." pleaded Misty "They'll also be upset about Pikachu. Without Ash here, the stronger ones won't listen to us." stated Brock. "It's too risky." "If you won't help him than I will!" Misty began to reach for Ash's bag. "Hey!" said Brock. Then a dust fight broke out between them and the bag anime style. "What are you two doing?!" yelled Officer Jenny. She was back from radioing for help. "Give me Ash's backpack!" growled Misty. "No! You'll only make things worse!" retorted Brock. A tug-a-war broke out between the angry friends. During the tug-a-war, a pokeball fell from one of Ash's side pockets from his bag. A creature who had been watching the fight between the two saw it's chance. "Mew!" The creature said as it scurried out from it's hiding place and snatched the ball before anyone could react. All they saw of the creature was a white blur. The surprised friends stopped fighting for a moment and looked at the spot that the mysterious creature had just dissappeared to. "Did you just see that?" asked Brock. "What kind of pokemon was that?" asked Officer Jenny in awe. "Whatever it was, it took one of Ash's pokeballs!" exclaimed Misty. "He's going to kill us."she wailed. The creature was now watching from the roof of the building behind them. It was still waiting for it's chance. "They'll be here in ten minutes. So get ready." reported Officer Jenny. "Who?" asked Misty and Brock. "Every Growlithe squad from every town for twenty miles. It seems your little troup has a reputation for helping out the law. Every Officer in our vacinity lept at the chance to help us once Ash's name was mentioned." "That's our Ash! Always ready to help others. Let's just hope that Ash can hold out untill then." Brock said with hope. There was more hope now than ten minutes ago and he wasn't about to let this hope fade. Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or anything related to pokemon. Pokemon and its associated characters are copyrighted by Nintendo/Game Freak. This is a pokemon fanfic created by my mind only.