By order of their review, I would like to thank: Typhlosion8, Cutiepieo2, schoolmouse33, JordanMax, Guest, Artemis173, Aaml mania, Anon, Guest, Guest, Guest, QUEENSPELLER67, Distant Storm, Diamonds Shine and Not So Artsy Fartsy for their continued support.

For some reason cid . neha's name isn't showing up so I'm writing it like this. I'd like to say a massive thank you to them for reviewing every chapter so far!

"I think what makes people fascinating is conflict, it's drama, it's the human condition. Nobody wants to watch perfection."

Game Over

Chapter Eight – Dysfunction & Division –

Peter slipped through the broken window with practiced ease, using the moonlight as guidance to land on a clear bit of tile. The police had yet to clean anything up for the sake of forensic evidence, but it had already been over a week and they'd done nothing more than close off the area. Really, it was a rather sloppy job in his opinion.

Spiked ebony hair giving him a convenient cover in the darkness, Peter scanned his surroundings cautiously. As far as his knowledge went there had been no other appearances concerning Team Rocket, but one could never be too careful; Especially in the business he was in. Oak owed him big time. He pulled out a small torch which set off a beam of light straight in front him. Crimson eyes following it in caution, Peter figured that he had come into the kitchen.

Quite handy, considering this was the exact location where the girl had been attacked. The Cerulean Gym was a relatively large place, much larger than most Gym's due to the elaborate performances given by its residents. Despite the police's poor work of getting the place cleaned up, Peter couldn't help but be slightly relieved at the added leverage it gave him. It wouldn't do well at all if they'd scraped it all aside and just let Misty's sisters back in, as then not only would he have nothing to work with, but also three rather troublesome women to avoid.

The fact that Officer Jenny, albeit being a fierce and loyal worker, would have skipped over most important details was just a bonus.

He knew for a fact that the police hadn't bothered with looking into the case at all. Perhaps a few search parties here and there, but those and blocking off the area were just for show. It meant nothing. They had found nothing. The only reason they made such an ordeal over the matter was because Misty was a Gym leader. The Cerulean Sisters may have been placated with Oak's intel and Officer Jenny's robotic words, but he knew better, and he certainly wasn't going to let this chance go. After all, he'd never failed a case thus far.

Slipping a hand into his black jacket pocket, Peter pulled out a plastic ziplock bag and began to unfold it. The jacket was one of his favourites, given the high collar that went as far as to cover both sides of his face. It had saved his identity on more occasions than he could count on all fingers and toes combined. Shifting his head to the side for precaution, and out of habit, he moved the torch over the small kitchen to look for anything that may be of use.

After several moments of surveying the given area, Peter tucked bag into the front pocket of his white under shirt. He'd been almost positive that at least one minor clue would be easily spotted among the debris. He racked his brain for information, eyes popping as the memory of being told about the Pokemon who had been knocked out with some form of sleeping powder. Maybe there'd be something of use in there...

Slowly making his way out of the kitchen and using the light to avoid any askew or broken remains, Peter navigated his way through the Gym based on the memorised map Gary had sent him. Thankfully, he'd also had the good fortune of knowing that all of the pokemon had been removed for safety reasons, meaning that he was free to poke and prod around as he pleased without the threat of a wild water gun striking him without notice.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. If the oversized water tanks weren't enough information, the endless rows of seats for the audience were a dead giveaway. Peter once again raised his guard, defences high and sense alert. Moonlight gave the room a ghostly presence, shrouding his surroundings in a pale light and causing the tiles to glint softly.

This room was relatively untouched aside from the signs Officer Jenny and her fellow co-workers had placed here and there to label the spots where the sleeping substance was found. He quickly surveyed the ground for any giveaways, but after finding none he decided to get closer. Taking another step further, a glimmer of something golden caught his eye, and he did a double take. Squinting to get a better view, he shone the torch light over the tiles where the glow had come from.

Nothing.

Peter frowned and shook his head. Must be a trick of the light, he guessed, turning off the light once more. As soon as he did so, a faint sparkle could be seen where the light had previously shone. He walked over slowly, careful to avoid misplacing any signs, and narrowed his eyes inquisitively.

Sure enough, a shining substance could be made out. It was spread across only three tiles, and barely visible. The room darkened and it disappeared once more, and Peter looked out of the window to see that clouds had covered the moon. He bit his lip in thought; this definitely wasn't sleeping powder. And that was when it hit him.

Retains a silver glow. Can only be seen when under the presence of pure light directly from the moon or sun. Contains special healing properties. Extremely rare.

If that was what he thought it was, Gary Oak had certainly dug himself a very large hole indeed.

"Ash, shut up and let him speak," Drew commanded, not once breaking eye contact with Gary.

Ash shot him a glare, but didn't protest further. Despite wanting to yell until the moomoos came home about Gary and how incompetent he was, the boy decided against it. For now.

Sighing, Gary spoke, "I'm sure that those who have been around the Lab have noticed Misty's visits increasing. We couldn't tell you earlier due to the fact that it was vital that it remained a secret, but considering the circumstances I'm left with no choice. She was here more than she was at the Gym, a-"

"What the hell are you trying to say, Gary?" Ash spat, eyes aflame and jaw in a tight line.

"Calm down, Ash," Brock said, albeit raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Gary, are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Gary stared at Brock questioningly for a few moments before his eyes widened in realization. Mouth popping into an 'o' shape and face instantly pinking, he quickly shook his head and waved his hands desperately. "No! Mew, no. It's nothing like that. The relationship between Misty and I is strictly platonic."

Aside from a scoff from Tracy, which, thankfully, Ash didn't catch on to, the tension in the room dimmed instantly.

"I'm glad we've established that," Brock muttered, throwing a small glance at Tracy who held a slightly smug look.

"Very." Gary coughed. "But back to the point... A few months ago, Misty and I began working on a new type of potion for pokemon. Water pokemon, to be precise. I came across a few interesting findings and showed them to her to see if she'd be interested in running a couple of tests, and she agreed. Considering her status as a Water Type specialist that shouldn't be surprising."

He looked around the room expecting looks of understanding, and was puzzled when met with blank expressions.

"How does that tie in with Team Rocket?" May asked, having absolutely no idea where he was coming from.

"The formula we were working on is designed to enhance a water pokemon's ability in battle. It has rare properties that, if used correctly, are able to boost attacks and even lower the effects of being hit. It's dangerous, in some cases lethal, and if administered wrong can even cause a pokemon's nature to turn negative," Gary explained, hoping they'd catch on.

Slowly, Tracy spoke, "In other words, the formula has the ability to affect not only battle performance, but personality as well. And that is dangerous because it means they have the potential to turn on their Trainer."

Gary nodded his head. "Exactly. We were still in the testing stage, and the select pokemon we had already tried it out on only brought chaos. They turned vicious, attacking one another without hesitation or mercy. One almost sliced Misty's arm off at one point. Administering sleeping drafts have worked for now but they cant remain as a solution forever."

"That explains those injuries," Tracy muttered, remembering waking up one morning to find pokemon with unexplained wounds. "And in the hands of Team Rocket, such a formula could be more dangerous than it already is."

Gary shot him a sheepish look, scratching the back of his neck. "Precisely," he confirmed.

"Wait," May spoke up. "If it's so top secret that not even Brock or Tracy knew, how can you be sure that Team Rocket got hold of the information?"

"I'm not," Gary told her. "There was a break in a while ago by an unknown person. They escaped through a window before any of us could get there, but when we went through the documents only mine had been looked into. None of us thought anything of it at the time, but since the other 'break in' I've begun to suspect otherwise."

"And because there were no fingerprints or any other sort of evidence left behind, the only logical explanation is that somebody found out. Namely, Team Rocket," Tracy supplied, invoking a series of head nods around the room. "I need to go call Daisy."

There was no need for any other words. The motive that Gary had given was enough. Despite their willingness to deny it, there was no other theory that made sense. Team Rocket had somehow gotten wind of the experiment and taken things into their own hands. Through Misty, a water type specialist, they would have no trouble getting what they wanted. She'd be their best bet to gaining wealth and popularity, not to mention new recruits, throughout all of Kanto. Everything added up.

But that was when May, the last person anyone had expected to lose her cool, snapped.

"What the hell were you thinking, Gary?" she shouted, mouth set in a snarl and eyes on fire. "You were perfectly aware of the repercussions and yet you still let her do it!"

"That's why we kept it secret, May. Not even my own father knows, and he owns this Lab. It's not even finished! I had no idea that anything like this would happen! If I did there's no way I ever would have made the offer," Gary defended.

"But you knew that it was dangerous!"

"And you knew that if anybody were to find out that she would be a target," Ash put in, his voice terrifyingly toneless. "How in the name of damned Arceus could you have been such an idiot? You put her in danger!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that-"

"Yeah, you didn't know. But that doesn't change the fact that it happened," Ash grated. "And now, Misty is suffering because of you. I don't care whether you had doubts about their motive, you should have said something sooner! Who knows what Team Rocket could be doing to her."

Gary took a step forward, his frustration heightening with every word that Ash spoke. Who was he to judge? Misty was more the capable of making her own decisions. She didn't need to be babied. Yes, he had offered for her to work with him, but it's not like Gary pushed her into anything. She'd done it out of her own free will and love for pokemon.

"Like you could have done anything if I had!" Gary yelled back, fists curled into balls and vexation beginning to well up in his chest. "What difference would it have made? You don't know where their hideout is. You have no clue how to find it. Your only chance at finding Misty is me, so-"

"Enough!" Brock roared, causing every single person in the room to flinch. Ash and Gary, although retaining their furious auras, froze immediately. "Ash, you need to calm down. You're not helping the situation at all."

Ash glared. "But it's his f-"

"I don't care whose fault it is," Brock snapped. "Yes, Gary may be partly to blame, but he isn't wrong. Misty chose to be a part of it, she knew what she was doing. There's nothing that you or any of us could have done."

The room washed over in a wave of silence. There was plenty Ash still wanted to say, and he'd be damned if he was going to let this go, but for now he had no further interest in making Brock mad. Brock didn't get mad. It took a lot to truly anger the older male, but Ash knew from experience that it wasn't something he was particularly keen on witnessing right now. Judging from Gary's lack of debate, neither was he.

"Brock is right, Ash," Serena spoke up gently, ignoring the look she got from May in response. "There isn't anything that you could have done. Instead of being with us you'd only have been waiting around at the Lab."

"But I still could have been here. I could have been with her when it happened," Ash said lowly.

"And whose fault is that, huh? You're one to talk about responsibility. It's not like you ever put in any effort by even trying to contact Misty," Gary put in smugly, taking immense pleasure in the way Ash's face twisted back into a scowl. If he wasn't allowed to shout, he was certainly going to aim a few blows here and there. Looks like years of observing Leaf had paid off after all. It was just a matter of knowing where to aim; what nerves to strike and which ones hit the hardest.

Unfortunately, that was where any aforementioned sense went kaput.

"Shut up! I wasn't there for her, but where were you? You keep saying how I couldn't have done anything, but what about you, huh?" Ash retaliated, his resolve disappearing instantly.

"Stop acting like you're the only one that Misty meant anything to," Gary bit back. "You're not the only one who has lost a friend here, Ash. Trying considering that."

Ash only scoffed, but his anger dimmed. "You couldn't possibly understand how I feel."

Gary lowered his gaze to the floor. "Maybe you aren't the only one who feels that way. I understand more than you think," he whispered, just loud enough for them to hear, and thus the wave of silence washed over once more.

"What is it?" Lance asked, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Oak spilled," the voice on the other end answered. "Ketchum arrived and Oak let it all slip."

Lance grinned. This was perfect. "Excellent."

"Lance," the voice began in a questioning tone, "isn't it a bad thing if they are all aware? What if they decide to come after us?"

He only laughed. "Even better. The little red-head won't dare go against my word now. Not if she doesn't want her precious friends in danger. Having them all in the one place is extremely convenient, and if they're stupid enough to follow any leads..."

Lance could almost hear them grinning. "We'll take them out."

"Precisely," he confirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go pay a little visit to our guest." He hung up before receiving a reply, already spinning on his boots and marching towards the room with a large, sinister grin of his own.

It didn't take long to reach where they were keeping her. After all, it had to be in a convenient location; where else better than the center of the building? All of their science equipment was located there. It was more than simple enough to get the Waterflower brat to cooperate with idle threats, and holding her in with where she needed to work was just an added bonus. Of course, she would need to be moved to the actual cells once progress had begun, but that could wait until later.

Lance could almost taste his victory.

He soon arrived at the sliding doors, the Grunt standing guard giving him a respectful nod before proceeding to press a few numbers on a keypad. The doors instantly opened with a whoosh, and Lance entered the room just as they closed behind him. On the table, Misty had long since awoken from previously being knocked out with sleeping gas and was currently staring him down as he approached her once again.

A faint smile made its way across his face. "I see you've woken up," Lance began. "How did you enjoy your little nap?"

Misty only continued to glare at him. If anything, his words had only intensified her loathing.

"Come now, don't be like that." Lance gave a mock pout, clutching his chest in fake hurt.

She still refused to answer, and Lance took it as her own form of resistance. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Pitiful; they had taken away all movement so they only thing left for her to do was maintain her pride, a rather common block in the road. It was quite annoying, in his opinion, as it only wasted good time. After all, they never held out for long.

Ever.

He sighed. So typical, and yet Lance couldn't help but feel a small bubble of accomplishment at being one step closer to his goal. "You're going to finish that formula for me."

That diminished her initial reaction.

Her mouth opened in shock, eyes wide and body trembling slightly in its restraints. "W-what?"

Ah, so it was back to stuttering. Good. He had caught her off guard. "Oh, you're perfectly aware of what I'm talking about, Miss Waterflower. The little project that you were working on with that Oak boy. You're going to finish it right here."

Misty regained her composure, blank stare now set in place. But she was still frazzled, and Lance knew exactly how to play his cards. "I don-"

"There's no point in denying it, Miss Waterflower. Really, I had thought we'd gotten past this by now," Lance admonished, dramatically holding a hand to his head.

Misty seemed to get the picture, as her expression morphed into a stubborn frown. "How do you even know about the formula? And what makes you so sure that I'll help you? I don't even have the right equipment."

Lance spun around, cape billowing out behind him, this time walking towards a panel in the wall behind her. He punched in a code, and a loud click was heard as the walls began to shift upwards. How he wished he could have seen her face as rows of technological machinery was revealed little by little, large computer screens that would normally only be seen by some wide scale corporation such as the Mossdeep Space Centre in Hoenn possessed unveiled bit by bit.

"I have my ways of gaining information," he answered, not bothering to elaborate any further. "And believe me when I say that I can be quite persuasive."

This prompted a scoff, and from his position he could see her struggling against the ties.

"Do you have any idea how rich your formula is going to make me?" Lance questioned, moving across the room slowly to run a hand across the surface of the equipment. "Of course, I'll need to modify it so that other pokemon aside from water types can use it. But you'll do the hard work. From there, it's only a matter of adjustment."

Misty held her head up as high as she could manage, watching as he eyed the newly revealed technology with something akin to pride. Disgusting. "I will not help you."

"Once that is complete, everybody in Kanto will respect me once more," he continued, ignoring her words. "It will be a breakthrough for pokemon science! A new era of battles. This will be even bigger than Mega Evolution, and I'm going to be the one achieving it."

Misty dropped her head once more, resisting the urge to scream about what an absolute idiot he was being. Coward. A Pokemon Master stooping so low, who was going to respect him after that? Then again, that part would never be found out, she supposed. But despite the loose ends, this was disgraceful. She racked her brain, desperately searching for excuses. Anything that would delay this. Even if only a little.

"So maybe you've got the technology, but you don't possess the necessary elements to create the formula," Misty tried.

Lance turned to face her, and she almost shuddered under his predatory gaze. "That won't be a problem. We've been trying to create this for months, but without your help it's all been for naught. Ingredients aren't an issue."

"What about pokemon?" Misty asked quickly, moving her head to look at him again. "I can't do anything if I'm not able to test it. And if I'm stuck in here that just isn't possible."

"I am going to advise you to refrain from making any further excuses, my dear," Lance replied lowly. "All testing will be done by my own people. We have more than enough at our disposal. Pokemon, too."

Misty gave a disgusted noise. "You can't just talk about pokemon like they're tools that you can do away with as you please! Does your title really mean nothing to you?"

Lance shrugged. "On the contrary, Miss Waterflower, my title allows me to do whatever I so wish without any questions. I can hardly live up to the name without mastering any pokemon. If force is needed, then so be it."

She snapped. "You can't force me to do anything! I don't care what you say. I will not help you. Perhaps you've fallen this far, but there's no chance in hell that I am going to join you."

Lance tilted his head, walking towards her once again. He stopped right next to the table, leaning over it as he spoke, "Pretty words. What a pity they are all empty. I'm afraid that you don't have a choice in this matter. There's more than one way to skin a meowth."

Another despicable practice.

Misty only turned her head to face the opposite way, refusing to look at him any longer than necessary. Lance, however, frowned. He reached out and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to face him. "Just how important are you friends to you, Miss Waterflower?"

Her eyes widened. No! Even he wouldn't go that far... Would he? "You can't do that! My friends and my sisters are all that I have left!"

Big mistake. Misty instantly regretting cracking under the pressure as he leaned in even closer, the confirmation that he'd hit just the right nerve shown by her yelling. She could feel his breath in her ear, and once again forced herself to suppress the urge to squirm away as he whispered,

"Then you'll finish it, won't you?"

Leaf stood with her arms crossed, eyes trained on Gary as he did his best to avoid her gaze. Her and Professor Oak had walked in on a rather tense, but judging by the rest of the group, rather opportune moment while Gary muttered out that last sentence and nobody had known how to respond.

From what she'd gathered, Ash had started it. That didn't mean she wasn't ticked at Gary, though, being the smartass that he was, for encouraging him. Brock had filled both her and the Professor in while Gary stood to the side awkwardly, guilt and irritation practically radiating from him. Ash had almost gone off again, eager to get his own two cents in about how Gary's idiocy had ruined everything, so Brock had needed to take the three of them out of the room to explain while the others calmed Ash down.

He and the Professor had left a while ago, leaving just the two of them alone in the same room she'd been frequenting over the past week or so.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" Leaf said, breaking the silence between them.

He didn't look at her, and she felt some of her anger ebb away. Upon finding out that he had kept this little secret from her, especially under such dire circumstances, it had taken all of Leaf's willpower not to lose it then and there. But that wasn't who she had trained herself to be, and she refused to make the situation worse by taking it the way Ash was. Really, the guy needed to take a chill pill. Or a few dozen.

That wasn't to say she was thrilled, though. In all truth, Leaf wanted nothing more than to slam her fist into Gary's face for keeping it hidden for this long. That wouldn't help, however, and right now she needed his cooperation. His guilt could prove useful.

"I'm not going to yell at you, Gary," she told him, leaning over to grab a stack of papers.

Gary finally looked up at her, eyebrow raised an surprise written all over his face. "Then what do you want?"

She raised her gaze to meet his. "Who said I wanted something? There's nobody keeping you here."

And so, they were once again back to square one.

"You're not angry at being kept in the dark?"

Leaf paused momentarily, and for a second Gary thought that he'd finally managed to get a reaction. "It's none of my business. There's no reason to be," she stated.

"But-"

"Don't use me as vessel for letting out everything that you couldn't with Ash, Gary," Leaf cut off.

How was she able to figure him out so easily?

He wasn't able to figure her out, and was torn between staying out his pride's sake and going back out there to deal with Ash. Currently, he'd rather take his chances with Ash than Leaf. Mew only knew that she'd kick his ass to Hoenn and back whether it be physically or verbally. Besides, he was in no mood to set her off. Right now he needed someone who wasn't going to judge him or look at him like everyone else had.

They may not have said it, but words weren't needed to convey the blame.

And Leaf was right by saying that it wasn't fair to take it out on her. Because really, it wasn't her fault.

"Come to think of it, what have you been up to over these past few days?" Gary asked, eyeing the pages in her hands. "You've been in here a lot, you know."

Leaf played with the edges of the stack. Out of habit, not unease, she told herself. She was well aware that he already had a pretty solid idea of what she'd been doing, but that didn't mean she was going to tell him that. After all, Gary only knew the pretense of her research, not the actual meaning or detail that went into it. That just made it easier to get what she wanted from him.

"If you already know, then why bother asking?" Leaf retaliated, voice completely level and calm.

Gary tensed, and she knew that she currently had the upper hand. Such were the perks of knowing how to deal with him. Leaf was never one to give a straight answer, of course, and twisting that in with getting to the point right away was always a habit he'd found difficult to overcome. Not to say he didn't try, though, and years of experience had made him somewhat better.

Even so, Gary Oak still remained unable to grasp the upper hand. Not for very long, anyway.

"Conversation?" he tried, which only earned another blank stare. "I want to hear it from you."

She gave a small laugh, and Gary awarded himself a small victory at achieving that feat. "Well, we both know that's a lie," Leaf replied. "As to the second part, you should know by now that telling people what they want to hear has never been my forté."

He had to give her that one. "Maybe not," Gary admitted. "But still, Gramps is worried about you."

"And I'm worried about Misty," she said back. "Your grandpa and I have spoken, Gary. Many times. He's agreed to let it rest, and so should you."

It was his turn to laugh. "Well, Leafy, you should know by now that I've never been good at following instructions. Since when do I stick to agenda?"

"If you want to know so bad, maybe you can help." There it was.

Gary cursed internally, berating himself for having walked right into her trap. She'd seen an opportunity and snagged it, using his personality against him. Then again, it was nice having some familiarity around. Who knew? Maybe what she needed help with wouldn't be such a big deal.

"With?"

But this was Leaf he was talking about, and he really should have known better than to have believed that.

"I want your research," Leaf answered simply.

"My research?" he repeated, looking at her skeptically.

She nodded. "The one you were working on with Misty. Not the results or details or anything," Leaf added quickly. "Just the components. There's a few things I need to look at."

Now this was interesting.

Why was Leaf suddenly curious about their project? But more to the point, why did she need an ingredients list rather than their records?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Leaf," Gary replied, moving away from the wall. "After all, you never specified what you were looking at. Why should I give my data to you?"

Her eyes closed in on him, face now passive and serious. "Because, despite whatever you've got against handing it over, you're more than aware that I'm your best bet at finding a lead."

She had him there.

But he'd already gone over the findings a million and one times, each try more pointless than the last. There was nothing of use at all. What made her so sure that she could find something he couldn't? Although, this was Leaf Green. Despite every fiber of his being screaming against it, the instinctual conflict of not letting her get her away so easily kicking in, Gary just nodded his head.

"I don't know what you think you're going to find on there, but I'm telling you that it's not worth it," Gary told her. In other words, 'Fine, but I'll be the one laughing when you have nothing to show for it.'

Leaf allowed a faint smile to grace her lips. "You never know until you try. The documents are in your private folder, I presume?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "It's not like I need to give you permission to go in there. You'll get the passcode somehow. If you really wanted to, you would have done what you needed to by now without telling me."

She grinned. "Now, Gare-bear, don't cast aside my respect for privacy so easily."

This only prompted him to snort. "Right. Like you've ever held privacy in high regards. Do what you want, Leaf, you're just wasting your time. I'm going to go back out there and see if they've had any bright ideas."

Leaf only nodded, forcing down a smug smirk. It wasn't like he was wrong about the privacy thing, and honestly, she could have accessed his files at any time she so pleased.

Really, who used 'SmellYaLater' as their password?

At least he'd bothered using capitals.

Things had relaxed quite a bit since Ash and Gary's spiff. In the midst of glaring daggers at each other, the brown haired girl, who they'd been informed was Leaf, and the Professor had chosen the perfect time to interrupt. Gary had been out of the room for some time now, and since Brock had returned without him, it was safe to say that whatever conversation he was having with Leaf seemed to be working.

While Gary was off cooling his jets, Ash had jumped immediately into doing whatever he could to make up for lost time. Having had a slightly more prolonged introduction to those who had yet to meet the Kalos trio, most were settling in quite comfortably. Brock's return had prompted everything to get moving again, however, which led to the actions of the group now.

Ash, Brock, Tracy, and Drew were currently taking up residence on the couches, several sheets of paper splayed out on the table in front of them. A detailed plan of everything that they knew and events that had passed was being carefully written, several ideas and locations already brainstormed. Clemont had wasted no time in bombarding Professor Oak with questions, Serena had picked up on a few words to do with inventions and gadgets here and there, and Drew had remarked something along the lines of, "Great, another Lab Rat. Joy."

At that, May had spoken up about somebody called Max, who Serena recalled as her younger brother. According to May, Max adored anything to do with electronics, which prompted a discussion between herself and Bonnie over the many 'joys' of having technology-obsessed brothers.

Serena, on the other hand, couldn't find it in her to join any of them. She was more than hesitant to strike up a conversation with May, and while reserved about where her bonding with Bonnie would position her, she couldn't help but be slightly grateful to the younger girl for providing a distraction. Sitting with Ash and the other boys, while not uncomfortable, would have been completely foreign.

Serena knew that she didn't belong over there. She didn't know Misty. She had nothing to offer to their musings and would only get in the way. She'd contemplated pulling out a pokémon a few times but decided against it. It was strange, she thought, at how everybody here seemed to naturally fall into place and interact with each other as though they'd all been friends for years.

Normally, she'd have no problem with new people. This, however, was an entirely different situation.

She watched the small groups for a few minutes longer, observing how different and yet alike they all were. After more contemplation, she decided to go for a walk. That way she would be free to bring out Braxien without worrying about setting something on fire. Nobody would notice her disappearance anyway, and she wouldn't take long. An hour or so, maybe?

The others would be busy for at least that amount of time.

Rising to her feet slowly and quietly, Serena made her way out of the room. She located the front door with ease, slipping through and shutting it without a sound. She walked down the long, narrow driveway of the Lab, continuing until she finally reached the end. Just beyond the dirt track was a rather large field, certainly a decent size for Braxien, and she ran until finding an area filled with wildflowers.

Serena reached into her bag, prodding around for the object of interest until she felt her fingers graze the smooth, polished surface. She grinned, clasping a hand around the red and white sphere before pulling it out and crying, "Come on out, Braxien !"

The familiar red beam shot across the field a few meters away, her beloved pokemon appearing mere seconds afterwards. It trilled, obviously excited to finally be out of its container once more, and for the first time in days, Serena felt completely at ease. The fox pokémon caught one glimpse of her and its expression dulled, and Serena cursed for not remembering about pokemon being able to pick up on their Trainer's emotions. Fennekin let out a string of sounds, tilting its head to the side in the most adorable manner.

Serena sighed, gazing at her first pokémon softly. "I suppose there isn't any hiding from you, is there?" Braxien shook its head vigorously, and Serena took a seat on the surprisingly fluffy-like grass in front of it. "I just feel out of place, I guess."

The fire-type stared at her, not understanding.

"Everyone else seems to fit in so easily. Clemont has the Professor, the other boys just click, and even Bonnie is able to get along with May! I know that Gary and Ash have their differences, but I'm sure that if they saw each other again under difference circumstances they wouldn't have acted that way," Serena rushed out. "I'm selfish. Maybe that's why I can't seem to be a part of their circle. Clemont and Bonnie followed for Ash, but I followed in the hopes that it would be beneficial for me."

"You shouldn't feel that way, you know."

The voice was deep and masculine, and Serena initially jumped backwards slightly, curling away from fennekin in shock. Once coming to her senses and remembering that ordinary pokémondidn't have the ability to speak, she looked around, startled, and was even more surprised to find Brock standing behind her. An understanding smile on his face, Brock stepped closer and took a seat next to her. He eyed her fennekin curiously, seemingly put more at ease as it released a small yip and wagged its tail.

Why did he always choose to pop up at the most inconvenient times?

"I think we should talk."

"What about that Silph Co. place? That used to be a front for Team Rocket," Ash suggested, and Drew looked at him skeptically.

"I thought we were talking about Gym's, Ash," Drew pointed out, gesturing to the list of possible Gym's that may be of assistance.

Tracy shook his head. "Silph Co. is a Gym. Or was, anyway."

Drew looked up in confusion. "Wait. Is it a company or a Gym?"

Gary sighed. "Ash, you're confusing the poor guy. It's undercover as the Viridian Gym."

"So it's not a Gym?" Drew asked again.

Ash replied, "No. Wait, yes! Well, it's a company in a Gym." Gary nodded in confirmation.

Drew rubbed his temples. "You've lost me. Is it a Gym or not?"

The two were about to reply when the kitchen door suddenly burst open, revealing a flustered Leaf. Clutched tightly in her hands were several sheets of paper, their previous flatness now creased by her grip. There was a grin on her face unlike Gary had ever seen, and he was even a little terrified to admit the excited vibe she was giving off.

"What's with you?" Gary asked, both curious and nervous. Leaf never displayed this much emotion. Ever.

Especially not in a room filled with strangers.

"I've found something!" Leaf announced, sticking out the sheets with both hands at arm's length. "It could be a vital clue for where Misty is."

"No way," he muttered, hardly able to believe it.

Oh, he so knew that it had been a bad decision to tell her that it was a waste of time. Honestly, he should have known he'd be eating his words in less than forty minutes into it. At least now Gary knew that half of her eagerness was because she could shove it in his face, and most likely be told to shove his doubts about her ability somewhere else that was less pleasant.

Ash brightened almost instantly. "Really? You mean we have a lead?" Leaf nodded her head with more force than necessary, and his face broke into an ear-splitting grin. "Great!"

Gary cast a glance at Ash before turning back to Leaf. "Well, you win. Big surprise. What did you find?" Although he didn't show it, Gary was also pretty thrilled at the prospect of finally having something to look into. Something solid. And knowing Leaf, whatever she had found would definitely be concrete and worth the effort.

Leaf stepped further into the room, pulling the papers back in to mull over them once more. "Well, it's a little far-fetched, but if I'm correct-"

"Hold on," Tracy interrupted, looking around the room. "Brock still isn't back. Neither is Serena. Shouldn't we wait for them?"

Ash tilted his head, surveying the room. "They're gone? When did that happen?"

Gary swore that it took all of his willpower not to grab the nearest object at knock him over the head. "Around the time you were still contemplating the chances of Misty being used to test whether pokémon hypnosis was a possibility and she was being kept captive within the confines of a roof garden," he managed out, doing his utmost best to keep the sardonic tone that that wanted so badly to leak out at bay.

For once, Ash picked up on the sarcasm. "What? It's happened before."

"If what Brock told me was correct, then that wasn't Team Rocket," Gary corrected. "But speaking of, I think it'll be fine if we just hear Leaf out. Brock and Serena can catch up later."

Ash nodded his head in agreement, more than a little impatient to hear any possible information that might help them in their search. Tracy, on the other hand, only disagreed further, "I really think that we should wait. They shouldn't be too much longer, and Brock might know more than we will."

"What difference does it make?" Gary challenged, irritation once again seeping into his voice. He liked Tracy, really. He was a good friend and fellow researcher at times, but right now he was preventing them proceeding.

"I agree with Gary," Ash put in. "Whatever it is, we can just repeat it later."

May sighed, leaning back in her chair as another dispute broke out amongst the group. If they spent as much time putting facts together as they did arguing, she was sure a lot more could have been accomplished by now. Personal feelings aside, the group normally got along well. But the tension and stress were getting in the way, and each off their own emotions had been setting them back from the beginning. Honestly, they could be so impatient at times. On the other hand…

Where the hell was Brock?

"I can't leave for ten minutes without somebody turning this into a boxing match!" Brock yelled, glaring in the direction of Ash and Gary. They were supposed to be on the same side. How the name of Mew did they end up sparring with each other?

"It wasn't our-"

"Tracy was being responsible, you two were being impatient," Brock snapped, cutting them off effectively.

"Well, you were taking your sweet time," Ash pointed out, rubbing his newly bruised arm. "We were waiting forever!"

Brock stared at him. He had been gone for fifteen minutes. Fifteen. Serena had confessed her insecurities and doubts, and he had told her to give it some time. Once they began travelling again or found something to keep the others placated it wouldn't nearly be as bad. And what did the peaceful, calm pair come back to? A blur of clothes and limbs as the couch was used as a fighting ring.

"Now, Leaf," Brock began, slowly turning to the girl, "please feel free to ignore these two idiots and continue with what you were saying."

"Right. Well, before I was interrupted by a certain someone," Leaf started, pausing to glare at Gary. She was worried about him, but there was no way she'd ever admit that. "I was going through recent data regarding the quantities of components present in Gary and Misty's research, and came across data that showed high masses of it being mined in certain areas."

Ash blinked.

"She means that certain ingredients we used in the formula have been taken in larger than normal amounts, dumbass," Gary remarked, noticing his expression.

"Oh!" Ash said, the information sinking in. "But wait, what does that have to do with Team Rocket?"

Leaf flipped the page, scanning its contents. "The ones taken aren't common. Only those with authorized personnel or with a really good reason would have access to them. Meaning-"

"Meaning that Team Rocket are attempting to recreate and finish the formula for themselves," Gary finished, earning a nod from Leaf. "Which components are they?"

She flipped through the sheets again until coming across a table. "Revival Herb and Energy Root. There's no way that any normal citizen would be able to get their hands on these, especially such a large amount."

Brock nodded in agreement. "She's right. This could be a really good clue."

Drew spoke up, "So this means that Misty's helping them create it, right? That's why they want her?"

Ash sent a scowl his way. "There's no way Misty'd ever help scum like Team Rocket!"

Brock sent him a pitiful look. "It's not like she may have a choice, Ash."

Tracy frowned, holding out his hand for the sheets and Leaf passed them over. He flipped through them quickly, going through the contents as fast as possible. "There aren't any sites. As great as all of this insight is, we still have no way of pinpointing an exact location."

Quizzical expressions all turned towards Leaf, who shrugged in response. "All of that was either confidential, off limits or had no data. Not even I was able to bypass any systems. They're being careful, which means that we need to be as well. They might be on to us."

Gary cleared his throat, and all attention snapped back to him. "Actually, there is one way. I have a close friend who is a private investigator. He owes me a few favors, so I've already had him looking into things for a couple of days now."

"Are you kidding me? It's already your fault that Misty is in this mess, and now you go and blab to some… some outsider without consulting the rest of us?" Ash demanded.

May rubbed her head. Was one peaceful after oon too much to ask for?

To be continued...

Notes:

This update came a whole two weeks early! It's not a spooky fic, but I figured that it's a good a present as any. Happy Halloween!

While the Kalos trio won't be getting a whole lot of screentime, Serena's character is one that I wish to explore. Her situation is different from the rest of the group, and I feel that if all the characters were to meet she wouldn't have a solid place among them. Thus, her main focus will be based around that.

The OC, Peter, belongs to and will only be getting one more scene. I don't do OC's. This was a one-off thing, as normally I'd use a minor character from the anime/games. Generally, stories involving them generally don't interest me. Everyone has their own preferences. OC's just aren't my thing. If you want a further explanation or have any questions about the story shoot a PM my way.