Chapter 6: A New Threat

"Pikachu, finish this with Electro Ball!"

A ball of electricity condensed around the mouse's tail, and he then launched the attack towards a worn out and helpless Charmeleon. The attack caused an explosion, and when the smoke settled, Charmeleon was upright on a knee. He was very much shaken and was using all his might to keep from fainting.

"Come on Charmeleon, you got this!" Dallas called out, encouraging his partner.

Charmeleon stood up but fell right back down as he didn't have the strength to stay up.

"Guess that's that," Ash said.

Dallas ran over to his Pokémon to make sure he was alright.

"Char."

"You did great, Charmeleon. Let's get you inside buddy." Dallas picked up Charmeleon, and then turned to head back inside.

"Hey, Dallas, where do you think you're going?"

"To take care of my Pokémon, Ketchum," he fired back.

"You're weak, Pokémon?"

Dallas turned back around and went straight up to Ash's face. "What did you say?" Dallas asked in a very angry tone. The two got right up into each other's face.

"I'm just saying. That Charmeleon isn't near as strong as I was expecting. I guess I overestimated it."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

The two teenage boys then started shoving each other, but luckily before anyone started punching, Dawn walked around the corner.

"What is going on… Ash?"

"Dawn!"

The two ran up and gave each other a hug. "It's so good to see again. It's been what? Like two years?"

"Since I left Unova," Dawn replied.

"I assume that you're competing for the Kanto Grand Festival?"

"That's right, and I'm traveling with Dallas. I've already won two ribbons from Pewter City and Lavender Town. I saw Paul in Pewter City, and he helped Piplup learn Waterfall. Ash, Paul is so caring and loving towards Pokémon now. He's traveling Kanto right now, too. He's ready for a rematch." Dawn kept going on and on. She was so excited to see Ash, and she had so much that she wanted to tell him.

Ash turned back and looked at Dallas. He was surprised Dawn was traveling with him. How could she travel with someone like Dallas? He didn't know, but he wasn't going to ask. The two old friends then headed inside to catch up, while Dallas went to go take Charmeleon to Nurse Joy. He sat in the waiting area while Nurse Joy tended to his partner. He watched as Pikachu and Piplup were running around playing together, and Ash and Dawn sat across the room sharing stories with each other. He was upset Ash had showed up, not just because they didn't like each other, but because he was afraid Dawn would want to travel with Ash again. They seemed like they were the best of friends, and if she did, he'd be left alone just like his first journey. Dawn was the entire reason he began challenging the gyms again.

Nurse Joy walked out with Charmeleon. The Flame Pokémon looked fresh and ready to go, and as soon as he saw Dallas, he ran over to his trainer and jumped into his arms. Dallas laughed as he held his starter Pokémon up. "Charmeleon, you're getting too big for this. You're not a Charmander anymore."

Ash, Dawn, and three people he did not recognize walked up to him. "Dallas, these are Ash's friends from Kalos. Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena," Dawn informed him as she introduced him to the three. They made their acquaintance while Dawn kept talking. "They are gonna go with us to Saffron City. Ash would like to watch your gym battle before they head to Pallet Town."

Dallas and Ash eyed each other uneasily. Why Ash wanted to watch his gym battle, he had no idea. He probably just wanted to hope and see if Dallas lost. Dallas hardened his glare at Ash, which in turn caused the raven-haired boy to do the same. Dawn and Bonnie seemed to be oblivious to this, but Clemont and Serena both noticed the two trainers.

"Well, shall we head to Saffron City?" Clemont asked, hoping to ease the tension. Dallas and Ash just nodded without taking their eyes off of each other, while Bonnie ran outside with Dawn and Serena walking not far behind. Clemont headed out the door next, and the two Pallet teens were the last to go.

Gary was observing Saffron City from a hill that overlooked the city. He had his binoculars out and was scouting to find out just what was going on. He saw nothing, until someone stepped out from an alley way. It was Team Rocket. Gary wasn't even surprised, but he had to find out what they were up to. He had to get into the city. He heard people talking over to his left. He looked to see Ash, Dawn, three unknown people to him, and Dallas? Since when was Dallas traveling again? The two had become good friends after both gave up on becoming Pokémon trainers. However, it looks like Dallas had renewed his interest. Seeing Ash also confused the Pallet native. Wasn't he supposed to be in Kalos getting ready for the upcoming league conference? Either way, it appeared as if the group was headed towards Saffron City, so Gary decided to make himself known. He stopped out from where he had currently been standing. Ash was the first to speak.

"Gary, what are you doing here?"

"Something's happening in Saffron City, and I've come to investigate. Dawn, it's good to see you again. How many ribbons do you have so far?"

"I've got two. I won in both Pewter City and Lavender Town. My next contest is going to be in Silver Town."

"Awesome! And hey Dallas. I see you've come out of retirement. I assume you're going for the Pokémon League. How many badges have you got so far?"

"Three. Pewter City, Cerulean City, and Vermillion City. My next one is in Saffron City."

"Gary, what's going on down there? Do you have any idea?" Ask asked.

"No, I don't. Although I suspect it has to do with Team Rocket," he replied.

"Team Rocket? Those clowns can't get anything right," Clemont said, finally speaking up.

"I'm sorry, we haven't met. I'm Gary from Pallet Town."

"My name's Clemont, this is my sister Bonnie, and that's Serena."

"It's nice to meet all of you. Anyways, no this isn't Jessie and James that I'm taking about. I'm talking about the organization as a whole, which means that things are bad."

"Well Gary, how about we give you a hand?" Dawn suggested.

"I'd love the extra help, Dawn. Who knows what I could've been getting myself into going down there alone."

The group agreed to all head into Saffron City to see what was happening. Gary used Alakazam to teleport them into the city, so no one saw them. The group ended up in an alleyway a short way down from the Pokémon Center. Gary returned Alakazam and began walking to the Center. Ash, Dawn, Dallas, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena all followed him. Pikachu sat perched on Ash's shoulder, Piplup on Dawn's head, Dedenne was curled up inside Bonnie's bag, and Charmeleon walked close beside Dallas. They all looked around but did not see anyone outside. It looked as if the City was a ghost town. They made it to the Pokémon Center and walked inside. Nurse Joy, nor Chansey was anywhere to be seen. Gary walked over to the front desk. He looked all around but there were no signs of anyone.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" the Pokémon researcher shouted. Still there was nothing. "Nurse Joy are you here?" he continued to shout, hoping that she or someone was here. The others in the group began to shout as well. Finally, the door to the Emergency Room opened, and Nurse Joy and Chansey both peered out.

"Keep quiet. We don't want to bring attention here. They might be outside," she told the group.

"Who might be outside, Nurse Joy?" Dawn inquired.

"Team Rocket," she replied as she fully opened the door and stepped out.

"I knew they were behind all of this. Nurse Joy, do you know what they are up to?" Gary asked.

Nurse Joy shook her head no. The Pokémon Nurse told the group that about two weeks ago, Team Rocket took over the city and closed it to the outside. No one could get in or out and most people avoided going outside. Gary started walking for the door to leave.

"Wait, don't go. It's too dangerous." Nurse Joy pleaded with him.

"I have to find out what Team Rocket is up to and how to stop them."

"Then at least get some rest and heal up your Pokémon."

Gary nodded and the whole group gave Nurse Joy their Pokémon while they went to the cafeteria to get some food. The group sat down together and began discussing what Team Rocket could be up to. Serena suggested that they were stealing Pokémon, but Gary disagreed. He said that if that was the case, Team Rocket would have been in and out. They wouldn't have stuck around. He believed that this was bigger than just simply stealing Pokémon. It made it even more critical that they find out and stop whatever it was that the Kanto criminal organization was up to. Nurse Joy returned with all their Pokémon shortly after they had finished eating.

"Is there any chance I can convince you all to stay?" Nurse Joy asked.

Gary shook his head no. "I have to do this, Nurse Joy. If I don't, who will?"

"I think you mean if we don't." Dallas said as he put his arm around Gary. Gary looked at him with a smirk and nodded his head.

"You can bet that I'm coming with you guys," Ash said. Gary thanked Ash for his help. Ash than said that the girls should stay and Clemont as well so that he could watch Bonnie. Dallas and Gary both agreed.

"You boys are crazy if you think that I'm staying here. Ash, we were in the middle of a battle between Dialga and Palkia, and then we were in Giratina's Distortion World, and were sent back in time to return the Jewel of Life to Arceus. If you think that this is too dangerous for me, then you're mistaken," Dawn said, clearly taking offense to Ash's words.

"Yeah, and remember our encounters with Diance and Hoopa?" Serena asked, reminding Ash of some of his most recent adventures.

"If you think for one second that us girls aren't capable of taking care of ourselves, then you are out of your mind!" Dawn and Serena both yelled as they jumped up and walked out.

"Now look what you've done Ash," Clemont said. He then turned to Bonnie. "Bonnie, would you be okay staying here with Nurse Joy? I'm sure she'd enjoy having an extra hand around here in case anyone with hurt Pokémon come in."

"I'd love to help Nurse Joy take care of Pokémon."

"Nurse Joy, can you watch my little sister while we go find out what Team Rocket is up to?" Clemont asked the pink haired woman.

"Of course! Come on Bonnie, let's go tend to the Pokémon." The two then walked out and went back into the Emergency Room.

"Well, we should probably go catch up to Serena and Dawn," Clemont said. The other three boys nodded their heads and followed. They found the two girls outside waiting. The five teens then began walking around the city. Twenty minutes of walking around and not seeing a single person, they approached an intersection but heard what sounded like two people talking, and the voices seemed to be getting louder. The five then hide in the nearest building and waited. They all watched as two Team Rocket members walked by. Gary motioned for everyone to follow him, and the group of Pokémon trainers followed the Oak boy as he quietly trailed the Rocket members. After what seemed like forever, they watched as the Rocket members entered a tall skyscraper. There were Team Rocket grunts all over.

"This is the headquarters for the Silph Company. What could Team Rocket possibly want from them?" Gary questioned.

"What's Silph?" Serena questioned.

"They are large manufacturing company from Kanto and distribute throughout Kanto, the Orange Islands, the Sevii Islands, and Johto. They make Pokéballs, Potions, Repels, the Silph Scope which lets you see ghosts, and Pokégear, along with a lot of other things," Ash explained.

"How are we going to get inside?" Dawn asked.

"I'm not sure, Dawn. I'm working on a plan," Gary stated as he continued to observe the building.

"I've got an idea," Clemont said as he released his Luxray. He then ordered Luxray to use Swift on Team Rocket. Before Gary could protest, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon ran out towards Team Rocket. Luxray's tail began to glow yellow, and it sprang into the air and swung its tail towards the Rocket grunts sending a barrage of stars at them. The grunts got up and bought out there Pokémon ready to battle Luxray, but it turned and ran back to the group. Clemont than jumped on its back and Luxray took off. The Team Rocket grunts chased Clemont as he and his Pokémon bounded down the street away from Ash and friends.

Gary, seeing the opportunity, signaled for the others to follow him as they ran across the street and inside the building. Inside, they found that the Silph employees were still there. They said that Team Rocket's boss was on the top floor with Silph's president. The four hurried up the stairs, careful to avoid any Rocket grunts that were in their way. They made it to the 9th floor when they were stopped by two Rocket members who were dressed in all black suits that had two yellow streaks that came from the neck down to the waist and a red R in the center of their chests. They both wore white gloves and white boots along with a white belt. The one of the left wore a hat on top of his aqua colored hair while the other had purple hair and a small patch of purple hair on his chin.

"Well, what do we have here?" the one of the left asked. "If you don't mind, may I ask who you are?"

"That's none of your business," Dawn spat at the two.

"My, oh my, that's a feisty one," the purple haired man spoke up. "We were just trying be polite and become acquainted. My name is Petrel, and this is Proton. We are Team Rocket Executives."

"We don't care who you are. We just want to know what you are doing and are here to stop you," Ash said.

"Well, we can't let that happen," Proton said as he reached for a Pokéball. Petrel did the same. The two released a Crobot and Raticate respectively.

Piplup ran out, ready to battle. "Alright then, we're gonna stay behind and battle," Dawn told the others.

"I'm with you Dawn," Serena said as she released her Braixen from its Pokéball. Dawn nodded her head as the two females got ready to battle as the three boys continued upstairs.

Gary, Ash, and Dallas had made it to the top floor. They found the president's room but there were two Rocket members outside. One was a woman with red hair and wore a long white dress, white boots, and a black belt. She had a small red R on the left side of her chest. The other had light blue hair and wore a white suit. He too had white boots and a black belt and a red R on the left side of his chest. The three teens approached the two.

"Let us through right now," Gary growled at the pair. The two Rockets turned and smiled.

"Well sure, you can pass, but first you must beat us in a battle," the woman said.

The duo released a Vileplume and a Houndoom. Gary then turned to Ash and Dallas.

"Can you two take care of them while I go inside the president's office?" Gary asked his two friends. Dallas and Ash looked at each other, unsure about battling as a team. "Please, I need you two to put aside your differences and help stop Team Rocket." The two Pallet boys nodded their heads and prepared for battle.

"Pikachu, you're up buddy!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as he ran and took a battle stance opposite the Rocket Pokémon.

"Charmeleon, you ready for a battle?" Charmeleon nodded as he ran beside Pikachu.

Gary thanked his fellow Pallet natives, and then ran into the president's office.

Dawn and Serena were currently finishing up their battle against Proton and Petrel. Piplup and Braixen had managed to defeat Crobat and Raticate, but Braixen had fell to the duel Weezing that the two Rocket Executives had used next. However, Piplup and Sylveon were able to take out both Weezing and defeated Proton and Petrel. The Executives ran upstairs with Dawn and Serena close behind. When they made it to the top floor they found Dallas, Ash, Pikachu and Charmeleon battling two other Rocket members. Pikachu and Charmeleon were facing a Vileplume and a Houndoom. Pikachu and Charmeleon looked exhausted, whereas their foes looked slightly winded.

"Come on Pikachu! Let's go Charmeleon!" Dawn cheered, giving the two Kanto native Pokémon encouragement.

"Pip Piplup!" Dawn's partner cheered along with her.

The male Rocket ordered his Houndoom to use Fire Fang on Pikachu at the same time he was hit by the Vileplume's Acid. Ash yelled for Pikachu to get up, but it was no use. Pikachu was weakened and not fast enough. Dallas looked over at Ash. He saw in his eyes the helplessness. He looked back at Charmeleon before giving him the next call.

"Charmeleon, protect Pikachu. Take that Fire Fang." Charmeleon did as he was told and jumped in front of Pikachu. Houndoom bite down hard on Charmeleon's shoulder. The fire type winced slightly from the bite but was nonetheless left unfazed by the fire type attack.

Ash was shocked to say the least. That was the last thing he would've expected to happen. He didn't have time to process or think about it right now though. He had a battle to win. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Houndoom!" Pikachu jumped up into the air and released a large bolt of lightning that struck the Dark Pokémon.

"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower on Vileplume." Dallas's starter Pokémon cocked his head back and throw it forward as it spewed massive amounts of fire from its jaws. Vileplume attempted to dodge the attack but was unsuccessful. The flames engulfed the Flower Pokémon. "Now, follow up with Fire Fang!" Charmeleon ran over and clamped down on Vileplume, dealing another super effective attack. Vileplume screeched with pain before succumbing to the damage it had been dealt. Ash and Dallas had come back and won.

"Great job, you guys!" Dawn commended her two friends as she and Piplup ran up. Piplup ran over to Charmeleon and Pikachu and praised the two of them.

"That was a great battle. Dallas, the way you had Charmeleon take that attack and protect Pikachu was incredible." Serena walked over and now joined them. She had since returned her Sylveon.

Ash looked at Dallas before extending his hand to his fellow Pallet native. Dallas accepted and the two shook hands. "Thank you for protecting Pikachu the way you did. I honestly wouldn't have expected it."

"You and Pikachu were in a tight spot. We were battling as a team and my teammate needed help."

Ash nodded his head. "I'm sorry for saying your Charmeleon was weak. He's definitely not. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope we can put our past behind us and become friends."

Dallas cracked a smile before he replied, "Ash, I would like that. To be honest, I haven't seen you since we were ten and I totally was over it. But, when you came in all aggressive, it brought that all back. I think we could definitely be friends."

Dawn smiled. Her best friend and her new friend had put aside past differences and became friends themselves. The moment was short lived, however. They turned and headed into the president's office.

Gary opened the door to the president's office. He saw who he could only assume was the Silph Company president sitting behind his desk and another man sitting across from him on the other side. The man had short brown hair and appeared to be a big man. Next to him sat a Persian. The man turned and faced Gary. Gary recognized him instantly. It was the Viridian City gym leader that had used the strange Pokémon to defeat years ago.

"Come boy, sit down" he said as he got up and brought a chair next to his. Gary hesitantly walked over and sat down. He noticed the president seemed very concerned. The man spoke again, "Now, tell me. What is your name, son?"

"Gary. Gary Oak," Gary replied as he turned and faced the man.

"Ah, Samuel Oak's grandson."

Gary nodded his head, unsure how exactly he knew Professor Oak was his grandfather. "What is it that you want?"

"Well now, I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Giovanni, and I am the leader of Team Rocket. I was also once the gym leader of Viridian City. I am here because the president has something that I want. We actually just finished up and came to a deal. So, Gary Oak," Giovanni stood up. "I must apologize for our brief encounter, but it is time for me to leave." Giovanni began to head for the door with his Persian following him close behind.

"Wait!" Gary shouted just as Giovanni reached the door. He jumped from his chair. "What was that Pokémon, the one you battled with in your gym." Giovanni seemed to be confused. "It had armor on and had powerful psychic power. It took on my Nidoking and Arcanine at the same time and defeated them both. I still to this day, six years later, have not came across anything like it."

Giovanni was very confused by this. "I am not sure what you speak of Mr. Oak. When I was a gym leader, I used ground type Pokémon." And with that, Giovanni opened the door and walked out. As soon as he stepped outside, he found Archer, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton outside.

"Did you get it, boss?" Archer asked the Team Rocket boss as the five started walking away.

They passed Ash, Dawn, Dallas, and Serena who were on their way into the president's office. Giovanni met Ash's eyes and replied to Archer, "Yes, I have it." He then asked his executives if he had ever had a strong psychic Pokémon that wore armor. None of his executives could recall him ever possessing one. Giovanni decided not to think much of it for now and left Silph to head back to his headquarters.

Ash, Dawn, Dallas, and Serena walked into the president's office. There they found Gary talking to a man who they could only assume was the Silph Company President. He had a little bit of white hair on his head and a white mustache and wore a brown suit. The four trainers approached.

"Ah, you must be friends of Gary? I am Mr. Smith, the Silph Company President." Dallas, Dawn, Ash, and Serena all introduced themselves. Mr. Smith asked them to grab chairs and have a seat. "Now, I've begun explaining to Gary what happened. I will fill you four in as well. I'm not sure what they intend to do, but Team Rocket came here to steal something from us. Something that has been kept very quiet and under tight security," he informed them. The five teens listened carefully as the old man continued. "A couple years ago, one of my chief engineers came to me with an idea that I really liked. We began to develop his invention and just a few weeks ago, completed our first prototype. That invention is a Pokéball, but not just any Pokéball. We call it the Master Ball."

"The Master Ball?" Serena asked.

"Yes, dear. This particular Pokéball is capable of catching any Pokémon without fail regardless of how strong they are. You don't have to weaken it or anything."

Everyone except for Gary was shocked. They couldn't believe such a thing could exist. Mr. Smith continued to tell the trainers what had transpired since Team Rocket took over the city two weeks ago. He explained how they initially resisted Team Rocket, but shortly before the trainers had arrived, they had finally found what they were looking for and Team Rocket made away with the prototype and the blueprints.

"Why would they want the Master Ball for?" Dawn asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Dawn?" Gary asked her. Dawn and the others just looked at Gary quizzically. The young Oak boy sighed. "Team Rocket is an evil organization, right?" Everyone nodded their head. "And they want to capture the strongest Pokémon there is?" Again, they all nodded. "The Master Ball catches any Pokémon without fail, so..."

Gary was interrupted by Dallas who had put it all together. "Team Rocket plans to use the Master Ball to capture legendary Pokémon."

The others gasped. How could they do such a thing? This situation wasn't good. If they could produce more Master Balls, then they'd be able to capture dozens of legendary Pokémon. Mr. Smith went on to apologize for not doing better to safeguard the plans and production of the Master Ball.

"It's not your fault. Team Rocket probably has spies everywhere," Ash told him. "There's nothing more that you could have done."

"Ash is right, sir. If we come across them, we will be sure to put a stop to whatever they're planning. Right guys?" Dawn asked everyone else. Dallas, Serena, Gary, and Ash all agreed.

"We'll take Team Rocket down for sure." Ash said as he stood up and clenched his fist. The young boy seemed to burn with passion.

"I thank you all for your passion and help. I would like all of you to have these." He handed each of them a Pokégear. Gary, Ash, and Dallas all received blue ones, while Dawn and Serena received pink ones. "You can use these to call people, and also listen to the radio, view the map, and see the time and date."

"Wow, thank you so much." Serena thanked the Silph president. The others all followed her and thanked him as well.

"You kids be safe now," Mr. Smith said as the group left.

"Well, I guess this is where we all split up, huh?" Dallas asked.

"Yeah, we're headed for Pallet Town, and you two are on your way to Silver Town," Ash said. "Hey, great battle against Serena. I know I already told you, but your Butterfree did a great job battling her Kadabra."

"Thanks, Ash."

"Dawn, we'll be watching your contest from the Pokémon Center," Ash told her, bringing a smile to her face.

"Yeah, Dawn. I can't wait to watch you perform in a contest, even if it is just on TV," Serena said giddily.

"We'd better get going so we can make it to Cerulean City," Clemont spoke up. They had a short journey north, and if they made good time, they'd make it there before nightfall. They group said their goodbyes and parted ways.

"Gary are you headed back to Pallet Town?" Dawn asked.

"Actually, if it was alright with you two, I would like to come with you guys. I could get a little field research in, plus I'd have a better chance of finding Team Rocket then sitting back in Pallet Town."

"We'd love for you to join us, Gary." Dallas said. He was so glad Gary was joining them. It was nothing against Dawn. It was just that he and Gary were such great friends. Not to mention, Gary's knowledge of Pokémon surpassed both of theirs combined. He was studying to take over for his grandfather after all.

"Well, let's get going to Silver Town then," Dawn said. The trio then headed east to Silver Town and Dawn's next contest.