Normal POV

In Team Rocket's secret base in the Johto region, Team Rocket's boss, Jacob Berlitz, was talking to Michael, the last of his four Pokemon Hunters, in his office.

"How are the preparations going?" Jacob asked.

"Work is beginning as we speak." Michael replied. "We have people all across the Johto region at their assigned locations who are constructing the towers."

"And our numbers?"

"Weakened, due to our losses in Kanto. But rest assured, we have more recruits coming in daily. We should have our numbers back to normal by the time the plan is ready to be set into motion."

"Excellent. But with Ash Ketchum no longer in our custody, he can potentially hinder or stop our plans. We no longer have the strength to overcome him in battle like we did before, especially since he absorbed the power of the Temple of Legends and can summon the Legendary Pokemon."

"Then we must use a different tactic, and I think I know how. We-" Michael began but was interrupted by the door opening, revealing a male grunt.

"Sir, we have two people here that want to speak to you. They have something that I think you should see." said the grunt.

Jacob hated being interrupted during his meetings but agreed to see them and the grunt left the room.

"By the way," Michael said as they waited, "Did you hear that Darien has been released from custody?"

"Yes. Not to worry, though. He knows nothing about our base here. Remember the day before we went to the Temple of Legends? I told you, Oliver, and Mya about our base in Johto in case things went wrong. I told him nothing because I suspected his betrayal. The police know nothing about us."

The door then opened again and into the room walked two men, following behind two familiar faces.

"Oliver, Mya, I heard that you had escaped from prison." Jacob said to his two Pokemon Hunters.

"That was our doing. We needed them in order to find you, since they knew where your base was." said one of the two new men.

"I'll get to you two in a minute. I have to deal with them first." Jacob said to the two strangers.

He then looked at them and said, "You have both served me faithfully and have captured plenty of Pokemon and proven your value to Team Rocket. But still, you were unable to defeat the Elite Four at the Temple of Legends and allowed yourselves to get captured. You must be punished for your failures. But first, did either of you reveal anything about us to the police?"

"No, boss. I didn't say a single word about our plans or our base." said Oliver.

"Neither did I, sir. I am completely loyal to Team Rocket and our goals." said Mya.

Jacob said nothing, he just whispered something into Michael's ear. Michael then aimed his arm cannon and shot Oliver, turning him to stone. Michael then released his Dragonite, who launched a Hyper Beam and destroyed the stone form of Oliver, shattering it into pieces.

"Consider that your one warning." Jacob said coldly to a shocked Mya. "You'll suffer the same punishment as him if you fail again. Don't EVER make me regret which one of you I spared."

He then turned his attention to the two new men. "So you were the ones who helped them escape from prison?"

"Yes, we needed them because they were the only ones who knew the location of your base in Johto. We helped them escape, and in exchange, they took us here." explained the first man.

"And why would you want to come here?" Jacob asked.

"To join you and Team Rocket. We want to join because we all have a common foe that we want out of the way: Ash Ketchum. We hate him almost as much as you do." said the second man.

"And what is your grudge against him?"

"Both of us have been denied something that we deserve because of him. I've trained my Pokemon to be much stronger than his. I've trained them longer and harder but it's never enough. I deserved to be the Pokemon Master, not him. With him out of the way, I would take my rightful place." said the first man.

"And I lost the woman that I love and deserve to be with because of him: his wife, Dawn. We grew up together in Twinleaf Town and I've known her for my entire life, much longer than Ash has known her. I've also loved her for many years, long before she and Ash met. If she hadn't met him, she would've fallen for me instead." added the second man.

"When you captured Ash, I tried to take advantage of his disappearance to become Pokemon Master. He tried to take advantage of it to win back the heart of the woman that he loves. But we both failed to do so when he returned after you were defeated."

"So we both want Ash Ketchum out of the way for different reasons and you want him gone so that nobody can oppose your plans for world domination. Let us join Team Rocket and we will work together to satisfy all of our goals."

"And what could you possibly offer me? What could you bring to Team Rocket that could benefit us and our goals?" Jacob asked the two men.

"My Pokemon are among the strongest in the world, due to how I train them." said the first man.

"And I know more about Dawn and how she thinks and acts than anyone here. I was once a coordinator so I know how to adapt to situations and come up with ideas for Team Rocket." said the second man. "Between his strength and my knowledge, our plans would all be met much more easily."

A trainer with a powerful Pokemon team on our side would prove quite formidable. And a smart trainer who could plan our strategies and manage our troops would certainly aid our operation. Not to mention that if one of our members became Pokemon Master like he wants to be, we could influence the entire world secretly from behind the scenes. The man who loves my daughter doesn't seem to know that I'm her father, though. But I won't be telling him that just yet. Jacob thought to himself.

"What are your names?" he asked.

"Paul," said the first man.

"Kenny," said the second.

"Well, Paul and Kenny, your abilities could prove very beneficial to Team Rocket. If you swear your allegiance to me and aid us, I will make sure that you will achieve your goals, too."

The two men bowed slightly and said, "Yes, master."

"Then I welcome you to Team Rocket. Your training to become official members begins tomorrow. If you pass your tests, I will make both of you Team Rocket Executives."

Michael then decided to speak. "If I may, sir? I was about to tell you my plan to capture Ash Ketchum before they arrived."

"Yes, Michael. Please enlighten me. I think that our two new members and Mya should hear this as well." said Jacob.

"As I said, Ash Ketchum is far too powerful to be captured by force like he was before. I suggest that we force him to give himself up and surrender himself to us." Michael explained.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"By exploiting his greatest weakness: his family. Unlike him, they are weak and easy to capture. If his family's safety hangs in the balance, Ash will do anything in his power to save them. By using them as leverage, we can force Ash to give himself up. Then, when he is out of the way, no one will be able to oppose Team Rocket! The world will be all ours!"

"Excellent thinking, Michael. We will capture his wife, son, and mother-in-law when the time is right." Jacob said.

"Why not capture them now?" asked Kenny.

"Because our plan to control the world is not yet ready. We will not hunt them down until we are prepared to put our plan into motion. Besides, we know where his wife and mother-in-law are living. However, his son is on a Pokemon journey and will need to be hunted down and captured."

"What is this 'plan?'" asked Paul.

"You'll find out when you pass your tests. In the meantime, Michael and Mya will keep an eye out for his son when going out to capture more Pokemon. And if you find Darien, capture him as well and bring him to me. I'll take care of him personally."

"I do have to ask," said Paul, "The girl with the orange hair that travels with Ash's son, who is she?"

"That would be the daughter of Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader." Michael answered.

"Why didn't I recognize it until now? She looks just like her mother. That pathetic little girl...is my daughter. It seems that things have just gotten a bit more interesting..." Paul said evilly.

To be continued...

Author's Note: After two and a half years of writing this story, Pokemon NG has come to a close. We thank all of our readers and reviewers and everyone else who enjoyed our story, especially those who have been reading this story since it began, so long ago.

But the adventure is just beginning! Be sure to stay tuned for the next story in the Pokemon NG storyline as Adam and his friends return for new challenges in a new region! They'll meet new friends and enemies, face new challenges, and catch new Pokemon.

We hope to see you again in Pokemon NG 2: Johto Saga!