Chapter 19

Before long, everyone is happily eating at the cafeteria inside the Pokemon Center. Timothy gave bowls of Pokemon food to Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey while Brock gave bowls of his special Pokemon food to Pikachu, Piplup, Oshawott, and Gible. Absol refused to eat unless it's with Serena, so Brock had its food placed next to Serena's chair while the humans all eat at the table. As expected, Ash stuffs himself with plates full of food much to the shock of Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"Uh, is he always like this when he eats?" Coovers asks Serena.

"Pretty much," Serena answers.

"How in the world does he not gain weight from so much food?" Timothy asks, baffled.

"Believe me, we wish we knew," Dawn says. "Maybe he burns all those calories by being so unbelievably active too."

"It's the closest thing that makes sense to me," Brock admits.

After everyone has finished eating, everyone pats their stomachs, satisfied, and Serena lets Absol hop onto her chair so that it can sit on her lap. The group silently decides to stay seated at their table and relax until Ash turns to Timothy.

"Oh yeah, Timothy, we never finished our battle," he says. "You were going to explain how you've never had a friendly battle before if I won."

Timothy winces, and Coovers and Electchu frown, having forgotten about the deal.

"We don't need to go into that," Coovers says.

"No, it's fine, Coovers," Timothy says.

Coovers turns to his friend, dumbfounded.

"Are you sure?" Brock asks. "I mean, he didn't win the battle."

"True, but the truth is the battle wasn't about winning or losing so much as seeing what kind of trainer Ash is, and it's clear that he's a very cunning and caring trainer," Timothy answers. "Besides, it's also obvious that everyone here is friendly and very caring about Pokemon, so I see no harm in telling them."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Dawn, Scott, Piplup, and Serena smile appreciatively at his words. Coovers looks at his friend worriedly while Timothy takes a deep breath and takes a moment to think about where to begin.

"It all started when I was a little boy in Pallet Town," he says. "Like any kid, I was practically dying to turn ten so that I could become a Pokemon trainer. The idea of catching many Pokemon and defeating the greatest trainers there are was my ultimate dream. Unfortunately, there was a boy who was a year older than me and lived just a few houses away from me in Pallet Town, named Trent Lane. He had the same desires but was more...aggressive about it. He believed he was already superior to everyone because he was going to be the greatest Pokemon Master there is without a hitch. When we were in preschool, he would verbally bully me, claiming I was never going to be a better trainer than him. The teachers and my parents and his parents kept trying to get him to stop, but it was like he had his mind sent on bullying me as a means to make me give up on my dreams before I ever could try to achieve them. He usually threatened me saying that if I ever became a trainer, he would look for me, defeat me in a battle, and take away my Pokemon just like that."

"Really? That sounds like a really pompous child," Dawn says.

"You have no idea," Timothy says. "At that age, I was deeply discouraged because of his claims that I would lose any Pokemon I have if I ever became a trainer. Thankfully, I felt more comfortable about my dreams when he finally turned ten, and left Pallet Town after receiving a Charmander from Professor Oak. The next year, my dad got Electchu for me on my tenth birthday after he won a contest when he went to Neon City with my mom. Like any excited boy finally able to become a trainer, I thought I was ready to face the world with my new friend and partner and the determination to capture as many Pokemon as I can."

Ash smiles and nods at the man in the "H.A.K." shirt, knowing what he's talking about. Electchu hops onto Timothy's lap and smiles as Timothy pets his partner.

"Eventually, I made it to Pewter City all ready to face the gym with Electchu and Poliwrath back when the former was a Poliwag, along with a couple other Pokemon in my team," Timothy continues. "But before I got to the gym, who should be standing in front of the road but Trent. He told me to hand over my Pokemon because he is already the strongest trainer in the world, and if I refused, he'd take them by force with his Pokemon like he said he would when we were little. Naturally, I had no desire to give up Electchu or Poliwag or any of my Pokemon, so I refused, and we started to battle. At first, he started to win when his then Charmeleon took down my Butterfree, Kakuna. Rattata, and Pidgey without a hitch, but when it came to Poliwag, the water attacks were too much for the fire Pokemon before Poliwag took it down. Trent was infuriated. It turned out that his Charmeleon was the only Pokemon he really trained, and he only captured the rest so that he could boast about having a full party unlike a lot of trainers in the area. So as you can imagine, it didn't take much for Poliwag and eventually Electchu to take down the rest of his team about as quickly as he took down most of mine."

"I remember my dad telling me about there being a trainer like that around the time I was two years old," Brock said. "He was banned from competing in gym battles after acting disrespectfully to his pokemon and every gym leader he went up against every time he lost. He kept harassing trainers around the borders of the city until one trainer defeated him, and he disappeared. So, I guess that other trainer was you?"

"I guess so," Timothy says. "But even so, I wish that was the last I would ever see of Trent. As it was, he held a horrible grudge against me, and so Electchu and I went on ahead to places he knew I would go for my next badges and Trent would appear and force me into a battle to steal my Pokemon once they were all defeated. He did everything he thought was the way to make his Pokemon strong enough to defeat mine, but in his eagerness, I started to work hard in training my Pokemon too. Even if it was mostly to win gym badges, I realized after the first couple of encounters with him that he was never going to let up. Trent was so determined to prove he is stronger than the boy he bullied growing up that he wanted to beat me no matter the cost. So each time I won a gym battle, I would stay in the city or town training my Pokemon constantly while staying at the Pokemon Center until they reached the highest level they could be within my rank as a trainer. Then with my Pokemon stronger, I would travel to the next gym where Trent was waiting for me, and we'd battle only for me to ultimately win and his anger growing with another vow that he will become more powerful than me. But what he never realized was that his attempts only helped me grow stronger and smarter as a trainer. Between winning gym battles, training with my Pokemon, and constantly having to deal with him, I learned to strategize and use his pride against him."

"Wow, sounds like a really persistent guy," Dawn comments. "What do you mean by he did everything he thought was the way to make his Pokemon stronger?"

"I mean, he overtrained them cruelly," Timothy answers. "He forced them to battle against wild Pokemon more powerful than they are, and to keep fighting even if they have no energy left whatsoever. He abused them verbally just so that they would keep standing every time they got down after getting hit by a powerful attack."

"You can't be serious," Ash snarls. "No one should be that cruel to their Pokemon."

"I've seen it first hand, Ash," Timothy says seriously. "Each time I had the upper hand while he was forcing me to battle him, he would throw insults at his Pokemon and angrily rant about everything he had done to force them to be just the tiniest bit stronger. The more time we battled throughout my journey, the more it was all clear to me: there was no bond between him and his Pokemon. As far as he was concerned, they were no more than items or weapons that he can say or do anything he wants, leaving the poor creatures to obey out of fear."

"That's horrible," Serena says. "He should have been brought to justice for everything he did."

Timothy gives the honey blonde girl a small smile before he frowns and turns to Electchu. "Well, you could say he ultimately did, but he did something terrible first."

Electchu frowns sadly and snuggles close to Timothy, and the man in the "H.A.K." shirt doesn't hesitate to pet his partner. Ash, Brock, Dawn, and Serena look at each other before Ash asks the question that's on everyone's mind.

"What happened?"

Timothy sighs while still petting Electchu.

"He found a new way to get what he wanted," he answers softly. "On my way to Viridian City for my last badge, he went on ahead and was found by Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?!" Ash, Serena, Brock, and Dawn shout simultaneously.

"You know the organization?" Coovers asks curiously.

"All too well," Ash answers. "A group of Team Rocket members have been trying to steal Pokemon wherever I go, especially Pikachu."

"Especially Pikachu?" Coovers asks, confused.

"Yeah, they like to try to capture Pikachu the most," Dawn says. "They always go through these crazy, elaborate schemes just to try to steal it before we stop them."

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says.

Timothy's frown deepens, and he says, "Then I envy you for having that kind of fortune with your Pikachu, Ash."

"Why's that?" Ash asks.

"Because Team Rocket is where things took a harsh turn," Timothy answers. "Team Rocket took a liking to him because of the way he viewed Pokemon. When he told them what he was doing in town, they offered assistance to nab me for good in exchange for having him become part of Team Rocket. Thus, when I came to the Viridian City gym, I battled the gym leader, Giovanni, with everything I had and won, and thus got my final badge, but the moment I exited the building, I was ambushed by Trent and a couple of Team Rocket grunts. My Pokemon were too tired to battle after already facing the gym, and so they overpowered us, and the next thing I knew, I was tied up, beaten, and thrown across the street with Trent taking Electchu and the rest of my Pokemon with Team Rocket. It was hours before someone found me and freed me from the ropes, but by that time, those cowards were long gone with my Pokemon. My friends."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup gasp in shock. Electchu tightens its hug on Timothy, who keeps petting his Raichu comfortingly.

"I reported to the police, of course, but it turned out that my Pokemon were just some of the ones that Team Rocket recently stole all around the city," Timothy says. "And without a trace to go on, it was clear that they couldn't do anything to find where Team Rocket could have taken my Pokemon."

"What did you do?" Serena asks.

"The only thing I could do," Timothy answers. "I retrieved six other of my Pokemon from Professor Oak, and went to find them. One of them is my Arcanine that I named Fenrir and who I told to look for Electchu and my then-Poliwhril's scent since they are the two Pokemon I always carried on my journey. Because Fenrir was part of my team with Electchu and Poliwhirl for a time back when it was a Growlithe, it could detect their scent. Thankfully, Fenrir was able to track them to a two-story building deep in Viridian Forest that was guarded by several Team Rocket grunts. I used a communicator to call Officer Jenny and gave her my location so that she can come over with the entire police force. But, as I was waiting for her after calling, I heard Electchu crying out in pain from inside the building. I was so horrified by its scream that I couldn't wait until Officer Jenny came to stop whatever they were doing to my Pikachu."

Ash nods and starts hugging his own Pikachu, unable to bear the thought of the same thing happening to his best friend.

"I knew I had to be quiet so that whoever was up there wouldn't notice," Timothy continues. "So, I quietly took out my Butterfree, who knocked out the guards with Sleep Powder. Once I was inside, I had Butterfree continue to use Sleep Powder against the grunts in the building until I reached the second level and found several Eevee, Nidorino, Clefairy, and Poliwhirl, including my own, in cages. I looked further to find Trent using a machine that was torturing Electchu. There were a couple of Team Rocket scientists that were analyzing and taking notes of what the device was doing to Electchu, looking displeased. Finally, the torturing stopped, and one of the scientists named Dr. Zager turned on a monitor to find none other than the Viridian City gym leader, Giovanni."

"Wait, the former Viridian City gym leader is the leader of Team Rocket?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Just as I figured," Brock says.

"So, you know that he's the leader of Team Rocket?" Timothy asks, intrigued.

"We sure do," Ash says. "Brock and Pikachu and I encountered him in Johto, and then Pikachu and I reencountered him in Unova with our friends, Iris and Cilan."

"You did?" Coovers asks. "What was he doing there?"

"He and the group of Team Rocket goons that always follow me and Pikachu were after a device that can summon and control the three legendary Unova Pokemon, Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus, using the power of our friend, Meloetta," Ash explains before he hesitantly says, "But what happened in Johto is a secret."

"A secret?" Dawn asks.

"Yeah, we can't tell you anything that happened," Brock says firmly. "We made a promise to someone not to say anything about what happened, and we won't betray that trust."

Timothy and Coovers frown, wishing they could say what Giovanni did in the Johto region. Serena also frowns, bummed that there is one adventure that Ash cannot tell her when she thought he was going to tell her everything during their new journey. She silently sighs, accepting that she won't press on the issue, knowing how devoted the boy she cares about is to keeping promises to his friends.

"Well, I guess if that's the way it is, then I will respect your wishes," Timothy sighs. "Anyway, as I was saying, that moment was when I found out that Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket, and the scientists and Trent were reporting to him on their experiment. Apparently, they were trying to make a machine that would force Pokemon that can only evolve with evolution stones to evolve without them. Trent partly agreed to join the organization in exchange for keeping my Pokemon for himself once they succeed in forcing Electchu and Poliwhirl to evolve."

"That's horrible!" Dawn exclaims.

Timothy nods before he continues.

"Luckily, as they were talking, Officer Jenny arrived outside with the entire Viridian City police force," he says. "They started arresting the guards that Butterfree put to sleep, and Officer Jenny used her horn, telling the people inside that they're surrounded and they must surrender. Giovanni quickly cut off the transmission to avoid getting caught in the mess while Trent, Dr. Zager, and the scientists started to panic. I took advantage of the chaos by coming out of my hiding spot and had my Butterfree use Sleep Powder once more on the scientists. Unfortunately, before I could do the same for Trent, he quickly released his Charmeleon, and it quickly took Butterfree down. We started to battle with our full party again, and eventually, my Snorlax barely took down his last Pokemon before the police arrived and surrounded him. Once again, Trent was infuriated beyond reason, and he vowed that they would never take him alive before activating a self-destruct sequence. Before any of us knew what was happening, all sorts of explosives were starting to destroy the building. The police quickly released the Pokemon that were in cages, including my Poliwhirl, while I retrieved Electchu and grabbed the rest of my other captured Pokemon that were still in their Pokeballs. As I tried to leave, however, Trent grabbed me from behind in a headlock, declaring that if he is going to die, then I must go with him."

"So, he was so determined to be superior to you that he tried to have you both killed?" Brock asks.

"Yes," Timothy answers. "But then Electchu used Iron Tail on his left arm despite its weak state, breaking it and freeing me. With the rest of my Pokemon safe in their Pokeballs, Poliwhirl, Electchu, and I ran out of the building as fast as we could to safety. The last I heard from Trent was him screaming my name out of both anger and pain from his broken arm before he was silenced by one of the explosions."

Dawn and Serena wince, uncomfortable with the description. Timothy clears his throat and gives the two girls an apologetic look before he continues.

"As expected, Officer Jenny was cross that I took things into my own hands even though I found their hideout and saved my Pokemon," he says. "Nevertheless, I was thanked for my deeds with a warning, and the other Pokemon were healed and either brought back to their trainers or released into the wild if they turned out to be wild Pokemon. I told Officer Jenny about how Giovanni was involved in the situation, but she didn't do anything about it."

"What?! " Ash shouts. "Why not?"

"There was no proof," Timothy answers plainly. "They had nothing but my word to go by to prove he leads Team Rocket or had anything to do with what Trent and the scientists were doing. There was only enough evidence to lock up the scientists and guards, save for Dr. Zager who disappeared, and declare that Trent is either dead or missing because they didn't find his body."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup stare at Timothy, taken aback by this information. Everyone remains silent until Serena asks, "So then what happened?"

Timothy shrugs and says, "I never saw Giovanni or Trent ever again. I guess the leader of Team Rocket either never found out I was responsible for stopping his scheme, or he did but decided I wasn't worth trying to get revenge over. After the rescue, I went back home and stayed there, where my Pokemon, and I could be safe. It took a little pep talk from my dad to get up and leave in time to compete in the Indigo League for the first time. Sadly, I was disqualified shortly after passing the preliminaries, and that was partly because Electchu and Poliwhirl weren't into it because they were still tormented with what happened."

Everyone looks at Timothy and Electchu sadly. The older trainer continues to pet his Raichu, who is glad Timothy is done talking about that particular day.

"How did they get over it?" Brock asks.

"They stayed at home with my family for a couple of years while I started traveling through the other regions," Timothy answers.

"You traveled without your partner?" Ash asks in disbelief.

"I had to," Timothy answers. "Neither Electchu or Poliwhirl were in any mental position to leave the house, and neither they nor my family wanted what happened to stop me from pursuing my dream. It was a hard decision, but both Electchu and Poliwhirl wanted me to move forward and become stronger. Besides, they were under my Grandma Judy's care, and she knew how to lift their spirits up and nurture them until they were no longer afraid to leave Pallet Town. Right, Electchu?"

"Raichu!" Electchu says happily.

Serena smiles and says, "Since I was her neighbor, that makes sense."

Timothy nods with his own smile and says, "Anyway, I just started anew with a new starter Pokemon with every region I went to. Sometimes I would call home and have Electchu and Poliwhirl transported to where I am so that we can spend time together just for the day before I brought them back and carried on with my journey. Eventually, Electchu and Poliwhirl decided they were ready to travel with me again, so we went on another journey through the Kanto region and competed in the Indigo League again with some of my other Pokemon. We only made it to the top 16, but it didn't entirely matter. The three of us were just happy to have given it all we could. In fact, they were so pleased with how we did that Electchu and Poliwhirl decided that they were ready to evolve. So before we went to Unova so that I could compete in the Unova League again, I bought a Thunder Stone and a Water Stone at Saffron City, and with them, Electchu and Poliwhirl evolved into a Raichu and a Poliwrath."

"The Unova region. That's where you're from, right, Coovers?" Serena asks.

"That's right," Coovers says with a grin.

Ash and his friends smile at the man from Unova before the raven-haired boy turns to Timothy seriously.

"So, are you telling me that you never had a rival again after everything with Trent?" He asks.

"Not once," Timothy says plainly.

"But how come?" Ash asks. "You could have found someone who would want to be your rival in a more friendly and respectful way."

"I could have, but I refused to try," Timothy says honestly. "Even when I was traveling in other regions, I never really wanted to interact with other trainers outside of gym battles or when in a Pokemon league. You might say I was afraid to meet more trainers than what was required of me out of fear that I would get into a rivalry as terrible as what I had with Trent."

"But that shouldn't even be possible," Dawn says with a frown. "I've had my share of rivalries, and we were all good friends at the end of the day."

"Me too," Serena says.

"Timothy, I admit that I've had rivals like Paul and Trip, who were unfriendly at first, but they also knew, albeit not right with Paul, how important it was to take care of your Pokemon and learned to be friendly to people too," Ash says. "You can't let what happened between you and Trent keep you from having any other rivalries just because he was so horrible."

"That's what I've tried to tell him ever since he told me what happened," Coovers says. "But after a while, I accepted that it is hard to be so open to the idea of having any more long term rivals after what his very first one did before either of them had a Pokemon."

"I see," Brock says in thought. "So, when you challenged Ash to face you in the Indigo League, you didn't mean it as a means to start a long term rivalry."

"That is correct," Timothy says. "I only see my rivalry with Ash as something determined by just the possible battle we'll have against each other in the league, and that's it. I didn't want any other battles between us beforehand because all I care about between us is just that possible one."

Ash stares at the older trainer, devastated by his answer. Timothy notices the raven-haired boy's reaction and smiles.

"But I have to admit, even if it wasn't an important battle, I found myself enjoying our double battle," he says. "So, maybe a friendly rivalry with you might be good for me, Ash."

"Huh? You mean that? No, joke?" Ash asks, surprised.

"I don't joke about trainers whose Pokemon last as long against Odyssey and Shockwave as yours have even though they are in their first stage evolutions," Timothy states. "Granted, you're the first person to do so, but that strengthens my point. You are a very commendable and cunning opponent, and you have a kind, and friendly heart like Serena said. I'm sorry that I misled you, but if you're still up for a rivalry that will be determined at Indigo Plateau, I would like that with you."

Ash looks at Timothy blankly for a moment before he smiles and says, "Of course, I'd like to stay your rival. You're a powerful trainer, and I want to show how much I've learned since the last time I competed in the Indigo League. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Ash extends his hand, and Timothy stares at it, surprised before he smirks and shakes it.

"Then it's settled," Timothy says. "But you better be ready for me, because now I have an idea of how you battle and I might use it against you."

"Same goes for me against your Pokemon," Ash says proudly. "I'm going to beat you for sure."

Everyone smiles to see the two trainers renew their rivalry. Serena gives Ash a fond look until she notices Absol slowly waking up after falling asleep on her lap. Coovers notices the small disaster Pokemon and the honey blonde girl starting to pet it again much to Absol's delight. The Unova man smiles at the moment and scratches his chin in thought.

"Hey, Scott, what is our next destination for the Battle Frontier?" He asks, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh, that's right. I didn't get around to telling you yet," Scott realizes. "Your next stop is the Battle Dome, where Timothy will go against Tucker, the most famous of our Frontier Brains. Here, let me put the location in your Pokenav."

"Thank you," Coovers says. "I think we should get a head start there soon."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup are taken aback by what Coovers said, but out of all of them, Serena looks the most hurt.

"Do you have to go now?" She asks. "Is there any reason you can't stay for the night?"

"I'm afraid not," Timothy answers, not noticing what Coovers is up to. "I want to go through the entire Battle Frontier as soon as possible, and we didn't plan on staying in this town for as long as we have."

Serena frowns sadly, which Ash, Dawn, and Brock notice.

"What's wrong, Serena?" Ash asks.

Serena hesitates and looks at Absol sadly.

"Oh, I see," Brock says in realization.

Serena takes a deep breath, stands up while holding Absol, and gives the man from Unova a pleading look.

"Coovers, I know Absol came from your egg, but...would it be okay if I keep it, please?" She asks.

Coovers smirks, secretly glad that Serena did as he hoped she would.

"Well, of course," he says warmly. "To tell you the truth, Serena, I was holding on to that egg as a favor for the Pokemon Professor in the Hoenn region. He wanted me to find a home for this little one right here in Kanto, and it's clear that you have already formed a bond with it. In fact, I'd say Absol probably looks up to you as its mother."

Serena smiles happily and lifts up Absol until it is facing her and asks, "Absol, is that true?"

"Absol!" Absol says cheerfully before it starts licking Serena's face vigorously, making Serena laugh.

"Stop, Absol, that tickles," Serena shouts.

"You know, Serena, Absol would also be a good Pokemon to use if you come across another psychic Pokemon like Hypno again," Dawn says.

"That's true. Psychic attacks are completely ineffective against dark-type Pokemon," Brock says. "You wouldn't have to rely on Pancham using Dark Pulse to fight psychic-type Pokemon."

"Really?" Serena asks.

"Yes, in fact, that's probably why Shockwave was unable to catch Absol's egg," Timothy says. "Come to think about it, most people in the Kanto region are typically unaware of the strengths of having a dark type Pokemon since none of them are native here in the region. But, I'd be careful with fairy and fighting attacks that are very effective against a dark type Pokemon like Absol. That's why I trained Shockwave to know Disarming Voice and Moonblast. With those attacks, Shockwave can defend itself against dark type Pokemon since its psychic attacks are useless against them."

"Gardevoir," Shockwave says proudly.

Serena nods, remembering how the Kalos champion, Diantha, had her own Gardevoir use Moonblast to defeat a Mega Absol.

"Well, I think Absol will need a lot of training before I think about using it for a contest, but I promise to take good care of it," she vows.

"That's great, Serena. I know you will," Ash says supportively.

"Right," Serena says as she reaches into her bag and takes out an empty Pokeball. "I'm going to catch you now, Absol."

"Sol," Absol says excitedly.

Serena gently nudges the Pokeball against Absol's cheek, and it opens and sucks the disaster Pokemon inside. It only moves once before it lets out a loud ding, confirming that it's been caught.

"Alright," Serena says happily. "I caught Absol!"

"Congratulations, Serena," Coovers says warmly.

Serena nods before she tosses the ball into the air, and it opens for Absol to appear in front of Serena. The honey blonde girl and her new Pokemon look at each other lovingly as she picks Absol up again.

"Absol, I'm going to take very good care of you," she promises.

"Absol!" Absol says.

"You might want to enjoy it being so tiny while it lasts," Timothy suggests with a smirk. "It only takes a couple of months or so before an Absol is fully grown."

"Raichu!" Electchu says, nodding.

"That's true," Brock says in agreement. "Still, I think you are going to grow pretty close with Absol, Serena."

"I think so too," Ash says.

"Pika, Pi," Pikachu says.

Serena keeps looking at Absol and says, "I know we will."

Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Scott smile in agreement before Timothy clears his throat.

"Right, Coovers, you have the coordinates?" He asks.

"Sure do," Coovers says with a smirk.

"Then we better get going on the double," Timothy says before taking out two Pokeballs. "Odyssey, Shockwave, return."

The Lucario and Gardevoir return to their Pokeballs, and Timothy puts them away before turning to Ash.

"Alright, you better train hard for our next meeting, Ash," he says, offering his hand.

"Same goes to you, Timothy," Ash replies as he shakes Timothy's hand.

And so, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu exit the Pokemon Center and begin walking down to the Battle Dome, waving to Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, and Scott as they walk. Before long, the two trainers and the Raichu cross the border of the town in silence.

"I'm proud of you, Timothy," Coovers says. "That was a big step telling everyone what happened and opening yourself to start a long term rivalry with Ash."

"Well, it helps that Ash came through when it comes to proving that he and his friends can be trusted," Timothy says. "It was also nice of you to give Absol to Serena."

"Ah, there was no way I was going to take it from her when she and Absol were growing attached to each other," Coovers says with a toothy grin. "Why would I keep Absol when it has already formed such a closer bond with Serena?"

"Why indeed," Timothy agrees.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

The three of them continue to walk until Timothy starts to frown, which Coovers notices.

"What's the matter?" He asks.

Timothy sighs, without looking at his friend and says, "I only told Ash half the truth about why I challenged him. I wonder if he, Serena, and their friends will be so forgiving if I have to tell him…"

"That you also challenged him to see if he would make a good ally against Team Rocket?" Coovers finishes. "I'm sure they will all be forgiving about that too, given that he has a fair amount of experience against Team Rocket as well. I think the only reason we shouldn't tell them that was because we still don't know if Team Rocket is after the Gieldanstone. No need to have Ash and his friends worry about something that we don't know is going to happen, right?"

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding in agreement.

"That's true," Timothy says, half convinced. "Anyway, onto the Battle Dome, guys."

"Right, straight to the Battle Dome!" Coovers says excitedly.

"Rai!" Electchu shouts.

Meanwhile, as they are walking down the path, a familiar, Meowth hot air balloon slowly follows them several yards away. Jessie, James, and Meowth watch Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu with their binoculars, grinning evilly.

"There they go heading to the next destination toward Brandon," Jessie states.

"I still can't believe you talked us into not trying to catch Pikachu, Meowth," James whimpers. "I was so sure we could have come up with something that would have worked this time."

"And we coulda compromised da mission given to us directly from da boss," Meowth points out. "Face it. Even if we captured Pikachu, we couldn't bring it back to headquarters and risk losing the only lead that can take us to Brandon."

"Meowth's right," Jessie admits. "Our mission is something even bigger than capturing Pikachu. And besides, after eavesdropping while they were at lunch, I doubt it would do us any good to cross a trainer that has a bad history with Team Rocket like that Timothy fellow. It's like you said before, Meowth: the less they know about our plans, the better."

"Exactly," Meowth says. "Da boss ordered us not to engage Brandon or anyone who has anything to do with him, and since those three are our only way to find him, that includes staying far away from them and even the twerps and Pikachu."

James sighs and says, "I guess stealth is still the name of the game. At least they're getting closer to Brandon after defeating that martial arts lady."

"Indeed," Jessie says. "Now, let's keep quiet already and keep following them."

The trio goes back to watching Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers at a distance. Meanwhile, the cloaked figure continues to follow the group and Team Rocket secretly.

"So, this Timothy and Coovers know Brock and Ash," it says. "This could work to my advantage and prove they are people to trust."