The Basement

"So, how do we start?"

"Let's say Team Rocket focuses more on the dark side of Pokemon training, we're talking about Pokemon abuse, illegal experiments, stealing from their owners, and sell them to the black market which the money would be used for experiments," Erika stated as she looked with a cold stare to the elevator door as they wait for it to stop at their destination.

"You've already encountered them and I fear that they might steal Gardevoir from you since she's very powerful, but I was shattered to realize that they don't want Gardevoir, but you." Erika glanced at the trainer. He was looking down with complete patience, and he looked at the specialist after glancing at him.

"What do you mean? Why do they want me then?" Yoake asked Erika, she doesn't know how to answer the trainer's question since she also doesn't know the reason, she just hoped that it's something better than what she thought.

"I don't know, but I recommend you to always keep an eye out for any suspicious groups, you may never know what will happen to you once you get caught," Erika suggested.

As soon as the specialist gave a recommendation, the lift stopped and it was a sign that they were in the basement. The elevator door opens, and Gardevoir walks out to see if there is any danger ahead, luckily, there wasn't, but it feels like they're not alone.

"Well, this is it. The former core of Team Rocket, where every malicious thing is being done to Pokemon." Erika introduced the place to Yoake as they walked out of the elevator.

The place was pitch black, and only the light of the elevator behind them gave off enough light to see a few meters away. Gardevoir quickly raises her arm and shines a small light to give enough luminescence to the dark hallways.

"How can we be sure that this Team Rocket is the same as the old Team Rocket?" Yoake curiously asked the specialist as they slowly walked to the dark hallways with the pocket light that Gardevoir emits.

"I don't know…" Erika ushered. She was disappointed in herself since she spent most of her time trying to find who's behind this newly formed Team Rocket, and knowing that this Team is looking for the trainer, she has to do everything she can to protect this trainer, as a vow to an old friend.

While they continue to venture into the darkness of the basement, Erika quickly remembered that there is something that might help the trainer to protect himself and his Pokemon, powerful moves that he might use or those technically moves. She is well aware that this basement is filled with TMs, and finding the powerful ones would help them a lot.

"There it is," Erika whispered as she saw an entrance with a sign on top of it.

"TM Library?" Yoake read the sign.

"Follow me," Erika told the two as she entered the doorway. The two followed the specialist, they were greeted by rows of bookshelves filled with TMs on their respective Move types.

"Can you give me your Pokedex?" Erika told the trainer, he nodded and quickly took out his Pokedex and handed it to the specialist. She then pointed the Dex to Gardevoir, the Dex quickly gathered information about the Pokemon, she began to scroll and found the TMs that Gardevoir could learn.

"Here, I want you to find Thunderbolt TM, Shadow Ball TM, and Moonblast TM, these three will be very useful for Gardevoir," Erika stated as she returns the Pokedex to the trainer, she quickly takes out a Pokeball and calls out her Vileplume to give her enough light to find TMs that she thinks it will be useful for her and the other specialist.

"Vileplume, use Flash," Erika told her Pokemon as soon as it jumped out from its Pokeball. The Pokemon quickly formed a ball on top of its flower and it slowly glowed to shine enough light for Erika to navigate the grand room.

"If you found the three TMs, wait for me near the doorway, okay?" Erika told the trainer as she was planning to split-up from the trainer as she found the other TMs. The trainer nodded alongside Gardevoir and splitted up from the specialist to find the TMs that she had mentioned.

Erika quickly went off to find the rock type, ground type, water type, electric type, and grass type TMs that will be held useful for the other specialist besides her. As she finds each TMs one by one, she makes sure that she is as quiet as possible since she wasn't sure if there's anyone else beside her and Yoake, but since she barely hears anything besides her whispers and cold air, she continues on.

Meanwhile, Yoake was looking for the TMs that Erika told him about, and while finding, he felt somewhat of a disturbance as they continued to search. Even though Yoake felt something very wrongly, Gardevoir on the other hand didn't feel it as she felt something else. She feels danger is nearby, and with her telekinetic powers, she can see what will happen later on, she quickly bickered to the trainer as she warns him about the danger.

"What is it bud?" Yoake asked Gardevoir as he reached out a TM from a shelf and saw it labeled as Thunderbolt. Gardevoir panics as she tries to warn him about the danger but he was too confused on what she was talking about, however, he begins to sense the danger.

"We should look for Erika but we have to get the TMs first." Yoake whispered to Gardevoir.

Gardevoir quickly looked for the TMs with rapid speed and in seconds, she found all of the TMs and handed them over to Yoake. The TM she gave were labeled Thunderbolt, Moonblast, Ice Beam, Shadowball, Flamethrower, Sludge Wave, Brick Break, Energy Ball, and X-scissor.

"Uhhh Gardevoir, I only need three, why these?" Yoake told the Pokemon with utter confusion as he was looking at the TMs that she handed to him.

The Pokemon couldn't tell the trainer the reason as she was aware that having these will be very useful later on in their adventure. They begin to find the specialist from the inner part of the room, Gardevoir was leading the trainer this time due to the fact she can sense where Erika is. As the specialist took a TM from one of the shelves, she saw a light in the distance, it was running toward her, and she could hear a young boy panting for breath at a distance, it was Yoake and Gardevoir.

"What's the matter?" Erika asked the two as she was mixed with confusion and impressiveness as she saw the TMs that Yoake already has in his bag, and being confused on how fast they got all of these,

"Gardevoi-" As Yoake was about to explain their reason, he was cut off as the lights were turned on and this alarmed the two. Erika gasped as she realized that they're there.

The two's mood quickly change as they felt the sudden urge on having to escape and not be noticed, Gardevior on the other hand, quickly find all of the TMs that Erika is looking for and places them in Yoake's bag all thanks to her ability to see the future and teleportation.

"Come on, we have to go before they find this." Erika urgently told the trainer. As they were already rushing to the exit. Gardevoir was flown to the air and fell to the floor.

"Gardevoir!" Yoake shouted to his Pokemon as he saw her lying on the ground after being forcefully thrown by a random force. He quickly ran toward her and began to assist her to stand up. Erika quickly realizes that a Pokemon did this, a Pokemon that has strong psychokinetic energy, and she knows that there is only one trainer that has that Pokemon.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice said with a malicious tone, Erika looked at the doorway and saw her greatest enemy, standing firm at the doorway, and behind her was an Alakazam, it was none other than Sabrina.

"Natsume," Erika uttered her name.

"Erika, long time no see, when was the last time we met? Three or four years ago?" Natsume said in a tone of mockery. She has changed for the past few years, she used to have long black hair with bangs to cover her forehead, a red and black dress with yellow cuffs over her black tights, white gloves, and red and yellow knee-high boots but now, she has a shorter hair, wears a tight-fitting spaghetti strap pink crop top that shows her midriff and white slim-fit pants attached with a black belt around her waist, and she also wears a pair of a green and black bracelet, she has grown older and stronger.

"Still wearing that Kimono? You truly never changed." Natsume sighed with disappointment to her rival. While giving her rival a mockery, he noticed the trainer beside her, who was also giving an angered look.

"Oh, you've brought the boy to me, you've just made my job a lot easier." Natsume bickered as she looked at the trainer.

"You're not laying a finger on him," Erika warned. Natsume giggled and told her the inevitable.

"Forgetting that he is a trainer huh? You want this badge, right? You have to defeat me in my gym first." Natsume told Yoake as she revealed the badge levitating from her palm, she quickly hid it and placed her arm back to her side.

"I will make sure that you and Team Rocket will never be able to get Yoake." Erika continued to warn Natsume but she continued to shrug it off as she knows what will happen someday.

"You can try, but just like what happened to Red, you will fail." Natsume challenged Erika's warning as she mentions a name that she hasn't heard for a long time. Erika gasped as she remembered what happened six years later, Yoake noticed Erika was standing still and it felt like she was slowly getting depressed.

"Pathetic," Natsume whispered to Erika.

"What do you want? And why?" Erika asked with a cold tone. Natsume looked at her with a straight look and she was willing to answer her question.

"We only need the boy, he'll be an important asset of Team Rocket," Natsume replied.

In a quick response, Gardevoir quickly woke up and saw the current situation. She realized that things started to go out of hand and a possible battle between Erika and Natsume might happen, so she decided to teleport them out of the basement and back to the gym. Yoake quickly walks to Erika as he tries to comfort her.

"Red…" Erika sighed.

"Erika, are you alright?" Yoake cut her off as he was getting worried about her. She quickly snapped out of it and looked at the trainer.

"Yeah, I'm alright, just remembered a bad memory," Erika assured the trainer as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to drink some tea to refresh herself after remembering the awful years of her life.

"You sure she's alright?" Yoake worriedly asked Gardevoir. The Pokemon looked at the deeper thoughts of Erika and saw the traumatizing events that were lingering in her mind, and this shocked the Pokemon so much so, she wouldn't even dare to speak about it.

-

"Did you get the boy?" A Male voice asked Natsume as he slowly approached her.

"Nope, he and his Pokemon got away," Natsume answered his question. She didn't bother to turn around to see her boss as she knows that turning back would be a mistake.

"I see. Keep an eye on him at all cost, we must be prepared if it finally happened." The commander stated as he stares at the horizon.

With the cold breeze slipping through her neck, she looked at the commander with a worried stare.

"How can we be sure that he has it?" Natsume asked him as she was giving doubts on her commander's preposition. He continued to look at the busy city and answered her with a few words.

"I know it." The commander said.

-

Erika stood firm to her side of the battlefield as she waited for her opponent to come in and finally challenge her for a battle. A girl appeared from the other side, it was none other than Ren.

"Am I late?" Ren asked the specialist as she was worried if she was late for her appointed challenge.

"Not yet," Erika answered.

"I see, shall we?" Ren asked Erika as she took out one Pokeball from her belt.

"We shall see if you're strong or not." Erika ushered as the battle began between Erika and Ren.

A/N: For those who are wondering, Natsume is the Japanese or Original name of Sabrina, and if you are wondering why I called her Natsume instead of Sabrina it is…. it's a secret, find out in the next chapter.