*Elijah's POV*

I just have to keep going- I have to get out of this "school" and back to Cianwood! I'll be safe there! I'm not going to let anyone harm this Pokemon- I'll stake my life on that!

My determination to save the petrified Shaymin is the only thing that keeps me going. I can hear the dull roar of footsteps behind me, slowly gaining ground.

Blast it... I won't be able to outrun them all at this rate! But... Maybe I can shake them off my trail by getting them caught up in an oncoming rush of students...

I take a quick look at my watch.

1:39 PM, perfect! If I can just stall them a little bit longer... I think, running as fast as I can towards the General Ed Room.

If anybody wants to get out of their class, it's the students in that room. They won't leave until the bell rings to signal their dismissal, but, when it does... That just might cause enough chaos to offer me an escape.

As if by sheer luck, the second I fly past the closed room's door, the bell's harsh Riiing! echoes through the entire hallway, and, before I have time to breathe, the General Education classroom's door flings open from behind me. The wood that holds the hinges in place creak in agony at the pressure being placed on it by a dozen pairs of anxious hands, and, before long, the hallway explodes with colors and faces of students that I didn't even recognize.

But will it keep them off me long enough? I hope so... I think, gently stroking the teary-eyed Shaymin in my arms with my free hand. I can tell that he's greatly agitated, so I'm doing my best to keep him calm.

Nervously, I sneak a glance over the sea of heads in front of me, and I can just barely make out Maxwell's figure, coupled by a dozen others that stick to him like bodyguards. A scowl quickly forms across all of their faces.

"Quickly," Maxwell mouths,

"We'll cut him off at the quad! Go!"

At this, the entire entourage disappears around the corner, and I know just where they'll strike next.

I didn't stick around to ask questions- quickly sprinting down the nearest corridor, I passed the room for Engineering.

This is the place, I'm willing to bet, where all of your schemes are hatched, Giovanni! I'll be back to settle this, once and for all. But that can wait until this Shaymin's far from anywhere you'll ever find it! I think as I run past the iron door. The deadbolt isn't even securely fastened, making me think that this little diversion had interrupted Giovanni from whatever he had been working on.

Good, the less he can accomplish, the better. Nothing good comes out of Team Rocket, and there's plenty of bad in the world as it is... I just hope I've bought myself enough time to prevent another casualty... And, Nathan, will he be OK? A twinge of regret crosses my face as I push through the next door in front of me, the one that guaranteed my freedom, and I feel the fresh outside breeze dance across my face. I turn back to the prison that Giovanni had labeled "Pokemon Tech" one last time.

Good luck, Nathan. I know that you can do this.

I pause for a moment to catch my breath, but, as soon as I stop moving, the school's doors fly open, signaling the inherent grim reaper that had been pursuing me for all this time.

Maxwell Graves leaps out of the door as soon as he can feel the outside air, an angry look on his face. I try to sidestep the oncoming charge, but it's no good- he stretches out his arm the second he passes me and throws me to the ground. My body hits the ground with a loud thud, but I simply tighten my grip on Riku.

Ngh... No, you won't have him! I refuse!

I try to stand up, but Maxwell is on me, once again, as soon as I make a move. His weight is more than enough to pin me down, but I am able to form a protective ball with my arms around the Shaymin I know that I won't last long against Maxwell's superior strength, but I know that failing isn't an option right now.

"Get off me, you scoundrel!" I yell, swinging my legs to the right and curling them around Maxwell's own. I twist my body, and, with it, come my legs, which buckle under my assault momentarily.

Before Maxwell can counter what I'm attempting to do, I quickly roll to the right and break away from him, damaged and weakened. A slight breeze from my right causes me to laugh. While I've put a little bit of distance between me and him, he could easily grab me and finish me off, my thoughts aren't in the fight with Maxwell anymore.

One of his cohorts, who are all still standing in the doorway, yell for him to take me down, and Maxwell smiles at that prospect. He lumbers over to me, his face continuously shifting from rage to pity and back again.

"What do you find so funny?!" he roars, but, before he can jump me again, I stick my left hand up in the air, testing the direction of the wind. Maxwell gives me a look of disgust.

"Surrendering already?" he laughs,

"What a joke! Ahahaha!" and restarts his slow advance towards me.

As he draws closer and closer, I place both hands on the terrified Shaymin and take careful aim in the direction of the forest to the east.

"Good luck, my friend," I whisper, and, with the last of my strength, throw the Shaymin high into the air. Miraculously, his body shifts to catch the oncoming breeze, and Riku takes to the air like a streamlined jet.

I watch as the Gratitude Pokemon soars into the distance, far above the trees, far above where Maxwell will ever get to him. I watch the teal-colored paws disappear into the clouds, and, only once the Pokemon is fully out of my view do I turn around to Maxwell, a triumphant smile on my face.

Go ahead, do your worst! I saved that Pokemon, and there's nothing you can do about it!

"Why you little...!" Maxwell fumes irately, grabbing me by the collar and hoisting me up into the air. I make no move to resist- the more time he spends beating me up, the more time Riku has to get away. I let my arms go slack, and I smile when Maxwell drops me to the ground. Although I hurt all over, I continue to taunt Maxwell with my smile, knowing that the act will most likely get me killed. But I don't care anymore- if I die, here and now, I'll die knowing that I spared a Pokemon from Team Rocket's malignancy.

With that final thought, I close my eyes and wait. My entire body is in pain, but it doesn't show much objection to my passing out, and I slip into unconsciousness before Maxwell can lay another finger on me. All he has time to say is a few simple lines of rage,

"Curse you, Elijah. Curse you, and all that you stand for! When I find my Pokemon again, I'm going to... Hmm?" My vision fades while I watch him pull out a walkie-talkie, say a few words into it (that I couldn't quite pick up) and disappear back into the school.

*Nathan's POV*

"Ahahaha!," Mr. Vannhi laughs,

"You think you can even attempt to stop me with that runt of a Pokemon? The great Giovanni- the strongest Trainer in the world?! The so-called 'bonds' that you can form with a Pokemon? Meaningless in the face of my power!"

Giovanni reveals his own Pokeball and lets it fall to the ground with an evil grin on his face. He looks at me with malice, shouting,

"I will show you how utterly useless it is to place trust in disposable tools!"

A large gray rhinoceros materializes out of the impending light, staring down my Shroomish. It, too, seems to be laughing, like the idea of it fighting my Pokemon is a joke.

If I lose now, this will be the end for me, I can feel it. There's no backing down now...

"Shroomish, use Spore!" I shout. I had learned that Spore is one of the more useful Pokemon moves, as I can debilitate anything and everything with it at my discretion.

My Pokemon responds immediately, like a well-oiled machine, opening its top and forcing the yellow particles through it. They soon balloon out in every direction, and I have to cough a few times to expel a few of them from my mouth. Finally, as soon as the cloud of spores disappears, I look over at the rhinoceros Pokemon, which is now as sound sleep as a log.

Giovanni mutters a few curses under his breath,

"Wake up this instant, you useless Rhyhorn!" He narrows his gaze towards me.

"Don't think for a moment that this is over, Nathan. Sure, you can make my Pokemon sleep, but you don't have the power to break them!"

Is that so?

I think back to my battle with Mark's Pikachu.

Seed Bomb worked well on that Pokemon. It wouldn't hurt to try it again, while Giovanni's Pokemon is still asleep!

"Shroomish, Seed Bomb!" I yell out.

The Pokemon, again, opens its top, and an enormous seed begins to force its way out. My Shroomish turns its head to face the Rhyhorn, and, like a primed cannon, fires the oversized seed at it with incredible force.

I watch the projectile fly through the air for a split second, and a feeling of awe unlike anything I had ever seen before comes over me. At that point, I could tell that I am now in the "heat of battle."

Giovanni walks over to his Pokemon and strikes it three times in the head. The Rhyhorn makes a few groggy sounds and slowly opens its eyes- but not fast enough. The seed slams into the Pokemon's snout with enough power to cause it to flip over, exposing its softer underbelly. However, once it is on its back, the Pokemon doesn't move. I gaze at both the Rhyhorn and Giovanni for a few seconds, waiting for something to happen. Then I realize,

It's fainted, just from that seed? Your power is greatly diluted in your devaluation of your Pokemon!

Giovanni sees the problem a few seconds after I do, and he clenches his fist in rage,

"... I warned you, but you didn't listen. Now, you will dearly pay for your ignorance and opposition of Team Rocket!" His mouth creases over, and he lets another Pokeball explode on the ground.

Giovanni's second Pokemon emerges out of the light, and, as soon as I see it, I can't help but feel sorry for it. Visible slash marks are exposed across its right hip, and the rest of its brown hide seems to be tainted with red- I assume blood is the cause for the discoloration. Worst of all, the cream-colored pouch on its chest houses a smaller, purple creature that looks like it could be its child. The creature shows signs of both malnourishment and abuse.

"Giovanni... Can't you see what you've done to this poor Pokemon?" I shout, half-pleading, half-scolding.

"What I've done?" he laughs.

"You poor, uninformed youth... What I've done is advanced my criminal organization! You said it yourself- that's what all of this has been for..." His brow furrows,

"And now, I aim to bring down the last obstacle in our way- you, Nathan! Kangaskhan, use Mega Punch! Show him the true power that is Team Rocket!"

Giovanni's Pokemon takes a deep breath before pulling its fist backwards. It makes a big show over looking for where my Shroomish is, although even I know where my Pokemon is- directly in front of its massive legs. I can tell it's only for a meaningless show of dominance, for as soon as I lock eyes with my Shroomish, the Kangaskhan leans down and delivers its waiting punch, backed by its entire body weight, which I assume is quite heavy.

My Shroomish is flung down the hallway and slams into a wooden desk sitting outside an empty room, causing the workspace to fragment and splinter into small boards that bounced across the tiled floor. A few of the pieces lodge themselves in my Shroomish's side, and it fails to stand up when it tries.

No...

I run to my Pokemon's side and kneel down. My Pokemon weakly opens an eye to look at me. I can see the pain coursing through the veins on its face. Just then, a white speck of light trails its way around my Shroomish, and I quickly stand up and jump back in surprise. Meanwhile, Giovanni is still taunting me about my defeat at the hands of his Kangaskhan. His Pokemon lumbers towards me, a familiar wicked grin on its face. I had seen that smile before- it's the one always grafted to the face of Maxwell's Dragonite. Giovanni laughs,

"Ahahaha! Now- you see the error in your ways! Now, I'm going to finish you off once and for... Hm?!"

I cover my eyes as the light around my Shroomish continues to expand outward, until it quickly covers the entire corridor. I feel a warm sensation creep up and down my arms as the light entangles me.

This... This feeling? What is it?

I feel the explosion of light receding, and I cautiously open my eyes to survey what had just happened. Instantly, I realize something's wrong- my Shroomish isn't in front of me anymore.

"Shroomish, where'd you..."

"Breloom!" A confident voice from in front of me answers.

Wait a second... In front of me?!

I blink a few times in shock. There, standing in my Shroomish's place is a green bipedal Pokemon with a noticeable affinity to a saprophyte. Its head houses a green mushroom-like cap, with a circular red growth on either side. Its tan-colored body has grown slimmer and taller, and it now sports a large tail with four hardened green spores at the end of it. The Pokemon has short arms that end in red claw-like fingers, and the arms' joints suggest that they can stretch a considerable distance before snapping.

What happened to my... Could it be?

"Section IV: Write the correct evolution based on its previous' stage picture."

The pieces begin to arrange themselves in my mind.

"You're a... You're a Breloom now, aren't you?" I slowly ask the new creature, for some reason or another, believing that my Pokemon can understand me.

It nods its head encouragingly.

"Loom!" it cries out, clenching a red-tipped fist and pointing it in the direction of Giovanni and his Kangaskhan, who had both just recovered from that light's blinding effect.

"Do you really think that you stand a chance?! Just give up already- not even the power of evolution will help you at this point!" Giovanni laughs. He and his Pokemon resume their slow, uneventful approach towards me.

I turn from my Breloom to Giovanni and back again. Somehow, I can tell that my Shroomish's evolution is exactly what I need to win this fight.

"If you can understand me," I tell my Pokemon,

"What is it that I need to do to stop that Kangaskhan? Do you know?"

My Breloom feigns another punching motion in Giovanni's direction, this time looking more like an uppercut, but I could tell that it's a punch, nevertheless.

Punching?... Wait, didn't my Shroomish have... I flashback to my battle with Mark for a second time.

"Spore... Drain Punch? Well it doesn't have any hands... Seed Bomb? Maybe. Leech Seed? Nah, that sounds like another status move, and I already used one... Seed Bomb it is!"

My Pokemon didn't have fists back then, but it definitely does now! Alright, let's give this a shot!

"Breloom, use Drain Punch!" I call out, and my Pokemon reacts instantaneously. Without a second thought, my Breloom runs towards Giovanni's Kangaskhan with a determined look on its face.

The Kangaskhan laughs as its attacker approaches, as if to mock the inevitable, but perfectly harmless Drain Punch. My Breloom seems to take this as a sign of weakness and increases its speed towards the Pokemon, while Kangaskhan merely laughs and half-heartedly holds out a beefy arm to catch the punch as it came. Then, my Breloom does something that catches me, Giovanni, and the Kangaskhan off-guard. In a fraction of a second, it ducks under the Kangaskhan's outstretched arm, strikes upward to set the Pokemon off balance, and finally delivers a final, pointed blow to the Kangaskhan's chest that shoves it backwards. I see a small white aura seep out of the Pokemon and into my Breloom's arm as it speeds past me, and I wonder what it could possibly be.

Meanwhile, the Kangaskhan reels from the impact, forced to its knees, and the Pokemon struggles to stand up. My Breloom and I watch the injured Pokemon attempt to right itself, but, each time it tries, the Pokemon weakly falls down again. Finally, the Kangaskhan's eyes close, and it faints, defeated on the tiled floor. Its "baby" gives a weak cry of alarm, and I almost feel bad for the small creature, when Giovanni suddenly returns the Kangaskhan to its Pokeball, more irate than ever.

"Useless, useless, useless! When Pokemon fail to even overpower a simpleton like you, they are nothing but useless to me!" Giovanni screams in fury.

I watch as the once-jovial man falls to his knees, spouting non-sensical gibberish about Team Rocket. I return my Breloom to its Pokeball and offer a hand to Giovanni,

"Come, stand up. There is no need to make yourself look like a fool- your scheme is finally over, and the police will most likely be here soon, after hearing all of this commotion all at once..."

"No, Nathan!" Giovanni interrupts me,

"It is you who will be finally be ended! Maxwell...!"

My blood runs cold, as I turn around to a punch straight to my lower jaw that leaves me reeling. I instinctively thrust my hand into my pocket to retrieve my Pokeball, but Maxwell had obviously seen that coming.

"Oh, no, you don't!" he cries, grabbing my arm and twisting. Pain arcs up and down my arm, and I realize that if he keeps this up, he'll break my wrist with just a little more extra force.

I struggle to break free, to fish out my Pokeball- my one protection against my massive friend gone rogue, but to no avail. Maxwell slams his grip down on both my arms and lays into my face with another strong punch that sends stars across my vision, reducing my situation-awareness to nothing more than mere observation.

I watch, helplessly, as Maxwell pulls a strong rope from his backpack and quickly, yet effortlessly, binds me.

Giovanni's grimace regresses to another demented smile,

"Ahh, so I see Mr. Seitzer taught you well, Maxwell. You will be a great asset to Team Rocket, I can assure you..."

He holds out another purple Pokeball, just like the one I had seen in our dorm earlier, to Maxwell, who happily snatches it out of Giovanni's hand.

So that's what you did to him, you underhanded fiend! You manipulated him, through and through! But... to think, I would have been sucked into that same trap, had it not been for Elijah. I owe my sanity to him right now, and I have to see this through for him! For Riku!

I fight against my bonds, but Maxwell just smacks me upside the head again, causing a mental lapse in me for a few minutes. Meanwhile, he asks, Giovanni,

"Now, what is it that you want done with him? You said that you were going to use him, did you not?"

Before Giovanni can respond, a new voice joins in the chorus of my imprisonment.

"I believe I can help with that," Mr. Richards says, appearing from the shadows of the hallway behind Giovanni. He's holding a black Pokeball in his hand, and he laughs heartily. He steps to one side of the hallway and, behind him is Mr. Seitzer, who has an evil grin on his face.

He's dressed in that same jet-black uniform as Giovanni. They all are!

Giovanni roars in laughter,

"You see, Nathan- you can't win against me! No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot stand up to the might of Team Rocket! But..."

His tone changes to that of a persuasive lawyer than a criminal mastermind.

"I will give you one last chance, Nathan," he says, smiling through his teeth,

"Join us, Nathan, and we will take over this region together!" His eyes glisten, envisioning a future where, I assume, he is in control of everything in the Johto region. I know that I can't allow that to happen.

"Never, I won't let you do what you want here, especially not after what you did to her, to me, and to the entirety of students that saw you for who you weren't! Your true colors are as black as your heart, Giovanni!" I snap back.

"Bah!" Giovanni spits,

"At least I can say that I tried to help you- to give you a chance. But you... you just threw my offer away! I can't deal with such an indecisive person, but you won't be that way for long, I can guarantee that!"

At this, Maxwell forces my head to face him, and, before I can say another word, he broadsides me with enough force to knock me unconscious.

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