Chapter 40

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="mim27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 27"><U>Chapter 27</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 28"><U>Chapter 28</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 29"><U>Chapter 29</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 30"><U>Chapter 30</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 31"><U>Chapter 31</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 32"><U>Chapter 32</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 33"><U>Chapter 33</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 34"><U>Chapter 34</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 35"><U>Chapter 35</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 36"><U>Chapter 36</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 37"><U>Chapter 37</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 38"><U>Chapter 38</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 39"><U>Chapter 39</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter 40</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanfics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrart/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/a-j/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors A-J</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/k-z/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors K-Z</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/art/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Fanart List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/ffsubmit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit a Fanfic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/fanart_submit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb"><U><B>Message Board</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Chapter 40</I></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making: Chapter 40: Project Genesis</B></div> <bR> <div>     "So, we ever going to pick names for these guys, or are they gonna have to respond to 'hey you' all their lives?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head as he looked over the Eevee kits again.  "Yeah, yeah, Dest, I know..." It was three days after the League games had ended.  Richard and Kevin had since moved on again, leaving Zeth and Destiny for their own adventures.  With the games over, the two of them were staying at the pokémon center to give Eva a few days to recover.  "What do you think, Eva?" Zeth asked, running his finger over the soft fur of one of the two male kits.  He was the quiet one, less rambunctious than either of his two siblings.  "What should we call him?"</div> <bR> <div>     The Eevee nuzzled the cute little kit, {Well, I've been thinking about naming him Kieran.  What do you think of that?}</div> <bR> <div>     "Sounds great!  Kieran it is!  And what about your little girl right here?" Zeth brushed his fingers against the female kit.  She was far more energetic than Kieran, and perhaps the most aggressive of the three.  When feeding time came, she wanted to be first in line.  "Your turn, Teak.  Got a name for this little ball of energy?"</div> <bR> <div>     {Well, uh...} Teak said uncertainly. {I''m not sure...}</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, we could always call her Kala, after your sister..."</div> <bR> <div>     Teak made a face, {No way!  Besides, we'd get them mixed up at family reunions.  How about a flower name like... uh.... Daisy or Rose?}</div> <bR> <div>     "Rose?" Destiny smiled, "I like that one.  It's a pretty name, for a pretty girl."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Yeah, it's good.  And that brings us to number three..." He picked up the last kit, stroking the little one's dark fur.  To his surprise, the kit had been born pure black.  Teak had explained that his grandfather had been black, so that was apparently where he'd gotten the unusual coloration from.  The kit was curious, trying to explore whenever he could.  Zeth wondered if Eva was going to have her paws full trying to keep track of him.</div> <bR> <div>     "I got a name for this one," Zeth said with a grin. "We'll call him Smoke.  He's the right color, and he wants to go everywhere."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny chuckled at that explanation, "Excellent logic there, Zeth."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth was about to reply when the dorm's door opened and Nurse Joy walked in.  "Zeth?  You have mail," she said, holding out a small envelope.  "A man came into the center and told me to give this to you."</div> <bR> <div>     "Ah, okay," Zeth said, getting to his feet and walking over to take the envelope from Joy.  There was only two words on it - Zeth Raltier.  Curious to see what it was about, Zeth opened it up.  There was a card inside and he read it aloud, "Zeth Raltier.  Congratulations on your recent victory in the Obsidian League Games.  We, the leaders of the Amber City Gym, wish to invite our region's newest pokémon master to a gym battle at the newest gym in the Obsidian League.  We would be honored if you accept."  Zeth put the card back in the envelope and looked over at Destiny, "Well, how about that?"</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny grinned at him, "When do we leave?"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     ShadowWalker rapidly entered a series of numbers on the public phone and waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up.  This time he managed to get Duke, the more tolerant and levelheaded of the two Rocket leaders.  "Zeth Raltier will soon be in your hands," he stated.</div> <bR> <div>     "You got him?" A grin spread across the Rocket's face.  "That'll make Kat's day."</div> <bR> <div>     "I didn't capture him," ShadowWalker told Duke.  "He is coming to you of his own free will."</div> <bR> <div>     ShadowWalker had to admit, he enjoyed the puzzled expression that appeared on the other's face.  "He is?  How did you accomplish that?"</div> <bR> <div>     "I asked him nicely."  The mask across the bounty hunter's face covered his triumphant smile.  "It was quite simple really.  The great 'pokémon master' Zeth Raltier could never pass up an invitation to battle for a gym badge."</div> <bR> <div>     The mercenary's finger hovered above the End Call button. "He will be in Amber City by this afternoon, and I suspect he'll be at your gym before the end of the day.  You had best be prepared.  And, of course, I will expect my pay once he is safely in your hands."  He stabbed down on the button, terminating the transmission before Duke could make some complaint about his not actually capturing Zeth.  True, he hadn't done much this time, but if they didn't want to pay him, they should have thought of the invitation idea themselves.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth held open the door of the Amber City Pokémon Center, as Destiny carried in a boxful of Eevees.  She had opted not to put them in pokéballs until they were older, so for the ride over, Zeth had found a cardboard box and thrown some towels in it for Eva and the kits to curl up on.  He didn't imagine it was especially fun to be carried around in a box, but Eva hadn't complained.</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny carried them back to the dormitory and set the box down on one of the beds, "Please remain seated until the box comes to a full and complete stop."</div> <bR> <div>     There was an answering series of yips from inside the box and Destiny started laughing.  "Take it up with management, Eva."</div> <bR> <div>     Without his translator on, Zeth hadn't understood a word of what the Eevee had just said.  "What was that about?" he asked, wanting to be in on the joke.</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny flashed him a smile, "She said the airline food was terrible and she hated the in-flight movie."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned back, then glanced over at the Eevee, who was peeking out of the box at them.  "Well, they say you get what you pay for."  Taking off his backpack, Zeth tossed it beside the box.  "I'll just leave my stuff here while I go battle at the gym.  You coming with me, Dest?"</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shook her head, "Nah, I'll stay and keep Eva company.  Besides, I gotta do my laundry."</div> <bR> <div>     "Should have done it yesterday, like I did," Zeth teased her. "Now you're gonna miss a great battle!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I don't care much for battles anyway," Destiny reminded him.  "Anyway, I'm sure you'll win - you're a pokémon master after all!"</div> <bR> <div>     He chuckled and headed for the door, "And I fully intend to live up to that title!"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth flung open the double doors of the Amber City Gym, and marched inside, a confidant grin on his face.  He was expecting a fast-paced battle.  He was expecting a challenge.  And he expected he'd walk out with a new badge once it was all over.</div> <bR> <div>     What he wasn't expecting was what followed.  The doors slammed shut behind him, and he could hear a set of locks clicking shut.  "Hey, what gives?" he exclaimed, unable to stop himself from testing the doors to see if they'd open again.  They didn't, and his confusion grew.</div> <bR> <div>     Turning around, he found himself facing a hallway with statues of various pokémon on either side.  They were all action poses of ancient pokémon, most of which were thought to be extinct, or nearly so.  Dim lighting made them look ferocious, and though Zeth knew they were only statues, it still gave him a sort of eerie feeling when he walked down the hall.  Someone definitely wanted this gym to be impressive - or maybe creepy would be a better word for it.</div> <bR> <div>     At the end of the hall was another set of double doors, which Zeth quickly pushed open, glad to get out of that strangely spooky hall.  As the doors shut behind him, he decided that maybe that hall hadn't been so bad after all.  It was pitch black in the new room, and he frowned, wondering what the next surprise would be.</div> <bR> <div>     Then a beam of light appeared in the darkness, aimed down from the ceiling at a spot on the floor ahead of him.  It brightened up the room just enough that he could see it was the main arena, but it was still so dark he couldn't make much else out.  But he was obviously meant to go stand where the light was, so he obliged, both intrigued and annoyed at this gym's little show.  "So is there a point to all this, or is it all for fun?" he asked the darkness.</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh yes, Zeth Raltier, there is very much a point to all this.  But I'm sure it will be fun as well - at least for us."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth's eyes widened at the familiar voice.  "Kat..." he identified the speaker.  "And Duke too, I would guess."  Things had definitely taken a turn for the worse, and he had the uneasy feeling that he'd walked right into a trap.</div> <bR> <div>     "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten us," Kat's voice came from somewhere ahead of him.  "Yes, we're both here.  We've been expecting you.  We have some unfinished business to take care of, as I'm sure you're aware..."</div> <bR> <div>     "Are you so scared of me that you won't dare to show yourself?" Zeth snapped.  "It's a wonder that two crooks like you managed to get yourself a gym.  Someone from the League must not have done their homework.  What's the world coming to these days?"</div> <bR> <div>     A second light flared up, revealing the two Rockets at the other end of the arena.  "As irritating as ever, I see," Duke commented.  "But we can change that."</div> <bR> <div>     "I'll always be irritating to you," Zeth retorted.  "And if you're expecting to get me without a fight, you're quite mistaken." He fingered his pokéballs, ready to throw them at a moment's notice.</div> <bR> <div>     "On the contrary," Kat flashed him an evil grin, "you came here for a battle and we intend to deliver.  But first...  There's something I want you to see..."  She held up a small object, then tossed it to him.  Zeth snatched it out of the air, part of him wondering if it would explode in his hands or something.  "That's the badge of this gym," Kat explained, as he looked it over.  "No one has been able to win one from us yet.  That one's for you - a little congratulations for all the trouble you've caused us."</div> <bR> <div>     It was a double helix - a strand of DNA - and Zeth wondered why they had chosen that as their design.  "Wonderful," he said dryly, "Just what I've always wanted."</div> <bR> <div>     "Enjoy it while you can," Duke told him.  "It's probably the last present you'll ever get."</div> <bR> <div>     Kat's grin widened, "That, Raltier, is the Resurrection Badge, a symbol of our future.  I'll be glad to explain its significance once we've crushed you in battle."</div> <bR> <div>     "I hope you don't expect to win," he shot back, pocketing the badge.  "You'll be disappointed."</div> <bR> <div>     Both Rockets laughed, and Zeth suddenly had the strangest sense of déjà vu.  <I>Something familiar about all this...</I>  He picked Florio's pokéball from his belt, readying himself to take on whatever surprise they had planned for him.  "Sure, you can laugh now, but we'll see who's laughing once my pokémon trash you!  Let's have that battle!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I agree!" Kat called back.  "Defend yourself, Raltier!"  She pointed a finger straight at him and shouted out, "Attack him now!"</div> <bR> <div>     A dark shape dropped from the ceiling, straight toward him. Zeth found himself leaping out of the way, even before he actually saw it.  There was a glint of light off of sharp teeth and claws, and he threw down his pokéball without waiting to figure out exactly what was attacking him.  "Florio, it's battle time!"</div> <bR> <div>     The few seconds it took for the Ivysaur to come out of his pokéball gave him the chance to get a better look at his opponent.  "What the..." He couldn't believe his eyes when he recognized it.  He'd heard of them, certainly, but he'd never expected to actually see one!  "An Aerodactyl?!"  He remembered Destiny's story about fighting one of the rock dragons during their Orb hunt, and the trouble they'd had with it.  He had a sinking feeling that this was going to be one fight he might not be able to win.  "Florio, Razor Leaf!" he called out frantically.</div> <bR> <div>     "Bite it, Aerodactyl," Duke countered.  Florio yelped in panic as the huge rock-type lunged toward him, showing more sharp teeth than Zeth would ever care to see again.  The Ivysaur retreated in a panic, hurling a storm of leaves at the monster in an attempt to slow it down.</div> <bR> <div>     It just roared in pain and came faster.  Florio kept on backing up further into the shadows of the dark room, flinging more leaves.  His back legs hit the far wall and he screamed in terror as he realized there was nowhere else to go.  The rock dragon grinned wickedly, displaying its deadly arsenal of fangs.  Then it dove on the Ivysaur, its jaws going straight for Florio's neck in an obvious intent to rip out his throat.  In horror at what was coming, Zeth fumbled for his pokéball, accidentally dropping it to the ground when he tried to grab it off his belt.</div> <bR> <div>     He fell to his knees with a curse that he rarely used, frantic to grab the pokéball in time, but knowing he would be too late.  He recovered the sphere and looked up, expecting to see a lifeless Florio in the jaws of the Aerodactyl.</div> <bR> <div>     And he couldn't have been any more relieved when he found a different scene instead.  Florio had grabbed the rock dragon's jaws in his vines at the last second, pinning its mouth shut.  The Ivysaur was terrified, but unharmed.  "Yeah, Florio!" Zeth called in relief, "You've got him now!  Giga Drain!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Come on, Aerodactyl," Kat demanded, "Stop playing around and fight!"</div> <bR> <div>     In response, the rock dragon growled, then wrenched backwards, pulling its head back from the Ivysaur.  At first Zeth thought it was trying to pull free of the vines, but then it stopped resisting and whipped its wings forward, smashing them into Florio.  It repeated the attack, bashing the Ivysaur with its wings mercilessly, and slashing him with the claws on the ends of those wings.  Florio howled in agony at the deep gashes given to him from each stroke.  His grip on the Aerodactyl's jaws was slipping, and in just a moment, the Rocket's monster would be free to try for a killing blow a second time.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth couldn't take it anymore, "Florio, return!"  The injured Ivysaur was sucked back into the pokéball he held, and Zeth clipped it back onto his belt, feeling sick.  This was the kind of enemy he'd never wanted to face - one that showed no mercy and would think nothing of killing his friends.</div> <bR> <div>     But he still had to fight, or none of them might ever get out alive.  "Aqua, I choose you!"  The clam's hard shell would allow him to take on the murderous Aerodactyl with less risk than any of his other pokémon.  And he was also of a type strong against the rock dragon.  As tough as the other pokémon was, they still had a good chance of beating it.  "Use your Ice Beam!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Aerodactyl, use your Ancient Power," Duke called, as Aqua's Ice Beam shot toward its target.  The Aerodactyl dodged away, but the beam still caught it in the wing.  It roared in pain and glowed for a moment, releasing a blast of energy that actually threw Aqua backwards a short distance, despite his considerable bulk.  The Cloyster fought back with another Ice Beam, and the rock dragon scrambled backwards with a strange-sounding yelp.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned.  The Aerodactyl might be a huge rampaging monster, but it had met its match with Aqua.  The Cloyster was as big as it was and strong against rock and flying types.  Now that he'd gotten over the initial shock of having to face something that was usually found as a fossil on display in a museum, he found that fighting it wasn't so daunting.</div> <bR> <div>     Aqua kept up the Ice Beams, driving the rock dragon backwards.  It managed to fight back with a Hyper Beam, but the Cloyster's shell kept him in fairly good shape.  Soon, the Aerodactyl was actually whimpering as Aqua drenched it with a blast of water.  And Zeth couldn't help but enjoy the look on Kat and Duke's faces a little bit.</div> <bR> <div>     "That's enough!" Kat growled, whipping out a pokéball and recalling the Aerodactyl.  "I hope you don't think that's all we have to send against you Raltier," she shouted across the room at him.  It was rather obvious that they hadn't expected him to beat their new pokémon so quickly, but she still did her best to act like she didn't care.  "We can still crush you!  Go Tentacruel!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I choose you, Magneton!" Duke called out a moment later, "Let's see you handle two at once!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I've done it before!" Zeth retorted, flinging out another pokéball, "Let's go, Teak!  Thunderbolt that Tentacruel!  Aqua, Tri Attack on the Magneton!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Magneton, Thunder Wave!" Duke called to his pokémon.</div> <bR> <div>     Kat shouted her orders at the same time, "Use Screech!"</div> <bR> <div>     Chaos broke out as the four pokémon began their attacks all at once.  The room filled with a horribly high-pitched squeal from the Tentacruel.  Aqua and Duke's Magneton were mostly unaffected, since they both had similar attacks.  Teak, on the other hand, couldn't handle such a painful sound, and he howled as his ears were assaulted.  His electricity went wild, and shot off in random directions, almost hitting Aqua.  The Cloyster was unfazed by the close call, firing off a spinning triangle of energy that slammed into the Magneton even as the electrical surge from the magnet pokémon hit him.</div> <bR> <div>     It didn't get any less random from there.  Teak recovered his senses and rushed the Tentacruel.  The Magneton turned it's attentions off of Aqua for a moment to knock the Jolteon's feet out from under him with a Sonicboom attack.  The Cloyster was unable to help his teammate out, as he was still trying to bring his electrocuted body under control again. Teak hit the ground and rolled aside as a spray of acid from the Tentacruel splattered on the spot he'd just been.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth called for Aqua to teleport, and Duke's Magneton spun around to attack the Cloyster again.  Meanwhile, Teak bounced back up and shot towards the Tentacruel in a blur, using his Quick Attack.  It grabbed for him with its tentacles and Teak unleashed a full-power Thunder attack into it the second it caught him.  Moments later, Aqua was rendered senseless by the Magneton's Zap Cannon.  Both Zeth and Kat recalled their pokémon and sent out new ones - Kat releasing a Scizor, Zeth calling out his Growlithe, Blaze.</div> <bR> <div>     Kat called out for her Scyther to use Metal Claw on Teak, and Zeth shouted for Blaze to help his teammate out.  A Flamethrower from the fire dog kept the Scizor busy long enough for Teak to get out of its way.  But moments later, Duke's Magneton retaliated against Blaze with a Swift attack that kept him from doing further damage to the Scizor.  Teak and the Scizor went into a rapid set of maneuvers, dodging and attacking wildly.  With all the speed that both of them had, Zeth could hardly keep up.  And at the same time Blaze was getting pummeled by the Sonicbooms of the Magneton.</div> <bR> <div>     <I>This is crazy</I>, Zeth thought to himself.  "Come on, Blaze, Flame Wheel!"</div> <bR> <div>     The fire dog began the attack, then was interrupted by another painful screech from the Magneton.  Both he and Teak yelped as their sensitive hearing was assaulted.  The Scizor took the moment to attack, slashing Teak brutally with its claws.  Teak fell to the ground, his yellow fur turning red from two nasty gashes along his sides.  Zeth returned him to his pokéball, before the Scizor could do any further damage.</div> <bR> <div>     Then a blast of flames crashed into the mantis, scorching its side and wings.  A moment later, Blaze plowed into it, biting and tearing at it viciously.  Duke's Magneton had already lost to the dog, who was just going wild with his attacks.  Zeth had never seen him so violent, but as Kat recalled her badly-injured pokémon, he knew what had gotten him in such a rage.  This was no normal match, and Blaze had even more reason to hate the Rockets than Zeth did.  The last time they had met, they had been capturing all the pokémon they could get from the volcano near Ruby City.  Many of Blaze's friends and family had been among them, and the Growlithe had almost been captured himself.  He had only escaped because of Zeth's help, and he had joined him with the hope that someday, they would find the Rockets again and get back what they had taken from him.  This match was pure revenge for the fire pup.</div> <bR> <div>     "Ah, now this brings back memories," Kat said, staring at Blaze.  The fire dog started toward them, flames licking at the corner of his mouth, until Zeth called for him to stop.  He did so reluctantly, looking for all the world as if he intended to rip out the Rocket's throats the moment Zeth let him go.  If they got out of the trap they were in, Zeth decided that he wouldn't ever ask what Blaze was really intending to do.  He didn't think he wanted to know the answer.  "I remember this one.  What about you, Duke?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Mount Ruby," Duke replied.  "Yes, I remember...  It seems we have come full circle, Raltier.  I also remember our battle there.  We got away with quite a few pokémon, as I recall.  But we would have gotten even more if it wasn't for your intervention."</div> <bR> <div>     "And that would be where you got your Growlithe, I assume," Kat said with a wicked grin.  "The one that got away from us.  I can see the rage in his eyes.  He has plenty of spirit.  Once we're through with you, I'm going to have a lot of fun breaking his will!"</div> <bR> <div>     At that, Blaze shot forward again, despite Zeth's order for him to stay.  Kat calmly threw another pokéball in his path, "Here's another memory for you!"</div> <bR> <div>     Blaze skidded to a halt in front of the new pokémon, staring up at it in shock and amazement.  It was a female Arcanine, and from the odd bark from Blaze, a familiar one.  She looked at him for a moment, then with a startled yelp, leaned down to sniff at his face.  A moment later, she barked happily and nuzzled his ear.</div> <bR> <div>     Then Kat chuckled again, "What a touching reunion.  Almost makes me wonder what kind of relation they used to have before they were separated.  I suppose it doesn't matter now.  Arcanine, Take Down!"  Both dogs looked back at her in disbelief, and she glared at them, "You heard me!"</div> <bR> <div>     "She won't fight him!" Zeth shouted at her.</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, won't she?" Kat gave the Arcanine another hard stare, "Now!"</div> <bR> <div>     The Arcanine turned, and growled softly, almost as an apology.  Blaze yipped in puzzlement, then hit the floor hard as she pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.  "Now Flamethrower!" the Rocket demanded.  Pinned under the Arcanine's feet, Blaze couldn't avoid the flaming blast that she covered him with.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth heard his frantic questioning yelps coming from the flames and couldn't help but feel terrible at this turn of events.  "Come on, Blaze, you have to fight back now!  I'm sorry!"  The Growlithe struggled to get away from the overwhelming fires, and managed to wriggle out from under the Arcanine, whether by his own strength, or because she let him go, Zeth wasn't sure.  "Try Take Down!" Zeth called.</div> <bR> <div>     Blaze howled in despair and backed away, looking so miserable that Zeth wanted to just recall him and get another pokémon out.  Talon wouldn't have any reason not to attack the Arcanine, though Zeth knew he'd feel bad about it later on if Talon did his usual work on her.</div> <bR> <div>     But Kat was already giving another order, and at her command the Arcanine shot toward Blaze in a blur and crashed into him, hitting him with such force that he flew back and skidded across the floor.  He looked up at the Arcanine with a betrayed expression, then passed out.  Disgusted at how low the Rockets would go to win, Zeth returned Blaze to his pokéball.  "I should have just let him tear out your black hearts," he snapped, reaching for another pokéball.</div> <bR> <div>     Then a cool blade pressed against his neck and he froze in surprise.  "I think we've had enough battling for one day," Kat said.  "Bring him over here."  The blade was removed and Zeth was shoved forward by something flat.  He risked a look back and found himself staring into the cold eyes of a Kabutops.  It raised one of its bladed arms and gestured for him to keep moving.  Unable to tear his gaze away from the wicked blade, he took the hint.</div> <bR> <div>     It herded him over to the two Rockets, and Duke removed the pokéballs from Zeth's belt as the Kabutops held the tip of its blade at the teen's throat.  "Can't even fight fair in your own gym," Zeth growled as Duke pocketed the spheres.</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, shut up," Kat told him.  "Or I'll tell my Kabutops to cut out your tongue." She waved him forward, then patted the creature on the shoulder like it was her best friend.  Since it currently had Zeth at its mercy, it probably was.  "I bet you're wondering where we got our wonderful prehistoric pokémon.  Since we're going to kill you anyway, I think we might as well give you the full tour first."</div> <bR> <div>     "Is the scenery all as dull as this?" Zeth said rebelliously, "I want my ticket refunded."</div> <bR> <div>     The flat of the Kabutop's blade smacked into the back of his head and he nearly saw stars.  "You should be happy we're doing this much for you.  We could just have Kabutops remove your head from your shoulders right here.  Besides, I think you won't be disappointed.  Appalled, perhaps, or at least fearful for the rest of the world, but not disappointed.  Come along, Raltier, and see the future of Team Rocket..."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth was taken to some nearby Rocket base, spending the entire trip bound and blindfolded in the back of a truck.  When the vehicle finally came to a stop, he was roughly yanked out by unseen hands.  They cut the ropes binding his feet, then shoved him along ahead of them.  He tripped along, nearly falling as one of them gave him a hard shove in a different direction.  Then the Rockets stopped him suddenly and removed the blindfold.  He found a short hallway in front of him, and behind him and the Rockets, the door they had come through, already shut.  "I hope you don't mind the precautions," Kat said, as he glanced around.  "I seriously doubt you'll live long enough to even think of bringing the cops here, but after dealing with you before, I thought that we shouldn't take any chances.  Welcome to Genesis Labs."</div> <bR> <div>     "Charming place," Zeth remarked, looking around at the bare walls.</div> <bR> <div>     "You haven't seen anything yet," Duke assured him.  The Rocket waved him down the hall, and knowing he'd just get beaten up more if he refused to move, Zeth started walking.  "We have quite an operation going here.  It's going to change Team Rocket forever!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Do tell..." Zeth mumbled, earning another glare from Kat.  "Well, you're the tour guides," he said to her, "You gonna show me the sights, or are you just going to walk me down empty halls and make vague statements?"</div> <bR> <div>     To his surprise, Kat didn't snap at him like he'd expected.  "You'll see..."</div> <bR> <div>     They continued down the hall in silence, then turned and walked halfway down another corridor before stopping in front of a guarded door.  "Here we are, Raltier," Kat told him, then threw open the door.  "Prepare to be amazed."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth stared into the room, staring at the weird assortment of tubes and machinery and glass cylinders lining the walls.  But even more so, he was staring at what those glass cylinders contained.  "Whoa...."  Suddenly, a lot of things clicked into place.  "You're making clones!" he exclaimed, his eyes fixing on one particular cylinder, where an exact match for Lizzy the red Kecleon was floating in an amber-colored liquid.  He remembered the strange theft back in Jade City, where the Rockets had stolen the Kecleon, then almost immediately let her go again.  They hadn't needed her, he realized now.  All they'd wanted was her DNA.  "That explains where you got all the prehistoric pokémon."</div> <bR> <div>     He turned to find them watching him with pleased grins, "You caught on pretty fast," Duke said in approval.</div> <bR> <div>     Kat nodded, "So far, we only have a few clones that have made it through the whole process.  You wouldn't believe how long it took to figure out how to keep them alive.  It's still not a hundred percent perfect, but we're getting better." She waved at the cylinders in the cloning room.  "And it still takes a long time to complete the cloning cycle.  These ones here aren't quite ready yet."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth was disgusted, "Oh yeah?  Well I hope Mewtwo comes along and blows this place to pieces."</div> <bR> <div>     He enjoyed the shocked looks on their faces at the mention of the superclone.  "How do you know about him?" Kat demanded.  "Team Rocket has been trying to track him down for months!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Saw him once," Zeth told them.  Which was technically true, although it had been the Mewtwo from an alternate reality.  He knew practically nothing about the Mewtwo from his own world, except that he was created by the Rockets and had already escaped from them.  "I thought you would have dropped the cloning idea after he got away."</div> <bR> <div>     "One failure doesn't mean the whole idea was bad," Kat remarked.  "We're not making superclones, just regular ones.  They're the same as regular pokémon, but we can make as many as we want and make an army from clones of our best fighters.  We're not about to let the Mewtwo disaster happen again."  Kat closed the doors to the cloning room and herded Zeth down the hall again.  "Come on.  Now that you've seen our future, I'm going to show you yours!"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "I wonder where he's gone..." Destiny had expected Zeth to be back fairly quickly, but it had been over two hours and he still hadn't returned.</div> <bR> <div>     {Maybe he's out celebrating his victory,} her Pidgey, Snow, suggested.</div> <bR> <div>     "That doesn't sound like Zeth," Destiny replied, shaking her head.  "He'd come back and get us before doing anything fun like that."</div> <bR> <div>     {You think he was a little unhappy that you didn't go with him to see his match?}</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny chuckled at that idea, "Nah, he wasn't upset.  He was too excited about the match to get upset over something like that.  If he was anyone else, I'd say he lost and didn't want to come back and tell us, but he's not ashamed of losing like some people."</div> <bR> <div>     Snow cocked his head thoughtfully, {You don't think something happened to him, do you?}</div> <bR> <div>     "No, no..." He'd been gone a long time, but it wasn't so much that she was worried about him.  "Whatever he's up to, I'm sure there's a good reason for it, and he'll tell us when he gets back.  He's responsible, you know that!"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     If there was one place on Zeth's body that didn't hurt, it was the bottoms of his feet...  Kat had instructed his guards to give him a thorough beating before they locked him away in the cell he now occupied, and they'd done an efficient job of it.  They hadn't broken any bones, but they'd given him more bruises than he could count.  He didn't even want to think about what he must look like at this point.  His hands were still bound behind his back, so he spent a good half-hour or so trying to free them, with no success.  Then he took to kicking the door, and shouting to let out some of his frustration.  That didn't really do any good, either, but it made him feel better.</div> <bR> <div>     He grinned when the guard outside shouted at him to be quiet, then winced because it hurt his split lip to smile.  "I'm a prisoner!" he shouted back.  "It's my right and duty to make a bunch of noise and annoy you!"</div> <bR> <div>     The door opened and the guard stepped in and administered a swift kick to his side.  "And I'm supposed to beat you up when you get rowdy, so shut up for your own good already."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grunted in pain at the blow.  "I'll shut up when I feel like it.  Where's Kat and Duke?  I thought they'd want to hang around and gloat some more."</div> <bR> <div>     The Rocket sneered at him, "Heh, you don't want to see them again.  Next time they come back, they're gonna do you in."  He stepped back and slammed the door again, leaving Zeth alone in the barren metal room once again.</div> <bR> <div>     Even with all the threats on his life, Zeth couldn't help but wonder how his pokémon were faring.  Were they doomed to become guinea pigs for some horrific Rocket experiment?  He hoped that wherever they'd been taken, they were being treated better than he was.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "Now there's two choices for you," the Rocket trainer told Blaze, fixing him with a cold stare.  "You can either save yourself a whole lot of trouble and obey me from the start, or you can disobey and force me to use more drastic methods to ensure your cooperation."  Blaze growled at the Rocket, but the man just smiled at him and pressed a button on a small device he held in his hand.  A collar on Blaze's neck immediately crackled with electricity, giving the fire dog a painful jolt.  Blaze yelped in pain and his legs nearly gave out on him.</div> <bR> <div>     "That's the lowest setting," the Rocket told him with a cruel smile.  "Any resistance you put up will ultimately prove to be futile.  I will have your full obedience, or I will take you to your breaking point.  I have done this dozens of times, and I assure you, I am quite good at what I do.  Those that don't learn to obey... die."</div> <bR> <div>     He hit the button again, and Blaze fell to the ground, crying out in pain, "But I'm sure it won't come to that, now will it?" He continued to hold in the button for a few more moments, then released Blaze from the torture.</div> <bR> <div>     "You'll see, little dog," he said.  "You'll come to understand that serving Team Rocket is your only choice."</div> <bR> <div> <B>To be continued...</B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>