A/N: What's up, everyone? I had a nice break, but now, it's time to start with the next arc. I'm really excited about it!

Okay. A few things you should know before you read this is that it will get extremely dark sometimes,(Chapter 3 is a perfect example of that), and have a lot of violence and some scary and deep stuff. SPOILER ALERT ON THE NEXT PARAGRAPH! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!

XXX

This arc WILL have a character death somewhere, more than one in fact, and I already know who it is (or are) as it was planned from the beginning. (It's not Delia Ketchum. That's overused. She's safe from the doom hammer). It's mostly a minor character, and it may not be someone you expect, but it is an integral part to the story. Just please don't concern yourself too much with it and let it worry you too much that it drags you down from everything else that is in this arc. The death(s) will happen when they happen. I'm not the type of guy who would kill a character pointlessly. I'd only do it if affects another character greatly and helps them grow, or because it opens up a new opportunity for a great mini arc. In fact, I'll just go right ahead and say that every arc from here on out has at least one character death...except for Battle Frontier.

XXX

Onto something happier, this arc will have a lot of fun moments, too. I already said this, but we will be introduced to characters like Shauna, Trevor, Tierno, Jimmy, and Marina. I'm really excited to write their characters as they seem like a lot of fun, especially Jimmy and Marina. Calem also returns in a surprise role, and so does Ritchie! A new romance between two characters will form, also! Whether its permanent or not, you'll have to see. In addition to Ash's gym battles and Serena's performances, Brock will have breeder competitions to help with his goal, and of course, there's the Whirl Cup for Misty. I will expand on that a little more in this fic than the anime to give her more spotlight.

Now I realize this first chapter is a little short and a rather unorthodox way to start the arc. I believed it was for the best, though, as this chapter lets us get a good look at a major character in this arc. Who else would I be talking about? Silver. He's even under the featured characters for this story.

Well, enough of this author's note people. Get comfortable and enjoy the story as it's going to be a ride. I think it will be the best arc I've done so far! Thanks for all of the support! I'm so glad I have fans like you that love my work, and it's my goal to only keep improving from here on out! Lengthwise, this fic will be about the same as the Kanto arc.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter One: Ruthless Eyes

"Boy from Pallet Town Wins Orange League!"

Last week, a trainer from Pallet Town by the name of Ash Ketchum was the first person to beat the Orange League champion, Drake, in five years. It was nothing but short of a fantastic battle on Pummelo Stadium that day with the largest attendance on record.

"I couldn't have done it without my awesome Pokemon!" Ash says.

The six on six battle had everyone on the edge of their seats in what was probably the most exciting battle in the history of Pummelo Stadium. It even had a showdown with Drake Dragonite against a Dragonite Ash had on his own. It's trainers like Ash that really put Pallet Town on the map! Looking into the records, it was found that the previous trainer who won the Orange League went by the name of Silver Ketchum. Rumors are going around saying that the two are related and…

The newspaper was abruptly slammed down on the table at those words, startling a few people nearby in the coffee shop. The young man who had been reading the newspaper immediately decided to stop reading once that was read. He actually almost stopped reading when he read the name of who it was who won the Orange League, and even more when he saw the previous winner, which happened to be him.

He was Silver. He didn't have a last name, or at least, not anymore. He had thrown away that last name a long time ago when he set out on his Pokemon journey. He didn't want any ties at all to his life before that. To him, anything before the start of his Pokemon journey was a lie and had one particular awful memory. Therefore, he was just Silver. Nothing more and nothing less.

XXX

"I'm out of here!" a ten year old boy shouted as he opened the door.

He had been waiting for this day forever. It was finally the day when he could officially start his Pokemon journey. Truthfully, he had wanted to leave the house for over a year now, but couldn't because he wasn't of age. Now, he didn't have that restriction anymore. He could finally get out of this house forever and never come back.

"Silver, wait!" Delia called as she came running from the kitchen. She knew he was going to be leaving today, but it was only seven in the morning. Did he really want to leave that badly?

"What?" Silver asked in annoyance as he turned and glared at this mother.

Delia was startled by his hostility, but continued nonetheless. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and wish you luck on your journey."

"Humph…whatever," Silver responded as he went out the door.

"Silver, I want you to know that this is still your home. Anytime you're tired, or when you think you have nowhere to go, you can always come here. Red and I will be waiting for you," Delia muttered, almost in a pleading tone.

Silver stopped at those words. He curled his hands into fists before he turned at glared at his mother once more. He was going to make perfectly clear about how he felt when he was here.

"Like I'll ever come back. You and Red are nothing but liars. All the years I've spent here have been total crap. I'm just glad I don't have to put up with it anymore," Silver said coldly.

"Silver, please tell me you don't mean that," Delia mumbled, heartbroken that her own son would say such a thing to her.

"Of course, I do. My life is a complete mess because of you. You slept with some criminal and had me because of it. Do you have any idea what it's like to be the son of someone like that? I lost all of my friends because of you! Nobody wants to be around me!" Silver hollered.

"That's enough," a firm voice said as a man came downstairs.

Red Ketchum came over and rested his hands on Delia's shoulders. The poor woman was ready to cry at her son's harsh words. She sniffed and attempted to wipe her eyes to keep herself from crying. Red then turned and frowned at his adopted son.

"Look, Silver. It's true that you're the son of Giovanni. We hate that fact almost as much as you do, but we've tried to give you the best life and loved you as much as we could. You even seemed to think so before you found out the truth. Did those eight years before you found out really mean nothing to you? Can you really look your mother in the eyes and say those things?" Red inquired.

"As if I should listen to you. You aren't even my real Dad," Silver replied with a roll of his eyes as he turned to leave once again.

"Silver, even with all that's happened, I still love…," Delia started, but Silver cut her off.

"Shut up!" Silver bellowed as turned to give a hateful glare at her.

Delia's eyes watered even more at that. Unable to hold it in any longer, Delia began to cry. Red took her in a comforting hug as Delia sobbed into his shoulder. He was about to scold Silver and give the unruly boy a piece of his mind, but as he turned, Silver was already gone.

Red went to the door and saw Silver taking off down the road as fast as he could. Red attempted to go after him, but Delia's voice stopped him.

"Please, Red. It's what he wants," Delia said between sobs.

Silver continued to run as far away from that house as possible. That woman doesn't have the right to say those things to him after what she once was. He was just glad he didn't have to put up with her or Red anymore. Now he could finally become the greatest Pokemon trainer there ever was.

What's more? Once he became stronger, he was going to take out the criminal gang his real father belonged to. He hated Team Rocket with every fiber of his being. They were so arrogant and talked tough, but when you got them one on one, they were weak. They were pathetic, and Silver would make sure that they fell. He would have revenge on the criminal man, Giovanni. He still remembered that smirk Giovanni had the night he tried to take him, and Silver hated it. He would wipe that arrogant smirk off the man's face if it was the last thing he ever did.

XXX

Silver frowned at the memory. It had been almost twelve years since then, and he was now twenty two years old. Since the time he left Pallet Town, he had just been training his Pokemon and becoming the best he could be. He competed in the Kanto League his first year, but he didn't get far. It was then he decided to leave Kanto for good. The place just wasn't suitable for him. His parents were there, and Team Rocket thrived there, well, not anymore.

Silver had heard a while back that Team Rocket had been overthrown and disbanded. One would think he would be delighted at the news, but he wasn't. If anything, he was even more disgusted. It turned out a group of stupid kids had taken them down which just proved how pathetic Team Rocket really was. The name of the children weren't revealed to protect them from the public eye, but Silver couldn't have cared less about that.

The point was Silver had a mother who was a liar, and a father who was a criminal and so miserable that he couldn't even handle a kid. His family truly was pathetic, and Silver hated it. Thinking of them always made Silver feel worse than he always did, and that included any reminder of them.

Ever since he left Kanto, Silver had moved to the neighboring region of Johto. It had been his 'home' the past nine or so years. He didn't really have an official home, though. He mainly just slept outside with his Pokemon most nights and only rarely would he sleep inside of a Pokemon Center. He lived life on the road. However, the town he seemed to hang around the most was Azalea Town, which is where he was right now, inside of a small coffee shop.

It was a quiet town with a small population, although the people here were really weird. They seemed to worship Slowpoke, which Silver considered the worst Pokemon one could actually consider as some sort of idol. Still, Silver preferred the few people here as he wanted to associate with as little people as possible. In fact, his Pokemon were the only ones he talked to on a regular basis. Even then, they weren't real friends to him, either.

He considered his Pokemon as…partners who helped each other reach their goals. His Pokemon wanted to be stronger, and Silver helped them reach that level. He wanted to win battles and be the best Pokemon Master, and his Pokemon helped them with that. That was the mutual understanding between him and all of his Pokemon. They had no interest in being friends with each other. They worked together for themselves only. Any type of so called 'relationship' made them weak. If one Pokemon even attempted to be friends with Silver, the cold man would immediately give that Pokemon the boot.

"Would you like more coffee, sir?" a waitress asked Silver upon noticing that his cup was almost empty. Like the others, she had been rather startled by the forceful slam of the newspaper, but she was used to this boy by now. He was somewhat of a regular here, and he always had a bad attitude. Though most people would've banned him by now, he wasn't. True, he was always rather terse, but the waitress could somehow tell that this boy had a bad life. He just seemed miserable so she felt rather sympathetic.

"No, thanks. I'm fine. I'm fixing to leave, anyway," Silver mumbled in response without looking at her.

"Okay. Well, come again," the waitress said politely, though she secretly hoped he wouldn't.

"Whatever," Silver replied as he stood up and left the coffee shop, leaving the unfinished newspaper behind.

Silver stepped outside of the coffee shop, and felt the morning sun on his skin. Despite the weather being perfect today, it never did anything for Silver. The young man walked towards the nearby town park and sat down on one of the benches and watched the day to day activity.

As he watched, he could see happy couples holding hands as they walked along smiling at each other. He could see kids playing games without a care in the world. What disgusted Silver the most was when he saw a family together. They were having a picnic and were clearly having good time with each other. The mother, father, son, and daughter were all laughing merrily while they conversed, and it really bothered the young man. He still remembered his days in Pallet Town when he was a kid when his mother and Red would take him on a picnic in the open fields of the small town. Silver knew he would be stupid to deny that he really enjoyed them, but that was before he knew the truth.

A soccer ball soon roller over and bumped into Silver's feet. One of the boys who had been playing kicked the ball a little too hard past his goal, and it rolled over to Silver instead. Silver picked up the ball and inspected it as the boy came to retrieve the soccer ball. He looked about eight years old.

"Hi! Can we have our ball back, please?" the boy asked politely.

Silver stared at the boy for only a moment before he tossed him the ball. The boy nodded his head at Silver before he turned to leave, but he stopped. He then turned to Silver and gave him a friendly smile.

"Would you like to play soccer with me and my friends? You'd look like you'd be really good!" the boy offered as he gestured to a few other kids behind him.

Play? With kids? That was something Silver hadn't done in a while. Still it brought back bad memories of all the friends he had back in Pallet Town. He would play games and sports with them, too, until they found out he was the son of a criminal. They completely shunned him. After all, who wants to be friends with a criminal's son?

"You don't want to play with me," Silver mumbled. "Not if you knew who I really was."

"Huh? What do you mean?" the boy asked, clearly confused by Silver's statement.

"Tell me something, kid. What if I turned out to be a bad person? Would you play with me then?" Silver inquired.

"I don't know. Maybe not, but you aren't a bad person right? You look a little scary, but you don't look like a bad man," the boy answered honestly.

"Never mind. No thanks. It's best that I don't," Silver muttered.

Silver then stood up from the bench and walked on without giving the bewildered boy a second glance. The young man then decided to contemplate on what he just read in the newspaper. It wasn't because of the fact that someone finally won the Orange League again, though that was reason enough for most people. It was because of the name of the boy who won.

Ash Ketchum.

That was certainly interesting. What was even more interesting was when Silver saw the picture of the kid on the front of the newspaper. Truthfully, Silver thought this Ash kid looked like a dork with how he was flashing his fingers in a V shape on the front page, but that was beside the point. If the boy's name was just merely Ash Ketchum, Silver would've dismissed it without a second thought. It was his appearance that had gotten Silver's attention. He looked just like a combination of two people from his past that he wanted nothing to do with anymore. The worst part was when the newspaper mentioned a possible connection between them. Silver could put two and two together.

So it would seem that he had a brother who was also a Pokemon trainer. It was just too much of a coincidence to think otherwise. The fact that this kid existed proved once and for all that his mom and Red didn't care about him. The second he left, they immediately decided to simply have another kid to replace him, like he was something that could just be lost and replaced. The thing was, however, that this second son's life wasn't a lie like his was. He received all of the love like he should have. Silver gritted his teeth at this. It truly was a good thing left them behind.

Silver clenched his fists. This kid probably thought he was all that because he was the true son of one of the greatest Pokemon trainers and just won the Orange League. He was just another reminder of the life Silver wanted to leave behind, but seeing how this boy was the son of the people he left behind, it only added salt to the wound. It was with that in mind that Silver decided he hated this kid. Well, as long as this Ash kid keeps his butt in Kanto and the Orange Islands like he was supposed to, Silver would never have to worry about him.

Deciding to take his mind off of this revelation, Silver called out one his strongest Pokemon from its pokeball. The pokeball opened up to reveal a rather terrifying-looking Pokemon. It was a large, bipedal, reptilian Pokemon that was primarily blue in color. It had sharp claws and a set of extremely, powerful jaws. To match its scary appearance, this Pokemon's expression was quite menacing. It looked at its trainer expectantly at being called out.

"Feraligatr, it's time to train for today. We're heading to Ilex Forest," Silver said as he turned to leave towards a more isolated part of town. He didn't wait for a response. He knew Feraligatr would come with him regardless.

One would think Feraligatr would dislike a trainer like Silver, but that wasn't the case. Silver had stolen the Pokemon from Professor Elm's lab as a Totodile a long time ago. Though it was initially scared of Silver with how harsh he trained it, overtime, Totodile began to like its trainer's mindset. Why would it want to waste time trying to form a friendship with its trainer when that would just hold it back? It didn't need any love in its life. It was there to win battles and become the strongest. That was its true desire. Like its teammates, they believed they had no time to waste on being friends with each other.

"Hey, you! Yeah, you!" a traveling salesman pitched to Silver as he and his Feraligatr passed by. "Have I got a deal for you! How would you like to have this scrumptious, nutritious, Slowpoke Tail? It's like nothing you've ever had in your life! It can be yours for five thousand pokedollars!"

Silver stopped as he and Feraligatr turned to give the salesman the coldest glare they could muster. It actually sent shivers down the man's back. The young man's eyes were just so hostile.

"Umm…never mind," the salesman squeaked out and immediately turned away from those mean eyes.

Silver faced forward once again and continued on his trek to Ilex Forest. That was actually something new. Who would've thought that this town would start selling Slowpoke Tails? The stupid Pokemon was considered sacred to them so why would they harm it by cutting off and selling its tail? Did they think that if they ate one of these things that they would become just as idolized as a Slowpoke? Wow. These people were stupid. Well, they could do what they wanted. It wasn't like Silver believed it was his business, not that he cared.

"Now you wait one second!" a new voice shouted out.

Silver turned around, thinking the voice was calling out to him, but that wasn't the case. It turned out the voice was shouting to the salesman. An older man in his sixties was running surprisingly fast for his age and looked quite angry. Upon seeing the elderly man, the salesman rolled his eyes and sighed. It was apparent they knew each other.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop selling those Slowpoke Tails?! You're hurting the poor Pokemon of the area!" the old man said angrily.

"And how many times do we have to tell you that we don't care? These things are making a killing for us. If you would buy one from us and try it, you would see why," the salesman said as he held up a Slowpoke Tail in front of the man's face.

"I wouldn't eat a Slowpoke Tail if it was the last edible substance on our planet," the old man retorted.

"Pfft…then just get lost. I don't have time for the likes of you. You're such a nuisance, old man," the salesman growled distastefully.

"This won't do at all! I can't have you bringing trouble to our peaceful town, especially when I have a reason to believe who you really are," the old man asserted.

"Do you?" the salesman asked darkly as he narrowed his eyes at the old man.

"Yes, and if you don't stop, I may have to get the police involved," the old man replied.

"Like they care. It isn't like this is illegal," the salesman said with a roll of his eyes before he gave the man a dark look again. "Still, we can't have you blabbing anything that might give me unneeded attention."

"What are you talking about?" the old man asked before they widened when the salesman reached for one of his hidden pokeballs.

"Hey!"

Both the old man and the salesman turned when they saw Silver standing there. The old man stared at Silver curiously while the salesman looked rather frightened. He thought this kid left a while ago. Why was he still hanging around here?

"What do you want?" the salesman asked, trying to sound brave.

"I think you better just get out of here before something bad happens to you," Silver uttered while his Feraligatr gave a menacing growl for emphasis.

The salesman took a step back out of reflex from this. This dude was really scary and appeared quite strong, too. He doubted his own Pokemon would be able to take him out. Well, whatever. He didn't need to fight right now. It wasn't in his orders to cause too much of a commotion. With that, the salesman then turned tail and ran away, making sure to take the sack of Slowpoke Tails with him. He would just find another part of town to sell these things away from this old coot and that scary kid.

Now that he was gone, Silver turned to leave once more, but the old man's voice made him stop again.

"I want to thank you for that, young man," the elderly man said.

Silver sighed at that. If this guy was just some young guy looking for trouble, Silver would've just left the situation alone. He probably would've deserved whatever the salesman did to him. However, there was no reason to threaten the elderly like that. It was a cowardly and deplorable act that only proved your own incompetence. Silver hated people like that. They talked big and bad and picked on the weak, but the second they saw someone who was better, they fled. Truly pathetic.

"It was nothing," Silver muttered in reply as he and his Feraligatr resumed walking.

"Well, my name is Kurt, by the way. You probably have heard of me. I'm famous in pokeball research. I'd like to reward you by letting you have one of my special pokeballs. It's called a Lure Ball," the old man introduced as he withdrew a pokeball that was blue on top with three yellow zigzags going through it.

Silver frowned. He didn't ask for this old guy's name. Yes. He had heard this guy's name before but never met him despite the fact that they both 'lived' in the same town. So Kurt thought that just because Silver scared off some weakling that they could be buddies? It wasn't likely.

"No thanks. I don't want it," Silver replied.

"Oh. I see," Kurt responded, a little despondent that the young man rejected his offer. "Well, thank you, nevertheless."

"Uh huh," Silver mumbled.

"I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but there have been a few talks floating around that these salesmen aren't what they seem. Officer Jenny has looked into it but has found no incriminating evidence against them," Kurt spoke up.

"You don't say," Silver said in disinterest. He really wished this old man would quit talking and leave him alone.

"Yes. Despite what Officer Jenny has said, I believe they might be from Team Rocket," Kurt whispered.

That actually got Silver's attention. He turned and rose an eyebrow curiously at the old man. That's ridiculous. Did this old coot really believe that? They were disbanded over a year ago because some kids took them out.

"What are you talking about" Silver inquired.

Kurt sighed. "There's a rumor going around that Team Rocket hasn't fully disbanded and that they're secretly working underground. I don't know this for certain, but I think they're in need of money and using these Slowpoke Tails as profit," he responded.

"Then why don't you or anyone else go down to the Slowpoke Well and see for yourselves?" Silver asked.

"We have but found no one down there. It's like they always know when someone is coming," Kurt sighed. "There's a guard at the well who may be in on it."

Silver let out a huff of frustration. Some people really couldn't handle things on their own. Silver would normally just shrug his shoulders and leave the situation alone, but the fact that Team Rocket was mentioned really got his blood boiling. If there was even the tiniest bit of doubt that Team Rocket wasn't truly gone and nearby, he would do everything he could to squash that rumor. Of course, if it turned out to be true…

Without another word, Silver dashed off with his Feraligatr.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" a bewildered Kurt called after him.

Silver paid him no mind, though. He was on his way to the Slowpoke Well. If he found even the slightest bit of the supposed disbanded criminal gang in there, he would deal with them rather quickly. If Team Rocket died once, it should stay dead, and Silver wasn't about to let that miserable gang get away with anything.

"I'm tired of this, Jessie," James, a low member of Team Rocket, complained.

"Meowth, too," a talking Meowth added.

"Quit your blubbering! If we try to take a break at all, you know what Proton will do to us," their partner, Jessie, replied in aggravation.

The Team Rocket trio had been in the Slowpoke Well near Azalea Town for the past couple of weeks cutting off Slowpoke Tails. It's all they did every single day since they had been there. They were even forced to eat and sleep here by order of the Rocket executives. They hadn't seen sunlight at all since then, and it was starting to take a toll on their appearance. Jessie, James, and Meowth's skin had become ghostly pale, and their bloodshot eyes were now extremely sensitive to any type of light, like a flashlight for instance.

It had been this way ever since they were roped in to go to the Johto region with the executives. They had been stripped of their admin titles and were stuck to doing nothing but grunt work. They were forced to do whatever they could to raise money for their organization, and that's why they had been cutting off Slowpoke tails nonstop recently. It was in preparation for their 'big comeback' as the executives put it. Though Jessie, James, and Meowth somewhat liked the idea of a glorious return, they didn't like the methods of how they were doing it. If their boss was still here, they wouldn't be in this situation.

"My mind is starting to become as blank and empty as these Slowpoke," Meowth muttered as he cut off another Slowpoke tail.

"This is so boring and stupid," James said again as stuffed the Slowpoke Tail Meowth recently had cut off in the bag.

Jessie had to agree with them. This was really stupid. Doing this type of stuff was totally beneath them. Had Team Rocket truly been reduced to cutting off the tails of a Slowpoke in a desperate attempt to raise cash? The Rocket executives said it was their best scheme to date on raising money since they came to the Johto region about a year ago. Jessie, James, and Meowth didn't think so, however. The executives weren't the ones who were cutting off Slowpoke Tails day in and day out. It was just them and a few other grunts who were assigned with them.

The worst part of this operation was the fact that Proton was in charge of them for the task of cutting Slowpoke Tails. Though Jessie, James, and Meowth disliked all of their executives, it was Proton they liked the least. He was by far the meanest and least understanding of all of them. The fact that he hated Jessie, James, and Meowth and took every opportunity to insult or belittle them didn't help matters any. It was through fear of what Proton would do to them if he found them slacking that kept them going.

In truth, ever since their boss left, Jessie, James, and Meowth had wanted to quit Team Rocket. They would have done just that had the executives not found them while they were running away and forced them back in. The trio just believed that Team Rocket had really lost their power since that twerp, along with his friends and parents, had beaten them. Once a name to be feared, Team Rocket now just felt like a joke to them with what they were doing now. They would never tell their executives that, though. It truly was pathetic.

"Do you think these Slowpoke can even feel it when we cut their tails off?" James asked absently in a lame attempt to start a conversation.

"Who knows? Slowpoke are supposed to take a long time to realize they're in any pain. We probably would have already cut off several tails before they realized we even cut off their first one," Jessie replied.

"I don't know about you, but Meowth thinks the way these Slowpoke Tails grow back after a day or two is really freaky," Meowth jumped in.

"It is really weird," Jessie agreed as she snipped off another Slowpoke Tail. As expected, the Slowpoke gave no indication that it noticed what Jessie just did to it.

"I don't see how the people of Azalea Town treat these things as sacred," James said. "I mean, they even have a whole well full of them, and here we are, surrounded by what's probably the stupidest Pokemon ever! What do they see in them?"

"Who knows, but I heard that a Slowpoke's yawn is supposed to bring rain," Jessie muttered.

"That's...different," James responded.

"Well, it is a pretty weird coincidence that it hasn't rained at all since we've been down here. Not a single Slowpoke has yawned," Meowth said as he looked around at the many Slowpoke surrounding them. The dopey Pokemon were just staring stupidly and did absolutely nothing about the predicament they were in.

"Well, as you said, it's just a coincidence. There is no way a dopey Pokemon like this could have the power to bring rain by just yawning…I think," James replied.

Silence then fell between the trio again. They needed to stop talking so they could hurry up and cut off these Slowpoke Tails. Proton had assigned a quota to them of how much Slowpoke Tails they had to cut off per day. If they were under that amount, Proton would make sure they went the whole next day without eating until they made up the amount they missed. Actually now that they thought about it, Jessie, James, and Meowth didn't even feel like grunts right now. Even a grunt was treated better than they were. They felt like prisoners within the very organization they belonged to. Total trash.

"Hey! How are three idiots holding up?!" a voice shouted out to them. "You better not be slacking off!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth grimaced. They knew that Proton was about to pay them a visit. It was funny he was telling them not to slack off considering he was doing nothing to help them and the few others in cutting off Slowpoke Tails. Proton said it was because it was beneath him, and as an executive, he just had to make sure they did their task. Jessie, James, and Meowth just believed it was because he was lazy, but if they even tried to mention this to their other executives, Proton probably wouldn't hesitate to literally kill them.

"No, Sir Proton," the trio called back in monotone.

Proton came out from a nearby corridor a few seconds later. He wore the same evil smirk he usually did that Jessie, James, and Meowth hated so much. It was so arrogant. Proton knew they hated it, too, which was why he showed it to them every time he came to check on them. His look basically told them 'I can treat or do to you however I feel like, and there's nothing you can do about it'.

Proton then walked over to them and crossed his arms impatiently. "Have you met the quota today?" he asked.

"Sir Proton! It's only two o'clock in the afternoon! We haven't had time to, yet!" James whined, but immediately regretted it.

"Don't talk back to me!" Proton roared and promptly slapped James across the face.

James let out a whimper and rubbed his sore cheek. A red hand mark was visible from where Proton had slapped him. James gave a woeful look at Proton before he said his next sentence.

"I'm sorry, Sir Proton. No. We haven't met our quota yet today," he mumbled.

"That's better. All I did was ask you a question, you worthless piece of filth. I didn't ask for a retort," Proton growled.

"I'm sorry, Sir Proton. It won't happen again," James muttered.

"It better not," Proton sneered before he switched topics. "You know, there have been some rumors that have been going around Azalea Town that a few people wearing black uniforms have been hanging around their well. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"No, Sir Proton. We wouldn't," Jessie responded this time. Of course they wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the outside world. They were too busy being slaves in this dang Slowpoke Well.

"Well, a few of our members posing as salesman have mentioned this guy named Kurt who has been a persistent thorn in our sides since we started this operation. Every time he sees them trying to sell a tail, he's on their case and has to deliver some stupid speech," Proton said.

Proton then snatched a Slowpoke Tail from one of the bags. He then took a big bite out of the pink and white-tipped tail and chomped it greedily inside of his mouth. Jessie, James, and Meowth were repulsed by that. It hadn't even been properly prepared yet for consuming. Not to mention, they were supposed to be selling these things. Did Proton think that just because he was an executive that he could munch on their surplus whenever he felt like it?

"I can see why these things sell, though. They are pretty tasty. Too bad you can't have any," Proton sneered the last part while talking with his mouth full.

"Yes, Sir Proton," the trio mumbled.

"Anyway, back to this Kurt guy. He's even started spewing some crap to other people that he thinks Team Rocket is back. We can't have him saying those types of things right now. I don't know who let it slip or who was careless enough to give him that idea, but when I find out who did it, I will personally make sure that they disappear off of this planet for good," Proton uttered darkly.

Jessie, James, and Meowth gulped at that. They didn't want to give the Rocket executive any reason to believe it was them, not that it was. With that, they stayed silent.

"I'm thinking about sending one of our men after Kurt the next time he tries to make a big fuss over the Slowpoke Tails. I'd have a few things I'd like to say to that guy," Proton mentioned as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Yes, Sir Proton. If you would like, we'll go after him for you," Jessie suggested.

"Huh? Why the heck would I send you clowns to capture that guy?" Proton snarled.

"Well," Jessie continued, choosing her words carefully, "We have been down in this well for some time now, and our health has been suffering because of it. A little fresh air might do us some good."

"I get it. You just want an excuse to get out of this well. Be honest," Proton stated.

"Truthfully, yes. If you want us to continue to cut Slowpoke Tails at an efficient rate, we need to keep up our strength," Jessie said.

Proton crossed his arms as he appeared to be in thought. Jessie, James, and Meowth looked up hopefully at Proton. Of course, they wouldn't really go after this Kurt person. They had no interest in him. They did believe that if they found a way to leave this well and get away from Proton, they could sneak away from this nightmare the Team Rocket organization had become, skip town, and move to another region to make sure they were never found. It was a long shot, but they were desperate to try anything right now. After a minute, Proton gave his answer.

"No. I'll just send one of the grunts to do it," Proton replied, and the trio's hearts sank at that.

"Please! Can't we at least be reassigned somewhere else?!" James cried, unable to take it anymore.

"Be quiet, James!" Jessie warned, but the poor man had enough.

"It isn't fair! Why can't we be assigned to the Radio Tower in Goldenrod City where Cassidy and Butch are?! They're doing something a lot more meaningful there than we are here!" James continued.

"Not to mention, Petrel is in charge there, too! If you reassigned us there, you wouldn't have to deal with us anymore," Meowth added.

"NO!" Proton screamed, which caused the trio to grit their teeth and shut their eyes at the volume. "You want to know why we're not reassigning you? It's because nobody in this organization gives a crap about you or what you think, least of all me!"

"But..," James tried to protest, but Proton cut him off.

"You three are going to stay down here, shut up, cut off these Slowpoke Tails, and you're going to like it! Got it?!" Proton shouted.

"Yes, Sir Proton," the three mumbled.

"Face it. You three are worthless. That's why we have you down here. Cassidy and Butch can at least amount to something which is why they're at the Radio Tower, and you're not. If we reassigned you there, you would just find some way to screw something up. At least when you're down here, it's a task that even your simple brains can handle," Proton growled.

Jessie, James, and Meowth looked down as they felt tears burn their eyes at Proton's harsh words. It looked like they were stuck here forever, and there was nothing they could do about it. They'd consider themselves lucky if they didn't die down here at this rate. They really hated the organization that Team Rocket could become. They really did miss their old boss, Giovanni. He was a scary man, but he treated them a lot more fairly than the executives did.

"Aww! Did I hurt your little feelings?" Proton mocked in a baby voice before it grew serious again. "Too bad. You're in this organization of Team Rocket, and you're going to do what we tell you to do."

"Yes, Sir Proton," Jessie, James, and Meowth mumbled again.

"Good," Proton nodded before he turned to leave before he called over his shoulder. "Don't you ever suggest to do something else again to me or let me catch you trying to get out of this. If you don't like cutting off Slowpoke Tails, then I'll simply cut off your tails and sell them!"

Meowth looked scared at that statement, but Jessie and James weren't quite sure what he meant by that. They knew that if it was a threat coming from Proton, however, it definitely wasn't going to be anything pretty.

Proton then finally left the room, which Jessie, James, and Meowth couldn't be happier with. They hated being around that guy. At least now that he was gone, they could have a break from his verbal and physical abuse of them. The trio sighed sadly before they went back to cutting the Slowpoke Tails.

"Well, it was worth a shot," James muttered.

"Was it?" Jessie rebutted. "All that did was anger Proton even more, and now the truth is out about what he and the other executives really think of us."

"Meowth feels like garbage right now," Meowth said as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Me, too, Meowth. I just want out of this nightmare!" James agreed as the two hugged each other, and a waterfall of tears sprang from their eyes.

"Ugh! Will you two stop? You're giving me a headache," Jessie moaned, but the truth was, she felt the same way.

"Sorry, Jess. We're just miserable. I'd give anything to see the outside world again," Meowth replied as he wiped his eyes.

"I know. It's okay, though. We still have each other, and as long as we stick together, I think we can overcome anything that Proton throws at us," Jessie replied in confidence.

James and Meowth gaped at her.

"Wow, Jess. I didn't expect words like that to come from your mouth. That almost sounded noble and heroic," Meowth stated.

"Humph! What do you think I am? Some goody two-shoes? Please," Jessie snorted before she grabbed a pair of scissors to cut off another Slowpoke Tail.

"Still, thanks, Jessie. That made us feel a lot better. You're right. We still have each other," James said.

For a while none of them said anything after that. They just continued to mindlessly cut off Slowpoke Tails. With as many as they had done, their minds had become completely numb to any pain they might be causing the Slowpoke. This went on for about another twenty minutes before they heard footsteps.

The trio's head snapped back in surprise. Proton couldn't be back already. There was no way he would come to see them after what just went on. When Proton got riled up like that, it took the angry man a good two hours to calm down. Not to mention, the footsteps didn't sound like Proton's, either. They weren't heavy and deliberate. They were rather quiet.

"Who's there?" Jessie called.

The footsteps halted at the sound of the voice. There was no reply for a moment. Jessie would've thought whoever it was hadn't heard her if it wasn't for the fact the footsteps stopped.

"Who wants to know?" a voice finally sneered from the darkness.

Jessie, James, and Meowth put on a look of alarm at that. It wasn't a voice they recognized at all. It was clear this guy wasn't a member of Team Rocket. How on Earth had he gotten down here? Furthermore, what was he doing down here?

"I'll have you know that you better not come any closer! We are dangerous members of Team Rocket so you better beat it unless you want to prepare for trouble!" Jessie warned as she reached for her Arbok's pokeball.

"And make it double," James added as he reached for Weezing's pokeball.

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth hissed as he extended his claws.

"So it's true. There are still a few of you weaklings left," the voice said, and the trio could've sworn they detected a hint of malice in it.

"Who are you calling a weakling?! We don't know who you are, but you have until the count of three to get out of here!" Jessie shouted.

"Heh. Come at me then. I'll show you just how weak you really are," the voice challenged.

The footsteps then resumed once more. Jessie, James, and Meowth waited until they could see a dark outline finally take shape in the darkness, though it stayed in the shadows. A rather large creature was next to person who spoke to them, though it was a little difficult to tell what kind of Pokemon it was. One thing was sure, neither this boy nor his Pokemon looked the least bit friendly.

"I despise Team Rocket, and everything it stands for. You guys act all big and bad, but when you're all alone like right now, you're weak. It's because of you guys that my life has been a joke," the young man said.

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Jessie stuttered.

"Team Rocket is nothing but a bunch of pathetic losers. It was proven once and for all when you were taken down by some kid. Please. You think you can stand up to me after that happened?" the man asked rhetorically.

Jessie, James, and Meowth grimaced at that. Yeah. They remembered that twerp and his friends. He was always able to beat them and foil their plans no matter what. How on Earth was he that strong? He even defeated their boss in a full Pokemon battle! Their pride had been seriously wounded that day.

"So what? You think that just because we supposedly disbanded that you can come in here and make fun of us?! We won't stand for it!" Jessie growled.

"Fine. Send out your Pokemon then," the man said.

"Alright! We will! Go, Arbok!" Jessie shouted.

"Go, Weezing!" James shouted, too.

"Feraligatr, you're up," the man stated as a low growl sounded next to him.

Jessie and James weren't deterred by this, however. They had been humiliated enough today. They weren't about to let some stranger tear them down any further like this. He would know his folly for meddling in their business. They were going to teach him a lesson.

"Go, and use Poison Sting, Arbok!" Jessie shouted.

"Use Sludge, Weezing!" James called out.

Both Arbok and Weezing leaped into the shadows at the young man and his Pokemon to attack them. Though it was a little hard to see, there was clearly some commotion and attacks going on. Jessie and James smirked when they thought their Pokemon were beating the snot out of that boy and his Pokemon, but their looks soon turned to one of confusion. The attacks that were being done didn't sound like their own. Even more, they could hear cries of pain from both Arbok and Weezing!

Jessie, James, and Meowth gasped when Arbok and Weezing came flying out of the shadows and landed at their trainers' feet. Jessie and James knelt down to check on their Pokemon, but gave a cry of surprise when they saw their Pokemon were knocked out. What the heck?!

"As I told you, Team Rocket is just a sorry excuse for a criminal gang. All of you are pathetic," the man spat.

"Oh yeah? Well we still have another Pokemon each to take you on!" Jessie shouted as she and James reached for Lickitung and Victreebel's pokeball, respectively.

"I don't think so. Playtime is over. It's time I took you out. Weaklings like you don't deserve to live. I'll teach you to never show your faces again," the man said darkly.

The man then fully revealed himself from the shadows. Wild and long red hair went down to his shoulders. He was dressed in dark clothing and had a very intimidating Feraligatr next to him. The Feraligatr even seemed to have drool come from its mouth as it stared at Jessie, James, and Meowth. It wasn't any of those things that got the Team Rocket trio's attention the most, however.

It was the man's eyes. They harbored no bit of empathy in them. They were so cold and callous. They were so ruthless. It really spooked them. Proton had nothing on this guy with how he looked at them.

"I don't understand! What's your problem with Team Rocket?!" Jessie cried.

"I-I don't know, Jessie. I think we better run away while we can. I don't like the look of this," James stammered.

"Meowth, too!" Meowth added as his legs shook.

"Who are you?!" Jessie shouted, but she was scared, too.

"My name?" the boy asked. "It's Silver, and I'm going to annihilate Team Rocket!"

With that, the Feraligatr lunged forward at the trio with its jaws open wide.

Wow. Did I just kill off Jessie, James, and Meowth in the first chapter? Well, their fates will be revealed in a later chapter. If you couldn't tell, Silver isn't the type of guy who will just let them go away unscathed. He shows no mercy to his enemies. Feel free to guess.

I made Silver darker in this story than he is in the manga or games, but he does have a slight sense of justice to him. Also, this chapter does make him seem like a complete jerk (which he is), but if you read between the lines, you can tell he truly is miserable and rather sad with how his life is. The guy just needs some love and help. Too bad he doesn't accept it from Delia. Whooo. He already hates Ash. You can bet their first meeting will be interesting.

Well, the next chapter will pick back up with Ash, Serena, and the rest of the group. I don't know when it will be released as I haven't established a good update schedule yet. It will probably be some time in early April once I get a little farther along in writing this arc so I can have a comfortable lead. There's one particular section I want to get out of the way first.

Until then, have a good one! Thanks for all the reviews and support!

Chapter Two: A Rivalry Reborn