Once the gang made it back to their campsite, they have been waiting patiently for Pikachu and Buneary to come back. Ryder explained that they'll be back in like fifteen minutes since the last time he spoke with them. He also mentioned that he was leaving, kind of disappointing them. But after mentioning Unova, they may see him again.

Dawn began to worry. "Oh, what is taking them so long? I hope Team Rocket didn't come back and captured them."

Brock chuckled. "After the blast off they had, I doubt it."

Ash spotted the bushes moving. "Hey guys, I think their back."

Just like he said, Pikachu and Buneary appeared out of the bushes. However, no one immediately noticed the fact that they were holding paws or that they were leaning happily against each other.

The humans and Pokémon walked up to them. "Hey you two, we were starting to get worried." Ash said.

"Pikachu Pikapi. Pi Pika chu. (Don't worry, Ash. We're fine.)" Pikachu said happily. Buneary nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, that's a relief." Dawn sighed.

Pikachu and Buneary saw Piplup's face and he looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Something funny, Piplup?" Buneary asked with a wry smile.

Piplup released a few snickers. "Aww, looks like Pikachu got himself a girlfriend!" He joked, obviously noticing the paw holding, before bursting out in laughter. Pikachu smirked as Piplup rolled on the ground in laughter. The funny part was that he was right. After realizing that Pikachu wasn't arguing with him and was smirking in amusement instead, he stopped and stood up. "Um, what's with the smirk?"

Pikachu looked at Buneary. "Should we tell them?"

Buneary thought it over and shook her head. "No, I think we should show them."

Pikachu smirked wider. "Good enough for me." He grabbed Buneary and dipped her towards the ground before giving her a sweet kiss, which she happily returned. Everyone's, even the trainers, jaws dropped in surprise. They didn't see that coming.

Pikachu brought Buneary back up and released the kiss. Buneary giggled. "Boy Pikachu, we didn't have to petrify them." She said when she saw everyone's faces.

Ash was the first to snap out of it, saying, "Um…what just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened." Brock said dramatically. Oh no, not again. "It is obvious that love has struck them in the hearts and showed these two that they were meant to be together. Can't you see; they are in love. Love is in the air for these two. It is so romantic." Half a second later, he freezes up in fright. "But wait, if Pikachu got a girlfriend before me, then what are my chances of finding one?!" He crouched down next to a tree and sulked, just like every other time he gets rejected.

Awkward moment passed, everyone started to congratulate the new couple. Ash was happy for Pikachu and Dawn, she was on the verge of passing out from gushing on how cute they looked together. The Pokémon gave their congrats as well.

Piplup gave Pikachu an annoyed look. "That was a cruel trick you pulled on me."

Pikachu shrugged. "Hey, you were laughing at me. You deserved it."

Piplup lightened up and smiled. "Just make sure she stays cheerful." He balled up his flipper, as if to give a fist bump. Pikachu bumped his fist against it and nodded in agreement.

Pachirisu jumped with excitement. "This is great. Now I can be a babysitter."

Buneary looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you see-" Before he could say anything embarrassing, Pikachu clasped a paw onto his mouth while nervously laughing.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing that you would be interested in hearing." Pikachu said quickly while blushing brightly. Pachirisu mumbled through his paw, chattering away at whatever he was talking about.

Buneary glanced curiously before shrugging. "Oh well, I guess it isn't that important." She showed a mischievous smile. "But, if I had to guess, I'd say that he was talking about babysitting our kids if we had any."

Pikachu was blushing, sweating, and nervously laughing again. "Hehehe, um, well, I, uh-ketchup?" He finished randomly, not sure how to continue this conversation. Buneary giggled cutely, bringing a dreamy smile to Pikachu's face. She even giggles beautifully.

"PIKACHU!" Everyone jumped up in fright as Brock rushed over to Pikachu and looked at him at eye level. "You must tell me your secrets to attracting a beautiful girl. Please!"

Pikachu had a blank look on his face as he sweat-dropped. "Pi…? (Huh…?)"

"You may be my ticket to finally getting a girlfriend." He stood up, crying manly tears. "I can see it now. Me, standing next to the beautiful Nurse Joy or the elegant Officer Jenny. All because of you. I can just feel the love." He cringed in pain as Croagunk stabbed him with Poison Jab. "No…that is just pain." He groaned before falling over.

"Croa…Croa…Gunk. (You…need a…therapist.)" Croagunk began to drag him away, but not before saying, "Congratulations…you two." His mouth looked like it shifted up a bit. Was he giving a smile? He started to take Brock away.

Pikachu and Buneary blinked a couple times to make sure they didn't imagine that. They glanced at each other and laughed it off. Croagunk can be unpredictable when he feels like it. The rest of the time, the Pokémon kept asking them questions, some being embarrassing. This was going to take a while.

XXX

At the very top of the tallest tree in the forest, Team Rocket was groaning in pain. They have just fallen down from the sky and were laying there in pain.

James decided to share his thoughts. "Perhaps if we bought parachutes, we'd be in less pain. Or perhaps some jetpacks?"

"Perfect timing, James." Jessie muttered sarcastically. They both then noticed Meowth typing on a laptop. "What are you doing?"

"And where did you get that laptop?!" James yelled in confusion. They had nothing on them when they blasted off.

"Not important right now. I need to check on the database." Meowth muttered loud enough for them to hear. A few clicks later and the screen goes black, showing a horizontal green line in the middle. "Laura, can you hear me?"

There was no response for the first few seconds, then, "Ugh…um…what happened?" A voice said on the screen. The line vibrated depending on how loud the voice spoke.

"Oh thank goodness." Meowth said in relief. "Laura, how do you feel?"

"I blew up to pieces and trapped in a box doing nothing, take a wild guess." Laura said, obviously annoyed.

Meowth smiled sheepishly. "Right, sorry."

"So, now what?"

Jessie spoke up. "Simple, we just go to a store that sells mechanical parts so we can rebuild you. Maybe even stronger than before." Jessie pointed out.

"And," James added, "We can order a fancy meal to eat for another night."

"Yep, and I have all the money we need right here." Meowth said as he held up a sack with the remainder of their money. Suddenly, a black streak swiped it and replaced it with a smaller one. Meowth screamed in shock. "What the heck happened?!" He looked at the end of the branch they were on and found his answer.

Ryder stood there at the end, holding the original sack. "Now you only have enough for regular parts and takeout food." He dropped the bag and a Staraptor flew by to take it away. "She'll be dropping off the rest of that to a charity I pointed out."

"Get him!" Meowth shouted. All three of them jumped at him, but he jumped over them. They kept their balance now that they were on a thinner part of the branch.

They tried to climb back over, but stopped when Ryder placed a Slash attack next to the branch. "Move and you fall, painfully." They gulped and nodded.

Ryder powered down Slash and grabbed the laptop. He started to type in something, infuriating Meowth. "Hey, get your greasy paws off my laptop!"

Ryder glanced back before continuing. "You should be grateful. I could have took the rest of that money and threw it away too. But no, I decided that you needed to eat and get your team member back."

"Oh, I feel honored." Laura said sarcastically on the screen.

Ryder chuckled. "Seems like someone is in a bad mood at the moment."

"You practically murdered me! Of course I'm going to be in a bad mood!" Laura yelled viciously.

Meowth glared at Ryder. "What do you want anyway?"

Ryder tossed him the laptop, barely catching it. "I think you four are making a mistake."

"Huh?!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Team Rocket make look like a criminal organization that wants to capture Pokémon, but there is more to their goals than just that. They never informed you of the bigger plans they have. You don't see the things they do behind your backs. They aren't just criminals, they're evil overlords. They have been doing illegal experiments, projects, weaponry, you name it. You four are different. You may have had a messed up past, but you still have good in your hearts-metaphorically speaking." He said, directly at Laura. "Giovanni will never tell you everything that he does. Once your purpose is done, he will dispose of you." The Rocket agents gulped. "Think about it." Ryder opened up his cloak to prepare for gliding. "One last thing. I sent a progress report of your mission to Giovanni. I also sent him your bills. Ciao!" He jumped off and disappeared.

The agents had blank looks. "He sent our progress report…" Meowth started, "…our bills…and practically our jobs to the Boss." The humans nodded. "We are screwed." He finished simply.

James laughed to lighten up the mood. "Now, now, let's look at this in a good way. Maybe he was just bluffing when he said he sent that stuff."

"Incoming message from Giovanni." Laura said nonchalantly. The agents face-faltered. "Bad timing?" Laura's screen minimized to the bottom right corner. A video image of Giovanni popped up and, Boy, he looked mad.

The agents chuckled nervously. "Hello Giovanni, nice day isn't it?" Jessie started off.

"Can one of you idiots explain to me why you wasted ninety nine thousand dollars on all that equipment, food, robot, and android and still haven't managed to capture one Pikachu?" He asked calmly, but dangerously close to exploding.

"Funny you should mention that?" Laura said. "You see-"

"Zip it, you piece of junk." Giovanni ordered.

"Um…yes sir." Laura said hesitantly.

Meowth gulped and tried to explain. "Well sir, it's a funny story actually. You see, we did catch Pikachu and we were winning. Only, this talking Pokémon came and rescued him since he had the ability to shape-shift. He was also really fast and was a ninja of sorts. He had bombs, shurikens, a Bo staff, and…oh, he can also heal himself and survived death. That is what happened." Giovanni had an unamused look. Now that Meowth thought about it, that description did sound a bit out there.

"That is the story you're going with?" He asked annoyed.

"Um…yes." Meowth smiled nervously.

Giovanni slammed his fist onto his desk, making the agents, even Laura, flinch. "You fools have tested my patience for the last time. I give you one last chance to capture that Pikachu and you repay me with some story?"

"Sir, we're not lying." James pleaded.

"That's it! As of right now…" He started.

"Boss, wait, it's true!" Jessie begged.

"…you three, along with the android…" He continued.

"Dude, we're serious!" Laura's screen vibrated wildly.

"…are…"

"Give us another chance." Meowth graveled.

"…officially…"

"Please don't say it!" They yelled begging for mercy.

"…fir-" He would have finished, but what Meowth yelled out stopped him cold.

"HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT 'FEAR THE SHADOWS'!"

An awkward silence took place after his outburst. Everyone, even Giovanni, stared at him in shock. Meowth was panting heavily from it, the stress got to him. They all heard their Boss utter one word. "…what?"

Laura decided to give Meowth a break. "The Pokémon was identified as a Charmeleon with the ability to speak English, much like Meowth. He wore a cloak that can bend light and create the illusion of being another Pokémon. He managed to help take out our Pokémon, while also managing to beat our robot and me. He can use aura and is highly unpredictable. He can also figure out information about you and use it as a weapon. The only thing we don't get is how he managed to heal himself when he was out of healing items or how he managed to survive death. He also acts as if he has some grudge against us, which I don't get. I looked up all files of Team Rocket enemies. Not one of them mentions a Charmeleon named Ryder."

Giovanni was in a state of shock as he sat back in his chair. "Unbelievable…"

"So I guess we're fired, right?" Jessie said in a bored tone.

Giovanni shook out of his thoughts and said, "…no, you're not."

Meowth sighed. "Should have seen that- Wait, WHAT?!" He yelled, now letting everything sink in. The other three were just as shocked.

"You're not fired. Not even my top agents can take him on. You four had no chance from the start. He has been a pain in my side for far too long." He sighed. "I'll let you four off with a warning. Be more prepared next time. Don't underestimate that spy." With that, his connection turned off and Laura's screen resized.

They were quite surprised that they weren't fired, yet relieved. "Thank goodness, I thought we'd have to find new jobs." Jessie exclaimed.

"The Boss sure was kind enough to not fire us." James pointed out.

"Maybe we're rubbing off on him." Meowth suggested.

"Oh, who cares? Can we just get the balloon so we can get my body back?" Laura pleaded.

They nodded and prepared to get down, Meowth holding the laptop with Laura on it. But, all four of them went wide eyes, except Laura since she was lacking eyes, when something Giovanni said finally sink in their heads. All four of them yelled in confusion, "Wait a minute, SPY?!"

XXX

As soon as Giovanni ended his connection, he placed his hand on his head and rubbed his temples. He never expected the three most incompetent agents, plus another new member, to actually go face to face with him. Four years and he's never seen or heard that creatures name until now.

Matori, Giovanni's secretary, walked into his office. "Is something troubling you, sir?" She asked in an expressionless tone.

Giovanni looked up at her. "Do we still have that file on the Shadow Agents?"

"Yes, sir. Why do you ask?" She asked, her curiosity peaking a bit.

Giovanni started to type on his computer to find said file. "What that android failed to realize is that she was looking for the wrong file." A few clicks later, a file appeared on the screen. He opened it and it revealed a bunch of information on these Shadow Agents. Along with two full-bodied pictures.

One of them was of Ryder in his cloak and he was completely shrouded. The other one was obviously human and, judging by body shape, male. He was wearing a full-body black suit that was covered with armor. He wore black boots, black gloves, and even a black vest. The vest had a collar and it was bent up rather than down. He was wearing a black mask that covered the whole face and had green lenses for eyes, which were in the shape of a glare. Safe to say that this is a duo you don't want to meet in a dark alley.

Giovanni stared at the image of Ryder, remembering the times he has crossed this nearly unstoppable Pokémon.

FLASHBACK

"Now Persian, use Hyper Beam." Giovanni commanded. Persian fired the white beam with a pinkish color in the center at a smug looking Ryder.

"Please, do you really think that will work?" Ryder retrieved a circular metal object from his cloak and it expanded into a shield. It harmlessly deflected the Hyper Beam towards a wall. "Hey Persian, catch!" He then threw a ball in the air, which exploded into a bright light, blinding Giovanni and Persian. The latter saw something fly through the light and smacked him with what felt like a Brick Break. He hit the side of a wall and fell unconscious.

Once the light subsided, Giovanni saw the results. "Persian!" He then growled at his attacker. "I demand that you leave here at once or I'll send my top agents at you."

"What agents?" Ryder asked mockingly as he pointed behind him, revealing a bunch of unconscious humans and Pokémon. "I thought those were your top agents." Giovanni growled once more. "Oh relax, I'll leave as soon my partner is done 'collecting' a few things of yours."

As if on cue, the other Shadow Agent ran down the hallway towards Giovanni's office. "Ryder, I got the stolen Pokémon, let's bail."

Ryder smirked at Giovanni. "Until our next encounter." He threw a smoke bomb down, covering the room in thick smoke. Once it passed, the agents were gone.

FLASHBACK END

"To think that happened five years ago, when they first made themselves known. One of them disappears while the other continues to rob us of our supply. Four years, he hasn't shown his face. But he finally comes out of the shadows." Giovanni stared intently at the file on his screen before saying, "Matori, did we receive that PsychoWear yet?"

"Just got it today, sir." She said expressionlessly.

"Good, have our top scientists analyze it and see how it reacts with dark matter. Once tests are complete, have them reengineer it to increase the power output."

"As you wish, sir." She left his office to deliver the task.

Giovanni sat back in his chair and recollected his thoughts on the whole situation. "If he is back, then Project: Perfect Storm will be much harder to complete than I thought."

XXX

Everyone was starting to get tired after the long night they had. Everyone began to lay down and find a spot to sleep for the night. They were most likely going to sleep in on account of how late it was.

Pikachu and Buneary gave each other one last hug for the night. "I'll see you in the morning, my sweet." Pikachu said as he gave Buneary a soft kiss on the lips. He turned around to go to Ash's tent, but Buneary stopped him. "Huh?"

"Um, Pikachu?" Buneary stared shyly at the ground. "If it isn't too much trouble, I was wondering if we could sleep out here…together." She blushed brightly in embarrassment.

Pikachu was surprised for a moment, but then smiled. "Sure, anything you want." Buneary squealed quietly, making Pikachu chuckle. He went to Ash's tent and came back out with a spare blanket and pillow. They walked over to a tree and laid under it. Pikachu wrapped the blanket around him and Buneary until their bodies were comfortably pressing against each other. "How do you feel?"

"…happy." She squeaked while blushing. Pikachu rolled his eyes smiling and snuggled up closer to her. She did the same as well. "Your fur is so soft, Pikachu."

"I should be saying the same thing about your fluff. It's so warm and cozy like…" He let out a tired yawn, "…like a fluffy cloud heated by the warmth of the sun."

Buneary giggled. "You sound sleepy. I think we should get to bed."

"Good idea." After one last goodnight kiss, they closed their eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

But something going around in Buneary's head kept bugging her, the things that Ryder said before he left. "Pikachu?"

"Yeah?" He gave a tired reply.

"What do you think is going to happen when we meet Ryder again and…when we meet this guy, Dark? What did he mean when he said Dark will engulf the world in darkness?" Buneary was becoming frightened, so naturally Pikachu pulls her into a hug and shushes her gently to calm her down.

"It's okay, Buneary, it's okay." He sighed. "Look, I don't know what will happen myself. All I know is that Ryder needs our help with something in this Unova region. After everything I've seen him do, if he needs our help, it must be bad. But I do know that nothing will happen to you as long as you are with me."

"I'm just saying, I don't want you to get hurt or worse helping him. I'm a bit worried about why he would need my help. What kind of personal issue could I help him with?"

Pikachu gave a tired shrug. "I'm sure it is nothing concerning you. Ryder has unusual methods of doing or saying things. Whatever it is, I'm sure you can handle it. Only you are willing enough to go into danger to help a friend in need."

Buneary blushed. "Thanks." She released a soft yawn. "I need some sleep." She snuggled closer to him and shut her eyes. Almost immediately, she was out like a light.

Pikachu smiled and kissed her cheek before falling asleep himself, but not before whispering, "Don't worry Buneary…everything will be alright in the end…I just know it."

XXX

It was close to dawn at a busy airport as day workers began to start their jobs while the night workers left to go home. A lone worker sat near the door, drinking some water. He had gray hair that was neatly combed, a gray beard that looked like it has been shaved awhile ago, and dull, blue eyes. Despite his age, he was in good shape. He was expecting someone to come any moment now.

The automatic doors opened and in came said visitor. The old man chuckled. "Took you long enough. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."

Ryder looked up at him while holding onto his sliver suitcase. "The forest can't be left unguarded forever. Not even trained officers can handle the unimaginable power that resides in there." He gave a soft smile. "Thanks for temporarily taking a job here so you could help me out."

"Anything for my grandson's starter Pokémon."

"How's the jet?" Ryder asked.

"Got it all fixed up. So we don't have to take a plane back to Unova." Ryder nodded and threw away the flight schedules he had. The man got up to stretch, causing a small ache in his back.

"Are you okay?" Ryder asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it's just that motel beds aren't the most comfortable thing in the world." He saw the guilty look on Ryder's face. "Now don't fret about it. I didn't want to waste my money on a fancy hotel." This cheered him up a bit. "Come on, the jet is outside."

They walked out into the area where the planes would takeoff. They came to a hanger that contained the jet. The old man opened it up and got in, soon followed by Ryder.

While getting his seatbelt on, the old man asked, "So, how did your little trip go?"

Ryder pulled out the leaf from before. "Something tells me we need to keep a closer eye on the forest. I think Giovanni is planning something and it is big."

"Now what makes you think that is even from the forest?" He asked curiously.

Ryder saw the sun was slowly coming up. He held the leaf up so it can get hit by a beam of light. Immediately after it did, it combusted into flames. All that was left in his paw was ash now. "That's why."

"I see." He started to close up the jet. "Anything else interesting?"

"Other than getting Pikachu's help, yes." Ryder took a deep breath. "I found Flitter's long lost sister."

This made the man gasp. "You did? But, how? There are like a ton of Buneary in the world."

"But only one had the correct DNA match, which I got from a sample of blood after a fight I may have…started between her and an android." He said sheepishly. He shook his head. "Besides, the hug she gave me reminded me of the ones Flitter would give."

"You were real determined to find her sister, weren't you?"

"If it weren't for her, I would have never discovered my true feelings for Jade. I owed her. It was an impossible task, but I defeated all odds before."

The man chuckled as he started up the engine. "Well, she'll be very happy to hear that once you reunite with Ryan. I haven't seen him in so long myself."

"Don't worry…" The jet started to take off.

"And why is that?"

They were in the air. The jet increased in speed as they soared through the sky. Their next stop is Unova.

"Everything changes once we get back. Everything will be back to normal soon." Ryder closed his eyes. "Our lives can go back to normal. Ryan, Jade, Flitter, everyone, we will see each other soon." The jet disappears from view as it flies away to their destination.