The Rocket Constant

An electrical fist cackled before their very eyes. The Pokémon's hand was surging with power, as yellow lines of electricity flowed from its limb. This was a Pokémon with power in its eyes, while its entire body flowed with flames. From head to toe, this orange-red Pokémon owned flames bouncing around 2,2000 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, its entire body shimmered like the very sun. A burning Pokémon that knew no bounds, it was seen as a ruler when it came to Fire-types.

"Maaaagmaaaaar!" Queen, that is the original Queen, howled with might.

Wait... Q-Queen? As in... Ricka's Blaziken?

You don't have to play dumb with me, Rei. You know Queen, well... Queen the first. Don't worry, no one's gonna get mad at you for talking about her. Not here, anyway.

She stood tall after being called by her Trainer, who stood some ways away. Ricka smirked as she picked up Buster, holding him close to her chest like he was a puffy doll. Some ways away, Domino stood as well. She had her iconic tulip to her nose, sniffing its fragrance, while before her sat a Pokémon as well. It hovered above the ground, it's body bulbous and balloon like. Two heads – one large, the other small – attached at the hip. They constantly expelled fowl air that would kill to the smell, surely capable of killing what got in its path.

"Weeeeeziiinnnng!" the Poison Gas Pokémon growled, before spitting putrid air that made it smile.

Gold and Leaf looked at their opponents, sizing up the opposition. Ricka's Magmar had already showed off considerable might as it stood with fists cackling, while Domino's Weezing continued to paint the air dark with its horrid gases. This show of force may have terrified lesser Trainers, but not Gold. She saw this as a challenge she had no choice but to accept.

"Go! Tyson!" she shouted out as she sent her Poké Ball flying.

The capsule opened up, flaring with light as a Pokémon within was summoned. What landed on the ground was large, fury, and with a bone to pick with everything. It's head held this bulbous vain that twitched constantly, while the ape of a Pokémon constantly bounced around on its two feet.

"Prime! Prime! Prime!" Tyson, the Pig Monkey Pokémon called.

He stood alone against the Magmar and Weezing, but that didn't diminish his spirit. He wanted desperately to fight the other Pokémon, and was fully prepared to leap over the river that separated them. Gold too was antsy for the coming battle, as she fidgeted slightly. However, this fight was going to be bad if she didn't get some help. Team Rocket never fights fair, she had learned that by now. Ricka was – as ironic as it was to say – the most fair opponent she had during her bouts with them.

But that changed with Domino here. The blonde and the redhead surely had six Pokémon each, for a combined total of twelve. If she faced them right now, two-on-two, then she'd run out of Pokémon, and while they'd still have six to go. She'd need help.

"Uh... Leaf," she said as she looked at her timid sister, "I could... use a little help here..."

Leaf was always known to be the passive twin. She wasn't as excited or as out-going as Gold was. She'd rather take her adventures one day at a time, and enjoy them in slow strides; not the fast one's her sibling was known for. Pokémon Battles were the same; she didn't want to watch her Pokémon get in violent affairs with someone else's. However, she was a firm believer in the idea that anything worth getting is fought for.

And right now, that appeared to be her life.

"Alright..." Leaf said as she withdrew a Poké Ball, "Go! Kite!"

Her Poké Ball snapped open, unleashing the Pokémon held within. Once the flash died out, the beast revealed to them was large and valiant. Wings spread as far as the eyes could see, it also had a sharp and deadly beak jutted from its face. Eyes, glaring at its opponents, the Pokémon suddenly gave a mighty howl.

"FEEEAAAARR!" Kite, the Beak Pokémon, howled.

It landed on the ground near Tyson and they stood side by side, opposing the Rocket members and their Pokémon. The combatants were set; all were ready for the fight. But there was one big problem.

The river between them. It was as deep as it was wide, and made battling clunky for anything on foot; ie, both Queen and Tyson. Gold wasn't about to let this minor set back end her chance to show Ricka up.

"Tyson! Earthquake!" she shouted.

The Pig Monkey Pokémon got down on its knees, raised both hands, and then slammed them down as fists. The action caused the earth to quake violently. The river separating them began to bubble, as Pokémon swam out of the way. Suddenly, a large plane of the earth shot up, bridging the two land masses together so the Pokémon could battle. If anything, Ricka was surprised. She didn't see that coming, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Queen... Flamethrower!" Ricka commanded.

Queen smiled briefly, before looking to the ground. Her lips formed an 'O', and she suddenly spat out a stream of burning hot fire upon the earth. It swallowed the dirt of the ground, creating a blazing field far too powerful for any lesser Pokémon to travel through. On the other end, Tyson sized up the field, not intimidated by the attack, but not willing to step foot in it all the same.

"Tyson! Aerial Ace!" Gold commanded.

Primeapes are fast Pokémon; there is no denying that. But the speeds at which Tyson moved at that one point may have been too fast. It's blurred body dashed through the flames, dousing them out with the wind left in its wake. Queen's eyes were wide with shock, as the Primeape's fist slammed against her cheek.

CRASH!

The impact of the attack was so great, Queen crashed into the earth. She scrambled to her feet as she recoiled while Tyson leaped back, pleased with his well-aimed strike. Ricka became incited to rage by the strike as she stood on her tip toes, as she was now fuming with rage.

"Hey! You bitch!" she shouted, "Don't you dare lay a finger on my Pokémon!"

"Maaaaaag," Queen said as she stood tall. She smirked, spat out some burning saliva, then quickly hunched down for a bout.

"Weezing! Smokescreen!" Domino commanded next, causing the Poison Gas Pokémon to puff up its body.

From the holes all around its body, the Weezing expelled a pitch-black smog of death that surrounded the area. Tyson pulled back as he was surrounded by the fog, coughing as it got into his systems. While not poisonous itself, its thickness was powerful enough to blind him and cover his senses. All he could do was hear, but that didn't help him when he couldn't see or smell.

"Prime!? Ape!?" Tyson shouted as he tried to settle his senses, but to no avail.

"Tyson!?" Gold shouted, before being interrupted by Ricka's voice.

"Queen! Fire Punch!"

A faint red glow suddenly appeared in the smokescreen, one Tyson could actually see. He peered at the flaming fist, walked to it, then suddenly felt something burning lodge itself in his face.

POW!

The attack connected, and it owned so much force Tyson was launched out of the fog of darkness. He crashed on the earth before his trainer, face owning various patches of smoldering fur. Seeing this, Gold gave a horrid yip. Her eyes quickly ran back up as she ducked down to check on her Primape; in doing so, she watched as Queen gave a chuckle and retreated into the fog.

"Cowards!" she shouted realizing how their tactic was going to work.

"Kite! Defog!" Leaf ordered, pointing at the smokescreen as she did so.

Her Pokémon took to the air, where in which it flapped its mighty and massive wings. The action dispersed the smokescreen down below, freeing the battlefield from the blind fog. Upon doing so, a fire ball was immediately flung in Kite's direction. He veered to the right to dodge the strike, just in time as well, for it crashed in the cave's ceiling. The impact pushed Kite down, where in which he nearly collided with Queen. Instead, a purple fume flew in his direction, where he quickly inhaled it.

The mistake quickly proved detrimental.

Kite immediately began coughing and wheezing violently, as he loss control of his focus. Unable to flap his wings in sync with one another, he crashed down on the ground and landed right at Queen's feet. The Spitfire Pokémon reached down to the Fearow before her, and picked him up by the shoulders.

"AH!? Kite!?" Leaf screamed, fearful for her Pokémon.

"Hey! You let go of him!" Gold barked before she pointed at him, "Tyson! Cross Chops!"

The Primeape shook his head, quickly agitating himself for battle. Tyson roared wildly at Queen then rushed for her, arms crossed over one another in an 'X' fashion. Before he could reach her however, Weezing flew in the way. Smiling mischievously, the Poison Gas Pokémon once more expelled darkness from its holes, causing Tyson to skid to a halt. He was once again trapped in a haze of darkness that made it impossible to see and smell, let alone operate. He attempted to free Kite as best he could, flailing his arms wildly in the darkness to hit anything that would help.

His actions were fruitless.

KA-BOOOOOOM!

Flames erupted from within the smog, and a body was tossed out. It flew into the sky only to fall back into the ground. The unconscious and defeated body happened to belong to Kite. When he landed and didn't move, Leaf immediately thought the worse.

"No, no, no, no!" she cried, fearing for her Pokémon's life.

Did Ricka just...

Huh, wha? No! That would never happen. That's just silly, Rei! No, no... Ricka couldn't bring herself to kill a Pokémon. She'd never do such a thing. Ya see, when Ricka was with Domino – when she was with Team Rocket as a whole – she was so much tougher. Maybe rougher... aaaaahhhh...

CHOMP!

Ow! Ow! Stop that! Ricka and Domino were the perfect team. In fact, when they teamed up with one another, I can't seem to recall a time when they ever lost a battle. They were just so perfectly in tune with one another.

Leaf recalled Kite, thankful for him to still be alive, but terrified upon realizing the situation they were stuck in was anything but optimal. She stepped back as she fiddled with her Poké Balls, wondering what she should do next. She quickly withdrew another, but bit her lip. Compared to everyone else, Leaf already knew her Pokémon weren't strong enough to keep up.

This was the best time – more than ever – to just retreat. There was no one around to see them run if they did run, and the only people who would brag about it were both Team Rocket members; the foulest of the foul scum. What did they gain from winning anyway? It wasn't like Ricka and Domino were going to be here forever; she and her sister could easily come back.

No, what kept them there at the Seafoam islands was simple. Pride. Gold was far too prideful to run away from a battle that had already started. She'd sooner fight Ricka and Domino all by herself than to give them the joy of watching her run away like a beaten Poochyena.

"Tails! Go!" Leaf cried as she sent her next Poké Ball forth, though it was clear she didn't have as much heart in her as she did before.

Leaf's next Poké Ball opened up, unleashing a being within. It was small, yellow, cute, and known world-wide. There was no other Pokémon to get this Mouse Pokémon confused with.

"Piiikaaaaa!" Tails, Leaf's Pikachu, cried.

"Still fighting?" Ricka inquired, a low giggle following her, "I kinda thought you'd run off after that."

"I'd never run from you, Unova Girl!" Gold stated, face fuming with frustration, "I can keep on fighting!"

"Then keep on fighting!" Ricka shouted, "You'll lose eventually!"

"Errrr! Tyson! Thunder Punch!"

"Queen! Fire Punch!"

Growling, bouncing up and down, and generally acting like a monster, Tyson quickly threw himself at Ricka's Magmar. At the same time, the Spitfire Pokémon rushed to meet him. The Pig Monkey's fist was cackling with electricity, while the Magmar's fist seared with flames. The two darted for one another, feet slamming down in unison as they reached the center of the land-made bridge. When they finally met at the middle, both Pokémon's fist shot forth in unison.

Queen's blazing fist collided with Tyson's electrical one. From both sides, it appeared as if fire was dancing with lightning, flashing and illuminating the caves with their combined might. It appeared as if one couldn't beat the other; they were complete equals.

But not for long. The flames began to overpower the lightning, pushing it back with every second. In a flash, a powerful explosion was triggered, one which formed a puffy cloud of smog and debris. And from this debris, Tyson was sent flying. He slammed into Gold, knocking her flat on her butt, as they both groaned from pain. When the fog finally settled, Queen stood tall. She was injured by Tyson's strike, but unlike the Primeape she could keep going. Her body flared with fire as she stepped toward him with daunting feet and exhilarating power.

"Maaaaaggmaaaaar," Queen growled lowly as she approached him.

"Tyson! Tyson!" Gold shouted, shaking her Pokémon in an attempt to wake him back up.

When he didn't heed her call, she knew he was out. The blonde quickly withdrew his Poké Ball and returned him, freeing him from her body and allowing her to stand once more. She readied another Poké Ball, wondering who to summon next in this fight, or even if she should summon someone else.

It happened again. The moment to leave now and retreat. It wasn't wrong if she did so; she knew that. She knew when to pick out her battles accordingly; her Pokémon adventure had taught her that so far. But looking at Ricka and Domino standing over there, faces giggling with superiority, it spiked her rage. She fumed with anger, shook her fist, and then quickly withdrew another Poké Ball.

"Come on you two!" she shouted, "I'll take you on!" she readied her next Poké Ball for battle, "Go! Blade!"

Her next Poké Ball flew out, glowing bright as it snapped open. Two feet slammed upon the earth, long, thin an brown. They belonged to a Pokémon who's body – while incredibly skinny – was as hard as tempered steel. It also owned a pair of bladed hands.

Ah! Ah! That's Blade! Uh... Gold's Kabutops, right?

Uh...

CHOMP!

Yes! Yes! Wait... how'd you know that, Rei?

Ricka told me about him the last time she told me a story with Gold in it... keep going, Buster!

"Kabuuuuuu!" the Shellfish Pokémon called, bladed hands slicing through the air.

"Queen return!" Ricka commanded.

She threw out her Poké Ball which caught her Magmar in a flare of light, sealing her within. The capsule device flew back to Ricka's hand and she caught it, where in which she quickly switched it out for another.

"Oh boy..." Ricka said with a smirk, "I do not want to be you right now!"

She threw out her next Poké Ball, one that opened as they all do. However, with the flashes of light there was a surging cloud of electricity flowing with it. It parsed and bounced, following the body of the Pokémon called within. Who was it? Was it even a guess.

"Raaaaaaaaaiii!" Leda hollered, feeling empowered as she was summoned.

The Raichu slammed her feet down on the ground, while Gold pulled back. The last time she came in contact with Ricka, Leda was nothing more than a powerful Pikachu. A very powerful Pikachu, but a Pikachu nonetheless. But now it was a very powerful Raichu who lauded over them in a victorious manner.

"Rai! Rai! Rai!" Leda laughed hardily, arms crossed as she belittled the Kabutops and Pikachu before her.

Gold found her voice being caught in her throat, as Ricka picked a counter to her Kabutops. Though Blade had taken down considerable forces in her time – even those with a 4x effectiveness against her – Gold knew better than to underestimate Ricka and her 'charms'. The redhead sent out a superior typing Pokémon against her, but there was more to it than that.

"Everyone's switching," Domino said as ruffled her hair, "I might as well do likewise, right? But first..." she pointed at Blade, smiling dementedly as she did so, "Weezing! Explosion!"

Gold and Leaf locked up in unison, while Domino's Weezing suddenly flew right toward Blade. He lifted up his claws and attempted to defend himself, thinking this was some sort of rush. Instead, the impact was relatively light. Instead, as Blade held Weezing off, the Poison Gas Pokémon began to smile. It then closed its mouths as well as its holes, and began expanding right in Blade's presence. Then he flashed white, and...

"Oh shit..."

KAAAAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The cave shook, everyone ducked down, and debris was thrown in all directions. When everone worked the nerve to stare again, the fog began to dissipate. Once it did, Weezing was there, floating, and smiling. Then its eyes became swirls and it fell down in defeat.

How does Self Destruct and Explosion work without killing the user is anyone's guess.

Blade wasn't any better. He shook on his feet, attempting to remain conscious but finding it impossible after taking on the full-impact of an explosion right in his face. He eventually grew weak in his limbs, fell down, then went silent.

"N-no! That's cheating!" Gold shouted as she quickly recalled Blade, angered that he didn't get a chance to even throw a punch.

"Not cheating," Domino claimed as she withdrew her Weezing as well, bending over to look down upon her opponent, "I did what I had to do to win, you know. Besides, Explosion is a Pokémon move. If it were cheating, then they wouldn't learn such a move... face it..." she grinned, "You're just mad you got bested!"

"I didn't lose! You cheated! You cheated! You-!" she ended up interrupting her rant by growling and making other guttering noises.

"Pokémon is Pokémon," Domino jeered at her, nose twitching in a cute fashion, "Now ready your next Pokémon or get out."

Gold gritted her teeth, holding her rage restrained for this moment and this moment alone. She really wanted to curse her out, but just couldn't. Probably because she realized how put against in a corner she was at this very moment. The way Ricka and Domino looked – smiling and laughing, cackling like a couple of witches – it was daunting to say the least. Their appearance was so strong at this very moment as they bullied the two Diamond sisters.

"Go!" Gold shouted, summoning her next Pokémon, "Hermes!"

The capsule device flashed to life, bringing to life the Pokémon inside. It landedo n four feet, with a body that's yellow and white. It's fur was jagged and spiky, whilst also coursing with powerful electrical currents. The canine-like Pokémon gave a hard roar as it stretched out a like a cat, then it leaned back up and got ready for battle.

"Jolteon!" Hermes, the Lightning Pokémon howled.

Leda smiled upon seeing her next opponents. A Pikachu and a Jolteon? This was like some kind of party for the hardy Raichu. She got to beat down two Pokémon and show she was superior when it came to all things electrical! She hunched down to the ground, getting on all fours, then stuck her behind to the air while her tail swung from side to side.

"Rai, chu. Rai, chu," she then said in a taunting and playful manner.

SNAP!

Right beside her, another Pokémon was unleashed. It hovered above the ground with four wings flapping in a desynced manner, giving it such a surreal feeling. It was surprisingly large for its species, with a purple body to boot. It's face was crude and hoarse with its mouth always frowning and its eyes a yellow and red. But they were a Pokémon that could only be born from love and adoration, something only a Trainer who holds nothing but love for Pokémon can do.

Ironic when it comes from Domino

"Croooobaat!" the – aptly named – Bat Pokémon howled as it hovered around its trainer.

The battle – once again – was set. Ricka hunched down a bit, matching that of Gold's, as they glared at one another. They both held a similar visage to one another; unburdened, unhindered, uncaring for the world around them. Right now, they only cared about besting one another.

For Domino however, she was like a wily cat playing with a tiny mouse. Leaf fidgeted, while sweat slid down her forehead. The younger Diamond twin swallowed her spit in apprehension as she faced down Domino and her Crobat. Though she knew her Pikachu held superior typing in this match, she also knew Domino's superior Pokémon Training more than made up for that disadvantage. Leaf wasn't like her sister or father; she didn't want to train her Pokémon for Pokémon battles. She was more into Pokémon Contests much like her mother, and honestly couldn't quite understand why people love battling Pokémon in the first place.

Everything became so silent then. The only sounds that echoed out were the ominous sounds of the caves around them. A bead of sweat that formed beneath Leaf's hat steadily dragged down her forehead, came to the side, and slid to her cheek. She breathed in, which caused the tiny pearl of sweat to snap and break. It hit the ground.

SPLAT!

It wasn't a loud sound. Hell, it was incredibly silent compared to everything around it. But at that very moment, in this very battle, that drop of sweat was like the gun at the start of a race.

"Leda! Thunder Punch!"

"Hermes! Thunder Fang!"

"Crobat! Poison Fang!"

"Tails! Uhh... Thunderbolt!"

So many bolts, so much nonsense, so much flashes. Jolteon rushed for Leda, ready to bite her, when a purple bat suddenly swooped down and caught him in its teeth. The Pokémon's fangs slashed down into Hermes' hide, quickly spreading out its venomous sting. Seeing this, Tails ran up with red cheeks coursing with electricity. The Pikachu attempted to save her ally by using Thunderbolt on the Crobat that held him hostage. But before she could even charge up enough energy to summon a zap, a powerful fist slammed into her cheek.

The punch sent Tails flying and crashing into the earth, her paws quickly grabbing onto her cheek. She tried to settle the pain that coursed through her face, before gasping as other paws clenched her neck. She was turned around then held up by her chest, whilst staring into the eyes of her assailant.

"Rai, rai rai," Leda said, her tail gently sliding along Tails' chin, "Rai, chu chu?" then a giggle, "Pika pika!"

"Ah!? Tails!?" Leaf cried, shaking in place while Leda maliciously taunted her Pokémon, "Stop that! Stop that now!"

Seeing this, Gold yelped in shock. She tried to focus on Hermes – who was still in the Crobat's mouth – and Tails, who was being held by Leda. With every second that went on, this battle was becoming more and more of a failure. She was strong enough to defeat any Team Rocket Grunt or Team Rocket Administer they had come across so far. But these two – Ricka and Domino – were in a league of their own.

"Ah! What to do, what to do, what to do!?" Gold muttered to herself, hands running through her hair, "Ah-ha! Hermes! Use Discharge!"

Her Jolteon wasn't feeling so well. Crobat's Poison Fang was fast acting, and all that struggling wasn't helping. However, once his master gave the order, his fur began to spike. Negative ions began charging within his very body, giving the Thunder Pokémon a luminescent glow. By the time Crobat realized what was going on, it was too late.

Thousands upon thousands of volts of lighting flowed through the Bat Pokémon's body, giving it quite the shock. It released Hermes from its maw as the super effective hit caused it to wobble about, sending it on a crash course with the water around them. Before plummeting into the waters below, Domino's Crobat was able to regain control of itself. It flew back to its Trainer and hovered around her, while she checked its injuries.

Jolteon fell on the ground, pain rumbling through its body. Crobat's poison was fast-acting and powerful, for the Thunder Pokémon could already feel itself weaken from its grasp. He made sure to give a snarl at Crobat, before turning to face Leda. She was still taunting Tails in her cute Raichu hands, making disturbing gestures like kisses faces. Hermes quickly slammed his feet down, charged up a powerful beam of electricity, then fired.

Leda appeared to be so preoccupied with threatening Tails, she didn't notice the electrical beam flying her way. Until her cheeks sparked. Her face grew serious, she leaned up, moved her hand out flat. Hermes' attack slammed against her hand, causing a powerful electrical current to surge throughout Leda's entire body. The lightning show was so bright, the trainers around needed to cover their eyes to stave off blindness.

Hermes held his charged beam on Leda as long as he could. A powerful electric-type, he was more than capable of putting up a fight with the toughest of opponents. But in Leda, he had found an opponent who was more than capable of matching his electrical blasts. Leda's hand acted like a sponge; she just kept soaking up his beam of lightning.

This was why she evolved. As a Pikachu, she could never take on such a challenge. She'd be overcharged, and knocked out by it. But as a Raichu, this was like a weak jolt from a Pichu; no matter how great it was. She smiled as her body was charged with electricity like a battery, getting as much energy as she needed. Sure, it did sting a little bit, but only a little bit.

Once Leda had her filled, she felt it was time to put an end to this. She smirked while she huddled down, holding her arms up around her head like she was defending. Her body had become stimulated by how much electricity Hermes was pumping into her. That same electricity caused her to become aggressive and belligerent.

Hermes didn't know how much she could take. He thought it was possible to overcharge her, but he couldn't. Maybe if he hadn't been poisoned, it would've been possible to drop the Raichu. But now he'd never know.

Hermes stopped firing, where he began wobbling on his feet. Electrical beam died away, he was now standing face to face with a Raichu whose entire body glowed like a light bulb. Leda was panted heavily – like she had run a mile – while this crooked smile sat on her face.

"Rai-Chu! Rai-Chu! Rai-Chu!" Leda constantly barked as she approached Hermes, looking as if she were about to rip him apart.

"Leda!" Ricka yelled, "You're overcharged! Discharge now!"

"RAICHU!" she shouted back.

"I SAID DISCHARGE NOW, GODDAMMIT!"

Leda continued to growl, glaring back at Hermes like she was about to ignore Ricka's command.

What? Leda may be rough, but she'd never ignore Ricka's command.

Mm-hmm... just listen...

"RAAAAAIIIIIICHUUUUUU!"

Her tail stretched high into the sky, before suddenly stabbing into the earth. Leda hiked down while her cheeks sparked with violent electricity. All the excess lightning she had absorbed thanks to Hermes attacks flowed from her cheeks, into her body, through her tail, and harmlessly into the earth. And by 'harmlessly' it was 'explosively'.

The earth right behind Leda erupted, throwing rocks in every which way. When it was all over, Leda stood slumped over, a pleased visage on her face, while she looked utterly exhausted.

It was like she just had just taken a good dump. That's the kinda face she had on right then and there.

Ewwwww... Buster didn't have to say that!

But that's seriously how her face looked! I'm not lying!

CHOMP!

Ow! Okay, okay! Sorry...

"Rai! Rai! Rai!" Leda laughed, fists on her hips, face pointed to the sky.

Beating down weaklings was something she adored doing; it filled her with so much purpose. After giving her laugh, she looked back down to Hermes, taunting him to make a move. He didn't; in fact, he did quite the opposite.

"Jollllteeeee..." he grumbled before falling to his side, finally succumbing to Crobat's poison.

Well, he was done, what about the other? Leda merely glared at Tails, who had finally recovered from her earlier attacks. Well, recovered enough to stare up to Leda in absolute fear. There was something about the little Pikachu that made her smile. Something in Tails reminded Leda about her sister, Vale. She had recently evolved into a Pikachu herself, and Leda couldn't have been more proud. Tails had the same look in her eye as Vale did. A powerful Pikachu, but not one cut out to be a battler like she was. No, no, the glitz and the shines of contests and galore was more their level. Still, Leda had a job to do.

She put her fists on her hips, bent over, then glared directly into Tails' eyes.

"Boo..." she whispered, making the Pikachu's pupils shrink.

"PIIIIKAAAAA!" she ended up crying, running right back to Leaf in fear.

Instead of recalling her Pokémon, Leaf just held her in her arms. Tails wasn't as injured as Hermes was as he was recalled, but she was surely terrified by the situation. Meanwhile, Leda ran back to Ricka and crawled up her arm, now standing perched on her Trainer's shoulder as she jeered at the Diamond sisters.

"Now this is just pathetic!" Domino claimed, shaking her head, "Why did you two even come here? You!" she pointed at Leaf, "You should just stick with Pokémon Contests! And you!" she pointed at Gold, "This fight is so bad, you might as well have stayed in Sinnoh!"

Gold tensed up at the statement, glaring at Domino as she belittled her. Naturally, she wanted to just yell at her. However, she couldn't. That roar of rage and anger built up as bile in her throat, and she just couldn't get it out. Honestly, she wanted to puke. That's exactly what Gold wanted to do at this moment. Puke.

Battles this tough only happened between herself and her rival. Right now, it was happening between her and these Team Rocket goons. It appeared as if Gold was on the verge of her worse defeat yet, and it had to be to these two. Why couldn't it have been Blue? Or that hottie Red? Why did it have to be these Team Rocket sluts!?

"No! No!" Gold exclaimed, "I am not going to lose!" she withdrew another Poké Ball, glaring at both Rocket members as her face turned red with rage, "We are going to beat you! Go! Joey!"

As she gave out the yell, Domino prepared herself for battle, but Ricka's hand held her back. Instead, she readied her own Poké Ball, cocked it back, then threw it forth whilst exclaiming,

"I choose you! Ace!"

Their Poké Balls snapped open together, bringing to life the Pokémon held within. As it did so, the cave flared to life once more. Capsules gave way to the two Trainers strongest and most reliable Pokémon.

Young Ace landed, his demeanor still calm and coy. However, instead of the mighty Sceptile he was known now for, he was a skinny, lithe, and youthful Grovyle. He crossed his arms over one another as he stared down the land-bridge toward his foe, awaiting for a battle. Being called out, he already knew who it was he was summoned to face off against.

His opponent was golden. It was unnatural for her species. These Pokémon were known for their blazing red auras, not their shimmering golden ones. The Flame Pokémon, they were known as. And she showed this with the blazing flame at the end of her tail, not to mention her burning spirit.

"Charrrrrr," Joey, Gold's Shiny Charmeleon growled, lips bent up in a smirk.

Oh! Oh! Joey was Gold's Charmeleon, and Ace's main rival, right?

Well, I wouldn't go as far as to call her his main rival... I think that right goes to Hydie's Feraligatr, if anything...

I thought I was telling this story...

…

When that voice echoed out, Rei locked up in place. Slowly, her head turned to the left, where her eyes fell upon Ricka's face. The redhead was gazing back with a deadpan expression on her face. Rei immediately yelped in fear, while Buster ran back to the Constant Pond with fear on his face. For a Slowbro, he ran really fast.

"Ricka!? When did Ricka get behind me!?" Rei asked as she suddenly found Ricka's hands on her shoulders.

"So what!?" she shouted, "You were talking to Buster about the story, weren't you!? Don't lie to me! I know you better than you know yourself, Rei! I may not be able to understand Pokémon, but I damn sure know when you're going behind my back on something!"

"Rei just wanted to know about the time Ace evolved!" the child stated as she was violently throttled by her older sister with no end in sight, "Rei didn't mean to go behind Ricka's back!... Whatever that means..."

"Do you really want to know!?"

"Yes! Rei wants to know!"

"And you can't wait!?"

"No! Rei can't wait!"

"Then put on your pajamas... you're getting your clothes dirty... I'll tell you when you're done..."

…

"You just really need to know, don'tcha?" Ricka asked as she stared over to her sister.

With fervent attention, Rei nodded at her sister. Those big azure eyes of hers appeared to be even bigger at this moment as she looked up to her sister, dressed in her Musharna pajamas. Ricka stared back – half under her covers, the other half above – looking at her sister with a twitching eye. She couldn't help but to yawn a bit as she looked over to the window, gazing to Fudan city's starlit nights.

After dealing with Kinoko's poisonous air, the woman thought she could get some rest for the night. But, of course, Rei just had to know about Ace's final evolution day. The woman rubbed her eyes a bit before looking back to her sister, noticing how the child's face hadn't diminished in awe-inspired glory. She just really wanted to know how this happened.

"Okay, okay..." the redhead said, cracking her neck, "Where did Buster leave off at?"

"When Gold sent out her Shiny Charmeleon, and you sent out Ace!"

"Ah... that's the only part you actually care about, isn't it?" Ricka said with another yawn, "Fine... you little brat... let me tell you what happened next..."

…

Ace's Leaf Blade missed, despite it all. It slammed down into the earth, uprooting rocks and granite once it touched down. He quickly readied his blade again however, holding it close to his body, whilst glaring toward his foe. The Shiny Charmeleon, a wily a opponent she was; she somehow had it in her to outperform the Grovyle.

But that's impossible! No one can beat Ace's speed!

You have to remember, Rei. This was a different time. Ace wasn't a Sceptile yet; he could still be out sped. Not by a Charmeleon mind you, but hey... you get what I mean.

"So someone's been practicing!" Ricka shouted at Gold, taking note of how Joey was capable of out-maneuvering Ace, "I guess this won't be a total curb stomp like I thought it was going to be!"

"Hah!" retorted Gold, "You're so full of yourself, Ricka! I've trained Joey to deal with speedy guys like your Ace! That Leaf Blade of yours isn't going to hit her this time!"

"We'll see about that!" Ricka exclaimed as she pointed at the Shiny Charmeleon, "Ace! Leaf Blade again!"

"Joey! Counter with Fire Fang!"

With a sway at sonic speeds, Ace quickly called upon his leaves to form a blade. He fashioned it quickly and skillfully; a scimitar crafted entirely out of green leaves. Once it was forged, he glared down at his opponent, pinning Joey on the spot with his powerful eyes.

Then his foot slammed upon the earth, and propelled himself forward. Seeing his, Joey's eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened as flames burned from deep within her body. His sword slammed into her jaw, where – to Ace and Ricka's surprise – the sword came to a halt. Joey smirked, while her fangs tore into the blade, severing it in half. Ace pulled back as his Leaf Blade was destroyed, all the while Joey chewed it into pieces.

The Grovyle's nostrils flared before he hunkered down into a battle stance once more. Joey did likewise, this cocky swagger in her hips. Seeing that only served to annoy Ace. A low growl echoed through his voice that was anything but kind.

Gold licked her lips, while sweat dragged down Ricka's face. Though this fight had been in her control throughout the entire match, Ace's bout with Joey wasn't going in his favor so far. Gold wasn't lying when she claimed to train Joey in a manner allowing her to catch up with speedy Pokémon. To Ricka and her Pokémon, Ace's speed was legendary; only out-done by those evolved and legends themselves. But right now, Joey appeared perfectly capable of matching him.

"You're a bitch!" Ricka insulted for seemingly no reason other than to give rise to her next command, "Ace! Agility!"

If he couldn't out-speed Joey before, he definitely could now. Relaxing his muscles, the Grovyle began to calm himself and relax. He focused only on his body, which slowly began to feel as light as air. Once he reached a zen-like state of loftiness, Ace's eyes snapped open. He wasted no time in his next attack, as he immediately dashed for Joey's throat.

"Joey! Smokescreen!"

Once more, the Shiny Charmeleon's throat bulged. Instead of preparing a flaming attack however, Joey spewed out a potent cloud of darkness. It filled nostrils and lungs, easily choking anyone caught inside who wasn't used to its pressure. Ace wasn't.

His new found speed couldn't match the cloud, as he came to a halt right in the center. Coughing, the Wood Gecko Pokémon found his eyes growing teary, while his lungs screamed in pain. He tried to settle the feeling, but it just wasn't working. He found his body failing as he fell to his knees; there was seemingly nothing he could do about the smog.

Then there was a red light. It appeared some ways away from him, and was only growing closer. He already knew what it was, especially as its heat resonated. Ace lifted his arms to defend against the strike.

It didn't work.

BOOOOOOOM!

A star-shaped flame suddenly erupted on the center of the battleground; right where Ace stood. He had his arms up to defend against the blast of fire, but it just didn't work. He instead felt every inch of its painful fury on his body, feeling as if it was burning him alive. The detonation also threw him away with its mighty impact, where he crashed into the earth yards away.

"Grooo... vyllle?" he grumbled in pain, eyes on the cave's ceiling.

Then ricka appeared in his line of sight, face stunned and shocked, not to mention worried.

"Ace...?" she mumbled, completely floored that he had actually been bested.

"Hah! Ha!" Gold laughed, hand on her belly, taunting Ricka with her victory with Joey as well.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Ricka roared, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she then readied Ace's Poké Ball as she began to slightly tear up, "Remember! We're still winning this match! This means nothing! NOTHING!"

Honestly, I hated it. Ace doesn't lose, Rei. He never loses. He's too good for that. But I had to keep up appearances in front of Gold; I couldn't let her know his defeat effected me deeply. Little did I know just how much the defeat meant to Ace himself.

"Groooooooo..." he grumbled in pain, slowly leaning up despite the blast he had taken.

"Ace! Stay down..." Ricka said as she watched him get to his feet, "You're too hurt..."

"Grooooo!" he growled as he instead began marching forward.

Ace's footsteps weren't right. He was constantly crossing on his feet, and jerking left and right with unsteady motions. His antics were belligerent and random; much like that of a drunk person. He constantly bit at the air, growled, and shook his head. This was a stark reversal to his usual calm and cool demeanor. Ricka and Domino, even Gold and Leaf, stared at Ricka's Pokémon with eyes of confusion. All the while, Joey's heart began to race.

I knew something was wrong immediately, Rei. Ace never acts like that. Not now, not ever. But at that very moment, it looked like he was losing his mind.

"GRRRROOOOOOVVVYYYYYLLLLEEE!" Ace began roaring as he began slamming his hands against the earth, steadily creating a pit, "GROOOOOOOVVYYYYLLLLEEE!" then he stopped and became deathly silent. The next thing he said was wildly different, "S-s-sss... Sscept... TILLLEEE!"

A white glow appeared on his body. It shined brighter and brighter, becoming holy in its light. Seeing this, Ricka's lips slowly curled up into a smile. Her heart started to race faster than it had ever raced before; she thought she was about to have a heart-attack.

"Ace," she said, smile on her face, "You're evolving..."

The glow of the Grovyle suddenly grew over four feet in height, becoming taller than anyone or anything in the cave. When the growing stopped, the shine died out. What was left looked so similar to the Grovyle, but also so wildly different. This new Pokémon was statuesque in height, a long bushy tail, six golden bulbs on is back, and a reptilian body that called back to the age of dinosaurs.

"Scept..." Ace growled lowly, "TIIIIIIIIILLLLLLEEEEEE!"

Joey looked up to the fully evolved Sceptile who glared back with bloody-murder in his eyes. Seeing how he evolved, she bit her lip and focused as hard as she could. The Shiny Charmeleon thought with a bit of mental persuasion, she'd be able to evolve like he did. But no matter how much training she had underwent to get here – and no matter how hard she tried – she just couldn't evolve. Eventually giving up, she instead waiting to get a command from her Trainer. But Gold was so mind-blown by the situation, she didn't know what to do either.

Ricka however smiled as she pointed her finger. She was going to end it with one final slash.

"Ace!" she called, "Leaf-"

"TTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLEEEE!" he roared instead, much like a rabid beast.

Ricka's eyes grew wide as Ace immediately acted despite her lack of a command. His claw reached down for Joey who darted to dodge, but failed to escape. Instead, the Sceptile grabbed her by the tail and jerked her high.

"TTIIIIIIIIILLLLEEEEE!" he roared again as he began to brutally slam Joey into the ground over and over and over and over and over again.

Things had suddenly become so serious. As if they weren't serious before; now though, it was ten-times worse. Ace had so quickly become murderous.

Rei's confused. Ace doesn't work like that.

He never has, and never will again. I can't explain it, Rei. I've heard of Dark Pokémon. No, not 'Dark' as in 'Dark-type', but Dark as in 'Evil' or 'Bad'. When a Pokémon is raised a certain way, it will act a certain way. I wonder if I had raised Ace to be like that. To be so brutal in his antics. I was afraid that... I am afraid that... I raised him to be murderous, somehow.

But Ricka would never kill a Pokémon!

You're damn right I never will! But... I was just scared that... I had done so...

"Ace! Stop!" Ricka cried, blood running through her veins, "Stop now!"

This was when it got terrifying.

"TIIIIIILLLLEEE!" he roared as he ignored her.

Ace would never disobey your order!

That's what I thought. Can you imagine how I felt when he didn't do such a thing.

"Ace! Ace! Ace!" Ricka shouted as she ran up to him, grabbing his arm fruitlessly to stop his vicious pounding, "Ace! Stop!"

"I've got this!" Domino stated as she readied her black tulip.

It folded out, revealing to be much longer than it was in reality. It also wasn't real. A fake machination created by her, the black tulip in Domino's hand was actually a stun rod of sorts. She pointed it at Ace, turned its dial, then fired an electrical beam to drop the Forest Pokémon.

It didn't work.

It felt more like a minute sting than an attack of any kind to Ace, who continued to pound Joey to unconsciousness. Any furhter, nad he was going to kill her. No one knew how to stop the Pokémon, Ricka included. She felt hopeless. Utterly and completely hopeless. As if she couldn't stop her own Pokémon.

"Please Ace, stop," she said lowly that he couldn't hear her, "Ace..." she began crying, "AAACCCCEEEE!"

I don't know what got through to Ace. Me. Domino's tulip, or if he had come to his own senses. But he slowly began to lighten up on his pounding.

"Tile! Tile!" he shouted instead of roared, though they too were getting lower, "Tile. Tile..." and lighter; he let go of Joey's tail, "Tile... t-t-tile..."

Ace took a deep breath, now feeling exhausted. His vision at first was blurry, but now it had settled down. Looking forward, he gazed down to the body that lay before him. It was the body of a Shiny Charmeleon, who was now silent. The mighty Sceptile rubbed his eyes, before realizing his hands were much harder than they were before. He looked down to them, realizing his claws were different. How different? Well, for one thing, he had three digits as opposed to two.

Prolonged gazing at his hands revealed to the Sceptile something else. He was taller. Far taller than he was before. Where he used to be the same height as Joey, he now dwarfed her considerably. Talk about scary.

It didn't take him far longer to realize what had happened. Ace had evolved. His heart raced, a smile coming to his lips. But when he heard sniffling, that smile left him. He'd recognize that lament from anywhere; it belonged to his trainer.

"Tile?" Ace cried as he looked over, eyes falling on a teary-eyed Ricka.

"Aaaaaccceee," she said, "What did you do? Wh-what did I do?"

He looked back down to Joey, quickly remembering what he had done. And it scared him. He thought he had killed her.

"Sceptile..." he said with head shaking. He didn't want to kill anyone or anything. He didn't mean too, "Scep..."

…

"Tile..." Ricka muttered.

Her eyes were wide briefly, as she thought about that day. Tongue slowly slithering out, she licked her lips and leaned back. Her chest rose and lowered very briefly as she thought about her tale, eyes slowly closing as well.

That day was a mixed bag for her. She, of course, was elated that Ace had evolved. Her first Pokémon reached his final form, and became the amazing fighting force he was known to be today. But he didn't transform the way she had hoped, and his evolution was anything but calm.

"You see, Rei," the redhead said as she looked off into the distance, gazing at nothing in particular, "Sometimes when Pokémon evolve, the sudden shock of it all makes them do things. Crazy things. I've had some of my finally evolved Pokémon go on rampages upon evolving. Like Volito. Or Quest. Though, to be honest, I think Quest was just rampaging because he's... ya'know... Quest..."

She reached up and rubbed her eyes, realizing her tail had gone on far too long. Her eyes finally traveled down after her tail, where they fell upon her little sister. Said child was slumbering now on the bed's edge, seemingly unable to keep up with Ricka's story. Someone – such as Ricka herself – would see the action as insulting; going to sleep during one of her stories? But for Ricka, she merely smiled.

"Yeah, it's waaaaaaaaay past your bedtime," she said as she scooped the slumbering Rei into her arms.

How much of her tale was true, though? How much was fabricated? Was any of it true? Was any of it a lie? Was that really the tale of Ace's evolution, or instead a valuable lesson to Rei about evolution? If there is a message in the story, that is? Maybe the woman was just being sentimental. Maybe she was just yanking Rei's chain. Perhaps there was no real reason behind any of it.

Only Ricka knows.

"Cute story, Ricka," a voice echoed to her as she entered the room.

Ricka looked over to the bed, noticing it was now occupied with a certain legendary. She smiled up to her Trainer, green hair splayed on the bed, toes to the sky as she rested on her belly. Seeing her, the redhead couldn't help but to smile at her.

"Etta, it's past your bed time too," the woman replied, before tying her hair back.

"Oh? And where are you going? Aren't you coming to bed too?"

"No... not tonight..." Ricka walked to the window and stared out toward a certain green reptile, "I think I'll... sleep under the stars tonight..."

…

"Ace..." Ricka said as she sat her head on his belly, blue eyes gazing to the starlit heavens, "Do you remember the day you evolved?"

Slowly her head turned over and faced him, smile on her face. As usual, the stoic Sceptile looked back with a coy and calm face, though one eyebrow was raised. Here was his Trainer in her pajamas and comforter, resting with him like they used to do years ago. And here she goes, asking him a question she already knew the answer to.

"Tile?" he inquired, "Scep scep tile? Sceptile scep?"

"You know I don't understand you!" Ricka laughed, giggling like she was a teenage girl again, "Why is it that Pokémon can understand humans, but humans can't understand you Pokémon? Maybe there's a reason behind it... maybe..." she patted her Sceptile on the side, making him relax as she did so, "You know I forgive you, right? For that day. It happens."

"Scep..." he replied, a slight groan in dissapointment with him.

"Don't take that tone with me!" she snapped, before rubbing his head, "It's alright... it's alright... You're too hard on yourself, Ace. Far too hard." she grumbled a bit as she rested on Ace's body, getting nice and comfortable, "Good night Ace..."

"Scep... tiiiiilllleee..."

Times like this was rare. When would be the next time they'd rest under the stars like this? Probably not for a while.

But it still felt nice, right?

Right?

Maverick Talks!

You know, I split these chapters up to make them shorter. And look; it still ended up being unhealthy in its length. Like... jeeze!

Anyway, to this chapter's trivia and stuff. First of all - as said before - I wanted this chapter to delve back into Ricka's time as a Team Rocket member. Maybe with 2nd Act, we'll talk more about Ricka's past. How would you like that, huh? I also wanted to talk about her partnership with Domino, especially since it looks like she'll be a major player in CB's finale.

Not only that, I've hinted more at CB's finale as well. What am I talking about? You'll see.

Ace's evolution insanity is something from the anime, actually. In one episode, a Hydreigon went crazy when it evolved from a Zweilous. I, personally, just thought the Hydregion was being crazy... because, ya'know, it's a Hydreigon. But that's neither here nor there. But Iris told me otherwise.

I then looked in the mirror and realized I was watching an episode of Pokemon BW. I promptly struck myself for doing something stupid and hazardous to my health.

Anyway, as stated before, Gold belongs to Nikki Firesong, and is the main character of her fanfic 'Legends'. You should read it; I think it's great, honestly. After all, I rarely follow and read fanfics. Like... ever.

But that's the end of that. I hope you've enjoyed another (overly long) episode of CB.

Catch ya later!

Maverick Kay Prime