Author's Note: So glad everyone still thinks I'm doing a good job!(: Thank you all for the reviews, favs, subs, etc!
This chapter is actually a little longer than the previous two. My little brother liked it, so I hope everyone else does, lol.((:

Feedback is appreciated, flames are ignored.
Enjoy chapter 3!

"Sir. You called for me?"

The man stood in front of the chair that was turned away from him, posture straight like a soldier and eyes unblinking. Just his appearance alone showed off traits of obedience, solemnity, and ambivalence. He was the perfect one for the job, professional enough to stick to only the task at hand, yet merciless enough to have no trouble with cruelty. At his side stood a Jolteon, spiky coat shining with health and glowing with strength. It was obvious the two were a perfect team, difficult to beat and even more difficult to challenge.

From the chair, the other took a pause. "Yes. I assume you remember what we talked about."

"I do." The Jolteon's trainer nodded slightly, despite the fact that he wasn't being looked at.

They'd spoken about the new operation just a week ago, and he'd been waiting to be called for it. It was a good plan to say the least, and after all the wasted time from before, a change was definitely in need.

"Good," the one from the chair began. "I wouldn't want to explain myself again. Now, go; just as we planned."

Bowing his head in respect, the man left to do as he was told. On his way out, the smallest of smiles appeared on his slightly hidden face; failure was not an option.

It was dark on the strange cave-like trail and Pikachu had no idea why she was even there in the first place. The only thing she knew was what her nose could tell her, and the trail held a very familiar – and very wonderful – scent. Inhaling the air, she could almost taste the wonderful smell. She knew it, yet she couldn't remember exactly what it was. It was strange. But the scent was so alluring, the mouse could do absolutely nothing but follow it.

As she walked on through the cave, a quiet dripping sound caught her attention. She turned around to where she'd heard the sound, but nothing was there. Suddenly, another drip came, but rather than hearing it, Pikachu felt it on the top of her head. Was it rain? No…the cave wasn't wet at all. It was rather dry, actually. And just as she was about to attempt to find out what the strange fluid was, another one dripped down right on the tip of her little black nose.

With the drip, the familiar scent was almost flooding her entire olfactory system, and almost as an instinct, the Pokemon licked the drip right off her nose. Instantly, she knew exactly what the fluid was; and she quickly began searching the cave for more. Few things could keep the rodent away from the food she loved like no other – ketchup.

Pikachu continued to search the ground for more ketchup, following her nose further and further down into the cavern. After searching for a while, she came across a dripping trail of the stuff, and it was almost too wonderful to bear. The mouse followed the trail, practically running now that she'd found something to go by, and the further she went, the more dominant the scent became. There must be some kind of secret stash, she thought to herself as she ran on, hoping Ash wouldn't mind the little detour she was taking. It was for ketchup! He was sure to understand.

After a while of running, Pikachu was slowly but steadily becoming more tired. She was beginning to think she'd never find the stash of ketchup, but finally, there was a small light at the end of the cave (or at least what she thought was the end of the cave). Slowing down to a walk, Pikachu approached the opening and went through, and only a few feet away was a massive vault; and based on the smell, it was filled with none other than the ketchup she'd been searching for.

The mouse's eyes shone brightly at the sight. It was one of the loveliest things she'd ever seen. So lovely that she hadn't even noticed the fact that the vault was being guarded by someone else she knew quite well. But as she came nearer, Pikachu could perfectly see the Pokemon standing in front of the beloved ketchup. Meowth.

"Meowth?" Pikachu inquired as she stopped a few feet away from him. Her head tilted slightly, she wondered why he was even there to begin with.

The cat turned around to face her with a surprised expression, but soon looked a bit confused to see her; he almost looked as if he'd never even seen her before now.

"Heya, mousey," he began. "…Who brought you here?"

Same voice, same stance. It was definitely him. Pikachu paused before going on.

"I just…followed my nose. Are you here to get some, too?"

Giving a short laugh, Meowth shook his head. "No way! I'm in charge a' dis place. And technically, Pikachus shouldn't be in here. You got a trainer or somethin'?"

Pikachu gave a confused look at the question. Of course she did. Did he really not know who she was? Pausing again, she didn't quite know how to answer.

"Uh…yeah," she spoke. "Don't you remember Ash?"

It was again Meowth's turn to look confused.

"Ash? Look, kid, I dunno any Pikachus. Or Ashes for that matter. I'm just here to do my job and guard dis here ketchup. So if ya got a trainer, you should probably get back to 'im; I'm sure he'd be worried about a cute little thing like you."

And with that, Meowth turned back around to the vault, pulling out a cloth as he began to polish it. Pikachu had almost forgotten about the ketchup by now. How could Meowth not remember her? They'd known each other for years now! It was insane. And she wasn't about to take it. Hesitating, Pikachu once again got the cat's attention.

She spoke, "…Are you sure you don't remember me, Meowth? You and Jessie and James are always chasing after me…in your hot air balloon…and, well…you know."

Meowth sighed and again turned to face her. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talkin' about, kid. I think you might be confused; you should probably go on back home now."

"But…"

"Pikachu!"

Meowth and Pikachu both instantly turned to the entrance of the vault's place in the cave to see Ash standing there. Arms crossed, he looked as if he'd been waiting for some time. And taking a pause, he spoke again.

"Pikachu, what are you doing all the way down here? We gotta get going! Hurry up!"

How had Ash found his way here, Pikachu wondered. Her ear tweaked slightly as she turned back to Meowth, who was already polishing the vault again. She was still completely stumped that Meowth didn't remember her, and now he wasn't even responding to Ash being there. What was wrong with him? After a second, Ash called out again.

"Pikachu! C'mon!"

The call made her turn to look at her trainer again. She wanted to go to him, but at the same time, the fact that Meowth didn't remember her was driving her insane. Pikachu didn't know what to do… She looked to the cat again, still trying to decide.

Ash called, "Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

"Pikachu, get up!"

Pikachu slowly opened her eyes to see Ash hovering over her, a very worried expression coating his tanned face. He gave a sigh of relief once she'd woken up, and finally his expression changed to a smile before he spoke.

"Pikachu! I've been trying to wake you up for fifteen minutes!"

A second or two passed before Pikachu fully awakened and got up, looking around frantically. No Meowth. No cave. No ketchup. A dream. Ears lowering with relief and surprise, she plopped back down on the futon again. That was definitely one of the weirdest things her mind had ever conjured up.

Ash spoke again, "Wah? Pikachu, are you alright?"

"Ash, I'm sure Pikachu's fine," Tracey's voice came into the conversation. "You probably just woke it up in the middle of REM or something. Give it a minute to wake up. And it's been two minutes, not fifteen."

Reluctantly, Ash took Tracey's advice and left Pikachu's side. It took another minute or two before the mouse Pokemon also got up and left the tent they'd slept in overnight. Once the three humans and their Pokemon were all ready to begin the next day's journey, Pikachu pushed the strange dream aside and made a mental note to never eat ketchup before bed again. Though it was a little more difficult to push Meowth's part in the dream away; the cat had been on her mind a good deal lately, given the slight change in their relationship. Perhaps that was why she'd dreamt of him.

The three trainers and their Pokemon had finally arrived back in the Kanto region the day before, and were relieved to have no more destinations other than Pallet Town. They still had a long ways to go before they'd reach the town, but Ash and Misty knew the region well and weren't worried at all about the journey.

"So…when are we gonna get something to eat?" Ash asked only a few minutes after they'd left the campsite.

Misty replied, "We're not even in a town yet; we'll get something when we get somewhere. Hopefully something good."

"I don't care if it's good or not, as long as it's edible."

The next words brought an odd smile to Tracey's face. "You really that hungry, Ash?"

"Of course he is," Misty answered. "I can barely remember the times when he isn't."

Ash was tempted to argue back, but decided against it since his red-headed comrade did have a point; his stomach did demand food a bit more often than everyone else's. Nevertheless, he couldn't understand why the two of them weren't hungry. Or maybe they were and just not bringing it up.

After a few moments of silence, Misty spoke up again.

"I wonder how my sisters have been," she said. "It'll be nice to see them all."

"You're coming back to Pallet with us, right?" Tracey asked.

The girl nodded. "Of course I am. But we're stopping through Cerulean, so I might as well visit."

"Hey! Pikachu!"

The conversation came to an abrupt end as Pikachu suddenly leapt from Ash's shoulder and ran into the nearby vegetation. Ash hesitated before following her to the edge of the bushes and trying to find out why she'd run off. Tracey and Misty did the same, also following the mouse down the trail they were on.

"Ash, what happened?" Misty asked as they ran on.

"I dunno, Pikachu just ran off!" Ash answered.

The trainers continued the chase until they caught sight of Pikachu up ahead. They slowed their pace once they realized she was no longer in motion, and soon came to a stop a few feet away. To all of their surprise, Pikachu was now standing in front of a Jolteon, both Pokemon in battle stance and growling quietly at one another. By the look of the Jolteon, it was obviously a trained Pokemon. Soft sparks emitted from both electric types as they growled, a sign that both were ready to battle if need be.

"What are they so riled up about?" Ash spoke, partially aloud and partially to himself.

Tracey looked over the two Pokemon confusedly, wishing he knew the answer to Ash's question. It wasn't like Pikachu to be aggressive towards others.

He finally replied, "Pikachu must've sensed the Jolteon's electricity. But I dunno why they're acting like this."

"Maybe there's another trainer around," suggested Misty.

Suddenly, the Jolteon stopped growling and jumped away, almost in response to the other humans having come around. Pikachu blinked in surprise at the action and didn't even have time to respond before a small explosion sounded, followed by a huge cloud of purple smoke.

"Pik-a!" the electric mouse bounded back in Ash's direction, trying to avoid the stuff.

It was no use to try and evade it, however, as the cloud had already surrounded them; coughing from the irritation and eyes shut tight, the trainers and Pokemon braced themselves to let the smoke pass. No one had time to ask where the smoke had come from, because just as it came, a not-so-familiar voice came with it, along with some very familiar words.

"Prepare for trouble!"

Ash's eyes opened immediately, despite the smoke. "Is that…"

"…It can't be!" Misty answered, both of them knowing the voice couldn't possibly belong to the two who usually attacked with said motto.

All confusion was answered as the smoke finally cleared. Standing in front of the trio of trainers wasn't the Team Rocket members they were familiar with, but a much more dangerous-looking member of the infamous group. Dressed in black, the man stood beside the very same Jolteon they'd met only a moment ago. Ash, Misty, and Tracey all stared at the man, eyes wide.

Finally, he spoke again. "Just kidding."

At the random joke, the three trainers nearly fell to the ground. The Rocket grunt, however, did not look amused. It almost looked as though he hadn't made a joke at all; his Jolteon looked just as serious as he did. Gaining composure back, Ash took a step forward, ready to start something as always.

"Hey, what's with all the smoke?" he asked, a little annoyed. "And tell your Jolteon to leave my Pikachu alone!"

The man looked down to his Pokemon at the words, and brought his gaze back up to meet Ash's again. Ever so slightly, a smile came to his face.

He said, "Relax, Ketchum. My Jolteon was only making sure I'd found you, just as I asked her to. She has no desire to start anything with your little rat."

Ash tensed at the terminology the grunt had used. "Rat!"

"Cool it, Ash!" Tracey butted in, trying to prevent Ash's attitude from getting them into any real trouble. "I don't think he's looking for a fight."

Despite Tracey's words only being a guess, they were right on the spot. The Jolteon and her trainer weren't looking for a fight at all; they were looking to deliver a message from the man who'd sent them on the wild goose chase to begin with. Giovanni.

The grunt continued, speaking to Ash. "You'd do well to listen to your friends. I'm here to give you an important message from the boss."

All three trainers' eyes widened at the surprising news. A moment passed before Ash responded, slightly confused and anxious to know what the message was and why it was directed at him.

"A…message?" he asked.

Without another word, the Rocket member handed him a small, black recording device. He waited for Ash to look over the gadget and meet his eyes again before he gave a nod and then looked down to his Jolteon, nodding once to her as well. A second later, another explosion just like the first one sounded, and the area was once again surrounded in a cloud of purple smoke.

"HEY!" Ash yelled, shielding his face.

The other trainers did the same, but they once again had no other choice but to stay put and wait for the smoke to clear. Luckily, it wasn't toxic; just irritating.

Through coughs as she shielded Togepi, Misty spoke. "Isn't one smoke bomb enough?"

"Not for him, I guess," Tracey answered in a muffled voice.

After the smoke had cleared again, the grunt and his Jolteon were nowhere in sight. Pikachu was curled up on the ground next to them, eyes closed and trying to shield herself; Ash smiled, kneeling down to scoop her up. He then brought his attention back to the strange new device. Misty and Tracey came closer to also get a good look at it.

"Well that was weird," Ash said after a pause. "I wonder how ya work this thing."

At the words, Pikachu blinked, hesitantly reaching a paw over to give the button on top a tap. Ash tried to stop her from pressing it in fear that the button was the wrong one, but the tap was too quick to stop, and only a second later all was forgotten a familiar voice sounded from the machine.

"Greetings, Ash Ketchum, self-proclaimed Pokemon master," the voice began. "If you're listening to this now, you should already know who this is speaking to you. Of course I have my doubts that you do. If I'm right about that, then I suppose I'll need to include an introduction; my name is Giovanni, and I am otherwise known as the boss. I've sent this message to inform you of the Pidgeot you released some time ago."

The last few words provoked a quiet gasp from Ash. Eyes wide, he tensed, tightening his grip on the recording device. He almost spoke, but opted against it, as the message from Giovanni wasn't quite finished. But what did he know about Pidgeot? And better yet, how did he know?

The message continued, "Don't worry about it; I haven't done anything to it…yet. Nevertheless, if you want your Pidgeot safely returned to you, you'll cooperate with me. I want you at my new hideout in one week for a Pokemon battle. If you defeat me, you get your Pidgeot back. If you lose, or arrive any later than a week…it's mine. So I suggest you hurry. Have a good day, Ash Ketchum."

As the message ended, Ash could feel himself shaking, though he couldn't tell if the shaking was from the anger, the sadness, or the fear he was now feeling. He almost felt like he could cry, but the rage inside him was preventing it. The boss of Team Rocket had his Pidgeot.

Misty looked nearly as worried as he did, as she too knew the Pidgeot well. All the battles Ash had fought with it, and the Viridian Forest where he'd captured it, all still back when Pidgeot was a Pidgeotto. And then just before they'd left for the Islands, Ash had released it. Now Misty and Ash both wished he'd never let it go in the first place.

Ears lowered, Pikachu also looked as though she would cry soon if something else didn't come up.

Finally, Tracey broke the silence. "Well, we better hurry, guys. We need to find that hideout."

Misty, Ash, and Pikachu looked his way. Ash nodded, trying to seem more optimistic than he was feeling.

"I can't believe Team Rocket got Pidgeot…," he said, fists clenched. "How did they even know!"

"I dunno, but let's save the questions for later, Ash. We're gonna have to pick up our speed if we wanna save it."

Misty spoke, "Wait, but…we don't even know where the hideout is!"

Misty was right, they all knew. There was no way of getting there without knowing where to go. There was another moment of silence between the trainers before Ash replied, not wanting to wait around anymore.

"Well then we gotta find that guy who gave us the message!" he said.

The two others nodded in agreement, but all three were still left wondering how they were going to find the grunt now. He couldn't have gotten too far, though, and the safety of Pidgeot depended on it. Suddenly, Ash took off running in the direction Pikachu had been running when she'd chased the Jolteon; maybe they'd gone that way.

"Ash! Wait up!" Misty called after him before she and Tracey also took off in the same direction.

"I can't wait!" he replied as he ran, not slowing his pace for either of them.

Pidgeot was in Team Rocket's possession now. And not just with the two goons they knew could do no harm. Every wasted moment was another moment that might prevent him from ever seeing it again. He couldn't wait.