Evafan24: I know it's been a while since I've updated this story. Though I do hope to keep working on it. I've been so stuck on writing for Shikamaru I haven't thought much about this story these past few months. So for those that have been waiting for an update... thanks for being so patient and putting up with the lack of updates. ^^;;

"So do you have any idea where our Pokémon might be Gary?" Atsuo's eyes stared at Gary's back as he lead the way through Mt. Moon cave.

"To be honest, I don't." Gary shook his head.

"Uuuuuuuugh..." Miyu groaned in an un-ladylike manner.

Gary rolled his eyes in reply towards Miyu's comment. "Don't worry; I'm sure if we just ask around we'll find them eventually."

"Ask around, are you crazy?" Miyu stared at Gary indignantly.

Although the part of the cave the trio was walking though was empty, Miyu still had to do everything in her power to keep her voice down as well as not give herself away to Gary. It was bad enough he had already heard her scream like a girl once. And once was certainly more than enough.

Gary turned to look over his shoulder at Miyu. "As long as you just play it cool and don't act like an idiot, we'll be fine."

"Ehehe…" Atsuo smiled nervously, suddenly feeling the tension between Gary and Miyu grow thicker.

"Speaking of idiots, what's up with Miyu these days Atsuo?" Gary inquired.

Miyu froze in her tracks for a moment, feeling her heart skip a beat at the mention of her real name. Luckily, Gary was leading the way, so he didn't catch her reaction.

'Crap,' Miyu bit down on her lip. 'Crap. Crap. Double Craaaaaaap!'

"W-Well um…" Atsuo trailed off, feeling skittish and nervous about the subject.

Miyu quickly catches up with Atsuo and Gary, now trying to think of a possible answer to his question.

"Just don't take the fact that I'm asking about her the wrong way." Gary quickly added. "I just asked because I figured you both would be traveling together since you two were practically tied at the hip in school."

'Hmph…' Miyu stuck her tongue out at Gary when he wasn't looking.

Atsuo stayed quiet for a moment or two, quickly thinking up another lie to keep from blowing Miyu's cover.

"Well, the thing is that…that's why we're not traveling together." Atsuo began. "Since we…we were always hanging out together in school…we thought it would be best if we just go our separate ways for a little while."

Miyu inwardly exhaled a long sigh of relief, putting a hand on her chest. 'Nice save Atsuo...' Miyu thought.

Gary went quiet, allowing Atsuo's words to sink into his subconscious. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So you invited your cousin along… so you wouldn't feel lonely?" Gary glanced at Atsuo's 'cousin' who frowned.

Atsuo quickly nodded her head in reply to his question and smiled. "Y-Yeah, that's right. Hanging out with Miyu and leaving her behind… made me realize that it's easy to take friendships for granted if they're always there for you."

"Never would've thought of friendship like that." Gary nodded thoughtfully.

"So, what about your friendship with Ash then?" Atsuo asked.

"Let's not get carried away," Gary snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Target sighted…" Miyu murmured, a small smirk playing at her lips.

"So how do we go about asking this guy Gary?" Atsuo whispered.

Gary looked from his spot from behind the large boulder they were hidden behind to watch the male Rocket grunt that was keeping watch for any suspicious activity. It didn't appear to look like the grunt was paying too much attention to his surroundings at the moment.

"I got it covered; just stay here and I'll signal when to follow my lead." Gary ordered, putting a finger to his lips.

"What's the signal?" Miyu looked over at Gary.

"You'll know, just trust me…"

Miyu and Atsuo exchange a look before looking back at Gary. "Just be careful…"

Gary nodded and cautiously walked out from his hiding spot from behind the boulder when the Rocket Grunt wasn't looking. He pulled off a pokeball from his belt and began walking towards the Grunt. He finally caught wind of the silhouette approaching him and quickly composed himself.

"Shouldn't you be at your post?" The grunt folded his arms across his chest.

Gary holds out his pokeball in front of him. "I found out the hostages were hiding another Pokémon and I was ordered to put it with the others." Gary lied smoothly.

The Rocket Grunt stayed silent, contemplating whether or not to believe him before he slowly nodded his head.

"Just hurry up and head upstairs to put it with the others and get back to your post." He ordered.

Gary nodded in reply. "Understood,"

"By the way, how in the hell did you get recruited? You look a little short,"

'Uh oh…' Miyu and Atsuo thought in unison.

Gary glared at the Rocket Grunt, who was actually a few inches taller than him. "The boss was willing to overlook over my height because that obviously has nothing to do with the potential I have."

The grunt scratched the back of his head awkwardly at the mere mention of their boss.

"Oh, and by the way…I just got an urgent call from him. He said he needs you on the lower level with the others, they need some extra help down there." Gary pointed his thumb in the opposite direction.

"…fine." The Rocket Grunt sighed.

And with that, the Rocket Grunt takes off down the cave without looking back. Miyu and Atsuo watch the grunt run pass, poking their heads out from their spot behind the boulder.

"I guess that was the signal?" Atsuo cautiously walked out from behind the boulder.

"You got it," Gary motioned for Atsuo and Miyu over.

"I gotta say, for an evil organization, they sure are stupid. I mean, they'll believe anyone dressed like this is a member of it?" Miyu tugged at her black shorts. She didn't know how the girls put up with wearing such short shorts. They were starting to give her a wedgie.

"Still, we can't afford to get careless. It probably won't be long before they find out you guys escaped. So we better find your Pokémon and find a way out of here."

The girls nodded in agreement and head upstairs to collect their belongings and their Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur, I'm so glad you're safe…" Atsuo hugged the grass Pokémon close to her body.

"Saur, Bulba…" Bulbasaur smiled toothily, nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck affectionately.

Miyu grabbed both her pokeballs and her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder.

"Alright, alright, enough love, let's get out of here. We don't have much more time to waste here." Gary warned.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't get your panties in a—"

"…Char." A familiar voice growled in the distance.

Miyu stops mid-sentence, quickly looking around her surroundings to see if she was indeed hearing things.

"Is something the matter Ichirou?" Atsuo returned her Bulbasaur back to his pokeball.

"Did you guys hear something?"

"Hear what…?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

'It's gotta be…it just had to be him!' Miyu mentally confirmed.

"Um, you guys…I uh…have to go to the bathroom." Miyu laughed in a sheepish manner.

"Wait, what? You gotta be kidding me! Can't you at least wait until we get outside?" Gary stared at Miyu in disbelief.

"I-I won't be long, promise. I'll be back in a flash!"

"H-Hey, wait a second!"

Miyu paid no heed to Gary and quickly went on ahead in the opposite direction of the cave, leaving both Gary and Atsuo behind.

'That just had to be Charmeleon, it just had to be!' Miyu thought.

Her thoughts were confirmed when her eyes catch sight of a Dragon Rage attack colliding with the rocky ceiling of the cave. The cave to shook a bit from the impact, a mixture of dirt and dust rising in the air. Miyu coughed, putting a hand over her mouth and waved away the dust. She tentatively stepped closer towards the source of the collision. When the dust cleared up, she sees her Charmeleon locked in combat with the wild Mankey.

'Unbelievable…how long have they been fighting?'

Miyu watched Mankey aim a low kick at Charmeleon who narrowly dodges by jumping back a few good feet. Charmeleon grunted, falling to his knees and placing his clawed hand on the ground as he tried to catch his breath.

'This isn't good, Charmeleon is looking worn out. I gotta do something.' Miyu stared at Charmeleon briefly before turning her attention to the wild Mankey. Mankey looked a little tired himself, but both Pokémon were equally too stubborn to fold.

"Charmeleon!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Charmeleon looked out from the corner of his eye in Miyu's direction, turning his attention back to Mankey. Mankey was recovering at a faster rate than Charmeleon as he shifted his body to a fighting position, holding both his fists in front of his body.

Miyu quickly recovered Charmeleon's pokeball off her belt and held it out in front of Charmeleon. "Charmeleon, return!"

Mankey blinked as Charmeleon suddenly disappeared in a gulf of red light and pulled back into his pokeball.

"You've caused me a lot of trouble today, you know that?" Miyu sighed and put her pokeball back on her belt.

"Well, well. Looks like a little girl has lost his way…" a feminine voice chuckled from behind Miyu.

"H-Huh?" Miyu teared her attention away from the wild Mankey to look over her shoulder. The moment her purple hues met with the two Rocket Grunts standing behind her, she immediate regretted it.

'Oh crap…' Miyu's face paled.