Nate leaned back against the entrance as he waited for the others. When Mark finally walked up to join him, Nate told Mark in a low voice. "I think we should leave Pryce behind. Have him meet us at the shrine." Mark looked to Nate, asking softly. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Maybe we should keep him with us. We still don't know what he was doing that night in Ice Town." Nate scoffed his shoe in the dirt, bowing his head a bit as he told him seriously. "I know. It's a risk... but this mission is going to be dangerous. And if he turns on us... He could get one of us killed. That's a risk that I'm not sure I want to take." From below, Pryce asked a bit heatedly. "What are you two whispering about? Is it wrong for me to pull my own weight?" Mark looked only at Nate, giving him a very subtle nod without turning around to address Pryce. Nate got the confirmation that he wanted and looked to Pryce. Straightening up a bit, Nate told him casually. "We weren't talking about that. I was addressing a concern. See, maybe in your time Team Rocket recruits older people... but in this time... they don't. You'll stand out."

Pryce relaxed a bit but asked curiously. "So? Zoey can use an illusion to get me in." Nate crossed his arms over his chest, calmly retorting. "I don't think that's a good idea. Zoey can only do that so many times before she gets tired. We'll need her to save it for when it counts." Pryce now crossed his arms, asking more sternly. "So... Your plan is to leave me behind again. I have more experience then all three of you!" Nate shrugged, telling him dryly. "We don't want to fight our way through the base. We want to sneak in and out. I think we can handle that." Pryce tossed up his hands, snapping out. "And what about me?" Nate looked to Mark for a second, then answered coolly. "We think you should go to Lugia's shrine. Get it ready for us. Defend it in case Valor tries to mess with it. Because as you say... you have more experience battling than us." Mark smirked a little but tried to keep it hidden. Putting his hands on his hips, Pryce boldly stated. "Fine. Give me the jewels and I'll set them up while I'm there."

Mark turned to face Pryce now, firmly replying. "No. They stay with us." Pryce narrowed his eyes on Mark, sneering out. "If you get caught. Team Valor will have ALL the jewels. Do you want that? They are going to the shrine anyway. I can defend them there." Nate shook his head, bluntly telling him. "No. The locals said the jewels should stay with their Chosen one. That's us. You wanna end this war? This is how we start going about that." Pryce looked to Sean, asking heatedly. "Do you agree with them?" Sean froze up with wide eyes. Sean had no idea what was going on. Stepping up to the edge, Nate snapped out at Pryce. "Sean is with us. This is the safest course of action." Pryce whirled on Nate, snapping out as he pointed between Nate and Mark. "I was asking Sean! You are not the leader! You are a criminal and HE is no better!" Nate puffed his chest up in response. Beside him, Mark turned away from looking at Pryce to focus gentle eyes on Sean. Pryce whirled on Sean then, telling him openly. "Sean, you can't trust them. They could be working together!"

Nate rolled his eyes, grumbling out. "Pryce, stop. You're being ridiculous and we don't have time for this." Pryce raised a hand to Nate without looking at him as a rude gesture for him to shut up, upon telling Sean. "Think about this. Isn't it convenient that Mark shows up at the same time as Nate to confront you? Mark admitted that it was HIM who told his team about the Milotic that you found! It's why HIS team attacked yours for it! It's interesting that Mark conveniently helps save Nate from Giovanni. A crime boss with hundreds of guards and pokemon at his command!" Mark turned to face Pryce, snapping out. "What?! That has nothing to do with-!" Pryce cut him off to tell Sean in a louder tone. "He never even told you that he was a Ranger! You ever think that they are using US!" Nate gawked in disbelief, when Pryce turned to face them, telling them firmly. "I want what is MINE. Give me Celebi. Prove to me that you aren't using us." Sean looked between Nate and Pryce completely lost by this turn of events.

Mark shrugged, asking perplexed himself. "How would that prove anything?" Pryce looked to Sean to answer bluntly. "Think about it. They get the jewels, and they keep Celebi. They can flee to the future and use the birds to become more powerful!" Mark huffed, stating out sternly. "That doesn't even make sense! If we flee to the future and leave things like this... There won't BE a future! What the hell do you think you are trying to pull?!" Nate straightened up to his full height, uttering out in realization. "Oh... You are good, Pryce... I knew there was a reason why I didn't trust you." Pryce shrugged like he didn't see it. Nate removed the Mega Stone from his pocket. Pryce stiffened but said nothing. Nate locked eyes with Pryce, informing everyone. "You claim you went through time to save your pokemon... but why was Necrozma really after you? You gave this to me when we met. Said you had information for Giovanni... that was priceless. You used the rip in time to collect different pieces of Necrozma... didn't you? That's why he was after you. Not Celebi." Pryce shook his head, confidently retorting. "You're lying! You're trying to turn this on me and you're-!" Nate curled his fingers around the Mega Stone, snapping out. "Empty your bag! PROVE it."

Mark inhaled slowly, mumbling out to himself. "Son of bitch... It was right in front of us." Pryce pointed at Nate, snapping out. "I don't have to prove anything to YOU! You are the one that turned traitor! They can't trust YOU! You're Giovanni's whore! You're probably used to flipping sides for him! You put on a nice little act, don't you?" Mark grabbed Nate's arm to preemptively stop him from attacking Pryce, but Nate just stared back at Pryce to utter out softly. "You envy me. Let me guess... Giovanni isn't interested in YOU. This is all about you getting into his good graces." Pryce let out a sigh, then growled out bitterly. "YOU ruined him. I don't know what he ever saw in you... but even after he divorced Ariana... All he talks about is YOU! The one that broke his heart and got away..." Mark blinked, discreetly gesturing for Sean to move closer to them. Sean inched toward him slowly, while Pryce straightened himself up to say. "I've traveled through time. I've seen what Giovanni is going to do. You think you've escaped him. You're wrong... Giovanni is coming across time with his new gang called Rainbow Rocket. He's coming to this time to GET YOU! I am trying to stop that future from happening!"

Nate's breath left his lungs. Pryce inched forward, sneering up to him. "That's right. In the far future, he learns his own way to cross time. And his ambition is like nothing you've ever seen. He's united the strongest gangs under him... and he's going to waste it to get YOU. But I can change that... I just have to put my younger self in your place in his eyes." Pryce reached into his jacket, removing a gun that he cocked back as he pointed it at Nate. Sean rushed forward to slam into Pryce, screaming out. "NO!" Pryce tried to correct his aim as he went down. The gun going off with a loud 'BANG' that echoed off the cave walls and spooked the Crystal Onix. Mark yanked Nate's arm to pull him closer to himself, causing the bullet to blast a hole in the rock wall just above where Nate's shoulder had been. Mark pulled Nate toward the fading illusion at the entrance, yelling out. "GO NOW!" Nate staggered through the entrance where Zoey was racing to get to him, but he yelled back. "SEAN!" Mark shoved Nate, snapping out. "GO! I got him!"

Nate tried to disobey, but Zoey wrapped her arms around him and began to rush him from the cave as it rumbled, and pieces fell from the ceiling. The Crystal Onix was using an attack to scare them off that could very well bring down the cave with it! Inside, Sean yelped as Pryce backhanded his face and rolled him over onto his back. Pressing the gun to Sean's stomach, Pryce bitterly snapped out through clenched teeth. "Stupid kid! This wasn't about YOU!" Sean heard the gun cock and yelped as Pryce was thrown off him! The gun went off again, blasting a hole in the floor as Pryce hit the wall. Sean sat up, his body shaking as he saw Chad at his feet. Chad's clothed body was billowing with a dark energy and his long dark ghostly hands were raised high in a terrifying gesture. Above him, Mark whistled and jumped off the ledge. Tropius roared, soaring under Mark to catch him. Steering back, Mark reached down for Sean's hand and missed because Tropius had to veer up to avoid hitting the ramp wall.

However, Chad wrapped a ghostly hand around Sean and reached out to grab Tropius's saddle with the other. Sean yelped as he was jerked off the ground and quickly pulled up over the back of Tropius like he weighed nothing. Mark looked only a little startled by it but reached back to grab Sean's belt to help keep him on. Without waiting, Tropius flew straight out the entrance toward the exit. It was like he knew that Chad was going to do that. Tropius's leaf wings hit the edges of the tunnel, but he simply folded his wings back and ran the rest of the way. Behind them, the cave cracked and fell apart from the way Crystal Onix thrashed and roared in the distance. Skidding to a stop outside the cave in the heavy rain, Mark looked for Nate. Zoey held Nate back under a tree, but he calmed down when he saw them. The cave entrance collapsed, and Mark looked around the woods. He didn't see anyone out here, but he told the others over the noisy storm. "We shouldn't stay here in case someone heard that." Nate nodded, pulling from Zoey as he told them. "This way."

Mark turned Tropius to follow Nate. Despite the heavy rain, Tropius was a grass type and enjoyed the rain. It only made him stronger. Lifting his long leafy wings, he absorbed the water that he could and used his wings to keep everyone as dry as he could. Sean coughed, sitting up slowly to sit better behind the saddle on Tropius. Mark lowered himself down onto the saddle, asking him with worry. "Are you alright?" Sean was still shaking, but he nodded and leaned up against Mark's back. Behind him, Chad hugged him. His hand stroking Sean's back to mimic what Mark was doing to his arm. Sean reached back to pat Chad's clothed body as his only means to thank him. He had acted without thinking and now his body was running through everything that he could have lost doing that. Nate led them quickly through the woods, stopping short after a time to point out at Fire Town. Fire Town sat nestled snuggly between stripped mountains with a small path leading to the docks of a nearby ocean.

The area all around Fire Town was stripped of any greenery. It was all dirt, and the town was built in metal and cement like structures. What water that he could see looked to be muddy and the air above the town was thick with smoke from factories. The pokemon that they could see were dressed like construction workers and were busy going in and out of mountain mines or unloaded stuff from large metal ships at the docks. Nate gestured to the town, telling them grimly. "I'll go down and see if I can get you two something to wear to... blend in." Mark slid off Tropius, confronting Nate to tell him seriously. "Won't Team Rocket recognize you? Maybe we should think-" Nate put a hand on Mark's shoulder, telling him calmly. "We don't have time. If Pryce goes to Giovanni now... We'll lose any advantage we have. We have to go now. Team Rocket has a lot of members that don't talk to each other... Even if I am recognized... Let's hope that if Giovanni is hurt, that he hasn't gotten the word out about me yet."

Mark grabbed his arm, telling him nervously. "I'm not confident about this. You're still recovering..." Nate chuckled lightly, stepping in to cup Mark's face before he kissed him. Mark returned the gentle passionate kiss. When Nate pulled away, he told him with a confident smirk. "Trust me. This is what criminals like me were built for." Nate patted Mark's chest, pointing to Sean as he told him. "Just make sure that he is ok. Leave this to Zoey and I." Zoey removed Nate's bag, handing it to Mark as she winked at him and said just as confidently. "I got his back. Watch for patrols." Mark nodded, while Chad saluted from the back of Tropius. Sean slipped off Tropius, staggering over as he called out. "Nate?" Nate skidded to a stop to look at him. Sean tried to catch his breath but told him. "Good luck." Nate rushed over to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, then ran after Zoey. Sean winced in pain but hide it to smile after Nate. Mark saw him wince though, touching his chin to coax him into turning his head.

Looking over his face, Mark used the rain to smear the dirt off his cheek. Sean winced more, causing Mark to touch his cheek more gently. Sean's cheek was red from being hit. Mark wrapped his arms around him, pulling him up against his chest. Brushing Sean's hair from his face, Mark kissed his temple, telling him in a deep voice. "That was very brave. Are you sure you are ok?" Sean nodded against Mark's chest, telling him a little breathlessly. "I'm ok. Chad saved me..." Mark looked up at Chad who was sitting on Tropius's saddle now. His clothed head flopping to the side and looking as innocent as ever. Giving Chad a smirk, Mark gave him a slight nod of respect. Chad's head peaked back up in surprise, his eyes glinting as he clapped silently in excitement. To Be Continued...