Sean discreetly peeked back through the bushes, watching as a group from Team Valor were capturing small pokemon and shoving them into cages on a cart. The pokemon were all the same. They looked like a tiny version of the large Melmetal that they had seen attacking the Ruby Steelix. They had bodies that looked like liquid silver metal with a hexagonal nut for a head and a small black sphere hovering in the center like an eye. It even had a red tail that looked like a wire with two tiny prongs on the end. He'd never seen them before, but Team Valor was loading them like they had found a nest of them. Over his shoulder, Nate whispered to him. "How many are there?" Sean quickly counted and held a hand up to gesture for five and up. Mark asked in a soft whisper. "What are they doing this far inland? Valor rarely leaves Fire Town." Nate tapped his shoulder, asking him hopefully. "Switch with me. Let me see." Sean lifted an arm to block Nate from moving up, growling over his shoulder. "Why? Expecting to see a friend of yours?"

Nate narrowed his eyes on Sean, growling back defensively. "Keep pushing it and I'll throw you out into the open. You know what a group of Valor will do to a lone Mystic? Cause I do!" Mark swatted them both in the chest, hushing them before snapping out quietly. "Stop it. Someone's coming..." They fell quiet and Sean risked peeking through the bushes again. A woman dressed in a white uniform was approaching the cart loaded down with pokemon. Sean locked his jaw when she turned enough for him to see the small red 'R' on the breast of her uniform. Turning slightly, he sneered at Nate. "Well, seems your people are the reason. Something you aren't telling us?" Nate raised an eyebrow, uttering out softly. "What? I don't follow. Who do you see?" Sean pointed a stern finger at him, about to say something foul, until Mark covered his mouth and yanked him away from the bush. Sean thrashed as Mark pulled him to his chest, holding him tightly. The moment Mark turned him to face the bush, Sean froze in place. A large Arbok was silently making its way through the bush. The large purple snake's long forked tongue flicked out sensing the heat in the air.

Zoey threw her hands up, her eyes a glowing red from forming an illusionary wall that only looked fake from their side. The Arbok curled up just outside the bush, looking into the cave with big black soulless eyes. The cobra hood on its neck slowly rising as it bared its sharp white fangs. It was searching for something. Sean swallowed hard. Arbok was poisonous and extremely aggressive. Arbok's long tail coiled up beneath it more, the tip shaking with agitation. Even if it couldn't see beyond Zoey's illusion, Arbok's tongue was sensitive to body heat and it was growing more agitated at sensing something that it just couldn't see. The Arbok jerked its head left and right, trying to spot anything. The Arbok flicked its tongue out close to the ground and Sean tensed. His foot was at the edge of the illusion and Arbok was testing the air just outside the illusion. If Arbok decided to strike... he was in trouble. Arbok venom was potent enough to kill him in fifteen minutes flat. Which would put him in respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.

Nate picked up a rock as the Arbok hissed and drew closer to the illusion. Sean felt Mark withdrawing a pokeball from his belt, before giving a nod to Nate. Nate nodded back, then tossed the rock to hit the back of the Arbok. The Arbok let out an aggressive hiss, thrashing violently to twist itself up around the rock. Mark used the Arbok's hissing to cover the noise of the pokeball opening. Beside them, Raichu appeared. Shaking its body a little, it rubbed its ears before turning to say in a cute voice. "Rai?" Mark pressed a finger to his lips and Raichu flinched, dropping to all fours with worry. Arbok squeezed the rock in a death grip, watching the rock closely. Its tongue sensing the heat on the rock from Nate's hand. It only took the Arbok a second more to realize the rock was just that. Its tail untangling to look directly in the direction of Nate. Its tongue flicking through the air as it tracked the chemicals from Nate's heat signature. Nate stayed very still, while Mark pointed at Raichu and then the Arbok. Raichu shivered in fear. Being an electric mouse didn't mean it was brave enough to start a fight with a snake of Arbok's size.

Mark made more hand gestures, until Raichu puffed itself up with a wicked grin and turned around. Lifting its surfboard tail, it dropped to all fours and began to charge itself up. As the Arbok reached the illusion in front of Nate, the Raichu's tail slipped out of the illusion to just touch the Arbok's tail. With just a single light touch, Arbok jerked into a tense state as its body started rippling with electricity! Raichu put its paws to its mouth, chuckling devilishly as Arbok fell flat across the ground twitching from electrical spasms. It was paralyzed. Mark loosened his hand on Sean's mouth and Sean pulled his legs up to his chest. Nate raised a hand for everyone to remain still as the woman in a white uniform moved closer to the bush, asking with curiously. "Athena? What's wrong?" She was coming straight toward the cave, her hand going for another pokeball on her belt. Sean's eyes widened as Nate jumped to his feet, stepping through the illusion to address her in a calm voice. "Ariana! Funny seeing you here. Was that your snake? My bad."

Ariana crossed her arms over her chest, her red bangs falling into her eyes as she snapped out. "Nathan. Where have you been? Did you get the Prism Scale?" Zoey shrugged off the bag, sliding it out of the illusion for Nate to grab. Nate picked up the bag, hefting it up over the bush to show her as he said excitedly. "Of course. I'm not an idiot. Just got lost in the caves chasing after that damn Mystic. The fucker led me on a wild Doduo chase." Ariana narrowed her eyes on him, stating out coldly. "Prove it." Nate dropped his bag, smugly bending down to open it to dig it out. Upon retrieving it, he stood up and showed her the glinting scale with a smirk. Ariana unfolded her arms, moving closer as she extended a hand out, saying in a mock sweetness. "Fabulous. I'll hold onto it." Nate curled his fingers around the scale, holding it behind his back as he stated back seriously. "Oh, you're funny. And let you take all the credit? Not a chance, Honey." Ariana stopped short, dropping her hand. Giving him a slight smirk, she purred out with a slight sneer. "Can't blame a girl for trying." Nate slipped the scale into his pocket, kicking the paralyzed Arbok toward her and yelping as he was shocked for it.

Ariana recalled her pokemon back into its pokeball, her eyes glaring at him coldly through her bangs. Flipping her hair off her shoulder, she told him bluntly. "Want to help us collect all the Meltan before Mystic shows up to try?" Nate glanced at the wagon, asking her darkly. "Why are you with Team Valor? Helping them get these... pokemon." Ariana took a clear plastic cage with holes from a passing Valor member, holding it up to look at the scared little pokemon inside as she told him coolly. "These little babies can create metal from nothing. I want to test if they can make money... and gold. While Valor wants these little guys for the ability to create armor. Seems Team Instinct found out about a new pokemon that Mystic was hiding... Caused quite a dust up. They say this 'Milotic' is the most beautiful pokemon... I plan to find out for myself." Sean turned his attention to Mark, who paled with guilt. His attention was drawn back to Nate though, listening to him ask Ariana curiously. "Ya... And how do you plan to do that?" Ariana handed the pokemon off to another Valor man, answering with a bright grin. "Instinct stole the pokemon from Mystic. They plan to release it into the ocean. I have men finding out when and where. I think it will look great in a tank back home. Don't you?"

Nate shrugged, grumbling out. "I guess. If it is as pretty as they say. But that doesn't explain-" Ariana cut him off to interject with disinterest. "It's a business deal. Nothing more. We help them capture as many of these things as possible. And in return, they provide Team Rocket with blueprints and samples of new armor, weapons, and even a few of these little babies to study for ourselves. It's a BIG investment deal." Ariana leaned back against the wagon, locking eyes with Nate now as she added in wickedly. "I hear you've made deals with them before. Quite a scandal too. I prefer to keep business and pleasure separate... but to learn that YOU mix them. I'm much more interested in you now. I see why Giovanni picked you personally for this mission." Nate tensed, his eyes turning to the snickering Valor men as he growled out. "Who told her?!" One Valor man in a red tank top and black leather pants, stepped from the small crowd to proudly announce. "I did. Although, I really didn't have to. The whole island knows about how you get hard for the fire of Valor!"

The men laughed as the man grabbed his crotch and asked him in a teasing tone. "Hey, how much to cool me off? I hear you were good." Nate stood like a statue to the spot and for the first time since meeting him... Sean felt genuinely bad for Nate. Ariana chuckled, watching Nate with careless eyes. She seemed to find the scene amusing. Nate turned away to head back to the cave, when the man ran up to him to grab his arm. Pulling him to a stop, the man chuckled out. "Oh, don't be that way. Come on. I'm just teasing... but seriously... How much? Andrew used to tell me about this thing you did and it sounds just-" Nate lost it. Elbowing the man in the ribs, Nate turned to face him and kneed him in the balls before shoving him to the ground. The man gasped loudly, grasping his crotch as he wheezed out. "Fuck... My pokeballs." Nate then looked at the other men. The other men glanced between their members and Nate, before tensing to approach Nate with dark looks. Part of the Team code was to defend your members like family... and that's exactly what they were going to do.

Sean pulled from Mark, telling them all seriously. "Come on. We've got to help him!" They had just got up to their feet, when Nate yelled out bitterly. "You want me?! Come and get me!" Nate yanked a pokeball off his belt, tossing it directly up into the air. The great ball burst open and a massive pokemon appeared around Nate like a snake... only far bigger. The pokemon was bigger than the trees and covered in glinting large red scales. It roared so loud and angrily that clouds appeared in the sky overheard, causing a light drizzle to rain down over them all. Sean backed up into Mark's arms, gasping out. "What the fuck is that?!" Zoey lowered her arms, grinning as she answered. "Monsoon." Mark held Sean's shoulders, uttering out in disbelief. "I don't believe it... It's a red Gyarados!" Pryce stepped out to gawk at the red Gyarados, saying in just as much shock. "How the hell did he tame that beast!" Ariana backed away from the cart, staring at the Gyarados with a horrified look on her face. The Valor men even began to stumble back away from Nate as they yelped and marveled at the pokemon.

Monsoon shook its large head, snarling deeply at the men that were scrambling away. Nate pet Monsoon, calling after them. "What's wrong, boys? Fire cooled already?" Zoey jumped out to land by Nate and Monsoon letting out a vicious motherly growl. Pryce took a moment longer to gawk, then rushed back to grab both Sean and Mark to yank them down back behind the bush before someone noticed them. Sean was going to protest, when a cool voice rang out through the woods. "Nate. You can put Monsoon away now. I think you've proven your point." Nate's tense body relaxed almost instantly, resorting to him calling back his pokemon without a second thought. As Monsoon vanished back into his pokeball, Nate turned soft eyes on the man approaching them. At the well-dressed man's feet, a beautiful Persian trotted along at his heels. Sean blinked, asking Mark and Pryce discreetly. "Who the hell is that? Is that the Valor?" Pryce shook his head, breathlessly answering. "No. That's Giovanni... but he's so... young."

Ariana sprang up to her fully height, giving Giovanni a respectful bow, but Giovanni barely acknowledged her. He glanced at the wagon of scared pokemon, before turning his eyes to Nate. Nate bowed his head respectfully, asking him in a soft tone. "I thought you sent us here to handle this. Did we do something wrong?" Giovanni chuckled, patting Nate's shoulder as he told him with confidence. "No. I'm actually in a good mood. I'm here to celebrate." Giovanni puffed his chest up, brushing his wild bangs away from his eyes as he told Nate excitedly. "You're looking at the new leader of Team Rocket." Nate gawked at him, saying happily. "Congratulations, Sir. What brought this about?" Giovanni licked his dry lips, answering promptly. "My mother's right hand woman, Miyamoto, was discovered yesterday. Died in an avalanche. Left her daughter, Jesse, an orphan. Tragic, but part of the job. She did manage to get the Mew fossil though." Giovanni moved around Nate, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he told him excitedly. "Losing her best friend, destroyed my mother... Forced her to step down. And all I had to do was promise to give Jesse a permanent job in Team Rocket when she was older. It was almost too easy."

Sean could feel the passion between them from where he was. The way Nate looked at Giovanni with such admiration and devotion. It was beautiful and frightening. He could easily betray them in the position he was in. Giovanni's hand caressed Nate's throat, upon telling him in a warm tone of voice. "I need your help, Nate. You've been in Team Mystic. You know where their fossil lab is... I have the Mew fossil. Help me do what my mother failed to do. Help me create a Mew." Nate glanced at the Valor men that Ariana was yelling at to get back to work. Giovanni's hand at Nate's throat, turned his head to look at him as he purred out to him. "Do this for me, Nate... and I'll give you ANYTHING you want. Anything your heart desires." Sean's heart fell to the pit of his stomach. He was trying to bring one of the most powerful pokemon back to life? Why? The only thing that twisted his heart up more... What would he do with Mew once he had it? As a Mystic, he felt cheated and betrayed all on sides. He couldn't trust Nate. He was a threat to Team Mystic. His love for a man like Giovanni was dangerous. He'd have to do something. To Be Continued...