Nate winced as the icy wind cut across his damp body. His anger was boiling over so much that he barely felt the heavy snowflakes pelting his face. The strong gusts of wind were nothing. Aerodactyl drifted on the wind, pumping his wings harder like he was chasing prey through the storm. Nate leaned more over Aerodactyl, guiding him over the side of the mountain and sending him into a sharp dive on the other side to pick up speed. Nate could hear muffled voices over the speakers of the headset around his neck, but he blocked them out. They would only talk him out of this. They didn't understand. He had to do this. He couldn't let them get in his way. This was between Giovanni and himself. He had to prove to himself that he was not a pawn in someone's game again. Not after everything he had done and everything he'd become for him. He heard the screeching of pokemon fighting nearby but kept his eyes on the raging water below. He wanted to find that ship more than anything.

Finding it, Nate coaxed Aerodactyl into a nosedive to head straight for it. Ducking his head to keep the snowflakes from blinding him, he noticed that the Styler on his wrist was blinking a bright red. He didn't know what that meant. How long had it been doing that? Aerodactyl swooped down over the ship, when it suddenly jerked like something had struck him. Nate thought it was a wind gust that forced Aerodactyl to jerk like that... until he saw a white light burst off Aerodactyl's body. Aerodactyl let out a wild roar, going into a spin that Nate wasn't ready for. Aerodactyl roared, its head twisting around to try biting Nate's legs in its strong jaws! Nate screamed as the Aerodactyl spun fast enough in the air that Nate lost his grip and fell. Hitting the wet deck of the ship, Nate yelped and rolled a few feet from the momentum. A bit dazed, Nate looked up in time to see Aerodactyl coming straight for him with his claws and teeth posed for the attack! Nate rolled quickly as Aerodactyl's hind legs slammed into the deck, his sharp talons piecing the wood deep enough to easily kill a human.

Gasping loudly, Nate forced himself to keep rolling up onto his feet. Barely missing Aerodactyl's long snout as it leaned forward to snap its jaws inches from Nate's arm. Nate had no time to think. Bolting across the wet deck at full speed, Nate heard Aerodactyl pull free of the deck and rush after him with a predatory snarl. There was nothing to slow Aerodactyl down, allowing Aerodactyl to catch up to him quickly. Being a prehistoric pokemon, Aerodactyl was extremely dangerous to trainers who encountered it. It didn't battle to win. It battled to EAT, and humans were often its victim. Nate reached for a pokeball on his belt, but screamed as Aerodactyl's jaws snatched his arm by his shoulder. Aerodactyl's sharp teeth sliced Nate's skin, but he got more of his leather jacket than of him. Aerodactyl thrashed his head, shoving Nate off his feet to tumble across the ground. Aerodactyl shook the snow off its body as it rushed over to him with teeth bared to go in for the kill. Nate screamed, rolling to his back to raise his legs in the hopes of kicking Aerodactyl's jaws away.

Aerodactyl's jaws opened wider going straight for his legs, causing Nate to kick out early. The kick grazed off the side of Aerodactyl's slender lower jaw, before it thrashed to snap at that leg. Nate rolled in a panic to try and avoid it, but Aerodactyl just changed to his other leg as it came up. Snapping his jaws on Nate's shin, Nate screamed loudly in blinding pain. Aerodactyl yanked on his leg to pull him closer, quickly putting a foot on Nate's back to pin him to the deck. Nate was thankful that his leather jacket protected him from the sharp tips of his claws, but he was more worried about his leg. Thrashing like a wild animal, Nate tried to punch Aerodactyl's snout off his leg, but it only made Aerodactyl bite down harder. Nate was torn between summoning a pokemon or not. Odds were that this Aerodactyl would eat them. He didn't want his friends to get hurt. Settling on Gengar, he prayed that Aerodactyl couldn't eat ghosts. As his hand reached for the ball though, a beautiful call broke out from the side of the ship.

Aerodactyl jerked its head up at the strange sound. Nate looked too and stared confused at a small Lugia that burst up from the water to hover in the air. The little Lugia's eyes were a blazing baby blue, but its aura was a bright pink. Nate had never seen a baby Lugia before and was transfixed by it. The baby Lugia let out an aggressive call, then shot forward to slam into Aerodactyl at full speed. The baby Lugia was fast! Nate flinched as the Aerodactyl was knocked off him and sent flying off across the water. The Aerodactyl managed to recover before splashing into the water, flying aggressively back toward the ship. Nate staggered to his feet, watching the Aerodactyl ignore the baby Lugia to head straight for him! It was common that if Aerodactyl knew it couldn't win a fight, it would try to snatch its meal and go somewhere else to eat it. Nate tried to run for the cabin door. He would get close to the door, but Aerodactyl was already on him. Just before his claws snatched Nate, baby Lugia's tail whipped up between them to swat Aerodactyl's jaw shut.

Despite being smaller than Aerodactyl the blow was powerful enough that it put Aerodactyl on his ass. Nate reached the door to the cabin, but looked back to see Aerodactyl knockout across the deck. Baby Lugia looked over Aerodactyl, then turned to look back at Nate. Nate watched the baby Lugia's eyes dim back to normal, then with a cute sound it jumped off the deck to dive back into the raging ocean. Not bothering to wait, Nate slipped into the cabin and slammed the door behind him. Panting, he leaned on the door for a minute. He didn't know why a baby Lugia had saved him, but he was grateful. Slowly turning to face the room, he heard people gasp and part away from him. These rich people looked down their noses at him. He was dripping wet and bleeding across the already red carpet. Adjusting his jacket, he shivered but started walking through the crowd. He saw staff lift their arms to whisper something into hidden mics but they didn't stop him. He wanted Giovanni to know that he was coming for him.

Limping to the grand staircase, Nate heard the rich people whispering about him. He tried to ignore them, but it was hard in the awkward silence surrounding him. Standing at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the VIP level, Nate took a breath and yelled out over the whispering crowd. "GET OUT HERE, GIOVANNI! FACE ME!" Nate's eyes were fixed on the top of the stairs, watching a figure emerge from the shadows. Giovanni walked to the edge of the steps; his hands stashed in his pockets as he told him with a warm smile. "Nathan. My boy. You found your way home. I knew you would." Nate started to reach for his pokeballs, when guards rushed him to stop him. Nate yelled and thrashed angrily, but they yanked his pokeball belt off him. Nate kicked one of the guards into a fancy table, causing it to break and scatter food everywhere. The guards punched him down to his knees as guests gasped in fear. Giovanni raised a hand to stop a guard that backhanded Nate across his blackeye.

Giovanni glanced around the room, then told the guards seriously. "Let's move this elsewhere." Nate winced as the guards hefted him up and followed Giovanni to a room that was set farther away from the party. Opening the door, the guards shoved Nate roughly inside. Nate yelped as his arm and leg flared with pain. Giovanni snapped his fingers at a guard to take Nate's pokemon belt from him. The guard handed over the belt, then closed the door behind him. Giovanni set the belt over a wall rack, telling him in a cool tone of voice. "I know you're pissed at me. I would be too." Nate panted heavily, pushing himself up on all fours as he growled out. "I'm not here to talk. I'm here to kick your ass!" Giovanni huffed, looking him over casually as he said calmly. "Judging by the looks of you, honey. I'd say someone already has." Nate forced himself up onto his feet, spitting blood across the tan carpet. Standing up to his full height, Nate growled back. "Ya. Well, I'm still standing, Asshole!"

Giovanni stared at him completely unfazed, before shrugging out lightly. "Why are you upset? This all went according to plan." Nate shook his head, bitterly snapping out. "YOU BETRAYED ME!" Giovanni blinked, shrugging again as he told him bluntly. "Yet, here you are. You should know me better than this, Nathan. I knew you were strong enough to get out." Nate's anger subsided a bit as he gawked out. "What? You HIT ME!" Giovanni rolled his eyes, gesturing for Nate to sit in one of the tan leather recliner chairs as he said openly. "I did. Had to make it believable. Honestly, she made it too easy to frame her shrine keeper. She really has a chip on her shoulder with you. All I had to say was that you and he were planning to steal the jewel... and she jumped right into the lie." Nate shivered from the cold that was clinging to him, but he refused to sit down. Had he misread Giovanni's intentions? Giovanni moved to a table, casually pouring himself a drink from a fancy crystal bottle, informing him lovingly. "Oh, Nate... How could you think that I would throw you aside so easily? I care so deeply about you. You get things done."

Nate stood practically frozen to the spot both physically and mentally. His mind was racing to try and rationalize Giovanni's words. While his body was shivering more violently from the cold that was creeping up on him. Giovanni picked up two crystal glasses filled with a golden looking alcohol. Handing him a glass, Giovanni sweetly told him. "I do have to say... The job would have gone much smoother if you had stuck to the plan. But you hesitated... for that boy." Nate accepted the glass, his hand shaking as he tried to keep his grip on it. Staring at Giovanni with fragile eyes, he watched Giovanni take a sip of his drink, before telling him firmly. "All you had to do was take the jewel and leave. After all... you knocked out their shrine keeper and left him in a ditch somewhere... Right?" Nate lowered his eyes to the floor as Giovanni stepped closer to say a bit darker. "But you lied to ME, didn't you? That boy... he got to you. Don't bother denying it. I'm not stupid. He must have been quite a lay for you to question my orders."

Nate tensed, locking nervous eyes on Giovanni. Giovanni's dark unfeeling eyes turned to meet his, before telling him in a low dark tone. "I love you, Nathan. But you stepped out of line. Fuck ups like that could have cost me everything. But you taught me a lesson... and one that I will never repeat." Nate felt something was off a moment too late. Without warning, Giovanni punched him hard in the gut with something metallic. The blow knocked the air from Nate's lungs and made him stagger back as he gasped for air. Giovanni set down his glass, quickly grabbing Nate's jacket to keep him close as he said aloud. "I've pampered you. And you've bitten the hand that feeds you. We can't move forward until I show you how deeply you've hurt me!" Nate grabbed Giovanni's silk shirt, trying to gasp air into his lungs. Giovanni adjust the brass knuckles to his other hand and grabbed Nate's throat before punching him across his blackeye. Nate yelped as pain hit him so hard that he blacked out for a second. Falling to the floor limply, Nate was jarred out of his blackout as his shoulder hit the floor.

Giovanni kneeled to grab the front of Nate's shirt, telling him sternly. "I don't want to do this! But you've left me no choice! I've worked too hard for you to screw this up right as I'm at the finish line!" Nate gripped the now empty glass by his hand and sat up enough to smash it against Giovanni's head as he yelled back bitterly. "Fuck you! You said you didn't want Team Rocket! I thought I was enough!" Giovanni screamed as blood began to run down from his short hair and neck. Scrambling back from him, Giovanni collected himself and yelled back angrily. "This isn't about Team Rocket, you moron! This is about showing my mother how pathetic she is! The harlot that loved Mew over her own son!" Nate got to his feet, slightly terrified as Giovanni's anger reflected in his face for the first time since he'd known him. Giovanni was terrifying when he was angry! Giovanni stormed up enough to jump and front kick Nate in the chest, sending him backward across to the floor. The momentum from the kick knocked Nate down hard enough that he was able to lean back on his shoulders and push off with his hands to flip back up onto his feet. Landing on his hurt leg had brought him to his knees, but Nate was able to block Giovanni's second kick with his arms.

Kicking his blocking arms apart, Nate was forced to lean back to brace himself. Giovanni had left himself open after the kick, allowing Nate's good leg to come up and kick his leg out from under him. Giovanni fell back across the floor and Nate rushed to climb over him. Giovanni was better at martial arts than he was. If he had any chance in this fight, he had to rely on the weaknesses he knew from sparring with him. Crawling over him, Nate started punching Giovanni in the face as he screamed out. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Giovanni took his hits, then landed a powerful one to Nate's ribs. Shoving Nate over, Giovanni rolled on top of him to pin him against the carpet. Nate thrashed, ignoring his pain as desperation fueled him. Giovanni was perfectly positioned on him though, making his struggling useless. Spitting blood, Giovanni stared down at him with cold eyes, upon stating out. "Oh, Nate... You are nothing without guys like me. You are weak. You've got nowhere to go. And no one that cares enough about your worthless hide to save you!"

Nate struggled, gasping in pain as Giovanni's grip tightened on his wrists. Giovanni brought his lips closer to Nate's, purring to him in a commanding voice. "Because we have a history, Sweetheart. I'm going to give you an offer that I give to NO ONE. Beg for my forgiveness and obey my every command from here on out. Or this is where we part ways." Giovanni shifted his hands to hold Nate's wrists down with one hand, before slowly removing a pocket pistol from his suit pocket. Pressing the small muzzle to the underside of Nate's jaw, Giovanni glared down into his eyes mercilessly. Nate felt tears run down from his eyes. Closing his eyes, Nate told him in a broken voice. "You win. I'm sorry... Forgive me, baby?" Giovanni eased the pistol away from Nate's jaw, whispering to him lovingly. "I'll think about it... For now... Let's find you a nice comfortable room where you can think about where your loyalties lie. Sound good, baby?" Nate swallowed hard. He hated that his body was weakening to the pain. Giovanni whistled loudly, causing the door to burst open as the guards rushed in. The guards grabbed Nate's wrists from Giovanni, dragging him to his feet as Giovanni got off him.

Nate refused to give up. He just had to wait until Giovanni's guard was down. Giovanni was in the middle of telling the guards about a cell in the cargo hold, when an Aerodactyl smashed through the wall of glass! Landing inside, the Aerodactyl knocked chairs and tables out of the way with its wings. Heavy rain and harsh wind blew into the exposed room as the Aerodactyl roared. The guards dropped Nate and rushed for the door with Giovanni tailing behind them. Balancing on the Aerodactyl, Mark yelled out to him sternly. "NATE! Are you alright?!" Nate nodded, then staggered to his feet and ran for the door. Mark threw his hands up, screaming out angrily. "NATE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Nate snatched his belt and threw it to Mark as he yelled back. "I'M NOT DONE!" He heard Mark curse but was already running out into the hall after Giovanni. The guards split off to go get help, leaving Giovanni to run toward his room. Nate knew he had saferooms on this boat and couldn't let him reach any of them! Fueled by anger and pure adrenaline, Nate ran partly up a wall and launched off it to tackle Giovanni to the floor.

Together, they fell to the floor and rolled around as they tried to wrestle each other for the upper hand. As much as Giovanni hit and dug his fingers into Nate's wounds, Nate's anger was setting fire to his veins. He didn't care about the damage his body took, he just wanted Giovanni to pay for hurting him! Giovanni twisted beneath him, taking a swing at him with the brass knuckles. Nate caught his wrist but left himself open to Giovanni pressing the gun to him. Giving him the opening he needed to pull the trigger. Nate heard the gun go off and felt a split second of sharp pain flare across his chest. His adrenaline was running too high though. The gun only had one shot and he had wasted it. Grabbing Giovanni's face, Nate slammed it into the wall until Giovanni was knocked out. Nate wanted to kill him, but heard the guards closing in. Weakly staggering to his feet, he opened Giovanni's bedroom and glanced around. He saw his duffel bag that held Celebi inside and snatched it. Turning around, he rushed toward the fake picture on the wall. Yanking it open, Nate spun the safe dial to put in the code. Giovanni had used Nate's birthday for almost everything. He hadn't changed it yet.

He heard the guards in the hallway now. Working quickly to open it, he revealed all of Giovanni's valuables. Including Articuno's jewel. Tossing everything from the safe into his bag, he zipped it up and turned to face three guards that were entering the room. Nate inhaled shakily. His body was running on empty. He was tired and cold. His muscles were sore, and he was having trouble keeping his balance on a rocking ship. Nate slung the bag over his shoulder, raising his arms for a fight. The guards removed batons, moving closer to him... until a soft cute pokemon voice uttered out. "Raichu...?" The guards jerked in surprise, turning around as an Alolan Raichu hunched up and yelled out. "RAI...CHU!" Bolts of electricity shot out from Raichu electrocuting the guards with enough volts to knock them out. Nate stumbled back weakly, watching Raichu give him a smile as the guards fell around him. Another guard was punched into a wall in the hallway just outside the door, before Mark appeared in the doorway and called out in a rush. "NATE! We have to go! NOW!"

Nate nodded, only able to take one step closer toward Mark, because the ship lurched. He was already lightheaded and the sudden sensation of the ship rising and falling was the last push he needed to trigger his body into passing out. To Be Continued...