InuYasha Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ *What* Insertion? ❯ Type Mis-match ( Chapter 19 )

[ A - All Readers ]

*WHAT* INSERTION?
by Curtis Wildcat


Chapter Nineteen --- Type Mis-Match

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(Cue theme)

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Location: Team Rocket Headquarters
Time: Friday, April 12, 1996; 2:15p.m.

"...Need that super-charged jolt of energy? Try Fuchsia Strawberry Soda, the official soft drink of---" Click.

"...Lauren Aqua wants you to attend the Surf Spectacular, next Friday at Cerulean---" Click.

"...blue eyes, but don't want contacts? We suggest Bonnie's Tears, eyedrops for---" Click.

"...Agent 009? The boss wants to see you."

Click.

"A-hem..."

Click.

"009?"

Click, click, click. "Mute! Come on, you stupid..."

"009...the boss will see you now. And don't point that remote at me."

Domino rolled off the bed, pretty much having rested there most of the day. "You can't blame me for being in a sour mood," she told the shadow at the door. "Especially after what happened..."

The figure coughed. "You weren't very clear about how you sustained that injury, you know..."

"I told you and the boss already," Domino complained, flicking some dust off her uniform with her right hand; her left arm was in a sling. "I was being attacked by an old man, and while I was fending him off, a giant winged Tauros swooped out of the sky and went after the little sicko, injuring me without realizing it. What's so hard to understand?"

"...Tauros don't have wings, 009," the figure said, "but that's not important. Let's go, please."

---------

"...For the last time, no," Domino emphatically stated, glaring daggers at Giovanni. "No more missions that involve that fire-brained brat, and especially not in tandem with those two imbeciles! And what do you mean by 'Tauros don't have wings'?"

"Exactly that, 009," Giovanni replied, trying to keep his cool. "I'm starting to question whether or not that account was true."

"Question all you want," Domino said, "but it was not a Pidgeot that made me sprain my arm. What do I need to do, take a video camera with me everywhere I go? I can tell the differences between the two in my sleep!"

Giovanni decided that a change in subjects was in order. "What do you have against them, 009?"

"It's more like what do they have against me," Domino replied, slightly calmer. "I've been asking myself that for years. I never even bothered them, and they start insulting me each chance they get."

Giovanni thought about this for a few seconds. "I've decided on an assignment, 009," he said. "This may allow you to keep an eye on things in Cerulean City without getting directly involved with Kaden. In three hours time, you'll be getting yourself a reservation at the Blue Forest: the city's largest hotel and restaurant complex. Since it is one of Team Rocket's legitimate businesses, we installed hidden technology in one of the lesser used rooms. Use it to track any and all activity in the areas surrounding the city. As always, capture any useful Pokémon you find. It's rumored that the Cerulean City gym leader is on vacation in the Hoenn region, so you may attempt to raid the gym if you wish. Just be wary of Lauren Aqua."

Domino thought it over, deciding that the missions were plausible. "Yes, sir. Will any of the grunts accompany me on this assignment?"

"There will be several teams standing by," Giovanni said, "in case of emergency. Otherwise, you're on your own. Everything you need to carry out capture operations is already hidden at your destination. Even with your injury, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Tell that to that little freak," Domino groused, but accepted the mission anyway.

A minute or so after Domino left, Giovanni pressed a button on his desk. "You can send them in now."

-------

Walking down the halls to where her transportation to Cerulean City was waiting, Domino couldn't quit scowling at everything and everyone. Somehow, she knew that they were going to the city as well. One thing was for sure: Articuno would spit fireballs before she'd work willingly with them.

The Fire Masters of Team Rocket...I don't whether to feel sorry for him...or laugh when he creams them.

--------

Time: The next day, 7:28a.m.
Location: The Cerulean City gym

Another day, another...whatever.

As per her morning routine, Dolphin made a complete circle of all the gym's corridors, making sure the Pokémon in the various aquariums---and the few in the pool---were fed and happy. At one point she passed through the auditorium, where Jetsam was still asleep, and made sure she was well. Once that was done, she headed straight for the kitchen to make her own breakfast.

Buttered toast... Dolphin retrieved the bread from the toaster and continued around the kitchen, buttering the toast in-between stops.

A bowl of Blastoise Blueberry Bites... Three-quarters of a bowl were filled with the aforementioned cereal and doused in millk. A smattering of sugar found its way onto the already-sweetened cereal.

And a pot of coffee... A large mug, already full of the steaming liquid, was set on the table. A few ounces of coffee creamer were added to the mix.

Dolphin grabbed a spoon and sat down at the table, grinning in anticipation. All part of an unbalanced, yet delicious, breakfast! She shoveled out some cereal and prepared to bite down---

Snap-hiss.

"Good morning, Dolphin," Phibrizzo greeted her amiably, sitting down at the chair he'd teleported next to. "How's your morning going..." He noticed for the first time that she was wincing at something. "...something wrong?"

Dolphin didn't hesitate to whip out a sign. '...I bit my tongue when you teleported in,' it said in messy handwriting. 'Why are you here so early, anyway?'

Phibrizzo's face darkened. "Mother knows, Dolphin. She knows I'm half-mazoku."

Dolphin's eyes narrowed. 'I knew it! I knew you couldn't hide it for long. Don't expect to hide here, if that's what you're thinking!'

"Don't go overboard, now," Phibrizzo said, holding up his hands in defense. "I never said she hated me. All I said was that she knows. Personally, I don't think she even cares if I'm part-monster or not as long as nothing changes behavior-wise."

'That's strange. How'd she find out, anyway?'

Phibrizzo took a few minutes to explain the circumstances surrounding Sylvia's discovery, including his battle against Arnold Long and his adoptive mother's full support of his actions. Following that, Dolphin relaxed somewhat and ate some of her toast before saying: 'You have a very strange foster mother.'

"Tell me something I don't know. Anyway, she already knows about my teleportation and stuff like that; she doesn't know about Inuyasha or doughnut-brain, and I plan to keep it that way. In any case, she said that if I wanted to, I could stay all day and have dinner over here...just so long as I'm back by 9:00."

Dolphin sipped some coffee. 'So you're going to continue training that Flareon of yours, then?'

"For the morning, and part of the afternoon. After that I'm either going to stick around the gym, wander around for a bit, or find someone to battle."

'Alright with me; just don't burn anything down.'

"And you don't electrocute yourself, either," Phibrizzo answered, snide. "I still can't believe you're afraid of the hair dryer."

'What do you expect?' Dolphin said, then flipped the sign around. 'I don't like machines.'

"You use a Poké Ball to carry Jetsam around, you use a coffee maker everyday, you like listening to the radio, and you don't seem to mind using the toaster..." Phibrizzo reminded her.

'Don't change the subject, Phibrizzo! There are differences between machines and conveniences. The things you mentioned are conveniences; all those other things are machines.' Flip. 'Machines are evil.'

"Nom Anor would be a big fan of hers, that's for sure," Curtis could be heard muttering.

"Whoever he is, leave him out of it." Phibrizzo looked around. "Hey, where's Misty? Isn't she awake yet?"

'She's not in town,' Dolphin replied as she continued eating. 'She went someplace in the Hoenn region; she got an invitation inviting her and Togepi to visit. Should be back either tomorrow or Monday. I've got the place to myself until then.'

Phibrizzo smiled. "Now I've really got to worry about you getting shocked."

Dolphin glared at him around a mouthful of cereal. 'I'm not about to get hit by a Spark while I'm swimming around. You're mistaking me for someone stupid.'

"Who said I was mistaken? This is the first time you've had this place to yourself for a prolonged period. You have this odd technophobia, and you're surrounded by machines. If you see one of those singing teddy bears sitting around, you're the one paying for damages."

Having had enough, Dolphin tore off a small piece of toast and 'accidentally' dropped it next to the chair. When she acted as if she were going after it, she reached under the table and grabbed Phibrizzo's ankle, then teleported out of the kitchen with the protesting pseudo-human in tow.

For a few minutes, the kitchen was quiet. Finally, Dolphin warped back in with a smile on her face. After throwing the piece of toast away, she settled back in and resumed eating in peace.

------

At the nearby Pokémon Center, the light over the emergency room's doors suddenly flicked on. Nurse Joy frowned; no emergency cases had come in, and she typically took charge of those. Had someone accidentally pressed the button after she'd explicitly told them not to?

Since it would be a few minutes before there'd be any activity in the lobby, Joy stepped into the emergency room to see what the matter was. Spotting a stray gurney near the emergency button, she started to wheel it back into place...and paused, noticing the condition of the sheets. The blankets had been stretched thin across the width of the gurney, and were wrapped tightly around it.

Checking underneath, Joy's breath almost caught in her throat: Phibrizzo was strapped to the bottom of the gurney by the sheets and the metal frame, an orange crammed halfway into his mouth. "What...how? Phibrizzo, how'd you get like that?"

Phibrizzo glared at her. "Mmss uhnnm mm uhnmmnh, mmnn mmh!" he said, which translated to: "Just untie me already, Miss Joy!"

Joy got to work untying Phibrizzo's bonds. As soon as he was able to get out from under the gurney and took the orange out of his mouth, he began muttering something about tartar sauce. "Phibrizzo, how'd you get like that?" Joy repeated, interrupting him.

"Stupid Dolphin won't admit she's scared of technology," he groused angrily, peeling the orange he held. "When I suggested that to her, the stupid fish brought me in here and tied me to the stupid cart and stuck this stupid orange in my mouth..." He took a bite out of the orange, ignoring the juice that dropped from his mouth. "...which doesn't taste too bad, actually..."

"You're okay otherwise, aren't you?"

"Mm-hmm." Phibrizzo swallowed what was in his mouth and made for the lobby, Joy a few steps behind him. "Sorry about the trouble. I'll be starting a little early today. How's Sunburst doing?"

"In perfect condition as always, Phibrizzo. It's nice that you're always so concerned about him," Joy commented off-hand.

"With that Team Rocket agent still out and about, I have to be," Phibrizzo said. "I need to be ready in case she tries anything. We already have a rematch planned; we just don't know when."

A nearby Chansey, seeing Phibrizzo and Joy approach the front desk, wandered over and handed the pseudo-human Flareon's Poké Ball. Thanking them, Phibrizzo exited the Center.

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Two strangers in red flannel and khaki shorts, their hair hidden beneath twin fedoras, looked on as Phibrizzo left the center and went in a direction away from the gym. One of them---obviously female---turned to her partner. "Is that the kid that blondie's been complaining about?"

"The T-shirt and bracelets give him away," the other answered, his voice reeking of haughtiness. "After we watched the video of Stan and Ollie's battles with him, we know a great deal of what he can and can't do. He's immune to physical strikes, tranquilizers, fire, and poisonous gases. He can teleport and shoot flame from his hands. What does this leave?"

The woman smiled. "Nothing direct. So, tell me: what do we know of the Water Dancer, Lauren Aqua?"

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Location: Cerulean City gym

After finishing up breakfast, Dolphin's first intention was to see if the radio had come up with anything interesting. Admittedly, some of the music around here was catchy; she didn't know what the terms 'jazz' and 'new age' meant, but she liked the songs they described.

There was a knock at the door. Sighing quietly, Dolphin took her time getting there. She opened the door and stuck a sign through it: 'The gym leader's gone. Come back another day.'

"I'm not here to challenge the gym leader," a female voice whined. "I want to challenge you."

'Tough,' was Dolphin's only answer, and she shut the door after she'd made certain that the visitor had seen the reply.

-------

"That worked out well," the male of the duo chuckled.

"Must not be a people person," the female said. "Let's try a different approach."

-------

There was another knock at the door; this time, Dolphin didn't bother to answer it, instead leaning against the wall and taking out a book to read.

"Please?" the same voice whimpered, sounding on the verge of crying. "How could you do this to your greatest fan? I came all the way from Lavaridge Town just to meet you! How could you do this?"

Taking out a magic marker, she opened the door and replied via sign: 'Like this', then scribbled the words "Go away" on the woman's forehead before slamming the door on her. Rolling her eyes, Dolphin sat back down and started reading.

-------

Outside, the man could not stop laughing. "Shut up," the woman growled. "It wasn't that funny."

"You're right, it wasn't funny...it was hilarious! That woman has style, I'll give her that!"

The woman gritted her teeth. "I'll show you both style. Let's try Plan C."

-------

Dolphin's attention was caught by an amusing factoid in her book. So there are actually water types that can use electric attacks, and vice versa? I'll have to look into that...then again, I did see Misty's Gyarados using Flamethrower once... She grinned. So many possibilities...

The knock at the door repeated itself. Shaking her head, she slipped a set of plugs into her ears and continued reading.

"Please?" the voice called. "I've got a note from the Indigo Plateau office! If you refuse a battle, you could lose your rights!"

Dolphin turned in the general direction of the auditorium. 'Jetsam, could you do me a favor?' she shouted silently, her voice heard only by the gym's water-types. 'Could you do something about that clown who keeps trying to get into the gym?'

The complaints from outside kept up for about a minute and a half before they were cut off by a startled shriek. Dolphin continued reading, oblivious to this.

-------

Two very sopping-wet people stood fuming outside the gym, drenched to the bone by Jetsam's Water Gun. The Vaporeon hadn't been picky about its targets, choosing first the 'challenger' before moving on to her companion. Its job done, it turned around and left, re-entering the gym through an open window in the back.

The liquid blast had ruined their respective fedoras beyond repair. The male's short haircut was originally a mass of tiny pins, but now the whole mess lay tangled on his head; despite this, it looked to be red with a white streak down the middle. The female's hair was shoulder-length, and---much like the male's hair---a soaked mess of the same two colors.

"That miserable...little...hag!" the man sputtered. "She had the nerve...to attack us while we weren't looking!? It took hours to get these dry-cleaned!"

The female gritted her teeth. "Forget plans. That nasty water-user just ticked me off!" She whipped out a Great Ball and activated it in the same motion. "Ninetales, come out and blast on through with Flamethrower!"

In a flash of red light a Ninetales materialized, howling. Without further ado, it disgorged a steady stream of fire from its mouth.

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Location: Blue Forest hotel, room 612

Yawning, Domino woke up out of a sound sleep. It had been her first good dream in recent weeks; Phibrizzo had agreed to work for Team Rocket as Giovanni's secretary, and had been given orders not to admit her two adversaries into the boss's office. Each time they tried to enter, Phibrizzo would give them the boot; eventually, the two were fired for refusal to report for missions. Domino allowed herself to grin when she remembered their expressions.

Funtime is over. Back to reality. Updates first, then breakfast.

Slowly approaching a nearby table lamp, she pulled the on/off chain a few times in rhythmic succession. Being a fake, the lamp itself didn't switch on; in a clear area next to the television, a wide monitor and control board popped out of the wall instead. After examining the board's layout, she manipulated the monitor's images---sent to the television via satellite---and checked for any recent disturbances. What she saw almost made her jaw drop.

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The blazing attack slammed into the gym doors, blasted a hole in them and continued on, unabated. It roared straight for Dolphin, who as yet seemed not to notice---

As powerful an attack as it is, a Flamethrower is still no match for the flood. A solid jet of water burst from Dolphin's left hand, who still hadn't looked up from her book. It ripped through Ninetales' Flamethrower and slammed into the firefox, who in turn was blasted back to his trainer, sending the both of them sprawling.

The man hurried over. "Flame! Are you okay? That was an awful thing to do!"

'Flame' accepted the man's offered hand and pulled herself up; her Ninetales, though, was unconscious from the mysterious water wave. Recalling it, she glared at the aqua-haired woman as Dolphin removed the earplugs she'd had. "I'm alright, Crash, but she won't be!"

'Neither will you, once the Pokémon League catches word of...' Dolphin's sign read. She flipped it a few seconds later. '...the fact that you launched an attack against an official gym.' Flip. 'And after I specifically told you to go away, too. Sad.'

"A substitute has no authority to turn a challenger away," 'Crash' declared. "You had no right to attack us just now."

'The gym leader specifically told me not to admit any challengers, so I'm justified,' Dolphin admitted. 'She didn't want me to crush them...' Flip. '...like "a submarine that's gone too deep", whatever that means.' She finally looked up from her book, smiling. Her next signs dripped with confidence. 'You have about as much of a chance of beating me as a rookie.' 'Quit embarrassing yourselves, pay me for the door repair charge, and go home.'

"I will not let us get beaten by mere fish!" Flame yelled.

"That woman thinks her water can extinguish our fire?" Crash added, activating a Poké Ball and releasing a Camerupt. "No water-type has beaten me yet!"

--------------

Domino sat back against the bed, shaking her head. "This is just sad," she said. "Those two will be either real depressed or r-r-r-real angry by the end of the morning."

Not wanting to watch this any further, she decided to see if she could get a sneak peak at the training Phibrizzo was giving his Pokémon. Scanning the area between the City and Mount Moon, she finally spotted the two of them sitting near a river, having a chat. Zeroing in on the scene and wishing there was some way to get audio, she tried to read Phibrizzo's lips the best she could.

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"...I know it didn't turn out as well as I hoped for," Phibrizzo was saying, "but that was simply because it was Dolphin we were dealing with at the time. Normal trainers wouldn't have taken those measures. You've been moping about this for a while, so chin up already."

'If you say so,' Flareon growled half-heartedly.

"I do say so." Phibrizzo smiled. "Now, Curtis---you remember Curtis, right?---came up with this idea that's been stuck in his head for some years, but until recently he couldn't come up with a specific description for it. First off, give me a Flamethrower."

Flareon stood up and fired off his attack, extinguishing it after a few seconds.

Phibrizzo nodded his approval. "Okay. Let's try a Shadow Ball this time."

Like before, Flareon blasted the dark orb across the field without much difficulty.

Phibrizzo leaned forward, resting his head on his knees. "Hmmm...I wonder...if I had to guess right, you can't get the two energy sources to mix together right off the bat...but I wonder if it could be done after he..." He trailed off and didn't speak for about five seconds, then smiled. "It's a start, anyway. We'll try that some more later."

After a few moments of silent thinking he stood up, bracing himself. "Now, we're going to do what we did last time. I'll be throwing every non-fire attack I have at you; what I want you to do is to dodge as many as you can. I have a Super Potion on hand if you take damage, but the whole point is not to..."

---------

Domino smiled knowingly, getting the gist of the kid's conversation. "Trying to mix a fire- and a dark-type attack, huh? Cute. It's not going to work, but I'll give him points for trying."

I mean, really. If people could just mix attack types together the same way Pokémon types are, that would mess up the whole system...although I can probably imagine someone trying to mix Lanturn's Thunderbolt and Water Gun together. At least then, you'd have a dangerous attack...but Flamethrower and Shadow Ball? What's that kid trying to do?

She looked on as Phibrizzo leaped up, flipped rapidly in mid-air and brought one foot down with excessive force. Flareon jumped out of the way as clods of dirt were scattered from the point of impact. As soon as the little creep landed, he began pressing his attack to the point where his Pokémon found it more and more difficult to dodge.

That kid's spooky when he gets like that. I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but where'd he get his talents from? Is he even human?...Looking at this, now I really hope Team Rocket takes the hints he's dropping.

After watching Phibrizzo keep it up for a few minutes---after which Flareon finally got hit, and was subsequently treated with his trainer's Super Potion---curiosity got the best of Domino, and she switched over back to the Gym exterior.

The area in front of the Gym was, for the lack of a better term, an absolute mess. The entire ground was wet and muddy; the Camerupt that had been released earlier, plus an Ampharos and a Blaziken, were laid out like drenched rats along the edges of the mud. Both the respective trainers were staring slack-jawed, alternating between their Pokémon and the person who'd bested them.

Dolphin held up a sign, and Domino zeroed in on it. "Just because I use water attacks doesn't mean that electricity will stop me..." she read aloud, then paused as Dolphin flipped the sign around. "...I'm tougher than the average human. And keep in mind that I don't always need..." Another pause. "...to use my Pokémon to wipe you out. I've given you enough warning...now go away and never return, or you'll find out...why I'm called 'Deep Sea Dolphin'. Now, for the last time..."

Finally, Dolphin stopped flipping the sign around and put it away...only to pull out another one in its place. Only two words occupied the space: "GO AWAY!"

Domino couldn't help it. As Crash and Flame recalled their Pokémon, yelled something at Dolphin and scrambled away, she doubled over in laughter. After all this time, seeing those two getting their tails kicked feels great!

Shaking her head as she stopped laughing, she stepped over to the telephone and dialed for room service, taking care to deactivate the viewscreen first. Maybe I should pay Dolphin a visit and warn her about what those two call 'revenge'... she thought for a few seconds...then smiled. Nah. She can handle herself.

--------

After the two noisy trainers turned a corner and were lost to sight, Dolphin took in her surroundings. Although she didn't show it, part of her was worried at the damage that had been wrought. Maybe Phibrizzo's right about me being ill-prepared, she thought. Now, what did Misty tell me to do in case of an emergency?...

'Contact the local police,' Jetsam's voice crooned as the Vaporeon sauntered into the foyer from elsewhere in the building. 'Let them know exactly what happened.'

Ah, that's right. 'Let me grab my sibling and his Flareon,' Dolphin said silently. 'I'll be right back.'

Shortly afterward, while Phibrizzo and Sunburst reluctantly stood guard at the gym to keep intruders out, Dolphin warped over to the police station to let the officers know what happened. By the time an hour had gone by, repairs had been made on the property and gym. Officer Jenny offered to patrol the area just to make sure the two trainers had really left, to which both siblings agreed. Phibrizzo decided to resume working with Flareon at a nearby abandoned lot, just in case of another attack. Finally Dolphin posted a "Gym leader not in...try again later" sign outside and went about her business, and things were calm and peaceful again.

...At least, for the rest of the morning.

------

Time: 9:19a.m.
Location: Blue Forest hotel, room 214

Flame sat on one of the room's full-sized beds, staring straight at the wall and saying nothing. She couldn't recall a time when she'd last gotten so angry...for that matter, she couldn't recall ever getting defeated so thoroughly. The fact that the substitute hadn't used her Pokémon to battle them had hurt even worse. Aside from Domino, she couldn't think of anyone else who really ticked her off.

The plan was for her to challenge Lauren Aqua---who had been called "The Water Dancer" in various advertisements---to a formal battle, under the guise of a gym challenge. Crash had in his possession a spray can falsely labeled as an air freshener; in reality it was a potent combination of Sleep Powder and Stun Spore created by Team Rocket scientists, enough to knock anyone out for most of the day. While Flame battled Lauren, Crash would've snuck around and used it to incapacitate the water wielder. It would've been a breeze to use Lauren as a hostage in order to ensure Phibrizzo's cooperation.

Except they hadn't even been able to get inside the building, and now the police were alerted to their presence. Phibrizzo had defeated first Domino, and later Stan and Ollie; the latter two were now cooling their heels in jail. The way things were going, she and Crash would be joining them.

And there was no way she was going to let that...that...snake laugh about it later!

Crash stalked out of the nearby bathroom, finished drying off from Lauren's attacks. His short, spiky haircut was back in place; and aside from a copy of his earlier attire, he now wore a light jacket for a baseball team called The Charmeleons. "It's around 70 degrees today," Flame remarked. "Is the jacket really necessary, Crash?"

"If you can't take the heat..." Crash said, letting his sentence hang in the air unfinished.

"True, true. Now, what are we going to do about Phibrizzo and..." Flame made quote marks in the air. "...Deep Sea Dolphin?"

"Simple," Crash uttered darkly. "If being a sneak didn't work, we'll need to overwhelm that muted shark with absolute force."

Flame sighed. "We came, we tried, we got wasted. Anything else?"

"We try again. Is that so hard?"

"Listen to me, here. You don't want to be like those losers in the Hoenn region, do you?" Flame said softly, referring to the once-infamous pair of Jessie and James. "They've become so obsessed with catching an electric rat that they've run up a huge debt just to do it, and for what? Failures that, for all I know, number in the hundreds." She sighed again. "I'm just not into travelling like I used to, you hear? We need to plan this out."

"Planning is how we got into this situation," Crash told her fiercely.

"And planning is how we'll get out of it," Flame replied in the same tone, her face angry. "No use being a Fire Master if all we do is mess things up."

Crash folded his arms. "What do you suggest, Flame?"

Flame motioned for Crash to sit down, waiting until he did so before answering. "Our mistake was to assume that Lauren Aqua behaved like everyone else as far as battling goes. Now that we know better, we need to assume that she's as unconventional as her brother."

Crash tapped his chin. "So we respond by being unconventional as well. As that what you're saying?"

"Exactly. We need to outdo those two siblings somehow."

"Liiiike...how?" Crash drawled.

"Well, you remember that Marauder character who rampaged through Johto a while back...?"

"Yes, but I don't see how...wait a second," Crash said, smiling. "You're thinking of those Dark Balls he was using, right?"

"You betcha." Flame giggled; the childish laugh had a sinister tone to it. "The Marauder got too power hungry and tried to take advantage of Celebi's power. The Eevee evolutions are strong, but they don't possess that much strength. Lets see how well the siblings fare when they face those they've grown attached to."

Crash smirked. "You see, that's one of the reasons why I married you. We think on the same wavelength."

Together, they chuckled. The chuckle grew into full-blown laughter as the full extent of their idea hit home. This kept up for some seconds, until a loud thumping noise from the floor got their attention. As the two quieted down, they heard an elderly man's voice shout: "Hey, keep it quiet up there! I'm trying to do a crossword here, and you're not helping!"

The two of them nervously shuffled towards the door, not daring to make any noise.

-----------

Location: Upstairs

Domino sat back against a pillow, concerned. That little creep just keeps pulling surprises out of his hat, doesn't he?

Ever since Crash and Flame had unsuccessfully attacked the Cerulean Gym, Phibrizzo and his little Pokémon had started to make some headway in their practice. She'd known that it was impossible to mix two types of attacks in the same Pokémon, but the uber-brat had settled on a different approach. If the experiment proved to be a success...

Finally, Domino just shook her head. My team's going to be ready for him, no matter what happens. The sooner he's fully prepared, the sooner I can defeat him and put this troublesome twerp out of my life. She rolled her eyes. Is this how Jessie and James feel all the time? It's as if they feel obligated to catch that single trainer's Pokémon, the same way I feel obligated to battle Phibrizzo...

Domino gave some thought to her present situation. She'd scanned all routes leading in and out of Cerulean City, and hadn't been any signs of activity other than the occasional trainer passing through. The only Pokémon sighted were those native to this area, which were mostly flying- and grass-types (and the random Raticate), as well as the water-types that the city was known for.

If she didn't know better, she'd think that she'd been sent to this hotel on purpose...

Wait a second! I know what's going on!

Two minutes later, Domino was gone.

-----------

Location: Abandoned lot, not far from Cerulean Gym

A black sphere, a small sheet of flame lingering on one side, shot at Phibrizzo. Reaching out, he caught hold of the orb and absorbed it into his body. Concentrating, he held one hand into the air and caused that same sphere to rematerialize and blast away from him into the sky. The attack exploded seconds later, but no one in the lot was paying attention to it.

Phibrizzo turned to regard his Flareon, who was panting a little. "I think that's a little better than before," he said at last. "Just because we can't use both abilities simultaneously doesn't mean we can't use them one right after the other. With some more practice, it'll be perfect."

'Can we take a short break?' Sunburst asked, panting. 'We've been at this ever since we got off guard duty.'

"Sure."

Sunburst wandered into a corner and curled up there, deciding to take a brief nap. Leaning against the back of a nearby building, Phibrizzo stared up at the sky; there were thick clouds overhead, but judging by the presence of blue sky here and there... It'll be a little while before it rains, so we still have some additional time for training later. In the meantime...

Phibrizzo reached into subspace, pulling out the flute that his adoptive mother had given him. Thinking back to a few songs he wrote out of boredom in years past, he selected one and started to play.

...nothing like a little melody to soothe the savage beast.

"I'm not that fat, Phibrizzo," Curtis's voice---unheard throughout most of the morning---complained.

Phibrizzo just smiled as he continued to play, losing himself in the melody. For those few minutes, he almost forgot that Inuyasha and Curtis were even there...

...or that the music had attracted a few passers-by.

To him, everyone was non-existant. All that was there was the music.

----------

Time: 9:45a.m.

Amazing, Phibrizzo thought, counting what he had of the local currency carefully. He was alone now; the small crowd who'd been listening to him had since dispersed. They must've thought that I was homeless or something. I actually have enough to get a full meal and supplies...and that was just for a ten-minute concert!

Inuyasha, who'd been more or less asleep since he'd returned from patrol much earlier that morning, had woken up and heard the music Phibrizzo was playing on his flute. "Shows what people will do when they recognize something good."

"And you said you made that song up yourself?" Curtis asked. "Must've taken you a little bit."

Like I told you guys before: when you're doing not much else except travel, you get bored a lot.

The sound of someone clapping diverted his attention elsewhere. Phibrizzo looked up, focusing on Officer Jenny. "Hi, Officer. Did those guys show up again?"

"No, it's not that," Jenny said apologetically. "I just wanted to congratulate you on that song."

"You heard it?"

"I caught the tail end of it. I was passing through when I shall everyone gathered around this lot, so I drove over to see what was happening. What made you start playing?"

Phibrizzo looked over at Flareon, who was more alert than it had been before his performance. "Flareon was resting after our last session, and I was bored. I didn't want to sit and do nothing, and I had my flute on hand..."

Jenny nodded. "I see. Thanks. If you're going to be doing that, though, I suggest taking your act elsewhere. You don't want people thinking you're a vagrant, do you?"

"Good point," Phibrizzo admitted. "Don't want to give the wrong impression..."

"Glad you understand," Jenny said, smiling as she walking away. "Now, don't get yourself into any trouble!"

As the officer left, Phibrizzo thought about what to do. "Let's see...obviously we can't practice anymore around here, so I guess going back outside the city's in order. At about 11:30, we can find ourselves a restaurant." He started to go outside the lot.

'It's alright with me,' Flareon agreed, trotting over to walk beside him.

------------

Time: Half an hour later
Location: Cerulean Gym

Rrrrring. Rrrrring.

The telephone in the lobby started ringing; Dolphin, who was reading a magazine about Pokémon Contests in the kitchen and couldn't answer it anyway, looked up uneasily before deciding to ignore it.

Jetsam, in the meantime, got tired of it ringing and decided to do something about it. Wandering into the lobby, she jumped and knocked the phone off the hook with her tail. Satisfied, she started to walk away, but stopped when she heard a faint voice from the phone. "Hello? Hello?"

Jetsam sat down near the receiver. "Vaaa?" she asked, translated as: 'Hello?'

"...I can't believe I actually expected her to say something," the person on the other end said. "Look, is this Lauren Aqua's Vaporeon?"

"Vaaa-porr," Jetsam said, hoping it came across as an affirmative and wishing that more people could understand Pokémon speech.

"I'm actually talking with a Pokémon...I must be out of my mind. But I heard that she understands you, so do me a favor and pass this message along, would you?"

"Vaaa-porr."

"Tell her that the people who attacked the gym earlier are Team Rocket's Fire Masters, and that getting defeated only makes them angrier. They stop at nothing to complete a mission."

"Vaporrr...porreeeon?" 'Yes, I get it. Anything else?'

"Oh, and if she asks who called, tell her it was someone who hates being left out of the loop. Got it? Good. Bye." Click.

Jetsam stared down at the phone, hearing the dial tone on the other end. Then, since she lacked opposable thumbs (and height), she left the phone where it was, turned and ventured into the kitchen to tell Dolphin what happened.

--------

A few blocks from the Blue Forest hotel, Domino stepped away from the payphone and shook her head in disbelief. I just talked to a Vaporeon...I hope I'm not going crazy.

--------

Time: 11:00a.m.

About a quarter-mile south of Cerulean, Flareon and Phibrizzo had continued trying to perfect the move they were working on, but had gotten challenged by a trainer passing through from Saffron City. Despite getting caught in Hypno's grasp, Sunburst---following Phibrizzo's advice by not panicking---was able to break free of the Pokémon's Confusion attack via a Shadow Ball. A single Quick Attack was all it took to finish the business.

As the trainer left shortly afterward, a man could be heard applauding from somewhere behind Phibrizzo. The half-mazoku turned to see a man of average height (and a lot of weight), curly brown hair and sunglasses, and a strange oval-shaped device hung around his neck. The man had all the marks of a tourist, minus a camera. "Nice battling," he said with a friendly smile, his voice low-pitched.

Phibrizzo nodded as Flareon sauntered over and sat down near him. "Thanks. Something you need?"

"Recently, I've been throwing together a mini-league, of sorts...reserved exclusively for very talented trainers. There are a handful of facilities around Kanto that are being built as I speak; the heads of those facilities will test trainers in ways they've never experienced, even in the major tournaments. I've already selected the best I could find to run those facilities, and they'll stand ready to accept challengers early next month. You seem smart enough to last; are you game?"

"I like it, but I doubt my schedule would allow it," Phibrizzo said, shrugging. "I'm not from Kanto, and I'm in school on weekdays anyway. I just come in on weekends to train Sunburst for an upcoming match."

"So, you're not from Kanto...but what do you mean by 'I just come in on weekends'?"

"Do you mind keeping a secret?"

The man nodded. "Sure. What is it?"

"I teleport in. From Japan."

The man held in his surprise rather well; all he did was arch an eyebrow. "Must be a mean commute," he quipped.

Phibrizzo laughed. "I'm used to it. Anyhow, I know someone who could probably take you up on your offer. If you have time in the near future, drop by the Cerulean Gym and ask for Lauren Aqua. For all her oddities, her Vaporeon's good enough to beat anyone. Seriously."

"I'll keep that in mind," the man said. "Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome," Phibrizzo said. "Oh---and when you get there, make sure you tell her that you're not challenging anyone. The gym leader's out somewhere, and she was left in charge; a couple of bad guys decided to attack the gym, not realizing that no challenges were being taken...and she wiped them out after they knocked down the door. If she hears that I recommended you, there shouldn't be any misunderstandings."

"Thanks for the advice," the man said, walking towards the city. "See you around."

"Likewise."

After the man walked towards the city and out of sight, Phibrizzo couldn't resist telling Curtis: Wow. He looks like you'd look twenty years down the road.

"There's an insult somewhere in there...I just know it," Curtis muttered half-seriously.

You just keep thinking that, Phibrizzo murmured, making sure neither Curtis nor Inuyasha heard him. After deciding to sit down for a few minutes, he said 'aloud': Eventful morning. I wonder if those idiots who attacked Dolphin are going to show up again.

"You heard...saw...whatever...her explanation," Inuyasha reminded him. "They said that they'd be back, and that things were going to get ugly."

They already are. I mean, red and white hair? That goes beyond the bounds of good taste.

"Maybe you shouldn't attend any sports events, then," Curtis suggested. "If you thought that was ugly...well, two words: dry heaves."

I'll take your word for it. "So," Phibrizzo said aloud, "what does everyone say to an early lunch? I'm starting to crave chimichangas."

"You could try that Blue Forest place," Inuyasha suggested, straightening.

"Blue Forest? Aren't their meals rather pricy?"

"After your little flute performance earlier? Are you kidding me? Besides, they can't be any more expensive than that brunch you had at that waffle house the other day."

"And they must run a pretty good business for them to get all those customers," Curtis pointed out, having noticed that the restaurant and hotel was pretty full the first time they'd toured the city.

"Point taken. Alright, let's get over there before all the good seats are taken. Sunburst, grab hold."

Flareon grabbed Phibrizzo's shoe with his front paws. Without further delay, the pseudo-human warped away.

---------

Location: The Blue Forest

Located on the ground floor, the Blue Forest restaurant was the centerpiece of the hotel complex. Wide and spacious, there was space enough for two hundred people; since it was the lull before the lunch rush, there were only around thirty. The food, service, and atmosphere was among the best that could be found in Kanto. Out of all the places to eat in the region, only a few restaurants in Saffron and Celadon (and Indigo Plateau, come tournament time) surpassed the Blue Forest in overall quality.

As soon as Phibrizzo and Flareon arrived, someone was already there to greet them...and give them some bad news. "It's okay for you to come in," the skinny, mustached man told them, "but your Pokémon's going to need to be recalled, young sir. Safety precautions."

Phibrizzo looked down at Flareon, who mewled something at him. Nodding, he turned to the server. "He's hungry, and he's craving spicy food about as much as me. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

"But---"

"Come on...I came all this way, and we were both looking forward to eating here. Trainers need to prove that they can take responsibility for their Pokémon's actions, right? If management gets ticked off about it, have them talk to me. Besides, you have thirty or so people that can keep an eye on me. Can't get much more reasonable than that."

The server didn't expect a logical argument from someone who looked eight years old. Even so, he remained skeptical; he stood there for a few moments, staring at Phibrizzo and rubbing his chin absentmindedly...

...and something clicked. He recognized this face. To him, that face meant two things. He was talking to the brother of Lauren Aqua, both of whom he'd seen walking around a few times...

...and since the server was getting some cash under the table from Team Rocket, he knew that the kid was on the organization's mind.

Only one thing to do.

"Very well then, young sir. Right this way."

------

"So, what would you like?" the server asked as the two of them took their seats. "We cater to people of all ages and tastes..."

Phibrizzo scanned the menu, just to ensure that what he wanted was available. "That won't be a problem. I'll have the chicken and cheese chimichanga, heavy on the pepper and with a couple extra packets of salsa on the side...and a medium glass of chocolate milk." He turned to Flareon, who had his front paws on the table and was scanning his own menu. "What about you, Sunburst?"

Flareon transferred his request to Phibrizzo, who nodded and said: "Same dish, smaller size...and with a bowl of water instead of milk---"

"You!" someone blurted out.

Phibrizzo glanced out the corner of his eye, finally seeing Domino---minus her cap, and wearing a light jacket over her Team Rocket uniform---march up to the table and glare at him angrily. To the server, he completed his order. "---and an apple."

"It'll be ready shortly, sir," the man said as he finished taking note of what they'd asked for. Turning on his heels, he walked to the kitchen at a brisk pace.

In the meantime, Phibrizzo turned to Domino and answered her. "Me. Your point?"

Domino's angry glare diminished to a more...subdued stare. "What are you doing here?" she asked, taking hold of another chair at the table and carefully sitting down.

"Grabbing lunch. You?"

"The same."

The following silence was thick enough to substitute for Weezing's Smog attack. The other customers, who'd been watching since Domino's arrival, turned away when the situation calmed down. "So," Phibrizzo finally said, "what happened to your arm? Fall down the stairs or something?"

Domino grimaced, her voice dropping a notch. "Don't laugh. I was attacked by a shrunken old man and a giant winged Tauros. No one believes me, not even the grunts who were there at the time."

Phibrizzo's jaw dropped a few inches. "H-Happosai??" he managed to sputter. "How'd you...never mind."

"You know them?"

Phibrizzo quickly explained to her about Happosai, and gave her a quick rundown on Taro (including what he knew about the martial artist's troubles). He then told her about what had happened when Dolphin had first 'met' the shrunken martial artist. At the end of it, Domino was gritting her teeth. "So, you're the ones responsible. If your sister hadn't dropped that man there, I wouldn't be walking around with an injured arm!"

"Blame Happosai, not us," Phibrizzo replied calmly. "For that matter, blame Dolphin for not dropping him in a mental institution."

"At least we agree on something," Domino said grudgingly. "I know of a place in the Orange Islands she could've sent him..."

"But then Taro would come along looking to get his name changed," Phibrizzo told her. "Tradition is all well and good, but there are times when it's just not appropriate." He sighed. "I could go into more detail, but I don't feel like dwelling on this. Some jerks attacked the gym because Dolphin wasn't taking challenges, and I want to help her out in case they come back...so I'm trying to figure out what to do."

Domino took a deep breath, trying to decide if what she was about to say would be worth it. Is it really worth it, the chance that I could be deemed a traitor to Team Rocket? Do I really despise those two that much...someone who hates me without good reason to?

Well, if they don't figure it out...I guess it's worth a chance.

"Crash and Flame," she hissed.

Phibrizzo looked up. "Who? What?"

"Crash and Flame," Domino repeated, keeping her voice low enough. "The Fire Masters of Team Rocket."

"Fire Masters?" Phibrizzo whispered to himself, his eyes cynical. A tad louder, he asked: "Where do they get off calling themselves Fire Masters?"

"I don't know much," Domino admitted. "I know that they're a husband and wife duo from the Hoenn region. Crash tried to take the gym challenge as a kid, but his water-types got wasted at the region's fire-type gym. He got so into fire-types because of this that he battles exclusively using them, and got into Team Rocket on his reputation after he moved here. There hasn't been a single water-type that his fire Pokémon haven't been able to beat...but his winning streak's made him arrogant, pushy, vain...a perfect match for Flame.

"Speaking of Flame, she tried competing in the region's Pokémon Contests but kept on getting floored. One day she saw Crash battle someone, and was enamored at the way he swept through his opponents. They got married a few years later, went to Kanto for their honeymoon, and decided to stay."

"How do you even know all this?" Phibrizzo asked skeptically.

"They won't stop bragging about it. They hate me for some reason, you know."

Phibrizzo smirked. "Hearing your voice, I'm not surprised."

"That's the third or fourth time you've made fun of my voice. Why?" Domino inquired testily.

"Let's not get too far off track." Phibrizzo turned serious, his eyes seeming to flicker yellow. "I thought you were supporting Team Rocket and helping them capture me. From what I know of you, it's not like you to divulge information so freely, and I know you're not having a change of heart. Tell me what's going on."

Domino would've folded her arms if she could. Instead, she let her free arm hang over her chair's armrest. "Don't get the wrong idea, squeaker. It's already been proven that dirty tactics, like the ones Stan and Ollie used against you, don't work. Now, listen carefully: in approximately six weeks from now, I plan to battle you; doesn't matter where, as long as it's on even terms. If something happens to you during that time, I won't get the chance. Besides, I'd like to learn what Crash and Flame have against me..."

The server stopped by the table at this point, bringing Phibrizzo's chocolate milk. Seeing Domino at the table, he set the milk down and asked: "Anything I can get for our favorite customer?"

Domino smiled, looking embarassed. "I'll try the lasagna dish this time, Al...with some shredded parsley sprinkled on it...and a small cola," she said, playing the "outgoing tourist" act for all it was worth. Only those who knew her could figure out that it was just that: an act.

That wasn't to say she didn't like the Blue Forest's food; hardly anyone ever left the restaurant unsatisfied. Besides, she was known to the staff for the generous tips she left behind whenever she ate here.

After the server left with Domino's order, she continued talking. "...and put it an end to it before things get any nastier. They're already pushing the boss to fire me because of what happened to my arm."

"What does that have to do anything?"

Domino's eyes narrowed. "When that lousy---I mean, when Taro attacked that perverted little locust, I got too close and was brushed aside almost casually...wound up landing on my arm when I fell. Nothing broke, but..." She growled at the memory. "Shortly afterwards the old man pulled out some sort of bombs and tried attacking the bull-man with them, but misfired and ultimately destroyed the boat." And released the Carvanha we were capturing, but I won't say that to him.

"I blacked out and woke up a few minutes later back at Seafoam Beach...I don't know if we washed up there, or if that Taro guy took pity on us and dropped us off. One of our radios somehow stayed intact. I couldn't move my arm without pain, I was mad at Happosai, and I'd failed another mission...I was so angry at everyone and everything that my common sense just quit working..."

Domino trailed off, staring at the table. Phibrizzo looked at her in wonder, curious. "What do you mean?"

"...That transmission lasted thirty seconds, and every third word out of my mouth was profanity." The agent palmed her forehead, upset at herself for what she'd said and done.

Phibrizzo's eyes widened as he sat there, stunned. "...Whoa. You're serious? I wasn't aware that people were that vulgar around here."

Sunburst's quiet crooning sounded a bit empty, as if he too was surprised. In the back of Phibrizzo's mind, Curtis was trying to clear his head by shaking it rapidly and repeatedly muttering "Shut up, shut up, shut up". Inuyasha rolled his eyes, mildly perturbed but otherwise calm.

"Don't rub it in," Domino growled, annoyed. "On top of that, no one believed what I saw, especially not Crash and Flame. They'd heard the transmission, and now they're trying to get the boss to fire me because of this."

"No doubt." Phibrizzo took a sip of his drink, still a bit shellshocked. "Just be careful not to use that language around me, okay? My parents don't want me hanging out with people like that."

And in my current state, I'm in no condition to deny him even if I wanted to. "Anyhow, now you know. I can't help you with those two directly, but I can warn you that they won't play nice anymore. I've already warned Aqua about them, so I've done what I can."

"I doubt she'd care," Phibrizzo murmured. "I've given up trying to understand how that walking fish's mind works."

The server dropped by long enough to drop off Domino's soda. The T.R. agent took a sip of it half-heartedly, hoping she hadn't done the wrong thing by talking to an enemy.

"...What does that soda taste like?"

Domino looked up at Phibrizzo. What? "Why do you want to know?"

"...I can't have sugar."

"You're not diabetic, are you?" Domino asked, telling herself that she wasn't concerned...just curious.

"No, it's not that...it's just that I literally freak out if I have anything more than an ounce or two of stuff like that."

"Well, it's sweet, and it tingles all the way down...has a bit of tang to it..."

---------

And so time passed as the three of them---Domino, Phibrizzo, and Flareon---ate their lunches in peace. The former two engaged in small talk for part of the time, setting their rivalry aside for the time being.

After Domino tipped the server a way-above average 40% and journeyed back to her hotel room, her mind began wandering. I wonder why I was acting so nice to him? Was it just because I didn't want to start a fight in my condition? For all the things he can do, he hides his sympathy well...

Maybe it's because by looking at him, I'm reminded of the childhood I never had. Who'd think that someone who looks so young could be concerned about certain things, like his own health? I started acting a lot like him before I became a teenager, but I couldn't take pleasure in the simple things in life...while he manages to be aloof and friendly at the same time.

Even if I'm supposed to dislike him, that doesn't mean I can't respect him.

...At least a little bit.

Dispelling those thoughts from her head, she returned to the upper hallways. After entering her hotel room, Domino re-activated the viewscreen and checked for any updates on Crash and Flame's mission...

...and narrowed her eyes. I see what you're doing, you two. If you continue with this, you'll be making the worst mistake of your lives. I'll personally guarantee it.

--------

While Vaporeon was taking a snooze near the front door, Dolphin was in the auditorium, going through the same book she'd been reading when Crash and Flame had decided to attack the gym. With all these potential combinations, I could ace those Contests that they'll be starting soon...sounds like a lot of fun.

Not paying much attention, she didn't notice as someone cut a hole in the window above her head and silently removed the glass. She did take notice when a thick, powdery fog drifted into the room through the hole...and growled to herself as she felt herself slipping into the darkness.

For all the abilities that---in her mind---marked her as a mazoku, she still had a set each of lungs and gills...and she needed to breathe. Unlike Phibrizzo, she was presently incapable of living without air, and she couldn't hold her breath for very long.

Feel so stiff...so tired...what is this...? Got to...

Dolphin unsteadily climbed to her feet, took a few steps towards the stairs, and pitched forward onto the floor as she blacked out. Her book dropped from her fingers and fell beneath the next row of seats.

Up above, Flame smiled behind her oxygen mask as she climbed down from the window and landed on the stairs. As the mist---unused from that morning's failed plan---drifted into other parts of the gym, she looked down haughtily at Dolphin. "Be thankful that you're not the target, because I really would've thrashed you if you were," she muttered, removing the mask from her face. Taking a thick cord from her pack, she bound Dolphin's hands behind her back before moving on elsewhere.

---------

Shortly after Phibrizzo and Sunburst left the Blue Forest behind, feeling better after a nice meal, they made a short trip to a local shop in order to purchase various supplies. With the items paid for and stashed away in subspace, they wandered over to a lesser used training location just north of the city.

Upon arriving, Phibrizzo started to explain to Flareon what they were going to do next...

An earsplitting noise rent the air in two, and he immediately forgot what he was about to say, throwing his hands over his ears. Even that seemed to have no effect as he cried out, unable to withstand the high volume for very long. He knelt on the ground and pushed at his ears, shaking his head to and fro. Inside his mind, Inuyasha and Curtis were doing much the same thing.

When the racket finally subsided about a minute later, Phibrizzo's ears were ringing. Shaking his head one more time to clear it, he looked suspiciously around him. "Where'd that noise come from?" he asked angrily. "Where'd---"

Only then did it occur to him that something---or rather, someone---was missing.

Behind the cover of some rocks, Crash snuck away stealthily. In one hand was a black metallic sphere, and a modified siren was in the other. We should've thought of using loud noise sooner!

A few minutes later, an angry cry scared most of the Pokémon into hiding.

--------

The two of them met up just east of the city, not far from the spot where Phibrizzo had first met Stan and Ollie. "Mission successful?" Flame asked.

Crash had up the black sphere. "Absolutely," he declared, smiling. "Phibrizzo Kaden's Flareon has been captured. Those Dark Balls work wonders."

Flame held up a Dark Ball of her own, indicating that Dolphin's Vaporeon had been successfully caught as well. "Successful, indeed. And here I thought it was a stupid idea to keep these around after the Celebi incident."

"Like we've discussed before, Flame: Eevee evolutions aren't exactly legendary. Now, remember: if they refuse to work for us despite being blackmailed," Crash said, "we'll take opposing targets: the Flareon against Aqua, and the Vaporeon against Kaden. Unless the kid can absorb water, we should have an easy time of it."

"And if that fails?"

"It won't."

"Humor me, Crash."

Crash sighed, annoyed. "Fine. If it fails..."

--------

Having finished her break, Officer Jenny was just about ready to head back out of the police station when a loud, furious voice caught everyone's attention:

"Officer!"

Phibrizzo stormed into the station, the front door's handle nearly breaking off in his hand. The heavily-ticked look in his eyes didn't bode well. "Phibrizzo?"

"Officer," the kid trainer managed to force between his teeth. "Sunburst was kidnapped."

Doesn't he mean 'stolen'? Unless he... Jenny let professionalism take over, remembering how important the Flareon was to him. "Do you suspect anyone?"

"Yes, obviously," Phibrizzo growled. "Those same two losers who attacked the gym earlier. I'm on my way to check things out over there, but I thought I'd let the police know first."

Jenny nodded. "Okay. Do you need a lift to the gym?"

"Appreciate it, but no," Phibrizzo said, shaking his head. "Just keep a lookout for anyone who matches Dolphin's descriptions from earlier. Later!" He hurried on out the door and took off running, his speed much faster than others his age.

Several nearby cops look at Jenny for confirmation, and the officer nodded. "He wouldn't have been so angry if something hadn't happened. I'll signal for any available units to keep a sharp eye out for our two suspects, then I'll search around myself."

"Yes, officer."

-------

Phibrizzo, on a full head of steam, blazed his way to the gym. Ignoring the locked doors on his approach, he teleported directly into the lobby and kept on going. He took no note of the phone that was still hanging loose.

Inuyasha's nose twitched. "The air in here's tickling my nose," he complained. "Someone was here, alright."

"As if I didn't have enough problems breathing," Curtis grumbled. "Inuyasha, can you try to pick up Dolphin's scent?"

Inuyasha stood up, smelling the air and working his way past the noxious odor that still loitered around. "There she is. I think she's in the main area."

"Main area it is, then!" Phibrizzo said aloud, running for the nearest entrance and leaping down several steps.

Dolphin herself wasn't visible at first, so Phibrizzo released some of his initial anger and took his time looking. He spotted his sibling's trademark long hair extending out near a set of stairs on the opposite side of the room; instead of taking the long way around, he stretched out his arm, snagged the nearest railing and flung himself across the room. Despite falling a foot short height-wise, he was able to quickly scramble into the seating area.

Rubbing his head, Phibrizzo ambled over to where Dolphin had fallen face-first; he noted that several long locks of hair shielded her face from view. "Dolphin, get up," he said, tapping her head with his foot.

No answer. Frowning, Phibrizzo was about to resort to additional force when he noticed the cord that bound Dolphin's hands behind her back. They knocked her out! How'd they do that?

"You're asking us?" Curtis said, his full attention riveted on the unconscious Dolphin. "We're just as confused as you are."

"I have a pretty good idea how."

Both Phibrizzo and Curtis focused on Inuyasha's voice. "What do you think it was, then?" Curtis asked.

"Well, force didn't work...from what we learned they couldn't even touch her, let alone attack her. But aside from the usual stuff," Inuyasha explained, "there's another big difference between the two of you."

What's that?

"You don't need to breathe...but she does."

Phibrizzo saw where Inuyasha was going with this. So they must've used Sleep Powder or something like that.

"Makes sense," Curtis agreed. "Let's see if we can wake her up."

Nodding, Phibrizzo grabbed the cord and tried to untie it in an attempt to release Dolphin's hands. "Let's get this stupid...thing...off...blast!" he exclaimed as he pulled on the cord, only to have it snap back into place when it slipped out of his hands. Narrowing his eyes, he let one hand glow hot before trying to burn the cord through. Still nothing. "They fireproofed the stupid thing..." he murmured, staring at it.

"Can I try?" Curtis asked.

"Yeah. Go on ahead," Phibrizzo sighed, shrugging and waiting for Curtis to assume control.

After the two of them Switched around, Curtis examined the knot for a moment and tugged on it thoughtfully. Getting an idea, he attempted to wedge his fingers underneath the cord. When that didn't work, he took out a comb and tried again, this time succeeding. He repeated the process with a pen and an eraser, stretching the cord just a little. "Inuyasha, it's your turn," he said. "I think your claws can safely cut it by now."

------------

The screaming...the nightmares...revisited...no! Don't make me go back!...

------------

Nodding, Inuyasha took over long enough to slash the cord with his claws. Phibrizzo retrieved the items Curtis had used and placed them in subspace. "Now to wake up 'Sleeping Ugly'." He bent towards Dolphin's ears---covered as they were by hair---and shouted: "Wake up!"

-----------

Dolphin stirred, her consciousness reasserting itself a little. Her vision was mostly dark, but she realized several things: her hair covered her eyes, and her face was pushed against the tiled floor. Weakly she tried to move, but to no avail. I can't feel my arms...I can't feel anything...what happened to me? Why can't I move?

-----------

"That stuff must've really done a number on her," Phibrizzo said inaudibly, trying to think of what to do. Idly, he started releasing the bands that held Dolphin's thick ponytails in place. "Let's see...it couldn't have been done that long ago, so..."

-----------

Little firebrat's messing up my hair! Idiot...leave it alone!

"You want me to use ice water to wake her up, Curtis?"

Unseen, Dolphin's eyes widened. Please don't, please don't, please don't...

"I'm mean, but I'm not that mean."

Whew.

-----------

"Being mean has nothing to do with it. It's one of the quickest ways to wake someone up, even if it's pretty rude."

"If I'm not on her bad side, I will be by the end of the day," Phibrizzo said, pulling off the hairbands and tossing them away. "Do you think maybe an Awakening would work?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "On a non-Pokémon?"

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we could make some coffee and hope the aroma wakes her up."

-----------

Coffee, now? Perish the thought!

-----------

"What do you think she is, a bear?" Inuyasha growled. "It's not like she's in hibernation."

Phibrizzo didn't give up. "Well, I don't feel like yelling for the next ten minutes. Curtis, you have something we can use, right? We need something really annoying and loud. And before you ask, my Lina Inverse impression doesn't count."

-----------

If this is about this morning, I'm sorry! Please don't---!

-----------

Curtis smiled as he considered his options. He got up from his chair and switched on the microphone, then worked with a nearby monitor for a few seconds. "I've got you covered."

"What is it? Alarm clock?"

A laugh. "Worse. It's my personal favorite: the mid-1990s car alarm." Curtis tapped a button, and the air was abruptly rent with...with...one of the worst noises that Phibrizzo had ever heard in his life. "Guaranteed to wake someone up or your money back."

-----------

Arrrggghhh! The noise...turn it off turn it off turn it off!...Come on...!

-----------

Phibrizzo winced from the noise, and waited for some sign of life from Dolphin. Surprisingly, she didn't wake up...at first. Then, ever so slightly, one of her fingers twitched ever so slightly...no more than a fraction of a millimeter, but Inuyasha noticed it and passed the info on. Catching the hint, Curtis shut off the alarm and the microphone.

After another few seconds of waiting, Phibrizzo tired of waiting. Pushing against Dolphin's shoulder, he turned her over...

...and saw her eyes wide open, staring at him pleadingly. Phibrizzo jerked back, realizing that she must've been awake for a while. "...Dolphin, don't do that!"

Dolphin just looked up at him, unable to move.

--------

"What happened? Are you okay?"

I still can't move...that fog did something to me!

"I'll take your lack of a response as: 'No, Phibrizzo. I freely admit that I need professional therapy.'"

The pool, Phibrizzo. Quit being a brat and throw me in the pool!

Phibrizzo thought for a moment. "You know, you'd look funny with a fake mustache...and maybe a pair of large eyebrows to complete the look."

I left my marker in the kitchen, thank goodness.

"I've got to get you moving somehow. I didn't see Vaporeon when I came in, so I'm guessing she got kidnapped too."

Jetsam is...kidnapped!? I should've washed them clear to the police when I had the chance! And what does he mean by "too"?

Grunting, Phibrizzo hoisted Dolphin by the arms and sat her down in one of the chairs. "You must've received a lot more than just Sleep Powder. You've only twitched once since you woke up. What happened? Long-lasting local anesthetic?"

Shut up and throw in me the pool!

"Yeah, Stun Spore would do it too...they must not like her very much," Phibrizzo thought aloud, obviously talking to one of the others. "Let's figure out what to do. Both Sunburst and Vaporeon were caught, but their enhanced moves and abilities aren't that effective without the original trainers. So, they must be trying to blackmail us somehow...but you'd think they'd at least leave some sign of where they went."

Unless they really are that stupid.

"No. We can't really go anywhere until she can start moving again, as much as I hate to say it."

The pool! The pool! Throw me in the pool!

Dolphin's eyes started moving around, focusing on the pool. Phibrizzo noticed this. "If you could swim in your current state, I'd oblige you," he said dryly, "but watching you sink like a stone isn't on my agenda."

"Phibrizzo," Curtis's voice cut in, "I have a vague feeling about this. If you can recover by fire, shouldn't it stand to reason that Dolphin could recover by water?"

Thank you.

"So you're saying she wants thrown into the pool, right?"

"It could work. The sooner, the better."

"Then let's try it. But first, can I give her the fake mustache and eyebrows? It'll be funny."

Phibrizzo, you little...!

"Or, I could just do this..." Phibrizzo held up his hand and started tracing small circles in the air, mere millimeters from Dolphin's nose.

You're enjoying this, aren't you? I knew I should've stayed in bed this morning.

"Does this bug you?" Phibrizzo asked. "Does this bug you? Why? I'm not touching you."

"You're real mature...Phibrizzo, quit it!"

"Fine, fine...I just wanted to try it for a few seconds. Really..."

Jumping back a few rows, Phibrizzo stretched out and grabbed Dolphin's left hand, which had been hanging limp. Jerking his arm, he hurled her over his head and into the pool.

--------

Finally. If he's sunk so low as to rely on a human to set him straight...ahh. My gills are fine now. Dolphin released a held breath into the water and watched the bubbles float upward. Slowly, as her body reflexively absorbed some of the water in her immediate vicinity, feeling returned to the rest of her body. Having working lungs...that's something I'll never understand. Nonetheless, I'm not taking those things for granted again.

Dolphin flexed her fingers as Team Rocket's concoction was fully smothered by the tide. An eager grin popped into place. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's showtime!" she shouted through the water. Working herself into a spin, she propelled herself out of the pool, scattering droplets in all directions. Her balance restored, she flipped a few times and touched down on the floor near the stands. She stood up, her delight and dignity back in force.

She gave Phibrizzo an odd look, though, when he held up a sign that read "7.4".

A minute later, she and Phibrizzo were hurrying out of the gym. She listened as her sibling explained to her what had happened, and only nodded when he emphasized the importance of getting their Pokémon back.

As they ran towards the city's eastern exit, a police car stopped nearby. The driver motioned them over to the car. "The suspects have been spotted a quarter-mile from the city's eastern boundary. Do you want a lift over there?"

Phibrizzo took one look at Dolphin before telling the cop that they'd rather run, "but thanks anyway."

His sister paid him no note, though, and was more than happy to keep running once they were on the move again; because for once, Dolphin was focused on something worse than her phobia. Ever since that first night in late January, she'd been spending as much time with Jetsam as she did with Misty and Togepi. She understood that water Pokémon treated her like one of their own, but she never expected to become attached to them in return. It was something else that her past centuries of life didn't prepare her for.

Deep inside, she was worried that she'd never see the little Vaporeon again.

And so she kept on running. She ignored the streams of hair that flowed as long as nine feet behind her, not caring that they were unbound. She took no note of how fast they were running, and that people were wondering how they could surpass the speed limit.

She never even noticed the thin ocean-blue aura that surrounded her, or the thick black line around Phibrizzo's body.

Well, they found out. It was bound to happen. You don't just take something from those two without some sort of reprisal, so it looks like the hammer's going to drop.

The moment that Domino had expected from the start had come: Phibrizzo and Dolphin had discovered that their respective partners had been stolen, and were on their way out of the city to get them back. The upcoming battle was not going to be pretty.

There was nothing that she could do to support either side, even if she had been inclined to do so. So, her options limited, Domino decided to settle in. Picking up the nearby phone, she dialed a number.

"Room service? This is room 612. Could you send up some popcorn, please?"

------------

Crash was the first to spot them coming as he peered through his binoculars. "They're coming...and fast. I thought that spray was supposed to incapacitate Aqua for the remainder of the day."

Flame snarled. "The concoction's not defective. I've used it on various targets myself. You know that."

"Then they must've figured out how to heal her or something. Whichever." Crash smiled darkly. "It's been a good while since I've had a double battle."

"They're the ones without Pokémon. We're the only ones doubling up, unless they have a spare or something. You could say it's a two-on-zero."

"I'm all for that."

--------

Thirty seconds later, Phibrizzo and Dolphin skidded to a stop. Waving away the dust that gathered due to their arrival method, Dolphin was the first to whip out a sign. 'Return her. Now.'

Crash turned to her. "You and who else, water-user?" he said mock-curiously.

Frowning, Dolphin raised one hand and was just about set to wash them away---

"Not very smart, you overgrown clown," Flame warned. When Dolphin hesitated, she continued: "If you wash us away, you run the risk of never seeing your Pokémon again."

"Where are they?" Phibrizzo asked, his voice unusually calm. Beside him, Dolphin hesitantly lowered her hand.

Crash and Flame turned to each other. "Well, shall we?" Flame asked.

"Let's shall," Crash agreed. "But first..."

In a whirlwind of action, the two of them tore loose their disguises. In stark contrast to Team Rocket's usual uniforms, theirs was a bright red, almost lavender. Wherever there had been red on the old uniforms, it was replaced with orange. The edges of T.R.'s logo were yellow, making it stand out. Flame's earrings were in the vague shape of a fireball.

Phibrizzo put on his sunglasses. "I'd love to know how those guys do that," he told himself. "What do they do, receive ninja training or something?"

"When you introduce yourselves to an enemy, you do it in style," Crash declared. "And no one has more style than us. We're Crash and Flame, the Fire Masters of Team Rocket. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Phibrizzo said. "Since when does burnt-out charcoal qualify for marriage licenses?"

"Any serious questions?" Flame asked warningly as Crash's fists clenched.

"Well, now that you put it like that..." Phibrizzo tapped his chin, his eyes toward the sky. "I have one. What's your problem with Domino?"

"Problem? Problem!?" Crash erupted. "She's a stuck-up Gyarados in high boots. That's the problem!"

---------

Stuck-up? Domino frowned, having read Crash's lips. What's he going on about?

---------

Dolphin flipped the sign she was holding around. 'She didn't look like a shapeshifter to me. What are you talking about?'

"She thinks she's better than everyone at everything," Flame snapped, sweatdropping at Dolphin's comment. "She became one of the boss's top agents out of sheer luck! She thinks no one can stop her! She's the first in everything, and doesn't even give us a second glance!"

"And she has the nerve to call me ugly!" Crash shouted, clenching his fists. "That's not true at all! She treats us as if we're scum at the bottom of the barrel! She cares next to nothing for her occupation and lifestyle!"

-----------

So that's why. This goes beyond hallucinating...these nuts are just plain delusional!

There was a knock at the door. "Room service. Popcorn's here!"

-----------

"Tch," Phibrizzo scoffed. "Yeah, right. Have you ever tried talking to her to get things straightened out?"

"Talk!?" Flame pounded a fist into her hand. "There's no chance of me talking to that walking snail! I'd sooner kiss a Tentacruel!"

'That can be arranged', Dolphin 'snapped', growing bored with the conversation, 'if you don't return Jetsam to me inside of fifteen minutes.'

It was Crash's turn to scoff. "Like you have a choice. And why fifteen minutes?"

'Because by my estimation,' Dolphin stated, 'that's how long it's going to take to turn you into drowned rats.'

"We'll see who drowns who," Crash said, reaching behind his back and pulling out a black variant of a Poké Ball. "Flareon, attack!"

A burst of light materialized into Flareon...but Phibrizzo and Dolphin could immediately tell that there was something wrong. There was a dim violet glow surrounding the Pokémon, and it gave no sign that it even recognized its trainer. The fire-type immediately charged into a Headbutt, which Dolphin quickly evaded; she likewise avoided the same attack going the other way.

-----------

Domino stared at the screen in wonder, having just retrieved the ordered popcorn. "Hello," she said to herself. "What have we here? Has someone been raiding T.R.'s supply cache again?"

-----------

Before Phibrizzo could get over his surprise, Flame matched Crash's manuever and set loose Dolphin's Vaporeon. The snarling water-type wasted no time in blasting Phibrizzo with an Ice Beam, but the half-mazoku hit the dirt and let it sail over his head.

Phibrizzo pushed himself up as the Beam faded out. They're being controlled somehow...what's going on!?

"I have my suspicions," Curtis murmured, "and if I'm right, things are going to get nasty."

"They already are," Inuyasha complained. "If they're fighting against you instead of for you..." He growled. "This is tacky. Just tacky!"

A few times during dull moments, Inuyasha had described what Naraku had been like while he was alive; Phibrizzo figured that Crash and Flame's scheme had brought back bad memories. Wasn't surprising; he'd done a little bit of doublecrossing himself once or twice. "Okay, what's the big deal here?"

"That's for us to know and for you to never find out," Crash chortled. "Flareon, Flamethrower!"

Flareon did as instructed, its attack somehow more intense than it had been earlier. Almost welcoming the blast, Dolphin raised her hand to counter it with one of her own---

"Vaporeon, Ice Beam!"

---and just as the water started to form, Jetsam's attack struck her hand and immediately flash-froze it up to her wrist.

"Uh-oh..." both Inuyasha and Curtis murmured.

"Out of the way!" Phibrizzo shouted.

---------

Dolphin was a bit slow to react to the warning, stunned as she was by having her hand frozen solid. By the time she could think of teleporting, Flareon's Flamethrower had slammed into her. The blast washed over her for a second before she got her act together, and she finally warped a few meters to her right.

...A strange sensation pushed at her senses, and she cringed at its unfamiliarity. What...what is that...I actually feel like...

That hurt! That fire actually hurt me! And here I thought that I... No! I'm not! I am not human! I refuse to give in to this!

...But why do I feel so thirsty all of a sudden?

Feeling a brief rush of anger, Dolphin's expression turned serious. Well, no matter. Being doublecrossed once is bad enough. That's not going to happen again!

"Hey, are you okay over there?" she heard Phibrizzo ask. Turning his way, Dolphin was about to give an affirmative; externally, she looked unharmed. But in the middle of getting out another sign, she saw Jetsam opening its mouth.

For the hundredth time, she wished she could talk out loud. All she could do, though, was point in Jetsam's direction and hope her brother took the hint.

----------

As Dolphin pointed towards her Vaporeon, Phibrizzo turned that way...just in time to get a faceful of Hydro Pump. After being pushed back a few feet, he was able to brace himself and aim a Gum Gum Pistol at Jetsam's feet, scattering dirt into the air and disrupting the Pokémon's concentration.

Phibrizzo winced a little, trying not to look as bad as he felt. As soon as that Hydro Pump hit him, something happened to him. He felt as if he were being stifled...squashed...

...extinguished.

Curtis rushed over to one of the monitors lining his chamber, blinking in disbelief at what he saw. "Phibrizzo, that blast's affected you somehow. Your energy just dropped!"

Wha...!? How? How could being hit with water hurt me when swimming around in it doesn't? None of this makes sense!

"It gets worse," Curtis said worriedly. "Fire against water may seem like a mismatch, but think about what happens when water's overheated by an outside source..."

Phibrizzo drew the conclusion pretty quickly. It evaporates! That means...that Dolphin's waterpower is going to take a hit!

"You're not as invincible as you think!" Flame exclaimed mirthfully. "Vaporeon..."

Crash smiled broadly. "Flareon..."

"Subdue them!" Flame shouted.

As one, the duo exclaimed: "For the glory of Team Rocket!"

Jetsam and Sunburst, no longer in control of their rightful minds and bodies, began the assault in earnest. Phibrizzo and Dolphin sidestepped their initial attacks, finally forcing themselves to retaliate: the former with a Gum Gum Whip and Pistol combo that narrowly missed, and the latter with a series of V-shaped water blasts that grazed Flareon's fur.

------------

Domino reached into the bucket of popcorn sitting next to her on the bed and pulled out a few pieces, tossing them into her mouth. The firebrat and the walking shark have their weaknesses, after all. How about that?

This'll be a tough one. Betrayal and blackmail I've dealt with before, but this? This takes it to another level. They really make me wonder sometimes...and that's saying nothing for the squeaker and his sister.

-------------

At Team Rocket HQ, Giovanni was watching the same satellite feed on his own monitor. The head honcho was smiling grimly. "Employed in Team Rocket, or left in the dust by his own Pokémon? The choice is his."

---------

Phibrizzo dived to the side in time to avoid Vaporeon's Water Gun, trying to think of some way out of the situation. With the way that Jetsam was pressing the attack, he wasn't given enough time to do so; the Vaporeon charged forward into a Double-Edge, attempting to stun him long enough to nail him. Instead of dodging, Phibrizzo brought himself low to the ground and crossed his arms in front of his face. This nullified the Pokémon's attack, enabling him to swing his arms out and brush the water-type aside...momentarily.

You guys do me a favor, Phibrizzo ordered as Vaporeon stood up without difficulty. Instead of sitting around, try to figure a way out of this mess!

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Curtis asked testily. Since the fight started, he'd been trying to remember what he'd seen and read about the Dark Balls that had been used.

Looking stupid. Phibrizzo threw another Gum Gum Pistol, but Vaporeon's figure blurred into a Double Team and caused the punch to go wide. Hurry it up!

Dolphin's encounter with Flareon wasn't progressing any better. Being careful how she dodged Sunburst's attacks due to her loose hair, it took a fair amount of concentration to keep from slipping. Seizing an opportunity, she threw a few high-pressure water blasts---which she'd earlier dubbed Dolph Shiners---to keep Flareon on the move and to soften up the ground. She toyed with the idea of ambushing Crash and Flame while they were least expecting it, but a barrage of Ember attacks changed her mind.

If there was some way of pinpointing what's controlling them, Dolphin thought as she weaved around the fire bursts, this would be over in no time. But as it is---whoa! Almost got me there---I'm not getting any breathing room here.

She sighed mentally. What did I do to deserve this?

Somewhat removed from the chaos, Crash and Flame were whispering to each other. "They seem to be doing pretty well, what with being forced to fight their own Pokémon and everything," Crash said.

"Let's move on to Phase Two," Flame hissed back. "This is taking too long."

Crash smiled. "Phase Two it is." He reached towards the Poké Ball that contained his Blaziken, releasing it from its confinement. "Blaziken," he told it quietly, "give assistance to Flareon. Use Blaze Kick on the woman, and then any other fire attacks you see fit to use. Don't quit until she surrenders."

Flame followed suit, setting her Ampharos loose on the field. "Help out the Vaporeon, Ampharos. Use Hidden Power against the kid, and nothing else. Repeat until he's ours for the taking."

Both Pokémon charged into the fray.

------

As Vaporeon maintained its Double Team around Phibrizzo, Inuyasha's nose was at work. Sniffing the air and turning every now and again to get a better angle, he was finally able to pinpoint the real target. "Phibrizzo, behind and to your left!"

Got it! Phibrizzo turned in the indicated direction, then flipped and allowed one of his legs to stretch out in mid-air. The heel drop missed by a fraction of an inch, but the dirt it plowed up in its wake disrupted the Double Team and sent Vaporeon flying. Phibrizzo took advantage of this, going into a Gum Gum Gatling Gun immediately after his leg snapped back to normal.

He was too occupied to see the cyan orb flying his way.

------

Getting tired of dodging Embers, Dolphin decided to take the battle to Flareon. Teleporting directly behind Sunburst, she reached down and scooped him high above her head. While the Pokémon tried to reorient itself in mid-air, the pseudo-human raised her left hand and waited until her aim was just perfect. One Dolph Shiner was all it would take, and then she could take down Crash and Flame.

Someone grunted behind her. Dolphin spun around and saw Blaziken flying right towards her, in the middle of a Blaze Kick. Ducking the outstretched kick, she shifted her aim and blasted the Blaziken with her attack instead.

That moment of distraction was enough, though. Finally turning to face the ground, Flareon recommenced its assault with a massive Flamethrower.

------

Broadsided by the abrupt attack, Phibrizzo found himself on his knees after Ampharos's Hidden Power crashed into him. His eyes met those of the electric-type's, who was running towards him and preparing to give him another one. "You too, huh?" Phibrizzo growled, his eyes flashing in the sunlight. "Take a number and get in line!"

Just as he was about to interrupt Ampharos's attack, Jetsam recovered and got back to its feet. Seeing Phibrizzo facing the other way, it seized the opportunity it had been given and let loose another Hydro Pump blast.

------

Domino's eyes widened as she witnessed both attacks impact at the same time. Oh, now, that was...that was just...I... "Oh, come on!" she finally blurted out. "What do you mean, you didn't see that coming? Let them have it, already!"

You're just...holding back...on their account...

They're not weak. They can take it...

"Come on, you've got to pull through...!" the sidelined agent whispered, her free hand tightening.

------

After what felt like a lifetime to the targets but was actually about ten seconds, the Flamethrower and Hydro Pump finally extinguished.

As expected, Phibrizzo was entirely drenched and sprawled out in a muddy pool. His arms and legs refused to cooperate. He felt as if his internal energy had exhausted itself, leaving him exhausted and helpless. He didn't even have enough power left to fuel a teleportation. He felt mad at everyone, but most of all himself.

I hate being helpless.

Dolphin wasn't feeling any better. She could tell that she was feeling incredibly empty and dry on the inside, having managed to stave off Flareon's Flamethrower for several seconds before her water-based defenses were finally depleted. When she raised her hand, only a few drops of water fell out. She watched them descend, then followed suit and fell to her knees. She noted, with some irony, that her hair and clothes were in better condition than she was.

Betrayed once...and then again...why is my life turning this way...?

------

Unseen and unheard by everything and everyone, Curtis entered Inuyasha's chamber. "Well, I figured out how to stop Crash and Flame," he said, sullen, "for all the good it does us."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Inuyasha snapped. "Get out there and take them down!"

Curtis blinked. "You're sure?"

Inuyasha's fist tightened. "Absolutely. When I'm in control, I only use Phibrizzo's power if I need to teleport or do some other such thing. Otherwise, it's all my own strength. If it's true for me, then it's true for you!"

Curtis took a second to digest this, then smiled. "In that case, I know how to get over there, too."

Inuyasha smirked. "You bet. It's not just Phibrizzo and Dolphin they're facing, but me and you too. Let's show them that what they're up against is bigger than they are..." He took a look at Curtis. "...No offense, of course."

"No comment at this time," Curtis said, then hurried over to the Switch area while Inuyasha was laughing.

------

"So they're down..." Giovanni said aloud, eyes still watching the viewscreen. "In truth, I didn't expect Crash and Flame to be this underhanded...in any event, the little spitfire has finally been defeated. I expect he'll be expending his energy for Team Rocket..." His voice trailed off. "...soon..."

Phibrizzo was getting up.

------

Domino forgot about the popcorn she was eating as Phibrizzo got to his feet, ignoring his mud-splattered clothes and skin. The readings on one side of the screen showed that his energy level was virtually zero...but he was still getting up!

There was something different about him, though. She couldn't quite put a finger on it...

But whatever it meant, he was up. And that was enough to make her smirk. "Thrash them, firebrat."

------

Crash and Flame both looked on, apprehensive as Phibrizzo worked himself up and yawned, stretching in a more normal fashion. "I don't understand," Flame murmured. "Vaporeon's Hydro Pump should've rendered him unconscious; at the very least, it should've completely drained him!" She called to her Ampharos. "Put him back down. Use Hidden Power!"

------

With what little energy she had left, Dolphin was able to turn her head enough to see Phibrizzo get up, yawn, and stretch... No. It's that lousy human friend of his, she reminded herself, noticing the brown hair and weight gain. What's happening? Do they operate on different energy reserves, or what?

She heard Flame yell a command to her Ampharos. As the electric-type began gathering energy again, Dolphin heard Curtis chuckle. "You think you're all that?" he said. "Well, here's mud in your eye!"

Curtis bent down and scooped up some of the mud with his hands, flinging it at Ampharos's face. Ducking and rolling to avoid Vaporeon's Water Gun, he ran past the distracted Pokémon as fast as he could...

...straight for Crash and Flame.

Dolphin laughed inwardly. He runs fast for a fat guy. What's he up to?

In her angered state of mind, Vaporeon didn't understand what was going on; it knew only that her target was getting away. With a growl that didn't quite come out the way it was supposed to, it shot another Water Gun and---as it went wide---took off running.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Crash shouted, his pompous tone loud and clear. "Stay away!"

"Like I need to listen to you after what you just got done putting us through?" Curtis answered, taking Phibrizzo's tennis racquet out of subspace as he ran. He altered his course to take him past Flame, then shouted past his shoulder: "Hey, you! Will you hit a moving target, or are you just plain pathetic?"

The way things were, it was all too easy for Jetsam to take the half-baked insult personally. Crying out angrily, it shot off one more Water Gun. Smiling, Curtis sidestepped to one side and looked on as Vaporeon's attack flew past him...

...and struck Flame instead. When the woman fell over backwards from the pressure, Curtis reached out and snatched the Dark Ball that had been hanging on her uniform. "Hey, Dolphin! Heads up!” he shouted, serving the Ball towards her. “Destroy that thing for me, could ya?”

Mustering up some energy, Dolphin reached out and grabbed the Dark Ball as it bounced towards her. As Crash and Flame looked on, horrified, she started pounding on it and even resorted to biting it in her efforts to destroy it.

Crash attempted to run towards her and try to retrieve the Dark Ball, but he ran facefirst into the mesh of a tennis racquet and fell back beside Flame. It wouldn't have mattered, anyway; by the time Crash would've caught up to Dolphin, she had succeeded in damaging the device beyond use.

A confused whine diverted Dolphin's attention towards Jetsam. The Vaporeon was looking around, thoroughly confused. The dark aura around her was gone, as was her viciousness. 'Where am I? What's happening?'

'I'll explain later,' Dolphin said silently, spitting out a piece of metal and tossing the Dark Ball's wreckage aside. 'Just douse me, please.' So these things are responsible? Only one thing to do!

Jetsam hurried over and did as instructed, the pressure from the attack somewhat lower than it had been a few minutes ago. In a process that was nothing short of amazing, any visual damage that Dolphin had sustained was removed. Her reserves rapidly replenished themselves, and she could feel her energy flowing through her like a peaceful river. Standing up, she wasted no time in teleporting over to Crash and relieving him of Flareon's Dark Ball.

Angrily, Flame tried to reach past Crash and knock Dolphin off her feet, but---like her husband---her face met Phibrizzo's racquet. "Ever hear of a thing called 'common sense'?" Curtis asked as the woman fell back. "Use it!"

Crash tried to grab Dolphin's arm in an attempt to stop her, but she wanted none of it. Using her restored strength to wrench herself free and push him aside, she punched the Dark Ball as hard as she could, shattering it. Curtis, grinning helplessly at their enemies, rushed back to where he'd been a few minutes prior and Switched places with Phibrizzo.

Ampharos---who had gotten the mud out of its face during the commotion---and Blaziken, both of whom had been confused at the proceedings, weren't sure what to do. When the recovered Flareon blasted Phibrizzo with a sheet of flame, they knew something was going on. But when Vaporeon glared daggers at Ampharos while Flareon snarled something at Blaziken, they decided that their masters had better get their act together and tell them what to do. They quickly retreated to relative safety and waited for further orders.

Crash and Flame stood up, furious at what had transpired. "It looks like the jig is up," Flame said, forcing the expression through her teeth. "They figured out how they were being controlled."

"Then it looks like we'll have to beat them the old-fashioned way," Crash answered, smiling. "Finally, a chance to show what the Fire Masters can do!"

"'Fire Masters', nothing," Phibrizzo spat. "For all your vaunted skills, you're nothing but a couple of deceptive, lying no-shows. Sure, pitting our weaknesses against us was clever, but you messed things up big-time. How? Simple: you know nothing. You think you know what there is to know just by checking on our strengths? You neglected to think that just maybe what you're up against is more than just fire and water. Your arrogance, aside from making me mad, has blinded you!"

'You could've just said that from the start instead of ranting,' Dolphin said through a sign.

"Just had to let it out," Phibrizzo confessed, shrugging.

---------

Domino, having seen the whole thing, still couldn't believe it. How did he get that burst of strength...and how did he figure things out when no one told him anything? I'm starting to wonder if challenging him's a good idea.

Now things are the way they're supposed to be. Brother and sister, both furious and itching to battle a common enemy. She smirked as she thought this. Boss, you'd better be watching the show!

---------

Having gotten his speech out of the way, Phibrizzo thought for several long moments. "Normally, for all the idiotic things they've done, I'd suggest wasting them ourselves...but I think it would be much more fulfilling for Sunburst and Vaporeon to wipe the floor with these guys."

Loudly agreeing with him, the two took a few steps forward.

"Guess we're going with Plan B, after all," Crash said reluctantly. "An old-fashioned double battle."

Dolphin smiled nastily. Flame either didn't get the meaning behind it, or just ignored it. "This brings back memories. The two of us laying waste to our opponents outside Verdanturf..."

"...You're still hung up on that?" Crash asked. "They were pushovers!"

"Just about anyone would be."

"Yeah, I can see why you'd call them pushovers...if you were battling a couple of Magikarps," Phibrizzo cracked, adjusting his sunglasses (the lenses were a little wet, but still wearable). "If beating one of them's enough to give you a bloated ego---"

"Don't you dare mock us!" Crash suddenly yelled, cutting Phibrizzo off in mid-quip. "Whether they're water, rock or dragon, no one has beaten us yet! Blaziken, Blaze Kick on Flareon!"

"Ampharos, slow down Vaporeon with Cotton Spore!" Flame called out.

As the two hurried to execute their commands, Phibrizzo looked once at Dolphin. Receiving a brief nod, the smaller of the two commanded: "Dodge and counter it with Quick Attack!"

Sunburst zipped out of the way of Blaziken's firey attack, then doubled back to knock the fighter-type off-balance. Meanwhile, Vaporeon smacked some of the mud that the earlier entanglement had created into Ampharos's face. While the electric-type was busy trying to clear its vision, Vaporeon calmly walked up to it and blasted it with an Ice Beam. The attack didn't flash-freeze Ampharos, but it was enough to knock it back a good ways.

Crash's gaze hardened. "I see. If that's how it's going to be...Blaziken, Rock Tomb!"

Flame added her own two cents. "Thunder Wave, Ampharos!"

Blaziken's fists flared with power. As soon as it recovered, it jammed them into the ground. As the ground rumbled, several large rocks burst out and trapped the startled Flareon between them. This rendered Sunburst an easy target for Blaziken's Aerial Ace, and freed him from his makeshift prison as well. Still able to fight, Flareon pushed himself up and continued on, returning the favor with another Quick Attack.

Jetsam, recognizing Thunder Wave's danger for what it was, took advantage of Ampharos's split-second lapse and jumped into a quick Double Team. Her opponent's attack safely passed through the three afterimages, but she missed the follow-up Fire Punch that followed. While she resisted the flames, she still took some damage from the punch itself. When Ampharos attempted to add to the damage, Vaporeon forced it back with another Water Gun and gave herself some breathing room.

Said breathing room didn't last long. "Blaziken, Ampharos..." Crash started to say.

Flame took a step nearer to him, and the two of them pointed at their opponents' Pokémon. "Combination Theta!"

Flareon attempted to use Ember to force Blaziken back further, but it suddenly blurred and disappeared---its own Quick Attack. Ampharos' tail, meanwhile, glowed and flashed a retina-burning white. As everyone---except Phibrizzo, who was still wearing his sunglasses---shielded their eyes, Blaziken reappeared and started into a Sky Uppercut.

Not disadvantaged by Ampharos' Flash, Phibrizzo knew what to do. "Shadow Ball, right down the middle!"

Trusting Phibrizzo, Flareon kept its eyes closed and commenced the attack. The released sphere slammed into Blaziken, stopping its attack and blasting the surprised fighter-type into Ampharos. The Flash attack dimmed, allowing everyone to see what had just transpired...and Crash and Flame weren't the least bit happy.

---------

"It's been a while since anyone's managed that," Domino mused to herself. "Crash and Flame's combination attacks are typically tough to stop for those who don't know what to look for. That kid's sunglasses saved him from that one." She looked on as Blaziken and Ampharos worked themselves up, not yet defeated. "If I remember right, there are five attacks that they use in order, from weakest to strongest...starting with Theta and working on up to their signature combo, Alpha."

She picked up a few pieces of popcorn and started munching on them. Phibrizzo and Dolphin's relationship is somewhat complicated. As far as reports indicate, there's been no sign that the two have practiced in battles together. Can they really be expected to cooperate with each other, especially with a sibling rivalry in full swing?

---------

While Domino was thinking about this, Dolphin's own mind was racing. What their opponents had just done reminded her of what she'd read about the Pokémon Contests. What we need is to pull a few good combinations of our own...but how does one combine fire and water?...

Hold on...maybe we don't need to!

Dolphin reached out and snapped her fingers, signalling for Phibrizzo. He turned, looking at her curiously...and smiled when her eyes kept flickering towards Flareon. "R-r-right. Gotcha," he drawled, smirking. "Yeah. It's never been tried out, but we got as close as we could before lunch. I think it's worth a try."

"Your strategizing won't help!" Flame shouted. "Combination Gamma!"

"Combination this," Phibrizzo shot back. "Shadow Ball again!"

'Back him up with Frozen Lake,' Dolphin ordered.

In perfect sync, Blaziken let loose with a Fire Spin while Ampharos gave it some added juice with a Thundershock. Bolts of electricity danced all along Blaziken's flame as it spun towards its targets...

...only to be countered by an equally dangerous Water Gun and Ice Beam combo, courtesy of Jetsam. The same move that scared Domino's Feraligatr out into the open served to block Combination Gamma, giving Sunburst enough time to blast the ground around Blaziken with a Shadow Ball. Startled, the rooster-esque fighter was thrown to the ground.

"Blast it," Flame hissed. "That woman's ability to speak silently to her Pokémon is getting annoying."

"You're sure she's not telepathic?" Crash asked. "You know, like the Saffron gym leader?"

"As much as I don't like Double-Oh-Whine, her report clearly stated that her voice can only be heard clearly when she's underwater," Flame admitted reluctantly. "If she was telepathic, we'd go out of our minds. We're still sane, aren't we?"

Dolphin was sure she saw Phibrizzo's lips turn upwards, but it lasted only an instant. What's he thinking? If he says anything about my mental state...

"Then let's just keep hacking away at them," Crash decided. "Your Ampharos's Fire Punch isn't strong enough to do much damage, so we're gonna stick with the combos. Let's move on." Raising his voice, he shouted: "Combination Delta!"

Blaziken tilted his head back, gathered all its strength, and shot its Flamethrower into the air. Meanwhile, Ampharos charged forward and entered another Double Team, surrounding both Sunburst and Jetsam. One of the Ampharoses fired a Thundershock at Flareon, who quickly sidestepped it. A followup Shock aimed at Vaporeon was dodged the same way. It went on like this for several seconds.

Phibrizzo turned to Dolphin, curious. "That bird's aim is way off. Why isn't he firing at them? It couldn't just be a distraction...unless..." His voice trailed off as he worked through several different possibilities.

Dolphin regarded the scene silently. The Blaziken had finished shooting off its Flamethrower, and the shot continued to race skyward. Meanwhile, Ampharos was still firing random Thundershocks at either Vaporeon or Flareon. It does seem somewhat odd...but still... Out of curiosity, she faced the sky one more time...

...and paled. Eventually, all things would succomb to gravity's pull, and Blaziken's Flamethrower was no exception. Gravity's force would give it added strength, and would succeed in damaging both Vaporeon and Flareon where the fire attacks failed.

That thing's falling fast...that settles it. I'm not going to be embarassed by the likes of them; I'm going in!

As Phibrizzo came to the same conclusion, Dolphin decided to take matters into her own hands; neither of their Pokémon would be able to react in time. Holding her hands above her head, she forced every drop of water she could manage into them. A beach ball-sized sphere formed in her hands, abruptly doubling in size as she finished charging it.

Not sparing any glances for their startled opponents---or for Phibrizzo, for that matter---Dolphin teleported into the Pokémons' midst. Ignoring the Thundershock that nearly jolted her, she braced herself, hoped the hastily prepped water beam would hold...

...and shot it with all her might at the incoming Flamethrower, stopping it ten feet above her head. Steam and fog formed in the air as the two attacks extinguished themselves, reducing visibility to zero. Once the Flamethrower and Dolphin's Aqua Tide were completely cancelled out, Dolphin lowered her arms. It's much better when it's evaporated outside of me, as opposed to inside.

A bit winded but hiding it, Dolphin made a series of noises from within her throat; no one heard her aside from Jetsam, but the sonic noises helped her get a feel for her surroundings. Zeroing in on where the real Ampharos was standing in confusion, she said to Jetsam: 'Turn to where you hear the next noise, and attack.'

After a momentary pause, she finally heard Jetsam's confirmation. Aiming at Ampharos, she shot a few miniature Dolph Shiners at the Pokémon. They didn't do much damage, but the intent was for the electric-type to give away its location...and that it did, emitting a mild grunt of surprise. Right on the heels of that noise, a Water Gun slammed into Ampharos and knocked it to the ground once again.

The wind picked up a little, blowing some of the steam away. Dolphin teleported back to her original place, deciding not to get caught up in the action any further.

Crash glared daggers at the woman, but his wife beat him to the punch. "You miserable...stinking...cheater!" Flame shrieked, every bit as indignant as her husband was. "You're not supposed to interfere in a Pokémon battle! That's against the rules!"

"Says the same people who tried to tranquilize my sister," Phibrizzo snarled, having gotten over his surprise. "What do you call that...'fighting in all fairness before the match'? Please; I hear enough of that from back home. You sent in reinforcements when you were battling us earlier, and you have the nerve to call Dolphin a cheater?"

Crash again started to say something, but Phibrizzo's voice overrode his. When he got on a roll, there was no stopping him. "That is it, you flame-brained hypocrites," he spat, his voice rising in volume. "You treat Domino like scum, stole my Pokémon and wrecked my schedule, and now you think you're in the right!?"

'What about me?' Dolphin asked with a half-lidded look, the sign she was holding almost falling out of her grasp.

Phibrizzo either didn't see it or didn't care. "Let's end this," he told Crash and Flame. "No more stupid combinations, no more stupid accusations, no more stupid cheating. Just throw your strongest attacks at Sunburst, and we'll see whether you deserve your Fire Master title...or if you're just a couple of posers who haven't the slightest idea how to play fair!"

The duo, stinging from Phibrizzo's scathing comments, grimaced and turned to whisper amongst themselves.

Flareon turned to face his trainer, mewling a question. Dolphin didn't understand him, but Jetsam did. The water-type told her: 'He wants to know if the move will work. It had been something they were testing when this whole thing started.'

"It'll work," Phibrizzo said, positive. "Remember Vaporeon's Frozen Lake move? Do your own attack the same way."

A second went by. Determination crossed Flareon's face, the same look Dolphin had seen on Jetsam's face when she was teaching her that principle. It had been a bit difficult; prior to their first meeting, Jetsam was used to simply using the attacks separately. It could be done, though; the result of their week-long labor was proof of that.

"It's decided," Crash's voice called out, and everyone stared at him attentively. "We'll do it." He smiled nastily. "As it happens, Combination Alpha consists of their strongest attacks. So, how about it?"

Phibrizzo's fists clenched. "Do fish have scales? Go for it!"

"Then it's time," Flame growled. "We'll see whether your comments have merit!"

"Yes," Crash simply agreed.

With that said, the two of them yelled: "Combination Alpha!"

Ampharos began glowing yellow, gathering energy for a Thunder attack and shooting it a short ways away. At the same time, the flames on Blaziken's arms began flaring wildly as he let loose with Overheat. The two attacks met and combined, far outdoing Combination Gamma in pure power and devestation.

While this was going on, Flareon had formed a Shadow Ball in front of his mouth. Struggling to hold it there, he reached inside himself and triggered his Flamethrower. The black orb became awash in flames as it increased somewhat in size. As the last embers disappeared into the orb, the Shadow Ball's color shifted to a deep violet.

Phibrizzo braced himself, knowing that something big was going to happen. "Let's show them a real combo, Sunburst!

"Twilight Sphere!"

Like an erupting volcano, the transformed Shadow Ball exploded from Flareon's mouth; some dirt and dust was kicked up along the start of its flight path, but then it lifted just a little and placed itself on a collision course with Combination Alpha. Both attacks met in a flash of fire, lightning, and shadow. The entire field was bathed in various shades of purple, red, and yellow as the dual combos fought for supremacy.

Dolphin stood riveted, staring in wonder at the colorful display...then shook her head. Seeing Crash and Flame focused intently on the battle, she knew the time was right to take out their Pokémon. 'Jetsam, you have enough in you for one more attack?'

From where the Vaporeon was sitting a safe distance away from Flareon, the creature voiced an affirmative. Most of it was drowned out by the nearby racket, but it still came through.

'Good. Hydro Pump against Blaziken, please.'

With all its efforts thrown into maintaining the Overheat, there was no way Blaziken could dodge the attack in time. As the fighter-type was forcibly slammed into Crash, Ampharos found its support cut off suddenly as the Overheat was snuffed out. This provided enough leeway for Flareon's Twilight Sphere to win the contest of strength, pushing against Ampharos's Thunder and detonating just a few feet away from its source. With all the damage that the electric sheep had sustained over the course of the match, this was enough to induce fainting...

...and to take Flame out of the picture as well, since she was standing directly in Ampharos's flight path. The surprised agent didn't even have time to yelp as she was flattened under its weight, knocked unconscious by the impact.

At last, all was quiet...until Phibrizzo walked over to a panting Flareon. "See?" he asked, grinning victoriously. "You can do it."

Dolphin took in the sun’s position in the sky. Yep, she thought idly. Fifteen minutes.

-----------

Giovanni suppressed an angry sigh as he switched off the camera feed. He should have expected one of his best teams to be handed a failure at this point in time; outside the occasional loss to 009, the Fire Masters had lived up to their title and had never lost a match. Their arrogance had built up, and now it had cost them a crucial match.

Phibrizzo---and by extension, his older sister---were becoming major pains. Giovanni briefly considered sending out a batch of teams in force, but decided not to. He'd been starting to agree with 009's report; maybe the brat was more trouble than he was worth. He'd wormed past his top agent's tactical nature, Stan and Ollie's reliance on tools, and Crash and Flame's dual-battle strategies and underhanded attacks. It had occurred to him, too, that Phibrizzo might decide to take on Team Rocket on his own; he already knew where the main HQ was, and next time he'd probably do more than just barricade himself in the laundry room.

We'll need to wait until an opportunity comes up, then make one more try. Perhaps I should wait until after 009 has her requested match with him...and then capture him myself.

He smiled as Persian jumped onto his desk, and he petted it idly as he made his decision. Yes...that seems prudent to me.

-----------

They'd been defeated. Crash and Flame had actually been defeated; and ironically enough, it had been done by a combo.

Domino de-activated the viewscreen and put it away, pondering what she'd just seen. Now that I remember, Dolphin's Vaporeon had used a similar attack against me: that blending of ice and water that she referred to as "Frozen Lake"...but for Phibrizzo to manage his own blending of fire and darkness? I'm not saying this to anyone else...but that "Twilight Sphere" was just spectacular. Short of Hyper Beam, that has be one of the most dangerous attacks out there! I need to watch my step around that kid...

She frowned, apprehensive. ...Or is he even a kid at all?

Thinking about it for a few seconds more, she shook her head and laughed. What does it matter? Crash and Flame are beat, thrashed by the very person they mocked. Their requests to have me fired won't hold water now!

Now...since it'll be a bit before I'm called back to Headquarters, back to what I was doing yesterday.

Domino propped up a pillow and sat against it, then grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. Throwing away the empty bag of popcorn, she settled in to watch.

"---in order to properly paint a landscape, you need to---" Click.

"Channel 47 presents: The Adventures of Gran and---" Click.

"---bull was spotted again in the Seafoam Islands as its battles continue on. For those who have just joined us, a series of conflicts between an old martial artist and a brand-new Pokémon---dubbed 'Taro' by a local professor---have been waged on the beaches of the islands. If any trainers or citizens locate this 'Taro', they are not to battle it but to stay as far away from it as possible; it has been classified as a flying-fighting type and is considered very dangerous if provoked. The warning goes double for any women among you, but for another reason---" Click.

"On second thought, I think I'll just take a nap instead."

----------

Compared to earlier events, what followed was uneventful. Dolphin and Jetsam signalled for the police to come by and arrest Crash and Flame; the former seemed to be in shock, while Flame repeatedly whispered: "No...please...no..." under her breath. Neither of them resisted as they were carted off.

Phibrizzo and Dolphin recalled their respective Pokémon and trudged back into the gym after accepting thanks from Officer Jenny and several others. Even if they were mostly recovered physically, they were still a mess from the brief ordeal...

At least, that was the impression Phibrizzo wanted to give. Inside, an idea---sparked by one of their enemy's stray comments---was building upon itself. Thus, when they passed by a gift shop having a '35 percent-off sale' sign hung out front, the two temporarily parted ways: Phibrizzo into the shop, and Dolphin back to the gym.

As soon as Dolphin returned home, she decided to take a quick snooze...and she didn't care where. To her, the tiled foyer worked just as well as any couch. She hadn't dozed off for more than a minute when there was a knock at the door; she was half-tempted to leave it be, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

Opening the door, she was greeted with the visage of the same good-natured man that Phibrizzo had spoken with earlier. "Sorry to bother you, but are you Lauren Aqua?"

Dolphin nodded warily. Who is this man?

"May I step in for a moment? I have an offer to make."

He doesn't seem dangerous. She let him in.

The man got straight to the point. "I won't take up too much time. I have it on good authority that you're an extremely good Pokémon trainer."

'I suppose. Why?' Dolphin asked, making sure he saw the sign.

"My name's Scott, and I'd like to offer a test of your battling skills. Tell me, does the concept of a 'Battle Frontier' sound good to you?"

Dolphin arched an eyebrow. 'Maybe...describe it for me.'

Scott gave her the same description he'd given Phibrizzo earlier. Despite some misgivings, Dolphin eventually agreed on the grounds that he would mail the location of each Frontier facility to the gym, along with directions on how to get there.

-----------

The rest of the day passed by swiftly. After his business at the gift shop was taken care of, Phibrizzo dropped Sunburst at the Pokémon Center. Realizing that Sylvia and Marcus would wonder what he had been up to, he locked himself inside the Gym's laundry room until his clothes were dry and free of dust and dirt; this took the better part of an hour and a half. Dolphin spent that time tracking down her hair bands and her book, then tried to put her hair back into the twin ponytails before deciding that she was too weary from everything that had transpired that day. She then followed suit and left Jetsam behind at the Center as well, retrieving her after dinner.

Speaking of which, dinner was short and simple. Having no desire to try cooking something for herself, Dolphin warped over to a local fast food joint for a grilled cheese sandwich. Phibrizzo raided the refrigerator while she was gone and came up with some leftover stir-fry. Dolphin spent the remainder of the time reading her books, while Phibrizzo sketched something in a drawing pad; what it was, she didn't bother finding out.

-----------

"So you've decided to give that guy's mini-league a try?" Phibrizzo asked out of the blue shortly around 8:25. He put his drawing pad away and looked on as his sister prepared some coffee.

Dolphin nodded. 'Yes. Team Rocket isn't a good measuring stick as far as skill goes...' Flip. '...so I'm going to test myself against professionals.'

"Sounds neat," Phibrizzo said, then reminded her of a previous conversation they had a week previously: "Sounds like you have a busy schedule up ahead of you."

'Yes. I hope your cousin doesn't mind me dropping in.'

"Won't be a problem. Neither of us have school that week, and I promised Conan and his friends that I'd start going around with them more often. I can use that week to take advantage of their offer, and Rachel can introduce you to Aunt Eva."

'Good decision.'

Phibrizzo nodded, checking the time on a nearby clock. "Well, it's 8:30. Might as well grab a shower then head home." He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Dolphin sat down at the kitchen table as the shower began running, relishing a cup of coffee. An eventful day, all things considered; and soon, it was going to get a lot more so. She, Jetsam, and a few other water-types of her choice would soon be warping around Kanto in order to test Scott's so-called "Battle Frontier"...and, of course, she'd promised Phibrizzo that she'd go to Beika and have Rachel give her a tour during "Golden Week", whatever that was.

Most importantly, she'd get to meet Phibrizzo's lawyer aunt. Terrific.

She couldn't keep from grinning the next half hour.

At 9:00, Phibrizzo walked out of the bathroom, said good-bye, then walked out the door and teleported home. A bit displeased at his abrupt farewell but deciding it wasn't worth being mad over, Dolphin shrugged. She searched out a towel closet, retrieved several items and strolled into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her...

Something's not right, Dolphin thought, surveying the room. It looked okay, but that was as far as it went. Listening carefully, she thought she heard a faint ticking noise...but it slowly stopped, and she convinced herself that she was just hearing things. Get over this, Deep Sea, she told herself. You're not going to let something like this get you down, are you? Enough of this. There’s this thing on the radio I want to hear later, and I won’t hear it if I’m paranoid.

Despite her act of bravado, it wouldn't take five minutes before the whole thing collapsed like dust.

And it all started with a clatter of plastic falling against the tiles, and one word: "Hoedown!”

---------

"It's been a few minutes," Inuyasha said. "When do you think she's going to realize that Phibrizzo set all those traps in there?"

Curtis looked up at him, surprised. "That was what he was doing with all those cheap toys?"

A smirk. "You should've been paying attention."

"Maybe," Curtis admitted, sighing. "What did Phibrizzo do, anyway?"

Inuyasha looked outside, where Phibrizzo was giving Marcus and Sylvia a brief overview of his day, and just laughed. "What?" Curtis demanded, trying not to smile himself. "What is it?"

"Don't worry about it," replied Inuyasha. "It's not really your style...or mine, for that matter."

"I suppose..."

---------

From where she was resting in the gym's auditorium, Jetsam's ears flicked as she heard Dolphin's desperate scream. 'Phibrizzo, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have tied you down at the Center this morning! Please! Misty, Jetsam, someone...get these things away from me!'

The gym's resident Dewgong swam over and poked its head out of the pool. 'Shouldn't one of us do something?'

Jetsam opened her eyes and shook her head. 'No. Dolphin's brother set up a few things in there. If we went in, we'd be caught in it as well.'

'So, do we just sleep it off?'

'Yes. Either Misty'll clear out the traps when she returns, or the Mistress will get enough sense in her head to teleport. I don't know why she hasn't done that yet.'

'Okay.' Dewgong turned to swim away, then took one more glance at Jetsam and asked: 'What did he put in there, anyway?'

Jetsam looked uncertain...at least, as much as it was possible for a Vaporeon. 'Well, you're familiar with Dolphin's fear of machines...I overheard Phibrizzo muttering something about children's toys and the racket they cause, and something about a teddy bear...but I didn't know what he was going to do with them.'

Dewgong shook its head disbelievingly and swam away.

---------

And so it went. Most of the water-types, happy with Jetsam's safe return and Dolphin's recovery, were able to sleep easily...for the most part. As for Jetsam, she had to fall asleep to the tune of her mistress's anguished cries. It would've been heart-breaking if it hadn't been so ridiculous.

'Okay! Okay! You win, Phibrizzo! You win! I admit it! I hate and fear machines with all my heart! Don't subject me to this! Just get rid of these blasted things! Come back! I'll be good! I promise! Hel-l-lp...! Eeeeee-yyyaaahhh!'

And somewhere in all that was a quick little bluegrass tune...coming from a teddy bear.

“Hoedown!”

-----------

Chapter Nineteen concluded. Chapter Twenty soon to commence

Author’s Notes

Yeah, I used the television gag again. For some reason, I never get tired of it.

I used this chapter to illustrate several differences in the story between Phibrizzo and Dolphin. Living with two caring parents and with his half-digestive system to consider, Phibrizzo’s food choices are usually the healthy kinds; whereas Dolphin is not squeamish about eating foods she knows are unhealthy. Likewise, in comparison to Phibrizzo’s chaotic makeup, Dolphin has two complete systems: digestive and respiratory (although she can use gills to breathe underwater, like the fish-men in One Piece); this wasn’t mentioned, but she has a cartilaginous skeleton as well (like a shark, except much denser). They have contrasting weaknesses: Phibrizzo to high-pressure water, and Dolphin to intensified heat. Lastly, her energy reserves are presently much higher than Phibrizzo’s; she can throw water waves around at random while her sibling is forced to waste most of his energy on his major attacks.

Curtis briefly mentioned Nom Anor; for those of you who don’t read the Star Wars novels that keep coming out, he’s a member of an alien race that thinks technology is immoral.

Crash and Flame are my own creations, just for the record. I came up with Flame for the female since Burn (as in Crash and Burn) makes no sense.

The repairmen in the Pokémon world must be really skilled to repair buildings inside of an hour, huh? Heh, heh.

Yeah, Scott’s lurking around. Hellooo, Battle Frontier.

I’ve never understood why some men go to hockey and football games with their bodies painted their team’s colors. Must be something in the water.

Can they have chimichangas in Kanto, Johto, etc.? Well, if the dubbed version can get away with Ash craving a cheeseburger, I’d have to say ‘yes’ (I thought I actually saw him eating a burger once, but I can’t remember where).

There’s a reason why Phibrizzo hates Domino’s voice. In Mewtwo Returns, Domino’s English voice (Kerry Williams, I think her name is) sounds so much like Lisa Ortiz (read: Lina Inverse) it’s not even funny.

A certain website will say that Domino tipped 40; elsewhere, it’ll read 40 percent. That is the correct form; forgot that percent signs aren’t accepted everywhere.

Phibrizzo gets bored easily. Does it show?

I don’t know what people have against those old car alarms. Personally, I liked listening to them. That’s just me, I guess.

Sunburst’s new attack, the Twilight Sphere, has existed in my mind’s eye for quite some time. In the mid-90s I did some original fiction consisting mostly of humanoid cats, dogs, etc. just to keep myself entertained. One of the major villains had this ballistic attack called the Sphere of Twilight; the two attacks are one and the same.

Another real-life inspiration: someone I know used to have this teddy bear dressed like a farmer. Whenever it was squeezed, it would say things like “Hoedown” and “Come on, y’all” while this fast-paced bluegrass tune played. ... Yeah, it’s the same bear.

Wow. That was a lot of notes. Thankfully, Chapter Twenty’s going to be slimmed down. Speaking of which...