Her ideals and love for pokemon were soon replaced with a craving for power and scientific prominence. She thrived within the conditions and with the use of the equipment that only someone like Giovanni could provide. She found she had unlimited prospects with the pokemon Giovanni gave her. Despite the pain she caused them, she eagerly began to experiment with them.

Using her unlimited resources, Suzie soon set her sights upon something higher than breeding. Her early attempts at experiments failed miserably, killing the pokemon involved or leaving them so ill that not putting them out of their misery would have been more inhumane than conducting the experiments.

After many failed attempts Suzie finally began to make progress, successfully forcing a young nidoran to evolve into a nidoking, completely skipping the evolutional stage of nidorino. She soon found that she could do this with other pokemon, skipping caterpie directly into butterfree and even going so far as to successfully evolve a charizard from nothing more than a charmander. Her successful results perked the interest of Giovanni who provided her with more pokemon to continue her experiments. She was soon able to force any pokemon, even the elusive dratini to evolve directly into their highest form of evolution.

The flaw in these pokemon wasn't discovered until later, when Rocket members began training them. It seemed that because Suzie had forced the pokemon to evolve prematurely, they gained the great strength of high-evolved pokemon, but lacked the experience that normal pokemon of that level had. Without the experience Suzie found herself with very large, very strong, and very uncontrollable pokemon. The unnaturally evolved pokemon were wild and unruly, refusing to listen to any trainers who attempted to work with them.

The only solution to her problem emerged when an uncontrolled newly evolved charizard went on a rampage through Team Rocket headquarters. The majority of Rockets ran for their lives, since none of them could control the dragon as he burst through walls, shooting flames at those around him. All ran but one. This one, who had been sitting at a table in the cafeteria when the charizard had shattered the wall and came in roaring, sat calmly at the table, looking the charizard in the eye before asking as politely as if he were talking to Giovanni if the pokemon would please calm down as he was trying to eat. Suzie would have laughed out loud at the request had the charizard not regarded the young man for a moment before snorting in concession, stomping over to the man, and plopping down next to him. The agent proceeded to carry on a conversation with the animal, occasionally giving him some of his food.

It seemed the young man, who Suzie later learned was Satoshi Ketchum, Giovanni's top agent, was the only Team Rocket member whom any of the unnaturally evolved pokemon would listen to, as well as the only agent who didn't cower in fear when asked to train with them.

Unfortunately Suzie was forced to give up on her evolution attempts, for what was the good of creating the strongest pokemon available if they would only listen to one agent in the entire organization?

Suzie set her sights higher, working instead on the possibility of cloning and attempting to splice pokemon's genes together in order to create hybrid pokemon. She once managed to create a monstrous cross between a blastoise and a charizard, but the deformed creature died not long after she had completed it.

Until now Ash, while never bothering to mask his contempt for Suzie and her experiments, had not viewed Suzie's creations as any sort of threat. The one set would only listen to him and the other set she couldn't keep alive long enough to do any damage.

But now, as he stood looking at what appeared to be a humongous cross between the extremely rare pokemon aerodactyl and the water pokemon gyrados, he realized that Suzie's experiments must have become more concrete, enough so that Giovanni trusted them in the hands of his agents as they came to storm the rebel camp.

The gyrados' head on the aerodactyl's body flew above them, roaring angrily, using hydro pump to finish putting out the fire started by the explosion of the fuel.

He had to hand it to Suzie. She had made quite an intelligent selection on which two pokemon to combine. An aerodactyl which not only gave the pokemon flying ability, but the added bonus of being a rock type, combined with a gyrados which gave the pokemon water affinity created a pokemon, which, while most likely in considerable pain due to the two mismatched types, would be immune to any type advantage if careful. One half would absorb the others weakness, the gyrados taking water damage for the aerodactyl and the aerodactyl taking lightening for the water based pokemon.

Unfortunately for the rebels this created an almost undefeatable pokemon as any of their elemental weapons or pokemon wouldn't do a great amount of damage because of the basically non-existent type disadvantage.

The creature let out a roar of pain, it's angry yellow eyes fixing upon Ash and Gary, who were looking up at it in wonder.

Gary cleared his throat. "Well... pokemon is your department Ash. So have Pikachu give it a go so we can deal with the rest of the Rockets."

Both Ash and Pikachu stared flatly at Gary.

Gary sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, what do you suggest?"

"Run very far away?" Ash muttered.

"What is that?" they heard from behind them.

Bruno, Agatha, Brock and Misty had come out of the tent.

"That is our impending death."

"Gary!" Ash exclaimed.

"What?" Gary asked innocently.

Ash glared at him before turning his attention back to the creature, which was now hovering above Cassidy, who appeared to be its trainer.

"Satoshi!" the blonde called, a gleeful tone to her voice. "How do you like my new pet?"

Ash watched as the pokemon flapped its wings hard, causing everyone's hair and clothing to be blown back with a large gust of wind. It let out another loud roar, and they could feel it rumble through the ground.

"It's cute, Cassidy," Ash said.

"Cute?" Cassidy repeated. "I'll show you how cute he is. Gyrodactyl, supersonic now!"

"That's not good," Ash said as the pokemon began to flap its wings harder and fly towards them.

"It has a name?" Gary asked incredulously.

The gyrodactyl flew at them, his sharp gyrados teeth bared while he pumped his areodactyl wings furiously. It only took Ash a second to realize the creature wasn't flying directly at them, but at the arms tent.

"Everyone get down!" he cried, falling to his stomach and covering Pikachu with his arms.

The gyrodactyl flew over them and grabbed at the white canvas of the tent, pulling it from the ground and into the air. Many of the rebels that had been inside screamed at the abnormal sight of the pokemon.

The Rocket's, now having full view of the rebels, began shooting once again. Chaos ensued as bullets began flying from both sides and the gyrodactyl began swooping in and out of the battle, namely at Ash, who apparently was his main target.

The gyrodactyl dove at him, and Ash rolled out of the way as it's sharp claws reached for him.

"Pikachu! Thunder bolt! Aim for his eyes," Ash called.

Pikachu complied, but both the trainer and the pokemon were shocked to see the gyrodactyl perceive the attack and flip around so that the attack bounced harmlessly off of its rock wing.

"Great," Ash muttered. "You're big, strong, and smart." He noticed that both Bruno and Agatha's pokemon were busy with the normal pokemon Team Rocket had brought with them. That meant that it was Pikachu alone who could fight the psychodactyl. Great.

The gyrodactyl regained its momentum and once again went straight for Ash. Ash took off running, leading the pokemon away from the fight, all the while dogging hyper beams, takedowns, and wayward bullets. He called attacks to Pikachu which the gyrodactyl would ignore as they simply bounced off his stony body.

The gyrodactyl finally caught up to Ash, wrapping his claws around his shoulders and starting to pick him up.

"Not again!" Ash exclaimed, having had a similar experience with an aerodactyl when he was younger and not caring to repeat it.

All his struggling accomplished was forcing the gyrodactyl's claws deeper into his flesh, cutting painful gashes into his shoulder.

"Water gun!" he heard someone call out after he had risen about ten feet.

The gyrodactyl, not having seen the attack coming, was hit squarely in the back. He roared in pain and dropped Ash, who hit the ground painfully and rolled a few feet. The gyrodactyl dropped to the ground, momentarily unable to fly.

"You okay?" he heard Lorelei ask. The woman poked her head into his line of vision from above him, looking down at him, and he blinked as the head of her lapras appeared over him.

"Been better," he groaned from his position on the ground. "Where have you been?"

"I was trying to convince my husband not to leave."

"And how did that go?" Ash said, with the air of making small talk, despite his position on the ground and the painful gashes in his shoulders.

"Not to well."

"Lorelei!" Gary called from where the main battle was raging. "We could really use some ice and water elements on our side!"

"Gotcha!" she called back. She looked to see the gyrodactyl back in the air and getting ready to charge. "So you have this under control?" she asked Ash.

Ash tilted his head to see the extremely large pokemon flying at him. "Oh, yeah," he said, sarcastically, groaning as he sat up.

"Okay!" Lorelei said, running off to the battle.

"Wait! I could use-" he called at her retreating back. "A water pokemon," he concluded to himself.

A roar warned him of the gyrodactyl's approach and he rolled out of the way and to his feet. The attacking pokemon flew by him.

"Okay, Pikachu," Ash said to the yellow pokemon at his feet. "Time to think strategy."

~*~*~

Gary hadn't even noticed it had started raining until he heard a clap of thunder rumble through the sky. Soon rain was falling in buckets, drenching everyone and making the rock and fire pokemon panic.

Fighting had digressed from pokemon and gunfire to fist fighting as the pokemon were all fainting, and more and more members of both sides ran out of ammo.

Gary was tackled from behind and landed on the ground, which had quickly been turned to mud in the rain. A few punches and a blow to the head with the handle of a gun later Gary was standing, thoroughly disgusted by all the mud he was now covered in. Blinking the water from his eyes he took a quick mental note on the situations of the others.

Bruno was knocking down Rocket members two at a time with his massive fists, while his pokemon continued to KO Rocket pokemon.

Agatha was maintaining a safe distance from the actual battle, directing her pokemon from afar.

Lorelei's pokemon were thriving in the rain, and Lorelei herself was taking out quite a few Rockets with well-placed elbows and knees.

Misty and Erika were working together, surprising Rocket's with their hard hits, while Brock was fairing well fighting hand to hand.

A bright flash of lightening and a loud roar drew the attention of everyone who could afford to look away to Ash and the gyrodactyl. The gyrodactyl was obviously in great pain from the rain on it's rock body, but it was still coming at Ash, despite that and the thunder bolt Pikachu had just connected to it's head.

"Pikachu power up. Use the storm to your advantage. On more thunder should knock it out!" Ash called.

Pikachu nodded and powered up, drawing the extra electrical energy from the storm. Before he could release the attack though a large dragon figure swooped down in between him and the gyrodactyl.

"Dragonite!" those in the main battle who were listening heard a voice call. "Thunder!"

Pikachu, unseen by those watching simply leaped around the dragonite and released his attack. The extra charge from the electricity in the air made the attack extremely powerful, and by the time it was done the gyrodactyl was unconscious, the dragonite not even having had the chance to power up.

Pikachu wearily made his way back to Ash, exhausted from the attack. "Great job, Pikachu," Ash said, gently petting the pokemon's wet matted fur. "You stay here and rest."

He stood and pulled his bow from its holster and began to make his way to the battle. He found Lance and his dragonite blocking the way. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help?" Ash asked coldly.

Lance regarded him with a contemptuous glare, before unsheathing his daggers. "I'm coming."

"Good," Ash said, running towards the fray.

~*~*~

"Uh, Cass?" Butch said, punching a rebel to the ground and wiping the rain from his face.

"What?" she said irritably, pushing her soaked hair out of her eyes after finishing off her attacker with a roundhouse kick.

"Satoshi is coming to join the battle."

"What?" She looked up to see the dark haired ex agent running towards the battle, staff out. She gritted her teeth when she saw her gyrodactyl lying on the ground unconscious.

"Cassidy?" Butch said.

"What?" she snapped.

"Lance and his dragonite are also coming to join the battle," Butch informed her, ducking a punch from another rebel and countering with an uppercut to the face.

Cassidy ground her teeth in anger as she watched Ash come and start making quick work of her troops. He was followed by Lance who was viciously attacking Rockets with his blades, not even waiting for their bodies to hit the ground before moving to the next one. "This may be a good time to retreat," Cassidy said, elbowing a rebel in the face as he came from behind her.

Butch nodded. "I'll tell the troops to fall back."

"No," Cassidy said. "Let them fight. It will be a good distraction for us to get away."

"But Cass," Butch said, watching as blood flew from the throat of a Rocket Lance had just slashed. "They'll all be slaughtered."

"It's their duty to give their lives for their commanding officers. Now come on!"

With one last glance at the battle, which was quickly turning in favor of the rebels, Butch followed Cassidy behind the tents and out of sight. The only thing that signaled their departure was the red light that was the recalling of the gyrodactyl, which went unnoticed by all.

The battle raged on until the Rockets realized their commanding officers were gone. They too began to retreat, fearing for their lives as Lance continued viciously murdering Rockets and their pokemon were being defeated.

Soon the rebels had stopped fighting and were watching as Lance, who seemed possessed, continued to kill any Rocket in his sight, even those attempting to run away. Blood mixed with the mud and rain, coloring the ground a deep red.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lance asked, cornering a young Rocket, his bloody blade held tightly in his fist. The boy, no older than seventeen, scrambled backward, tripping and landing in the mud.

"Always running away, you Rockets," Lance said, advancing on the boy with a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "You all think you're invincible until you are faced with death. Then you run, like the cowards you are."

It had grown quiet, save for the few remaining rockets that were still attacking Ash and Gary. Those who were listening could hear the boy's feeble pleas for his life.

"You aren't running anywhere and you won't be doing any more harm," Lance said, ignoring him. He raised the knife and slashed downward.

"No!" the boy cried.

But the young Rocket's voice was not the only one heard.

Ash suddenly appeared between Lance and the boy, blocking the dagger with his staff, although sustaining a deep cut on his arm first. "Get out of the way, Satoshi!" Lance screamed, trying in vain to continue his blow, which was being blocked by the bow.

"No!" Ash said, struggling to keep the bow steady with Lance putting pressure on it. "There's been enough blood shed."

"He's a Rocket, he should die," Lance spat. "And if you don't get out of my way I will kill you too. Just give me a reason, Satoshi, it's been a dream of mine for some time."

"Don't you see, Lance?" Ash said, his arms starting to shake as they strained against Lance's weight, his injured arm bleeding freely, adding to the crimson stain already on the ground. He held his place, despite the rain making it difficult to keep traction on the ground. "You're no better than the Rocket's if you allow them to force you to loose control. What will killing this boy do? You'll be no better than Cassidy, than Giovanni-" He paused, hesitating before continuing. "You'll be no different than me!" he said shakily.

There was a long silence where both men held their positions, rain running down their faces, and blood running from Ash's arms and earlier shoulder wounds.

"Too many have died today," Ash said, using his head to gesture to the ground, where the dead bodies of Rockets and Rebels lay, shot or stabbed. Either way they were dead, lying in their own blood.

Lance finally broke the position and pulled his knife away hastily. He turned and sheathed his knife, walking away. Ash too put his weapon away and began walking in the opposite direction.

The similarities were striking. Two powerful, raven haired men, each having seen their share of death, each having lost family, and each covered in blood, walking away from the teenaged Rocket, who was sitting in a terrified silence.

The difference between the two was that while Ash was covered in his own blood, Lance was covered in the blood of those he'd murdered.

Ash began walking through the elites? pokemon and the rebels that were still standing, who silently parted for him. As he walked by Misty, Erika, and Brock he said, "Check for survivors. Tend to their wounds and place guards on the surviving Rockets." They nodded and he continued on wearily, listening to the whispers of the rebels.

"Did you see Lance?"

"Like he was crazy-"

"But he was only killing Rockets-"

"Just a kid-"

"Powerful-"

"Dragonite took out the monster-"

Ash didn't bother to correct them about the fight with the gyrodactyl as he made his way over to where Pikachu was resting from his battle. He gently picked up the pokemon and held him in his arms, ignoring the pain of the one that was still bleeding.

"So how'd you do it?" a voice asked.

"Do what?" Ash said, looking over at Gary.

"Manage to take out the gyrodactyl?"

"How do you know it wasn't Dragonite?" Ash asked wryly.

"Only one pokemon I know can pack that much electrical punch," Gary said, rubbing Pikachu affectionately between the ears. "Lucky that storm came up, huh? It really weakened the crazed pokemon."

Ash smiled. Gary knew that smile. It was the smile Ash used when Gary didn't know the whole story, but Ash had no intention of explaining.

"Wait. That storm was no accident, was it?" he asked.

Ash raised and eyebrow before shrugging. "It's one of Pikachu's specialized attacks. Hurricane. It calls up a storm to give him extra electrical power. In this case it also helped because the gyrodactyl's body was weak against water."

Gary smiled and shook his head. "Come on," he said to Ash, commenting no further on his amazing pokemon. "You need to get patched up."

A/N: Okay so yes this took... well forever, but look! Look how long it is! I haven't had a chapter this long in a while. Sorry about the wait. I've moved in to college and have settled into a routine for the most part, so maybe now I can start updating more regularly. Let's hope. For anyone who read the thing about Pikachu's attack and thought, that sounds mighty familiar, is she plagiarizing? It's an attack I made up in my other story. So... I'm plagiarizing myself. I figure it's my attack I can do with it as I please. Please review, as it will help get me motivated. Thanks!