Never Lost

Eleven: First Bout

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and Ranger Marco were packing up what little camp they had set up the night before. The sun was still rising over the crest of the neighboring mountain tops.

"So..." Ash started, "where do we start?"

"I don't know." Brock sighed. "We don't know if they went over the edge or if Butch and Cassidy got a hold of them."

"Well let's not think of the latter. Not like the first option is much better." Marco said as he shut the trunk of his jeep. "We need to keep looking till we know for sure."

"Rocket doesn't have them." They all looked to see where the voice came from. Even though Ash and Brock recognized it right away.

"Awww, just our luck." Ash said as they spotted Jessie, James, and Moewth walking up to them.

Ranger Marco took a defensive stance. "Why can't you guys just take a day off?"

"Hey hold on." James continued. "It just happens to be your lucky day." He said as he walked up to them, his hands palms up in solidarity.

"You guys may want to listen to what we have to say." Jessie said as she flipped her hair. "We're risking ourselves just being here."

"Meowth, that's right. We're here to help. There's something rotten going down with Team Rocket, and it ain't good." He said as he walked right up to Pikachu. "Youse guys's friends are in real trouble."

"We're not here to fight you. We're here to fight with you." Jessie walked right up to Ash.

"We're listening..." Ash still had a lot of doubt in the back of his mind.

"Calm down guys. I think we should listen to them." Brock began. "I mean, it's not the first time we've collaborated together. It's just the first time it's been upfront like this."

"I appreciate that Brock." Jessie walked over to him now, looking him in the eyes. "Our now former boss has gone absolutely bananas." She started. "He's found something called the Wish Orb. Apparently it has the power to grant the user one wish, any wish. He plans on using that to conquer the world as we know it."

"Just because we worked for the man, doesn't mean that we want to see that whackjob rule the planet. We were just really in it for the paycheck ya know." James interjected. "There are some lines that even we won't cross."

"Yeah, it's bad enough he treats us like garbage. But the wholes world? That just ain't right." Their partner said as he pet Pikachu on the head. "We's got to stop Rocket froms doing that."

"How do we know we can trust you guys?" Marco asked, clearly skeptical. "It's not like you two come with honest outstanding reputations."

For some reason Brock took offense to the Ranger's statement. Through all the times during all the years he's run into the trio, he felt like this guy had no right. Who knew them better than he, Ash, and Pikachu? "It's also not like the three of them have done any real harm either..." he paused, "no offense you guys." He said with his head bowed. "I'm just saying I don't see you guys as evil is all."

"No offense taken. We know we suck as the bad guys." She placed the tips of her fingers under Brock's chin, lifting his face to look back up at her. For reasons unknown to her, despite having looked at this very same face many many times before, her breath caught in her throat. She released him and took a quick moment before continuing. "Besides we have important information for you guys."

James spoke up now. "Even if we were trying to fool you, which we're not, we'd be the last thing you need to worry about right now."

"What does that mean?" Concern crossed Ash's face.