remembrances
by golden combusken
"I have accomplished things that you cannot fathom in your wildest dreams."
/
He is dreaming. He has to be.
As he races through the back alleys of Goldenrod, police sending bullets after him that ricochet off brick walls and impale themselves in garbage bins, he smiles, exhilarated. His pikachu runs alongside him, shocking bullets out of the air/
He spots the end of the alley, a spark of artificial light in the city darkness, and he goes for it in a headlong manner. Clutching the gold in his right hand, he is almost to the light when a flare of pain shoots up his shoulder and down his arm. As his pikachu yowls in alarm, he grimaces and ignores the stabbing pain and keeps pressing on.
As he turns the corner, he nearly runs full-tilt into two people. Instantly, his fists are up in defense, but as he realizes who they are, he drops his fists and speaks in a low, husky voice.
"Help-they're after me. And I'm shot."
The boy, dark-haired and capped, puts a supporting arm around him, holding him up, and the girl, blue-haired with eyes to match, immediately casts out a pokeball in a flash of white light to reveal her meganium. His pikachu stands defensively in front of him, sparking nervously.
The police, shouting and brandishing guns, round the corne, only to be hit with a barrage of sharp-edged leaves and a volley of electricity. A few fall, but others fire bullets in defense. He feels one pierce his side, and, gasping, his vision fades to black. Dimly, he hears his pikachu yowl and the flapping of wings before his consciousness fails him.
He awakens in a white, unoriginal room that assails his nose with its clean smell. A nurse is mopping his forehead tenderly, and, startled, he blinks, unused to such ministrations. He glances around, noticing his pokeballs on the nightstand. The nurse finally notices that he is awake and comments in a voice that she must believe is soothing, but one that he finds piercing and grating.
"Oh, you're awake, dear. How are you feeling?"
He felt as if a herd of tauros had stampeded over his shoulder and ribcage, and it hurt to breathe too deeply, so his breaths were weak and shallow.
"I'm fine."
The nurse nods, conceding but skeptical. "Okay, but if you feel like you need some painkillers, just press the button. Also, there are some visitors here to see you."
Gold and Crystal peek around the door, cautious, and the nurse skirts around them as she leaves the room. They step in, hesitant and nervous, and he smiles weakly.
"Hi, guys." he croaks. "How do I look?"
Gold smirks, and instantly the atmosphere is more comfortable. "Well, Red, you look like hell." All three of them laugh, even Crystal, who is normally straight-laced and serious.
"What happened after I blacked out?"
Inexplicably, they both wince, and do not answer. He glares, commanding them to reply, and finally, Crys speaks up.
Gazing at her feet, Crystal says, "Well, we drove the police to retreat with my meganium and Gold's togekiss, and we got you to the hospital before you lost too much blood."
He glances over at his nightstand again. "Can I have my pokeballs, please?"
Gold and Crystal exchange tense glances before Gold gathers the spheres and places them on his blanketed lap. He counts five.
He counts five. Anxious, he studies the pokemon through each transparent red and white shell. Poli…Saur…Lax…Aero…Gyara. Finally, he looks up.
His voice is quiet,yet authoritative. "Where is Pikachu." It isn't a question, but rather a statement.
Crystal inhales, breath hissing over her clenched teeth. Gold closes his eyes, pulling his cap down to hide the upper half of his face.
Finally, Crystal speaks. "Red…he didn't make it. He…he got hit after you blacked out."
His insides seem to have disappeared, and he gasps like a magikarp. Grimacing, he clenches his fists, shaking his head.
"It…It cannot be true. This has to be a dream. It isn't real."
Crystal's eyes fill with tears, and her voice quivers. "I'm sorry."
Tears spill from his eyes. His best friend, his irreplaceable partner…gone. He notices vaguely that his insides have returned, and in their absence, have been filled with lead.
"Who…who did it? Which officer was it?"
Their eyes say it all.
A few weeks later, he recovers enough to leave the hospital, and immediately, he begins to plot. He is vaguely aware that he is losing his mind, but just can't bring himself to care.
/
Two months later, Giovanni is seated in his favorite armchair by the window, sipping tea with honey and lemon when the door flies off its hinges with a bang. Giovanni turns, smirks.
"So, Red," he says snidely, "I knew you'd come around sooner or later. How's the shoulder?"
The boy in the doorway is tense, eyes blazing and pokeball held menacingly in one hand. He flexes his injured shoulder, wincing at the pain that rips through his muscles.
"You killed my pikachu." His voice is quiet, threatening, like the soft hiss of an arbok right before it bites you.
Giovanni stands, laughs and draws a pokeball of his own. "To teach you a lesson."
"What lesson?" Red spits. "That you are a heartless sonofa-"
"That you can't just conquer the world with your pets and your childish dreams!" Giovanni growls angrily, clenching the pokeball in his grasp. "You needed to be broken! And broken, you were."
"I'll break you, old man!" Red snarls, and throws the pokeball in a flash of light to reveal Poli, who flexes briefly before stilling, waiting for Giovanni to throw his own pokeball.
"I cannot be broken." Giovanni hesitates, speaking softly, almost sadly. "I was already broken when your mother died. I made myself a promise then, a promise that I would not let anything, even my own son, get in the way of my ambition." His lips curl back to reveal bared teeth. "And I have no intention of breaking that promise!" Finally, he throws the pokeball, and a nidoqueen appears, shouting its name in a gravelly voice.
Poli rushes forward, lands a punch on the nidoqueen's cheek, making her yowl in pain. She counters with a whip of her tail, sending the poliwrath sprawling. Before Poli can get up, she grabs him by the feet and whirls around, throwing him through a wall where he collapses amidst the rubble, groaning.
"Poli, come on!" urges Red desperately. "Use Hydro Pump!" The poliwrath winces, standing shakily, and unleashes a torrent of water. The nidoqueen ducks, trying to avoid it, but the wall of water hits her anyway, sending her reeling and finally, collapsing.
Giovanni returns the nidoqueen, smirking. "Very good. But don't get too cocky yet." He withdraws another pokeball from his pocket, throwing it up a few feet and catching it. "After all, I've been training for a long time, before you were born, even."
It is an unspoken statement that whoever loses this battle is doomed.
Red returns Poli, who is exhausted, and grabs another pokeball from his belt, waiting. Giovanni laughs derisively. "Well, if you insist, I'll send mine out first."
He throws the ball, and out comes a machamp, flexing its four arms and showing off its impressive muscles. Red sends out Aero, who immediately takes to the air, screeching down at the machamp. The high ceilings of the mansion are definitely in favor of the aerodactyl.
The machamp simply waits, top set of arms folded while the bottom set rests, hands on hips. Aero quickly tires of this and streaks downward in an aerial ace. The machamp immediately shifts into a defensive position, and when Aero comes close enough, the machamp grabs it by the neck and swings it around to crash into the floor. The house shakes dangerously. Aero's wings beat ineffectually around the fighting pokemon, and one of its hands grab the aerodactyl's wings and mercilessly clench. Red can hear bones snap, and Aero screams in pain. Alarmed, Red returns the broken-winged Aero and sends out Gyara. The water dragon looks around merrily before it spots the leader of Team Rocket. Its mood changes faster than a rapidash runs, and it bares its teeth in a fearsome snarl. Giovanni smirks.
The machamp leaps at the gyarados, tackling it and sending it backwards. Gyara roars and bites the machamp in the arm, and bones crack. The machamp yells in pain, but tucks its arm closer to its body and continues its assault. It punches Gyara until blood spurts from the bigger pokemon. Gyara releases a beam of ice from its mouth and drives the machamp off it. The machamp grabs the gyarados and swings it around before seismic-tossing it through a wall. Gyara growls weakly and struggles to raise its head, but it cannot, and Red returns it.
"My machamp is pretty strong, huh?" gloats Giovanni. Red doesn't reply, but merely throws another pokeball, and Saur appears in a cloud of yellow pollen, stamping a foot and shaking the foundation.
The machamp rushes forth, fist extended, and Saur whips out a vine and ensnares the muscle-bound pokemon. It struggles, but Saur draws it in and releases a purple powder from its flower. The machamp shakes, and looks decidedly ill. It shivers uncontrollably, and Saur, almost lazily, picks the struggling pokemon up and bashes it against the floor again and again. Finally, the machamp stops struggling. Giovanni, grimacing, returns it.
"You're lucky my machamp was weakened from your other pokemon." He grabs another pokeball and throws it, revealing a rhydon. "But you will not defeat any more of my pokemon!"
For once, Saur is the first to act, sending out a volley of leaves that pelt the rhydon, making it growl lowly in pain. Its horn spins, and it lumbers forward. The venusaur deflects its horn attack, countering with a stun spore. The rhydon responds by backing up, beyond the reach of the spores, and whirls its horn angrily like a superpowered fan, blowing the attack back into Saur's face. The venusaur sneezes and winces, shaking. It struggles to move, but it takes one step and falls over, its muscles refusing to cooperate. Red reluctantly returns it. Nervously, he reaches for Lax's pokeball.
"Why don't you just stop now? It will save your pokemon a lot of pain." Giovanni says condescendingly. Red just draws his cap down over his eyes and throws the pokeball, revealing the snorlax.
"Come on," murmurs Red. "I'm counting on you, Lax." The snorlax, awake and ready to avenge his friend, jumps into the air and onto the rhydon, crushing the pokemon underneath its girth. The rhydon struggles, and by brute strength, lifts Lax off of itself. It raises a fist, and steam emanates from it. The fire punch collides with Lax, and the big pokemon winces before closing its eyes and falling asleep. The rhydon continued its assault on Lax until the snorlax lets loose a loud snore, and the sound waves knock the rhydon backwards. Lax awakens, revitalized, and stands.
The rhydon's horn whirls faster than ever before, and it bellows, rushing forward and striking the snorlax in the temple. Lax collapses from the horn drill knockout, and is returned.
"By my calculations, that is your last one, Red." remarks Giovanni. "You only have five, now that Pika is gone."
Red smirks. "That's where you're wrong, Giovanni. For, you see, I only have five pokeballs." He holds them up to prove it. "But, another pokemon came here with me, and has been watching you ever since I awakened in the hospital. I have been planning for this for a long time, and everything is happening just as I foresaw."
Giovanni takes a step back. "What do you mean?"
Red merely smirks. "Show yourself, Vee." The air next to him ripples and distorts, finally exposing a lavender, foxlike creature with long whiskers and a two-pronged tail.
"Esp." it says, walking forward until it stands protectively in front of Red.
"I had Vee come here to monitor your actions so I could know why you killed Pika. And I realized you are bitter. You lied to me. You didn't kill him to teach me a lesson; you killed him because you were envious. Envious that you hadn't bonded as much with your pokemon in thirty years as I had in three.
Giovanni scoffs. "Do not be ridiculous."
Red crosses his arms. "When I defeated you five years ago, I was eleven. You were forty. Yet I trusted in my party more than you did in yours. You wanted to end me so you could rebuild Team Rocket unhindered. So you got rid of Pika, hoping the rest of the party would wither, like a tree that has lost its roots. But it doesn't work that way. We all rely on each other, like a team should. And though we all miss Pika…" Here, Red's eyes become a little misty and spill over. "We cannot allow you to continue!"
Vee springs forward at the unsuspecting rhydon, sending a volley of stars at the hulking beast. It winced in pain, and the espeon sends out a multicolored ray that sends the pokemon toppling. Frowning, Giovanni returns it.
"You may have bonded with them, but I have been training far longer." The boss grabs one more pokeball, his last, and clenches it in a nervous fist. "And, I have accomplished things that you cannot fathom in your wildest dreams."
With that, he throws the pokeball, and a purple, bipedal cat takes shape and glows with psychic energy. The mewtwo glowers at the espeon. Red gazes at Giovanni.
"You killed Blaine?" Red asks, voice tight and steely. Giovanni shrugged.
"It was necessary for the furtherance of Team Rocket. And besides," he adds, almost as an afterthought, "he was dying anyway. I just speeded the process."
A crimson tidal wave of anger washes over Red's mind. He had befriended the old man, whose life force had been linked to the mewtwo. Red had known that Blaine was weakening, but Giovanni's selfish actions spurred him to rage.
"Vee!" Red yells, and his voice causes the Rocket boss to flinch backward a step, "Use the move I taught you!"
Yes, Red is prepared, Giovanni reflects as one of the espeon's paws glow with an indigo aura, sprouting claws of the same color. Vee lunges forward, striking the larger psychic with the shadow claw, and the mewtwo recoils.
The mewtwo whips one arm through the air and conjures a giant spoon, which Red recognizes. It is the object through which the pokemon focuses its energy and amplifies its attacks. Shifting into the all-too-familiar cyclone of psychic energy that Red had, ironically, battled at Blaine's side, the mewtwo's power sent the espeon sliding backwards, despite the pokemon's best efforts to cling to the damaged floor.
"Vee!" Red shouts, and can almost feel Blaine there, telling him what he must do. "Use your agility!" Vee obediently focuses, then dodges around the wide room, evading the psychic blasts of the mewtwo.
Red urges the espeon to keep going, and he can tell that the mewtwo is tiring. With a limit of three minutes in battle, the pokemon would be forced to return to its pokeball. Even if Blaine is gone, his spirit is still here with the mewtwo.
As the mewtwo tires and the cyclone's ferocity decreases, Red sees his chance. "Now, Vee! Just like last time!"
And, like last time, Vee maxes out its agility, and jumps into the cyclone, running on the psychic energy and wind that makes up the tempest. The mewtwo tries to block the espeon's last attack with its spoon, but Vee's dexterity is too great, and a last shadow claw strikes. The giant spoon dissolves in the mewtwo's hand and the cyclone dissipates.
The mewtwo is shaky, but still holds its ground. Then, it raises one hand and a torrent of golden orbs surround it. They sink into the pokemon's body and immediately, the mewtwo looks stronger.
"Recover…" Red murmurs, his confidence slightly shaken. Then, he steels himself, and the espeon does the same. "Keep it up, Vee!"
The smaller pokemon is panting, but for the most part unscathed, and stands proudly in front of its trainer.
The mewtwo raises a hand again, this time sending out a volley of sparks toward Vee, who easily dodged them with its increased agility. While Vee is distracted with the electricity, the mewtwo flashes forward in a red aura, knocking the espeon backwards. The mewtwo's frustration attack is so powerful, it continues to batter Vee until the red aura dissipates.
Giovanni laughs smugly. "Frustration is a powerful thing, is it not?"
Vee is now barely keeping its feet. Its once-luscious fur is damaged with bruises and burns and various other injuries. Its long whiskers are burned black. Yet its lavender eyes still hold an unquelled determination as it glances back at its trainer. Red nods, and the espeon turns toward the mewtwo again, now glowing with an almost-imperceptible white aura.
The mewtwo lights again with a red aura and dives at Vee, whose aura suddenly glimmers a blinding white. Vee springs forward and clashes with the mewtwo, and for a moment, the two pokemon struggle against each other, grappling, auras dueling, sparks flying. Then both pokemon back off, panting and exhausted. They glare at each other.
The mewtwo sparks with a red aura, but it quickly snuffs out like an ember in the rain. The mewtwo shudders for a second, pain perceptible on its face, then collapses to the ground in a dead faint.
Vee stands a moment longer, then starts to collapse upon itself, but is caught by Red, who cradles the espeon in his arms.
"Love," says Red quietly, "is more powerful than hate."
For once, Giovanni does not smirk or make a snide comment. He returns the mewtwo, putting the pokeball in his jacket pocket.
Red steps forward, still holding Vee. "Team Rocket is done, forever. I will make sure you never have a chance to rebuild."
Giovanni's eyes narrow. "What if I gather so many followers that you cannot defeat them all? After all, you are all alone."
Red shakes his head. "I am not alone." He looks down at the espeon in his arms. "I have my pokemon, my friends, my family."
Giovanni crosses his arms. "Why do you continue to oppose me, child? Why don't you join me, and together we could rule all of the world."
"I will continue to oppose you as long as you continue to plague this world with evil." Red replies simply. "I will never join you as long as your intentions are bad."
"What are you going to do now?" asks the former Rocket boss. "Where will you go?"
Red shifts Vee in his arms, stroking the pokemon's fur. "Away."
/
He sobs softly as he places the flowers on Pika's grave. Nearby, Poli and Saur, who knew Pika the best, speak quietly to each other in grave tones. Aero, with a bandaged wing, roosts in a nearby tree, head bowed. Gyara, for once, is somber, and drops flowers that it has gathered in its gigantic maw onto Pika's grave. And Vee, loyal Vee, is standing next to Red, silently, not offering any reassuring utterances, just standing, just being.
Red stands, backs away from the grave. "It's time to go." Obediently, his pokemon prepare to leave. Red hesitates, turns back to the grave.
"I'm sorry, Pika, that it had to end like this. You…you were a loyal pokemon, and you were a good friend to me. I'm going to miss you, buddy. We had some good times together. Good…good bye…" Red trailed off, tears rolling down his face. Wiping them away, he returns all his pokemon but Vee, the rock onto which he can cling and not be lost.
He, with his espeon by his side, points his feet toward the mountains and begins a new journey.