-1Chapter 12; Uncertain Fate
Delia, by a miracle surviving her fall, had severe damage to her body, as she coughed heavily and then crawled towards the sound of gunfire, hoping to find help. Seviper, just as severly wounded as she was, quickly regained its strength and energy through The Synergy Energizer, as it then coiled around her, hoping to seek revenge for Jessie´s attack, by coiling around Delia, making her gasp for air, slowly suffocating the life out of her weak and fragile body.
Without warning, Pikachu leaped forth and tackled Seviper, enough to make it lose it´s grip on Delia. Confident that it cannot be beaten, Seviper lunged at Pikachu, only to be hit again, now with a powerful Thunderbolt. Pikachu had successfully be connected to The Synergy Energizer, but also linked to The Memory Retrieval Program, making it loyal once again to Giovanni. Seviper quickly decided to back down and flee into the forest while it still could.
Giovanni, along with his men, quickly rushed to Delia, hoping there was time to save her.
- Delia hang on… the medics are on their way over… I can´t lose you… I need you …
- Gio… dear…is Ash…alright? Is he safe? I have…the strangest feeling…somethings wrong.
Not having the heart to tell her of Ash´s death, Giovanni turned away from her, holding back his tears, as Delia then, despite her state, understood. She said nothing, only layed back, as a medical staff arrived and checked her out, only to find out that she was in very bad condition.
- Sir, she has massive internal damage to her vital organs, her blood circulation is restricted…
- God damnit, just save her! I can´t lose her…if she dies… then I… have failed… my family.
Pikachu watched by the side, but this time it felt nothing, the connection between it and The Memory Retrieval Program was so strong that it felt no emotion at all, Pikachu just stood motionless… like a solider ready for war, protecting Giovanni and being by his side.
Dr Sebastian covered Ash´s body with a cloth, as the rest of his high ranked staff gathered their notes and prepared to escape, discovering that the police were free and inside HQ.
Suddenly a gun went off, as everyone got down on the floor. It was Cassidy. Aware of their imminent defeat, she slowly walked towards Dr Sebastian, and then put a gun towards him.
- It´s all gone to hell… first Giovanni fails with his master plan… then Jessie takes over instead of me… and now… Butch isn´t on the medical board … he´s gone… I lost my partner…so before the police manage to get to me… there is one last thing I need to do…
Before Dr Sebastian had the chance to speak up, she aimed her gun towards his head, as she signed him not to speak. She ordered the others to leave, and it didn't take long before the medical bay was cleared of personel, escaping through small emergency exits for each one.
- The logg states that Ash was brought in here… and I will only ask you once… where is he?
Directed to his board, Cassidy thanked then knocked out Dr Sebastian, as she then grinned, understanding that Ash had unfortunately died. Just to be sure, she slowly took off the ccloth, as she then saw him, lying lifeless on the board, as she checked his death certificate to be sure.
- Damn… I´m sorry Butch… I failed…I did not get my revenge… still… I need to be sure …
She reloaded her gun, and aimed it at Ash, as she prepared to take out her aggression on him. Now feeling she had nothing more to live for, she even thought about ending her life aswell.
Glad to see Misty, Ash stood still, as Misty then reached him, as she was seen in her Hoenn outfit. She then stood infront of him, as she then let Togepi down, which apparently had disappeared at the Indigo Plateau together with her body. Ash barely saw her with all the light.
- Hi Ash… it´s me… the real me. I hope you encountered the Unown… and that they delivered my message to you.. It wasn´t easy for me to do it… but I thought that I thought that if we never see each other again… then atleast you would go on… knowing what I feel for you… for us. And I hope…you feel the same as I do…in case you didn't hear me…I love you.
Without warning, Ash hugged Misty, only to be hugged back, as both held each other in their arms, as Ash thought of how close he was to lose her. Misty then gently dried off Ash´s tears.
- It´ funny… that it takes something like this…death… to make two people like us realize how much we mean to each other. But it´s alright now. We´re together… and w´re happy.
- I know. It´s surreal what has happened lately… the kiddnappings, the war… all the deaths… I wish I could have done something to help… unfortunately my part ended at Cerulean City. But for some reason, the Unown kept me alive… I wish I knew why, but none of that matters anymore to me.You´re all I care about Ash Ketchum, now and since the day I fell for you.
Ash gently touched her hair, as if he still couldn´t believe that she was standing there next to him, thinking it was just another illusion. But the Unown where nowere to be seen, and nor Ash and Misty were reliving any old memory or anything similar to what happened when Ash was trapped with Giovanni. Suddenly Ash understood something , as he then turned back abit from Misy. Misty asked him what was wrong, as Ash tried to comprehend the situation.
- This place… if we´re both here… then we´re gone…we´re both dead. But I should be sad, worried, atleast feel something about this situation… but I can´t feel anything negative… it´s as if I´m totally free of life… I never felt like this before… not even with the Unown near me.
- I know…. I felt the same when I came here… probably due to the Unown taking every bit of energy left in me to project myself onto you when the time came… and yeah you´re right… we´re both gone of the normal world… and now we´re here, in this strange white place…
- But what about Togepi? How come it is here, I thought Mew left it at the cabin with Oak?
- I don´t know…before you came here Togepi appeared… and Mew? What has happened?
- Everything has turned out bad… I know I could have made a difference, but now that I´m gone then there is a good chance that Mew,Mewtwo and the other Pokemon will fail at defeating Jessie and Team Rocket. Things have turned out worse than even Giovanni thought.
Suddenly everything flashed, as Ash flinched abit. He felt strange, as if something was affecting him. He then remembered… the stones. They slowly returned the energy they had gathered back into his body. Ash looked at Misty… knowing that he was being revived. But she was there…nothing happened to her, as if she would remain in the mysterious white place.
- It´s ok Ash… seems you need to go back… but I can rest easy, knowing that one day we´ll meet again. Remember what Amber said… that life is wonderful… so don´t waste your life…
Ash opened his eyes, and tried to rise up, only to find a gun pointed right towards him. Cassidy was about to pull the trigger, when something suddenly tackled her, as she dropped her gun. It was Butch. Cassidy was shocked, as she saw Butch standing in front of her.
- How… I… I thought that there was no point in hoping… that you wouldn´t survive…
- I´m right here Cass. And it´s all because of him. Despite what I did to him… he saved me.
Cassidy turned around, as Ash slowly rose up from the board, as he looked around the room.
- How.. But you… you died… how is it that you are alive… hell even Giovanni saw you die…
- I don´t know …but I do now that I have come back for a reason. A reason I must find out.
- I… I… I don´t know how you did it… or why you brought Butch back… but thank you.
- But still… we can´t repay you enough… your friend still died by our hands, and we deeply regret ever being a part of it, what was supposed to be a abduction turned out to become fatal.
Suddenly Ash got a brainstorm, as he went to The Synergy Energiser. Not wanting to interfere, Butch and Cassidy ran off together, as Ash continued to arrange the machine, remembering what Giovanni did to try save him. Ash then layed on the board, as the laser then did a scan all over Ash´s body, searching for something. Suddenly it halted. It had found it, what Ash was hoping to find. Misty´s Aura, trasfered into the stones when they briefly hugged each other. Ash continued, as the laser began to draw out her energy and dublicate it.
A scream was heard, as smoke rose from the treetops. The helicopter had crashed right into a tree, as the violent crash trew most of the soldiers out, as they fell toward their death from the high tree. May was still alive. She struggled to get free, but the debris and safety belt hindered her from getting loose. With her Pokeballs out of reach, she shouted for help, but it seemed that no one could hear her. Passing out from time to time due to her head injury and from fuel fumes that leaked, May began to slowly weaken, when suddenly the helicopter moved.
Tens of Pokemon came forth and heard her plea, as they helped support the helicopter, preventing it from falling down and crushing her inside it. She told them to stay away, as the explosive fuel could ignite if fractioned,and that the enemy could be on their way towards her.
Despite her warning, the Pokemon moved the dead soldiers to a safer place, as they then formed a plan on how to help her. Grass Pokemon used their Vine Whips to hold the helicopter stable, while Psychic Pokemon used Psychic to focus on isolating the fuel to minimize the risk of explosion, as Flying Pokemon used Gust to hold back the toxic fumes away from her and the other Pokemon. Having strength to stay awake, she told them to find her backpack. It didn't take long before it was found, as May got it and grabbed her radio transmitter, as she tried to use it, but it was too badly damaged to be used at all.
Suddenly May got into tears, as she saw that Skitty´s Pokeball had been crushed during the impact, effectively killing her. Not to waste time, she quickly checked her other Pokeballs.
Ritchie, unconscious due to the Memory Retrieval Program, was subjected to electricity to wake up again, as the grunts again tried to force upon him new memories, tryíng to convert him to their side. Ritchie still fought back, as he felt the intense pain increasing further.
- Damn, this kid is impossible, we´ve tried it tens of times and he won´t submit!
- Listen kid, we have our orders: We have been fair, and as much as we want more soldiers… Jessie´s orders were clear, if you resist further… then we have to get rid of you… for good…
Still refusing them, the machine was shut down, as Ritchie gasped for air. Suddenly the door was blown open, as the police stormed the room and subdued the grunts, easily giving up as they did not have any Pokemon at hand. Jenny from Viridian freed Ritchie, as she told some men to escort him and the rest out and onto the landing pad, as the Johto Millita had successfully made contact and will attempt for a rescue operation. Ritchie refused, determined to help and rescue civillians, as well as find Ash and the rest, only to be grabbed by Jenny.
- Listen, we have to get everyone out of here, that way the upcoming intrusion from the milita will be much easier, as we know that there will be no civilians nor Pokemon here, the best is to flee now, regroup at the designated base and fight another day if not today!
. Jenny, our men at the helicopter pad report that it´s clear... If we want to have a chance of doing this… then it must be now, this is an opportunity we cannot afford to lose.Well?
- Then we have no choice. I´m sorry Rithcie, I know you haven´t done much recently, but once you and the rest are taken care of, not only can we focus on our task, but know that if we get in trouble… that you´ll be able to help us just as we helped you. Now let´s move it, otherwise we might never be able to get out of here while still alive, grunts are still out there!
It was dead quiet in the command room. Suddenly Jessie rose up, as she had done something clever: She had in secret connected herself to The Synergy Energizer, incase she would get hurt in battle or attacked. It didn't take long before she regained her strength, but was still injured by the bullet wound. She was about to go, when suddenly something grabbed her. It was James, he was still alive, but in critical condition. Jessie kneeled down to him.
- I´m sorry…I went over my head… all that power had changed me som much… I barely could restrain myself from doing the most gruesome things… but I´m here James, and I´m never gonna leave your side again… from now on it´s just you and me dear…
- That´s lovely Jess… but before you promise me that, could you please first leave and go get some medical help for me,? Bullets in my body aint exactly something I´d like as a sovenier!
The elevator door opened, as Meowth had managed to find Nurse Joy, as she then released Chanseys, and together with a mobile operation kit, she did her best to help them both, James was first as he was the weakest one. Meowth grinned, not eager to watch the procedure, when suddenly a roar was heard. It was Persian., it came out through the hidden door.
- Listen up Persky, I know we´ve been enemies, but enough is enough! It´s over now , so do yourself a favour and give it up… I don´t wanna fight you, but if you insist then I´ll have no other choice. So what´s your answer ?
In an attempt to overpower Meowth, Persian jumped onto a table and then lunged at him, only for Meowth to duck, as Persian took a hard landing into the elevator, as the doors closed.
- Well that was over quickly… guess our feline friend is more famous for his brains than mouth after all… and for once he made good use of his mouth and brain at the same time.
- Don´t degrade yourself Jimmie, even a brickhead like you must have had your enlightened moments…I hope… I think there was this one time… ow wait that was Jessie… maybe…
- It kinda hard to concentrate with you two talking, Now don't move James.. I don´t have any anesthetic with me, so I´ll try to get the bullet out as gently as I can. Relax, cause this might hurt abit… or a lot. Ok, here we go…Chansyes, prepare to hold him incase he moves alright?
James held Jessie hand, as they both looked at each other gently, only for the moment to be overshaded by James´s extensive display of bad mouthing, as Jenny managed to extract the bullet. Meowth went to him, as he put his paw over James´s mouth, effectively silencing him.
- You´ll be the one known for the mouth… and Jess… she still has the looks, right James?
- Oh please, both you and James couldn´t tell the difference between a Grimer and a…
Jenny got the second bullet, as all the Chanseys, finished checking up James, now attended Jessie, who after uttering those few words then passed out, as James squeezed her hand.
- Sorry Meowth, but Jess just beat my mouth, and probably even set a new world record…
Proffessor Oak and the others had managed to reach Purity Canyon, as they landed onto the helicopter pad, as they meet with Officer Jenny and her best men, as several other helicopters landed onto the pad. Civilians were then put inside, as millita came out and entered HQ in an effort to flush out any remaining grunts and personnel out into the open and take them down.
- Good to see you again Proffesor Oak, alive, and most important of all, sane. Any news?
- You too Jenny…. And I´m afraid I have some bad news for you… your cousin from Pallet has become a casualty… the millita were just seconds away from being able to save her, fortunately she died a quick death… I know it´s little comfort… and I´m sorry for your loss…
- It saddens my heart to know this… atleast I know she died for what we believe in: Fighting for justice, and that is what all we Jenny´s have sworn to, to matter how many of us fall…
Suddenly the pilots were sent an alert, as enemy radar had just detected them, and coordinated the air Pokemon to intercept them. A pilot then got word that May´s helicopter had been shot down, and there was no word from no one, not even through separate radio frequences. Oak slammed his fist at the helicopter, fearing he could have stopped her, only to see Ritchie get out of a helicopter and slide down the step mountain wall, heading down towards the forests.
Before Oak could try and stop Ritchie, he then remembered Gary, trying to sneak away and make his own assignment. Oak grabbed him and slapped him in the neck, as he then told his men to gather around, holding a satelite map over Purity Canyon and Team Rocket´s HQ.
- Remember, no heroics, and that goes especially to you Gary! Now, you all know what to do, so pray the enemy is desperate and follish enough to fall for the bait…Good luck to all of you!
Ash had managed to channel forth all of Misty´s Aura, as The Synergy Energiser then was ready for the final stage. Ash rose up and went to the console, as he initated the last stage. Suddenly something grabbed him, as Ash was forced down to the ground quickly.
It was Giovanni´s men. They quickly subdued Ash, as Giovanni came forth, holding Delia in his arms, as he was shocked to see Ash alive. Ash tried to use his powers, but apparently he did not have them anymore, as he was easily forced to stay down, as he shouted for Giovanni to release him. Knowing that time is critical, he turned away from Ash and focused on helping Delia. Giovanni then understood what Ash was doing … and sadly looked at him..
- I´m sorry son… it glads my heart to know that you found a way to bring the girl back… but your mother is nearly faded away.. If I don´t abort the process.. then she will die… forgive me Ash… I´m so sorry… I know she means everything to you… but so does your mother to me…
Ash´s tears went down his face, as he saw the process aborted, and the energy meter indicating Misty´s Aura was slowly going down, as he screamed out her name, only for the grunts to firmly make sure he won´t escape. Giovanni put down Delia onto the board, and connected her to The Synergy Energizer, when suddenly more of his men came into the medical bay:
They had sweeped the area, and had captured Nurse Joy, James, Jessie and Meowth.
- I should kill you for what you did to me Jessica , and what horrors you would have done…
- I wasn´t the one who captured me and turned me into a mindless solider… thank god that I was restored… who knows, I might even have tried to kill you, leader of Team Rocket…
- I´ll deal with you later Jessica, right now I need your services Nurse Joy. I´ll be kind enough and ask you of this instead of making threats: My wife is in serious condition, and all my expert medical staff has left HQ. I want you to take her in a helicopter to the nearest hospital capable of saving her. Now do as I kind asky you Nurse Joy, I´ll even kneel to gain your help.
- You don´t need to ask, Delia Kethcum is a civilian, a victim of your horrid plans… her being your wife doesn´t affect her treatment nor my judgement. Stepp aside and let me examine her.
Giovanni told his men to back away and to release Ash, as Jessie and James then grabbed Ash, as he lunged after Giovanni in an attempt to get to him, as Giovanni told them to take him out of the room. Struggling, Ash was dragged away, devasted by what Gio had just done.
- How could you, I trusted you, and now mom´s dying because of you! This is all your fault!
- Easy there, now is not the time, he never intended to hurt her, it was my Seviper that did it.
- Your mom tried to kill Jessie here, if I hadn´t pushed her aside, Jessie would have died.
Ash quickly collapsed on the floor, barely resisting the pain of losing Misty once again, this time maybe for good. Ash then saw something in front of him: Cassidy´s gun. He then quickly grabbed it, and for a second thought a hideous thought, but then came to his senses and threw it away. The energy meter was now empty, as Giovanni was ready to bring Delia back.
- I´m afraid there is little to do, she has suffered wounds that are very hard to treat, and I´m not even sure if she would even make it to the nearest hospital… I don't know what else to do…
- Find a way to contact your cousins and the militia: Tell them that I offer an exchange, their current medical staff for all the civlians, giving them safe-passage to any location they want.
Giovanni then went to Jessie, as he asked for the command radio, as Jessie willingly gave it to him, as he contacted the grunts throughtout the world and informed them of the situation and their new, temporary orders. Nurse Joy then got clearance, as a medical staff had just landed onto the helicopter pad, as she directed them to their location. She quickly told Giovanni´s men to carry Delia and take her to the more advanced, surgical rooms below them to begin.
-It is done, the medics are on their way… and for your sake I hope you uphold your end of the deal Mr Mortegio. I´ll do what I can, but there is no guarantee that she´ll even survive this.
- I love my wife more than anything in this world, I can assure you that her health will not be gambled with, and with the best medical equipment avaible, I´m confident you can help her.
Nurse Joy nodded, as she then left Giovanni alone in the medical bay. Giovanni then saw the gun on the floor, as he grabbed it and put it inside his coat incase he would need to defend himself. He then informed Jessie to release Ash, as there was no more reason to keep him restrained. It didn't take long before Ash to the medical bay, as he slowly approached Giovanni, next to The Synergy Energizer, monitoring the energy process and Delia´s health.
- I forgave you for what happened to Misty… but now… there is no else but you to be at fault… you killed her… I was there with her when I died… I was so close to bring her back…
- If I had to make a choice between someone you love and someone we both love, then my choice was the right one… I wish there was another way, but if I hadn´t acted so quickly, then your mother would have been far beyond our help. I know there is not much more I can say… but I know I for once did the right thing… for a very long time. I´m truly sorry Ash…
Ash then checked the ground where the gun was, only to find it gone, as Giovanni then took it out. Ash stepped back abit, not sure what Giovanni would do. He then threw the gun to Ash.
- I guess you were planning to use that gun when alone here with me.. believe me when I say that I never intended to do such harm onto you boy… nothing went as I had planned after everything went chaotic… now, I´m giving you a second chance, to take me down while I still have the heart to let you do it… With me gone… the world don´t need to suffer anymore…
. This is such a moment… which Mewtwo told me about… as much as I hate you… also repect and love you… I saw what happened when I was dying… how much you fought to bring me back… you even risked your own life to bring me back… and even though it was too late, I respect that, and the fact that mom wasn´t your fault.. You´re just easier to blame…
Suddenly the lights flickered inside HQ, as Ash suddenly felt the Unown´s prescene once again, as Giovanni also somehow felt that they were closeby. The Synergy Energizer then suddenly went to overdrive, as an massive amount of energy was leaking out from the reactors and onto the board, as something began to materialize on it. Giovanni then ran off to Delia.
May had managed tp break away from the safety belt, as Grass Pokemon slowly brought her down to the ground with Vine Whip, as the Psychic Pokemon indicated to them to move a distance so that they could destroy the helicopter. With the danger over for now, May thanked each and every one of them, as she then remembered where to head if it would go bad.
Suddenly everyone froze, as grunts surrounded them, apparently looking for any survivors from crashed helicopters. They were about to attack, when they then got the new orders from Giovanni, as the grunts then let go of their Pokeballs, but still held May and the other Pokemon captive until further orders. A field medic went to check her out, while some grunts checked the helicopter debris for anything useful. It didn´t take long before they found the dead soldiers, put away in a nearby bush, as the grunts then went to gently question May.
- Im the only one who survived, I only joined in order to find my dad, I have no quarrel with you.. Please you got to let me go, so that I can find and save him until it´s too late!
- Don´t worry miss, for now all of us are on standby, just got new orders from Giovanni himself…so if your father had just engaged in a battle then he´d be safe for now. But you´re still our captive, and we will do what is permitted during this situation to contiue our duty.
The grunts searched May, as they found her Pokeballs and grabbed them, as May then remembered to hide the radio, when suddenly a grunt found it. It didn't take long before they got worried if she had sent a ditress signal or if it was damaged during the crash.
Gary silently sneaked deeper into HQ, when he suddenly encountered Butch and Cassidy, as he immediately called forth his Pokemon. Butch and Cassidy told him to stand down.
- Woah easy there kid, we´re not your enemy, atleast not anymore. And Giovanni just issued an temporary ceasefire, so there is no reason to harm any of us, since we´r e no treat to you.
- See it as a precaution due the the recent events, now either stepp aside or face me in a battle, cause I don´t have time to fool around, I have an important task to take care of, very soon.
Gary pushed them aside, as he then found an functional elevator which lead to the reactors, as he made sure that no one was there to interfere with the mission. Gary then placed out the explosives, just in case he wouldn't be able to get to The Synergy Energizer. Suddenly a shriek was heard, as a mighty Thunderbolt hit Gary, as the explosives then exploded, making almost the entire HQ shake. It was Pikachu, it had seen Gary as an enemy and attacked him.
Noticing the fierce tremmor, Ash noticed that The Synergy Energizer was still fully functional, despite the fact that the reactors were too damaged to provide any energy to it. Something was powering the machine, something was still keeping it going, as Ash saw Misty, beginning to materlize on the board. it succeded, as she opened her eyes and stood up.
- Hey… you´re back… and this time I swear that I´ll let nothing happen to you Misty.
They hugged, as Giovanni and Delia then came, as apparently the operation was a success. Giovanni, not wanting to disturb them, left them alone, as Delia, fully rejuvenated, hugged Misty, happy that she is alive and alright. She then looked at Ash, as she held his hand firmly.
- I´m so proud of you honey… not only have you shown that you truly are the son I always dreamed of, but you have shown that even you, my young son, can make such a huge difference in all of this. And now that Misty is alright… you can finally find your own happiness… and mine will be fulfilled, knowing that you are together with someone you really care about. And I think that, despite everything… I can just maybe regain the shattered pieces of my dark past… and start a new life with your father… together with you two… we can start anew.Are you ready to come home and begin anew, with me, Giovanni and Misty?
Ash nooded, as they were about to leave the medical bay, when suddenly the fire alarm was triggered, as a computerized voice warned of the engineering bay and reactors being totally engulfed in flames. Telling them to flee, Delia left to find Giovanni, when Misty grabbed Ash.
- I´m going with you… you may not have your powers anymore… but you have me, and together we can do anything. Now lets go and stop the fire from spreading any further Ash!
Hearing the shrieking alarm, Giovanni nervously tapped the elevator doors, desparate to reach his command room before the emergency sealment began to take effect. As the elevator doors opened, Giovanni was shocked, as Oak was in there, as something was on the desk table.
- It is true… I never thought it to be true… but it was as I feared… it really was you…
Before Giovanni could speak up, Oak let loose Dragonite, as he ordered it to slam Giovanni onto the wall, enough to make him shriek of pain as his left arm was dislocated of place.
- I had no other choice… back then I did what was necessary to protect my family.. and to…
Giovanni got kicked in the stomach by Oak, as he then received a fierce punch in the face that sent him flying across the room, as Giovanni coughed up some blood. Oak hissed at him.
- Get up and fight like a man you spineless coward! It´s just you and me now… long have I awaited for this day to come… never did I think of actually being alive to finally experience it.
The fire had now begun to spread through the elevator cablage and into the command room, as Dragonite was recalled. Oak clunched his fists, as he then fiercely grabbed Giovanni.
- I´m sorry… it was not my choice to make… my mother is the one to blame.. I just…
Oak then took out an army blade and stabbed Giovanni in the leg, as he shrieked in pain,
- You and your family are monsters… I know all about it now, I found the evidence I need right here in your office… you were probably on you´re way to gather the evidence didn´t you!
Suddenly a gunshot went off, as Oak fell silent to the floor, as the fire engulfed the entire room. Giovanni slowly rose up with the gun in his hand, as he saw through the shattered window the ongoing battles in the horizon between the millitia and grunts that had broken the sieze fire agreement. Giovanni gathered several documents and photos from the desk table.
- Sorry Samuel…it was either you or me… and my family still needs me. But still, nothing I can do can change the fact that you are partially right. Your son indeed died because of me…