PokeWing Z, Episode 1: Cruisin' for a Bruisin'!

A crossover fic by Dustin M. Dixon/ThatGuyWithStuff/Kuwabara Shizuru

In the bright, barely cloudy sky that loomed over the vast oceans of the Orange Archipelago, a ragtag trio of friends continued their journey back to the mainland of Kanto. Atop the knobby shell of a Lapras sat 12 year old Orange League Champion Ash Ketchum, who fiddled around with a small rectangular electronic device as his jet-black hair wafted gently to and fro with the breeze. Next to him was his longtime companion, 13 year old former Cerulean City Gym leader Misty Waterflower, whose emerald-green eyes were staring down at the lapping water, intensely focused as she held her detachable fishing rod, armed with her special lure shaped like a plastic miniature of Misty herself, which was currently submerged in an attempt to capture a new Water Pokemon. Her red hair, held off in a spiky ponytail on her left side through use of a scrunchie, was soaked with condensation from the sea breeze. Next to her, his dark green hair kept out of his eyes by his salmon colored headband, sat Orange Archipelago native and most recent member of the group, Tracey Sketchit, who had his trusty drawing pad in hand as he furiously ran his pencil across the surface. "Not a bad idea sailing through a herd of Seadra, Ash." Tracey spoke up. "I'm getting a LOT of good scenery."

"Cool!" Ash acknowledged, glancing over at Misty. "Any bites?"

"No…" Misty grumbled. "I think the other Pokémon are scared by the Seadra." she slowly raised the hook out of the water, quickly disassembling her rod and putting it away. "Oh well." she shrugged with a smile. "You excited?" she turned her head to the leader of the ragtag group. "We're going to land in Kanto in a couple of hours! You must miss your mom!"

"Eh…" Ash shrugged. "I guess I'm used to being away from home at this point. Still… it'll be nice to check in while I'm around there."

"Speaking of Pallet Town…" Tracey startled Ash by showing up next to him suddenly. "You're going to introduce me to Professor Oak in person, right?"

"A… absolutely!" Ash shut his eyes with a big grin as a large sweatdrop appeared on the side of his face. Just then, he felt short, stubby claws digging lightly into him, as Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder. With an excited cry of "Pika pi-ka!", he frantically pointed toward a large cruise ship approaching fast… right into Lapras' path.

"Where the heck did that come from?!" Tracey asked, wide-eyed.

"Does it matter?! We're gonna crash into it!" Misty shrieked.

"Lapras, swerve out of the way!" Ash frantically waved his arms. The Lapras responded with a frightened cry, and the trio screamed as they collided with the cruise liner, the force of Lapras' impact diminished due to Lapras' slowed pace, but still enough to send them toppling off of the Pokémon's back.

(Title) Cruisin' for a Bruisin'!

(Silhouette) Ash and Pikachu

Ash emerged from underneath the waves with a loud gasp.

"Lapras, return!" Ash called out, returning the large aquatic Pokemon to its safe haven within the Pokeball. He then looked around worriedly. "Pikachu! Misty! Tracey!"

"Ash!"

"Pikapi!"

Ash turned his head to see Tracey and Pikachu floating about ten feet to his left, with Misty's Togepi in Tracey's arms. He looked around quickly for any signs of Misty. Deducing what, or who, Ash was looking for, Tracey began scouting around as well.

"I can't spot her, Ash!"

"…" Ash took a deep breath and submerged once more. Almost immediately, several feet below, he spotted Misty diving for… his hat? He reached up by instinct and felt his wild black hair, no longer covered by his official Pokémon League Expo Hat. He turned his head and saw an oncoming Gyarados. Realizing it would reach and likely eat Misty in the time it would take her to snatch his hat and swim back, he made a beeline for her, wrapping one arm around her waist and giving her a scare as he swam quickly for the surface. As soon as he emerged, he took note that the cruise ship had stopped, and that Tracey and Pikachu, with Togepi in tow, were already atop the rope ladder that had been lowered.

"Ash, what—" Misty gasped as the Gyarados emerged.

"Talk later! Swim for it!" Ash shouted, as he and Misty swam for their lives, narrowly evading the Gyarados' gaping maw as they scrambled up the ladder. The vibration made from it hitting the side of the cruise ship was much more significant, however, than Lapras' previous impact, causing Misty to lose her grip. As she fell backwards, Ash's right hand shot down and caught hers.

"I got you!" he shouted. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"PI-KAAAA-CHUUUUUUUUU!" the electric rodent shouted as it unleashed a massive bolt of lightning, striking the Gyarados straight and true. When the Thunderbolt-induced light show had ended, Gyarados collapsed onto the water with swirly eyes. As Ash and Misty climbed aboard the ship proper, Ash turned, pulling a Pokeball and enlarging it.

"Pokeball GO!" he watched as the ball opened and the Gyarados converted to light energy and was sealed momentarily in the ball's confines. The ball shook once.

"C'mon…"

Twice.

Three times… and was still.

"Phew…" Ash breathed a sigh of relief as a crew member tossed over a net immediately to catch the Pokeball. Hauling it up, the young woman, a short-brunette haired girl dressed in a sailor's outfit and looking no older than 25, handed the ball over to Ash.

"Here you go sir, that was quite a catch!" she complimented him.

"Heh, well…" Ash blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just caught it so it wouldn't drown while unconscious." He was reminded, as he rubbed the back of his head, of the loss of his hat, as he walked over to the railing and looked down at the sea longingly, knowing his hat was now lost forever.

"Ash…your hat… I'm sorry." Misty walked up by him, taking note of the fact that he looked like he was about to cry. Ash remained silent for a few seconds more before swallowing back any tears he might have been ready to shed.

"It's alright. I wasn't about to lose my best friend over some dumb hat." he turned to her with a smile. Misty returned the smile half-heartedly as Tracey popped up between them.

"At least you got a new Pokémon out of the deal, right?"

"R… right." Ash chuckled monosyllabically. "Anyway, sorry to cause all the trouble." he turned to all the passengers who had been gawking at them. "I'll get out my Lapras so we can get out of your hair."

"Wait a second, young man." a man who was dressed in a more formal naval suit walked out. He had short white hair combed neatly and was holding his hat to his chest currently. "I'm the captain of this cruise liner, and I know this ocean like the back of my hand… " he trailed off, freeing up one of his hands to sweep it out toward the ocean. "This is Gyarados mating season, and they really like to mate around these waters. It'd be far too dangerous to make the crossing through this area on a mere Lapras." he gestured toward a staircase leading down. "We had some last-minute cancellations right before we set sail on this voyage, so there are exactly three beds available."

"Well that's… convenient." Misty cupped her chin with her right hand, deep in thought. She could swear she recognized the slight rasp in the captain's voice…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tracey piped up.

"Huh?" she snapped back to reality momentarily. "Oh! It's… nothing…" she trailed off once more.

"Anyway, I insist the three of you stay here." the captain shooed them down the stairs and down the narrow hallway, arriving at a cabin marked "2018". He unlocked the door, allowing the trio access. As they settled in, Tracey interrupted Misty's thought process once more by handing her Togepi, who happily chirped as it was hugged firmly by the grateful teenage girl. Ash wordlessly climbed up into his bunk and faced away from his friends.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Misty crossed her arms as best she could for holding her Togepi.

"Goin' to bed." he remarked simply, faking a yawn as he closed his eyes.

"Ash, it's like 2 in the afternoon." Tracey frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry about your hat, but it's gone." Misty said. "I was about to reach it if you hadn't…" she heard Ash sigh.

"I know… but I didn't want you to DIE to get it back. It just has… a lot of sentimental value."

"Sentimental? It's a hat, Ash. You can get another one." Misty turned her attention down to Togepi as it let out a shrill cry for its mother's affections.

"…I'm gonna get some air."

"I thought you were going to bed!" Tracey exclaimed.

"I will here in a bit." Ash shrugged, leaving the cabin without another word.

"…What's with him?" Tracey pondered. Misty stood for a second, once again cupping her chin with a free hand, before walking to the door herself.

"Can you… give me a few minutes to talk to Ash?"

"Sure, but what's going on?" Tracey asked.

"I'll tell you later. Here, Togepi… stay with Tracey and Pikachu!" she spoke to the baby Pokemon, setting it down as it chirped. Pikachu poked at Misty's calf really quickly with an exclamation of "Pika pika pikapi!"

"Just stay here, Pikachu. I'll bring him back to the cabin." she smiled before running out. She traced the path they had taken to get back out to the deck proper, where she saw Ash standing alone, peering over the rail once more.

"…You gonna stupidly dive in after it cause I'm a bit down about it?" Ash spoke up without turning around.

"…Are you?" Misty rebutted. "Ash… what's with that hat? You nearly got mauled to death by your old Primeape two years ago for it."

"…It doesn't matter now. It's gone." Ash sighed. "So don't worry, I'm not gonna jump in after it. You can go back to the cabin now." He was only half-surprised as Misty instead walked up to stand by his side.

"You called me your best friend earlier..." she trailed off, looking over to Ash.

"Yeah. I did."

"Well don't you think you can trust your best friend with the background information on that hat?" she sighed as Ash turned to walk away. However, he stopped mid-escape to speak up again.

"…Dad was the one who got that hat for me."

"…Oh…!" Misty gasped.

"It was the last thing he did before he left on his Pokémon journey six years ago… and just… vanished. It was the last thing I had to remember him by." he turned to face her, and she could see the tears he swallowed back had come back with a vengeance, flowing freely now. "Letting that hat go…"

"Makes you feel like you lost him all over again…" Misty muttered. She walked over to him and, after a brief pause, threw her arms around her friend. His voice cracked as he spoke up again.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he repeated several times.

"It's all right…" she repeated for every time he uttered those two broken words.

The captain sat down in his chair, seeming to loom over the ship as he looked down on the two friends embracing. Just then, the female sailor from earlier walked in.

"I should have been captain." she pouted.

"You always get to be in charge. I think this is a nice change of pace." the captain smirked coolly, his voice sounding more raspy this time. "Man, disguisin' my voice is a pain."

"Your fault for smoking a pack a day, froggy."

"You're busting my chops for that right now? Look, it ain't easy bein' us." A pause. "Look at 'em down there."

"Soon we'll have their Pokemon… and payback." the sailor grinned, crossing her arms.

"You handed him back that Gyarados. You must be gettin' soft!"

"If you think that, then you won't mind cleaning our dorm room at HQ for the next month."

"…Never mind." he pulled out a cigarette.

"You gotta do that HERE?"

"I'm the captain. You want me to step down on the deck and smoke? You think someone won't question that with as much as I've been in here this entire cruise?!" his eyebrows furrowed.

"You came out to greet those twerps."

"Don't remind me. I wanted to strangle that redhead right then and there."

"Well good thing you didn't. We wait until evening, you understand?"

"I don't, but I know better than to argue with ya at this point… and I figure ya know better than me."

"Good boy!" the woman turned and left, leaving the captain, who frowned.

"'Good boy'? Does she think I'm a Growlithe or somethin'?!"

Evening fell quickly as Ash, Misty, Tracey, and their Pokémon headed up to the dining hall for a meal at the captain's insistence. They walked over to the buffet table and each stacked their plates to the top with various foods. The trio found a spot to sit down and immediately began assaulting their plates, filling themselves with various types of fish, crabmeat, and clams.

"Hey, thish ish guhd!" Ash said, mouth full of salmon.

"Mmm-hmm!" Misty sighed contentedly in agreement.

"…" Tracey looked around silently as he chewed.

"Pikaaa-!" Pikachu cried happily, as it grabbed a nearby bottle of ketchup and lapped at the dispensary in pure delight. Tracey wasted no time in pulling out his spare drawing notebook.

"This will make a great sketch to show Professor Oak!" he grinned widely. "Now just pretend I'm not here, Pikachu…"

"Pi-ka?" Pikachu tilted its head quizzically.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to eat this food?" Ash questioned between bites as the captain walked by them.

"Absolutely! I'm not so cold-hearted that I can't extend a couple of measly plates of food to some unexpected passengers!"

"Wow, thanks captain!" Ash laughed, delving into another eating frenzy.

"Ash… does something seem strangely familiar about that captain to you?" Misty asked as the captain walked out of earshot.

"Huh? Like what?"

"His voice… I can't place my finger on it, but something sounds familiar about his voice…" Misty once again cupped her chin in her hand while Pikachu temporarily babysat Togepi.

"Now that you mention it…" Tracey said. "Yeah, it kinda does. He also didn't notify the Coast Guard when he picked us up. That's a career-ending offense." he seemed to be transfixed on something for a moment before rising up. "Excuse me, I need to find a bathroom." And with that, Tracey bolted as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Maybe he's just really nice…" Ash said, taking note of Misty's immediate expression of annoyance. "Or maybe you're onto something." he stood up, and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder immediately afterward.

"Ash, where are you going now?!"

"My best friend's concerned about something. I'm gonna go alleviate it." he strode toward the captain's table.

"More like compound it if I'm right… but thanks." Misty muttered, half-heartedly smiling once more. The smile vanished as the sailor woman from before approached the table.

"Just thought you'd like to know…" Misty's eyes widened somewhat as the woman whispered something in her ear.

"Hey captain…" Ash said as he reached the captain's table. "Why didn't you notify the Coast Guard when we got on the ship?"

"Oh, that's easy…" the captain sounded raspier than before. Ash realized Misty was right. This man's voice was very familiar… as if he'd heard it not even two weeks prior. His recognition was confirmed as the man reached up and pulled off the mask he had been wearing to disguise himself. Underneath said mask were the aqua green hair and brown eyes of Butch, a member of the other Team Rocket that Ash and friends had encountered twice before. "Cause this cruise was just to trap you, twerp! Now prepare for trouble!"

"CRAP." Ash scowled.

"And make it double!" Ash turned to acknowledge the female sailor who had just spoken that line, now unmasked and revealing the blonde pigtails, violet eyes, and pink triangular earrings she always sported. She had her right arm clenched tightly around Misty's neck. Her left hand was holding a knife up to what part of said neck wasn't covered by arm. Without waiting for Ash to say anything, she proceeded to launch into her next part of the motto. "To infect the world with devastation!"
"To blight all peoples in every nation!" Butch didn't miss a beat, rising up and discarding the rest of his outfit, revealing a black Team Rocket uniform with the standard red R on his chest.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

The blonde let go of Misty long enough to toss away the rest of her disguise.

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

Cassidy's hand shot out, grabbing Misty's before she could escape, again, missing no beats. "We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight!" The two posed dramatically as they finished.

"Let go!" Misty yelped.

"Cassidy… and Bart!" Ash gasped.

"…Really? I JUST said my name is BUTCH." Butch's eyes narrowed comically as he turned to Cassidy. "How come they never get your name wrong?" Cassidy just shrugged.

Ash scowled as he focused on the knife in Cassidy's hand.

"Let Misty go." he ordered.

"Ha! Hey Butch, the pipsqueak thinks he can order me!" Cassidy laughed.

"That IS funny!" Butch joined his partner in laughter. "Oh, but wait! I got a response! Go, Primeape!" he threw a Pokéball, and out popped the 3'3" Pig Monkey Pokémon, ready for a fight.

"Fighting type, huh? I have my own rebuttal to that…" Ash removed a Pokeball from his belt and gave it a toss. "Charizard, I choose you!" Out came the 5'7" winged fire-breathing reptile with a loud roar. "Alright Charizard, turn up the heat for Hutch's Primeape with Flamethrower!"

"IT'S BUTCH, YOU MORON!" Butch shouted, as his Primeape got torched. The short fighting Pokémon stumbled back before redoubling its charge toward Charizard. "Primeape, Fury Swipes!" Butch ordered, and Primeape began its relentless assault upon Charizard.

"Hang in there Charizard, and counter with Seismic Toss!" Ash scowled.

"Primeape, match that Charizard's Seismic Toss with one of your own!" Butch pointed angrily at Ash's Charizard, and the two Pokémon locked hands as they tried to one-up each other with their attacks.

"Prime-APE!" cried Primeape as it lost the struggle with Charizard, getting tossed into the ceiling and dropping down again hard. It started to stand up again, but found it no longer had the strength to do so as its eyes went swirly and it lost consciousness.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered. "Good job, Charizard!" Charizard roared and flashed a thumbs up to its trainer.

"Grr… return, Primeape!" Butch held out Primeape's Pokéball and recalled the Pokémon. He reached immediately for another Pokéball. As he did so, Cassidy reached for a Pokéball as well, accidentally dropping her knife. Misty seized the opportunity to bite her hard on her forearm.

"Ye-OW!" she yelped, as Misty slipped out of her grasp successfully this time. "That tears it!" she snarled, pulling out two Pokéballs and tossing them. "Raticate, Hypno, GO!"

"RatiCATE!" Raticate emerged from its Pokéball, looking as enraged as ever. Hypno grunted as it emerged.

"Hypno, knock out that Charizard!"

"Hypnooo…" Hypno trailed off, immediately waving its pocket watch back and forth. Charizard's eyelids began to droop. Butch threw his next Pokéball in this time.

"Sandslash, go!"

"Sandslash!" it cried in a high-pitched voice.

"Charizard, fight off that Hypnosis!" Misty took a position by Ash's side at that point, readying a Pokéball of her own.

"Help him out, Poliwag!" she called, as she released her Poliwag.

"Poliii!" it cheered as it came into view.

"Poliwag, Bubble Clutch's Sandslash!"

"THAT ONE WAS ON PURPOSE!" Butch yelled, grasping the sides of his head as his eyes narrowed comically, before he regained composure. "Sandslash, dodge it by digging!"

"Slash!" it acknowledged, attempting to burrow through the floor of the ship's dining room and chipping its claws in the process. "Slahahaaaash!" it cried in pain, and again as the bubbles connected, sending it to unconsciousness.

"That's two-nothing, in case you weren't keeping score!" Ash grinned.

"Yup… let's fix that, then!" Cassidy pointed to Ash's Charizard. "Send that thing to Dreamland, Hypno! Hypnosis, double strength! Raticate, Super Fang her Poliwag!"

"Raaaticate!" Raticate bared its large incisors to take a bite, sending Poliwag tumbling backward.

"Hypno…" Hypno's watch increased in speed, and soon, Charizard was asleep.

"Charizard!" Ash called out, pulling out his Pokéball once more and recalling it. "Return!" he turned to the table they'd previously been situated at before he stood up. "Pika… chu?" he noticed both Pikachu and Togepi were gone. "Uhh…" his eyes went comically wide. "Pikachu?!"

"Togepi?!" Misty looked worried as her gaze followed Ash's… and discovered that both Pokémon were in a cage produced by another passenger, who threw off his disguise, revealing a third agent of Team Rocket.

"Lookin' for these, doll?" he asked.

"Another agent…?!" Ash gasped.

"Oh yeah… you three are the only normal people on this ship." Cassidy smirked. "This whole liner was a plot to trap all of you!"

"Why us specifically?!" Misty demanded.

"Because you've ruined our two best laid plans, twerpette!" Butch explained. "First you showed that Officer Jenny those photos of what we were doin' in the Breeding Center, then that Pokémon over there ruined our plans on Mandarin Island!"

"Ruined your plans…" Misty trailed off, eyes widening. "…Togepi?!"

"Yeah. That. It'll make a nice present for the Boss!" Butch flashed a thumb in the baby Pokémon's direction as more and more of the "passengers" discarded their disguises, revealing black uniform clad Team Rocket Grunts.

"Darn…" Ash scowled, holding up a couple of his Pokéballs, prepared to go down fighting. He glanced back toward Misty. "Misty… make a run for the door. I'll hold Haunch and Blondie off."

"Well… at least he got your name wrong too." Butch frowned, turning to Cassidy.

"Shut it, Biff." Cassidy snapped at her partner.

"Seriously, get going… I'll hold em off."

"I'm not leaving you, Ash." Misty gritted her teeth.

"They only want you." Ash argued. "They're not gonna kill me."

"Sure of that, are ya?" Cassidy crossed her arms. "YOU'VE been a pretty big thorn in our side as well. "You're betting your life on our merciful nature?"

Nope!" Ash smirked. "I'm betting my life on my skill as a trainer! No idiot from Team Rocket is going to take me down!"

"Only idiot here is you, twerp." Cassidy frowned.

"You're surrounded, and the only way out's into Gyarados-infested waters!" Butch laughed. "And if you think that Lapras you've been riding will save you from them, well…" he trailed off with a grin.

"Not from them, no." he smirked, pulling out another Pokéball and giving it a toss. "Go, Lapras!" as the large blue and cream sea creature emerged on the floor of the ship. Ash turned back to Misty. "Go. Now."

"Not without Togepi, and not without you!" Misty protested.

"Yeah, about that whole noble sacrifice thing…" Butch trailed off, producing a small remote, which he then pressed. "Much as you likely wouldn't get away from the Gyarados alive… I ain't taking any chances." he grinned as each and every exit from the dining hall was sealed by thick iron bars. "It's just the two of you… and the lot of us!"

"Well since I can't leave anyway…" Misty smirked, holding out two of her Pokéballs. "Staryu, Psyduck, go!" As the two Pokémon appeared, Ash threw his own second Pokéball.

"Snorlax, I choose you!" The large beast materialized with a loud "Laaaaax…" as Ash and Misty stared down Butch, Cassidy, and the Rocket Grunts, who were releasing a number of Pokémon.

"Come on… where's a radio…?!" Tracey mumbled, as he looked around the captain's cabin frantically. He ran over to a small console by the wheel, flinging it open and breathing a sigh of relief as the very radio he was looking for was neatly tucked away on a shelf within the console. "Woo! Here we go!" he fiddled with the controls for a minute, picking up the transmitter as soon as he settled on channel 9, frequency 156.450. "Hello, is anyone there? This is the HMS Rocquet…" he trailed off shaking his head for a second. 'Rocket, Rocquet, DUH.', he shook his head, speaking up once more after a few seconds of silence. "Please, pick up! It's an emergency!"

"This is the Coast Guard. What is your emergency?" came a woman's voice on the other end of the transmission.

"The, uh…" he trailed off, clearing his throat. "The Gyarados are REALLY biting today!"

"Understood. Help is on the way. Hold them off as long as you can." A male voice answered this time. "We'll be there in about 15 minutes."

"You heard the man, Tracey…" the young trainer muttered to himself, pulling out two Pokéballs. "Marill, Scyther, let's go!" The two Pokémon appeared beside their master. Just then, a Rocket Grunt poked his head in the doorway.

"Hey, what's goin' on in here?! 'Dere ain't supposed ta be anyone in da cab—" he was cut off as Marill's Water Gun sent him flying over the railing into the water. Tracey ran out the door, plucking an inner tube from the wall and tossing it to the grunt.

"Sorry about that! Hold on and someone'll pick you up in about 14 minutes!" He waved nervously.

"Hey, who's that?!" He turned, eyes comically wide, to spot three more Rocket Grunts, who wasted no time calling out their Pokémon: an Abra, Drowzee, and Zubat, respectively.

"We can't stop here! Scyther, take 'em down!" he pointed at the three Pokémon.

"Scytherrrr!" the large green Bug Pokémon cried, charging forward and striking each Pokémon with surgical precision, with each Pokémon being knocked out immediately.

"Huh, well we got more where 'dose came from!" one of the grunts spoke up.

"Yeah, but…" Tracey trailed off with a smirk. "Do you REALLY?" Just then, all three grunts' pants dropped to their ankles quickly enough to dislodge the Pokeballs from their belts, sending them scattering. They dropped to a lower level of the ship, alerting more grunts. Tracey groaned as he shoved past the three grunts who had just been embarrassed by his Scyther, his Marill hopping along quickly behind him with cries of "Mar-ill! Mar-ill!" for each hop.

Ash and Misty were now back-to-back, staring down the army of grunts led by Butch and Cassidy.

"Ready to give up, twerps?" Butch smirked, as the two young trainers were now surrounded by a circle of Zubats.

"Ergh…" Ash growled. His Snorlax was busy grappling with Butch's most recently called Pokémon: a Hitmonchan. Its grasping of Hitmonchan's boxing glove-clad hands was the only thing keeping it from getting Ice Punched. "Darn…"

"Zubat, Supersonic!" Each Zubat's trainer called in perfect unison.

"Aah…" Ash groaned as the Zubat herd let loose with ear-piercing shrieks, causing both trainers to cover their ears. He kept one eye open long enough to see his Snorlax lose the grapple, as Hitmonchan got off the Ice Punch Butch had ordered a couple of minutes prior. "Hang in there, Snorlax! Counter with Mega Punch!"

"Useless." Butch smirked. "Hitmonchan, fight back with Mach Punch!" The two Pokémon charged at each other, but Hitmonchan proved to be faster, slamming its right fist into the large Pokémon's gut.

"Snorlax!" Ash cried out as he watched the Pokémon fall over with a loud thud. He gritted his teeth and held out Snorlax's Pokéball, calling his fainted Pokémon back. He dared to reach down to his belt for his last available Pokémon, and collapsed to his knees yelling in pain.

"ASH!" Misty turned to her friend, reaching out a hand to snap him out of it, also collapsing to her knees.

"Well well… looks like the twerps are unable to battle." Cassidy smirked, walking forward. "Game over. Now we'll…" she trailed off, as she noticed a shocked expression on Butch's face. "Butch? What's up?"

"Uhh…" He pointed a thumb behind his partner. Cassidy turned and her eyes went wide as she saw the vast majority of the Rocket Grunts suspended in midair, surrounded by a faint blue glow.

"What the…?!" she gasped. She then heard it: over where Pikachu and Togepi were caged, the baby Egg Pokémon moving its arms from one side to the other while chanting "To-ki! To-ki!" With a snarl, Cassidy turned back to the Zubats, also surrounded in the blue aura.

"Oh for the love of little green apples…"

"It's using Metronome…" Butch commented.

"I KNOW what it's using, Butch! We need to take it out now!"

"…Togepi?" Misty stared in awe at the Pokémon she had cared for since it imprinted on her during her time with Ash in Kanto. She looked up and noticed Cassidy's Hypno looming over the cage. "Oh no you don't!" she shouted. "Staryu, Hydro Pump!"

"Squirtle, go!" Ash got back to his feet, calling out his last unfainted Pokémon. The tiny turtle appeared in a flash of red light. "Take out that Hitmonchan with your Skull Bash!"

"Squirtle Squirtle!" he acknowledged his trainer's command and charged forward, ramming into Butch's Hitmonchan at breakneck speed and sending it flying into the nearest wall, where it was joined afterward by Hypno. Both Pokémon fell into unconsciousness.

"Darn!" Cassidy scowled. "Raticate!" she looked around and spotted her Pokémon standing over Misty's unconscious Poliwag. "Hyper Fang on her Togepi!" she pulled another Pokéball from her belt as she finished speaking. "Go, Jynx!" In a flash of red light, the odd, vaguely humanoid Pokémon materialized. "Take that Staryu down with Ice Punch!"

"Jynnnnnx JYNX!" the Pokémon obeyed, angrily charging at Misty's Staryu.

"Staryu, hit it with Swift!" Misty ordered. Staryu grunted and fired numerous stars at Jynx.

"Jynx, dodge that Swift!" Cassidy barked at her Pokémon, who leapt into the air, only to get pelted by the many stars simultaneously. "Ugh, Jynx!" she turned back to Misty with a scowl, while the young redhead just smirked at her. Jynx landed, but had yet to fall into unconsciousness. "Alright Jynx, counter with Ice Beam!" Before Jynx could follow her trainer's order, however, Squirtle nailed it with a Skull Bash, sending it against the wall and fainting it. Cassidy growled and turned to her partner, furious.

"Butch, help me OUT HERE!"

"Er… I'm… out of Pokémon." Butch commented meekly.

"Darn it!" Cassidy reached for another Pokéball, only to sheepishly realize she, too, was out of Pokémon. "Oh… well…" she turned once more, reaching for the nearest Grunt's Pokéball. "Been a while since I've done this blind… Pokéball, go!" As the flash of red dissipated, a Koffing materialized. "…PERFECT." she grinned evilly. "Hey you!" she turned back to the Grunt and grabbed him by the ear, whispering something to him.

"Uh, Koffing!" the grunt spoke up. "Smokescreen!" The Koffing floated around, blanketing the entire dining hall in a thick cloud of smoke.

"Now! Butch, get the redhead! We can get the other twerp afterward!" Cassidy ordered.

"Right!" Butch lunged past Ash in one swift motion.

"MISTY!" Ash spun around as Butch reached his intended target with an evil grin. He gripped her right hand hard.

"Hey, let me GO!" Misty shouted, wildly thrashing her arm.

"Not in this lifetime, Red!" He used his free hand to grasp her left shoulder for a better grasp… and caused the position of Misty's tank top to shift to the left, exposing some of her shoulder blade as well as a large, flat brown discoloration previously hidden by the yellow fabric. Butch stared on, wide-eyed, as the smoke began to dissipate. He let go of her quickly… and was promptly tackled by a furious Ash, who decided to forego the remaining Pokémon he had in favor of his own two hands.

"Get away from her!" he snarled, raising his left fist as soon as he'd thrown a punch with his right and following through beautifully, leaving red welts on the older man's face. He smiled for a second at his own handiwork; he'd definitely gotten a lot tougher than he used to be. However, his pride was cut down as Cassidy put him in a headlock.

"You get off him!" Ash heard her say, as he fought to get out of his predicament. Just then, the entire contingent of Rocket Grunts dropped, as Togepi finally stopped its chanting, exhausted. As they got to their feet, the Grunts circled around the four of them. Before they could advance inward though, the barred doors erupted forward, flooring a couple of Grunts in their path. In charged a caped man with spiky, scarlet red hair and an overall commanding presence. With a swing of his hand, the brown cloak opened, exposing his clothing beneath: a blue suit, peppered with orange color around his sleeves and chest area. The red lining the inside of his cloak was a tad off-putting by comparison to the other colors of his wardrobe, though it seemed to match his hair quite nicely. In his outstretched hand, he held a silver badge.

"Alright, everyone FREEZE!" he shouted, the tone of his voice as intimidating as his physical presence. "Team Rocket, you are ALL under arrest!"

"You gotta be kidding!" Cassidy laughed. "You and what army?!"

"For starters, him." the man smirked as his Pokémon flew in. Both Cassidy and the grunts stared in wide-eyed shock at the 7'3" orange, scowling bipedal dragon that landed with a thud beside its trainer, the turquoise inner lining of its wings becoming less apparent as it folded the wings and stared down the hall full of Rockets.

"What the heck is THAT thing?" Ash reached into his jacket and removed his Pokedex. Pointing the small red device at the creature, he listened as it revealed what information it had on the creature.

"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokémon. The final form in the Dratini evolutionary line. Dragonite can circle the entire planet in only sixteen hours."

"Oh, and also them." the man's smirk widened into a toothy grin as a large group of gray uniform-clad men and women marched in, lining up. "Now, by order of Lance Wataru of the Pokémon G-Men, get your hands in the air!"

"Lance Wataru…" Misty trailed off, letting out a surprised cry as her eyes widened so much, Ash feared they would roll right out of their sockets. "LANCE WATARU?!"

"Who's this Lance guy?" Ash muttered to his friend.

"Don't you know anything?!" she whispered harshly. "He's the LEADER of the Kanto Elite Four!"

"The leader?!" Ash's eyes also widened. "HIM?!"

"I won't repeat myself again!" Lance ordered, his grin turning into a frown.

"Aah…" Cassidy sighed. "Darn it…" she raised her hands in surrender. Butch, still looking shocked, rose up and followed suit. Soon, every Rocket Grunt was being escorted out as Lance walked over to the two younger trainers. As Misty watched Butch being led out in cuffs, she saw a strange look on his face. He was no longer shocked. As he glanced back at her before vanishing out the door, his expression was a mix of what Misty perceived as sadness and shame.

"Why… did he stop?" Misty spoke up, causing Ash and Lance, who were shaking hands, to turn their heads.

"What do you mean, Mist?" Ash piped up.

"Butch had me. I mean, you probably would have interrupted him, but he could have hurt me before you got there." Misty looked away for a moment.

"It certainly does raise some questions. I'll look into it." Lance smiled. "In the meantime, I believe these are yours?" two G-Men walked up, Pikachu and Togepi cradled in their arms. With a cry of "Pikapi!", the yellow mouse jumped into Ash's outstretched hands.

"Pikachu!" he exclaimed, hugging the Pokémon to him.

"Togepi!" Misty hugged her Pokémon as it returned to its position in its trainer's arms.

"Ppppriiii!" it cried happily.

"You were awesome, Togepi!" Ash congratulated it. Togepi trilled in happiness, just glad to be reunited with its mother once more. At that point, Tracey walked up to them.

"Ash, Misty! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay…" Ash nodded. "Misty…" he turned to her.

"…" she gazed over at the door once again.

"Misty!" Ash repeated.

"Huh?" A pause. "…Yeah, I'm okay." she gave Ash a reassuring smile. "Thanks. And… thanks for believing me earlier… even if my being right turned out to be a bad thing."

"It's like I said… you're my best friend." Ash placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I should be thanking you for earlier."

"Don't worry about it." she gave a simple shrug of her shoulders as she turned around and walked out the door.

"Hey, wait up!" Tracey called as he followed her out.

"Excuse me." Lance spoke up again as Ash started to leave. "You said your name was Ash, right?"

"Yes sir, why?" Ash nodded.

"I remember hearing about a trainer named Ash who placed in the Indigo League's top 16 trainers. Are you that Ash?"

"Uh… yeah, that's me." Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"I'll be following your progress with great interest, Ash." Lance smiled, shaking the young man's hand once more. "Say… where are you heading?"

"Uh… back home to Pallet Town, Lance sir." Ash bowed his head in respect.

"Just Lance will do." Lance placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I can't take you all the way back there, but will Viridian City be far enough for me to give you and your friends a lift?"

"Absolutely, Lance sir!" Ash beamed. "I mean, Lance!"

"Great, I'll fly the three of you there on my Dragonite!"

Ash looked down once more at the HMS Rocquet as he, Misty, Tracey, and Lance lifted off into the sky. The ship had been lashed to another large ship, and was being dragged off into the horizon, which seemed farther and farther away as he and his friends approached Kanto quickly…