The Pokemon Wars
Part V
By: The Insane Writer of the Mind
Was it all really worth it…
August 23, 2000
The Sun is rising on another dark day in the Kanto Region; all around the once free cities are corpses eroding in the streets, forests and buildings. Team Rocket has long since inhabited almost every city throughout the region and has home bases as well. In Celadon there is a newly formed Court House where prisoners stand trial for crimes against the new government, Team Rocket.
In the Court House was a twelve man Jury, seven men and five women. They were positioned on the far right of the steaming hot room. The chairs were Oak and the walls were finely painted brown Pine. The creaky floor boards shifted every time a person shifted their weight. The smell of sweat hung in the air like a cloud of smoke, and in the center of the room, in front of the rows of empty chairs was a man in shackles.
The man stood before the Judge in chains attached to his arms and ankles, since his imprisonment in Lockwood, Sabrina's personal prison in Lavender he has sustained several injuries, his back was broken causing him to hunch over, his face was cut on both cheeks several times and his skin had suffered third degree burns from his legs to his stomach. Looking up at the judge his raggedy green shirt with holes in it tore in the back because of hunch. The mans face was full of spite; he hated Team Rocket more than anything that crawled the Earth. His guilty pleasure was fantasizing about murdering Team Rocket Agent's and drinking their blood, the problem is he carried out this fantasy which is why he stands trial.
"Mr. Shawn Richards you stand trial today for the murder of Hector Lewis, are you aware of the punishment for murdering a member of Team Rocket?" The Judge asked as he read from a sheet of paper containing the Police Report
"Yes, I am cut the bullshit let's just get to the goddamn sentencing, I know I'm guilty and even if was innocent you'd still charge me." Shawn said raising his shackles at the judge and jingling them in a taunting motion
This is Shawn Richards,
He is one of the few rebellious souls left in Kanto; he is a strong yet foolhardy twenty year old boy. His ignorance outweighs his want to be a part of something grand, a Revolution against what has cast a dark cloud over the land he calls home. When he grew up in Celadon Shawn would go to the local Bike Path with his friends and hang out around the slope. Each day Shawn along with his three friends, Franklin, Hank and Ethan would sit on their bikes and bitch about how difficult life was. The day he decided he needed to find a purpose, a desire to be something bigger than what he was occurred on a Thursday, at 3:00 pm, after school in the parking lot of Celadon's Drug Mart.
"Hey Shawn, check this shit out." Hank said as he raced his bike towards a milk carton and jumped over it
"HOLY FUCK, you just jumped a fucking foot in the air! Jesus tap-dancing Christ guys look at that shit!" Shawn said pretending to be amazed
"Kiss my ass," Hank said coming to a stop, kicking up gravel in the process which showered Shawn "what now motherfucker, what now?"
Shawn looked at his plain white shirt then charged Hank who ran as fast as he could, Shawn followed him eventually cornering him in the middle of the street. Cars zoomed past them honking their horns along the way, just as Hank was about to work his way out of the jam a car leveled him, throwing him thirty feet in the air. When Hank eventually did hit the ground his neck snapped in half and lay still. Shawn walked slowly towards his dead friend, whose eyes captured a perfect image of fear, dropping to his knees Shawn straightened his lost friends body as he did this however he broke his neck further creating a bone chilling cracking noise. Once Hank was flat on his back people began walking past the scene, they noticed it but figured another person would help the duo. The most terrifying part of this ordeal was the lack of blood; if you hadn't seen the fall you would have assumed he was alive. Despite this pleasant thought Hank lay dead at his friends feet.
From that day on Shawn made a lifelong commitment to fighting crime, he was a two bit sideshow Vigilante. He feels that with every life saved he is one step closer to redeeming his actions, but deep down in a spot he tries constantly to shut away he knows he will never be forgiven, not in these times.
The Judge sighed and looked through the Police Report, as he did this he mumbled different observations such as "victim was found beheaded and eyes were slit down the middle," "every limb had unusual cuts on the sides in the shape of a D and F overlapping each other."
Setting the papers down the Judge interlocked his fingers into a giant fist and leaned forward and glared at Shawn "I have seen many murders in my time as a Judge; however gory this one is I have seen worse. Men like you who feel the need to rebel are pricks in everyone's side. There are two different paths we can take here, we can kill you or you can join us. If you decide to be a martyr and wish to be an attention craving fuck we will kill you in a sea of people who are forced to see what happens to people who rebel against Team Rocket. On the other hand, if you go the other route and join us you will be an Agent and would be sent on odd jobs such as sending messages to one station to another."
Shawn closed his eyes and shook his head slowly "cliché or no, I will never join you, my goal is to eradicate every Agent that is in existence. So no, I will not join you with or without my life on the line."
The entire Court House laughed, some of the Jury members leaned forward and held their stomachs they were laughing so hard. The Judge slammed his gavel on the bench and chuckled under his breath "if that is your decision, you will be charged with First Degree Murder and the Death Penalty will be requested by the Court, is that clear?"
"As clear as the bodies in Saffron you Honor." Shawn said, putting a sarcastic tone on the word Honor
The Judge frowned and gave the order for the Jury to deliberate, after slamming his gavel for the second time the Court Room rose as the Judge exited the room, followed by the Jury who entered the Deliberation Room one at a time and finally the man in shackles was lead out of the Court House by two Security Guards with a bright purple "R" stitched into their blue uniforms.
"You're fucked, you know that right?" The first Guard said as he hooked his left arm underneath Shawn's left arm
"Yeah I know, but who isn't these days?" Shawn said smiling
Meanwhile in Pewter,
Brock is sitting on the front porch of his Gym watching all of his brothers play Freeze Tag. They had invented a different way of playing the game as opposed to the conventional means, Brock would sit out but yell freeze every now and then. This goes against the traditional rules because Brock is not a participant.
"Can't catch me" Daniel yelled as he ducked underneath a tree and raced around the tree "can't catch me Brian!"
Brian gave up on Daniel and surveyed the remaining participants, Joseph was hiding behind a Mailbox, but the rest were nowhere to be found. Scratching his head in confusion Brian walked up to his big brother for advice.
"Brock, do you know where everyone went?" Brian asked, sitting down on the porch beside Brock
"They ran towards the forest I think, they'll be back for dinner I know that." Brock said as he stretched his arms and legs
As Brock stretched he saw his remaining brothers chase each other into the forest in order to play Hide and Seek. Once all eight had vanished into the thick foliage Brock got to his feet and greeted two people who were playing catch.
"How's it going guy?" Brock asked as the baseball went from one figure to another
"Sexist prick," Cecilia said under her breathe as she threw the ball to the other figure "fucking asshole not every goddamn human in the world is a fucking guy, dick!"
This is Cecilia,
She is a plant, or until very recently she was; now Cecilia is a two star Agent of Team Rocket. Cecilia was a rare breed in terms of how she became an Agent, typically Team Rocket found their followers in the shits of society but not Cecilia. She had fucked her life up pretty well after her abortion; her entire family was supper religious so the idea of not only premed sex appalled them. Then however, in the dead of night she gets some Dealer to stick a clothes hanger up her vagina and abort the baby, or fetus as she called it. After that her family kicked her out and to her credit Cecilia was able to sustain a decent living for a number of years working as a Teller at a bank. Her pay was steady, enough to get by as long as she didn't go overboard with the spending. After her eighth year on her own she turned twenty and lost her job, some dickhead who wanted to fuck her framed her with stealing sixteen thousand dollars. So with nowhere to go she wandered from city to city applying anywhere she could find work, it wasn't until the Saffron Bombings occurred did Cecilia believe she had found her place.
At the time, she was living in an old barn near the Underground Tunnel, for several days she had been hiding underneath barrels of hay while the farmers washed down the animals. On more than one occasion she would find herself sleeping in puddles of horse shit and excess hair all wrapped up into one milky pool. After the fourth night she noticed a set schedule as to when the farmers would arrive, so at noon she hid underneath the hay and waited for the farmers, they never came. It wasn't until she emerged from her hiding spot and found smoke billowing in the sky was she caught by the farmers David and Rachel. After running as fast as she could from the couple Cecilia found herself looking down upon the devastation that which once was Saffron. As she crossed through the torn wreckage and disemboweled bodies which hung like victory flags from buildings she came across Jessie.
"Hey James, we got ourselves a live one!" Jessie yelled over her shoulder as she retrieved her machete and stormed forward
"Chop her up Jess; make a good meal for the birds." James said as he leaned against a totaled car
Jessie took a quick jab with her machete only to miss and fall forward on a pile of shit and lakes of blood. Once James was done laughing and clapping his hands together he walked over and helped Jessie up, her entire skin was covered in blood. Jessie began breathing heavily and charged again only to be stopped by James, after grabbing her waist with both arms he reassured her that everything was going to be alright.
"What's your name?" James asked as he struggled to keep Jessie at bay
"Cecilia and yours" Cecilia asked walking over to the two of them causing a brief moment of still tension "I can see the two of you do this position often, it seems so natural to you."
James grinned and Jessie tried even harder to escape his grip "the name's James, four star Agent of the newly formed world order Team Rocket."
"How do you spell that?" Cecilia asked retreating from the duo to a turned over garbage can
"Cunt, no fucking respect for authority! James let me the fuck go! You cock sucking bitch!" Jessie yelled as James finally let her go, glaring at Cecilia Jessie bent over and placed her hands on her knees and gasped for air
From there Cecilia expressed her interest in Team Rocket and how she had nowhere to go, even though Jessie was opposed to her joining Cecilia became an Agent all the same. After being briefed by the Boss on her mission she was sent out to Viridian with the other figure, Kevin.
Brock frowned heavily after Cecilia's remarks "so sorry lady I wasn't aware that I'm supposed to avoid using proper English when in the presence of a female."
Cecilia threw the ball harder than she intended causing it to go over Kevin's head and across the street, upset with the poor throw Kevin was going to tell Cecilia to get it but by the time he opened his mouth she was already in Brock's face.
"Look fucknut I don't come into your piece of shit town and start disrespecting you or anyone else, so show some goddamn fucking respect to your fellow people! I didn't come all the way out here for some stupid shitcock to tell me that I'm a fucking man so shut the fuck up and go back to where you came from you good for nothing piece of shit, that's what assholes like you are just good for nothing pieces of shit you don't give two fucks about others? Goddamn mother fuckers don't have respects so you insult people or whatever just get the fuck out of my face!"
Across the street Kevin had the ball and yelled for Cecilia to catch the ball, after a long throw Cecilia caught it and held onto it until Kevin was ten feet away. Kevin caught the ball and paused, he looked at Brock who was standing completely still almost as if he was a statue. Kevin shrugged his shoulders and threw the ball back to Cecilia who chuckled as Brock stormed away and entered his house, slamming the door behind him.
"At least the shithead knows his place, that's all a Master is for really, just follow orders and don't talk. I like Masters that way, don't you Kevin?" Cecilia said as she put the ball in her back pocket and took off her glove
"Absolutely Cecilia, whatever you say." Kevin said taking his glove off and tucking it in underneath the back of his shirt and pants
As the duo walked past Brock's house Cecilia took the baseball and threw it through one of Brock's windows causing it to shatter. With a loud laugh Cecilia took out her lighter and Kevin took out his Axe deodorant, after shaking the Axe for ten seconds Cecilia flicked open the silver lighter with the tiny golden cross etched into it and sprayed the mist into the flame, setting fire to Brock's house. First the bushes were engulfed, after they had curled up and died the fire crept up the side of the wooden house engulfing the drain which quickly fell and barricaded the side door. Brock could be seen working his way through a sea of burning timber as they fell in all directions in his house, finally after the roof began to collapse Brock jumped through the broken window. As he did this his stomach was chest and left leg was sliced by the broken glass. After the fall occurred Brock's neck snapped against the pavement rendering him motionless for several minuets, yet he was turned to where he could see the forest which too was now engulfed in flames.
This is how it feels to be Brock right now,
You are paralyzed, not just by the injuries you've sustained but also by the fear you both see and hear before you. Somewhere deep in the forest your only family lies, burning alive. Their tortured screams reach you and you try as hard as you can but with each failed attempt you lose more strength. Though you want to look away your head is forced to watch as the trees begin to paint the sky with fire, as each branch falls to the ground it's as if one of your brothers has fallen. Soon anger overtakes your sadness as their screams end into an ear piercing silence. You cry out to them, no answer. Soon tears of anger towards Team Rocket flood your face, you should be upset about your brothers but your not. All you can think about is killing Cecilia and Kevin maybe the anger shields you from your brother's deaths, then you begin to feel your legs, then your arms and finally the rest of your body comes to life. Yet with this revelation you still remain motionless as the flames paint the sky and as darkness cloaks your town you fall asleep an only child.
The next morning,
The Sun is rising on another day in the Kanto Region; we meet Lt. Surge patrolling his troops on the Front Lines. Walking behind each armed soldier Lt. Surge grunts every time he passes a soldier who is daydreaming and stomps on his back. This war wasn't personal to Lt. Surge, but never before had he been fighting with civilians as his soldiers. Vermillion was now the safe point for all those still in hiding, the common thought was if you could get to Vermillion you would be safe. Although Lt. Surge never turned down a civilian in need he knew supplies were running short. In just three days all the food, water and medicine would be exhausted. Not a single soul including Lt. Surge thought they would run out of drinkable water, after Team Rocket's last failed attempt at seizing the city a recon group of Agents snuck into Vermillion and poisoned the lake, effectively killing their main source of food as well, fish. Satisfied with his inspection of the Front Lines facing Cerulean Lt. Surge stormed away and drew his nine millimeter pistol.
As he walked with his gun in hand down what was once Main Street, now it is just a series of trenches where soldiers fight and sleep in he opened the Pokemart and greeted the cashier with a warm yet cruel smile, it was not returned.
As he walked past the dwindling rations of food and water Lt. Surge opened the Stockroom door and looked at the two Team Rocket Agent's. Their arms and hands were strung towards the ceiling, their wrists bound by handcuffs with a thick metal chain linking around the cuffs and a beam on the ceiling. While the two were suspended a collar was put securely around both of their necks and a long quarter of an inch thick rope acted as a leash which was connected to another set of handcuffs which bound their ankles. They had been held like this for days, no food, water, barely any sunlight and with the difficulty of breathing, because whenever they moved the leash would tighten the collar, were slowly driving the duo insane. Walking up to them Lt. Surge grinned, his favorite part of their attire was their blindfolds, and no matter what he did they could not see him. All Samantha and Richard could do is listen to the loud banging of drums, the deep hot breath of one of their captors against their skin then their least favorite of all, the CD's of babies crying. For hours Lt. Surge would play tape after tape of a infant crying as loud as his boom box would allow. Soon enough both Samantha and Richard began crying themselves and begged for it to be turned off, but Lt. Surge was a veteran and he enjoyed seeing Purpleheads tortured. Purplehead was the new term used for anyone associated with Team Rocket, if you were a Purplehead you were dead in Vermillion.
"Who the fuck is there" Richard asked as he tried to remain still, though his nerves began make him shiver "I mean it, who the fuck is there goddamnit!"
"You shouldn't swear there is a lady present; I wouldn't expect a Purpleheaded fuck such as yourself to understand manners."
"Fuck you Surge, I'll shit on your grave as soon as we get out of here!" Richard yelled with false confidence
Lt. Surge laughed and walked over to a series of turned over cardboard boxes and found an unused mousetrap. Laughing more as he picked it up Lt. Surge walked over to Richard and began punching him repeatedly in the stomach until he was barely able to breathe, after Richard was too weak to struggle Lt. Surge took the mousetrap and placed it on Richards tongue.
"I just want you to watch your language Rich; you think you can do that for me? Or am I going to have to snap this mousetrap on your tongue?" Surge asked, placing Richards tongue on the trap
"I'll watch my language, sir." Richard said in relief as Surge pulled the trap away
"I'm glad to hear that, now where were we last time? Oh yes I remember you were about to tell me how you got into Vermillion and how you poisoned our water, that's correct isn't it?" Surge said as he placed the trap down on the ground and dragged a wooden chair across the room creating a screeching noise that made Richard and Samantha cringe
"I have no clue what you're talking about, we were sent to spy on you from Diglett's Tunnel, and we didn't poison your water something else did." Richard said as Samantha went limb and started to loose consciousness
"What's wrong with her" Lt. Surge said as he sat down and kicked his feet outward "she dead?"
"She's Diabetic Surge, she'll die if you don't let us go or give her some sugar." Richard said trying to sound as reasonable as he could
"Do you honestly think I give a fuck about some Purplehead cunt's Diabetes? She can drop dead for all I care that's just one less of you that I need to worry about." Surge said stretching out and clicking his tongue
"But one less that knows how to get into your city." Richard said
Just after this was said Samantha began to mutter to herself, soon after she began jerking from side to side causing the leash to tighten. As her thrashing became more violent her gasps for air became more pronounced. At one point her entire body arched forward in extreme surge of pain. Her collar began to eat into her skin causing her neck to bleed, after one minuet she wasn't able to close her mouth and saliva began dripping like a river down to the floor, her tongue was hanging out as well. The shaking had knocked off her blindfold and had caused her to shit herself several times. Samantha's eyes were distant, almost lifeless as if all that was left of her was this Diabetic Seizure. Finally after six minuets of shaking Samantha arched her head back in pain and coked to death on her own bloody saliva.
Lt. Surge walked over to Samantha and checked her pulse, after removing his right index and middle finger from her throat he unchained her and let her fall to the ground. Lt. Surge sat back down at his chair and resumed his prior position,
"Now, where were again?"
"Fuck you Surge!" Richard said in anger
Lt. Surge chuckled and said "I'm really fucking glad you said that, because now I get to use that mousetrap."
As Lt. Surge picked the trap up and placed it under Richards tongue Richard began to cry, with the trap resting gently underneath Richards tongue to where the metal stung like a thousand needles, Lt. Surge punched Richard in the stomach causing the trap to snap forward.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK GODDAMN MOTHER FUCKING BITCH ASS SHITCOCK MOTHERFUCKER!" Richard yelled in pain
"No kids for you, now if you're done bitching where were we?" Lt. Surge asked as he returned to his seat
"GO TO FUCKING HELL SURGE!"
"Oh I will, but you will be there long before I get there." Surge said cracking all ten of his knuckles at once
As Richard rived in agony Lt. Surge lit a cigar he produced from his left chest pocket and began blowing smoke at Richard's face. With the leash choking him, the mousetrap severing his tongue and the burning ashes which were being flicked onto his face Richard finally snapped.
"THERE'S A FUCKING TUNNEL UNDERNEATH CERULEAN THAT GOES TO THE DOCK! THAT'S HOW WE POISONED YOUR FILTHY FUCKING WATER YOU DICK!"
"Was that so hard?" Lt. Surge asked as he took a puff from his cigar and exited the room "Have fun in here, if I need you I'll holler, goodnight."
After Lt. Surge exited the room he grunted as the cashier smiled at him, it was too little too late for the greeting. Surge pushed the Pokemart's door open furiously and walked across a desolate patch of land called Dead Man's Road, it was one of the only patches of land in Vermillion that was not boarded up, if an Agent saw you walking across here you were good as dead. If anyone asked Surge why he constantly walked through Dead Man's Road he'd answer "it makes no goddamn difference to me if and where I'm shot, no matter where you're at you will always be in danger of being killed during war."
This is why his soldier's followed him blindly; he was willing to do whatever it takes to win the day. For over a year he has provided safety to the once free people of Kanto, for over a year he has brought hope to those in need and those dying who only dream of peace. Surge entered his Gym which now served as Headquarters' for not only himself but also his commanding officers, Colonel Gregsmith and Colonel Forthworth. Although neither were in the building at the time Lt. Surge walked into his office and grabbed a chair before finally sitting down at his messy writing desk. It was covered with different maps of Kanto and battle plans depicting their next move, on the far left corner was a booklet which listed all of the names of his soldiers both dead and alive. Next to the names of the dead was the letter D and the cause of death. Next to the names of those who have survived was nothing. Picking the book up Lt. Surge opened to the first page and looked at the list of names.
Private Stephen Vans – D, suffered a gunshot wound to the neck
Private George Jacobs – D, burned alive
Private Bernard Franklin – D, stepped on a landmine
Colonel Ethan Tate – D, suicide
Private Daniel Wilson
Lt. Brandon Land – D, suicide
Private Richard Case – D, suicide
The list continued on for another sixteen names, only two did not have the letter D next to their name. Looking up at the flickering neon light Lt. Surge shook his head and tossed the book back onto the desk. As a loud roar of wind banged up against the Gym Lt. Surge walked over to the back wall of his office and from his only shelf took out a small brown box. In this box was a device used for Morse Code, the wires which connected to the electrical circuits was hooked up in a matter of seconds. Once everything was set up Lt. Surge set the device on his writing desk and began his message,
"Koga, we are running low on supplies and are in need of reinforcements. Our last battle against Team Rocket took the lives of half of my remaining men, understandably the moral is low and the will to fight amongst the men is dwindling. We need backup and as much food and water as you can bring, Vermillion is on the verge of collapse and without help Team Rocket will have the city within the next two weeks. Message me back as soon as you get this."
Lt. Surge finished the message and waited for the response,
"Lt. Surge, all of our bases have been seized and we are currently underground forming a retaliation. To exit our undisclosed location would be suicidal; the only means of help we could offer is a brief distraction using our remaining force of twenty men and two children. All of our supplies have been exhausted for the past week; we are struggling to survive as it is. We are aware however of a barricade that separates Celadon and the rest of Kanto. If you need supplies I suggest attacking the barricade and retrieving all of the goods you can from the Center's there."
Lt. Surge read this message over ten times before he replied,
"Koga, I have recently been informed about a tunnel that runs from Cerulean to Vermillion, if you are able to find it through wherever you are you will go unnoticed by any Agent's."
After twenty minuets of silence Koga messaged back,
"Lt. Surge, I cannot risk it my purpose is here in Fuchsia with my people, good luck."
Then, there was silence.
Lt. Surge did not bother messaging back he knew Koga better than anyone and if he was determined to save a city regardless of how impossible the odds were, he would stand and fight. With a deep grunt Lt. Surge got up and walked outside to the Front Lines where his men were in the process of firing at two figures. The first was a female who looked as though she was going to pass out, her skin was completely pale and she was being held up by the second figure a male who had been shot in the leg. As bullets wildly missed them Lt. Surge yelled "hold your fire!"
The two figures collapsed as one bullet struck the male in the stomach, first the male fell to his stomach followed by the female who tripped over the corpse of an Agent. Lt. Surge took his pistol and approached the pair slowly, when he arrived at them he found both breathing very lightly. Using his boot to turn over the bodies he found both of their faces to be covered in blood, when he knelt down and asked for their names the duo responded,
"Ash Ketchum…Ash…Ash."
"Misty…my names….Misty."
Lt. Surge examined them for quite some time trying to decide whether or not they were Undercover Agent's. When he finally concluded they were civilians in need he ordered three soldiers to help them to the Infirmary deep in the heart of Vermillion. As all six of them worked their way through the valley of corpses Lt. Surge walked behind them watching the duo's body language, he wasn't sure if they could be trusted but he would find out soon enough. Once the group was in the city and Misty along with Ash had been delivered to the Infirmary, the old Pokemon Center two Nurse Joy's carried them inside and placed them on the Lobby floor next to a group of wounded soldiers. Hovering above them was Lt. Surge, he knelt down and checked the pulse of Ash and Misty and counted the slow beats, "one…two…three…four…..five" once he was done he looked up to see a line of Nurse Joy's and four Chansey's tending to the wounded soldiers.
"I need some help over here Joy" one of the nurses said as she used a pillowcase to press down on a cut which went across the soldiers abdomen and chest "I need tranquilizers stat, he'll be going into shock soon!"
Ash and Misty looked on in horror as the dying soldier began hyperventilating and turned pale white, with all of his remaining strength Ash placed his mud covered hand over Misty's eyes to shield her from the grotesque image.
Meanwhile in Celadon,
The Court House was empty with the exception of the Judge, the jury, the two guards and the man on trial. The Judge took his seat and motioned everyone to sit down; adjusting his gavel and hair the Judge looked at the man and then the Jury. After a brief moment of tension the Judge spoke,
"Has the jury reached a Verdict?" The Judge said turning to the jury
"We have your honor," Number One said as the first guard was handed the Verdict on a small yellow sheet of paper which he then past to the Judge who glanced at it "we the people of the jury find Shawn Frank Richards guilty of murder in the first degree of Team Rocket Agent Hector Lewis."
Shawn looked down quietly at the floor as the Jury read the sentence "we the jury sentence Shawn Frank Richards to death by disembowelment."
"Thank you jury, Mr. Richards do you understand your sentencing?" The Judge asked, smiling at Shawn
"Yes, I do can we get it over with?" Shawn replied
The Judge looked at Shawn and said "I will deliberate when and where your sentence will be carried out, until then you will be returned to Lockwood."
The Judge slammed his gavel and exited the Court House excited that justice had been served.
The next morning,
The Sun is rising on another day in the Kanto Region; we meet Brock as he stumbles drunkenly throughout Cerulean harassing girls along his way. After the eighth one slapped him with all of her strength Brock dropped his bottle of Scotch and slid down the side wall of the grocery store, Cerulean City Plus. As he leaned up against the wall with his bottle next to him Brock undid his jacket and exposed his bare brown chest. Ever since his brothers died he begun drinking heavily, it was all he had to fill the hole which the deaths created. He would drink for hours until he passed out, then once he woke up he'd drink again. Life is pretty fucked up for Brock now in his mind, no brothers and no parents have driven him to near insanity.
It took Brock ten minuets but he was finally able to stand, once he was on his feet he began wandering throughout Cerulean, looking for someone to love. When an Agent confronted him about being drunk Brock spat in his face, he was furious at Team Rocket. Luckily for Brock the Agent had a partner, who held him back,
"He's just a fucking drunk Joe, don't worry about him." Edgar said wrapping his left arm around Joe's stomach
"Send this fucker down Route Twenty; let's see his ass get shot." Joe said as he and Edgar dragged Brock to the wall which separated the route which lead to Vermillion.
Meanwhile in Vermillion,
"Thanks that makes it feel much better, what about her?" Ash said as a nurse removed the two bullets and stitched the wound "Is she going to be okay?"
Nurse Joy automatically reassured him that Misty would be okay, she had been programmed after years of being a nurse to comfort those in need. After watching four Nurse Joy's operate on Misty's chest Ash sat up and looked at the Chansey's who were delivering fresh pillows and blankets to the patients around the Infirmary. Ash took one last look at Misty before he got to his feet slowly and examined the patients, war didn't seem to be biased to one gender or age group it seemed. All around him were children, grown men and women and corpses that had yet to be acknowledged. Four bunks next to him was a nineteen year old soldier who was nursing a broken arm and gunshot wound to both the chest and stomach, he was pale and was sweating heavily. Ash could see he was struggling to hold on, in an attempt to make the soldier comfortable Ash stumbled next to him and began a conversation in no more that a whisper.
"Hey, how's it going man?" Ash asked as he flopped down into the chair seated next to the bunk
"You with the Hospital kid" Private Johnson asked turning his head to meet Ash's "they send people over to those who are about to kick it, try and make them feel good before they die, you one of them?"
"No, I was just wondering how you got here?" Ash said weakly, he knew it was a dumb think to ask but curiosity got the best of him
"Did you really just ask me that?" Private Johnson asked as he went into a brief coughing spell which left him breathless and cotton mouthed
"Yeah, I did we all have a story here, all of us and I want to know yours." Ash said reaching for a small pitcher of water next to him "Here, have a drink."
Private Johnson accepted the gift willingly and worked his way to the back of the bunk to where his back was arched forward and he could see Ash clearly. After cleaning the tears from his eyes Private Johnson began his story,
"I enlisted in the Military when I was fifteen; of course the powers that be soon realized that and kicked me out. One thing I always had going for me was that I look three, four years older than I actually am. It's because of the steroids I was on when I was younger, I have a bad heart and that's what the doctors would use to strengthen my heart. Only real bad part was that it made my dick small, but anyway I signed up again when I was eighteen and was turned down again. One year later a Recruiter called me at my house; when you get older expect that kid the Military always looks for fresh meat. After I enrolled I had a run in with the Military because they found out I suffered from Seizure's, I practically begged to be let it, but again I was turned down. So I got a job at this bar and one day a younger kid came in, Francisco or Frank one of the two. I told him my story and he got me in, bless him after training and dedicating my entire life to be in the Military I was shipped off. For the next seven months I trained at a base called Kanto's Finest, a real fucker's paradise. If you could survive two weeks in that Hellhole you were built to be a soldier, limited meals and half an hour of sleep every week, shit man most people went crazy. Anyway I got my first action when Team Rocket bombed Saffron, I was sent out along with a group of men to capture the city. I was in charge as usual; my officers loved me in the sense that if I was in charge the shit got done. Thirty of us may go out and only six of us would come back but sure as shit we'd succeed. During that mission fourteen out of seventeen men defected and became Agent's. It wasn't long before I along with two others were captured and tortured; I was the only one who escaped. As you can see they got me on the way out."
"How'd you escape?" Ash asked rubbing his stitches
"It was after the six month of being captured, all throughout the months we were being tortured because although my group knew what the battle plan was myself and the two others had knowledge that the enemy needed that the defectors didn't know. We made sort of a silent pact amongst ourselves that we wouldn't budge, for six months we were tortured everyday. Finally on a Wednesday it was decided that they would torture the three of us in front of each other, since beating the fuck out of didn't work maybe seeing our brothers tortured would work. Anyway I was seated in front of my best friend Charlie Bricker, great guy really. I was told if I didn't give the information needed they'd burn him, after they said this Charlie shook his head and said never. So after they lit him and exited the room I worked my way out of my restraints, and ran through the backdoor into Vermillion."
"Just like that, that doesn't sound too difficult." Ash said standing up and walking away
"Yeah kid, it was real fucking simple."
Ash walked over to Misty who was now sitting up and drinking from a small cup of water. Looking up at him Misty tried to smile but wasn't able to, she has been trying to smile for the past few days but has been unable to. After the shootings she has lost any happiness in her life, Ash sat down next to her and brushed back her orange hair to where it covered her ears. Leaning in Ash kissed her on the forehead which caused Misty to breakdown and cry; this was something she had been praying for, some sign of affection. As the two embraced in a tearful hug Lt. Surge entered the Infirmary and interrupted this touching moment.
"At ease children, I need to speak to the both of you." Lt. Surge said as he hovered over the scene
"Yes sir" Ash said in a sarcastic tone, furious he interrupted their moment "what is it?"
"Watch your tone boy I don't give two shits who you are, what you've done or where you're from but you do not speak to me like that, understood!" Lt. Surge yelled as he yanked Ash to his feet
"Sir yes sir!" Ash said saluting Lt. Surge
"At ease, I have a mission for the two of you; we are dangerously low on supplies and need reinforcements as well. I'll be honest with the two of you, I'm not sure if you're spies or not. We have been infiltrated several times by people like you, so here is what you are going to do ten minuets after this meeting is finished you will head west towards Celadon and break through their barricade. Once you have broken through you will capture it and radio back all of the supplies there, once seized I will send a small group of soldiers who will meet you there. Once they arrive you will surrender to them and continue west until you reach Fuchsia, we are unsure of their whereabouts but an underground band of soldiers is located there. Getting into the city shouldn't be a problem but avoiding the base there will be a bitch, when you find the platoon you will radio back and lead them here. If you refuse you will murdered on the grounds of invasion, is that understood?"
"Sir yes sir." Ash and Misty said in unison
Ten minuets later,
As Misty and Ash exited the Infirmary they were given a map of the surrounding area and a compass. The two of them adjusted their clothes and checked their Pokeball's to make sure all were there safely, ever since the shootings in Cerulean Pikachu has been contained in a Pokeball along with his limited collection of Pokemon. Misty shifted through her Pokemon checking to make sure she had all four,
"Let's see, Psyduck check, Shellder check, Horsea check and Golden check." Misty said clipping all of the balls onto her belt
"Pikachu and Caterpie check." Ash said clipping his balls to his belt and putting his hat on
"What's with the hat Ash?" Misty asked giggling; ever since they met she noticed Ash takes pride in his hat
"That rhymed." Ash said as the two began their journey
"I know." Misty said skipping instead of walking
So our two heroes embarked on their first journey together, little did they know that this would become an everyday occurrence for several years to come. As word spread of their mission people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of their heroes, the duo which will bring peace to Kanto. Every person they passed wanted to touch them and wish them luck; one of the onlookers coined the name which they would be for years to come, Ash and Misty the Chosen Ones.
When they finally reached the city limit Ash and Mist gawked at the sight before them, there were corpses of both Agent's and soldiers for miles. Every inch of the road ahead was inhabited by rotting corpses which vultures were feasted on. The blood of the fallen mixed creating a blood union between mortal enemies. Misty grabbed her nose in an attempt to shield herself from the putrid stench but to no avail. Ash grabbed her hand and lead her through the clearest path which zigzagged the entire way, less than half way through the path Misty vomited on one of the corpses and cringed as Ash scolded her,
"Do not touch the bodies, it doesn't matter if it's an Agent or soldiers just don't disrespect the dead." Ash said as Misty cleared the excess vomit from her mouth
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Misty asked as she stepped over a severed head
"No I haven't, but this reminds me of a song I once heard." Ash said finding his way to a blood soaked tree
"What song is that?" Misty asked as she worked her way into the bloody grass
"Do You Hear the People Sing, there's a line in there that is perfect for this." Ash said leaning against the tree creating patches of blood on the back of his blue vest
"Do I need to beg?" Misty asked pressing Ash against the tree
"If you want, I wouldn't mind it." Ash said pushing her back
"I'll make you beg long before this is over Ash, now what's the lyric?" Misty asked as they continued walking through the sea of corpses
"The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France" Ash said as they reached a Tollbooth "do you have fifty cents?"
Misty searched her pockets until she found three dimes, two nickels and ten pennies, when she gave the money to Ash he cast a disapproving look as if to say "are you fucking kidding me?"
Tossing the change into the bin the guard on duty causally pressed a button which opened the steel gate, without looking up from his magazine the guard wished the two of them a nice day. When Ash and Misty crossed into the Bike Path they found a bench placed at the very top of the slope, just before the drop off and did a map check. As the examined the map and found where they were they concluded it would be a two days journey to Fuchsia. As the Sun began to set they decided to set up camp which only consisted of finding the least rocky patch of ground and lying down. Before they did this however they sat and watch the Sun and discussed how they were going to overthrow Team Rocket.
The next morning,
The Sun is rising on another grim day in the Kanto Region; we join our heroes Ash and Misty as they are mere minuets away from their assault on Team Rocket's barricade. From the time they woke up at 4:00 pm the two were devising a plan to accomplish their mission. The ideas they pitched ranged from an all out offensive strike to Gorilla Warfare. After several hours of debating they came to the conclusion that the best option would be a sneak attack to the sides of the barricade. Ash would take the left side and Misty the right, as they fought the Agent's they would converge in the center and in the moment of most confusion Ash and Misty would combine their respective Pokemon and knock the Agent's off of the sixty foot barricade. It was an admittedly a foolhardy plan, but it was all they had and it was going to work, it had to for the sake of Kanto.
With the barricade in sight Ash and Misty split off according to the designed plan, both used the surrounding bushes and trees to hide themselves. The barricade itself was sixty feet high and eighty feet long, it was constructed of a cement base with outer walls made of stone, the inside of the barricade was filled with everything from scrap wood to corpses, anything Team Rocket could find to fill the gap in between the walls. At all times there were sixty armed men on guard, the ones on the ground by the base of the barricade carried AK-47 and were twenty in total. If a person was lucky enough to get past the Retched Twenty as they were called their next step would be the ten snipers which stand guard in every turret. The Devil's Ten is their title, they coined that one. Finally if anyone was lucky enough to slide past the Retched Twenty and Devil's Ten the next obstacle is the sixty flights of spiral stairs they would have to climb to reach the top. Then comes the real challenge, warding off thirty of Team Rocket's best Agent's who are armed with guns ranging from Colt .45 to AK-47's and have steroid induced Charizard's clipped onto their belt. It is an impossible mission.
As Ash crawled Army style around the Retched Twenty he tore his right pant leg on a Rose Bush and drew blood. As he pushed on through what seemed to be the first corpse clear path for miles he left a faint trail of blood. Misty on the other hand climbed a tree next to the barricade and summoned Golden; after Golden was summoned she demanded it use Tail Whip to throw her over to the stairs. After this was done Misty returned Golden to her ball causing a stir amongst the Devil's Ten. It was the flash of red light that caught their attention and immediately Number Six fired a shot at the trees causing a branch to splinter and fall off. Misty pushed herself against the wall and slowly made her way to the stairs, praying no one would run down and check.
Ash was so focused on reaching the stairs he didn't notice the shot or the branch falling; he arrived at the stairs shortly after Misty and the two began their long walk up.
"One….two….three…..four…..five…..six…..seven…..eight" Ash said as his legs began to feel weak, counting the floors seemed to make the pain go away "nine….ten….eleven…twelve…thirteen."
Across the barricade Misty was having the same amount of trouble; never before had her body endured so much stress and punishment. When the duo finally did reach the summit they caught a glimpse of each other and both summoned their best Pokemon, Ash called upon Pikachu and Misty called upon Psyduck. At once Pikachu used Thunder Wave to Paralyze eighteen of the guards, on the other side Psyduck used Confusion causing the remaining twelve to attack their own men, shooting and killing seven. One of the twelve finally came to his senses as Ash and Misty began throwing Agent's off the summit causing The Retched Twenty to fire wildly at them. In a blinding flash of red light a steroid induced Charizard appeared on the summit and started thrashing its claws wildly causing more Agent's to fall to the ground. Finally the Agent who came around ordered Charizard to use Fire Blast on Misty who was in the process of fighting an Agent and losing, as Charizard inhaled a mass amount of air and blew out fire Misty used the Agent as a shield and ducked out of the way as he was burned alive. Running without direction the burning Agent fell to his knees and began riving in pain, slamming his clenched fist onto the summits floor. After sixteen seconds of struggling the man died and the fire continued to burn, Charizard then stomped his way through the crowded barricade cracking the stone and sending large chunks to the ground where they shattered into dozens of pieces. Mist called upon all of her Water Pokemon to use Water Gun all at once weakening Charizard immensely, as he stumbled Pikachu used Head But and knocked Charizard over the barricade along the remaining Agent's including the Devil's Ten. When the smoke cleared Ash had been slashed by Charizard's claws on his right shoulder and was limping, Misty had suffered First Degree Burns on her chest and her hair was singed, but the day was won.
Ash fumbled through his backpack and pulled out the radio and sent the message Lt. Surge had longed to hear,
"We've captured the barricade; now get your fucking men down here before more Agent's show up." Ash yelled into the radio
"No can do soldiers, the men here have voted to make a final stand sorry kid but you did that for nothing." Lt. Surge said as he walked out of his office to face his small group of men
Ash threw the radio over the barricade and began cussing everything in existence, if he hadn't watched those fucking shows as a kid he wouldn't be here; if he didn't have such a big goddamn mouth he'd be at home sleeping. Now the two of them huddled together just as they did at the Infirmary and pondered where they could possibly go from here.
Meanwhile in Saffron,
The Boss is sitting at his desk playing FreeCell, snapping a playing card down on one of the stacks an Agent came storming into his office unannounced.
"Sir we've lost Celadon" The Agent said as the Boss looked at his game trying to decide his next move "sir did you hear me? I said we've lost Celadon."
"I heard you, I'm not fucking deaf. Do you know who overtook the city?" The Boss said as he sighed and finished playing his game
"The Surveillance Camera's show a young boy who we've identified as Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, he was accompanied by a female who we have also identified her name is Misty Owri."
"She foreign?" The Boss asked as he was handed the pictures of the two embracing
"No, she was born here in Kanto." The Agent said
"Half breed, my favorite" The Boss said standing up for the first time "anything else?"
"Yes actually they made a call to someone; we haven't pinpointed who the call was to though." The Agent said, backing away as the Boss glared at him
"Why the fuck would you tell me something if you don't know the full story to it? For fucks sake are you really that goddamn retarded, I mean that is licking the window on the short bus retarded." The Boss said as he picked up a poker from the fireplace
"I am sorry sir, the good news is we identified Ash's only know living relative, she might shed some light on the situation." The Agent said as he was backed into a wooden chair
"Good, find her and torture her until she budges." The Boss said as he slapped the Agent with the Poker
"Yes, sir." The Agent cried
"Tell Delia I said hi." The Boss said as he returned the poker to its place and the Agent left the room
Meanwhile in Vermillion,
Lt. Surge stood before his broken band of men looked distantly at the setting Sun, after so many years of fighting it would all come down to this one last battle. However distraught Lt. Surge was that his men wanted it all to end he didn't blame them and was proud of them for all that they had accomplished over the past year. Then he began to speak,
"Life passes by, an ongoing battle between different forces. When you think one battle is over and the day has been won another battle begins. Ideas and egos clash like thunderous waves meshed together in a poisons cocktail of anger and rage. Bodies litter the streets and fields for inches of land, but every inch is a battle won, every inch gives us hope that one day we will be free. I've seen the terror which we fight first hand, they show no mercy and feel no emotion to say they are human is to insult the race itself. The few of us who remain are all that's left, we will die I can assure you that. However, that does not mean we cannot take as many purple headed fucks with us as we can! We will die, but we will die fighting the battle which was started years ago by the cocksuckers who stand over that hill! Our fallen friends who now hang from the highest points throughout Kanto will sing of our bravery, and when we join them we will look down at this battlefield and look at the brutality and think, "was it worth it, all of this bloodshed and loss of life, was it worth it?"
Gentlemen I swear by all that is left in us that it was goddamn worth it; it was worth every man we lost along the way! It was worth each city that was destroyed! It was worth the countless families now enslaved and torn apart! All of it was worth it! Down to the smallest fucking creature that has died by their hands it was fucking worth it! I have fought many battles throughout my time in the Military and I've seen carnage that goes beyond anyone's darkest nightmares. I can say with a clean conscious that these past five years have been the worst, in thirty two years of service I have never seen bodies line the streets like they do now. Never have I seen bodies strung from towers and as many men murdered by a single army, never in thirty two years men, never. When you walk out and take your positions on the battlefield take a good look at what is around you, see the impaled bodies and smell the stench of death, feel the blood on the ground, taste the infected water and hear the groans and pleas of the prisoners. After all of your senses have been nourished, kill as many purple heads as you can, we will die men there is no hope for us I can assure you that.
Our story will not be praised by them; we will not be considered heroes or given medals. All of us will be used as a final example, an example as to what happens when you fuck with those in power, and if we are lucky men we might just kill enough to where they will mourn this day forever. I have one final order to each of you, none of you retreat not this time this time we will stand our ground and die together, for five years we've held Rocket off and for five years we've shown what a band of ragtag soldiers can do. Goodnight men, rest well and enjoy your last night on Earth."
The men all sat in silence as Lt. Surge left the room and said to them "as you were gentlemen."
The next morning,
The Sun is rising on another cool breezy day in the Kanto Region; off in the distance a flock of birds are singing. By the pond a family of turtles is making their way to a well deserved day of rest in the water and across from each other are two fierce armies waiting to do one final battle. At Vermillion the small ragtag group which has held the Team Rocket Army at bay for over a year, at Cerulean a fully replenished army of Agent's dying for revenge, revenge for their fallen brother's. It seems however evil a person is they still have some small patch of compassion. After two long hours of dead silence, waiting for a person to make the first move Lt. Surge yelled and lead his men towards a wall of Agent's who began mowing them down effortlessly. After announcing that this would be the last battle every civilian, wounded soldier and those capable of fighting joined the cause making Surge's Army swell well over two hundred, but that was still miniscule compared to Team Rocket. Quickly as dozens were shot dead Lt. Surge commanded they flank right and left to corner the Agent's in and left a small group of soldiers in the open so when the Agent's were forced out they could fire. Although this worked for a brief amount of time only eighty of Team Rocket's seven thousand were injured. Lt. Surge watched in horror as a group of Agent's blew through his line of defense and charged towards Vermillion, at the same time the entire Team Rocket Army began firing upon Surge's remaining few, they never stood a chance. The battle only took forty minuets before Surge's men were either wounded or dead.
In the distance a group of twelve people were outlined in Vermillion by the blazing Sun, it was Koga's Army accompanied by Ash and Misty; they gawked at what they saw. The General of the Team Rocket Army, James assisted by Jessie walked up to Lt. Surge and the now approaching Army. The fifteen of them glared at each other for several minuets before James pulled his pistol and began shooting Koga's men, Koga in retaliation charged James but his throat was soon sliced by Jessie's machete. As Koga fell dead to the already blood soaked ground Lt. Surge, Misty and Ash all looked at each other then Misty spoke,
"I don't know about martyrs Ash but they certainly did water the meadows of France."
The remaining Team Rocket members pushed the three soldiers aside and stormed into Vermillion and quickly seized control of it. They carried Koga's corpse to the Light Tower and disemboweled it, soon it was strung up like all of the corpses Saffron. Jessie and James walked around the tarnished city and grinned in delight, they had Kanto under complete control. Certainly there were still some small renegade armies but they would be dealt with swiftly. In the distance Lt. Surge lowered his head and saluted Ash and Misty then turned his back on the carnage on began to walk away.
"Surge, where are you going?" Ash yelled as he grabbed Misty's hand
"Hell for what I've done to my country." Lt. Surge said as he entered the Toll Booth that lead to Saffron
September 26, 2002
Meanwhile in Viridian,
Hidden underneath the ground in the last stronghold was a small band of Pokemon Master's and civilians, they have waited out the war for the past five years and have survived on Cannibalism. Bruno sat across from the lone vent in the Underground Tunnel and inhaled the damp air. Children began running around the tunnel much to Bruno's dismay, but he didn't raise his voice. Out of the blue came a thin line of green smoke that filled the air, it was Smog from Koffing's and Weezing's, Team Rocket had found the final stronghold and intended on killing everyone inside. As the forty nine people gasped for air Jessie and James laughed at their muffled cries for help.
"The good news is the majority of the people down there were children." James said as he began walking towards the city
"Kill the next generation so the following are born under our rule and completely conform to us." Jessie said following James and giggling as she saw a decaying corpse
Together they walked through the valley of corpses and ruled over Kanto forevermore….
Meanwhile in Pallet,
We join our fallen heroes Ash and Misty as they relax at Ash's dinner table and reflect on their lives and where to go from here.
"Misty?" Ash said as he poured her a cup of coffee
"Ash?" Misty responded as she took a sip from the Black Coffee
"What now, what should we do? We've traveled the world together and in terms of freedom we have nothing to show for it." Ash said as he sat down heavily
"What about Brock?" Misty asked setting the coffee down and staring out the window; Brock was picking flowers which would be made into some sort of Pokemon Medicine
"He'll get by without us, we all will." Ash said taking off his hat and tossing it on the coat hook next to the bathroom door
"Nice shot" Misty said slouching into her chair "but back to your question, I'm not sure what we should do any suggestions?"
"Well, you still need a bike and Brock should get back to Pewter soon, so what do you say we go on one final adventure? Ash, Brock and Misty travel to Viridian and Pewter together, the final ride how's that sound?" Ash said leaning in and frowning, he was trying desperately not to cry
"It sounds just fine Ash, so when do we start?" Misty asked as Brock finished plucking the flowers and began grinding them with a stone in a basin
"Tomorrow, let's watch the Sun set." Ash said getting up from his chair and sitting in the one closest to Misty
"What are we going to tell Brock?" Misty asked Ash as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders
"I watched a play with my mom once; it said that you have to go after the things you want while you're still in your prime." Ash said looking at Misty with tears flowing down his face, Misty brushed them away
"Anything else?" Misty asked as she dried her hands on her shorts
"There is a fine line between reality and pretend, and you never know till you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb." Ash said as Brock took out his lighter and burned the flowers
"Was it Ash; was everything worth the uphill climb?" Misty asked with a serious look
"Absolutely Misty, I wouldn't change a thing." Ash said as he brushed her hair back
"Neither would I Ash, neither would I" Mist said resting her head on his chest "Ash?"
"Yes Misty?" Ash resting his head on the top of hers
"When will it stop?" Misty asked retreating from his arm and looking at him with the saddest face imaginable
"Stop what Misty? When will I stop what?" Ash asked as he tilted his head to the left and tried to understand the question
"Training, when will stop training and not be a Pokemon Trainer?" Misty asked "I mean you could always stay and we could have all the adventures we want, just not Pokemon related. What do you say Ash, Ash and Misty the two best friends travel to the beach for a warm Summer's picnic, that sounds nice, right?"
Ash sat across from Misty and turned his head to the right, then to the left and scratched his shaggy black hair. This is what his life is all about, not being the Chosen One or collecting all of the badges, no. His life was sitting right before him and was offering him everything he had dreamed of for the past five years, Misty wants him and he wants her, but he cannot do it. As he shakes his head no and quietly gives her a hug they watch the Sun set as Brock finishes his Potion and the Sun sets on another dark day in the Kanto Region.
