Our heroes walked through the Victory Road. they were searching for new Pokèmon, as usual, but were about to find more than they bargained for.
"Well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum!"
They all looked back. Pikachu let out a cry of hatred.
Gary Oak, the smug grandson of Professer Oak, was standing there with his cheerleader Squad. they kept singing, "Gary Gary, he's our man," at the top of their lungs.
"Why are you here, Oak?" Ash asked.
"Same reason you three losers are. To catch..." Gary made a dramatic pause, "MOLTRES!"
Brock, Misty, and Ash were confused. Even Pikachu looked a little puzzled.
Misty spoke first.
"Moltres is in this cave?"
"You didn't know?" Gary said with a small amount of suprise in his voice, "I can't believe it. Or I wouldn't believe it if I didn't know thaqt you three were the biggest losers in the world."
They all got a little pissed from this statement.
"Hey," Brock shouted, "I'm a lot better than you, Gary!"
"Yeah, right!" Gary scoffed, "Listen, I have to go. Moltres is here, and I don't want to waste my Pokèmon on weaklings like you"
Ash and Pikachu shaked their fists at Gary as he walked off.
Meanwhile
"Did you hear that?"
"Moltres is here?"
"Meowth! Get off of me, you dumb humans!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth were hunched over on the ground. they were listening to the conversation from the level above.
"Let's get down there," James suggested, "And capture Pikachu now!"
"you idiot!" Jessie said, "How will we... get... down..."
The whole floor gave away. they fell hard right on top of eachother.
"Good thing you broke my fall," said Meowth, who landed on the top.
"I'll break more than your fall," Said Jessie, taking out a mallet. She had hit the floor first.
Back to our heroes
"We've been walking for hours," Misty complained, finally falling to her knees.
"We still have half the cave to go through!" Ash said enthusiastically.
Ash ran ahead, Pikachu right behind him.
"ASH! LOOK OUT!"
It was too late. Ash fell through the ground and landed with a sickening crack. Pikachu landed besides him.
"Pika Pi!"
"Don't worry Pikachu."
Ash looked up. No way to get back up from here.
"Looks like we have to..."
"It's Ash Ketchum again!"
Gary Oak walked up to him, looking a little dirtier than normal, and without his cheerleaders.
"Where are your..." but Ash stopped. Behind Gary was what they were looking for.
"M-M-M"
"Spit it out!" Gary hissed.
"MOLTRES!"
Gary spun around. the great Fire bird was hovering over a rock.
"I GOTTA CATCH IT! GO ARCANINE! GO NIDOKING!"
Gary's Nidoking and Arcanine flew out of the Pokèball and, within 5 seconds, hit the cave wall hard.
"That won't work!" Ash cried.
"How do we do it, then?"
"We have to make a truce for now. Truce?"
Before Gary could answer, They started to hear a familiar speech.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect..."
"CAN IT! LOOK OVER THERE!" Meowth said in frustration.
They all stood there, dumbstruck, then took out there bazookas.
"We'll bag that Moltres!" James cried.
He fired off a bazooka blast. It hit the ground in front of Gary and Ash. They couldn't see.
"Are you insane?" Said Jessie, "We are getting this for ourselves. This is better than all of the bosses Pokèmon combined!"
They kept firing their bazookas until...
"We're out of ammo"
The smoke hadn't cleared, and the ringing of the shots were still in his ears, but he knew what to do.
"PIKACHU! THUNDERBOLT!"
Pikachu charged up. A huge thunderbolt shot at team rocket and blasted them out of Victory Road.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again"
At that moment, the smoke cleared, and he saw Moltres, weak as a lamb in front of him. He reached for his Pokèball. He knew one was all he needed, and this was his only chance, but...
"HELP!"
Gary was hanging in from a pit made by Team Rocket. Below him was molten lava, flowing through the underground. No wonder Moltres came here, Ash thought, "all that lava can energize him for about a million years!"
Moltres was gaining back energy. Gary was about to fall. He could only do one thing. He had to act...
The Next Day
"Ash, wake up!"
Ash felt a hand shaking him. It was Misty.
"Ash, you were so lucky. If you had fallen on your head..."
"Don't worry, I'll be okay."
They were in the Pokèmon Center in Indigo Plateau. He remembered now. He had a choice. He didn't know if he made the right one.
"HEY! KETCHUM!"
Gary Oak was standing in the doorway of Indigo Plateau. His cheerleaders were behind him.
They walked up to each other, looking at each other very hard. Their eyes fixed on one another.
"I... I owe ya one, Ketchum."
Gary put out his hand. Ash looked at it.
"You saved my life."
Ash took his hand. They shook.
"You're welcome," Ash said bitterly.
Gary took his hand away and started out the door.
"Don't think this changes anything, Ketchum!"
Gary jumped into his car and drove off. Ash realized that he had done the right thing.
"Pika Pi!"
Ash looked down. Pikachu was tugging at his leg.
"Com'n Pikachu, let's get some breakfast."
fin.