The Pokemon Wars
Part III
By: The Insane Writer of the Mind
It begins…
The Sun is rising on another day in the Kanto Region; we join James as he roams the slums of Pewter, looking for members to his new group of evil.
James crossed the chipped tar roads separating Viridian City and Pewter and headed West towards Heights City, or what is commonly referred to as the Wastelands. Not in the sense that nothing grows there, just in the sense that whatever goes there goes to die. It is home to all who are hopeless and don't even bothering showing up for Dinner, because there isn't any food to eat. In short it is a living Cemetery, the tall red brick school house is where the lead gang lives, the Cops, its windows were missing and had been set on fire twice because of their rival gang, the Death Balls. Once the two of them were actually one gang, then the leader of the Death Balls, Jacob Strew AKA Madman beat a homeless girl because she was eating an apple and would not share. After that the gang split and Hell is constantly on the loose when they meet. As James passed the school house he looked longingly at the rundown Convenient Store and paused to admire its rugged appearance. There was practically no roof to the building, just a torn blue tarp which was filled with water and looked as if it would break at any moment. On the sides where bricks should be were planks of wood, covering up bullet holes. On the planks were different gang symbols, a lowercase I with two eyes on each side representing the Death Balls, and a large red R, the first gang to exist there before they were murdered, the Rocket Nine.
It has been found that there are no citizens of the Wastelands, no only gangs and corpses of those who defy them. The few who survive the gang wars and consider themselves free often live in the sewers, only coming up for fresh air once a week. When they reach the surface covered in shit people don't even bother messing with them, "their life is fucked up enough," most say. As James turned his head slightly to his left he looked at the double pane glass doors which no longer closed, instead they were held together by a string of extension chords which wrapped around the handles. Walking up to the doors James reached into his right jean pocket and produced a switchblade and cut the wires. After he did this the doors easily swung open and James entered the dark store, holding his blade near and dear. Looking around him James could make out the knocked over shelves being used as beds, and dozens of paper bangs strung together to make blankets. As he walked through the store, checking each bed he tripped over the decaying corpse of a mother and child, embracing. As James knelt down he noticed two bullet holes, one to the mothers head, and the other to the child's head. James used his blade to close their eyes and continued walking, his shoes soaking in green mush with every step.
"Mommy, what are they going to do with us? Mommy answer me please!" Richard said as his mother dragged him across the store, passing other families
"Run, run as fast you can they are coming I see them get your asses out of here now!" A dying man yelled as his daughter dabbed a wet washcloth on his forehead
As the two of them entered the storage room the mother, Irene opened a large cardboard box and threw Richard into it ordering him not to make a sound. After he was securely put in she carved three air holes on the side of the box and placed numerous boxes on top of Richards and closed her eyes.
"Let them come, let them come and take me, me not Richard not my baby." Irene said to herself as she heard glass shattering in the distance
"Where are they, tell us where the fuck are they!" A man with a shotgun said "every time I have to ask you and every time you refuse to answer I will kill one person, understood? UNERSTOOD!"
The entire store began shaking with fear as Irene began to sob; slightly opening the storage door her hands covered her mouth as Madman shot a man in the head, causing blood to scatter. With bits of brain covering the children and parents of the inhabitants there was silence, nothing was said as Madman lowered his gun and cracked his neck. Kicking the dead mans head aside Madman walked slowly throughout the store occasionally stopping and thrusting a gun into a person's mouth, demanding information about the duo in hiding. When they refused they suffered the same fate as the dead man, finally after eight people were killed Madman had enough and grabbed the nearest child.
"Irene! If you do not come out, I will blow this child's brains out, do you hear me? Irene you have to the count of five to get your cunt ass out here, including your two bit child! One! Two! Three! Four! Five! You asked for it!" Madman said as he pulled the trigger
Irene tried to stop him by busting out of the room and yelling stop, but it was too late. By the time she had reached him the child's brains and blood had decorated the walls of the store, and she fell to her knees beside the child's bloody corpse. Crying and begging for mercy Irene was forced to show her son, as the two of them entered the storage room Irene called for her son's name.
"Richard baby, it's time to come out, they've left," you can come out now Richard." Irene said through a wall of tears
After Richard exited the box the two were forced to where they now lay, and were shot in the back of the head. James looked distantly at the bodies for one last time and used his knife to close their eyes. As he exited the store through the back entrance, he saw a group of kids digging through a dumpster which read "VCTC," when the saw him three of the five froze and started to back away. The oldest, Michael who was sixteen walked up to James and looked at his knife, James saw this and tucked it away.
"Who are you with?" Michael asked flexing his thirteen year old muscles
"I'm with myself actually, I am a Pokemon Trainer from Team Slogan, and I just came by here to see if any of you wanted to join." James said slicking his hair back and adjusting his grey vest
"I thought Pokemon Trainers were supposed to be fighting in the cities and Gym's, or are you not that good?" Frank said as he pulled a banana peel from the dumpster and began passing it around, each person taking a bite from it
James grabbed an empty milk carton from behind the dumpster and placed it in front of Michael, after sitting down James unbuckled his belt and produced five Pokeball's, and a stack of money. "I'm a guy like the lot of you who grew up in the shits, I was saved by my boss and I'm just trying to help people who were like me, no future and just prolonging death. Here is eighty dollars cash, and five empty Pokeball's, my gift to the lot of you. Divide it however you like and here is a card with my phone number. Go out and catch a Pokemon train it, be its friend then call me and tell me if you want to get out of here. There is no rush trust me when I first left it took me about a month to let all of this go just, whenever you are ready."
All five of them took the gifts and began playing with them,
"Charizard I choose you!" Greg said as he threw the ball and roaring as the ball opened
This is Greg,
He is nine and has already seen what most people would consider psychological torture, but to him it is just daily activities. At age three he was abandon by his mother and father at the local Orphanage: Lost Ways, and grew up under the care of a Nun named Sara, he never learned her last name. From the age of three to the age of seven he learned how to read and write, sing and proper social skills. He was the stereotypical white rich gentleman, only problem was he was Hispanic growing up in a white neighborhood. Every time he tried to get a job working as a Bust Boy or greeter the owners would laugh at him and say "fucking Spic, go back to your ant holes and kill another chicken, and don't ever come back here." Life went on like that for the next two years until he ran away from Lost Ways and began stealing car parts from parked cars, then selling them. Age was never discrimination in Pewter, just race. After some time Greg realized that he needed a place to live, the countless nights in the pouring rain and running from rouge Pokemon were causing him to slip into insanity. He went from Dumpster to Dumpster finding ways to sleep inside them; he used trees and the backs of buildings as overnight homes. Finally one day when he became ill he stumbled back to Lost Ways, when he opened the door he found that the building had been flooded by a gang of Squirtles. With no other place to go Greg walked to the Wastelands and collapsed on the sidewalk leading up to the store and was rescued by Irene.
James smiled and started to walk away, just before he crossed through the thick bushes which separated the Wastelands from Pewter Greg asked what his name was,
"James" he replied "or Jay-Y if you prefer, either one is fine."
Walking out of the Wastelands James took out another Pokeball and summoned Pidgey; after he did this he jumped on top of her and ordered her to fly to Saffron City.
Meanwhile on Route 43,
Jessie is walking through a wooded area, searching for Pokemon that can aide her as she plays her role in taking over the Pokemon World.
Jessie was wearing her typical short pale skirt with a split vest and a black shirt underneath it. Her unusually long red hair hung majestically down her back and swayed as she sliced vines with a machete. Stopping before a downed tree she knelt to the cool ground and looked inside the hollow portion of the tree. There, a pair of eyes stared back at her, as she slowly retreated the eyes transformed into Paris. Looking around her Paris leaned forward and shot out spores to paralyze Jessie, after dodging them she reached for her first Pokeball and called upon Arbok.
"Arbok use wrap!" Jessie yelled as Arbok sprung forward, encasing Paris in a bone crushing grip
As Paris began to slip into darkness she used Mega Drain, causing all of the energy Arbok was using to strangle her to become her energy. As Paris did this Arbok began to wither and cringed in agony.
With an intense look Jessie screamed "use Fire Blast! Don't even think about holding back!" Arbok arched his head back and stuck its tongue out and produced small puffs of fire which slowly connected and formed one long string of fire. As the attack was cast Paris began squirming and shrieking, Jessie smiled. "Finish him off Arbok, use Poison Sting." Jessie said pointing at Pairs
"Arbok," he said as transparent bands of poison escaped Arbok's mouth, when they reached the mushrooms on Paris she curled up and gave one last whimper before she fainted "Arbok." Jessie smiled and called Arbok back to its ball, after clicking the Pokeball on her belt she reached for an empty one and threw it at the fainted Paris. In a blinding flash of light Paris became trapped inside the Pokeball which shook only once, after that Paris was now hers. Walking over the broken leaves and charred foliage Jessie bent down and picked up her prize, when she clicked the ball to her belt she continued through the forest looking for even stronger Pokemon. As she walked the steady beat of crushed leaves echoed in the silent forest, this was peace for her, this is when the other world melted away into nothingness and all that mattered was the trees, the vines and down trees. This was also a time for her to reflect on her life not as a trainer, but a person.
Jessie closed her eyes as she slashed the next set of vines and pictured her family, the people who turned her into the merciless monster she is. Jessie was at one point a happy and loving child, someone who could be the next Pastor she was so peaceful. Then the beatings started, then the constant burnings and loss of blood started, endless nights of passing out from loss of blood until she finally ran away from home. Now with her twisted blood lust quenched by the torturing and capturing of Pokemon she can sleep peacefully at night, amen.
Looking distantly at the upcoming trees Jessie stopped and admired the flowers which lay at the trunk of said trees. They were white, pure as diamonds yet toxic as acid, picking three of the nine flowers Jessie tucked them into her belt and walked through the ever darker forest.
"I wonder what time it is, days they seem to mesh together now, huh together and together forever and an endless cycle. I'm just rambling now, I guess that's the downside of being a trainer, you spend your life in solitude. You can't let anyone in, you can't breathe forgiveness or taste love, the path is only death, of defeat, not even a sliver of victory." Jessie said to herself as she tripped over a rock. By now Jessie has come to talk to herself a lot, countless times she has been found by James and Craig whispering to herself, though she denies it. Often times she isn't coherent enough to carry on a conversation with anyone else, time and depression wears down even the strongest minds. With another slash of her machete Jessie saw a sliver of daylight and reached out her left hand to brush away the remaining moss and vine, the ooze from the foliage seeped into her open pores. When she stepped out into the beaming Sun she had to shield her eyes, two days in a dark forest had caused her eyes to be accustom to darkness, much like her thoughts. Stretching her arms upward Jessie took her machete and stuck it down the back of her shirt and pondered her next move.
"Left is Cerulean, I can find Water Pokemon there, but south is Vermillion and it has more variety Water, Ground, Grass and Normal I guess that depends on what I'm looking for today." Running her hands through her long hair Jessie tied it in a ponytail and took a deep breath, then exhaled just as deep. Looking across the open field of grass she headed south to Vermillion in the blistering hot Sun with evil intentions on her mind.
Meanwhile in Saffron,
James has just arrived in time to report to the Boss his findings on the Wastelands as well as his next recruitment plans.
"Well done Pidgey, back into your ball for now I don't think I'll need you for awhile." James said calling Pidgey back
James looked around Saffron which was encased with a reflection of the Sun Set; almost every citizen was on their front porch watching the star melt majestically into the horizon. With the city in the shits this is the one thing the crooks, the cons and the just could all agree on, Saffron's Sun Sets were mesmerizing.
"This makes up for the day, definitely." Eliza said looking up at Sun and brushing a tear from her eye
"What the fuck happened you that was so bad that a Sun Set makes up for it?" Dan said from across the street picking at his wooden chipped porch
"I caught my boyfriend eating out my best friend, and then he said he didn't love me." Eliza said as she lowered her head
"Is it a crime not to love someone?" Dan said as he threw a paint chip at a puddle of water on the sidewalk
"No, it isn't but to cheat on someone is just, wrong. I gave him everything, my life, time everything."
"You don't need to elaborate Eliza, let's be honest you're a goddamn cunt who no one loves in the first place, so to say that cheating on you is wrong is a piece of shit saying. I'm so depressed and lonely, shut the fuck up people leave each other everyday so don't give me that mundane it isn't fair bullshit, get a fucking life and go shove it up your whore ass, bitch" Dan said storming into his house "might as well kill yourself now anyway, don't pain us by your depressed act, I'll see you in Hell if you do."
Standing up and taking one last look at the sun Eliza entered her house and collapsed on her couch. James took a deep inhale of the cool night air and entered the Bosses house, a garage behind an Auto Shop. As he entered the garage James looked around at the dark room and made out the outlines of the furniture, feeling his way around the room using what vision he had James found the light switch and flicked it on. Hunched over on a wooden table was Giovanni, his black hair mangled and suit torn. As he slept James walked over to the refrigerator positioned at the back of the garage and took out a can of Coke, then sat down on an upturned garbage can, and waited for his boss to wake up. While Giovanni slept James opened his drink and began taking slow sips, as he did this he cracked his neck and noticed the different etchings on the wooden walls. "Kevin was here," "I love Sara," and several more all relating to love, standing up and running his fingers over them James looked around the room and saw an old tool box on one of the shelves. Quietly walking over to the rusted red box James opened it and set his drink down, rummaging through the tools James found a screwdriver and walked back to the collection of etchings and carved his name in. Watching the pieces of wood fall to the ground James blew on the freshly cut wood and brushed off any splinters, behind him Giovanni began to stir.
"Who's there?" Giovanni asked, raising his head and rubbing it with his left hand
"James Boss, just me did you have a nice nap?" James asked as he joined Giovanni at the table
"Good as it can be, how'd your trip go? Are there any new members?" Giovanni asked as he rubbed his eyes and yawned
James explained his trip and how he wasn't certain if anyone would be joining them, with a deep exhale Giovanni stoop up and stretched his arms outward.
"Fuck man, if I had known this would be so goddamn difficult I wouldn't have even thought about forming this group. What the fuck are we going to call ourselves anyway; I doubt we will have any luck getting people to join a group with the name Team I Don't Fucking Know."
"Boss, I was thinking about that on the way over here, you come from royalty as well does Jessie. So why don't we incorporate royalty and class along with slums like me?" James said as he took a deep drink of his Coke
"Careful, you know we don't have a lot of money, so it isn't like you can bathe in those James" Giovanni said lowering his eyes "while you were thinking about a name I thought of a slogan, something we can live by."
"Okay, what's that?" James said placing his drink on the table, forcing it to lean to the left
"Do you know what the Golden Rule is James?" Giovanni asked as he turned his back and slicked back his hair
"It ain't cheating if you don't get caught?" James said with a small grin
"No, do unto others as you would want them to unto you, that's the Golden Rule. For us, how about just do unto others? In all honesty if we fulfill our goal do we really give to fucks how we are treated? Unto others, treat others like shit and force them to bow. That's how I see it, what do you think James?" Giovanni said as he turned around smiling and holding the screwdriver James had used
"That fits, certainly but no matter how much we build around us, we still need an identity. It is a good saying, I'll give you that but how about a name, I'm obsessing over it true, but being nameless is terrible." James said as he stood up and tried to get the radio next to the toolbox to work "We need a new radio; all we get are weather reports, static and fuzz, no music or talk."
"If you have the money James, go right ahead buy a new radio," Giovanni said as he sat back down at the table "where's Jessie? I thought the two of you would be stuck side by side, or are you afraid of her?"
James sighed and pushed the radio aside and explained how little he cared about Jessie, he said although they seem perfect love was never something that appealed to him. Suddenly as he said this the lone light bulb began to flicker and ultimately went out, cursing and becoming enraged the two of them looked for a pack of light bulbs but came up empty. After ten minuets the duo decided to call it a night and went to bed, Giovanni laid his head on the table and James downed the rest of his Coke while he pasted out on the floor.
The next morning in Pallet Town,
The Sun is rising as Professor Oak waters his garden and looking distantly at the vast lake south of Pallet Town.
This is Professor Oak,
He is widely regarded as the greatest Pokemon Scholar on the planet; he has devoted his entire life to Pokemon. Ever since he was a child he was known for drawing Pokemon and observing them through his windows. At age eight he started his Pokemon Journey, to collect all of the Pokemon and document each and every one. At age ten he caught his first Pokemon, a Weedle; he named it Francis and used it constantly throughout his life. It wasn't until he moved from Vermillion to Pallet did he release it and started his journey anew. From now on he was determined to catalogue Pokemon, not catch or train them, this became an obsession to the point where when he was sixteen he dropped out of school and began living on the streets, using old newspapers as blankets. At age nineteen he met a girl named Jennifer who took him in and treated him kindly, for five years they lived happily and Oak found a job in Vermillion as an electric repair man. Soon however, Jennifer began to see changes in Oak, some that scared her to where she began isolating herself from him. After the fifth year of being together Oak began studying Pokemon again, he spent weeks in his study trying to determine the different weaknesses and strengths of Pokemon, how to classify them correctly and if there are any types unknown to man.
One day after Oak had left for work Jennifer had folded a set of clothes and put them in his study, noticing a notebook open she began to read it and was horrified by what she saw. It was not the writings of who was to become the greatest scholar of all time; it was the writings of a madman whose only ambition was to inflict pain upon those around him. In his notebook were poems describing the torturous visions he sees when closes his eyes, and the lustfulness of blood running down his body as he eyes his victims.
I stand above thee
My ax and key in hand
I swing my ax, tearing a hole through the chest
I take my key and twist it through the heart
Blood falls from the sky
I bathe in it
After closing the book Jennifer ran out of the house and stayed with her sister, Diana. When Oak came home he noticed her absence and looked for her the entire night, when he called Diana to see if Jennifer was there Diana said yes. When Oak arrived at Diana's Jennifer swung at Oak causing his nose to be broken, in retaliation Oak drove a fork into her stomach and watched her bleed, Diana stood there in shock, Oak smiled and left the scene.
Now at sixty nine he has blocked the memory of Jennifer from his mind, now at sixty nine all he has are his journals of Pokemon. He has given everything up so he can sit at his desk and write about Pokemon, so he can water his garden and watch the waves crash against the rocks in peace, this is Professor Oak, the greatest Pokemon Scholar of all time.
As he finished watering the plants Delia exited her house in full medical attire, realizing that Oak was waving at her she stopped momentarily to say hello.
"Professor, tending to your garden again I see?" Delia said as she admired the Roses and Daises
"As always this time of year, Spring is coming around and I plan on it being full of life as always. Are you planting anything Delia?" Oak said as he took off his gloves and cast them to his front porch where they landed just short
"No, I think me and Ash are just going to go away for awhile, see the world I guess you could say. This is one of the last Summers we'll have together so make the most of it, right?" Delia said as she began walking away
"Absolutely, make the best of it. Delia, before you leave how is the old rascal? He isn't causing too much trouble is he? I hear he's been getting into fights at school." Oak said as he wrapped up the hose and hooked it back on the house "Kids these days Delia, back in my day I'd be beaten twice as hard by my folks if I got into a fight."
"I know what you mean Professor, but Ash is okay I can't say it's entirely his fault I mean I try to spend time with him, but ever since his dad died it's hard to balance work, school and be a mother. Say could you watch him tonight, I'm working the graveyard shift and I can't find a babysitter, I'd really appreciate it Professor." Delia pleaded as she stopped briefly to look at Oak
"Of course Delia, just tell me when to come over and I'll take care of old Ash for you." Oak said as he walked into his house
"He gets out of school at one, so if you get there by noon that'd be great. I'll leave a note listing everything about his meals, when he should go to bed and everything."
"Fair enough, I'll be there." Oak said
"Thanks again Professor, I'm sure Ash will enjoy seeing you." Delia said running off towards the hospital
"Don't mention it Delia, don't mention it." Oak said as he closed his door and found his way to his computer
Entering in his password, PKM Oak, he uploaded his Pokedeck and began entering in his newest findings about Onyx.
Log 178
"Recent studies show that Onyx has an evolved state, unsure as to what it is at this time though. It has an extremely thick core underneath its already impenetrable outer wall; this has been found by x-rays of Onyx corpses found on Victory Road. Inside Onyx's shell are layers of diamonds surrounded by a dome of Iron mixed with steel. When placed under immense pressure the steel rises to surface and replaces the outer layer of rock, this is high unusual. This could be a form of Onyx's advanced state, for no other creature is capable of this feat. More research will be needed before any conclusion can be made. Until then I have also noted that the rocks which make up Onyx rotate according to the gender of the Pokemon. If it is a male the rocks rotate clockwise, however the female rotates counterclockwise, this can easily be explained by genetics, however if something as simple as the rotation of body parts is the result of genetics, what else can be explained? Are there any other anomalies that have not been uncovered? This too requires more research, until then I will focus my efforts on the different evolutions of Evee, it has come to my attention when surrounded by Psychic Pokemon an Evee emits a purple aura which lasts for the duration of the Psychic Pokemon's presence. This leads me to believe that there are more than the known three evolutions to Evee."
Oak, satisfied with his entry shutdown his computer and walked over to his window, looking outside he let the brisk morning air hit his pale saggy skin. As he did this he lifted up his hands and stared at them in disgust, fools hands he thought, treachery and despair are what they are made of, not skin.
Turning his back on the rising Sun letting it cloak his lab coat he went into his bedroom and sat down in his rocking chair. Picking up a book entitled: The Life and Times of a Pokemon Master. Opening to the first page Oak began rocking back and forth, and engulfed himself in the book.
Meanwhile in Pallet Middle School,
Ash is sitting in his Science class and staring vaguely at the teacher, Mr. Ethan's who was explaining the Periodic Table of Elements.
"Okay class, now if you could take out your worksheets and correctly fill in as many elements as you can starting, now."
Ash as well as the rest of the sixteen students began staring blankly at the Table of Elements and occasionally filled in a square, only to erase it shortly thereafter. After twenty minuets the bell rang and the class was told to finish filling out the entire table for homework. When Ash left the school and walked the three blocks home he found Professor Oak waiting inside at the kitchen table. When Ash entered his house Oak was filling out a crossword puzzle and was humming to himself, when he noticed Ash's presence he placed his pencil on the table and dropped the book likewise.
"Ash, nice to see you, your mother wanted me to look after you while she was at work." Oak said standing up and walking over to Ash who had placed his backpack on the steps leading to the attic "so, do you have any homework today? Or are the teachers being easy on you kids nowadays?"
Ash stared blankly at Oak and frowned "I don't need a babysitter, the sooner I can get out of here the better."
"Out of here? Do you go on walks or play ball with your friends after school?" Oak said as he got down to one knee so his eyes were level with Ash's
"No, I just hate being here, I hate my mom and dad I just want to run away and never come back here. I see people swimming in the lake and jumping into their cars after, they drive to someplace, and I want that." Ash said opening his backpack and taking out his Science folder "I need to fill out this paper, something about elements."
Ash gave the paper to Oak who looked at it and nodded. Gesturing for Ash to sit at the table Oak joined him and they went through elements one by one, Oak teaching him tricks on how to remember them.
"Hydrogen is one of the lightest ones, that's why it's at the top. So just work your way down and don't worry about filling in the middle ones yet, just take your time and figure out a pattern. Here, you try."
Oak slid the paper over to Ash who after several tries figured out what Oak was saying, the two continued working on his homework for the next hour. When they finished Ash asked if he could take a break and watch TV, after a moment of silence Oak agreed, only if he promised to go to be early. When Ash and Oak walked into the Sitting Room Ash turned on the TV and switched it to channel 48, Battle Central. There they watched an intense battle between a Haunter and a Zubat, at that point Zubat was winning. The respected trainers were yelling out commands at the top of their lungs trying to will their Pokemon on, all awhile Ash was sitting with his eyes glued to the television doing commentary for Oak, telling him about each trainer. Saying how one was better than the other, and how he had won the previous week by using a Gas Attack on a Fire Pokemon. After Haunter had fainted and the referee waved his hands signaling the end of the match Oak cleared his throat to gain Ash's attention.
"Your mother let's you watch this Ash?" Oak said pointing to the television which had gone to commercial, advertising a romantic vacation
"Well no, she doesn't know I watch it. But I really like it; all the other kids think I'm stupid for knowing all about Pokemon, they like sports and stuff." Ash said looking at Oak who was scowling
"Kids your age shouldn't be watching this; it's far too violent and can really hurt you Ash. Also you shouldn't lie to your mother, since your dad; well I guess we'll leave it at that. The point is your mother has given everything to keep this family together Ash, your honesty is one of the few things she has." Oak said as he walked over to the television and turned it off "Go to your room, I'll tell you when dinner's ready, for now just think about what I said/"
"What about you? Do you want me to grow up to be like you Professor?" Ash said in protest, but was quickly silenced by Oak's gnarled right hand
"Son, I hope you never grow up to be like me, now go to your room." Oak said as he lowered his head and sniffed heavily
Following Oak's orders Ash ran to his bedroom, second on the left in the first hallway next to the Sitting Room. Oak placed his palms flat on the television and bowed his head in shame, he had hoped that this would go well, that he could impart some sort of knowledge to Ash and make sure he wouldn't make the same mistakes he did, but here Ash is watching battles and dreaming of running away from home. Oak shook his head and walked back over to the dinner table where his crossword puzzle waiting, by the time he had started filling it out Ash was already in bed, dreaming of leaving Pallet.
Meanwhile in Vermillion,
Jessie is walking through the bushes which lead to Vermillion, in her hands she holds her machete and a flashlight, as the Sun begins to set on another day in Kanto.
"Fucking darkness, this flashlight better last until morning I don't want to be stuck out here with nothing but stars to light the way. Goddamn bugs too, shit why don't I get a long sleeve shirt or something, fuck." Jessie said as she slashed a section of brush away with one smooth swing, causing excess dew and leaves to stick to the blade
She continued on until she reached a small bench located on a sidewalk eight miles north of Vermillion, when she sat down she looked around to see if there were any pools of water, there were none in sight. Sighing heavily she took the machete and swung it into the grass behind the bench and lay down on the bench until morning.
This is Jessie's dreams,
Haunted by her past she twists and turns throughout the night, she moans in pain and whispers "please stop, no I'll be a good girl," followed by endless screams that no one hears, except her. She breathes heavily as images of her father appear, swinging a broken beer bottle at her and her mother laughing at the sight. She sees darkness crawl over her dreams, caskets piled on top of each other, and she is in each one. In her mind she hears her voice saying "by now, death would be a blessing," she is tortured by these dreams, no matter how hard she tries to wake up they never end. Even when she wakes she sees the horrors she dreams, for now she sleeps crying and begging for it to stop, this is Jessie as she sleeps.
"Daddy, please stop I'll be a good girl, I'll never do that again please stop!" Jessie screams as blood flows from her cheek
"It will never stop Jessie, I will make sure of that, when you are eighty and about to die you will hear us laughing as you pass. Now smile for the camera Jessie, come on let's see a big Jessie smile, SMILE GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!"
With a small smile Jessie looked at her fathers camera, and with the flash of the Polaroid she woke up.
The next morning,
The Sun is rising on another bright day in the Kanto region, on a bench just shy of Vermillion is Jessie who is just waking up from a long nights sleep.
Rolling over to where she crashed onto the pavement Jessie slowly opened her eyes to see an afternoon Sun beaming down upon her. Unwillingly, Jessie stumbled to her feet and sat down on the bench for several minuets and burst into tears. The dream seemed so vivid, she had relived her darkest memories once more and with each passing second it drove her that much more into madness. Reaching behind the bench she took the machete and eyed it, the dew trickled down it slowly and the grass had slipped off it entirely. She angled it to where could see her reflection and dropped it to the ground; suddenly she became limp and fell to the ground as well. She closed her eyes and pictured a life outside crime, she curled into a tight ball and let the minuets turn into hours before she got back up, the vision was too beautiful to let go. When she opened her eyes she straightened her clothes and picked up the machete and flashlight and continued to Vermillion.
"I'm okay, none of that stuff bothers me anymore I'm a grown woman who can live by herself, and I'm okay."
Walking down the road to Vermillion Jessie began skip slightly letting her hair bounce up and down, as she did this the town became visible and she ran as fast as she could to the orange city. In one hour she covered the remaining distance and skidded to a halt before the docks and mines. Looking around her Jessie took in the sailors and miners going about their jobs, the miners coughing up black dust and hunching over carts cursing everything in existence, and the sailors doing the same as they unhooked the ships and set sail to try and catch the morning load of fish. As she walked by a undocked ship the three sailors dropped their tools and gawked at her,
"Goddamn lady, look at that piece boys! Hey Gal why don't you come fishing with us, you can uh check out our rods if you know what I mean." The eldest of the three said as he slicked his hair back
"Shit Hector, she's one of them city folk you got to be more polite than that, see you done scared her off. Next time let me do the talking alright?" John, the youngest of the lot said shaking his head and throwing the net onto the deck
Jessie shook her head as she walked past the different Bait Shops and Designer Clothing Stores, she finally came across a bus stop where she sat down and looked at the actual city part of Vermillion. It was a little less than middle class in her case, more of a quiet town run purely on fishing and mining. It wasn't too uncommon for a town to mine in Kanto; the ground was rich in gold and graphite. The main stores were lined up one major strip with the rest sprinkled across the island, the main attraction was still in progress though, what was going to save the town for good, their own Gym. She could see the builders in their cranes lifting large pieces of steel building the shell of the building, while others welded them in place. Outside the land was a sign with a picture with what the Gym will look like, chuckling to herself Jessie stood as the bus came to a screeching halt.
"Keep going, I was just taking a break." Jessie said as the bus driver opened the door
"Suit yourself, next stop Cerulean." The Driver said over the intercom as she closed the door
Walking over to the yet to be finished Gym Jessie whistled at one of the workers on break and asked when the Gym would be finished.
"Sometime this year actually," the worker said proudly as he took a bite from his sandwich "construction began late last year and it was delayed because of a bad snow storm, but we are till on pace to finish in time."
"Do you know who the Master is?" Jessie asked as she leaned over the chain linked fence
"Some Military guy I think, I know he's tough as nails though, he come down from the Seafoam Islands with a group of soldiers I know that. Guys a real screw job if you ask me, if you aren't standing up straight and calling him sir he'll bust a cap in you sure as day. Sorry to break on you but my ten is up, if I was you I'd clear out, there aren't supposed to be pedestrians around here." The worker said throwing the rest of his sandwich to a group of birds, and drinking part of a bottle of water, then throwing the rest on his face
"Thanks, maybe I'll see you around, bye." Jessie said with a fake smile
The man returned the saying, turning around Jessie's face became serious and she summoned Golbat and ordered him to take her to Saffron. As she flew across Kanto she could see the different roads and brushes she had missed along the way, taking mental notes she assured herself the next time she went on a journey she'd use those to save time. When Jessie did reach Saffron the Sun was setting and everyone except Eliza was on their porch watching the Sun set. As the Sun began to set Jessie followed the same path James did to the garage and met the two of them there, James was throwing a baseball up in the air and catching it, Giovanni was scribbling notes on a piece of paper.
"Hello guys, what dubious plans have you thought of while I was gone?" Jessie asked as she flopped down on a broken lawn chair, causing its straps to bust even more
"You really need to be careful with that Jessie, anymore weight and that thing is going to bust." Giovanni said looking up from the paper
"Are you saying not to use it?" Jessie asked as she tossed her belt to the ground next to a pile of shovels
"No, he's saying your fat, now what's for dinner? Me and Boss have been mulling over that for the past hour and a half." James said catching the ball and looking over at Jessie
"Fix your own damn food, and I'm not fat." Jessie said as she threw a chip of wood at James "Eat that you fucking prick!"
Giovanni laughed and walked over to the refrigerator and handed out small pizzas, after he threw his into the small microwave for five minuets the others did the same. As the two ate they went over the missions they had been on, Jessie explained that a new Gym was being built in Vermillion and the Master was an soldier of some sort. After the trio had finished their meals as well as their stories James collected the trash and placed them in a wheelbarrow which was littered with garbage. Sitting back down James looked at the rest of them and broke the silence by asking what their next move was.
"Well," Giovanni said turning so he faced both James and Jessie "I want the two of you to take these Pokeball's and place them throughout the city. I've listed the spots I want them placed on this paper I've been working on, and if all goes well the city will know our name."
"Wait a minuet, we didn't decide on one yet." James said as he looked at Giovanni with a confused look
"Team Rocket, eh check this we are a team are we not, and James you told me about some of the gangs in the Wastelands, the Rocket Five was it?" Giovanni said
"Nine Boss, the Rocket Nine but go on" James said "I see where you're going."
"Think of it, because we are a team we can rocket it our way to the top, what do you think?" Giovanni said with a smile handing the balls to Jessie and James
"Boss that is the shittiest explanation to anything I have ever heard. You want us to be called Team Rocket, fine but don't ever say that again I feel James and I have just lost a few brain cells listening to that" Jessie said "now what the fuck are we supposed to do with these?"
Giovanni frowned angrily and gave each of them his notes and explained to them that each of the Pokeball's contained a Voltorb, when they were out of harms way they were to summon them and order them to use Explosion. After listening to the Bosses orders Jessie and James headed out into Saffron under the cloak of night and planted eight Voltorb's in the city. Two of them were in cars parked in front of a Drug Store, three were placed in mail boxes on the corner of select streets and the final three were placed around the Police Station, after they were planted the two of them waited near the blast zones until morning when the Pokemon Wars would officially begin.
The next day, 5:36 pm
The streets were packed with people leaving their jobs and heading home to meet their families for a home cooked meal. When traffic came to a screeching halt in front of the Drug Store Jessie and James walked over to the cars and called upon the Pokemon who swiftly appeared in the backseats. Grinning sadistically Jessie and James gave the command for Voltorb to use Explosion, only until they were out of sight. Through the glass window the Voltorb's nodded and began squinting in pain. After Jessie and James had taken cover behind a dumpster they saw the cars explode into thousands of pieces. The shards of metal pierced people around the streets, gasoline rained from the sky dousing cars, building and people. Where the cars were only a giant crater and rubble remained, the drug store and its inhabitance were skewed across the city. Everywhere the dying and dead could see flames licking the sky and trees contoured by the giant gust of wind caused by the explosion. People were running in circles trying to find their loved ones while the gasoline caught fire and burned people alive,
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, NOOOOOOOOO PLEASEEE GET ME OUTTTTTTTT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The faces of men, women and children were pressed against the glass of the car windows trying to break out, as they tried to kick the flames out their legs caught fire and slowly it worked up their body and soon it melted away their faces.
Grinning in self satisfaction Jessie and James ran through the carnage to the mailboxes and gave the same order, burnt letters rained down from the sky setting houses on fire causing people to run from them only to discover the same disaster was outside. With nowhere to go most dropped to their knees and were trampled by those trying to escape the madness. In the distance fire trucks raced to the scene and began pumping out more water than imaginable, just then Jessie and James gave the final order to the Voltorb's, blow up the Police Station. When this happened the remaining engines erupted and all order was completely lost. The firefighters tried to communicate with each other, but the sound of fire, screaming and sirens overtook anything they said. Slowly buildings across the city fell to the ground, each one shattering their windows letting glass pour from the sky impaling anyone in sight. After an entire day of burning their was only silence, the firefighters had left the scene, the wounded slipped into darkness and the dead lay motionless, the fire had subsided and the remaining survivors took shelter in the destroyed buildings.
As all this occurred Jessie, James, Giovanni and Sabrina stood next to each other and shared grins of satisfaction. The Pokemon Wars had begun,
"Not bad Craig, a little sloppy but for your first time I'd say this is a success." Sabrina said, kicking a burning branch aside
"Thanks Sabrina, any sort of complement from you is well earned." Giovanni said picking a piece of dust from his jacket and flicking it onto a corpse "That's about all their good for now aren't they?"
"So what do we do with the bodies? Leave them or should we clean them up?" James said as he checked a corpse, it was alive "Hey Jessie we've got a live one."
"Shoot the motherfucker, cap him in the ass." Jessie said tossing a pistol from Giovanni's belt to James
"Much appreciated, goddamn shame he's passed out though, listening to those guys burn was erotic." James said as he shot the man twice in the chest, causing him to let out a silent groan and cough up a pool of blood then die
After the deed was done James handed the gun to Giovanni who promptly placed it on his belt and looked around at the carnage, after giving an approval the quartet walked back to Headquarters for their next plan. As they did this miles and miles away a young trainer named Ash was beginning to plan his own journey, and in the flame lit sky under a cloud of smoke was an air darkness which swept across Kanto. Before the day was over the region would know about a small quartet which had just committed one of the most horrifying tragedies the world had ever seen.
The next morning,
The Sun is rising in Pallet, word of the bombings has reached across all of Kanto, the death toll had yet to be determined but the survivors were limited. In the Ketchum's house was Ash and his mother enjoying breakfast, what would prove to be their last together.
"So Ash, did everything go okay with you and Professor Oak last night?" Delia asked as she poured a bowl of cereal for Ash and herself
"It was okay," Ash said taking a spoonful of cereal and swallowing it whole "he helped me with my homework and we watched a little TV, it was fun."
Delia sighed and looked at Ash who was reading the back of the cereal box innocently; keeping her eyes on Ash she took a spoonful of her cereal and chewed it slowly, thoughtfully and miserably. After finishing their bowls in silence Delia collected the bowls and kissed Ash goodbye, as she was beginning to do the dishes she stopped Ash and sat him down for a talk.
With a confused look on his face Ash tossed his backpack in the middle of the kitchen and leaned up against the counter, Delia stood next to him with dish wash gloves in hand and bowed her head.
"Ash, please don't lean up against the counter, you'll leave a mark." She said throwing the gloves onto the sink
"Sorry mom, so what is it you wanted to talk about? It's like a ten minuet walk to school from here and it starts pretty soon." Ash said retreating from the counter and looking at his depressed mother
"I called you off today, actually I dropped you out I signed the papers yesterday after Professor Oak told me about last night." Delia said clenching her fists in anger
"What did he say?" Ash asked taking a few steps back "Mom, what did he say?"
"He said you didn't want to live here anymore, that you were fed up with Pallet and you wanted to leave. I don't know where I went wrong Ash, I tried everything to keep us together, father or no father I did my best, and still, and still you want to leave. I'll leave it up to you, Ash if you want to stay then stay, but if you want to go don't even think about staying I want you out if that's the case." Delia said throwing the gloves across the room, Ash ducking to avoid them
"Mom, I could never leave you. This town is what I hate, I love you dad has nothing to do with this, mom listen to me please." Ash pleaded
"No Ash, if you want to leave go, Professor Oak and I have arranged for you to leave this afternoon, now get out and don't come again." Delia said turning her back on Ash
The two stood in silence for several minuets, it wasn't until the Milk Man came knocking that Ash left the house in tears, walking out of the house and collapsing on the pavement he prayed this was a dream. Standing up he stumbled over to the lake and fell to his stomach, there he lay for the rest of the day. As day turned into night Ash cried himself to sleep, Saffron lay in ashes and Team Rocket had risen.