Hi everyone. This marks the beginning of the second iteration. I hope you enjoy it and I will try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Once again, I do not own Pokemon or it's characters.
Hybrids: Second Iteration
Strand 1: Vindication
The summer heat had continued to grow in intensity all across Violet Isle. The citizens had hoped that the end of August would herald in cooler temperatures, but the relentless assault of the sun refused to diminish.
Through the streets of Garnet City, young children chased each other around with squirt guns and buckets of water in order to stay cool. Thos who were old enough to begin their training made use of their Squirtles and Poliwags. Despite the reports that a Team Rocket facility was found the next town over, life went on here and the air was filled with joyous laughter and enthusiastic yells.
On one particular street, on the crest of a hill, a mother sat on a lawn chair, watching, out of the corner of her eye, her son and daughter play around in the front of the yard. She was reading a dime store novel and sipping a drink out of a tall glass. It was another lazy Saturday afternoon and until it cooled down, this was how she planned to spend her time.
Her attention was divided so many ways, she didn't notice the stranger approach her until his shadow covered her body. She turned her head and she almost dropped her glass in surprise. The young man was dressed in a long beige overcoat and had a wide-brimmed fedora on his head. He had dark sunglasses on his face and, at least in the shade of his hat brim, what looked like the worst tan she'd ever seen.
"Excuse me." The man said, and his youthful voice told her he must have been in his late teens. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Can I…help you?" She asked, setting her book down on her lap. She didn't understand how he could be wearing such heavy clothing. He must be boiling under all those garments.
"Actually, you can." The stranger said. "I'm new here and I'm looking for the Garnet City Breeding Center. Do you know where it is?"
"Why, yes." She said. "Just go down Arbor Street until you reach an intersection. Go right and don't stop until you reach the left turn onto Garden Road. The breeding center is at the end of that road."
"Thanks very much." The stranger nodded. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"It's all right." She gave him a small smile. He didn't smile back. She was about to pick her book back up when she heard a loud wail. Both her and the stranger turned to the road, where the young girl had fallen down and scraped her knee. She was bawling her eyes out while the son stood and watched her from the grass. "Oh, Elise." The woman sighed and looked for a place to set her drink when there was another sound from the side of the hill. It was the sound of a speeding car. The driver sped recklessly down the road, obviously unaware of the child lying on the asphalt ahead of him.
"ELISE!" The woman screeched. She jumped to her feet fast enough to send the book flying down to the lawn. The glass dropped from her hand and crashed onto the ground, chipping the rim. Her eyes were glued to the scene, but her legs were frozen stiff in fright.
The stranger whipped off his sunglasses and narrowed his red eyes. He dashed ahead, rolling up his trench coat sleeve. The sun glinted down on his green skin. It felt rejuvenating to be in the sunlight again.
Ash straightened out his arm in front of him, positioning his hand palm-up, and felt a familiar tingle go up his arm as if small creatures were crawling under his skin. Suddenly, a slit in his wrist burst open and a torrent of razor-sharp leaves flew out ahead of him. They sliced along the car's front wheels, creating deep cuts in the rubber. The car squealed as it swerved around, but it wasn't slowing down fast enough. Ash swore to himself as he judged the distance between him and the young girl and the distance between the girl and the car. This would have to be timed carefully.
He closed his eyes and prepared himself for the discomfort that would accompany his next move. In a blinding moment of pain, he felt two long vines burst from his back, tearing two holes in the trench coat. The wriggled in the air, like two extra appendages, before diving forward and wrapping themselves around the girl's waist. Ash yanked back and the vines pulled her off the road seconds before the car plowed through the area she just was. The vines dropped the child off in Ash's arms before recoiling and returning into his back. The girl was still crying loudly when Ash returned her to her mother's arms. The poor woman was conflicted about whether to stare at her daughter or the man who just performed the rescue. She began to rock the young girl gently, trying to calm her down. The child eventually stopped crying and settled into her mom's embrace. The woman looked back up to Ash with wide eyes, trying to form her words.
"I…I…" Her mouth opened and closed several times. "…Thank you. "
"Your welcome." He said simply before putting his sunglasses back on, turning around, and walking away. "We're even now." The woman wanted to respond, but her mind had yet to catch up with the events that just transpired. By the time she figured out what to say, Ash was already walking down the street. He stopped by the once speeding car and watched its owner swear relentlessly as he stared at the slashed tires. He had apparently missed the whole thing. Ash walked up to him and grabbed his collar. "Next time, watch where you're going." He hissed before pushing the man away. The man stumbled away in confusion and Ash kept on walking.
He knew it was stupid to do what he just did, especially in broad daylight, but he didn't regret it. He saved a little girl and if that compromised his secrecy, so be it. He hadn't sold his soul yet.
The previous week had gone by in a blur. By watching his Bulbasaur, Ash had managed to pick up on how to use certain muscles to perform the inherit abilities of a Bulbasaur. It was uncomfortably weird to discover a brand new set of voluntary movements that he felt like he had his entire life; as if he was re-learning how to walk or grab a pencil. The motions became second nature and soon he could call out razor leaves and vines without having to think about it. He had adapted so quickly it scared him.
His quick advancements had negative effects as well, and it jarred Ash whenever he woke up that today might be the day he lost control. And his fading memory only added to his crumbling psyche. Sometimes he would wake up, recalling a moment from his past and not remember how it ends. It was as if moments of his life had been cut out of his mind with a knife.
Subconsciously, Ash reached into his pocket and ran his fingers across the photograph he kept nearby at all times. He pulled it out and stared at the image again. It was of him, Misty, and Brock. It was taken a couple years ago when he challenged and beat the Elite Four. Misty and Brock had come along to cheer him on and all three of them celebrated for a week afterward. The picture showed them with their arms around each other, grinning wildly. Ash ran his thumb along the glossy material, and his eyes shifted to his wrists. The slit that had opened in his skin had almost completely healed up; in a few minutes it would be like it was never there. He sighed, then stuffed the photo back into his pocket.
Before he knew it, he had reached the end of Garden Road. A long driveway winded up a hill toward a mansion-esque building. Ash grunted. He was lucky enough to stumble upon a Rocket Grunt while camping out in the Goldenwood Forest. Apparently, he had escaped from the fiasco at the hospital. It didn't take much coercion to get the henchman to spill his guts about everything he knew. He didn't know anything about what happened at the hospital, apparently, but he did know that the Garnet City Breeding Center was just a cover-up for a Rocket laboratory. He could have been lying to save his skin, but it was too good a lead to just pass up. Ash wasn't even sure what he was going to do. He assumed he would just wing it when he got there, but now that he was here, it didn't seem like the best idea. Ash tapped his foot and stared ahead. Well, maybe some scouting around would be the best idea. He put his hands in his coat pockets and walked up the driveway.
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The breeding center was large and ornate, and Ash could only stare at it in wonder and awe. It didn't look at all like some kind of scum hideout, but that was probably what Team Rocket was going for. Ash frowned and took a look around the premises. There were cars and bikes parked all along the outside of the building and people were walking around, chatting and swapping Pokemon. Several people looked his way in confusion, but Ash made a point not to stare back. After staying secluded in a forest for a week, being in such a public place was unnerving.
His eyes darted to an ornate stone path that curved around the corner of the building. He tried his best to nonchalantly walk through the throng of people and follow the path as it led him behind the building. The path curved a bit more and eventually entered a large hedge maze. There was a metal gate that barred the entry into the maze. It was obvious that it hadn't been used much in recent months. A perfect place to wait and plan, Ash realized. He walked up to the bars and examined the metal lock. It was a little rusted, but was sturdy enough to serve its purpose.
His eyes darted about to make sure no one was watching him from a window or from around the corner. He interlaced his fingers around two of the bars and held on tightly as he willed the two vines to burst out of his back again. He saw white spots for a moment, but the pain was gone as fast as it came and the two plant-like appendages quickly wrapped around the top of the gate. Once he felt secure, Ash lifted his feet onto the gate and, supported by the vines, began to climb up and over the bars.
He landed on the ground with a thud, but he was far enough from the crowd that he wouldn't draw any attention. He quickly retracted the vines into his body and he dashed into the hedge maze. From his relatively lofty position on top of the gate, he had noticed there was large botanical garden in the center of the maze, which would be the best location for settling in until nightfall.
He jogged along the long stretches of dirt and shrubbery, trying to find the right way into the middle of the maze, until he came across a large hole in the hedge wall. Ash came to a halt and bent over to look into the hole. It looked like some had carved a large hole in the plant with a pair of knives. Even more curious was the fact that the hole continued straight ahead through several other walls until eventually reaching what looked like the center of the maze. Ash raised a single eyebrow in confusion. The cuts looked fairly recent. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, Ash simply shrugged and ducked through the hole in the wall. He followed the series of shortcuts all the way to the gardens. Ash moved through the final barrier a little slower, taking in his surroundings before jumping head first into what could be potential trouble. The garden was a large circular area paved with stones, with designated dirt squares with flowers and shaped shrubs. A large tree marked the center of the circle. There was a small man-made pond to his right and a series of benches looking over the water.
Ash took a deep breath when he noticed that a man was sitting in one of the benches, wearing ripped jeans and a white tank top. Could it be a member of Team Rocket? Ash could hardly see who it was, and he strained his head to get a better glimpse of the stranger. Not paying attention, he accidentally put his hand down on some dead twigs, which snapped loudly amidst the silence. The man jumped up from his seat and whipped around toward the hole in the hedge. Ash's eyes widened. The man's skin was more tanned now, even more so than Brock, and his usually floppy hair was now spiked out backwards like a porcupine, but there was no doubt who he was.
"James?" Ash asked uneasily. He wasn't sure how to approach him. James was technically a member of Team Rocket, and as such the enemy, but it was hard to imagine dopey, happy-go-lucky James as the type to get involved with Giovanni's plan. Although he hardly looked dopey or happy right now. James' expression was quizzical at first, and then his face eased with recognition.
"Twerp?" He asked. He let out a short laugh. "Now this is a interesting coincidence. I thought for sure you would have died on that operating table."
"What?" Ash asked, getting out of the hedge and standing up straight. He could feel his blood starting to boil. "You were there?"
"In a manner of speaking." James shrugged. "Nice outfit, by the way."
"You scumbag." Ash spat on the ground for emphasis. "I never thought you'd be one of the lowlifes to participate in this twisted scheme, but I guess all Rockets have the ability to stoop that low."
"Participate isn't the right word for it, kid." James said, hands on his hips.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash asked.
"What did they combine you with anyway?" James ignored the question, trying to peer past the trench coat. "Green skin…spots…Caterpie maybe?"
"Bulbasaur." Ask answered.
"Of course. Very low-level Pokemon. Explains why you were passed out so long." He raised his right arm up. "I, on the other hand, got something a little more…advanced." As he said this, the skin around his knuckles began to open up, allowing two long bone claws to expand outwards across his fingers.
"What the…" Ash faltered, then regained his composure. "Sandslash, huh?"
"Very good. Mr. Pokemon Master learned a few things on his travels." James moved his hand about to show off the claws he had just sprouted.
"You must be a real sick individual to let them do this to you." Ash growled. "Or did they just not tell you about our deteriorating bodies?"
"You seem to think I wanted this." James scowled. "I assure you I didn't. That son of a bitch Giovanni did this to me and left me to die in that goddamn hospital." He pointed his claws toward Ash. "As useful as these claws are, I never asked for them."
"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Ash asked, standing still and watching James's every movement. "Trying to find a new Rocket group to join up with?"
"Not that it's any of your goddamn business, but no." James said. "Besides, I could ask the same thing of you. Where's the rest of your little brat pack?" When Ash didn't answer, James just laughed cruelly. "What's wrong twerp? Did they leave you after finding out what a freak you became?"
Ash's face heated up and he balled his fists. He hated it when people spoke ill of his friends. "Actually, I left them."
"Oh, that's rich." James grinned darkly. "Mr. My-Friends-Are-My-Strength is striking it out alone. How ironically poetic."
"Shut the hell up, James!" Ash shouted. "Besides, I don't see your little cheering squad! Where is the redheaded bimbo you used to hang out with?" James' face fell and the smile disappeared from view. Now it was Ash's turn to grin. "What's wrong? Did she abandon you in that hospital? Or maybe she was one of the Rockets who betrayed you?"
"You're treading on thin ice, bitch." James hissed, letting the claws on his left hand shift out from under his skin.
"What's wrong, James? Did your woman turn you over to Giovanni?" Ash taunted. It felt good to get out his pent-up aggression on someone.
"This is your last warning, twerp. I don't care if I have to kill you. Hell, it might even enjoy it."
"You want to fight?" Ash asked. "Then come on! I've been looking forward to an opportunity to beat someone senseless." He struck up a fighting pose.
"Idiot. Are you really in that big of a hurry to die?" James shouted the last word as he rushed Ash, his right hand drawn back. Ash quickly ducked his head to the side as James' first punch whizzed past him. The sudden movement caused Ash's hat to fly off his head. James cursed and turned around, continuing to slice at his opponent. Ash took quick hops backwards, each jump barely keeping him out of the reach of James' claws. His attacks got closer and closer until he started to tear at Ash's trench coat. After one final jump back, Ash grabbed the collar of his coat and ripped it off his body, chucking the ruined cloth at James. He growled and cut through the fabric like butter, but it was enough to throw him off his rhythm.
Ash, now wearing just his trainer outfit, turned and ran toward the man-made pond. He came to a quick stop and flipped around, aware the James was closing the gap between them again. With a sudden sound of skin tearing, the vines once again sprung out from his back. They stretched outward and wrapped themselves around James' wrists. The man grunted in surprise and was immediately thrown down to the ground. His face made contact with the stone, leaving a splatter of blood against the ground.
James snarled and grabbed onto the vines with his hands. Ash's eyes widened as James tugged hard and he lost his footing, tripping closer to his downed foe. James glared up at the boy, blood dripping off his forehead and down in front of his right eye. He swung his leg around and kicked Ash's shins from the side. The vines uncurled from James' wrists as the man let go, and Ash tumbled into the water with a splash.
He resurfaced as fast as possible, struggling for air and gasping when he broke the surface of the water. He didn't have much time to recover because the minute his eyes opened, he saw James jumping toward him. His hand was pulled back, ready to strike down with his claws. Ash pushed off the bottom of the stone pool with his feet, moving out of the way just as James hit the water. Ash let his vines do the work and extended them out so they could wrap around the legs of a steel bench. He reeled himself out of the water as James came up from underwater. The man growled when he saw Ash was out of reach again. He climbed out of the pool and Ash took the extra time to run over to the large tree in the middle of the garden. By the time James got to his feet, Ash had already sent his vines out to grab a hold of him again. James was ready this time and he ducked to the side before striking upward with his left claws and severed the end to Ash's left vine.
Ash screamed in pain and the vines immediately retreated into Ash's body. He stumbled onto one knee from the unbearable pain. Christ! It felt like he ripped my arm off! Ash groaned and tried to stand back up unsuccessfully. He stumbled and collapsed onto both knees, panting wildly.
"Isn't that a shame?" James laughed. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? Did you think I'd fall for the same trick twice?"
"Go to Hell." Ash groaned, but it came out as a whisper.
"You first." James lifted his right hand in the air. Much to Ash's dismay, the claws began to glow with a faint red color. With a grunt, James brought his hand down and drove the claws into the ground. There was a rumble and the ground split in two where his claws struck. The fissure in the ground moved toward Ash at an alarming speed. An earthquake? Ash's mind whirred.
Instinct took over and two vines sprouted out from Ash's back again and shot into the air, firmly tangling themselves in the branches. Ash got pulled up into the tree and the earthquake stopped just short of the stone barrier protecting the tree. James snorted in aggravation and put his hands on his hips.
"C'mon! Stop running, you pussy!" James shouted into the branches. "Fight me like a man!" There was no response and James sighed. He shook his head. "So this is the why you abandoned your friends, huh? Because you're too big of a coward to deal with the consequences? No wonder they haven't bothered coming after you."
He heard a shifting in the branches and James turned toward the sound with a malicious grin. Heh. Looks like I found…you? James stepped back in surprise as a torrent of sharp leaves came whirling in his direction. He quickly lifted his left arm to shield his face as the leaves whizzed by him. Many passed by harmlessly, but he could feel most of the leaves rip through his skin, making deep cuts all over his body. When the assault ended, James fell down to his knees, clutching his badly torn up left arm.
Ash dropped down from the branches and, using his vines for support, landed on the ground gracefully. The vines retreated into his back and Ash put his fingerless gloves back on. "We may gain the power of the Pokemon we have been genetically fused with, but we also inherit the weaknesses." He walked toward James slowly, watching his foe's slow, but steady, breathing. "Sandslash is a ground type Pokemon. Which means you are weak to grass-based attacks. I can see those razor leaves did some serious damage to you."
Unexpectedly, James started to laugh. Ash stopped in his tracks, confused by the reaction. James slowly got to his feet, still chuckling. "That may be true, Ketchum…" He looked Ash straight in the eyes and fixed him with a stony stare. The cuts and marks on his body were already starting to heal. "…But weakness or not, you are not going to win this fight by giving papercuts."
Ash cursed, knowing deep down that James was right. He didn't want to have to kill the former Team Rocket member, but hoping to simply incapacitate him was not going to work. He took a deep breath and held his arm out straight. "Papercuts can be lethal, if there are enough of them." Ash responded.
"Well, you see, you've already lost the element of surprise. You try those damn leaves again and I'll be ready for them, just like your vines." James crossed his arms across his chest to get the point across that he was not afraid. "You've shown your hand. And unfortunately for you, I still have an ace up my sleeve." Suddenly, the dust and dirt around James' feet started to swirl around as if in an invisible tornado. It built up in size, then flew out through the air at Ash's face. Ash immediately shut his eyes and turned his head to protect himself from the ensuing sandstorm. It was then that it occurred to him that this was merely a distraction. He turned his head back around, but it was too late. The whirlwind of sand and dust vanished and James was in front of him, arms drawn back. Before Ash could react, James drove his claws into Ash's shoulders and pushed him to the ground. Ash screamed as he fell and grunted loudly when he hit the ground. James went with him, keeping his claws firmly implanted in the boy's flesh at all times.
"You picked a bad day to come looking for a fight, bitch." James snarled and began to twist his wrists, causing his claws to widen the holes in Ash's shoulders. The pinned boy cried out in pain. "I'm feeling especially sadistic today."
"Back…off…" Ash seethed, then mustered up all the energy he could. James watched in confusion as Ash's veins all began to stand out along his body.
"What the fuck?" James asked seconds before every pore on Ash's body released a small white spore into the air. James' looked on in shock and he subconsciously took a deep breath, taking in hundreds of tiny seeds. He closed his mouth in horror, but he had already inhaled too many spores. His skin started to turn a sickly green color and he felt the energy in his body being sapped from him. Two deep, gaping wounds began to force their way open in his shoulders. James' eyes widened, and he withdrew his claws from Ash's body before stumbling backwards until he reached a bench leg. He leaned against it and tried to catch his breath. Instead of helping, every passing second seemed to make him worse. Ash on the other hand, seemed to be healing faster than normal. His skin had turned a brighter green and his eyes a lighter red. The bleeding caused by the removal of the claws slowed down and the deep gashes started to close up.
"That was my wild card." Ash said slowly. He refrained from getting up, knowing he was still too weak.
"Alright, alright. You win…I'm beat. I'm broken." James threw his hands up in frustration. It took more effort than it should have. "Just stop feeding off of me, will ya?"
"Promise not to go psycho on me when I stop?" Ash asked. James nodded furiously. Ash quit drawing from the seeds and James' skin returned to its normal hue. He breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.
"So, is this a momentary truce?"
"Yeah." Ash responded, still clutching his shoulders, waiting for the damage to heal completely.
"Good." James groaned and rubbed his own shoulders. "I didn't take your grass affinity into account before fighting."
"I didn't think of it myself until I was up in that tree." Ash admitted with a shrug before wincing in pain. "Dammit, those claws fucking hurt."
"The wounds will heal." James said simply. "They always do." Ash nodded and the two sat in silence for several minutes, trying to regain their composure.
"Giovanni really forced this on you, didn't he?" Ash said eventually.
"I wasn't a volunteer if that's what you're asking." James said, stretching his arms to test his pain tolerance. "He forced those needles into me."
"Same here." Ash said with a shudder. "How much…how much of it do you remember?"
"Every goddamn minute."
"…Me too." They both looked away and the silence returned, even more awkward than before.
"What are you doing here, kid?" James asked. "You never did tell me. I assume you know this place is a secret Rocket facility."
"Well, I'm pissed off at Team Rocket right now so I was planning on doing a little espionage. And maybe if I'm lucky, a little sabotage as well." Ash realized he ay have said too much and quickly switched the subject. "And what about you, James?"
"I'm a large, condensed ball of pure anger, and I need someone to take it out on." James said. "I'm looking for a little payback."
"A little espionage?" Ash asked with a grin. "Maybe a little sabotage?" James smiled back. "We shouldn't be fighting James. We're on the same side here."
"What are you suggesting?" James asked. "That we go in together and wreck the place simultaneously?"
"Why not?' Ash asked. James seemed to seriously ponder that.
"Good question." He asked. "Two heads would be better than one. You've got some good fighting prowess." He leaned forward and extended his right hand. "Why the hell not, I accept your offer."
Ash stared at the hand for a second before James sheepishly retracted the bone claws. Ash gladly took the hand and shook it earnestly. "Good. What do you propose we do? I didn't really have a set plan."
"Well, I do have an idea about getting in. We need to wait for nightfall first."
"Fair enough." Ash nodded and he stood up slowly. His wounds had closed up and he was already beginning to feel better. "Why don't we sit down on a bench and go over what you have worked out."
"All right." James stood up as well. "Rest up though. We're hitting this place the minute the sun goes down."
"Perfect." Ash sat down on one of the benches. James sat next to him and the two started to plan out their scheme for that night.
To Be Continued…
Well I hope you all like this chapter. I promised you some more action, right? Oh, and in case any of you are nerds like I am...
Ash's move list: Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
James' move list: Slash, Sandstorm, Earthquake
I'll see you guys again soon with the next piece of the story. And just so you know, I love reading reviews, so be sure to leave one and let me know what you liked and what you didn't.
- TwilightEquinox