Chapter 10
"There you go," A nurse with bright red hair hands Ash a try from behind a counter. "Good as new!" The tray held a Pokéball along with a well-rested Pikachu.
"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash reaches out and takes back the Pokéball holding his Kingler and Pikachu jumps onto his shoulder.
"Thank you Nurse Joy! You always do such wonderful work with Pokémon! We could live the rest of our lives taking care of Pokémon together!" Brock said as he leaned against his elbows on the counter staring at Nurse Joy, making her more than a little uncomfortable.
"Okay, must we do this every time?" Misty grabs Brock's ear and drags him away from the counter towards the rest of the group that were waiting behind them.
"One down, one to go," Ash said when he returned with his newly healed Pokémon. "You ready Harry?"
Harry gave a nervous laugh. Ron and Hermione looked at him with a look of support. This would be Harry's first gym battle. He was nervous but was convinced, at least on the surface, he could prevail. I mean I've faced worse than a Gym Leader. Harry thought to himself.
A long tone filled the room and they all looked on the wall where there a screen. The name Harry Dursley came on the screen. Once again Harry cringed at being associated with the people that made his formative years miserable.
"You're up Harry." Hermione sighed.
"You'll do great mate." Ron patted Harry's shoulder as he stood up and walked to the door. The group of them walked back in to the arena. Alistair was standing on his mound on the other side of the room. Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione before he made his way onto the challenger mound.
"Are you ready to face me Harry?" Alistair asks. The confidence of his assumed victory could be felt on the other side of the arena. Harry had no such confidence.
"Uhh, yeah." Harry said.
Alistair chuckles. "This will be a three on three battle, just like with your friend Ash. Is that okay?" Harry nods.
"Okay, let's begin."
Chapter 11
The battle was brutal on Harry but in the end he came out victorious. Harry started with his Abra and was able to confuse the opposing Dugtrio. But Abra was taken down by Graveler's Earthquake attack. Graveler also defeated Harry's Pidgeotto. But Harry's final Pokémon, his Golbat, defeated a weakened Graveler and Alistair's Geodude.
The sound of cheers erupted from his group of friends behind Harry as his Golbat's Wing Attack sent Alistair's Geodude flying across the arena, unconscious.
"Well done, Harry." Alistair said with a smirk on his face. Harry met Alistair in the middle of the arena and grabbed his Anglobadge. A stunned Harry took it.
"You did it, Harry!" A flabbergasted Hermione wrapped her arms Harry's neck when he returned to the group.
"That was rather impressive," said Brock with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a proud smirk on his face.
The group continued to shower both Harry and Ash with congratulations and praise for the next couple minutes.
"I don't know about you lot," Ron was the first to change the subject. "But I could really use a bite to eat." The group agreed and began to leave. Misty turned around, realizing that she forgot her red shoulder bag, and scuttled back to the chairs where they were sitting.
"Hey Hermione, isn't this yours?" Misty bent down and picked up her beaded handbag.
"Yes!" Hermione couldn't believe she had almost forgotten it. "Thanks."
Hermione took a few steps toward Misty to grab the bag when Misty stopped her. "I got it!" She flung the beaded bag over her shoulder and a disproportionally loud clash came from inside the bag. The room grew silent and looks of horror came over Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces.
Ash was the first one to break the silence. "Well that was odd."
"What's in here?" Misty pulls the bag off her shoulder and starts to open it. Hermione runs across the room and grabs it from Misty.
"Oh it's nothing," Hermione manages the most convincing chuckle she can, "Probably just my make-up tin or something." A nervous Hermione made her way to the elevator and pushed the button to summon the lift.
There was a rather awkward silence as the six of them waited for the lift. After a moment, there was a bing and the doors slid open. The six of them shuffled onto the lift and the doors closed. The lift started to descend.
Suddenly the silence of the lift was slowly interrupted by the sounds of a crowd. The lower they got, the louder and louder the chaos got. The group exchanged a mixture of inquisitive and concerned expressions; none of them sure what they would soon stumble into. The noise was almost unbearable as the lift came to a stop on the bottom floor and the doors slid open.
Chapter 12
The crowd on the other side of the door was a wild mess. People were running around and Pokémon were launching attacks in all sorts of directions. Hermione let out a horrified scream as a Farfetch'd that was flying through the air got captured in a net and fell to the ground.
Ash and Harry led the group towards the center of the room where there was a large clearing. In the center of the empty space stood two menacing figures dressed in black jumpsuits with red "R"'s on their chests. The man had medium length teal hair while the woman had long blond hair split into two ponytails in the back. They stood and laughed over a large pile of sacks and nets filled with Pokémon and Pokéballs.
"Who are you?" Ash yelled towards the strangers.
The two dark strangers stop their cackling and turn to face the group. The boy is the first to speak.
"Prepare for trouble, you got that right!"
"And make it double." Says the blonde.
"Cause we're here for a fight."
"To infect the world with devastation,"
"To fight all peoples in every nation!"
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
They both take a step forward with their hands on their waist. "Cassidy,"
"And Butch of course."
Cassidy points toward Ash. "We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
Butch matches her stance, but pointing at Harry. "Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight, fight, fight!"
"Team Rocket! I should have guessed!" exclaimed Misty.
"Of course it's us!" laughed Butch.
"Now if you don't mind we will be leaving now with all your precious Pokémon." Cassidy lifted a bag over her shoulder and turned to leave.
"Stop right there!" Ash
"You can't leave with all those Pokémon!" Harry and Hermione turned around and were surprised at Ron's outburst. Hermione looked over at Harry with a look that said 'He's right you know.'
"Well, we can and we are!" said Cassidy as she lifts a bag of stolen Pokéballs over her shoulder.
The sound of police sirens approaching caught Butch and Cassidy's attention. Butch reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Pokéball.
"Now I'd love to stay and banter but we've got to make our escape now." Butch laughs as he throws out his Raticate. Ash runs forward and picks up a Pokéball in his hand. But before Ash could join the fight Butch shouts, "Go Raticate!"
Butch's Raticate starts to run toward the large crowd of people that were surrounding them. Suddenly there were scared people running everywhere, trying to avoid the perceived attack on them.
"What's going on!" Misty shouts.
"I can't see them anymore!" Hermione gasps.
Suddenly people stop running and the six of them are able to see once more but there is nothing to see. "Butch and Cassidy are gone!" Ash yells and everyone looks over to where they were supposed to be. Butch, Cassidy and all the stolen Pokémon were nowhere to be found.
After about an hour and a half of talking to one of several blue haired Officer Jennys on the scene, Ron, Harry, Brock, Misty, Hermione and Ash all sat in the park where they had met.
"I can't believe they got away with all those Pokémon." Ash was still in shock and angry. "I should have been a better help, but I just stood there."
"This isn't your fault Ash," spoke Hermione. "These were evil and smart people."
"Butch and Cassidy seem more dangerous than the two we saw you fighting earlier," Harry finally spoke up and joined the conversation.
"They are," grimaced Brock. "Jessie and James by far aren't the most dangerous members of Team Rocket. Most of them are like Butch and Cassidy; dangerous and successful."
"Where do you think they went?" Ron asked.
"Probably to Saffron City," Misty said while she pulled a snack out of her bag.
"Probably," Brock agreed, taking a square of chocolate that Misty handed him. "That's where their base is rumored to be."
"Well who is going to stop them?" asks Harry earnestly.
"I'm training to become the most powerful Pokémon master ever! Then I'll go after Team Rocket." Ash becomes his same old self as he restates his goals for his life.
"But how long will that take," Hermione asks. "If Team Rocket is pulling stunts like the one they did today all over the world then we may not have much time to wait."
There is a silence before Ron speaks, "Why don't we help to defeat them."
Harry and Hermione stare at Ron as if he'd spoken another language.
"We couldn't do that Ronald," scolds Hermione. "we have, other things to attend to." Harry agrees with a simple "Yeah."
Hermione and Harry know they still have to find all the horcruxes and then defeat Voldemort. They don't have time to get involved in Muggle problems.
"But with all six of us we could take down Team Rocket, no problem!" The look of excitement and hope in Ash's face was difficult to ignore.
Harry and Hermione lean in closer to Ron so he could whisper is reasoning behind volunteering.
"Okay, look," Ron starts. "Saffron City is on the other side of the country. We can look for the horcurxes while we are travelling. And it's not like we have any idea where to even start looking for them, so why not take out Team Rocket while we're at it. I mean we're wizards. It shouldn't be that hard to take about some Muggle criminals."
Unfortunately, Ron's logic made sense. Harry looked to Hermione for the final answer. She just looked back and forth between Ron and Harry before letting out a long sigh. That weakening of resolve was all Ron needed. He looked up and Ash, Misty and Brock and said "We're in!"