Fyre Red: So was I, but it didn't end up that way. Guess they're just too nice. No, no they won't... Somehow Mario and Luigi can carry around hundreds of items the size of basketballs. Strange... Yes, I changed the title.

Chapter 4

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master!" The boy, or Ash, exclaimed, grinning. "And this is my best friend, Pikachu!" He pointed to the yellow creature.

"Pi Pikachu."

"Nice to meet you," Luigi said, shaking his hand. "I'm Luigi, and this is my buddy Luke."

"Hi!"

"Hey, Luke! Like that guy with the Zorua who made movies."

Pikachu had an amused look on his face. "Pik, Pika chu kapi!"

"No, my dad's a Clefairy."

"Pika..." Pikachu sighed.

"Anyway... I just came from Pallet Town, to travel around to find a solution to a problem of mine. Professor Oak actually mentioned you, and suggested I ask you for help."

Ash was silent for a moment, before turning to Pikachu. "Hey, Pikachu? I think we've found our next adventure a little early!"

"Pika-piKA!" Pikachu exclaimed happily, jumping on his trainer's shoulder.

"Wait here. I'm gonna tell Professor Oak and Mom." Ash ran off to another part of the Pokemon Center.

"Shouldn't you tell him what the problem is?"

"When we aren't in public."

Within a few minutes, Ash returned. "Come on! Let's get going."

Luigi nodded; he and Luke following Ash out of the building.

"So, anyway," Ash asked as the two walked through the forest just north of Viridian, "What's the problem you have?"

"Well, you see-"

"Prepare for trouble from the skies!" a familiar girl with pink comet-shaped hair dropped out of a tree.

"From beyond the stars, a nasty surprise!" James said, joining Jessie on the ground.

"Not these two again..." Luigi sighed.

"Oh, it's just Team Rocket," Ash said disinterestedly.

"Shaddup, will ya?" Meowth asked from above.

"An evil as old as the galaxy..." Jessie didn't pause in the motto.

"...sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"Plus, there's me!" Meowth dropped from above.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie exclaimed in a particularly hammy way.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James, if possible, was even hammier.

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"And Meowth are the names!"

"Do they think we'll forget or something?" Luke asked.

"Pikapika," Pikachu shrugged.

"STOP INTERRUPTING OR ELSE!" Jessie yelled. "Anywhere there's peace in the universe..."

"...Team Rocket..." James continued.

"...Will be there..." Meowth added.

"To make everything worse!" All three finished.

"Wobbuffet!" A... strange, blue punching bag creature saluted as it appeared in a flash of red light.

"Hey, Pikachu, Thunderbolt, okay?" Ash asked, not particularly paying attention.

"Pika..." Pikachu jumped up, electricity gathering around his body. "CHUUU!"

The bolt of lightning hit Team Rocket dead-on, having absolutely no effect whatsoever.

"Pika?!"

Jessie laughed. "Silly twerp, our uniforms are rubber! Electricity won't work!"

"First, that doesn't make sense," Luigi pointed out. "Second, what about Meowth and that blue thing?"

"Uh..." Meowth did not seem to have thought of that. "Plot convenience? Anyways..." He took out a remote control with a single red button on it, and pressed it. Suddenly, two... Strange, butterfly net-like things dropped from above (or, as Luigi assumed, from their balloon); catching Luke and Pikachu before anyone had time to blink.

"Pikapi!"

"Hey, give back Pikachu!"

"Too bad, twoip!" Meowth said as he, Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet jumped onto a tree branch and into their balloon.

Jessie laughed. "Take it away!"

"Right!" The balloon started floating away... Only to stop short with a sudden jerk after a few feet.

"Huh?" Meowth turned around. "What the!?"

Luigi was holding the metal pole connecting Luke's net to the hot air balloon firmly in his hand.

"LET GO!" Jessie screamed. "FULL SPEED AHEAD, JAMES!"

"Oh... Right!" James turned on a motor that was attatched to the balloon, and it took of.

CRACK.

... After the net broke off in Luigi's hand.

"Pikachu!" Ash started running. There was no way he'd be able to catch up... And, come to think of it, Luigi wouldn't be able to catch up either in this state.

He sighed. He'd hoped to avoid this... Luigi raised his other hand, and shot a bolt of electricity at the pole connecting Pikachu's net to the balloon. It blew up... somehow, sending Pikachu flying towards Ash. Luigi got to work getting Luke out of his net.

"PIKA?!" Pikachu was in shock as he fell into Ash's arms.

"It's alright, buddy!" Ash hugged his friend. "You're back now."

"How did he..." James was aghast.

"It's a twoip-erbolt!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Jessie screamed. "JAMES, TURN IT AROUND!"

"Pika..."

"I think it might be too late for that, Jessie..." James said worriedly.

"CHUUU!" Pikachu let of a huge thunderbolt, enveloping the entire balloon, which was somehow sent flying by the attack.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Wobba!"

"Shut up, you!" Jessie yelled just before they flew out of earshot.

Luigi finished getting Luke out of the net just as Ash turned around, having gotten the net off of Pikachu very quickly.

"Hey, Luke's really strong," Ash smiled. "That was awesome."

"Wait, I didn't-"

"Pika! Pikapi, Chupipi ka pikapika!"

Ash laughed. "Don't be silly, Pikachu."

"Pikapi... Pika, pikachu!"

"He can?!"

"That's completely different," Ash pointed out. "Anyone could do that with the potential. Humans using electric attacks, though, that's-"

"True."

"Huh?"

"It's true," Luigi put Luke down, and created a ball of blinding blue-white electricity between his hands.

"... That's... How..." Ash was dumbstruck.

"I have a lot of explaining to do... Listen closely, and don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

"He used an electric attack, sir. And his strength is truly impressive."

"So he is the one... We cannot allow him to fall into their hands. Keep an eye on him."

"Alright."

Silence.

"...Sir? What about that other one?"

"Follow him as well. He looks very familiar. But remember: The green one is top priority, you two."

"Right!"