Ages: Ash- 15; Misty-15; Brock-18; Suzie-18; Duplica-15; Giselle-15; Joe-14; Commander Grayson- 35-45;

Disclaim: I don't own Pokemon okay!! Jeez!!

Thanks to all you wonderful people who have reviewed so far! I have the next chapter in a notebook waiting to be typed. Hopefully it will be up tomorrow!

Chapter Nine: Master and Mistress Part Three: The Battle

Onix burst through the floor amid a cloud of dust and debris. It was all Misty could do to cling to its back, coughing as the stuff entered her throat. She felt the person beside her shift and fall to the ground. A second later a hand grabbed her elbow and dragged her into waiting arms. Those arms held her gently then deposited her on the floor. She heard other sounds and guessed everyone else was getting helped off Onix as well. When the dust cleared Misty blinked her eyes and saw the hazy outline of Ash appear to her left.

All around them ground pokemon were burst out of the basement trailed by trainers. As pokemon and people came to the surface they greeted each other with cries of elation. After Pokemon and masters had reunited, most noticed the red head that had broken them out of their prison and came over to see when they should proceed to the next phase. Others followed their example and soon a crowed surrounded Ash and his friends.

"Umm, hi!" Misty managed to get out. "Time to be strong Misty, just a little longer" she told herself encouraging. "So, now that we're all here, we should assemble the pokemon and break down the door. If I'm not mistaken, we're in the same great hall that this whole thing started in. Which means that the exit is through those doors" she pointed to two huge oaken doors. "Once outside, I suggest you run as fast as you can down the road to Viridian City. Who here brought cell phones?" a couple of people raised their hands.

"But we can't get any reception in here!" one girl groused.

"Then wait until we get outside and phone the police office. I want ALL of you with phones to do that so there's more of a chance a call will get through. Call on the run; we need to get away fast. I should tell you," Misty took a deep breath. "They might not have guns, but they do have clubs and I saw a few knives. I also know that they won't hesitate to, to" Misty struggled to get out the words and felt a comforting warmth overtake her hand. It gave her the strength to continue and say, "They won't hesitate to use their pokemon against you. I know this from first hand experience. They will order their pokemon to battle yours, or just come after you. Please be wary, and if you must fight, fight smart. Try to use only one pokemon at once; it may give us more time. Much more than the glory of victory is at stake here".

The crowd was hushed at her speech. It sounded as if they were going in for battle. Which was highly likely since they had just made a huge ruckus busting through the floor. Brock was the first to realize this, and shouted, "Now let's go before they catch us!"

"I think it is a little bit late for that" a cold chuckle bounced off the marble walls. Misty's heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice. She knew that tone. Suddenly, Ash's hand wasn't enough to stop the icy fear from coursing through her body. Ash must have been looking at her for he immediately put himself between her and the new threat.

"Who are you?" he snarled.

"Why, I am sure the little red head can tell you. Where is she? We have a conversation to finish" Commander Grayson stepped out from behind a tapestry.

Misty whimpered and shrunk so that Ash's body shielded her from the man who had caused her so much misery. From Misty's reaction, and the man's words, Ash guessed him to be the torturer. Rage consumed Ash's weakening body. Now instead of drained, he felt like he was on fire with raw energy. Fury had given him strength, and he knew just what to do with it. Ash would punch that man's face in until his eyes were dangling down the back of his throat. He could feel his nerves tensing and would have leapt at him right then and there had Misty not been clinging to his back. For now, he must be satiated with keeping her hidden and shoot daggers at the one who commanded a Raichu and Ivysaur to attack people.

"No matter. I shall find her. And while I'm at it, I'm in the mood for some fun. How about you boys? Would you like to join in the festivities? This is a party after all" Grayson spoke in cheery tone, yet his meaning was all but. The trainers found themselves surrounded by guards armed with clubs. They drew forward to form a tight circle of flesh. The teens instinctively stepped backwards to be closer to one another.

"What are we going to do?" Giselle hissed at Ash.

"The only thing we can do" Ash's voice was hard and set. He was ready for some payback. "We fight".

"But Ash, any pokemon those guys have must be at really high levels. And the men themselves are armed. What can we do?" Duplica reminded him.

"Are we not pokemon trainers? If we were invited, then we must be some of the best, right?" Ash spoke up a little louder so his voice carried to reach all gathered there. He knew that they weren't selected merely for their skills, just because they were around the same age as him. That would make them likely suspects to know or have been involved in Lugia and Shamouti Island. But it would lift their spirits if he lied to them. So lie he did.

"They selected us as the best, so what are we going to do? We are going to show them what we are made of! We are going to show them not to mess with us, the real pokemon trainers! Those goons have twisted their pokemon to do evil deeds; they don't deserve the honor of battling with them anymore. Let's teach them a lesson! Let's fight back! Let's triumph! Let's escape!" Ash finished with a shout and struck one fist up in the air. Brock and Misty were amazed; they had never heard Ash give a speech quite like this. Yes, he always had motivational things to say, but he never got a crowd going.

Which was what he had done now. The trainers were roaring in agreement ready to pit their pokemon against their captors.

"Oh bravo!" Grayson sneered and clapped his hands in sarcastic applause. "A total pack of lies, but it sounded so heroic! Bravo!"

This prodded Ash into further outrage. "You want to see heroism? Let's battle! Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Fine, I'll humor you insolent brat. The girl wasn't enough practice for Raichu and Ivysaur anyway. Go!" Grayson threw his pokeballs into the empty space of the hall and out came the two dark pokemon.

"Bulbasaur, even the odds!" Ash threw his own pokeball in front of him and Bulbasaur materialized in a white light.

"Ha! Your pokemon are weak! These pokemon have been with me all their lives! They've also evolved past your own, which are only at the basic stage," the man scoffed. "They will be easily crushed!" Commader Grayson barked out a laugh.

"Someone made the mistake of doubting Pikachu because he wasn't evolved before," Ash seethed. "All of my pokemon have pushed themselves to their limits, just because they haven't evolved doesn't make them any less strong!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur snapped his whips to emphasize Ash's point.

"Pi ka!" Pikachu's electrical sacs sparked with static. Both pokemon ran forward to meet their adversaries.

"Hmp, I am not impressed!" Grayson turned to his pokemon. "Ivysaur, Raichu, Static Cloud!"

"Static Cloud?" Brock repeated, baffled. "What's that?"

He got his answer in the form of a demonstration. Ivysaur released a fine cloud of stun spore from its flower and blew it across to where Pikachu and Bulbasaur were. As soon as the cloud settled over them Raichu powered up and sent a thunderbolt right into the middle of it. Pikachu and Bulbasaur became incased in a sphere of electricity sparking from spore to spore.

"What?" Ash was dumbfounded.

"And here I thought you would have gained some experience in two pokemon battles while in the mansion." Grayson studied his nails, apparently enthralled with what he saw there. "I guess I was wrong. I, however, have become adapt with combining my pokemons' moves so that their potential damage increases. As you can see here, stun spore creates an environment for the thunderbolt to live and be contained in. This causes the attack to have a longer effect and doubles the chance of paralysis."

The stun spore cleared, but Pikachu and Bulbasaur were struggling to stand. Even though electrical attacks were essentially ineffective against them, the sustained voltage and paralysis restricted their movement considerably.

"Come on guys, hang in there!" Ash's anger was ebbing away as he saw his friends losing the battle. He began to fear for them. What else did the man have up his sleeve?

"Ivysaur, vine whip! Raichu, skull bash!" The commander ordered.

"Dodge Pikachu, Bulbasaur!" Ash called to them desperately. Yet it was no use, the last attack had taken away their ability to move. Ash eyed the incoming vines and Raichu and made a snap decision. He broke away from the main group and dashed out in front of his pokemon.

"Ash!" Misty yelled. Her friend spread his arms wide in a human shield and took the skull bash and vine whip head on. Misty sprinted over to him as he stumbled to the ground. She swept down, uncaring of Raichu and Ivysaur, and grasped Ash's shoulders.

"Ash, wake up, Ash, open your eyes. Please!" Misty choked on her words. "Wake up dammit don't do this to me!" she shook his shoulders, trying to get him to respond.

"Owww," Ash groaned and opened his eyes. "Misty could you please stop doing that? I'm pretty bashed up already."

"You idiot!" Misty gripped him in a fierce hug. "Don't do that again Ash, don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry Misty," he whispered. "But I couldn't bare to see Pikachu and Bulbasaur get hurt. It would be my fault if they were really hurt. I wasn't thinking. I was just really mad."

"Oh Ash," Misty sighed, pulling back to look him in the face. She offered him small smile. "Your big heart is the best and worst thing about you."

Ash blushed lightly and was about to make some sort of remark but was cut short.

"Oh, so Ash is here!" Everyone turned to see two new people enter. Except, they didn't just enter. They seemed to drift in, almost as if they had no intentions of coming in yet here they were. It was a woman that had spoken and she held the arm of a man. The lady had dark purple hair twisted up into a tight bun allowing only a collection of curls to frame her face. Her skin was very white and soft, but her eyes were sharp and calculating. Her jaw was strong as well and she held her self proudly, oozing self-confidence and importance. Her dress was deep lavender, only a shade lighter than her hair, and was strapless, widening out into a full skirt. A translucent, lilac shroud covered her naked shoulders. The man she was with had the same air, but he had jet-black locks and a mustache. He was dressed formally in a black suit, matching his partner in cold, elegant beauty. There was no doubting who they were.

"Master Kinjo, Mistress Kinjo." Grayson bowed stiffly to them. His men dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in reverence to their masters.

"Commander Grayson." The man's voice was silky, like a snake. It also held an undertone of poison that reminded one of the reptiles.

"I thought you said Ash wasn't here. Or did you mislead us Commander?" Lady Kinjo's voice was soft and melodious. A threat coated with sugar.

"My Lady, I would never dream of such a misdemeanor," Grayson assured her. "I was informed that he was not present during interrogations. Evidence supported this claim, and I continued instead to question the one who knew of Lugia and was in front of me."

"The girl," Master Kinjo said in an almost bored tone. His eyes turned her way and Misty shivered as she looked into their icy depths.

"Yes" the Commander growled. "She told me that she had been speaking of a boy called 'Lou' who helped Ash tame the beasts. Ash, according to her, was living the life of a celebrity. I continued to question her and then sent for said 'Lou'. It is clear to me now this was a lie, but as I said before evidence we already had proved what she said true".

"And you are Ash" the Mistress cocked her head and studied him. They were at opposite ends of the room but he could still feel her penetrating gaze. "I must say, I am a little surprise none of our men recognized you. All were trained to notice you on sight; all had seen you from the photos we acquired from the Orange Islands. Though you are older, and much more handsome without that unattractive red hat" she took out a peacock feather fan from the folds of her dress and waved it in front of her face, as if thinking about the ugly hat made her nauseous.

"I think he looks cute with his hat!" Misty raged inside her head. "Although," she studied Ash. "He does look cute this way too."

"And just why did you want to find me?" Ash stood and faced his new adversaries. Misty stood up quickly too, prepared to back him up.

"Hasn't your friend already told you? Or has she clammed up about the whole torture experience? Really, dear, it's better if you let those things go," Lady Kinjo continued.

Misty winced in reminder to what she had survived and the rest of the trainers gasped and began whispering to one another. Ash felt a rush of heat signaling his returning anger. How dare she make light of what happened to Misty? How dare she tell her what to do?

"I want to know all of it," Ash spat. "I want to know why you hurt my friend like you did. I want to know so then I can make you pay for your crimes!"

"Well aren't we the little hero" the sneer did not look right on such a pretty face. She turned to her husband. "Dear, would you like to do the honors?"

"Why of course. It's not like they'll tell anyone" Master Kinjo let that statement hang ominously in the air for a few moments before speaking again. "Do you remember a man by the name of Lawrence the Third?"

"Yes," Ash answered bluntly, put off guard by the odd question. "At least, I think so."

"Remember Ash? He was that collector who tried to imprison Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos to bring out Lugia. He was bent on collecting rare things" Misty prompted him.

"Our dear nephew. Never was all that ambitious," the Lady sighed disdainfully.

"Nephew? Not ambitious?" Ash cried astounded. "He had a huge flying machine equipped with the latest technology and tried to unethically capture the legendary bird pokemon, all so he could have Lugia, fully knowing that it would cause the world to dissolve in chaos!! And even when his flying machine was practically destroyed he shot more hoops at Lugia that almost killed him! How is that not ambitious?"

"He gave up." Lady Kinjo flapped her fan dismissively. He settled for defeat, changed his ways. Went back to collecting cards," she scoffed.

"Our nephew's activities caught our attention and secured our interest," Master Kinjo drawled. He still sounded bored. "We are, as you have noticed, rather rich, and enjoy collecting things ourselves. Well, here were the perfect specimens! We had been trying for a very long time to catch Raikou, Entei, and Suicune as well as Ho-oh but they eluded even our best attempts. And then here comes little Lawrence, who was always one Exeggcute short of an Exeggutor, and he manages to capture two legendary pokemon! Well if he could do that, imagine what we could do! Unfortunately, before we could discover much about where he had been, that damn Professor Oak told all the news stations to burn the tapes they had recorded. Said it was to protect the pokemon from future threats. So alas, all we knew was that the legendary birds were in the orange Islands and that there were some crystals that were supposed to control them. Several covert operations later, we still had nothing. It appeared as if we'd have to storm in there and search a long time to find anything useful. But that would attract unwanted attention, so we decided to lure the hero who had controlled Lugia before into coming here. We knew he would be a pokemon trainer, and what pokemon trainer could resist a party with battles?"

"And so you sent out your spies to see if you could find me during the game, and instead you heard Misty talking about Lugia," Ash finished.

"Well, yes," the Mistress agreed. "And our plan worked, to some effect. You all really weren't supposed to know about any of this."

"But we do." Suzie stepped forward. "We know and nothing will stop us from exposing you! Using pokemon to torture people is a crime! It is also against the law to disrupt the balance of our planet! And that is exactly what will happen if you capture Lugia! Besides, based on your nephew, I'm sure you won't capture the legendaries the honorable way and train them. You will kidnap them and put them in some sort of zoo!"

"Two things my dear," the Master began. "One, how do you know it's against the law to capture Lugia and 'disrupt the balance?'"

"It's against the moral law and the law of nature!" Suzie retorted fiercely.

"I don't really care for moral laws and don't really believe in nature's. So that takes care of that problem. Two, what makes you think you are getting out of here?" Master Kinjo snapped his fingers and all the guards stood up and alert.

"What are you going to do, kill us all? You can't get away with something that big!" Brock said vehemently.

Master and Mistress looked at each other. Then Lady Kinjo slowly unclasped her arm from her husband's and glided across the floor to Commander Grayson. All eyes, human and pokemon, were on her.

"My dear Commander Grayson, I feel so awful about that cave in!" She cried.

"Very unfortunate," he agreed, not quite catching on to her sudden change of subject.

"Oh indeed, my husband and I had no idea that some Diglet had made a new home under or mansion! If we had known, oh we would have set something up at once and never would have help that party! It was just all those extra people, all the weight, it just went down!" Her fan drooped and her very form went limp.

"Oh, aye!" Grayson understood. "I am sorry I couldn't save everyone, but I felt it my duty as your loyal servant these past twenty years to get you and the Master out first. There was just no time to get the others before the roof came down."

Ash's mouth was open in horror as he watched the two actors foretell his death.

"That's quite alright, the police understood. And I am sure the new memorial we put up will be beautiful, and all will appreciate the donation to the children's school in the name of all the wonderful trainers who died here that night!" her eyes held a little bit of hope at this redemption.

"They will love it, no one could blame you Madame" Grayson bowed.

"Thank you Grayson" she inclined her head then twirled around surprising the teens. "So, I think it is a lovely cover up. What say you, my husband?" she walked back over to him.

"I say," his monotone now changed to one of excitement. "I say we should try it out. Grayson?"

"Your wish is my command" he replied eyes glinting with bloodthirsty joy.

"You think we'll just lie down and let you attack us?!" Ash called indignantly, yet a little less sure of himself. "You thought wrong. We will defeat you!"

"That, I would very much like to see," laughed Lady Kinjo.

Ash almost screamed in frustration. It was like a huge game of cat and mouse, except the mouse was all his friends and him. And the cat was a bunch of men and three heartless leaders who were prepared to kill in cold blood. Ash had never been in a situation like this before, but he had faced others and come out on top. Yet this time it seemed useless to fight back. What was the point? They had so many more men, and nothing to loose. The teens were all tired from previous battles and being locked in cells. It was hopeless.

"Ash no! You can't give up! We have to try! You have to believe Ash!" Misty saw his dejected look and gripped his hand forcing him to look her in the eye. There was fear in there, but also pleading. "Please, Ash, you were always the one who beat the odds. Always the one to save the world. You always had something to fight for. I can't have hope if you don't; you're the one who never gave up. Please Ash, please!"

Ash stared into her eyes. Yes, he did have a purpose. These were his friends they were trying to kill. This was Misty they had tortured. They had hurt the ones he cared for most, and they would pay.

""Pikachu," he whispered, still looking into Misty's eyes. He looked away and saw the people who cause all this, the Master and Mistress. He felt a hate rise up inside him. These evil people had to be brought to justice. He had to put all those years of training to the test now. This time, it was fight or die.

"Thunder!" he yelled, letting go of Misty and turning to face Commander Grayson.

"PI KA CHU!!"

And the battle began.

"Pikachu, agility!" Ash called out.

It was several minutes after the initial fighting broke out and Ash was pitted against Commander Grayson. His Raichu had just launched a powerful shock wave that had barely missed Pikachu. Bulbasaur wasn't faring much better. Grayson was able to call out attacks to both his pokemon but Ash was having trouble keeping track of the two of his.

"You'll never beat me if your pokemon can't work together Ash!" Grayson laughed. All around them partygoers were battling with grunts and it was impossible to tell who was winning. Ash was extremely worried for his friends but tried not to think about them as he was having enough trouble already.

"Ivysaur, throw Raichu into Bulbasaur for a focus punch!" the man directed.

"Bulbasaur, lift yourself out of the way using your vines!" Ash called. Bulbasaur managed to dodge the speed Raichu, but both pokemon and trainer forgot about Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur, razor leaf!" Bulbasaur cried out in pain as sharp leaves cut into its skin.

"Iron tail Pikachu!"

"Piii!" he managed to hit Ivysaur and sent the grass pokemon sprawling.

"Raichu, mega punch!" Ash heard Grayson say.

"Rai-chu!" Pikachu got socked in the cheek and landed heavily beside Bulbasaur who was just starting to get up. Raichu bounded over to take its place by Ivysaur in front of Grayson.

"Had enough, Baby?" the commander leered.

Baby. That nickname sounded familiar. Wait! That was what Lieutenant Surge had called him! He had been faced against a Raichu then too. This time it was a Raichu and an Ivysaur that he was up against. What had he done back then to beat Raichu? Ash thought quickly, knowing he had little time. He had not evolved Pikachu, and instead used its… speed! That was it! Pikachu had dodged all of Raichu's attacks until it got tired! So maybe, it would work now! But Grayson's pokemon were very well trained; they wouldn't tire easily. It seemed like those two were everywhere always working in sync. Hold on… speed… everywhere… in sync. . .

"Pikachu, double team and agility!" Ash shouted, hoping his new plan would work.

Pikachu started running in a circle around Raichu and Ivysaur. Soon it was multiple Pikachus running around and around the two evolved pokemon.

Grayson growled. "Ivysaur, Raichu, use vine whip and thunder bolt to find the real Pikachu!"

Strands of vine and electricity shot out from the center of the Pikachus trying to hit the moving targets. They were either too slow or the Pikachu they hit wasn't the real one. With both adversaries busy, Ash said to Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur, use your sleep powder!"

"Saur!" a fine blue cloud settled over Raichu and Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur, blow that sleep powder away!" Grayson barked.

After a few moments the cloud dispersed and Grayson smirked. "Ha! It will take more than some wimpy sleep powder to put my pokemon out of commission!"

"I know," Ash grinned, gaining confidence. "But they don't look so good, do they?"

Grayson looked. His pokemon didn't look very good. They were a bit muddled from the sleep powder and had stopped their attacks on Pikachu. Now they were just watching the Pikachus go around, and around, and around, and around . . . Pikachu became a blur as he built up momentum from running in a circle for so long.

"Raichu, Ivysaur, snap out of it!"

But they were entranced. Almost like they were hypnotized, the sleep powder had dulled their wits enough so that all they could do was watch Pikachu and become even dizzier.

"Okay Pikachu, when I tell you, break away and run to Bulbasaur!" Ash told his friend. "Bulbasaur, be ready to catch Pikachu, okay?"

"Saur" Bulbasaur nodded.

"Alright Pikachu, let's, go, NOW!" Pikachu broke from his circle and darted at super speed to Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, sling shot Pikachu towards Raichu and Ivysaur then follow up with a petal dance!" Ash knew he had one chance, and this was it. Bulbasaur used Pikachu's build up of speed to hurl it forward and released a torrent of pink petals after it. Pikachu rammed into Ivysaur and Raichu with a huge amount of force which was quickly back up by the petal dance.

"Pikachu, thunder!" Ash yelled.

"CHU!!" the thunder was so big, and so bright, that everyone stopped their battles and looked to the one in the center. The light gradually left and Ash could see the battle field again. Pikachu was on his feet, breathing hard, but very much alive. Raichu and Ivysaur were not so lucky. They were on the ground barely moving, devastated from the combined blow.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He had done it. He had defeated the man who was the biggest threat. He had avenged Misty, made the man pay for what he did to her. But his victory was short lived.

"You can't defeat me!" Grayson was spitting, frothing mad. "No one defeats me! Raichu, Ivysaur, get up! I said get up!"

"They can no longer fight, you are through" Ash told him.

Grayson growled. "They may not be able to fight, but I can!" with that he launched himself at Ash fists high.

"Ash no!" Misty saw the commander hurtling towards her friend who was totally unprepared. She sprinted the small distance she was away from the two and threw herself into Grayson's side. Her small body knocked him off balance and sent the two tumbling to the floor.

"You, you little bitch" his eyes were wide and crazed. "I should have just killed you when I had the chance. Well now I have another!" he scrambled to his feet and advanced.

Misty shrieked and closed her eyes, preparing for impact. But it never came. She heard oof! and looked up to see Commander Grayson being repelled away from her, buffeted off a clear shield.

"Eevee!" her Eevee jumped in front of her and slowly lowered the protect she had used.

Ash ran up to Misty to make sure she was all right.

"Misty? Misty you okay? Did he get you?" he tried to see if there were any new bruises.

"No, I'm fine, Eevee got here before he did and used protect" Misty gasped out.

Ash sighed. "Thank God. We need to get back to the others Mist, we have to-"

"Ash, look out!" Misty screamed.

Ash whirled around and there was Grayson looming up in front of him. As he stared into those deep gray eyes, Ash felt his anger and strength return. Without pausing to think, he swung his arm up and his fist connected solidly with the older man's head.

"Don't ever threaten Misty again!" he whispered dangerously before another onslaught of grunts made him turn away.

"Cyndaquil, go!"

"Go, Politoad!"

"Ash" a ragged voice said near his ear. Ash turned about and saw Brock doubled over panting for breath. "Ash, we need to think of some other plan. Our pokemon are getting tired. We are getting tired. There's just too many of them".

"I know" Ash moaned. "But what can we do? They still have us surrounded!"

It was true. The circle of henchmen stood unwavering just like when the battle started. How long they had been fighting Ash didn't know. It seemed like days had past but realistically it had probably only been an hour or two. Even though it wasn't much time, those hours were starting to take their toll. Most pokemon battles only lasted a few minutes, maybe half and hour at the most. The pokemon were getting tired fighting for an extended period of time with no breaks. Lots of trainers were struggling to shout commands to all of their pokemon at the same time; for each trainer had to use everyone at once for the numbers to be somewhat equal. And when one of the grunts' pokemon was knocked out of battle another was ready to step up and take its place.

"Come on Ash! You came up with the plan to get us in here! You're the one with the crazy battle strategies! Just think, please!" Brock ducked a swift attack. "Hurry!"

"I didn't come up with that plan!" Ash said desperately. "Cyndaquil, smoke screen!" he shouted. As they hid under the smoke cloud, he continued, "That was Misty's idea. Wait, where is Misty?" in the heat of the battle he had lost sight of her.

"She was fighting some guys over there," Brock pointed to their left.

"Okay Ash, calm down. You have to forget about Misty for a second so you can come up with a plan to save everyone" Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I really wish she was here though. She's the one who has all the brilliant ideas," Ash thought back to her escape plan. It had been really smart to use the rock pokemon to drill a route up through the ceiling. "Hold on, we can use that same technique to get out of here!"

"Brock! I know what we can do! Get a group of people together who have rock type pokemon. Then some others and I will create a break in the grunts so we can get to one of the walls. Once there, we'll have to make a semi circle around you and the other trainers so you can drill through the wall. After there's a good size hole make a break for it to the nearest police station or pokemon center".

"Sounds good, but what about the rest of you?" Brock quizzed.

"Some of us will have to stay back and make sure the henchmen don't come after you" Ash spoke quickly. The smokescreen was starting to wear off. "Just run as fast as you can and get help!"

"DOUR!" a torrent of flames blasted a hole in the smoke and burnt the back of Ash's jacket as it swept by. He cried out in surprise and looked to see three grunts with a Houndour, Growlithe, and Mascargo. That wasn't good. Ash had Cyndaquil, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur; none of them were really strong against fire types. Brock had already run off to round up some people. Ash had to deal with these three quickly and get trainers to help him out with his plan

"Say goodbye kid!" one of the dark men snickered. "Growlithe, bite!"

The orange and black striped dog lunged at Cyndaquil, preparing to sink its teeth into his neck. Just as the Growlith was a few feet from the fire pokemon a jet of water blasted it away.

"What the hell?!" one of the grunts swore.

"Get away from him!" Misty yelled. She looked like she had been through a war. Which, in a way, she had. Her hair was all messed up, her dress was shredded at the bottom, and bruises adorned her arms and her face. Ash thought she never looked more beautiful. She was like some fierce angel coming to his rescue.

"Corsola, spike cannon! Politoad, rain dance! Eevee, agility and then return!" she instructed in the same harsh tones.

Corsola began to glow white while Politoad clapped his hands and soon a down poor of glowing bullets and rain crushed the three enemy pokemon. Eevee dashed into the fray and started a physical assault.

"Thanks Mist!" Ash gave her his signature smile. "You've always been there to back me up, I'm glad now's not an exception!"

Despite being in a battle of life or death Misty felt a rush of warmth surge to her cheeks. "No problem Ash, but I don't think even I am that good to get out of here. I haven't seen Master and Mistress Kinjo. I wonder where they went?"

"That's right!" Ash exclaimed. He had forgot all about them. "I bet they're somewhere else enjoying all this carnage," he thought abhorred. "This would appeal to the kind of cold blooded, sick people they are". "We can't worry about them right now. I don't know if they have any rare powerful pokemon with them that can fight, but if I remember correctly, Lawerence the Third was no trainer. With any luck they're just evil collectors with a bunch of henchmen who do their dirty work for them".

"Wow, that sounds so much better" Misty said sarcastically. "Oh, watch out! Eevee, icy wind!" Misty pointed to the three men who were charging Ash and her, their pokemon knocked out by Misty's water attack.

"Eev!" Eevee blew a steady stream of frost towards the men whose feet and legs got frozen to the floor by ice.

"They just keep coming!" Ash heard an undertone of despair beneath the frustration in Misty's voice.

"I know, I have a plan" Ash said quietly as to not alert any guards nearby of an escape. Actually, he was speaking in a normal tone, but it sounded quiet in the chaos that raged around them. "I need your help to get some other people to help break through the ring of guards so our back are against a wall." He proceeded to tell her the rest of the plan.

"Okay," Misty nodded. "I'll go let others know. Be careful Ash," she added softly and almost wistfully. How could one be careful with battles raging all around them?

Ash smiled at her concern. "You too" he said. "I'll meet you back here".

"Right" Misty turned and plunged into the raging sea of pokemon and people. Ash watched her disappear and then did the same. Hopefully, this plan would work.

"Come on, to me everyone, to me!" Misty shouted above the cries of pain and growls. She felt like some battle commander rallying her troops. Some of the trainers heard her and hurried over, dodging stray, or perhaps intended, attacks on their way.

Once there was a sizable group around her, Misty explained what she needed them to do quickly. The others heartened to hear they were going to make an escape and eagerly made their way to where they would meet Ash's group. Misty trotted along after them and doused any pokemon who came near with a water gun.

Misty saw another group towards the edge of the circle of enemies and guessed Ash was ready. A second glance showed that they had already started to hack away at the guards.

"Politoad, Corsola, Eevee, go!" Misty shouted and ran to help her compatriots. The trainers behind her screamed their own battle cries and rushed to greet their adversaries. The grunts, whom had a little trouble deal with Ash's crowd, were not prepared for this organized onslaught. Their pokemon quaked in fear as a wave of Tauros, Skipbloom, Stantler, Machop, and Drowzee crashed down on them. Soon an opening appeared in their ranks.

"Brock, go!" Ash bellowed.

"Onix, rock smash!" the giant Onix rammed into the wall and went out the other side. "Perfect, let's roll!" the crowd of trainers surged forward and covered Brock, Suzie, Giselle, and Joe as they made their escape into the night.

"Now hold them off a little longer!" Ash yelled to his allies. "We can do this! Just push on ahead!"

Misty felt her heart soar at his words. They could do this, they would do this. They would escape!

Off in a room above them, Master and Mistress Kinjo watched the scene unfold on a monitor.

"I think, my dear, we are about to loose our key to success" Master Kinjo said to his wife gesturing at the hole they had made.

"I don't care!" Mistress Kinjo snarled. "That little brat has irked me. He and his friends are winning. I can't stand loosing, especially to a twerp like him". She scoffed, "Look, they are swarming around him like he is some great commander. How pathetic" she turned to her husband. "I know how much you want the legendary birds, my dear, but I so do wish to dispose of that wretched boy. He is aggravating me so".

"It is quite alright, I share in your discomfort," he said soothingly, clasping her hand. "I have been thinking over what we saw on the tapes from interrogation and what we have seen now. I think that little red head has what we need and would be devastated enough by the loss to tell us everything. And after seeing their 'leader' fall, I believe the others will be most complying to our wishes".

The lady grinned showing a row of perfect white teeth. But the smile was void of any warmth; it merely echoed the coldness in her eyes. "This is why I love you," she purred. "You always have the best ideas".

"Do you think Brock will be back soon?" Misty panted next to Ash. They had just defeated a man and his Ampharos. Now the two were looking for the next breach to their protective wall.

"I hope. I don't know how much longer everyone can hold out" Ash didn't look at her when he answered. His eyes were sweeping back and forth trying to spot the danger before it attacked.

"I know, Politoad-" Misty stopped talking. Ash glanced at her and then to where she was staring. Directly in front of them the fighting had stopped. The grunts were making way for somebody. It couldn't have been Commander Grayson, Ash was pretty sure he was still out cold on the floor.

"I see you have taken out Grayson and busted your way to freedom" a swish of purple skirts announced the Master and Mistress. "Why do you not flee? You have already caused enough damage to my house and men".

"You never turn your back to an Arbok!" Misty spat at the woman. The lady scowled, rendering her even more similar to the snake.

"It is a pity we still need you alive," she said nastily. "But a bit of roughing up won't kill you!" Mistress Kinjo drew a pokeball from the folds of her dress.

"You lay so much as a finger on her and I swear it will be the last thing you do!" Ash threatened and stood in front of his friend, arms spread wide.

"Oh I won't touch her," Lady Kinjo stated innocently. "My Dragonair, on the other hand…" she lobbed the ball and it released a towering blue dragon.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped up and prepared to battle this new foe.

"Pikachu, thunder!" Ash shouted.

"CHU!" Pikachu let loose a huge bolt of lightening that struck Dragonair dead on. After a few seconds of intense shocking, Pikachu was forced to stop his attack or risk passing out from exhaustion. While the little mouse was panting from using so much energy, the dragon shook itself and cried a challenge.

"What? It had no affect?" Ash paled. It appeared they not only collected but trained rare pokemon. Yet he had used Pikachu's strongest attack, and Pikachu was not a pokemon to be trifled with.

"Well I certainly don't sit around and embroider all day" Mistress Kinjo said.

"Pokemon become all the more rare and powerful when trained intensively each day," Master Kinjo lectured.

"Pikachu is just as strong as your Dragonair!" Ash argued, trying to remain positive. "He's been with me since the very first day of my journey! Not only have we trained together everyday but we've also become best friends! You just collect pokemon because of their fame. You have no real connection with them. You'll never unlock their true power or beauty because of that!"

"What touching words" the lady yawned. "Let me see, do I really care? No. Dragonair doesn't need a friend it needs a master. Dragonair, dragon rage!"

Huge shock waves exploded from Dragonair's mouth and encased Pikachu. The small mouse was immediately sent flying backwards a few feet and was then crushed into the ground.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?" Ash ran over to his best friend and lightly touched his shoulder.

"That is your strongest pokemon? What a laugh" Mistress Kinjo snickered.

"It is hard to image that you beat Commander Grayson," the Master said disbelieving. "But I suppose every fool gets lucky once in his life".

"I may be a fool," Ash said slowly. "But at least I'm not a heartless murderer! Pikachu, are you going to be okay?" he picked up his pokemon and cuddled him in his arms.

"Pi." Pikachu mewled and licked Ash's chin. Ash smiled down at him.

"This is making me sick," Mistress Kinjo said disgustedly. "Dragonair, hyper beam" she continued in an off hand voice.

"No!" Misty screamed. Dragonair was charging up quickly, Ash was still on the ground with Pikachu in his arms. She tried to run towards him but Brock held her back, afraid the attack would hit her too. She could only watch helplessly as the light got stronger and finally a beam of yellow energy streamed from the dragon's mouth onto her friend.

"NO!!" Misty screamed. Her heart was broken; her mind was broken. Grief and pain wracked her frame as she fell limp. Then, there was only darkness.


Dun Dun DUN!!

Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it won't be long before the next chapter is up I promise! So, how did you like the battle scenes? It's my first time (no duh) so please, any constructive criticism is much appreciated!

Wow I use a lot of exclamation points . . .