"I am totally disgusted with your failure," the mysterious woman snapped.
"It's not our fault! This freak in a cloak came out of nowhere and completely thrashed us!" Kim shrieked in terror.
"Is that so?" said the woman.
"You say he protected his identity by disguising his face, and he came to rescue the subjects? If this man knew about them, there's no doubt about it. It must be Brandon," the mystery man deducted.
"If that's the case, then it's time we take this operation to the next level. The targets are more cunning than we planned, so we'll need to prepare our next move," the woman stated.
"Right," the man agreed with a nod. "Let's go back to Viridian City for now and make the necessary preparations."
"Of course," said the woman.
"W-what about us?" Kim stuttered as he shook nervously with Kail and Kai at his sides.
"You? Your usefulness has ended," said the woman as she raised a green pistol to the brothers. Without giving the boys any time to react, she pulled the trigger and walked away with her partner.
Much time had passed since Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander completed the three trials and began their training. Soon, the day finally arrived. Graduation day. Brandon was preparing to give his final evaluation of each of his students' progress. Delia, Tracey, and Serena were gathered outside of Mrs. Ketchum's house to watch the trio's performance on one bright summer day as the sun was at its peak.
"Alright, the time has come to show us all what you have accomplished since we began!" Brandon announced. "Charmander, we'll begin with your routine!"
"Right!" Charmander shouted. Brandon pulled out three thin, clay discs from his pocket and threw them into the air.
"Smokescreen!" Brandon shouted. Upon hearing the command, Charmander spat out a small black pellet from his mouth that exploded into a cloud of smoke beneath his feet; obscuring his vision.
"Ember!" Brandon ordered. Charmander spat a series of small fire bullets that cut through the smoke and hit each disc precisely in the sky. The pieces caught fire and fell to the earth below like tiny meteorites.
"Metal Claw!" Brandon continued. Charmander sprinted over to a nearby rock. As his hand began to glow in a silver light, the tiny lizard smashed a nearby rock into hundreds of pieces and knocked each one into the air. The airborne rock fragments caught each of the fire discs perfectly and descended straight into Charmander's grasp as he caught each of his creations with precision.
"Well done," Brandon congratulated as Charmander's routine concluded. "Bulbasaur, get ready!" Bulbasaur stepped forward into a spot out in the open, marked by an "X" on the grass. Brandon pulled a nearby lever and in front of the bulb-creature, a human-shaped wooden target emerged from the ground.
"Tackle!" Brandon commanded. Bulbasaur sprinted towards the target in front of him and rammed into it head on without flinching. The board smashed into pieces effortlessly. But, the collision triggered several clay discs to be launched into the air from the backside of the target just before it broke.
"Razor leaf!" Brandon roared. A series of circular, razor-sharp leaves emerged from the sides of Bulbasaur's bulb and sliced through each of the discs; triggering the final trap. As the discs exploded into clouds of smoke, an army of darts emerged from the clouds and sped back down to earth.
"Vine whip!" Brandon followed up. Two tentacle-like vines sprouted out of the sides of Bulbasaur's bulb and deflected the darts with a deafening smack, sending them off to land in an uninhabited spot on the ground. Continuing to the final stage, Brandon pulled a rope tied to the ground, which catapulted a large boulder into the air.
"Finish off with Solar Beam!" Brandon yelled. Bulbasaur concentrated the sparkling sunlight his bulb had been taking in since the routine began and focused the harnessed energy into a dazzling cylinder beam of light that obliterated the air-borne rock into miniscule pieces that showered to the earth below.
"Excellent!" Brandon praised. Without delay, Brandon proceeded to the final performance. "Squirtle, stand-by!" Squirtle nodded in recognition of the cue and dawned his beloved sunglasses he had received from Brandon.
"Withdraw!" Brandon screamed. Immediately Squirtle pulled his arms, legs, tail and head into the slots of his shell and span around rapidly.
"Bubble Beam!" Brandon commanded. A quick stream of bubbles emerged from each of the slots of Squirtle's shell and mixed with the spinning momentum to form a spiraling vortex that ascended into the air.
"Water Gun!" Brandon yelled. Squirtle stopped his rotation on a dime and all of his limbs popped out of the shell simultaneously. Squirtle shot a steady current of water from his mouth into the air and burst each and every one of the floating bubbles in the air; causing a gentle rain of droplets to sprinkle down from the sky. Brandon pulled the same rope from Bulbasaur's routine and launched another large boulder into the air.
"Skull Bash!" Brandon roared. Squirtle sprinted toward a wooden ramp and launched himself off of it and high into the air. The blue turtle straightened himself out and prepared to collide the top of his round head with the falling boulder. The two forces met, but Squirtle emerged victorious as he smashed directly through the boulder and landed back on the grass moments before the shattered pieces could catch up with him.
The three-person crowd stood to their feet and cheered with thunderous applause and whistling to congratulate the success of the three trainees. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle stood together grinning and bowed courteously.
"That was amazing, you guys!" Tracey cheered.
"Yeah, you guys have really come a long way!" Serena added.
"I'm so proud of all of you!" Delia praised. "You aren't hurt from smashing all those rocks, are you?"
"Nah, we've gotten used to that," Bulbasaur assured with a laugh.
"You all did very well. You should be proud of how much stronger you've become these past few months," Brandon praised.
"Yeah, we were all great, I guess. But, we all know that Iwas the best!" Charmander corrected.
"Say what? No way!" Squirtle argued.
"It's true! After all, I'm the one who always wins in our sparring matches," said Charmander.
"Oh, get over yourself!" said Squirtle.
"Yeah, Charmander. Quit being such a know-it-all," said Bulbasaur.
"That's funny coming from you, Mr. Voice of Reason. You're just jealous because you know my element beats your's!" Charmander replied.
"But mine trumps your's, Char!" Squirtle interjected.
"Maybe…but I'm still stronger than you!" Charmander shrugged off.
"That's enough!" Brandon interrupted. "You each have strengths and weaknesses because that is the balance of power at work. It's that very balance that allows you to stand on equal ground with one another."
"But Charmander started it, Brandon!" Bulbasaur whined.
"That doesn't justify your retaliation," Brandon stated. "I know I taught you that there's nothing to be gained by arguing. You three should understand that quite well by now,"
"Yes, sir…," Bulbasaur agreed shamefully.
"Hey Brandon, can we go play now, like you promised?" Squirtle asked as he tugged at Brandon's leg. Brandon sighed.
"Very well. Enjoy yourselves. You've certainly earned it," he said with a modest smile. With their teacher's approval, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur hurried off together into the open grass to play one of their usual games. As the gathering began to break up, Serena decided to take her leave without saying a word. Tracey looked over and stopped her abruptly.
"Hey, Serena! Wait up!" Tracey called out.
"Oh, hey Tracey," Serena responded.
"Where are you going?"
"Home I guess."
"Why? What's the big hurry? Why don't you stick around awhile?" Tracey noticed that she seemed much more mellow than usual.
"It's nothing against the boys or anything. Their show was great. It's just that I can't stand to be around Brandon," she explained
"Yeah, I have noticed you always seem to glare at him when he's around. What's up with that? Do you know him personally or something?"
"I do as a matter of fact."
"Really? How?"
"He's my father." Tracey's eyes widened. He stood speechless as a gust of wind brushed through his hair.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes," Serena answered.
"But why do you hate him so much? What did he do to you?" Serena gripped the shoulder strap of her bag tighter in her hands out of anger towards this question.
"He walked out on my mom and me when I was just a little girl. I was heartbroken because I loved him more than anything. He and I were so close back then," Serena began.
"He just left? Why would he do such a thing if he loved you so much?" Tracey asked.
"He never gave me a reason. All I remember was that things were getting intense in the city and he had something to do with all of it but he never told us anything. All he ever said was that he 'had an important job to do to keep us safe.' I saw him walk out the door one morning and never heard from him again. All these years it's just been my mom and I and when we finally got out of the city and moved to Pallet Town, you can imagine my surprise to see him when he showed up out of nowhere and rescued Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and me from the Invincible Brothers a few months back," Serena explained.
"But he saved you. That must mean he's never forgotten about you, right?" Tracey reasoned. Serena blew him off. She was too far gone to trust him. Her heart was too full of hate.
"That doesn't give him the right to just waltz in now and act like I must have forgotten that he abandoned my mother and me and never explained why! He acts like he's on this noble quest to save the world, but I know he's not telling us everything. Don't you get it, Tracey? This is how he manipulates people. He only lets them on to so much so they feel comfortable, but he still manages to keep them in the dark so he can toss them aside when he can't rely on people anymore to make his ends meet. My father is a deserter, and I'll never forgive him for throwing his own family aside the way he did! And now that he's here, I'm worried he'll do the same to Charmander and the others. I don't want to see that." Serena turned around on her heels before Tracie could get another word in and began walking away.
Tracey did little to stop her from leaving the scene. He could tell she was in pain, even if he was incapable of fully understanding it. Her eyes were still boiling with anger as she forced herself to remember the same pain she felt as a child; she replayed the horrible memories in her head over and over on her way home. Don't be fooled. Serena thought to herself. He'll hurt all of you, just as he did to me. To Brandon, everyone is expendable.
Brandon was resetting the equipment and mechanisms from the earlier performance when Delia approached him.
"Brandon, there's…something I want to ask you," Delia spoke.
"Proceed," Brandon replied without even turning to acknowledge her.
"When I first saw your face, I instantly remembered….what you did for me all those years ago. I have no words to express how grateful I am. I know he probably thanks you too." Brandon dropped his equipment and stood up. He looked over and watched Charmander chasing Squirtle happily in the distance while Bulbasaur watched them from the shade of a tree.
"You don't have to keep thanking me for everything, Delia. I don't help others in need for my own benefit or to feel entitled to unnecessary praise and gratitude. I do it because that's the kind of world I want the future to be. A world where everyone is treated as an equal. A place where we all stand together, as opposed to how drastically divided we are now. I want people to recognize the kindness and compassion they have within their hearts because I truly believe that our ancestors were wrong. We don't need to fend only for ourselves in order to survive. That only leads to bloodshed and hatred. I know we can survive together when we stand as one and help one another." Brandon turned to face Delia with unsettling determination in his eyes. "That is what I believe in. I'll keep fighting for the rest of my life to make my vision come true. Future generations are counting on us to pave the path that they will walk one day. We can only do so much with the time we have left. I'm making the most of mine."
"Tell me, is he still alive?" Delia asked.
"Your son? Yes, he's still around," Brandon confirmed. Delia sighed in relief. "He's becoming quite the responsible young man. Like me, he too is fighting to bring change to this world of ours that suffers and remains trapped within its own ignorance. Although his methods are somewhat different from mine, I have faith that your son will become a trailblazer in how the future of the world is shaped." Brandon turned back to his pupils. "I also believe they will shape the world in their own ways as well."
"Has he ever….thought about me?"
"I can't say for certain if he remembers you or not."
"Oh….I see," Delia lowered her head.
"Remember that he was just an infant at the time. The city has changed him. But I'm sure that when he gets the chance to meet you again, it will all come back to him."
"You mean…?" Delia began.
"I don't know when. But I do know that one day we will set all of those people free from this infernal curse. When we do, your son will come back to you. You two can be a family again," Brandon described.
"I would like that very much, Brandon. I'll look forward to that day," Delia smiled genuinely.
"When's it going to be done, Tracey? My arm's falling asleep!" Charmander asked impatiently.
"I just need to get the last few details. It'll only take another minute or so," Tracey explained. Charmander groaned loudly.
"Remind me again why we're standing still together like this," said Squirtle.
"I wanted to sketch a picture of you three. Then I'll paint it and make copies for all of us to hold on to. This way no matter how much you three grow and change in the future, we can always remember you when you were small and innocent like this," Tracey described.
"I still don't get it," Charmander objected.
"It must be a grown-up thing," Bulbasaur suggested.
"You'll appreciate the little things when you're older. Now shut up and give me a smile already! There's no point in doing this if you don't look happy!" said Tracey. The trio sighed together and smiled once again for the portrait.
The following day Tracey knocked at the door of the Ketchum residence.
"Oh, hello Tracey!" Delia greeted. "What brings you here?"
"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum. I have something I wanted to give to you. Where are the guys?" He asked.
"I think they're upstairs. Boys! Could you come down for a minute? Tracey has something for you!" Delia called out cheerfully. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle raced down the stairs and up to the doorway.
"Hi, Tracey!" they greeted together.
"Hey guys, they're all done. Here, take a look!" From his backpack, the boy pulled three golden pocket watches from his backpack.
"Uhh, what are these?" Bulbasaur asked.
"They're pocket watches. Even though you…don't have pockets, they have these gold chains so you can keep them with you at all times." Tracey pushed the button on the top and caused the cover to flip open. On one side was a clock, and the other was the final product of his sketch. It was a small, circular portrait of the boys standing together happily in the field. From left to right stood Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Charmander had his left hand resting on Squirtle's shoulder while he lifted his right hand into the air; grinning. Bulbasaur was smiling genuinely as well on the left-hand side, while Squirtle stood on the far-right with his arms crossed across his chest. He had his sunglasses resting on his forehead just above his eyes.
"Wow! Awesome!" Squirtle cheered as each received their own pocket watch.
"I also have one for you, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey informed. He pulled out the same picture, but in a portrait size with a frame around the borders.
"Oh, it's just perfect, Tracey! I'll find the perfect place to put this!" Delia declared. As she dashed around the house, she stopped in the kitchen when she glanced at the calendar and instantly remembered something. She was reminded of an important event that day. How could she have forgotten about it so easily? Mrs. Ketchum eventually resolved to place Tracey's picture on the mantle above the fireplace in the family room. She then quickly rejoined the group in the hallway.
"Now, you boys go get freshened up! We've got big plans tonight!" Delia announced. She winked to Tracie, instantly reminding him.
"Huh? What's happening tonight?" Charmander asked curiously.
"Oh you'll find out soon enough!" Delia promised. Later that afternoon, Mrs. Ketchum and Tracey led the boys blindfolded to a mystery destination.
"Where are we going?" Squirtle asked.
"Just hang tight, we're almost there!" Tracey assured.
Upon later removing their blindfolds, the boys found themselves sitting at a table in one of Pallet Town's most popular restaurants.
"You're…taking us out to dinner?" Bulbasaur guessed. "What's the occasion?"
"You don't remember?" Delia asked. The three shook their heads. "It's the anniversary. It was two years ago today that we met. We've been a family for two years now!"
"Wow….I guess that is pretty special," Squirtle said warmly.
As the dinner carried on, Squirtle began to notice the waiters of the restaurant neglecting to serve several of the tables; including their own. The turtle kept shifting his gaze elsewhere when one of them would glare at him ominously. Something was not right. The gentle hum of the numerous conversations in the restaurant was instantly silenced by the thunderous slamming of doors as each of the exits were sealed off; preventing anyone from entering or leaving the establishment. As the room was filled with echoing shrieks and mumbling fear, two figures stood up on tables in the center of the large room.
"Citizens of Pallet Town. It has come to our attention that your town is harboring several deviants wanted for crimes against a higher establishment!" one of the figures shouted in a feminine voice. The woman pointed her gloved finger directly at the table where Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Tracey, Delia and Brandon were seated. So, they've finally decided to show themselves. Brandon thought to himself.
"It is only fair to warn you that if you do not hand them over to us immediately, we will burn this establishment down to the ground!" the other figure threatened in a male voice. "So if you value your lives, you better act quickly!"
"Just who are you people!?" A random man shouted from the crowd.
"I'm glad you asked…," the woman replied. "To inflict the world with devastation!" The woman began.
"To protect humanity from utmost destruction!" said the woman.
"To unite all people under his nation!" the man added.
"To denounce the weakness of truth and love!"
"To extend his reach to the stars above!" the woman tore off her hat and trench coat to reveal her identity.
"Jessie!" she shouted. Jessie was a tall, slender woman wearing a black uniform with a large red "R" across her chest. The woman's hair was magenta and absurdly long; curling and stretching down to her waste. The man next to her also removed his disguise to show his true appearance.
"James!" the man declared loudly. James was the same height as his partner. He also wore a black uniform with an "R" on his chest. His long, straight, purple hair extended to the bottom of his neck.
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie yelled.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" James added enthusiastically. Jessie placed her gloved finger to her ear and spoke into a blue-tooth headpiece.
"Commence the operation," she spoke quietly into it.
"Understood," a voice buzzed through the device. The prisoners of the restaurant watched in horror as the suspicious waiters tore off their disguises to reveal themselves as affiliates of Team Rocket and lit several of the wooden structures of the building on fire. Screams of terror and paranoia burst out in the crowd as people ran helplessly around the room; searching aimlessly for an unsealed exit.
"It really was a simple request," James stated aloud to his partner; he turned to her.
"Let them squirm all they want," Jessie replied. She pulled out a pistol from her holster. "I already have the targets in sight." The long-haired woman pointed her weapon at the Ketchum family's table.
"Okay you three, just as we discussed! Charmander, go!" Brandon shouted.
"Right!" the orange lizard obliged. Charmander ran out in front of the table and started waving his arms in the air. "Hey, lady! You want me? Come and get me!" he taunted.
"With pleasure," Jessie remarked with a devious grin. Jessie began firing the pistol. Several electric orbs burst out of the weapon towards Charmander. She continued to fire as Charmander ran, jumped, and dodged each incoming blast with ease.
"Bulbasaur, go!" Brandon ordered.
"I'm on it!" Bulbasaur acknowledged. In the blink of an eye, Bulbasaur extended the vines from his bulb and whipped Jessie's wrist, causing her to release the weapon.
"Why you little!" Jessie yelled in frustration as she nursed her hand. Bulbasaur's vine caught the weapon before it hit the floor and instantly launched it back towards the table.
"Brandon, catch!" Bulbasaur shouted. Brandon caught the pistol and instantly began firing at each of the henchmen around the restaurant with precision. Each blast hit one man and the electric orb instantly paralyzed their entire bodies; causing them to tip over and hit the floor helplessly with a thud like a row of dominoes.
"You won't get away so easily!" Jessie barked.
"Quick, Jessie! Resort to plan B!" James suggested.
"I know, I know!" Jessie scolded. From her back pocket, Jessie pulled out a small, baseball-sized orb in an ominous purple color that sported the same menacing "R" insignia.
"The time has come! Pursue the targets, Rhydon!" Jessie commanded as she threw the ball with a flick of her wrist. The ball opened up and in a glow of white light, a large creature took form and emerged; causing the entire building to tremor as the creature landed on the ground with a tremendous thud. The creature was a large bipedal rhinoceros with claws, fangs, muscular forearms, a serpent-like tail, and a tan-colored chest with circular line patterns running across it. But the monster's most menacing feature, rivaled only by its crimson eyes, was the sharp, drill-shaped horn protruding out from its forehead. "Rhydon, make short work of these brats!" Jessie ordered.
"With pleasure…," Rhydon agreed; smirking menacingly. Rhydon leaped high into the air and angled his trajectory to land right on top of Charmander. The small lizard panicked, but leapt out of the way with little time to spare as Rhydon smashed his fist directly into the ground with stupendous power that caused Charmander to lose his balance. "You gonna come quietly, kid?" Rhydon asked. Charmander stood to his feet and released a large burst of flame from his mouth; aiming at Rhydon. A direct hit. When the fire cleared, Charmander was shocked to see that the fire had inflicted no burns or pain at all to his opponent.
"Cute. But now it's my turn!" Rhydon declared. The creature raised both hands directly in front of him. Suddenly, Rhydon's body became encompassed in white light. The white energy split from his body and formed into two rings of pointed energy orbs that began to orbit around his body. The white light faded around the orbs and revealed them to have formed into multiple sharp, gray rock shards. "Stealth rock!" Rhydon roared. Thrusting his arms in Charmander's direction, Rhydon fired the rocks at the tiny lizard at lightning speed as they drilled through the air like bullets. Charmander attempted to dodge the projectiles but was simply too slow to escape them all. Rhydon continued to launch wave after wave. With each hit Charmander took, he could quickly feel his body quitting on him. His body took more and more of the shards head-on. The pain was far greater than Charmander could have imagined. Eventually, it was too much. Charmander fainted and collapsed to the restaurant floor; took weak to move. What was that? Charmander wondered. Why did those attacks hurt me so much? I should be able to take more of a beating than just a few rocks, shouldn't I?
Rhydon stomped over and picked his opponent up by the neck with one arm. Charmander winced as Rhydon's razor sharp claws dug into his skin.
"I was hopin you'd put up more of a fight than that!" Rhydon taunted. "What a disappointing subject you turned out to be!" Rhydon's free claw began to glow as the monster prepared to deliver the final blow. Winding up his fist and building the momentum, Rhydon paused his attack when a voice called out from the background.
"Leave him alone!" Bulbasaur called out. Before Rhydon could turn to seek out the source of the interruption, two vines flew through the air and whipped the creatures back with outstanding might. The attack was powerful enough that Rhydon released his grip on Charmander and kneeled over in pain. Still completely immobilized, Charmander watched the fight lying flat on the ground with his eyelids halfway shut in fatigue.
"Arrrrrggghhhh!" Rhydon roared out in pain. The rhino creature turned to face Bulbasaur behind him.
"Leave my brother alone!" Bulbasaur commanded. Giving Rhydon no time to respond, Bulbasaur launched out several razor leaves that struck Rhydon directly in the chest. Rhydon fell onto his backside, wincing from the pain. "You're gonna…pay for that, punk!" Rhydon cursed under his breath as he steadily regained his balance to face his new opponent. While Bulbasaur held Rhydon's attention, Delia, Tracie, and Squirtle executed the remainder of Brandon's plan.
"Rockets! Face me!" Brandon roared as he step forward with his acquired pistol aimed at the duo still standing atop the tables.
"You've eluded us long enough!" James remarked. James pulled his own pistol from his holster and began firing electric orbs at Brandon. Brandon ducked behind nearby tables for cover as he dodged the blasts. Jessie leapt into the air and landed at Brandon's side; slightly startling him. She pulled out a long sword from the case on her back and swiftly began slicing and slashing at him. In a flash, Brandon reached for a steak knife on the table behind him and used it to counter Jessie's sword attacks just in time to save himself from being sliced in half. Now, Brandon found himself trapped amongst dodging James' pistol blasts, returning fire of his own with one hand, and countering Jessie's sword swings with a lone knife in his other hand. The odds were definitely not in Brandon's favor. But it didn't matter to him. This isn't a fight I need to win. He told himself. I just need to buy us enough time.
With Bulbasaur and Brandon both locked in combat with the enemy, Squirtle, Tracey, and Delia snuck away safely. As the fights raged on, the building was beginning crumble and fall apart around them as the fire ate through the wooden interior. Large chunks of burning wood fell from the ceiling, nearly crushing several people.
"Squirtle, we can still get these people out of here but you need to clear away an opening in this fire!" Tracey yelled over the roaring inferno. Squirtle approached one of locked double-door exits; which was now blocked by a wall of fire. Squirtle took a deep breath, but only shot bubbles at the flames. No! Not now! I can't do it! What if we don't get out in time? Squirtle kneeled over and shut his eyes as fear began to consume his thoughts. Suddenly, Brandon's words echoed in his mind as he remembered back to the first trial in Brandon's training. Stop limiting yourself to failure! You must learn to strive for the peak of your ability!
Squirtle put on his sunglasses. Water Gun. He stood to his feet, inhaled, and shot out a tremendous burst of water that scorched the flames and instantly extinguished them. There. The small turtle thought to himself. That's my power. I can do this. Wasting no time, Squirtle continued firing his water attacks and cleared away all the flames he could see. Once the door was clear, Squirtle took a few steps back to prepare for his next attack. The small turtle sprinted towards the door and launched head-first at it with his Skull Bash technique. The doors shattered effortlessly as Squirtle smashed open an escape route. Tracie and Delia began trafficking people out through the opening. Once the restaurant was clear, Tracie and Delia took their leave, but stopped when they noticed Squirtle was not with them.
"Squirtle! Come on!" Tracey called out to the small blue turtle.
"You guys go! I can still save this place before it collapses!" Squirtle reasoned. Delia took a step forward, but Tracey stopped her with his arm and shook his head; signaling for her to let him go. The mother sighed but decided to trust in her son. Be careful, Squirtle…
Squirtle continued to put out the rest of the fire while the two fights began to reach their decisive ends. Brandon swept his leg low off the ground and tripped Jessie off her feet. As she hit the floor, she looked up and saw Brandon catch her sword. Simultaneously, he blasted James with his pistol; paralyzing his distant opponent. Brandon pointed the tip of Jessie's sword at her throat.
"This fight is over!" Brandon declared.
"But the war rages on!" Jessie retorted. She pressed a button on her belt, causing it to flash in a red light and release a stream of smoke. Brandon covered his face with his arm to prevent himself from inhaling the gas. As he stepped out of the cloud of smoke, Brandon saw that Jessie had vanished. He looked around to notice that James and the handful of uniformed troops had instantly vanished as well.
Rhydon had taken enough of a beating from Bulbasaur's attacks that he was now kneeling in pain. He had managed to deliver a few devastating blows to his opponent, which left Bulbasaur vulnerable as well. Rhydon stood up and prepared to strike Bulbasaur one final time, but stopped when a small red beacon on his forehead just above his horn began to blink and beep loudly.
"Arrrgh, you got lucky this time, kids. But next time we meet, I'll flatten the lot of ya!" Rhydon vowed as he got to his feet and crashed through a nearby wall to make his escape.
Bulbasaur and Squirtle picked up Charmander over their shoulders and limped out of the restaurant together. Upon exiting the building, they were greeted to a cheering crowd as well as the congratulatory hugs of Delia and Tracey.
"I'm so glad you boys are alright!" said Delia.
"That was amazing! You guys saved the restaurant, and halfthe town!" Tracey praised.
"That was an impressive display of your training. I'm proud of all of you," Brandon added.
"Are you boys alright? You're not hurt too badly, are you?" Delia asked worriedly.
"Well, Bulbasaur and I are okay…..but Charmander isn't….," Squirtle pointed out as they looked at their wounded sibling leaning on his brothers' shoulders.
"Let's head home and take care of him right away!" Delia instructed as she picked Charmander up. The group nodded their heads in agreement and began jogging back to the Ketchum household. Brandon waved and acknowledged the grateful cheers and whistles of the crowd as they passed by. Although Charmander was extremely weak, he wasn't unconscious. He had seen everything as it played out. Even though technically it was a victory over the mysterious attackers, it certainly felt like a defeat to him.