Chapter 11: Unexpected Alliances
Determined not to speak to Jonathan until he decided to speak to her first, Ashimi rushed through Saffron City in a taxi. It was the fastest route to get to Celadon City, though she was tempted to just swim round the peninsula's border. She didn't know if virtual people could swim, but she was probably enough of a good swimmer to carry Zero on her back if she had to, though they could probably get a boat or something. But that would be silly, she refused to metaphorically cross the road just so she could avoid walking directly next to Johnny, but she also refused to get out of the cab until she carefully examined the street to make sure a certain blue-violet haired boy wasn't around. Volt wasn't sure what in the world was going on, but he had a feeling that the cool and confident trainer who had bested him in battle was having a rather childish moment.
Volt didn't have time to give it too much thought during the taxi ride though, as his gaze kept going to Zero and how still he was, as if in a trance. Lights seemed to flash in his odd eyes which he blinked only purposefully and never involuntarily. He stared at the light and thought he could make out the vague silhouettes of ones and zeros. That lasted until Ashimi commented on the video that had been playing on her tablet, looked to him to see why he wasn't replying and realized he had been ignoring her pokemon battle conversation. She preceded to attempt to elbow him in the ribs, which ended up being in the stomach since he was noticeably taller. Thus the trip continued with such little antics taking place now and then, but still, nothing of vital importance occurred during the taxi ride or their inevitable short stops along the way.
Eventually Ashimi, Volt and Zero arrived at Celadon City. Ashimi was thinking about going straight to the gym, but a message on her phone made her pause. Earlier, Volt had received a text that made him cringe, but had gotten over it quickly enough, calling it nothing and not revealing what it was about. Now for Ashimi there were the usual words of encouragement from her parents and grandmother, but also something else, a message from her grandfather. Giovanni only ever messaged her if he had a reason to, and the reason was often very good or very bad. She wondered if her progress wasn't fast enough or if he somehow knew she was going on foot and taxi and disapproved of her inability to work with the Rocket agent that was supposed to be assisting her. Yet Giovanni didn't mention anything about it. She didn't doubt he knew because he found out about everything, albeit he appeared to be ignoring the situation and leaving it up to her to resolve.
Giovanni's message was actually somewhat humorous in tone, which was a pleasant surprise for Ashimi. 'Surge emailed me saying you destroyed his gym and inspired his son to become your follower. Good job on both accounts, here's a reward.' Ashimi laughed and showed Volt the message to see his reaction.
"What? I didn't say that! I told dad I was considering traveling with you to the next city. I figure he'd know who you are since he knows Giovanni and Ash and... Well, there's my brother's job as Team Rocket's military general." Volt wondered just how upset about the mess left behind at the gym his father really was. He gave him a scolding, not really for the result of the battle, but because of the state the gym's floor was left in, which was his job as the official gym leader to repair, but he didn't actually tell him to go back and fix it, instead advising him to make the best of his journey. Volt was on the fence about Team Rocket and the same could be said about his opinion on Ashimi at first. Before their battle, he didn't really know her, aside from knowing of her name and existence, so he didn't judge her until now. When she won he was impressed with her skill and resourcefulness. He began to think she wasn't bad at all, but that wasn't really the point. The point, or rather points, were what his father thought and what Giovanni thought.
What if Surge was allowing this journey to encourage him to join the Rocket military and hopefully achieve a rank like that of his brother? He kept talking about how they couldn't just pretend the Rockets weren't there and how the best they could do was join them and thus help shape them, turn them into something better over time, but Volt wondered if it was possible to achieve that by serving the Rocket empire, rather than somehow facing it. Albeit how exactly it could be faced was not something he knew the answer to. As for Giovanni, was he encouraging Ashimi to try to turn him to their side? Would she try? No, she didn't appear to be sneaky like that and if she had some plans, showing him the message would be counter-productive.
"Well, it's decided!" Ashimi suddenly declared. "We're going to the Celadon City shopping center! I might as well put this reward to good use! Hey Volt, since I couldn't have gotten this without you, I'll get you a present. Oh and Zero, I'm going to get you the cutest gijinka hat!" There it was again, that glow of mischief in her eyes. Zero took an automatic step back, but no one seemed to notice. Ashimi looked at her phone again to see if there were any more messages and found something odd... Blocked messages? Her service provider was Team Rocket, their satellite had the best anti spam technology with real Porygon-Z sorting the messages, rather than a program.
Ashimi didn't need to block anyone, so why was there something other than a zero there? She gasped, suddenly remembering that in a moment of anger she had blocked Johnny. She unblocked him and looked through the messages, but it seemed like he was busy with Rocket business and that she should call him when and if she wanted him to return. The stubborn side of her wanted to just wait for him to show up like he always did, but she knew that wasn't fair. She was the one that told him to leave her alone after all, so she could prove herself. Maybe her battle with Volt and the acknowledgement she received was proof enough. If that was the case then it was time to make peace. She sent a message and put her phone away, glancing at the case as she did. She knew Johnny was probably in the middle of Rocket business and had to get it done before joining her, but that was okay. Then with renewed determination and cheer, Ashimi hurried to the Celadon City shopping center...
xoxox xox xoxox
Two hours later, Volt left the Celadon City shopping center running like a panicked maniac. Ashimi pouted and watched him go. "All I did was ask him to try on a gijinka hat..." Zero walked up next to her and pointed towards someone who happened to be hidden behind a mountain of plush toys.
Ashimi walked around it and found Dorme, giggling and enjoying some pictures on her phone. Dorme looked up from her task and shrugged. "Did you know Volt is Thor's little brother?"
"Thor?" Ashimi inquired.
"General Electro, from Team Rocket," Dorme specified.
"Oh, him..." Ashimi had heard rumors about the general and he didn't sound anything like Volt. "So why were you taking pictures of Volt in hats?"
"If he grows up to be like his brother, I'll have blackmail to defend myself," Dorme grinned victoriously. "He probably noticed the pictures and thinks Thor bullied me into spying on him or something. He was probably afraid I'd report he was lazing about trying on hats instead of training to recover from his recent defeat. The progress report of your journey was meant for Giovanni, but you know how the Viridian pokemon doctor is, Laiki has a talent for intercepting gossip and shared the information with a few of us. Also, pretty good training session before the gym match I'll admit, but I've been training too!"
"Alright, I'll take that as a request for a rematch!" Ashimi assumed, though she wasn't far from the truth. "There's only one problem, Volt left and it's going to be difficult carrying all my shopping bags on my own. If I can just get them to the pokemon center, I can mail them from there."
Dorme crossed her arms with a look of disapproval. "I'm not going to carry your stuff around. Why did you buy so much gijinka stuff anyway? Just look at all this... All those poke-hats and dolls and... An eeveelution charm bracelet, it's so cute! Ehem..." Dorme put on a serious expression again, after her small fangirlish outburst. "I'll help you carry your things for a price..."
"The bracelet?" Ashimi sighed, already knowing the answer.
"Good offer," Dorme smiled.
"Oh, alright... C'mon Zero, we're ready to... go? Zero?" Ashimi spotted the boy staring off into space, tiny lights reflected in his eyes. "Zero, what's up?" She shook his shoulder as if to wake him.
"Oh... Hey... I was just doing some debugging," Zero replied.
"But you did that during the whole taxi ride. Are you okay?" Ashimi frowned in concern.
"It's nothing!" Zero smiled, though it was a lot more than nothing. He was only a prototype and not entirely a successful one. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," Ashimi put a Pichu hat on Zero's head, "now we match."
Dorme observed the scene with curiosity. That boy, his hair, his eyes, his chibi-like form. "Aw, what a little cutie, he's like a doll."
"He's a virtual boy made by Team Rocket, not quite a Porygon though, but he does have integrated pokedex functions," Ashimi patted Zero on the head as if he was her brand new toy.
"A virtual being... Made like a Porygon, but human? I had no idea Team Rocket could do that. I want one!" Dorme squealed.
Zero pouted, which only made him look cuter. "I'm not just a doll, you know."
His claim was met with a chorus of "aw!" from Ashimi and Dorme.
xoxox xox xoxox
Ashimi, Dorme and Zero made it to the pokemon center and dropped off Ashimi's purchases, then they went out to find a spot for Ashimi and Dorme's rematch. They found a spot to have their battle in front of the Celadon gym, which was at the moment closed. "Go Hitmonlee!" Dorme released her fighter from his pokeball. "This time I'll win! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!"
"I wonder if the gym will be open tomorrow..." Ashimi stared at the sign on the door as if she had momentarily forgotten what she was doing.
"I detect the presence of pokemon inside, though I can only track them if they are outside of their pokeballs. Venusaur and Exeggutor were called out just now," Zero revealed.
Dorme glared daggers at her opponent. "Never mind the gym! You should be thinking about our battle!"
"Huh? Oh right, this should be a good warm up!" Ashimi wondered if she could get Clefable to battle, she hadn't really made any progress, but it couldn't be forced. Thinking better of it, she decided to send out her Meowth. "Furball, I choose you!"
The doors of the gym suddenly opened and a pair of vine whips emerged from the darkness within wrapping around Ashimi and Dorme, pulling them inside. "After them!" Zero hurried inside, followed by the surprised Hitmonlee, Furball and Pichu, who had fallen off Ashimi's head when she was suddenly taken.
The Celadon gym was like a green house on the inside. The scent of flowers was all around and the feeling of humidity hung in the air. The vine whips released Ashimi and Dorme to stand on one side of a pokemon battle arena. On the other side there were two girls. One of them appeared to be the gym leader, Kirameki, wearing one of the elegant kimonos she was known for. Her long straight black hair reached down to her waist and her light brown eyes had a sharp look to them, unlike the gentle kindness she was rumored to possess. "You have selected Meowth and Hitmonlee," Kirameki spoke. "Let the battle commence!"
"What?" Ashimi and Dorme exclaimed in confusion. Zero, Hitmonlee, Furball and Pichu watched the scene, unsure of how to react. However, what shocked them the most was not the gym leader's unexpected declaration of a team battle, but the identity of her partner. "Daala!" Ashimi and Dorme exclaimed simultaneously. They gave each other odd looks, as if questioning how the other knew her.
"I've been investigating Daala's actions. She seems to be an odd combination between mask-less vigilante and pokemon trainer for hire, kind of like a traveling mercenary of sorts, but without the oversized sword," Dorme explained.
"If you've been following her, then you must have noticed she's out to get Team Rocket, especially me it seems." Ashimi realized that would explain why she kept running into Dorme. Even if Daala took on other jobs on the side, Ashimi was her target and Dorme was investigating Daala while taking care of a few other Rocket duties, so it was to be expected that they'd run into each other. However it didn't look like Dorme was trying to directly confront Daala as much as keep an eye on her movements, as if trying to get information from her indirectly. That could only mean that what Ashimi knew was only a part of something bigger.
"Get your head in the game, Ashimi," Zero cautioned.
Ashimi woke from her racing thoughts and focused on the present. Dorme had said something, but she only half heard it and now Kirameki was speaking. "Miss Daala's personal business is irrelevant to me. I have hired her as my partner in battle and that is all there is to it." She giggled cutely, as Kirameki was known to do, but it felt forced, like an act. "Should you choose to forfeit the battle, I shall deny you the chance of obtaining a rainbow badge."
"That's not fair!" Ashimi protested, "it's not like I was going to back down anyway!" She would have the element advantage if she sent out Chari, but Kirameki had already decided that the selected pokemon were Meowth, aka Furball, and Hitmonlee. It didn't matter, Furball was strong, he could still win, but what about Dorme? Ashimi looked at her, the problem wasn't her skill as a pokemon trainer, it was the aspect of effectively working together.
"Looks like they want to take us both out at once. I won't fall that easily, try to stay out of my way, Ashimi." Dorme hastily begun the battle. "Hitmonlee, use jump kick!"
"No, don't!" Ashimi called out, but it was too late.
"I told you not to get in my way!" Dorme snapped. Hitmonlee dashed forward and jumped into the air. It looked as if his kick was right on target.
"Venusaur, grab him with vine whip!" Daala's pokemon stretched out her vines and caught Hitmonlee in the air.
"Exeggutor, tie up Hitmonlee with grass knot!" Kirameki followed up.
Hitmonlee was tossed aside, wrapped in vines. Ashimi let out a breath with an, "I told you so..."
"Venusaur, charge up your solar beam!" Daala made good use of the distraction to prepare for the next attack.
"Don't underestimate me!" Dorme growled. "Break free, Hitmonlee!" The pokemon struggled for a moment, then drew his legs apart, breaking the vines, and hopped to his feet. "Blaze kick!"
"Use egg bomb, Exeggutor!" Kirameki called out in a hurry. Her pokemon reacted fast and released the explosive sphere towards Hitmonlee.
"Jump over it, Hitmonlee!" Feeling energized and ready for payback, Hitmonlee jumped high, his legs glowing with the heat of the upcoming attack.
"No, don't jump over! Roll under!" Ashimi called out.
"Solar beam!" Daala's Venusaur released the massive beam of energy, which collided with its target.
Hitmonlee fell to the ground in pain. "Hitmonlee! Ashimi, stop meddling and do something!"
"I would if you weren't planning to have Hitmonlee turn on Furball the second I send him out there!" Ashimi shouted back.
"What?" Dorme was taken aback, but she had a hand in the cookie jar expression that revealed Ashimi's theory wasn't wrong. "How did you even know?"
"Easy, that look on your face is like a pokemon using nasty plot," Ashimi replied. "That and the fact that you kept eyeing Furball instead of looking at your opponents. They dragged us here from a distance with vine whip. Plus from her position at the far end of the arena, Venusaur would have trouble aiming low because she'd probably end up hitting the ground before reaching the target, but shifting to the right, left or up wouldn't be much of a problem."
"Oh..." Dorme frowned. She hated to admit it, but those were pretty good observations.
"Incoming!" Zero reminded them that a battle was still actively taking place.
Exeggutor had released a series of seed bombs right at Hitmonlee before he could recover from the solar beam. "Furball, get Hitmonlee out of there!" The Meowth rushed into action, pushing Hitmonlee out of the way. He got hit a few times with the seed bombs as a result, but Hitmonlee was shielded from further damage, the fighting pokemon probably wouldn't have been able to take a hit like that after all he had endured. "Exeggutor's long range attacks are a problem."
Dorme clenched her fists as her sides and looked at the battle intensely. Blaze kick would have the type advantage, but Hitmonlee would have to get close to get a good hit in and then it would have to be a very strong one. "Hitmonlee, meditate and get ready." Though the area was open to attacks, Hitmonlee trusted in his trainer and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes. "I'll take him out, just give me one shot."
Ashimi looked at Dorme unsure, considering her offer for a moment. If she was done playing the rival and ready to battle seriously, could she keep her word? Hitmonlee was strong, but he was at his limit. Daala and Kirameki were on the attack again, there was no time to consider this further. "Alright, one shot. Furball, thunderbolt full power non-stop!" Furball was surrounded by electricity, shooting off one bolt of lightning after another without rest. The power was overwhelming, though it was consequently depleting Furball's energy reserves fast. Daala and Kirameki were forced to go on the defensive, doing what they could to give their pokemon directions in dodging the incoming onslaught. Even Zero was far less quiet than usual, cheering along with Pichu.
Hitmonlee opened his eyes, feeling energized. He got on his feet and looked at the storm of electricity before him. "Go Hitmonlee!" Dorme sent him on the attack. Hitmonlee dashed forward, just as Furball's thunder storm died down. "Blaze kick!" Before Exeggutor could recover, Hitmonlee delivered a devastating blow that knocked him out completely. "Well done, Hitmonlee!"
"No way! Exeggutor return!" Kirameki looked frustrated and angry, her deadly glare a far cry from the delicate and serene expression the gym leader was said to always wear.
"It's not over yet!" Daala's voice rung out furiously. "Venusaur, earthquake!"
The ground began to shake violently. Furball was lightheaded from all the energy he used and couldn't react right away. "Hitmonlee, grab that cat and jump, go for the final strike, hi jump kick!" Dorme urgently commanded. Hitmonlee scooped Furball into his arms, taking the beginning to the earthquake's effects on by himself. Then he jumped and with the last of his energy aimed his final kick at the center of Venusaur's head. Exhausted from the effort and from all the damage he took, Hitmonlee fainted at Venusaur's feet, but his last effort was not in vain.
"Venusaur, finish this, tackle them!" Daala urged.
Furball didn't have any more energy to give after the series of massive electric attacks he released. But he could still use his claws, even if he was exhausted. "Furball, slash Venusaur to bits!" Before Venusaur could recover from the daze of Hitmonlee's kick, Furball went on a relentless attack with the last of his energy. Venusaur cried out in pain, but was unable to defend herself and finally succumbed to defeat. Furball was left breathing heavily, barely able to stand after the great strain, but he was feeling satisfied. "Yes! We won!" Ashimi cheered, her voice mixing with Zero and Pichu, and even Dorme joined the victorious celebration.
Kirameki slipped away while they were enjoying their victory and it was Daala who got their attention. "Well done, but your victory will be short lived. Go Houndour, set this whole green house of a gym aflame!" Leaving a wall of fire to cover her exit, Daala made her escape through the gym's back door.
"Hitmonlee, return!" Dorme hastily called back her pokemon.
"Furball return!" Ashimi recalled her pokemon as well, and called out another one. Squirtle, I choose you!" The flames were spreading fast, with plenty of plants that made perfect fuel for the fire. Squirtle squeaked in fright and retreated into his shell. "You've got to be kidding me, not now!"
"Never mind the gym, we need to get out of here!" Dorme urged, coughing with the smoke. She dashed towards the front doors of the gym only to find them locked. "Why is this closed? Where did Kirameki disappeared to anyway?" They had been so focused on Daala's attack that they haven't thought to look for the gym leader.
"Maybe you can knock the door down with a pokemon?" Zero suggested.
"I can knock it down myself!" Dorme attacked the door with a series of hard kicks and forced it open. "I guess Thor's training paid off after all, but I still hate that guy. Hey, Ashimi, let's get moving!"
"I can't!" Ashimi was heading deeper into the spreading flames, with an uncooperative Squirtle in her arms. "I heard someone calling for help, maybe Kirameki is still in here after all."
"I thought she was the one who ran off and locked us in. Daala went the other way so it couldn't have been her," Dorme rushed to join Ashimi despite her arguments. "We have to get out now."
"Ashimi, are you sure you didn't just hear Daala trying to confuse you?" Zero guessed.
"No, I'm sure I," Ashimi coughed through the smoke. "I'm sure I heard someone. Chari, I choose you!" The Charmeleon emerged from her pokeball. "You're a fire type, so the heat won't bother you as much. There's someone trapped here, could you get them out? I think the voice came from that way." Chari nodded and dashed through the flames in the direction Ashimi pointed.
Fed up with the situation and Squirtle's inaction, Pichu hopped into Squirtle's shell and shocked him out. The little turtle jumped right out of his shell, leaving a surprised Ashimi holding the empty shell. In his panic, Squirtle started shooting his water gun in every direction, soon diminishing the flames. Chari returned from her rescue mission, helping Kirameki make her way to them. Fortunately, Squirtle's wild water gun rampage proved to be strong enough to put out the rest of the flames. Chari looked at the empty shell her trainer held, blinked in confusion, then looked at Squirtle. Their eyes met for a moment before Chari closed her eyes and covered her face. Squirtle turned bright pink, then rushed back into his shell where he hid.
"I didn't even know Squirtle could do that..." Dorme finally voiced.
"I believe it is rare, but yes, a few Squirtle have been found to be able to come out of their shell completely. In this case it's not surprising because the shell is fake," Zero explained.
"Fake?!" Ashimi loudly exclaimed.
"Yeah, maybe his original shell was broken by an accident or a bigger and tougher pokemon who tried to make him dinner," Zero theorized. "Maybe that's why he's so scared."
"A shell-less traumatized Squirtle, you sure got the short end of the stick with that one," Dorme laughed.
"Maybe he'll grow a new shell when he evolves into Warturtle." Ashimi hoped so for Squirtle's sake. She only got a glimpse, but that scar on his back looked nasty, the poor dear must have suffered a lot at such a young age. 'Maybe this Squirtle was given to me on purpose to see how well I could train him,' Ashimi thought. "Don't worry Squirtle, I'll help you conquer your fear and you'll be strong!' With that promise in her heart, Ashimi return Squirtle to his pokeball.
"Well I guess you learned not to hire someone like Daala," Dorme huffed.
"What are you talking about?" Kirameki looked both frightened and confused.
Upon taking a second look, Dorme noticed something that would have been obvious if not for all the oddities going on. "Your kimono is a different color."
Chari gave a short explanation, which Zero translated. "Chari says this girl was tied up when she found her."
"Then the one we battled did escape the gym through the front doors," Dorme realized.
"I don't know what's going on," Kirameki softly voiced. "There was a red haired girl, she attacked me. I tried to fight her off, but she knocked out my pokemon, then she knocked me out too. When I woke up I was tied up and the gym was up in flames!"
"A red haired girl..." Ashimi mused aloud.
"Not like you, her hair was crimson red instead of red-orange," Kirameki clarified.
"She must have been the fake Kirameki, a wig and a kimono was all it took to trick us. I can't believe they got away," Dorme frowned in frustration.
"But we beat them in battle!" Ashimi tried to look at the positive side.
Kirameki let out a tired breath. "At least it's all over. I thank you for saving me and putting the fire out. It looks like I'll have a lot of rebuilding to do around here. It's not much, but please accept these rainbow badges as a token of my gratitude. It sounds like you beat the trainer who was able to beat me, so you've more than earned them." The rightful Celadon gym leader pulled out two badges from the sleeves of her kimono and gave them to Ashimi and Dorme. Though Dorme wasn't there for a badge, she accepted it anyway and just played along, while Ashimi made a victorious pose. The Celadon gym would be closed for a while for repairs, but at least the real Kirameki wasn't injured and her pokemon would recover.
To be Continued
Dorme's mention of an oversized sword is a reference to the various mercenary video game characters who like to carry big swords... I never get tired of them. In Bulbapedia, Hitmonlee's attack appears listed as hi jump kick rather than high jump kick, it's probably because of the character limit or something, but I decided to go with the name from the game. As with my previous story, I've been using Bulbapedia for reference information for the battles and some creative license for the attacks like they do in the anime. Many thanks to the people who contribute and maintain Bulbapedia, I wouldn't be able to write pokemon battles with more than a few tired old attacks without it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this story is already past the half way point, but there are still most twists and turns to come! Chapter 12: I'll Fight For You