Chapter 12:
Giovanni began the battle by tossing his first Poké Ball into the air. Once it was at the crest of its rise, the ball opened and a blue blob of energy came forth and landed on the ground in front of him. The energy soon formed into a Golem, a round brown Pokémon that looked like a boulder with arms and legs. As soon as it appeared on the battlefield, it gave the cry, "Golem!"
Mia responded by tossing out a Poké Ball, crying, "Starmie, stand by for battle!"
Starmie emerged from its Poké Ball and landed right in front of Mia. She immediately noticed Giovanni's grin as Starmie was chosen. That told her all that he needed to know about his strategy. He was going to set up Stealth Rock and rely on Golem's Sturdy special ability to survive Starmie's Water-type attack. She decided to throw him for a loop and she declared, "Since you challenged me, Giovanni, I'll give you the first move."
This declaration took Giovanni off guard and she stared back at Mia with a look of surprise on his face, as well as a little bit of concern. She must have figured out his strategy and he began to sweat. Giovanni knew that Chandelure would be the only Pokémon that would take super effective damage from Stealth Rock, but the other Pokémon could be swayed from switching in and out if it was still in play. It was a minor advantage, but it was one that he felt could be the turning point of the battle. To make things even more worrisome, all reports indicated that Leaf was not using her normal strategy, which was, ironically enough, the very strategy that Giovanni was currently employing. Still, he had to do something, and he knew that if he tried to attack Starmie with Earthquake, that it might just float over the attack and use its psychic powers to remain in the air while the Earthquake took its course. To that end, he decided that it would be best to try his original strategy and hope that Mia would be impatient and go for the quick knock out. "Golem, use Stealth Rock!" he commanded, pointing at his Pokémon.
Golem gave a cry and several silver glitters emerged from Golem's back and began to revolve around it. The glitters grew in size until they became massive rocks. The rocks then embedded themselves in the ground. Mia merely smiled as Starmie spun around as it swept along the surface of the helipad and cleared away the Stealth Rock. As Starmie sailed over the rocks, the rocks erupted from the pad, only to be broken apart by the starfish-like Pokémon's spinning. Starmie did not stop until it hit Golem squarely in the face, causing the boulder-like Pokémon to recoil and issue a grunt. Still, the Rapid Spin did next to no damage to the part Rock-type Pokémon.
"Don't back down!" Giovanni cried, annoyed that Golem seemed to feel the attack. "Use Stone Edge!"
A ring of gray stones soon surrounded Golem as it gave a cry and raised its hands. Starmie quickly returned to Mia's side of the battlefield and landed. Without missing a beat, Starmie took aim at Golem and unleashed a torrent of water right towards the large Rock/Ground-type Pokémon just as Golem launched its Stone Edge barrage. The flood of water blew through the stones, knocking them aside and some of them were even redirected back at Golem. The Hydro Pump continued on towards Golem, hitting the boulder-like Pokémon squarely in the center of mass, which also happened to be where its head was, too. Having a quadruple weakness to Water-type attacks doomed Golem since it had already taken a hit from Rapid Spin and the force of the water's impact caused it to roll backwards towards Giovanni, eventually coming to a stop at his feet, where it remained still, having been knocked unconscious. "Golem is unable to battle. Starmie is the winner," the officials declared, holding up their left hands and pointing towards Starmie.
Giovanni gritted his teeth as he scowled. He could not believe that a Pokémon with Sturdy could be taken out with one hit, even if Hydro Pump was not a one-hit K.O. move. He then remembered the Rapid Spin that Starmie had used and he growled. That had been Leaf's plan all along. She must have known that he was going to set up Stealth Rock the moment he sent out Golem. She allowed him to get the first move so he could waste it on Stealth Rock, which she would clear away with Rapid Spin, which would continue as it also hit Golem. After his initial plan failed, had been banking on the fact that Stone Edge would manage to get through to inflict some serious, if not fatal, damage on Starmie, with Golem surviving Starmie's counterattack. However, while using Rapid Spin, Starmie had landed a blow on Golem, inflicting minimal damage, but doing enough so that Sturdy would no longer come into play. It was a smart, and also obvious in hindsight, strategy.
Giovanni pulled out his Poké Ball and called back Golem. He then grabbed another ball and tossed it into the air. The next Pokémon to emerge was Electivire. He grinned as he knew that Leaf's likely counter to Electivire would be either Garchomp or Tyranitar; and when she sent out her next Pokémon, it would be in for a big surprise. Sure enough, the next Pokémon that Mia sent out was Garchomp. He then yelled to Electivire, "Electivire, use Ice Punch!"
Electricity crackled between its antennae as it began to charge towards Garchomp. As it charged, it drew back its fist, a white glow surrounding it along with some snowflakes. Garchomp looked sternly at the approaching Electric-type as Mia simply smiled and nodded.
Garchomp then stomped the ground and the entire pad began to shake and Giovanni staggered backwards a few steps, struggling to maintain his footing. Even the officials had a hard time maintaining their footing. The same could not be said about Mia, though, who stood tall through the entire attack. Electivire, however, had the most difficult time maintaining its balance during the attack. Being an Electric-type hurt as well since it was weak to Ground-type attacks, which Earthquake was. As a result, the move took down Electivire in one hit. "Electivire is unable to battle. Garchomp is the winner!" cried the officials.
Giovanni gritted his teeth and began to look concerned. He had lost two Pokémon in rapid succession and Mia's Pokémon had not come anywhere close to breaking a sweat against him. His Pokémon were like children going up against adults. Before choosing his next Pokémon, he carefully went over all of his options and plans, realizing that this next battle would be crucial.
Meanwhile, down in the lower levels of the base, Ash made his way towards the stairwell that would hopefully take him up to Mia. He soon found the stairwell and stopped for a second, prompting his Pokémon to stop with him. He then stood perfectly still and closed her eyes, his twin bond with Mia flaring. He soon got the sensation that she was at the top of the base, battling Giovanni. She did not seem to be in danger, but he did not want to take any chances. Wasting no time, he ran into the stairwell and ascended the stairs. As he was running, Pikachu and Charizard came up behind him, asking a question of him in their own language. He did not need a Pokédex translation to know what they were asking.
"Mia is at the top of the building battling Giovanni," he told them. "We have to get to her as quickly as possible."
Charizard soon grunted another question. Ash almost frowned, knowing exactly what he was asking. "It's not that simple," he answered. "Yes she managed to beat Giovanni numerous times before. But doesn't mean that she'll beat Giovanni this time. First off, there are likely going to be a lot of Rockets going up to support Giovanni. Second of all, Giovanni will have likely planned for this scenario. He'll have set traps for her."
Pikachu then issued a statement in a reassuring tone using his name numerous times. Ash smiled. "I know, Pikachu. She'll likely beat Giovanni. It's what will happen after that concerns me."
The two soon made their way to the end of the stairwell, which was stated to end at the second level. He turned to his right and headed towards the door, peering through the glass window to see if there were any Rockets in his line of sight. Seeing none, he pulled the door open and rushed on in, peering down the corridor. He soon stepped out into the open, followed by Pikachu and Charizard. He turned to the right and led the way, with Pikachu joining him in the lead, and with Charizard bringing up the rear, looking backwards to make sure that they were not attacked from behind.
The trio quickly made their way down the hall, wanting to reach the next stairwell as quickly as possible. Ash wanted to reach Mia quickly, for he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen and that Team Rocket was not reeling as much as he, and Mia, had initially thought. As he made his way down the hall, whenever he came to a fork in the path, Pikachu and Charizard would scan to the right and left in order to make sure that no one was in those other corridors waiting to ambush them.
Eventually, the group spied a stairwell off in the distance. As they neared it, though, they saw the door begin to slide open. Emerging from the door was a single Rocket Grunt. Not wanting to risk a lengthy Pokémon Battle, Ash told Pikachu, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Rocket!"
Pikachu complied and electricity crackled around his cheeks for the brief moment before he unleashed his Thunderbolt on the Rocket. The Rocket, who was shocked to see that Ash had made it as far as he had, was slow to react and grab his Poké Balls and gun, too slow for Pikachu's Thunderbolt instantly struck the Rocket and rendered him unconscious, electricity arcing across his body. With the Rocket having been dealt with for the time being, Ash proceeded through the door and entered the stairwell, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder and Charizard bringing up the rear, ready to incinerate anyone who dared to follow them.
Meanwhile, back on the helipad near the roof of the base, Giovanni sent out his third Pokémon. "Go Cloyster!" he cried. The Poké Ball opened and out came a clam-like Pokémon with a spiky purple shell that opened horizontally with a black spherical head in the center. As it emerged from its Poké Ball, it landed and cried, "Cloyster," in a deep voice with an echo.
Mia pulled out Garchomp's Poké Ball and returned the Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon to it. Next, she took out a Poké Ball and tossed it onto the battlefield. "You're up next, Jolteon," Mia said, pointing at Cloyster. "Go!"
Jolteon gave a cry and rushed onto the battlefield, electricity crackling about his cheeks. Giovanni began the next battle by crying, "Cloyster, use Shell Smash!" He knew that freezing the ground in front of Jolteon to keep it from moving would not be wise since Jolteon could easily attack from range.
Cloyster's head began to glow white and the glow soon began to expand to the rest of the body. Red cracks soon formed on Cloyster's body and the energy soon came off the oyster-like Pokémon's body as if they had been pieces of the shell. While Cloyster had used Shell Smash, Jolteon unleashed a Thunderbolt on the Water/Ice-type Pokémon. The bolt of lightning erupted from Jolteon's spiked hair and scored a direct hit on Cloyster. The large clam-like Pokémon gave a cry of pain as it was hit and electricity arced across its body. Since Cloyster's Special Defense was not nearly as strong as its normal Defense, it was taken down with the single Thunderbolt before it could launch any attacks of its own. The Pokémon fell to its side and swirls appeared in its eyes, signifying that it could no longer battle.
"Cloyster is unable to battle. Jolteon is the winner!" the officials called. However, their voices seemed to express shock at the ease with which Mia and her Pokémon friends were slaughtering Giovanni's team, something that she was quick to notice.
Across the helipad, Giovanni could only stare in shock at the power of Mia's Pokémon. He knew that they were powerful; he had faced them before, but this was something else. They were taking his Pokémon down with single hits and little more than single hits. He had to do something fast or this battle would end in disaster, even should his backup plan come into play. Before deploying his next Pokémon, he stooped down and opened his briefcase. He reached in and pulled out a device that looked like it was designed to be worn around the wrist. He quickly put the device over his left wrist and stood up, facing the boy once more. Mia recognized this as a Wonder Launcher and prepared for Giovanni to unveil a trap. Looking over to Giovanni, she called, "Giovanni, remember that Pokémon League rules stipulate that we need to agree before the battle to allow the use of the Wonder Launcher."
Giovanni ignored Mia's remark and gripped his next Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. Out came Tauros. Tauros landed next to the fallen Cloyster, who Giovanni had yet to return to his Poké Ball. The leader of Team Rocket then took out a small disk and placed it inside his Wonder Launcher. He then targeted Cloyster and a golden star-shaped pulse of light erupted from the Launcher, striking Cloyster. Immediately, the clam-like Pokémon regained consciousness and rose, taking its place besides Tauros.
Mia, seeing that Giovanni had used the Wonder Launcher to give Cloyster a Max Revive, looked over at the officials and declared, "Giovanni has broken the rules by using a Wonder Launcher when it is forbidden without prior consent by both Trainers. Therefore, I should be declared the winner."
"We never agreed to not allow its use," Giovanni countered with a grin. He looked over at the officials, still grinning.
"He is right," the male referee stated, a little too easily for Mia's liking. She knew that the referees were a part of Team Rocket, but she could not help but think that there was something else going on here, too. "There was no verbal declaration that the Wonder Launcher was forbidden in this battle. In addition, it was never stated that a revived Pokémon was not allowed to fight alongside another Pokémon that was deployed on the field," the official continued, anticipating Mia's next argument.
"Indeed," the female referee agreed, nodding, having no problem with the loophole.
"What?" Mia roared, barely able to contain herself.
"Those are our decisions," the two officials yelled at her in unison, almost causing her to recoil. "You must abide by them. You, however, are still to abide by the original rules. You may not use a Wonder Launcher or use two Pokémon in battle. You and/or your Pokémon also may not launch a direct attack on Giovanni at all."
Mia wanted to protest but she was too stunned at the officials' decisions. She could scarcely believe what she was hearing. It was obvious that the officials were siding with Giovanni in this battle and were doing everything in their power to ensure that he wound up winning. The question was why. Was it simply because her Pokémon were so much stronger than Giovanni's? No, it had to be something else, something more sinister, given how they had practically yelled at her just now when they had made their declarations. Something was going on here, something bad. Still, she would play their game and figure out what it was. If it came right down to it, she and her Pokémon friends could fight them and still manage to capture Giovanni, or neutralize him in other ways if it came down to it. Besides, she still had Venusaur's Mega Evolution at her disposal. For now, though, she would play their game until their true motives were revealed. Turning back to Jolteon, he cried, "Jolteon, use Double Team!"
Jolteon obeyed and suddenly, multiple illusory copies of Jolteon appeared. Giovanni's Pokémon glanced around the area, unable to distinguish the real Jolteon from the illusory copies. Giovanni gritted his teeth. Despite the ability to use the Wonder Launcher, Mia was still a powerful Trainer and a Champion. He had to think of something fast. He then yelled to his team, "Cloyster, use Shell Smash! Tauros, use Earthquake!" It was risky to use Shell Smash and Earthquake at the same time, especially since Shell Smash would drastically lower Cloyster's Defense, but he figured that it would be the best chance he had of taking down Jolteon since Earthquake was a difficult attack to avoid.
Cloyster's soon began to glow white with red cracks appearing on its body. The white energy soon burst off of Cloyster's shell as if they were pieces of shell. As Cloyster was using Shell Smash, Tauros stomped on the ground, causing it to tremor. Cloyster gave a grunt of pain and annoyance as the rings of energy produced from the Earthquake struck him, along with the cracking of the ground along with its shaking. Jolteon, however, was able to jump over the shockwaves. He leapt high into the air as the initial shockwave passed beneath him. He landed softly and kept his footing as the ground continued to tremor. He found it difficult to maintain his footing, but he was able to do so and did not sustain any damage.
"Cloyster, use Icicle Spear!" Giovanni cried.
Ice shards soon formed over the spikes on Cloyster's shell. It soon fired the shards of ice at the Jolteons that were approaching. The first Jolteon was an illusion and it was the first to disappear upon taking a hit. Soon, another Jolteon took a hit and it, too, disappeared. This continued until the attack ran its course and Cloyster had to wait for more spikes to form before being able to use the attack again.
Knowing that this was his best chance to finish off Cloyster, Jolteon used Thunderbolt on Cloyster. The bolt of lightning erupted from spiky hairs and struck the clam once more. The electrical attack was more than sufficient to take down the weakened Cloyster. Once again, Cloyster fell and swirls appeared in its eyes, indicating that it was unconscious.
Giovanni grimaced as Cloyster was taken down again without being able to inflict any damage on any of Mia's team, let alone actually take any of them down. For a moment, he contemplated using his last Max Revive on Cloyster again just to annoy Mia and see if it would take her off her game. Still, this was Leaf he was dealing with. She would not be taken off her game so easily. He quickly decided against using his Max Revive on Cloyster, though, since he had a number of other, more worthwhile, Pokémon that he could use it on.
He drew out his next Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. It opened and revealed an Aggron. Mia was surprised at this choice of Pokémon since Tauros's most effective attack was Earthquake. He glanced down at Jolteon and directed, "Jolteon return!"
Jolteon looked back at Mia, its surprise evident on its face. Mia merely nodded. "Don't worry Jolteon. I've got a plan."
Jolteon then returned to Mia and she clipped his Poké Ball to her belt. She next pulled out another Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. "Chandelure, engage!" she declared as the ball reached the apex of its throw. It opened and out came the chandelier-like ghost. Before allowing Chandelure to go onto the battlefield, she went over to him and whispered something into his ear. She made sure that her other Pokémon could also hear what she was saying as well. Chandelure gave an almost sadistic grin as he listened to what Mia told him. Once she was finished, Mia pointed towards the battlefield and Chandelure rushed out to meet his next opponent. Giovanni grimaced. Aggron's strongest move was Earthquake and, while powerful against a grounded Fire-type Pokémon, it would be useless if Chandelure were not on the ground. Shockingly, Chandelure floated down to the ground, almost as if daring Giovanni to have his Pokémon use Earthquake on him. He knew that it was a dangerous proposition. His own Pokémon would also take damage from the attack. Still, he had few other options and in the end, he went for broke and cried, "Aggron, Tauros, use Earthquake!" His hope was that they would perform the move fast enough to catch Chandelure while he was still on the ground.
Both Pokémon stomped on the ground and the helipad began to shake once more. Rings erupted from the epicenters of their stomps and the metal of the pad began to crack. Chandelure, however, was not bothered by the shaking ground, merely floating above the ground as it began to shake, allowing the shockwaves from the Earthquake to pass beneath him. Mia gave a look of surprise and disdain as Giovanni had issued a command that would hurt both of his Pokémon for the off chance that he might somehow catch Chandelure off guard. Both Aggron and Tauros gave grunts of pain as they each sustained damage from the other's Earthquake. Chandelure responded by unleashing a Flamethrower directly at the two Pokémon. Aggron immediately fell to the searing flame, while Tauros attempted to use Rock Slide in order to take down the Ghost/Fire-type Pokémon. A series of rocks were launched into the sky with an unknown power, targeting Chandelure. The ghostly chandelier banked to the right and allowed the rocks to sail upwards into the sky and out of sight. A second Flamethrower was more than enough to finish off Tauros. The bull-like Pokémon fell to the attack, the swirls in his eyes indicating that he was no longer able to battle.
The officials glanced over at Giovanni as he placed another disc inside his Wonder Launcher, wondering if they should call this match or if he planned on using his Wonder Launcher to revive one of the Pokémon. He prepared to fire a Max Revive at Tauros once more when what looked to be a bolt of lightning came streaking towards him. His face went wide with shock as Jolteon emerged from his Poké Ball and seemingly targeted Giovanni with a Pin Missile attack as several sharp hairs from the dog-like Pokémon were unleashed his way. Giovanni ducked and raised his arm, attempting to protect his head. For a second, he was relieved when he did not feel any of the sharp hairs strike his face or any other part of his body. His relief soon turned into horror as he realized that such an attack would not have been made without there being a plan behind it. He then looked down at his Wonder Launcher and his eyes went wide with horror, for the device had numerous cracks with sparks of electricity emanating from the cracks. There were also several sharp hairs jutting out from it. He frantically pointed it at Tauros and attempted to fire the Max Revive at his fallen Pokémon. Instead, though, he saw a white light emerge from the cracks in the Launcher, prompting him to tear it off his arm and throw it away before it exploded in a shower of sparks and shrapnel. Fortunately, he was able to do so before it exploded and tore off his arm at best.
The officials then held up their hands and cried, "Leaf has violated the rules of the battle by having her Pokémon attack Giovanni directly! Not only that, but she also has two Pokémon on the battlefield."
Mia scowled. "I didn't attack him at all," she countered, looking sternly at the officials. The officials quickly noticed that Chandelure was no longer out on the battlefield either, having been replaced by Jolteon. "Jolteon specifically targeted the Wonder Launcher, not Giovanni, and I recalled Chandelure before Jolteon launched his attack. I can't help it if Giovanni was wearing the Launcher at the time Jolteon attacked or if he did not notice me recalling Chandelure before the attack was initiated. In addition, there was no agreement that said that the Wonder Launcher was not a viable target." She gave a satisfied grin as the officials recoiled as if they had just taken a punch to the mouth.
The officials glanced worriedly at one another, and then back at Giovanni. Eventually, they shrugged and said, "Very well. Leaf has a point. She has not broken the rules. Continue the battle!" they called, their arms held high.
If this can be considered a battle, Giovanni thought sarcastically. For Giovanni, this was the shock of his life. Was he really this out of practice? "Both Tauros and Aggron are unable to battle. Jolteon, or rather Chandelure, is the winner."
Giovanni grimaced as he returned both fallen Pokémon to their Poké Balls. He then looked down at Persian. It was his only Pokémon left. Eventually, he cried, "Persian, go!"
The cougar-like Pokémon jumped forward and crouched, growling as it gazed at Jolteon. Mia simply stood there and motioned for Jolteon to return. Jolteon, feeling her gaze, turned to her and she nodded, indicating that his supposition was correct and that she wanted him to return. He did so and he remained by her side. She then took out one of her Poké Balls and opened it. A blue blob of energy emerged from the Poké Ball and quickly formed into Venusaur. Venusaur landed and glared at Persian. She would have this battle decided in a starter versus starter battle.
Back inside the base, on the eleventh floor, just outside of Giovanni's office not too far away from Ash, Jessie, James, and Meowth slowly recovered from the shocks that they had received in their battle against Mia. They each groaned as they were slow to rise. Looking around, they saw their Pokémon lying unconscious on the floor. They quickly returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls and stood erect. Looking around, they saw that they were alone.
"What's going on out there?" Jessie asked as she heard the sounds of battle both inside and outside the base.
"Our forces are fighting the twerps'," James replied.
"We have to do something," Jessie declared. "We're elite Team Rocket Agents. We can't just be bodyguards."
"But da boss ordered us ta stay out here in case da twerp or twerpette came by to get to him," Meowth interjected. "We can't leave our posts."
Jessie was about to protest when they all heard a voice on the intercom, declare, "Intruder alert. Security lines breached. Any and all remaining Team Rocket forces, your orders are to intercept the attackers on first floor and take them out. All Rocket Scientists, take all data you can and evacuate immediately. Anything that cannot be taken is to be destroyed."
"Come on, you heard them" Jessie said excitedly. "We've gotta get out there and help with the base's defense!"
"But what about the twerp?" James asked. "What if he comes for the boss too?"
"Weren't you listening? We have orders to go and help with the base's defense," Jessie cried. "Besides, the twerpette already made it past us and is fighting the boss. We have to make sure that no one else makes it up here to help her out."
The other two saw the wisdom in her words and nodded. With that, the trio headed to the nearest elevator only to find it was out of service. "Great," Jessie muttered. The trio then headed over to the stairwell and went to open the door, only to find it open up on them. Staring at them from across the entrance was none other than Ash, who was shocked to see them on the floor, and Pikachu, whose cheeks were crackling with electricity. "Team Rocket!" he cried in surprise.
Jessie and James grinned at the sight of Ash, with Jessie beginning their motto, "Prepare for…" but the motto was cut short by a Thunderbolt from Pikachu. She cried aloud in pain and then collapsed to the ground.
While Pikachu was shocking Jessie, Ash released his other Pokémon, prompting James to do the same. Cofagrigus, Mr. Mime and Carnivine came out and James cried, "Everyone, attack the twerp and his Pokémon!"
Pikachu was able to intercept Cofagrigus's Shadow Ball with a Thunderbolt while Ash dodged a barrage of Bullet Seed from Carnivine. Still, he was frozen in his tracks by Mr. Mime's Psychic. James then commanded, "Carnivine, finish the fight!"
Just as Carnivine was about to finish off Ash, though, a Flamethrower attack from Charizard hit him squarely in the center of mass, the super effective attack taking him down with one hit.
Meanwhile, Jessie recovered from being shocked and joined the battle, unleashing her Pokémon into the fray. Gourgeist, a black pumpkin-like Pokémon with two short, stubby feet and eyes and a mouth on it stalk; Swoobat, Seviper, Yanmega, and Wobbuffet all came out and stared down Ash's Pokémon. Ash, knowing that Wobbuffet would use either Counter or Mirror Coat, decided to throw it for a loop, ordering, "Snorlax, go after Wobbuffet. The rest of you, pick your opponents and attack!"
Snorlax nodded and rushed towards Wobbuffet. Jessie then ordered, "Wobbuffet, use Counter!" She expected Snorlax to use a physical attack on Wobbuffet since that was its strength. However, she would be in for a surprise as Ash grinned when she gave the order.
A red glow surrounded Wobbuffet as it used Counter, which would work on physical attacks. However, Ash had other ideas. "Snorlax, use Hyper Beam!"
Snorlax nodded and opened his mouth. A ball of red and white energy formed in front of his mouth as Jessie suddenly realized that Ash had lured her into a trap. It was reminiscent of how Mia would have battled her. "Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat!" she cried frantically.
Wobbuffet obeyed and quickly switched from using Counter to using Mirror Coat. The glow did not change but the technique did. However, Ash's smile did not disappear. Suddenly, Snorlax closed his mouth and charged right at Wobbuffet and curled his fingers into a fist, a blue glow forming over said fist. The large Pokémon drew back his arm and performed an incredibly strong Ice Punch on Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet realized too late that Snorlax was using a physical attack, rather than a special attack and the Psychic-type Pokémon was defenseless as Snorlax's punch caught Wobbuffet squarely in the face. The attack sent the Pokémon flying through the air, crashing on the ground behind Jessie, skidding to a halt, the swirls in his eyes indicating that he was unconscious.
The rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon did not last much longer, either. Pikachu slaughtered Swoobat with a single Thunderbolt, while Donphan dealt with Yanmega, taking her down with a single Stone Edge barrage. Mr. Mime was dealt with by Sceptile who took it down with a single Leaf Blade, freeing Ash from its telekinetic control. Cofagrigus attempted to avenge the other Pokémon by launching a Night Shade attack towards Sceptile, but it was intercepted by Donphan, who took only minimal damage from it. Donphan then took down Cofagrigus with a single Stone Edge, leaving only Seviper and Gourgeist to deal with. Blastoise dealt with the Poison/Dark-type snake by firing off a single Hydro Pump, the swirls in his eyes showing that he was unable to battle, leaving Gourgeist all alone to deal with the rest of Ash's team. The Pokémon almost whimpered in fright, knowing that it was no match for Ash's entire team. And sure enough, it did not last long, for Charizard quickly went over to it and fired a single Fire Blast at it, taking down the enemy Ghost-type Pokémon. That left only Meowth, along with Jessie and James.
Meowth, however, would not go down without trying to put up a fight, though, since Ash was not Mia and he had a feeling his battle with Pikachu had been getting personal from all the shocks he and the rest of the Trio had to endure. He immediately extended his claws and rushed towards Pikachu, trying to unleash a hail of Fury Swipes at the electric mouse. "You may be a champ, but we won't go down so easy," the cat-like Pokémon exclaimed. However, the beads of sweat forming on his brow put to lie his bravado.
All Pikachu could do was shrug. There was no way Meowth could be this foolish. He grinned as he unleashed a single Thunderbolt on the cat-like Pokémon. He scored a direct hit and Meowth wailed aloud in pain and shock as electricity arced across his body. Meowth then fell to the ground, unconscious.
Meanwhile, Jessie and James went to draw their side arms in the vain hope that they could take down Ash and Pikachu before being taken down themselves. Their plan was quickly squashed as Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt at them and shocked both of them into unconsciousness. Once the short battle was over, Ash knelt down and picked up Jessie and James's Ray Guns, stuffing them into his backpack. However, he kept out one of the Ray Guns and looked down at the unconscious forms of Jessie, James, and Meowth. The prudent thing to do would be to kill them. That's what Mia would have done. However, he was not Mia. He did not have her viciousness when dealing with Team Rocket. They were already beaten and they were also not nearly as evil as the rest of Team Rocket. The Trio may have been salvageable. As such, he walked past them, letting them live, just as Mia had done.
Knowing what Pikachu was asking, he responded, "No. I won't kill them like this. They may be the bad guys, but I won't become like them."
"Pikaka pi pika," came Pikachu's next response. Ash did not know exactly what he said, but given Pikachu's feelings for Team Rocket, he guessed that Pikachu said that Mia would not have hesitated to kill them. Knowing Mia, though, he doubted that. Jessie, James, and Meowth were bad, but they were nowhere close to being as outright evil as Giovanni or any of the other villainous team leaders he had faced on his journey. "They're not as bad as the others and they've helped us on occasion," Ash explained. He then shifted his line of thought. "Come on," he told Pikachu, smiling. "We've gotta find Mia." He then continued down the corridor, searching for Giovanni's office so he could find out where his sister was.
Meanwhile, in the main hangar, Dr. Zager and the Grunts and Agents that would be going to Mahogany Town were finishing loading the large twin-rotored helicopter that they would use in order to evacuate the base. They were performing the final checks to make sure that all essential data had been downloaded onto datapads and that they could take off as soon as they were ready.
"Hmm," a subordinate Scientist said. "It looks like we've got all essential data with us."
"Good, then we can finally get out of here," Dr. Zager answered, looking over at his subordinate.
The two then walked up the boarding ramp and boarded the helicopter, followed by several Rocket Grunts and two Rocket Agents. Dr. Zager took the seat next to the pilot and put on a pair of headphones with a microphone while the other Rocket Grunts and Agents took seats behind Dr. Zager and the pilot and strapped themselves in.
Once everyone was strapped in, Zager called out, "Does everyone have all essential data and materials?"
A chorus of affirmatives answered him. Once that was finished, the pilot began the startup sequence for the helicopter. Outside the helicopter, the rotors began to turn as the startup process commenced. After a few minutes, the helicopter was ready for takeoff and lifted off of the ground. It then turned towards a large set of steel blast doors that issued a loud clank as they began to slide open, lights flashing at the ends of the doors. Once the doors were open all the way, the helicopter lurched ahead and proceeded to exit the base. Once it was clear of the doors, it ascended higher into the air. As it ascended, the pilot and Dr. Zager could see the battle between Mia and Giovanni below them on the outer helipad.
The pilot looked over to Dr. Zager and asked, "Should we assist them?"
Zager considered the question for a moment. A part of him was tempted to say yes, for he knew that Giovanni was no match for Mia in a Pokémon battle. However, he also knew that Mia's Pokémon were incredibly powerful, dangerous and, like her, would not hesitate to use deadly force against anyone or anything associated with Team Rocket. And her Pokémon had more than enough firepower to take down the helicopter. In the end, Dr. Zager shook his head.
"No," he answered. "We have our orders directly from Giovanni, himself. We are to go to Mahogany Town immediately to take on the Agents for the attack on Goldenrod City. Once we do so, we'll go to Goldenrod City and carry out our mission."
"Understood," the pilot answered. He then guided the helicopter away from Team Rocket Headquarters and directed it towards Mahogany Town in the Johto Region of Japan.
Back on the roof of Team Rocket Headquarters, Persian stepped onto the battlefield. Giovanni began the battle by yelling to Persian, "Persian, use Fake Out!"
Persian then charged forward at incredible speed and seemingly disappeared, reappearing in front of Venusaur. It then slapped its two front paws together, causing Venusaur to flinch for a second. A gust of wind was produced by the clap and buffeted Venusaur, but the Pokémon kept his footing.
As Venusaur flinched, Giovanni called, "Persian, use Bubble Beam!"
Persian opened its mouth and a stream of bubbles erupted towards Venusaur at point blank range. Since Persian was right next to the Grass/Poison-type Pokémon, it scored a direct hit on Venusaur, though the Pokémon did not suffer much damage. He glared as a ball of energy formed in front of his mouth. As he was preparing his Energy Ball, though, Giovanni cried, "Persian, use Protect!"
Persian complied and a green field of energy surrounded it. Venusaur's Energy Ball struck the energy field and it absorbed the ball and no damage was inflicted on Persian. Venusaur quickly backed off as Persian fired another Bubble Beam at him. The bubbles scored another direct hit on the Pokémon, but as it was firing the attack, Venusaur readied another Energy Ball. The large Pokémon then unleashed the vicious ball of energy on Persian. Persian reflexively tried to dive out of the way so it could power a Protect, but it was unable to avoid the emerald ball of energy. The Energy Ball scored a direct hit on Persian and the cat gave a cry as it exploded and sent him flying through the air. Persian crashed into the ground and skidded along the ground a few feet before coming to a halt. Despite the damage Persian suffered, it was not beaten yet.
Persian opened its mouth in preparation of launching another attack. This time, it was a Hyper Beam. A red and white ball of energy formed in front of the cat's mouth. Venusaur would not be caught off guard, though. As soon as the ball had formed, Venusaur used his vines that usually would be used for Vine Whip to propel himself into the air, shocking Giovanni. Persian then unleashed the massive Hyper Beam upon Venusaur. Persian's Hyper Beam, however, sailed underneath the large Grass/Poison-type Pokémon, leaving him unharmed. He then fell to the ground, practically crashing into it, causing it to shake as he landed. Long before Persian recharged and could prepare a Protect shield, Venusaur fired another Energy Ball at him and scored a direct hit, sending it flying once more. Once Persian recovered from this attack, it rushed Venusaur and used Slash and tried to rake Venusaur's face with its claws. The large Pokémon was surprisingly quick, though, and managed to avoid the cat's attack. Venusaur then decided that it was time to end this fight. Before Persian could erect a Protect barrier, Mia's starter powered another Energy Ball. After a single second, a ball of energy was released from Venusaur. It instantly crossed the distance between the two Pokémon, and scored a direct hit on Persian. Persian gave another cry as it took the direct hit from Venusaur's Energy Ball and was sent flying. It crashed into the ground a few feet away and struggled to rise, eventually managing to do so. After a few seconds, though, Persian fell to the ground. It tried to rise and continue to fight but found itself unable to do so and then resigned itself to the fact that it was beaten. Swirls then appeared in its eyes, signifying its defeat.
"Persian is unable to battle," the officials declared. "Venusaur is the winner. Which means that Leaf has won the match." They held their flag and pointed it towards Mia, indicating that she was the victor. She looked across at Giovanni and noticed that he was not too dejected over his loss, nor was he concerned about the fact that his escape helicopter was nothing more than a large metal paperweight. What did Giovanni know that she did not?
"Surrender now, Giovanni," she called across the helipad. "It's over. There's nowhere left for you to go."
