Chapter 14

Downfall

(At Pallet Town)

"Well, I guess this is it," I sighed, looking down as I stood on the front porch of my parents' house. It was just past 11am, and the time drew near for our departure to the Indigo Plateau, where we would co-ordinate and finalize our plans for the assault on Team Rocket's headquarters. Misty was standing next to me hand-in-hand, looking with sadness at Mom and Dad, as well as our two children who were standing beside them. Jessie, James and Meowth were also standing beside the two of us, along with Julia and Miyamoto, as they shared sullen looks with their family.

"Claire, Ethan, take good care of grandmommy and granddaddy while we're gone, ok?" Misty smiled tearfully as she crept down to her eye level. Claire, sad to see us go, didn't say anything as she simply smiled, although it was visible that she was doing her utmost to not cry. Ethan was still indifferent.

"The same goes for you two, Belle and Demetry," Jessie followed suit to Misty, both of her children returning optimistic smiles.

"Will you just get all this mushiness over with, already? Let's get moving!" An all-too-familiar voice which was seemingly full of confidence – almost to the point of arrogance – sounded towards. But who could expect less from the 'one and only'…

"Gary, this is really important, y'know," I gave him a tired look. "You'll know once you have a family of your own."

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Ashy-boy! I was just kidding!" Gary waved his hands in front of him apologetically.

"Are you seriously going to tag along, Gary?" Misty winced.

"What do these tell ya?" Gary answered, moving his jacket aside to reveal a belt full of Pokéballs, as I counted at least a dozen. And those were only the ones on his front side.

"Looks like someone's come prepared," I chuckled. "As much as I would have liked to bring all of my Pokémon along, I've got this feeling in my gut that most of the fighting's gonna be happening in the air. Therefore, I'm leaving many of my Pokémon behind."

"That's too bad, Ashy-boy. I always told you that you should've been more active in your searches when we were young!" Gary smirked.

"Quality over quantity, Gary," I teased back. "Not to mention fire over water that one time…"

"Are you still so proud of that one match-up, Ashy-boy? Grow up!" Gary puffed, knowing that I loved to get back at him by mentioning the match between my Charizard and Blastoise years ago, whenever he'd tease me about anything.

"Oh, he's just kidding, Gary," Misty smiled at him. "Hey, by the way, where's Tracey?"

"He's in the lab with gramps. You should know by now that he turns chicken whenever he knows a major battle's gonna come around. Just like that big battle, two years ago…" he drifted off in thought, as Misty tensed and placed her hand over her heart.

"Gary, you know that Misty doesn't like reminders of that time," I reprimanded him while holding Misty.

"…sorry, Misty," Gary apologized in a soft voice. Gary Oak would always be Gary Oak, but even he knew when he crossed the line at times. "Well then, shall we get going, now?"

"I guess it's time. Bye, you guys," I said to everyone who was standing on the front porch to say goodbye to us. Misty said nothing as she hugged Mom tightly.

"Take care of yourself, Misty, dear," Mom whispered into her ear.

"I will, mom. But please, if anything should happen to us…" Misty replied before she was cut off by Mom, who placed her fingers softly on her lips.

"Don't say such things, darling. It's bad luck," Mom smiled. "As long as you stay together, you'll be just fine. I know it."

"Mom…" Misty murmured as the two of them look at each other's eyes. They then had a final hug, before Misty joined me and Gary as we released our fliers from their Pokéballs. Misty and I got on Charizard along with Pikachu and Marill who sat on our laps, while Gary mounted Professor Oak's Dragonite which was lent to him. Julia and Miyamoto rode atop Dad's Salamence which he gave us, and Jessie got onto Pidgeot, while a nervous Meowth was clutching onto James as they both rode on Staraptor.

"Come on! Let's get going!" Gary shouted as we all lifted into the air, Meowth looking blue-faced as he was still not used to flying on a Pokémon.

A short while into our flight, I felt my Pokégear phone vibrate in my pocket. Taking it out, I saw that it was a message from Sabrina.

"What is it, Ash?" Misty asked, looking over her shoulder at me while holding onto Charizard.

"It's a message from Sabrina. Here, have a look. Hold onto me, Pikachu," I said, putting my left arm around her waist to hold her as I held the phone out in front of her with my right hand. Meanwhile, Pikachu grabbed hold of my jacket. Misty held onto my arm with her left hand, simultaneously securing Marill with it for support while she focused on the message by holding my hand still with her right.

"It's Sabs," Misty read out the words on the screen. "We'll meet the two of you inside the Indigo Plateau. Lance says we'll get the final meeting underway as soon as you guys arrive. Love you all, and we'll see you very soon." She then closed the message, and the screen then went to the message bank. "Hey, there's two more unread messages here, Ash."

"Huh? Who's it from?"

"It looks like one's from Dawn, and the other's from May. Want me to read them?"

"Ok, Mist. Can you take the phone from my hand? I'll hold onto you while you read them," I said, carefully handing her the phone and then placing my right hand also around her waist as she went through the messages.

"This one's from Dawn. It says: I want to wish all of you luck in the upcoming battle with Team Rocket. I just hope that nothing bad happens to any of you, and that all of you return home safely. I don't want you to experience what I'm going through every day. I miss him all the time, Ash…" Misty read, her voice changing from optimism to sadness as she progressed through the message.

"And…and the one from May?" I asked, trying my best to keep my emotions in check as I thought about Dawn.

"O…ok…" Misty sighed. "This one reads: Hey, Ash. Drew and I heard from Brock and Sabrina that you're going to be facing off with Team Rocket today. We're relieved that Jessie, James and Meowth and the others are all ok. Please stay safe, all of you, and we wish you all the best of luck, and that you return home safely."

Misty then returned the phone to me, and I put it back in my pocket. "It's good to hear from them. It feels good to know that our friends are all behind us," I said, putting my arm around Pikachu again while Misty did the same with Marill.

"It sure is," Misty nodded, squeezing my hands in her own. "But I feel so bad for Dawn…I just hope she's doing alright…"

"Don't worry about her, Mist," I assured her. "Dawn's very strong at heart. She'll be able to bear it just fine."

"You're probably right, Ash," she nodded. "It's just that…for the two years we had been apart, my anxiety and depression grew worse and worse, until I felt as if I just simply couldn't carry on. But deep down, I knew that we would be together again, and that was the only thing that kept me going. But for Dawn, who knows that Paul's never coming back…I just don't know how she can have the courage to go on. I couldn't bear to do the same, if anything happened to you, Ash."

I stayed silent, my face growing grim as I knew in my heart that that would truly be the case. I couldn't bear to go on without her, either. Without any words, I wrapped my arm around Misty, placing my head gently against the back of hers as we spoke to each other through our powers of Aura. "We'll get through this. We'll always be together, Mist. Trust me."

She rubbed my hand, slowly leaning slightly backwards and brushed her hair against mine as she replied. "I trust you, Ash. I always have, and I always will."

(Later, at the Indigo Plateau)

"You guys!" You're finally here!" Sabrina smiled as she exited the sliding doors of the Indigo Plateau, walking towards us as we touched down in front of the building and recalled our flying Pokémon. She and Misty quickly drew into a hug, and then she turned to the rest of us. "Brock's inside right now with the Elite Four. Come on, they're waiting for us."

We followed her into the same meeting room where we discussed our plan of action for the shadow Pokémon crisis two years ago. "Hi, everyone. We're here," I greeted Brock and the Elite Four upon entering.

"Good to see you, Ash," Lance gave a nod, and then looked behind me. "Ah, and I suppose these are your friends who you said had denounced Team Rocket."

"Yeah, they are," I replied, then proceeded to introduce them. "These are Jessie, James and Meowth, as well as Julia and Miyamoto, who are former Elite Officers in Team Rocket."

"Pleased to meet you all," Prima smiled warmly at them. "Please take a seat, all of you."

"That's weird," I said as I took my seat, noticing a big difference from our last meeting with the Elite Four, during the shadow Pokémon crisis two years ago. "I thought for sure that all the gym leaders of both Kanto and Johto would be here."

"Given our current circumstances, it's best that they remain in their respective cities, Ash," Lance told me. "They'll have to aid their local authorities in shutting down Team Rocket's radio transmissions when the time is right."

"Couldn't they just move to shut them down at the same time we launch our attack on Team Rocket's HQ?" Misty asked.

"That's a possibility, but it would also put many lives at unnecessary risks, Misty," Prima explained. "If we just succeed at taking down the satellite, all their plans will inevitably be for nothing, and they'll have no more reason to occupy the radio stations. It's best to resolve this problem with minimal conflict in the cities."

"Hmph. Backing out of the action. Typical," Agatha scoffed.

"We can't take brash action, Agatha. People's lives are at risk, here," Lance retorted.

"It doesn't help either that Team Rocket will most definitely resort to the use of firearms and weaponry in order to secure the satellite's launch," Bruno remarked. "I'm afraid we're going to have to expect some heavy casualties in this assault."

"That's true, Bruno, but it's a danger that we're going to have to face," Sabrina pitched in. "If we don't do something now, while Team Rocket may be under-prepared, then everything that we've done up till now will have been for nothing."

"All of you, remember," Lance looked around at us. "Our aim here is not to destroy Team Rocket by means of force. Our goal is to neutralize their satellite. That's all there is to it. Like Prima said, once we neutralize the satellite, then hopefully Team Rocket's remaining forces will see that there's no need to go on fighting, and surrender accordingly."

"But what role could we possibly play, if we're going up against weapons instead of Pokémon?" Brock asked Lance. "It's like asking us to walk right into a death trap!"

"Not necessarily," Julia said as we all turned to her. "Like you said, Lance, our goal is to neutralize the satellite. Because me and my family have a strong knowledge of the layout of Team Rocket's HQ, I think we'll be able to infiltrate it. We just need you guys to keep their forces occupied and distracted while the five of us sneak in and sabotage the launch before it's successful. I just hope we'll have enough time…"

"All of us should also remember that we're dealing not only with Team Rocket, but Team Galactic as well," Miyamoto added. "While it may temporarily work to our advantage if infighting occurs between the two of them, it'll mean bad news for all of us if we're not quick and decisive enough in stopping them."

Taking all of the information in, I came to a conclusion. "Alright. So that means while the five of you head into the HQ, the rest of us will be taking on Team Rocket's outer defences, right?"

"That's right, Ash. But I'm still worried about you guys. Compared to what we have to do inside the HQ, the battle you'll face will be much fiercer, and I don't want to see any of you get hurt…" Jessie looked at us.

"Don't worry about us, Jess. We'll be just fine. You just do what you have to do. We've all been through worse two years ago, after all," Misty smiled at her.

"Well, now that our course of action is settled upon, it's just a matter of waiting for all our forces to be assembled," Lance concluded. "We'll begin the move on Team rocket's HQ at 1600 hours, after all units are accounted for. We've still got security forces scattered around Kanto, who are now converging towards the Indigo Plateau."

"I just hope we'll be able to stop them in time…Team Rocket is the least of our worries in the longer term," I murmured, looking down on the table.

After we left the meeting room, the minutes and hours seemed to crawl by, and yet seemed to fly by at the same time, as the time of departure came sooner than we knew it. After everyone was assembled – a few dozen aircraft and a couple hundred personnel – we all set off towards Team Rocket's headquarters, knowing that we must succeed and that anything else would mean that terrible consequences would soon follow. Misty and I held hands all the way during our flight on Charizard, each gaining some closure ahead of the great battle that was to come.

(Soon after, at Team Rocket HQ, Giovanni's office)

(3rd-person narrative)

As usual, Giovanni was sitting at his office desk overseeing the final stages of his plan. The satellite had just recently been fitted with both streams of radio waves, aimed at reaching out to all ordinary Pokémon and his ultimate prize – the duo of Mew and Mewtwo. All that was left was some routine maintenance work and miscellaneous tests, until the satellite was completely ready for launch.

But although his victory would soon come to pass, Giovanni couldn't help but feel a slight bit of anxiety, not only because of the uncertainty caused by Julia's defection, but also due to the unpredictable movements of the Kanto authorities. But nevertheless, his confidence still remained high, as the satellite launch was certain to be a succe-

"Sir, there's terrible news!" an agent said, hastily bursting into his office. Giovanni's eyes narrowed at him due to his rudeness, but he still remained calm as he responded.

"What news do you bring?"

"The allied security forces…" the agent shuddered, "…they've begun their approach, sir. They'll be here within an hour…"

His calm demeanor rapidly disappearing from both his eyes and his posture, Giovanni's fingers curled into a nervous fist on the arm of his chair. And for the first time in many years, the leader of Team Rocket felt something within that he didn't experience for a long time.

Fear.

(Ash's POV)

"There it is," Gary said as we flew over a jagged range of mountains to see a large building with formidable steel walls, and an all-too-familiar 'R'. On its rooftops and ledges, we could see about a hundred Rockets in their black uniforms scrambling to and fro with various equipment, including extra defence guns and turrets to complement those which were already set up and pointing straight at us. From a distance away, we could hear the rumbling of steel, presumably Team Rocket's hangar doors opening in order to form a rapid response.

"No matter what, Mist, stick with me. I'll protect you," I said to her with confidence as I squeezed her hand.

"I'm with you all the way, Ash," Misty replied. As I turned my head to the right, I saw Brock and Sabrina exchanging similar words with each other as they rode on my Garchomp.

"Alright, everyone, make sure to cover those five who are going to infiltrate the base! Protect them at all costs! Let's go!" Lance called out from atop his famed Dragonite.

No sooner after we came within 300 yards away from the HQ, the Rockets began shooting a shower of ammunition at us, as we all weaved and dodged past them as best as we could. A few of the unlucky aircraft behind us were hit with numerous rounds of heavy fire as they went plummeting towards the ground. After closing in further, several of our helicopters touched down to let our ground forces disembark as they scrambled to find cover, all the while maneuvering through the rocky terrain.

What was actually less than a minute seemed like a lifetime, as Misty and I successfully escorted our friends to the entrance to the HQ that Julia had told us about, while Brock, Sabrina and Gary were occupied in the main assault operations along with Lance. After landing, Jessie, Julia and James recalled Pidgeot, Salamence and Staraptor using the Pokéballs I lent to them. Our hearts racing after we somehow managed to dodge and fight our way past the oncoming rounds from Team Rocket's guns without taking a hit, we took a moment's breather to recollect ourselves and talk about our next course of action.

"Ash, do you have the communication device I gave you earlier?" Julia asked.

"It's right here, Julia, don't worry!" I replied, patting the pocket of my jacket which held the secondary transponder she gave to me shortly after the meeting.

"We'll contact you right away about anything important that goes on inside, so stay alert for it!" she told me.

"Alright, Julia. Take care, all of you!" I shouted as Misty and I took off again on Charizard, swiftly flying back to a safe and secure position. From afar, we could both see that we were slowly but surely chipping away at Team Rocket's defences, albeit at the cost of relatively high casualties of our own. We could only hope that Jessie, James, Meowth, Julia and Miyamoto would be able to stop the satellite launch in time.

(3rd-person narrative)

"Get back!" Julia cried as she tossed three explosive roses at the heavy steel door and they all dove for cover. With a moderate explosion, the impact left a hole in the door big enough for them to crawl through. Julia then carefully ducked to look through the hole, to see a small number of grunts who had been alarmed by the explosion running in their direction.

"Just give us the signal, dear," Miyamoto said, and her younger daughter nodded. After tossing in a rose which produced a thick puff of smoke, Julia gestured to them all to start moving in. It took only a brief moment for her and her mother to make short work of all the grunts, leaving them unconscious.

After James was the last one to crawl through, the five of them ran towards the satellite bay as fast as possible. To their surprise, the interior of the HQ was relatively empty, as most of Team Rocket's forces were busy fighting off the allied security forces outside.

"Something's not right," Julia panted as they continued running. "This place is too empty."

"Do you think Giovanni has ordered an evacuation?" Jessie asked.

"He wouldn't have," Miyamoto answered. "Knowing him, he'd want to fight to the bitter end, or at least continue the fight until defeat is inevitable, upon which he'll withdraw."

"He told me that he was planning on organizing some evacuation crafts to take himself, Silver, the executives and me to a secret hideout underneath Rock Tunnel, while I was still working for him," Julia said. "As much as we have to go after him, we have to make sure the satellite launch is stopped, first."

The rest of them nodded, and they didn't speak again until they reached the entrance to the satellite bay, only to behold an unpleasant surprise…

(A short time ago)

"Sir, the satellite is not ready for launch! We still haven't conducted the proper tests required! Please reconsider!" a Rocket engineer begged Giovanni as he spoke into the transponder of the control panel.

"Damn you, you imbecile, we have no time for this nonsense!" Giovanni barked. "You will immediately begin the launch sequence of the satellite now. I will send a squad of guards to oversee its launch.

"But si-" the engineer spoke, but was cut off as Giovanni scrammed down the receiver.

Giovanni then stormed into the main reception, where his secretary was nervously sitting on her chair, shaking as she held her hand over her mouth. "Get up now. We will be evacuating the base shortly," he said begrudgingly.

"Y-yes, sir," she stammered, getting up out of her seat.

"Before we go…" he said, looking over his shoulder as he turned to begin walking towards the private hangar where the two helicopters were assembled, "…begin the self-destruct sequence."

The secretary nodded, inputting a series of commands into the main computer. After this was complete, she joined him by his side as they walked away. As they arrived at the private hangar, waiting for them by the lift in the control room was Silver, along with the Rocket executives.

"When will we depart, sir? The hangar roof itself could fall down about our ears!" an executive wailed.

"We will leave for Rock Tunnel only when it is confirmed that the satellite has been successfully launched, and not a second sooner. Is that clear?" Giovanni glared at the executives as they all nodded silently. "Once the security forces are distracted by the satellite launch, we will make our escape. Now, man your helicopter immediately."

"Y…yes, sir," they murmured, scurrying off into one of the helicopters. Giovanni walked towards the other, as Silver and the secretary followed after him. Hearing their footsteps directly behind him, Giovanni turned around and spoke to them sternly.

"No. Only I will board this helicopter. The two of you are to accompany the executives. That's an order."

"…Just what are you planning, father?" Silver asked with suspicion in his voice.

"That is for me to know, and me alone, Silver," Giovanni berated him. "Accompany the others in the other helicopter. Now."

"Just before I go, father…" Silver said as he turned around, "…I don't suppose you've forgotten our agreement about Domino?"

"I'm well aware of that, Silver. Now get going," Giovanni said as he swiftly turned to his helicopter and climbed aboard.

"Are we all set?" Saturn smirked evilly as he and the other Galactic admins, accompanied by a squad of their finest agents and grunts, stood by a corner which lead to the door of the satellite bay. Weapons at the ready, his fellow admins Jupiter and Mars nodded gleefully and gave hand signals to the troops who stood by their side. Then, with a swift motion, they began their rapid assault on their erstwhile allies, who were helpless to prevent their own demise.

All of the Galactics then rushed towards the entrance, as Jupiter and Mars threw a pair of grenades at the great metal door, blowing it wide open. They didn't cease running as they flew in over the smoky debris, making quick work of all the other Rockets inside, including the engineers, while they suffered only two grunts as casualties.

"It is now finally time to take the first step towards achieving our greatest ambition," Charon said as he opened the airlock door of the satellite and climbed aboard. The others soon followed in after him as they all made their way through its structure until they reached the control room.

"This thing better work," Jupiter huffed. "If we fail here, it would mean that all our work was for nothing."

"It will, Jupiter. Just you wait and see," Mars darkly grinned.

"Initiating launch sequence now," Charon said. "Strap yourselves in, all of you."

The admins buckled themselves in each of the seats, while the lower agents and grunts simply held onto anything they could around them. Taking a deep breath, Saturn started the countdown. "Five…four…three…two…one…all systems are go."

With a great surge of power, the satellite lifted off into the air. As if the world had suddenly halted, a brief pause occurred in the fighting outside as Rockets and security forces alike looked with awe at the source of the tremendous sound. And yet, neither knew that it was truly the Galactics who were the current holders of the satellite.

"No…it can't be…we're too late!" Jessie panted as they looked through the gaping hole in the steel door to behold the sight of the satellite blasting off. But then, Julia immediately looked downwards to see a shocking sight.

"Amy!" she cried, quickly handing Jessie the voice transponder before dashing forward and crouching down next to the limp body of her former colleague and friend. "Amy! Talk to me!" she continued to scream as she cupped the brown-haired agent's face in her hands, only to look down in dismay and tears as her deceased friend gave no reply.

Knowing exactly what she had to do, Jessie immediately called Ash. "Ash, the satellite's taking off. You have to do something!" she panicked as Ash instantaneously picked up.

Just then, blazing sirens and an incessant noise surrounded them, as a mechanical voice spoke over the PDA system. "Warning. Demolition of headquarters in…fifteen minutes. All personnel, commence evacuation immediately."

"Jessie? What the hell was that?" Ash shouted on the other line.

"Giovanni! He's got the place wired to blow!" Jessie cried. "Julia! We have to get out of here right now!"

"But Amy…" Julia sobbed, seemingly unable to move herself from her kneeling position.

"Darling, come on! There's nothing more we can do for her! She's dead!" Miyamoto tried her best to bring her daughter back to reality as she dragged her away from the body.

"Ash, listen to me – you have to take down that satellite now!" Jessie screamed into the transponder.

"With what?"

"Anything! If that thing makes it into orbit, then we're all done for!" she roared as she switched off the device and put it into her pocket. "Julia, come on! We have to get out of here now!"

With great reluctance, Julia began running on her own accord. They all ran back the way they came, hoping for dear life that Ash would somehow destroy the satellite.

(Outside)

(Ash's POV)

"Grr! Alright, Charizard, let's go take that thing down!" I pointed at the satellite rocket, which was now a short distance above the HQ building. All the Rockets on the rooftops, defence platforms and ledges were now in complete and utter disarray, some of them not even bothering to fire any more shots as they frantically ran about in search of the nearest safe exits. Only a small number of them still continued the fight after the brief pause caused by the launch, but they were still numerous enough to keep many of our forces distracted.

"Hey! Look over there!" Brock waved his hand in an southerly direction, diverting everyone's attention to two helicopters which were making a getaway, taking a route which was clear of all allied aircraft.

"Don't you worry, Ashy-boy! Just leave it to us! You just take care of that satellite!" Gary said. "Common, Brocko!"

Not even having enough time to give Gary a proper, I flew as fast as possible on Charizard, racing towards the satellite which was now gaining considerable speed. Over my right shoulder, I could hear the growls of Lance's Dragonite – a sign that he was right behind me.

Once I was convinced that we were in effective striking range, I shouted to my Pokémon. "Charizard, give it your best Dragon Rage attack!"

"Groooar!" he savagely roared, unleashing a massive ball of energy towards the satellite.

"You too, Dragonite! Help him out!" Lance ordered, and his Dragonite's Dragon Rage attack soared alongside Charizard's, eventually making a direct hit on the body of the satellite. But to our dismay…

"It's still going on?" Misty gasped. "How can we even stop something like that, if its body is so reinforced?"

I gritted my teeth, thinking desperately for a solution before it finally dawned to me. "Charizard, let's go at it again! And this time, go for its engines!"

"Of course! Good thinking, Ash!" Lance found new hope as he smiled, flying alongside us as we raced skyward. Still, although we found a way to possibly destroy the satellite, there was a large amount of uncertainty as to whether or not the engines would crumble due to our attack.

"It's now or never! Charizard, shoot another Dragon Rage!" I shouted.

"Give it one more shot, Dragonite!" Lance ordered. The two dragons' attacks merged together to form one colossal ball of golden energy which hurtled towards the ascending rocket carrying the satellite. Sweat rolling across my brow, the attack crashed into the bottom of the rocket, completely disabling it. The huge spacecraft began to freefall, crashing into the ground with a mighty thud. We were fortunate that there was somehow no explosion, as the impact had likely missed the fuel tanks. Instead, a massive dust cloud began swirling all around us, causing us to shield our eyes.

"Charizard, take us higher out of this dust storm!" Misty asked him, and Charizard quickly flew into a higher altitude where our vision was no longer affected. Shortly after, Lance joined us.

"Ash, you better go after Giovanni quickly. We'll deal with the remaining resistance here," Lance said to me, before he turned around at the sound of a couple of figures which were quickly flying towards us. "Hey, what's that?"

Dragonite began to charge a Hyper Beam attack, ready to take out the approaching shadows before I waved my arm at him. "No! Dragonite, stop! Those are…"

Moments later, Pidgeot, Salamence and Staraptor burst out from the thick clouds of dust, with Jessie, James, Meowth, Julia and Miyamoto all safe and sound.

"You guys! We're so glad you made it!" Misty exhaled deeply.

"Sorry for worrying you, Misty," Jessie smiled. "But where's Giovanni? We didn't see him anywhere inside the HQ."

"He's getting away!" I swiftly turned my head in the direction we last saw him fleeing. "Let's go!"

Without a second thought, we all flew rapidly southward while Lance returned to the battlefield. Our minds so focused on catching up to Giovanni, we were completely taken by surprise as we later heard a massive explosion from the HQ, as our flying Pokémon turned to look.

"The building…it's been destroyed!" Misty gasped. "I sure hope no-one was caught in the blast…"

"Lance is there. I'm sure he had it under control. C'mon, Mist, we've got no time to waste," I quickly spoke turning everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

(Minutes before the explosion)

(3rd-person POV)

"Yes…just a little longer, my darling Amber…then we will be together again…"

Oblivious to everything happening around him, Fuji continued to work tirelessly in the dimly lit hidden lab, determined to make a success of his experiment to clone his beloved daughter. He had now lost all remaining traces of his rationality, driven only by obsession as his hands shook and his fingers twitched with lethargy which he himself was unaware of in his atrophied mental state.

"Just…a few more tests…until…" he mumbled on. But in truth, he was nowhere close to perfecting any replica of his daughter. Knowing this in his heart, a single teardrop escaped from his lifeless eyes, falling on his white lab coat.

"John…" a familiar and soothing voice sounded in his head. Pausing only for a brief moment because of it, Fuji continued his work as if nothing had happened. That was when it called to him again. "John…don't you love me?"

Memories started to flood back into his mind as he heard the voice of his former wife again. Those were the words she had said to him on the day of her departure. It was weeks after he had begun his experiment to clone Amber. After that day, he never saw her again.

"If you love me, then you'll let her go…let our daughter rest in peace…" she said to him as they stood together in the living room. A storm was raging outside, thunder rolling and breaking as a torrential rainstorm continued.

"No, Marie. I can't accept this. I can bring her back – I know I can. Just give me more time. Why won't you believe in me? Why won't you trust me?" he remembered angrily shouting at his wife.

"Our daughter is now gone from this world, John…I've come to accept that. It was a heartbreaking thing to do, and I never thought I'd be able to, but I finally have. But I could never look at a clone in the same way as I looked upon my real daughter…just let her go…"

"I'll never let go, Marie. Not while there's still hope."

"…John…" his wife wept, looking down as she covered her face in her hands. Then, without another word, she ran up the staircase. Sighing, Fuji collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion, taking no warmth from the lively fireplace.

Shortly after, he turned around to see his wife coming back down the staircase. But to his dismay, she was holding two travel bags in her hands.

She was leaving him.

"Marie, what do you think you're doing?" he cried.

"I'm leaving, John. I can't bear to watch you suffer needlessly as you go on like this," she sobbed as she went to the door.

"Don't you want to see our daughter again? You can't do this!"

"I know I'll always be able to see her again, John – in my heart and my dreams. I only wish that you could've done the same. Goodbye, John," she whispered over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

"…Marie…" Fuji murmured as he held out his right hand out towards her, as if he was beckoning for her to come back. Coming back to reality in the real world, Fuji saw that he was reaching out towards the great test tube chamber which would become the storage compartment to facilitate Amber's DNA growth. Finally realizing the futility of his dreams, Fuji slumped his shoulders and pressed his head against the glass in front of him.

"…it's over…"

Then, with a thunderous roar, the entire facility exploded around him, his last thoughts being of his daughter as he was consumed by the searing flames.

(Meanwhile…)

"They're getting away! Keep at it, Garchomp!" Sabrina yelled. Garchomp and Professor Oak's Dragonite were now showing signs of fatigue, having carried their riders a very long way in their pursuit of Giovanni.

"We're not gonna catch up to them! We've gotta take down the helicopters now!" Gary shouted.

"We can't take down the helicopters while they're airborne, Gary! All of them will die!" Brock scolded him.

"Well, we can't let them just get away either, can we, Brock?" Gary snapped back. "If we don't catch them now using whatever means, who knows what trouble they'll stir up later on?"

"Both of you, stop arguing right now!" Sabrina demanded, and they closed their lips. "We've finally gotten close enough for me to focus, so I'll try to slow down the helicopters with my psychic powers."

"Why couldn't you have done that in the first place?" Gary complained.

"We just weren't close enough for her to try, Gary, but now we are! Give it all you've got, Sabrina!" Brock cried out. With a deep breath, Sabrina focused her mind to bring the two helicopters to a grinding halt. However, her power was not enough, and her hold on them slipped altogether after a few tense seconds. Having been too accustomed to using her telekinesis powers on relatively small objects (and occasionally unfortunate trainers before she first met Ash, Misty and Brock) she couldn't stop the helicopters. However, her efforts were not in vain, as it allowed them to make significant gains on them.

"Damn it, you fools! Faster!" Giovanni barked at the two pilots who nervously scrambled to restore velocity to the helicopter. But then, a great thud could be heard from far off in the distance, drawing his attention. Looking frantically for the satellite which should have still been airborne, Giovanni gritted his teeth as he came to terms with reality: his plan was foiled. He then looked angrily at the pilots again. "Did you not hear me? Faster, I said!"

The two helicopters soon became stable again, gaining in speed as the shoreline became barely visible up ahead. Giovanni looked towards the horizon with fire in his eyes, knowing that his chances of escape were thinning rapidly: he had originally planned to make this getaway of his under the safe cover of night, but now everything was in shambles. Knowing that they couldn't outrun their pursuers for long, he did something completely unexpected.

"Turn this helicopter around. We are going to make a stand," he said to the surprise of the pilots.

"But sir, we're already outnumbered as it is! Not to mention that our maneuverability is much lower than that of those dragon Pokémon!" one of them insisted.

"Fight them head on. That's an order."

The two pilots exchanged worried glances, fearing that Giovanni had lost it. Obeying their leader, they turned the helicopter around until they were facing towards Brock, Sabrina and Gary.

"Father! What on earth do you think you're doing?" Silver blurted out on the radio.

"Continue your way on towards the open sea, then head to the Rock Tunnel base when the coast is clear. There will be no argument," Giovanni replied to him, then switched off and disconnected the radio. The other helicopter did not change course, as it continued on towards the ocean.

"Wh…what's he doing? Why is he turning?" Sabrina stammered, leaning backwards into Brock's chest and holding him.

"It looks like he's looking for a fight," Gary smirked. "Well then, here it is! Dragonite, use Flamethrower!" he shouted as he pointed towards the helicopter. The chopper was relatively unaffected as it swerved right, then shot two missiles at them in response.

"Garchomp, dodge it!" Sabrina instinctively cried out. The two dragon Pokémon quickly veered in opposite directions, and the missiles passed right through the gap they created.

"Oh, no…" Brock murmured, looking at the twin machine guns which turned towards them. "Move!"

The dragons then flew about separately, desperately dodging the hail of machine gun fire which came at them, whilst providing mutual support to each other by shooting a Flamethrower attack at the helicopter when they were not the one that was being directly pursued. Just as the battle carried on towards the open sea, a loud explosion came from the location of Team Rocket HQ. However, none of them paid any heed to it, concentrating solely on the battle at hand. But after a dreary dogfight, the mechanical structure of the helicopter prevailed, as the dragons tired and gradually became slower until at last, Garchomp's wing was hit by two bullets. The dragon screamed in agony, flying madly about in pain as Brock and Sabrina held on for dear life.

"Garchomp! Please, stay strong!" Sabrina shrieked as she held her arms around the Pokémon's chest. Listening to her words, Garchomp struggled to balance himself, eventually managing to hover still in the air. Both dragons were now exhausted and seemed unable to go on, as they looked dimly at the guns which pointed directly at them. Then, when all hope seemed to fade, the helicopter was knocked sideways with tremendous force, as the roars of a familiar, hot-headed dragon rang out in their ears.

(Ash's POV)

"You leave them alone, Giovanni!" I shouted angrily at him inside the chopper, although my voice was completely drowned out by the tremendous growl of Charizard as he thudded himself against the aircraft, sending it swerving wildly off-balance. The pilots inside began to spray bullets frantically in random directions, as we all dodged as best we could, fortunately not being hit. In the time that we distanced ourselves from the helicopter and its fire, the aircraft soon found its balance again, facing us menacingly with its guns at the ready.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" Giovanni's mocking voice came from a loudspeaker. "You have meddled in my plans for the last time. This shall be the last time any of you ever cross me again."

"Fat chance, Giovanni! You're going down!" Gary shot back at him.

"…how very mistaken you are," Giovanni chuckled evilly, and the helicopter resumed firing. Another missile flew just past my head as Charizard instinctively dodged by initiating a sudden drop. Things were only made worse as the twin machine guns shot at us again in a never-ending stream. Our six flying Pokémon did the best they could to support each other by taking turns to attack the helicopter, although most of their attacks simply bounced off its surface, and only a few of them making any actual dents.

"Ash, nothing's working against that thing! Its armor is simply too strong!" Misty said to me as a brief pause occurred again in the fighting.

"Don't worry, Mist. We'll definitely think of someth-what the!" I drew back in surprise, as Charizard suddenly rushed over to the helicopter in a rage. Misty held onto me for dear life while I held onto Charizard in turn, as he brutally smashed his fist and wings which glowed white against the bottom of the helicopter, in what was a combination of Mega Punch and Steel Wing. The attack was so brutal in force that it completely pierced the plating, leaving a gaping hole in the floor of the helicopter.

"Take evasive action! At once!" Giovanni ordered, and the helicopter began moving higher and away from Charizard, staggering in its movements like a wounded animal.

"Way to go, Charizard! Give it another shot, and take out its weapons!" I raved.

"Grooar!" Charizard nodded, and rushed towards the left side of the chopper with his wings shining white for another Steel Wing attack.

"You too, Dragonite! Go for the weapons on its right side!" Gary shouted, and his grandfather's Pokémon obeyed, his wings ignited and a fire burning in his eyes. In unison, the two dragons shattered all of the helicopter's weapons in one decisive swipe, taking apart a considerable part of its body structure with them. Its systems failing, the helicopter plummeted downwards, until at last, it crashed nose-first into the sea. We all carefully flew downwards a couple of feet, waiting for the wreckage of the helicopter to resurface.

"Do you think he's…" Misty murmured.

"Only time will tell, Mist," Sabrina answered as we all looked anxiously at the water. After a nervous few seconds, bits and pieces of varying size of the helicopter began to resurface, one of them revealing a dead pilot who lay over it.

"Hey, look down there!" Gary pointed towards the right side of the wreckage. To our surprise, Giovanni was hanging onto a bit of debris, shaking his head about as if to regain his senses.

"It's over, Giovanni! Surrender now!" I yelled down at him. Giovanni looked up at me with pure hatred in his eyes, clenching his teeth together as one of his hands drooped down into the water.

"As long as I live…" he growled, "…it's never over!"

"There's nothing left for you now, Giovanni," Miyamoto declared. "If you surrender now, we'll guarantee your safety."

Giovanni glared at her, and then began to chuckle at her. "How very little you understand, Miyamoto. What makes you think that I want the pitiful cell which you describe to me as 'safety'?"

"This is your last warning. Surrender," Miyamoto solemnly said.

"Your actions have led to the destruction of my dreams, Miyamoto. I cannot grant your request. The only thing I can give you, however…" Giovanni grinned darkly, bringing up his hand which was submerged underwater. In his hand…a gun. "…is despair."

Julia immediately tensed as she saw that Giovanni was pointing the pistol squarely at her and Miyamoto. Determined to protect her mother who was sitting behind her, she spread her arms out wide and straightened her back as far as she could, to take the shot. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself mentally for what was to come. But to her shock, she felt herself being hurled sideways off of Salamence, and later caught by a pair of arms just as Giovanni fired the pistol. Finding the courage to open her eyes again, she looked with horror as she saw the bleeding bullet wound in the side of her mother's abdomen.

"Moooom!" Julia screamed at the top of her lungs, reaching out to her mother who slipped off Salamence and began to fall into the sea after smiling weakly at her. Jessie, on the other hand, stared blankly with horror in her eyes as she brought her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

After briefly restraining Julia with Brock, Sabrina looked squarely at the smirking Giovanni with sheer anger in her eyes. Giovanni's smug expression quickly disappeared altogether as he felt himself losing control of his entire body due to powers beyond his comprehension. Tears fell from Sabrina's eyes as her body glowed with a violet aura and she mercilessly paralyzed Giovanni with an outstretched hand. It was the very first time she had used her psychic powers for something which could be considered as murder, and yet she couldn't help but feel that she had passed rightful judgment by doing so. Helpless to do a thing, Giovanni's solidified body sank into the depths of the ocean, never to be seen again.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Julia struggled against Brock's hold as he desperately held her back.

"No, Julia! You mustn't go in! Who knows whether or not you'll survive that fall?" he yelled.

"I don't care – I'm going in! My mother's in danger!"

"Julia, please, don't! You can't g-nooo!" Brock cried out as his hold on her slipped, and Julia dove into the water.

"Charizard, we've gotta get down there!" I panicked.

"Grooar! Grah!" he violently shook his head.

"You and your tail and water! Arghh!" I clenched my teeth. But then, something else caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

"Jessie! What do you think you're doing?" James shouted at his wife, but it was too late – she had also dove into the water after her sister.

"Please…be alright…" Misty whispered, holding both of her hands against her lips. Time passed and we all started to lose hope, until at last, the two sisters emerged out of the water, panting as they held onto their unconscious mother.

"Salamence! Please!" Julia beckoned to the dragon, who quickly swooped down to sea level. Pidgeot followed, and Julia carried her mother onto Salamence while Jessie got on Pidgeot again. We hurried to the shore, where we laid Miyamoto down and Julia and Jessie began to resuscitate her.

"Jessie…she's not going to make it…" James sighed as the two sisters continued their frantic efforts.

"She will! Just you see, James!" Jessie refused to give up hope as she applied pressure to Miyamoto's wound while Julia performed CPR. And as Julia gave one more breath into her mother's mouth, Miyamoto spluttered and coughed. Her two daughters then gave her a warm hug as she held them both.

"Oh, mom…we thought we'd lose you…" Julia said softly in her ear.

"You'll be alright now, mom. Just relax," Jessie said into the other while pressing down on the wound.

Miyamoto looked down at her abdomen, which was still bleeding fresh. She then spoke to her two beloved daughters, looking weakly at them with her eyes barely open. "Jessie…Julia…listen to me…"

"We're here for you, mom. You'll be just fine, I promise," Julia smiled tearfully.

"Julia, I…I'm…dying…so listen to me…" Miyamoto exhaled as the smile faded from Julia's face. "…Jessie…Julia…give me…your…hands…"

Julia and Jessie each held one of their mother's hands, their tears falling on them. Julia wept, holding Miyamoto's hand against her cheek while Jessie held the other against her heart, shedding silent tears.

"Promise me that…you'll always look after one another, and…love each other," the mother gave a frail smile, then turned her head to James, who knelt by Jessie's side. "Thank you…thank you for…always being there for Jessie…Please…take care of her…Promise me you'll make her happy…for me?"

James nodded, stubbornly keeping back his tears as Jessie cried. "I'm already happy, mother…we're…we're a family again! I couldn't ask…for more…"

"Jessie…" Miyamoto smiled at her, then slowly turned to Julia. "…Julia…" She then looked up at the heavens, tears falling from the side of her face as she took her final breath and closed her eyes. "…I love you…"

"M…mom? Mom?" Julia stammered, squeezing her mother's hand as she touched her face. "Mom, wake up!"

"…mother…why didn't you listen to me? Why didn't you stay behind?" Jessie sighed, lowering her head onto her deceased parent's chest and weeping. Misty and Sabrina also began to cry, as me and Brock hugged them to comfort them.

In the aftermath of the battle, all of the Rockets and Galactics who had fought against the allied security forces eventually laid down their arms and were arrested, evacuated just in time before the entire Team Rocket HQ was utterly destroyed by the detonation. Butch and Cassidy, who were attempting to sneak out the back into the rocky canyon with a number of other Rocket personnel, were promptly caught sight of by aircraft and were also arrested. All of Team Galactic's admins and those who were accompanying them in the satellite were later dragged out of the spacecraft, many of them unconscious while others were simply unable to move on their own due to great bodily pain as a result of the impact.

Prima and Lance later flew over to our location later on his Dragonite, and were also greatly saddened by the news of Miyamoto's death. We all parted ways later with heavy hearts; Brock and Sabrina returned to Pewter City, while Misty and I returned to Pallet Town with Jessie, James, Meowth and Julia, bearing grievous news for our families. Claire and Demetry were lost for words as they saw the body of their grandmother in James' arms, and Mom was devastated when she heard of what happened to Giovanni, silently crying and ruing the fact that she couldn't stop him from leaving her and Dad, all those years ago.

Unlike the day we saved the world from the invasion of the Shadow Pokémon, there were no smiles or cheerful thoughts after what had happened today. The threat of Team Rocket deemed to have been finally put to an end, James and his family all returned to their mansion along with Julia, who would come to live with them. A private funeral was later held for Miyamoto, as we all watched her be finally laid to rest in the gardens of James' family estate.

Returning to our home in the Seafoam Islands after an exhausting flight, Misty and I put our children to bed, then proceeded to remove and destroy all the devices planted weeks ago by Team Rocket. We later collapsed together onto the sofa, holding onto one another as we became overwhelmed with emotions of grief.

If so much life was lost in a single conflict with Team Rocket, then just how much would we have to sacrifice and lose to stop the plan of Apothes?

(One week later, deep within Rock Tunnel…)

"Damn those despicable fools…meddling with our plans…killing my father…taking away from me my sweet Do-" Silver cursed inwardly as he faced the wall of the small meeting room of Team Rocket's hidden facility, turning to face the table again as one of the executives spoke to him.

"With all due respect, sir, your present behavior is not helpful at all in our current predicament. We need a plan of action: action, not words!"

"What on earth do you think there's left for us anymore?" another executive spoke up as he berated the senior member. "We have nothing left! Our plan is tarnished, our headquarters destroyed, and our future outlook is grimmer than ever!"

"Do you honestly believe that this is the end of Team Rocket?" Silver slammed his fist on the table, shocking all of the executives. "This is a setback, only. This organization is finished when I, and only I conclude that it is. Is that clear?"

The executives swallowed nervously as the sweat began to show underneath their brows, exposed by the hanging white lights. But then, they all spun around to look at the closed entrance door in shock as a sinister cackle came from beyond, accompanied by two loud thudding noises. The doorknob slowly turned and the door creaked open, and in stepped a figure clad entirely in dark black robes with a hood, and a silver mask which concealed the whole face of the wearer. The executives shook in terror as they laid eyes on the two lifeless guards who lay on their backs, their eyes wide open and their mouths agape. Silver, however, looked at the figure with the ice-cool demeanor of his father before him, glaring insidiously at the unwelcome guest.

"Hehehe…a brave leader you are, indeed…Maybe I shall have some use for you…" the being spoke, his voice deep and terrible as it reverberated with an eerie and fearful echo.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Silver demanded.

"Who I am is not important…for now…Know this, however: I want what you want, and I believe that we can reach some sort of…compromise, in order to achieve our common objective…"

"… 'common objective'? You're out of your mind!" the senior executive blurted. "What could a person – a being – like you know anything about what we want?"

"Our wish is to restore our organization to its former power and glory. That is what we want," Silver said to the man. "But for someone like you – a stranger – to come uninvited to this place and falsely declare that our objectives are the same is completely ridiculous. So leave this place. Now."

"You really don't get it…do you?" the man chuckled darkly, his shoulders rising up and down with laughter as he soon began cackling menacingly. Then, as his laughter subsided, he looked downwards and pulled his hood backwards, revealing his purple hair which shone against the light. "Do you honestly believe that the thing that you and I want most is for this paltry excuse of an organization to be resurrected? No, you are mistaken. Although you may not think it, deep in your hearts you cannot deny it even to yourselves: there is but one thing you desire in this world. Only when it is destroyed will you gain the satisfaction you seek."

Incensed by the man's insolent remark, Silver gritted his teeth and clenched his fist on the table. Nevertheless he leaned forward, curious as to what the stranger was referring to. "And what is that?"

The man raised his head, gazing straight at Silver with eyes that burned with a mystic blue flame.

"…Ash Ketchum's life…"

(End of Chapter 14)

A/N: Well…this chapter was…chaotic, to say the least, with so many things going on simultaneously, therefore making things very hard to narrate. But I'm glad that I finally got it done in the end. There's just the Epilogue chapter left to go for this book. After that, I'm going to write up my Yugioh Abridged fic, as I need to lift my mood up a bit before tackling Book IV, which will be, simply put, very dark.

I'm sorry if this chapter seems like it's been rushed a bit. To be honest, I've been itching to get it finished so I can move on to the next book. I also know that in the very first chapter of this Book, I said that there would be Altoshipping. I was therefore looking to get Latias to make a reappearance, but things didn't go as planned. It also seemed odd to have her suddenly appear for the fight out of nowhere. But nevertheless, Latias will play a significant role in the later books.

I'm also thinking about starting some research for my Napoleon fic, which will most likely take up a lot of time in terms of gathering information on close to all of the characters involved in it, so updates in this series may be slightly delayed.

Please leave your reviews, and keep an eye out for the Epilogue chapter. It's quite short like the epilogue chapters of Books I and II, so it'll be up in a flash.