This chapter is being posted at the same time as a BtS chapter that's occurring during this one's events.
Review Responses:
lalalei: Yeah, the pink Butterfree came from Pinkan Island. That's why Team Rocket was excited about confirmation that the island exists.
Ardtornismyname: We'll see.
Fox McCloude: Thanks for the compliment.
In regards to the immunities, they hadn't come up yet as a factor, but I planned on including them. As for the Fairy-type, thanks for reminding me about that, as I might've forgotten.
Venomous dragons bite: A Dark-type would help, but that's not in the cards right now. Sorry.
Guest (July 22nd): That would be an interesting end, but you'll have to wait and see like everybody else.
Bored321 (Answered via PM): In order:
2. Yes, Dalton is the new agent's brother. Only the crossover BtS chapters are non-canon.
3a. Misty was averse to revealing her anger because it would imply that she cares about Ash and his Pokémon.
3b. Ash wanted to make sure that Butterfree left with no regrets if he chose to stay with them.
4. He can still be very rash, especially when he's angry.
5a. Animal courtship is much different than human dating. Butterfree fell in love with the pink one, and one-sided attraction that it may be, he decided to try impressing her, much like a male would in the wild (with strength, color or some other attribute). She wasn't interested since she saw him as inexperienced. In any case, the loss isn't so much about how long he knew her, but of the potential future stolen away.
5b. Indeed, it's the same stable runner who owned Cal (that's the Machoke's nickname).
6. She'd wound somebody with that knife. After all, she did tell Cortez that knives are weapons, not for posturing. But I feel that she'd limit it to non-lethal strikes on the Pokémon. Giovanni has strict limitations on killing, and never directly.
7a. They had to return Ditto anyway. And remember that the TRio are still themselves. They like to gloat over their victories. Plus, Jessie in particular would want to rub it in Ash and co.'s face and she has a tendency to "overrule" James and Meowth's votes.
7b. Shiny Pokémon have no buffs to their stats, simply more visually appealing. But they're such a rarity that, as you said, Team Rocket can auction them off at a high price.
7c. That particular helicopter was made by Jessie and Meowth, made to look like a helicopter, fly like a helicopter, but at a fraction of the cost with a lot of the safety features ignored and probably a smaller, more efficient motor to make room on the inside for the pole with the collapsed butterfly net to be stored. They didn't expect to be able to keep it.
8. He's their teammate. They care a lot about what he's feeling. With Pikachu, not only has he known Butterfree longer than anybody else on the team, he's still young (from what I can tell) and emotional. He's gotten better at controlling his fear, but hasn't had to deal much with sadness. Also, while Ash has been through a lot in his approx. 3 months of journeying, he's still only 11 and this is the first loss that's heavily affected one of his Pokémon. He cares about each of his Pokémon a lot, and now one of them is heartbroken with another despairing over said heartbreak.
9-11a. I suppose I was being a bit hard on myself since the scene was fresh in my mind. Plus, nostalgia may have made it seem more prominent than it was. Anyway, my main problem is that the touching goodbye scene is now tainted forever in my mind.
11b. More like they had a back-up plan. Team Rocket would've gladly taken all of the Butterfree if they could get away with it. Pokémon are Pokémon, and the grunts always need more of those. Especially with Butterfree's ability to use powder moves. But they don't usually seem to gather in groups except for their mating season, so capturing a massive amount of them would usually be more trouble than its worth.
guest: In Chapter 10, it was established that Ash could exchange his Pokémon for ones back at Professor Oak's Pokémon corral by pressing a certain button on his Pokédex. And I don't know what other word I can use besides "switch." And the earlier training session established that Bulbasaur was back at Professor Oak's, so switching Jigglypuff for him would imply that he sent her back in his stead. There's also the fact that he always takes out his Pokédex before switching one from his team for one at Oak's. Perhaps it's not abundantly clear, but I feel that it's clear enough.
TheShadowOfZama: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. As for a Dark or Ghost-type, we'll see.
Snoozing Lurker: In order:
1. True, Shock Wave would (presumably) be able to be redirected to hit Staryu, even when shrunken.
2. Again, true. Breaking Goldeen's concentration is one way, but that'll go away with practice. Still, a strong enough wind can make it harder to hold together, electricity would light the whole thing up, enough fire would be able to boil it, an ice attack would freeze it, Sludge would be able to contaminate it, and probably a few other strategies that don't readily come to mind.
3. Yeah, she and Ash get along well since he lets her battle.
4. At least it's progress.
5b. Well, I can't exactly deny that. I imagine others would want to catch it too if they knew about it.
5c. It was, but as stated above, Team Rocket loves to gloat over their victories. And even without that, Jessie would've wanted to rub it in Ash's face, and her vote tends to carry more "kick" to it.
6. We'll see.
TheHolyBlade: I'm glad that you enjoyed.
jaguarspot: With every cloud, there's a silver lining.
BbK2442: Well, you won't have to wait any longer now.
pandoraElf: Thank you, I'm glad I could surprise you.
Accalia: Butterfree might be in the midst of despair, but he wouldn't blame Ash for Team Rocket's victory. There's no way either of them could've known.
Cjonwalrus: Aw, you flatter me~
BrightNova169 (Answered via PM): In order:
4. See above for the animal courtship defense.
11. No, it's not the same Jigglypuff.
12. Jigglypuff doesn't know Hyper Voice, and Ash isn't even aware of the move's existence at this point. I get that it was likely hyperbole, but just to clarify.
19. It could happen, but that would be telling.
20. I talked with Bored321 about my making molehills into mountains in regards to the chapter and my current stand on that is above.
Foxypaws3: Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it. To each their own.
Guest (July 24th): I understood it well enough, so there was no need to fix it. At the same time, I'm taking down the old review. I don't like duplicates making the reviews section seem larger than it is.
The Sinful: Well, if that's your viewpoint, that's fine. But, on the note of the latter part, please don't compare Misty to Akane Tendo. I've read Ranma ½, and I have never seen a more aggravating couple.
Theseus: You have my sympathy. It was hard for me to write it.
Guest (August 5th): Thank you for such a thorough review, and I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter.
Now, on with the story.
Chapter 25: Aftermath
Brock checked his map in the setting sun, noticing that a huge forest wrapped around the southern side of Saffron City. He had already confirmed it several times, but he felt that staring at the map was the only thing protecting him from the atmosphere.
Pikachu had stopped crying and was silently curled up in Ash's arms now, but there was still a palpable aura of despair around the Electric-type. The Trainer wasn't much better, though he'd certainly pretend otherwise if asked.
The Pewter Leader wasn't fooled for an instant. He knew that Ash was torn up inside, but also that he would deny it to his dying breath in front of his Pokémon. After all, Brock himself had experience in that regard. One didn't look after nine younger siblings distraught about their parents leaving without learning to hide pain and anxiety. Such things would only create further worry within his family.
It was almost like looking into a mirror, really, except with Pokémon instead of children.
With that parallel, he had already decided on his course of action by the time they reached the edge of the forest in his map.
Brock folded up the paper and abruptly grabbed Misty's arm, causing her to stop walking in surprise as he said, "You know, Ash, I think that here's good enough to stop and make camp. We don't want to get turned around by going into this huge forest at night."
"Fine with me," the Pallet Trainer replied. "I'm going for a swim." He alternated which arm he held Pikachu with as he took off his backpack one strap at a time. After taking his rebreather and a towel out of the bag, he handed it over, "Could you watch my stuff?"
"Sure," the breeder answered easily.
After a pause of consideration, Ash held Pikachu forward, "Pikachu too? I don't wanna leave him alone while I'm out."
Brock shouldered Ash's smaller backpack beside his own by one strap and accepted Pikachu into his arms with a nod. The Electric-type didn't seem to register the transfer, simply curling up to adjust himself slightly in the new grip.
"Thanks," Ash replied before putting the mask on and tying the towel loosely over his shoulders. After that, he walked off the way they came with his hands in his pockets.
The breeder turned to Misty and tilted his head, "Come on, we need to get some firewood."
He knew that Ash was leaving to be alone and probably vent his emotions. It was encouraging, but didn't change his plans.
Ash walked along the path hugging the cliff as he stared down at the waves slamming against the rock face dozens of meters below, until he found what he was looking for. There was a raised outcropping towards the bottom a little over the sea with just enough space for him to stand on as well as move around slightly.
Turning and lowering his foot to find purchase on the protruding rocks as he held onto the ridge, Ash started making his way down. Pidgeot was too injured to fly. He could've called out Bulbasaur to lower him down, but he wanted to make the trip himself. It brought back memories of when he and Gary would race each other to climb up trees and small rocky ledges. They both got stuck the first few times they reached the tops of the trees, but eventually learned to get themselves down.
He didn't know how long it took him to get down, and didn't necessarily care. When his foot touched a reasonably flat surface, the Trainer looked down to check his footing and released his grip to stand on his destination. Untying the towel, he set it down on the rock before taking off unnecessary clothes that he didn't want to get wet.
Taking off his jacket, gloves, shoes, socks, hat and belt of Poké Balls, he set them on top of the towel before plucking one sphere off the latter. Popping it open, Bulbasaur emerged on the ground, looking up at him.
"Hey, I'm going swimming, could you watch over my clothes and Pokémon?" Ash asked from behind his rebreather.
Bulbasaur nodded, watching as his Trainer jumped down into the water and swam a short distance away. Even if the boy's face said everything was fine, his movements lacked the energy they usually had.
He knew that his Trainer was more hurt than he let on. After an event like today, he'd be more concerned if there was no change. But if Ash wanted to pretend he was fine for his Pokémon's sake, then Bulbasaur would keep it a secret that he knew.
But soon after Ash disappeared under the surface a distance away, one of his Poké Balls opened by itself. (1) The Seed Pokémon saw, but did nothing as Squirtle dove into the ocean since he figured it would wind up for the best.
Misty stared up at Brock sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, sawing halfway through the various boughs with his survival knife before tugging them the rest of the way off and dropping them down. She had Pikachu in her arms since the breeder needed both hands to work. Ash's backpack was also at the base of the tree where both of them could keep an eye on it.
She looked at Brock expectantly, but he simply continued his task. Eventually, Misty couldn't take the wait and cleared her throat.
"Yes?"
"Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?" the redhead prompted.
Brock dropped down to land on the ground and began evening out the cut limbs by removing the smaller twigs, "What made you think that?"
"Well, when you said that we needed to gather firewood…"
"I meant that I needed you to hold Pikachu so that I could get it," he explained. "Why? Did you want to try?"
"Are you going to make me say it?" Misty asked in slight frustration. "I thought we were going to talk about how today affects Ash."
Brock looked up for a moment before returning to the branches, taking the next bough to even it out, "I'm surprised you care about how he feels."
The redhead fumed, but looked down at Pikachu in her arms and retorted in a quieter tone than she would usually use, "I'm not heartless."
"Well, there's not much to talk about," the elder Leader dismissed. "I already have a plan."
"Well, good," Misty replied. "This behavior of Ash's is really freaking me out. He's acting like nothing's wrong—like he doesn't even care about-"
She suddenly felt a painful jolt in her arms and dropped Pikachu, "AH!"
The electric mouse flopped onto the ground, seeming unconcerned with orienting himself for a landing. He pushed himself upright and leveled a listless glare at the redhead before shambling away in the direction that Ash had gone to.
"You should probably mind what you say about Ash around Pikachu," Brock noted. "He is Ash's Pokémon."
"I didn't mean it like that," Misty defended.
The breeder shrugged, "I know. But it's probably better if Pikachu goes to find Ash anyway. He probably wouldn't want Pikachu to hear what I know. And for the record, Ash cares very much. Maybe a bit too much from what I've noticed."
"What do you mean?"
"I hate to see my Pokémon get hurt, but Ash seems to link his emotional well-being to the state of his Pokémon," Brock explained. "He's happy when they're happy, proud when they're proud of accomplishing a challenge, angry, sad, and so on… And right now, he's heartbroken because Butterfree is."
Ash didn't try treading water; he just sank down until buoyancy took hold and wouldn't let him down any further without trying to swim down. He breathed softly from his mask, unconcerned about any Pokémon that might be nearby or not.
The boy from Pallet felt like a failure. He hadn't felt so low since the first day of his journey, where Pikachu was hospitalized after protecting him from the flock of Spearow that attacked them.
'What kind of Trainer am I if I can't protect what matters most?' he bitterly asked himself.
Butterfree had been counting on him to help save his mate, and she was the only one that he didn't rescue. His Pokémon was suffering because of him. Pidgeot had protected their balloon by taking the hit, and this was what he had to show for it.
He could feel tears coming out of his eyes as he shut them, but the water surrounding him hid his crying since they immediately dispersed into the ocean. The only visible sign was his shoulders shaking.
The water around him was suddenly disturbed and he lurched away in surprise, bumping into something near his side. Looking down, he spotted a Seel looking up at him curiously. They were smaller than the one he saw at Cerulean Gym, so he guessed that this one was a child, or at least younger.
Seel swam up to eye level, Ash staring back at the young Pokémon observing him closely as they treaded water with lazy sweeps of their tail fin.
The stare lasted for a while, the Trainer too curious about what Seel wanted to blink. Then, without breaking eye contact, the Sea Lion Pokémon swiveled to face Ash upside down with their tongue sticking out.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, Ash snorted and chuckled slightly at the silly display.
The aquatic Pokémon righted themself and clapped their flippers with happiness. They had been wandering when they spotted Ash. Sensing the Trainer's sadness, they tried the same trick their father had used to cheer them up.
Feeling slightly better, Ash reached out and pet the Pokémon's sleek back. The Sea Lion Pokémon nuzzled against him until another clap rang out in a particular pattern.
Both Ash and Seel looked to see another pair of Pokémon, both of them looking similar, but being much larger with white fur all around instead of having a tan muzzle. They also looked more elegant with frilly fins. The Trainer guessed that they were Seel's parents, as well as the evolved form.
"Go on," he said with the mask's speaker letting him talk through the water. "And thanks."
Seel stuck out their tongue again with eyes squinted shut in apparent happiness before swimming off.
The Pallet Trainer watched them go, his heart lighter at the sight of the family.
He sighed again, 'I guess that today wasn't completely pointless, all those wild Butterfree and the other Trainers' Butterfree will be able to live on and start families of their own. Still feels like I let mine down, though.'
Internally, Ash acknowledged how selfish he was being by implying his Butterfree mattered more than all of the others. But the fact was that, to him, Butterfree was that important. Each of his Pokémon meant the world to him, and he wanted to ensure their happiness, even if it wasn't with him. He wouldn't trade his Pokémon's happiness for the others', though. What he wanted was to have saved all of them.
'Already figured out that's impossible,' he remembered while thinking of all the times Team Rocket had defeated him. It wasn't even directly at this point; he could usually fight them off in a battle. He'd tried to outsmart them today, and it had looked like a total defeat for them, but they'd kept an extra Pokémon hidden from him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save everybody.
His thoughts started taking a dark turn as he remembered how small and broken Butterfree had looked after the beating he delivered to Team Rocket.
Ash rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath, 'Just getting stronger isn't enough, even if I need to stay ahead of Team Rocket in battle ability. But I don't know what else I can do…'
Briefly, the Pallet Trainer pondered what he had to use against Team Rocket. Not much, besides his Pokémon. Was the answer to catch lots of them?
'If it were that simple, they wouldn't be that much of a threat,' he mentally retorted while dragging his hand over his face, mindful of his mask. 'Besides, I can only carry six at a time.'
Ash was startled out of his train of thought when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Squirtle, his own if he wasn't mistaken. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon pointed up towards the surface, and Ash looked up to see that the light above the water was growing dimmer.
"Ah, it's almost dark," he realized. "Thanks, Squirtle."
"What Ash needs right now is support," Brock explained while cutting the branches into small logs of wood. "He trusts me, and I'm going to make sure that he recovers from this."
Misty nodded, "All right, and what do I do?"
Raising an eyebrow, he replied, "You? Nothing."
"What do you mean 'nothing'?" she demanded. "He needs help-"
"-that I'm going to give him," the breeder interrupted. "It won't be odd for me to comfort him as his friend."
Then he glanced back at her, "If it's coming from you, then it'll just look like pity. Believe me, that's the last thing he wants right now."
The Cerulean Leader glared at Brock as he went back to his task, "Why wouldn't I help him? I'm-"
"His rival."
Misty stopped at that reminder. The breeder hadn't even looked up from the wood at his knees.
"Don't you remember? After Porta Vista, you said that you two were rivals," he pointed out. "And, in his eyes, you two never really were friends. Do you really think that Ash would see you reaching out to him as anything but pity?"
"Well, what if it is?" the redhead asked. "I just want to help like any decent person would."
Brock briefly stopped cutting, "Would you act kind to him if things had gone differently today?"
Misty took a breath to respond, but found herself stopping as she realized what the answer was. The entire time today, she had refused to pay Ash anything but the most basic of courtesies, all because she didn't want to see him as a friend in light of her defeat. If things had gone well, she would've continued to act the same, maybe training harder after her defeat in the warehouse.
Her fellow Leader seemed to know it too as he cleaned off his knife with a cloth and sheathed it again. "You can try," he offered while bundling up the firewood on one arm and standing up with Ash's backpack in his free hand. "But I can almost guarantee it'll backfire."
As he walked back to the glade where they were going to set up camp, he paused briefly and added, "Take a more subtle approach, and with time you might be able to become a friendly rival with him instead. For now, I recommend you keep doing what you were doing this evening and give him some space. You wasted the chance I gave you at Maiden's Peak, but it's never too late to change."
Misty remained rooted in her spot for a moment before turning around to follow.
Ash broke the surface of the ocean, looking at the cliff in the fading twilight. He swam closer with Squirtle beside him and got grabbed by a pair of vines while Squirtle dove down and leapt out of the water directly onto the outcropping.
When he was pulled up, his eyes widened at the sight of Pikachu sitting next to the items he'd left behind.
"Pikachu? What happened?" he asked, getting down on one knee once Bulbasaur released him. It was way too soon for Team Rocket to have attacked again, considering the injuries they had after Butterfree got through with them.
The Electric-type didn't reply and simply hopped up to Ash's bent knee before hugging the Trainer at the waist.
"Hey," Ash soothed while lowering his other knee to the ground, "were you worried about me? It's fine, look at me, I'm okay."
Pikachu shook his head while speaking muffled into Ash's wet shirt.
"What do you mean, no?" he asked.
His Pokémon hugged him tighter, his words muffled, "[No, you're not okay… Stop lying…]"
Ash felt sad that Pikachu felt this way, even if he couldn't understand the words, but focused on comforting him.
The scene was interrupted by two of his Poké Balls opening on their own, the energy materializing into Rattata and Pidgeot, the latter still bandaged.
"Pidgeot, you should be resting," the Trainer said, even if it wasn't so much a command as a request.
He felt another hand on his arm and looked to see Squirtle, with his sunglasses back on. After that, the Water-type moved under the limb to hug Ash as well.
"Squirtle?"
Rattata and Bulbasaur moved to either side of him while he was still kneeled down and leaned against their Trainer. Pidgeot also made his way over on foot and took the boy under his wing.
"Everyone…"
Ash looked around, seeing nothing but support in his Pokémon's eyes, the message becoming clear. His Pokémon would always be here for him, the same as he would for them. He tried to hide his pain and be strong so that he could comfort them, but they clearly didn't care if he looked weak. They would comfort each other.
The young Trainer tried to hold it in, but tears welled up. Soon, the dam burst and he started quietly sobbing, half because of the touching gesture, and the other half from the still fresh grief of the day.
His Pokémon huddled closer to share his pain. Bulbasaur and Pidgeot remained stoic while their expressions softened in sadness, Rattata leaned against Ash while slight tears dampened her cheeks and Squirtle only got a little misty-eyed behind his sunglasses. Pikachu cried with his Trainer, the shirt muffling his sobs and soaking up his tears.
Ash was so tired. Tired of always having to battle with such dire stakes, training from sheer necessity instead of having fun on his journey like he always envisioned, and fearing that he would one day run out of luck against Team Rocket and lose everything up to and including his Pokémon.
At this point, even if he wanted to try abandoning his journey that would just cause the trio to attack Pallet Town or wherever he wound up. They wouldn't stop just because he wanted to. Not to mention all of the other Pokémon he inadvertently saved, and the fact that their interest in him meant that he would always be nearby to try stopping whatever plan they had.
But more than that, he couldn't stop. Stopping would mean that they broke him. He would keep going, achieve his dream in spite of their attacks and make them pay. One way or another, he would make sure that they regretted ever choosing to target him.
The Pokémon surrounding him didn't say anything, able to feel the sorrow for the day, love for them and rage for those responsible. They would always be there for him, and they knew that he knew that now.
As the sun neared the end of its setting, Brock had a campfire going with a pot of stew over it. Misty was nearby as well, leaning against a tree as she stared thoughtfully at the stars.
The breeder stirred the liquid as he planned how to approach Ash depending on what mood he returned in.
'If he still has his façade up, I should get him alone – away from his Pokémon, the ones he's keeping it up for – and confront him over it, using my own experiences as an example. I'll need to be careful, though—let him know that I want to help him and give him some space if he needs it. Being too direct can lead to him getting defensive.
'On the other hand, if he turns up doubtful about his ability to be a Trainer, despite Pikachu being with him, then I need to build his confidence back up, remind him of those that he has been able to save.'
Brock nodded while continuing to tend to the food in front of him and plan different approaches. Meanwhile, Misty's train of thought was more introspective.
The Cerulean Leader had always believed herself to be a generally good person—quick-tempered, she admitted privately, but ultimately more benevolent than mean-spirited.
The question asked of her earlier called that belief into question. Her pride couldn't shield her in this case, as it ultimately always gave the same answer.
'If everything had gone well, and Butterfree had left on the mating season, I would've gone right back to treating Ash as a rival,' she repeated as she had for the entire time Brock had set up the fire and begun cooking dinner.
She shook her head in disbelief, 'Ash is a good Trainer. Why do I hate him for it? I… guess I shouldn't, but I do. Was I always like this…?'
The thought was rather unsettling. She couldn't attribute the root of the issue to anybody but herself, or at least her lifestyle.
Unbidden, her elder sister's words before her Gym battle with Ash crossed her mind, "Misty, you left pretending you wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer because you couldn't compare with us. Because we're so much more beautiful and talented than you!"
The redhead instinctively bristled at that memory, but brought her ire under control. She forced herself to acknowledge the point. She had left the Gym to get one over her sisters, who stuck to the Gym, able to say that she had experienced the world and triumphed as a Water Pokémon Master.
'Yeah, that worked out,' she internally grumbled. 'I'm experiencing the world, and getting beaten down by it.' Her mind temporarily drifted to Staryu and Starmie, the two recovering from their injuries by Team Rocket's Pokémon.
Sighing through her nose, the Cerulean Leader tried to console herself, 'At least nobody can ever say I'm bad to my Pokémon… I need to rethink my training, though.
'…And my attitude, I guess,' she added hesitantly. 'At least I don't have to talk with Ash much while I'm working things out.'
As if summoned by her thoughts, the Pallet Trainer walked up the path, his hair damp with his towel over his shoulder and Pikachu walking beside him.
"Ash and Pikachu are back," she reported to Brock, who glanced back to confirm before nodding with a quick thanks.
The younger boy didn't announce his presence and merely sat down across from Brock to warm himself by the fire. Pikachu climbed up and seated himself in Ash's lap, also silent.
"I sent Bulbasaur back to Professor Oak's, to let the others know about what happened," the Trainer eventually announced in a somber tone.
Brock nodded, "That's probably for the best. Better to have them know now than to find out later." The breeder was relieved to see Ash not hiding his grief anymore. Even better was the underlying resolve to his posture, even if he was in a dour mood at the moment.
'Something must have happened at the cliff,' he mused. 'But this is good. With his emotions having a chance to vent, he'll recover, eventually.' Although he still planned to continue with his original plan to stay with Ash. His friend needed him more than ever after today.
With Team Rocket having dealt such a personal blow to him today, the breeder sincerely worried about Ash being left unchecked if he decided to go on his own. He needed to make sure that the Pallet Trainer at least kept him around otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.
Signs were already evident when he nearly had Team Rocket's helicopter taken down with the Butterfree trapped on it. The battles were wearing on Ash and making him more readily pick violence over thought, especially when angry. And the trio's presence alone was enough to get Ash in a rage.
By some miracle, Butterfree had held back, but if things kept getting worse, the Pallet Trainer might one day snap and start trying to kill Jessie, James and Meowth.
If Ash started on that dark path – or, heaven forbid, succeeded – it wouldn't be one he could return from. Whether or not his Pokémon followed, and Brock was certain at least a few would, he would hunt down every agent and accomplice of Team Rocket or die trying.
Brock had to stop that from happening—stay with Ash as a confidant and conscience to prevent him from going off the deep end. Not just for Delia's sake, but for his own too. The breeder would never be able to live with himself if he let his friend throw his life away on vengeance.
Shelving the thoughts for now, he noticed that his stew was just about done and called out to the other two that dinner was ready.
Dinner was had in silence, Ash because of his mood and Misty still in her thoughts. This time, Brock didn't try to bridge it with conversation, feeling that the effort would be wasted as well as counterproductive.
After taking the dishes, the trio took out their sleeping bags to turn in for the night. But while Ash was setting his up, Brock tapped him on the shoulder.
Once he turned around, the Pewter Leader said, "Ash, I'm here for you, too. You know that, right?"
The corner of Ash's mouth lifted, "You mean you'll be my rock?"
Brock tried and failed to stifle a chuckle while covering his face with a hand. "Ash, I'm trying to be serious."
"I know. Thanks," the Trainer replied, smiling slightly before moving to get into his sleeping bag, Pikachu curling up inside as well, to be held by Ash.
Brock nodded, feeling that he'd made his point, and left to sleep as well.
The morning sun rose over Team Rocket's camp, rousing the trio from sleep. They stood up from their sleeping bags and worked the kinks out of their sore bodies. While they could still move well enough, Jessie had to use and loan her make-up to James in order to cover up the scabbed cuts and healing bruises. Meowth had recovered overnight with a Potion administered due to his higher resilience as a Pokémon. Still, the trio worked to get everything in order.
It wouldn't do to make a poor first impression with injuries.
After waiting for a call last night, Giovanni had called them personally and informed them that they passed their promotion test and would have their new uniforms and subordinates delivered to their location along with their new vessel.
Unfortunately, they had to return Ditto, as other agents used the Transform Pokémon and they couldn't monopolize such an important asset. But nothing could knock down the agents' good mood.
They were going to be Officers, so soon after joining Team Rocket, too. And they were the premier team to try out an experimental rank with their very own subordinates to assist while also able to call on other squads for bigger missions! Not to mention the pay raise that they got.
Jessie triple-checked her face in the mirror and chuckled, "We're moving up in the world, boys."
"Yeah," Meowth replied dreamily with his eyes shut. "Da Boss put his faith in us an' we came through."
James was more pensive as he stared towards the horizon.
Meowth raised an eyebrow, "Penny for yer thoughts?"
"Ash," the male agent responded, turning to his partners. "He'll want revenge for what we've done to his Butterfree. He'll be more determined than ever to stop us at every turn. I can feel it."
"That's the price of success," Jessie shrugged. "We'll have extra help now, and I'll cherish the devastated look on his face for ages."
Meowth seemed to take the prospect more seriously, but replied, "Well, there's no turnin' back now anyway."
"True," the blue-haired agent conceded. Honestly, even if he had known at the time that the pink Butterfree had the eye of Ash's, he probably still would've gone through with the plan. The Pinkan Pokémon was simply too valuable to pass up, even for the sake of avoiding a personal vendetta from their opponent.
With a resigned head tilt, James said, "I suppose you're right—in for a penny, in for a pound. We'll just prepare as best as we can with our new resources."
"That's the spirit!" Jessie encouraged. "Speaking of which, we should get ready to lead the twerps into Saffron's trap building. We should strike while the iron's hot and take Pikachu too."
"With subterfuge," he reminded her.
"Yes, of course," his partner acquiesced. As much as Jessie hated to admit it, Ash was becoming a handful to deal with in direct combat. Worse, his breeder friend seemed to be training up his own Pokémon if Geodude was able to resist and even reverse Arbok's Breaking Bind.
'They'll all be locked away while we make our escape, and nobody will come to save Pikachu this time,' she reassured herself.
Granted, the Trainer could probably break his way out, but it would take time. More time than it would take for her and her teammates to clear out of Saffron City and leave with Pikachu. James had already made a rubber drawstring bag especially for holding the feisty Electric-type.
Meowth suddenly perked up, one of his ears twitching as his eyes opened. He grinned, "Here they come."
A few moments later, Jessie's highly trained hearing picked up the distant sound of propellers droning, sounding like more than one. "Sounds like they're coming on our new ride."
James pouted a bit at being the only member of the team without above average hearing, but took comfort in the fact that he would presumably no longer be alone in that regard.
The sound of propeller engines soon reached his ears too and they looked to see an airship arrive over the valley before dropping down in a clearing large enough to accommodate.
Standing twice as tall as their hot air balloon and many times larger, clad in gunmetal grey plating, the airship had two propellers spinning in each wing, one in the center and one at the end and both held in rings on pivots so that they could rotate. Two more were fixed to each half of the underside, anterior and posterior to the wings in the middle of the ship. The nose of the ship had tinted glass windows allowing whoever was piloting to see. The bottom protruded slightly and was made of similar glass to the cockpit's window with metal hatches in the center. A thick metal door near the front with ladder rungs running up the side to it marked the entrance and faced them as the aircraft descended.
Each of the propellers span at a slower pace than before to gently lower the ship to the ground as metal plates on rods extended to operate as landing gear. Once it touched down, the engines cut off while Team Rocket was still staring in awe at the airship.
"That's for us…?" James asked quietly.
Jessie regained her bearings and cleared her throat, "Quit gawking. We've gotten our due; now look alive for our new squadmates."
Her two partners quickly picked up their jaws and composed themselves as the hatches on the bottom opened downward with a metal cranking noise, revealing a short metal slab that jutted from the rear of the opening, from inside the ship. The slab extended, revealing a long ramp that moved down to prop against the ground as it extended at a shallow angle.
While it did so, the door near the front of the ship opened up, revealing a female grunt with long, straight pink hair in the standard uniform, save for wearing pants instead of the female uniform's skirt.
"Heeeeeey!" she greeted as she waved merrily at her new superiors and hopped down to the ground, ignoring the ladder.
Four more agents made their way down the fully extended ramp, all of them appearing male with varying builds. The one in the lead had a box tucked under his left arm and promptly walked up to the trio with the others fanning out behind him.
With a salute, he said, "Squad 13 assistant agents reporting for duty!" Proffering the package, he added, "Your new uniforms are in here, you may change into them at your convenience."
Jessie accepted the item with a smile, eager for the new colors to show their rank. Modified Grunt uniforms were one thing, but Officer uniforms displayed a whole new kind of superiority to the average agent.
The subordinate who spoke joined the others on the far right while the pilot arrived and took her place on the far left.
Signaling James with a tilt of her head, she said, "Meowth, brief them on standard procedure around here. We're going to go get changed."
Rolling his eyes, the feline agent agreed and the two teens left to turn the corner for some privacy. Taking a cursory glance at the new helpers, he noted that most of them were teens with the bulkiest seeming to be in his late twenties.
Still, he had their attention, so he began explaining how Squad 13 spent their days. He went over hunting for leads on rare and/or powerful Pokémon or anything else to make some money for the organization, usually by following Ash, meal times, training of Pokémon, the usual time for lights out and several other minutiae of protocol.
Jessie and James looked at the uniforms they received, noting that unlike their previous uniforms, the male and female models were definitively different from each other.
The male uniform had a sleeveless navy blue undershirt with a silver vest, the latter with the emblem emblazoned on the front, split in half by the opening. A belt was also included with holsters for up to six Poké Balls. The pants had no practical pockets and were clearly meant to be form fitting, along with the stretchy wristbands. All in all, the uniform was meant to display muscles that James didn't have.
Meanwhile, the female uniform was far more conservative with a long sleeve navy undershirt and a short sleeve blazer in silver with the letter on the front. A pair of leggings colored the same as the undershirt was folded on top of a silver hakama-like bottom with red at the bottom, allowing for a loose fit with little mobility reduced. It was appealing to her femininity, but wouldn't work at all with her fighting style.
From the pairs of shoes in their sizes, it was clear who was supposed to receive which outfit. Both agents held up their respective outfits with dissatisfied expressions and looked to each other with raised eyebrows.
"Now, dis Trainer I told ya about, ya said ya read about 'im from our mission file?" A cluster of nods was his answer. "Good. So ya know that if we order ta run, ya take whatever we have captured and get away while we hold 'im off. An' dis is after he finds out about ya. We're gonna work ta keep ya hidden from him for as long as we can. Da longer he don't know, da more times we can pull one over on 'im in our plans."
Another unanimous agreement rang out in reply, and Meowth felt pretty good about getting respect from the new agents. Evidently, they had heard that he was just as important to the team as Jessie and James. That, or they knew that he had an in with the boss's Persian, and thus a small one with the leader himself. Either way, he could work with it.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," James called, prompting everybody to turn to see the duo's return.
Jessie stood imposing in a sleeveless top and tight pants that showed her sleek and powerful limbs along with wristbands that added to the look, her midriff exposed the same as before. A belt was also fastened over her hip and held three Poké Balls within arm's reach along with a bowie knife.
James was more elegant with a long-sleeved uniform and a divided hakama giving him a formal look. He also moved with a more gliding gait, giving the illusion of attending a ceremony. Meowth was slightly surprised since he'd never seen the blue-haired agent move with such grace before.
"Now, let's make this quick," Jessie started. "We need to be in Saffron City before twerp and co. get there. Each of you give your names along with any Pokémon or special talents you have."
The pink-haired pilot eagerly stepped forward first, holding a peace sign up to the side of her head with a wink, "I'm Ella, the pilot, driver, sailor, or whatever I need to get behind the wheel or controls of! No Pokémon, but since I'm driving, I don't really want to get tangled up in battle."
James nodded, "A fair point. Next?"
Ella stepped back and looked to the agent next to her, a redhead with glasses, slapping him on the rear to urge him forward when he looked nervous. Yelping, the grunt made his way forward, clutching the strap of a decent-sized white bag that he had over his shoulder.
"H-Henry…" he greeted. "I'm a m-medic, sort of. I didn't really pass m-m-med school at first, but, uh, I've been learning at HQ, so I can do basic procedures on both p-people and Pokémon. I… don't have any Pokémon, though."
"Dat's fine," Meowth dismissed. "Da last thing we want is our medic bein' close ta da battle where he can get hurt."
The bulky, black-haired agent in the middle tipped his hat from where he stood and said, "The name's Frank. My specialties're cookin' and care of Pokémon. As y'can see, I'm pretty strong too. My Machoke, Cal, an' I go way back in provin' who the strongest on the ranch was. I always lose, but I can give him a run for his money."
"Very nice," Jessie praised. She gestured over her shoulder, "That's a fully stocked hot air balloon. Do you think you can deflate it and bring it into the airship?"
Frank rolled his shoulders in preparation while moving past the trio, "Not a problem, ma'am."
While he did that, they turned their attention to the fourth agent, an agent with navy hair combed over one eye. James raised an eyebrow, "Haven't we seen you before?"
"This is my current face," he answered in a low tone, the timbre making it sound slightly condescending. The agent then let a breath through his nose, as if displeased about something as he took off his hat, "But, if I'm going to be working with you for the time being, I'd better show you my real face so that nobody can slip in saying 'I've lost my mask.'"
With that said he reached for the skin under his chin and tugged, the neck coming apart to reveal more flesh underneath, the eyes becoming hollow and revealing filmy lenses on them with colored contacts. Once the mask was fully off, a female agent was revealed with white hair cut very short in a pixie cut. Her actual eyes were blue, and they regarded the newly promoted officers as he took off the rest of the outfit like a body suit, the uniform around him loosening and falling away to reveal a female grunt uniform underneath.
Everybody watched in fascination, even Frank, who was waiting for the balloon to deflate.
Picking up her hat, the agent greeted in a voice that was more melodious, but no less professional as she put it on, "I'm Charlie, disguise specialist, recon and infiltration agent, and apprentice to Petrel. I have a Pokémon known as Natu that helps me with scanning the memories of my targets so that I may assume their characters. While we work together, I'm going to assume a new identity so that anybody who sees me will not know who I really am."
Meowth nodded, "Very impressive. Da Boss must think dat we can put you ta good use if he included ya on dis team."
"He told me as much."
Turning to the last agent on the far right, a brunet teen with buzzed hair and a small pack fastened to his belt, he saluted while saying, "My name is Burton. I'm experienced with radio technology and scouting, also able to run extremely fast, which helps in the latter regard."
"Define 'extremely fast,'" Jessie prompted. "This is Team Rocket, after all. Fast running is kind of the norm."
Burton lowered his hand with a nod and walked a short distance away from the rest. Sighting the end of the valley that met the border of the ocean, he tapped the ground with the tips of his feet to loosen them up. Next thing the rest of the team knew, he was moving, appearing as a blur for the take off before traveling across the earth at high speeds with a trail of dust left behind. He skidded to a stop once he reached his destination in a matter of moments, then immediately turned around and dashed back to the others' side.
His sudden stop caused a slight gust of wind from his wake to billow the officers' hair.
James gave an impressed nod, "Well. You were right, that is extremely fast."
"I ran errands for two years at HQ. Messenger, deliveries, supply runs—I used it all for training," Burton explained.
"Creative," the blue-haired agent praised.
Jessie clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, "Now, let's see the inside of the ship and talk about dividing up the living quarters."
The group ventured inside, including Frank, who carried the full balloon basket over one shoulder. He said that he was going to take it to the air hangar at the top before splitting off from the team.
Jessie and James looked around, seeing a fairly massive room as the ramp pulled up and the hatches closed behind them. Cages stood against all four walls save the front one, where a computer and transport machine lay, stairs leading upward in all four directions as well.
A crane hung above the trapdoor, and an armored van with a red R on the sides was further back from the hatch with clamps fastening it to the floor of the round metal plate it stood on. A quick testing of the lever next to the platform revealed it to turn the circular plate around. Once it was turned to face the vehicle to where the ramp would go, the three agents nodded in satisfaction.
James commented, "This is a nice central location for meetings. Get a table in here, bolt it down and we've got a briefing room."
"Noted," his partner replied. "You all wait here while we familiarize ourselves with the interior. I assume you've had time to get acquainted with this ship." Addressing her partners again, she suggested, "Let's start at the rear of the ship and work our way forward and up."
The three leaders surveyed the rest of the ship while having their subordinates wait. They passed Frank heading down from one of the staircases leading further up and informed him of the new orders. He agreed and went down the next staircase to the holding area/future briefing room.
The rear staircase was the only one to not have a second staircase up, and it held the engine room. It looked to have an electrical generator and had a computer that monitored the power, gas and water levels. Meowth also noted that it was a large space and good for tinkering with inventions where he wouldn't be bothered.
He seemed to have a special project in mind, but didn't say anything when asked.
Near the engine room were a few supply closets with various raw materials, and a room with two beds around the corner. The next door after that had a window installed and a peek inside revealed a kitchen with a similar door visible on the other wall. James was all too happy to examine the facilities. The pantry was stocked with food that, presumably, the other agents had lived off of during their trip, it had a sink and a stove, and he was ecstatic to have a real workspace for cooking.
A quick survey around the rest of the middle floor revealed more bedrooms with the front of the ship not having any supply closets, but possessing two bathrooms with the amenities associated and a small shower in each. Jessie didn't comment, but both her male partners could tell that she appreciated ready access to bathing.
The frontmost hallway narrowed down as it led into the cockpit of the ship, where they closed the door before moving on. But not before James closed the door in the side and grabbed the manual out of the co-pilot's chair to study later. Pilot Ella may be, but it never hurt to have a substitute in case of emergencies.
Once they traveled upstairs, they saw a hangar with another set of hatches installed in the ceiling. Their hot air balloon was rested in a set of brackets made for it and was re-inflating. A helicopter also stood across from their old aircraft with its own braces holding it down.
Meowth giddily laughed, "We're movin' on up!"
Once the trio returned to their new teammates, they talked about how to divide up the rooms. There were six in total, three on each side on the outer side of the ship whereas the inner portions were held by the storage closets, engine room, kitchen and bathrooms.
Jessie immediately said that she was having her own room and taking one that was closest to the bathrooms. Nobody argued since there were enough rooms to go around.
James and Meowth shared one of the rear ones since it was closest to both the engine room and kitchen. The fact that the two got on well was a bonus as well.
Ella got the other room near the front since she was the pilot and wanted to share a room with Charlie. She tried to show her affection with a hug, but got a hand to the face and a command not to touch her.
After that, the disguise specialist said that she wanted her own room as well since nobody was allowed to see her and Petrel's suits in development unless they were apprenticed. She got one of the central rooms.
The trio agreed that Henry should have his own room as well since it could operate as the unofficial med bay as well, with the spare bed able to hold a patient. He got the other central room since it was right near the staircase to the holding area, where agents typically boarded, and thus would be carrying an injured teammate that way.
That left the other rear room to Burton and Frank, but neither seemed to mind the development. They were both men and didn't mind having to share their space.
With that decided, Ella volunteered to start flying them near Saffron City to land near its outskirts. They would have to fly really high to avoid being spotted by anybody in the city, so she said that it would take time.
James asked if the subordinates had breakfast yet and decided to make some for everybody when he received negative answers.
Once they were dismissed, the rest of the subordinates left to do their own things as the ship started taking off. The ascent was rather smooth, so while there was a downward press of gravity, they had little trouble moving.
Meowth slipped off himself to get something from the balloon for his project, but looking up at the aircraft, he was struck by a wave of nostalgia as he realized that they wouldn't have much reason to use it anymore with the airship and helicopter.
'Still, maybe we don't hafta get rid of it,' he decided as he rooted through the basket. Coming up with his special wire frame gloves, Meowth added renovations to the balloon as part of his to-do list.
'Hmm… Maybe, wit' all these projects I got going, I could take up the job of engineer. I built da chopper with Jessie's help, and it's actually kinda fun ta put those things together.'
Looking down at the gloves in his paws, he added, 'But foist, I gotta get some five-fingered assistance…'
Making his way down the side staircase, Meowth took a turn to the rear of the ship and went into the engine room after making a stop at the supply closet after a stop for some metal and iron threads, an adjustable clamp, tongs and a blow torch with a protective mask for his eyes.
Bit of a short chapter, but this is, by definition, simply an aftermath of what happened in the previous chapter.
Notes:
1. From what I've gathered, any Pokémon can open the Poké Ball from the inside if they try hard enough. Psychic-types or those with psychic powers seem to have an easier time of it, but Ash's Pokémon all managed it in Snow Way Out.
See you when I see you.
-AJ203