000
"Is she going to be okay?"
Red was frantic. Lucina's eyes were not glowing like she usually did, and she had a blank expression. Occasionally her wings would twitched.
Bill coughed. "I'm no Nurse Joy, but I think I have an idea about what might have happened. Your Butterfree's psychic right? That game corner had a psychic barrier surrounding it, neutralizing any attempts of mind manipulation."
"But will she-"
"She'll be fine. She just has to recover and rest for a few days. Unfortunately, we don't have a few days. I'd suggest getting another Pokemon from your PC."
Red sighed, relieved. "Okay. But without Lucina's help, how will I get in?"
Bill gave him a wry smile. "Why do you think I wasted time in this dump? I already figured out this place like the back of my hands. Don't worry, with this chip that I'll install in your ear, I'll direct you through."
Red was still nervous. "But…how can I do it alone? I barely escaped before, and that was when they underestimated me. And why am I doing this at all? Aren't they counting on me coming?"
Bill's expression became puzzled. "Why would they be expecting you?"
Red, realizing that Bill was out of the loop for the last few weeks, explained about Surge and Misty. The only thing he left out was the prophecy, for he had been told to not tell anyone.
Bill stroked the hair on his chin. "That's…disturbing. But it only gives us more incentive. We beat them here, and Surge and Misty are safe."
Red clenched his fists. He wasn't so sure. Fighting Team Rocket seemed like a bad idea, and he felt vulnerable, like the hooded assassin would shoot him at any moment.
Not to mention the prophecy, which put even more on his shoulders. He wished he were Blue, so he could just recklessly charge into the situation. But he wasn't Blue. This felt illogical and foolish, but he couldn't say no. He may not have been Blue, but he was Red.
And Red couldn't stop himself from protecting the people he loved.
Red sighed and shook Bill's hand.
"Okay. Let's bring down team Rocket."
Bill grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Nice kid, I always knew you had guts. Okay, so here is the plan…"
000
Red hated the plan.
Bill would cause a distraction with his Clefairy, alerting the guards. This would leave Red and Ash free to enter the Game corner.
"After that, just listen via microchip. I'll tell you what to do from there."
Red had agreed, but so many things could go wrong. He sighed, looking at an equally annoyed Ash.
"Worst idea ever, right?"
"Piiika…."
"Hey I heard that!"
Bill's squeaky voice was speaking in his ear.
"Don't respond Red, play it natural. Just follow my lead, and if you get into trouble, talk to me through your Pikachu."
Red twitched. This was really weired.
So far, the plan was working great. The guards outside chased after Clefairy, after she used a move to burn their clothes.
Red, as casually as he could, opened the door and entered. He was shocked at what he saw.
It seemed to be just a casino.
In fact, it was crowded. People everywhere were trying their luck on the slots. When Red looked closer, he noticed that people were addicted. Some looked like they hadn't showered in days, and others were unshaven. One man was fast asleep in one of the chairs, drooling on the slot machine.
This reminded him of Nugget Bridge, and the possessed trainers there.
Out of nowhere, a man grabbed him. He had frizzy white hair and a crazy beard. His eyes were wide with madness.
"Hey, kiddie? Got any coins? Eeehee."
Red wrenched out of his grip, terrified. Ash snarled, his cheeks sparkling with electricity.
"Red, just get to the corner in the back! There is a secre-!"
A man grabbed his shoulder, even tighter than the other man before. It was a man in a dark suit, red R on his chest. He had green hair that curled on both sides of his head.
Proton smirked.
"Hey kid. Welcome to Celadon."
000
The hooded figure shouldered their bow, instead reaching for a phone.
"Giovanni. I saw him enter the base. Should I kill him? I can still get him from an angle."
"No. Let him come to you. He fights your gym next, after all."
Erika smirked under her hood. The poor boy wouldn't know what hit him.
000
The Rocket slammed Red against the wall, enticing a grunt of pain. He grabbed a knife and held it to his throat.
"You gave us a run for our money kid, I'll admit that. But it's over now. No one messes with team rocket!"
The man thrust his knife downwards, prepared to stab, but Ash leapt to action. A thunderbolt blasted from his cheeks, aiming right for Proton, who barely ducked to avoid it.
The electricity collided into one of the slot machines, setting it on fire. The people playing the slots wrenched their eyes away and stared, finally breaking out of their obsession.
And everyone began to panic.
It was pandemonium. Everyone screamed and ran, trying to escape. Proton's hand loosened, and Red used the distraction to kick him in the stomach. As he stumbled backwards, the Rocket executive glared mutinously.
He aimed his knife, but out of nowhere he was tackled by a very obese man, who nearly trampled him.
Bill's voice shown through. "Not bad! Now get to that poster, and punch the button behind it!"
Red sprinted forward, slamming his fist to the poster. Sure enough, a trap door opened.
Gasping and sprinting down, they found themselves in a dark staircase. He sprinted all the way down, before opening the door at the bottom.
It was a laboratory, and it looked abandoned. The tubes had been destroyed, and evidence had been ridden of. But clearly it was not abandoned, as no less than thirty members of Team Rocket were staring at them, tons of Pokemon at their side. Red groaned, slapping himself in the face. Ash followed suit.
At the head, surrounded by officers, Jessie and James, was Malcolm, who clapped his hands.
"Welcome, Ketchum. It's time to die."
Malcom's eyes were lit with triumph. His dark eyes glared into Red's brown ones.
Red's eyes widened. "What? But- I thought I killed you?!"
"You thought wrong. Everyone, attack!"
Red sighed, tipping his hat. " I guess it can't be helped. Everyone, go!"
Red's team burst out of their balls. Tyrone scowled, Sydney grinned, Luca gulped, Will took a mock bow, Ash sparkled, and Hawkeye smirked. They all charged the near endless mob of Pokemon and men attacking them.
Malcolm snapped. "Surround and finish them!"
Ash's cheeks sparkled as his thunderbolts took down the Golbat flying in the sky. Hawkeye flew through the air, slashing enemies with his claws. Luca fired leaves, sending them flashing forward towards the ground types, occasionally using his vine to bring a flying Pokemon down.
Sydney's mouth and tail blasted fire, bringing down Pokemon on both sides. Her claws slashed up anything that came close.
Will blasted torrents of water that easily tore through the ranks. He spun in his shell, easily avoiding ranged shots from Voltorb and Electrodes.
Tyrone, as usual, fought like a menace. He ran around, impaling enemies on his horn. He used his powerful feet to double kick anyone who tried to sneak up on him.
But it wasn't enough. There were far too many, and Red knew they would soon be overwhelmed. He glanced around, before staring in horror.
Tyrone smirked as he took down a Venonat, not seeing the Koffing right next to him glow in a harsh light. He cackled. "Ha! How ya do like that, you Rocket pieces of-OH SHIT!"
It happened in slow motion.
Tyrone tried to dive out of the way. At the same time, Red began to charge forwards. But with a great tremor, the Koffing self-destructed, and the whole room shook and trembled. Red heard Tyrone's scream of pain, and himself becoming weightless as he flew backwards. His head cracked against the wall, and everything went dark.
000
Pokemon: 8
Badges: 3
Deaths: 0
Team:
Ash: lv 30
Hawkeye: lv 29
Tyrone: lv 32
Luca: lv 30
Sydney: lv 30
Will: lv 25
In rotation:
Dillan: lv 32
Lucina: lv 30
000
…
Cliffhanger huh. You can speculate on his fate if you wish…