A/N: Okay, everyone. I took a huge risk in this chapter and the next with a surprise. You are all either going to like it or not, hopefully the former. With that, please enjoy Chapter 29!
Edit: Nearly forgot! Because a few of you have requested this, this is the party's team so far.
Ash (on hand): Pikachu, Charmeleon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pidgeotto, Primeape
Ash (at lab): Krabby, Muk, Hitmonchan
Serena (on hand): Charmeleon (Charla), Nidorina, Jigglypuff, Oddish, Hitmonlee, Eevee
Brock (on hand): Onix, Geodude, Zubat
Misty (on hand): Staryu, Starmie, Psyduck, Magikarp, Goldeen
Disclaimer: I don't own….you know what? Let's just skip it this time. I've said it all the previous chapters.
Chapter 29: The Psychic Surprise
It was now the next day since Ash and Serena had taken on the fighting dojo. Knowing that their gym battle and Battle Chateau challenge were coming up next, they figured it would be best to rest for the remainder of the day. Because Ash learned that Sabrina uses psychic-type Pokemon, it wouldn't be good to keep a fighting-type like Primeape with him for the time being. Unfortunately, despite his eagerness to battle with his new Pokemon, Muk and Hitmonchan were weak to psychic-types, as well. Despite them not going to participate in this gym battle, Ash still wanted to make sure all of his Pokemon got their fair share of battles.
Ash was seated on one of the chairs at the moment and taking deep breaths to prepare him for the battle against Sabrina. Pikachu was mimicking his motions.
"Okay, Ash. Deep breaths. You can do this," Brock encouraged his friend.
"Right. I can do this. If what Gary said is true, this is going to be my toughest gym battle yet," Ash said.
"It shouldn't matter if you don't have any types of Pokemon that are strong against psychic-types. You have overcome the odds at all the other gyms," Serena told him.
"I don't know. Sabrina isn't like any other gym leader Ash has faced so far," Misty said.
"What do mean?" Ash asked her.
"While Brock and I were going to the police station with the secretary, she happened to mention Sabrina on our way there. She told us that Sabrina never laughs or smiles or cries or shows any type of emotion. She only spends her time training her Pokemon or battling challengers," Misty explained.
"That shouldn't matter. If Gary can beat her, then I can!" Ash said with determination as he pumped his fist into the air.
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, copying its trainer's movements.
"Are you ready to get that fifth badge, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu.
"Chu!" the yellow rodent answered as it nodded its head.
The group was now standing in front of the Saffron City gym. It seemed to look normal enough, but if there was one thing the group had learned so far, it was that looks can be deceiving. They were just about to walk in when a voice stopped them.
"So do happen to be a challenger for the Saffron City gym?" it asked.
The group spun around to see a middle aged man standing there, running in place. He seemed to be out for a daily jog.
"Yes. I am," Ash replied. "Do you happen to have any advice for Sabrina?"
"I do, as a matter-of-fact," the man answered. "You have to be an extremely strong trainer to win against her. Your best bet would be using a ghost Pokemon. Do you happen to have one?"
"No," Ash replied.
"Then you might as well give up now. Even trainers who do manage to capture ghost Pokemon lose against her," the man stated.
Ash thought back to where Gary said he got the badge here. He didn't recall Gary saying he captured a ghost-type to beat Sabrina. It also sounded like that was his first time going to Lavender Town when he was leaving. If Gary can beat Sabrina without using a ghost-type, then so can he!
"Thank you for the advice, sir," Ash told the man, "But nothing is going to stop my dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. I have very strong Pokemon with me that have overcome all odds before. I am confident I can beat Sabrina even without a ghost Pokemon."
"Suit yourself. Just know what you're up against," the man sighed as he resumed his jogging.
"That man seemed a little on the strange side," Serena commented.
"Yeah, but it isn't like he's the first one we've encountered," Ash replied as they entered the gym.
As the group was going in, they didn't notice the middle aged man watching them from on top of a tree.
"I sense that boy is unlike any trainer I've talked to before, and I've talked to many" the man mused to himself. "I wonder if he could be the one to save Sabrina."
Once the group was inside, they looked around and were surprised at the layout of the place. There wasn't a reception area or a battle room anywhere in sight. The room they entered was only a very long hallway with many rooms off to the side.
"Uh, what do you guys suppose all of these rooms are for?" Ash wondered.
"I don't know. This place gives me the creeps. It's so dark in here," Misty replied in a nervous tone.
"Well, maybe there is someone in one of those rooms who can direct us to Sabrina," Brock suggested as they began to walk down the long hallway.
As the group looked in each of the rooms, they were surprised to see each of them were rather bare. There were people in each of the rooms, but they didn't appear to be doing any real activity. They seemed to be either in a deep meditation or staring intently at…spoons?
"What are they doing?" Ash asked the group in confusion.
"It looks like telekinesis," Brock guessed.
"Well, this is a psychic Pokemon gym. Do you think Sabrina teaches these people how to use psychic powers?" Serena asked.
"That is correct," a new voice answered behind them causing the group to gasp and turn around in surprise. The voice belong to a young man with long jet black hair in a ponytail.
"Who are you?" Ash asked. He didn't mean to sound that rude. It just sort of came out like that.
"My name doesn't concern you," the man replied. "Why are you here?"
"I've come to challenge the gym leader, Sabrina, to a battle to win the Marsh Badge," Ash declared.
"Humph. You are foolish to challenge Sabrina. You don't have the strength to defeat her," the man smirked.
"How do you know?!" Ash asked angrily. "I'll have you know I've already won four badges!"
"I could care less even if you had seven badges," the man responded. "If you don't have psychic powers or a telepathic link with your Pokemon, you have no chance to win. Observe."
The man then lifted a spoon to his face and appeared to concentrate hard. He began grunting as he began concentrating harder. He seemed almost strained and began sweating. After what seemed like an eternity, the spoon finally bent slightly. He sighed with relief and showed the group his efforts.
"Okay. So you bent the spoon. What does that have to do with me battling Sabrina?" Ash asked.
"My powers do not even hold a candle to Sabrina's powers. It is a waste of time to challenge her so you should leave now!" the man said.
The group was becoming quite annoyed with this guy. Who was he to judge whom Sabrina should and shouldn't battle? If other trainers battled her, Ash can, also.
It doesn't matter if Sabrina's psychic powers are a million times better than yours! I came here to challenge Sabrina, and I'm not leaving until I do!" Ash yelled with determination.
The people in the various rooms began to become annoyed with the commotion and being broken from their concentration. They glared at the group, but Ash didn't care.
The man was about to argue again, but something stopped him. He leaned in closer to Ash and gave him a hard stare. Ash got a confused frown on his face as the man stared him over. The rest of the group also was wondering what was going on. As the ponytailed man continued to appraise Ash, he didn't quite know what he was sensing inside of the boy. It wasn't psychic power. It was something else. It felt very faint, but it was definitely there. Could it be…
"I apologize for treating you like you were unworthy to challenge our gym leader," the man said as he gave a bow. "I shall take you to her immediately. Follow me."
"Uh, sure. Thanks," Ash replied unsurely, wondering what prompted the man's sudden change in attitude.
"I still must warn you that Sabrina isn't one to be taken lightly. You must battle harder than you have ever battle before," the man said.
"So why aren't you arguing with Ash anymore?" Serena asked curiously.
"Do not worry about it, miss. He is worthy. That is all," The man replied.
The group finally reached the end of the very long hallway where a set of double doors were at the end.
"Sabrina awaits in there," the man said before leaving the group.
"I know we seem to run into strange people a lot, but that was enough for today," Misty commented.
"I have a feeling the day is fixing to get stranger," Ash muttered as he opened the doors and stepped inside, the rest following suit.
It was pitch black as the group entered the battle room. There was no doubt this place was creepy. Once they finished filing in, the whole room was illuminated in bright lights, causing them to squint at the sudden change in brightness.
The group looked around the gym but saw no one there. Besides themselves, it appeared to be empty.
"Where is Sabrina? That guy said she was in here," Ash asked in confusion.
"Maybe she took a lunch break?" Serena guessed.
Just then, the back of the battle room was lit up. It revealed a large chair against the wall. Seated in the large chair was an older teenager with long green hair that went almost all the way down her back. Her eyes and facial expression showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Um, are you Sabrina?" Ash asked the girl.
"I am," Sabrina answered, her voice very monotone.
"I've come to challenge you to a battle to win the Marsh Badge!" Ash declared.
"Pikachu!" his Pokemon agreed.
Sabrina stayed seated for a few moments, not saying anything. The group was beginning to wonder if she heard Ash's proposal at all. It was a little unnerving to have a supposedly psychic girl with no emotion staring at you.
After what seemed like hours, Sabrina actually levitated off the chair and floated closer towards the group until she was in the center of battle field! The group was very startled.
"Oh my goodness! She can actually float!" Misty cried.
Ash didn't let that deter him, however. He didn't care how powerful Sabrina's psychic powers were! He came here to win a Marsh badge, and that's exactly what he was going to do!
"So what are the rules?" Ash asked.
"A one on one battle. No time limit. Is that acceptable?" Sabrina asked with no emotion.
"It is! I choose Pikachu!" Ash stated as his faithful partner ran forward and stood in front of him.
"Pika!" it shouted with determination.
"Come out, Abra," Sabrina mumbled as she brought out a pokeball. It floated off of her hands and levitated close to where Pikachu was before opening up to reveal Abra.
Abra was a yellow bipedal Pokemon that resembled some type of fox with squinty eyes. It had a long, thin tail with a purple ring at the end. It also had bits of brown armor over its shoulders, torso, and legs. There was only one thing that the group noticed that seemed wrong. It looked like it was asleep!
"Um, Sabrina. It looks like your Pokemon is asleep. Shouldn't you wake it up?" Ash asked.
Sabrina said nothing in return.
"Abra are able to battle even while asleep by using powerful telekinesis, Ash. Don't let your guard down," Brock warned.
Ash and Serena pulled out their pokedexes to see if they could shed more light on the psychic Pokemon.
"Abra, the psi Pokemon. This Pokemon sleeps up to eighteen hours a day. It can still battle, however, and teleport to safety if it senses danger," their pokedexes confirmed.
"You heard those pokedexes, Pikachu. We still need to be on the lookout for Abra. We can still win this, though," Ash told it.
"Pi!" Pikachu nodded.
"The battle will begin now," Sabrina said.
"Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu shot forward towards Abra with the intent of ramming into it. Both Abra, and Sabrina for that matter, did nothing to dodge the oncoming attack.
"Isn't she going to give Abra a command?" Ash thought.
Ash Pikachu came closer and closer to Abra, the group noticed Sabrina's eyes glow blue for a moment. About a second later, Abra opened its eyes and they glowed blue as well. It then teleported right before Pikachu slammed into it.
"Woah!" Ash cried. "She didn't even give Abra a command verbally!"
"She must be joined telepathically to her Pokemon. She can give commands through her psychic powers," Brock figured.
"That means Ash is going to be at a huge disadvantage!" Serena said worriedly.
Pikachu looked around in confusion, wondering where Abra could have gone.
"Pikachu! Behind you!" it heard Ash cry.
Pikachu turned around just in time before it was blasted back by powerful psychic waves. It hit the ground hard. It didn't even hear Abra appear behind it! It would really need to keep is guard up.
"You okay, Pikachu!" Ash asked.
Pikachu immediately jumped to its feet and nodded. It wouldn't go down so easily. It beat a Raichu, its evolved form, for crying out loud!
"Use Agility, Pikachu!" Ash yelled again.
"Chu!" Pikachu cried as it began to dash around the room.
Sabrina's eyes glowed blue again. Abra held out its hands and stopped Pikachu dead in its tracks. It was using a Confusion attack. Pikachu was now under Abra's complete control. Then to it and everyone else's surprise, Pikachu began to dance around the room. Combined with the panicked expression on its face, the dance looked really awkward.
"That isn't funny to make Pikachu make a fool of itself!" Ash shouted angrily.
Sabrina didn't reply as Abra didn't let up making Pikachu look completely silly.
"Come on, Pikachu!" Serena cried.
"There has to be something Pikachu can do," Ash thought to himself.
Sabrina must have decided she had her fun with Pikachu because her eyes glowed blue again, and Pikachu stopped its ridiculous dancing. That didn't mean Abra was finished with its Confusion attack, however. It pointed its fingers up towards the ceiling, and Pikachu went flying upwards and crashed into ceiling. Abra then pointed its fingers downward, and Pikachu then fell onto the ground. Ash and the rest of the group cringed at Pikachu's predicament.
"Try to resist Abra's control, Pikachu!" Ash cried.
"Chaaaa!" Pikachu cried in as it was constantly slammed into walls by Abra's powers.
Ash was beginning to wonder how Gary and other trainers were able to beat Sabrina. Gary certainly wasn't lying when he said Sabrina was a challenging gym leader.
Ash thought back to their encounter with the psychic man from earlier. That man was so adamant about keeping him from facing Serena in battle because he didn't consider Ash "worthy". After they had argued with him a little while, he finally relented and said Ash could challenge Sabrina. What had prompted the man's sudden change in attitude? Ash knew he certainly didn't have any psychic powers so what else could stand up to Sabrina that the man saw? Ash then looked deep inside of himself and discovered something he never felt before. What IS that? It has to be the weirdest feeling he's ever felt before. It felt like he was feeling Pikachu's pain as it was being slammed against the walls. Ash didn't think it was telekinesis or anything like that, so what was it? He could actually hear Pikachu's voice inside of his head right now, crying out in pain. He wasn't going to let his buddy suffer like this!
"Pikachu!" Ash cried.
To his complete surprise, he heard a small voice inside of its head. It could have been his imagination, but it still sounded a lot like Pikachu!
"I feel your strength, Ash," the voice said.
Then, to everyone's extreme amazement (except Sabrina's), Pikachu let out a mighty cry and broke free from Abra's control! The blue energy surrounding Pikachu completely disappeared, and it appeared to be fully energized despite taking so much damage. Abra reeled back a little from the sudden loss of control. Once Pikachu broke free, the weird connection feeling Ash felt was gone like it never happened.
"What was that?" Ash thought to himself.
"Ash! Quick! Give Pikachu a command!" he heard Serena cry.
Ash immediately snapped out of his thoughts and yelled, "Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu once again tore across the room and slammed right into Abra which knocked it backwards across the floor. They had scored a hit.
"Excellent, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Pikachuuuuuuu!" Pikachu screamed as it let out massive lightning bolts from its cheeks
Sabrina, being the emotionless girl she is, didn't let this turn of events bother her. Her eyes glowed blue once more. Abra held out its arms again, and the electricity passed harmlessly over it. It then made the electricity form together into one massive electrical ball of energy. It then sent the attack back at Pikachu.
"It's can even use Confusion to take control of Pikachu's electricity!" Misty commented.
Ash wasn't going to let that stop him, however! "Pikachu! Counter with Thunderbolt again!" he yelled.
Pikachu once more unleashed a huge amount of electricity form its cheeks. The two forces of electrical energy collided in midair causing an explosion which covered the area where Pikachu was. Abra was redirecting the smoke away from it so it could still see.
Ash thought Sabrina and Abra were making a big mistake by keeping the smoke away from Abra. Pikachu had been in these types of situations enough to be used to them by now. Once Pikachu was out of the smoke, Abra would be in clear view for another attack. It would have been cleverer to use the smoke for cover like Pikachu was doing.
"Pikachu! Agility!" Ash called.
Pikachu leaped out of the smoke it was hiding in and sprinted across the floor as fast as it could. Abra must have seen this coming as it teleported again right before Pikachu reached it. Ash and Pikachu weren't as surprised this time so they would be ready wherever Abra showed up.
Abra appeared on the opposite side of the room from Pikachu and once again blasted Psychic waves at it.
"Use Agility and run straight towards those waves, Pikachu!" Ash hollered.
"Pika!" the mouse yelled as quickly sped at Abra and the Psychic waves.
"Ash is going to have Pikachu run straight into Abra's Psychic attack?" Misty asked in confusion.
"Remember, this Ash we are talking about. He must have something planned," Brock replied.
"Yeah. Ash can do it," Serena agreed.
Pikachu continued speeding along, and just before it and the psychic waves met, Ash yelled, "Leap into the air, Pikachu!"
Pikachu complied and jumped as high as it could, going completely over the waves.
"Use Thunderbolt again, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.
While still in the air, Pikachu quickly blasted the electricity out of its cheeks straight towards the psi Pokemon. Just as Ash expected, Abra once again took control of the electricity and directed it back at Pikachu.
"Let it chase you this time, Pikachu!" Ash called to it.
Pikachu landed on the floor of the gym and immediately broke into a run with the bolt of electricity right behind it. As Serena, Brock, and Misty were watching the electricity chase Pikachu around the gym, they couldn't help but wonder what Ash was up to.
Noticing that the electricity was gaining on Pikachu, Ash called out, "Use Agility and go straight for Abra!"
Pikachu then picked up the pace and began making a beeline to Abra, the electricity still right on its tail.
As Pikachu drew closer to Abra, the psi Pokemon seemed to be getting prepared for Pikachu to attack it. It got in a defensive stance and glared at Pikachu through its squinty eyes, but Ash and Pikachu had different plans.
"Don't attack Abra, Pikachu! Just ran right past it!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu continued running towards Abra, and at the last second made a sharp zigzag right past it. The Psi Pokemon turned around in surprise that Pikachu didn't attack it, which is what the raven haired trainer wanted.
"Gotcha!" Ash shouted. "Use Quick Attack, Pikachu!"
Pikachu made a sharp turn and sped towards Abra again. Abra was too distracted by controlling the electricity and the surprise of Pikachu's psych out to teleport. Pikachu rammed straight into Abra's midsection which knocked it to the floor. It then sped away.
Because Abra was hit by Pikachu, it lost control of the electricity for just a moment. As a result, the electricity kept moving towards Abra. Before it could redirect the electricity, the lightning bolts slammed into Abra, completely engulfing it in electricity.
"Abraaaaaa!" it cried out in its raspy voice.
"Way to go, Ash!" Serena cheered happily.
"That was an awesome strategy to fool Abra and distract it like that to take its mind off the electricity it was controlling," Brock praised.
"Now finish this with Iron Tail!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu once more sped towards Abra as fast as it could. Abra was charred completely black with bits of electrical energy sparking from it occasionally. It was unable to teleport due to it trying to recover from the super Thunderbolt. Pikachu leaped towards Abra as its tail began to glow white. Once it reached Abra, it swung its glowing tail around and scored a direct hit right in Abra's face which sent the Psychic type Pokemon flying backwards. It hit the gym wall and fell to the ground on its face where it didn't move.
"Awesome! That was incredible, Pikachu!" Ash praised.
"Pikachu!" it replied turning to give Ash a V-shape with its fingers.
"Ash really did it! He beat Sabrina! Those two are so amazing!" Serena thought as she blushed.
"It looks like those two really pulled this off," Brock smiled.
The group then looked towards Sabrina who hadn't changed expression one bit during the battle and was still in the same spot she was before. Why wasn't she coming over to congratulate Ash or at least admit defeat?
"You haven't won yet," Sabrina muttered in monotone.
"What do you mean? Pikachu and I beat Abra, didn't we?" Ash asked in confusion as he turned towards the fallen Pokemon, or so he thought.
Ash, Pikachu, and rest of the group let out a surprised gasp at what they saw when they looked at Abra. It was back on its feet and still looked ready to fight.
"I don't understand? How could it have withstood all of those attacks?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.
"Use Recover, Abra," Sabrina mumbled.
Once she said her command, all the wounds that were on Abra completely faded, and its blackened body from being hit by the electricity returned to its normal color. It looked like it was never damaged at all!
"What?!" the whole group exclaimed in complete astonishment. Was that move even legal?!
"Childish fools," Sabrina muttered as her eyes glowed blue again.
Abra then began glowing white in color and started to get larger. When it was done glowing, another Pokemon stood in its place. It resembled Abra, only its eyes were no longer squinty, its tail was a lot bigger, and it now had a very long mustache.
"It can't be! Abra evolved into Kadabra!" Ash cried in disbelief.
Serena took out her pokedex to scan the new Pokemon. "Kadabra, the psi Pokemon and the evolved form of Abra. It can emit special alpha waves from its body that induce headaches just by being close by,"said the pokedex.
"This is bad," Brock mumbled as the group watched how the situation had turned completely against them in a span of only about thirty seconds.
Ash knew Pikachu must be getting pretty tired because of how much energy it put forth into trying to take out Abra, but now it had to deal with its evolved form! Ash didn't know what to do since he had used most of his tricks already. He would have to think of a new strategy fast, but he didn't have to.
Before Ash could issue a command, the newly evolved Kadabra's eyes glowed blue as it once again took hold of Pikachu in its Confusion attack. It then lifted Pikachu high into the air as the blue energy around Pikachu seemed to intensify. Pikachu began to writhe in agony and cry out in pain. Its body was being bent into all kinds of awkward positions. Kadabra was close to torturing poor Pikachu inside of its blue field of psychic energy.
"Pikachu! Try to break free like last time!" Ash cried with worry even though he knew it was no use. Kadabra's Confusion was no doubt much harder to break free from than Abra's. Furthermore, the only reason Pikachu seemed to be able to break out in the first place was because of that strange connection he had with Pikachu for a brief second. The sad thing was the feeling didn't look like it was coming back anytime soon despite how bad Ash needed it. He didn't know what it was, but it sure helped him out in a time of need.
Once Kadabra finished torturing Pikachu it pointed its fingers to the ceiling, and Pikachu flew up and hit it just like before. It then dropped to the ground as the process repeated itself.
"Chaaaa! Chaaa!" Pikachu screamed in pain as it was continuously crashed into the ceiling and floor.
Serena and Misty covered their eyes and turned away from what was taking place. They couldn't watch Pikachu be in so much pain. Brock shielded his eyes as well at the cruelness that was taking place. Ash clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he felt tears burn his eyes. He was almost reminded of how Charmeleon was tortured by Damian back at the Silph Co. Now he was watching his best buddy almost go through the same thing! How could Sabrina be so cold to any Pokemon's feelings?!
"Try a Thunderbolt!" Ash cried desperately.
Pikachu did indeed manage to shoot a stream of electricity at Kadabra. Like before, however, Kadabra immediately took hold of the electricity and sent it back towards Pikachu while still controlling the rodent. It appeared Kadabra could control more things at once now due to its evolution.
The electricity struck Pikachu at double the power it had unleashed. The Kadabra then resumed slamming Pikachu into the floor and ceiling.
Ash continued to watch in horror at what was taking place. He turned towards Sabrina who looked as stoic as ever. He didn't know what to do.
"Ash. Please. Make it stop," Serena whimpered from behind him.
Ash turned to look at Serena to find tears coming from her eyes. The sight of her crying made Ash's heart break as well. He turned to Brock and Misty and saw them nod their heads at him. Ash knew what he had to do. There was no reason this battle needed to go on any longer. He wasn't going to allow Pikachu to get hurt anymore, or he may lose his partner permanently.
"Stop it! That's enough! I quit!" Ash hollered at the top of his lungs.
Once Ash shouted that, Kadabra relented its Confusion attack and gently set Pikachu on the ground where the poor rodent was gasping in pain. Ash immediately ran over to it and cradled it in his arms. He then glared at the Psychic Pokemon trainer.
"No badge is worth losing Pikachu," he said through gritted teeth.
"A wise decision," Sabrina murmured before returning Kadabra. "You may now leave."
Not wanting to stay there any longer, Ash turned around and ran out of the gym room as fast as he could, the tears still threatening to spill from his eyes.
"Ash!" Serena called as she ran after him, Misty and Brock following suit.
Ash ran through the hallway, not sparing a glance at anyone in any of the rooms as he passed. The only thing he wanted right now was to get out. He couldn't believe how cold and powerful Sabrina was. How was he supposed to beat someone like that?! The worst part was Pikachu was critically injured because of it.
As Ash left the gym towards the Pokemon Center with his friends right behind him, the same man whom they met before they entered the gym was watching them run by from the top the same tree from earlier. The man could tell the boy had lost. Despite that, he still believed the boy might have what it takes to save Sabrina from herself. He was unlike anyone he had met before, even the trainers who managed to beat Sabrina in battle. He figured he would go have a talk with this boy.
"I sensed his level of aura is incredible. There is no doubt Sabrina felt it, too," the man thought.
With that, he teleported away.
A van was currently driving up to the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. To any normal person, this didn't seem the least bit out of the ordinary. It might have just looked like tourists who had come to visit the Pokemon Tower to get a good scare from the ghost-type Pokemon said to haunt the place. Maybe they were just there to pay their respects to the departed Pokemon as most people do, as well. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The people inside the van had a much more sinister reason for coming to the Pokemon Tower.
The van parked just outside the building as the people got out of the car. They were wearing casual clothes to hide their true identities and consisted of a woman with long red hair, a woman with blonde hair in pigtails, a man with blue hair who had driven the van, a man with short green hair, and a Meowth who could apparently speak human language.
"Ugh! I still can't believe the boss still has us doing these missions together with you three," Cassidy grumbled as she massaged her temples in aggravation, referring to Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Oh, hush! It isn't like we enjoy working with you and Hutch, either," Jessie shot back.
"My name isn't Hutch!" Butch screamed, but they ignored him.
"Whatever. Let's just go ahead and get this mission over with so we can get away from each other," Cassidy muttered.
"Right," Butch agreed as they entered the building. "The boss wants us to capture as many ghost Pokemon as we can in case we need to use force against Mewtwo when we go after it."
The five approached the receptionist, who was a young woman, as Jessie and Cassidy decided to do the talking.
"Hello!" Jessie greeted in a sweet-as-honey voice. "My friends and I have come here to get a good scare with some ghost Pokemon. We are such fanatics for anything scary! You wouldn't happen to know where they start appearing, would you?"
"That's right!" Cassidy agreed as she began to cry fake tears. "Not to mention, my poor, poor Growlithe passed away, and I figured this would be the perfect time to visit it and tell it how much I love it!"
James, Butch, and Meowth rolled their eyes. Could these two be any less convincing actresses?
"I understand completely," the receptionist replied as James, Butch and Meowth fell over in disbelief. "You can find the ghosts above the second floor, and I'm very sorry to hear about your Growlithe, ma'am. Please enjoy your time here."
"Thank you, dear!" Jessie fake-smiled with a wave before they turned to go towards the upper floors.
"Heh, that was too easy," Cassidy whispered.
"Eeeeek! Wait for us!" James called as he, Butch, and Meowth got off the ground and followed the two other Rockets.
"Wait a second. How does the boss even plan for us to capture all of these ghost Pokemon?" Butch asked as the five reached the stairs.
"Easy. Our Pokemon are certainly strong enough to capture a few. Then we just use those ghost Pokemon to capture more and more until we have a whole army," Cassidy replied.
"But that could take days!" Butch complained.
"Quit whining, Biff! We have enough supplies to last us a while," Cassidy scolded.
"My name is Butch, not Biff!" Butch yelled.
"Quiet! Somebody's coming! Act natural!" Jessie whispered harshly as she put her index finger over her mouth.
The four Rockets leaned against the walls and whistled innocently while Meowth acted like a normal Meowth. As they watched the two people pass by, they recognized one as the kid with brown, spiky hair that broke into Silph Co with that Pikachu boy. He was with a young girl who had long brown hair and was wearing a white hat. The two smiled at the supposed strangers as they passed them while the Rockets smiled back, but inwardly they were seething. They wanted to teach these two, especially that boy, a lesson so badly right now but kept their emotions in check. They had more important things to do.
Team Rocket waited until Leaf and Gary were out of sight until they continued to ascend to the upper floors where few people ever went. Once they got to the third floor, they released their Pokemon and prepared for their plan. Well, they had to wait until James' newly caught Victreebel stopped trying to eat him.
As they began to search for ghost Pokemon, they were surprised to find a Marowak and a baby Cubone wandering around the tower. As soon as the Marowak noticed Team Rocket, it immediately took on a defensive stance and held up its bone threateningly.
"That's strange. What are a Marowak and Cubone doing here?" James asked as he tilted his head.
"I've heard that for some reason these bone collector Pokemon like coming here because they like to see gravesites of Pokemon, probably for their bones," Jessie responded.
"Who cares why it's here? Scram, you pest! We have important business to take care of!" Cassidy shouted at the Pokemon.
"Marowak Maro," the Marowak responded in a low tone.
"It's saying we better be the ones to get out of here so it can protect its baby," Meowth translated.
"Humph! Well if you won't get out of here on your own, we will have to chase you out!" Cassidy growled as their Pokemon, an Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, Victreebel, Raticate, and Hitmonchan loomed over the two smaller Pokemon.
Marowak wasn't intimidated at all, however. It skillfully threw its bone at all the other Pokemon over it. The Bonemerang clonked each Pokemon on the head as it passed by. The six Pokemon fell on the ground in a dazed state as Marowak went over and began attacking them with a Bone Club. It wasn't too long until all the Pokemon were knocked out. A mother could be very powerful when it comes to protecting her children. It helped that it was carrying an especially thick club at the moment.
"What the-? That thing just defeated our Pokemon!" Butch exclaimed as he clenched his fists in anger.
"That's it! Now I'm furious! This Pokemon needs to be taught a lesson for getting in the way of Team Rocket!" Cassidy said angrily as she pulled out a gun that was hidden from view and pointed it at the Marowak. "Move now, or else!"
"Cassidy is scary when she is angry. You better do what she says," Butch warned.
The Marowak stubbornly held its ground and glared at the crooks.
"Maybe you didn't hear what we said. Get out of our way, or we will make you do it!" Jessie threatened.
The Marowak didn't budge, though. It would do what it had to do to protect its baby from these bad people. It told Cubone to run away as a fast as it could while it dealt with them.
The Cubone reluctantly began to run as the Marowak turned to glare at Team Rocket again. It wanted to make sure its baby was safe.
"This is your final warning! Get out of our way!" Cassidy growled as the other Team Rocket members glared threateningly at it. They refused to be humiliated by this Marowak, and they had an important mission to do that couldn't be interrupted by anything.
Marowak still held its ground, however, it looked like it was going to attack again, but Cassidy beat the Marowak to it.
The baby Cubone turned its head while running to see what was going on. Its eyes widened at what was about to happen. "Cubooooone!" it wailed.
Cassidy narrowed her eyes at the Marowak. "Suit yourself," she said as she pulled the trigger.
A loud bang was heard throughout the Pokemon Tower. The people on the floors below looked around in confusion and alarm, wondering what could have taken place. If only they knew.
The baby Cubone was now an orphan.
Okay. This is the first time Ash's aura powers have awoken. I know what you guys must be thinking: (But you said aura wouldn't appear until the last story.) You are right. I did say that, but I meant more it won't feature prominently until the last story when Ash can control it. He has no idea what it is or how to use it right now. It just appeared to him once and was gone just as quickly which is why he couldn't get out of a second jam with Pikachu. This actually isn't the first mention of Ash's aura in the story, either. For those of you that can read between the lines, I've actually placed several subtle hints in past chapters of Ash's aura showing up previously, so this isn't completely out of left field. I don't have any more plans for his aura to awaken in the Kanto arc, except maybe once if I decide it's necessary for one part.
Another thing I want to say: a lot of you are probably ticked off because Ash was winning until Sabrina's Abra evolved and completely turned the game around. I wanted to show that it was entirely possible to beat Sabrina which is how Gary and others can get the Marsh badge. Ash just had bad timing and has to get stronger to face her again. Just bear with me. This chapter and the next were pretty hard to write.
A good thing is that next chapter will mark the beginning of Ash starting to mature a little bit. He has been extremely reckless so far which has gotten all of his friends and Pokemon in trouble. He is going to finally be motivated enough to force himself to get stronger and mature which is where the smarter and more mature Ash I promised finally starts coming into play.
The next chapter will be up on Tuesday! Thanks for your support, and I hope my story still holds after all that happened. This can only happen because of you guys: The readers!
Chapter 30: Two Resolves
Answering the Questions:
Is Duplica still going to appear like she did in the Anime or not?
No.
Is Jigglypuff considered a fairy type in this arc?
Yes.
I would like to see Misty and Brock train some more, well maybe Misty and have her catch a few non canon pokemon.
They will have their time to shine in future chapters.
Will Ash's and Serena's Pokémon be training at Oaks while they are not with them?
Of course.
Will some other Pokemon try to get Charla's attention?
Maybe.
Are both Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee opposite genders?
Both Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are male but are complete opposites in personality as you will see later on.
Will ash still come up with out of the box ideas to turn battles around and still retain his unpredictable battle style to keep us on our toes?
Yes. That is my intention anyway.
Will Ash get to the Cinnabar like in the game or will it be like the anime with the hot springs.
I think the ideas I have for Cinnabar Island are pretty original. As far as more like the games or anime, it's a bit of both.
When you get to Sinnoh, will the League battle between Ash and Paul still be the only time Ash wins against Paul, or will you have Ash win more of their battles?
I'm sorry. I won't spoil that question.
How about you create a bit of a rivalry between Primeape and Hitmonchan?
They will have a small rivalry but will mostly be training buddies, along with Hitmonlee.
Because of Ash having nightmares of his mother being killed will he be taking his training more seriously?
Yes.
Will Ash catch Dratini at the Safari Zone?
Yes.
