A/N: A few people were curious about what some of the main characters' birthdays were after I said that Macy's birthday was April 10th in this fic. Here is merely my head canon of some of the characters' birthdays in this series. Take it with a grain of salt as this is by no means official. Only some birthdays will celebrated in this fic so please don't ask me.
Ash: May 22nd
Serena: July 22nd
Brock: September 5th
Misty: November 10th
Gary: January 11th
Leaf: September 30th
May: May 3rd
Dawn: August 6th
Max: February 15th
Brendan: April 3rd
Now, since that's out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. It begins to set the stage for some things. Of course, we all see Silver again, too, which is always a true blessing for Ash. Heh. Yeah right.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter Thirty Six: The Silver Lining
It was a cloudy night in Olivine City. There was no sign of any storm coming, but without the glow of the moonlight to illuminate the city, in particular the ocean, it was rather dark indeed. It was always rather dangerous to cross the ocean at night, especially with no moonlight. Sometimes, however, sailors and boat captains were left with no choice in case of an emergency. Despite this, there was always at least one source of light they could count on.
It was the light of an Ampharos, the final evolved form of Mareep. This wasn't just any Ampharos, though. This was a special Ampharos whose tail glowed like no other. It was so bright, in fact, that its light could be seen for miles out and was better than any regular light. Because of this, its tail was used as the source of light in the Olivine Lighthouse rather than an electric light. It was a savior and blessing to anyone who may be lost at sea. This special Ampharos was an important part of not only Olivine City but the Johto region as a whole.
Ampharos never left the lighthouse, but that was okay. The lighthouse was its home. Being an important Pokemon to everyone, it was made to have quite the life in the lighthouse when it wasn't working. There was always a fresh supply of its favorite food and a very comfortable bed for it to sleep in during the day. Despite the good things Ampharos had going for it, Ampharos would still faithfully shine its light for anyone even if it got no reward. That's just the kind of Pokemon it was.
Most people, however, were not allowed to visit the Ampharos due to not wanting to disturb it. One person who was an exception to this was the gym leader of Olivine City, Jasmine. She and Ampharos were good friends, and she affectionately referred to the light Pokemon as "Sparkle". Jasmine visited Ampharos almost every day, and the two would play together. That made living in the lighthouse by itself never lonely for Ampharos.
Speaking of Jasmine, she had left the lighthouse about thirty minutes ago to go back to her gym. It was late at night, and Ampharos needed to concentrate, especially on this cloudy night. Without the moon to help it, Ampharos had to make its tail glow extra hard. That was why Jasmine had been at the lighthouse at this late hour. She wanted to make sure Ampharos had enough of its favorite Pokemon food for energy. Ampharos really did appreciate her for looking out for it the way it looks out for other people.
Ampharos turned its head towards the side of the lighthouse which faced the sea. It could see no ships out at the moment, but nevertheless, they could show up at any moment. Ampharos faithfully had its tail illuminating the ocean, and it would make sure to stay here until the sun had risen, and then it could sleep. Ampharos smiled to itself. Despite the clouds, the silence of the night was still rather calming and peaceful.
That was until Ampharos heard what sounded like a thud.
Being a rather old lighthouse, Ampharos was used to the building creaking all the time. This was no ordinary creak, however. Ampharos knew something was up. It hated to shine its light away from the sea for even just a moment, but it had to make sure nothing was wrong. Ampharos headed through the room to the other side of the lighthouse where the second deck was. That's where it heard the noise.
As Ampharos drew closer to the door, it got puzzled as it couldn't hear anything. That was weird. After a thud like that, it had sounded as if someone or something had landed on the deck outside. Had that noise just been its imagination? Surely not. Ampharos was just about to turn the knob on the door to peek outside when it happened.
The door to the lighthouse was forcefully kicked open, and Ampharos leaped back to avoid it. It then began to charge up to shoot a Thunderbolt at whoever this intruder was. There was another Pokemon who beat it to the punch and had already unleashed a Flamethrower as soon as the door was open.
Ampharos was struck by the Flamethrower and pushed backwards a few yards before it fell over backwards. It then went to push itself back up, but it was forced back down by four very strong paws. Ampharos looked up and could see two Houndoom were using their fore paws to hold Ampharos down to the floor. Ampharos then looked ahead and could see three men in black uniforms and a red "R" on their shirts enter the room.
"Well, well, well," the man in the center sneered who was none other than Proton. "Look what we have here. If it isn't the famous lighthouse Pokemon."
Sensing trouble, Ampharos charged up and shocked its two restrainers with a Thunderbolt. The Houndoom howled in pain and backed off. Ampharos then pushed itself to its feet in order to fight these people, but Proton sent out another one of his own Pokemon, a Rhydon. The room shook as the heavy drill Pokemon crashed onto the ground. Ampharos hesitated its Thunderbolt for just a moment at seeing the intimidating Pokemon. Its electricity would have no effect. That moment was all that was needed for the two Houndoom to recover. One of them swiftly clamped its jaws around Ampharos' long neck and drug it back down to the ground and held it there.
"Now, now, play nice," Proton smirked as he walked towards Ampharos. "We wouldn't want you to make one wrong move and have Houndoom snap your neck, would we?"
Ampharos shook with fear as it looked at three Pokemon and evil men surrounding it. Why couldn't Jasmine be here right now? If she was, she could take care of these people! Ampharos began making distressed cries in the hope that someone could hear it. Deep down, Ampharos knew that it was in vain as no one was around the lighthouse at this hour.
"Yeah. Cry all you like. It won't matter soon, anyway," Proton laughed before he turned to one the grunts. "Do you still have Dr. Namba's syringe?"
"Yes, Sir Proton!" the grunt saluted before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe.
Proton took the needle from the grunt and removed the cap before he pointed it straight a Ampharos. The light Pokemon's eyes widened in terror when it saw that syringe. Just what on Earth were they planning on doing with it?! As if reading its thoughts, Proton gave an evil smile and seemed to relish in Ampharos' panic.
"Listen up. Team Rocket will soon control the entire region of Johto, and then Kanto, before the rest of the world. We can't have anyone focusing on us or raise suspicion as we get ready to prepare for our master plan. We're creating chaos all over Johto now. We started in Mahogany Town, and now we're here. With you out of the picture, it will have the whole area in an uproar as the police and population are focused on you and the other terrible things and not us. It's nothing personal, but we need to use you as a tool to further our own ends," Proton said in a sinister tone.
Ampharos began to shake and struggled as it tried to break free from Houndoom, but the dark Pokemon tightened its grip around Ampharos' neck as if to remind it that all it would take is one fast jerk of its head to end its life right there. Proton then stood in front of Ampharos as he prepared the needle.
"Don't worry. This poison won't kill you immediately. Our scientists created it and already tested it on one unlucky Pokemon, and it died at the perfect length of time. It would be no good if you died too soon, after all. That wouldn't give us enough time to take over the Johto region. No. It's going to kill you from the inside out…nice…and slow," Proton uttered
Ampharos shivered in fright as the sadistic man drew closer. No. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening? All it wanted was to help and guide people in need with its light. What would happen to the poor people who were lost at sea or those who needed a light to guide them on the treacherous waves at night?
"Now, hold still. This won't hurt me a bit!" Proton grinned evilly before he jammed the syringe into Ampharos' neck.
The bright light that shined from the lighthouse flickered once. It then began to get dimmer and dimmer until it was out completely, and the area around it was shrouded in darkness.
Silver arrived just outside Olivine City on the back of his Skarmory. He rarely flew anywhere and preferred to walk, but this was a necessity. Besides, he couldn't go through Ecruteak City anymore without the police breathing down his neck so he had to keep away from there as much as possible…at least until he got his revenge and didn't need Honchkrow anymore.
Speaking of the Honchkrow, Silver took out the pokeball that contained Honchkrow and released it. The once terrifying and evil Pokemon materialized from the pokeball, and it looked nothing like it did in its prime. Silver had spent the first couple of days with Honchkrow literally beating it into submission with his other Pokemon. Silver hated criminals, and he wanted this former mafia boss to know it.
Honchkrow's feathers were completely ruffled and out of shape. Its beak was slightly crooked, one of its eyes was squeezed shut, and its once large plumage had been reduced greatly from Silver not giving it enough nutrition or food. Silver was giving Honchkrow the bare minimum to stay alive, and he'd warned the Honchkrow several times already that if it once mislead or disobeyed him, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill it. Silver made Honchkrow very aware the only reason it was still alive was because he needed it. In short, Honchkrow had grown to be terrified of Silver and his Pokemon.
"There's an uproar in this city about the lighthouse Pokemon being sick," Silver snarled at Honchkrow. "That's crap because that Pokemon's never gotten sick the entire time I've been in the region of Johto. Do you know anything about foul play?"
Honchkrow shakily stood on its feet as it was having trouble staying up from being so weak. It coughed a little bit as it was feeling sick itself, not that Silver cared. Unfortunately, it was taking too long to respond to Silver, and Silver was in no mood for games, not that he ever was.
"Answer me!" Silver roared, and his Skarmory gave a threatening screech at Honchkrow to make it hurry up, too. "I saw a balloon leaving Goldenrod City yesterday that was heading in this direction. You know as well as I do that there was something suspicious about it! I'm sure you've seen it while flying around before! Did that balloon belong to Team Rocket or not!?"
Honchkrow shivered in fear from Silver's harshness. How it had truly fallen. It was once a dangerous and feared Pokemon, but now, it was reduced to nothing but a sniveling coward. Honchkrow knew it couldn't get any more pathetic than this. It had to be with possibly the worst person it could be with. Honchkrow would've much rather lived a life in solitary confinement than be with Silver. At least it wouldn't be abused there.
Honchkrow finally nodded its head in Silver's direction to confirm his suspicions. It had seen that balloon a few times while flying the skies. While it looked ordinary to any passerby, to a flying Pokemon, one could easily see black suited men with R's on their uniforms on a regular basis.
"I thought so," Silver muttered to himself. "This is one of my first clues as to what Team Rocket's up to. I don't get it, though. What do they hope to gain by harming that Ampharos?"
As Silver was thinking to himself, the Honchkrow keeled over and crashed onto the ground. Silver and his Skarmory turned to look at Honchkrow and saw it cawing weakly. It looked absolutely pitiful. It then shakily looked up at Silver and gave another weak cry in the hope that he would at least give it some form of mercy.
"Hmm…so you want a meal today?" Silver rhetorically asked, but Honchkrow nodded its head anyway. "You helped me out so I'll give you one since you didn't eat yesterday."
Honchkrow internally breathed a sigh of relief. The former mafia Pokemon had never known true hunger until its time with Silver. He regularly skipped its meals while it had to watch him and his other Pokemon eat. It was torture. Any time Silver decided to feed it was truly a blessing to Honchkrow. It had to just bear its hunger pains a little longer before it would be curved at least somewhat before the day was over. Silver made sure to never give it enough to where it was full.
"Not right now, though. I'm busy. You'll have to wait until the rest of us eat," Silver told it before he turned to Skarmory. "Let's get to the lighthouse."
With that, Silver returned Honchkrow and hopped onto his Skarmory. The steel bird Pokemon kicked up some dust and flew to the air into Olivine City. As it did, Silver narrowed his eyes. If Team Rocket really was involved in this, it made Silver hate them even more if it was possible. It was a very cowardly act to attack a Pokemon that acted as a beacon of light to sailors at sea. Did they truly have nothing else to do? There had to be an ulterior motive, and Silver was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"Come on! We're almost out of time!" Serena cried as she and the others hurried into Olivine City.
Yes. The group was in a hurry. They had heard there was a Pokemon Showcase in Olivine City today. Naturally, Serena was eager to compete in it. Ever since they saw the announcement from the last Pokemon Center they were in, the group had been running nonstop for the past couple of days to try to make it on time. The Pokemon Showcase was in only a couple of hours so their time was very limited.
"Ack! I've got a stitch!" Macy yelped as she clutched her right side in pain.
"We're almost there, Macy!" Ash hollered behind him as he grabbed Macy's hand.
Macy cried out as she was jerked forward since Ash was running faster than her. Macy's legs were working overtime as she struggled to keep up with the others. If she slowed down, she would be reduced to being merely drug along the pavement. She had no idea Ash, Serena, Brock, and Misty could run for such long distances. It must have come with the constant traveling for the past couple of years.
"Slohohohohow dohowhowhown!" Macy yelled as she was tugged along.
Brock was trying to read through his guidebook while running so he could act as the navigator. It was rather difficult to read and run, however. It was quite dizzying. Nevertheless, super Brock could still do it.
"Okay! Right turn here! The Pokemon Center should just be a half mile down this street!" Brock called out.
"Half a mile?!" Macy whined as they turned.
Had the group been paying attention, they would've noticed themselves pass by a certain red-haired man on the other side of the street. Fortunately, neither parties noticed each other as they both were on a mission and too busy to worry about their surroundings.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the Pokemon Center. The group ran inside and didn't stop until they reached Nurse Joy's desk. As soon as they did, Ash let go of Macy's hand, and she collapsed in exhaustion. She had never run that far for that long in her life.
The rest of the group was in better shape, but it was clear they were tired. Their clothes and bodies were drenched in sweat, and they were panting heavily. It looked like they had just jumped into a swimming pool. Pikachu and Togetic came lugging in behind them just as tired. They were energetic, but even that run had pushed them to their limit.
"Goodness! Is everything alright?!" Nurse Joy asked in concern when she saw the state that the group was in.
"I…I…I need…to…sign up…for…the Pokemon Showcase…today," Serena panted.
Nurse Joy gave Serena an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Miss. Yes. The Pokemon Showcase is today, but registration ended yesterday at noon."
"Wh-what?" Serena stuttered.
"I'm sorry as it was clear you tried hard to get here. The next showcase won't be for another three weeks," Nurse Joy informed her.
"Three weeks?" Serena moaned. "Ooooohhhh…."
"You mean we did all of that running for nothing?!" Macy cried from the floor.
"I feel like I need to fall over, too," Serena muttered as she fell backwards, but Ash caught her.
"Hey, Serena. It's okay. I'm sure we'll find something to do for three weeks. Let's rent a couple of rooms here so we can take a shower and figure out our next course of action," Ash suggested.
"I'm in agreement there. I smell like a gym bag," Misty gagged.
"Fine…," Serena sighed, but she was still clearly disappointed.
About an hour later, the group had cleaned up and met in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. They sat down on the couches as they tried to come up with what they should do next. Serena was still rather sullen about missing this showcase, but she wasn't a nervous wreck anymore. Macy fiddled with her fingers and had a guilty expression on her face.
"I'm sorry. This is my fault. Had I not caused trouble for you guys, you wouldn't have been delayed for a day and might have made it," she said.
"No! Don't blame yourself! It's not your fault!" Serena tried to smiled and waved her hands in front of her face. "Still, this is a huge bummer on our plans."
"Well, we could always go to the gym so I could have my gym battle," Ash suggested.
"What kind of Pokemon does the gym leader have?" Misty wondered.
"Her name is supposed to be Jasmine, and she trains steel-types," Ash answered.
"Steel-types, huh? You don't have a lot of experience battling them," Brock pointed out.
"This gym should be a cinch for me," Macy jumped in, which caused the group to look towards her again. "Steel-types are weak against fire Pokemon. This would be my third badge!"
"That's right. We never learned which badges you've gotten so far on your journey," Serena spoke up."
Macy then took off her backpack before she pulled out her badge case. The pig-tailed girl opened it before she proudly revealed two badges inside. One was clearly the fog badge, but the other one was unfamiliar to the group. It was a hexagon-shaped badge that resembled a snowflake.
"I received the Glacier Badge from Bryce in Mahogany Town, and the Fog Badge from Morty in Ecruteak City!" she said.
"Hey! That's pretty cool, Macy!" Ash smiled before he showed the girl his own from his jacket. "Jasmine would be my fifth badge. I've gotten the Zephyr Badge, the Bug Badge, the Plain Badge, and the Fog Badge!"
"Wow, Ash! You're already halfway there! You'll have all eight badges in no time!" Macy exclaimed as she clasped her hands with sparkles in her eyes.
Ash chuckled at that. Even though Macy wasn't fawning over him and trying to get him to love her, she still admired him and wanted to be like him. The girl had really dialed down her bad attitude and teasing of Misty for using water-type Pokemon. Because of this, she was finally able to get along with everyone in the group, even Serena. In fact, the two girls have even shared several stories and laughs together.
"Have you decided which Pokemon you should use against Jasmine?" Serena wondered.
"Yeah. Houndour and Cyndaquil for sure. I think I'll bring along Totodile, too, as I hear that steel-type moves aren't very effective against water," Ash replied.
"Sounds like a winning team to me," Brock approved.
"I just need to make a call to Professor Oak to get Houndour, and then we can head out," Ash said as he stood up, but something on television caught his attention.
"We interrupt your regular program to bring you a special bulletin," a reporter suddenly said from the television before an image of the Olivine Lighthouse appeared. "The Ampharos that controls the lighthouse has suddenly fallen very ill."
"The lighthouse Pokemon?" Ash questioned as he stopped to watch.
"Yeah. Didn't you know, Ash? The lighthouse in Olivine City is very famous. It doesn't use electricity at all. The light given is provided by a very special Ampharos," Macy said as she worriedly watched the news report.
"Due to this, the Olivine City gym leader, Jasmine, has gone to investigate and take care of the Ampharos. Until this problem is solved, she has officially closed the gym and will not accept challenges from anyone," the news reporter continued.
"What? Man. You've got to be kidding me," Ash muttered.
"We sure picked a bad time to get to Olivine City. First, Serena's Pokemon Contest, and now this," Misty agreed.
"So I guess we're stuck here for three weeks," Ash sighed.
"We can't wait that long. We still have Mareep," Serena reminded.
"Here's my suggestion," Brock spoke up which caused the group to turn to him. "Since Cianwood City is across the ocean, let's go ahead and take a ferry to get there. We can have Mareep's operation, and Ash and Macy can battle with the gym leader there, too. That will take a few days by itself. I mean, there's nothing we can really do about Serena's showcase since there isn't one in Cianwood City, but that's the best solution I can think of."
"I think Brock's right," Serena said. "The only reason we've been in such a hurry was because we were trying to get to Cianwood City in the first place. I mean…three weeks is a long time, but at least we could afford to wait here after Mareep's better."
"Exactly!" Brock affirmed.
"I suppose that's the best option, too," Ash nodded before something else on the television caught their attention.
"While no one has been able to identify the exact cause of this illness, we have reason to believe that this isn't a normal disease," the reporter continued in front of the lighthouse.
Behind her, the group could see there was a small crowd of people and an Officer Jenny there. The people all had worried looks on their faces and seemed to be interrogating Officer Jenny, but she seemed to be just as worried for Ampharos and provided little answers.
"Oh. Wait! Young man, would you mind telling us what you think of this situation?" the reporter asked as she held her microphone off to the right.
The camera then zoomed over to the man the reporter was addressing, and the whole group, especially Ash, gasped in shock. It was none other than Silver, the angry and callous man who wanted nothing to do with Ash or the rest of his family. As expected, Silver had a glare on his face as he stared at the reporter before he cast another glare at the camera. It was clear she had interrupted him.
"Sir?" the reporter questioned.
"Team Rocket," Silver uttered before he turned and continued running to the lighthouse.
"What? Team Rocket?! What do you mean by that? Young man!" the reporter called after Silver, but he ignored her and kept going. She then turned back to the screen. "We have no idea what he knows if he thinks Team Rocket is involved, but we'll bring you more updates as they come!"
Ash was frozen in place as he watched. He had even momentarily forgotten his gym battle as soon as he saw Silver on the screen. He was here in Olivine City?! That wasn't all. Silver had briefly hinted that he was after Team Rocket in his first encounter, but did he honestly believe that Team Rocket was behind this? If he did, Ash had to know why. He knew Team Rocket was doing undercover activity, and Silver clearly knew something they didn't.
"Let's go to the lighthouse," Ash decided.
"What? Ash! You aren't actually trying to seek out Silver, are you?!" Serena asked with worry.
"I am this time. I have to know about Team Rocket," Ash muttered as he clenched his fists.
Team Rocket wasn't just a personal matter for Silver, but for Ash, too. He still remembered how their leader, Giovanni, had kidnapped his mother to use as bait once he had stopped their evil plans several times. That was when the shock of Ash's life happened when he went to rescue her. Giovanni had revealed that he had a history with Ash's mom and how they had a child, who was Silver, together. He also revealed that his mother was the co-founder of Team Rocket.
Ash had managed to defeat Giovanni in a six on six gym match and rescued his mother, but the man had gotten away when his father showed up. Team Rocket wasn't just an evil criminal gang to Ash. They were the very reminder of his mother's shameful past and the organization who stood for everything Ash didn't. Ash had to stop them from returning at all costs.
"Who's Silver?" Macy wondered in confusion.
"He's my brother, but…we don't get along," Ash muttered.
"Why not? Did you two have a fight?" Macy questioned.
Ash sighed. It was understandable that Macy didn't really get the animosity between him and Silver. He was such a jerk to Ash when they met in Goldenrod City and even borderline threatened him when Ash mentioned Team Rocket. He had made it quite clear he didn't wish to see Ash again. Normally, Ash would comply, but he wasn't going to allow to Silver to insult his mother like that when she was constantly worrying about him every day.
"Let's just leave at that, Macy. Ash doesn't really like to talk about it," Serena stepped in this time, to which Macy nodded.
"Anyway, I'm heading to the lighthouse," Ash stated as he turned around. Pikachu hopped up on his shoulder to prepare for the journey and to give Ash support in case things got ugly.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ash? I mean…never mind," Misty started, but stopped herself. She had siblings herself, but she and Brock's relationship with their siblings were nothing like with Ash and Silver. She couldn't understand how Ash must feel.
"No. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but when do I ever have them? Besides, I want to see what this lighthouse Pokemon is all about," Ash declared before he headed to the door.
"Well, we're coming with you then!" Serena spoke up as she stood up from the couch with Togetic.
"Count me in!" Brock stated.
"Me, too!" Misty added.
"Don't forget about me!" Macy finished as the group turned to look at her in confusion. "What? I can't come, too? I'm worried about Ash!"
"Errrr…I guess. Thank, Macy," Ash replied.
The group made another sprint straight to the lighthouse. Just like last time, Macy was having a hard time keeping up, and by the time they got there, she was extremely tired. Yet, the group looked no worse for the wear this time. Even Togetic was fine. Then again, it had wings now. The pig-tailed girl had her tongue hanging out, and she was wiping sweat from her forehead.
"Oooohhh. I had just gotten clean again, too. I don't see how you guys do it," Macy moaned.
"Honestly, Misty and I didn't start off like this, either. After traveling with Ash and Serena for so long, though, we've built ourselves up to their level," Brock mentioned.
"It was sooooo painful," Misty sighed.
"Ash was always energetic, though. I had to learn to keep up with him and Leaf a whole lot," Serena added.
"Leaf?" Macy questioned.
"One of our childhood friends from back in Pallet Town," Serena answered.
Ash wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. He was too focused on the lighthouse in front of him. As he craned his neck upward, he was amazed that one Pokemon's tail light could glow so fantastically that it could be seen for miles, but now, that wasn't the case. Something was up, and Ash was determined what it was.
"Come on, guys," Ash said and motioned with his arm.
The other four followed him and made their way through the small crowd to the lighthouse entrance. Off to the side, an Officer Jenny was still trying to answer as many questions as she could about how the lighthouse would try to function without Ampharos. Once the group got to the entrance and were about to go in, they were blocked by a guard.
"What's going on?" Ash questioned.
"I'm sorry, but only two people are allowed up to see Jasmine and Ampharos at this time. Any more that that might put too much stress on Ampharos," the guard answered.
"Why don't you and Serena go? We'll wait down here," Brock suggested.
"That won't work. There's already one person up there so only one of you can go unless you want to wait for him to leave," the guard rebutted before he cast a glance behind him. "Now that I think about it, he's been in there a long time."
"Um, excuse me," Ash spoke up which caused the guard to look at him. "What did this guy look like?"
"Oh? I think he had thick, red hair, and he had a scowl on his face," the guard replied as he rubbed his beard in thought.
Ash's look darkened slightly. He thought so. There weren't too many people Ash could think of who fit that description…especially the scowl part. Silver was in there, after all. Ash had met him a couple of times, and Silver had been anything but pleasant. Who knows what he was doing to Jasmine or Ampharos to get information out of them? Ash had to get in there and stop him.
"I'm going in," Ash muttered.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried to indicate it was coming, too.
"Toge!" Togetic added because it wanted to come, too.
"We don't need too many of us going in there, Togetic," Serena told it before she cast a worried glance at Ash. "Are you sure you and Pikachu are going to be okay up there with him?"
"I can't allow him to be in there alone," Ash uttered.
They exchanged concerned glances with each other. Rather than defuse whatever was going on in that lighthouse, Ash would only add to it if he showed up, not help it. They hadn't officially met Silver like Ash had, but from what he told them, the young man was known to be violent and short-tempered. He had also made it clear for Ash to stay out of his way, but here Ash was about to purposely charge into the lighthouse when Silver was most likely in there.
"Ash…," Serena started, but Ash placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be okay," he said sincerely.
Serena felt a little bit better when Ash looked at her like that. Her worried expression still never left her, though. She bit her lip to keep any more protests from coming out. When she finally did speak, her apprehensiveness still showed, but she consented.
"Alright. Just please be careful, Ash. I don't want him hurting you," Serena said.
"Thank you," Ash nodded before he turned to the guard. "May I go in and see Jasmine and Ampharos please?"
"Umm…sure," the guard muttered as he wondered what on Earth that conversation had been about.
With that, Ash nodded his head at the guard before he turned to his friends. He then gave them a reassuring smile before he and Pikachu hurried into the lighthouse. The guard raised his eyebrow in confusion that Ash was running in, but he shrugged it off before he went back to his guard duty.
Serena, Brock, Misty, and Macy watched Ash go in and sighed. Whatever was going on in that lighthouse was probably going to get a lot uglier. They just hoped Ash would be okay and that he would be able to control himself.
Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu were running up the stairs of the lighthouse as fast as they could to make it to the top. Unfortunately, because the lighthouse was so old, it didn't have an elevator. Ash was actually starting to get tired himself from all the running he did today. At least he got plenty of exercise from this.
His thought of Silver in this lighthouse kept him going, though. He could see it now. Silver probably had Jasmine and Ampharos pinned against a wall as he grilled them with questions about Team Rocket. He probably even had one of his Pokemon out to threaten them with in case they didn't cooperate. Ash grit his teeth at thought. No way was he going to let Silver keep treating people and Pokemon like that. In that way, Silver was just like Giovanni.
Ash finally reached the top of the lighthouse several stories up, and he threw open the door and hurried inside with Pikachu behind him. Ash wildly glanced around from left to right as he tried to find any source of trouble. However, he found none. Sure, the top room of the lighthouse was a mess, but Ash could tell it wasn't because of any current conflict. In fact, what Ash saw was something he wasn't expecting.
Silver was indeed in the room with a teenage girl who was apparently Jasmine, but there were no fights or threats going on. It was tense, yes, but tense with worry, not fear or anger. Silver was knelt down next to the single twin bed that was in the room, and he appeared wiping whatever was on the bed with a rag. Ash could see a long yellow tail with a ball tip at the end so it had to Ampharos on it. Jasmine stood by Silver with her hands clasped as she watched him work.
The atmosphere was interrupted, though, when Ash and Pikachu burst into the room. A few seconds after he was in and processed the situation, both Silver and Jasmine turned around to discover Ash was there. It didn't take long for the surprise on Silver's face to turn into an angry scowl. His brows furrowed, and he had his teeth bared. Before he could say anything, Jasmine spoke first.
"Goodness! Is everything okay?!" Jasmine asked in worry and confusion.
"Umm…yeah. Sorry. I'm Ash Ketchum," Ash muttered as he looked around.
The backdoor that led out to the balcony was missing and laid a few feet away against the wall. It was clear someone had kicked it down. There were a few scuffs on the floor where a fight had apparently taken place as well as…slightly black marks along the room? Had there been a fire or fire Pokemon in here? Ash didn't have too long to process this before Silver stood up and faced Ash.
"You've got to be kidding me. What are you doing here?" Silver snarled at Ash.
"I came here to check on Ampharos," Ash replied and met Silver's gaze. It was only a half truth as Silver didn't need to know the other reason Ash was here.
"It's doing fine so you can leave now," Silver said just as rudely as his first statement.
"Hey! I can be here, too!" Ash rebutted with Pikachu nodding in agreement.
Silver, however, didn't see it that way. He took a few steps forward to Ash, and his eyes flashed in warning. His glared deepened, and he gave Ash a very scary look. Ash resisted the urge to look away as he couldn't let Silver intimidate him. They guy was pretty good at it.
"I thought I made myself clear the last time when I told you to stay out of my way. Leave now," he uttered in a very low and threatening tone.
Ash stared back defiantly at Silver. He wasn't going to budge just because Silver was ordering him to leave. At least, Ash wasn't going to leave until he figured out what exactly was wrong with Ampharos and what Silver knew about the situation. Before the two brothers could say anything more, Jasmine stepped in.
"Umm…I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but if the two of you won't get along, I'll have to ask both of you to leave. I don't want to stress out Sparkle with a fight breaking out," she said sternly.
Ash and Silver gave each other one last look. It was if the two were daring the other to say something that would trigger a fight between them so only that person would be blamed. However, they said nothing. Silver realized that Ash was just as stubborn as he was and wasn't going to leave unless Silver marched him down the stairs himself. As much as he wanted to, Silver resisted the urge. Instead, he turned away from Ash and gave a snort.
"Whatever. Do what you want," he muttered and made his way back over to the bed.
Ash mentally breathed a sigh of relief. That was pretty close and could've turned bad very quickly had Jasmine not stepped in. As Ash watched Silver kneel back down by the bed, that made Ash curious to what exactly Silver was doing. He moved in a little closer but not too close to avoid arousing Silver's temper again.
Silver was rubbing what appeared to be burn marks on Ampharos and had a bottle of burn heal next to him. Ampharos had clearly been attacked last night. That confirmed that it certainly didn't just fall ill. Something else was at play. Jasmine saw Ash's look and appeared to know what he was thinking and answered his thoughts.
"We've figured out that this is no normal sickness that Ampharos has. It was attacked last night, and we think that has something to do with how Ampharos feels. We just can't find any proof," Jasmine informed Ash.
"Attacked?" Ash repeated.
"Yes. I got a call early this morning by the morning security guard. He had heard a lot of loud noises coming from the top room. By the time he made it, Sparkle was on the ground barely conscious, and whatever had attacked was already gone. I've been here ever since," Jasmine sighed.
"Man…," Ash muttered as he went over to the bed to get a look at Ampharos, too.
Silver didn't even spare Ash a glance once Ash was at the bed. He just continued wiping away at the burn marks on Ampharos. The light Pokemon honestly looked pretty terrible. Its eyes were only half open, and its breathing was very shallow. It was clearly injured from being attacked, yes, but most of the pain seemed to be coming from inside of it. Ampharos would cry weakly before it would shift around uncomfortably. Pikachu hopped up on the bed and stroked Ampharos' arm with its tiny hands. What surprised Ash even more was that despite Ampharos' movement, it didn't appear to annoy Silver.
"Thank you for your help, Silver. You've been great ever since you got here," Jasmine said thankfully as she went to stand between Silver and Ash.
"Help?!" Ash blurted out.
He didn't mean to sound so stupefied, but "help" was one of the last things he would expect to hear to describe Silver. Ash soon realized that was the wrong thing to say as both Jasmine and Silver turned to look at him. Silver frowned and narrowed his eyes at Ash as he knew what Ash meant by his shout. He gave an intense glare at Ash, and this time, Ash looked away. It was probably best not to antagonize Silver any more than he already had. If he even had a chance of Silver to talk to him, he had to get on his good side. Yeah. Like that would happen. Silver probably doesn't have a good side.
"Oh, yes. As soon as he was here, Silver went over to inspect Sparkle's injuries and began to heal them. I didn't have a Burn Heal with me and was afraid to leave Sparkle, but he generously used the only Burn Heal he had and has been treating it," Jasmine replied.
"That's…nice of you," Ash said, not knowing how else to reply to Silver, but the cold man didn't give Ash a response.
This was a side of Silver Ash wasn't used to seeing. From what his mom had told him, Silver had turned from caring and happy to cold and miserable. Ash had seen it himself from the times he ran into Silver. He was seeing it from the way Silver was treating him now! Yet, here Silver was, treating a weakened and sick Pokemon's wounds, and he didn't even look annoyed as he was doing it. Rather than becoming clearer, it just got even harder for Ash to understand Silver the more he met him.
As Silver went to rub a burn that was on Ampharos' neck, he stopped. He then took the rag away and leaned in to peer closer. Once he did, Silver frowned. This action alerted Ash and Jasmine so they looked at Silver in curiosity. Ash thought it was best not to speak so he let Jasmine ask what was both on their minds.
"What is it?" Jasmine wondered.
"Take a look at that. I think we may have found the answer to what happened to Ampharos," Silver replied and pointed to a particular spot on Ampharos' neck.
Ash and Jasmine both leaned in closer to inspect where Silver was pointing. It was very faint and hard to notice, but when Jasmine and Ash squinted, they could see a tiny indention on Ampharos' neck. More specifically, there was spot where what had to be a needle was inserted into Ampharos. There was definitely a tiny puncture wound there. As soon as she saw it, Jasmine gasped.
"Oh no! You mean…," Jasmine started.
"I'm thinking that wound is from a syringe, and it was definitely intentional. Ampharos has probably been poisoned," Silver told her.
"Someone poisoned it?!" Ash exclaimed.
Once again, Silver ignored Ash. Jasmine, meanwhile, put her hand over her heart and appeared quite worried. A few tears formed in her eyes, and she wiped them away while Silver looked at the girl solemnly.
"Oh, poor Sparkle," Jasmine said. "Who would do something so terrible to it? Sparkle is a wonderful Pokemon who graciously uses its light for the good of others. Why would anyone have the intention to poison it?"
"I bet Team Rocket did it," Silver uttered as Jasmine and Ash looked up at Silver.
"What? Team Rocket? Weren't they disbanded?" Jasmine questioned.
"I assure you they aren't," Silver replied as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Those despicable criminals will do anything these days. They must know that this Ampharos is important so they have to rely on cowardly things like poison. I hate them."
"Why would they poison Ampharos, though?" Ash questioned, and once again Silver ignored him.
Ash grit his teeth at Silver. He was so sick of this guy's treatment to him. Ash hadn't done anything to Silver, but he treated Ash like absolute trash just because he was related to him and was the son of Delia and Red. That was completely unfair, and Ash had enough. Even if Silver wasn't threatening him, pretending Ash didn't exist was just as bad.
"Look at me!" Ash shouted.
Jasmine jolted her head in Ash's direction at his outburst, and even Pikachu looked startled. Silver, for his part, actually did look at Ash this time. The cold man narrowed his eyes and appeared very angry like Ash just addressing him was putrid. Ash didn't care, however. He came here for answers, and he was going to get them.
"If Team Rocket's involved, it's just as personal to me as it is to you!" Ash declared before he lowered his voice. "Over a year ago, my mom, your mom, was kidnapped by Giovanni. That's when I first found out about you by the way. I didn't think I would see my mom again. I fought in a literal death match for her against that horrible man. I only won that match through a stroke of pure luck, but Giovanni got away. I refuse to let someone like him keep roaming free and want to see him brought to justice. If you know anything at all about Team Rocket's doings, you have to tell me! Please!"
Jasmine and Pikachu continued to watch Ash after he delivered his passionate speech. Silver didn't appear moved and continued to look at Ash with the same expression he had before Ash spoke. Ash stared defiantly at Silver and seemed to have fire in his eyes. It looked like Silver was going to continue to stay silent, but by some miracle, he didn't. By an even greater miracle, it was the words Ash wanted to hear.
"Ugh…fine," Silver muttered before he added. "I'm only going to say this once so listen up. I believe Team Rocket is planning a massive comeback here in the Johto region."
Ash looked up at Silver. The cold man just confirmed what Ash had been thinking all along. He knew they weren't truly disbanded and that he couldn't trust Giovanni to keep his word. They just had a setback when Red and Blue showed up to take him down. None of the executives were ever arrested, and Ash had seen Jessie, James, and Meowth in Goldenrod City and the Ruins of Alph. Ash clenched his fist at the thought of them rising to power again.
"Oh my goodness?! How do you know?" Jasmine gasped.
"I…heard from a Team Rocket grunt himself," Silver answered before he thought. "Right before I killed him.", but nobody in this room needed to know that.
Ash noticed how Silver seemed to hesitate before he gave his answer. He remembered seeing all of those bloodstains from dead Team Rocket members in the Slowpoke Well, and how there was evidence from Kurt that it was from Silver. Ash then had a haunting image of Silver literally torturing the Team Rocket members for information before ruthlessly murdering them. The thought sent a shiver up Ash's spine at what Silver could be capable of. Nonetheless, Ash continued.
"What makes you think Team Rocket's involved with poisoning Ampharos, though?" Ash wondered.
"That part is really none of your business. I just have my sources," Silver snarled at Ash.
The raven-haired boy sighed as he should've known Silver wouldn't tell him how. Even so, Silver still hadn't answered Ash's first question about Ampharos. Thankfully, Jasmine asked instead this time.
"Why poison Sparkle? What do they have to gain from that?" Jasmine inquired and clasped her hands together.
"They gain nothing," Silver answered before he elaborated. "It should be obvious, though, why they did it. They're just using this Pokemon. I bet they're poisoning Ampharos as slowly as possible. The longer it stays sick, the better for them. They need it so everyone focuses on it and keeps them out of the spotlight so they can prepare."
"Prepare for what?" Ash questioned before Silver shot him a glare.
"Their comeback! What else?" Silver growled before he continued. "I think something terrible is going to happen here in the Johto region, and they're involved. It's just like Team Rocket to do something like this. I bet they're planning to do a whole lot of other awful things to keep the police off their backs."
"Something terrible," Ash muttered as he remembered something Eusine said to him a while back.
He remembered how Eusine told him that whomever Suicune decided to show itself to, that person would have a large role in saving the Johto region. He also remembered how he read that the guardian of Ilex Forest, Celebi, would only appear when a catastrophe struck the Johto region. Ash's head begin to spin as bit by bit, some of this was starting to make sense. With Suicune appearing to him, his ties to Team Rocket, and how they are planning a huge comeback, what Silver was telling him was probably all true. Ash began to worry as he started to wonder if he would have to face Team Rocket, and ultimately Giovanni, again. This time, the stakes would be even higher.
Despite Ash's tense look, Silver didn't seem to care. To him, Ash was nothing but an inconvenient brat who was purposely getting in his way. Ash had told him the last time they met that he hardly knew anything about Team Rocket so he was useless to Silver. That was true at the time, but Ash now knew a lot more thanks to Silver's information.
"Should we alert the police?" Jasmine wondered.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Silver rebutted. "Team Rocket is a bunch of cowards. The second they think the police is searching for them, anything can happen. I don't want to find out what it is, either."
"Where do you think they're hiding?" Ash wondered.
"I have a gut feeling most of them are in Goldenrod City," Silver uttered. "I haven't been able to gather any evidence, though. I've turned that underground mall upside down in my search but haven't found anything."
"I saw three Team Rocket members in Goldenrod City," Ash offhandedly mentioned.
He was started when Silver immediately ran up to Ash and got in his face. Ash leaned back a little at Silver's forcefulness. Silver didn't back down, though. He looked Ash straight in the eye as he asked his question.
"Where did you see them? Tell me now!" he ordered.
"I…saw them at the Pokemon trading fair," Ash stuttered, a little worried how Silver would react.
"You didn't stop them for information?!" Silver hollered.
"I-I tried! They got away!" Ash protested.
"Did you see at least see which way they were running?! Were they running to a particular location?!" Silver continued to grill Ash.
"I-I don't know. I don't know the layout of Goldendrod City. I couldn't tell where they were going," Ash mumbled.
Pikachu had left Ampharos' side and went to stand by Ash. It was on all fours and sparked its cheeks at Silver. The cold man gave a glare down at the yellow rodent. Silver then noticed Jasmine's disapproving look. With that, Silver shoved his hands in his pockets and turned around.
"Pah. You're so pathetic and useless. You claim you had a hand in stopping Team Rocket in Kanto, but you can't even capture three measly members," Silver sneered.
Ash looked down towards the ground. Why did Silver always have to act like such a jerk to him?
"If Sparkle's been poisoned, and it isn't fast-acting, I think I may have the solution to save it," Jasmine spoke up to bring everyone back to the topic at hand. "I hear there's a wonderful pharmacy in Cianwood City. If anything has something to save Sparkle, I'm sure it will. All the pharmacist will need is a description of what's going on, and he should have the antidote."
"That's great!" Ash exclaimed with Pikachu joining in. At least that was some bit of good news.
"The problem is I can't leave Sparkle, though," Jasmine said sorrowfully as she looked down.
"Someone needs to take care of it."
"I'll go get it," Ash stated immediately which caused Jasmine and Silver to look at him.
"You really will?" Jasmine asked as her eyes shine with happiness. "Oh, thank you so much! Both Sparkle and I are very grateful! I'll make sure to call ahead to the pharmacy!"
"Humph," Silver snorted from the side.
"Just please hurry back. I'll be up here with Sparkle all day and night, but I'm worried something may happen while I'm asleep," Jasmine stated.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll stay up here and help you take care of Ampharos," Silver stepped in.
This surprised Jasmine, but it surprised Ash even more. Silver was actually staying here to care for a weakened Pokemon? That was totally outside of his character…at least as far as Ash knew. Was Silver really not as bad as Ash was making him out to be?
"Wow. Thanks, Silver," Ash muttered before Silver leered at him.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm doing this help Ampharos, but I really need it because I bet it heard some information on Team Rocket while they were here. It can't tell me if it's sick," Silver growled.
"You're unbelievable!" Ash shouted as that brief thought about Silver's good will vanished. "That Ampharos is very sick and could die, and the only thing you're worried about is getting information on Team Rocket?! How could you be so careless?!"
That was a bad move, and even Pikachu thought so. The yellow rodent pulled at Ash's pant leg in an effort to get him to just drop the subject and leave, but the raven-haired boy stubbornly stood his ground. Ash soon learned his error when Silver quickly closed the distance between him and Ash. The cold man grabbed Ash by his shirt and lifted him off the ground. Jasmine went to intervene, but the venom in Silver's voice stopped her cold.
"What did you say to me, you little punk?" Silver uttered in deadly and dangerous tone. "In case you have forgotten, you're no saint in this, either. You said you came because you were worried for Amphoras, but that's Tauros dung. You came here because I was here and so you could get information about Team Rocket from me. I know you did. You're like a festering wound that won't go away. You make me sick. Don't act so noble. At least I'm honest about my intentions."
Silver then released Ash and turned away to head back over to Ampharos. Ash's eyes stung with tears at Silver's harsh words. The worst part was he was right. He had heard Ampharos was sick, and he was indeed worried. However, the second he knew Silver was here and how he had mentioned Team Rocket on television, Ash wasted no time in coming. Ash's fists shook as he felt like such a hypocrite, now. Pikachu tried to pat Ash, but Ash felt no comfort from it.
"Jasmine," Silver spoke up, which caused the girl to look at him. She looked a little shaken up from the display. "I promise you that no harm will come to Ampharos while I'm here. I will be its bodyguard. I'm a very skilled Pokemon trainer with a few tournament wins under my belt. You will have nothing to worry about. If anything tries to hurt Ampharos, I will take care of it."
"Oh. Umm…thank you, Silver. Regardless of your intentions, I've grateful, and I know Sparkle is, too. I'll be sure to let the guard know," Jasmine replied and took a deep breath to return to her normal demeanor. She realized this man proved to be quite scary when angered, but it was only because Ash was here.
Silver nodded his head, and went to return to wipe Ampharos with the Burn Heal. He didn't so much as look at Ash again. That was fine with Ash, though. He didn't really feel like talking to Silver anymore himself after their last few words that were exchanged. There was only one thing left for Ash to say.
"I-I'll hurry up and get going then," Ash said. "The sooner Ampharos is healed, the better. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
"Thank you, Ash. You've just taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I will await your return," Jasmine replied with a nod.
With that, Ash turned and left the room as quickly as possible with Pikachu on his heels. He just really wanted to get out of there. It looked like things between him and Silver had gotten even worse. He just had to put his foot in his mouth and anger Silver, and Ash could now see for himself what made Silver so threatening and scary. If Ash didn't know better, he thought Silver was going to punch him. For all Ash knew, he might have done so if Jasmine wasn't there.
Despite this, Ash did learn some valuable information about Team Rocket. Suicune's appearance was no coincidence. A disaster was coming, and if Team Rocket was involved, Ash was sure he would play a part in it. Things were a lot more serious than he thought. He would definitely have a lot of things to tell Serena, Brock, and Misty when he got the chance.
Ash and Pikachu soon exited the lighthouse where the rest were waiting for him. Another person was then signaled to enter the lighthouse by the guard, but Ash paid it no mind. Serena now Ash's shaken up state and hurried up him.
"Ash, what's wrong? Are you okay? Did Silver hurt you?" Serena asked in worry as Brock, Misty, and Macy came up behind her.
"No. I'm fine. Silver and I…just don't get along," Ash muttered as he took a few short breaths to steady his breathing.
"Oh, Ash. I should've been there with you. I haven't personally met Silver yet, but I don't like you meeting him by yourself," Serena said seriously.
"I agree, Ash. We're just worried about you. Should you ever try to see Silver again, at least let us be with you," Brock added.
Ash didn't really want to see Silver again, in all honesty. The man was nothing but a complete jerk to him for no reason. Ash had the tiniest bit of respect for Silver when he learned that the cold man was healing Ampharos and volunteering to be its body guard for a while. However, all that was thrown out the window after their last exchange.
"Right," was all Ash responded.
"So what are we going to do now?" Macy questioned.
"Well…," Ash started, "We need to get to Cianwood City. Jasmine said there's a famous pharmacy there, and I volunteered to go get the antidote. We can have Mareep's operation, and as soon as it's better, we can come back here and deliver the antidote."
"Antidote?" Misty questioned, having caught on that Ash didn't specifically say medicine.
"Yeah. Ampharos has been poisoned by Team Rocket. Silver told me," Ash mumbled and dropped his voice a little so nobody else would hear him.
"They did? How does Silver know this," Serena inquired, as she and everyone else in the group was now very curious.
"We need to find the soonest ferry to Cianwood City. I'll explain everything on the way there," Ash promised.
"Right. Cianwood City it is, then," Brock decided.
With that, the group hurried away from the lighthouse towards the harbor. Macy let out a slight groan that they were running again, but she didn't whine this time. She knew the gravity of the situation. Cianwood City was going to prove to be an important stop for their group. Their first priority was going to help Mareep, and then they would be sure to get the special antidote. Ash's gym battle in Cianwood City could wait. There were more important things at stake.
"Serena, are you worried…about Mareep?" Ash wondered as they ran.
"I..I am. I also know that it's going to be in good hands, though. If what the Nurse Joy in Goldenrod City said was true, I have every confidence we'll save Mareep in time. We just have to."
"I know, Serena. I hope so, too. Mareep will be in great health before you know it," Ash smiled.
"Thank you, Ash," Serena replied gratefully.
Everything would be just fine. It just had to be.
Professor Oak yawned as he prepared to go to bed. It had been another long day of research, but everything was going a lot smoother ever since Tracey became his assistant. Now that he was getting older, the professor needed a lot more free time. He even had time to have afternoon tea with Delia, Grace, and Rose.
In his night clothes, the elderly man climbed into his bed to doze off. It had been another good day here. All the Pokemon seemed to be doing well. There a few disagreements between some Pokemon, but none that weren't quickly resolved by him or Tracey. The exception, of course, was Serena's Mareep. He had to keep a close watch on that Pokemon at all times.
Professor Oak normally had to keep Mareep in its pokeball most nights so it wouldn't disturb the other Pokemon. However, he left it outside tonight as Mareep seemed stable enough earlier this evening. The wool…err…wool-free Pokemon technically…would probably appreciate that. The naked Mareep sure could be a handful, but Professor Oak knew it wasn't the Pokemon's fault.
He checked it every morning and evening and had promised to call Serena if anything new came up once she transferred it to him. From what he understood, they should be approaching Cianwood City soon. Professor Oak then closed his eyes as he prepared to drift off into dreamland.
"Professor Oak!" Tracey shouted as he burst into Professor Oak's room. He was panting and very out of breath.
"Good gracious, Tracey! What's wrong?!" Professor Oak cried as he practically jumped out his skin from Tracey's sudden entrance.
"Come quick! It's Serena's Mareep!" Tracey yelled before he ran out of the room.
"What?! Its readings were stable when I checked it a few hours ago!" Professor Oak cried as he threw off his covers and hastily put on his shoes.
Professor Oaky then hurried out of his room as fast as his elderly body would let him and made his way through the lab. He went out the backdoor to his ranch, and his eyes widened.
There was what appeared to a stream of constant lightning shooting up into the night sky. It was crackling and going everywhere. It was even striking a few trees which caused some of them to catch fire. Professor Oak saw Tracey some distance ahead of him, and he hurried after the boy.
As Professor Oak got closer, he could see some of the Pokemon running away in fear of whatever it was that was going on. He had shield himself as another flash of lightning appeared in front of him. This was inconceivable. The worst thing that had happened with Mareep while it was here were random Thunderbolts that forced him and Tracey to be extra careful when handling it. This was very abnormal for Mareep indeed. Professor Oak just hoped this wasn't what he thought it was.
Professor Oak finally made it to the clearing by following Tracey, and he was met by several of Serena's Pokemon, and even some of Ash's Pokemon. They were all gathered in a circle as they all looked at what was going on in the center. Professor Oak soon spotted Mareep there, and he gasped at what he saw.
"Oh no," he muttered.
Mareep was writhing on the ground and screaming as nonstop electricity shot out of its body. Several of Serena's Pokemon were attempting to go over to Mareep to help it, but they would be forced back by the electricity. Nobody could get close to it.
"Tracey! Get Mareep's pokeball now! We have to make an emergency transfer!" Professor Oak ordered.
"Right!" Tracey answered as he ran back to Professor Oak's lab.
Serena's Hitmonlee was shielding itself as it tried to get close. If it could just somehow make it to Mareep, it might be able to use its mediation skills to calm it down. However, a stray bolt of electricity shot from Mareep and struck Hitmonlee.
"Leeeeee!" it cried as it fell to one knee. That was a very intense lightning strike.
Ash's Hitmonchan and Primeape went to help Hitmonlee up as Professor Oak continued to watch in horror. While Serena's Mareep had been in pain, it was nothing like this. Mareep had lost all control of its electricity. It was just coming out all on its own. The worst part was that the electricity was constantly being recycled back into Mareep's body so the lightning never ended. If this kept up, Mareep's organs would begin to fail..and then...Professor Oak knew what had just happened. It was the one thing everyone had feared.
Mareep had reached the critical point.
This was an evil cliffhanger I know, but it makes you all anxious for the next chapter. It's going to be very intense so let's hope Mareep makes it in time! I'll try not to take too long on it.
Silver is just one complicated guy, isn't he? If you think Ash's interactions with Silver in the future are going to get better, you'd be wrong. Their relationship is just going to get worse before it gets better so don't hold your breath.
Slightly more information is revealed about the climax in this arc, and it has me very excited to get to that point. Maybe it will force me to speed up my updates. Ehh...we'll see.
Thanks for all the reviews and support, everyone! Until next time, have a good one!
Chapter Thirty Seven: Lockdown