Misty entered the stadium, which was all dark with only emergency lighting on, via the causeway usually reserved for Pokémon League contestants. As she entered and stepped onto the field, the stadium's lights slowly began to turn on. She carefully looked around, assessing her surroundings, and noted the Rocket grunts situated in what appeared to be strategic locations around the stadium. The Blue Trainer's dais was raised all the way up, but the red dais was at ground level, and the stadium's lights led straight to it, keeping the other half of the battlefield dark.
"We're going this way," Cassidy said quietly to Misty, making a show of shoving her towards the red dais.
Misty growled subtly, and made a note to herself to punish Cassidy for that later. She stepped onto the dais, and it immediately began to raise off the ground to its full height above the battlefield, leaving Cassidy, Butch, and Starmie on the ground below her. Nothing happened for some time, and Misty quickly became impatient.
"What the hell's going on?" she yelled down to Cassidy and Butch.
"We don't know," Butch answered with a shrug. "We were instructed to bring you here, then wait for new orders."
"Fuck you, and fuck your orders. I'm getting down. Starmie, give me a hand, would you?"
Suddenly the red dais electrified, and Misty's whole body tensed up under the charge. It was only a quick zap, and she felt tired and sore afterwards, but otherwise relatively uninjured.
"Oh yeah, we forgot the tell you," Cassidy grinned. "The red dais is electrified. You try to get down and you'll get a shock."
"I'm gonna enjoy watching you die, Cassidy," Misty growled.
It took another ten minutes of sitting around waiting, and getting shocked once more, before anything even happened. Misty was thoroughly livid by then. Another few lights came on, stopping short of revealing the red dais.
"Finally," Misty rolled her eyes, getting to her feet.
"Welcome," came a robotic male voice. "Today is the day the world changes forever, and a new age of prosperity begins. One that recognises the past and the mistakes of my forebears, and moves confidently and successfully through the Kanto region, and then the world."
"Why the voice changer then?" Misty frowned. "Lacking a little charisma? You're gonna need it if you wanna do all of that stuff."
"Your attitude hasn't changed one little bit," the voice responded. "Even in the face of absolute defeat, you still stand strong, still presenting an air of disdain and mockery where your mind can't possibly own it."
"Who the fuck are you to tell me who I am?" Misty retorted angrily. "You don't even know me. You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of."
"On the contrary, Misty," the voice replied, an element of amusement evident to Misty, "I know exactly who you are and what you're capable of. I know you better than you realise."
"Then show yourself. What have you got to hide?"
"All in good time," the voice chuckled. "Cassidy, Butch, you've done well. Now leave us."
"Sir!" they exclaimed, standing at attention, then marched themselves out of the stadium.
Once they were gone, the voice continued to speak.
"You must think I'm an idiot."
"I don't have a high opinion of you so far," Misty agreed.
"You think I don't know you hijacked that plane? You think I'm not aware of your machinations with the others? You fool! Even now, Jessie, James, and Meowth have four GE Pokémon and are stomping them out of existence, paving the way for the new Rocket world order."
Misty snorted. "You think that's gonna be enough to stop them? Why not give them twenty GE Pokémon?"
"Four will suffice. You place too much faith in your friends. I know all about them. I know their strengths and weaknesses. My plan was tailor-made to defeat them."
He knows my friends? Who is this guy?
"And you trusted Jessie and James to execute your plan?" Misty laughed.
"They're driven. They're angry. And they'll be your friends' doom."
"I think you don't have any more of your fancy GE Pokémon, that's why you didn't send more," Misty surmised, turning away from the blue dais and pacing up and down. "If you were really serious, you'd have just sent an army of them to wipe them out of existence."
The voice laughed softly, then another stadium light came on, shining on the opposite causeway to where Misty had entered. She watched on, not knowing what to expect.
"Let's see how you do against these two."
A Starmie entered the battlefield, followed by a Raichu. Misty's eyes went wide at the sight of those two Pokémon.
This can't be a coincidence. This is supposed to unsettle me. But even if he knew about Raichu, how would he know about Starmie? This Rocket leader…somehow he knows me well.
"Who are you?" Misty breathed.
The voice simply laughed as the GE Starmie and Raichu took their place in front of the blue dais, ready to kill on the Rocket leader's command.
Surge and Bella's approach to the stadium was near impossible. Their experience with covert missions was minimal, and even though they knew they could win a straight-up fight with whoever came at them first, it wasn't worth the risk due to the sheer number of Rocket forces that would be alerted. The dying sunlight didn't do much to help them either, as their shadows were long, and even a silhouette was conspicuous enough to draw attention. They resorted to diversions, entering separately, with Surge heading left while Bella headed right.
Each entrance was guarded by a grunt, and Bella was relieved that only a single grunt was at each one.
One I can take without being too loud. Two? Probably not…
She waited behind a retaining wall a few metres from one of the smaller entrances, then picked up a stone and threw it over the guarding grunt's head when he was facing the other way. He quickly turned his head to peer inside the causeway, and Bella leapt to her feet. She charged straight for the entrance with Electivire in tow, making sure he stayed behind her so as not to get in the way.
Electivire's attacks will be too noisy and bright. I need to do this myself.
The grunt turned back around and noticed Bella at the last second, but wasn't quick enough to do anything but bulge his eyes in surprise. Bella used her momentum to aid her palm strike to the grunt's jaw, smashing his head into the causeway wall. He dropped immediately, and Bella made quick work of zip tying his wrists and ankles. She dragged him into a nearby room that was luckily unoccupied, then tried to find something to gag him with. Finding nothing, she took out a utility knife and cut up the bottom half of her black tank top, making half a dozen long strips, then used one of them on the grunt.
She placed the knife back into its holster as she opened the door, then made sure the coast was clear before proceeding. She continued up the causeway for another ten metres before coming to a fork, where it met the long circular hallway that ringed the entire stadium.
If my bearings are correct, I should be on the red trainer's side already.
She quickly noticed she couldn't see any other grunts around, so she looked for a flight of stairs up to the top level. Electivire muttered a warning as she found one, and she quickly ducked behind a display counter at a nearby souvenir stand. She made note of the frames surrounding the counter, which during a tournament would have Pokémon League and advertising banners hung from them, as a backdrop to the souvenir stand.
"...idiot. Every five minutes. Is that too difficult?"
"He better be dead, or the boss will kill him for sure."
"If he's dead, the boss will kill us as well."
Damn...two of them, probably looking for the one I knocked out on the way in. Gotta keep this quiet. Knock 'em out quickly, don't crash into anything.
She waited for them to get closer, then leapt over the display counter. She jumped up and grabbed one of the banner frames, swinging herself forward and taking the two grunts by surprise. One rolled out of the way, but Bella snatched the other grunt's neck between her thighs and locked him in as he turned to face her. She squeezed tightly, but was distracted by the other grunt approaching her from behind.
He smashed his elbow down onto her belly, causing her to lose her grip on the banner frame. She managed to brace herself with her forearm before her head could hit the ground, and somehow also managed to keep the first grunt locked up between her legs. The other grunt punched repeatedly at her face, but most were only glancing blows, and the rest she managed to fend off.
No time for this shit. I have to finish this quickly.
She straightened her legs out fully, squeezing her thighs together against the sides of the first grunt's neck and lifting her hips up off the ground as she tightly clenched her butt cheeks. His face became redder and redder, his jaw forcibly shut against her crotch, and his face squashed as he reached up to grab at her thighs and attempt to pry them apart, but his hands barely reached her before she'd squeezed him to sleep. She felt them slide limply off her tight black jeans as she fended off more punches from the other grunt.
Electivire began charging up an attack when he saw Bella protecting her head, but she stopped him.
"No! It'll give us away!" she cried out as quietly as she could, as she received another glancing blow to the chin.
Satisfied that the first grunt was well and truly asleep, she unwrapped herself and rolled away, and the other grunt charged straight at her. He knocked her onto her back, but overshot and tumbled over the top of her. Bella quickly seized the opportunity, pouncing on him as he got to his knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he immediately rolled onto his back to try and smash her into the floor. She gripped his torso with her thighs and squeezed tightly, feeling his ribs bend as she simultaneously cranked up the pressure on his neck. The grunt grabbed at her legs first, but quickly switched to her arms when he felt himself losing consciousness. After a few more moments he was sleeping deeply, and she got to work tying up the first grunt, who was thankfully still out cold.
After tying and gagging both grunts, she dragged them back to the room she'd dumped the entrance guard in, and noticed they all carried Rocket Balls. She knelt down next to one of them and took his Rocket Ball, and he moaned in protest, frowning deeply at her and writhing around.
"I understand you're upset, but I think these Pokémon are better off with me," Bella smirked at him. "Maybe you'd feel better about it if I smacked you around some more?"
The grunt vehemently shook his head, and Bella snorted in response.
"I didn't think so," she said as she took the other two grunts' Rocket Balls, then placed all three in her belt. "Electivire, I think it's safe to Thunder Wave these wimps, as long as we keep the door closed and you do it quietly."
Electivire nodded his understanding, then quickly shocked all three into paralysis while barely containing an excited outburst. Bella glared at him.
"You do realise if we get caught, both of us are in big trouble, right?"
"Electi...vire…" Electivire answered bashfully.
"Come on, you," she shook her head in amusement. "Just remember to keep it down, alright? I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to take these guys one at a time." She touched one of the cuts on her lip where she'd been punched, grunting in annoyance at seeing her own blood on her fingertip. "Two on one always means you get hit."
They left the room and returned to the stairs, tip-toeing up them as quietly as they could. Bella crouched down, almost laying flat she got near the top, and was startled by the cold concrete touching her now exposed belly, before she remembered she'd had to turn her tank top into a crop top. On the other side of the stadium she could see a Rocket grunt stationed at almost every second exit, and rolled her eyes.
Meowth wasn't kidding. There's heaps of them. This is gonna take a little while.
She quietly headed towards the seating, and immediately noticed another grunt at the back row of seats, facing the arena. She snuck up to him, grabbing him around the neck with one arm, covering his mouth with her other hand, and dragged him backwards towards the stairs. Once they were in the relative darkness behind the seating area, she tightened up her grip and the grunt quickly fell asleep. She zip tied and gagged him as well, then looked for the next closest grunt. She saw a grunt on the opposite side of the stadium being dragged away and smiled, knowing Lieutenant Surge was doing at least as well as she was.
Better than Misty's doing, I hope.
She looked out at the battlefield, and watched briefly and grimly as the red trainer dais electrocuted her. Misty was barely able to stand, but Bella could see the sheer determination in her face keeping her going. She had no idea if they were battling or not, as she couldn't see who was on the blue trainer dais, and the giant scoreboard only showed a letter 'R' instead of a trainer photo.
Hang in there, Misty. We're coming to help. Just a few more of these assholes to go.
"This is the endgame, Misty," the booming, robotic male voice said, his voice echoing around the stadium with absolute authority. "You've played well, but you were outclassed the whole time. I congratulate you on your perseverance – you've made this so much more interesting for me. But now it's time for this chapter to come to a close. The time of the Elite Four is over. By the day's end, we'll be in a new age: the age of Team Rocket."
Misty gripped the red dais' handrail tightly, her knuckles white, as if trying to throttle it.
"Go, Starmie! Psychic!"
Misty's Starmie's centre jewel began to glow bright red, and the air around it began to distort as it gathered its energy for a powerful attack. The GE Raichu began to lift off the ground, then she roared in pain before the GE Starmie stood defiantly in front of her.
"Starmie, show her what a real Psychic attack looks like," the voice boomed.
Misty's Starmie's centre jewel flickered a few times before dimming, and the GE Raichu fell back to the ground looking enraged instead of hurt. In roughly half the time it took her Starmie to prepare an attack, the GE Starmie already had her Starmie in fits of pain, writhing around on the battlefield floor, its centre jewel flickering on and off in rapid succession. Misty's eyes went wide in surprise and fear as she contemplated the kind of power she was up against.
These GE Pokémon...they obey his commands much more obediently than the others up until now. There's no way I'm gonna win this on power alone…
"Starmie! Dark Pulse!"
Misty's Starmie shot out a thick beam of pure black, disrupting the GE Starmie and knocking it backwards a few steps, but it simply got back up again and awaited new orders. Misty grit her teeth; she knew that would happen, but it didn't lessen the impact at all.
"Raichu, Thunderbolt."
Before Misty could react, the GE Raichu's Thunderbolt attack was already on its way, and Starmie was sent flying backwards, slamming into the red dais' tower and making it shake. Misty grabbed the handrail while the dais stabilised, but the Raichu was already preparing another attack.
"Again, Raichu."
Once again, Starmie was propelled into the red dais' tower, and this time held there by the force of the electric attack.
"No! Starmie!" she screamed, feeling entirely helpless.
I've gotta do something!
She grabbed the handrail and tried to leap over it, not caring if she hurt herself on the way down, but felt a blinding heat coursing through her body as her feet left the ground. She crashed into the handrail and collapsed in a heap, twitching uncontrollably as the electricity ran its course.
"All too easy, Misty," the voice said with clear amusement. "Face it, you haven't got a chance."
"Why continue then?" she yelled as loud as she could through gritted teeth, as she struggled to get back to her feet again. "Just to mock me?"
"Precisely," he replied. "I didn't have to do all of this. I could have saved myself the time and expense, and just had you killed as soon as you entered Indigo Plateau. I could have had the plane shot down. But this is so much more entertaining. I want to humiliate you. I want you to suffer. I want you to know complete and utter defeat before I assume control of the whole world. So here's something I prepared earlier."
Butch and Cassidy reappeared from the blue trainer's causeway, wheeling out two large frames, each holding a prisoner – a young man and a Pokémon, each in a horrific state, barely alive.
"No…" Misty sobbed, then shook herself, letting fury overwhelm her. "What have you done to them?!"
"The same as I'll do to you," the voice responded. "But not before I break your spirit. Now, where were we? Ah yes...your beloved Starmie."
"Don't touch it, and don't touch her," Bella said, entering the battlefield from the red trainer causeway, followed by Lieutenant Surge.
"We're gonna show you what electric attacks look like when they're not being used by a coward," Surge grinned. "Time to die, Rocket filth!"
"Misty!" Bella called up to her. "We'll take that Raichu. You take the Starmie! She can't control both of them at the same time!"
"Right!" Misty yelled back with a renewed determination. "Starmie! Thunderbolt!"
Misty's Starmie also found a second wind, and began spinning faster and faster, powering up for a few moments before unleashing a surprisingly powerful attack. It struck the GE Starmie with deadly accuracy, sending it skidding along the ground-type battlefield surface for thirty feet. On the other side of the field, Bella's Electivire and Surge's Raichu were pummelling the GE Raichu with their own Thunderbolt attacks, not allowing her to get any attacks of her own in.
"Raichu, dig. Take them both," the voice commanded.
"Starmie! Don't let up! Dark Pulse!" Misty shouted.
Starmie obeyed willingly, and sent another thick black beam crashing into the GE Starmie. It tried to stand its ground at first, but was ultimately propelled along the battlefield again until it struck the fence. Misty could see that her Starmie was fading fast though. It was slouched over, its red centre jewel not flashing, but very dim.
This next attack has to finish it.
Before she could issue a command to Starmie, she heard Surge's Raichu cry out in pain as he was struck from below by the GE Raichu. She didn't see the Raichu pop up though, and moments later Electivire was attacked the same way. Electivire struggled to get back up again, and Surge's Raichu wasn't doing much better.
They must be tired from fighting those other four GE Pokémon that Jessie and James used. No time for that though, I have my own fight to win.
"Starmie! One more Dark Pulse!"
"Starmie, Thunder."
Misty's Starmie was quick, but not quick enough. The damage it had sustained slowed it down just enough that the opposing Thunderbolt attack came out first. It cut through the Dark Pulse, hitting Misty's Starmie and knocking it to the ground. This time its centre jewel did start to flash, and Misty knew it was almost over for her.
"Starmie, end this," the voice chuckled in amusement. "Thunderbolt."
"No! Starmie!" Misty cried out. "Dodge, then Recover!"
Why didn't I think of that before?
Misty's Starmie leapt to its right, but still received a glancing blow, which knocked it to the ground. Misty grit her teeth and clenched her fists as she watched on, seeing the centre jewel flash slowly as it lay prone on the ground. The jewel began to flash a little more quickly then, and Misty held on to hope that Recover would work.
"Raichu! Agility!" Surge yelled. "Then Quick Attack!"
Surge's Raichu began to run rings around the battlefield, every now and then hitting the GE Raichu before retreating again and becoming an orange blur once more.
"Electivire, Ice Punch!"
Electivire began to time his attacks to coincide with Raichu's Quick Attacks, waiting for the GE Raichu to stagger backwards before hitting it in the back. It seemed to be working, but both Electivire and Raichu were becoming increasingly worn out, and Misty could tell they wouldn't last much longer.She quickly turned back to Starmie, who seemed to have recovered sufficiently to perform another attack, but she could tell it hadn't quite healed itself as much as she'd have liked.
Hit it while he's distracted.
"Starmie! Dark Pulse!"
Once again Starmie blasted the GE Starmie with a powerful Dark Pulse attack, and this time the GE Starmie failed to get back up. Its centre jewel winked once, and then went out.
"Raichu, Dig."
Before she could congratulate Starmie, it was hit from below and knocked unconscious. Misty's jaw dropped, staggered by the sheer power of the GE Raichu's attack.
I never thought a ground-type move would do that much damage coming from a Raichu…I gotta return Starmie before it gets too badly hurt.
"Starmie, return!"
She aimed her Rocket ball, and Starmie dissolved into orange light before the ball closed. She quickly shrunk it down and placed it back onto her belt, hoping Starmie would be safe there.
"Thank you, Starmie," she said softly. "You made me really proud today. Now it's Surge and Bella's turn. Let's hope they're up to this."
Surge's Raichu and Bella's Electivire were both badly worn out now, and each sustained heavy damage from the GE Raichu's Dig attack. The GE Raichu, however, seemed to be unhurt, and if anything, was even angrier than it had been at the start. Misty couldn't help feeling a little conflicted when she looked at it, as it reminded her so much of her own Raichu. It too was female, and seeing another female Raichu devoid of any semblance of its former self broke her heart.
And the Rocket Boss knows it.
"Raichu, Thunder Wave the gym leader and his pet goth bitch."
Bella's eyes went wide with fear as she saw the electric attack incoming, and knew she could do nothing to stop it. The attack struck both her and Surge before they could even think about doing anything, leaving them twitching on the ground for a few moments before becoming eerily still.
"Now it really is over for you, Misty," the voice laughed. "What will you do?"
"This!" Misty screeched. "Raichu, Electivire! Thunder attack!"
"Raichu, quickly! Thunder attack as well!"
The three Pokémon blasted each other, and Electivire was sent flying backwards almost parallel to the ground before crashing into the fence with a terrifying thud. Surge's Raichu fared slightly better, able to stay on his feet for a few moments, continuing his Thunder attack on the GE Raichu before he too succumbed to the force of the attack and was sent skidding along the gravelly battlefield, completely unconscious.
The GE Raichu's cheeks sparked defiantly, and she stood proud and angry as she looked across the battlefield, smiling at the sight of her enemies defeated before her.
"Nicely done, Raichu," the Rocket Boss boomed. "Now finish this. Kill their Pokémon."
The GE Raichu's cheeks sparked even more wildly as it stepped slowly towards the downed Electivire. She took one step at a time, the rage building in her with each footfall.
"No more!" Misty screamed. "You can't do this!"
She grabbed the handrail again, ready to leap over the edge, and was once again shocked into submission for her efforts. She held onto it throughout the electrocution, partly unable to let go due to her forcibly contracted muscles, but partly because she refused to give in. She slowly and painfully got to her feet, and watched as the GE Raichu stopped in her tracks. Suddenly her cheeks stopped sparking, and she blinked twice in surprise, almost looking like a regular Raichu for a moment, before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
Of course, Misty realised. GE Pokémon don't show any fatigue, they don't register pain the same way normal Pokémon do. Until it's too late.
The GE Raichu and Starmie were returned to their Rocket balls with a flash of orange light, and the red dais began to lower, much to Misty's surprise. She prepared herself for a fight, not caring or even registering that she was far too weak from all the electrocution. As the dais returned to ground level, she once again felt a searing pain coursing through her body. She screamed in agony as she fought to resist, smoke pouring off her body as the electrocution continued far longer than it needed to. Eventually it did stop, but by then Misty was so weak she couldn't even stand up. All her muscles ached, and she struggled to even whimper. Defeated in body, Misty collapsed to the ground as the handrail swung open in front of her.
"And now to crush your soul," the Rocket Boss' robotic voice echoed, before becoming a hysterical laughter.
Cassidy and Butch wheeled the two frames containing the young man and the Pokémon over to her, and as they got closer, Misty could see just how badly they'd been treated.
"Ash...Pikachu…" she gasped weakly, tears quickly forming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry...I'm so, so sorry."
"They can't hear you, brat," Cassidy snorted before she and Butch lifted her up by her armpits.
They held her up, facing the very unconscious Ash and Pikachu, and Misty couldn't have resisted no matter how much she'd have liked to. She looked over to her right, and noticed a figure walking towards them, having exited the blue trainer dais.
"Finally, I get to see your ugly face," Misty spat.
"You're not gonna like what you see," Butch grinned.
The Rocket Boss approached her, taking his time. Butch punched Misty in the belly, making her double over, tears freely flowing down her face as the Rocket Boss stepped up to her. Misty completely forgot about the pain, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She gasped once, then forgot to breathe.
"It can't be...it just can't be you…you're dead! I watched you die!"
Amber stepped closer, swinging her hips confidently and seductively, the light from the stadium's spotlights shining off her tight, shiny black Team Rocket uniform, her now long red hair falling gracefully over her shoulders. Her shiny thigh-high boots squeaked as she crossed her legs, and she gently cupped Misty's face with her bicep-high black gloved hands. More tears fell from Misty's cheeks as the reality set in, the hopelessness and despair overpowering her inevitable anger.
"That's your soul being crushed, gorgeous," Amber whispered with a sick grin. "How does it feel to know you've been living a lie?"
Misty sobbed uncontrollably, the shock of the whole situation paralysing her. She felt both nauseous and comforted as Amber's shiny gloved fingertips gently stroked her face, her neck, and then her chest. Misty closed her eyes, trying desperately to wake up as Amber continued to mock her with her touch, giggling with glee as she watched Misty's heart shatter to pieces.