And now, Ash's battle with the final Gym Leader continues! As always, feedback is very much appreciated! We hope you enjoy the chapter!
Gloved fists clenched, a pair of dark eyes intently watching the stern leader across the room. The other young man drew a pokeball, which was enough to tell Ash that the match was about to continue. The ball was tossed, then.
A flash of light shot out of the sphere, splitting into three different entities that hung close to one another. Spinning about, they were revealed to be three Magnemite, naturally drawn to one another. Their magnets and screws spun about in line with a metallic, grating cry. "Magne-ton~!"
"A Magneton… And if it's anything like the rest of his team, it's not gonna be a pushover." Ash narrowed his eyes at his next opponent. "Fissure won't do anything, either…" Then, there was the issue of Tauros. Could he make it?
"Tauros! Never give up until the end! You've got this!" After all, a pokemon fed off their trainers' confidence.
The pokemon cried out in response, pawing the gym floor. Steam shot out of his nostrils. He was ready to continue.
"You're asking a lot of your pokemon," Silver critiqued.
The challenger adjusted his cap. "I don't doubt he can deliver."
"... It'd pay to question things a little. Magneton, Thunderbolt!"
Immediately after Silver gave the order, the three part body of Magneton split and whirled once more. A crackle of electricity jumped from its segmented form, crisping Tauros with the burning scene of ozone flooding the gym's stale air. Tauros knelt one knee, pain coursing through every nerve at this electrically charged blow.
"Tauros!" Ash called out once the attack ended.
"Ros…"
"Good… Alright, we gotta get rid of that big hunk of metal. Just gotta see what it's made of. Take Down!"
"Dodge it!" Silver barked.
As Tauros charged at Magneton, it leaped through the air. Though its form was perfect-head tucked and muscles coiled but not rigid, legs curled to avoid breakage, tails posed just so as to aid in its aim-it missed. Magneton had exploited its ability to split and let Tauros slip right through the empty air where all three pieces of it used to sit together!
As Tauros landed with surprising grace, Ash's jaw dropped.
"... That's cheating!"
"Nothing a pokemon can naturally do is cheating," Silver quickly replied, automatic and almost as if he had memorized the line. He pointed at Ash directly. "Unless you want to talk about the time your Pikachu redirected an electric attack with his tail."
"How do you even know about that?!" Ash demanded.
The gym leader stuffed his hands in his pockets. "That battle of yours against Surge a few years ago ended up making into the initiation materials I had to review when I first took over as gym leader here. So," Silver half-hissed, "if that's a legal move, this is a legal move."
As grunted, not willing to argue that point.
"Now, Magneton: Flash Cannon!"
While Tauros was still lingering at the metal creature as cattle are wont to do with strange metal fixtures, the sudden burst of metal energy blasted the normal type in his face.
"Hey!" Ash shouted, not arguing but making it clear he didn't like when they switched so quickly from talking to battling. "C'mon, Tauros! Ya can't stay still around this guy!"
"Ros!" the bull agreed, thundering across the gym to put a bit of distance between himself and their opponents. He'd stay at least at a lope to assure Magneton wouldn't be able to aim at him easily.
Seeing that Silver didn't look discouraged by this, Ash clenched his fist. He supposed it was time. "Like we practiced, Tauros; use Fire Blast on the ground!"
The bull belched up a blossom of flame. It expanded out, cloaking the thick fur along his hide and mane. The beast was on fire!
Dawn's eyes bulged. "That's why he wanted to borrow Houndoom!" she gasped. Though she didn't doubt Ash, she couldn't help but glance worrying look over the flaming bull. "Tauros doesn't have the Flash Fire ability, though… His fur isn't gonna resist those flames… This isn't like he's got the same battle armor Houndoom had. He's walking around burning…!"
Noticing the same but decidedly less concern, Silver crinkled his nose. "How fucking desperate. Magneton, use Lock-On and Gyro Ball!"
"Take Down!" Ash ordered in response.
Though Magneton got a clear shot at Tauros, the fire veil greatly reduced the metallic move's might… Though, at the same time, it injured Tauros. It was somewhat of a stalemate. Magneton reeled from Tauros's Take Down, but Tauros was burning out rather quickly.
This didn't sit well with Silver. "Thunderbolt!"
Ash watched with cautious worry as the move came towards Tauros… Only to get lost in the flames! The fire was plasma as much as the lightning was (not that Ash knew that) and the two confused one another. Though the fire was still hurting him, Thunderbolt had done no additional damage!
"What a trade off…" Ash muttered under his breath. "Fire Blast on Magneton!"
All too eager to share his misery with his opponent, Tauros stomped a hoof as he shot off a concentrated burst of fire. Magneton, however, merely split up and avoided the attack.
"Lock-On!" Silver ordered once more. "Then, use Gyro Ball!"
"I know this game," Ash said with a grin. "Take Down!"
"Split!" Silver called.
"What?!"
Ash watched in horror as Tauros sailed right through the individual Magneton pieces. All three, however, turned to their opponent before he even landed, firing off their own little Gyro Balls. Individually, they might not have hurt, but as they all came together, they each exploded upon impact!
When the dust settled, Ash caught sight of the still smouldering bull, flipped onto his side. Magneton pulled itself back together.
"Return!" he quickly called, sparing Tauros anymore pain. "You did great, buddy. You're the macho-est man here," he assured, knowing very well how Tauros prided himself on his ability to take blows. "We're not done yet," Ash insisted, tossing a pokeball. "It's your turn, Pidgeot!"
"Pidgooo!" The huge, feather-crested bird cried, beating its gigantic wings to hover above the field.
"Desperation, already?" Silver squinted. "Thunderbolt!"
Magneton's three segments spun about, launching a bright bolt. Time to clip the bird's feathers.
"Think what you want," Ash brushed off, throwing a hand upward. "Dodge, with Aerial Ace!"
Pidgeot sped forward, barrelling along in horizontal spins. A dipped wing dodged Thunderbolt completely.
Shrieking its grating shriek, Magneton panicked, quickly splitting into three when the large avian sped on through. The brunt of Aerial Ace was avoided, but each individual magnet was sent spinning from the following gust.
"It's no slouch," Silver noted under his breath. "Lock-on, then Gyro Ball!"
Rearranging themselves, the heads of Magneton came together, each of their eyes glowing red. They eyed their moving opponent, trying to properly place a target.
"If that works, we're in trouble… Let's put a stop to that, Pidgeot! Hurricane!" Ash commanded.
"Djot!" Pidgeot squawked, rapidly beating her wings to conjure winds worthy of a storm.
Silver was forced to widen his stance to keep himself steady, his red hair whipping around in the gusts.
"Ton…!" His pokemon, meanwhile, was tossed and spun about in the hurricane, far too dizzy to take aim.
"Got 'em," Ash muttered, a smirk picking up on his face. He threw a hand forward. "Brave Bird!"
"Pidgooo!" Pidgeot cried, shooting forward like an arrow. A blue, flaming glow surrounded her.
Silver grimaced. "Magneton, Flash Cannon!"
The three segments pulled close together, launching a blinding silver burst at Pidgeot.
Brave Bird collided with Flash Cannon, sending teal and silver sparks every which way. Pidgeot's beak and hide began to push on, blue overcoming gray one foot at a time. Magneton shuddered and struggled, but to no use.
Pidgeot smashed into Magneton, the resulting explosion booming through the room.
Ash, Dawn, Silver, and the referee were all forced to guard their eyes.
The three scuffed and scratched heads of Maneton tumbled out of the smoke and across the floor. Clinking along the ground, they lay like scrapped parts of a machine.
"Great job, Pidgeot!" Ash praised, then turning his attention to Silver. "Your Magneton's tricky, but with all that splitting up, it'll never be able to take attacks head-on like that!"
The Gym Leader's brow twitched, and a hand slid into his pocket. "Most challengers aren't around long enough to figure that out… Magneton!"
The three cyclopian magnets began to stir and spin, rushing to regroup.
"Heat Wave!" Ash ordered.
Shaking off the little recoil she'd endured, Pidgeot flapped her wings.
A sweltering wave of hot air blasted Silver's end of the battlefield.
Magneton fell motionless, swirls in each of its three eyes.
"Return," Silver droned, recalling the pokemon in a red flash. "Well, you're not as dumb as you came off… And your Pidgeot's powerful. But will that be enough?" A fifth pokeball was tossed.
The pokeball opened, and a flash of light only became a violet stream that poured into the gym floor. A shadow slipped along the battleground, shooting up below where Pidgeot hovered.
"Gar!" The shadow cackled, taking its stocky form.
Startled, Pidgeot squawked.
"A Gengar… Alright! We'll show you!"
"Pidgeot!" The avian squawked, its feathers ruffled and pride injured. It'd pay for that dirty trick.
Unfortunately for Ash and Pidgeot, though, all Gengar had was dirty tricks!
"Mean Look!" Silver ordered. For this to work, he needed that bird to not go flying off anywhere or swapping out.
The whole gym seemed to darken for a moment. Even the lights flickered, briefly shorting out all together. In that moment, Gengar's eyes and mouth gleamed a ghastly red. It sent chills down Pidgeot's spine, but ignited a proud fire in her heart. It would not flee from this beast! Not now, not ever!
Noting the change in posture from where Pidgeot flew above the gym floor, Ash gripped his fist tighter. He would let Pidgeot make use of that energy. This worked out fine, after all! Pidgeot's moves could all touch ghosts! "Aerial Ace!"
"Confuse Ray!" Silver shouted.
Ash frowned. That was why Silver hadn't wanted Pidgeot to be able to run away. Though Pidgeot flew through the beam of glittering lights and struck Gengar down, it was evident with the way Pidgeot stumbled on the floor after that it was now confused.
They'd have to press on, anyway. "Hurricane!"
Trying to obey, Pidgeot haphazardly flapped its wings. Though the stirred air didn't hurt the bird, it completely missed Gengar. Pidgeot was too disoriented!
"Perfect," Silver said, the closest he'd come all match to sounding genuinely pleased. "Dark Pulse!"
"Pidgeot's too woozy to avoid that… Heat Wave!" Maybe the attacks would nullify each other. Ash had to hope they would for Pidgeot's sake.
With that, Gengar released a ring of dark energy. Pidgeot flapped its wings, a wall of shimmering, superheated air headed for Gengar. The two attacks met. The black particles of the Dark Pulse warped and tore as the heat wrecked them. Soon, an explosion happened.
"Even if it's confused, your Pidgeot listens," Silver praised. "I wonder how long it'll last. Sludge Bomb!"
Even before the smoke had cleared, a splash could be heard. When the obscurity finally left the air, Pidgeot could be seen drenched in purple liquid. Judging from the way it shivered, that was all the proof Ash needed to know it was poisoned.
"Pidgeot!" he called out. He gritted his teeth. "Pidgeot is my friend. I won't waste that friendship! Not ever again! Brave Bird!"
Loyal to a fault, Pidgeot flapped its wings once more and lifted into the air. Glaring at the floating spectre before it, the bird of prey let out a magnificent caw before flying at its opponent. A blue aura took over the bird, cloaking it in strength.
But, at the last possible moment, Gengar fell, floating down and out of Pidgeot's path. The bird, unable to stop itself for lack of coordination, hit the gym wall and fell down.
"Pidgeot!" Ash yelled, running over without haste.
"Oh, no," Dawn mumbled, eyes wide. "Ash… Ash, is Pidgeot…!"
"Pidgeot's fine! No neck injuries!" Ash assured.
Silver seemed bothered by this event. "Shit, I've never seen anyone let a confused pokemon use Brave Bird… that's reckless…" Still, he looked at the hard, unforgiving walls of the gym. "... I may get some padding installed."
"That'd probably be a good idea," Ash said solemnly as he stroked Pidgeot's feathers. The bird was fine, just in need of a good healing.
At least Silver wasn't an actual monster, just a hard ass.
"Return, and rest," Ash said quietly.
Silver crossed his arms. "I won't count this as a foul or anything for leaving your position on the field."
"Thanks. Alright, no more slipping up…" Ash grimaced, clipping Pidgeot's pokeball back to his belt. The walked back to his position. "From here on out, let's stay focused!" He looked down to his companion on the ground, whose eyes were glued to Gengar. A hint of a smile perked up on Ash's lips. He knew how to handle this, now.
"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash chanted his familiar, favorite phrase, pointing forward.
Music to his pointy, black-tipped ears. "Pika-Pika!" PIkachu chanted with glee, sprinting forward onto the battlefield opposite of Gengar. He stood on all fours, ears raised and alert. No mistakes.
"I'll hold you to your word," Silver drawled, his red ridges lowering.
...Were they not being taken seriously? Ash reached for the brim of his cap, quickly flipping it backwards. "We won't disappoint you! Pikachu, let's go all-out, with Thunderbolt!"
"Pika… Chu!" Pikachu shrieked, launching a golden bolt at Gengar.
The mischievous ghoul shrieked, his stubby arms flailing in fright. That was an attack that he wasn't looking to get fried by. He panicked, quickly vanishing from Thunderbolt's path.
The attack left a victimless explosion in its wake.
Ash's eyes darted around. "We're not getting played again… Pikachu, behind you! Iron Tail!"
Still airborne, Pikachu felt a chill run down his spine from the cold presence that hovered behind him. Gravity saved him from panic, and he landed on his steel-coated tail. Pressing off it like a springboard, the mouse launched back at his opponent, and he spun his body around.
"Chua… Pika!"
Iron Tail slapped Gengar silly, sending the stout ghoul soaring.
"Sludge Bomb." Silver ordered, not missing a beat.
Still soaring, Gengar belched a sickening orb of filth at Pikachu.
"We're not falling for that again! Iron Tail!" Ash insisted, punching across his chest.
Pikachu landed on one of his feet, spinning like a ballerina with his momentum's aid. He swung around, Iron Tail smashing into the Sludge Bomb that was inches from hitting him.
The toxic filth broke and splattered, leaving Pikachu unharmed.
"We've got 'em on the ropes," Ash insisted, punching upward. "Thunderbolt!"
Thoroughly enjoying himself, Pikachu jumped sky-high, firing off another flash of lightning.
"Block it, with Dark Pulse!"
Gengar twirled without care, throwing his ghoulish hands forward to fire a series of rings.
One purple blast after the next crashed into Thunderbolt, and each shattered in a failed attempt to guard Gengar. Thunderbolt got increasingly closer, throwing off sparks with every derailed burst.
Gengar teetered and stumbled, his grin turning upside down. "Gen-Gen-Gen… Gar!" He struggled to toss the Dark Pulse downward, flinging Thunderbolt at the ground with it.
A booming crash crowded the field in smoke, where Pikachu was forced to land. His ears perked, beady eyes darting left and right for a sign of the ghost type.
"Stay alert, Pikachu!" Ash warned. Just where was it...?
"Sludge Bomb."
Pikachu jolted, stumbling backwards when a large shadow overlooked him.
Gengar chortled, towering over Pikachu with a hunk of sludge held over his head. "Gar!"
"Cha!" Pikachu squealed, recoiling at the sick feeling of toxic goo slapping into his forehead. He stumbled forward in an uncomfortable stagger, wiping the sludge off of his fur. "Chu…"
"Crap," Ash cursed, spotting the blue streak on Pikachu's face. "He's poisoned, too…"
"I thought you said no more mistakes. Are you going to take this seriously, or are you just going to let this match fall apart?" Silver scowled, resting a hand on his hip.
"You shut up," Ash snapped, pointing forward. "We're still winning this match! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Pika…" The mouse growled, shaking his head to clear his mind. "Cha! Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika…!" Pikachu chanted, sprinting towards Gengar.
The gym leader blinked, his mouth hanging open. "So, you're giving up?"
Dawn's brows furrowed. "I think he's lost his cool again…"
The grin on Ash's face said otherwise. "Pikachu, Thunder!"
Just now skidding through Gengar's translucent form, Pikachu bore a smirk mirroring his trainer's. Crossing his arms across his body, he gathered electricity before unleashing a blinding golden flash of lightning from his tail. "Pika… Chu!"
Thunder tore through the gym floor, almost instantly eclipsing Gengar.
"Gah!"
Each contestant, the referee, and Dawn had guarded their eyes, slowly re-adjusting to the light. When their full vision returned, Pikachu stood triumphant, and Gengar laid charred and unconscious.
Pikachu, meanwhile, recoiled from the nip of poison.
"Gengar is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!"
"Told you I still had it," Ash boasted.
Dawn blinked. "That should be a good thing, but something doesn't feel right..." Her blue hues narrowed upon Ash. "He should feel good right now, but…" She'd caught a glimpse of her boyfriend exhaling heavily. The way his face glistened under the arena's spotlight tipped her off that he was sweating. "He's fought his way out of tougher spots than this. Get'em, Ash!"
"Don't worry, I will!" He assured, flashing a thumbs up to Dawn. "Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu barked in agreement. Poison be damned.
"Clever," the leader was forced to admit. He tossed his final pokeball. "Go, Nidoking!"
"Nido!" The hulking poison type growled, stomping a foot into the gym floor. His horn gleamed under the hot spotlights hanging from the gym ceiling.
"Shoot… Our electric attacks won't work here." Ash huffed. "Then we'll just have to-"
"Venoshock!"
A barrage of purple goo was fired from Nidoking's mouth, bombarding Pikachu.
"Cha!" Pikachu squealed, stumbling back. A burning sensation overcame his nerves, the poison's effect on his body sapping his strength at a much greater rate. "Chu…"
"Pikachu!" Ash gasped, quickly drawing his pokedex.
"Venoshock: A poison type attack. The user drenches the target in a special poisonous liquid. Its power is doubled if the target is poisoned."
"That figures… He probably planned this. Well, then, we'll just have to finish this, now! Quick Attack!"
Pikachu did his best to shake his fur free of the gunk. "Pika…" He growled, steadying himself on all fours. With a shout, he launched off of the ground, the floor below him crumbling.
"We'll see how far those guts get you. Brick Break!"
By the time Nidoking had pulled back a hefty arm, a silver streak was right in his face.
"Pika!" Pikachu roared, smashing past Nidoking in an explosive collision that made a Giga Impact look feeble. He soared well out of Nidoking's range before he could even think to counterattack. The poison type was knocked flat on his rear from the impact.
"Now that's the kind of power I'd expect from Pikachu!" Dawn exclaimed with satisfaction, her hands balled up into fists. "If they can just keep this up, they've got it!"
That was a big if. At least in the eyes of the Gym Leader. "Earth Power!"
Still grounded in a humiliating fashion, the embarrassed biped slammed a fist into the ground.
Fissures leaking golden rays surged through the floor, closing in on Pikachu.
"Dodge, with another Quick Attack!"
Just as he landed, Pikachu skidded to change directions, launching just out of Earth Power's range. The golden eruption from within the gym floor narrowly missed the tip of his tail.
"Poison Tail!" Silver threw a hand outward.
Though his armored physique would suggest otherwise, Nidoking was nimble on its feet. With strong legs built like a lagomorph's, the poison type lunged at Pikachu, his long, spined tail whipping around like a wrecking ball, coated in a toxic purple glow.
"Counter that, with Iron Tail!" Ash threw an arm out, as if he was guiding Pikachu's attacks.
"Chua… Pika!" Pikachu struck out, slamming his dwarfed, but sturdy tail into Nidoking's. The larger pokemon was beginning to falter under his might, before Pikachu writhed and cringed.
"Pika…!" Huffing, Pikachu pushed his weight downward once more, launching himself out of range, successfully parrying Nidoking's attack.
Even so, his discolored cheeks were a dead give-away.
"The poison's getting in the way," Ash mumbled. His brows trembled. "He can't put out his full power like that."
Like a Weedle, fresh and vulnerable to be picked off by a Fearow. "Venoshock!"
Grinning a predatory grin, Nidoking belched more toxic sludge towards the suspended mouse.
"Not happening! Pikachu, Thunder!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shrieked, unleashing his full fury upon the gunk.
Molten hunks of neutralized goo rained down upon Nidoking, prompting a roar of agony.
"Keep up the offensive! Iron Tail!" Ash cried, punching upward.
Pikachu sprung off of his hind legs, assaulting the hurting Nidoking. "Chua...!"
Intrusive venom surged, and yet another squeal of pain followed.
"Counter, with Brick Break!"
Thirsty for vengeance, Nidoking howled, slamming a glowing arm into Brick Break. His canines gnashed, a grin struggling to form as he pushed all of his weight against Pikachu. His limbs trembled and buckled, but Pikachu was making no headway.
The mouse was squinting, fangs bared. His limbs lacked focus. He was vulnerable.
When Ash focused in on the clash, his hands fell weak, irises trembling. Nidoking was hoisting up a second glowing limb, prompting familiar flashbacks of the exact same scenario that'd been Pikachu's downfall. Electivire had been replaced with Nidoking, but his fate was the same.
Ash panicked. "Pikachu, pull back!"
A mighty roar overwhelmed Ash's voice, and a free fist smashed into Pikachu's gut.
The mouse was launched skyward.
"Pikachu, hang in there! Pull back!" Ash cupped his hands around his mouth, calling in desperation.
"Now, Earth Power!"
"Nido!" Nidoking followed on his momentum, slamming a fist into the gym floor.
Golden slivers ran through the ground, following Pikachu's path.
The realization left Ash in a cold sweat.
Pikachu was inches from landing. A geyser of elemental energy burst from below his body, blasting him skyward without mercy.
"Pikachu!" Ash fretted, stepping back several feet with his arms held outward.
Much like a football, Pikachu fell into his arms, curled into his chest with care.
Swirls in his eyes left Ash with less than optimistic prospects.
Adjusting the rims of his glasses, the referee raised a flag. "Pikachu is unable to battle!"
"Poor Pikachu… He didn't get a chance to battle the way he'd want to." Dawn frowned, brushing a blue lock from her face. "Ash can't be happy about that…"
"This match isn't done yet!" Ash declared, gripping his last pokeball.
"Rosa, you're up again!" Ash tossed the sphere, letting the Aura pokemon free.
Still bruised and ruffled up, the biped adjusted her stance, both paws raised.
"I know you've already put in work, but this is the last round! With your help, we can still do this!" Ash encouraged, flashing a smile and a thumbs-up as his companion.
A bark of acknowledgement came from the Aura pokemon, who raised a paw in tandem. ~I-I'll try!~
"If it can win in that condition," Silver added. "I won't hold my breath."
"You'll see!" Ash barked back, punching forward. "Rosa, Power-up Punch!"
The Lucario sprinted towards Nidoking, a glowing paw ready.
"Poison Tail!"
Nidoking pivoted, swinging his gargantuan tail around, slamming it into the Lucario's chest.
A coughing yelp was forced from Rosa's abdomen as she was knocked back, skidding across the battlefield. A paw supporting her kept her from collapsing.
"That poison won't work on her… But that still look like it hurt." Ash's brows furrowed. "This isn't over! Close Combat!"
A squeaky growl marked the Lucario's determination, the Aura pokemon pushing herself to her feet. Leaning forward, she sprinted towards her opponent without a hint of doubt, arms held outward. A punch was readied, prompting Nidoking to raise his guard.
The feint was followed by a stern foot to the stomach, hindering Nidoking. Several swift jabs to the face followed, rounded off with a kick to the chest and a smack of her tail to the jaw.
"You've got this, Rosa!" Dawn cheered, pumping her fists.
"Empol!"
Silver grimaced. "Brick Break!"
Positively boiling with indignance, Nidoking swung a haymaker, prompting a loud squeal that followed the Lucario halfway across the field. That had to have been a critical hit.
"Rosa!" Ash panicked, leaning forward. "Are you alright?"
A struggled bark denied Ash's fears, the stubborn pup pushing herself to her feat. Ruby hues narrowed upon Nidoking. 'Papa's counting on me… I've just gotta win this!'
"It's too dangerous, getting close…" Ash mused. "Aura Sphere, now!"
The Lucario pivoted stationing her paws at her side. A pinpoint of light grew into a large sphere, positively glowing. It was reared back before finally being tossed forward.
There was no chance of dodging that. Silver wasn't naive. "Block it!"
Stomping its feet into the ground, Nidoking crossed his arms over his body.
A booming teal explosion rocked the field, throwing smoke and dust every which way.
Ash was forced to guard himself with one arm, the other cradling Pikachu. "C'mon…"
The debris cleared quickly. Nidoking held his position, arms trembling. He groaned. Collapsing onto one knee.
"I think we've got this!" Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
"Premature." The red-headed gym leader scoffed. "Stay steady! Earth Power!"
Barely supporting himself, Nidoking drove a fist into the rubble below him.
"Dodge that!" Ash warned, his heart racing.
Rosa crouched, ready to spring out of harm's way. A sharp pain interrupted, though, bringing the Aura pokemon to her knees. The scuff the earlier Low Sleep had left was taking its toll.
Before anything else could be considered, a booming yellow explosion consumed her.
"Shoot… Rosa!"
The dust scattered, revealing a downed Lucario, her eyes turned to swirls.
The referee raised a damning hand, once more. "Lucario is unable to battle! Which means the challenger, Ash, has lost all six of his pokemon, making Silver, the Gym Leader, the winner!"
Worn out sneakers trudged Ash onto the battlefield, where he knelt to cradle his companion.
The Lucario stirred, then winced. ~...Sorry, Papa. I tried…~
"Hey, you've got nothin' to be sorry about. You gave your all, out there. Just rest for now, alright?" Ash smiled as long as he could be seen, returning his pokemon in a flash of light. He swallowed.
"You're strong," a familiar voice grabbed Ash's attention. From the other end of the battlefield, Silver addressed him. "...And you've got talent as a trainer. You might've even been able to win this."
He paused.
"But you're reckless. You have to know your pokemon's weaknesses if you want to use their strengths." Tauros, Torterra, and Kingler came to mind. "Sometimes, you're unpredictable, but others, you let your guard down and make an obvious move. Don't forget, your opponents can be as inventive as you are."
The leader returned Nidoking, walking towards the back of the gym. "When you understand that, come back again. It'd be stupid to let that strength go to waste."
"...Yeah." Ash managed to spit out in a fluster. He stood, holding Pikachu securely. "I will!"
The shuffling of boots caught his attention, and he looked up to see Dawn beside him.
She let a hand fall on his shoulder. "Sorry about that… But it was still a great match!"
"Yeah, I guess it was…" Ash whistled, bringing up a gloved hand to squeeze hers. He let go afterwards, walking off towards the exit.
Pausing briefly to wait for Empoleon, Dawn jogged ahead to catch up. Her brows furrowed.
"Hold on. You're not going to let this bring you down on yourself again, are you?"
"Not this time," Ash denied. He forced a smile. "Keeping a crummy attitude won't help me or my pokemon. I'm just kinda bummed. I went in there, thinking I had everything figured out. That I totally knew my pokemon… I guess I made an ass out of myself, huh?"
"I thought you said you weren't going to get down on yourself." Dawn narrowed her eyes.
"I'm fine," Ash insisted, walking out the double doors. "It's just a good thing I lost now. Next time, I'll get it right. That's the only way I'm gonna win the league. I'll learn from my screw-ups!"
"Now, that's a relief." Dawn bore a relieved smile. "That's the Ash that I fell for, you know."
"If you're trying to egg me on, you're headin' in the right direction."
"Well, if it works!"
_
The room and everything in it was white save for the grunts seated quietly within it. Cubicle boxes kept up the illusion of privacy as row after row of underlings watched anxiously and quietly screens within their own cubicles. Each screen flashed in low resolution feeds. The desaturated video feed came from various closed-circuits the organization had hacked into it.
However, the invaded privacies of the people of Kanto was of minor concern compared to the full color flashing screen at the front of the little almost-office. These were the Kanto objectives of the surveillance sector.
Various faces flashed by, dozens of objectives with different sins against Team Rocket flagging them as worth of the organization's ire. Some were young, foolish thugs who thought themselves fit to have stolen from Rocket grunts. Those blithe bandits made it away on the day of their transgression with what ill-gotten gains Team Rocket had originally possessed, but those who maintained the coffers for Team Rocket kept their tallies immaculately. Narry a pokeball or potion could disappear and not be noticed by them. And, so, the faces of stray, wayward youths were plastered on the objectives screen.
This was not to say Team Rocket only concerned themselves with small fry. Objectives of greater importance also flashed upon the screen. Numbers signified everyone had transgressed against Lord Giovanni's great ambitions and the degree to which their sins stank so hideously in his nostrils. Overly ambitious detectives who had not been properly warned by their departments flashed in higher importance than those wayward thugs. Higher still were rogue grunts, fools who believed they could throw away their intended use by Team Rocket. Beyond that were businessmen who failed to repay Team Rocket for the services such an elite, illustrious organization had rendered. Then, finally, ranking highest were those who had intentionally made themselves active enemies of Team Rocket.
Among these transgressors, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town's warm smile rested. Of course, Dawn's face flashes as well, but given that she had a much briefer encounter history with the organization, she was spared some of the vitriol reserved for the pride of Pallet.
Of course, grunt #4257 had not expected to net any large catches. But, luckily for him, he was tasked with monitoring the CCTV hacks for the western-most Kanto gyms. Black and white footage from the Pewter Gym as well as Viridian. While Forrest practiced in his gym, blissfully unaware of the fact he was being watched, a more interesting scene played out in Silver's gym.
The grunt's eyes zeroed in on Ash's distinct silhouette. As the battle between him and Silver played out on the small screen, he double checked the smaller reference pictures left in his cubicle for ease of identification.
"S-Supervisor!" he suddenly called out, standing up. "Supervisor!"
Walking briskly, the supervisor's tight skirt constrained her pace and surprisingly business-like bun bounced behind her head. "What did you find?"
"Objective #1." Of course, he had only spotted Ash. Dawn was out of sight of the cameras, safely on the side lines.
The supervisor checked the screens before gulping. "Right. Relief!"
Upon hearing this command, a new grunt scurried into the cubicle, taking over screen monitoring for grunt #4257.
Opening the binder she kept tucked under one arm, the supervisor began furiously writing. "Here. Take this paper and go directly to the boss's office with this. Do not stop to speak to anyone. This will let him see for himself what is going on. Hurry! They won't battle forever!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Rushing out of the Kanto observational room, the grunt briskly walked out of the entire observational wing. The administrative wing wasn't so far away when the boy was jogging to get there. After all, Giovanni wanted to be right by his spies, no matter if they were seated behind a screen or preparing for covert missions.
That said, he was also a well-protected man.
Stopping before a pair of high ranked, intimidating looking guards, 4257 gulped at the sight of their Skarmory and Scizor.
"What is your business?" snapped one of the brutish duo.
"Here," the grunt whimpered. He passed them the paper his supervisor had signed.
The other looked over the slip and recognized the woman's hand writing. "You may pass."
With that, the two stepped aside.
One last barrier stood before the grunt, though. His secretary sat silently at her computer, cutting her eyes at the sight of the grunt approaching her.
"Papers," she barked before she could even be bothered to let him speak.
"H-Here."
She looked over it briefly before clicking a button on her desk. "Lord Giovanni."
"I am in the middle of a debriefing, Matori. What is it?"
"Objective number one has been-"
He didn't let her finish. "Come in."
Standing up, Matori gestured for the grunt to follow her. The door into Giovanni's office opened automatically. In the dimly lit room, perhaps a dozen screens flickered with looping videos. They were all of the agent standing before Giovanni currently.
4257 suddenly remembered who this woman was. She was one of the spies from back during the Celadon Game Corner fiasco. She had posed as a cleaning lady in the weeks before the raid to get important information and easy access to the team. She had also been present during the night of the raid, though she avoided arrest by posing as a poor victim, all still in her maid's uniform. It was under this disguise that she had even been able to free high ranking agents who had also attended the raid from the clutches of the police.
She had proved herself a valuable asset to the team. No doubt, Giovanni was praising her for such and discussing what rewards she might get. After all, Lord Giovanni was a shrewd business man, but he knew an employee always worked best with positive motivation…
"I do apologize that I must cut our meeting short. I will discuss your next mission with you after this meeting. You may go ahead to the handling wing to select your newest team addition. You have certainly earned it," he said, voice smooth as oil.
Once the spy walked out, the mood changed.
"Did you really spot the boy?" the boss demanded.
"Yes, my lord," the grunt said quietly while Matori passed Giovanni the slip of paper.
The man quickly entered the code the supervisor had written down onto his computer. Behind them, all the screens began to show the feed from the Viridian gym. Silently, Giovanni turned to watch them. The very end of it displayed. The Lucario's defeat at the hands of Silver's Nidoking somehow brought out a smirk from the gang leader.
He chuckled, even. "Well, his Pikachu must have recovered from the level limiter if he's up against Silver so soon. Matori, make a note of that and send the information to the research department. We didn't get a chance to find out the rebound time from those, unfortunately."
While his secretary scratched down that note, Giovanni turned back around, looking over at his computer. "... Matori, tell the financial administrator to be in my office in thirty minutes to discuss our options for dealing with objective one.
"It will be done, my lord."
"... A-Aren't you going to send a black bag squad?" 4257 suddenly blurted out, unable to stop himself in his confusion. As soon as he said it, though, he slapped a hand over his mouth and looked fearfully up at his leader.
"... You've got very good eyes, so I'll forgive you this time if your mouth isn't worth anything."
Returning from perhaps a nap or perhaps a meal, Giovanni's Persian chose now to make an entrance. Scaring the grunt out of his wits, the luxurious normal type brushed against the interloper before making his way to rest atop the space on Giovanni's desk that was genuinely reserved for him to lounge upon. As Giovanni's first line of personal defense, the desk was made extra large to afford him a good view point of the whole room.
The fact that the cat immediately unsheathed his claws in a blatant intimidation attempt wasn't lost on the grunt.
"T-Thank you, my lord…"
"I'll explain it to you. Everything has a cost, grunt. Right now, I want to know what's worth more of my time and money: trying to train a vine to grow away from my garden or just pulling it up by the roots. If I train it, I don't have to get down and make sure I pull it up right. But, if I pull it, I'll never have to artificially influence its path. I've just got to know: what's the likelihood I won't uproot it right? What's the cost of getting it a trellis? Once I know that, I can decide. After all, grunt, black bag squads are expensive. Their pokemon are extremely valuable. I can't just send them haphazardly into the field where they might be taken away from us. Those agents are difficult to replace if arrested, too. Furthermore, every time we kill someone, the police forget for five minutes that they don't actually like dealing with us. I like to let them pretend we're scared of them, because they usually stop giving chase at city limits if we keep up appearances."
"... That's brilliant, my lord."
"See? There it is again. You're observant, grunt. I'll have use for you yet if you keep it up." Grabbing a slip of paper from his own desk, Giovanni prepared to write. "Now," he said, watching Ash leave the gym from the corner of his eye, "what was your number? I've got a small recommendation I would like to give you as a thanks. We may be opening a new observation room soon, and you might make a good supervisor."
While the wheels began turning for a future conflict between our heroes and Team Rocket, grunt #4257 was on cloud nine. Giovanni might be considering him for supervisor of the future Unova observational room?! "Thank you, my lord! I am four-two-five-seven!"
