Chapter 13: Who Needs a Superhero?
Mark, Ash and Pikachu faced down Team Rocket infused and turned into a Predisite. Sardon freed Jessie, James and Meowth before turning them into the three-headed creature that was able to reflect the Mew Mews attacks. Just arriving, Zoey and Renee reverted back to their waitress uniforms. Corina, Bridget and Kikki struggled to get to their feet, trying to stop the monster and free Megan and Mimi. "You fused Team Rocket just to come after me and Pikachu?" questioned Ash as Mark reached Zoey, lifting her head as she stirred.
"Zoey!" he called out. Bridget was with Renee and Corina and Kikki stood by Ash and Pikachu.
"Their hatred for you is clear enough to apply the infuser to them," Sardon briefed. "Not to mention that their creatures are the main source of the power." Ash felt challenged with the detail.
"The Pokémon?" he quietly guessed.
"What does he mean?" asked Bridget. "We need to know since our attacks keep bouncing back to us!"
"And those two customers are already finding out about us!" added Corina.
"So if it's true…" studied Ash as the three heads spat volleys of green and violet stingers at the group. They saw and Ash had no choice in the matter. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
("Got it!") accepted Pikachu as he swung his glowing tail, striking the stingers and away from the crowd. Pikachu realized the colors of the stingers being two separate attacks. ("Cacnea's Pin Missile and Dustox's Poison Sting…")
"This means that guy included Team Rocket's Pokémon into that concoction," Ash assessed. "Cacnea, Seviper, Dustox and Wobbuffet are inside." Megan and Mimi blinked to what Ash spouted.
"Do you have any idea what he said?" wondered Megan.
"He has that adorable mouse so maybe it's connected?" believed Mimi. "And what did he call it?" Ash had a plan.
"We need to free those girls," he plotted. "We'll need to attack at the same time, but it has to be both a physical and a special attack."
"How so?" questioned Bridget.
"That being can only do one move of each Pokémon," Ash studied. "And I got a few ideas." Before he could discuss, the monster charged in with a glowing green arm that began to protrude needles.
"Jump!" snapped Kikki. Mark carried Zoey as everyone leaped clear. Ash caught Pikachu with both hands before the glowing arm swung to the ground, the impact smashing the pavement. Ash had a shot with Pikachu and threw him at the tail.
"One more time with Iron Tail!" he called out. Pikachu's tail glowing, he slashed the tail which left a huge gash and the pain uncoiled Megan and Mimi who caught the Mouse Pokémon. The monster turned back to Pikachu with Megan and Mimi.
"PI… KA… CHU!" it bellowed.
("Should I be surprised?") squeaked Pikachu. Mimi realized what the monster was after.
"Wait, this thing's after you?" she guessed. Distracted, Zoey and Renee were ready to go back into the fight.
"I need to protect everyone," Zoey declared.
"Right, no reason I should stay down!" added Renee. Pendants in hand, they're ready to settle the score.
"POWER PENDANT MEWTAMORPHOSIS!" they summoned. They returned to their Mew Mew forms and Zoey did a dance.
"Mew Mew style, Mew Mew grace," she teased. "Mew Mew Power in your face!" Renee wasted no time, lashing the whip to wrap the monster's tail.
"Catch of the day!" she grunted. Sardon flew in with a huge fan.
"Don't think I've been forgotten!" he scowled before flapping his fan. "Ice Wind Blast!" The flap of his fan produced gusts that chilled the air around. The Mews braced the cold hitting their exposed skin and Renee dropped her whip. Ash got a Pokéball.
"Torkoal, Flamethrower!" he called out and threw the ball before Torkoal emerged and blasting flames. The icy winds from the fan were heated with some of the fire licking at Sardon's clothes. Seeing the flames, the monster's body was glowing again as it bounced and returned to Torkoal. This made Ash see the flames heading to Corina. He rushed and tackled Corina as the flames reached, his left arm getting burned. He winced in pain.
"Ash!" gawked Corina. Still in pain, Ash turned to the monster.
"That Mirror Coat…" he figured. "I got it. Torkoal, Body Slam!" Torkoal leaped to the air with his heavy body. The monster heard the command and spotted Torkoal flying towards it. The body was glowing again, but Ash anticipated the move. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity, striking the monster. The electric shock made the monster shriek in pain as Torkoal began to fall. It landed and knocked the monster to the ground as it was pinned. The Mews, Mark, Megan and Mimi were shocked.
"Wait, I don't get it," Megan voiced. "When the Mew Mews attacked, they bounced back at them, but he has that mouse and turtle and is able to get a shot?"
"I'm with you at how confusing it is," Mimi nodded. Torkoal leaped off and retreated to Ash who continued to favor his arm. The monster rose to its feet. Renee came to Ash for an explanation.
"I'm with those girls," she added. "How did your Pokémon do it?"
"Wobbuffet's one of Team Rocket's Pokémon and his known moves are Counter and Mirror Coat," he reminded. "Counter returns physical attacks and Mirror Coat returns special attacks… but he can't return both at the same time." Hearing this detail, Corina's heart skipped a beat.
'This is it!' she minded. 'This is why I fell for him!' Bridget heard the information as well.
"Okay, we know what to do now," she trusted. "Get the girls out of there." Ash had an idea to perform that.
"Pikachu, lead Megan and Mimi away!" he instructed.
("On it!") agreed Pikachu before leaping off Mimi's arms and led them around the battle to a safe spot. While farther back, Megan knelt to the Mouse Pokémon.
"I finally get to meet you and I'm actually better off knowing you know the Mews," she cooed.
("And now you,") Pikachu smiled. The Mews decided to let their new knowledge come to play.
"Heart Arrow!" called out Corina as she fired her arrow. The monster swung the tail which was purple and Ash realized Corina couldn't see it coming at her.
"Head's up!" he shouted. Corina spotted the tail coming by but couldn't react but Ash shielded her and took another blow to his injured arm. Ash winced but saw the monster's body shine. "OVERHEAT!" Torkoal heard the call before he took a deep breath and he unleashed a white stream of fire, engulfing Corina's attack, but instead of the arrow burned out, it gained speed and the heart was aflame. The attacks struck the monster with the arrow striking quickly after, neither attack bouncing back. The monster screeched in pain.
"My turn!" called Zoey. She wove her scepter at the monster and bubbles began to rain down. "Blue… Aqua Drops!" The bubbles coated the monster before it was aglow. Instead of reflecting the bubbles back, it reverted the monster's form back to Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, a black zigzag snake, a green ball-like cactus with a crown and a purple moth with rugged green wings and holed yellowed eyes. Megan and Mimi gasped to seeing the two adults.
"Wait, those two were after Ash that one day!" pointed Megan.
"Sardon's power must have sprung Team Rocket," Bridget added.
"Okay, but why didn't Elliot inform me?" groaned Ash.
"Maybe not to startle you or Pikachu," Mark guessed. Jessie began to stand as Sardon watched.
"Okay, twerps!" she snarled. "You should know we won't give up until Pikachu's ours!" Ash groaned to Jessie's energy while James and the creatures were exhausted.
"You might not give up, but James can't stand up, let alone all of your Pokémon," he pointed out. James barely got his head up near the snake with gold plating around the head and red eyes.
"Jessie, let's stop," he moaned. "I can hardly move!"
"And neither can we!" groaned Meowth. Kikki jumped onto Ash's shoulders to get a better look.
"So, what are the rest of them?" she wondered. Ash pointed his good arm to Team Rocket's Pokémon.
"That's Jessie's Seviper," he pointed to the snake before the moth. "Her Dustox…" Finally, the cactus. "And James' Cacnea." Jessie felt ignored.
"Hey, I won't be denied!" she yelled as she whipped out a bazooka. Mark had his wooden sword flipped around, a makeshift spear ready to throw. He hurled it into the bazooka's barrel as Jessie pulled the trigger. It made the bazooka explode and made Jessie fly into the pile. Sardon flapped his fan, a ball of lightning that enveloped Team Rocket and their Pokémon, then another wave that froze them in place. Unable to move anything else, Jessie's mouth and voice was still heard if only muffled. "What's the big idea!?"
"You're useless and your greed is disturbing," Sardon muttered. "No wonder you're all weak… but that boy… All of that pain, all that misery and still, he triumphs when you all failed. You would've been a better test subject to the infusers than this group." He flapped the fan again. "Aerial Tempest!" The kids gathered with Ash huddling Corina near him. Torkoal came back to Ash and Corina. Ash smiled before coming up with a plan.
"Torkoal, jump back and use Iron Defense!" he ordered as he pointed by his rear and opened Corphish's ball, releasing the Ruffian Pokémon. Torkoal leaped up before tucking his head and legs inside his shell. Ash turned to Bridget with a nod. Bridget had her castanets ready.
"Deep Sea Surge Attack!" she summoned. The wave came near Ash and Corina leaped clear.
"Corphish, Crab Hammer!" voiced Ash as he raised his butt. Corphish's pincers were aglow before he punched and Ash jumped at Torkoal and the wave. His butt was spared but his foot got the pincer and launched him into the wave, taking Torkoal from the underbelly and propelling them at Sardon who flapped once more, only to clear the surge. Torkoal's shell bashed into Sardon's chest and Ash fell, only to catch the alien's leg. Torkoal emerged again before landing on his legs. Struggling to breathe, Sardon found Ash hanging, literally.
"Don't get so cocky, boy!" he growled. Ash flashed a grin.
"You need to soften up," he smiled before flinging himself into Sardon's groin with a headbutt. He gawked and winced, dropping the fan as Ash continued to climb up on the swing. Mark, the girls and the Pokémon gasped and winced to the low blow. Ash swung all the way around before wrapping his legs around Sardon's neck. "Otherwise, you're in for a hard fall." Finally, Ash pulled his legs and flipped Sardon over before driving his head into the pavement. Sardon fell limp as Ash started to stand.
"Okay, we never see da twerp do dat," Meowth muttered.
"Because that was back in our world," James whined. "He always likes head-to-head battles, but not that way!" Sardon began to recover and stood.
"You may have won this fight, Mews and men," Sardon mulled. "But I'll ship these failures back to the home before we came here, but I will see this world return to our hands!" With that, Sardon and Team Rocket vanished. Ash put his arm on his damaged one as Corina reached Ash.
"You rescued me, Ash!" she cheered before kissing him on the lips and popping her left leg. Mark, the girls and the Pokémon enjoyed the love offered. When they broke, Ash's reddened face was all smiles.
"Anytime, Corina," he giggled… when he realized the scene. 'We just replayed that scene from the movie!' Megan and Mimi sighed, losing Ash to Corina. Still, they came to Ash with Pikachu in Mimi's arms.
"Okay, Ash," Megan started. "You have these creatures, you're with the Mew Mews…" Zoey shuttered to the thoughts of how to explain their superhero roles.
"And we all have a lot to talk about," Mark admitted. "Let's get back to the cafe." Everyone nodded as Megan knelt to Torkoal.
"You know, you're the first turtle I've seen that I can pet," she cooed as she petted Torkoal's head. Torkoal felt eased. Megan knelt even further to Torkoal's head and kissed the crown, causing the Coal Pokémon to burst out a smokescreen. Ash saw it with Corina and sighed.
"Somehow, I keep finding Pokémon with a lot of emotion," he huffed. "Yet, it never bores me." Ash will need some aid for his arm, but if Sardon keeps his word, Team Rocket's out of Ash and Pikachu's hair for good.
TO BE CONTINUED...