AN: Sorry about delay in update. I've been having a bad case of writer's block. Also, I recently heard about how the moderator's abandoned this site so it's slowly dying because it's apparently not getting updated again. I'm going to start moving my fics over to Archive of our Own. Stuff will start getting posted there this weekend at the latest, same username, TheSilverboar. I'll post stuff there in increments till eventually everything is on that site moving forward. I only learned about the impending heat death of this site and forced out what I could from my rebellious muse. Next post (again, on Archive of our own) should have more stuff and be longer. Assuming my muse starts cooperating again.
Spot Inspection
Chapter 12
-Ash-
"Never…again." Ash got out, eyes haunted after the monumental tirade that got levied at them by Jane's sister, "We are never…saying those words…again."
'What could go wrong?' indeed. Turns out a lot could go wrong by visiting the local Celadon game corner.
Like tripping over a scurrying Pokémon someone hadn't been keeping an eye on, thus making him fall against the wall.
Like that wall having a poster which hid a switch.
Like his hand hitting said switch, flipping it, and revealing a secret staircase.
Like that staircase not, for example, being just a storage area set up by an overdramatic architect. No, it had to lead to a massive underground and before now undetected Team Rocket base.
Like the Rockets thinking it was a police raid and pour out for combat making him and Jane have to fight Grunt after Grunt in a chokepoint at the hidden staircase while the other patrons freaked out and poured out into the city.
So, so, much could go wrong by going to the Celadon Game corner.
"Agreed." An equally haunted looking Jane trudged along beside him. On one hand, her sister wasn't the one having to deal with the majority of the paperwork for the Celadon Rocket bust. Unfortunately, it all went to the same cousin of Jane's who was overseeing the arrest of most of the local Gym staff.
"They're going to get back at us after the League…aren't they?" Ash whimpered, Pikachu shuddering from where he was sprawled on Ash's head.
"Yep." Jane didn't even try to deny their impending doom. Thankfully he was distracted from thoughts about said horrible fate when he noticed the signs that showed they were coming up on 'Dark City' where the two hoped to catch a bus closer to Fuchsia.
"This place looks…desolate." Ash frowned as he looked about the town that was riddled with damage. The very air seemed tense.
"I don't like it." Jane frowned, just on edge as the two stepped into town. They'd barely taken five steps past the gate when some kids popped out of a roof to start trying to stone them.
"Pikachu, Iron tail!" Ash scowled moving to shield Jane as his electric type destroyed the stones and growled angrily at the brats who were trying to stone and insult them.
"KNOCK IT OFF YOU LITTLE SHITS!" an angry man burst out of a nearby restaurant, giving a furious look at the children.
"But they're trainers!" one of the lead children said with an angry glare at Ash and Jane.
"They're still people." The restaurant owner scowled "And haven't done nothing to this town. Now you lot best get back to your parents and be expecting trouble as I'm gonna be tellin em what you lot did!" that got the kids scrambling.
"Thanks." Ash nodded to the man, "What was all that about anyway?"
"And why does this town look like a war tore through it?" Jane adds as the man ushers them into his restaurant, eyeing the surrounding area warily.
"Those answers are one and the same I'm afraid." The restaurant owner slumped in a chair, Ash noting the building was empty "There are two rival groups trying to open up a Gym in town. An inspector from the league is supposed to be on their way to inspect both but since a town can only have one Gym the two factions have been fighting in the street, each group trying to eliminate the other. Every other trainer that passes through here gets roped into joining one of the two groups."
"You haven't tried calling the league?" Ash frowned, sharing a look with Jane out of the corner of his eye.
"Signal ain't good enough to get a call out from these parts." The man shrugged "And the two gangs make sure no post leaves to report them. Their original goals were good, wanting to open a gym to bring more tourism. But now there's barely a town left!"
"We might be able to help." Jane sat up as she pulled out her high tech Pokegear, "I'm from a family of cops and I managed to get a special Pokegear that can make its own calls from just about anywhere. It's a battery hog though so I can only promise one call for a few minutes."
"We could report these madmen!" the owner sat up bolt upright, "I'll start gathering the others from town! This could change everything! We'd been hoping to just wait it out till the inspector got here but if we can get rid of these scum now…" A loud boom was heard outside, "Not again!"
"Jane, go with him to start making the call and find others." Ash was on his feet instantly, "I'll start dealing with these clowns!"
"Right." Jane didn't even question him as she led the man out the back.
"Pikachu, Vigoroth, let's go!" Ash burst out the front, seeing the two gangs fighting in the street. "Pikachu, take out the group with the Scyther! Vigoroth, the Electabuzz!" Ash ordered, tossing out Scyther, Charmander, and Espeon as well for good measure. Even Horsea got to hang out in a water trough outside the restaurant, using water gun to put out any fires that the gang caused.
"The hell?!" one of the gang leaders, the one with a Scyther, recoiled in shock as Pikachu knocked out a dozen Pokémon with one attack.
"Who are you?!" the gang leader with the Electabuzz scowled as Vigoroth started demolishing the biggest and burliest Pokémon from his faction.
"An actual trainer!" Ash scowled, "Alright guys, crush these bastards!" Ash knew the restaurant owner was being honest, his psychic abilities helping him confirm that.
"He can't beat all of us!" Electabuzz guy shouted, ordering his grunts to charge at Ash.
"Don't let those posers from the Kaz Gym show you up!" Scyther guy roared, "Beat this fool!"
Ash kept his eyes on a swivel, ordering his Pokémon to take out specific threats he noticed and trusting them to fight independently otherwise as grunt after grunt got taken down, the apparent strongest members from each gang standing back to let him tire out on the mooks.
"You'll run out of steam eventually punk." The Scyther guy smirked, "And the mighty Yas Gym will leave you in the dirt!"
Noting something out of the corner of his eyes, Ash smirked "Yeah, I'm not all that worried."
"And whys' that?" the 'Yas Gym' leader demanded with a scowl.
"Because my girlfriend's family are behind you, and they look pissed." Ash grinned as the two froze and turned around to see the multitude of upper League Jennies cracking their knuckles, the psychic types that had teleported them in looking just as pissed.
"Oh shi-" the 'Kas Gym' leader started to gulp before the horde of angry cops surged.
"And that's why we want Jane's family to like us." Ash told Horsea as the little water type bobbed up and down in the trough, the rest of Ash's Pokémon helping the Jennies eagerly, "They scary."
"Horsea!" the tiny water type he'd saved from the hotel tycoon and the Tentacool nodding in agreement as they watched the bedlam, seeing Charmander and Vigoroth evolve in the midst of it all much to the panic of the various gang members.
"…Yeah, still wouldn't try them." Ash shakes his head. In laws be scary.
-Jane-
"Finally!" Jane let out a tired cheer as she and Ash saw Fuschia city up ahead, "Fuschia! Koga's one of the longest serving Gym leaders so there's no way he'll be as dumb as the last few right?...Right?!"
"I hope so." Ash groaned even as his newly evolved, and absolutely gargantuan, Slaking strode alongside him "At least better than that Joy from Dark City or your cousin in the preserve part of the Safari Zone."
"Please don't remind me." Jane slapped a palm to her face, "I can't believe that the Joy inspector was going to let the two off with a warning and a chance to become a unified Gym after all they did. Saying they're not fit to be Gym leaders now because of the street fighting and gang activity that ruined the town? Good. Making them work to repair the damage they did? Also good. Chance to make a new joint Gym after? NOT good."
"I'm just baffled that your cousin registered that there was a human kid living with and being raised by Kangashkan, had him added to the Safari Zone registry, and didn't think to actually inform anyone!" Ash threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Why are so many people dumb in our region?" Jane felt like crying, "Is it something in the water? Is it contagious? Whyyyyyy?!"
"Well, we're in Fuschia now." Ash wrapped his arms around her, "We can check out the normal Safari Zone, we can enjoy some local food, and then hit the Gym. We're still a bit ahead of schedule, right?"
"Yeah…yeah, that sounds good." Jane nodded, forcing out a breath as she tried to relax, "Let's just try to enjoy ourselves." Following their Nav app they found the regular Safari zone where trainers were allowed to catch Pokémon that were usually hard to find or from other regions.
"Not a lot of people." Ash frowned as they approached the building, "Maybe we found the off hours?"
"Maybe." Jane shrugged, humming loudly to a song she had stuck in her head as she approached, Ash jokingly starting to sing along with her.
"SHUT UP!" an old man threw the front door to the Safari zone while glaring at them, "I don't want to hear your horrid singing!"
"Geeze man, what's your problem?" Ash frowned at the angry old man whose response was to pull out a revolver and point it between Ash's eyes.
"You wanna get-" the old man started to threaten before Jane surged forward tossing his arm up and throwing a hard punch to his face, knocking him out as he slammed into the wooden walls.
"Nobody, threatens my boyfriend." Jane snarled at the unconscious old man as she pulled out her cuffs, hearing a stunned Ash comment that she was hot when she was mad. Well, silver linings at least. But fuck it all, this meant more paperwork.
