Star in the Storm, Chapter 19
The Storm Is Rising
Back at Pallet Town...
The streets of Pallet were empty, save for the howling wind and two lone figures making their gradual way through the deserted town.
Hugging his long cape to his body, Robin leaned closer to his companion, a scarred, one-eyed Umbreon. All about the town, house doors and windows had been left wide open in the haste of their occupants. One person had even abandoned their undergarments, leaving them to flap like white flags on a nearby clothesline.
"Can you feel it?" Robin said to his Pokémon in a quiet voice.
The one-eyed Umbreon's ears twitched in the dusty breeze. "Bre'on!" it yipped, bracing its legs against the ground. Ruby-red eyes narrowed into bright slits, the Umbreon raised its nose into the air, sniffing warily.
"You can smell it even," Robin said into the eerie silence. Turning his face to the sky, Robin pushed his hood back and let his longish, fair hair sweep across the back of his neck.
"Pokémon can usually sense things before humans," he mused, more to himself than to his companion. "But this time, I can feel it, too. There's a storm brewing, and the best trainers are already feeling it in their bones. Many will follow Ash Ketchum, once the greatest of them all. As the people of Pallet have already begun to do." He looked around at the deserted town once more.
"Umbri?"
Robin laughed in a low voice. "You've known it all along, haven't you?" he asked his Pokémon. "Well, we've done our part for now, boy. Now it's up to the others."
"R'eon? E'on-umbre?"
"Do I think they'll succeed?" Looking into the sky once more, Robin watched a flock of Spearow fly across the horizon in a neat V-formation. Uneasily, he pulled the hood of the cape back over his head. He couldn't help but feel a strange sensation, one of hidden eyes scrutinizing the back of his neck. "It's not for me to say, boy," Robin said quietly, turning away.
Together, both human and Pokémon continued their journey through the deserted town. Robin turned back once more, scanning the empty streets suspiciously.
If he hadn't known better, he would've sworn he had heard a child, a child laughing in the wind. But, of course, there was no one there.
Heading back towards the road, he and his Umbreon disappeared over the horizon.
Onboard the Ultra-Magnet Train, en-route to Mahogany…
"Nervous, boy?"
Drake looked up from where he sat by the train window. He'd never been on a train before, and certainly not one as famous as the Ultra-Magnet Train. What started out as a simple route between Saffron and Goldenrod, Professor Koreyu had informed him, had now spread to a series of circuits all over the regions of Kanto and Johto. It would take them mere minutes to arrive at the Mahogany Town Station from their original starting point in Viridian City.
Even Drake's returning Charizard scouts, swift as they were, wouldn't stand a chance of catching up! Just thinking about it made Drake's head spin faster than the train was moving. Now that was a truly mind-boggling thought!
Snapping himself back to reality, Drake's mind registered a dark-haired, middle-aged man standing beside the seat. From his tattered jacket and black hair, Drake quickly recognized the man as Roary's father, Ash Ketchum; the trainer who had shown up at the Pallet Lab only the night before. And the one who was now leading the attack on the Rocket HQ.
"I said I wanted to help, Mr. Ketchum, and I intend on keeping my word," Drake said stoutly, glancing at his Charmander friend, sitting one seat ahead. "What Fireball and I can do, I'm not sure. But as long as we're there, we'll have a chance to make a difference, sir."
Ash Ketchum's eyes glittered with the same fervent fanaticism that had scared his daughter so badly one phone call ago, and yet, had also drawn a great number of followers toward his cause. Police officers, all of Pallet Town, young Pokémon trainers, as well as wild cards like Drake and Fireball were eagerly following the unraveling of Neo Team Rocket's clandestine whereabouts. And headed by Ash's firm lead, none would hesitate to pounce on Team Rocket once they were finally uncovered.
"I like your spirit, Drake Flamefoe," Ash told Drake matter-of-factly. "You'll be a fine Pokémon master someday, just like your father."
"Thank you, sir," Drake replied politely. "But I'm no trainer. And I never plan on being one. There are many people, Mr. Ketchum, who seem meant to be Pokémon masters. But Fireball and I, we have our own destiny. And it doesn't include an arena at the Pokémon League, I can tell you that."
Nodding brusquely, Ash turned away from Drake, heading towards a batch of young Pallet Pokémon trainers sitting on the other side of the compartment. As he watched Ash smile at one nervous trainer, and pat her Bulbasaur encouragingly on the head, Drake had to admit there was something about Ash Ketchum.
Ash was no manipulator, yet he knew perfectly well how to handle other trainers. Maybe his experience made him an empathetic expert, or his open, sincere nature and outgoing personality were just instant magnets for admirers and allies. Whatever it was, Drake thought, Ash would inevitably gain many supporters in the battle to come.
"How are you feeling, Drake?" a feminine voice asked from where Ash had been standing moments before. Bending forward, Rowan Chimera's long green hair fell over her cheeks and shoulders. Like Lody, Rowan had piercing eyes, and a sharp gaze that seemed to search your very soul. At her side stood a feathery-leaved Venusaur, back broad and muscular from years of training.
"Oh, for master's sakes, what kind of question is that?" the Venusaur scolded Rowan, shaking a vine whip in her direction. "The boy can't help but feel anything but nervous, can you, Drake?"
"I wouldn't blame you," a police officer agreed from her post at the front of the compartment. "Unless we can pull this invasion off in one decisive victory, we'll have many more battles ahead of us. Team Rocket has proven itself to be a formidable opponent, for the most part, in the past. It's not unlikely for it to have grown even stronger."
"Groowwwwlithe!" her Growlithe barked, fur bristling.
"But this time, Team Rocket will be facing much more than the young boy Ash Ketchum once was," Rowan said. Gesturing a hand to the crammed compartment of trainers and Pokémon alike, she nodded. "This time, Ash has all of us behind him."
"Don't be so dramatic, Rowan," the Venusaur muttered darkly. "I'll be surprised if half these so-called trainers have anything more in them than hot-air and raw ambition."
"Don't be so skeptical, Spore," Rowan teased gently, mimicking her Pokémon's voice. "Many of them sincerely want to help. They'll come through well enough."
"They had better," a cold, stately voice informed them all. Eyes flashing, former Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina joined Rowan and her Venusaur, Spore. Drake squirmed, growing uncomfortable with the crowd forming around him. Things had been so much easier when it had been just him and Fireball. As much as he wanted to do something, Drake couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness for the peaceful life he'd left behind.
Remembering the song he had played for Charm, seemingly years ago, Drake did not take out his harmonica, but instead chanted the words underneath his breath. "Every little step that you embrace. One road ends, another begins and takes you to a better place."
Now if he could only make himself believe them.
A hush fell over the crowded train compartment as Ash Ketchum made his way to the front of the aisle. Eyes burning and voice compelling, Ash thanked every single person that had shown up and was preparing to fight Neo Team Rocket. He assured them that neither their intentions nor the impending battle would be in vain.
"Twenty years ago, I made a grievous mistake!" Ash's voice rang out through the crowd, clear and strong. "Twenty years ago, I laid down my PokéBall, believing that my battle had ended. But!" Ash cried, voice growing stronger with every word. "My battle…our battle had only just begun! It will take every ounce of courage and valor in each and every one of you, my comrades, every ounce!"
He made a fist for emphasis and shook it in the air. "Together, I know we can succeed where I alone failed years ago! Together, we will pull the evil that calls itself Team Rocket out by the roots and destroy it once and for all!" Pulling a PokéBall from his jacket, Ash thrust it high into the air among applause from the assembled crowd.
"I raise my PokéBall!" he declared loudly. "I raise my PokéBall for a world we must defend!"
And all around the compartment, cheers broke out in one enormous wave of sound. PokéBalls and PokéCaps alike were being thrown into the air, along with baseball caps, backpacks, and even small Pokémon. The Pokémon in the compartment were every bit as excited as their trainers; raising their noses and paws into the air, growling and roaring together in one earthshaking cacophony.
"For a world we must defend!" the trainers cried out over and over again. And the Pokémon echoed their every word with thunderous battle cries.
At the Neo Team Rocket HQ...
"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Under no circumstances will we surrender to the forces of Ash Ketchum. Any Rocket who does so is no Rocket at all!"
An approving chorus of cheers ensued from the corridors and chambers of the Team Rocket Headquarters. "For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" all the voices chanted in unison. "Protect the world from devastation! Unite and fight, no hesitation!"
Face paling as the chant of the Rockets reached her ears, Lody dearly wished to break out of Shane's shadow and face Leader Darkshine for herself. "Has it really come down to this?" she whispered sadly to Amulet.
The Espeon stared back at her with mournful eyes.
"Glorious Leader Darkshine!" Shane cried, stepping forward with Gauntal. "Wouldn't it be wiser to retreat? Ketchum's forces far outnumber our own. We would stand a better chance if we regrouped with the other Rockets, in Kanto or the Orange Archipelago..."
From his lofty position in a nearby swivel chair, Darkshine chuckled to himself. "My little brother fancies himself a strategist," he smirked. "You needn't worry, Shane. You and your little friends will be far, far away by the time Ketchum arrives. The flight to Cleopatra Island has already been arranged. Send me a postcard when you get there, will you? You too, Miss Chimera. I'm sure your father will want to hear from you."
"You're not letting the TRC go, even now?" Lody stared at Darkshine's back, wide-eyed and blanching to a sickly ashen color. "And you can't send me to Cleopatra Island! My parents, Roary…they've been fighting so hard to have me freed."
"Tough luck, Miss Chimera," Darkshine shrugged dismissively. "You joined Team Rocket of your own accord. There's nothing anyone can do about that."
Face flushing hot and angry all at once, Lody took a step forward, hands clenching into tight fists by her sides. "The Rockets I joined were kind, good people!" she yelled at Darkshine's back. "And for a while, I began to believe all of you were like that! I even convinced my friend to try and stop the attack!"
Body quivering, Lody took another step towards Darkshine's chair, eyes flashing furiously. "But maybe some of you deserve what is about to happen, Leader Darkshine," she said in a low, silky-steel voice. "Your brother is not one of them. Neither are any of the TRC. Many Rockets who should have been spared this fate will suffer in the battle to come. But not you, sir. No, you'll have all of them out there, taking care of your dirty work while you hide yourself in this room, cowering in that comfortable chair of yours!"
"Lody!" Amulet yipped, pawing at her leg.
"You have no reason to be happy, sir!" Lody spat contemptuously at Darkshine's back. "After this battle, Team Rocket will be sure to find themselves a new leader."
Gauntal, red eyes bright, yipped in approval.
From where he stood behind Lody, Shane was frozen, stricken by both fear and admiration for Lody Chimera. The first overpowered the second, and with Amulet, he dragged a wild-eyed Lody to the back of the room. But Lody wasn't struggling anymore, she was turning around, turning her back to Darkshine as the man had already done to her. As she neared the door, Darkshine's voice drifted up from his chair.
"Big words for such a little girl," the Rocket Leader laughed, leaning back. "Shane, see that Miss Chimera is properly escorted down to the air terminal. Your friends from the TRC should be there already, awaiting the flight to the Cleopatra Laboratory. You had better hurry, or they'll leave without you two."
The boy and his Umbreon were still.
"Shane. Don't disappoint me. Don't disappoint Father's memory."
Bowing his head, the boy saluted briskly. "For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" he stated firmly.
"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine responded immediately. "Now go!"
"Oh, Lody!" Amulet exclaimed, breathing a worried sigh as soon as they were out of the room. "I thought he was going to kill you!"
"I wouldn't put it past him!" Gauntal yelped in agreement.
"You're lucky Leader Darkshine has a sense of humor, twisted as it is," Shane remarked lightly as he and his Umbreon started down the corridor. Lody and Amulet, however, held their ground.
Rooting herself firmly to the spot, Lody crossed her arms and scowled at Shane and Gauntal. "You're not making us get on that flight," she informed Shane coldly. "We'll fight you if we have to, Amulet and me together."
Shaking his head, Shane's fingers tightened around Gauntal's leash. The familiar mantra pounded in his head, growing into a constant, deafening drone. For the glory of Neo Team Rocket, Shane thought fiercely. For the glory of Neo Team Rocket and for Father's memory, I have no choice.
"I know, Lody," he said in a low voice, hands trembling with the enormity of what he was about to do.
For a second, Lody thought she had pushed him too far, that Shane had cracked at last. She braced herself grimly for a violent attack, or maybe even a flood of tears.
Instead, the Rocket boy stilled his shaking hands and continued down the corridor. "Don't think I don't know how you feel," Shane said. "Now let's get you out of here."
The skies above the NTR HQ…
As the wind rushed against his face, Drake looked down from his perch on Tindertorch the Charizard's broad back. One hand on the Charizard's neck, the other on Fireball's paw, he jabbed his head in the direction of the ground below. "There," he commanded Tindertorch, scanning the thick grove of trees once more. "I think I see an entrance over there."
Growling, the mighty Charizard hesitated, looking questioningly at Drake from the corners of its eyes.
"While the others are busy planting an offensive at the front doors, Fireball and I can sneak in from down there," Drake explained patiently. "Mr. Ketchum said Roary sounded really worried when he called. There's still a chance she and Lody are trapped in there somewhere, and it's our responsibility to get them out before they get caught in the attack."
Tindertorch still hovered indecisively in the air.
"We'll be okay, big buddy," Drake assured the Charizard, patting its long neck. "We're small. No one'll notice we're even in there. Now are you going to let me go or not?"
Snorting through its nostrils, Tindertorch lowered its long neck by a protruding tree branch. With a quick leap, Drake and Fireball had grasped a hold of the branch and were shimmying down as fast as they could. "Thanks, Tindertorch!" Drake called back to his friend before the Charizard rose, disappearing behind a nearby cloud.
"You're sure you saw the entrance in this direction?" Fireball asked, poking its way through a nearby bush.
"No, this way," Drake hissed, sliding under a fallen tree branch. "The building's in this direction, Fireball. Get over here! Fireball? Hey, Fireball?"
Stumbling backwards, Drake thrashed his way through a clot of mossy undergrowth, calling Fireball's name. The Charmander had disappeared faster than a Ditto in a pot of pink bubble gum.
Had Fireball already found its way out of the woods and to the entrance? Drake wondered desperately. As worried as he was, there was no way he could spend any more time searching for his Charmander friend. Keeping his fingers crossed, Drake dove forward through a grove of bushes. Shoving his way through a gap in the thorns, he broke out into the open, spotting the building entrance immediately.
As well as a pair of glaring lavender-steel eyes.
Drake was forced to duck as a gloved fist came his way, missing his nose by mere inches. "You again!" the steely-eyed girl snapped, preparing to land another blow in Drake's direction. "Stay away from this place, if you know what's good for you!"
"Hey, I remember you!" Drake couldn't help but blurt. "You're that girl from the Rocket invasion of the Valley. The one who kicked me out of the commentator's office. What gives?" He fell onto the ground and rolled to the side as the steely-eyed girl threw another punch, this time aimed directly at his stomach.
Eyes flashing, the girl circled Drake, face red in both fury and exertion. "And you're that pesky runt Magby who couldn't even save his own Eevee!" she retorted bitterly. "Now get your face outta my sight, or I'll smash it in!"
Drake decided quickly that his best chance was to keep on baiting the girl. He wasn't too afraid of getting clobbered, just of not being able to find Lody and Roary in time. If he could get this girl to accidentally tell him where they were being kept…
"You just try!" he taunted, cartwheeling to the side and jumping backwards as the girl lunged again. "You ever take on my friend Lody?" he called to the girl. "Now she's a real fighter! She doesn't throw a single punch, but can still make your guts squirm!"
"You're Lody's friend? Should've guessed." The girl flexed her fingers and charged at Drake again. "I told Shane not to trust that girl in the first place," she hissed. "And now look what's happened! All the world is itching to get their hands on us, thanks to Lody and her little friends." The girl spat out the last word while simultaneously swiping at Drake's head.
She missed Drake, hitting a nearby tree trunk. To Drake's utter amazement, the girl's gloved hand slid all the way through the tree, cleaving off the top as easily as a hot knife slicing through butter.
The tree top hit the ground with an earthshaking crash, one branch snapping inches away from Drake's heavily-sweating, horror-struck face.
With a smirk, the Rocket girl flexed her fingers, snapping a set of metal claws in and out of the gloves' fingertips. "Scared yet, Magby?" she taunted. "You should be."
And she lunged forward again.
And at the doors of the NTR HQ…
A long line of Pokémon and trainers had assembled themselves at the head of the Neo Team Rocket HQ, recklessly cutting apart bushes and felling trees in their wake. One young Pallet trainer whispered encouraging words to her Charmander, while another gave his Squirtle a brief pat.
Sensing the sudden quiet that had fallen over the crowd, a grim Tracey put away his sketchpad and released his Scyther. Several feet away, Sabrina closed her eyes. A telepathic aura flared around her and her Alakazam, starling nearby trainers. Melody stroked her old conch-shell flute for luck, while Shingo prepped his trustworthy Scizor, Blade, in a quick whisper.
Climbing onto Spore's back, Rowan Chimera gazed over the crowd and took a long look at the building before them. Rowan's Venusaur companion did not prod her for words.
Jacket flapping and eyes glittering, Ash Ketchum moved the head of the line one step further. And at the very back with her Togetic and Stamie, Misty Waterflower bit her lip and waited.
"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled at the building in the distance. "I see you cowering behind those doors like the shameless Houndour you are! Do you surrender?"
The Growlithe K-9 unit let out a combined growl, good training the only thing keeping them from charging forward, teeth bared.
The doors of the building burst open, letting loose an enormous mass of black, silver, and red uniforms. And leading them was a young, fair-haired man, seated high in the control seat of a large, clawed robot. A robot crafted in the uncanny likeness of a colossal black Sneasel (one of Reb's best designs).
"Why do you even bother to ask?" Darkshine hissed, craning the Sneasel robot's arm forward. "Father, I know you're watching," the Rocket Leader whispered, turning his face skyward. "Please give us the strength we need to finally achieve your dreams."
"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" Darkshine screamed into the air, letting the robot's claw come crashing down on the ground before him.
"For the glory of Neo Team Rocket!" the Rockets echoed, charging forward.
The storm, which Robin and Ash so prophetically predicted, had finally broken loose.