Pokémon: Masters
Chapter Four – Battle for the Gym
"Will the trainers please approach the arena," the judge said in the Viridian gym.
Cassidy took the green corner while some other trainer took the red.
"This will be a two-on-two match, no time limit," the judge told them.
"Go, Vileplume," Cassidy called as she threw in a pokéball.
"Go, Arcanine," the other trainer said as his pokémon appeared.
"Vileplume, stun spore," Cassidy ordered.
"Flamethrower," the other trainer replied. The Arcanine's flamethrower attack burnt away the on-coming spores but lost all its power after that.
"All right," Cassidy growled. "Use Solar Beam."
"Arcanine, fire blast," the other trainer called.
Before Vileplume could charge up its solar beam attack, Arcanine's fire blast sent it to the edge of the field while its petals were aflame.
"Vileplume, return," Cassidy sighed as she recalled her pokémon. She pulled out another pokémon. "Wartortle, I choose you."
"Arcanine, take down attack," the other trainer replied when he saw he had lost the elemental advantage."
"Wartortle, use your bubble beam," Cassidy ordered.
Arcanine ran head first into the bubbles and collapse from the lost of its fire.
"Arcanine," the trainer cried. "Return. Go, Magnemite."
Butch watched from the side of the arena. "Cassidy, lost the advantage," he said to himself. "Good thing I'm around."
He watched as the Magnemite thundershocked the Wartortle who had withdrew into its shell. He pulled out a large magnet and pointed to the arena. The electric pokémon, sensing its attraction, turned away from its opponent. Wartortle took the opportunity to head bash the thing to the ground. The judge announced that Cassidy was the winner.
Butch smirked as he put the magnet back into his backpack. "Only three more rounds," he laughed as he joined Cassidy by the exit.
"Victory to the green trainer," the judge announced.
"Good work, Butterfree," AJ told his pokémon as it returned to its pokéball.
AJ walked over to Ash, Misty, and Brock who had just returned from James's match.
"I'm in the semi-finals now," he told them.
"So is James," Ash replied as they walked to the Pokémon Center. "Never thought that he would have gotten this far."
"He really has improved," Brock commented. "And with those new pokémon from the Safari Zone, he has a better selection."
"But he's still no match for me," AJ laughed. "I'll show him if he's my next match."
That night, Butch and Cassidy were back in their hotel room. Butch was watching TV while Cassidy was taking a nap. She had a long day with her two matches. She had placed into the semi-finals. Both laughed when they saw that James had also made it that far too.
When someone knocked, Butch turned the television and looked to see who it was. "Great," he sighed.
He opened the door to reveal a thirteen-year old boy. "Nice to see you two are doing so well," Jake said as he entered the room uninvited.
Butch did not know if that was meant as a compliment, insult, or nothing at all. "Thanks, boss."
Jake looked over at the sleeping girl on the bed. "Wake up," he said as he shook her.
"Huh?" she asked still half asleep. She opened her eyes and saw Jake Rocket standing over her.
"Boss!" she shouted as she jumped up.
Jake eyed the couple. "I just came to make sure everything was going as planned."
"I made it the semi-final," Cassidy gloated.
"I see," Jake replied. "I trust you'll make sure she wins."
"Yes, sir," Butch said to the younger boy.
Jake looked out the window of the room. "I'll stick around to make sure you two don't mess this up," he told them.
"Yes, sir," they sighed.
The next morning, James woke up early to see who he was competing in his next match. He sneaked quietly out of the room he was sharing with Brock. In the lobby of the Pokémon Center, he saw Jessie was also up.
"Morning, Jes," he greeted.
Jessie looked up from her coffee with a smile. "Good morning, James," she replied. "Ready for your next match?"
"Actually, I was just going out to see who I was competing," he answered.
"How about some breakfast first?" she offered.
James enjoyed of spending some time with her. "Sure," he said as he walked over the counter with a box of donuts on it.
Shane had spent the night at his office in the Silph Co. HQ. He was awakened from his sleep when his phone began to ring. Annoyed at the intrusion, he picked it up. "What?" he barked.
Two of his younger brothers, Rob and Matt, appeared on the screen. "We thought you should know," Rob, the elder of the two, replied, "Jake ran off to Viridian to oversee the takeover of the gym."
"You woke me up for that?" Shane asked as his generally cold demeanor returned.
"Jessie, James, and Meowth are also there," Matt answered, "along with the Ketchum kid."
Shane sighed. He did not want to get involved with Ketchum just yet. Team Rocket was still rebuilding itself after its last encounter with him.
"Does he know about them?" Shane asked.
The younger sixteen and ten year old nodded. "Let's hope his foolishness pays off," he said as he canceled the connection.
"Our next match is between James and Cassidy," the announcer said over the speakers.
"Good luck," Jessie said as she unknowingly gave him a kiss on the check.
James blushed, and Jessie joined him when she realized what she did.
"Thanks," he said as he entered the arena. He looked over at his opponent.
"You?" he shouted at her.
"Miss me?" she jeered.
"This is a two-on-two match," the judge said to the trainers. "No time limit. Begin."
"Time to show you pathetic loser who the real Team Rocket is," Cassidy sneered as she tossed in a pokéball.
"Primeape," the pokémon shouted.
"Good think I'm no longer in it," James called back. "Last I heard, the boss was in jail."
He threw a pokéball, and an Exeggcute appeared.
"Primeape, low kick," Cassidy ordered.
"Exeggcute," James called, "stop it with disable."
"Egg," it replied as its eyes began to glow.
"Prime?" Cassidy's pokémon asked when it could no longer move.
"Now, use egg bomb," James shouted.
Primeape fainted after this finally attack. Cassidy recalled it and threw in Flareon.
"Fire blast," she shouted before James could give an order.
Flareon's blast was too much for the pokémon who fainted from it.
I only got one water-type, James thought. I hope Slowpoke can do it.
"Go, Slowpoke," he shouted as he tossed in the pokéball.
"Slow," it greeted.
"Flareon, quick attack," Cassidy said.
"Flare," it said as it ran circles around Slowpoke before attacking it.
"Slowpoke," James cried. Luckily the pokémon only took minor injuries. "Use water gun."
Slowpoke tried its best, but Flareon was too fast for it.
"Now," Cassidy smirked when she saw she was winning. "Rage!"
Flareon's black eyes turned red as it attacked Slowpoke. Slowpoke cried out in pain.
"Enough," James shouted. "Slowpoke, return."
With James ending the match, the judge raised the red flag of Cassidy. "Sorry, loser," she mocked as she left the field.
James dropped his head as he walked outside of the gym.
"James!" a voice from behind shouted.
He turned and saw Jessie running up to him. "Hi," he sadly greeted.
Jessie looked at her old friend. His hopes were dashed at winning control of the gym, but she knew losing to Cassidy made it even worst.
"Team Rocket is going to get the gym back," he sighed.
"Not if I can help it," another voice replied.
They turned and saw AJ walking up to them. He had won his match earlier that morning and was going to the finals. "I'm the best there is," he told them, "and I ain't going to lose to no Rocket."
Jessie and James laughed. He had as much confidence in himself as Ash. "Good luck, then," James said as he offered his hand.
"Thanks," AJ replied as he shook it, "but you need it more than me."
While Jessie consoled James after his defeat, Ash, Misty, and Brock along with Meowth and Pikachu were watching the final match between AJ and Cassidy.
The judge announced that each trainer could use two pokémon and AJ would start the match.
"Go, Sandslash," he called as his pokémon jumped into the arena.
"Wartortle," Cassidy yelled. "I choose you."
"Sandslash," AJ called, "fury swipes."
"Wartortle, water gun," Cassidy yelled.
Even though the stream of water hit Sandslash square on the chest, it kept coming closer to Wartortle.
"What?!" Cassidy shouted. "He should be out cold from a blast like that!"
Ash laughed from up in the stands. "AJ sure trained him well," he commented.
"Unlike some trainers," Misty replied.
Ash looked at her. "You're never going to stop trying to get under my skin, are you?"
Misty laughed. "Nope."
Wartortle was thrown onto the ground after Sandslash performed a seismic toss on it. Cassidy recalled it.
"Go, Vileplume," she shouted as she tossed in the pokéball.
"Fill the arena with stun spore," she commanded.
"Sandslash," AJ called seeing the sparkling powder fill the air, "go underground."
Sandslash obeyed and disappeared beneath the surface of the gym floor. Vileplume looked over the arena for the missing pokémon.
"Now!" AJ shouted.
"Sandslash!" the pokémon shouted as it came up under the plant-pokémon.
"Vileplume," it cried as it was thrown back to the surface.
The judge looked at the fainted pokémon and announced AJ as the winner and new gym leader.
"Not so fast," Cassidy shouted as Butch joined her.
"Prepare for trouble and make it double," they chanted.
"To infect the world with devastation,"
"To blight all people with our nation,"
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love,"
"To extend our wrath to stars above,"
"Cassidy,"
"Butch."
"Team Rocket circles the earth both day and night,"
"Surrender now or you will surely lose the fight."
"Yeah, right," AJ finished for them. "Sandslash, fissure."
"Sand," it shouted as it leapt into the air once again. "Slash!"
When it came down, it hit the ground so hard a crack formed on the floor of the gym. Butch and Cassidy where sent flying out of the gym's skylight from the force of the attack.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again," they cried as they sailed off through the air.
Jake watched it all from a hidden spot in the gym's dark roof.
"Finally," he said as he made his way down, "one more of Dad's mistakes is done away with. Team Rocket has no business with the Pokémon League except to destroy it."
Ash and AJ were saying good-bye when Jessie, James, and Meowth reached a decision about their next stop. "Ash, we have something to tell you," Jessie told him once they had left the gym.
"What is it?" he asked her.
Jessie looked at James who nodded back. "We leaving," she told him.
Ash looked back at Misty and Brock who were equally surprised. "Why?"
"We want to start our own pokémon journey," James replied.
"We could do that together," Ash told them.
"No," Jessie sighed. "If you did that, you only be hurting yourself since we need the badges you already have."
Ash looked at the two older teens and sighed. "Guess this is good-bye?" he said.
"Don't worry, Ash," James said as he, Jessie, and Meowth headed down the path to Pewter while Ash and the others stayed at the crossroads to Pallet. "We'll see you at the Pokémon League."
"You better be there," he called to them as they set out for their own adventures.