Pokémon: Masters
Chapter 11 – Adventures in Poke-sitting
"See ya later, Rob," Ash told his friend.
"Good-bye, Ash," Rob replied as he started for the path to Viridian City. "I'll call you once I talk to Shane and the others."
As Rob walked out of sight, Ash headed back to the Pokémon Center.
"Hey, Nurse Joy," he greeted the young woman behind the counter, "have my friends got here yet?"
"Yes, Ash," she cordially replied. "I think they are in the nursery."
"Thanks," he said as he walked to the nursery. There he saw Brock and Pikachu playing with a baby Pichu.
"Ain't he cute," Brock commented to Pikachu.
"Pi pikachu (Yeah, but it's a girl)" the pokémon replied.
"Oh," Brock said as he picked up the baby.
"Hey, guys," Ash said as he walked further into the room.
"Morning, Ash," Brock greeted. "These babies sure are cute."
"I sure like this one," Misty said as she joined the two boys. She was caring a weird looking pokémon in her arms.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"She's a Smoochum," Misty answered. "She is the daughter of the Jinx in critical care."
Ash looked over at Tracey who was trying to draw Togepi, an Iglybuff, and an Cleffa chasing each other.
"Hold still, will ya?" he complained.
"Poor, Tracey," Brock sighed. "Getting babies to stay still is like getting Psyduck to use the right attacks."
"Yeah," Ash snickered.
"Why you…" Misty huffed as she punched the two boys.
"Come on, Misty," Ash groaned. "Psyduck is a pretty lame pokémon."
"Yes," Misty snapped, "but he still is mine!"
"What's all the noise?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Just a minor disagreement," Misty answered.
"Well, keep it down," Nurse Joy replied. "This is a nursery, after all."
"Yes, ma'am," Brock replied. "How about we discuss pediatric pokémon care, say, over dinner?"
"How about you just keep an eye on these pokémon," Nurse Joy answered. "I'm very busy with the ones in critical care and could use the help."
"Sure thing," Misty said with a huge smile on her face. "I just love babies."
"But I wanted to see Richie and Gary's match," Ash complained as the nurse left.
"Go on then," Misty replied. "We can handle things here."
"But," Ash whispered in her ear, "I thought that maybe afterwards we could have lunch together."
Misty's eyes brightened at the idea of a date with Ash.
"How about I join you after the match," she suggested. "I'm sure Tracey and Brock could handle things for a little while."
"No prob," Brock agreed. "After all, I want to be a pokémon breeder, and Tracey is a pokémon watcher. How difficult could handling four babies be?"
"Five," Misty corrected. "I was going to leave Togepi with you too."
"Five, then," Brock repeated. "What can five babies do?"
"A little help here," Tracey cried to his friends.
They turned and saw he had been tied up. Togepi and the other babies dancing around their baby-sitter while laughing Indian war cries.
"Should we?" Misty questioned.
"I think so," Ash answered seeing that they had started piling wood around him and Pichu was holding a box of matches.
"And the Pikachu is down," the announcer said through the loudspeaker. "Gary wins the match and proceeds to the final competition tomorrow night."
"So, I have to face Gary," Ash said as he ran to join Richie. "That should be an interesting match."
Richie was already heading to the Pokémon Center when Ash caught up with him.
"That was a good match," Ash commented as the two headed to the center. "If Sparky had just a little more health, you would have won that match."
"We did our best," Richie replied. "That's all I can ask for from my pokémon."
When the two friends arrived at the pokémon center, Richie handed over his pokéballs to Nurse Joy.
"What you up to now?" Richie asked.
"Taking Misty out to lunch," Ash replied.
"Way to go, Romeo," Richie smirked. "If only we all can be as lucking you."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Ash replied. "I think it was more like destiny."
"Destiny, huh?" a voice called from the back of the lobby. "I think pity is more like it."
"Hi, Misty," Richie greeted while both he and Ash sweatdropped.
"How was the match?" Misty asked.
"Gary won," Richie replied. He looked down at his watch.
"I better go," he told the couple. "I have to pack."
"See ya around," Ash called to his friend as Richie walked out the door.
Ash turned back to Misty. "Ready?"
"Just a moment," she told him. "I want to show you something."
She led Ash back to the nursery. There, he saw Brock and Tracey watching the baby pokémon slipping in their cribs. Pikachu was lying on the floor taking a nap of his own.
"And two more came in," Misty whispered. She pointed at the cribs on the far wall.
"What are they?" Ash replied as he pulled out Dexter.
"Elekid," it chirped, "the pre-evolved form of Electrabuzz. Magby, the pre-evolved form of Magmar."
"Oh," Ash responded as he put Dexter away. "Not the cutest babies I've ever seen."
"Quit being so insensitive," Misty hissed. "All babies are cute."
"Quiet, you two," Brock whispered to them. "You might wake the bab…"
Suddenly, Togepi's eyes opened. Tracey rushed over to it and quickly began to lull it back to sleep. He managed to get her back to sleep with out waking the others.
"Now, go on your date," Brock told them. "We can take care of everything."
"Okay," Ash and Misty replied.
"This is a great idea, Cassidy," Butch complimented his partner. "Why steal fully grown pokémon when we can get the babies."
"Yeah," she agreed. "I knew you see it my way."
The two Rockets had spent the last week trying to get back into Indigo Plateau since Officer Jenny had thrown them out. They heard that several pokémon babies were being kept at the Pokémon Center while their parents were in critical care.
"And no brats to get in our way this time," Butch added as the two headed for the Pokémon Center.
In the nursery, Brock, Tracey, and Pikachu quietly sneaked out to the lobby to get some food from the snack machines.
"Hope they stay asleep until Ash and Misty get back," Brock sighed. "I don't think I could handle all seven of them awake again."
"At least they didn't use you as a piñata," Tracey complained. "I've never been so sore in my life."
Pikachu could not help but laugh at the watcher. All morning, the pokémon babies had used him for entertainment while Misty and Brock just sat back and laughed.
"Pi pika pi chu (Better you than me)," he laughed.
"Very funny, Pikachu," Tracey replied as he walked over to the vending machines.
"Excuse me," a blonde hair girl asked the pokémon watcher, "but can you tell me where the nursery is?"
"Right over there," he answered pointing to the back of the lobby.
"Thank you," she replied. "Now prepare for trouble, and make it double."
"What?" a confused Tracey asked.
"To infect the world with devastation,"
"To blight all peoples within our nation," a boy from behind the girl continued.
"Not you guys again," Brock sighed sighing who the couple were.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love," the girl continued.
"To extend our wrath to the stars above," the boy added.
"Pika kachu pichu (Don't you ever give up)," Pikachu complained.
"Cassidy," the girl hissed.
"Butch,"
"Team Rocket circles the earth both day and night," Cassidy continued.
"Surrender now or you will surely lose the fight," Butch concluded.
"Shush," Nurse Joy whispered to the two Rockets. "You must be quiet. This is a Pokémon Center."
"We know," Cassidy replied. "And we like to make a withdraw."
"Hand over the babies now," Butch commanded the three humans.
"Over my died body," Brock snapped.
"That can be arranged," Cassidy replied. "Beedrill, Vileplume, take care of these brats."
As the two pokémon appeared, Butch released his Drowzee and Machop.
"Pikachu, thundershock," Brock told the pokémon while he released Geodude, Zubat, and Vulpix.
"Nurse Joy, help me get the babies out of here," Tracey told the nurse as he ran to the nursery.
Brock kept an eye on the two until they made it to the nursery door before turning his attention back to Team Rocket. Machop had already taken out Geodude, and Pikachu fainted from one of Beedrill poison stings. Luckily Vileplume was recalled after Vulpix used her flamethrower.
"Butch, finish this one off," Cassidy told her partner as she recalled Beedrill. "I'll get the other two."
"Sure," Butch smiled. "Drowzee, hypnosis."
Brock dived behind a couch and managed to avoid the sleep waves. Unfortunately, the pokémon were not so lucky. When Brock raised his head up, Vulpix and Zubat were on the floor asleep.
Butch laughed as he recalled his pokémon.
"They're outside," Cassidy called as she ran out a side door.
Good, Brock thought as he chased the male Rocket. That means I can use Onix.
When out side, Brock saw Tracey release Scyther to fight off Beedrill.
"We don't have time for this," Cassidy complained. "Beedrill, toxic."
When the glowing green slime hit the old bug pokémon, it fell to the ground and fainted.
"Now hand over the babies," Cassidy commanded Tracey and Nurse Joy.
"Never," Joy snapped back.
"Onix, go," Brock cried as he released the giant rock snack.
"Machop," Butch said to his fighting pokémon. "Cut this guy down to size."
As the little pokémon leaped onto Onix's back, Machop gave it a Mega Punch, fracturing its skin. Onix let out a roar of pain as it began to buck to get the Machop off.
"Onix!" Brock cried as he ran to comfort his injured pokémon.
"Better recall him," Tracey advised his friend. "He might hurt someone."
Cassidy and Butch gave a smug laugh as Brock recalled his final pokémon.
"Now for the last time," Cassidy told them, "hand over those little brats!"
"Stop this at once!" a voice from behind them shouted.
Cassidy and Butch recognized the voice at once.
"But boss," Cassidy whined, "we were winning this time."
Brock, Tracey, and Nurse Joy looked behind the rockets and saw Rob with three other boys. The oldest seemed to be the one Team Rocket was talking to.
"I have decided that pokémon theft is an unprofitable venture," the oldest boy told them. "Aside from the legal and moral matters, the cost for funding such activities greatly reduces any income brought in."
"But Shane," Butch replied, "what are Cassidy and I going to do?"
"That is still open to debate," Shane answered. "I would suggest you return to HQ while we decide upon that matter."
"Yes, boss," Cassidy and Butch sighed.
As the two Rockets left, Shane turned to Nurse Joy. "Have those two damaged the Pokémon Center?"
"No, sir," she replied.
"What about injured pokémon?" he asked.
"I'll have to examine them first," she replied.
"My brothers and I will wait until after you given your examination," Shane replied as he and the other boys walked into the Pokémon Center.
"What just happened?" Tracey asked Brock as the carried the babies back to the nursery.
"I don't know," Brock shrugged, "but I intend to find out."
After Togepi and the other babies were sleeping in their cribs, Brock and Tracey joined the four brothers in the lobby.
"Hi, guys," Rob greeted. "I managed to get back quicker than I thought I would."
"Excuse me," one the boys interrupted, "but I have to say that while I agree with not stealing other people's pokémon, I still want a piece of that Ketchum kid."
"Quiet, Matt," Rob snapped at his younger brother.
"I have to agree with Matt," Jake told his older brother. "Profit or not, Ketchum ruined our lives."
"Ash did no such thing," Rob replied. "He was only defending himself."
"Silence, all of you," Shane commanded his younger brothers. "I have a plan to handle Ketchum that should please all of you."
"What is it?" Brock hazarded to ask.
"Wait until Ketchum is here," Shane replied as Nurse Joy walked out from the operating room.
"They all will recover in a few hours," she announced. "Except for Onix and Scyther."
"What is the problem with those two?" Shane asked.
"Scyther's exoskeleton was severely damaged from the toxins, and Onix's skin was also badly hurt," she sighed. "It will take a long time for them to recover."
Shane turned to Rob and told him to go back to the limo. When he returned, he was carrying to large packages.
"These are a new invention that Silph Co. has recently created," Shane told the nurse. "They will give the pokémon some protection while their wounds heal."
"What are they?" Brock demanded.
"Metal coats," Rob answered. "They'll act like a second skin to Onix and Scyther."
"I place these on right away," Nurse Joy said as she took the packages to the operating room.
"Hey, Brock, Tracey," Ash called from the entrance. "What's with the mess outside? Was there a battle or something?"
Ash and Misty walked over to the crowd of people talking near Brock and Tracey.
"Rob," Misty greeted. "Back so soon?"
"Yeah," he answered, "and I brought my brothers with me."
Shane stepped up to the younger boy.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Ketchum," he greeted the boy.
"Please, call me Ash," he replied.
Shane looked back at Jake and Matt who could barely contain their contempt for the boy.
"My brother has informed me of deal you made with him," Shane continued. "I am afraid I must make some changes."
"Oh?" Ash replied. He did not like how this was going.
"I wish to see to test your training skills against my own," Shane told the boy. "Sometime in the future, I will like to hold a match against you."
"What do I get if I win?" Ash asked.
"Nothing," Shane replied. "This is simply a battle between two trainers. Win or lose, you will be left alone by Team Rocket."
"What about us?" Jake interrupted.
"Oh," Shane replied, "I almost forgot. You will have to battle all four of us."
"All four?" Ash gulped.
"I agree with that," Rob commented.
"Me too," Matt added.
Everyone looked at Jake.
"Very well," he conceded.
"Good," Shane said as he turned to Ash. "I will call you when we are ready."
"I look forward to it," Ash replied.
"We must go now," Shane told his younger brothers. "Until we meet again."
"Until then," Ash said as the four brothers walked out of the Pokémon Center.
Ash and Misty peeked into the nursery to check on the babies. They were awake and playing with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Jigglypuff.
"Aren't they so precious," Misty sighed as they walked over to the couches.
Ash looked up at the clock on the wall.
"It's getting late," he said as he pulled out his pokéballs to retrieve his pokémon.
"Get some rest," Misty told him. "You have a big day tomorrow."
"Yeah," he replied as he walked into the nursery and recalled his pokémon. "Tomorrow, I become a real Pokémon Master!"