Author's Crap: Well now, the cliffhanger is about to end. The fight so big, I devoted an entire chapter to it!!! The wild-haired, time traveling ex-twerp from Pallet, Ash Ketchum, versus the conscience-torn, ex-crossdressing exec, James. And for the ladies, we have the fiery, mallet-swinging, lovestruck redhead from Cerulean, Misty Waterflower, versus the international cat-lady, the uncontested queen of mean, the mega-supreme goddess of all bitchdom, Jesse. And just to add to the tension, we have perhaps the most shocking duel of all time, the electrifying one whose name we dare not speakachu, versus a darker, more powerful and evil evolved form of our old friend turned vile enemy, Meowth. On with the show!!!
CHAPTER 17: TRIO OF TERROR
Everyone's eyes glared at each other, readying themselves for the first strike.
Jesse glared along with her Dark Arbok, "You don't think you're actually gonna win, do you?"
"You're dealing with this year's Indigo League champ, so you're the one who should be worried!!!"
"Misty's right. And I've beaten you three plenty of times, before," Ash added.
James scratched his head, "Funny, I don't recall ever battling someone as annoying as you..."
"ENOUGH TALK!!! ATTACK EVERYONE!!!" Persian roared.
"Satoshi, Howl Attack!!!"
"Starmie, Psychic Attack!!!"
"Dark Weezing, Sludge Attack!!!"
"Dark Arbok, Bite Attack!!!"
Ash's Watchdawg unleashed its howl attack simultaneously, while Jame's Dark Weezing spit out its Sludge. Both attacks made their target, dealing heavy damage to both, though Satoshi was seriously poisoned and losing energy fast. Clenching their fists, Ash and James simultaneously called the same attack, "Tackle Attack!!!" The two pokemon rammed full force into each other, both dropping to the ground in exhaustion.
"Stalemate. I'm impressed," James said as he recalled his pokemon along with Ash, "But let's see if you can do the same with...Umbreon, Go!!!"
Misty's Starmie unleashed the full fury of its Psychic attack, mindful that it didn't have many power points left after battling Ash earlier in the night. It tore deep into Dark Arbok, laying a hard hit, but not before Dark Arbok quickly recovered and unleashed a nasty bite attack, sinking its venom-coated fangs profoundly into Starmie, who was at a serious disadvantage. It reeled back, with only a few points of HP left. Misty was about to command another Psychic attack, but Jesse had a slippery ace up her sleeve.
"Dark Arbok, Gravity Shot Attack!!!" The black snake unleashed a powerful dark ball from the tip of its tail, striking full force and shattering half the gem at the center of Starmie's body. The crippled starfish flew back from the impact, ultimately falling in front of Misty's feet, twitching in pain as Misty pulled up and held her longtime friend, almost crying.
Jesse snickered, "Aww...if it makes you feel any better, little girl, all our pokemon are genetically altered and enhanced. That plus some of them have microchips and bionic augments for increased performance."
"That's sick!!! How could you do that to your own pokemon, you hideous battleaxe!!! Go, Seaking!!! Horn Drill!!!"
The fuming Jesse, still seething after being insulted by Misty, paid attention too late, for Misty's Seaking quickly materialized and dug its Horn Drill into Dark Arbok, fainting it instantaneously.
"GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! You're gonna pay for that!!! Go, Misdreavus!!!"
Persian growled impatiently as it lunged off the rock towards Pikachu. Pikachu quickly used its agility and bounced out of Persian's way. It quickly recovered from his miss and quickly flung its claws at Pikachu, who quickly flipped out of the way and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt attack, striking full force into Persian's face. The wily cat shrugged off the attack and snorted, with a well-sized grin on its face,"Impressive...this is gonna be fun."
"Pikachu, watch yourself! Ash said as he called out his next pokemon, "Go, Snorlax!!!"
The tubby pokemon materialized itself on the sands of the beach, readying itself against James's Umbreon.
"Umbreon, Faint Attack!!!"
The dark evolution of Eevee quickly disappeared and unleashed a flurry of shadowy blows on Snorlax, quickly returning in front of its master, but the chunky champion scratched his head, unfazed by the attack.
"Snorlax, use your Body Slam!!! Full Strength!!!"
With those words, Snorlax pressed his body down on Umbreon, completely smothering it out of Jame's view. Upon lifting itself back up, all James saw was his Umbreon utterly flattened into the sand.
"Cute," James said with disconcern as he recalled Umbreon and waited with a smile on his face.
Ash didn't like the expression on James's face, as if he was confident they would come out on top.
Pikachu was on the defensive, for Persian kept coming back from his attacks with even more increased effort every time. Persian attempted his Slash attack, but Pikachu proved too fast for it, easily using his agility to dodge the deadly blow. Seeing the futility of his strategy, Persian quickly resorted to using his Fury Swipes, and swifly swiped away at Pikachu. Though Pikachu dodged most of the attack, one of the swipes managed to cut his leg, slowing the little mouse considerably. "Now...I have you right where I want you, you little rat..."
"Misdreavus, Screech Attack!!!" A piercing, high-pitched yell ran through the air, piercing intensely into everyone's eardrums except Jesse, who was naturally immune to her own pokemon's powers. Misty kept one eye open and saw her Seaking was unaffected, since it didn't have any ears. Her Seaking was at the edge of the beach, and she saw the opportunity to unleash a mighty attack.
Screaming at the top of her lungs, "SEAKING!!! USE YOUR WATERFALL ATTACK!!!"
Gathering a heavy amount of water under its fins, Seaking shot like a bullet out of the water, shimmying up Misdreavus with forceful blasts of pounding liquid, beating the banshee-like pokemon like a new drum. Misdreavus quickly dissipated into vapor and ran back into her pokeball, but like James, Jesse was carrying only three pokemon, and both of them were down to their last one. She smiled like James was smiling, and waited for Persian to stop fighting Pikachu.
Ash only had Snorlax and Pikachu available for combat, his other pokemon already being fainted by Misty during their previous match and Satoshi having fainted simultaneously with Dark Weezing. Misty had only Seaking and Fullfrog, for Starmie had been fainted fighting Dark Arbok, and her other pokemon were exhausted from the mission back at the Team Rocket base. If only she hadn't left her Gyarados back at the gym, what used to be the Magikarp she had caught in that river so long ago, the very Magikarp that took the place of Ash in her timeline. They were barely scraping by with their pokemon, gaining a shaky edge. Seaking was exhausted and Misty had no choice but to recall it, and call her last pokemon.
"Go, Fullfrog!!!"
Persian took action against the handicapped Pikachu, expediently pouncing upon the little mouse. Pikachu tried to dodge the attack, but too late, for Persian had tackled it viciously. Pikachu unleashed a thundery bolt, slamming Persian against a rock, its head catching much of the impact. The conceited cat had blood trickle from its forehead, dripping from its eyelid. Before Pikachu could react, Persian roared like a lion and thrust itself full force into Pikachu, slamming it hard on the sand. Everyone looked on as Persian did the most indescribably vicious thing it had ever done, angry at the fact that the unevolved Pikachu had damaged it so. With its feline fangs, it picked up the disoriented Pikachu with its mouth and mangled him like a leftover rag doll, swingin his little body left and right while Pikachu shrieked in terror, ultimately throwing him against one of the rocks. Ash and Misty's heart stopped as they saw Pikachu roll down the side of the rock, tumbling down bruised and bloodied.
"PIKACHU!!!!!!!!" Ash yelled, with tears already forming in his eyes.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Misty cried in shock.
Ash, with all his might, literally kicked Persian-Meowth away from Pikachu, while Misty ran beside him, their pokemon looking on in concern. He picked up Pikachu, embracing him in his arms. Misty placed her hand on his arm, pressing herself against Ash and looking at the injured mouse.
"Pikachu...no..."
With all his strength, Pikachu reassured Ash, "Pika-chu-cha-pikacha...(Don't cry. I'm okay...)"
Trying to lift his head, he uttered,"Pikapi-pika-cha-chu-pi (Ash. Meowth's spirit died long ago.)
Misty began to weep too, "Pikachu, save your strength. We'll make them pay!!!"
The two turned towards Jesse, James, and Persian, who was standing next to the two.
"How sentimental, but our little joust has to end." Persian-Meowth growled.
Ash fumed at the cat's inconsiderate disregard for life, "You're gonna pay for this, Meowth!!!"
Misty looked on, seeing their opponents still smiling evilly, "What're you smiling at! Are you surrendering or do you have more pokemon to call out. We're winning so far!!!"
"Savor this moment, for it shall be your last taste of victory!"Persian roared. The cat got back on all fours, running to the center of Jesse and James. With an arrogant shake of their heads, the two young Rockets reached for their last pokeball. It was a peculiar pokeball, painted black, with the letters "TR" etched on the top half in red. Oddly enough, on the lower half, there a silvery skull etched, with red rubies for eyeballs. They glowed, so much that while they were pulling out the ball, they glittered a fiery red gleam, visible to even Ash and Misty. In a dark echo, they called out their most terrifying and powerful pokemon.
"GO, VAMPINE!!!" Jesse shouted.
"GO, SNORNOT!!!" James yelled.
"What're those?!" Misty called, in utter disbelief over what she was seeing. She pulled out her Aquadyne and attempted to identify the pokemon.
"Aquadyne, identify the two pokemon!" Misty exclaimed.
"Pokemon unknown. Data nonexistent." her aquadyne replied.
"Let me try, Misty. My pokedex may be old, but it was updated by Chronine."
Ash flipped out his pokedex, and it quickly spilled out the intriquing details.
"Vampine. The Poltergeist pokemon. This super-rare pokemon is prized highly among ghost trainers around the world. Because of its ability to transcend the natural and supernatural worlds, it wields powerful physical and special attacks with its razor-sharp needle spines."
With dread, he flicked his pokedex slowly at James's smaller pokemon.
"Snornot. The Insomniac pokemon. A distant, southern relative of Snorlax, this pokemon's behavior is drastically different. It eats and sleeps on very rare occasions. Because it eats little, it is significantly smaller, but because it is constantly awake, it wields astronomical mental powers."
Jesse teased at Misty,"What's keepin you, little girl? Call out your pokemon, if you dare. My Vampine's been aching for seafood lately, and your Fullfrog looks rather scrumptious."
James, wanting to chime in, said to Ash, "It's quite ironic you brought your fat little pokemon here for my Snornot to pound on. Maybe then, you can encourage it to join a health spa!"
Seething with rage, stemming from both Pikachu's condition and their disgust for their enemies vanity and arrogance, the two trainers called out their pokemon, yelling out their attacks.
"Snorlax, Hyper Beam!!!"
"Fullfrog, Hydro Pump!!!"
The Team Rocket trio looked with sinister faces as Snornot and Vampine commanded themselves against their opponents' pokemon. Snorlax's Hyper Beam shot directly at Snornot, but much to Ash' surprise, the small Snornot dodged the beam and was charging quickly in Snorlax's direction. Fullfrog shot its powerful Hydro Pump, and for a moment it seemed to hit on target, but after the Hydro Pump dissipated, Vampine was still standing fully erect and in an instant, it teleported closer and closer to Fullfrog.
Misty gasped and grabbed Ash's hand, squeezing it intensely, for she never encountered a pokemon that could withstand Fullfrog's Hydro Pump.
Ash grimaced, glancing at Misty, and then at Pikachu cradled in his other arm, "The fight's not over yet, Misty!!! Snorlax, Crush that pipsqueak with your Body Slam!!!"
"Fullfrog, pierce that monster with your Sharp Tongue Attack!!!"
"Pathetic. Utterly pathetic," Persian purred, for it knew that their remaining pokemon didn't stand a chance. Snorlax landed full force onto Snornot, obstructing it from view, and Fullfrog shot out its tongue with a hard snap. For a moment, it seemed like their attacks were effective, for Snornot wasn't visible under Snorlax's massive belly, and Fullfrog's tongue had pierced full force into Vampine's spiky back.
"Alright!!!" Ash cheered.
"We...we did it!!!" Misty smiled.
But then they noticed something that would shock them beyond belief. Snorlax wasn't getting up from the Body Slam, and Vampine hadn't fainted yet. Little by little, Snorlax was coming up, but not on its feet. Fullfrog was unable to retract its tongue, for it was caught by Vampine's various spines. In the blink of an eye, Snornot lifted the massive Snorlax and threw him viciously in front of Ash. Vampine pulled Fullfrog towards it by the tongue like a child with a yo-yo, and rammed its head full strength into its soft underbelly, sending it flying in front of Misty.
Jesse and James, ever the consummate masters of rhyme, spoke their final commands.
"We've toyed with them long enough. Snornot, Disable it and use Knuckle Punch!!!
"They couldn't handle it when the going got rough. Vampine, Glare it and use your Spiny Crunch!!!"
Ash's Snorlax was frozen in place with Disable and sent flying with Snornot's Knuckle Punch, while Misty's Fullfrog was paralyzed in place with Glare and needled numerous times with Vampine's Spiny Crunch. The two trainers stood in disbelief as their last pokemon were fainted before their eyes.
"Noooo!!!!!" Ash yelled.
"I..I can't believe it." Misty whispered.
Jesse made a sinister laugh, "Well now, Miss "Indigo Champ"? Did you really think you and your little boy toy over there were gonna win tonight? We're Team Rocket. Our hands envelop almost everything in the world now, including the very league you conquered this year. You may've been the champ, but we were behind it all. Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"
James, hiding the remorse he felt after seeing what happened to Pikachu, cued in, "Don't make this any harder on yourself and don't take this the wrong way. You fought well, but...you're not of Team Rocket caliber." With those words, he pulled out a gas gun and pointed it at them.
"I'm sorry," he said in his mind as he shot the gun, shooting a pellet of sleeping gas and knocking out Ash, Misty, and Pikachu. They coughed and rolled on the ground, finally asleep.
"Recall their fainted pokemon back in their balls, and take them to the evaluation lab. They're all rather powerful, I'll admit. We'll need to check their abilities." Persian commanded.
Jesse recalled the fainted Snorlax and Fullfrog, but when she tried to recall Pikachu, she saw it didn't have its own pokeball, "This...boy's Pikachu doesn't have a ball. Strange."
"Throw it in a dumpster. We don't need that pitiful, unevolved excuse for a pokemon," Persian sneered.
"No!!! I'll take it for myself. I'll carry it," James said, taking Pikachu away from Jesse.
They threw the two young trainers in the back of one of the grunt's vans, joining an unconcious Professor Oak, and rode off into the night, heading for Team Rocket's global headquarters, the very heart of Team Rocket...Viridian City.
CHAPTER 18: UNLIKELY ALLIES
Little by little, his eyes opened. They were blurred, and he couldn't make out where he was. It was a long, dark room, adorned with various plants lined up on the edges. A very long, granite table stretched out to the very end. He had an overhead view, for strangely enough, he was tied up on a pole-like structure. With what little strength he had in his neck, he turned painfully towards the towering glass windows. He couldn't make out much of anything from his blurred vision, save for the fact that it was a rainy day, and the building he was in was a very tall skyscraper, overlooking much of the city below him. Finally he dropped his head, accepting the futility of his situation, with only one thing on his mind, Misty. Then he noticed a figure coming in the room and walking in his direction. After a long walk, the figure finally came in front of our hero, lighting up a cigar, and blowing the smoke in his face. Ash coughed while the figure laughed and proceeded to talk.
"Hmm...I must say your appearance was totally unexpected. I'm still wondering how you arrived here. I had my lab test a blood sample just to make sure you were Ash Ketchum, and much to my disbelief, you matched his DNA. I figured after having you kidnapped along with your Pikachu the night you were supposed to start your legendary pokemon journey, you'd just be erased from your pathetic existence."
Ash, still dreary from the sleeping gas, uttered, "You're behind all of this...Gi....Giovanni?"
"Well, you're not as dense as some people make you out to be."
"Why? Why... are you doing this?"
Giovanni paced in front of one of the towering windows, "Quite simple, Ash my boy. Power. Wealth. The motivating factors of any criminal mastermind. It's ironic that the woman I once loved, the very one who left me because of my ambitions, would bear a son that would eventually cause the downfall of my organization. I should kill you now, boy. But...out of respect for Delia, I won't. All I can promise you is a world where I shall reign with the children of Team Rocket, with you as my slave."
"WHERE'S MISTY?!"
With those words, he started walking away, until turning back to look at Ash, leaving his final words, "About the girl you were with, the Cerulean Gym Leader...Misty, as you call her. She will soon give us the deed to her gym, but after she does, I'm afraid she'll meet with a rather untimely demise. I want you to share the same heartache I had after your mother left me, and live with it for the rest of your life, the same as I. That's another reason I'm not killing you."
Ash struggled, the rage building in his heart, causing some blood to trickle from his wrists, "GRRRR!!!! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MISTY, I'M GONNA...GRRRR!!!!"
Giovanni left the room with an audible laugh, enough to make Ash struggle even more. He struggled for minutes on end, scraping his wrists and upper forearm, yet the pain didn't matter. His thoughts were on Misty, and nothing else. Ash finally stopped, finally bowing his head and crying, not noticing someone else had just entered the room. He didn't even notice the footsteps coming in his direction, completely absorbed in sorrow. Little by little the footsteps came closer, until he took notice and slowly lifted his head, seeing a familiar face.
"Hi there."
"Grrr!!! What're you doing here!!!"
"Don't yell. Keep quiet and listen to me. I'm not supposed to be in here. Ssshhh!!!"
"Huh?!"
It was Kid, the Team Rocket member who Ash and friends previously tangled with. She was still in her unique Team Rocket outfit, but she didn't have a look of condescension, but more a face of concern.
"If you're not supposed to be in here, why are you?" Ash asked her.
"Ash, listen to me. Forget about everything I've done to you so far and listen. We're on the same side."
"How do you figure that?"
"I came here to save you, let me untie you." Kid said as she untied Ash from the pole and handed him a package, "Put on the suit and the fake ID I made for you. We have to leave soon."
"Why are you doing this, Kid?" Ash said as he put on the garb she gave him.
"I'll explain later. Your Watchdawg can wait. We have to find your little girlfriend, since she's in the most danger now. You've just become a Rocket exec. And your name Ashton Cashem."
"Kid, let's hurry! My body feels like it deteriorating already."
In a lower level, James sat in his office, with his eyes focused on the cage with the Pikachu he just obtained. He was sifting through some files he had on his desk, some pertaining to today's convention, and others he had secretly taken from Jesse's desk. Team Rocket representatives from around the globe were meeting today, in the grand hall of the third floor. Jesse and Meowth were there, but James decided to stay behind for a bit, to get the stats on the pokemon they confiscated from Ash and Misty. Their pokeballs were hung on a rack in his office, having recently been delivered from Team Rocket's medical facility. All the pokemon were healed, including Pikachu, though James requested it be given anesthesia to let it rest some more. Little by little, its eyes opened, and quickly made out a blurry image of James peering in front of him. Pikachu reacted appropriately.
"KAAAACCCCHUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
"Grrr...what'cha do that for, you little rodent? I wasn't going to hurt you. In fact, I was the one who saved you from getting thrown into a dumpster!" James spat, getting back up and regaining his composure.
"PIKAPI-PIKA-CHA-CHUUU!!!!"
Pikachu kept trying to tell James things, and James little by little, realized Pikachu was trying to tell him something. Pikachu started crying, gaining James's sympathy, tearing into his haunting conscience. Then it hit James. Last year, he bought an experimental prototype of a poketongue translator from a friend he had in Silph Company, famous the world over for pokemon products. He fumbled for it around his desk, never having fully made use of the contraption. He sat it in front of Pikachu, and plugged in some batteries. There was a small screen on the calculator-like device, where the words would come out. Turning it on, he asked Pikachu to talk.
"Come on, Pikachu. Talk."
Pushing his tears away, Pikachu started talking, "Pikapi-cha-pikacha!"
The words came out on the screen, though the translator still had a few bugs and didn't make out some words right, "(Ach...Nistee, where?)"
"Hmm...Ach and Nistee? You mean Ash and Misty! I'm sorry to say they were taken prisoner, little guy," James said, trying to ameliorate the situation.
"PIKA-CHA-CHUPIKA-PI-CHU!!! (JEMS...LISTEN ME...YOU. EVERYONE DANGER!!!)
"Jems? Who's Jems? Wait..did you just call me Jems? You mean James?!"
"Pika! (Yes!)"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something. What did your trainer mean when he said he fought us before? I don't remember ever fighting him."
Pikachu turned away, "Pi. Pikachu-chu-cha-cha-chu-pi (In our world, we fought you all the time.)
"What do you mean "your world"?"
"Kachu-ka-cha-pichu-kachu. (Me and my master are from the past, trying to protect his existence.)"
James fell back surprised, "What? That can't be? Could it?"
"Pikachu-chukapi-chuka-cha (The time machine from Team Rocket. It started everything.)
"I know what you're talking about. I had a feeling that thing was dangerous," James muttered.
Before James could continue, Pikachu cut him off, "Chu-chu-pika-pika-cha!!! (Let us go!!! Ach will die soon if not in contact with Watchdawg!!!" Pikachu cried while pointing at Ash's pokeballs hung up on the wall.
James looked at Pikachu with a blank expression, hiding the inner conflict in his soul. On the one hand, he had captured Professor Oak and Misty. Guilt was welling up in him so far, but it hadn't swelled up just yet. He looked at Pikachu, who had sat back down and continued crying like a lost child. In an instant, he asked himself deep in his heart, what was the right thing to do? He looked away from Pikachu, his eyes coming again upon an old picture of him, Jesse, and little Meowth. Every day he looked at that picture, missing the joy and loving friendship he once had with them. For James, the day had arrived, the very day he dreaded since realizing the loss of his friends. What was he going to choose? Comfort the sorrow of a pokemon without its master, or satisfy the greed for power of his friends and the vicious organization they represented?
James asked one last question to little Pikachu, "What was I like in your past, when your master existed?"
Pikachu answered softly, "Pika-pika...pi. (You had your...friends.)"
He closed his eyes and reached out. The only sound made in the room was that of a lock falling off.
"Pikachu, come with me. We'll have to free Misty first, since she's in the most immediate danger."
"So, Ash and Misty are somewhere in this tall building. How should we go about finding them?"
Brock was consulting Duplica, who was more the brains of their legendary operations. He was dressed in a very stylish tux, accompanied by a dazzling Duplica, wearing a dress similar to the one Jesse had worn when they had taken them hostage and tortured them into telling where Misty and Ash were in Porta Vista. Ever the perfect Houdini, Duplica managed to untie herself from Team Rocket's ropes, and with her brawny sidekick Brock, managed to track Jesse and James trail back to Viridian City, through Duplica's smarts and Brock's intimidation. They heard on the street of a massive global convention being held in Team Rocket headquarters in Viridian. Only global executive officers, and guests were allowed inside the convention on this special day, and Duplica had fashioned some fake credentials from some cards Brock stole from some rocket grunts.
Duplica whispered in his ear, "Brock, you stay behind and see what this shindig is about. I'll fish around the building with the disquise I brought. When I've located one or the other, I'll call you on the headset. Got it?"
"No sweat. Do your thing, girl. I'll stay here."
Duplica ran off, while Brock stayed behind at the grand convention hall on the third floor. It was an exquisite lobby, with an illustrious fountain in the center, adorned with various crystal sculptures of pokemon. Beautiful girls were everywhere, many of them Rocket execs, and Brock resisted the urge to hit on any of their despicable kind...just barely.
Little by little, the redhead woke up, with her vision blurred. The room she was in was dark, with only a glimmer of light spotlighting the floor in front of her. She was tied on a rather plush office seat, bound on the arms by thick rope. All she could make out in the small room were four Rocket grunts armed with assault rifles. In the middle of grunts was a young man accompanying a woman talking on her cellphone. Slowly she came into focus. Turning back towards Misty, she quickly cracked a sinister smile and finished her conversation. Taking small, yet loud, reverberating steps, she and her partner finally stopped in front her. Misty said nothing but the girl finally started talking.
"Hmm. This is quite a honor. I'd've never thought I actually ever meet you in person."
"Who...who are...you?"Misty asked.
"I'm the torture specialist assigned to you tonight. You can call me Cassidy."
The boy next to her chimed in, "And I'm the legal specialist here, with property documents for you to sign. You can call me Butch."
Misty looked around her, seeing Ash wasn't with her, "WHERE'S ASH, YOU FILTHY CREEPS?!"
Cassidy sneered, "You must mean that boy. He's...hung up at the moment in our boss's office, literally."
Misty started sobbing lightly, "No...Ash..."
Butch came close to her and smiled, "You should save your tears for later, when Cassidy gives you the royal treatment, my little water master. Then you'll really have a reason to cry!!!"
"But no worries just yet, Misty," said a leather-clad Cassidy, "My boss, James, told me on my cellphone just a moment ago to delay my performance until he arrives. I guess he wants to oversee this personally."
Ash and Kid ran down the endless flights of stairs, staying as clandestine as possible.
"Ash, Misty's being held on the 15th level. We have to get to her quick!!!"
Ash curiously asks her, "Why is everyone so interested in Misty? Can you tell me?"
Kid, not wanting to reveal too much until the appropriate time, "Giovanni wants her gym as a holy ground, a place where he can summon up the power of the ancient pokemon goddess, The Water Mother. But...the greater threat is Red, the dark entity that you met at Oak's lab."
"How do you know about Red meeting me at the lab?!" Ash asked her.
"I have eyes everywhere, Ash, just like Red. I'll reveal everything I know to you at the right time. But now, we have to save Misty, before Red gets his hands on her, and get you back in Watchdawg's protection."
"Right!!!"
James and Pikachu finally arrived on the 15th floor. He busted through the doors, startling Misty, Butch, and Cassidy, who were teasing Misty in a preliminary custom they fashioned prior to their torture.
"All of you have been relieved of your duties. You are to return to your usual posts."
Butch quivered, "But boss, Jesse and Persian gave us specific orders..."
James cut him off ferociously, "I'll take it up with them, then!!! I gave you an order!!! Now leave!!!"
Misty sat shocked, as she saw James with Pikachu, taking authority and kicking all of them out. But before they could all leave, something terrifying happened. The hallway darkened, and in a flash of a moment, purple lightning flashed into the room, sending both the grunts and Butch and Cassidy flying back, falling onto the ground unconscious. James and Pikachu turned around, only to receive a powerful force blast knocking them both to one side. A dark figure emanated from the doorway, walking past the unconscious guards and a hurt James and Pikachu. It stopped before Misty and stuck out his hand. A strange dark mass undid the ropes that bound Misty to the chair. She was utterly afraid of what stood before her. It was the same dark mass she saw back in Oak's lab.
"No...NO!!!"
"A pleasure to see you once again, Misty. Now, come with me to the dawn of a new world. A world from which you and I shall reign supreme!!!"
James and Pikachu fell horrified witness as the dark one quickly enveloped her and vanished into the shadows of the room. He tried to get up, while Pikachu tried to save Misty, only he was too late.
"CHA!!! (MISTY!!!)"
CHAPTER 19: THE CULLING
The convention hall was called to attention. About 1000 representatives from around the world were here. Brock had found his seat, waiting to hear any word from Duplica on his headset. He noticed Jesse was among the attendants, along with the vile Persian-Meowth, who wasn't looking so well, almost sickly. He made sure to stay away from her, donning his shades to look even less recognizable. Giovanni's personal assistant was the emcee. He came in front of the podium and began a rather interesting speech.
"Welcome all to this special convention. On behalf of our leader, I would like to extend the utmost thanks for your participation. As you know, this organization has existed for 20 years, advancing mostly the sciences of aerospace and rocketry, hence our name Team Rocket. But by now, you have all probably heard the rumors about the amazing technological advances in our neophysics and pokegenics departments. Now I would like to call our leader to address and make official these claims. As you know, this information is strictly confidential to everyone attending this convention, including guests. Any breach of this contract, and you will face the leader's wrath. Please stand up and applaud our leader as he comes to the floor."
Everyone came up and clapped, including Brock, though his heart was definitely not in it. Giovanni took the podium, and wouldn't start until the applause died down.
"Gee, what a pompous weirdo..."Brock thought to himself, with his mind on Duplica.
Huffing and puffing, Kid and Ash busted through the doors where Misty was formerly held hostage. Immediately he shouted, "Grrr, let Misty go!!! Huh?" He and Kid saw before them several knocked out Rocket henchmen, along with what looked like Butch and Cassidy, but different.
An infuriated Ash quickly spotted what looked like Pikachu, "Pikachu?!"
"Pikapi! (Ash!)"
The mouse ran away from a delirious James, and embraced his master lovingly, but Ash spotted James and with vengeance in his heart, grabbed him by the collar furiously while Pikachu pleaded in James's favor.
"Grrr...where's Misty?! What happened here, James???!!! Tell me or I'll...!!!"
James, lifting his other arm, handed Ash two straps lined with pokeballs, "T..Take them..."
A surprised Ash grabbed the straps, and called to Kid to help him with James. She strode quickly to him and helped Ash hoist him up. James struggled to stay up and said with a rather frightened words, "I'm sorry, but I tried to save her."
"What?!"
"I...had a change of heart. But...something black like a shadow came and took her away."
Kid muttered, "No...Red took her. We came too late."
Ash apologized to James and asked, "Why, James? Why did you want to help us?"
James, slowly regaining his strength, "Your Pikachu...convinced me. But I came across some startling documents too, something about an experiment in time travel, and a kidnapping being documented by Jesse. It was of this boy." He handed Ash a picture, while Kid peered to one side.
"It's me!" Ash exclaimed while looking at a picture of him and Pikachu enclosed in a strange device.
Kid grabbed Ash's hand, "We don't have much time. We have to get to Mt. Silver!!!"
"But what about Misty???!!!"Ash yelled.
"Pika-pikacha!!! (We have to save her!!!)"
Kid turned around, "Red's taking her there!!! Come on!!!"
Before they left, Ash stretched out his hand to James, "Ya taggin' along or what?"
He shook Ash's hand, "I guess this means I'm doing something good for a change. Let's go!!!"
The three ran out the doors, but out of nowhere, Jesse ran out in front of them.
"Waaah!!!"
"Yee-hoo-hoo!!!"
"Uh-oh!!!"
"Pika!!!"
Jesse shot out in front of them, "Ash!!! What're you doing with those two???!!!" What looked like Jesse pulled off her face.
"Du...Duplica!!! How did..?"
Duplica, still holding the Jesse mask, asked, "What's going on here, Ash? Where's Misty?"
"She was kidnapped by Red, that black thing me and Misty ran into back at Oak's lab!!!"
"What?!"
"Kid here rescued me, and James here freed Pikachu and gave me back my pokeballs with Satoshi. But when he tried to free Misty, Red came in and took her!!!"
Kid interjected, "Duplica, we're telling the truth. We have to get to Mt. Silver. Red's headed there with Misty, and if we don't stop him soon, this whole world is doomed!!!"
James tried to convince her, "I apologize for what I did back at Porta Vista, but Jesse's been double-crossing me all this time, not telling me she assisted in kidnapping a younger vAsh from his time."
"I'm finding this hard to believe..."Duplica muttered.
Quickly Satoshi jumped out of his pokeball and barked to Duplica, "Woof, they speak the truth, Duplica. Everyone, we still have time to reach Mt. Silver and save Misty and the world. But there is a present threat that needs to be taken care of. The Team Rocket convention. I've read Giovanni's mind earlier, and he has sinister plans about to be executed, and unfortunately, everyone in that convention hall is about to fall victim unless something is done to disrupt the convention now!!! I'm afraid Brock is among those attending!"
"Oh, no...Brock!!!" Duplica shrieked, "I left him down there!!! I have to warn him!!!"
Back at the convention, Brock was rather busy, with an exec.
An insanely attractive Rocket chick sat next to our girl-crazy hero and advanced upon him, "Hey there, hot stuff. What brings you to the convention?"
"Ehhh!!!!"
Unknown to the brawny bruiser, he accidentally severed the plug from his headset.
"Brock!!! Brock, come in!!! No!!!" Duplica yelled heartbroken on her headset.
Ash, with both Misty and Brock on his mind and heart, "Everyone!!! All bets are off. Let's go crash that party and show Giovanni who can really throw a bash!!! Let's do it fast so we can save Misty!!!"
"Right!!!" all his comrades affirmed, clenching their fists and running down the stairs.
"And so, with the discovery of space-time displacement, we are now able to walk across the fabric of time. Team Rocket shall finally rule this land uncontested. I am your father. You are my chosen children. I instituted what you may know as the boy-girl team rule to keep our genders even, in the hopes that one day, you would sire a new race, one entirely devoted to the belief that we are superior to others, and that all the pokemon and riches of the world are ours for the taking. Right now, this is the day. You may now choose your mates so we can commence with our imminent invasion. Afterwards, you will look at the vidscreen, explaining my master plan, and then we will all head to to our stronghold base in Mt. Silver, where you will be transported by our time machine en masse to the very beginning of human history."
With those frightening words, Giovanni left the podium, with sinister ideas in the back of his head, "Little do my own children know, the video I'm about to show them will make them into my mind-slaves. Ah, world domination has to come at a cost, what can I say?"
Much to Brock's disbelief, he was approached by several, mega-sexy Rocket execs, asking if he wanted to become their mate for their master race. Though Brock was EXTREMELY flattered, he barely shrugged off their advances, trying to reassure himself that all these girls were all absolutely, positively, 200-proof nuts. He curled into a ball, put his hands on his flustered head, closed his eyes and whimpered out, "Duplica, why hath thou forsaken me? I'm trying to be seduced by tons of evil, yet vivaciously beautiful girls and you're not here to whack me into my senses!!!"
Like an angel, a familiar hand came upon Brock, smacking him upside the head, "Brock, stop screwing around and help me! We have to cause a ruckus and disrupt this convention!!!
"Doop!!! Ooh, I'm so glad to see you!!!" Brock said, hugging Duplica. At that very moment, he never saw a more beautiful sight, for in the midst of a flurry of crazed beauties, he realized what true beauty meant when he saw her, the only inkling of sanity in this otherwise insane situation. Perhaps innappropriately, but lovingly, he quickly embraced Duplica and placed on her the most heartfelt kiss he could muster.
Duplica pushed him away, and Brock quickly tried to apologize, "I'm sorry, Doop. I don't know what came over me...I"
Blushing, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards an exit, "Call me "Doop" again, and next time you kiss me, I'll bite your lips. Come on!!! We don't have much time!!!"
Ash, James, Pikachu, and Satoshi ran across the back of the huge vidscreen, two levels up from the convention floor. Quickly, they knocked out the guards and took their weapons. They each took a corner of the the upper supports for the massive screen and, having the same thing in mind, called out the appropriate pokemon.
"Charizard, melt the steel support with your Flamethrower!!!"
"Snornot, tear the metal frames with your Brainstorm!!!"
Ash's Charizard's super hot Flamethrower melt one the supports while James's Snornot used its Brainstorm to unscrew and rip the metal support beams holding the screen up. As the video was about to commence, the screen began to fall down.
"Whaddya mean we can't leave???!!! I'm a Team Rocket exec!!!" Brock yelled at the grunt guarding the convention hall doors, "Me and my Rocket mate wanna mate!!! OWWW!!!!"
Duplica stepped on Brock's foot while she blushed and attempted to persuade the grunt, "What my partner means is we have to leave for an emergency. Let us through please."
"I'm sorry but I have strict orders from Giovanni not to let absolutely anyone leave the room until the ceremony is over. Wait!!! What's going on!!! LOOK OUT!!!" the guard said, pointing at the huge vidscreen, which was slowly falling down in their direction.
"I guess that's our cue," Brock said, lifting a thumbs up to what he saw was Ash at the top of the vidscreen with Pikachu and Satoshi hovering above them. He quickly morphed his thumbs up into a fist and rammed it strong into the guard's gut, while Duplica kneed the guard in the face and busted through the door with Brock in tow.
"Just to brief you, Brock. Misty was captured by someone called Red."
"Red?!"
"Remember that dark being Ash and Misty kept talking about? She's being taken to Mt. Silver, beyond the Indigo Plateau. We have to plan the getaway to get there. Ash and James will meet us up front. You start the car up and wait while I stage an Officer Jenny rerouting. Got it?"
An overexcited Ash and James quickly recalled their pokemon and latched onto some banners, which were on either side of the tumbling vidscreen, and slid down to the convention floor, in the midst of a frenzy of Rocket execs and various guest running away from the falling vidscreen. It crashed down finally, catching the attention of a distant Giovanni, who quickly noticed the loud bang and ran back to the convention hall. Ash and Pikachu regained their senses in the chaos of people scrambling to leave the floor, while some of the hall lights were destroyed and flickering, creating a strobe-like effect on some parts of the huge lobby. Satoshi flew down to Ash, while James slowly ran to them and motioned them to leave until he heard a familiar voice.
"JAMES!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE WITH HIM???!!!" Jesse yelled in disbelief.
"I knew he was too weak to be one of us. TRAITOR!!!" Persian roared.
"Why James? Why spoil everything for us?! Everything was going to plan!!!" she kept yelling in shock.
"Never!!! I can't be a part of this and you knew it!!! That's why you never told me you had a part in kidnapping the younger version of this boy from his timeline!!! You knew I wouldn't've condoned it!!!"
"Huh?! You looked through my files..."
"Yes, Jessica. I did. But what does it matter to you?! Whatever love you had you lost long ago. To believe I once admired you, but...look at yourself. Look at the lives you helped destroy, the destinies you erased, all so you can achieve your petty claim on a madman's greedy dreams!!! And in the midst of it all, you destroyed yourself, the girl I met so long ago...my friend."
"ENOUGH OF YOUR DRIBBLE!!!" Persian-Meowth growled as it struck at James, slashing the flesh of James's chest open with his Slash attack.
"NOOOOO!!!!" Jesse yelled, smacking Persian out of the way, trying to catch James before he fell.
"JAMES!!!"Ash yelled, readying Pikachu just in case Persian tried to attack them too.
"What have you done, Meowth? What's wrong with you?" Jesse cried as she held James in her arms.
Persian-Meowth looked at himself and what he had just done. He couldn't believe he had struck his old friend, his old partner. He saw the frightened glares from their eyes, and his deadened conscience tried to resurface, but to no avail. All Persian could do was run away, realizing he had fallen from the furthest grace possible.
Ash looked on as Jesse held James, crying uncontrollably, while James bled on his shirt, cracking a faint smile and trying to get up.
"So...that's what loves all about. Being there for each other, no matter what," Ash thought to himself, with Misty on his mind, "Misty, wherever you are right now, know that I'm gonna be there soon..."
"I'm coming for you, Misty. I love you," he whispered under his breath.
"Ash?!" Misty shouted.
She was surrounded by darkness, with purplish material shooting out from every direction. Misty couldn't make out her surroundings, but noticed she was without her clothes, save for some of the purplish, shiny material covering her private areas. Instead of crying, she gathered whatever courage she could and called out her captor's name.
"RED!!! WHERE ARE YOU???!!! SHOW YOURSELF!!!"
The dark one called Red, phased into form before her and grinned along with his phantom, gray Pikachu.
"Ah...so happy to see you awake finally. Now it is only a matter of time. Prepare to become the legendary Water Mother, Misty. Prepare to cleanse the world of all humanity and pokemon-kind!!!"
CHAPTER 20: SONATA MORTE DI GIOVANNI
With thoughts of Misty pressing him on, Ash called to Pikachu and Satoshi the Watchdawg, and ran to Jesse and the injured James.
"Satoshi, can you help James?"
With a touch of its paw, Satoshi magically closed James's wounds. Life began seeping into Jame's pallid complexion. Jesse watched in awe as her longtime friend was being cured and healed. She may have had a heart of stone, but in a rare instant her heart was genuinely touched and softened, forcing her gratitude.
"I'm...I'm sorry...Ash. If there's anything I can do...I"
"Jesse, there is something you can do! I almost forgot about Professor Oak. Please, if you and James can free him and take him to Mt. Silver. We might need his help."
"No problem, kid!" Jesse said, helping her longtime friend James up, and extending her hand in gratitude. Ash took her hand in friendship, but little did they know, they were being watched by their boss.
"Consider yourselves fired, Jesse and James," Giovanni said, walking towards them with gentle, yet firm steps, "And as for you, Ash. I'm quite impressed by your tenacity and the ability you seem to have of making friends out of anyone, including your enemies, though this is where it ends. With the time machine in my hands, even you aren't a threat anymore. I don't know how you arrived in this time, and you may have set me back a little with your exploits, but it means nothing with all the time in my hands. Try all you want, you're only delaying the inevitable. Though I'll always keep your mother close to my heart, I can despise your father, and you, his son. Die, Ash Ketchum. Go, Niversa!!!"
With those words, Giovanni threw a shining, crystalline pokeball. In a flash of incredible light, a terrifying pokemon appeared. It stood six stories high, was perfectly black and shiny, with four eyes each glowing red. It stood on two legs, yet had six forearms. All our heroes stepped back, as Ash fumbled for his pokedex in absolute terror.
"It's him," Satoshi barked, readily recognizing the ancient pokemon.
"Niversa. The Primordial pokemon. This pokemon is said to have been the first pokemon ever to exist. It wields all characteristics of all pokemon, all elements, and all attacks. Only one throughout the history of the world is said to have existed, and was the progenitor of all pokemon-kind. As far as it is known, it has no type."
Everyone stood back as the monster roared and growled, advancing slowly on them. Seeing his newfound companions in fear, Ash did something both courageous and unwise, but honorable, "Jesse, James, go free the professor and take him to Mt. Silver like I asked."
"But, but don't you want us to help in the fight?" James asked.
"This is between me and him, you two,"Ash said, with Pikachu and Satoshi rallying to his side, "Go. I can handle whatever he throws at me. Grrr...."
"You better meet us at Mt. Silver, Ash! Or else you'll have to face me beyond the grave!" Jesse yelled, pulling James along with her.
With the strobing lights illuminating him, he sized up his opponent like he's done several times before. Giovanni made a sinister laugh as his pokemon approached Ash with deft, clinical precision. Pikachu and Satoshi kept moving in conjunction with Ash.
"Satoshi, how do we approach fighting this thing?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, Ash, but this thing is unstoppable. The only one I knew capable of stopping such a monstrous pokemon was Chronine himself, but he's not here."
"But you are, Satoshi! If you're the pre-evolution of a Chronine, then you have to be able to stop it too!"
Satoshi was able to read minds, but it didn't expect to hear such encouragement from Ash, even in quite possibly the most impossible situation they could find themselves in. The little Watchdawg listened intently, while Pikachu cheered him along.
"Pika-pikachu-pika!!! (Come on! We have to win!!!)"
"WOOOOFFFF!!!!!" Satoshi barked as it came in front of Ash, linking his mind with Ash's and readying itself for action.
"Satoshi, I choose you!!!"
"HAH!!! Is that little runt of a pokemon what you're calling out? You're more pathetic than I believed." Giovanni sneered as he snapped his fingers, commanding Niversa to attack, "Niversa, Magna Beam!!! Obliterate them into pieces."
Ash, linked with Satoshi's mind, called out his defense move, "Satoshi...use your Aura and guard us!"
The awesome power of Niversa's Magna Beam was unleashed, striking full force directly at our hero. But, much to Giovanni's amazement, Satoshi's Aura shield held up, completely blocking off the Magna Beam, and leaving himself, Ash and Pikachu out of harm's way. Giovanni stood shocked, seeing his pokemon's most powerful attack brushed off by a measly looking floating dog with a clock on its stomach. Ash kept a stoic pose, crossing his arms with clenched fists.
Giovanni sneered in an arrogant tone, "I must say you're quite impressive, but not up to par. Niversa, Shadow Strike, Ultimate Attack!!!"
With those words, Niversa disappeared into thin air, and in an instant, a flurry of hits pounded Ash and his pokemon, knocking them down nastily in a few hits. Satoshi fortunately had an advantage over dark attacks, and didn't feel much of the hits, but his trainer and Pikachu were down, and hurting bad.
The master criminal gloated,"Hmm, without your master, I'm afraid you can't do much, you little mutt. Hah! Hah!"
"What's keeping Ash? You'd think a guy with a babe like Misty would be more proactive in rescuing his fair dame!" Duplica thought to herself while she directed traffic in all sorts of bizarre manners using her Officer Jenny disquise. Brock and Kid were in an alleyway with the getaway vehicle, looking at and waiting intently for Duplica to give him the signal to start the car to make the getaway.
"Come on, Ash," Brock thought to himself, "Whatever situation you're in, you have to come through...for Misty's sake."
Kid, somehow linked with Red's mind, started having convulsions. Brock quickly grabbed her, trying to calm her down. Kid finally stopped and gasped, "No!!! He's trying to take over her body!!!"
Slowly, Red's dark soul and sentiments began to creep into her mind. She resisted with all her might, trying to keep her thoughts on Ash, the one who had made so much difference in her life. The one who had encouraged her to go on his journey to reclaim his life, the one who had brought so much joy to her heart and soul amidst the sadness in her life, the one with whom she had bonded for so little and briefly, yet so deeply and lovingly in her timeline. Red forced his gaze into her eyes, tearing into her soul, trying to undo her mind and heart.
"He's my friend!!!"
"No, he's not. He cares more about his future than yours."
"You're lying!!! He's trying to save all our futures!!!"
"Nonsense, Misty. He's here only to deceive you into caring."
"No!!! He really loves me!!!"
"Think about it, Misty. If he really did love you, wouldn't he have chosen to stay with you instead of going back to his timeline, a timeline where you and him were merely friends. You know nothing of love!!!"
With those words, she cried out, "NNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" Little by little, she blacked out into unconsciousness, crying profusely, whimpering away into a seemingly everlasting spiral of sorrow.
"I'm sorry...Ash. I tried the best I could...I...I'll love you...always."
Ash got up slowly, seeing his Watchdawg spar in mid-air with the behemoth pokemon, Niversa. Pikachu lifted its little head bit by bit, eyeing the action above. Satoshi kept teleporting away from a flurry of attacks Niversa sent its way. Niversa was noticeably tiring out, and somehow Satoshi was maintaining his stamina. Niversa unleashed a second Magna Beam, only to be blocked by another Aura Barrier from Satoshi. The small Watchdawg quickly teleported next to Ash, relinking his mind to him.
"Ash, we don't have much time!!! I'm reading Kid's mind and its telling me Red took over Misty's body. If we don't get rid of this monstrosity and head to Mt. Silver soon, you and she will suffer a terrible fate!"
The young trainer thought long and hard, and finally it struck him. Jesse mentioned cybernetic augmentation...
"Right!!! Satoshi, use your AntiMatter attack!!! Break'em down now!!!"
"Pikachu, on my cue, jump in and use your electrolysis. Got it!!!"
"Pikacha!!!(For Misty!!!)"
"Right, Pikachu!!! FOR MISTY!!!"
Satoshi unleashed it most powerful attack, AntiMatter. With unprecedented power, the little Watchdawg shot a black particle beam from its small clock, even larger than Niversa's Magna Beam. The beam cut straight across Niversa's face, cut a gash across its forehead while the monster roared in pain.
"IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Giovanni yelled.
With Misty in his heart, Ash yelled,"PIKACHU, RUN IN AND USE YOUR ELECTROLYSIS!!!"
The yellow mouse quickly latched onto Niversa and commenced his countdown.
"PI...."
"KA...."
"CCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Pikachu's super-concentrated electric attack ripped through Niversa, short-circuiting the massive pokemon's inner cybernetic augments and embedded neural microchips, the very ones Team Rocket was notorious for. Unknown to Ash, Giovanni had subdued the creature's will using his twisted technologies. Niversa didn't obey Giovanni out of any love for him, and soon, Giovanni would pay the ultimate price for perverting nature. Unlatching its claws off Niversa, Pikachu jumped back, with Satoshi forming another barrier, guarding his friends. Suddenly the monster roared a horrendous roar. It twitched and glowed a little, walking in Ash's direction. Satoshi mysteriously lowered his shield and telepathically communicated to Ash and Pikachu.
"Great strategy, you two!!! You destroyed the mind control chips embedded in Niversa!!!"
"You mean?" Ash implied.
"Yes, it's no longer under Giovanni's control!!!"
Coming up in front of Ash, Niversa spoke, "Thank you. I am in your debt. Do you have a request?"
Ash, looking at the defeated Giovanni, still in shock that his fearsome weapon was freed from his grasp, "None, but you're free to do whatever you wish with your former master...and this building..."
"With pleasure. Farewell, Ash. Farewell...Master of Ages."
Niversa quickly turned around and faced a scared Giovanni, who was starting to back away. Ash grabbed Pikachu, recalled Watchdawg, and ran out the convention hall, not wanting to ponder whatever horrendous fate Giovanni had in store. For Ash, it didn't matter. In his mind, he may've won the battle, but it meant little, for Misty was in danger, and if anything happened to her, the war against the dark forces of Red would be lost.
Ash finally caught up with his friends and made the getaway towards Mt. Silver. As they left Viridian City, they looked back, seeing the lumbering 60-story skyscraper that used to be Team Rocket HQ, crumbling down little by little, into glass and dust.
With a heroic voice, Ash yelled into the night,"Come on, you guys!!! We're gonna save Misty and make it home no matter what!!! On to Mt. Silver!!!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Oops, I shoulda mentioned: The next episode will be the last, and afterwards, I don't know what else to write. I'll probably try my hand at a humor fic. Anyways, just a message so people don't get pissed off saying I didn't warn' em.
THE SHOCKING CONCLUSION OF THE MASTER OF AGES SAGA!!! COMING SOON!!!