A PokéSeries #9
War of Wars
by Cyllya
"Part 5: Scrambled Flames"
Chapter 36 (1)
BRRIIIIIIING!
Team Rocket—Jesse, Meowth, and Butch—had set up their camp in the woods. They were sleeping in hammocks hanging from the trees.
BRRIIIIIIING!
Butch sat up in his hammock sleepily and angrily. He looked around, trying to find what had woken him up.
BRRIIIIIIING!
The sound came from Jesse's backpack. It had to be a cell phone.
"Jesse…" Butch called, "JESSE…!
Jesse didn't wake up.
BRRIIIIIIING!
Butch reached for her hammock, but didn't come close. He grabbed a stick out of the tree the front end of his hammock was attached to. It was about two feet long and as think as a person's thumb.
BRRIIIIIIING!
"JESSE!" Butch repeated. Seeing no effect, he reached for her hammock with the stick. He hooked the end under the cloth and pulled upward.
"Argh!" Jesse cried as she landed on her face after her hammock tipped.
Butch failed to hide his snickering.
"Why you little…" Jesse said angrily and got up, "I oughta—"
BRRIIIIIIING!
"Answer your stupid phone!" Butch snapped.
Jesse dived for her backpack and pulled out the phone, "Hello?"
"Hey, Jess."
"James!" Jesse exclaimed happily.
"Huh?" Meowth murmured, just waking up.
"Did I wake you up?" James asked.
"No, Butch did," Jesse said.
Butch burst out laughing.
"Though I don't think I'll ever be snotty enough to wake him up by tipping his hammock over," Jesse sighed.
"Why not?" James asked.
Jesse whispered, "I'll get him while he's sleeping," just barely loud enough for Butch to "accidentally" overhear. Butch immediately stopped laughing.
"Oh," James said, "Ya know, it's amazing how easy it is to catch Pokémon in the wild."
"The wild Pokémon are all weaklings though," Jesse said.
"They can get stronger," James said, "Neither the twerp or the police are around to give me a hard time, and I got a few Pokémon."
"That's great," Jesse said, "If they're any good, maybe you can get your job back."
"Maybe," James said, "I figured I'd catch you some Pokémon so you and Meowth could keep your jobs."
"Oh, that's touching," Jesse sniffled, "but what could you catch?"
"Do you want a Dratini?" James asked.
"A Dratini?!" Jesse exclaimed, "As in the little blue worm that swims and is really rare and valuable?! How would you catch that?!"
"I already did thanks to a couple people who gave me Pikachus," James said. "One person abandoned Shocker. Some scientist thought I wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer and gave me Jingles."
"Shocker and Jingles?" Jesse asked, "Two Pikachus?"
"Yeah," James said, "I'll try to catch you one. I'll give you a Dratini next time I see you."
"Oh, James, you're best!" Jesse said, practically in tears, "It's so nice to have a buddy like you!"
"It's the least I could do," James said, "You and Meowth are, like, my only friends."
"I only wish you were still our partner," Jesse sobbed.
"Is that James?" Meowth asked and jumped onto Jesse's head, "Can I talk?"
"Here's Meowth," Jesse said. She handed the phone to Meowth.
"Hey, Jimmy, how ya been?" Meowth asked.
"I'm okay," James said, "I caught some Pikachus and I'm gonna try to get one for you and Jesse."
"That's great!" Meowth said, "Did I hear Jesse say something about a Dratini?"
"I'll give one of those to you," James said, "I already have it."
"No way!" Meowth challenged in disbelief.
"I do."
"No way!"
"I do."
"No way!"
"I do."
"No way!"
"Here," James accepted. There was the faint sound of a Pokéball opening. James said, "Say hello, Dratini!"
"Dra-Dra-tee-ee-ee-nee!"
"No way!" Meowth shrieked.
"Teeny! Teeny Dratini!" Dratini scolded.
"Dratini real!"
"What was that?" Meowth asked.
"Jingles, one of those Pikachus," James said, "They can talk. Say hi, Jingles and Shocker!"
"Hi Jingles an Shocker!" Jingles and Shocker said.
"¯ Everybody need a little KFC!¯ " Jingles sang.
"You like Kentucky Fried Chicken?" Meowth asked.
"No," Jingles said, "I'm a vedge-dee-tairy-in."
"Uh, yeah," Meowth said, "So James, where are you calling from?"
"A payphone in Fuchsia City," James answered, "Where are you?"
"We're after the twerp and Pikachu and on our way Saffron," Meowth sighed.
"Oh, good luck," James said, "I have to go. There's a cop kinda wandering around and I don't want her to recognize me. Bye. Tell Jess I miss her."
"Bye," Meowth said. He and James hung up.
"I wanted to talk to him more," Jesse said.
"He had to go," Meowth said, "But he misses ya, don't worry."
Jesse sighed and smiled.
Chapter 37 (2)
Ash, Pikachu, and Galacteon traveled north toward Saffron City. Galacteon looked back and forth between his trainer and his Electric buddy. He seemed confused. They were both looking at the ground and not saying anything.
Did I do something wrong? Galacteon asked himself, What is this? The silent treatment?
"Hey, Ash," Galacteon said.
Ash was too preoccupied to hear him.
"Ash? Ash?" Galacteon prodded, "Earth to my trainer!"
"Huh?" Ash asked, "What—"
SMACK!
Having not heard Galacteon's attempted warning in time, he smacked face-first into a tree. Galacteon stopped when Ash fell over, but Pikachu absent-mindedly kept walking. Galacteon lightly pinned Pikachu's tail to the ground with his paw.
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu cried, startled out of his wits. A Thunderbolt escaped his cheeks and fried Galacteon.
"Hey! What's with the paranoia?!" Galacteon demanded and toppled over.
"Chu," Pikachu apologized.
"What's wrong with you guys?" he asked as he stumbled up dizzily.
"Sorry for ignoring you. I didn't mean too," Ash said and sat up, "I was just thinking about something."
Galacteon looked uneasy, "It's the pink rat, huh?"
"[It's 'Mew,']" Pikachu corrected.
"Yeah," Ash said, "It came so close… If it had been an ordinary Pokémon battle, I wouldn't think that much of it. But that was Team Rocket. If it weren't for Psyduck, I could've lost you guys. After seeing it work so well, Team Rocket will probably try to make that Pokémon stronger and try it again."
"That would awfully smart of them," Galacteon said, "Are you sure your not over-estimating them a little bit?"
"[Always expect the unexpected,]" Pikachu advised, "[You never know when they'll get lucky. Especially now that Butch is with them.]"
"Plus Jesse and J—err, Butch have probably realized how well Meowth's plan worked," Ash said, "They'll cooperated with him more. Their Pokémon will help the Mew—Meow, I think—while we're battling it. Plus it'll get stronger. I gotta admit that I'm kinda worried…"
"I had kinda let my guard down," Galacteon admitted, "It had the advantage of surprise."
"I wish Misty had come with us," Ash sighed.
"Pika ka Cha," Pikachu nodded.
"You know," Galacteon said, "Saffron isn't that far from Cerulean, so if…" He hesitated upon Ash's 'Don't go there' look.
"I'm not gonna ask Misty to come with us," Ash insisted, "I have more dignity than that."
"It won't take any dignity away from me, so I have plenty," Galacteon said, "I'll ask her for you—and I'll say that it's Pikachu and I that want her around, and you couldn't care less."
"No," Ash said.
Galacteon sighed, "Fine…"
"Let's keep going," Ash said. He stood up and kept walking, followed by his Pokémon.
"So what had you so jumpy?" Galacteon asked Pikachu.
"[Saffron City Gym,]" Pikachu answered simply.
"What about it?"
"[Last time, I never really won that battle,]" Pikachu explained, "[Sabrina laughed at Haunter's funny faces during the battle. Her Kadabra started rolling with laughter too and couldn't fight. That's the only reason I won.]"
"Sabrina uses Psychic-type Pokémon?" Galacteon asked, "Or Ghost?"
"[Psychic,]" Pikachu conformed.
"Then Ash'll probably have me battle," Galacteon said, "Lunar Pokémon have a resistance against Psychic-type attacks."
"[That's good,]" Pikachu said, "[I remember seeing her at that one party. Her Kadabra evolved into an Alakazam.]"
"Ooh, that's a toughie," Galacteon said, "A battle against an Alakazam might be kinda hard. I'll manage, though. It's probably not half as hard as if would be for Ash to tell Misty how much he cares…"
"Hey!" Ash snapped.
Though Pikachu's tiny form gave him almost no cover, Galacteon ducked behind the Mouse anyway. He tried to pretend to be afraid while also trying not to burst out laughing at Ash's denial.
"I don't even begin to like Misty that way!" Ash insisted, "I have trouble tolerating her as a friend! She's annoying… a-and… and, she's a pest, and…sh-she gives me headaches!"
Galacteon considered his response before emitting his famous giggle and saying, "They say you hurt the ones you love… and your stuttering makes you seem more guilty! I meant as friends, ya know. It seems awfully suspicious that you would assume I meant as a girlfriend… Kinda makes ya think, huh Pik?"
Pikachu cleared his throat nervously and said stayed silent.
"No comment, huh?" Galacteon asked.
Ash, short of a defense, changed the subject, "Anyway, I'll probably have you battle in Saffron. Last time it was a one-on-one. I'll use Pikachu too if its not."
"Okay," Galacteon agreed, tolerating the not-so-casual subject change.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"We'll stop for a while and eat once we find a good spot. 'Kay?" Ash said.
"Chu! Pika-Pika!" Pikachu said cheerfully. Ash kept walking, but a few feet later, the ground began to feel like it was sinking down a little with each step. It was like walking on an old stiffened trampoline.
"Uh…" Galacteon wondered. Along with Ash, he stopped walking and looked uneasily at the ground. Pikachu scampered back the way they'd come from for a few feet.
"Walk backward very carefully," Ash advised. He held his breath and followed his own advice. He and Galacteon froze as something snapped and the ground sank about six inches.
"Should we keep walking backward?" Galacteon asked.
"Pikachu move," Ash instructed, and Pikachu scurried left, "Galacteon, on 'three,' jump over to where Pikachu was. One…two…THREE!"
They jumped backward just as the ground beneath them collapsed, revealing a hole. Ash's foot landed on a thick stick on the edge of the hole. The stick slipped off the edge and took Ash's foot with it.
Galacteon and Pikachu attempted to keep Ash from falling in the hole. His shirt slipped from Pikachu's paws, and Galacteon fell in with him.
THUD!
"Ugh!" Ash groaned. He stood and tried to run up the side of the hole and grab the ledge. He succeeded and tried to pull himself out, only to be hit in the head and knocked back down. The floor of the pit lurched and collapsed. Ash and Galacteon fell another five feet.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
"PIKAPI!"
"Pikachu?!" Ash cried.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jesse exclaimed as she appeared from the top of the hole. There was silence. She frowned and whispered, "Butch! Say, 'Make it double.'"
Silence…
"Well say something!"
"Uh-huh…"
Jesse grumbled to herself before bolding proceeding, "To protect the world from devastation!"
"Blight people…"
Jesse frowned, "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"Extend wrath…"
"Jesse!"
"Butch…"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now…"
"Meowth!" Meowth yelled at Butch, "Say the motto right!"
"Rat!" Raticate knocked Meowth aside. Butch was busy messing with a disassembled remote control. He ignored the angry looks of Jesse and Meowth. He replaced the last of the wires and closed the remote up. He pushed a large red button on it.
"Chu…" Pikachu whimpered nervously. All three Rockets were wearing rubber suits.
"Leave my Pikachu alone!" Ash demanded. Galacteon barked.
"It's our Pikachu now," Jesse mocked as a metal Onix exited from its cover in a nearby clump of trees. It was about two thirds the size of the real thing.
"Pi!" Pikachu gasped, "Pika-CHU!" He used Thunderbolt on it. The electricity crackled around it, but after the attack stopped, the robot continued its movement toward them.
"Pikachu!" Ash called again.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried.
Butch pressed buttons on the remote. The metal Onix roared and lunged at Pikachu.
Jesse laughed evilly, "You're no match for our robotic Onix, Pikachu. So like it or not, you're coming with us."
"Chu!" Pikachu jumped out of the way of the robot's tackle.
"Agility, Pikachu! Keep it up!" Ash yelled. He turned to Galacteon and said, "Focus Energy."
Galacteon nodded and began to concentrate.
"Pika!" Pikachu dodged a few more times. He was hit from behind by the robot's tail and scooped into its mouth. Cage bars formed where its teeth could have been and locked Pikachu in.
"Swallow it!" Butch ordered and pressed buttons. The Onix leaned its head back.
"Cha!" Pikachu cried as it fell down a robotic version of the throat of the Onix. It was surrounded by darkness.
Chapter 38 (3)
"Hold on, Pikachu!" Ash cried. Galacteon was glowing. Ash gripped his shoulders and said, "Get us out of here!"
"Heya!" Galacteon yelled. With surprising speed, he ran up the side of the hole with Ash and a trail of light dragging behind him.
"Huh?" Jesse, Meowth, and Butch wondered.
"We'll show them!" Butch exclaimed. He used the remote to order Robo-Onix to attack Ash and Galacteon. They leaped out of the way.
"Go! Squirtle!" Ash ordered.
"Squirt!" Squirtle exclaimed.
"Hydro Pump that Onix!" Ash ordered boldly and pointed to Robo-Onix.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried. Its attack was powerful enough to make Robo-Onix become helpless among the gush of water. It seemed that the force alone was what affected the machine. When Squirtle was finished, Robo-Onix shook its head and tackled its new opponent.
"Hah-hah!" Butch laughed, "Get that thing!"
"Hang in there, Squirtle!" Ash called, "Give it a Scull Bash and another Hydro Pump!"
"Squirtle!" Squirtle bellowed and rammed Robo-Onix with his head. The result was Squirtle's head turning black and purple. Another Hydro Pump made Robo-Onix reel back.
"Galacteon! Mega Moonbeam!" Ash ordered.
Galacteon roared, jumped forward, and attacked. The star of his attack hit Robo-Onix in its eyes, which was made of glass. The glass shattered, sending sparks everywhere. The moons made big dents in the side of its head. Squirtle used Water Gun.
"What the—?" Butch wondered as brownish-red patches began to form on Robo-Onix's metal plates.
"Keep it up, Squirtle!" Ash praised, "You're making in rust!"
"What?!" Jesse demanded. She got in Butch's face and demanded, "Why didn't you rust-proof it?!"
"Because I had to shock-proof it!" Butch shot back. He ordered, "Get that turtle, Robo-Onix!"
Robo-Onix moved ineptly toward Squirtle. Squirtle withdrew and rolled away after Robo-Onix used Slam.
"Water Gun!" Ash ordered.
"Squirt!" cried Squirtle. As water continued to pour down on Robo-Onix, its patches of rust enlarged. Soon it was so rusty that it couldn't move and was like a brownish-red statue.
"Galacteon, Slash!" Ash commanded.
"Grrr!" Galacteon's star sliced through the rusty shell of the robot.
It was one long line from its neck to its midsection, when Galacteon heard a desperate-sounding, "Pika! Pika!"
A fragment of the thin line of sunlight that had emerged in front of Pikachu was replaced by Galacteon's glittery black eyes.
"Pika pi KA!" Pikachu hollered, "Pika Pikachu!"
Galacteon cut a circle in the area of the robot that Pikachu was held in.
" Pi ka!" Pikachu leaped out and spread his arms, blessing the fresh air.
"Pikachu!"
"Pikapi!"
Pikachu refrained himself from the sudden idea that had come to his mind—build a temple of sorts in honor of the air—and leaped into Ash's embrace.
"Squirt!" Squirtle said cheerfully.
"Glad you're outta that hunk o' junk!" Galacteon said.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Hello?!" Jesse demanded, "Who do you think you are to just ignore us?!"
"Who do I think I am?" Ash asked laughingly, "I think I'm the kid that's beaten you so many times that I lost count ages ago!"
"Then you can't count!" Butch mocked, shoving Jesse out of his way.
"Hey!" Jesse exclaimed to her co-worker, "He's beaten me dozens of times! He's only beaten you three times!"
"Hey, maybe you do have a hidden talent!" Butch said energetically, "You can carry on an argument with yourself while your opponent has a job to do!"
"Rrrr," Jesse grumble. She whacked him with her big paper fan, "YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT…! I know this kid better than you do! He's gonna—"
"Get out of my way!" Butch scolded. As the two of them began another argument, Ash sighed. He pointed boldly at them.
"Galacteon! Swift attack!"
"Heya!" Galacteon yelled. He shot tons of little stars at Team Rocket. Due to the stars' sharp edges colliding with them, they stopped arguing rather abruptly. Their rubber suits were sliced up. It would still be hard for electrify to reach them unless…
"Squirtle! One last Hydro Pump!" Ash directed, "Pikachu…!" He paused for dramatic effect and grinned evilly, "…THUNDER!"
All of the T.R. members emitted a loud and fearful squeak. Squirtle's water soaked through the slits of their suits and carried Pikachu's electricity. This left them extremely fried.
"Squirtle, Scull Bash!" Ash ordered.
Squirtle bashed the crisped idiots into the air.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
"Do you ever tired of saying that?"
They disappeared off the horizon.
"Alright!" Ash whooped.
Chapter 39 (4)
"Well that's the end of them," Ash said. He held out a Pokéball, "Good job, Squirtle. Return."
"Hydro Pump and Thunder?" Galacteon asked, "Those are Squirtle and Pikachu's strongest attacks. You really didn't want to go easy on 'em, did ya?"
"Why should we?" Ash asked. Seeing Galacteon droop, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Would you have told me to use Swift if…" Galacteon stuttered, "if I could do that attack that Jigglypuff used?"
"Yeah," Ash confirmed, "We needed a fast attack that would put a lot of holes in that rubber. They might have had more time to react if you'd used Slash."
Galacteon gave a small smile, "I guess you're right…"
"Don't forget," Ash said, "I've been training Pikachu and Squirtle longer than I have you. I think you're learning your attacks pretty fast. You'll learn Lunar Cannon soon."
"Yeah, you're right," Galacteon accepted. Ash patted his head.
"So, let's get g—"
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"PIKA!" Pikachu shrieked in alarm. The sound was high and shrill, but not too loud.
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"What is that?!" Galacteon demanded. He pulled his ears down so they were flat against the side of his head. Pikachu did the same.
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"I don't know!" Ash shouted with his hands over his ears.
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"Pika-Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu pointed to the stand of trees that the Robo-Onix had come from.
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"If it's coming from over there," Galacteon said, struggling to make his high voice rise above the wailing, "then let's go over there and shut it up!"
"R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!"
"Right!" Ash agreed. He jogged toward the trees with Galacteon and Pikachu right behind him. They approached a bush that was against a tree. The sound stopped, but it was obvious that it had come from the bush.
"Mmm-mmm-mmm?" was the new sound. Ash kneeled by the bush and looked to Pikachu and Galacteon, who were huddled behind him. They appeared to have absolutely no intention of investigating.
"What?" Galacteon asked, upon Ash's pleading look, "You're not scared, are you?"
"Of course not!" Ash snapped. He turned to the bush and cautiously pulled the branches apart.
"Yip!"
"Yahh!" Ash jumped back, startled, and released the bush. He rolled back into Galacteon and Pikachu.
"Pikapi? Pi pika chu?" Pikachu requested.
"Sorry," Ash said. He got off his Pokémon and tried to remember what he'd seen. It had startled him so much that all he'd seen was a reddish and yellow blur.
"What was it?" Galacteon asked.
"Chu?" Pikachu shrugged.
"Don't know," Ash said. He tentatively pulled the branches apart again. The blur was now a solid figure. It cowered against the tree trunk behind it.
"Grrr…" it whimpered, "Growlithe growl."
"Growlithe," Ash realized, looking sadly at the critter's tears. He was still using his hands to hold the branches, so he said to Galacteon and Pikachu, "Get my PokéDex."
"Pika," Pikachu pulled it out of his pocket.
"Growlithe—the Puppy Pokémon. It is protective and defends its territory with barks and bites. It uses powerful Fire attacks."
"It didn't ping," Ash said.
"Huh?" Galacteon asked.
"The PokéDex didn't make a pinging sound."
"Pi ka-ka," Pikachu held up the closed PokéDex.
"It didn't do anything," Galacteon grinned, "I'm vocally talented, remember? That's how I learned to talk!"
"Yeah," Ash said. He looked at the Growlithe, smiled softly, and said, "Pi-pika pika? Pikachu?"
"Growl?" Growlithe crawled cautiously toward Ash.
"Pika pi-chu," Pikachu said.
"Yeah, it is small," Galacteon nodded, "Must be a puppy."
"Yep," Ash said. He picked it up and stood.
"Lithe…"
"Pi-Pikachu," Ash consoled. The Puppy relaxed and smiled.
"Pi ka-chu?" Pikachu asked.
"No, it can't be wild," Ash said, "It's got collar."
He turned the thin blue band enough to read the round gold ID tag attached. "BLAZE," was engraved into it.
"Blaze?" Ash wondered.
"Must be its nickname," Galacteon said.
"I was hoping it would say where it lives," Ash said. He smiled and shook the Puppy's paw, "Nice to meet you, Blaze."
"Growl lithe!" Blaze smiled.
"Pika-chu chu pi," Pikachu said as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder and pointed to the tag.
"Hmm," Ash turned it upside-down to see the other side. He cradled Blaze like a baby and twisted his head to read the words. He read, "'Saffron City Police Department.' Maybe it's a police canine…"
"…In training," Galacteon added, noting Blaze's size.
"Yeah," Ash agreed, "Let's keep heading to Saffron so we can give Blaze back to his trainers."
"Lithe?" Blaze wondered.
Chapter 40 (5)
Ash, Pikachu, Galacteon, and Blaze arrived in Saffron City.
Pikachu seemed overly cautious. He peeked through the gate before going through it. He gave a sigh of relief. No people that bothered giving them a second glance. No dorky-looking girls with grass skirts and flower necklaces. He followed the others.
The group approached the gym. It was exactly the same as before. It had the same color, the same eerie quietness, the same oddly shaped roof, and the same fact that the people of Saffron appeared to be going out of their way to stay away from it as they passed.
"Hey, it's locked," Ash said as he pulled vainly on the handle of the door. He tried the other door. It was locked too.
"Maybe Sabrina's taking a lunch break," Galacteon suggested.
"I doubt it," Ash said, "But speaking of lunch break…" His stomach growled. He was still holding Blaze, who growled back.
"You're looking for Sabrina."
Galacteon yelped and dashed behind Ash's feet. A guy seemed to suddenly appear next to them. The words he used seemed like those of a question, but the guy said it like a statement.
"Yeah. Is she here?" Ash asked, "I need a Marsh Badge."
"The Great Sabrina is not present," the man said.
Galacteon's fur bristled. Pikachu seemed to have trouble keeping his cheeks from emitting sparks.
"Your Pokémon find me unnerving."
"Creepy," Galacteon corrected quietly. The man had white hair and gray eyes that stared into space and rarely blinked. It made him look ghostlike and ghoulish.
"Where is Sabrina?" Ash asked.
"Only she knows her own whereabouts."
"Meaning you don't know where she is?"
"What I know is superfluous."
"Yeah…" Ash said, "Anyway…when will she be back?"
"Only time will tell…." the man said.
Ash sighed in exasperation, "Is there anyone else I can get a Marsh Badge from?"
"Only the Great Sabrina is worthy of distributing the golden badge," the man stated.
"'No' would be sufficient," Galacteon muttered.
"Chu," Pikachu nodded.
"Okay," Ash said, "I'll—"
"—be leaving," the man finished.
Ash nodded and started to sidestep toward the steps.
"Since you want a battle," the man said, "I'll give you one. You won't get a badge though."
"You're on!" Ash said, instantly forgetting his discomfort.
"Of course," the man said, "you wouldn't get a badge from me if I was the gym leader. You won't win this battle."
Despite the bold words, the man kept a steady tone and a straight face.
"Don't be so sure," Ash grinned.
"I'm a psychic," the man said, "I see the future."
"They say you can't believe everything you see!" Ash said.
"Don't think in words," Galacteon whispered, "Think about your strategy in the back of your mind, so its more like pictures."
"Uh," Ash stuttered.
"Become ready," the man said, "Two Pokémon each."
"Right," Ash said.
"Growl?" Blaze questioned. Ash sat him down next to Galacteon.
"Stay put, okay?" Ash said, "Go, Pikachu!"
"Pika pi ka!" Pikachu exclaimed and jumped forward.
The man's eyes glowed slightly. A Pokéball appeared from behind him, floated for a moment, and was sent forward. It opened.
"Mr. Mime!" the opponent said.
"A Mr. Mime, huh?" Ash said, amused, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pi…ka…CHU!" Pikachu sent his fury toward the mime.
"Mime!" Mr. Mime said. The man's eyes glowed again. Mr. Mime made a barrier to block Pikachu's lightning. It started slapping Pikachu.
"Cha!" Pikachu cried as he kept getting knocked around.
"Pikachu!" Ash said, Maybe if… Galacteon said don't think in words…
Pikachu broke free of the Double Slap attack and stood ready. Ash took a deep breath and prepared to rattle out a lot of unplanned orders in Pika-ese.
"[Agility! Try Quick Attack! Fake a left! Go right! Hit 'em now! Jump back! Dodge right! Slide under it! Thunder! Hurry!]"
"Chu!" Pikachu slid under Mr. Mime. Once on the other side of the confused mime, it electrocuted it with the best Thunder possible with so little time to charge. Mr. Mime fell over backward and landed on the exhausted Pikachu.
If the man was surprised, confused, angry, or sad, he did a good job of not showing it. The Pokéball floated through the air and sucked Mr. Mime up. A new Pokéball flew forward and revealed… Hypno.
"Pikachu, return," Ash said, seeing that Pikachu was pika-pooped.
"Pi…ka…" Pikachu crawled back to Ash's feet.
"Go, Galacteon!" Ash ordered.
"Heya!" Galacteon cried.
"Hip…no…" Hypno said. It waved its medallion back and forth… back and forth…
Ash looked away. It's hard for Pokémon to hypnotize humans, but the technique could make him sleepy. Galacteon stared at the middle of middle of the medallion's path, where it had been before it started waving. He looked a little like he was in a trance.
"Galacteon?" Ash asked when Hypno was done.
"Yes?" Galacteon asked. He stood up straight, smirked, and waited haughtily for orders.
"Mega Moonbeam," Ash ordered.
"Grrr…" Galacteon snarled as he did the attack.
"Hip…" squeaked Hypno. It held its hands toward Galacteon and narrowed its eyes. They glowed purple. The air around it and Galacteon waved.
Galacteon squealed and cringed.
"Galacteon!" Ash cried as his Pokémon tumbled toward him.
"I'm okay…" Galacteon said dizzily and stumbled up.
"Quick Attack!" Ash ordered as Hypno began Hypnosis.
"Right!" Galacteon said. He ran at Hypno, trying to ignore the hypnosis waves, and rammed it.
"No…" Hypno fell over unconscious.
"Yea…" Galacteon mumbled. He fell over with a thump and went to sleep.
"Is suppose you do win," the man said. A Pokéball sucked up Hypno and disappeared with the man.
"Alright!" Ash cried. He smiled sympathetically at Galacteon and recalled him to his Pokéball. He said, "Okay, Pik, let's head to…Pikachu?"
Pikachu was not where he'd been left. He wasn't anywhere in sight. Blaze was gone too.
"Pikachu?!" Ash called, "Pikachu?! Pikachu?!…Blaze?!"
There was no response.
Chapter 41 (6)
James, Jingles, and Shocker walked out of Fuchsia via Route 15. Due to lack of workers, the construction of the bridge near Fuchsia City had been delayed. It had recently been continued, but the footpath still wasn't done. So pedestrians couldn't use it. You had to have a car or a bike.
"Well it's only a slight detour," James said optimistically, "Instead of going through Routes 16, 17, and 18, we'll go… through Routes 15,14,13, and 12."
"That good," Shocker said.
"Then through Lavender Town," James continued, "Then Route 8, Saffron City, and Route 7. Then we'll be in Celadon City."
"That bad," Shocker concluded.
"Big detour," Jingles said. She spread her arms to emphasize "big."
James sighed, "You're right."
"Pokémon," Jingles said.
"What?" Jams asked. He looked where Jingles was pointing. There was a rustling in one of the bushes. James cautiously went over to it, followed by the Pikachus. He said, "Shocker, use Thundershock on it."
"Pi-KA!" Shocker exclaimed. He electrocuted the bush. Right before the blackened leaves fell to the ground, a green and white stick shot out of the bush. It hit Shocker in the forehead with so much force that it knocked him out. "Cha!"
"Shocker!" James and Jingles cried. The stick bounced back into the bush.
"Far!" exclaimed the Pokémon that grabbed it, "Fetched far!"
"Farfetch'd!" James shouted.
"Farfetch'd!" it squawked. It threw its leek at Jingles, who barely ducked in time. The leek came back to Farfetch'd's beak. It took flight and started to disappear.
"After it!" James yelled. He picked up Shocker and ran after Jingles, who was running after Farfetch'd.
"Far…f-fret come b-back-k!" Jingle stuttered as she ran.
"Thundershock!" James commanded.
"CHU!"
"Far…" Farfetch'd fell on the ground.
"Th-Th-Ss-Th-uh," Jingles stuttered and pinned Farfetch'd.
"Should we eat it or catch it?" James wondered, "It's rare and valuable, but it tastes good too."
"Apple better," Jingles advised.
"You're right," James said, "I'd probably prefer a hamburger. Pokéball, Go!"
"Fetched," Farfetch'd moaned as it was drawn into the Pokéball. The Pokéball wiggled around, and Farfetch'd started to come out.
"Chu!" Jingles shocked it, even though it was still a jumble of white light. It went back into the ball and stayed there.
"Great job, Jingles!" James said.
"Th-Th-Thank oo," Jingles smiled, "Th-Th-Ss Th-Th-uh-uh Th-Thun-deer. Thunder? Thundershock!"
James nodded. The Pokéball was transported away as Shocker started to wake up.
"Farfeth'd?" he wondered.
"Ka it!" Jingles said.
"…Chu!" Shocker said cheerfully, lacking a response.
"Let's keep going," James said.
Chapter 42 (7)
"Pikachu?!" Ash called, "Pikachu?! Where are ya buddy?!"
He wasn't as close to the gym now, so there were more people around. A few looked at him strangely, but most ignored him.
"What if Team Rocket stole Pikachu and Blaze?" Ash wondered, "How can I find them? Maybe Galacteon can use his sense of smell to track them down… But Galacteon's still worn out from that last battle. Okay, to the Pokémon Center."
It took him nearly half an hour to find the Pokémon Center in the huge city, despite the Center itself being quite large. There were a lot of people inside, but it wasn't crowded at all. Ash went to the counter and looked for Nurse Joy. When he found her, she was on the other side of the room talking to an Officer Jenny.
"Chansey?" a Chansey asked as it hopped up onto the counter. She wore a name tag that said "Peenki."
"Uh, can you treat these two Pokémon for me?" Ash asked. He handed her the Pokéballs with Squirtle, who was still tired from the battle with the mechanical Onix, and Galacteon.
"Chansey Chan-see!" Peenki said cheerfully. She took the Pokéballs and went into another room.
"Wonder what's up with them?" Ash thought, looking back to Joy and Jenny. They both looked angry, and Jenny seemed annoyed. They appeared to be arguing with each other.
"See?" Peenki tapped his shoulder.
"Yeah?" Ash asked. He took his Pokéballs and said, "Thanks."
"Chansey," Peenki smiled.
"What are they arguing about?" Ash asked. He pointed to Joy and Jenny.
"Chan-Chansey," Peenki shrugged, looked apathetically at them, and got a big sweat drop.
Sniff-sniff.
"Hmm?" Ash wondered.
Sniff-sniff
He spotted a Pokémon sniffing through the crowd. It was too small to be an Arcanine, so it had to be a large Growlithe. It looked tired, and it had a lot of bandages.
"Chance," Peenki said uneasily as it approached her and Ash. The Growlithe sniffed Ash's shoe. It stood on its hind legs, using the counter for balance, and sniffed his shirt. It started barking.
"What? What is it?" Ash demanded. Jenny came over quickly.
"Excuse me, young man," she held a picture up to Ash, "Have you seen this Pokémon?"
It was a picture of someone holding a small Growlithe. Only the person's hands showed. The smiley Puppy had its head turned up enough to see that its name tag said, "Blaze."
"Uh, yeah," Ash stuttered, "I found it on Route 6. Its tag said it was a police dog, so I was gonna bring it back to you. But after I got in the city, it kinda disappeared, along with my Pikachu."
"Disappeared?" Jenny wondered.
"Yeah," Ash said, "I was having a Pokémon battle and it was sitting next to me. After Pikachu was done battling, he sat with it. When the battle was over, they weren't there."
One of the Pokéballs in Ash's hand wiggled and glowed. Ash loosened his hold on it, and it opened to reveal a distressed-looking Galacteon. Apparently, he'd heard the explanation.
"Pikachu's missing?" he asked, "He was there when I started battling."
* * *
"Pika!" Pikachu protested, as he ran through an alley after Blaze. Blaze looked like he'd seen a ghost, having been frightened by the flashes of psychic power in the battle of Galacteon and Hypno.
"Growl! Growl!" he whimpered. As he ran past a trash can, he stepped on something. It was long thin, beige, and brown. The brown tip was curled. In response to his tail being stepped on, Meowth jumped up, screeched in pain, and landed a top the trash can.
"Pika-ka!" Pikachu realized. Blaze was cowering in terror in the corner.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" Jesse said as she popped up from her cover behind the trash cans.
"Surrender now," Butch said, removing the banana peel from his head, "for you will surely loose the fight!"
"That's right!"
"Raticate!"
"Pi…ka…CHU!" Pikachu cried.
"Get your shock guards out!" Jesse cried. The Team quickly pulled out their shock-proof gloves. Pikachu's electricity bounced off the gloves, hit the garbage cans, and electrocuted them anyway.
"Chu!" Pikachu ordered Blaze. The Growlithe was immobile, so Pikachu scared it into running by narrowly missing it with Thundershock. They both disappeared from the ally.
BRRIIIIIIING!
"Hello?!" Jesse said, quickly answering her cell phone.
"I have an assignment for you…" Giovanni's voice said. Jesse drooped in disappointment.
Chapter 43 (8)
"Pikachu! Pikachu!" Ash called, "Come here, Pikachu!"
"Blaze!" Officer Jenny shouted, "Come here, boy!"
"Growl! Growlithe!" Jenny's other Growlithe barked.
"Blaze! Pikachu!" Galacteon called, "Where are you?!"
They walked through Saffron calling for the missing Pokémon to no avail. It was starting to get dark, and everyone was frustrated.
"Do you smell them, Flamie?" Jenny asked her Growlithe.
"Lithe," Growlithe shook his head.
"As much as I hate to say it," Jenny said, "We'll have to go in soon. We'll never find them at night, and we can't keep calling because we'll keep Saffron's citizens awake."
"I'm not giving up," Ash said firmly, "Pikachu! PIKACHU!"
"Come on," Jenny said, "Get some sleep at the Pokémon Center. We'll keep looking in the morning."
"PIKACHU!" Ash called, "PI PIKACHU PIKA!"
"He stay awake for the next week if he has to," Galacteon said.
"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed.
"Come on now," Jenny said, "or I'll place you under arrest for disturbing the peace!"
She reached for his arm, but he pulled away, still calling. She put more effort into grabbing him and slapped handcuffs on his wrist.
"PIKACHU!" Ash cried as Jenny dragged him toward the Pokémon Center. Galacteon followed without making a move to help either of them.
"Don't make me write you up for resisting arrest too," Jenny moaned.
Right before he was dragged through the door of the Center, Ash screamed for Pikachu louder than he had all night.
* * *
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu heard.
"Pikapi…" he mumbled.
"Mmm…" Blaze moaned. Pikachu fluffed up some newspaper in the alley they'd taken shelter in and pushed him bitterly onto it before using the other side as his own bed. He hopped back up on fours and became instantly alert. There was a rumbling sound, and it wasn't anyone's stomach…. There was a slight vibration from below.
"CHAR!"
The ground exploded upward, sending Pikachu and Blaze airborne. Pikachu felt something close around him before his eyes straightened out.
"Pika!" Pikachu threatened to Arbok, attempting to wiggle out of the snake's vice-like jaws. He let loose a futile Thundershock. The metallic device lining Arbok's mouth absorbed the electricity and sent it to a light bulb duck-taped to his head.
"Growl!" Panicked, Blaze made a beeline for the street.
"Charbok!" Arbok cried, sounding muffled thanks to the Pikachu in his mouth. He coiled like a spring and leaped to block Blaze's route. As the little Puppy backed up in terror, he froze from the paralysis courtesy of Arbok's Glare attack. Arbok seized the immobile tyke in his tail and dived down the hole he'd appeared from.
* * *
"So who made this hole?" Cassidy asked, staring down a wider tunnel within a rickety warehouse.
"Arbok," Jesse replied simply.
"Your Arbok?"
"Yes."
"I hope you don't intend to send any of my Pokémon down that worthless pit."
"I do actually," Jesse grumbled mockingly, "If you don't go along with it, I'll let the boss know that you were the one to screw up the plan."
"What plan?" Cassidy snapped.
"We send my Arbok and your Drowzee down there," Jesse said, "It leaded to the kennels at police station, and Arbok just has to bust through the surface. The two of them go into the kennels. Arbok uses his Glare, and Drowzee uses Hypnosis. Once the all the Growlithe are paralyzed and unconscious, Arbok and Drowzee will push them down the hole where my Lickitung, your Vileplume, Flames's Charmeleon, and Butch's Wartortle will carry 'em back here."
"And the Chanseys?"
"Same plan," said Jesse, "but your Alazure will go with Arbok and Drowzee…. It does know Sweet Scent, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Cassidy responded grumpily.
"We'll have Lickitung go too, for backup's sake," Jesse said, "Normal types like Chansey have a defense versus Psychic, so it'll help to have another Pokémon around to paralyze them. And Lickitung's better at paralyzing humans than Arbok."
"Humans?"
"We have to be careful of Nurse Joy," Jesse said, "Unlike Officer Jenny, she sleeps in the same building as her assistants."
"Ah," Cassidy nodded, "And when will this plan be carried out?"
"As soon as Arbok gets back."
"Char!" Arbok growled, bursting through the side of the tunnel and springing up to ground level near his master.
"Ka!" Pikachu cried. He failed at shocking Jesse.
"J—Butch!" Jesse called, "Get over here with Meowth's shock-proof cage!"
"How dare you order him around?!" Cassidy demanded.
"Shut up," Jesse said calmly as a cage came hurtling toward her from a nearby stack of wooden boxes. She caught the cage and screamed, "I said bring it, not throw it, you nitwit!"
"Bite me!" Butch yelled from the far side of the boxes.
Jesse growled as she opened the cage. Arbok dropped Pikachu inside, and escape was fruitless. Arbok took the rubber handle from his master and slithered over to a large empty kennel near the wall. The door had been left open, so he set Pikachu and the scared-stiff Growlithe inside it and closed the door.
"Ready?" Flames asked as he approached Jesse and Cassidy.
"Prepare for Operation: Scrambled Flames!" Jesse smirked.
Flames, Cassidy, Butch, and the few insignificant Rocket grunts he arrived with, all sweatdropped.
* * *
Galacteon stirred in the middle of the night. His stomach rumbled, so he crept away from Ash and toward the light at the end of a nearby hallway. Upon reaching the door, he saw Peenki tending Jenny's Growlithe Flamie. Apparently, Joy had suggested he stay the night to heal, but Peenki was blushing and seemed to be cooing over him a lot more than necessary.
Getting the gist of what he was seeing, Galacteon turned back and settled for a quick drink from the drinking fountain that should have been only for humans. He went back to Ash and half-laid on his chest.
* * *
"Ahh!"
Ash snapped awake to the sound of a high-pitched scream and an unacknowledged thump that was caused by his sudden awakening dumping Galacteon onto the floor.
"Huh? Wha?" Galacteon asked.
"I heard something," Ash said, standing and looking around the Center's darkened lobby. It was completely abandoned and eerily silent. Ash said, "Come on, Pi…Come on, Galacteon."
Galacteon's ears drooped as he fell into step behind his trainer, following him down the shadowed corridor. He sniffed the air.
"Hey, what's that?" he asked, sounding entranced.
"Huh?" Ash asked, "What's what? That smell?"
Galacteon, quivering nose in the air, walked past Ash and continued down the hallway. Confused, Ash followed him into a room full of large baskets filled with a blanket and a pillow.
"I think this is where the Chansey's sleep," he noted.
Galacteon obliviously continued until his ears perked up and he became instantly more alert. Muffled complained and moans could be heard. He said, "That's Nurse Joy!" and dashed to the far corner of the dorm-like room into another hallway. Ash followed, and they came to a storage room just in time to spot a flash of red hair going down a hole in the center of the room. When they ran to the hole, its hostile contents shoved dirt in the way, blocking the path.
"What just happened?" Ash demanded, "Did Nurse Joy just get kidnapped?!"
"Probably," Galacteon said, "Chansey?!"
A few vocally-healthy patients sounded uselessly, but there were no Chansey sounds.
"Let's go get Officer Jenny," Ash said.
* * *
Officer Jenny, currently finishing up her night shift, was asleep at her computer. She awoke with a start as Ash and Galacteon burst into the station. She stared at them blankly as they rattled off what they'd seen. She blinked when they were done.
"I'll get the Growlithes," Jenny said for lack of a better response. She left through the back door. A few minutes later, she came back looking extremely grumpy. As a way of explanation, she muttered, "They stole the Growlithes."
Ash sweatdropped.
"What about your Flamie?" Galacteon asked, "I think the Chanseys were stolen, but not the patients."
"Right, Flamie," Jenny said, dashing out the front door.
* * *
"Where would they take the Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"I don't even know who stole them," Jenny moaned as she stomped through the Center in search of Flamie. There was too much talking for Galacteon to point the way. They heard loud banging sounds and continued in that direction.
"I bet it was Team Rocket," Ash concluded as they reached the door to Flamie's room. Something was obviously slamming it from the inside. Jenny started to open it, but everyone just barely skid to the side as the door was blown to splinters by a star-shaped blast of flames.
Flamie stood in the doorway. His bandaged fur was bristled and held the appearance of the flames he'd just exhaled. His muscles were tensed as he breathed hard, growling and flicking flames between his bared teeth with each outward breath. His eyes were hard and shiny, reflecting insane anger and hatred.
"Flamie?" Jenny questioned. Flamie emitted a shockingly loud echoing howl before taking a step toward Jenny and keeping his frightful eyes on her. After a few seconds, she realized he was waiting for orders. Unnerved by his unexplained anger, she stuttered as she said, "They might be in the old warehouse down the stree—"
"Growl!" Flamie was instantly out of sight as he raced through the halls toward the door.
"Hey, wait!" Jenny called, running after.
When Jenny, Ash, and Galacteon reached Flamie, he was slamming through the poorly boarded wood of the warehouse door.
Twenty or more of Giovanni's nameless lackey's gaped for a split second before releasing two or three Pokémon each. Flamie's angry eyes flicked to the cage in the back, stuffed with Growlithes and Chanseys. He spotted Peenki and darted forward, plowing, slamming, and flaming through every human or Pokémon his way.
"Woah…he's tough," Galacteon said.
"No kidding," Ash said; he turned to Jenny, "You trained Flamie really well."
But Jenny was watching Flamie with her jaw hanging down. The Pokémon had Jesse's Arbok latched onto his back leg and Cassidy and Flames's Ninetails using Ember on him as he ignored Drowzee's Hypnosis and knocked it across the room with Take Down. He turned and Fire Blasted Ninetails, whipping him with the dizzy Arbok.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as he spotted the Mouse Pokémon, "Go, everyone! Get Team Rocket!"
"Saur!" Bulbasaur cried, being the first out. He emitted four vines, seized four of the smaller opponents, and slammed them together.
"Growoooooo!" Flamie howled. Then the battle really began.
Chapter 44 (9)
It was Galacteon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Snorlax, and Flamie versus about fifty of Team Rocket's abused but strong and vicious Pokémon. It was a bloody war of brute strength that should have been easily decided, but Ash's Pokémon and Flamie held their own shockingly well considering their lack of numbers.
Even Ash and Jenny were physically fighting off the vicious creatures that attacked them.
Galacteon stood atop a stack of boxes. He fired his Moonbeam attack at any Pokémon about to land a blow on one of his comrades. Squirtle was with him, using Water Gun on the rapidly burning wooden structure of the old building. Snorlax would corner a lot of smaller Pokémon before Body Slamming them.
Bulbasaur was the first to be recalled, as there were many Fire types that seemed to be blasting flames around at random. Charizard's strong tail knocked Pokémon around ruthlessly.
Most of the battle's gore seemed centered on Flamie. He was a force to be reckoned with, a burning bullet that shot through anything that dared to obstruct his path.
Each of the five-or-so minutes were stretched into a long violent millenium filled with burning blood. The landscape of flames seemed endless. One by one, the Rockets recalled their half-dead servants and practically crawled from the building.
Charizard was too weak after taking on Butch's Wartortle, which was defeated by Squirtle. From then on, the Tiny Turtle could do little more than weakly hack up foam. He and Charizard were returned. Galacteon knocked a wildly unruly Primape away from him and went limp as the burning base of his stack of boxes collapsed. He was recalled before he hit the flaming ground, and Snorlax was just plain out cold.
Cassidy collapsed, leaving Butch to lift her and Alazure and flee to a safer area. As Jesse and Flames followed them, the latter released his strongest Pokémon, Charizard.
"RRROWWWRRR!" roared the Charizard. It was looking rather cocky because it's only opponent was a bruised, banged, and bloody Growlithe. A well-aimed swipe of its wing sent Flamie skidding over near the half-melted cage. Nurse Joy and Peenki, possibly the two healthiest creatures within it, were there by him.
"Growlithe growl," Flamie moaned to Peenki. He struggled to stand, but he fell back down. Peenki held his head up. Her egg glowed, followed by the rest of her. He glowed with her.
When they stopped glowing, he gave a whimper of thanks, stood, and turned back the Charizard, who seemed a bit miffed by the sudden recovery.
"Flamie, be careful!" Officer Jenny cried.
"GROOOW-LITHE!" Flamie howled, charging forward. He used his Take Down on Charizard's stomach. They both went skidding back ten feet. Flamie bounded back and did a few Tackles before Charizard successfully slashed him.
He was knocked back, and he jumped up just in time to avoid Charizard's Flamethrower. He jumped at the dragon, both of their flames colliding in his path.
"Flamie!" Jenny cried as her Growlithe disappeared within the mass of floating fire. There was a flash of white from within it, followed by a second more visible one from across the room.
"Rrrorr!" the surprised Charizard roared as the canine came through the fire and Tackled him, clamping his teeth in his neck as the last of his bandages turned to ashes and fell off. Flamie jumped back, only to slam again, and he moved as little more than a reddish and yellow blur. After several rapid attacks, he landed atop another stack of boxes and allowed everyone their first good look at him.
"Arcanine!" Jenny exclaimed.
"He evolved!" cried Ash, "Doesn't Growlithe need a Fire Stone?" He took out his PokéDex.
"PING! There is a controversial theory stating that all Pokémon with stone-induced evolution can evolve normally if the Pokémon's level is high and it is under extreme stress." Ash closed his PokéDex at that point rather than listen to a big essay on stone evolution. His eyes flicked to the back cage where he spotted a very large fluffy Chansey banging on the bars of the door.
Flamie shot a fruitless Fire Blast as the Charizard took flight in the crowded building. Fire truck sirens could be heard from outside. Flamie fire again. Nurse Joy and the captive Pokémon cringed as the blast hit near the door. Charizard landed and laughed at its opponent's inaccuracy, but Flamie grinned.
Nurse Joy cautiously touched the bars before she and Peenki shoved on the unmelted portion of the door. The nearly liquefied lock snapped. Charizard was hit from behind by Peenki's Double Edge.
"Is that…?" Ash wondered now that Peenki was closer.
"Blissey—the Happiness Pokémon," the PokéDex identified.
"Wow," Ash commented as Flamie and Peenki rallied together and attacked with Flamethrower and Egg Bomb.
"Charizard, return here!"
A bit more singed than before, the Charizard flew back to its master. Flames hopped onto its neck and grabbed Cassidy's wrist. She grabbed Butch by the collar as the Charizard barreled through the wall and escaped.
"SPLIT!" Jesse called to the others, who ran out through the hole. Most of them were caught by the police, so Jesse snatched up Meowth and had Arbok build a split-second underground escape route.
* * *
"Pi-pika!" Pikachu said happily as he and Blaze scarfed down apples within the safety of the Pokémon Center. Ash was leaning against the counter and watching Joy and Jenny bicker.
"Flamie and Peenki told me why they're always arguing," Galacteon said, "It's because Nurse Joy thinks Officer Jenny is too hard on her Growlithes."
"She trained Flamie well," Ash said, "but she seemed surprised by its power."
"He got his sudden burst of strength 'cause he's got a thing for Peenki."
"Okay," Ash said slowly. He looked from Joy and Jenny, to the newly appearing Blissey accompanying the freshly bandaged Arcanine, and back to Galacteon.
"They'll get along someday," Galacteon grinned hopefully.
Peenki hugged Flamie.
~~~
A/N: Yeah, I know Growlithe/Arcanine and Chansey/Blissey aren't compatible breeding partners, but I thought this was cute anyway.
~~~