"I can't believe we're going to the Pokemon Finals!" Misty gushed as she cuddled her Psyduck.
"Yeah," Ash added. "I mean, it's been only five years since we started training. Going to the Pokemon Finals at seventeen!"
"I couldn't agree more," Brock said. "Most trainers are in their thirties or forties when they compete."
"Well, that's because we're just the best, right?" Misty said, snaking an arm around Ash's waist.
Ash gave her a quick kiss. "You've got that right, Misty. The best."
The road they were on, a narrow track with a slight incline which led through a thickish forest, turned a corner. They went around the corner- and found themselves facing a sheer rock wall.
"What the-" Ash muttered, running his hand over the wall. "This isn't on the map."
"Send Pidgey to investigate," Brock suggested.
"Sounds OK," Ash replied. He threw the Pokeball. "Go, Pidgey!"
The brown and white bird flew high, hovered over the wall, and- "SQUAWK!"- hit the ground at a good 20 miles an hour as a mess of blood and feathers.
"Pidgey?" Misty yelled, dropping Psyduck and running over to it. She picked it up, and turned a tearstained face to her boyfriend. "It's over, Ash. Pidgey's dead."
"Dead?" Ash said, kneeling beside her. He ran a hand over the lifeless Pokemon. "This isn't right. There wasn't another Pokemon around- what could have killed it?"
Instantly, from every direction, two maniacal laughs could be heard- one slightly lower than the other.
"What the heck?" Brock said. He covered his ears, trying to shut out the laughter.
"We'll need support," Ash said. He threw another Pokeball. "Go, Pikachu!"
"Pikapikachu?"
"Don't worry," Misty said, still crying over the Pidgey. She scratched Pikachu's head. "I'm sure it's in Pokeheaven right now."
"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu started crying, half from fright, half because he was too stupid to realize that there was nothing he could do.
Then the world went dark.
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "What's going on!"
Then, right in front of them in the blackness, a pinprick of silver light appeared. This exploded into a whirling vortex of silver and green lightning- and two dark figures emerged.
"Team Rocket!" the three Poketrainers gasped.
And so it was. However, it was only their hair that made them recognizable- otherwise, their look was completely new. Both wore black, and black trenchcoats to match. They even had sunglasses. The two stood back-to-back, grinning evilly at the three stunned teens. Then James spoke:
"To hasten all Pokemon's gruesome deaths!"
Jessie added:
"To stomp out truth and slaughter kindness!"
"To make Poketrainers just bloody smears!"
"To realize Professor Oak's worst goddamn fears!"
"JAMES!"
"JESSIE!"
"Team Rocket attack at the speed of light!"
"You've got a choice for fight or flight!"
Then Meowth jumped out from behind them, grinning also as the spikes on his collar reflected the lightning. "Meowth, damn straight!"
The three Poketrainers gasped. Team Rocket had sworn!
Jessie looked at James. "You sure this is the right bunch of idiots? They're just gaping."
"Naah, it's them." James replied. "These fuckers are the right ones. Nobody else is this stupid."
These words snapped Ash back to his senses. "You'll never win, evil ones!" he yelled.
"Oh?" Meowth said.
"Vileplume, I choose you!" Ash yelled, hurling the red-and-white ball at the smirking Team Rocket.
James retaliated. "Kick ass, Stealthazar!"
Within nine seconds, Vileplume had been turned into coleslaw by some invisible force.
"Stop!" Misty said. She grabbed Ash's arm. "They've got some tough pocket monsters now- we have to bring out the big guns!"
"No guns, though, OK?"
"Agreed." Then Misty threw her Pokeball. "We're relying on you- just like with Mewtwo! This is your number-one cue- triumph over evil, Mew!"
KERACK! Jessie had done a no-hands cartwheel, wrapped her legs around Mew's neck, pulled a scissors move, and- Ash, Misty, and Brock ducked to avoid the spray of gore. Apparently, Jessie had attached razor blades to her boots, because Mew's head had come clean off.
"Hell yeah!" James and Jessie high-fived. "My turn," James said. He launched himself forward, moving faster than the Poketrainers could see.
"Yeah," Ash added. "I mean, it's been only five years since we started training. Going to the Pokemon Finals at seventeen!"
"I couldn't agree more," Brock said. "Most trainers are in their thirties or forties when they compete."
"Well, that's because we're just the best, right?" Misty said, snaking an arm around Ash's waist.
Ash gave her a quick kiss. "You've got that right, Misty. The best."
The road they were on, a narrow track with a slight incline which led through a thickish forest, turned a corner. They went around the corner- and found themselves facing a sheer rock wall.
"What the-" Ash muttered, running his hand over the wall. "This isn't on the map."
"Send Pidgey to investigate," Brock suggested.
"Sounds OK," Ash replied. He threw the Pokeball. "Go, Pidgey!"
The brown and white bird flew high, hovered over the wall, and- "SQUAWK!"- hit the ground at a good 20 miles an hour as a mess of blood and feathers.
"Pidgey?" Misty yelled, dropping Psyduck and running over to it. She picked it up, and turned a tearstained face to her boyfriend. "It's over, Ash. Pidgey's dead."
"Dead?" Ash said, kneeling beside her. He ran a hand over the lifeless Pokemon. "This isn't right. There wasn't another Pokemon around- what could have killed it?"
Instantly, from every direction, two maniacal laughs could be heard- one slightly lower than the other.
"What the heck?" Brock said. He covered his ears, trying to shut out the laughter.
"We'll need support," Ash said. He threw another Pokeball. "Go, Pikachu!"
"Pikapikachu?"
"Don't worry," Misty said, still crying over the Pidgey. She scratched Pikachu's head. "I'm sure it's in Pokeheaven right now."
"Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu started crying, half from fright, half because he was too stupid to realize that there was nothing he could do.
Then the world went dark.
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "What's going on!"
Then, right in front of them in the blackness, a pinprick of silver light appeared. This exploded into a whirling vortex of silver and green lightning- and two dark figures emerged.
"Team Rocket!" the three Poketrainers gasped.
And so it was. However, it was only their hair that made them recognizable- otherwise, their look was completely new. Both wore black, and black trenchcoats to match. They even had sunglasses. The two stood back-to-back, grinning evilly at the three stunned teens. Then James spoke:
"To hasten all Pokemon's gruesome deaths!"
Jessie added:
"To stomp out truth and slaughter kindness!"
"To make Poketrainers just bloody smears!"
"To realize Professor Oak's worst goddamn fears!"
"JAMES!"
"JESSIE!"
"Team Rocket attack at the speed of light!"
"You've got a choice for fight or flight!"
Then Meowth jumped out from behind them, grinning also as the spikes on his collar reflected the lightning. "Meowth, damn straight!"
The three Poketrainers gasped. Team Rocket had sworn!
Jessie looked at James. "You sure this is the right bunch of idiots? They're just gaping."
"Naah, it's them." James replied. "These fuckers are the right ones. Nobody else is this stupid."
These words snapped Ash back to his senses. "You'll never win, evil ones!" he yelled.
"Oh?" Meowth said.
"Vileplume, I choose you!" Ash yelled, hurling the red-and-white ball at the smirking Team Rocket.
James retaliated. "Kick ass, Stealthazar!"
Within nine seconds, Vileplume had been turned into coleslaw by some invisible force.
"Stop!" Misty said. She grabbed Ash's arm. "They've got some tough pocket monsters now- we have to bring out the big guns!"
"No guns, though, OK?"
"Agreed." Then Misty threw her Pokeball. "We're relying on you- just like with Mewtwo! This is your number-one cue- triumph over evil, Mew!"
KERACK! Jessie had done a no-hands cartwheel, wrapped her legs around Mew's neck, pulled a scissors move, and- Ash, Misty, and Brock ducked to avoid the spray of gore. Apparently, Jessie had attached razor blades to her boots, because Mew's head had come clean off.
"Hell yeah!" James and Jessie high-fived. "My turn," James said. He launched himself forward, moving faster than the Poketrainers could see.