PoKéMoN
Avenger – by Ben Russell-Gough
Legal Disclaimer
Pokémon, the Pocket Monsters and their human friends and enemies are all the sole copyright and trademark property of Nintendo Entertainment, Game Freak Software and 4 Kids Productions. No breach of any copyright or legal property is intended.
Author's Notes
This is my first Pokémon fic. I still don't know all the monsters or the moves, so please forgive me if I get something glaringly wrong. I can only base my work on the little I've seen of the cartoon.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the other Fanfiction.NET authors for providing plenty of information, feedback and honest advice. It has made my work much better and more satisfying to read, I think. Special thanks must go to Charles 'Rocketboy' Reilly, Wind, Chuchino, Joshua Falken and Catalina Storm for their invaluable detailed feedback.
Text in [squared-off brackets] is translated Pokémon talk
Text in Italics but not in quotes indicates thought or telepathic communication
Text in bold is a mobile 'phone text message
This is an Alternate Universe fic.
Ages: Ash is 17; Misty has just turned 19; Brock is 25; Jessie and James are both 24; Richie is 17; Duplicia is 18; Sabrina is 20; Lance is 16; Joy is 29.
Censor: R (Equivalent to UK '15' Certificate)
Content Warning: Swearing, implied sexual activity & violence
Book 2 – Team Rocket Strikes Back
What has gone before…
It is a time of great struggle, with the forces of good and evil locked in a dreadful war to decide who will be the ultimate masters of the Pokémon. A small band of heroic Trainers, known as Team Thunderbolt, are fighting an all-but-hopeless struggle against the immense power of the dreaded terrorist organisation Team Rocket.
Now, the destiny of the entire world lies in the balance. Ash Ketchum, the Chosen One and the greatest Pokémon Trainer who has ever walked the Earth has been betrayed into the hands of Team Rocket and into the hands of his insane estranged father Giovanni diRocketti.
As Ash's friends and comrades in Team Thunderbolt struggle to find him, and to endure in his absence, Butch and Cassidy, Team Rocket's most feared operatives, are sadistically torturing Ash in an attempt to break his will and turn him to the path of evil. Although Ash is strong, no mortal can take such punishment before his or her body begins to rebel and ultimately fail.
Now, indirectly assisted by the rogue super-Pokémon Mewtwo, Misty Waterflower and Team Thunderbolt are hard on the trail of their missing leader. The question is… is it already too late?
***
Butch stormed into Cassidy's cabin just as she was brushing her hair after a refreshing shower. "Why Butch," she purred seductively, cocking her hips under the towel, "how can I be of service to you?"
Butch slapped Cassidy with the back of his hand, knocking her back onto her bunk. "You crazy slut," he snapped. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" Cassidy attempted an expression of wounded innocence that didn't fool Butch in the slightest. "You've practically killed him you nymphomaniac!"
"Butch, that… that isn't true," Cassidy stammered. "I'm just softening him up. Like I said, the carrot instead of the stick!"
Butch covered his face. He was so frightened of the Boss's impending wrath that it was taking all of his self control not to start being sick. "He's gone into some kind of coma, Cassidy! You haven't broken him… you've destroyed him!"
Cassidy laughed. "Don't worry, darling," she replied. "You were like that the first time, remember?" Her laugh became sadistic. "He'll come around after a few hours and I'll show him a little more. Eventually, I'll have him tied around my little finger and he will be glad to do whatever we ask. Then the Boss will be pleased and we get our promotion!"
"I think you may have gone a little too far," Butch suggested. "He's gone CATATONIC you psychopathic whore!"
***
Brock was in a foul mood. Misty couldn't blame him for this as he had just been awoken after three hours of sleep by a half-hysterical girl babbling on about a series of movies made almost a century ago. But this was important, and he was the only one who had anything even close to the knowledge she needed to solve this riddle.
Misty was standing next to Brock, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, drinking yet another coffee. Joy was hovering close to them both, trying to stop them from coming to blows. The rest of the Thunderbolts were crowded around, roused by the noise. Some of them weren't as sure as Misty was at the relevance of this dream.
"Misty, for God's sake it was just a dream," Richie groused. "Just go back to sleep!" And let us sleep too, he added silently
Sabrina shook her head, frowning. "It wasn't just a dream," she said. "There is a lasting impression of a power here. Someone or something imposed those images on Misty's mind."
"And why didn't you detect this earlier?" Richie asked the psychic combatively. He didn't like her and he as sure as hell didn't trust her. To his surprise, Sabrina looked in Lance's direction and blushed a bright red. Aw hell, Richie thought and wished that he could just sink into the ground and never be seen again.
"She has been working hard, Richie," Lance said quietly. "Maybe she was sleeping more deeply than usual."
"Yeah, maybe," Richie said feeling terribly embarrassed.
Brock finished his fourth cup of coffee. "Okay," he said gently. "Let's start again. What did you see."
"Well, there was this boat, a very big luxury yacht, and I got the clear impression Ash was on board," Misty began. Brock nodded encouragingly. "I saw James Bond… it was the first one, the Scottish guy."
"Sean Connery," Brock supplied. He grinned impishly. "Are you sure this wasn't just a romantic fantasy?"
Misty blushed red with anger and Joy thumped Brock soundly. "Try to take this seriously, Mr. One-Night Stand," she hissed. Brock flushed angrily, but managed to turn his attention back to Misty's recollections.
"And there was this aircraft. A huge thing with a single delta wing and four engines."
Brock nodded. "That narrows it down a lot. Could it be Moonraker?" He turned to their resident experts on Team Rocket. "James, does Team Rocket have any orbital bases?"
James shrugged. Jessie looked helpless. Meowth shook his head decisively. "Nah, da Boss's never been interested in dat stuff."
Brock shook his head in frustration. "This is hopeless!" he shouted.
"Brock!" Joy hissed. "Calm down." The feeling of defeat got to everyone. Sabrina, Lance and Richie drifted away. Poor Misty looked on the verge of tears. Raichu walked up beside her and leapt to her shoulders. He stroked her face affectionately with his soft cheeks.
[You are doing everything you can, Misty,] he said. [Don't despair.]
"Was there anything else?" Jessie asked kindly. "Anything at all?"
Misty frowned. "Well… I was on a cliff," she said quietly. "There… there was a big thunderbolt, probably a reference to 'Team Thunderbolt…' and a big Pokéball…"
"Wait a minute," Brock said suddenly, standing up. "Thunderbolt and a Pokéball… why does that make me think…?" He began to pace. "Thunderbolt and a Pokéball… Thunder and a ball… Oh… oh my God I am an idiot! The boat! The Vulcan Bomber… It's about Thunderball!"
"Thunderball?" Jessie shouted, jumping to her feet. "Where did you hear that name?"
"Thunderball was the fourth James Bond movie," Brock said. "It is famed as the first one where a villain called James Bond 'Meester Bond.'" Brock thought that was funny, but no one else got the joke.
"Thunderball is also the name of Giovanni's yacht," Jessie said. "She's quite a machine, part luxury cruiser and part pirate warship. Before I started serving on a field team as Cassidy's second, I had a temporary assignment on board as a stewardess." She shuddered and leaned into James' comforting presence. "Giovanni and his rich friends had a unique idea of what classified as 'entertaining guests.'"
There was a long pause before Misty spoke. "Where is she right now?"
Richie raised a finger. "I think I might know how to find out." He ran back to his tent and emerged with his laptop computer. Within minutes he was on-line to www.ministryofshipping.gov.kto. He called up the record for the merchant vessel 'Thunderball,' registered in Cinnabar City. "The documented owner is a company called 'Red Star Engineering Inc,'" he said.
Meowth nodded. "Dat's the one. Red Star is one o' da Boss's legitimate companies."
Richie nodded. He quickly pursued the file and easily overcame the simple security locks that protected privileged information. "Okay, it looks like we have struck a jackpot here, folks," he said in an excited tone. "The Thunderball has been moored in Fuchsia City Harbour for the last three weeks. She has just put to sea this evening, but no destination was logged with the Harbourmaster's office."
"Ten will give you a thousand that they're heading for Black Island," Lance announced.
Misty stepped away, her face unreadable. "Ash is on that ship," she said with total certainty. She turned to her friends and allies. "We're going to stop that boat and rescue him. Let's get packed people. Jessie?" she turned to her friend. "I want to know everything you know about the Thunderball. Crew numbers, sensors, defensive weapons and her performance at sea if you know." Jessie nodded in agreement.
As the camp broke up, Misty walked a few yards away to gather her thoughts. Whoever had sent that dream had her thanks. It wasn't as good as delivering Ash back to her, but she could do the rest. "Hang on Ash," she said quietly. "We're coming…"
And now the continuation…
Chapter 5 – Team Rocket Strikes Back
Off the coast of the island continent of Kanto, a 450-foot long luxury yacht was driving out to sea at its' top speed of 28 knots. The beautiful, sleek vessel, the Thunderball, was the property of millionaire businessman and Gym Leader Giovanni diRocketti. It also hid a deadly secret. Buried under its' sleek lines was firepower enough to defeat a moderate-sized warship; for this was a vessel operated by the terrorist organisation Team Rocket.
Deep within the forward hull of the big vessel, a group of people was standing around a youthful figure, who was tied down into a bed, despite the fact that he was clearly virtually comatose. Butch Kojiburo Williams looked down at the still form of Ash Satoshi Ketchum and felt a strange sympathy for the Organisation's sworn enemy. Ash had been a thorn in his side for… God, it must be longer than five years now. Despite that fact, and despite the fact that Ketchum was the leader of Team Thunderbolt, a group of vigilantes dedicated to the destruction of Team Rocket, he still felt sorry for the kid. Ash had been an honourable and courageous opponent; he was a brother warrior and one worthy of the greatest respect. Butch shuddered as he looked into his unfocussed and almost dead eyes. This is no fate for a soldier, he thought in horror. Better a clean death than to be reduced to a… vegetable.
Butch sucked in a deep breath before talking to the two Team Rocket medics, who were checking the intravenous nutrient drips and the prisoner's vital signs. "Is there any change?" he asked hopelessly.
The lead medic shook his head. "None, I'm afraid sir," he replied. "The prisoner remains in a catatonic state. His vital signs are normal, but there is no conscious response to any external stimuli." The medic looked at Butch, his face concerned. "Sir, if I may ask… What did Ms. Wilkes do to him?"
"Stuff from your worst nightmares, pal," Butch replied, his face going blank as he remembered the occasion when she had inflicted those torments on him.
***
Cassidy Yamato Wilkes had been pacing from side to side of her small cabin on the Thunderball without even pausing for several hours now. Her scarred, maimed face, which still bore the signs of the beauty she had boasted only a year ago, was twisted with elemental rage.
When the guards locked her in here, her first thought was to swear that she would get out of this trap. She would make Butch pay for betraying her. She would break Ash Ketchum's spirit, even if she had to step over The Boss's dead body to do it. She would do this and many other things to prove that no one could dictate to her what she could or couldn't do.
As she paced restlessly, her mind span in smaller and smaller circles, her thoughts becoming less and less coherent. Thoughts and images crowded upon her, her past, present and her dreams. These quickly became confused; fantasy and reality combined in a boiling mix of the real and the imaginary. Pretty soon, her mind stopped functioning properly, and all she was aware of was a boiling animalistic hatred that provided a glorious flow of adrenaline that kept her moving, even though her throat was screaming for a glass of water. As she continued to pace, flecks of foam were forming at the corners of her mouth.
By the time the Thunderball's radar detected the three flying Pokémon closing in on the yacht, there was nothing in the mind of Cassidy Wilkes. Nothing except a blazing lust to cause the world pain and suffering on an unprecedented scale. Of course, you could argue that there never had been anything else in there anyway.
***
Richie Yeager, sitting on the back of his Dragonite, Tempest, looked over at his companions. Misty Waterflower and Brock Slate sat on the back of Misty's own Dragonite, while James Weston and Jessie Scarlet flew on the back of Jessie's Fearaven. Behind him, Sabrina von Daimen and Lance Hook were sitting on Tempest's back.
Frankly, the presence of the powerful psychic so nearby made Richie incredibly uncomfortable. The thought that she could be peering under his skull right now and finding out all his secrets… He shuddered. Unfortunately, she was also vital for this operation, and Misty had insisted that he carry her along.
Tempest rumbled affectionately underneath Richie. The sensitive Pokémon could feel his unhappiness and was trying to make him feel better. It was a good effort, but he wasn't going to make Richie happier that easily.
Suddenly, Richie's cell phone trilled. Richie clicked the 'answer' button and watched as a text message scrolled across the LCD screen: Tgt ahd. Attack AB ^_^;
Richie looked up and saw the long low-slung shape of the Thunderball cutting through the waves. Richie tensed. This was it. Misty's plan, which was fantastically aggressive and made Richie think of Ash's more dramatic attack schemes, involved them immobilising the yacht using their Dragonites' Ice Beam attack. They would then use whatever means to hand to disable its' weaponry before boarding it to find and free Ash.
***
Butch looked up from Ash Ketchum's still form when the Battle Stations alarm began to shriek. He ran from the cell/sick room, scaled six flights of stairs and rushed onto the Thunderball's bridge. "Report!" he snapped.
The yacht's captain, currently dressed in the white uniform of a merchant seaman, turned to him immediately. "We've detected three airborne targets approaching us at high velocity," he reported. "Our radar returns are only weak and we are not picking up any significant heat sources, so they must be Pokémon."
Butch strode over to the radar display and looked at the three dots, clearly in a military-style 'vic' formation, as they approached the yacht. "Arm our Sea Sparrow batteries," he ordered. "Fire eight rounds the moment they come within 25 miles."
***
As the three flying Pokémon rushed towards the Thunderball, Misty was the first to see the white smoke trails blossom from its' fore-deck as eight surface-to-air missiles blasted into the air. She waved her right hand in the air, ordering her friends to evade the incoming attack.
Dragonite and Tempest easily avoided the century-old SAMs. Jessie, James and Meowth (riding Fearaven) didn't, however. Instead, the black scavenger bird fired a red-gold energy bolt that vaporised one of the missiles targeted on them. The explosion tore apart the second as well. Misty shook her head in a combination of amazement and admiration. Jessie and James, she thought. Those two just love to be different.
Almost immediately, the Thunderball's camouflaged 50mm AAA turrets rose out of their housings and began to spit explosive/tracer bullets. Misty lay down flat against Dragonite's neck and stroked her, encouraging her to dive to sea level and accelerate to her top speed.
The three Pokémon, now in line astern formation, shot across the Thunderball's bows at about 1,500 mph, raising a twenty-foot high wall of water sucked up by their passage. The yacht struck the shock wave and began to pitch and roll wildly. Inside, the crew had to scramble to keep at their positions. In the moment of confusion, no one noticed as Dragonite and Tempest turned back around; both unleashed their Ice Beam attacks.
***
Butch was thrown across the Bridge as the Thunderball suddenly lurched to a halt. "What the hell is happening?" he yelled.
"Those Pokémon must have used an ice attack!" the Captain blurted to him. "We're stuck in an ice sheet!"
Butch turned and looked at the massive field of ice now surrounding the immobilised pirate warship. "Have our main guns fire down into the ice," he ordered. The next order was more difficult to issue, but he was sure that the Boss would prefer having his prisoner returned, even if it meant losing most of his luxury yacht. "Prepare for emergency separation. Order the crew in the aft section to repel any borders. Remind them that the Organisation expects them to fight to the death."
***
The Thunderball's guns were firing randomly into the air, trying to keep the marauding Team Thunderbolt Pokémon away. Jessie ordered Fearaven around in a tight turn and then told her flying-type to unleash an Omni-blast attack. The energy bolt tore off one of the AAA cannon turrets and made all the windows in the upper starboard aft section of the boat shatter and blow out.
Inside that section of the yacht, Cassidy dropped to the floor with a startled cry as the windows of her cabin exploded outward. The shock wave stunned and deafened her for a moment. When she was able to look up again, she saw something that made her smile evilly. The concussion had burst open the door to her cabin. Lying on a table outside was her pistol and her Pokébelt. With a demented laugh, and ignoring the blood streaming out of her ears, she leapt forward, ready to embrace freedom and vengeance.
Simultaneously, Misty's Dragonite dropped into a hover above the immobilised yacht. A turret turned to face the hovering flying/water-type, only to be melted into slag by a Flame-thrower attack launched by Brock's Ninetails. Misty grinned at her friend and then turned to the tan-and-yellow electric squirrel sitting beside her. "Are you ready Raichu?" she asked.
[I'm ready, Misty,] Raichu chirped excitedly.
Misty grinned. "Off you go then." Raichu, who was wearing a Pokébelt wrapped around him like a sash, leapt off the Dragonite's back and landed on top of the yacht's Bridge area. Misty watched until he ducked through a broken window into the interior of the boat, and then urged Dragonite to launch herself into the air again.
As Dragonite climbed away, the yacht's automatic 105-mm cannon finished punching holes around the forward section of the boat. There was a whine of powerful gas turbine engines building up to full power, followed a second later by a series of loud bangs as explosive bolts separated the fore and aft sections of the ship.
As Misty watched, the fore section of the yacht (which reminded her of some speedboats she saw in Cerulean City Harbour) suddenly accelerated away. It rose up out of the water on three slender foils and roared towards the horizon at fifty knots. The rest of the ship, still bristling with armament, continued to fire at the three Pokémon soaring around it. Misty frowned and, in a way that would have made Ash proud, adapted her plan on the spot. "Brock, we've got to finish off this armed barge," she said. "We need to know where that Hydrofoil is going. Get Golbat to follow it."
Brock nodded and released his bat-like earth-type. He activated the homing beacon that Richie (their resident electronic genius) had created. "Golbat, follow that fast boat," he ordered, "but try to keep out of sight!"
[I'm on it, Brock,] Golbat replied. He rose away with a flutter of leathery wings and soared off after the hydrofoil.
***
Inside said hydrofoil, Raichu had been surprised by the sudden acceleration of the supposedly immobilised vessel. Still, he had an assignment, and it was too important to him for anything to stand in his way.
Reaching back, he knocked one of Ash's Pokéballs off the belt Misty had wrapped around him. This was a special Pokéball, all black with a blue strip painted around the equator. Raichu leaned forward and pressed the 'release' control.
There was a flash of white light and a group of twenty-six Pokémon in the shape of letters materialised above him. The group of Pokémon was circling each other endlessly in eye straining patterns. [Huh? Where's Ash…? Oh, hello Raichu,] Unown moaned in their unearthly voices.
[Ash is somewhere aboard this ship, Unown,] Raichu explained quickly. [We have to find him; can you lead me there?]
Without a word, Unown stopped its' endless rotations and the 'F' glyph swept forward. The glyph began to glow and the cluster of powerful psi-types began to drift forward. Raichu fumbled Unown's Pokéball back onto the belt and scampered off to find his friend.
***
The sailors of Team Rocket had fought hard and well, but they couldn't hold off the raw firepower of Team Thunderbolt forever. The last weapons turret exploded as Brock's Graveler tore through it like a sentient avalanche. Misty's Dragonite, Richie's Tempest and Jessie's Fearaven landed on the flat roof.
Misty turned to Sabrina hopefully. The blonde psychic closed her eyes and frowned in concentration. She sighed regretfully and looked Misty in the eye. "I'm sorry, Misty," she said. "I can't sense him. He may be comatose, of course, or they may have placed him in a shielded container of some kind." To Sabrina's surprise, her friend seemed to have expected that news.
"Okay, spread out, people," Misty ordered. "I figure Ash is on that hydrofoil that lit out of here so quickly, but we've got to be sure."
There was a chorus of "right" and "let's do it," as Misty and her seven friends began to spread out through the aft section, looking for Ash.
Lance's Hitmonchan physically tore through the aft bulkhead and strode into what looked like a bar. Lance and Sabrina were a second behind him as a group of Rockets appeared over the bar. They were armed with what were either sub-machineguns or assault rifles. "Hitmonchan, Aurora Shield," Lance ordered. The bullets flashed forward and clattered uselessly against the fighting-type's defence. "Now use Beserker," Lance continued.
Hitmonchan charged forward, physically tearing the bar apart. Rockets flew hither and yon as Hitmonchan's giant gloved fists lashed out. Suddenly Sabrina sensed something… "Lance look out!" she screamed. Lance barely dodged the giant Rocket who suddenly burst out from behind a chair, waving an axe.
Sabrina was so angry at seeing someone attack Lance that she didn't even bother to use one of her Pokémon. She stared at the big terrorist, her eyes suddenly glowing with an unearthly power. The terrorist screamed and collapsed, blood flowing freely from his ears, nose, mouth and from behind his eyes. Lance didn't know what Sabrina had just done and he didn't want to know. The haunted look on his girlfriend's face told him everything that he needed to know.
Misty, with her Starmie leading the way, was slicing through the lower decks like a chainsaw through paper. As she emerged onto the aft pool deck/helicopter pad, she noticed something behind her. "Starmie, Shuriken attack!" she ordered, stabbing her finger out to the right. Her water-type suddenly flashed through the air and struck the Vileplume that was hiding among the potted plants.
The plant-type staggered out and tried to use its' Double-edge attack. Starmie dodged it easily, following Misty's non-vocal cues to loop through the attack and strike the Vileplume again. Misty pointed to the deck and mimed a punch. Starmie dropped back down to the deck and fired a Water Gun attack that blew the Vileplume off the vessel and into the water. "Ha! Great shot, Starmie," Misty crowed.
[No problems, Misty… Look out!] Misty turned just in time to see a figure in a black Team Rocket uniform lash out with what looked like a boat hook. Misty rolled with the attack, but it still knocked her over the rail and into the sea.
Misty looked up and saw Cassidy swagger forward. "Hmm… you're all wet," the blonde woman announced with a demented giggle. "You know you are in the wrong place, you Scrawny Brat."
Misty was unaffected by the taunt. She had grown up, and wasn't affected by these childish names that Rockets liked to call her any more. The old phrase that went 'sticks and stones…' came to mind. "Yeah, I know," Misty shouted back, wiping her wet hair from her face. "Never fear, Cassidy, we'll pull him off of that hydrofoil soon enough."
"Maybe," Cassidy allowed with a smirk, "but there won't be much left of him." Cassidy laughed, a near-hysterical scream of laughter. "He's used goods, little miss perfect," she explained. "I just spent one lousy hour showing him how I relax… and he went crazy! Can you imagine?"
Misty went pale. That comment had lots of possible meanings, none of them pleasant. "You… bitch," she shouted. "What did you do to him?"
"I just showed him another side of pleasure," Cassidy said, her voice sadistic and sensual. "You may find that, if he ever wakes up, he has some interesting new skills." Cassidy started laughing again as she looked at the expression of revulsion and horror on Misty's face. She laughed and laughed until she cried. Suddenly she screamed "Shut up!" and stopped laughing.
Misty was furious… no murderous. James may have had a prior claim on this piece of dirt, but he wasn't here. She touched a Pokéball on her bandoleer. Maybe some time playing with Tentacruel would cure Cassidy of her love of pain…
"Oh no you don't," Cassidy snapped, her gold-plated semi-auto flashing out of its' holster. There was a long, frozen pause as Cassidy looked at the gun as if she had never seen it before. "No," she decided after a second. "No, that's too easy." Cassidy reached behind her and pulled out a Pokéball. "This way will be more fun… Gyarados, I choose you!" Cassidy's giant water snake materialised in the water and glared at Misty. "Din-dins, Gyarados, dear," Cassidy giggled.
Misty smirked. "Oh sister, are you in for a surprise," she said. She wasn't just going to beat this bitch… she was going to humiliate her. "Horsee, I choose you!"
***
The hydrofoil section of the Thunderball raced through the water. Its' crew was finding it a bumpy ride, but they felt a certain relief that they had escaped the attack of the dreaded Team Thunderbolt.
Inside, down on E-deck, a Black Rocket was guarding a cell where the Organisation's arch-foe… what was left of him anyway… was tied to a bed surrounded by medical equipment. It was taking all of the guard's concentration to keep his balance, so he didn't notice the swirling cluster of twenty-six Pokémon shaped like letters until it was hovering in front of his face.
"What the hell is this…?" he blurted, uncertain of whether to raise his gun. The point suddenly became moot when a Thunder-shock flashed from behind him, making his muscles spasm and cramp uselessly. The Rocket tried to scream but failed, and then he plunged into the dark.
Raichu looked up at Unown. [Is he in here?] the electric squirrel asked.
[Definitely,] Unown replied.
[Well, let's get in there,] Raichu suggested. Unown's cluster swirled for a moment until the glyph shaped like a letter 'B' was in the front. The 'Bear' attack generated a psionic force beam, which blew off the armoured door of the cell and made it 'clang' against the far bulkhead.
Raichu ran in to see Ash lying in the bed. The little Pokémon tried to restrain his tears, noting his Trainer's battered condition and the terrifying dead blankness of his expression.
It hurt… a lot. It wasn't just physical pain, but the humiliation and emotional pain too. Despite the injuries that monstrous harlot inflicted, somehow she managed to make it feel good… that is the real horror of it… I won't take anymore… I'd rather go away…
"Rai-ai? Raichu-ai-ai-ra-chu-rai-ai!"
Raichu? No, it can't be… This is another trick, like the time they tried to make out Brock and Joy had betrayed me… He isn't here… he can't be here… can he?
My arms and legs feel different… Are they free? I would like to move to find out, but I can't. No matter how I try, I can't knock down these walls I put up to protect me from what Cassidy was doing to me…I wish that I could blink, or even just change the rhythm of my breathing. But how do I know that this isn't a trick…? I daren't let them see I have become aware again… I daren't!
What… what is this?
A cluster of shapes dropped down into his view… twenty-six shapes, each reminiscent of a letter of the Roman alphabet. As he watched, the one shaped like an 'H' moved foremost and began to glow. Warmth and light flowed through him, and he found that he could gasp and draw in deep breaths.
There is one Pokémon that no one knows I have, except maybe Misty. My friends have come for me… I will awaken. I am Ash Ketchum and I am free!
"Free…" Ash said. He blinked once and looked up at Unown. Raichu was standing on his chest, looking down at him in concern. "Unown… Raichu! Oh, God, please let this be real!"
[Ash, are you all right?] Raichu asked.
Ash responded by lunging forward and hugging the electric squirrel hard. After a moment, he was able to release his oldest friend and let him chew through the straps holding his ankle. Ash slid out of bed, his limbs shaky and uncertain after weeks of disuse and abuse. Unown's 'Help' special ability had healed most of his injuries and built up his strength a little, but it would still be weeks before he was back to full health again. Ash noted that he was naked and grimaced slightly. "Well, so much for dignity," he said. At that point, the room lurched and he barely avoided a nasty fall.
"What the hell was that?" Ash blurted
[We're on a high-speed sea vessel of some sort,] Raichu explained. Ash's eyes narrowed as he took that in. It made a lot of sense, and it explained quite a bit.
"Then lets' get out of here…" Ash looked down. "I might want to find some clothes first," he added quietly.
[There was a guard outside the cell,] Raichu said with a mischievous grin. [He won't need his uniform any time in the near future.] Ash laughed and moved to drag the said guard into the cell so he could donate his clothing to the 'Free Ash Ketchum' fund.
***
"Gyarados, Body Slam!"
"Horsee, Bubble Beam attack!" The TR water snake charged towards Misty's diminutive seahorse and right into a cloud of hydrogen gas bubbles. The bubbles burst on impact and Gyarados was suddenly encased in blue-white hydrogen fire for a second. The creature roared in pain and thrashed helplessly.
Cassidy's wild, untamed expression went utterly insane for a split second. She hissed in rage and shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. "You stupid snake!" she shrieked. "Pull yourself together and kill that stupid Brat!"
"Horsee, Smokescreen," Misty ordered. Horsee spat out a cloud of ink that made visibility drop to zero. Gyarados, trying to obey his Trainer, charged, missed his targets and struck the hull of the Thunderball's aft section, making the whole ship pitch and roll wildly. Cassidy lost her footing and collapsed. Misty took the opportunity to finish the battle. "Great job, Horsee, now use Tail Whip and follow up with Take Down!"
Horsee swam right up to the stunned water snake and slapped her prehensile tail right in between his eyes. She swam off to a short distance and then shot back in as fast as she could, slamming her small body against Gyarados' head. Gyarados couldn't take any more. His eyes rolled up into his big skull and he floated serenely to the surface, unconscious.
"Yeah, great job, Horsee!" Misty shouted. Suddenly, the little water-type was surrounded with bright blue light. As Misty looked on, he disappeared in the light, which swelled until it was three- or four-times larger than before, and then it faded. In Horsee's place was a Seadra. "Or should I say 'Seadra,'" Misty continued with a laugh. "Well done! Now, use Slash on this over-grown bathtub!"
Seadra shot forward and carved open a hundred-foot gash in the Thunderball's side with his flank spines. Above her, Cassidy staggered to her feet and ran forward, brandishing a Pokéball. "You'll pay for this you little whore!" she shrieked. "Go Kadabra!"
Misty responded immediately. "Togepi, I choose you!"
Cassidy laughed, contemptuously rather than insanely this time. "I don't believe it!" she shouted. "You are putting your little baby egg against my Kadabra?" She shook her head. "Just swat the little omelette, Kadabra," Cassidy said. "Use Psi Beam."
Misty countered by making a 'T' shape with her hands and then shouting "Teleport!" The blue-white psychic energy bolt zapped through the point where Togepi had been hovering a second before. The little egg-like psi-type materialised behind Kadabra and his eyes began to glow. Kadabra froze in fear and began to shake as the Terror attack took him by surprise. Cassidy spun to see the little psi-type behind her just as Misty ordered "Nightmare!"
Cassidy saw something like a rainbow wave of light flashing out from the floating egg before she started to scream. Nightmares and the full power of every sin she had ever committed all came rushing up as monsters and imaginary knives that began to flay her alive. Cassidy fell to her knees, almost ready to surrender to the shadows of madness forever, but she was strong enough to moan out a command. "Kadabra… concentrate," she gasped at her psychic-type. "Use Light Screen." A blue-white bubble formed around Pokémon and Trainer.
Cassidy gasped in relief as she was suddenly freed of the hallucinations. Her mind was suddenly clear in many ways, in fact, but she had to finish this battle before she could consider that in any depth. "Shadow Ball," she ordered.
Kadabra wound up and threw a blue-white ball of psychic energy. The blast struck Togepi full on and sent him tumbling away from the deck of the Thunderball. Cassidy, feeling overconfident, let Kadabra walk past her to get closer to his opponent, who was hovering over the flat top of the yacht. She even slapped him on the shoulder as he walked past. "Ha! Great shot, now finish that little egg with Psychic Storm!"
A massive corona of energy built up around Kadabra. Cassidy looked over her shoulder. Misty had climbed onto Seadra and was using the water-type as a platform to stand on. She didn't seem to be worried by Kadabra's imminent attack. "Mirror Coat," she said with a slight smile.
"Oh shit, no…" Cassidy said, less than a second before Kadabra fired a massive blast of psychic power. The blast struck Togepi's defence and reflected right back at the TR Pokémon. The impact blew Kadabra back into his Trainer and sent both of them tumbling up to the edge of the yacht's helicopter pad. The backwash of the psychic attack flared over Cassidy, making her mind boil with agony.
When Cassidy recovered enough to look again, she saw Togepi suddenly turn into a glowing ball of blue-white power. The light swelled, changed its shape and then faded. In the egg's place was a little humanoid creature with insectoid wings. "Toge-toge-tic!" he said smugly.
"Well done to you, Togetic!" Misty said. "Give me a lift, will you?" The fairy-like psi-type turned slightly and gestured with his delicate hand. Misty was surrounded by a blue glow that lifted her out of the water to alight on the deck beside her Pokémon. Misty recalled Starmie and Seadra before turning to Cassidy. "Are you ready to surrender, yet?"
Cassidy suddenly realised that the battle was lost. The barge was listing hard to the starboard as water flooded in through the gash Seadra had opened up below the waterline. It was unlikely that any of her other Pokémon would do better than Vileplume, Gyarados or Kadabra. With the sudden supernatural clarity that had followed the reflected Psychic Storm attack, Cassidy realised that her duty lay elsewhere. She reached into her boot and pulled out a smoke grenade. "I will never surrender," she hissed.
When the smoke cleared, Misty stepped forward to watch the terrorist woman fleeing on her Pidgeot. "Another time, then," she promised.
As the terrorist soared away, James and Jessie suddenly rushed out onto the pool deck. "Cassidy is getting away!" he shouted. "I'll deal with this!" He put his hand to his Pokéball bandoleer, probably intending to summon his Speareagle.
Misty put her hand on his shoulder to restrain him. "Leave her, James," she ordered. He gave her a look of angry frustration. "You can catch up with her some other time," Misty continued, looking him right in the eye. "Right now, I want you to move all of the Rockets off of this sinking tub onto the icebergs, okay? I'm going to get Ash."
James nodded uncertainly, but relaxed. He watched as Misty recalled Togetic, released her Dragonite, and flew off into the heavens, following the beacon signal from Brock's Golbat.
***
Butch left the Bridge about five minutes after the separation. He felt bad about leaving all those sailors and agents behind to the Thunderbolts' tender mercies. Oh, he knew that they wouldn't kill anyone (although why they restrained themselves, he would never know). Still, the courts were merciless to captured Rockets. Everyone who survived was looking at 20 to 30 years in The Anvil, the ultra-maximum security prison near the South Pole.
He felt bad about leaving Cassidy behind too. When he was a kid, he had a crush on her, it was true but recently… well at least the authorities would send her to a hospital where she would receive the help she needed.
With a sigh, he walked aft to the small cabin that he would share with three others for the six hour journey to Black Island. He turned a corner and walked right into Ash Ketchum. Butch's mind went blank for several seconds as he stared at his former prisoner. Ash was half-naked and was, insanely, wearing the uniform trousers and boots of a Dan'in fighter. "Uh… what… when…?" Butch asked stupidly. His mind suddenly went back into 'drive' and he went for his gun.
Ash stepped forward and drove two fast punches into Butch's face. He then reached forward, grabbed Butch's wrist, and twisted. Butch yelled in pain and dropped the pistol. Ash halt-turned and drove his elbow into the terrorist's gut. Butch folded double, then something hard struck him on the nape of his neck and he tumbled into the black. Ash stepped back and rubbed his hand, sore from the karate chop that he had just used. I'm getting out of shape, he told himself.
A few seconds later, Ash's Graveler tore through the rear bulkhead of the Bridge and smashed right through the helm of the hydrofoil. There was utter panic as the massive rock-type wrought his particular brand of havoc in the compartment. Ash stepped through the hole in the wall and slammed the butt of the magnum automatic pistol he had acquired from Butch against the right temple of someone who tried to grab him.
"You idiot!" the Captain cried. "The ship is out of control now! We'll crash into the rocks ahead."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Then I would start swimming, if I were you," he remarked.
"You are insane!" the Captain shouted, drawing his service pistol. Ash barely gestured and Raichu Stun-shocked the man unconscious. There was a pause before the crew opened a side door and started jumping overboard. Ash threw the unconscious bodies of Butch and the Captain after them. Then, he reached down to the Pokébelt he wore and drew a blue-and-white Aqua-Ball.
Several decks below, Clustanode dropped out of an air vent into the engine room. The orange-uniformed Team Rocket engineers barely had the chance to realise something was going wrong when the electric-type detonated, tearing the engines apart.
***
Approaching fast from behind, Misty saw the hydrofoil suddenly go out of control and veer towards the volcanic mini-islands that stretched between Cinnabar Island and Black Island. Less than a minute later, she could only watch in horror as a massive explosion tore apart the rear quarter of the fast-moving ship. It continued onwards for a few hundred yards and then slammed into one of the islands. Seconds later it exploded in a massive fireball.
"Ash… NO!" she shouted.
[Misty, look below us!] Dragonite said encouragingly.
Misty looked down in surprised and then laughed in joy. There was a sight that she had hoped to see for many long, nightmarish weeks; now it was a reality. Ash stood on Lapras' back, Raichu clinging to his back in turn. Clustanode and Unown hovered to either side, while Graveler was waving wildly with his rocky arms. Ash's Chancey was examining her Trainer carefully, looking rather worried.
Ash waved to his lover with a broad smile. "Nice of you to come, Misty," he yelled. "Sorry you missed the party!" Misty shook her head and had to laugh again.
***
Jessie squealed in excitement and grabbed James' arm tightly. "Here he comes!" she shouted. Overhead, Ash's Charizard and Misty's Dragonite dropped gracefully towards the small wharf outside Vermilion City where Team Thunderbolt was gathered.
Charizard alighted delicately and Ash leapt down, a move slightly hampered by Raichu, who wouldn't release his grip on his Trainer for a second. "Hey guys, what's the big occasion?" Ash asked with a broad and slightly silly smile. That was the last thing he had the time to say. Jessie, James, Richie, Sabrina, Lance, Brock and even Meowth swept forward to hug him, slap him on the back and (in Jessie and Sabrina's cases) place a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Hey watch it… ouch, I'm still delicate in places," Ash protested.
Misty got off Dragonite and walked slowly towards Ash. The others parted like a tide as she walked closer and closer. Finally, they were almost touching. "I… I kept my promise, Ash," Misty said quietly. She managed a slight smile as Ash raised his eyebrows and gave her a wry smile. "I looked after them as best I knew how. Now I can return the Team to you."
"You did wonderfully as far as I can tell," Ash said with a grin. Then his voice became quiet and sincere. "Thanks for coming for me, Misty."
"Oh, how could I do anything else?" Misty asked, sucking in a sob, her face twisted with the power of the moment. "You know I'm not complete without you."
Ash didn't reply at first. Instead he spent some time drinking in the sight before him. He examined her ginger hair, tied back into a flowing ponytail. He stared into those cerulean green eyes, so filled with love and concern. He minutely examined every curve and line of her athletic body and her smooth, smiling face. He realised that he couldn't wait to hold that vibrant source of joy as close as he could.
Misty, too, was elsewhere. He was a bit thinner, and he had a few more scars. Most worryingly, there was a terrible pain in his chocolate brown eyes. However, there was love there too. There was that quirky smile that always made her feel better, no matter how bad the times were. That scruffy black hair and that casual body language all helped her realise that he was alive and free.
"I know that you are what kept me alive and sane through that hell," Ash said sincerely. "Seeing you again has made it all worthwhile, my love."
Ash stepped forward and engulfed Misty in his arms. Misty hugged him back, tears streaming down her cheeks. Ash loosened his hold for a second and leaned down so he could claim a kiss… a kiss that he had waited for what felt like a lifetime to receive. That is when the cheers started, human cries of triumph and the even louder shrieks, howls and roars of Pokémon. As their friends cheered them on, Ash and Misty hugged and kissed, unaware of anything except the fact that they were reunited.
***
Out in the Indigo Sea, near Black Island, Butch Williams pulled himself out of the water onto the small volcanic island. Somehow, he had survived the destruction of the hydrofoil, although he didn't feel particularly good about that fact.
Suddenly, there was a whirl of feathers. He looked up and saw Cassidy, riding on her Pidgeot, glide down towards him. "So, Butch," she said, "do you want a lift?" He gave her an uncertain look, noting that she was armed and carrying her full load of Pokémon, while he felt like a half-drowned rat. Cassidy sighed in impatience. "Look, Butch, we can discuss your going to the Boss about Ketchum's mental state later. Right now we've got to figure out what we're going to tell the him about this debacle." She shrugged and laughed easily. "Still, on the bright side, at least we won't have to explain how Ketchum ended up catatonic."
"No," Butch responded in his grating voice. "Instead we're going to have to explain how Ash Ketchum, alive and well, escaped us to oppose Team Rocket again."
Cassidy stared at Butch for a long time. "You're kidding me," she said uncertainly. Butch shook his head. "Holy shit," she said. "I picked a damn bad time to rediscover the joys of sanity."
Butch actually laughed. He got up on Pidgeot's back and the two villains flew off to face their leader. Neither of them expected much in the way of mercy, but they were alive for now and that is all that mattered.
***
Old Mondo was incredibly surprised that Giovanni didn't explode when he heard of the loss of the Thunderball. The leader of Team Rocket sat there thoughtfully for a long moment before speaking. "Has there been any report on the status of my son?" he asked at last.
Now Mondo was terrified. He didn't know how to tell Giovanni this, so he desperately flailed around mentally, trying to think of something… anything… that would deflect the Boss's anger from himself. He failed. Only his incredible loyalty to Giovanni made him answer the question. "Uh… Butch Williams said that he saw Ash… aware and mobile… a few minutes before the destruction of the Thunderball's forward section, sir," he said at last. "I don't know how it is possible, but it seems like your son recovered… and escaped."
There was a long pause after that. Giovanni was stroking his Persian meditatively for some time before he spoke. "When Butch and Cassidy arrive at headquarters, I want you to debrief them yourself," Giovanni instructed. "After that, they are to be confined to quarters pending the appointment of a disciplinary committee to examine their conduct of the entire mission." Mondo nodded and made a note on his PDA to that effect. "I believe that we can still recover from this debacle and secure my son's service to the Cause, if not necessarily his loyalty. However it is a strategy to which only I can be privy. Now leave me," Giovanni instructed.
"Sir?" Mondo was surprised.
"I still have a few cards to play, old friend," Giovanni explained warmly. "But there are some things so secret that I cannot reveal them even to you. Trust me on this." Mondo was reluctant, but he nodded his understanding and left Giovanni's office.
Giovanni waited for a few moments, using his incredible tactical and strategic sense to examine this path for any faults. He considered this strategy filled with real and probable failings that made its' likelihood of success marginal at best, but it remained the best plan available at such short notice. However, he would be a poor leader if he did not consider the alternatives. Even as he typed a telephone number into his videophone's keypad, he was quickly assembling several contingency plans in the event of a worst-case scenario.
The phone rang three times before a familiar face appeared. "Hello?" the person said in a sleepy tone of voice.
"Hello again, my young friend," Giovanni said. "I trust you are enjoying the wealth I have provided for you?"
"Giovanni diRocketti?" the Betrayer blurted. "Shit! Why are you contacting me again?"
"Something has come up that has persuaded me that Team Rocket requires your services once again," Giovanni purred smoothly. "You might be interested to know that young Mr. Ketchum's allies have secured his release from my agents."
There was a pause and Giovanni smiled scornfully as he saw the terror on the Betrayer's face. "Uh… well that's too bad Mr. diRocketti," he finally replied, "but I don't see why this is my problem."
"Why my problems are your problems now, my young ally," Giovanni replied with a sneering laugh. "I will be direct and to the point my young friend. I believe that I may yet be able to remove Ketchum and his allies from circulation, but I will require one simple service from you to attain to that goal."
"No, forget it," the Betrayer said. "Our agreement was for me to put Ash in a place and time where you could capture him that one time, nothing more."
"I am altering our agreement," Giovanni explained. "Pray that I don't see fit to alter it still further, say by assigning a Team Rocket garrison to provide security at your Pokémon Gym."
"No!" the Betrayer almost shouted. "You can't! If I am linked with Team Rocket, I'll be ruined!"
Giovanni sighed gently. Ah, the naivety of youth, he thought nostalgically. Was I ever that simple-minded? Probably not, this particular individual's intellect is clouded by a truly remarkable ego. He actually believes that the whole world should arrange itself according to his desires simply because he wishes it! No wonder my son holds him in such contempt! Giovanni sat forward. "You have no choice, my young friend," he purred. "From the moment you agreed to betray Ash Ketchum to me, you were mine, body and soul." The Betrayer opened his mouth to argue. "Believe me that you do not want to face the consequences of trying to leave my service."
"You… you wouldn't dare do anything to me…" the Betrayer said in a hoarse, terrified voice.
"Why not?" Giovanni asked. "If you will not serve me, then what reason have I got to do you any favours?"
"All right," the Betrayer said after a moment of quiet fretting. "Tell me what you want."
"It is quite simple," Giovanni said. "I know that a great number of people who are most important to Mr. Ketchum live in Pallet Town. If they were in my power, then influencing his actions would be far simpler than it is at present. However, the town is protected by Professor Oak's remarkable defence grid. If my agents are to… secure these critical persons, then it must be deactivated. That is your task."
The Betrayer began to sweat. "Hand the entire town over to you?" he asked in horror. "You're insane! I can't do it… I won't!"
"But you will," Giovanni replied. "You are my creature now, my naïve young friend. Or perhaps you would prefer it if I were to leak to Mr. Ketchum and his allies your role in his capture?"
"He… he would kill me," the Betrayer moaned.
"Eventually, yes," Giovanni said with a sadistic smirk, reminding his reluctant agent that there were ways of dealing with traitors that made death a reward rather than a punishment.
The Betrayer almost collapsed in on himself. It was an utter destruction of spirit and hope that made Giovanni feel very, very good. "Okay," he croaked. "I'll do it, damn your eyes. When?"
"Tomorrow morning at exactly 0100 hours," Giovanni responded. He leaned forward and was about to cut off the call when it occurred to him that he should make this young man perfectly aware of his position. "Oh, and welcome to Team Rocket," he said. "Long may you serve." He enjoyed the look of fear on the Betrayer's face as he disconnected the call.
***
After a period of frantic activity of the most enjoyable kind, it had at last fallen silent in the small hotel room in Viridian City. Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum were lying on their bed, naked save for a fine film of sweat, content in simply being together again.
After a while, Misty smiled sensually and reached out to stroke Ash's face. "I… should arrange for you to be kidnapped a little more frequently," she said with a hoarse laugh. "It does wonders for your performance. You make it worth every second I wait to have you back."
Ash chuckled a little and grabbed Misty's hand so he could kiss it. "All throughout those two weeks… my God was it only two weeks…? All throughout I was having dreams, hallucinations really, about seeing you and loving you again. It was what kept me alive in that hell." Misty blushed prettily when she heard that. Ash grasped Misty's hands in his and held drew them to his heart. "Thank you for staying with me tonight, Misty. It's good to remember that this is meant to be a pleasure, not a torture."
In the darkness of the hotel room, Misty felt tears start in her eyes and was glad Ash couldn't see them. He had pain enough of his own and he shouldn't have to know that it hurt her too. "I can't imagine what you must have gone through, Ash," she said. "I don't want to imagine… but remember that you're free of her now. I still love you and I always will; nothing that whore could do would change that."
Ash made a sound that sounded like a sob to Misty, and he buried his face in her bosom. She could feel the tears trickling down his face and she stroked his hair, trying to comfort him. "Thank you," he whispered again. "I'm always yours, even if I am… soiled goods now." There was such self-loathing in that statement that Misty had to respond.
"No, damn you," she hissed. "Don't ever say that to me. It wasn't your fault, Ash. I know you feel dirty and used, but you mustn't let it break you!" Misty sighed and stroked Ash's hairy chest for a few moments before continuing, putting every ounce of love and friendship she had to offer into her voice. "What she forced from you can't ever make what you are willing to share with me worth any less."
Then, Ash began to cry openly. Misty, feeling helpless, held him until his tears were spent. Even after the sobs had died down, she felt a tension in his body that she did not understand, but she knew that it was bad news. "Tell me, Ash," she said.
There was a long pause before Ash spoke, his voice quiet and uncertain. "Misty, you know that Cassidy…" Ash's voice trailed off. Even in the mid-21st Century, it was still considered taboo and unspeakable that such a thing could happen. "You know that she… raped me," Ash finally continued. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "She did things…" he shook his head and went off in another direction entirely. "Parts of what we've just shared hurt, Misty," Ash said, his voice anguished. Misty gasped and drew herself closer to him, feeling a confused sense of guilt and dread. "I'm afraid… I'm afraid that she may have caused some permanent damage."
Misty swallowed dryly. Ash had told her enough about Cassidy's obscene appetites for her to know what he meant. Unown's 'Help' special ability had healed up the cuts and scratches, but deeper damage was definitely a possibility. She tried to comfort Ash by dealing with the matter practically. "When we get to Pallet, talk to Joy," she suggested. "You know that she's a fine biologist and a doctor for humans and Pokémon. She'll be able to tell you if you need any medical treatment."
Ash nodded in agreement, still not entirely free of the darkness yet. Misty decided that he needed to be distracted. "Until then," she added mischievously, "we should find out what bits hurt and adjust our methods accordingly, okay?"
"What…?" Ash blurted, and then he gasped in surprise and pleasure as Misty suddenly rolled on top of him. "Oh… boy, Misty!"
***
It was an inappropriately warm and sunny morning, Ash Ketchum would later remember, as Team Thunderbolt (minus Joy and Duplicia, who were back at Pallet Town setting up the team's new headquarters at Professor Oak's laboratories) set out for home.
Misty reflected that for the first time in weeks, there was no pall of darkness over her friends. James had regained much of his usual equanimity and was walking arm-in-arm with Jessie. Richie had actually unbent enough to offer Sabrina some water from his canteen. Meowth and Raichu were chattering excitedly in their own languages. There was only one problem in left in this particular happy family: Ash. Misty could sense the darkness and pain that still crowded around him. She kept telling herself that she should expect this after the unimaginable torments inflicted upon him by Team Rocket. A little time in Pallet with his family will help him heal, she told herself.
Then… the world came to an end.
"Where the hell have all these army trucks come from?" Richie complained, as the seven friends had to walk onto the grassy verge again. "That makes twenty in the last five minutes."
"Maybe something is up," Sabrina said thoughtfully. It was times like this that she wished she could turn the precognitive aspect of her psychic talents 'on' or 'off' at will.
Ash watched as another sextet of heavy vehicles roared past; these ones painted white with World Health Organisation ID graphics. All of them were heading along Route 1. There was only one place that this could take them, and that was… home…
Ash began to run. As he left the protection of Viridian Forest, he was confronted by the rolling Pallet Hills, the edges of the deep limestone valley in which his hometown was built. He would have to be blind or simply stupid not to see the thick black smoke rising up from behind them. He staggered to a halt, his six friends, who were running behind him, lurched to a stop too.
"Oh no," Misty gasped. "What could have happened?" As the seven looked on, they could see the first refugees streaming down the road away from Pallet; most of them battered, smoke-blackened and destitute. It looked as if half the population of the town was fleeing from the terrible disaster that had suddenly taken place.
"Mom," Ash whispered. Suddenly, Charizard was out of his Pokéball and Ash was riding his big friend over the hills towards his hometown.
***
Misty couldn't cry. The sight around her was just too terrible for her to even feel grief. She could only feel an utter empty horror in the pit of her stomach.
Pallet Town didn't really exist anymore. All around them was the sign of a terrifying and absolute rout. Every building was ablaze. Every tree had been pulled down. Every road had been broken up by rock-type attacks. WHO trauma teams worked desperately, trying to find survivors amongst the bodies piled up on every corner like stacked wood. Everywhere was the stench of smoke, fear and death.
Ash was standing in the middle of the ruins of the town square, making a sound somewhere between crying and the shriek of a person who had finally lost his soul. The picturesque square, the place where Misty and he had enjoyed their first date, was in ruins. The graceful town hall was a blazing shell and the obelisk marking the spot where the first earth was broken at the time the founding of the town in 2002 had been demolished with explosives. Someone had stuck a banner into its' ruins, a black flag marked with a blood-red capital letter 'R.'
Misty walked over to Ash, needing his touch and his reassurance. Ash shrugged her aside without even glancing at her. Instead, he began to run towards the outskirts of town and Professor Oak's laboratories.
***
The lab was in ruins, its' buildings ablaze and its' grounds filled with dead Pokémon who had simply been slaughtered with machineguns. The blackened walls of the laboratory had red 'R' sigils painted all over them. Ash looked around himself in horror, feeling an agony so extreme that he almost wished Butch and Cassidy were torturing him again.
Uncertainly, he raised his Pokédex and activated a new function that Richie had built into it a few months before. He immediately picked up two signals: TT9 and TT10. Duplicia and Joy's distress beacons. Ash shook himself and immediately released Graveler and Seeker, Tracey's Marrill. "Find Duplicia and Joy," he ordered the water mouse.
Seeker waddled forward a few paces and halted before the demolished garage building. "Mar-ar-il-aril, Ar-il," [Duplicia is underneath here, Ash,] the water-type reported.
Ash had Graveler tear the ruins apart until he saw the fawn-haired girl on whom, once, he had a bit of a crush. "Duplicia, are you all right? Answer me; for God's sake don't be dead!" he shouted, lifting her into his arms. There were several bruises marring her usually good-natured face, and a deep cut bled down from her forehead.
Duplicia opened her eyes uncertainly and looked at Ash. "Ash… it's you…?" she groaned. The girl began to cry and hugged Ash, burying her face against his chest. "Oh thank God… thank God…"
"Duplicia," Ash said as gently as he could. "What happened here? Where is Joy, Professor Oak and… and my Mom?"
"It… it was Team Rocket," Duplicia whispered in horror. "Thousands of them, all with a full half-dozen Pokémon. They… they just swept over the town, burning everything and killing anyone too slow to run… We… we tried to fight when they attacked the laboratories, but there was just too many of them. The wall fell on me and… and I heard Joy scream…" Duplicia's story dissolved into incoherent sobs.
Ash heard someone gasp, a sound full of horror and pain: Brock. Somehow, a bit of Ash managed to smile, he always knew that Brock still had a soft spot for Joy, even after all the crap they went through. He just hoped it wasn't too late for them.
Misty and the others had caught up with Ash. Gently, with a care that belied his torment, Ash passed Duplicia over to Misty. "Look after her," he said quietly. Misty passed her to Jessie, who was in tears reliving the horror of a past outrage committed by Team Rocket, feeling a pain all the more intense because of that. Together Misty and Ash ran down the hill from the laboratories to a small house in the suburbs.
Ash realised that the house in which he spent his entire childhood was the only one in the entire town that was largely intact. Although it had been broken into, its' windows broken and its contents smashed, it had not been burnt. Ash strode through the door, not knowing if the building was safe and not caring. "Mom!" he shouted. "Mom! Where are you? Mister Mime, are you here?"
Suddenly Raichu uttered a loud shriek that caught Ash's entire attention. Mr. Mime was lying in the centre of the shattered living room. Around him were the corpses of a Quilava, a Geodude and a Vulpix. The little psi-type had been shot through the head with a large-calibre pistol. Ash found a corner to in which he could be sick. When he managed to stand up again, he saw something on the far wall of the living room that chilled his blood.
Someone had painted four names on the wall: 'Samuel Oak,' 'Delilah Ketchum,' 'Joy Burke' and 'Maxine 'Duplicia' Simmonds.' The first three had a blood-red tick painted against them, the fourth a skull and crossbones. "Oh God no… why?" Ash blurted.
"Ash… God, I'm sorry," Misty was saying, weeping helplessly.
Ash barely heard her. All he knew was that his mother, one of his friends and the man who had been a father to him for his entire conscious existence were gone… taken by Team Rocket. Ash started to scream. He forced his way past Misty and out of the house. Misty stumbled after him, not sure what he was going to do, but terrified at the look of insane anger on her lover's face.
Outside, Ash tilted his head to the heavens and roared his fury and pain in a single despairing cry. As Misty looked on, suddenly the flame in the buildings opposite Ash's house roared higher and brighter, as if in response to Ash's torment. Suddenly, the flames flashed upwards into a huge eagle made entirely of flame. "MOLTRESSSS!" the blazing bird screamed.
The huge Legendary Bird dropped to the ground in front of Ash. What service do you require of me, Chosen One? Moltres asked silently. Ash's eyes were wild and unseeing, his face was twisted with elemental fury and Misty, much to her horror, saw only death in his brown eyes.
"Take me to the forest," Ash ordered. "Find me a Team Rocket agent to kill!"
"Ash, wait!" Misty suddenly shouted, running forward. Without a single glance at her or Raichu, Ash urged Moltres into the air. The Legendary Bird screamed in defiance as it sensed the Chosen One's fury and leapt into the skies. Misty slowed to a halt and watched as Moltres disappeared to the south east, now a flaming arrow of vengeance against the blackened sky.
***
The rest of the team found her there, crying as she looked in the direction in which Ash had gone. "Misty?" James asked gently. She seemed to jerk physically before she looked at the former Rocket.
"Yes James?" she asked quietly.
"We've found Joy's Pokébelt, but there's no sign of her," he said. "From the look of that graffiti in Ash's house…"
"They took all three of them," Misty said, feeling a prescient dread. "Ash's mother, Professor Oak and Joy. They wanted them as hostages."
James nodded in agreement.
"How better to control someone," Jessie asked through her tears, "than to have their loved ones at your mercy?" She shuddered. "Where's Ash?"
"He's gone…" Misty said and had to swallow her fear at what she saw in Ash's eyes. "I… I think he's gone to get… revenge…"
James swallowed too. He knew that feeling, and he knew that if Ash succumbed, everything would be lost. "Go find him," he ordered. Misty looked at him in confusion. "Go, he'll need you to help him regain control."
"Shouldn't we… shouldn't we be looking for clues or something?" Misty asked uncertainly.
Jessie showed Misty a video DVD. It has a red 'R' on its' top and someone had written 'For Ash S. Ketchum,' on the cover. "I found this in Ash's bedroom," she explained. "I think that this will tell us all we need to know, but it will be useless if Ash goes mad. Go to him, Misty, before it is too late. Go!"
Misty looked around in confusion. Lance and Sabrina were helping the still-weak Duplicia while Richie was trying to comfort Brock, who was sitting on the kerb, crying like a child. "But… the others…" Misty said helplessly, gesturing around her.
"GO!" James shouted.
Half-blinded with tears, Misty released her Dragonite. She waited for Raichu to climb up behind her and then urged her Dragonite into the air.
***
It didn't take Misty long to find Ash. Moltres was almost 150 feet from wingtip to wingtip. Even on the ground, the Legendary Bird's flames lit up his surroundings for miles. As Dragonite circled towards the clearing where the God of Fire stood, Misty saw one of Team Rocket's armoured ground transports lying on its' side. The vehicle was painted like an Arcanine, like all of its' type, but the rear of this vehicle was a puddle of slag, melted by the intense heat of Moltres' Fire Blast attack.
As Misty's mount circled closer, the girl from Cerulean City saw her lover. He was holding a white-uniformed Team Rocket agent by the lapels of his tunic and was smashing his fist into his face again and again and again. On the verge of panic, Misty commanded Dragonite to land. She leapt from the dragon's back and ran towards Ash.
"Stop it, Ash," she screamed, "you'll kill him!"
Ash swung around to face Misty, his face pale and blank, his eyes staring, filled with hate and anger. "Get out of here Misty," he snarled. "Get out or watch me kill this piece of shit the way his kind have killed my friends and neighbours!"
"NO!" Misty shouted, grabbing Ash by the arm. "Don't do it, Ash. Please, you'll be no better than them!"
Ash didn't even look at Misty. He was much stronger than she was, and he shrugged her hands off without any real effort. Misty hit the ground with a grunt of discomfort and surprise, tears starting in her eyes. In all the years they had known each other the one thing he had never done was hit her.
As Misty looked on in horror, Ash cocked his fist and punched the Rocket again. The man's face was already a mask of blood; Misty couldn't even tell what his skin colour was. Ash dropped him to the ground and drew his survival knife from his belt. With almost supernatural calm, he tilted the man's head back and poised the serrated blade against the man's carotid artery. "Last chance, scum," Ash said, his voice strangely friendly and helpful. "Where have your friends taken my mother?"
The man wasn't conscious and, given the amount of damage Ash had done to his face, it was unlikely he could have made an intelligible reply if he was conscious. Ash shrugged easily. "Your choice," he remarked. He raised the knife and prepared to slash the Rocket' throat open like he was a thanksgiving turkey.
"Ash, NO!" Misty screamed at the top of her voice. Ash's head snapped around to face her again. "Please don't do this, Ash," she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, you'll destroy everything good you've ever done if you let yourself do this!"
"They… they took away my Mom," Ash said, his voice calm and distant. "I've got to find her, Misty. I don't care what it takes to do that…"
"Ash, don't you understand that this is what they want?" she pleaded. "To turn you into a killer… to destroy your honour and your soul?" Ash looked at her in confusion and a sudden inspiration suddenly struck Misty. She would have been pleased if it were not the truth. "You do this and you'll be just like him… you'll become your father."
Ash sucked in a breath in what sounded suspiciously like a sob. He looked at his knife as if he had never seen it before. With a scream that sounded like a sob, he threw it away from him. He dropped the unconscious Rocket and backed away from him. "I… I don't know what to do, Misty," he said at last. "I can't think straight… I can't do anything."
Misty suddenly felt strangely angry with him. "Damn it, Ash, stop being so selfish!" she shouted. "You aren't the only person suffering here! Team Rocket has wiped out whole families! Brock is going mad thinking about what might happen to Joy!" Misty drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down. "We'll make them pay, Ash," she promised, "but we can't just go on a rampage. Look, Jessie has found a DVD that might have a ransom demand on it. We'll watch it and decide on our next move."
Ash closed his eyes and tried to regain control of himself. He was only partially successful. However, he knew that Misty was right and he was wrong… as usual. "I don't know if I can survive this, Misty," he said.
"That's what friends are for," Misty said gently, her voice quiet and afraid. Ash suddenly lunged forward and hugged her with bone-crushing strength. Misty hugged him back, and where their cheeks were pressed together, their tears of pain and grief mingled.
As Misty held Ash in her arms, she remembered the terrifying blankness of his expression when he was about to murder that Rocket. Is this how it began with Giovanni? she asked herself. How far can you push a good man? How much pain, degradation and horror must he have to endure before he cannot take anymore, and the slash of a knife or the roar of a gunshot offers a solution that would make the world so… clean? Misty suddenly shook her head. Ash wasn't his father and he would never be his father. He was a good man, dedicated to justice, honour and love; he would never decay into a monster, obsessed with killing and power. Then, with a sudden chilling certainty, she realised that this is what people might have said about Joseph Oak twenty years ago… before he became Giovanni diRocketti.
Misty swallowed her fear. Ash would not become another Giovanni; she would ensure that much… she hoped. Sabrina's vision saw them together, about to launch a final conquest of the world. No… no, it won't be that way, she swore to herself. "Come on," she said aloud, gently detaching Ash's arms and turning him back towards his patiently waiting Pokémon. "I'll take you home."
Misty led Ash away from the broken Rockets and their destroyed vehicle. After a few moments, Moltres and Dragonite rose away from the clearing and slowly flew off back towards Pallet Town.
To be continued…
Endnote
Don't go away people. Next episode, the identity of the Betrayer is revealed!
