"No!" Delia lunged forward and grabbed his arm. "I won't let you hurt my son!"
Jiraldan was surprised by her strength as she pulled his arm away from the control panel and the two briefly struggled. Quickly regaining control, he knocked Delia to the floor.
"You shouldn't have done that, my dear," Jiraldan said in a chilling voice as he advanced menacingly towards her.
"Excuse me."
Jiraldan turned and was immediately felled by a right hook from Professor Oak.
As Jiraldan toppled to the floor next to Delia, Professor Oak moaned and clutched his hand. "My hand! I think I broke my hand!"
Wide-eyed with amazement, Delia hastened to her rescuer's side. "Professor, are you all right?"
Cursing under his breath, he nodded.
A shrill scream from the gym floor caused them both to turn their heads. Racing to the edge of the balcony, Delia gasped in horror at the sight of her son being blasted repeatedly by jolts of intense electricity from Mew Prime's paws. The electric shock that Pikachu had sent earlier into the guns on Mew Prime's paws had shorted out the system.
Misty and Brock tried to pull Ash away from Mew Prime, but the force of the electric blasts knocked them both to the ground in pain.
"PIKACHU!!!"
Regaining consciousness, Pikachu leapt in front of Ash and tried to absorb as much of the electricity as it could.
"The switch," Delia yelled at Professor Oak. "We've got to turn it off!" Together they frantically searched the control panel on the edge of the balcony for anything that looked like an off switch. After what seemed like an eternity, Delia finally located it and flipped it. Both Mew Prime and Ash fell to the floor.
"Ash!" Delia nearly tripped over Jiraldan's prone body in her haste to get to her son.
On the gymnasium floor below Misty, Brock, and Pikachu hovered over their fallen friend.
"Pika?" Pikachu nudged Ash's shoulder in an attempt to wake him.
No response.
"Pika-pi?" Pikachu's confused cry was even more urgent.
"Brock," Misty gasped. "He's not breathing!"
Brock knelt down and felt Ash's pulse. In one quick motion, Brock dropped Ash's wrist and started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
"Help me, Misty!" Brock pleaded as he frantically pushed on Ash's chest. Misty immediately began giving Ash mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Please don't die, Ash. You can't die on me! You just can't! A tear slid out of Misty's eye as she gave Ash another breath.
"Ash! No!" Delia came running into the gymnasium and felt her legs go weak at the sight of the two teenagers frantically trying to revive her son.
"Come on, Ash," Brock coaxed as he checked his friend's pulse again. Shaking his head at Misty, the two began their efforts once more.
Professor Oak came running into the gym. "Wait! Brock, Misty, move away from him." With his uninjured hand, he scooped up Pikachu and deposited him on Ash's chest. "Pikachu, I want you to shock Ash as hard as you can. Direct the Thundershock straight down into his chest."
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu shook his head in refusal. There was no way he was going to deliberately harm his best friend.
Brock, realizing what Professor Oak was trying to do, spoke up. "Pikachu, you've got to do it! It's the only way to save Ash's life!"
"Please, Pikachu," Misty pleaded, choking back tears.
Reluctantly, Pikachu closed his eyes. Sparks started flying from the Pokémon's red cheeks as he built up a powerful electric charge.
"PI-KA-CHUUUUU!" Ash's body jerked as Pikachu delivered a powerful Thundershock into the boy's chest.
Everyone held their breath in anticipation as the electric charge subsided.
"Chuuuu," Exhausted from the intense effort, Pikachu's eyes closed and he sank down wearily on Ash's chest. The gymnasium was deathly silent as neither boy nor Pokémon moved a muscle.
Suddenly, Pikachu's ears perked up.
"Pika!" he exclaimed happily. "Pika-pi!"
Moving Pikachu aside, Professor Oak knelt down and placed his hand on Ash's chest. A relieved smile spread across his face. "It worked. His heart's beating again."
At that moment, Ash's chest started moving.
"You did it, Pikachu! He's breathing again!" Misty exclaimed happily.
"Thank God," Delia said, wiping away tears.
"Great job, Pikachu!" Brock grinned.
"I hate to interrupt your celebration, but I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to."
All eyes turned in the direction of the gymnasium balcony.
Jiraldan, bleeding from his mouth, slowly stood up.
"Now let me see, who will be Mew Prime's next victim?" he mused as he dragged himself to the control panel. "Fair Delia, who bravely fought to save her precious son's life?" He smirked in her direction.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he then turned to Professor Oak.
"Her valiant defender, perhaps?"
Then Jiraldan's gaze fell upon Misty.
"The young lady with the fiery hair and the temper to match?"
Next, Jiraldan looked at Brock.
"Her level-headed friend?"
Jiraldan then smiled evilly. "I know. I chose the Chosen One!"
As the Pokémon collector reached for the switch that controlled Mew Prime, Ash shot up and hurled two Poké balls in Lawrence's direction.
"Bulbasaur! Chikorita! I choose you!"
The two grass-type Pokémon appeared on the balcony.
"Bulbasaur! Chikorita! Use your vine whip to stop him!"
"Bulba!" Vines shot out from Bulbasaur's back and wrapped around Jiraldan's right arm, effectively stopping him from pulling the switch that controlled Mew Prime.
"Chika!" Chikorita's vines wrapped around Jiraldan's left arm. Both Pokémon pulled Jiraldan to the ground.
"Chikorita, use your Sweet Scent! You too, Bulbasaur! Use your Sleep Powder to take care of him!" Sparkling powder emanated from both Pokémon. Jiraldan struggled for an instant, then yawned and fell asleep.
"All right!" Ash cheered. "Great job, you guys!"
"Not bad for a guy who was dead a few minutes ago," Misty smiled.