1 Chapter One: Success at last
Authors note: This chapter takes place a month before the prologue
"This is impossible" Ash Ketchum wailed as Todadile fainted. He quickly called his water Pokemon back and swore under his breath. Team Rocket had showed up as usual and he was about to send them blasting off again with Pikachu's thundershock when they had challenged him to a Pokemon battle instead. Ash had excepted knowing full well that there was no way that he could possibly loose. To his surprise Team Rocket were even willing to battle by the Pokemon league rules. In the past they had just sent out Weezing and Arbok to battle together but today things were different. It was a three on three Pokemon battle with no time limit. Ash suspected that Jesse and James would battle as a team as they had done before. It was a shock as well to see James handing Jesse the Pokeballs, which contained Weezing and Victreebell before taking a seat on a log beside Meowth. Ash supposed this shouldn't have shocked him because Jesse had taken him on herself without James back in the Viridian City gym. Ash was ready to start but Jesse said that she needed to discuss her strategy with her team first. This was an even bigger surprise. Jesse's version of discussing any thing with James and Meowth was to pound them senseless with a mallet or whatever weapon she was holding at the time until they saw things her way. Then when she was finally ready Brock gave Ash even more cause for concern by shouting.
"Go Jesse you can beat him"
"You are supposed to be on my side!" Ash yelled at him.
"They look really confident today that's all" Brock said sheepishly "And Jesse is kind of pretty"
"What?" he screamed. Brock always seemed to have a crush on some girl or other but Jesse? He had never thought of Jesse like that. "Ash ignore him" Misty called. "But be careful. Team Rocket do seem awfully confident"
Ash sighed even Misty had little faith in him. Well he would prove them all wrong. "Pikachu I choose you" Ash smiled to himself as the little mouse jumped into the battle arena. This battle was as good as won. "Then I choose Victreebell" Jesse said throwing the Pokeball at Pikachu's feet. The plant burst out and lunged for James. It seemed confused when it saw him sitting in the background with Meowth.
"Victreebell remember do whatever Jesse tells you" James called. He seemed different too Ash thought as Victreebell faced Pikachu. James seemed almost smug. Well they won't win Ash said to himself. "Pikachu thundershock"
"Victreebell acid" Jesse said. The acid stopped the little mouse in its tracks.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried.
"Victreebell solar beam"
"Solar beam? When did it learn that!" Ash shouted.
"Ha ha" Meowth laughed "We taught Victreebell the TM solar beam after we raided the TM store in Goldenrod City!"
"Pikachu get out of the way" Ash yelled. But it was too late. The solar beam slammed into Pikachu knocking it right out of the arena. "Pikachu!" Ash ran to it. "Are you ok?"
"Pika" Pikachu whimpered before collapsing from exhaustion.
"Yay we win!" Meowth shouted jumping up and down.
"This is just the first round" Ash gritted his teeth in anger. He reached for another Pokeball. "Go Cyndaquil!"
Jesse returned Victreebell and sent out Arbok.
"Cyndaquil flame wheel!"
"Arbok underground"
The cobra Pokemon dug underground before the flames could touch it. "No!" Ash wailed. Cyndaquil looked at him expectantly. Then Arbok dug upward slamming into the fire mouse.
"Cyndaquil!" Ash cried. Cyndaquil stood up. "Yeah! Now use a swift attack!"
"Arbok glare!"
This can't be happening Ash's mind screamed as Arbok's glare paralysed his Cyndaquil to the spot. He returned it and reached for his next Pokemon.
"Twerp dares no point in us continuing" Meowth called. "We've won two matches already"
"I am not going to give up" Ash shouted. If he used Todadile then he could beat them and get it to water gun them to oblivion. "Todadile slam attack!"
"Arbok tackle"
Todadile crashed back into Ash knocking him over. He jumped back up his heart racing. He couldn't loose to Team Rocket he just couldn't. "Todadile bite attack!" Todadile leapt at Arbok as if sensing how important this match was to its trainer. "Arbok poison sting!"
Todadile was hit by the poison barbs and fainted.
"This is impossible!" Ash wailed. He could see Misty and Brock looking on in shock.
"We won!" the three members of Team Rocket were jumping up and down cheering now. This couldn't be Ash thought angrily. He was the one with the badges. Some thing inside him snapped then. He grabbed the Pokeball that contained Noctowl. "Noctowl use gust to blow Team Rocket out of here!"
Ash had barely given the orders when some thing crashed into his Noctowl. The bird collapsed hooting softly. "You thought you could cheat did you twerp?" Jesse demanded her blue eyes flashing in anger. Then Ash realised that it had been a sludge attack from Weezing that had knocked out Noctowl. How did they do it? There was no way they could have predicted what he was trying to do? "You cheat all the time" Ash shouted back feeling the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He wouldn't cry he wouldn't. "Misty you battle them" Ash yelled.
"Ash they beat you" Misty said gently
"It would be wrong for us to interfere" Brock added.
"I suppose now you want Pikachu?" Ash choked on a sob clutching the little rodent tightly in his arms.
"No" Meowth said. "We just came here for a battle"
"What?" Ash couldn't believe his ears. "You don't want any thing?"
"Well we do want some thing" Jesse said holding out her hand. "We beat you so we want our money that we earned"
Ash shot her a nasty look but in his heart he knew that if he refused then they would just set Arbok and Weezing on him. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a fist full of notes and coins. "Take it and leave"
"Thank you twerp" Jesse said sweetly.
"And if ya wanna rematch any time den we'll be glad to oblige" Meowth added. And with that they got into their balloon and flew away.
"Ash are you ok?" Misty asked putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Misty they can't have beat me. It's not fair" he blinked back more tears.
"Ash you have to loose some times" Brock said.
"But they're Team Rocket! They can't win! I always beat them. Only the other day I had sent them blasting off! What went wrong?" Maybe they had found out that it was him that tried to get them arrested the week before. But of course it was impossible that they knew about that, as they had been long gone when Officer Jenny and himself arrived at their campsite.
"Maybe they trained their pokemon" Misty said.
"I don't think so" Brock said rubbing his chin with a hand.
"What do you mean Brock?" Misty asked.
"It was like they knew which attacks Ash's Pokemon would use and what attacks would counter them"
"Your point being?" Ash snapped.
"I don't know. I guess they must have learned more about you're pokemon team and their own"
"But they're stupid and their cheats! They don't know the meaning of the word 'fair' they had to have cheated!"
"Come on" Misty said. "We should get Pikachu and you're other Pokemon to a Pokemon centre"
"I know" Ash hung his head and followed his friends. Brock was babbling on about how great it would be at the prospect of seeing Nurse Joy and Misty was screaming at him again. They must have cheated and he was going to find out how if it was the last thing he did.
Authors Notes: Ok I know not very much happened in this chapter but it is relevant to the rest of the fic. This chapter is dedicated to Jade who I know will be pleased that the twerp got his butt kicked!!!
Authors note: This chapter takes place a month before the prologue
"This is impossible" Ash Ketchum wailed as Todadile fainted. He quickly called his water Pokemon back and swore under his breath. Team Rocket had showed up as usual and he was about to send them blasting off again with Pikachu's thundershock when they had challenged him to a Pokemon battle instead. Ash had excepted knowing full well that there was no way that he could possibly loose. To his surprise Team Rocket were even willing to battle by the Pokemon league rules. In the past they had just sent out Weezing and Arbok to battle together but today things were different. It was a three on three Pokemon battle with no time limit. Ash suspected that Jesse and James would battle as a team as they had done before. It was a shock as well to see James handing Jesse the Pokeballs, which contained Weezing and Victreebell before taking a seat on a log beside Meowth. Ash supposed this shouldn't have shocked him because Jesse had taken him on herself without James back in the Viridian City gym. Ash was ready to start but Jesse said that she needed to discuss her strategy with her team first. This was an even bigger surprise. Jesse's version of discussing any thing with James and Meowth was to pound them senseless with a mallet or whatever weapon she was holding at the time until they saw things her way. Then when she was finally ready Brock gave Ash even more cause for concern by shouting.
"Go Jesse you can beat him"
"You are supposed to be on my side!" Ash yelled at him.
"They look really confident today that's all" Brock said sheepishly "And Jesse is kind of pretty"
"What?" he screamed. Brock always seemed to have a crush on some girl or other but Jesse? He had never thought of Jesse like that. "Ash ignore him" Misty called. "But be careful. Team Rocket do seem awfully confident"
Ash sighed even Misty had little faith in him. Well he would prove them all wrong. "Pikachu I choose you" Ash smiled to himself as the little mouse jumped into the battle arena. This battle was as good as won. "Then I choose Victreebell" Jesse said throwing the Pokeball at Pikachu's feet. The plant burst out and lunged for James. It seemed confused when it saw him sitting in the background with Meowth.
"Victreebell remember do whatever Jesse tells you" James called. He seemed different too Ash thought as Victreebell faced Pikachu. James seemed almost smug. Well they won't win Ash said to himself. "Pikachu thundershock"
"Victreebell acid" Jesse said. The acid stopped the little mouse in its tracks.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried.
"Victreebell solar beam"
"Solar beam? When did it learn that!" Ash shouted.
"Ha ha" Meowth laughed "We taught Victreebell the TM solar beam after we raided the TM store in Goldenrod City!"
"Pikachu get out of the way" Ash yelled. But it was too late. The solar beam slammed into Pikachu knocking it right out of the arena. "Pikachu!" Ash ran to it. "Are you ok?"
"Pika" Pikachu whimpered before collapsing from exhaustion.
"Yay we win!" Meowth shouted jumping up and down.
"This is just the first round" Ash gritted his teeth in anger. He reached for another Pokeball. "Go Cyndaquil!"
Jesse returned Victreebell and sent out Arbok.
"Cyndaquil flame wheel!"
"Arbok underground"
The cobra Pokemon dug underground before the flames could touch it. "No!" Ash wailed. Cyndaquil looked at him expectantly. Then Arbok dug upward slamming into the fire mouse.
"Cyndaquil!" Ash cried. Cyndaquil stood up. "Yeah! Now use a swift attack!"
"Arbok glare!"
This can't be happening Ash's mind screamed as Arbok's glare paralysed his Cyndaquil to the spot. He returned it and reached for his next Pokemon.
"Twerp dares no point in us continuing" Meowth called. "We've won two matches already"
"I am not going to give up" Ash shouted. If he used Todadile then he could beat them and get it to water gun them to oblivion. "Todadile slam attack!"
"Arbok tackle"
Todadile crashed back into Ash knocking him over. He jumped back up his heart racing. He couldn't loose to Team Rocket he just couldn't. "Todadile bite attack!" Todadile leapt at Arbok as if sensing how important this match was to its trainer. "Arbok poison sting!"
Todadile was hit by the poison barbs and fainted.
"This is impossible!" Ash wailed. He could see Misty and Brock looking on in shock.
"We won!" the three members of Team Rocket were jumping up and down cheering now. This couldn't be Ash thought angrily. He was the one with the badges. Some thing inside him snapped then. He grabbed the Pokeball that contained Noctowl. "Noctowl use gust to blow Team Rocket out of here!"
Ash had barely given the orders when some thing crashed into his Noctowl. The bird collapsed hooting softly. "You thought you could cheat did you twerp?" Jesse demanded her blue eyes flashing in anger. Then Ash realised that it had been a sludge attack from Weezing that had knocked out Noctowl. How did they do it? There was no way they could have predicted what he was trying to do? "You cheat all the time" Ash shouted back feeling the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He wouldn't cry he wouldn't. "Misty you battle them" Ash yelled.
"Ash they beat you" Misty said gently
"It would be wrong for us to interfere" Brock added.
"I suppose now you want Pikachu?" Ash choked on a sob clutching the little rodent tightly in his arms.
"No" Meowth said. "We just came here for a battle"
"What?" Ash couldn't believe his ears. "You don't want any thing?"
"Well we do want some thing" Jesse said holding out her hand. "We beat you so we want our money that we earned"
Ash shot her a nasty look but in his heart he knew that if he refused then they would just set Arbok and Weezing on him. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a fist full of notes and coins. "Take it and leave"
"Thank you twerp" Jesse said sweetly.
"And if ya wanna rematch any time den we'll be glad to oblige" Meowth added. And with that they got into their balloon and flew away.
"Ash are you ok?" Misty asked putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Misty they can't have beat me. It's not fair" he blinked back more tears.
"Ash you have to loose some times" Brock said.
"But they're Team Rocket! They can't win! I always beat them. Only the other day I had sent them blasting off! What went wrong?" Maybe they had found out that it was him that tried to get them arrested the week before. But of course it was impossible that they knew about that, as they had been long gone when Officer Jenny and himself arrived at their campsite.
"Maybe they trained their pokemon" Misty said.
"I don't think so" Brock said rubbing his chin with a hand.
"What do you mean Brock?" Misty asked.
"It was like they knew which attacks Ash's Pokemon would use and what attacks would counter them"
"Your point being?" Ash snapped.
"I don't know. I guess they must have learned more about you're pokemon team and their own"
"But they're stupid and their cheats! They don't know the meaning of the word 'fair' they had to have cheated!"
"Come on" Misty said. "We should get Pikachu and you're other Pokemon to a Pokemon centre"
"I know" Ash hung his head and followed his friends. Brock was babbling on about how great it would be at the prospect of seeing Nurse Joy and Misty was screaming at him again. They must have cheated and he was going to find out how if it was the last thing he did.
Authors Notes: Ok I know not very much happened in this chapter but it is relevant to the rest of the fic. This chapter is dedicated to Jade who I know will be pleased that the twerp got his butt kicked!!!