Haunted Destiny
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, I'd be surfing in Hawaii right now.
Misty and Brock's surprised gazes immediately turned into glares. Ash's gaze was beyond a glare. It was a look of pure anger. They eyed the two strangers who now had Pikachu.
"What are you doing here?" Ash asked, furiously.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" The female character questioned in a taunting voice.
"Answer him." Misty said in a high-pitched, annoyed voice.
"Why should we?" The raspy male character retorted.
"Pikapi!!!" 'Ash!' Pikachu cried, still encased in the glass cage. He was in the arms of the shady female character.
"Give me back my Pikachu!" Ash shouted. He lunged at the characters with all of his might, but they jumped out of sight before he could reach them.
"Where'd they go?!" Ash asked, in a surprised, yet annoyed voice.
"Look above you." The raspy male said in a smart aleck manner.
Ash, Misty, and Brock looked up to see the two characters standing on a tree branch.
"The boss is going to love this." The female laughed.
"Yeah, we're ten times better than Jessie, James, and Meowth." The male smirked.
"Yeah, especially Jessie." The girl sneered.
Then, the two characters posed.
"To infect the world with devastation!" Said the girl.
"To ignite all peoples within our nation!" chanted the boy.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"Butch!"
"We're Team Rocket circling the earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose to the fight!"
"I'll never surrender." Ash stated angrily.
"Too bad for you," Cassidy said simply, "Because you're about to lose."
"I'll never lose to Team Rocket," Ash replied, furiously.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." Butch said with a smirk. Then, he tossed a pokeball. From the pokeball, came Drowzee.
"Go, Chikorita!!!" Ash commanded. Chikorita appeared and immediately nudged at Ash's leg.
"That's very nice, Chikorita, but we're kinda in the middle of something right now." Ash said gently, as his voice somewhat had a plea in it.
"Chikori." 'Okay.' Chikorita answered.
Chikorita braced herself for battle. She glared at Butch and Drowzee. At the same time, Ash glared at Cassidy and the encased Pikachu that sat in her arms, right next to Butch. Each rocket member seemed to have cocky grins on their faces. Each member seemed confident enough to win. They both had a deadly gleam of determination in their eyes, something that Jessie and James never seemed to have. Ash noted that difference between both rocket teams. Jessie and James were goofy, but Butch and Cassidy were serious. It was never easy facing Butch and Cassidy; so Ash and Chikorita expected a difficult battle. Butch and Cassidy were as slippery as an ekans, but Ash vowed to win back his pikachu.
"Drowzee, use Hypnosis!" Butch instructed. A blast of energy was aimed toward Chikorita.
"Chikorita, dodge it!" Ash shouted.
Chikorita dived out of the way of the hypnotic blast, causing Ash to sigh with relief, and Butch to sigh in annoyance.
"Nice job, Chikorita!" Ash cheered. "Now, use your Razor Leaf."
"Drowzee, use Teleport before those leaves hit you!" Butch commanded.
Drowzee suddenly vanished into the air. Ash gritted his teeth. What was he supposed to do now? Chikorita looked around her; the state of confusion obviously showing on her face. Misty and Brock, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, looked on in concern. Ash looked around the battle area. Where could Drowzee be? It had to be somewhere nearby.
'It's probably where Chikorita least expects it.' Ash thought silently as sweat appeared over his brow. Then, it dawned on him.
"Chikorita, watch out! Drowzee's going to teleport right behind you!" Ash shouted in fear.
No sooner had Ash warned Chikorita, Drowzee appeared right behind her. Chikorita turned around quickly.
"Drowzee, get ready to use Confusion!" Butch said with a smirk. Drowzee closed its eyes, as if to concentrate its energy.
"Chikorita, use your Vine Whip to push yourself over top of Drowzee." Ash shouted as he bit his bottom lip. Chikorita did what she was told, and landed behind Drowzee.
"Nice work, Chikorita! Now, use your Tackle attack!" Ash instructed. Chikorita tackled directly into the backside of Drowzee. Drowzee fell over.
"Excellent! Now, finish Drowzee off with your Razor Leaf." Ash said loudly. Chikorita smiled and aimed her leaves at Drowzee.
"Teleport!" Butch shouted, in a desperate voice. Drowzee, again, disappeared. Ash was getting frustrated. He began to search for Drowzee again.
"Maybe Drowzee will teleport behind Chikorita again." Misty said quietly.
"I doubt it." Brock whispered. "Ash had Butch figured out. He won't use the same attack method again."
Ash closed his eyes. Where could Drowzee be? He opened his eyes and glanced at Chikorita. There was desperation on her face. Ash frowned. He was surprised. Drowzee should've shown itself by now. That's when he felt it. Something wasn't right. He silently looked at Chikorita, when Drowzee reappeared, right in front of Chikorita.
"Drowzee, use Metronome!" Butch said with a laugh.
Drowzee began to wave his hands back and forth.
"Chikorita, get out of there, now!!!" Ash cried. Chikorita attempted to run, but it was too late. A blast of psychic energy collided into her. The Metronome had sent a Psyblast at the poor thing.
"Chikorita, no!" Ash cried in a panicked voice. Chikorita fell to the ground.
"Well, well. Looks like the brat lost." Butch said happily. Cassidy began to roar with laughter.
Ash ran after Chikorita and picked her up. "Are you okay?" He asked in a hopeful voice.
"Chika." Chikorita said weakly with a nod.
"Good. You did a great job, Chikorita. Return." Ash said as he returned Chikorita to her pokeball. Then, he took out another pokeball.
"You won't win this one." Ash said angrily. "Go, Noctowl!!!"
Noctowl came out of its pokeball. "I hope you've rested up from the previous battle." Ash said in an optimistic voice. Noctowl nodded. Ash smirked.
"Alright Noctowl! Chikorita tired Drowzee out, so this one should be quick." Ash shouted confidently.
"You're getting confident." Butch said in a taunting way.
"I should be." Ash smirked. Butch scoffed.
"Defeat that arrogant little brat!" Cassidy shouted.
"Go Ash! I know you can do it!" Misty yelled.
"Yeah, we're with ya." Brock called.
"Thanks guys." Ash replied with a smile. Then, he glanced at Noctowl.
"Noctowl, use your Quick Attack!" Ash shouted. Noctowl flew right into Drowzee at a quick speed. Drowzee fell over.
"Drowzee, get up!" Butch shouted. Drowzee got up, slowly.
"Okay Noctowl, use your Confusion." Ash commanded.
"Drowzee, counter that with your own Confusion." Butch said hastily.
Both blasts of energy collided. Everyone shielded their eyes from the bright light that followed the collision. When the light disappeared, Ash opened his eyes to find only one pokemon standing.
"Alright, Noctowl!" Ash cheered. Brock sighed in relief as Misty leaped in the air for joy.
Butch gritted his teeth. "Get up, Drowzee!" He shouted. But Drowzee wouldn't budge.
"The battle's over." Brock said happily. "Ash won."
"Way to go, Noctowl!!!" Ash shouted happily. "You deserve a good rest. Return!!!"
Noctowl went inside its pokeball. Ash's grin turned into a serious look.
"I won, so give me back Pikachu." Ash said solemnly.
"I don't think so. This is far from over." Cassidy replied as Butch recalled Drowzee to his pokeball. She handed the encased pikachu to Butch. He handed her a pokeball.
"I'll win with this one." She said in a nonchalant voice. She glared over at Butch. "I would've won with Drowzee too, if some people weren't glory hogs." Butch cringed at this comment.
"Pokeball, go!!!" Cassidy shouted as she tossed the pokeball. From it, came a Raticate.
"Very well, then." Ash stated. He reached a pokeball from his belt. "Go!!!" He said as he threw it.
"Totodile!" Totodile said excitedly, as he began to dance around in a hyper way.
"Totodile, I'm counting on ya." Ash said in a low voice.
"Go Totodile! Go Ash! Show Team Rocket that water pokemon aren't a force to mess with." Misty said with a wink.
Ash held a thumbs-up sign and Totodile nodded at her. "You heard her, Totodile. Let's win this one!" Ash shouted.
"I don't think so." Cassidy said in a snobby voice. "Raticate, use your Quick Attack!"
"Totodile, dodge it." Ash commanded. Totodile dived out of the way, in the nick of time.
"Now, use Water Gun!" Ash shouted.
A powerful blast of water hit Raticate right on the head. Raticate fell down, but got back up.
"Now, Raticate, use Tackle!" Cassidy commanded.
"Totodile, use Water Gun again." Ash said, a little calmer then he was moments ago.
Totodile aimed another powerful water blast at Raticate, before he could even touch Totodile. He once again, fell to the ground from the impact of the blast, but got up again.
"That Raticate is going to be tough to beat." Brock declared.
"I have faith in Ash." Misty whispered to herself.
"Totodile, use Bubble Beam!" Ash yelled.
The attack hit Raticate and he fell right back down, but got right back up.
"How is that possible? After those powerful attacks, Raticate should be defeated." Misty gasped.
"Raticate is at a much higher level than Totodile." Brock explained. "If Ash doesn't do something soon, this match may go to Cassidy's advantage."
Misty gritted her teeth. She held Togepi even closer to her. The outcome of this match might not be pretty.
"Raticate, use your Quick Attack again." Cassidy shouted to her pokemon. Raticate charged at Totodile.
"Totodile, watch out!" Ash shouted. It was too late, though. Totodile was flung into the air. He landed on the ground, but struggled to get back on his feet.
"You're at a major disadvantage, child." Cassidy smirked. "Raticate is at a very high level, compared to your puny little Totodile. Give up, while you still can."
"Don't give up, Totodile." Ash coached. "We can't surrender to these idiots. We have to win and we have to get Pikachu."
Totodile stood up and began dancing around excitedly, despite of his pain and exhaustion.
"That's the spirit, Totadile!" Ash cheered. "Do you think you can keep battling?"
Totodile nodded. "Alright!" Ash smiled. Then, he turned to Raticate. "We have to take that Raticate out." Ash said in a serious voice. "Are you ready?"
"Totodile!" 'Ready!' Totodile nodded.
"Okay Totodile, use your Bubble!" Ash commanded.
A blast of bubbles collided into Raticate. Raticate fell down. He got up again, as usual, but he was starting to show signs of exhaustion. However, Totodile was still tiring out more quickly than Raticate.
"Raticate, use your Bite attack!" Cassidy demanded. Raticate charged toward Totodile and bit him right on the leg. Totodile fell down in pain.
"Oh no! I can't watch!" Misty panicked as she closed her eyes.
"Calm down. Totodile may be down, but he's definitely not out." Brock said. "He's stubborn like Ash, remember?"
"Yeah." Misty smiled. She opened her eyes and watched as Ash urged Totodile to get up if he could. Totodile got back up and began dancing again.
"Way to go, Totodile!" Ash said with a smile. "Show that raticate that you're tough, no matter what level you're on."
Totodile glared at Raticate. Ash glared too, and noticed that Raticate was beginning to breathe hard.
'One more attack might do the trick.' Ash thought silently.
"Totodile, use your Skull Bash!" Ash shouted. Totodile smashed his head right into Raticate's. Raticate went down, and didn't get back up.
"Awesome! That was great, Totodile!" Ash cheered. Totodile began to dance again.
"Congratulations, Ash!!!" Misty shouted.
"Thanks Mist!" Ash answered her. Misty could feel her cheeks turning red.
"Now, give me back my pikachu!" Ash shouted at Butch. He held the cage even closer to his chest.
"I don't think so." Butch said as he stuck out his tongue. Ash scoffed.
"Fine then. We'll do it the hard way." Ash declared as he pointed at Pikachu's glass cage.
"Totodile, break that cage with everything you've got. Pikachu must be freed." Ash commanded.
Totodile nodded and headed over to Butch and Pikachu.
"You stay away from me, you hyperactive freak. You'll never get this blasted Pikachu." Butch said in a panicked voice.
Totodile took a big jump and knocked the glass cage out of Butch's arms. The glass shattered and Pikachu was freed.
"Alright! Nice job, Totodile!" Ash shouted with a smile.
"No! Butch how could you?!" Cassidy shouted angrily. She glanced over at the flinching raticate.
Ash also noticed Raticate from the corner of his left eye. He suddenly hopped on his feet and ran toward Ash.
"Raticate, use your Hyper Fang on that insolent little boy!" Cassidy shouted.
"Ash, no!" Misty cried.
"Get out of the way!" Brock shouted.
Ash froze. He tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. He put his arm over his head. He suddenly felt a painful, ripping, burning sensation. He looked down to see a deep incision on his arm. Blood was pouring from it. He screamed in pain. He suddenly felt very weak and fell to the ground.
"Ash!!!" Misty screamed.
Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Totodile ran to Ash's side. Misty placed Ash's head in her lap. It took everything in her to hold back her tears. Brock attempted to apply direct pressure to the wound to keep Ash from bleeding to death. Misty didn't see how that was possible, since there was already a huge pool of blood lying on the ground.
"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked worriedly. Totodile frowned at Ash.
"Huh?" Ash asked weakly. "I'm okay Pikachu. I promise."
Pikachu looked a little relieved, but worry still overcame his face.
"Are you sure?" Misty asked.
"Yeah Misty, I'm fine. Just groggy… and sore." Ash said weakly.
Misty and Brock cringed when they heard Cassidy and Butch laugh.
"Aww, what's wrong? Did your little friend get hurt?" Cassidy asked in a coaxing voice.
"Shut up! It was dirty to make Raticate attack Ash like that. You should be ashamed." Misty scolded.
"Yeah, I'm really sorry." Cassidy taunted. "I could care less if the little brat died."
"Take that back!" Misty shouted, with Ash's head still lying on her lap.
"Yeah right." Cassidy laughed. "Raticate, finish them all off!"
Raticate nodded and charged toward the group. Suddenly, a Thunder Bolt came and knocked Raticate out. He was flung into the air and landed straight into Butch and Cassidy. They all fell down.
"P-Pikachu?" Ash asked weakly as he glanced at Misty and Brock.
"No, Ash." Brock explained. "The attack came from behind, but Pikachu is right next to you."
"But then who…" Ash trailed off.
Butch, Cassidy, and Raticate got back up on their feet.
"Who did that?!" Cassidy shouted furiously.
"I did." Said a monotonous voice. Ash tried to lift his head to see who it was. Misty and Brock glanced over in the direction that the voice came from.
Butch and Cassidy looked into the eyes of a teenaged boy. Next to him, stood a huge Dragonite.
"How dare you interfere in our business?!" Cassidy said angrily.
"Yeah," Butch said angrily.
Ash gasped at the Dragonite. And the serious looking boy next to it… He must've been its trainer. Ash also noted that there were two other figures standing behind the boy.
"You should mind your own business, boy." Cassidy said angrily. "Raticate, destroy that little insect!"
The boy stood emotionless as the raticate charged after him. He lifted his finger and pointed at Raticate.
"This has gone on long enough. Use Hyper Beam on those clowns." The boy said in his deep, monotonous voice.
Powerful energy gathered in Dragonite's mouth. Then, it aimed the blast of energy at Raticate, Butch, and Cassidy. The energy collided into them and they flew into the air.
"This must be what it's like to blast off." Butch replied.
"Yeah, it's not as melodramatic as Jessie, James, and Meowth make it out to be." Cassidy said in a dull voice as they flew into the air.
"Is this the part where we say that we're blasting off again?" Butch asked.
"Just shut up." Cassidy sighed.
"Raticate!!!" Raticate shouted as they flew out of sight.
They landed several miles away in a little village.
"Where are we now?" Asked Butch.
"How should I know?" Answered Cassidy.
They suddenly got the feeling that they were being watched. They turned around to find Officer Jenny staring at them, a little baffled.
"Did you just fall from the sky?" She asked, bewildered.
"Err…" Butch and Cassidy muttered.
"Hey, I recognize you!" Jenny said in surprise. "You're part of Team Rocket! You're wanted in seven cities. You're under arrest!"
Jenny cuffed them. "You're going away for a long time." She said.
Butch and Cassidy sighed. How were they going to explain this to the boss?
Meanwhile, Ash just stared at the Dragonite. It was so powerful. He gazed over at the boy. The two figures behind him, stepped up next to him. The boy stood emotionless. He glanced over at Ash. The two figures glanced at Ash as well. Ash noticed that the two characters were girls. Brock, Misty, Pikachu, and Totadile eyed the characters suspiciously.
"Who are you?" Ash asked.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Jessie: Hey, we weren't in this chapter!
James: Yeah, what's the deal?
SE: Don't worry. You're going to be in this fic, a lot.
Meowth: Dat's good. I felt deprived.
Jessie: Yeah, and what was up with putting Butch and Cassidy in this story? The nerve of those ingrates…
James: How dare they try to steal Pikachu! That's our job!
Meowth: Yeah, what's up with dat?
SE: Just think of it this way, they're the ones rotting in jail right now.
TR: Oh yeah!
SE: ~Smiles~ I'm so nice… ~Grins evilly~
Meowth: I don't like da sound of dat.
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A/N: Well, how was that? I know it's not that good yet, but I promise it'll get better. Now, I probably won't be able to upload chapter 3 until possibly the end of the month. I have a lot of stuff going on this month. Just read my bio, you'll see. I'll be too busy. I'm so sorry for not updating this like I should have. Time gets away from me, ya know? Anyway, I want to say thanks to Ariel-Chan for proofreading this and Onii-San, for being so nice and patient for this chapter. (Thanks Razor Raven!) Oh yeah, and hi to everyone from AAML!!! You guys are the greatest, if you're reading this. Anyway, remember to R&R. Constructive criticism is welcome, but be gentle with the flames, please. Well, sayonara for now, peeps. ^_^