Chapter 8- Brave Knight

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Ash's head snapped up, watching as Mew came streaking back, nothing more than a pink blur, towards him.

"Where is she?" Ash looked at Mew for a second, waiting for an answer. "Team Rocket…" Mew said, and Ash groaned "We have to go rescue her!"

Brock looked at Ash and Mew for a moment, patting Pidgeots beak gently as it chirped happily at the first proper attention from her rider. "What is it Ash? Where's Misty?"

"Team Rocket's got her…" Ash looked down, eyes searching for something. "Mew and I are going to go get her, you stay here Brock, there's no point endangering yourself too, and Pikachu" He smiled and ruffled the yellow ears, before picking up the pokémon and tossing him to Brock "Look after him Brock"

"But Ash, that is probably just what Team Rocket want us to do!" Mew protested, and Brock agreed.

"Mew, you wouldn't understand. If you won't come with me, I'll do it buy myself" Ash replied stubbornly. Brock butted in with a "Better half than a whole" But Mew nodded.

Flitting up to Ash's side, Mew looked over his shoulder at the boy "You'll have to leave Dragonite though, or recall her. She's too big" Ash stared for a moment, and Mew rolled its eyes "Geez Ash, you won't fall, just grip onto my tail. It'll be right, trust me"

Frowning, Ash took out Dragonites pokéball. She protested greatly, right up 'til the ball clicked shut, and Ash began to fall.

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"Very good" Giovanni said to Jessie, James and Meowth, as they bowed before him. Long fingers flexed as he looked at the still unconscious red haired girl known as Misty. Arbok lay in coils around the girl, holding her tight in case she woke, as she had done many times on the journey here, until Victreebell put her back to sleep.

"I see something good in store for you three if this boy turns up for her, as you say she will" He grinned, and stretched a hand out to scratch Meowth behind the ears as the cat balanced on the tabletop. Persian meowed, wanting attention, but Giovanni ignored it as Meowth purred.

"Now, take her to the dungeons. Make sure she can't escape, nor that anyone can rescue her" Jessie nodded, ushering Arbok out, but James didn't much like the smirk on Giovanni's face… what would he do once he'd gotten a hold of Ash?  Meowth purred again, trying to stay as long as possibly, smirking at the Persian as he left.

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Ash felt his fingers connect with something soft and long. He realized it was Mews tail, and was about to cry out in alarm and let go, for fear of dragging Mew with him to their doom, when a strange tingle ran through his entire body. Blinking, Ash looked up, and could see Mew, flying easily as if Ash- gripping onto the long pink tail- weighed nothing at all.

"Wish us luck!" He called over his shoulder at Brock and Pikachu. Brock waved, as did Pikachu. Pidgeot began to follow Ash, even though Brock tried to tell her to stop. Pikachu was about to offer an electric spark, when Pidgeot found she had no trainer there to follow. Both Ash and Mew had disappeared within the second, leaving nothing more but a faint shimmer in their places.

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Ash knew they where moving against the wind, but couldn't even feel the chill against his face. It was as if Mew was moving at such a speed as to completely blank out the senses. Not only could Ash not feel the wind, he couldn't feel anything. For all he knew, he could have been swimming, or underwater. Things to either side where a blur, or nothing at all other than a huge blob of spinning racing colours. Ahead, Ash could see a sort of, rotating spiral, like a warp. It seemed to him that they raced on into the center of the world.

They'd been moving like this for seconds at the most, when the pair came to a jarring halt. Ash, gripping onto Mews tail, and had been leveled up behind the pokémon, horizontal with the force of unfelt wind, suddenly swung down, and underneath with the sudden drop of pressure that held him.

He drew in a breath, realizing he hadn't been able to breathe all that time. He was suddenly very glad that trip had only lasted seconds. "Mew? Where are we now?"

'Shh!' Mews thought burst into Ash's head. 'We're just above Team Rocket Headquarters… Misty is here' Ash looked down, then closed his eyes, searching with his mind and senses inside, not his eyes, as Mew had told him how to do.

A small, very faint blue glow came from one of the rooms. There could be a few reasons for the fainted color: Many floors covering Misty, Someone had made an effort to cover Misty from them, or she was very sick. Ash hoped it was one or both of the first two.

"Lookout!" Mew swerved suddenly, dragging Ash with it, and Ash felt something hot scrap over his shoulder. Glancing down, he saw a Houndoom glaring up at them. He recognized it as Cassidy's, even from this height. "Mew, what are we going to do?" Mew smirked a little, and dodged another Flame Thrower with ease.

"Well. It seems we've been spotted. Maybe this would be the time to see what you've got" Mew began talking rapidly, so fast Ash could barely keep up, but he got the main idea. Mew then swooped down low to the HQ. It was made of maybe 7 different buildings, the one that Misty's signal was coming from was big, and the only window Ash could see was bared.

As Mew neared the tiles, Ash let go, falling down towards the shingles. He felt heat roar above his head, another near missing flamethrower. Clenching his hands together, then splitting them apart and putting them in front of himself, a large silver beam erupted from his palms, roaring like fire, and near as hot. It split through the tiles, roof, metal inlay, first floor, second floor, third floor and fourth. A huge hole appeared, ripping up the building, almost a perfect burnt out circle. Ash dropped down, straight through the roof. He had to be careful not to hit the jagged edges of melted metal.

Hurry up Mew! Second Floor! Ash couldn't see very far, it was too dark, but now he could actually feel the air rushing up around him. Ash heard explosions above, and tried to look back up to see what was causing them.

Big mistake.

There was a sickening crunch as he landed hard on part of the Third Floor. He groaned as his legs gave out under him and he landed on his stomach. Rolling over he gripped his right leg. The left seemed ok, a little sore, but the right hurt horribly. Mew! A squeal of questioning pain answered him. Ash jumped, knowing that he had just caused that pain to Mew, then winced as he felt a stinging heat race over his back, his damage had caused Mew to slow and be hit by Houndoom's attack. Lying down with a groan, he felt a pokéball in his grasp.

Pulling it out, it opened and his trusty Rapidash appeared in a burst of red light. Whickering softly, Rapidash put his muzzle down near Ash, nuzzling him gently [Ash? What's happened?]

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After explaining to Rapidash, in brief, the pokémon helped Ash to get up onto the stallions flaming back. Mew was still above, trying to distract the Rockets from Ash. He sighed his thanks to the legendary pokémon, and gripped Rapidash's mane as the horse trotted around, searching for a stair well.

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Brock sat with Tracey, Pikachu and Professor Oak, all of them where quailing away from an enraged Mrs. Ketchum. "You say he's gone off to invade Team Rocket Headquarters?" She screamed, they all nodded fervently and she sat back, panting. "My poor little boy… why didn't you try and stop him?" Brock fidgeted, glad that they hadn't told her the true story about Ash and Mew… imagine what she'd be like then?

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Misty had heard the explosion, and wondered what was going on, but she could see nothing. Her room had no lights, full brick walls, and a solid metal door. A wooden bed, skimpy little chair, table, and a single barred window, showing her a beautiful scene to another cell like hers. The sound of hooves on cobblestones forced her to look up, and run to the door, banging with her fists on the metal with a rather satisfying 'clang'. At a familiar voice, she almost drowned in her joy

"Misty? Misty! It is you! Hang on!" Ash called out, hearing her shouting to him from his first word. She pounded on the door again, wanting desperately to see his face, anything. She had to warn him.

"Misty, get away from the door" Ash ordered. His voice seemed so strong and firm, he'd grown up within the short while she'd been away. Taking a step back, she heard a strong whinny, recognizing a Rapidash. She had a sudden idea at what Ash was going to do, and would have stopped him had she not been too late. Rapidash reared up, and smashed diamond hard hooves into the metal. The door fell off its hinges, with another kick from Rapidash's powerful hind legs. Whickering the battle-trained-stallion reared up again, Ash once again thankful for Brocks great pokémon breeding skills.

"Misty, c'mon!" She looked around worriedly, before taking Ash's hand for help up onto the steed. With a neigh, the Rapidash turned, and charged from the room, taking a soaring leap upwards, straight up a level. And straight into Giovanni.