Part Two: Slaughter

The mighty Team Rocket was more of a complex machine now than a mere organization. Its helicopters soared overhead, clouding the skies black with their noisy presence. Their boats ran through oceans and rivers, scattering the waves and the life within in fear. Their cars roamed the roads with diabolical agents in tow, their tanks overran the land as they wheeled across the plains, and their underlings spread their dark claws across the world, suffocating everything with their grip of death.

Yet it was the main headquarter base which was most abuzz with activity. Rising up high like a momentous sentinel to declare its unquestioned supremacy, Team Rocket headquarters was now everything its creator had intended it to be: a symbol of power, of fear, and of complete and unquestioned control, where the weak were preyed upon and the strong smashed everything in their path. And deep inside this lair of throbbing strength was the mastermind of the entire operation, Giovanni Rocket.

He sat on his chair like an Emperor on a throne of gold--or else a deadly spider poised in the middle of their web, waiting for more foolish insects to fly inside his trap. A Persian was nestled in his lap, content to be stroked and to be placed in the seat of honor. Nothing else was so close and loyal to Giovanni, not even his greatest agents of all--though they were nearest. The man was alone in his room, though, content to silently reap in the benefits of his labors, as well as the invaluable efforts of his two best agents. For every hour that passed, another successful report (or several of them) was sent in to him, telling of how a rare or powerful Pokemon had been captured and categorized. Hearing about one single victory used to be a sign of good news for Team Rocket, but now that Giovanni had extraordinary tools at his disposal, hearing of a hundred was now commonplace. Every agent that he had was out there in the world, capturing Pokemon and sending terror across the land as the unquestioned rule of Rocket finally took place.

Everyone, that is, except for his best: Marion and Morrison. Too valuable to waste on a mere hunting expedition, Giovanni kept them close at hand, waiting patiently for his domination to take effect. The two assassins-turned-Rocket Agents certainly seemed happy to sit and wait for orders, and to bask in the glory of their fabulous efforts. They had good reason to be content--after all, it was through them that the rest of the world was now in such anarchy.

With no hope of sanity and salvation for the people to cling to, it was only a matter of time before Team Rocket announced its domination of the world--not just the world of Pokemon, but with such power at their fingertips, the entire literal world as every living creature knew it, and perhaps beyond…

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Walking twelve miles in the same direction was something that everyone in the group of six had gotten accustomed to. The path was sparse and quiet, for most of the remaining Pokemon there had learned to run and hide from the evil menacing grasp of Team Rocket. Nobody in the entourage was concerned about the quiet; they had gotten used to it after spending similar long hikes by themselves and with others. Gary had his crew of girls, Jessie and James had Meowth (who was loud enough to account for a whole group on his own), and Ash's team had each other.

Their destination was an airport to the northeast, where they would meet an old friend of Professor Oak, named Rutherford. Oak had said that Rutherford was a bit of a last resort, but considering the desperate situation the world had been thrust into, even the wildest of cards had to be played. It was not the journey that fatigued Ash, though, but the newest member of "his" team: his lifelong archrival, Gary Shigeru Oak.

I still don't see why the Professor had to put Gary in with us, murmured Ash to himself. Sure we need the extra help, but… Gary? He'd probably do more harm than good, thinking about himself all the time and doing nothing but bragging! He's as bad as Jessie and James used to be!

"Ash?" said Misty, clearing out his thoughts. "You look like you're really deep in thought. Is something on your mind?"

"Now how in the world would you know if he were in deep thought, Mistina?" laughed Gary. "Ashy-boy's never been much of a thinker! How can you tell if he's never showed it!?"

"Be quiet, Gary!!" snapped Ash angrily. "For your information, I was just thinking about why Professor Oak asked you to come along with us! I know we need the help, but… this doesn't concern you!" Instantly, Gary whirled around and glared at his rival, but not in a nasty or conceited way. There was pure anger in his eyes, holy retribution that begged to smite the injustice spat out at him.

"How dare you say something like that!! In case you haven't noticed, Ash, the entire world is under the control of Team Rocket, almost! The entire WORLD! I'm as much involved in this as you are, and your friends, and everyone in Pallet and all across the world! Don't you get it? Grandpa sent me to follow you guys so that I could protect this world from danger!"

"But…"

"I may be only a kid, but even I know when something is good enough to protect!" he continued, his own speech giving him the passion to go on. "My goal as a Pokemon trainer is insignificant next to this new undertaking! All of the training that I went through in order to become a Master will only truly pay off here! I just want to save the very lives that are put through this horror! I only want to protect those people and Pokemon who cannot protect themselves! So… next time you think nobody's involved in this, why don't you just shut your mouth? It'll save a lot of people some annoyance!" With a huff, Gary bolted back around and left Ash utterly stunned.

A moderate silence passed.

"Well it's about time somebody said that!" exclaimed Misty. She smiled and continued to praise Gary's speech despite Ash's shock. "Wow! I never though I'd be so happy! Somebody finally put that little brat in his place!"

"MISTYYYYY!!!"

"Oh, be quiet, Ashley!" she sighed gently. "You needed to hear that and you know it! The Professor said that this journey would be good for your maturity, so go ahead and grow up, or you'll be left behind!" And with that, Misty gave him a humph and joined Gary, who didn't bother to hide his smile. Ash's mouth was as wide as a cave, his eyes big as plates, and his entire body catatonic. Brock, who understood Ash a little better than girls or rivals, patted his shoulder gently.

"Look, they may be right, but I guess sometimes they forget how young they are. I'll bet most of what they just said can be applied to them, too."

"…Yeah…" he sighed, "but… I guess… they're right. I do need to grow up a little. Hey, Misty?"

"Yes, Mr. Ketchum?" she sang coyly. Ash smiled as he called out to her.

"I'm sorry for being such an immature little boy!"

"Apology accepted, Mr. Ketchum!"

"And Gary!"

"What?"

"I'm sorry for accusing you of not having any involvement! But that doesn't mean that I like you any better!"

"Apology accepted, Captain Ketchum," chuckled Gary. "And I can't stand you any less, either!"

"That's okay by me," replied Ash, keeping his smile. "As long as we can work together to take Team Rocket down and bring peace to the world, I really don't care if you like me or not!" Gary kept his smile as well, placing his arms behind his head as he walked.

"Deal!"

"Oh, boy," moaned Jessie. "This is beginning to sound like a bad soap opera!"

"Tell me about it!" wailed James. "Are we there yet?"

"Nope!" exclaimed Misty happily. "We've got about eleven and a half miles to go!"

"Eleven and a half?" whined the former Rocket. "But I don't know if I can last that long!"

"Oh, please shut up, James…"

The six comrades traveled long and far over the countryside, walking across a great dirt path that had been cut into the countryside centuries before. The sky was deceptively blue and the sun was doing its best to make the day a golden one, but there was just not enough activity in the world. The land had been stripped of Pokemon, from the uncommon to the ordinary, leaving almost nothing left to wander the world. Everything, from bred creatures to domesticated ones, had been taken by Team Rocket's massive campaign, and that had been just their first major wave of attack. Giovanni doubtless wanted every Pokemon in the world for himself, and he had the means to easily achieve this goal.

But the world itself was still beautiful, with lovely fields of grass below and mighty mountains towering above, defying the threats that engulfed the world. Twelve miles were devoured up in three hours as the sextet traveled across the land from one town to the next, with a few extra minutes added on for necessary breaks. Although Jessie and James complained their mouths off in the first hour, by the time everyone was ten miles away from Pallet, even their pampered bodies were beginning to feel tougher and more mature.

Ash noticed that Misty, James, and Jessie were spending quite a bit of time with Gary. Misty supposedly admired the redhead for putting Ash in his place, and people who only loved themselves usually got along great. Brock stuck by Ash, claiming that he understood the younger boy better than any girl, rival, or egotist would, of which he was grateful for the company. Gary's bragging got annoying quickly, but not to the others.

"They don't have a display case big enough to show off all the badges I won!" he would say. "Sure, Ash found a dozen or so, but that's child's play compared to what I got! There's probably badges in my coat pocket that he's never even heard of!"

"Wow, how fascinating!" exclaimed both Jessie and James, ogling Gary's collection. "If you were a member of Team Rocket along with us, there's no way that we would have lost as many times as we did!"

"HA!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" snarled Ash. Jessie gave him a warm smile.

"Oh, don't blow your top, Ash. I'm actually quite glad that we fought you on our own. If we had Gary's help, we would've never been fired from Team Rocket!"

"That's right!" added James. "And we never would have met any of you! So I guess we all got lucky on that one, eh? I don't believe in destiny too much, but I'd say that fate chose for us to lose intentionally, so we could follow our true calling in life!"

"I… guess so…" murmured Ash. Gary offered his rival a smirk.

"Yeah, you should definitely thank me for being a good guy and not a Rocket! Otherwise, the world would really be in danger!"

"Just be quiet, Gary! We've had enough of your bragging!"

"Ash is right!" agreed Brock. "Fun's fun, but we need to get serious here! Let's not waste any more time talking until we get to that town! C'mon!" With that, Brock ran ahead of the group, apparently with his wind back and his legs strong again. He ran for a good distance before slowing down, so everybody else had to redouble their efforts in order to catch up.

After a few tiring minutes of running and resting, the group managed to come across the airport that Professor Oak had mentioned. Gary was able to get some information about where the Rutherford person his grandfather mentioned was, and led the group into the designated hangar. Inside was an old B-52 Bomber, several mechanics crowding around it like ants over a piece of food, and an elderly gentleman overseeing the whole thing. Gary smiled as he seemed to recognize him, and walked over to the old man to greet him.

"Hey, pops!"

"Huh? Oh! Charles, is that you? How did you manage to stay young all these years? Did you drink from the fountain of youth?"

"Don't be silly, old man! My grandfather's just as old as you are!"

"Ah, so you're his grandson Gary!" exclaimed the old man in surprise. "Well, no wonder I mistook you for him! You look exactly like he did when he was your age!"

"That means that Gary will probably look like Professor Oak when he gets older," noted Misty. Gary heard her but pretended not to. The old man, Rutherford, smiled anyway as he greeted Gary and his friends.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you in person at last, Gary! Are these your friends that your grandfather told me about?"

"Yup," he said with a nod. "This is Brock, a Pokemon breeder, and Misty, a water Pokemon expert. These two are Jessie and James, former members of Team Rocket who are now our friends."

"A pleasure!"

"Likewise!"

"Hey, what about me?!" shouted Ash. Gary frowned in thought as he looked over at the forgotten member of the crew.

"Oh yeah, and some kid named Ash who's from my hometown. My grandpa's trying to teach him how to be a Pokemon expert, but this one may be a lost cause!"

"HEY!!!!!" Old man Rutherford laughed out loud despite Ash's violent-sounding voice, and calmed the area with his merry smile.

"Oh, to be young and so confident of one's abilities…! My, it takes me back when Charles and I used to spar! Oh, those were the days…" He sighed and shook his head, smiling as he polished his glasses from the old memories that had fogged them up.

"Well, can you make a detour before you go too far down Memory Lane?" asked James. "The old Prof told us that you'd be able to help us with the situation. You do know what's going on in the outside world, don't you?"

"Yes, of course, there's hardly anybody that doesn't!" he answered softly. "It's a terrible turn of events for us all, and I'm not sure how much help I can be. Charles was right by making the six of you team up together. With so much knowledge about Team Rocket and Pokemon at your disposal, you're probably the best chance this world has of regaining its sanity."

"So just how exactly can you help us?" wondered Brock. "The Professor said that it was going to be a longshot…"

"Oh, it's a last resort, all right," said Rutherford with a mysterious glint in his eye. "Yes, yes… you see, we never expected things to come to this. I had really hoped that we would never be forced to use 'the machine' ever again…"

"What machine?" The old man didn't answer James' question for awhile; he just turned around and walked away.

"Follow me. I have something to show you--something that will be the last great hope in this war…" Old man Rutherford crept towards a staircase that nobody had noticed was there, and slowly climbed down into the lower levels, with everybody else slowly filing after him. A door was at the very bottom of the stairs, which led to a dimly-lit hallway. A final door was at the very end of the long corridor, and behind that portal was a sight so amazing that everybody froze in amazement.

A gigantic hollow structure had been hidden away beneath the surface of the airport, something similar to a port dock. Cranes and people wandered around the area, all of them centering around a single massive structure that looked like a mechanical whale. Its sheer size was behemoth, easily as large as two airships combined, but with more mechanical modifications, like a floating city. It didn't have any propellers, though, and its propulsion seemed to run on a different kind of fuel than standard planes. It was visibly armed to the teeth, with several hidden methods of defense most likely unseen by the casual eye.

"Whoooooooooa! That's amazing!" exclaimed a breathless Ash--along with everybody else. Gary looked ready to give birth.

"Is that what I think it is?!"

"I don't know, what do you think it is?" replied Rutherford casually. Gary swallowed down his surprise and whispered out the answer.

"Is that really… one of the four legendary Dreadnaughts?"

"It is indeed," affirmed the elder. "Perhaps the very last one of its kind. The other two were destroyed in the war, and the last one's missing, presumed lost, leaving this one the only remnant of that great, glorious, and terrifying time. Of course, since then, we've made some modifications on it!"

"Look at the size of that thing!" gawked Misty. "It's gotta be bigger than Cerulean City at least!"

"Oh, this was as big as they made them!" pointed Rutherford with pride. "Nothing else came close! When you wanted to bring out the big guns and wipe out the opposition in a single stroke, you called out the Dreadnaught! Course', since then, we've been trying to restrict the use of this thing. The trouble is that it's a little too powerful, and it sucks up fuel like you wouldn't believe! But… this may be a good time to resurrect it…"

"I don't believe it!" whispered James in awe. "What's it called?"

"The Euphrates, a mighty name for a mighty ship!"

"Euphrates…" Ash chiseled the name of the legendary vessel into his mind, keeping it forever as a piece of history. He had heard about the four legendary Dreadnaughts from Professor Oak, about how they had sent the world into flames during the last great war (of which Oak and Rutherford had been a part of), and how the final decisive fate of Pokemon had been judged and carried out in order to win the struggle. Now, seeing the refurbished piece of history for his own eyes made him a little more proud to be a trainer--as well as a little more yearning for adventure.

"So is this what Professor Oak wanted you to help us with?" asked Brock. Rutherford nodded his head.

"Yes… But I have some good news and bad news concerning it."

"What news?" Rutherford sighed and turned around so he could face all six of them.

"Well, the good news is that I'm completely willing to let you all borrow this ship. Use it however you feel necessary, and keep it until this entire matter has been solved--but be sure to bring it back once you're done. You'll have entire access to everything aboard, from sleeping quarters to a kitchen with full staff, a bath room, recreation room, computer room with multiple terminals for transferring Pokemon, a medical ward, security forces, and anything else you may need."

"Oh, wow!!" squealed Ash (and nearly everyone else as well). "That's incredible! What kind of bad news could you have after telling us all that?!"

"Well…" Rutherford trailed off slowly, apparently reluctant to reveal just how nasty his news really was. "The thing is… you can't pilot the thing by yourself. You'll need to have someone fly it for you, and there's only one person in the entire world who's qualified to commandeer the Dreadnaught."

"Oh? And who's that?" asked Misty. She got her answer before she knew it as a tall, swaggering, grinning, maniacal-looking man appeared from behind Rutherford, his eyes ablaze and his presence commanding. He was truly dressed like a man of the sea, with a bright-red button-down jacket, rubber boots over his feet and gloves over his hand, a corncob pipe in his mouth, a stubble of hair on his chin, and a ring in each of his ears. His hair was as wild and fiery as his demeanor, and when he spoke, everybody could hear him.

"That'd be me, missy!" he boomed. "The Shark of the Skies! Name's Thatcher, Captain Red Thatcher, of the nastiest dog to ever rip apart the clouds, the indestructible Euphrates! Pleasure to meet'cha!"

"Oh no, did he say his name was Thatcher?" wailed Ash. Rutherford sighed and nodded his head.

"I see that Professor Oak already warned you about him. Let me assure you that everything you may have heard about this man was an understatement."

"Shaddap, ya crusty old geezer!" bellowed Thatcher as he slapped Rutherford on the shoulder. "These young'uns'll be influenced in a bad way if they hear too many people say bad things about me! Kids, be you the ones who'll be borrowin' this Dreadnaught here??"

"Uhh… y-yes, s-sir…"

"Arr, I thought so!" he growled happily, baring large teeth. "Well, I'll be your spirited Captain, pleased and honored to make the very heavens tremble as we blast through the atmosphere! Heh, hahahahaha!!" He bellowed out an insane laughter, sending everybody reeling back in terror.

"James, he's barbaric!" yelled Jessie hysterically. "I wouldn't set foot on that thing if he were the Captain! Not even to get back at Team Rocket!"

"I'd rather kiss the boss' boots again rather than be on his ship!" wailed James. The large Captain Thatcher laughed and slammed his arms around both of them, smiling more broadly than a whale's body length.

"Ye two young'uns don't have nothin' to worry bout'! These people just don't like me cuz' I ain't got no fear! They say I'm too reckless!"

"You are!" shouted Rutherford. "You're worse than a city full of teenagers! I'd rather not stake the lives of these young ones, or those of the Pokemon, into your hands!"

"But ya don't have a choice, do ya pops?!" grinned Thatcher. Rutherford moaned.

"If I only did…"

"Ahh, why don't'cha go back upstairs and leave all this to me?!" shouted the Captain. "I'm sure I can handle these little'uns! Go on, go on, you've got a rust-bucket to fix up!" Rutherford snorted and frowned angrily, but he could do nothing to brighten the situation, so he shuffled back to where he came from and warned everybody to be careful. As usual, Jessie and James screamed out for help.

"Don't leave us with this madman!"

"He looks like he could eat us!"

"GAAHH-hahahahaha!!!" bellowed Thatcher, squeezing them tighter still. "Ye two crack me up better'n a barrel in the grip of the kraken! Don't you two worry; I'll have you fallin' to pieces all over me in a matter of minutes! So, who's gonna introduce themselves to me first?"

"Uh, Ash will!" spat Gary as he thrust his rival forward. Ash skidded to a halt, but it was too late as his hands were being smashed by Thatcher's.

"Ash? Ash Ketchum, is it? Aha, so you're Oak's little protégé, eh? Well, tis' an honor to meet'cha, lad!" Poor Ash could only give a watery smile as he was shaken out of control, and hope that Gary received the same treatment.

"Uhh… aye-aye, sir!"

"That's a good lad! And who's the fella that pushed ya? Are you Gary Oak?" Gary was grabbed by the big guy as well, pulled into the Captain's grip until he affirmed his identity. Brock was a little more polite and got a simple hearty handshake; poor James nearly fainted as Thatcher grinned at him. When it came time for Misty and Jessie to greet the fiery man, they did so with their hearts pounding and their bodies braced. He kissed them each on the hand, with surprising delicacy.

"And a most gracious honor to meet the beautiful accomplices of these gentlemen," he said softly. Misty and Jessie both let out a sigh, and then a smile.

"He doesn't seem so bad," she shrugged. Jessie agreed.

"For a barbarian, you mean…" Captain Thatcher smiled broadly, saluted the six companions, and marched off to the large vessel docked in the underground port.

"Well, it's an honor! C'mon board and I'll show you my crew! Never has a more loyal group of people ever been assembled! They'd fight and die for me to their very last breath! C'mon, you'll love'm!" He marched on ahead of them, leaving them doubtful at best.

"I have a bad feeling about this," murmured Gary. Ash took a small amount of comfort in the fact that an hour ago, Gary had been confident and sure of himself. Now that he was at the mercy of a maniacal man, he seemed just as timid as everybody else. Feeling more confident, Ash followed Captain Thatcher first, though at a considerable distance.

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"You called for us, sir?"

"Yes. Don't bother to sit down, this won't take long." Marion and Morrison stood, while their boss rose up from his own chair. The only thing he did was drop a rolled-up sheet of paper. "Take it with you. You'll need it when you look for the weapons."

"What weapons, sir?" asked the gigantic Morrison. Giovanni smiled.

"The ultimate weapons of Team Rocket--the remains of the legendary Dreadnaught, Amazon. That map will show you the way to find it, and all you two have to do is follow the dotted line, so to speak. I would not send any ordinary agent on this mission, since it's going to be very dangerous and it's a top priority, so I wanted my best to undertake it. I understand that you will execute my orders with perfection."

"And maybe more," purred Marion as she took the scroll. "Giovanni, you're a wonderful human being. You should get a report from us in 24 hours."

"We'll bring you your weapons in about two weeks, if not less," stated Morrison. "It shouldn't be too hard to meet that deadline."

"I trust it won't," he said with a wicked smile. "Well, good-bye, my prides. You shall be heavily rewarded when you return." With such confident words backing them up, Marion and Morrison quietly bowed out of the office and went on their next deadly mission. Once he had privacy, Giovanni buzzed his secretary.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me Butch and Cassidy, won't you? I have a job for them as well."

To be continued…