Part Eleven: Crucible

It was strange of us to think of Butch and Cassidy as being allies of ours, especially considering that they had been as much of a pain as their rivals. Once I began to really think about it, I found it strange that Jessie and James should be the ones to accept them in, especially since it was those two who our new "friends" taunted the most. I knew that we were desperate for help and that we'd take anybody, but I really had to question their motive…

I knew we didn't have the luxury to think about things like that. Even Lenneth, who was usually very optimistic about things, spoke of how difficult our path would be from here on out. We would definitely need every hand that we found, and whether or not they had once been an enemy of ours didn't seem to matter. Butch and Cassidy were with us, for better and for worse, and we would have to put aside our differences until everything was set straight with Team Rocket.

I couldn't begin to understand how they must've felt--and not just by coming to us and asking for help. They were betraying their own job, and everything that they had lived and worked for. I know that they said that there was nothing else left of the Team Rocket they once knew and revered, and that everything changed when their old boss was killed, but still… they must've been going through a lot of mental anguish. I had to admit that there was a part of me that wanted to talk to them about it, and Ash and Misty agreed. We ended up letting them be alone--or should I say, we ended up avoiding them as much as possible. Only Jessie and James, strangely, seemed to be around them the most.

I suppose it's all one big case of "déjà vu" for us--after all, we didn't trust James and Jessie when they first joined up with us, but now they're our friends. Even I put my faith in them now, and I was the one who was most against their coming! I guess it's because I'm older and a little more experienced than all the others, or maybe I don't trust people, or at least those who try to bring harm to us. But, like it or not, I was forced to let them join our cause. They had the knowledge and experience that would quickly prove invaluable, and their schemes and ideas were second to none, I had to admit.

I tried to grow closer to Lenneth, but once we realized what we were really up against, there just didn't seem to be a point… The only thing I could do was sit in my room and think about things, trying not to include that which should have been occupying my mind the most. We had barely scraped by a battle against one of those "legendary machines"; how would we do against the other five? I began to wish for the company of Lenneth, but since I was so overcome with random thought, I couldn't even leave my room…

Butch and Cassidy knew the whereabouts of the other five Machines, the ones that Team Rocket had unearthed in a last-ditch effort to control the entire world and erase any rebellious action. We had stumbled across the Water monster by accident, but with our new allies' help, we were able to plan our attack very precisely. When I asked how they knew about it and Jessie and James did not, Butch and Cassidy informed us that they had not only eavesdropped on the death of their boss, but the information concerning the machines as well. They had been spread out in a seemingly-random manner, but the truth behind it was that the five remaining machines were in areas of the world where their elemental strength would be most prominent, such as the cold ice world for the Sea-serpent.

Once we were ready, we took a course towards Cinnibar Island, where it was said that the Fire machine, a demonic creature resembling an Ifrit, had been placed. The Team Rocket base on Cinnibar was loosely guarded, but when we arrived on the scene, the very fires of the underworld erupted out, and the Ifrit came with them. We might have been destroyed were it not for the help of Butch and Cassidy, and as it stood, we all unleashed every single Water and Ice Pokemon we had, with Misty in the lead. The battle was a terrible one, and even with our "advantage" it seemed grim, but we pulled out safely and with another base captured.

Once Team Rocket learned that we had taken over the base and destroyed the Fire monster, things really got intense. Captain Thatcher decided to let things cool down for a while, literally and figuratively, and flew us towards a beach where we all took three days' worth of vacation time. I spent every last waking moment with Lenneth, and for the first time since I can remember, I never bothered even looking at another girl, unless it was for friendly or business purposes. I think… at long last… I had found a girl to love me…

*~*~*

I was happy for Brock as I saw him spend so much time with Lenneth. I normally got tired of all his mindless flirting, and the way he would be so easily manipulated by any pretty girl he saw. But Lenneth was different, and in the best way, too. She was a gentle, sweet, warm, loving girl, who served with a selfless heart and cheered up our darkest moments. There was a flicker of mystery within her that I just couldn't place--something about her, whether it was her silvery hair or her weird ability to "sense" something going on… it was as if she was different from us--from all of us. But we all liked her, no matter who she was--especially Brock!

I was stuck with my own predicament while we rested on that beach. I had never really thought of Ash as more than a friend, and at the worst he was like an annoying little brother, but he seemed to really be getting the hang of this "maturity" thing. I mean, we were all young, and we were all growing up into adults, but… I really noticed a difference. Ash was never very outstanding outside of a Pokemon battle, but during the fight against that Fire machine in Cinnibar, he really proved himself. Even Gary was impressed.

Ah, Gary… It doesn't take a smart person to figure out he has a crush on me. I've known it for awhile, and not just because he said he was in love with me (that was a spur of the moment thing). He looks at me differently than other girls, like he understands me and appreciates me for what I really am. I have to admit that it feels really good to be the object of somebody's admiration. Now, if only Ash had those sorts of feelings, then maybe I could have people fighting over me…

AAHH! Who am I kidding?! What am I saying?! Ash having a crush on me?! I needed to get real here! I totally don't see him in that way--not now, not ever in the past, and probably not ever in the future!! I mean, sure he's grown up, but he's still a brat! …Oh, never mind. I didn't need to think about it at the moment. I just needed to rest and relax. My body was so sore from all the fighting that I nearly fell apart, like Frankenstein's monster or something!

I guess… the other girls and I got along pretty well. We ended up spending at least a few good hours together, talking about most anything that came up and trying to avoid our bleak situation. Nurse Joyleen and Officer Jennifer were very different from their other cousins, and not just by appearance or name. They had both known Captain Thatcher for a long time, and respected him deeply--too deeply if you asked me! I think they both had a crush on him at one time, but I guess I can't blame them. Underneath that wild outer shell is just a big softie.

Jessie and I grew especially close, which isn't really surprising considering our personalities are very similar. Lenneth is completely unlike any of us, so calm and passive, and as patient as a turtle. The rest of us (Jennifer and Joyleen excluded) are all wild, loud, cranky, bossy, impatient, sometimes selfish women, who could pass as Prima Donnas in an instant, but not Lenneth. I was really surprised how close Jessie and I had gotten in such a short period of time. It feels like ages since we were enemies, though it really wasn't that long ago. Cassidy's another story, but I'm willing to live and let live.

Our vacation was short-lived, and even three days ended too quickly for my liking. We were all rounded up back on the Dreadnaught again, sailing off towards the next area of the world in hopes of another victory. We all assumed that Team Rocket had calmed down during the holiday, and that since there hadn't been any activity from our part, we could slip in and cause a scene without much of a hassle. Boy, if there was ever a case for us being totally duped by our own shortsighted assumptions…

They struck fast and hard while we were unawares. The Dreadnaught was heavily damaged and even some of the crew were wounded. We had to plow through several dogfights in order just to breathe, and sometimes we were forced to land in order to carry out our battles. Rocket had deployed tanks and anti-aircraft guns to shoot us down, and the only way through those walls was to land and fight them on foot--and we had yet to come close to the next town!!

Finally we arrived in Viridian, the place where the Earth machine had been placed, but we found nothing there except for empty buildings. It was as if the entire population had suddenly vanished, and even though we all knew this wasn't the case, we stayed on our guard. The lone Team Rocket base in Viridian, once the gym of Giovanni himself, was all that really stood in our way. It too was empty.

Lenneth began to have terrible feelings about the place, not that nobody else was sensing anything unusual. Her mysterious ability to "feel" things going on was haunting her in a bad way, but Brock was there to comfort her and straighten out her thoughts. Slowly, she looked around the entire gym, and pointed to an area that looked to have been recently dug through. A secret chamber led to a deeper part of the gym, one that was vibrating with such evil that only Captain Thatcher was brave enough to lead us through.

There was a long series of caves underneath, some of which led to the main Base, or so Butch and Cassidy said. They had been sealed off ages ago, though, which was bad news for us, since a shortcut to the base would've been invaluable. We kept going on, expecting to find something terrible waiting for us around the next corner. We had no idea how right we were…

Standing before us, laying buried in the ground, was the Earth machine that Butch and Cassidy had told us about! It rumbled to life and came towards us, nearly collapsing the entire cave around it as it charged. It was a mighty Golem--not the Pokemon, but a real live actual Golem, a machine made out of the very earth! It must have felt right at home in that long cavern, but we weren't about to stick around to make sure.

Once again, we released all our water Pokemon on the monster and began to blast away. Since there was little room in the cave, neither we nor the Golem could move around, but that proved to be our advantage. Since it had been almost pinned up against the cavern wall to begin with, we could easily pin it again with our Pokemon. It quickly became trapped and outnumbered, and was soon completely destroyed. We all took a big sigh of relief once the machine was destroyed, but we weren't safe yet.

The Golem's defeat activated a fail-safe in the cavern, and the moment we began to rest, the entire corridor rumbled like an earthquake was in the area! Rocks began to tumble down, and soon the entire underground was collapsing on us! We ran for the exit as fast as we could, but it was to no avail: the entire cave was crashing down on us, and before we could get very far, our path was blocked. We didn't have time to formulate a way out, however: the ceiling crashed down on us, burying us all beneath a blanket of stone.

During that frightening time, feeling the weight of the entire Earth on my back, I wept bitterly and wished that I had been kinder to Ash. I was all alone, though, without even a hand to grasp as the slow end suffocated us all…

But then, to the surprise of everyone there, a miracle happened…

*~*~*

A powerful force was lifting us all from out of the rocks. It was like a bomb was going off, but nobody got hurt. The ground around us suddenly blasted away like some invisible hand had swept it aside, and when we could all see and breathe again, we saw that it had been Lenneth who saved us!! A silvery-blue glow was surrounding her like a shield, keeping her and everything else around her free from harm. It had been that shield that blew away the rocks--but it was more than rocks that were blown away.

Of course, nobody believed that it was happening, not even Captain Thatcher. He gawked at her as if he had been told the seas of the world had all dried up, and everyone else stared in amazement as well, especially Brock. He couldn't decide whether to be excited, scared, shocked, or relieved, so he just did all four of them and ended up making no sense at all. Lenneth was off in another world, her eyes closed, the long braid of her silvery hair flapping gently, and her feet barely hovering above the ground. She descended after a while, took a big breath, and smiled as if it had been nothing at all.

But to make a very long story short, we got out of the cavern before any more landslides decided to smother us. The sun was beautiful and blinding, a gorgeous greeting that said "Welcome back, everyone! I'm so glad you're all right! You deserve another vacation!" Of course, we didn't get one. Nope--Captain Thatcher was already forcing us on the ship, his adrenaline and momentum pumping on overtime as he guided us towards our fourth consecutive battle against the legendary machines. As tired as we all were, I had to admit that he sure didn't give up easily!

We went to Celadon next, to fight the Grass machine. I had to give a bit of credit to Butch and Cassidy, as they single-handedly helped us through some of the hardest battles any of us have ever faced. They really seemed genuine when they told us they wanted to overthrow Team Rocket, and when they put action behind their words, I guess it was final. They were serious, and so even though it looked like nobody else trusted them yet, I wanted to. And so, while we were going towards Celadon, I went over to them and tried to be friendly.

We ended up talking the whole way through. It turned out that they were a whole lot like James and Jessie, except much more effective and not quite as gray when it came to being good or bad. They still treated me like an enemy, but I could tell that they were really trying to adjust to their new "life". They sure didn't like the idea that they were betraying Team Rocket, no matter what form it took, but their motive justified it. I understood that they loved their company and worked as hard as they could for it, and even though we had been enemies many times before, they were still among the proudest and most loyal members, and that made them good in my eyes.

When I told them that, they smiled, and it wasn't in a bad way. I think I was the first one who really tried to be friends with them, aside from James or Jessie. There was a definite connection, and it almost felt like we were going after the Legendary Pokemon Master all over again! We sure could've used his help, I can say that much!!

When we arrived, we could see that most of the countryside surrounding the main city had been destroyed by the monster, with trees overturned, rocks tossed, the ground dotted with holes--just a big mess everywhere you looked! We could see a few stray trainers were trying to stop it, but since they used Grass and Bug Pokemon, they really weren't doing any good. Quickly, I chose Charizard and Brock chose Vulpix, and we both led the charge with everyone following after us.

The Grass machine resembled a tree from the darkest nightmares, a living creature that commanded the wood and the leaves, perfect for the setting as always. But Brock and I weren't about to go down, and we blasted at the creature with all our firepower (so to speak). Butch and Cassidy chipped in as well with a Growlithe and a Rapidash each, and soon the monster was covered with flames. After a brief but exhausting battle, we were finally able to topple the fourth monster, and were rewarded by the cheers of the people of Celadon town.

Of course, we didn't stay there for very long. The Captain allowed us to have a day's rest to recuperate from our battle, then it was off to the next city! Nobody ever said that this was going to be an easy fight, but I'm sure we can handle whatever is thrown at us. We would even get a chance to test that in the very next land, the wilderness of Fuchsia…

To be continued…