Fifteen: Gathering of Heroes, Part Two
A fierce, cruel, wailing wind greeted the beaten passengers of the Dreadnaught as they crawled outside. They had only recently gotten their insides to stop spinning, and the last thing that their dizzy bodies wanted to see was a desolate and hopeless land. The sharp winds, blowing over empty fields void of life, stung their eyes dry and combed through their hair like the ghosts of the past reaching out in torment. It was a dry world, without anything to see for miles around, except for stone and the weary crew.
Barely thankful to be alive, Ash tumbled onto the ground, the weakness from the turbulent journey still trembling in his body. He could hear Misty struggling to breathe, and Gary made a groaning sound as he came out into the open. Everyone was either limping or exhausted, and not feeling to well emotionally since the hasty retreat. Not even the Captain's enthusiasm could lift their spirits up from the wasteland in which they had been thrown into, so great were their burdens.
Nurse Joyleen had kept Cassidy inside because of her injury, but soon everyone wanted to duck back in to avoid the wind and the loneliness. It was just an overwhelming situation, and despite the numerous victories that had already piled on their shoulders, the past defeats and the upcoming impossibilities, linked together with the emptiness of the world they had been thrust into, truly did well to consume their entire selves, body and soul. Not a single person was without misery, even though Brock and Lenneth held each other close, and Jessie and James did their best to lighten the situation.
Ash raised his head, and could hear the howling and moaning carried by the tormented wind. It was like listening to a chorus of lost souls, chained and tormented on the rocks of the underworld, wailing about their fruitless pilgrimage and the waste of their journeys. The song was chilling, unlike the dry and warm world they had been tossed into--a land of stone and sand, without even a blade of grass to perk their hopes up. On top of everything, the once-proud Euphrates had been ruined and broken from the aerial tumble, and laid in ruins on the ground, partially torn open like a carved bird. Ash could only stare at the ruins as a sense of hopelessness finally settled in.
"So is this really the end?" he wondered, his voice sounding very old and weary. Misty gave him a sad, sympathetic look, not bothering to get angry since she wasn't feeling that enthusiastic either.
"Ash… we can't give up. There's got to be a way that we can overcome this."
"I… I know," he managed quietly. He turned around and gave Misty a weak smile, which she tried so desperately to brighten with her own. She crouched down next to him, still smiling, and offered him some comfort in that time of darkness.
"We can't just sit here and brood forever," sighed Thatcher once it seemed he was ready to stir the troops again. "I know I said that we couldn't afford to lose that last fight, but losin' ain't the end of the world. We can't be miserable just cuz' we lost and the ship's ruined. We've got to strike back and show'em that we can still fight!"
"And how do you suggest that?" wondered James. "If we've lost our ship--"
"Blast it, young'un, ain't you got sense in that head of yours?!" snapped Thatcher angrily. "Who bloody cares if we don't have a ship? We got our lives and our hearts, and that's all we be needing! Besides, it's not that badly damaged! I can probably fix it up in a few days!"
"But we're so close to winning!" shouted Brock. "If we stall now, then…"
"Let's be patient now!" said Officer Jennifer. "Let's not rush into this hastily! If it takes us awhile to repair the ship, then so be it! I don't want to face Team Rocket unless we're at full strength! We can afford to wait."
"But you don't need to do that, Officer Jenny!" A new and yet somewhat familiar voice called out to them from across the lifeless land, and as everyone turned around to see who it was, they noticed a young man running towards them. Ash and Misty gasped in excitement as their old friend Tracey Sketchum came running towards them, waving and smiling broadly.
"Ah! Tracey!! How did you find us?!" Tracey came to a halt and smiled at everyone, overjoyed to finally be back with old friends and new faces. A second person was following him, younger and smaller but no less enthusiastic. Ash recognized him as Ritchie, his old friend.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" shouted the young boy. "Tracey and I came over here as fast as we could! We've been following your exploits ever since Professor Oak gave us the news, but it's just been one problem after the next trying to find you!"
"Really?" asked Ash. Both young men nodded their heads.
"It was through sheer luck alone that we were able to find you!" said Tracey. "Who would've guessed that when this great big ship landed here, that it would be close to where we were at the time! What a convenience!"
"Convenience, you say?" muttered James. "Well, not for us! You wouldn't believe what we just went through! It was pure panic!" Tracey gave him a sympathetic nod.
"I can't imagine… Oh, and don't worry--Professor Oak told us about you two. It's really great that you're on our side. I have a feeling that we'll need all the strength we can muster! Professor Oak also told us that we'd probably be in the company of the infamous 'Shark of the Skies', but I didn't think he was serious!"
"Old fool," muttered Thatcher to himself. He gave Tracey and Ritchie a thin smile and shook their hands. "Well, I guess he's entitled to say whatever he wants. Are you two scamps here to help us?"
"Yeah, but it's not just us two!" replied Ritchie. Ash asked what his friend meant, and so he proudly indicated towards one of the large rocky hills that stood around the crashed Dreadnaught. Everyone looked up, wondering who or what would show up next, but the surprise they found was perhaps too extraordinary to believe.
From every corner of the great horizon came the Gym leader of every single major town that Ash and his friends had visited. From Vermilion there came Lieutenant Surge, the brawny master of electric Pokemon; from Celadon came Erika, the sweet plant mistress; from Sapphire came Sabrina, the lady of psychic Pokemon; from Fuchsia came Koga, the ninja master of poison; and from Cinnabar came Blaine, the fire champion. Ash and all his friends smiled broadly as their old rivals appeared from up above, like warriors streaming down from the heavens to participate in the battle of the ages. But the surprises didn't end there.
Following after the Gym leaders came the legendary Elite Four, every one of them towering over their comrades like gods. There was Lance the dragon master, Bruno the fighting champion, Agatha the ice Lady, and Lorelei the ghost mistress, all of them well stocked for war and ready to fight, all of them proud to serve under the same banner. Everyone below gawked up at the appearance of the mighty army, and wondered how such powerful forces had been assembled.
"Where did you all come from?" wondered Brock. Tracey gave him a smile and explained, as the Gym leaders and the Elite Four slid down the plateaus.
"It was easy! Remember, Ritchie and I were following you as you made your way across the world! We were able to convince the Gym leaders of every major city we visited to join our cause, and to fight Team Rocket as one! I never thought that they would all agree on this one objective, but it seems as if they all agree that the way things are now is too rough for the everyday Pokemon trainer!"
"So you're all going to join us??" wondered Gary. Every new addition to the team affirmed his question.
"Yes," said Koga, "it's high time that we stop hiding within the safety of our gyms and come out fighting! We owe the world that much at least."
"It's not only our job to defend our cities, but the entire world as well!" agreed Erika. Sabrina offered one of her bright smiles.
"Consider us your allies and your friends, even well after this war is over. If our powers can help at all, then we'll be happy to serve."
"So now that we're all here, let's go kick some Team Rocket butt!" shouted Lt. Surge. "What's stopping us, huh?"
"Well, you see…" Ash, Misty, and Brock pointed to the downed ship, offering weak smiles to compensate for the heavy loss. Surge scoffed.
"Pshaw! Is that all? Why, we can overcome that in no time! Lance!"
"I was wondering when I'd make an appearance!" he exclaimed. The Elite dragon master smiled, and revealed his massive collection of dragon Pokemon, all of them with exceptional power and speed. "We can just ride on my precious dragons to the next base, wherever that is! Lorelei and Agatha even brought walkie-talkies so we could communicate with each other!"
"We'll definitely need them if we want to devise a proper attack plan," they said as they passed the devices out to everyone. Captain Thatcher and Officer Jennifer declined the offer, saying that they would stay behind to monitor the transmissions and organize everyone else.
"Hey, where exactly is our next destination?" asked Blaine. "Are we gonna go back to Sapphire City and destroy that machine?"
"Why bother?" grumbled Thatcher. "Now that we're armed to the teeth with the greatest Pokemon trainers the world has to offer, it's time to flex our muscle! Ladies, gentlemen, friends and allies alike, it's high time we invade the main Team Rocket headquarters itself!"
"Are you serious, sir?" asked a doubtful Jennifer. "I mean, we still have a long way to go! Even without five of their machines and one of their leaders, the main base still poses a threat!"
"I know, but there's no other way," he shrugged. "Of course, I never woulda mentioned it if we didn't suddenly have a stream of new allies. The fact is that we've been given a great addition to our party. If we can't take the main base now, then when?" Jennifer shook her head, unable to answer him. The big rogue smiled, patted her shoulder, and turned to the eleven that had recently appeared. "Well, any of you have any objections?"
"We came here for action, so that's what we want!" shouted Bruno. The other Elites agreed with him, and the Gym leaders rose up a shout as well. Thatcher smiled, and gave the nod for Lance to release his dragon Pokemon. Every single one was just large enough to lift a person up on their back, which made them ideal for striking the base. It was still agreed that everyone should rest until Cassidy was better, but once the redheaded former Rocket was on her feet, the chariots of war would be mounted and the final act of the world revolution would be played out.
To be continued…
