AN: Please ignore my idiotic brother, who happens to be my co-author, if he
ever goes into the review board again (he's bluefang, in case you don't
know). Anyway, sorry about my updating time. Schoolwork got the best of me.
I won't take that long normally. Anyway, enough rambling and on with the
chapter.
Of Flame and Ash
Chapter 4: Moon Mountain Mayhem
After healing their Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, Ash, Blaine, and their Pokemon headed west for Mt. Moon.
"Are we there yet?" Ash moaned for the third time in the past five minutes.
"No!" Blaine yelled. "And we won't be there for at least another twenty minutes, so stop whining!"
A few minutes later, Ash asked, "How much longer until we're there?"
Blaine snapped. "Will you stop asking when we'll get there?! We will get there when we get there!"
"But I was asking how much longer until we get there, not when we'll get there," Ash pointed out meekly.
Blaine screamed, "THAT'S IT!" He then pulled a large hammer out of nowhere and yelled, "PANCAKES!" He smashed Ash with it, sending him flying. The boy landed in front of the Pokemon Center at Mt. Moon's entrance as he heard a voice yell to him, "There! Are you happy? You're there!"
-|*~*|-
Twenty minutes later, Blaine, Growlithe, and Pikachu showed up at the entrance. Ash was waiting for them outside. "Jeez, you guys are slow," he commented. Blaine pulled out the hammer threateningly, and Ash said, "Never mind."
Blaine put the hammer away and said, "Since there's a Pokemon Center right here, I want to do something."
Ash cocked his head. "What?"
Blaine grinned evilly. "Ash, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"
Ash's eyes widened. "Why do you want to battle me?"
"I've wanted to battle you since we met, but stuff kept happening to prevent it. Jigglypuff, and you losing at the Gym for example. Now," he pointed at Ash, "do you accept or decline?"
Ash pulled out a Poke Ball. "I accept," he said. "Go, Diglett!"
Blaine pulled out his only used Poke Ball. "Ponyta, I choose you! Ember attack!" As the small horse came out, she whipped her fiery mane forward, throwing small flames at Diglett.
"Diglett, go underground!" Ash commanded.
As Diglett burrowed, Blaine smirked. "Ash, don't you remember what I told Team Rocket about digging?"
Ash sweatdropped and said, "Oops."
"Yeah. Oops is right." Blaine pointed at the hole left by Diglett. "Ponyta, fire in the hole!"
A second later, Diglett came shooting up out of the ground, slightly charred and breathing heavily. "Diglett, are you okay?" Ash called out. After an affirmative nod, Ash continued. "Good. Show that Ponyta your Scratch!"
Diglett rushed at Ponyta, but she simply jumped over him. "Good job Ponyta. Counter it with your famous Stomp attack!" She jumped into the air again, this time landing on Diglett. Or where Diglett had been. Ponyta's front hooves landed in a hole instead.
Ash jumped into the air. "Perfect! Diglett, hit it with Scratch!" Diglett popped out of the ground behind Ponyta and again rushed at her, this time from behind. Right before Diglett hit, Ponyta reared up and kicked him viciously in the head. Diglett went flying backwards and landed with X's in his eyes.
"Ha! First victory goes to me and Ponyta!" Blaine gloated. "Send out Pikachu so we can finish this."
"Fine," Ash growled. "Pikachu, you're up."
Blaine nodded. "Ponyta, return. Go, Growlithe!" He pulled Ponyta into her Poke Ball and Growlithe stepped forward.
"Pikachu, go, Thundershock attack!" A bolt of lightning shot forward and hit Growlithe.
"Growlithe, strike back with a Bite!" Growlithe, complete with standing up fur, leapt forward and bit down hard on his opponent's tail. Pikachu involuntarily let out a burst of electricity, shocking the dog a second time. Growlithe yelped and let go, but only to get a third shock.
Ash was getting happier, while Blaine wasn't. "Give him your Tackle!" Growlithe charged at Pikachu, bending his head down on the way. Pikachu tried to shock him, but kept missing.
"What's that?" Ash asked, watching Growlithe pick up speed while jumping side to side.
Blaine was awed. "I think that's Growlithe's Agility attack." Growlithe was a blur as he sped towards Pikachu. The yellow mouse was hit full force and sent flying from the momentum of the Agility. Pikachu landed on his feet, but was then hit by flames from Growlithe. It was too much for the small Pokemon and he collapsed from exhaustion.
"Pikachu!" Ash ran over to his friend. "Pikachu, are you okay?" Pikachu squeaked once, then went to sleep. Ash glared at Blaine. "How could you do this to Pikachu?"
Blaine held his hands out in front of him. "Woah, Ash, calm down! Pikachu's only sleeping. He'll be fine soon. Besides, it was a battle, and Pikachu was the opponent." He looked down at his feet. "Sorry if I went a bit overboard."
"It's okay. I probably would have done the same thing." Ash said.
Blaine grinned. "Yeah, if you were winning."
Ash sweatdropped. "Yeah, sure." He looked over at the cave. "Are we going in now?"
Blaine shook his head and said, "Not yet. You still have to heal your Pokemon."
"What about yours?"
"Mine are fine. They were the ones that won."
"Oh yeah? Take another look."
Blaine looked over at Growlithe and saw him lying down, breathing heavily. He looked back at Ash, scratching the back of his head. "Okay, maybe mine need healing too."
-|*~*|-
The cave was dark.
"I wonder if he could get any more obvious," pondered Ash.
Blaine took out his lantern, lighting the area around them. "Stop pestering the author and let's go." They descended deeper into the cave.
They heard Zubat cries constantly, and every once and a while, they would hear a scratching sound. They couldn't see very much as they proceeded, until they could only see a few feet around them. Water could be heard dripping in places, and sometimes those places were found, which Blaine and Growlithe avoided. Every once and a while, there would be a dead end, so everyone would have to follow the wall to find the way back.
After a couple of hours of wandering the cave, Ash moaned, "When will we get out of here?"
Blaine pulled out his hammer and asked, "Do I need to reintroduce you to Mr. Mallet?" Growlithe and Pikachu snickered while Ash shook his head.
Suddenly, Growlithe tugged on Blaine's pantleg. He looked down at the puppy. "What is it Growlithe?" Growlithe pointed his nose off into the darkness.
After a moment, Ash said, "Let's just go."
Blaine turned to him and motioned for him to be quiet. After another moment, a couple of voices were heard talking. Blaine ran to the wall and everyone else followed as he tucked their light into his vest, bathing them in darkness.
The voices got closer, until they could be heard clearly. "-want out of this."
"Yeah, this job is boring. Plus I can't see anything."
"At least we'll get paid big for this. If everything goes right, of course."
The two people owning the voices turned a corner. Both had flashlights in their hands, and were wearing outfits like James's, but were black instead of white. The taller one continued the conversation. "What could go wrong? I mean, it's not like the fossils we're stealing can fight back, and no one is going to stop us, so we're safe."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
They continued down the wide path in silence. Ash whispered, "I thought taking fossils is illegal."
Blaine nodded, but Ash didn't see him. "It is. That must be what Team Rocket is up to."
"Team Rocket?" Ash asked.
Blaine nodded again, still unseen. "Yes. Didn't you see the red R on their shirts?"
Ash shrugged, but they were still in the dark. "I guess Jessie and James aren't the only members of Team Rocket." He glanced at the shrinking figures. "Maybe we should follow them," he whispered.
Blaine pulled out his lantern, but kept the flame small. "Good idea. Let's go. Come on Growlithe." They walked close together, silently, following the people at a safe distance. The path started to tilt downward after a minute, and the four of them hesitated before continuing.
After a few more minutes, they emerged into a large cavern. Lights were strung up along the walls, and more Team Rocket members were digging in various places. Some Pokemon were helping also. Machop were moving boulders over half their size, and Grimer were dissolving solid rock walls with their poison.
Blaine and Ash were gaping. Growlithe was growling and sparks were coming from Pikachu's cheeks. A huge pile of what looked like rocks was stacked in the middle of the chamber.
"Why are they keeping all of those rocks?" Blaine said quietly.
From behind him someone said, "Because those aren't rocks. They're Pokemon fossils that are going to make us rich."
Blaine gasped and turned around, as did Ash and the Pokemon. A man in his middle 40's was standing there. Unlike the two Rockets standing behind him, he was not wearing a uniform, but a brown suit instead. From the condition of the suit and the aura of dignity that surrounded him, it didn't take long to figure out who he was.
"You're the leader of this operation, aren't you?" Blaine asked. "But you seem to important to come here..."
A Persian walked up next to him and meowed. "Partially correct, my boy. I am Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket." He waved his hands around him, and Ash noticed that everyone had stopped to watch this. "And why do you think I would want to miss this? An opportunity to gain rare and powerful Pokemon is too good to just hear reports about. I wanted to be here for it," he leaned closer, "and maybe get some Pokemon for myself."
Ash was furious as he said angrily, "These fossils aren't meant to be disturbed!"
Blaine nodded in agreement. "By coming in here, you disrupted everything in the cave." He snorted. "Besides, those fossils over there don't even look like Pokemon."
Giovanni smiled. "You can find out how much they are Pokemon, if you join us."
"Never!" Blaine and Ash shouted in unison.
Giovanni snapped his fingers and the two Rockets behind him came forward. "Convince our new friends here to join us. If they don't, eliminate them."
Ash looked over at Blaine. "How are we going to do this?"
"Easy," Blaine said and pulled out a Poke Ball. "We bend the rules."
Two Poke Balls shot out and four Pokemon stepped in front of Blaine and Ash. The Rockets looked at each other and nodded. Their balls flew forward too, and nine Pokemon stood in between the humans. Growlithe, Ponyta, Pikachu, Diglett, Rattata, Grimer, Sandshrew, Machop, and Geodude charged at each other.
Blaine's Pokemon leapt forward, giving everyone some space with their fire attacks. Diglett went underground as the battle started and made his way behind the Rockets' Pokemon. Sandshrew spotted him and turned to face the mole, leaving the other four to face Growlithe, Pikachu, and Ponyta.
Ash moved to pull out his Pokedex to get some info on the attackers, but Blaine stopped him. "There's no time," he said. "We'll just have to go on instinct." Ash nodded so Blaine continued. "We'll have to watch each other's backs. This is going to take more strategy than brute force."
Rattata jumped at Ponyta, attempting a powerful Hyper Fang attack, but Ponyta reared up and kicked it away. Blaine sweatdropped and said, "Okay, maybe brute force will help too."
Unfortunately, neither Ash nor Blaine could come up with any good strategies, so the Pokemon took matters into their own hands, paws, hooves, and rocks.
Ponyta whipped her head around, sending flames around her, trapping Rattata, Machop, and herself in a circle of fire. She then blew flames everywhere in the circle, setting the ground on fire. Rattata couldn't take the heat and collapsed, also receiving a Quick Attack from the female pony. Machop wasn't so quick to lose, however, and delivered a flurry of punches to its opponent. Ponyta slowly backed up and out of the fiery circle. Machop didn't notice the fire until it stepped on it. While hopping in the air, holding its foot, and crying in pain, Ponyta sent it flying with another Quick Attack.
Meanwhile, Diglett and Sandshrew were having an underground duel. They swerved around each other, shooting Sand-Attacks at each other. One would fire, then the other one would either dodge or shoot their own sand. They then proceeded to attempt to scratch each other. The match ended up in a draw, as both of them emerged from the ground all scratched up. Their respective owners called them back immediately.
Growlithe and Pikachu were still squaring off with Grimer and Geodude. After many fruitless attempts to knock out Geodude, the duo focused their attacks on Grimer. After an Ember/Thundershock combo, Grimer melted into a puddle of goo. Then, two rocks hit both Pikachu and Growlithe on their heads. They turned to the attacker and saw Geodude holding another rock. It hurled the rock at the fire puppy, who in turn got hit on the head. Pikachu retaliated with a powerful Thundershock, paralyzing the floating boulder. It gave Growlithe the time to get up. His eyes turned red, as did Blaine's, and he released the second Flamethrower of his life.
The Rockets recalled their Pokemon as the battle ended, and Giovanni stepped forward. "Good work boys. I am impressed that you were able to defeat two of my strongest Rockets." He smiled evilly. "Now, lets see how you fare against me." A Poke Ball flew out of his sleeve and into his hand. "Weezing, go!"
What looked like two Koffings fused together floated towards Ash and Blaine. Growlithe and Pikachu leapt forward without command. Ponyta tried, but fell to her knees. "It's okay, Ponyta," Blaine said as he put her back into her Poke Ball. "You did a good job."
Meanwhile, Ash was starting on Weezing. "Pikachu, go! Thundershock attack!" Pikachu released a burst of energy, striking Weezing dead-on. Weezing took the shock and shook it off.
"Weezing, Sludge." Giovanni commanded with a hint of amusement in his voice. His Pokemon spat a brown liquid at the mouse, but a blast of fire dissolved it.
"Can't let you take all the credit, Ash," Blaine said as he walked up next to him, Growlithe beside Blaine. "Let's take this loser down, our style. Growlithe, Bite that freak!"
"Pikachu, electric Tail Whip!"
Growlithe jumped onto Weezing and bit down on the small head. Pikachu charged his remaining energy into his tail and smashed it into the large head of Weezing, shocking both it and Growlithe. Both Pokemon jumped away from the toxic gas ball and faced it, ready for more. Giovanni had other plans, though.
"Weezing, use Explosion." The Pokemon glowed bright white and then exploded, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, all three Pokemon were unconscious.
"Pikachu!"
"Growlithe!"
Ash and Blaine ran over to their respective Pokemon and picked them up. Giovanni slowly walked towards them. "This is your last chance to join Team Rocket. You have no Pokemon left to defend you. Either join us," he paused slightly, "or die."
Blaine clenched his teeth. "Never."
Suddenly, the pile of fossils began to glow. They merged together and changed form until they became a large stone bat. "Aero!" it shrieked loudly.
Ash pulled out his Pokedex. "Aerodactyl. The fossil Pokemon. A vicious Pokemon from the distant past, it appears to have flown by spreading its wings and gliding."
Aerodactyl flew at them, swiping at their heads with its wings. Giovanni pulled out a Poke Ball and said, "Perfect! Now I shall capture it!" He threw the ball at its unprotected back after it flew over again, but an arm reached up and knocked the ball away. "What?!" Giovanni cried furiously.
Blaine stood between him and the Pokemon defiantly. "This Pokemon is staying in this cave. Nothing you say or do will prevent that." He turned to the large bat behind him. "Aerodactyl, if you want to remain hidden, leave this room right now."
Ash looked around the room for a way to help, and he quickly found one. "Blaine! The generator! If we start it, we can blow it up!" He looked at Pikachu. "I know you're tired, but can you just start that generator for us, Pikachu?"
Pikachu responded with a weak, "Pika," and a bolt of electricity arched towards the generator. It hit and the generator powered up.
Blaine watched the retreating form of Aerodactyl and then turned to Growlithe. "Can you destroy that generator, Growlithe?" The puppy looked at the machine and opened his mouth, but all that came out was a puff of smoke.
Giovanni tried to sustain a laugh. "It looks like your plan won't work after all. Goodb-" He stopped as he saw Blaine pull out a small lantern.
Blaine smiled weakly and said, "Guess again." He threw the lantern with all of his might at the generator. It smashed against it, the flame leaping out onto the steel. Within seconds, the generator exploded, sending everyone in the cavern flying through a new hole in the roof. Blaine, Ash, and their Pokemon briefly saw the explosion before blacking out as they went soaring out of the cave and into the night sky.
-|*~*|-
Blaine woke up to find himself in a field full of flowers on a sunny day. Growlithe and Pikachu were snoring peacefully next to him, and Ash was just waking up also. Blaine looked on his other side and saw his lantern on the ground, undamaged. He picked it up and looked at Ash, who shrugged. "Don't question good things," he said.
"There's something different about it," Blaine said thoughtfully as he watched the dancing flame, "but I can't figure out what-" He lost his train of thought as he gazed into the sky and saw a large, multi-colored bird flying off towards the west. The bird glittered with all the colors of the rainbow, yet still shone a golden color.
Ash didn't see it, though, as he was watching his own mystical creature. A large winged beast was flying off towards the south, this one with a slim white body and long slender wings and tail. The few clouds seemed to part to make way for the flying thing.
When they could be seen no more, both boys turned to each other and said, "Did you see that bird/dragon? No, I saw a dragon/bird!"
They were silent for a minute before Blaine spoke up. "I don't think we should tell anyone what we just saw."
"Why not?" Ash asked.
Blaine looked back up at the sky. "I think those were legendary Pokemon. If we say we saw them, people would think we are crazy." He looked back down at the ground and off to the east. "Now, I believe we have a certain city to get to. Cerulean City, if I'm not mistaken. So let's get going!"
~~~~~
AN: You must be getting sick of these. Anyway, I forgot the disclaimer. I don't own Pokemon or any part of it. If I did, all 386 Pokemon would have appeared in Ruby/Sapphire. Again, sorry for the updating time. I will normally be faster than that.
Of Flame and Ash
Chapter 4: Moon Mountain Mayhem
After healing their Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, Ash, Blaine, and their Pokemon headed west for Mt. Moon.
"Are we there yet?" Ash moaned for the third time in the past five minutes.
"No!" Blaine yelled. "And we won't be there for at least another twenty minutes, so stop whining!"
A few minutes later, Ash asked, "How much longer until we're there?"
Blaine snapped. "Will you stop asking when we'll get there?! We will get there when we get there!"
"But I was asking how much longer until we get there, not when we'll get there," Ash pointed out meekly.
Blaine screamed, "THAT'S IT!" He then pulled a large hammer out of nowhere and yelled, "PANCAKES!" He smashed Ash with it, sending him flying. The boy landed in front of the Pokemon Center at Mt. Moon's entrance as he heard a voice yell to him, "There! Are you happy? You're there!"
-|*~*|-
Twenty minutes later, Blaine, Growlithe, and Pikachu showed up at the entrance. Ash was waiting for them outside. "Jeez, you guys are slow," he commented. Blaine pulled out the hammer threateningly, and Ash said, "Never mind."
Blaine put the hammer away and said, "Since there's a Pokemon Center right here, I want to do something."
Ash cocked his head. "What?"
Blaine grinned evilly. "Ash, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"
Ash's eyes widened. "Why do you want to battle me?"
"I've wanted to battle you since we met, but stuff kept happening to prevent it. Jigglypuff, and you losing at the Gym for example. Now," he pointed at Ash, "do you accept or decline?"
Ash pulled out a Poke Ball. "I accept," he said. "Go, Diglett!"
Blaine pulled out his only used Poke Ball. "Ponyta, I choose you! Ember attack!" As the small horse came out, she whipped her fiery mane forward, throwing small flames at Diglett.
"Diglett, go underground!" Ash commanded.
As Diglett burrowed, Blaine smirked. "Ash, don't you remember what I told Team Rocket about digging?"
Ash sweatdropped and said, "Oops."
"Yeah. Oops is right." Blaine pointed at the hole left by Diglett. "Ponyta, fire in the hole!"
A second later, Diglett came shooting up out of the ground, slightly charred and breathing heavily. "Diglett, are you okay?" Ash called out. After an affirmative nod, Ash continued. "Good. Show that Ponyta your Scratch!"
Diglett rushed at Ponyta, but she simply jumped over him. "Good job Ponyta. Counter it with your famous Stomp attack!" She jumped into the air again, this time landing on Diglett. Or where Diglett had been. Ponyta's front hooves landed in a hole instead.
Ash jumped into the air. "Perfect! Diglett, hit it with Scratch!" Diglett popped out of the ground behind Ponyta and again rushed at her, this time from behind. Right before Diglett hit, Ponyta reared up and kicked him viciously in the head. Diglett went flying backwards and landed with X's in his eyes.
"Ha! First victory goes to me and Ponyta!" Blaine gloated. "Send out Pikachu so we can finish this."
"Fine," Ash growled. "Pikachu, you're up."
Blaine nodded. "Ponyta, return. Go, Growlithe!" He pulled Ponyta into her Poke Ball and Growlithe stepped forward.
"Pikachu, go, Thundershock attack!" A bolt of lightning shot forward and hit Growlithe.
"Growlithe, strike back with a Bite!" Growlithe, complete with standing up fur, leapt forward and bit down hard on his opponent's tail. Pikachu involuntarily let out a burst of electricity, shocking the dog a second time. Growlithe yelped and let go, but only to get a third shock.
Ash was getting happier, while Blaine wasn't. "Give him your Tackle!" Growlithe charged at Pikachu, bending his head down on the way. Pikachu tried to shock him, but kept missing.
"What's that?" Ash asked, watching Growlithe pick up speed while jumping side to side.
Blaine was awed. "I think that's Growlithe's Agility attack." Growlithe was a blur as he sped towards Pikachu. The yellow mouse was hit full force and sent flying from the momentum of the Agility. Pikachu landed on his feet, but was then hit by flames from Growlithe. It was too much for the small Pokemon and he collapsed from exhaustion.
"Pikachu!" Ash ran over to his friend. "Pikachu, are you okay?" Pikachu squeaked once, then went to sleep. Ash glared at Blaine. "How could you do this to Pikachu?"
Blaine held his hands out in front of him. "Woah, Ash, calm down! Pikachu's only sleeping. He'll be fine soon. Besides, it was a battle, and Pikachu was the opponent." He looked down at his feet. "Sorry if I went a bit overboard."
"It's okay. I probably would have done the same thing." Ash said.
Blaine grinned. "Yeah, if you were winning."
Ash sweatdropped. "Yeah, sure." He looked over at the cave. "Are we going in now?"
Blaine shook his head and said, "Not yet. You still have to heal your Pokemon."
"What about yours?"
"Mine are fine. They were the ones that won."
"Oh yeah? Take another look."
Blaine looked over at Growlithe and saw him lying down, breathing heavily. He looked back at Ash, scratching the back of his head. "Okay, maybe mine need healing too."
-|*~*|-
The cave was dark.
"I wonder if he could get any more obvious," pondered Ash.
Blaine took out his lantern, lighting the area around them. "Stop pestering the author and let's go." They descended deeper into the cave.
They heard Zubat cries constantly, and every once and a while, they would hear a scratching sound. They couldn't see very much as they proceeded, until they could only see a few feet around them. Water could be heard dripping in places, and sometimes those places were found, which Blaine and Growlithe avoided. Every once and a while, there would be a dead end, so everyone would have to follow the wall to find the way back.
After a couple of hours of wandering the cave, Ash moaned, "When will we get out of here?"
Blaine pulled out his hammer and asked, "Do I need to reintroduce you to Mr. Mallet?" Growlithe and Pikachu snickered while Ash shook his head.
Suddenly, Growlithe tugged on Blaine's pantleg. He looked down at the puppy. "What is it Growlithe?" Growlithe pointed his nose off into the darkness.
After a moment, Ash said, "Let's just go."
Blaine turned to him and motioned for him to be quiet. After another moment, a couple of voices were heard talking. Blaine ran to the wall and everyone else followed as he tucked their light into his vest, bathing them in darkness.
The voices got closer, until they could be heard clearly. "-want out of this."
"Yeah, this job is boring. Plus I can't see anything."
"At least we'll get paid big for this. If everything goes right, of course."
The two people owning the voices turned a corner. Both had flashlights in their hands, and were wearing outfits like James's, but were black instead of white. The taller one continued the conversation. "What could go wrong? I mean, it's not like the fossils we're stealing can fight back, and no one is going to stop us, so we're safe."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
They continued down the wide path in silence. Ash whispered, "I thought taking fossils is illegal."
Blaine nodded, but Ash didn't see him. "It is. That must be what Team Rocket is up to."
"Team Rocket?" Ash asked.
Blaine nodded again, still unseen. "Yes. Didn't you see the red R on their shirts?"
Ash shrugged, but they were still in the dark. "I guess Jessie and James aren't the only members of Team Rocket." He glanced at the shrinking figures. "Maybe we should follow them," he whispered.
Blaine pulled out his lantern, but kept the flame small. "Good idea. Let's go. Come on Growlithe." They walked close together, silently, following the people at a safe distance. The path started to tilt downward after a minute, and the four of them hesitated before continuing.
After a few more minutes, they emerged into a large cavern. Lights were strung up along the walls, and more Team Rocket members were digging in various places. Some Pokemon were helping also. Machop were moving boulders over half their size, and Grimer were dissolving solid rock walls with their poison.
Blaine and Ash were gaping. Growlithe was growling and sparks were coming from Pikachu's cheeks. A huge pile of what looked like rocks was stacked in the middle of the chamber.
"Why are they keeping all of those rocks?" Blaine said quietly.
From behind him someone said, "Because those aren't rocks. They're Pokemon fossils that are going to make us rich."
Blaine gasped and turned around, as did Ash and the Pokemon. A man in his middle 40's was standing there. Unlike the two Rockets standing behind him, he was not wearing a uniform, but a brown suit instead. From the condition of the suit and the aura of dignity that surrounded him, it didn't take long to figure out who he was.
"You're the leader of this operation, aren't you?" Blaine asked. "But you seem to important to come here..."
A Persian walked up next to him and meowed. "Partially correct, my boy. I am Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket." He waved his hands around him, and Ash noticed that everyone had stopped to watch this. "And why do you think I would want to miss this? An opportunity to gain rare and powerful Pokemon is too good to just hear reports about. I wanted to be here for it," he leaned closer, "and maybe get some Pokemon for myself."
Ash was furious as he said angrily, "These fossils aren't meant to be disturbed!"
Blaine nodded in agreement. "By coming in here, you disrupted everything in the cave." He snorted. "Besides, those fossils over there don't even look like Pokemon."
Giovanni smiled. "You can find out how much they are Pokemon, if you join us."
"Never!" Blaine and Ash shouted in unison.
Giovanni snapped his fingers and the two Rockets behind him came forward. "Convince our new friends here to join us. If they don't, eliminate them."
Ash looked over at Blaine. "How are we going to do this?"
"Easy," Blaine said and pulled out a Poke Ball. "We bend the rules."
Two Poke Balls shot out and four Pokemon stepped in front of Blaine and Ash. The Rockets looked at each other and nodded. Their balls flew forward too, and nine Pokemon stood in between the humans. Growlithe, Ponyta, Pikachu, Diglett, Rattata, Grimer, Sandshrew, Machop, and Geodude charged at each other.
Blaine's Pokemon leapt forward, giving everyone some space with their fire attacks. Diglett went underground as the battle started and made his way behind the Rockets' Pokemon. Sandshrew spotted him and turned to face the mole, leaving the other four to face Growlithe, Pikachu, and Ponyta.
Ash moved to pull out his Pokedex to get some info on the attackers, but Blaine stopped him. "There's no time," he said. "We'll just have to go on instinct." Ash nodded so Blaine continued. "We'll have to watch each other's backs. This is going to take more strategy than brute force."
Rattata jumped at Ponyta, attempting a powerful Hyper Fang attack, but Ponyta reared up and kicked it away. Blaine sweatdropped and said, "Okay, maybe brute force will help too."
Unfortunately, neither Ash nor Blaine could come up with any good strategies, so the Pokemon took matters into their own hands, paws, hooves, and rocks.
Ponyta whipped her head around, sending flames around her, trapping Rattata, Machop, and herself in a circle of fire. She then blew flames everywhere in the circle, setting the ground on fire. Rattata couldn't take the heat and collapsed, also receiving a Quick Attack from the female pony. Machop wasn't so quick to lose, however, and delivered a flurry of punches to its opponent. Ponyta slowly backed up and out of the fiery circle. Machop didn't notice the fire until it stepped on it. While hopping in the air, holding its foot, and crying in pain, Ponyta sent it flying with another Quick Attack.
Meanwhile, Diglett and Sandshrew were having an underground duel. They swerved around each other, shooting Sand-Attacks at each other. One would fire, then the other one would either dodge or shoot their own sand. They then proceeded to attempt to scratch each other. The match ended up in a draw, as both of them emerged from the ground all scratched up. Their respective owners called them back immediately.
Growlithe and Pikachu were still squaring off with Grimer and Geodude. After many fruitless attempts to knock out Geodude, the duo focused their attacks on Grimer. After an Ember/Thundershock combo, Grimer melted into a puddle of goo. Then, two rocks hit both Pikachu and Growlithe on their heads. They turned to the attacker and saw Geodude holding another rock. It hurled the rock at the fire puppy, who in turn got hit on the head. Pikachu retaliated with a powerful Thundershock, paralyzing the floating boulder. It gave Growlithe the time to get up. His eyes turned red, as did Blaine's, and he released the second Flamethrower of his life.
The Rockets recalled their Pokemon as the battle ended, and Giovanni stepped forward. "Good work boys. I am impressed that you were able to defeat two of my strongest Rockets." He smiled evilly. "Now, lets see how you fare against me." A Poke Ball flew out of his sleeve and into his hand. "Weezing, go!"
What looked like two Koffings fused together floated towards Ash and Blaine. Growlithe and Pikachu leapt forward without command. Ponyta tried, but fell to her knees. "It's okay, Ponyta," Blaine said as he put her back into her Poke Ball. "You did a good job."
Meanwhile, Ash was starting on Weezing. "Pikachu, go! Thundershock attack!" Pikachu released a burst of energy, striking Weezing dead-on. Weezing took the shock and shook it off.
"Weezing, Sludge." Giovanni commanded with a hint of amusement in his voice. His Pokemon spat a brown liquid at the mouse, but a blast of fire dissolved it.
"Can't let you take all the credit, Ash," Blaine said as he walked up next to him, Growlithe beside Blaine. "Let's take this loser down, our style. Growlithe, Bite that freak!"
"Pikachu, electric Tail Whip!"
Growlithe jumped onto Weezing and bit down on the small head. Pikachu charged his remaining energy into his tail and smashed it into the large head of Weezing, shocking both it and Growlithe. Both Pokemon jumped away from the toxic gas ball and faced it, ready for more. Giovanni had other plans, though.
"Weezing, use Explosion." The Pokemon glowed bright white and then exploded, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, all three Pokemon were unconscious.
"Pikachu!"
"Growlithe!"
Ash and Blaine ran over to their respective Pokemon and picked them up. Giovanni slowly walked towards them. "This is your last chance to join Team Rocket. You have no Pokemon left to defend you. Either join us," he paused slightly, "or die."
Blaine clenched his teeth. "Never."
Suddenly, the pile of fossils began to glow. They merged together and changed form until they became a large stone bat. "Aero!" it shrieked loudly.
Ash pulled out his Pokedex. "Aerodactyl. The fossil Pokemon. A vicious Pokemon from the distant past, it appears to have flown by spreading its wings and gliding."
Aerodactyl flew at them, swiping at their heads with its wings. Giovanni pulled out a Poke Ball and said, "Perfect! Now I shall capture it!" He threw the ball at its unprotected back after it flew over again, but an arm reached up and knocked the ball away. "What?!" Giovanni cried furiously.
Blaine stood between him and the Pokemon defiantly. "This Pokemon is staying in this cave. Nothing you say or do will prevent that." He turned to the large bat behind him. "Aerodactyl, if you want to remain hidden, leave this room right now."
Ash looked around the room for a way to help, and he quickly found one. "Blaine! The generator! If we start it, we can blow it up!" He looked at Pikachu. "I know you're tired, but can you just start that generator for us, Pikachu?"
Pikachu responded with a weak, "Pika," and a bolt of electricity arched towards the generator. It hit and the generator powered up.
Blaine watched the retreating form of Aerodactyl and then turned to Growlithe. "Can you destroy that generator, Growlithe?" The puppy looked at the machine and opened his mouth, but all that came out was a puff of smoke.
Giovanni tried to sustain a laugh. "It looks like your plan won't work after all. Goodb-" He stopped as he saw Blaine pull out a small lantern.
Blaine smiled weakly and said, "Guess again." He threw the lantern with all of his might at the generator. It smashed against it, the flame leaping out onto the steel. Within seconds, the generator exploded, sending everyone in the cavern flying through a new hole in the roof. Blaine, Ash, and their Pokemon briefly saw the explosion before blacking out as they went soaring out of the cave and into the night sky.
-|*~*|-
Blaine woke up to find himself in a field full of flowers on a sunny day. Growlithe and Pikachu were snoring peacefully next to him, and Ash was just waking up also. Blaine looked on his other side and saw his lantern on the ground, undamaged. He picked it up and looked at Ash, who shrugged. "Don't question good things," he said.
"There's something different about it," Blaine said thoughtfully as he watched the dancing flame, "but I can't figure out what-" He lost his train of thought as he gazed into the sky and saw a large, multi-colored bird flying off towards the west. The bird glittered with all the colors of the rainbow, yet still shone a golden color.
Ash didn't see it, though, as he was watching his own mystical creature. A large winged beast was flying off towards the south, this one with a slim white body and long slender wings and tail. The few clouds seemed to part to make way for the flying thing.
When they could be seen no more, both boys turned to each other and said, "Did you see that bird/dragon? No, I saw a dragon/bird!"
They were silent for a minute before Blaine spoke up. "I don't think we should tell anyone what we just saw."
"Why not?" Ash asked.
Blaine looked back up at the sky. "I think those were legendary Pokemon. If we say we saw them, people would think we are crazy." He looked back down at the ground and off to the east. "Now, I believe we have a certain city to get to. Cerulean City, if I'm not mistaken. So let's get going!"
~~~~~
AN: You must be getting sick of these. Anyway, I forgot the disclaimer. I don't own Pokemon or any part of it. If I did, all 386 Pokemon would have appeared in Ruby/Sapphire. Again, sorry for the updating time. I will normally be faster than that.