AnT:
Yeah, Ash, Misty, and Brock would definitely be a bit older after so many seasons of Pokemon. How much older is up for debate... I'm sure the anime didn't show the majority of the travelling, only notable events that the trainers came upon. I just said ten because most websites take Ash's age to be ten. The same websites suggest that Misty's the same age as Ash.
Luis:
Johto's reasons for neutrality are covered in this chapter.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 11: Lt. Surge's Bargain
Agumon listened to Mr. Mime's ranting. "Slow down! Start from the beginning and tell us slowly."
Mr. Mime slowed down and reported what he saw clearly. Mr. Mime told Agumon and the other Digimon that soldiers from the Kanto army came here. They came to take Mr. Mime's mistress away. Mr. Mime threw himself in front of the soldiers and managed to thwart the attack. However, the soldiers sicced a Tyranitar on him, and knocked him out cold. When Mr. Mime woke up, the soldiers and Delia were gone, and the house was ruined.
"The Kanto army took Ash's mom hostage!" said Tentomon.
"Well that part's pretty obvious," said Matt.
As Ash and Misty exited the house, the wind picked up and the sky grew dark. A black, gaseous substance seeped from the ground, and a pair of burning, crimson eyes opened. The gas coalesced into the shimmering form of a demon, a hybrid with the head of a goat and a humanoid body with bluish skin. His body was covered with violet fur, and a foul black vapour seeped from his mouth and nostrils with each breath.
"You must be Mephistomon!" said Ash.
"Indeed," replied the demon's image.
Mephistomon's words put the heroes on the defensive. The Digimon surrounded the image in preparation to protect their partners and attack Mephistomon. Each Pokemon trainer clasped his or her hand around a Pokeball in preparation for battle. Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity as he stared at Mephistomon's eyes. Mephistomon was unfazed by the heroes' open hostility.
Mephistomon chuckled. "It seems Delia Ketchum isn't home today. I decided it would be nice to make her my very special 'guest,' so my underlings paid her a little visit."
Ash growled angrily. "Give my mom back now!"
"You are in no position to make demands of me. You've meddled in my affairs for far too long. If you value Delia's life, return to the Digital World and don't come back," threatened Mephistomon.
As the gas dissipated, Ash fumed silently before vowing: "You won't get away with this, I swear!"
Joe knew everyone's hands were now tied. "Now what do we do? One wrong move and she's done for!"
"Are you saying we should do nothing?" asked TK. "That's exactly what he wants!"
"TK's right! I won't stand by and let him do whatever he wants!" objected Tai.
"...But we don't have any idea where she is," objected Brock. "There's no way we can rescue her if we don't even know where they're keeping her."
"Well then, all we have to is find out and then rescue her!" said Gomamon.
"It's not like we can walk up to a Kanto soldier, and ask them 'Hey, do you know where Ash's mom is?'" said Agumon.
The heroes continued their argument, unable to come to a consensus. Unknown to them, a mysterious figure was watching and listening to them the whole time. This figure was a muscular man in his thirties with tanned skin, and blond hair. He was wearing black sunglasses, khaki jacket, and khaki pants. He had a 'tough guy' aura with his muscles and military-style clothing. He had snuck into the ruins of Ash's home, and hid himself near the front window while the heroes were preoccupied with Mephistomon.
"We're getting nowhere!" complained Sora. "Let's call a vote, all those in favour of rescuing Ash's mom, say 'aye!'"
Gatomon heard what sounded like glass being crushed. She turned to the window and saw the figure make a run for it. "Window!"
The heroes looked over to the window to see the spy dash into the kitchen. He dove out of the window into a roll, and continued running towards the fields. He looked back to see several of his pursuers coming out of the back door, while others came around the house to cut him off. His leading pursuer was Gatomon, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't outrun the cat Digimon for long. Eventually, Gatomon caught up to the man in the field outside of Ash's home.
The man took a tackle and tumbled to the ground, getting grass and dirt all over his body. "Okay, you got me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Tai approached the man. "Who are you?"
The others caught up to Gatomon and Tai. "Lt. Surge?" gasped Ash. "What are you doing here?"
"You know this man?" asked Gatomon.
"Yeah. He's the Vermillion City Gym Leader," replied Ash.
Surge told the heroes who he was and why he was spying on them. Surge was a member of a resistance group called the "Liberators of Kanto." He worked as a recruiter and an agent for the group. The Liberators had reason to believe that the president of Kanto was merely a puppet. Another person or group had the real power, and was manipulating things behind the scenes. After hearing about the heroes' dilemma, he offered to make a deal with them.
"Maybe, tell us more about this 'deal,'" requested Gatomon.
Surge stated the terms: "I'd like you to join my group, and tell us everything you know about this 'Mephistomon.' In exchange, I'll have my boys get Ash's mom away from Kanto. Any questions?"
"Why us?" asked Misty.
"It has been difficult fighting against Kanto, and sadly, we are in desperate need of help," admitted Surge. "Those Digimon from the other world are very strong. You guys are exactly what we need in our group."
Surge looked at each of the Digimon. "Us?" asked Patamon.
"That's right. What do you say, kids, we have a deal? You have my word that we'll save Ash's mom."
The heroes discussed this offer amongst themselves. "Okay, we're in!" announced Ash.
"Good, tell me about Mephistomon," requested Surge.
Surge listened intently as the heroes narrated the story of Mephistomon's origin and his machinations. He was especially interested in hearing about the involvement of Team Rocket and the Kanto Nationalists. The most revealing thing of all was the role that Mephistomon played in manipulating Kanto's own government. Surge suspected that the corrupting power of the Stones of Doom was at the heart of this change in the government.
"Those conspiracy theories were true after all. Yeah, now I see, Johto's neutrality in the war suddenly makes sense," mumbled Surge.
"Johto?" asked Sora.
"Johto is where we've been travelling before we met you guys," said Ash to the Digidestined.
"I'm from Johto," said Casey.
Surge gave the heroes a lecture about Johto's importance. Johto was the nation that bordered Kanto's west. From a strategic point of view, Johto was the only location from which a land-based invasion could be made on Kanto. Kanto was completely surrounded by the sea except at its west. Due to Johto's neutrality, the Hoenn Alliance would be unable to exploit this and bring the war to Kanto soil.
"How strong is Kanto at its west boarder?" asked Izzy.
"Kanto, or should I say Mephistomon, is keeping only the minimum necessary to guard that border," replied Surge. "The rest of his army is committed to the Hoenn invasion, and air and sea defence. In essence, he is using Johto as a buffer state. As long as Johto stays neutral, you have to attack by air or the sea."
"If we can turn Johto against Kanto, Mephistomon would be in BIG trouble," noted Tentomon.
"Right again. I suspect that Mephistomon is relying too much on his Stones of Doom to keep Johto at bay. That, kids, will be his critical mistake," stated Surge.
"What about my mom?" asked Ash.
"Don't worry," replied Surge. "For now, all of you can just relax and take a break. My boys will take care of your mom."
****************************************
Three days later, Ash, May, and their monster partners met in the fields outside of Pallet Town. The fields were lush and green, and in the horizon were several rolling hills. It was a beautiful countryside paradise with the fresh smell of trees and grass. It was in these fields that Ash was teaching May the basics of Pokemon training. May had her partner Torchic out, ready for some training.
Torchic was the Fire type starter Pokemon of Hoenn trainers, and the equivalent of Charmander and Cyndaquil to Kanto and Johto trainers respectively. Torchic had a fiery appearance that was true to its Fire type characteristics. The feathers on her body were a bright orange. The feathers on her head were yellow, as were her legs and wings. Her black eyes focused on Ash and May talking about Pikachu.
Ash decided to teach May the intricacies of Pokemon types. Pokemon types defined a Pokemon's characteristics and the attacks they were best at using. Each Pokemon had at least one type, and some had two. Each type brought advantages and disadvantages, like a giant game of rock-paper-scissors. Thus, it was a good idea to have a team with a variety of types to be prepared for any situation. It was necessary to know how to exploit the type system to be a great trainer.
"Okay, seems easy enough. What types are there?" asked May.
"Well, there are a lot of types." Ash began counting the types of Pokemon he had ever had. "I have had Pokemon with Electric, Fire, Water, Grass, Flying, Ice, Normal, Bug, Fighting, Ghost, and Poison types."
"Is that all the types there is?"
"Not really, there are still more types. I have seen and battled against Psychic types; they're very powerful and tough to beat. My friend Brock has Rock and Ground type Pokemon. I've also heard of Dragon, Dark, and Steel type Pokemon."
"Wow, that's a lot of types! So, Pikachu is an Electric type, right?"
"Yeah, you catch on fast! One of the best ways to learn a Pokemon's type is to look at it. Torchic looks like a Fire type, so she would not be good against Fire, Water, and Rock types, but good against Grass and Ice types."
"So, if I want something good against a Fire, Water, or Rock type, I would need to find a new Pokemon?"
"That's not the only way around it. Pokemon have types, but their attacks have types too. For example, Pikachu's Thunderbolt is an Electric type attack. Even if your Pokemon doesn't have a type advantage, you can try to use attacks that do."
"I'm not sure I get it. Can you give me an example?"
"Pikachu's electricity isn't good against Grass Pokemon. If I can teach him a Fire type attack, I can use it to get take advantage of Grass Pokemon's Fire type weakness."
"Seems simple enough..."
The lesson on types continued for a short while until Ash decided to move to a new lesson. For this lesson, Ash wanted to see if May knew the basics of commanding Pokemon. This new lesson was more of a test than a lesson. Ash searched around and found a medium-sized rock perfect for this test. He gathered several smaller pebbles and piled them on top of the rock. Ash moved out of the way, and asked May to have Torchic knock the pile down.
"Okay Torchic, attack the pile of rocks!" ordered May.
Torchic gave a puzzled look at May. "Chi? (How?)"
May was puzzled. "Why aren't you doing anything, Torchic?"
"Umm, May, you have to tell her the name of the attack," said Ash.
"The name?"
"Yeah, check your Pokedex. See if you can get a listing of her attacks."
====================Pokedex====================
Name: Torchic
Type: Fire
Evolved From: N/A
Torchic, the Chick Pokemon. This Pokemon is warm to the touch and can store fire inside its body for use in attacks like Fire Spin and Flamethrower.
Notable Attacks: Flamethrower, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Fire Spin
==============================================
Ash and May huddled close together to hear the Pokedex. "Focus Energy is more of a strengthening ability than a true attack. Tell Torchic to use Focus Energy, then throw a Fire-type attack at the rocks."
May studied the attacks briefly and then nodded. "Okay, Ash! Torchic, Focus Energy!"
Torchic complied and her body glowed red. A surge of strength coursed through her body, and she began to hop about. Torchic felt on top of the world and ready to take on all comers. Torchic stopped hopping, waiting for her trainer's next order as Ash smiled. Unknown to Ash and May, Misty had come up behind them with a message. Misty called to the two trainers and the two exchanged greetings.
"Great news, guys!" reported Misty. "Surge said that his people found your mother!"
"Really?" asked Ash hopefully.
"Yeah, they're bringing her back the next day!"
"That's great! Okay May, go ahead and knock the pebbles down."
"Torchic, Fire Spin!"
A roaring gout of flame swooshed out of Torchic's mouth. The flames swirled into a small, flaming tornado around the stone pile. The tornado kicked up dirt from the ground as it moved, eventually picking up the pebbles. The flames soon subsided, and the pebbles dropped to the ground, leaving nothing remaining of the pile. Torchic and May were both happy for their success.
Pikachu congratulated Torchic: "Pika, Pikachu! (Yeah, Torchic!)"
"Wow, thanks Ash! I'm learning so much!"
Out of joy, May promptly grabbed and hugged Ash. However, Misty was not so pleased and quite indignant about it. She let out a faint growl that was heard by both Ash and May. May released her hug and the two trainers looked at Misty.
Ash was dumbfounded. "What's the matter?"
"It almost seems as though you were jealous..." suggested May.
"I'm not jealous!" snapped Misty.
May backed off. "Okay, you don't have to get so angry!"
Ash and May continued the lesson, with Misty watching and fuming silently.
****************************************
The next day, Surge called for a meeting. "So, have you found out where they took my mom?" asked Ash.
Surge kept a straight face. "Yeah, my boys got her out, but..."
"...but what? Let me see her!" demanded Ash with urgency.
Surge reluctantly led the heroes to a campsite outside of Pallet Town. The camp was bustling with armed men and women in camouflage. The heroes came upon a dirty, khaki coloured tent, with a red cross over its entrance. Surge allowed only Ash, Pikachu, and Mr. Mime to enter the tent, as they were the individuals closest to Delia. Ash gazed on his mother on the bed, and was shocked and saddened by the sight of Delia's condition.
Ash held onto his mom's left hand. "Oh mom, what have they done to you?"
On a bed was his mother, who was clothed in camouflage. Her old clothes laid discarded in a wastebasket, torn and soiled by blood. She was unconscious and hooked up to a pack of essential nutrients through tubes attached to her arms. On her face and body were the greyish blue marks of bruises and welts, and bandages were covering her arms, left leg, and ribs. From the nature of her wounds, it looked like she had been whipped quite severely.
Pikachu every bit as sad as his trainer. "Pikapi... (Ash...)"
Ash embraced his mom, then silently gazed at her limp form for a minute. "If only I was there, you wouldn't have ended up like this..."
"Ash..." whispered Delia.
"Mom?" cried Ash.
The medic returned to the tent. "So, you're Ash? Delia was in pain, so we gave her a sedative. She lost quite a lot of blood; our boys did her a great favour by getting her out so soon. Don't you worry, we'll take good care of her!"
Ash's disposition lightened up. "Thanks, it means so much to me!"
****************************************
Ash walked in on a meeting between the others. "Hi!"
"Hi, Ash!"
"Are you alright?" asked Sora.
"I feel fine, Sora. The doctor said mom's okay, but I still don't understand how this happened to her."
"You better look at Surge's photos."
Surge handed Ash a set of photos and notes that came from Liberator spies. These pictures depicted a camp in Kanto that was near a mountainside. The camp was heavily guarded, and many of the photos had images of men armed with whips. They were surveying a series of chained Pokemon and humans, who were dirty, and haggard. The prisoners had picks in the hands and seemed to be digging through stone.
Ash was appalled. "Slavery!"
"Yeah, that place is a Kanto concentration camp," stated Surge. "We believe your mother was forced to work as a slave in the mines like the other humans and Pokemon. The minerals they mine go to an on-site factory that makes weapons for the Kanto army."
Ash gasped and was utterly enraged at what he had heard. "Weapons? You mean they did this to mom just so they could make more weapons? I don't believe this!"
"You're right Ash, but please calm down," pleaded Surge. "We're all outraged like you are! We all want to shut this disgusting place down, but we must keep cool and not make any mistakes."
Ash took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Okay Lieutenant, please go on."
"Our agents say the camp's pretty far to the southwest of Pallet. We're going there tomorrow night, so use my map, photos, and notes to get familiar with the camp's layout."
Ash looked over Surge's information, and from the notes and map, the camp itself was situated east of the mountainside. A set of mine cart tracks ran eastward from the mine entrance, dividing the camp into north and south sides. There were guard towers with armed lookouts at each corner of the camp. A chain-link fence ran around the perimeter of the camp and it had a coil of barbed wire running along its top.
The first building depicted in the photos was made of grey cement and had a large antenna on top of it. The building had two soldiers positioned at its doorway with other soldiers constantly patrolling its perimeter. The spies labelled this building as the camp's communications centre. Surge advised that this building be eliminated quickly to prevent reinforcements from being called in. This building was south of the mine tracks and northwest of the guard tower on the southeast.
The largest building was made of cement and bricks, and heavily guarded. The paper work necessary for running the camp was done in this central office. It also had a barracks for the guards to stay in, and a kitchen for preparing meals for the slaves and soldiers. It was east of the mine entrance and south of the tracks. Northeast of the office were the homes of the slaves; small shacks made of brown wood. They were very dirty and unkempt, as though minimal effort was made in maintenance.
The final building, the weapons factory, was grey and made of cement. It had several loading bays at its front, and mine cart tracks leading into its rear. Smoke billowed into the air from the four smokestacks on the roof. The factory also had its own refinery for processing minerals before being turned into firearms and explosives. The spies noted an unusual statue in the refinery made of what they believed to be onyx. Surge looked at the photo of the statue, and pondered what it could be.
"A Stone of Doom! It's the Prison of Despair," announced Izzy.
Surge looked over the notes on the factory. "The statue seems to be a power source of some kind for the factory. Ok kids, here is the plan of attack..."
****************************************
A new day dawned on the Kanto concentration camp, another day of arduous labour for the imprisoned slaves. Sweat drenched the bodies of each slave, and soaked through their ripped and soiled clothes. Metal bracelets and chains bound them together, ensuring they could not get away. The slaves' picks clanged as they toiled away, chipping through earth and stone in search of treasures for their masters.
The slaves toiled in an underground chamber they created from their labour. The chamber was dimly lit by a series of lamps hanging on the roof. Every few minutes, the slaves would fill a mining cart with ore. At the command of a foreman in a hardhat and khaki, other slaves would push the carts out of the mine to the factory. At key points around the room were several guards dressed like the foreman, carrying whips and other weapons. The men knew the slaves were suffering, but ignored their condition and force them to continue working.
An enslaved humanoid Pokemon, Machamp, waited behind a mine cart for the foreman's signal. Machamp dug his four muscular arms in, rolling his cart through the sole entrance to this chamber, and then uphill. Despite Machamp being naturally strong and having a buffed body, the effects of improper nourishment took its toll. The foreman grew impatient with Machamp's slowness and lashed his whip into the Pokemon's back painfully. Machamp had already taken several lashings in the past, and this new lashing added a new wound to his scarred backside.
"Lazy Pokemon! You are here to work, not rest!" screamed the foreman.
After what seemed to be an eternity, night fell, and the slaves were returned back to their homes. Little did they know that this night would be their last under Kanto's oppression. As the slaves slept, the heroes and guerrillas from the Liberators prepared to assault the camp. Matt, in camouflage for this mission, took a spotting position behind some bushes. The rest of his team followed behind him and hid in the same bushes and looked upon the camp.
Mimi cringed at sight of her uniform: "Ugggh... What an ugly uniform!"
"This isn't a fashion show, Mimi!" chided Matt.
"At least they could make better looking uniforms..."
The camp had an unpleasant aura, one that was different from the sensation of danger. "Can you feel it, everybody?" asked Matt. "It's like I can feel the pain of the people in the camp."
Misty focused and could feel a similar sensation. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
Ash focused as well. "Hang in there, guys," said Ash in his mind. "We'll save you."
Ash, Misty, Matt, and Mimi were members of the rescue team positioned on the north side. The other members included the rest of the Pokemon trainers, and a few guerrillas. They continued to spy on the camp under the cover of the foliage. Through binoculars, they could see the watchtowers and the homes. To get to them, they'd have to get past the towers and through the fence. The others were responsible for creating a diversion, moving the camp's attention away from the rescue team.
On the south side, the diversionary team was preparing to move out. In addition to various Liberators, this team was made of the Digidestined with the exception of Matt and Mimi. From their hidden position in the forest, they could see the fence, watchtowers, and a building with an antenna on its roof. Their main goal was to wipe out this building; the communications centre of the camp. Without it, the enemy would be cut off from the rest of Kanto, unable to call for reinforcements during the attack.
"Is everyone in position and ready?" Surge received several answers in the affirmative. "Ok, then, let's go! B-team, move in! Hit'em hard, and hit'em fast!"
"Agumon, Digivolve to... Greymon! Greymon, Digivolve to... Metal Greymon!"
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
"Biyomon, Digivolve to... Birdramon! Birdramon, Digivolve to... Garudamon!"
"Tentomon, Digivolve to... Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon, Digivolve to... Mega Kabuterimon!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to... Angemon! Angemon, Digivolve to... Magna Angemon!"
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
Metal Greymon flew high in the air and took aim. "Giga Blaster!"
A pair of missiles swooshed out of the launcher grafted into Metal Greymon's chest. They soared into the communications centre with determined faces, and tore the building to pieces in a massive, brilliant explosion. The attack woke up the slaves and especially the sleepy guards. An alarm klaxon blared deafeningly, alerting everyone in the camp about the surprise aerial attack. In the barracks, several guards scrambled for their weapons.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Return fire!"
The guns of the enemy banged sporadically with each bullet fired. A guard rushed out of the barracks bearing a rocket launcher. The soldier crouched, took aim, and pulled the trigger on Metal Greymon. Smoke erupted from the launcher's rear, and with a loud swoosh, the rocket shot out of the launcher. The soldier watched as his rocket homed in and made a direct hit on his target's ribs. As the smoke cleared, Metal Greymon was still airborne and unfazed by the hit.
The soldier was surprised. "No effect?"
The soldier dove for cover as a second pair of missiles swooshed out of Metal Greymon's chest. Behind the soldier, the missiles exploded into a massive conflagration, and dirt erupted into the air. At the north side, the rescue team watched several plumes of flame flash in the distance. Metal Greymon flew above the air, bombing the enemies on the ground. Periodically, a series of bangs from gunfire would rip through the sky. This was their cue to move out and get the slaves.
"That's the sign!" said Matt. "Gabumon?"
"On it! Gabumon, Digivolve to... Garurumon! Garurumon, Digivolve to... Were Garurumon!"
"You too, Palmon!" said Mimi.
"Right! Palmon, Digivolve to... Togemon! Togemon, Digivolve to... Lillymon!"
The two Digimon each made a beeline for one of the watchtowers. Were Garurumon blindsided the firing guard in his tower with a chop to the back of the head. The guard's firing ended abruptly as he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Lillymon fired a round of Flower Cannon energy into the back of the guard in her tower. The guard dropped his gun as he tumbled off the tower to the ground below.
"The enemy snipers are down, let's go in!" ordered the team leader.
In unison, the Pokemon trainers released Pokemon for protection. Out of the Pokeballs appeared Brock's Geodude, Misty's Poliwhirl, Casey's Bayleef, Tracey's Scyther, and May's Torchic. Ash's Pikachu leapt from his trainer's head and onto the ground in preparation for the rescue. After destroying the fence with a Typhlosion's Flamethrower, the Liberators ran ahead with their Pokemon and secured their assigned areas. The trainers and their Pokemon moved in and entered into a confrontation with guards attempting to maintain control over the slaves.
"Bayleef, Vine Whip the guards!" ordered Casey.
"Torchic, follow with Flame Thrower!" ordered May.
Bayleef complied and from her neck extended a pair of vines. They lashed out at the guards like living whips, creating welts all over their bodies. Once the whipping was finished, Torchic sprayed roaring gouts of flame from her open beak. The soldiers' guns melted from the sheer intensity of the heat, and their uniforms caught on fire. In desperation, they struggled to douse the flames through any means necessary.
"Everybody, we're here to free you! This way!" cried Ash to the slaves.
The slaves passed by Brock and Geodude, who were engaged in an intense battle. "Geodude, Rollout!"
"Geodude! (Yeah!)" replied Geodude.
Geodude curled himself into a ball and began to spin. He picked up speed and rolled towards his foe, Arcanine. At the last minute, Arcanine leapt out the way, causing Geodude to overshoot his target. Upon the guard's order, Arcanine sprayed a Flamethrower, and Brock felt discomforted by the sweltering heat. The flames parted as they struck Geodude's stony body, but the heat still caused him discomfort and broke his Rollout.
"Brock, do you need help?" yelled Ash.
Geodude entered into a combat stance. "I'm fine, just get the slaves to safety!" replied Brock.
The slaves made a run past Ash and to the opening in the fence. Immediately, several transport trucks abruptly stopped at the hole. These trucks had the same mottled green camouflage pattern of the heroes' uniforms. Ash helped to load the slaves onto the trucks for evacuation, and once done, the truck sped away to safety. Ash ran back to help more slaves to escape to freedom and check up on Brock.
Ash spotted Brock and Geodude emerging from a shack with a Machamp in their arms. "What happened Brock? Hey, that's a Machamp, right?"
====================Pokedex====================
Name: Machamp
Type: Fighting
Evolved From: Machoke
The Superpower Pokemon. This Pokemon is one of the strongest Pokemon in existence with respect to raw physical strength. His arms can deliver a series of crushing chops and punches in the blink of an eye.
==============================================
Brock was struggling to move the massive girth of Machamp. "Grrr, it burns me up seeing how they treated their slaves. Look at Machamp's back!"
Ash did as his friend asked and growled in anger. "They did the same thing to mom!"
Machamp groaned painfully: "Ma... (Ow...)"
"Don't worry, Machamp," assured Brock. "You are free!"
Brock, Geodude, and Ash helped carry Machamp back for medical treatment. At the south, the bodies of enemy Pokemon and Digimon were strewn on the ground. All that remained of the head office and communications centre were piles of rubble and small flames. Zudomon looked around to and spotted his the weapons factory. He promptly approached and smashed a gaping hole into the building.
Inside he saw several things that one would normally find in a typical factory. There were conveyor belts running along the length of the factory. Each belt fed into and left a machine with an unknown purpose. Zudomon smashed the building further, and reveal a storage room filled with crates. One of the crates was opened and he could see automatic weapons stacked up inside. Ripping a hole into the basement, Zudomon found the Prison of Despair attached to a power generator.
Something from behind slammed into Zudomon's back, toppling him into the factory. "Ow..." groaned Zudomon.
The factory's cement walls cracked under Zudomon's massive girth, and crumbled into rubble. A white cloud of dust rose and covered Zudomon's body. As the dust cleared, he got up and made eye contact with his assailant. The assailant was a muscular Digimon with a blue skinned body wrapped in chains. A mask designed to resemble a skull covered his face, and a similar design was on his boots. His body was completely engulfed in blue hot fire, as was the chain he brandished in his hands.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Skull Meramon
Type: Data
Level: Ultimate
Attacks: Metal Fireball, Flame Chain
This Digimon's body burns blue hot and is dangerous to touch. His heat is so intense that it can melt steel as though it was just butter.
====================================================
Joe watched the confrontation from a distance. "Let him have it Zudomon! Don't let him get away with it!"
Skull Meramon made the first move. "Metal Fireball!"
He opened his maw and spit a wad of glowing molten metal. Zudomon attempted to sidestep leftwards to dodge, but some of it caught his right arm. Smoke rose and the smell of burning flesh entered Zudomon's nostrils. As Zudomon grimaced in pain, a lash from Skull Meramon's Flame Chain caught Zudomon's chest. The walrus man Digimon stumbled backwards before he landed on his back.
"Now you're making me mad!" growled Zudomon. "Vulcan's Hammer!"
Zudomon smashed his hammer hard into the ground with a clang, and the crackling of electricity. The arrow-shaped energy wave steamrolled Skull Meramon with a blow to the chest. The ground rumbled as Zudomon charged forth with his hammer ready to strike. Skull Meramon dodged the first overhead blow, but the second came from the left like a blur. It was a bone-crushing hit to the head that disoriented Skull Meramon.
Skull Meramon wobbled around in a daze and unaware of what was happening. Zudomon grabbed Skull Meramon by the neck and tossed him into the weapons factory. The flaming man Digimon landed chest-first, crushing the Prison of Despair under his weight. The roof of the factory gave out, burying Skull Meramon alive under rubble. The other Digidestined celebrated Zudomon's victory and the destruction of a Stone of Doom.
"Alright Zudomon! One down, seven to go!" cheered Joe.
Yeah, Ash, Misty, and Brock would definitely be a bit older after so many seasons of Pokemon. How much older is up for debate... I'm sure the anime didn't show the majority of the travelling, only notable events that the trainers came upon. I just said ten because most websites take Ash's age to be ten. The same websites suggest that Misty's the same age as Ash.
Luis:
Johto's reasons for neutrality are covered in this chapter.
Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon, and Nintendo owns Pokemon.
The Stones of Doom
By: RB3
Chapter 11: Lt. Surge's Bargain
Agumon listened to Mr. Mime's ranting. "Slow down! Start from the beginning and tell us slowly."
Mr. Mime slowed down and reported what he saw clearly. Mr. Mime told Agumon and the other Digimon that soldiers from the Kanto army came here. They came to take Mr. Mime's mistress away. Mr. Mime threw himself in front of the soldiers and managed to thwart the attack. However, the soldiers sicced a Tyranitar on him, and knocked him out cold. When Mr. Mime woke up, the soldiers and Delia were gone, and the house was ruined.
"The Kanto army took Ash's mom hostage!" said Tentomon.
"Well that part's pretty obvious," said Matt.
As Ash and Misty exited the house, the wind picked up and the sky grew dark. A black, gaseous substance seeped from the ground, and a pair of burning, crimson eyes opened. The gas coalesced into the shimmering form of a demon, a hybrid with the head of a goat and a humanoid body with bluish skin. His body was covered with violet fur, and a foul black vapour seeped from his mouth and nostrils with each breath.
"You must be Mephistomon!" said Ash.
"Indeed," replied the demon's image.
Mephistomon's words put the heroes on the defensive. The Digimon surrounded the image in preparation to protect their partners and attack Mephistomon. Each Pokemon trainer clasped his or her hand around a Pokeball in preparation for battle. Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity as he stared at Mephistomon's eyes. Mephistomon was unfazed by the heroes' open hostility.
Mephistomon chuckled. "It seems Delia Ketchum isn't home today. I decided it would be nice to make her my very special 'guest,' so my underlings paid her a little visit."
Ash growled angrily. "Give my mom back now!"
"You are in no position to make demands of me. You've meddled in my affairs for far too long. If you value Delia's life, return to the Digital World and don't come back," threatened Mephistomon.
As the gas dissipated, Ash fumed silently before vowing: "You won't get away with this, I swear!"
Joe knew everyone's hands were now tied. "Now what do we do? One wrong move and she's done for!"
"Are you saying we should do nothing?" asked TK. "That's exactly what he wants!"
"TK's right! I won't stand by and let him do whatever he wants!" objected Tai.
"...But we don't have any idea where she is," objected Brock. "There's no way we can rescue her if we don't even know where they're keeping her."
"Well then, all we have to is find out and then rescue her!" said Gomamon.
"It's not like we can walk up to a Kanto soldier, and ask them 'Hey, do you know where Ash's mom is?'" said Agumon.
The heroes continued their argument, unable to come to a consensus. Unknown to them, a mysterious figure was watching and listening to them the whole time. This figure was a muscular man in his thirties with tanned skin, and blond hair. He was wearing black sunglasses, khaki jacket, and khaki pants. He had a 'tough guy' aura with his muscles and military-style clothing. He had snuck into the ruins of Ash's home, and hid himself near the front window while the heroes were preoccupied with Mephistomon.
"We're getting nowhere!" complained Sora. "Let's call a vote, all those in favour of rescuing Ash's mom, say 'aye!'"
Gatomon heard what sounded like glass being crushed. She turned to the window and saw the figure make a run for it. "Window!"
The heroes looked over to the window to see the spy dash into the kitchen. He dove out of the window into a roll, and continued running towards the fields. He looked back to see several of his pursuers coming out of the back door, while others came around the house to cut him off. His leading pursuer was Gatomon, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't outrun the cat Digimon for long. Eventually, Gatomon caught up to the man in the field outside of Ash's home.
The man took a tackle and tumbled to the ground, getting grass and dirt all over his body. "Okay, you got me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Tai approached the man. "Who are you?"
The others caught up to Gatomon and Tai. "Lt. Surge?" gasped Ash. "What are you doing here?"
"You know this man?" asked Gatomon.
"Yeah. He's the Vermillion City Gym Leader," replied Ash.
Surge told the heroes who he was and why he was spying on them. Surge was a member of a resistance group called the "Liberators of Kanto." He worked as a recruiter and an agent for the group. The Liberators had reason to believe that the president of Kanto was merely a puppet. Another person or group had the real power, and was manipulating things behind the scenes. After hearing about the heroes' dilemma, he offered to make a deal with them.
"Maybe, tell us more about this 'deal,'" requested Gatomon.
Surge stated the terms: "I'd like you to join my group, and tell us everything you know about this 'Mephistomon.' In exchange, I'll have my boys get Ash's mom away from Kanto. Any questions?"
"Why us?" asked Misty.
"It has been difficult fighting against Kanto, and sadly, we are in desperate need of help," admitted Surge. "Those Digimon from the other world are very strong. You guys are exactly what we need in our group."
Surge looked at each of the Digimon. "Us?" asked Patamon.
"That's right. What do you say, kids, we have a deal? You have my word that we'll save Ash's mom."
The heroes discussed this offer amongst themselves. "Okay, we're in!" announced Ash.
"Good, tell me about Mephistomon," requested Surge.
Surge listened intently as the heroes narrated the story of Mephistomon's origin and his machinations. He was especially interested in hearing about the involvement of Team Rocket and the Kanto Nationalists. The most revealing thing of all was the role that Mephistomon played in manipulating Kanto's own government. Surge suspected that the corrupting power of the Stones of Doom was at the heart of this change in the government.
"Those conspiracy theories were true after all. Yeah, now I see, Johto's neutrality in the war suddenly makes sense," mumbled Surge.
"Johto?" asked Sora.
"Johto is where we've been travelling before we met you guys," said Ash to the Digidestined.
"I'm from Johto," said Casey.
Surge gave the heroes a lecture about Johto's importance. Johto was the nation that bordered Kanto's west. From a strategic point of view, Johto was the only location from which a land-based invasion could be made on Kanto. Kanto was completely surrounded by the sea except at its west. Due to Johto's neutrality, the Hoenn Alliance would be unable to exploit this and bring the war to Kanto soil.
"How strong is Kanto at its west boarder?" asked Izzy.
"Kanto, or should I say Mephistomon, is keeping only the minimum necessary to guard that border," replied Surge. "The rest of his army is committed to the Hoenn invasion, and air and sea defence. In essence, he is using Johto as a buffer state. As long as Johto stays neutral, you have to attack by air or the sea."
"If we can turn Johto against Kanto, Mephistomon would be in BIG trouble," noted Tentomon.
"Right again. I suspect that Mephistomon is relying too much on his Stones of Doom to keep Johto at bay. That, kids, will be his critical mistake," stated Surge.
"What about my mom?" asked Ash.
"Don't worry," replied Surge. "For now, all of you can just relax and take a break. My boys will take care of your mom."
****************************************
Three days later, Ash, May, and their monster partners met in the fields outside of Pallet Town. The fields were lush and green, and in the horizon were several rolling hills. It was a beautiful countryside paradise with the fresh smell of trees and grass. It was in these fields that Ash was teaching May the basics of Pokemon training. May had her partner Torchic out, ready for some training.
Torchic was the Fire type starter Pokemon of Hoenn trainers, and the equivalent of Charmander and Cyndaquil to Kanto and Johto trainers respectively. Torchic had a fiery appearance that was true to its Fire type characteristics. The feathers on her body were a bright orange. The feathers on her head were yellow, as were her legs and wings. Her black eyes focused on Ash and May talking about Pikachu.
Ash decided to teach May the intricacies of Pokemon types. Pokemon types defined a Pokemon's characteristics and the attacks they were best at using. Each Pokemon had at least one type, and some had two. Each type brought advantages and disadvantages, like a giant game of rock-paper-scissors. Thus, it was a good idea to have a team with a variety of types to be prepared for any situation. It was necessary to know how to exploit the type system to be a great trainer.
"Okay, seems easy enough. What types are there?" asked May.
"Well, there are a lot of types." Ash began counting the types of Pokemon he had ever had. "I have had Pokemon with Electric, Fire, Water, Grass, Flying, Ice, Normal, Bug, Fighting, Ghost, and Poison types."
"Is that all the types there is?"
"Not really, there are still more types. I have seen and battled against Psychic types; they're very powerful and tough to beat. My friend Brock has Rock and Ground type Pokemon. I've also heard of Dragon, Dark, and Steel type Pokemon."
"Wow, that's a lot of types! So, Pikachu is an Electric type, right?"
"Yeah, you catch on fast! One of the best ways to learn a Pokemon's type is to look at it. Torchic looks like a Fire type, so she would not be good against Fire, Water, and Rock types, but good against Grass and Ice types."
"So, if I want something good against a Fire, Water, or Rock type, I would need to find a new Pokemon?"
"That's not the only way around it. Pokemon have types, but their attacks have types too. For example, Pikachu's Thunderbolt is an Electric type attack. Even if your Pokemon doesn't have a type advantage, you can try to use attacks that do."
"I'm not sure I get it. Can you give me an example?"
"Pikachu's electricity isn't good against Grass Pokemon. If I can teach him a Fire type attack, I can use it to get take advantage of Grass Pokemon's Fire type weakness."
"Seems simple enough..."
The lesson on types continued for a short while until Ash decided to move to a new lesson. For this lesson, Ash wanted to see if May knew the basics of commanding Pokemon. This new lesson was more of a test than a lesson. Ash searched around and found a medium-sized rock perfect for this test. He gathered several smaller pebbles and piled them on top of the rock. Ash moved out of the way, and asked May to have Torchic knock the pile down.
"Okay Torchic, attack the pile of rocks!" ordered May.
Torchic gave a puzzled look at May. "Chi? (How?)"
May was puzzled. "Why aren't you doing anything, Torchic?"
"Umm, May, you have to tell her the name of the attack," said Ash.
"The name?"
"Yeah, check your Pokedex. See if you can get a listing of her attacks."
====================Pokedex====================
Name: Torchic
Type: Fire
Evolved From: N/A
Torchic, the Chick Pokemon. This Pokemon is warm to the touch and can store fire inside its body for use in attacks like Fire Spin and Flamethrower.
Notable Attacks: Flamethrower, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Fire Spin
==============================================
Ash and May huddled close together to hear the Pokedex. "Focus Energy is more of a strengthening ability than a true attack. Tell Torchic to use Focus Energy, then throw a Fire-type attack at the rocks."
May studied the attacks briefly and then nodded. "Okay, Ash! Torchic, Focus Energy!"
Torchic complied and her body glowed red. A surge of strength coursed through her body, and she began to hop about. Torchic felt on top of the world and ready to take on all comers. Torchic stopped hopping, waiting for her trainer's next order as Ash smiled. Unknown to Ash and May, Misty had come up behind them with a message. Misty called to the two trainers and the two exchanged greetings.
"Great news, guys!" reported Misty. "Surge said that his people found your mother!"
"Really?" asked Ash hopefully.
"Yeah, they're bringing her back the next day!"
"That's great! Okay May, go ahead and knock the pebbles down."
"Torchic, Fire Spin!"
A roaring gout of flame swooshed out of Torchic's mouth. The flames swirled into a small, flaming tornado around the stone pile. The tornado kicked up dirt from the ground as it moved, eventually picking up the pebbles. The flames soon subsided, and the pebbles dropped to the ground, leaving nothing remaining of the pile. Torchic and May were both happy for their success.
Pikachu congratulated Torchic: "Pika, Pikachu! (Yeah, Torchic!)"
"Wow, thanks Ash! I'm learning so much!"
Out of joy, May promptly grabbed and hugged Ash. However, Misty was not so pleased and quite indignant about it. She let out a faint growl that was heard by both Ash and May. May released her hug and the two trainers looked at Misty.
Ash was dumbfounded. "What's the matter?"
"It almost seems as though you were jealous..." suggested May.
"I'm not jealous!" snapped Misty.
May backed off. "Okay, you don't have to get so angry!"
Ash and May continued the lesson, with Misty watching and fuming silently.
****************************************
The next day, Surge called for a meeting. "So, have you found out where they took my mom?" asked Ash.
Surge kept a straight face. "Yeah, my boys got her out, but..."
"...but what? Let me see her!" demanded Ash with urgency.
Surge reluctantly led the heroes to a campsite outside of Pallet Town. The camp was bustling with armed men and women in camouflage. The heroes came upon a dirty, khaki coloured tent, with a red cross over its entrance. Surge allowed only Ash, Pikachu, and Mr. Mime to enter the tent, as they were the individuals closest to Delia. Ash gazed on his mother on the bed, and was shocked and saddened by the sight of Delia's condition.
Ash held onto his mom's left hand. "Oh mom, what have they done to you?"
On a bed was his mother, who was clothed in camouflage. Her old clothes laid discarded in a wastebasket, torn and soiled by blood. She was unconscious and hooked up to a pack of essential nutrients through tubes attached to her arms. On her face and body were the greyish blue marks of bruises and welts, and bandages were covering her arms, left leg, and ribs. From the nature of her wounds, it looked like she had been whipped quite severely.
Pikachu every bit as sad as his trainer. "Pikapi... (Ash...)"
Ash embraced his mom, then silently gazed at her limp form for a minute. "If only I was there, you wouldn't have ended up like this..."
"Ash..." whispered Delia.
"Mom?" cried Ash.
The medic returned to the tent. "So, you're Ash? Delia was in pain, so we gave her a sedative. She lost quite a lot of blood; our boys did her a great favour by getting her out so soon. Don't you worry, we'll take good care of her!"
Ash's disposition lightened up. "Thanks, it means so much to me!"
****************************************
Ash walked in on a meeting between the others. "Hi!"
"Hi, Ash!"
"Are you alright?" asked Sora.
"I feel fine, Sora. The doctor said mom's okay, but I still don't understand how this happened to her."
"You better look at Surge's photos."
Surge handed Ash a set of photos and notes that came from Liberator spies. These pictures depicted a camp in Kanto that was near a mountainside. The camp was heavily guarded, and many of the photos had images of men armed with whips. They were surveying a series of chained Pokemon and humans, who were dirty, and haggard. The prisoners had picks in the hands and seemed to be digging through stone.
Ash was appalled. "Slavery!"
"Yeah, that place is a Kanto concentration camp," stated Surge. "We believe your mother was forced to work as a slave in the mines like the other humans and Pokemon. The minerals they mine go to an on-site factory that makes weapons for the Kanto army."
Ash gasped and was utterly enraged at what he had heard. "Weapons? You mean they did this to mom just so they could make more weapons? I don't believe this!"
"You're right Ash, but please calm down," pleaded Surge. "We're all outraged like you are! We all want to shut this disgusting place down, but we must keep cool and not make any mistakes."
Ash took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Okay Lieutenant, please go on."
"Our agents say the camp's pretty far to the southwest of Pallet. We're going there tomorrow night, so use my map, photos, and notes to get familiar with the camp's layout."
Ash looked over Surge's information, and from the notes and map, the camp itself was situated east of the mountainside. A set of mine cart tracks ran eastward from the mine entrance, dividing the camp into north and south sides. There were guard towers with armed lookouts at each corner of the camp. A chain-link fence ran around the perimeter of the camp and it had a coil of barbed wire running along its top.
The first building depicted in the photos was made of grey cement and had a large antenna on top of it. The building had two soldiers positioned at its doorway with other soldiers constantly patrolling its perimeter. The spies labelled this building as the camp's communications centre. Surge advised that this building be eliminated quickly to prevent reinforcements from being called in. This building was south of the mine tracks and northwest of the guard tower on the southeast.
The largest building was made of cement and bricks, and heavily guarded. The paper work necessary for running the camp was done in this central office. It also had a barracks for the guards to stay in, and a kitchen for preparing meals for the slaves and soldiers. It was east of the mine entrance and south of the tracks. Northeast of the office were the homes of the slaves; small shacks made of brown wood. They were very dirty and unkempt, as though minimal effort was made in maintenance.
The final building, the weapons factory, was grey and made of cement. It had several loading bays at its front, and mine cart tracks leading into its rear. Smoke billowed into the air from the four smokestacks on the roof. The factory also had its own refinery for processing minerals before being turned into firearms and explosives. The spies noted an unusual statue in the refinery made of what they believed to be onyx. Surge looked at the photo of the statue, and pondered what it could be.
"A Stone of Doom! It's the Prison of Despair," announced Izzy.
Surge looked over the notes on the factory. "The statue seems to be a power source of some kind for the factory. Ok kids, here is the plan of attack..."
****************************************
A new day dawned on the Kanto concentration camp, another day of arduous labour for the imprisoned slaves. Sweat drenched the bodies of each slave, and soaked through their ripped and soiled clothes. Metal bracelets and chains bound them together, ensuring they could not get away. The slaves' picks clanged as they toiled away, chipping through earth and stone in search of treasures for their masters.
The slaves toiled in an underground chamber they created from their labour. The chamber was dimly lit by a series of lamps hanging on the roof. Every few minutes, the slaves would fill a mining cart with ore. At the command of a foreman in a hardhat and khaki, other slaves would push the carts out of the mine to the factory. At key points around the room were several guards dressed like the foreman, carrying whips and other weapons. The men knew the slaves were suffering, but ignored their condition and force them to continue working.
An enslaved humanoid Pokemon, Machamp, waited behind a mine cart for the foreman's signal. Machamp dug his four muscular arms in, rolling his cart through the sole entrance to this chamber, and then uphill. Despite Machamp being naturally strong and having a buffed body, the effects of improper nourishment took its toll. The foreman grew impatient with Machamp's slowness and lashed his whip into the Pokemon's back painfully. Machamp had already taken several lashings in the past, and this new lashing added a new wound to his scarred backside.
"Lazy Pokemon! You are here to work, not rest!" screamed the foreman.
After what seemed to be an eternity, night fell, and the slaves were returned back to their homes. Little did they know that this night would be their last under Kanto's oppression. As the slaves slept, the heroes and guerrillas from the Liberators prepared to assault the camp. Matt, in camouflage for this mission, took a spotting position behind some bushes. The rest of his team followed behind him and hid in the same bushes and looked upon the camp.
Mimi cringed at sight of her uniform: "Ugggh... What an ugly uniform!"
"This isn't a fashion show, Mimi!" chided Matt.
"At least they could make better looking uniforms..."
The camp had an unpleasant aura, one that was different from the sensation of danger. "Can you feel it, everybody?" asked Matt. "It's like I can feel the pain of the people in the camp."
Misty focused and could feel a similar sensation. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
Ash focused as well. "Hang in there, guys," said Ash in his mind. "We'll save you."
Ash, Misty, Matt, and Mimi were members of the rescue team positioned on the north side. The other members included the rest of the Pokemon trainers, and a few guerrillas. They continued to spy on the camp under the cover of the foliage. Through binoculars, they could see the watchtowers and the homes. To get to them, they'd have to get past the towers and through the fence. The others were responsible for creating a diversion, moving the camp's attention away from the rescue team.
On the south side, the diversionary team was preparing to move out. In addition to various Liberators, this team was made of the Digidestined with the exception of Matt and Mimi. From their hidden position in the forest, they could see the fence, watchtowers, and a building with an antenna on its roof. Their main goal was to wipe out this building; the communications centre of the camp. Without it, the enemy would be cut off from the rest of Kanto, unable to call for reinforcements during the attack.
"Is everyone in position and ready?" Surge received several answers in the affirmative. "Ok, then, let's go! B-team, move in! Hit'em hard, and hit'em fast!"
"Agumon, Digivolve to... Greymon! Greymon, Digivolve to... Metal Greymon!"
"Gomamon, Digivolve to... Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon, Digivolve to... Zudomon!"
"Biyomon, Digivolve to... Birdramon! Birdramon, Digivolve to... Garudamon!"
"Tentomon, Digivolve to... Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon, Digivolve to... Mega Kabuterimon!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to... Angemon! Angemon, Digivolve to... Magna Angemon!"
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
Metal Greymon flew high in the air and took aim. "Giga Blaster!"
A pair of missiles swooshed out of the launcher grafted into Metal Greymon's chest. They soared into the communications centre with determined faces, and tore the building to pieces in a massive, brilliant explosion. The attack woke up the slaves and especially the sleepy guards. An alarm klaxon blared deafeningly, alerting everyone in the camp about the surprise aerial attack. In the barracks, several guards scrambled for their weapons.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Return fire!"
The guns of the enemy banged sporadically with each bullet fired. A guard rushed out of the barracks bearing a rocket launcher. The soldier crouched, took aim, and pulled the trigger on Metal Greymon. Smoke erupted from the launcher's rear, and with a loud swoosh, the rocket shot out of the launcher. The soldier watched as his rocket homed in and made a direct hit on his target's ribs. As the smoke cleared, Metal Greymon was still airborne and unfazed by the hit.
The soldier was surprised. "No effect?"
The soldier dove for cover as a second pair of missiles swooshed out of Metal Greymon's chest. Behind the soldier, the missiles exploded into a massive conflagration, and dirt erupted into the air. At the north side, the rescue team watched several plumes of flame flash in the distance. Metal Greymon flew above the air, bombing the enemies on the ground. Periodically, a series of bangs from gunfire would rip through the sky. This was their cue to move out and get the slaves.
"That's the sign!" said Matt. "Gabumon?"
"On it! Gabumon, Digivolve to... Garurumon! Garurumon, Digivolve to... Were Garurumon!"
"You too, Palmon!" said Mimi.
"Right! Palmon, Digivolve to... Togemon! Togemon, Digivolve to... Lillymon!"
The two Digimon each made a beeline for one of the watchtowers. Were Garurumon blindsided the firing guard in his tower with a chop to the back of the head. The guard's firing ended abruptly as he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Lillymon fired a round of Flower Cannon energy into the back of the guard in her tower. The guard dropped his gun as he tumbled off the tower to the ground below.
"The enemy snipers are down, let's go in!" ordered the team leader.
In unison, the Pokemon trainers released Pokemon for protection. Out of the Pokeballs appeared Brock's Geodude, Misty's Poliwhirl, Casey's Bayleef, Tracey's Scyther, and May's Torchic. Ash's Pikachu leapt from his trainer's head and onto the ground in preparation for the rescue. After destroying the fence with a Typhlosion's Flamethrower, the Liberators ran ahead with their Pokemon and secured their assigned areas. The trainers and their Pokemon moved in and entered into a confrontation with guards attempting to maintain control over the slaves.
"Bayleef, Vine Whip the guards!" ordered Casey.
"Torchic, follow with Flame Thrower!" ordered May.
Bayleef complied and from her neck extended a pair of vines. They lashed out at the guards like living whips, creating welts all over their bodies. Once the whipping was finished, Torchic sprayed roaring gouts of flame from her open beak. The soldiers' guns melted from the sheer intensity of the heat, and their uniforms caught on fire. In desperation, they struggled to douse the flames through any means necessary.
"Everybody, we're here to free you! This way!" cried Ash to the slaves.
The slaves passed by Brock and Geodude, who were engaged in an intense battle. "Geodude, Rollout!"
"Geodude! (Yeah!)" replied Geodude.
Geodude curled himself into a ball and began to spin. He picked up speed and rolled towards his foe, Arcanine. At the last minute, Arcanine leapt out the way, causing Geodude to overshoot his target. Upon the guard's order, Arcanine sprayed a Flamethrower, and Brock felt discomforted by the sweltering heat. The flames parted as they struck Geodude's stony body, but the heat still caused him discomfort and broke his Rollout.
"Brock, do you need help?" yelled Ash.
Geodude entered into a combat stance. "I'm fine, just get the slaves to safety!" replied Brock.
The slaves made a run past Ash and to the opening in the fence. Immediately, several transport trucks abruptly stopped at the hole. These trucks had the same mottled green camouflage pattern of the heroes' uniforms. Ash helped to load the slaves onto the trucks for evacuation, and once done, the truck sped away to safety. Ash ran back to help more slaves to escape to freedom and check up on Brock.
Ash spotted Brock and Geodude emerging from a shack with a Machamp in their arms. "What happened Brock? Hey, that's a Machamp, right?"
====================Pokedex====================
Name: Machamp
Type: Fighting
Evolved From: Machoke
The Superpower Pokemon. This Pokemon is one of the strongest Pokemon in existence with respect to raw physical strength. His arms can deliver a series of crushing chops and punches in the blink of an eye.
==============================================
Brock was struggling to move the massive girth of Machamp. "Grrr, it burns me up seeing how they treated their slaves. Look at Machamp's back!"
Ash did as his friend asked and growled in anger. "They did the same thing to mom!"
Machamp groaned painfully: "Ma... (Ow...)"
"Don't worry, Machamp," assured Brock. "You are free!"
Brock, Geodude, and Ash helped carry Machamp back for medical treatment. At the south, the bodies of enemy Pokemon and Digimon were strewn on the ground. All that remained of the head office and communications centre were piles of rubble and small flames. Zudomon looked around to and spotted his the weapons factory. He promptly approached and smashed a gaping hole into the building.
Inside he saw several things that one would normally find in a typical factory. There were conveyor belts running along the length of the factory. Each belt fed into and left a machine with an unknown purpose. Zudomon smashed the building further, and reveal a storage room filled with crates. One of the crates was opened and he could see automatic weapons stacked up inside. Ripping a hole into the basement, Zudomon found the Prison of Despair attached to a power generator.
Something from behind slammed into Zudomon's back, toppling him into the factory. "Ow..." groaned Zudomon.
The factory's cement walls cracked under Zudomon's massive girth, and crumbled into rubble. A white cloud of dust rose and covered Zudomon's body. As the dust cleared, he got up and made eye contact with his assailant. The assailant was a muscular Digimon with a blue skinned body wrapped in chains. A mask designed to resemble a skull covered his face, and a similar design was on his boots. His body was completely engulfed in blue hot fire, as was the chain he brandished in his hands.
====================Digimon Analyzer====================
Name: Skull Meramon
Type: Data
Level: Ultimate
Attacks: Metal Fireball, Flame Chain
This Digimon's body burns blue hot and is dangerous to touch. His heat is so intense that it can melt steel as though it was just butter.
====================================================
Joe watched the confrontation from a distance. "Let him have it Zudomon! Don't let him get away with it!"
Skull Meramon made the first move. "Metal Fireball!"
He opened his maw and spit a wad of glowing molten metal. Zudomon attempted to sidestep leftwards to dodge, but some of it caught his right arm. Smoke rose and the smell of burning flesh entered Zudomon's nostrils. As Zudomon grimaced in pain, a lash from Skull Meramon's Flame Chain caught Zudomon's chest. The walrus man Digimon stumbled backwards before he landed on his back.
"Now you're making me mad!" growled Zudomon. "Vulcan's Hammer!"
Zudomon smashed his hammer hard into the ground with a clang, and the crackling of electricity. The arrow-shaped energy wave steamrolled Skull Meramon with a blow to the chest. The ground rumbled as Zudomon charged forth with his hammer ready to strike. Skull Meramon dodged the first overhead blow, but the second came from the left like a blur. It was a bone-crushing hit to the head that disoriented Skull Meramon.
Skull Meramon wobbled around in a daze and unaware of what was happening. Zudomon grabbed Skull Meramon by the neck and tossed him into the weapons factory. The flaming man Digimon landed chest-first, crushing the Prison of Despair under his weight. The roof of the factory gave out, burying Skull Meramon alive under rubble. The other Digidestined celebrated Zudomon's victory and the destruction of a Stone of Doom.
"Alright Zudomon! One down, seven to go!" cheered Joe.