Last time, on
"Pokemon: The Heart of the Cards..."
Things begin to
heat up for the Pokepals as they advance through the tournament, with
Ash facing Murray, a tough Psychic duelist, in the fifth round!
Before long, Ash is pummeled before he can even make a move!
But,
Murray's deck is not all that it appears...after a brief
investigation, the officials discover two cards that are prohibited
from competition, giving Ash a Soul Crest!
What awaits our
heroes in the rounds ahead? Find out!
The Heart of the
Cards, part 27: Ash vs. Team Rocket
Ash smiled as he cradled a
sleeping Pikachu in his arms. "I can't believe it...we're
past halfway in our quest to earn the Legendary Cards... he
thought as he watched leaves fly about in the wind from the security
of the room. "But... I wonder where we go next on our
journey?" He was about to ponder this question when he heard
the door slam. "Who is it?"
"It's just me..."
Michael assured everyone as he made himself comfortable on the couch
next to Ash.
"You seem like something's bothering you..."
Ash noted. "Something wrong?"
"Well..."
Michael stretched for a moment, then continued. "I want to give
Maya a little present...something to say 'I love you' with..."
"Oh!
Give her a card!" Misty suggested as she tossed a load of
laundry in the dryer.
"Better yet, how about
flowers...or candy!" Brock called from the kitchen, where he was
preparing the group's dinner for the evening. "For some reason,
girls have a thing for candy..."
"I appriciate your
suggestions..." Michael explained to the group. "but I
already have something in mind for the gift."
"What?"
Everyone turned to Michael, eager to know what his planned gift
was.
"I'm going to get her one of these..." and
Michael paused to unfurl an ad depicting a small wind-up Pikachu
inside a plastic see-through Poke Ball.
"Aw..."
Misty cooed at the picture of the tiny toy.
"How cute..."
Brock agreed. "...but what is it?"
"It's called
a Mini Pikachu." Michael explained. "They're getting to be
quite popular...toy stores have sold out of them right as they get
new shipments....but, I don't have any money to get one..."
"I'll
get one!" Ash volunteered, leaping up from the couch and nearly
scaring Pikachu in the process. With that, he rushed to get ready,
throwing on his vest, combing his hair, and grabbing his cap from the
hat stand as he raced out the door.
"That was fast..."
Misty noted.
"If these Mini Pikachus sell out as fast as
they say they do, Ash is going to have to go even faster..."
Brock sighed...
---------
Meanwhile,
Team Rocket relaxed in their secret base, all the while musing about
their next plot. Meowth, however, was seated before the TV, paying no
heed to the chores Jessie and James were doing.
After a while,
James collapsed on the couch next to Meowth, exhausted. "Anything
good on?" he asked.
"Hmm..." Meowth checked the
TV listings as the credits to the previous show rolled by on the
screen. "Nothin' on any of da major channels..." he replied
as he tossed the listings behind a pillow and reached for the remote
on the coffee table. "...so let's just see what da other
channels have to offer! Whereever we stop, dat's what we'll
watch."
James sighed. "I hope we don't land on 'The
Joy of Catnip' like we did yesterday..." He watched as Meowth
began to cycle through the channels, naming the show or commercial on
each one.
"...some action movie, soap commoicial, da
news, some toy commoicial, 'Trivia Maze'..." Meowth noted. "Let
me know if you see somethin'..."
"Wait Meowth, go
back to that toy commercial..." Jessie asked. "I swear I
just saw a Pikachu there..."
"Okay..." Meowth
flipped back to the commercial and listened as an image of a Mini
Pikachu blipped on the screen.
"It's the amazing Mini
Pikachu toy!" proclaimed the announcer. "It walks, it
talks, it says 'Pika pika!' Each one comes with its own crystal Poke
Ball! Collect one, collect them all! Be the first one on your block
to own the new Mini Pikachu toy! Hurry, before they're all sold out!
Buy one, buy them all..."
Buy them all...buy them
all...buy them all... Jessie sighed with delight, apparently
dreaming of having all of the tiny toys for herself...
"Oith
to Jessie, come in, Jessie..." Meowth chided, waving a paw in
front of Jessie's face. "What'cha tinkin' about so
hard?"
"Those Mini Pikachus look so cute..."
Jessie mused as she got up from the couch. "so if we can't catch
the real thing, the toy will do...so come on!" she called,
running for the door.
"Hey, wait for us!" James and
Meowth were not too far behind.
---------
"What
do you MEAN, sold out?" Jessie demanded.
"Someone
got the last Mini Pikachu this morning." the toy store clerk
replied. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow." The three
Rockets turned and left the toy store, dejected.
"We were
too late..." James sighed as he trudged down the street. "I
know how bad you want one of those, Jessie, but I guess we'll have to
do what the clerk said and wait until tomorrow..."
"Or
maybe not..." Meowth smiled.
"Huh?" Jessie and
James stared at Meowth, confused.
"I can see da toy
factory over there!" Meowth explained, pointing out a large
building on the corner, where trucks carrying shipments of toys were
coming and going. "If we raid da factory, we can get a Mini
Pikachu before everyone else does!"
"Great idea!"
and James grabbed a large bag...
---------
"Pika
pi!" Pikachu giggled as he struggled to peek inside the bag Ash
was carrying, curious as to what his miniature likeness looked
like.
"Sorry, Pikachu, this isn't for you...this is
Michael's present for Maya." Ash replied. He was about to say
more, until he heard the toy factory's security alarm ringing.
"Huh?"
"Pika!" Pikachu watched, shocked,
as Team Rocket raced down the street, trailing a large bag stuffed
with Mini Pikachus behind them. "Pika pika!" With that, he
jumped to the ground, picking up the toys that had fallen out of the
bag.
"You're right..." Ash sighed. "Follow
those Rockets!" With that, he ran to catch up with the Rockets!
---------
After
a while, Ash and Pikachu arrived in a forested area, just in time to
see the Rockets disappear with their cargo inside a tree. Pikachu
skittered up to the entrance and banged on the door, desprate for it
to open.
"Hey, it's not going to open if you just bang on
it." Ash explained, gesturing to the keyhole on the tree trunk.
"See, it's locked...so what do we need to get in if something's
locked?"
"Pika pi!" Pikachu replied, displaying
a picture of a key to Ash.
"Right, you need a key..."
Ash replied. "but where would the Rockets hide a key?" With
that thought in mind, he crawled behind some rocks, checked
underneath the rocks, looked in the grass....but no matter where he
looked, he didn't find a key.
Pikachu, meanwhile, decided to
climb into the tree to look. He pushed some leaves aside...nothing.
Next, he checked a branch with some flowers...the leaf patches turned
up empty, but he spotted something shiny inside one of the
flowers...the key! "Pikapi! Pika!" he called down to Ash,
triumphantly holding the key as proof.
"You found it?"
Okay...bring it down here!" Ash called, smiling proudly as
Pikachu climbed down the tree and gave the key to him. "Now...the
Rockets probably have some traps in here, so we have to be
careful..." he cautioned as he turned the key, allowing the tree
trunk to open....
---------
"Hello...anyone
here?" Ash called as he walked along the empty corridors of the
secret base.
"Pi?" Pikachu, meanwhile, discovered
something flashing in the darkness. "Pika pikachu?"
Ash
ran to catch up to Pikachu, and knelt down to study a strange
flashing blue switch. "Well, see that blue mist and those red
platforms up ahead?" he asked, gesturing to some blue misty
areas and a series of red girders blocking the path. "Maybe the
switches control those! So, lets push it!" With that, he stomped
down hard on the switch, causing the blue misty areas to become solid
and the red girders to turn misty.
"Pika pi!"
Pikachu smiled.
"Follow me!" With that, Ash ran to a
blue ladder and climbed up, with Pikachu not too close behind. They
ran across a blue path for a while, until they came to a misty red
area...that led to a omnious drop below. Just then, Ash noticed
another flashing switch in the darkness, only this one was red.
"Pikachu! Jump on this switch!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu jumped on top of the switch, causing the red areas to turn
solid again.
"Good work!" Ash smiled as Pikachu ran
to him again. "You see that?" he asked, pointing out a
swirling rainbow aura at the top of a high ledge. "That's a
teleporter. Maya says that's how Rockets get to different parts of
their bases."
"Pi pika pika chu, Pikapi?"
Pikachu asked, glancing up to the high ledge, while at the same time
looking for something that would carry them upward.
"Simple,
we'll use this spring over here!" Ash replied, running up to a
solitary spring on their ledge. "Ready?" Pikachu nodded.
"And one...two...THREE!" With that, the two went sailing to
the top ledge and into the teleporter.
---------
"Whew...wasn't
that fun?" Ash smiled as he and Pikachu arrived in the next room
of the base.
"Pika..." Pikachu was still a little
shaken from the sudden flight. Just then, he heard Pokemon noises
coming from the path ahead. "Pi?"
Ash looked a
little further down the path and noticd some Ekans patrolling nearby
a ladder. "Oh boy...how are we going to pass these
guys?"
"Chu..." Pikachu replied as he struggled
to hold a trash can over his head. "CHU!" The Ekans had no
time to react to the falling trash can....
"Great shot!"
Ash smiled as he grabbed a large stick, slid it inside his pocket,
and climbed up the ladder. He waited as Pikachu climbed up, then both
disappeared into the teleporter...
---------
"Guys!
One of da twerps and Pikachu followed us here!" Meowth cried,
gesturing to the security monitors, which depicted Ash and Pikachu
climbing up the green ladders in the next room.
James winced
as the Ash on the screen began to clobber an unsuspecting Koffing
with a hammer. "That has to hurt..."
"What are
we gonna do if dey get dis far, to our room?" Meowth asked,
apparently worried.
"You could always use the barrels in
the storage area, Meowth..." Jessie giggled as she wound up
another Mini Pikachu, adding it to the myriad of Mini Pikachus
walking about the floor chattering "Pika Pika!"
"Great
idea!" and Meowth hurried to the storage room...
---------
"Almost
there..." Ash assured a tired Pikachu as they trudged through
another room. "After we figure out this door's code, we'll be in
the main room of the base!" With that, he punched the code 9285
into the keypad...which allowed the door to open!
"Pika!"
Pikachu led the way in.
"Yeah, now we can get the Mini
Pikachus back!" Ash smiled as he reached for the large bag with
the toys inside...
"Not so fast!" Ash gasped as the
lights came up in the dim room, revealing Meowth sitting at the top
of a set of girders. "If you want da toys back, you'll have to
get past me foist!"
"You're on!" Ash readied
his stick for battle.
"If you can knock me off dis top
platform without falling yourself, we'll give da toys back...got
dat?" Meowth replied.
"Bring it on!" and Ash
started to climb up the red girders, determined to send Meowth
falling to the ground below.
"Have a nice trip!" and
Meowth pressed a red switch, causing the floor to give way from under
Ash! Ash, meanwhile, swung himself up to a blue platform...
"Pika!"
Pikachu hurled a blue trash can up to the top girder, causing Meowth
to teeter towards the edge.
"Cover for me, Pikachu!"
Ash called as he continued to climb up.
"See ya next
fall!" and Meowth caused the blue floor to give way, sending Ash
falling to the yellow floor!
"CHU!" Pikachu hurled a
brick at Meowth, hitting him again!
"Mankey see, Mankey
do!" Meowth taunted, pulling a nearby rope. He snickered as both
Ash and Pikachu scrambled to dodge the falling tires, nails, bricks,
and other junk...but he didn't see the tire flying at him from below!
He now teetered dangerously close to the edge...
"Pikachu!
Get the toys while I deal with Meowth!" Ash called as he hoisted
himself to the top girder.
"Pika pi!" and Pikachu
hurried off...
Ash, meanwhile, blocked the angry Meowth's
claws with his stick. Next, he shoved Meowth backwards by hitting him
in the stomach. Meowth tried again to scratch Ash, but only succeeded
in nicking his leg. Ash winced as the pain rippled out from his
wound, but he tried to stay aloof to Meowth's scratching and
biting...until ultimately, he jabbed Meowth in the back, sending him
falling to the ground....
"Chu?" Pikachu asked,
charging up a Thunderbolt.
"We're gone!" Ash slid
down a pole, grabbed the bag full of Mini Pikachu toys, and jumped
down the emergency escape shaft, just in time to hear the Rockets cry
"We're blasting off AGAAAAIN!!!!!" ping
---------
"Maya..."
Michael smiled as he and the others walked into Maya's room, where
Maya was filling out papers. "I've got something for you..."
"A
gift...for me?" Maya was surprised. "What is it?"
"Open
it and see..." Michael smiled, offering the gift wrapped box to
Maya. "Ash went to a lot of trouble to get this for me..."
Maya
took the box and tore it open...gasping at the contents inside.
"Awww! You got me a Mini Pikachu! Thank you! Thank you!...."
She hugged Michael, tears streaming down her face in delight and
joy.
"And..." Ash offered several more wrapped boxes
to the others...
"You got us one too?" Misty was
surprised as she opened her gift, revealing a Mini Pikachu inside.
Togepi stood nearby, playing with the ribbons and wrapping
paper.
"Thanks!" Brock smiled as he set his Mini
Pikachu aside and gathered up the trash. "What did you do to get
all these?"
"It's a long story..." Ash sighed,
tired from his adventure. Pikachu hopped up on the couch and
stretched out on Ash's lap.
Meanwhile, Maya calmed down enough
to address the group. "Okay, thank you again for the gift...and
I have news for you all..."
"A challenge?" Ash
asked.
"Yes...another Triple Challenge...and this time
the prize is Rayquaza lv. 50." Maya explained. "It starts
early in the morning, okay?"
"Okay..." Ash
yawned as he fell asleep on the couch.
Will Ash earn another
rare card? Stay tuned!