Chapter 6
Light
Hi again! Ok, I know I said that this was gonna be the last chapter, but I kept writing and writing, and it eventually got long enough for two chapters. And even better for me, the middle is exactly where I wanted to end a chapter at some point. So anyway, hope you all enjoy it!
"So, how do I look?" May asked cutely.
She spun around, showing off her new "outfit".
"Just like a member of Team Rocket!" Ash said.
"Yeah, no one will be the wiser!" Brock said.
The group stood at the entrance to Team Rocket's hideout once again, this time garbed in Team Rocket's black uniforms with the red "R" on the front, complete with the matching hats, boots, and gloves. Everyone was there except Max and Vivi. This mission could get dangerous, certainly not something for children.
"Quiet!" Jessie commanded. "Someone will hear you! They're already looking for you."
"Yeah, we should probably get going, we look suspicious standing around here." Brock agreed.
So they headed back into the dark hallway, leaving safety behind. The first order of business was to get everyone's Pokemon back. After that, they would free the other prisoners, and then they would find Shirakiku, return Misty to her body, and set things strait. Simple in theory, but much harder in execution.
"This would go a lot faster if we split up." Brock suggested.
"All right." Ash said. "May and Brock, you go find the Pokemon, Jessie and James, you go let everyone free, and I'll find Misty. Everyone meet in the main room when you finish your job."
"Hey, who put you in charge? Why should we let them gurls go!" Meowth objected.
"Yeah, I wanted to rescue the girls!" Brock said.
"Brock, you're on our side, remember?" May reminded him.
"Oh, yeah."
"We don't have time to worry about who's in charge right now, we have to hurry! You don't wanna get caught, do you? If you don't do what we say, we might just have to turn you in." Said Ash.
"Fine, we'll do it, but we still don't like having to team up with you Twerps." James huffed.
"Same here!" Brock shot back.
"You little-!" Jessie started, but she was cut off by Ash.
"Guys, come on, let's go!" He urged.
So begrudgingly, Jessie and James headed off in one direction, while Brock and May went the opposite way. Unlike the others, Ash had no idea of where to go, but he finally chose a path and followed it, hoping it was the one that would lead him to Misty.
Brock and May were not exactly sure where they where the Pokemon were stored, but they had a feeling that the place was behind the steel door they had found. Team Rocket members were crawling the hallway, unaware that those whom they were looking for were right in front of them. Two more were posted at the door. Whatever was behind there was obviously something that Team Rocket did not want getting out.
"This looks like the place," May said, "but how do we get past the guards?"
She stared at the imposing figures of the two men.
"Easy," Brock replied, "Just act natural. We're wearing Team Rocket uniforms, so they won't suspect a thing. We have to act like we're supposed to be here."
Brock and May strode up to the door, trying to look natural. One of them, however, was not doing so well.
"Uh, hi." Brock said to one of the Team Rocket members.
"What are you doing here?" He replied.
"We . . . um . . . that is . . . we were just-"
"The boss asked us to bring the Pokemon to his office." May said cooly.
"What does he need them for?" The other Team Rocket member asked.
"He, uh . . ." May stalled, trying to think of a good answer, "well, those twerpy kids got out, and he wants to make sure they don't steal them back."
"Sounds plausible." The first one said. "But first you gotta tell me the password."
"Uh-oh." May thought to herself.
"Password?" She said unsurely.
But fortunately, she remembered that she had to act confident if she was going to pull this off.
"Uh, what are you talking about? There is no password!"
"Right!" The guard said, handing May the keys. "Guess you're ok. Go right ahead."
She opened the door and found two bags full of Pokeballs, and a wire cage which contained a very unhappy Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped when it saw its friends.
"Shh!" Said Brock, holding his finger to his lips.
They were afraid they had been caught, but the guards seemed not to notice. Still, Brock and May made off with their twice-stolen Pokemon as quickly as they could.
"What was that, May?" Brock demanded when they had reached safety.
"What was what?" Replied May.
She let Pikachu out of its cage, which seemed to make it very happy. It jumped into her lap and gave her a big hug, which she happily returned.
"That! With the guards back there, what were you doing?"
"Me! You were the one who panicked! I really saved us back there!"
"Whatever. We should probably meet up with Ash now in the main hall." Brock replied as he stood. "Pikachu, they'll know it's us if they see you, so you should go back to the Pokemon Center and meet Max."
Pikachu wanted to help, but it knew that Brock was right. It ran toward the entrance, making sure to stay in the shadows. Brock stood up to go as well.
"Hey, what about . . . ? Wait for me!" May called after him.
Being Team Rocket members, Jessie and James should have had an easier time with their task than the others. Sadly, that was not the case. Their "co-workers" were scouring the hall, still looking for the escaped twerps.
"How are we going to do this, Jessie?" James asked. "We'll get caught for sure!"
"Quiet, I'm trying to think!" Jessie whispered. "I know, we could tell them that the boss-"
But then she noticed that Giovanni was standing nearby, supervising, so lying and giving false commands would not work.
"Hey, why don't we tell them we saw the twerps somewhere else?" James asked.
"That's great, Jim," Meowth replied, "but what if the boss don't believe us?"
"Oh, he'll believe us, all right." James said, holding up a Pokeball.
"James, what are you thinking?" Jessie inquired.
"It's simple, really. We just have to make it look like we had an encounter with the twerps."
"You don't mean . . . ?" Meowth asked in fear.
"Yes, we let our Pokemon attack us."
"That's crazy, James!" Jessie shouted.
"Yeah, I ain't doing it!" Meowth agreed.
"Fine. Then I guess we'll just have to let Butch and Cassidy get ahead of us." James shrugged.
"But there has to be another way!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Why don't you try thinking of something?" James answered.
Jessie and Meowth sighed, but neither of them could think of a better plan. They sighed deeply as they conceded. They found a secluded area and released their Pokemon.
"Seviper, go." Jessie said half-heartedly as she released her black snake Pokemon.
"Go, Cacnea!" James yelled.
He was not as reluctant as the others, this being his idea.
"All right, Cacnea, use your tackle attack on us!"
"Seviper, use bite." Jessie said.
The cactus and snake looked first at their masters, then at each other, obviously confused.
"Well, what's the matter, Cacnea?" James asked. "The one time I want you to attack me, you won't do it!"
Cacnea and Seviper still did not get it, but it was their duty to obey their masters, no matter how strange the orders. So they did as they were told, and after a few attacks, Team Rocket looked sufficiently beaten up, complete with scratched limbs and frazzled hair.
"That ought to do it." James said wearily, but still quite pleased with himself.
They then returned to the search party to report their "sighting".
"Boss!" Meowth called out.
Giovanni took one look at them and said "What happened to you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Jessie explained. "We found the twerps, and they attacked us!"
"Impossible." Giovanni returned. "We still have their Pokemon locked away in a closet."
"Uh, no we don't." Said one Team Rocket member.
"What are you talking about?"
"I was in the other hall a few minutes ago. A boy and a girl came and said that you had asked for them to be sent to your office."
"I did no such thing!" Giovanni yelled, suddenly realizing his loss. "Which way did they go!" He demanded.
Jessie and James pointed weakly down the hall.
"Everyone, let's go!" Giovanni called, and he and the other Team Rocket members raced in the direction Jessie and James had indicated.
"Phew, that was close." Jessie sighed.
"Let's hurry, we don't have much time!" James reminded them.
They went down the hall and let out all the girls, room by room. None of the girls understood why they were being released, but they did not stick around to ask questions. After being assured by Jessie and James that their Pokemon would be returned, they all made a quick escape. By the time Giovanni and the others returned, neither they nor Jessie, James, or Meowth, were anywhere to be found. They had already met up with Brock and May and were returning the Pokeballs to the now free girls. The Pokemon were long gone.
Misty wandered the halls, looking for the orb. She did not know what she needed to do with it once she found it, or even if she could do anything in this form, but it was better than just giving up. She was not fading now, and but was enveloped in the mist. So thick was it that Misty could not even tell where she was anymore. But suddenly, she noticed a light shining through the fog. She did not know what it was, but she followed it, hoping to find a way out of the mist. When Misty reached the source of the light, she noticed that it was being carried by someone. The mist still surrounded her, but the light illuminated the area around it, and she could see the figure of a boy. And even though he was disguised as a Team Rocket member, it only took Misty a moment to realize it was Ash.
Ash was lost. But it did not really matter, because he did not know where Shirakiku was anyway. He was about to turn a corner when he heard someone call his name. But when he turned, there was no one there.
"Misty!" Ash called.
It had to be her. He could feel her anxiety in the room around him.
"Where are you!" He asked, looking around the room.
But he got no response. The only thing he could do was to follow the direction her voice had come from, so he reset his course and began running toward the source. At the end of this hall, Ash found a large, ornately carven door. When he opened it, he almost fell back in surprise. There, right in front of him, stood Misty. She jerked her head around and glared at him.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked.
Then he remembered that this was not Misty. Of course. Ash knew that there was someone else in her body, but it was so hard to get used to. Even in different clothes, standing next to a foreign Pokemon, it still looked like Misty, and it was very strange to hear her voice coming from someone else.
"My name is Ash," Ash said bravely, "and I want you to give Misty her body back right now!"
"I'm sorry," she laughed, "but I cannot do that."
"That's what you think!" Ash answered.
But Shirakiku did not seem upset.
"No, I mean I really cannot do that." She said. "I was murdered in my previous life, and I still harbor a great deal of sadness and hatred. It was not my wish to be reborn. I would like nothing more than to return to the afterlife."
"Oh . . ." Ash muttered, unsure of what to say.
He carefully slipped the orb from his pocket. Shirakiku's eyes went wide.
"Someone told me that this would help. Do you know what to do with it?"
"Yes, and I will gladly return this body, if you will do one thing for me."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Allow me time enough to get revenge on that horrible man for using me like this. Then I will return quietly to the grave."
"Fine, I'll help you defeat him. No problem! Let's go!"
Shirakiku returned Haunter to its pokeball and followed Ash back down the hall. She was now free of Giovanni's control. Or so she thought. When they reached the large stone room, Ash and Shirakiku were confronted by Giovanni, backed up by the whole of Team Rocket. They were blocking their only exit.
"Very good, Shirakiku." Giovanni said evilly. "But you will go no farther, this ends here. Nidoqueen, go!" He called as he threw his pokeball.
It split open and revealed in a burst of light a beautiful teal Pokemon that resembled a dinosaur or dragon from long ago.
Ash immediately tensed up, ready for battle, but then he remembered that he did not have his Pokemon with him. Fortunately, Shirakiku was prepared.
"Do not worry." She said. "I will handle this."
Ash watched as her eyes turned blank. She stared deep into the eyes of the Nidoqueen, who began holding her head and thrashing about.
"Nidoqueen, what's wrong? Use your hyperbeam!"
Nidoqueen did not seem to hear, until suddenly, it stopped moving and stood strait up. Giovanni smirked, but not for long, for Nidoqueen had turned around.
"What are you doing! Attack her!" He commanded, but it had no effect.
Nidoqueen began charging a brilliant ball of light in its mouth, and when the light glowed its brightest, Nidoqueen released it, sending it flying at its own master. Giovanni and several other Team Rocket members took the hit and were sent sprawling to the ground. Several gasped, but none dared move. Even Ash just stood there with his mouth hanging open. He had no idea that Misty had such power inside of her.
"I warned you not to take me lightly." Shirakiku said, obviously enjoying her triumph.
Giovanni rose on his elbow and returned Nidoqueen.
"This isn't over yet." He said confidently. "All of you, charge her!" He shouted to Team Rocket.
They were afraid of her power, but they were also extremely loyal to their boss, so all of Team Rocket rushed toward the girl as fast as they could, even Brock and May, who did not want to be conspicuous. But Shirakiku was unafraid. She smirked and swooped her hand into the air. Where she did this, the very fabric of space seemed to rip, and it tore toward Team Rocket at lighting speed. Then the tear closed as quickly as it had been opened, leaving several Team Rocket members lying in its wake. Still, the rest continued to run at Shirakiku.
"You truly are annoying." She said.
This time, her eyes glowed, and every Team Rocket member left standing froze in place. She raised her hands, and they all began to levitate higher and higher into the air. Then, just when it seemed they could go no higher, she threw them all back to the ground.
"Satisfied yet?" Shirakiku asked.
Still, a few got up and continued toward her, slower this time, but still coming. In one last attack, Shirakiku raised her hands into the air, and a ball of dark light formed between them. Her eyes became blank again, and her hair spun around her head as if a violent wind were blowing. The light grew larger and larger, until it began to shoot beams from its center. These hit the walls violently, causing them to shake. Soon, the whole room was vibrating with the dark light, which had now consumed the white, pure light. Finally, the ball reached its maximum size and exploded, knocking everyone but Shirakiku to the floor, and making the ground split apart.
"Stop!" Ash cried. "That's enough, this is getting dangerous."
"You are right." She agreed.
Ash began to hand her the orb, but Shirakiku shrunk away.
"Wait." She said. " I cannot touch it. It . . . would seal me in this body forever."
"No!" Giovanni yelled. "Don't listen to her!"
"Here." Ash said, taking off his gloves and handing them to her.
She put them on and then eagerly took the orb from him.
"You fool!" Giovanni cried out.
Ash looked first at him, then at Shirakiku, whose demeanor had changed drastically. She wore a wicked grin, one that told him she had no intention of returning Misty's body.
"You tricked me!" Ash shouted in disbelief.
"Did you really think that I would return to the afterlife?" Shirakiku said. "I now possess the power to take the world, how could I give that up? I can finally agree with you," she said, turning to Giovanni, "he is a fool."
"Get the orb back from her!" Giovanni called.
Normally, he would never trust this twerp, but his underlings were now completely incapacitated.
"Touch her with it! It will absorb her soul back into it! It's the only way to defeat her!"
Ash lunged at Shirakiku, desperate to take the orb back from her. He knew now that it was Misty's only hope of returning to her body, and now the fate of the entire world rode on it. He had to take it back, he had to, he had to. But Shirakiku saw his attack, and quickly swept her hand in front of her, erecting a barrier that sent Ash falling to the ground when he hit it.
"Good try," she said, "but you will have to do better than that."
Misty watched from above Ash threw himself into Shirakiku's barrier again and again, only to be thrown back each time. The light from the orb illuminated his face, full of determination, even though he was tiring. Misty winced every time he fell, but she knew he would not stop until he won.
"Come on, Ash!" She called down. "I know you can do it!"
Ash got up once more, somehow revitalized. He put every ounce of strength into this attack, and finally, finally, the barrier gave and disintegrated. The confident expression on Shirakiku's face turned to one of disbelief. But Ash did not stop. His charge had broken through the barrier, and its momentum sent him crashing headlong into Shirakiku. He collided with her, knocking her down, and sending the orb flying out of her hands. It hung in the air for a long moment before falling to the ground and shattering it, along with Ash's hope, into a thousand pieces. Misty covered her eyes as the light of the orb burst fourth and illuminated the whole room, and then faded away to darkness. Now she could see nothing beyond the gray mist.
Shoutouts-
gladdecease: Good, then I haven't missed anything. Oh, thank-you! Yeah, I guess it's a little weird. But then, I don't think I used it as originally. Well, I just thought he might have gotten over it by now, or maybe in retrospect he would be mad at her. Or something. I didn't see the episode, so I don't really know. No, actually, that didn't occur to me until later. I think the idea came from the episode where Misty was sensitive to Hypno's hypnotic waves, especially since I was going to use a Hypno before. Really, I just needed to have an excuse for Team Rocket to choose her. When I make these things up in my head, it's usually just for my own enjoyment, so it doesn't matter. I have to put more thought into it when I actually write it down. Lucky for me we do have that episode, and the thing with Larvitar or whatever, so it makes sense in the end. Oh, and it's the third thing you said. Thanks again!
Soft Flame Matthias: Thanks! Well, I'll certainly try. Yeah. And how come Ash didn't what? Oh, you mean fade, in "The Tower of Terror"? Yeah, I thought of that, but Misty's been out of her body longer at this point. Thanks, I will!
Mlu: Thanks, I'm glad you think so! I hope you liked this chapter as well!
sykilik 101: Thanks! I do? Glad you think so! Hope you liked this chapter. And now I have one chapter left. It got too long to be just one. But I think the last one will be shippy enough. At least, I hope so. Thanks!
Z Girl Warrior: Oh, that's ok. I'm glad you like it! I hope you like the ending I thought of when I get it up. Thanks for the review!
xoxAnnie Potterxox: Good, didn't wanna be confusing. Thanks! Oh, don't say that. It takes practice to get it right. And it's really hard to get all the characters right. It's annoying, because you have to make everything just so. You'll get the hang of it. Hm, have I read your story? Sorry, I read a lot of fics. Maybe I can think of something. Well, I'm glad you thought it rocked. I'll have the last chapter up soon!
someone: Ok, hope I didn't take too long! Thanks! Really? I wish they would use my ideas for movies, because then Ash and Misty would already be together, lol. Thanks again!
Lord Destroyer: Right, I wanted Shirakiku to be independent. I didn't put that in my fic, but it's an interesting idea. Ha, you'll see what happens. Oh yes, I absolutely love Inu-Yasha! Although I missed almost the entire season last time, and now I'm kinda lost :(. And Miroku's great. In fact, I read this fic once that combined Pokemon and Inu-Yasha, and they were looking at a swimsuit magazine. That was really funny. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!
EmberFeathers: Oh, good! You think so? I always worry that it's too short. Thank-you! This isn't the last chapter quite yet, but I hope you like it when I do get it up!
Quynh Nhu: Thank-you! I'm glad you liked that part, but I'm seriously gonna have to cut back on my Twerp/Team Rocket team ups. I sorta did that in my last fic, and I'm afraid it'll get repetitive. Thanks, I hope I didn't disappoint you!
Sensational Sista: Thanks! Well, I hoped you liked the plan. I'm glad that it's good enough that it makes you nervous when bad stuff happens. And I'm glad you liked those parts, sparse though they were. Thanks, I will!
no one: Thanks! Sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer, but I'm gonna try my best to make it worth it. So please be patient with me! Thanks for reviewing!
Special Agent Black Storm: Oh, yeah, my internet has been acting up too lately. Good. I was hoping it wasn't too much like my last fic. Hope you got the e-mail I sent you. And I hope you liked this chapter!
cutehelenjames: Thank-you! Hope I didn't take too long. Thanks for reviewing!
Chaos-Paladin: Well, you'll be glad to know I have one more after this after all. Hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but I do have a shippy finale planned. Oh, sure, I'll read it sometime. I'm sure it's good! Ha, you don't have to worry about me running out of fic ideas. I've got so many floating around up there, it'd take me years to get them all down! I'm not sure what I'm gonna do next, but I'll keep working on it! Thanks for your encouragement!
Warlordess: Oh, well that's understandable. Can't have you getting heat stroke! Thanks, glad you thought it was realistic. Oh, thanks, but I don't think it was all that original. I guess part of my character model for Shirakiku's personality was Kikyo after all, even though I didn't intend it from the beginning. Well, I guess that makes us even, lol. Oh, and I still need to get back to the USA! Sorry, I've got a full-time job now, and I get tired after work, and then I've been working on this fic, and . . . but I really do need to get back. I'll try to visit you there soon!
Forever Wished: Hope it wasn't too short! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope I didn't take too long with the update. Thanks for reviewing!