Digicross Episode 30
"First Wolfmon, now HIM?"
==Celadon City.
Crystal Melin strolled down the street, humming a cheery tune. Behind her, TK, her boyfriend and designated pack mule for the day, struggled to keep up with her, balance the two boxes and three bags, all dangerously close to spilling, falling, or some other form of disaster. "You're in a good mood today." TK commented.
Crystal turned around. "Hey, I'm celebrating, I'm supposed to be in a good mood."
TK started thinking, trying to figure out what it was he forgot. "Okay, it can't be your birthday, and it's nowhere near Christmas. Kyle didn't say anything about any special holidays-"
"Oh, I didn't tell you!" Crystal gasped. She reached into a pocket on her white jacket, and took out a small plaque. On it were affixed eight small objects.
Gym badges, TK realized. Then the significance struck him. "Eight gym badges...hey, you can compete in the Indigo League now!"
"That's right! And, because I've been such a good little girl, I'm going to celebrate! Come on, there's one more store I'm just dying to see!"
"Great." TK muttered. "I hope it sells something light!"
"Oh, don't worry!" Crystal said, leading TK down the street. After a few minutes, they stopped. "See? It's a restaurant. You looked a bit tired."
"Even pack mules have to eat." TK agreed, Crystal sticking her tongue out at him in response. The two looked up the street, and saw a familiar figure running towards them.
"TK! Crystal!" Caryl yelled. Walking at a more dignified pace, Prima followed the girl, smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"
"I was celebrating getting my eighth gym badge." Crystal answered. "So I decided to do a little shopping. Kurt and my other pokemon are at the Pokemon Center now, with Patamon."
"Hey! That's where I left Renamon." Caryl replied. "She said she was tired. I can't imagine why, though."
"Keeping up with you is...a challenge." Prima said, catching up. Her grin remained as Crystal looked up, recognized Prima, and started stuttering a greeting. "It's alright. The nasty Elite Four member isn't going to challenge you to a battle. Caryl and I were simply sightseeing, that's all."
"It's great here." Caryl added. "I love large cities like this. And it's so much...cleaner than back home."
"She's been like this all day." Prima sighed. "I must be getting old; I don't remember being that energetic at that age. But I must apologize. I hope we did not interrupt your date."
"Oh, it was just a shopping spree." Crystal said. "A few things for Kurt, a new set of brushes for Ponyta, and a few treats for my newest pokemon. Nurse Joy said it was rare to see a pokemon like that around here."
"New pokemon?" TK asked.
"Oh, I caught him a few weeks ago, and he helped me win my eighth badge. I call him Logan. According to my pokedex...well, how about I just show you, after lunch?"
==
Across the street, two men in dark clothing monitored the conversation. "That's one of them. He's one of the ones Namba wants. Should we take him now?" The two watched as the group entered the restaurant, and came out again, sitting in the small patio.
"In the middle of the city?" the other man demanded. "Besides, that's Prima of the Elite Four with them. We'd last about two seconds. And I think that girl said something about a rare pokemon. We tail them until they're out of the city, and then grab them. Wait, someone else is coming."
"Right. I'll notify Giovanni. I'm surprised he's getting involved in this so personally."
==
"Ryo!" Caryl yelled, waving to the pokemon trainer who had just left a store. Curious, Ryo ran over.
"Caryl!" Ryo gasped. "Uh...hi! TK, Crystal...Oh, um, hi, Aunt Loreli..." (Note: Prima's her stage name, Loreli's her real name. Anyone calling her 'Loreli' outside of family and CLOSE friends gets an Ice Beam enema. Trust me, it's not pleasant -ed)
Crystal gagged. "AUNT Loreli?" She stared at Ryo. "You mean, you're related to..."
"Well, I guess greatness runs in the family..." Ryo managed.
"We try not to make a big deal out of it." Prima said. "So, what's that behind your back?" Ryo's face reddened. "Well, I don't think it's for me, and Crystal already has a boyfriend..."
"Actually, I got it for Caryl." Ryo tried to whisper. Caryl's face reddened a bit.
"I don't know." Caryl replied. "I'm still young and awfully innocent. How am I to know what kind of plans you have for me?" She took the present that Ryo (reluctantly) offered, and opened it. Inside was a small pin, amber carving of a flower blossom attached to it. "How'd...I was looking at this just a few days ago."
"He asked me." Renamon said, appearing suddenly.
"GWAHH!" Everyone except Prima said, nearly falling over (Prima, an experienced pokemon trainer, battler, and world traveler, was used to this sort of thing. -ed).
"You asked her?" Caryl asked Ryo when everyone had recovered. Ryo's only response was to blush a bit more.
"He was quite insistent." Renamon went on. "Charmeleon filled me in on the parts I had missed."
"He knows about this too? OK, I'm getting the whole story!" With that, Caryl got up, and ran off to the pokemon center. Crystal and TK thanked Prima, and followed Caryl.
"Ryo, dear." Prima said to her nephew. "Am I to believe that you have a girlfriend now?"
"She's just a friend, that's all!"
Prima smiled again, unconvinced. "Of course. I will expect you to conduct yourself appropriately, then."
"Auntie!"
Prima stifled a laugh. "You haven't called me 'auntie' since you were six years old. Now get going."
==
Ryo ran up the street, trying to catch up with the rest of the digidestined before too much damage was done (namely, Charmeleon spilling everything -ed) As he ran, a pretty young blonde girl stepped out of an alleyway, colliding with him.
"Oh," the girl squeaked, "I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up."
Ryo accepted the hand, and got up. "My fault, thanks. Look, I'm sorry, but I have to run."
"Oh, sure." the girl replied. "I...hey, aren't you Ryo Akiyama? The famous solo pokemon battler? I saw your match last year, and you were the coolest! Not to mention the hottest trainer there!"
Ryo tried to get around the girl. "Thanks. Look, I have to-"
"Oh, please, can't I get an autograph at least? I know all my friends would just die if they saw it!"
Caryl chose that moment to peek around the corner. "Ryo? Are you...?" Caryl saw Ryo trying to get around a girl she didn't recognize. Feeling annoyed for some reason she couldn't understand, she marched over to the two. "Ryo? You ARE coming to the pokemon center, yes?"
"Um...right, sure! Look," Ryo said to the (he assumed) fan girl. "I have to go. I'm sorry, I don't give autographs!"
The girl pouted. "Well, if your little sister is so insistent...My name's Domino, call me sometime, all right?" she tossed a small scrap of paper to Ryo. Glaring, Caryl stepped forward and grabbed it. "Why *Ryo*!" Domino said, shocked. "I had no idea you were into that sort of thing. But if it's little girls..."
"HEY!" Ryo suddenly shouted. "Don't. EVER. Insult Caryl. Like that. Again." he growled, in a lower voice, before turning and marching off. Confused, Caryl followed him.
Domino watched the two leave. She straightened a bit, standing a few inches taller than she did a few moments ago. "Giovanni? I've made contact."
==
Ryo marched along, still mad. "Ryo?" Caryl asked. "Ryo! What is it?"
He stopped, and then looked at Caryl. "I'm...sorry." he finally sighed. "It just...Insulting you just kind of set me off." he admitted, face coloring a bit.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Caryl said. "I never had a knight in shining armour before."
"That's me." Ryo admitted. "Though I left my Rapidash at home. Next time, I promise I'll ride to the rescue."
Caryl snorted. "Hah! If anything, I'll be the one riding to your rescue!"
The two hurried to the pokemon center, Ryo almost forgetting why he was headed there. Crystal and TK standing around Charmeleon, laughing themselves silly, brought it all back.
==
Two hours later, a thoroughly embarrassed Ryo was walking away from the pokemon center, TK following him. Crystal and Caryl had stayed behind at the center, to check out Crystal's other pokemon, and tour the rest of the center. Patamon and Charmeleon followed their partners.
"So..." TK started.
"Okay, I like her." Ryo said. "There, I said it. Happy?"
"Sure." Charmeleon piped in. "You've only been acting all weird since you first saw her, that's all." TK smiled but wisely said nothing. "It's not my fault you decided to go to every jewelry store in Celadon until you found that thing. Where did you get the money?"
"Out of your food budget." Ryo replied, a bit darkly.
"I'll be good."
"Well?" Ryo asked TK. "You seemed pretty quiet during the inquisition."
"Hey, I leave all the matchmaking and gossip to the digimon." TK replied. Behind him, Patamon whistled, trying to look innocent. "Besides, if I said anything, Crystal would have turned on me. Um...where did you get that pin, anyway?"
Ryo looked up. "That? Oh, it's a small store on Scissor Street, there used to be a pokemon beauty salon there. Something for Crystal?"
"Yeah." TK admitted. "We've gone out twice, and I still have to..."
Ryo blinked. "You took her out? On a date?" He glanced at Charmeleon. "Why wasn't I told?"
TK sighed. "It doesn't count when your mom comes along. And I swore Patamon to secrecy."
"He threatened to tie me up and give me to a preschool for use as a football." Patamon complained. (Hey, Suzie wasn't around, all right? -ed)
Ryo chuckled. "Cute. Come on, let's head back."
"Going so soon?" a voice called.
Ryo glanced around. "Not you again." he muttered, seeing the blonde fan girl that he'd encountered in Celadon. Domino, that was her name.
"That's no way to talk to your biggest fan." Domino pouted. "And I have so many people who are just dying to meet you. Come on out, boys!" She snapped her fingers, and several black-suited men came out, all with fierce expressions.
Ryo recognized the outfits immediately. "Team Rocket! But how-?"
Domino smiled. "Well, I sometimes go by Domino, but I'm really Agent 009, the Black Tulip, one of Team Rocket's best field agents."
"Patamon!" TK said, reaching for his digivice. A sharp pain interrupted him in his chest. Looking down, he saw a small dart, shaped like a tulip with black petals. The drug in the dart worked quickly, and he passed out.
"TK!" Charmeleon roared. "Charmeleon, digivolve to...Charizard!"
Patamon hovered protectively over TK, while Charizard flew at the Rocket grunts, flames shooting everywhere.
==
Caryl looked up. "Ryo?" she asked. Through an open window, she heard an explosion.
"I heard it too." Renamon said, appearing by her. "Let's go!" Quickly, Caryl and Renamon ran out the door, followed by Crystal, Kurt, and a few of Crystal's other pokemon
==
The third Rocket grunt fell to Charizard's assault of flame and tail whips. Ryo punched out one more, and all that was left was Domino, apparently unconcerned. "You'd better leave now." Charizard warned. Domino smirked, pulling out another tulip. This one extended into a long staff, which the Rocket agent twirled easily. "That stick won't save you from me, or Ryo."
"Or me!" Patamon added.
"Cute. Hi-YAHH!" Suddenly, Domino leaped forward, catching the fire pokemon in the head with a flying kick, using her staff to pole-vault towards Charizard. She then thumbed a trigger; touched an end of the staff to Charizard, and the pokemon was electrocuted, quickly passing out.
"Charizard!" Ryo gasped. A second later, he was caught by a circular claw that Domino tossed, and similarly knocked out.
"Well?" Domino asked Patamon, still hovering. The digimon was stunned with the speed this attacker had shown. "Give up."
"Never!" Patamon replied.
Domino smirked, producing another tulip. She hurled it, and the steel tipped dart plunged into the ground beside TK's head. "It'd be a shame if anything happened to your trainer. He is cute, even if he is a bit young for my tastes."
"You-" Patamon started, but got no further. A Gengar appeared in front of him, hypnotizing Patamon and rendering him unconscious. The ghost turned to Domino, and bowed.
"I normally fight my own battles, but this does speed things up considerably." Domino heard shouting, and saw Crystal and Caryl running towards them, Eevee and Renamon following them. "Predictable. Alright everyone, gather them up. This'll take a second." She hurled a final tulip, which exploded into a gas bomb, stopping the digidestined from coming any nearer.
"TK!" Crystal yelled.
"Don't worry." Domino called back as a large dirigible flew overhead. "I'll take very good care of him. Ta!" She put on a jetpack one of the agents handed her, and flew up to the aircraft. The other agents gathered up the two boys and their partner monsters, and ran towards a small helicopter.
"No!" Renamon shouted, jumping out of the smoke cloud.
"One of them's coming through!" one of the Rocket agents called. "Go, Nidoking!" A large pokemon was released, purple, horned, and having a small metallic object on its head. "Rage boost, activate!" Nidoking roared a challenge, charging at Renamon.
"You're in my way! Wisteria Punch!" Renamon's attack slammed into Nidoking, but to her surprise, had no effect. Nidoking responded with a brutal punch, catching Renamon in the side and sending her flying. She rolled, and managed to stand, but was badly hurt.
"Finish them!" the rocket grunt yelled, getting into the helicopter.
Caryl, Crystal and Eevee made it out of the smoke cloud. Caryl ran over to check on Renamon, while Crystal watched the helicopter get away. "Kurt, digivolve!"
"Eevee, digivolve to...Espeon!" The psychic pokemon faced off against Nidoking, the more immediate threat. Instinctively, he launched a Psi-Wave, knowing that Nidoking was weak against such attacks. The poison pokemon flinched, but still stood. "Crystal! That thing on his head must be making him angry! He's able to resist my attacks!"
"Then we'll double team him! Go, Logan!" Crystal released a second pokemon. This one was white with a blue, zigzag stripe on its chest. It looked small, but very stocky and agile. "Zangoose." it growled.
"Be...careful..." Renamon groaned. "That pokemon is very strong."
"He can't hit what he can't catch! FLASH!" Kurt released a bright flare of light, blinding Nidoking. Sensing an opening, Logan jumped forward, making several slashing attacks with his claws. The poison pokemon managed to resist those slashes, though Caryl did notice the light on the device on Nidoking's forehead seemed to flicker a bit.
"Go for that thing on his head!" Caryl yelled. Renamon suddenly got up, jumped, and launched a Diamond Storm at Nidoking, several of the small darts striking the device, causing it to spark.
"Logan! Crush Claw!" Crystal commanded.
"Zannnn...GOOSE!" the pokemon yelled, jumping and making a pair of powerful slashes at the item. It crackled, then exploded, falling in several pieces at Nidoking's feet. The poison pokemon staggered.
"Psi....BLAST!" Kurt yelled, firing his strongest psychic attack. Without the powerful emotion of rage to block the attack, Nidoking fell quickly. "Yes!" Kurt yelled.
"They're getting away!" Crystal exclaimed, seeing the dirigible flying off. "They have TK, Ryo and their partners with them! TK..."
Caryl looked around, and noticed a poke ball. "Hey, I think this is one of Ryo's. Go!" she called, opening the poke ball. A large Fearow appeared, cawing and looking around. Ryo wasn't in the bird's sight, so it started squawking loudly. "Shh, shh." Caryl said, trying to calm the bird down. "It's me, Caryl, remember? Ryo introduced me to you when we went flying together." Fearow recognized Caryl, and calmed a bit. "Listen, some people came and took Ryo and Charmeleon away, and we need you to help us go after them. Can you fly us up there?" she pointed to the dirigible, now a good distance away. Fearow looked at the aircraft, and nodded, lowering his head so the two girls and their partner monsters could climb on. Crystal recalled Kurt into his poke ball, and climbed on.
"How'd you calm Fearow down?" Crystal asked, as Caryl and Renamon climbed on the bird.
"Ryo took me flying on Fearow last week." Caryl replied. AS she spoke, Fearow spread his wings, and took off. "I hope we're not too heavy!" Fearow cawed, shaking his head as he flew. "Even so, I don't think we'll be as fast."
"No problems!" Crystal replied. "Pidgeots may be faster, but Fearows have way more endurance for long flights. So, he took you flying, eh?"
"Yeah." Caryl replied. "So?"
"Well," Crystal said, a bit impishly, "it's a fairly common first date among trainers"
Blushing, Caryl faced Renamon. "Not a word!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." Renamon answered, smirking.
==Aboard ship
Dr. Namba looked over the young digidestined. "So, who is this boy?"
"We don't know." a technician responded. "His image doesn't match any known trainers we have on file. Same for the pokemon he was found with. He could be from the Houen region; we don't have a lot of agents over there."
"Yes. And about the pokemon?"
"Not a clue. I'd classify it as a normal type pokemon, but I can't identify any genetic sequences that'd identify it as a pokemon. We're examining the devices that we found on the boy, but we've found nothing."
Namba sniffed. "And Mr. Akiyama?"
"He's in lab Two, with his Charmeleon. So far, Charmeleon has demonstrated nothing that suggests he's anything other than a normal pokemon of its type. The subject also had a device like the one we found on this boy."
"And yet we have reliable information that both Charmeleon and this pokemon are able to evolve at will. Interesting. Focus on those devices the two trainers had; it may be the key to these creature's evolutionary abilities."
Domino walked in, and saluted. "Both prisoners have been secured and sedated." She saw Ryo on the screen. "Can I have him when you're done?"
Namba shook his head. "Really, child. This is hardly the time."
"Please, grandpa?" Domino mock-whined. "This kid here's too young for me."
"Dr. Namba!" another technician reported. "Two pokemon trainers are pursuing us on a Fearow."
Namba and Domino glanced up as a screen switched itself on, showing the Fearow and the passengers. "It's that little girl." Domino snarled. "She had an unusual pokemon as well."
"A new addition would be most welcome." Namba mused. He walked over to a console, and activated a communicator. "Master Giovanni?"
"I'm keeping tabs on it." Giovanni replied. "Keep working. I will handle this." Abruptly, he cut the transmission.
"He's here?" Domino asked, surprised.
"Yes. After that debacle around Mewtwo's creation, Giovanni's decided that he would oversee any genetic experiments personally."
==
Upstairs, Antonio Giovanni, Master of Team Rocket, stood up and smirked. I will have the most powerful pokemon in the world, he thought, and I will destroy anyone who gets in my way. Young or old, boy or girl. "Release the Aerodactyl." he said into a speaker.
"Yes sir."
==Outside
"Hey, a door's opening!" Caryl said, pointing over Crystal's shoulder.
"Yeah, I see it. I got a bad feeling about it, too." Crystal replied. Her feeling was confirmed a second later as four Aerodactyl, stone skinned prehistoric pokemon reanimated by science, soared out. And flew right at Fearow and his passengers.
"Fearow can't fight like this!" Crystal said, ducking.
"Well, we can't really get off!" Caryl replied.
"I can." Renamon said, leaping onto a passing Aerodactyl. Instantly, the fossil pokemon tried to shake Renamon off, calling for help as it twisted in midair. Grimly, Renamon hung on, though she wasn't attacking the Aerodactyl she was riding. One of the other Aerodactyl heard the cries, and broke off from attacking Fearow to assist its fellow pokemon. However, Renamon jumped onto the incoming pokemon, causing the two to collide. The Aerodactyl started fighting each other, ignoring Renamon, safely perched on its back. After a few seconds, Renamon leaped over to Fearow, who had swung around to pick up the digimon.
That left two Aerodactyl. One charged, while the second one hung back, charging up his Hyper Beam for a ranged attack. "Fearow, Steel Wing!" Caryl called. Cawing loudly, Fearow charged the closer pokemon, wings glowing white. At the last second, Fearow flapped his wings, striking Aerodactyl and knocking out the dinosaur pokemon.
Renamon jumped again, fixing the second Aerodactyl in her sights. "Diamond Storm!" The attack struck the last Aerodactyl just as it was about to release its Hyper Beam. Instinctively, it clenched its jaw shut, trapping the energy. The feedback managed to knock out the creature. Seemingly lifeless, it fell from the sky. Crystal felt Caryl get up behind her, and throw something. With a shock, she realized that it was a poke ball. The small sphere flew out, struck the falling Aerodactyl, and trapped it.
"But how..." Crystal gasped as the poke ball flew back to Caryl's hand.
"Prima gave me a few poke balls after I became a licensed trainer." Caryl replied. "I guess Team Rocket never bothered to catch their pokemon properly. Besides, I couldn't let the poor thing fall to the ground from this distance." Crystal nodded, not sure how to respond. Focusing, she guided Fearow to a safe landing on the still-open ramp.
==
Giovanni watched the Fearow land before the screen went dead. "I underestimated them." he mused, keying in an alert code. Logically, he thought, he should leave now, in case one of them recognized him. No, he decided. Those two brats will never get this far. And if they do...
Well, he was prepared for that. He was the strongest Indigo Gym Leader in the region, after all.
==
The first wave of Rocket thugs succeeded in splitting Caryl and Crystal up. Renamon had managed to dispatch one set of attackers quite handily, but several pokemon that were using Smokescreen and Smog were a bit more than even she could handle.
Caryl frowned, glancing down the hall, then at her digivice. There was another digivice nearby, according to the small screen, but she wasn't sure whose it was, or what condition its owner was in. "I think it might be Ryo." Caryl hazarded.
"Wishful thinking?" Renamon asked, allowing a small grin to escape.
"Oh, stop that." Caryl sighed. "Are we clear? I think the signal's about three doors down. This place is huge."
Renamon nodded. "It is. And I do not see anyone in the hall. The room, however, is another matter."
"Do you want to digivolve?" Caryl asked.
"No. I'd probably have a better chance in this form, especially if we're fighting in close quarters." Renamon looked at Caryl. "This will be very dangerous, Caryl." she said gently.
"We're on a Team Rocket airship that's currently in flight, and half the crew is looking for us." Caryl replied.
"Quite. Still, be careful."
"Only if you will, too."
==
Dr. Namba was getting a bit concerned. The strike teams he had sent out had not only not returned, but many of them had not even reported back. Domino was still there, patiently waiting for something to happen. "You are expecting something?" Namba asked.
"Just a fight." Domino replied. Beside her, Gengar waited quietly, mirroring Domino. She normally didn't battle with a pokemon, but Namba, always a bit overprotective of his granddaughter, had insisted. Besides, he always pointed out, Ghost pokemon did usually provide a useful element of surprise in a battle. "That pokemon with that little girl seemed to be very strong. I wouldn't be surprised if those two came through the door looking for Mr. Akiyama." A second later, Renamon burst through the door, Caryl following her. "See?" Domino went on, unconcerned. "Well, I can see why you'd want him back, little girl." Domino taunted.
Caryl reddened a bit. "Let him go now!" she demanded.
"Gengar, take the girl. I'll handle the pokemon." Obediently, Gengar charged at Caryl. Renamon found herself under attack by Domino, who had produced a staff (tipped with a black tulip -ed) and had already launched several darts.
"Caryl, RUN!" Renamon shouted.
==
Crystal and Kurt, already digivolved to Espeon, tracked another signal on her digivice. The situation wasn't good. Kitty, her Misdreavus, and Kirby, her Jigglypuff, were already fainted from several fights with Team Rocket trainers. "Can you sense anything?" Crystal asked.
Kurt lowered his head, concentrating. "Yeah. I think I can pick out TK. I think he's coming to. No sign of Patamon though."
Crystal nodded. "Through that door. We're almost on top of the signal." She was about to call out a pokemon to break the door down, when it slid open. Curious, she went in, Kurt following her.
It was a well-appointed suite. On one wall was a large glass window. Through it, Crystal could see TK, just now stirring. Patamon lay beside him, still unconscious. "TK!" Crystal gasped.
"He is quite alright, young lady." A voice behind her said. Gasping, she spun around. She saw a tall, imposing figure, with a very mean looking Persian sitting beside him. "He is quite resilient, as is that unusual pokemon with him."
Eyes wide, she recognized the man. "Antonio Giovanni?" she gasped. The man bowed. "Why-?"
"Because your friend here, as you are aware, has a pokemon with the unique ability to evolve and de-evolve itself at will. Team Rocket must possess that ability. I have observed your fights on my ship; I see your Eevee has that power too."
"Let TK and Patamon go!"
"Patamon, is that its name?" Giovanni smirked. "You are a skilled pokemon trainer. Join Team Rocket; We could offer you so much more than that boy could."
"That's a joke, right?" Kurt asked.
"Even more fascinating." Giovanni said. "Very well, if you will not join us, then I will have to dispose of you. I can't have someone telling the world where I am, after all. Golem, remove her." He tossed out a poke ball, and Golem, a large, spherical pokemon, appeared.
"Hitmonchan." Crystal said, calling out her Fighting type pokemon. "Rock Smash!" Her pokemon landed a punch on Golem's torso, knocking back the rock pokemon a few inches.
"Impressive." Giovanni said. "But futile. I have bred this Golem to have an extremely high defense. Even a Fighting move cannot beat it."
"Ice Punch!" Crystal said. Hitmonchan's left fist glowed blue, and he drove a blast of pure cold into Golem. The rock pokemon knelt, staggered by the attack. "Now, finish it with Mega Punch!"
"Withdraw!" Giovanni commanded. Hitmonchan's attack landed on Golem, doing little damage. "Self destruct." he said in a quiet voice. Golem glowed, then exploded.
==
Caryl ran down the hallway, black spheres of energy flying around her. Gengar, sensing an easy win, was merely toying with the girl at this point. The two ran into a large, empty room. However, there was no escape; Caryl was trapped.
Leering, Gengar closed in on Caryl, hoping to scare the trainer silly before bringing her back to Dr. Namba. He stopped suddenly. His prey was...smiling?
"Cyndaquil! GO!" she called, releasing the little fire-type pokemon. Gengar stepped back, then started laughing. This Cyndaquil, he realized, was still young. Caryl commanded it to use an Ember attack, then a Smokescreen. Gengar just stood there, unconcerned. Finally, getting bored, he used a Shadow Ball to knock the little mouse pokemon back into a wall.
Caryl ran over, picking up her pokemon. "Are you alright?" Feebly, Cyndaquil twitched. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have had you battle a pokemon like that. Don't worry, we'll find another way out of this." She looked up, and saw Gengar advancing slowly. Furiously, Caryl tried to figure out what to do next. It was too small for Fearow to battle in here, and the Aerodactyl she had caught was in no condition to battle anything. She heard energy crackling. Gengar was powering up its final attack. Instinctively, she clutched Cyndaquil tighter.
That pressure brought Cyndaquil around. Seeing Gengar was about to attack, Cyndaquil squirmed out, and charged at the ghost. Expecting a tackle, Gengar simply waited.
But that was not Cyndaquil's plan. Only faking a tackle, Cyndaquil jumped, and, as soon as he entered Gengar's body, triggered his flame power. Gengar, caught off guard, quickly passed out from the intense heat.
"Cool." Caryl breathed, then ran over to her pokemon, picking him up.
==
Renamon dodged, punched, kicked, then dodged again as Domino continued her assault. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dr. Namba leave, but had no chance to stop him. This girl fighting Renamon was supremely skilled.
"You can't win." Domino huffed between strikes. "I've been trained by the best. No one pokemon can beat me in a fight. Or whatever you are, either."
"I've never given up." Renamon replied. "And I will not let you hold these children for another second!" Suddenly, Renamon jumped, eyes fixed on the glass window that separated her from Ryo and Charmeleon. "Diamond Storm!" The window shattered under Renamon's assault.
The noise brought Charmeleon around. "Where...Ryo!" he said, spotting his trainer strapped to a low table. Just like he was, he realized. "Ryo, wake up!"
Groggily, Ryo came to. "Where." He glanced around, and saw Renamon fighting Domino. "Caryl!" he shouted. "Can you get us out of here?" he asked Charmeleon. "I can't reach my poke balls."
"They're on that table there." Charmeleon replied. "I think...Ryo, hold very still." Inhaling, Charmeleon aimed a very carefully controlled flamethrower at one of the leather straps holding Ryo's arms down.
Wincing, Ryo forced his hand to remain steady, as the smell of burnt leather filled the room. Finally, Ryo gave the strap on his arm a hard yank, and it came loose. Ryo reached over, and undid the strap on his other arm, then his legs. He winced again, seeing the bright red burn on his left wrist. He then went over and released Charmeleon, then reclaimed the rest of his poke balls, lying unattended on a table.
Focused on fighting Renamon, Domino didn't hear anything until a large, clawed hand clamped itself on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw a very angry Charizard staring down at her.
==
Crystal staggered to her feet. In front of her, Kurt, staggering, eyed Giovanni warily. The Rocket leader recalled the now unconscious Golem, and sent out a large metallic beast. "Aggron, destroy them." The giant pokemon charged forward, batting Kurt out of the way. Knocked out, he reverted to an Eevee, still twitching. "Aggron is a Steel and Rock type pokemon. His defense is almost unbeatable, especially now that your fighting type pokemon is out of the way."
Crystal smirked. "Hitmonchan!" she called, taking some pleasure in Giovanni's stunned expression as the fighting pokemon reappeared. "I switched Hitmonchan out so Kurt could block Golem's attack with Reflect." Standing up, Kurt nodded, sticking his tongue out at the Rocket leader.
"Intriguing, but futile. Aggron is still invulnerable. Destroy them both." Aggron stomped forward.
"Fire punch!" Crystal yelled. Hitmonchan darted forward, landing a series of fiery blows on Aggron's torso. However, the attack did little damage.
"I told you. Aggron is invulnerable." Giovanni bragged. "It is a shame, such a skilled trainer being lost so early in her life. Ah well. I-" Giovanni blinked. Was Hitmonchan... glowing?
"Hitmonchan!" Crystal yelled again. "ATTACK!" Roaring, Hitmonchan seemed to blur, then, with a loud slapping noise, reappeared, fist planted firmly in Aggron's torso. Aggron staggered back, and fell down unconscious. A second later, Hitmonchan did the same.
"Super Power." Giovanni breathed. "I've heard of that technique; an ability that focuses all of a fighting pokemon's power in a single blow. But the drain seems to have taken your pokemon out of the fight as well." Wordlessly, Crystal called out Zangoose. "It seems power will not do any good. Now you will see my secret weapon, girl." Giovanni snapped his fingers. From behind his desk, a small furry pokemon stepped out.
"An Eevee?" Crystal gasped.
"Fascinating creatures, as I'm sure you'll agree. They can alter their physical form based on their environment. However, they could only do so once...until now. I think a Vaporeon would be appropriate, yes? Transform, NOW!" Giovanni pressed a button on a small controller he took out of his pocket. Crystal watched, stunned, as the small Eevee glowed and changed into the water pokemon, Vaporeon!
"Shock Wave!" Crystal called. Zangoose clasped his hands together and, slamming them into the floor, sent a wave of electricity at Vaporeon.
"Change." Giovanni said, pressing the control panel. Moments before the attack hit, Vaporeon changed into Jolteon! "The scientists call it Slide Evolution; the ability to change between different evolved forms."
==
Charizard and Ryo ran down the hall, heading for what sounded like a large battle. Renamon had gone on ahead, seeming to vanish from sight. "She must be part Scyther." Charizard grunted. "I should switch back, I can't fly in these halls, and running's proving to be a hassle."
"No time." Ryo replied. "Caryl's alone against all the Rocket thugs on this ship. She could be..." Trainer and pokemon skidded to a halt. In front of them was Renamon, standing over a small pile of Rocket thugs, all knocked out. Two other crooks, slightly sooty, lay in front of Caryl, who was cuddling Cyndaquil.
"Just fine without us." Charizard completed. Underneath them, the floor shook for a second. "I think we landed." he said, looking around. "If we're at a base of theirs, we're in for an even bigger fight."
"Actually, it landed so I could fight you!" A giant robot burst through a doorway, hunched over due to the relatively small size of the hallway. It was vaguely humanoid, and shaped like a Hitmonchan, save that the forearms had long cylinders pointing backwards at the elbows, and the head was recessed into the torso, a clear dome with Namba's head clearly visible. A second tremor shook the hall. "Ahh, that'd be the escape vehicle, carrying our master, and your two friends. If you want to find out where they're going, you'll have to beat me!" Namba turned the mecha around, and punched a hole through the wall.
"We'll have to fight him." Renamon said. "Caryl?" Her trainer nodded, and Renamon transformed. "Renamon, digivolve to...Kyuubimon!"
"Let's make this a quick fight, then!" Charizard said, running out after Namba, as did Kyuubimon. Caryl and Ryo followed their monsters.
Outside, the four stopped. "A trap!" Kyuubimon exclaimed.
Domino, still a bit singed, nodded from inside her mecha. "Payback time. You might be tough against humans, but Team Rocket's Special Mecha Corp is unstoppable! Get 'em!"
"Fire Blast!"
"Dragon Wheel!"
==A good distance straight up...
TK came to, and saw Crystal and Kurt being flung back by a powerful attack. He found that he was not tied to the table, so he sat up, got his bearings, then ran to the window. "Crystal? CRYSTAL!" He turned around, and saw Patamon on another table. "Patamon, wake up! Patamon?" The digimon stirred weakly, but did not come to. "He must have been knocked out." Another explosion, and TK heard a loud thump. Turning around, he saw Crystal and Kurt, both nearly unconscious, as a Jolteon stalked them. Giovanni saw that TK was awake, smirked, then went back to the battle, completely ignoring him.
TK spotted his D-Terminal on a table. "I can call for help. All right." He ran over, and picked up the item, but part of it fell off; it had been partially disassembled. "No..." he gasped. "Patamon! Wake up!" he yelled, trying to free his partner, who was held down by a tight metallic strap. There was another blast, and a loud thump. TK saw that Crystal and Kurt had been hurled against the glass wall; somehow, his captor had summoned a Flareon, and was attacking Crystal and Kurt with that. He ran over to the window, began hammering on it. "Crystal! Get out of there!" Forgetting that he was still holding it, he slammed his D-Terminal into the window, further damaging the device.
At that moment, Crystal and TK's digivices started glowing. The Digiegg of Hope appeared, and smashed through the window, then merged with Kurt's body!
"Eevee, armour digivolve to...Strabimon, Warrior of Hope!"
Giovanni backpedaled. "What....HOW?" He saw Strabimon stalk Giovanni, evading Jolteon's attacks. Then, without warning, he jumped, flipped over Jolteon, and snatched the controller out of Giovanni's hand, crushing the small device as he did. The Jolteon he was controlling switched back to Eevee, and fell down, as if it were a puppet with its strings cut. "Aggron. GET UP AND DESTROY THEM ALL!" Giovanni's steel pokemon staggered up, and lurched towards TK and Crystal. "Which will it be? Me or your friends?" Giovanni taunted. Snarling, Strabimon launched a kick at Aggron, getting the pokemon's attention. In the confusion, Giovanni slipped out.
==Meanwhile, back at ground level...
Kyuubimon dodged a laser from the mech she was fighting. A short distance away, Charizard did the same. The two digimon were now facing five mecha, and were slowly losing ground.
"Kyuubimon!" Caryl shouted. "Behind you!" She looked around wildly. Shortly after the fight, Domino had pulled back, and vanished from sight. Cyndaquil squirmed out of her grip, and ran towards the mech attacking Kyuubimon. "No! Come back here!" The small mouse pokemon darted towards the mecha, exploding with flames. At the last second, he leaped, and tackled the mech, singing the paint slightly. The distraction did give Kyuubimon a chance to finish the mech off with a Dragon Wheel. "Thanks." she gasped, exhausted. "Now go back to Caryl." Cyndaquil nodded, and ran back to the girl.
Caryl bent down to pick up Cyndaquil, but the trees behind her exploded as Domino's mech ploughed through, and grabbed Caryl, Holding her tightly in one red armored fist. "I suggest you give up, little girl."
"Caryl!" Ryo shouted. "Let her go now you-"
"Ah-ah...No foul language." Domino taunted. "Wouldn't want to warp this little girl's mind, now would we?" Domino raised the mech's arm. "You want her back? Here!" She hurled Caryl away, throwing her right at Ryo. The two collided and went down.
"Caryl!" Charizard and Kyuubimon yelled, then turned and faced Domino's mech.
"I'm fine...really..." Ryo wheezed. "Caryl? Caryl?"
"Mmmm...I don't want to practice the piano..." Caryl murmured, still dazed. "Ryo...that you...?" She sat up, looking around. "What hit me?"
"I did." Ryo replied gently. "Umm...why is Kyuubimon glowing?"
"I have that effect on you?" Caryl replied, regaining some of her wit. "Umm, Charizard's doing it too. Maybe they're about to evolve again?"
It hit Ryo, even before he checked his digivice. "I know what's happening." he said, grin returning. "Just like before, when I was fighting Milleniumon with Ken...Charizard! DO IT!"
Caryl blinked, not understanding. "You too, Kyuubimon!" she added. "Just follow his lead!"
"It's not leading." Ryo said. "It's digivolution." A moment later, Caryl got to see her first DNA digivolution.
"CHARIZARD! KYUUBIMON! DNA Digivolve to...AGNIMON!"
"Cool...Like with Paildramon and Komainumon, right?" Caryl whispered.
"So what!" Domino yelled, driving her mech at the two humans. It stopped a second later, as Agnimon got behind the mech, grabbed it by the arm, and proceeded to rip said arm off. "How...?"
"Burning...SALAMANDER!" Making a fist, Agnimon rammed it into the hole where the arm used to be, and flooded the chamber with fire. Panicking, Domino hit the eject button, and bailed out of her mech seconds before it exploded.
Namba watched the whole sequence of events, stunned. "DNA....Agnimon...is this the true power of pokemon evolution? I must have it! Mecha Corp, attack!" The remaining robots charged.
Agnimon slammed his fists together, then pulled them apart, arms now wreathed in flame. He started spinning, and a fiery tornado formed. "A Fire Spin? How pathetic!" Namba snorted. His confidence vanished a second later when the tornado expanded to engulf all the mecha, and Agnimon's form appeared through the flame, leg extended.
"Salamander...BREAK!" The digimon landed a solid kick on each mech, the backs of the robots exploding off, unable to resist the force of the attack.
When the flames subsided, Caryl and Ryo saw Agnimon, and a lot of abandoned robots. "That's ...so...COOL!" Caryl shouted, running over, Cyndaquil following her.
==Back in the air
Aggron, already injured, fell before Strabimon's attacks. TK helped Crystal up, and the two freed Patamon, still unconscious, then called all the pokemon Giovanni had abandoned into what poke balls they could find. "We have to get out of here!" Crystal said. "Kurt?"
Strabimon nodded. "One door, coming up..." He looked around, and picked out the ornate doors they had come in through. "Shining...NAIL!" he yelled, running at the door. TK saw that Strabimon's hand was glowing, and had to restrain a cackle when he picked out the crest of hope on the back of the hand. A second later, the door was reduced to splinters, and the group made their way to the top decks.
"Uhh..." Strabimon gasped. "That's a long drop...Uh, doesn't this thing have wings?" he asked TK, checking his back.
"Patamon? Come on, wake up." TK said, shaking his partner. "No good. Maybe we can find a control room?" There was a loud explosion, shaking the ship.
"I think this thing's about to blow!" Strabimon snarled. A hissing noise got his attention. Glancing over the edge, he spotted Giovanni flying away with a jetpack. "Okay, the evil villain's made his getaway, now it's our turn." The small vessel rocked to the side. Crystal, unprepared, fell over, sliding towards the edge. TK grabbed her arm, then Strabimon grabbed TK.
"TK!" Crystal gasped. "Let go! I-"
"No!" TK snarled. "I'm not letting you go!" The group still kept sliding towards the edge.
"But-" Crystal tried again.
"NO!" TK roared, tightening his grip. At that moment, the vehicle lurched again, and the whole group fell off. "PATAMON!"
Patamon's eyes snapped open, sensing TK's danger. "Patamon, digivolve to...Angemon!"
==
Giovanni landed in a small clearing, jetpack exhausted. He was furious; he had never been so humiliated in his life. Well, he figured, there's no one to connect me to today's events, so I can just-
"Antonio Giovanni!" a clear, bell like voice called over a megaphone. Spiraling, he saw several dozen police officers, all led by Officer Jenny, as well as a familiar woman he couldn't remember the name of. "You're under arrest for racketeering, illegal pokemon experimentation, aiding and abetting known criminals, kidnapping, and assault! Hands over your head!"
Smirking, Giovanni did as he was told. He had lawyers for just such an eventuality. However, the woman strode forward, expression dark.
Prima, Ice Queen of the Elite Four, grabbed Giovanni, Viridian Gym Leader and Master of Team Rocket, by his tie. "Where," she demanded, "is Ryo?"
Oh, Giovanni realized. Her...
==
"TK." Crystal gasped as he placed the object in her hands. "But that's..."
"You should have it." TK said, placing the Digiegg of Hope in her hands. "I think you'll have more of a need for it. And there's not much else I can give you."
"TK." Crystal sighed. She leaned forward and kissed him gently.
"Didn't she have Skarmory with her all the time?" Kurt, now an Eevee again, asked. Beside him, the Eevee that Giovanni controlled rested, as did the Aggron he had abandoned. Both would be turned over to the nearest pokemon center for treatment and re-release.
"Shush." Renamon said, smirking. "That was...quite an experience, Charmeleon."
"Yeah. It felt...better then when I'm Dino Beemon. Looks like you two are stuck together." Charmeleon said to Caryl and Ryo.
"Well, I am cuter than Ken." Caryl admitted. "You did a very brave thing, Cyndaquil. And I'm really proud of that Burning Rollout you did today."
Ryo looked over. "Burning what?"
"You know, when Cyndaquil was covered with flames and tackled that robot? He did it once before too, when we were fighting that Gengar?"
"Oh. That's called a Fire Ring attack." Ryo replied.
"That's dumb! Burning Rollout sounds so much better!"
"It may, but the move is called Fire Ring." Ryo replied.
"Burning Rollout."
"Fire Ring."
"Burning Rollout."
"Fire Ring."
Renamon massaged her head. "This is going to take a while." she muttered. Beside her, Cyndaquil looked at the two arguing humans, and shrugged.
==Epilogue, several years later.
Caryl looked at Ryo, considering the question he had just asked. "Well, only on one condition. You know what it is." Idly, she patted Quilava's head. Renamon and Charmeleon, watching the whole thing, waited, wondering how Ryo would respond.
Ryo shook his head, sighing. "Alright, you win. Burning Rollout."
"Okay. Now I'll marry you." Caryl replied, taking the ring.
Next Episode:
Taking a vacation on a small island, Tai and Sora meet Edward Silver, still looking for Lugia. However, his search is ended unexpectedly when they find Lugia, battling a mysterious dragon pokemon? Why are they fighting, and what is Trey Miller, pokemon trainer and digidestined from 25 years in the future, doing there? Next time, on Digimon: Digicross -
'Legendary trainer to be: Trey Miller!'
(No, I'm NOT writing a Treyora fic. Taiora, yes...)
"First Wolfmon, now HIM?"
==Celadon City.
Crystal Melin strolled down the street, humming a cheery tune. Behind her, TK, her boyfriend and designated pack mule for the day, struggled to keep up with her, balance the two boxes and three bags, all dangerously close to spilling, falling, or some other form of disaster. "You're in a good mood today." TK commented.
Crystal turned around. "Hey, I'm celebrating, I'm supposed to be in a good mood."
TK started thinking, trying to figure out what it was he forgot. "Okay, it can't be your birthday, and it's nowhere near Christmas. Kyle didn't say anything about any special holidays-"
"Oh, I didn't tell you!" Crystal gasped. She reached into a pocket on her white jacket, and took out a small plaque. On it were affixed eight small objects.
Gym badges, TK realized. Then the significance struck him. "Eight gym badges...hey, you can compete in the Indigo League now!"
"That's right! And, because I've been such a good little girl, I'm going to celebrate! Come on, there's one more store I'm just dying to see!"
"Great." TK muttered. "I hope it sells something light!"
"Oh, don't worry!" Crystal said, leading TK down the street. After a few minutes, they stopped. "See? It's a restaurant. You looked a bit tired."
"Even pack mules have to eat." TK agreed, Crystal sticking her tongue out at him in response. The two looked up the street, and saw a familiar figure running towards them.
"TK! Crystal!" Caryl yelled. Walking at a more dignified pace, Prima followed the girl, smile on her face. "What are you doing here?"
"I was celebrating getting my eighth gym badge." Crystal answered. "So I decided to do a little shopping. Kurt and my other pokemon are at the Pokemon Center now, with Patamon."
"Hey! That's where I left Renamon." Caryl replied. "She said she was tired. I can't imagine why, though."
"Keeping up with you is...a challenge." Prima said, catching up. Her grin remained as Crystal looked up, recognized Prima, and started stuttering a greeting. "It's alright. The nasty Elite Four member isn't going to challenge you to a battle. Caryl and I were simply sightseeing, that's all."
"It's great here." Caryl added. "I love large cities like this. And it's so much...cleaner than back home."
"She's been like this all day." Prima sighed. "I must be getting old; I don't remember being that energetic at that age. But I must apologize. I hope we did not interrupt your date."
"Oh, it was just a shopping spree." Crystal said. "A few things for Kurt, a new set of brushes for Ponyta, and a few treats for my newest pokemon. Nurse Joy said it was rare to see a pokemon like that around here."
"New pokemon?" TK asked.
"Oh, I caught him a few weeks ago, and he helped me win my eighth badge. I call him Logan. According to my pokedex...well, how about I just show you, after lunch?"
==
Across the street, two men in dark clothing monitored the conversation. "That's one of them. He's one of the ones Namba wants. Should we take him now?" The two watched as the group entered the restaurant, and came out again, sitting in the small patio.
"In the middle of the city?" the other man demanded. "Besides, that's Prima of the Elite Four with them. We'd last about two seconds. And I think that girl said something about a rare pokemon. We tail them until they're out of the city, and then grab them. Wait, someone else is coming."
"Right. I'll notify Giovanni. I'm surprised he's getting involved in this so personally."
==
"Ryo!" Caryl yelled, waving to the pokemon trainer who had just left a store. Curious, Ryo ran over.
"Caryl!" Ryo gasped. "Uh...hi! TK, Crystal...Oh, um, hi, Aunt Loreli..." (Note: Prima's her stage name, Loreli's her real name. Anyone calling her 'Loreli' outside of family and CLOSE friends gets an Ice Beam enema. Trust me, it's not pleasant -ed)
Crystal gagged. "AUNT Loreli?" She stared at Ryo. "You mean, you're related to..."
"Well, I guess greatness runs in the family..." Ryo managed.
"We try not to make a big deal out of it." Prima said. "So, what's that behind your back?" Ryo's face reddened. "Well, I don't think it's for me, and Crystal already has a boyfriend..."
"Actually, I got it for Caryl." Ryo tried to whisper. Caryl's face reddened a bit.
"I don't know." Caryl replied. "I'm still young and awfully innocent. How am I to know what kind of plans you have for me?" She took the present that Ryo (reluctantly) offered, and opened it. Inside was a small pin, amber carving of a flower blossom attached to it. "How'd...I was looking at this just a few days ago."
"He asked me." Renamon said, appearing suddenly.
"GWAHH!" Everyone except Prima said, nearly falling over (Prima, an experienced pokemon trainer, battler, and world traveler, was used to this sort of thing. -ed).
"You asked her?" Caryl asked Ryo when everyone had recovered. Ryo's only response was to blush a bit more.
"He was quite insistent." Renamon went on. "Charmeleon filled me in on the parts I had missed."
"He knows about this too? OK, I'm getting the whole story!" With that, Caryl got up, and ran off to the pokemon center. Crystal and TK thanked Prima, and followed Caryl.
"Ryo, dear." Prima said to her nephew. "Am I to believe that you have a girlfriend now?"
"She's just a friend, that's all!"
Prima smiled again, unconvinced. "Of course. I will expect you to conduct yourself appropriately, then."
"Auntie!"
Prima stifled a laugh. "You haven't called me 'auntie' since you were six years old. Now get going."
==
Ryo ran up the street, trying to catch up with the rest of the digidestined before too much damage was done (namely, Charmeleon spilling everything -ed) As he ran, a pretty young blonde girl stepped out of an alleyway, colliding with him.
"Oh," the girl squeaked, "I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up."
Ryo accepted the hand, and got up. "My fault, thanks. Look, I'm sorry, but I have to run."
"Oh, sure." the girl replied. "I...hey, aren't you Ryo Akiyama? The famous solo pokemon battler? I saw your match last year, and you were the coolest! Not to mention the hottest trainer there!"
Ryo tried to get around the girl. "Thanks. Look, I have to-"
"Oh, please, can't I get an autograph at least? I know all my friends would just die if they saw it!"
Caryl chose that moment to peek around the corner. "Ryo? Are you...?" Caryl saw Ryo trying to get around a girl she didn't recognize. Feeling annoyed for some reason she couldn't understand, she marched over to the two. "Ryo? You ARE coming to the pokemon center, yes?"
"Um...right, sure! Look," Ryo said to the (he assumed) fan girl. "I have to go. I'm sorry, I don't give autographs!"
The girl pouted. "Well, if your little sister is so insistent...My name's Domino, call me sometime, all right?" she tossed a small scrap of paper to Ryo. Glaring, Caryl stepped forward and grabbed it. "Why *Ryo*!" Domino said, shocked. "I had no idea you were into that sort of thing. But if it's little girls..."
"HEY!" Ryo suddenly shouted. "Don't. EVER. Insult Caryl. Like that. Again." he growled, in a lower voice, before turning and marching off. Confused, Caryl followed him.
Domino watched the two leave. She straightened a bit, standing a few inches taller than she did a few moments ago. "Giovanni? I've made contact."
==
Ryo marched along, still mad. "Ryo?" Caryl asked. "Ryo! What is it?"
He stopped, and then looked at Caryl. "I'm...sorry." he finally sighed. "It just...Insulting you just kind of set me off." he admitted, face coloring a bit.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Caryl said. "I never had a knight in shining armour before."
"That's me." Ryo admitted. "Though I left my Rapidash at home. Next time, I promise I'll ride to the rescue."
Caryl snorted. "Hah! If anything, I'll be the one riding to your rescue!"
The two hurried to the pokemon center, Ryo almost forgetting why he was headed there. Crystal and TK standing around Charmeleon, laughing themselves silly, brought it all back.
==
Two hours later, a thoroughly embarrassed Ryo was walking away from the pokemon center, TK following him. Crystal and Caryl had stayed behind at the center, to check out Crystal's other pokemon, and tour the rest of the center. Patamon and Charmeleon followed their partners.
"So..." TK started.
"Okay, I like her." Ryo said. "There, I said it. Happy?"
"Sure." Charmeleon piped in. "You've only been acting all weird since you first saw her, that's all." TK smiled but wisely said nothing. "It's not my fault you decided to go to every jewelry store in Celadon until you found that thing. Where did you get the money?"
"Out of your food budget." Ryo replied, a bit darkly.
"I'll be good."
"Well?" Ryo asked TK. "You seemed pretty quiet during the inquisition."
"Hey, I leave all the matchmaking and gossip to the digimon." TK replied. Behind him, Patamon whistled, trying to look innocent. "Besides, if I said anything, Crystal would have turned on me. Um...where did you get that pin, anyway?"
Ryo looked up. "That? Oh, it's a small store on Scissor Street, there used to be a pokemon beauty salon there. Something for Crystal?"
"Yeah." TK admitted. "We've gone out twice, and I still have to..."
Ryo blinked. "You took her out? On a date?" He glanced at Charmeleon. "Why wasn't I told?"
TK sighed. "It doesn't count when your mom comes along. And I swore Patamon to secrecy."
"He threatened to tie me up and give me to a preschool for use as a football." Patamon complained. (Hey, Suzie wasn't around, all right? -ed)
Ryo chuckled. "Cute. Come on, let's head back."
"Going so soon?" a voice called.
Ryo glanced around. "Not you again." he muttered, seeing the blonde fan girl that he'd encountered in Celadon. Domino, that was her name.
"That's no way to talk to your biggest fan." Domino pouted. "And I have so many people who are just dying to meet you. Come on out, boys!" She snapped her fingers, and several black-suited men came out, all with fierce expressions.
Ryo recognized the outfits immediately. "Team Rocket! But how-?"
Domino smiled. "Well, I sometimes go by Domino, but I'm really Agent 009, the Black Tulip, one of Team Rocket's best field agents."
"Patamon!" TK said, reaching for his digivice. A sharp pain interrupted him in his chest. Looking down, he saw a small dart, shaped like a tulip with black petals. The drug in the dart worked quickly, and he passed out.
"TK!" Charmeleon roared. "Charmeleon, digivolve to...Charizard!"
Patamon hovered protectively over TK, while Charizard flew at the Rocket grunts, flames shooting everywhere.
==
Caryl looked up. "Ryo?" she asked. Through an open window, she heard an explosion.
"I heard it too." Renamon said, appearing by her. "Let's go!" Quickly, Caryl and Renamon ran out the door, followed by Crystal, Kurt, and a few of Crystal's other pokemon
==
The third Rocket grunt fell to Charizard's assault of flame and tail whips. Ryo punched out one more, and all that was left was Domino, apparently unconcerned. "You'd better leave now." Charizard warned. Domino smirked, pulling out another tulip. This one extended into a long staff, which the Rocket agent twirled easily. "That stick won't save you from me, or Ryo."
"Or me!" Patamon added.
"Cute. Hi-YAHH!" Suddenly, Domino leaped forward, catching the fire pokemon in the head with a flying kick, using her staff to pole-vault towards Charizard. She then thumbed a trigger; touched an end of the staff to Charizard, and the pokemon was electrocuted, quickly passing out.
"Charizard!" Ryo gasped. A second later, he was caught by a circular claw that Domino tossed, and similarly knocked out.
"Well?" Domino asked Patamon, still hovering. The digimon was stunned with the speed this attacker had shown. "Give up."
"Never!" Patamon replied.
Domino smirked, producing another tulip. She hurled it, and the steel tipped dart plunged into the ground beside TK's head. "It'd be a shame if anything happened to your trainer. He is cute, even if he is a bit young for my tastes."
"You-" Patamon started, but got no further. A Gengar appeared in front of him, hypnotizing Patamon and rendering him unconscious. The ghost turned to Domino, and bowed.
"I normally fight my own battles, but this does speed things up considerably." Domino heard shouting, and saw Crystal and Caryl running towards them, Eevee and Renamon following them. "Predictable. Alright everyone, gather them up. This'll take a second." She hurled a final tulip, which exploded into a gas bomb, stopping the digidestined from coming any nearer.
"TK!" Crystal yelled.
"Don't worry." Domino called back as a large dirigible flew overhead. "I'll take very good care of him. Ta!" She put on a jetpack one of the agents handed her, and flew up to the aircraft. The other agents gathered up the two boys and their partner monsters, and ran towards a small helicopter.
"No!" Renamon shouted, jumping out of the smoke cloud.
"One of them's coming through!" one of the Rocket agents called. "Go, Nidoking!" A large pokemon was released, purple, horned, and having a small metallic object on its head. "Rage boost, activate!" Nidoking roared a challenge, charging at Renamon.
"You're in my way! Wisteria Punch!" Renamon's attack slammed into Nidoking, but to her surprise, had no effect. Nidoking responded with a brutal punch, catching Renamon in the side and sending her flying. She rolled, and managed to stand, but was badly hurt.
"Finish them!" the rocket grunt yelled, getting into the helicopter.
Caryl, Crystal and Eevee made it out of the smoke cloud. Caryl ran over to check on Renamon, while Crystal watched the helicopter get away. "Kurt, digivolve!"
"Eevee, digivolve to...Espeon!" The psychic pokemon faced off against Nidoking, the more immediate threat. Instinctively, he launched a Psi-Wave, knowing that Nidoking was weak against such attacks. The poison pokemon flinched, but still stood. "Crystal! That thing on his head must be making him angry! He's able to resist my attacks!"
"Then we'll double team him! Go, Logan!" Crystal released a second pokemon. This one was white with a blue, zigzag stripe on its chest. It looked small, but very stocky and agile. "Zangoose." it growled.
"Be...careful..." Renamon groaned. "That pokemon is very strong."
"He can't hit what he can't catch! FLASH!" Kurt released a bright flare of light, blinding Nidoking. Sensing an opening, Logan jumped forward, making several slashing attacks with his claws. The poison pokemon managed to resist those slashes, though Caryl did notice the light on the device on Nidoking's forehead seemed to flicker a bit.
"Go for that thing on his head!" Caryl yelled. Renamon suddenly got up, jumped, and launched a Diamond Storm at Nidoking, several of the small darts striking the device, causing it to spark.
"Logan! Crush Claw!" Crystal commanded.
"Zannnn...GOOSE!" the pokemon yelled, jumping and making a pair of powerful slashes at the item. It crackled, then exploded, falling in several pieces at Nidoking's feet. The poison pokemon staggered.
"Psi....BLAST!" Kurt yelled, firing his strongest psychic attack. Without the powerful emotion of rage to block the attack, Nidoking fell quickly. "Yes!" Kurt yelled.
"They're getting away!" Crystal exclaimed, seeing the dirigible flying off. "They have TK, Ryo and their partners with them! TK..."
Caryl looked around, and noticed a poke ball. "Hey, I think this is one of Ryo's. Go!" she called, opening the poke ball. A large Fearow appeared, cawing and looking around. Ryo wasn't in the bird's sight, so it started squawking loudly. "Shh, shh." Caryl said, trying to calm the bird down. "It's me, Caryl, remember? Ryo introduced me to you when we went flying together." Fearow recognized Caryl, and calmed a bit. "Listen, some people came and took Ryo and Charmeleon away, and we need you to help us go after them. Can you fly us up there?" she pointed to the dirigible, now a good distance away. Fearow looked at the aircraft, and nodded, lowering his head so the two girls and their partner monsters could climb on. Crystal recalled Kurt into his poke ball, and climbed on.
"How'd you calm Fearow down?" Crystal asked, as Caryl and Renamon climbed on the bird.
"Ryo took me flying on Fearow last week." Caryl replied. AS she spoke, Fearow spread his wings, and took off. "I hope we're not too heavy!" Fearow cawed, shaking his head as he flew. "Even so, I don't think we'll be as fast."
"No problems!" Crystal replied. "Pidgeots may be faster, but Fearows have way more endurance for long flights. So, he took you flying, eh?"
"Yeah." Caryl replied. "So?"
"Well," Crystal said, a bit impishly, "it's a fairly common first date among trainers"
Blushing, Caryl faced Renamon. "Not a word!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." Renamon answered, smirking.
==Aboard ship
Dr. Namba looked over the young digidestined. "So, who is this boy?"
"We don't know." a technician responded. "His image doesn't match any known trainers we have on file. Same for the pokemon he was found with. He could be from the Houen region; we don't have a lot of agents over there."
"Yes. And about the pokemon?"
"Not a clue. I'd classify it as a normal type pokemon, but I can't identify any genetic sequences that'd identify it as a pokemon. We're examining the devices that we found on the boy, but we've found nothing."
Namba sniffed. "And Mr. Akiyama?"
"He's in lab Two, with his Charmeleon. So far, Charmeleon has demonstrated nothing that suggests he's anything other than a normal pokemon of its type. The subject also had a device like the one we found on this boy."
"And yet we have reliable information that both Charmeleon and this pokemon are able to evolve at will. Interesting. Focus on those devices the two trainers had; it may be the key to these creature's evolutionary abilities."
Domino walked in, and saluted. "Both prisoners have been secured and sedated." She saw Ryo on the screen. "Can I have him when you're done?"
Namba shook his head. "Really, child. This is hardly the time."
"Please, grandpa?" Domino mock-whined. "This kid here's too young for me."
"Dr. Namba!" another technician reported. "Two pokemon trainers are pursuing us on a Fearow."
Namba and Domino glanced up as a screen switched itself on, showing the Fearow and the passengers. "It's that little girl." Domino snarled. "She had an unusual pokemon as well."
"A new addition would be most welcome." Namba mused. He walked over to a console, and activated a communicator. "Master Giovanni?"
"I'm keeping tabs on it." Giovanni replied. "Keep working. I will handle this." Abruptly, he cut the transmission.
"He's here?" Domino asked, surprised.
"Yes. After that debacle around Mewtwo's creation, Giovanni's decided that he would oversee any genetic experiments personally."
==
Upstairs, Antonio Giovanni, Master of Team Rocket, stood up and smirked. I will have the most powerful pokemon in the world, he thought, and I will destroy anyone who gets in my way. Young or old, boy or girl. "Release the Aerodactyl." he said into a speaker.
"Yes sir."
==Outside
"Hey, a door's opening!" Caryl said, pointing over Crystal's shoulder.
"Yeah, I see it. I got a bad feeling about it, too." Crystal replied. Her feeling was confirmed a second later as four Aerodactyl, stone skinned prehistoric pokemon reanimated by science, soared out. And flew right at Fearow and his passengers.
"Fearow can't fight like this!" Crystal said, ducking.
"Well, we can't really get off!" Caryl replied.
"I can." Renamon said, leaping onto a passing Aerodactyl. Instantly, the fossil pokemon tried to shake Renamon off, calling for help as it twisted in midair. Grimly, Renamon hung on, though she wasn't attacking the Aerodactyl she was riding. One of the other Aerodactyl heard the cries, and broke off from attacking Fearow to assist its fellow pokemon. However, Renamon jumped onto the incoming pokemon, causing the two to collide. The Aerodactyl started fighting each other, ignoring Renamon, safely perched on its back. After a few seconds, Renamon leaped over to Fearow, who had swung around to pick up the digimon.
That left two Aerodactyl. One charged, while the second one hung back, charging up his Hyper Beam for a ranged attack. "Fearow, Steel Wing!" Caryl called. Cawing loudly, Fearow charged the closer pokemon, wings glowing white. At the last second, Fearow flapped his wings, striking Aerodactyl and knocking out the dinosaur pokemon.
Renamon jumped again, fixing the second Aerodactyl in her sights. "Diamond Storm!" The attack struck the last Aerodactyl just as it was about to release its Hyper Beam. Instinctively, it clenched its jaw shut, trapping the energy. The feedback managed to knock out the creature. Seemingly lifeless, it fell from the sky. Crystal felt Caryl get up behind her, and throw something. With a shock, she realized that it was a poke ball. The small sphere flew out, struck the falling Aerodactyl, and trapped it.
"But how..." Crystal gasped as the poke ball flew back to Caryl's hand.
"Prima gave me a few poke balls after I became a licensed trainer." Caryl replied. "I guess Team Rocket never bothered to catch their pokemon properly. Besides, I couldn't let the poor thing fall to the ground from this distance." Crystal nodded, not sure how to respond. Focusing, she guided Fearow to a safe landing on the still-open ramp.
==
Giovanni watched the Fearow land before the screen went dead. "I underestimated them." he mused, keying in an alert code. Logically, he thought, he should leave now, in case one of them recognized him. No, he decided. Those two brats will never get this far. And if they do...
Well, he was prepared for that. He was the strongest Indigo Gym Leader in the region, after all.
==
The first wave of Rocket thugs succeeded in splitting Caryl and Crystal up. Renamon had managed to dispatch one set of attackers quite handily, but several pokemon that were using Smokescreen and Smog were a bit more than even she could handle.
Caryl frowned, glancing down the hall, then at her digivice. There was another digivice nearby, according to the small screen, but she wasn't sure whose it was, or what condition its owner was in. "I think it might be Ryo." Caryl hazarded.
"Wishful thinking?" Renamon asked, allowing a small grin to escape.
"Oh, stop that." Caryl sighed. "Are we clear? I think the signal's about three doors down. This place is huge."
Renamon nodded. "It is. And I do not see anyone in the hall. The room, however, is another matter."
"Do you want to digivolve?" Caryl asked.
"No. I'd probably have a better chance in this form, especially if we're fighting in close quarters." Renamon looked at Caryl. "This will be very dangerous, Caryl." she said gently.
"We're on a Team Rocket airship that's currently in flight, and half the crew is looking for us." Caryl replied.
"Quite. Still, be careful."
"Only if you will, too."
==
Dr. Namba was getting a bit concerned. The strike teams he had sent out had not only not returned, but many of them had not even reported back. Domino was still there, patiently waiting for something to happen. "You are expecting something?" Namba asked.
"Just a fight." Domino replied. Beside her, Gengar waited quietly, mirroring Domino. She normally didn't battle with a pokemon, but Namba, always a bit overprotective of his granddaughter, had insisted. Besides, he always pointed out, Ghost pokemon did usually provide a useful element of surprise in a battle. "That pokemon with that little girl seemed to be very strong. I wouldn't be surprised if those two came through the door looking for Mr. Akiyama." A second later, Renamon burst through the door, Caryl following her. "See?" Domino went on, unconcerned. "Well, I can see why you'd want him back, little girl." Domino taunted.
Caryl reddened a bit. "Let him go now!" she demanded.
"Gengar, take the girl. I'll handle the pokemon." Obediently, Gengar charged at Caryl. Renamon found herself under attack by Domino, who had produced a staff (tipped with a black tulip -ed) and had already launched several darts.
"Caryl, RUN!" Renamon shouted.
==
Crystal and Kurt, already digivolved to Espeon, tracked another signal on her digivice. The situation wasn't good. Kitty, her Misdreavus, and Kirby, her Jigglypuff, were already fainted from several fights with Team Rocket trainers. "Can you sense anything?" Crystal asked.
Kurt lowered his head, concentrating. "Yeah. I think I can pick out TK. I think he's coming to. No sign of Patamon though."
Crystal nodded. "Through that door. We're almost on top of the signal." She was about to call out a pokemon to break the door down, when it slid open. Curious, she went in, Kurt following her.
It was a well-appointed suite. On one wall was a large glass window. Through it, Crystal could see TK, just now stirring. Patamon lay beside him, still unconscious. "TK!" Crystal gasped.
"He is quite alright, young lady." A voice behind her said. Gasping, she spun around. She saw a tall, imposing figure, with a very mean looking Persian sitting beside him. "He is quite resilient, as is that unusual pokemon with him."
Eyes wide, she recognized the man. "Antonio Giovanni?" she gasped. The man bowed. "Why-?"
"Because your friend here, as you are aware, has a pokemon with the unique ability to evolve and de-evolve itself at will. Team Rocket must possess that ability. I have observed your fights on my ship; I see your Eevee has that power too."
"Let TK and Patamon go!"
"Patamon, is that its name?" Giovanni smirked. "You are a skilled pokemon trainer. Join Team Rocket; We could offer you so much more than that boy could."
"That's a joke, right?" Kurt asked.
"Even more fascinating." Giovanni said. "Very well, if you will not join us, then I will have to dispose of you. I can't have someone telling the world where I am, after all. Golem, remove her." He tossed out a poke ball, and Golem, a large, spherical pokemon, appeared.
"Hitmonchan." Crystal said, calling out her Fighting type pokemon. "Rock Smash!" Her pokemon landed a punch on Golem's torso, knocking back the rock pokemon a few inches.
"Impressive." Giovanni said. "But futile. I have bred this Golem to have an extremely high defense. Even a Fighting move cannot beat it."
"Ice Punch!" Crystal said. Hitmonchan's left fist glowed blue, and he drove a blast of pure cold into Golem. The rock pokemon knelt, staggered by the attack. "Now, finish it with Mega Punch!"
"Withdraw!" Giovanni commanded. Hitmonchan's attack landed on Golem, doing little damage. "Self destruct." he said in a quiet voice. Golem glowed, then exploded.
==
Caryl ran down the hallway, black spheres of energy flying around her. Gengar, sensing an easy win, was merely toying with the girl at this point. The two ran into a large, empty room. However, there was no escape; Caryl was trapped.
Leering, Gengar closed in on Caryl, hoping to scare the trainer silly before bringing her back to Dr. Namba. He stopped suddenly. His prey was...smiling?
"Cyndaquil! GO!" she called, releasing the little fire-type pokemon. Gengar stepped back, then started laughing. This Cyndaquil, he realized, was still young. Caryl commanded it to use an Ember attack, then a Smokescreen. Gengar just stood there, unconcerned. Finally, getting bored, he used a Shadow Ball to knock the little mouse pokemon back into a wall.
Caryl ran over, picking up her pokemon. "Are you alright?" Feebly, Cyndaquil twitched. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have had you battle a pokemon like that. Don't worry, we'll find another way out of this." She looked up, and saw Gengar advancing slowly. Furiously, Caryl tried to figure out what to do next. It was too small for Fearow to battle in here, and the Aerodactyl she had caught was in no condition to battle anything. She heard energy crackling. Gengar was powering up its final attack. Instinctively, she clutched Cyndaquil tighter.
That pressure brought Cyndaquil around. Seeing Gengar was about to attack, Cyndaquil squirmed out, and charged at the ghost. Expecting a tackle, Gengar simply waited.
But that was not Cyndaquil's plan. Only faking a tackle, Cyndaquil jumped, and, as soon as he entered Gengar's body, triggered his flame power. Gengar, caught off guard, quickly passed out from the intense heat.
"Cool." Caryl breathed, then ran over to her pokemon, picking him up.
==
Renamon dodged, punched, kicked, then dodged again as Domino continued her assault. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dr. Namba leave, but had no chance to stop him. This girl fighting Renamon was supremely skilled.
"You can't win." Domino huffed between strikes. "I've been trained by the best. No one pokemon can beat me in a fight. Or whatever you are, either."
"I've never given up." Renamon replied. "And I will not let you hold these children for another second!" Suddenly, Renamon jumped, eyes fixed on the glass window that separated her from Ryo and Charmeleon. "Diamond Storm!" The window shattered under Renamon's assault.
The noise brought Charmeleon around. "Where...Ryo!" he said, spotting his trainer strapped to a low table. Just like he was, he realized. "Ryo, wake up!"
Groggily, Ryo came to. "Where." He glanced around, and saw Renamon fighting Domino. "Caryl!" he shouted. "Can you get us out of here?" he asked Charmeleon. "I can't reach my poke balls."
"They're on that table there." Charmeleon replied. "I think...Ryo, hold very still." Inhaling, Charmeleon aimed a very carefully controlled flamethrower at one of the leather straps holding Ryo's arms down.
Wincing, Ryo forced his hand to remain steady, as the smell of burnt leather filled the room. Finally, Ryo gave the strap on his arm a hard yank, and it came loose. Ryo reached over, and undid the strap on his other arm, then his legs. He winced again, seeing the bright red burn on his left wrist. He then went over and released Charmeleon, then reclaimed the rest of his poke balls, lying unattended on a table.
Focused on fighting Renamon, Domino didn't hear anything until a large, clawed hand clamped itself on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw a very angry Charizard staring down at her.
==
Crystal staggered to her feet. In front of her, Kurt, staggering, eyed Giovanni warily. The Rocket leader recalled the now unconscious Golem, and sent out a large metallic beast. "Aggron, destroy them." The giant pokemon charged forward, batting Kurt out of the way. Knocked out, he reverted to an Eevee, still twitching. "Aggron is a Steel and Rock type pokemon. His defense is almost unbeatable, especially now that your fighting type pokemon is out of the way."
Crystal smirked. "Hitmonchan!" she called, taking some pleasure in Giovanni's stunned expression as the fighting pokemon reappeared. "I switched Hitmonchan out so Kurt could block Golem's attack with Reflect." Standing up, Kurt nodded, sticking his tongue out at the Rocket leader.
"Intriguing, but futile. Aggron is still invulnerable. Destroy them both." Aggron stomped forward.
"Fire punch!" Crystal yelled. Hitmonchan darted forward, landing a series of fiery blows on Aggron's torso. However, the attack did little damage.
"I told you. Aggron is invulnerable." Giovanni bragged. "It is a shame, such a skilled trainer being lost so early in her life. Ah well. I-" Giovanni blinked. Was Hitmonchan... glowing?
"Hitmonchan!" Crystal yelled again. "ATTACK!" Roaring, Hitmonchan seemed to blur, then, with a loud slapping noise, reappeared, fist planted firmly in Aggron's torso. Aggron staggered back, and fell down unconscious. A second later, Hitmonchan did the same.
"Super Power." Giovanni breathed. "I've heard of that technique; an ability that focuses all of a fighting pokemon's power in a single blow. But the drain seems to have taken your pokemon out of the fight as well." Wordlessly, Crystal called out Zangoose. "It seems power will not do any good. Now you will see my secret weapon, girl." Giovanni snapped his fingers. From behind his desk, a small furry pokemon stepped out.
"An Eevee?" Crystal gasped.
"Fascinating creatures, as I'm sure you'll agree. They can alter their physical form based on their environment. However, they could only do so once...until now. I think a Vaporeon would be appropriate, yes? Transform, NOW!" Giovanni pressed a button on a small controller he took out of his pocket. Crystal watched, stunned, as the small Eevee glowed and changed into the water pokemon, Vaporeon!
"Shock Wave!" Crystal called. Zangoose clasped his hands together and, slamming them into the floor, sent a wave of electricity at Vaporeon.
"Change." Giovanni said, pressing the control panel. Moments before the attack hit, Vaporeon changed into Jolteon! "The scientists call it Slide Evolution; the ability to change between different evolved forms."
==
Charizard and Ryo ran down the hall, heading for what sounded like a large battle. Renamon had gone on ahead, seeming to vanish from sight. "She must be part Scyther." Charizard grunted. "I should switch back, I can't fly in these halls, and running's proving to be a hassle."
"No time." Ryo replied. "Caryl's alone against all the Rocket thugs on this ship. She could be..." Trainer and pokemon skidded to a halt. In front of them was Renamon, standing over a small pile of Rocket thugs, all knocked out. Two other crooks, slightly sooty, lay in front of Caryl, who was cuddling Cyndaquil.
"Just fine without us." Charizard completed. Underneath them, the floor shook for a second. "I think we landed." he said, looking around. "If we're at a base of theirs, we're in for an even bigger fight."
"Actually, it landed so I could fight you!" A giant robot burst through a doorway, hunched over due to the relatively small size of the hallway. It was vaguely humanoid, and shaped like a Hitmonchan, save that the forearms had long cylinders pointing backwards at the elbows, and the head was recessed into the torso, a clear dome with Namba's head clearly visible. A second tremor shook the hall. "Ahh, that'd be the escape vehicle, carrying our master, and your two friends. If you want to find out where they're going, you'll have to beat me!" Namba turned the mecha around, and punched a hole through the wall.
"We'll have to fight him." Renamon said. "Caryl?" Her trainer nodded, and Renamon transformed. "Renamon, digivolve to...Kyuubimon!"
"Let's make this a quick fight, then!" Charizard said, running out after Namba, as did Kyuubimon. Caryl and Ryo followed their monsters.
Outside, the four stopped. "A trap!" Kyuubimon exclaimed.
Domino, still a bit singed, nodded from inside her mecha. "Payback time. You might be tough against humans, but Team Rocket's Special Mecha Corp is unstoppable! Get 'em!"
"Fire Blast!"
"Dragon Wheel!"
==A good distance straight up...
TK came to, and saw Crystal and Kurt being flung back by a powerful attack. He found that he was not tied to the table, so he sat up, got his bearings, then ran to the window. "Crystal? CRYSTAL!" He turned around, and saw Patamon on another table. "Patamon, wake up! Patamon?" The digimon stirred weakly, but did not come to. "He must have been knocked out." Another explosion, and TK heard a loud thump. Turning around, he saw Crystal and Kurt, both nearly unconscious, as a Jolteon stalked them. Giovanni saw that TK was awake, smirked, then went back to the battle, completely ignoring him.
TK spotted his D-Terminal on a table. "I can call for help. All right." He ran over, and picked up the item, but part of it fell off; it had been partially disassembled. "No..." he gasped. "Patamon! Wake up!" he yelled, trying to free his partner, who was held down by a tight metallic strap. There was another blast, and a loud thump. TK saw that Crystal and Kurt had been hurled against the glass wall; somehow, his captor had summoned a Flareon, and was attacking Crystal and Kurt with that. He ran over to the window, began hammering on it. "Crystal! Get out of there!" Forgetting that he was still holding it, he slammed his D-Terminal into the window, further damaging the device.
At that moment, Crystal and TK's digivices started glowing. The Digiegg of Hope appeared, and smashed through the window, then merged with Kurt's body!
"Eevee, armour digivolve to...Strabimon, Warrior of Hope!"
Giovanni backpedaled. "What....HOW?" He saw Strabimon stalk Giovanni, evading Jolteon's attacks. Then, without warning, he jumped, flipped over Jolteon, and snatched the controller out of Giovanni's hand, crushing the small device as he did. The Jolteon he was controlling switched back to Eevee, and fell down, as if it were a puppet with its strings cut. "Aggron. GET UP AND DESTROY THEM ALL!" Giovanni's steel pokemon staggered up, and lurched towards TK and Crystal. "Which will it be? Me or your friends?" Giovanni taunted. Snarling, Strabimon launched a kick at Aggron, getting the pokemon's attention. In the confusion, Giovanni slipped out.
==Meanwhile, back at ground level...
Kyuubimon dodged a laser from the mech she was fighting. A short distance away, Charizard did the same. The two digimon were now facing five mecha, and were slowly losing ground.
"Kyuubimon!" Caryl shouted. "Behind you!" She looked around wildly. Shortly after the fight, Domino had pulled back, and vanished from sight. Cyndaquil squirmed out of her grip, and ran towards the mech attacking Kyuubimon. "No! Come back here!" The small mouse pokemon darted towards the mecha, exploding with flames. At the last second, he leaped, and tackled the mech, singing the paint slightly. The distraction did give Kyuubimon a chance to finish the mech off with a Dragon Wheel. "Thanks." she gasped, exhausted. "Now go back to Caryl." Cyndaquil nodded, and ran back to the girl.
Caryl bent down to pick up Cyndaquil, but the trees behind her exploded as Domino's mech ploughed through, and grabbed Caryl, Holding her tightly in one red armored fist. "I suggest you give up, little girl."
"Caryl!" Ryo shouted. "Let her go now you-"
"Ah-ah...No foul language." Domino taunted. "Wouldn't want to warp this little girl's mind, now would we?" Domino raised the mech's arm. "You want her back? Here!" She hurled Caryl away, throwing her right at Ryo. The two collided and went down.
"Caryl!" Charizard and Kyuubimon yelled, then turned and faced Domino's mech.
"I'm fine...really..." Ryo wheezed. "Caryl? Caryl?"
"Mmmm...I don't want to practice the piano..." Caryl murmured, still dazed. "Ryo...that you...?" She sat up, looking around. "What hit me?"
"I did." Ryo replied gently. "Umm...why is Kyuubimon glowing?"
"I have that effect on you?" Caryl replied, regaining some of her wit. "Umm, Charizard's doing it too. Maybe they're about to evolve again?"
It hit Ryo, even before he checked his digivice. "I know what's happening." he said, grin returning. "Just like before, when I was fighting Milleniumon with Ken...Charizard! DO IT!"
Caryl blinked, not understanding. "You too, Kyuubimon!" she added. "Just follow his lead!"
"It's not leading." Ryo said. "It's digivolution." A moment later, Caryl got to see her first DNA digivolution.
"CHARIZARD! KYUUBIMON! DNA Digivolve to...AGNIMON!"
"Cool...Like with Paildramon and Komainumon, right?" Caryl whispered.
"So what!" Domino yelled, driving her mech at the two humans. It stopped a second later, as Agnimon got behind the mech, grabbed it by the arm, and proceeded to rip said arm off. "How...?"
"Burning...SALAMANDER!" Making a fist, Agnimon rammed it into the hole where the arm used to be, and flooded the chamber with fire. Panicking, Domino hit the eject button, and bailed out of her mech seconds before it exploded.
Namba watched the whole sequence of events, stunned. "DNA....Agnimon...is this the true power of pokemon evolution? I must have it! Mecha Corp, attack!" The remaining robots charged.
Agnimon slammed his fists together, then pulled them apart, arms now wreathed in flame. He started spinning, and a fiery tornado formed. "A Fire Spin? How pathetic!" Namba snorted. His confidence vanished a second later when the tornado expanded to engulf all the mecha, and Agnimon's form appeared through the flame, leg extended.
"Salamander...BREAK!" The digimon landed a solid kick on each mech, the backs of the robots exploding off, unable to resist the force of the attack.
When the flames subsided, Caryl and Ryo saw Agnimon, and a lot of abandoned robots. "That's ...so...COOL!" Caryl shouted, running over, Cyndaquil following her.
==Back in the air
Aggron, already injured, fell before Strabimon's attacks. TK helped Crystal up, and the two freed Patamon, still unconscious, then called all the pokemon Giovanni had abandoned into what poke balls they could find. "We have to get out of here!" Crystal said. "Kurt?"
Strabimon nodded. "One door, coming up..." He looked around, and picked out the ornate doors they had come in through. "Shining...NAIL!" he yelled, running at the door. TK saw that Strabimon's hand was glowing, and had to restrain a cackle when he picked out the crest of hope on the back of the hand. A second later, the door was reduced to splinters, and the group made their way to the top decks.
"Uhh..." Strabimon gasped. "That's a long drop...Uh, doesn't this thing have wings?" he asked TK, checking his back.
"Patamon? Come on, wake up." TK said, shaking his partner. "No good. Maybe we can find a control room?" There was a loud explosion, shaking the ship.
"I think this thing's about to blow!" Strabimon snarled. A hissing noise got his attention. Glancing over the edge, he spotted Giovanni flying away with a jetpack. "Okay, the evil villain's made his getaway, now it's our turn." The small vessel rocked to the side. Crystal, unprepared, fell over, sliding towards the edge. TK grabbed her arm, then Strabimon grabbed TK.
"TK!" Crystal gasped. "Let go! I-"
"No!" TK snarled. "I'm not letting you go!" The group still kept sliding towards the edge.
"But-" Crystal tried again.
"NO!" TK roared, tightening his grip. At that moment, the vehicle lurched again, and the whole group fell off. "PATAMON!"
Patamon's eyes snapped open, sensing TK's danger. "Patamon, digivolve to...Angemon!"
==
Giovanni landed in a small clearing, jetpack exhausted. He was furious; he had never been so humiliated in his life. Well, he figured, there's no one to connect me to today's events, so I can just-
"Antonio Giovanni!" a clear, bell like voice called over a megaphone. Spiraling, he saw several dozen police officers, all led by Officer Jenny, as well as a familiar woman he couldn't remember the name of. "You're under arrest for racketeering, illegal pokemon experimentation, aiding and abetting known criminals, kidnapping, and assault! Hands over your head!"
Smirking, Giovanni did as he was told. He had lawyers for just such an eventuality. However, the woman strode forward, expression dark.
Prima, Ice Queen of the Elite Four, grabbed Giovanni, Viridian Gym Leader and Master of Team Rocket, by his tie. "Where," she demanded, "is Ryo?"
Oh, Giovanni realized. Her...
==
"TK." Crystal gasped as he placed the object in her hands. "But that's..."
"You should have it." TK said, placing the Digiegg of Hope in her hands. "I think you'll have more of a need for it. And there's not much else I can give you."
"TK." Crystal sighed. She leaned forward and kissed him gently.
"Didn't she have Skarmory with her all the time?" Kurt, now an Eevee again, asked. Beside him, the Eevee that Giovanni controlled rested, as did the Aggron he had abandoned. Both would be turned over to the nearest pokemon center for treatment and re-release.
"Shush." Renamon said, smirking. "That was...quite an experience, Charmeleon."
"Yeah. It felt...better then when I'm Dino Beemon. Looks like you two are stuck together." Charmeleon said to Caryl and Ryo.
"Well, I am cuter than Ken." Caryl admitted. "You did a very brave thing, Cyndaquil. And I'm really proud of that Burning Rollout you did today."
Ryo looked over. "Burning what?"
"You know, when Cyndaquil was covered with flames and tackled that robot? He did it once before too, when we were fighting that Gengar?"
"Oh. That's called a Fire Ring attack." Ryo replied.
"That's dumb! Burning Rollout sounds so much better!"
"It may, but the move is called Fire Ring." Ryo replied.
"Burning Rollout."
"Fire Ring."
"Burning Rollout."
"Fire Ring."
Renamon massaged her head. "This is going to take a while." she muttered. Beside her, Cyndaquil looked at the two arguing humans, and shrugged.
==Epilogue, several years later.
Caryl looked at Ryo, considering the question he had just asked. "Well, only on one condition. You know what it is." Idly, she patted Quilava's head. Renamon and Charmeleon, watching the whole thing, waited, wondering how Ryo would respond.
Ryo shook his head, sighing. "Alright, you win. Burning Rollout."
"Okay. Now I'll marry you." Caryl replied, taking the ring.
Next Episode:
Taking a vacation on a small island, Tai and Sora meet Edward Silver, still looking for Lugia. However, his search is ended unexpectedly when they find Lugia, battling a mysterious dragon pokemon? Why are they fighting, and what is Trey Miller, pokemon trainer and digidestined from 25 years in the future, doing there? Next time, on Digimon: Digicross -
'Legendary trainer to be: Trey Miller!'
(No, I'm NOT writing a Treyora fic. Taiora, yes...)