And here we are, finally at chapter 10 of this story. It a long time to get here, mainly because of my own negligence, but we finally made it. We're starting to get closer to the final three-way showdown between the good guys, Team Aqua, and Team Magma. Actually, I'd better get around introducing a few members of Team Magma. I think that's what I'll do, in fact.
And guys, cut poor May some slack. She's not that bad. I didn't like her much at first either, but she's really grown on me. Remember, I'm a rabid 'Ash and Misty' fan, too. And good grief. It's like no matter what I do, people will hate her or be mad at her. She tries to get Ash's mind off of Misty for a moment because all thinking about her is doing is making him upset, and people take it the wrong way and think she's trying to make him forget about Misty completely and only think about her. She valiantly gives up Ash to Misty and would have gladly given up Brendan for Lostelle if the girl hadn't let May have a chance with him, and the only thing people can say is "I'm glad Ash and May aren't together anymore".
Oh well, you guys are free to your opinion. But I won't give up! P I'll show you how cool May can be somehow.
-Kouji Tamino
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Inside of Mt. Ember was where the Team Magma headquarters was located. Today was a very busy day. They were preparing for an attack on their base and the sabotage of Team Aqua's plan for ocean domination. A young and new member of the group, an 18 year-old man named Cip. He took his hood off for a moment to scratch his light brown hair. Staring around nervously with his aqua blue eyes, he sighed. "…Am I really doing the right thing?"
"Of course you are…" a female Magma Admin replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. She had long wavy dark brown hair and golden eyes. "Team Aqua is a bunch of idiots if they think what they are doing will help the world? If they increase the world's ocean mass, then where the hell will all land dwelling creatures go? What's left of the land will be crowded. They ever think about that?" She smiled. "We can't just let them do that, right?"
Suddenly, all of the young man's worries were gone. "Y-you're right!" he shouted, in a determined voice. "That's just not tolerable!"
"That's the spirit…" the Admin replied, ruffling his hair. "By the way, my name's Melissa. Stick with me, kid. I'll show you the ropes."
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In two different bases, but at almost the exact same time, the leaders of Team Aqua and Team Magma were giving very similar speeches… Both of their audiences were silent as their leaders spoke.
"We, at one point, had Ash Ketchum as our prisoner." Kaine began, Misty standing by his side. "We mercifully set him free…"
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"It has come to our attention that Ash Ketchum and his allies are on the Sevii Islands." Maxie started his speech.
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"However, it appears that copies of our plans have been stolen. We believe that he is planning to stop our own plans."
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"It is most likely that he is going to try and stop us."
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"Can we let him take advantage of our kindness?"
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"Can we let him do that?"
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"No!" both Team Aqua and Team Magna shouted.
Kaine and Maxie smirked. "That's right!" They shouted in unison. "Tonight, we attack the Great Ash Ketchum!"
Misty frowned from her spot, staring at Kaine. "Ash…" she said very softly, the Aqua leader unable to hear her over the roar of the crowd.
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A Series of Events
Episode 10: Double Strike
Gary walked into the lobby, a stern look on his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, he practically hadn't, and there were dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. "I finally did it… I finally decoded the documents that Jessie and James stole from Team Aqua."
"Hey!" Meowth shouted. "What about me?" he shouted in complaint. "It was tanks to my cat-like reflexes that we got dat ting in da foist place!"
The younger Oak chuckled nervously, smiling. "Heh, sorry Meowth. Anyway, it reads: 'To all Team Aqua members: On the next high tide, we strike! Team Magma has been building a machine that will increase the planet's landmass when they insert the Ruby Plate at High Tide! As you know, we cannot stand for such a thing! We plan to counter them by stealing the Sapphire Plate and secretly building our own machine that will do the exact opposite.' Oh shit."
"You're telling me…" Ash said gravely. "Well guys, looks like we have our work cut out for us." A confident smirk on his face, he chuckled. "But I'm confident that we can do it! We just have to work together!" He stared at Gary. "By the way, you look like crap. Get some sleep."
Gary rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks…"
"Um, guys…" May said with a tinge of fear in her voice. "I think they're already onto us…" She pointed to the TV, eyes wide. "Look!" Everyone gasped as they stared at the television set. There was a news report about large members of both Team Rocket and Team Aqua heading in their direction.
"Damn, damn, damn!" Brock shouted, clenching his fist. "This is bad…"
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Meanwhile, back in Pallet, the others were watching as well. Max, who had shown up earlier to try and catch up with May, gasped. "My sister and the others are in trouble!" He had gotten quite a bit taller. Now a wandering Pokemon trainer himself, he had a green vest and wore a yellow t-shirt under it. He finished off the outfit with olive green shorts and green shoes. His hair was spiky, stood up, and his glasses were a lot smaller. "We've… we've got to help them!"
"Professor Oak, we just have to get to the islands!" Tracey shouted. "Isn't there something we can do?"
"I could get a helicopter very soon, but we would never make it in time to help them out." Professor Oak replied, crossing his arms. "But I'll see what I can do…"
Meanwhile, at the Ketchum household, the still amnesiac Delia was watching the news report. As she watched, the news reporters quickly began to cover what was going on at the Pokemon Center. The sight of Ash and the others fighting the first wave of Team Magma brought back some memories. Why did watching this boy in trouble on TV remind her of something? She shook her head, trying to forget. But the determined look on the young man who had called her 'mom' earlier just seemed to give her a case of déjà vu. "For some reason… I'm worried about him…"
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"Blaziken, use your Blaze Kick!" May shouted, pitting her Fire-Fighting hybrid against a group of Dark-Type Mightyena. She sighed in relief as the fighting move took a couple of them out, causing their trainers to retreat. "Whew… Still so many, though!"
As the heroes slowly beat back the Magma members, they groaned as a second wave of them arrived and the first and only wave of Aqua members arrived, Misty and Kaine included.
Growling angrily, Brock ran up to the next wave of enemies, releasing Forretress as a last resort. "Forrestress, use Explosion! Full Power!" The Pokemon charged up it's attack to max. Unfortunately, the Team Magma and Aqua members had prepared themselves as soon as they saw him release the Pokemon. They all used Protect. Most of their Pokemon, and even themselves, effectively protected, the giant explosion was taken by poor Brock and his Forretress. The two teams marched on, temporarily putting their rivalry on hold to take down a mutual enemy.
"Brock, no!" Ash screamed, turning to his friend. Suddenly, he saw a familiar wisp of red hair in the corner of his eye. "…Misty?" As he turned around, he found himself face to face with his old friend and her new lover. "It's… been a while…" He looked to Kaine, smirking. "I guess this is the guy that convinced you to stab me in the damn face!"
"And you must be the famous Ash Ketchum." Kaine replied with a chuckle. His usually cheerful expression became angry. "Are you one of those people who would rather die?"
"You made one of my best friends betray me, you bastard!" Ash screamed, a growling Pikachu by his side. "I'd rather be killed by a total stranger!"
"That can be arranged…" Kaine replied, a sneer on his face. "He who would defy Team Aqua and their just cause."
"Yeah, drowning about half of the goddamn world! That's real just, isn't it?" Ash said angrily, spitting on the ground. "Asshole."
Kaine clenched his fist tightly, resisting the urge to sock the other man in the face. "Someone should cut off that wicked tongue."
"Please stop, both of you!" Misty shouted sternly, stomping her foot. "You're both acting like little children!" She looked to her friend pleadingly. "Please, Ash… Just… come with us. We can--"
Kaine quickly stopped her. "It's no use. Your sweet words are falling upon deaf ears. I know his type. Stubborn, blind to the truth."
"Like hell I am!" Ash screamed. "I'll show you who's blind!" Throwing a fist at Kaine. He was quickly caught off guard, however, when the man grabbed his arm and twisted it. "Aah!"
"Pathetic." Kaine muttered. "Is this all the 'Great' Ash Ketchum I've heard about has to offer?" He sighed in disgust, still a bit peeved from a few minutes ago. He decided to dig the knife further. "What a disgrace. No wonder Misty dumped you for me. I'm stronger, smarter…" he leaned in and whispered in his ear. "And I can give Misty what you can't."
"Damn you…" Ash growled under his breath, holding back his tears of shame and embarrassment.
"Kaine, that's enough." Misty said in a calm voice.
Letting him go, Kaine chuckled. "This whole trip seems to have been a complete waste of time. Someone like you is no match for me." Taking out a walky-talky, he spoke into it. "Jase, this is Kaine. Sound off the alarm of retreat. These people pose no threat to our plans."
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Meanwhile, the trio of Gary, Taylor, and Omi were surrounded by Team Magma members. Cid, who was among the group, chuckled. "You might as well give up. Hand over your Pokemon and we might let you live."
"Er, I think yer laying it on a little thick, newbie…" Melissa muttered to him.
"Heh…" Gary closed his eyes, lowering his head. "Cute. You think that just because you have the advantage in numbers, you have us beat?" Laughing in a fashion that one might call 'just short of crazy', he quickly lifted his head, a confident look on his face. "You may not know this, but we are known as the legendary Elemental Trio."
The sky began to rumble, as the three released their fully evolved starter Pokemon. Taylor with his mighty Charizard, Omi and her exotic Venusaur, and Gary's powerful Blastoise. "Hey, guys…" Taylor began, a grin on his face. "How about we…"
"…Show them why we're called that?" Omi asked, finishing the sentence. She giggled, smiling. "Sounds good to me!"
As lightning crashed in the sky, the three Pokemon unleashed their most powerful attacks. Venusaur unleashed a multitude of vines that completely sapped the energy from the nearby enemy Pokemon. It was quickly followed by Charizard, who literally blasted the Pokemon with fiery explosions that rocked the ground. Finally, Blastoise drenched the flames and blasted the Pokemon, and their trainers, away with an insanely powerful cannon of water.
"…" Staring at what had happened to their comrades in just three separate attacks, the remaining members of Team Magma began to slowly retreat. "We'll be back!"
"Yeah, and we'll beat your ass the next time, too!" Gary shouted triumphantly. He sighed as his Blastoise pretty much collapsed. Patting him on the back, he smiled. "You did a good job, boy…"
Omi hugged her exhausted Venusaur. "It's too bad that the attacks are so tiring on them…"
"Er…" Gary began, staring at the unconscious and pretty badly injured Brock. "I'm not carrying him."
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As both Team Magma and Team Aqua retreated, Ash watched with a pained expression on his face. "Misty…" He thought back to his conversation with her before she left…
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"Misty, is this really what you want?" Ash asked. Kaine had went ahead, and he was alone with the woman. "Misty, I know I haven't been showing it, but I love you!"
Misty gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh, Ash… I'm so sorry…" She looked away. Why didn't he say this earlier? "Ash, I… I can't believe you would say that after the way you reacted to when I told you I loved you."
"Misty…" Ash began, staring at her. "You kind of stabbed me in the face with a knife." He chuckled. "So of course, I was kinda pissed off. How did you expect me to react?"
Misty couldn't help but giggle. "You're right…" She sighed, walking towards him and placing her hand on his scar. She gently traced it with her fingers. "Oh god, I'm so sorry…"
"I just have one question to ask you…" Ash said in a serious tone. "Why did you do this to me?"
"Ash, there were only two choices…" Misty replied grimly. "Either live and be set free, with a physical punishment, or stay and die." She closed her eyes, tears running down her face as she made a small whimpering sound. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself with the knowledge that I could have saved your life, but didn't…"
"Oh, Mist…" Ash said in a gentle tone, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly to his body. "I had no idea. Mist, this is insane. We both love each other, and yet we're willingly fighting each other."
Misty fell into his hug, squeezing him tightly as well. She smiled as he used his old nickname for her. "But it doesn't have to be this way…"
"I agree…" Ash replied, breaking the hug. "Misty, just forget about all this nonsense."
"NONSENSE?" Misty screamed, backing away from him. "You still don't understand, do you?"
"Misty, I know you're smarter than this!" Ash shouted back. "Don't let Kaine fool you!"
"Goodbye, Ash…" Misty replied simply, turning and walking away from him. All Ash could do was fall to his knees, his pride and his heart broken, and watch as Misty walked away from him yet again.
To Be Continued…