AN – well, this is a long chapter. The longest chapter I have ever written for anything, in fact. Things are starting to wrap up. Only one more to go after this!
Disclaimer: I borrowed the term "nano-bots" from episode 31 of Danny Phantom, "Secret Weapons".
Warning: This chapter contains violence, death, and some graphic detail of both. I'm not sure if this is rated high enough at "T"; it may need to be upped to an "M" rating – please tell me if you think it should and I will change it accordingly to appropriate it to the right level – thanks.
Black
Chapter 9: Everything Black
"Haunter! Do it!" Officer Jenny's yell took everyone by surprise. In a flash her pokemon appeared and used hypnosis on the advancing Officer Michael, making him drowsy. He dropped the needle and fell to the ground, fast asleep.
"You dare to defy me?" Giovanni hollered in outrage. With a motion from his hand, his minions and captured slaves all stepped forwards, closing in the circle as he backed away.
"Haunter, use shadow ball!" Jenny commanded. Her pokemon's attack was met with an equal blast of water from a warturtle that had been released from the opposition. "What are you guys waiting for?" Jenny hissed to her teammates. "We have to fight, there's no other way around this!"
Misty and the others startled into action and sent out their pokemon. In most cases, the trainers sent out more than one, trying to even out the score, but it was still an unfair battle as Team Rocket had them beat by numbers, nearly two to one.
At first, both sides were doing similarly well and similarly badly at the same time. Some pokemon fainted after a couple of blows; others were raging hard and competently taking advantage against their opponents. But with the smaller force of strength, Misty and her band were soon acting on defense, trying to block more attacks than to initiate them themselves. And in the mayhem, humans were not immune to accidental attacks hitting them. Several members on both sides gained burns, bruises, and cuts from passing bouts.
"Starmie, use blizzard!" Misty cried. The ice pellets hit Butch's Fearow and knocked it down. Then unexpectedly, a pokeball fell to the ground by Misty's side and opened of its own accord. Out popped Psyduck into the fray. "No! What on earth are you thinking, Psyduck? Get back here!" Misty tried to recall it angrily, but the yellow duck ran away from her and out of her sight. "Psyduck!" Misty screamed, but it was no use.
"Misty!" shouted Jenny bringing her back to attention.
Misty turned in time to avoid being hit by a rampant electric attack. She wanted to retrieve her Psyduck, but she realized she couldn't spend an ounce of concentration on it anymore if she hoped to get out of here alive. She ordered two more attacks for Starmie, who was now fighting Butch's Raticate, and another attack for Horsea, who she had up against Jessie's Arbok.
Psyduck wandered over to the outer limits of what would have been the circle if it wasn't in utter chaos. Somehow it made it passed the scruff and shuffle of humans and pokemon alike, and found itself next to a cage that had been left unattended on the ground. Meowth's eyes stared back at it through the bars, revealing his sense of helplessness in the situation.
"Psyduck!" said Psyduck. "Psy!"
Meowth suddenly had tears of gratitude streaming down his face. "Really? Oh Psyduck! I'm countin' on ya!"
The duck pokemon began to hack at one of the locks on the outside of Meowth's cage, and Meowth, with newfound encouragement, tried to pick at the other. Neither were fairing very well, but there was nothing else to be done.
Misty gasped as she brushed up against someone while she backed up. It was Officer Jenny. The two girls and their group were now feeling very much cornered and nearing their last resorts. Jenny decided to take this stance and told the others to prepare for her attack, get their pokemon to take temporary cover.
"Haunter! It's time!" Jenny bellowed above the noise. There was a slight note of regret to her voice as she gave her command.
Her pokemon complied immediately, not even giving her a second glance, it used self-destruct. The explosion wiped out a good amount of Team Rocket's pokemon, as well as sending several humans, Team Rocket and kidnapped citizens alike, to the ground in its quake. Following this attack was a momentary pause to the battle, and the room grew quiet.
"Come back here, you little twerp!"
The voice echoed from above and many heads turned in its direction.
From the landing one floor up, a figure appeared and hopped over the railing in one fluid motion. As it fell, it released a pokeball, and the Muk that came out acted as a pillow for its master. Ash looked to be in terrible shape. There was fresh blood dripping from his nose, an eye darkening to a brownish-green tint, scrapes on his knees visible through a new tear in his jeans, bruised arms, and a dried blood trail from the right side of his lower lip. He walked forwards with a slight limp, also on his right side. But he was smirking in triumph.
Behind him, Mark emerged on the balcony, his bruised hands gripping tightly to the railing. His eyes were fierce and his hair on end. His clothes were wet and he looked very displeased. Displeased is an understatement. Mark was pissed off.
"Don't you walk away from me, boy!" he yelled. "I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll wish you were never born!"
"Oh right, like that's going to make me want to come back and fight you!" Ash shouted back, turning with a slight swagger, around again to face him. "Tch, besides, I've already beat you twice now, do you really want to set yourself up for a third defeat?"
"You leave the rat out of this and fight me like a man, and then we'll see who the real loser is!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen," interrupted Giovanni. "Perhaps I could be of assistance in settling this matter?"
The two guys turned to face the Boss, aware now of all the people in the room staring at them. Mark headed swiftly towards a ladder and slid down it like a pole to settle himself on the landing with everyone else.
Ash lifted his head slightly, eyes meeting with Giovanni's. He set his jaw in defiance. But in his mind, he was racing quickly through the fight he'd just come from and his escape.
Mark kicked at the painful spot in Ash's stomach again and Ash grunted out in pain. He had to rely on instinct to get him out of this, so when Mark's hand reached down once more to send another blow to his head, Ash twisted to the side and pulled Mark towards him, biting onto Mark's upper arm. Mark screamed in incredulity and momentarily lost his balance. Ash used this opportunity to grab a pokeball from his belt. He rolled it outwards and it opened in a short blinding light.
"Totodile!" exclaimed the water type advancing towards its master in a little dance.
Yes, thought Ash.
"Help Pikachu!" Ash stammered before Mark began to strangle him. The two guys were in a heap on the floor, and Mark was clearly dominating after a few moments.
A little reluctantly, Totodile turned away from its master and sought out Pikachu. Discovering the mouse in the grips of the Onix, Totodile sent a water gun to scare off the beast. The tactic worked as Onix released Pikachu, focusing now on the small blue pokemon in front of it. Totodile used a hydro pump to wipe Onix out and Onix was weakened dramatically. Totodile then used a slam attack to finish the battle and Onix fainted at last.
"Pika," Pikachu thanked feebly. It was injured, but it soon stood up again and headed back to the other end of the room where Ash was.
Totodile took the lead and sprayed some water on Mark to get him off of Ash.
"Ack!" Mark hollered in surprise.
Pikachu stepped up and sent a thundershock to Mark, hitting him in the chest briefly, setting his hair on end. Ash used the distraction to recall Totodile and to get up. He started to race to the door. Pikachu used another electric attack, this one stronger than the last, on Mark. Mark collapsed and Pikachu bolted towards Ash, hopping up and onto his shoulder as they left the room.
Mark lay there for a few seconds before regaining his senses and jumping up to chase the kid and his Pikachu.
"Your determination is really something, isn't it?" Giovanni questioned Ash.
"Yeah, I suppose it is!" Ash retorted.
"I can see that," Giovanni continued in a neutral tone. "You break in here and get caught skulking around in my labs. You escape and return to trespass a second time, this time with a band of people. You anger one of the top scientists on this team. And here you stand, yet again confronting me on my own turf.
"You think you understand the way the world works," Giovanni continued. "And you think that you can set things right. As if you could mold the world to your ideals without truly enforcing them. We're alike, you and I. But I have more sense, more knowledge, and far more experience than you. I have the means and the power to get what I want, to make my ideals a reality."
The Boss Rocket paused to look at the boy. "I suppose you haven't a clue of what I am talking about. Never mind then. If it is a battle you want, I should prove to be a challenging match."
"Now you're talking!" Ash exclaimed.
"No, Ash!" called Misty from across the floor. "You're hurt! Let us battle him for you!"
"I can take care of myself!" Ash yelled back in annoyance.
"I'm only trying to look out for –" but she was cut off by the loud bang of an attack.
Alakazam had used metronome which turned into a rockslide on Noctowl. Noctowl passed out and Ash sent out Totodile. Totodile's hydropump did some good damage on Alakazam, and after a few more passes between the two pokemon, Totodile won. Giovanni sent out Persian. Totodile waited expectedly for Persian's strike. The quick cat type performed a thunderbolt attack and knocked out Totodile in one hit. Ash sent out Muk to take its place. But before the battle continued, the Boss began to laugh.
"Wonderful, wonderful. I see you are well-trained. However, I must take a break here to present to you – all of you – my latest creation."
He motioned for someone to step forwards. From the back of the crowd emerged Bernard, with Black perched upon his shoulder. Black hopped down and pattered on all fours towards Giovanni. As he approached the Boss he reared up onto his two hind legs and walked on them as if human, looking quite familiarly like Meowth normally did.
"Would you care to introduce yourself?" Giovanni asked the dark meowth.
With a slight nod, the pokemon opened its mouth. "Hello. My name is Black," it spoke with a nasally voice, the same voice that Ash and his group had heard leaving from the lab with Bernard. "Yes, I can speak. An ability I was gifted with. I have many more unexpected abilities, you'll soon come to realize, whether before or after you discover that I am your worst nightmare. Don't underestimate my stature. I have been trained and taught and programmed to be the ultimate pokemon, and according to all I know, Team Rocket has succeeded in that endeavor. But I am willing to test my skills, and so does the Team want to see what I can do. Send out your best pokemon, and let's see where this leads."
"Ok, Black," answered Ash. "Hope you're ready for Pikachu!"
Pikachu, slightly rested up, scurried over to Black and administered a thunder attack. Black used reflect and deflected the attack. It then used crunch and knocked out Pikachu. The dark type attacks were part of its strength.
Misty and the others reacted soon after that, all of them taking up the challenge to send out a pokemon against Black. Black defeated each like it was swatting flies out of its face. It wasn't a dark type, and yet it was powerful in dark attacks. It also had the abilities of thunderbolt and bubblebeam, which proved useful against a few of its opponents. But what made Black really powerful was the amount of stamina it had. Hits that could defeat most pokemon at Black's level (which still wasn't even high enough to evolve yet), barely put a dent into Black's abnormally large hit point counter. Black was fueled with a lot of reserve energy, and its strength and speed were also to be commended.
After winning against most of the pokemon, Black used a psychic attack on the humans, wanting to see what would happen. They were taken by surprise and thrown backwards on the ground. Misty coughed as Jenny landed on top of her.
"No!" Ash shouted running towards the group, but before he reached them, another unexpected act occurred. Meowth jumped out, freed at last from his cage, and pounced on Black. The two rolled around as in a cat fight, scratching and hissing, then Meowth said, "Tink about what you're doin', Black! We don't attack humans! I know bedder dan most what a pain dey can be, even how cruel dey can be, but I also know dat dey can be good friends too! Dey're pretty stupid, when you get right down to it. But youse shouldn't hurt dem for dat!"
"Don't mess with things you don't understand, Meowth!" Black replied.
"You're right. I don't understand. I don't understand why you're takin' orders from dis chump! Didn't you learn anyting from da time you spent in da lab with me? Don't you realize dat dey don't care about you? Dat dey'd radder destroy who you are just to get what dey want?"
"Who I am…" Black muttered. He stepped back, away from Meowth and began to speak again, quietly at first, but gradually gaining volume until the entire hushed room was listening to his every word.
"I am power. Power is all that matters in the world. I can take what I want, do what I want when I want, have my orders obeyed, and the world bowing down at my feet. Everyone will fear me and bend to my command, for I could hurt them before the thought even enters my mind. Pain, suffering, death, misery. All that, do I control. I can work in stealth. I can deceive with my ability of speech. I can disguise by returning to the ground, ready to pounce, as a mere pokemon. The world will discover how untrue that term is, for I am more, much, much more than any pokemon or human in existence. Under Giovanni's rule do I mold the world to my wishes. That is what I am, what is expected of me. Power is Black."
Everyone stood in a stunned silence. No one moved a fraction, let alone breathed. Black broke the frozen spell to address the room once again, now with his red eyes upon the Boss.
"But, you forgot one thing, dear Giovanni, when you programmed me. You are correct that I do not feel a thing, I am incapable of any emotion – emotion is quite incomprehensible – and though my thoughts are limited to power and to strength and to strategy, you left a flaw within me, which may end up in your own undoing. I do not question much, but you allowed me enough free thought to plan, to strategize for you, to learn and react quickly in tough battles that I have yet to experience. This minor detail, important though it is to your plans and to my capabilities, has left me questioning my purpose, to a certain extent. As you told me in training, and I just repeated, I can take what I want, do what I want when I want, have my orders obeyed and the world bowing down at my feet. Under your rule I mold the world to my wishes. The question is, what is it that I want? What are my wishes? How could you be so careless as to create an all-powerful being such as myself and forget to include these ideals? I have learned from another that personality is important to being who you are. Who, exactly, am I?"
A dark look temporarily graced Giovanni's features, but a moment later they were wiped away, his face impassive as glass. Attention still on Black, the cat continued.
"Am I a minion with extraordinary powers expected to obey a weak human who thinks he owns the world? How can I have the ability to take anything I want and not know what I want to take? I am a danger to all who come in contact with me. I can kill them in an instant. But what difference would it make if they were alive or dead? I do not understand fear, and therefore, I see no disparity between life and death. Existence doesn't matter at all. Thinking doesn't make a difference. But I am thinking and I am aware of that. How can it be that you left such a flaw in me when you aimed to make me perfect? I am perfect to you in every way you imagined possible, except that I have no inclination to do anything at all, no intention to harness any of my power. I could die right now and none of it would matter."
The black meowth seemed to gain frustration, working its way outwards from himself into his composure and tone of voice. He went on.
"What is this that I sense? The word comes to me… curiosity. What is this, this… it cannot be… this emotion? I cannot feel and yet I feel curious. I need to understand what it means to question. Is that what it is? To have a personality? Was Meowth right in saying that your personality is the most important thing in the world, the most important trait you can possess? Why on earth was I created as such? Lacking personality, but excelling in thought and strength… and power… Why was I conceived without being prepared to be completely perfect, completely obedient, yet able to make some choices for myself to conquer the world for you? I have been given the capability of those choices, but now given the chance to make those choices I do not know what to decide. What purpose is there in life that cannot be achieved in death? What purpose is there to destroying the world and making it your own? Why can I think and question like this and yet continue to have no desire for anything except an explanation? I know from the knowledge implanted in me that these questions are the signs for a personality, the signs for emotions, yet I continue to feel nothing at all. Must you all be standing there, staring dumbly at me without any direction towards a course of action? I have weakened myself by contemplating things beyond my reach and yet you still haven't made any attempt to defeat me, although you should, knowing the amount of power I have, that you should be soon at my mercy… a mercy which I have yet to choose, yet to understand…"
"Black…" Ash stepped forward wanting to answer, but Officer Jenny beat him to it.
"You are a living creature, Black, and I don't want to hurt you. I choose not to. Make the right decision and turn away from your creators. They do not own you or control you. The moment you were able to think and act on your own, you took your own life, your own decisions, your own thoughts and feelings into your hand. It may take some time, but you will be able to feel and to find your own personality."
"A lot of people in this world don't really know who they are," Ash added. "All of us are searching for our purposes in life, and we never really know where we're headed, just that we are headed somewhere. We're constantly changing and evolving into better people, and we always need to return to that question, 'who are we?' We need to redefine it often."
Misty took a steadying breath and spoke her thoughts as well. "Life has so much potential. We don't know much about death and that is why we fear it. But while we are here we hope to make the best of it, make every moment count, make all of it feel worth it in our minds, give our lives some meaning. That meaning is derived from our own views on life, our own values and ideals. Black, you are capable of having this type of life. All you have to do is choose it."
When Misty's voice died down, there was a moment of uncertainty, a moment of stillness. Then, echoing around the chamber, the clapping of Giovanni's hands and the click of his shoes as he began to walk.
"Bravo, for that little speech making. Bravo everyone," he said humorlessly. It was clear he was not happy with the display. "But now time's being wasted and we really must get back to work. Officer, am I correct in assuming you will not join me without force?" He didn't wait for her to reply, or even to nod. "Then that leaves me no choice. Since I can't get you to cooperate, I'll just have to have you destroyed."
Giovanni returned his attention to Black, eyes glaring threateningly at the dark pokemon. But before he issued any sort of command, a small scream reverberated off the walls. One of the kidnapped citizens had fallen to the floor, and was twisting in agony. The potion's effect was obviously wearing off – they still hadn't been able to perfect it. An instant later, two more slaves followed suit, one landing face down and tearing at the floor with their hands as if it could stop the pain, the other curled up in a ball, rocking slightly back and forth and muttering incoherently.
Giovanni's composure started to slip rapidly. In an attempt to regain the advantage, he ordered, "Black! Now's the time to test your murdering techniques. Kill the group of trespassers!"
Black flinched. A second passed, then two. Twenty. He didn't budge. Within him raged a battle – follow orders, as he had been taught, or make a choice for himself? The indecision consumed him and Giovanni realized that he was losing. All was not lost yet, though, and to push Black over the edge, to fully initiate his dark side, Giovanni reached inside his coat pocket and drew a gun, pointing it at the nearest to him – Meowth.
"Come on, Black, we'll do it together," Giovanni said, somewhat taunting. "Pick one of our enemies, and I'll pull this trigger the same time as you attack."
"No."
The word escaped Black's mouth before he even considered it.
Giovanni began to cackle. Everyone was tense, watching him.
"I'm afraid you're right, Black. I made a mistake. A terrible mistake." His smile faded as quickly as it had come. "This whole operation is falling apart and it's too late to fix. So that means there's only one thing left to do."
Black anticipated it before anyone else understood. The gun went off in a bang and Meowth yelped. He was ducking, paws on ears, but no bullet pierced him. Black had saved him, and disintegrated the bullet in a hyper beam attack. But the attack was cut short, so fast that everyone missed it, and Black lay writhing on the floor, like the now several citizens and minions who were breaking free from the potion. Except his pain was worse.
In his hand, Giovanni held up what appeared to be a remote control. His face was contorted with anger and he spat, "This is what you deserve for disobeying me!"
"What are you doing to him?" Ash yelled in disgust.
"Oh this? It was meant as a last resort, and I certainly hadn't anticipated needing to use it anytime soon," Giovanni answered. "I had my scientists implant within Black several capsules of nano-bots – tiny probes that upon pressing this button would release themselves, and destroy Black, from the inside out! Call it his 'self-destruct' sequence, if you will. They were perfectly harmless otherwise."
"No!" gasped Jenny.
"Stop it!" shouted Misty. "Reverse it! Turn it back around, you monster!"
Giovanni laughed bitterly, and said, "I can't. Once initiated, the nano-bots won't stop until there are no more living cells to pray off of."
Misty whipped her head back around to stare at Black, tears beginning to blur her vision. The cat's initial shrieks of pain were subsiding, and his convulsions were slowing down. Water leaked from the side of his half-closed crimson eyes and his grey tail twitched. And two breaths later, he moved no more.
Ash squeezed his fingers into the palm of his hands in outrage. The poor black meowth hadn't even been comforted in his dying moments, his short life taken so quickly, and so violently. But before words could find their way onto his tongue, Ash felt an entirely different sensation brush by him, as if Black's spirit whispered to him, I was not afraid.
Suddenly, motion stirred all around the room. The Team Rocket Boss and top scientists and members ran the length of the chamber, heading towards an exit. With most of their minions and captured citizens lying on the ground useless and spluttering, they realized that they were outnumbered, and that now they must flee. Before they made it up to the next landing, however, they met with an unpleasant surprise. Jenny's back-up patrol had finally arrived from the next town over and were charging down the stairs. The Boss and his followers split up to find different routes of escape. Ash, Misty, and the town citizens who had come with them stood rooted to the spot, paralyzed by everything that had just occurred in the last few minutes and trying to grasp what was going on, not comprehending anything anymore.