Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful reviews for Chapter 11! I was actually surprised how few people got on my case, and how many welcomed me back with open arms! You have no idea how happy that made me! I hope this chapter won't disappoint, though I doubt it will. And please, I beg of you, KEEP REVIEWING! I am the kind of artist who is never happy with her own work unless she knows she has touched someone in some way by either teaching them something, making them think, or just making them happy; I live and breathe for feedback. Thanks again!
And, of course, Chapter 10's title of "…a world of magic at your command…" comes from the song Pokémon (Dance Mix) from the Pokémon: 2 B A Master CD. Congratulations to these reviewers for guessing correctly: Chaos-Paladin, J.C. the Wabbit, Stacee, MP, Stukov The One, and (close enough) Soft Flame Matthias.
On to the story!
CHAPTER 12: …Never Know What's Round The Bend…
Misty let a loud sigh of relief escape her mouth as she collapsed in fatigue in the snow. After a moment, she sat up, though it was peculiarly difficult to do so. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees, trying to give herself a chance to catch her breath. It felt so strange to be breathing, which she realized a moment later was actually a really scary thought, but it was true nevertheless. Strangely enough, it also felt odd to touch physical things, like when she brushed a damp stalagmite with the tips of her fingers. However, Misty knew instinctly that she wasn't one hundred percent yet after studying the palm of her hand that was not tightly grasping the aquatic crystal. Her skin was still milky white all over, though as Ash collapsed into the snow to her left, he told her in a concerned whisper that her face was slightly pink from overexertion. Even the flurries packed tightly against her bare legs didn't faze her as it had before. She knew that her body had to be exceptionally numb at the moment for, even as she felt the cold, it wasn't as biting as it had been before her soul had been taken from her body.
Brock sank tiredly into the flurries across from Ash and Misty, and May quickly followed suit, plopping down into the snow on his right. After Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder, Max flopped wearily into the white snowflakes with a small groan and unthinkingly leaned his head against his sister's right shoulder. Poochyena leapt gently out of his master's lax arms and was promptly swallowed up to his ears by snow. In May's lap, Togepi trilled for a moment, then let her chirping trail off. The whole group was silent for several long minutes, save for their deep breathing.
After his heart rate had returned to normal, Brock glanced up. Sableye was just joining them, squatting down in the cold flurries to Misty's right. After they had finally arrived in the third main cavern, the giant round grotto with the icy slide along the edge, Sableye had stood at the entrance for what seemed like an eternity, just staring into the tunnel they had come from while the rest of them made it to the middle of the cavern before stopping.
Brock wondered if Sableye was still paranoid about the Haunter. He savagely tried to convince himself that the murderous lavender Ghost- type had been utterly destroyed by the light from Ash and Misty's crystals, and at first, Brock still had a nagging feeling that something still wasn't right. But, after glancing over at Misty, who was turning her crystal over gently in her hand before slipping it back into the pocket of the vest she was wearing, and seeing the tranquil smile on her face, Brock changed his mind. There was no possible way that Haunter would ever be able to come back, not after the intense battling and the brilliant light display. It wasn't possible.
Sableye, however, didn't seem to share this notion. His violet forehead was still creased with wrinkles, and his silver hexagonal eyes were staring down at the snow in deep thought. He swirled the flurries in front of him with a pointed claw. The expression on his face wasn't fear or anxiety, though; Sableye merely looked perplexed. Brock considered asking Sableye's opinion on the matter. But later. Right now, I have much more important things to say to him.
Letting out the breath he had been holding, Brock shot a grin at Sableye, who smiled dryly back after finally looking up from the snow. "I don't even know what to say," Brock finally spoke, after a long moment. Slightly startled, the other people and Pokémon looked up at the breeder, then at Sableye. Brock was shaking his head in amused disbelief. "There are no words I could say to tell you how thankful I am for all of your help."
Immediately, the other four people in the group began to profoundly thank Sableye over and over again, even as the Darkness Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise and he tried to dismiss the enthusiastic praise with raised paws and a shaking head. Brock could tell that Sableye was quite self-conscious and not used to such high compliments. His embarrassed face kept whipping from one person to the next as they thanked him.
"We would have never been able to beat that Haunter without your help!" May insisted.
"Yeah, and your attacks were so awesome, and you knew just the right strategies!" Max said excitedly, his caramel eyes glinting behind his glasses as he sat up straighter.
"Sableye," Ash spoke with a wiry apologetic smile on his face, "Thank you for not giving up on us, even after we didn't leave that last cavern when you told us to."
"And thank you so much for helping us to understand exactly what was going on when that… thing separated us from our bodies," Misty added softly.
As Sableye looked away from Misty, blushing furiously from all of the attention, he found himself face-to-face with the yellow electric mouse. With Sableye squatting in the snow and Pikachu standing on his back paws, the two Pokémon were on the same eye level. For several silent moments, the two Pokémon stared at each other, small black eyes penetrating silver hexagonal ones, before a solemn Pikachu held for a paw with a quiet "Chu."
A short hesitation later, and a violet paw extended to take the yellow one, and the Mouse Pokémon and the Darkness Pokémon shook hands like proper gentleman. However, after a moment, Sableye found Pikachu's short arms around his neck in a tight hug, thanking the half Ghost, half Dark- type with all of his strength. Sableye cautiously embraced the emotional Pokémon back. Yes, he thought, as Pikachu released him, and was suddenly bounding through the snow towards Ash, He and the boy are just like… my master and I. They have the same concern and affection, the same understanding and devotion for each other as we did…as we do, even now…
"Pikachu!" Ash couldn't stop his voice from crying out as his first Pokémon came rushing into his outstretched arms in a blur of yellow fur. As the Electric Pokémon landed in his arms with his own cry of joy, Ash was knocked backwards into the snow with a muffled "Oomph!" Ash could hear the happy laughter of his friends as the nose of his closest Pokémon companion nuzzled his cold cheek and warmth spread across his chest from contact with Pikachu's little electrified body. He had been so sure, so positive that he would never have Pikachu as his battling partner again. And yet, here they were. Cold and worn out for sure, but alive and safe just the same. He held tightly onto Pikachu with both arms wrapped around the Pokémon, as if Pikachu was a stuffed toy, and finally sat up again with many cold snowflakes now stuck to the back of his shirt and his hat.
As the friendly laughter died down, May turned to the other girl of the group. "Hey, Misty," she asked curiously, "I was wondering… how did you know what was going on with you and Ash being ghosts? …How did Sableye tell you things?"
Brock watched in interest as Misty turned her head to the younger girl, short orange hair rustling around her face. Something had definitely changed between the two girls since the day before, for Misty no longer seemed hostile at all. The older girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "Well, mostly, Ash and I found out about our situation through the poem."
"Poem?" Max asked, turning away from watching Poochyena rolling around in a snowdrift. "What poem?"
"There was a poem scratched into the wall," Ash replied, petting the yellow Pokémon that had latched himself possessively onto Ash's black shirt. "It was in the second cavern, though it was so high up on the wall that we didn't see it until we went back to that cavern as spirits."
"That's right," Brock said, remembering, "I saw that something was up there, but we didn't have a chance to see what it was because we had to hurry down to that last cavern."
"By the way, Sableye," Ash said, turning to the Darkness Pokémon, "You wrote the poem yourself, didn't you?" Blinking, Sableye nodded.
"Really?" Max was paying very close attention now.
"Yeah," Ash answered with a nod. "It was a long poem, too. With six verses. …And it rhymed."
"Wow!" The bespectacled boy looked excited at this discovery. "That's awesome Sableye! Then, not only can you read in English, but you can write too!" Nodding meekly, Sableye looked very embarrassed once more. "You're really smart, Sableye!" The violet paws came up once again to dismiss the high compliments as Sableye grinned modestly. Max glanced over at Poochyena, who was lying on his back in the snow and kicking his paws in the air. He knew that the pup wasn't stupid, but… I wish I had a really amazing Pokémon like Sableye. After a moment, Max turned to Ash and Misty. "What was the poem about?" he questioned eagerly.
"Well, it talked about…" Misty thought hard, and realized that she knew most of the words by heart. "It said to not to go any farther into the caverns, even though they're so beautiful, or the 'Evil One', which is Haunter of course, would 'bring you death.'" Misty thought again, and continued, "Then it said that, if the Haunter took your soul from your body, that you had an hour to defeat HIM and break the 'ghostly spell'. If you didn't defeat HIM in an hour, then you would be a spirit… forever."
A collective look of shock came over Brock, May, and Max's faces. There really was a time limit, then… he thought, staring in horrified amazement at Ash and Misty. An hour… only an hour… Wait a minute- Suddenly, Brock realized why Sableye was staring at the snow in such perplexity. There's no way… there's just no way that we defeated Haunter within an hour after Ash and Misty were separated from their bodies. If you consider what Team Rocket said when we found them by the hole outside, then after Ash and Misty became spirits, they must have left the last cavern, found Team Rocket, took those two back to the last cavern, let Team Rocket go, then came all of the way back to the first cavern where they found me, May, and Max. Then, the five of us had to go all of the way back down to the last cavern, where we had that really long battle with Haunter before Ash and Misty were even able to return to their bodies. Brock glanced over at Sableye, who had taken to staring at the large rock positioned against the wall of the cavern. The violet Pokémon seemed to be thinking about the same thing as Brock was again. There's no way that took under an hour to accomplish…
So how are Ash and Misty still alive?
"Only an hour!" Max asked Misty disbelievingly, but Sableye was the one who answered with an uncertain nod of his head. Brock stared at Sableye, then down at the snow blankly. How… how could that work?…
After a moment of heavy silence, May finally prompted, "Did Sableye's poem say anything else?"
"Well," Misty said, "…When we were spirits, we knew that you all wouldn't be able to see or hear us from other lines in the poem, and…"
Suddenly, the last two lines of the fifth verse of the poem made perfect sense in Misty's mind, and Misty felt her face turn hot. 'Only living soul mate hear their ghostly other's call'… Oh my Ho-oh. That's… that's what happened when… when Brock, Ash, and I were all in Lavender Town that time. Ash's soul was out of his body that time, and I was still in mine. And before he went and scared me to death by picking me up off of the ground, I remember hearing a voice saying, 'So Misty, you're really worried about me!' That was Ash, but when I asked Brock if he had heard the voice too, he said he hadn't heard anything. So, according to the poem, I was the only one that could ever hear Ash calling to me if he is out of his body because… we've been soul mates this entire time... Misty knew that her face had to be bright pink now, despite her still-pale skin. …I'm definitely going to have to tell that to Ash later.
"Well?" May's mischievous voice dragged the older girl away from her revelations.
"Eh?" Misty said, her voice high-pitched. May was giving her an all-knowing kind of look, and a sly smile was creeping up on the coordinator's face. Shoot! Now what! "Uh, well… that was really about it for the poem. …It's a really good poem, too, even though it talks about some pretty scary stuff." May raised an eyebrow in mock questioning. Misty's face felt hot.
Abruptly, Brock interjected back into the conversation after obviously not paying attention. "But that's impossible," Brock suddenly said, and everyone turned to him instantly. "…About the hour for a person to return to their body. …It had to have been more than an hour by the time we met Ash and Misty in the first cavern, not to mention everything else that happened after…"
"That's what Misty and I thought, too," Ash said with a nod, feeling Pikachu shiver in his arms with the thought of what might have been. "We were sure that at least an hour had gone by, but…" Ash turned his head to face Sableye, and the others followed suit. However, Sableye was not looking at them, but at the snow in front of him once more.
"Are you sure about that time limit, Sableye?" May asked, wary of sounding distrustful, but Sableye still didn't look up.
"Where did you learn about a time limit, Sableye?" Misty asked in her gentlest voice. Finally, the Darkness Pokémon looked up solemnly and slowly drew a line in the air across his left eye with a pointed claw, mimicking a scar.
"From Haunter HIMSELF?" Brock asked incredulously. Sableye looked away again, but nodded, making Brock feel bad for asking. He could see that Sableye obviously didn't want to bring up the murderous monster if it all possible. I bet… I bet Sableye has been stuck down here with that Haunter for some time… but why he doesn't just leave, I don't know…he could, after all, with his excellent climbing abilities…
"Well, then," May said cautiously, breaking the awkward silence, "Maybe that evil thing lied to you, Sableye. Is that possible?" Sableye shrugged, but Brock could tell that Sableye didn't really think the Ghost- type had lied, though he seemed to be considering it.
Sableye swirled a claw around in the snow again. Maybe… Maybe HE did lie… but that doesn't seem like HIM… But if HE did lie, then… there could have been a chance… there would have been a chance for me to… maybe there is still a chance to… No… Certainly by now it's impossible… after all this time… But maybe Haunter didn't lie, and HE doesn't even know the truth HIMSELF… Maybe HE believes the time limit to be the truth, but it isn't… It could be just another Pokémon fable, told by mother Gengar to small Gastly to keep them from leaving a person's soul out of their body forever should they ever evolve into Haunter with the ability to separate souls and bodies…
"Maybe…" Max thought to himself out loud, "Maybe the time limit was extended because of this environment." When his sister shot him an exasperated-sibling glare, Max insisted, "Well, maybe the time limit has to do with the fact that a person can only be brought back to life for a certain amount of time after their heart stops beating. Usually, a person can only be resurrected up to a few minutes after their heart stops because, after that, their brain cells start to die and rigor mortis sets in-"
"BRAINIAC!" An agitated May felt the need to interrupt her little brother's intelligential lecture, but Max ignored her and went on.
"-but maybe, because it's only the soul that's being taken out by a Haunter, a person's body can be left unattended for up to an hour before all of that dead-body stuff starts to happen," he concluded, internally preening at his well-rounded knowledge.
"But even that doesn't solve how Ash and Misty are still alive right now if the hour was up," Brock retorted thoughtfully. Ash gave a worried glance at Misty, who had seemed to become slightly nauseous at the words 'rigor mortis', making Ash wonder what that meant.
"It does if you take into account the environment like I said," Max responded immediately. "It's all about cryonics."
"WHAT?" May cried out, exasperated. Togepi trilled. "Now you're just making up fancy stuff to say!"
"No, really!" Max replied innocently. "'Cryonics' is a real word! It's the practice of freezing a person who's died of some disease so they can be reawakened in the future when a cure for that disease has been made. It's a relatively new theory and very disputed. A lot of scientists believe it can't work because it's never been successfully done before, but there are some really smart scientists who adamantly believe in it, too. Anyway, it's just like a refrigerator that keeps food from spoiling; these caverns are so cold that the temperature could have extended the amount of time that Ash and Misty's bodies could be uninhabited by their souls before their brain cells start to die and rigor mortis begins."
"That's just gross." May wrinkled her nose, repulsed, then after a moment, peevishly added, "Know-it-all," for good measure.
"It's highly probable, though," Brock reasoned aloud. "It would make sense if we consider the other facts."
It really would make sense, I suppose, Sableye thought, his mind weary with possible truths and contradictions. His eyes wandered to the large rock against the wall, knowing what was entombed underneath it. It is a sure fact that these caverns are cold enough to keep a body preserved. However… if that was true, then… then… then… Oh, I don't know! Sableye felt extraordinarily frustrated. Haunter must have lied, and yet… I still have a strange feeling about all of this… Perhaps I'll never know just exactly why these two humans here were able to become living once more. He glanced around at the group with his silver hexagonal eyes. But I should let them believe what they want… especially as I don't know what to believe myself.
"That would explain why I still feel so numb," Misty muttered darkly, "and why I felt so stiff when I first woke up."
"And for both of you, your skin is still very white," Max added, then turned to Brock, "There's a good possibility that they're both going to get really sick with something like pneumonia from overexposure."
"Oh, great," Ash sighed. Pikachu nestled his warm muzzle beneath Ash's chin.
"It could be worse," Max said quickly, "Instead of pneumonia, you could get bronchitis. I had that once and, ugh, it was horrible beyond reason."
"It's true that you both might get really sick," Brock admitted, then turned to Ash and Misty, "We really need to get you guys out of here soon."
"That sounds great," Misty said, sighing. Ash acquiesced with a nod.
For the exhausted group, the next minute or so was spent helping each other to stand back up again. Pikachu finally released Ash's shirt to go help Max dig his Poochyena out of a particularly high snowdrift. After Brock helped him struggle to his aching feet, Ash held a hand out to help Misty stand up, feeling his cheeks grow a little bit hotter through the numbness of his face. After he and Misty had been restored to their bodies, their flight from Haunter and the last battle with the crystals had pushed his warm thoughts to the back of his mind, but things had started to settle down once more and they were getting ready to leave the caverns, so such thoughts quickly came back into his head.
Taking his hand with a shy smile, Misty tried valiantly to lift herself off of the ground, but her cold legs seemed to be beyond her control at the moment. When Brock had turned his back to them to face May and the others, Ash quickly and surreptitiously leaned down and wrapped his arms around Misty's waist as her arms went around his neck and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, Ash let go and backed up a few paces, an uneasy look visible on his face. A second later, his mind winced at his action. Oh, man, Misty! Please don't think I let go of you so fast because I don't want to touch you! It's just that… I'm… well, nervous about everything, about us, and then the others, and I don't know what to do yet, what to say, how to act… However, Misty had released him just as fast and had looked away from him, the skin under her eyes now vivid pink, and Ash realized that she was obviously thinking the same thing as he was and was not offended by his actions one bit.
After helping a lethargic May to her feet (which ended up being quite the feat), Brock glanced around and saw the strangely jittery looks on Ash and Misty's faces, and was about to ask what was wrong, but his attention was instead caught by the look in Max's eyes. The bespectacled boy's face had become rather drawn, and his caramel eyes were staring at Sableye with a mixture of quiet uncertainty and desperate pleading. The Darkness Pokémon did not seem to know that he was being watched; he had stood up with the rest of them, but his silver hexagonal eyes were fixed on some point in space in deep thought. Brock coughed quietly to catch the young boy's attention and as Max glanced around, slightly startled, Brock raised an eyebrow and tilted his head at Sableye. Max looked embarrassed, but Brock nodded at him with a small smile on his face. I know what you want to say, Max, so go for it… my advice is to go ahead and ask, because this will be your last chance… you should know that already, after hearing the way you advised me last night on worrying about what choices to make…
Max turned his head slowly to face Sableye again, nervousness in his eyes. After a moment, though, he seemed to resolve himself somewhat, and he apprehensively cleared his throat just loud enough for Sableye to hear. Sableye turned his face to Max blankly, and tilted his head in question. Max bit his lip gently, but finally spoke quietly, "Uh, Sableye, could I ask you an… an important question?"
The whole group, person and Pokémon alike, turned to face Max, curious looks on their faces, and Brock saw the young boy become even more nervous. After a moment, Sableye nodded, despite the fact that the Darkness Pokémon seemed a bit wary about what Max might ask about.
"Um, well…" Max's eyes shifted to the snow, the walls, anything but Sableye, "I was wondering… if… maybe… if maybe you would… Do you think that… Do you think that you might want to come with us, Sableye?"
The violet Pokémon's eyes widened, clearly not expecting this question. Ash, Misty, and May's eyes widened in surprise as well, but they all immediately grinned in agreement, and Brock almost chuckled at their enthusiasm as he grinned himself. Pikachu's ears perked up, Togepi waved her tiny paws, and Poochyena yipped.
"What I mean to say," Max continued, rushing his words and finally looking Sableye in the eyes, "is that I was hoping that maybe, if you wanted to, you could come along with us on our journey. I mean, you would definitely be welcome and all, especially since you helped Ash and Misty to get their souls back in their bodies and helped us battle that evil thing in the last cavern. And all of our Pokémon would definitely love for you to come with us, too. You'd fit right in with us, Sableye. And you could… you could…" He faltered, biting his lip nervously.
"Yeah!" May said in excitement, and Togepi trilled in her arms, "That'd be so cool! And you could be Max's Pokémon, too, because-"
"Stop it, sis!" Max yelled at his older sibling, face flushed in embarrassment. Turning back and seeing Sableye's rather quizzical look, Max shyly explained, "…Well, you see, Sableye, I only have Poochyena right now-" The pup barked. "-and I'm not really allowed to have Pokémon to battle with yet, because I'm two years too young, so Poochyena is like my pet. But when I'm old enough to be a trainer, I'm hoping to train a team of all Dark- type Pokémon, because I think they're just the coolest, and so Poochyena'd be my first Dark- type Pokémon. But since you're part Dark- type, and you don't have a trainer, and you're down here all by yourself, I thought maybe… you'd like to come with me… and be part of my Pokémon team in the future…" Max's voice had gained a desperate tone. "…You're already so good at battling, and so strong… but I promise that I'll be the best trainer I can be, and I wouldn't put you in a Pokéball if you didn't want me to, and we could… be best friends…"
A sense of enthusiastic anticipation filled the members of the group. The last Pokémon that had joined their group had been Poochyena, and that had been a while ago.
However, the Darkness Pokémon was feeling anything but excited.
Sableye felt his bottom lip throbbing from where his razor sharp teeth were biting into it. The thing is, young Max… I… I do already have a trainer, and I am not completely down in these caverns by myself… If only… If only I was a wild Pokémon… If I had never know what it felt like to become attached to one human being the way I am now… I would come with you, all of you, without a second thought… All of you are such wonderful people and Pokémon that I would love to get to know better and to be best friends with… but… I…
His mind told him he was truly free. He was, technically and by all definition, wild. His master had died, and with his death, Sableye had been freed of his unspoken obligations to serve him. Though he had stayed in the caverns with the remains of his master so far, he knew that he could go now, live in the wild or even find a new trainer. He had promised himself that he would not leave until he had stopped Haunter, and now, Haunter had been stopped and the goal attained.
And yet, his heart told him he was not free; he would never be free from his beloved bondage. He remembered stories, in books that his master had read him and that he had read himself, about the fabulous Pokémon of old, Pokémon who lived - and died - by the rules of chivalry and devotion. He knew of Meowth and Delcatty that would be buried alive with their deceased masters by their own choice, back in the days of pyramids and mummies. He knew of Growlithe and Houndour that stayed by their master in combat even if it cost them their lives during the Johtoian Wars. He knew of Ninetales that would faithfully watch over their master's mansion while their master went away, and that continued to stand guard though their master never returned even after centuries had passed. He knew the many stories about those kinds of Pokémon, devoted and loyal to their masters, their precious humans, even when their masters were no longer with them and the Pokémon was free to live its own life.
And Sableye knew that he was one of those Pokémon.
Slowly, he shook his head. He couldn't leave.
A hoarse noise escaped Max's throat. "You… don't want…"
Quickly, a flustered Sableye held up his claws. Please… please don't take it the wrong way!
"You do want to come with us," Ash suddenly spoke up, "but… you can't?" Cautiously, Sableye nodded.
"BUT… BUT… WHY NOT!" Max cried out suddenly, startling everyone, and May was surprised to find tears in the corners of her brother's caramel eyes. While it was true that it was not often that a Pokémon refused to join their group when asked, it had happened before, and May found herself a bit upset at her brother. He should know good and well that it was not possible for every Pokémon they met to join them for one reason or another; sometimes, the Pokémon had promises to uphold to others, duties that had not yet been fulfilled, another trainer already that the group had yet to meet, or sometimes they simply wanted to remain free. This same thing had happened to Max during the Jirachi incident, but maybe, May suddenly considered, the fact that he was not able to keep an awesome Pokémon and friend like Jirachi was the reason that he seemed more upset than she would have thought he would be. After all, Max had clearly become adamant that he wanted an all Dark- type team, and this awesome Sableye fit the bill perfectly.
May tried to soothe her trembling younger brother by placing a hand gently on his shoulder and speaking softly. "Max, don't cry. He's not trying to hurt your feel-"
"You don't understand!" Max yelled at her suddenly, his forehead wrinkled in stress. "You don't understand! Why…" His face turned slowly back to face Sableye, and saw that the violet Pokémon was looking quite distressed and sorrowful. Suddenly, Max felt ashamed, and he bit his lip and stared morosely at the snow. He didn't want to act like a spoiled brat, not the way he had used to before he and May had joined the group. Still, he couldn't keep from quietly asking, "You… You're not forced to stay in these caverns, are you, Sableye? I mean, no one's keeping you here, right?"
Sableye shook his head as if he wasn't sure of how to answer, but his long glance over his shoulder at the tunnel that would lead him back to the last cavern told them what they needed to know. The only one keeping Sableye here is himself. He's not finished with something yet, Brock thought, crossing his arms silently. There is something that Sableye doesn't want to leave undone…
Poor Max. Misty looked at the downcast boy in sympathy. But I know what it must be like for Sableye: to want to go with someone and be with them, but not being able to because you have other responsibilities and things to attend to. It's like when I was stuck being gym leader at the Cerulean City gym, while Ash went on to Hoenn without the rest of us… It was absolutely horrible, but if I had not been the gym leader, so many other trainers would have never been able to battle for badges to get into the Pokémon league. She exchanged a look with Ash; they seemed to be thinking the same thing. Ash glanced back at Sableye and Max standing quietly in the snow. I wish Sableye had said 'yes', but… for some reason, I had a feeling that he would say 'no'.
I… I just can't… I'm sorry, Max… And I know you'll be a good trainer someday… Sableye tried to smile at Max, and the bespectacled boy smiled back, though the smile was small and reluctant. I… my master still needs me, and he always will… And I must check on Shuppet to make sure that it… she… is okay after the battle… and…
"Okay, then," Max finally spoke, resolute but quiet. "Well… I hope… that… You take care of yourself, okay, Sableye? …And take care of all of those Shuppet in the last cavern, too." The violet Pokémon nodded seriously. "Good." The moment of silence that followed was awkward for all of them.
"…We… better be off now, guys," Brock said quietly, shifting his backpack restlessly. "I really want to get you two, Ash and Misty, to a hospital or Pokémon Center to check for any problems that the coldness of these caverns might have caused for your health."
"Yeah," Ash nodded, and turning to the Darkness Pokémon, "Goodbye, Sableye. Thank you so much for everything."
"Yes," Misty went to Sableye and gave him a quick hug, which he returned shyly. "Thank you so much for saving me and Ash. We'll never forget you."
"That's right," May chirped, "We'll never forget you, ever! Good luck with… whatever you do from now on!"
"Goodbye, Sableye!" Max finally called out, hesitantly smiling and waving as the Darkness Pokémon began to back away from the group. The rest of the group began to furiously wave, too, and with an embarrassed grin, Sableye waved back, then turned towards the exit to the ice-floored tunnels and began to walk away.
Brock was about to shout a farewell himself, when he suddenly remembered what he had wanted to ask earlier. "Hey, Sableye!" he called out quickly, and Sableye paused and glanced over his shoulder. Brock was silent for a moment, his eyes lingering on the image of the lanky violet Darkness Pokémon standing against the background of all white. The jewels on Sableye's back glinted in the light. I understand Max's disappointment… Everything about Sableye is so unique… his tall body, his intelligence, his battling strength, and, most of all, his courage and heroism… He's anything but ordinary… Brock thought around for the easiest way to phrase his question, but finding none, he simply asked. "Sableye, do you think… that Haunter's gone for good?"
The slight intakes of breath around him made Brock realize that the others had seemed to have had no doubts that Haunter had been completely eliminated. He watched Sableye's silver hexagonal eyes, and could see that the Pokémon was thinking hard.
No. HE is not. …The Evil One is not gone for good… We have stopped HIM, but only for the time being… For a moment, after HE disappeared during the crystals' light display, I had thought that HIS weakness had been so great that it had completely and utterly destroyed HIM… But I have this feeling… nothing more than a weird feeling… but it's enough to convince me that HE is still alive somehow… hiding somewhere, trying to recover from HIS blindness… HE is somewhere in these caverns, I know it, because, between the time of Noctowl's attack and the time of the light display, it is possible that the effects of Foresight could have worn off enough for HIM to Teleport just one time. It would have been enough to get HIM out of the fray… But… Sableye glanced around at the group, all of their eyes on him.
They need to leave this cold environment, for their health' sake… so they need never know HE is not completely gone. They did their part in my war against HIM. They exposed HIS ultimate weakness and have left HIM helpless… In the least, I will redouble my efforts to learn more about HIM. Whatever else happens, I want to know just what it is that is driving HIS madness… and where that scar across HIS eye came from… But if I can hunt HIM down, surely I will be able to destroy HIM myself… or at least keep HIM at bay. After all, if one can keep Evil from gaining power, it may never regain control, so all of this group's struggles will not be in vain… It will all be worth it, however my warfare against Haunter concludes. Sableye's eyes trailed across each member of the party silently. Then, he smiled, showing just a bit of his razor teeth, and shrugged noncommittally. After a moment, all five of the humans smiled back, warily at first, then genuinely. Max began to furiously wave once more, and the others followed suit, as Sableye turned away and continued through the snow and into the tunnel away from them.
"Goodbye. Thanks again, Sableye, and take care," Brock said quietly whispered to himself like a prayer, and waved until the only image of Sableye left was the one locked in their memories.
The giant cavern was completely silent for several minutes, each person lost in their own thoughts. Thoughts about Sableye, about Haunter, about the poem and what they had learned from it, about the crystalfall, about the caverns, about the long battle with HIM, and (for two members of the group) about their soulmate drifted through their minds as they stood in the calm after the storm of commotion, eyes staring out blankly at the marble-patterned walls around them.
The serenity of the moment caused Misty to momentarily forget that only she and Ash knew of the changes that had occurred between them while resting on the crystalfall as spirits; feeling Ash's presence very close behind her, she let herself lean back gently until her back touched his chest and she rested that way, her face warm and her lips smiling happily. Ash seemed to forget the others' unknowingness, too, and let his right hand gently rest on her waist to stead her from causing them to lean too far and fall down. Pikachu, standing in the snow next to his master, just happened to glance up and catch sight of the pair. The Electric Pokémon's ears pinned back in question, and he cocked his head, innocently perplexed. The two were acting extremely unusual.
As she stared out at the cavern, May mindlessly hugged her crossed arms closer to her body, but quickly came back into the moment as she heard a short trill. Glancing down, she realized that she still held Misty's Togepi in her arms; so much had been going on that May hadn't had a chance to give the baby Pokémon back to her trainer yet. As she turned to Misty to apologize for not returning Togepi sooner, her voice caught in her throat and, for once, she was entirely speechless.
As Misty continued to lean against Ash and as both stayed unaware of the younger girl's stare, May's eyebrows rose in amazement, and not long after, a sneaky grin began to creep onto her face. Ah… well what have we here? This is quite a turn of events… Obviously, Brock, Max, and I have missed something MAJOR while the group was separated… What have they been up to, eh? Her sneaky grin grew more mischievous. …Hmmm… Did I even really have to tell Misty about my loving Brendan and not Ash? Those two seem to be getting along a lot better right now… a whole lot! Look how she's leaning against him… Oh, it's so cute! I wish I had a camera! Did something finally happen between you two, Misty? It must have! 'Been cuddling up against the cold down here, eh? May didn't know how right she was.
A quick glance told May that, besides herself and Pikachu, no one seemed to have spotted the pair's unusual position, and because May had suddenly found herself in an impish sort of mood, she felt it her utmost obligation and duty to call attention to the abnormality. "Hey, Misty!" May called out, her voice dripping with innocence as she took a step towards the girl, "I'm sorry! I forgot that I was still holding Togepi for you…"
The effect was swift and jolting. Immediately, both Ash and Misty's faces whipped around towards May and identical looks of surprise crossed their features. Misty bolted away from Ash's half-embrace as if she had been hit by a rogue Thundershock, and Ash's right hand snapped back to his side as if he'd been stung. Misty watched in horror as May's eyebrows rose and a small playful smile came to her lips. Ash froze, like a Stantler in headlights. Beside him, Pikachu cocked his head in the opposite direction and quietly questioned, "Chu?"
Brock and Max had both turned around to face the others at May's question, but neither had seen the scene that had prompted May's actions. However, Brock was sure he had caught some kind of flurried movement out of the corner of his eye. Max glanced at his sister's face, and his own eyebrows rose in mild fear. …Oh, boy… Whatever just happened must have been something she really liked… That smile of hers always scares me to death, because you never know just what it is she's thinking or getting ready to do… and it's usually not something good for whoever she's smiling at…
Brock looked as if he was getting ready to say something, but May beat him to the punch. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I interrupt something?"
After a moment of unintelligible sputtering, Misty was just able to get out a quick "no" before her voice failed her altogether.
May walked up to Misty with Togepi held out for the older girl to take, her smile growing more mischievous by the second, if that were possible. "Here you go then, Misty!" Misty took her baby Pokémon and clutched her to her chest tightly, her eyes still wide and the skin beneath her eyes slightly pink. Togepi trilled happily at the reunion, but all of Misty's attention was focused on May's scrutinizing eyes, which narrowed then widened in mild surprise at the discovery she had strangely just uncovered. May glanced back up into Misty's eyes and said, with a slightly more teasing tone to her voice, "I like your… change in outfit, by the way. It seems to suit you."
Misty's pink face suddenly started to grow bright red. Ash felt his own face heat up, too. He had totally forgotten that Misty was still wearing his vest and that her hair usually wasn't out of its ponytail the way it was at the moment. Glancing at the others nervously, Ash caught Brock's expression change from mild confusion to disbelieving at what he had obviously just recognized, then to dubious optimism. Max just stared in mystification.
Ash started as May's attention suddenly went to himself. "I suppose you were being quite the gentleman by letting Misty borrow your vest to keep warm, right, Ash? Seeing as it's so cold down here and all, of course."
Ash opened his mouth but nothing came out as his mind was totally blank. Somehow, Misty was able to get out a shaky "Yes, that's right" before her power of speaking failed her once more.
"Uh-huh." May spoke, her voice obviously tinged with unbelief. She continued to smile cheekily. "And I suppose you simply decided to, uh… let your hair down because it was cold, right?" Though both comments were actually true, Misty felt as if her cheeks were about to spontaneously combust. Shifting Togepi to her right arm, she unconsciously fingered a strand of her lose hair with her left hand and nodded shakily at May's last question.
"So… you didn't just let your hair down because, maybe, someone else liked it that way, eh?" May was internally dying with laughter at the emotions her comments were bringing to Misty's face. "Because it is rather pretty down and all." Ash looked as if he might finally be trying to say something, but May quickly threw another question in his direction. "Don't you think so, Ash?"
Brock watched as Ash's cheeks grew as scarlet as Pikachu's. Though he was almost unwilling to believe that something might have changed between Ash and Misty during their absence, May's questioning seemed to be evoking all the right responses out of the two. Max just stared in mystification.
"Okay, what happened?" Brock was suddenly giving them both severe looks, though his cautious excitement seemed to be about to get the best of him.
Misty's face was so red by now that Ash was actually concerned that she might faint under all of the pressure. She seemed to be searching for words, but as she had been doing just that for the past several minutes under May's interrogation, she seemed to not be coming up with anything anymore, not even a syllable. Ash figured it was probably his turn to say something, and that they should probably go ahead and explain everything anyway, so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached for Misty, took her left hand in his right, and stated calmly and quickly to the rest of the group, "Misty is my girlfriend."
Everything erupted.
"I KNEW IT! I JUST KNEW IT!" This came from May, who had clapped her hands together in excitement and was now grinning exuberantly. Pikachu leapt onto Ash shoulder with a joyful cry and nuzzled his trainer's cheek with a little muzzle in approval of the turn of events, which pleased Ash; he had hoped that Pikachu would approve. Poochyena began to bark excitedly, though the pup didn't really understand why everyone had become so happy all of a sudden. Max just stared in mystification.
"I. Can. Not. Believe. This." This came from a stunned Brock. "…After all this time… AND I MISSED IT!" Ash and Misty almost fell over backwards as Brock rushed them, grabbing Ash's left shoulder and Misty's right shoulder and mildly shaking the both of them. "HOW COULD YOU TWO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO ME!"
"Wha…?" Misty managed to speak, blinking in embarrassment, as Togepi trilled intensely in her arms despite her lack of understanding the situation.
"How could you two get together without me there to be able to watch!" Brock whined loudly. "That's so unfair! And with no warning, either!"
Suddenly, Misty became irate. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"
"It means that I've been waiting for YEARS for this to happen!" Brock cried, throwing out his hands wide. "Kanto, Johto, and now Hoenn! All this time I've been waiting for you two to get it together and fess up, and then you both finally come to your senses while you're stuck in an underground cavern and I don't get to see that single moment of confession!"
"Well, it wasn't much to see," Misty muttered mostly to herself, despite the fact that this was false. Max just stared in mystification.
"What do you mean, years?" Ash asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"I mean, YEARS! I knew this day was coming for ages, what with the way you two always argued and flirted with each other all over the place and-"
"Flirted?" Ash glanced at Misty. Catching his eye, Misty's face, which had died down to a light pink, suddenly grew a bit red again. Ash felt himself blush once more. There was obviously a lot that both of them had to talk about concerning all of the previous time they had spent together as 'just friends'. Turning back to Brock before his blush grew any redder, he asked, "Well… why would you think that me and Misty would… Why would all of our fights make you think that…"
"Oh, Ash," May suddenly butted in, crossing her arms and shaking her head like an exasperated mother. "It's very obvious. The more two people argue, the more likely it is that they really care about one another." Seeing that Ash was probably about to question this, she continued, "I mean, why would two people spend so many hours arguing about trivial things if they didn't care about what the other person thought? It's really just another way of spending quality time with that person. I mean, I argue with Max a lot because I love him because he's my brother. Isn't that right, Max?" There was no reply. May suddenly glanced around for her younger sibling, finally spotting him and noticing that he hadn't moved in a while. "Max?"
Max just stared in mystification.
"What…" May saw his caramel eyes shooting back and forth between Ash and Misty.
Suddenly, he spoke. "I… don't get it."
May sighed and resumed her exasperated-mother pose as Ash and Misty exchanged a bemused glance. "It's very simple, Max. Ash and Misty finally realized how much they really care about each other, and now they are boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Oh." Max seemed to nod his head a bit. Then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide. "WHAT!"
May laughed.
"All right, you two," Brock said, positively beaming though he was wagging a stern finger in Ash and Misty's faces. "It's explanation time! I want to hear a full report with as much detail as possible of all of the events that took place while the rest of us weren't here, starting with all of us leaving the campsite to play Brace Hide-And-Seek. And after that," Brock tilted his head and eyed them with mock suspicion, "the three of us are going to have a nice, long discussion on proper conduct between boyfriends and girlfriends, or I'll never be able to leave you two alone again-"
"Brock!" Misty yelled in outrage, her face growing scarlet. Ash had the sense to at least look contrite, despite not entirely understanding why he should be offended.
Max just stared in horror. "WHAT!"
Misty continued her tirade. "And what do you know about proper conduct between boyfriends and girlfriends, Mr. I-Declare-My-Undying-Love-For-Every-Pretty-Older-Girl-I-Meet?"
Brock's face fell.
May's eyebrows went up. "Oooo. Harsh."
Max just stared in horror. "WHAT!"
And then, Ash's stomach growled loudly. The rest of the group turned to him in question, and he chuckled nervously, his hand on his middle. "Well," he admitted apologetically, "I haven't eaten since that soup you made around the campfire, Brock, and we've been through a lot since then." Misty suddenly realized how hungry she was herself; sitting by that fire with her mind tore up about her suspicions of May seemed to have occurred lifetimes ago, and now, she mentally chided herself for have only eaten half of her soup.
"That's right! You two haven't eaten since last night!" Brock had forgotten. "Well, then, there's no more time to waste, standing around talking about everything. We need to get out of these caverns, then I'll get everyone – especially you two – something to eat, and then we'll find the quickest route to Fortree so I can get both of you to a hospital or Pokémon Center." He quickly motioned them toward the end of the icy slide that ran the cavern's perimeter. "You two can tell the rest of us about everything as we go!"
Ash and Misty, carrying Pikachu and Togepi respectively, gladly followed Brock as the eldest of the group made his way through the thick flurries toward the slide. Poochyena quickly took the lead, bounded about gleefully ahead of them and circling back to urge them on quicker. As Max just stared in horror and cried "WHAT!" while his eyes stared at Ash and Misty, his sister had to grab him around the wrist with her Kingler-like grip and pull him after the others.
As they walked, Misty leaned in towards Ash. "'Girlfriend'?" She questioned in a whisper, an eyebrow raised playfully. Ash remembered how he had explained their new relationship to the others with one sentence.
"Well, at the moment, it was a lot easier to explain than 'soulmate'," Ash whispered back. Misty understood and nodded, her aquatic eyes glinting in happiness and contentment. "They'll understand in time, won't they, Mist?"
"Mmhmm," Misty nodded, her mood becoming almost as bubbly as May's usually was. Unobtrusively, she slipped one of her hands into Ash's, and he didn't reject it. It seemed, in both of their subconscious minds, as if holding hands as they walked side by side would soon become their favorite sign of mutual affection; both felt quite comfortable with that form of physical contact, as it wasn't too much or too little. Misty could hear the loosely-suppressed gleeful giggles of the younger girl walking behind her, knowing they were aimed at herself and Ash, but Misty only smiled to herself. Ah, May. It's not as if there isn't someone you would like to hold hands with yourself… And don't you think that I'm not going to do anything about that, either. I'm already starting to have a plan in mind…
After reaching the slide, May and Max finally realized that they were still carrying Misty and Ash's backpacks, along with their Pokémon, and quickly restored the packs to their rightful owners. Ash saw a glimmer of disappointment cross Max's face, just for a split second, as the bespectacled boy handed Ash's Pokéball belt back to him, and Ash could see that Sableye was still on Max's mind. Most likely, Sableye will be on Max's mind for a while. Luckily, Max became distracted once more from his thoughts of the Darkness Pokémon as he resumed his staring in horror at both Ash and Misty, as if they had both caught some terrible disease.
Then, the group spent a minute or two figuring out a plan and finally decided that using Brock's Onix would be the best way to get them up to the level where the slide originated, especially seeing as Onix had been unable to participate in the battle with Haunter and was not tired. Releasing the large, lengthy Rock- type, Brock instructed Onix to allow one member of the group to hold on to the horn on his head at a time and raise them up like an elevator to the top. Onix performed with contented obedience, and soon, the group was giving one last look to the third cavern far below them. Then, recalling Onix and retrieving one of the three Escape Ropes that James had given him before he had jumped down the hole to the waiting caverns below, Brock released the rope and, shortly thereafter, the group was once again in the second cavern.
As they walked through the snow, Brock forced Ash and Misty into relating their journey from the campsite to their accidental finding of the cavern to their trip down to the third cavern. Occasionally, Brock or May would interject a comment on what the rest of the group had probably been doing at the same time as something else occurred, but otherwise, Ash and Misty's voices were the only ones sounding as they helped each other to remember exactly what had happened. Sometimes, in the background, they would hear a voice crying "WHAT!" in a horrified manner, but by now, the others dismissed it. As they passed the poem scratched high on the wall, Misty couldn't help but smile sadly and hold Ash's hand just a little bit tighter. Sableye had done so much for them; she wished that they would have been able to do more for him.
Strangely, the hole in the high ceiling that led to the first cavern came upon them a lot quicker than it had previously. As they made it into the first cavern and stopped for a moment at Ash and Misty's instructions to check for any signs of an unstable chasing Sneasel, May begged Ash and Misty to hurry up with their tale and get to the mushy parts, at which Max just stared in horror and once again cried "WHAT!"
Though they continued to relate their journey down to the last cavern, their first meeting with Haunter, and all that came after that before the group had been reunited once more, Ash and Misty used every vague reference and quick overview they could to avoid talking about the small, intimate moments they had shared. Ash stumbled over the describing of their sleeping positions the night before and Misty took a considerable amount of time finding a way around talking about Ash's possession of her handkerchief, while Brock gave them both a highly suspicious look each time either one stuttered. Both entirely skipped over their resting on the crystalfall and the following events, though May clearly pointed out the fact that their confessions had been missing from the story once they had finished. Ash and Misty remained tight-lipped on the matter, though May was internally determined to pry such exhilarating information from the older girl's lips sooner or later (hopefully, sooner than later, of course). Max just stared in horror.
Brock and May completed the story for their group so that the entire party was up-to-date, just as they reached the hole in the ceiling that would, finally, lead them back to the surface of the earth. And, as the group stared about in silence and the two soulmates dropped hands, Ash felt himself grow rather sad. Despite all of the treacherous events that had taken place down in these caverns, he had also formed so many good memories: his meeting the remarkable Sableye, his alone-time with Misty, and his exploring of the most beautiful grotto in the world. Like a hallway in a vast cathedral, this first cavern stretched out a long way before and behind him, the walls jagged and marble-patterned, the silvery gray-and-white of the stone, the dripping stalactites high above, the settled snow rolled up against the walls like waves in the tide. I'll miss it… But then, feeling Pikachu's tiny claws sinking a bit into his shoulder, Ash smiled. He had been cold long enough, and his stomach felt as if it were about to come out of his body to strangle him. With a short chuckle that was almost a sigh, Ash took Misty's hand once more and turned to Brock. "Let's go."
"Let's go, you's two, and I's means it. Really."
Meowth shuttered, his anxiety winning over his frustration at the fact that his two partners-in-crime were currently not listening to his reasoning. He sighed heavy-heartedly, and took the slightest peek at the black hole a few inches from his paws. As if he hadn't already sat by this hole in the blazing hot sun, sweating near to death and waiting for Jesse and James to come back from their little traipse in the underground snow; now, he had been stationed to sit by the hole once more and watch for any signs of movement, commanded by James of all people! Seeing as it had not been Jesse that had done the talking, this order was quite a bizarre event in itself, never mind the fact that Team Rocket should have been halfway to Fortree City by now.
It had not taken too long for the silent and stunned trio to find the place where they had staked down their hot air balloon in the forest. Once arriving, Jesse and James had simply gone about their tasks of preparing for take-off without a word, even as Meowth didn't help and simply stood around to watch them. Meowth still could not entirely get it through his head that the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp were history, but if it had been a hoax used to get the rest of the twerps and their livid Pokémon off of their case to earn a chance to escape, Jesse and James wouldn't still be acting the way they were at the moment. And Meowth hadn't forgotten the looks on their faces, dull but afraid with exhaustion and terror, after they had climbed out of the hole in the ground themselves.
The whole "they're dead" thing was just beginning to sink in for the talking Pokémon when the hot air balloon was suddenly ready to fly, and the trio promptly got in the basket, again without a word. Rising high above the treetops to a comfortable level below the summer clouds, Meowth gripped the edge of the basket tensely with sharp claws, staring down into the forest and waiting for Jesse to make the adjustments to head them toward their next destination. Then, someone finally spoke. It was James, and when he did, it was in one of the most quietly determined voices Meowth had ever heard from James before. "Jesse… please. …We need to go back."
For a moment, the sapphire eyes and emerald eyes of the two humans in the hot air balloon were locked. Meowth watched his two motionless and silent partners anxiously. Jesse was the first one to break the stare, turning around to make the necessary directional changes to the balloon to set their course, and slowly, it dawned on Meowth that she was not setting their course for Fortree. She was turning the balloon in the direction of the middle of the forest of Route 119, back towards the hole in the ground.
No matter how much Meowth protested, neither of the other two yielded. He yelled at them that they needed to make a getaway before they got caught by some Officer Jenny in their Team Rocket uniforms, that they might end up with the same fate as the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp if indeed those two were no longer among the living, and so on. He even threatened to call the boss and report that the two of them were going out of their way to help their quarry of all things, though Meowth knew this was an idle threat. What didn't bode well for Jesse and James wouldn't bode well for Meowth either, what with their being a team and all.
It wasn't very long before the hot air balloon touched down in the meadow, a few yards from the foreboding hole in the ground. Jesse and James seemed to have both returned to silence, except for James' command to watch for anything coming out of the hole. When Meowth started to protest this, the grim look on James' face as he stared at Meowth was frightening enough to make the talking Pokémon shudder. Meowth had sat down quietly by the hole after that, watching the two humans stake the balloon to the ground once more.
However, Meowth was no longer feeling as tolerant and indulgent as he had been earlier. They had been here for what felt like hours, which it just might have been, for the sun was getting ready to go down. Meowth was now repeatedly begging Jesse and James to listen to reason as they both stood leaning against the basket of the hot air balloon, their eyes flicking back and forth from their surroundings to the hole every now and then. Both still wore identical austere expressions on their faces and had crossed their arms, making them look on the defensive. And both were still clearly ignoring him.
With a sigh, Meowth focused his attention on trying to persuade the human that was most likely to give up this stakeout quicker. "Jesse, come ons! Geesh, you's knows this is just a waste of ours time. We's needs to go. Now. Before something really bads happens!" Finally, Jesse's eyes seemed to glance at the whining Pokémon, and Meowth caught the brief look that crossed her face. Jesse was becoming impatient herself, making Meowth wonder why she hadn't blown up yet; Jesse was never one to wait for anything, much less wait around for hours to stare at a hole when they might be able to make it to a comfy bed in the next city before nightfall.
Jesse looked as if she were about to say something, but Meowth saw her eyes glance over at her partner just for a second. Then, she closed her mouth; Meowth could see why. James was shooting both of them, him and Jesse, a dirty look of the intensity that Meowth hadn't known that the boy possessed. Promptly, Jesse turned back to Meowth and informed him snottily, "No."
Once again a sigh escaped the frustrated Pokémon's mouth. Jesse sighed to herself. Meowth had a point, a very good and valid point. They really shouldn't be here anymore. And yet, Jesse thought, shooting a clandestine glance in her partner's direction, James has a good point, too. Her sapphire eyes went to the hole in the ground. I mean… this is the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp we're talking about… and James is even convinced that those twerps were going to somehow end up with each other someday… How many times have the Twerps helped us, after all? Not as many as the times they've made things worse for us, for sure, but plenty of times anyway. And it's not like we haven't helped the Twerps before ourselves, when helping would benefit us, too, of course. So what's the big deal now? …We should have… James was right, down when we were in that last cavern. We really should have taken the Twerps' bodies with us, even though that horrid Haunter was right behind us… I feel so… guilty about it… and I rarely feel guilty about anything…
Oh, Ho-oh… James stared at the hole, trying to keep a look of sad distress from disrupting the stern expression on his face. …Please let… the other Twerps be all right… If the Main Tw- oh, what the heck. If Ash and Misty are really… dead… I hope that their ghosts will be able to find peace. But please, let the others at least be all right. James switched his weight slowly from one foot to the other. I know that, if Brock and the others make it back anytime soon, they'll need our help for sure. They'll bring Ash and Misty's bodies with them, I know it, and then they won't be able to take them anywhere without transportation. It will be the least we can do after leaving their bodies down there ourselves, the very least…
Meowth glanced around at both of his partners again. Neither were to be persuaded, it seemed. With a grumble in the back of his throat, Meowth settled in, wondering if James would threaten him with those emerald eyes again if he lay down in the dusty grass to keep watch. Then, Meowth's sensitive ears picked up a sound, a whirling sound that Meowth had heard already today. Immediately, he was up on his feet and backing away from the hole as the whirling sound grew closer and turned into a whoosh. Jesse and James quickly stood up straighter, all eyes on the hole. Suddenly, a grapple hook connected to a rope came flying out of the hole and lodged itself firmly in the ground. "The Twerps…" The words escaped Jesse's mouth without her notice.
James stepped closer to the hole, watching the rope pull taunt and sway slightly. Someone was coming up. He tried to steel himself in his mind for what he was about to see, the image of Ash and Misty's bodies lying pale and motionless on the ice flashing before his eyes. As several moments passed, the group remained quiet, watching the hole anxiously. James felt a slight touch on his shoulder, both holding him back from running to the hole and slightly comforting him at the same time. Meowth found that his heart was beating fast in his chest.
Suddenly, a hand appeared over the side of the hole to grasp at the earth.
A whitish-toned hand wearing a fingerless glove.
"…Huh…?" The noise of confusion came from both Jesse and James.
Then, up popped a black-haired head wearing a Pokémon League hat.
"GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The two human members of Team Rocket quickly retreated back to their basket. Meowth stepped backwards a pace, eyes wide as he watched the Main Twerp, Pikachu clinging to the top of the pack on his back, pull himself up and out of the hole. Jesse and James continue to scream and cling to each other in fear, but the Main Twerp ignored them, simply reaching back down into the hole and grabbing onto another pale hand. Soon, the Main Female Twerp emerged from the hole, Togepi's little head sticking out of the top of her red satchel, and within minutes, every member of Team Twerp was sitting on the ground around the hole, breathing heavily from exertion…
Every one of them was alive and well.
"YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" James' voice had shot up an octave.
The Main Twerp suddenly turned his head around to face Jesse and James, as if just realizing that they were there. "…Team Rocket?"
The Cooking Twerp looked up at this question and saw the stunned trio and their staked-down hot air balloon. "What are you three still doing here?"
"I's would likes to know that, too!" Meowth suddenly exploded, and his eyes shot daggers at his two partners-in-crime, who were still staring at the group in disbelief. "You's twos said those two Twerps were toast!"
"B- but, they were!" Jesse managed to get out in a stammer, unconsciously releasing her hold on James. She saw the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp exchange a puzzled glance, eyebrows raised. They're not dead… I don't believe it. But James and I, we saw… we saw… They were moving and breathing though, despite the fact that both of their skin was still creamy in color and the Main Female Twerp had a nasty looking cut across her forehead.
"YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" Once again, James' high-pitched question was ignored, even as he took several steps closer to them to get a better look.
The Mini Twerp was suddenly yelling at Meowth indignantly. "No, Ash and Misty are not TOAST! They're fine, no thanks to you three!"
"Yeah!" the Second Female Twerp managed to add.
"Hey!" Suddenly, James had grown somewhat indignant himself, despite the fact that he was still looking at the formerly deceased Twerps warily. "We tried to help, all right! We told you about their bodies down there in that last cavern, didn't we? You would never have found them if we hadn't have told you!"
As the Main Twerp turned to the others to explain that this was true and that Team Rocket had also supplied them with Escape Ropes among other things so that they would be able to get out, Jesse watched in amazement. Suddenly, she felt a heavy weight on her left shoulder and looked around to stare in irritation at the Meowth that had landed there. "Come ons, Jesse," the Cat Pokémon whispered slyly in her ear, "Those twos twerps are alive and kickin', so you's gots nothin' to worry about. This is the perfect chance to…" Jesse felt her forehead wrinkle in uncertainty as Meowth laid out his plan.
With James still unintentionally occupying the Twerps with their back-and-forth banter, Jesse gave Meowth a final irritated glance, saw his cunning expression, and sighed. "If you're sure…" she muttered, with a tone in her voice that seemed to suggest that she was already having second thoughts.
"As sure's as Gyarados lays Magikarp eggs!" Meowth assured her, and the two slipped around behind the basket of the balloon, despite Jesse's muttering that he needed to find a less disturbing expression of assurance.
Meanwhile, James seemed to be winning the argument of whether or not Team Rocket had been of any help at all to the rescue mission. When the Mini Twerp, the Second Female Twerp, and the Cooking Twerp had finally pointed out so many mistakes in Jesse and James' actions that there were not enough excuses to cover it all, James had won the match by pointing out that no one was perfect, they had tried the best they could, they truly had helped some, and the point was that everyone had come out alive anyway so it really didn't matter in the end who had done what. Seeing the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp were nodding in agreement, Pikachu, who was sitting on the grass next to his master, nodded as well until he suddenly realized that there was an iron clamp clutching him solidly around the middle. "Pika? …PIKA!"
Instantly, all of the twerps (which, at the moment, included James) turned toward the grounded basket of the Meowth-head hot air balloon, out of which had come the mechanical rod connected to the clamp that was now around Pikachu. Jesse and Meowth were in the basket. Jesse was staring back at them dubiously. Meowth was grinning gleefully.
When the entire meadow remained quiet, Meowth poked Jesse with his foot under cover of the edge of the basket and hissed under his breath, "Come ons, Jess, and hurrys up all ready…"
With a sigh of martyrdom, Jesse began dully, "Prepare for trouble…?"
"And make it double!" Meowth called out, his voice peppy as if performing a cheerleader's routine.
The twerps (and James) stared at them in disbelief. Eventually, the Mini Twerp's stunned voice broke the silence. "You're kidding me…"
At another poke from Meowth, Jesse continued listlessly, "To protect the world from… devastation…"
"To unites all peoples within our's nation!"
Suddenly, James seemed to break out of his stupor. "HEY! THAT'S MY LINE!"
"Wells then, gets up here and say's it, Jimmy Boy," Meowth cried back.
The twerps were now all on their feet. "Just what do you think you're doing?" The Cooking Twerp was yelling at Meowth and Jesse angrily, his hands clenched into fists. Jesse just sighed and shrugged.
"We're sayings the motto and stealin' Pikachu, of course!" Meowth shouted back.
"Why on earth would you do that right now!" The Main Female Twerp shot back.
"Because," Meowth protested slowly, as if explaining this to preschoolers, "We, Team Rocket, have appeared throughout this entire book, and guess whats? The last time we's attempted to steals Pikachu was alls the way back in Chapter Six, we's haven't gotten close to capturin' Pikachu since Chapter One, and nots once, NOTS ONCE, thoughout this entire story have we's been able to completes the entire motto!"
All was silent as everyone, including his own teammates, stared at him in confusion. Finally, Jesse turned to Meowth and cried "What?"
Meowth sighed. "Nevers mind."
"LET GO OF PIKACHU, TEAM ROCKET!" The Main Twerp was shouting, not perturbed by the odd speech. He had grabbed a hold of the clamp around his Pokémon's waist and was tugging on it with all of his might, trying to getting it to open up. The Main Female Twerp was instantly beside him, tugging on the clamp as well.
The other twerps were yelling at Team Rocket in fury and Poochyena was barking loudly, but the Second Female Twerp's violent screaming was overtaking the others' noises. "HOW ON EARTH COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"
"BECAUSE," Meowth yelled back over the din, his voice starting to feel strained, "WE'S GOTTA CLAMP THAT WONT'S CONDUCT ELECTRICITY AND WE'S NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!"
Suddenly, James, who was still standing halfway between the twerps and the balloon, turned to Meowth and yelled something, but his words were lost.
"WHAT?" Meowth yelled back. The three twerps would not stop their furious shouting, nor would the other two stop their pulling on the clamp.
"I SAID," James' voice was finally audible over the uproar, "THAT THE CLAMP YOU USED JUST NOW WAS THE ONE WITHOUT THE ANTI-ELECTRICITY COATING! THE ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE… of the balloon… is the one with… the…" He trailed off after recognizing that none of the twerps were shouting at all anymore, and suddenly realizing what he had just said. Slowly, James turned to look back at the twerps, and gulped. The group was silent and still, but their eyes were now narrowed, glaring holes through Team Rocket.
Pikachu's cheeks sparked once. "Chu."
"PIKACHU!" The Main Twerp shouted, both he and the Main Female Twerp releasing their hold on the metal clamp. "GIVE 'EM A THUNDERBOLT, AND BLOW 'EM ALL THE WAY TO JOHTO!"
"H- hey, nows, waits a minute!" Meowth stuttered fearfully, front paws up in the air innocently. "Don'cha thinks that's a little extreme? I's means, that's alls the ways across an ocean and another continent!"
"READY… AND…" Pikachu's cheeks began to spark quicker.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Meowth cried, but Pikachu didn't look as if he was ready to stop.
At the last second, James threw his hands up in despair. "PARLEY!"
Meowth nodded quickly. "THAT'S THE ONE! PARLEY!"
Jesse quickly thew her hands up, too, her eyes wide. "YES… SAME AS THEM."
The twerps all looked at Team Rocket skeptically for a long, tense moment. Then, with an exasperated sigh, the Main Twerp motioned to Pikachu and the sparks from the Pokémon's red cheeks died down. Team Rocket gave a collective sigh of relief, though they weren't out of the water yet.
"Let Pikachu go… now," the Main Twerp commanded swiftly, and he had to hurry to catch Pikachu before the Pokémon hit the ground, for the clamp was immediately released.
"Okay, okay… Nows what you's wants us to dos?" Meowth called, paws returning to the air after pressing the button to retract the clamp on its mechanical rod back into the basket.
The group of twerps glanced around at each other, considering what they should command next.
"Give it to them anyway, Pikachu!" The Mini Twerp suggested.
"Little sadist," Jesse grumbled.
"Wait!" The eldest of the twerps called out, and the others turned to look at him. He seemed to be thinking hard. Finally, he continued, staring critically at the nervous Team Rocket. "You three… Take us to Fortree City in your hot air balloon." Sensing that even the members of his own group were looking at him in puzzlement, he continued, "If Team Rocket takes all of us to Fortree City, we'll get there a lot faster than if we walked, and I want to get Ash and Misty to a hospital or Pokémon Center for a check-up after all they went through. It's almost sunset, so we wouldn't get very far today anyway before we'd have to set up camp. Also, if we're in the hot air balloon, I can be fixing everyone something to eat and we'll still be making some progress towards the next city." As the rest of his group nodded at his sensibility, he eyed Team Rocket once more. "After all, I'm sure you three were headed toward Fortree City anyway."
James was about to ask if the Cooking Twerp would make he and his teammates something to eat, too, but wisely said instead, "Well, I don't know if the balloon will be able to hold that much more weight, with five extra people and three more Pokémon, not to mention your packs. We might never get off the ground."
"Drop some of the ballasts," the Mini Twerp said in a tone that suggested he was mentally rolling his eyes.
"Well, yes, that would work, wouldn't it-"
"You's not serious, are you's, Jimmy Boy?" Meowth stared at James, appalled that he would even give something like that any consideration at all.
James quickly whipped around to face his teammates in the balloon, and hissed in a whisper, "Do you really want to be blown all the way to Johto? Because you know that Pikachu could probably do it!" Jesse and Meowth both shook their heads. "I didn't think so." James turned to Meowth. "If we take them to Fortree City, they'll have so much that they have to get done there that they'll forget all about us. We'll be able to sneak off and regroup to have another shot at snatching Pikachu when we're more prepared!" To Jesse, he spoke in a lower whisper. "Also, if we take them right now, we'll have a better chance at finding out how A-, I mean, the Main Twerp and the Main Female Twerp are still alive, even though we saw their bodies and know their ghosts were the ones that dragged us along. And I know you want to know as bad as I do." Jesse looked away, obviously irritated that this was true.
"But waits a minute," Meowth suddenly spoke up, not keeping his voice down, "what if they decided to… uh…"
The flashes of electric lights behind James caught their attention, and they all looked wide-eyed at the twerps.
All five of the twerps were staring at them with impatient expressions, crossed arms, and eyebrows raised. Pikachu, from his perch on the Main Twerp's shoulder, was staring at them intently, as if daring them to refuse the Cooking Twerp's highly generous offer. The Pokémon's red cheeks continued to spark.
It only took a second for Team Rocket to glance at one another, then step aside to allow room for the twerps to climb into the basket.
"WELCOME ABOARD!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Thank you once again for reading, and I hope that all of you bless me with your patience so that I may complete this novels last chapter to the best of my writing abilities, as it's sure to be grand! Please review!
NOTE: Every chapter title is a line from a song, and all of the songs are songs from one of the many Pokémon CD's. If you have identified the song that Chapter 11's title is from, review and let me know, and I'll post your name with the correct title on my next chapter.