To the Reviewers:
Ar1502599-I think you were probably thinking about Entei from Pokemon 3. That's what I thought at first even before Ri2 left that review saying the same thing. Like the review said it was a fake Entei that the Unown were using so it couldn't really do it. Although I don't know what I'm going to do with the Gym Leaders once this is over. Probably simpler to just kill most of them, but we'll see. If your Entei idea was different let me know. I might be able to steal it. Err…I mean borrow .
Thebnjamin-Yeah when they get to Blackthorn the story will get interesting. I wasn't really trying to make Charizard's summary funny, but I'm glad you liked it. Yes don't forget that Silver is a Lugia so it makes him a legendary pokemon.
Antithesis-Ash should probably stay far, far away from anything resembling a bicycle. That way these things won't keep happening.
Ri2-You honestly didn't see it? Well that's fine. Ash got the Shuppet between the time May and Brock left him in Lillycove and the time we saw him again on the Onix's mountain in Chapter 4. I explained what pokemon he'd caught and which ones evolved in the time he'd spent alone in Hoenn in that chapter as well. Sorry if such a large party confuses you. I myself forget what he has sometimes. That's why I made a note file with all that info in it. I gave him all those pokemon for a good reason and that will be revealed later. Sorry but no hot passionate lovemaking, yet. Pikachu is in a real dilemma. He wants to tell Ash but he wants to give Misty a chance to do it first. Either way though someone's getting hurt. I figured having Charizard rejoin the party would seem a little too predictable that's why he stayed in the valley. And o yeah, Lisa being gay just kind of came to me on a whim. Not sure from where though.
JKM-I will fix that when I get around to it. Thanks for pointing it out.
Cdfe88-You just have good timing when it comes to reading I guess. That series of events was unfortunate wasn't it? It took me a while to come up with all that. Thanks for wishing me luck. You have no idea how much I need it.
BlueEagle-Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the quick updates while they last.
Enough of this pointless gibberish!
The Agony of Deceit
Brock walked into the elaborately decorated office and stopped in front of the massive desk. The chair was turned to face him and he could see Giovoni's stern face looking right through him. There were some more footsteps behind him and a few more Rockets came in to be debriefed by their boss.
"I already know that the mission was a failure." He said calmly "What I want to know is why?"
"Sir we had two uninvited guests." Said Creig "Shigeru Oak and some other punk decided to interfere."
"How could two trainers possibly endanger a mission involving TEN Rockets!" Roared Giovoni "You had better think about your answer quickly Creig."
"Well sir, you see…" He stuttered
"He screwed up." Said Brock. All eyes turned to him and Creig fixed him with an angry glare. "He was the one in charge, he was the one who was given Articuno and he was the one that lost to Gary and Raikou. Oh yes, and Surge was defeated by Richie when he had a two-on-one pokemon advantage."
"That kid had Entei!" Yelled Surge
"You lost too Slate!" Shouted Creig "You can't blame this totally on me!"
Giovoni watched the argument unfold interested in what his subordinates had to say.
"I was the one that blew up the rookery." Said Brock "I was the one whose pokemon had Raikou pinned down and ready to be finished off and I was the one who did the most damage during that battle."
"Is this true Creig?" Asked Giovoni "Did Slate's pokemon really do all that?"
Creig knew it was a BAD idea to lie to Giovoni. He'd heard stories about what happened to the unfortunate agents who tried to deceive the boss. "Slate is admonishing the details a bit…" He said "His pokemon did do a lot of damage, but he wasn't the only force on the team."
"Shigeru took us by surprise sir." Said Cassidy desperately trying to salvage her reputation. "He sent his pokemon in a flank attack and as Creig said he had Raikou, who had a distinct type-advantage over Articuno."
"That other kid had a legendary pokemon too." Rasped Butch "He's the one who stopped us getting away with the dratini."
"Hmm." Said Giovoni thinking "So there are others with legendary pokemon. This could become a problem. I think it's time Team Rocket took a more active role in the government affairs of the region."
"What do you mean by that Boss?" Asked Fiona
"You'll know soon enough." He answered "Creig, Fiona, Butch and Cassidy, be at the Veridian Capital Building in two hours. The rest of you return to your quarters. It is not yet time to show the world that the Gym Leaders live."
The Gym Leaders grudgingly did as they were told and returned to their rooms. Brock then had a thought that had been troubling him for some time. All the Gym Leaders had been captured, but he'd only seen five out of the six captive leaders. Where was Sabrina?
…
"So what pokemon do you have with you?" Asked Ash spying the pokeballs on Aquaria's belt.
Get out of this one Misty Thought Pikachu cynically. He found it highly amusing what was going on. He was going to give Ash a chance to figure out what the situation was on his own. He was also giving Misty a chance to reveal herself. There had been several close calls in the day they'd been traveling together. Ash often asked questions that caused "Aquaria" to go deafly silent before answering. Questions like: Where are you from? Do you have any siblings? How long have you been traveling?
Her answers did seem convincing although they were a bit delayed. She was from Cianwood Island. She had no siblings and she'd been traveling for five years on her own. She'd just set off again from Cianwood and was heading to Goldenrod. When asked why she was going to Goldenrod, she responded that she was merely going to challenge the Gym Leader. Ash accepted this and said that he wouldn't mind detouring to Goldenrod if she needed to stop there. She declined his offer saying that she could always come back and that Blackthorn was as good a place as any to get her next badge. Right now though she was hesitating about Ash's current question.
What do I do? She thought frantically What if he asks to see them? Thinking quickly about answers to those questions she responded "Just some water-types." At least that isn't a lie
"Can I see them?" He asked ever eager to see some new pokemon. "I had a friend once that liked water-types."
Why did he say "had" She wondered in her mind. Only one way to find out "Had?" She asked "What happened to your friend?" She knew that he probably knew about the Gym Leaders' disappearance, but she needed to know what he thought happened to her.
He sighed suddenly loosing his pleasant demeanor. "I don't know." He said flatly "She and a few other friends of mine disappeared a few months ago."
"How did they disappear?" She asked trying to sound genuinely interested.
This is just mean Misty. Thought Pikachu You already know and yet you want him to tell you even though you see it's painful for him. Maybe you don't care about him…
"You heard about Team Rocket attacking the Kanto Gyms right?" He asked. She nodded and he continued. "I had two friends. Their names were Misty and Brock. Brock was leader of Pewter City Gym and Misty was leader of Cerulean City Gym along with her three sisters. After the attacks on the Gyms they didn't find any bodies or traces of anything. " He struggled to keep back sobs "They were presumed dead."
Aquaria was sorry she made him say all that. She knew Ash cared about her and Brock, but she didn't think the news had hit him this hard. "I'm sure their alright." She assured. She couldn't be sure, but the last time she'd seen the other Gym Leaders they'd been alive at least.
"I'm sure their alright." Said Ash now sounding angry "From what I've heard their now members of Team Rocket."
"WHAT!" Shouted Aquaria astonished and confused. How did THAT happen?
"That's one of the reasons I'm going to Blackthorn." He said "I was told that my two friends stopped a large group of Rockets who included the Gym Leaders from Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion and Celadon."
("Did you know that?") Asked Mune who was trailing the group with Dawn
("No Idea.") She said ("I think Lisa must have told him that while we were somewhere else or something.")
Aquaria couldn't believe what she'd heard. First Ash thought she was dead and now he thought she and Brock were members of Team Rocket. She couldn't speak for Brock and her sisters, but she could speak for herself. This was going to hut Ash's feelings some but she had to at least give him some hope. "Ash I need to tell you something." She said "I-" I can't do it.
"You what?" Asked Ash
She's really your best friend who you think is either dead or in Team Rocket. Thought Pikachu You'd better not back out of this Misty or me and you are going to have a nice long talk.
"I'm sure your friends don't have much of a choice." She said. She was sure of at least that much having been in Team Rocket's custody herself. "If they were captured I'm sure Team Rocket must be forcing them to do what they want."
"How could they force them to do anything?" Asked Ash
Is he still THAT dense? She wondered mentally "Team Rocket are criminals Ash!" She said "If they wanted someone to do something they have ways of getting what they want."
Ash's mind began to spill over all the possible reasons why his friends would serve the Rockets. He didn't like what he was coming up with. "I'm so stupid." He moaned "I knew they must have had reasons, but I just didn't think of it that way." He clenched his fists in rage and bowed his head down. "I swear I'm going to get them out of there if it's the last thing I do."
Aquaria was taken aback. She'd never seen Ash this angry before. His usual carefree countenance was all but gone replaced by a deep seeded need for revenge. This was a side of him she'd never seen before and while she understood why he was so angry, it still sent chills down her spine.
"It's alright Ash." She tried to console him "Getting angry about it isn't going to make the situation any easier to deal with."
He took a deep breath. He knew she was right and he hated letting his anger get the best of him. Over the years he'd come to realize that his temper got him in a lot more trouble than it got him out of.
"You're right." He said "It's just that I care about my friends a lot. The fact that their being tortured or blackmailed into doing who knows what just gets to me."
"I understand." She said. It was painful for her as well to think that her sisters and Brock were most likely doing unspeakable things just to keep their pokemon from harm, or in Brock's case his entire family. "Just try not to let it bother you."
"I'll try." He said "It's just that thinking about Team Rocket and all they've done in the past few months is frustrating to say the least."
That's right they burned down Pallet and that means… She thought sadly. "Just don't think about it Ash." She said "Look let's stop here for the night, there's a river not too far away and we've been walking all day."
"Alright, you go get some water and I'll get a fire going." He said "Anyone want to help me look for some wood?"
("We will") Said Dawn happily. She and Mune trotted up behind Ash as he left to go get some firewood.
Aquaria started heading toward the river to fill their canteens with some drinking water. She wasn't aware of the little yellow mouse following her. Once she got to the river she decided to let her pokemon out for a little air. Since she'd been around Ash she hadn't risked using her pokemon yet. She tossed her pokeballs into the air and all six pokemon appeared before her. Gyarados, Corsala and Staryu immediately headed into the water. Politoed hopped onto a tree branch that stuck out over the river and prepared to practice his diving techniques. Psyduck simply looked around obliviously. Suicune took the opportunity to purify the river-water. It wasn't exactly dirty, but it still held a few too many impurities for the water-guardian's liking.
Aquaria dipped the canteens into the water filling them up. She was about to take a swim when she suddenly heard Psyduck talking to someone.
("Hi Pikachu") Called the duck waving to the hiding mouse.
("Pikachu's here?") Asked Politoed still preparing for his dive. He had a better vantage point and noticed the mouse hiding behind a tree. ("Long time no see bud!")
"Oh no." Moaned Aquaria.
("Ha, I knew it!") Said Pikachu triumphantly as he bounded out of his hiding place and stood in front of who he now knew to be Misty. ("You've got a lot of explaining to do Misty.")
She decided to act like she didn't understand the mouse and looked at him with an expression of false confusion. "I don't understand." She said
("Don't make me shock you.") He warned ("I'm already mad at you for lying to us, so don't make it any worse by playing dumb.")
"Fine you got me Pikachu." She admitted "But it's not as simple as you might think it is."
("I won't know until you explain.") He said
"Where should I start?" She asked
("Try the beginning and I'll ask any questions if I still don't understand.") Said Pikachu.
Misty told Pikachu of all the events that happened since the day of the Gym's destruction. How the leaders were forced to battle the legendary birds, how Starmie had been murdered, how Gyarados had gotten her out and so on. She left the part about her excursion into her subconscious out. Pikachu didn't need to know everything.
"And that's pretty much it." She finished "I'm now on the run from Team Rocket, who are probably still looking for me or think that I'm dead."
("I still don't understand why you won't tell Ash.") He said ("He deserves to know Misty. You don't know how much it hurt him when he thought you were dead. Then once his mom died he had given up all hope.")
"It was his mom Pikachu, of course he was upset." Said Misty "Loosing a parent is a hard thing to go through."
("It wasn't just his mom Misty.") Argued Pikachu ("His mother meant a lot to him but so do you and Brock.") He paused before adding ("Especially you.")
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked
("I think you know.") He said ("I'll give you until we reach Mahogany Town to tell him the truth. We'll get to Ecruteak tomorrow and once we leave there it takes about two days to get to Mahogany on foot. That gives you at least three days to tell him on your own.")
"You can't do this Pikachu!" She yelled "I have my reasons why I won't tell Ash and you should respect them!"
("You're deliberately lying to his face.") Said Pikachu ("You should have more trust in Ash by now to know that he can keep a secret. Especially something this important.")
"You're not going to change your mind are you." She stated "I guess I don't have a choice then."
("I'd get it over with as soon as possible." Said Pikachu "The longer you put it off the more it will hurt when he finds out. He might figure it out on his own and if that happens I don't know what he'll do.") With that said he headed back toward the camp leaving Misty alone to contemplate what he'd just said.
…
Giovoni took his position behind the large podium in front of the Capital Building. A large crowd had gathered to see what their leader had to say. There were hundreds of TV cameras and dozens of photographers from various newspapers around the world. Giovoni took a deep breath and began speaking.
"Thank you all for coming out on such short notice." He said with a false cheerfulness. "I am aware of the publics growing concern regarding the terrorist group known as Team Rocket. I recently mounted an assault on one of this groups hidden bases located beneath Mt. Moon. I am pleased to report that the leader of Team Rocket has been terminated." He paused and a loud cheer rang out from the crowd. The photographers went crazy taking hundreds of pictures. "I must also inform everyone that I have arranged a special punishment for the other high-ranking members of the team." He snapped his fingers and seven people came from inside the capital. Domino, Creig, Fiona, Buson, Bashou, Butch and Cassidy all marched out in handcuffs and wearing their uniforms. "These seven are the top agents in Team Rocket. They know the most about the organization and after several hours of grueling interrogation it was found that they were all being held hostage." The crowd gasped and began to murmur amongst themselves. Giovoni was reminded of his takeover of the senate by the reaction the crowd was having. "If you will allow me to explain I will tell you what I man." The crowd grew quiet again and waited for their leader to continue with his explanation. "The leader of Team Rocket was a very sadistic and ruthless man. He forced all of his members to join by means of blackmail and threats of death. These individuals had no choice in what they were made to do. They have all been given polygraphs and I can assure you that there is physical evidence to support their claims. Even though they were forced to do what they did it does not excuse their crimes." He turned to the shackled Rockets and they all had an expression of deep remorse and sadness on their faces. Giovoni had to admit that their acting was pretty good. He almost believed them, almost. "This is why I am going to institute a unique punishment. These seven as well as all the other members of Team Rocket we apprehended are going to be organized into a special division. This division will be under the direct control of hand picked officers from our army. They will function as a special force under my direct command. Rest assured that all the stolen pokemon have been released and the ones they have were procured by traditional means. Are there any questions?"
The crowd remained silent for some time absorbing the information they'd just been given. Suddenly several members of the media bombarded Giovoni with several questions about how he could trust them or what had happened to the leader of Team Rocket. He assured them that they'd been tested and double tested by using polygraphs and psychic pokemon. He also informed them that the leader of Team Rocket was being put to death.
"Who was the leader of the organization sir?" Asked a reporter "The public deserves to know!"
Giovoni cursed the inquisitive reporter but answered the question nonetheless. "It was discovered that a man known as Dr. Pursy Sebastian was heading the organization." Sebastian had disappeared sometime following the incident at Lake of Rage so he was the perfect fall guy. "He has been apprehended and is now awaiting his punishment."
He was bombarded with more questions and he answered them all with ease. They were mostly superficial and pertained to matters such as where the Rockets would be held and what members of the army would supervise their new unit. He did get inquiries on the whereabouts of the missing Gym Leaders and he answered this by saying the Rocket base had been one of the main ones, but the missing leaders had not been there. He reminded the public that his former colleagues were presumed dead and not to get their hopes up after so long. This seemed to be acceptable and soon Giovoni was on his way back to the Veridian Gym. He'd been offered the Minister's Mansion but he declined seeing as how his quarters at the Gym were ten times better than the accommodations at the mansion. His security force led the captured Rockets to a police van and Giovoni got into his limo. Now there was only one thing left to do for the day.
…
Ash walked back to the camp with the firewood in his arms. Thankfully the curse was inactive and didn't have him run into any problems this time. He placed the wood into a circle of rocks he'd already set up for the fire. He called out Torkoal and ordered him to light the fire with an Ember attack. Soon there was a nicely raging fire and Ash set about making crude meals for his pokemon. He was nowhere near Brock's skill when it came to preparing food, be it pokemon or human, but he could manage. Dawn and Mune curled up beside him and basked in the fire's warmth. It was starting to get dark and Ash was beginning to wonder where Pikachu and Aquaria were. No sooner had he thought this then he heard the two of them coming back with the water.
"So you decided to keep Aquaria company Pikachu?" Asked Ash
("You could say that.") Answered the mouse. ("She's a very interesting person.")
"I'm sure she is." Said Ash "You gonna let me see your pokemon now?" He asked continuing their conversation from earlier.
Might as well She thought This way he'll get a chance to figure it out on his own and I won't have to tell him anything. "Sure." She said. She'd explained to her pokemon to not under any circumstances call her Misty or act like they knew Ash. They all agreed although Psyduck still seemed confused. Tossing the balls into the air she called out five pokemon.
Ash was impressed with her pokemon. He didn't even think it was odd that they were the same species as the ones Misty had. He knew lots of female trainers liked water-types so it was only a coincidence that she had almost the exact same party as Misty. The only difference being that she didn't have a Starmie. "Those are some pretty nice pokemon." He complimented. He then noticed the scar on Gyarados' chest. "How'd your Gyarados get that scar?" He asked pointing to the long white line stretching across the atrocious pokemon's chest.
"He was in a battle with a very strong electric-type." She said "He managed to win but he got that scar as a souvenir."
"Looks like it hurt." Said Ash. He noticed she still had one pokeball on her belt. "What's in the last one?"
"Oh this one's pretty shy." Said Aquaria "He doesn't like to show himself to people much."
("It's Suicune.") Said Mune cheekily ("I read her mind.")
Aquaria had no idea what the Espeon had just said so wrote it off as nothing.
("You shouldn't do that!") Scolded Dawn ("It's not polite. People's minds are places of privacy.")
"She's right Mune." Said Ash "Just because you can do something doesn't always mean you should." He then remembered what the fox had said. "Wait did you say Suicune!"
Aquaria finally realized what must have happened. Mune read her mind and told Ash what her last pokemon was. What else did he know if he'd already read her mind once?
"Yes its Suicune." Admitted Aquaria "I really wish your Espeon hadn't done that."
"Don't worry I only looked at what pokemon you had." Said the Espeon. Ever since he'd used telepathy to warn her of the danger the day before he found that he rather liked communicating with his mind. "I don't know anything about you deceiving Ash and…Oops."
Great now two people know. Thought Aquaria If you're still eavesdropping you'd better not say anything to Ash! She shouted in her mind.
"All I'll say is that you should tell him." He thought back "I won't be mean like Pikachu and say you have a time limit, but you really should tell him."
I will when I'm ready She thought
"So are you going to show me or what?" Asked Ash. He'd been staring at her for the past minute or so wondering why she kept looking at Mune.
"Well if he wants to come out I'll show you." She said "Suicune I choose you!"
In a red flash the water guardian came out of his ball. He looked around and spotted Ash. He immediately recognized him as being both Lugia's and Ho-Oh's Chosen One, but he was surprised to notice the mark on Ash's head. He has been marked by Rayquaza Thought Suicune Interesting.
Ash was awed by the legendary beast. He was still a magnificent sight to behold and even with the addition of the three scars that ran across his face he was still a beautiful creature. "Hey Suicune." Said Ash "Remember me?"
"Indeed human." Said the beat "It seems you've been through a lot since the last time I saw you though."
"Yeah, you could say that." Said Ash "The last time I saw you I was only 13 though and we were surrounded by a bunch of bug pokemon."
"Yes those idiotic humans decided to crack one of the crystal bells." Said Suicune "You're lucky I was nearby because Ho-Oh was threatening to burn the whole city to the ground for such insolence."
"Ho-Oh would do that?" Asked Ash "I know the bells are symbolic of her return but still…"
"Ho-Oh is very self conscious and takes her word very seriously" Explained Suicune "When she ascended to the heavens centuries ago she promised that she would return once the hearts of humans and pokemon were as one. She left the bells as a symbol of that and they will only ring when her desire is fulfilled. When those humans broke one she was quite infuriated. I convinced her to let me handle the situation and that is how I was able to meet you there."
"I had no idea." Said Ash "That's why the pokemon must have been so angry. They thought they were about to be incinerated."
"Indeed" Agreed Suicune "They had good reason to be afraid."
"I'll bet." Said Ash
Aquaria just watched the situation and smiled to herself. Only Ash would actually have a conversation with a legendary pokemon as if it were an old friend. Thinking about it though Suicune was kind of an old friend.Ash had run into the beast on three separate occasions once when he'd just started his journey in Johto, again in Ecruteak City and another time when trying to save Celebi form the "Iron Masked Marauder"
Ash wondered why Aquaria wasn't surprised at the fact that he knew Suicune. Most people wouldn't believe him whenever he said that he'd met a legendary pokemon. The fact that Suicune was talking to him didn't seem to bother her either. Something was very odd about this, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
After a simple meal the group bedded down for the night. Each had different thoughts running through their minds but no idea how to deal with them.
…
Giovoni walked into the underground labs beneath the Viridian City Gym. He headed to a heavily secured door. The same door Todd had tried to open months ago and had failed at. He put his hand on a panel which red his fingerprints and opened to allow him access. In the room were several computers and at the very back of the room there was a woman with dark forest-green hair and emotionless brown eyes. On her head was a device used to dampen psychic energies. Usually this device was reserved for powerful psychic-type pokemon. However since the woman was an extraordinary psychic it was no surprise that this precaution was in place.
"Hello Sabrina." Greeted Giovoni. Of course she didn't answer, but then she never did. Nothing Giovoni did seemed to break the woman. He'd murdered her parents right in front of her and had been none-to-gentle about doing it. He'd tortured her, her pokemon and even tortured others to try and break through her immense shell. Most people would have simply killed her since she was useless as a potential addition to the team. However Giovoni wasn't most people. He managed to find a much more important use for her. Since she raised some of the strongest psychic-type pokemon he used those pokemon to perfect his psychic control helmet. He'd used the helmet on Mewtwo and for a while it had kept the clone subdued. However, Mewtwo eventually overpowered the device and Giovoni hadn't seen the clone since. This fact didn't stop him from preparing for the clone's recapture though. He had the Master Balls and the GS Ball, but he needed to be absolutely sure that nothing could break free of his control. He'd been working on a way to control a pokemon even if it went into Genocide Syndrome and now he believed he had a way.
"You'll never succeed." Said Sabrina in a monotone. "You have too many ambitions and too much greed to accomplish your goals."
Giovoni was surprised by the sudden comment, but he didn't show it. "So you can still read my mind." He said "Since you can you know exactly what I'm about to do then. I will succeed and there's nothing you can do about it." He walked over to one of the computers and hit a few keys. A sudden surge of electricity lanced its way through Sabrina's body. The charge was very painful but she didn't give Giovoni the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain. She'd sealed off all her emotions long ago and it was not a problem to do it again here. Giovoni smirked at the young woman's futile efforts to defy him. He knew she wouldn't cry out and he didn't really want her to. It was enough for him knowing that he was causing her pain and that there was nothing she could do about it. He turned up the psychic dampener a few more notches to insure that what little psychic energy she could emit would be contained. He had other things to do and he couldn't afford a disturbance in the Gym should Sabrina escape.
Tomorrow would be an interesting day. He had plans to ensure the people's trust in the "rehabilitated" Team Rocket. The plan was simple. Have a seemingly wild and powerful pokemon attack a town at random. Send in Team Rocket to remedy the situation and the people would fall for it like the idiots they were. Now all that needed to be done was to pick a town a town. Viridian and Fuschia were out of the question. He'd already destroyed Pallet and the other cities containing the destroyed Gyms didn't need anymore damage. This left only one option, Lavender Town.
…
A/N: I have to really thank everyone for reading this fic up to this point. I recently reread chapter 1 and I found quite a few typos. I'm in the process of going through all the chapters and looking for these and if Chapter 1 is any indication I have a lot of editing to do. So I really appreciate that the errors that exist were ignored, for the most part, and that you readers are enjoying this little story of mine. Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter and the next one will be up ASAP.
