The ship had set sail from port a few minutes ago. As for the vessel itself, the S.S. Anne was a true marvel to behold. While the outside of the ship towered over any that would gaze upon it, it was the inside that caught Ash, Brock, and Misty's attention. The center of the ship, where they currently resided, had two giant glass staircases, leading to what looked like a full-blown Pokemon Convention. Trainers packed the room to the brim, showing off their Pokemon to one another. Vendors were displaying a wide assortment of wares, including Pokeballs, evolution stones, t-shirts, pins, and more. In the distance, there were also two additional corridors with different signs pointing to a battle and trade room!
"This place is amazing!" a dazzled Misty exclaimed, while the group walked through the room.
"There does seem to be a lot going on," remarked Brock.
"Well I know where I'm heading! See you guys later," laughed Ash as he sped off towards the battle room, leaving Brock and Misty behind.
"Some things never change?" sighed Brock. "Uh Misty?" The space the girl occupied was also empty. It was apparent that she had also taken off to have fun and explore.
She probably went shopping again. Guess I'm on my own. Might as well keep looking around. Maybe i'll even run into Nurse Joy," Brock thought as he released a giggle.
Meanwhile, as Brock had guessed, Misty was indeed perusing the various wares on the ship. There's so much to offer! How can I ever decide? Ooo that looks nice, thought Misty as she looked at some coral jewelry.
"Girl! Girl! Hey you girl, come here!" loudly whispered a voice in Misty's direction.
"Who me?" asked Misty as she turned towards the stall. What she saw was a seedy short man with a white band and white shirt. He was manning a stall that looked to be a miniature aquarium with a pathetic looking red fish, or a Magikarp.
"Yes girl! I want you to take a look at this Pokemon," said the man with the cheesiest smile possible.
Misty approached with a skeptical look. "It's just a Magikarp..."
"No girl!" dramatically exclaimed the man, as he drew closer and used his hand to hide one side of his mouth as if he was telling a grand secret. "It's a gold mine!"
"A gold mine?" Misty questioned, not trusting this shady guy at all.
"Yes! You see, this Magikarp is worth 500 Poke! A Magikarp lays 100 eggs, and then those Magikarp lay 100 eggs, and so on. YOU CAN MAKE BILLIONS!" yelled the man with his radiant smile.
As if anyone would want to buy all those Magikarp. This guy is clearly some kind of con artist. Still, that Pokemon doesn't look happy or healthy living with that money, and as a future Water Pokemon Master I have to help. Besides, Magikarp does evolve into Gyarados, thought Misty.
Putting on her own cheesy smile, Misty answered. "Wow what a bargain! Here's 500 Poke on the spot for Magikarp!" Misty swiftly put the money on the table, grabbed Margikarp, and sped off. She would capture the Pokemon in a Pokeball formally later on.
"I didn't even get the chance to sell the promotional material, and normally i'm the one who runs off," muttered the befuddled salesman.
Meanwhile in The Battle Room
"Finish Raticate with Razor Leaf Bulbasaur!" Ash called out.
His grass Pokemon fired his attack with great speed, scoring a direct hit on Raticate and knocking it out. A round of applause broke out from the surrounding trainers as his opponent's winning streak finally came to an end.
"Great job Bulbsaur," smiled Ash as he patted his Pokemon, before calling it back.
"I say, that was a great battle young man. You and Bulbasaur were fantastic!" Ash's older opponent commented. The man in question was a picture of elegance, wearing a tuxedo, complete with top hat and monocle.
"Thanks mister! You and Raticate were pretty good too," Ash said, brushing off the compliment.
"You wouldn't happen to be interested in trading that fine Bulbasaur, would you young man?" questioned the refined man.
"Sorry sir, but i'm not interested in trading any of Pokemon right now," Ash kindly rebuked.
"Well that's a pity. Best of luck young man," said the older gentlemen as he departed.
"Anybody else up for a battle?" Ash called out to the surrounding trainers.
There was silence for a few moments, but a familiar voice soon responded. "I'll take you on Ash," smiled a young boy Ash's age, as he stepped through the crowd.
"Ritchie?" Ash replied, dumbfounded at his new friend's presence on the vessel.
"Yup! Some guy saw me training for my rematch with Surge and was impressed enough to give me a ticket. Guess something similar happened to you huh?"
"Yeah something similar. Anyway, you want to battle?" Ash asked excitedly.
Ritchie simply smirked and pulled out a Pokeball. "Zippo, I choose you!" Out of the Pokeball materialized a Charmander.
"You've got a Charmander? Guess that decides who I am going with. Charmeleon, let's go!" The bigger orange Pokemon appeared, staring down his initial evolution stage with intensity.
Ritchie's smirk disappeared and he started the battle right away, ordering a Scratch attack.
"Counter with your Metal Claw Charmander," calmly responded Ash. Both Pokemon met in a clash in the middle of the battlefield, but Charmeleon's attack easily overpowered the scratch and sent Charmander tumbling back to his trainer.
"That's one powerful Charmeleon you got Ash, but power alone won't win you this battle. Smokescreen Zippo," called out Ritchie. Zippo immediately recovered and fired off a large amount of smoke, covering the battlefield, before diving into the substance and hiding himself.
He's probably going to try and get close for a sneak attack. That may work out fine for us though with one of Charmeleon's newer attack's, thought Ash.
"Bite Zippo!" A crunching noise was heard in the smoke as Charmander latched onto Charmeleon with its teeth, making Charmeleon wince.
"Stay strong Charmeleon and grab a hold of Charmander so it can't let go, THEN FIRE SPIN!" yelled Ash.
"ZIPPO, GET OUT OF THERE!" cried Ritchie. His Pokemon tried its best to obey, but Charmeleon was simply stronger. Soon enough, the cloudy smoke turned a reddish orange as Charmeleon's Fire Spin engulfed both Pokemon. Zippo immediately started crying out in pain as the fire began to deal damage.
"Finish this off with a Metal Claw barrage Charmeleon!" Rapid flashes of light appeared through the fiery smoke for a good 20-30 second, before Zippo was mercifully pummeled out of the smoke and to his trainer's feet. The poor Pokemon was out like a light.
"Return Zippo," said Ritchie with a sad sigh. The smoke had finally cleared on the battlefield, allowing Ash to go and congratulate his own Pokemon.
"Good work out there Charmeleon!" Ash praised. The Pokemon gave him a cocky smile and a thumbs up in return.
After Ash recalled his Pokemon, both trainers shook hands in recognition of a good battle.
"That was some pretty inspiring strategy you used their Ash," admitted Richie.
"It wouldn't have worked if Charmeleon wasn't able to fight through some pain. He really has come through for me time and time again," smiled Ash fondly.
Before anything else could be said, Ash's stomach gave a loud grumble. "Uh, guess I worked up quite the appetite," said the embarrassed boy.
Ritchie simply laughed and the two made their way to the dinning area for some good food.
Later that Evening in the Gang's Cabin
"Ohhh... I really shouldn't have eaten all that food," moaned Ash in pain.
"Please remind me why you decided to eat 12 hamburger patties Ash?" asked an amused and annoyed Misty.
"Ritchie dared me to do it! I couldn't exactly back down now could I?" retorted Ash before he contorted in pain again.
"Well thanks to that dare, you're going to miss out on the deluxe dinner they promised us tonight over the intercom," lectured Brock. "Come on Misty, we don't want to be late."
"No... I can come," Ash tried, getting up from the bed.
"Ash... Go. To. Sleep!" Brock warned sternly, before he and Misty walked out the door to dinner.
Ash begrudgingly fell back into the bed with a pout and then a sigh. "Guess it's just you and me buddy," muttered Ash to Pikachu.
"Pika. Pika." The Pokemon said in a judging tone, commanding his trainer to get some rest.
"Yeah I get it." The two quickly fell asleep, not knowing they would be missing a very eventful meal.
At Dinner
Brock and Misty arrived at the dinner area around the same time as Ritchie. As such, the three decided it would be nice to dine together. They picked out a lovely corner table with a table cloth, scented candles, and a view of the sea.
"Where's Ash?" Asked Ritchie.
"Someone dared him to eat quite a bit at the buffet and he is sleeping off a stomach ache," Misty said, giving Ritchie the stink eye.
The boy turned an appropriate shade of pink and gave some quick apologies. Other than that, the non-traditional trio enjoyed a pleasant meal. Near the end, they noticed several waiters approaching the tables with what looked to be champagne, including their own.
"Your drinks for the upcoming toast sirs and madam," said a polite young waiter as he set them down.
"We appreciate it and all, but I think we are a bit too young to be drinking any alcohol," said the responsible older teenager at the table.
"Not to worry sir. We have taken this into account and all minors have been served a non-alcoholic version of the beverage. If you'll excuse me, I believe the ship host is about to give the toast," explained the waiter as he walked off.
The group did indeed notice a man stand up on the small stage that had been prepared in the room.
"Hey, isn't that the same guy who gave us the tickets Misty?" observed Brock.
"Yeah, I think it is Brock! Guess he must be pretty important," replied the girl.
"He gave me a ticket too," added Ritchie.
It was at that time that the lights began to dim and their host spoke. "Ladies and gentleman, it is truly a pleasure to have such talented trainers on board this vessel on our first annual Pokemon trainer convention," started the man to applause. "Our purpose here is to celebrate the bonds of friendship between trainers and Pokemon. How we choose to do that in our wide world comes in many forms. Some of us enjoy a good battle. Others prefer trading, breeding, and many other types of interaction with these beloved creatures. One thing I think we can all agree on though is our passion and love for Pokemon, something my organization strictly adheres to might I add," said the man with an interesting smile.
"So, let us drink to our love of Pokemon and the bonds of friendship we hold with them and each other," he concluded as he raised a glass and drank from it.
Everyone, including Brock, Misty, and Ritchie followed suit.
"Eww... I think the drink must have gone bad or something," muttered Misty as she gagged on the drink.
"No... I think it's more than that," said Ritchie as his eyes began to grow heavy.
"These drinks... Have been... drugged..." Brock barely got out before he and the other passed out. It wasn't just them though. People all around the room fell unconscious at their tables.
All the while, the "host" had a grin that grew wider and wider. People began to come out from the doors used by the wait staff. Instead of the previous service uniforms they donned, they all had black and white uniforms with a big red R on the shirt.
Petrel looked down at the scene before him, before sparing a glance to the gathered Rockets. "The trainers are all unconscious. Proceed with stage 1 immediately," ordered the man.
The grunts gave a quick salute, before walking amongst the trainers, and taking the Pokeballs on their persons. Everything was going exactly as their boss planned...
Cabin Room Corridors
"Yes sir! We understand and are checking the rooms now. 1 hour? Understood," said the adult woman with long red hair as she put away the walkie talkie.
"What are our orders Jessie?" asked her blue-haired male companion.
"We need to finish up sweeping the cabins for any stragglers and then head to the deck. Helicopters will be picking up in around an hour, so let's hurry James!" replied the woman.
"Hey, i'm here to ya know," griped the annoyed Meowth, who was promptly ignored as his human companions began searching the cabins with their master card key.
The trio of thieves had a fair amount of success for the first 15 minutes or so, catching a few trainers off guard and knocking them out, before taking their Pokemon. For them, things were about to change.
The Gang's Cabin
Ash woke up to the rocking off the boat and stretched out along with Pikachu. He had gotten what looked to be a few hours of sleep.
"I don't know about you Pikachu, but I'm feeling loads better," Ash said, putting on his full clothing. "How about a walk buddy?"
"Pikachu," agreed his small yellow friend.
Ash reached to turn the nob on the door, but he was beat to the punch by somebody from the outside. To his great surprise, it was the same gang of crooks from Mt. Moon!
"YOU!" shouted Ash
"IT'S THE TWERP FROM MT. MOON!" responded Meowth
"What are you criminals doing here," demanded Ash after getting over his initial shock.
"None of your business kid, but after the beating you gave us, I am ecstatic to see you again," said Jessie with a cruel grin.
"Indeed. Hand over your Pikachu and other Pokemon, and we won't hurt you too badly," smirked James.
Ash gave them a cold look and said nothing. If these guys are here, there is a decent chance that even more Rockets are hanging around. Brock and Misty might be in trouble if that is the case, and I can't waste any time on these idiots, thought Ash.
"Thundershock," Ash simply commanded. In an instant, Pikachu sent volts of electricity at all three Rockets, lighting them up like Christmas trees and knocking them out on the spot.
"Good work buddy. We need to carefully make our way to the dinning room to make sure everyone else is ok. There are probably more of these scumbags around though, so let's be quiet doing so," Ash explained in a low voice.
Pikachu nodded his head and the two slowly made their way out of the cabin area and towards the dinning room. As Ash predicted, Rockets were crawling all over the ship. Luckily, they managed to sneak their way past without much trouble. Hiding behind one of the entrances to the dining room, Ash slowly peered his head around the corner. What he saw sickened him. The trainers were out cold at their tables, Rockets were wheeling barrels of Pokeballs out, and the man that had given him and his friends the tickets was overseeing the whole thing.
Like in many of his battles, time seemed to slow down as Ash assessed the situation. There's way too many of them in there for me and my Pokemon to handle. I can't just sit and do nothing though. Hmm... the Rockets seems to be taking the Pokeballs out through the kitchens, thought Ash. Looking around, Ash caught another useful feature on the ceiling with his eyes. I've used this strategy before in a battle, so why not use it here as well. That should work, or it's the best I got anyway, thought the boy as his plans came together.
Ash pulled back from the entrance and silently called out Charmeleon, pulling him and Pikachu close. After explaining the situation with the Rockets to his starter, he dove into the plan. "Pikachu, I need you to carefully follow those team Rocket Member who are wheeling out the Pokemon and find where they are storing them. If you can manage it, knock them out and open as many Pokeballs as you can. We are going to need all the help we can get. Charmeleon, I am going to need you to sneak up to the second floor of the dinning room. When you make it there, start blowing your Ember attack on the sprinkler system, just like we did against Brock back at his Gym. With a little luck, this may help us to wake everybody up. Be careful guys, this is gonna be dangerous," warned Ash.
"Pika?" Charmeleon?"
"What am I going to do... I'm going to provide a distraction, and don't worry I'll be fine. Now go!" ordered the boy. Giving their trainer one final look, Pikachu and Charmeleon took off towards their respective tasks. Ash took a deep breath and entered the dinning room, walking towards the man who suckered them into this mess.
"YOU!" yelled Ash, catching the leader's attention and the other Rocket members who were in the room.
"A child?" questioned the man with an amused look as some of the other Rockets laughed.
"Laugh all you want thugs, I beat Rockets at Mt. Moon and I will beat you all as well," said Ash with a glare.
The leader's amusement immediately ceased as he looked at Ash in recognition. "I see. So you are the boy that gave some of our operatives trouble back at Mt. Moon. You caused quite a bit of trouble for our organization with that stunt young man," said the leader in a calm manner.
"Did I? Good to hear," smirked Ash.
The leader's lips curled. "You might think that now, but Team Rocket does not take kindly to anybody interfering with our work. Some might say that it would be suicidal to get in our way. Still, you showed a certain amount of skill and initiative in disrupting our plans there, I will give you that. To that end, I have an offer for you."
"An offer?" questioned Ash with some confusion.
"Yes an offer. I would like to formally extend you an invitation to join Team Rocket. We have plenty of room for powerful ambitious youngsters such as yourself in our organization," smirked the man. "As a Rocket Executive, I am one of the few with the authority to make such an offer, so choose carefully," said the leader.
"Join Team Rocket... I WOULD SOONER DIE THAN JOIN YOU AND YOUR GANG OF CRIMINALS!" Ash yelled with passion.
At that phrase, a wicked smile formed on the leader's face. "You may very well get your wish then. Grunts, continue the mission. I am going to teach this child what it means to mess with Team Rocket! exclaimed the man.
"Yes Executive Petrel sir!" called out the many members as they resumed their respective tasks.
"Wheezing, it's time to battle!" yelled Petrel as the Pokemon appeared in front of him. It had two heads and was clearly the evolution of the Koffing Ash had fought in Mt. Moon.
"I choose you Pidgeotto," said Ash, summoning his faithful bird Pokemon.
"Poison Gas Wheezing," commanded the leader. A large amount of purple gas exited the Pokemon and was headed towards Pidgeotto and Ash.
"Blow it back with Gust Pideogotto," Ash countered. The Pokemon did so with difficulty due to the force of the gas, but it managed to blow the attack back towards Wheezing and Petrol, who seemed unimpressed. As Wheezing was already a Poison type, the attack had no effect whatsoever.
"Sludge Bomb." At this, Wheezing started launching oozes of sludge repeatedly at Pidgeotto, who Ash ordered to do dodge with repeated Agilities, allowing the avian creature to stay out of trouble.
"You really are trying my patience boy," said an annoyed Petrel. "Double Hit!" Now the poison type began to charge at Pidgeotto with a surprising speed.
"It's coming right for us so stop it in its tracks with a mighty Gust!" ordered Ash. Pidgeotto flapped hard releasing a Gust Attack at the oncoming Wheezing, but it easily charged through it, taking minimal damage and connecting with the bird Pokemon at last.
Pidgeotto suffered intense damage from the clearly more experience Pokemon. Sadly, Petrel was far from done. "SHOCK WAVE WHEEZING!"
Ash paled upon hearing those words and tried ordering his Pokemon to safety, but Wheezing was already too close and Pidgeotto had not recovered from the Double Hit. Lightning instantly connected with Pidgeotto, knocking it out on the spot.
"Return Pidgeotto," Ash said with gritted teeth.
"Is that truly the best you can do child? That truly was pathetic," laughed Executive Petrel.
"We're not done yet! I choose you Bulbasaur!" The grass type appeared immediately and was ready for battle.
"Bulbasaur eh. A decent choice I suppose. It has some manner of poison and electric resistance. Still, it looks far too weak to pose any threat," mused Petrel.
"Don't underestimate my friend!" yelled bak Ash
"Friend... Oh you poor naive fool," laughed the villian.
"Bulbasaur, start things off with your Razor Leaf!" Sharp leaves were immediately fired at Petrel's Wheezing and closing in fast.
"Push it back with Sludge Bomb," Petrel lazily retorted. Once agin, Wheezing fired oozes of Sludge, easily battering away the Razor Leaf Attacks. "Press the attack Wheezing and fire more Sludge Bombs at Bulbasaur," ordered the Executive.
As Wheezing made to attack, time slowed down for Ash again. I need to buy more time for Pikachu and Charmeleon. Krabby will get wiped out in an instant right now, which means Bulbasaur is my last shot. This Wheezing is giving me everything I can handle and more though. With the speed of those Sludge Bombs, there is no way Bulbasaur can dodge directly... But I might be able to take a page out of my battle with Surge and catch this punk off guard at the same time, thought Ash.
Time sped back up and Ash acted fast. "Propel yourself in the air with your Vine Whip to dodger Bulbasaur!" The grass type slammed its vine on the ground, leaping into the air above the Sludge Bomb attack, and hovering directly over Wheezing.
"NOW FIRE YOUR LEECH SEED STRAIGHT DOWN!" Ash yelled with passion. Before Petrol could do a thing, Leech Seed left Bulbasaur and instantly connected with Wheezing, taking root, and sucking energy from the Pokemon.
"Not bad kid. Not bad at all," Petrel mockingly applauded. "You fail to have realized that you have lost the battle though."
"What?" Ash said in confusion.
"Wheezing... Self-Destruct"
Ash's eyes widened. Bulbasaur had landed very close to Wheezing after using the Leech Seed. It would not be able to dodge. Wheezing was enveloped in a white light, and then the next moment it exploded, causing a boom in the room, and blowing Bulbasaur into Ash, knocking them both down.
As the dust settled, Ash rubbed his eyes and looked down at his Pokemon. Bulbasaur had take some serious damage, and would need to be treated for its wounds as soon as possible. Ash looked up and saw the grinning face of Petrol, who had already recalled his Wheezing and sent out a Koffing as a replacement.
"What kind of monster sacrifices their Pokemon with an attack like that?" accused Ash.
"The kind that wins kid. I have won and you have lost. Unless you have any other Pokemon you would like me to destroy?" questioned the man.
Ash said nothing and simply returned Bulbasaur.
Petrol's evil grin returned. "That's what I thought. Any last words?"
Ash stared at the man, but caught movement out of the corner of his eye and chuckled.
"What's so funny kid?" angrily questioned the man who wanted to break this brat's spirit.
"The look on your face when you realize that you lost Petrel," replied Ash.
"What do you..." Petrel was interrupted by multiple occurrences. The Fire Alarms began to sound as water poured from the sprinkler system onto everybody in the room. At the same time, several Pokemon began to charge through the doors the Rockets had previously used to transport the stolen Pokeballs. The Pokemon immediately attacked the Rockets in the room, subduing them immediately, other than Petrol who looked on in shock. Meanwhile, the sprinklers had begun to slowly rouse the knocked out trainers.
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!" yelled the man with almost uncontrollable rage.
"You were focused on battling me the entire time. Before I even walked in here, I had my Pikachu and Charmeleon set off to save the Pokemon and activate the sprinklers. You lost before I even walked in the room," smirked Ash.
Petrel wanted to lash out and hurt this child severely, but his rational side took control of the situation. His subordinates were out of the picture, he was surrounded by angry Pokemon and trainers that were waking up, and his watch told him that he was out of time. Thus, the man grabbed his walkie-talkie and gave one final command. "All Rockets are to head for the deck immediately for evacuation. We are aborting the mission. I repeat, we are aborting the mission."
He set it down and gave Ash one final look filled with hatred and loathing. "You will regret this child. I swear it!" He immediately threw a smoke bomb on the ground, preventing anyone from doing anything. When the smoke cleared, he was gone.
Ash rushed after the fiend to the deck, but he was too late. He could only watch as helicopters with the Rocket emblem departed the ship with several members. Ash had a strong feeling that this would not be the last time he dealt with Petrel or the other members of Team Rocket.
The Next Day at Vermillion City's Port
Exiting the vessel, Ash, Brock, and Misty could only feel relief. That was one adventure they certainly would not like to repeat. Though many Rockets escaped, the ones that had been subdued in the dinning room had already been carted off by the local Police Force for questioning. Ash and his friends, and everyone on the boat for that matter, had also been subjected to rigorous questions and interviews before they could leave the vessel as well. That had been done in part to ensure everyone got back all of their Pokemon.
Ritchie had taken off too, wishing the group well, but stating that he needed to get back to training for his rematch with Surge. With that, the group was just finally going to leave the port themselves when yet another voice prevented them from doing so.
"Excuse me, but are you Ash Red Ketchum?"
Ash sighed and answered yes, turning to face the source of what looked to be more questions.
"Good. My name is Lance. I am the current Champion of the Kanto Pokemon League and a member of the Pokemon G-Men. I have some questions for you."
END CHAPTER
This was by far the longest chapter of the story so far. I had considered splitting it up into two, but figured I might as well keep it as one long chapter. We had a ton going on here - The con artist salesman and Misty, Ash and Ritchie's battle, Team Rocket's plan, and Ash saving the day. Not to mention, a very important cliffhanger :)
Next Time - We get an introduction to Lance, who holds a lengthy discussion with Ash and who knows what else.
Plebston123 - Thank you for the review! Yeah I am in the central region of the US, so it was certainly a goodnight when I posted the chapter lol.
Coolguy01 - Thank you for the review! Glad someone agrees with my decision regarding Squirtle. As for Horsesa, I think I want Misty to end up with that Pokemon, but we will see.
DragonEmperor999 - Thanks for the review! No worries. I plan on skipping that particular episode. Also, Ash will not be releasing Pokemon willy nilly, giving them away, etc. in this story.
AWMK3003 - Thanks for the review! I have already decided which Pokemon Eevee will evolve into. Here is a hint - It is not a Kanto evolution, nor will it be Sylveon.
Remember to review with your thoughts and critique :)
Smell ya later!
