POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Here I am! Welcome back to my story... and Happy New Year, everyone! We're leaving behind a year that has not been exactly stellar - at least, generally speaking - and we ope that the year to come will bring more good news to all of us! And while we're at it, why not start things out with a brand new chapters of my very own Pokemon story, especially considering that we've left Ash and company in a rather difficult situation last time? Yeah, Floe Island is about to become the scenario for a very important battle, and we'll get to see whether our heroes can thwart Team Rocket's plans before the criminal organization gets too great an advantage.
And there's also the fact that the girls are busy dealing their own blows to the organization. Ursula has temporarily joined the team - and possibly, it will be more than just a temporary thing. There is much to do for our heroes, and little time in which to do it... can they prevent Team Rocket from getting the NeverMeltIce and get out of the Ice Cave alive and in one piece? All bets are off once the new Team Rocket executives show their true colours to the all-too-trusting Jessie and James...
But enough talking, let's enjoy the chapter and worry about technicalities later! Happy reading!
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Chapter 30 - Melting The Ice
"And the winner of this competition, and of the Juniper Ribbon is... Kenny, from the continent of Sinnoh! Let's all hear it for this young, brave champion!"
The annonucer's voice was followed by an invigorating round of applause, as Kenny held his ribbon high in the air, feeling proud of his victory. He had to admit,he had come a long way ever since he had said goodbye to Dawn on the shores where he and Ash had had their deciding battle... and more to the point, he had become better at controlling his own Pokemon's power, and had managed to work up some very interesting strategies. With a pleasant smile, the young Twinleaf boy thought of his best friend - and, who knows, maybe something more.
She was probably somewhere far away, having some strange adventure together with Ash and the others... and even as the audience applauded his performance, and that of his Empoleon and Floatzel, standing proudly in front of him and waving their paws/wings, he could not help but feel some twinge of jealousy and regret at the thought that Dawn was still around Ash. No matter how hs rational side tried to tell him that he had no reason to feel this way, his emotional side kept screaming at him and making him worry about his blue-haired friend...
"Well, Dawn, looks like I am slowly catching up to you, step by step..." Kenny told himself, with Empoleon and Floatzel standing besides him. "I'd really love to show you how much better I've gotten ever since we last saw each other... who knows where you are right now. I just hope that, wherever you are, you're having fun..."
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"Hmm... very good, looks like things are going great, at least for now..." Proton murmured after taking a good look at a digital map of their headquarters, upon which several luminous dots were showing the position of either one of their agents,or one of the intruders. At the moment, most of the dots were concentrated in the lower floors, or was right inside the Ice Cave. "Most of our men have gathered inside the cave, andI reckon our primary objective will soon be within reach. We've also managed to evacuate a good number of hostages, and those we have lost to those meddlesome kids are too few to really make a difference. We've managed to keep damage to a minimum, all things considered."
"That's good." Archer stated, the other executives joining himas he approached Proton. "Then, as soon as our men get their hands on the NeverMeltIce, we can get out of here and hopefully get rid of those troublesome brats. Ariana, Petrel... I trust you are ready yourselves."
"Yes, Mr. Archer, we are ready whenever you are! Though personally I would rather stay here and enjoy our victory on those rugrats!" Petrel answered as he scratched his short purple beard. "As soon as the NeverMeltIce is taken out of its position, well... those kids will know a new meaning of "being in deep water"! Heheheee..."
"Look, Petrel, you are no good at telling jokes..." Ariana said with an exasperated sigh. "On that matter, Mr. Archer... do you know if our bases in Chrono, Fortune and Quest Island have found anything?"
"If you're talking about the Ruby, the Sapphire and the Emerald, they told me they're within an hair's breadth of them!" Archer answered with a grin. "Giovanni will be very happy of the recent developments. Despite a few problems, it's going exactly how it was planned."
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Ash looked rather distraught, as the Team Rocket Pokemon stood in front of them, ready to fight. He was trying to decide which of his Pokemon to send out in order to even out the numbers... but before he could take a decision, Brock raised one hand, as if asking for permission to speak, and took a Pokeball out of his belt. The somewhat puzzled Ash looked at him in wonder for a second, but quickly understood and nodded to the former Gym Leader, who thanked him with a slight smile, and sent out his latest capture. "Alright then... I'm leaving this to you, Rhyhorn! Do your best!" he exclaimed.
In a blinding flash, with a deep grunt, the stone-skinned rhino popped up in front of Team Rocket's Pokemon, who did not look impressed in the least, and kept advancing slowly but inexorably. Attila's Steelix, in particular, was still towering over Ash's team, and it didn't look like Brock's Rhyhorn could do much against him.
"Heheheee... well, will you look at that Rhyhorn! And here I thought you didn't have a single decent Pokemon among you three!" Attila laughed. "Not that it really matters, anyway! C'mon, Steelix! Swat him away with Iron Tail! Just don't bring down the place, okay?"
"STEEEEL!" The iron serpent roared. With unthinkable agility for such a behemoth, the Steel-type spun on himself and delivered a mighty tail slam, striking both Rhyhorn and Umbreon, and sending them flying! The two Pokemon slid to the ground in a stunned heap, but they quickly got up, just in time to see Jessie's Yanmega bearing down on them, her wings spead aggressively!
"Hohohohooo! And now, let my Yanmega give you a little extra! C'mon, Yanmega, use Bug Buzz!" the fucsia-haired criminal ordered. The gigantic garner began frantically beating her wings, sending out a powerful sound blast towards Rhyhorn and Umbreon... but Brock's Croagunk, deciding it was time to intervene, quickly placed himself between Yanmega and her targets, tanking the Bug Buzz with his powerful front paws and sparing his friends - especially Umbreon - a very dangerous attack!
"CROA!" the toad Pokemon croaked as the sound waves struck him... but his type combination made him particularly resistant to Bug-type attacks, and he only got a few scraches. Yanmega buzzed in anger and frustration, and tried to strike back with a Flying-type attack, but she was unable to do so before Pikachu intervened.
"Pika pika chuuuu!" the electric mouse squeaked as he unleashed his trademark Thunderbolt attack on the Ogre Garner! Jessie managed to order her Pokemon to do a Double Team attack just in time, and the huge dragonfly seemed to split in two, dodging the dangerous Electric attack just in time. Ash grit his teeth in disappointment, while James decided it was time for him to take action.
"Alright, Slugma, it's up to us now... use Smokescreen!" the azure-haired boy called out. "Let's muddle things up a little for those twerps!"
"Slug!" the lava slug answered, her head moving up and down before she breathed a cloud of charcoal-black smoke from her mouth, right in the faces of Pikachu and his friends, forcing them to step backwards in a fit of coughing, their eyes watering... all except Rhyhorn, who stood his ground, as if expecting the enemy to come at him again.
"With your permission, it's my turn." Hun coldly stated. "Skarmory, hit with a Steel Wing."
Shrieking in defiance, the steel raptor flew up high and swept down, his wings outstretched and ready to strike. Rhyhorn tried to step backwards, but he was no match for the fast Steel / Flying type's speed, and he grunted in anger and pain when Skarmory's heavy wing struck him on the side, denting his rock-hard hide. Rhyhorn angrily turned aroud and tried to strike Skarmory with an Horn Attack... but the enemy had expected such a counterattack, and had already gotten far away enough to avoid it. Hun nodded in approval, a malicious grin on her glacially beautiful face.
"Don't stay there, Rhyhorn, or you'll be a sitting duck to that Skarmory!" Brock called to his latest Pokemon, and the Rock / Ground type rhinoceros grunted in humiliation at the fact that he was unable to face those opponents. However, he did as his trainer requested and backtracked, his horn kept high in case hs enemies tried anything. Luckily, Slugma's Smokescreen still hadn't worn out, which gave Ash and his friends ample time a few moments to think of another way to attack...
"Alright then, we just have to think of another plan." Gary said to himself, keeping his calm. "Ash.. you and Pikachu, be ready to attack at my command! I think I've got an idea, but I'll need your Pikachu's Agility to do that."
"What?" Ash asked, somewhat surprised. "Well, there's no problem with that... but what are your intentions?"
"Just wait and see..." Gary stated, one of his knowing grins on his face, the kind Ash was used to see on his face ever since they started their journey. Ash knew his friend and rival had something in mind, and he had to admit, he was rather annoyed at the fact that Gary was trying to be mysterious in such a situation.
"Okay... Ash, do as Gary said! My Pokemon and I will create a diversion in case Team Rocket tried to interfere!" Brock stated. "Rhyhorn, Croagunk, stand ready!"
"Hm? What are those rugrats trying to do?" Attila asked himself, seeing his opponents' shapes moving through Slugma's Smokescreen. "I think they're trying to pull a fast one on us... we'd better act and take them out before they get annoying!"
"Hey, I don't mean to be a wet blanket or anything..." Meowth intervened. "But whenever we think we've got them, the twerps do something unexpected and turn the tables on us! Let's not do anything rash, 'kay?"
"Hahaaaa! Don't worry, we were part of this organization when you were still drinking milk! We know how to deal with these nuisances! Now, Steelix... use a Body Slam attack!" the corpulent Team Rocket agent stated. The iron serpent roared, coiled around... and launched himself at his opponents with all of his weight... and just then, as if he had taken Steelix's move as a start signal, Pikachu dashed towards the Smokescreen, keeping his ears low as he increased his own speed. Steelix stopped for a moment, as if Pikachu's bold move had surprised him... but knowing that Electric-type attacks would have no effect on him, he quickly continued his attack. Unfortunately for him, he had lost quite a bit of his momentum, and that split second he had wasted had been enough for the other Pokemon to work up a counter! Croagunk jumped up and descended on Steelix's head, striking him with a poweful Brick Break attack that managed to dent the steel serpent's snout! Roaring in annoyance, Steelix coiled up as Pikachu burst out of the Smokescreen, dashing towards Skarmory and Yanmega!
"Ugh... Slugma, stop that Pikachu, now!" James ordered his latest Pokemon... but a black shadow appeared beside the lava slug before she could attempt anything, and Gary's Umbreon popped out of seemingly nowhere, baring his claws in a flawlessly executed Faint attack. Slugma was hit by a blindingly fast strike, and Pikachu quickly threw himself sideways and speed-climbed the icy wall on his left, followed by Skarmory and Yanmega's angry stares.
"What's that brat thinking? It will be pointless, anyway!" Hun exclaimed angrly.
In the meanwhile, Ash seemed to have understood what Gary's idea was... he smiled and gave Pikachu a new order. "That's great... now I understand what Gary was thinking! Alright, Pikachu... use a Volt Tackle!"
"PIKA!" his starter answered. He stopped halfway through hs climb and, surrounded in a crackling electric aura, he launched himself at the two Flying-types, resembling an electrified torpedo! The giant garner and the steel bird were struck and electrified, and Skarmory's screech resonated through the icy cave as Pikachu somersaulted through the air and landed on his feet in the midst of the battlefield and besides Umbreon! "Pika pka, chu!" he exclaimed as he turned to Umbreon, and the black-and-golden Pokemon answered by moving his ears and emitting a cry that sounded halfway between cute and eerie.
"Eoooon!"
"STEEEEEELIX!" the iron serpent's enraged roar interrupted the moment of triumph... but not for long, as instead of launching himself at Pikachu and Umbreon, the gigantic Steel-type reptile was sent flying in the air above them, courtesy of a powerful Take Down attack from Brock's Rhyhorn! The iron skin had protected Steelix from damage, but Rhyhorn's impetus had been enough to lift him in the air and make him fly right towards Jessie, James and Meowth!
"Hey! Watch where you guys are fighting, will ya?" the feline Pokemon protested! With comically fearful expressions on their faces, the clumsy trio got away just in time to avoid being flattened like pancakes, as Steelix landed with an earth-shaking slam! Several pieces of ice detached from the ceiling and fell down, and for a second, Hun actually looked annoyed at that unexpected turn of fortune. As Team Rocket's Pokemons retreated towards their trainers, and Ash, Brock and Gary's stepped out of the now-dwindling Smokescreen, the criminals decided it was time for a tactical retreat.
"We can't keep fighting here..." Hun stated, motioning for her Skarmory to come back to her. While he was still stunned because of the earlier Volt Tackle, the steel raptor noisily flew back to his trainer. "Alright... Attila, James, Jessie! We'll retreat to the innermost part of the cave! Follow me!"
"Hey, hold on a sec!" James said in surprise as he recalled his Slugma back in her Pokeball. "What the.. why this order, all of a sudden?"
"Do not discuss that, pal! Orders are orders!" Attila repriminded him as he recalled his Steelix and followed his partner in crime down a corridor that ran towards the lower levels. While James, Jessie and Meowth did not understand the reasoning behind that order, they decided not to discuss further, and ran away in the same direction, with Yanmega following them and acting as a rear guard, and Ash and Rhyhorn in hot pursuit!
"Hey, where are you going?" the Sinnoh champion exclaimed. "Hold on a sec! You aren't getting away like this!"
"Pikachu!" the yellow mouse squeaked, his lightning-shaped tail kept high. He was about to give chase as well, but they all stopped when Brock raised a hand, calling for them not to do anything stupid.
"Hold on, guys!" the dark-skinned young man said. "Don't give chase so recklessly! We don't know what's down there, and there might be a trap!"
"Huh? Brock..." Ash exclaimed, stopping just before entering the corridor. Pikachu and Rhyhorn stopped as well and turned to their trainers. "What do you mean? You think they're trying to draw us there, and then trap us in?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if they did..." Gary stated, his loyal Umbreon by his side. "I know we don't have muc of a choice anyway, but we have to make sure we don't get drawn into some dead end or worse. Umbreon,can you go forward? You're the stealthiest of all our Pokemon, and you can tell us if there are ambushes or things like that..."
"Umbreon!" The Dark-type answered, nodding energically.
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"Okay... I really didn't see that one coming! What's Team Rocket trying to find, in this icy mess?" Ursula aked, keeping her voice low in order for it not to echo on the walls.
"They're looking for an artifact that allows this cave not to thaw." Lorelei answered, peeking from an angle to make sure there were no guards around. "I don't know what Team Rocket is planning to do with it, but I do know that, should the NeverMeltIce be taken from its place, the ice will melt, severely damaging this island's ecosystem."
As she said that, Lorelei looked at one of her Pokeballs with nostalgia, surely the one belonging to the Lapras she had met as a young girl in that icy, yet still dear to her, maze. She would have been rather upset herself if anything had happened to the Ice Cave... and Ursula herself was rather surprised to find herself sympathizing with the Elite Four's plight...
The girls stopped as Miyu's Mightyena, Night Sky, sniffed the air in front of herself and grabbed her trainer's skirt in her mouth, gently tugging towards a smaller corridor excavated in the icy rock. Miyu realized that was the place where Team Rocket had brought the Pokemon belonging to their hostages, and motioned for the other girls to follow her that way.
"Okay, girls... I think Night Sky found something!" the gothic lolita stated. "If the hostages' Pokemon are there, we'll also find the ones belonging to the little princess here, right?"
Ursula's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "L-little princess?"
"Well, you've got the curls... and the attitude as well!" Misty snarked, as Ursula could do nothing but twirl one of her spiral-shaped twintails and sigh in irritation. At least she was happy that they had managed to find Gabite and the rest of her team, though she still had the definite impression that she hadn't exactly clicked with Misty and Miyu... and she didn't exactly like them a lot herself.
"Okay, then... let's go take them back!" the rich heiress sighed, and the girls followed Night Sky through the split in the icy rock, with Misty shivering for the cold as they stepped inside.
"Phew... if I knew I would have to sneak in an icy tunnel, I would have worn something heavier..." the redhead stated, referring to her clothing - her usual yellow top with matching shorts, and her red summer shoes. The girls had to walk with caution, as the walls of the tunnel were filled with sharp edges, which could have easily wounded them. In a couple of occasions, Ursula had to choke back an exclamation as her elegant dress got caught in something... but the team was finally able to reach the end of the icy corridor and emerge into a large room excavated in the bare rock, filled with shelves upon which all the Pokeballs Team Rocket had taken away from their hostages were being kept, organized in boxes and placed in alphabetic order. Which was something Misty and Dawn were grateful to the higher-ups of the criminal team - they had spared them a whole lot of work!
"Excellent! Nicely done, Night Sky!" Miyu stated, scratching her Mightyena behind an ear and getting a couple grateful yowls from the black-and-grey hyena in return. Then, the Mightyena turned to a bunch of shelves on her right and barked again... just as Ursula got to the Pokeballs held there in a hurry!
"There they are! My Pokeballs!" the spiral-haired girl exclaimed joyfully as she opened a box with her name written upon it, and retrieved her Pokeballs from it! "I'm so relieved! You're alright, guys, aren't you? They didn't hurt you, right?"
As Ursula took back her Pokeballs, Dawn looked at her with a pleased smile - this was one of those rare times where Ursula was wearing a truly sweet smile, instead of her usual haughty, I-m-better-than-you expression. She looked really happy that her Pokemon were safe and sound, and Dawn was happy to see that side of her rival's personality.
"We're happy that you found your Pokemon!" Lorelei said as she gave a smile to Ursula, who turned to the Elite Four and curtseyed gracefully.
"Yes... thank you very much, miss Lorelei, my Pokemon... especially my Gabite... are very important friends to me! If I lost them... I don't know what I'd do..." she stated. A part of her skirt, which had gotten lacerated along the corridor, was ripped and remained between her fingers, causing Ursula to throw it away with a sigh. "Ugh... pity, it was my favourite skirt..."
"We'll think about that later..." Dawn answered. "Now we have to find Ash and the others. With all the noise we made, I'd be surprised if Team Rocket was not looking for us all over the place already. We need to get away before we get swarmed!"
"Dawn is right, we need to reach the guys as soon as possible!" Misty answered. "Who knows where they are right now... for now, we should try to take as many of these boxes as possible to the upper floors, so that at least the Pokemon will be safe..."
"Ursula and I can take care of it." Miyu stated, grabbing some of the boxes while Ursula did the same with others. "You go ahead and try to help Ash and the others! See you on the surface!"
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"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!"
Following Homura's order, the fiery dog-lion Pokemon charged through a mixed group of Pokemon that was trying to stand in his way, surrounded by a blazing aura and trampling them effortlessly under the Rocket grunts' incredulous stares! The young rider nodded, his arms crossed on his chest, and smiled behind his helmet, affixing the grunts with an hard stare, and completely taking away their remaining will to fight. However, they were left with no other option, as Lance's red Gyarados, whom he had captured at the Lake of Rage several years before, placed himself in front of the only exit, towering over the terrified grunts and baring his razor-sharp fangs at them!
"Ah... er... he-hello... we... hehehee... we were just passing through and... ugh... help..." one of the grunts meekly tried to appease the shiny Gyarados, causing the sea serpent to dangerously narrow his eyes at him and growl. He didn't seem to be in the mood for listening to such silliness... "Aaaargh! You... you don't have to get angry, you know!"
Wisely, the other grunts decided that it was a bad idea to push their luck with the huge serpent, and they gave up at once, dropping the Pokeballs they were carrying. Homura's Arcanine approached the grunts, his head kept high and his eyes glaring at the enemies in victory.
"Nice job, Gyarados. And now, gentlemen... I believe I have some questions to ask you." Lance stated, as he and Homura approached the captured grunts. "Should you comply, I will ask the police for leniency on your punishment."
"Or else... well, I don't think I need to elaborate further." Homura added. The biker stroke the warm, luxurious fur on his Arcanine's side, causing the majestic dog-lion to smile cunningly before glaring at the Rocket grunts, giving greater emphasis to his trainer's threat.
Needless to say, the combination of Homura's Arcanine and Lance's shiny Gyarados did wonders to convince Team Rocket to cooperate! One of the grunts raised his hands in surrender, as comical sweatdrops sprayed from his head! "Aieeee! Hold... hold on a sec, pal! Keep those beasts on a leash! We'll talk!" he exclaimed, as Homura nodded in agreement and motioned for his Arcanine to stand back. Gyarados himself retreated a little, in order to allow the grunts to speak without feeling threatened. "Y-you see, the bigwigs had the base evacuated as soon as we knew you guys were coming... and the three Kanto trainers, well... we have separated them from your group, so that it would be easier to take them out! Though, sadly, some of our hostages escaped, all thanks to those girls who were with you..."
"You're talking about my colleague, and the other trainers that have gotten in from the other entrance, right?" the dragon tamer rhetorically asked, and the grunt nodded wordlessly.
"R-right... Now that we're about to take the NeverMeltIce, the artifact that keeps these caverns frozen... our leaders wanted us to draw their enemies in the innermost levels of the Ice Cave... so that, when we get our prize, the caves will be flooded, and we'll get rid of those meddling kids!" the grunt answered. "We... we were just following orders, you see? We didn't have a choice in the matter! We had to do it, or we would have paid the consequences!"
The grunt stopped himself again when Homura's Arcanine approached him with a menacing growl, invading his space.
"But you did have a choice when you decided to join Team Rocket, right?" Homura stated, unconvinced. "So, don't go looking for excuses, okay? Rather, take us to the underground passages! We have to save our friends, before the place gets flooded!"
"Er..." the grunt seemed to hesitate for a moment, before Arcanine and Gyarados' intimidating stares worked their magic! "Alright, alright already! Just... don't hurt me, okay? Okay, you... you just have to follow us, and we'll take you to them! P-Please, this way!"
"Good. Asking nicely will get you anywhere." Homura commented in satisfaction, hoping it was not too late to save their friends, and that even the girls were doing okay...
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Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Croagunk, Gary and Umbreon were varily following the trail left by James, Jessie and the other Team Rocket members as they made their way through the icy corridors, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might have looked like a trap. There was something eerie about that place... possibly, the fact that other sounds could be heard in the distance, but they were seeing nothing that could have caused them. Some sort of danger was bound to arrive sooner or later... and the ever-increasing cold certainly didn't help.
Finally, a familiar noise from a corridor in front of the attracted Pikachu's attention, causing him to raise his pointed ears and frown. He was sure he had heard the buzzing of Jessie's Yanmega... and it was quite close as well!
"Pika pika!" the electric mouse squeaked, pointing to the place where the sound had come from. Everyone stopped for a moment and followed Pikachu in that tunnel, hoping that was the right time. It was easy to lose their way, in that icy maze...
Luckily, they did not have to look much further: the Team Rocket members reappeared almost immediately after, as soon as Ash and his friends reached a large room whose walls were covered in ice. Jessie and James had already let out two more of their own Pokemon, namely Seviper and Carnivine, in order to support Slugma and Yanmega, and seemed ready for the second round! Attila's Steelix and Hun's Skarmory were right behind them.
"My, these kids sure are persistent!" Attila said, never once losing his sarcastic edge. "Not bad at all, you followed us in this labyrinth, and you managed to get to us... but I wonder whether you'll manage to get out of here as easily as you got in! What do you say, Hun?"
The silver-haired woman didn't even blink, and she simply motioned to her Steel / Flying Pokemon, who cawed in anger and took flight once again, his razor-sharp wings flapping with a sinister metal sound. Jessie and James looked ready as well, facing off against Ash, Gary, Brock and their Pokemon, who were standing right in front of them. Pikachu was standing in front of everyone, waiting for Team Rocket to make their first move...
Which they did soon enough... but it wasn't what Ash and his friends were expecting.
Attila turned to his partner in crime, who answered with a nod... and the blond criminal smirked and gave an unexpected order to his Steelix! "Alright, Steelix, time to give these pushovers a lesson!" he exclaimed. "Use a Sandstorm attack, now!"
The steel serpent let out a powerful roar and began frantically shaking his coils, hitting the walls with incredible power! The surprised Jessie, James and Meowth, along with their Pokemon, stopped cold, turning to the other two agents... and even Ash and his friends looked rather distraught, asking themselves what Attila was thinking...
"Is he using a Sandstorm? Is he mad?" Brock exclaimed. "He will collapse the whole tunnel this way!"
Attila laughed heartily as Hun gave an order to her Skarmory, and the Steel / Flying Pokemon flew up to the ceiling and used his Steel Wing attack to hit the icy spikes hanging from it, causing them to fall to the ground in a deafening avalanche of solid ice, which struck the ground between Ash's team and the Team Rocket trio!
"Aaaargh! What are they thinking, doing something like this?" Jessie screamed. Her Yanmega managed to narrowly dodge a falling slab of ice, while her Seviper widened her eyes in surprise and indignation as she saw that Attila, Hun and their Pokemon were taking advantage of the confusion to get away!
"Seviperrrrr!" the saber-toothed viper hissed in anger.
"Hey, what are you two doing? Are you abandoning your companions?" Ash exclaimed. Attila and Hun ran into a corridor further away from there, and the man turned around one last time to smirk at the team again... and at those that had been his allies until a few seconds earlier!
"Hahahaaa! Those buffoons were never our companions to begin with!" Attila exclaimed, smirking cruelly. "Their only use to us was to draw you kids here and distract you, while we get away with this island's treasure!"
"What?" Gary exclaimed, using his arm to shield himself from a few icy debris falling from the ceiling. "What do you mean? Does that mean... your friends have found that NeverMeltIce thing?"
"They'll be taking it any minute now." Hun stated emotionlessly. "We have what we came here for, so we don't care about the rest. Our ways part here, brats."
"Hey, hey! Hold on a second here!" James panicked. "You... you can't leave us here! I don't wanna get frozen inside this oversized fridge!"
"If your friends remove the NeverMeltIce from its place, the island's ecosystem will be severely damaged!" Brock exclaimed, hoping that at least Attila and Hun were willing to listen to reason... but even his appeals fell of deaf ears.
"Well, that's nothing that concerns us." Hun shot back. "And about you three fools... did you actually believe Team Rocket needed three bumbling morons like you? How foolish... we just needed you as bait."
"And anyway... instead of worrying about the ecosystem of this little piece of rock in the sea, you should worry about your own lives! You do know what will happen when we take the NeverMeltIce away, right?" Attila chuckled. He laughed out loud once again, before a huge block of ice fell and blocked the passage he and Hun had run into, stopping Ash's group from following them!
"Wh... What?" James meekly stammered. "What's going to happen when they find... that?"
Brock grit his teeth, knowing that things were getting very difficult indeed. "When they remove the NeverMeltIce from its place, the caves will quickly thaw, and the tunnels will be flooded in a few minutes! If we're still inside when this happens, we'll either drown or be crushed to death by the water pressure." he quickly explained.
Needless to say, this explanation threw James into utter panic... and his Carnivine as well, who quickly hugged him, wrapping his vines aroud his trainer! "WHAAAAAT? We... we are going to... to... AAAAAAAARGH! Nooooo, I don't wanna die like this! I'm still too young and innocent! WAAAAAAAAH!"
"Carniviiiiiiiine!"
"Sluuuuuuuugma!" the young man's Slugma began crying as well, with comical fountains of tears gushing out of both her eyes and her trainer's! Jessie moved away in order not to get washed up by those oversized torrents of tears, but her Seviper wasn't fast enough, and she found herself under a salty shower a split seconds after!
"Seviper..." the snake hissed in frustration, slowly moving her forked tongue.
"Ah... er... okay! Okay, everyone, let's try not to panic!" Brock tried to keep control of the situation, despite the fact that he was quite afraid himself. "We need to find a way out of here, that's all. We still have some time, right? Then, let's use it to get as close to the exit as we can."
"I'm afraid it will be hard, we don't even know where we are..." Gary affirmed. "Still, you're right, if we stay here, our Psyduck is cooked! Our only hope is to get as far away as possible..."
Jessie nodded and shook James' shoulder, trying to force him to reason. "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you twerps are right! Hey, James, snap out of it! We're in danger every second we stay, we have to get away!"
"And... and... how do we do THAT?" James exclaimed, convinced that would be the end of the line for all of them. He would probably have degenerated into a panicked mess, had Meowth not proceeded to snap him out of his funk, by jumping up and Scratching him in the face, leaving three glowing lines on his face!
"Oh, quit your whining, will ya?" the cat Pokemon shouted. James yelped in pain as his companion'sclaws hit him in the face... but at least, this did have the effect of making him focus on the situation! "Now, listen, we don't wanna end up like a drowned Rattata in this place! So get a hold of yourself, Jamie-boy, and we hightail it out of here! And if that means having the twerps help us, so be it! Recall your Pokemon, and go!" he exclaimed before turning to Ash, Brock and Gary. "And you, take care! If we drown, there will be heck to pay!"
"Pika chuuuu!" Pikachu retorted fiercely, as if saying there was no chance it would end like this. "Pika pi, pikachu pi pi pika ka, pka pika chu?"
"No worries, Pikachu, we're getting out of here right now!" the black-haired teenager answered. "Alright, follow us, we'll take you out of here!"
Ash hoped to himself that it really was going to be as easy as he made it sound...
oooooooooo
"Yay, and that's the NeverMeltIce! We finally got it!" Petrel exclaimed happily, as soon as the last slab of rock fell under the blows dealt by Team Rocket's mining Pokemon (mostly Fighting or Rock-type Pokemon) and crumpled to the ground, revealing a small natural room whosewalls were covered in azure-whitish ice, featuring what looked like an icy altar right in the middle of it. A strange object had been placed upon it - a piece of sculpted ice in the form of a rose, as large as a man's fist, seemingly just waiting for someone to come and collect it... and Petrel was not the kind of person to pass up such a chance!
The Team Rocket executive, after motioning for the workers to stand back, personally stepped into the freezing room, shivering from the cold as he felt the temperature of theroom getting colder and colder as he got closer to the artifact... to the point where he could see his own breath coming out of his mouth in white vapor clouds. After a few steps, the Team Rocket executive reached the altar and carefully took the NeverMeltIce in his gloved hand, looking at it with a satisfied, greedy stare. "Aaah, perfect! Just perfect! We got what we came here for!" Petrel cheered... but his mirth was interrupted by a low, cavernous noise that seemed to come from the very bowels of the planet itself, as if Floe Island had reacted with outrage at the theft of its most valuable treasure, and wanted to avenge itself in some way!
"Tch... we'd better scram, before this place gets flooded! The ice is melting, and soon this place will only exist in our memories!" Petrel stated, putting away the precious artifact. "Everyone, recall your Pokemon and run to the exits! Do we have all of the hostages?"
"Yes, commander Petrel!" a grunt answered after recalling his Graveler. "some of the hostages escaped thanks to those meddling kids, but not enough to really make a difference. We have things under control!"
"Alright!" Petrel finished. "Then, let's get a move! We're outta here!"
oooooooooo
Even Lorelei's group, consisting of her, Misty and Dawn, had heard that disquieting roar... and the girls had stopped right then and there as the ground shook underneath them, and the ice covering the walls began melting at breakneck speed as the temperature rose noticeably. Dawn let out a brief yell when some water from the ceiling dripped on her hat, while Lorelei's icy calm was shattered for all of five seconds: the Elite Four clenched her fists in frustration and grit her teeth.
"What's going on here, miss Lorelei?" Misty asked her idol, looking around herself in alarm. "The ice is melting, and the place is heating up! Does that mean..."
"Team Rocket has taken the NeverMeltIce. We're too late." Lorelei answered. "I'm afraid we can do nothing more here... this cave will soon catch up with the outside temperature, or at least get well above the ice's melting point. Which means that this place is about to get flooded!"
The worst case scenario was coming true, and much to Misty and Dawn's frustration, they could do nothing more than drop everything they were doing and save themselves. Of course, not before having made sure the guys were alright as well! "Darn... so we can't stay here any longer! We have to find Ash and the others... and get away from this place at once!" the redhead exclaimed. "The problem is, we have no idea where they are..."
As the ice continued retreating, and a large puddle had already formed under the girls' feet, Lorelei took out one of her Pokeballs and threw it in the air, letting her main Pokemon out. "Come, Lapras! We still need your help!" the Kanto Elite Four exclaimed, and the blue-skinned dinosaur-like Pokemon appeared in front of the female trainers with a melodic call... but his expression quicly turned sour and anxious when he saw what was happening, and understood that the Ice Cave was in its death throes...
"I'm sorry about that, Lapras... the Ice Cave is thawing out, those Team Rocket criminals have taken away the NeverMeltIce!" Lorelei warned, gritting her teeth and feeling a pang in her heart as the realization that a place so dear to her was going todisappear hit full force. The memories of her childhood flashed through her mind, but she had to suppress them and soldier on. "There's nothing more to do here... only find the other guys who came ere with us, and take them to a safe place! If we don't hurry, we'll be trampled by the incoming tide!"
The Water / Ice Pokemon looked down in depression for a few seconds... then, deciding that it was pointless to think about it, nodded and to his trainer and her friends, motioning for them to climb on his back. As soon as Lorelei, Misty and Dawn did so, Lapras began swimming in the still-shallow water,hoping it was not too late to save Ash and the others.
Running against the clock, Lapras paddled with his flippers, countering the rushing current which was slowly but surely getting stronger, and looked around in a desperate attempt to find the guys before it was too late. The sound of steps in the water, which Lapras' fine hearing could clearly perceive over the rush of the water, alerted him... and the Pokemon turned in the direction of the sound and began swimming for all he was worth!
"Ash! Gary, Brock!" Misty called. "Are you there? Please, answer us!"
"There they are!" Lorelei stated, looking in front of herself as several shapes appeared in the semi-darkness. There were seven of them, five humans and two Pokemon... and as they got closer, Lorelei managed a smile as she saw that Ash, Pikachu and their friends were among them, even though they had been joined by those two strange guys and that talking Meowth that had tried to steal Pikachu away after her battle with Ash in the Orange Islands...
"Ash! Everyone, this way!" Dawn exclaimed, standing up on Lapras' back and waving her arms in their direction.
"Miss Lorelei! Are we glad to see you!" Ash exclaimed as he and the others finally reached Lapras. He and Misty exchanged a quick hug. "How did you manage to get here? And... where is Miyu now?"
Misty pointed to the tunnel they had left behind. "She's found the Pokemon belonging to the trainers captured by Team Rocket, and now she, along with some spoiled rich kid that calls herself Dawn's rival, is carrying them to safety and trying to contact Lance and Homura..." she explained. "But we have to get out of here, quickly! This place will be flooded soon... and Team Rocket is coming as well!"
"You mean, Ursula is here as well?" Brock asked, before deciding to leave that aside for now. "Nevermind, we have no time to explain now. I'll just say that Jessie, James and Meowth have been betrayed by the rest of Team Rocket, and we can't just leave them here!"
A deafening roar covered Brock's words, and several of the trainers jumped up in fear, recognizing the rumbling sound of a tide of water about to wash them away! By the sound of it, it was already too close for them to do anything about it...
"Oh, man, we're in trouble..." Ash exclaimed, knowing it was a gross understatement.
"We're done for!" Jessie screamed, her face covered in blue lines from her fear. James and Meowth weren't any calmer... but Gary managed to keep his cool and come up with an idea that might have salvaged the situation. As the enormous tide got closer and closer, Prof. Oak's grandson took out one of his Pokeballs and let out his Blastoise, who appeared in front of the team and stomped one of his legs on the ground, like a sumo wrestler getting ready to fight!
"BLAST!" the Water-type starter roared, showing the shiny cannons on his back.
"Alright, we're going for broke here..." Gary said. "Blastoise, do you remember that move you learned from the Move Tutor? Hydro Cannon?" When the tortoise calmly nodded, despite the massive wave only seconds away, Gary cracked a smile. "Good! Use that to hold the tide back! At least that will buy us some time..."
Blastoise quickly turned in the direction from which the water was about to come from... and just then, the trainers saw a huge tide advancing inexorably towards them, with deafening noise and unbelievable power! Gary's Blastoise frowned and pointed both his cannons to the huge mass of water, charging up for a split second... then, he shot a pressurized blast of water from his cannons, with such sheer strength that Ash and his friends could feel their power from where they were standing right behind Blastoise! A frightening impact was heard as the two masses of water met each other... and, with a roar similar to that of an enraged Gyarados, the massive tide began to give ground! Blastoise grit his teeth and put even more oomph in his final attack, causing the tide to further retreat...
Lorelei nodded to herself, praising Gary's quickness of thought. It was clear that he was the grandson of a great scientist... "Hmm, now that was a great idea! But it won't hold for long, unless.." she said, before motioning for the rest of the team to stand aside. As soon as Ash and his surprised friends did as they were told, Lapras took a deep breath, anticipating his trainer's order. "Lapras, help him out! Freeze that mass of water with your Blizzard attack!"
Before Blastoise's attack could lose strength, Lapras breathed out a powerful gust of howling wind mixed with snow and ice crystals, that flew over the tortoise's head and hit the mass of water, stopping it on the spot! In wonder and admiration, Ash stood and watched as the massive tide that was about to trample them all solidified, turning into a wall of solid ice, and in a few seconds' time, Blastoise could relax and reduce his cannons' power, breathing out in relief as he saw that, at least for the moment, the wave had been stopped.
"Phew... that was really too close for confort, this time..." the young aspiring Pokemon Master murmured. "Gary, miss Lorelei... we have to thank you all, if it hadn't been for you..."
"But now we have to get out of here, and fast!" Misty intervened. "That ice barrier isn't going to hold forever! Let's reach Ursula and the others, and get out of here!"
"Of course..." Lorelei answered reluctantly. She would have wanted to do something more to save the place where she had met her Lapras as a little girl, and she was filled with cold anger at the thought of not being able to do anything.
And judging from Lapras' melanchonic sigh and angered frown, she wasn't the only one to feel that way.
oooooooooo
As this was going on inside the mountain's many tunnels, several ships and submarines bearing the Team Rocket sign weredeparting from Floe Island, without anyone being able to stop them, and were on their way to the other islands of the Sevii Archipelago... namely, Chrono and Fortune Islands, where two more Team Rocket bases were located. The Team Rocket executives had gotten on board the two largest ships, two for each ship... and at that moment, inside the piloting cabin of one of those ships, Archer was admiring the NeverMeltIce Petrel had just brought before him, well-defended under a glass dome. Attila and Hun were standing beside Archer, both of them looking quite pleased with their exploits.
"Perfect. I have to say, we can be satisfied of our work so far. Floe Island is of no more use to us now." the green-haired Team Rocket executive stated, as Petrel tried to warm up his hands, slightly frostbitten from holding the icy jewel. "Have you madesure those foolish kids can bother us no more?"
"No problem, boss! I don't think they will bother us anymore... even if they have survived, we'll be ready for them should they show up!" Attila exclaimed in fierce satisfaction, as he admired the NeverMeltIce and adjusted his sunglasses. "Heh... this little trinket sure is something. I'm kinda curious to know what we will use it for!"
"You'll see that later, Attila." Archer answered, before turning to Petrel and instructing him to get back to the ship's console. "Fine, then... Petrel, contact Ariana and Proton, and tell them to head for Chrono Island, while we get to Fortune. We need to prepare the next part of our plan, and take the Ruby and the Sapphire from there... if our subordinates have found them, that is."
"Alright, Archer! I'll tell them right away!" Petrel said, as he activated the communication device...
oooooooooo
The little fucsia-haired, glasses-wearing girl smiled kindly, as she extended her lithe hand to caress the head of the Lapras she had just met and befriended, undaunted by the chilling temperature of the cavern she was in. In fact, she seemed to be just as at ease as the Pokemon himself was...
"Hi, Lapras... My name is Lorelei! Pleased to meet you, would you like to be my friend?" the girl asked, and Lapras answered by letting out his musical call, signifying the start of a new friendship...
Lorelei sighed impotently as she looked at the rivers pouring down the holes in the rocky formation that, up until a few hours before, had been the place where her beloved Ice Cave could be found, and to which many childhood memories were bound. Lance, Miyu, Homura and all of Ash's group, now including Ursula, Jessie, James and Meowth, was standing near her at the moment. Of course, many had been surprised when the newcomers had shown up... but now, all questions had been put aside before what had happened. Floe Island had lost its greatest wonder, many Pokemon had lost their home, and some of them had surely lost their lives as well. The Ice Cave would never be the same again, after this...
"I'm sorry..." the Elite Four said. "We did all we could, but we still failed to keep those people from taking away the NeverMeltIce. This is a defeat for us, and for all those who live on Floe Island. I failed them all..."
Lance shook his head. "Don't feel too guilty about that, Lorelei... too many things were beyond our control, and we had no idea of what Team Rocket was willing to do to get what they wanted." he told her. "At least we managed to save several hostages and their Pokemon, thanks to Miyu and Ursula... Rather, we should focus on tracking down Team Rocket and foiling their plans... now that they have the NeverMeltIce, and have retreated to Chrono and Fortune Islands, anything might happen."
"To say nothing of the fact that we were pretty much dumped there... hadn't it been for you, we would have drowned there!" James murmured. "Man, I don't even want to think about it..."
"Don't know about you guys... but I'm not going to just swallow my pride and keep quiet! I want to pay them back for this!"
"Well, you're not the only one..." Ursula pointed out, glaring at the fucsia-haired girl. "Those clowns have kidnapped me and my Pokemon... and I won't be satisfied until I have gotten my revenge on them!"
"Pika pika chu!" Pikachu said, looking at the rest of the team. It was time to strike back at Team Rocket, and Homura seemed to already have an idea how...
"Alright... we're calling it a day for now. Then, tomorrow, we'll split up like we did today and chase after those guys. And if I'm allowed to ask for that, Lance, I'd like for our group to go to Fortune Island!"
Lance had nothing to object to any of this. "I'm okay with it. After all, that island is where you were born." the dragon tamer answered. "Alright... this time, we cannot afford to make mistakes, there is much at stake here..."
The day was ending, and the only thoughts running through the minds of Ash, Misty, Brock, Dawn and the others were that there was still much to do...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: And so ends the first chapter I publish on this year! Hope you liked it... and it looks like our heroes have their work cut out for them! Next time, we'll follow Misty, Lorelei and the girls as they pursue Ariana and Proton in Chrono Island. How will it go?
See you next time, which I hope will be as soon as possible. Starting tomorrow, I'll be in Barcelona for a few days, then I'll be back on the 7th. And then, school will start again on the 9th... well, hope it