Ch. 4 Sticking to who you know
In the dark void of space, a field of asteroids littered the area. No living creature could be seen from light-years away. However, asteroids would soon get pulled closer toward a large structure. This created a large orbit of rocks, forming an impenetrable barrier. The tower stood tall and grey on a meteor with large circuitry running along the walls. Long lightning rods would shoot out from the sides of the building. At the very top was a giant glass dome that covered a main control room. Switches and buttons were scattered all across the area. There were chairs and control panels prepared for operators. All this was formed to encircle the center, where a large chair stood. It was made of steel with soft cushion supporting the back and the bottom. There was only one red button on the left arm rest and a small black screen on the right. However, a dark figure was already sitting on his throne. The figure was tall and wore a dark red mask. It showed no facial features; only white glaring eyes that could pierce through one's soul. His body was covered in a large black cape with a large collar that hid his arms or his physic. He wore black military jeans and large white boots. With a push of the red button, a video monitor lowered in front of his face. His black fingerless gloves pressed on the black screen to his right that changed to a white color. A video was playing showing a young man and a woman who were surrounded by red eyes. The woman told the boy her parting words. "Take this alternate route. May time and space aid you on your quest." The boy was then chucked through the portal and disappeared. The woman had cast a blinding light; confusing the creatures of the dark. She was gone as well. He paused the video; rewind it to a point where he could get a good image of the man. He paused the video again and looked to the guy with a red baseball T-shirt, black pants, white sneakers, and a brown tool belt.
"Such an amusing look for a reaper," said the figure in a monotone voice. He pressed the red button again and the screen rose back to the ceiling. He stood up and walked down an empty aisle. As he walked, his minion army of shadows rose from the ground. Their eyes were dark red and they obtained the figure of people and creatures in different shapes and sizes. As the man walked past these figures, he made his way over to the glass dome. He looked over the vast emptiness of space. He placed his right hand on the window, revealing large scars on his bulky arms. "Everything must come to an end. It is the fate of all living things." A planet nearby was consumed by a dark void.
As our heroes make their way to the Sunnyshore City Gym, a rather impressive town captures their fancy.
"Wow, what a town," said Dawn, "it's big!"
"Piplup!" Piplup said in delight.
"First off, why don't we head to the Pokémon Center," Brock suggested.
"Yeah, great idea," Ash agreed.
"Pikachu!"
"Man, I'm too tired to go any further," Raimundo said in a tired expression. His back was slump and he was dragging his scythe on the dirt road. His pikachu was sitting on the back of his head.
"Come on, Rai; it's just a little further," Brock encouraged Rai to keep pushing.
"Yeah, but that training this morning really took its toll on my back," Rai pushed his back inward and gave off a few cracking sounds. His pikachu felt the sudden chill of hearing each bone popping back into place.
"Chu," it cried as it covered its ears.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ash apologized.
1 hour earlier
Ash and Rai were in an open field facing off in a training battle. Brock and Dawn watched from the sidelines with both pikachus watching as well. Rai only had his scythe with him to fight while Ash had brought out his Grotle; a somewhat large green and yellow turtle on all fours that had bushes growing out of its back. So far, Rai had been able to maneuver his attacks and was now capable of avoiding Grotle's Razor Leaf or countering its Energy Ball.
"Grotle, use Razor Leaf, go!" Ash commanded. Grotle summoned sharp leaves from its back and started launching them at Rai. Quickly, Rai rolled to his right and evaded the rush of greeneries.
"Woo! Now that was close," shouted Rai.
"I can't believe how better he is at battling," Dawn said as she observed the battle.
"He did say he was a swordsman, so it's a good idea he keeps up with practice," Brock added. Lying next to Dawn was Rai's tool belt. Piplup noticed it and jumped from Dawn's arm.
"Piplup, you shouldn't be touching his things," Dawn stated. Piplup began digging through the belt and came across a round, orange plastic device. Piplup tried to bite it, but it only hurt its beak. Piplup flailed it with anger, until it noticed something small and metal shining in it. This brought both Ash's and Rai's pikachu into interest. As Piplup pulled on the metal piece, a yellow strip of tape stretched out from the orange plastic. Letting go, it quickly zipped back in. Brock and Dawn both stared as Rai's pikachu went over to Piplup.
"Pikachu?"
"Piplup…Piplup, Piplup!" Piplup had an idea. It gave Rai's Pikachu the orange part and began running with the metal piece. They continued to stretch the yellow tape as far as they could until it wouldn't go any farther.
"Now Grotle, Energy Ball!" With full power, Grotle charged up a green ball of energy in its mouth. Rai was ready to try and knock back the attack.
After Piplup tried to pull longer, its wing slipped and released the metal strip, sending Piplup to roll backwards. The tape continued to zip until it was back with Rai's Pikachu.
"Wow, that was pretty far," said Dawn.
"Dawn, look!" Brock pointed to the field. Piplup rolled right next to Rai's leg.
"Oh no! Piplup!" Dawn cried.
Ash heard Dawn scream and then noticed Piplup in range. "Grotle, wait, hold on!" Too late. Grotle released its Energy Ball at both of them. Rai noticed Ash's command and looked down to see Piplup.
"Piplup? Why are you…?" The Energy Ball landed a direct hit and sent Piplup and Rai flying into a nearby treetop. Rai and Piplup were falling past all the leaves and branches, until they finally landed on the ground. Rai was on his back while Piplup was on its back on top of his chest. "Well, that could have gone better." Rai looked up to see his scythe spinning and falling. "AAHHHHHHH!" Piplup and Rai hugged each other as they said their final good-byes.
Clack!
Rai and Piplup were both wide eyed; their color was as white as a sheet. They slowly looked to their right as the scythe landed with the cutter in the grass; nearly missing Rai's head by two inches. The others began to run to their location.
"Hey, you guys alright?" asked Brock.
Rai was still squeezing the life out of Piplup. "Yeah…sure…never better…"
Present
The two glass doors opened to the Pokémon Center as Ash and the others walked in.
"Hello there!" Ash shouted.
"Why hello there!" A young woman called out from behind the counter. As a Pokémon doctor, she wore a pink nurse outfit with a small hat with a yellow cross and a short skirt. She had red hair in the shape of two circular pigtails and blue eyes. Behind her was a plump pink Pokémon with an egg hiding in its front pouch. Immediately, Brock rushed toward her without delay.
"Hi! It's such a treat of you; none other than Nurse Joy!" Brock proclaimed in a soave sophisticated manner, "The readers name me Brock, although my journey here was long and fraught with hardship…" To make it more dramatic, Brock was put to a scene with him pushing through rain and wind while holding an umbrella, "Rain will not defeat me… and wind will not defeat me!" he was then back at the Pokémon center front disk. "But though the wind and rain fought me to keep me from you, they're powerless against my love for you. Now hold me and let my dreams come true! ~"
"Croagunk!" Croagunk let out a sharp jab to Brock's backside.
"ALTHOUGH CROAGUNK KNOWS HOW TO DO IT TOO!" Brock's eyes shot with stars as he took the impact of Croagunk's attack. It then started to drag Brock away from the scene. Dawn and Nurse Joy watched as he was carried away.
"Alright buddy, how about a little training after we get settled in?" Ash asked Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" it agreed.
Rai noticed the rugged feeling under his chin as he looked in the window reflection of himself. "Man, I need to shave. You guys go on ahead; I'm gonna clean up first."
"Sure, we'll meet you outside," said Ash.
"Meanwhile, can you take our stuff to the room?" pleaded Dawn.
"Sure, no problem," offered Rai. He started taking their backpacks. "Come on, uh, Sparky?" Pikachu shook its head.
"Sparky?" asked Dawn.
"I'm still trying to come up with a nickname for him so I don't get mine or Ash's mixed up," he answered. Dawn pondered this for a moment, and then an idea struck.
"Hold on, I might have something that'll do the trick," Dawn searched through her pack until she had pulled out a green bandana with a white pokéball insignia. She then wrapped it around Pikachu's head until it looked like a headband. "There we go, this should make things easier." Rai's pikachu rubbed its head, feeling the new headgear it wore. It let out a cheer and ran in circles.
"Looks good, and it likes it," Rai pointed out. "Alright, see ya in a bit."
The team split up to perform their tasks. Making his way down the hallway, Rai unlocked the door to the bedroom that had two bunk beds lying next to opposite walls. The walls were tan and a light was built into the ceiling. Next to a window, a small study desk with a chair came in between the two beds. As it turned out, the bathroom was down the hallway to the left from the guest room. Man, I'm surprised by how they keep these facilities running without any money. Makes me wonder how the economics work here, Rai thought. Pikachu jumped on the bed and nuzzled into the sheets. "Hey, make sure you don't get your hairs on the bed. I need to sleep too," said Rai. He dropped the bags on the other bed, unbuckled his tool belt, and grabbed his scythe. "Time to clean myself up," Rai left the room and walked down to the bathroom.
After a few minutes, Pikachu was resting on the bed when suddenly it heard Rai scream.
"YEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" Pikachu quickly jumped from the bed and stood in front of the door. Its cheeks began releasing static; ready to attack the first thing that came into the room. The knob slowly turned and the door swung open. Pikachu looked up at Rai, trying to keep itself from laughing. Rai had cuts and scratches on his face along with tissues trying to hold back the blood. "Note to self: never use a scythe as a razor." Pikachu fell back on its back, unable to hold back its laughter. "You can stop anytime now." Suddenly, an electric shock brightened the window. Rai and Pikachu quickly exchanged glances; Rai cleaned his face and they ran out of the room.
Outside
A few yards away from the Pokémon center rested an odd looking house. Its design appeared to be mismatched with slanted roofs along with metallic walls mixed with wooden repairs. Beside the house was a large metal water tower and on the roof stood a large antenna. Inside the building were beakers and test tubes scattered all over a large table. The room had research notes scattered across the floor along with filing cabinets filled to the top with more ruffled research papers. This was likely the laboratory of a scientific researcher. The researcher, himself, was fiddling with one of his inventions while looking back at some notes to assure the correct modifications. He wore a white lab coat with a grey collared shirt and a blue tie underneath. He had brown pants and black shoes and had his arm sleeves rolled up. His grey hair matched his mustache and looked as though he hadn't had a good night's sleep…for days. The machine he was tampering with was blue with white pumps stretching from the side. Gas meters were placed along the surface and a red lever was sticking out. On top of the machine were electric pink wiring that formed in the shape of a heart. "A puzzlement, this can't be happening…what's going on here!?" he yelled to himself. He threw the papers onto the already dirty floor.
"Notch it down Professor Kodama, we're trying to clean up!" cried the long red haired lab assistant. She had on a lab coat with a yellow collared shirt and a red neck tie. Not to mention her glasses and green peal earrings made her seem more intelligent. She was kneeling on the floor already trying to pick up the mess.
"Which is made much more difficult with you flinging documents," complained the other lab assistant. He had blue hair and square glasses as well as the same appearance as Professor Kodama. The only difference was he wore a green tie and had a white cap covering the top of his head. He held a blue broom to try and sweep up the papers.
"The circular nature of this gig's a real drag, and with Professor Slobo it never ends!" cried the final (and shortest) lab assistant. He had on a British cap and black square glasses. His lab coat was buttoned and had abnormally large shoes and sharp teeth.
"Blast it! It's simply not scientifically possible for this not to have worked!" Professor Kodama shouted as he squeezed his head in frustration.
"I think the only things he hears comes out of his own mouth," the redhead assumed.
The professor looked toward his assistance, "Hey, you may call yourselves Team Rocket but all I see are three good for nothing bums without a job until I hired you out of the goodness of my heart. Complain all you want, but you won't get paid for it."
James stepped in, "Though he can hear the grass grow, I do wish he turn a deaf ear on our quims."
Jessie became more stubborn, "Now hear this! I'm sick off cleaning!"
In a quick haste, James headed for the exit. "I just remembered; I got grocery shopping to do!"
"And I'll go with you!" added Meowth. In a flash, the both left Jessie behind.
Jessie called out for them, "Hey come back! You can't leave me with Mister Mess!"
"Excuse me, Jessie, " asked Kodama, "do me a favor and organize those papers over there."
Jessie gave up and said in a lazy tone, "Over where?" Her self-pity became interrupted when two Pokémon were staring angrily at one another. One looked like a blue walking slug with a round tail and a purple pattern running down its back. The other was a living metal ball with a single eyeball and two magnets for arms. This had already gotten Jessie irritated as she already was. "Haven't you two had enough of a stare down contest already?" The two only continued to stare each other down.
Pokémon Center
Rai and his pikachu were both running outside to see if the others were in trouble. However, he didn't expect to see everyone lying on the ground. What's more, they looked like they were struck by lightning. "Whoa, what happened to you guys? You look…well done?"
"Speak for yourself," said Dawn trying to get the feeling back in her body.
"Hey, I had a little trouble okay," rebutted Rai. After being stunned, Piplup regained itself and small pink hearts shot out of its eyes. Both Ash's Pikachu and Piplup jumped and began hugging each other.
"No use," stated Brock.
"This sure is a big problem, no matter what's going on," added Ash.
"Can someone bring me up to speed on what's happening?" asked Rai.
"For some reason, Piplup and Pikachu won't stop being attracted to each other," explained Dawn. Rai pondered this for a bit, and then a grin grew on his face.
"Oh ho, looks like somebody got bit by the love bug today," Rai nudged at Brock.
"But they're both boys," said Ash.
Rai grew silent. "…well…this is awkward."
"Hey, I think I've got an idea," Brock suggested, "Dawn, why don't you try putting Piplup back in its pokéball?"
"That's a great idea Brock!" Dawn cheered. "That will force those two apart." Dawn brought out her pokéball. "Alright, Piplup, return!" Piplup was zapped by the laser and back into its ball. "Wow that worked just like a charm!"
"It sure did," Ash approved. Pikachu fell back in the hugging position. "Ah, Pikachu what's wrong!? Say something!"
"Pikachu?" Rai's pikachu poked the other, but no response. Dawn, Brock and Rai thought for a second, but the pokéball jumped out of Dawn's hand. The ball opened and in a bright light, Piplup jumped back out.
"Piplup?" questioned Rai.
"Piplup came out on its own," stated Brock. Ash's Pikachu jumped back to standing. Both Pikachu and Piplup began to hug with hearts for eyes.
"Here we go again," Ash sighed.
"Oh no," Dawn said in sorrow.
"Guess it's back to the drawing board," Brock considered.
"What do you think, Zap tap?" asked Rai. Rai's pikachu shook its head. "Damn, I thought it was a good name." Everyone else dropped into a comedic anime fail pose. Rai thought for a second, and then a light bulb went on. "I know how to split those two apart!"
"Really, how?" asked Ash. Rai brought out his scythe and swung it overhead.
"We split them down the middle!" he yelled.
"What! Wait, that's a bad idea!" cried Dawn. Suddenly, Ash felt a nudging in his belt.
"Huh, what the…" Suddenly, Ash's pokéball flew open and out came an orange Pokémon that looked to have two tails and a yellow floatation device around its neck. "Buizel, why are you here?" Just then, Buizel's eyes began to shoot out hearts. "Aw man, not you too!" Rai's pikachu began to act in the same way. They both jumped in the air and started to hug each other.
"Hey! What is he doing?" Rai asked. Rai's pikachu and Ash's buizel continued to hold each other just like Ash's pikachu and Dawn's piplup.
"Now they're acting like Piplup and Pikachu," Brock examined.
Ash pondered about the situation, "Now what do we do?"
"It better be good," said Dawn.
"I think we better go and talk to Nurse Joy," suggested Ash. "I'm sure she'll help us figure out what to do."
"Yea, the Doc might know what's up," added Rai. Ash and Dawn both grabbed Pikachu and Piplup from opposite sides of each other to carry. Rai handed Brock his scythe and managed to pick up both his pikachu and Buizel at the same time. They all started to head into the Pokémon Center. A few feet away, James and Meowth had their arms full of bags and had just saw the situation occur in front of them.
"Me thinks twerps have invaded the forest," said James.
"Me too," added Meowth. He started to smile; having a realization on what happened just now. "Did you get a load of the action down there?"
"No, just seemed twerpish," James didn't seem to notice anything unusual.
"Well, this Shawn Claude Detective just saw something interesting appoikelating (probably meant escalating)," said Meowth.
"Care to elucidate?" asked James.
"Not now," pointed Meowth, "let's zip it for the moment and keep an eye on the twerps every move." Meowth began to run after the gang.
"I want to know what's interesting!" James chased after him.
Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Rai walked into the lobby of the center. Just as they entered, they all were surprised to see what was going on. It looked like there were other Pokémon being attracted to one another. A small blue turtle was holding an evolved form of Pikachu, a small blue sheep being hugged by a red octopus, and a black and blue cat nuzzling next to a round blue mouse.
"Check out, a squirtle and a raichu!" exclaimed Ash.
"And look, a marill and a luxio!" mentioned Dawn.
"And there's a mareep and an octillery," added Brock.
"The hell's going on in this place, Nurse Joy?" asked Rai.
"My piplup and his pikachu are stuck together just the same way," said Dawn.
"It's the same for my buizel and Rai's pikachu," said Ash.
"Oh! You guys too?" Nurse Joy was surprised to see more Pokémon being under the same influence. "Their Pokémon as well." A small spiky kid with a green shirt was looking down at his squirtle.
"I brought it out of its pokéball for a battle when all of a sudden this stuff happened," he said. The boy next to him with a flat top and a blue-collared shirt looked over to him.
"Their stuck together tight and they won't separate," he agreed. A small girl had short green hair with a red headband. She wore a pink blouse with white pants and a white belt. She held her pokéball as she worried about her luxio.
"When I tried to get it to return, it just popped back out again," she stated, "I don't know what to do." All the trainers looked over to the doctor.
"Nurse Joy!" they cried, "please do something!"
"Well, I'll try," she said with comfort, "…I hope."
"Hold on, no way!" Brock realized.
"What's up?" asked Ash.
Brock began to name each Pokémon, "There's Pikachu and Piplup, there's Squirtle and Raichu, Buizel and Pikachu, then Marill and Luxio, and Mareep and Octillery. Each pair is a water type and an electric type."
Dawn started to get what Brock was saying, "Wow, come to think of it, you're totally right."
Brock looked over to Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, what other types of Pokémon do have at this center?"
"Just what you'd expect," she answered, "but these are the only ones that are stuck together."
Rai was flustered at this predicament, "Well, I got nothing."
No one seemed to notice the window nearby as Meowth and James were watching from outside. "I don't know," Meowth said, "though it could be the professor's experiment is final working perfectly!" Meowth jumped down from the window.
"Huh?" James was still confused.
"This could be a groove, or it could be a zero," Meowth continued, "let's book back to the lab and see what's up!"
"Okay, I think," James agreed to follow.
Laboratory
Back at Professor Kodama's Laboratory, the scientist was hard at work trying to make the modifications to his device. The machine's red lever was set to the halfway mark and all the needles on the meters were pointed northwest. Across the room, the two Pokémon were still giving each other nasty glares. Team Rocket just stood in an open area; watching either the Pokémon or Professor Kodama.
"If you don't say something to grouch puss I will," Jessie said irritated.
"Shhh," James interrupted, "let's leave the fact finding to Meowth." Meowth walked over to the professor in a nonchalant manner.
"Ahem," Meowth started, "Professor Kodama."
"What is it?" he replied.
"See, I was wondering if the experiment you're currently conducting happens to involve making Pokémon stick together," Meowth questioned.
"Ridiculous," Kodama replied, "I'm not trying to get them to stick together. I'm trying to force them into being friendly with one another, fool."
"What! Oh Please," Jessie didn't believe in his load of…
"Shhh!" James interrupted.
"So, this device here is what you use to make that happen?" Meowth asked.
"Correct, I've dubbed it the Affinity Enabler," explained Kodama.
"Boy, there's a nifty name that just rolls off the old tongue," jested Meowth.
"Hey, what was that?"
Meowth got caught, "It's Beautiful!"
Kodama began to appreciate all the work he put into it, "The Affinity Enabler takes the Pokémon move attract and converts it into a digital signal that is then transmitted through the antenna located on top of the roof. When Pokémon receive the converted signal, even the bitterest of rivals will change their attitudes and wind up becoming the best of friends!"
"Is he on the level or is that a bill of goods," complained Jessie.
"Looking at that quagsire and magnemite gives me disbelieving pause too," added James.
"I'm still in the initial stages but it will work; this device is groundbreaking in many ways," Kodama stated, "the Affinity Enabler is highly effective on Pokémon in a similar matter to the move attract, but even more powerful as it also works on Pokémon of the same gender, and that is of truly historic proportions." He looked over to his quagsire and magnemite that were still staring each other sternly. "But those historic proportions aren't there as of yet."
Jessie whispered over to James, "I think he means he blew it."
"Yes, truly," James replied. "Excuse me sir, but have those two Pokémon been always at it like this?"
"Yes, sadly," Kodama said in an upset tone, "One Pokémon a water type and one an electric type, Quagsire and Magnemite, are totally mismatched for battle which causes me to wonder why they act so bitter all the time."
Out of nowhere, Magnemite launched a body tackle at Quagsire. This pushed it back a few feet towards Team Rocket. Not wanting to back down, Quagsire managed to regain its balance and shot back a rapid rush of water from its mouth. Magnemite floated to its right and began to charge up electricity. It then fired a ray of lightning at Quagsire, but it ducked to avoid the attack. The lightning instead hit Jessie and James who took the full impact of the attack.
"Stop it this instant!" Kodama yelled out. Magnemite and Quagsire went back to their stare down while Jessie and James lay on the floor paralyzed. "See, I love them very much so I have no choice but to figure out the method to get them to love each other." The professor began to move the red switch to the right. "Well, I suppose I could increase the power." The needles on the machine quickly shot to the right. The antenna on the roof of the lab brightened with intensity as the frequency increased and started to spread all over the area.
Pokemon Center
"You sure you don't want me to split them all down the middle?" asked Rai. Everyone in the center looked at him as if he were crazy. "I'm just saying…it's an option." Ash's pikachu and Dawn's piplup began to hug each other even tighter than they were before.
"Now they're even closer!" said Ash.
"Oh no, Piplup and Pikachu, are you two alright?" asked Dawn. All the Pokémon stuck together moved closer together as well.
"I sure wish I could know what's up with water types and electric types," Ash contemplated.
"It's just so weird," Dawn believed.
"Hmm, I didn't think that water and electricity worked too well together," said Rai.
"Usually not during battles, while other times they can be the best of friends," Brock explained.
"I'm not one to judge," Rai asked Dawn while holding Buizel and Pikachu, "but both your Pokémon don't usually act this chummy, do they?"
"Not really," mentioned Dawn, "they can often get into trouble every once in a while." Brock started to come up with a solution.
"What are you thinking Brock?" asked Ash.
"I'm thinking it's possible what we're seeing isn't happening naturally," Brock concluded.
"What do you mean?" asked Dawn.
"There's no way these two would be acting like this for all sorts of reasons," Brock analyzed, "No, the only way this makes sense is if someone is causing this to happen."
"Who would do that?" asked Nurse Joy.
Laboratory
Back at the lab, Quagsire and Magnemite were still glaring at one another as Professor Kodama continued to study his machine. "Time to recycle this hunk of junk," Jessie confirmed.
"It has to work," Kodama argued, "I won't give up; I'll make them best friends if it's the last thing I do." Meowth pulled Jessie and James into a corner of the lab to conduct a private conversation.
"Okay, so what's in it for us?" she asked.
"I say we swipe that bucket of bolts!" Meowth suggested.
"Huh?" Jessie was confused.
"When you consider the facts this experiment is a success," said James.
"You two are so strange, "she announced.
"Look," Meowth explained, "the twerps are all at the Pokémon Center where they're pikachus and water Pokémon are stuck together like airplane glue."
"The brat found another pikachu?" Jessie was surprised.
"It looked like the older twerp caught it not too long ago," James added, "and there are scads' of Pokémon suffering the same fate. Pairs and pairs of Pokémon plastered as one."
"So how do you explain Quagsire and Magnemite?" Jessie asked.
"That's the $64 question," Meowth replied, "but once the ghosties are all gotten out of the machine, that thing's gonna be a real love and friend making winner. That's when we swoop in and scoffs it, dig?"
"Uh huh," Jessie was still skeptical, "what do we do with that winner?"
"Ok," Meowth began to explain his plan, "what do you think would happen if me and Pikachu were to become best buds?"
Jessie knew the answer, "no more battling!"
Meowth continued, "That yellow pain in the neck's given us so much grief. But, since BFFs play nicely and don't fight each other, then at long last we'll be able to catch Pikachu then give it to the boss and put this baby to bed!"
Jessie agreed, "I like what you said!"
"So for now, let's lay low and keep working for the prof until he works out all the kinks, then whamo!" Meowth declared. Magnemite charged into Quagsire, sending it closer to Team Rocket.
"Oh no, not again!" cried James. As Magnemite charged again, Quagsire swatted it away and rammed into the Affinity Enabler. The recoil caused Kodama to lose his footing and accidentally shifted the lever to the left. The lights and meters all shut off and the engine stopped running.
"Curses, my machine has stopped running all together thanks to you!" he yelled.
Pokemon Center
The Pokémon all began to snap out of their attracted state. They seemed dumbfounded about what they were doing just now. Ash and Dawn looked down at Pikachu and Piplup.
"Awesome they split!" cheered Ash.
"Wow, Piplup are you ok?" asked Dawn.
"Alright, you feeling better, Static?" asked Rai. Rai's Pikachu looked up at him…then shook its head. "So close."
"That's great! Looks like things are back to normal," stated Brock.
Laboratory
Quagsire and Magnemite continued on to stare at one another. "Please, can't you two behave so I can get this working," pleaded Kodama. He jerked the lever to the right, reactivating his invention.
Pokemon Center
In a second, Pikachu and Piplup went back to being closer with hearts in their eyes. All the other Pokémon did the same thing as well.
"There they go again," said Ash.
"Something strange is going on," Dawn wondered. The spiky haired boy began to think out loud.
"Maybe, it's for the better," he thought.
"Huh, what do you mean?" the blue shirt boy asked. Brock listened in on their conversation.
"Well," the spiky boy reminded his friend, "When you really think about it, my raichu and your squirtle have never gotten along; even before they were ever battling."
"I guess that's true," the blue shirt boy said. "But…"
"No buts," he interrupted, "they'd always get into an argument that stopped them from even starting the battle. Knowing that, this could end up working better."
"Well…" the blue shirt boy considered.
Brock asked, "Is what you said true?" the two boys nodded their heads. Brock began to come up with another theory.
"What is it Brock?" Dawn asked.
"See, if this is a man-made phenomenon we're dealing with; wouldn't it also make sense that whoever caused all this to happen would have Pokémon that don't get along at all?" Brock theorized.
"So Brock, what you're saying," Rai proclaimed, "is that someone is doing this so their Pokémon would stop fighting?"
"That's exactly it," said Brock.
"Well, by the look of it, I say they've done their homework," Rai concluded.
"…Professor Kodama," spoke Nurse Joy.
"Professor Kodak?" asked Rai.
"Professor Kodama conducts lots of experimental Pokémon research," replied Nurse Joy, "his research laboratory is located right behind the Pokémon Center."
"So Nurse Joy, you're telling us the professor has Pokémon that don't get along?" Ash asked.
"Right," she answered, "Quagsire and Magnemite."
Ash thought for a moment, "Quagsire and Magnemite…water and electric types!" The group agreed that they might find the cause of this if they went to this professor. "Can you take us their?"
"Of course, follow me," Nurse Joy led them outside of the Pokémon Center. They made their way into the forest and soon arrived to a somewhat large house.
"Hey Brock," Rai asked, "Hold Pikachu and Buizel while I take my scythe."
"Of course, but why?" Brock asked.
"I got a feeling this won't end well." Rai answered. Nurse Joy led everyone through a long hallway of the home until they came across a large wooden door. She slid it open to reveal a large room where the professor was working on his machine.
"Professor Kodama, how are you doing?" Nurse Joy greeted the Professor in her normal tone.
"Fine," Kodama replied, "what can I do for you?"
"Have a look at this," Ash insisted. The professor eyed over Pikachu and Piplup, and then gazed over to Pikachu and Buizel. He was surprised to see the results of his experiment.
"Amazing," Kodama said fascinated.
"They've been stuck like this for a while," said Ash.
Kodama's mood rose as he witnessed his completed work. "This must mean my experiment's a success!" he announced.
"Experiment?" asked Dawn.
"Is this what you've been working on?" Rai added.
"This is the key," Kodama praised his invention to show off; "I engineered this equipment to bring Pokémon closer to one another. Now all my years of research have finally paid off!" The moment was interrupted as Quagsire and Magnemite were still facing each other as if competitive rivals.
"Why aren't Quagsire and Magnemite getting along?" Ash noticed.
"Yeah, their water and electric types so aren't they being friendly?" included Dawn.
"Good question," Kodama answered, "I'm working on that one."
"Ugh, my cabeza hurts," Rai scratched his head. Two of the doctor's lab assistance popped into the scenery.
"So why don't you all lighten up," the head said. "We're getting there." The blue haired assistant tried to shoo them off.
"This is no place for amateurs, so why don't you all leave," she suggested. Rai grew a serious look on his face.
"And you are?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Why, we're Professor Kodama's well trained assistance," the red head answered.
"I don't remember any assistance," Nurse Joy puzzled.
"We're part of the jobs of the jiff program," the blue haired assistant declared.
"Anyway, back to the grind!" an even shorter lab assistant jumped on top of the machine and grabbed the red lever. He moved the switch back and forth to turn it back on and off. Each time, Piplup, Buizel, and both pikachus would hug, then stop, hug, then stop, over and over again.
"That demonstration proves it has to be working!" Kodama said in delight. Both the lab assistance began to quietly sneak out of the room.
"Those twerpish dummies prove its time to move it along," the red head whispered.
"And how," added the blue haired man. They were stopped as Rai blocked their path.
"Nice try, but I'm not that naïve," he said to both of them.
Kodama looked over as he saw his assistance trying to leave, "Hey where do you think you're going Team Racket, I mean Team Rocket." Ash and the others gasped as they discovered the apprentices' true identities.
Jessie became furious, "There's nothing worse than a brainy big mouth!"
"Except twerps with big ears," James added.
"Alright that's it!" Ash shouted.
"We're busted so off with my disguise," Jessie called out as she removed were lab coat and had on her Team Rocket uniform.
"There's lots of time left to lead in more lies!" James announced as he ripped off his disguise as well.
Ah crap, here they go, Rai thought.
Jessie: On the wind
James: Past the stars
Meowth: My how time flies!
Jessie: Bringing you chaos at a break neck pace.
James: Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place.
Jessie: A rose by any another name's just as sweet.
James: When everything's worse, our work is complete!
Jessie!
And it's James!
Meowth! That's a name!
Jessie: Putting goody do-gooders in their place;
James: We're Team Rocket…
Together: AND WE'RE IN YOUR FACE!
Wobbuffet!
"It's Team Rocket!" Ash yelled out.
Seriously, it's not that hard to notice guys, Rai thought.
"What have you got up your sleeves this time?" asked Dawn.
"Forget up our sleeves, we're taking that machine up in the air," Meowth declared. With a push of a button on the grey remote control, the ceiling opened wide and produced falling debris into the lab. High above the house, a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon was floating and connecting two cable rods to Kodama's experiment.
"Hey guys, head up!" Rai called out. Everyone took cover from the falling rubble. Meanwhile, Team Rocket quickly made their way to the balloon basket.
"Two points! From now on just call me the sultan of strategy!" Meowth pronounced. The cables began to pull up the invention out of the lab. Professor Kodama could not let all his hard work be taken away. As a final effort, he jumped onto his invention as it was being raised.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kodama yelled.
"Professor!" cried Nurse Joy.
"Excellent," said James. "By accompanying us the good professor can address for any remaining techno issues!" Everyone started to run after the balloon. As for the professor, he tried his best to keep his footing. However, his foot slipped on the lever and switched it off. Instantly, Piplup, Buizel, and both pikachus were no longer hugging and jumped to the ground confused.
"That's awesome, their back to normal again!" Ash stated. The balloon began to take on turbulence and started to shake. Kodama struggled to hold on to the machine and pushed his feet against the lever in the opposite direction. The machine turned back on and the Pokémon were back to being attracted.
"Will you guys make up your minds!?" Rai shouted.
"It helps to remember loser is as loser does," James shouted back.
"Hahahaha," Jessie laughed, "and you're about to lose Pikachu to the Team Rocket crew!"
"And we'll make it two!" Meowth activated two extending arms with red gloves and launched them at all four Pokémon. One hand held Pikachu and Piplup while the other held Pikachu and Buizel.
"Pikachu! Buizel!" Ash called out.
"Piplup!" Dawn cried.
"Little buddy!" Rai shouted.
"Yes, one pikachu in each hand…" said James.
"And they pack less of a jolt without that thunderbolt!" added Jessie.
"What a goal!" Team Rocket shouted. Their balloon started to drift off farther out into the distance.
"Damn it! They're getting away!" said Rai. Behind the group, Quagsire carried magnemite on its back. With a flick of its tail, Quagsire sent Magnemite flying towards Kodama and the invention.
"I don't believe it!" cried Jessie.
"Is that Magnemite?" asked James. Magnemite quickly floated over to Kodama.
"What's it doing?" asked Ash.
"It's trying to save professor Kodama," Brock replied. The professor grabbed a hold on magnemite from behind and started drifting to the ground. At the last-minute, it shot out a Thundershock at the machine. The Enabler exploded from the sudden over charge.
"No! Burned again!" cried Meowth. It broke free of the cables and sent crashing down to the ground. The Pokémon were now free of their attraction. As Kodama descended to the ground, Quagsire shot a Water Gun to cushion their fall.
"What happened?" Kodama asked. "Were you two trying to save me?" Both Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"Hey I don't get it," Ash questioned, "I thought those two couldn't stand the sight of each other?"
"So maybe they didn't hate other after all," Brock answered.
"Guess they were brushing up on their battle skills," Rai added. As they looked at the balloon, they could see Piplup, Buizel, and the pikachus waving at the balloon.
"It's Pikachu and Buizel!" Ash yelled out.
"Piplup and Rai's too!" shouted Dawn.
"They're back to normal after the machine fell apart!" cried Brock. Ash brought out his pokéball.
"Alright, Staraptor, go on up and bring Pikachu and Piplup safe and sound!" Ash called out as he summoned his bird Pokémon. With quick speed, it made its way to the balloon. "Buizel, use Aqua Jet and bring Rai's Pikachu here!" Ash yelled out. Pikachu and Piplup made their jump onto Staraptor's back, while Rai's pikachu jumped on top of Buizel as it leaped off the basket.
"James, get them back!" Jessie cried.
"They were great stuck together, but now I'm stuck with you," James grimaced.
The orange weasel cloaked itself on water and shot like a torpedo straight toward the group. Staraptor made the drop off as all four Pokémon were back safe. Team Rocket pulled out their pokéball for their chance to make a comeback.
"Seviper, right this wrong!" shouted Jessie.
"And Carnivine you tag along!" cried James.
"Buizel use Sonicboom; let's go!" commanded Ash.
"And Piplup use Bubblebeam!" Dawn declared.
"Don't leave me hanging!" added Rai. Both him and Ash glanced for a second and shouted out:
Ash: Pikachu!
Raimundo: Jolt!
Together: DOUBLE THUNDERBOLT!
First Piplup fired its ray of bubbles, then Buizel launched an array of sonic booms, and both pikachus let out a stream of lightning. Their attacks morphed into one single beam as bubbles being forced faster by the sonic waves were wrapped in spinning coils of electricity. Team Rocket screamed as the attack came crashing into their balloon. The impact caused a massive explosion resulting in a bright light and a storm of clouds to shroud the area. Team Rocket was sent sky rocketing into the open air.
"Your stupid strategies are as slick as sandpaper!" Jessie yelled at Meowth.
"Look at the bright side," replied Meowth. "When we want to cue a thunderbolt, bubblebeam, or sonicboom, we know just who to call." James started to fly close by with a large plant Pokémon that appeared to be a living Venus flytrap. It was chewing on the top of his head, and seemed to enjoy it.
"I need those attacks like I need a hole in my head; which thanks to Carnivine I have an abundance of!" James cried out.
"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket shouted as they disappeared into the horizon, leaving only a twinkle behind.
Wobbuffet!
Pokemon Center
After the crisis was over, everyone's Pokémon had gone back to being normal again. The sun was setting and all the trainers had decided to head home. They only people left at the front of the Pokémon Center were Ash, Dawn, Rai, Brock, Nurse Joy, and Professor Kodama.
"And after all we went through, it still didn't work on Quagsire or Magnemite," Kodama wondered.
Brock had come up with the perfect solution, "Maybe it's because Quagsire is a ground type as well as a water type, and Magnemite is a steel type as well as an electric type. That just might have something to do with it." It all started to make sense to the professor.
"You know what, that might be it!" Kodama announced, "It looks like I now know exactly what my next research project will be, so I better stop Lully gagging and get to work!"
"And I do hope it goes easier next time," Nurse Joy said with a concerned tone.
"All's well that ends well; don't you think Piplup?" asked Dawn.
"Piplup!"
"You too, Pikachu?" asked Ash.
"Pika!"
"Well, Jolt, ready to hit the road?" asked Rai.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu gave an excited cheer.
""Hey, you finally found a name for your pikachu!" said Dawn.
"Yeah, guess I have Team Rocket to thank for that," Rai smiled.
"That's good," said Brock.
"Yeah, it's awesome!" cheered Ash.
Thanks to some clever deductive reasoning, quick thinking, and decisive action, a sticky situation has been resolved. And now for our heroes; their journey to Sunnyshore City continues.
"I can still…ah forget it," Rai grumbled.
-To Be Continued-
Yes! A new chapter posted for this week. A shady new character is thrown in the loop and a new partner has a nickname. I think I made some progress on this one. I might have tuned up the story a bit since I didn't want to bring in any spoilers too early. I appreciate your thoughts and ideas on the story and I'll be working on the next chapter. All rights go to the original owners, etc. etc., and see ya next time!