Ch. 5 Unlocking the Red Chain of Events
The sky was filled with bright shimmering stars that covered the night. The sound of bug Pokémon could be heard chirping through the silence as if in a musical harmony. Raimundo listened to these sounds as he relaxed his back to a nearby tree. He laid his cutter onto the tree right beside him. Ash, Brock, and Dawn were all nuzzled up sleeping in their bags as well as their Pokémon. The air around them wasn't too hot or too cold; just right. "You know, I could get used to this," Rai said to himself. Jolt, his pikachu, was curled up inside his crossed legs, snoozing the night away. However, this also made him remember that his mission was to save not only this world, but others across the universe. This thought put Rai uneasy as he realized that sooner or later, he would have to say goodbye to the group…for good.
"Hey Rai," spoke Dawn from behind. She had her hair down and wore a pink pair of pajamas with long sleeves and pants. This scared Rai out of his seat, while Jolt simply rolled over and slept on the grass.
"Whoa! Dawn, you surprised me," said Rai as he tried to calm himself.
"Sorry, I heard you talking to yourself. What were you doing over here?" she asked.
"You know, just enjoying the scenery," Rai replied, "I gotta say, it's pretty nice here with all the peace; quiet, not to mention the lack of cars and bright lights all over the place."
"Wow, so you came from the city?" Dawn questioned curiously. She sat near Rai to hear his tales of home.
"Yeah, it's all nice at first, but once you've lived there as long as I have, you get used to it. Although it's a nice place to visit when you're on vacation," Rai answered. He told Dawn the amazing things they had in Las Vegas from the late night performances, the hotels to sleep in, even the malls that girls would go nuts to shop in. He talked about his part time job of working in fast food, his daily lifestyle, and how he hanged out with his friends whether it was during or outside of work. "Sure it's a living, but I had dreams to leave my home and go out into the world. You know, see the sites, and learn new cultures out there; that kind of stuff."
"That's amazing," said Dawn cheerfully, "That reminds me of when I left home to start off on my journey. Since my mom was a top coordinator in contests, I wanted to try and be just like her." Dawn pulled a small ribbon out of her pocket and showed it to him. It was a little worn out, and it was small and pink with a gold crest in the middle. "When you said you "had" dreams, do you still have them?" Rai suddenly panicked, thinking if she realized that if he was from another world, she might panic and things could get out of hand. Thinking quickly, he came up with an excuse.
"Yeah, I…uh do. When you think about it, I'm here away from home and you're out here travelling. So, I guess we're out living the dream."
Dawn smiled, "Yeah, that's true." She looked up in the night sky. "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Piplup and the others. I'll never forget when Piplup first saved me when those ariados attacked. It was the first time we met and why I decided to choose Piplup as my partner. Then, Ash and Brock helped me to becoming a better Pokémon trainer." Rai could see that Dawn has been through a lot during her journey and made him think if he will end up with the same experience.
"Well, having someone to share those experiences is what makes it even more memorable, right?' Rai asked.
"Definitely," Dawn replied. Rai thought it over and believed he can tell her about his secret.
"Hey Dawn…" Rai was cut off as she fell asleep on his arm. Rai sweat dropped as he was now stuck sitting on the tree until she woke up again. I hope I go to asleep before my arm does, he thought.
The Next Day
The man huffed as he kept on running, hoping not to get caught. His disguise was able to keep him hidden for some time, but not long enough. He had on white boots, grey pants, and white long sleeves under a white and grey vest. His turquoise hair was in the shape of a bowl cut that hid his eyes. On his chest he had a yellow "G" implanted to his vest. The man continued to escape through the iron corridors until he was outside of the facility. In the air above him, giant blue bats with four sharp fangs and purple wings launched a wave of bright lights, cutting the wind, directly at him. The impact blew him forward as his wig flew off, revealing his brown messy hair. The man fell on his front, trying to regain his strength. A woman walked in front of him with her large skunk Pokémon with purple and white fur. It walked on all fours and had its tail resting on its head. The owner had on the same uniform as the man, but was more suited for someone in higher rank. Her suit was a one piece that had her left leg cut to her thigh and her waist up to her breast was tailored white. The rest of her outfit was grey, but on her chest she bared the same "G". Her hair was bright purple with one ponytail in a shape of a ball while another small ball of hair was on the top of her head. Her facial appearance complemented this with purple lipstick and eyes. "I see we finally caught up to you," she said in a sinister, sarcastic tone, "now, Looker, show your face." The man looked up to the woman with turquoise eyebrows and a young complexion. However, he peeled away his skin mask to show his true identity. His true face had thick dark eyebrows and a much older complexion. He had on a grin that said he wasn't one to go down without a fight.
"The jig is up," said Looker. He ripped off his jumpsuit to reveal his black shoes, brown pants, and a white collared shirt with a purple tie. Over this, he had a dark-brown long sleeved shirt all completed with a detective overcoat.
"That coat is so out of style," teased the woman.
"I think you should know for a lady you're quite rude," he jested back.
"I'll say this," she added, "your codename Looker is well deserved; you're my type." Looker cocked an eyebrow and smiled.
"Thanks, but unfortunately I'm sorry to say you're not my type," he replied.
"Isn't that a shame," she said, "However, there are many things I'm dying to ask you about. Let's see; for starters, precisely, how much do you know about us?" The purple skunk drew out its long sharp claws. From a distance, a large explosion can be seen behind the factory.
Continuing toward Ash's next Gym Battle in Sunnyshore City, our heroes have opted in favor of a well-deserved rest in Floaroma Town.
The small town that Ash, Rai, Dawn, and Brock have come across was filled with bright flowers that covered every inch of grass. Small houses lined up in rows and people could be seen tending to the flowers with watering cans. In the center of the small town was the Pokémon Center where the gang decided to drop by. Everyone gathered around the television hanging on the wall to see any news reports that have occurred throughout Sinnoh. Rai, however, took a seat nearby on the couch to wake himself up from a sleepless night. Since Dawn fell asleep, he tried to carry her back to her tent. Unfortunately, Dawn was dreaming about being in a contest and flailed in Rai's arms. She yelled out commands and punched the air in front of her and gave Rai one too many hits. By the time she settled down, Rai had put her to bed. As soon as he was ready to drift off to slumber, the sun came up. Jolt only poked its tail at Rai's face to try to wake him up. Meanwhile, a woman with a visor cap and a yellow workout suit had appeared on the television. "For this year's Pokémon Contest, there's a brand new schedule on task," she said. "To the east of Mt. Coronet, is Daybreak City; the exciting Daybreak Contest! And for the first time in quite a while, it will be a double performance!" On the screen, a blue wolf-like Pokémon was firing a blue water tornado above its head. Just across, mimicking its moves was a floating white Pokémon with an orange band around its waist and long extensiosn from its head. They were used as arms.
"A double performance, wow," Dawn said with amazement in her eyes.
"What are you gonna do Dawn?" Ash asked.
"You can guess we're gonna enter the Daybreak Contest, of course!" Dawn declared in determination. Rai began to notice this and started walking towards the group.
"Hold up, I thought we were heading to Sunnyshore City?" he asked, "You guys are thinking about taking a detour, aren't you?"
"Truth is, I've been dying to try another double performance one more time," said Dawn, "It's important because I didn't win before."
"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Ash was fired up knowing how both of them can put a lot of effort in doing better when it came to contests or battles. Rai already had planned to try and find this Champion of Sinnoh, but he couldn't tell them to help out with his problem.
"It turns out that Daybreak City is actually on the way to Sunnyshore City," added Brock. Looking over Brock's shoulder, Rai could see a simple labeled map on the Pokégear that showed a red dot, a blue dot, and a green dot. Where they were represented as the green dot, a chain of red arrows pointed to the red dot. In between the green and red dot was a blue dot. This represented Daybreak City being in between from their location to Sunnyshore City. Looking it over, Rai seemed satisfied with these terms.
"Hmm, I guess if it's on the way, it wouldn't hurt to stop by," Rai stated.
"Pikachu!" Jolt jumped onto Rai's shoulder with a smile on its face.
"But," Rai closed his eyes, and then looked over to Dawn with one, "you better give it your all." Dawn smiled back.
"Thanks, I will." After everything was settled, everyone packed up and headed out to start back on the road.
So this is why things got real slow later on, Rai thought. The four heroes set off from town and headed east in the direction of Daybreak City. As the four walked down the dirt path, Jolt, Pikachu, and Piplup marched on ahead of the others in an upscale beat. To both sides of the road, nothing but flowers could be seen for miles. Patches of red and yellow buds were spread upon a wide field. "With a lot of these plants, it makes you think how they're watered every day," Rai thought out loud.
"Yeah, it sure does," Brock replied.
"By the way Rai," Dawn interrupted, "I know you said you from America and you described your home, but you never did say where you came from exactly."
"That's true," Ash wondered, "What region did you come from?" Rai was back at the same situation as he was with Dawn last night. Sweat began to run down his face.
"You know, I'm from the…Kanto region," he replied nervously.
""But, I am from Kanto and I've never heard of America," Ash answered.
"Hey Rai, are you hiding something you're not telling us?" Brock questioned.
"Yeah," Dawn added, "What's going on?"
"Well, you see…" Rai unknowingly began to walk off the path into the flowers. "They just added it and started construction…" Rai was interrupted as he tripped and fell over something. Pikachu, Piplup and Jolt ran over to the white plump object on the ground.
"Hey, Pikachu, wait up!" Ash called out. They all made their way to Rai. Looking over his shoulder, Rai pulled it from the ground and noticed it to be a certain feline…acquaintance. Holding it by the leg, Rai made a closer inspection on its condition.
"Hey guys, you won't believe who I just found," said Rai.
"A Meowth," said Ash.
"And I think it's one we might know," he added. Pikachu nudged while Piplup looked it over.
"It looks bad," Dawn said in a worried voice. The Meowth started to wake up as it tried to shake off the stings it had. When it opened its eyes, the first thing it saw was Rai in an upside down postilion.
"Yipes, it's twerps!" Meowth cried. Everyone except Rai was surprised that it could talk.
"Yep, it's Team Rocket's," stated Rai.
"Two points!" Meowth shouted at Rai. With a quick slash of his claws, Meowth swiped Rai's arm and fell to the ground.
"Ow! You little…" Rai held his arm that now had red claw marks. Getting to his feet, Meowth quickly glanced around and noticed he was a few members short.
"Ah! What about Jessie and James!" Meowth cried, but the bruises he had were already taking a toll on his body.
"Meowth, you ok?" asked Ash. Brock rushed over and picked up Meowth.
"He needs medical help; we'll talk later," Brock suggested. The gang made their way near a stream where they could have Meowth rest. "Hey Dawn, can you hand me the super potion in my bag? Rai, throw me some bandages."
"Right," they both said. Dawn handed the orange spray bottle to Brock while Rai held on to the roll of medical tape. Brock started to spray Meowth's arm and in seconds the bruises began to disappear.
"Man, that sprits kinda stings," Meowth whimpered.
"Now I just need to put a wrapping on it," said Brock. Rai handed Brock the tape to get started.
"So Meowth, what happened to you anyway?" asked Ash. Meowth grew a serious look on his ace.
"It was those fashion freaks!" he yelled out. Meowth began to explain what happened to them earlier. "See, we were tailing you twerps doing that thing we do so well. Then, as we were dragging our empty tummies through the forest foraging for food…"
Flashback
Team Rocket had been dragging their feet through the forest looking for food. Suddenly, the sound of a chopper started to rise from above their heads. As they looked up, they gasped to see a black large helicopter flying over their heads. On the side door was a large yellow "G".
"That mark!" cried Jessie.
"Freaks of fashion!" responded James.
"Yeah, Team Galactic!" cried Meowth. As a means to find out their secrets, they charged onward after the chopper.
"Let's go," declared Jessie.
"Ho," James and Meowth replied. After following for a few meters, they hid behind a large boulder as to not be seen. The copter began to descend inside a large factory. There were smoke towers and tall support beams that stood over each part of the building.
"Heads up folks," Meowth stated, "It looks like we're gawking at Team Galactic's Base."
Present
"Based on what you've been describing," Brock explained as he pulled out his Pokégear, "I'm attempting to pinpoint the building's exact location. Is this what you saw?" After a few moments, Brock showed an image of an old factory to Meowth. "This is Fuego Ironworks. Apparently, it's been abandoned for quite some time."
"Wait, who is this Team Galactic?" asked Rai.
"That's right," replied Dawn, "You don't know anything about them since you're not from here."
"Team Galactic is a group of people who have been causing trouble all around Sinnoh," Ash answered.
"We've run into them on rare occasions like back in Veilstone City or on Iron Island," Brock explained, "but we have no idea what they're up to."
"Wow, guess they're the Team Rocket of this region," said Rai.
"Hey! There's only one team of troublemakers and that's us!" Meowth scolded.
"Sorry, sorry," Rai tried to seem apologetic, "so what happened next?"
Meowth continued, "We figured we'd sneak onto the turf and have a look see. But soon as we got inside, the international police dude from the train station with the lunch boxes was in a heap of trouble."
"International Police?" questioned Dawn.
"A boxed lunch guy…" Rai cocked an eyebrow. Ash, Dawn, and Brock knew who Meowth was talking about.
"That was Looker!" they shouted.
"The International Police are involved?" asked Rai. "Sounds like these guys mean business."
"My thoughts exactly," said Meowth. "So then my instincts and my brain really started to kick in…"
Flashback
"We gotta save the lunch box guy, dig!" declared Meowth to his cohorts.
"A member of the International police, please," James was puzzled by the thought.
"By law, Team Rocket doesn't save the law," Jessie agreed.
"But doing the right thing for a change might help us put Team Galactic on the fashion garbage heap where those freaks belong!" Meowth suggested. Jessie and James were soon driven by the idea of them being on top.
"We'd be putting the International Police to work for us!" James considered.
"Using the good guys to accomplish our evil deeds sure really works for me," Jessie added.
"First Team Galactic goes down and Team Rocket goes to town!" Meowth pronounced. Together the chanted their victory cheer.
"Team Rocket's gonna grow and trash those fashion freaks will take a drive nosedive!" they sang. Meanwhile, Looker and the woman of Team Galactic were in the middle of their conversation.
"Isn't that a shame," she said, "However, there are many things I'm dying to ask you about. Let's see; for starters, precisely, how much do you know about us?" The purple skunk drew out its long sharp claws. Out of nowhere, two large green vines whipped out and grabbed onto the skunks claws. The attack surprised the woman as well as her Pokémon, throwing them off guard. "What the…" she cried. Both she and Looker saw at the top of a nearby structure that was responsible. Team Rocket stood in their pride and glory while to the right Carnivine had its Vine Whip extended out.
"There's room for one evil team in this town," Jessie proclaimed.
"And Team Rocket is its name," James added.
"Rest easy police dude," said Meowth, "we're here to save ya."
"Not you three," Looker said with disappointment. The purple skunk shook of the Vine Whip and stared at its new opponents.
"Incompetent pests," she stated, "Stay out of my business." She summoned the Giant Bats to surround Team Rocket. As the bats attacked, a large explosion can be seen behind the factory.
Present
"Team Galactic may be weird, but they sure pack a wallop," Meowth described the battle, "yep, so we fought a good fight alright (even though they didn't). They got their filthy mitts on Jessie and James, but the explosion sent me into a solo blast off." Bock started finish up on Meowth's arm. "When I came to, I was actually being rescued by you twerps."
"Sounds like you have had the tough time," said Brock.
"No kidding," Rai mentioned. After being patched up, Meowth jumped up and gave a silent bow.
"Thanks for the save, twerp," Meowth complimented them for their help. He then started to head up the hill in the direction of the Ironworks.
"Meowth, hold on," Ash shouted.
"Where are you going?" asked Dawn. Meowth stopped in his tracks, but didn't look back.
"Jessie and James are waiting for me back there," Meowth said in a serious tone.
"You're going back to Team Galactic's Base?" Dawn said with concern.
"They'll make kitty litter out of you," Rai added. Even with their warnings, Meowth started to take off.
"Hold on," Ash spoke out, "we're going to the Fuego Ironworks with you!" Meowth was shocked what he heard just now.
"Pikachu!" Both pikachus agreed.
"Right, let's go Piplup!" said Dawn.
"Piplup."
"Alright," added Brock, "let's make sure we're packed up and ready." Jolt, Pikachu, and Piplup hurried over to where Meowth was. With quick reflexes, Meowth drew his bare claws at the trio. All three stopped and stared at Meowth.
"I appreciate you lugs patching me up," said Meowth, "But you lugs and I are enemies, dig it? I can't take charity from you!"
"Think of it like this," Dawn responded, "we're helping Looker for us."
"You're what?" Meowth replied in a confused matter. They all started to walk past him.
"The girl's got a point. We gotta give the cops a hand, right?" Rai added as he pushed the scythe behind his belt and folded his arms behind his head.
"Yeah, Looker really helped us out before; so it's our turn to help him out," said Brock.
"Right," Ash concluded, "so c'mon, hurry up and lead us to their base, k Meowth."
"Pika Pika," Jolt waved to Meowth to hurry along. Meowth began to release tears from the feeling of being helped from his enemies. He tried to wipe away the embarrassment.
"Man…those twerps," he sobbed.
Fuego Ironworks
Deep within the structure of the factory, there was a long hallway. It had many chambers of steel doors with iron bar windows to see into each one. In one of the rooms, a woman with red hair peeked outside past the bars in hope of finding someone to let them out.
"Excuse me, anybody home!?" she cried. The only thing that would listen to her cries for help was the purple skunk Pokémon just across the door. It looked as if completely relaxed and amused on its guard post. It simply laid back and was ready for a nap. "That is one gross Pokémon." Inside the cell, two men were sitting on a wooden bench with defeat written on their face. One had blue hair while the other wore a detective coat. She began to grow frustrated and started to glare at the skunk. "Enough with the attitude; I'm going to pull off the fur of your annoying self; strand by stupid strand!"
"Don't touch!" Looker cried out, but it was too late. Jessie grabbed the steel bars and in an instant, a blast of electricity began to shock her with extreme force. The skunk began to laugh at the pain and misery Jessie was going through. Once she let go, the electricity stopped. She lay on the floor, still twitching from the sudden surge.
"Hi Mommy, I'm home," she moaned.
"There are booby traps everywhere," Looker explained, "and since our electronic devices won't work, we can't use our pokéballs; be careful." James grabbed a pokéball from his belt and pressed the button in the center. No matter how many times he pressed it, it wouldn't grow to standard size.
"Well I'll be dipped," James said in astonishment.
"That's just great!" yelled Jessie, "Now you tell us!"
"I shouldn't have involved you," Looker apologized, "I'm sorry." Because of him, he thought it was his fault for getting Team Rocket in the same boat.
"We involved ourselves, don't you see," James didn't put the blame on anyone, "Our disdain for Team Galactic brought us here."
"We'll pound those fashion freaks into a fashion pulp," Jessie declared with determination.
"And since we did manage to barge into their base, all that remains is to defeat their boss," theorized James.
"Their boss isn't here," replied Looker. James was taken back. Since the boss wasn't here, then it would assume that the Fuego Ironworks is not their hideout.
"If this isn't headquarters, what is it?" James asked.
"It appears to be their secret factory," Looker pointed out.
"A factory for secrets?" Jessie assumed."
"Let me explain," Looker stated. "At one point in time, this factory was the largest and most successful manufacturer in the entire Sinnoh Region. It was closed down due to excessive pollution. But now, Team Galactic has been using it as their secret factory, if you will. Secret in the sense that they're using it to make…something."
Somewhere inside the factory, a large control room held large computers and monitors. The woman who had captured Jessie, James, and Looker was examining the product of Team Galactic's creation. It floated high in the air just above a bright platform. This object was a long, thin red chain that continued to spin. It continued as if in an infinite state of levitation, simply circling around with no end. The woman heard the footsteps of a fellow member approaching. He had on a grey long sleeved shirt with grey pants and bore a yellow "G" on his chest. He had on a white lab coat and a pair of red circular glasses. His height was much less of the woman thanks to his somewhat bald hair that only arched outward from the sides. "Ah, to look upon the exquisite beauty of the red chain; it's quite remarkable we could recreate it from the Veilstone city meteorite," she said with awe.
"Not recreate it," the professor corrected, "resurrect it. And don't forget the brilliant genius who should be credited with bringing it back into our world is yours truly. Known to you as the humble Charon, HAHAHAHA!" Charon laughed in a maniac way only a mad scientist would know. The woman sneered at the horrible voice this man had.
"I hate that laugh," she cursed under her breath. "What are your plans for the International Policeman?"
"Cyrus has informed me of his special plans for him," he answered.
"Toxicroak, use Rock Smash!" the trainer commanded. The blue frog pulled out its large red spike from its fist and punched it into the side of a stone wall. The wall collapsed from the impact and revealed a large steel entrance. The owner of the Toxicroak had sky blue hair in the shape of two horns. His suit was grey with a white vest and boots. Standing behind him were two lower rank members dressed as Looker's disguise from before. However, one was a woman with a skirt instead of a jumpsuit, while the other was a man wearing a special camera attached to the left of his eye. Their location appeared to be on a high mountain top, away from people or any living creatures for miles. Looking over the scriptures written on the wall, the man gazed onto the center where a yellow orb shined in the sunlight. The image flashed onto a large monitor underneath a yellow "G". Inside a large room there were four other monitors showing pictures of the mountain in every angle. The people looking at the monitors were a woman with red hair and a whit e skirt that mixed in with her grey galactic uniform, along with a yellow "G" on her chest. The other was a serious older man with blue spiky hair and a grey vest with dark long sleeves; sitting at his command desk. He bore the symbol on the left of his vest.
Back at the mountain, one of the members dropped a black suitcase in front of the large door. The suitcase began to open on its own and revealed to be a gold key. It looked as if it was in the form of a complete maze of small squares jumbled together to make a deformed Rubik's cube. The key began to float into the air and shined a bright light. The door began to glow a bright blue as if being drained away by the bright key. "Master Cyrus, we found it!" he cried. "This is truly the gateway to Spear Pillar!"
"Yes," the grey vested man replied, "very well. Lock off the area."
"Yes sir," Saturn followed.
"We will not proceed there until all preparations are made," Cyrus commanded. Just then, the screen had changed its image to a person. The only thing that can be seen was his red mask and his piercing white eyes. "Everything is going as followed," Cyrus stated.
"Well done," the man spoke. "You will have what you've been seeking after the operation."
"It was humble of you to give me such energy to finish my project on the Red Chain," answered Cyrus.
"Gratitude is not needed," the man said, "All I can say is to use the power to how you see fit."
"I will," Cyrus replied, "not only with the chain, but with other uses as well." With a push off a button, the screen shut off, leaving the masked man alone in his fortress.
"Imbecile," he murmured.
Fuego Ironworks
"So, our search is over," the woman replied.
"We found the gateway to Spear Pillar," Charon concluded.
"But the real journey begins now," she added. Suddenly, a lower rank informant ran into the room with quick pace.
"Jupiter, a flying object has been detected outside the perimeter," he stated.
"A flying object?" Jupiter questioned.
A few yards away from the factory, a giant hot air balloon was slowly approaching from the East. Meowth, Jolt, Pikachu, and Piplup stood on the rim of the basket while Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Rai stood just behind them.
"Dig it guys," Meowth proclaimed, "up ahead." From a distance, they could see a swarm of blue bats beginning to fly towards them.
"Golbat!" yelled Brock.
"Looks like our cue!" added Rai.
"Pikachu, help us out," Ash asked.
"Pika!" Dawn pulled out her pokéball.
"Pachirisu, we need you too!" cried Dawn. In a bright light, a small white squirrel jumped out of its ball. It had yellow cheeks and blue ears with a blue streak running up its big, puffy tail.
"Chipachipa!" With a little air control, Ash brought out two more pokéballs.
"Staraptor, Gliscor; I choose you!" In bright light, Staraptor shoots out of it pokéball. Also, a large dark grey bat appeared with scorpion tail and large pincers. Its arms and waist were red and had sharp teeth with sharp yellow eyes. They descended near the balloon basket for Pikachu and Pachirisu to jump onto their backs. Pikachu jumped on Staraptor and Pachirisu jumped on Gliscor. The flying aces charged in on the group of Golbat. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, now!"
"Pachirisu, use Discharge!" Dawn commanded. Both had jumped into the air and launched a stream of blue and yellow electricity. The attacks hit their marks as the Golbat started to fall one by one. The balloon made its way toward a nearby roof of the factory.
"Let's land over there!" called Ash. Hiding behind the rooftop entrance, Jupiter popped out from her hiding spot, waiting to ambush them.
"Who's that?" Meowth yelled.
"Skuntank, use Flamethrower!" Jupiter yelled out. Skuntank blasted out a wave of fire that aimed directly at the balloon. Meowth quickly took shelter inside the basket, while Piplup and Jolt jumped into action. Piplup launched its Bubblebeam and Jolt fired out its Thunderbolt. In a clash of attacks, a large explosion happened, and filling the area with a cloud of smoke. The basket landed on the rooftop, allowing everyone to get off and make a dash for the entrance.
"Alright, let's move it," shouted Rai.
"Right," the three replied. Piplup and Jolt dashed forward on, until a large skunk blocked their path. Rai stood in front of the kids and pulled out his scythe from behind.
"Get out of the way!" shouted Ash.
"You all seem to have a nag for popping out of nowhere," Jupiter complimented. "Want to join Team Galactic?" Rai took a moment to consider the bargain.
"I appreciate the offer," Rai pointed his scythe directly at her, "but grey just isn't my color."
"That would be so…ewww!" cried Dawn.
"What did you do with Jessie and James!" demanded Meowth.
"And what about Looker?" Ash implied. The air was thick around everyone. Even the slightest movement from either side could set off a battle. Jupiter then shifted her gaze toward Dawn, Ash, and Brock as if mesmerized by their presence.
"…Mesprit…Azelf…Uxie…," she whispered softly. Her face suddenly became full of hatred toward them. "Why did it have to be you?" Everyone was confused as to what she was saying. "I'm talking about the Lake Trio, of course. Why is it that they chose you?!"
"What do you mean chose us?" Ash asked.
"Who the hell is the Lake Trio?" added Rai.
"You saw them," stated Jupiter, "The legendary Pokémon spirits that they say reside in those lakes."
"Alright, how did you know about that?" asked Brock.
"One of you twerps wanna clue me in here, I'm kind of flying blind," asked Meowth.
"For once I agree with you, Meowth," Rai pointed out.
"We know everything about all of it," Jupiter declared. "The truth of the matter is we were the ones who were supposed to have synchronized with the Lake Trio."
"You guys are crying over not being picked by some water spirits and end up dressing like space people?" Rai asked. "Man…that's just sad." The Golbat came swooping by and started launching aerial cutters at Pikachu and Staraptor. Pikachu quickly jumped off and began to fire electricity at the bats. The battle had now begun.
"You got a big mouth!" Meowth shouted, "Where's Jessie and James! Tell me!" Meowth drew out his claws and charged in.
"Quick, Skuntank, use Flamethrower!" Jupiter commanded. Skuntank let out a stream of fire at its opponents.
"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" cried Dawn. Piplup jumped into action and released a ray of bubbles to counter the fire. The collision of attacks forced everyone back a few feet and trying to keep their footing. A large cloud of smoke filled the area. After the air cleared out, Gliscor and Pachirisu took to the roof behind Jupiter, Staraptor and Pikachu took the left, and Rai and Jolt took the right. Within each side, they surrounded the commander. However, Jupiter wasn't ready to go down.
"So you're surrounding us, eh?" she pondered. "Skuntank, use Toxic, now." The skunk started to spray purple blotches of liquid over the rooftop. Once it landed on the floor, purple smoke had evaporated and intoxicated the air.
"It's Toxic; don't breath it in!" yelled Brock. Everyone covered their face to try and not take in the poisonous fumes.
"Staraptor, Gliscor, Heads up!" cried Ash. Using their wings, they shielded Pikachu and Pachirisu from the poison.
"Don't worry, I got this!" Rai shouted. Using his scythe, he started spinning it like a baton. As he spun faster, the poison gas began to clear up. Jupiter made an attempt escape and jumped off the roof.
"Hey, wait!" yelled Brock. Just then, the sound of an engine began to escalate. A large black chopper started to rise in front of the gang. Ash and the others tried to run after it, but the chopper had already flown into the sky.
"Flank flew the coop!" shouted Meowth.
"And the bats swarmed out," said Rai. Pikachu had jumped on top of Staraptor; ready to go after them.
"Staraptor and Pikachu wait a minute," interrupted Ash, "We gotta check around for Team Rocket and Looker first!" As they watched the helicopter disappear from a distance, Ash called back Staraptor and Gliscor into their pokéballs. Everyone had made their way into the rooftop exit door, but it seemed to be lock. "Man, the door won't budge!" Ash tried to pull the door open with full force.
"What do we do now?" asked Dawn.
"They must have known we were coming and locked up the place," Brock concluded. With all of them thinking, Rai came up with an idea.
"Hmm, I might have something that will help," said Rai. Checking his back pocket, he pulled out a black leather wallet. Opening it, he noticed all of his material that had brought with him. "Let's see: ID card, $20, Blood Donor card…AHA! My coupon!" Rai pulled out his yogurt card that allowed him a free yogurt after having it stamped for buying 14 yogurts. So far, he's bought one. Using the card, he wedged it within the crack between the wall and the door handle. After a few jigs and turns, the door opened.
"Awesome, we're in!" cried Dawn.
"We'll celebrate after we find the others," stated Rai. They all ran into the building and down the stair well. They travelled within the depths of the factory, passing each part of the building. They started in the engine room on top of the support bridges over the area. They all called out hoping for a response.
"Looker!" shouted Ash.
"Where are you!" yelled Brock.
"Jessie, James; Report!" cried Meowth.
Meanwhile, the black chopper was flying off toward its destination. Jupiter was in her seat gazing at the window over the scenic view of Sinnoh. Her attitude was cold and she couldn't get the same question out of her mind. "I don't get it," she mumbled, "why did the Lake Trio choose those them in the first place?" The person sitting across from her was working on his portable laptop overviewing his research. He couldn't help but overhear Jupiter talking to herself.
"Jealous of those children, are we, HAHAHAHAHAHA," he asked. Jupiter looked over to him.
"Me; jealous," she replied, "Don't be silly…it's not my style." The doctor only continued to laugh at her uncanny way of hiding her mood.
"Jealousy is a human emotion, you know," said Chardon. Jupiter wasn't interested in anything more the professor had to say.
"Is the Red Chain safe or not?" she demanded.
"Don't worry," he answered, "It's located right below your feet." Jupiter made a quick glance to the floor and saw a square door panel underneath her boots. The chopper continued to make its way to Mt. Coronet.
Fuego Ironworks
"It's gotten awfully quiet out there," said Looker. He continued to stare out of his cell through the iron bars. Jessie and James lay on the wooden bench starving and deprived of sweet, delicious nutrition…and food.
"My stomach is making tons of noise," Jessie complained.
"Starvation simply stinks," muttered James. Footsteps began to approach them.
"Shhh!" shushed Looker. "Someone's coming." Jessie and James snapped out of their slumps when they heard the news. The footsteps began to grow louder. The sound started to approach the door. Peeking outside, Looker noticed the individuals outside. "It's Ash!" Everyone slid over in front of the door, except Rai who missed his stop.
"Crap!" he yelled.
"It's Looker!" noticed Dawn.
"Are you ok?" asked Brock.
"Alright, do you know where my peeps are?" Meowth asked in determination.
"Yes," replied Looker, "Their both right here with me." Looker moved over to let Jessie and James have a chance to talk.
"Meowth, Dear!" they yelled. Unfortunately, they forgot about the bars and were electrocuted with a burst of electricity. "We should've used a sticky note." Rai hurried over back to the door.
"Hey Rai, can you crack this door open?" asked Brock. Rai inspected the door.
"Sorry Brock, there's no handle or place to jimmy it," he answered. Looker had an idea of his own.
"Ash, Dawn; have Pikachu and Piplup launch an attack together to get break down this door," he suggested.
"You got it," Ash nodded. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"And Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" yelled Dawn. Together, Piplup and Pikachu fired their attacks at the same time. The door took the impact and busted wide open.
"You helped me out of a tough spot," said Looker, "Thank you both."
"No prob," Ash insisted. Everyone glanced over to Team Rocket who was hugging each other after being separated for so long.
"It's so good to see you lugs!" cried Meowth with glee.
"I had faith in you!" cried Jessie with Joy.
"Meowth for the clinch!" James added.
"What's with the fashion freaks," she asked.
"Team Galactic took a powder to parts unknown!" answered Meowth.
"Not for long," Jessie said with full spirit. With that, Team Rocket sprung up and began to take their leave.
"Hasta la vista twerps," James waved.
"I owe you one, big time!" added Meowth. Together, they took off running down the hallway.
"It's been sublime!" they shouted. They disappeared, leaving only a twinkle in the distance.
"That was the worst Spanish I ever heard," said Rai. Looker looked over to Rai realizing a new face with the kids.
"And you are?" asked Looker.
"This is Raimundo," said Ash.
"He helped us get into the factory," added Dawn.
"I see," Looker replied. Going over what Meowth said, Looker held his belt buckle and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses. "So Team Galactic escaped again, and that means my work here is finished." He started to head down in the same direction that Team Rocket ran off. Ash and the others followed silently behind. It was quiet for several minutes just travelling round the empty factory. Everyone gazed over all the machinery and mechanics that were lying around. It wasn't long before Looker spoke what he was thinking. "I'd sure like to know what they were working on here." Looker saw in the distance a control panel. He walked over and pulled down on the red lever. The elevator system activated and opened the doors. Everyone entered and rode the elevator down into the basement. Jolt felt something disturbing and looked to Rai, but he didn't notice Jolt at all. It shifted its attention to his scythe stuck to the back of his belt. As the doors opened, they walked into a large room with two turbines on the ground.
"Hey, Brock, didn't you say this place was abandoned?" asked Rai.
"Yeah, it was supposed to be shut down and out of business," answered Brock. Looker examined the machinery in front of them.
"Then what's this?" asked Dawn.
"It's not part of the Fuego Ironworks that's for sure," Looker added. "It must be Team Galactic's doing." Looker noticed something shining in one of the turbines. He picked up a small red hexagon and held it in his palm.
"Check it out," Ash noticed, "Looker, what do you think that is?" Everyone stared at the red crystal.
"Pikachu…"
The hot air balloon had taken off and Team Rocket had set their course to go after Team Galactic. Meowth had his black binoculars looking over the area. "Sometimes, you're sense of direction leaves much to be desired, you know," Jessie said with a bored look on her face.
"It's this way, no doubt!" Meowth stated as he looked at the view in front of him. "Team Galactic's got nowhere to hide!" James looked over the map to calculate their destination.
"Well, staying the course will get us to Mt. Coronet," James pointed out.
"We know those fashion freaks have a fondness for frolicking in the mountains," said Jessie, "so it's towards the mountains we will go."
"Coronet, ho!" yelled James.
"Yo yo yo!" added Meowth.
Floaroma Town
After escaping from the Fuego Ironworks, Looker brought Ash and the crew to the local police station in hopes of analyzing the material they found. They made their way to the technical research rooms where they could have a researcher look at the crystal. He wore a white lab coat, glasses, and a red tie on his blue collar shirt. Standing next to him was a policewoman with a blue uniform and a blue skirt. She had green hair with a blue police cap on her head and white gloves with black heels to complete her outfit. The crystal had been placed inside a glass dome over a mechanized scanner. "That's it," said the researcher, "we're ready."
"Now we're able to transmit any data from the object directly to headquarters," Officer Jenny explained.
"Thanks for all your hard work," Looker gratified.
"So, let's begin the analysis," the researcher stated. Pressing a red square button, a green laser fired inside the glass dome. Moving back and forth, the laser scanned the crystal like a sprinkler system. On a nearby monitor, the crystal can be seen in three dimensions along with readings of radioactivity or viral signs of life. Jolt glanced over to Rai, just behind everyone else, and saw his scythe begin to glow a dark red from the top jewel of the staff. Everyone was too focused on the crystal to notice.
"Pika Pi."
"Huh, what's up Jolt?" asked Rai. Looking behind him, he started to notice the scythes gem glowing red. "What the…" The crystal in the dome had started to shine a bright light. It began to shake with intense power and rattled as if ready to explode. The monitor in the room began to glitch with static and the data changed to an image of a yellow "G". Then, a man with red glassed showed on with its tongue sticking out.
"No, turn it off!" yelled Looker. The bright light increased as it filled the whole room.
"Hit the deck!" shouted Rai. Everyone took to the floor to avoid the blast. After the light faded, the dome was shattered and the machine was covered with smoke. The computer monitor was shot black.
"What could have happened?" Jenny asked. A loud beeping came from a nearby terminal. She walked over and turned on the mechanism to have a man in blue formal attire talking to them from the other side. "This is the Floaroma Police," she stated.
"The data you transmitted to International Police Headquarters has wiped our entire database out!" declared the chief of police. Everyone was shocked to find out what the small crystal had done.
"And Team Galactic's Data?" panicked Looker.
"Apparently it's been destroyed as well," the chief stated, "Retrieval Uncertain."
"So it was all a trap…" thought Looker.
"So that has to be why they left that red object behind," added Jenny.
"A warning to stop all further investigation," concluded Looker, "or else."
"Whoa, Looker," Ash said as amazed by his determination. Looker gritted his teeth as he looked over the group.
"I'll never give up," he declared, "the next time Team Galactic is up to something, I'LL BE THERE TO STOP THEM!" After everything had settled down, Ash, Rai, Dawn, and Brock exited the police station. Ash, Brock, and Rai had gone down the steps of the building, but Dawn stood in front of the doors thinking about what's going on.
"About the Lake Pokémon," everyone turned to Dawn, "what does it all mean?"
"Yeah," added Rai, "How did you guys get involved in the first place?"
"Not sure," answered Ash, "since all we did was see them."
"I can't stop thinking how Team Galactic knew all about it," pondered Brock.
"Pika Pika," both Pikachus looked at each other with worry.
I know one thing, Rai thought; it's too soon for me to be leaving yet.
Mt. Coronet
At Team Galactic's Base, Cyrus and his top three commanders were all standing with him as he idolized all the objects he had achieved to steal. Each being contained with claws and atop of a metal pedestal: The gold key, a smooth crystal orb, and a soccer ball-shaped crystal orb. "A creation of a new world begins," he announced, "the Spear Key and Spear Pillar, the Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb, the Red Chain; now all that remains are the three lake Pokémon."
"All preparations for the Galactic Bomb are complete," Saturn interrupted.
"Excellent," replied Cyrus. In front of them, the wall opened to show a screen. A woman appeared on the monitor having short white hair, a black collared cloak, and a black visor over her eyes. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Pokémon Hunter Jay. Please proceed with the Lake Pokémon capture as planned." The woman looked with interest as her giant airship began to rise from the sky. Its six back rockets fired off a blue flame that pushed them toward their first destination. The ship disappeared under its cloaking device.
So, as Team Galactic's evil intensions begin to reveal themselves, while all of Sinnoh is to be shaken to its very core; What of Ash…Dawn…and Brock? What part does Raimundo have in all of this? What does the future have in store for our heroes? Stay Tuned!
-To Be Continued-
With so much to do in little time, the holidays are coming up and I'm trying to keep up Ha-ha! As a gift, I present the start of the three part saga that will wrap up the Pokémon Journey. All work goes to its respectable owners and use for this story. Leave comments with your thoughts and hope to see you in the next chapter! Happy Holidays :)