Welcome back! I know you've all been very excited for the next update, so I wasn't going to leave you waiting! I was blessed with a very easy week of work, so I've been able to really work on the story. It was great!
Also, as of the last chapter, this story has hit OVER 900 reviews! Special shout out to Artemis173 for leaving the actual 900th review! You guys are all so great and the support for this story truly means so much to me. So again, thank you for reading, reviewing, all of that!
And now, I'll shut my mouth so you can all enjoy the next chapter!
LAST TIME: Ash tries his best to intimidate Magnus. It doesn't work, and Magnus taunts Ash by revealing Team Rocket's plans and what they have been doing with the kidnapped orphans, confirming Misty's suspicions. Magnus also asserts that with Ash and Misty out of the way, they will be free to capture Michelle and brainwash her. While Lance, Michelle, and Brandon infiltrate Team Rocket's ship, Ash and Misty are visited by Kira, a young member of Team Rocket who says she will help them.
Chapter 59: Escape the Rocket Ship
Michelle tucked a stray strand of red hair beneath her cap as she trailed behind Lance and Brandon. They were all disguised as Team Rocket grunts, and Michelle had decided to wear the outfit of a male grunt, not female. She thought it might look less suspicious if there were three guys traveling together instead of two and a girl. Her bright red hair was also quite noticeable, so she wanted to make sure it was all hidden.
"Remember, act natural," Lance whispered to the two younger trainers as they reached a more populated section of the ship.
Both Michelle and Brandon gasped softly as bunches of grunts and a few scattered operatives appeared before them. It was like a Team Rocket infestation. Pichu peered out from Michelle's bag and let out a disturbed whine, to which Michelle gently shook the bag to give Pichu the hint to go back down.
Lance and the two children headed straight ahead, right towards a set of sliding metal doors that were being guarded by two grunts. The guards said nothing until Lance and the two children got closer, at which point they stood at attention and stared down the small group.
"State your business," one of the grunts said.
"I'm taking these two grunts-in-training through the ship," Lance replied gruffly. "Showing them everything they need to know around here."
"Clearance?"
Without missing a beat, Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ID card. He held it up to the card reader that sealed the door shut between the two grunts. A red light scanned the card and then let out a high pitched beep beep beep, clicking and causing the two doors to separate. With that settled, the two grunts moved out of the way, granting what they believed to be three other grunts access. The group slid past the grunts, Brandon and Michelle looking over their shoulders as the doors slid closed once again.
"How did you do that?" Brandon asked.
Lance smirked at the younger boy. "We have some of the most brilliant tech wizards over at League headquarters. They have extensive knowledge about the technology Team Rocket uses and fabricated that ID for me. It'll work on any piece of ID guarded technology that Team Rocket owns."
"Wow, impressive," Brandon marveled.
"Come on, we don't have time to be impressed," Michelle hissed. "We've got to find my parents and my brother!"
"And we will," Lance assured the younger girl. "Just keep following my lead."
XXX
"How are you going to get us out of here?"
Kira blinked at Ash's question. "Easy! I know the code that will open up these cells. I'll just punch that in and get you three out."
"Wait, won't an alarm go off or something like that?" Misty asked. She was still stroking Aiden's hair, who she had managed to wake up shortly after Kira arrived. "I know the members of Team Rocket who follow us around aren't the brightest, but…the rest of them aren't like that. I'm sure Giovanni or Magnus thought about people trying to escape."
"Of course there's an alarm," Kira replied. "But I already disabled that."
"Y-you disabled it?" Misty stammered.
"Mmhm," Kira hummed, turning towards the keypad. "I guess one of the only good things about me being in Team Rocket is that they taught me how to work with tech. I've never had to actually go out on missions to steal Pokémon or kidnap kids. I'm just responsible for helping out with inventions and making sure everything is running smoothly, technology wise."
"That's…interesting," Ash managed to growl.
"I actually like working on that kind of stuff," Kira giggled softly. "I just wish it wasn't for Team Rocket…"
She punched in the code and watched as the buttons lit up. Within seconds, the bars that held Ash, Misty, and Aiden back in their cells lifted up, granting them entrance into the small hallway that ran between the two cells.
"It worked!" Ash gasped, emerging from his prison. Before Misty could even get up, he ran into hers, grabbing his wife and pulling her to her feet. Laughing wildly, Ash pressed his forehead against hers, Misty wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. As soon as they stopped moving, Misty moved in closer to her husband, their foreheads still pressed together as they continued their embrace.
"I'm glad you guys are happy to see each other, but we've gotta get a move on," Aiden groggily informed his parents, rubbing at his tired brown eyes.
"You're right, champ," Ash sighed, pulling his head away from Misty's. "But as soon as we're free-"
"You don't have to tell me," Misty purred, smirking at her husband.
"Gross," Aiden grumbled, shaking his head. The sound of Kira giggling, however, caught the boy's attention.
"I think it's nice," Kira sighed. "To have parents who love one another…"
Aiden begrudgingly smiled and gave a small nod. "You're right, it is. It may gross me out a little, but I'm glad I have two parents who love one another."
Kira beamed. "Maybe I'll know what that feels like once I get out of here."
"That's the plan," Aiden sighed. "What do we do now?"
"We'll have to take a more unconventional path out," Kira explained. "I've got to make sure I sneak you three past all of the grunts and the operatives. Luckily, I know this ship like the back of my hand, and I know exactly how to get us out of here without getting caught."
"I'd better grab Pikachu," Ash sighed. "I can't believe he's still asleep from that yawn attack…"
Ash snuck away into the cell, returning with a sleeping Pikachu draped over his shoulder.
"I've got Pokémon to protect us just in case," Kira informed the family standing before her. "But I don't think that will be necessary."
"You sure sound confident about this," Aiden grumbled, eyeing the brunette girl standing before him.
"I've spent most of my life trying to go unnoticed here," Kira replied, smirking sadly at the boy. "This is nothing new."
XXX
"How did they manage to fit so much into this little airship?"
Brandon sighed and looked over at Michelle, who was obviously frustrated. "This ship is a lot bigger than you might think. I'm not really surprised."
"But it's like a mini city in here or something!" Michelle hissed. The trio had reached an empty corridor where Michelle felt it was safe to talk a little more freely, although still very hushed.
"If I were to bet, I'd say this ship serves as their moving headquarters," Lance said. "They've got their main base in Viridian, but this is their on-the-go base. With the mission that they're carrying out, they obviously can't just stay in one place. That's why this ship is so technologically advanced. Team Rocket is doing just as much living, training, and plotting in here as they are in their headquarters beneath the Viridian City Game Corner."
"Wait…so you know about their base underneath the casino?" Brandon asked.
"Of course I do!" Lance chuckled. "I am head of the G-Men, after all."
As they reached the end of the corridor, a set of sliding metal doors opened, granting the trio access to the next part of the ship. As soon as they stepped in, however, they all knew something wasn't right. Surrounding them on both sides were glass windows; not dissimilar to what one might see in a hospital…in a nursery.
Furrowing her brow, Michelle stepped closer to the glass, peering in. As soon as she saw it, she gasped and her heart sped up, horror filling every part of her being.
"What is it?" Brandon asked, rushing up to Michelle's side. As soon as he got there, however, he quickly realized why Michelle was so startled, and suddenly, he was feeling the exact same way.
"It's…this place is full of babies," Michelle whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from what existed om the other side of the glass.
Just like a hospital nursery, there were rows of basinets holding little babies lining the room. What was unlike a hospital was that each child was hooked up to a machine, one that kept track of their heart rate while listing other vital information, including their height, weight, blood type, DNA sequences, and oddly enough, where they came from.
"This is even more disturbing than I imagined."
Michelle and Brandon finally looked away, peering over their shoulders at a ghostly white Lance.
"This must be where they put the children as soon as they kidnap them," Lance continued. "But it's not a normal nursery. They don't care about these babies as people. They care about them as future operatives. Look at how every single one has stats above their head. They're keeping track of every baby, trying to decipher which ones will be the strongest."
"That's awful!" Michelle cried, turning back towards the babies.
"So Team Rocket is not only kidnapping kids, but they're treating them like objects," Brandon growled.
And then, as Michelle continued to stare at the babies, a terrible thought popped into her head. If Team Rocket had wanted her and Aiden so badly as babies, to become their future operatives…this would have been their fate. Not living and growing up in a safe and comfortable home with parents who loved them, like they knew now. No. Their lives would have been spent inside of this ship, inside of that nursery, being tracked and studied and used only as Team Rocket's personal cadets for crime.
Michelle's breath hitched as her emerald eyes fell on one of the babies, a little boy with dark brown hair. On the monitor above his head, there was a little note: "exhibiting signs of health fragility; possibly asthma." Beneath that was another little note: "unfit for organization."
Unfit? What did Team Rocket do with kids who they deemed unworthy to be operatives? The same thoughts as before filled her head, Michelle clutching her chest as she remembered her parents telling her how sickly she had been as a baby. Team Rocket hadn't known that. If they had managed to get their hands on her and find out then…
They probably would've killed me.
"Alright," Lance's voice sounded again. "We're going to find the others so you two can run with Misty and Aiden. Ash will stay behind with me, and the next phase of our operation will be to get all of these kids away from Team Rocket."
Brandon nodded, and soon he and Lance were charging towards the end of the hallway. Brandon stopped, however, when he realized Michelle wasn't following them. Instead, she was still staring at the babies.
"Michelle, come on," Brandon urged.
"Brandon…" Michelle muttered, pressing her hand against the glass. "This could've been me and Aiden."
"But it wasn't," Brandon breathed. "Your parents protected you two! They never would've let Team Rocket get you guys. So now we've got to do what we can to save these kids from this."
Michelle sighed as she took another look at the poor little baby who Team Rocket had deemed useless. He looked just as innocent as the other babies around him…no possible way to tell anything was wrong with him, and certainly not fair to automatically deem him "unfit."
"You're right," Michelle murmured, looking over at Brandon. "I won't let Team Rocket get away with any of this. Not kidnapping my family, and not kidnapping these babies either. Let's end them. Now."
XXX
"You're kidding, right?"
Kira turned towards an incredulous Aiden with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not. If we want to get out of here without Team Rocket noticing us, then this is the way we have to go."
Aiden just kept staring at the vent Kira was talking about. She'd already pulled off the cover, expecting everyone to be on board with the plan. Aiden, however, was less than thrilled. In fact, he was starting to think that maybe Kira wasn't as innocent as she was making herself out to be, and that they were all being led right into the rest of Team Rocket's clutches.
"You guys can't be okay with this," Aiden challenged, turning towards his parents.
"Why?" Ash deadpanned. "It's not like we haven't crawled through vents before."
"Besides, Kira is right," Misty added. "This ship is crawling with members of Team Rocket. We can't just waltz through, or we'll get caught."
"How do you know we're not going to get caught now?" Aiden whined.
"What are you talking about, Aiden?" Misty sighed.
"You guys are putting all of your trust in some girl who is Team Rocket!" Aiden growled, pointing an accusatory finger at Kira. "This could be a trick for all we know!"
"Why would this be a trick?" Misty questioned. "Kira wants to get out of here just as badly as we do!"
"How do we know that?" Aiden retorted.
"Because she told us!" Misty cried.
"So?" Aiden drawled. "I lie to you all the time! What's stopping her from lying? Besides, isn't that all Team Rocket knows?"
Kira was about to fire off at Aiden, but Ash cut her off. "I believe her."
Aiden turned to narrow his eyes at his father. "Dad!"
"I can sense the good in people, Aiden," Ash replied calmly. "Kira is different. There's an innocence about her. The other young operatives we've met are all completely brainwashed, but I don't think Kira is. She wants a shot at life away from Team Rocket, and I have no reason to believe that isn't genuine."
Aiden just scowled. He didn't seem convinced.
"I wasn't taken when I was a baby," Kira piped up, her eyes downcast. "I was three. I was still really little, but I was old enough to know what was going on. The orphanage was all I had ever really known, so I was happy there. When I got taken by Team Rocket, I was miserable. I'd cry and scream for hours on end. I knew how to talk, but I refused to speak to any of the grunts or doctors; anyone who came near me. So they thought there was a problem with me. I was deemed unfit. When Team Rocket deems a kid unfit, it means a few things. Depending on why the kid was deemed unfit, they take different courses of action. I just wouldn't talk, so they decided I would be an engineer. They figured I could listen and learn, and I wouldn't even be able to talk back. I could just be a sponge. But I've seen what they do with other kids who they deem unfit. When they end up with a baby who's sick, or weak, they'll usually get rid of them completely."
"Get rid of them?" Misty repeated, horror reflected on her face.
"I don't know if they kill them," Kira breathed. "I don't think so, but I'm not positive. Usually, they just abandon them. Drop them off in the woods somewhere, or at stations. I don't know what happens to them after that."
Aiden's face had visibly softened. Suddenly, he felt bad for challenging Kira on her intentions. It was obvious that she had been through a lot, and seen a lot during her time with Team Rocket. Aiden was lucky he had never had to suffer that fate; he had parents who looked out for him. Kira didn't have that. She had been vulnerable. And this was what her life had become, against her will.
"Arceus," Ash breathed, his eyes dark.
"I can't spend another day here," Kira stormed, shaking her head. "What they do…they're monsters. I don't agree with any of it. I just want to be a normal girl. I want to have my own life and make my own decisions for myself. I don't want to see any more of this. It just gets worse and worse."
Aiden nodded just once and took a step closer to the girl. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before, Kira. My dad was right. You're a good person. And you deserve better than Team Rocket."
For the first time in a long time, Kira showed off a genuine smile. "Thanks, Aiden. I'm glad you see it now."
Aiden smiled back and looked up towards the vent. "So…I guess we'd better get going!"
XXX
Michelle was still fuming after seeing Team Rocket's nursery. She had known all along that Team Rocket was heartless, but heartless enough to kidnap innocent children and treat them that way? It was awful, and Michelle wouldn't stand for it.
She trudged behind Lance and Brandon, her hands balled into fists at her sides. They were now back in a more crowded corridor, this one even more bustling than the first. Grunts guarded every single door and hallway that could be found circling around the large room, while operatives were congregated around the center. As Michelle looked around, she saw that many of the operatives were in pairs, with one being smaller than the other.
Junior operatives and their mentors, Michelle thought bitterly. Disgusting.
"This is the heart of the ship."
Michelle glanced up, realizing Lance had turned towards her and Brandon and had corralled them into a tight circle.
"That's why there's so many members of Team Rocket around?" Brandon whispered.
"Right," Lance replied.
"How are we supposed to figure out which door to go through?" Michelle muttered. "There's tons of them."
"The doorway directly north leads to the continuation of the main hallway," Lance elucidated. "That hallway will take us anywhere we need to go. All of those smaller doors will just take us to more places like that nursery. But the main hallway? That's where we'll strike gold."
Lance motioned for Brandon and Michelle to follow, so they did. He approached the two grunts keeping guard at the north doorway and once again flashed his false ID badge. The grunts moved away from the door so he could scan the ID, and just as before, it activated the door and caused it to open. Lance and the two kids were able to slip through, right into the main hallway Lance had been talking about. They started their trek down the long metal hall, looking around for more doors that could possibly lead them to where Ash, Misty, and Aiden were. At the moment, however, it was just one long hallway with no access points.
"How long is this hallway?" Michelle grumbled.
"Considering it's the main hallway, I'd say quite long," Lance sighed. "The connecting rooms must be further down."
"HALT!"
The trio stopped in their tracks, eyes widening. That voice had come from behind them, they were sure. When all three of them slowly turned around, they found themselves staring at a woman; one dressed in a Team Rocket uniform that was not indicative of a grunt or an operative. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a long, straight ponytail that hung all the way down her back. Her orange eyes were narrowed, boring straight into the group standing before her.
"Who are you three?" She asked coolly.
"Just grunts passing through, ma'am," Lance replied effortlessly.
The woman smirked and tilted her head. "Nice try. I've never seen any of you before in my life."
"That's because we're usually on the field!" Brandon piped up. "Y'know, just being trained how to be grunts by our mentor!"
The woman's eyes narrowed further as he jabbed his thumb towards Lance. "I see. So, I assume you three wouldn't mind if we dropped by the boss' office quickly?"
Lance, Brandon, and Michelle all froze, shivers going up each of their spines.
"Now why would we need to go see the boss?" Lance asked.
"Just to get you all confirmed," she answered. "I mean, I'm the most technically savvy person on this ship, and my eye for detail is unmatched. But I suppose I could be making a mistake here. If you're truly grunts, Giovanni will be able to verify your credentials."
"Our credentials are clearly verified," Lance scoffed. "How else would we be making our way through the main hallway? You can ask the grunts up by the door. They recognized us with ease."
"Fine," she sighed, holding out her hand. "Let me examine your credentials then."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm in charge of creating and activating all credentials," she continued. "I know my own work."
Brandon and Michelle nervously glanced over at Lance. He looked hesitant, but soon began reaching into the back pocket of his pants to retrieve the ID. As he was reaching for it, however, something gave way above their heads. A vent went clattering to the floor, and a pile of bodies fell after it. Gasps followed the fall, while the female Team Rocket member's eyes narrowed even more deeply than they had before.
"Kira!"
The girl squealed and crawled out from the bottom of the heap, standing herself up before the woman. "Uh…Mickey!"
"What are you doing crawling through the vents?" Mickey demanded. Her eyes turned towards the moaning heap behind the younger girl and she asked, "and…are those the prisoners?!"
Michelle lunged forward and knelt before the three, her eyes wide. "Mom? Dad? Aiden?"
They all looked up and saw the girl who was disguised as a male grunt. Ash and Misty, however, would be able to recognize their daughter anywhere. Those piercing green eyes? Unmistakable.
"Michelle!" Ash gasped. "You're okay!"
Misty jumped at the girl and wrapped her in her arms, squeezing her tight as if she would never let go.
"My baby," Misty breathed, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank goodness they didn't get their hands on you!"
"I knew you three weren't grunts!"
Michelle looked up from her mother's embrace and saw Mickey snarling at them. Kira, on the other hand, was looking over her shoulder, anxiety evident on her face.
"Kira, what do you think you're doing with the prisoners?" Mickey hissed at the girl. "Do you know what the boss would say if he knew what you were up to?"
"Mickey, I was just-"
Kira was cut off as Mickey forcefully grabbed her by the shoulder, causing the younger girl to wince. Ash snarled at this and jumped to his feet, moving towards the two. "Hey! Let go of her!"
Mickey looked up and smirked. "How lucky am I, to have a run in with the famed Pokémon Master? The boss will be pleased when I personally bring you back to him."
"Mickey-!" Kira cried as the older woman tightened her grip.
"Be quiet," Mickey hissed.
"You're hurting her!" Aiden shouted, jumping up next to his father.
"She should learn to be tougher," Mickey growled. "Besides, I don't condone this type of behavior. Insubordination, Kira? The boss won't be pleased to hear about this."
"Let me go!" Kira wailed, throwing her head back.
"What's the matter?" Mickey growled. "Am I hurting you? Like the little boy said? Suck it up!"
Aiden clenched his teeth. Before he could fully process what he was doing, he grabbed a poke ball off his belt, throwing it up in the air.
"Riolu, force palm!"
The sphere popped open and released the baby Pokémon. While still in midair, Riolu held his paw out and released a sphere of energy, sending it hurdling towards Mickey. The attack hit her dead on, causing her to release Kira and stumble backwards. Kira did the same, grabbing onto her shoulder and wincing. Ash reached forward and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her to his side.
Mickey, on the other hand, looked up with fire in her eyes. Aiden was scowling at her, his eyes deeply narrowed with his hands balled into fists at his side. Riolu, who stood before him, held a similar appearance.
"You…" Mickey seethed.
"I won't let you treat Kira that way," Aiden bit.
Ash growled, but his face softened when he felt movement on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw Pikachu beginning to stir from his sleep, and suddenly a new wave of confidence washed over him.
"Pikachu," Ash whispered to his partner, perking the yellow mouse up even more quickly. "We've gotta fight."
"Pi?" Pikachu murmured. He looked up and saw Mickey snarling at them, and then to the side where Aiden was throwing back a similar look. Right away, Pikachu knew it; his family was in danger. Growling, the little mouse jumped off of his trainer's shoulder, standing proudly in front of him.
"How cute," Mickey spat. "The daddy-son team thinks they can take on Team Rocket's top engineer."
Lance brushed past Brandon and gently grabbed the shoulders of Misty and Michelle, who were still embracing and watching the scene before them.
"You two and Brandon need to get out of here, now," Lance hissed.
"What?!" Misty gasped. "Lance, I'm not leaving my husband. Not again."
"He's got this under control," Lance replied. "We can't risk you three getting into any more danger."
"And what about my son?" Misty seethed, her eyes narrowing.
"I wanted him gone too, but at this point, he's put himself in the middle of the battle," Lance grumbled. "Ash and I will protect him. I swear to you."
Misty looked up at her husband and son, standing side-by-side and poised to fight. She sighed, knowing Lance was right. There was no tearing Aiden away from the ensuing fight now.
"Michelle, sweetheart, let's go," Misty breathed.
"But…Dad and Aiden…" Michelle murmured.
"They're going to be just fine," Misty assured, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Dad and Lance are both brave and strong…they're G-Men. They will fight to keep Aiden safe."
Michelle frowned but nodded her head. Misty pulled her up and began to hurry down the hallway, grabbing Brandon's hand along the way and dragging the surprised boy along with them. As they made their escape, Lance walked up to Aiden's other side, locking his eyes on Mickey.
"This should be fun," Mickey breathed, grabbing her own poke ball. "As soon as I defeat the three of you, I'll bring you straight over to the boss. And you…" she turned her eyes onto the trembling Kira. "You won't know what's coming to you. Klinklang, go!"
A large bundling of floating gears appeared before the three male trainers, rapidly spinning about. Lance pulled out his own poke ball, releasing his Salamence. It was three on one, which Lance, Aiden, and Ash all knew wasn't fair. But this was Team Rocket they were battling, so fair wasn't really part of the equation.
"Klinklang, thunder shock!" Mickey yelled.
"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
The two electric type attacks went barreling towards one another, meeting halfway and crashing with one loud, thunderous explosion.
So we had a reunion!...for all of about five seconds. Now the escape, and the battle, is on. What will happen next?
You know the drill: stay tuned to find out!