Chapter 44
He was in heaven. It was nothing short of a picture perfect scenario, everything the young man ever wanted was in the palm of his hand. He had sometimes questioned why it managed to fall so easily into his lap, but it was at the point where he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. All that mattered was he was happy, he had finally progressed beyond the point of rejection and desperation for female companionship.
If only she could see me now, he thought, blissfully gazing at the night sky after a fun filled evening. I wonder if she would be a bit envious, she always did have nothing but unrequited love herself. I'm sure she would be happy for me, she likes it when her friends are happy.
He picked up his beer from the porch and gulped down another mouthful. He lowered the bottle and wiped his mouth, he apparently drank too much in one sitting since he was feeling a little out of it. It was his first time getting drunk, although he wasn't quite aware of it yet. He burped loudly and muttered to himself, yet he was still self-aware and not completely lost under the influence of beer.
He stretched out his legs and put his arms behind his head while he waited for his girlfriend to return. She was beautiful and kind-hearted, there was no other way to describe her. He was grateful to have a woman like her by his side, one who kept up a mystery appeal while also promising to spend her life with him. He thought about all the single men out there who were struggling to get a girl like he used to do, and although at one point he considered it a lost cause, he now realized that most of them would find someone sooner or later. If he could find a wonderful young woman, then they all could too. All the girls he flirted with were ones he was attracted to, but they were never keepers. They were just another pretty face, and even though he tried to express how he wanted a relationship, he would be met by blank stares more often than not. He needed someone to return that affection, someone who really meant it, and he was content when he finally found someone who would do just that.
It was probably for the best when she did that all those times, even though my ear still pounds when thinking about it, he thought, She kept me on track and didn't let me just throw my heart out for any random girl, I have to respect her for that. I would have never met my girlfriend if my friend didn't keep putting me in my place, I'll have to thank her personally next time I see her.
Despite having the love of his life, there was still one thing he missed; his friends. He had only split apart from them recently, but he was already missing their cheerful, optimistic quips and delightful characteristics. The three of them never ceased to amuse him, always full with energy and vigor. He kept them in line and made sure they were well fed, any older companion would have done so accordingly. Yet now they were traveling by themselves, without his older wisdom or guidance.
He sighed as he lowered his beer, wondering what his former companions were up to at the moment. For some reason, he felt like an essential part of his character was gone. This was the second time now he was apart from his younger companions, and he felt that there was something missing because of it. Being the oldest son in a family of ten, he had been watching over younger kids all his life. Whether it was his own younger brothers and sisters, or Ash and his friends, it was the same impact. He knew they needed him. He was the essential big brother to both his family and Ash's group, and he already missed what it was like to hear their naïve and innocent questions or ask for reassurance about some pressing issue.
He snickered and asked himself why he was getting so worked up over it. He knew from day one that he wouldn't be traveling with his best friend Ash forever, and that he was going to settle down with some woman and part ways with him eventually. Now that he was finally at that segment of his life, it just felt awkward. With Ash, May and Max traveling separate from him, he could no longer keep a watchful eye over them and keep them on the right path. If they needed help, they would no longer have an older brother type person to turn to. He only hoped that they were getting along fine without him, for it was now Ash alone who was the oldest one in the group.
His mind then shifted to thoughts about how he watched Ash grow up before his eyes. He started off as a naïve, energetic and stubborn trainer, filled with immaturity and reckless behavior. He chuckled as he realized that nowadays he still acts more or less the same way, although not nearly as clueless toward things as he once was. It was a moving part of his life to see Ash grow and win so many Gym badges and compete in so many competitions, it was almost as if Ash were a younger brother of his own. He wished him the best now that they were separated, and hoped that the sibling duo of May and Max would continue to grow and prosper without him as well.
His girlfriend called for him.
He turned around in his seat and called back into the house, asking her to join him on the porch. She declined, asking him to come inside the house. There was apparently something important she had to ask him.
He was confused, but got up from his chair and walked inside the house. He had been with this girl and her friend for nearly a week now, and he had never heard her ask something in such a serious manner. He made his way through the dimly-lit living room to follow his girlfriend's voice as she called for him.
He squinted as he looked around the room until he spotted her. She was lying on the couch in sexy black lingerie and a glass of martini in her hand. Her long red hair draped down her shoulders as she smiled happily at her boyfriend.
His jaw gaped. He still couldn't believe this woman was really his, and not some fantasy conjured up by his imagination. He barely got the words out, but he asked where Jamie was. The woman, Tana, sulked and said it wasn't important. He asked her if she was sure, and she nodded.
"Jamie is seeing an old friend," Tana said, "I…don't know when she'll get back. In the meantime we have the house to ourselves. I…was thinking about dinner and a movie?"
She pressed the button on the remote and an old black and white comedy was on. She eyed her boyfriend and asked him if he wanted a sip of her drink, but he shook his head as he didn't want to get drunk, or rather, drink himself into a stupor.
He walked toward the couch and sat beside her, putting his arm around her back and holding her close. To him, holding his girlfriend as she wore sexy lingerie and watching a movie together was the ending to a perfect night. To her, it was a moment of close affection, as well as to make good use of the time until Jamie came back. She bit her lower lip, as there was another hidden motive at hand. She needed to get as comfortable with him as possible in order to let him know one of the deep and problematic secrets that she had kept under wraps. It was something very important, something she could only trust him to do for her if they found themselves truly in love. It was also something shocking.
She needed someone to kill Jamie's ex-boyfriend.
It was as simple as that, she needed that man dead. She needed his horrible iron grip on Jamie's throat to be loosened, so she could be free to live her life as she saw fit, rather than live in fear under the commands and blackmail of that man. There was no way she would let her best friend be betrayed by the same man in such a horrible way twice, even if her friend was oblivious to his selfish and malicious desires.
Tana brushed her lips on Brock's face as they snuggled closely. What Brock didn't realize however, was that Tana had a loaded handgun underneath the couch they were sitting on. It had been resting there for awhile, Tana procrastinating whether or not she could let Brock in on what was going on. Perhaps if he got drunk, he'd be more inclined to help her save her friend from eternal tournament. She needed to save Jamie from Ross; the devil.
For what he did, he needed to die.
And Tana wanted Brock to pull the trigger.
Present…
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
Pikachu leapt into the air and powered up the electricity stored in its electric cheeks. Eevee stood readily on the other side of the battlefield, prepared to dodge the electric onslaught at the last minute.
"Pikachu!" the Pokemon shouted.
"Eevee, use Dig and escape underground!" May ordered.
Eevee burrowed a hole in the ground and quickly leaped inside. The electricity made contact with the Gym battlefield, but the electric shots were erratic and didn't strike its mark.
"You tend to use Dig a lot, you're going to let your opponent figure out your strategy and come up with an alternate way to beat you," Ash said.
Pikachu landed on the ground as May put her hand on her hip and smiled.
"You tend to use Thunderbolt a lot too, but that doesn't bother you now, does it?" May asked, "Eevee, come out and strike Pikachu with a Shadow Ball!"
The ground behind Pikachu began to explode, as the small, cute and agile Eevee powered up a purple ball of energy in its mouth. The energy attack was almost upon the electric type before Ash ordered a command.
"Pikachu, strike it with Iron tail!" Ash yelled.
"Pika!" it shrieked, as it leaped to the side and powered up its tail.
Eevee's Shadow Ball was only half formed when Pikachu moved in for the intense physical attack. Its tail glowed white as it spun itself around and fiercely struck Eevee on the side of the head. The cute Pokemon grunted in pain as it fell backward on the ground. May gasped when she saw her Eevee down for the count, but was relieved when it got up on all fours again.
"Phew, you ok to keep going, Eevee?" May asked, after a pant.
"Eeevee!" the Pokemon cooed.
Ash smiled and pulled on the brim of his new hat. "I told you that you were being too predictable. Using the same attack so many times will let your opponent figure out just what you're going," Ash said slyly.
"Maybe so, but if I can get Eevee to burrow under ground and pop up quickly enough, you wouldn't be able to react in time," May said.
"Your father did something similar to that with Vigoroth during our battle last time, always digging underground and coming up to strike is a neat strategy, but it's pretty predictable at this point. Are you trying to imitate what your Dad did when he battled me?" he asked.
"My Dad is an excellent battler, it would pay off a lot in my battles if I tried to practice his techniques while putting my own unique spin on it at the same time," May said.
"Unique spin? Like what?" he asked, amused.
"You'll see," May said, winking.
Eevee leaped toward Pikachu in what looked like to be a Tackle attack, but the Pokemon instead fired a Shadow Ball attack in the distance. The ball wasn't aimed at Pikachu, which confused both it and its trainer, but instead went down the hole that Eevee dug out of.
"Eevee, go underground, NOW!" May commanded.
"Eeeeeeveee!"
Ash was getting anxious as Eevee disappeared beneath the ground again. He instructed Pikachu to use its ears and rely on its sense of hearing instead of sight to figure out where Eevee would pop up next.
"Piiiika!" Pikachu cried.
"That's it, strike it there!" Ash yelled, "Sorry, May, but you can't keep doing the same thing so many times!"
"Who said I was going the same thing?" May asked, "Come out, Eevee!"
Pikachu fired its Thunderbolt attack when the ground split apart in front of him. Much to its surprise, Eevee didn't pop up out of the hole, but its previous Shadow Ball attack came out instead! The electricity collided with the sphere of energy which caused the ball to explode, sending a massive shockwave which propelled Pikachu backwards into the wall.
"Pikachu!" Ash gasped.
Pikachu warily got itself back up and darted back onto the Gym battlefield. Eevee now appeared before it, with a competitive gaze in its eyes.
"How…how did you get that Shadow Ball to come out of the ground instead of Eevee?" Ash asked, confused.
"Simple, I had Eevee purposely send the Shadow Ball underground and leave it there until I needed it. As long as the ball didn't strike the underground tunnels it wouldn't collide, thus I had an extra attack handy to surprise you with. Heh, don't you get it, Ash?" May asked, chortling, "I have both Eevee AND its attacks going underground. You mistook the Shadow Ball for Eevee, and when Pikachu used its electric attacks on the ball it exploded, delivering it quite a lot of damage."
"Hm, so you're not doing the same thing and being predictable then, are ya?" he asked.
"Of course not, silly. If this were a Contest battle, you would probably lose all your points for making such a mistake," May squealed.
"Yeah, but since this is a regular battle instead, Pikachu is still ready for another round," Ash said, snickering, "That trick won't work on me twice, so I sure hope you have something else up your sleeve."
"Heh, I didn't think about that," May said squeamishly, "I was kinda counting on that explosion to KO Pikachu, I wasn't expecting to still be in battle."
She clasped her hands in front of her and told Eevee to keep its distance, rather than go into physical attacks.
"Pretty good, May, I gotta say, I love battling with you!" Ash exclaimed.
"Well remember what we said back at Atona beach? It was either dating in some fancy restaurant, or having Pokemon battles as our dates instead. I think this was the better choice," May said, grinning.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, "Yeah, I find this much easier to do, May, thanks! At least we won't have to waste our time with any boring dates."
Pikachu's electric attack missed as Eevee jumped in the air.
May sighed, "Boring dates? C'mon, Ash, I know you're still not used to this whole dating thing, but it would be nice just for the two of us to go out together sometime," she said, "Eevee, deflect it with a Shadow Ball!"
The dark ball of energy was fired at the electricity, both attacks were pressing against one another, neither giving in an inch to the opposing side. The light from the attacks lit up the whole room in a dazzling display of color.
"As long as it's that all-you-can-eat-buffet you mentioned once, I'll take that," he said, "Still, I feel really awkward about this again since your brother somehow found out we like each other."
The attack exploded upon collision, striking up a massive dust cloud in the air. When the fog faded, neither Pokemon were seen on the battlefield. Apparently they both took refuge underground, Eevee digging itself a new hole, while Pikachu jumped into one of Eevee's previous tunnels.
"Max is a smart kid, it was no surprise that he found it out. I was expecting him to sooner or later, it was not like we could keep it a secret forever," she said, flicking her hair, "Besides, why feel awkward? You and Max are extremely close, I'm sure you two can deal with it."
"Deal with it? So when I'm talking to Max at the breakfast table, what am I supposed to say? That I like kissing his sister?"
"Eevee, launch another Shadow Ball underground!" she shouted, "No, you talk to him like you always do, Ash!"
"Pikachu, leap above ground, we're not going to get hurt by the same attack again!" Ash shouted, "May, are you sure about that?"
Pikachu somersaulted into the air when it noticed the tint of purple energy in the subterranean tunnels underneath the Gym. Eevee was apparently biding its time, as it knew Pikachu couldn't go on the offensive as long as it feared that it might be blown away if it strikes the Shadow ball attack again.
"Sure I'm sure, Ash. There's nothing to be awkward about, honestly. I mean, you felt a bit awkward and uneasy when we kissed the first time too, remember? And since then you're gradually warmed up to it, and now you kiss me without even a hint of uneasiness," she said.
Ash blushed, and waved his hands sheepishly. "I…I…it doesn't feel as strange anymore?"
"Eevee, forget the Shadow Ball, go in for a Tackle!" May commanded.
Eevee darted toward Pikachu at high speed.
"Um…Pikachu, use Agility to outrun it!" Ash quickly called out, somewhat uncertain amiss all the confusion.
The
two Pokemon ran in circles with one another, occasionally striking
each other at the same time with tackle attacks.
"That's my
point, Ash, if we kiss so comfortably now despite the awkward start,
then I'm sure you'll be able to adapt to Max knowing that we
well…have feelings for each other. It is hard to take in first, I
know, I felt the same thing when my brother first announced that. But
you know, you get used to it?" May grinned as she shrugged.
"I guess you're right, it's the same thing after all. I just hope Max doesn't start to bug us about it, though. It's not like we kiss all the time, anyway!" Ash retorted.
Pikachu scored a direct hit with Thunderbolt, only followed by Eevee striking a hit on its side with a Tackle attack.
"Hm, you're right about the last part, but this battle has really got me pumped!" May said, "Um, would you mind if I…?"
She sheepishly held her hands behind her back as she walked out of her battling square and across the side of the battlefield toward Ash. He knew what she going to do, and walked away from the battle and toward her as well. When they met up a few feet from one another, they smiled and exchanged a brief hug.
"Ash, wanna practice some more? You've gotten the kissing part right for the most part, but you still don't tilt your head a bit. It makes it easier to lock lips when your slant your mouth slightly," she said, her mouth opening a tad as she held him.
"These are a lot of rules, I can't learn them all so quickly," he responded, "It does make for some interesting practice though!"
"Yeah, just think of this as another battle. The battle of who is the better kisser!" May giggled.
Ash and May moved in closely as their mouths locked with one another, moving slowly and passionately as they were adapting to the tone of the others movements. They held each other closely as they tried the best they could to return each others kisses, both enjoying the exchange quite a bit.
On the battlefield, Pikachu and Eevee looked at them dumbfounded. They were in the middle of a battle, and all of a sudden their trainers walk off the battlefield to share an intimate moment!
"Pikachu, Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"Eevee, Vree!" Eevee replied.
Both Pokemon rolled their eyes as they nonchalantly walked off the battlefield and scurried their way to play tag with one another. On the battlefield, they were fierce competitors ready to inflict as much pain on each other as possible, but off the battlefield, they were best friends. Pikachu and Eevee frolicked together as Eevee dared it to catch its brown bushy tail.
"I think our Pokemon stopped battling," she said.
Their mouths pressed apart from one another as they looked upon the empty battlefield.
"Hey, we weren't finished, were we?" he asked.
"Well you did come over to kiss me, you know." She smiled.
"Uh, last I recall, you were the one to walk over to me. Not that it matters though, as I'm sure I would have won that battle if we continued," Ash said.
"No you wouldn't have, I had you right in the palm of my hand. I was about to deliver the finishing blow!" May exclaimed.
"Nonsense! Your Eevee was about to collapse on the field! It might be able to take a lot of damage, but it can't hold up forever," he bantered.
She moved apart from him and brought her hand to her chin.
"Well then, want to figure out the winner as we go?" she asked.
"Sure," he nodded, "Pikachu, Eevee! Come on back! We're still battling!"
"Yeah, we want to finish our battle!" May added.
The two Pokemon heard their trainers but nonchalantly kept playing their own game. Apparently stopping mid-battle to kiss your opponent was not their idea of a proper battle, and thus they were opposed to the idea of starting again so soon.
"They're not listening," Ash said.
May took a Pokeball from her pocket and turned to him competitively. "Wanna use one of our other Pokemon to battle, then? I'll use Munchlax, 'k?"
"Ha, you got yourself a deal. Corphish could use a good workout, especially after the surfing competition it was in," Ash said, holding up its ball.
May smiled and quickly ran back to her trainers' box. Ash returned to his as well, as they were prepared to let their Pokemon out on the battlefield.
"Only this time, May, can you promise not to find the urge to kiss when we're in the middle of a battle?" he asked naively.
May giggled, "Heehee, I'll try! But no promises!" she said happily.
"Heh, ok then, but you're going down!" Ash shouted as he threw the Pokeball.
"No, YOU are!" May retorted, as she threw hers as well.
The two Pokemon materialized before their eyes, as they prepared to battle each other all night. Ash and May could feel the excitement consuming them, as both were in the mood to continue battling as long as possible. Ash knew it was an excellent way to relieve May's stress and worry about her Mom and Dad, and May knew it was an excellent way to relieve Ash's stress about Max's revelation about them being in love. It was a much needed alternative to moping hopelessly for the rest of the night as they waited to hear news about her parents and Brock.
They licked their lips in unison, and with one last competitive stare, they began their battle.
"GO!" Ash and May shouted.
~*~*~*~
"It's another dead end."
She kicked the soda can to the side of the alley, frustrated that they were unable to get any closer to their goal.
Norman and Tana stared at the trash strewn alley, both exhausted from tiredly searching the cold and unforgiving empty streets of nighttime Petalburg City. It was freezing at this time of night, especially since they were entering the Fall, when the weather in town became frigid.
Gardevoir's body swayed from left to right in an almost hypnotic motion, as it was trying to hone in on Ross' energy signature and see if it resonated with the residue left behind in the alleyway. Its body began to glow the majestic blue aura again, and Norman was taken back by how pretty it looked. His specialty was Normal-type Pokemon, but a Psychic-type like Gardevoir completely caught his attention. It was beautiful yet mysterious at the same time, and had intelligence to match with its psychic abilities. Norman pondered if perhaps this were a Pokemon that his son Max might want to use, he always did seem to have an affinity for Psychic Pokemon. He chuckled at the thought of the Petalburg Gym becoming a Psychic-type Gym in the future if Max took it over, but he realized that such a future would only exist if he was able to find Caroline and bring her back safely.
"It's quite cold, isn't it?" Tana asked suddenly, shivering.
Norman pulled his eyes away from the majestic psychic type and turned to Tana. "It does get cold on nights like this, I wouldn't be surprised if it went below 50 degrees," Norman said.
"I should of worn a sweater then, and kept my scarf and hat that I was wearing before," Tana sighed, "It's too late to go back to your house and get them, so I guess I'll manage without them."
"Hm, your apparel, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you," Norman said, "You purposely disguised yourself when you came to Petalburg, was it really because you didn't want to accidentally bump into Ash or my children and have them recognize you?"
Tana smiled and leaned against the alley wall. "That's part of the reason, since I knew Ash and your kids traveled back home to Petalburg. It was kind of a shock that Gardevoir's search for Ross led us to your hometown, I really wasn't expecting Ross to be in a place like this. He certainly is a city person, but a town like this attracts too much attention…with you being famous and all, I'd imagine he'd pick a smaller place."
"This is where his quest for badges led him, I was meant to be his last obstacle in his way of entering the Hoenn league. Since he failed to beat me things didn't work out as planned, so he must be holding up here for more time than he wanted to," Norman said, "Tana, if you don't mind me asking, what was the other reason you disguised yourself? You said my children were only part of it."
"Weeell, it was also to keep myself well hidden from Jamie, my friend," Tana said reluctantly, "She's with Ross now most likely, and I don't want her to find out I'm here and tracking the scumbag down, or else she might warn him what's going on. She…doesn't know what I'm doing, she doesn't know that I'm trying to save her from making a horrible mistake, again."
Norman paced the alleyway as he noticed Gardevoir needed more time. He quickly checked his watch and sighed, it was nearly two hours since they left the Gym and they still didn't come close to finding their target. The rest of the night was going to be a long one, and he was uncertain whether they'd even be able to find Ross before the night was through. He knew he wasn't going to return home until he found his wife, but he didn't want to worry his family back home if he didn't return by the next morning. He might have just regretted not leaving a way for his family to keep in contact with him while he was on the search after all.
He leaned against the wall next to Tana, whose scarlet red hair was being blown in the wind. "If you're such good friends with Jamie, why did things turn out the way they did?" he asked.
Tana hesitated. "I…don't know. She doesn't even know that I'm going to betray her for that matter. I just can't believe she'd treat Brock the way she did after everything we did together on the beach. She seemed to really like him at first, just like I did, but something was still bothering her. I guess it was the fact that Ross is power and money hungry, just like she is, and she wants that back. She's…willing to sacrifice Brock just to get back together with that madman, it's insane."
"Was there a reason they split up in the first place?" Norman asked, "I'm awfully curious, since you can let me in on clues on Ross' behavior that I didn't otherwise notice."
"Yeah, there was a reason, I was the reason," Tana said bluntly, "After the bastard nearly beat her to death, I talked some sense into her and managed to break them up for her own safety. It worked too, at least for a little while, where it was just me and her going about our business and trying to put our past behind us. It wasn't until we met Brock and his friends that the thought of Ross popped back into her head, the thought that Ross would forgive her if she delivered him a Gym leader."
"She's too loyal, and she's oblivious to the harm he's caused her. I can see now why you're trying to save her," Norman said.
"Yes," Tana sniffed, "I need to save her from getting herself killed. Guys like Ross will never change, he'll cause misfortune and ruin upon everyone around him for his own personal gain. Why Jamie wants to make up with the man is beyond me, I just hope it's not too late to talk some sense into her. Come to think of it, I'm certain that Premium Ball incident on the beach was the first clue that Jamie had other plans in store when Ash's money was accidentally transported into our hotel room."
"Ah, yes, Max told me all about that little mishap. Professor Latrommi's Premium Ball transported the money Ash got from his mother into the wrong place. Of course there was other foul play involved, namely those hooligans from Team Rocket, but I remember my son saying about how Jamie wanted to keep the money for herself, even after she found out that it belonged to Ash?" Norman asked.
"Yeah, Jamie was awfully persistent about keeping that money, even though she knew it blatantly belonged to Ash. Brock tried to talk some sense into her, and after some more quarreling, the money was rightfully returned to him. Now I'm curious if she was keeping that money to try and butter Ross up with, she probably had plans to hand it over to him rather than keep it for herself," she said.
"What a shame, I'm just glad that Ash indeed got his money back," he said, nodding, "He used his original sum to buy a gift for my daughter, a certain swimsuit she had her eye on, I heard he paid a pretty penny for it. He also gave some of the remainder of the money to Max to spend as he see fit. It's heartwarming to know that he split the money over my kids without hesitation, that's the kind of boy I want my children to be traveling with."
"Ash is a wonderful young man, and considering the close bond I've seen May and Max share with him, it's easy to see that they're all so tightly knit," she said confidently, "Heh, may I say something personal?"
"Sure."
"I…think your daughter and Ash would make a cute couple," she said, smiling, "I saw how enthusiastic they were together while they were surfing on the beach, especially during the competition. Their smiles, positive behavior, and overall demeanor was encouraging. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were developing strong feelings for one another. It was pretty easy to see the spark between them, the certain spark that was brewing, at least from what I've witnessed, that they care about each other a whole lot. If your daughter stays with Ash, she'll be in good hands for the rest of her life."
Norman chuckled and moved away from the wall.
"I've thought about that myself, and I sure wouldn't mind," Norman said, smiling, "They certainly match each other well, don't they? They're both kind, considerate, and optimistic go-getters but a little naïve, rambunctious and too headstrong. If Max is there to balance them out, they'll be fine. In any case, my daughter couldn't have made a better choice."
"I'm glad you think so too. After all the heartache Jamie, Brock and your wife are going through now, it would be nice to see at least one couple that doesn't have some kind of tragedy attached to it," Tana sighed, "I…could probably take a page from them, I would like to be happy like they are. If…if we manage to rescue Brock unscathed, I'm hoping that he and I could continue where we left off. I need a man like him by my side, I can't let Ross ruin it for me."
"It would seem like we're all affected by love then," Norman said, "We want to save our loved ones and make sure no harm comes to them. We're trembling inside at the moment, unsure if we'll even lay eyes on their innocent faces ever again. We want things to go back to the way they were, before this disaster took place. We…"
"…want to be like Ash and May," Tana finished.
"Yes," he said, nodding, "Strange, isn't it? We're grown adults and we want to be like a pair of children. It goes to show you that we can sometimes learn from the younger generation, just as much as they can learn from us."
Gardevoir turned to the humans and motioned for them to follow her, it was finally able to zero in on Ross' location thanks to the energy residue she was able to detect from his body around town. Tana and Norman glanced upon each other and smiled contently, they knew that they were in this mission together no matter what. It was a mission to save their loved ones from a common enemy, one who inflicted pain upon them all.
Gardevoir hovered down the empty streets quickly, hoping to not lose track of the energy signal. Norman and Tana jogged after her, both hoping that this would lead them to the end of their busy search.
Tana held her pants pocket down as she ran, for she was afraid that it would fall out of her pocket if she ran too fast. She originally hoped that Brock could help her with this, but that plan backfired when Jamie delivered him to the devil. Still, she wasn't afraid to do it herself if need be.
She had something very important to deliver to Ross when she saw him; a bullet through the brain.
~*~*~*~
"It's 10 O'clock," May said, "They've been gone a long time now."
Ash put two dishes full of Pokemon food down on the grass for Slakoth and Vigoroth. The two simian Pokemon quickly hopped over to the food and began digging their claws through the chow and brought it to their mouths hastily. Ash smiled and stepped backward before patting the two Pokemon on the head.
"It's awfully quiet in the greenhouse now, should we shut the lights?" Ash asked.
May walked across the grass and looked up at the switch on the wall which would turn off the large lights on the ceiling which overlooked the greenhouse. She shook her head and winked at him.
"No, I don't think Slakoth and Vigoroth want to sit here eating in the dark," she mused, "I think my Dad always leaves the lights on overnight anyway, we don't have to worry about electric bills or stuff like that with the salary my Dad earns."
"Yeah, I keep forgetting that Gym leaders are pretty well off. I guess that's how Brock always had enough money to keep all his little brothers and sisters well fed," he said, walking next to her, "Do you ever think about them, May?"
"Hm, who?"
"Brock's brothers and sisters, have you been thinking about them lately?" he asked, "I hope we don't have to relay any bad news to them depending on what happens tonight."
May grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him with her to the exit of the greenhouse. The two walked slowly while she held his arm.
"Ash, don't make me feel depressed and hysterical again," she sulked, "I don't want to hear any bad news. I do think about Brock's family a lot, and if we ever tell them what happened to him, they'll probably feel as much pain as we did. I…still can't get over what happened to my mother, it's just so hard to grasp the reality of it. I don't want Brock's little brothers and sisters to go through the same thing we did, so hopefully Dad and Tana get him and everyone else back safely. It's just…too depressing thinking about the alternative."
"Ok, I'm sorry. I should have never brought it up," he sighed.
"It's ok, the waiting is the hardest part anyway. C'mon, let's go see what my little brother is up to. He'll need our support right now, and I don't want him to feel scared for the rest of the night," she said.
They walked back into the Gym as the electronic doors closed behind them when they exited the greenhouse. May still clung to Ash's arm as they walked, despite what she said about her brother needing support, it was obvious that she still needed it too.
"Didn't you want everyone to sleep together in the same room for tonight? Should we go back for Slakoth and Vigoroth?" Ash asked.
"Nah, they prefer the greenhouse where they can hang from the trees and run around anyway. I don't think they'd be too comfortable in a small bedroom, and they're Dad's Pokemon as well. I'd like all of our Pokemon together for the night, since you know, we're our own little group separate from Dad?"
"Hm, the three of us and our Pokemon, kinda…like what Norman wanted," Ash said.
"Yeah…just us," she said, holding Ash's arm closely and chuckling, "Dad made a good choice when he decided to let me travel with you when you first met him all those years ago. He must have somehow known that you would be special."
"Heh, and what did you think when you first met me?"
"Me? Uh, I dunno, I just thought you were some funny looking kid with a Pikachu," she said, laughing.
Ash rolled his eyes.
"Of course that was before you barbecued my bike, which I was then ready to pick a bone with you for. Now that I mention it, I still never really got why Pikachu's electricity managed to fry my bike when it was attacking Team Rocket's robot," she pondered.
"I dunno, I've never been really lucky with girls and bikes," he said, "It happened to Misty during the start of my journey too!"
"Jeez, Ash, what's with you and destroying girl's bikes?" May asked snootily, "One has to ponder if you do that just to get a girl to follow you around."
"Hey, you think I destroyed those bikes on purpose?" Ash bantered.
"Either that or you have a blazingly positive track record for destroying girls' bikes. Methinks you did it purposely because you were lonely and wanted a nice, sweet girl to tag along with you!"
"I think you're crazy!" he bantered.
"But hey, it worked, huh?" she teased, winking.
"Wuh? Now you're really getting the wrong idea," Ash mused, "Um, anyway though, it did kinda set us up to travel together, so maybe…it was for the best?"
"Maybe! Of course when we get older and I buy myself a car, I sure hope you aren't as dangerous to cars as you are to bikes!" May squealed.
"What?! What would make you say that?"
"Like I said, you don't have a very good track record with girls' vehicles. Maybe…I won't let you near my car, I'd fear that you and Pikachu would burn it to a crisp!"
"Uh, isn't it a little early to think about getting a car?"
"So? I know it's early, but it's always good to think about the future! You know, when we're older and stuff."
"A car together? I kinda prefer traveling on foot," Ash moaned.
"Well…we'll see. Of course we'd buy one together, Ash," May said. She stopped walking and looked up at his face. "We're going to be together forever and ever, aren't we? We should think about these things sometimes."
Ash didn't answer right away, so May eyed him curiously. Did he fully grasp what she meant?
"We're going to be together forever and ever, right, Ash?" she asked again, more serious in manner.
She looked at him sternly, anxious of his response.
Ash hesitated for a second before reassuring her. He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Definitely," Ash said, rocking her shoulders.
May gasped joyously and allowed him to bring her close against his chest. She rested her face on his shoulder while they embraced each other with feelings of commitment and no lingering doubts.
"Thank you, Ash," May exclaimed, holding him tightly.
"It's the truth, I'll always be with you, May," Ash said lovingly, "I won't disappoint you."
They continued holding each other passionately, both in a world of apparent bliss while a pesky little brother and Pikachu spied on them from around the corner.
"You ever get somewhat annoyed how Ash shows more attention to May now than he does to you, Pikachu?" Max asked.
Pikachu shrugged. "Pikachu, chu," it said.
"Heh, same with me," Max chuckled, "I'm her little brother who she vowed to take care of and now she's more interested in Ash. And you're Ash's first Pokemon and best friend and he's spending a lot more time with May than you."
"Piiikaa," it cooed.
Max sighed, the sight of seeing Ash and May blushing as they acted romantic with each was starting to gross him out.
"We're both becoming second fiddles now, even though those two lovebirds won't admit it," Max said, yawning.
"Pikachu. Pika, pika! Pikachu! Pikachu, chu, Pika!" it said encouragingly.
"What? You're saying that as much as they love each other now, that there's still room for us and they'll never forget us?" Max asked, curiously.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.
Max glanced back over at them and nearly gagged as their mouths started intertwining with each other. He turned toward Pikachu and smiled.
"I…I guess so, Pikachu. You're probably right, my sister still loves me a lot and would do anything for me, and Ash will always be your best companion, no matter how much their priorities shift toward each other. That's kind of like Mom and Dad too, they're married but they still love their children a whole bunch. It's…kind of amazing how love is different when it's about someone you have feelings for and then the love for your family and friends," he said, "I suppose if Mom and Dad can love us as much as each other, then Ash and May could probably do the same thing too. But yuck, their smooching is seriously grossing me out."
"Chaaa," Pikachu chortled.
May's lips slid off Ash's cheek as she heard whispering from around the corner. She lowered her arms and motioned with her head toward the direction of the wall near the kitchen.
"I think my brother is spying on us," she whispered, still holding Ash close.
"Really? How can you tell?" he asked as he rubbed her face slowly.
"I can faintly hear his little voice and Pikachu's too, I bet they're talking about how goofy we look kissing each other," she said.
"Eh, they're probably right, too! Ugh…now that awkward phase is setting in again, how about we stop for now, please? I'm getting a little nervous," he said jittery.
"Heehee, ok, Mr. Pokemon Master, I understand how you feel," she said, chortling, "If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda shaking myself!"
The couple let go of each other and took a deep breath. They both started awkwardly walking toward Max and Pikachu while they regained their composure. May pulled on her white skirt again as she walked, which was a nervous habit she had yet to break, while Ash, as usual, lowered the brim of his hat to cover his eyes a bit.
"Oh no, I think they see us!" Max cried.
"Pikachu? Pika!"
"What should I say? I don't want to say I purposely decided to spy on them to watch them kiss…even though…you know…that kinda IS the reason I decided to spy over the wall here," Max said, flustered.
"Pika, pika!"
"Yeah, lucky you. You don't even speak human languages so you don't have to do any of the explaining! Lucky, Pokemon," Max scoffed.
Pikachu laughed and ran away.
"Hey, wait, don't go!" Max pleaded, "Even though you don't have to talk I don't want to face them all alone!"
Pikachu stopped in its tracks and turned around. Max clasped his hands together and put on a puppy-dog expression.
"Pikachu," it sighed, it had no choice but to return thanks to Max's watery eyes.
Ash and May walked across the corner as Max was sitting on the floor with Pikachu a few feet ahead of him.
"Um, Max?" May asked, "You ok?
Max jumped up quickly and smiled nervously. "Yeah, sure! I was uh…just wondering if you finished feeding Slakoth and Vigoroth for the night!" he shouted unintentionally.
"Yep, we did!" Ash said, nodding, "I just gave them their dinner."
"Oh, well…ok then," Max said.
He put his hands in his pockets and began whistling nonchalantly as he timidly tried to walk away.
"Nice try," May said, as she dashed over and put her hand on his head to keep him in place.
"It's the truth!" Max pleaded, "Tell them, Pikachu!"
Ash grinned as Pikachu ran over to him and jumped on his arm. Ash and his Pokemon rubbed their cheeks together contently while a desperate Max watched.
"Traitor," Max muttered.
"Max, you're a cornball," May teased, "There's…nothing exciting about watching me and Ash kiss. We're actually quite bad at it, to tell you the truth."
"We're probably two of the worst kissers in the world!" Ash said, scratching his arm timidly.
"Yeah, we like totally suck!" May exclaimed.
"Jeez, you two are actually making it sound like I WANT to watch you do that stuff," Max moaned.
"Tee hee! Is that why we caught you peeking at us from around the corner?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh, just let me go! I don't like this conversation!" Max whined.
He pushed her hand off his head and ran away as quickly as possible. May snickered as she put her hand on her hip and turned to Ash and Pikachu.
"I bet he won't be doing THAT again," May said, "He's awfully embarrassed now!"
"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu giggled.
"That's a relief," Ash said, his nervousness fading. "Um, did you really mean that though?"
"Hm, mean what? You really need to stop it with the open-ended questions, Ash," she chuckled.
"That we're quite bad at kissing? You were the one who said it first and I just went along with you. I can't really tell if we're doing it the right way or not!"
"Nah, I'm sure we suck," she grinned. "But as I said before, that's why practice makes perfect! We'll have lots of opportunities to practice and get better at it, I can promise you that."
She tapped him on the shoulder and walked off to follow her brother. Ash and Pikachu watched her from behind.
"She probably wasn't kidding, was she?" he asked.
"Pika," it shrugged.
"Sheesh, at this rate I'll be using my mouth more for her than I will for eating food!" Ash gasped.
Pikachu fell off Ash's shoulder anime-style because of his naïveté.
"Chaaaaaaa!" it sighed.
~*~*~*~
"This is the place," Tana said.
The trio stood before a shady nightclub with neon lights on the windows and beer cans scattered all over the floor. There were several people walking in and out of the club, as well as a few sitting on the curb in front of it while drinking themselves silly. Cigarette smoke filled the air which even made Gardevoir uneasy, despite the fact that its respiratory system is different than that of a human. The people were mostly young kids who looked like they were part of some street gang or another, several with shaved heads and matching tattoos that unified their identity. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty place.
"So this is where my wife is being held, perfect," Norman said sarcastically.
"You know this place?" Tana asked.
"Yes, every crook and low-life in Petalburg hangs out here. Thank goodness it's far away from my Gym, I wouldn't want my kids socializing with these people," he said, crossing his arms.
They walked onto the sidewalk next to the club while several of the people looked up at the trio suspiciously. Norman turned to Tana and whispered to her.
"It would be best to return Gardevoir to its Pokeball. Pokemon aren't allowed in this club and we don't want to attract any unneeded attention," he whispered.
"Good call," Tana said. She reached into her pocket to take out its Pokeball, but fidgeted thanks to the handgun also being in the same pocket. When she pulled out her hand with the Pokeball, the handgun fell to the floor noisily. Norman took notice of the gun as Tana scrambled to pick it up and put it back in her pocket. She pushed her hair out of her eyes nervously and turned to Gardevoir. "Gardevoir…return," she said, flustered.
The red laser retracted Gardevoir back into its Pokeball and she slid it back into her pocket, a different one than the handgun this time. She looked up at Norman as she knew she had to give him an explanation as to why she had a loaded handgun with her.
"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Norman asked.
"I…I don't know. I was going to tell you about it eventually, but the opportunity never presented itself," Tana said, struggling as to what to say. "I'm…I'm not going to lie. There's…a good chance that Ross won't survive the night."
"You should have stated you intentions sooner," Norman said sternly.
"I know, I just want to make sure this madness ends tonight," she said, looking up at the man towering over her. The gun was part of the plan all along, but she knew that keeping it a secret until the last minute was not going to settle well with him. "Are…are you going to try and stop me?"
"Yes," Norman said, "Give me the gun."
"But that man raped your wife! How can you not…not want…?" she desperately asked.
"Hand me the gun," he said sternly. He held out the palm of his hand and positioned it near her face.
She hesitated and muttered some profanity under her breath. The man didn't flinch however, and continued to hold out his hand. She shook her head angrily and reached into her pocket and handed the gun over to him. She placed it in his hand and turned away in disbelief.
"Thank you," Norman said.
He unloaded the handgun and dropped the bullets to the floor while Tana watched. He then put the now unloaded gun into his pants pocket.
"No guns," he said.
"But…aren't you angry at all?!"
"I said no guns. I'll deal with Ross as I see fit," Norman said, turning back to the club.
"This is not just about you, though, it's about Brock and Jamie too! I'm hurting about this just as much as you are!"
"I know, don't worry, Ross will be brought to justice," he assured her, "Just not that way."
Tana frowned and crossed her arms, she had been planning this for a full week and Norman disarmed her in an instant. In the grand scheme of things, she was just an ordinary girl, not someone confident enough to take a persons life. Whether it was Brock or Norman, neither of the men would abide to pulling the trigger and killing someone in cold blood.
"So, how are we going to handle this then?" she asked.
"We'll cross that bridge as we come to it," he replied.
"Great," she muttered.
One week ago…
"Please…don't take him to Ross!" Tana pleaded.
"Why not? Don't you see, Tana, this is our lucky break!" Jamie said convincingly, "If we get Brock drunk enough when we bring him to Ross, we can get him to sign the contract! The contract will legally say that all rights and ownership of the Pewter Gym will shift from Brock's family to Ross. There's nothing to lose from this! Brock won't even get hurt, I'm sure Ross will let him go as soon as he signs the contract. Plus, this could be my only chance to get back together with him. He'll totally forgive me for this."
"You don't know that, you don't know that at all," Tana said angrily, "Ross isn't a forgiving person, and I bet even if you do bring Brock to him he'll just use him to his advantage and scoff at you. The man nearly KILLED you, Jamie, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Jamie turned around and shook her head hastily. She put her dark sunglasses over her eyes and pulled her long green hair into a ponytail, she didn't want Tana to notice the tears she had in her eyes.
"That…that was because I hurt him," Jamie said, nervously, "I…I accidentally cut his chin while I was giving him a shave…and…and he…"
"He punched you in the face and gave you the beating of your life," Tana reminded her, her words spoken in a harsh manner. "A man who beats you because you accidentally made a small cut on his chin while working with shaving cream does NOT deserve a second chance."
"That's, that's not true!" Jamie whined, her voice cracking, "I'll…I'll be more careful next time! I won't make that mistake again, and when I bring him Brock he'll forgive me, it'll be like we never broke up!"
"Bull. You'll never forget the pain you endured and the amount of stitches you needed to get. Nor will you forget all the blood you lost and how many days and nights you spent crying your eyes out while trying to forget about this trauma," Tana said, as her voice began to shift into a more understanding tone. "What's the matter, Jamie? We have everything we want right now."
The tears cascaded down Jamie's cheek, the sunglasses could no longer hide her sadness and frustration.
"No…NO! YOU have everything you need. Brock is your boyfriend and not mine. My only chance is to make things up with Ross and get my man back," Jamie cried hysterically, "I promise you, Tana, Brock will not be harmed! I just need him drunk enough to sign a contract, and that's it! After that you'll have your man back and I'll have mine. It's a win/win situation, I don't see why you can't let me be happy!"
"You're making excuses for yourself, Jamie," she said, shaking her head, "You're kidding yourself if you think you'll be happy with that man."
"Please, Tana, just let me be happy. Just promise me you won't get in the way, please," she pleaded.
Tana was silent.
"When Brock gets back from the store with the groceries, I'll let him know that I want to take him to meet a good friend of mine," Jamie said, confidently, "We'll first stop off at a bar and get him drunk, and then I'll lug him over in my car and drive to Ross. There he'll sign the contract, and the Pewter Gym will officially be under Ross' control instead of Brock's. That's all I need to do, that's all I need to get his forgiveness."
"And how do you think Brock will feel when he's sober again? How do you think he'll feel when he realizes he's signed his Gym away?" Tana asked.
"I…don't know. That's none of my concern, it's just something you'll have to deal with. He's your boyfriend, remember? He's your responsibility after that, not mine," she said sternly, wiping her face quickly, "I just promise you to bring him back unharmed. That's it."
"Sometimes I'm ashamed to consider you my friend," Tana scoffed, "You're willing to hurt my boyfriend by letting him lose his Gym for Ross' own personal gain. And you're willing to sell your soul for the devil again. Next time Ross decides to go ballistic on you because you made a little cut on his chin, you might not come out of it alive."
She walked toward the bedroom door and turned the handle.
"Tana," she whined.
"And I may not be there to save your life again," Tana said, angrily.
She opened the door and slammed it behind her, leaving a somber and conflicted Jamie in the room by herself.
Five days ago…
"WHERE IS HE?" Tana demanded.
"He's with Ross!" Jamie cried, "He…he wouldn't let him go!"
"What do you mean? Jamie, what the hell did he do to Brock? Where's my boyfriend?" she shouted.
She ran over to her friend and rattled her arms, the two women were emotionally wrecked.
"I TOLD YOU!" Jamie cried, "Brock wouldn't sign the contract, even when he was drunk. Somehow…he…he was sober enough to know not to sign it. Ross…got angry, and…and he didn't let him go! He's still there now, I'm not sure what he's doing to him!"
"Jamie, you idiot!" Tana exclaimed, slapping her friend across the face, "I need my boyfriend back, I need you to go back there and get him back for me!"
"But…"
"PLEASE!"
Several minutes of frustration and arguing went by before they reached an agreement.
"I'll…I'll try…" Jamie cried.
"Th-thank you!" Tana said emotionally.
The two women hugged each other for comfort as they moped in each others arms.
Four Days ago…
"You're the only person I can turn to for help, and I know how much you care for Brock and his friends. Please, help me?" Tana begged.
Professor Latrommi got up from his seat and scratched his chin. He walked around the desk in the living quarters and held his hands behind his back. He looked up at the ceiling and pondered for a few minutes as Tana watched patiently.
"I cannot loan you my Tyranitar for various reasons, thus the only Pokemon I can spare is my Gardevoir," Latrommi said, "I believe Ash and his friends told you about this, but that Gardevoir is the same one that performed the surgery on his Swellow when it was crushed by a tree before they met you at the beach. It…it would be the one most suitable for the job."
"Thank you, Professor!" Tana said jovially, "I don't want to get Ash and May involved in this, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't let them know what happened to Brock."
"I understand. Those kids have been in enough trouble lately, I'd rather them stay clear of this one," Latrommi said, "I care for Brock a great deal, he's a funny guy, all he really wanted to do was attract girls and get some women. I actually tried to help him with this with a ray gun of mine that attracted the female species to him, although that didn't work out as planned. Heh, you promise you'll help him?"
"I do, thank you for your support," Tana said.
She walked out of the living quarters and back into the lobby of the lab, where Gardevoir's Pokeball would be transported to the transfer machine from the Pokemon Center.
Latrommi yawned and stretched out his arms, he turned around as he picked up his phone to dial Nurse Joy.
"It's a shame Brock got mixed up in such a bad situation, I hope Gardevoir and the girl can rectify this," Latrommi said, "Heh, maybe after she rescues him I can ask them to make a video of them having fun with one another. I certainly enjoyed the first tape I have of those two girls together, hee hee!"
He scratched his rear before dialing on the phone, eager to get Nurse Joy on the line to help with this dire situation.
…Present…
"Careful, this place is anything but friendly," Norman warned.
Tana and Norman walked into the chaotic club, which was filled with loud music and chattering. There was the smell of beer and cigarette smoke in the air as well as the stench of urine. Tana had to hold her nose, she couldn't believe that these people were able to endure the odor.
The bar was against the wall typically with several stools next to the counter, most of which were occupied. The bartender was a gruff looking man with a beard and a raggedy shirt. His face consisted of routine, as if he had served the beers for the people in this club for several years.
Norman tapped Tana on the shoulder and told her to wait there as he went to speak with the bartender. Tana complied and instead glanced around the club a bit more. She noticed some pool tables, a dart board, people sitting on the dirty floor in their drunken state, and some poles with strippers swinging around in the back of the club. She cringed at the thought that Brock and Caroline were being held at a place like this, it was unbearable to think what they were subjected to here. The stench alone was enough to kill anyone, in which she kept her nose closed.
The bartender backed up away from the counter in shock as he recognized the man who approached him.
"You're….you're Norman from the Petalburg Gym!" the bartender gasped.
"Yes, I am. I'm looking for someone named Ross, and I know he's in this club, could you point me in the right direction?" Norman asked.
The bartender ignored his request, and continued to gasp in shock. "I don't believe it, it's you Norman, the Petalburg Gym leader!" he gasped again.
The people sitting on the stools next to the bar looked up surprised at the famous Gym leader, and quickly got up off their stools and exited the club. Various people muttered to each other that Norman of the Petalburg Gym was here, and since he was famous in Petalburg, nearly everyone knew who he was.
"What is he doing here?" a man asked.
"I can't believe it, I hope he doesn't get Officer Jenny involved here," a woman shouted.
"Is he still looking for his wife? I heard she was kidnapped?" another man gasped.
Tana was taken back when nearly every single person in the club was gaping at Norman's appearance. Several people darted out of the club as fast as possible, while many of the strippers jumped off their polls and ran into the back room. She stared in shock and disbelief as people brushed past her to exit the club, many of them with a look of anxiety and fear on their faces. Norman's reputation as a stern and powerful Gym leader carried his importance all the way to the poorer and dirtier sections of Petalburg, everyone here knew who he was. And more than that, they were afraid of him.
"Hey, don't all run away!" the bartender shouted, "There's still business to be had here!"
The people in the club ignored his request, and before too long, the once busy and bustling club was reduced to three people; Tana, Norman and the bartender.
"I don't believe it, they're all gone," Tana said.
"Yeah, o'course they're all gone!" the bartender scoffed, "With Mr. Gym leader here he scared away all my customers!"
"Why are they all afraid of him?" Tana asked.
"You kiddin' me? Norman could run any of the low-lives here into the ground with his Slaking, he's very well respected even by the scum that show up here every week. Nobody is going to get on his bad side, especially now that his wife is missing," he said, placing down an empty bottle on the counter.
"Tana, keep quiet," Norman instructed. He turned to the bartender hastily. "I'm losing my patience quickly, so I'll ask you again. Where is Ross?"
"Ross? Sorry, don't know him," he replied.
Norman angrily reached over the counter and grabbed the man by his shirt. The bartender stuttered in fear as Norman dragged him off the counter and slammed him against a wall. He held his back pinned up against the wall, while he angrily screamed in his face.
"Ok, maybe I do know him…but he's not here right now!" he said desperately.
"LIAR!" Norman shouted, slamming his body harshly against the wall once more, "I know he's here. I've had a psychic Pokemon track him down to this club. WHERE IS HE?"
"He's…he's…"
"ANSWER ME!"
"Norman, maybe you should…" Tana said timidly, reaching out her hand to try and get him to calm down.
"Tana, leave this to me," Norman said, turning toward her. He then pulled the bartender away from the wall and threw him down onto the floor. The man scampered to his feet quickly but Norman made sure to hover over him.
"Last chance, tell me where Ross is or I'll have my Slaking tear this entire club down brick by brick. Don't make me say this again," Norman warned, holding a Pokeball in his hand.
"FINE! FINE!" he gasped, "Ross is in one of the rooms in the back, he's been staying here for about a week! I think he has some other people staying in there with him too but I'm not sure. Please, that's all I know!"
"That'll be all then, now you can get out of my sight," Norman said.
The bartender nodded and scampered out the front door without looking back. Tana was impressed as much as she was shocked, May's father really was scary when he screamed. She could now see why people were so afraid of him, Norman's bad side was NOT something you would want to be on the receiving end of.
"We've found him, Tana, we've found him, finally," Norman said, relieved, "Brock and Caroline are being held in the sleeping quarters in the back of this club. We need to do this carefully."
"Yes, I know," Tana said, "I don't believe he knows that we're here yet, or at least I hope he doesn't. The people here did scream a lot, so I hope he doesn't know the club is deserted. If we can take him by surprise, all the better."
"Indeed, but do not let your Pokemon out of its ball just yet. I first want to make sure that we can get Brock and Caroline out of here safely. After that, I'll deal with Ross personally," he said.
"How are you going to do it? You unloaded my gun, and we don't have any other weapons on us beside our Pokemon," she said.
"We don't need weapons, all we need is our Pokemon by our side. Ross will be brought to justice, that's all you need to know," he said.
Tana sighed. He's taking control of this mission himself, not that I blame him because it is his wife. I just hope I can get a good blow on Ross myself, I have a score to settle with him, she thought, I don't even know if Jamie is here at the moment, if she isn't, it'll be much easier to confront Ross and take him down. If she IS here, then she better not get in the way. I just hope she doesn't try to stop us, or else I'll have no choice but to take her out for her own good.
Norman and Tana slowly walked side by side to the back of the club, where one closed door separated it from the room that Ross and their loved ones were surely in. They slowly walked toward the door, quietly, hoping to get this over with quickly. Just as Norman was about to turn the handle, he heard someone scream his name from the front of the club.
"NORMAN! Long time, no see!" Ross shouted.
Norman and Tana turned around quickly, shocked to see that Ross and four other men were standing at the front of the club. They were all dressed in dark attire with chains hanging down their necks, presumably friends of Ross by their hostile demeanor.
"You…you knew we were here?" Norman asked, surprised.
"Sure, the people who ran out of the club notified me the first thing. I have a lot of friends here, as you can see." Ross smiled, looking over at his four companions. There were two on each side of him, some of which were already starting to crack their knuckles. "You made a big mistake coming here, Norman, my buddies and I would like to finish the job that I started with your face."
Norman took his hand and rubbed his cheekbones and his mouth slowly, feeling the torn tissue from their last encounter. He still didn't fully heal yet from when Ross jumped him and kidnapped his wife, thus Ross' line agitated him greatly.
"You scumbag, where are Brock and Caroline?" Tana blurted out.
"I figured you'd be here too, since you were the one that helped Norman's daughter back in the alley, right?" Ross asked snobbishly, "Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that girl and pay her back for what she did to me. You know, maybe after I deal with you two I'll go back to the Petalburg Gym for the rest of them. I already have Pewter Gym under my control, I'd like to add the Petalburg Gym to my collection as well."
"What? Brock would never…" Tana gasped.
"Yeah, that's the plan. Now that both of May's parents will be out of commission, I'll go back for the girl myself," Ross said, "And don't worry, Norman, if your wife was any indication, your daughter is sure going to be entertaining as well. I'll be sure to take her innocence from her."
Norman had heard enough, and was no longer ready to play anymore games. He threw his Pokeball ahead of him as his Slaking materialized on the floor. The gorilla had its massive fists on the ground, staring at its prey angrily. It snorted from its nose and awaited his masters' command. Norman nodded in Tana's direction.
"Gardevoir, come out!" Tana commanded, throwing her Pokeball in the air.
The feminine figure of the white and green Gardevoir formed next to Slaking, swaying back in forth in its typical eerie demeanor.
Ross and his accomplices did nothing but grin when they saw the two Pokemon ahead of them. They appeared to have no Pokemon with them, but the four men apparently had no fear about confronting them themselves.
"Alright, boys, get this over with quickly," Ross said, "I have someplace to be, mainly the Petalburg Gym!"
"NO!" Norman shouted, "Slaking, pummel through them, now!"
Slaking roared as it raced toward the four men, ready to tear them to pieces. Instead of jumping out of the way, the men instead pulled out electric tasers that were in the shape of handguns. Before Norman could see what was going on, the men were firing blasts of electricity from their weapons at the massive ape.
Slaking screamed as the electric shocks came in contact with its body, but such attacks would not phase the ape completely. It used its massive arm to slam two of the men into a wall, harshly hurting them while the other two continued to fire.
Gardevoir hovered in the air and fired Shadow Ball attacks at the men, one of them which collided with the bar and destroyed it in the process.
"Ross is getting away!" Tana exclaimed.
"I'll run after him!" Norman shouted, "You go into the back room and see if you can help my wife and Brock!"
Tana nodded and quickly ran to the door in the back of the club while their Pokemon were battling the punks with electric tasers. She turned the knob but the door was locked, so she frantically backed up a few steps and tried to kick down the door.
Ross darted out of the club and onto the street, looking around quickly for a means of escape.
"Dammit, where is my motorcycle?" Ross complained, "I'll have to leave Caroline and Brock there, but who gives a damn. I had my fun and I have the contract, that's all that matters."
One of the punks saw Norman running toward him and tried to zap him with the taser. Norman avoided his attack and gave him a fierce punch to the face which sent him flying on his back. The Gym leader was about to exit the club when he turned around to take one last look at the situation. Slaking and Gardevoir were screaming in pain as they received multiple shocks of electricity, but they did not let down their masters in the least. As much as they were getting hurt, the Pokemon still fought intently and bravely, using their own attacks to constantly give the four men the fight of their life. He also noticed that Tana had managed to kick down the door in the back of the club, and watched her run inside. He put a half smile on his face as he realized that Tana would soon see his wife, Caroline, as well as Brock. Knowing that he had to stop Ross as he couldn't let him get to the Petalburg Gym where his children were, Norman quickly turned around and dashed out the club.
He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the club when he noticed Ross charging at him on his motorcycle. He was twirling a chain in the air as he drove by and took a swing at Norman. The chain wrapped around Norman's arm harshly, in which Ross pulled on the chain and dragged him down to the ground. The Gym leader screamed as he was being dragged down the street against his will while Ross rode on his motorcycle, cackling all the way.
Norman tried to pull the chain off his arm with all his might, but it was of no use. The chain was wrapped around his arm too tight and he was being dragged down the street at the same time as the motorcycle went 10mph. Ross was clearly toying with the man, and enjoyed torturing him as Norman's body was being pulled along.
"Ha, that's enough for now," Ross said, stopping his motorcycle, "I'll let the boys at the club finish you off, have fun!"
He dropped the chain to the floor and drove off in his motorcycle at top speed. Norman lie on the floor, with pain fluctuating through half his body and the chain still around his arm. He struggled to sit up straight and after a few more moments of sustaining the terrible pain in his body, he slowly unwrapped the chain from his arm. He panted desperately and wiped the blood off his face, discouraged that he was unable to prevent Ross from getting away.
"Damn…he's heading toward my house," Norman grunted, struggling to stand on his feet, "There's no way I can get there before him…unless I get Gardevoir to teleport me there. Ugh, I…must head back into the club…can't let him harm May and Max."
Norman staggered, clutching his left arm as he headed back toward the club. The man had taken a heavy beating from being dragged down the street, but he was not willing to give up. He could hear all the explosions and roars from the Pokemon inside the club, he feared that even Slaking and Gardevoir were being taken down by the four men with tasers.
Inside the club, Tana entered the small, dark room after kicking open the door. She slowly peered inside, but the room was vacant. She turned on the lights and saw only a single mattress against the wall, a table with several pills covering it, and broken beer bottles scattered along the floor. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, but there was nobody there!
"I don't believe this, I thought Brock and Caroline were being held here!" Tana gasped, "Did Ross move them to another place?"
"He did," a voice called out from behind, "They're around here somewhere, but not in a place where you'll ever be able to find them."
Tana turned around quickly and was astonished when her longtime friend Jamie came walking toward her.
"Jamie?" Tana gasped, "So you ARE here! Thank goodness, you can help me get them out of here!"
Jamie shook her head. Tana immediately knew something was strange.
"Jamie, what's the matter?" Tana asked, taking a step toward her, "What are you…?"
Before she could say another word, Jamie fried her with her own electric taser. She fiercely shoved the taser into Tana's stomach, surprising her best friend with a devastating attack. The electricity coursed through her body as Tana fell to the ground, completely dumbstruck that her friend turned on her like that.
Jamie peered over at Tana's fallen body, which was twitching from the shock. She chuckled and put her taser away, as she then kneeled down over her friend and rubbed her hand through her hair.
"Ross and I are going to be happy together," Jamie said in a delirious manner, stroking Tana's hair some more, "I won't let you get in our way."
She took her foot and kicked her friend swiftly in the abdomen as she lie there completely defenseless. Jamie had taken her down, and was prepared to deliver the finishing blow if needed.
With Tana down for the count, Norman badly injured, and the Pokemon fighting for their lives, it appeared that their rescue mission was not going as smoothly as planned.
~*~*~*
The trio at the Petalburg Gym were in May's bedroom in their sleepwear. Ash was wearing his black t-shirt and sweatpants, while May was in her yellow T-shirt and blue spandex shorts. Max wore a white tank top and shorts, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed, having just finished brushing his teeth.
Pikachu was already sleeping on Ash's sleeping bag which lie beside the bed. May had allowed Max to sleep in her bed for the night and promised to be there for him if need be. She also decided to sleep next to Max in her bed, she wanted to remain close to him just incase he needed her. Ash, of course, had no problem sleeping in his sleeping bag while the two siblings shared the bed together.
Beautifly was resting on top of the bookshelf while Skitty was sound asleep in an armchair. The rest of their Pokemon preferred their Pokeballs as the remained in the form of energy.
Ash stretched out his arms and sat down next to Max on the side of his bed. He put his arm around Max, almost treating him like his own little brother. All the previous romantic implications between Ash and May were no longer relevant, as the more important issue of Norman and the others was back in the forefront of their minds. The uneasiness however consumed them as they were worrisome about the endeavors about their loves ones.
"It's midnight now, I guess they won't be back till sometime early in the morning," Max said unsurely.
Ash rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "Maybe, although when they do find Brock and your mother, I'm sure they can simply teleport with Gardevoir back home instead of walking all the way back. We'll probably see them much sooner than you expect, Max," Ash said optimistically.
"I hope so," Max said, taking a deep breath.
May emerged from the bathroom and yawned while stretching her arms above her head. She smiled at her brother and Ash warmly.
"Max, if you want to sleep next to Ash in my bed instead of me, you can," May offered.
"Eh, I don't really care. Either one of you is fine," Max said, grinning.
"Chuuuu," Pikachu cooed on the sleeping bag.
Ash noticed their weary expressions as the siblings yawned. It was a heartbreaking day for all of them, and they required some much needed rest. With some prayers and a little luck, their family would be complete once again the next morning.
Ash, May and Max radiated the room with their compassion and closeness with each other, it was apparent that the three of them were a closely-knit set. It was what Norman envisioned for his children when he first allowed Ash to take them under his wing, and a few years later, his expectations were fulfilled.
They were their own little family; a family growing up and going through life together.
Right when Ash was about to climb into his sleeping bag, he heard a sound.
The doorbell rang.
The group looked at each other with startled and ecstatic expressions. Even Pikachu shot up from the sleeping bag and jumped onto Ash's shoulder.
Could…could this be? Could Norman and Tana have returned home with their mother and Brock? Who else would be ringing the doorbell at this hour?
"Dad…?" May gasped.
"MOM!" Max shouted gleefully.
Without a moments hesitation, Ash, May and Max ran out of the bedroom as quickly as possible. Pikachu had to hang onto Ash's shoulder tightly or else it feared it would fly off. Skitty and Beautifly didn't hesitate to follow either, with the playful kitty running down the stairs and the majestic butterfly following in unison.
The trio approached the front door with overjoyed demeanors, the hope to see their missing mother and friend again was so great that it nearly overwhelmed them to the point of tears.
May could barely stop giggling and fidgeting with her hands as she waited. She couldn't believe that she got herself so worried and depressed for no reason. Within a few seconds she would see her precious mother again, the mother she cherished and loved.
"Open it! Open it!" May insisted.
"Ok, ok!" Ash said happily.
It was a moment of pure captivation and enchantment.
Ash turned the doorknob, and the cheery faces of him, May, Max, Pikachu, Beautifly and Skitty awaited the recipients.
The door cracked open, and only one person was standing in the doorway. His mouth turned into a smirk, as he put his hands into his pockets and cackled.
"Nice Gym you have here," Ross said, smirking at the gaping children.
And thus, their gleeful expressions and hopeful spirits were crushed into a million pieces in an instant.