Chapter 21: Leader Of The Nine (Part 4)
Before we begin, let me apologize again for last night's cliffhanger. I'm hoping to wrap this sequence of events in this chapter. Anyway, I'll explain some stuff later. For now, we begin where chapter 20 abruptly ended…
Mewtwo turned his head and faced the powerhouses formerly known as Ash and May. In all honesty, Mewtwo was not surprised at Cyrus's choice as to why those two in particular.
Fifteen year-old Ash Ketchum was an aspiring Pokémon Master in the making. Although he still showed a spark of immaturity from time to time, he had come a long way since starting out with Pikachu. His cunning in battle was unmatched, and he almost always prevailed over any foe that challenged him. On top of that, he had the ability to lead others and inspire everyone to some extent. No wonder he was a powerhouse now, though he was a terrifying sight to behold at the moment.
Beside him stood thirteen year-old May Maple. Mewtwo was unsure why exactly she was a vessel of destruction. It may have been because of her ambitions of becoming the world's greatest Pokémon coordinator. It might also have been caused by a bond she shared with Ash, a bond that was rooted very deeply, or so Mewtwo interpreted. Overall, May didn't seem to be a whole lot different from Ash.
Looking at Giovanni and his ilk, Mewtwo wondered why they themselves weren't hooked up to the machine. He supposed it was simply because they'd possibly forseen the consequences in the event the power transfer failed for some reason, and decided not to risk themselves to death or drastic changes.
Mewtwo felt somehow compelled to obey Giovanni's request, but how he would manipulate the superpowered humans would be his own design. He had left Giovanni in the first place to escape torment and burning curiosity. It was because of Giovanni that Mewtwo once thought all humans were cruel beings who enslaved Pokémon. After Ash sacrificed himself to stop his fight with Mew, he saw things in a different light. Nonetheless, Giovanni remained his sworn enemy, and Mewtwo wasn't about to indulge him.
As Mewtwo approached the railing of the observation deck, he wondered if he had enough power left to control the humans, and if so, for how long. Probably not long enough, given his weakened condition. He'd need Mew's help with such an endeavor, and she was hanging on to her senses by a thread. Regardless, he lifted an arm and began to channel what psychic energies remained in his body towards the powerhouses on the floor below.
At this moment, Ash and May seemed to snap out of their trance. May turned on the horrified Galactic engineers and began assaulting them, both with her Pokémon, and with her newly attained strength. Meanwhile, Ash turned to look up at Mewtwo. He extended his arms out in front of him to their full length and unleashed a powerful beam.
Mewtwo realized that all he had done was activated the trainers' destructive drives, rather than taking psychic control of them. He was much too late to dodge Ash's attack, and he was knocked unconscious as he slammed into the wall behind him. He hit the ground.
Brock, Misty, Drew, Dawn, Tracey, Max, and Paul looked at the scene with horrified looks on their faces. Things were grim. There appeared no way out of this predicament.
An unexpected thing happened then. The glass ceiling shattered, and smoke came spewing down with the broken glass. As it hovered in the air, familiar voices shouted for all to hear.
"Prepare for trouble and –"
"Hey, I thought we were gonna recite the motto!"
"You recited it last time! It's our turn!"
"Both of you, stop it! Let's just skip to the introductions."
From under the smoke cloud, five ropes fell to the floor. A few minutes later, they slid down, shouting their names as they went.
"Butch!"
"Cassidy!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"And Meowth are da names!"
"Wobuffet!"
"Mime! Mime!"
Now that they were here, they noticed that they did not stand alone on the floor. Ash and May, who took notice of the new arrivals, began to advance on them like zombies. The five Rockets held each other in fear of the "twerps". There was something very unnatural about them. Their eyes didn't look right at all, and they seemed like they were mentally absent, yet willful about their intentions to harm them.
Drew had an idea. Picking up the unconscious Mew, he carried her over to where Mewtwo lay and set her down beside him. He then called out his Roselia, and had him use aromatherapy on the two fainted psychic types. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Drew was disappointed. Roselia continued to send out the spores, however, and as he did so, the wind blew in from the broken ceiling, carrying some of the spores outside.
To some extent, all the legendaries benefited from this, with Mew and Mewtwo receiving the most from it. As they awoke, they remembered what had happened prior to their knock-outs.
Rising into the air, Mew and Mewtwo both attempted to take hold of a trainer, as Team Rocket cowered into a corner. They found the mental blocking process easier than expected, leading them to believe that they were not acting according to how they though. Their nervous and muscular systems had become separated. This somewhat complicate things, though Ash and May were now under Mewtwo and Mew's control, respectively.
Mew and Mewtwo were still weak, however, and their mental control over both trainers soon ended. They resumed their attack while Mew and Mewtwo huffed and panted.
Then Mew had an idea, and she communicated it to Mewtwo, who nodded in agreement. Together, they flew up through the broken ceiling to find Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie.
Mew's plan was one everyone hoped would be successful. By combining the powers of Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie, they would destroy the red chain that bound Dialga and Palkia to their evil cause. The expected result would be their breaking free of, and destroying, the power machine. It was hypothesized that this would, in turn, release Ash and May from their madness, while restoring the power of the legendaries to their rightful owners.
Back on the floor, Butch, who was the most courageous of the five, sent out every one of his Pokémon, and his peers followed suit. It was all for naught, however, as Ash inexplicably launched a blast burn attack that fainted all the Pokémon in a single hit! Butch wasn't going down without a fight, however, and if he had to risk himself, it was worth it.
"Hey, twerp! You're pretty powerful, but how's your physical prow –"
He was cut off when Ash threw a fist square into his jaw. Butch cried out in pain as he was knocked off his feet and came crashing down onto the floor. His jaw was not broken, but he had a very large bruise, and the cheek Ash hit began swelling like a balloon.
Brock had seen enough, and was also willing to make a hero's sacrifice. Jumping the seven feet down from the observation deck to the working area, he ran straight at May. He managed to wrap his arms around her own arms and torso, before he was forced off by a thunderjolt.
As Brock shook his injured arms around, May turned to face him, her eyes glowing red. Brock whimpered before May ran into him at supersonic speeds. Before losing consciousness, Brock wondered how it was that May was able to do a quick attack. After all, she was normally the one who was the slow walker.
"Brock!" Misty screamed. She threw her pokéballs onto the ground, sending out her watery partners. They'd served her well in many gym battles, but this was no ordinary battle she was about to wage.
Before she could even issue any commands, both Ash and May somehow conjured electrical waves that paralyzed her Pokémon, then sent them crashing into the wall with a psychic attack.
This happened with everybody else's teams, as well. Max's Metang did particularly well against the two superhumans, since it was able to predict their moves and dodge any attacks launched. However, it was still very inexperienced in combat, and it was swiftly defeated when Ash conjured a shadow ball, and May mysteriously blew fire at Metang.
The four syndicate heads watched the battle with interest and fear. They did not realize just how powerful they'd made those trainers. On top of that, Mew and Mewtwo were nowhere to be seen.
"Do you think it was wise to give those two so much power?" Archie asked to Cyrus, who nodded, his face remaining expressionless.
"Yes. I knew they had potential, and they are now learning to be the vessels of unspeakable power. Do not fear. As long as nothing happens, they will be unstoppable!"
Giovanni frowned. "But what about Mew and Mewtwo? Without them to control those two powerhouses, not even we will be able to command their movements!"
"I, for one, think that we should not be too hasty to make judgments. Things may yet work out in our favor…unless the machine is disrupted by some unhappy chance," Maxie added.
After five minutes of searching, Mew and Mewtwo flew back into the building, along with a revitalized Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie. They now faced the four syndicate heads.
Giovanni's face was scornful. "About time you got back! You have a job to do, remember?"
Mewtwo laughed, causing Giovanni's face to become confused, then fearful.
"You're right. I do have a job. However, it is not to control those humans down there. They are powerful beyond anything I've ever encountered. So instead, this is where I'll be putting an end to your sinister schemes, gentlemen!"
Mew then flew almost straight at Cyrus, then stopped inches from his face. Mew's eyes glowed a light blue.
Cyrus felt a tugging at his belt. He placed his hand there, trying to prevent the theft of the red chain. Mew's telepathic grip was strong, though, so as Cyrus fought to hold on to it, he found himself being lifted into the air.
Mew nodded her head up and down. This shook the red chain, causing Cyrus, in his surprise, to slip and fall ten feet to the ground. The red chain was then thrown in the direction of the machine.
Together, Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie began chanting something in their own language. As they chanted, the jewels on their foreheads glowed. The nearby red chain now glowed the same color. It twisted, extended, contracted, and tied itself in knots. It looked like a snake that was feeling the pain of its deathblow. A few seconds later, the red chain expoded, destroying the bonds of Dialga and Palkia.
The two dragons of time and space, though still weak, were awed by their release. Breaking free of the cables that held them in place, they turned to face the machine. They conjured powerful beams in their mouths, building the power of the attack.
After a few seconds, a dark gray beam and a light pink beam collided with the machine. The force destroyed several mechanical components of the device. Wires shot out sparks and metal panels were blown off. The machine whirred and seemed like it was activating again.
Suddenly, a new energy dome was created around the complex. It was like the energy sucking beam that had launched earlier, except this one was blue in color. It worked in reverse of the preceding beam, too.
Ash and May were on the verge of launching a final assault at everyone in sight when the machine shot bolts of electricity at them. As with earlier, they screamed in pain as the uncontrollable powers were ripped from their bodies, allowing their minds to reestablish control over their bodies. When this ended, they fainted onto the floor.
From Ash and May's unconscious bodies, green rays soared through the air to the malfunctioning machine, up through the ceiling, and out and around, returning into their owner's bodies. This caused every legendary alive to be revitalized. The time of terror had passed.
Slowly, both trainers began awakening. The first thing they both saw upon awakening was each other.
"May?" Ash asked.
"Ash?" May responded.
"Wha…what happened?"
They climbed up to their feet and brushed themselves off. They felt drained of energy, yet also felt like they had been rejuvenated. Because of this, they guessed that their power rage had ended with spectacular results.
"Welcome back, you two knuckleheads," Archie commented from the observation deck, where he stood along with Maxie, Cyrus, and Giovanni.
"Archie! Come down here and face me, you coward!" Ash called.
Maxie laughed. "What do you say, gentlemen?"
"I say we call his foolhardy bluff!" said Cyrus.
"Agreed. To battle!" Giovanni cried as he pulled a pokéball from his pocket.
Pikachu jumped onto the floor, where he was soon joined by May's Blaziken. Ash and May decided they would not need to make substitutions unless needed. They were determined to bring a dramatic ending to the villains' plans once and for all.
From the deck, four pokéballs landed, opening to reveal Persian, Magmortar, Tentacruel, and Deoxys (which, upon entering battle, went from neutral mode to attack mode).
This was a good strategy, and it was clear that even a powerful Blaziken and determined Pikachu did not have much hope. Climbing down the stairs, Ash and May were joined by Dawn and Max, who sent out their Pachirisu and Mudkip, respectively.
Ultimately, everybody witnessing the events knew that in this four-on-four battle, the stakes were high. So high, in fact, that it would be a winner take all situation. If Ash and friends prevailed, the enemys' plans would be completely undone. However, if the syndicate heads won, they'd be able to continue with their ruthlessness.
The final battle began. Pikachu squared off against Persian, Blaziken attacked Deoxys, Pachirisu went after Tentacruel, and Mudkip fought Magmortar.
For several long minutes, the two sides fought valiantly, neither losing nor gaining ground. Many attacks were either deflected or dodged, although the occasional blow would be landed on the target. For the spectators, it was an intense battle.
Finally, the four heroes began winning. The tides shifted in their favor.
Pikachu was tiring out, but Giovanni's Persian was also starting to get weary from chasing his prey. Persian's fury swipes had scratched the mouse considerably, but the match took a surprise ending when Pikachu hit Persian dead on with his volt tackle attack.
Blaziken was wearing out. Her foe kept alternating forms between attacks, so either it was dealing heavy blows, or its armor-like skin kept it safe from harm. Blaziken did notice, however, that all four of Deoxys's form had a jewel-like navel. Mustering up a powerful blast burn attack, the white hot flames shot from her mouth towards that target, effectively injuring the defending Pokémon and knocking him out.
Pachirisu had been blinded by Tentacruel's mud slap attack earlier, but that didn't stop the yellow-cheeked squirrel from landing on the water/poison type and delivering a powerful jolt of electricity. It was so strong that Tenacruel's body glowed a light blue with aftershocks before collapsing onto the ground, spirals taking place of its eyes.
Although Magmortar had the size and power to use to its advantage over the little Mudkip, the mud fish Pokémon was speedier, and was able to stay out of harm's way through clever dodge tactics. Mudkip tried several water guns and hydro pumps on Magmortar, who seemed to brush off the attacks at first. Gradually, however, this David-and-Goliath-esque bout proved to be too much for the blast Pokémon, who fainted after one last watery attack hit it.
Immediately following the bout, something wonderous happened. While the four criminal masterminds were coming downstairs to recall their fainted warriors, Max's Mudkip began glowing as it entered evolution. Slowly, the light changed its form. A few seconds later, the glow stopped, and a new Pokémon arose.
"Marshtomp!" the Pokémon formerly known as Mudkip happily exclaimed.
No sooner did Max's congratulatory reception end, then the four masterminds approached. They seemed anything but happy. On the contrary, they all had looks of insanity on their faces. Giovanni, acting as the leader, stepped forth.
"So, Ash. We meet yet again, and once more, under peculiar circumstances. I must say that you've raised your Pokémon well. However, they won't be helping you against this!"
As he spoke, Giovanni took out a remote from within his jacket pocket and hit a button. Some panels in random parts of the walls opened and cannons began emerging.
Both Ash and Max had been in this exact situation once before, so they knew what was coming. Right before the nets were fired, Ash tackled May to the floor, and Max did the same with Dawn. The nets crashed into each other and fell uselessly to the floor. Ash couldn't help but smirk at Giovanni as he helped May off the floor.
"Nice try, old man, but I've been captured by you and your lackeys so many times that you've run out of new ways to apprehend me or my friends."
Rage seemed to erupt on Giovanni's face, and it wasn't just because he'd been called an "old man". He was determined to end this dispute right now.
"I'LL GET YOU, ASH KETCHUM! YAAAUGH!" Giovanni screamed as he ran towards Ash.
"Blaziken, stop him with will-o-wisp!" May commanded.
Blaziken spat out several fireballs that hit Giovanni and his cohorts, knocking them off their feet. Groaning, Giovanni looked up to see Ash and Pikachu glaring down at him.
"You've failed. Now it's time to put a final, crashing halt into your vile schemes! Pikachu, send them flying with your thunder attack!"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked, but he stopped it when Giovanni began laughing hysterically.
"Go ahead, Ash! However, I find your choice of words interesting. 'Old man', I believe you said. Yes, interesting indeed."
Pikachu was confused, as was Ash. Shaking it out of his head, Ash frowned. "Why do you say that? You are an old man! You're several decades older than me!"
"Indeed, though not nearly as old as you think. I was in my twenties when I dated a young brunette by the name of…Delia Ketchum!"
"What did you do to my mom?!" Ash demanded.
"We had a fling going on for many months. It didn't work out, in the end, but that was not because of her pregnancy that I left. I told her I'd be leaving on a Pokémon journey, when in reality, I was coming to assume the role left to me by my ailing mother. After four days, I traveled from Pallet Town to Viridian City to fulfill my role."
A few seconds passed before Ash said anything. "I still don't follow…" he said lamely.
Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled.
"Ash, I…am your father!"
This simple declaration had a huge impact on everybody.
"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed, his face turning white as a ghost.
"PIKA!" Pikachu mimicked Ash.
"AIYEE!" Brock declared.
"Whoa, didn't see that one coming…" Paul quietly said.
"Poor Ash," Misty and Dawn lamented.
"Wow…"was all Tracey could find the strength to say.
"Yikes, that's rough…" Drew said.
"Ouch," Max commented.
May said nothing, though her face clearly had shock written all over it. It was plain from the way her jaw hung open. She then gave Ash a sympathetic look.
"What the…how…What?!" Ash exclaimed again.
Giovanni repeated his previous statement. "You heard me right, Ash. Delia was a wonderful young woman, and my time with her was great, but I've since moved on. I'll spare you the explanation of your biological origins. Know only that it was with me that your mother conceived, and gave birth to, you."
Ash stood transfixed. He didn't know who he was anymore. It was just sinking into his mind that he was the son of the head boss of Team Rocket!
Elaborating on this new revelation, Giovanni continued his explanation.
"For years, I wondered what had become of her. I never knew the child she bore. It wasn't until word of you reached my ears from my three incompetent underlings. A boy from Pallet Town by the name of Ash Ketchum. And guess what? You were ten then, which was also how long it had been since I left to assume my duties as head of Team Rocket. So I welcome you home, son…" He made sure to put particular emphasis on that last word.
Ten seconds passed in silence, though it felt like hours to Ash. Is this man for real? Me? The, gulp, SON of the Team Rocket syndicate head? He was lost in these thoughts for a while. Then, he shook his head violently and glared at the man claiming to be his father.
"NEVER!" he shouted. Pikachu, knowing what came next, launched a tremendous thunder attack. Explosions were happening everywhere. In groups of twos and threes, guards, engineers, and the four villainous men were sent flying into the air, landing in their home regions by some unusual fortune.
There was still one last evildoer in the vicinity, however.
Harley had been virtually useless and stand-offish ever since he brought May here. While everything else was happening, he was fantasizing about how he would finally kill Ash and May. His master was gone now, so therefore, they were still his to eliminate.
"Oh, curse you, you killjoys! I'll have what I want one way or the other!" he shouted in particular to Ash and May.
"C'mon, let's follow him!" Ash shouted, and everybody followed after Harley.
The exit to the building wasn't to a beachfront, but rather, to some sort of landing pad that was loaded with helicopters. Harley jumped into a helicopter that was equipped with rocket launchers. He had just started the engines and lifted off when nine trainers and two legendaries entered the area.
"Perfect. Here we go! Here's hoping to see you both rot in hell!" Harley vented to himself as he started firing missiles at the group, who quickly dispersed and him among the other aircraft.
Ash and May stood their ground, however, their Pikachu and Blaziken using electrical and fiery attacks to deflect and destroy the missile before they could hit their mark. One missile, however, managed to slip past the two Pokémon's defenses. It continued straight on towards May.
May screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw what could be her metallic grim reaper coming to end her life.
"MAY! LOOK OUT!" Ash shouted loudly. He ran at May and tackled her to the ground. The missile whizzed by, missing by inches, before crashing into the wall near them. Lots of shrapnel and debris flew through the flames and crashed onto the ground near them.
Harley saw this and, believing them to be dead, smiled with himself. He then prepared to take his leave. Ash, several hundred feet below, noticed.
"HARLEY! COME BACK HERE, AND GET A DOSE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE!" he screamed up at the retreating aviator.
"I don't think so, Ash! Now that your beloved May is dead, I've done what I wanted to do for a long time now!" Harley shouted back, before he was out of Ash's range of hearing.
GRR…That son of a bitch! Ash thought to himself.
Mewtwo came forward.
"Your friend is not dead. She is very much alive. Check up on her while I deal with that wicked human!" With that, he flew up into the air.
As Harley flew, he couldn't help but laugh. Oh, happy day! My revenge is complete! She'll never cross paths with me ever again!
He adjusted the rear-view mirror, only to see a purplish-black dot grow rapidly larger. He could just barely make out Mewtwo in the reflection. His zeal died instantly.
Oh no…
The shadow ball smacked into the rotors of Harley's chopper, causing the main fuel line to catch fire and, consequentially, explode the aircraft. Harley did not perish, but it was to be a very long time before he was seen or heard from again.
Ash felt like celebrating when he saw Mewtwo destroy Harley's craft, but then remembered Mewtwo saying that May was still alive. He kneeled down beside her.
"May, are you okay?"
"Oh Ash, I think…something's in my leg…it really hurts…" As May spoke, tears were starting to fall from her eyes.
Ash looked at May's legs, which were spread apart by about a few inches. He lifted a large chunk of stone from her one leg, which was badly bruised. When he touched her thigh to assess further injury, she winced in pain. Ash knew this to mean that this particular leg was not only bruised, but broken.
The sight of her lower leg was a disturbing sight to behold. Indeed, a piece of metal had become embedded just above her ankle. Blood was starting to ooze slowly from the wound.
"Oh my God, May…" Ash said. "We need to get you to the hospital right away!"
May's eyes seemed to be losing focus.
"Hold me, Ash," she managed to say before passing out.
Ash lifter her in both his arms and began to carry her as quickly across the landing pad and onto the sands as fast as he could.
Suddenly, he felt his legs become paralyzed for no reason. He turned to see his seven other companions, and the two psychic legendaries floating in the air.
Mewtwo spoke in his usual telepathic manner.
"Her wounds are considerable, human. She won't make it at the rate you're going. Your actions are commendable, but if you truly wish to save her, you must come with us. We can teleport you to the nearest medical facility."
Ash looked up at Mewtwo, a tear rolling down his face. He then smiled.
"I accept. Thank you!"
Paul then stepped forward.
"That girl's got strong will, but I don't think she has the spirit to hold on. In fact, I doubt she'll even make it through the next half hour! She's weak!"
Mewtwo let out a sigh as he closed his eyes.
"Mew."
"Mew?" the smaller of the two feline-like legendaries asked.
"Take them to the nearest hospital in the nearest town. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself. I have to teach our young friend here a lesson once more."
"Mew, Mew Mew!"
Mew lowered herself to where everybody could get a hand on her as she glowed and teleported them all away. Only Mewtwo and Paul were left standing on the beach. Mewtwo glared mercilessly at Paul.
"What? It's true! She is weak! Why, I'm willing to bet that sh –"
"PATHETIC HUMAN!" Mewtwo shouted as his eyes glowed a bright purple color. Immediately, Paul was enveloped in a purplish aura, and like before, Mewtwo sent him flying into the wall, which was the hardest surface around. This time, however, Mewtwo increased Paul's punishment from ten beatings to 25.
Paul fought to get up when his most recent round of beatings had ended. As he rose from the ground, he saw that his nose was bleeding badly. He was about to call Mewtwo a sore pain in the ass, but decided not to risk the extra 30 beatings that such an action would carry.
Mewtwo, now content to have whacked more sense into the arrogant Paul, moved towards him.
"Let's go. And try to be considerate of others next time!" Mewtwo said as he teleported himself and Paul to where Mew had taken the others.
Okay, that's the end of chapter 21! In case you haven't guessed it by now, the last four chapters were a parody of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Chapter 18 was Fellowship of the Ring, chapter 19 was The Two Towers, and the last two chapters (20 & 21) were Return of the King. To draw some analogies:
Ash and May - Frodo Baggins and Samwise "Sam" Gamgee (in no particular respect)
Giovanni and his cronies - Sauron and the armies
Cyrus - Saruman
Paul - Gandalf
Maxie - Balrog
Harley - Sméagol (aka, Gollum)
Everyone else - Meriadoc Brandybuck ("Merry"), Peregrin Took ("Pippin"), Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the armies of Rohan, Gondor, and the army of the dead (again in no particular regard or order)
I DO NOT own LOTR or any rights to it. I'm just a fan who made a parody of it that, after a fair amount of alteration, was made to fit the overall storyline.
Also, the scene where Giovanni reveals he's Ash's father…that's from Star Wars (which I also do not own).
Okay, so that brings me to my final note. As you may have guessed, this chapter brought about the end of the story's central conflict, so it's all downhill from here. I'm gonna add a few more chapters before I bring this particular FanFic to a close. Stay tuned for more chapters and alerts! Oh, and if you've read, reviewed, favorite, etc., then THANK YOU!