A/N: Once again, sorry for the really late update! I've gotten back into that "groove" and the chapters are pouring out, so I hope to keep you guys updated as often as I can!
Themagebear: I know this, and Giovanni knows this. =] Trust me.
Back in their room, the boys had all been going about their own business when the building began shaking. Ash had been on the couch with Pikachu enjoying some morning T.V. and was tuned in to a news station, though what he was seeing didn't make much sense. Brock was seated at the bar reading through more of the materials he had picked up the day before. Mason was in his room with Noone, the two of them enjoying a small nap after the large breakfast they had eaten. Right before the lights went out Noone's ears had perked up and she had shot out of the bed, waking Mason as she did. He sat up just as the lights shut off. As soon as he opened the door to ask Ash and Brock what was happening the shaking began.
The three of them dropped to the floor with their hands instinctively above their heads. For a few moments it seemed like a small earthquake, up until the glass all around them began shattering and everything on the counters began shaking off onto the floor. Mason jumped over Noone and covered her, moving toward the table in the room to get underneath it. Ash and Brock had made their way to each other and simply held their heads down, bracing for anything that might fall onto them. After a very long half minute, the shaking began easing up bit by bit until the room was calm again.
"Ohh…I can't feel my legs…" Ash groaned, slowly standing up and examining the damage. Mason and Noone crawled out from under the table.
"Is everyone alright?" Brock asked.
"I think so," Mason replied.
"Yeah I'm okay," Ash said, rubbing his legs. "Good thing nobody got hurt!" He said with a grin. "Wait a second…"
"The girls!" The three of yelled at the same time. Ash ran to the door and flung it open, Mason and Brock following close behind him. They turned to run to the elevator and stopped for a moment when they saw Dawn, Misty and May there in the hallway. The two groups saw each other and ran to meet in the middle.
"What's going on?" Misty asked. "Was that an earthquake?"
"It must have been," Brock answered, "even though it seems very unlikely, seeing as we're in Goldenrod. I don't think there's ever been an earthquake reported here, especially not one as big as the one that just hit us."
"I guess there's a first time for everything?" Mason said uncertainly. The rest of them laughed uneasily, still very shaken up, literally.
"Well, now that it's over, I guess we should check to see-" Before Brock can finish his sentence the building begins to rumble once more.
"Wahh! Not agaaain!" Dawn squealed, closing her eyes tight and hitting the floor. Brock yanked her up by the arm and pulled her toward the stairway.
"It's probably only aftershock, but I don't know how much more this building can take! We've gotta get downstairs!" Brock began running toward the stairway with Dawn's arm still in his hand. The others start to follow but a sudden violent surge knocks them all to the ground.
"We'll never make it down the stairs!" Mason yelled, "We need to find another way!"
May looked down to the end of the hall and saw the smashed window and hatched an idea. "Everybody follow me!" She yelled. They all got to their feet once more and ran to the end of the hallway, fighting to keep their balance. At the end of the hallway May looked down to the ground to judge the distance. They were on the sixth floor and it was a dizzying drop to the ground below.
"I hope this works," she mumbled reaching for a pokeball on her belt. "Go Venesaur!" The giant grass pokemon emerged, filling about half of the hallway width-wise. "Venesaur, vine whip! Grab hold of something as far down as you can go!" Venesaur shot her whips out the window and straight down. She managed to reach the ground floor and wrapped the whips around a bench that was bolted near the building.
"Great idea, May!" Brock yelled, "Everybody, let's go!" Misty climbed over Venesaur and wrapped her arms around the whips, backing out of the window and climbing toward the ground. Ash followed behind her, then Brock, and then Dawn.
"Alright, you're next," May said to Mason.
"One second!" He yelled over the sounds coming from all around them. He reached onto his belt and threw a pokeball up. Poof materialized in front of them. "I want you to carry Noone down as safe and carefully as possible!" Poof nodded and vanished, appearing again behind the ninetails, lifting her out the window. "I'll have him come back up when everyone's down and get you too, okay?" Mason said to May.
"You got it!" May said.
Mason grabbed hold of the whips and lowered himself down. When he had reached the ground he sent Poof back into the building. May recalled Venesaur and allowed Poof to lift her through the window and down to the street below, taking care not to look down as he did.
All around them people were running and screaming in panic. The entire city seemed to be rumbling more and more violently as time passed. The six of them ran toward a large park they could see in the distance, the only place not surrounded by giant skyscrapers.
Before they arrived, the rumbling stopped. They took a moment to catch their breath. Throughout the city they could hear alarms going off, glass continuing to shatter as it fell from the tall buildings, and people shouting.
"Since when to earthquakes last that long?" Misty asked.
"I don't think that was an ordinary earthquake," Brock said. "Again, we're all the way in Goldenrod City, this place has never been hit by an earthquake before, especially not one of that magnitude. Something's going on. We need to hurry and get to that park in case it starts again."
They began walking toward the park again, ready and wary in case the ground beneath them began shaking again.
"I don't like this…" May said, "I'm getting a bad feeling. I'm going to call Max and make sure he's okay."
"Good idea," Misty said, "I should call my sisters." The lot of them - aside from Mason, who didn't have a Pokegear - dialed their families to make sure everything was alright.
Just around that time, the S.S. Aqua was pulling into the Goldenrod port. Tyrel and Gary were in the helm while Max and Ritchie had gone back to their rooms to get some much needed sleep. The captain spoke into the microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen we've arrived in the Goldenrod City port. We apologize for any inconveniences but due to extreme weather conditions it was safest to dock in the nearest town. For travel arrangements, please contact the customer service desk and provide your ticket stub and you will receive a complimentary one-way pass on the magnet train for Saffron." He hung the microphone up and sat down, exhausted from the trip.
"No sign of Lugia or Kyogre," Gary said.
"Let's just hope that wherever they are," Tyrel said "neither of them are hurt." As he looked toward the city he noticed that it seemed to be much livelier than he had expected. Upon closer examination he noticed the commotion as people seemed to be panicking, running to or away from something. "What in the world…" he mutters.
The captain and Gary had also noticed, though at this point it was difficult to miss. The streets were filled with mayhem and disorder and many of the buildings seemed to be damaged in some way.
"My god…" The captain muttered, "It's worse than I had feared." At that moment Max burst through the door followed closely by Ritchie.
"It's a madhouse out there!" Ritchie yelled, "People kept yelling something about earthquakes here in Goldenrod!"
"Earthquakes in Goldenrod? That's unheard of," the captain said, "though with yesterday's events I'm not entirely surprised. We need to let the passengers know, maybe it'd be best if we docked somewhere else."
Just then, Max's PokeGear started ringing. He lifted it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Max? It's May." Max had never been more relieved to hear from his sister. "Listen some crazy stuff is going on and I was just calling to make sure you were okay."
"You're telling me. You probably won't believe this but I'm in Goldenrod right now."
"Wow, so are we! So you felt the earthquakes too?" May asked.
"Well no, we just got…wait, you said you're in Goldenrod? All of you? Where at? How far are you from the port? Is Ash-"
May cut off his slew of questions, "Calm down. Listen, you said you're at the port?"
"Yeah, and I'm not alone. It's a long story."
"Well stay there. We'll come and meet you."
"Alright, we'll be here. Call me when you're close." And with that Max hung up. "They're all here in Goldenrod and she said there were earthquakes," Max said.
"Things really are out of control. Alright, I want to thank you boys again for your help, and I'd be happy to let you off here, but I think we need to go someplace smaller to unload," the captain offered.
"Yeah, we'll be meeting everyone here at the port," Max said, "Thanks a lot Captain, for everything. It was great meeting you."
"And you as well, Max. Don't forget what I said. You're a very special boy, and you can do anything you want. Trust me." The captain gave Max a hug and then stood and shook everyone else's hand. "Good luck boys."
"Thanks Captain," they said in unison. The captain had a few of the crewmen escort them to the exit and lower the bridge for them. As they left they heard the captain's voice over the radio once more, informing the passengers of the change of plans.
The four of them gathered at the foot of the pier, staying close and avoiding colliding with the plethora of panicking citizens. All that was left now was to wait for the others to arrive.
Not too far from the pier, a bit of disturbance in the water has gone unnoticed thanks to the strange happenings of the day. As citizens go rushing by, a hand emerges from the depths and grasps the concrete. Shortly after, a second hand follows, and then a paw. Jessie, James and Meowth manage to haul themselves out of the water simply to sprawl out onto the ground. The journey back to land had been long and tiresome, but once again, they had somehow overcome the craziest of odds and survived.
"Is our luck ever going to change?" James asked.
"We can't change our luck if we don't have any luck," Meowth replied.
"Oh just shut up and let me rest, I'm too tired to nag at either of you right now," Jessie said, breathing out a deep sigh and laying her head to the side. For a few seconds she allowed her eyes to remain closed, knowing of the commotion going on and not wanting to deal with it at the moment. When she finally opens her eyes, what she sees amazes her almost beyond belief. "Oooh goodie! It's the twerps!"
James and Meowth both turn and see Max, Gary, Tyrel and Ritchie standing at the end of one of the piers just watching as people pass by. The four of them had yet to notice Team Rocket's arrival as Max seemed to be talking to someone on his PokeGear.
"Right on schedule, just like always!" Meowth said.
"And now's the time to attack, just like always!" Jessie replied.
"But…don't we always-" James doesn't finish his sentence before Jessie and Meowth slip through the shadows and into a nearby alleyway to concoct yet another plan.
Deeper in Goldenrod, May put her PokeGear away as everyone stood in anticipation of what she had to say.
"Did he say he was here? In Goldenrod?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, and I guess he's here with someone else," May said He couldn't explain over the PokeGear. He's down at the pier, how far is that from here?"
"It can't be too far," Brock said as he pulled out his map and unfolded it, "We had a view of the ocean from our room." He scanned the western side of the city and found the port, then drew an imaginary line to the Yamada. "It's only a couple of blocks. We can get there pretty quick if we head back the way we came." He folded the map back up and put in in his pocket. "Everybody stay close and hold hands. The city's in a panic and it's too easy to get lost. The girls have the middle, I'll lead. Mason and Ash on the outside."
Everyone nodded and grabbed hands, staying shoulder to shoulder. Mason kept his free hand down on Noone's head at all times as the group made their way down the street back the building they had just run from.
Back at the end of the pier, Max kept his eyes peeled for anything he might recognize. Now and again he would spot a pikachu and his heart would race, only to be let down a few moments later when it wasn't Ash's. Ritchie stood next to him and also kept lookout.
Further back Gary and Tyrel had taken a seat on the ground.
"This has to have been the oddest turn of events in my life," Tyrel said absent-mindedly. "And to think I wouldn't be here had I not been a few hours late getting into town. What a coincidence, huh?"
"I don't think so," Gary said. Tyrel looked over and Gary was smiling. "I've known Ash since we were just kids. From the moment I met him to now there's been something special about him. It seems like he has a way of meeting up with people and pokemon when he needs to. There's a reason for your being here, I don't doubt that at all." He looked to Tyrel and they both smiled.
"If you say so," Tyrel said. "I've gotta say, one way or another, it'll be nice to finally meet him after everything I've been told." Gary laughed and stood up, stretching his legs. Tyrel laid back and covered his eyes with his arm while Gary checked on Max and Ritchie.
"Any news?" He asked.
"Not since May called," Max answered, not pulling his eyes away from the blur of people in front of him. "She said she'd call again when they were close, though."
Gary looked out at the city. The chaos from the morning had turned into something a little more organized as police forces attempted to block off dangerous areas and route citizens through safer detours.
Tyrel peeked over to the three of them just in time as a very familiar scene unfolded; without warning Max broke into a full sprint directly into the scene of organized chaos in front of them. Gary and Ritchie took off after him only to be stopped constantly by passerbys that Max had miraculously avoided. Tyrel jumped up as fast as he could to tail everyone, not sure what would happen if he lost them.
A few hundred feet away, Brock had just emerged from behind a skyscraper holding May and Dawn's hands, keeping an eye peeled for the pier. They had just started to see water on the horizon and he knew they wouldn't be much longer before they reached the pier. With his eyes concentrated on the water so far away he didn't notice Max as he came flying through the crowd and latched onto Brock. After a moment, Brock knelt down and returned the hug.
The others watched and jumped slightly when the two collided, but shock quickly turned to excitement when they realized who it had been.
Max, on the other hand, was crying. He had held it in two nights before, not wanting to cry in front of a stranger, and it had done nothing but build this entire time. Feeling Brock's arms around him again after so long was the breaking point and, for a few moments, Max couldn't control his sobbing. The others around him grew concerned.
When Max finally pulled back and looked at Brock, Brock met him with the warmest smile he'd ever given. "Good to see you, pal."
Max sniffled a bit and smiled back, "It's great to see you." He looked up at May and without a moment of thought jumped to her, giving her the same hug she'd given Brock, then once more with Ash. "It's great to see all of you. You don't know how much I needed to see you all again. Everything's just been…"
"Hey," Ash cut him off, "We're here now. All of us. Everything's going to be alright, I promise." Exactly the words Max had been looking for. Just as he had thought, being with Ash was the perfect medicine.
"Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me," he said. "And speaking of 'all of us,' who's this?" Max asked, gesturing to Dawn and Mason.
"Both long stories," May said, "Dawn, Mason, meet my brother Max. Max, meet Dawn and Mason." Max shook both of their hands.
The introductions reminded Max of a very important detail he had suddenly forgotten. "Oh yeah!" He yelled, turning around. Just then, Ritchie and Gary came running up, panting.
"Kid," Gary wheezed, "you…have got to be…the luckiest…kid in…the world…"
"Gary? Ritchie?" For a moment Ash was shocked beyond words at the sudden re-appearance of two of his oldest rivals.
"How Max got here without running into someone - or something - I will never know," Gary said, having caught his breath. "Great to see you, Ash. I'd wish you a happy birthday, but it's a little late and circumstances are a little…odd."
"You'll never believe what we saw on the way here," Ritchie said.
Ash was about to ask for all of the details when a thought hit him. "Wait…how do you guys know Max?"
"Oh, he and Tyrel met up with Gary, who met me on the boat," Ritchie answered.
"So…who's Tyrel?" Ash's question struck the three of them as they shared the moment of sudden realization Max had experienced a few moments ago. As if on call, Tyrel appeared at the mention of his name.
"Ash, everybody, meet Tyrel," Max said, "He saved me from a Seviper two nights ago, and saved the ship from sinking into a whirlpool."
The others all gasped as Tyrel was about to protest the claims. Before he could say anything Noone shot out a flamethrower, surprising everyone. It squeezed right between Max and Gary, singing their clothes slightly, and disintegrated a net that had been fired. The group all turned to see Team Rocket, with Jessie's face red in fury.
"Do you know how it takes to load one of these things?" She yelled. James gave her a small bump with her elbow and she calmed down.
"Prepare for trouble!" She started.
"Make it double!"
As the two of them went on, Ash's mind began to wander. He realized that right here in front of him was nearly everybody who had been important in his life for the past 5 years of his pokemon journey, with a few new friendly faces. Paired with the happenings of the past few days, he suddenly began to feel that something very bad was going on somewhere.
As if to confirm Ash's thoughts, Max dropped to his knees, clutching at the ground. His face was pale and he was shaking.
"Max…" the familiar voice called to him, "Max…I'm here…I'm…we're here…" Max had never noticed it before, but he heard more than just Jirachi's voice when the two of them communicated, he heard the color that the voice was spoken in. Normally a bright pink, the voice coming to him now was dark, and it was consuming his mind. "Fighting…I don't want to…I can't stop…please…they're…they're going to…"
The color began fading from Max's mind, returning him to a normal state. As he regained consciousness he noticed the others kneeling in front of him, fanning him. Soon the sounds of the world began fading back into existence and he could hear them murmuring his name.
"Jirachi…" He muttered. May and Ash gasped at the mention of a name they hadn't heard in years.
Team Rocket was near to finishing their motto when they realized that nobody was listening. "Hey!" Jessie yelled, "It's been almost a full year since we've been able to do this properly! The least you could do is-"
Before she can finish Max stands straight up, turns around, and begins running once again. Without any second thoughts the group takes off in pursuit, clearing a path through the crowds as they go.
"Hey wait!" Meowth yells and makes a run for them, followed closely by Jessie and James.
Brock's finally able to catch up to Max and grabs his arms, bringing them both to a screeching halt. Max struggles to break free and continue running, though he's obviously exhausted.
"Let me go! I have to help him!" He yelled to Brock.
"Listen to me!" Brock yelled in response, "Whatever it is you need to do, we're only here to help, you know that. But with what's been happening around here, it's too dangerous to take off alone. We'll all go together."
Max struggled for a few more moments before reluctantly giving in. "Alright, but we need to hurry!" Brock nodded and the group began running once again, passing the town gate and running into the wilderness with Team Rocket close behind.
They continued their course for nearly an hour, taking a quick break to rest when Max nearly collapsed. Team Rocket had given up in their attempts for the moment and simply tagged along to see what was going on. Over the last hour rain clouds had begun gathering overhead and thunder could be heard in the distance.
"We're almost there…" Max said quietly, as if afraid of being caught. They were about to reach the top of a loud hill and the thunder had been getting extremely loud.
When they reached the top of the hill they stared down into the valley below. It was a large, open space that seemed to stretch for miles.
And that's when they discovered the source of the thunder they had been hearing.
A/N: Another cliffhanger. =P I would have kept going, but not without giving too much at a time, which would stink.
As always, I'd love to hear anything you have to say about it. =]