A/N: So here's the chapter I've been dreading writing, and I almost want to just not post it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry like a baby just thinking about writing this scene.
However, I do want to finish the story, and I hope you're all enjoying it. So without further ado:
It took a second for their eyes to adjust to the bright lights all around the new room they had stepped into. It was vastly larger than the last two they had been in. It was a round room with the ceiling a daunting hundred feet above their heads. It was another bland room with very little to it, apart from the raised platforms on the other side. It took a moment for the people standing on them to come into focus.
"It's da boss!" Meowth yelled.
"Shhh!" Jessie wrapped her arm around his mouth, "maybe he won't notice us. We've still got a debt to pay, remember?"
The others had identified the men standing with Giovanni as well. Every one of the men on the platforms was the head of one of the largest crime organizations in the world, terrorizing every region from Hoenn to Sinnoh.
"Welcome, children," Giovanni said, taking a seat, "I must say, I'm very impressed with your deductions, Brock."
"How do you know my name?" Brock asked.
"I know almost everything about you. And your family. And everyone else's too. Well, except for the two tagalongs that accompanied you. The lot of you have caused me and my associates quite a bit of trouble in the past."
"What have you done, Giovanni?" Ash demanded, "Why are all of the pokemon fighting?"
"Now now," he said calmly, "let's not get ahead of ourselves. All in due time. How about we start at the beginning?" He settled back in his seat and began the speech he had so eagerly waited to give.
"Do you children remember the city of Alto Mare? The home of Latios and Latias?"
Ash, Brock and Misty nodded while Max, Ritchie, Gary and Tyrel gasped. "That's the town that got destroyed just yesterday!" Max yelled.
"What?" Ash yelled, "What do you mean destroyed?"
"Well," Giovanni started, drawing the attention back to himself, "it's missing a very important little gem that kept the town alive. Without it, I'm afraid it was all too easy for nature to reclaim its property." He chuckled.
"You mean you stole the Soul Dew? Why would you do that?" The anger building in Ash was rising higher than he had ever felt before.
"You're getting ahead of the story again. The city of Alto Mare housed a very special machine, known as the Defense Mechanism. I believe you've had a run-in with it before as two former Team Rocket members failed to utilize it correctly. While it was all too easy to locate the blueprints for the machine, there was no alternative for a power source."
"So we gave a few old friends a visit," Archie said. "Professor Hale's research on the unown revealed that the dimension in which they resided housed immense amounts of unrefined energy just waiting to be harnessed. It was all too easy to convince the good professor to show us where he kept everything. Though we still needed a way to tap into this energy."
"After finding his technology, we put an old failure to work," Maxie spoke up, "Butler's technology was able to harness the stored energy in Jirachi's body to open a window into another dimension. The worthless pokemon almost gave out before we were finished." Max gritted his teeth as his knuckles turned white.
"Only one piece of the puzzle remained," Cyrus said, the last to speak, "funneling the energy of the unown through the Soul Dew. We recovered some old technology used by Mewtwo to process immense amounts of data as he cloned pokemon. Insert tab A into slot B, and voila."
Suddenly the platforms in front of them began to spread apart, revealing a giant machine behind them, with Giovanni in some sort of pod.
"We call it Ultima," Giovanni said proudly. "With it, I can control the very world around me."
Jessie, James and Meowth had snuck into a small cubby created by a space between some of the electronics. They watched and listened as their boss began waving his hands around and the room all around them began moving. Wires were stripped from walls, screens thrown to the floor, none of it with any set pattern.
The group raised their hands above their heads instinctivey and braced themselves. When the noises stopped they turned back to see the four men in front of them laughing.
"Why are you doing this?" Ash screamed, "What do those innocent pokemon have to do with any of this?"
"You idiot, we've already caught Kyogre!" Archie said with a smirk. "It's only a matter of-"
"What? You mean you let him capture Kyogre?" Maxie asked Giovanni. "What's the meaning of this?"
"You're both idiots," Cyrus said, "with this technology we can create an entirely new world. One where we will rule undisputed. Your petty ancient pokemon will no longer exist." The three of them continued to bicker at one another. Giovanni's face turned into a scowl.
"Allow me to demonstrate my new powers," Giovanni offered. With a simple flick of his wrist, the platforms below Maxie, Archie and Cyrus's feet transformed and locked them in place. A split second later the platforms rose and transformed into cages around them, sealing them in place.
"You traitor! I should have known!" Maxie yelled as he pounded his fist against his cage.
"Did you really think I would share my victory with anyone whose goals were so provincial?" Giovanni chuckled. "You're all so short-sighted, though very resourceful. Allow me to extend my thanks; without you three, I wouldn't be sealing you away right now." He laughed as the three cages were lowered to the ground and moved through a new opening in the wall that closed shut as soon as they were all gone.
"How can anybody be so cold?" Jessie asked under her breath, not wanting to bring any attention over to the three of them. They were afraid no longer of the debts they had incurred over the years, but instead simply of Giovanni himself and what his impulses might cause him to do.
"Think of what da boss could do with dat machine," Meowth said.
"I'm not sure I want to…" James muttered. The three of them continued to look on as Giovanni continued laughing and Ash's anger continued to rise.
Across the room from Giovanni, Ash's fists had been clenched shut for the entire conversation and were starting to become sore, though he barely noticed. Everything good in his life, everything that he had ever fought for, the ideals he would willingly give his life to protect, this man was spitting on them.
"You've got to stop it!" Ash yelled, "Can't you see what you're doing to the pokemon? To the entire world? It's not right!"
"'Right' is what I make it from now on," Giovanni replied calmly, "With the power at my control, the entire world will be forced to do what I say is 'right.' I can-"
"You can't just force people to change their ideals!" Ash yelled, cutting Giovanni off. The rest of the group was beginning to grow concerned with how Ash was acting. They were all angry, but in no position to challenge Giovanni.
"I can and I will," Giovanni replied, growing impatient, "either that or they die. It's as simple as that."
"You can't get away with this!" Ash continued to raise his voice at Giovanni, "Even if I have to stop you myself, you'll pay for what you've done!"
Mason and Tyrel, all of this being very new to them, kept their eyes on Giovanni and noticed his face growing more and more annoyed. They also noticed that the last outburst from Ash seemed to be the breaking point for Giovanni, as did the others.
"Obviously my earlier demonstrations weren't enough for you, brat. Allow me to make it as clear as I possibly can."
Before anybody could warn Ash to back down, Giovanni waved one of his hands and a large piece of shrapnel came flying off of one of the walls headed directly for Ash. As the anger built up inside of him fled to make way for panic and surprise, Ash was left frozen in place by terror as his end rushed to meet him. Helpless to do anything, the others watched in suspense or turned away in horror. All but one of them, that is, who happened to be standing directly next to Ash.
At the last moment, Ritchie shoved Sparky away and shoulder-checked Ash to the ground, taking his place. The shrapnel met him with immense force, much more than he had anticipated, and threw him to the floor 10 feet back from where he was standing. The room was silent and still.
Within seconds Brock had rushed to Ritchie's side, releasing Chansey as he did so. Ash, Max and Misty were quick to follow, with the others gathering around. Tears were already starting to form in their eyes.
Ash started scrambling, "Brock, get some alcohol and any painkillers you can, we need to-"
"Don't worry," Ritchie said quietly, "it really doesn't hurt." This told Brock everything he needed to know, and he knew Ritchie was aware of it too.
"Listen," Ash started, "we're going to get you patched up and get you to a Pokemon Center right away, I promise."
Ritchie managed a smile and a small chuckle, "I don't-" he strained a bit, "I don't think I'm going to be able to give you that rematch I promised you."
Tears had begun to fall from Misty's face as she turned away to stifle a whimper. Ash's eyes were glistening as tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes as well.
"No…No!" Ash said, "We can get you out of here. Brock's a doctor, and he can-"
Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash turned and looked at him to see him shake his head. Ash's hopes disappeared and he couldn't hold back the tears anymore, letting them slowly drip down his cheeks as he began sobbing.
Ritchie reached down and unclipped his pokeball belt and pulled it off. He took a single pokeball from it and held it up to Ash. "Promise…promise me they find good homes. Okay?"
Ash took the belt, managing a small "nn-hh" through the sobbing. Misty had buried her face into Brock's shoulder. Brock himself had felt tears beginning to trickle down to his chin.
"Max…" Ritchie beckoned weakly, "here." He held up the pokeball he had taken from the belt before he gave it to Ash. "I want you to have this…"
Max took the pokeball and looked at it. He saw a sticker of a lightning bolt pasted on the top of it. Like Ash before him, he couldn't hold in his grief anymore and began sobbing. "I don-don't understand."
"I want you to take care of Sparky for me," Ritchie said, the smile never leaving his face, "You're going to be an amazing trainer someday…" He paused and closed his eyes, smiling at the memories of his life, "and I would be honored if Sparky was your first pokemon." Sparky had made his way next to Pikachu, and when he heard this he couldn't help but bury his face into Ritchie's side, as if pleading for him to stay.
"But…how do you know? What if I'm not good enough to train Sparky?" Max asked through the sobs, not aware he was only trying to delay Ritchie's departure.
Ritchie continued smiling and chuckled. "You know…I asked myself that same thing…when I got my first pokemon…" Max continued to cry, but was as grateful as he had ever been at the encouragement Ritchie gave him. He looked back down to the pokeball, then closed his fist around it, protecting it.
"Sparky," Ritchie called, turning his head to see his pokemon. He gathered every bit of strength he could and lifted Sparky up, placing him on his chest. "I want to thank you…for everything. You've always been a…true friend. I wish that we could spend our lives together, but I don't think I'm going to be around for much longer." Everyone felt a sharp pain in their heart as they heard Ritchie say the horrible truth for what it was. "Max is going to take care of you now. It would mean a lot to me…if you would be as wonderful for him…as you've been for me."
"Pikaaa..." Tears had been flowing down Sparky's cheeks and onto Ritchie's chest as he nodded at everything his friend requested.
"I want you to know that…you've made my life as great as it's been. Thanks to you…even now, I can say that I'm…happy. I couldn't have asked for a better friend, and I promise to check in on you now and again."
The smile began to fade from Ritchie's face as a tear fell from his eye. "I'll miss you. I love you…"
And with those parting words, Ritchie let out his final breath, and was gone.
Dawn and May grabbed hold of one another, hugging each other fiercely and sobbing. Ash grasped at the ground beneath him, tears falling onto his hands. Brock turned and rubbed Misty's back for reassurance. Mason, Tyrel and Gary felt the tears start to form in their eyes as well.
Further back James, Jessie and Meowth had leapt out from their nook in the wall when they saw the shrapnel collide with Ritchie. They had sat in complete disbelief, watching as his friends tried to console him. When everybody turned to grab hold of one another, they knew that the boy had passed.
"He…he was just a kid…" Jessie said.
"Yeah…" Meowth and James both agreed. The entire thing had happened so fast, and, paired with the events of the past two days, they almost didn't believe it had happened.
The reality of everything finally sunk in with James. He grabbed the insignia stitched to his shirt and yanked, ripping it off. The other two looked at him blankly.
"I joined Team Rocket because I wanted to live life for myself. To make my own choices, far from the pampered life I had once lived. We chased kids around and plotted countless schemes that ended in failure. We spent the majority of our time hungry for a good meal and envious of those who had things we didn't. We've endured the blistering cold and unbearable heat. Through it all, though, I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the time I spent with the two of you, and the twerps, and the adventures we had.
"But this is unforgivable. This is not what I joined Team Rocket for, and it's not something I'm going to stand for."
Jessie and Meowth continued to stare. James had never been so assertive before. But they knew he was right. Jessie grabbed the large "R" on her chest and ripped it off. Meowth looked up to her and nodded.
As the three of them watched, Ritchie's friends continued to hold each other, each one of them unwilling to accept the truth, yet forced to believe it. One of their own, a great trainer and wonderful friend, was gone.
Sitting atop his machine, Giovanni scoffed at the sight of the children crying, then took a moment to enjoy what he had done, allowing a smile to creep across his face. Ash, remembering what it was that had happened and who had done it, shot to his feet and whipped around, facing Giovanni.
"You monster! How could you just kill him like that! He was just a kid!" Ash yelled in a whiny voice, still sobbing over the loss of his friend.
"I admit it was unfortunate," Giovanni said, the smile on his face widening, "but only because I had aimed for you. In fact, had you not simply stood in place like a fool, I would have missed you both completely."
Ash took a step back, hit by the sudden truth that Giovanni had revealed.
"Th-that's not true!" Ash yelled.
"Oh isn't it?" Giovanni barely let Ash finishing for shooting his question at him, "I think you know otherwise. I told you what I was capable of and you wouldn't stop pestering me. You were the one meant to die here, and thanks to you, it was a dear friend who died in your place."
Ash wanted more than anything to reply, to say that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't find the words to do it. Instead the tears continued to flow down his cheeks as he backed away, defeated.
"Now if you'll all excuse me, I've some business to attend to." Ultima began shifting around as Giovanni waved his hand. The entire facility began rumbling as the ceiling far above them slid open from the middle. The entire floor began raising up at an alarming rate, bringing everyone standing to their knees from the sheer momentum. Specks of rain began pelting them all as the rain slipped through the opening in the ceiling. Within seconds the world on the surface reappeared. The legendary pokemon that had been battling earlier had apparently moved on, save for Moltres, which laid lifeless on the ground in the distance.
Giovanni directed Ultima away from the battle scene, leaving Ash and everybody else helpless in the rain.
A/N: I'm sorry guys. I'm not going to say why I chose Ritchie. If you really want to know you can send me a message.
I will say, however, that I'm going to start implementing the music that helps me write these scenes. Not all of them are music driven, though most are. This tragedy was insipred by Gary Jules' cover of Mad World. Feel free to look it up and listen to it. The way I had it, I would listen to the first half with the lyrics, and the second half as an instrumental only, then lyrics with the final chorus. I know it sounds odd, but it worked for me. Also, for any who care, the dance scene between Mason and May was inspired by The Parlotones - Stars Fall Down.
Another thing I hate to report; you can obviously see that the story has taken a bit of a dark turn. It's going to be this way for at least one more chapter, maybe more. I know it was very upbeat earlier on, and I intend to return to that state eventually, but for now things need to be real. I really hope you guys don't mind. Again, I'm sorry. I hate myself for writing this chapter. ='[