Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Or Lost in Space. Or The Twilight Zone. Never have, never will. I do claim creative ownership of any and all characters outside the canon of the show and video games and the plot of the proceeding fanfic. Now, since we got all of that legal ownership stuff out of the way, let's move on to the next chapter of The Choices They Have Made. You know, that kind of sounds like a soap opera title. Crap. Oh well, no changing it now.
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WARNING! WARNING! DANGER WILL ROBINSON! THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER WILL BE TOLD IN A DIFFERENT STYLE. I AM EXPLORING THE WAYS OF STORY TELLING IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY MUSE'S WISHES. FEEDBACK ON THIS STYLE WILL BE APPRECIATED. ALSO, SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. BUT I AM NOT ACCEPTING OC'S. I DON'T CARE HOW COOL THEY ARE, THEY WON'T APPEAR. EVER.
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It was twilight in Cerulean City. All was quiet inside the water gym. For once, there was no petty squabbling or competing. Today had been a day of rest and relaxation, each to their own selves. A temporary ceasefire in the war for Ash Ketchum, if you will. Maybe because they were tired and needed time to rest and recuperate. Possibly because some were cooking up plans, others letting them mature, and one was being a grand puppet master. It could have been that they had all come to an agreement, that the war had ended and the victor stood in the victory circle. Alright, it wasn't that. That's just crazy talk. But it could happen. Maybe. Possibly. Eventually. Under certain conditions... Or never. The biggest factor, though, was probably that Brock had kidnapped Ash early in the morning and took Ash somewhere without telling anyone else. The events that unfold take all take place in the same day, but are told from varied perspectives. What you are about to read may shock and disturb you. You are entering... The Twilight Zone......(cue creepy music)
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DAWN
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Dawn woke up to the new day with the sun peeking it's way through the curtains of her room. The golden ribbons of light fell upon her face, urging her to seize the day, so full of wonders, possibilities, and promises. She opened her big blue eyes and blinked at the brightness a few times before sitting up, taking a deep breath, and stretching out her arms. She had a feeling that today was going to be a good day. Looking at her partner, Piplup, she smiled. That little penguin looked so innocent when it was asleep. She wanted to just pick her (Yes, I know it is actually a guy, but the fic was started with it as a girl, and a girl it will remain. You picky people out there will survive this, I'm sure) up and squeeze her, but Dawn decided against it.
The young coordinator swung her legs over the edge of the comfortable bed and stretched her legs out also before standing up. Dawn looked around the room as she wandered to her very own bathroom. It was almost like staying in a hotel room. The bed had several pillows and a down comforter that covered the entire bed. The floors were hardwood instead of carpet, but the coolness on her feet as she walked on it felt absolutely divine. There was a television on top of a dresser that received basic cable, but Dawn didn't use it very much. At all, really. In one corner there was a chair and a table with three chess boards set on it in a strange way. There was even a small walk-in closet for her use, but Dawn didn't bring all that many clothes with her, so it remained unused. A shame really. It was a nice closet.
Dawn walked into the bathroom, still slightly drowsy. About an hour later, she emerged from the bathroom like a Beautifly from a Silcoon (I honestly don't know what happens in there. I can only guess and be ridiculed for those guesses. So I will leave it to your imagination. Honestly, I hope no one expected me to do a perspective while she was in the shower or something. She's eleven for crying out loud! That would be weird), almost completely re-energized. There was just one more thing to do before she left the relative safety of her room and went into the savage, untamed lands around her. Walking up to the table with the chess boards, she examined the pieces.
The boards were set up strangely. They were set up so that the front edges were facing the center of the table, corners touching each other to form an empty triangle in the center. Each board was home to different colored pieces, as made evident from the squares. Instead of black squares, one board had blue, another red, and the last brown. It was three-way chess. The movement and capture rules were the same as in regular chess, but the board interaction made it tricky. Before any piece could move to another board, it had to be on or past the E row, or the middle row furthest from the player. Once there, you had two options. You could move sideways off of your board and onto the adjacent board as if the two were side by side, or you could continue moving forward. If you crossed the border at the top, you could choose which board you went to, but you had to move into the place on that board as if the two were placed directly opposite each other (It's easier to explain if you look at it. I'll see what I can do about a picture if I get too many complaints).
After examining the pieces for a moment, she went through moving them. She moved the red pieces first, than the brown, and then the blue. She went through three turns per player, and then stopped. It wasn't looking so good for brown. Most of the pieces sat in the center triangle, captured by either blue or red. Unless something spectacular happened, it would be checkmate in the next two or three days. Then it would be down to red and blue.
Satisfied with the board, Dawn went over to the night stand and picked up her belt. Strapping it around her waist, the weight of her Pokeballs dragging it down one side of her hip, she went and woke up her partner. "Time to get up, Piplup," she cooed softly as she picked up the downy ball of blue feathers. "It's a brand new day, and all sorts of things are waiting for us."
The penguin yawned and rubbed at an eye with a wing. "Plup?" she asked, not entirely awake yet.
"Yes, really, sleepy head. Now come on! Let's go!"
Piplup stretched her wings, shook her head really fast, and nodded. "Piplup!"
"Now That's the spirit!" Dawn cheered. "Let's go see what we can find for breakfast, shall we?"
Piplup jumped down from Dawn's arms and started running for the door, waiting impatiently for the trainer to open the door. Sometimes, it was not fun being short.
Dawn laughed as the little Pokemon rocketed down the hallway as soon as the door was opened, obviously hungry and ready for Brock's special Pokemon food. Whatever Brock did with that food, the Pokemon sure loved it. She really would have to get the recipe from him one day, before they parted ways. Hopefully that wasn't going to be for a very,very long time, but it was better to be safe than sorry. As she walked down the hallway, Dawn began releasing her other Pokemon. First came Buneary, who hopped after Piplup as fast as she could, ready for breakfast. Then came little Pachirisu, who ran circles around Dawn before following the other two into the kitchen. Cyndaquil came out next, and stayed close to Dawn, still uncertain of everything and wanting to feel safe with it's trainer. Dawn considered letting Mamoswine out, but finally decided against it for now. The big fellow would have to wait till everyone else had eaten their fill before getting breakfast. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any left for the other Pokemon.
Looking out the glass door from the breakfast area to the fenced in yard, Dawn watched as her Pokemon went to their respective places, food waiting for them, and began eating. Cyndaquil went out and joined them, but kept glancing at Dawn every couple of seconds, as if to make sure she was still there. Dawn waved at the little fire Pokemon, reassuring it that she was going to stay there for a while. Content, Cyndaquil went back to eating and carrying on with her other Pokemon.
"That's a really sweet Pokemon you got there," a voice remarked from the kitchen, startling Dawn. She turned on her chair to look at Misty, her hair in a side pony and sipping on a glass of water. She had a plate of bacon and eggs and toast in front of her on the counter. It looked amazingly delicious, as only Brock could make food. Misty nodded her head towards the oven. "You've got a plate in there, and so does May. Looks like Brock and Ash got a head start on all of us." She held up a note, cleared her throat, and started reading in a deep voice, trying to imitate Brock. "Dear Girls, I've taken Ash out for the day. He needs some fresh air and a good battle, so I'm taking him out to the training grounds. Don't expect us back till late tonight. I've made you all breakfast, but you're on your own for lunch and dinner. Try not to kill each other while we're gone. Brock."
Dawn chuckled as she stood up, walking towards the oven. "That was actually a pretty good imitation of Brock. Have you practiced that much?"
Misty shrugged. "On and off. It's been a while since I got a chance to use it."
Pulling on an oven mitt, Dawn opened the door and reached in, grabbing a plate of food. It was nice and warm, the butter melted evenly through the toast. Heavenly. "Does this taste anywhere near as good as it looks?" she asked Misty.
"Even better," Misty said, taking a mouthful of eggs. "This is Brock we're talking about."
Dawn laughed again. "True." Misty was in a strangely good mood today. Dawn was curious about it, but didn't want to reveal her curiosity. Many a Delcaty had been the victim of curiosity, and Dawn was not eager to join their ranks. Sitting at the breakfast table, she lay down a few strips of bacon onto a square of toast, and than topped it off with some eggs. Picking up her half sandwich, she took a bite and let out a moan of delight. "Oh my God. This is amazing."
"What's amazing?" May came into the room with Misty and Dawn, yawning and stretching. Her hair was a disheveled, her bandanna absent, and was still wearing her pajamas. Obviously, May wasn't a morning person.
"Breakfast," Misty informed her. "You have a plate in the oven if you're hungry."
May's stomach growled in response. "Yeah, I'm a little hungry." She pulled out her pokeballs from her pockets and walked out the door to where Dawn's pokemon were eating. "Come out guys," she said with less than her normal vigor as she released the pokemon. Blaziken sat down near Cyndaquil, trying to ease the fire pokemon's nerves, and Glaceon ate near Piplup. Wartortle, Venusaur, Beautifly and Skitty all mingled with everyone else, and they all seemed to be friendly. It was always nice when pokemon got along.
Dawn and Misty ate in silence while May retrieved her own plate of food and sat down opposite Dawn. Misty joined them at the small, round table. It took a moment, but finally May realized something.
"Hey, where's Ash?"
"Training with Brock," Misty replied. "Well, maybe not with him. But he's with Brock at one of the training grounds. Probably looking for a trainer to sharpen his skills on."
The three women finished eating in silence. It was unnerving, in Dawn's opinion. They were all being so civil, now that Ash wasn't around. Finally, finishing last, May sat down her fork.
It looked like Misty had been waiting for this. "So," she began. "Ladies. I have a proposition for you, if you'd be so kind as to listen."
Dawn knew that there was something going on. "Alright, I'll listen."
"Me too," May chimed. Now that she had a full stomach, May looked more like her usual self, that competitive gleam back in her eye.
"Thank you," Misty said with a smile. "I propose that today, we call a truce. A temporary ceasefire, if you will, to rest and recuperate. I know that the two of you didn't exactly have a restful flight over here, and I didn't make things easy either." She had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "But, you are my guests. So today, we stay out of each others way, and we go back to normal tomorrow. What do you say?"
They said nothing for a long moment. Finally, Dawn broke the silence. "What's the catch?"
"Well, it's not really a catch. Just a request."
"Than what's the request?" May asked.
"I need you both to help me with something. And it's something you'll want to help me with, too. There's this guy who I'm pretty sure is behind most of this. I need you to come with me when we... inquire what is going on."
"Why can't you go by yourself?" Dawn wanted to get at the guy who might be responsible, but didn't want to be too eager. "You're a gym leader, after all."
"Well, he has friends. Fellow fanatics is a better term. There are a lot of them, and they tend towards electric types, and I'm not to good with those."
"I see. So basically, you're asking us to help you beat up the guy who made Ash into a living zombie."
"Yeah."
Again, silence. "Well, I like that idea," May said, smiling. "I could use a night of adventure, just like the good old days."
Misty looked at Dawn, hopeful. "Eh, why not?" she replied, smiling. "I want to meet this guy, and let him know just how far in over his head he is."
The red haired gym leader clapped her hands once in excitement. "Great. Him and the fan club usually come in the late evening. Hopefully Ash will still be out. Can you girls all come back here before then?" They both nodded, showing great enthusiasm. "Awesome."
"We'll make him feel sorry he thought to get rid of Ash," May growled dangerously.
"Very sorry," Dawn agreed.
"Great," Misty said, smiling. She stood at attention and did a salute. "Troops, dismissed." She brought her hand back down to her side and laughed. Dawn and May laughed with her. The creepy echo of the three women laughing wandered through the streets of Cerulean, sending chills down the spines of anyone who heard it. Tonight was the start of a war.
Finding her morning free, however, Dawn tried to decide what to do with her day. She could go try and find Ash, but that might have some negative consequences down the line. She could go find a phone and call her mom, tell her what was going on, and why Dawn was in Cerulean. But, there would be way to many questions that she didn't really want to answer. That left her with finding a book store and finding something good to read.
Taking out her Pokeballs, Dawn called out to her Pokemon. "Hey guys, did you get enough to eat?" There were cries in the affirmative all around. "Then return!" Red beams of light shot out of the Pokeballs at her Pokemon, returning them to their small homes. All, with the exception of Piplup. "Ready Piplup?"
"Pip!" the penguin said, waddling up to Dawn.
She bent down and put the blue bird on her head. "Then let's go."
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It was really quite lucky that there was a book store just two blocks from the gym. Not one of those small book stores with only a couple rows of shelves, but a two story book store, with an escalator and everything. A little too big, maybe. She had no idea where to start looking for books. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn spied a man in an apron, with the logo of the bookstore embroidered onto the apron. He was putting a large armful of books onto one of the shelves, his name tag just visible above the book pile. "Excuse me, Patrick? Do you think you could help me real quick?"
The man turned to her. "Absolutely I can. What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for the fantasy section. Do you think you could point it out for me?"
"I'll do you one better," he said, walking towards a cart that she hadn't seen before, and placing the pile onto it. "I'll take you there myself."
"No, really," Dawn protested. "I can get there, I just don't know where it is."
"Nonsense," Patrick urged. "That's why I'm here, to help customers like yourself. Follow me." He started walking towards the escalator.
Resigned, Dawn followed him in silence. The two went up the escalator, went down a few aisles, and turned down one.
"Fantasy starts down at the other end of this row, and goes down these next three. Was there anything in particular you were looking for?"
Dawn shook her head, making Piplup wobble a little. "No, I'm just going to browse. It's alphabetical by author, right?"
"That's right," he said. "Let me know if you need anything." He started to turn away, but then turned back. "You know, you have a couple feathers in your hair there," he said, pointing.
"Really?" Dawn combed her fingers through her hair a couple times. "Did I get them?"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Mind if I...?"
"No, go ahead." How embarrassing, having feathers in her hair.
He walked to the side and pulled at her hair up near her yellow hair thing. "There, got 'em. Have a good day." Patrick walked down the aisle with a wave and went back down the escalator to his pile of books that he had to put away.
Dawn turned to the shelves of books before her. "Now, where to start..."
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MAY
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"One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, jump, duck, jump, jump, reverse, four, three, three, two, flurry!" The sound of fists and feet on the target pad was a familiar noise to May, and a comforting one too. It had been far too long since she last went to a gym for a real good workout. If she kept up her laziness, she would loose her edge and get rusty. May did not want that.
May had changed into her sparring clothes, some loose fitting, slightly baggy sweat pants and a gray tank top. She had her hair tied up with her green bandanna, and was wearing a pair of sparring gloves. She followed her warm-up and stretching routine without a hitch, not having lost any of her flexibility yet. She found an open punching bag and started punching it to her own cadence. "Jab, punch, hook, punch. Jab, punch, hook, punch. Jab, punch, hook, punch, reverse!" May pivoted on her front foot and brought her back leg whipping around in a reverse hook kick, her heel catching the punching bag squarely at chest height.
Now May started bouncing on the balls of her bare feet, moving around the bag. She would let off a quick flurry of punches, and then back off. Punches, and back off. Every so often she would let off a kick or two at the bag, sending it flying backwards against it's hanging chain, and than catch it with a reverse elbow as it came back towards her. She did this, switching up her attacks, for another ten minutes before taking a break from the bag and finding her water bottle.
"You've got some nice moves," a voice said behind her with approval. "Been fighting long?"
May turned around, bringing her bottle down from her mouth. The person who had spoken was an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair, some wrinkles around his eyes, but still very fit. He was probably in his mid fifties if May was any judge of age.
She shrugged in response to his question. "Not formally. My dad taught me all of that, and he's been teaching me since I was five. But I've never actually fought anyone before." She took another draw from her water bottle, wondering who this man was. "Why?" she asked when she put it down again. "Are you looking for a sparring partner?"
The man laughed. "Goodness, no. You'd probably wipe the floor with these old bones." He laughed again. "But, I do know someone who you could spar against. My pupil, Jacky, needs a good one on one. My joints aren't what they used to be, and I've slowed down in my old age, but a young girl like yourself might do good against her. What do you say?"
May shrugged her shoulders again. "Why not? It might do me some good to have an actual match against someone. Where is she?"
The man jerked his thumb towards a girl about May's age at another punching bag, hitting it with alternating elbows, punches, and kicks. She was shorter than May, and not quite as strong, but she was a good deal faster, and very agile on her feet. May analyzed her opponent as she danced around the punching bag, kissing it with her knuckles. It was one thing to gauge strength by watching them at a punching bag, however, but another thing entirely to gauge strength when standing across from them in the ring. She could tell right now that it would not be an easy win.
"Jacky!" the older man called. "Get over here!"
The girl stopped midway through a punch and turned a look at May and the man. "Coming," she said, sounding exasperated. She finished her punch and jogged over to them. "What's up Bill?"
"Jacky, this is May. May, Jacky."
Jacky held out her hand towards May. "Nice to meet you May. How are you?"
May shook her hand. "I'm alright. Boy troubles, that's all."
Jacky chuckled. "I hear you. But it seems like all troubles come from boy troubles, doesn't it?"
May nodded, smiling. "I'll give that to you, it seems like that most of the time." May liked Jacky. Something about her seemed to resonate with May in a familiar way.
"May here," Bill said, butting into the two's budding conversation, "is going to be your sparring partner for today, instead of me. Sound good to you?"
"I don't know Bill," Jacky responded, looking at May, and then at Bill. "Are you sure about this? She's not..."
"No, she isn't. But she knows the style, and she's pretty good with it too."
"No offense, Bill, but I saw her hit that bag too. How do you know she knows?"
"Come on, Jacky, you should know by now to trust these old bones. I can feel it, see it in her movements and her strikes. She knows more than can be let on by hitting a bag. Give her a minute in the ring, and you'll see it yourself."
May listened to the exchange, but was confused about what they were saying. "Umm, excuse me, but I'm standing right here. What are you talking about?"
Bill gave Jacky a look, and she sighed in resignation. "Fine," Jacky said, hanging her head low. "But don't blame me if I hurt her."
"I can take care of myself, thank you," May said indignantly.
"I'm sure you can," Jacky said patronizingly.
"None of that now," Bill said. "Now, let's get you two girls into the ring." He ushered the two girls into an empty ring and took his place by the bell. "Face each other," he instructed. The two girls stood at the lines painted in the middle of the ring, facing each other. "Bow." The girls bowed. "Fighting stances." May stepped back with her left leg, bending it slightly and pointing her toes out. Her right foot was perpendicular to her left, toes facing Jacky, bending her right knee even deeper than the left. She put her left arm across her chest with her hand up near her chin. Her right arm crossed her stomach, her hand near her hip. Jacky took up a similar stance. The exception was that Jacky's left foot was in front, instead of her right. Her right hand crossed her chest, hand up by her chin, and her left arm hung loose straight down. Bill rang the bell. "Fight!"
The two stood facing each other for a bare moment before they started circling each other, one foot crossing the other, keeping the distance between them constant. They circled like cats squaring off for a turf war, and to the victor goes all the spoils.
Quick as a thought, Jacky lashed out with her left arm, swinging a backhand at May's head as she lunged forward.
May skipped backwards to avoid the blow and shot out her right leg in a side kick aimed at Jacky's leading hip.
Bringing down her right hand, Jacky swung the kicking foot wide, making May twist unsteadily on her left foot, exposing her back. Too easy, Jacky thought, as she went in for the choke. She moved in fast, bringing her left hand across May's throat, the crook of her elbow at May's windpipe. Bringing up her right hand, she tightened the hold even more on May's throat, waiting for the tap out. But, it didn't come. And something felt odd about the hold. Too late, Jacky realized that May had her chin down.
Before Jacky could let go of May, May twisted her hips around, and snaked her right foot behind Jacky's ankles. Turning at the waist, May brought the both of them crashing down to the ground. May landed on top, and ground her right elbow into Jacky's gut.
Jacky released May with a grunt, stunned by both the counter and the elbow. May scurried around and wrapped herself around Jacky's right arm in an arm bar. She started lifting her hips, applying pressure right at Jacky's elbow.
Now, Jacky knew she was in trouble. Her ground game was not very good. She did know how to get out of an arm bar though. Jacky twisted around on the floor, freeing her pinned left shoulder, and moving May's legs off of her chest. It allowed her to bend her right arm, keeping May from breaking it, but she was still in a very weak position to fight from. May suddenly let go of the arm, rolling backwards and standing up, resuming her fighting stance.
This time, Jacky was more cautious. She'd go in for a quick combo, and then back off. May would respond in kind, blocking the oncoming attacks and responding with attacks of her own, before backing off. They were testing each other. Their first confrontation had been born out of hubris, too overconfident. Now, they were sounding each other out. May was about to go on the offensive, having found that the only real hole in Jacky's defense was her back leg, when Bill rang the bell (Sorry, I'm not really very good with writing real fight scenes).
"Time!" he proclaimed, tossing each of them a towel. "That was a good sounding bought. Maybe next time you can have a real match." He chuckled at them as they both glared at him. "Oh, come on. You both did great." May and Jacky looked at each other and rolled their eyes at Bill. "Geez, the elderly get no respect these days." He shook his head and walked away, leaving the two girls to their own devices.
"I got to say, I was impressed," Jacky told May. "I didn't think you would be that good. Who taught you all of that?"
"My dad," May told her. "It was kind of what we did to bond. When I was little, I didn't really like Pokemon all that much, and he's a Gym leader. So, since we couldn't bond over Pokemon, we found something else."
"Well, your Dad must be some fighter to teach you that. What's his name?"
"Norman. Norman Haruka."
"Wait wait wait," Jacky stuttered. "Your dad is THE Norman Haruka? He's an Echo legend! Oh my God, I just fought Norman's daughter to a stand still. Everyone is going to be so jealous. Are you on your Voyage?"
"Voyage?" May asked. "Echo? What are you talking about?"
Jacky looked surprised. "Wait. So you aren't going to..." Jacky's eyes went really wide. "Oooooh."
"What's Echo?"
"Echo? Oh. It's a.....an acronym. E.C.H.O. Stands for the, uh, Elite City Health Organization. He helped out a lot. Yeah. Listen, I have to go. Are you going to be around for a while?"
"Uh, yeah." May thought Jacky was acting weird. "I'm kind of friends with the Gym Leader here, so I'm staying there with her and some other...friends."
"Okay, cool, I'll see if I can drop by sometime. "Alright so I got to go see you around bye!" Jacky jumped out of the ring and took off after Bill.
"Alright than," May said to herself as she went to the showers. "That was really weird." Maybe Jacky would drop by the gym some time and they could have another sparring match. Maybe she could talk Jacky into taking a fall when Ash was watching. Or would it be better for her to take the fall? Yeah, definitely the latter. Then May could train with Ash for a while, and then challenge Jacky to a rematch and win. May smiled to herself. Yeah, that was definitely the way to go. It would have to be after her and Dawn's plan though. So many windows opened after the plan went through. May let her thoughts wander as she stepped into the locker room. The plan was going to be amazing. And the fight tonight...she was reeeealllly looking forward to the fight tonight.
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ASH & BROCK
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Ash yawned as he and Brock made their way to the Pokecenter. Brock had woken him up at the crack of dawn with the promise of a McDonalds breakfast. Brock had been true to his word, and given him the McDonalds breakfast. But at breakfast, the two of them had a little talk.
"Ash," Brock said. "You really need to think about what is going on here. And what you're going to do about it."
Ash had been about to take a bite of his sandwich when Brock said this. He put it down instead, and looked somber. "I know," he said. "And I have been thinking about it. I just don't know what to do about it. I mean, who wanted all of us here like this? They wanted me to think that Misty was dead. Whoever it is, they know me. They know my weaknesses." Ash hung his head and put his hands behind it. "I don't know what to do Brock."
Brock reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder. "I'll tell you what you do. You get ready. Whoever is out there, trying to get at us, is going to have to go through you. And you, right now, are a pushover." Ash looked up at him. "It's true. In your current state, you would loose to just about anyone. You need to beef up your team."
Ash took a deep breath. "I know. I'm doing it today. This is bigger than anything we've gone up against. And I need some help from my old friends. I just...I just don't know. Everything got so complicated." He looked Brock dead in the eye. "But we're going to make them pay. All of us, are going to make whoever did this, pay."
"I know," Brock said. "We'll get them. I'll call home and get my dad to send me some of my Pokemon. You'll call Professor Oak, get your new team together. And all of us, you, me, Misty May and Dawn, are going to bury whoever did this."
Ash nodded. "We are. After we find them. Honestly, though, I don't even know where to start looking."
"I still say we start with Team Rocket. Even if it isn't Jessie and James, we have still ran into them more than anyone else. And Team Rocket is a global organization, not like Team Galactic or Magma. Those guys are regional. Team Rocket is everywhere."
"Yeah, but it's not like we can just walk up to some random guy and ask directions to the closest Team Rocket hideout. If it was that easy, the police would have arrested them all by now."
Brock thought for a moment, crossing his hands under his chin. "That just means we're going to have to start looking at the shadier side of Cerulean."
Ash stayed silent, the sound of his breathing the only thing breaking the silence. "Just one thing. We leave the girls out of it until we find out who's gunning for us. Deal?"
Brock smiled. "Do you really have to ask? Of course we will."
Ash nodded. "Good," he said, and then picked up his sandwich for another bite.
It was then that Pikachu decided to wake up from his comfortable extended nap. He had woken up when Brock woke up Ash, and then promptly fell back asleep, forcing Ash to carry him the entire way. But, now that he was up, Pikachu was hungry. He tugged at Ash's sleeve. "Pikapi," the mouse whined. Ash didn't even look down at Pikachu. He just took the ketchup bottle that was on the table and put it next to Pikachu. "Pika!" he cried in delight. He loved ketchup.
"But the first thing I have to do," Ash said after he swallowed, "is change up my team. I think I know what I want to do, too."
Brock nodded. "That's good. Now you're starting to think. We'll head to the Pokecenter when you finish up, and then work on some new strategies with your new team. What do you say?"
Ash finished his sandwich with the next bite. At the same time, Pikachu set a now empty bottle of ketchup onto the table. "I say, let's go."
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Ash arrived at the Pokecenter a few minutes later and dialed Professor Oak. The phone rang twice before going to a mechanical voice. "I'm sorry," the voice said, "but Professor Oak is unavailable at the moment. If you would like to leave a message, press one now. If you would like to exchange Pokemon, press two now. If you would like to-" Ash pressed two.
"That's odd," Ash said to Brock. "Professor Oak is usually up by now. And if not him, Tracey certainly is."
Brock nodded. "Yeah. One more odd thing to add to the list."
The voice came back over the phone. "Please insert your Pokedex into the slot." Ash slid it into it's place. "Thank you. Please select the number of Pokemon you wish to exchange." Ash pushed the number two. "Thank you. Please select the Pokemon you would like to receive." Ash looked through the list once, and then went through it a second time, choosing the Pokemon he wanted. He selected Glalie and Sceptile. "Please place the Pokemon you will be returning onto the port."
Ash took out two pokeballs. "Pidgeot, Staraptor, thank you. You have helped me a lot. I'll see you guys later." He placed the two onto the slots and hit the enter button on the pad. The machine flashed 'Sending' across the screen. His two pokeballs were zapped with a beam of energy, and were gone. A few seconds later, two more beams shot down onto the ports, and two pokeballs were in their places. Ash took them from the ports and, after minimizing them, put them on his belt. He turned to Brock. "I'm ready now."
Brock nodded. "Then let's get you up to snuff against a couple trainers, shall we?"
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Brock led Ash to a very well populated Pokemon training spot. Trainers of all kinds had gathered together to test their mettle against one another, trying to see who was the best of them all. It was the ideal spot for Ash to try out his updated team of Pokemon. "Wait for one of them to challenge you," Brock whispered in his ear. "You don't want to appear to be too eager to try yourself against them."
So Ash consigned himself, for the time being, to watching the other trainers battle. He was watching one pair of trainers, just starting out based on their Pokemon, battle, when someone walked up beside him, also watching the match. "Those two are Jim and Izzy," the newcomer said.
Ash made a noncommittal sound, just watching.
"They're just starting out on their journey, training to go up against Misty as their first gym battle." The man turned and held out his hand towards Ash. "I'm Jackson. I'm kind of like their guardian angel, watching out that they don't get any really tough opponents as their first real one."
Ash turned and took his hand. "I'm Ash. I wasn't going to challenge them, I was just watching."
Jackson nodded, understanding. "So, have you won Misty's badge yet? You seem like a good trainer."
"I did, but it was a long time ago. Right now I'm looking to re-acquaint myself with my Pokemon. Some of them I haven't used in a while, and I have a feeling I'll be needing them soon."
Jackson chuckled and patted Ash on the shoulder. "Then you've certainly come to the right place," he said. "I'll challenge you to a battle, Ash. What do you say? Up for a little three on three, free substitutions?"
Ash smiled. "Why not? I'm always looking for a good battle."
"Then follow me," Jackson said, "into my office." Jackson led Ash to another ring not far away from where Jim and Izzy were battling.
"Hey Jackson!" one of the other trainers shouted. "Looks like you got some fresh blood over there. Will there be any left for us when you get done with him?"
"I don't know George!" Jackson shouted back. "This guy beat Misty a while back. I may be the one who looses!" Everyone in earshot laughed a little. Apparently, Jackson was a pretty good trainer.
"If that happens, I'll eat my sandal!" George yelled back, pulling said sandal off of his foot and waving it in the air.
"Shut up and get over here!" Jackson waved him over. "I need someone to be judge for me."
"Coming, coming!" George hopped a few steps as he put his sandal back on, but then jogged over to Jackson. The three walked the rest of the way to Jackson's ring. "Alright trainers, shake hands," George commanded the two.
Jackson and Ash shook hands once, and then headed to their respective sides. Ash was on the blue side, and Jackson the red.
"Alright gentlemen!" George continued. "This will be a three on three, free substitution match. Are you both in agreement?" The two opponents nodded. "Pokeballs ready?" Ash held up a Pokeball, and Jackson answered by holding up one of his own. "Battle, begin!"
"Go, Rhyhorn!" Jackson shouted as he threw his Pokeball. Rhyhorn came crashing out of it's Pokeball with a roar, ready to fight.
"Get 'em, Buizel!" Ash commanded as he also threw a Pokeball. "Bui!" Buizel challenged as he emerged, ready for a fight.
Jackson eyed the water type Pokemon with some caution, but didn't let it sway his strategy with Rhyhorn. "Rhyhorn, Horn Attack!"
"Rhy!" Rhyhorn charged in, lowering it's now glowing horn to come in line with Buizel, gaining speed and momentum as it went.
"Buizel, Aqua Jet up and over it, on my mark." Buizel crouched into a low stance, waiting for his trainer's command. Rhyhorn was fifteen feet away. Ten. Five. Three. "Now!" The water type Pokemon executed it's Aqua Jet right over the charging Rhyhorn, spraying it with water but not directly attacking it.
The Rhyhorn, expecting to meet resistance, stumbled slightly as its target disappeared from in front of it. "Turn around!" Jackson yelled, urging his friend to face it's attacker. "Turn around and use Stone Edge!"
"Quickly, before it turns, Water Pulse followed by Sonic Boom!" Buizel held it's paws together, forming the Water Pulse, and then released it with a yell. It then whipped it's tail around, launching a sonic boom right behind it. The double attack caught the foe Rhydon right as it was about to start the new charge. It almost looked like it was going to deflect the Water Pulse in a different direction, but then the Sonic Boom came in behind it and shattered any chance of that happening. The double attack sent the foe Pokemon flipping horn over paw backwards, almost running into Ash. It tried to get back up, but in the end, couldn't.
"Rhyhorn is unable to battle," George said in an almost awed voice. "Buizel is the winner."
"Rhyhorn, return!" Jackson recalled the fainted Pokemon. He said something that Ash couldn't hear, and then returned it to his belt.
Ash held out a Pokeball of his own. "Buizel, Return." The red beam of light shot out of the Pokeball, returning Buizel. Ash replaced the ball at his belt, pulling out his next one. "Go, Monferno!" he shouted as he threw the Pokeball.
"Monferno!" The fire Pokemon was ready to go, shadow boxing and bouncing on his toes.
"Graveler, go!" Jackson tossed out his next Pokeball, releasing the Graveler inside it. The rock Pokemon lumbered into the center of the ring, facing off against Monferno.
George held up his hand. "Battle, start!"
Jackson made the first move. "Graveler, use Rock Throw." The foe Graveler crunched itself up into a ball and launched itself at Monferno.
Faster than the monkey or his trainer had inticipated. "Monferno, get out of the way!" Ash urged, but it was too fast. As Monferno lept out of the way, Graveler caught it up near the hip, launching the fire Pokemon into a spin as it continued it's leap.
"Mon fer no!" it cried, trying to regain it's balance. Once it did, he launched forward in an attack.
"Mach Punch!" Ash yelled, having predicted what Monferno was doing. Monferno seemed to disappear from view, reappearing right in front of Graveler and landing a solid blow, making the rock Pokemon slide backwards, causing obvious damage.
"Now Graveler, Stone Edge!" Graveler stopped sliding and lurched forward into a run, it's right arm glowing, trying to close the distance between itself and the fire Pokemon.
Monferno somersaulted backwards and landed on all fours, spinning on the ground and coming to a stop facing the enemy Graveler, rumbling towards him like an Avalanche. "Monferno, Flamethrower!" The monkey Pokemon took a deep breath, and then exhaled a torrent of flames. The line of fire hit the Graveler, but didn't do much damage to it. It was, however, slowing it down. The enemies lumbering steps slowed down, step by step, battling against the tongues of fire, until it came to a stop. Neither the fire nor the Graveler gave way, reaching a stalemate.
"Graveler, Rollout!" Graveler jumped up and curled itself into a ball. The jump cost it a little ground, but as soon as it landed it started rolling. It wasn't by much, but now Graveler was clearly gaining ground against the flamethrower.
"Now, Flame Wheel!" Without letting go of the Flamethrower, Monferno jumped forward and spun into a ball, covering itself in flames and charging at Graveler. And, now that the pressure of the Flamethrower was off, Graveler hurtled forward with new speed. The two charged each other, meeting with an explosion (I always thought it was funny how two attacks exploded when they came in contact with each other). The explosion launched the two Pokemon away from each other. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the two foes staring each other down. Ash saw Jackson close his eyes and shake his head slightly.
"I'm sorry, Graveler," he said. "Explosion."
Ash and Monferno widened their eyes in surprise. Never had they seen a trainer use Explosion voluntarily. They didn't have much time to dwell on it, however. Graveler started glowing, and charged at Monferno again, trying to close the distance so that the Explosion had the best effect. "Monferno, quick, use Dig!" Monferno didn't need to be told twice. Monferno started digging like there was no tomorrow. It disappeared under the ground as Graveler closed. Right when the rock Pokemon was over the hole in the ground, it exploded. The sound was deafening, the light blinding. Ash cautiously opened his eyes, peering through the smoke to find Monferno. He saw the Graveler, lying down over the hole, fainted.
Suddenly, Monferno jumped up from a new hole in the center of the ring. "Monferno!" it cried, launching a Flamethrower into the sky.
"Graveler is unable to battle," George said. "Monferno wins." He said it in that same unbelieving tone as before.
"Good job Graveler," Jackson said. "Return." After the pokeball was back at his hip, Jackson contemplated for a moment. This was going to be his last Pokemon.
Ash considered returning Monferno, but decided against it. "Monferno, back to your starting position." It quickly jumped back to it's starting line, waiting for it's new opponent.
Finally, Jackson took a ball from his belt and threw it into the ring. "Let's finish this up, Ninetales!" The white fox appeared from it's ball, sitting serenely at it's starting spot. It looked at Monferno and seemed to sneer at it before standing up, baring it's teeth.
George raised his hand into the air. "Battle, start!"
"Ninetales, Will-O-Wisp!" Ghostly purple fires appeared around Ninetales. And it wasn't just four or five, like Ash had expected. It was a full fifteen flames dancing around Ninetales.
"Monferno, try to dodge them!" Before Ash finished his command, the fires started launching at Monferno. The monkey leaped and rolled around, trying to dodge the barrage coming at him. But, to no avail. After only three dodges, he was hit. Now, having lost his balance and focus, the rest of the ghostly flames zeroed in and connected, burning the fire Pokemon. It wasn't much damage, but it would be persistent over time, damaging him more and more as the battle went on.
Monferno stood up after the barrage, ready to attack. "Now, Flame Wheel!" Monferno spit flames from his mouth as he curled up and launched himself at Ninetales, the fire enveloping him as he went.
Jackson just watched, apparently waiting for the attack to come closer. When it was six feet away, he made his choice. "Ninetales, pivot!" Ninetales took one step forward and fishtailed its back end around, using its front paws as a pivoting point, sliding ever so slightly to the right, until it was ninety degrees to the right of where it had been. "Now, Shadow Claw." Monferno had just passed Ninetales, unable to correct its path in time to hit the fox Pokemon. Now that the monkey was abreast Ninetales, it lashed out with one paw, enveloped in black shadows, hitting Monferno and launching it sideways and into the air. Monferno let go if his flame wheel form while it was in the air. However, for a brief moment, he was surrounded in flames again, the burn still in effect.
As he started to fall, Ash gave his next command. "Dig, now!" Monferno rotated backward and did a beautiful back dive into the ring, digging as he landed.
Ninetales stood at it's previous position, waiting. Jackson looked around for any signs of Monferno's reappearance. There was no warning, however, when Monferno flew out of the ground, striking Ninetales in the midsection, launching the white fox into the air. The burn hit Monferno again, however, reducing his health even more.
Jackson gave his next command. "Fire Blast!" he yelled. Ninetales aimed its mouth down at the ground, fire spilling out of its mouth. It let out a loud roar as it launched the Fire Blast straight down at Monferno.
"Flamethrower!" Ash urged Monferno. The monkey let out a cry of its own, shooting a line of fire to intercept the attack. The two fires battled each other, at a stand still for the barest of moments, before Ninetales attack broke apart the opposing flames. Monferno didn't even have time to look surprised before the attack hit him, engulfing everything nearby in smoke and fire.
Jackson watched the smoke as intently as Ash, waiting for it to clear. When finally it did, it revealed Monferno motionless on the ground.
"Monferno is unable to battle," George declared almost smugly.
Ash took out Monferno's ball and bid him return. "You did good, buddy," Ash said before replacing the ball at his belt. He took out Buizel's ball and released him. "Come on Buizel, let's do this!"
"Bui!"
Buizel and Ninetales went to their starting places, eying each other with disdain.
"Battle, start!"
As soon as the start was issued, Buizel took a giant leap backwards, putting space between himself and the fox.
Jackson, however started with an attack. "Will-O-Wisp!"
Again, the ghostly purple flames materialized out of thin air around Ninetales, circling lazily before launching at Buizel.
But this time, Ash was ready for it. "Buizel, use Aqua Jet and dodge the flames!"
Buizel propelled itself forward, water surrounding him and jetting him forward. He weaved in and out between the flames as they tried to hit him. Miraculously, all the flames missed him, flying past harmlessly. Buizel connected with Ninetales head on, sending the white fox flying backwards. It quickly recovered, however, landing on all fours, waiting its next order.
Jackson didn't like his Ninetales going up against a water type Pokemon. He wanted to end this quickly. "Ninetales, Fireblast!"
Ninetales bared its teeth in a snarl, fire popping out between its teeth. It opened it's mouth and let loose a blisteringly huge Fire Blast, bigger than the one unleashed against Monferno.
"Water Pulse Buizel!" The weasel Pokemon brought its hands together, bringing forth the orb of water. It threw the ball at the oncoming flames with all his might, hoping that it would stop the star shaped flames. The two attacks met with a hiss, releasing a torrent of steam that quickly spread throughout the ring. The points of the star were visible through the steam for a few moments, continuing their forward path before fading. Neither trainer could see their Pokemon in the dense fog now surrounding them. This worked into a plan of Ash's, though. "Sonicboom, now!" Ash heard a 'Bui!' off to his left, and saw the steam thin throughout the path of the attack.
Ninetales and Jackson saw it too, however. "Ninetales, dodge it and use Shadow Claw!" The white fox nimbly jumped out of the way of the oncoming Sonicboom, and took off at a sprint towards where the attack originated from, its right paw growing tendrils of black shadow.
Ash saw the movement in the steam. "Ice Punch, now!" Ash saw a white glow in the midst of the arena, and saw it lurch forward to meet a dark shadow coming through the steam. The two met with a sizzle, sending icy cold air off all around, clearing a decent sized circular area of steam. "Now, while you're close, Aqua Jet!"
Buizel lowered its head, covered itself in water, and launched itself into Ninetales face, head butting it with the full force of the attack. Ninetales flipped backwards snout over tail once, twice, thrice, and then skid to a stop on its side. It tried to get up, but fell back to the ground.
George looked at the battlefield, stunned. Jackson had to clear his throat, reminding him what to do. "Uh, right. Ninetales is unable to battle. Ash is the winner." He just shook his head in amazement.
Unexpectedly, there was cheering. Not much, no more than six people, but still unexpected. Ash looked around in surprise, seeing that the ring had attracted a good sized audience. How come he hadn't heard them before? It must have been the adrenaline of the battle, dulling him to everything but what was in front of him.
"Ninetales, return." Jackson's voice brought Ash back to his senses.
"Buizel, return." Ash put Buizel's ball back away and walked to the center of the ring where Jackson was waiting. Once there, he shook Jackson's hand. "That was a good match. Your Ninetales was absolutely amazing."
"Yeah, she did pretty good," Jackson conceded. "Your Pokemon were really good too though. You didn't even have to bring out a third. I'm impressed."
"Thanks," Ash said, slightly embarrassed.
Jackson now turned to their judge, George. "I believe you said something earlier about eating your sandal?" he asked. George gaped in disbelief.
"Do I really have to?" he asked.
"It's not up to me. It's up to them." Jackson gestured to the crowd assembled. They all cheered, wanting to see George eat his own sandal.
"Man," he groaned. "Does anyone have a pot I can boil this in?" The crowd laughed, intent on the spectacle before them now.
Jackson caught Ash's attention with a wave of his arm, indicating that Ash should follow him. Ash kept an eye on Jackson as the two weaved their way through the crowd, finally getting clear of the chaos and cheers.
"There's someone I'd like for you to meet," Jackson said to Ash. "He'd probably like to battle against you too. Do you think your other Pokemon are up to going against a guy stronger than me?"
Ash thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "We'll see, won't we?"
"Pikapi," Pikachu said from his spot on Ash's shoulder. "Pi ka chu ka chu chu pika pika chu ka."
Ash reached up and rubbed the mouse's head between his ears. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you (I actually did for a second. Oops). I'll send you out first thing on the next battle, promise."
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered happily.
"Than follow me," Jackson said, starting to walk.
Again, silently, Ash followed. Whatever was waiting for him, he would face it head on. He couldn't afford to hesitate. Not anymore.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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AN: So this is part one. I started writing this intending it to be one chapter, but it stated getting really long, and I wanted to put it out. So here it is. Feel free to comment and discuss among yourselves. Who is developing plans? Who is letting them mature? Who is the puppet master? Why was Misty so cheerful? Why couldn't Ash get a hold of Professor Oak? What happens now? Also, let me know how the flow of the fighting was. Writing it it seemed good. Reading it seemed alright too. I know it was only a couple turns per fight, but this was only trainer 1. Ash still has a couple more. Before the Ash section is over, he will have used all of his new team to fight. Well, kind of new. Pikachu, Monferno, Buizel, Charizard, Sceptile, and Glalie. There will also be a Misty section, which will have the confrontation with Adam among other things, and there will be a Delia section too. Let me know what you guys think!
Review and recommend please! Penguin King, out~