Chapter 6
Standing in the empty space of the forest were Alice and her pokemon friends with shock in their eyes after Team Molten disappeared from the battlefield. "(What just happened)?" Feraligatr growled in puzzlement. "(What they did was a good trick)."
"(That French guy used a remote control to get out of here)," Sceptile cooed in a down tone.
"(Oh, give me a break)!" Nidoking roared angrily kicking a small pebble, which flew into the sky until it was out of sight. "(How can we be so stupid?! Jack always told us to never trust anybody, let alone suspicious characters)!"
"(At least we weren't cowards like those guys)," Chan growled calmly in reply.
"(Cowards shmawards! I wanted to bust their heads in)!"
"(Will you calm down for one second)?" Tyranitar growled bitterly, placing his paw on Nidoking's shoulder. "(Yelling like that won't help anything. Besides, we got a dragon that needs comforting)."
He turned around, seeing Aurora slowly flying back to the ground. She was in complete sadness, tears forming in her eyes while Alice slowly talked over to her and slowly placed her hands on her face. "I… I'm sorry," Alice said, sounding slightly choked up.
Aurora responded by nuzzling on her face caringly, accepting her sympathy. She slowly turned around seeing Salamence flying towards her. "(My friends… my family)…" she cried miserably. "(I knew the risks, Salamence… fighting to save them)."
He flew over to her and carefully wiped the tear away with his claw. She looked at him and saw a determined look in his eyes. "(Don't worry)," he growled. "(We'll get them back)."
"(What are they going to do to them)?"
Before Salamence could answer, they heard a weak cry coming from a distance away. Everyone turned their attention to it, which was coming from deep inside the forest. They all ran into the forest, looking to find who or what it was. Soon, they found another Salamence, slightly smaller in size than Black Jack's Salamence, which appeared to be weak as it was lying on the ground. Next to it was a dragonfly-like pokemon, Vibrava.
"(Raincloud! Greenleaf)!" Aurora cried, quickly slithering towards the weakened Salamence. "(I thought they captured you guys too)!"
"(Who are you guys)!?" the Vibrava growled suspiciously stepping towards the other pokemon.
"(It's okay, Greenleaf! They're friends)," Aurora cooed. She looked down on Raincloud and gently nuzzled her face.
"Scanning for damages and illness," Mecha said as he focused on Raincloud closely while his in-built computer started to scan her.
Salamence walked over to Aurora, informing her that Raincloud would need to be taken to the pokemon center, also assuring her that Raincloud would be fine after they're done with her. Raincloud sniffed a few times at Salamence. "(Bluesky)?" she croaked weakly, trying to open her eyes.
Salamence turned her attention to the weakened dragon, feeling slightly startled but he kept calm. "(Sorry, ma'am, but you got the wrong guy)," he growled.
"(It's been… so long)…" Raincloud growled as tears formed in her eyes.
"She is suffering from a high fever," Mecha said after scanning Raincloud. "There are berries suitable for her but I think it's best that we take her to the pokemon center right away."
"Right," Alice replied, nodding in acknowledgement before seeing the damage on Metagross and Tattoo. "Are they going to be okay?"
"The damages are not permanent," Mecha said after scanning them both. "So there are no worries."
"(Wait)…" Raincloud growled weakly before anyone could pick her up. She turned towards Salamence. She tried to growl again but instead let out some small coughs.
"(No time, ma'am)," Metagross growled as he used his psychic powers to lift Raincloud up into the air.
"(Aurora)," Raincloud growled before coughing. "(Sing him the lullaby)…"
Aurora became surprised when Raincloud asked her to do that favour while Salamence was focused on getting the elder dragon to the center. He looked down on Greenleaf. "(Kid, if you follow me around, you'll be safe)," he growled.
"(How can I trust you)?" the dragonfly-like Virbrava croaked.
"(Your friend trusts me. Why should you be any different)?"
With that said, Greenleaf reluctantly agreed to follow Salamence and his friends back to the village and the pokemon center.
Meanwhile, Pierre, Arcanine A and Kenzo and the captured dragons still trapped in their electric cell, appeared in a different location. It turned out to be a huge metallic hall where a small camera was placed in one of the top corners.
"You should've let me take care of that girl, Pierre!" Kenzo said angrily.
"Oh, come now, Monsieur Kenzo," Pierre said. "We both had a hunch that most of the pokemon we were battling against belonged to Black Jack. It wasn't a coincidence that Alice Hummingburg, his niece, would show up as well. I had no doubt that with all his motivations of violence and titles, he would train them up real hard."
"Humph… a lucky punch was what it took that Black Jack to become so famous. I'd murder him."
"My dear friend, Kenzo, please. As much as I admire your optimism, Black Jack has quite an intelligent yet sadistic mind. I must say, we have something in common with but in different terms."
"Which is?"
"I'm the brain, you're the brawn," Pierre said smugly as he began twirling his blond hair.
"Are you calling me thick headed?" Kenzo said angrily, taking that remark as an insult.
"Partially speaking, yes. But your strength matches my intelligence. That's why we make a good team."
Kenzo let out a small snarl as he calmed down but still showed his angry eyes. Pierre still showed his smirk, noticing how easy it was to calm his partner down. Kenzo felt that even though the main task was to capture the dragons, he felt that his honour as a fighter was being tarnished because of his partner. "After all, we got what we needed to get. Why risk your life doing something unnecessary?" Pierre continued. "Now, if you excuse moi, I'm off to paint my nails."
After Pierre left, Kenzo took a look at the angry and scared dragons that were letting out their loud cries and roars, desperately trying to get out of their electric prison.
Sometime after getting Raincloud into the pokemon center to be treated, everyone was placed on guard patrol, protecting the village until Black Jack and the others return.
While patrolling, Salamence couldn't help but wonder why his heart skipped a beat when the elder Salamence called him 'Bluesky'. He was aware that someone was behind him and slowly turned around, knowing that the pursuer wasn't a dangerous type. It was Aurora.
"(Hey)," Salamence growled simply, sounding rather sorry for her.
"(Salamence…? Bluesky…? Could he be)…?" Aurora thought deeply, feeling a glimpse of hope in her heart while slowly slithering towards him. "(Salamence)," she cooed, with a choke in her voice, trying to not show any tears. "(You don't… remember me)?"
"(Wha…? What's wrong)?" Salamence growled with concern in his voice.
She lowered her head and her eyes were closed. She breathed deeply trying to keep calm. "(Raincloud… she asked me to sing you the lullaby)," she cooed.
She looked up to him and started singing him in a calm, soothing, pleasant voice. Puzzlement showed on Salamence's face, he was wondering why Aurora was singing to him. But then, it hit him, mentally.
His eyes widened while Aurora continued singing. As he felt how comfortable the song was, he slowly closed his eyes, taking in the song. He moved his head slowly to hers and began to nuzzle her. She was completely surprised of his gentle touch but quickly felt the comfort of his skin and nuzzled him in return.
An image appeared in his mind. He pictured a cave. Inside it was a small, blue baby dragon, known as a Bagon was put to sleep with the same song that Aurora was singing but this was a Salamence, which the Bagon claimed to be his mother.
After a while, Aurora came to the end of the song. They had stopped nuzzling but they still had their heads pressed against each other. "(Now I remember everything)," Salamence growled softly.
"(I missed you so much)," Aurora cooed softly.
"(I missed you too… tell me, is Raincloud my)…?"
"(Yes… she is)…" Aurora cooed. "(What happened to you)?"
"(Well…)," he started feeling a small lump in his throat, feeling rather emotional. As much as he tried, he couldn't get his words out because of this joyous and almost tearful emotion.
"Go on…" a man's voice suddenly said, catching their attention. The two dragons snapped out of their emotional embrace, immediately looking at the man who would dare disturb them.
"(Jack)!" Salamence growled in surprise. "(How long have you been standing there)?"
"Not long," Black Jack replied. "Just the part when you said that you remembered everything. The guys told me about you two but I think they're overreacting."
"(What were they talking about)?"
"What do you think?" Black Jack asked back in reply looking at Aurora. "Just because you guys were nuzzling, it doesn't mean you're in love or anything."
Silence came between them, with a slightly bashful Aurora looking at her long-lost friend while he shook his head while rolling his eyes in disbelief. "So, what happened to ya?" Black Jack asked.
"(Well)," Salamence began, still feeling a little choked. "(It all started before I met you, Jack)…"
-Flashback-
A long time ago, in the deepest of mountains, there lived a group of dragon type pokemon. Many of them were of different species such as Dragonites, tall, strong, orange-skinned creatures that were very powerful yet elegant, and Bagons, blue baby dragons with heads that were hard as rocks. They were hoping no one would find them and also to live happy, healthy lives.
They were wrong…
They were living happily and peacefully until a group of humans, dressed in poacher outfits, accompanied by many types of pokemon. It was night time with a downpour of heavy rain and lightning. They had various weapons, gadgets and traps at their disposal such as net guns. Many of the dragons, the adult and the young, were either caught or killed while trying to escape capture or attack the intruders.
One of the baby Bagons became frightened of the whole scenario, watching his friends and relatives getting killed or captured by the poachers. He screamed as he ran out of the valley in fear, hoping that he would get out of there alive, which he did. Still, he kept on running until slipped on the rocky grounds and fell onto the lower levels of the mountains, badly landing on his head. Because of his hard head, he managed to survive but it wasn't hard as rock, thus he was knocked unconscious. He had bruises and cuts on the rest of body.
It appeared he was doomed to his death… until a small blue meteorite-shaped creature came floating by.
The little Bagon slowly opened his eyes, waking up from his unconsciousness. He found himself inside a cave, alongside the blue creature and a burning campfire. "(Where… where am I)?" the baby dragon growled sleepily and dizzily.
"(It's okay)," the creature buzzed turning towards him. "(You were badly hurt so I thought I'd take you here. I'm Beldum)."
"(I… I)…" the Bagon growled trying to say his name but he couldn't answer.
"(I think you must've lost your memory)," the Beldum buzzed.
The Bagon was puzzled and confused. It was true… he couldn't remember anything. He looked around and spotted two fruits next to the cave wall. "(They're Pecha berries, very sweet and tasty)," the Beldum buzzed, assuming that the Bagon was going to ask what they were. The baby dragon's stomach began rumbling. "(Sounds like you're hungry)," the Beldum buzzed. "(It's okay, I'm feeling hungry too)."
It passed his new friend one of the two Pecha berries, keeping one for himself. The Bagon looked on with curiosity on his face as it started to eat his berry. He picked up his fruit and slowly nibbled on it and became surprised by the sweetness and deliciousness of it. "(Sweet, huh)?" the Beldum buzzed, which the Bagon nodded to him in response.
Suddenly, they heard some footsteps. "Dang! I can't believe how fast the storm came up," a child's voice said in a surprised fashion.
At the entrance of the cave, a young brown haired boy, wearing a red woolly jumper, a brown pair of trousers and shoes, was shaking his umbrella until it was dry enough to close it. He also had a torch in hand and used it to guide him inside the cave, in case it was not safe. After some searching, he spotted the two pokemon sitting by the fire, much to his surprise. The steel type jumped in front of the puzzled Bagon to defend him.
The boy smiled, noticing that the Beldum was protecting his friend. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said placing his backpack down on the ground. He crouched down and took some human and pokemon food and three of his pokeballs from it. After enlarging the pokeballs he opened them up releasing his pokemon.
One was a pink spiky rabbit called a Nidoran, the other was a small blue crocdile Totodile and the third was a young green dinosaur Larvitar. They looked at the two creatures with puzzlement as they never saw them before.
"Come on, guys," the child said. "Say hello."
The boy's pokemon quickly grabbed some of the pokemon food and quickly walked towards them, greeting themselves politely while the child looked through his pokemon guide book, wondering who the two unknown creatures were. Realising how friendly the three pokemon were, the Beldum and the Bagon greeted them back. After a quick look, he pocketed his book and walked towards them. "See? No need to worry," he said holding out his hand. "My name's Jack. You guys must be Beldum and Bagon."
The Bagon smiled as he shook Jack's hand with his paws. "Looks, you're in pretty bad shape," he said, noticing the cuts and bruises on the Bagon's body. He walked back into backpack and took out a spray can. After a couple of quick sprays on the Bagon, the baby dragon cried in pain after feeling the sting.
The Beldum became angry. It leapt and slammed his body on Jack's face, knocking him a small distance away until he hit the cave wall. Totodile and Nidoran became shocked and ran towards the steel type pokemon, yelling at it for hitting their trainer. They got into an argument but Larvitar stopped the fight, explaining to the Beldum that it was a healing potion that helped cure any wound or bruises while complaining to his friends that they shouldn't treat others that way. Beldum, Totodile and Nidoran were ashamed of themselves.
Jack was momentarily dazed as he picked himself up, still showing his smile. "It's okay," he said upon recovery. "Why don't we all have a good rest, huh?"
Everyone agreed. After everyone had their snacks, they all had a good night sleep with Jack's pokemon placed inside their pokeballs and Jack, Beldum and Bagon sleeping inside his sleeping bag.
-End flashback-
"(…And after a couple of days, when you guys were about to leave, we realised that we hold some special connection and we wanted to come along too)," Salamence growled.
"Yeah," Black Jack said noticeably with a sigh. "It's kinda weird when you known someone for a short time and suddenly you have this nice bond."
"(So that's why you didn't recognise me at first)," Aurora cooed.
"Another thing, Alice told me about those two thugs from Team Molten who captured a bunch of dragon you belonged to, Aurora. We need to find that base of theirs."
"(Wait, I remember something)," Salamence growled. "(I spotted a base that had the same symbol as theirs while Aurora and I were flying towards her group)."
Black Jack placed his finger on his lips, showing that he was thinking. He then showed a small smile. "I have a cunning plan," he said.
Apart from Aurora, they noticed that they were being spied upon. Black Jack's other pokemon and Greenleaf were peeping around the corner from one of the buildings. "(So after all this time, Bluesky was hanging around with you guys)," Greenleaf growled. "(He's gotten big and strong)."
"(I never knew that)," Chan growled. "(None of us did)."
"(He's pretty lucky)," Tyranitar growled with a smile. "(He's the only one out of all of us who still has a living parent)."
"(Feraligatr and I never knew our parents)," Nidoking growled. "(Ain't that right, buddy)?"
To their surprise, tears were streaming down on the blue crocodile's face. "(Are you sympathy crying again)?" Tyranitar growled, in a dull tone.
"(No)…" Feraligatr sobbed. "(I just stepped on a thorn)."
"(Liar)," Chan growled. "(And I don't need my sensing abilities to find you out)."
Feraligatr immediately stopped his crying. "(Who asked for your opinion)?" he growled with his eyes getting thinned as he gotten slightly moody.
Meanwhile, at the pokemon center, Alice was looking through a glass window with a look of concern in her eyes. Tattoo, Metagross and Raincloud were being nursed back to health. She felt her right shoulder being lightly pressed, she quickly turned to the right direction to see who was getting her attention but no one was there. She turned to the other direction and saw Isaac Wolfpack, Wes's associate.
"Time out, Alice," he said, holding two bottles of water. He handed one to Alice. "Take one, it's on me."
"Thanks, Isaac," she said as she politely accepted the offer.
Both of them took a swig of their drinks. "So, how are they doing?" Isaac said, looking at the injured and sic pokemon.
"They're doing fine," Alice replied. "Though I do think Tattoo got hurt the worst in that battle."
"I thought as much. Tattoo is like a stuntman or a daredevil, he never use a safety net or anything."
"How did you guys meet Tattoo?"
"I'll try to keep the story short. After your uncle Jack left the Team Dark building after we kicked their behind, we were looking around to look for any pokemon or stuff we find useful. When we got to the prison section, we saw Tattoo there, behind those bars. He was shaking like he was trying to hold something in or something. Mecha recognised him straightaway and told us that he was taken to be tested with drugs and stuff, that's the reason why he gets suicidal all the time."
Alice let out a small sigh. "Why can't guys like Team Dark understand that pokemon can't be treated this way?" she asked sadly. "It's just… wrong!"
"My simple answer is this…" Isaac said, showing a shrug. "They're just idiots. I've been meaning to ask. Why didn't you come get the rest of us when you went off to fight against those two Team Molten grunts."
Alice looked down, feeling ashamed of herself. She knew the consequences of going alone. There were a number of people she could've called to go with her. "Hey, don't feel bad about it," Isaac said. "It's okay. You probably didn't have much time to call for the others and besides, we got enough people and pokemon to help the others out already."
"For a guy who lies on the couch all the time, you give out good reasons," another man's voice said, catching their attention. They turned towards the man standing by the door, Detective Stevens.
"Well, you got the reasoning part right," Isaac said.
Alice resumed back into her ashamed state. "Hey, don't worry about the dragon situation," Stevens said. "C'mon, you did your best."
"Yeah, I did my best and look what happened," she replied tonelessly, predicting what her other friends were thinking of her right now.
"Still, we'll get them back one way or another," Isaac said placing his hand on Alice's shoulder. "Would your uncle feel let down if something like this happened?"
Alice showed a small smile. Her uncle never gave up on anything, not even after one minor setback. "Thanks, guys," she said now feeling determined. "All we need to do is get everyone back."
"Hey, guys," said another man's voice, catching their attention. This time it was Brock, Ash's long time friend. "Black Jack's calling up a meeting. He said he's got a plan."
That night, at the tavern, a number of Team Molten and Team Ocean members were having drinks. Their leaders were sitting at the same table drinking theirs. One of them was wearing a red and black suit and a pair of glasses; he had short black hair combed backwards. His name was Maxwell. The other was a six-foot five, medium built man wearing blue jeans, black jacket with a stripy blue and white t-shirt underneath, and a blue bandanna around his head. He had a scar shaped like a cross on his right cheek and an eye patch on his left eye. The man's name was Ross.
"How fortunate of you to team up with us," Maxwell said, taking a sip of his tea. "If you didn't, Black Jack would have disfigured your team."
"Huh, no way," Ross said bitterly. "I just find him and his pests annoying because they have been messing up with our plans. I just thought that teaming up with you would help get rid of them quickly."
"Of course. I also feel that Black Jack would put on a damper on our plans too if we don't do something."
"Yes, but remember our deal. After all of this is over, Team Ocean will be putting a damper on you," Ross continued as the crowd began to quiet down.
"Yeah, do that first and then we'll beat you guys up," said a deep, scratchy voice catching their attention. They turned towards and were surprised that Black Jack, with a bottle of beer in hand, Ash, who looked like he would lash out on anyone at any moment, and Pikachu, riding on Ash's shoulder, were standing in the tavern with a bunch of enemies surrounding them. For most people, it's an equivalent to saying, "Please end my misery." But not to them, both villainous teams knew that they would be badly hurt if they laid one finger on Black Jack and Ash. "I've come to talk. Not to fight this time."
Maxwell and Ross had puzzled looks on their faces. "What do you have in mind?" Maxwell asked.
"Because I'm feeling slightly generous, I'm going to give you guys a chance," Black Jack said. "A chance to do whatever you want without me busting your brains out."
"Let me guess," Ross said. "A pokemon battle?"
"Not just any battle," Black Jack continued. "You're not going to get a one-on-one contest, you're not gonna get a tag team contest. How about we have a five-on-five trainer battle?"
Ross and Maxwell smiled, liking the idea.
"Don't get overexcited yet," Black Jack said. "There's more. Each trainer will use one pokemon each. We'll be starting with the first two trainers, one from my team and one from yours, with a two minute time limit. When the time ticks to zero, one more trainer from both sides will get in the brawl. The last team standing wins. If your team wins, you guys can do whatever you want. If my team wins, I'll decide on your what to do with you."
Maxwell and Ross looked at each other like they were communicating telepathically. "Think about it," Black Jack said. "All you can eat, one more battle, that's all I'm asking."
Maxwell let out a small laugh. "You're a bit of a fool, Black Jack," Maxwell said. "Coming here just to challenge us to a battle."
"You sound confident," Black Jack said. "I take it that you two will accept my challenge."
"Yeah, it's a deal," Ross said. "One question, what would you say if we refused your battle."
Black Jack looked down and let out a little chuckle. "Oh, dude, dude, dude," he said softly. He took a last swig of his beer before feeling the cool, crisp taste of his favourite drink. "Mmm… that's some good beer," he said relaxingly.
Ash quickly snatched the empty beer bottle and smashed it right into one of the Molten grunts' face, smashing the bottle into pieces and a lot of them got stuck into his face. Everyone, apart from Black Jack, was in total shock. The grunt screamed in pain. Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder with his red cheeks showing electric sparks, ready to zap anyone who got in his trainer's way.
"Felt good, huh!?" Ash said angrily.
"What the hell!?" the grunt cried.
"Yeah, pretty much how I felt when you took Misty away from me!" Ash yelled as he grabbed the hurt grunt by the neck collar of his uniform. He raised his other hand and clenched it into a fist. He raised it into the air, about to deliver another blow. However, he became hesitant as his fist shook with anger.
"Go on, Ketchum," Black Jack said. "Pour some gasoline already."
Ash decided not to do any more harm. He lowered his fist and released the grunt. He let out small breaths to calm his nerves down. "Let's get out of here," he said, feeling guilty. "C'mon, Pikachu."
He walked out of tavern and Pikachu, with a concerned look on his face, quickly followed. Black Jack stood still in his spot still showing a sadistic smile on his face. He looked directly at the bloodied grunt, quickly grabbed him by the collar. He held him for a brief moment before slamming him through the wooden wall of the tavern, much to everyone's shock, especially the barman's.
"That's my wall!" the barman complained.
"Aw, pick up a couple of stick or something," Black Jack replied calmly. He then looked the two leaders. "So, you guys are free tomorrow? Well, you are now. And just to make sure you won't forget, we've already marked your calendar," he continued, pointing to the hole in the wall before walking out.
Outside the tavern, Ash was looking down on the ground, panting in and out while Pikachu was resting on his shoulder, comforting him. Black Jack walked up to him. "So, how did it feel?" he asked.
"I hate it," Ash replied. "I feel like throwing up."
"When I was your age, I used to puke at the sight of blood but I got used to it," Black Jack said, assuring his respected rival that he too would get used to it as well.
"Tell me that's a lie," Ash said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the man who always enjoyed breaking necks and snapping backs.
"It is… it is a lie," Black Jack said, motioning a little shrug. "I was always happy when I see blood ever since I joined Team Rocket. Now c'mon, let's take the bike and get outta here."
They made their way into the forest where Black Jack placed his motorcycle, not far from the tavern. When they got close, the bike suddenly exploded, knocking both Black Jack and Ash off their feet. Black Jack immediately sat up with shock in his eyes while Ash and Pikachu struggled to get to their feet. Black Jack slowly got up to his feet. "Those… those…" Black Jack snarled, with anger slowly controlling him. He knew who it was.
Suddenly, a shadowy blur zoomed past them, surprising them. "What was that?" Ash shouted in shock. Black Jack looked around to see who it was. They both saw the four legged creature standing a distance away from them, glowing energetically blue. It wasn't clear who the mysterious creature was but they both recognised it.
"Why did she attack us like that?" Ash yelled.
Before anyone could answer, the blue creature fired a blue energy beam out of her mouth, hitting Black Jack in the gut. He let out a yell in pain while the incredible force sent him flying until his back hit one of the trees and then he fell flat on his back.
After seeing what happened, Ash and Pikachu ran to his aid. They both kneeled down, desperately trying to wake Black Jack up to no avail, he was unconscious. "It seems that your friend won't be able to make it tomorrow," said a familiar voice.
Ash and Pikachu turned around, seeing a familiar figure standing quite close to them. "Ross!" Ash yelled, realising that the creature was captured by him. "How did you capture her!?"
"Capture her? She followed me. She believed in my cause," Ross replied.
"No way! There's no way she would ever follow you!" Ash cried. Pikachu stood in front his trainer, showing electric sparks coming from his cheeks ready to fight his opponents. "Pikachu! No! We save our energy until tomorrow."
Pikachu held back his attack after listening to his friend's command. "That's right, why don't you give your all as usual… only to be led to your demise," Ross said smugly as he walked away with the mysterious creature.
After they left, Ash and Pikachu turned around their attention towards Black Jack. As they were about to start waking him up again, Black Jack suddenly sat up with evil eyes opened wide. "That felt so good," he snarled showing a sadistic smile. "Helped a little too… it just reminded me who would be refereeing tomorrow's battle."
Next episode: It's the final encounter with Team Molten and Ocean. Black Jack hopes to finish both teams off to protect his family, particularly his niece, and rescue the dragon group. Ash hopes to rescue everything Team Ocean has taken, particularly the love of his life, Misty. Everything will be gone… unless they win this final bout.
--------------------------------------------------------
More coming! Reviews please!
