AN: This is my first story! I hope you like it! I was really inspired after reading some others. P.S. This takes place right after the Lake of Rage arc
1: The Fall of Ash Ketchum
Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket stood in a small open field surrounded by trees. Their hot air balloon was parked there too. They seemed to be having an argument.
"I say we go for all of 'em! The more loot, the more money!" Meowth said, smiling nastily. James disagreed, "Whenever we get greedy, we lose! We've spent too long devising this plan." Jessie shook her head, before getting in Jame's face. "You buffoon! We've spent so long on this plan so we could catch all of the twerps' Pokémon! We'll be fired if all we get Giovanni is a Pikachu!" She yelled.
James fell over as Jessie kicked him right into the balloon, puncturing it. James also managed to fall on the preheated fire that would lift the balloon off the grass floor. His butt caught on fire and he screamed bloody murder. "AHHH! I'm sorry for doubting you, just help meeee!"
Jessie grumbled something while Meowth looked straight at the camera, "That's why I never disagree with the women in my life," He shrugged as James kept running around.
Coming hot off their win against Team Rocket and Lance's capture of the Red Gyarados. Brock and Misty convince Ash to challenge the gym leader the next day. Ash agreed, still thinking about Pryce's words, that treating your Pokémon with love was a waste. But who cares? He did. Ash Ketchum. He wondered if Pryce was right, was it all a waste of time? He was only top 16 in the Indigo League, even though he showed his team lots of love. No, that was Team Rocket's fault. But Charizard… he wouldn't obey even after everything he went through…
"Pika?" Pikachu would say, climbing back onto his shoulder. He could tell Ash was concerned about something. Ash replied, "It's okay, Pikachu. I was just thinking about tomorrow's gym match. Pikachu smiled and puffed up his nonexistent muscles, "Pikachuuu!" He growled. Ash smiled too, "Well if that's the case, then I'll definitely use you in the gym match!" He declared.
"Well, Ash, before you take on the gym, you'll have to eat," Brock said, with a chuckle. "Dinner's almost ready." Brock said, as he started to finish the sandwiches. He was dressed with a pink apron as he always had to stay clean while he cooked. Misty was setting the plates while Togepi danced on the table, most of their Pokémon were playing however. Cyndaquil was napping while Totodile danced a nearby small river, putting on a show for Misty's Goldeen it seemed. Ash's Bayleef seemed to be taking a nap too, curled up around Ash's legs. Phanpy was practicing its Rollout while Noctowl was watching over everyone while perched on a tree. Misty's Staryu was in the water, trying to teach Psyduck how to swim though he seemed more interested in Totodile's antics. Brock's Geodude and Onix were talking to each other while Golbat stuck around to watch his trainer cook. His Pineco was in his pokeball until it was time to eat, for fear of it accidentally self-destructing.
Ash nodded. "Yeah," he said, then carefully stepped over Bayleef and walked to help Misty finish setting the plates. Suddenly, Noctowl cried its name as it flew towards Ash and looked towards the forest. Pikachu's ears perked up and he looked towards the forest too. Most of the Pokémon with enhanced hearing had picked up on it too. Ash noticed, asking, "What's wrong?" He asked. But after a second it was quite clear. A hot air balloon shaped in the face of a Meowth as the balloon. However, it seemed to have a rather advanced engine. And the basket looked quite different than what Ash recognized, Ash immediately realized who it was though.
"Team Rocket!" He yelled, which caused everyone to look up. Bayleef and Cyndaquil woke up immediately, with the latter of the two lighting the fire on its back. Pikachu's ears started to spark with the realization that they were under attack. But before that…
"Yes, it's us, and we're back for trouble!" Jessie stated, standing up in the basket to reveal herself.
"We've made a return, so make double!" James announced, doing the same with a rose in his hand.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," Jessie finished.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" James said, while throwing his rose out of the balloon.
"Meowth that's right!" yelled a talking cat Pokemon as it jumped on the edge of the balloon.
While Team Rocket sung their motto, Ash, Brock and Misty looked unamused, well, Brock and Misty did. "Ash, just have Pikachu use Thunderbolt." Misty said, "I'm hungry." Ash shook his head, "I've kinda missed their motto, we haven't heard from them in a week." Misty sighed.
"Now that we've finished, allow us to take Pikachu." James yelled down to them with glee, as Ash furrowed his eyebrows.
"Alright, now you can let 'em have it, Pikachu. Thunderbolt!" Pikachu smiled and jumped off of Ash's shoulder and into the air. "Pi…Ka…Chuuuu!" He yelled as he sent a huge bolt of lightning towards the Rocket Balloon.
"Not so fast," James said as he held up a weird device. All the lightning seemed to be sucked up into the tiny contraption. "Shock all you want, you'll never get quite the response you want." He teased as Meowth jumped onto the edge of the basket and pushed a button on a little box "Now we'll get what we want!" He announced as the box unraveled to unveil a hand. If zipped out of the box and grabbed Pikachu right out of midair. "Pikaaa!" It whined in slight pain.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash yelled in panic as the band retracted back into the box. Pikachu was now in Team Rocket's possession. It tried shocking them but the rubber hand that held it captive seemed to absorb everything. Ash realized this wasn't working.
"Noctowl, you're up. Hypnosis!"
Team Rocket didn't seem very worried as Noctowl began flying towards them. It started to emit hypnotic waves from its eyes, but Jessie just held up a mirror which reflected the waves back at Noctowl. "And to think this stupid bird beat us before…" Jessie said, then shrugged. As Noctowl fell under its own spell, it stopped flapping its wings and fell to the ground.
"Noctowl!" Ash yelled. As he started to run towards it, hoping to catch it before it plummeted and got hurt. But something beat him to the punch. A hand grabbed Noctowl and then retracted back to Team Rocket's balloon. It was Meowth, holding another one of those rubber hand contractions. "Don't worry, we wouldn't dream of letting our ol' buddy Noctowl hit the floor. Hahaha!" He laughed.
"Now let's lose those losers while they dwell in their loss!" Jessie taunted with a smirk.
"Yes, Captain!" James said.
"We can't let them get away," Ash yelled. "Cyndaquil, Flamethrower! Bayleef, Razor Leaf! Totodile, Water Gun!"
The Johto starters all nodded as they finally got the chance to attack. Cyndaquil's flame grew even bigger as he opened his mouth wide and spewed a large amount of flames at the balloon. With two nods of his head, Bayleef sent out 8 razor sharp leafs out towards the balloon, hoping to pop it. Totodile did a dance before shooting out a large amount of water from its mouth with a little build up.
"Quiiiil!"
"Baayyy Leeaf!"
""Totototototo Dileeeee!"
They all let out a battle cry as they let their attacks fly, to this the Team Rocket Trio seemed a bit worried. With Meowth urging James to hurry up. "C'mon Jimmy, this is too close for comfort." James started pushing buttons and pulling levers in a panic. "This stupid hunk of junk won't go!" Suddenly, the engine seemed to shift as it was revealed that two boosters were hidden inside of it. With only seconds to spare, they were lit as Team Rocket made their escape. The Johto starters attacks hit nothing but air.
"We've got to follow them," Ash said with frustration. He immediately started running after Team Rocket with all of his Pokémon in tow. Misty and Brock followed, Misty somewhat reluctantly as she muttered, "This could've all been avoided if you just interrupted their motto." Ash growled in anger, but in the end Misty was right. He just didn't think that Team Rocket would actually succeed this time. But it didn't matter, they'd get Pikachu back like they always did.
After a few minutes, Mahogany Town was just a dot in the distance for Team Rocket. They started to slow down, and their thrusters were turned off. Jessie, James and Meowth all spilled out the balloon despite the fact that they hadn't done any running. However, they seemed ecstatic.
"We did it, I can't believe it worked," James said, with the glee of a child.
"I told you, we haven't been thinking this scheme up for weeks for nothin'!" Meowth said, smiling as he carefully locked Pikachu into an anti-electric cage. Pikachu whined and banged on the glass but eventually gave up. Pikachu didn't give up hope though, he knew Ash would come and get him..
"There's no time for celebrating, we have to start phase 2 of the plan!" Jessie yelled.
"What was phase 2 of the plan?" James asked.
"I don't know, we usually don't get this far…" Jessie responded thoughtfully.
"Well, you bimbos might not have a plan. But Meowth always does," Meowth started with a smile full of snark. "Those twerps will be coming for us but we're too fast. So they send their twerpy Golbat with its supersonic waves after us."
"Uh huh, uh huh." Jessie and James said, sitting down to listen to Meowth."
"So we make sure their Golbat can hear us, then we capture it. When they come looking for it, we use my new contraption to immobilize 'em then we take their Pokémon."
"Really?! Meowth, you're brilliant!" James exclaimed with star in his eyes.
Meowth nodded, "I know it, and you know it. Just a matter of time before the boss does too. And you know what he'll say—"
Before he could finish, Jessie interrupted him, "Who cares what he'll say?! Think of what I'll say when I'm swimming in a pool filled up by that red-haired brat's water Pokémon while I snuggle up with Pikachu! We'll be famous and rich!"
"Pika…" Pikachu groaned, not too thrilled by that prospect.
"Now shush! They'll be here any second now!" Meowth said, and they all hurried to their positions.
"We gotta give it up, Ash. We're gonna get exhausted like this. Team Rocket could be anywhere." Brock said between breaths, they'd been sprinting for 15 minutes and hadn't gotten anywhere. Ash was wearing down too, even though he didn't show it. "I have an idea, we'll use Golbat. He can track them down with his supersonic waves and then lead us right to 'em." Brock added on.
Ash kicked himself for not thinking of that, but he it was a good idea. "Fine, let's do it." Ash agreed, he was getting really tired. But he was also desperate, they'd never catch Team Rocket like this.
"Alright Golbat, go track down Team Rocket." Brock said, motioning for Golbat to go.
"Bat!" Golbat cried as he flapped his wings with ferocity and took off. Ash and co. came to a stop. Only then did the raven haired boy realize his Pokémon were really tired. "Sorry guys, guess we have been running for a long time." He said, returning his Pokémon.
"My legs hurt…" Misty complained as she sat next a tree. Ash ignored her though, Team Rocket had managed to steal Pikachu and get away. Only now was Ash realizing that with those boosters they had, they had a very real chance of getting away from Golbat. Was this his fault, though? Would this have not happened if he just blasted off Team Rocket? Misty or Brock could of done it just as easily as he could though. Ash was left with these thoughts, which only planted seeds. Maybe he wasn't as responsible as he thought. No, he wouldn't give up hope. He'd get Pikachu back, but determination wouldn't make Golbat come back sooner. It was 15 minutes until they heard a sign from Golbat—er, more like Brock heard a sign from Golbat.
"I can hear him!" He suddenly announced, standing up.
Misty looked confused with Brock's sudden announcement. "What do you mean?"
"Like when Golbat was stuck under those rocks, I can hear his supersonic waves. He's in trouble! He must of found Team Rocket." Brock said.
Ash stood up with just as much gusto as Brock. "What are we waiting for, let's go!" He exclaimed.
"We can't rush, I can only hear it faintly, we'll have to walk and stay very quiet." Brock explained, as he started to pinpoint the supersonic waves again.
Ash was clearly frustrated but kept it to himself. Now was his chance though, he knew Team Rocket were lousy battlers. He could get Pikachu and Noctowl back and forget all about not being responsible. At the pace they were going though, they'd never get there. Brock was taking way too long, they kept having to stop. But by then Ash knew the general location Brock was heading. So there was no reason to go this slow.
"Pick up the pace, let's go!" He yelled, and took the lead running towards where he thought Team Rocket were at. Brock frowned, calling after Ash, "Wait up! We can't just go running after them…" Misty sighed, as she set off running against after Ash with Brock. She wasn't enjoying this whole ordeal anymore than Ash was. But he was acting so rash…
Eventually though, Ash came to a clearing. It wasn't the same one Team Rocket was in though. It was right next to a river though, which Ash didn't see coming. He tried to stop but the soft dirt that had accumulated by the shore made him slip right by. "Ash!" Misty called, as she entered the clearing with Brock.
"Aaaaahhh!"
He yelled, as he fell in. Ash was quickly overtaken by the current as he tried to steady himself. He reached for a pokeball but immediately lost grip. With the fear of accidentally losing another pokeball to the current. He let himself be carried away, in the opposite way from Team Rocket. How could it all of gone so wrong—man? He couldn't even hear Brock and Misty as he started to black out.
"This is taken too long!"
Jessie complained, while she sat on a rock. James sat beside her, agreeing with her. "Jessie's right. I say we take what we have and leave!"
Meowth was sitting at the bottom of the rock, just as bored as Jessie and James. But he had a plan, and it wasn't going to be screwed up by their unpatient natures. "No! This is all part of the plan, we gotta tire the twerps out and by the time they get to us they'll be too tired to fight us. Patience is precious—"
"My time is precious and you're wasting it!" Jessie yelled, before realizing that she was too tired to yell. The three slumped down. How come the victory plan felt so boring?
Next to the big rock they were by, three cages were occupied. Noctowl, was still sleeping due to the effects of Hypnosis almost 40 minutes later. Pikachu, who was still faintly banging on his anti-electric cage. Why was Ash taking so long? He hadn't lost hope yet, but he was exhausted. And Golbat, who was sending supersonic waves out, trying to give Brock a signal. But Golbat was tired of sending these waves out. It had to, otherwise the group wouldn't know where they were. It was just a matter of time until they arrived.
"Ash! Ash! Wake up!"
Misty's voice. Her face to, Ash could just barely make it out, his eyes felt sore. What happened…? Where was Pikachu? Pikachu… he was gone! Ash shot up in an instant, scaring Misty. "Where… where am I?" Ash asked, still feeling groggy. And soggy, his clothes were very soggy.
"You fell into the river and and passed out, don't you remember?" Misty explained, though in all honesty Ash didn't really. "Anyways, take this." Misty give him a sandwich… huh?
"We can't be eating now!" Ash exclaimed, standing up. "Pikachu's still in trouble! And Noctowl… and… and…" His own voice was growled out by his stomach.
"I thought you might be hungry, it's been an hour since when we first set up camp to eat. We have to replenish our energy." Ash nodded, eating his sandwich, but he was rushing. The fact that Brock had just said it'd been an hour rubbed Ash the wrong way. This was definitely his fault, he had rushed ahead without knowing where he was going. They probably had no idea where he was going. Well the step to fixing something was apologizing, right? That's what his Mom always said. So he apologized.
"I'm sorry for rushing ahead Brock, do you know where we are?"
"We're in a forest, a little west from Mahogany Town. No idea where in the forest we are though. Searching the whole place could take multiple hours." Brock responded.
"But we have a lead, you can hear Golbat, right?"
"Not anymore, we have to get away from this rushing water."
"We don't have time for this! I know Pikachu's still in this forest! I can just feel it! Let's go!" Ash exclaimed as he started to run off before he could finish his sandwich.
Misty, who was still eating was quite visibly frustrated. She wanted to get Pikachu back too, but Ash wasn't listening to reason. She and Brock knew that they couldn't let Ash do it alone though, and took after him.
Ash knew this was basically what he had done last time. But he was being careful this time. He stopped just in time to not fall of a ledge. Despite that, he kept moving. He could sense Pikachu. He didn't know didn't how he could, but the raven-haired boy could somehow. Brock and Misty struggled to catch up as Ash powered ahead. He was getting closer, definitely. It was just… urch—. A ledge. Nothing he couldn't get over… Ash ran it at with full speed and didn't even get halfway before falling right back down. Change of plans.
"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw his pokeball dramatically. But… no pokeball was there. "Ah! Where's Bayleef?" Ash hollered with a panic as he checked his jacket. Brock and Misty finally caught up to him, out of breath.
"We were about to say, before you ran off…" Brock huffed between breaths. "You lost Bayleef's pokeball in the water but we were able to get it back." Brock said as he held out Bayleef's Pokeball.
Ash muttered a thanks as he took the pokeball. "Alright, come out Bayleef!" He called as he threw the Pokémon to the top of ledge. "Lift us up with Vine Whip." He requested. Bayleef happily obliged with a "Bay!" as vines emerged from its body. With four vines, he was able to lift all of them in one go. Though after, Bayleef seemed to have easily tired itself. Ash noticed this, though, "I'm sorry Bayleef. You're probably hungry, right?" He gave Bayleef half of the sandwich he was eating before. Bayleef smiled and quickly chomped down. "Bayleeeef!" She cried in delight, Ash returned Bayleef and headed off again. Brock and Misty were able to catch up with Ash though and block his path.
"What's the big idea?!" He complained.
"Ash! We're all tired, we need to take a break or go back." Misty explained.
Brock added on, "If we go back to the Pokémon Center in Mahogany Town and got a proper search party. We'd have a much better chance of finding on Team Rocket."
Ash disagreed, "You said it yourself, we're lost in this forest! We don't know where Mahogany Town is! Besides, I can sense Pikachu. If we leave, we might not get this chance again!"
"What are you talking about, Ash?! We're all tired, and so are our Pokémon! And now you're talking nonsense! We need to get out of here!" Misty yelled angrily.
"Well if you're so tired, then you go find the Pokémon Center!" Ash yelled back, as he started to run again.
Brock and Misty were left to themselves, this situation was getting worse. As usually, Misty looked to Brock on what to do. He seemed to be deep in thought. "Maybe he's right…" He muttered. Misty gasped. "What do you mean?"
"Well, maybe we need to split up. He has a point, it could take awhile to get a search party… searching. But at the same time, Ash can't go alone."
"I'll go then." Misty spoke up. "You should take Togepi though."
Brock nodded, "If you think you can. I'll be back soon." Brock said as he accepted the sleeping Togepi, he then started to run along the ledge they'd just climbed up. Misty sighed to herself as she ran after Ash. He was always so rash and quick to act. He almost never thought anything through. Despite that, Misty knew he was just worried about Pikachu. And though they weren't her Pokémon, Misty wouldn't let him do it alone. Time to catch up to Ash.
Ash continued to march forest… somehow. He was hungry, maybe he should've finished the sandwich instead of giving the rest to Bayleef. His feet ached, the raven-haired boy could still sense Pikachu though. It was the only thing keeping him going forward. Though he should've collapsed long ago, he was still going. Brock and Misty must've gone back to find a Pokémon Center. Well, it didn't matter; he didn't need them. He could get Pikachu back by himself. And Noctowl… and Golbat. His heart was beating a million times per second. Damnit. He had to rest… Ash fell down to his knees, somehow took less effort than actually trying to sit down.
While his legs took a break, his brain finally started to work. At least when he was running, he wasn't thinking about his this was probably his fault. No use avoiding it now, but it felt much better not to think about it. It'd all get better once he found his Pokémon though. There was a nagging light I the back of his head that told him that Pikachu was close—so close. It wasn't faint like when he first felt it. Ash wondered how he was able to tell? Whatever, it was time to set out again. Ash's legs weren't 100% again but his heartbeat was a little better. Heart still felt like it was burning though.
"Ash!" A familiar voice called out…
"Misty…?"
"I thought I had lost where you went…"
Before Ash could start, Misty had caught up to him. This shocked Ash, she really followed him? Misty immediately kneeled over as she tried to catch her breath.
"You followed me?" Ash asked, a little dumbfounded.
"Well… of course… I couldn't let you go alone." Misty panted, trying to manage a smile at Ash.
"Really?" Ash asked again. "Alright then, let's go!"
"Can't we just take a little break?" Misty whined before she collapsed with a sigh.
Ash scratched the back of his head and sat down with Misty. They sat in silence while Ash and Misty chugged some water, now that he had time for it. The silence kept up for a few minutes before Ash decided to break it.
"Sorry, for you know, leaving you guys."
Misty nodded, but didn't say anything. Ash wondered if she was mad. Why would she be mad? None of her Pokémon were taken. She didn't need to be here if she didn't want to. Ash decided it was time to go. Didn't matter if Misty was still out of breath. He rose from his sitting position and started to move again. Misty let out an indescribable noise as she rose up to follow Ash.
It turned out something so trivial like a few minutes of rest and some water really made the difference. He didn't feel like his body was on fire anymore. His determination returned as he tried to feel where Pikachu was. It was clear, very clear. Just maybe 20 minutes away. His legs almost ached at the thought of running for that long but he ignored. There were a few more obstacles, but Ash's (hungry and tired) Pokémon were able to help them overcome any distraction. Finally, Ash knew they were were only a few dozen meters away from Pikachu.
"We're almost there." He said.
Misty stopped running. "If they really are there, we should wait for Brock." She responded.
"I've got to rescue Pikachu now." Ash replied, he felt like he had to do it without the help of anyone else. It'd been 2 and a half hours since he lost Pikachu.
"Ash…" Misty trailed off..
"I'm going in." He said before jumping out into an opening that was devoid of trees. Immediately he saw Pikachu, he knew his gut feeling was correct. He was in an anti-electric cage. Unconscious. Noctowl and Golbat too, though Noctowl was wide awake. Thank goodness everyone was alright.
"Pikachu!" He yelled out with a sudden burst of happiness as he ran towards his partner. But three figures quickly stopped that, Jessie, James and Meowth.
"Come no closer you emptyheaded twerp!" Jessie warned.
"A tired twerp, too! My favorite!" James added
"Team Rocket, out of the way!" Ash said. "Phanpy, I choose you!"
With a flash of light, Phanpy appeared. "Py…" It cried, looking around the battlefield. Was it time to sleep yet? "Sorry Phanpy, just fight this one battle and you can rest." Ash said. Phanpy nodded, and got ready for battle. Though he seemed to be visibly tired. In response, Jessie stepped forward. "It's time to show you twerps what's what, and Arbok's what's up!" Jessie called, as Arbok materialized in front of Phanpy. Phanpy had the type advantage, which would be great if it had any ground type attacks.
"Take Down!" Ash commanded.
Following suit, Jessie shouted out, "Poison Sting, Arbok!"
With a battle cry, Phanpy started to charge forward. Hissing, Arbok opened its mouth and let out a flurry of poison tipped projectiles towards the charging Phanpy. Phanpy took the hits, though they weren't very effective. It still did some wear and tear to Phanpy. Arbok was battered by Phanpy however, falling back towards the ground near Jessie's feet.
Meowth glared, "Focus up, Jessie!" Jessie stomped on Meowth, hollering, "Shut up you furbrained feline! Now Arbok, Wrap!"
"Phanpy, Defense Curl!" Ash cried.
Phanpy curled up into a ball as Arbok dashed towards it. With little effort it wrapped around the blue and red Pokémon. Defense Curl wasn't really doing much as Arbok squeezed harder.
"It's perfect, enact the plan, Jimmy!" Meowth yelled with a gleeful dance.
"Okay dokie, Victreebel. Sleep Powder!"
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the battlefield. It was the Rocket Balloon. Though instead of a Meowth Balloon. It was shaped like a Victreebel. Odd. Anyways, what mattered was what was inside the balloon's basket. Victreebel! It sprayed its sleep powder all over the battlefield.
"Gas masks on!" Meowth announced as he, Jessie and James pulled strange masks over their faces. "Can't fall asleep with these bad babies!" While that happened, Jessie also returned Phanpy. Ash, on the other hand was too busy trying to hold his breath.
"Phanpy, hold your breath!" He said as he tried to held his finger up to his nose. Phanpy, however was too exhausted from all the running and battling and immediately fell asleep. Looks like it got his wish, one way or another.
"I'll take care of the powder!" Misty said, as she jumped into the opening and covered her nose. She quickly sent out Staryu and under her breath managed to order Rapid Spin. The orange starfish started to spin maintaining a midair position as it kicked up a powerful current blowing away all the sleep powder.
"The nerve of that red haired twerp," James shouted, throwing a temper tantrum. "She demolished Victreebel's art!"
"We've still got this under control. Phase 3 of the plan is still a go!" Meowth said, patting James on the back.
"Right." James and Jessie affirmed, before sending out Weezing and Arbok at.
"Weezing, counter with your own Rapid Spin!" James commanded.
Weezing started to spin as it matched Staryu's momentum and stopped it. It had done its job though, the powder was gone. Arbok jumped in front of Staryu, ready to throw down. Misty looked concerned at this unfair matchup. "Ash, a little help…?"
"I've got it Misty. Phanpy, return!" Ash replied, though he was quickly interrupted by Meowth. As Ash held his pokeball, he took out the rubber hand contraption and pressed the button. "Not so fast," He said as the hand retrieved the sleeping Phanpy. "Ha! Now we've got half of the twerp's Pokémon!"
"No! Phanpy!" Ash cried. This couldn't be happening, Phanpy too? This was getting out of hand. How was Team Rocket doing this? Had to act fast though. "Well, okay, Totodile, you're up!" Ash was serious now. Picking Cyndaquil or Bayleef might mean that accidental friendly fire between him and Misty would do some major damage.
With another flash, Totodile entered the fight. After a quick dance, Ash started to formulate a plan. "First things first, get Victreebel out of the air, Water Gun!" Misty ordered Staryu to do the same.
"No you don't! Stop them, quick!" Meowth cried.
"Poison Sting, Arbok!"
"Sludge, Weezing!"
Jessie and James ordered simultaneously. The double poison attacks managed to counter the duo water types… well, not really. But it knocked the moves of course meaning the water attacks splashed harmlessly onto the ground instead of bursting Victreebel's balloon.
"Alright, now let's rough you up a little bit!" James cried. "Sludge Wave!"
"Sludge Wave?! They've really been training!" Ash exclaimed. "Alright, dodge it Totodile!" Misty chimed in, "You too Starmie!"
The two water types jumped high above the sludge with ease, but were met with more poison tipped barbs from Arbok. They were quickly knocked to the ground where the sludge overtook them. No good. Totodile and Staryu were totally washed up and pretty dirty. Not just dirty but… poisoned!
"Hurry up and make Victreebel use Sleep Powder before they get back up!" Jessie screamed in Jame's face.
James nervously looked at Jessie. "Well… you see, um…" He stuttered.
"What is it? Spit it out, I thought our plan was flawless."
"Since they're poisoned…" Meowth started.
"It can't be put to sleep! It's not possible!" James and Meowth finished.
"So you mean we have to actually knock out their Pokémon… with skill?" Jessie said with a frown.
"Beat 'em with dirty tricks or with skill! I don't care! Just get 'em! Get 'em! Get 'e-" Meowth was quickly interrupted by Misty and Ash.
"Rapid Spin on Arbok!"
"Use Bite on Weezing!"
"You lazy lugs! While you's been uselessly dilly dallying the twerps have been planning a counter strike. Go get 'em! Go! Go! Go!" Meowth yelled as his claws slickly came out of his paws. Jessie and James quickly got to the battle so they wouldn't be slashed.
Staryu rammed into Arbok's stomach with the force to make his mind go numb. Uh oh. It seemed Arbok was almost at the brink of fainting. Weezing was able to take the bite better than Arbok could take a Rapid Spin. Though for some reason Totodile wouldn't let go of his mouth.
"Alright, if that's how you wanna play then use Rapid Spin and take that disrespectful croc on a ride he'll never forget!" James yelled. Weezing did exactly that as he started to spin in mid air. Totodile had jaws of steel though as he wouldn't let go no matter what. Despite that, it seemed Totodile was almost about to dip into unconsciousness so Ash had to call it off. "Let go, Totodile!" He commanded and Totodile did exactly that. Bad timing though, Totodile accidentally slammed right into Staryu.
"Ash! We can't let them beat us!" Misty said with concern.
Ash was deep in thought for a second. "I've got it! A head on attack! They'll never beat Staryu and Totodile in raw power."
Misty nodded as they both yelled at the same time. "Water Gun!"
Totodile regained his senses as Staryu did the same. Totodile charged up the water within its throat as it let go with intense force. Staryu let water fly from the tip of its spike. The water attacks mixed for a powerful combination that would most definitely knock out both opposing poison types.
Panic erupted on Team Rocket's side. "What do we do?! What do we do!?" "Weeks of planning, wasted!" "This is all James' fault!" "Wait, my fault?!" "Wobbuffet!" "Wobbuwhat…?"
Jessie stared dumbfounded as a blue blob with a face appeared from one of her pokeballs. "Wait… you're the answer! Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat!" She commanded as Wobbuffet jumped in front of Arbok and Weezing as he glowed blue and took the attacks. Wobbuffet was left very dazed, but it seemed to have very good defense qualities and was still kicking. However, Totodile and Staryu's attacks were sent right back at them.
"Totodile! Staryu!" Ash and Misty yelled out, respectively for their Pokémon. However they were unresponsive, with Totodile's eyes being replaced for a spiral effect and Staryu's red gem flickering off and on. The attacks combined with poison damage was too much for them. Ash and Misty were so shocked that they almost forgot…
"Misty, we have to return them quickly!" Ash yelled as he grabbed Totodile's pokeball from his belt. "Right!" Misty confirmed as she did the same. Meowth shook his finger, "Not fast enough!" He said as two rubber hands grabbed Totodile and Staryu, placing them in a cage with Noctowl and Phanpy. Noctowl had seemingly been affected with the earlier sleep powder, and was now sleeping.
"This can't be happening…" Ash muttered. To which Jessie laughed in his face (from a battlefield away) and exclaimed, "Oh, yes it is twerp! Believe it or not!" Meowth followed suit with the laughter, "Bring out your next Pokémon so we can steal it!" Meowth taunted.
It was clearly working, and Ash was getting worked up. "I'll show you! C'mon Cyndaquil, you're up!" He yelled as he sent out the fire mouse Pokémon. He kept Cyndaquil's Pokémon tucked into his hand… just in case. Misty followed suit. "I choose you, Corsola!" As the new two Pokémon were sent on the field, the battle began again.
"Finish Arbok off with Spike Cannon!" Misty commanded.
Ash followed suit, "Cyndaquil, do the same to Weezing with Flamethrower!"
Jessie countered with… "Counter or… Mirror Cost? Meowth! Is Spike Cannon physical or special?" Meowth shrugged, looked like no one knew what kind of attack it was. "Oh! Just use whatever you want, Wobbuffet!"
"Woooobbbuffet." It said as it started to glow blue, quickly jumping in front of Arbok. Looked like it was using Mirror Coat. However, Spike Cannon was a physical move. The spikes on Corsola's body started to glow as they detached and were aimed towards Arbok. Wobbuffet took the hit though, and he actually tanked it? Though he wasn't able to send it back. Wobbuffet wasn't knocked out yet and was still up to keep fighting.
"Counter that with a Sludge!" James yelled, in response to Ash.
Weezing coughed out a glob of purple sludge that made contact with Flamethrower. They clashed, creating an explosion. It seemed like Weezing had avoided that attack. But it seemed Jessie was having trouble on her side so…
"Sludge Wave!" James yelled out.
Not sludge wave again, last time that really messed up Staryu and Totodile so Ash and Misty knew what they had to do.
"Use Flamethrower to propel yourself upwards!"
"Mirror Coat, Corsola!"
They both commanded, Jessie made some remark about "that red-haired twerp copying her style" but no one paid attention. Cyndaquil ignited the flame on its back and aimed a Flamethrower towards the floor as it was boosted up and above the wave of sludge heading towards him. Corsola did her best to tank any damage as it glowed blue. As soon as the wave had passed, Corsola sent it right back at Weezing.
"Another Sludge Wave to counter that one!" James said, though he seemed to be getting quite nervous.
Another Sludge Wave was conjured as it crashed into the earlier, creating an explosion of sludge that landed on every Pokémon. No one got poisoned, and since the amount of sludge that actually made contact with the Pokémon was very small, it didn't do much damage to anyone. But all that chaos distracted Team Rocket from Cyndaquil in the air. Ash called for Flamethrower and Cyndaquil delivered as flames pelted straight into Weezing. It could only take one more hit. It seemed Team Rocket's plan was falling apart.
"Jimmy, we can't be taking these risks! Meowth yelled out.
James nodded. It would be fine if one of Jessie's Pokémon went down, but James only had Weezing since Victreebel was up on the balloon, so… "Victreebel, Sleep Powder!" James yelled.
Victreebel sent out its powder, which made Ash and Misty kinda panic. They forgot about Victreebel. It hadn't come up in a bit. Ash tried to return Cyndaquil as it landed on the ground but it's sudden movement combined with Ash's nervousness made him miss.
"Don't worry, Ash. I've got it! Use Water Gun to block the water from coming down!" Misty exclaimed.
"Uh oh!" Jessie and James said in worry. Corsola started to spray water above their side of the battlefield which blocked the sleep powder from coming down. Unfortunately this made Cyndaquil take damage, so Ash got ready to switch Cyndaquil out for Bayleef who wouldn't be affected.
"Oh forget it! I'll deal with this myself!" Meowth said, jumping onto Wobbuffet's head to get momentum while extending his claws. He then collided with Corsola as he went for a Slash. Corsola stopped its spraying water and countered Meowth, sending him back to Jessie and James' feet. Ouch.
"Our hero!" Jessie and James praised as they kneeled to the cat god before them.
Meowth quickly got up from his defeated form and pulled out his gadgets from who knows where.
Ash realized what was happening and quickly pointed his pokeball at the sleeping Pokémon and returned Cyndaquil, successfully this time.
"Misty, you've got to—"
Too late, a rubber hand was able to grab the sleeping Corsola and bring it back to Meowth. Meowth smiled menacingly before locking Corsola in a cage too.
"Send out your next Pokémon, or you could just surrender now and spare yourself the humiliation of being crushed." Jessie said.
Misty was angry too, now. "Never!" She shouted, though she didn't seem very confident. That was because the only Pokémon she had left was…
"Psy…?"
Psyduck cried, speak of the devil. It had let itself out of its pokeball again. Instead of yelling at it, all Misty did was give a troubled sigh. If Psyduck wasn't useful, this was basically a 2v1 against Ash.
"Don't worry, Misty. We've got this." Ash said, trying to console the clearly doubtful water type trainer. "Bayleef, it's up to you!"
"Bay!" Bayleef shouted as she came out with a flash. Her immediate instinct was to tackle Ash, but she noticed this seemed like a high stakes situation. She got ready for battle, leaving any tired feelings in the pokeball. "Psy?" Said the confused Psyduck, right beside her.
James broke the silence. "Enough dilly dallying, knock that leafy horse out with a super effective Sludge!" He commanded.
"And, Arbok, you use Poison Sting from behind Wobbuffet." Jessie added.
Rearing its head from behind Wobbuffet, Arbok opened its mouth and shot a dozen more poison tipped barbs from it. They were heading towards Bayleef, same as the sludge that Weezing shot from its mouth.
"Bayleef, Razor Leaf to counter that!" Ash yelled out in retaliation.
"Psyduck, use Scratch?" Misty said, hopefully.
Bayleef turned the leaf on its head two times with a shake. Immediately razor sharp leaves were summoned at full speed, heading towards the attacks. Poison Sting was easily taken care of but the sludge completely enveloped the leaves and left Bayleef wide open. The sludge washed over Bayleef as it cried out in pain. Meanwhile, Psyduck started scratching the air as tried running over to Arbok. "Psyyiyiyiyi!"
"That's it! Now, Victreebel, Sleep Powder!"
The faint screaming of Victreebel could be heard from above as powder started to spray over the battlefield. Ash didn't seem phased though, as he called another attack. "Vine Whip to get past Wobbuffet and take care of Arbok."
Jessie blinked once, before laughing. "Ahahaha! Doesn't that twerp know that Sleep Powder will put his Bayleef to sleep before it can get its licks in?" She exclaimed.
Bayleef did as Ash commanded though, sending two vines towards Arbok as sleep powder fell down. A third vine was sent to grab Psyduck who was still blindly scratch attacking. Poor thing didn't even realize what was happening. Bayleef's vine wrapped around Psyduck and brought the duck Pokémon under its own body. The sleep powder fell on the battlefield but strangely, it didn't affect Bayleef. Or Psyduck, for that matter, but that was because it was thrashing blindly under Bayleef. However, Arbok was slapped by multiple vines at the same time and slumped over, knocked out.
"What went wrong? They should be the ones slumped and knocked! Not my beautiful Arbok!" Jessie cried.
Meowth inquired the same question. "Yeah, why didn't it work?!"
James thought for a second, before pulling out a green book with a white pokeball symbol on it. "Let's see here…" He muttered while flipping the pages. "Ah, it says here that grass types are immune to moves like, Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, and Spore!"
"Ah!" The three rockets yelled simultaneously. "That…" "Makes…" "Sense…" They each said, while craning their heads back to the battle.
"While they're off guard, Razor Leaf on Wobbuffet!" Ash yelled, knowing that Wobbuffet could turn any attack they used back at him. They needed to catch it on surprise.
Bayleef rotated its leaf with a few head shakes once again and sent leaves towards the distracted Wobbuffet. They struck with precision as Wobbuffet cried out. In just one swift miscalculation, the battle tipped into Ash and Misty's favor… well, just Ash's actually. After the Sleep Powder faded, it's headache seemed to have intensify, and it was holding its head.
"Uh oh! Wobbuffet's about to peel over! If that happens and we blast off again, I'll keel over!" Jessie whined
"I've got a plan," Meowth announced. "Huddle up, and quick!"
Jessie and James kneeled to Meowth's size to see what he had to say. Ash and Misty only heard whispers, but whatever. It didn't matter. "Finish 'em. Body Slam, now!" Ash cried.
"Bay!" Bayleef yelled as it charged towards Wobbuffet, jumping.
"Wobbuffet, get out of the way!" "And Weezing, use Smog!" James and Jessie commanded respectfully as they got up from their group huddle.
Weezing covered the area with a poisonous smog as Wobbuffet ducked out of Bayleef's way. Though Wobbuffet's new position was quickly given away as it started to cough due to the smog. Actually, everyone started to cough. Though Psyduck and Wobbuffet seemed to be doing the most of it.
"Hey! Friendly fire much?" Jessie yelled at James while he shrinked.
"Hey, hey, less talking and more battling!" Meowth scolded.
"Weezing, Rapid Spin on that yellow fellow's head!" James commanded.
"Ummm… slap that duck or something, Wobbuffet." Jessie said with a sigh.
Ash was confused as to why they switched targets from Bayleef to Psyduck, but it seemed like a stupid idea. "Okay, try Body Slam again!" He commanded.
Bayleef tried to pin down one of Team Rocket's Pokémon, but it was hard while trying to resist poison and navigate through the smog. Meanwhile, Psyduck was battered and… lightly tapped by blue blob. It did enough damage that it started to yell out in pain as it's headache got even worse. After a few more seconds, it's eyes glowed blue as its psychic powers started to unravel themselves.
"It's happening! It's happening!" Meowth cheered.
The smog started to clear as Psyduck's psychic powers filled the area. The yellow duck yellow out in pain as it used Disable on Weezing. It stopped spinning as it looked up at the floating duck. If one looked closer, you could see fear on the purple ball(s) face.
"Misty! This is our chance! Tell Psyduck to do something!" Ash said, seeing the opportunity of Psyduck's powers.
Misty nodded. "Right, use Confusion on Wobbuffet and Weezing!" She commanded.
"Mirror Coat!" Jessie yelled out right as soon as Misty did, making Ash and Misty gasp.
"Psypsysysysysy!" Psyduck yelled as it let out its psychic frustrations. Weezing was instantly knocked out as James, Jessie, and Meowth started to sweat. Wobbuffet started to yell out as its mind was assaulted. Everyone held their breath as Wobbuffet held its "head" like Psyduck did. But after Psyduck had tired itself out, and Wobbuffet's blue glow stayed true.
"Wobbu!" It shouted as Psyduck's power started to envelope the field with some extra power.
"Bayleef! Brace yourself!" Ash shouted.
Misty followed suit. "Psyduck! You…" She stopped herself though, as Psyduck seemed to be content with the amount of energy it'd exerted. It fell to the ground and stayed there.
As the bright light made contact with the Johto Starter and Orange Duck. And after all was said and done. Bayleef and Psyduck were knocked out! Ash remembered what was coming next and hastily pointed Bayleef's Pokeball towards it and returned her. But next came the humiliation. How'd he lose? To Team Rocket? It was a 7v4 in their favor and he managed to fudge it all up. But he wasn't letting it stop there. He had to get his Pokémon back.
"Give them back!" Ash yelled as he charged towards the cages his Pokemon were in.
"No can do!" Meowth said as he pulled out a different, bulkier machine that was the size of his head. Pointing it at Ash, he fired and a pink gum like substance knocked Ash off of his feet. However, when he tried to get up. He couldn't. He was stuck like this. On the ground. While his Pokémon were just mere meters away. It couldn't end like this… Misty returned Psyduck as she ran to Ash's side. She tried to pull the sticky gum off but just got stuck herself.
"Stay right there, girly." Meowth said, smiling sinisterly as he shot out so more. That cemented Misty's position as she was stuck too. Meowth walked over to Ash's belt, unclipping all of his pokeballs from it. Ash tried to stop the feline, but he couldn't even bite Meowth. As Meowth did the same to Misty, Team Rocket started a monologue.
"See, you twerps. This was our master plan! Tire you out by making you traverse the whole forest so you didn't have enough strength to escape our sticky trap. Of course, the battle was just the icing on top. At most, a precaution, and at least, something that would give us satisfaction. When the odds were stacked against us, Team Rocket can still win! You never expected it, thinking we were just little league villains. But the truth is, we would've been fired if we didn't succeed this time, and win big! So we had to!"
"You won't get away with this!" Ash growled out. But he was feeling rotten inside. He thought he'd saved Bayleef and Totodile when he'd returned them. But Team Rocket was just toying with him. All because he had acted recklessly. The sun was setting, and Ash was so close to his Pokémon…!
"But hey, we'll cut you a deal. If you reach out special solution to your sticky gum gum, then we'll give you all of your Pokémon back!" Meowth laughed, as he put a bottle of something right out of Ash's reach. It must be the only thing that could dissolve the gum Team Rocket's concoction and it was so close. Ash grunted as he tried to get to it but… no dice.
Team Rocket now got into their balloon after loading up their cages full of his and Misty's Pokémon. They joined Victreebel in the sky and started to float away.
"Come back here!" Ash yelled, futilely. "I'll catch you! Just you wait!"
"See you never!" Jessie replied, spitting a raspberry at Ash. "The boss is waiting for us in Kanto!"
Misty looked down with shame, she'd failed to protect her Pokémon as Ash kept yelling after Team Rocket. It looked like nothing could stop Team Rocket. And nothing would. Team Rocket were far far away before Ash and Misty were found.
Brock arrived in Mahogany Town within the next hour. He hoped Team Rocket was still in the forest, and that Ash and Misty hadn't gotten hurt. He quickly ran to the Pokémon Center with Togepi in tow, it took no time at all. Wherever a Pokémon Center was meant there was a beautiful Nurse Joy too, so Brock always knew their location. Though he could ignore that since Ash and Misty and his Golbat were in danger.
"Nurse Joy! My feelings f- I mean, my friends are in danger. Our Pokémon got stolen by Team Rocket! We need help!"
Nurse Joy gasped. "Really? First that red Gyarados business and now this…" She said as she nodded. "Okay, I'll organize a search party if you can tell me where they are."
But before Brock could, an older man with a chilly feel to him walked up to him. "Team Rocket? Allow me to come with you." He said. Brock stared for a minute. "Aren't you…?" The tension was broken by Nurse Joy. "Are you sure Icy Pryce?" She asked, before covering her mouth. "I'm sorry!" She quickly apologized. Pryce shook his head, clearly not affecting. "It's fine." He said, before turning to Brock who was staring again.
"You're the gym leader, Pryce! Ash told me about you." Brock exclaimed.
Pryce nodded, figuring Ash must be the boy he had met earlier. "So he did," Pryce said. "Now, let's go find your Pokémon and friends."
Brock and Pryce teamed up together, with a few others to find Ash and Misty. The whole search party had split into groups. Brock tried to listen for Golbat's supersonic waves but no dice. That probably meant that Ash and Misty hadn't gotten Golbat back. It was at times like these that Brock wished he'd kept a pokegear with him. It was foolish of him to not have bought one when he had the chance. Anyways, the sun had almost set when the search party had swept most of the forest. In the last section, a flash of white light could be seen.
"Was that your friends?" Pryce asked, his face unchanging.
Brock wasn't sure. "Could be, let's check it out."
The rest of his group members nodded as they headed over. It took only about 20 minutes to get over there but when Brock and his group arrived. They discovered it was too late.
"Ash! Misty!" Brock yelled as he came to their aid. Togepi cried out in worry to see them trapped like they were. Though they very quickly warned him of the dangers. "Don't touch this stuff!" Ash said. "The solution to this sticky stuff is over there." He nodded at the bottle that was just out of his reach. Misty stayed silent as Brock inspected it before spraying it on both of them. The solvent instantly took effect as the pink gum started to fade. Ash and Misty quickly got up before looking to where Team Rocket
"What happened?" Brock questioned.
Ash said nothing while Misty just collapsed back onto the floor, Togepi was let down onto the ground as it ran into Misty's arms while trying to console her. "They took our Pokémon. And then left us." Misty said, trying not to cry. Ash looked away. Togepi looked up at Misty, to which she picked up the egg Pokemon and hugged. "I'm sorry, Togepi. At least you weren't hurt."
Suddenly, Ash started to move. "They went that way!" He exclaimed. "It wasn't too long ago, we can still catch up to them!" Ash started to run towards the outskirts of the forest. Pryce shook his head, as he stayed behind while Brock ran after him.
Ash was in denial, the first stage of depression or something. They couldn't lose now, not after all of the wins. But it obviously didn't make any sense. Team Rocket didn't have a reason to stick around, unless they really wanted the rest of Brock's Pokémon, or Togepi. Brock knew it, and Ash knew it too, probably. Deep inside. But that didn't mean he was ready to accept it though. Brock could see Ash had stopped moving up ahead. As he caught up to Ash, he noticed what the raven-haired boy was looking at. A Victreebel balloon, looked like the fire had gone out and it had fell to the floor.
"What's this?" Brock asked.
Ash didn't answer though. He just took it as a sign, Team Rocket had escaped. And there was nothing he could do about it now.
They were back at the Pokémon Center now, sitting at a table. Pryce was still with them, which kind of infuriated Ash. And he wasn't gonna stay quiet about it.
"What are you still doing here?!" Ash demanded.
Pryce's expression didn't change. "I just hope you've learned a lesson. Like I told you earlier, forming bonds with Pokémon isn't useful. Just look how weak you were when your Pokémon were taken. Look how weak you are now?" The words stung as Pryce said them. "Will you be able to start over? Will it be the same?"
After that, Pryce stood up and left the table. Any other day, Ash would've shot back with a remark about friendship but he wasn't so sure anymore. In his mind, Ash was sure he could still prove Pryce wrong though. Just… how? He was sure Misty was disappointed, maybe Brock too. How could he prove them wrong though? That's it. Jessie had said something before they left. Ash shot up in his chair as Brock and Misty gasped.
"We're not taking this! Not from Team Rocket!" He shouted, attracting attention from nearby trainers.
"What do you mean, Ash?" Brock asked, while Misty just looked at him with confusion.
"We're going back to Kanto!" He announced, full of determination.
AN: I hope it was an enjoyable read! Hopefully there will be more along the way. I did proofread it but if you find any errors or continuity issues, please tell me.