Song; Weeping Wall - David Bowie
"We'll both go," Misty resolved. "Ash, remember that it's dangerous to walk the routes on foot, and it'll take longer if we go by land." Your Pokémon will be able to take us without any problem. Ash nodded. The bird lowered its body again for Misty to climb on its back. Charizard made a friendly roar to indicate the same to Ash.
-I still have a bit of energy to transform myself.- Mew whispered, interrupting the dialogue.- It wouldn't be very prudent if they see you around with what humans call a legendary Pokemon.- A glow on its body indicated that its shape was beginning to change . It took the form of a Rattata of a pinker color than normal.
-Pidgeot, please fly as fast as you can. Take Misty. I'll go in Charizard.- the young man spoke to his bird Pokémon, while he called his flying dragon.- We don't have much time. The bird and the winged lizard shot toward Saffron City. After a while they were beginning to make out the buildings of Saffron City. The wind lashed at their faces as they soared through the air at the speed Ash's creatures flew. Finally they entered the big city towards the Pokemon center. An electronic voice sounded from the young man's backpack:
-Ash, we have excellent news! .- the sound of the walkie talkie distracted the boy.- Brock has no internal damage according to the x-rays, only several ribs and a broken arm, he will recover. He kept demanding that I stay by his side but I had to go back to the streets to continue patrolling, poof! - Officer Jenny complained on the other end of the phone.
"Great, officer," Ash spoke, forcing his enthusiasm. Although he had been relieved to receive the good news, he was still conflicted. He seemed to be the only one in his group of friends who had taken Mewtwo's threat seriously. He was sure that the explosion of light had caught their attention and that they would possibly run into him again.
They left Mew at the Pokemon hospital, and the nurse informed them that Mew's recovery would take a few days. They couldn't wait, and wishing the best for the little Pokemon, they started back to Cerulean city as fast as they could. Misty was very quiet during the trip back to her hometown. Ash didn't really feel like talking either. Some time later, when they were just short of Cerulean City from the east side, a shadow fell over them and a sudden bump sent Pidgeot jerking into the air and somersaulting in the air.
-What the heck? Misty, are you okay Misty?- He didn't get an answer. He did not see Pidgeot at his side.
*song plays here*
"Were you looking for someone?" Giovanni had appeared aboard his Skarmory right in front of Ash, who couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. In the clutches of the flying Pokémon, Misty was trapped, paralyzed with terror -You're such a bad liar as you're a bad trainer, Ketchum! I don't believe anything about Mewtwo.-
-MISTY! LEAVE HER ALONE!- Ash yelled neurotically- Don't you dare hurt her, Giovanni!- Pidgeot finally appeared next to Ash, without any harm.
-Your friend is going to accompany me to the base. If you want me to spare his life, you'll have to go and tell me where Mewtwo is.- The young man was trembling with fear with clenched fists.
"Ash, don't listen to him!" Misty howled from Skarmory's grasp. "She tried to break free but the Pokemon was clenching too much with its sharp claws. -I'll be fine, I'll find a way to escape!-
"One more move to try to free you and Skarmory will tear you to pieces, young lady!" For the second time since Mewtwo had made an appearance on Route 4, Ash saw terror in Misty's eyes.
-Misty!- Ash bellowed as he saw how the Skarmory squeezed her in its claws, causing the girl to scream in pain.-
Well, you know what to do, young man. Your friend's life will get shorter the longer you take. Go to the mountains north of the Rock Tunnel. If you bring an ally, your friend will be food for my Nidoran.- And he took off at full speed.
-NO! You're not going anywhere, dang! Pidgeot, sky attack!- The huge bird rose above Giovanni and shot at full speed towards the head of Team Rocket. Ash ordered Charizard to follow them. Giovanni, with a bored gesture, ordered his Skarmory to turn around. He couldn't use Pikachu's thundershock or Charizard's fire attack, since it could seriously hurt Misty while being in the claws of the steel-type Pokemon...
-Skarmory, wing of steel.-
The blow was terrible, Pidgeot received the full attack of his metal counterpart. As if in slow motion, Ash watched him fall through the air without anyone holding him.
"PIDGEOT, NO!" He made it return to its Pokeball, going down with Charizard as close as he could to reach it. Giovanni was further and further away. The young man, full of terror, ordered him to follow the Rocket chief. Charizard flew as fast as he could, but the villain was further and further away. Suddenly, another huge orange Pokémon appeared in front of them, forcing Ash to stop dead.
It was Lance's Dragonite, which had a very terrible look on its face.
-Ash. We have to go down to earth now! We need to fight again against the enemy soldiers, Rocket reinforcements have arrived!- The veteran trainer was mounted on the back of his Dragonite, with an exasperated expression on his face.
"Lance, let me go through, I have to save Misty!" the boy yelled. The dragon master ignored him. Ash brought Charizard down, lowering Lance onto the ground of Route 8. Lorelei waited a few feet from them. Once the boy was on his feet on the ground, Lance let out his anger:
"FOOLS!" the dragon master yelled sternly, so loud that even Pikachu was scared. "How dare you leave the city alone without telling us?" Now Misty has been captured by those ruffians! Didn't you think about what could happen, young man? - The boy could not stop sobbing and shuddering.
"But we have to go now!" Ash insisted, still shaking.
Lorelei came running on the scene.
"Let me talk to him alone," he asked Lance, who immediately stepped aside and left the scene, still glaring at the young man.
-Ash, but what happened?- The young man replied with a face full of tears.-
"They took Misty...the Rockets..." Ash mumbled without articulating the words well. The veteran trainer could only hug him tightly when she saw his pain and despair. No one but Misty had hugged him with such care and apprehension until that moment.
"It was Mew who saved us." Lorelei's eyes widened in surprise. - He was the one who freed the Pokemon from their rage and defeated the soldiers of Team Rocket...- The woman didn't believe what she was hearing.-
-Wow... only someone like him could have done something like that. It's incredible. We were very lucky, and most importantly, those Pokemon tortured by Team Rocket have been saved...-
"I have to save Misty!" the boy yelled, shuddering. "I...it's my fault!" The ice master looked at him with deep compassion.
"It wasn't your fault…" Lorelei whispered. She leaned over to Ash and placed a hand on his chest to calm him down. -You know... I have contact with Misty. And she talked all the time about you. I noticed that she had problems with you, I knew that you didn't want to see her...- Ash shrugged in embarrassment.
"It's the least thing I want to remember now," the young man sobbed. "Why did I treat her like that?"
"I heard that...your mother passed away." Ash made a frustrated face. "I know it's something too personal for you, but I have to tell you something." Sometimes people tend to forget who is grieving the loss of a loved one. We are selfish. It shouldn't be like this, but it does happen. Daily life absorbs us and we have so many problems that we just don't look further. Misty never forgot you. None of your friends did.- The young man stared sadly at the floor.- Sometimes the lack of communication can cause many problems, both between human beings and between them and their Pokemon.-
-I also feel a weight on my conscience.- Lorelei continued.- I told him to forget you, that you were a very ungrateful and ungrateful person. - Ash couldn't help but feel hurt by those words.- But today you showed me with your courage that you're not like that. That Misty really matters to you. That you are brave - Ash turned so red that suddenly it would be darker than Lorelei's hair- Anyway, I know how stubborn she is. I knew that I would come back one day to try to see you again.- She gave a sad little laugh.
We must come up with a plan. Maybe if we go to Team Rocket's base we can defeat Giovanni once and for all and save Misty.- Lorelei stated, looking determinedly at the young man. Ash was about to tell him about the threat that the Rocket boss had made him, but he was interrupted.
A trainer was coming aboard his Dodrio at full speed. He stopped next to Lance who was waiting a few meters ahead, ignoring Ash and Lorelei.
"Master Lance, the Team Rocket soldiers are beating us and we need immediate help!" Lance turned pale.
-Ash, there's no time for regrets, Misty can wait!- Lorelei couldn't keep quiet before what she had just heard and she faced her partner full of conviction:
"You're not going to leave one of our Gym Leaders alone in the clutches of those ruffians, are you?" Where is your sense of justice?- Lance couldn't help but lean back, impressed by his colleague's reaction. It was true: Misty was not only Ash's best friend and Lorelei's protégé, but also a gym leader, a key player in the League's organization. Ash was also glaring at Lance. He hadn't been able to contain himself. The person he cared about the most in the world was not going to suffer like that...