Everybody always loves when that email goes off saying there is another chapter don't they? haha
Anyways, hopefully this will clear a few things up and tie up the kind of crazy hopping around I've been doing. Speaking of, I figured I would start putting a warning in italics whenever I'll be doing a time hop from now on, because they're kind of looking like they might become a bigger thing. Don't know 100% yet, but we'll see!
Enjoy Chapter 10
March 7th 1:32 a.m.
Just before arriving at the Sinnoh Temple
"He won't stop bleeding" Mistry cried, the thick crimson goo seeping over her fingers as she pressed her hand against the back of Ash's head.
Most of Misty was covered in blood, from just about everyone. Lance, Pikachu, Charizard, but mostly from Ash. Pikachu chittered furiously, and Charizard groaned through his injuries to attempt inching closer, hoping check on his trainer. The helicopter jolted from turbulance, rattling the Fire Dragon's wings, and making him stop with a painful growl.
"Hurry up Kyle" Lance shouted, bending down to help Misty.
His face burned with pain from the Dominion scratch, and he could feel the trickle of blood running down his cheeks, but he ignored it. Looking down at the blood on Misty's hand, and all through Ash's hair, he wavered. Unfortunately, Lance had never received the proper training for dealing with this particular injury.
"Here let me see" the manly voice said gently, and a pair of hands carefully pried Misty's fingers away from Ash.
Red knelt down, moving past Lance and blocking his view, earning a grunt from the Champion. Misty may have removed her hands, but not her eyes. She was locked onto Ash, taking in every ragged breath he would inhale as if it were his last.
"He'll be just fine" Red told the worried redhead, "head wounds typically bleed immensely, and I can't find anything other than this gash. Also judging from some of his other vitals, he won't have a concussion".
Wether Red was right or just lying to her, Misty didn't care. She drank in every word, and let out a breath of relief.
"Almost to the Temple" Kyle announced, "another ten minutes"!
"Good" Lance straightened up, "see if you can't make it seven".
"You got it"!
Standing up abruptly, Red let Ash's head collapse back into Misty's lap with a soft thump, "this is my stop then".
Lance's expression looked bewildered, but then turned furious.
"Are you kidding me" the Dragon Master spat, "we're not setting down for you to abandon-".
"You don't have to" Red cut him off, pulling out a PokeBall that Misty guessed held Tropius.
Lance appeared ready to attack the older man as he slid open the side door of the chopper. The cold air of Sinnoh blasted into the compartment, sending chills up each of their spines. Charizard hissed in anger as the chilly breeze burned his gashes.
"RED" Lance took a step forward, his fingers clenching tight.
"Listen Lance" Ash's father cut him off turning back to them, and Misty recognized that look in his eye. It was the same look Ash would get when his mind was made up, when nothing was going to stop him.
"Whatever you've got going on in Sinnoh doesn't have my concern" he explained, "I came back to Indigo because I heard you were going after Team Rocket again, and I may have a piece of info for you".
This shut Lance up, he had definitely not been expecting that. Misty's fingers found their way to the side of Ash's head, caressing him gently as her eyes swiveled back and forth from Red to Lance.
"My little brother, who I thought died when he was six" Red said calmly, "is Giovanni. Surprised me too...".
Unfortunately for Lance, the stunning sensation paralyzed him in place for a second too long. Red leaned out of the chopper, dropped, and vanished from sight.
"NO"!
The Dragon Master ran to the open door, peering out into the night, but could see nothing. He swore violently, and slammed his fist into the metal frame. Misty watched him, her own thoughts buzzing with that piece of info. Red's little brother? Ash's uncle?! What!?
Lance shouted in anger, and slammed the helicopter door behind him. He walked over to injured man in Misty's lap, bending down to make sure he was still unconscious. Once he was sure the young man was, he spoke to Misty, "Ash doesn't need to know this".
Seeing Misty's expression shift to protest, he added quickly, "unless he specifically asks, do not tell him a thing Misty. Do not bring Red up, and do not tell him what Red just told us. Not until I know for sure if it's true. Hopefully Ash will have too much on his mind to even remember his father was here".
"I'm not going to lie to him" Misty barked, her temper rising fast, "not-".
"STOP and think for a minute" Lance shouted, making her jump back an inch, Pikachu's cheeks crack, and Charizard to eye Lance carefully, "I don't like it either, but we need Ash focused on the Dominion's. If he learns of this, he will do...I don't know what he'll do! Tell me you do"?
His dark eyes stared through Misty, appearing to see straight into her soul. She stared right back, refusing to be intimidated by him, who did he think he was? This was not information he could decide Ash didn't need to know! Although...he was right. What would Ash do? With everything going on right now...she honestly didn't know that answer.
"Ok..." she looked down at her love, hiding her eyes from Lance under her dirty bangs, "I won't bring it up. Not until the Dominion's are dealt with. After that, I refuse to hide this from him".
"That will work" Lance nodded in agreement.
"Two minutes" Kyle spoke up halfheartedly, not looking back to the scene behind him.
Outside the helicopter, following in the chilly night, Tropius soared after them. Red clung to his Pokemon's back, watching the chopper through squinting eyes.
"Don't lose them Tropius" he shouted over the wind, "but stay out of sight".
Tropius beats its wings faster in response, catching the chopper and flying just beneath it. Not very much longer Red spotted the helicopter heading straight for the mountain, and then beating its way towards an illuminated camp. A massive Temple sat in a patch of trees closer to the steep slopes of the mountain, and Red ordered Tropius to land among them.
"Thank you bud" he patted the fruit Pokemon, and returned it to its ball.
Clipping it to his belt, he moved towards the tree line, positioning himself in a decent spot to view the campsite but remain hidden among the foliage. He found his spot just in time to see Ash being wheeled into one of the tents with Misty and a petite blue haired girl right beside him. A small smile that couldn't be helped formed on his lips.
It might not have been the ideal way to see his son again, but he was glad to learn that there were people who cared deeply for Ash. Ash...Red's smile vanished. This was not what he should be doing...sitting outside this camp? What was he thinking?! He needed to be searching for Giovanni, he had to intercept him from Ash. Wait! This would be the perfect place to find Giovanni! If he was truly after Ash like his source had informed him, then surely the Rocket Leader would track him here. Of course that meant using his only son as bait...
Nothing else would happen to Ash! He would make sure of it! Nodding to himself as a source of encouragement, Red propped himself against a tree, and began the waiting game. Over the course of a few hours, Sinnoh League Officials had arrived and were helping prep the campsite for evacuation. Probably running from whatever those creatures were back at Indigo...what were those things anyway? He had never seen or heard of anything like them before. They were powerful, whatever they were.
Regardless, something big was going on, bigger than Giovanni and Team Rocket even. Which sent him into another train of thought...should he be worried about Giovanni at all? Surely the Rocket Leader would be just as worried about the fate of the world along with everyone else, he wouldn't do anything to fight against humanity right?
Suddenly he spotted Ash appear outside the tent, followed by his Pikachu, and those two girls. The blue haired one began to lead them across the campsite, slipping in the mud as they went. Red's eyes followed them, never once leaving Ash. Had it really been this long already? Ash was a man now...and a beautiful woman was by his side. How time flies much faster than anyone could ever predict...
He watched them go about their business. Collecting Charizard, then going back across camp to the much larger research tent. At one point, he heard a loud, angry cry come from the south side of camp. Followed by the banging of something against metal. His curiosity peaking, Red left his post and moved silently among the trees. A fenced off area thirty feet from the camp came into his view, and he slid up next to the nearest tree trunk.
The night made him squint to see better, but he could make out cages just beyond the fences. An armed team of Officials patrolled along the cages, making sure to keep a good distance from them. Red squinted harder, and he then made out the form of the ugliest Sandshrew he had ever seen. Huh, wonder what those things were about?
Sirens blared loudly at the camp, followed by the same shrieking those creatures at Indigo had made. Looks like the camp's time was up, Ash would get out, he was strong. Red quickly scanned the immediate area, the sky, even the steep slopes of the mountain. If Giovanni had been tracking Ash like Red had been informed he was, then he was surely here by now, and he would certainly make his move during the chaos. However, nothing happened, no Rocket's made their assault and Red began to debate about just helping the camp out instead.
BOOM!
The night turned to day as the massive explosion in the air from some kind of Pokemon attack, went off. In the sudden burst of light, Red spotted what he had been searching for, a Rocket Grunt! The man was hiding amongst the trees just like Red, the only difference was, Red had not been seen. Giovanni was here! Red was sure of it! The Grunt turned and ran through the foliage, so Red followed him.
Eventually the Grunt reached a group of four more, and Red could hear their voices, but they were to far away to understand. Inching closer, Red scanned their faces for Giovanni, but none of them were the Rocket Leader. The five suddenly grabbed a suitcase and raced off back towards the camp. Chasing after them, Red fell behind as he tried to keep his noise to a minimum.
The beating blades of a chopper slowly wound up, and Red slowed down at the edge of the tree line. Lance's helicopter was before him, and it was slowly rising into the air, but what happened to the Grunts? A gunshot went off to his right, and a tethered hook burst out of the trees, beelining straight for the chopper. With a snap of metal, it sank into the nose, halting its rise into the air.
The five Rocket's bolted out of the trees, releasing a Scyther and a Scissor as they ran for the helicopter. The door slid open, and in a burst of light, Lance's Dragonite materialized and bellowed down. It zoomed straight at the bug Pokemon, charging a HyperBeam as it went. Both the bugs dodged, swiping at the dragon on their counterattack. Dragonite twirled to avoid their sharp blades. One of the Rocket's fired a grappling hook up at the helicopter doorway, and raised himself up, drawing a handgun as he went. Two more of the Grunts followed suit, each pulling out their own pistols.
The first Grunt reached the helicopter, and was instantly kicked back out by the Dragon Master, the other two made it in however. Red heard the shots, and saw the light flashing through the cockpit windows. The helicopter tilted in place for a moment, then carefully returned to the ground. Dragonite roared and crashed its heavy tail into Scyther, sending it to the mud. It soared straight for the chopper as it touched back down, and the Grunt who had been knocked back to the ground fired up at the Dragon Pokemon.
Red saw the blood burst, and then Dragonite thudded into the mud, sliding to a halt and moving no more. Two more gunshots went off in the chopper, and then Lance emerged holding one of their pistols. He tossed a disheveled Kyle out first, then jumped out after him. The three Grunt's still outside the helicopter fired after them as they ran towards the tree line opposite Red. One Grunt emerged from the helicopter, holding a bleeding gunshot wound on his arm.
The Dragon Master and his pilot disappeared amongst the trees, and the Grunt's ceased their fire.
"Let em go" one's voice carried over to Red, "we got what we came for. Inform the Boss".
Red slowed his breathing to hear better, this was it!
"Sir" one Grunt spoke into a radio, "we got the research, and the artifact...yes, the Professor and his assistants are dead, but Lance and his Pilot got away...will do sir".
He clipped the radio to his belt then spoke to his fellow Rocket's, "unload the bodies, and secure the research, we're taking their chopper"!
March 9 12:09 p.m.
Fire Island
"You need not convince me" Lugia reassured, "I remember all too well the Dominion of Darkness. They must be stopped, and I will offer my assistance".
"Mind filling us in on what you know" Brock repeated, "starting with Mew".
Lugia looked him over carefully, then flew down and landed on the rocks behind them. The ground thudded from its massive size.
"Very well" Lugia replied, "it all started at the beginning, some time after my mother was created-".
A loud, earsplitting caw shook the rocks beneath their feet, coming from the other side of the tiny island.
Lugia's head turned sharply to the noise, "Moltres"!
Unbelievable chills surged down May's spine as that God awful metal screech followed after Moltres' cry. Dominion's! Here already?!
"What was that" Melody asked the group at large, clearly disturbed by the shriek.
"Mew, Return" Brock commanded, pointing the MasterBall at the baby floating in the air beside Lugia.
The ground shook beneath their feet from some impact on the far side of the island, and Moltres cawed again.
"I must go" Lugia informed, spreading its massive wings and soaring into the air.
"Wait-" Brock tried to catch Lugia's attention, but it was no use. The Legendary Pokemon flew over the rise, and disappeared. A siren sounded from Shamouti, followed by more of the Dominion calls.
"Brock, what are those" Melody asked again, wincing from the terrible sound.
"The Dominion's" Delila answered for him when she noticed Brock wasn't going too.
His brain was in overdrive, working furiously to come up with a plan. The other's voices continued, but he didn't hear them as his mind was fighting to decide between their only two options. Stay and fight, or retreat and look for the Legendary Pokemon captured by Team Rocket. Fire Island vibrated again, only furthering the panic in his head. If they stayed one of them or their Pokemon would surely die, but if they ran then the Dominion's may accidentally start another Prophecy incident. Although, they also couldn't let the Dominion's get ahold of Mew...
"We need to go" May was telling Brock, trying to get his attention.
"We can't do that" Melody countered, her voice coated in distress, "we have to prevent a repeat of that incident".
"Those things will kill us if we stay" the Hoenn native shot back.
"You'll die anyway if they upset the balance of the world" the Shamouti girl pointed out.
"Shut up" Brock suddenly turned to the others, a frantic look in his eye, "we're leaving. If the weather gets jacked up again, we can get Ash to fix it, but if the Dominion's get this Mew we're all done. No fixing that, so let's go"!
He took a single step back towards the boat when Melody caught him off by saying, "Ash could only fix it if he possessed all three treasures. If they get destroyed then there will be nothing he can do".
Dammit! Brock inwardly cursed, over and over. They couldn't stay, that would be most suicidal act they could pull right now...but it appeared they had no choice. Melody had been there that day, he had not, who was he to try and argue with her? If she said Ash would need those treasures, then...
"Ok then, new plan" Brock said, swinging back around to face the others, "let's grab those treasures and then get the Hell out of here"!
"Right" a collective agreement rang out.
Brock turned to face the massive, rocky hill, where just on the other side, were Dominion's fighting two Legendary Pokemon.
"Lead the way Melody".
March 7th 5:36 a.m.
Sinnoh
Red mounted Tropius and waited silently, his hand brushing through the fruit Pokemon's leaves to help keep it quiet. He had been watching the Rocket Grunts unload the dead bodies from the helicopter, and secure the current research cargo. His feet pressed into Tropius' side as the chopper blades began to spin up.
'That's right, take me to my brother'.
"Spread out, cover as much ground as quickly as you can"!
Red's head snapped to his right from where the gruff voice had come. From out of the foliage, a battalion of Rocket's emerged, rifles in hand and pointed ready to fire. Red's heel pulled away from his Pokemon as he spotted the man he was after. Giovanni casually walked out of the trees in the middle of his massive escort, his arms held behind his back in a bored way.
"Delta search the camp for anything valuable that may have been left behind" Giovanni shouted, "Echo search the trees, find Lance and his Pilot. Terminate upon location".
A series of 'Sirs' echoed out, and two squads made of six Grunts each, broke off from the main unit.
"Alpha" Giovanni continued, "Ketchum was not aboard that chopper, which means he ran on foot, so find him"!
"Yes sir"!
Another squad broke from the larger force and proceeded into the camp after Delta.
"The rest of you, be on alert" the Rocket Leader barked.
Gunfire broke from the trees across the small clearing by the Temple, catching Red's immediate attention. Echo must of found Lance...
It went on for a solid minute, then silence. For probably the first time in his life, Red found himself wishing Lance was alright. Not that he had ever wanted the Dragon Master dead, maybe a broken arm or two wouldn't have been so bad in the past.
Now more than anything, Red wanted to burst from his hiding place and confront his brother. If Giovanni was willing to kill so many people, then Red was terrified of what he would to do Ash. Brother or not, Giovanni was not going to hurt his son!
Ash...maybe Red should of stayed home. Ignored his wife and his parents. Then maybe Ash wouldn't hate him so much. His hand found his way to his jaw where Ash had hit him. Maybe if he had stayed and been a father instead of an adventurer, things would be different. Hopefully Delia could calm their son down, and then just maybe, he might be able to salvage a relationship with his son. Until then...
A Rocket Grunt from Delta came sprinting back, rushing up to his boss, breathing heavily and clearly shaken up.
"S-S-Sir, we found something yo-you should take a look a-at".
Giovanni's eyes flickered away from the Grunt towards the trees where the gunshots had come from. Red's did too, and he noticed that Echo had not returned with the news that Lance was dead. A smirk spread across his lips, that only men't one thing!
Giovanni growled, and barked to his men, "Charlie, Omega! Find out what happened to Echo and bring me Lance's head"!
With the shuffling of gear, twelve men raced off with their rifles pointed ahead.
"Now, what is it you found" Giovanni asked the Delta Grunt.
"Sandshrew, or at least they appear to be Sandshrew".
March 9th 12:43 p.m.
Fire Island
"DUCK MAY"!
She obeyed Cameron's instruction, and just in the nick of time too! A blast wave of yellow lightning collided with the rocky wall next to her, exploding a chunk from it in a massive dust cloud and launching May into the air. She skidded across the rocks as her body crashed into the hard surface, and a Dominiom shriek of rage pierced the air. Scrambling to her feet, she saw it, zooming straight at her with its three sharp clawed arms pointed ahead of it, ready to impale her!
"Dragon Rage Salamence"!
The Dominion was hit with a blue fiery blast, and was slammed against the rough wall. It cracked the rocks straight up, and the Dominion fell to the ground in a crispy, smoldering heap.
The group was at the shrine on Fire Island, desperately trying to reach the Fire Treasure. Melody stood at the top of the stone stairs, keeping an eye on the Dominion's battling Moltres and Lugia overhead. Cameron raced down the steps towards May, his Salamence soaring above them. Brock, with Delila directly behind him, sprinted across the stone platform hovering over the volcano pit. The shrine was now ten feet in front of them, and it seemed they would make it!
Until Melody's voice shouted, "Brock look out"!
Turning his gaze skyward, he spotted two Dominion's heading right for him. Their yellow eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. He dug his heels into the ground, and spun on them to stop in place. Grabbing Delila, he hurled himself to the side as the first Dominion swooped by and swung its arm to try and decapitate them.
Delila cried out in pain as the claw sliced through her upper arm, and then grunted as she landed on Brock. Blood spewed out faster than she could notice, and Brock's chest was soon soaked in the thick substance.
The second Dominion thudded to the ground in front of them, screeching its God awful sound, and rearing its third arm back to strike. Salamence blew by, grasping the Dominion in its claws, and tossing it over the stone platform. The creature tumbled down into the volcano for a moment, then regained its balance and flew back up out of the ravine.
The sky lit up in a fiery blaze as Moltres ignited the flames along its body to a higher intensity. The Legendary Bird folded in its wings and twirled through a group of Dominion's. Flames spun out from the massive Pokemon, spinning in a spiral, trailing behind Moltres like a fiery tornado. The Dominion's caught in the fire shrieked in pain, flying rapidly away from the heat.
"I got it" May shouted from the shrine, snapping the group out of their trance as they watched Moltres battle.
In her hand was a tiny red sphere, which she was waving in the air proudly.
"Back to the boat" Brock ordered, lifting Delila up alongside him.
The Dominion that had re-appeared out of the ravine screeched at May, and attacked. She squeaked in fear, and made to run.
"Oh no you don't, Salamence stop it"!
The Dragon roared and Body Slammed the Dominion in the back, crashing it face first into the rocks. Up above, Lugia cried out in its melodic voice, and a bright hot orange beam blasted from its mouth. The Dominion, who had been trying to rise, was engulfed in an explosion from the impact. May stumbled from the boom as the ground beneath her feet shifted.
Four simultaneous thuds, followed by metallic hisses forced May to turn her gaze ahead of her. Four pairs of yellow eyes glared back at her, the four Dominion's blocking her escape after her friends.
Brock helped Delila up the stairs, taking care not to grab her sliced open arm. Beside him, Cameron shouted, "get May Salamence"!
The brunette clasping the Fire Treasure took a step back as the Dominion's advanced on her. She wanted to look up and hope to God that Lugia was about to fire another one of its attacks, but she was too terrified to remove her eyes. May screamed as the closest Dominion lunged forward, only to be hurled back by a massive tail crashing into its chest. Salamence circled around in breakneck speed, and landed down just in front of May.
Not stopping to think, she threw herself onto the Dragon's back, and it took off with heavy beats of its wings. The four Dominion's cried out and took to the sky after them.
"Meet us at the boat" Cameron shouted, "lose those bastards first"!
Salamence snorted in response, then Cameron added, "hang on tight May"!
She obliged, pocketing the red sphere, and wrapping her arms around the Dragon's neck. Good thing too, because Salamence spun into a nose dive to avoid a blast of lightning. May couldn't help the scream that escaped her, and Salamence seemed to ignore it. With a sharp turn that pushed May hard against its back, Salamence flew straight back up, causing one Dominion to smack into the ground.
The remaining three chased after them, firing their lightning attacks, and shrieking those deafening metal cries. GOD DID MAY WISH THEY WOULD STOP DOING THAT!
With another roar, Salamence turned on the spot and fired a Dragon Rage. The Dominion's split, allowing the attack to soar through their middle and miss entirely. However, the damage had been done. The Dragon's attack alerted Lugia to their presence in the air, and the Legendary turned to help.
With another beautiful cry, it launched an orange beam, exploding one of the pursuing Dominion's. Seeing the bigger threat, the remaining two stopped chasing May, and assaulted Lugia.
She sat up off the Dragon's back as it angled into a straighter flying position. Her hair was a mess, she could feel it flying everywhere in the wind. Whatever, she'd fix it later. The fight vanished from May's view as Salamence flew down past the rise of the volcano, and soared towards the boat docked against rocky edge. The others were already there, scrambling to untie it and send it out to sea.
March 7th 5:57 a.m.
Sinnoh
When Red had woken up for the day, he assumed it would have been fairly uneventful. He'd fly to Kanto, travel to the Indigo Plateau, inform Lance of his discovery about his little brother, and then track Giovanni down. The day had strayed from that particular path, if only a lot.
He'd ran into his son, watched Indigo be destroyed by some dark leathery scaled creatures, flew to Sinnoh, watched as those same creatures attacked here, and was now staring in awe from his hiding place at the death defying Sandshrew behind the cages.
Giovanni carefully approached the iron bars, bending down to see the mutant Pokemon better. Red heard the closest one snarl, and Giovanni laugh.
"Well, well, now what happened to you" the Rocket Leader said with a smile that was far from warm, "aren't you marvelous".
He sounded impressed? What happened to the man. Red remembered the little six year old that was always in high spirits, bouncing around, and rambling about getting his first Pokemon when he turned ten.
Red tightened his hold on one of Tropius' leaves...his opening had to come soon. He needed to get Giovanni away from here and have a nice long chat.
"You there! Get them out" Giovanni suddenly commanded the nearest Rocket, "see if they can be captured".
The Grunt looked appalled, and shifted to his other foot unneasily.
"Now Grunt" his Leader growled, causing the man to rush forward to the cage.
The Sandshrew sniffed the air as he drew closer and hissed. Clinking together of chain links rattled the attention of the other mutant's and they too sniffed the air. The Grunt fumbled with the lock for a moment, and then the chain fell into the mud with a squish.
Almost as if they sensed they were free, the dozen Sandshrew like creatures charged the gate, slamming it open with a loud clang. The Grunt's screams of terror filled the air as the first three Sandshrew ripped into him with their sharp claws and teeth. Blood and flesh were flung chaotically as they clawed their way into the man. The other nine mutated things swarmed through the battalion of Rocket's faster than Giovanni could give commands. Acting on their own, the Grunt's opened fire.
Red assumed those mutant looking Sandshrew were blind, mainly because of the way they reacted to the gunfire. They cried out in ear splitting pain, and scattered in random directions, ignoring the Rocket's. Four of them fell from the gunfire, but the rest made it away, scampering down a not so steep side of the mountain.
"STOP! STOP FIRING YOU FOOLS" Giovanni roared.
His orders took a moment to seep through the Rocket forces, and when the barrage ceased, Giovanni seethed with anger, "after them! Tranq's only! I want those creatures captured alive and moved to the base"!
There was a few murmurs that spread across the battalion, to which Giovanni fingered one of his PokeBall's and bellowed, "NOW"!
The result was almost comical. The Rocket force proceeded to rush to the mountain slope, changing their ammunition to tranquilizer darts as they did. Giovanni marched after them, keeping his hand on the PokeBall as he went.
"Ok Tropius, we have to follow them" Red whispered, patting his grass type, "don't be seen alright? The night sky should help with that, so follow as close as you can buddy".
With a few extra beats of its giant leaves to tell Red it understood, the Fruit Pokemon took off into the air, flying just above the tree tops. Hopefully Ash was not in the direction those Sandshrew went. If he was smart like Red thought he was, then he would have gone further up the mountain to find an alternative path down.
The two flew over the edge of the cliff, and zoomed down towards the forest at the base of the mountain. Red caught a glimpse of the last Rocket member heading into the foliage. Good thing Tropius had better senses than him because he couldn't see a thing through the darkened tree tops.
They flew along silently, Tropius swerving every now and then to stay on track with the Rocket's below. The sun was beginning to rise by the time Red heard any sort of sounds, and they wern't sounds he enjoyed either. Cries from the Sandshrew on the offensive alerted him, and he squinted in the ever growing sunlight, hoping to see movement below.
Suddenly the forest came alive with movement as the Rocket battalion stormed off after the sounds. Tropius turned sharply to follow, making Red tighten his grip. It was not long until he heard the unmistakeable sound of a woman scream, and tranq dart pings as they were being fired.
Tropius slowed, and Red found a gap in the tree tops through which he could see. Of course, not any sight he had planned upon. Giovanni was standing over Ash and the two girls, with the Sandshrew tranquillized all around them.
"Pack em up" Giovanni's voice carried up, "we've got everything we came for".
"Shit...Tropius" Red whispered, "same plan, follow them silentlyl".
March 9th 1:14 p.m.
Shamouti
An explosion coming from Shamouti caught the groups attention as their boat sped across the water. Turning to the sound, they noticed one of the evacuating ships going up in flames. Flying Pokemon, too far for them to make out, were soaring over the retreating fleet of boats. Other creatures chased after them through the air, attacking with yellow colored blasts of energy. Melody figured those must be Dominion's too.
Larger torrents of water was thrown behind the boat as the throttle shoved forward, and Melody picked up their speed.
"Take us to the island there" Brock told her, pointing to the nearest one, "hopefully we can get the other two treasures and avoid anymore Dominion's all together".
"Got it"!
She spun the wheel, and they turned sharply, sending a wave across the ocean. May glanced back at Fire Island, and had the situation not been so dire, her jaw would have dropped in amazement.
Moltres was flying high above the island, its flames dancing beautifully as it flapped its wings. It tucked them in and spun through the air, dodging a pair of lightning attacks. Lugia fired a bright orange beam at a small group of Dominion's that missed by an inch and cut across the ocean surface.
Another cawing of a bird bounced across the water, carrying a chilly atmosphere with the sound wave itself. Articuno emerged from the island Brock had pointed to, sparkling like a blue diamond in the afternoon sunlight. With flaps of its wings, that seemed to glitter snow from them, it flew towards Fire Island, it's gaze telling the group it was ready for a fight.
"Hate to say it, but that will distract those Dominion's for us" Melody said loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engine. May silently agreed.
"May" Brock's voice snapped her from her trance of watching the fight, "I need you".
He was holding a piece of his shirt, that he had ripped from his sleeve, to Delila's gash along her upper arm. She was sitting on the furthest back seat, leaning heavily against the rail. Her skin color was paling fast, in dark contrast to her blood soaked arm.
"I need something to hold this cloth in place, and help slow the blood flow" Brock spewed rapidly as May rushed to them.
Thinking fast she spun back around and faced Cameron, "come here".
He looked a little bewildered, but obliged her request. In a frantic rush, she met him halfway and her hands shot to his waist line. Caught off guard, he jolted back, "whoa"!
"Dammit, hold still, I need you belt"!
One of her hands gripped his shirt and pulled him back, while the other quickly unbuckled his belt. In one smooth motion, she whipped it off of him and turned back on her heels to Delila. Cameron couldn't help but note that that action might have been a little hot under different circumstances...
May wrapped his belt tightly around Delila's arm, just above the gash, "get your belt too Brock"!
The boat jumped from a wave, spewing water over all of them as it splashed back down onto the ocean surface. Brock let go of Delila and fumbled with his belt, unclasping it and pulling it loose with a few tugs.
May snatched it from his fingers and tied it around the bottom of the gash to hold Brock's ripped sleeve in place, "that should do it for now"!
The brunette collapsed back into the seat beside Delila, who gave a weak smile to May.
"Ok everyone" Melody shouted, "we're here"!
She turned their boat sideways, and maneuvered it so that it floated right up to the edge of the island. Unlike Fire Island, Ice island was completely covered in snow and slick sheets of frozen water. The temperature, unlike Fire Island, was freezing cold. How had May not noticed the drop?
"You all stay here, I got this" Brock declared, gripped the railing and swung himself out of the boat.
"I'm coming too" Cameron started, but Brock shouted back, "No! You guys stay with Delila, I'll be back"!
And he was gone, scurrying up the side of a snowy hill.
March 7th 8:48 a.m.
Sinnoh - Just outside of Veilstone City
Tropius landed with a soft thud in the grass, just inside of the shaded tree line. A chilly breeze blew by as Red dismounted his Pokemon, sending a shiver down his spine. They had followed the Rocket's for some time now, trailing a convoy of trucks that had been radioed in to move their captures.
A massive building stood before Red in a clearing among the forest, rising so high it blocked out the still climbing morning sun. Four stories, he presumed. It was nearly an all glass building, at least it had massive windows on each floor.
The convoy of trucks emerged from the trees, following a dirt road that led up to the building. They disappeared behind the south side, and Red heard them kill the ignitions.
So this is where they were bringing Ash and his friends. A Rocket base in Sinnoh, Giovanni had been busy. Red knew of some of Team Rocket's endeavors, but he thought what the world thought. That they were primarily based in Kanto and Johto. Guess not anymore.
"Thank you Tropius, time to rest up. I'll need you later".
He unclipped his Pokemon's PokeBall and returned it.
"Ok" he whispered to himself, "gotta get in there somehow".
March 9th 1:39 p.m.
Ice Island
May sat silently, watching the fighting above Fire Island. The Legendaries were holding their own fairly well in May's opinion. Of course, each of them had fought the Dominion's so long ago...right? Zapdos had yet to make an appearance, which to May was a little worrisome. A hand fell on her shoulder gently, and Cameron stepped up beside her.
"How's Delila doing" May asked.
"Worried about Brock" he replied, "how about you"?
"Of course I'm worried about him too".
"Not what I men't" he couldn't help but smile, "I mean how are you doing"?
"Ready for all this to be over already" she sighed, turning to face him.
"It's only just started" he pointed out grimly.
"And it feels like we're already into the tenth chapter of a book" her voice was coated in sarcasm.
Cameron's smile grew a little more, "don't worry, we'll succeed. No matter how long it takes".
"How can you be sure"?
"Because" he said matter of factly, "if there is one thing I've learned from Ash in the little time we've been friends, it's that anything can be accomplished as long as there is someone willing to fight for it. And we have Ash fighting against these things too, so there's that".
His attempt at humor worked, if only a little. May let out a halfhearted giggle, then found herself reaching her fingers out to lightly grip his.
"You're right" she said, "he'll kick these thing's ass so long as we're there to help him".
"That's the spirit" he smiled down at her as a chilly breeze ruffled their hair, then added quietly enough so that only May could hear, "I do have a question though"?
She looked at him a little curiously, and he continued, "how did you know I was wearing a belt"?
Turning a little red before she replied, she said, "oh, well um, earlier when we were getting a little uh intimate, I kinda noticed it then".
Cameron seemed a little stunned by her answer, and she turned a tiny bit brighter shade of red.
"I didn't think about that" he finally said, and she replied with a soft, "yea".
A silence followed, not necessarily an awkward silence, it closer resembled a silence of understanding. That if the situation could be different, maybe the two of them could spend a little more time together, just the two of them.
"So, how are you doing really" Cameron asked after he had recaptured her blue eyes with his green ones.
"Honestly...not very good" she admitted, dipping her head, "I'm worried. About my family back home, about Ash and Misty, about Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak, Brock and Delila, us...so much has been lost already, and I'm scared that I'm going to lose everyone I love too".
"Wan't me to tell you the second thing I've learned since being around all of you guys" the brown haired man offered gently, pulling her chin up with the tip of his index finger.
Slowly, May found herself nodding, so he said, "every single one of you are the toughest people I've ever met. I've heard the stories, and I've already seen so many incredible accomplishments from you guys. There isn't a doubt in my mind that there isn't anything you all can't do. Bad things may happen, but in the end, I truly believe everything will work out just fine".
May looked up into his shining green eyes, how they were so comforting and caring. She smiled to him, at a loss for words because of his.
"Hey you two" Melody called, pulling them from their conversation, "take a look"!
Following her gesture, relief washed over May. Brock was sprinting back down the slippery slope, doing his best to keep his footing. He slid down the last two feet, and raced for the boat, leaping against the railing and pulling himself aboard.
"Got it, let's go" he exclaimed, pulling the blue sphere out of his pocket to show them.
"Hold on tight then" Melody told them, gripping the throttle, "we're coming for you Lightning Island"!
And they were off, skipping across the water at breakneck speed. Most of the evacuating boats had gone by now, leaving behind a smoking Shamouti island, and a few sinking ships. The majority of the Dominion force were making there way towards Fire Island and the still ongoing fight. May could only imagine what destruction lay across the rocky surface, how many dead Dominion bodies? At least the Legendaries were thinning them out...but for how much longer? They had to be tiring by now.
"What will happen if one of the Legendary Birds are killed" May asked Melody, to which the brunette driving the boat's expression darkened.
"Even Ash won't be able to save our world then" she informed the Hoenn native, "the Birds' power, along with the treasures, maintain the control and balance over the underwater current. Without any one of them, that balance is lost and then everything ends".
"Then we have to convince Lugia to lead them away" May declared, earning perplexed and 'are you crazy' expressions from the others.
"You wan't to travel back over to that Island" Melody asked, her voice sounding unable to comprehend if May was speaking real English.
"We have too! I'd kind of like the world to continue on once we stop the Dominion's".
"May" Brock cut in, "if we go back, that's putting Mew right in the line of fire. We can't do that".
May opened her mouth to argue back, but Delila beat her to it, "she's right Brocky".
The taller man looked at her in shock, "Delila-".
"Shh, and think about it" the pink haired woman quieted him, "we can split up. Give Mew to May. Her and Cameron can use Salamence to fly the rest of the way to Lightning Island. We'll go back to Lugia".
"Absolutely not" Brock nearly shouted.
He tried to cover his panic with anger, unsure of how successful he had been though. Two things about that plan severely bothered him. One, Delila was pregnant, and he'd be damned if he allowed the woman carrying his child back over to that Island. Second, he was not about to hand Mew over when he still had no idea who the former Rocket member was.
"I'm going" Delila glared at him, sitting up and pulling her injured arm close to her torso, "with or without you".
"Delila, I said-".
"BROCK" she hadn't meant to shout so loud, or so fierce, but today was not the day to be worried about the little things she knew he was thinking of, "I know you're scared...I am too. But all of us are in this together, People and Pokemon alike. We have to risk everything to gain something, or risk nothing and lose it all. I love you, and I know we can do this".
May's eyes widened at Delila's ferocity. A pregnant woman, who had probably lost well over a pint of blood by now, was fired up and rearing to head straight into the heart of danger. Hardcore respect.
Brock didn't break eye contact with his lover, searching through her eyes. They softened as they looked back into his, and he found his willpower cracking. Sighing, he turned to May, unclipping the MasterBall and handing it over hesitantly.
"Keep it safe" he warned.
The brunette nodded firmly, carefully taking the Ball from Brock's outstretched hand.
"What are you waiting for" Brock snapped at Cameron, "get going"!
"Oh, right"!
With the toss of a PokeBall, and a flash of light, Salamence roared as it materialized on the back of the boat. Cameron climbed onto his Dragon's back, and extended his hand to assist May's climb.
"Let's go buddy" Cameron ordered, digging his heel into the Dragon's side.
Beating its massive wings, they lifted off, pushing the boat down from the force. Melody spun the wheel to correct their course, and pointed the tip of her boat to Fire Island.
"That was only just a little bit uncomfortable" she remarked loudly to Brock and Delila.
March 7th 9:30 a.m.
"Shit"!
Red reached frantically for the vent grate that slipped loose, hissing a curse under his breath as he did so. By the tips of his fingers he caught it before it could fall to the tiled floor below.
"Thought that would of been secured a little better" he mumbled to himself angrily, and carefully pulled the grate back up into the cool ventilation shaft in which he was currently crawling through.
Setting it against the vent wall as quietly as possible, he began his crawl forwards once again, only to stop and listen intently. Voices were coming down the hall below him, heading right in his direction. He shifted himself so that if someone were to look up, they would not see him in the vent.
"Stop fighting you little bitch"!
"Man this one just won't quit".
"She's feisty, just my type of gir-OW! You little cunt"!
There was a harsh smack, followed by a whimper, and another girl exclaiming "Misty"!
"Teach you to bite me bitch! Learn some respect"!
Red peered over the edge, glancing down into the hall. Three Rocket Grunts stood directly beneath him, two of them each holding the woman he recognized as Misty, and the blue haired woman he had seen with Ash earlier that morning. The third Grunt chuckled, saying, "you girls better calm it down, otherwise one call to the boss and your boyfriend won't make it through the day".
This was apparently the wrong thing to say to Misty, she screeched and swiped at the third Grunt with her nails, digging deep scratches into the man's face. He howled in pain, and stumbled back while the Grunt holding Misty yanked her off her feet, slamming her against the floor on her back. Tears filled her eyes as she gasped for the air that was knocked out of her.
"Stop it, leave her alone-"!
The blue haired woman, who had started squirming in Misty's defense, was smacked across the face by her captive.
"Shut it you blue haired whore! I've had enough of the both of you, one more outburst and we'll be tossing your PokeBalls into the furnace" he growled, shaking the woman like a rag doll as he shouted.
"Now let's get a move on bitch" Misty's Grunt jerked her to her feet.
"Hold up a sec" the third Grunt called, stepping up to Misty.
Blood trickled down his face from her scratch, and he sneered down at her. She glared right back up at him, her breathing still ragged from the impact on the floor and her hair falling over her face. Then rearing back as hard as he could, the Grunt slammed his fist into Misty's temple. The blue haired woman squeaked as the red head went limp.
"Gee thank's Burt" the Grunt holding Misty snarled, "now I have to carry her".
"It'll be good for you, now let's go"!
Burt the Grunt led the way, and the other two Grunts followed suit, carrying their captives along with them. Red silently watched them leave, debating furiously about helping the two woman. It was obvious from their encounter that Ash deeply cared for the orange haired girl, Misty, and the bluenette had to have been a friend...of course, the longer Red waited, the more of a chance Giovanni would do something to his son.
Making up his mind, Red proceeded down the vent, crawling swiftly, but silently.
Yes, Brock and his group are two days ahead of Ash and Misty's. At least for this chapter lol. Reason? Because if I may jog your memory, the Darkin showed Dawn events two or three days ahead of time back at the end of part 2. And when Ash woke up, what was in front of him? The Darkin! See, I'm not just writing the first random things that pop into my head haha
Also, for those who may have noticed, the wedding was on March 6th...let that sink in. So much heavy stuff has been thrown at you guys in the timespan of only ONE day for Ash and Misty. That's rough lol
Also I figured that with the way the chapters have progressed so far, now would be the best time to show what Red was up to right after the destruction of Indigo, and to give a little more info about him, and some of his motivations. I have interesting things planned ahead mwahahaha! In the words of a very famous man, from a completely different series, "Hold on to your butts".
Next Chapter will return us to Ash and Misty, we won't be seeing the other group. And fair warning in advance, something very dark is coming ya'lls. Something I'm not even 100% comfortable with writing actually, but it's happening regardless.
See ya'll next chapter!