Chapter 16 – The Steps We Take
"You see before I just thought you were high on adrenaline or battle rush. Now though I realise you're just insane."
"He's certifiably insane. His ideas even more so. Miraculously, they usually work."
"See this is why you shouldn't think."
[12:02PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Vermillion Gym – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Dragonite, Dragonair, Alakazam, Mr Mime, Crobat, Ariados, Electrode, Electivire, Raichu)
"You want me to do what?"
The poison type ninja stared around suspiciously at the rebels. Personally she thought they were crazy but then again, her father worked with them. They couldn't be that bad, she had reasoned, as she waltzed out of the wilderness to join them.
But this was taking it too far.
"Let me get this straight," she snapped, "You want me to venture out into Vermillion harbour, brave the mad Seakings, pathetic Magikarp which will evolve into a raging monster if you insult them, the killer Carvanha which shouldn't even be in this region - and then you want me to access the old abandoned shipwreck, haunted by Gastly and Banette and let me tell you, those dolls creep me out, to retrieve a small green piece of rock which all you macho men can't retrieve yourself?"
Lance smiled. "I'm glad you understand us."
The Fuschia gym leader glared at him. "No way it hell!" she shouted.
Erika, the grass leader who she had met, travelling down route 12 stepped forward, "Is there anything that would make you want to do it?" she asked.
There was a vehement shaking of her head.
"And if me, Sabrina and Lance come with you."
She considered it, "If you, Lance, Sabrina and Surge come with me I'll do it."
The Lightning American cursed, "Well in that case we might as well do it ourselves instead of Janine since she obviously can't handle it."
"Oh course I can handle it!" the poison leader snapped, "I'm a ninja! We can handle anything! But what you're asking of me is extremely difficult - even for Koga!"
Erika tried to placate the electric gym leader, "We need Janine to help us with the booby traps in the ship."
"Oh now there are traps!" she cried, "Way to mention that!"
Lance tried to settle the tension, "We'll go with you." he reassured her, "If your scared I'm sure Surge will keep you safe," he grinned, eyes twinkling wickedly."But we need you expertise! Koga's all the way out in Pewter and you're our only chance of getting in without blowing the whole thing up and sending it to the bottom."
"I said I'll do it," the purple haired girl snapped, "I don't go back on my word. Unlike some people," she muttered, glaring at Surge who failed to notice.
[12:36PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Pier – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Crobat, Electrode)
"What do you mean you don't even have a boat!"
"What do you expect me to run on it on brat?"
"Would it kill you stop smoking that shit?"
The lietenant glared at her as Erika whirled around. "Will you two stop agueing!" she snapped, green eyes blazing.
"Well lookey here?" Surge taunted, "Miss Softy has grown a backbone!"
Erika stood her ground, glaring back at him. "Yeah – and so what? I was in Lavender Tower the other day when it blew and I've seen things you couldn't even begin to imagine. So shut up, stop talking and find us some way to get out to that abandoned boat, otherwise we might as well let some other big rough, tough save the world kind of man do it!"
Surge curled his lip as he turned away, throwing the cigarette on the ground and stamping it out. The five of them stood on the pier with four Pokémon, Chikorita, Dratini and Crobat on their respective trainers shoulders and Electrode hovering in the air.
"Dratini," Lance said, from where he was examining the water, "Ice beam."
The little lizard chirped, as he took a puff of air, before blowing it out, the water shimmering as it turned to ice. It crept outwards slowly, like fingers reaching for its prize, cold fog curling up lazily as the crystals formed across the still ocean. The salt water shouldn't have frozen that easily - it was downright unnatural.
"Make it thick," Lance told his dragon, "We don't want to fall through." He turned to give a cautious glance around at the port city. Generally speaking it was under SECTION control, but it didn't stop the rockets from marching in when they pleased.
Besides him Erika seemed to be thinking the same thing, gazing into the distance at black uniforms. The alarm claxon was already ringing, sending out Pokémon and people to defend their city from Team control. "Why are there so many?" she whined.
"They're like insects," Lance spat, watching the ice solidify outwards.
"No shit?" Surge fished another cigar from his pocket.
"I'm serious," Lance slammed a clenched fist down on the pier, "There are millions of the blighters! Everywhere!"
"Maybe they have a secret breeding program going on," Sabrina said, deadpan.
Lance stared at her, "Did you just make a joke?"
Sabrina cast him a dry look, "Don't get used to it."
"The ice is nearly there," Janine said, putting her foot on it and testing the weight, ignoring the complaints, "I can get across now but Surge, gee, it might not hold your weight!"
"Are you calling me fat girlie?" Surge growled.
"I never said anything old man," the purple haired poison type user smiled charmingly as she stepped onto the ice, before skipping off across it with light, quick steps.
"Why…" Surge made to head after her but Sabrina flung out an arm, blocking his path.
"The ice isn't think enough yet," she regarded him cautiously, "Just wait a bit."
The electric leader took another swing of his cigarette, "I'm gonna' strangle tha' kid," he muttered under his breath.
"Well you know what?" Erika snapped, "If you stopped being such a fool insulting everyone maybe people would treat you nicer!" before making her way across the bay, poncho fluttering slightly in the breeze.
The look on Sabrina's face told him that the psychic agreed, and Lance was too busy trying to figure out what the rockets were doing to pay attention. So nobody noticed when the macho leader whined, "But she started it!" imitating a young child.
His Electrode made a buzzing sound.
The 'she' in question was already hopping onto the boat, hitching a lift from her Crobat to save her clambering up the creaky wooden boards and rope. She dropped silently down on the deck, before sending her Crobat forward. "Reconnaissance," she instructed, "Pokémon and types, traps and location."
The purple bat flitted away as Sabrina floated calmly up. "Hey!" Erika called from below, "That's cheating! Not to mention damn unfair on us non-psychics!"
"KorChi!" (She's right!) her Johto starter agreed with her.
The pair ignored her, one being too stoic to care and the other was sulking. "Didn't want to do this stupid job for SECTION anyway," Janine muttered, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms. There was a crash behind them.
Sabrina glanced over her shoulder before closing her eyes and walking several paces away as if she had no dealings with them and she had never met strange, motley crew before in her life. Erika dropped down from the rope she used to clamber up, staring in confusion at the electric gym leader. "Hey Vermillion? What are doing down there?"
With a curse Surge pulled his foot out of the deck, from where his weight had caused the boards to collapse. "Shut it Grass!"
Erika shrugged, turning away as Lance joined them, swinging on board, his Dratini around his neck. "All set everyone?"
Celadon's gym leader was the only one to reply in the positive – the ninja and macho man were too busy sulking and Sabrina just gave a cut nod. Lance sighed. "Cheerful lot – aren't they?" he asked Erika.
"I miss Shads already," she sighed, "But whether it's his amazing sense of humour or cheerful personality I'm not sure."
Sabrina cast a sideways glance at the sarcastic gym leader (the grass one) and there was a flutter of wings as Crobat arrived back. Alighting himself on his mistresses arm, he opened his jaws, the sonic within them vibrating until an image formed of the ship ahead.
Lance winced at the various ghost type Pokémon around, and all he could say was that he was thankful they had the psychic gym leader with them. There were water Pokémon too which explained the grass and electric leaders.
Janine spent a minute or so studying the images before thanking her Crobat, who closed his mouth and flew to her shoulder. "All right! So he couldn't find the gear and there are two sections to the ship. We'll split up and contact each other using our Pokégears. Lance, Erika and Surge can take the one end of the ship which leads through the cabins and kitchens while me and Sabrina head to the storage level…"
The dragon master shook his head, "There are more ghost-types in the cabins. Sabrina's coming with us. It's a grass gear so the Chikorita's coming too, and Erika by extension. Surge can go with you, since you're our other source of finding it."
"No way!" there were unisons of objections from the pair.
Erika smirked, "Yes way! Have fun. You two are taking the storage! Be careful – all right?"
Both gym leaders were too busy glaring at each other to notice.
[13:00PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) - Janine & Lt Surge (Crobat, Electrode)
"I hate you."
Lt Surge turned to look at the poison type mistress. "Well I'm not particularly fond of ya' either," he snapped, his Electrode hovering at his shoulder.
Janine muttered something under her breath. "Stop," she commanded, "Let me disable the pit trap," she told him, darting past, hopping over the trip wire to pull the knife away from where the swinging arm hung. Sometimes ghost types thought of plans too evil for their own good.
No wonder Agatha was such a creepy old lady.
Surge swore under his breath, watching the flickering shadows. "Use Flash," he commanded his Electrode, who gave a buzz of approval before the cabin lit in a blinding flash.
"You idiot!" Janine snapped, as a thunder bolt fried the Banette hiding the darkness. "Don't do that! You could have hit Crobat!" she hugged her bat to her tighter. "Come on, this way!" she snapped, turning and stalking away.
The Lt swore at her back.
[13:00PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) – Sabrina, Lance and Erika (Chikorita and Dratini)
"Do you think we should have left those two alone together?" Erika asked the champion, trying not to look at the dust and bones in the cabins. It just reminded her of the labs, and the scarred…
No… don't go there.
Sabina however had picked up on her thoughts, and flinched… visibly flinched… the emotionless psychic had turned to stare at her, eyes wide. "What the hell happened to you at Lavender?" she asked.
The grass type trainer turned away, "Nothing. It's done… the stupid place is gone now – thank Mew."
Thankfully the psychic didn't press and Lance was too far ahead to hear. In her arms the small grass starter gave a comforting chirp. The gym leader glanced down, smiling, "Thanks for the support." She whispered.
"Hey guys! Look at this."
The skeletal figure of the captain, clothes rotting off the bones, sat in a chair at the far end of the cabins. In one hand he held a wine bottle, and in the other, a pale green stone was clutched.
"Pay dirt." Lance spat, even as he broke the brittle bones, dusted of the gear and turned to the two woman, nodding. "Let' get out of here. Sabrina – make sure you can keep that hacksaw from falling and that piece of floor from collapsing.
"Sure," the psychic sneered, "Just make me do all the hard work."
There was a loud crash and the ship shook slightly. Erika's eyes widened and in her arms the grass type let out a small squeak.
The champion rolled his eyes, "Those two…" he growled under his breath.
The grass leader glared at him, "We need to go and see if they're okay!" she insisted.
"The pair are probably at each other's throats," Sabrina muttered.
"I repeat, we are going to see if they are okay," Erika snapped. She glared at the pair.
Lance swallowed nervously, "We'll go check up on them… Sabrina – try and phone them…"
[13:17PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) - Janine & Lt Surge (Crobat, Electrode)
The Pokégear rang in Surge's top pocket where he had left it, but it went unheard. Said gym leader was too busy trying to dodge the shadow balls from the mass of ghost Pokémon which had surrounded them. Crobat flew forwards with a wing attack before being sent hurtling back, a thunderbolt crackling on his wings.
Janine caught her poison and flying type, scooping him up. "We can't take much more of this!" she cried, "Do something!"
"I'm tryin' brat! Give me a chance to think!" Surge spat. Next to him his Electrode gave a small buzz.
Behind him the poison type gym leader gave a cry of pain as a night slash sliced her arm where she was cradling her Crobat. Surge looked wildly around in panic.
His white metallic steel and electric type gave another buzz, before moving towards the ghosts, without waiting for his trainers permission. Surge noticed, only too late.
"No! Electrode!"
The room they were in was filled suddenly with blinding white light, and the poison type leader blinked, trying to see. There were spots dancing in front of her eyes, and grey smoke was wafting in front of her face. It caught in her throat, and she coughed, trying to waft away the smoke. "What happened?" she asked, meeting Surge's stony face.
"My Electrode used self-destruct."
Her eyes widened, "Is he…" her voice trailed off. She knew the answer. No, not this time. The move relied on timing, the Pokémon saving itself with the energy of a Pokéball before fainting at the last minute. With no machines working, the Pokémon that followed them were as good as wild. She knew the answer.
Self-destruct was permanent.
There was a clatter of feet as Lance and Sabrina appeared, "What happened?" Lance asked, looking around at the blackened wood. "Where's your Electrode…" he broke of as the psychic elbowed him in the gut and the champion's eyes widened in realisation.
There was a horrible sort of silence on the haunted boat.
[13:37PM] – 25nd May – Vermillion City – Pier – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Crobat)
They managed to get off the ship easily enough, despite the ice cracking as they had made their way towards the pier. For a moment Janine had dithered on the thin frozen water, before with a growl Surge had hauled her onto firm land. "Nobody else is goin' to die today – you got that?"
His Raichu was waiting on the pier with his Electrabuzz. The two electric Pokémon looked slightly worn out from beating up Team members, but the previous invasion force seemed to have been driven out. Both Pokémon noted their companion's disappearance with silence.
Above them the sky was dark and stormy, lightning flashing in the cloud cover. It was rare – any sort of weather apart from the usual omnipresent grey sky. Erika looked upwards, hoping for a drop of rain to fall, but the air remained heavy and still, sparking with electricity.
The Electrabuzz gave a yelp as static danced over his form, and Sabrina flinched back away from the electric type. "What's going on Surge?" she asked, staring at the sparking blue static.
The electric leader blinked, shaking off the loss. It still hurt – but he was a soldier. He'd seen people and Pokémon die before. Instead he focussed on the matter at hand. "I don't know." He frowned, looking at the static. "Looks like legendary thunder…"
Erika frowned, "You know the thing I always wondered is why when Pokémon use thunder… there isn't just a very loud noise. I mean… thunder is the sound right – shouldn't the move be called lightnin-EEEHHH!" she let out a scream as the whole air shimmered, seemingly being ripped apart from the static strobes. Lance drew a gun, pushing the woman behind him.
"Stop being chivalrous!" Sabrina snapped, eyes glowing an ominous purple as the air around them tore open, a sore wound.
Then there were shapes stepping backwards from the wound in space, a dark figure and the sound of a gun going off.
There was a flurry of curses and the figure doubled over. The air shimmered once more before fading, leaving the air clear, even as the storm continued to roll overhead. There was a growl from the dark furred jackal, red eyes gleaming as he stepped forwards, aura sphere forming, and Surge's Raichu bounded forward to meet it.
"Rai!" (Stop!) Rai skidded between the jackal and mouse. Turning to glare at the other Raichu, the orange mouse let out a growl, cheeks dancing with dark black electricity that flared blue-yellow at the edges. "RaiAiAi!" (Stay back or die cretin!)
There was a pattering of paws as Va skidded up, her form shimmering from an Espeon to a Leafeon as she blinked in surprise. "VuiEon?" (Erika?) "LeafEaf? EonEaf?" (Lance? Sabrina?)
Lance took a step forward in shock, gaze focussed on the doubled over figure.
"Ash?"
"Bloody hell is this how you greet all your friends?" the raven ground out, a hand pressed to his side. Surge started and Erika gasped in alarm.
"Oh Mew you shot him! You idiot Lance – you shot him! Va – can't you do something! You healed me! Come on! I'll get a first aid kit…"
"Don't worry," Ash shook his head as he straightened, wincing but otherwise ignoring the bloodstain on his jacket. "Ignore it – it will heal."
Lance gaped. "It's a bullet wound!" he snapped.
"Which will heal…"
"It will take weeks!" the champion shouted.
"It will take minutes!"
"What?"
Ash's face was cold, "I... heal quickly - don't worry."
Erika gasped. "My arrow did cut you! Back in Saffron!"
Ash glanced at her, before nodding. "Yes." He admitted, quietly.
"What the hell is this?" Janine asked, "The guy appears out of thin air – why the hell did you ask me to get the gear when this guy can just pop through space and get it? Huh? Huh! That's it! I'm out of here! I hope I never see you lot again!"
"Well it wasn't particularly nice meeting you either," Surge snapped, turning to Ash, "I recognise you… you're that kid with the Pikach…" he voice trailed off, gaze switching to the two Raichu, one smaller than the other but twice as fearsome, the black electricity dancing at his paws.
"Leave Rai!" Ash snapped, "Sorry," he told Surge, "He got zapped by a Zapdos – no pun intended – he's a bit overcharged."
"A bit!" Zo whined, "He's more overcharged than when you guys met me in Sinnoh! And he fried me then too!"
Ash adjusted his stance, seemingly ignoring the wound, "Actually we all got hit by the hyper beam from the Zapdos – I was aiming to get us to Vermillion Gym from what I could remember of it but…well… that's what you get for teleporting without knowledge of a location. I'm just lucky I didn't tear a permanent hole or kill us in the process."
The dark type flattened her ears. "Don't say that! I don't even know why I chose to go along with you, Rai and Luca – the crazy lot that you are! You're mad! That's it! All of you mad! Mental! I was fine where I was – living in the south of Sinnoh – but no-o! You lot had to waltz in being chased by a hoard of Dragonite and I just had to decide you needed rescuing! Well you know what? – next time you can damn well manage without me."
Va glanced at her in amusement, "You've been wanting to let that out for a while now – haven't you?"
Zo pouted.
Lance stared at Ash. "A hoard of Dragonite?" he asked, and the raven haired man pretended to ignore the tone of hope and glee in the dragon master's voice.
"Don't ask. Long story." Ash winced as he moved again, and once again they were drawn to his injured side.
The red head frowned, "Let's get that seen to. I don't know what you're playing at…"
"Leave it." Ash snapped. "It heals – okay! It always does."
The raven made to limp past Lance, but the red head slammed Ash away from him, sending the former champion stumbling against the wall of the pier house. "What are you talking about? People don't just heal in minutes!"
Ash didn't meet his eyes.
"No – just – don't do this Rayquaza dammit! And don't change the subject again!"
The raven glanced up, eyes a pale grey, "Does it matter?" he snapped, "It's over - in the past - I can't change it!"
"Did the Rockets do this to you? In the laboratory?"
Eyes widened, "What? No! Okay...sort of...but not like this!"
"Not like what!" Lance pressed, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
The former champion leaned back against the wall, wincing again, "It's complicated."
"I can manage."
"Really complicated."
"Don't patronise me."
"I'm a fixed point in space and time."
There was a pause.
"Okay, so what does that mean?"
"Time has stopped." Ash emphasised, "I told you this. It moves on and I die because I'm trapped in this time. Take Dialga for example - the temporal legendary - I'm not counting Celebi. Anyway Dialga lives in time. Stop time, Dialga's stuck? I'm not explaining this very well. I'm stuck in the temporal plane for as long as it lasts, like this. If this temporal plane remains, I remain. It moves on, so do I."
The red headed champion took a moment to process this. "So while time is stopped you're immortal?"
"Pretty much." Ash shrugged, "Are we done now?" he snapped, "Because if so I'll be on my way." He pushed past the champion, his gait back to normal, with no sign of a limp.
Surge choked on thin air. "What the hell! Kid – where the hell do ya' think you're goin'?"
The raven haired man glanced over his shoulder. "Uh… away from you maybe?" he snapped, eyes flashing red before fading back to brown.
Sabrina smirked in her all-knowing way. "So you don't want the gear then?" she asked.
The elite smirked, "Oh – I already have it. I pickpocketed it off Lance when he shoved me into the wall – thanks by the way. What is it with you and violent greetings? Can't you say 'hi' like a normal person?"
"You know for stealing that I just might shoot you again and see how quickly you heal."
Ash flinched slightly, even as he gave them a joking lopsided grin. "Sure thing. I'll see you around then?"
"Nu uh!" Erika shook her head. "You're staying here the night – got it! Saving the world can wait until tomorrow until we're all better. Got it?"
"Listen I can-"
"No buts." Erika stated, leaving no room for argument.
"Well when you put it like that…" Ash shook his head in amusement, "What happened to the woman I rescued from Celadon Gym?" he asked rhetorically.
"She grew up." Erika stated, and her small Chikorita pressed herself to her jeans in comfort.
AN: I so stole stuff from Doctor Who and Torchwood. I don't really like this chapter, as I feel it is a little rushed. I so could have made a better plot out of the whole ruined ship thing, but Janine and Surge just did not cooperate as characters, or with each other. They enjoyed their little side plot though.
Please review. Reviews motivate me to write more. If I write more I can update. If I update I keep people content and they review more. If they review more I write more and might eventually be able to finish the story. Savvy?
I'm planning on making a super long chapter when I've finished the story, to explain background. I would write a prequel but I simply don't have the time at the moment. But it will be composed of all flashbacks, and divided into two parts. That's the plan, at least. I rarely ever follow plans. They tend to get thrown aside last minute in favor of improvisation.
The next chapter switches back to Misty, and it's a bit depressing at the end, so consider yourself warned. This is set in a war era, and its generally been quite mild, even this chapter with the haunted ship. But as I said, it's a war, and it's about to get a whole lot worse.
Hope you enjoy reading!
~ Eclipse