Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!
Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga
Chapter Twenty Four
Hostile Takeover
"This...strikes me as suspicious for some reason." Ashley commented, looking around the empty outpost that separated route 6 and Saffron City. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She called out, but got no response from the empty building. "This place is deserted..."
"Maybe we shouldn't push our luck and just go?" Rina suggested. "Last time we were here they wanted to keep us out of Saffron for some reason..." Ashley nodded in agreement with her and the two of them continued on toward the exit.
"-I don't see whats suspicious at all.-"Bulbasaur muttered to himself. "-They're all probably slacking off. Humans seem to be good at that.-"
"-But Ashley and Rina don't slack off at all.-" Pippi said to him. "-Ashley challenged, and beat, five gyms now and they both battle those hunters without giving it a second thought! They even beat two legendary pokemon earlier!-"
"-You do realize that we just end up doing all the work, right?-"
Leaving the building, Ashley and Rina found themselves walking straight into Saffron City. They expected to find a bustling city, but found the streets were deserted.
"-This, on the other hand, is definitely suspicious...-" Bulbasaur noted. The group walked out onto an empty street and looked around.
"Ok, this is starting to get a bit creepy now. Where IS everyone?" Ashley wondered aloud. The street they were on stretched from east to west in the southern end of the city, and they could almost see from end to end. There was still no sign of anyone though, even by the pokemon center.
"Well there's the pokecenter. We should probably get our pokemon checked out first since we ran into a few trainers on the way here." Rina suggested. Ashley nodded in agreement and the group headed over to the pokecenter.
Inside the pokecenter was almost as empty as the city itself seemed to be. There were no trainers inside at all, and only a single nurse could be seen running the place. Ashley and Rina stepped inside and approached the counter.
"Where is everyone?" Ashley asked the nurse. "This place is like a ghost town..."
"The police have ordered everyone to stay inside." The nurse explained. "Team Rocket has taken over the Silph building, so its not safe outside until they've taken care of it."
"Hmm..." Ashley thought over the situation. Rina looked at her questioningly but realized what she was thinking and kept quiet.
"Ok, Pippi, into your pokeball for now." Pippi nodded as Rina took her pokeball from her belt. She recalled Pippi and then handed over all six of her pokeballs to the nurse. Ashley then did likewise, though still looking lost in thought. She recalled Bulbasaur without a word and then handed her six pokeballs over to the nurse. The two girls then went over to the waiting area to the right side of the counter.
"So...whats the plan?" Rina asked Ashley once she was sure the nurse was out of earshot.
"Huh?"
"You're planning to go into the Silph building, right?" Rina said to her. "But...we'll be outnumbered for sure. To take over the entire Silph building, every Rocket in Kanto must be there..."
"Was it that obvious?" Ashley smiled sheepishly. "Well, there will be a lot of them, yeah. But they'll probably be split up between the floors too, and the individual grunts in Team Rocket wouldn't have pokemon as strong as the hunters did."
"Wow, you've thought this out already?" Rina asked her.
"Yep!" Ashley replied with a nod. "If we rushed the front door we could take out whoever's on the first floor. Whoever is leading the operation is likely to be on the top floor, in the president's office, and a building that big definitely has elevators. So we just take the elevator straight to the top and corner their leader! We can even get past most of the grunts that way too!"
"That actually sounds like it could work!" Rina nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "We fought a few Team Rocket grunts once and they were pretty weak, so with twelve strong pokemon between us I bet we could rush through them easily!"
"Exactly, but don't get overly excited about it." Ashley gestured toward the front desk and Rina quickly covered her mouth in embarassment. The nurse was busy operating one of the center's machines, though, and didn't take notice.
Ashley and Rina didn't have to wait long for their pokemon to be healed since there were no other trainers there ahead of them. Once their pokemon were ready they immediately set off toward the Silph Company building in the middle of the city. They stopped and ducked into an alley only a few buildings away and finally released Bulbasaur and Pippi from their pokeballs.
Ashley peeked out from the alley and saw a single Team Rocket grunt leaning against the wall next to the Silph building's main entrance. "Looks like they have the outside guarded too." Ashley said to the others. "There's only one, but we'll need to take him out without alerting the ones inside."
"Ok, so whats the plan?" Rina asked.
"Hmm..." Ashley ducked back into the alley and folded her arms over her chest while she thought it over. "Well, we could put him to sleep with Sleep Powder easily enough. But I don't think it'd reach him from here, and we probably couldn't get close enough without him noticing either..."
"-Wait, what are we doing exactly?-" Pippi asked, tilting her head to the side.
"-Yeah, I'm all for attacking this guy, but why do we want to get in there exactly?-" Bulbasaur added.
"Oh, right, we didn't tell you guys. Team Rocket took over the Silph Building for some reason, so now we're going to kick them out!" Rina explained to them.
"-Oh, well in that case...-" Bulbasaur grinned widely. "-Sounds fun. Whats the plan?-"
"So how are we going to get around that then?" Rina asked Ashley, getting back on the subject.
"Well...maybe if Bulbasaur used Sleep Powder...and then Pidgeotto used Gust to push it along..." Ashley hummed thoughtfully to herself and then took a pokeball from her belt. "Ok, Pidgeotto, come on out and lets try this." She pointed the pokeball further into the alley and released Pidgeotto.
"Ok! Bulbasaur, you fire Sleep Powder out of the alley and then Pidgeotto will use Gust to send it toward the Rocket. Got it?" Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto nodded and took up position at the opening of the alley. Bulbasaur released a cloud of green powder from his bulb, then Pidgeotto flapped his wings and created gusts of wind to send the powder toward the Rocket grunt.
"Good job! That should put him out like a light!" Ashley moved closer to the opening to watch the powder. The cloud of powder floated past the Rocket with seemingly no affect. The grunt didn't even seem to take notice.
"Hmm...I see they chose quite the resilient grunt for guard duty. We may need another plan..." Ashley ducked back into the alley and tried to come up with another method of attack while Rina peeked out to see for herself.
"You know...I don't think he's moved or anything since we got here. His hat is kinda over his eyes so its hard to tell if he's awake..." Rina thought this over for a moment and looked down at Pippi. "Pippi! If he's awake he probably wouldn't think much of a Pikachu running by."
"-Got it!-" Pippi nodded and ran out the alley. She ran up to the grunt and looked up at him for a moment before running back.
"-He's asleep. Snoring too.-" Pippi snickered lightly.
"So? What'd she find out?" Ashley asked Rina.
"He's asleep apparently..." Rina replied, smiling wryly. "So much for being resilient, he was probably asleep all this time. All we really did was make sure he stayed asleep."
"-Oh, well THAT just figures.-" Bulbasaur muttered.
"-Why did we want him asleep in the first place?-" Pidgeotto wondered. No one explained what was going on after releasing him from his pokeball.
"That figures..." Ashley sighed. "I guess he wouldn't be a grunt if he was actually good at his job..."
With the 'guard' taken care of, Ashley and Rina were free to go into the building. Ashley recalled Pidgeotto and then the rest of them approached the building and walked inside. The grunt standing guard didn't show even the slightest sign of waking up.
Inside the building, there wasn't much to be seen. The entrance level of the building appeared to be nothing more than a reception area with two large fountains joined together in the middle, a reception desk in the upper-left corner from the entrance, and several seating arrangements. There were also two grunts standing in front of the fountain, ready to greet the two girls.
"What?! How'd you get past the guard?!" One of the grunts demanded.
"Forget about that!" The other grunt yelled at his partner, hitting him in the shoulder. "They're our problem now!" Both grunts reached for a pokeball and released a pokemon each to fight Ashley and Rina. The first grunt sent out a Raticate and the second sent out a Golbat. Bulbasaur and Pippi immediately moved out in front of their trainers.
"Guess this is the welcoming committee then." Ashley said to Rina. "I'll take the Raticate, you take the Golbat." Rina nodded in agreement.
"Ok then! Pippi, attack that Golbat with Thunderbolt!" Pippi nodded affirmatively and gathered electricity in the sacs on her cheeks. Electricity then poured out of each into a single bolt which shot across the room, striking the opposing Golbat. Golbat let out a shriek and collapsed, downed in a single hit.
"Damn it! They're tough!" The grunt recalled his Golbat, which seemed to be his only pokemon.
"Oh yeah? Well my Raticate is pretty tough too!" The other grunt declared. "Raticate, attack that Bulbasaur with Hyper Fang!" Raticate charged toward Bulbasaur, its incisors bared and ready to strike.
"Bulbasaur, knock Raticate back with Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur lashed out at the charging Raticate with a pair of vines extending from the base of his bulb. The tip of the vines struck Raticate head on, knocking it over onto its back.
"Great! Now lets hit it while its down with Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur retracted his vines and fired several sharp leaves at Raticate as it was rolling back to its feet. Raticate was soon down again, letting out a sharp cry and falling over as the sharp leaves slashed across its body.
"Damn it! Even I go down without landing a hit?!" The Raticate's trainer growled before recalling his pokemon.
"-This hardly even qualifies as a workout.-" Bulbasaur noted dryly.
"-Why couldn't the hunters have grunts? They're much easier to beat...-" Pippi said to herself, letting out a sigh.
"Now, why don't you two tell me who's running the show here and where can I find him?" Ashley asked the two grunts. "And if you don't answer, Bulbasaur gets to practice Vine Whip on you."
"Wow, Ashley is REALLY taking this seriously!" Rina thought. "I don't think she's even the least bit worried about the number of Rockets that'd be in this place. Maybe thats not a good thing though..."
"Our boss is on the top floor with the president." One of the grunt's replied. "It doesn't matter though, there's no way you'll beat all of us." He added, snickering.
"Actually, I just plan to take the elevator straight to the top." Ashley shot back. "Rina, lets go. Oh, and put them to sleep Bulbasaur. We don't need them warning anyone." The grunts' eyes went wide in surprise at their mistake, but were quickly put out by a Sleep Powder from Bulbasaur. The girls and their two pokemon then piled into the elevator at the far end of the room.
"You know, this seems entirely too easy." Rina said once they were inside.
"Don't worry about it!" Ashley replied. She quickly entered the number for the top floor of the building. "We'll be up there in a minute and then we'll kick their leader's butt, forcing Team Rocket to leave and we'll definitely get some kind of a reward from the president!" The elevator shook slightly as it came to life and started to move up the building.
"Reward?" Rina narrowed her eyes at her. "Ashley, you're just doing this because you're expecting a reward?"
"Of course not!" Ashley replied, flashing Rina a grin. "It certainly provides additional motivation though."
"Additional motivation?" Rina thought, keeping her eyes narrowed on Ashley. "Team Rocket is just as bad as the hunters, that should be motivation enough!"
"-Hey, why are we just standing around anyway?-" Pippi asked.
"Oh, I guess you've never been on an elevator before, huh?" Rina said to her. Pippi shook her head. "Well the elevator moves up or down a building on its own. In fact, we should be at the top soon!"
"-In other words, lazy humans need machines to move them around.-" Bulbasaur added, getting a snicker out of Pippi.
The elevator continued to go straight up, passing floor after floor. It was going smoothly at first, but then suddenly shook violently and knocked everyone over but Bulbasaur. The elevator had come to a sudden and unexpected stop just after the sixth floor.
"Being a quadraped certainly has its advantages." Bulbasaur thought, grinning to himself.
"-Ow...I don't think I like these elevator things...-" Pippi muttered, sitting up and rubbing her head.
"What was that? Why'd we stop?" Ashley wondered. She and Rina stood up and Ashley looked at the floor numbers over the elevator door. "We're not even stopped on a floor! Did they find out we were using the elevator somehow?"
"They took over the building, maybe they have access to security cameras?" Rina suggested.
"Great, so much for stealth..." Ashley grumbled. She looked around the elevator and spotted an emergency hatch at the top of the elevator. "Well looks like we can get onto the seventh floor anyway if we use that hatch."
"Huh?" Rina looked up at the hatch in question. "Does that even open from the inside? And we're going to need help just to reach it..."
"We have pokemon though. According to the pokedex, Blastoise weighs about the same as an overweight human so the elevator should be fine if you used Berg."
"If you say so...but its going to get cramped in here..." Rina backed up near the door and took a pokeball from her belt. "Ok, come on out! Berg!" Rina aimed the pokeball at the corner of the elevator, under the escape hatch, and released Burg. Burg took up about a quarter of the floor space in the elevator on his own.
"Ok, now we need to do something about that hatch. I've got this one I think..." Ashley drew a pokeball from her belt. "Primeape, go!" Ashley released Primeape in the opposite corner, next to Blastoise. Between Primeape and Blastoise, half the elevator was almost used up entirely and little room was left for the two trainers, Bulbasaur, and Pippi.
"-Ok...whats going on exactly? Where are we?-" Berg asked them.
"-GRRRR! I hate hatehatehatehatehate HATE this place!-" Primeape growled, flailing its arms and nearly hitting Berg "-ITS TOO CRAMPED!-"
"-Thats not helping you know.-" Pippi said to him. Primeape stopped flailing his arms about and cast an angry glare at Pippi. She quickly ducked behind Bulbasaur.
"We're stuck in an elevator...long story, but we need to get that hatch open to get out." Rina pointed to the escape hatch over Berg.
"-I see...so you need me to boost you up, and Primeape to break...-" Berg barely got out the word break before Primeape suddenly jumped onto his head and then jumped straight up into the hatch above. Primeape punched straight through the panel in one blow, busting through and landing on top of the elevator.
"-Ow! Hey!-" Berg growled. Primeape screeched victoriously from atop the elevator.
"Well, thats part of the plan done...you don't mind giving us a boost, Berg?" Rina asked him.
"-As long as you don't step on my head like he did...-" Berg turned his back to them. "-Just climb up my shell, you should be able to reach it then.-"
"Your Berg seems to be quite understanding." Ashley said to Rina. Rina nodded in agreement.
With Berg and Primeape's help, the two girls easily made it out of the elevator. Rina climbed out first, followed by Ashley. Pippi quickly hopped out next, and Bulbasaur used his vines to latch onto the edge and pull himself out. When everyone was out of the elevator, Rina recalled Berg and Ashley recalled Primeape.
"Looks like the elevator is half covering the door to the seventh floor...yet the door's open." Ashley noted after recalling Primeape. Rina crawled over to the door to see for herself after recalling Berg.
"I don't see anyone around, but I can't help but feel like someone is expecting us for some reason." Rina hopped down off the elevator to take a closer look. Pippi soon followed her down and sniffed at the air. Ashley and Bulbasaur soon followed.
"-This place seems...stuffy.-" Pippi noted, scrunching her nose.
"I think its mostly offices here." Rina said to her. "That might be why."
"Well, guess we'll be taking the stairs from here on out then." Ashley said with a sigh. She glanced over to the right side of the elevator, where a door lead to a flight of stairs that went through each floor of the building. "Funny though...if they knew we were here, then you'd think there'd be a welcoming party if you know what I mean."
"You're not going anywhere." A familiar male voice said to them.
"What?! It can't be!" Ashley scanned the corridor ahead as Gary Oak stepped out of one of the offices.
"What are you doing here?! Are you part of Team Rocket too?!" Rina angrily demanded.
"Who are you again?" Gary shot back, taunting Rina. "Anyway...I'm not in Team Rocket. I was waiting here for someone, but since you arrived here first..." Gary pointed a finger at Ashley. "Ashley! I challenge you to a pokemon battle! Three pokemon each!"
"What? HERE!?" Ashley cried out in shock. "Gary! Do you even realize what you're doing?!"
"I know exactly what I'm doing!" Gary shot back. "I haven't been able to win a match at all against you or Red. I'll become better than both of you, no matter what!"
"Fine then...you want to battle that badly..." Ashley took a pokeball from her belt. "Rina, you take the stairs. I'll deal with this jerk..."
"Well...umm..." Rina hesitated for a moment, remembering what happened when they ran into Gary in the Pokemon Tower. Rina went on alone and was hypnotized by a wild Haunter as a result.
"-Don't worry Rina! I'll protect you for sure this time!-" Pippi assured her.
"Ok..." Rina nodded. "Ashley...be careful. Someone's bound to show up eventually..." Rina and Pippi took off toward the stairs, leaving Ashley to battle Gary.
"No one is going to be interrupting this battle." Gary thought to himself with a smirk, drawing a pokeball as well. "I already saw to that."
"Pidgeotto, go!"
"Pidgeot, go!"
Ashley and Gary sent out their first pokemon into the narrow corridor. Gary's pokeon, an evolved Pidgeot, stood like an opposing figure before Gary in comparison to Ashley's Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto clenched his beak tightly in annoyance when he saw his evolved form staring him down.
"Thats the best you can do? A Pidgeotto?" Gary taunted Ashley. "Don't make me laugh! All of my pokemon are fully evolved, and here you are lagging behind with a Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur!"
"-For the record, I could probably be a Venusaur by now if I wanted.-" Bulbasaur muttered. "-I'd just rather my evolutions be more dramatic.-"
"Evolved or not, my Pidgeotto is strong. Just remember who won when they were both still Pidgey!" Ashley shot back. "Pidgeotto! Attack with Swift and Quick Attack!"
"We'll see about that! Pidgeot, use Feather Dance!" Pidgeot shook its body and then flapped its wings, sending a cloud of feathers in Pidgeotto's direction.
"-Like she said, evolved or not...-" Pidgeotto flapped his wings and sent a barrage of star-shaped rays at his opponent. "-I'll still WIN!-" Pidgeotto flapped his wings and took off toward Gary's Pidgeotto, surpassing his own attack as he gained a burst of speed using Quick Attack.
The Swift dispersed Pidgeot's cloud of feathers enough for Pidgeotto to speed through with Quick Attack, striking Pidgeot in a blur of movement. The Swift attack soon followed, following up Pidgeotto's Quick Attack and knocking Pidgeot back slightly. The feathers, which had been dispersed, fell around Pidgeotto and clung to his body to weigh him down.
"A good start, but you're too aggressive Ash!" Gary said to her. "Pidgeot, attack with Steel Wing!" Gary's Pidgeot quickly rebounded, lashing out at Pidgeotto with steel-coated wings. Coming from the more powerful Pidgeot, it was a harsh blow that sent Pidgeotto flying back and hitting the floor hard.
"Now, Pidgeot! Use Gust!" Pidgeot began flapping its wings, sending strong gusts of wind at Pidgeotto just as he was getting back on his feet. Pidgeotto tried to steady itself against the gusts of wind but was being pushed back. Even Ashley found herself holding onto her hat as the wind was still strong when it reached her.
"There's not much Pidgeotto can do against that attack..." Ashley thought. "His Pidgeot is too powerful, and Pidgeotto has little room to manuever in this corridor. We have to stop it!"
"Pidgeotto, attack Pidgeot with another Swift attack!" Pidgeotto gave a flap of its wings, sending out a burst of star-shaped rays that homed in on Pidgeot. The wind caught Pidgeotto when he tried to attack and, even though he got off the attack, it blew him back and sent him crashing into the wall. The Swift attack had the intended effect, though. Pidgeot staggered slightly as the rays hit it, disrupting its attack.
"Looks like your Pidgeotto just isn't strong enough to deal with my Pidgeot." Gary snickered.
"-I'm not...giving up yet...-" Pidgeotto mumbled weakly, slowly picking himself up off the floor where he landed after hitting the wall.
"-You're a resilient little pest.-" Pidgeot said mockingly. Pidgeotto shot it a glare.
"If his Pidgeot uses Gust again, there's no way Pidgeotto can get past it in his current state." Ashley thought to herself while she drew Pidgeotto's pokeball from her belt. "I should probably switch for another pokemon then, maybe Snorlax..."
"-If power is how you want to fight, then lets see how you handle this!-" Pidgeotto's body began to glow as he triggered his evolution. His body began to expand, growing a foot taller while the crest on his head more than doubled in length. When the glow faded, Pidgeotto stood as a mirror image of his opponent, fully evolved into Pidgeot.
"On the other hand..." Ashley put Pidgeot's pokeball back on her belt. "Ok then, I can see you want to win this one! Pidgeot, let 'em have it with an Air Cutter!"
"-With pleasure!-" Pidgeot brought his wings together, forcing air between them, then pulled them apart to fire a blade of air at the opposing Pidgeot. Gary's Pidgeot was stunned by the sudden turn of events and took a direct hit without making any attempt to evade. The blade slashed across it's neck and down its body, landing a harsh blow that brought the Pidgeot to the ground.
"Pidgeot!" Gary cried out in shock. "Damn it! Holding back an evolution...why would any pokemon do that? Why would their trainer let them?!" He wondered, casting an angry glare at Ashley.
"Now, Pidgeot! Move in and attack with Wing Attack!"
"Pidgeot, block it with Steel Wing!"
Ashley's Pidgeot flapped its wings and took off, quickly closing the gap between itself and Gary's Pidgeot. Gary's Pidgeot was still getting up from the previous attack, but was still able to defend itself. Both of its wings took on a metallic appearance and it crossed them in front of itself defensively. Ashley's Pidgeot came to a stop in front of Gary's and dropped down toward it, striking with his wings but causing little damage against his opponent's defenses.
"Its too late in the battle for that evolution to make a difference!" Gary called out to Ashley. "Pidgeot, strike back with Gust! Now!"
"Like we're letting you get away with that again!" Ashley called back. "Pidgeot, counter with Gust!"
Ashley's Pidgeot jumped back from Gary's and both pokemon began flapping their wings, sending powerful gusts at each other. Neither pokemon seemed to gain any ground at first, their attacks effectively cancelling each other out though some wind was still thrown back in their faces.
Both bird pokemon put more and more effort into their Gust until eventually they couldn't withstand the wind being thrown back at them. They simultaneously stalled their attacks and suddenly a strong gust of wind blew both pokemon back, throwing each of them to the ground. Gary's Pidgeot landed behind him, and Ashley's landed at her feet. Both pokemon quickly got back up, though they were starting to look exhausted.
"-You're good...but...I'm still better!-" Ashley's Pidgeot squawked weakly.
"-You just evolved, there's...no way you're beating me!-" Gary's Pidgeot called back.
"Pidgeot, finish it off with a Quick Attack!" Both trainers called out simultaneously. Their respective Pidgeots flapped their wings and took off flying down the corridor toward each other. They then took off toward each other in a blur of movement. They collided in a flash and kept going, eventually skidding to a stop on the floor. They seemed fine at first, but then both pokemon collapsed and fainted.
"A draw, and against a newly evolved pokemon too..." Gary grumbled, bitterly recalling his Pidgeot. Ashley, likewise, recalled her own Pidgeot.
"See Gary? Even when you start off ahead of me, you can't win." Ashley said to him. "Now lets just end this battle! We should be fighting Team Rocket!"
"I didn't come here because of Team Rocket!" Gary shot back. "I'm not just going to call it quits! You're going to have to beat me first!" Gary took another pokeball from his belt. "Alakazam, go!" Gary released his next pokemon, sending a yellow humanoid pokemon with a long mustache.
"Stubborn jerk..." Ashley muttered. She reached for another pokeball. "Go! Snorlax!" Ashley held out the pokeball and released Snorlax out into the corridor. It was a tight squeeze, and the floor creeked slightly under the pokemon's weight.
"-You know, I wouldn't mind taking a shot at this guy.-" Bulbasaur grumbled.
"Snorlax, use Amnesia!" Snorlax concentrated for a moment, briefly forgetting something to increase its defense against special attacks. Ashley was ready to deal with Gary's Alakazam this way, as she planned to use the same techniques against Sabrina.
"That Snorlax is going to be trouble...but since I plan to use Blastoise last, Alakazam is still my best bet to beat it." Gary thought. "Alakazam, stop it from using Amnesia again with Disable!" Alakazam concentrated, focusing its psychic powers on Snorlax. A harsh, yellow glow surrounded Snorlax as Disable took effect and rendered it unable to use Amnesia.
"That won't help you against what I have planned." Ashley thought with a smirk. "Snorlax, use Belly Drum now!"
"-Fine, whatever...-" Snorlax mumbled. It began pounding on its chest like a drum. Power pulsated through Snorlax's body, maximizing its attack power.
"Doesn't matter how powerful she makes her Snorlax, Alakazam will just dodge everything she throws at it." Gary thought. "Alakazam, her Snorlax isn't even a threat. Just power up with Calm Mind and we'll end this quickly." Alakazam nodded and concentrated, focusing on increasing its mental abilities.
"You're going to regret that line of thinking!" Ashley thought. "Snorlax, use Rest!"
"-Finally...-" Snorlax mumbled. Snorlax leaned its head forward slightly as it fell asleep, restoring the damage it inflicted on itself with Belly Drum.
"Why does she listen to Ashley at all?" Bulbasaur wondered. "She obviously doesn't care at all..."
"Ha! Just keep using Calm Mind, Alakazam!" Gary smugly commanded his pokemon. "As if she wasn't making this easy enough as it is!" Gary's Alakazam continued to focus, meditating to further increase its mental prowess.
"Now, end this in one blow with Snore!" Snorlax lifted its head slightly, while still asleep, aiming toward Alakazam as it let out a very loud Snore. The Snore reverberated throughout the corridor, sending a powerful soundwave toward Alakazam. Alakazam was caught completely off guard by the attack and was thrown back by the sound burst, hitting the ground hard next to Gary. Alakazam was knocked out instantly.
"What?! No way! You actually planned that from the start didn't you?"
"Something like that." Ashley replied with a smirk. "So, still want to battle knowing what you're up against?"
"Damn it...I hate to admit it, but after that slip up there's not a single pokemon that could take on her Snorlax." Gary thought, gritting his teeth angrily. Keeping his gaze focused on Ashley's Snorlax, as Ashley herself was well hidden behind it, he held out a pokeball toward Alakazam and recalled it.
"Fine, I'll admit it then. I can't beat your Snorlax now." Gary said bitterly. "But I still want one more match! My starter against your's!"
"In other words, your fully evolved Blastoise against my Bulbasaur. Just why should I do that?" Ashley shot back.
"-Hey now, don't be too hasty in refusing!-" Bulbasaur extended a vine and tapped Ashley on the shoulder to try to let her know he wanted to battle Blastoise. "-Damn it, where's Rina when you need her?-"
"Nevermind...I accept." Ashley recalled Snorlax, who was just starting to wake up from her Rest. Bulbasaur then eagerly moved into the spot where Snorlax had been sitting previously.
"Good." Gary grinned as he took a pokeball from his belt. "Blastoise, go!" Gary held out his pokeball and released Blastoise. The blue turtle pokemon appeared before its trainer and immediately fixed its gaze on Bulbasaur, still remembering its defeat at Bulbasaur's hands shortly after being taken by Gary. Blastoise's cannons popped out of its shell and took aim at Bulbasaur.
"A Blastoise is sure to be a tough opponent, but we still have the type advantage." Ashley thought. "Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder!" Bulbasaur ran toward Blastoise to close the gap between them and then launched a cloud of green powder from his bulb, aiming it toward Blastoise.
"Not so fast! Blastoise, Protect!" Blastoise crossed its arms defensively and formed a blue bubble around itself. The bubble blocked the powder from getting anywhere near Blastoise and Blastoise kept it up until the powder had dispersed completely.
"Now, Blastoise, use Yawn!"
"Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder again!"
Blastoise opened its mouth and breathed out a white gas in a yawn. The gas quickly reached Bulbasaur and surrounded him. Bulbasaur, likewise, released another burst of green powder toward Gary's Blastoise. Bulbasaur began to feel drowsy as he breathed in the gas, but Gary's Blastoise fell asleep almost immediately upon contact with the powder.
"I've got one shot before Bulbasaur falls asleep, have to make it count!" Ashley thought. "Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur tried to focus on Blastoise, his vision hazy from the drowsiness. He fired a seed from his bulb and just barely hit his target, landing the seed on Blastoise's knee. The seed sprouted thin vines and latched onto it, and then Bulbasaur fell into a deep sleep.
"Blastoise will wake up before Bulbasaur." Gary thought, grinning to himself. "Once Blastoise is awake, we'll take that Bulbasaur down. As strong as it might be for an unevolved pokemon, its still unevolved. It doesn't stand a chance!"
The two trainers waited in silence while both pokemon slept, waiting for one of them to wake up so the battle could continue. As Gary had predicted, his Blastoise was the first to wake up. It slowly began to open its eyes and grinned when it saw its opponent still asleep. It looked over its shoulder and nodded to Gary, letting him know it was awake now.
"Ok, Blastoise, lets take that Bulbasaur down now! Ice Beam!" Blastoise as more than happy to oblige and fired a blue beam from each cannon. The two beams collided and then shot out from the point of collision to strike the sleeping Bulbasaur as a single beam. Ice briefly coated Bulbasaur's body then shattered. Bulbasaur cried out in pain, seemingly woken up by the attack.
"-Damn it...that burns...in a cold kinda way...-" Bulbasaur muttered.
"Ice Beam...I should have known he'd have an ice attack. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to battle Bulbasaur." Ashley thought. "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf and watch out for that Ice Beam!"
"-Got it!-" Bulbasaur nodded and fired several sharp leaves from the base of his bulb. The barrage of leaves slashed across Blastoise's body, causing the water pokemon to groan in pain. Bulbasaur's attack was still managing to inflict quite a bit of pain on it, despite Blastoise being two evolutionary stages above Bulbasaur.
"Blastoise's Ice Beam should be the least of your worries now!" Gary said to Ashley with an unusual enthusiasm. "Blastoise, use Yawn again! We'll finish it with another Ice Beam while its asleep!" Blastoise opened its mouth and released a cloud of white gas. The gas soon enveloped Bulbasaur, causing him to become drowsy.
"-Damn it...not this again...-" Bulbasaur mumbled.
"Bulbasaur, quick! Put Blastoise to sleep again as well with Sleep Powder!"
"Blastoise, Protect!"
Bulbasaur fired a cloud of green powder toward Blastoise. The powder floated through the air and then sprinkled down around the water pokemon. By then, though, Blastoise had already formed a protective bubble around itself. Bulbasaur's Sleep Powder landed harmlessly on the bubble surrounding Bulbasaur and Bulbasaur fell asleep soon after.
"Now, Blastoise, finish it with Ice Beam!" Blastoise fired another blue beam from its twin cannons at Bulbasaur. The beams combined and struck Bulbasaur, quickly forming a sheet of ice around the sleeping pokemon. The ice shattered and Bulbasaur cried out again, but quickly fell silent as he was knocked out by the attack.
"Happy now? Your Blastoise managed to beat my Bulbasaur." Ashley said bitterly as she recalled Bulbasaur.
"I won't be 'happy' until I've surpassed both you and Red." Gary shot back as he recalled his own pokemon, offering no thanks or encouragement to it as he did so. "I'll settle for this victory now, but I'm far from satisfied."
"Whatever, I've wasted enough time with you. I need to go catch up with..." As Ashley turned around to head for the stairs, she found herself facing dozens of men and women in black Team Rocket uniforms and backed up reflexively.
"Umm...other way then..." Ashley turned around, about to run until she saw Gary was facing the same problem. Another group of Rockets had moved behind him as well. The two trainers backed away from the Rockets until they were standing next to each other.
"Damn it, Gary! This is all your fault!" Ashley said angrily. "If I hadn't agreed to your childish little battle, this never would have happened!"
"I don't get it! This shouldn't have happened!" Gary thought in disbelief. "I thought we had a deal!"
"Give yourselves up, kids. Yous ain't goin' anywhere!" One of the male Rockets said to them.
"I still have Snorlax, Primeape, and Jolteon, but there's just too many of them!" Ashley thought in dismay. "What about Rina? Is she ok?"
Suddenly, Ashley felt a hand on her shoulder. And just as suddenly, the scenery shifted. Gone was the corridor filled with Rocket grunts, and instead she found herself looking down one of the streets of Saffron.
"Wait...what the?!" Ashley said in disbelief. She quickly turned around and saw that it was an Alakazam whose hand was on her shoulder as well as Gary's. Standing behind the Alakazam was a woman with long, dark hair and wearing a form-fitting red and black suit.
"Its pointless for me to say so, but it was foolish of you two to ignore the situation at hand to engage in your childish rivalry." The woman said to the two of them.
"What? How did you..."
"She's psychic." Gary said, interrupting Ashley. "And I'm not going to stand around for a lecture, I'm outta here. Smell ya later." Gary stuck his hands in his pockets and started off on his way.
"That would be why it was pointless." The woman said in a monotone voice. She then looked to her Alakazam and the two nodded to each other. A pokeball removed itself from Sabrina's pokeball and floated in the air, held up by the woman's telekinetic powers. The pokeball opened up and pulled Alakazam inside, recalling it.
"Wait! Just who are you anyway?" Ashley asked her.
"You already know who I am." The woman replied. "My name is Sabrina. And to answer your next question, your friend is fine. Everything will be taken care of."
"What?! But she's all alone in there!"
"No." Sabrina replied flatly. "There is another."
Meanwhile, inside, Rina was nearing the top floor of the building.
"I can't believe we haven't seen a single Rocket..." Rina said to Pippi. "I bet they're all waiting for us on the top floor..."
"-Want me to go check it out? I could go check it out and be back before they notice!-" Rina thought about it for a moment and then nodded to Pippi.
"Ok, but don't let them see you." Pippi nodded in agreement and ran up to the top of the final flight of stairs. Pippi took a quick peek through the door at the top and then jumped on the railing to slide back down to Rina.
"-Umm...there's only one of them up there.-" Pippi informed Rina in a confused tone.
"Huh?! Where ARE they all then?" Rina ran up the final flight of stairs, taking the steps two at a time with Pippi following along behind her. When they reached the top they found a single grunt, as Pippi said, standing in front of an office door.
"What?! Some kid managed to make it all the way up here?!" The grunt shouted in surprise. "Well you're not getting past me and my Marowak then!" The grunt reached for a pokeball, and Rina did likewise.
"Well if you're using a ground type, I'll use a grass type!" Rina called out. "Geri, go!" Rina held up the pokeball and released her Tangela. Geri appeared before Rina just as the opposing Marowak appeared from its pokeball in front of its own trainer.
"-Ooo! Ooo! I get another battle!?-" Geri cried out excitedly.
"Geri, use Sunny Day!" Geri's body began to glow and gave off heat. A ray of energy then shot up from her body and expanded at the ceiling until the area around them was bathed in a seemingly natural light.
"Marowak, crush that viney freak with Bone Club!" Marowak jumped into the air and brought its bone down toward Geri. Geri quickly jumped to the side, her speed enhanced by the effect of Sunny Day. Marowak's club struck the floor instead, breaking a foot-wide hole in it where Geri had been standing. Geri
"Now, use Solarbeam!" Geri quickly gathered energy from the fake sunlight in her vines. She then extended four vines and pointed them toward Marowak while she focused the energy. A beam of solar energy fired out from the tip of her vines and blasted Marowak at nearly point-blank range. Marowak was flung backwards and smashed into the wall, knocking it out instantly.
"Now get out of my way!" Rina commanded the grunt.
"Y-y-yes mam!" The grunt quickly recalled his Marowak and moved off to the side.
"-We won! Yay!-" Geri cheered loudly, waving her vines around in the air. Suddenly, the door leading into the office shattered as a rhino-like rock pokemon barreled through. The pokemon charged straight toward Geri and smashed her hard with its horn, flinging her into the wall next to the stairs.
"Geri!" Rina cried out.
"Another child who seeks to hinder my plans?" A man with black, slicked-back hair and a black business suit stepped out of the office. He looked across the corridor at Rina and noticed Pippi standing next to her. "And with a Pikachu no less. Well, I don't show mercy to anyone who stands in my way."
"You're the leader of Team Rocket?! But aren't you..."
"The gym leader of Viridian City, Giovanni. That is behind me now." Giovanni replied sternly. "I suggest you worry more about your pokemon. Rhyhorn, Stomp!" Rhyhorn moved toward Geri and then raised up on its hind legs to stomp down on her. Geri cried out in pain as Rhyhorn's weight slammed down on her and then fell unconscious. Rina stared in shock. As if on cue, the fake sunlight faded as well.
"Had you been paying attention, your Tangela might not have lost." Giovanni said to her. "I can't imagine how someone so naive made it all the way here." He then added, shooting the nearby grunt a look that sent a chill through his spine.
"-Grr...Rina! Let me take this guy on!-" Pippi growled, sparks flying from her cheeks.
"No, your attacks won't have any affect on his Rhyhorn." Rina said to her, shaking her head. She raised a pokeball to recall Geri and then placed it back on her belt and took another one in hand.
"Miss Esp, go!" Rina held out the pokeball she grabbed and released Miss Esp, her mother's Espeon. Miss Esp appeared from her pokeball and glanced around, her gaze falling first on Giovanni and then on his Rhyhorn.
"-Rina, when this is over we will be discussing your habit of challenging criminals.-" Miss Esp said sternly.
"Fine! But we have to stop that Rhyhorn!" Rina said to her. "Miss Esp, attack with Psybeam!" Miss Esp focused her psychic power through the gem on her forehead. A beam of psychic energy fired out from the gem and struck Rhyhorn in the face as it turned toward her. Rhyhorn staggered back a few steps and shook it off.
"I see you can speak with pokemon." Giovanni said to Rina. "A useless gesture. Whatever pokemon would have to say is meaningless."
"Funny! I could say the same about you!" Rina shot back. "Miss Esp, attack Rhyhorn again!" Miss Esp focused again and fired out another psychic beam from her gem. The beam shot across the room and struck Rhyhorn in almost the exact same spot. Rhyhorn grunted in pain and staggered back again, but again shook off the attack rather quickly.
"Have it your way, then." Giovanni said. "Rhyhorn, run that Espeon through with Horn Attack!" Rhyhorn quickly charged toward Espeon, lowering its horn toward her.
"-Rina! Watch out!-" Espeon quickly whipped her tail into Rina, knocking her back and out of Rhyhorn's way and then tried to jump out of the way herself. By then, though, it was too late. As she jumped to the side, Rhyhorn smashed into the rear of her body and knocked her away. Espeon hit the floor hard and rolled over a few times.
"MISS ESP!" Rina cried out in anguish. To her relief, Miss Esp started to slowly get back on her feet. It was clear she was in a lot of pain, though. "How can his Rhyhorn be that much stronger than my pokemon?!"
"Rhyhorn, finish this. Horn Attack!" Rhyhorn turned back around and lowered its horn, preparing to charge Miss Esp again.
"I have no choice, we have to try to finish this!" Rina thought desparately as she stood back up. "Miss Esp, Psybeam! One more time!" Miss Esp weakly turned her head to face Rhyhorn and fired a beam from her gem. The beam lanced out and struck Rhyhorn head on again, causing it to suddenly drop and skid to a stop. Rhyhorn struggled to get back up, but dropped again and fainted.
"Congratulations. You managed to beat one of my weaker pokemon." Giovanni taunted Rina and recalled his Rhyhorn. "Strengthened by Swords Dance previously, mind you. Regardless, you are sorely outmatched." He held out another pokeball and released his pokemon. A huge pokemon, standing at seven feet tall, appeared before him. Its body had an almost rock-like textur and there was a pouch on the front of its body and a pair of horns on its head.
"Miss Esp, I'm sorry about all of this but you need to rest!" Rina held up Miss Esp's pokeball. Miss Esp nodded weakly and was recalled by Rina. "Ok, Pippi, you can take this one on!"
"-Got it! I'll give her a good Volt Tackle or two!-" Pippi ran out in front of Rina and growled menacingly at her opponent.
"Kangaskhan, use Shadow Ball!"
"Pippi, Thunderbolt!"
Kangaskhan brought its hands together and gathered shadowstuff between them. Pippi fired a bolt of electricity while Kangaskhan was still gathering its attack, already charged and ready to fire. Kangaskhan growled in pain but wasn't deterred from its attack. She threw the black ball almost straight down at Pippi, but Pippi swiftly hopped back out of the way. The ball hit the floor where Pippi had been standing and dispersed harmlessly.
"Kangaskhan, follow it up with Mega Punch!" Kangaskhan quickly moved to strike, leaving Pippi little time to react after having dodged its first attack. Kangaskhan ducked down and delivered a powerful punch, sending her rolling back across the floor until she came to a stop next to Rina.
"-Ow...that one hurt...-" Pippi mumbled as she slowly stood up.
"No good, his pokemon are just too strong for us!" Rina thought in dismay after seeing how hard Pippi got hit.
"-DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY DAUGHTER!-" A pokemon suddenly shot past Rina and Pippi in a yellow blur. Another Pikachu landed between Kangaskhan and Rina, then it fired out a huge bolt of electricity. Kangaskhan cried out in agony and fell to its knees as the electricity passed through its body and then collapsed, fainting in only one hit.
"-Mom?!-" Pippi looked between the Pikachu, unmistakably her mother, and the fallen Kangaskhan with her jaw agape.
"Damn it!" Giovanni thought angrily. "A Pikachu that powerful could only belong to..."
"Giovanni, this ends here." Red proclaimed as he walked up to the top of the stairwell. "I won't let you escape a second time." Rina felt her heart skip a beat when she turned around and saw him standing behind her.
"R-red?! You're here?!" Red nodded slightly and walked past her without another word.
"I'm afraid I have no intention of being caught by you here. I've already planned my escape." Giovanni took what looked like a small pokeball in his hand and pressed the button on it. An explosion rocked the building and a cloud of dust and debris filled the hallway as a nearby wall was blown out. The dust cleared out soon enough as the sound of a helicopter filled the air. When the dust settled, Giovanni was already getting on the helicopter.
"Damn it! He's getting away again!" Red grumbled, clenching a fist. Giovanni grinned and waved as the helicopter took off into the distance.
"BOSS! Don't leave me here!" The lone grunt that had been guarding the hallway ran up to the hole in the wall, calling out frantically to Giovanni.
"-Mom!-" Pippi tackled her mother to the ground and hugged her tightly. "-You were so cool! I can't believe you beat that pokemon in one attack!-"
"-Well you did soften her up for me.-" Pikachu returned the embrace.
"Red, sorry about Giovanni but..." Red turned and cast a sharp glare at Rina.
"I would have had him cornered if you weren't here first!" Red said angrily. "Next time just stay the heck away from Team Rocket and let me deal with them!"
"R-red...I..." Rina stammered in response. She didn't know what to say. Having Red yell at her, she felt as though she had been stabbed.
"-Red...that was uncalled for...-" Pikachu shook her head sadly. "-Rina, don't let him get to you. He's just upset about Giovanni...-"
"-Whats Red's deal with him anyway?-" Pippi asked her.
"-Well...-"
"You two have saved my company, how can I ever repay you!" The president of Silph Company, a rather round old man with a short beard, emerged from his office to thank the two trainers.
"Forget it. I didn't do a thing anyway." Red muttered, turning his back to him.
"Are you sure? The least I could do is give you one of these..." The president reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple and white pokeball with an 'M' on it. "This is the Master Ball. Its very rare and catches pokemon without fail. Giovanni was trying to bully me into mass producing these for him..."
"Keep it. I don't need anymore pokemon." Red shot back.
"You might as well take it then." The president handed the Master Ball to Rina. She held it in her hand and looked at Red, but just got the silent treatment from him.
"Thank you, sir..." Rina quietly thanked the president.
"No, no! Thank you! Its you who saved my company!"
"Red, are you sure you...
"I don't need it." Red snapped, cutting her off. "Pikachu, lets go and get back on Giovanni's trail." Red started toward the stairs, but suddenly the air shimmered in front of him and an Alakazam appeared. Red looked at the pokemon curiously and made no effort to stop it as it placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Gadzooks! Where did that come from?!" The president cried out in shock when Alakazam suddenly appeared.
"-Red...you never changed.-" Pikachu said with a sigh. "-Well I guess thats our ride out of here then.-"
"-Mom! You're leaving me already?-" Pippi asked her, fighting back tears.
"-Pippi...you don't need me anymore.-" Pikachu patted her on the head. "-You have your own trainer, and you've become much stronger. You've even evolved since the last time I saw you...-"
"-Hey. I'm not waiting here forever. Rest of you, get over here.-" Alakazam said to them.
"-Oh. Guess we're all getting on the Teleport express.-" Pikachu giggled quietly. The two Pikachu each grabbed on to one of Alakazam's legs.
"Sorry about your company, sir." Rina said to the Silph president, bowing politely.
"Don't worry about it dear! I'll be sure to step up security after this!" The president replied. "Is that pokemon taking you all out? If not I could have a helicopter come to get you since Giovanni seems to have left a rather nasty hole in my wall!"
"Umm...thats ok, the pokemon will take us." Rina replied, smiling sheepishly. She walked over to the Alakazam and allowed it to place its remaining hand on her shoulder. Alakazam then concentrated and disappeared, taking the group with it.
"Teleportation, how convenient!" The president said with a laugh after they left. "We should have something like that in here!"
Alakazam reappeared on the streets of Saffron, where Ashley and Sabrina had been waiting for it.
"Rina! ...Red?" Ashley blinked in disbelief.
"Yeah, me." Red muttered in response. Everyone let go of Alakazam, which was then recalled by Sabrina. Alakazam and Sabrina could read each other's minds, so their was no need for Sabrina to say anything.
"Why are you here?" Ashley asked him.
"I came here to stop Team Rocket." Red replied, shooting Rina a glare. "And I would have stopped them too if it wasn't for her."
"Giovanni would have escaped either way, Red." Sabrina said to him. Red looked at her curiously. "It is only because they attacked first that you were even able to get to him without being noticed. If you had arrived before they did, he would have been gone by the time you reached him."
"Whatever." Red shrugged. "Either way, I'm done here."
"What do you mean you're done here?!" Ashley yelled at him. "To me, it sounds like you owe Rina an apology."
"He...he doesn't have to do that, really..." Rina blushed slightly and turned away from them. Her voice betrayed how upset she felt over it, though. Red's Pikachu tugged at his pants and looked up at him sadly while pointing to Pippi. Pippi's eyes were watering up over the thought of her mother leaving so soon.
"Guess there's no escaping it, I'll have to do something..." Red thought, looking over at Rina. "Apologizing to her should be easy...so why can't I bring myself to say it?" Red struggled quietly with his inner turmoil before finally deciding to do what he thought to be the next best thing.
"Ashley, you're battling Sabrina right?" He asked Ashley.
"I plan to, but what does that have to...
"I'll stay and watch." Red said, cutting her off. "I want to see for myself whether or not you've gained any skill as a trainer."
"Fine." Ashley replied. "But I'm not letting you out of my sight until you've apologized to Rina, got that?!"
"Whatever." Red shrugged. "Off the hook for now anyway..."
Author's Notes: Had a feeling I'd be late with this one, was really late starting it. I think more than half of it was done just Sunday and today. If only I had that kind of work ethic every other day of the week...
Anyway. Few things of note here. First off, left out the warp tile chaos of the Silph Company. It works as an in-game puzzle, but as an actual transportation system, stairs and elevators work just fine. Not to say such a thing is impossible in the pokemon world (heck, there's plenty of reason to think they'd have teleporters) its just impractical under the circumstances.
Also, this chapter marks only Red's second appearance in the story. It was originally going to be his third, but I ended up cutting out the chapter that he was going to appear in originally because it seemed out of line with the rest of the story. So now he's sticking around for the next two chapters at least. And, as you can probably tell (and I've probably said before) Red has basically been doing the main plot of the game for the most part. If you're doing the math, that means Giovanni will be gone by the time Ashley reaches that gym. I have something planned in his place, though.
Was going to give Professor Oak an appearance in this chapter to scold Gary, but couldn't think of any good reason for him to be there when he usually stays in his lab and sends other people to do his work for him. Like three unsuspecting teens from Pallet Town. As for Gary, sorta took a new approach to him in this chapter to make things a bit more interesting.
Think thats about it...hope it was worth the wait!
