The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Story Written by Freedom Fighter

Finally, we start the second session... August! Look for two storylines in this session. The 'other world' arc, which is continuing from Session July, and an arc featuring a tournament... saying more would spoil, so keep tuned in for that later in this session!

Disclaimer: The characters and places from the Pokémon anime and other Pokémon products all belong to Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment. Original characters Cassie Banks, Arius McFly, and many others too numerous to list here, were created by me, and no other writer may use them without written consent from myself.

This fanfic is only posted at two places: my place, which contains the full-length chapters in one piece, and which has the same story, but split up into smaller pieces. It should not be posted anywhere else without my permission.


The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session August, Part 1 (08.15.05/05.09.06)


Returning home to Pallet Town after their wild adventure in the Orange Islands, Ash and his friends didn't have long to rest before they were sent off on another adventure by Professor Oak. Heading to the Seafoam Islands, they made their way to the laboratory of the eccentric Professor Schtickly. Though he was creating a machine that would revolutionize Pokémon transportation, something went horribly wrong during the test session.

As a result, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were sent to some parallel dimension, where they met Griff and Marina, dead-ringers for Gary and Misty. It seems Marina has been diagnosed with a deadly disease that will certainly kill her in a month's time. Our heroes offer to help in any way they can as they try to figure out how to get back to their own dimension.

Unfortunately, a gang of Rapidash riders rolled into town, and apparently, they have a past with Marina. One that involved her somehow killing all of their gang's former members! Just what kind of disease does Marina have and is it curable?

Meanwhile, Team Rocket makes plans for a dark future, Cassie and Arius began their own future away from the Pokémon Trainers' Association, and Gary and his girls were still wandering around the tropical Orange Island Archipelago.

But this part of our story starts with the plant-loving gym leader of Celadon City, Erika. Why? Read on and find out...


It's the morning of August 2nd in Celadon City as we look in on Pokémon Gym. A group of girls were gathered around the entrance, in the midst of crowd control as several dozen Pokémon trainers had lined up there. They were taking names and giving out tickets as they fielded questions from the curious and rapidly growing impatient crowd. On the door behind them, the entrance to the gym building was closed, but a sign was hanging on the doorknob.

It read 'Gym reopens Thursday, August 2nd at 12 noon. Preliminary challenger screening sign-ups begin at 8 am, testing at 11 am.'

One of the girls, dressed in a leaf green kimono, was using a megaphone to broadcast directives to the prospective challengers.

"Good morning, Rainbow Badge challengers! All of those wishing to challenge Miss Erika must check-in at the sign-up desk..."


You'd think Erika would be inside the gym, preparing for the long day ahead. But instead, she was over at the Public Library, in a private reading room all by herself. Stacks upon stacks of books littered the room, both on the table and on the floor surrounding her seat. With a pen in one hand and a fresh book in the other, Erika was reading and making notes in a leaflet pad... one of now seven stacked to her right.

The usual prim and proper gym leader was wearing nothing but a green short sleeve blouse and a matching-colored, ankle-length skirt. Her hair was a mess... she was even missing her trademark hairband. And her pace looked worn and pale... expected given the stress she's under and the lack of makeup.

Erika was so focused on her work that she didn't hear the door leading into the room open, nor someone step through it. A green-haired girl with glasses, the library's full-time receptionist, stumbled in, exasperated at the gym leader's work ethic.

"You're still here, Miss Erika?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Erika mumbled, not looking up from her work.

"You've already rescheduled the reopening of your gym once this week. I don't think many people will be pleased if you delay it again."

Erika sighed, put her pen down and turned to look at the receptionist.

"I know, I know... but I've been here nearly three weeks and I've barely made any progress in my research!"

"But... what about all of those notes you've already taken?"

"Hearsay and conjecture, unfortunately... no solid theories on this phenomenon. You'd think I'd find something in the Kanto Region's largest library... I'm getting overtly frustrated, like I wasted all of this time on a fruitless search..."

"But aren't most 'Ancient Pokémon Legends' like that? Too many questions, almost all of them without answers?"

"I guess. But for some reason... I'd think this would be different."

The grass Pokémon Master glanced up at the clock on the wall. It read 10:37. Sighing again, Erika went to work packing her things to leave.

"Thanks for all of your help, Bridget! You've been a real asset to me these past few days."

Bridget blushed and bowed in respect. "Th... thank you!"

"I've gotta go and get ready!" Erika exclaimed, running out the door with all of her notes.

Bridget was about to wave goodbye when she gasped at the hundreds of unfiled books left scattered around the reading room.

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-but..."

"I'll send some of my assistants later to clean up the mess!" Erika yelled as she bolted out the library front entrance.

"Ye... yeah..." Bridget drooped, once again peering into the room of endless books. She then broke down and began to cry. "Waahhh... it'll take days to refile all of this stuff!"

"There's gotta be an answer to this mystery," Erika thought to herself as she ran through the streets of Celadon and back to the gym. "There's gotta be..."


Back in the town of Chiva, in a parallel dimension...

"I can't believe this is the day," Misty said, softly.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, still stuck in an unknown place with no knowledgeable way of getting back home, were standing alongside Griff as they watched Marina being wheeled into an ambulance headed for the hospital.

"They say in the last ten days, she's just as contagious as in the first ten," Griff told the gang. "It's hazardous to everyone's health to have her out in the open."

"I still can't believe we couldn't do anything for her!" Brock cried.

"After all of the methods and remedies we tried..." Misty stated dejectedly.

"No... there's just gotta be something!" Ash exclaimed. "Something we haven't tried!"

"We don't have the expertise of real doctors, Ash. There's only so much we can do without making her condition worse than it already is."

Griff clenched his fist in anger. "I wanna believe... I wanna believe... I wanna believe she'll get better! But... but..."

Misty looked at Griff as he collapsed in front of her. She knew exactly how he felt. After all, she felt like Marina was a part of her. They were virtually twins, save for the fact Misty herself was a few years older. To lose Marina now would be like breaking her in half. She didn't know, now that she and Marina were best friends, if she could live without her.

Not after hearing about Marina's past...


Twenty days ago...

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"You've rescued our town from an unnecessary evil!"

"How can we ever repay you?"

"Are you kids rich or somethin'? How'd you get dem Pokémon?"

"Where can I find a Pikachu just like yours?"

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were being pushed and pulled in every direction imaginable, as the townsfolk of Chiva were showing an outpouring of love towards their saviors.

"I've always want to be popular," Misty cried, "but this is ridiculous!"

"Out of the way!" Ash shouted, trying to push through crowd... with little avail. "We've got to find Griff and Marina!"

"Pika! Pika pika, pikachu!" Pikachu yelped, hopping to and fro to keep from being squashed by the adults or being cuddled by the little kids.

The crowd continued yelling praises, each more jubilant than the last.

"You're my hero!"

"Can I treat you all to a drink? My treat!"

"I want you to bear my children!"

Upon hearing the last remark, Brock looked around to see who had made it.

"That's the best compliment I've heard all day!" gleamed Brock.

"Hey, old man!" shouted the same voice. "I'm not talking about you! I want the kid!"

Brock looked down and saw a nine-year old brunette standing in front of him.

"Gah!" Brock stepped back in shock. "You're just a kid!"

"YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO BE BEARING ANYTHING!" yelled Misty from 100 feet away, who had heard her comment despite the overbearing crowd noise.

"Everyone calm down!" a loud, yet soothing voice exclaimed. "Give them some room, give them some room!"

The crowd did as they were told, and our heroes finally found themselves with some breathing room. Walking through the gathering, a red-haired man in his late 20s and wearing a red and blue military-like uniform of sorts broke through and approached Ash and the gang. Instantly, Ash recognized the guy.

"Are you... you're Lance!" Ash gasped, pointing him out.

"Lance of the Elite Four?" questioned Misty, also in shock.

"Hmmm?" 'Lance' responded. "You must have me confused with someone else. I am the Mayor of Chiva. My name is Lionel. Lionel Waifer.

"I see..." observed Brock. "Another look-alike, just like Griff was of Gary and Misty of Marina."

"You know of my daughter, Marina?"

Ash nodded. "Yes... we just met her a few minutes ago, right before those Rapidash trainers came through here."

"Amazing..." the mayor stated, gazing upon Misty. "Did anyone tell you how much you resemble her? You look just like her, only a bit older!"

"I get that a lot!" Misty lied, playing along though she hadn't seen Marina in person first.

"I don't know who you teens are, but you've saved our town from being trashed by those rebels! But now I must quickly ask of another favor... we must find my Marina! She's gravely ill, and missing! I can't imagine how much worse she could get being out of bed... I need to find her!"

"We'll help you, sir," Brock smiled. "After all, those guys seemed to have quite an interest in her."

"Aye, and what a sad tale of woe that is. I'll be glad to tell you of it, but first, we must find her!"

"I'm right here, father."

Everyone turned to see Marina, with her head lowered in shame, walking towards them, with Griff right beside her.

The mayor immediately turned his attention to Griff and snapped at him. "For shame... you of all people should know better than to put Marina in harm's way! And making her get out of bed... what is wrong with you, boy?"

"Daddy," defended Marina, "it was my decision to..."

But Griff raised his arm to stop her. "I wasn't thinking, sir, and I apologize for that."

"Humph... run along home... don't let me see your face again today!"

"Yes, sir," Griff solemnly obeyed, then turned to head back to his house.

"Griff, wait!" Marina shouted, but Griff ignored her. Ash and the others just watched silently, not interfering.

"Now, young lady, time for you to get back to bed!" ordered the mayor.

"But pa!"

"No buts! You know your condition, Marina! We don't want a relapse of the Rapid Dashery fiasco here in town, do we?"

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu were stunned, to say the least, at Mayor Lionel's resistance to the truth. Misty, on the other hand, was tired of standing by and letting this go. She ran over and jumped in between father and daughter.

"Sir, if I may..." Misty cut in.

Marina gasped as Misty, a near-mirror image of her own self, was standing next to her and standing up to her father. She couldn't believe it... who was she?

"She looks older than me..." Marina thought. "Is she... my future self?"

"I know it's none of our business," Misty continued, "but if it weren't for Griff being with her, those ruffians might have taken her away!"

"Maybe so, but he shouldn't have brought her outside to begin with! Besides, if you're worried about me reprimanding the boy... well, I'll leave that for his parents to decide. They're good folk... they'll pick a just punishment, if needed. He may mean well, and I harbor no ill feelings towards him. But he needs to understand that he put the livelihood of the entire town in jeopardy by bringing my daughter out of quarantine!"

"I understand, but..."

"As a visitor to our fair town, I ask that you please respect our customs, young lady! No visitors are immune, even if you're a dead ringer for Marina!"

Before Misty could shout back, Brock grabbed her by the wrist and whispered something into her ear.

"Let it go. We still have no idea where we are, and we don't want to sabotage any chance they might help us figure that out!"

"Fine," Misty gave in, pulling out of Brock's grasp.

Marina started walking back towards the house. Mayor Lionel followed her, but then he stopped and turned to look back at our heroes.

"I'm sure you have questions about those guys and about my daughter. Come with me, and I'll explain as much as I can."

Having very little choice as to where to go from here, Ash and the gang had no choice but to follow and hear the mayor out.


Minutes later, the group was gathered back inside Marina's... uh, the mayor's house. But for a city leader, the residence didn't look any better inside or out than the other houses in the town.

"Everything looks so... uh..." Misty began, fumbling for words.

"You can say it, my dear," Mayor Lionel smiled. "It's cheap. I admit it. Then again, we are a poor town of sorts. Too expensive to deck this place out with extravagant things and seldom-used knickknacks. But that's okay... I'm used to the simple life."

"I see," Brock agreed.

"So, tell me young strangers, who are you and where do you hail from?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! And this is my best friend, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"My name's Misty! My family runs the Pokémon gym in Cerulean City!"

"And I'm Brock, from Pewter City! I'm a gym leader too!"

The mayor scratched his head, confused. "I've never heard of these places that you're from. Nor have I seen Pokémon as rare as yours. Or of your gyms, given the only gym within 500 miles closed up shop years ago!"

"You're serious?" Ash asked, a little freaked.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you teens get here to begin with?"

"It was that nutty professor!" Misty exclaimed, clenching her right fist with anger. "If we ever get back, I swear I'm gonna..."

"Uh..." Brock cut her off, covering her mouth with his hands. "What Misty meant to say is, this guy named Professor Schtickly was testing out a Pokémon transporter prototype. We, unfortunately, became unexpected test subjects."

Misty knocked Brock's hand away from her face.

"You see," she spoke up, "We don't know why we ended up here, or how we're going to get back home."

"My, my," the mayor thought out loud. "That is a peculiar predicament."

"Anyway you can help us?" asked Ash.

"I'm afraid not. Technology's very scarce around here. Even if we had the technology around to build a device capable of returning you to your rightful place, we don't have anyone nearly ingenious enough to put such a thing together."

"Then we're stuck here?"

Misty growled. "My sisters are going to go bananas if I don't get back home in a week! That stupid mad scientist!"

"I'm sorry for your predicament. I'm not sure there's anything I can do to help... but if it's any consolation, you can spend the night here. We can figure out what arrangements, if any, need to be made in the morning."

"Guess that's the only thing we can do," Brock stated aloud.

The gang sat silently for a minute or two, still in disbelief about being stuck in an unknown place, far from home.

"Hey, Mayor?" Ash said, breaking up the silence. "What about Marina?"

"Yeah," Misty added. "Who are those guys, and why are they so interested in her?"

The mayor sighed, got up out of his seat, and started pacing about. "That, my young ones, is a sorrowful tale that started back in March..."


Flashback to said month, where Marina was walking about the desert plains a few miles outside of Chiva. There, she was roaming around a small patch of berry bushes. Basket in hand, she began to pick them one by one.

"It was a normal day, like any other," Mayor Lionel narrated. "As she tended to do once a week, Marina was out picking Pecha Berries.

"Pecha Berries?" Ash wondered. "What are those?"

"A sweet and soft fruit that heals poisoned Pokémon. It's very delicious."

"So I've heard," commented Brock.

"Anyway, Marina has never told me everything that happened from that point on, but what I do know is that she was kidnapped by some members of that Rapidash gang. She had disappeared for ten days. The whole town spent hours upon hours searching for her."

"That must've been horrible!" wailed Misty.

"We were all starting to give up hope that we'd never ever see her alive again. And then..."

"And then? And then what?"

"We found her. But..."


"Marina... what happened to you?"

The townspeople gasped as they gazed upon the stunned Marina, emerging from the cave where she was being held hostage. That's because her clothes and face were caked in several places with dry blood.

To be continued next week in Part 2!