The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: September, Part 7 (09.26.05/10.12.06)


The Pokémon Junior Master Tournament came down as expected... with one last one-on-one battle to determine the winner. In this case, it was Ash and his Pikachu taking on the hated Marco and his Absol. By this point, both of the dueling Pokémon were exhausted, and it was pretty much deduced by much of the crowd that it would take only one clean hit to decide who would lay claim to the title.

In the end, another casting of Future Sight proved to be the difference, as Absol knocked out Pikachu and gave Marco the victory. He wasn't exactly gracious in winning, though, as he warned Ash that they would meet again. And that next time, he wasn't going to hold anything back.

Upset over the cryptic message and his unexpected loss, Ash decided not to attend the Closing Ceremonies, especially with only the winner being honored. Cassie apparently thought the same, as she spotted him at the Pokémon Center moping. Cassie seized the opportunity to extend an invitation to her home in Poli Town so that she could prove her trustworthiness by getting Ash and the gang to meet her parents.

Will they take her up on her offer? And what of the powers that Marco showed off that were just the same as theirs back from the Viridian City incident... just what is this phenomenon? One of those questions will be answered for sure, at least for the time being...


Seventeen days have passed since our heroes left Evergrande City. Since then, they've returned to their hometowns to resume their normal lives.

Brock and Misty have taken up their roles as gym leaders once again. While Brock balanced helping keep his family under control with his tendency to flirt with every girl that passed him by, Misty did her best to stomach her sisters' sometimes stubborn water ballets while tackling some of the more advanced problems of being a relatively new gym leader.

Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu were back in Pallet Town, training for whatever challenge the wind might blow their way next. All the while, between discussing new Pokémon training techniques from his father, Professor Oak, and learning how to better take care of himself on the road from his mother, Delia, Ash was kept pretty busy. Not just physically, but mentally as well.

The thought of losing to Marco at the Pokémon Junior Master Tournament, as well as the events of that final match, weighed heavily on him. There was still much he didn't know about what had happened to Marco on that day. Or the similar incident at the Viridian City gym back when Misty was trying to earn her eighth badge. What was up with this strange ability of theirs? Will they ever figure out where it came from? And how would they call upon it if they ever needed it?

Since it seemed to be Pokémon-related, Ash figured that maybe Professor Oak would know what was going on...


"Hmmm..." Professor Oak said as he typed away at his computer, Ash and Pikachu standing behind him. "I'm surprised you didn't tell me about this earlier when it actually happened."

"Well, dad, to tell you the truth... we didn't know what to think of it. Even back then when I was home right after the incident, back when Giselle made me help her train for the Novice Tournament. But I guess that's because she always kept me so busy."

Professor Oak laughed nervously. "You weren't the only one. Remember how many times she applauded my work and hounded me for battle and raising tips?"

"Not to mention how much she loved to praise her skills."

"And herself. In front of you. A lot."

Ash tried to remember that part... since Misty had pretty much made him erase it from memory after he told her about it.

"Is... this what she looks like?"

Ash popped out of his dream after being greeted with the sight of a sketchbook in his face. A sketchbook opened to a just-drawn picture of Giselle. A surprisingly near-accurate picture, to Ash's surprise.

"I'm guessing I did pretty well, considering the look on your face," watched Tracey, who pulled the sketchbook down to reveal himself.

"Pika?" Pikachu gasped in amazement.

"When did you...? And how did...? And you met...?" Ash mumbled incoherently, buried with many thoughtful questions.

"Pretty good likeness," noted Professor Oak, glancing over the drawing. "Especially considering you've never met her."

"Wha?" Ash freaked out. "What'd you do, pick out her image from my flashback?"

"No, silly, I got it from this photo!" Tracey replied, holding up said 4-by-6 framed picture with Ash and Giselle in it. Well, mostly Giselle, as she looked as if she was using her body to block most of Ash in the shot.

"Where'd you find this? Even Misty doesn't know about this!"

"I found it in Professor Oak's desk while I was cleaning yesterday. He told me the story about your relationship with her, and I thought she looked so gorgeous that I just had to make a sketch of her!"

Professor Oak blushed. "I've been kinda keeping that picture... I mean, it was the first ever photo taken of you that wasn't at your mom and mine's wedding. I wanted to keep it for the photo album, but haven't had time to take it out of the picture frame."

"But do you know what Misty will do to me if she finds that photo?"

Ash's dad winked. "Don't worry... Delia and I have sworn to secrecy. Besides... we wouldn't want to ruin the special thing you and Misty have."

"Besides," Tracey added, "the Professor told me he's not keeping it as well-hidden for another reason."

"Anyway, back to your predicament, Ash," said the professor. "I think it would be best if I run some tests. I may have to check out Pikachu too."

"Okay... I'll do anything to figure out what's going on," Ash agreed.

"Pi pikachu!"

"First, we'll need a full body scan for the both of you. Tracey, prep the machine!"

"Yes, sir!" Tracey said, running off.

"Ash, I need you to take off everything except your boxers."


A few minutes later, Ash was standing in nothing but his boxers, inside a glass cylindrical tube, with a laser panning up and down his body really slowly. His face was flush red with embarrassment, as both Professor Oak and Tracey were just silently watching him. Pikachu, as well.

"Uh... could you guys not stare so intently?"

After they were done with Ash, he rushed out to put his clothes back on while Pikachu stepped inside for his scan.

"Pika!" he said, flashing a 'V' sign to indicate he was ready.

Later on, Ash and Pikachu were seen recounting the story behind what happened for the computer to have a record of. Professor Oak then gave each of them a basic physical exam, including testing all of their senses and checking all their measurements.


After all that was done...

"Okay, we're done!" the professor announced.

"So what are the results?" Ash wondered.

"Well, if this so-called phenomenon you and the others had happened to you, then none of my tests show any proof of it. Oh, and Pikachu's fat!"

"What? No way!"

"Pika? Pi pika, pikachu!"

"So that means..." started Tracey.

"That we need to put Pikachu on a strict low-fat diet!"

"What about our powers?" yelled Ash.

"Well... to tell you the truth, I don't know. I mean, if it's the same as what happened to that kid at the tournament..."

"The one we saw on TV?" Tracey said, finishing his thought.

"Yes. If it's the same power or illness or whatever, then it has to exist, that's for sure. Finding proof of that is another matter."

"Yeah," Ash said sadly. "And I said none of us have been able to activate those strange powers since, whether we wanted to or not."

"Hmmm..." Professor Oak tapped his foot as he thought out loud. "Perhaps it's time to do some research. Figure out if anyone else has come across this before. Maybe it's some kind of rare disease that no one has really studied in detail."

"I don't think we should go that far, dad."

"As far as we know, nothing's too far since we haven't any clue of what we're dealing with."

Tracey sighed. "I guess we're gonna be running back and forth to the library to get books."

"Maybe we won't have to!" Ash said, getting an idea. "There's someone who might know something!"

"Who, son?"

"Cassie!"

"You mean that girl that you all hate because you found out she was some sort of secret agent? The same one that was at the tournament?"

"That girl from the Orange Islands who was worried about that disk?"

"I thought you wanted to forget about her!"

"Well... she is trying to make up for what she did. And it's not like she's all that bad. After all, she said I could drop by her house anytime."

Ash produced the piece of paper with Cassie's address on it and showed it to Professor Oak and Tracey.

"Girls give out phone numbers way before their home address!" Tracey shouted. "You already on first base with this girl or what?"

"It's not like that! She... she just wants to prove she's trustworthy, like we all thought she was at first!"

Professor Oak rubbed his chin. "You know, despite her past actions, I'm willing to believe she's trying to get a fresh start. Plus, after the times I've seen her in action at a couple of televised tournaments makes me think she's an excellent strategist. Very smart for a girl her age. Plus with her former connections... it could be worth the effort to give her an inquiry."

"So you're saying..." Ash stated hopefully, "that I can go?"

His dad nodded. "Of course."

"Alright!" Ash pumped his fist in the air.

"Ooh, ooh, can I go?" Tracey asked, as giddy as a schoolgirl.

"If you go, Trace, who's gonna carry my books to and from the library?"

Tracey sweatdropped. "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

"It wouldn't be a journey without Misty and Brock!" Ash said excitedly. "Maybe I should give them a call. After all, Cassie wants them to forgive her too. And they did want to go..."


"I'd love to Ash," Brock told him over the videophone. "But I can't right now! We're in the middle of giving the Pewter Gym a face-lift. The whole place is falling apart and I have to stay here to make sure that reconstruction goes along as planned."

"Sorry about that. I'll make sure to say hi to Cassie for you."

"Oh, and Ash?"

"If she's broken up with that boyfriend of hers, tell her to give me a call!"


"I couldn't possibly go right now, Ash," Misty replied sadly. "With Togepi at the point where he needs the most tender loving care, Vaporeon down with the fever, and my sisters being sued for trying to make a play based on 'The Little Mermaid' for the 12th time, there's no time for me to travel! Add to that trying to keep up the stamina to battle two dozen challengers a day, make sure the tanks are all clean..."

"I get it, Mist... you're too busy."

Misty groaned. "I know you're all set on seeing Cassie and her family and having her trying to prove she's loyal and all. I'm sure she'll understand us not being able to come with you. It's not her, it's..."

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Just don't go trusting of her too quickly! I don't want to find out that you two turned into an item or something of the sort!"

"Why does everyone think I'm turning into Brock all of a sudden?" shouted Ash as Misty signed off.


With no traveling partners, Ash and Pikachu hit the road to Poli Town alone early the next morning, waving goodbye to Professor Oak, Delia, and Tracey as they left. Ash was happy as he held a map in hand, checking out the route that lay before them.

"Poli Town's not too far," Ash told Pikachu. "Two or three hours... we should be there with plenty of time to spare before lunch!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's eyes lighted up, even though he was not riding on Ash's shoulder but instead walking next to him.

The two ventured along, hoping this was one time they wouldn't get lost.


Meanwhile, somewhere along the streets of Vermillion City, a familiar blue-haired teen was wandering about the marketplace. He seemed to be ignorant of the people around him, especially the merchants, who were yelling all over each other in an attempt to attract tourists and customers to their stands. But the teenager was only interested in going to one place.

"Newspaper," he said, walking up to a magazine stand.

"Three coins," the attendant said in return.

After the young man relinquished the currency, he was given the paper. He smiled as he read the headline on top of 'The Vermillion Ledger.'

The headline read 'More Team Rocket Jail Escapees.' And it under it was a black-and-white photo of Jessie, James, and Persian running with the Viridian Forest in the background. The teen smiled, then continued walking down the street, reading the paper as he did.


Coming out of the small thicket of trees, Ash and Pikachu started to see the small houses and farms of Poli Town come into view. They had made it without any detours or side trips, amazingly.

"Is this it?" Ash said aloud. "Are we in Poli Town already?"

Happy to finally see the town at last after a very long walk, Pikachu excitedly decided to run the rest of the way. Ash had no choice but to follow him.

"Hey, Pikachu! Wait up!"


Once the duo had reached the town limits, they had reduced their speed back to a slow walk, as they were both panting over the unneeded exertion. But even as they caught their breath, they were looking at the nearby street signs, trying to find their way to Cassie's house.

"Let's see... East Perimeter Drive..." Ash mumbled, glancing at the piece of notepad paper he was holding. "Where is... aha!"

He pointed at a sign with the words 'East Perimeter' on it. Ash and Pikachu proceed down the street, keeping an eye on the numbers of the houses around them. To Ash's surprise, most of them seemed to have berry bushes in their front yards.

"They sure grow a lot of fruit around here, don't they?"

"Pikachu," the mouse nodded.

Eventually, the gang did make their way to 10 East Perimeter Drive. Upon spotting Cassie's house, Ash and Pikachu noted that it was very similar to the others on the street. Small, two floors, with berry bushes scattered on all sides of the house. There was also a tool shed sitting in the northwest corner of the property.

"So... I guess we just walk up to the front door and knock?"

Ash and Pikachu took one step onto the property, and were suddenly greeted by a Bulbasaur, who without warning used Vine Whip on them, in an attempt to capture them. Caught off-guard, Ash and Pikachu were ensnared before they knew it.

"Ugh... unnnhh!" Ash winced as he struggled.

"Pika... PIKA!" Pikachu chirped, mighty uncomfortable at how tight the vines were.

"What's going on out there, Bulbasaur?" a man yelled from inside the house.

A man and his wife, both in their 50s and with some grey hair starting to develop amongst their natural brown, ran out of the house and over to where Bulbasaur was holding Ash and Pikachu captive.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing on our property?" the man asked.

"We're... we're friends of Cassie's!" Ash shouted.

"Really? What's your name, son?"

"Ash... it's, aaahhh, Ash Ketchum!" he managed between squeezes.

"Pi pika, pi PIKACHU!" cried Pikachu, who was being squeezed even tighter.

"Ash Ketchum and Pikachu?" said the wife. "Cassie did say she had friends by that name that might be dropping by."

"Okay," the husband confirmed. "Bulbasaur, let 'em go! They're friendly."

"Saur!" the plant Pokémon complied, leaving Ash and Pikachu able to breathe normally.

"I apologize for the rude welcoming. My name's Nigel."

"And my name's Arlene. Pleased to meet you! Won't you come inside?"


Inside the house, Ash and Pikachu were seated at a dining table in the kitchen. Nigel sat across from them conversing while Arlene went to work preparing lunch for them.

"Once again, sorry about Bulbasaur," Nigel apologized again. "He doesn't take kindly to intruders... but otherwise, he's a pretty friendly guy."

"Normally we wouldn't resort to having a guard Pokémon," Arlene told Ash as she glanced over from beside the oven. "Usually, he's inside with us, but with the recent rash of berry thieves, we have to protect our investment, you know?"

"I understand. Is there anyway Pikachu and I can help?"

"I'd appreciate it, though it's not like this is a big deal. With the watchful eyes of everyone in the neighborhood, someone's bound to catch the thief one of these days."

"That's good. So... the Bulbasaur belongs to Cassie? I could swear at that tournament in Evergrande that it had evolved into an Ivysaur just before the finals..."

"Nah... this one's mine. Caught it about three months ago. Not as a guard, originally, just as a helper. I'm 57, young man... I ain't getting any younger!"

"And the cute darling just loves our Oran Berries. Then again, so do we! Which is why I'm making you my specialty! A peanut butter and Oran berry jam sandwich!"

"That's great! I'm hungry after all of that walking from Pallet Town!"

"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu agreed... or his stomach did, anyway.

"So..." Ash glanced around the kitchen. "Is Cassie around? I really need to speak to her."

"'Fraid not," answered Arlene. "She's back on the road traveling, like she always does. She brought her boyfriend home for the first time about a month ago."

"He seems nice enough," Nigel said, though Ash noticed he was visibly cracking his knuckles.

"Uh..." Ash uttered nervously.

"Oh, don't worry about ol' Nigel," Arlene reassured him. "He's just being overprotective of our girl. That's what fathers do, after all."

"I don't mind the guy... as long as he doesn't try to get fresh with her!"

"Get... fresh?"

Arlene laughed. "I'm sure you'll understand that when you're a bit older."

"So, is Cassie around?" Ash asked politely. "There's something I need to ask her about."

"No," replied Nigel. "You know how kids on their Pokémon journeys are. They come home just to reacquaint themselves with their family and their bed, and then they're back on the road for another year or two."

"She said she wanted a new challenge," added Arlene. "So she told us that she and Arius were heading to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn Region. And that was ten days ago."

"Hoenn? I don't even know where that is! How am I supposed to find her now?"

"Well..."

"Well? Well what?"

Arlene sighed. "We usually don't do this. Even though you're one of Cassie's friends, we really don't know all that much about you. Not enough to trust you."

"Aw, come on, Arlene!" objected Nigel. "The boy's got the good stuff. I can tell just by lookin' at 'em!"

"Alright," Arlene relented, getting up to write down something on a piece of paper.

"Pokédexes are marvelous devices, aren't they? You can even call a trainer from hundreds of miles away!"

"This is her Poké-Com number," Arlene said as she gave the slip to Ash.

"Poké-Com? Oh, right..."

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and accessed the program 'Poké-Com 4.1.' He then started dialing the number, then got up to walk out of the room.

"Excuse me," he said as he pardoned himself from Cassie's parents.

Ash walked outside as the Poké-Com rang Cassie's number. Ash took a seat out on the front steps while Pikachu ran off to talk to Bulbasaur, who was standing by the Oran bushes. After a few rings, Ash heard it being answered. A holographic mini-image of Cassie appeared before him.

"Who is this? Oh... is that you, Ash?"

"Cassie!"

"How did you get my Poké-Com num... wait, is that my house behind you?"

"Yep! Guess where I am?"

Cassie smiled. "So, you took me up on my offer, huh? You really do trust me!" She then glanced around. "Hey... Misty and Brock aren't with you?"

Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... they're too busy taking care of stuff at their Pokémon gyms."

"Oh yeah... almost forgot they were gym leaders. Oh well... you can pass on my good praise to them for me! Anyway, what do you think of the place? I know it's not much... but hey, that's country life for you! And I'm a country gal!"

"It's just like Pallet Town, sort of. Oh, that reminds me of why I came..."

"You mean it wasn't to test my trustworthiness?" Cassie puffed in dismay. "You sure know how to put a girl down. You're just lucky Arius is out searching for firewood..."

"Remember Marco and what had happened to him in the finals?"

"How could I forget? The guy cheated and relegated me to a fourth-place finish! I still wanna figure out how he did that magic trick of his."

"Uh, Cassie? It's not a magic trick."

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Do you know what he did?"

"Well... yes and no."

Cassie raised both eyebrows at that, her interest piqued. "What exactly does that mean? You've seen someone else do that before?"

"It's kinda hard to explain... and I'd rather tell you it in person."

"In person? Do you know where I am? Can you even get here?"

"Well, I'm sure Professor Oak'll find me a way."

Cassie sighed. "Well, if it's that important that I can't stop you... we're in the Petalburg Woods, just outside of Petalburg City. Try to meet us in Rustboro City. Arius and I should be there in a few days."

Ash nodded. "Okay, got it! Pikachu and I will meet you two there."

"Just don't keep us waiting, okay? I'd rather not sit in one place for too long..."


"So, what did she say?" Professor Oak asked as Ash and Pikachu reentered the lab just before sunset.

"She wasn't there. She's traveling about in the Hoenn Region."

"Oh my, how amazing! And I guess you wanna go track her down, correct?"

"I guess so. If she knows anything that can help us, it'll be worth the trip. We'd better start preparations for your journey immediately!"

And so, it had been decided. Ash and Pikachu were headed for the Hoenn Region, hoping to hook up with Cassie and Arius. With their past connections, maybe they would be able to find a clue to solving the mystery behind the strange powers. Nevertheless, it's off on a new adventure for our plucky hero.

But who knows what awaits him in the distant land of Hoenn!

End Session: September
Storyline to be continued in Session: October!


Author's Notes for 'Session: September':
Wow. Seven parts was actually a whole lot more than I expected, and that's not counting the stuff cut out for those of you seeing the edited version. That's at least enough for an eighth part! Yeah, for a tournament that only lasted three days, it sure took up a whole lot of writing space and time.

Let's barrel through some notes, shall we?

So, those of you who didn't read 'The Adventures Series' are seeing the biggest reason that led Cassie to want to leave the Pokémon Trainers' Association, bringing her boyfriend Arius with her. She's indirectly responsible for the death of the passengers and crew of a flight headed for the Indigo Plateau. A flight that included a boy named TJ Smith, who had just recently before that had fallen in love with our Ditto girl, Duplica. Sad to say, Duplica's the one who harbors the most ill will towards Cassie. She hasn't totally turned her back, though, so a reconciliation may eventually be possible.

Yeah, another patented Whitney appearance! If you're not aware of my love for Whitney, well... you don't know me! She had an interesting non-competitor role in 'Roomies' and also got her own story as the lead-off in my short-lived Poké-Girls series with 'Plainly Tested.' Here, I took the liberty of creating yet a different version of Whitney. This one is basically a mix of the anime version and the game version. The 'Rocket Revenge' version of Whitney also has the characteristic of using her looks to get men to do whatever she wants.

Given that her gym's delegate, Jimmy, didn't know that Kangaskhan couldn't use Rollout... next time, she better pick a man that's a lot more knowledgeable about these things.

Now honestly, given my love of redheads, I was very tempted to go for a tri-fecta and have Ash's next opponent represent Lavaridge Town, thus bringing Flannery into the story. But I figure that was playing too much into my personal pleasures and instead decided to borrow a different character from the anime. Namely, young Shauna, Brawly's apprentice at the Dewford Island Gym. Only in the anime, she wasn't established as one until the end... I kinda skipped over that part.

I didn't skip over Shauna's love for Brawly, though. I just had to play that up!

Ash's analysis of the selectable Pokémon of his and his opponents for the finals is to give you all a rough idea of some of the Pokémon they have. This is especially true for those of you who didn't read 'The Adventures Series,' extra true if you're a fan of Cassie and want to see who her favorite battlers are.

Since I'm on Cassie... you'll notice there's no explanation given as to why Arius wasn't there with her. You'll find out next session, but just know basically that he couldn't make the trip.

I knew ahead of time that I wanted the final to be a four-person battle royale, but I didn't expect to take so much time to writing it, especially since I didn't want to cut any action out. Things are a little simplified compared to how I played it out, but it still needed to be long enough to avoid it being full of one-hit KOs. That's something I abhor in the anime gym battles and wanted to avoid here.

I did cut corners in not explaining how two of Cassie's Pokémon came to evolve... Bulbasaur to Ivysaur prior to the tournament, and Eevee to Espeon the night before the finals. Maybe I might reference back to the events, but at this point I didn't consider it worth mentioning in full.

Lovers of Heracross, rejoice as he joins the series! You'll see a few of Ash's other Johto Pokémon appear later on when he gets to capturing them. Misty and Brock might get some of theirs too...

Ah, here's the true reason this tournament was written... to showcase Marco's 'secret power.' For those of you with good memories, remember that Ash, Misty, and Brock found out they have similar powers back in Episode 32 of 'The Adventures Series.' But you should've seen this coming with the hints in this story so far. Watch for this mystery to slowly be unraveled over the course of the next few sessions.

Before anyone asks... yes, I never had intention to have Ash win this tournament. Never.

On that note... also yes to the Elite Four already knowing about Erika's search for the 'legendary' trainers and yes to not saying where Gary went after the tournament. For the latter... well, you'll find out where Gary is eventually. But not for awhile...

Here's an actual change from the original script... Cassie and Arius going to Hoenn. Don't expect a lot of action from them anytime soon, I'm practically getting rid of them save for an upcoming chapter that dives into exactly how they met and their early days at the Pokémon Trainers' Association. A chapter which was originally scheduled to be in this Session, but as is now apparent, I didn't get to. I was originally going to shuffle them through Johto, but in terms of the story, Ash would have to backtrack, as he's already had been through two Pokémon gyms there.

That's all for the notes! Next up is 'October Session!'


'Session: October' Trailer:
We've seen very little of our favorite Rockets so far. No more! It's a whole lot of Jessie! It's a whole lot of James! Even a whole lot of Persian! Wha... Persian? New to the series and ya don't know how Meowth evolved into the Pokémon he hates the most, even more than Pikachu? Relive the heartbreaking story, plus see the gang once again run not only from the law, but from their very own Team Rocket as well!

No 'The Fugitive' references in 'Session: October!' Now... we run!