The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
Now we're making progress! We're 25 percent, roughly, of the way home!
In October, we tackle the organizations! Team Rocket and the Pokémon Trainers' Association! Yeah, I know I promised the latter one last month, but I assure you, it will be in this session! We haven't seen much of Team Rocket since July... isn't that weird since this fanfic is supposed to be about this grandiose evil plot they concocting? Anyway, lots of Rockety-goodness, including from Jessie, James, and Persian! Also, aren't you the least bit curious about how Cassie and Arius met, much less how they started dating?
Hope you don't mind the twerps missing-in-action, because you will be seeing very little of them over the next month!
Disclaimer: The characters and places from the Pokémon anime and other Pokémon products all belong to Nintendo and 4Kids Enter... bonk... I mean Pokémon USA! 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: October, Part 1 (10.03.05/10.19.06)
The ultimate goal of every Pokémon trainer in the world is to become a Pokémon Master! The simplest way of accomplishing that is to be the first to catch 'em all... all the Pokémon in the world! Easier said then done, considering some Pokémon are rare, some are thought to be extinct, some to be legendary and unique, and yet others that haven't even been discovered yet!
So somebody figured... well, there must be some other way to determine who should be a Pokémon Master, right? Well, the Pokémon League states that Masters are people who not only train themselves to be the very best, but their Pokémon are held to the exact same standard. All while not only respecting each other, but utilizing that the key to success is for human and Pokémon to work hand-in-hand in order to achieve a common goal.
But with number of individual trainers growing exponentially every year, the Pokémon League decided that for the benefit of trainers of all ages and skill levels that the League be split up into two groups. One group working towards the already-established Pokémon Master goal, while the younger adolescents compete for a similar-valued position themselves... the title of Pokémon Junior Master!
Previously on "The Year of Rocket's Revenge," the world's most talented trainers under the age of 18 competed to become the first-ever Pokémon Junior Master, a title established just prior to the tournament they were brought to. In the famed Evergrande City, normally home to the annual Hoenn League Championship Tournament, the field had already been whittled down to 16 after a grueling, free-for-all preliminary round. Among that group of 16 was our hero, Ash Ketchum, who had been declared one the world's most promising young trainers.
But Ash wasn't alone, as he had to contend with his rival and old friend, Gary Oak. There was also ex-Pokémon Trainers' Association member Cassie Banks. And last but not least, there was Marco Pereira, a guy who seemed to have a grudge against our hero. The four talented trainers made their way through the next two rounds, leaving only them to compete for the title.
The League decided to make it interesting by having the four finalists go at each other all at once. And thus... after a long battle filled with twists, turns, and plenty of broken promises, Marco came out as the winner, much to Ash's chagrin. As Marco claimed the title of Pokémon Junior Master, Ash was given a penny for his thoughts, as Cassie invited him to her house, in hopes of convincing him that she was trustworthy again.
Ash took her up on her offer... but all he got to do was meet her parents. And learn that Cassie was in the Hoenn Region with her boyfriend, Arius. So as Ash goes off to find her, we go and check in on another batch of characters whom some fans think are the actual 'heroes' of our show...
The sound of a film projector could be heard starting up in the background. Shortly thereafter, some fanfare music was heard as pictures started to appear on the screen. Soon after came a booming male's voice...
"The following is a production of Team Rocket, Inc," 'the voice' started, before descending into a more grouchy tone. "Anyone attempting to reproduce this tape for any reason will be subject to torture, will have their Pokémon taken from them, will be subject to injury by those employed by Team Rocket and their families, and anything else we can think of, no matter how dirty it is."
Then, in the sweetest, high-pitched tone the voice could muster...
"Have a nice day!"
Following that, the film flickered for a few seconds before getting into the main feature. Footage from a security camera then begins playing. In it were five scientists. Three men, two women, all of varying ages. They were giving their own slide show in a conference room, each of them taking turns describing what was being shown. The film appeared to have no audio from the room, however, as nothing could actually be heard from the scientists.
Only part of the lone table in the conference room was visible, so only the audience members closest to the projector could be seen at all. It was unknown how many people were actually in the room total at the time.
Though the lack of audio and lack of focus for the video made it hard to discern what was going on, the voice of the eldest man, the leader of the group, began to describe the events in narrative style.
"Day One. Me and my four fellow scientists presented our theory for an experiment that would combine two Pokémon into one to Team Rocket. For our own protection, I will not identify myself, any of my fellow colleagues, or anyone else that was present at this presentation.
"It took a little convincing on my part to have Team Rocket provide the funds needed for the experimentation. After all, this had never been attempted before. But they agreed, having been intrigued by our theories, so they gave us the workspace, as well as two years to develop a breakthrough. We couldn't wait to begin. Our experiment had the potential to bring about the next generation of Pokémon evolution."
The film flickered again, as if to signal that was the end of the recording. Then, the film started up again, this time peering in on a laboratory, where the previously shown scientists were in the midst of working. The two youngest scientists, one male, one female, were shown in particular, as they mixed some chemicals together.
At this point, the eldest scientist resumed his narration.
"Day Sixty-Three. Two months after we had received funding for our project, we finally got the laboratory that we wanted. It took awhile for Team Rocket to find an adequate facility for our experiment, but it was well worth the wait. Today we are officially beginning our experimentation."
The camera panned around to other scientists, one at a time, for a few seconds each. Narration continues as the camera ended eventually coming back to the two youngsters from the film's start.
"We had calculated the possible methods for carrying out our experimentation. We have worked out all of the possible combinations, and then narrowed them down to a list of those which could be feasible at this point in time. We are looking for the perfect combination of chemicals that would allow two Pokémon to combine their DNA."
After the male added a drop of a liquid to the beaker, it blew up in their faces. The two now had black soot all over their faces and their upper body.
"Of course, that part wasn't as easy. Then again, science never is."
The screen went blurry again before the screen returned to the laboratory. The scientists were now further along in their experiment. The group was standing by a weird looking machine that resembled the one used by trainers to trade Pokémon. This one, though, was a bit bigger, and it held a test tube filled with red liquid. The tube was connected to the machine, which in turn was connected to a computer that was recording the experiment.
"Day Ninety-Nine," continued the head scientist. "With the help of some of Team Rocket's best, we finally have created the machine that will carry out the task of merging the DNA of two Pokémon into one. The red liquid in the test tube is hydrodextrosesulfate, a new compound we discovered earlier this week. In simulated tests, we deemed its interaction in the process sufficient enough to test on live subjects. Today, we will perform our first live subject test!"
The tape skipped over a few minutes. When it resumed, the young male scientist was shown holding two small cages in his hands. One contained a wild Rattata, and the other a wild Pidgey. He was on his way over to where the machine was.
"Rattata and Pidgey were readily available, we decided that we should use them for our early tests, knowing that we could easily obtain another if one was injured during our experiments."
The two cages were placed in the device, one under each tube. The two wild Pokémon struggled to escape their cages, looking for freedom, but unaware about the tragic fate they were about to share.
"This is Test Number Zero-Zero-One. We are attempting to merge the DNA of a Rattata and a Pidgey. It is now 15:54, and we are starting the experiment.
The other scientists began to run all over the lab, checking data as they monitored the readings from the machines.
"All is well. The machine has started up successfully, and the two Pokémon have begun to show signs of struggling. It looks like they will merge."
Suddenly, both wild Pokémon fell into unconsciousness. Then, just as quickly, both began to convulse very rapidly. The five scientists were running all over the room in a panic, attempting to stop the test after realizing that something was wrong. The young female had run over a defibrillator from the other side of the room, in case it was needed. The two Pokémon stopped moving, and she, obviously noticing that something had gone wrong, began to attempt to save the Pokémon. She went to the Pidgey first, which was the closest to her, and sent several thousand volts of electricity into his heart. Several times. After which, seeing that their Pidgey was already gone, attempted to revive the Rattata. She repeated the process, but the Rattata by that time had also lost the will to live.
"Test Number Zero-Zero-One... has failed," the elder said with a heavy sigh. "We have lost both test subjects. Cause of death was the exhaustion of both Pokémon's hearts. Test was stopped at 15:57. Reason why the experiment was unsuccessful is unknown. Will try to compile data to attempt to discover the reason for failure."
He then sighed again before finishing the report.
"Looks like we have a long way to go."
The film then went down again, this time for a whole minute. When a clear picture had finally been restored, an unknown amount of time had passed since that first experiment. The machine was set up to run its test for the day. Two new Pokémon were already in position to use as the day's test subjects: a Dugtrio and a Spearow.
As the four other scientists were engaging in final test preparations, the eldest was guiding in an observer. Dressed in his trademark orange suit, it was Giovanni, the gym leader of Viridian City. As well as the great leader of Team Rocket.
This time, audio of the scene was available, and the voices of the lead scientist and of Giovanni could be heard clearly on it.
"You better not be wasting my time, Dr. Kabaru!" Giovanni said aloud. "If you are... this'll be the last time for all of you!"
"I assure you... this time, we have it!" affirmed the head scientist.
Dr. Kabaru then turned his associates and signaled for them to begin the boot process for the machine.
"Test Number Two-Five-Two. Our objective: to merge the DNA of a Dugtrio and a Spearow together in order to produce an offspring that has not only the best physical characteristics of each subject, but also has a sampling of their best powers! It is currently 13:09, and we starting now!"
The machine roared to life as the others ran to and from, keeping an observation on all of the readings coming out in order to ensure a smooth, successful test. The two subjects began to glow a bright yellow, which slowly started to engulf them, and then the room. Some of the scientists looked as if they were going to suggest something was wrong, but Dr. Kabaru hastily eased their fears.
"Whatever happens, we will see this test through the end! This either works... or we're out of work!"
With the light to bright to bear, all of the scientists, as well as Giovanni were forced to raise their arms in order to shield their eyes from the blinding light. It proved to be useless, though, as a few sparks of electricity emanated from the machine before, after one last huge burst of light energy, the room became completely encapsulated. As a result, everyone in the room became temporarily blinded, even after the light had disappeared and the machine had automatically shut down.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" screamed Giovanni. "I'LL HAVE ALL OF YOUR HEADS!"
All of the sudden, Dr. Kabaru's vision began slowly returning to him. The same with Giovanni and the rest of the scientists. As it did, they noticed an unfamiliar Pokémon standing before them.
"What the..."
"Could it be?" wondered Dr. Kabaru, before grinning with glee. "Yes, yes, it is, IT IS!"
The other scientists elicited similar reactions when they spotted the creature. Giovanni gasped, as before him stood a Pokémon that was half-Dugtrio, half-Spearow! Well, not exactly, as it had the body, feet, and beak of a Spearow, but it had the head of a Dugtrio!
"This... this is the yield of all of your experiments?"
The newly created Pokémon looked at its 'parents,' who didn't respond since they had fallen unconscious thanks to that exhausting experiment. It then glanced at all of the humans around the room curiously.
"You're telling me this little thing is the first step towards world domination? You can't be serious!"
"I know it doesn't look all that impressive, sir, but give us time! Eventually, we'll be able to crossbreed some of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon in the world!"
Giovanni looked unimpressed by Dr. Kabaru's claim, but he didn't exactly express his verbal distaste for it. Not yet anyway, but that was enough to convince the head scientist that he had been given a chance to be a man of his words.
"Okay, prep this... Speartrio for a physical exam! Once we figure out how this things ticks, we'll be able to create even more of them!"
The four scientists moved in to contain the new Pokémon. But Speartrio realized what was going on, and immediately tried to escape. First, using its bird-like claws, it tried to dig a hole into the tiled floor below. Small pieces of tile and dirt started flying out from the area, as the scientists struggled to get close enough to reach it.
Giovanni and Dr. Kabaru were both amazed and angry at this development, but neither said anything as Speartrio continued his escape attempt.
Through all of the flying debris, one of the young scientists noticed that Speartrio had only broken a couple of inches of flooring so far. Realizing that they still had a chance to stop it from escaping, he made a leap forward, bursting through in an attempt to knock it off its feet. The other scientists watched the act of their fellow colleague, then quickly followed without hesitation. The combined strength and weight of the four wasn't enough to knock Speartrio off its feet. It was enough, though, to stop it from digging.
Speartrio turned its attention to the scientists clinging on him and started trying to peck away at them, trying to get them off. As painful as it was for the researches to be stabbed by one of the beaks every few seconds, their grip on the Pokémon held fast. Seeing that wasn't working, Speartrio then did something unexpected.
It tried to fly.
Wrestling its wings from the grip of the scientists, it started flapping them as hard as it could. The sheer gust of wind being produced proved to be enough to blow the foursome off, freeing Speartrio from its captivity. Speartrio then slowly began to lift itself off from the ground. Dr. Kabaru and Giovanni were still amazed by the powers of this new Pokémon, but were still just as upset because it was trying to escape.
"Capture that thing!" the Team Rocket leader yelled.
"No need... it's not going anywhere," reassured Dr. Kabaru, pointing at Speartrio.
Sure enough, Speartrio had only lifted itself about a foot off the ground. It was panting heavily as it tried to force itself higher, but the pained look on his face showed that it was already exhausted. Seconds later, Speartrio stopped flapping its wings, and belly flopped onto the floor, causing itself a great injury in the progress. The scientists quickly ran over. First to restrain it, then to check on its condition.
"Check its vital signs!" the doctor ordered. "We must make sure, above anything else, that this Pokémon does not die!"
He then ran over to help his crew out with the physical examination. Giovanni walked over, now apparently pleased with what little he had seen.
"I must admit, you did better than expected."
"So, you're pleased with our work?" Dr. Kabaru inquired.
"Not exactly... but you've got my attention. Provided that you can train this new Pokémon to be worthy of Team Rocket's top field agents... I'll be sure to get all the funding you need to consider your experimentation!"
"Thank you, sir!"
"I'll leave you all to take care of the details. Keep me informed!"
Giovanni then walked out, rubbing his hands together greedily as the scientists continued their examination of Speartrio.
At the point, the film skipped forward once again. Upon coming out of it, a bunch of familiar faces are seen running out of the same conference room as before. Those faces happen to belong to Jessie, James, Persian, Cassidy, Butch, Raticate, Jane, Calamity, and Pidgeo. The nine had been dispatched to take care of a certain twerp that was about to arrive at the gym in order to earn an Earth Badge.
Once the nine were gone, Giovanni, who was sitting at the head of the table, greeted Dr. Kabaru, who entered the room with a golden Pokéball in hand.
"I assume it's ready?"
Dr. Kabaru nodded. "Yes, sir. But are you sure you want to field test it now? You're sending three teams down there, and of course, there was the whole Mewtwo debacle a few months ago..."
"I'm sure," Giovanni growled, grabbing the Pokéball and walking out.
For one last time, the tape broke into static. The intermission was brief, though, as it was quickly restored. It's about an hour later, as Giovanni was standing inside the gym's main chamber. On the opposite side of the room was Misty and Golduck, along with Ash and the gang cheering her on in the background.
"Well, Misty Waterflower," Giovanni stated aloud, "it seems that you've gotten me down to my last Pokémon."
He took out the golden Pokéball from his suit pocket. The twerps tried to catch a glimpse of what Giovanni had dubbed as his special Pokémon.
"Somehow, I knew that it would come down to this. But now, you'll get to feel the ultimate wrath of Team Rocket! Pokéball, go!"
Speartrio emerged from the Pokéball, to the surprise of Ash and the gang, who had no idea what to make of it.
"Allow me to introduce the first in my line of crossbred Pokémon," he laughed manically. "Meet Speartrio! Now... allow me to show you his awesome power!"
Speartrio then began engaging in a myriad of tactics, catching Misty's Golduck off-guard by using Seismic Toss and sending him hurtling towards the ground. Speartrio tried to follow that up with Drill Peck, but Golduck dodged. Instead of running splat into the arena floor, though, Speartrio instead just dug through it!
Golduck tried to judge where Speartrio would come back up, but it was no use, as the water Pokémon was hit from directly below. Misty, having caught onto the fact that Speartrio had the type disadvantages of the two Pokémon she believed it was created from, tried casting Hydro Pump and Confusion on it. But even though those attacks hit the mark...
"What?" Misty gasped in shock. "Golduck put everything into that shot!"
"It must be some kind of super Pokémon!" Brock exclaimed.
Giovanni smiled as Speartrio gained control of the match and started pounding Golduck heavily. Though it seemed hopeless, it was time for Ash and the gang to pull out an unexpected surprise of their own. And by unexpected, that meant a surprise not even they were aware of.
"What is this?" Giovanni asked, distraught. "Call back your Pokémon!"
Pikachu and Golduck suddenly perked up and began to glare at their trainers. Vulpix, meanwhile, somehow escaped from her Pokéball and did the same thing for Brock.
"Pikachu, what are you doing?"
"Vulpix, why are you out here?"
"Golduck, why are you staring at me?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock suddenly fainted on the spot. Then, out of the blue, Pikachu, Golduck, and Vulpix run towards Speartrio and proceed to give the crossbred Pokémon a beat down.
"How can this be?" the Team Rocket head wondered out loud.
The superpowered trio began to glow different colors: Pikachu black, Golduck a cerulean blue, and Vulpix brown. They then performed a combination triple threat attack.
"Hydro-thunder flame blast attack!" the trio shouted in unison.
A beam made out of electricity, water, and fire launched from the three Pokémon, and as a result, they easily knock Speartrio out. The beam doesn't stop there, though, as it hit the far wall and started to tear the building apart. Pikachu, Golduck, and Vulpix then promptly fainted, while simultaneously their trainers awoke from their slumber.
"What happened?" Ash said, rubbing his aching head.
"I feel like I've just came out of a coma!" Misty cried.
"Me too," agreed Brock.
Noticing their fainted Pokémon beside them, the twerps picked them up and then ran out of the building with their compatriots. Giovanni had already left the room, heading for the roof, which had a heliport that he safely made an escape from.
To be continued next week in Part 2!
