The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: October, Part 5 (10.31.05/01.25.07)
RING RING RING, RING RING RING!
PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!
RING RING RING, RING RING RING!
PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!
-click-
(robotic female voice)
Please leave your message after the beep.
-BEEEEEEEEEEP-
(humanoid female voice)
Thank you for your continued efforts! Agent Mulhardy will relieve you in Slateport City upon completion of your mission. Take a few days off, and we'll call you when we need your services again.
Oh... one more thing.
Don't forget that attendance of Saturday's Annual Company Picnic is mandatory for everyone not on Level-3 status or higher. Last names A through L must bring a salad this year; M through Z must provide a dessert! Remember, saying 'you forgot' is not an excuse and is punishable by A-1 judgment!
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And for the last time, people, it's not a torture dealing with steak sauce!
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WTF?
Oh, come on, Bill! 87 percent of our crew is not THAT stupid!
-BEEEEEEEEEP-
"And then... the greatest day of my life happened..."
Outside the Pokémon Trainers' House was a banner that read '9th Annual Celadon City Trainers Open House,' and below it, people of all ages were walking through the gates. They had all come to see the best and brightest of the kids who might one day become Pokémon Master. It was also a chance for family and friends to root their little prodigies on.
While several young promising trainers were inside the house showing off their Pokémon's looks and appealing nature, others were outside, competing in random one-on-one battles in order to show off their skills. The makeshift stands set up in the backyard were filled to the brim, with most of those there squealing with excitement as another match was about to get started.
"The following is a one-on-one Pokémon battle between students from our B-Level Class!" shouted a teacher who was refereeing the match. "The battle is over when one of the Pokémon faints or the five-minute time limit expires!"
On the west end of the battlefield, Arius reached for a Pokéball from his belt and threw it out. His opponent, a blue-haired boy dressed in a blue and white horizontally-striped shirt and khaki shorts, did the same from his side.
"Let's go, Zubat!" Arius exclaimed.
"You're on, Mankey!" shouted the other boy.
As Zubat and Mankey materialized before the crowd's very eyes, some of the kids from the two duelists' class were chatting amongst themselves.
"I feel sorry for Arius," a girl commented. "He's going up against Jin, the best student in the class!"
"Yeah," added a second, sighing in admiration. "He's so dreamy..."
"Nobody in the class has beaten him in almost two months!" recalled one of the boys up there.
"That's not surprising," added a second. "I'm ranked number two, and I've only come close to beating him once!"
"And you've battled him at least half a dozen times in that period," reminded a third.
Although he couldn't hear the inane chatter from his classmates over the excitable noise of the entire crowd, Arius could tell just by glancing at them that he knew they were all betting against him.
"I know Jin's good and all, but it's like they're not giving me a chance. Man... but I'm going to prove them all wrong today!"
"And... BEGIN!" yelled the instructor.
"Okay, Zubat, use Bite!"
"Mankey, dodge and use Fury Swipes!"
Mankey hopped to his left, but Zubat quickly compensated for the adjustment, turned, and sank his teeth into Mankey's left hand. The primate Pokémon danced around wildly, doing everything he could to shake Zubat off. But Zubat continued to hang on for dear life.
"You can do better than that!" Jin shouted at Mankey. "Use Fury Swipes to teach that Zubat a lesson!"
Mankey concentrated all of his energy into his free arm, swinging it with claws drawn at Zubat, pounding away until the bat Pokémon was forced to let go after several direct blows to the head.
"Zubat, Supersonic!"
Zubat recovered from the blows and blasted sound waves at Mankey. Mankey howled out in pain as he covered his ears to block it.
"Now, while Mankey's defense is down... go for Leech Life!"
Zubat swooped in once again, baring his fangs. But at the second, Mankey instinctively jumped up and over the charging Pokémon.
"That a way!"
"Rats... Zubat, try again!"
"Mankey, use Karate Chop to knock it down!"
Zubat turned about and made another diving attempt. This time, Mankey leaped in the air early, reared his right arm back, and then stiffly brought it forward, towards Zubat's head.
"Zubat... use Razor Wind!"
Jin gasped in shock. "Razor Wind?"
Zubat suddenly stopped his dive and faced upward at the descending Mankey. Zubat brought his wings back and then snapped them forward in a snap, generating two solid razor-sharp blades of wind that hit Mankey square in the arms. The attack also made Mankey spin backwards, as he lost control of his descent and ended facing the sky as he hit the ground back-first. Mankey cried out in pain, gritting in pain as he tried to get up, using his arms to brace him. But Mankey was screaming loudly as it did so, as his willpower to continue fighting was the only thing fueling him at that point.
Arius looked on with mild surprise as his Zubat assumed a stationary hovering position a few feet away. Jin, as well as most of the audience, was stunned as well, as Mankey did manage to get to his feet. Though he was breathing heavily with exhaustion, barely able to keep his focus.
"Is it... over?" Arius asked out loud, loosening his focus on the battle. "Did I... win?"
Zubat glanced back at his trainer, thinking the same thing. Suddenly, Mankey leaped into the air at his opponent, grimacing in pain as he attempted to use Karate Chop again.
"Grrr... okay then. Zubat, finish it off..."
"Mankey, stop!" Jin suddenly ordered.
Hearing his master's call, Mankey did, calming down and landing on the ground a few feet in front of Zubat. Once it did, though, Mankey's right knee buckled, forcing him down to one knee as he gritted his teeth again. He was trying to keep his focus, even though he was in obvious pain. Jin turned towards the referee and conceded the match.
"A good Pokémon trainer knows when he's beat. Therefore, I concede the match to my opponent."
The instructor nodded in agreement, then proclaimed it official. "And with that, the winners of the match are Arius and Zubat!"
A mix of emotions rang through the bleachers... some of joy, others of worried concern, and even some of resentment and anger. Arius wanted to rejoice with glee over beating the best student in his class, but seeing the pained look on Mankey's face made him think otherwise. Zubat flew towards him and landed on the ground before him. Arius kneeled down and patted him on the head.
"Good job, Zubat. I knew you'd come through today."
After Zubat acknowledged the compliment, Arius recalled Zubat to his Pokéball. Arius then walked over towards Jin, who was comforting his Mankey as two Chansey ran out with a stretcher to carry it off the field. As he did, he started to hear cries of foul play from some of his classmates.
"Cheater!" one of the boys yelled.
"So the only way for you to win is to cripple the opponent?" shouted an irate fangirl.
"Lo-ser! Lo-ser!" shouted another.
Arius stopped in his tracks as the cries pierced through him.
"I didn't mean to hurt his Mankey," Arius thought to himself. "I just wanted to win."
Jin lifted Mankey up and placed him on the stretcher, then watched as the two Chansey carried him off the field. Jin was about to follow, but he too heard the jeers coming from the class. Certainly Jin felt the same way, as he turned to look as his opponent. Arius suddenly became even more nervous as Jin walked towards him.
"Oh great," Arius said under his breath. "He's going to rip into me now. And I bet the teacher's not going to do anything about it. I so should've known my place... I'm going to get slaughtered for this."
Arius closed his eyes like the coward he was, not willing to see the pain that was about to be inflicted upon him.
"Hey..."
No response from Arius, who was visibly shaking... and the class began to insult him even more because of it.
"Hey, open your eyes! Look at me!"
"I can't!"
"Open your eyes, DAMN YOU!"
Arius did. He didn't want to, but it was as if Jin's booming voice had compelled him to. Arius saw Jin standing a few feet in front of him. But Jin didn't look as if he wanted to beat the snot out of Arius. Or as if he was going to give out a verbal thrashing. But it sounded as if everyone in the class was doing it for him. Suddenly, many of the other audience members and onlookers began to do the same.
But with one motion, Jin silenced them all.
No, he didn't raise his hands to them. He didn't slap or punch Arius, either. He did something that no one expected. Not even Arius.
Jin reached out with his right hand, grabbed Arius' right hand and pulled it towards him...
And he then began to shake it.
Jin was giving Arius a handshake. A friendly handshake. A congratulatory handshake.
"Wha?"
"Very well played."
Some of the classmates chattered amongst themselves over the gesture, but not one of them resumed their jeering.
"I'm surprised myself," Jin said aloud. "Sure, it can be argued by some that maybe you went too far. But I don't think you did."
"You... don't?" Arius muttered slowly.
Jin shook his head. "No. You fought to win. To be fair, Mankey shouldn't have been hurt that easily. But I never saw that move of yours coming."
Jin then turned to the audience, particular his classmates, and addressed them.
"For once, I, Jin, the best B-Level student here, was outwitted and outplayed by one of my own. My loss today isn't because of a stroke of bad luck. Rather, today, I was beaten by a classmate who just plain outthought me."
Jin smiled as he faced Arius once again.
"I thought you had me beat. Everyone here probably thought so as well. But you pulled that Razor Wind out by surprise. You've been waiting for the right opportunity to unveil that attack, haven't you? Let me guess... you bought it from the Department Store, didn't you?"
Arius blushed with embarrassment. "Well..."
"Ha ha!" Jin laughed. "No need to be embarrassed... it's perfectly legal to buy a TM there. And I bet you and Zubat have been training secretly to know how to perfectly use it."
"That's true," the professor said, finally stepping in. "Though some do frown upon the usage of Technical Machines since it forces a Pokémon to learn a move it wouldn't naturally, the fact that it's still a new attack to use means that it has to be mastered just like the others. Plus, keeping the move a secret from the opposition is a great move. Sometimes the key to winning a battle is to use a move that the opposing trainer doesn't expect."
"Looks like I finally have someone in this class to keep an eye out for," Jin said. "After all, I'm pretty sure you don't want to make this your one and only win against me? Not that I'm going to let you beat me once more... not without a fight, at least."
"I'm really looking forward to battling you again, Jin!"
"Me too... Arius!"
The crowd broke out in applause. Even everyone in the class eventually gave Arius a round of congratulations. Arius basked in his win, though humbly, as Jin graciously bowed and shook his opponent's hand one more time before running off to check on his Mankey's condition.
Arius laughed out loud, to Old Man Bridges' surprise.
"Funny thing about that story," Arius said as he scratched the side of his face. "That was the only time I beat him. Or anyone else in the class did, for that matter. Then again, I never lost to anyone else in the class, either."
Cassie also shared in the chuckling. "The best number-two student in the class! I've always loved that story."
"Anyway, I kinda meandered around. Not in the general sense... but after finishing that year out, I decided to hit the road again. Hit a few gyms, did pick up a couple of badges."
"Sadly," Cassie interrupted, "given the age difference, Arius didn't meet me for another year or so."
"Really?" Old Man Bridges asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball.
"What's wrong?" Arius asked.
Bridges smiled, then aimed the Pokéball at the water in front of the boat.
"Come on out, Lanturn!"
Out of the Pokéball materialized Bridges' Lanturn, who immediately lit up the area, which was darkening as the sun had began to disappear over the eastern horizon.
"Heh... I guess I got so caught up in the storytelling that I didn't notice that it was getting dark."
"Well, we can't get to Slateport if we can't see where we're going!" Old Man Bridges admitted matter-of-factly.
"I guess so."
"Anyone, Miss Cassie, I believe it's your turn."
"Oh, yes. Now... where was I?"
Cassie narrated as her 10-year-old self, well, two days younger than that, skipped around town with a few wild Rattata and Oddish as some neighbors watched happily from their porches.
"My journey was considerably easier than Arius'. Not to flaunt or anything, but I was known for being a Pokémon prodigy in my hometown of Poli."
"Actually, you are flaunting, Cassie dear."
Flash a few days forward to Cassie receiving her trainers' license and her first Pokémon, a Bulbasaur. One more day later, Cassie was waving farewell to her family, friends, and fellow townsfolk as she left on her journey.
"Despite their worries about sending anyway out as a beginner trainer, everyone at home thought that I had what it took to make it. So, off I went into the great big world. It didn't take me long to make a name for myself... well, at least to one certain person..."
Cassie and Bulbasaur ended up facing down Gary and his male Nidoran for her very first battle. One, thanks to sheer determination and great planning, Cassie ended up winning... to the dismay of Gary's cheer squad.
"'The next time we meet, you won't be so lucky,'" Cassie remembered, imitating Gary's voice. "That's what he said after I beat him."
"And he stalks you like every rival should," Arius commented.
"Because he knows greatness when he sees it."
"Embellishing again, honey."
"Anyway..."
Fast forward over the course of a few months, as Cassie quickly amassed a powerful team and made her way through the Kanto League gyms with little resistance. With eight badges in hand, she seemed ready to head to the Indigo Plateau and compete in the Pokémon League.
"Not to say beating eight gym leaders was a piece of cake, but on my way to Indigo, I was presented with something more challenging..."
"I am Randy Vicardi!"
"And I am Jones McCray!"
Two twenty-something men had approached Cassie on the way to the Indigo Plateau, and they had challenged her to a Pokémon battle.
"I don't know why you two are eager for a match," Cassie said aloud, "but even with a handicap, this should be a cinch. Let's go... Abra!"
Cassie threw a Pokéball out, and Abra emerged from inside of it.
"I choose you, Clefairy!" Randy yelled, tossing a Pokéball out.
"Let's go, Farfetch'd!" shouted Jones.
"Clefairy, Double Slap!"
"Farfetch'd, Sand Attack!"
Clefairy and Farfetch'd charged at Abra from either side.
"Abra... Teleport!"
Abra teleported to Cassie's side, leaving Clefairy and Farfetch'd on a collision course that, upon contact, knocked both Pokémon out.
"Very impressive," Randy admitted as he and his friend recalled their Pokémon.
"How would you like some special training?" Jones asked, reaching into his pocket and handing Cassie a business card.
"Um... okay..."
"You know what I just realized?" Arius interrupted. "That battle sucked! How did that prove anything?"
"I'll side with your boy here," Old Man Bridges added. "These guys must have been crazy to call that battle anything close to impressive."
"And for some reason, I bought it," Cassie chuckled, lightly bonking herself on the head with her fist. "I guess I wasn't thinking that day."
"Wouldn't be the only time," Arius muttered under his breath.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" Cassie growled as she resumed her story.
"After thinking about it for all of about five seconds, I decided to check it out. So, off I went on the opportunity of a lifetime."
Cassie gasped as she got her first glimpse of the headquarters of the Pokémon Trainers' Association. As far as she could tell, they had everything. From a trainers' school to a breeding center, a research facility to a four-star restaurant, and everything in-between. Or just about, anyway.
"It seemed like the perfect place for young talents such as myself to raise our Pokémon at any pace we felt comfortable. There were some there who would casually come around when they had the time, maybe once or twice a month. Then, there were trainers like me..."
A group of twenty fellow trainers, all of varying ages, watched with amazement as Cassie and Bulbasaur easily used Leech Seed to down five targets at varied distances... the last being fifty feet away from them.
"Wow!"
"Amazing!"
"Are you sure this is only your third time?"
"I guess that smashes the old record of nine attempts for one's first perfect score, huh?"
The same group watched closely as Cassie directed her Abra through a series of obstacles designed to test a psychic Pokémon's teleporting abilities.
"Through the tossed ring..."
Cassie through a hula hoop into the air, and Abra teleported into the middle of it as it reached its peak, before disappearing again shortly before gravity pulled the hoop back down.
"Into the enclosed space..."
Cassie pointed to a rectangular box which had a glass window on the front side of it. Abra teleported inside and into the small space within the box, without breaking the glass at all. He then escaped just as easily.
"And nothing but net!"
Abra appeared just above the rim of a nearby basketball court hoop and curled himself into a ball. He fell right through the center of the hoop, falling to the ground, where he uncurled and landed, feet first, on top of his trainer's head, who had been waiting for him.
"Ta da!"
"Please identify this Pokémon silhouette! Anyone?"
Amongst a class of about a dozen trainers, Cassie was the first to enthusiastically shoot her hand up. The professor quickly pointed her out.
"That's a Jigglypuff, seen from above!"
"That is correct!" the professor replied as he revealed it to be so on the screen.
"How does she know all of this?" murmured one of the other students to another.
Cassie glanced to the seat to her right and saw a young boy, maybe a year older than her or so, scratching his head in confusion.
"I don't get it," he muttered. "I don't see how we're going to need to know this in the real world."
"Actually," Cassie cut in, "it's really easy once you get used to seeing the figures."
The boy turned to look at Cassie, who was leaning over towards him with a pen in hand.
"For example, this Jigglypuff question has been on the Pokémon League Testing Center Exam for three years straight! People must not recognize it, since only 12 percent of the test-takers actually got this one correct on the most recent exam."
"How did you know that?"
"I've been studying old exams from the past two decades. They keep putting a lot of the same stuff on them because only about 20 percent of test takers get a passing score of 70 on the written part. That percentage would be a whole lot higher if people utilized the resources their local Pokémon Center can offer them."
"Wow... you're pretty bright."
"Not really," Cassie blushed. "People scoff when I tell them that I'd rather travel around and earn gym badges like everyone else instead of using my smarts to get into the League through the Center Exam. But I just like traveling... you know?"
"My name's Arius," introduced the boy. "Arius McFly."
"And I'm Cassie Banks," she returned with a smile. "Pleased to meet you!"
"Would anyone like to identify this Pokémon silhouette?" the professor asked, putting another on the screen behind him.
"So... any hints to this one?"
"Well, maybe you should pay attention to the spines sticking out of its back..."
"Arius, being the blockhead that he is..."
"Hey!"
"Kinda latched onto me from that point on. Apparently, the stuff they were offering here was a whole lot more complicated than what they offered at the Trainer's House in Celadon, so he needed some coaxing into the right direction. Especially since he had only been there about as long as I had... which at the time, hadn't been long."
Months had passed, and Arius and Cassie seemed pretty much inseparable, as everyone around them noticed that they were doing everything together. Save for sleeping in the same room... they were barely teenagers, after all. Nevertheless, from afar Randy and Jones were observing them, and they had pulled a third into watch mode.
Their future chaperone and supervisor, Patti Masters.
"Apparently, we worked so well together that it was eventually decided that we should become partners."
Patti approached the two outside and they nodded in unison, apparently agreeing with the decision.
"Naturally, that wasn't a problem for us."
"Together, we learned how to catch a high-level Pokémon using teamwork..."
Arius and Cassie were shown using Snorlax and Bulbasaur to take down a wild Electabuzz.
"How to track down rare Pokémon..."
Arius wrestled wildly with a Dragonair as his Mr. Mime held it down with a psychic attack, while Cassie and her Meowth ran in haphazardly with a cargo net.
"And learn about when it's the right time to induce evolution..."
Cassie and Eevee were browsing through a Pokémon guidebook when they came across a page detailing Eevee's evolution line. Arius was running in with a wooden case containing a Water Stone, a Fire Stone, and a Thunder Stone. But then he stopped and slowly crept back away when Cassie and Eevee both turned about angrily and pointed that their intent was for Eevee to become an Espeon.
"It's been tough at times," Cassie admitted, "but there isn't any other guy I'd rather be with."
"I agree," Arius said with a smile. "She's one in a million... I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Old Man Bridges said as he snapped his fingers excitedly. "Unconditional love at its finest! And just in time too..."
Bridges turned around and Arius and Cassie followed his line of eyesight. Just ahead was Slateport City, and the lamplights on the pier served as an indicator as to where to dock.
A few minutes later, Arius was helping pull Cassie off of the boat. Once she was safely on the pier, Old Man Bridges handed them their backpacks.
"Well, good luck to you," Old Man Bridges told them. "And no more of them silly fights, okay?"
"We promise," they said simultaneously.
"Are you heading back already?" Cassie asked. "Is it safe traveling alone at night?"
"Don't worry about me. Besides, I'm an island man. These big cities on the mainland don't suit me much."
With that, Old Man Bridges pushed his boat away from the pier and started rowing after his Lanturn, who was lighting the way. The two teenagers waved farewell as Bridges disappeared into the darkness.
"Aren't you glad I found such a nice old man to give us a ride here?" Arius smirked.
"Nice to see you carrying your weight, if that's what you mean," Cassie stated in response.
"You know, if it wasn't for me, we would've been sleeping on the beach on Dewford Island, waiting for the morning ferry! And all because you wanted to wait for that guy, Ash."
"Hmmm... I'm still curious as to why he insisted on meeting me in person."
"Forget him. If it was really that important, he would've told you upfront. Who in their right mind chases after people just to tell them something?"
Cassie sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Okay... now that that's settled, let's check-in at the Pokémon Center. In the morning, we'll do some research and find out all about the gym leader here. After all, you're the one who always wanted to go into a battle prepared for anything."
Arius started walking into the city, as Cassie stood and stared back at the sea they had came from. She glanced as far as she could with a worried look on her face.
"Was he... nah. He couldn't have been."
"Unless you can teleport," Arius called out, grabbing her attention, "you'd better move it before we end up sleeping on the floor!"
"Coming!" Cassie cried as she sprinted off after her boyfriend.
Out at sea, Old Man Bridges continued to row behind his Lanturn.
"Heh heh," he chuckled, "looks like they passed the test after all!"
He flashed a toothy grin as he paddled off, back towards Dewford Island.
End Session: October
Storyline to be continued in Session: November!
Author's Notes for 'Session: October':
For readers of the "Adventures Series," did you notice something familiar about the film shown in the first chapter? Yes, that's the same film Cassie watched in Episode 42 back in the second season! But if you remember, she was too grossed out to actually finish it! Note that the end also corresponds with Misty's Viridian City gym battle in Episode 32! How's that for filling in the gaps?
Speaking of gap-plugging, I'd like to note that though it was not specifically named back when Gary and his two cheerleaders were in the Orange Islands (AS Episode 52), the restaurant that Jessie and James go to... and later Jane and Calamity, is one in the same. It was the Shore Spot, located on the grounds of the Starmie Inn in Trovitopolis!
Jane and Calamity's disguise names, of course, are Frank and Joe. As in the detective brothers duo, the Hardy Boys! Their alternatives, Bert and Nan, refer to Bert and Nan Bobbsey... the Bobbsey Twins! Fun fact I didn't know... there were actually two sets of twins in the Bobbsey family! Bert and Nan were the older pair, Flossie and Freddie were the younger ones. Anyway, my love for mysteries all stems back to the Hardy Boys. Read a lot of their books, primarily from the original book series.
I kinda made a half-hearted homage joke about Officer Jennys being useless. It's one of the theories of the famed Pokémopolis website that I subscribe to... certainly some more than others. My personal favorite, if you haven't guessed... Ash's mom and Professor Oak being in love! Go give it a look, but be aware, you may not necessarily agree with everything they say. Oh, and it's a PG-13 site, so no little kiddies should look at it. Unless your parents let you... but for my protection, you're on your own getting the actual link.
More funny stuff... if you notice, the flashback of the scene where Misty battles Erika and Meowth evolves into Persian, there's some fourth-wall breaking there with an intentional screw-up of how Persian remembers it. Most of the good stuff was cut out of the chapter-split version. Go read the uncut edition to see all the goofiness!
By the way... give yourself a cookie if you figured out what anime I was referencing song lyrics for towards the end of Team Rocket's planning session (in the scene following the end of the aforementioned flashback sequence). Here's a hint... it's an American dub-only theme.
For those of you wanting to spend more time developing Arius' character, as he's gotten so little so far... you got your wish. As you can see... he didn't used to be the strong, dependable young man you know him as now.
I'm with Arius, when he refers to how Cassie got recruited to become a member of the Pokémon Trainers' Association. Now that I look back on it, they really went easy on her. Or I wrote that scene to be more impressive than it actually was. Go figure.
This episode also has the first instance of a scene differing depending on which version you're reading. If you're looking at the one that's split up into chapters, then you read about a small montage of missions the couple went through. If you're browsing through the full-length edition, there's a long scene in which they try to chase down a Pidgey. Want another reason to read both versions this month... well, there ya go!
And don't worry. There's still plenty to dive into regarding Arius and Cassie's adventures in the PTA. Stay tuned!
Get ready to go back to the heroes in the 'November Session!'
'Session: November' Trailer:
Clamoring for more kimono-clad Erika? Okay, we've got that. Want to see Ash win a Hoenn Gym battle without calling out a single attack? You won't believe that one. Need a reason for Gary to lash out on one of his cheerleaders? It involves a bat. Oh, and are you NOT an Ash and Misty coupling fan? One of her sisters will give you a reason to smile! All of that, plus more of those Rockets you love!
Forget 'Three Short Stories'... in 'Session: November,' prepare for four!
