The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: December, Part 4 (12.19.05/04.12.07)
Tonight is the night.
Tonight is the night that I take control.
Tonight is the night I will make my move.
Tonight is the night... that I've been looking forward to...
Monday, December 31st, Cerulean City Gym
Night had already fallen in Cerulean City, as the hours ticked down to the start of a brand new year. There were many parties going on throughout the city, but none was more exclusive than the one being held at the Cerulean Gym, home to the fabulous Sensational Sisters. In fact, the invitee list was limited to just family, friends, and a few special guests. But the small, intimate setting didn't mean that the party was a drag. In fact, it was far from it, given the loud dance music that could be heard from what seemed like miles away.
At the gym entrance, someone was waiting to be let in. That person was greeted by two burly men, who were acting as security for the night.
"Uh..." that someone, who turned out to be Brock, hesitated, "I have an invitation..."
Brock searched the pockets of his pewter brown tuxedo, trying to remember where he had placed it. Suddenly, the door opened, and Daisy, the eldest of the Sensational Sisters, popped her head out to see what was going on. She giggled as she saw Brock reach down, turn around, and do all sorts of other weird motions as he tried to find his invitation.
"Like, stop foolin' around, Brock! We've been waiting for you, like, forever! Mist was about to call the police to organize a search party."
"I'll be right in... as soon... as I find... that invitation."
Daisy giggled again, walked out past the guards, and reached behind Brock. It turned out that his invitation was, oddly, taped to the back of his tuxedo. She grabbed it and showed it to the two guards. They nodded, then opened the doors for them.
She stepped towards them, but then stopped in the doorway, noticing she didn't hear Brock following her. She looked back and saw him gawking at her outfit. Daisy was dressed in a flashy sequin red dress that extended all the way down to her ankles, where it matched up with her ruby red high heels. Brock was blinded in awe over Daisy's stunning dress... maybe even literally, given how much it sparkled just from the light coming from inside the gym.
"I know, I know," Daisy blushed, trying to blow off the dress as nothing special. "The invitation said semi-formal, but... I just couldn't resist a challenge!"
"Anything on you is a-ok with me!" Brock raised his thumbs up in approval.
"Thanks, Brock... but, really... I'm not THAT desperate."
Brock cried a little on the inside, as he wondered what it would take for Daisy to actually accept his love for her. Or any other girl, for that matter. But as he gathered himself, he saw Daisy had already walked in. He quickly followed.
Celadon City Business District
Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, crowds were already gathering for Celadon's annual First Night celebration. Many were already adorned with party hats, noisemakers, and homemade signs, ready to celebrate the arrival of yet another new year. There was even more excitement than usual, given that this would be the first year that the event was going to be televised nationally.
And no one could feel the building excitement more than Erika, who was overlooking the area where the festivities were being held from her penthouse suite on the 20th Floor of the Zisty Hotel.
"Look at all of them down there," Erika said aloud. "There's probably thousands of them here to celebrate the New Year! And to think... there's still five hours until the ball drops!"
"Miss Erika?" Zuniga, one of her assistants, tapped her on the shoulder.
Erika drew her attention away from the window and to Zuniga, who sighed with worry as Maria and Lisa appeared behind her, holding up a brand new kimono, decorated with a firework-style print.
"We have to start getting you ready. Remember, you're supposed to be down there when the TV network goes live at ten o'clock!"
"Of course," Erika smiled as she got up from her seat. "Let's go."
Cerulean City Gym
Daisy led Brock to the main battle arena, where the party was being held. The pool was covered over by a retractable metal gate, which enabled the space to be used partially as a dance floor and as a place to have extra dining tables for all the guests. Speaking of guests, many of them were already present, from Professor Oak to Nurse Joy, and everyone in between. Daisy, in particular, glanced over to Lily, who was dressed in a tie dye short sleeve blouse, a floral print skirt, and leather knee-high boots.
"What are you wearing?" Daisy asked, trying to contain her laughter. "It looks like you just walked out of a time machine!"
"Wowwwwwww!" Brock said in amazement, grabbing Lily by the hand and kneeling before her. "Anything on you is a-ok with me!"
"You just told ME that two minutes ago!" Daisy shouted, getting a hold of Brock by the neck and tossing him aside.
"My new boyfriend's a '70s freak!" Lily exclaimed. "It turns him on to be with someone that dresses like someone from that era!"
"You mean... that boyfriend?"
Daisy pointed to a brown-haired guy who was walking in the door with a girl wrapped around his arm. A girl that was wearing a petticoat dress with a pink halter top and a neon fishnet belt around her waist.
"Sure looks like an '80s lover to me," smirked Daisy.
"That two-timing... oohhhhh!" Lily growled as she picked up her leather jacket from a nearby chair and stomped towards her about-to-be ex-boyfriend.
As Lily left Daisy and Brock, they were joined by Ash and Pikachu, the latter of which had a bow tie on.
"Hey Brock!" greeted Ash, who was holding a cup with soda in it. "Glad to see you made it!"
"You too!" returned Brock. "So, is the story Misty told me about your harrowing time trapped at an airport because of a blizzard true?"
"Yep," Ash nodded.
"And that's my cue to leave," cut in Daisy, who excused herself from the conversation.
"Well, Brock, it all started the day before the day before Christmas..."
Sunday, December 23rd, Mitchell Manson Airport, Petalburg City
Ash and Pikachu stepped out into the terminal, heading to the luggage pick-up area where they would get their things and then proceed to the waiting area.
"In order to save money, I set my tickets up so that, from Fallarbor Town, I'd have to stop in both Petalburg City and Vermillion City before arriving in Cerulean City on Christmas Eve morning."
As they emerged into the general waiting area, Pikachu pointed out a nearby window overlooking the west-end runway.
"Pika pi, pika!"
Ash followed Pikachu's gaze and cheered in excitement when he saw snow flurries falling. They ran over to the window and stared out it for what seemed like hours as the snow started to cover the ground.
"Isn't it amazing, Pikachu?"
"Pika... CHA!"
Then, all of a sudden, the snow began to pick up, as well as the wind. Ash and Pikachu watched as the runways became covered with snow, and planes stopped coming in and out of the airport.
"Attention! Attention!" a female voice rang out over the PA system. "Due to current weather conditions, all outgoing flights are being delayed until further notice. We are doing our best to keep at least one runway open to allow flights to leave. We ask that you please be patient as we work to rectify the situation."
Ash pulled his plane ticket for the portion of his trip from here to Vermillion City. He read that the departure time was scheduled for 5:13 and that a nearby clock read 4:35.
"Pikachu, I think it's time to check-in," Ash said to his friend.
"Pika?" Pikachu wondered, as he saw a lot of people in the airport sitting on chairs and the heavy winds outside blowing snow all over the place.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika! Pi pika, pi pikachu pika!"
"Nonsense!" Ash reassured him. "We'll get out of here on time."
"Wha? What do you mean we can't board?"
"Can't you read the sign, young man?" the young girl at the ticket counter yelled at Ash. "Flight 409 has been delayed!"
"That just means we can't get on yet, right? So... when can we?"
"Don't you have eyes? The weatherman's predicting the worst snowstorm to hit Petalburg City in 43 years, and you're asking me when you can get on?"
"Attention! Attention!" the voice of Officer Jenny boomed over the PA system. "Because of current weather conditions, it has been determined that this airport is now closed!"
"CLOSED?" Ash freaked out.
"Until further notice, all incoming and outgoing flights are being cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience, and in the meantime, the airport staff will do their best to assist you."
"But... but... I have to get out of here! I'm staying with my girlfriend's family for Christmas. SHE EXPECTS ME TO BE THERE!"
"You're not the only one with needs!" scolded the counter girl. "There's hundreds, if not thousands, of others here in the same boat as you! So why don't you take a seat and wait it out like the rest of us?"
"Awwww..." Ash stepped back in disappointment.
"We waited for what seemed like days and days, as the snow kept falling, and it didn't look like I was ever going to get out of there."
Ash and Pikachu were snuggled up under one blanket, lying over a couple of chairs, as many others had done all around them. A lot of people were getting tired of the routine, and just wanted to get out of there.
"Naturally, I kept in touch with Misty, who was sad that Pikachu and I couldn't be there with her."
Ash was seen chatting on the videophone with Misty, while her sisters were throwing a Christmas party with a few friends in the background.
"Pika! Pika pi!"
"Attention! Attention!" Officer Jenny announced. "Willington Airlines has just put up the availability of a new flight. The flight, Willington Airlines Flight 2, will be departing at 11:43 this morning, on a non-stop trip to Cerulean City."
Ash, stirred awake by Pikachu, rubbed his eyes as the announcement ran through his ears.
"Only those with tickets from previous cancelled flights bound for Cerulean may purchase these tickets. They are first come, first serve, with limited standby availability. Remember, most airlines are accepting tickets from other carriers. Some exceptions may apply. Check at the ticket counter for details!"
"We've gotta get on the flight!" shouted Ash.
Ash and Pikachu bolted for the line for Willington Airlines, but was shocked when he saw several hundred people already in a very long line that snaked back and forth throughout the terminal.
"Aww, man! At this rate, we're NEVER gonna get on!"
And sure enough, the flight sold out in less than half an hour. And Ash and Pikachu weren't anywhere close to the front of the line.
"That sort of thing went on for hours," Ash recalled.
Ash and Pikachu, amongst many others, scrambled to and from different ticket counters, trying to book any available flight out. But they weren't having any luck at all.
"Face it, Pikachu," Ash sighed in defeat as he sat just outside Gate Five with his head buried his knees. "We're spending another night here."
Pikachu glanced out the window, where he couldn't see anything but the lights off the mostly clear runways and about a foot of snow elsewhere in the surrounding area, all because of the darkness. Pikachu then looked up at a nearby clock and saw that it read 11:59 pm. Pikachu reached for Ash's backpack and unzipped, getting Ash's attention as he searched for something.
"What's wrong, Pikachu? Are you hungry? It's midnight!"
After a few seconds of rummaging, Pikachu emerged from the bag wearing a red Santa's hat.
"Pi pikachu, Pikachu!"
Ash smiled and said in response. "Merry Christmas to you too, Pikachu."
"Ash?" a man yelled from a nearby gate entrance. "Is there someone named Ash here?"
"Huh?" Ash said, getting up and raising his hand. "I'm Ash!"
Ash walked over to the counter to see what was up. The man responded by producing a plane ticket for him.
"Wha?"
"You asked to be put on standby for the 12:20 to Cerulean via Indigo Airlines Flight 33, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So... here you go. A seat opened up."
Ash took the ticket. It read 'Indigo 33 to Cerulean City. Departs 12:20 am on December 25th. Arrives 8:47 am on December 25th.'"
"If you don't want, there's plenty of people who do..."
"Oh, right, let me get my stuff! Pikachu, we're going to see Misty in time for Christmas after all!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded with glee.
"So you were only stuck there for 30 hours?" Brock asked. "Wow... Misty made it sound as if it were a whole lot more."
"Oh..." Ash scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "Because that's what it felt like to her."
Tuesday, December 25th, Cerulean City Gym, approximately 10 am
Ash knocked at the front door, with Pikachu on his back, as well as his backpack. Violet answered the door and, smiling nicely, she whispered something to him.
"If I were you, I'd start running."
"Huh? Why?"
"HOW DARE YOU ALMOST MISS CHRISTMAS, ASH KETCHUM!"
Misty shoved Violet aside, angrily brandishing a metal mallet that apparently one of her sisters had gotten her for Christmas. Sensing what was about to happen, Ash and Pikachu started bolting for the side of the gym, with Misty giving chase.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me!" Ash shouted as he ran for his life.
"Stand still and I'll show you how happy I am! How dare you keep me up all night waiting for you!"
"I'll never understand girls, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Violet got to her feet as Daisy and Lily joined her at the door, watching as Misty chased Ash and Pikachu around and around the gym's exterior.
"I told ya that you shouldn't have bought her that mallet," chided Lily.
"Well," Daisy responded, with a big sweatdrop on her face, "I was expecting her to use it on boys OTHER than Ash."
"Misty chased me for about an hour before we both got tired," Ash remembered. "We then kinda made up and spent the rest of the day together catching up."
"So you spent time together, huh," Brock smirked.
"Yeah. Us and Pikachu."
Brock facefaulted. "You just ruined the dream there..."
"The princess is coming!" Tracey yelled as he ran into the room. "The princess is coming!"
"Princess?" Brock asked out loud. "We've got royalty here?"
Everyone turned their eyes towards the 'ballroom' entrance, where Violet and Duplica, both in twin strapless dresses... matching their respective hair colors, of course... introduced the princess.
"She's the runt turned crown jewel," Violet grinned.
"The pauperess turned princess... that's right!" winked Duplica.
"Ladies and gentleman," they said together, "put your hands together for our princess and yours... the gym leader of Cerulean City, Misty Waterflower!"
Misty walked into the room wearing a light blue shoulder-strap gown, complete with a poofy bottom portion that, at its lowest point just above her ankles, extended about six inches out all around. She also had her hair all the way down, something she did only for occasions such as this. The partygoers all applauded her entrance as family and friends started to gather around her and check her out.
"You look beautiful!" Daisy complimented, letting a tear flow from her eye. "Our youngest sister has finally become a woman!"
"Like it?" Violet asked the crowd. "Misty here's wearing what I hope to be the first release in the brand spanking new Sensational Sisters Evening Gown collection! I hope to start taking pre-orders by the end of next month..."
As Misty talked to some of the guests while simultaneously modeling off her dress, she caught out of the corner of her eye Ash, Brock, Tracey, and Duplica watching the scene from afar.
"You approve, Ashy-boy?" Duplica asked, coyly sliding up next to Ash.
"Wow..." Ash remarked, stunned. "She's never looked that good before!"
"I helped pick out the fabric for her dress as well as mine! After all, being a costume designer... well, I know what brings out the best in a girl's features!"
"I'll say," Tracey yammered, also admiring Misty.
"It's a good thing you've already got her," Brock said to Ash. "Otherwise, she'd probably have boys climbing all over her by now."
"Yeah..." nodded Ash, still focusing on his girl.
Eventually, Misty made her way over to Ash and the others. Professor Oak and Delia were accompanying her.
"From the look on your face," Misty deduced as he saw Ash still hadn't moved from where he was when she had entered, "you must be loving this dress as much as me!"
"You... look... incredible!"
"Thanks," Misty blushed.
"Isn't that sweet," Delia cooed.
"The princess has met her prince indeed," added Professor Oak.
"C'mon, Ash," Misty said as she grabbed Ash and finally knocked him out of his stupor. "We're sitting at the head table with my sisters! You too, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!"
Misty pulled Ash there, as Brock and the others headed towards one of the tables near the front.
"So... how does it feel to be the new Pokémon Junior Master?" Misty asked as they got to the table.
"I don't know..." Ash responded. "I don't officially get the title until President Goodshow gets here on Thursday."
"Still..." Misty wondered as she motioned for Ash to pull out her chair for her. "I can't believe Marco's with Team Rocket now."
Once Misty was seated, Ash pushed her in under the table.
"I mean, sure, he didn't have that great of an attitude, but... I don't think even I expected he would become part of Team Rocket."
"Uh huh..." nodded Ash, taking his seat to Misty's right.
"If the League could've seen that coming, they would've disqualified him and awarded you the title up front," Misty said with a sigh.
"Uh huh..."
"All this mess with Team Rocket lately... it's like they're really up to something big. But no one can figure out what."
"Uh huh..."
Misty realized that Ash wasn't paying attention to what she was saying. Instead, he seemed to still be gazing dumbfounded at Misty's beautiful gown.
"Ash?"
"I just can't stop looking at you. Misty, you're just so... so... what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Gorgeous?"
"Yeah... that's it! Gor... whatever you said!"
Misty laughed. "Ash Ketchum... you've never been one for romantic words. I guess we'll have to work on that, won't we?"
"Look at them!" Tracey pointed out from the others' table. "They're so in love up there! But... argh... why is it Ash up there and not me? I'm around more than he is!"
"They've known each other longer," Brock told him. "They were together before you came along. It'll take a miracle for them to break up."
"But come on! Don't you think I look better with Misty than Ash?"
"I didn't know you were into her like that."
"Oh, just because you people ignore me all the time doesn't mean I don't have feelings too!"
As Tracey and Brock continued to argue, Duplica was also gazing upon Ash and Misty, sighing sadly. Especially as she watched Ash stare longingly at Misty and her dress.
"Ashy-boy... no..."
Celadon City Business District
Party revelers were at a fever pitch as a digital countdown clock above the district's center square was at five minutes and counting. Erika was standing by at the switch to starting bringing down the crystal ball from above, dressed in her festive New Year's kimono.
"Time grows short on 2001," stated DJ Mary, on loan from Goldenrod City, "as we are just five minutes away from beginning a brand new year of beginnings, beginning in just five minutes, it begin... who wrote this? Did you even consider using a thesaurus?"
Cerulean City Gym
"Sigh..." DJ Mary sighed live on the air, as the partygoers at the Cerulean gym watched with wine and soda glasses ready to toast. "Well, anyway, let me just say that other than that, I'm happy to be a part of this country's first-ever nationwide television broadcast of a New Year's Eve party!"
"Is everyone here?" Daisy yelled out over the enthusiastic crowd.
Daisy walked up a few rungs of the westside bleachers and scanned the room. As she did, she spotted Misty walk out the door, lifting her gown slightly so she didn't trip over it as she moved.
"Misty?" Daisy asked herself. "Where are you going?"
Having a theory, Daisy did a once over of the room and quickly realized at least one other person was missing.
"Ah... I see..." she smirked.
Ash walked up a set of stairs and found himself on a recently built balcony located on the northern end of the gym. He saw Duplica standing at the other end, sobbing as she peered over the edge.
"Duplica? What are you doing out here? Aren't you gonna come down with the rest of us and celebrate the new year?"
"Why?" Duplica sniffled. "Why should I?"
"What do you mean 'why should I?' Because we want you!"
"You don't want me. You already have Misty!"
"Misty? What does she have to do with this?"
"Like you don't know!"
Confused, as Ash always tended to be with girl issues, the young man walked over to talk to Duplica.
"I know I should be supportive of you and Misty, but... but..."
"But?"
"I can't help myself!" Duplica said as she turned to look at him. "I still love you. I want to be with you, Ash."
"Where did this come from all of a sudden?"
"I've always loved you, Ash! You just haven't seen me showing an interest in you all that much. Well, okay, you have... but Misty kept cutting me off. It's like she had already claimed you when you still hadn't been spoken for!"
"I... I don't know what to say. This kind of stuff... is usually Brock's thing. What do you want me to do?"
Duplica looked up at Ash, trying to coax the answer out of him without saying a word, hoping he would catch on.
"Erika presses the button... and were now less than a minute away, folks!" DJ Mary said, to the joy of everyone downstairs watching on TV.
"Misty and I... there's always been something between us. Sure, it didn't seem that way at first, but... I think I love her."
"You think? Or you do?"
"Do. I... guess..."
"You shouldn't lead Misty along, Ashy-boy. Us girls don't like things done halfway. If you don't love Misty one hundred percent, maybe it's time to take a step back and think things over. After all, you two really haven't been spending that much time together lately."
"I'd bring her on my journeys, but she seems to insist that she has to stay here at the gym."
"That's all well and good, but... if you're truly in love, wouldn't she pick you over the gym?"
"Well..."
"Down to thirty..." continued DJ Mary.
"I had pretty much given up on you months ago," Duplica told Ash. "Out of respect for Misty. But then I noticed... she didn't think about you as much. She got too wrapped up in her work. She even saw another boy."
"She did what?"
"I know," Duplica sighed. "Without you around, she had no one wrapped around her, supporting her every day. Without you, she needed to find someone to take your place."
"But Misty... Misty wouldn't."
"I thought she wouldn't either. But obviously her love for you is wavering. Maybe you two weren't made to be together after all."
"Then what do I do? Tell me, Duplica!"
Duplica smiled. "I'll show you a technique that'll REALLY wow her!"
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three..."
Duplica rose up on her toes, wrapped her arms around the back of Ash's neck, leaned in, and gave him an open-mouthed kiss. Ash willingly played along, letting Duplica do all the work as she let her tongue dance all inside his mouth.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" came the loud cries from downstairs, as fireworks could be heard being shot in the air from the city limits nearby.
Unknown to either of them, though, Misty was standing in the balcony doorway. It was her turn to look on with stunned silence, as she stood there watching Ash and Duplica kiss under the moonlight.
Celadon City Business District
Meanwhile, the ball had just completed its drop, signifying the start of the new year, as confetti was released from above down into the square and thousands of noisemakers and hollers of 'Happy New Year' rang throughout the block. Erika had just been joined on stage by her assistants Maria, Lisa, and Zuniga.
"This is the best New Year's..."
Maria never got to finish her statement, as a series of explosions rocked the square, including several around the stage. Cheers of joy turned to screams of fear as stage debris and bodies were blown every which way, some not even completely intact. As the revelers ran for cover, large fires quickly sprung up around where the stage had been, and panic and chaos spread amongst those still able to move.
All the while, there was somebody smiling from atop one of the nearby skyscrapers as he watched the madness unfold below. It was a blue-haired young man sporting a black Team Rocket uniform. But more surprising was the Pokémon standing next to him. Unlike any Pokémon in existence, it was hard to tell what it looked like with the limited amount of light up there. From what could be seen, though, it seemed to have two sets of wings... one from a Charizard and the other from a Skarmory.
Suddenly, a police helicopter, which had been hovering over the square, aimed its search beacon towards that spot. But when it lit up the building's roof, there was nothing there at all. The helicopter moved on, continuing its search for suspicious characters. Those inside were unaware, though, that they had just missed the perpetrators, as police officers and fire and rescue crew down on the ground moved towards Ground Zero...
End Session: December
Storyline to be continued in Session: January!
Author's Notes for 'Session: December':
We're starting off this month's session by welcoming back two anime characters who had some pretty big roles in the "Adventures Series." So now I've gotta catch all of you guys who didn't read that fanfic up so you're prepared for what's happened to them so far.
AJ and Giselle served as fellow competitors in the Novice Tournaments of Ash and Misty, respectively. Strangely enough, they were also roommates in the dormitories during those tournaments. And both AJ and Giselle had their 'feature' Pokémon evolve there as well! Dang... I never realized how similar I wrote their stores were until now. Thankfully, one thing they don't have in common is how far they got in said tournament. Giselle got edged out by Misty herself in the quarter-finals, while AJ beat Cassie (as mentioned in the flashback shown above) on his way to the semi-finals.
AJ does know a little about the Pokémon Trainers' Association and what they are because of the fall-out there between Cassie and Duplica. Though he doesn't know the whole deal like Ash and the others do. Which is why you now see him working for the PTA as a freelance agent... just like Arius. But when did they sign up for it all? Who knows... I might cover that in a future session.
In Brock's distraction scene, he's dancing to "Takeshi's Paradise," the 10th ending theme to the anime series in Japan. Granted, we don't get the EDs in the American version, but Brock has used it on numerous occasions in the actual show for time-wasting/entertainment purposes. This is the first, and probably only, time I'll ever use it.
Obviously, Lily is basing her party outfit off of '70s American fashion, while the girl she sees around her 'boyfriend' is '80s American, naturally.
Also, Ash's adventures at the airport in Petalburg City were supposed to take up a lot more real estate in this session. Unfortunately, it had to be relegated to an extended flashback after the events at the Olivine City Library took a lot longer to unfold than I thought they would.
Halfway home! Stay tuned for the preview of 'Session: January.'
'Session: January' Trailer:
A new year begins, and the world has undergone drastic changes. In Ash's role as the new Pok?on Junior Master, he is called upon to stop what amounts to be a gang war between Team Rocket and the Pok?on Trainers' Association. In the process, will the Kanto region be quickly mourning the loss of a second gym leader in as many months? Plus, one character makes a shocking discovery about another.
The adventure will begin anew as 'Session: January' arrives.
