The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: June, Part 2 (05.30.06/06.25.10)


Sunday, June 1st, Team Rocket Maximum Security Prison

Ash and Misty growled in anger as Team Rocket's reason for keeping them alive was unfolding in front of them. Two cameras were trained on them, ready to broadcast the event for all of Kanto to see. Across from them stood the prison's warden, as well as Professor Geissler, who had signed on as a freelance scientist in order to complete an experiment that had been put on hold several months ago.

An experiment designed to safely strip the mystical powers of the five 'legendary' kids without killing them.

"So," the warden demanded, "I'll ask this again. Which one of you wants to volunteer to be first?"

Ash and Misty glared at their captor, but at the same time, they were buying time, hoping to come up with a plan to escape this situation.

"Very well... I suppose our Guest of Honor will have to make that decision for you!"

"Guest of Honor?" Ash wondered out loud, looking at Misty to see if she had any idea who that was.

One of Team Rocket's grunts glanced down at his watch to look at the time. It was 4:56.

"Any minute now..." he mumbled under his breath.


Over in Laboratory 3, Misty's Horsea was under attack from three of Team Rocket's cross-bred Pokémon. Pikachu was helpless as he sat in an electricity-resistant glass case and could do nothing but watch as Horsea was thrown around like a rag doll.

The water-type ended up on the receiving end of a shoulder-led tackle by the Beedrino, got stomped on by the Amantgar, and got smacked by Dragondactyl's Wing Attack. The last attack resulted in her landing just inches in front of Pikachu's prison.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out. "Pika pikachu, pika!"

Horsea was badly injured, and was on the verge of fainting, but Pikachu yelled at her to get up and find a way to release him so he could help.

Then, all of a sudden, the door into the laboratory slid open, and a large group of people ran in, to all of the Pokémon's surprise.

"Get 'em!" one of them yelled.

Dozens of Pokéballs were thrown into the air, and numerous numbers of Pokémon emerged from them...


The door to a room somewhere else in the complex opened up, and Mark stepped out and into the hallway. A Team Rocket grunt motioned for him to follow him to the laboratory.

"This is going to be a nice reunion," Mark said with a smile.

The two of them stopped when they began to feel a tremor underneath their feet. The hallway light fixtures above them began to shake back and forth, as the bulbs in them began to flicker on and off.


The same was happening in the main laboratory, as hero and villain alike were nearly thrown off their feet, as they were closer to the disturbance's epicenter.

"What's going on?" the warden ask. "Professor?"

"It's not the Dissolution Chamber! It isn't designed to vibrate anywhere near this magnitude!"

Seeing everyone off-balance, the grunt who had been looking at his watch sprung into action. He threw a Pokéball in the air, and a Weezing popped out of it. The poison-type immediately used Smog to blanket the entire room in a cloud of smoke.

There was a large amount of coughing the room, and it continued that way for a minute, until the aforementioned grunt bounded out of the room, pulling Ash and Misty behind him. His Weezing followed them out.

The man pulled the two teenagers down the hall and around a corner before finally stopping to take a breath. It was at that point that Ash and Misty wanted to know what was going on.

"What was that all about?" asked Ash.

"You're not with Team Rocket, are you?" Misty deduced.

"That's correct," the man replied. "Well, I was three years ago, but that's not important right now."

"Who are you?"

"I'd be glad to explain everything later, but we've got to get out of here before..."

He was cut off by the noise of a loud siren beginning to go off.

"We've got to go! Come on!"

The man started running again, taking off down the hall. Ash and Misty had no choice but to follow him.

"What about our Pokémon?" Misty shouted over the siren.

"Yeah!" added Ash. "We can't leave without Pikachu and the others!"

"Don't worry!" the man shouted back at them. "It's being taken care of!"

Ash and Misty looked at each other, unsure of what he meant. He quickly clarified his response.

"This is Team Rocket's highest-security detention center! Did you really think I'd be attempting such a death-defying maneuver alone?"

He continued leading them through the twisty corridors of the complex, somehow managing to avoid being found by Team Rocket.

"Almost there!"

The trio rounded a corner and proceeded... straight into a dead end.

"Great!" Misty shouted. "You're as good at getting lost as we are!"

"I don't understand!" the man said as he started running his hands along the wall. "On the blueprints, this was a hallway straight to the complex's north side exit!"

Ash, meanwhile, was busy tugging on the knob of the only door in the hallway. Unfortunately, the only way was by numeric keypad, of which he didn't know the combination to.

"Weezing, weezing!"

The man's Weezing floated in from around the corner, but he seemed to be in a panic, as if warning his master about something.

"What's wrong, Weezing?"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" an ominous voice asked.

The three of them looked and saw a blue-haired teen in a Team Rocket uniform standing about 20 feet away. Misty gasped when she realized who it was, while Ash growled in anger.

"It's you!"


Flashback to last August 31st, to Evergrande City, Hoenn Region
Pokémon Junior Master Tournament, Qualification Day

Curious to see who was calling him, Ash and Pikachu turned around to see a blue-haired teen and a strange four-legged silver Pokémon neither of them had ever seen before.

"Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself... my name is Marco, representing the gym of Viridian City!"


A few days later, during the four-way battle royale title match...

Charizard and Arcanine ceased fighting and noticed the fight Absol was putting up. As well as the strange color Absol was glowing.

"I've never seen an Absol glow red before..." Gary noted.

"Wait!" Ash objected. "Why does this scene feel familiar?"

Marco had fainted in his trainer's box, but his Absol was moving around the battlefield on its own... and at a tremendous speed.

"What's going on?" Cassie asked.

Cassie didn't have time to get her answer, as Absol suddenly bit into the back of her Ivysaur's bulb and started shaking him like a rag doll.

"SAAAAUUURRR!"


"Future Sight!" commanded Marco.

Absol used Future Sight, slamming into Pikachu and knocking him to the outer edge of the battlefield. Ash, as well as the match officials, ran over to check on Pikachu.

But that last attack had done enough to knock the electric mouse out.

"Pikachu is unable to continue!" one of the officials declared. "Therefore, the title of first-ever Pokémon League Junior Master goes to Marco Pereira!"


Present day...

"Not too long after you won that title," Ash grumbled, as Misty and the not-Rocket grunt saw him start to tremble with angst. "You disappeared. Many people thought the League was hiding you because everyone who watched that match believed you cheated. But I know the truth... you didn't cheat. You just happened to be cursed...

"Just like me and Misty. Right... Marco?"

The blue-haired one snickered.

"The League used your unpopularity and the fact that you were shirking you duties as Junior Master to strip you of the title and award it to me back in January. But the real reason they took it away... was that they had suspected that you had been recruited by Team Rocket!"

"Heh heh..."

"All the Elite Four had heard stories that you were going around, stealing people's Pokémon, as part of your initial training as a member of Team Rocket. But the public in general was never told the whole truth, only because they were satisfied that you had been stripped of your position."

"Luckily for you, that's no longer a problem. Especially since I've been caught on camera several times, leading the invasion force on Vermilion City. I'd still be there, planning a new attack strategy... if I weren't here to see this silly little experiment."

"And yet, you couldn't come to the fact that you're genuinely intrigued as if it could work. Maybe if it could relieve Misty and I of our supernatural powers, then it could do the same for you, if you wanted to."

Marco smiled as he applauded Ash for his analysis.

"I'm impressed. It looks like someone's done some growing up this past year."

Ash didn't respond, his disdain for Marco starting to bubble to the surface.

"Truth be told, yes, I'm under the belief that Giovanni and all of Team Rocket are only impressed at everything I do because of my supernatural powers. If the professor's Dissolution Chamber worked, I was going to debate whether I would be willing to have my 'gifts' taken away from me. Of course, there's no way I'm going to do that now. Not without a guinea pig to test it for me first."

Marco looked directly as Ash and Misty upon saying 'guinea pig,' making them even more angry. He then turned to the traitorous Rocket grunt and his Weezing.

"And I'm sure I've met you somewhere," Marco thought out loud.

The man tried to shield his face with his right arm, but it was too late... it had come to him.

"You look just like Jude Orino. He's one of our top special agents. I chatted with him once on a mission we had together. He couldn't stop talking about how much he hated his older brother, Joel. That must be you, huh?"

Joel lowered his arms and confirmed Marco's suspicions.

"Yes. So you've met Jude."

"Indeed. And he told me how much of a traitorous scum you are. Leaving Team Rocket to join the Pokémon Trainers' Association!"

Ash glared at Joel. "You're with THEM?"

"Yes... and no... it's complicated!"

Marco laughed out loud, drawing everyone's attention again.

"How complicated can it be to just say that a small group of rogue agents weren't on-board with Giovanni's vision of a new world, so they quit and formed their own organization! They wanted to change the world in ways more beneficial to everyone. But wouldn't you know it... they just couldn't resist the temptation of evil, and now they're starting to come back!"

"Starting to come back?" Misty repeated, before gasping as she connected the dots. "You mean..."

"Yes," Joel nodded. "I was one of the 20 original members of the PTA when it was formed three years ago... by people who were at the time members of Team Rocket."

"No way!" Ash exclaimed.

"And now, a number of them are trying to fold the organization back into Team Rocket."

"And because you're here, trying to rescue these two," Marco figured out, "you're against that happening."

"Yes. One of a handful."

Marco smirked.

"That handful is about to lose a finger."

Marco reached into his pants pocket to pull out a Pokéball, and tossed it into the air. His Absol popped out, filled with rage and looking to take it out on Ash, Misty, and Joel. Seeing a challenger appear before him, Weezing floated out to face Absol.

"A pathetic Weezing? You may not be a Rocket anymore, but you sure can't let go of old traditions like using poison-types!"

"Don't underestimate Weezing! He's my strongest Pokémon!"

"And Absol is mine. But I bet you're number one is no match for mine!"

Absol charged at Weezing, going on the initiative. He used Quick Attack, hitting the poison-type head on and knocking him back a few feet. Already in fear of his life, Weezing quickly retreated behind his master, Joel.

"Weezing!" Joel cried out as he petted his Pokémon. "No way!"

"Running scared already?" Marco asked. "Then again, maybe that thing's smarter than it looks. It would rather run than stay and be on the receiving end of a beat-down!"

Marco then turned his attention to Ash, who was staring directly at him.

"But it's okay... because you're not the one I'm interested in battling."

"Funny..." Ash chuckled as he stepped forward. "I'm thinking the exact same thing."

"Wait a minute," Misty said, walking over and grabbing Ash's left arm. "You don't have Pikachu or any of your other Pokémon on you!"

Ash growled, but knew his girlfriend was right. He had no one to battle for him against Marco and his Absol.

"That's a disappointment," Marco noted. "I would've thought your escape attempt would have waited until they had brought in your Pikachu and her Vaporeon!"

"It doesn't matter," Ash shouted. "We're not letting you take us back there!"

"I find that hard to believe that when I'm not going to give you a chance to learn where the warden's holding them!"

Marco then got the shock of his life, literally, when he was hit by a massive thunderbolt!

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Marco went flying into a nearby wall, hitting it back-first before falling to the floor, convulsing uncontrollably after all of the electricity that had been put into that one blast.

"I'd know that Thunderbolt anywhere!" Ash said excitedly.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, running around the corner.

"It's Pikachu!"

Pikachu started running towards Ash, but was cut off when Absol blocked his path. But just as Absol was about to attack, an Ice Beam hit him, freezing the dark-type in a block of ice.

"And that's gotta be..." Misty began.

Vaporeon smiled as she trotted over next to Pikachu. The two checked Absol to make sure he really was frozen, and then they sprinted for their respective trainers.

"Aha... Pikachu!"

Ash extended his arms as Pikachu leaped into them, and the two longtime friends shared an extended hug. Meanwhile, Misty knelt down and wrapped her arms around Vaporeon's neck, showing her relief that her Pokémon was okay.

Ash and Misty looked up from their reunions to see Joel recall Weezing to his Pokéball. He then walked over to a group of five agents, and the small swarm of Pokémon behind them, which ranged in size from a Mankey to an Kangaskhan.

"Sorry for disobeying orders," the agent whom the Mankey belonged to, "but when you didn't show up at the rendezvous..."

"We'll worry about whether that later," Joel said to him.

Joel then spotted that one of the agents was holding two belts with Pokéballs on them. One had five, the other just three. He stepped forward and handed them to Ash and Misty, respectively.

"I believe these belong to you two."

"Thanks!" the two teens said, expressing their gratitude.

"We saved them from being killed in the nick of time," he told them. "Especially the Horsea."

Misty gasped. "Horsea?"

"It was in pretty bad shape. I sprayed some Potion on it to help ease the pain, but it's still in need of medical attention."

Misty took Horsea's Pokéball off of its clip and looked worriedly at it.

"Don't worry, Horsea," she thought to herself. "We'll get to a Pokémon Center, and everything's going to be okay!"

"There they are!" an unfamiliar voice yelled. "The ones who got into the Third Laboratory!"

"We've got incoming!" Mankey's owner shouted.

The group's Pokémon started charging down the hall to meet the oncoming group of Team Rocket operatives and their Pokémon. Joel reached down to his belt and tossed out a Pokéball. Emerging from it was his second most-powerful Pokémon, Forretress.

"Time to go!" Joel declared. "Maron!"

Maron nodded. "Mankey, let's go!"

Mankey turned around, leaving the group and heading back towards his master. He ran past his owner and bolted down the hallway. Joel's Forretress floated after him, followed by Maron. Ash and Misty put their belts on, and then joined the escape party, with Pikachu and Vaporeon by their sides, respectively.

"Hold them off, but be sure not to endanger the lives of your Pokémon or yourselves!" Joel ordered the other four agents.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted.

"Wa-wait..."

Ash stopped just as he was about to pass by Joel. He turned around to see Marco pushing up against the floor, attempting to get to his feet.

"Our..."

Ash lowered his head, not wanting to see Marco in his current state, clothes nearly singed off and burns and bruises all over his body.

"It's not my nature to run away from a battle... but our rematch will have to wait for another day."

Ash then took off down the hallway, ignoring Marco's cries for him to stay.

"It doesn't work that way!" Marco screamed. "You're not allowed to run! Not from Team Rocket's greatest agent!"

Joel shook his head, feeling sorry for the weakened teenager, who was practically begging Ash to stay. The agent then ran off, with the remaining agents and their Pokémon covering him.

"I'm not the Marco you fought back then! I'm Mark! And... and..."

A squadron of four Team Rocket agents and their four Nidokings moved past Marco and Absol, trying to take down the PTA agents.

"Where are the agents with guns?" one of the Rockets shouted. "They should be helping us suppress these invaders!"

"We've got a man down," another spoke into his com-link. "Sector 7, in very bad shape!"

"I ALWAYS GET MY MARK!"


The group of PTA agents, along with Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Vaporeon, finally emerged from one of the exits of the building. There, they found two more agents waiting for them, along with pairs of Mr. Mime and Alakazam, all of whom were alternating turns making psychic-power shields. That's because they were under enemy fire, as some of Team Rocket's armed personnel had made their way outside and were trying to cut off the escape.

"Whatever happens," Joel told Ash and Misty, "stay under the shield, no matter what!"

The two nodded in compliance. Pikachu climbed up Ash's side and into his arms, while Misty recalled Vaporeon to her Pokéball. Joel and all of the agents followed Misty's lead, save for the trainers of the psychic-types, who were keeping the shield up. Once everyone was inside, Joel motioned for them to move out.

The group slowly made their way from the door, towards the front gate. Bullets could be heard ricocheting off of the shields, but none were getting through, even in the brief instances the two Mr. Mime and the two Alakazam switched off.

"Keep moving! Keep moving!"

Then, out of the blue, a Tauros started charging at the group.

"If we try and avoid it," one of the agents shouted, "we'll be vulnerable to gunshots!"

"Leave it to me!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika! Pika pika-CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

Pikachu fired his Thunderbolt at the Tauros, knocking it out in an instant. Joel smiled at the effort.

"I expected nothing less from such a talented trainer!"

With that, the group made it to and past the front gate. On the other side, an open van was waiting for them.

"Everybody in!" Joel shouted, directing everyone into the back.

Once the entire group had hopped in, the four psychic Pokémon floated in, keeping their barriers active until the doors had been closed.

"Get us out of here!"

With that, the van driver floored it. A few more shots were fired at the vehicle, but they were all off the mark.


Back inside, Mark was being bandaged up by the on-site doctor. He was annoyed at what had just transpired. And he was about to find someone to blame it on, as the warden walked into the room.

"The boss is going to be very disappointed in you," Mark said to the warden.

"Me, young man?" the warden said in response. "You're the one who confronted them and lost!"

"The confrontation would have never happened if your men did a better job of weeding out spies before letting them in here!"

"How dare you! You can't speak to me like that!"

"I can... if I outrank you!"

"What?"

Two Team Rocket operatives walked up, one on either side of the warden. Each of them grabbed an arm, restraining him.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"My orders were that if everything didn't go according to plan, I was to make sure heads would roll. Starting with yours."

The two men dragged the warden out of the room, the old man kicking and screaming.

"No, no! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mark then turned to look out the window.

"The next time we meet, Ash Ketchum..."

To be continued in Part 3!