Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Seventy: Let's Go! Scrub the Rocket Launch!
Red had half expected to be rushed by an army of Rockets, but not a single one met him. Not a single one met him because there were no Rocket Grunts in the vicinity. The only Rocket was the man himself.
Giovanni.
He was sat behind a desk on which a metal case lay, leaning forwards in the comfy armchair he was sat in. Opposite him on a sofa was an elderly man with an imperial moustache and a woman no older than Red's own mother. They stared at him, goggle-eyed, as though he was a figment of their imagination, an impossibility only the mind could create.
Giovanni, meanwhile, tented his fingers together and peered at Red over them. "Ah, Red, so we meet again," he said, as though reuniting with an acquaintance of long ago. "Archer mentioned something about an infiltration. I never imagined it would be you. I assume Ms. Green is somewhere about too. Don't you both remember our last encounter?"
"We do," Red said, nudging Pikachu back with the side of his foot, hoping the electric mouse would not charge at the man. "And we're not letting you scare us."
Giovanni shook his head. "Ah, the stubbornness of youth. Listen, Red, I have no issues with you at this moment. If you leave now, I will forget this insolence. I must finish discussing an incredibly important matter with the president; a vital business proposition if you will. We are just about finished. Besides, this has nothing to do with you."
"I know it doesn't," Red said, taking a step forward. "And I don't care. If I'm able to step in and ruin your plans, then I'll do it. Pikachu, Cubone, Marowak, all the Meltan, I can't sit back and let you do these horrid things."
Giovanni chuckled, a cold one that promised pain and death, mixing well with the frigid glare he shot from his dark eyes.
"Young man!" the Silph President called out, his moustache quivering with each syllable. "You don't need to do this! I am handling it!"
"Handle this by giving him what he wants?" Red asked, shooting him a slightly distasteful look as he recalled his exchange with Taylor the scientist.
"I mean… if it's to protect us all…"
"Giovanni," Red said sharply, jerking his head away from the president and his assistant, Pikachu's charging electricity seeming to run through his own body, "I'm going to defeat you here and now. You're not going to get what you want."
Giovanni rose from the desk, so slowly it was as if his legs were materialising beneath him instead of him purely standing, the case held under his arm. He tutted.
"You should have taken my mercy, you silly boy," he said, his voice more like an Ekans' hiss than anything human. "You should really keep your nose out of grown-up matters." His sharp face appeared even more as though it was chiselled out of stone. "Now you shall experience a world of pain!"
Red steeled himself.
He would take care of Giovanni.
He only hoped Leaf and Blue would win their battles.
o~o~o~o~o
Archer's Persian yawned. It actually yawned. Was it really finding the battle against Wigglytuff that easy, or was it a façade, its desire to not show a glimpse of vulnerability to its opponent? Or was it to weaken its enemy's resolve? Well, the confidence it possessed did not particularly instil the same feeling within Leaf, it must be said.
"Sing!" Leaf cried.
"Throat Chop," came the counter.
As Wigglytuff took a deep breath, about to belt out its lullaby, Persian streaked forwards and thrusted its paw into the Balloon Pokémon's throat with hellish force.
Sound died on Wigglytuff's tongue. She gagged and gasped, speech an impossibility, Sing and Disarming Voice disabled. Such was the panic she found herself in she became powerless to avoid the electricity that coursed through her body, Persian meowing in delight as its cream-coloured body glowed yellow.
One Pokémon. Leaf had one Pokémon left.
She returned Wigglytuff, silently thanking her, hoping it would not be their last time together, and took out another Ball.
Had she made the right choice? Did she pick the right final team member? Venusaur versus Victreebel. It came down to power versus reliability. Would her choice be justified?
o~o~o~o~o
The spikes deflected off Blastoise's spinning shell, and Blastoise sent itself into Cloyster, whose own shell was not enough to mitigate the damage.
"Flash Cannon!"
"Ice Beam!"
Two flashing beams of light cancelled each other out, metallic ice specks tinkling onto the tiled floor before melting away into the ether.
But Blastoise's Flash Cannon was inconsequential as he immediately tucked in his head and shot like a rocket towards Cloyster, whose Withdraw was like trying to block a bomb with a piece of wood. A crack spread across its shell, and it when it brought its face back out, it was revealed to have fallen unconscious.
Ariana clucked her tongue and recalled Cloyster, offering no words of praise for all it did was what it was meant to do: battle hard and defeat as many foes as possible.
"Keep it going, Blastoise," Blue said. "Heck, we might have been able to sweep this entire place with just you."
It was a nice thought, was it not? Nevertheless, did anyone expect Ariana to simply roll over and surrender? No? I thought so.
Her next Pocket Monster was such a terrifying thing. A purple serpent, a cobra, that was twelve feet from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. On the hood below its head was a pattern that resembled a face with a black mouth and yellow eyes surrounded by red sclera. Its slit-like pupils homed in on Blastoise. It hissed, revealing its forked tongue and needle teeth.
Arbok, a Poison-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ekans. The pattern on its belly appears to be a frightening face. Weak foes will flee just at the sight of the pattern.
True to the Pokedex's words, Blastoise shrunk at the sight of that face-like pattern on Arbok's hood. It was not drastic, but it was enough that Arbok's Intimidate had already hindered Blastoise.
"Hydro Pump," Blue said, ready for the newest round of the battle to be over before it had even begun.
From the metal cannons protruding from Blastoise's shell came two high-pressured blasts of water that would surely decimate Arbok in a single hit. Yet Arbok, being the slithery serpent that it was, manoeuvred its flexible body around the water, letting the wall behind it and all sorts of Silph equipment take the brunt of the attack. Well, maybe Silph had taken an insurance policy out against an evil syndicate trying to invade their company where a few kids would then come along and battle said syndicate, in the process destroying major chunks of the building and their equipment too, right?
"Poison Tail."
Venom eked out of Arbok's tail, coating it in a poison that was a lighter purple than its scales. It swung its tail into Blastoise's jaw, catching him in the side of his head with such a heavy thump that even Blue winced.
"Flash Cannon," came his next attempt at a successful attack.
Which turned out to be unsuccessful for Arbok glared at Blastoise.
No, Arbok Glared at Blastoise.
At Ariana's order of 'Glare', Arbok's eyes shone with a hint of yellow, freezing Blastoise in place as though he had been struck by invisible lightning. He tried to lift his arms, he tried to stamp his feet, he tried to turn his head. All had become herculean tasks.
Despite it, Blue managed a wry smile. He should have expected that, especially from a Team Rocket Executive. It was fine, though: he would use Blastoise later instead. Maybe he would even break through the paralysis inside his Poké Ball. He pressed the return button on the Poké Ball.
"Wrap!"
Uh oh.
Arbok coiled around Blastoise, squeezing him as tightly as an eccentric auntie would at a family reunion, only his sturdy shell staving off most of the damage. The red laser from the Poké Ball bounced off Arbok's scales, leaving Blastoise at the serpent's mercy.
Blue gritted his teeth and tried recalling Blastoise again, aiming the light at the Shellfish Pokémon's head, which was free of Arbok's coils.
It still did not work.
The red light connected with Blastoise's head, yet he was still not ushered back into the sanctuary of his Poké Ball. This was the true terror of trapping techniques. Blue could not help but think it was a lot more fun to be the trapper.
Arbok sunk its fangs into Blastoise's arm before releasing him and going in for another Bite. And another. And another, all the while strengthening its grip on poor Blastoise, drawing out moans of pain from the armoured tortoise.
Paralysed. Trapped. Health slowly being whittled down. It was not looking good, was it? As a matter of fact, one might be inclined to say that it was looking bad, wouldn't they? Blue could only find himself watching his Starter in distress, scouring his mind for any ideas that would alleviate the increasingly dire situation. He was an Oak, darn it! How could he let a Rocket push him into the corner? It boggled his mind! There had to be something he could do. There just had to be…
Of course!
That was it!
He only had to hope Blastoise could ignore the paralysis long enough to pull it off.
"Rapid Spin!"
Did he do it? Was he successful?
Yes! Yes, he was!
Blastoise toppled onto his front and retracted his arms, legs, head, and tail into his shell, and with all the effort he could muster, spun faster than a spinning top.
Arbok tried desperately to not lose its hold, yet there was only so much it could do with there being no limbs, no head, no anything to hang onto bar a smooth shell.
Its grip loosened.
Blastoise rammed his shell into Arbok's belly, and the Poison-type spat back at the Water-type, pain clear in its eyes.
Blastoise ceased his Rapid Spin and stood up strong, stretching out his arms as though the swift movement of his attack mitigated some of the paralysis effects.
Only some, though. Blue quickly returned him and summoned his last Pokémon: Nidorina.
Nidorina would fair well, right? She was a Poison-type too, so it was not as if Arbok had much in its arsenal to worry them. Then again, a Glare-Wrap combo was hard to counter regardless. Although, he did have that Moon Stone…
o~o~o~o~o
Gyarados chewed on Nidoking's arm as Giovanni's favourite purple dinosaur repeatedly thumped her with an electrified fist from his other hand. Nidoking flinched again and again, as drenched as if he had taken a running jump into the ocean, while Gyarados was jittery and jumpy as if on too much coffee.
Then, Gyarados' jaw slacked and Nidoking's arm went limp, and the two ferocious creatures flopped onto the floor with a crash.
It was going well so far. Red could only hope they kept the momentum going.
Rhyhorn had fallen to Clefable and Beedrill got her revenge on Kangaskhan, and it was only now did he finally lose his first Pokémon in the form of Gyarados. He was pushing Giovanni, giving the actual leader of Team Rocket a torrid time.
Or was he?
Neither anger nor panic crossed Giovanni's face. It was as though the battle did not mean much to him, as though everything that was happening held no surprise for him. He simply recalled Nidoking and brought out his fourth Pokémon. A Rhydon.
Simply the evolved form of Rhyhorn, right? Same type, same weaknesses. Clefable could get the job done, as exhausted as she was.
Well, not exactly.
Clefable's Magical Leaf was stopped by Rhydon's Stone Edge and Meteor Mash was overwhelmed by the Ground and Rock-type's destructive Double-Edge, the latter of which did much more damage to the moon fairy than it did to Giovanni's fighter. It was probably safe to say Rhydon did not take any recoil damage whatsoever.
Yes, she did sear Rhydon's armour-like skin with her shining leaves, but that was all she was able to do as, hindered by her exhaustion from her consecutive battles, she was picked up and hurled into the floor. Red swore the Seismic Toss almost pummelled her into the next floor. The next few floors such was its ferocity.
"I would be lying, Red, if I said this wasn't enjoyable," Giovanni said, standing like a phantom behind his battler. "It is, but I can't truly appreciate it. I have bigger things I need to take care of, and that includes finishing my meeting with the president here. Why don't you just run along and we can battle another time?" His lips curled. "You may believe I'm strong now, but you have no idea how much more power I'm going to gather. Doesn't that sound a lot more… enjoyable?"
It did. But why would Red believe anything that came out of Giovanni's mouth? Maybe he was spouting nonsense because Red was winning? Maybe he was merely trying to save face.
"I'm taking you down here and now," Red said, his crimson pupils flaring with determination. "Besides, why interrupt a good battle?"
Giovanni's smile faded. "As you wish."
Who would Red use next? Three of his last four Pokémon were all weak to Rhydon's dual typing, so maybe Cubone was the answer? Well, his STAB moves were super effective against Rhydon after all. Yes, he was the obvious choice.
Cubone still had that fire in his belly, slamming his club into the floor, glaring back at the towering Rhydon without so much as a hint of a tremble. Hopefully that fire would last as long as possible. Hopefully it was still stoked within Leaf and Blue.
o~o~o~o~o
Venusaur was out of control.
He had refused to battle at first, content to sleep amidst the ambience of terror, disregarding the Persian and its Trainer, ignoring Leaf's desperate pleas.
Nevertheless, he had still been summoned for battle, was Persian's opponent, was susceptible to anything the Classy Cat decided to throw at him. Which included a Slash followed by an Aerial Ace, tearing through Venusaur like a hot knife through butter.
Venusaur was irked, and that irritation quickly grew to pure rage as Vine Whip, Sludge Bomb, and Headbutt all failed to land on Persian, the feline barely evading them with all the skills of a contortionist. His vines smashed everything that was not Persian, poison melted books and furniture, and he got a bump on his head from where he rammed into a wall.
Leaf had made the wrong choice, hadn't she? It should have been Victreebel, it should have been him she brought into this fight. No, it should have been anyone else who was not Venusaur. Why did she hope that this time would be different, when they had willingly delved into the demon's maw where taking risks would be the silliest of all things to do? Nothing she was saying was reaching him. Every move she cried out for him to use was followed by him using a different one, every tactic she tried to employ he did the opposite, every scream of his name went through one ear and out the other.
And now Venusaur was blinded by rage, only having Persian in his vision, desiring nothing else but to wipe that smug expression off its face.
"Venusaur, please!" Leaf pleaded once more. "We've got to work together! Please, Venusaur, please listen to me! You're my last hope!"
Venusaur bellowed and launched another Sludge Bomb at Persian. The attack missed.
"Venusaur!"
Archer rolled his eyes. "This is becoming tedious. Persian, Aerial Ace."
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three strikes.
Tonnes of strikes.
Venusaur, try as he might, could not defend himself from the onslaught, could not touch even a single strand of Persian's hair. Even his anger began to wane, replaced by utter exhaustion and pain, the super effective thrashing a deluge of clawed rain.
Venusaur groaned.
His eyes dulled.
His legs fell out beneath him.
Insentience would be the next stage.
Leaf screamed out Venusaur's name, pleading for him to get up, to listen to her just once, even if it would be the only time he would ever listen to her for the rest of their lives. Even if Venusaur did not like her, did not respect her, she did not want to lose him to Team Rocket. If he fell here, Team Rocket would also steal her Pokémon Box. She could not – no, would not – lose all her friends.
But what could she do? She did have a certain Ultra Ball, but could that…
No. That would be stupid.
Persian raked its claws across Venusaur's face, leaving a gash that forced one eye to shut.
"Exceptional stamina," Archer said, peering at Venusaur with intrigue. "When its not taken out by a Horn Drill, that is. Usually, most foes would be done and dusted with a few moves. I commend you for training your Venusaur to reach this level." He scoffed. "However, maybe it has reached this level despite you being its Trainer. It evolved when you were in dire straits in our last battle, forcing itself to reach its next stage even though its Trainer was – and is - in no way capable of handling this new power."
Archer sighed, but it was merely a performance, an actor's sigh. "I shall put it out of its misery of being under your command with one final attack. Then I shall have it in my party. A strong ally with an immunity to Leech Seed, poison, and powder techniques? I would be stupid not to make it a reality." He chuckled, as though suddenly lost within the visions of how much help Venusaur would be in the continued establishment and growth of the Team Rocket empire. "Persian, Dark Pulse. But don't strain yourself."
Dark energy gathered within the circular red jewel on Persian's forehead, quickly accumulating into a mass of blackness.
It was over. It was over, so what was the point in doing anything? It made sense to just accept what was inevitable, didn't it? If that was the case, then why was Leaf running in front of Venusaur, arms outstretched as the Dark Pulse streamed towards her Pokémon?
It was as if Leaf's body and brain became completely separate entities, the latter struck dumb by the hopelessness of it all, the former rushing to take the hit meant for Venusaur.
As pain overwhelmed her, as the Dark Pulse knocked her off her feet, Leaf could not help but think how thankful she was Archer told Persian not to strain itself, for if Persian went all out would she still be alive?
Something soft cushioned her fall and she slid to the floor, body screaming, vision shadowy, vaguely aware of Archer saying something, yet she could neither discern his words nor the tone of his voice.
The thing that softened the impact looked at her, eyes suddenly brighter than they had any right to be.
"Just… one… time…" she mumbled, her voice slurred. "Use… Solar… Beam."
Venusaur did not move. He simply stared at her as if she was insane.
Archer's voice grew louder, yet his words were no more discernible to Leaf. As she crawled away, towards the unconscious form of Eevee, she could only hope for Venusaur to perform this one attack.
Venusaur took a step closer to Persian. The flower on his back shone gold. Solar Beam. No, not just his flower; everything about him shone like the sun. Solar Beam and Overgrow.
Archer shouted again, sounding panicked.
Leaf heaved herself up against a wall, Eevee on her lap.
Persian sent forth another stream of dark energy.
Dark Pulse was engulfed by the boosted Solar Beam.
Persian could not dodge.
A mighty explosion.
Dust. Smoke. Rubble.
Silence.
Leaf must have lost consciousness for a minute or two, for her eyes flickered shut for what seemed like a moment and when they re-opened Archer and Persian were gone. It was only her, Eevee… and Venusaur.
He stared at her, expression unreadable.
It did not matter though, did it? Even if it was just this once, even if he never obeyed her again, he had listened to her, saving them all.
Leaf smiled at him. "Thank… you… Venusaur."
o~o~o~o~o
Nidorina squealed as Arbok wrapped itself around her, squeezing her so tightly her organs would probably fuse together if it did not let up. A bit of an exaggeration, yes, but Wrap was worse than a forced hug from a family member that you barely know how you are related to them. Kind of like the eccentric auntie, right?
"Use Tail Whip to escape!" Blue shouted.
A strange strategy, yes? But when in situations such as these, options are usually few and far between, so Nidorina whipped her tail, which led to her wagging her whole body. With each shake, she eased herself further and further out of Arbok's grasp before she freed herself with a pop.
"Clever," Ariana said. "But Arbok can Wrap Nidorina up again and again. How many Tail Whips can Nidorina do before Wrap makes her faint?"
Before Blue could give her a snarky reply, Arbok trapped Nidorina again, only her head unhidden by its coils.
It was an interesting thought, wasn't it? Just how much longer could Nidorina last? Should he go back to Blastoise? But what if Arbok got a critical hit from Poison Tail, or a full paralysis from Glare? He would have to use Nidorina again, albeit without Blastoise in reserve. The situation was looking a bit grim, wouldn't you say?
The weight in his pocket suddenly seemed to weight a tonne. He grimaced and plucked out the Moon Stone. Oh, he might as well.
"Nidorina," he called, holding the Moon Stone up to the light. "Want to be a queen?"
Nidorina's eyes lit up, and she inclined her head with great struggle.
With careful aim, Blue tossed the Moon Stone onto Nidorina's head, silently amused at the comical 'o' shape Ariana's lips formed.
Stone touched flesh.
Nidorina became a dazzling silhouette that gathered more mass and became bigger, so big Arbok laboured to hold onto her.
With a roar of momentum, Arbok was hurled away, and Nidorina was no more.
In her place was a new being with features that were both mammalian and reptilian. It was bipedal, much like Nidoking, a Pokémon it resembled, mostly covered in rough, blue scales apart from its lower jaw, the bottom half of its abdomen and across its chest, the latter two reminiscent of impractical female body armour that women tend to wear in some fantasy stories. Its ears were large, a horn (smaller than a Nidoking's) was set on its head, and spikes ran down its back until they reached its tail.
Nidoqueen, a dual Poison and Ground-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorina. Her hard scales provide strong protection. She uses her hefty bulk to execute powerful moves.
Nidoqueen thumped her chest as though she was a mighty primate, the evolution giving her the second wind she and Blue so desperately needed. Blue smirked and checked her stats and techniques on his Pokédex. His smirk became a Darmanitan-like grin.
"You can give up if you want," he said to Ariana. "I don't mind. Just give up and I can go and defeat your boss, how does that sound?"
Ariana glared at him with such ferocity and venom that Blue could only wonder if she was once an Arbok herself. "Do not EVER play down Giovanni's skills! He is the greatest Pokémon Trainer who has ever existed! He has no need to demean himself by battling you!"
"Aw man," Blue said, pretending to dab tears away with the end of his shirt. "You're hurting my feelings. I miss the good ol' days of when you hoped your kids could be as good as me. Remember those days? They were fun, weren't they?"
"Enough!" Ariana snapped, stamping her high heeled boot on the floor. "Arbok, Glare."
Ah, that again. "Cut."
As Arbok's slit-like eyes widened, its basilisk stare about to petrify Nidoqueen as it did Blastoise, the Drill Pokémon reached forward and raked her claws across the cobra's face, forcing its eyes to snap shut with a hiss, spitting poison that was less harmful than rainwater to the queen of the Nidos.
Blue eyed Ariana carefully. She had not expected this, not by the way she was wringing one hand and looking as lost as one would be in Rock Tunnel without a source of light. She would not expect what came next either: "High Horsepower!"
A roar belted out from deep within Nidoqueen's throat and she became surrounded by a vague orange aura. Taking some inadvertent advice from the Pokédex, she used her hefty bulk to execute the powerful move and charged at Arbok, knocking it six ways from Sunday.
It spun through the air like a lasso yet fell heavily like a bowling ball, its feebly oscillating forked tongue the only evidence it had not yet fully lost consciousness.
It did not matter.
Ariana returned Arbok to its Poké Ball and hung her head, muttering angrily to herself, berating herself for failing her mission.
She did not look Blue in the face. "I lost. But if I delayed you enough to not interfere with Giovanni's objective, then I will take that as the slightest of victories. You battled well."
"Of course I battled well," Blue said, rolling his eyes. "I'm an Oak, and I'm the future Indigo League Champion. Maybe next time you won't underestimate me."
Ariana's averted stare was icy, yet she said nothing more and walked away.
Blue watched her go, and when she had turned a corner, he took the longest breath of his life and placed his trembling hand over his chest. His heart had never beat so fast. He had come close to losing. And not just a normal, everyday sort of loss, but a loss that would have ended his career as a Pokémon Trainer, for how could he start again should Team Rocket have taken all his Pokémon? That was if they let him go anyway.
Was he getting complacent? Perhaps. Maybe he would have had an easier time against her had he had all his Pokémon fully healed, but in this instance, he had to rely on aid from an inferior Trainer to succeed.
There was not a lot more he could do until he healed all his Pokémon.
Then he could battle the Rockets' leader.
Unless Red got to him first.
Blue smirked to himself.
Unlikely.
o~o~o~o~o
Red brushed his damp fringe away from his eyes, his cap already turned backwards. His clothes were as damp as if a Pokémon had soaked him with Water Gun, uncomfortably sticking to his sweaty self.
Cubone had not been the answer, his Bone Club overwhelmed by Rhydon's Double-Edge.
Neither did Beedrill do much better, chipping away at Rhydon's health until a fluke Stone Edge decimated her.
Pikachu had still not been hit, however, so they had that going for them. They just had to lull Giovanni into a false sense of security for there was one attack Pikachu had that he did not know about, one that would wash away Rhydon and hopefully throw Giovanni off for the rest of the battle.
Double-Edge missed again.
Rhydon could not get anywhere near Pikachu to pull off a Seismic Toss.
Red studied Giovanni's face, the way his jaw stiffened, the way his fists were clenched, the way a vein throbbed in his temple. Yes, they were getting under his skin. They could do it.
"Pikachu, Splishy Splash."
With a great degree of satisfaction, Red watched as Giovanni's eyes widened, no doubt stunned by the crackling tidal wave Pikachu summoned. Rhydon turned to his Trainer, demanding an order, anything to avoid being left waterlogged.
But it would have been pointless either way. They had given Red and Pikachu this opportunity and they were made to pay for it.
There was no hope in heck for Rhydon to endure it.
The office didn't endure it very well either, but that was a Silph Co. problem.
Giovanni stood like a statue, water seeping into his loafers, the hellish discomfort associated with wet socks the furthest thing from his mind.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Red?" he said, his voice quiet yet dangerous, returning Rhydon and brandishing an Ultra Ball. He stared at it for a long time before stowing it away. "No. I wish to leave now. Mr. President, we can talk another time; you've given me more than enough for now. So much more.
"Red," he went on, pulling out a Poké Ball that appeared quite old. "I would love to use my Dugtrio, but I'm going straight to my strongest. You're more trouble than you're worth, and I have more pressing concerns at the moment. Rhyperior, show them your might."
Nidoking was scary. Rhydon was scary. Even the potent power of Kangaskhan's motherhood made Red tremble a tad. But the new Pokémon Giovanni called out put them to shame. Its mere presence emitted an aura that told Red one thing: this was the most powerful creature he had ever come up against in combat.
Rhyperior, a dual Ground and Rock-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rhydon. It relies on its carapace to deflect incoming attacks and throw its enemy off balance. As soon as that happens, it drives its drill into the foe.
It was eight feet tall. Eight! It had two horns too, a larger one on its nose much like its pre-evolution and a smaller one on its forehead. It was brownish-grey in colour and stood upon two legs like a Rhydon, and its body was covered in various spots by orange stone plates. Its elbows were pointed, like blades, and at the end of its tail was a rock that no doubt weighed a tonne. It glared at Red and Pikachu and held up its hands; it had holes in its palms.
"We can get through it too, Pikachu," Red said. "It's got a double weakness to Water just like Rhydon. Then we'll defeat Dugtrio too, and we will have won."
Giovanni raised an eyebrow but said nothing, a sudden mischievous light doing a jig in his eyes.
The second tidal wave that Pikachu formed would sink Rhyperior much like it did Rhydon. Even if it did not wipe it out in a single hit, it would do too much damage for it to endure a second, no matter its level.
Splishy Splash crashed down upon Rhyperior.
Red grinned.
Giovanni smirked.
Red's grin faded.
Giovanni's smirk widened.
Rhyperior looked no worse for wear, perhaps a little grumpy that it was soaked, but it did not seem like it had taken a doubly super effective attack head-on.
"No," Red said, slapping his cheeks to bring himself out of his stupor. "Try it again, Pikachu. Splishy Splash."
Giovanni gave out no order as he allowed Rhyperior to take a second Splishy Splash. This time the Drill Pokémon winced. That was all.
Was Rhyperior really that strong? There had to be something more to it. But what else could Red do? Pikachu had no other attacks that would do anything, and he only had Charmeleon left. All he could do was keep pressing forth with Splishy Splash and having Pikachu dodge any offensive that came their way, like with Rhydon. Yes, Rhyperior looked much too slow. Provided Pikachu's endurance held, they could do this.
Thus, they bombarded Rhyperior with Splishy Splash after Splishy Splash after Splishy Splash, evading the occasional High Horsepower and Hammer Arm, although, if Red was being honest, it was as though Rhyperior was not even trying.
Hopefully that was his imagination.
Oh. No, it was not.
Confidence diminishing, Pikachu built up another Splishy Splash, hoping, wishing, it would leave Rhyperior close to fainting. Pikachu could feel, deep within himself, that he was running out of energy to keep performing the technique.
They could do it. They had come through so much already on this journey. They would win this. They would –
"Rock Wrecker."
From the holes in its palms, Rhyperior produced dust. A lot of dust. An incredible amount of dust. But it was not Sandstorm, and that much was obvious because Giovanni already stated the attack's name. No, the dust merged and solidified, creating a rock, similar to how Brock's Onix used Rock Tomb. However, it was a single rock. One. But all it needed to be was one for how colossal it was, capable of destroying Red's house in one fell swoop.
Red's mouth went dry. He could not swallow. He had never heard of a move like this before.
With a bellow, Rhyperior launched the boulder at Pikachu.
The wall and windows behind Red exploded.
Red was thrown to the floor, his ears ringing, the sounds of distant screaming muffled.
A raging wind almost took his hat away, the expansive city of Saffron revealed to him through a massive hole.
Groggily, Red rose to his feet, losing his balance as the skyscraper gust almost gave him a shortcut to the Saffron streets.
What was happening? Were Pokémon battles really this devastating? Was this his true wakeup call about what the Pokémons world was really like? Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker had taken out one side of the Silph Co. President's office. What if Rhyperior had used Earthquake or Bulldoze or anything like that? It was quite distressing to think about.
Wait. Where was Pikachu?
As Red regained his composure, he hurried over to the hole, heart in his throat as he prayed Pikachu had not been… had not been…
Something tugged at his trousers. Red looked down. His relief was so great his legs almost collapsed under him. Pikachu was fine, and to use the word 'fine' was relative because Pikachu had been wrecked by the powerful Rock-type move, but he had not fallen to his doom, so small mercies and all that.
Was that that? Pikachu had lost, and Giovanni did not want to stay for that battle. As a matter of fact, the man had taken a communicating device from his pocket and whispered into it. Perhaps he was calling for a ride?
They could just end it here, couldn't they? They had caused Giovanni to want to leave sooner than he would have liked, and their presence had caused tonnes of damage to the President's office. Oh no, what if the debris hit someone below! Granted, there were no Saffron citizens about, but what if some officers had gathered around, what if a Rocket was stood there? Red did not want to be responsible for ANYBODY'S life getting snuffed out.
Yet, despite all this reasoning, Red took out another Poké Ball, his last one. It was stupid, it was ludicrous, it was downright insane, but he did it anyway. He summoned Charmeleon.
Exasperation etched itself deep into Giovanni's harsh features. "You do not know when to give up, do you? This was fun at first, but now it is just embarrassing."
Red knew his face was ashen, knew this was such a foolish decision. So why did he do it? Why did he want to continue to fight a pointless battle?
Then his eyes found Charmeleon's. The flame on his tail burned in both of their chests. No, they did not know when to give up. That was one of the points of being a Pokémon Trainer. Giovanni could have a full team of Legendaries, but they had to keep battling.
Besides, they could not make it easy for the bad guys, right?
Red and Charmeleon nodded in unison, and the fiery lizard sped forward, head low, claws outstretched.
There was a flash of steel and Rhyperior growled as Charmeleon carved into his face with Metal Claw. Flame Charge followed but was negligible, yet Charmeleon's legs became stronger, his reflexes sharper. A Dragon Breath to the face. A Fire Spin that Rhyperior merely stomped out. Another Metal Claw. Red and Charmeleon threw everything including the kitchen sink at Rhyperior, an assault whose wrath only grew.
Red smiled. He smiled because he saw something. No, he felt something. No, both. There was something building within Charmeleon. Something familiar. It was exciting. It made him shiver in anticipation. Could they… could they…
Charmeleon was hurled into the ceiling. They had grown cocky, allowed Rhyperior to overwhelm Metal Claw with Hammer Arm, thinking that avoiding the previous High Horsepower had given them prime opportunity for a counter.
Before Charmeleon could even hit the floor, Rhyperior lashed out with its tail, High Horsepowering Red's Starter into a wall that had fortunately not collapsed yet.
"I believe that is a victory to me," Giovanni said, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves with an air of indifference. "I can only hope that this will –"
Groaning. Growling. Hissing. Groaning and growling and hissing interrupted Giovanni's gloating. Charmeleon pulled himself off the floor, shaking debris and dust off him, bruised and woozy yet, despite all logic, still conscious, still up for the fight.
"Charmeleon," Red said. "Charmeleon, you're still… you're still…" Red shook his head. "Yeah, I knew it. You'd need more than a tap like that to take you down."
Charmeleon grinned and flexed his arms, his grin rather strained yet still assured.
Giovanni stared blankly at the duo. "You have got to be kidding me."
Much to Red and Charmeleon's surprise, Giovanni recalled Rhyperior.
"What do you think you're doing?" Red asked.
"I've wasted too much time," Giovanni replied, striding past Red and Charmeleon to the open hole. There was a strange, mechanical sound outside.
"We're not done with our battle," Red said. Charmeleon agreed, shouting a few choice words at Giovanni.
"Yes, we are," Giovanni said without looking back. "I've got what I need. However, since I am the one forfeiting the battle, you can claim this as your victory if you want. I don't care. Ah, there we are."
A rope ladder appeared as if by magic and Giovanni stepped onto it, carefully and tightly wrapping his hands around the rungs. Red and Charmeleon hurried forward and looked up: it was a helicopter.
"Mr. President," Giovanni shouted over the whirring of the helicopter's propellers, "I shall be in touch regarding any future dealings. I would very much like Silph Co. to be part of the Team Rocket – ahem – family. Just please clean up your office for the next time. It got a tad messy, didn't it?"
His sharp eyes hooked themselves onto Red, yet he said nothing. He merely smirked and inclined his head before being whisked off into the sunset.
Was that it, then? Giovanni had gotten whatever it was he wanted and was self-assured enough that they could easily return and do more 'business' with Silph Co. All Red, Leaf, and Blue had done was defeat a tonne of Grunts, a few higher-ups, yet failed to win the actual war. Weren't the good guys meant to beat the bad guys every time? Was this what real life was like?
Red's shoulders sagged. He had not even finished his battle with Giovanni. As silly as it seemed, out of everything, that was the thing that had ticked him off the most, that he was a mere pothole in the road to Giovanni, no matter how hard he had pushed Team Rocket's leader.
He wondered if his Pokémon thought the same.
Well, it appeared that Charmeleon shared his feelings: the flame on his tail was an inferno, he scraped the claws of his feet against the floor, his eyes were sharp and unblinking, never leaving the spot where Giovanni and the helicopter disappeared over the horizon.
The President was saying something, but whatever it was, whomever it was directed to, Red neither knew nor cared. He could not take his eyes off Charmeleon. The battle was over, yet he still resonated with that familiar, powerful energy, a generator that would not turn off, that was working harder and harder until it was on the verge of overheating.
But Charmeleon would not overheat.
He embraced fire.
Fire embraced him.
He roared as the flame on the tip of his tail flared, engulfing him, transforming him into a living firestorm.
Panicked cries from behind. Who cared? The fire grew and growled. Or was that Charmeleon? It was so hot, so fierce, so… so… awe-inspiring.
The heat reached its apex.
A semblance of coolness returned.
The fire vanished bar the tip of Charmeleon's tail.
Except it was no longer Charmeleon's tail for Charmeleon no longer stood there.
This new creature was bipedal like a Charmeleon, yet its scales had returned to the orange of its Charmander stage, apart from its belly and chest that remained cream. It had two horns now as opposed to one, its neck was longer, and – what was this! – it now had wings, goodness gracious it had wings. It was now a truly draconic Pocket Monster with wings that were bluish green on their undersides, with wings that could ferry it anywhere it wanted, with wings that gave it an added advantage in battle.
Charizard.
For a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Red forgot where he was or what he had been doing, within a realm that only existed he and Charizard. "I knew it," he whispered, smiling. "It was coming all this time, wasn't it?"
Charizard stared at Red through his ophidian eyes, clenching and unclenching his claws. He raised his tail and touched the horns on his head. He moved every part of his body, as though acclimatising himself to his new form.
Except for his wings, that is.
He adjusted his gaze to where he last saw Giovanni hanging from the rope ladder and opened his mouth wide.
A stream of fire ignited the hazy dusk sky in an orange glow.