.: Chapter 11 :.
Blackout
As a rule, Pikachu was not one to stand by while others risked their lives. Like almost everything where Pikachu was concerned, this habit was partly Ash's fault. Her trainer had the annoying habit of rushing headlong into whatever danger presented itself without so much as warning the pokemon on his shoulder that now might be a good time to get off. But however reluctant she may have been at the beginning, over the years his careless bravery had become her own, and these days she was just as likely to put herself at risk as he was. Well, almost as likely, anyways. Pikachu liked to think she had exerted a moderating influence on Ash even as his insanity influenced her, and that she still looked at things more rationally even where lives were concerned. Perhaps not as rationally as pre-Ash, but at least she still tried.
Anyways, this whole reckless heroism thing? Totally Ash's fault.
Which was why Pikachu found it oddly fitting that Ash was also the reason why the pair was sitting out the action this time, for once. She actually amazed herself by the strength of will required to hold herself back in the shadows while two pikachu and an espeon dodged waving searchlights and slipped into the shadows at the base of the power plant. She suspected the only reason Ash remained at her side at all was because he was otherwise occupied. She glanced at the black-cheeked pikachu beside her, and found him sitting still and tense, eyes closed and ears twitching occasionally in concentration.
Pikachu shook her head and turned back to the imposing structure before her. It was a huge square-ish thing, all grey concrete and shining steel. Pikachu thought it looked more like a prison than a power plant with the way the steel was worked in, starting at the roof and curving down to encase the inner blocky concrete structure in giant silver bars. But then, considering their mission, she might've been biased. A chain link fenced topped with barbed wire and danger signs surrounded the entire thing, but it had posed no obstacle for their precocious little espeon. Searchlights waved at the front of the building, sweeping across the long driveway and surrounding land, and security cameras were presumably posted nearby. Uneven black spires jutted up from the roof where the steel bars originated, and harsh light shone from their tips. At the back of the plant Pikachu could make out the requisite twin smokestacks, no less imposing for their current smoke-less state.
"Everyone is ready for tomorrow night," Ash reported, breaking into Pikachu's thoughts. "Well, almost. I'll need to contact them again just before we go in, and Bulbasaur says they might need another day to warn everyone."
Pikachu nodded absently, her attention still fixed on the shadows where the trio had disappeared.
"This is weird, isn't it?" Ash broke in again.
Pikachu glanced at him, but couldn't keep her attention away from the building for long. "It's different."
"Yeah," Ash chuckled. "Are we stupid enough to go after them?"
Pikachu gave him an assessing look. "Maybe you are."
Ash's grin was blinding. "You're right. I am."
Without another word, Ash darted forward, narrowly dodging the searchlights but eventually making it safely into the shadows on the other side. A grin formed on Pikachu's face despite herself, and she followed behind him with a bit more ease and a lot more grace. The world was back to normal.
The pair circled around the building, keeping carefully to the shadows even though the searchlights at the front seemed to be the only ones in operation. Ash's blueprints of the building had shown security cameras mounted on every side, and Ash was operating on the assumption that they had night vision. They made it around the building easily enough despite its size, and soon found themselves facing the searchlights again without having seen any sign of Uka, Ki or Tek.
"Um," Ash tried. "Maybe they already got back?"
Pikachu nodded, and darted quickly across the open field. A quick search of the forest edge revealed nothing, and even a small thunderbolt failed to produce anyone. After a few more moments of waiting, she dashed back to Ash.
"Nothing," she relayed. "Maybe they got inside somehow. Can you contact Tek?"
"I can try," Ash said. He closed his eyes and Pikachu assumed her duties as self-appointed sentinel, minding the lights. Eventually Ash opened his eyes and shook himself as if he was trying to shake off water. "No good. Something came back, but it was…too far away. Too quiet. I couldn't make it out."
"That doesn't sound good. Any idea…?"
"None. We have to go in."
Pikachu nodded grimly. Something had obviously gone wrong, and gone wrong so fast that Tek hadn't had a chance to warn them. Or maybe he hadn't been able to while Ash was talking with the others.
Without having to discuss it the pair began another circle of the building, this time looking carefully for any possible way inside. The plant's few windows were very high up and didn't appear to open at all; really they were just transparent sections of the wall. Other than that the plant was just unending concrete interspersed with the occasional steel bar. Pikachu was starting to get worried when they rounded the corner to the back of the building and finally spied something that could work. Dark water gurgled from the small hole at the base of the concrete to join the lake, and though the opening was covered with steel bars, the space looked just barely wide enough for a small pikachu to squeeze through.
Pikachu and Ash hesitated for a moment, both knowing that this had to be the way in and that time was of the essence, but really not wanting to touch the slimy water. Eventually Pikachu plucked up her courage, not wanting Ash to go first, and waded into the black pool. It was just as unpleasant as she thought it would be: the water oily and chill against her legs, and soaking farther into her fur with every passing second. She wasn't sure whether the impenetrable blackness of it was a blessing or a curse; she couldn't actually see the filth she knew was there, but that only left her free to imagine it. Pikachu took a deep gulp of fresh air and plunged forward, slipping easily through the oil-slicked bars. She winced at the state her fur would be in after all of this, and the extensive, disgusting grooming she would have to do.
She was in a large pipe, from the looks of it, and would've been in complete darkness except for a suspicious hole on her left. Halfway up the side of the pipe the concrete started to crumble, and the top half was just simply not there anymore. A few feet down it recovered again, but the hole was easily big enough to escape through. Pikachu gratefully leapt through, but botched her silent landing by slipping on the oil.
Ash crashed down behind her a few seconds later, managing to be even clumsier. He slid into Pikachu, and together they crashed into the wall and froze, just waiting for the inevitable sounds of security coming to investigate. But minutes passed, no one came, and they came to the conclusion that human hearing just wasn't up to par.
There were a few lights on in this area, just bare bulbs covered in small metal cages, but they provided enough illumination to see by. They were in waste disposal, if the garbage bags that littered the ground were any sign. A large tank connected to the broken concrete pipe, presumably where various soiled liquids were dumped.
Pikachu and Ash shook off the water as best they could, but the oil was oily and wouldn't be removed that easily. Resigned, the pair continued as silently as they could to the exit, keeping to what slight shadows remained.
Presently they emerged into a long, empty hallway. The lighting here was even worse, as only a few of the fluorescent lights that marched across the ceiling were actually in operation. A mop and bucket lay abandoned against the grey faux-brick wall, but otherwise the hall stretched barren and deserted before them.
Ash predictably took the first step into the hall and Pikachu trailed behind, unconsciously slowing her breathing. He moved with a wary but vacant look in his eyes, and Pikachu assumed he was listening for any sign of Tek. If Ash could get even the vaguest sense of the espeon's location, then maybe their search wouldn't be completely hopeless.
Unfortunately their only hope also proved to be their downfall. Ash's distraction caused him to miss the faint sound of claws on concrete, and Pikachu was too far behind to do anything but watch as a clawed hand shot out of the darkness and gripped Ash in a choke-hold. The black-cheeked pikachu shocked his attacker instinctively, his cry of anger and pain echoing through the empty hall and his electricity blinding Pikachu for a second, but when her vision returned the scene hadn't changed at all. She growled and prepared to attack herself, but the creature chose that moment to step fully into the light, such as it was. It was an electabuzz, a massive one – and it knew how to control her. A gasp from Ash as the claws tightened around his neck was all it took to stop Pikachu mid-spark.
They stood in silence in the flickering hallway for what seemed like hours. The electabuzz was obviously waiting for something, and only stared blankly back at Pikachu while she did her flat best to glare it to death. Ash could really only squeak around the grip the creature had on his neck, and even he knew not to draw attention to himself when he couldn't even use the opportunity to rant properly. After an era or two had passed in this stalemate, Pikachu's keen ears finally picked up the hollow thud of boots headed their way. She straightened and automatically tried to back into the shadows, but one growl from the electabuzz put a halt to that.
Eventually a man plodded into sight, dressed in a blue security uniform with a yellow lightning bolt emblazoned over the shirt pocket. He sported a scruffy beard and even scruffier brown hair, a black flashlight in one hand and a small walkie-talkie in the other. His heavy work boots cheerfully mocked the idea of subtlety as they clopped along, seeming distinctly unsuitable for a security guard. He took the scene in with one nonchalant glance, and then turned the walkie-talkie on in a crackle of static.
"Reporting two class 1 intruders. Apprehended by assistant, situation stable." He flicked the flashlight at Pikachu, and she had to squint against the glare. A garbled reply came through the small machine, and even though Pikachu hadn't understood it the guard obviously had more practice.
"Understood. I'll move them to Storage 32. Leave a note for the morning shift."
The radio crackled back once more, and this apparently satisfied the guard, for he turned it off and stuck it on his belt. Then, with barely a glance at them, he took out the scariest objects Pikachu had ever seen: two pokeballs.
"Pii," she breathed, disbelieving. She didn't think she could be caught, but they'd already proven that Ash could be; and there was no way she was letting him go through that again. But the single step she took forward was met by another pained gasp from Ash, and when she whipped around to look her heart almost stopped at the drop of blood that trickled down through his fur. She was helpless.
—Pikachu. —
Her eyes widened and she froze, but luckily her eyes were already near their maximum width so it wasn't much of a tell. Her gaze locked with Ash's which, predictably enough for Ash, held grim warning but not a hint of fear.
—Something's coming. —
Putting the question of just how he knew that aside, she did believe him. Still, there wasn't much she could do with that information other than be on guard, and she was pretty sure she had already passed code red some time ago. The guard wasn't about to wait for whatever it was to show up, either. He threw his balls and Pikachu spun around to do something, managing to deflect the ball aimed at Ash with a well-placed tail slap while the second ball bounced harmlessly off her shoulder. The guard frowned, ordered the electabuzz to hold Ash still, and then promptly fell over.
Pikachu blinked.
Fortunately for them both Ash wasn't as slow on the uptake. He took perfect advantage of his captor's surprise and used an Iron Tail to wedge himself out of the electabuzz's grip. As the other pokemon roared in fury Ash spun and attacked with another Iron Tail, managing to catch it on one arm. The electabuzz roared again, clutched its arm and began to spark, and finally Pikachu joined the fray. In less than a second she was behind the larger electric pokemon, and with an expert jump and flip she knocked it out with an Iron Tail to the head.
She turned to Ash questioningly, but he only shook his head and turned away from her to search the shadows. Pikachu tried her best to calm her suddenly shaky breaths. Ash might be out of immediate danger, but that didn't mean the danger was gone.
"Well if I'd'a known it was you, I wouldn't'a bothered."
They both froze at the familiar voice and watched in shocked silence as a large, creamy white and completely unexpected shape stepped out of the shadows.
"M…Meowth?" Pikachu yelped, too shocked to be distressed at how high her voice sounded.
"Ha, now dat's nice ta hear. I see you're still da same annoyin' yellow rat as always. Lucky you. Although…I don't see the twerp 'round here. Don't tell me ya split up!"
"You…evolved?" Ash persisted. To be fair, the concept was pretty shocking.
"No, I was born dis way," Persian-Meowth snapped. He narrowed his slitted golden eyes. "Who're you? Twerp 2.0?"
"Uhh, no, the original flavour," Ash chuckled a little, scratching the back of his neck.
Meowth stared at them for a long moment and then burst into hysterical laughter. Ash watched in silence, completely nonplussed but calm, and so of course Pikachu freaked out.
"Be quiet!" she hissed, her fur standing on end. "Do you want to call the rest of the guards down on us?"
"Oh, calm down," Meowth waved her off, still laughing. "I took 'em down ages ago. Like ta have da place ta myself."
"What, is this your weekend hangout spot or something?" Ash said, still looking very unimpressed.
Meowth smirked. "What's it to you? Saved your neck dis time, didn't I?"
"Yeah," Ash conceded, eyes narrowing. Pikachu was cheered slightly; Ash could be a hopeless, trusting idiot at times, but he had finally learned some caution where Team Rocket was concerned. "What's that about?"
"Like I said, didn't know who ya were," the cat shrugged. He lifted a paw and examined his shining claws for a significant moment, and then turned a sharp gaze on Ash. "But seein' as how I did save your sorry lives, I t'ink I deserve ta know: what happened to you?"
Ash opened his mouth to reply, but something seemed to interrupt him. His ears twitched and a grim expression settled over his face. "We don't have time for that now," he said finally. "Our friends need our help."
"What, dere's more of you?" Meowth sputtered with undisguised horror. "Don't tell me da rest o' the twerps're here too?"
Pikachu grinned; she had missed Meowth-baiting. "Oh no, no people, just some other members of our clan," she said, which was worth it just for the look on Meowth's face. He was definitely the least dignified Persian she had ever seen. Ash looked a bit confused but she ignored it, trying to match his early seriousness as she turned back to him. "Do you know where they are?"
Ash went distant for a moment, his eyes losing their focus, but then he nodded and turned around, heading in the direction they had been travelling before the Electabuzz's interruption. Pikachu fell into step behind him and, after a moment, Meowth followed without even a single complaint. At least Meowth seemed to have learned silence as a Persian; his claws made no sound against the concrete, and Ash was easily the noisiest member of the party.
They travelled this way for a time, not speaking, until the hallway forked and Ash stopped, looking puzzled. He frowned and bowed his head, obviously trying to pick up the trail again, but eventually he shook his head.
"We're near one of da storage rooms," Meowth volunteered, surprising them both. "Your…friends might be in dere. I can show ya, if ya want."
"Okay," Ash said, giving Meowth a strange look. "…Thanks."
Meowth just flicked his tail in Ash's direction and padded off down the left branch of the hall, leaving Ash and Pikachu to trail behind. They followed the persian through a few more bends in the corridor, and finally stopped at a suspicious black door. A piece of paper was taped on at human eye-level, but Pikachu couldn't make out what it said in the dim light. Sparks leapt from her cheeks as she readied herself to break the lock, but Meowth stepped in front of her. As a persian, he was certainly a lot better at blocking.
"Hsss, no style. Watch an' learn, rat."
Pikachu sat back and did so, watching as Meowth extended a single shining claw and stuck it into the door knob, and just waiting for the tell-tale snap of a broken claw. To her surprise it never came, and the only noise she heard was a soft click as the lock opened. Meowth deftly removed his claw and pressed down on the door handle, allowing the door to swing inward. He mock-bowed as Pikachu and Ash passed him with nearly identical expressions of grudging respect.
Ash trotted past the shelves stocked with paint cans, buckets, mop heads and miscellaneous other cleaning supplies, and made a beeline for a unlabelled white bucket in the far corner. Standing up on his hind legs he just barely reached the top, but he managed to nose off the lid regardless. The clatter as it hit the ground was shockingly loud, making the already jumpy Pikachu even jumpier.
"They're in here somewhere," Ash said, his voice oddly muffled. Pikachu stopped her shifty glances and turned back to Ash, finding him perched on the edge of the bucket with his head buried in the contents. Sharp clacks echoed from within as he rummaged around.
Meowth sat down in a regal position that must come instinctually, tail curled around his legs, obviously settling in for a long wait. "I don't know what's goin' on with you dese days, but your current plan still sucks."
"You got a better one?" was Ash's muffled rejoinder.
"Yeeeaah," Meowth drawled, and Pikachu didn't believe that for a second. The persian scanned the room, slitted pupils widening to make the most of the dim light. "Why don't ya take 'em all?"
"And how would I do that?"
"Ever heard of a bag?"
Ash pulled his head out of the bucket to glare, but by then Meowth had already tugged down a large burlap bag from one of the high shelves and was holding it delicately between his teeth. Ash grumbled, but conceded the point. After some confused failures at working together, the three of them eventually managed to tip over the bucket and roll the balls into the bag, which luckily proved light enough to carry. Most of the balls must have been empty.
Unfortunately the bag was still far too massive for a pikachu to carry, and once it was filled Ash and Pikachu both turned expectantly at Meowth. The cat gave a put-upon sigh.
"Do I have ta do everything around here?" he whined. "Dese aren't my friends, ya know. I should'a just let dat Electabuzz fry you." But eventually he did grab the bag between his teeth and set off down the hallway, and when Ash and Pikachu followed he didn't lead them astray.
xXx
Seeing Meowth-as-a-persian was going to take some getting used to, Ash decided. Everything seemed normal from afar, as long as one accepted that a persian holding court with an espeon and two pikachu was 'normal'. If Ash got any closer, though, his keen pikachu hearing would zero in on Meowth's all too distinctive voice, now laced with an undeniable low purr that had never been present before, and his mind melted anew. Sometimes Meowth would say something particularly loud, as if he was just trying to be annoying, and Ash would have a mini meltdown even at this distance.
Ash glanced up from the map spread out on the grass before him and snuck a look at Pikachu. If anything, she seemed to be faring worse than he was, which Ash supposed made sense. Her ears kept flicking in Meowth's direction and she glanced his way every few seconds in what seemed like an involuntary motion. She kept her gaze carefully fixed on Ash's map the rest of the time, but Ash was willing to bet she wasn't seeing it. He suspected her hearing was better than his, in which case the distance wasn't helping her at all – but any farther and the two groups would be too far apart for safety. And then, of course, there was the evolution itself, which no doubt disturbed Pikachu more. No matter how much they pestered him, Meowth had refused to say anything on the subject, which in itself was enough of a warning flag.
Ash wasn't sure what kind of relationship existed – or had existed – between Meowth and Pikachu, but he didn't doubt that it did exist. At first he had assumed it was much the same as the one that existed between himself and Jesse and James, but he was no longer sure that was the case. The pair had gotten lost together or placed in close proximity often enough for something to change, and Ash had noticed Meowth always seemed either oddly subdued or particularly vicious when he encountered him after those episodes. Pikachu usually didn't seem any different, but once Ash had noticed it with Meowth he was looking for it in Pikachu, and he realized she did seem a little sad sometimes. Ash didn't know what they talked about and he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but those signs were enough for him to suspect they had some other connection that he himself lacked with the rest of Team Rocket.
Now, seeing Meowth fully evolved, Ash thought that might have been it. Both Meowth and Pikachu had been determined to achieve their goals without evolving; they wanted to prove they could do it, and live their dreams without changing who they were. Ash had respected that greatly, and had done all he could to help Pikachu, but he wouldn't be surprised if Team Rocket hadn't been as supportive for Meowth. They had always seemed okay with it, but Ash had to admit he didn't exactly catch them at relaxed, open moments. Besides that, they had always seemed so desperate for money, for food – which Ash would have sympathized with if they weren't so bent on stealing his best friend – and it wasn't so improbable that their desperation provoked some conflict. More importantly, Meowth didn't need a stone or any sort of outside influence to evolve, like Pikachu did; perhaps he had simply gotten serious about training and couldn't prevent his body from growing stronger in the best way it knew how. Ash knew there were some tricks trainers could try to stop an evolution in progress, but perhaps Team Rocket hadn't known of them or simply hadn't bothered.
But no matter how or why it had happened, the facts remained the same: Pikachu had succeeded, and Meowth had failed. To realize that now after all these years…to wonder if there was some opportunity to help that she had somehow missed…
Ash looked up again, his mouth already opening and his friend's name on his tongue, but something in Pikachu's expression stopped him. She wasn't looking at him, but she had given up on the map pretense entirely and was watching Meowth openly now. There was something brittle in her eyes that Ash had never seen before, or had at least never studied this closely. She was still sitting at her place in front of the map, facing Ash, but her legs were tense and her tail and ears were partly raised in an oddly defensive, uncertain stance; as if she were in the midst of a fight-or-flight decision and tending towards flight. As unsettling as the thought was, Ash felt like any sudden moves or noises from him would cause his partner to bolt.
…Nah. This was Pikachu. He was being ridiculous.
"Pikachu?" he tried, his voice coming out soft despite himself. She did in fact jump, but didn't disappear into the woods as he had half expected.
"Sorry," she said, and flashed him a supremely fake smile. "Got distracted. I keep forgetting that's actually Meowth, you know?"
"Yeah," Ash murmured distantly. "Pikachu—"
"I'm fine," she interrupted, still smiling. "Just a little thrown. Aren't you?"
Ash frowned. While it wasn't that unusual for Pikachu to pretend to be cheerful when she was not, she usually didn't try to lie to his face about it, or brush it off if he tried to probe. She knew she couldn't fool him for long, and she usually didn't try; the only explanation he could think of was that she really didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her and, in a roundabout way, was asking him to respect that. Ash felt a nervous weight settle in the back of his mind that he knew would remain as long as this silence lasted. He never dealt with personal problems well, especially where his best friend was concerned. Despite that, for her sake he would try to wait a few days and give her a chance to work it out herself.
And so Ash nodded and went back to studying his map, doing his best to pretend he had missed the relieved expression on Pikachu's face. At least he had plenty of other things to worry about tonight.
xXx
The group, Meowth included, slept through most of the day due to their being awake until near dawn, and the sun was well on its way to setting when Ash regained the first dregs of consciousness. As he rubbed his bleary eyes he noted Meowth's continued presence with some surprise. The large cream feline was curled up at the base of a large maple with Tek leaning against his side, although Ash guessed the arrangement was unintentional. Uka and Ki were still asleep as well, curled up a few meters away underneath a leafy bush. Pikachu was nowhere in sight, but Ash wasn't too surprised by that. Her departure was probably what had woken him up, because he was generally the last to rise on any given day.
Instead of getting worked up about it and searching for her, Ash settled back in his leafy bed and decided to try a new strategy.
—Pikachu?—
He waited a moment, and after about a minute he got a clear vision of a shiny red apple. As he watched, a bite was taken out of it by an invisible consumer. Ash gave a startled laugh, certain that Pikachu could hear it.
—Be back by sundown, okay?—
A silver coin, pikachu-side face up, was her only answer. Ash let her go.
Sensing that the others would sleep for a while longer, the black-cheeked pikachu got to his feet and stumbled off towards where he thought he'd seen a river yesterday. As it turned out, his memory wasn't totally accurate, but thankfully his hearing was sharp enough that he was able to find it anyway. He took a long drink and then submerged himself in the chilly water, willing to brave the cold to get the plant's oil out of his fur. He realized it was rather pointless since he would just have to do it again in a few hours, but he hadn't had the energy for it last night and now the oil had grown sticky and hard, pulling uncomfortably on his fur if he so much as twitched an ear. With some reluctant help from his tongue the oil finally came off in the water and Ash crawled ashore, watching with satisfaction as the rainbow swirls disappeared downstream.
The problem with fur, Ash decided as he stretched out under the dying sun, was that you couldn't take it off to dry. He considered switching to human form until he dried off, and then got stuck wondering about the logistics of that. Would it even work? Would his clothes be soaked instead? Or would he be completely dry, and his pikachu form just remain wet until he switched back and waited it out? Where did his clothes go when he changed? He had never found a satisfactory answer to that question, and despite the food apparently remaining fresh, he was careful never to switch if he had filled pokeballs on him. Though maybe if he did switch with a pokemon on him, they'd be able to tell him where they went…
"I know ya have no reason ta trust me, but I would'a thought you'd trust da little pikachu brats."
Ash only jumped slightly, which he was very proud of, and turned to face the eerily familiar voice with some degree of dignity.
"What are you talking about, Meowth?"
"And dat's another thing," Meowth said, switching gears with the ease of those who are always eager to complain. "You keep callin' me Meowth, which I obviously ain't."
"Well, what else do you want me to call you?"
But Meowth, apparently, was less interested in fixing the problem than simply complaining about it, and ignored the question. "So because you, my dearest pal of so many, many years—" Ash made a face, which Meowth ignored, "wouldn't tell me, I was forced to spend all night grillin' the brats about how ya managed to get yourself made a pikachu, only to find dey don't know you was ever human ta begin with!"
"Uh, well, it's kind of on a need-to-know basis."
"Dey're risking deir lives for you, and dey don't 'need ta know'?! I always knew you twerps had loose morals."
"Well, actually, they're trying to free their family…" Ash trailed off when he saw his excuse wasn't getting him anywhere. "Look, they don't trust humans, and it would only confuse things. Tek knows!"
The persian's tail lashed angrily. "Da brat's a good liar, den." He fixed golden eyes on Ash with a predatory look that Ash found surprisingly threatening. He decided to blame his pikachu prey instincts entirely for that one. "So are ya going ta tell me, or what?"
Ash sighed and scrubbed his face with a paw. "I guess it's useless making you promise not to tell anyone?"
"I haven't changed dat much, twerp."
"I guess… You already know the most dangerous part, it's too late to do anything about that. And you might be less likely to spread it around if you know the whole story…"
Ash glanced at Meowth, but the persian was just sitting quietly, waiting for Ash to stop thinking out loud. That in itself was enough to convince Ash that Meowth had changed, even if just a little. Maybe he could trust him with this. Besides, there were some compensations…
"Okay," Ash decided, and Meowth smirked. "But I want to hear how you evolved."
Meowth's smirk vanished. "Hey now! Dis ain't no trade!"
Ash stretched out again on the grass. "It is if you want to hear my story. And you have to go first, because I still don't trust you."
Meowth glared, but Ash just closed his eyes and waited. The sun was still gloriously warm, and he could feel his fur drying and becoming fluffy and clean after the bath. The world was a happy place, just now.
"You have changed, twerp," Meowth muttered finally. "Ya never used ta be dis smart."
Ash grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment." He rolled over and blinked innocently at the sulking persian. "So? Let's hear it."
Meowth growled at him in a way that caused his fur to stand on end, but eventually he opened his mouth and began.
"It must'a been a year or so after ya disappeared under your rock, or wherever ya hid to 'train' – cuz obviously, ya hadn't been training for all dose years we followed ya around. Anyway. What with not tryin' ta steal Pikachu no more, we didn't have much ta offer da boss anymore, see? We did odd jobs and dat for a while, jus' tryin to keep fed. But da boss wasn't happy dat we weren't bringin' him any pokemon, dat we weren't even promisin' him dis amazin' pikachu, dat we just gave up. Never mind dat no one else could've taken her from ya either, but dat had been our thing, see? So one day, da boss realized we weren't exactly pullin' our weight, and he cut us off. No more cash.
"We were really in trouble den. I know why Jesse an' James did what dey did – I would'a done da same. We were all desperate. But dat don't make it right."
Meowth paused, but Ash realized it wasn't an I'm finished talking type of pause, so he didn't interrupt. He realized now that this was one of the worst case scenarios he had imagined, and felt guilty for forcing Meowth to talk about it – but not guilty enough to make the cat stop.
"We tried ta survive for a couple o' weeks, but none of us are da honest type, and we didn't have Team Rocket ta bail us out no more if we got caught stealin'. So one night Jesse an' James got to talkin', and dey came up with a plan. See, da boss's persian was gettin' on in years, an' dere was no replacement. Dat persian had been with da boss for as long as he'd been da boss, and dey were inseperable, so I don't know why dey ever thought it would work. But I've always known dey were idiots. I guess dis is just proof.
"Deir plan, as far as I can tell, was ta get me ta evolve and den submit me as a replacement for da boss's persian. And den, because I could talk, I would somehow make him give dem places of honour and lots of money – da old drill. We'd all be alive, but dey'd be free and I'd be caged. I don't know if dey planned to kill da other persian or not, but dey can't've been plannin' to wait him out, cuz as far as I know he's still alive an' purring.
"Well obviously I wasn't gonna agree to dis lunacy, so dey had to surprise me. And, o' course, deir way of doin' dis was to make me think I was gonna die. One night when none of us had eaten in days and da weather was startin' to get chilly, dey up and set all o' deir pokemon on me."
Ash gasped; he couldn't help it. Meowth paused and gave him a bitter look, but apparently was determined to finish his tale now that he had made it this far.
"Most normal pokemon – yours, I guess – wouldn't attack a friend an' fellow pokemon without good reason. But deir pokemon, as you know, ain't normal, and dey was gettin' used to a lot of crazy orders dose days. Dey didn't even hesitate. I didn't know what was goin' on, but I knew I wasn't gonna go down easy, and I wasn't gonna let dem get away with dis.
"So yeah, I evolved. I was half starved and frozen and dey had me half dead before I did, but in dose last moments I figured it was better ta be a persian den be dead. My survival instinct's always been too strong for my own good.
"But dey'd made a mistake, see. I'm a lot older and smarter dan deir pokemon, none of whom dey've really ever bothered ta actually train. I was suddenly stronger, and angrier den I'd ever been in my life. I beat dem all. And den I knocked out Jesse an' James too, took everything useful dey had, and left. I haven't seen dem since. Maybe dey figured out something else and got back into da boss's good graces, or maybe dey didn't and dey're dead now. I don't care.
"Since den I've been on my own, mostly jus' wanderin'. I can survive on my own a lot easier dan dey could, even if I have ta eat raw meat sometimes. An' I can get work sometimes, mostly rattata-hunting, earn some money and buy some real food. But mostly I scavenge. Power plant's good for dat. You got any idea how much copper sells for on da black market?"
Ash just shook his head mutely. He couldn't think of anything to say but he felt he definitely needed to say something. "Meowth…I'm…that's terrible."
"Yeah, well, dat's what ya get when ya work with crooks," Meowth scoffed, but his still lashing tail showed his anger.
"They were your friends…"
"No dey weren't, and I wasn't deirs."
Ash swallowed and stopped pressing. He didn't really know the true dynamics of Team Rocket, but he had always assumed they were friends in some way. But no matter the truth, it was obviously easier for Meowth to believe this, so Ash wouldn't push. They sat in tense silence for a while before Meowth remembered the other half of their bargain. Ash was reluctant, no less so because after Meowth's heartbreaking tale his seemed like nothing more substantial than cheerful fluff, but he couldn't exactly refuse either. So it all came out, and without quite meaning to Ash found he wasn't holding anything back. He did stop as soon as he felt he reasonably could without leaving out anything relevant, and skipped over what they'd been doing after that – Meowth had likely heard a lot of stories from Uka and Ki already anyhow. He thought Meowth might call him out on the gap and sudden stop, but the cat was obviously still trying to get his head around it all while recovering from the rehashing of his own trauma.
"So you're out ta save da poor innocent pokemon from da big bad humans, eh twerp?" said Meowth finally. "I hate ta break it to ya, but it ain't all dat black an' white."
Ash made a face and fried a nearby branch in frustration. "Don't you think I know that? You've known me for years, maybe not as friends, but still – do you honestly think I have any idea what I'm doing here?"
That startled a laugh out of Meowth, and as Ash listened he realized with surprise that he'd never heard a genuine laugh from the talking cat before.
"Nah, you're still the same twerp as ever," the cat grinned when his chuckles had subsided. Slowly the grin faded and a contemplative look crossed his face. He looked out over the water, and when he spoke his voice was infused with more smugness than Ash had ever heard, but that somehow still rang false. "I guess you'll be needin' my help den. Someone's gotta remind ya that not all pokemon are pure, innocent little souls dat need savin'."
Ash just grinned back, carefully holding in his private thought that Meowth hadn't been doing very well at that so far.
xXx
The sun sank into a simmering horizon of red, and the dusk that fell was heavy and charged in a way that made Ash jumpy and excitable – which really wasn't such a great state for a leader to be in. Pikachu still seemed a bit off even though she'd been gone for most of the day, and the excitement on top of that was making her irritable and twitchy, which was even worse. Still, when he looked her way she gave him a sincere smile, and the knot of tension under Ash's skin uncurled a little with the reassurance that his partner was working through whatever had bothered her. Uka, Ki, and Tek seemed infected with the same nervous excitement as Ash, but magnified tenfold; Ash tried to keep his distance from them.
Meowth, though…Meowth was grim and sarcastic, but he was stable, and for that Ash was immeasurably grateful. Even better, he knew the building, its security, its hidden entrances – everything. Ash stuck to Meowth like a burr, and allowed the cat to lead them through a maze of tunnels and corridors that they never would have seen otherwise. He had to appreciate the distinct lack of oil, as well.
The plan went smoothly, which was probably the last thing Ash was expecting. Ash first checked in with all the groups, and everyone gave him the green light back. A focused burst of electricity from the four pikachu in the group to the plant's main generator easily short-circuited the thing, and further frying of the switchboards ensured that the problem would not be contained. Within seconds the entire plant was plunged into a darkness and silence so deafening that for a moment Ash thought he'd died.
But then he caught Meowth's cat eyes shining in some stray flicker of moonlight, and he felt the cat's furry tail coil around one of his ears. It felt terribly uncomfortable, but as the alternative was wandering lost in the darkness, Ash put up with the indignity. He stretched his own tail out behind him and felt someone lightly bite down. In a delicate chain they stumbled along, Meowth somehow still knowing the way even when Ash couldn't see a thing.
They came to a door, which Ash only noticed by the snick of Meowth's claw in the lock and the rush of air when it opened, and then Meowth disappeared. Oddly reluctant to speak in the strange nothingness he found himself in, Ash waited silently for his return. And return he did, multiple times, bearing large clattering bags which he distributed among the pikachu. Finally, when he also had one (albeit a much smaller one), they retreated and he led the way back outside.
The lights were still off when they emerged into the moonlight, and Ash fervently hoped they would remain that way long enough for the rest of his pokemon – his friends – to accomplish their missions. He would check in on them later, in the morning, when things would be a little less chaotic for everyone involved. He couldn't imagine what things were like in the other cities, with the main-the only power grid shutting down without a moment's warning and bringing the city to a standstill, but he could guess the citizens wouldn't be taking it calmly. If any of his friends did run into trouble, the last thing he wanted to do was distract them.
They would handle it on their own, because they had to.
xXx
Bulbasaur wasn't sure what had happened. He was pretty sure that he was supposed to be the one in charge, and he thought he may have even started out that way. If so, it had been a brief leadership, at best. He found he was simultaneously grateful and irritated with Ash for pairing him with the wild card; surely no one else could have handled her, but was it really necessary for him to try?
Of course it was. Bulbasaur knew Ash, knew what he was trying to do, and he couldn't fault him for it. The Master would always give everyone, people or pokemon, the benefit of the doubt, even if they did their best to antagonize him. It was one of the most admirable things about Ash, usually. Right now, Bulbasaur thought it more on par with idiocy, or martyrdom.
His original plan had been to hang around the gym, waiting for disappointed challengers. However, that quickly fell apart when they realized that none of the challengers left under their own power; in the great majority of cases, the pokemon remained in their balls as their trainers dashed frantically for the pokemon center. The persian – Sienne – had observed just enough to be sure that Bulbasaur realized what an utter failure his plan was, and then had stalked off into an alley without so much as a by-your-leave. Since he wasn't about to let such a suspicious cat run off with enough knowledge to ruin them, Bulbasaur had no choice but to follow.
It became quickly apparent that Sienne knew what she was doing, and Bulbasaur was relegated to the sidelines. The street pokemon that skulked around in the alleys were scruffy, malnourished, pugnacious, and very receptive to what the cat had to say. Moreover, they completely shunned Bulbasaur; apparently his pampered, trained-pokemon vibe was too obvious to miss, according to Sienne. Bulbasaur thought the irony in this was nice, considering Sienne herself had been leading a pampered life at Oak's while he'd been fighting in the league championships.
Bulbasaur's time to shine came on the second day. He decided he needed to get into the hospital, to talk to the recovering pokemon there. Since the street pokemon had agreed all too easily, Sienne didn't have much left to do, and reluctantly followed. Between them they got inside easily enough, and most of the rooms were empty of people, aside from the occasional nurse. The rooms where trainers lingered waiting for their pokemon to recover were rare, and no loss – those pokemon wouldn't have agreed anyway.
Sienne's attitude was completely unwelcome here. What had worked so well with the street urchins only served to anger the trained pokemon, provoking some so much that they attempted to attack the cat even while still hooked up to fluids. Bulbasaur cheerfully took over, promising the persian painful retribution is she dared to speak, and from there things went much smoother. Bulbasaur was able to understand their complaints and perspective easily, and his rational persuasion went a long way. They left the hospital with many promises of help from the inmates, most of whom expected to be discharged within a day.
The coup de gras came on the last day, mere hours before they expected Ash's signal. Word reached them through the street urchins that someone had actually managed to win against Surge, and that as a result his raichu was in the hospital. Hardly believing their luck, the pair snuck into the hospital once more and found the room deserted apart from the exhausted raichu in the single bed.
Raichu proved to be a strange mix of the street urchins' hostility and the trained pokemon's superiority. Having never faced it himself, Bulbasaur wasn't sure what to expect. Pikachu, of course, loved to tell the story of her victory over it, but Bulbasaur had always suspected those stories were more than a little biased. Now, he wasn't so sure. Raichu seemed just as foul tempered as Pikachu had always claimed.
He was actually grateful when Sienne stepped in, hissing insults that easily matched and exceeded Raichu's in venom. With a few well placed comments of his own, he managed to redirect their insults away from each other and toward Surge. Raichu seemed to have no great love for its trainer, but neither did it hate him. He was 'acceptable', and gave the pokemon plenty of opportunities to pummel 'weaklings' into the ground, which was what it most enjoyed. Once Bulbasaur understood the bully, he was able to convince it that it would get even more opportunities for battle if it helped them out for a little while. The added bonus of forcing its trainer to show it some respect was Sienne's idea, and was finally enough to get the abrasive pokemon to agree.
When the lights went out that night, the street pokemon raided houses and stores, the hospital crew freed their trainers' teams and looted private stashes, and Lt. Surge's raichu flattened the gym and bathed the powerless city in light.
xXx
Cyndaquil was having the time of her life.
Granted, the first few days hadn't been much fun. Their job wasn't to gather allies, and Cyn knew better than to try. Charizard wasn't given to full sentences or deep thought, and Cyn herself couldn't imagine deliberately turning a pokemon against its trainer, even if the trainer was bad, and even though she understood why it was important. She wanted to believe in people too much for that, even after she'd seen the worst of it. She knew Ash was the same, and she was sad for what what he had to do. It hurt her to face up to how terrible things had become, so she knew it must hurt him as well. But they were brave, Cyn and her trainer, and so they would do what was necessary no matter how much it hurt.
Unfortunately, this left them without much to do for three days. Charizard was more than a little conspicuous, so they stayed out of the city at first. The dragon was restless and bored, and disappeared for long stretches of time, during which Cyndaquil could only hope he wouldn't make too big a mess of things. For her part, Cyn made friends with the forest pokemon and explored the city, doing her best to identify the best places for attack. Her forest friends grew curious, and despite herself, Cyndaquil found a few who were willing to help out when the lights went down. She tried her best to make them understand that it would be dangerous, but too many had lost family or grown up as orphans to be deterred.
But now, now she was having fun. Ash focused on control and precision so much in training, and it was a relief to be able to completely let loose for once. Freeing. Charizard roared from underneath her, and she knew the big dragon agreed. She flared brighter, feeling her flames lick her fur and dance around her ears, and threw another fireball at the fence surrounding the Safari Zone. From her vantage point on Charizard's back she had a perfect view of the explosion as it collided, electricity and fire mingling and ensuring that segment of fence would never hold anyone back again. Fire fell from Charizard's mouth in the next instant, setting the entire fence ablaze for miles. Cinders flew around her as the firestorm on the ground grew, and Cyndaquil smiled.
Destruction was fun.
xXx
"Everything's set, sir!"
Squirtle grinned at his makeshift lieutenant. Within hours of landing in Celadon Squirtle had set out to put together a mini Squirtle Squad with whatever pokemon he could find, and this little rattata had practically hit him in the face. Blackberry was quick, clever, and had enthusiasm in spades. Even more usefully, he had friends, and Squirtle's mini squad now consisted of a full troupe of rattata.
"Everyone knows the signal?"
"Yes sir!"
Squirtle heard Noctowl ruffle his feathers beside him, clearly amused. Blackberry insisted on calling Squirtle 'sir', which felt strange, but which Squirtle tolerated for the spark of importance that shone from the youngster's eyes every time he said it. Squirtle understood that need to be a part of something bigger, and he wasn't about to take away that joy.
"The muk is in position?"
"Yes sir!"
Noctowl had disapproved of the theft, but Squirtle knew Muk was crucial to their plan. They needed a way to completely destroy equipment, one that didn't involve loud, messy bursts of water or gusts of air. The rattata could chew through anything, it was true, but that would take time. Feed something to a muk, on the other hand, and what came out the other end was barely recognizable. Besides, the blob of sludge wasn't intelligent enough to understand what was going on, and it wasn't going to complain when it was getting fed. Ash would never realize it was missing, and it wasn't like Oak was overly fond of the thing either.
"Sir, will those…things really work?"
Squirtle let his sunglasses slip so he could give the kid a wink. "You bet, kiddo. You guys did awesome."
Blackberry lit up with the praise, and Squirtle didn't think it undeserved. Truthfully, he'd been the useless one in that venture. Noctowl had been the one to suggest a second diversion. The power going out was all well and good, but they didn't know how many backup generators the city had, and they definitely didn't want an increase in the pokemart guards. So Noctowl, with the rats helping by stealing parts, had put together a bunch of small, homemade bombs that were set to go off near the gym. A wild ponyta had been convinced to set them off when the lights went out, although it hadn't taken much convincing. Squirtle was always amused at how eager fire pokemon were to see things explode and burn. Pyromaniacs, the lot of them.
He glanced at Noctowl, and the bird's eyes glinted at him as if sharing his mental joke. Honestly, Squirtle wouldn't be surprised if the owl did actually know what he was thinking; he was definitely weirdly perceptive enough to be a mind reader. Noctowl seemed serious and severe, but Squirtle had learned that he could be just as cunning and devious as the former gang leader.
Case in point: Noctowl had informed him shortly after arrival that he'd be able to see any alarms that were active if the store's security system remained active. Squirtle didn't know how he could possibly know this, and Noctowl wouldn't say, although Squirtle got the vague impression that he was being laughed at. Doubtless there was more to the bird pokemon than met the eye, and Squirtle was determined to get to know him better.
– We're ready to go in. Is your end prepared? –
Squirtle startled at the sudden voice in his head, but made sure not to let it show. Couldn't have the little guy thinking he'd gotten nervous, after all. He closed his eyes and gave Ash his best green light.
– Great. – Ash paused. – Be careful, and good luck. –
Squirtle imagined himself as he was, wearing his sunglasses and a confident smirk, and flashing a peace sign. He heard a mental chuckle, and then Ash was gone.
Squirtle opened his eyes and nodded at Noctowl. The bird pokemon nodded back and the two settled in to wait.
Minutes later the city was plunged into darkness and the gym burst into flame. Squirtle smirked.
Show time.
xXx
Pidgeot liked to think of herself as a gentle soul, a pacifist at heart. She realized this ran a bit contradictory to her history with Ash, where she had done almost nothing but battle, and even during her time with the flock, where she had been the stalwart protector, the one who fought to protect her friends. Nevertheless, she held this ideal in her mind, and honestly believed there were better ways to solve conflicts than with violence.
For that reason she had initially been resistant to Ash's plan, no matter how familiar she was with the 'Trainer Knows Best' mentality. She simply couldn't see a way that this could end without bloodshed, even with Ash at the lead. Especially with Ash at the lead.
And yet…she couldn't deny the evidence before her eyes. It wasn't right, how willingly these pokemon turned on their trainers. Insulated as she'd been with Ash, she'd missed the tragedies that were occurring all around her, every day. The tales of broken families and ruined childhoods tugged at her heart. Pidgeot herself was lucky. She had grown up with a loving family, and when she was captured she was old enough to strike out on her own with only a small pang of loss. She had been taught to value family ties above everything else, and so she had been willing to give her life defending the Viridian Forest flock. To see these young ones deprived of their families so violently, and the bitterness that trauma left in their hearts…
Pidgeot still couldn't see how this conflict could be solved without bloodshed, but she found she cared less and less. Someone had to do something, and she was ready to be that someone.
Bayleef seemed to be of the same opinion. Pidgeot knew the grass pokemon had never been completely stable, likely an orphan herself with the way she'd bonded to Ash at first sight. She'd missed seeing it all firsthand, of course, but the emotion had been there in other pokemon's eyes for anyone who knew how to look, even later. She didn't need Bulbasaur to explain the situation to her once she'd seen that look, and she didn't need anyone to tell her how it was going to end. Pikachu was special, as she should be. That was fact.
Pidgeot didn't know what had happened while Bayleef was gone with Ash and Pikachu, but that look no longer shone from the grass pokemon's eyes. Instead it had hardened into something uglier, something resigned. Pidgeot had been concerned at first, and still was, although now her concern rested only with Bayleef's health and not her loyalty. She was made of stronger stuff than Pidgeot had given her credit for. Perhaps she would be able to overcome this on her own, or maybe with Bulbasaur's help. Pidgeot wished her the best.
But whatever her future might be, Bayleef's new jadedness was an asset here. Where before she might have been too blinded by Ash's virtues to sway these pokemon, now she spoke with a cold detachment that conveyed an understanding of their hardships. They had been betrayed by their trainers; well, so had she. No one needed to know that hers was a different kind of betrayal entirely.
Bayleef worked with the adolescents and the scarred adults, Pidgeot offered safety and refuge to the youngsters and families, and together they assembled a sizeable task force and evacuated more before chaos fell.
When the lights went out, the pokemon of Saffron were ready.
xXx
And far, far away, on an as yet undiscovered island, a clone opened its eyes. Something was moving in the human world, and it meant to find out what.