Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Chapter 4: Anything but Human(e)
Another hard day training had come and gone and Ashley was now resting back at the pokémon centre, alone, in the professor's suite. Her pokémon had made great progress, despite the lack of help this time, Gyarados had mastered Aqua Tail and had a slightly better grasp of Ice Fang. Eevee very nearly had Swift down, she could form the energy stars and could fire them at her opponent, what she couldn't do however, was get them to track their objective.
'All in good time,' Ashley thought. She was ready for her gym battle tomorrow and that was great but her mind was elsewhere. Her dreams had taken a rather different turn the previous night, for the first time in her life, was really scared.
Ashley found herself surrounded by darkness once again, she was busy musing over how familiar this was becoming, when a still shrouded figure appeared in front of her. The piercing purple eyes she recognised from her first dream adorned what appeared to be the being's face. From what she could tell, the figure stood on two legs and had two arms but was far from human in shape.
'A pokémon?' She thought to herself.
'Yes, a pokémon and what are you exactly?' Ashley, shocked by the crystal-clear reply, from a pokémon no less, couldn't answer. 'You appear human and yet you aren't… Answer me! What are you?!' the now shouting pokémon asked, its eyes glowing brighter with its impatience.
The teen, finally regaining a semblance of composure, spoke. "What do you mean, not human, of course I am." The pokémon snorted derisively.
'So, you know not, what you are? I have seen your thoughts, your feelings and your memories. There are empty spaces, some which even I cannot reach but I have seen enough. You are not of human birth; your so-called mother will attest to that.' Ashley didn't know what to make of this speech. It, who or whatever, it was, was obviously lying… right?! Of course, she was her mother, how could she not be.
The more she thought about it, the more evidence surfaced in favour of the stranger's claims. Her features differed greatly from her mother's. Her eyes, a different colour. Her hair, a different colour. Heck, even her skin was a different colour, she was always more tanned than Delia… No, her mum.
All of these differences, were always attributed to her long-lost father but it hardly seemed likely that she would inherit only his looks. That thought only further confirmed it, never had she seen a picture of her dad, they were apparently too painful to keep. When she had asked about him at a very young age, Delia had told her that he had died, before her birth. Ashley had never been convinced by this, being the extremely astute person, she was, the teen knew that no one could say such a thing and show little to no emotion. It was almost easy for her mother to say… Like a well-rehearsed lie.
Everything was starting to make sense and yet it was tearing her apart at the seams. She was a lie, everything she had known, was a lie. What use was all the knowledge in the world, if you didn't even know who you were.
'We are the same you know…' the figure started. 'I to didn't know who I was or what my purpose was,' it said, as if reading her mind. Which in all likelihood, it probably was. 'I wasn't born to this earth, I was created, created to be little more than somebody's plaything. These humans you associate with, have done nothing but lie and steal from us. They take everything from us, our freedom, our knowledge, our power. Yet they give nothing in return.'
"But I am human! Look at me, I'm human!" Ashley screamed, trying to convince herself still, that this was all a ruse.
'You may look human but you are no more human than I am. In fact, we share so much in common, it would make more sense to call you sister.' The figure laughed half-heartedly at this. 'So, sister, I have a proposition for you. Join me and together we can rule this planet. Humans and pokémon alike will kneel before us. You see, this is our purpose, our reason for existing. We were created to rule, now… Will you join me?' A few silent moments passed before her answer came.
"No." The figure seemed confused by this at first, then confusion turned to anger.
'What do you mean, no?! Are you blind, can't you see what they have done?! They have lied to you, your entire life, reaping the benefits of your superior intellect. Using you, to make contraptions that steal the freedom of others, forcing them to battle. Why don't you see them for what they are, vile despicable creatures?!'
"You're wrong!" Ashley shouted, effectively halting the tirade. "They are not perfect but until just recently, I was one of them. I have captured a pokémon and I have had it battle but me and Gyarados are now a team. She enjoys training and battling alongside me, as I'm sure many others do, with their trainers. You're wrong about us… them… whatever, would vile creatures take in a child that was not their own and raise them with all the love and care they could provide? You said you have seen my memories, that means you have seen how, the woman I call mother, has treated me. Answer me this, is she vile?"
The still hidden pokémon, could only answer with silence. Delia Ketchum was a saint, no one, no matter how angry or upset, could call her vile. Ashley continued. "There exists both good and evil, in this world. You may have seen more evil than necessary but just looking through my memories, should have shown you enough good to see that. I am sorry for what humanity has done to you but I will not join you," she finished.
'You say so now but when they come to realise what you are… Well, you'll see. Oh, and your little friend might not be so happy, when you wake up.' It snorted once again.
"What have you don't to Misty?" Ashley growled out.
'Nothing serious, I saw a water pokémon trainer and I saw a river. I thought she might like to go swimming.' Seeing the pokémon raise a hand as if to click its fingers, the teen shouted.
"Wait!" It stopped. "One more question," seeing the creature nod, she continued. "Do you know who I am?" she asked earnestly. The creature's body language turned almost solemn at that.
'I do not, but there are those that do. Seek out Team Rocket and ask of "Subject 5", only the higher-ups will know of it however,' it said, followed closely by a snap of its fingers.
With that, Ashley started to wake up. She was just in time to hear a shrill scream and a splash. When she turned to the direction, from which it came, she saw Misty now wide awake and treading water in the calm river. The redhead then screamed towards the shore.
"No more! I'm through with this Ashley Ketchum!" She then removed herself from the river, put on some clothes, packed up her things and left in the direction of Cerulean City. Ashley could only blankly stare after her, as she stormed away. She had more to worry about than the bad-tempered teen. She apparently wasn't human, as hard as it was to believe. She however, knew it was true, she had never seen it before but the evidence of her adoption was staring her right in the face. She wasn't angry at her mother, a woman who took in a child, in need of a home. The teen did have many questions though but not the foggiest idea, how to approach her with them. Knowing she couldn't do so in her usual brash manner, she decided to concentrate on something else, mainly training and her upcoming gym battle. Hopefully the answer would come.
It hadn't done so yet. Laying face up on the bed fully clothed, Ashley had far too much to think about, to even consider sleeping right now. She was stopped from thinking too deeply however, when there was a knock at the door.
"Ashley, I have your pokémon here." Came the sweet-sounding voice of the Pewter City Nurse Joy. Standing from her bed, the teen approached and opened the door, before turning around again.
"Thanks Joy, just put them over there for me please," she said, pointing to the bedside table.
"Is everything okay Ashley, you haven't been yourself today," the nurse asked. She, like the Viridian City Nurse Joy, had known Ashley most of her life. Being the youngest, of the Kanto branch of the Joy family, she was one of the few people Ashley could call friend.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about my gym battle, that's all," she lied.
"You know for someone so talented at, well, everything, you're a terrible liar. Now tell me what's wrong."
"Okay, you caught me but it's not really something I want to talk about. Can't we talk about anything else?" the young girl pleaded.
"Sure, I've just closed up for the night anyway, so why don't we chat. It'll be just like old times," Joy said, a little too excited. Ashley put this down to her not getting out much. The life of a pokémon nurse was a pretty lonely one, yes you meet new people every day, but they never stick around for long.
"I'd like that," the teen said, sitting down on the bed, placing her back against the headboard.
"So, what happened to your friend from this morning, I figured she'd be with you when you came back?" the nurse asked. Ashley winced before answering.
"Yeah, she went home, I think. We had a falling out."
"Oh, that's too bad. Were you good friends?" Joy asked, now sitting alongside the raven-haired trainer. A bit closer than usual.
"Not really, we only met a-" Was all Ashley managed before she was cut off. Nurse Joy having heard enough, took the opportunity to place her lips against those of her old friend. Ashley was shocked into unresponsiveness, why was this suddenly happening? Joy had never shown any interest before. The nurse, having not felt any reaction from Ashley, pulled back.
"Sorry Ashley, I shouldn't have done that, I saw you with that girl and I thought… Well, I thought you may have liked that kind of thing." She felt completely humiliated by the rejection. Getting up to leave, she was stopped by a hand firmly grasping her wrist. She turned around to see Ashley looking back at her with an unfamiliar gaze, quick as a flash, she was pulled back down to the bed and brought into a searing hot kiss.
Ashley now completely cognisant, was fully enjoying the feel of Joys lips against her own. They were the softest lips she had felt so far. Rolling over, she placed the nurse between her body and the bed, as they continued their heated make out session.
Nurse Joy was in heaven right now, she had been crushing on the pokémon professor for so long, she just never had the courage to say. Seeing her with another girl and assuming the worst, pushed her to act and boy, was she glad she did. She knew full well a relationship wasn't ever on the cards, considering the future ahead of each of them but she could at least enjoy this night.
Ashley, seeing where this may be heading, stopped the kiss briefly, to ask. "Joy, are you sure you want this?"
"Yes!" she almost shouted, before lowering her voice. "More than anything."
"Okay, one more question, have you ever done anything like this before?" She got a negative shake of the head.
"You just took my first kiss. But I really do want this, you'll no doubt be leaving tomorrow and I didn't want to miss the chance." That was all Ashley needed, she leant forwards again, reclaiming the soft, supple lips that were Nurse Joy's. Her hands moved to the tie in Joy's apron, before pulling it loose and helping the nurse remove it. She then went to work removing her signature pink dress, undoing the front buttons, one by one. All the while, keeping up the steamy lip service.
Ashley stood staring at the huge doors, between her and the first challenge of her pokémon journey. She loved experiencing new things and as her first gym battle, this was a particularly exciting one. Her experience with Nurse Joy, had successfully taken her mind off recent events and it was with the ability to think clearly, that she confidently stepped into the Pewter City Gym.
It was pitch dark at first but her eyes adjusted quickly. Hidden in the darkness, was a young man, around 20 years old. He called out in a loud and powerful voice.
"State your name and business here," he said.
"Ashley Ketchum, here to battle Brock Harrison, for the Boulderbadge," the teen replied confidently.
The blindingly bright lights flashed on, illuminating the large, open room. Brock now able to see the incredibly attractive young girl before him, had to control himself. He was an incredibly flirtatious man and despite her young age, Ashley would certainly appeal to most men.
"I accept your challenge, it'll be a 2 on 2 battle, where only the challenger may substitute," the gym leader stated. Ashley nodded at the terms of battle and took her place in the challenger box. As she did, the field began to transform. The previously plain battlefield opened up to reveal a rocky terrain. When the transition was over, a boy around her age, carrying two flags, took up his place in the referee's box.
"Gym leader Brock, please release your pokémon," He shouted as he raised the flag on that side. Brock then threw out his pokéball and from it came a show of white light, said light then faded to reveal a small spherical pokémon with two arms. It's body completely made of rock, Ashley instantly recognised it as a geodude. It confirmed this, by calling out its name as it readied itself for battle. "Challenger Ashley Ketchum, please release your pokémon," he called once more, both flags now raised. The raven-haired teen did so, throwing out the blue and white ball and from it came a towering, blue sea serpent.
Gyarados roared to the heavens upon her release, causing Geodude to lose not only his composure but also some attack power. Gyarados' ability, intimidate, having the desired effect. Brock looked on in disbelief, as a trainer carrying only 2 pokéballs, sent out one of the most fearsome pokémon, Kanto has to offer.
"Begin!" the younger male shouted, effectively bringing the elder out of his stupor. Ashley, having never lost her focus, was the first to issue a command.
"Gyarados use Leer, follow up with Aqua Tail." Gyarados carried out its command flawlessly. The Leer attack further froze Geodude in place, as well as lowering its defence. Brock's shout to dodge, remained unheard, as it was batted across the battlefield by a water wreathed tail. Colliding hard with the ground, Geodude was dazed and disorientated, not one to let an opportunity go to waste, Ashley acted once more.
"Use Dragon Rage." Gyarados built up a swell of purple energy at the back of its throat, before releasing it all in a focused stream of draconic power. Unable to dodge and too dazed to defend, Geodude took the full brunt of the attack. When the dust settled it was revealed to be completely knocked out. Confusion spread through Ashley, as the referee hadn't called it. That was until she saw the face of both the males. Dumbstruck, would describe it best. Clearing her throat loudly, had the effect of bringing them to their senses, albeit barely.
"Geodude is unable to battle…" the younger boy drawled out. "Gyarados is the winner. Gym leader, please reveal your last pokémon." Brock was shocked by the result but was nonetheless confident that if he became serious, his next pokémon could salvage this battle. He recalled his geodude and sent out another rock type pokémon. From the pokéball emerged a creature, similar in shape to Gyarados but whose body was made entirely of rock. The onix stood tall as it roared its name. Ashley recognised the behaviour as a territorial display. Apparently Onix believed this battlefield to be his territory and wouldn't tolerate an unfamiliar presence. The eyes of the two pokémon met and each of their bodies took on a more aggressive stance. They were ready, as were the trainers.
"Battle, begin!"
Taking the initiative in this battle Brock called out his first order. "Rock Throw, Onix." The pokémon slammed its tail into the boulder ridden terrain, sending a shower of rocks towards its opponent. Rock type pokémon could of cause manipulate the rocks using their power and some more powerful pokémon, could form rocks from their own energy. Brock however, had designed his field so that a multitude of attacks could be used, without draining the pokémon's reserves.
"Dragon Rage," Ashley called out calmly. The order came shortly after Brock's own and the draconic attack, neutralised the incoming rocks. "Now get in close, Aqua Tail!" Gyarados got in close and used her immense water wrapped tail to smash into Onix. Unfortunately, just before said attack landed, Brock had called out his own command. Onix just had time to activate bide before receiving the Aqua Tail.
Ashley, seeing the threat decided to end this as quickly as possible and hope that it was enough. "Gyarados use Bite!" Bite might sound like a strange attack to use against a rock pokémon, as they are resistant to physical attacks but what made bite slightly different, is its typing. Bite was a dark type move so the damage caused was only slightly reduced. It wasn't Ashley's only plan though. "Now, Ice Fang!" Gyarados' jaws were firmly wrapped around Onix's bulky body at this point so even the imperfect Ice Fang, she was able to produce, caused immense pain. Onix's body glowed a bright red before he released the stored energy from Bide. It collided heavily with Gyarados and managed to separate them, as a cloud of dust was thrown up.
When the dust settled it revealed a heavily panting Onix and a slowly rising Gyarados. When she had fully recovered she glared fiercely at the pokémon opposite her. Neither trainer wanted to give an order, knowing full well their pokémon would struggle to complete it. A silence had enshrouded the battlefield as they all awaited the inevitable end.
It was Onix who fell first, closely followed by Gyarados. Ashley had won and as if confirming that fact, the referee made his call.
"Both pokémon are unable to battle, as the gym leader is out of usable pokémon, the challenger, Ashley Ketchum wins." Both trainers then recalled their pokémon, each muttering a few words of gratitude, before meeting in the middle.
"That was a great battle, I underestimated you and I paid the price," Brock admitted unashamedly.
"It really was, your pokémon are very strong, not every onix could take out a gyarados. Even if defeated in the process."
"I try to raise my pokémon as best I can but it looks like we can still improve. Here, this belongs to you now." Brock extended his hand and opened it to reveal a small, grey, octangular badge. "I hereby present you with the Boulderbadge, I want you to have this to," he said, pulling a small disc like object from his vest pocket. "This TM contains Rock Throw. It may come in handy somewhere down the line."
Ashley accepted both items gratefully, before saying, "Brock, I can tell you take great care of your pokémon, I can't help but feel you would be more suited to a career in pokémon breeding, is it something you've ever considered." Brock simply chuckled, confusing Ashley for what felt like the 1000th time recently.
"Have I considered it? It's damn near all I have thought about, since I saw my first pokémon. It's my dream but I can't follow it right now." He looked slightly downtrodden at this admission. Ashley silently studied the boy before an image flashed through her mind. In it, Brock was surrounded by 9 younger kids, all of whom sharing a striking resemblance to the young man himself. Brock was at the heart of the small group, as they clambered over him asking for help with various things, such as homework and a torn dress that needed repairing.
"You can't leave them," Ashley said before looking up to the balcony that overlooked the battlefield. There she saw 8 of the 9 kids, the last one had refereed the match just moments ago. "Where are their parents?" she asked lowly.
Brock was initially shocked that she had caught on so quickly but he then spotted his family and thought the situation to be fairly self-explanatory, if you were smart enough to pick up on it.
"No, I can't just leave, they need me, Dad is out on his own journey right now and I don't know where our mother is…" he said solemnly. "But I know they'll come back one day and that's when I'll start my own journey, one where I'll aim, to be the world's greatest breeder," he finished with a renewed determination.
"I look forward to hearing all about it one day, I better be going now." She turned to leave before adding, "be sure to look me up when you're on the road. Having an aspiring breeder like yourself around, would be very helpful," she said sincerely, before throwing him a wave over her shoulder.
Brock seemed to read into the situation a bit too much and immediately ran after her. What was he thinking? His job as a gym leader was done for the day and before him stood a beautiful girl. He stopped in front of her and took her hand in his, before proclaiming in a Shakespearian voice, "Oh fair maiden, our battle has shown me that our destinies are intertwined. I will follow you around the world just as soon as my parents come back. Will you wait for me?" Ashley could only blink in shock, as the previously professional gym leader of around 20 years, would so casually flirt with her. It was then that Brock's younger brother Forrest, the referee, intervened.
"That's quite enough Brock, you're scaring the poor girl," he said putting a hand on his shoulder. "She obviously isn't interested, not to mention, she is a bit young for you." Ashley was relieved as Brock removed his hands from hers but she then noticed the defeated look on his face and thought to throw him a lifeline.
"I'm flattered Brock, really. It isn't you or your age, I've been with a few people older than me. You just lack, certain biological characteristics, I look for in a partner," she finished, gesturing to her already well-developed chest. She then walked past the dumbstruck boys and headed for the exit.
The brothers looked to each other. "You don't think…" Brock managed to say.
"I think so…" Forrest replied.
"Nooooooooooo!" Brock screamed hysterically.
Ashley was making her way to Mt Moon, a trip she estimated would take a day or so. She had gotten Gyarados healed at the pokémon centre, shared a heartfelt goodbye with Nurse Joy and headed out. Her plan for the day was to reach the half way mark toward the notorious mountain and settle down for some training. If she found any pokémon worth catching on the way, she would certainly consider it, her team wasn't the most balanced. The raven-haired trainer had a powerhouse in Gyarados and a small hit and run type battler in Eevee. The small evolution pokémon was currently sat atop her favourite perch.
"What's going on with me girl?" Ashley asked, not really expecting an answer.
Eevee simply released a sombre mew, she could feel her trainer's depression and knowing she could do nothing to alleviate her of it, really saddened her.
"What was that I saw, when talking to Brock, I've never experience something like that before. It was clearly a vision, a vision of something I had no right knowing. I just met the guy. Good job his siblings were there, he must have figured I worked it out. I have to get to the bottom of this, I need to find someone high enough up the Team Rocket food chain and ask them about 'Subject 5', whatever that is." Ashley had of course considered talking to her mother about this but unless she could do so in person, she didn't want to. Her mother may misunderstand her curiosity for answers. She needed to be there with her, to ensure her mother knew how grateful she was.
The time spent thinking on such things, had led them to a small clearing off the beaten track, a perfect spot for camping. Ashley went about setting up her tent and creating a fire on which she would prepare dinner. She then called out her pokémon and gave them their instructions for training.
"Hey Gyarados, great job today, you really came through," she started, Gyarados was preening at the praise. "That onix was one tough cookie, I couldn't be prouder of you. I want you to work on finishing Ice Fang tonight and then we'll move on to some long-ranged moves. When I get to the next town, I'll see what TMs they have, seeing as Cerulean is famous for their water pokémon, I'm sure I'll find you something good." Gyarados grunted her appreciation and then moved off to practice her Ice Fang.
"Eevee, I want you to finish Swift off tonight okay, I know you can do it. We'll then work on something completely different and I know you're going to love it." Ashley had, unbeknownst to her pokémon, already ordered a number of TMs and they were now waiting for her at the Cerulean City pokémon centre. Eevee padded off, now fully determined to learn Swift by nightfall.
The following morning Ashley reached Mt Moon, she had awoken early, in the hope of crossing the mountain in a single day. Her pokémon had trained extremely hard, the previous night and they were currently resting in their pokéballs.
The entrance of the cave was dead ahead and instantly, Ashley could see a problem, the cave was flooded with artificial light. This of course wouldn't have been a major issue, if it was only at the entrance but that wasn't the case. Venturing into the cave for the first time, Ashley saw that the ceiling was lined entirely by electrically powered lights. Looking around, she could spot many pokémon suffering from hunger and thirst. With the cave lit up as it was, the native pokémon couldn't successfully find food and the naturally damp ground was bone dry. No doubt due to the heat produced, by the inconsiderate lighting.
Ashley was incensed by damage being done the environment and she could tell the people responsible had some unsavoury motives. The whole operation had Team Rocket written all over it. Not ready to waltz into a potentially life-threatening situation unsupported, Ashley made a quick call to the Pewter City Officer Jenny and the Cerulean City Officer Jenny, telling each of them to arrange a team of officers and to gather at the entrance of the caves.
At first, she wasn't paid much attention but after they confirmed her identity and status they were tripping over themselves to help. All pokémon professors were held in extremely high regard, add to that, the two Jenny's were big fans, saw a literal battalion of officers were heading to assist in any way they could.
Ashley meanwhile ventured deeper into the cave system, the pokémon wouldn't last much longer and she needed to help where she could. As she travelled she left many filled water bowls and the odd pile of pokémon food here and there. One may wonder where she kept it all but those that knew her, also knew that a scientist capable of designing and creating both the pokéball transfer system and the many different pokéballs themselves, both of which requiring knowledge of altering the various dimensional spaces involved, would hardly leave for a lifetime long journey unprepared. The truth of the matter was simple, her pack was far from normal, it had many qualities in common with the pokéball transfer system, in that it could transfer objects in and out of its various pockets, to and from various locations, at the push of a few buttons. The controls for which, were found integrated into her custom pokédex, along with other handy conveniences.
As the teen travelled deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, that was Mt Moon, she began to hear voices some pokémon and some human. Peeking around the last corner separating her from those that were talking, she spotted a number of Rocket agents holding many trainers and pokémon hostage. Among the captive trainers, she could see Gary and Misty, clearly this operation had been in action for a little while. As much as Ashley had a severe distaste for Gary Oak, Misty was still her friend and Team Rocket was much higher up on her Hitlist. The teen cast her eye over the cages containing the wild pokémon and noticed by the design, that they were also electronically controlled. She then spotted a computer console and a mischievous idea came to her.
Ashley left the area to find a secluded place to settle down. When she had found somewhere suitable, she removed her pokédex and pushed a few buttons, A bright light could then be seen emanating from the front pocket of her pack. She put her pokédex back in her pocket and removed the newly transferred item. It was a touchscreen tablet around 12" in length and 8" in height.
She turned the device on and put in her password, she then ran a specific program, that would search the local area for any networks or computer systems that could be accessed. After a short time, the search was complete and Ashley now had access to the Rocket's computer system. She spent a bit of time finding the right commands, that would help her successfully carry out her plan. A few moments later and she was ready but before she went ahead, she released her eevee.
"Hey girl, I need you to do something very important. Some very bad people have kidnapped a friend of mine along with many other trainers and even some wild pokémon." The look on Eevee's face was that of disgust. "I'm going to turn the lights off in a moment and release the pokémon from here. What I need you to do is go and tell the pokémon what's happening tell them to cause as much trouble for the Rockets as possible. Can you do that?" Eevee yipped her agreement to the plan. "Oh, what's this? Interesting. Eevee, I just found the controls to a sprinkler system, I know you don't like getting wet but I'm sure the pokémon in those cages are severely dehydrated. I'm going to activate it once they're free. The sandshrew and geodude may not like it but it's for the best." Eevee gave her what she thought was an 'Are you serious?' look and Ashley found herself pleading to the young pokémon. "Come on Eevee, I need you to do this, it's for the pokémon. Please? I'll do anything you want?" the previous look was now replaced by a giddy grin.
Ashley was suddenly bombarded by the image of Eevee receiving various beauty and relaxation treatments at the hands of the raven-haired teen. Massages, brushing, bathing and a few other things. The images then disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Ashley was shocked that she had seen the thoughts of her pokémon but due to the situation, decided to tackle that later. "Yes, I'll bath you, brush you and massage you, the lot. Please just do this for me?"
Now it was Eevee's turn to be shocked, did her trainer just read her mind? Again, in the situation, she decided to focus on that later and instead, nodded her head in agreement to the revised plan. Ashley nodded back and counted down from three, she then ran the first command, turning out the lights throughout the entire cave system. Then the second, freeing the pokémon held captive in the main chamber. And finally, the third, turning on the sprinkler system, set up by the Rockets. This in turn, shorted out their computer and downed the network she had connected to. Ashley just had enough time to pull some data off, about the operation in the cave. Looking through said data, she found that the person who oversaw the set up was an agent called Proton, the file even had a picture. Unfortunately, he wasn't among the agents she saw moments ago so she wouldn't be getting any answers today but at least she had a name.
The main chamber was in utter chaos, since the lights had shut off, Eevee had talked to the wild pokémon and convinced them to have their revenge. Even the sandshrew stayed, despite the sprinkler system, buffeting them with their greatest weakness. The group, albeit unorganised, pushed back the confused Rockets, who were unprepared for such an incident.
The leader of the group tried desperately to get the systems back online but with the electronics now saturated, there was little that could be done. One by one the Rockets and their pokémon fell into unconsciousness at the hands of the wild ones. Pokémon would rarely attack humans but in this instance, is would certainly be forgiven, these people were anything but humane. They threatened to take away their freedom and remove them from their home, knocking them out was the least they could do.
Eevee was leading a small group of wild pokémon, whose mission was to secure the unconscious bodies of the defeated Rocket members. With the help of a few sandshrew and geodude, who were acting on Eevee's orders, she ensured they were buried up to their necks, in the now wet ground. When the last one was dealt with and the relatively short battle was over, most of the pokémon disappeared into the cave, to go about their lives. Two however, followed Eevee, when she made to return to her trainer.
Ashley was sat waiting patiently for her eevee to return, she hadn't wanted to send her into the fray like that but she knew it was the best way to handle it. With the darkness blinding them, the Rockets wouldn't have put up much of a fight, with or without their pokémon.
It was a few minutes later that her thoughts were broken by the approaching footsteps, she made out Eevee's footsteps and with her, were two bipedal pokémon of around the same size. This ability to analyse the sound, came from her more sensitive hearing. Just as her ability to see in areas of little to no light, came from her more sensitive sense of sight.
Eevee turned the last corner and approached her trainer with a confident gait. The two pokémon accompanying her, were revealed to be a sandshrew and a clefairy. Ashley was initially shocked that a clefairy would so willingly show themselves but Eevee must have explained her part in the rescue.
"Hey Eevee, you had me worried there, is everything sorted?" Ashley asked her faithful starter, as she climbed into her lap, still soaking wet. This was no doubt punishment, for sending her out to get soaked by those sprinklers. "Who are your friends?" Eevee then padded back over to the new arrivals and seemingly introduced them to the teen in her own language. "It's nice to meet you Sandshrew, Clefairy." They each chorused their name in reply. "So, what's up, why did you guys want to meet me?"
Sandshrew simply pointed at Eevee, then at Ashley and moved to nuzzle her leg. The teen understood this and removed another luxury ball from her pack, then held it out the little mouse pokémon. He quickly tapped the ball and was sucked inside, there was zero struggle and the ball dinged its successful capture instantly. Ashley then turned to Clefairy in askance of the same question. Clefairy made a follow me motion and promptly ran off into the cave. They passed by the main chamber where Ashley activated her Emergency Signal feature on her pokédex. This would let the Jenny's know the location of the still bound trainers and the incapacitated Rockets. She then continued following the surprisingly speedy fairy pokémon.
The trip took about another ten minutes, by which time they came to another opening in the cave, this time without a ceiling, looking up Ashley saw the most beautiful full moon. Her attention was then brought to the small pink pokémon she had been following, as it tapped her leg. It then pointed to the centre of the massive room and what Ashley saw there, surprised even her. A Moonstone the size of a van was sat in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by dozens of clefairy, all apparently worshipping it.
The teen looked on in wonder, at the never before seen evolution ceremony of the clefairy. When the worshipping had come to its end, the clefairy all raised their hands in front of them and rhythmically wagged their fingers from side to side. It was the move metronome. Ashley was slightly nervous as to what the result would be but watched with rapt attention nonetheless. The clefairy suddenly stopped and started to glow a brilliant white, the energy built and built until a huge explosion rocked the cave, centred on the gigantic Moon Stone.
Ashely had to dive for cover as debris pelted the walls of the cave behind them, she used her body to cover Eevee, protecting her from harm. Looking up from her crouched position, the teen witnessed something incredible, the small flecks of Moon Stone that were scattered to the sky, began to fall and land on a select few clefairy. They were then ensconced in another blindingly bright light, before emerging as newly evolved clefable. The flecks that landed on the ground around them, were quickly gathered up by the clefable and placed back in the centre of the room, in a pile. The separate pieces seemed to merge once more and return to the single entity that it once was. This phenomenon had never before been witnessed and it was with great pleasure that Ashley finally solved the mystery of the clefairy line's evolution.
Ashley was now clear of Mt Moon. After clefairy had asked to join her team, carrying with it a portion of Moon Stone, she had of course accepted and offered her a luxury ball. After the successful capture, she had gone back to the main chamber, knowing the police force would have arrived, a short time before. She quickly had explained her involvement in the failure of Team Rocket's plans and the rescue mission she had carried out. This of course made her the best thing since sliced bread, in the eyes of the two Jenny's, who made a point of asking for a photo. The captive trainers had been sent to the local hospital, to be checked for injuries, where they would also be treated for severe dehydration. Ashley never had the chance to see Misty, before she was taken out of the cave system, towards Cerulean City Hospital.
'Probably for the best,' she thought, 'she might still be upset.'
With Eevee again, riding shotgun on Ashley's shoulder and her two new friends safely resting in their pokéballs, Ashley set off towards her next destination.
'Cerulean City, here we come!'
