So, this is the second half of chapter 4.
Thank you to everyone who put me on their story alerts and/or favorites. And a special thanks to CharmedMilliE and thor94 for their reviews.
So, Ash may seem a little soft in this chapter, but in later chapters we'll see more of the Ash that we all know and love.
I took some of the lines from the original episode, such as some of Misty and Team Rocket's lines.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. *puts on angry face and stomps foot.*
Ash will be battling others, but not in this chapter as much. The next couple chapters, yes. He won't be a pushover, but he will be a bit different. Different life experiences and all that. And he will catch Pokémon. But I won't say anything else just yet about that.
Enjoy!
Italics are translated Pokémon speech.
Nurse Joy, Ash, and Misty ran into the main Pokeball storage room, Ash pushing Pikachu's stretcher in front of him. Nurse Joy and Misty slammed the door shut behind them. The lights shut off right after.
"The lights!" Misty yelled.
"They must have cut the power." Nurse Joy smiled. "But we've got our own Pika-power!"
The lights flickered and burst back to life, drawing Ash's attention to a platform where a dozen or so of the yellow Pokémon were running around, generating energy.
"Whoa! Look at all the Pikachu!" Misty squealed, face lighting up. Ash smiled himself, glad to see such happy Pokémon.
"A crisis situation has arisen. Initiating emergency Pokeball transport sequence." The computer announced.
"We've got to save those Pokeballs!" Nurse Joy began typing furiously on her computer. Ash hated computers. He could never figure out how their worked. He could call people. That was about it.
"This is the Viridian City Pokémon Center. We have an emergency situation. Transporting Pokeballs." Nurse Joy told the person on the other side.
"This is the Pewter City Pokémon Center. Downloader activated. Ready to receive Pokeballs." Came the response.
The Pokeballs began traveling down a conveyer belt, and getting sucked up into a light to be transferred to Pewter City.
Black smoke leaked through the doors, thickening as it forced its way in. Ash watched in horror as the doors broke and flew inward, revealing Koffing.
"Take that!" the Pokémon crowed, crashing into the shelves and sending the Pokeballs flying.
Misty and Ash gasped as the balls fell to the floor, rendering the transport system useless.
"Get those Pokeballs!" Nurse Joy snapped authoritatively, face set in a determined frown.
"Right!" Ash stooped to try to pick up as many Pokeballs as he could hold.
"This is war! Don't just hold them: throw them!" Misty shouted.
"Okay." Ash agreed. He gently placed the Pokeballs behind him and held one up. Hello friend. He thought to it, knowing that it wouldn't be able to hear him. But if he was going to use it to battle without being able to ask it's ok first, he was at least going to do it in his head.
"Pokeball, here we go!" He threw the Pokeball. It hit the floor and opened, spewing forth white light that quickly formed into a Pidgey.
"What's happening?" Ash heard the Pidgey ask. Ekans hissed in laughter as he loomed over the poor bird Pokémon.
"Prey!" Ekans sneered.
"Help!" Pidgey freaked out and flew up into the air to escape the snake-like Pokémon.
Jesse smirked, hands on hips. "That thing can't beat us!"
Ash couldn't in good conscience leave the panicked Pidgey to deal with Ekans all alone, so he threw another Pokeball to try to distract Ekans.
It hit the floor, and opened…
…to reveal nothing inside.
Ash floundered for a moment. "Empty?" he asked weakly.
"We're never gonna beat them that way!" Misty shouted at him.
"Some of the Pokeballs are empty." Nurse Joy admitted.
Ash groaned softly. "Now she tells me." He gently fingered another Pokeball. "Please be able to fight and protect yourself." He whispered as he threw it.
A Rattata emerged, and Ash face-palmed. The Rattata was probably a worse choice than the Pidgey against an Ekans.
"Where is it!" Rattata snarled, baring it's teeth.
"Food!" Ekans crowed gleefully. Ash frowned. Did the thieves allow the Pokémon that they were supposed to take care of eat each other? He was horrified.
"Eek! He's going to eat me." Rattata cried in fright, running away from the Ekans. It spotted Ash and hid behind him. "Hide me, hide me." It chanted.
"Rah." Ash said softly. "Yes." The Rattata didn't even realize that he was speaking in the Pokémon language; it was simply too terrified.
"I guess I'm gonna have to take this into my own hands." Misty snapped, stepping in front of Ash and Nurse Joy, the latter of the two with hands fill of Pokeballs. "You grab Pikachu and get out of here." She told Ash. Grinning, she finished, "I'll take care of these three clowns."
While Misty and Team Rocket bantered, Ash was thinking hard. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against these people, and that he had to get Pikachu to safety, but he didn't want to just abandon the other Pokémon to the trio. Who knew what would happen to them?
Misty threw a Pokeball to the floor. It hit and opened, releasing a Goldeen in front of an unimpressed Jesse, James, and Meowth.
"Goldeen return." She called out.
"That's her best shot?" Jesse.
"She's all washed up." James.
Misty forced a confident smirk onto her face. "You know as well as I do that a water Pokemon can't battle on land. I was just warming up."
This display did not make Ash more confident in her ability to protect the Pokeballs herself. "Warming up?"
She glared back at him. "Just get Pikachu out of here!"
Ash quickly made up his mind. She was strong in heart, and that would make up for any shortcomings, like some of his old Pokémon friends. "Right."
He grabbed the stretcher and, shoving it in front of him, ran out of the room and to the lobby. Ekans and Koffing chased him down the hallway.
"Stop!" he cried desperately at them, looking back. They faltered, and he thought that he was going to make it until the stretcher hit the ruined bicycle and tipped over sending him to the ground and shaking the stretcher.
Team Rocket caught up with him as Pikachu opened his eyes and asked, "What's happening?"
Dozens of Pikachu jumped off of the balcony and onto Pikachu. They performed a Thundershock, and frying Jesse, James, and their Pokémon.
Pikachu jumped to the top of the pile. "Ash!" he cried joyfully.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted happily.
"Do I have to do everything myself? That mouse is cat food." Meowth announced, entering the lobby and striding forward. Ash backed toward Pikachu, a growl escaping his clenched teeth.
"I need more power, Ash." Pikachu told his friend, catching his attention.
Ash frowned as he glanced around, struggling to find a solution. He spotted the bike and an idea came to mind.
"Pika-power." Ash recalled Nurse Joy calling it. He jumped onto the upside down remnants of bike and began peddling furiously.
"What's this?" Meowth demanded.
"Don't you ever try to hurt my friends again." Ash panted at them. Pikachu agreed loudly.
"Uh oh."
"Take this!" Pikachu snarled. He leapt onto the wheel in Ash's hands, right on the light, as he absorbed the electricity. He readied himself, and then sent out a massive Thundershock in front of him, careful to keep Ash out of the line of fire.
Team Rocket screamed as they were electrocuted. Ash kept peddling and Pikachu kept sending out the charge until suddenly, out of sheer panic, Koffing sent out some of his gaseous smoke. The smoke caught fire, and the building exploded around them, sending Team Rocket flying.
When the smoke and fire cleared, half of the Pokemon Center was a hole in the ground. The other half was still standing, smoking slightly. Officer Jenny sat on her motorcycle as three figures staggered, coughing, out of the ruined building. It was Ash, Misty, and Nurse Joy. Pikachu was in Ash's arms.
"You're okay!" Officer Jenny said in shock.
Ash coughed, and then turned to Nurse Joy, worry showing on his soot-covered face. "The Pokémon?"
Nurse Joy smiled at his concern. "The Pokémon were all sent to Pewter City just fine, young man, thanks to your help. And the help of this young lady here."
Ash released the breath that he'd been holding.
"What does she mean?" Pikachu asked his friend and trainer. Ash cuddled Pikachu to his cheek, laughing from pure relief.
"You're safe." He murmured. "Pika-chu."
After bidding Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny goodbye, Ash headed for the Viridian forest.
"Hey!" a voice called behind him. He turned, and sighed when he saw Misty running to catch up. "I'm coming with you until you replace that bike."
"Okay. Welcome along." He smiled warmly at her, starting her out of her righteous anger. He placed Pikachu on his shoulder, where the Pokémon immediately grabbed his head to keep steady.
"Well. Just so you know that." Misty said, trying to sound angry but instead sounding confused.
Next chapter; Ash catches a Pokémon. Possibly more, if I can fit it into the chapter.
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