Hey all! I promise that patience is a true virtue and that you haven't been waiting for naught for the next chapter. I know I can use a bit more patience from time to time, but regardless. This will finish off Ash recounting his tale to Anabel concerning what he's been through the past year, which would more or explain his new behavior and distance from his former traveling friends. Just read it and give it some thought, of course.
Also, I've read the reviews for the previous chapter and I'm actually quite impressed with the things some of you pointed out, some inconsistencies if lack for a better word concerning the past chapter, aside from your views on the growing fandom trend that is AmourShipping. Hopefully this chapter should rectify most, if not all, of the problems.
And…
Thanks for answering my question concerning that pairing in terms of other main Ash pairings out there.
*Boom*
A dark silence befell the area. The bazooka-like laser rifle that Executive Proton wielded released a bit of smoke from the heat of its use. Even his arms gave in to the weight upon witnessing the deed of his inhumane act. The majority of Rocket Grunts that stayed around were standing with mouths agape. The Pokémon by Ash's side shared the same expression, only with a minor difference in emotion:
"…M-Marowak!" Ash cried out.
The Pallet Town Trainer stumbled on his knees and scrambled to where the Bone Keeper Pokémon lied. Pikachu, Larvitar, and Tyranitar were shocked to the core, unable to budge. Cubone, in particular, stared blankly at the sight of Ash and its mother. That didn't just happen…
"Tch, what a waste of a potential Pokémon," Proton hissed, looking upon his steaming weapon.
His special laser rifle, recently manufactured for future Team Rocket operations, had been modeled after the powerful Pokémon move, Hyper Beam, only magnified and concentrated to a very deadly extent due to tireless Rocket researchers and scientists testing out its development. The laser motif was to give it the threat to back up the fearsome reputation it's been building out since its release for use. The setting on the rifle had already been set to kill. Its power was strong enough to decimate part of a tree.
"… … If Marowak hadn't jumped in the way…"
Her skull was thick. There was also the given fact that Marowak had rather impressive defenses, so chances were that she could've been able to bounce that attack off. The problem was that laser proved to be more than she could've handled and the result was far from clean.
"Marowak, hang on!" Ash pleaded, panting heavily out of panic.
It was a sight that he would never be able to live down. Having used her head to take the blunt of Proton's brutal attack, a good portion of her forehead had been blown off from the blast on contact. Blood, brain matter, and pieces of bone were spilt, coating along the cracks along the skull that were also part of the aftermath. Marowak's eyes were glassy and looking at different directions. The rest of her body had been trembling, which gradually slowed down to the point that she became motionless. Ash placed a hand behind Marowak's head his other upon her abdomen, desperately trying to calm himself down.
"Pikapi," Pikachu mumbled lamentingly, cautiously glancing over to see Cubone's reaction.
"K-K-Kyu…" Cubone shivered; the Lonely Pokémon was completely catatonic.
"Marowak… I promise… we'll save you!" Ash declared shakily. "We'll fly down to Silver Town on Charizard and Nurse Joy can−."
"Maro…"
Ash felt Marowak place a tiny hand over his hand placed on her body. He looked at the action before quickly darting his eyes back to Marowak's head, which appeared to be facing his direction. He still felt the trembling of her head in his hand as she attempted to look at him, bloody wound included. He was aware that high emotional states would cloud his judgment up greatly, but he could've sworn that he saw a faint smile from Marowak as she attempted to straighten out her eyes to look at him directly.
"Marowak, please save your strength."
He felt her shake her head no before he could continue pleading with her. He understood that Marowak had managed to step in on time to save him at the cost of her own life, but what he still didn't understand was the why. After all, even over the weeks they got to know each other that she was still wary over him being a human and especially him being around her only child.
So then why…?
"Enough of this!" Proton roared, catching everyone's attention with his wrath. He held his rifle back up and directed it back at the seeming minor nuisance that was the young boy. "Anybody that has dared to interfere with any operation of Team Rocket MUST be eliminated for good. We've been too merciful these past few years, but now I'm taking charge of these mistakes!"
"Oh no, you don't! Hyper Beam!" a new voice yelled from the sky.
The commanded Hyper Beam diagonally dove down towards Proton. The Rocket Executive was quick enough to hear the command and attack from where it had originated and quickly leapt back. However, in his rush to escape, he carelessly dropped his laser rifle, which received the full blunt of the powerful, destructive beam as it hit the ground.
*BOOM*
"You!" Proton growled, glaring up as the interloper had descended out of the obscurity of the sun and to where Ash was.
"It's Lance and Dragonite," Ash said in awe, watching as the Dragon Champion of Kanto and Johto rode in on his faithful Dragonite and landed down next to him.
"Forgive me, Ash," Lance said as he leapt off his longtime partner, accompanied with a swish of his large black cape. "I was too late. Had I not been late, the dear Pokémon you cradle in your arms right now would still be alive."
"Lance…"
"You meddling Champion, you just don't know when to quit, do you?!" Proton seethed, haughtily pointing at Lance. "You and your little Pokémon G-Men have already weakened Team Rocket's hold over Kanto and Johto the past few years now, the reason our once limitless resources have now declined. Operation Tempest was one of our last hopes before that child over there ruined it! Because of you goody-goody cretins, we've been forced to retreat and rebuild in Mt. Silver, but I swear to you that our efforts will NOT be for naught this time."
"Listen, Proton, I'm only going to say this once again," Lance warned. "Team Rocket will go down for good. Too many people and Pokémon have suffered already because of your criminal ways. I've cornered you this time, so you won't be able to get away. I've been on your case for a while now since stopping Teams Aqua and Magma from controlling Kyogre and Groudon years ago. Don't think I forgot about that incident back at the Lake of Rage because that alone helped me remember about dealing with you people."
Instead of taking the threat of the Johto Champion seriously, Proton began to laugh. Uproariously. He held his head back until his nose pointed up to the sky and continued to laugh. The Rocket Grunts were cast into fear from the display and opted to quickly flee back to their hidden headquarters rather than to stay and deal with their rather psychotic Executive. Lance remained determined, though took a side glance at Ash, who still appeared to be distraught over Marowak.
"You think you cornered us?" Proton mocked after coming to a complete stop with his laughter. "You're too late, you meddlesome brats! We've only begun our return!" The Rocket Executive appeared crazed, holding up in his hand what appeared to be a spherical smoke bomb. "Team Rocket… will rise in the world again."
With that said, he swiftly through the smoke bomb down, immediately covering the area with a thick blanket of black haze. Lance shielded himself with his cape while Ash kept his head down for the smoke to pass through and dissipate. In a few seconds, the smoke cleared out and no remaining member of Team Rocket was seen. In the forest clearing, Ash, Lance, and their Pokémon remained.
"Ash, are you alright?" Lance asked tentatively, kneeling down to see the young Trainer by eye level. "I'm sorry you had to go through this…" He looked down at the deceased Marowak before resuming his gaze on Ash. "… No one should ever go through this."
At that moment…
"KKKYYYYYUUUUUU!" Cubone wailed, cold realization finally settling in.
Its mournful cry echoed throughout Mt. Silver's trees and had even expanded throughout the mountains. The loss of its mother could be felt in that held pitch of its distressed howl. Both Pikachu and Larvitar started to shed more tears in concurrence to Cubone's pain. Tyranitar and Dragonite looked away, also feeling the pain that the little Lonely Pokémon was forced to experience. In spite of the heartrending shriek, Lance placed a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder and tried to get a reaction from him with a quick nudge.
"The Pokémon… Cubone… his mother…" Ash mumbled, reviewing over Proton's words and imagining every cruel act Team Rocket had possibly ever committed since first knowing of their existence. "They're all…"
"Ash! Snap out of it!" Lance called out. "I'm afraid what's done is done now. We have to stop them!" He then looked at a particular mountain. "We have to stop Team Rocket."
"I… I let them down…"
"Pikapi…" Pikachu whispered, wiping away lingering tears as he got closer to his Trainer and Lance.
The Dragon Champion couldn't wait as his head darted back and forth between the location of the hidden Team Rocket Headquarters and Ash. Desperate times called for desperate measures now that he finally found out where Team Rocket was finally hiding. Lance did what he had to do by forcing Ash to stand back up with Marowak in his arms and forcing the shaken Trainer to look him in the eyes.
"Ash, we can't dwell on this," Lance advised, beckoning his Dragonite to come closer with a gesture of his head. "Let's go!"
Ash closed his eyes and shivered. He couldn't understand how circumstances had drastically changed from one end to another. From a desire to become stronger by training solely on Mt. Silver to that fateful ambush by Team Rocket, it was too much for him to process within a short amount of time. At an abrupt moment, he nudged away from Lance and screamed to the sky.
"NO!"
"Ash, I…" Anabel attempted, but couldn't find any more words in response to what she just learned; she already had trouble holding back her own tears as they threatened to drop from the corners of her lilac eyes. "… I'm not sure what to say."
"… … Then don't," Ash advised solemnly, briefly looking away. "… It was then that I had to become serious… … for the sake of the Pokémon in the world… for Marowak…"
"I see," Anabel said, wiping away a few stray tears with a finger. "So then… you and Lance?"
"… He took me under his wing… trained me… … prepared me… taught me more about Pokémon than I'd ever imagined…"
The general idea that Ash explained in those few words was that with his resolve to take down Team Rocket for good after taking away Marowak's life, he and his entire team grew stronger once they embraced the harsh reality they were currently living in. It was also thanks to Lance's contribution that he escalated in power and unity with his Pokémon, evident from his preliminary battle against the foolhardy Jump with only Pikachu. After all, training and surviving against a frantic criminal organization within a year with a Champion Master as an only ally was bound to have some benefits.
It was essentially a war with both Ash and Lance sabotaging Team Rocket as much as they could without being captured. Outside of Pikachu, Ash made full use of his Pokédex's miniature transport system each passing day, sending back a Pokémon that would need the most recovery out of his team for a fresh one to fight alongside him. He couldn't tell anyone, not even to Professor Oak, about his current situation of being involved with Team Rocket, especially since he dove really deep just to take them down for good. His mother, of course, was a difficult case to worry about, considering her overall motherly nature, but a promise was a promise that he would write to her at least once a month while he was out training. She was probably the only one he would keep in contact with and letting her know he was alright, leaving out the obvious details of being part of a crime-fighting duo with a Champion Master against the infamous Team Rocket.
Many of the same reasons in his inability to stay in contact with others excluding his mother were taken into factor on how and why he was unable to even stay in touch with his closest friends, the ones that traveled with him throughout his journey. None of them knew where he was. He knew that he didn't even bother telling Iris and Cilan before leaving them at the Decolora Archipelago. He felt it was best, especially if by chance he and Lance fell to Team Rocket that they would be safe if they couldn't trace his connections to the.
"… … We lived each day as though it would be our last… … Avoiding detection from larger groups and weakening Team Rocket slowly until the final invasion…"
"Ash, this is it," Lance said. "The time is now or never."
Both Trainers were standing outside of the entrance of Team Rocket's Headquarters built within the bases of the tallest mountain peaks. They were able to chip away a good number of Rocket Grunts, forcing them to retreat for good as they got arrested and taken away with assistance from the members of the Pokémon G-Men.
"… Got it," Ash mumbled.
Much had changed for the Pallet Town Trainer since five months ago when he was first ambushed by Team Rocket on Mt. Silver, when he saw how far they were willing to go to achieve their goals, and when he witnessed a Marowak's brutal demise before his eyes in an attempt to protect him and her child. He came to realize that she finally did trust him; he was the only human Marowak learned to trust.
His metamorphosis into what he was now was relatable to the evolution of a Cubone to Marowak: he overcame the grief of that Marowak's passing by channeling it into motivation to become strong and destroy Team Rocket. With that, along with Lance's rigorous training and consistent hit-and-run tactics against Team Rocket, Ash of Pallet Town could no longer be considered an innocent child anymore after all that he had done since that time.
"I received feedback that the International Police is finally sending a couple of top agents to aid in arresting the remainder of Team Rocket," Lance explained. "With their help, we'll be able to clean up Mt. Silver in no time. This is it, my friend. We're finally bringing this villainous gang to its knees."
"… Got it."
"One last thing: we also seem to have 'secret agents' working for our favor within Team Rocket," Lance brought up; Ash gave him a look under the visor of his cap as Lance pulled out and unfolded a large piece of paper. "They managed to sneak us the entire layout of their entire headquarters a few nights before, including where their boss, Giovanni, is said to reside, his main office to be exact. Quite the risky move they made, I may add." He lowered the map to look Ash in the eye. "I'm guessing that you want the Team Rocket Leader for yourself because of Marowak. In that case, I trust you with bringing him to custody while I take down everyone else."
"… … Got it."
"… We stormed their headquarters and took down anyone that got in our way… …"
Ash, Pikachu, and his recently evolved Feraligatr, who dropped the energetic dance routine its pre-evolved form was known for simply for its Trainer's sake, made it to a split of the first floor while Lance and Dragonite caught up. The hall was divided to going either left or right at that point. Wordlessly, Ash agreed to take the right while Lance decided on the left.
They were able to cover more ground by splitting up as the headquarters itself was fairly large in structure. According to the layout that their 'secret agents' were able to sneak off to them, there were five top floors and three ground floors. Giovanni was said to be at the fifth floor while the laboratories where at the bottom three. Ash and Lance had studied the layout well enough to know where they were going:
Ash was heading to the top to remove the Rocket Leader from power once and for all while Lance was going to destroy the insidious Rocket labs and free all captive Pokémon back to where they belonged.
They were fortunate to have reduced the numbers within the previous months as they quickly immobilized every Rocket Grunt thrown at them. Of course, it came to the point that the big shots would eventually reveal themselves as their forces were being decimated. As Ash was about to leave the third floor and as Lance begun destruction on the bottom second floor, the big four Rocket Executives stepped in to put a halt in their tracks. They certainly distinguished themselves from the ordinary members of Team Rocket with appearances alone.
"So this is the boy that's been causing us trouble, Proton?" the teal-haired Executive dressed in white inquired concerning the young man and his Pikachu.
"Indeed, Master Archer," Proton growled, recalling the events of their first encounter in his mind. "Him and the meddlesome Dragon Champion both…"
Ash stepped forward and drew out a new Poké Ball from his belt. His eyes, save it for half of his left eye, were completely concealed underneath his red cap.
"… Get out of my way," Ash demanded rather calmly, to which Archer and Proton exchanged smirks.
"Listen, kid, as tough as you are, I'm afraid that you won't be calling the shots here," Archer said as he and Proton drew Poké Balls of their own.
Before a Poké Ball could've been casted, a peculiar cloud of sparkling orange powder suddenly descended exclusively upon the Rocket Executives, much to Ash and Pikachu's surprise. Both Archer and Proton collapsed to the ground and dropped their Poké Balls, unable to stand properly after having breathed in that powder.
"What the?!" Proton swore, suddenly discovering his inability to move any part of his body.
"It's… ack… Stun Spore!" Archer coughed.
Ash looked down to the immobilized Executives before tracing up to where the Stun Spore came from. The source was discovered by the stairway to the fourth floor in the form of an Amoonguss.
Meanwhile…
"You can't stop justice and you can't stop me from carrying justice forth," Lance declared, facing against the other two Rocket Executives standing before him and Dragonite, one being a red-haired woman dressed in a specially designed white Rocket uniform and a shifty purple-haired man with a small thick beard patch on his chin dressed in black, similar to Proton's style of uniform.
"Did you hear that, Petrel?" the woman remarked snootily. "The big, bad Dragon Master thinks he's got us beat."
"He's strong, I'll give him that, Miss Ariana, but our combined might will make him reconsider being 'Champion' after we're done with him," Petrel snickered. "You may have easily taken out Cassidy and Mulch on the way here, but we're not like those lowly agents."
"Very well," Lance muttered, watching Ariana and Petrel prepare to summon their Pokémon.
Right as they were about to toss their Poké Balls, the outlines of their bodies suddenly lit up blue. Both Executives discovered that they were unable to move their bodies, shown from their facial expressions and random cries of astonishment. Lance was just as surprised as they were concerning these turn of events.
"Hey! What's going on?!" Ariana cried out as she and Petrel started to levitate. "What do you think you're doing, Dragon Boy?"
"I'm not doing anything," Lance replied, holding up his hands to show he had nothing to do with it.
"This ain't funny, boy!" Petrel complained, flailing his freed limbs but was still in air nonetheless. "I'm scared of hei−aaayyyyy…!"
Petrel and Ariana were suddenly thrown up to the ceiling head first, screaming along the way, then forcibly back to the ground. Their bodies were then flung about, literally bouncing off the walls of the area before ultimately colliding head to head back to where they first started and dropping to the ground, unconscious. Lance blinked a couple of times before realizing that they were under the influence of a Psychic attack. Ever weary, he looked about the room until he discovered a pink female Frillish floating about whimsically close to an area he had yet to visit. He was able to connect to where the Psychic power had come from by the sight of Frillish.
"At least I know where to go now," Lance remarked as he followed the pink Frillish's direction.
Back with Ash…
The Pallet Town Trainer cautiously approached the advancing stairwell where Amoonguss stood. It was thanks to that Amoonguss and its sneaky Stun Spore that he was able to bypass Archer and Proton with ease. As soon as he was close enough to the Mushroom Pokémon, he discovered a small folded note taped on the top of its large Poké Ball-designed cap.
Amoonguss appeared to lean forward as Ash got closer, indicating that the note was meant for him. Pikachu carefully observed the Amoonguss to make sure that it didn't have any other ulterior motive for helping them just now as Ash bent down to take the note.
"… … This might sound odd, but you're kind of familiar to me," Ash commented offhandly; Amoonguss didn't seem to react to his words, but instead bounced off to where Proton and Archer were once Ash took the note off of it. "Weird…"
"Pika," Pikachu agreed, noticing that Amoonguss decided to guard the two paralyzed Executives.
"Let's see…"
Ash opened up the square note and read the contents in his head. The note told him to take this secret corridor along the stairwell in between the third and fourth floors. It was said to be an emergency passage that connected the third and fifth floors. If he took the route that the note dictated, it would take him straight to Giovanni. There was even a short drawing of the route, including where he would start as marked with a smaller drawing of Amoonguss. After one last quick scan of the note, he tucked it away into his pocket and went on forward.
"… The headquarters felt deserted after passing the Team Rocket Executives… …"
Ash did as Amoonguss's mysterious note had instructed him to do, finding the secret narrow corridor and following through it to the end. It was a bit of a climb, but it did lead him where he needed to be, the fifth and final floor of the Team Rocket headquarters. In comparison with the previous floors, the fifth floor appeared cleaner and better developed in terms of floor layout. Then again, he hadn't attempted to mindlessly destroy everything in sight; he merely defeated any Rocket Grunt that tried to stop him.
There weren't as many twists, turns, and split-off passageways that led to different rooms. Rather there was one narrow hallway covered by different office rooms. Ash had a feeling he'd find who he was looking for at the end of the hall. He kept his wits up as he and Pikachu ran through the hall. The rooms appeared to have been evacuated, most likely due to him and Lance storming in.
Ash only hoped that the Leader himself hadn't attempted to escape; he felt that would've been an act of sheer cowardice if he had done so.
Having gone through the hallway with little trouble, Ash discovered a large door that appeared grand in appearance compared to the other doors he passed through. There was no doubt that this was Giovanni's room. Ash felt his muscles tighten resolutely as he prepared for this final confrontation. As he approached the door, something particular stuck out to him concerning the door knobs. Upon closer inspection, it appeared have some sort of claw marks, especially over the key hole.
The Pallet Town Trainer gingerly placed a hand on the knob on the right, tracing out the marks with a thumb. With a tentative twist, he discovered that it was unlocked. His bravado kicked in and he forced the door open, allowing light from the hall to illuminate his path.
Before his eyes was a remarkably large room that practically took up half of the space on the fifth floor. The room was rather dim and bare, appearing like a typical corporate office. All the way on the other side of the room stood that despicable man, the orchestrator of many crimes against Pokémon through his organization, looking out his clear wall window behind his desk where parts of Mt. Silver below them could be seen.
The Rocket Boss stood with his back against the only exit, professionally keeping his hands behind him and seemingly pretended that Ash wasn't in the room. However, a slight turn of the head showed that he knew that he wasn't alone anymore and that the intruder certainly wasn't a member of Team Rocket.
"I must commend you, boy," Giovanni spoke up, still looking at the outside. "Not many children your age would dare try to infiltrate the headquarters of a powerful organization such as Team Rocket, even with help of a Champion Master and the Pokémon G-Men. Truth be told, I'm actually surprised on how quick you've made it here as there were supposed to be a couple of guards standing out there and the door locked from the outside." The Rocket Boss gave off a heavy sigh. "It looks like those 'traitors' managed to do more damage than expected from the inside as you and that Champion barged in with very little resistance. No matter."
"… It's over," Ash stated plainly, eliciting Giovanni to turn around and finally face him. "Before I turn you in, I have to ask… why?"
"Pardon?" Giovanni replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Why have you done the things you've done? Against Pokémon? Why do you treat them as nothing more than tools?!"
"It's nothing personal, dear boy, but strictly business," Giovanni answer, momentarily dusting off the front of his black suit as he walked around the desk. Ash looked up, brown eyes glaring from underneath his cap's visor. "As with any organization competing in the world, we aim to reach for the top. That is why we are called 'Team Rocket.' Of course, this is more than just having the most money or resources than any other company. It's about having the whole world under our control."
"… What?" Ash muttered disbelievingly.
"I wouldn't expect a child like you to understand, but much of the world today is run not only by the latest advances in technology, but by these creatures known as Pokémon," Giovanni explained. "Humans and Pokémon working together… If only men had come to a better understanding on how to bring out the complete usefulness of Pokémon−."
"Not by the way you do things!" Ash interrupted, much to Giovanni's displeasure.
"Boy, curve that unruly tongue of yours. Have your parents not taught you any manners in respecting your superiors?"
"… You're no superior. You're just another thug stealing other people's Pokémon for your own selfish gain."
"Business is business, my boy. Some actions need to be taken and some sacrifices made to ensure success. Isn't that what Pokémon Trainers do anyway?"
"What are you talking about now?" Ash demanded, angered by how he tried relating his actions to that of a Pokémon Trainer.
"Simple," Giovanni replied, smirking. "You go out of your way to catch wild Pokémon, not even bothering to know where they came from, if they had friends or family, and so on." He then took out a Poké Ball and seemed to hold it up to his face. "You pull them out of their habitat to see how strong they are and if they fit your standards. And once they do, you put them through day after day training to force them to become stronger so that you could show off how strong you made them become to other Trainers. Isn't that right?"
"That's… that's not right," Ash attempted, but couldn't find the right words to argue as he fell into a quiet mumble.
As much as he didn't want to admit, there was some truth from what the Rocket Boss said, regardless of how twisted it sounded coming from him. Pikachu became worried as he looked up to his Trainer, hoping his resolve didn't burn away because of some meticulously bent words of what he stood for as a Pokémon Trainer. Ash knew he was never good with words and only from time to time would he ever succeed as some sort of motivational speaker. But he knew one thing he was good at after a focused look upon the Poké Ball in Giovanni's hand.
"Well, boy? What do you have to say to that?" Giovanni goaded. "Not so different, are we?"
Ash straightened himself and stood tall. Placing a hand on the rim of his cap, he tilted it up to reveal a good look of his burning eyes beneath the shadow of the visor. Even Giovanni was surprised by his newfound confidence, wondering what sparked him to take such a stance.
"I challenge you… to a three-on-three Pokémon battle!"
"What?!" Giovanni yelped suddenly.
"The stakes on hand… will be the future of Team Rocket… against my own… If I win, Team Rocket is disbanded for good… If you win…" Ash took a deep breath within the pause; he was sure to make this wager. "… Then my life will be in your hands…"
"Boy, do you not understand what you're getting into?" Giovanni warned. "While I'd like to refrain from giving corporal punishment to children as much as possible, you're really forcing my hand now. This wouldn't be as messy as it is if you had just minded your own business from the beginning."
"No," Ash stated. "… You said it yourself that Trainers compete alongside Pokémon to see who's the best. I'm going to prove being better than you with the power of the friendship I share with all my Pokémon. I believed in them since joining me…" Pikachu leapt forward with electric discharge sparking from his cheeks, sharing the same excitement as his best friend held. "… And we're not going to back down anyone!"
Giovanni stared back at the courageous young man to the point of speechlessness. The intense emotion that boy held was once familiar to him, but such a thing was a long time ago. He shook off the impression and stepped forward to meet the young challenger to his request. It was quite convenient as it was that his room was large enough to host a Pokémon battle.
"Very well," Giovanni conceded with Poké Ball on hand. "But here's my final warning to you. The Pokémon I will use in this battle are considered some of the strongest ever in these parts. Aside from the usual capture and obtainment, I personally made sure that they lived up to their potential and beyond. Did you know that I was once a Gym Leader that specialized in Ground-types?"
Ash was caught in a moment of shock when Giovanni revealed his being a Gym Leader. The memory of battling Team Rocket in the Viridian City Gym suddenly came to mind. It was him against Jessie standing in those dangerous Trainer Boxes with Misty, Brock, Gary, his cheerleaders, James, and Meowth to the side to watch their battle.
"… If you're referring to the Viridian Gym, then yes," Ash said. "I faced Jessie for the Earth Badge many years ago and won it despite their cheating. However, I don't see a Gym Leader standing before me, but the mad Boss of Team Rocket."
"Is that so?" Giovanni asked with a cocked brow. He prepared to release his first Pokémon. "Well, boy… Do you really want to be a Master of Pokémon? It's time to test your skills… To see if you truly can call yourself 'Number One'!"
"So then… it really was you!" Anabel exclaimed in awe.
"… …?" Ash was baffled by her sudden interruption.
"An article was released months ago concerning the discovery and fall of Team Rocket," Anabel explained. "I still have that clipping with me in my room at where the competitors are staying."
"… … …"
"A reporter was able to get a few inside details on that day when Team Rocket was publically announced to have been disbanded. Those that she was able to interview included Champion Lance and an International Police agent known as Officer Looker. Lance said that he, the Pokémon G-Men, and an apprentice he recently took under and kept anonymous to the interview took down Team Rocket step by step once he discovered where they were hiding out. Looker then said that he and a fellow agent called Tedesco arrested all that were associated with Team Rocket. However, he mentioned that the Boss, Giovanni, managed to escape custody."
"… I know," Ash said darkly.
"What?" Anabel inquired. "But I thought you defeated him? Did he go against his word?"
"… No… he did disband Team Rocket for good… and even left me a surprise."
"'Surprise'? Was it a trick for his escape?"
Ash shook his head, looking down at his lap. He knew full-well what Giovanni's intentions were for escaping the authorities and was even requested to keep it a secret as his last wish. But seeing as he didn't even reveal the battle he had with him to Anabel, there was not much else he could say as the battle itself had acted as a sort of catalyst for the former Rocket Boss's ultimate fate post-battle. In short, he had nothing more to say concerning Giovanni.
He was about to stand, but he felt his sleeve being tugged down upon his attempt. The Pallet Town Trainer glanced at Anabel, who seemed to be expectant of something.
"… …"
"You didn't explain what the surprise was," Anabel mentioned. "If you can't remember what happened between you and the Boss of Team Rocket, then I'll leave it alone."
"The surprise… I'd rather not say… … I'm not too fond of what happened after…"
"Was it pretty bad?" Anabel asked, deeply concerned on the way Ash had been behaving on the topic.
The young man in red took a deep breath and exhaled calmly. The Salon Maiden had the right to know at least that particular event considering everything else that he willingly shared with her. But to him, it was just as bad as Marowak's demise. Ash leaned his head back hesitantly, recollecting his final thoughts together.
"… There were Pokémon left…"
"Pokémon left?" Anabel repeated. "Didn't you say that Lance freed all of them from the underground labs?"
"… … There was one last group…"
After the battle, Ash and Pikachu had learned from Giovanni that there was a freshly caught flock of Flying-type Pokémon that attempted to pass overhead to Johto. Of course, Team Rocket had to take advantage of every opportunity to seize potential experimentation and such, so they had blindsided and intercepted the flock a few days ago, incidentally at the same day Ash and Lance secretly received the layout of the hidden Team Rocket headquarters.
The flock of Flying Pokémon were held captive in a secret room adjacent to Giovanni's room before being planned to be moved down to the underground laboratories. Giovanni himself had been gracious enough to reveal the way to the secret room with a press of a button on his desk, causing a nearby bookshelf to slide away and reveal a steel, tight-locked door. The door then opened up and allowed full access to the secret room.
"There," Giovanni said once the tumblers of the hidden door came to a full stop. "They're all yours now."
"You know it would be better if you did give yourself in to the authorities," Ash mentioned.
"Our agreement was that I would permanently disband Team Rocket if I lost, boy," Giovanni stated. "I already sent my secretary to deliver the news to all active Rocket members still around here before they're to be taken into custody."
"… And what are you going to do now?" Ash asked.
"I believe that you're more than capable of figuring that out yourself," Giovanni replied, approaching Ash with a precious-looking black box. "Also, I have a feeling that the contents in here would be more beneficial to you than to me, considering where I'm going."
Ash delicately took the box from his hands into his own, opening it up to see a pair of strange, but vibrant stones cradled inside. The larger of the two stones was as bright as a flame while the other was colorful like a rainbow. Both stones had peculiar symbols printed onto them.
"… What are these?" Ash questioned aloud, only to be met with silence.
The Pallet Town Trainer closed the box and looked up, only to discover that he was the only one in the room aside from Pikachu. He looked at Pikachu, who happened to be on his shoulder the whole time, but the Mouse Pokémon merely shrugged as to where Giovanni had gone to as he too was distracted by the unique beauty of those stones.
Ash quickly placed away the box containing those rare stones into his backpack before moving on to his presumably final mission, to save and release the captured Flying-type Pokémon. He ran into the secret room, which illuminated itself having sensed someone enter.
With the lights activating all around him, he heard various cries and caws coming from the center of the room. Ash discovered that it was a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto trapped in a cubical cage. All of them appeared to be leaping and flapping their wings about, calling for help from the stranger that got into the secret room.
"… Anyone know where the controls to that cage are?" Ash inquired tentatively.
"Allow me, twerp," a familiar male voice announced, much to Ash's shock.
The Pallet Town Trainer turned to the corner where the voice came from, finding out that it was indeed James, along with Meowth, operating the control panel that operated the cage the flock was trapped in. He pulled a large lever down, which in turn started to pull the cage roof and bars up.
"… James… and Meowth…?!"
"Dat's right!" Meowth chirped up. "Boy, ya should see da look on yer face. It's priceless!"
"… But how did you guys escape?" Ash asked, still in bewilderment from seeing them again, considering that they were taken into 'punishment' by Proton five months ago.
"Well, seeing as Team Rocket saw and treated us as traitors now just for defending you and Pikachu back then, Jessie, Meowth, and I decided to show them not to mess with us any longer," James explained, smiling giddily. "I do say that it felt quite empowering to finally take down those stuck-up big shots a peg or two. That'll teach them to underestimate us for the last time."
"So then… That was your Amoonguss that helped me?" Ash inquired, the revelation coming loud and clear to him.
"Correctomundo, twerp. I had Amoonguss help you out with Archer and Proton while Jessie took care of the other two Executives, Ariana and Petrel, at the underground labs. She helped your Champion friend free the Pokémon down there, as well as unleash that rage of hers on the rest of the labs."
"If that's true…" Ash drew out, looking down to the Scratch Cat Pokémon next. "… Then you're the one that must've left those claw marks on the door to Giovanni's room."
"Yup, I've still got my pride if nuttin' else," Meowth added. "Dat Persian of da Boss's may be his 'top cat,' but I'm da numba' one cat anywhere! Yer welcome, by da way."
"But you guys might get still turned in for being associated with Team Rocket, especially if your still wearing those uniforms," Ash pointed out.
"Not necessarily, Ash," a new, deeper voice intruded.
Ash looked to the entrance of the secret room and saw Looker of the International Police standing in the doorway, the light from the office illuminating his authoritative outline a bit.
"… Looker is here too?"
"I'm sure that Lance told you that two agents from the International Police would arrive and arrest Team Rocket when the moment came," Looker said, pulling out his official Interpol badge as verification. "Those two, along with the woman, told me everything when I came across them. Seeing as Team Rocket had essentially rejected them for good, they no longer have ties to the organization and would otherwise be considered free, especially when taking into account their help from the inside proved beneficial to you and Lance. Also, I know them pretty well them from past experience in Sinnoh and Unova and can tell that they still have a lot of potential to offer to society."
"… That's really cool," Ash commented to the side.
"However, there's the matter of their personal security," Looker added. "They will need to go under witness protection, to ensure that if any remnant of Team Rocket seeks revenge for their treachery, their vengeance will be all for naught. This is a matter I must discuss with all three of them privately. I will leave the freeing of the Flying Pokémon to you, Ash."
The International Police agent gestured to James and Meowth to follow him out and into Giovanni's open office. As Ash watch them about to leave through the doorway, a particular crooning sound caught his attention from behind. He turned around to see the Pidgey and Pidgeotto finally free from the cage. However, behind them was one Pokémon he didn't imagine seeing here of all places, having been captured by Team Rocket.
"… … Pidgeot…" Ash whispered.
The sight of his former Bird Pokémon having shook him up from the inside. He could tell that this was indeed the Pidgeot he released back to the wild, back to the Viridian Forest to guide and watch over the troubled flock when a Fearow and its flock terrorized them. However, as they locked eyes, Ash picked up a distinctive vibe that something was not right. For one thing, Pidgeot didn't appear to be as thrilled as he was for this reunion.
"Pika-chu," Pikachu commented, perplexed.
"… Pidgeot? … … It's me… Remember?"
Ash called out to it, but the attempt only seemed to irritate it. Pidgeot narrowed its eyes and appeared chary of the approaching Trainer. The Pidgey and Pidgeotto leapt and parted out of the way for Ash to get closer to the towering Bird Pokémon. Both he and Pidgeot maintained eye contact as he got closer, though it still felt uneasy on his part. Ash had placed a friendly persona on, trying to assure Pidgeot that it was no longer in any danger and that Team Rocket was permanently dealt with.
Ash extended a hand out to pet his Pokémon.
"… … … One of the hardest things I had to face…"
*Whap*
Ash was in great shock…
His hand was swatted away callously…
By the wing of his own Pidgeot…
"Pih-dgeeeooo!" Pidgeot screeched. "Pidgeo! Pih-dgeeo-toh!"
Ash blinked a few times in rapid succession. It didn't fully register in his head that an act of hostility came from Pidgeot when it prevented him from touching it. Pikachu immediately leapt to the defense of his friend, threatening the Bird Pokémon to behave with electrical sparks.
"… Pidgeot?" Ash asked.
"It's sayin', 'You broke it,'" Meowth translated, having appeared at the doorway. "By da way, I just finished tawkin' wit' Boxed-Lunch Guy. Yer welcome, again."
"Broke what?" Ash repeated, resuming Meowth's earlier statement.
"Pidgeot's mad dat ya broke yer promise to it, to come back for it when you were done with da Orange Archipelago trip, but ya never came back since den," Meowth explained fully. "Funny ting is dat I actually remember dat day, wit' da Fearow flock attacking da Pidgey and Pidgeotto back in da Viridian Forest. I could still feel da scars from dem Spearow beaks."
"… … … … I broke a promise… … to a close friend…"
The Pallet Town Trainer came to a complete standstill, eyes widened as far as they did while losing his ability to breathe. It came back to him now. While Pidgeot continued to vent and Meowth doing the convenient favor of translating its anger in the background, Ash remembered that day many years ago when he did promise to return for the Bird Pokémon once he had finished picking up the GS Ball from Professor Ivy.
Yet with all the opportunities he had to return to Kanto and even pass by the Viridian Forest, he had allowed himself to be caught up in moments of starting a new journey to become a Pokémon Master.
It just started to hit him.
He knew that with most friends, mainly his traveling companions, in which they had to go on their separate ways. He understood reasons why he had to release certain Pokémon like his Butterfree and Lapras back into the wild. But what he kept close to his heart was his ability to keep a promise.
Ash promised to stay in contact with all of his previous friends, ranging back from Misty and presumably up to Iris and Cilan.
Not only did he leave behind the latter for his own goals, but he had to cut all communications when he got into training at Mt. Silver and ultimately becoming involved with Team Rocket.
His mindset continued to spiral down this train of thought.
Ash had let down Cubone, letting his guard down and thus being unable to save his mother…
Ash had let down Misty… Brock… Tracey… May… Max… Dawn… Iris… and Cilan… for not even letting them know that he was even still alive…
And now, Ash had let down one of his oldest friends, who appeared to no longer consider him one for this sense of betrayal… all from a broken promise… …
"… I… I really did let everyone down…" Ash mumbled, falling on his knees as tears unconsciously fell from his eyes to the floor. "… … It's my fault… It's always been my fault…"
"Pikapi…" Pikachu whispered, attempting to comfort his Trainer, who appeared to be taking this way too hard.
"… … It's too far for anything to be done…"
After finishing his last translation, Meowth looked over to see the main twerp on his knees. It suddenly occurred to the Scratch Cat Pokémon that he was really taking the emotional cuts deep before looking back at Pidgeot. He knew there wasn't much else he could say, but he could try to do the Trainer one last favor.
"Hey, Pidgeot," Meowth began, taking a much serious stance before the Bird Pokémon. "I know we were never on any good toims, but here's da laydown. Dat kid over dere basically risked his life, tooth and limb, ta' save all da Pokémon Team Rocket captured here, you included. Ya could at least cut him some slack for bustin' his chops to get da bad guys ta' disband once and for all."
"… …" Pidgeot looked at him with interest.
"Plus, I know ya can't forget all da good times ya shared wit' him while travelin' through Kanto and competin' in da Indigo League," Meowth added sympathetically. "I know dat kid's heart for a long time since Jessie, James, and I chased his Pikachu over da years. He's done sum crazy tings just to get Pikachu back from us, and trust me on dis, dat even I was mind blown by da desires of his heart."
"…" Pidgeot looked down before stealing a glance at its former Trainer, who stayed frozen on his knees while Pikachu attempted to get a reaction from him.
"Besides, even if he did come back for ya after da Orange Islands, yer probably been enjoyin' da grand life with dat great flock under yer wings," Meowth continued, spreading his arms out to indicate the Pidgey and Pidgeotto still observing both them and Ash. "Lots of tings have happened over da years. If ya really did consider him a true friend, ya should give him at least a second chance." He then gave what he felt was the friendliest gesture he's ever done outside of the trio in front of Pidgeot by extending a paw out to it. "So waddaya say, bucko? Will ya forgive him?"
Pidgeot looked down to Meowth, who appeared to have been really sincere throughout this whole time, then to Ash, and finally back to Meowth again.
"Pidgeoh…"
Silence fell on Ash and Anabel. The Salon Maiden finally understood the pain he's been under the past year, the training and toughening up he had to go through. She wanted to cry for him, though she felt that she ran out of tears from the Marowak moment. Ash sat impassively as he did, most likely expecting her to say something.
Unfortunately, she found that she lost her ability to speak for the moment.
Anabel sensed Ash's eyes look at her for a moment before looking back ahead into the forest. She could tell that he was ready to leave; she couldn't blame him. But she wanted to say something to him that she felt wouldn't cross any more boundaries concerning Ash's privacy. She had to say something to him lest he interpreted her silence for something else.
That he would think that she thought of him as some kind of monster…
"Hey," Anabel finally spoke up. "Um… Well, did Pidgeot completely… you know… forgive you?"
Ash stood up in response, looking up to the clear blue sky partially covered by the forest leaves and branches. He was as unreadable as ever.
"… … Overtime, Pidgeot did forgive me…" Ash began, turning his attention back down to the ground. "… However… Pidgeot didn't want to return to me…"
"Is it…?"
"… It's still in the wild… It served as my main correspondence between my mom and me… … Pidgeot was willing to deliver our letters… but it's not willing to battle beside me right now… …"
"Oh… Okay then."
Ash started to walk out of their little clearing. Anabel, Pikachu, and Espeon left the wooden bench and caught up with him as they headed back out to the New Island natural park. Pikachu resumed his place on Ash's shoulder while Espeon stayed low next to her Trainer. They quietly retraced the route they went through back, passing through the forest Pokémon living in their leisure.
Anabel was surprised to see the sun setting so quickly after emerging out of the forest with Ash. Time had certainly flown by while Ash recounted the details of his recent past to her, to which gave her one last thing to do.
"Hey, Ash?" Anabel called out before he left. "I just want to thank you for trusting me with this, telling me all that's happened to you."
"… …You're welcome," he replied quietly.
"Listen, there may not be much for me to do to help you out right now," Anabel continued, getting closer to the Pallet Town Trainer, "but I just want to say that you have me at your side now. I'm here for you, just like your friends always have been. I know it may feel that you think they haven't forgiven you, but I can tell you that they have."
"… …" Ash merely looked at her.
"So, I hope the time comes soon when you can finally forgive yourself," Anabel finished, biting her lower lip a bit. That didn't turn out as well as it sounded…
Before anything else could happen, the Salon Maiden gave Ash a quick, but tight hug around his torso, much to his complete surprise. Pikachu could've sworn that a bit of red lit up in his face from contact with Anabel and smirked to himself. She then released him and smiled back daintily.
"… … …" Ash was completely speechless after that, though he didn't appear upset over it; just confused as his previous self would often be.
"Well, I hope you have a good evening, Ash," Anabel said with a rather girlish tilt of her head. "And best of luck to your upcoming match."
As she and Espeon walked ahead back to the direction of the New Island Pokémon Center, Ash carefully reviewed her words after they came out of the forest. He watched her disappear into the distance before hearing a nearby rustling of forest bushes.
A familiar former rival of his from Sinnoh coincidentally emerged out of the forest simply a few meters away from where he's standing right now, carrying his ever displeased scowl. Strangely enough, he was accompanied by the Saffron City Gym Leader, who upon seeing him again, gave a polite wave and a courteous smile.
Ash knew he's seen many bizarre things over his adventure, but he knew one thing was certain:
He still wasn't used to seeing Sabrina smile, though ironically enough, trying to imagine the former rival she was with smiling was an entertaining, if not creepy, thought…
Hopefully, this would explain much of what's happened to Ash, though if I again somehow skipped over a detail, well… blame final exams. I've had plenty on my plate recently as it is. It looks like I'll be updating more on a monthly basis from now on. Better than nothing, I say. I know some of you were worried that I gave up like my brother because of college, but here, I'm going to prove myself and step out of MisterP's shadow for good.
Also, there is a reason that I omitted the "Ash vs. Giovanni" battle as I have another use to place it in a near future chapter. Just consider Jessie, James, and Meowth's fates from this chapter and that should (hopefully) answer your question on why I didn't include the battle.
As for the Pidgeot scene, let's just say that was additional salt to the wound for Ash to realize not everything's all fairy dust and rainbows. However, I'm not going to go overboard with the mature stuff like violence, death, language, or suggestiveness. Aside from what happened to Ash, I plan on staying as close to the anime as possible, through the sense of being somewhat "family-friendly" with some mild mature themes to show their growing up as realistically as possible, if you catch my drift.
If you had forgotten already, this story was an alternate design after the adventures in the Decolore Islands, meaning that the Pokémon XY journey never took place, but that doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to include some of their elements in, like the Fairy-type. There's so much to experiment with, but we'll see in the future if I do decide on implementing another mechanic from there (Hint: It's from the post-battle from Ash and Giovanni if you somehow didn't catch that). At this point, nothing else has been truly decided. The ideas and possibilities are just there, waiting.
Anyway, it's time to measure up my writing skills. Please review!
L-ater!