Chapter 12: Taking Flight
"Unova?" Ash said that morning when everyone was up.
"That's right," Sonic replied. "According to Tails' radar, there's a Chaos Emerald there. Since it's close by, we'll stop there next."
"Sounds good to me," Clemont said.
"I always wanted to see the Unova region," Serena smiled. "I've heard it's very modern, and everyone there is quite sophisticated." At this, Ash started giggling slightly, but he stifled himself. Serena looked at him, puzzled. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," he snickered.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bonnie said, jumping excitedly. "Let's go!"
"How do we get there, though?" Clemont asked. "We don't exactly have enough flying Pokemon to carry us over there."
"That's no problem," Tails said, walking over to a large willow tree. He pushed a switch, then suddenly the tree's branches lifted up, revealing a super advanced plane.
"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Have you been busy, Tails?"
"Yup!"
"Isn't this the Tornado X?" Ash asked.
"Pikachu?"
"It used to be," Tails nodded. "But after a recent skirmish with Eggman, it sustained some heavy damage and lacked the power to equal him. I needed to upgrade."
"Wow," Ash said. "You've done a fine job of it."
"You have your friend to thank for that," Tails replied, pointing at Clemont.
"Clemont!" Ash said, grinning. "You were helping Tails?"
"That's right," the inventor nodded. "This is actually part of what that machine I was building back at the gym was for."
"Oh, yeah!" Tails said. "Is that ready for me?"
"Um...yeah, about that," Clemont sweatdropped.
"What? Is it not finished?"
"It was," he said, "but then Eggman tried to steal it, and it got destroyed in the process."
"Oh," Tails blinked. "Hm...well, I guess there's nothing we can do about that."
"Hey, no need to go burning daylight around here," Sonic said suddenly, tapping his foot impatiently. "We've got a Chaos Emerald to find!"
"Right!" Tails said. "The question is, where should we land in Unova?"
"Castelia City," Ash said.
"Huh?"
"It's the largest city in the region, and pretty advanced, too. It's the perfect spot to land the Tornado!"
"All right, then," Tails nodded. "Everyone board the Tornado NX!"
Ash blinked. "Tornado NX?" he repeated.
"Yup," Tails said. "It's the next step up from Tornado X!"
"Hm!" Ash said. "Sounds kinda like a codename, if you ask me."
"Pikachu."
A large battleship hovered over an even larger expanse of ocean, with some small ships flanking it. The Egg Carrier glistened in the sunlight as its namesake chuckled while he put the next phase in his plan into action.
"Now let me see," he said. "The last time I was here I nearly crashed and burned. Ha! Not this time. Now the Egg Carrier is heat resistant!" With that, he put his hand on a lever.
"But Doctor...you do know what happened the last time someone attacked these islands, right?"
"Yes, James," Eggman replied curtly. "And I know this could put the world in greater danger than I would like. However, I've carefully calculated every variable. As long as everything goes exactly according to plan, this will be a piece of cake."
"Right, then," Meowth grinned, his paw hovering over a button. "Just give me the signal, and I'll dispatch the shockers."
"Very well," Eggman sneered. "Get ready. This game's about to get two times harder!"
The Tornado NX took no time in showing off its capabilities as it swiftly shot through the Kalos sky and took off for Unova. Unlike past iterations, which could hold around two people at most, the Tornado NX was almost like a standard transportation plane, as it could hold a few dozen people. Since there were only six passengers, however (not including Pokemon), the rest of the plane was sealed off so it could be used to make the plane more powerful.
"Wow," Sonic grinned. "Tails really went and did it this time. This plane is incredible!"
"I'll say," Ash mirrored his grin. "We'll be in Castelia City in no time!"
"Yeah," Sonic nodded, his expression becoming more conflicted.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"Nothing," Sonic shrugged. "Well, okay, not nothing, but...that strange creature we fought in that dark dimension…"
Ash's expression mirrored his once again. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too," he said. "It looked so familiar, and yet so...different. I thought I knew what it was, but now I'm not so sure."
"Well, I sure hope that encounter doesn't end up changing our course. Or at least, if it does, it doesn't force us to make a 180 turn."
"As if it wasn't bad enough that we have Eggman to worry about," Ash muttered. "Let's just keep our eyes open for now."
"Right," Sonic nodded. Right after he spoke, a small alarm began blaring. "What?"
"What's going on?" Ash asked.
"Hang on, everyone!" Tails called over the loudspeakers. "We're hitting some strange turbulence!"
"What kind of turbulence?" Ash wondered.
Clemont gasped. "It looks like a small tornado! A real one!"
"That's impossible," Serena exclaimed on hearing this. "Tornadoes don't appear this high in the sky, and even if they did, they wouldn't appear in this geographical location."
"Then what's going on?" Sonic asked.
The loudspeakers suddenly started emitting disjointed static, startling everyone. After a moment, they stopped, and a familiar voice came through:
"Listen up, you twerps: I'm giving you a choice here, and I suggest you choose wisely. Hand over the Pikachu, and I'll stop this tornado and let you all live."
Everyone gasped. "It's Team Rocket!" Ash cried.
"Not again!" Sonic groaned.
"Why didn't they start with the motto?" Bonnie wondered.
"Well I wanted to, but James and Meowth are busy elsewhere," Jessie's voice replied. "Now hurry up and hand over the Pikachu."
"Forget it!" Ash yelled back. "I'll send you blasting off like always. Tails, where is she?"
Tails emerged from the cockpit chamber a moment later. "She's nowhere in range. I can't get a hold of her!"
"What?!" Ash cried. "How can that be?!"
"I'm not going to wait much longer, you twerps," Jessie growled over the intercom. "Give me the Pikachu, or you're as good as dead!"
"Guys," Sonic said, "I don't think she's kidding around." The Tornado NX began to rock violently in the wind.
"What do we do?" Hoopa whimpered.
Ash clenched his fists. He looked at his best friend, perched on his shoulder and quivering with fear. Pikachu looked back at him, and a quiet, unspoken assurance passed between them. Ash nodded slowly, then turned back to his friends.
"I know what to do," he said. With that, he walked over to a door at the side of the plane with the words "Emergency Exit" written on it.
"Ash, what are you –" Serena started, but she was cut off by the violent wind rushing into the plane. Ash had kicked the door open!
"What?!" Sonic cried.
"Listen up, Jessie," Ash shouted, "Pikachu's the one you want, right? Then you let my friends go. They're not the ones you want." He put his hand on the side of the doorway leading out of the plane. Then he put his other hand onto his cap and flipped it around.
"Ash, no!" Clemont called.
"You want me?" Ash yelled back at Jessie. "COME AND GET ME!" With that, he yanked Pikachu off his shoulder, hugged him close to his chest, and leapt out of the plane.
"ASH!" Bonnie screamed.