Chapter 24:
Fermentation
"Alright, alright," Ash groaned. "I admit it."
"Now," Aura stressed, pulling on her pack's straps in frustration. "Of course, you would admit I was right, being not only given proof that the Center was there, but having taken advant—!"
"Oh, shut up." Misty buried her face in her hand. "You're worse than an old married couple."
"Look who's tal—AGH!" Aura started, before stumbling forward. The Lucario tumbled head over heels through a group of large ferns into a hidden tunnel in the hillside.
"Aura!" Nyx exclaimed. The Shiny Umbreon dashed over to the hole in the earth and began to paw at the edges.
"I'm fine, Nyx!" Aura's head pushed through the ferns.
"Ya'd tink dat ya'd have learned ta not fall inta' holes by dis point in ya life," Jerzy popped up out of Ash's backpack.
"You don't get to talk!" Aura snarled at him, trying to pull herself out of the hole.
"What makes you say that?" Misty asked, kneeling next to her and offering a hand in help.
"Little bastard's never fought for anyone a day in his—yaagghn!" Aura ignored the aid, and instead snarled and pointed at the masked Rattata. As a result, she fell straight back down into the hole.
"Aura!"
Aura's world spun around in an erratic manner as she tumbled further down the tunnel. Eventually, she found herself rolling in an awkward manner out the other end. She finally came to a halt, flat on her back, with the sight of a large, wooden log just above her face.
Oh… she groaned to herself. That came way too close to my head…
"What?" A new voice barked in surprise. "Where did you come from?"
"Clearly, from that direction," a deeper voice retorted.
Aura stood up, blinking.
"Aura!" She heard the others' voices from the distance.
"Whoa!" The first voice yelped behind her. "That Lucario is huge!"
This again? Aura sighed.
"I'm down here!" Aura yelled up the forested hill, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Down the hill!"
"It… spoke," the second voice breathed.
Aura turned to face the travelers she had unintentionally trespassed against.
The first voice belonged to a lean, muscular teenage boy in black pants and a black-and-green jacket with a popped collar, and what initially appeared to be a green bandana pulling white hair out of his face. Then, seeing the strands of brown hair poking down out of the bandanna, Aura realized the whole thing was actually a strange cap. He was sitting straight up—shocked—on another, much larger log that was lying around the gathered firewood.
The second voice belonged to a thinner teen male, wearing a clean, white, button-up shirt with muted green pants and vest, and a pair of strangely clean white shoes with simple, light blue marks. His short, green hair was neatly combed, and his smooth face appeared to have never sprouted so much as a single hair.
"It is female," Aura snarled at them, "and she has a name."
The first teen laughed enthusiastically, and shot his companion a grin.
"We should introduce her to Palmer." He placed a hand on his knee. "I think he'd like her."
"He doesn't like anyone."
"Exactly."
"What does that—?"
"Oh, shut up!" Aura snapped at them. "Misty!" She yelled back up the hill. "Nyx! Dolt!"
"What?" Ash sounded annoyed as he emerged from thick foliage, the others close behind. "Don't I get a name?"
"When you've earned it," Aura growled.
"What the hell does—?"
"Hello!" Misty interrupted, noticing the other two teens. "Sorry about that. We had a run-in with a random tunnel entrance in the road."
"It's the Sandshrew," the teen in the hat explained. "They've been driven from their natural habitat. It's causing a lot of problems for travelers as well."
"No kidding," Aura spat, pulling a long, thin root out of her pelt.
"What's driving them away from Union Cave?" Ash asked.
The two teenage boys exchanged glances briefly. They quickly looked back to Ash.
"We're not really sure." The one in the hat shrugged. "We have a few theories, but…."
"That's why we're here," the green-haired teen sighed, looking pointedly away from everyone. "We heard about the… abnormal activities in the wildlife here, and…."
"And what?" Aura snapped. "You decided to stick your noses where it doesn't belong?"
"Basically," the green-haired boy said flatly. "Rather, he decided we would."
"Hey, Wally, if we didn't, we wouldn't have learned—!"
"A lot of things! I know!" Wally interrupted hastily.
"Is anyone else aware," Aura snarled in frustration, "that we still have no idea who the hell they are?"
"Aura, relax." Misty placed a hand on the Lucario's shoulder. "You're really tense today."
We're close, Aura knew. We're way too damn close…. I can feel…. We're too close.
Misty raised a brow at Aura, the latter twitching uncontrollably.
"Anyway…" Ash said slowly, before turning to the other two. "I guess we should introduce ourselves. You've already met our friend Aura. I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said brightly.
"You can call me Nyx!" Nyx grinned cheerfully.
"Fascinating!" The teen in the hat breathed, eyes widening at the Shiny Umbreon.
"And I'm Misty, Leader of the Cerulean City Gym."
"Really?" The teen in the hat stood up, smirking. "Well, I am honored to—"
"Heel, boy." The green-haired teen pulled back on his companion's jacket. "Your girlfriend made me promise to keep you in check out here."
"I wasn't going to—!"
TSEEEEW! A beam of red light interrupted his retort. A Swampert materialized next to his Trainer. The Water Pokémon glared at him, arms crossed.
"Vlad, I wasn't…" His voice faltered under the piercing stare.
He cleared his throat and turned back to Ash and the others.
"My name is Brendan," the teen in the hat said calmly. "Brendan Birch, rising Pokémon researcher." He added with a grin. "And this is my star assistant, the wonderfully handsome Vlad." He motioned to the Swampert, who gave the others a pleasant nod.
"Birch?" Ash asked. "You mean… are you related to Professor Birch?"
"You've met my father, I see." Brendan nodded with a smirk.
"You don't look much like him," Misty narrowed her eyes.
"I take after my mother more," he admitted, before removing his hat to reveal his short, brown hair. "Though, I do share a rather striking similarity to Dad where my hair is concerned."
"Why did he never mention you?" Ash asked. "I've met up with him several times in Hoenn, and he never once told me that he had a son."
"I'm trying to make it on my own," Brendan explained, "and I didn't want anyone to simply associate me as just being my father's son. So, I asked him to… not talk about me. Other researchers and close friends know, of course, but I doubt if he'd spill every tidbit on his family life to every growing trainer he befriended."
"Do you tell everyone you meet about your parents or siblings?" Brendan's companion asked.
"Not much to tell," Ash scratched his head. "Just my mom and me. No siblings." He paused for a moment. "But… I get what you're saying."
"I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is—"
"This is Wally!" Brendan interrupted wrapping both arms around his companion in a sudden, tight hug.
"My name is—!"
"Dude, come on. You really think that people will believe that you're named after the amazing Wallace?"
"I never thought we'd find someone else with more unresolved tension than our own companions," Pikachu said dryly, looking at Nyx.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash and Misty asked in unison.
"Oh, get off!" Wally shoved Brendan, breaking the latter's grip. "Fine. You can call me Wally, but I'm named after the Hoenn Co-Champion and Top Coordinator Wallace. He was just starting to become well-known when I was born, and my mother had high hopes for my future."
"So, you're a Trainer?" Ash grinned.
"Yeah." Wally nodded. "But, I'm not really much of a competing one. I'll challenge a Gym from time to time, but I mostly just follow Brendan around and try to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."
"How many times have I honestly gotten in that much trouble?" Brendan raised a brow at Wally.
"I'm not having this conversation again," Wally sighed, burying his face in one hand.
"He used to be so much friendlier." Brendan shook his head. "I think his Grovyle's attitude finally got to him."
"Or, you know, I've had to play the parent for you for too damn long."
"Anyway," Ash interrupted before Brendan could respond. "The Sandshrew?"
"Yeah?" Brendan looked back at them.
"What do you think is causing it?"
Brendan and Wally exchanged another glance, before looking at Ash again.
"We're not entirely sure."
Aura stepped forward, clenching her chest. She narrowed her eyes and shot Brendan a death glare.
"You're lying."
"What?" Brendan asked her in confusion. "How could I—?"
"Team Rocket's here," Aura growled. "There's no way you couldn't know by now."
"How would you know if Team Rocket's here?" Misty looked at Aura.
Aura tightened her grip on her chest, doubling over.
"I know."
Unless… but, I know better than to hope that… that….
Aura inhaled deeply, exhaling in a hiss and standing straight again.
"They're somewhere in the mountains around Union Cave."
"Of course," Ash sighed, exchanging a look with Misty.
"What's wrong?" Brendan raised a brow.
"Our… destination is in Union Cave," Nyx said hesitantly.
"Of course," Brendan chuckled nervously.
Aura glared at him again.
Brendan looked at Wally, who sighed and nodded once. Vlad grumbled something in a low tone.
"Yes." Brendan nodded. "We know that Team Rocket's involved. We've been keeping an eye on them for a while now. From a distance, of course, but we've managed to keep them from doing too much damage until…."
"There was a wild Spiritomb that's been wandering around Johto and surrounding regions, and it settled in the nearby mountains several months ago," Wally explained, pulling a carving knife out of his belt and throwing the blade into the ground in front of him. "Team Rocket, naturally, found out about it. Not only do Spiritomb not have even a single elemental weakness, but this one's also a Shiny, which makes it a curiosity with even legitimate researchers and scientists. It's no surprise that Team Rocket was after it."
"It would also seem that they're recruiting younger and younger, too," Brendan added. "I didn't get a good look at the new guy they brought in to lead the new mission to capture the Spiritomb, but... he sounded young enough."
"What about that one girl?" Wally reminded his companion. "The one with the black flower-things?"
"What about her?"
"She's not much older than us."
"Yeah, but this other guy… this is just proof that she's not a rare fluke," Brendan's tone darkened. "He's proof that the Team's recruiting kids now. And that's not exactly comforting."
Aura snarled.
"Aura?" Misty looked at her again. "You okay?"
"Team Rocket is a hive of evil and corruption," she growled. "They're the epitome of all the evil that lurks in human hearts." The Lucario slashed a nearby tree trunk with her right paw spike.
"Anyway," Misty decided to leave her alone for the moment, "what happened to the Spiritomb? Is it still free?"
Brendan and Wally exchanged looks once again, this one sad.
"I… I had been distracted by a family of Sandshrew being… forced from their home. While I was helping them find someplace safer to relocate to…." Brendan's voice trailed off into a sigh.
"It wasn't your fault, Brendan." Wally said softly.
"Never is, is it?" Brendan said.
"Team Rocket caught it?" Aura asked, her voice strained.
"We have… intel that proves it," Brendan admitted reluctantly.
"Brendan…" Wally warned.
"Chill, dude," Brendan reassured him. "I think we can trust them."
"If it's Team Rocket you're after," Ash grinned, "then you can definitely count us in. Right, Misty?"
"It's been a long time since we've gotten ourselves in trouble with the Team together." Misty smiled. "I'll regret this later, but what the hell? You up for it, Nyx?"
"A chance to liberate a fellow Dark type and a Shiny?" Nyx asked. "I may not be prejudiced, but I certainly feel a personal connection. Let's do it! Aura?"
The Lucario clenched her chest again, before giving her forehead a gentle rub as well.
"I… would love to give… some Rockets a good… hard thrashing…" her voice became more and more stressed.
"Aura?" Ash reached out to her.
The Lucario recoiled from his approach.
"What's wrong?" Ash pressed.
We're too close… too close to… and… and I don't know. Don't know what's… what's wrong with….
"Nothing!" Aura snapped. "I'm fine!"
The Lucario stormed off into the forest.
"I'll go after her," Misty told Ash, before rushing off.
"So…" Ash scratched the back of his head.
"I guess I should fill you in on our plan, then?" Brendan smiled lightly.
"Probably a good idea." Pikachu nodded.
"You see, we've messed with the Team before," Brendan smirked, "and when we did, we attracted the attention of someone… well, let's just say that we've got quite the secret weapon in store," Brendan looked up at Vlad. The Swampert chuckled knowingly.
"Well," Wally sighed, "I guess we should start at the beginning…"
…
…
Misty didn't hear much beyond the vague sounds of their voices, as she traversed carefully through the foliage after the large, female Lucario.
"Aura?"
"Go… away." Aura was leaning against a tree trunk, clenching her chest spike with one hand and her head with the other.
"You're… you're not well," Misty insisted.
"I'll be fine," Aura spat. "Go away."
"No," Misty put an arm around her. "We're your friends, Aura. Let us help you. Let me help you. Tell me what's wrong."
What you've done is wrong, Aura heard her father's voice echo in her mind. No matter how pure your intentions, you can't do that to… with… you can't. You'll end up killing yourself. He will not be able to escape the darkness in his heart, his soul. And, now… neither can you.
It's not true, Aura shook the memory. This can't be happening. It… it can't.
But, it already has.
"Aura?"
"I… I don't know." Aura collapsed into the Water Trainer's arms.
…
…
Silver popped the two, tiny white pills into his mouth, followed quickly by a large gulp from his water bottle. Swallowing the pills, Silver rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
"Silver?" Mondo's voice interrupted his groggy thoughts. "You okay?"
"Fine!" Silver snapped. "This has just been a very long day. Having my father come to hear our in-depth reports in person isn't exactly on the top on the list of my favorite things to do."
"What would be on that list?" Mondo smirked.
"What?" Silver looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"What do you enjoy doing?" Mondo asked. "You don't seem to enjoy much anymore." "…Uh…" Silver hesitated, leaning back against the metallic hallway wall. "I…" He glared down at the floor, his eyebrows furrowed together. "I… I guess I like Training… and sword-fighting. What… what does it matter?"
"Silver," Mondo walked up towards him, "you don't—"
The nearby door opened loudly, startling both of them. Professor Sebastian walked out first, followed shortly by Giovanni and Domino.
It's bad enough that he showed up without warning early this morning, but…
Silver sighed.
"The possibilities of its power in combat are nearly limitless!" Sebastian was finishing his personal report. "This specimen will certainly be a powerful asset to the Rocket you assign it to."
"Indeed." Giovanni nodded once, his voice emotionless. He turned to face Silver. "And the recovery from the previous… incident?"
"Well enough," Silver forced his voice to remain level. "We've managed to identify all casualties, and the rubble from the destroyed Warehouse has been effectively concealed. Scout reports suggest that our covert presence here is still unknown to anyone outside the Team."
"Good. Keep it that way. Elite 009, you are to stay here in the base and make sure that security remains tight. The last thing we want is a breach now. Elite Silver," Giovanni turned back towards his son, "you are to head the perimeter patrols."
"Aye, sir," Silver and Domino spoke in near-unison.
"Between the external and internal security forces, we should be able to hold onto this victory. Right, Sebastian?" Giovanni shot a look at the scientist.
"I will not allow this capture to be stolen from us, sir." Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "TheRayquaza was a major part in its own liberation. Our equipment was poorly prepared to contain it by itself, let alone when aided by outsiders."
"A couple of teenage boys, if I recall," Giovanni's voice remained alarmingly level.
"Yes, well," Sebastian couldn't fully hide his insulted tone, "I'm more than confident that we can contain this specimen, sir."
"Elites Archer and Ariana should be arriving, along with reinforcements, sometime late tomorrow," Giovanni's tone and face were still unemotional. He started to walk down the hall without another word, Domino and Sebastian close behind.
Silver and Mondo exchanged glances, before the former followed with a sigh, the latter following suit silently. They walked down the hallway in relative silence, until Giovanni suddenly stopped in front of a door.
"I will be spending the rest of the night in this room. I will send Dagger out if I need anything; otherwise, I'm not to be disturbed."
Silver blinked, but before he could speak, his father had entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"That's… my room," Silver muttered. "He… just took my room." His tone was angry, but level.
"You can room with me tonight," Mondo offered. "My roommates were… casualties in the… explosion."
"An Elite would not require an Agent's permission to—!" Sebastian started.
"I can handle this situation on my own!" Silver snapped at the scientist. "You have no jurisdiction here, Professor. I will deal with my Agent's generosities and disobediences on my own. You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir," Sebastian said in a bitter tone, before walking down the hall.
"I do not need your help," Silver turned to Mondo after the scientist was out of sight and hearing. "I am perfectly capable of finding my own quarters for one night."
"I have an extra bed in mine," Domino suggested.
"However," Silver ignored her, "I do need to discuss some details about tomorrow's patrols with you." Silver grabbed Mondo's shoulder with one hand, and guided him quickly down the hall before Domino could follow.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Silver stopped and glanced about the hallways. He suddenly realized that he didn't know where Mondo's quarters were.
"Where are we going?" Silver asked.
"Follow me," Mondo chuckled as he walked gently out of Silver's grip. Mondo led him through the maze of metallic corridors to a series of beat-up walls and doors. "Here." He motioned to one, entering it with Silver close behind.
Silver stumbled over to an unoccupied bed along one of the long, side walls, and threw his water bottle on it before collapsing onto the mattress.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Mondo asked.
"Wha?" Silver leaned up slightly to look at him.
"Tomorrow's patrol?" Mondo raised a single brow.
"Oh." Silver remembered his lie. "Um… I…."
"You don't have anything special to say, do you?" Mondo sat down on his own bed.
"…No. Not really," Silver eventually muttered.
"I thought so," Mondo chuckled lightly. "I guess that I really shouldn't be surprised. You've always been willing to do whatever it took to avoid sharing any sort of company with Elite Domino."
"No kidding," Silver lay back against the mattress again. He tried to not think about the other night, but the harder he tried the harder he found it to accomplish.
"I don't get why you would accept… enlistment, let alone as an Elite… considering that."
Silver sat back up, raising an eyebrow at Mondo.
"Didn't you support my… enlistment as an Elite?
"No."
"What." Silver blinked several times.
"I told your father that… that I didn't think you… that you belonged in the Team." Mondo leaned forward, looking down at the ground, his arms resting on his knees. "I've spent years in the Team. I've seen… and done… terrible things, Silver. Terrible things. I knew you deserved better than that. Your life before had some peace, little and dark as it was. You had happiness, even at such a heavy cost. You… you had friendship. You had… her."
Silver looked at him, but said nothing.
"You…" Mondo hesitated. "You still had… the strength your father had at your age." "My father has always been a weak coward," Silver snapped automatically. After a brief pause, he added softly, "How would you know what my father was like at my age?"
Mondo smiled softly.
"I've gotten information from other sources besides the Team Rocket database."
"But, still, that—"
"As well as beyond the private files that you've hacked into on more than one occasion," Mondo chuckled. "Though, I'm curious as to why you would even bother. Don't you know everything it has to say about your past and your heritage already?"
"I suppose," Silver muttered. "I just… I don't know." He admitted softly. "Why would you be willing to tell my father that? It's not exactly in his nature to allow a simple Agent to question his orders or decisions."
"After I… I failed to save her… I felt responsible for looking after you in her stead. I tried to not become personally attached, but…"
"If you're trying to say that you've fallen for me," Silver narrowed his eyes. He'd had a painfully similar conversation once. He'd rather not have another, with someone else, particularly not in a situation where things weren't… reciprocated.
Mondo laughed.
"No, I'm too old for you, anyway."
"I've heard that before."
"That's completely different," Mondo said softly. "Besides, she wasn't that much older than you."
"No, her age was never the problem, was it?" Silver stood up and walked to the far side of the room. He pressed his forehead against the wall, leaning his body into it.
"I still don't understand why you agreed to join," Mondo changed the subject. "I thought you would have considered it to be the deepest insult your father could give you."
"No, the deepest insult is—!"
"That too," Mondo cut him off in a firm tone. "But, you know what I mean. I… I expected you to refuse and to do so in a… very angry fashion. I half-expected you to run away for good. Perhaps… perhaps I even wanted you to."
"What?"
"I couldn't help you get away that night, three years ago," Mondo admitted in a low tone. "I had to drag you back to the Team. I couldn't help you heal by myself. You would have died if I hadn't brought you back. It's my fault you're still trapped here. I wasn't… strong enough to save… both of you." His voice began to break under the strain of his words.
"It wasn't your fault," Silver whispered, still refusing to look at him. "You did what you could, what you thought to be best."
"Still. The fact remains that you could have been free that night. She died in the attempt to get you both out of the Team for good. And I dragged you right back in."
"Mondo."
"Which is worse, Silver? Death? Or living as a slave to the darkness in your own heart?"
Silver stared at the ground. He thought of the Spiritomb trapped in the lab somewhere nearby. He thought of what the scientists could be doing to it, the scientific torture that the Rockets considered to be within their right to perform.
The torture of a living thing, out of a scientific curiosity and a military desire to control a living weapon.
He had seen it many times before. There were only two ways it would end: either the experiment would fail and the creature would simply die from the torture—or be euthanized—or the experiment would succeed and the creature would retaliate and use its deadly power to earn its freedom.
The latter had only happened once, but it had been a destructive enough day to be burned into his memory forever. How his father could have possibly forgotten it, Silver couldn't be one-hundred-percent sure.
Was this going to be his version of the same incident? Instead of a unique, genetic nightmare, was it going to be an ancient, rare beast that unleashed its rage?
Silver closed his eyes, fighting back the lump in his throat. The smoldering heat in his stomach churned, erupting into a small flame, as a weight lodged itself in his chest.
…
…
The sound of water splashing as the creek made its way down the mountainside filled the otherwise silent morning air.
Ash walked through the falling stream, tilting his head to run the water down through his hair.
"What," a voice interrupted his peaceful moment, "are you doing?"
Ash turned to look at the Lucario, the latter looking at him with one brow raised, her arms crossed.
"Don't start," he grumbled. "You threw yourself in water the other day."
"We'd just been in a desert," Aura said slowly. "That's justified. You, on the other hand, just washed your face."
"How would you know?" Ash asked. "You weren't around."
"If there's some other reason you smell like soap, then I don't want to know."
Ash blinked.
Lucario. Pokémon. Stronger sense of smell.
Of course. He shook his head.
"I knew that."
Aura shook her head and sighed, but said nothing further.
"You two ready to go?" Brendan's voice betrayed his presence behind Aura before his scent did.
The Lucario turned sharply to look at him.
How? What? Her thoughts were rapid and broken.
"Sure, whenever you are," Ash said with a shrug.
"Aura," Wally walked up to the group. "Misty and I are ready to start the distraction whenever you are."
"I—I—I—?"Aura stammered, before clearing her throat. "Right," she sighed with a nod. "Let's get this insanity over with." She went with the green-haired teen back into the dense trees of the mountain forest.
"Don't let it bug you too much," Wally said with a light smirk.
"What?" Aura blinked at him.
"Brendan's a researcher," Wally explained. "He's got to be able to sneak up on the Pokémon he's studying without spooking them or scaring them away."
Aura looked at him.
"It's his cologne," Wally groaned, "it's designed to hide his scent from Pokémon, no matter how strong their sense of smell is. And, apparently, it works rather well. Aggravates my allergies like nothing else, but it lets us do what we do."
"You two have such different goals, from what you said last night," Aura pointed out. "Not to mention, Brendan's apparently a walking death trap. Why gallivant around the world with him?"
"When I started out, I was too inexperienced and weak to make it on my own. Brendan saved my life and helped me gain some independence and basic survival ability. Now, I'm the one looking after him, making sure he doesn't fall off a cliff or something."
Wally grimaced in a long silent moment before continuing.
"And, there are some experiences that, when you share them with someone…" his voice trailed off. "Well, it forges a bond that doesn't let you just go your separate ways so easily. In many ways, it's more binding than blood."
"I understand that." Aura nodded, flashes of memories—of bloodshed and battle—passed through her mind. "Yes, I can understand that perfectly."
"You guys ready?" Misty asked, standing in the small clearing where Aura and Wally stopped. Nyx was lying on the ground on one side of her, and her Politoed was jumping and clapping happily on the other. A Grovyle stood nearby, leaning against a tree, eyes closed in a disinterested expression.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Aura sighed.
I can't believe I agreed to this.
"Palmer?" Wally turned to his Grovyle.
The Grass Pokémon opened one eye to glance at his trainer, before closing it again and scoffing softly.
"Are you ready?"
The Grovyle didn't even open his eyes, instead simply unleashing a barrage of Bullet Seed onto a nearby tree trunk.
"You can just say yes, you know," Wally sighed.
Palmer scoffed again
"Well, he's charming," Aura muttered.
"You have no room to talk," Misty gave the Lucario a light slap on the backside of her head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Aura crossed her arms. "I'm the epitome of friendliness."
The teenage girl and Lucario looked at each other for a long moment.
With a sputter, they both gave a short burst of laughter.
"I don't get it." Wally looked at Nyx.
"It's… a long story," the Shiny Umbreon sighed.
"Is everyone ready?" Wally repeated. "Remember our attack plan? So to speak."
"Yep!" Nyx barked with a grin, before charging a Shadow Ball and unleashing it onto a boulder. "They won't know what hit them!"
"If we can give Ash and Brendan a wide enough window to do their part, then they really won't."
"Will our distraction work?" Misty asked.
"Can we attack from within the cover of the forest?" Aura asked, looking to Wally. "Does it extend that far?" She massaged her shoulder.
"If they haven't burned it yet," Wally said softly. "Why?"
Aura closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding ache in her chest. She fought the torrent of thoughts and visions in her mind and forced her mind to become utterly calm.
Clear your mind, focus your thoughts, her father's voice whispered in her memory.
Aura clenched her fists and the purple-glow of Psychic energy began to radiate from them. Her aura sensors rose in the same glow and when she opened her eyes, they revealed neither their whites nor irises but instead emitted the same light of the Psychic energy.
Aura focused on the presence of the various small rocks and forest debris around them. Some of them began to float into the air at varying heights, all of them bathed in the same purple light.
"Because," Aura chuckled darkly, "if I can manage to not burn myself out too quickly, I can help make our small force of about ten seem to be about fifty." She shut out the nagging in the back of her mind, the whisper of the ache beneath her ribs. "Maybe even more."
And the scum of Team Rocket will once again suffer under the power of Arcanus.
"Which will make our distraction all the more effective." Wally grinned. "If we're lucky, Brendan and Ash just might not have any resistance to fight at all!"
"I can't keep this energy going forever!" Aura barked. "Let's go!"
"Let me just give the signal," Wally said, raising one hand to his mouth. Placing two fingers between his lips, he let out a whistle, mimicking the call of a Bird Pokémon.
…
…
Somewhere beyond the forest, at the rocky foot of the mountains, Ash and Brendan started and turned at the distant sound.
"That would be Wally telling us they're about to set up their distraction," Brendan said. "Which means that we can start any time you're ready," he gave the Swampert behind him a sharp jab with his elbow. "You lazy frog."
The Water Pokémon gave a low roar of protest at the light insult, before standing.
"Oh, don't give me that!" The young researcher smirked. "We don't have all day, you know." He took a Pokéball off of his belt, tossing it up in the air. "Lune, come on out!"
"Noctooooowl!" A Noctowl materialized in a burst of red light.
"Lune, I need you to follow at a distance and be ready to fly in and help if I give the signal."
"Noooooct!" The Bird Pokémon chirred before soaring upwards into the sky.
"Pidgeot! Follow and help him!" Ash tossed a Pokéball upwards.
"Geeeoooot!" Pidgeot materialized with a sharp cry and followed the Noctowl up into the light cloud cover.
"Ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked the Electric Pokémon on his shoulder.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded.
"Remember, try to keep your Pokémon in combat limited to no more than three at a time," Brendan said softly as they started up the mountainside.
"I know."
"Wonder why Wally didn't put up more of a fuss when we were planning this," Brendan mused aloud. "He's normally a lot more vocal about how I 'need to stop being so damn reckless,' or whatever."
"I can think of one reason." Ash smirked.
"Yeah, well, I guess if it wasn't for our… secret weapon, we'd…" Brendan trailed off. He stopped at the top of a ridge, looking down into the slight ravine between the mountains below. "Get down!" He hissed, turning sharply towards Ash. Before Ash could react, the other teen had him tackled to the ground behind a nearby boulder.
"What the hell?" Ash asked through gritted teeth. "What is wrong with you?"
"There are two Rockets down there," Brendan explained as he let Ash up, "most likely on patrol."
"Let me see," Ash lifted his head to peer over the boulder. He saw the two familiar Rocket Agents and their Meowth companion at the bottom of the ravine. "Jessie, James, and Meowth?" He muttered to himself. "Explains why we haven't seen them around for a while."
And here, I was just hoping that Aura had actually scared them into giving up following me for Pikachu.
"I know those three," Ash told Brendan. "We've run into them… a lot. They're basically harmless. We should be able to take them, easy."
"It's not them we need to worry about," Brendan reminded him. "If they alert the others to our presence, then our entire plan is ruined. That Spiritomb is depending on us."
Ash blinked.
"I… I guess you're right," he admitted. "But, we have to go that way, eventually, don't we?"
"All we have to do is wait until…" Brendan peered over the boulder. Eventually, he heard the sounds of a distant battle, and judged from the trio's reactions that they had as well. "…Until their friends have something much more pressing on their hands than to hear them."
The two teenage boys exchanged smirks, before throwing themselves over the boulder and started running down the sharp incline into the ravine, their Pokémon close on their heels.
"Vlad!" Brendan yelled. "Get their attention with a Hydro Cannon!"
"Pikachu!" Ash added. "Give their attack an extra jolt! Thunder!"
The torrent of electrified water hit the trio before they could react to the sight of the two teenagers charging at them. They fell to the ground with loud screams of pain as the shock seared through them.
"It's da twerp!" Meowth finally yelled out, noticing the two boys now standing in front of them.
"Pikachu!" Jessie and James exclaimed in unison, looking at the little Electric Pokémon standing before them with a dangerous grin and sparking cheeks. They both reached for Pokéballs on their belts.
"No!" Meowth leapt at his human partners, swiping them each in the face with a Scratch attack. "Whadaya think you're doin'? Da' 'Lil Boss said no!"
"Little who?" Ash blinked at them.
"Whhaaaahahhahahaaaaaa!" James suddenly started to run away, screaming maniacally and pulling Meowth through the air by the tail with him.
"Heart of a Luxray, that one," Brendan shook his head, exchanging a glance with Vlad. The Swampert made a confused growl, as if he wasn't used to his opponents running away in such a manner.
"Uh," Jessie backed away slowly, suddenly finding herself alone against an opponent whose strength she knew and one she didn't. "I…I—I…" She stammered, before turning and bolting after the others as fast as she could run. "WAIT FOR MEEEEEEE!"
"Well," Ash tilted his head in mild confusion, "that was easy."
"Hopefully they won't alert too many people to our attack." Brendan nodded.
"Which reminds me," Ash narrowed his eyes, "I didn't want to say anything in front of the others last night, but how are we supposed to break into their base if we don't even know where the entrance is? Not to mention, I'm sure the Team has some entrances booby-trapped."
Brendan smirked, taking another Pokéball—a Luxury Ball—off of his belt and tossing it casually into the air. An Aggron materialized in a burst of light with a deep roar.
"Ash, meet Nero," Brendan said. "He's gonna knock on Team Rocket's door for us. Nero, this is Ash. He's gonna help us save that Spiritomb."
Nero roared appreciatively.
"Whadaya waitin' for, buddy?" Brendan asked Nero. "Go knock on their door. Rather, knock it in."
Nero gave another loud roar, before tearing across the ravine in a mad dash.
"Hey!" Brendan yelled after him as he and the others chased after the Aggron. "Wait for us!"
Eventually, the Aggron stopped at the foot of one of the mountains bordering the ravine, and began scraping at the ground before his feet. After a few moments, the others caught up, the two teens' chests heaving with heavy breaths from trying in vain to keep up. Nero sniffed at the area he'd been scratching at, before giving a bellow of triumph.
"What?" Ash asked in between breaths. "How… how is… how is this… supposed to… to be the entrance?"
"Well," Brendan didn't make eye contact, "we're… not looking for the entrance… per se."
"What?"
Pikachu leapt up onto his trainer's shoulder, exchanging a brief glance with him.
"We're making one," Brendan gave a dangerous grin.
Ash blinked.
"Their base is underground, but there's nothing, no dirt, no rock, no metal, that Nero can't tear straight through," Brendan explained.
Ash grinned, getting it.
"Don't hesitate, now," Brendan added, giving Nero a light jab with his elbow. "Let's go tell those Rockets hello! Break down into their base with Earth Power followed by a barrage of Metal Claw!"
Nero roared again, a soft yellow glow radiating from his entire body as the ground in front of him began to emit the same glow and crack and break. Nero began to swipe at the ground with both, glowing, claws, the Metal Claw attacks forming a digging motion that sent large chunks of dirt and stone flying upwards in a constant stream. The Aggron quickly vanished into the large hole he was boring into the earth, the upward torrent of soil not relenting until the loud clank that signified the Steel Pokémon reaching the metal frame of the underground base.
"That didn't take long," Ash said.
"Good," Brendan nodded, "because we can't afford to lose any time. The distraction's not going to keep the bulk of the Grunts and Agents away for long, and we're likely to face oppositions from their higher-ranked Elites."
"You know an awful lot about the way Team Rocket works." Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Helps to know someone that's infiltrated the Team so many times." Brendan shrugged, before walking to the edge of the deep hole. "What are you waiting for, Nero? Break through with a Brick Break!"
Deep in the hole, the Aggron let out an echoing roar, before smashing through the metal frame with both claws as if it were made of aged paper. The large Steel-type fell through the new hole into the hallway of the base with a loud thud!
"Well," Brendan took a step back away from the hole and looked at Ash, "leap before you look!"
"Wait, you're not going to—!" Ash exclaimed, but couldn't finish before the other teen jumped and fell straight down into the hole. "Brendan!" Ash ran to the edge and looked down it.
"I'm fine," his voice was calm, "I've got Nero here to catch us, remember? Now hurry up and get down here while the coast is still clear."
Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances, before following Brendan's advice. The shadows of the earthy sides of the hole rushed past them as they fell into the bright metallic underbelly beneath them. Just before the painful landing could hit them, strong metallic arms broke their fall harmlessly.
"Thanks, Nero," Ash said as the Aggron let them down gently.
"Vlad?" Brendan called up the hole to the surface.
He was answered by the Swampert suddenly landing right next to him with effortless grace.
"Swaaaaaampert!" Vlad gave his trainer an affectionate hug.
"Oh, get off, ya overgrown tadpole!" Brendan pushed him away. "We've got a Pokémon to save." He took a Pokéball off of his belt. "Time for combatant number three. Andrea! I need your strength and your sense of smell!"
"GRRRAAAAAN!" A Granbull materialized in the burst of light. She eagerly punched the air with quick jabs. "Gran! Bull!"
"Ash, you might want to get your fighters ready," Brendan turned to him.
"Right." Ash nodded. "Well, Pikachu, are you ready?"
"Pikachu!" The Electric mouse said with enthusiasm, his cheeks sparking with his anticipation.
"Then let's go!" Ash grabbed two Pokéballs from his belt. "Buizel! Heracross!"
"Bui!" The Water type Pokémon crossed his arms in a confident pose as he appeared in the burst of light and energy.
"Heracross!" The Bug Pokémon yelled as he took shape next to him.
"Let's show Team Rocket that they can't just take what they want!" Ash clenched his fists.
"Andrea!" Brendan addressed his Granbull again. "There's a Spiritomb somewhere around here, likely in some sort of laboratory. You should remember how they smell; find them, girl!"
"Gran!" Andrea nodded, before sniffing down both ends of the metallic hallway. After a moment, she stood facing one direction and pointed. "Bull! Gran! Granbull!"
"Well," Brendan smirked, "if you're sure. I've never been one for much subtlety. Chaaaarge!" And with his battle cry, the teenage boy started to dash down the hall, with Andrea in right front of him and Vlad and Nero just behind.
Ash and his Pokémon exchanged brief glances.
"Eh, why not?" He shrugged. They ran down the hall after the others.
As they ran down the hall, one of the doors several yards ahead opened and a few Grunts ran out in a panic, stopping and staring at the sight of the two teens and their Pokémon barreling towards them.
"Vlad!" Brendan yelled. "Knock them aside with Muddy Water!"
"SWAMP!" Vlad unleashed a wave of slightly brown water on the Grunts, knocking some of them to the ground and the others against the wall.
"They've gotten through the defenses already!" One of the Grunts against the wall yelled out, his voice quite noticeably strained.
"Well, that was short-lived," Brendan sighed as they continued running after Andrea down the maze of hallways.
"You're the one that decided to run down the hallway yelling like a madman!" Ash reminded him.
"Right."
Up at the next turn, an Agent ran up to confront them from around the bend.
"No, you don't!" She yelled, throwing two Pokéballs, sending out a Mawhile and Magmar.
"Heracross!" Ash yelled as they charged the Grunt. "Focus Punch! Buizel! Aqua Jet!"
"Cross!" Heracross pummeled the Steel Pokémon to the ground.
"Bui!" Buizel slammed the Fire-type Pokémon against the wall in a burst of water.
The Grunt gaped at her defeated Pokémon, not even noticing as the others knocked her over as they continued to run down the hallways.
"I… I'm going… to fall over… if we… don't get there… soon," Ash told Brendan between breaths.
"Andrea!" Brendan yelled to his Granbull. "How much further is—?"
"Bull!" The Granbull slid to a stop suddenly, turning to face a set of large, sliding doors.
"Whoa!" Brendan stumbled and fell, toppling clean over the purple canine Pokémon.
Nero leapt over them and landed on the ground just past them with a thud, grabbing the walls with his claws to steady himself as he stopped suddenly. The metallic walls groaned as they bent and ripped under his grip. Vlad couldn't stop in time and the Swampert slammed against the fortunately steady Aggron.
Ash and his Pokémon managed to slide to a halt just before they could collide with Brendan or Andrea.
"Already?" Ash blinked. "That was fast."
"We have to be fast, remember?"
"Good point."
"Well, I hope this is it, anyway," Brendan admitted. "Now, to open the door. I don't suppose any of you has the password?" He motioned to a keypad on the wall to the right of the doors.
Pikachu looked at Ash, the latter glaring at the door with narrowed eyes. The Electric Pokémon tapped his trainer's leg gently with his tail, giving Ash a light jolt.
"I got it!" The brief shock caused his slowly formulating idea to rapidly come together. "Quilava!" He tossed a Pokéball, sending out the Fire Pokémon in a burst of light. "Give us a hand! Flamethrower!"
"Quil! Lava!" Quilava exhaled a long burst of flames onto the door. The metal began to glow slightly red from the intense heat.
"Good!" Ash recalled the Fire Pokémon back into its Pokéball. "Now, Buizel! Cool it off again with a Water Gun!"
"Buizel!" Buizel obliged. The column of water hit the door and rapidly changed to hissing steam. The metal cooled and turned a much darker color than it had been before the Flamethrower hit it.
"You wanna let Nero knock?" Ash smirked at Brendan, who blinked briefly.
"Sure," he chuckled. "You heard the man," he turned to the Aggron. "Metal Head."
Nero walked over to the door and lifted his head back. Its metal casing began to glow and Nero head-butted the door with great force. The weakened metal broke from the power of the Steel-type attack, revealing the lab beyond it.
"After you," Brendan bowed dramatically to his Pokémon as they entered through the new opening. "And you, good sirs," he echoed the motion to Ash and his Pokémon.
Pikachu leapt back up onto his trainer's shoulder, exchanging a glance with him.
This guy was weird.
They reluctantly entered the room anyway, with Brendan following behind.
The lab was unevenly lit, with nearly all of the lights dimmed. The vague shapes and shadows of the computers and machines and other equipment of more nefarious natures surrounded them in a silent, utter lack of any motion.
"Huh," Brendan muttered. "I expected there to be at least some resistance."
"Don't jinx it," Ash said.
"Do you see it anywhere?" Brendan ignored his warning. "It'll likely be in some sort of cage, knowing Team Rocket."
"You mean, like that?" Ash pointed to a small metallic object sitting on a nearby counter. It was a small, metallic cage, and inside it sat—
"The keystone!" Brendan cheered. He ran over to it, picking it up.
He's right, Ash narrowed his eyes. This is too easy.
As if on cue, the entire lab was engulfed in a nearly-blinding wash of light.
"Well, well, well," a female voice sighed from somewhere behind Ash. "You really are that stupid."
Ash glanced about quickly. Surrounding them in an almost complete circle along the walls of the lab were at least several dozen Grunts, every single one of them tossing a Pokéball or two up and down in anticipation. The speaker appeared to be the Rocket in charge, a young woman who couldn't have been much more than a couple years older than Ash, with two sets of golden curls, one poking out from either side of her red-and-white Rocket's cap. In fact, she seemed rather familiar…
Mount Quena! Ash realized. She was the Rocket in charge under Giovanni when Team Rocket tried to capture Mewtwo on Mount Quena. For a brief instant, Ash was afraid that she'd recognized him, as well. No, wait. He blinked. Mewtwo wiped their memories. They can't remember us.
What is her name, again?
"Stupid?" Brendan chuckled, turning to face her as his Pokémon surrounded him protectively. "We got this far with absolutely no difficulty, didn't we?"
"You think you did that on your own?" The Rocket laughed, her voice soaked with scorn. "We let you in, of course. And, now, you're surrounded, outnumbered, and hopelessly outmatched. You!" She turned to a nearby Grunt.
"Yes, Elite 009!" He saluted her sharply.
That's it! Ash remembered with a jolt. She's that 009 girl… Domino.
"Go tell my partner that we will not be needing his assistance in this sector after all," she told the Grunt. "He should focus on leading the assault on the obvious distraction outside."
"Ma'am!" The Grunt dashed out of the smashed door and off into the hallways.
"Take them!" Domino snarled to the others, glaring at Ash and Brendan.
The Grunts tossed their Pokéballs, and a swarm of various Pokémon appeared in a surge of lights and roars and battle cries.
"Oh, no," Brendan sighed with mock fear. "It would seem that we're totally surrounded."
Ash groaned inwardly, shooting him a look.
This is completely ridiculous.
"Yep," Ash said in a similar tone. "We're outnumbered."
"Whatever shall we do?" Brendan added, before smirking at Ash. "Nero!" He shouted quickly. "Use Hyper Beam! Straight up through the ceiling!"
"WHAT?" Domino yelled.
"GGRRRROOOOOON!" The Aggron bellowed as he obliged, unleashing a burst of yellow energy straight up above them. The Attack ripped a wide tunnel through the layers upon layers of metal in the floors above, straight through to the outside.
"What is he doing?" One of the Grunts asked another.
"Ready, Vlad?" Brendan elbowed his Swampert. "Ash?"
"Oh, hurry up, already, before they attack," Pikachu groaned.
"On my mark," Brendan said, before whistling in three sliding notes, low to high and back to low.
Instantly, Vlad unleashed a torrent of Muddy Water on the surrounding Grunts and their Pokémon. Pikachu joined in, leaping off of Ash's shoulder to strike any who avoided the Water-Type attack with a Thunderbolt.
"Gran!" Andrea slammed a nearby Graveler with a Brick Break.
"Heracross!" Ash yelled. "Megahorn! Buizel! Aqua Jet!"
The Pokémon obeyed with battle cries of their own.
Before Ash or Brendan could give further orders against the reactions of the Grunts, the entire room trembled and shook with a loud roar. Everything stopped—every attack and every voice—as each Rocket turned back and forth between the others in stunned silence.
"What… hell?" Domino finally spoke after a long moment. "What… was… that?"
"Our secret weapon," Brendan smirked.
"What are you idiots waiting for?" Domino shouted, hitting the Grunt who was unfortunate enough to be the closest to her. "GET THEM NOW!"
Before a single Grunt could act, however, the room shook again, this time accompanied by the sound of wings, of something big flying their way through the tunnel Nero had blasted through the ceiling. A large, soft-orange colored blur zoomed in the battle-torn laboratory, circling around Ash, Brendan, and their Pokémon with another bellowing roar, unleashing the golden energy of a Hyper Beam on any Grunt or their Pokémon who failed to get out of the way. The newcomer then settled itself on the ground between Ash and Brendan, letting out another roar, this time facing Domino directly.
"Dragonite!" The Elite identified the Pokémon. It roared at her again in response, and her eyes widened. "You've got Lance working with you!"
"What can I say?" Brendan shrugged. "Wally and my little escapade in rescuing Rayquaza from two of your buffoons caught his attention."
"He certainly seems to get himself involved in the welfare of Legendary Pokémon." Ash nodded.
Dragonite gave a cheerful hum, before glaring at Domino again.
"What was that order you gave the Grunts before?" Brendan rubbed his chin in a mock ponder. "Oh, yeah. 'Take them.' That's good, eh, buddy?" He looked at the Dragonite.
The Dragon Pokémon nodded once with a happy vocalization.
"Just what I thought. Take them."
The Dragonite threw itself at the nearest cluster of recovering Grunts, striking them with alternating Fire Punches and Thunder Punches, before slamming the entire group with an Aqua Tail.
"Help out!" Ash yelled. "Thunder! Take Down! Ice Punch!"
Pikachu, Heracross, and Buizel each obliged with their respective orders, rejoining the fray.
"Vlad!" Brendan added. "Nero! Hit them with a double Mud-Slap!"
The mud thrown with the combined attack smacked several Pokémon and their trainers in the face, temporarily blinding them and causing them to stumble around and into each other in their confusion.
Dragonite slammed into a Grunt's Machoke with a powerful Dragon Rush attack, knocking him back into his trainer, the momentum sending them both into a group of flustered Grunts.
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, most of the Grunts began to scramble for the various exits, pouring out of the lab in haste with nervous shouts and terrified cries.
"GET BACK HERE, COWARDS!" Domino bellowed at one group as they ran past her and through the ripped main doors. She swore bitterly. "Fine. I'll take care of them myself."
"We need to get the Spiritomb out of here before any reinforcements can be forced to show up," Brendan muttered to Ash.
"Right." He nodded.
"Andrea!" Brendan yelled. "Get the small cage with the keystone!"
"NO, YOU DON'T!" Domino yelled, tossing one of her tulips at the Granbull. The purple canine Pokémon managed to back-flip out of the way before the black flower could unleash its electric fury on her.
Buizel, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. The Water Pokémon cried out in pain as the electricity seared through him.
"Buizel!" Ash shouted in concern. "Return!" He recalled Buizel to his Pokéball. "Brendan!" Ash yelled to his companion.
"On it! Andrea, break the cage open with Brick Break!"
With the Granbull's powerful strike, the cage split open and the keystone was free. Brendan reached over, grabbed it, and tossed the stone towards Ash.
"Catch!" He yelled before turning his attention to Nero. "Use Metal Claw on those pipes above her!" He pointed to a series of pipes against the ceiling right above where Domino stood.
The Aggron roared, leaping into the air and slashing at the piping. Thick smoke poured out, enveloping Domino and spreading through the lab. Ash barely caught the keystone in time, stumbling about as the weight of it threw off his sense of balance.
"Ash!" Brendan yelled. "We'll hold her off! Take the Spiritomb and get out to the others!"
"Right!" Ash nodded, before giving a sharp whistle.
With a loud churring sound, Pidgeot dove through the crude tunnel into the lab. The Bird Pokémon landed in front of his trainer.
"Return!" Ash recalled Heracross, as Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder. The Keystone safe in his grip, Ash climbed onto Pidgeot's back. "Don't wait too long!" Ash yelled, before Pidgeot took off and up out the tunnel again.
"I'll be right behind you guys!" Brendan yelled after him, recalling Andrea to her 'ball.
"You two, too," he smiled to Vlad and Nero as he recalled them to their respective 'balls. "You did a great job today, guys." He turned towards the smoke again, hoping that it wasn't hindering the female Elite's ability to hear. "You know, for someone who calls their underlings cowards, you're just as pathetic. All of you Rockets are. You tear apart families, you poach Pokémon even from the nest, and worst of all, you torture Pokémon and people alike, forcing them to fight your battles, and for what? Power? Money? You're nothing more than criminal scum. You soulless, heartless, inhuman, unfeeling monsters!"
"RRRRAAAAAAARGH!" Domino dashed out from the smoke, charging at Brendan and punching him square in the cheek before he could react.
Falling back on hard-learned instincts, Brendan rolled with the attack, turning himself around and using the momentum to power a roundhouse kick. His counterattack struck Domino in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled backwards, doubled over, making a strange heaving sound as she tried to catch her breath.
"All right, all right," Brendan chuckled as he massaged the side of his face with one hand. "I'll admit it. I left myself open for that." He took a couple steps back, readjusting his hat before raising both hands in a ready stance. "That's the only opening you're going to get."
Domino said nothing, tossing another tulip at Brendan. Reacting just in time, he tilted his head to the side and felt the flower graze the green band of his hat.
"Hey!' He barked. "Watch it! I only have one of these!"
"You're pathetic!" Domino snarled, launching herself at him, with a flurry of jabs and kicks.
"Me?" Brendan chuckled as he gracefully rolled with and avoided the majority of her attacks. When she grabbed his shoulder and used it as a brace for back-flipping over him in an attempt to gain an upper hand, he lightly grabbed her wrist and pivoted around to face her once more. Arm in hand, he lifted it and spun her around in a manner similar to a ballroom dance, followed by a slight dip. "I'm not the one who's a terrible dancer," he said with a smirk.
The Dragonite sighed.
"What." Domino simply stared at him.
The Dragonite roared impatiently at Brendan.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Brendan let go of Domino, who fell to the floor. "It has been lovely," he gave a slight bow, "but I'm afraid I'll have to finish this some other time." He leapt gracefully onto Dragonite's back.
"What."
"Toodles!" He waved his fingers at her before the Dragonite launched up through the tunnel to the surface and into the sky.
Domino stood up, gaping up through the crude hole through the base above her. After a short moment, the shock wore off and what had happened sunk in. Letting out a loud, bitter curse, she threw another tulip straight down in front of her. The fake flower sent out a series of electric bolts, but she didn't even notice as a few danced dangerously close to her feet. She simply stared at the distant sky above her, at the shrinking dot of the punk and the Dragonite, at the victory that had been stolen from the Team.
Giovanni is not going to like this…
…
…
Ash looked over to where Aura lay, slumped in a heap at the base of a tree, completely unconscious. Nyx sat next to her, muttering something back and forth to Pikachu.
"What happened to her?" Ash asked, turning to Misty.
"She burned herself out," a voice spoke behind him.
Ash turned around to see the tall, cloaked man, his short, spiky red hair tinted a slight golden shade in the sunlight.
"What do you mean?"
"About halfway through our fight," Misty explained, "her Psychic attack wore off. She collapsed and passed out. We haven't been able to wake her, yet."
"She also yelled something incoherent, and clenched her chest and her chest spike before she fainted," Wally added, not looking at them as he focused on his Gardevoir. "I had to use Ruby here—and Lance had to help with his Electabuzz—to pick up the attack again before the Rockets could notice that the barrage of Psychic-powered assault had suddenly ceased."
Ash looked at Misty, who gave a subtle shake of her head.
"She's not a machine," Misty defended. "She has limits. And… she's massively out of practice."
"That's unusual for your Pokémon, Ash," Lance turned to the teenager. "You always seemed to be the kind of Trainer to keep your Pokémon in top form. They always seemed healthy to me."
"Aura's not mine," Ash shook his head. "Or Misty's, either."
"She's feral," Misty added. "She'd been living in the wild for quite a while when she… decided to join us."
"Why?"
Ash and Misty exchanged a glance.
"We're not sure," Ash admitted.
"She was half-starved when we met her, though," Misty said quickly. "If nothing else, at least we're helping her become a bit healthier. She's probably gained at least half of her old weight again from the food alone since she joined us."
Lance chuckled.
"No one said a noble act had to be outrageously brave or dangerous," he said with a nod. "Glad to know that she's in capable hands, in any case. Speaking of, I'll be taking the Spiritomb to an old friend of mine back home in Blackthorn." He showed the pink-and-yellow Heal Ball that now contained the rescued Pokémon. "If anyone can heal the scars it likely got from the Rockets' tortures, it's him. Thank you for your assistance with our rescue plan."
"Just glad to be able to help again," Ash smiled, "and that there weren't any angry Legendaries or a rampaging Gyarados this time."
Lance laughed.
"In all seriousness," the Dragon Master's face sobered, "Team Rocket's not going to be happy with what we've pulled. They're likely to start scouring the area for us—if not all of Johto. It would be best if we all went our separate ways and put as much distance between them and us as possible, and quickly."
"We're meeting some friends in Union Cave," Ash explained.
"Take the North entrance, you should make it without getting caught," Brendan suggested, "if you move quickly, of course."
"What about you two?" Lance looked at Brendan and Wally. "Where are you headed?"
"There's a series of fishing piers that stretch out into the gulf to the North of here." Wally said in a level tone. "We're going to take Archie—my Flygon—and fly east from them across the gulf and into the forest on the other side."
"We still have some things to do in the area before we can really move on," Brendan added. "Plus, we can monitor the Rockets from there, and get a message to you if they do anything… particularly nefarious."
"Nefarious?" Ash muttered to Misty. The teenage girl sighed, covering her forehead with one palm, but didn't respond.
"I appreciate that," Lance nodded again, "but, please. Don't do anything reckless or put yourselves in danger. The Rockets haven't been particularly murderous for years now, but they could quite easily go back to their old ways."
The Dragon Master climbed onto his Dragonite's back.
"In any case, take care of yourselves, and I hope our paths cross again someday," he said to all four teenagers.
Brendan nodded. "May it be under happier circumstances."
The Dragonite took off into the sky with his trainer, letting out a happy vocalization as they vanished into the distance.
"Lance is right," Wally said in a low voice. "We need to get going." He turned to Ash and Misty. "Thank you again for your assistance."
"Wally, man, who talks like that?" Brendan gave his friend a light slap on the shoulder. "In any case, it's been fun, guys! We'll have to team up against those thugs again sometime."
"Y-yeah," Ash stammered. "Sure. Of course!"
"Catch ya on the flip side!" Brendan yelled back as he and his companion walked off into the north.
"Who talks like that?" Ash asked Misty as soon as they were out of earshot.
"I don't know," Misty shrugged, "but I think we finally found someone more overconfident and reckless than you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Let's go before the Rockets really do send people out to kill us," Misty ignored his retort. The teenage girl walked back to Aura's unconscious form, scooping up the Lucario in her arms with minor difficulty.
"Want me to—?"
"I've got it!" Misty insisted. "Nyx! Pikachu! Let's go!" She started walking off towards the northwest.
Ash and the two Pokémon exchanged glances, before hurrying after her.
"So…Lance," Nyx spoke for the first time in hours. "He's… an interesting guy. With… Dragons, and… and all."
"What did you think of him?" Ash decided that the Shiny Umbreon's awkward, hesitant speech was better than walking in silence. "I know we've all mentioned him before, but you've never been able to meet a member of any region's Elite Four, have you?"
"No," Nyx said softly. "He was friendly and noble enough, I suppose. Level-headed. Clever. Kind-hearted. And…."
"Yes?" Pikachu asked, as he jumped to his trainer's shoulder.
"He was shorter than I expected," the Umbreon admitted.
Ash and Misty exchanged a look and soft, amused grins.
…
…
Silver kicked the piece of debris with great force, the metal chunk ricocheting off of the wall with a loud cluthunk!
It had been his victory, his moment, a chance to prove once and for all that he was just as great, just as smart, just as strong as any and every Rocket in the Team.
And those bastards had stolen it from him!
His fists trembled as he tried to calm his temper back under control. Silver exhaled deeply through his clenched jaw. His head throbbed in pain.
The cowards didn't even have the decency to fight you face to face, the velvet voice reminded him. Not until you and your men were worn down to your last push, and then that utter bastard Lance sends out one of his Dragon Pokémon, fresh and ready to go.
And they call us the dishonorable ones….
Just how many Dragonites does that guy have, anyway? Silver scoffed to himself. And, why use it against a Scyther?
One day, he decided with a scowl, one day, Red and I will strike Lance when and where he's weakest, and prove to him that we're just as strong as he is.
That we're stronger.
Silver turned to the door to the security room for the base. His father and that useless Sebastian were in there, reviewing the camera footage of the infiltration in the lab.
If nothing else, at least I can rest knowing that the bitch got her ass handed to her as well.
Literally, too, Silver smirked. Even Lance wouldn't have been able to twirl me into submission, not with my sword. But she was, and by some punk no older than me.
He stared at the door for a moment.
If nothing else, I should at least get a look at this wondrous individual who literally knocked her on her ass.
Silver opened the door, and entered the dark room. The walls were covered in multiple television screens of varying sizes. Most were either dark or displaying only the black and white static of snow. One large screen in the middle of the main wall, however, was displaying the image of a Dragonite blasting a group of Grunts with a Hyper Beam. The Dragon-Type Pokémon flew off-frame, revealing the two teenage boys behind him.
Silver barely registered the trainer on the left: the boy on the right was instantly recognizable from all the times Silver had hacked into his dossier on the Rocket Database, from the boy's League battles he'd seen on television.
The boy who had stolen Project Megavolt from him, had taken Silver's promised Starter and used it as his own.
The son of that blasted Gyles Ketchum.
Ashura.
A blaze erupted in Silver's chest, and he stormed straight back out of the room again.
How… how dare he? Silver's fists tightened. Isn't it enough that he stole my Pikachu from me, that he took away that chance for me to escape? Isn't it enough that he took my life from me? Now he's taken what little victory I have, he's taken this from me, too.
Thief, Silver snarled to himself.
Bastard should have never been born. I'd have gotten that Pikachu, become a Trainer when I was ten like a normal child. I'd have been able to escape that night, instead of being almost killed. I would still have…
A sharp pain shot through his chest.
I'd still have her.
That bastard's father couldn't finish his mission to put the Team down once and for all, the velvet voice reminded him, and you're the one paying for it.
Not anymore, Silver shook his head, not anymore. The son of Gyles will pay for that, and for taking my life away from me.
The son of Gyles Ketchum will pay.
"You know, for someone who calls their underlings cowards," a voice cut through his thoughts, "you're just as pathetic." The other boy from the attack, Silver realized, from the security footage. Silver could still hear it; he hadn't closed the door behind him. "All of you Rockets are. You tear apart families, you poach Pokémon even from the nest," the words made Silver stop and stare at his open palms, "and worst of all, you torture Pokémon and people alike, forcing them to fight your battles, and for what? Power? Money?" Silver's hands began to tremble at the words, his legs softened at their joints. "You're nothing more than criminal scum. You soulless, heartless, inhuman, unfeeling monsters!"
Silver's knees gave way and he slid to the floor.
Silver! The memory of the soft voice whispered in his ear. Run!
That… the… that Spiritomb… what… what did I subject it to, what… horrors? What hells? His throat threatened to swell shut.
Silver, the soft voice said again. Please.
What… what do I…?
The son of Gyles Ketchum will pay, the velvet voice reminded him.
You soulless, heartless, inhuman, unfeeling monsters! The new voice echoed in his mind.
Silver clenched his throbbing forehead.
You're better than they are, Silver, the soft voice told him once more. You have a different kind of strength than they can ever understand. You're not a monster. Not like them.
There's more to you than anger, violence and hate.
The voices were whispering continuously, drowning each other out and resulting in a sound not wholly unlike ocean waves upon a sandy beach.
What… what have I done?
What am I doing with my life?
Silver slammed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the sensation that everything in his world was turning and spinning around.
What do I do now?
…
…
A/N: …moving along. I'm not even gonna mention how this semester has killed me, or why that left me unable to complete this MASSIVE chapter before now. Nope. I do have a small backlog written up, though, so…consistency. (Also, my Beta wishes me to tell you, "But seriously, guys, this is my fault. Family problems. Sorry." Everyone go leave her a hug via PM. …She would totally love that. ...Maybe.)
Lance actually DOES have an Electabuzz with Psychic. And a Lapras with it, too. And a Kangaskhan that doesn't. Not in RBY or GSC or their remakes, mind. It's in Stadium. Second fight, with him, I believe. I never fought him, but my cousin did. (He *hated* that fight, if I recall.) Seriously. Look it up.
We will be seeing Brendan and Wally again, guys. I should mention that, like Silver, their personalities have some basis on some sort of official material (game, manga, etc), but since they had little/no anime time, they're basically a clean slate for me to work with. Though, I think Wally's the only one of the two with any real major deviation from form.
Domino gave me some massive trouble in this one. It's hard for me to give a character development that makes them more than just EVIL VILLAIN TRICKERY RAWR… and then remember that they're technically a villain and must do EVIL RAWR stuff from time to time.
Also, the time breaks should be a bit more noticeable now. I'm having trouble finding a method that I can keep consistent across both dA and FF, and isn't screwed over by one of their formatting changes over time, *and* is significantly noticeable. Please bear with me and shoot me any ideas if you have them.
Rock Temple next. Should be a short chapter and a short wait. Well. Shorter.