Chapter 17- Cruising for a bruising
That night as the ship set off everyone had gathered in the main hall for a meal. Apparently, it was a tradition that on the first night the captain spoke to everyone, and they had a community meal to show that regardless of the price of the individual ticket, they were all on the same boat. It was a nice gesture Ash thought as they walked back to their rooms. Getting back to Ash's room he sat down and waited for his mum to get back from her room. Walking in Ash saw she had a red folder which she placed on the table. Ash took out his notes from his bag too and walked over to the table his mum had sat down at.
"First off, I want to know where you received all the information you did on your father." Delia said unhappily "I have not received half of the information you sent to me in that email."
"I received it off Bruno just after the Power Plant fiasco" Ash replied "he followed me into Rock Tunnel to get the actual version of events and not the one I told the police. When I told him he asked me to keep what he said between us. But if he thought I was going to keep vital information about dad from you he's an idiot. And Agatha also mentioned a few things about Fuji that confirmed some kind of cover up is going on."
"So, you think the Elite Four are involved behind Red's disappearance?" Delia asked frowning.
"No, but I believe they know what's happened and are part of a cover up. Whether it's voluntarily though is another matter" Ash replied.
"Meaning?" Delia asked.
"Meaning" Ash said slowly "that Bruno and Agatha were conveniently awful at keeping confidential information from me. They've known about what happened for eleven years now and haven't mentioned anything to you. You can't tell me they couldn't leave an anonymous note to give you peace of mind at least. No, I think they deliberately waited until they could meet me in person, in their official capacity to tell me bits of information so as not to appear suspicious to Lance, Blue or Goodshow."
"You think Blue knows something?" Delia asked concerned.
"Oh yes" Ash said wryly "he's the champion, he took the position back after dad died. You told me he was his best friend? If you finally gained the authority to be able to look into his disappearance, don't you think you would do? And if your best friends 'murder' investigation turned up nothing, wouldn't you investigate yourself to make sure? Blue took that position extremely quickly after dad disappeared, the investigation lasted four days mum. And he was officially declared dead after seven. A week later Charles Goodshow made the entire thing top secret and need to know. Only the Elite Four, the Champion and Charles have access to his file."
"I see what you mean" Delia said angrily "and he looked me in the face for years afterwards telling me how sorry he was. So, you believe they are trying to let you know what they know, without actually telling you what they know because they're being handcuffed by Goodshow?"
"Can you see why I'm angry?" Ash said "someone high up knows something. Bruno and Agatha have told me as much. And I think they're leaving me breadcrumbs to follow."
"To where though?" Delia asked.
"I believe it leads directly to Team Rocket and Goodshow" Ash said "Agatha gave me some information in Lavender Town after I had already concluded rightly about Fuji. She despises the man, with a passion. He was lead scientist on a project Team Rocket were behind and financing, trying to clone a Mew on Cinnabar. Does that sound familiar?"
"Isn't that what Arceus told you?" Delia asked perplexed "she told you they hadn't succeeded yet but thought they would this year."
"She lied" Ash replied "Or at least played fast and loose with the truth. I believe they succeeded with their experiments, and I think Dad found out about it. The lab was destroyed by the volcano, or so the official report says. Agatha however told me the lab was destroyed after the experiments were discovered. She personally saw the results of the experiments and when Fuji was acquitted due to lack of evidence she and Bruno handed in their resignation. It was Lorelei that convinced them to stay on to try and change the system from within.
Now dad was a key witness to Fuji's trial as he too saw what they had tried to create. Blaine was Fujis right hand man and was part of every experiment they did. He gave evidence against Fuji in the trial, but it was dismissed because of the volcano erupting and burying everything so there was no proof behind what Blaine said. Dad was due to take the stand a few days later but Blue attacked the leader of Team Rocket the day before and dad paid the price saving his life. They used his disappearance to quash anything related to the incident and Fuji got off and moved to Lavender Town. Blaine stayed on Cinnabar in a ruined gym.
Now, the day Pikachu and I left Mt Moon we felt a very strong presence inside Cerulean Cave. it was so powerful we could feel it from outside. It never affected my mind though. We went back the day after to see if we could feel it again and it had left. When we arrived in Lavender, we felt the same kind of presence over the town. It conveniently left the next day leaving Spiritomb to take the fall. Pikachu and I have met Ho-oH, we have also met Zapdos. We have felt, first-hand the enormity of their power. This thing, whatever it was, dwarfed them mum. By a considerable distance."
"Hence why you believe one of their experiments was successful" Delia said with recognition dawning on her face pulling out an article Ash had sent her "And from this newspaper page on Fuji going missing, you believe they're related."
"I do" Ash said "he conveniently goes missing the day Rocket announce their resurgence in Viridian City, three weeks later I stop them in Mt Moon. Then I stop them again in Power Plant. Then the presence is over Lavender Town. He's the only one apart from Blaine who knows for certain if an experiment was successful, I've seen his trial transcript. Every question he answered with 'no comment'. He knows something. And I suspect he's controlling the presence or vice versa. I also suspect Uncle Giovanni is involved too in some way. The fact that the body of my father was never found in his gym is extremely suspicious mum."
"Gio?" Delia asked bewildered "how? Why?"
"Oh, come on Mum" Ash said shaking his head "Think. You know what kind of man he is, have you ever heard of anyone getting one over on him? For him to say he had no idea why the leader of Team Rocket was using his gym that day is complete crap. He told me himself when I met him after the Viridian incident that 'people don't lose a wallet in his city without him knowing about it'. Not only that but you must be able to feel something is off every time you're around him. I've been able to feel that from the moment I first met him. Pikachu said exactly the same thing when he first met him too. He knows something he's not sharing, and he was very quick to tell us he was in Johto the day of the incident at his gym. And his wording mum. No Known psychic Pokémon could teleport to and from Johto to Kanto. Known mum. The experiments were on a Mew fossil. Which means the subjects they created had to have psychic powers, and given Mew is incredibly powerful so would any offspring they had. If Mew could make that jump from Johto to Kanto, then it stands to reason so could whatever they created. Gio might not be involved with Team Rocket, but he's definitely involved with the cover up. I just don't know what the connection is between them."
After a few minutes silence Delia began with her conclusions "I have reservations about your point about Gio. But I can see why you'd think that. I don't believe it, yet. But I'm willing to go along with your premise until we find out for definite. Until then though we don't talk about him unless were actually together face-to-face. Looking over the information you sent me though has left me with more questions than answers. What was your father involved in? Who knows what actually happened that day and why have they not informed me given I'm his wife? What happened on Cinnabar? Why are the Elite Four covering this up? How does Lance and Blue fit into this? What are they hiding? Was something created and then hidden? Why did Arceus tell you that they had yet to create something, but evidence exists to say otherwise. What's the true purpose of your task? As you can see Ash, from the moment you sent me this all these thoughts have been running through my brain." Sighing she continued "I believe that your dad was deliberately assigned to the Cinnabar case. Why, I don't know. Red told me that it was part of his job as a G-Man operative but if that was the case then why were Agatha and Bruno involved? They're certainly not G-Men.
I remember your father's demeanour for the weeks preceding his disappearance, Ash. Usually he was cheerful and happy, at that time though he was very worried about something. Something he was not allowed to talk to me about. It's one of the few times we argued actually. Usually, he'd tell me everything he could so we could talk things through. You don't keep secrets from your loved ones, especially your wife or husband. It's lucky I knew Aura Guardians married for life or I'd have suspected an affair of some sort. Now though, it seems it is because of whatever happened at Cinnabar. He saw something or found out something that seriously disturbed him, Ash. I just wish I knew what."
"Well, I suppose this is the best time to tell you" Ash said "when I reach Cinnabar, I'm going exploring for this supposed destroyed lab. I don't think its as hidden as people are saying. I know there will be some kind of clue hidden there. I think the volcano was a fortuitous thing to happen. It wasn't due to go off for at least another century. It's why I'm convinced something survived and its power couldn't be contained, went off on a rampage and the destruction triggered the volcano explosion."
"I can't say I'm happy with that Ash" Delia said frowning "but I want to know what happened just as much as you do. So as long as you inform me the day you go looking and the minute you get back to the Pokémon Centre then I'll accept it."
"I plan on challenging the gym in the afternoon, reviving the fossil in the evening, exploring that night and then leaving as soon as I can the next day" Ash said, "I have no doubt Blaine is still involved in this and will warn whoever he can that I'm on the island."
"Just be safe Ash" Delia said clearly worried "this was big enough to create a cover up by the Pokémon League itself. If they did this to your dad, then you better believe they'll do it to you too."
"So, what's your conclusion to all this mum?" Ash asked.
"That your father is still alive" Delia said grimly "and he's being deliberately kept from us by someone. I used to joke that your father adored you more than he loved me. There is no way that he would stay away from us if he had a choice in the matter. No, he's still out there somewhere. And someone knows where. And when I find out whoever is behind this Ash" she said trailing off.
"I'll help you" Ash said nodding.
The next few days passed by fairly quickly. Ash and his mum didn't really travel around the ship much with each other. After having breakfast and agreeing to meet up for tea they both did their own thing and explored. In this way it meant they had things to talk about when they met up. A day before they were to get off at Porta Vista the captain announced that they had a surprise for everyone on board. The owners of the company that produced the SS ships had brokered a deal with the owners of a theme park Pokémon Land. Everyone on board would be able to enter for free and go on any attractions they wanted, also free of charge. All they needed to do was flash their ticket at the entrance. The majority of people aboard the SS Anne were very excited about this as Pokémon Land was world famous for having giant mechanical Pokémon that took them to various places in the park.
Unfortunately for Ash Delia had come down with sunstroke the night before so she told Ash to go enjoy himself while she recovered. Taking his place in line for entrance at the park, Ash felt uneasy but couldn't pinpoint why, placing his ticket back into a smaller backpack he had on him he entered. Something was very wrong with this park he decided after a few hours of exploring. It was pure luck that he passed by a hidden fence and saw the area where the Giant Pokémon were housed at night. Standing at the entrance though were two guards in very distinct uniforms. The giant red R on the front was a dead giveaway. Crouching in a nearby bush Ash listened in on their conversations.
"The boss will love this, all those rich folks aboard the SS Anne haven't a clue what we're really doing here."
"Quiet you fool" the second guard said, "before someone hears you."
"Who's gonna hear us here?" the first guard said, "there's no cameras here and no people can go beyond a certain point in the park."
"It doesn't matter. If anyone hears you, we'll both be in trouble. I'm up for promotion next month and I want to be part of the big project coming up. So, I won't have you messing that up for me."
"Well, well Pi" Ash said quietly "I knew something was off about this park Pi. It's owned by Team Rocket. We need to do something about this."
"But what?" Pikachu asked.
Looking around Ash noticed a tower in the distance "I'd wager that if we sabotaged that towers antenna, all the mechanical Pokémon would fail. This could cost Team Rocket millions of pokedollars."
"That could cause the people in this park serious injuries though." Pikachu said.
"Collateral damage Pi" Ash said shrugging his shoulders. "The flying machines aren't high enough in the air to cause significant injuries, and as for the ones on the ground they'll simply shut down. No injuries for that issue. When everything stops, we slip out and re-join the masses of people who will leave."
"I'm not happy about the collateral damage Ash" Pikachu said frowning "but sadly I don't have a better idea. So, all we need to do is get past all these guards."
"We'll take these two out first" Ash said "we'll lure them behind that hangar" he said pointing to the area they were guarding. Its entire right-hand side was covered in grass and bushes, so Ash carefully picked his way through the bushes and grass until they were hidden near the back of the hanger's side. "you'll need to be bait again Pi, lure them here. As they said there's no cameras so if we can make it quick then all the better"
Grumbling Pikachu waited for Ash to get into position to ambush them. When he received the signal Pikachu sprang out and launched himself at the very surprised guards. Springing off the first guard he leapt to the second guard and scratched his face. Hearing a yell Pikachu ran around the side of the hangar. Hearing outraged yells Pikachu turned around and saw them both advancing angrily. Rushing off to Ash's spot he heard them both charging behind him shouting and swearing. Rushing past Ash, he turned around so quickly and smashed his metallic tail into the first guards face that the second one didn't have time to react to Ash leaping out and decking him. Stashing them in the bushes Ash pulled a uniform off the second guard.
"We may need to dress up Pi" Ash said shrugging and pulling on the top over his hoodie. Ash cautiously looked around the corner of the hangar to see if anything had been noticed. Thankfully nothing had so he walked out in front of the hangar and was about to walk to the tower when Pi tapped him on the shoulder and pointed inside the hangar. Gaping Ash walked in to see a massive unfinished Dragonite being constructed. Looking around he didn't see anyone in the hangar, so he walked up to it. Noticing steps leading up the Dragonites back he noticed a door on its head.
"This has given me an idea Pi" Ash said "if I can reprogramme this Dragonite I can get that to destroy the tower. that way we can just leave the way we came, and all the guards can say was that a Pikachu knocked them out."
"That's IF the Dragonite is functional Ash" Pikachu said, "it's in here, out of the way for a reason after all."
"That's very true" Ash replied grimly as they began the climb "all we can do is hope for the best. Failing this we have to try and get into the tower which is significantly more dangerous." Opening the door Ash was amazed to find he was behind one of the Dragonites eyes. Looking at the control panel Ash whistled wow, "this a serious piece of machinery Pi. Luckily, I always take my mini toolkit in my bag. Keep an eye out will you while I look at its wiring."
The next fifteen minutes passed by very slowly for Pikachu who was at on the flat edge of the control desk looking out of the window. Every now and then he would hear Ash muttering about wires and little yelps as Ash electrocuted himself. Shaking his head Pikachu muttered about idiot trainers. "I heard that Pi" came the muffled voice of Ash who was shoulders deep indie the control box underneath the panel. "Aha, that's what I'm looking for. OK Pi. I'm going to connect a few wires here, let me know when the panel lights up." Several minutes and a lot of shocks later Ash had successfully connected the wiring up. Standing up Ash looked at the panel. "Now, it seems that they fitted these mechanical Pokémon with 'realistic' versions of their signature attacks that are connected to their power box. This one has Hyper Beam. I've stopped questioning our luck Pikachu. So, what I'm going to do is walk this out of the hangar, face the tower and use its move while switching on the walk button. I've wired it in such a way that it won't stop using the move or walking until it's out of battery life, whichever one comes first. As soon as I press the attack button, we need to get the hell out of here Pikachu as it only takes about a minute to charge the move."
At that Ash switched on the Dragonite and began to steer it using its control panel until it was out of its hangar, turning it round was very difficult as its tail got in the way of the hangars edge. Thankfully after a few minutes manoeuvring he had managed it. The tower was about two-hundred feet away from them, hopefully it walked straight into it. "Are you ready Pi? As soon as you feel close enough to the ground when we descend that ladder jump and head for the bushes we first arrived in. I'll dump the rocket t-shirt and we head back to the main park. If we're stopped, we just claim we got lost. Ok, here goes." Pressing the button, it began a countdown on the pane and Ash pressed the joystick forward where it stayed. Feeling it move Ash and Pikachu raced for the door and descended as quickly as they could. Just as they reached the ground Ash felt the pressure in the air around them heating up, running as fast as he could he got to the bushes just in time to see it launch a Hyper Beam at the tower blowing the top off it.
The explosion was so loud it blew Ash and Pikachu back several yards deeper into the bushes. Standing up Ash took off the shirt and ran to where they first entered the off limits zone. Entering the park proper Ash stood and watched the pandemonium of the crowd. People were fleeing everywhere from rampaging mechanical Pokémon that were attacking each other. Not even bothering to watch for much longer Ash and Pikachu quickly made their way to the exit of the park where a crush had formed of people wanting to escape. Being jostled and stamped on was not fun for Ash but eventually he managed to escape the park and made his way back to the ship. Showing the clearly stressed guard his ticket Ash made his way to his room where he collapsed onto his bed in relief. They had made it.
Hearing a knock on his door Ash opened it to find his mum looking very worried. As soon as she saw him, she grabbed him into a big hug. Holding his face, she placed her forehead on his and started to breathe more evenly.
"Mum, apart from the stampede I'm ok. I wasn't near anything when whatever happened, happened." Ash said.
Giving him a look, she asked, "what did happen Ash?"
Leading her to his bed he sat her down and said "Pi and I were just about to sit down for something to eat when an explosion happened from somewhere on the island. The mechanical Pokémon that was ferrying people around all stopped at the same time. It's lucky that the mechanical birds were all on the ground or they'd have crashed. And around half a minute later they started up again only this time they attacked each other. They all but destroyed the park by the time I had escaped. Whoever owns it has probably lost millions.
It wouldn't surprise me if they were sued either for the damage caused to people. There must have been thousands of people tying to escape and many were crushed in the stampede to get out. Their exits were non-existent." Looking relieved Delia stood up and gave Ash another hug before nodding and leaving.
The ship was delayed leaving Pokémon Land for a further two days to ensure everyone on board received the medical care they needed. Ash, Pikachu and Delia helped out as much as they could giving people basic first aid. It was a national story too; Ash and Pikachu had watched the news over the next few days to determine what the outcome of their little sabotaging episode had cost Team Rocket. The death toll was around ten so far, the explosion had killed seven staff workers at their operations room and a further three trying to stop the Dragonite from demolishing every building in that area. The 'owner' of Pokémon Land had been suspiciously absent on the news, instead a spokesman had been on expressing their grief at the loss of lives and that a full investigation would be carried out. The cost though boggled Ash's mind when he thought about it. Apparently, each mechanical Pokémon cost twenty million pokedollars to make each. And there was around nine of them. Then there were all the rides that had been destroyed, all the shops and the staff area the Dragonite had levelled. All told it would cost roughly one billion pokedollars to get it back to how it was.
"A billion dollars of damage" Ash exclaimed watching the news from his room "that's not including all the people that are going to sue."
"That's a lot of money Ash" Pikachu said, "do you think your mum knows?"
"Yes" Ash said simply as he moved onto their balcony and sat down at the table there "I've never been able to lie to her. I have a 'tell' but I have no idea what."
"Are you going to tell her?" Pikachu asked.
"Yes" Ash said looking at him "she's, my mum. I owe her lots. Especially as she's gone above and beyond for me for my entire life. I know a lot of people would say parents are supposed to, but she's done so much for me. She doesn't deserve lies from her only son."
"It's your eyes" a voice said from the doorway making him jump. It was his mum holding their dinner. Placing it on the table she turned to him, sat down and said "I'm not stupid Ash. You've never been able to look me in the eyes properly when you're lying. So, before we talk about the punishment, we will talk about what really happened."
Sighing Ash relayed what happened, how they got lost only to find themselves at a secret Rocket base, his decision to harm them financially and what he did to make sure it happened. The rest had been the truth from the start. Having a drink Ash waited nervously for his mum to talk.
"You promised me Ash that you wouldn't needlessly put yourself in a situation that you didn't need to be in. This is exactly one of those times where you've ignored your promise to me. The issue I'm having here is that it was Team Rocket who was harmed which I'm all for."
"There was only the two guard's mum. And the Dragonite. Apart from that we were safe" Ash said which earned him a severe look.
"You've literally just told me you had plans to infiltrate their tower, meaning you would have had to have taken out more than the two guards you did. Your luck is proving to be your saviour at the moment Ash." She said sternly "quit while you're ahead. Now the issue I'm having is that I have no actual way of punishing you and enforcing it. You are no longer a child Ash. Your actions could have had severe consequences for you if you'd been caught. You make me so mad at times you know."
"I'm sorry Mum" Ash said looking out to sea "I'm sorry to have disappointed you by lying to you."
"Good" Delia said looking at him "at least you acknowledge you have done something wrong. That's a good start. There's not only me you need to apologise too though. You ignored Pikachu and his warnings" After a few minutes of silence Delia sighed, shook her head, stood up and walked out leaving a very sullen Ash to think about what he'd done. "I'm sorry Pi" Ash said quietly, "I apologise for not listening to you."
"It's ok Ash" Pikachu said "I know we needed to take out Team Rocket. But this was a theme park, not a lab creating Pokémon. And it could have cost your mum everything. The problem is Ash is that you're very one track minded. And while we had that conversation in Rock Tunnel about cowardice, I stand by what I said that day by the way, this was not one of the times we needed to act. Out of everything they have done, this was likely the most harmless. You're just lucky this has cost Team Rocket and not you."
Leaving Ash to think about things Pikachu decided to relax in Ash's room. That evening Ash apologised to them both again at Tea. Delia told Ash to put it behind them, but Ash knew better. She was still mad at him. The next day they pulled into Porta Vista and disembarked. SS Anne would be here for a few days yet, so they had plenty of chances to explore. Ash found a little restaurant on the beach where Delia, Pikachu and Ash had dinner. Looking round Ash noticed it was pretty deserted. Walking over to the owner he asked why.
Walking over to the bar he asked for the bill. As he placed it down for Ash to scan his pokegear a crash was heard just behind him. Immediately Moe looked up to see Delia rubbing her behind and a splintered chair at her side. Rushing over to her he fretted about if she was injured or not. Finally, Ash walked back over to see what the commotion was.
"It's Ok Moe" Delia said laughing "I have a very big bum. I'm used to this, it's a good job I have all this extra padding."
"If you're sure Miss" Moe said still looking concerned.
"Are you ok mum?" Ash asked, "are we ready to go?"
"Yes" Delia said picking up her bag. "I'm afraid the chair wasn't big enough for my backside."
"Another chair has suffered, eh? It's not your fault Moe, mum had to alter the layout of the kitchen years ago because she kept banging her hips on the counter corners. She's always cursing her body" Ash said cheekily earning a playful glare off her "I added the cost of the chair into the tip Moe. I hope it was enough. And I hope you have a fabulous retirement. Come on mum, we have the contest on the beach to go to."
Leaving them Moe went back to his bar and looked at the receipt. He nearly collapsed in shock and had to steady himself on the bar. The tip was more than enough to cover the chair, the cost of his bar and his retirement fund. Looking up he found Ash and Delia had gone. Shaking his head at the generosity of some people he called up his solicitor to put the bar up for sale. He had an ocean to voyage.
"That was a very nice thing you did there Ash" Delia said smiling at him.
"He needed it more than I did mum." Ash said shrugging his shoulders "I know I can't and shouldn't help everyone, but I just know that Brutella was sabotaging him deliberately to get his bar from him. I hope he fleeces her for every dollar she has."
The rest of the day flew by. The next day however Ash knew something was wrong. When his mum walked into his room and found him and Pikachu looking intently at the ocean, she asked what was wrong.
"Something bad has happened mum." Ash said turning to face her "during the early hours this morning I felt a wave of anguish and anger hit me. Something has happened in Porta Vista mum. The Pokémon are not happy. I have this need to find it and fix it, whatever it is."
"I'm not going to like this, am I Ash" Delia said sighing "and after the other day I am very reluctant to let you leave my sight. However, your father often felt the same from time to time. Go do what you need to do. But make sure you listen to your Pokémon if they tell you a situation is too dangerous."
"Thanks mum" Ash said relieved "it genuinely hurts whenever it hits me. Something is very sad and angry out there. I need to fix it, whatever it is. I promise I'll keep you updated, I'll ring your pokegear when I find out what's happening" picking up his bag he made sure it was stocked and Pikachu jumped on his shoulder as he left. Shaking her head Delia decided today would be a great day to stay on the ship and sunbathe on the deck.
Ash meanwhile made his way into the city of Porta Vista. Walking past a huge hotel he noticed several trainers exiting it talking very loudly
"One million pokedollars for getting rid of the Tentacool?"
"Is she serious?"
"Well, we can't turn that down. I'll race you!"
"Hey you cheat. Those million Pokedollars are mine!"
Wondering what they meant Ash halted when he reached the entrance hall. There on a flyer was the legend "want to make one million pokedollars? Ask for Nastina inside"
"I think we better check this out Pikachu" Ash said walking inside the hotel. Walking to reception he asked about the flyer.
"Yes" the receptionist said "Nastina is offering One million pokedollars to the trainer or trainers that get rid of the Tentacool interfering with the construction of her new theme park out on the reef."
"Aren't those reefs protected?" Ash asked confused.
"Well, clearly not" the receptionist said uncaring "Nastina must have the necessary permits required or she wouldn't be building on them."
Nodding Ash left and made his way down to the harbour. It was very easy to see what was going on. The entire beachfront was covered in ink, several trainers were nursing their injured Pokémon and there was several unconscious Tentacool floating on the waves. Stopping a trainer who was rushing off he asked, "what's going on?"
"Those Tentacool man" the guy drawled "they're everywhere man. As soon as we get rid of one another replaces it man. Ain't no way the million dollars is worth this man" leaving the man Ash walked further down the beach until he came to the reefs. Sure enough out of the flotillas and cranes were beginning the construction of what looked like a building but were being halted by Tentacool swarming them. Something didn't sit right with Ash here. Getting out his pokegear he called Sam.
"Hey professor" Ash said, "Are you on your computer? If so, can you just check something for me?"
"Erm, give me a moment. I'm just with Blue. I'm going to put you on speaker phone Ash is that ok?" Sam said.
"Yeah sure" Ash said.
"Go on Ash" Sam said, "what do you need?"
"Well, we've arrived in Porta Vista" Ash started "Early hours this morning I was woken up by a strange feeling that kept me awake. I've just arrived at the actual port now and was told by several trainers that a woman called Nastina has offered a One-Million-Pokedollar reward to any trainers who can eliminate the Tentacool from the reefs using any means necessary so she can build a theme park on them. Now I've just arrived at the beach to find Pokémon bodies littered on it, with several trainers looking as though they've been battered. And I can see the reefs from where I am. There's a floating dock been built and several cranes on it. Aren't those reefs protected?"
"Yes, they are" Blues voice said "I have no idea who has authorised that Ash but whoever did is going to face severe consequences for doing so. I'll contact Lance now, hopefully we can get some of the G-Men to disperse those idiot trainers and calm the situation down."
"No worries" Ash said "I thought they were-HOLY SHIT"
"WHAT?" Sam asked urgently.
"I don't know how to put this" Ash squeaked out "But there's a fifty-foot Tentacruel headed directly for Porta Vista."
There was utter silence from the other end.
"Er, can you repeat that Ash" Blue asked.
"There is a fifty-foot tall Tentacruel, just risen out of the reefs." Ash said looking on in disbelief "It has destroyed the flotilla and makeshift dock and is now advancing on Porta Vista with an army of Tentacool behind it. We're going to need as many people as you can get Blue as soon as you can. This Port won't survive this otherwise. I'll do what I can to help out but I'm only one person."
"Blue just teleported to the league Ash. He's going to bring the entire G-Men. Just do what you can" Sam said, "and keep me updated as much as you can, when you can."
"Will do professor." Ash said sprinting back to the city. Passing by several people he saw the green roof of the police station just ahead of him. Jenny would have to be warned. Rushing inside he saw it was packed with trainers and injured Pokémon covered in ink shouting at the officers behind the counter. Having no time, he shouted "Everyone shut up. My name is Ash Ketchum. Everyone needs to leave right now, the Tentacool have risen out of the water and are advancing on the city. There is also a giant Tentacruel leading them. We all need to leave."
"What the hell are you talking about boy" a man sneered "those little shits don't scare me."
"Enough" Ash said letting his aura leak out causing the man to shrink back at Ash's glowing eyes. "because of you and every other bloody idiot in here who attacked those Tentacool the entire city is now in danger" turning to a still shell-shocked Jenny he continued "I have just been onto the phone with Champion Blue, he's gone to the league to get help but rounding everyone of the G-Men up could take up to half an hour. We need to organise barriers and trainers to help us protect the city until they arrive. I have a feeling the entire Elite Four will be coming to help. I noticed a choke point a few streets away, I think it was called Albion Street. If we can lure them there, then hopefully the casualties will be kept at a minimum."
Quickly drawing herself up she addressed the silent crowd "every single one of you is going to help rectify your own stupidity. You will go to Albion Street; you will help out with the barriers, and you will defend the port you have nearly destroyed. Ash, where will you be?"
"I will try and lure the Tentacruel away from the city. Hopefully you can cope with the Tentacool until help arrives. When you deal with them force them back to the harbour. Hopefully I should still be alive when help comes." Ash said before rushing out. Running to the Harbour he noticed the Tentacruel had not left yet. The Tentacool had advanced though and were making their way through the streets causing as much chaos as possible. Calling everyone out he quickly told them of the situation. Wartortle, I'll likely need you to stay with me and Pikachu in case we get blasted out to sea. Charmeleon and Bulbasaur, go find Officer Jenny. She's arranging a rear-guard until the Elite Four arrive. I know you're not happy with that. But they need every Pokémon they can get to aid them. Hopefully Pikachu, Wartortle and I can take out the Tentacruel. Without a leader they should crumble quickly. I'll see you guys on the other side."
Watching them leave gave Ash a big pang of worry and guilt. Forcing that down he advanced on the Tentacruel. Forcing out his Aura he cast the biggest Aura Sphere he could which smashed into the Tentacruel staggering it. "Guys, we don't hold back. Tentacruel" Ash shouted "I challenge you to a battle" Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt while Wartortle used an Ice Beam causing it to roar in pain and charge after them at a speed that Ash couldn't believe leaving the Tentacool to carry on with their destruction. His plan had seemingly worked to separate them. Running down the beach Ash turned and halted. They were now a good 100 yards away for their starting point, so it was enough. Ash was really lucky that he had fantastic reflexes as he leapt out of the way of a massive Hydro Pump and his Pokémon attacked.
Diving out of the way of all the tentacles was the biggest challenge they faced. While the Tentacruel's attacks would do severe damage should they hit the downside was that it took a long time to charge them, so they had advance warning and was able to chip away bit by bit. Ash had no idea how long had passed but his Pokémon were quickly getting tired. The Tentacruel's anger was masking its pain, as one side was clearly burned from all the electric attacks. This needed to end soon Ash thought. Ten minutes later it was still no closer to being over, but his team were on their last legs. The Tentacruel had still not had enough, despite losing sight from one eye from an attack, several tentacles were burned beyond recovery and its entire right side had scorch marks. Pikachu was sat on his haunches panting exhausted and Wartortle had just fainted from a huge Ice Beam clipping his side and sending him into a building. Recalling him he hoped he would be ok.
"Pi" Ash said quietly kneeling next to him keeping a wary eye on the Tentacruel "I have an idea, but its not going to be fun. And one millimetre misstep could end it for either of us."
"We've come this far Ash" Pikachu said standing up "what's your plan?"
"We need to wait for it to use Hydro Pump again." Ash said "when it does, I will charge into it using my aura as a shield while you run along it and use the biggest Thunder attack you can directly into its attack. It should travel straight to its source and do serious damage to its insides. It's all we have left Pi" Ash finished with tears falling down his face.
"If we should die Ash, then we die together" Pikachu said sparking his cheeks "it's been a pleasure knowing you, Ash."
"You too buddy" Ash said standing up and squaring his shoulders while Pikachu climbed onto them. "don't attack until it uses Hydro Pump. We can see what attack its going to be when it charges up. Dodge until then."
With a roar Ash threw Aura Spheres at the Tentacruel making it roar in pain and fling its tentacles out. For the next few minutes, it was dodging practice waiting for the right time to attack. Finally, Ash spotted it charging the correct attack. "Now Pikachu, wait for me to charge, you finish it."
Landing at the Harbour Lance quickly made his way over to the reefs. A pop at the side of him signified Blue had teleported by his side with the other three members of the Elite Four. Looking at the devastation Lance finally fixated on the cause. On the beach a young boy began to glow blue, and a Pikachu glowed yellow. They watched in horror as they charged directly at the massive Tentacruel. Hearing their words set off a chain reaction of fear.
"No!" Blue shouted sprinting onto the beach but was thrown back from the explosion that followed. The world lit up a bright yellow and the world stopped for them. The giant Tentacruel was fried from the inside and toppled over where it didn't move. On the beach however was a young boy whose body slowly stopped glowing blue, holding the hand of a Pikachu, both of them unmoving.
