A PokeGirl Emergency, Part 2!

In Team Rocket, timing was everything.

The entrance was, of course, all important. So after cutting out the PokeCenter's power and dropping the bombs, one could not afford to wait until the smoke had cleared before grappling down from the balloon and into the brand new hole in the PokeCenter's ceiling. Otherwise, how else would they emerge dramatically from the smoke, already striking their intimidating poses?

And at first things went smoothly. The jolt of electricity from the Voltorbs fried the PokeCenter's power, just as planned. Then they were released from their restraints and exploded as soon as they hit the PokeCenter's roof, just as planned. And Cassidy and Jessie slid down cables right into the smoking hole, just as planned. Then they took up position next to each other so that their silhouettes would be the first thing the local marks would see as the smoke started to dissipate.

They held those poses, both mentally counting down. And when they felt that enough of the smoke cleared, they began.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie declared.

"And make it double," continued Cassidy, though it galled her to do so. When she had been with Butch, she had been the one to lead things off.

"To protect the world-" Jessie started say, just as Cassidy said, "Here's our mission, so you-"

The two female Rocket Grunts stopped chanting, and then glared at each other.

"What do you think you're doing, talking over my part?" Jessie demanded.

"I'm doing it right! We're supposed to say the next part together!"

"No, next I say, 'To protect the world from devastation!' And then you say-"

"What? No, you're skipping an entire verse! And…it's 'To infect the world with devastation!' Why would we be protecting the world from anything? We're the villains!"

"Well, even villains need the world around to steal from it. If we devastate the world, then who would we rob?"

"It's not meant to be literal!"

Groaning, Meowth dropped down from the roof. "If you two nitwits are done ruinin' our entrance," he said as he strolled up to the pair, "can you get back tah doin' your danged jobs?"

Cassidy groaned. "Fine, fine, fine! We'll do it your way."

"Oh, it's too late, the moment's gone," Jessie sighed.

Then the smoke cleared away completely.

"Um, so is everyone else, apparently," Jessie said, looking around. "Where is everyone?"

The PokeCenter's front lobby was dark as expected, but it was also empty. All of the dumbstruck and cowering trainers and PokeGirls were simply nowhere to be seen."

"Are you telling me that we wasted our time on an empty PokeCenter?" Cassidy snapped. "What are we supposed to do now? Steal the pamphlets?"

"Well, maybe we can take the Healing Machine," Jessie said.

"Are you completely off your rocker? Do you have any idea how much that thing weighs?"

"Well, considering that you're able you carrying your bloated body everywhere you go, you should have no trouble with it!"

Now Cassidy was seething. "Are you blind? You clearly weigh more than me!"

Now Jessie was shoving her forehead up against Cassidy's, her fists balled. "You take that back!"

Cassidy shoved back. "I'm not taking it back; it's the truth!"

"Hey!"

The two turned to see Meowth standing on the front desk, his paws folded over his chest as he glowered at the pair.

"Can't you two numbskulls go one job wit'out snappin' at one anudder?" he said. "See, dis is why we're stuck togetha!"

"Oh, don't you dare!" Cassidy said. "You're not stuck here with me, I'm stuck here with you!"

"And who's fault is that, I wonder?" Jessie said.

"It's clearly yours!"

Meowth sighed. "Well, at least dis ain't a total loss. Check here."

He hopped off the desk and went over to where the inert Healing Machine sat in its alcove. Now that she was looking, Cassidy saw a single human ball sitting nestled in one of the slots.

Meowth picked up the human ball and held it over his head. "Eh? Tah-dah!"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Oh, look. One girl. Barely even worth the paperwork."

"Well, supposedly there's a Nurse Joy somewhere in here," Jessie said.

"Oh, look. One PokeGirl, and one Nurse Joy. Did I ever tell you how Butch and I managed to kidnap all the contestants in a beauty pageant? Because we did!"

"Hey! Let her go!"

The two bickering Grunts turned to see that they were no longer alone in the lobby.

The aforementioned Nurse Joy was there, scowling in anger with her fists balled, as if she could do anything. And standing in front of her was some kid so covered with bandages that he looked like he had gone through a woodchipper.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Jessie asked. "Who's this runt?"

…

So far today Ash had been overcome by shame, stricken by grief, driven by mindless terror, subjected to immense pain, left unsatisfied in the grip of intense arousal, and burdened by crushing guilt. Now he got to add burning fury to the checklist of classic negative emotions.

Standing before him in the pile of rubble were two women with big red R's on their chests, no doubt the perpetrators of the attack. But more pressing was the Meowth that was somehow standing upright on the Healing Machine, with the human ball containing the redheaded girl held in its paws.

He wasn't going to let them get away with her.

"I'm warning you!" Ash shouted. "You'd better give her back, or else!"

Then Nurse Joy laid a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful," she said. "That's Team Rocket!"

Ash swallowed. Oh, this wasn't good. He had heard of the notorious criminal syndicate, which supposedly controlled all organized crime in Kanto. He also knew that they specialized in kidnapping, as well as what they reportedly did to the girls they kidnapped.

"Dis yers?" said the Meowth. "Ain't girl huntin' against dah rules when yer a kid?"

Ash nearly fell right on his face. "Wait, you can-"

"Yeah, yeah, I can talk." Then the Meowth popped the claws in one paw and scraped them across the human ball's shell, gouging four tracks in the pink metal. "But what yah should be worried 'bout is what we're gonna do tah yer little friend here if yah don't cooperate!"

Ash shut up, though his jaws were still clenched tight and his fists balled up.

"That's better," said the blonde. "Now, if you don't want anything worse to happen to your girlfriend, step aside and let us have that nurse over there."

"Huh? No way!"

"Ah, ah, ah," said the Meowth as he dug in deeper, sparks flying from the cuts. "We're takin' her anyways. Yer choice whether or not nobody gets hurt!"

Ash was shaking, but he didn't move. He couldn't let them hurt Nurse Joy.

The Meowth sighed. "Ah well, I tried." Then he glanced over to the two Rocket Grunts. "Well? Whaddya waitin' fer, yah idiots?"

"Huh?" said the purple-haired one. "Oh, right!"

The two women then withdrew a pokeball each, expanded them, and threw. "Ekans! Raticate! Go!"

Ash gulped when a hissing purple snake and a giant brown rat with huge fangs materialized. He had barely survived an attack by wild Spearows. There was no way he would be able to handle these two!

But he still wasn't going to run. If these criminals wanted to take the two girls that had saved him, then they were going to have to do it over his dead body!

Unfortunately, that was looking more and more like that most likely outcome, and he doubted that they would have much trouble with that ultimatum.

Then Nurse Joy leaned in close and whispered, "Ash, your friend's Pokemon!"

For a moment Ash didn't understand what she meant. What friend? What Pokemon? He had come here alone, and he didn't have any-

Then he got it. The redheaded girl's Pokemon were still in his possession! When the power had gone out, he had quickly pocketed all the capture balls on the table, so the pokeballs were currently in his right pocket!

Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he grabbed two at random, activated them, and hurled them with both hands. "Uh, whatever Pokemon these are, I choose you!"

Both pokeballs spun through the air and then opened, exhaling two bright red beams of light. One of them congealed on the floor, forming a small, flopping fish.

"Goldeen, Goldeen," the fish said in a distressed, feminine voice. "Goldeen, Goldeen!"

"Really?" Ash cried in dismay as the pokeballs returned to his hands. "A Goldeen?"

Shaking his hand, he returned the Goldeen to its pokeball before it could suffocate. Just his luck that he would end up with something like that! Hopefully he had time to send out another, one that could actually fight!

But before he could grab for one, Nurse Joy suddenly hissed, "Ash!"

"Huh?"

Then he saw it, and he stared. The two Rocket Grunts saw it, and they stared! The three Rocket Pokemon saw it, and they stared.

The other red beam of light had also solidified into a living being, one that was most certainly not a flopping fish. This one was taller, even taller than Ash, and stood upon two legs. Two…very nice legs, which went up to a very nice butt, which in turn continued on to a slender, naked back.

It was a human. Specifically, it was a human girl. Even more specifically, it was a naked human girl, one that seemed to be around the same age as Ash and the redhead, maybe a year or two older, with short brown hair and lightly tanned skin.

All the heat that had flustered Ash so much in the shower suddenly returned. His mouth went dry, his head felt light, and it was suddenly very difficult to think.

"Wha?" said the Meowth. "Anudder PokeGirl? Kid, you jus' snatchin' up yer entire fourth grade class or somethin'?"

Well, to be completely accurate, the girl wasn't totally naked. She was wearing a pair of red-and-white shoes with brown socks, and there was a red bandana with a white pokeball symbol tied around the top of her head. Also, a rope bound her arms tightly behind her back, something that was weirdly common with a lot of PokeGirls for some reason.

"Oh, this raises so many unpleasant questions," Nurse Joy sighed.

The PokeGirl seemed quite bewildered by her surroundings. She made a weird, muffled sound, looking around at the darkened PokeCenter. Then she saw the two dumbfounded Rocket Grunts and made another muffled sound.

Then she turned around to stare at Ash and Nurse Joy.

That told Ash a number of things. First, the rope was also tied around the girl's front so as to push out her youthful breasts as much as possible. Second, her eyes were a pretty shade of blue. Third, there was a red ball in her mouth, one tied into place by a black band around her head.

Fourth, she clearly had no idea what was going on, but would very much like to!

"Oh, I am not looking forward to logging this one," sighed the blonde Rocket Grunt.

"Capture them first, worry about the reports after," snapped the purple one.

The Ekans and the Raticate shook off their confusion, and started to advance.

"Mmmmmph!" the PokeGirl cried.

Before Ash could say or do anything, Nurse Joy pushed him aside and yelled out, "You! PokeGirl! What's your typing?"

"Mmmmfyyyyrrrfff!"

"Fire? Good. Then use ember!"

The PokeGirl blinked. Then she whirled back toward her opponents.

Before either of them could advance, the PokeGirl had thrown herself forward, rolled over her shoulders onto her back, and kicked both of her legs out. Two fireballs formed around her feet and shot right at the enemy.

They hit, and the Ekans and Raticate cried out in pain as they both ended up with blackened faces.

"Raticate!" shouted the blonde. "Shake it off and use hyper fang!"

"Focus on the Raticate!" Nurse Joy said in return. "Use blaze kick!"

The PokeGirl kipped up to her feet and took off running. She leapt into the air and sailed at the charging Raticate, one foot extended out.

Flames engulfed her foot, and her sole smashed into the Raticate's face. Shrieking, it fell back, now with one of its fangs only half the size of before.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted the purple Grunt. "Ekans! Constrict!"

"PokeGirl!" Nurse Joy called. "Fire punch!"

The PokeGirl paused. Then she looked back over her shoulder to shoot Nurse Joy an irritated glare.

"Oh, uh, sorry! Try-"

But it was too late. The Ekans struck, wrapping itself tightly around the girl's chest. She squirmed and moaned as it its coils tightened harder and harder.

"Now, Ekans," purred the purple Grunt. "Put her down with a poison sting!"

The Ekans opened its mouth, venom dripping from its fangs.

Then Ash jumped in. "Uh, hey! Do you know flame wheel?"

Though she was clearly in great distress, the PokeGirl managed a nod.

"Then use it! On the Raticate"

Before the Ekans could sink its fangs into her flesh, the PokeGirl threw both herself and the attached Ekans at the dazed Raticate. She burst into flame, causing both the purple snake and large rat to cry out in pain at the impact and the fire, which loosened the Ekans's coils, allowing the PokeGirl to wriggle free.

"Firespin!" Ash cried. "Now!"

Again the girl threw herself onto her upper back and shoulders, but instead of kipping back up again she spun around and around, her legs windmilling in the air. Fire rose up around her in a burning tornado, enveloping both of her opponents.

Which is just what Ash had been waiting for.

Without waiting for the fiery whirlwind to die down, he darted forward, past the battle (wow, that tornado was hot!), past the dumbstruck Rocket Grunts who were still staring slack-jawed as their Pokemon were roasted alive, past the front desk, and over to the Healing Machine, where the Meowth was still standing, just as stupefied by the inferno as his companions.

"Give me that!" Ash seized the human ball in the Meowth's grasp and yanked it away. Then he sprinted back the way he came.

"Huh?" the Meowth said as he hopped off the Healing Machine and raced after Ash, claws extended. "Hey! Give that back, yah dumb dweeb!"

The fiery tornado died down, leaving two crisp Pokemon and one smug looking PokeGirl.

"Awesome!" Ash said as he raced past her. "You did great!"

Though she couldn't speak, the PokeGirl beamed at the praise.

Then she looked over to the Meowth and her face darkened.

"Give that back, or I swear I'll-"

The PokeGirl placed herself between Ash and the Meowth, her eyes blazing. A crimson aura materialized in the air around her, one looked as hot and angry as the fires she had been conjuring up.

"Uh…" The Meowth looked up. He gulped.

"What are you waiting for, Meowth?" demanded the purple-haired Grunt. "She's just a kid! Shred her!"

"Yeah, but…" the Meowth said as he slowly backed up. "Hey, is it hwot in here, or is it just-"

The PokeGirl drew her leg back, and the foot burst into flames.

"-oh."

…

Those who had been watching the strange happenings at the PokeCenter were suddenly treated to a new sort of strangeness, when one of the side windows exploded outward, courtesy of a small, smoking white bundle of fur.

The singed furry ball turned out to be a Meowth, one with a blackened footprint right across his face and singed whiskers. He tumbled gracelessly through the air and came to a rather painful landing across a white picket fence.

For a long moment the Meowth didn't move, though he did groan loudly in pain.

Finally he started to move, to try to right himself. "Humans," he muttered to himself. "Y'know, I like it better when we jus' try tah steal Pokemon. Thin's never got weird wit' Pokemon, not like-"

And then his foot slipped and he fell.

"…Meowth…"

…

Both Cassidy and Jessie threw themselves to the floor to avoid being hit by Meowth's flying body. Seconds later there was the sound of shattering glass.

The two Grunts turned to glower at the smashed window. "All right," Cassidy said as she rose up. "Now I'm mad."

"You're mad?" Jessie said. "Nobody cares about you! But do you have any idea what this is going to do to my record?"

Cassidy didn't bother to dignify something that idiotic with a direct response. "They're gone," she said.

"What?"

It was true. The boy, the Nurse Joy, and the surprise fiery PokeGirl had all fled the room, leaving the two Rocket Grunts alone.

"Oh, come on!" Jessie groaned. "Ekans, why didn't you stop them?"

Cassidy sighed. And then she pointed.

Both Raticate and Ekans were lying sprawled on side-by-side, their bodies blackened with soot, tiny flames at the end of Raticate's fur and Ekans's rattle. They seemed completely out of it.

"Ek-" coughed the snake, puffing out a small cloud of smoke.

"-cate," added Raticate.

"What?" Jessie said. "Get up and go after them, you lazy bums!"

"Jessie, you idiot! They're clearly fainted!"

Jessie kicked a nearby support column in frustration. "Argh. Useless! Cassidy, give me one of your Pokemon, I don't have any left!"

Cassidy ignored her. She was scanning the darkened PokeCenter lobby. The Healing Machine was out as a possibility, as with no power it was now inert.

Fortunately, there was a backup plan.

"Uh, didn't you hear me?" Jessie said. "I said, give me one-"

Cassidy found it. In one corner were a trio of vending machines, one of which deposited things like chips, nuts, and candy bars, and another that held soft drinks, water bottles, and sports drinks.

As for the third, well, that one held things like antidotes, paralyze-heals, burn heals, and, most importantly, potions.

Cassidy slammed the sole of her boot into the glass, causing it to vibrate. Fortunately it wasn't made of Plexiglas, so a couple more kicks shattered it.

Clearing away the shards, Cassidy grabbed a handful of max-potions. "Here!" she said, tossing one to Jessie. "Get that worm freshened up! We have to stop them before they get away!"